01:39 PM EDT, 03/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks were lower Friday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) down 0.4% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) falling 1%.

In corporate news, McCormick ( MKC ) is holding talks on a potential acquisition of Unilever's ( UL ) food business, the companies said Friday. The discussions are ongoing, and there is no certainty that a deal will be reached, McCormick ( MKC ) said. McCormick ( MKC ) shares were down 0.2%, and Unilever ( UL ) rose 0.4%.

XPeng ( XPEV ) issued a downbeat Q1 revenue outlook on Friday, although the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer's sales topped expectations in the previous three-month period. Its shares fell past 7%.

FedEx ( FDX ) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings late Thursday of $5.25 per diluted share, up from $4.51 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $4.15. FedEx ( FDX ) shares rose 1.6%.