Sector Update: Energy Stocks Mixed Thursday Afternoon

01:50 PM EDT, 09/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were mixed Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index fractionally higher and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) decreasing 0.2%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was shedding 0.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was declining 0.8%. In geopolitical news, an Iran-aligned militia group's threat to the alternative shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz grew stronger. Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday, military sources said, gaining further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern outlet of the Red Sea and an important shipping route, Reuters reported. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 6% to $101.90 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract popped 6.1% to $107.34 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures shed 0.5% to $2.81 per 1 million BTU. In sector news, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its global oil demand outlook for 2026 on Thursday as high energy prices are expected to weigh on consumption. The cartel now expects oil consumption to increase by 380,000 barrels this year, down from its prior forecast that called for a gain of 580,000 barrels. US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 1.6 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 4 following a decrease of 7.6 million barrels in the previous week. Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks fell by 400,000 barrels after a 4.5-million-barrel decline in the previous week, a much smaller drop than the 1.4-million-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. US natural gas stocks rose by 40 billion cubic feet in the week ended Sept. 4, above the 34 billion increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following an increase of 30 billion cubic feet in the previous week. In corporate news, TotalEnergies (TTE) and its partners plan to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years to increase oil output in the country, news outlets reported as early as Wednesday, citing remarks made by TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne at a conference. TotalEnergies shares were fractionally lower. Vistra (VST) was Smart Insider's stock pick of the week after Chief Executive Jim Burke bought $1.2 million worth of shares between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1 at an average price of $135.38. Vistra shares were shedding 1.9%. Southern (SO) subsidiary Georgia Power said Thursday it received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission for seven solar power purchase agreements totaling 1,137 megawatts. Southern shares were down 0.5%.