HOUSTON, June 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Lucas Energy, Inc. (AMEX:LEI) will join the Russell Microcap Index when Russell Investments reconstitutes its family of U.S. indexes on June 27, according to a preliminary list of additions posted Friday, June 20, 2008 on www.russell.com
Membership in the Russell Microcap Index, which remains in place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the appropriate growth and value style indexes. Russell determines membership for its equity indexes primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.
Management Comments:
Mr. James Cerna, President and CEO of Lucas Energy said; "I am very pleased to announce that Russell has selected Lucas Energy to be included in the Russell Microcap Index. Being added to such an influential and actively traded index certainly has many benefits for our current shareholders including added liquidity and increased exposure to institutional shareholders."
Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for both passive and active investment strategies. An industry-leading $4.4 trillion in assets currently are benchmarked to them.
Annual reconstitution of Russell indexes captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization to create the Russell 3000 Index and Russell Microcap. These investment tools originated from Russell's multi-manager investment business in the early 1980s when the company saw the need for a more objective, market-driven set of benchmarks in order to evaluate outside investment managers. Total returns data for the Russell Microcap and other Russell Indexes is available at http://www.russell.com/Indexes/performance/daily_total_returns_us.asp.
About Russell:
Russell Investments aims to improve financial security for people by providing strategic advice, world-class implementation, state-of-the-art performance benchmarks, and a range of institutional-quality investment products. With more than $213 billion in assets under management, Russell serves individual, institutional and advisor clients in more than 40 countries. Russell provides access to some of the world's best money managers. It helps investors put this access to work in corporate defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and in the life savings of individual investors.
Founded in 1936, Russell is a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Headquartered in Tacoma, Wash., U.S., Russell has principal offices in Amsterdam, Auckland, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.
About Lucas Energy, Inc.
Lucas Energy, Inc. (AMEX:LEI) is an independent crude oil and gas company building a diversified portfolio of valuable oil and gas assets in the United States. The company is focused on identifying underperforming oil and gas assets, which are revitalized through a meticulous process of evaluation, application of modern well technology, and stringent management controls. This process allows the company to increase its reserve base and cash flow while significantly reducing the risk of traditional exploration projects. The Company's headquarters are located at 3000 Richmond Avenue, Suite 400, Houston, Texas 77098.
The Lucas Energy logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4192
Forward-Looking Statement
This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement identified by the words "expects," "projects," "plans," "feels," "anticipates" and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed "forward-looking statements." Although Lucas Energy believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this press release. These include risks inherent in the drilling of oil and natural gas wells, including risks of fire, explosion, blowout, pipe failure, casing collapse, unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards, and other operating and production risks inherent in oil and natural gas drilling and production activities, which may temporarily or permanently reduce production or cause initial production or test results to not be indicative of future well performance or delay the timing of sales or completion of drilling operations; risks with respect to oil and natural gas prices, a material decline in which could cause the Company to delay or suspend planned drilling operations or reduce production levels; and risks relating to the availability of capital to fund drilling operations that can be adversely affected by adverse drilling results, production declines and declines in oil and gas prices and other risk factors. The complete filing is available at http://www.sec.gov