CHEVRON CORP. $64 (New York symbol CVX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 2 billion; Market cap: $128 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; WSSF Rating: Above Average) is the second-largest integrated oil company in the United States, after ExxonMobil. Oil production supplied 86% of its earnings in 2008; the remaining 14% came from its refineries and retail gas stations. In response to weaker energy prices, Chevron aims to conserve cash by temporarily suspending its sharebuyback program. (In 2008, it repurchased $8 billion of its stock.) It now holds $9.6 billion, or $4.70 a share, in cash, and its total debt of $8.9 billion is a low 7% of its market cap. In 2008, Chevron’s earnings rose 28.1%, to $23.9 billion from $18.7 billion in 2007. Earnings per share rose 33.1%, to $11.67 from $8.77 on fewer shares outstanding. (Chevron’s 2008 earnings included a $600-million gain on the swap of some properties.) Revenue rose 23.6%, to $273 billion from $220.9 billion. Higher oil prices in 2008 offset a 3.4% drop in overall production, mainly due to the disruption caused by hurricanes at its offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron spent $22.8 billion on exploration and capital upgrades in 2008, and plans to spend a similar amount in 2009. The stock now trades at 12.1 times Chevron’s 2009 earnings forecast of $5.31 a share. The $2.60 dividend yields 4.1%. Chevron is a buy.