NEW YORK, June 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher as investors digested a batch of corporate news and economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 30.31 points, or 0.12 percent, to 24,283.11. The S&P 500 increased 5.99 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,723.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 29.62 points, or 0.39 percent, to 7,561.63.

The Dow's gains were led by Chevron and Apple, with stocks of both companies advancing about 1.2 percent. Energy and tech sectors rose, bolstering the the S&P 500, while the Nasdaq composite was boosted by the rally of Netflix stocks. Shares of Netflix closed 3.88 percent higher.

Shares of General Electric jumped about 8 percent after the company revealed a plan to spin off its health-care business and sell its stake in Baker Hughes. Tuesday marked the first time since 1907 that the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded without GE as a member. Walgreens Boots Alliance, a national retail drug store chain, replaced it on the index.

Shares of U.S. motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson closed 0.65 percent lower on Tuesday after sliding about 6 percent on Monday. The company announced on Monday that it would shift some production of its motorcycles overseas to avoid retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union in response to the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

One the economic front, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index reported a 6.4 percent annual gain in April, down from 6.5 percent in the previous month, according to a newly released report by S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Meanwhile, the U.S. consumer confidence index dropped to 126.4 in June from a revised 128.8 in May, the Conference Board reported. The reading is lower than market consensus.

Wall Street continued to keep an eye on the trade tensions between Washington and its key trade partners as uncertainties remain, experts said. Enditem