--- title: "A spot is opening up in the S&P 500, and these stocks are top candidates to fill the void" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/294529688.md" description: "Electronic Arts' privatization creates an S&P 500 vacancy. Stephens analyst Melissa Roberts identifies Bloom Energy as a top candidate due to its AI-driven energy demand and strong earnings, alongside Reddit, Astera Labs, and Rocket Companies. Index inclusion typically triggers passive buying pressure." datetime: "2026-07-31T14:51:22.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/294529688.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294529688.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/294529688.md) --- # A spot is opening up in the S&P 500, and these stocks are top candidates to fill the void By William Gavin The videogame company EA is set to be taken private, opening the door for a new company to join the benchmark index Bloom Energy has been a major beneficiary of the broader market's focus on artificial intelligence. A coming opening in the S&P 500 could be filled by an energy company that has massively benefited from demand for new data centers. Electronic Arts (EA) is set to become a private company as soon as next Tuesday after regulators cleared its acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The videogame company behind series like The Sims and Madden NFL agreed to be bought for $55 billion, which will leave a vacancy in the S&P 500 SPX. A replacement is likely to be announced by S&P Dow Jones Indices as soon as Friday after the market closes, according to Stephens analyst Melissa Roberts. Index inclusion typically pushes passive investors and funds tracking the S&P 500 to buy shares to match its holdings. Roberts said a few different companies could plug the index's EA-shaped gap, noting that there are 14 eligible new additions. Chief among them is Bloom Energy (BE), a renewable-energy company that excited investors earlier this week with strong quarterly earnings. It reported sales that topped $1 billion, with CEO and founder KR Sridhar labeling Bloom a "standard for AI onsite power." Bloom stock has surged 144% year-to-date, and more than 477% over the last 12 months. Bloom, with a market capitalization of $61 billion, could be a "formidable contender," Roberts said in a client note. She noted the potential for four days of buying demand if the company is added to the S&P 500. Another option is the social-media company Reddit (RDDT), which on Thursday delivered an earnings beat quickly overshadowed by "choppy" search referrals. The stock was down over 21% in early trading on Friday. Roberts' other top picks include semiconductor company Astera Labs (ALAB) and the financial-services firm Rocket Companies (RKT). She also noted that smart-home-products maker Resideo Technologies (REZI) is spinning out ADI Global Distribution (ADIG.WI), which will begin trading next week, possibly making it a candidate for S&P Small Cap 600 SML inclusion. Roberts mapped out a scenario in which biotechnology firm Illumina (ILMN) replaces EA in the S&P 500, while Corcept Therapeutics (CORT) is moved to the S&P MidCap 400 MID index. That would leave open a spot for ADI Global Distribution in the S&P 600. Don't miss: Apple heads for $460 billion wipeout with its stock seeing worst post-earnings drop in 13 years \-William Gavin This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. 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