Technology giant NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) is set to join the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Nov. 8 replacing Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), a move predicted by several market experts to Benzinga months ago.
Here's a look at what the Dow Jones Industrial Average inclusion means for Nvidia and why another addition to the index could be more important.
What Happened: Nvidia will replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a move that may have been predicted by a 10-for-1 stock split by the tech giant earlier this year.
"Price wise, shares are at that elevated level where they have announced a split in the past. Rumor wise, a stock split would make shares more attractive to be added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average," Freedom Capital Markets Chief Strategist Jay Woods said before the split was announced.
Woods told Benzinga Nvidia was a prime candidate to be included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is tracked by the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE: DIA).
"When you're the face of the next wave of growth in technology, that being AI, that being the chipmaker, that to me says you should be represented in the Dow Jones Industrial Average," Woods previously told Benzinga.
Launched in 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is a well-known stock market index that includes 30 blue-chip U.S. companies. The index often changes to include the best barometers of American growth.
One of the key differences between the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other market indexes like the S&P 500 is the Dow is price-weighted and does not account for changes in market capitalization.
This means that company's that have higher share prices have larger weightings than those with smaller stock prices. So while Nvidia's stock split may have helped the company get into the index, it will now hurt the company's position in the index.
Based on data from Slickcharts, Nvidia would be the 21st largest company by weighting in the index if it were added today. The stock would position after Chevron (NYSE: CVX) ($153.33) and ahead of 3M Co (NYSE: MMM) ($126.94) with a price of $138.76 at the time of writing. Nvidia would have an estimated weighting of between 1.98% and 2.38% based on the current weighting of 3M and Chevron respectively.
Compare that to UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH), currently the largest weighting in the Dow Jones Industrial Average at $556.81 and 8.8%.
Intel, which is being replaced by Nvidia, is currently ranked last in the index with a price of $22.54 and weighting of 0.36%.
As one of the largest companies in the world, Nvidia is the second largest weighting in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 Index, representing 6.8% of assets in the ETF. Nvidia is also the second largest weighting in the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLK), which tracks the tech sector, with the stock having a weighting of 14.25%.
Another Dow Index Addition: While investors are excited about Nvidia joining the Dow Jones Industrial Average, they might want to look at Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE: SHW), which will have a large weighting in the index and see heavier buying from ETFs that cover the index.
Sherwin-Williams has a current share price of $372.97, which will give the company a higher weighting in the index. The stock would currently rank sixth in the index between Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) ($377.72) and Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) ($317.75). If Sherwin-Williams were added today, the stock would have an estimated weighting of between 4.97% and 5.91%.
Sherwin-Williams is replacing Dow Inc (NYSE: DOW) in the index, which currently ranks 28th with a price of $48.10 and a weighting of 0.76%.
The new weightings will depend on prices ahead of the Nov. 8 changes and also be impacted by two of the smaller holdings exiting the index.
Why It's Important: Intel has been a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1999 but has lagged in stock performance in recent years.
Nvidia is more relevant than Intel and used by the biggest companies, Woods previously told Benzinga.
"The growth is there, the story is there, and now the price is there," Woods said.
Benzinga's "PreMarket Prep" co-host Dennis Dick also predicted Nvidia replacing Intel in the index earlier this year.
"I'd expect this announcement sometime in the summer. I don't think it's a matter of 'if' NVDA goes into the Dow, I think it's now a matter of 'when,'" Dick said.
Nvidia shares are up 188.1% year-to-date in 2024 and up 2,573.6% over the past five years. Intel stock is down 52.9% year-to-date in 2024 and down 61.4% over the past five years.
Sherwin-Williams stock is up 22.3% year-to-date in 2024 and up 92.5% over the past five years. Dow stock is down 14.0% year-to-date in 2024 and down 15.0% over the last five years.
The negative performance for Intel and Dow may explain why the Dow Jones Industrial Average has underperformed the S&P 500 index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF is up 11.1% year-to-date and up 51.2% over the past five years. Compare that to the SPY, which is up 20.8% year-to-date and up 84.9% over the past five years.