EASI Engineered Support Systems (MM)

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's will make the following changes to the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices: * S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. (NASDAQ:PPDI) will replace IVAX Corp. (AMEX:IVX) in the S&P MidCap 400 after the close of trading on Thursday, January 26. IVAX is being acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:TEVA) in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approval. Universal Technical Institute Inc. (NYSE:UTI) will replace Pharmaceutical Product Development in the S&P SmallCap 600. * S&P SmallCap 600 constituent DRS Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DRS) will replace LaBranche & Co. Inc. (NYSE:LAB) in the S&P MidCap 400, LaBranche will replace DRS Technologies in the S&P SmallCap 600, and Hanmi Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:HAFC) will replace Engineered Support Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:EASI) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Monday, January 30. DRS Technologies is acquiring Engineered Support Systems in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approval. * LKQ Corp. (NASDAQ:LKQX) will replace Vintage Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:VPI) in the S&P SmallCap 600 on a date to be announced. Vintage is being acquired by S&P 500 constituent Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:OXY) in a deal that is still pending final approvals. Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Pharmaceutical Product Development provides contract research and development services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Headquartered in Wilmington, NC, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Health Care Services Sub-Industry index. Universal Technical Institute provides post-secondary technical education and training programs. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Education Services Sub-Industry index. DRS Technologies is a defense contractor, specializing in military electronics equipment and systems. Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Aerospace & Defense Sub-Industry index. LaBranche is a specialist and market-maker in equities, options and exchange-traded funds on major securities exchanges. Headquartered in New York, NY, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Investment Banking & Brokerage Sub-Industry index. Hanmi Financial provides banking services to the multi-ethnic communities of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Regional Banks Sub-Industry index. LKQ provides recycled OEM automotive replacement parts needed to repair automobiles and aftermarket collision replacement products. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Auto Parts & Equipment Sub-Industry index. Following is a summary of the changes: S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - January 26, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Pharmaceutical Product Development Health Care Health Care Services DELETED IVAX Corp. Health Care Pharmaceuticals S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - January 26, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Universal Technical Institute Consumer Discretionary Education Services DELETED Pharmaceutical Product Development Health Care Health Care Services S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - January 30, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED DRS Technologies Industrials Aerospace & Defense DELETED LaBranche Financials Investment Banking & Brokerage S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - January 30, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED LaBranche Financials Investment Banking & Brokerage Hanmi Financial Financials Regional Banks DELETED DRS Technologies Industrials Aerospace & Defense Engineered Support Systems Industrials Aerospace & Defense S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - TBA COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED LKQ Corp. Consumer Discretionary Auto Parts & Equipment DELETED Vintage Petroleum Energy Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned. About Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 6,300 employees located in 20 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee (212) 438-3907 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/ http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

Copyright