Upbeat earnings lifted the markets to a higher open with the Dow adding a point to 16,503 Nasdaq rose 12 points to 4,139.

On the upside

Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH) will pay approximately $13.35 billion in cash and stock to acquire Biomet.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) reported higher second quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates, increased its stock repurchase program and announced a 7-for-1 stock split.

Third quarter earnings surged for Lam Research (Nasdaq: LRCX) to beat analyst expectations and the company forecast current quarter earnings ahead of estimates.

On the downside

Xilinx (Nasdaq: XLNX) reported higher fourth quarter earnings but the results missed expectations.

First quarter earnings surged for Under Armour (NYSE: UA) to top analyst estimates but the stock price fell.

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) widened first quarter losses even as revenue surged.

In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 9 to 7 on the NYSE and by nearly 2 to 1 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 edged up a point to 1876. Bitcoin eased $0.66 or 0.14% to $485.00.