Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will make public the company's revenue and earnings for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2015 at 6 a.m. Thursday. Results will be released through the Internet and via a prerecorded call with company executives.
A poll of 26 analysts conducted by Yahoo! Finance shows they estimate earnings per share for the quarter that ended April 14 to be between $1.10 and $1.20 with an average of $1.15. Earnings per share for the same quarter the previous year were $1.14.
The analysts' average estimate for revenue for the quarter is $116.25 billion, up 1.8 percent from fiscal 2014's first quarter revenue of $114.19 billion.
Anyone in the United States and Canada may access the quarterly earnings call by dialing (877) 523-5612 and using the access code 9256278 (WALMART), followed by the # symbol.
-- Cyd King
Camden to get EPA job-training grant
Camden will receive a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help workers develop skills to fill jobs created by environmental needs and problems.
The EPA announced the grant Monday as part of its Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program. It was one of 17 totaling $3.6 million targeting the development of “green” jobs awarded to communities, nonprofits and other entities.
Camden will target residents of Camden and neighboring counties. It will use the money to train 45 students and place 36 graduates in environmental jobs, according to a news release.
More information on the training grant program is available at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pilot_grants.htm.
— Glen Chase
Arkansas Index rises 8.37 to close 341.49
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 8.37 to 341.49 Monday.
“Stocks closed sharply higher with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index closing at record levels fueled by merger announcements and a rebound in the tech sector,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock.
Simmons First National Corp. shares gained almost 5 percent to finish at $40.76.
Murphy USA Inc. shares hit a new 52-week high of $49.38 during intraday trading before closing at $48.83 in twice the normal volume.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 05/13/2014