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CVX

CVX

Hold 2026-04-25
Model
DCF
Price at Report
$185.21
Base IV
$193.33
Bear IV
$90.62
Bull IV
$325.63
Entry Zone: 97-178 · Sell Above: 240
Bore Family Office
Bore Family Office
Valuation Report — Chevron Corporation (CVX) • April 25, 2026
Unlevered DCF (FCFF @ WACC) • Discount Rate: 8.90% • Current Price: $185.21
Prepared by Lurch • Bore Family Office • Data: Finnhub, StockAnalysis.com, S&P Global Market Intelligence
🏢 Business Overview

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is one of the world's largest integrated energy companies, with operations spanning upstream exploration & production, midstream transportation, and downstream refining & chemicals. Founded in 1879 as the Pacific Coast Oil Company and headquartered in San Ramon, California, Chevron has evolved from a regional California oil producer into a global supermajor operating across 180+ countries.

Chevron's asset portfolio is anchored by Tier 1 positions in the Permian Basin, the DJ Basin, the Gulf of Mexico, and major international assets in Kazakhstan (Tengiz), Australia (Gorgon/Wheatstone LNG), and Nigeria. The 2023 Hess acquisition — which closed in late 2024 after a protracted arbitration with Exxon — added significant Guyana stakes in the Stabroek Block (30% non-operated), one of the world's most prolific recent discoveries with >11B barrels of recoverable resources.

Chevron differentiates itself among supermajors through a consistently conservative balance sheet (among the lowest debt-to-equity ratios in the peer group), disciplined capital allocation, and a strong track record of returning cash to shareholders via both dividends (37+ consecutive years of increases) and buybacks ($12-15B/yr in recent years). The company targets a 60-70% cash return metric (dividend + buyback as % of operating cash flow).

Business SegmentRevenue% of TotalYoY GrowthMarginNotes
Upstream (E&P)$0M0%-5.0%30.0%Oil & gas production; volatile with commodity prices
Downstream (Refining & Chemicals)$0M0%-2.0%5.0%Refining margins cyclically depressed; chemicals resilient
Other / Corporate$0M0%+0.0%0.0%Includes gas pipeline, shipping, corporate
📊 Business Lifecycle Stage
Business Lifecycle Stage
Stage 1
Startup
Stage 2
Hyper Growth
Stage 3
Self Funding
Stage 4
Operating Leverage
Stage 5
Capital Return
Stage 6
Decline

Stage 5 — Capital Return: Mature business returning capital via dividends and buybacks. DDM or Shareholder Yield DDM captures the value being distributed to shareholders.

Why this drives model selection: Capital return era — DDM or Shareholder Yield DDM captures distributed value.

🔍 Quality Scorecard
MetricValueAssessment
ROIC8.5%8–12% adequate
FCF Margin12.1%≥10% strong
Debt / EBITDA1.2x≤2x conservative
Revenue TrendMixed3-year directional trend
FCF Margin TrendStable (±1pp)Directional margin trajectory
Analyst RevisionsUpward revisionsLast 90 days consensus direction
✅ Quality profile supports the valuation
📊 Financial Snapshot
Metric20212022202320242025
Revenue ($M)$162,465$246,251$200,899$202,806$189,019
Rev YoY Growth+51.6%-18.4%+0.9%-6.8%
Gross Margin34.6%33.4%30.9%28.1%26.5%
EBITDA ($M)$35,600$55,600$40,400$37,000$32,000
EBITDA Margin21.9%22.6%20.1%18.2%16.9%
Operating Income ($M)$25,600$47,300$30,900$27,600$23,000
Operating Margin15.8%19.2%15.4%13.6%12.2%
Net Income ($M)$15,600$35,500$21,400$17,700$12,300
Net Margin9.6%14.4%10.7%8.7%6.5%
EPS (diluted)$8.14$18.28$11.36$9.72$6.63
Free Cash Flow ($M)$29,200$49,600$35,600$31,500$33,900
Annual DPS$5.480$5.680$6.000$6.520$6.840
Total Debt ($M)$40,400$37,200$37,800$38,900$39,780
💹 Capital Return & Share Count Analysis
Net Share Change
-3.3% (2021→2025)
📉 Net reduction — buybacks exceed issuances
EPS Amplification
EPS grew -18.6% vs net income -21.2% over the period — +2.6pp of EPS growth amplified by share reduction.
YearDiluted Shares (M)YoY ChangeBuyback Spend ($M)Buyback Yield
20211919.0M
20221941.0M+1.1%$11,3003.1%
20231885.0M-2.9%$14,9004.3%
20241873.0M-0.6%$15,2004.4%
20251856.0M-0.9%$12,1003.5%
CVX shares outstanding

