New York, February 18, 2026, 15:35 EST — Regular session
- Chevron (CVX) climbed roughly 1.5% in the afternoon, tracking a surge in oil prices.
- Brent and U.S. crude both jumped over 4% at the close, buoyed by fresh geopolitical risk.
- Venezuela’s changing crude flows and a holdup in U.S. inventory numbers are both on investors’ radar this week.
Chevron Corp picked up 1.5% to $183.26 by Wednesday afternoon, outstripping the broader market as energy names followed crude’s surge. Shares moved in a range from $181.24 to $183.66. Exxon Mobil advanced 2.8%; ConocoPhillips posted a 1.4% rise. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF was up around 0.2%.
Brent jumped 4.35% to close at $70.35 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished up 4.59% at $65.19. Traders reacted to the risk of supply snags amid U.S.-Iran friction and the Ukraine conflict, according to Reuters. “The big moves in oil prices today are being solely driven by geopolitics,” Lipow Oil Associates president Andrew Lipow said. Reuters
Chevron’s shares tend to move in lockstep with oil. A shift in crude prices? Investors waste no time recalculating what that means for short-term cash flow—and what’s left for dividends and buybacks.
Venezuela’s reappearing on the radar. Phillips 66 and Citgo Petroleum, both U.S. refiners, are looking to source heavy crude straight from PDVSA, Venezuela’s state oil company, as soon as April, according to sources who spoke with Reuters. Up to now, they’ve relied on intermediaries—trading firms and Chevron. Chevron has had a license since last year to operate in Venezuela and export crude. The White House noted strong demand from oil firms.
Chevron shares went ex-dividend on Tuesday; anyone buying after that date misses out on the upcoming quarterly dividend. The payout stands at $1.78 per share, with a scheduled payment date of March 10, according to Fidelity.
Still, oil can just as quickly give up gains on a headline shift. If tensions fade, or U.S. inventories unexpectedly climb, crude prices may tumble, putting fresh pressure on energy stocks.
Chevron investors are eyeing how Washington tweaks Venezuela regulations with April shipments on the horizon, and they’re waiting to see if refiners can nail down compliance routes that don’t cut off funding.
Oil-related stocks will be watching for the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report, set for Thursday, Feb. 19. Because of the week’s federal holiday, reports drop at 12:00 p.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. ET.
