22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE MKT: XXII)
today announced that the Company joined the Russell 3000, Russell 2000,
Russell Global and Russell Microcap Indexes on June 27, 2014 when
Russell Investments (Russell) reconstituted its U.S. and global equity
indexes.
Joseph Pandolfino, the Company’s Founder and CEO stated, “We are pleased
to be added to various Russell Indexes. Our inclusion will generate
further interest in the Company’s stock among those investors in the
investment community who may be less familiar with 22nd Century Group.”
He added, “One goal of 22nd Century Group’s management is to be included
in the Russell 1000 Index within 3 years.”
Russell determines membership for its equity indexes primarily by
objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes. Russell
Indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional
investors for index funds and as benchmarks for both active and passive
investment strategies. As of March 31, 2014, Russell has more than $259
billion in assets under management and works with over 2,500
institutional clients, independent distribution partners and individual
investors globally. Approximately $5.2 trillion in assets are
benchmarked to the Russell Indexes.
About 22nd Century Group, Inc.
22nd Century is a plant biotechnology company whose proprietary
technology allows for the levels of nicotine and other nicotinic
alkaloids (e.g., nornicotine, anatabine and anabasine) in the tobacco
plant to be decreased or increased through genetic engineering and plant
breeding. 22nd Century owns or is the exclusive licensee of 117 issued
patents in 78 countries plus an additional 41 pending patent
applications. Goodrich Tobacco Company, LLC and Hercules
Pharmaceuticals, LLC are wholly-owned subsidiaries of 22nd Century.
Goodrich Tobacco is focused on commercial tobacco products and
potentially less harmful cigarettes. Hercules Pharmaceuticals is focused
on X-22, a prescription smoking cessation aid in development.
For additional information, please visit: www.xxiicentury.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press
release contains forward-looking information, including all statements
that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief
or current expectations of 22nd Century Group, Inc., its directors or
its officers with respect to the contents of this press release. The
words “may,” “would,” “will,” “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “intend” and similar expressions and variations thereof are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee
future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be
considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we
may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, including
the securities laws of the United States, we do not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect
actual results, later events or circumstances, or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events. You should carefully review and
consider the various disclosures made by us in our annual report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, filed on January 30,
2014, including the section entitled “Risk Factors,” and our other
reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which
attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may
affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash
flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if
the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary
materially from those expected or projected.
Copyright Business Wire 2014