Consumer stocks advanced Friday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) rising 0.9% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) increasing 0.6%.
In corporate news, MarineMax (HZO) shares jumped nearly 8% after Reuters reported that Blackstone (BX) is among the final bidders to buy the company. Donerail and Centerbridge are also finalists, the report said.
Lamb Weston (LW) provided upbeat full-year earnings guidance after delivering a fiscal Q4 beat, while the company said disruption from the Middle East conflict weighed on its business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Its shares were up 0.7%.
Verizon Communications (VZ) raised its full-year earnings outlook on Friday amid phone subscriber gains in Q2, while Charter Communications (CHTR) reported a decline in broadband customers due to competitive pressures. Verizon shares gained 3.7%, and Charter fell 2.2%.