By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks edged higher on Tuesday, putting the S&P on pace to snap a two-session decline, as gains in the materials sector were offset by declines in a trio of Dow components. The S&P materials index gained 0.9 percent as the best performing of the 10 major S&P indexes, led by a 4.9 percent gain in Dow Chemical to $45.18. “Dow Chemical is kind of behind sort of a broader market rise with the idea there is still value, or at least one respected hedge fund thinks there is still some value in a specific stock,” said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey. Also adding support to the materials sector was Alcoa Inc , which advanced 4.8 percent to $11.90 after JP Morgan upgraded the stock to an “overweight” from a neutral” rating and boosted its price target to $15 from $9 per share.