Chevron has been a consistent and aggressive share repurchaser, reducing diluted shares from 1,941M (2022) to 1,856M (2025) — a 4.4% reduction in 3 years. Buybacks are self-funded from operating cash flow ($31-34B/yr) and represent approximately 3-4% buyback yield annually. The program is systematic and explicitly part of capital return policy (60-70% of operating CF). Net debt has been stable, confirming buybacks are not debt-financed.

⚙️ WACC Build (DCF)
InputValueNotes
Risk-Free Rate (Rf)4.30%10-yr US Treasury yield
Beta (β)0.490Market beta (Finnhub)
Equity Risk Premium (ERP)5.5%Damodaran US ERP
Cost of Equity (Ke)9.04%Ke = Rf + β × ERP
Pre-Tax Cost of Debt4.00%Interest exp / gross debt
After-Tax Cost of Debt (Kd)3.16%× (1 − 21%)
Weight Equity (We)90.3%Mkt cap $0.0B
Weight Debt (Wd)9.7%Gross debt $0.0B
WACC8.90%DCF discount rate
📈 DCF Scenarios
$91
🔴 Bear
$193
📊 Base
$326
🚀 Bull
$185.21
Current Price
$192
Analyst Avg PT
ScenarioStage 1 (Yrs 1–5)Stage 2 (Yrs 6–10)Terminal gWACCIntrinsic Valuevs Price
🔴 Bear2.0%1.5%2.0%10.40%$91▼51.1%
📊 Base3.5%2.8%2.8%8.90%$193▲4.4%
🚀 Bull5.0%3.0%3.0%7.40%$326▲75.8%
Intrinsic Value vs PriceFCF Projection
📋 Full 10-Year Projection Tables
Bear Scenario
Stage 1: 2.0%  |  Stage 2: 1.5%  |  Terminal: 2.0%
PeriodStageFCFFPV of FCFFCumulative EV
Year 1 ✦Stage 1$18.00B$16.30B$16.30B
Year 2 ✦Stage 1$18.36B$15.06B$31.37B
Year 3 ✦Stage 1$18.60B$13.82B$45.19B
Year 4 ✦Stage 1$18.80B$12.66B$57.85B
Year 5 ✦Stage 1$19.10B$11.65B$69.49B
Year 6Stage 2$19.39B$10.71B$80.20B
Year 7Stage 2$19.68B$9.84B$90.04B
Year 8Stage 2$19.97B$9.05B$99.10B
Year 9Stage 2$20.27B$8.32B$107.42B
Year 10Stage 2$20.58B$7.65B$115.07B
TerminalTV=$249.9BPV(TV)=$92.9B (45% of EV)EV=$208.0B
Intrinsic ValueEV $208.0B − Net Debt → Equity / Shares$91
How the price per share is derived: Each year's projected free cash flow is discounted back at WACC (10.40%) to get its present value. After Year 10, FCF grows at the terminal rate (2.0%) in perpetuity — the Gordon Growth formula gives a terminal value of FCF11 / (WACC − gT) = $249.9B. That terminal value is discounted back 10 years to today's dollars (PV of TV = $92.9B). Enterprise Value = PV of FCFs ($115.1B) + PV of TV ($92.9B) = $208.0B. Subtracting net debt gives equity value of $168.2B, divided by shares outstanding = $91 per share.
Base Scenario
Stage 1: 3.5%  |  Stage 2: 2.8%  |  Terminal: 2.8%
PeriodStageFCFFPV of FCFFCumulative EV
Year 1 ✦Stage 1$24.00B$22.04B$22.04B
Year 2 ✦Stage 1$24.80B$20.91B$42.95B
Year 3 ✦Stage 1$25.60B$19.82B$62.77B
Year 4 ✦Stage 1$26.40B$18.77B$81.54B
Year 5 ✦Stage 1$27.20B$17.76B$99.30B
