UnitedHealth to become part of Dow Jones industrial average

The inclusion of the nation's largest health insurer in the prestigious market index reflects the importance of health care spending on the economy.

Minneapolis Star Tribune: UnitedHealth Joins The Dow
UnitedHealth Group Inc. has landed a spot in the Dow Jones industrial average, the elite group of 30 companies that many investors look to as a gauge of the stock market. S&P Dow Jones Indices said Friday that the Minnetonka-based company, which operates the nation's largest health insurer, will replace Kraft Foods Inc. at the opening of trading on Sept. 24. ... UnitedHealth's inclusion reflects its growth into the largest publicly traded company in Minnesota, with revenue that eclipsed $100 billion for the first time last year (Crosby, 9/14).

Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Replaces Kraft In Dow Jones Industrial Average
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) will replace Kraft (KFT) Foods Inc. in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the first change to the 116-year-old stock benchmark since 2009. Kraft, the world's second-largest food company, will be removed from the Dow average after deciding to spin off its North American grocery business, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. UnitedHealth, the biggest U.S. health insurer, was chosen because it represents the growing importance of health-care spending to the U.S. economy, according to the index provider (Nazareth and Kisling, 9/14).