03:31 PM EDT, 03/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were mixed late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index up 0.1% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) down 0.1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index eased 0.1% and the Dow Jones US Utilities Average fell 0.8%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 1.1% to $66.87 a barrel, and global benchmark Brent shed 0.8% to $70.53 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 1.1% to $4.06 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, KKR (KKR) held talks to buy TXNM Energy ( TXNM ) , Bloomberg reported. The discussions were held in recent weeks, and no final decision has been made with KKR possibly opting not to proceed, the report said. TXNM shares rose 2.5%, and KKR dropped 1.4%.