01:36 PM EDT, 07/24/2026 (MT Newswires) -- 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%.