U.S. stocks finished near their lows of the session on Friday, with declines in Johnson & Johnson and Boeing Co. delivering the lion's share of the pain for the Dow industrials.

The Dow closed off 255 points, or 0.9%, at 26,770. Dow components Boeing cut about 170 points from the price-weighted average, while J&J and shares exacted a 57-point toll on the index. The S&P 500 index closed 0.4% lower at 2,986, while the Nasdaq Composite Index ended 0.8% lower at 8,090.

Boeing's stock got slammed after the Federal Aviation Administration said the aviation and defense contractor withheld "concerning" messages from 2016 between employees about a flight-control system tied to two fatal crashes of the 737 MAX, while J&J's stock got pulverized, off more than 6%, after the consumer-product giant recalled some baby powder - after tests revealed traces of asbestos.

Source : Market Watch