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

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) shares fell 1.4% during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $184.15 and last traded at $186.09. 10,883,487 shares changed hands 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.58, for a total value of $2,187,528.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 272,624 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.35, for a total value of $51,621,354.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 31,266 shares in the company, valued at $5,920,217.10. The trade was a 89.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In other Chevron news, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 139,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,337 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,130,449.04. This trade represents a 92.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CVX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Chevron from $204.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Chevron from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Chevron from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $176.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Argus set a $203.00 target price on Chevron in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $178.95.

Trending Headlines about Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical tension in the Middle East has pushed crude and natural-gas futures higher, creating a tailwind for integrated majors like Chevron by supporting margins and cash flow expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages and Wall Street research have been upbeat recently (upgraded price targets and bullish notes), reinforcing investor confidence in Chevron’s cash returns and long-term outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term positioning by large investors (including increased exposure reported in recent institutional filings) and commentary highlighting Chevron’s scale and dividend profile support the stock’s medium-term appeal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened retail and analyst attention has increased trading activity and headline sensitivity; that can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chevron halted production and declared force majeure at the Leviathan gas field after Israeli security orders tied to regional hostilities — an immediate operational disruption that creates uncertainty around near-term gas volumes and local cash flow. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by R. Hewitt Pate (multiple large blocks disclosed in SEC filings) has likely contributed to near-term selling pressure and investor caution. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader geopolitical headlines (reports of Iranian contacts with U.S. counterparts and threats in the Strait of Hormuz) have increased market volatility and raised the risk premium on energy names despite higher commodity prices. Read More.

Chevron Stock Down 1.4%

The firm has a market cap of $371.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $171.79 and a 200-day moving average of $160.28.

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

Chevron Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. This is an increase from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Chevron’s payout ratio is 106.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chevron

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CVX. Castellan Group lifted its position in shares of Chevron by 10.7% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in Chevron by 7.7% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Chevron by 9.0% in the second 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 last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chevron by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 756 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowroot Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chevron in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $627,000. 72.42% of the stock is currently 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.