Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on CVX. HSBC set a $169.00 price target on shares of Chevron and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Chevron from $183.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Chevron from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.14.

Chevron Price Performance

Chevron stock opened at $162.15 on Friday. Chevron has a 52 week low of $132.04 and a 52 week high of $168.96. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $152.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.42. The stock has a market cap of $326.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.14. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.74% and a net margin of 6.57%.The business had revenue of $48.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Chevron’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Chevron will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In other Chevron news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total transaction of $41,456,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at $170,052,783.75. This represents a 19.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eimear P. Bonner sold 28,334 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $4,676,526.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $720,608.30. This trade represents a 86.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 631,990 shares of company stock valued at $99,716,808. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CVX. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Chevron by 197.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Chevron in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Chevron by 86.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Chevron by 52.3% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 265 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Chevron during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Chevron News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is in advanced talks with the U.S. government to expand its Venezuela license, which would allow higher exports to Chevron’s refineries and third parties — a clear potential earnings and volume catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shipping and operational activity is picking up: data and filings show Chevron loading Venezuelan crude and contracting multiple tankers, signalling the company can scale flows quickly if approvals hold. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market positioning and deal activity: reports show Chevron competing with traders and partners to control Venezuelan exports and lining up bids for international assets — moves that could expand supply links and reserves. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Bernstein and other outlets have recently raised targets or reiterated bullish theses on CVX amid the Venezuela angle, providing analyst-driven validation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: White House engagement: President Trump met with oil executives to discuss Venezuela reconstruction — policy backing could help but details, guarantees and timelines remain uncertain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Companies want guarantees: FT/Reuters reporting that U.S. majors want formal guarantees from Washington before committing large capital, implying any large-scale Venezuela rebuild will be phased and conditional. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Distribution risk: some shipments to traditional buyers (notably Chinese buyers) are paused, tempering near-term cash conversion despite increased loading activity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling disclosed (CEO, CFO and other insiders sold sizable blocks in early January), which can be perceived negatively and add short-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and sell-side caution: at least one firm cut CVX to “Strong Sell” and others trimmed price targets, reflecting some skepticism about sustainable upside after the recent run. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Political/reputational risk: high-profile criticism and scrutiny around U.S. handling of Venezuela investments raise execution and regulatory uncertainty. Read More.

About Chevron

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is an American multinational energy company engaged in virtually all aspects of the oil and gas industry. As an integrated energy firm, Chevron’s core activities include upstream oil and natural gas exploration and production, midstream transportation and storage, downstream refining and marketing of fuels and lubricants, and petrochemical manufacturing through joint ventures and subsidiaries. The company markets fuels under brands such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex and supplies a range of products and services to retail customers, industrial users and commercial fleets worldwide.

Chevron traces its corporate lineage to the early petroleum companies that eventually became Standard Oil of California and has evolved through significant mergers and restructurings, including the acquisitions of Gulf Oil and Texaco.