Stocks reversed course on Thursday as healthcare stocks and financials stumbled, offsetting a rise in energy shares boosted by a jump in oil prices.

The S&P 500 index of financial stocks fell 3.4 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 42.77 points, or 0.57 percent, to 7,443.81. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 4.30 points, or 0.54 percent, to 790.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 3.63 points, or 0.24 percent, to 1,487.59.

(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Kenneth Barry)