Thrifts & Mortgage Finance Stocks Q2 Results: Benchmarking WaFd Bank (NASDAQ:WAFD)

Accenture shares rose 17.85% after beating earnings estimates and providing in-line guidance. McCormick fell 3.26% despite earnings beat due to margin concerns. Regeneron dropped 4.78% on an $8B Sanofi deal. Rocket Lab gained 1.67% on a 20-launch contract. Broadcom dipped 0.93% after a $42B Anthropic financing deal.

Rocket Lab secured a 20-mission launch deal with Synspective, its largest Electron agreement yet, covering flights from 2028 to 2031. Synspective, a Japanese radar maker, now has 47 launches booked with Rocket Lab, including 34 remaining. This follows Synspective's plan to deploy a second satellite constellation, with 13 of 30 planned satellites already in orbit.

Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) shares fell 4% after a downgrade from Citizens to Market Perform, signaling expected performance in line with peers. The stock later recovered slightly to $3.96, down 3.1%. The company's shares have been volatile, with a 50.3% decline year-to-date and a 68.3% drop from its 52-week high. Previously, the stock dropped 15% on disappointing Q3 2025 results, with revenue of $112.4M, down 28.2% YoY, and net interest income down 56.9%.

Citizens downgraded Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) to Market Perform from Market Outperform, citing likely interest rate hikes. ABR shares fell 1.84% to $4.01.

Rocket Companies Inc. (RKT) stock rose 3.07% on September 22, 2026, driven by positive mortgage demand signals. The company reported $2.41B in quarterly revenue and $230M in net income, but negative free cash flow of -$1.41B. RKT's debt-to-equity ratio is 1.16, and it has a P/E ratio of 55.9. Recent developments include a settlement with the FTC and Zillow, a new CEO for Redfin, and the launch of an AI assistant called Rowan.

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to 3.75%-4%, the first hike in three years, with unanimous FOMC support. Most members expect one more hike this year, with no cuts until 2028. Higher rates may negatively impact housing and home improvement stocks, as mortgage applications fell 19% year-over-year. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh emphasized inflation concerns, noting it remains elevated. Some stocks, like Rocket Companies and Home Depot, may benefit if rates drop and housing activity increases.