Stocks end mostly higher, S&P tacks on another record

The S&P 500 (^GSPC)  managed to squeeze out a second straight record on Thursday to close at  1,959.48. The Dow (^DJI) also ended in the green at 16,921.46, but the Nasdaq (^IXIC) snapped a four-day winning streak and closed down at 4,359.33.

The labor market continued to show signs that it's recovering. The number of Americans filing for first time jobless benefits fell by 6,000 to 312,000 last week.

BlackBerry (BBRY) was among the day's movers after the company surprised Wall Street with a smaller-than-expected loss of $0.11 a share as cost cuts helped offset a decline in sales. Shares of BlackBerry ended the day up nearly 10%.

American Apparel (APP) shares closed up nearly 6.72% after the retailer’s board ousted Dov Charney, the founder, chairman and CEO of the company due to an "ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct."

Pier 1 Imports (PIR) shares closed down 13.14%. The home furnishings retailer cut its full-year earnings outlook following first-quarter earnings and revenue that missed estimates.

Starbucks (SBUX) stock closed up 2.21%. UBS upgraded the stock to buy from neutral and raised its price target by $7 to $87 a share.

Kroger (KR) shares closed up 5.06%. The grocery store chain reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and raised its outlook for the year.

Oracle (ORCL) is scheduled to release earnings after the close. Darden Restaurants (DRI) and CarMax (KMX) are due to report results on Friday.