The S&P / ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has closed lower by 0.2% at 5,422, as several large cap stocks went ex-dividend. Overnight, the US Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.4%. The Australian dollar is slightly lower against the greenback, currently buying 94.7 US cents.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today.
- Mesoblast (ASX: MSB) climbed 4.6% to $6.36
- JB Hi-Fi (ASX: JBH) rose 3.6% to $22.82
- Ramsay Health Care (ASX: RHC) added 3.2% to $39.05
- Harvey Norman Holdings (ASX: HVN) gained 2.8% to $3.33
- Premier Investments (ASX: PMV) closed up 2.7% at $8.02
These stocks were the losers on the day.