U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as the market was buoyed by upbeat inflation level shown by U.S. consumer prices in January, and better-than-expected earnings by a batch of U.S. companies for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Shortly after the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 117.51 points, or 0.46 percent, to 25,543.27. The S&P 500 was up 8.30 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,753.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 5.76 points, or 0.08 percent, to 7,420.38.

Shares of Diebold Nixdorf surged more than 39 percent around market close, after the U.S. ATM manufacturer reported quarterly revenue that topped analysts' expectations. Its guidance for 2019 also appeared to be strong.

Shares of Hilton Worldwide also sharply rallied nearly 6.8 percent around the closing bell, as the U.S. hotel chain reported quarterly profit that beat Wall Street forecasts.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors extended gains on Wednesday, with the energy sector up nearly 1.3 percent, leading the gainers.

More than two thirds, or 71.5 percent, of the S&P 500 companies have posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings as the fourth-quarter earnings season is approaching to an end, according to Reuters.

The market was also encouraged by continued optimism about the prospect of trade progress to be made between China and the United States, as investors kept a close eye on the latest updates regarding their trade talks.

On the economic front, U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged last month, as falling gasoline prices eroded increases in the cost of food and rents, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday.

The CPI increased 1.6 percent for the 12 months ending January, the smallest increase since the period ending June 2017.

Investors widely believed that the data, indicating upbeat inflation level, would help the U.S. Federal Reserve keep its interest rates steady for some time, as the Fed not rising rates is normally favorable to the stock market.