Stockwinners Market Radar for May 02, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:59 EDT USANA expands response to short report, says received and resolved China inquiry - USANA stated in its Q1 earnings report earlier: "With respect to the anonymous short-seller blog post that appeared last week on Seeking Alpha... the post contains distortions of fact that lead to misleading conclusions about the company's Chinese operations -- run by our subsidiary, BabyCare. While the company can point to distortions in each of the claims in the post, it points to the following as examples: 1. The company's China operations continue in the ordinary course of business. BabyCare's associates continue to sell products and enroll customers and, consequently, BabyCare generated double-digit sales and customer growth year-over-year during Q1. Additionally, BabyCare is not subject to any new regulatory mandates or decrees from the Chinese government. Nor has the Chinese government imposed any new restrictions on BabyCare's cash and liquidity in China or its ability to repatriate cash. 2. No employees or associates of BabyCare are under arrest by the Chinese government and no BabyCare bank accounts are frozen by the Chinese government. During Q1, however, an inquiry from a provincial-level regulator was received and promptly resolved by BabyCare. Certain individuals at BabyCare were initially detained for questioning and one of BabyCare's bank accounts was preliminarily attached by the regulator. Communications with the regulator were initiated by BabyCare and the bank account hold was promptly relinquished and such individuals were also released from inquiry. A fine was issued in a BabyCare associate's name and paid by BabyCare in connection with resolving this matter... 3. Neither USANA nor BabyCare have been assessed fines in Shanxi, Shanghai and Guangdong. 4. BabyCare has been granted licenses to engage in direct selling in 12 municipalities/provinces in China. With respect to the eight licenses granted in 2016, BabyCare has received the official license grant documentation from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for these licenses... 5. In connection with the company's remediation efforts under the internal investigation, BayCare's President, Mr. Liu, and others, have essentially been placed on leave. The company's remediation efforts in this regard include a review of several BabyCare positions and employees."

19:10 EDT Keane sees combined fleet capturing half gross profit differential in Q2 - "Annualized gross profit per fleet totaled approximately $6.3 million during the first quarter of 2017, compared to approximately $10 to $11 million on a leading edge basis. For the second quarter of 2017, we expect our combined fleet to capture approximately half of the gross profit differential between our first quarter of 2017 average and leading edge, with the remainder of our core fleet aligning to leading edge gross profit by the end of the third quarter of 2017."

19:04 EDT Owens & Minor to acquire Byram Healthcare for roughly $380M - Owens & Minor announced that it has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Byram Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mediq B.V., for approximately $380M in cash. Headquartered in White Plains, New York, Byram is a leading domestic distributor of medical supplies sold directly to patients and home health agencies. The acquisition is expected to contribute approximately $450M in incremental annual revenue for Owens & Minor. The company expects that the transaction will have limited impact on 2017 earnings and will be modestly accretive in 2018. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017, subject to various closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including Hart Scott Rodino clearance.

18:34 EDT Olin Corp. sees FY17 CapEx $300M-$350M - Excluding the investment associated with acquiring additional cost-based ethylene.

18:24 EDT Olin reaffirms FY17 adjusted EBITDA view $1B - The company said "For FY17 we are reiterating our annual adjusted EBITDA forecast of approximately $1B with upside opportunities and downside risks of approximately 5%."

18:12 EDT Pengrowth Energy announces 60% debt reduction - Pengrowth Energy announced a substantial reduction in outstanding debt, significant asset sales and further reductions in its cost structures. Since the start of 2017 Pengrowth has closed or expects to close $707M of asset sales, which when combined with the $287M of cash on hand at year end 2016, represents a net debt reduction of nearly $1.0B or approximately 60% of December 31, 2016 debt, while only reducing the Company's Proven and Probable reserves as of December 31, 2016 by approximately 11%.

18:00 EDT Anadarko reports Q1 sales volume 72M BOE - Anadarko's first-quarter 2017 sales volume of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids totaled 72M BOE, or an average of 795,000 BOE per day. On a divestiture-adjusted basis, sales volume totaled approximately 61M BOE, or 672,000 BOE per day.

