Sydney, Feb 23, 2026, 17:27 AEDT — Market closed.
Woodside Energy Group Ltd shares ended down 1.2% at A$27.10 on Monday, giving back early gains as oil prices eased into the close. The stock traded between A$27.03 and A$27.47, after opening at A$27.30. (Investing)
The Australian gas producer is due to release its 2025 full-year results, annual report and climate and sustainability update on Tuesday, a read that can set the tone for energy names into month-end. Woodside said acting CEO Liz Westcott and CFO Graham Tiver will host a teleconference at 10:00 AEDT. (Woodside)
Oil was the other moving part. Brent fell about 1% to around $71 a barrel as the United States and Iran prepared for a third round of nuclear talks, while fresh tariff uncertainty stirred broader risk-off trading. IG Markets analyst Tony Sycamore said the weekend tariff headlines drove “risk aversion” flows that weighed on crude, and Vanda Insights founder Vandana Hari said Brent carried “at least $10 per barrel” of Iran risk premium. (Reuters)
Woodside’s cash flow still tracks global oil and gas prices, even as it leans hard into LNG — liquefied natural gas — where most cargoes move on long-term contracts. When crude backs off, the whole sector tends to cool, at least for a day.
Beyond the headline profit figure, investors will look for what Woodside says about dividends and spending discipline, with big-ticket projects still absorbing capital. The company gave final approval last year to build its Louisiana LNG project in the United States, a multi-year bet on demand growth later this decade. (Reuters)
The market also wants tighter detail on volumes and timing. In late January, Woodside flagged lower 2026 output, citing planned maintenance, a major turnaround at Pluto LNG in the second quarter, and a later start at its Scarborough project, which it said was 94% complete and targeted for first output in the fourth quarter of 2026. (Reuters)
There is a second undercurrent into Tuesday’s numbers: sentiment is thin. A tariff shock that changes the growth outlook can hit demand assumptions quickly, and energy stocks tend to wear that first.
But the setup cuts both ways. If crude keeps sliding, or if Woodside points to cost pressure or a tighter cash return profile, the stock can struggle even on decent earnings. Any wobble in project schedules would land poorly in a tape that’s already jumpy.
For the week ahead, traders will take cues from oil’s next move — including headlines tied to U.S.-Iran diplomacy — and whether tariff policy turns into a bigger drag on risk appetite. The immediate catalyst is Woodside’s 2025 full-year results release on Tuesday. (Woodside)
