J.B. Hunt increases
quarterly dividend
The board of directors of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has approved an increase in the trucking company's quarterly dividend from 23 cents a share to 24 cents a share, the firm said Wednesday.
The board concluded that the earnings and cash flow generated by J.B. Hunt warranted the 4.3 percent increase in the dividend as a way to return capital to the stockholders.
The dividend, which will be payable to stockholders of record as of Feb. 9, will be paid on Feb. 23.
J.B. Hunt, based in Lowell, is a Fortune 500, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 company.
Hunt shares rose 6 cents to close Wednesday at $125.65.
-- David Smith
Video on capitalism
available on website
The video The Future of Capitalism, part of a series of short films, is now available on the thisiscapitalism.com, a website sponsored by Stephens Inc., the Little Rock financial-services firm said Wednesday.
The video explores the challenges and opportunities associated with the free-market system through the perspectives of three leading socioeconomic experts: Glenn Hubbard, economist and current dean of Columbia University Graduate School of Business; John Hope Bryant, founder and chairman of Operation HOPE, a nonprofit aimed at teaching financial literacy and economics; and Seema Hingorani, founder and chairman of SevenStep Capital and a senior adviser at Crestview Partners.
Films featuring Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, and Eddie Brown, founder of Brown Capital Management, are scheduled for future release at thisiscapitalism.com. Stephens debuted the multimedia, online platform in May.
-- David Smith
Arkansas Index falls
1.72, ends at 432.60
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, hit another record high of 435.99 during the trading day Wednesday before closing down 1.72 at 432.60.
"Equities were mixed with the market selling off early following weakness in the U.S. dollar and then recovering in afternoon trading ahead of President [Donald] Trump's appearance today at the World Economic Forum" in Switzerland, said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock. "Financials and telecommunication stocks outperformed."
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 01/25/2018