Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Trading Down 1.4% Following Insider Selling

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) shares traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $184.15 and last traded at $186.09. 10,883,487 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 12,068,484 shares. The stock had previously closed at $188.77.

Specifically, insider Andrew Benjamin Walz sold 11,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.58, for a total transaction of $2,187,528.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 272,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.35, for a total transaction of $51,621,354.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 31,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,920,217.10. The trade was a 89.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other Chevron news, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 139,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.92, for a total transaction of $26,233,632.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,337 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,130,449.04. The trade was a 92.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on CVX shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Freedom Capital cut Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on Chevron from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Chevron from $174.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $178.95.

Chevron News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical-driven oil rally: higher crude and gas prices amid Middle East escalation are lifting energy-sector earnings power and provide a tailwind to Chevron’s integrated margins. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target raises: several firms have bumped targets and reiterated conviction in CVX’s cash returns (recent headline target lifts push some forecasts above $200), supporting buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative as “geopolitical insurance”: institutional commentary and coverage are treating majors like Chevron as hedges in a volatile oil backdrop, which attracts risk‑off flows into large integrated producers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: Chevron raised its quarterly payout, reinforcing the income case for investors and supporting the stock’s valuation relative to peers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bullish commentary and theses: retail and independent outlets have circulated bullish writeups summarizing reasons to buy CVX (scale, cash returns, dividend), which can help sentiment but don’t always move institutional flows on their own. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational disruption — Leviathan pause: Chevron suspended production at the Leviathan gas field amid regional security orders, creating near‑term volume and revenue uncertainty for that asset. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling: multiple senior executives — including reported multi‑million‑dollar sales by the CEO and other officers — have disclosed big stock sales in early March, which often triggers short‑term caution and profit‑taking. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/political risk: Chevron warned California officials that certain state energy policies could affect refining economics; domestic policy uncertainty can increase volatility and operational constraints. Read More.

Chevron Trading Up 2.0%

The company has a market cap of $378.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.49.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.08. Chevron had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The business had revenue of $45.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Chevron’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chevron

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CVX. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Chevron during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 72.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.