17:58 EDT Apple says 4G infrastructure in India creates 'huge opportunity'

17:52 EDT Apple CEO says seeing a pause in purchases on iPhone - Apple CEO said, "seeing what we believe to be a pause in purchases on iPhone which we believe are do to the earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones."

17:51 EDT Etsy board approves plan to 'streamline' costs, cut 8% of staff - Etsy disclosed in its 10-Q quarterly filing: "On April 30, the Board of Directors approved a plan to increase efficiency and streamline the Company's cost structure. As a result, the Company identified savings that will be realized through a combination of headcount reductions of approximately 80 positions -- approximately 8% of the total workforce -- and a reduction in internal program expenses. The Company expects to incur employee severance charges and other exit costs of $4.5M-$6M, largely made up of cash expenditures, which will be recognized through the end of 2017."

17:41 EDT Apple says currency was a notable headwind in China this quarter - Apple added that the iPhone 7 did not perform as well as some previous generation phones in China. The company sees some improvement in China in the current quarter. The company's performance in Hong Kong continues to be weak as tourism continues to slump there.

17:36 EDT Apple started to experience some cost pressure on memory side - Apple started to experience some cost pressure on memory side, especially in NAND and DRAM. The company sees that cost pressure remaining for June quarter.

17:35 EDT Cornerstone OnDemand says expects profitability in all remaining 2017 quarters - Says remains committed to achieving operating margins of at least 10% by 2018, and free cash flow margin targets of at least 16% by 2019.

17:34 EDT SM Energy CEO: Company met or exceeded expectations through Q1 - President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Ottoson comments: "We have laid out a solid three year plan that we expect to create substantial value for our shareholders, and the first quarter results demonstrate our commitment and ability to execute on this plan. We have met or exceeded expectations across the board to-date in 2017 and are confident in our ability to meet or exceed plan expectations going forward. On the operations front, new Midland Basin wells continue to outperform, with all SM-completed RockStar wells to date exceeding acquisition performance metrics, and we are only months into our expanded Midland Basin program. In addition, our financial strategy is right on track with the closing of the sale of our third party-operated Eagle Ford assets, which provided the Company with $1.6 billion of liquidity at quarter-end."

17:33 EDT SM Energy backs FY17 Capital Spend view $875M - Sees FY17 total production 41.5-44.5 MMBoe.

17:32 EDT SM Energy sees Q2 production 10.3-10.7 MMBoe

17:28 EDT First Capital Real Estate Trust reports 16.6% stake in PhotoMedex

17:25 EDT Douglas Emmett reports Same property cash NOI up 6.1% to $105.1M

17:21 EDT Lumentum, Acacia trade lower after Oclaro guidance

17:19 EDT Anadarko issues statement regarding Firestone accident - Anadarko Petroleum provided the following statement regarding the Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District's results of investigation into the tragic accident in Firestone, Colo., which occurred on April 17. "I know I speak for everyone at Anadarko when I say that our thoughts and prayers remain with the Martinez and Irwin families as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones," said Al Walker, Anadarko Chairman, President and CEO. "The safety of our employees and the people who live and work in the communities in which we operate is our number one priority. Consistent with that, and out of an abundance of caution, last week we shut in our vertical wells in the Oak Meadows area and throughout the basin. We hope that doing so also provided some additional reassurance to the community in the wake of this tragic accident. We will continue to take all necessary and appropriate steps in that regard, and will continue to cooperate fully with all ongoing investigations to ensure we fully understand the basis for the fire district's conclusions and that no stone is left unturned prior to any final determinations." The company also will continue to work with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on additional steps or actions the agency deems necessary.

17:18 EDT Apple says Q2 gross margin 38.9%, at high-end of guidance

17:17 EDT Apple says Watch sales doubled in Q2 Y/Y

17:16 EDT Boyd Gaming seess FY17 adjusted EBITDA at high end of $585M-$605M

17:14 EDT Sean Gordon reports 8.8% passive stake in NTN Buzztime

17:12 EDT Apple CEO says very enthusiastic about prospects in India - Comments from Apple's Q2 earnings call.

