Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Up 0.6% - Should You Buy?

Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $144.04 and last traded at $143.84. Approximately 3,556,081 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 7,837,457 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CVX. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Chevron from $180.00 to $163.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Chevron from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Chevron from $168.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup raised Chevron from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Chevron from $194.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.19.

Chevron Stock Up 0.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $258.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm's fifty day moving average is $154.57 and its 200-day moving average is $151.72.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $50.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $48.86 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 13.15%. Chevron's quarterly revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chevron Co. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.53%. Chevron's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.65%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In related news, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 164,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.13, for a total value of $26,357,398.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $685,356.40. This trade represents a 97.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chevron

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chevron in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chevron by 118.0% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 218 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 72.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Chevron

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification of liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas; and carbon capture and storage, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant.