Short Interest in Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) Declines By 12.6%

19 Mar 2026, 09:42 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY – Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 28,846,904 shares, a drop of 12.6% from the February 12th total of 33,000,202 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 14,530,603 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 14,530,603 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Key Occidental Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Occidental Petroleum this week:

Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on OXY to $72 and assigned an “outperform” rating, giving the shares meaningful upside from current levels and signaling buy-side conviction from a major sell-side firm. Read More
Positive Sentiment: A Barclays analyst said Occidental’s stock price is expected to rise, reflecting bullish analyst sentiment that can attract flows and support the rally. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says
Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds from higher crude and geopolitical tensions are benefiting top E&P names like OXY—analysts and trade press list Occidental among the energy companies that stand to gain as oil rallies. That macro squeeze on supply/demand is a direct revenue and cash-flow tailwind. 5 Oil and Gas Stocks That Benefit From Soaring Crude Prices
Positive Sentiment: Trading/activity flagged in the Russell 1000 suggests index-related flows and institutional attention, which can amplify moves if inclusion/reweighting continues. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Activity Seen in Russell 1000
Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes increased retail/investor attention on OXY, which can boost short-term volatility and headline-driven trading but doesn’t guarantee sustained fundamental improvement. Is Trending Stock Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) a Buy Now?
Neutral Sentiment: Post-upgrade valuation pieces point to improved sentiment and a re-rate opportunity, but they also note valuation nuances and sensitivity to oil prices—so upside depends on sustained commodity support. A Look At Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Valuation After Analyst Upgrades And Higher Oil Price Tailwinds
Negative Sentiment: Despite recent strength, OXY has seen short-term pullbacks at times (a recent session where the stock declined), underscoring the risk of volatility if oil prices or sentiment reverse. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

Occidental Petroleum Stock Up 1.2%

OXY stock opened at $58.45 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $48.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.84. The stock has a market cap of $57.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Occidental Petroleum has a twelve month low of $34.78 and a twelve month high of $59.15.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.13. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The company had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 EPS for the current year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Occidental Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Occidental Petroleum’s payout ratio is 64.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus raised Occidental Petroleum to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $41.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.05.

Get Our Latest Analysis on OXY

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at about $273,000. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. PeakShares LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth about $178,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Institutional investors own 88.70% of the company’s stock.

Occidental Petroleum Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) is an international energy company engaged primarily in the exploration, production and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company conducts upstream activities to discover and produce hydrocarbons and operates complementary midstream and marketing functions to transport and sell its production. Occidental also owns a chemicals business that manufactures and sells industrial chemicals and related products for a range of end markets.

Occidental’s operations are concentrated in the United States, with a significant presence in the Permian Basin, and it maintains exploration and production activities in several international regions, including parts of the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.