New York, Feb 19, 2026, 11:45 EST — Regular session
Exxon Mobil climbed roughly 1.1% Thursday, last quoted at $152.28 late in the New York morning.
Crude took the lead. Brent jumped $1.13, or 1.6%, to $71.48 a barrel. U.S. WTI crude moved up $1.16 to $66.35—a 1.8% gain—putting it close to a six-month peak. Traders pushed up prices on fresh concerns about U.S.-Iran tensions threatening vital Middle East supply lanes. “The world’s most important oil artery again sits within striking distance of conflict,” Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen pointed out, referencing the roughly 20% of global oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The Energy Information Administration’s official U.S. inventory numbers arrive Thursday. (Reuters)
Fresh updates from Guyana landed for investors: Exxon, which heads the Stabroek Block consortium, has two projects—Uaru and Whiptail—that are moving “ahead of schedule and under budget,” Exxon Guyana President Alistair Routledge said at an energy conference this Wednesday. Uaru is lined up for a 2026 production start, Whiptail for 2027, and each will add 250,000 barrels per day in capacity. Once Uaru comes online, Routledge expects Guyana’s total output to climb to 1.15 million bpd, and with Whiptail, to 1.4 million bpd. (Reuters)
Exxon Upstream President Dan Ammann said the company’s pipeline is set to supply natural gas to Guyana, with delivery hinging on completion of power plants expected this year. “That’s what we’re committed to deliver … on the supply side,” Ammann said, but he emphasized that bigger gas projects depend on the government ramping up industrial demand. He also noted that certain sections of the Stabroek Block are still under force majeure — which lets operations pause after uncontrollable events — since those areas fall within the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute. (Reuters)
Chevron gained around 1.4%, with ConocoPhillips picking up close to 1.5% as other U.S. producers followed suit.
Exxon posted its annual Form 10-K on Wednesday, laying out the year’s numbers and a rundown of risk factors. (ExxonMobil Investor Relations)
Exxon’s stock tends to move with crude, thanks to its upstream unit’s exposure to commodity swings. But there’s more in play: refineries and chemical operations factor in, and investors have to consider whether pricier oil might squeeze fuel margins even as it lifts revenue elsewhere.
The trade’s momentum can reverse quickly. Signs of cooling U.S.-Iran tensions, or numbers that challenge the tight supply story, might knock oil prices lower and drag energy stocks down.
Investors now turn their focus to Thursday’s U.S. inventory data, scanning for any updates out of the Strait of Hormuz as well. Exxon noted that Senior Vice President Jack Williams is scheduled to address Morgan Stanley’s Energy & Power Conference in New York, speaking at 11:00 a.m. ET on March 3. (Exxonmobil)
