The Dow industrials and S&P 500 stock indexes rose on Friday after preliminary March data showed U.S. consumer sentiment rose, beating analyst expectations.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 41.57 points, or 0.58 percent, at 7,211.63. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 4.12 points, or 0.55 percent, at 754.86. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 1.36 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,427.46.

(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by James Dalgleish)