Energy boosts Wall St; Walmart at 14-month high

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Thursday after Brent crude oil's rise above $50 per barrel boosted energy shares and as Wal-Mart ended at a 14-month high after it raised its outlook.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 23.76 points, or 0.13 percent, to 18,597.7, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 4.8 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,187.02 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 11.49 points, or 0.22 percent, to 5,240.15.

(Reporting by Caroline valetkevitch; Editing by James Dalgleish)