U.S. stocks closed little changed Tuesday, as investors hesitated to continue buying shares after major stock indices broke through record highs repeatedly in the past sessions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a record close of 16, 945.92 points, up 2.82 points, or 0.02 percent, [Businesses Registration] one day after the blue-chip index marked an all-time intraday high of 16,970.17 points, less than 0.2 percent below the round-number mark of 17, 000 points.

The broader S&P 500 slightly retreated, ending at 1,950.79 points, down 0.48 point, or 0.02 percent, after setting both record intraday and closing highs on Monday.

While the Nasdaq Composite Index inched up 1.75 points, or 0.04 percent, to 4,338.00.

Following continuous euphoria on Wall Street which had helped the Dow and the S&P 500 rewrite record book time and time again, investors grew a little bit cautious, tending to stay on the sidelines before making any big move on stocks.

However, prudential investors were still reluctant to short equities as an array of economic data have continued to roll out upbeat recently, which pointed to a bight prospect of the world's largest economy. After fluctuating in a narrow range, the stock market pared earlier losses to finish in minor mixed territory.

U.S. wholesale inventories, a key component of gross domestic product changes, rose 1.1 percent in April from the prior month, [company registration in Hong Kong, Hong Kong company incorporation]the Commerce Department said Tuesday,  above market consensus of 0. 5 percent.

The robust gain suggested an expansion in the economic growth in the second quarter after a contraction in the first quarter largely resulting from an abnormal cold weather.

Among other data, U.S. small business sentiment in May improved to a more than six-year high, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said in a report Tuesday.

The NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index for May rose 1.4 points to 96.6, the highest reading since September 2007. But the NFIB cautioned that the index, up for the third month in a row, is still far below readings that have normally accompanied an expansion.