The Dow closed above the 15,000 mark for the first time by climbing 87 points to 15,056. Nasdaq rose 3 points to 3396.
On the upside
The Drug Enforcement Agency classified Arena Pharmaceuticals' (Nasdaq: ARNA) obesity treatment Belviq a Schedule IV drug, the second least restrictive designation. Belviq will be available by prescription in thirty days and Eisai will make a $65 million milestone payment to Arena.
Magnum Hunter (NYSE: MHR) subsidiary Alpha Hunter Drilling acquired a Schramm T500XD drilling rig for its Utica wells.
Insulet (Nasdaq: PODD) narrowed first quarter losses more than expected as revenue climbed.
On the downside
BMO Capital Markets downgraded Synta Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SNTA) from an Outperform rating to a Market Perform rating and slashed its price target from $18 to $9.
Profit taking sank shares of Genco Shipping (NYSE: GNK).
Vitamin Shoppe (NYSE: VSI) reported higher first quarter earnings and revenue but the company trimmed its full year guidance.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 5 to 2 on the NYSE and by 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index gained 8 points to 1625.
