Home BancShares No. 8 in bank rating
Bank Director magazine ranks Conway-based Home BancShares Inc. as the eighth-best-performing bank in the country among banks with assets from $5 billon to $50 billion. It was reported earlier that Bank of the Ozarks, based in Little Rock, was ranked No. 1 in the same category by the magazine.
Simmons First National Corp. of Pine Bluff was ranked No. 48 in the same asset category. Bear State Financial of Little Rock was ranked No. 108 among banks with $1 billion to $5 billion in assets.
Bank Director's annual bank performance analysis included the 300 largest publicly traded banks and is based on five measurements related to profitability, capital strength and asset quality.
Home BancShares, parent company of Centennial Bank, also ranked second in core return on assets at 1.91 percent and fifth in core return on average equity at 14.51 percent.
-- David Smith
Tyson earnings call to follow 3Q report
Tyson Foods Inc. will hold its third-quarter earnings conference call at 8 a.m. Monday after releasing its earnings report. During the call, Tyson executives will answer analysts' and reporters' questions regarding the company's performance for the quarter, which ended in June.
Analysts are forecasting an increase in Tyson's third-quarter earnings per share compared with the same quarter last year. Zacks Equity Research analysts have forecast earnings between $1.27 and $1.31 per share, up 5 to 8 percent from last year.
Tyson's third quarter 2016 earnings per share surged more than 51 percent from the year prior, or an increase from 80 cents to $1.21.
While Tyson shares underperformed last quarter, the company's efforts to expand its product line for health-conscious consumers are estimated to drive the stock higher in the near term, according to Zacks Investment Research.
Those interested in participating can register online or listen to the live webcast on Tyson's investor website at http://ir.tyson.com. Participants can register leading up to the call and after it has started.
Those without Internet access or who are unable to preregister can dial in on Monday using a toll-free number: 1-844-890-1795. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available until Sept. 7.
-- Nathan Owens
State index up 1.47 to end day at 347.31
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, climbed 1.47 to 347.31 Friday.
Thirteen stocks advanced and five declined.
ArcBest Corp. was up 6 percent in heavy trading. Windstream Holdings Inc. and Acxiom Corp. each fell 6.3 percent on heavy volume.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 08/05/2017