Stocks opened little changed on Tuesday after a report showing a sharp drop in durable goods orders cut into upbeat sentiment a day after the S&P 500 closed at its highest since June 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shed 5.60 points, or 0.04 percent, at 12,975.91. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 0.45 points, or 0.03 percent, at 1,368.04. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 2.68 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2,968.84.

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)