NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) today announced the results of the annual re-ranking of the NASDAQ-100 Index® (Nasdaq: NDX), which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, December 24, 2018.

The following six companies will be added to the Index: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMD), lululemon athletica inc. (Nasdaq: LULU), NetApp, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP), United Continental Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL), VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) and Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (Nasdaq: WLTW).

The NASDAQ-100 Index is composed of the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market^® and dates to January 1985 when it was launched along with the NASDAQ Financial-100 Index^®, which is comprised of the 100 largest financial stocks on NASDAQ^®. These indexes act as benchmarks for financial products such as options, futures, and funds. The NASDAQ-100 is re-ranked each year in December, timed to coincide with the quadruple witch expiration Friday of the quarter.

On a cumulative price return basis, the NASDAQ-100 Index has returned almost 5,459.21% since inception, although past performance is not indicative of future performance.

The NASDAQ-100 Index is the basis of the PowerShares QQQ Trust (Nasdaq: QQQ) which aims to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond with the NASDAQ-100 Index performance. In addition, options, futures and structured products based on the NASDAQ-100 Index and the PowerShares QQQ Trust trade on various exchanges.

As a result of the re-ranking, the following six companies will be removed from the Index: Express Scripts Holding Company (Nasdaq: ESRX), Hologic, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOLX), Qurate Retail, Inc. (Nasdaq: QRTEA), Shire plc (Nasdaq: SHPG), Seagate Technology PLC (Nasdaq: STX) and Vodafone Group Plc (Nasdaq: VOD).

About Nasdaq Global Indexes
Nasdaq Global Indexes has been creating innovative, market-leading, transparent indexes since 1971. Today, our index offering spans geographies and asset classes and includes diverse families such as the Dividend and Income (includes Dividend Achievers), Dorsey Wright, Fixed Income (includes BulletShares®), Global Equity, Green Economy, Nordic and Commodity indexes. We continuously offer new opportunities for financial product sponsors across a wide-spectrum of investable products and for asset managers to measure risk and performance. Nasdaq also provides exchange listing, custom index and design solutions to financial organizations worldwide.

About Nasdaq
Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global provider of trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and public company services. Through its diverse portfolio of solutions, Nasdaq enables customers to plan, optimize and execute their business vision with confidence, using proven technologies that provide transparency and insight for navigating today's global capital markets. As the creator of the world's first electronic stock market, its technology powers more than 100 marketplaces in 50 countries, and 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Nasdaq is home to over 4,000 total listings with a market value of approximately $15 trillion. To learn more, visit business.nasdaq.com.

The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular financial product or an overall investment strategy. Neither The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any financial product or any representation about the financial condition of any company or fund. Statements regarding Nasdaq’s proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.

Company Briefs:
The following is brief information about the five companies to be added to the NASDAQ-100 Index. 

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. operates as a semiconductor company worldwide.

lululemon athletica inc., an athletic apparel company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel and accessories for women, men, and female youth.

NetApp, Inc. provides software, systems, and services to manage and share date on-premises, and private and public clouds worldwide.

United Continental Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

VeriSign, Inc. provides domain name registry services and Internet security worldwide.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide.

Media Contact:
Matthew Sheahan, Nasdaq
(212) 231-5945

Issuer & Investor Contact:
Carla Proto, Nasdaq
(203) 926-3326

Natasha Selzer, Nasdaq
(301) 978-8623

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