What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after crude oil dropped to its lowest level since the start of the Iran war, as tankers resumed transit through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. and Iran signaled progress toward ending the conflict.
The S&P 500 energy index fell about 2.45%, the weakest major sector even as the broader market held roughly flat. Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) each fell in the ~2–2.5% range (exact figures vary by source). The more oil-price-sensitive explorers and producers were hit harder as Occidental (OXY), ConocoPhillips (COP), Devon (DVN) and APA Corp all fell roughly 2.5–3.5%. Oilfield-services names (Halliburton, SLB) and refiners (Valero, Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum) slipped about 1.5–2.5%. WTI fell about 4% to near $70 and Brent about 4% to near $74,the lowest since February 27, the day before U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, leaving crude down roughly 40% from its wartime peak.
The driver was physical and visible: tankers openly crossing Hormuz with transponders on, the IMO citing safety guarantees, and the IEA estimating the UAE exporting near 85% of pre-war levels. Separately, Trump ordered a DOJ probe into why pump prices "haven't fallen faster," accusing oil companies of gouging.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Mixed or Offshore Upstream E&P company APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) fell 3%. Is now the time to buy APA Corporation? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- U.S. Shale E&P company Cactus (NYSE: WHD) fell 3.5%. Is now the time to buy Cactus? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On Cactus (WHD)
Cactus’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 14 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 16 days ago when the stock gained 3.9% on the news that Israel and Iran launched direct strikes against each other over the weekend, the most significant test of the fragile ceasefire since April, pushing Brent crude briefly above $98 a barrel.
Energy equities followed oil higher as investors repriced the geopolitical risk premium into producer earnings forecasts. However, the gains moderated through the session. President Trump publicly called for an "immediate ceasefire," Iran declared its initial wave of strikes complete, and WTI pulled back from overnight highs to around $91 a barrel, up just over 1%. The sector's move was a direct function of conflict escalation risk: elevated enough to lift energy stocks meaningfully, not so extreme as to tip markets into full risk-off mode.
Cactus is up 7.5% since the beginning of the year, but at $50.57 per share, it is still trading 19.4% below its 52-week high of $62.74 from May 2026. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Cactus’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,314.
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