Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have given a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.2381.

Several analysts have recently commented on OXY shares. Wall Street Zen raised Occidental Petroleum from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Occidental Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $49.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th.

Occidental Petroleum News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: Reports of an Iranian tanker strike near Kuwait and broader Middle East conflict concerns are pushing oil prices and lifting shares of oil producers, benefiting OXY. Occidental Petroleum Stock Rises Amid Middle East Conflict Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Rising oil prices: Recent rallies in crude have been a primary catalyst for OXY’s move higher — energy leverage means rising WTI boosts Occidental’s revenues and margins. Why Occidental Petroleum Stock Rocketed Nearly 17% in February
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: Traders bought ~120,397 OXY calls (up ~96% vs. average), signaling strong speculative bullish interest and potential further upside pressure on the stock as market participants position for higher oil/stock levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor confidence / narrative tailwinds: Coverage highlighting Warren Buffett’s stake and bullish thesis (Occidental’s strategic reset, divestitures, and Berkshire backing) is reinforcing investor demand for OXY as an oil-exposure play. Warren Buffett’s Oil Bet Looks Genius, Here Is What to Buy Next
• Positive Sentiment: Debt management: Occidental announced and updated cash tender offers and consent solicitations for several senior notes and increased the aggregate cap on purchases — moves that reduce outstanding debt and are generally viewed positively by bond and equity investors. Occidental Announces Total Consideration for its Cash Tender Offers…
• Neutral Sentiment: Early tender results / upsized offer: Occidental reported early tender results and increased the maximum aggregate principal amount it will accept — this signals active liability management but uses cash, so the net impact depends on financing and future cash flow. Occidental Announces Early Tender Results and Upsize…
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target moves: UBS and Piper Sandler each raised OXY price targets (UBS to $55, Piper Sandler to $54) but maintained neutral ratings — modestly supportive for the stock, though not a full upgrade. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary and attention: MarketBeat, Zacks, and other outlets are spotlighting OXY as a high-conviction energy play amid supply concerns; useful for retail/institutional interest but not an immediate earnings driver. Chaos & Crude: 3 Energy Stocks Built to Thrive…

Occidental Petroleum Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE OXY opened at $54.28 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71 and a beta of 0.34. Occidental Petroleum has a 1 year low of $34.78 and a 1 year high of $56.34.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from Occidental Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Occidental Petroleum’s payout ratio is 59.63%.

Insider Transactions at Occidental Petroleum

In other news, Director William R. Klesse acquired 5,000 shares of Occidental Petroleum stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $38.98 per share, with a total value of $194,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 218,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,533,228.74. This trade represents a 2.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Occidental Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 10.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 88,504,019 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,718,054,000 after acquiring an additional 8,273,030 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 22.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,089,878 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $756,796,000 after acquiring an additional 3,267,269 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Occidental Petroleum by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,602,660 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $436,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,721 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,959,638 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $162,820,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,638 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 1,029.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,493,747 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $70,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,541 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.70% of the company’s stock.

Occidental Petroleum Company Profile

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.