A decline in the country's unemployment benefit claims, LinkedIn's strong performance and better-than-expected corporate earnings helped the U.S. stock indexes to close Thursday's trading on a positive note.
The Dow Jones industrial average added 0.36 percent, or 45.14 points, to close at 12,605.32, and the Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. composite index gained 0.30 percent, or 8.31 points, to end at 2,823.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 was 0.22 percent, or 2.92 points, up to finish the day's trading at 1,343.60. Among other major indices, the New York Stock Exchange composite index added 0.24 percent, or 20.47 points, to end at 8,427.95. The American Stock Exchange composite index closed at 2,375.83, up 0.77 percent, or 18.21 points.
Hot Stocks of the Day: TEX, MCD, ARO, INTU, TTC, BRCD
Terex Corp. (NYSE: TEX) offered a $1.3 billion hostile bid to acquire Germany's Demag Cranes. Shares of Terex added 0.03 percent, or 1 cent, to close at $29.64.
Shares of McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) added 1.24 percent, or $1.01, to end at $82.51 as its CEO Jim Skinner defended the company's marketing strategy for children.
Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) registered a 64 percent decline in its Q1 profit to $16.4 million, or 20 cents per share. Sales during the quarter rose 1 percent to $469.2 million. EPS was in line with the Wall Street consensus of 20 cents per share. Shares lost 0.54 percent, or 11 cents, to close at $21.34.
Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) reported 15 percent increase in its Q3 revenue to $1.8 billion from its previous $1.6 billion. During the quarter, operating income was $1.06 billion, or $2.20 per share, up from $888 million, or $1.78 per share, a year earlier. Shares added 2.98 percent, or $1.62, to close at $55.90.
Toro Co. (NYSE: TTC) registered an increase of 32 percent in its Q2 net income to $60.3 million, or $1.88 per share, from $45.7 million, or $1.34 per share, a year earlier. Revenue during the quarter rose to $631.6 million from $562.8 million a year earlier. Shares gained 6.54 percent, or $4.12, to trade at $67.12.
Brocade Communications Systems Inc.