Heard on the Street

SPLITSVILLE. O'Reilly Automotive Inc. announced Nov. 8 a two-for-one stock split in the form of a 100 percent stock dividend. The dividend will be payable to shareholders of record as of Nov. 15. The Springfield company, which went public in 1993, had a previous two-for-one stock split in 1997. "The current per share price level of our common stock reflects the continued strong financial performance of O'Reilly Automotive ... . This stock dividend is indicative of our expectations for continued growth," said David O'Reilly, chief executive officer. O'Reilly's stock, traded on the NASDAQ market under the symbol ORLY, closed trading Nov. 10 at $45.172. A release from O'Reilly said each shareholder will receive an additional share of the company's common stock for every one share of common stock held. The additional shares are expected to be available on or about Nov. 30.

HAMMONS. John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. Nov. 10 reported its third-quarter financial results. The company had total revenue of $89.2 million for the quarter that ended Oct. 1. In the same quarter in 1998, the company had total revenue of $82.7 million. For the nine months that ended Oct. 1, Hammons reported total revenue of $263.3 million, up from the $243.4 million total revenue reported for the first nine months of 1998. The quarter ended with a net loss of $1.05 million, or 17 cents per share, compared to a loss of $578,000, or 7 cents per share, in the 1998 quarter. A release from the company said the most recent quarter's figures include an $800,000 pre-opening expense, which, in previous years, would have been deferred and amortized during a one-year period. A new reporting standard requires pre-opening expenses to be expensed as they are incurred. The nine-month results include $4.7 million of pre-opening expenses.

GOAL AND MORE. United Way of the Ozarks announced Nov. 10 it has raised just more than $3 million in its campaign this year. That figure is 101 percent of the campaign's goal and $182,312 more than was raised in the 1998 United Way campaign. More than 300 volunteers were involved in the campaign that began Sept. 9. "We're obviously excited and pleased at the results, especially when you consider it took United Way 59 years to reach the first $2 million goal and only 10 years to raise $3 million," said John Twitty, co-chair of the campaign. "In fact, this amount raised by the volunteers and the community is double what we raised only 13 years ago, in 1986. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of the community and the hard work of the volunteers." The United Way supports 29 agencies in the Ozarks.

THE WORLD. The World Trade Center Saint Louis is celebrating an anniversary. For five years the Small Business Development Center at Southwest Missouri State University has been a satellite office for the World Trade Center Saint Louis. The center will hold an event at the SBDC's office in Glass Hall on the SMSU campus to mark the occasion. A panel discussion among international business executives from St. Louis and southwest Missouri, the unveiling of the World Trade Center Saint Louis' new Web site, and a networking reception will be held. The event is 4-6 p.m. Nov. 18. For more information, call 836-5685.

AXIOMATIC. Axiom Partners has completed another acquisition. The Springfield payroll processing company has acquired ABC Payroll of Spring Lake, N.J. "With this acquisition, we are able to expand our presence on the East Coast," said John Penny, chief executive officer of Axiom Partners. The clients and two staff members of ABC Payroll were added to Axiom in the acquisition. Axiom Partners has made a number of acquisitions recently, expanding quickly across the nation. The company now has offices in St. Louis, Portland, Ore., and Connecticut, along with the Springfield and New Jersey locations.

BY THE BOOK. Don Delozier, associate of Christian Financial Concepts, and Dr. Dennis Wubbena, associate professor of business at Evangel University, will conduct "Business by the Book," a seminar based on biblical principles for business. The seminar is at Evangel Nov. 20. The seminar includes case studies and question-and-answer sessions. "There are more than 2,000 scriptures in the Bible that address financial issues," Wubbena said. "This seminar will help businessmen gain knowledge and good principles for financial documentation." The seminar costs $125 for single participants, and $175 for married couples. Lunch is provided. Call 800-340-5066 to register, or Wubbena at 865-2815, ext. 8120, for more information.