A look at oil stock performance in 2012

Oil prices have risen about 11 percent this year, helping to lift oil industry stocks. But performance has varied widely. Stocks of many small and mid-sized oil companies are beating the 9 percent return for the Standard & Poor’s 500, while oil giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron are trailing the broad stock index. Here’s a look at returns for the five largest U.S. oil stocks, followed by returns for selected smaller oil stocks: