Stocks Ended Slightly Lower amid Retail Earnings

U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Tuesday, as investors sought tangible details of a trade deal between the U.S. and China and considered a handful of retail earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 13.02 points, or 0.05%, to 25,806.63. The S&P 500 was down 3.16 points, or 0.11%, to 2,789.65. The Nasdaq Composite was off 1.21 points, or 0.02%, to 7,576.36.

U.S. oil prices ended slightly lower on Tuesday, following a lower forecast on Chinese economic growth that may hurt demand for energy, as well as news that Libya plans to boost crude production following the reopening of its largest oil field. West Texas Intermediate crude for April delivery fell by 3 cents, or 0.05%, to settle at $56.56 a barrel, while May Brent tacked on 19 cents, or 0.3%, to $65.86 a barrel.

Target Corp forecast 2019 profit above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday. Target’s comparable sales, that include both in-store and digital sales, rose 5.3 percent, beating analysts estimate of 5.08 percent, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The company forecast 2019 adjusted profit between $5.75 and $6.05 per share, above analysts expectations of $5.61 per share.

Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN) reported fourth-quarter net income of $86.4 million, or 80 cents a share, compared with $1.3 million, or a penny a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $1.13 billion from $1.09 billion in the year-ago period.

Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) beat fourth-quarter earnings expectations but said it is taking a “prudent approach” for 2019. Ross said it earned $442 million, or $1.20 a share, in the quarter, compared with $451 million, or $1.19 a share, in the year-ago period. Sales reached $4.1 billion. Comparable-store sales rose 4%.