President Trump's push for fossil fuels has put oil stocks back on investors' radar. On his first day in office for the second term, Trump declared a national energy emergency, froze federal funding for clean energy, and avowed his intentions to boost the domestic oil and gas industry.
To be sure, Trump's push doesn't mean all rosy days ahead for oil and gas companies as there are many ifs and buts, including the impact of proposed tariffs on oil prices. Yet, some oil stocks look particularly compelling, such that you could buy some shares without a second thought for as little as $500 and hold them for the long term. Here are three such no-brainer oil stocks to buy right now.
A proven oil leader with big growth plans
Any investor who wants to bet on the U.S. oil industry growth under Trump won't give Chevron (CVX 0.37%) stock a miss. Originally established as the Pacific Coast Oil company in 1879, Chevron has come a long way since and is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world today.
Chevron expects to grow its production at a compound annual growth rate of around 6% through 2026 and generate $10 billion in incremental free cash flow (FCF) by 2026 at a Brent crude oil price of $70 per barrel. At a Brent price of $60 per barrel, Chevron still expects to generate $9 billion additional FCF over the next two years. Its oil project in Kazakhstan and expansion in the Permian Basin should be the key growth drivers.
NYSE: CVX
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If Chevron's Hess (HES +0.00%) acquisition goes through, its FCF could grow even faster. With the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently finalizing a consent order to resolve antitrust concerns, Chevron expects to close the deal in the coming months. The all-stock $53 billion deal will significantly expand Chevron's portfolio while allowing it to raise nearly $15 billion from the sale of non-core assets.
Chevron shareholders should benefit from all that growth in two ways: dividend growth and share-price appreciation, driven by cash-flow growth. Chevron is an incredible dividend growth stock, having increased dividends for 37 consecutive years. By buying around three shares of this oil giant for $500, you can gain from Chevron's growth while enjoying a good 4.4% yield on the stock.
A value oil stock to buy now
I have been pounding the table on Occidental Petroleum OXY +1.50% stock for some months, and I remain convinced that this stock is a great buy as the company strives to turn its story around. For $500, you could buy around 10 shares of Occidental Petroleum today.
When Occidental acquired CrownRock last year for $12 billion and funded it mostly with fresh debt, the stock tanked as investors feared more debt would stall the company's growth. Shares of Occidental are still down about 19% in one year.
NYSE: OXY
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However, Occidental is playing a different game this time and has prioritized debt reduction, even suspending share repurchases temporarily so it can use cash to cut debt. Here's where things stand now: Occidental targeted a debt reduction of $4.5 billion within one year of acquiring CrownRock but achieved the goal within five months.
During its latest earnings conference call, Occidental reiterated its goal to deleverage further this year while delivering "sustainable dividend growth" -- it just raised its quarterly dividend by 9%. Occidental also plans to divest assets worth $1.2 billion this year while investing up to $7.6 billion across oil and gas, chemicals, and low-carbon ventures businesses in 2025.
With Occidental focused on strengthening its balance sheet without compromising on growth and dividends, I believe this is one no-brainer oil stock to buy for the long haul. Just so you know, legendary investor Warren Buffett is also piling up on Occidental shares.
A solid high-yield dividend growth oil stock
Enterprise Products Partners (EPD 1.28%) is a high-yield oil dividend stock that's a no-brainer buy for all times, especially during oil volatility. With $500, you can buy around 15 shares of this oil stock and enjoy a hefty yield of 6.4%. Importantly, the yield is backed by strong cash-flow growth, and 2025 could be a big year for Enterprise Products as it brings major projects online.
Enterprise Products earned a record net income of $5.9 billion in 2024, growing its earnings per share (EPS) by nearly 7% over 2023. Even better, its distributable cash flow (DCF) hit a record of $7.8 billion last year, allowing the company to increase its dividend by 5%. Enterprise Products has increased its dividend for more than 25 consecutive years, and that dividend growth has contributed handsomely to the stock's total returns in the past. Here's a five-year chart for you to see.
With record DCF, Enterprise Products has entered 2025 in solid shape. As a midstream energy infrastructure company, Enterprise Products can generate stable cash flows under long-term contracts for storing and moving crude oil, natural gas, and other products. While that ensures regular dividends, its growth investments support bigger dividends.
Right now, Enterprise Products has nearly $7.6 billion of major projects under construction, $6 billion of which is slated to come online this year. That's huge and should lay the foundation for the company's next growth phase, making this an opportune time to put $500 to good use and buy this rock-solid, high-yield oil stock.
