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Energy stocks lift dividends as oil surges in 2026
The S&P 500 energy sector posted more than 40% total return in 2026, helped by West Texas Intermediate oil futures gaining more than 40%.
MarketBeat Ratings highlights a broader dividend upswing across the energy sector as 2026 has brought outsized gains to commodity-linked equities. The S&P 500 energy sector has returned more than 40% in 2026, while the next best-performing sector, technology, has lagged with a return below 30%.
The outlet attributes the outperformance largely to rising energy commodity prices, noting that West Texas Intermediate oil futures are up more than 40% in 2026. Against that backdrop, MarketBeat Ratings points to multiple dividend increases across both major and smaller energy companies.
As one example, BP, with a market capitalization around $110 billion, increased its quarterly dividend by 4%. The outlet says BP’s underlying profit rose 78% year-over-year in Q2, even as refining throughput fell 4% versus Q1 due to planned facility maintenance.
MarketBeat Ratings also flags Excelerate Energy, which it describes as a liquefied natural gas player, with a market capitalization over $4 billion. It says the company operates floating regasification units that convert LNG to natural gas and supplies demand for island nations without direct natural gas access.
Latest closeNat gas $3.222 ▲6.6%|S&P 500 7,675.92 ▼0.4%