U.S. stocks barely budged on Thursday as investors shied away from making any big bets before Friday's jobs data sheds light on the economy and the outlook for interest rates.

Whilst there was a strong air of caution, health care companies and utilities rose as investors sought value plays and defensive strategies, countering the profit taking among recent market darlings: oil and technology shares.

In a possible preview of Friday's payrolls data, reports from private institute ADP showed modest job growth last month. Other economic news included the Labor Department weekly jobless claims, which showed a higher than expected rise of 16,000 workers seeking unemployment benefits than expected. A separate report showed a steeper-than-expected 3.3 per cent drop in August factory orders. The dive was steeper than expected due in part to huge plunge in demand for commercial aircraft.

The Dow Jones Industrials finished 6 points higher at 13,974; the S&P500 added 3 to 1,543, and the Nasdaq lifted 4 points to end at 2,734.

In company news, after releasing latest earnings news, shares of Marriot International slipped 4.6% to $42.28. The No. 2 U.S. hotel operator posted a 7.6 per cent decline in quarterly profit and forecast future earnings below Wall Street expectations, signaling a slowdown in the booming lodging industry.

Shares in Dresser-Rand Group also took a tumble, 10.3% lower to $39.00. The energy equipment maker said on Wednesday its third-quarter results will be hurt by a strike in its Painted Post facility, along with a slower-than-anticipated recovery in aftermarket sales.

Another firm hard hit by disappointing earnings figures was Nutrisystem Inc. Shares plunged 33.59% to $31.59 after the provider of weight management programs flagged third-quarter earnings below expectations, blaming higher customer acquisition costs and fewer-than-anticipated new direct business customers.

One market mover in a positive direction was Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, 24.51% stronger to $2.54. The lift came after news the drug manufacturer's cancer drug candidate, HE3235, showed promise in a preclinical study involving animals injected with human prostate cancer cells.

Turning to the best and worst performers in the Nasdaq Top 100. Garmin was the standout performer of the session, 4.59% higher to $100.95. Research In Motion gained after second quarter profit beat expectations. Level 3 Communications also did well.

NII Holdings took a beating, sliding 5.51% to $74.48. Express Scripts and Akamai Technologies also backpedaled.