Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Occidental Petroleum’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.24 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.32 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.27 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.14 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.34 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on OXY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays assumed coverage on Occidental Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $47.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.43.

Occidental Petroleum Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:OXY opened at $44.88 on Monday. Occidental Petroleum has a fifty-two week low of $34.78 and a fifty-two week high of $52.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $41.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.00 and a beta of 0.38.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 7.81% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Occidental Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. Occidental Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Occidental Petroleum news, Director William R. Klesse bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $38.98 per share, with a total value of $194,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 218,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,533,228.74. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of OXY. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the second quarter worth about $27,000. City Holding Co. raised its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 700 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc acquired a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 1,193.9% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 854 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 88.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Occidental Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Occidental Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $47 (from $46) and maintained a neutral rating — a modest upside to the stock’s current level that can provide short‑term support. Piper Sandler raises PT to $47 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlighting Occidental’s strong five‑year return (cited ~129% gain) reinforce longer‑term investor confidence and may attract buyers focused on historic performance. Investors in Occidental Petroleum have seen strong returns (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened investor interest/search activity around OXY has been reported (more eyeballs can amplify volatility but is not a directional catalyst by itself). Investors Heavily Search Occidental Petroleum (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded OXY to a “Strong Sell” and lowered multiple quarterly and full‑year EPS estimates for 2026–2027 (several downward revisions across Q1–Q4 2026 and FY2026–FY2027). This is the primary near‑term negative catalyst and likely the main reason for selling pressure in parts of the session. Zacks downgrades to Strong Sell and trims EPS outlook (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Susquehanna has lowered its expectations for OXY’s stock price, adding another analyst note that could weigh on sentiment and limit buying interest until clearer fundamentals or guidance emerge. Susquehanna lowers expectations for Occidental (AmericanBankingNews)

About Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) is an international energy company engaged primarily in the exploration, production and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company conducts upstream activities to discover and produce hydrocarbons and operates complementary midstream and marketing functions to transport and sell its production. Occidental also owns a chemicals business that manufactures and sells industrial chemicals and related products for a range of end markets.

Occidental’s operations are concentrated in the United States, with a significant presence in the Permian Basin, and it maintains exploration and production activities in several international regions, including parts of the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.