Wal-Mart sets date for annual meeting
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that its 2014 shareholders meeting will be at 7 a.m. June 6 at Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville campus. To participate in the annual meeting and corporate election, shareholders have to own Wal-Mart stock on or before April 11.
Over the years, the annual meeting has grown in size and star power, drawing actors Hugh Jackman and Tom Cruise, singer Kelly Clarkson and Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter John Legend at last year’s event. This year’s meeting will be the first for new Wal-Mart President and CEO Doug McMillon, who took the reins from Mike Duke on Feb. 1.
The meeting also will be streamed on the company’s website at stock.walmart.com.
- Cyd King
UALR, nGage to look at shoppers’ habits
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based nGage Labs Inc. is working with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to develop ways to use 3-D technologies to better understand the buying habits of the digital customers of nGage’s clients.
In addition to Scottsdale, nGage has an office in Little Rock and plans to add as many as 35 employees.
The firm’s clients include some of the nation’s best-known retailers.
Development of these technologies will help nGage’s customers gain insights about the intentions, behaviors and preferences of their retail shoppers, said Rod Ford of Little Rock, nGage’s chief executive officer.
In October, nGage announced that it would locate the office in Little Rock. Arkansas provided $1.05 million in incentives from the governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund to assist in opening the office.
- David Smith
Arkansas Index up in mixed trading day
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 0.70 to 317.10 Wednesday.
“U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as the markets searched for direction after Tuesday’s big rally,” said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock. “Better Chinese trade data and a successful debt ceiling vote in the House failed to propel markets higher. The Arkansas Index moved higher as eight stocks advanced and nine declined.”
Shares of P.A.M. Transportation gained 7.5 percent in heavy trading.
Windstream was up 6 percent with more than 17 million shares traded.
USA Truck shares fell 3.7 percent in light trading.
Volume for the index was 32 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 25 on 02/13/2014