SPRINGFIELD, Mo., July 25, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq:GFED), the holding company for Guaranty Bank, today announced it joined the Russell Microcap(tm) Index.
The newly launched Russell Microcap Index, which debuted on July 1, is comprised of the smallest 1,000 securities in the small-cap Russell 2000(tm) Index along with the next smallest 1,000 companies, based on a ranking of all U.S. equities by market capitalization.
The index offers portfolio managers and other investors a comprehensive, unbiased barometer to compare their performance against the genuine microcap marketplace of stocks. Russell recently posted the complete index membership list at www.russell.com/US/Indexes.
"We are pleased with our inclusion in this new index," said Shaun Burke, Guaranty's President and CEO. "Our inclusion will help generate greater interest in our stock at an institutional level."
Russell indices are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for both passive and active investment strategies. Companies on the list represent more than $2.5 trillion in assets. Investment managers who oversee these funds purchase shares of member stocks according to that company's weighting in the particular index.
Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc. has a subsidiary corporation offering full banking services. The principal subsidiary, Guaranty Bank, is located in Springfield, Missouri, and has seven branches and 20 ATM locations located in Greene and Christian Counties. In addition, Guaranty Bank is a member of the Privileged Status ATM network, which provides its customers surcharge free access to over 60 area ATMs and over 1,000 ATMs nationwide.