03:37 PM EST, 02/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.7% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.8%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was climbing 2.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index fell 1.8%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 4.6% to $65.19 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract advanced 4.3% to $70.32 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.3% to $3.04 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Ovintiv ( OVV ) shares jumped 6.3%. The company said late Tuesday it will divest its 360,000 net acres of Anadarko assets in Oklahoma for $3 billion in cash proceeds.