Chevron reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings
Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings of $1.71 before the bell this morning, as well as a revenue beat. Plus, the blue-chip oil name joined several of its sector peers by announcing share buybacks, as profits rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. According to CEO Michael Wirth, the buybacks will resume this quarter at an annual rate between $2 billion and $3 billion, which is roughly half the annual rate Chevron had planned.
At last check, CVS is down 1.3% to trade at $101.26. Several short-term trendlines of resistance are looming ahead, including the 40-day moving average, which appeared to keep a lid on today's earlier gains. Year-to-date, the equity is up 21.6%.
Options bulls are targeting Chevron stock after today's event, with calls running at double what's typically at this point. More specifically, 10,000 calls have crossed the tape already, in comparison to 3,363 puts. Most popular is the weekly 7/30 103-strike call, followed by the 105-strike call in the same series.
This penchant for calls is continuing a recently bullish trend in the options pits. CVX's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 3.08 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands higher than 87% of readings from the past year, showing long calls being picked up at a faster-than-usual clip.
Analysts are of similar sentiment. Of the 18 in coverage, 13 carry a "buy" or better rating on the equity.