NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are slightly higher Thursday as health care and industrial companies rise. Defense contractors are rising after President Donald Trump said the U.S. will develop a new space-based missile defense system. Banks are slipping as Morgan Stanley drops after its fourth-quarter results fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. Smaller companies are making bigger gains than the rest of the market after they suffered outsize losses in late 2018. KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index rose 7 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,623 as of 2:15 p.m.