Chevron Takes Action as Venezuela Faces Tightening Feedstock Supplies
Chevron's Role in Venezuela: Chevron has stepped in to provide essential feedstock supplies to Venezuela amidst disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, ensuring compliance with U.S. laws while maintaining operational continuity.
Impact of Recent Incidents: A U.S. destroyer's encounter with a Russian vessel has complicated Venezuela's crude-loading activities, highlighting the challenges Chevron faces in navigating regional maritime logistics.
Chevron's Operations and Compliance: Despite pressures, Chevron continues to operate responsibly in Venezuela, having expanded its activities under a limited U.S. license that allows for increased output without transferring revenue to the Venezuelan government.
Investment Opportunities in Energy Sector: Investors may consider top-ranked energy stocks like Drilling Tools International, Par Pacific Holdings, and USA Compression Partners, which are currently rated as strong buys, indicating potential growth in the sector.
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- Exploration Expansion: Chevron's agreement with the Greek government enables exploration of four offshore blocks in the eastern Mediterranean, covering an area of 47,000 square kilometers, thereby solidifying its market position in the region.
- Joint Venture Structure: In this exploration, Chevron holds a 70% operating interest while Helliniq Energy holds 30%, a partnership that will help mitigate risks and enhance resource development capabilities.
- Exploration Phase Plans: Under the agreement, the consortium will conduct 2D and 3D seismic surveys during the first exploration phase to evaluate hydrocarbon potential, laying the groundwork for future development.
- Asset Integration: Chevron already possesses multiple assets in the Mediterranean, including two gas-producing blocks offshore Israel and the developing Aphrodite gas field in Cyprus, which enhances its overall competitiveness in the region.
- Military Action Possibility: Trump stated he will decide within the next 10 days whether to launch military strikes against Iran, raising market concerns about escalating tensions that could lead to further oil price volatility.
- Oil Price Surge: Amid fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran, WTI crude prices have risen 6% this week and 16% year-to-date, reaching $66.68 per barrel, indicating market sensitivity to geopolitical risks.
- Military Buildup in the Middle East: The U.S. is undergoing a significant military buildup in the Middle East, with the USS Abraham Lincoln already in the region and the USS Gerald Ford en route, reflecting heightened U.S. vigilance regarding the situation with Iran.
- Limited Negotiation Progress: Although U.S. envoys held talks with Iran in Geneva regarding its nuclear program, Vice President JD Vance noted that Iran did not address the red lines set by Trump, indicating substantial disagreements remain between the two parties.
- Strong Stock Performance: Chevron shares reached a new 52-week high of $187.90 on Thursday, reflecting the energy sector's resilience despite broader market weakness, with a 1.54% increase to $186.71 and an 18.57% gain over the past year.
- Market Drivers: The energy sector rose by 1.31% on the same day, providing support for Chevron, while crude oil prices increased by 2.29% to $66.54 due to U.S.-Iran tensions, further boosting oil and gas stocks.
- Strategic Expansion: Chevron signed lease agreements for four offshore blocks in Greece, holding a 70% operating interest, which expands its Mediterranean footprint and enhances its competitive position in the market.
- Analyst Ratings: Chevron has an average price target of $172.75, with recent analyst ratings predominantly at “Overweight,” including Wells Fargo raising its target to $204.00, indicating strong market confidence in its future performance.
- Walmart's Earnings Outlook: Walmart's full-year earnings guidance of $2.75 to $2.95 falls short of the $2.96 consensus, indicating challenges in resetting market expectations despite food inflation at just 1%, while authorizing a $30 billion stock buyback program to support its stock price.
- Boeing Order Growth: Boeing secured nearly 100 jet orders from three Vietnamese airlines, indicating a recovery in its backlog, and as CEO Kelly Ortberg's turnaround progresses, a breakout moment for earnings is anticipated, prompting investors to position themselves ahead of this potential growth.
- Deere's Profit Forecast Upgrade: Deere raised its 2026 profit forecast to between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, surpassing the FactSet consensus of $4.38 billion, reflecting a recovery in its construction and small agriculture segments, which led to a 6% increase in its stock price.
- eBay's Strong Performance: eBay reported a blowout quarter with a strong first-quarter outlook, resulting in a 6% stock increase, and announced the acquisition of secondhand fashion app Depop for $1.2 billion, showcasing the company's resurgence in the marketplace.
- Market Resilience: Despite rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the stock market has shown strong performance, with the S&P 500 up about 0.6% this week, while the Dow Jones and Nasdaq gained 0.3% and 0.9%, respectively, indicating investor resilience to geopolitical conflicts.
- Rising Oil Prices: Crude oil prices have surged, with West Texas Intermediate futures increasing approximately 6% this week to trade above $66 per barrel, while Brent futures also rose about 6%, reflecting concerns over potential supply disruptions due to military conflict.
- Historical Data Insights: Barclays' trading desk analysis shows that since September 1980, the S&P 500 has remained largely unchanged the day after geopolitical events, with slight gains on the day before and the day of such events, suggesting a generally optimistic market response.
- Investor Strategy Adjustments: Although the stock market is performing well, the S&P 500 is less than 2% below record levels, indicating that investors may consider trimming equity positions in anticipation of potential military escalation and its impact on market volatility.

- Stock Performance: Occidental Petroleum's stock increased by approximately 6% before the market opened on Thursday.
- Earnings Report: The rise in stock price followed the company's fourth-quarter earnings report, which exceeded analysts' expectations.