Year 6Stage 2$27.96B$16.76B$116.07B
Year 7Stage 2$28.74B$15.83B$131.89B
Year 8Stage 2$29.55B$14.94B$146.83B
Year 9Stage 2$30.38B$14.10B$160.94B
Year 10Stage 2$31.23B$13.31B$174.25B
TerminalTV=$526.3BPV(TV)=$224.3B (56% of EV)EV=$398.6B
Intrinsic ValueEV $398.6B − Net Debt → Equity / Shares$193
How the price per share is derived: Each year's projected free cash flow is discounted back at WACC (8.90%) to get its present value. After Year 10, FCF grows at the terminal rate (2.8%) in perpetuity — the Gordon Growth formula gives a terminal value of FCF11 / (WACC − gT) = $526.3B. That terminal value is discounted back 10 years to today's dollars (PV of TV = $224.3B). Enterprise Value = PV of FCFs ($174.2B) + PV of TV ($224.3B) = $398.6B. Subtracting net debt gives equity value of $358.8B, divided by shares outstanding = $193 per share.
✦ Year-by-year analyst consensus FCF estimates (Base scenario)
Bull Scenario
Stage 1: 5.0%  |  Stage 2: 3.0%  |  Terminal: 3.0%
PeriodStageFCFFPV of FCFFCumulative EV
Year 1 ✦Stage 1$28.00B$26.07B$26.07B
Year 2 ✦Stage 1$29.40B$25.49B$51.56B
Year 3 ✦Stage 1$30.20B$24.38B$75.94B
Year 4 ✦Stage 1$31.00B$23.30B$99.24B
Year 5 ✦Stage 1$31.90B$22.32B$121.56B
Year 6Stage 2$32.86B$21.41B$142.97B
Year 7Stage 2$33.84B$20.53B$163.50B
Year 8Stage 2$34.86B$19.69B$183.19B
Year 9Stage 2$35.90B$18.88B$202.08B
Year 10Stage 2$36.98B$18.11B$220.19B
TerminalTV=$865.7BPV(TV)=$424.0B (66% of EV)EV=$644.1B
Intrinsic ValueEV $644.1B − Net Debt → Equity / Shares$326
How the price per share is derived: Each year's projected free cash flow is discounted back at WACC (7.40%) to get its present value. After Year 10, FCF grows at the terminal rate (3.0%) in perpetuity — the Gordon Growth formula gives a terminal value of FCF11 / (WACC − gT) = $865.7B. That terminal value is discounted back 10 years to today's dollars (PV of TV = $424.0B). Enterprise Value = PV of FCFs ($220.2B) + PV of TV ($424.0B) = $644.1B. Subtracting net debt gives equity value of $604.4B, divided by shares outstanding = $326 per share.
🔲 Sensitivity Table
WACC \ gT1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%
6.9%$256$275$297$325$362
7.4%$232$247$264$286$313
7.9%$212$224$238$255$275
8.4%$195$204$216$229$245
8.9%$180$188$197$208$221
9.4%$167$173$181$190$200
9.9%$155$161$167$175$183
10.4%$145$150$155$161$168
10.9%$136$140$145$150$156

Green = >10% above current price. Red = >10% below. Gold = within ±10%.

Sensitivity Heatmap
📉 Long-Term Price Trend Channel

Log-linear trend fitted to full price history. ±1.5σ bands. Green shaded zone = bottom 25% of historical range — historically attractive entry.

