PJC Piper Jaffray Companies

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Piper Jaffray announced it has hired Mark Murphy as a senior research analyst to broaden the firm's coverage of the software and technology sector. Murphy will cover enterprise software companies, and will be based in the firm's San Francisco office. Murphy has more than 10 years of experience working as a software industry analyst. Most recently, he was a managing director at Broadpoint Capital (formerly First Albany Capital) where he covered the enterprise software sector and was consistently recognized as a top-rated analyst. In addition, Murphy was honored by Forbes magazine in January 2007 as the No. 1 sell-side stock picker in the software industry and was recognized in The Wall Street Journal's 2001 "Best on the Street" annual survey in the category of earnings forecasting. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and business management from Cornell University. "Mark brings strong quantitative and valuation experience to the Piper Jaffray technology research team," said Joel Denney, head of Piper Jaffray investment research. "His expertise further extends our research capabilities and our ability to provide proprietary and in-depth analysis of the software sector." Murphy will join Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Ajay Kasargod in covering the software industry, increasing the firm's breadth of enterprise software coverage. In addition to the software sector, Piper Jaffray provides technology research expertise in the following sub-sectors: computer hardware and semiconductors, Internet, IT services and wireless technologies. 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. (C) 2008 Piper Jaffray & Co., 800 Nicollet Mall, Suite 800, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7020 DATASOURCE: Piper Jaffray CONTACT: Andrea Young, Media Relations of Piper Jaffray, +1-612-303-6697 Web site: http://www.piperjaffray.com/

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