Arkansas stocks punished in Monday trading

Arkansas-based publicly held companies weren’t able to escape the Monday (Mar. 2) dive of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which fell below 7,000 to end the day at 6,763.

It’s the lowest level since since 1997, and analysts say the dive primarily was caused by  the $61.7 billion fourth-quarter loss reported by insurance giant AIG. The loss at AIG — which has been the recipient of billions of dollars in federal assistance — raised new concerns about the amount of bad news remaining in the U.S. financial sector.

It wasn’t too long ago — October 2007 — that the DJIA was above 14,000.

The share prices of Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp. and Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services hit new 52-week lows in Monday’s trading. Only Little Rock-based Bank of the Ozarks was able to escape the day with a gain in stock value.

Following are the closing share prices and 52-week highs and lows of prominent Arkansas-based companies.

Arkansas Best Corp.
$16.34, down $1.08
52-week price range: $45.13 – $17.02

Acxiom Corp.
$7.63, down 65 cents
52-week price range: $15.11 – $6.35

Baldor Electric Co.
$11.26, down 95 cents
52-week price range: $39.90 – $10.71

Bank of the Ozarks
$20.86, up 11 cents
52-week price range: $36.80 – $13.81

Dillard’s
$3.41, down 14 cents
52-week price range: $23.11 – $2.50

J.B. Hunt Transport Services
$18.92, down $1.46
52-week price range: $40.25 – $19.84

P.A.M. Transportation Services
$3.61, down 34 cents
52-week price range: $16.90 – $3.15

Murphy Oil
$38.18, down $3.63
52-week price range: $101.47 – $35.55

Simmons First National Corp.
$24.59, down $1.01
52-week price range: $36.49 – $22.41

Tyson Foods Inc.
$8.25, down 18 cents
52-week price range: $19.50 – $4.40

USA Truck Inc.
$13, down 44 cents
52-week price range: $19.53 – $9.50

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
$48.04, down $1.20
52-week price range: $63.85 – $46.25