Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Chevron Call Options (NYSE:CVX)

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 1,009,814 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,066% compared to the average volume of 46,615 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CVX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. HSBC cut shares of Chevron from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Chevron from $174.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Chevron from $204.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.00.

Chevron Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CVX opened at $183.65 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 0.70. Chevron has a 52 week low of $132.04 and a 52 week high of $186.52.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $45.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.18 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 8.23%. Chevron’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Chevron will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.78 dividend. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Chevron’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 41,134 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.40, for a total transaction of $7,256,037.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 4,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $735,411.60. This represents a 90.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 45,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $7,976,986.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,161 shares in the company, valued at $1,247,231.37. This trade represents a 86.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 793,163 shares of company stock valued at $127,920,502 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in Chevron in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chevron in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Chevron by 197.7% during the second 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. Finally, Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Chevron in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Chevron News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Venezuela is set to grant additional oil drilling blocks to Chevron and Repsol, a development that would expand production opportunity and reserves in a high-impact basin. Venezuela set to grant more oil drilling blocks to Chevron, Repsol – Bloomberg
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron has begun processing Venezuelan crude at a Gulf Coast refinery — a tangible near-term boost to volumes/refining feedstock access and a sign of resumed operations tied to political changes. Inside Chevron’s flagship refinery tapping into Venezuelan crude after Maduro’s capture
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is returning to Libya and pursuing exploration/blocks in the Sirte Basin — a move that increases long‑term upstream optionality if political/security conditions hold. Big Oil embraces global exploration again as Chevron returns to Libya
• Positive Sentiment: Company scale in the Permian (1M boe/d) and deployment of AI/mineral-right advantages were highlighted as drivers of cash flow and cost efficiency — supportive for free cash flow and shareholder returns. Chevron’s Permian Scale Drives Cash Flow and Efficiency Edge
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought roughly 1,009,814 call options (a ~2,066% jump vs. typical volume), signaling bullish sentiment or speculative positioning that can add upward price momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bangchak has acquired Chevron’s Hong Kong unit as part of regional restructuring — a non-core asset sale that is likely neutral to core upstream earnings but could slightly simplify regional operations. Bangchak acquires Chevron’s Hong Kong unit to fuel regional expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider disclosure: Chevron CTO Thomas Ryder Booth sold 5 shares (de minimis), an immaterial transaction unlikely to affect investor view. SEC Form 4 disclosure

Chevron Company Profile

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.