Freedom Capital Downgrades Chevron (NYSE:CVX) to Strong Sell

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was downgraded by Freedom Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Chevron from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Chevron from $183.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Chevron from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.90.

Chevron Stock Performance

Shares of CVX stock opened at $156.82 on Tuesday. Chevron has a 1 year low of $132.04 and a 1 year high of $168.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.26 and a beta of 0.70. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $152.10 and a 200 day moving average of $153.26.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $48.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.99 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.74% and a net margin of 6.57%.Chevron’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Chevron will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chevron

In related news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total value of $41,456,250.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,128,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,052,783.75. This represents a 19.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CVX. Sage Capital Advisors llc raised its holdings in shares of Chevron by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 43,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,612,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. RDA Financial Network increased its stake in Chevron by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 14,215 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,166,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Chevron by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd now owns 10,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,621,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chevron by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 10,413 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,587,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mallini Complete Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron in the fourth quarter worth approximately $225,000. 72.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Chevron News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A upside — reports say Chevron and Quantum Energy Partners are lining up a bid for roughly $22B of Lukoil’s international assets, a deal that would materially expand Chevron’s global footprint if completed and supports longer‑term strategic growth. Chevron, Quantum Energy Partners line up bid for $22 billion of Lukoil assets, FT reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction to U.S. plan to import Venezuelan oil is muted — some outlets say oil names “shrugged off” a $2B import plan, implying the headline alone isn’t changing fundamentals immediately. Watch execution risk and timing. CVX, XOM, COP: Oil Stocks Shrug Off U.S. Deal to Import $2B Venezuelan Oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity — heavy call buying was reported recently, which can amplify intraday moves and increase short‑term volatility even if it doesn’t change the company’s fundamentals. Monitor open interest and implied vol for clues on trader positioning. Chevron Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:CVX)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and downgrades — Citigroup issued a more pessimistic near‑term forecast (lower price target), reminding investors that consensus earnings and oil‑price assumptions are being reworked; this contributes to selling pressure. Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Headline risk on Venezuela durability — several analysts and pieces argue Venezuela isn’t a near‑term catalyst (or that reopening will face legal, logistical and sanction complexities), increasing the chance the recent rally was overdone. Chevron: Venezuela Is Not A Catalyst For Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term profit‑taking / reality check — coverage noting Chevron’s recent sharp gains are reversing amid reminders that rebuilding Venezuela will take years and oil prices remain below $60, a setup that can trigger short‑term pullbacks. Chevron’s stock falls as the market gets a reality check on Venezuela

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.