U.S. stocks posted their first positive week in three as more healthy earnings news lifted Wall Street on Thursday, though gains were limited with another 180 S&P names due to report next week.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 52.45 points, or 0.42 percent, to end unofficially at 12,505.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 7.02 points, or 0.53 percent, to 1,337.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 17.65 points, or 0.63 percent, to 2,820.16.

For the week, the Dow industrials gained 1.3 percent and the S&P 500 also advanced 1.3 percent, while the Nasdaq climbed 2 percent.

(Reporting by Ed Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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