U.S. stocks finished lower on Thursday, extending losses into a third session, as investors considered the timing of any reductions in the Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus.

"The market has been sideways now for the last month or so as investors are digesting what the Fed may do with their quantitative easing program. We won't know until it occurs whether it's priced in or not," said Paul Nolte, managing director at Dearborn Partners in Chicago.

Lululemon Athletica's shares dropped after the Canadian yoga-wear chain reported third-quarter earnings that topped estimates, but projected flat same-store sales in the fourth quarter.



Ciena fell sharply after the provider of reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 16 cents a share, below Wall Street's expectations.

Facebook shares rose after S&P Dow Jones Indices said the Index next week.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings rose sharply in making its return to the public market. The hotelier, which was taken private in 2007, on Wednesday priced its initial public offering at $20 a share.



Oracle declined after RBC Capital Markets cut its rating on its stock.