Stocks rose on Friday as solid margins from Verizon Communications Inc and a dividend hike by General Electric Co boosted sentiment.

The S&P 500 strengthened its bullish stance, moving above the 1,100 level for the first time in a month after various failed attempts.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 75.38 points, or 0.73 percent, to 10,397.68. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 6.30 points, or 0.58 percent, to 1,099.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 13.03 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,258.92.

A spike in Genzyme Corp also helped indexes after the Wall Street Journal reported French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA approached the biotechnology company about an acquisition, though any deal could be far away.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)