U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Wednesday, thanks in part to a pickup in the price of crude oil.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 53.21 points, or 0.32 percent, to 16,484.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.53 points, or 0.44 percent, to 1,929.86. The Nasdaq composite rose 39.02 points, or 0.87 percent, to 4,542.61.