CERAWEEK-Pioneer Natural Resources says investors are not clamoring for more growth

(New throughout, adds details and background)

By Liz Hampton

March 9 (Reuters) - Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield on Wednesday said investors have not been asking for shale companies to boost production beyond current plans even as oil prices surge.

U.S. oil prices this week had been trading above $120 a barrel as supply concerns gripped the market following a ban on importing Russian crude. They erased some of those gains on Wednesday on news that OPEC member the United Arab Emirates supported an increase to production.

Still, publicly-traded producers, hammered by investors after years of prioritizing growth over returns, have been reluctant to adjust previously announced output increases and instead emphasized their priority is dividends and buybacks.

"Nobody believes this problem is long-term," he said, referencing the spike in oil following sanctions on Russia, including a ban on imports of Russian oil to the United States.

Chesapeake Energy CEO Nick Dell'Osso echoed Sheffield's sentiment during a panel they shared on Wednesday at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, saying the industry would need to see a "real structural change in the supply and demand situation" to increase output growth beyond low to mid-single digit levels. (Reporting by Liz Hampton Editing by Chris Reese)