17:11 EDT Boyd Gaming: Positive trends from last few quarters continued in Q1 - Says now able to return capital to shareholders. Says decision to re-initiate capital return program reflects board's positive sentiment on company's operations. Says positive trends from last several quarters continued in Q1. Says newly acquired assets grew EBITDA by combined 17% in Q1. Says total employment has grown more than 3% over the last few months. Says Downtown operations delivered "solid growth" in Q1. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:08 EDT White Mountains to vote in favor of Intact's acquisition of OneBeacon - White Mountains Insurance Group (WTM) has entered into a definitive agreement to vote its shares of OneBeacon Insurance Group (OB) in favor of Intact Financial's acquisition of 100% of OneBeacon for $18.10 per share in cash. White Mountains owns 75.7% of OneBeacon's outstanding common shares, representing 96.9% of the voting power. White Mountains expects to receive gross proceeds of $1.3B from the Transaction, which would increase its adjusted book value by approximately $107 per share. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017. It is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

17:06 EDT White Mountains names Reid Campbell as CFO, effective May 17 - White Mountains announced that Reid Campbell will become its CFO on May 17. Campbell has served as a Managing Director of White Mountains Capital since January 2004 and as the President of White Mountains Advisors since January 2015. He joined White Mountains in 1994 and has served in a variety of financial management positions. Prior to joining White Mountains, Campbell spent three years with KPMG LLP.

17:03 EDT ION Geophysical terminates Distribution Agreement - ION Geophysical announced that its board of directors has authorized the Company to terminate, effective immediately, the Distribution Agreement with Evercore Group providing for the Company's "at-the-market" equity offering program. No Shares were sold under the ATM Program and the Company has no further obligations thereunder.

17:02 EDT Papa John's reaffirms FY17 outlook

17:01 EDT LivaNova acquires remaining outstanding interests in Caisson - LivaNova announced it has acquired the remaining outstanding interests in Caisson Interventional, LLC, in support of LivaNova's strategic growth initiatives. Based in Maple Grove, Minn., Caisson is a privately held clinical-stage medical device company focused on the design, development and clinical evaluation of a novel transcatheter mitral valve replacement implant with a fully transvenous delivery system. LivaNova has been an investor in Caisson since 2012 and has agreed to pay up to $72 million, net of $6 million of debt forgiveness, to acquire the remaining 51 percent of the company. The first payment of $18 million was made at closing with the balance paid on a schedule driven primarily by regulatory approvals and sales earn outs. As a result of the acquisition, LivaNova expects to recognize a pre-tax non-cash gain during the second quarter on the $15 million book value of its existing investment in Caisson. The acquisition will be dilutive to earnings for several years, but LivaNova fully anticipates this transaction will meet all long-term financial metrics and internal standards. 2017 guidance will be updated to include the estimated impact of the acquisition during LivaNova's first quarter earnings call tomorrow morning. The Caisson TMVR system is not approved for sale in any country.

16:57 EDT Bill Barrett sees Q2 capital expenditures $65M-$75M - Sees Q2 production sales volumes 1.45MMBoe-1.55MMBoe; and production is expected to be weighted approximately 60% oil.

16:55 EDT CBRE Group says becomes founding anchor investor in Fifth Wall Ventures - CBRE Group announced that the company is a founding anchor investor in Fifth Wall Ventures Management, "the first significant venture capital fund entirely focused on backing promising new technologies for the built environment." The fund closed with $212M of capital commitments, with CBRE as the only real estate services company invested in the fund. "Our active engagement in Fifth Wall Ventures will provide early insight into companies and technologies that have the potential to enhance our ability to deliver great outcomes for our clients," said the company.

16:52 EDT Alamo Group to acquire Santa Izabel Agro Industria LTDA in Brazil - Alamo Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding capital shares of Santa Izabel Agro Industria, LTDA, a privately held company owned by Soufer Industria Ltda. Santa Izabel, located in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, SP, Brazil, designs, manufactures and markets a variety of agricultural implements and trailers sold throughout Brazil. Santa Izabel has been serving this market for over 60 years. Santa Izabel's sales in 2016 were approximately $12.6M and the purchase is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

16:50 EDT Washington Prime announces Classen Curve redevelopment project - Washington Prime announced its most recent redevelopment effort, a multitenant expansion at Classen Curve located in Oklahoma City, OK. The $11.5M expansion, which will add approximately 30,000 SF, is expected to open in two phases starting the fourth quarter of 2017.

