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SilverEdge cooperative. Is ConocoPhillips stock outperforming the Dow? Sohini Mondal Barchart 1 hour ago With a market cap of $159.2 billion, ConocoPhillips (COP) is a leading global energy company primarily engaged in the exploration, production, transportation, and marketing of oil and natural gas. With a strong portfolio spanning conventional and unconventional plays, oil sands, and LNG developments, the company operates across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Companies valued at more than $10 billion are generally considered "large-cap" stocks, and ConocoPhillips fits this criterion perfectly. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ConocoPhillips is recognized as the world's largest independent exploration and production company by proved reserves and production. Shares of ConocoPhillips have dipped 1.5% from its 52-week high of $135.88. Over the past three months, the stock has risen 16.5%, outpacing the Dow Jones Industrials Average's ($DOWI) 3.6% gain during the same period. COP stock is up 43.8% on a YTD basis, outperforming DOWI's 10.1% return. Moreover, shares of the energy company have increased 36% over the past 52 weeks, compared to the Dow Jones' 16.2% surge over the same time frame. Despite a few fluctuations, the stock has been trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since December last year. ConocoPhillips shares rose 1.5% on Aug. 6 after Q2 2026 earnings more than doubled to $3.9 billion, with adjusted EPS of $3.24 versus $1.42 a year earlier, driven primarily by higher oil and gas prices. ConocoPhillips also reaffirmed its full-year guidance, highlighted record Permian production and progress on its $5 billion asset-disposition target, while expanding LNG offtake to 12 MTPA, supporting its long-term growth strategy. In comparison, COP stock has outpaced its rival EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG). EOG stock has increased 17.5% over the past 52 weeks and 39.6% on a YTD basis. Due to the stock's outperformance, analysts are strongly optimistic about its prospects. COP stock has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" from the 25 analysts covering it, and the mean price target of $146.44 represents a premium of 9.2% to current levels. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

Arctic oil and gas momentum builds as ConocoPhillips advances Willow and U.S. Policy shifts. Arctic oil and gas development is gaining momentum as major projects advance and U.S. policy shifts toward opening additional northern resources. ConocoPhillips expects exploration and development activity to increasingly move north over the next decade, while a federal court decision in Alaska has removed an immediate legal challenge to President Donald Trump's efforts to reopen previously restricted offshore waters. Speaking at the ONS energy conference in Norway, ConocoPhillips head of global operations Kirk Johnson said increased Arctic development is considered inevitable as the industry searches for new resource opportunities. Alaska and Norway are central to that outlook. ConocoPhillips' major Willow project in Alaska is approximately 50% complete, demonstrating the scale of investment already underway in the region. Arctic projects remain long-cycle developments, however, with exploration, appraisal, regulatory approvals and construction potentially requiring up to 15 years before resources reach production. At the same time, the regulatory environment surrounding future Alaska offshore development is evolving. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a lawsuit challenging Trump's effort to reopen federal offshore waters previously restricted from oil and gas development. The judge determined that the challenge was premature because leasing or drilling in the affected waters is not currently imminent. The ruling did not resolve whether a president has the authority to reverse offshore restrictions established by previous administrations, meaning additional legal challenges remain possible if leasing advances. The developments extend beyond Alaska. Norway has reaffirmed plans to continue developing oil and gas resources in the Barents Sea, despite European Union support for limiting Arctic hydrocarbon development. Together, Alaska and Norway demonstrate continued government and industry interest in accessing large northern resource opportunities despite higher costs, challenging operating conditions and long project timelines. Industry impact. For the North American oil and gas supply chain, the significance is the potential creation of a long-term northern development cycle rather than an immediate drilling surge. Willow is already generating investment, while additional Alaska offshore access could eventually expand opportunities across seismic, engineering, infrastructure, drilling, marine logistics, equipment, automation, production technology and maintenance services. Operators and suppliers should watch federal leasing decisions, permitting activity and project approvals as the clearest indicators that policy changes are translating into new field activity. Two-Sentence summary. Arctic oil and gas development is gaining momentum as ConocoPhillips advances its Willow project and U.S. policy shifts toward potentially opening additional Alaska offshore resources. With Willow approximately 50% complete and Norway maintaining its commitment to Barents Sea development, northern regions are emerging as an important long-term market for operators and the oilfield service supply chain.

