Sector Update: Energy Stocks Mixed Late Afternoon
Energy stocks were mixed late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index increasing 0.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) 0.1% lower.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index climbed up 1.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index rose 0.5%.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 3% to $93.11 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract dropped 2.7% to $95.18 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 4.7% to $3.37 per 1 million BTU.In sector news, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said waivers allowing countries to buy Russian oil could be granted on a country-by-country basis rather than across the board, Bloomberg reported, citing the official's testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee.In corporate news, Venture Global (VG) shares jumped 5.8% after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral and increased its price target to $17 from $16.Expro (XPRO) shares surged past 8% after the company said it has filed its definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its proposed move to redomicile in the Cayman Islands from the Netherlands.Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) is expected to continue to expand capacity despite facing a tight supply chain in the near term, Morgan Stanley said in a note. Morgan Stanley kept its overweight rating and increased its price target to $90 from $81. Solaris shares rose 3%.Murphy Oil (MUR) shares rose 2.3% after KeyBanc upgraded the stock to overweight from sector weight.
