Chevron may cancel Hess deal

Article Excerpt

CHEVRON CORP. $155 is a buy. The integrated oil producer (New York symbol CVX; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $294.5 billion; Dividend yield: 4.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.chevron.com) raised your quarterly dividend by 7.9% with the March 2024 payment. Investors now receive $1.63 a share instead of $1.51. The new annual rate of $6.52 yields 4.2%. With this increase, Chevron has now lifted its annual dividend for each of the last 37 years. The company recently agreed to acquire Hess Corp. (New York symbol HES) in an all-stock merger worth $60 billion. However, Exxon Mobil (New York symbol XOM), which is a partner with Hess in an offshore project near Guyana, may exercise its right of first refusal over that project. If Exxon is successful, that could diminish the value of Hess for Chevron. In that case, the company could lower its offer, or perhaps cancel the deal altogether. Chevron is still a buy. buy. …