On the upside
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: LXRX) posted positive phase 1 results for its drug candidate that treats diabetes.
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: BCRX) signed marketing agreements for its flu vaccine with partners in Mexico, Brazil, China, and Israel.
Shares of Teradyne (NYSE: TER) rose after an analyst upgraded the chip testing equipment maker.
On the downside
Falling sales hurt the latest quarterly results announced by Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) as profits dropped missing estimates.
Shares of Kroger (NYSE: KR) fell after the nation's largest traditional grocery chain posted a decline in revenues and earnings that missed expectations.
An analyst downgraded Arena Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ARNA) which is developing weight loss drugs.
In the broad market, advancing issues edged out decliners by a margin of 10 to 9 on the NYSE, but were outpaced by a margin of 5 to 4 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks slipped 2 points to 591.