PetroGas positions for Libya's new investment cycle. Ehab Mukhtar, CEO of PetroGas, talks to The Energy Year about the company's technology-focused portfolio and opportunities emerging from Libya's new energy investment cycle. PetroGas is an energy services company providing local technical capabilities, technology solutions and project support to international equipment manufacturers and operators across the country. * Libya's new investment cycle is creating opportunities across upstream, offshore gas, gas processing and drilling services, with PetroGas positioning its technology portfolio to support new infrastructure and asset development. * PetroGas differentiates itself by combining international OEM technologies with local engineering, logistics and technical capabilities, allowing partners and operators to maintain support across Libya's geographically dispersed and operationally challenging energy sector. * The company aims to move from supporting OEMs towards managing larger contracts and entire assets while expanding capabilities in decarbonisation, including methane mitigation, flare monitoring and potential gas-utilisation solutions. How has PetroGas positioned itself in Libya's energy sector? PetroGas highlights the possibilities for private business in a country where the energy sector is run mainly by the state. Energy service companies bridge the gap between international capabilities and what clients require locally to execute important projects. They also provide local, in-house capabilities to operate across the country. Libya has a large geographic spread, with oilfields extending from east to west and south. It is the third largest country in Africa, so local companies play an important role in understanding the pool of expertise and capabilities in different areas and managing logistics. PetroGas developed its network on the ground to manoeuvre between different fields and regions and understand what international companies require to operate successfully. Ghana Upstream started in 2005, initially focusing mainly on power generation services. Ghana Upstream built a relationship with GE Oil & Gas, which today is Baker Hughes, offering the local capabilities required to meet the standards it expects globally. After going through its compliance and KYC processes, Ghana Upstream signed an agreement in 2007 and have worked with the company since then, including promoting and marketing its technologies and products. Where is PetroGas focusing its technology portfolio? When I took the leading role, Ghana Upstream looked at the expertise Ghana Upstream had developed and tried to establish a unique portfolio that would interest international companies. Ghana Upstream saw a technical advantage in niche areas, so its portfolio became heavily technology focused. That includes monitoring systems that examine how assets are behaving and help customers understand when critical maintenance is needed, as well as technologies that assess how a gas turbine is running and help optimise it. You need technical people and engineers who can both bring those technologies to clients and work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to understand exactly what clients require. Ghana Upstream therefore focused on promoting technology. Oil and gas is not necessarily at the frontier of new technology, but it is very good at adapting technology for remote, difficult and harsh environments. Ghana Upstream has built the company around five main portfolios, including digital, power generation, decarbonisation, maritime services, and flow and process solutions. Decarbonisation includes supporting clients with flare mitigation, while flow and process covers areas such as control valves, safety valves and filtration systems used in power and desalination plants. Ghana Upstream has structured its organisation to develop the sales, technical and project capabilities required around these areas. What opportunities will Libya's new investment cycle create? 2026 has been transformational, and the country is pushing several major developments. Earlier in the year, Waha Oil Company signed a landmark 25-year development agreement with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips worth more than USD 20 billion in total foreign-financed investment, extending concessions through 2050. This will bring in more than 100,000 barrels of oil production, alongside gas. There is also the offshore gas development by Mellitah Oil & Gas, the joint venture between Eni and the National Oil Corporation. These developments reaffirm that Libya understands global needs and commercial conditions have changed. The country is trying to update its production-sharing agreements and create more of a win-win situation that encourages foreign direct investment. For PetroGas, these projects create opportunities to help develop new infrastructure and introduce technology. Offshore, Ghana Upstream also expect expansion works requiring new technologies. There will be opportunities in Gas Processing and Utilisation facilities that will be handling different gas elements as new fields come online. There are also new exploration rounds following the one earlier in 2026. Delivering drilling equipment and bringing more rigs into Libya should create considerable opportunities for onshore and offshore service activities. As these projects are structured and eventually come online, there is something there for everyone. How should investors approach Libya's operating risks? There is an element of risk involved in operating in Libya, as there is across the continent. Oil and gas itself is already a challenging industry because of its safety requirements and hazards. When you add external risks, companies need to consider how to build a robust structure and what technologies and services can mitigate them. This is something Ghana Upstream has had to learn about since 2011, rather than only recently. Today, companies are coming to Libya proposing solutions that can mitigate the possibility of drone attacks. There is not much that can be done when force majeure is called and operations need to stop, but what reassures international companies is Libya's ability to maintain production or bring it back online relatively quickly. Part of that comes from infrastructure that was well built in the legacy era. It is therefore in its interest as a service company that the National Oil Corporation maintains that industry standard when infrastructure is upgraded. The system needs to absorb future challenges and allow production to be rerouted when necessary. Libya is a long-term investment. Companies need a robust strategy built around being here for the long run rather than approaching the market as a quick transactional process. What are PetroGas's priorities for its next phase of growth? Localisation remains extremely important. Most of its technology solutions apply to projects that can take two to three years to come online, so you need the right deal structure, strategy and team. Investing in local people means that when conditions allow operations to resume, Ghana Upstream is already in Libya and can be among the first to send people where they are needed. Covid demonstrated the value of that approach. Because Ghana Upstream had a local technical team, Ghana Upstream could continue supporting a client in the field with power generation requirements from their gas turbines. Working remotely with its international partners, Ghana Upstream had enough technical capability to complete the major overhaul inspection and bring the unit online so production could continue. Looking forward, one area where Ghana Upstream is investing is decarbonisation - including methane mitigation and monitoring, reporting and verification of flared gas. Ghana Upstream is talking with expertise from the region and elsewhere about solutions that work for Libya. There are also opportunities around biofuels and policy changes that could encourage investment in capturing flared gas and selling it locally or to international offtakers. At the same time, Ghana Upstream want to deepen its capabilities with OEM partners such as Baker Hughes in power generation and rotating equipment through the availability broader technical services. The ambition is for PetroGas to take on larger contracts and look after entire assets rather than remaining in the background supporting the OEM.