J.B. Hunt to report
3rd-quarter results
Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is expected to release its third-quarter earnings today after market close.
A consensus estimate of 21 analysts puts the company's earnings at $1.85 per share for the quarter, down from $2.57 per share for last year's period, according to Yahoo Finance. Revenue for the third quarter is pegged at $3.19 billion according to a consensus of 17 analysts, down from $3.8 billion last year.
In September, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., a subsidiary of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., said it was buying the brokerage operations of BNSF Logistics.
The company will hold a conference call from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. to discuss its results and answer questions. It will be webcast online at investor.jbhunt.com and an online replay will be available a few hours after the call is completed.
J.B. Hunt shares rose $5.37 to close Monday at $196.78.
-- John Magsam
Southwest lowers
'A-List' conditions
DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines is lowering the requirements to qualify for the top levels of its frequent-flyer program, a move aimed at travelers who are unhappy with other airlines that are making it harder to reach elite status.
Southwest said Monday that it will reduce by 20% the number of flights needed to qualify for its "A-List" and "A-List Preferred" levels in its Rapid Rewards program.
The airline said it won't change the number of spending-based points that customers can also use to qualify for either level, and it will make it easier to get those points using a Southwest-branded credit card.
The changes will start next year for travelers aiming to hit elite status for 2025.
Southwest's moves contrast with Delta Air Lines, which was criticized last month after announcing changes that make it harder to reach elite status in its SkyMiles program and gain entry to its airport lounges. Delta is reconsidering those changes.
Under Southwest's announced changes, which start Jan. 1, it'll take 20 one-way qualifying flights instead of 25 to hit the A-List, and 40 such flights instead of 50 to make A-List Preferred.
-- The Associated Press
State index finishes
session 14.24 higher
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Monday at 852.39, up 14.24.
"With hopes of a diplomatic effort to prevent the Israel and Hamas war from spilling over to a regional conflict, stocks rallied on Monday, as oil declined and we enter the heavy reporting earnings season with hopes of better than expected results," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.