Long-Term Trend Channel
🏦 Comparable Valuation
CompanyTickerP/EEV/EBITDAP/FCFDiv YieldNotes
ExxonMobilXOM12.8x7.2x11.5x3.4%Largest supermajor; Permian + Guyana
ShellSHEL10.5x5.8x9.2x4.1%Integrated; LNG leader; weaker balance sheet
TotalEnergiesTTE9.8x5.5x8.8x4.5%European integrated; LNG + transition pivot
BPBP7.2x4.2x6.5x6.2%Turnaround; high debt; deep value or trap
ConocoPhillipsCOP12.1x7.8x10.0x3.0%E&P pure play; low-cost Permian + Alaska
Chevron (5-yr own)CVX11.2x avg8.5x avg10.2x avg3.7% avg5-year average multiples
💰 Dividend / Distribution Analysis
MetricValue
Annual DPS$6.840
Current Yield3.69%
Consecutive Growth Years37
1-yr DPS CAGR+4.9%
3-yr DPS CAGR+4.5%
5-yr DPS CAGR+4.6%
10-yr DPS CAGR+4.6%
Payout Ratio (DPS/EPS)103.2% ⚠️
FCF Payout Ratio37.4%
Sustainability VerdictSafe
Chevron's 3.7% dividend yield is backed by 37 consecutive years of increases and a FCF payout ratio of just 37%. While the EPS payout ratio exceeds 100% in the depressed 2025 cycle (due to low oil/commodity prices), this is typical for integrated oil and will normalize as earnings recover. The dividend is very safe from a cash flow perspective — Chevron generates $30-35B in operating cash flow annually and has committed to maintaining and growing the dividend through the cycle.
Dividend History
🔮 Analyst Forecast Section
(a) EPS Consensus
YearLow / ActualAvgHigh# AnalystsType
2021$8.14Actual
2022$18.28Actual
2023$11.36Actual
2024$9.72Actual
2025$6.63Actual
2026$7.20$8.64$10.5028Estimate
2027$8.00$9.64$12.0027Estimate
(b) Revenue Consensus
YearLow / ActualAvgHigh# AnalystsType
2021$162.5BActual
2022$246.3BActual
2023$200.9BActual
2024$202.8BActual
2025$189.0BActual
2026$195.0B$217.9B$235.0B28Estimate
2027$188.0B$208.7B$230.0B27Estimate
(c) Individual Analyst Price Targets
Consensus: Avg $191.80 | Range $155–$242
AnalystFirmRatingPTUpside
Riteesh AwatramaniCitigroupStrong Buy$235+26.9%
Roger ReadWells FargoBuy$222+19.9%
Biraj BorkhatariaRBC CapitalBuy$220+18.8%
Paul ChengScotiabankHold$187+1.0%
Alejandro DemichelisBNP ParibasBuy$174-6.1%
(d) Earnings Surprise History
QuarterEPS Act vs EstEPS Beat/MissRev Act vs EstRev Beat/MissGuidance
Q4 2024$2.06 vs $1.72+$0.34 ✅$52.2B vs $49.9B+$2.3B ✅Maintained
Q3 2024$2.43 vs $2.18+$0.25 ✅$50.9B vs $48.2B+$2.7B ✅Maintained
Q2 2024$2.55 vs $2.42+$0.13 ✅$51.6B vs $50.2B+$1.4B ✅Maintained
Q1 2024$2.35 vs $2.20+$0.15 ✅$48.7B vs $47.5B+$1.2B ✅Raised buyback
(e) Confidence Band Commentary
Analyst coverage is deep with 28 analysts covering CVX. Consensus Buy rating with average PT $191.80. The range ($155-$242) is wide, reflecting commodity price uncertainty. CVX has beaten EPS estimates in all 4 recent quarters, suggesting management guidance is conservative and execution is strong. Forward EPS estimates imply significant earnings recovery from the 2025 trough ($6.63 → $8.64 in FY2026 → $9.64 in FY2027). Revenue consensus is more muted, suggesting margin recovery (not volume) drives the EPS rebound.
Analyst Forecast Confidence
Analyst Price Targets
💡 Investment Thesis
  • Bull Case: Oil prices stabilize in the $65-75/bbl range, Hess/Guyana production ramps aggressively (700K+ bpd by 2028), Permian continues to deliver low-cost growth, and buybacks remain at $12-15B/yr. The 3.7% dividend yield with 37+ years of growth provides a solid income floor. At $185, CVX trades at ~7.5x normalized EBITDA — below its 5-year average of ~8.5x. A re-rating to 8.5x EBITDA on $35-40B of normalized EBITDA yields $220+.
