By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks traded flat to higher Wednesday morning, ahead of weekly supply data on U.S. petroleum stockpiles. The NYSE Arca Oil Index (XOI 952.47, -1.40, -0.15%) dipped fractionally to 954. The NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index (XNG 509.63, -0.79, -0.16%) rose 0.1% to 511, while the Philadelphia Oil Service Index (OSX 179.63, -2.02, -1.11%) declined 0.5% to 181. BP PLC (BP 36.41, +1.21, +3.44%) added 3.4% to $36.41 after it agreed to sell properties to Apache Corp. (APA 87.97, -0.31, -0.35%) . Apache shares rose 0.2% to $88.48. Read more about the BP-Apache deal. Crude-oil futures gained 74 cents to $78.32. The Energy Information Administration is due to report its weekly petroleum storage inventory levels. Among stocks on the move, Tidewater Inc. (TDW 40.46, -0.66, -1.61%) fell 4% to $39.57. The company said it expects first-quarter earnings of 75 cents to 80 cents a share, below the forecast of 96 cents a share, according to a survey of analysts by FactSet Research.

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