Home BancShares to
release 3Q earnings
Home BancShares Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, will release its third-quarter 2026 earnings Wednesday after the stock market closes.
According to Zacks Equity Research, analysts expect revenue to crack $293 million, a 5.5% increase from the third-quarter last year. Analysts also predict quarterly earnings of 64 cents per share.
Third-quarter net interest income is expected to reach $245.38 million, a jump from the $229.08 million net interest income reported a year ago.
Shares of Home BancShares fell 14 cents, or less than 1%, to close Tuesday at $28.36.
A conference call to review the earnings will be Thursday at 1 p.m. Listeners may access the call live or in a recorded version through the Home BancShares website. Those with no internet access can listen to the live call at (833) 461-5787, using meeting ID 887189816.
Based in Conway, the bank has branches in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and New York City.
— Gabe White
Walmart to expand
health plan benefits
Walmart has announced changes in its 2027 health plan benefits for company employees ahead of its annual enrollment period.
In an internal letter to employees, Walmart Chief People Officer Donna Morris said the retailer is “adding even more ways to help you and your family live better through comprehensive and affordable healthcare and benefits.”
The benefit changes include:
Insurance plan participants will not have to pay for more than 250 medications, including “some insulin and inhalers.”
Rare conditions will receive more support, the letter said. Employees diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or ALS can receive in-person evaluation and treatment review with a specialist at the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic, Morris said in the letter.
A new benefit provides a maximum of 12 weeks of dedicated paid neonatal intensive care unit leave starting on World Prematurity Day, Nov. 17, the letter said. The new leave policy can be combined with other paid time off benefits like maternity and parental leave.
Bentonville-based Walmart says it has about 16 million employees in the United States.
— Hunter Myers
State index dips 1.61
to close at 1,118.11
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Tuesday at 1,118.11, down 1.61 points.
Shares of America’s Car-Mart, down 94% so far this year, rose 11.4% on Tuesday. Shares of freight hauler and logistics company J.B. Hunt rose 0.32%. J.B. Hunt is set to release its third-quarter earnings report Thursday.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.