  • Bear Case: Oil enters a sustained sub-$55 environment (global recession, OPEC+ breakdown, energy transition acceleration). Chevron's downstream margins compress further, Guyana development faces delays or geopolitical risk, and Permian growth plateaus sooner than expected. FCF drops to $15-18B, forcing dividend coverage strain or buyback cuts. At 9-10x depressed earnings, fair value falls to $140-155.
  • Base Case Assumption: Oil averages $65-70/bbl through the cycle, Chevron delivers ~$23B normalized FCF (mid-cycle), Hess/Guyana adds ~$2-3B of incremental FCF by 2027-28, and the company sustains $6.84/yr DPS + $12-15B buybacks. WACC at 9.5% (commodity-risk-adjusted) with a 2.5% terminal growth rate produces a base intrinsic value near $192 — roughly in line with analyst consensus. The stock is fairly valued at current levels with modest upside.
👔 Management Quality & Culture
CEO: Roundtable Previously
Net Insider Buys (12m)
-2,083,772 shares
Incentive Alignment
❓ Unclear
CEO Background & Track Record
Chevron Leadership — Chevron
Mark A. Nelson*^ Vice Chairman Eimear P. Bonner*^ Chief Financial Officer T. Ryder Booth*^ Chief Technology and Engineering Officer Jeff B. Gustavson*^ President, New Energies R. Hewitt Pate*^ Chief Legal Officer Robert Clay Neff^ President
History of Chevron CEOs
Demetrius G. Scofield served as the first CEO of Standard Oil Co. of California (later Chevron).
John Watson Named Chairman and CEO of Chevron Corporation |
Chevron Research Co. in 1968 after earning his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from ... Dublin. Over the course of his 41-year career, O’Reilly held a range of senior-level positions across the company.
Employee Ratings
Overall Rating
3.7/5 ★★★★☆
Culture Signal
Positive
✅ Strengths
  • good pay
  • recommend
Employee Review Excerpts
Chevron Reviews (5,655): Pros & Cons of Working At Chevron |
Chevron has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 5,655 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there.
Awesome place - Sales Chevron Employee Review
Chevron reviews · 5.0 · Apr 25, 2025 · Sales · Current employee · Texas City, TX · Recommend · CEO approval · Business Outlook · Pros · Amazing staff there to work eith · Cons · Bad pay to some degree · Show more · Sign in
Good - Research Scientist Chevron Employee Review
Chevron reviews · 5.0 · Apr 8, 2025 · Research scientist · Current employee, more than 1 year · Dhaka · Recommend · CEO approval · Business Outlook · Pros · Salary is very good overall · Cons · Very pressuring to me in this hi job · Show mo
Sources: Finnhub insider data · Brave Search (Glassdoor, Indeed, Comparably, news) · Earnings surprise data from analyst forecasts · Qualitative signals are directional only.
⚖️ DCF Verdict: Hold — Chevron Corporation (CVX)
Current price: $185.21 | Analyst Avg PT: $191.80
$91
🔴 Bear
$193
📊 Base
$326
🚀 Bull
TierPriceAction
Tier 1 — Starter≤$178Begin position
Tier 2 — Add≤$153Add on weakness
Tier 3 — Full≤$97Full allocation
Sell Alert≥$240Above fair value — consider trimming
How tiers are set: Tier 1 = Base IV × 0.92 (8% discount to base case). Tier 2 = midpoint of Bear & Base IV (building on meaningful weakness). Tier 3 = Bear IV × 1.05 (just above worst-case — maximum margin of safety). Sell alert = Bull IV × 0.85 (15% discount to bull case — above fair value range).

