Stocks ended their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note on Friday, led by recently underperforming consumer staples and health care sectors.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shot up 66.22 points, or 0.50 percent, to end unofficially at 13,212.04. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 5.19 points, or 0.37 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,408.47. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dipped 3.79 points, or 0.12 percent, to close unofficially at 3,091.57.

For the quarter, the Dow rose 8.1 percent, the S&P 500 climbed 12 percent and the Nasdaq jumped 18.7 percent.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)