News Release

SALEM, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--APRIL 20, 2000--Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI) reported for the third quarter ended March 31, 2000 earnings of 51 cents per share (diluted) compared to 51 cents per share in the prior year. The prior year's third quarter earnings included a net of tax credit of $406 thousand, or 3 cents per share for the adjustment of a portion of the restructuring charge provided in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1998.

Net income totaled $6.5 million on third quarter sales of $158.2 million. This compared with net income of $6.6 million (including the $.4 million restructuring credit) generated on sales of $152.2 million in the prior year, which included $1.2 million of sales from divisions that were disposed in the prior year. Per share earnings were based on 12.7 million average shares outstanding in the current year and 13.0 million in the prior year.

For the nine months ended March 31, 2000, sales totaled $479.0 million compared to $480.8 million for the previous fiscal year, which included $10.5 million from disposed divisions. Net income was $23.6 million and diluted earnings per share were $1.84 compared with net income of $24.0 million and diluted earnings per share of $1.84 in the prior year, including the 3 cents per share restructuring credit. The current year's nine months earnings include an unusual gain of $1.7 million, after tax, or 13 cents per share, resulting from the receipt of marketable stock of an insurance company, in which Standex owned life policies, that "demutualized" by converting from a mutual company to a stock company.

In announcing the results, Edward J. Trainor, President and CEO said, "Our third quarter results rebounded somewhat from our disappointing second quarter results. On a comparable basis (excluding the 3 cents per share restructuring credit) we showed 51 cents per share (diluted) this year versus 48 cents per share in the previous year. Our Food Service segment continues to be negatively impacted by supermarket consolidations and delays in healthcare projects and our European texturizing operations showed some improvement. Several of our Industrial and Consumer divisions reported solid gains in sales and earnings, helping to offset the softness in Food Service. Our backlogs remain high across most divisions and, although we will not reach our original earnings expectations, we continue to expect that the full fiscal year 2000 will be a solid year for Standex." The immediately preceding statements are "forward-looking" and are necessarily dependent upon uncertainties in the economy, competitive pricing pressures and market demand.

Standex International Corporation, with sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1999 of $641.4 million and operations in the United States, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Mexico, is a multi-industry manufacturer in three broad business segments: Food Service, Industrial and Consumer. -0-

*T

                    CONSOLIDATED SUMMARY OF INCOME
                 (In thousands except per share data)

                    THREE MONTHS                NINE MONTHS
                    ENDED MARCH 31              ENDED MARCH 31

                   2000       1999            2000           1999

NET SALES     $ 158,158    $ 152,247       $ 479,011       $ 480,795


INCOME BEFORE
 TAXES        $  11,349    $  11,472       $  38,957       $  39,856
PROVISION FOR
 TAXES            4,889        4,841          15,367          15,864


 NET INCOME   $   6,460    $   6,631(b)    $  23,590(a)    $ 23,992(b)


EARNINGS PER
 SHARE
  Basic       $    0.52    $    0.52(b)    $    1.85(a)    $   1.85(b)
  Diluted     $    0.51    $    0.51(b)    $    1.84(a)    $   1.84(b)

AVERAGE SHARES
 OUTSTANDING
  Basic           12,649       12,946          12,779          12,999
  Diluted         12,721       13,005          12,853          13,064




SEGMENT DATA
                                    NET SALES

Food Service  $  35,730    $  34,276       $ 107,571       $ 110,514
Consumer         53,564       51,244         168,956         166,154
Industrial       68,864       66,727         202,484         204,127


TOTAL         $ 158,158    $ 152,247       $ 479,011       $ 480,795


                                OPERATING INCOME

Food Service  $   3,169    $   4,052       $   8,997       $  12,453
Consumer          5,929        5,675          20,723          19,372
Industrial        7,688        7,156          22,282          22,948
Corporate        (2,700)      (2,768)         (7,795)         (6,698)


TOTAL         $  14,086    $  14,115       $  44,207       $  48,075

(a) Includes an unusual gain, after taxes of $1.7 million, equal to 13 cents per share realized in the first quarter relating to the demutualization of an insurance company.

(b) Includes a net of tax credit of $406 thousand, or 3 cents per share for the adjustment of a portion of the restructuring charge provided in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1998. *T

CONTACT: Standex International Corporation

Edward F. Paquette

603-893-9701