Chevron Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CVX)

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 147,579 call options on the company. This is an increase of 385% compared to the average volume of 30,433 call options.

Key Headlines Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. intervention and White House statements raising the prospect of renewed U.S. access to Venezuelan oil have pushed Chevron into a favored position as the only major U.S. operator still active there. The market has anointed Chevron the big Venezuela winner. But oil majors face a long road before any payoff
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron already runs projects and exports from Venezuela and owns Gulf Coast refining capacity well suited to heavy, sour Venezuelan crude — a strategic integration advantage if flows resume. Chevron’s Risky Bet to Stay in Venezuela May Now Give It an Advantage
• Positive Sentiment: Market action: heavy call‑option buying and sharp premarket/intraday buying in oil names lifted Chevron and contributed to broader gains (helping the Dow reach record levels). Chevron, US refiners’ shares surge after Trump’s move toward Venezuela oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive but cautious — Citigroup trimmed its price target (keeps a Buy) and broader street ratings are mixed; the rally has attracted both buy recommendations and “wait for consolidation” notes.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant execution risk and timelines: rebuilding Venezuela’s dilapidated oil infrastructure will take years and billions, so any revenue/earnings upside is likely long‑dated. The market has anointed Chevron the big Venezuela winner. But oil majors face a long road before any payoff
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/coordination uncertainty: reports say the administration didn’t consult majors before the operation, leaving questions about contracts, timing and legal/regulatory frameworks for U.S. companies. Trump administration has not consulted US oil majors about Venezuela, oil execs say
• Negative Sentiment: Technicals and economics: some technical indicators show the move is overbought and crude prices remain below levels that would meaningfully boost near‑term margins, increasing risk of a pullback.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In related news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 1,128,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,052,783.75. This trade represents a 19.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CVX. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chevron by 19.3% during the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 73,448 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,406,000 after buying an additional 11,875 shares during the last quarter. Solitude Financial Services lifted its stake in Chevron by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Solitude Financial Services now owns 25,325 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,626,000 after acquiring an additional 1,913 shares in the last quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA purchased a new position in Chevron during the 3rd quarter worth $5,662,000. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in Chevron by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 51,115 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,319,000 after acquiring an additional 9,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Chevron by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 88,759 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,743,000 after acquiring an additional 6,058 shares in the last quarter. 72.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chevron Stock Performance

Shares of CVX stock opened at $163.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.20. The company has a market cap of $329.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a PEG ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.70. Chevron has a 12 month low of $132.04 and a 12 month high of $168.96.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Chevron will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Chevron’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CVX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective (down from $170.00) on shares of Chevron in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Chevron from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Chevron from $183.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Chevron from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.90.

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.