Stocks slip at close on earnings anxiety

Stocks closed lower Tuesday after several U.S. companies delivered disappointing results and forecasts.

At the closing bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average had slipped 41.6 points, about 0.2 percent, to 17,581.4. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.3 points, about 0.3 percent, to nearly 2,066. The Nasdaq composite fell 4.6 points, about 0.1 percent, to 5,030.2.

As markets closed, the price of U.S. benchmark crude oil was down 79 cents, about 1.8 percent, at $43.19 a barrel in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Energy stocks fell more than the rest of the market Tuesday as the price of crude oil dropped to its lowest level since August.

UPS closed down $3.08, about 3 percent, at $103.10 after the package delivery company reported revenue that fell short of analysts' estimates.

Cummins Inc. slumped $9.75, about 8.7 percent, to close at $102.35 after the engine maker's earnings results didn't match forecasts. The company also cut its revenue outlook.