Energy stocks were mixed late Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index down 0.1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.2%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was falling 1.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was shedding 0.9%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 7.6% to $80.37 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract advanced 4.2% to $84.81 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 3.2% to $3.01 per 1 million BTU.

US natural gas stocks fell by 132 billion cubic feet in the week ended Feb. 27, more than the 124 billion cubic foot decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following a decrease of 52 billion cubic feet in the previous week.

In corporate news, Exxon Mobil (XOM) is set to ship a total of 600,000 barrels of mostly gasoline and other fuel products from the US Gulf Coast to Australia amid a near-complete halt of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Exxon shares were up 0.2%.

BP's (BP) foreign staff were evacuated from the Rumaila oilfield in Iraq after two unidentified drones landed inside the field, Reuters reported Thursday, citing Iraqi oil industry sources. BP shares were rising 1%.

Shell's (SHEL) subsidiary in Kazakhstan and the country's energy ministry have entered into a contract for the geological exploration of the Zhanaturmys field in the Aktobe region, which spans 532 square miles, multiple media outlets reported Thursday, citing the ministry. Shell shares were up 0.2%.

Vermilion Energy (VET) shares fell 1.8% after TD Cowen downgraded the stock to hold from buy.