Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Utilities, Financials and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.12%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.19%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.03%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), which rose 0.99% or 1.76 points to trade at 179.90 at the close. Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) added 0.98% or 0.34 points to end at 35.13 and EI du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE:DD) was up 0.87% or 0.59 points to 68.62 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), which fell 1.29% or 0.40 points to trade at 30.72 at the close. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) declined 0.72% or 0.85 points to end at 117.09 and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) was down 0.54% or 0.19 points to 35.02.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Urban Outfitters Inc (NASDAQ:URBN) which rose 15.40% to 36.05, Navient Cor (NASDAQ:NAVI) which was up 4.53% to settle at 14.54 and Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) which gained 3.43% to close at 15.69.
The worst performers were Staples Inc (NASDAQ:SPLS) which was down 7.07% to 8.67 in late trade, Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) which lost 6.44% to settle at 70.62 and Lowe’s Companies Inc (NYSE:LOW) which was down 5.65% to 76.88 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:THLD) which rose 55.11% to 0.9462, Auris Medical Holding AG (NASDAQ:EARS) which was up 39.32% to settle at 5.350 and Marron Bio (NASDAQ:MBII) which gained 34.23% to close at 1.4900.
The worst performers were StemCells Inc (NASDAQ:STEM) which was down 29.23% to 1.8400 in late trade, Appliance Recycling Centers (NASDAQ:ARCI) which lost 22.22% to settle at 1.1200 and Cosi Inc (NASDAQ:COSI) which was down 18.05% to 0.3073 at the close.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1639 to 1527 and 98 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1441 fell and 1030 advanced, while 114 ended unchanged.
Shares in Urban Outfitters Inc (NASDAQ:URBN) rose to 52-week highs; up 15.40% or 4.81 to 36.05.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 3.56% to 12.19.
Gold for December delivery was down 0.29% or 3.95 to $1352.95 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in September rose 0.58% or 0.27 to hit $46.85 a barrel, while the October Brent oil contract rose 1.16% or 0.57 to trade at $49.80 a barrel.
EUR/USD was up 0.08% to 1.1287, while USD/JPY fell 0.01% to 100.29.
The US Dollar Index was down 0.03% at 94.72.