03:58 PM EST, 02/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.7% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.9%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index climbed 4%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index increased 0.5%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was rising 0.1% to $63.33 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract was advancing 0.4% to $67.78 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 2.1% to $3.44 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Vistra ( VST ) shares climbed 4.6% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $205 per share from $200.

ConocoPhillips (COP) is on track to double free cash flow in four years, driven by steady improvements from 2026 to 2028 and a larger step-up when the Willow oil project in Alaska comes online in 2029, RBC Capital Markets said in a Thursday report. ConocoPhillips shares gained 2.5%.

Petrobras (PBR) said Friday it acquired a 42.5% stake in Namibia's offshore Block 2613 in partnership with TotalEnergies (TTE), which acquired a similar stake and will act as operator of the block, from Eight Offshore Investment and Maravilla Oil & Gas. Petrobras shares eased 0.2%, and TotalEnergies rose 0.6%.

Williams (WMB) is considering buying upstream US natural gas assets to boost output for datacenter clients and hyperscalers, Reuters reported. Williams shares were down 0.7%.