Wirth has a point when he insists that Chevron is a better company than naysayers portray. Above all, it’s a cash machine. Between 2011 and 2014, Chevron generated, on average, $3.9 billion in free cash flow per year with Brent crude averaging nearly $110 a barrel. Last year, Chevron produced five times more free cash flow — nearly $20 billion — despite Brent crude trading at $80 a barrel.
With a leverage ratio around 12 per cent, which is likely to drop into the single digits in the fourth quarter thanks to asset sales, Chevron can take on debt to sustain dividends and buybacks if oil prices sag. In the past, the company has boosted its leverage to 20 per cent to 25 per cent during down cycles. Funding payouts with debt is risky, however, so Chevron should consider lowering its buybacks if oil prices fall below $70 a barrel. The company is currently buying back its shares at a pace of $17 billion annually, near the upper end of its $10 billion to $20 billion annual guidance.
That financial firepower, alongside Wirth’s reputation as an executive who would walk from a deal rather than overpay, is the best antidote to skeptical investors. Chevron is owning its mistakes, and that’s a first good step. Now, it needs to show it’s learned the lessons.