Energy stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 0.3% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) up 0.2%.
The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 1.8%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index eased 0.2%.
In geopolitical news, Iran said Friday that it had targeted US military assets at Kuwait's Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase, describing the attack as retaliation for US strikes a day earlier, Al Jazeera reported Friday. The US has not responded to Iran's attack yet, and specific details about the damage and casualties are not known, the news report said.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.4% to $84.76 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract added 1.1% to $89.97 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 1.1% to $2.73 per 1 million BTU.
In corporate news, Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) on Friday reported year-over-year gains in their Q2 results as supply disruptions in the Middle East boosted oil prices. Exxon shares were down 1.6%, and Chevron rose 1.6%.
Phillips 66 (PSX) said Friday its board authorized an additional $10 billion of share repurchases, increasing the company's buyback capacity as the remaining authorization nears depletion. Phillips 66 shares were down 0.1%.
Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC) is mulling a potential sale of NorthRiver Midstream at roughly 7 billion Canadian dollars ($5 billion), Reuters reported. In recent weeks, Brookfield Infrastructure has been working with bankers to seek out potential interest in the Canadian natural gas-focused pipeline operator, the report said. Brookfield Infrastructure shares were shedding 0.2%.