U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday as mergers and acquisitions activity supported selected sectors, but investors pulled back from recent gains in big-cap technology and bank shares.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> edged up 2.19 points, or 0.02 percent, at 10,405.98. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 2.60 points, or 0.23 percent, to 1,118.31. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> rose 7.22 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,280.79.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr)