NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market is holding near its records on Thursday following mixed reports from companies. Dollar General and Spam-maker Hormel are climbing to some of the market’s biggest gains, while Kroger is falling.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% but remains only 0.7% below its all-time high, continuing a relatively calm run following weeks of sharp swings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 35 points, or 0.1%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.

Dollar General rallied 8.8% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, as more customers shopped at its stores. It was also able to squeeze more profit out of each $1 in sales that it made.

Hormel climbed 3.9% after likewise reporting a better profit than expecte

See Full Page