New York ? U.S. stocks closed mixed Tuesday, with upbeat earnings sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record-high finish but just shy of 14,000, a level it had topped earlier in the day.

A drop in crude oil prices, which left the cost for a barrel below $75, weighed on the energy sector and the broad market late in the session.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 20 points ahead, at 13,971.55, a record high closing level. The blue-chip average earlier touched a high of 14,021. Among the Dow’s 30 stocks, 16 closed higher, led by the likes of DuPont, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.

Leading the gains among blue chips, American Express jumped 4.6 percent after being upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman Sachs. Intel rose 1.5 percent ahead of its earnings report after the close.

The semiconductor sector helped lift technology shares, as stock for chip-equipment maker Novellus Systems Inc. surged 11 percent.

Stocks have trended higher in recent months, fueled by factors including mergers-and-acquisitions activity and consumer spending.