03:40 PM EDT, 04/23/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) each adding 0.7%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index gained 0.9%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index climbed 2.7%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising 3.6% to $96.32 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 3.6% to $105.54 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures added 1% to $2.67 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, NextEra Energy ( NEE/PW ) shares jumped past 7%. The company reported Q1 adjusted earnings Thursday of $1.09 per diluted share, up from $0.99 a year earlier, and also above the average estimate of analysts polled by FactSet.