NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks posted their first positive week in three as more healthy earnings news lifted Wall Street on Thursday, though gains were limited with another 180 S&P names due to report next week.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 52.45 points, or 0.42 percent, to end unofficially at 12,505.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 7.02 points, or 0.53 percent, to 1,337.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 17.65 points, or 0.63 percent, to 2,820.16.
For the week, the Dow industrials gained 1.3 percent and the S&P 500 also advanced 1.3 percent, while the Nasdaq climbed 2 percent. (Reporting by Ed Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)