US close: Stocks end in the red amid deluge of earnings

US stocks ended in the red on Wednesday as investors waded through a deluge of mixed earnings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.3%, the S&P 500 ended 0.6% weaker and the Nasdaq fell 0.8%.

Boeing and GM impress, Coca-Cola slides

Aetna, Humana, Anthem and Cigna were on the back foot after Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she had "serious concerns" about the mergers the health insurers were proposing.

Drug company Valeant tumbled after short-selling firm Citron Research alleged that it was shipping products to its own subsidiary and then falsely claiming the revenue.

Coca-Cola slid after its third-quarter revenues fell more than expected due to adverse currency movements.

Yahoo! declined after revealing late on Tuesday that its third-quarter sales fell 8% and saying its revenue could suffer from a weak holiday period.

Chipotle Mexican Grill ended lower after reporting weaker-than-expected profit late on Tuesday, as sales growth continued to slow in the third quarter.

On the upside, KLA-Tencor Corp rocketed after Lam Research Corp said it plans to buy the provider of semiconductor equipment in a $10.6bn deal.

Boeing climbed after the aerospace company raised its outlook for the full year following better-than-expected quarterly profits, while oil field services giant Baker Hughes ended up despite a 39% drop in quarterly revenue on weaker oil prices.

Auto maker General Motors rallied after its third-quarter profit and revenue beat expectations.

Biogen surged after lifting its outlook for 2015 as profit rose 25%. However, the biopharmaceutical giant unveiled plans to cut its workforce by 11%, adding that its multiple sclerosis drug trial was unsuccessful.

“So far earnings at America’s top 500 companies have mostly exceeded estimates but revenues are falling short because of weak growth and a strong dollar,” said CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.

On the data front, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said its seasonally adjusted index of application activity, which covers home purchase demand and refinancing demand, jumped 11.8% in the week ended 16 October.

Elsewhere, oil prices fell, with West Texas Intermediate down 2.3% to $45.24 a barrel and Brent crude off 1.7% to $48.87 a barrel.

The dollar was 0.2% higher against the pound, 0.1% firmer against the euro and flat against the yen, while gold futures declined 0.9% to $1,167.00.

S&P 500 - Risers

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $63.99 +18.81%

Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $499.41 +5.58%

Biogen Inc (BIIB) $276.26 +3.93%

Baxter International Inc. (BAX) $35.59 +3.88%

Keurig Green Mountain Inc (GMCR) $54.61 +3.15%

Target Corp. (TGT) $76.42 +2.72%

United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $98.06 +2.55%

Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) $54.37 +2.26%

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) $61.76 +2.25%

Ace Ltd. (ACE) $113.54 +2.24%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) $13.61 -9.27%

St Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) $62.30 -8.86%

Range Resources Corp. (RRC) $33.30 -7.19%

CONSOL Energy Inc. (CNX) $9.65 -6.58%

EMC Corp. (EMC) $25.77 -6.26%

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) $665.67 -5.66%

Amphenol Corp. (APH) $50.45 -5.54%

Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $71.97 -5.20%

Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) $12.41 -5.19%

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $31.13 -5.18%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers

United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $98.06 +2.55%

Boeing Co. (BA) $141.28 +1.73%

Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $110.70 +1.61%

3M Co. (MMM) $149.84 +0.49%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $123.32 +0.38%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $50.58 +0.38%

General Electric Co. (GE) $28.87 +0.31%

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $140.98 +0.24%

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $110.10 +0.23%

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $57.28 +0.14%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $179.79 -3.08%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $118.13 -1.90%

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $33.45 -1.62%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $102.49 -1.30%

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $47.20 -1.19%

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $73.58 -1.14%

Visa Inc. (V) $75.42 -1.13%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $69.63 -0.91%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $44.86 -0.84%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $89.26 -0.81%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $63.99 +18.81%

Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $499.41 +5.58%

Biogen Inc (BIIB) $276.26 +3.93%

Keurig Green Mountain Inc (GMCR) $54.61 +3.15%

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) $61.76 +2.25%

Sandisk Corp. (SNDK) $76.79 +2.13%

Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) $34.09 +1.10%

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $160.25 +0.77%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $518.53 +0.75%

Staples Inc. (SPLS) $12.58 +0.72%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Vimpelcom Ltd Ads (VIP) $3.76 -6.93%

Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $175.29 -5.54%

Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $71.97 -5.20%

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $31.13 -5.18%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $71.41 -4.61%

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $16.42 -3.92%

Mylan Inc. (MYL) $40.92 -3.82%

Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN) $64.47 -3.66%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $37.13 -3.61%

Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $140.21 -3.37%