Car-Mart to Open Two New Dealerships
America’s Car-Mart Inc. of Bentonville said on Feb. 4 that it opened a new dealership in Pine Bluff on Jan. 31 and plans to open one in Wichita Falls, Texas, by the end of February.
These new dealerships are the eighth and ninth new dealerships since May 1, the beginning of the company’s fiscal year. Car-Mart now has 64 new dealerships.
Hunt earnings reach
milestones in 2002
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell said net earnings rose 57 percent, hitting a record of $51.8 million for 2002, or earnings per share of $1.33, also a record number, compared with 2001 full-year earnings of $32.9 million, or 91 cents a share.
Thomson/First Call had estimated a fourth-quarter net of 40 cents a share. Hunt said fourth-quarter earnings were hurt by a higher income tax rate, higher insurance and claims costs, and a loss incurred on a terminal facility the company has agreed to sell.
Total operating revenue for the year was $2.25 billion, compared with $2.1 billion in 2001. Operating income rose 40 percent from $72.2 million in 2001 to $101 million in 2002 on a 7 percent rise in revenue.
The company said a significant portion of the earnings improvement was a result of its continued focus on higher revenue per loaded mile, an intense focus on freight selection and reduced empty miles.