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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%.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Previews

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 $3.136 ▼2.1%|S&P 500 7,765.36 ▼0.5%

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