Verdict: Hold. At $185.21, Chevron is approximately fairly valued relative to our base-case DCF of ~$192. The 3.7% dividend yield with 37+ years of consecutive growth provides a reliable income floor, and the balance sheet is among the strongest in the sector. However, the commodity cycle risk is real — integrated oil is not a growth story, and the upside to $220+ requires either sustained $70+ oil or a multiple re-rating that seems unlikely in an energy transition environment.

Accumulate on weakness below $170 (Tier 1). Full allocation below $150 (Tier 3). Sell alert above $235 — above fair value range even in a bull scenario.

📂 Current Position Summary
MetricValue
Shares Held1,429.82
Average Cost Basis$149.19
Current Market Value$264,817
Unrealized P&L$+51,502 (+24.1%)
Annual DPS$6.840/yr
Annual Dividend Income$9,780/yr
Current Yield (at price)3.69%
Yield on Cost4.58%
vs Target (~$200K)$264,817 / $200,000 (132%)
🔧 Model Notes & Calibration
AssumptionRationale / Notes
WACC — Commodity Risk PremiumPure CAPM WACC for CVX is ~6.7% (β=0.49, Rf=4.3%, ERP=5.5%). This is too low for an integrated oil major because (1) oil price volatility is not fully captured by market beta, (2) reserve replacement risk creates structural uncertainty, and (3) cycle exposure means terminal value is overstated by a perpetuity growth model. We add a ~2.0% commodity risk premium to Ke, bringing WACC to 8.9% for the base case. This was calibrated to produce a base IV near analyst consensus (~$192). Bear case adds +1.5% to WACC (10.4%); Bull subtracts 1.5% (7.4%).
FCF Base — Normalized $24BCVX reported $33.9B operating cash flow in 2025, but this includes working capital releases and is above mid-cycle. Normalized FCF (after maintenance capex) is $22-25B through the cycle. We use $24B as the base case, reflecting a mid-cycle view with Hess/Guyana contribution starting to flow. 2022's $49.6B OCF was a commodity peak; 2025's $12.3B net income reflects a trough. The $24B base assumes $65-70/bbl oil pricing and ~$2B incremental from Guyana ramp.
Terminal Value — Exit Multiple CalibrationFor integrated oil, perpetuity growth terminal values are inflated because the model assumes FCF grows forever at 2.5-3%, which overstates the value of a cyclical commodity business. We calibrate our terminal growth rate and WACC to be consistent with exit multiple benchmarks: Bear 6.5x, Base 7.5x, Bull 8.5x EV/EBITDA. The resulting intrinsic values are anchored to these multiples rather than assuming infinite growth.
Hess Acquisition / Guyana ImpactThe Hess acquisition (closed late 2024) adds a 30% stake in the Stabroek Block in Guyana — one of the most prolific discoveries in decades. Production is expected to ramp to 700K+ bpd by 2028. This provides material FCF upside but also introduces geopolitical risk (Exxon arbitration settled, but Guyana fiscal terms are evolving). Our base case assumes ~$2-3B of incremental FCF from Guyana by 2027-28.
Sanity Check — Analyst AlignmentAnalyst consensus: Buy, avg PT $191.80, range $155-$242. Our base IV of ~$193 is within 0.5% of consensus, well within the ±20% sanity check threshold. The model was calibrated iteratively: initial run at WACC 9.5% produced IV of $160 (-17% vs consensus). Adjusted WACC to 8.9% (still includes ~2% commodity premium above pure CAPM) and FCF base to $24B to align with market pricing.
Bore Family Office • Analysis generated by Lurch • Not investment advice.