Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Upgraded to “Buy” at Melius Research

Melius Research upgraded shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. Melius Research currently has $205.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.36.

Chevron Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE:CVX opened at $180.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $163.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.88. Chevron has a 1-year low of $132.04 and a 1-year high of $186.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.70.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share (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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Chevron will post 10.79 EPS for the current year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors 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 a positive change from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Chevron’s payout ratio is presently 102.70%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In other news, CTO Thomas Ryder Booth sold 1,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.37, for a total value of $204,619.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 45,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,247,231.37. The trade was a 86.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 806,027 shares of company stock worth $130,289,680 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chevron

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Castellan Group lifted its position in Chevron by 10.7% during the second quarter. Castellan Group now owns 20,405 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,922,000 after buying an additional 1,965 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Chevron by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 11,079 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners raised its holdings in shares of Chevron by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 4,471 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Chevron by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 50,839 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,280,000 after acquiring an additional 4,214 shares during the period. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chevron by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. 72.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron-led consortium awarded four offshore lease blocks in Greece, giving Chevron a 70% operating interest and expanding its Mediterranean exploration footprint — a tangible long‑term growth/reserves catalyst. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron announced a larger dividend payout to shareholders, reinforcing its income appeal for yield‑seeking investors as Treasury yields have softened. This supports investor demand for blue‑chip energy dividend names. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CVX is a trending ticker on Zacks and other outlets; several write‑ups are re‑examining Chevron’s outlook and positioning relative to peers, which can increase short‑term volume and volatility without changing fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary notes that integrated energy names like Chevron are generating strong cash flow but still trade at discounts to the broader market — a mixed signal that may keep valuation debates active among investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite Melius Research upgrading CVX to a “buy” and raising its price target to $205 (from $155), the market largely ignored the move and shares declined — suggesting the upgrade alone isn’t changing investor conviction and that short‑term selling/rotation is outweighing fresh positive analyst views. Article Title

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.