News in brief

Walmart raises drug, eye specialists' pay

Walmart Inc. said Wednesday that it has raised wages for about 3,700 of its pharmacists and more than 4,000 opticians.

Last year, the Bentonville-based retailer raised pay for 36,000 pharmacy technicians.

The average annual salary for Walmart pharmacists is now more than $140,000, plus bonuses and incentives.

The new average wage for Walmart opticians is more than $22.50 an hour.

The company also said it's started an Optician Development Program to help employees in its vision centers earn nationally recognized certification and licensure from the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners.

The training is offered through the Optical Training Institute, with Walmart covering all the fees.

"This new program will help our Vision associates access higher-paying roles and more career opportunities," Kevin Host, senior vice president of health and wellness for pharmacy, and David Reitnauer, vice president of health and wellness, optical, said in a post on Walmart's corporate blog.

The raises are part of Walmart's aim to be an employer of choice in these fields, Host and Reitnauer said.

-- Serenah McKay

2 community banks gain national notice

The financial performances of two smaller Arkansas community banks are being spotlighted by a national trade organization.

Bank of England and Priority Bank of Fayetteville were cited for delivering top returns on assets in 2023 in an analysis conducted by the Independent Community Bankers of America, a national trade group with more than 5,000 members nationwide.

Both lenders were heralded based on the three-year average pretax return on assets. Bank of England ranked fourth in the nation for delivering return on assets of 3.56 for banks with total assets between $300 million and $1 billion. Priority Bank ranked seventh for banks with under $300 million in assets. Priority generated return on assets of 2.94.

The banks were included in the Independent Community Bankers of America's annual ranking of the nation's top performing community banks.

-- Andrew Moreau

State index reaches 738.45, down 18.65

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 738.45, down 18.65.

"Weak manufacturing data from China overnight led foreign and U.S. stocks lower to close the month as the energy and industrials sectors lagged," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephen's Inc.

Shares of America's Car-Mart fell 8% and ArcBest Corp. shares fell 4%. Walmart shares rose 0.6% and P.A.M. Transportation Services shares rose 0.9%.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Upcoming Events