NEW YORK, March 16, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced the results of the annual evaluation of the NASDAQ US Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index (Nasdaq:DAA), which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, March 23, 2015.

The following thirty-seven securities will be added to the Index: AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC), Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ), AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (NYSE:APU), Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP), Costco Wholesale Corporation (Nasdaq:COST), Crane Co. (NYSE:CR), CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX), Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR), Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK), Edison International (NYSE:EIX), Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS), The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS), Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE:HEP), Invesco Ltd. (NYSE:IVZ), J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:JBHT), J & J Snack Foods Corp. (Nasdaq:JJSF), Kellogg Company (NYSE:K), L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LLL), Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq:MSFT), NACCO Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NC), Pall Corporation (NYSE:PLL), Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO), Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R), Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE:RAI), Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE:RBC), Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI), Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN), SJW Corp. (NYSE:SJW), Silgan Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:SLGN), First Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:THFF), VSE Corporation (Nasdaq:VSEC), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE:WLK), Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX) and YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM).

The NASDAQ US Broad Dividend Achiever Index is comprised of US accepted securities with at least ten consecutive years of increasing annual regular dividend payments. The NASDAQ US Broad Dividend Achiever Index is reviewed on an annual basis. For more information about the NASDAQ US Broad Dividend Achiever Index, including detailed eligibility criteria, visit indexes.nasdaqomx.com.

As a result of the evaluation, the following nine securities will be removed from the Index: Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTWS), Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE:DBD), Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE:FDO), Intel Corporation (Nasdaq:INTC), Pentair plc. (NYSE:PNR), PartnerRe Ltd. (NYSE:PRE), Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (Nasdaq:SIAL), Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE:SNH) and 1st Source Corporation (Nasdaq:SRCE).

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 Achievers, Global, Nordic, Green Economy, Sharia 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 Global Indexes also provides custom index services and design solutions to selected financial organizations. For more information about Nasdaq Global Indexes, visit indexes.nasdaqomx.com.

Daily index values, weightings and historical data for Nasdaq indexes are available via Nasdaq Global Index Watch and Nasdaq Global Index Data Service.

About Nasdaq

Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) is a leading provider of trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and public company services across six continents. 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 70 marketplaces in 50 countries, and 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Nasdaq is home to more than 3,500 listed companies with a market value of over $9.1 trillion and more than 10,000 corporate clients. To learn more, visit www.nasdaq.com/ambition or 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.

NDAQG

CONTACT: Media Contacts:
         Joseph Christinat, Nasdaq
         +1.646.441.5121
         Josh Machiz, Nasdaq
         +1.212.231.5614
         
         Issuer & Investor Contact:
         Natasha Selzer, Nasdaq
         +1.301.978.8623

Nasdaq logo