Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) -4.2% in Friday's trading to its lowest in more than a month as Goldman Sachs downgrades to Sell from Neutral with a $45 price target, cut from $54, citing the company's paused focus on capital returns to shareholders until significant balance sheet improvements are realized.

Goldman Sachs analyst Neil Mehta downgraded Occidental Petroleum (OXY – Research Report) to a Sell today and set a price target of $45.00. The

Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY) stock saw a decline, ending the day at $50.55 which represents a decrease of $-1.42 or -2.73% from the prior close of $51.97. The stock opened at $51.45 and touched a low of $50.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY – Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday. Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company.

In a report released today, Betty Jiang from Barclays maintained a Hold rating on Occidental Petroleum (OXY – Research Report), with a price

Goldman Sachs' new sell rating and lowered price target reflect a cautious outlook on Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY)'s ability to deliver shareholder value in a stable oil price environment, where return of capital is increasingly important for investor consideration.

Occidental Petroleum's fundamentals and valuation have improved, presenting a long-term buying opportunity amid oil and gas market volatility. Learn more on OXY stock here.