NEW YORK – U.S. stocks advanced Thursday, lifting benchmark indexes near their 2011 highs, as encouraging data on jobs and retail sales suggested the economy was riding out a recent rough period.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished 93.47 points higher, or 0.7 percent, at 12,719.49, notching a seventh advance in eight sessions. The gain left the blue-chip index within shooting distance of its 2011 closing high of 12,810.54 reached on April 29.

Cisco Systems Inc. led the Dow, rising 2.2 percent, followed by Intel Corp., which gained 2.1 percent.

The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose 14 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,353.22, with financials, materials and technology stocks posting the biggest gains. The index is about 10 points away from its 2011 closing high of 1,363.61, reached April 29.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 38.64 points, or 1.4 percent, to 2,872.66, just shy of its 2011 closing high of 2,873.54 — also on April 29.

“The market is basically predicting an acceleration out of the soft patch we’ve experienced,” said Kevin Shacknofsky, co-portfolio manager of the Alpine Dynamic Dividend Fund.

Target Corp.’s shares surged 6.7 percent; the company’s comparable-store sales were at the high end of forecasts.

Limited Brands Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Hot Topic Inc. all exceeded same-store sales estimates. Limited Brands climbed 2.7 percent and Macy’s Inc. shares gained 5.5 percent after the company posted a 6.7 percent rise in June same-store sales. Hot Topic jumped 13 percent.