Energy stocks eased slightly from their prior highs this afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index gaining 1.3% and the SPDR Energy Select Sector ETF (XLE) climbing 1.1%. The Philadelphia Oil-Service Sector index was posting a 2.2% advance and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was rising 0.4%. West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled $4.40 higher at $114.73 per barrel, while Henry Hub natural gas futures fell $0.06 to $8.91 per 1 million BTU. In company news, FirstEnergy (FE) was edging higher shortly before Thursday's closing bell, rising 0.4%, after the electric utility overnight disclosed plans to repurchase up to $800 million of its 7.375% Series C note due 2031 and its 4.85% series C notes maturing in 2047.