Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq and Dow hitting record highs, as investors turned their focus to the third-quarter earnings season to see if corporate profits justify lofty valuations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48.34 points, or 0.21 percent, to 22,809.41. The S&P 500 gained 6.18 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,550.91. The Nasdaq Composite added 22.63 points, or 0.34 percent, to 6,602.37. (Reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Savio D'Souza)