The health-care index led S&P gainers, rising by a third of a percent.
AbbVie was the biggest boost to the S&P, rising more than 5.6 percent after announcing a global resolution of intellectual property-related litigation with Amgen.
Abbott also rose almost 3 percent after the U.S. FDA approved the company's glucose monitoring device.
Western Digital fell 2.4 percent after Toshiba said it had signed an $18 billion deal to sell its chip unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital.
Gainers outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,400 to 1,397. On the Nasdaq, 1,462 shares rose and 1,338 fell.
This article was provided by Reuters.