(By Salman - iStockAnalyst Writer)US stocks finished higher on Tuesday after a government release showed US retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in June.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 27.81 points or 0.33% to finish at 8,359.49. The S&P 500 advanced 4.79 points or 0.53% to end at 905.83. The Nasdaq Composite gained 6.52 points or 0.36% to 1,799.73.
According to Department of Commerce, retail sales climbed 0.6% in June. Economists had forecast retail sales to increase 0.4%.
A release by Department of Labor on Tuesday showed U.S. producer prices rose 1.8% in June while core producer prices declined 0.5% in the month. Economists expected a rise of 0.9% in PPI, and a 0.1% increase in the core PPI.
Early on Tuesday, healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:
) reported that its second quarter net income dropped to $3.2 billion, or $1.15 a share, from $3.3 billion, or $1.17 a share, in the year earlier quarter. Revenue slipped 7.4% to $15.2 billion.Shares of Johnson & Johnson finished at $58.23, up 51 cents or 0.88%.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:
) rose 33 cents or 0.15% to $149.66 after it said that its second quarter net income rose to $3.44 billion, or $4.93 a share, compared to $2.05 billion, or $4.58 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue jumped to $13.76 billion from $9.42 billion last year.
Shares of Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:
) jumped 34 cents or 2.06% to close at $16.83.
Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:
) soared 57 cents or 2.47% to $23.68.
Shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:
), the largest US theme park operator, gained 41 cents or 1.81% to $23.11.
Merck & Co.
