U.S. stocks lower at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.51%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Oil&Gas, Utilities and Basic Materials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.51%, while the S&P 500 index fell 0.27%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 0.18%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Johnson&Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), which rose 1.49% or 2.26 points to trade at 153.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) added 1.04% or 0.49 points to end at 47.43 and Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) was up 0.81% or 1.50 points to 186.28 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Dow Inc (NYSE:DOW), which fell 2.22% or 1.31 points to trade at 57.60 at the close. Amgen Inc (NASDAQ:AMGN) declined 1.73% or 5.44 points to end at 309.41 and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) was down 1.71% or 8.03 points to 462.38.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were First Solar Inc (NASDAQ:FSLR) which rose 18.69% to 251.75, Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) which was up 13.67% to settle at 163.33 and Analog Devices Inc (NASDAQ:ADI) which gained 10.86% to close at 240.16.

The worst performers were Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) which was down 8.03% to 143.27 in late trade, Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) which lost 7.23% to settle at 299.63 and Freeport-McMoran Copper&Gold Inc (NYSE:FCX) which was down 5.69% to 51.23 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Akoustis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:AKTS) which rose 128.83% to 0.32, Binah Capital Group Inc (NASDAQ:BCG) which was up 56.30% to settle at 4.22 and IGM Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:IGMS) which gained 36.39% to close at 11.47.

The worst performers were Edible Garden AG Inc (NASDAQ:EDBL) which was down 46.88% to 2.30 in late trade, Biodexa Pharmaceuticals PLC DRC (NASDAQ:BDRX) which lost 45.06% to settle at 1.28 and Hywin Holdings Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:HYW) which was down 30.56% to 0.49 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 0 to 0; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 0 fell and 0 advanced.

Shares in First Solar Inc (NASDAQ:FSLR) rose to 5-year highs; gaining 18.69% or 39.64 to 251.75. Shares in Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) rose to 52-week highs; up 13.67% or 19.64 to 163.33. Shares in Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) fell to 52-week lows; down 7.23% or 23.35 to 299.63. Shares in Analog Devices Inc (NASDAQ:ADI) rose to all time highs; rising 10.86% or 23.52 to 240.16. Shares in Edible Garden AG Inc (NASDAQ:EDBL) fell to all time lows; losing 46.88% or 2.03 to 2.30. Shares in Hywin Holdings Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:HYW) fell to all time lows; losing 30.56% or 0.21 to 0.49.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was unchanged 0.00% to 12.29.

Gold Futures for June delivery was down 1.11% or 26.65 to $2,366.25 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in July fell 0.34% or 0.26 to hit $77.31 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract fell 0.22% or 0.18 to trade at $81.72 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.06% to 1.08, while USD/JPY fell 0.07% to 156.65.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 104.80.