Getting added to the
S&P 500
is a big deal. For proof, look no further than Blackstone stock.
S&P Dow Jones Indices announced after Friday’s close that Blackstone would replace Lincoln National in the S&P 500 on Sept. 18. It’s been a long time coming. In April, the index provider announced that it would allow companies with multiple share classes to be part of its benchmarks, reversing a rule that went into effect in 2017 (companies like
Alphabet
(GOOGL),
Berkshire Hathaway
(BRK.B), and
Meta Platforms
(META) to stay in the index).
Blackstone stock jumped 4.9% on the day of the announcement, as many assumed that it would be the next company to join the index. But it dropped in May, when it was passed over in favor of
Axon Enterprise
(AXON), the maker of Tasers, and then again in June, when
Palo Alto Networks
(PANW) went in instead.
This time, Blackstone got the call to replace
Lincoln National
(LNC), and its stock is reacting exactly as you’d imagine—it’s up 3.8%. That makes sense. Every exchange-traded fund or index fund that tracks the index will have to buy it, and every active manager benchmarked to the index will have to consider purchasing it. The same is true for
Airbnb
(ABNB), whose stock has gained 5% after it was tapped to replace
Newell Brands
(NWL) in the index.
If you’re a stock, this is one club you want to join.
Write to Ben Levisohn at [email protected]
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