Wall Street Journal Recognizes Piper Jaffray Equity Research Analysts in the 2008 Best on the Street Analysts Survey

  
    
  
  
    
      Piper Jaffray equity research analysts took top honors in the Wall 
      Street Journal’s 2008 Best on the Street 
      Analysts Survey. Four equity research analysts were recognized with five 
      awards in this year’s survey, resulting in a 14th 
      place ranking overall for Piper Jaffray.
    
    
      This year, the Wall Street Journal chose 220 award winners in 45 
      industry groups from more than 1,700 eligible analysts. The top five 
      stock pickers in each industry were ranked based on their 
      recommendation-performance scores for 2007, while firms were ranked 
      according to the total number of awards their analysts earned in the 
      survey.
    
    
      The 2008 Best on the Street analysts from Piper Jaffray include:
    
    
      
        Jeff Klinefelter, ranked No. 3 in the Clothing & Accessories sector
      
      
        Mark Marostica, ranked No. 4 in the Specialty Retailers & Services 
        sector
      
      
        Jesse Pichel, ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the Electronic & Electrical 
        Equipment and Semiconductor-Equipment Mfg. sectors, respectively
      
      
        Caroline Stewart, ranked No. 4 in the Biotechnology sector
      
    
    
      This is Klinefelter’s second appearance in the 
      annual survey. Klinefelter, who joined Piper Jaffray in 1997, follows 
      retail companies focusing on specialty retailing, youth/teens, mass 
      merchandising, and apparel and footwear brands.
    
    
      Marostica appears as a Best on the Street analyst for the third time. He 
      covers outsourcing and learning services companies for Piper Jaffray, 
      including IT services and business process outsourcing, postsecondary 
      education, K-12, and professional development companies.
    
    
      Pichel makes his first appearance as a Best on the Street analyst and 
      was also featured in the “Top Guns’ 
      Top Picks in 2007” ranking, which encompasses 
      the best recommendations of the 10 top-performing No. 1 analysts in this 
      year’s survey. His best call was a buy rating 
      for seven months last year on Hoku Scientific Inc., which placed him 
      second in the ranking. Pichel covers clean technology and renewables 
      with a focus on solar power, and has been recognized by StarMine as a 
      top equity research analyst in the semiconductors and semiconductor 
      equipment, and electrical equipment industries.
    
    
      Stewart also makes her first appearance as a Best on the Street analyst 
      in this year’s survey and focuses on companies 
      in the biotechnology sector at Piper Jaffray.
    
    
      “This recognition is a great example of how 
      our investment research team is fully dedicated to continually providing 
      Piper Jaffray clients with proprietary and unique research, as well as 
      high-quality stock analysis across various industries,” 
      said Joel Denney, head of investment research at Piper Jaffray.
    
    
      About Piper Jaffray
    
    
      Piper Jaffray Companies is a leading, international middle-market 
      investment bank and institutional securities firm, serving the needs of 
      middle-market corporations, private equity groups, public entities, 
      nonprofit clients and institutional investors. Founded in 1895, Piper 
      Jaffray provides a comprehensive set of products and services, including 
      equity and debt capital markets products; public finance services; 
      mergers and acquisitions advisory services; high-yield and structured 
      products; institutional equity and fixed-income sales and trading; and 
      equity and high-yield research. With headquarters in Minneapolis, Piper 
      Jaffray has 25 offices across the United States and international 
      locations in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Piper Jaffray & Co. is the 
      firm's principal operating subsidiary. (NYSE: PJC) (http://www.piperjaffray.com)
    
    
      Since 1895. Member SIPC and FINRA.
    
    
      © 2008 Piper Jaffray & Co., 800 Nicollet 
      Mall, Suite 800, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7020