16:49 EDT Camber Energy provides update on closing of Arrowhead purchase agreement - Camber Energy previously announced on February 24, 2017 that it, together with its financing partner, Jaffe Energy via Camber's subsidiary, Camber Permian II, had entered into a definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement with private sellers to acquire oil and gas leases covering approximately 13,000 net acres in the Permian Basin for a drilling project known as the "Arrowhead Project." Effective May 1, 2017, JEI rescinded its funding and formally withdrew from CPII. Contemporaneously, CPII assigned its rights and interests in the PSA and Arrowhead to an undisclosed, private oil and gas company. As consideration for assigning the PSA, CPII reserved (i) the right to a 30% interest acquired under the PSA in an existing well on Arrowhead, subject to work necessary to bring it on production, and (ii) an optional right to purchase 30% of the remaining properties comprising the Arrowhead project for $2.7M at a future date after two wells are drilled thereon by OG Co, plus CPII's proportionate share of the costs of all lease extensions and renewals that are acquired by OG Co . CPII's right to exercise this option is subject to its ability to obtain funding necessary to close the transaction and to fund its share of participation in future Arrowhead drilling activities.

16:48 EDT DryShips announces reverse stock split - DryShips announced the following: the approval of one or more amendments to the Company's Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to effect one or more reverse stock splits of the Company's issued common shares at a ratio of not less than one-for-two and not more than one-for-1000, inclusive, with the exact ratio to be set at a whole number within this range to be determined by the Company's board of director, or any duly constituted committee thereof, at any time after approval of each amendment in its discretion, and to authorize the Board to implement any such reverse stock split by filing any such amendment with the Registrar of Corporations of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The one-for-seven reverse stock split of the Company's issued common stock, which will be effected pursuant to the authority granted to the Board at the Annual General Meeting. The reverse stock split will take effect, and the Company's common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on the Nasdaq Capital Market, as of the opening of trading on May 11, 2017 under the existing trading symbol "DRYS". The new CUSIP number for the common stock following the reverse stock split is Y2109Q507. When the reverse stock split becomes effective, every seven shares of the Company's issued common stock will be automatically combined into one issued share of common stock. This will reduce the number of issued common shares from 65,564,307 shares to approximately 9.4 million shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse split of the issued common stock. Shareholders who would otherwise hold a fractional share of the Company's common stock will receive a cash payment in lieu thereof at a price equal to that fraction to which the shareholder would otherwise be entitled multiplied by the closing price of the Company's common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 10, 2017. Shareholders with shares held in book-entry form or through a bank, broker, or other nominee are not required to take any action and will see the impact of the reverse stock split reflected in their accounts on or after May 11, 2017. Such beneficial holders may contact their bank, broker, or nominee for more information.

16:47 EDT QIAGEN reaffirms adjusted EPS $1.25-1.27, consensus $1.22 - Reaffirms FY17 view for 6-7% CER sales growth.

16:45 EDT Quotient Technology authorizes stock repurchase program of up to $50M - The company's board of directors authorized a new repurchase program of up to $50M of the company's common stock, effective May 5.

16:44 EDT Manpower raises semi-annual dividend 8% to 93c from 86c per share - The dividend is payable on June 15 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 1.

16:43 EDT STAG Industrial reports Q1 cash NOI $56.5M - Compares to $49.4M for the Q1 of FY16, an increase of 14.4%.

16:42 EDT Planet Fitness raises FY17 adjusted EPS view to 74c-77c - Raises FY17 revenue view to $405M-$415M. Raises FY17 system-wide same store sales growth to 7%-8% range.

16:39 EDT Apple shares fall 2% to $144.95 after Q2 results, capital program boost

16:37 EDT Apple plans to continue to access debt markets worldwide - Apple said in today's earnings release, "The Company plans to continue to access the domestic and international debt markets to assist in funding the program. The management team and the Board will continue to review each element of the capital return program regularly and plan to provide an update on the program on an annual basis."

16:36 EDT Apricus Biosciences regains compliance with Nasdaq continued listing requirement - Apricus Biosciences announced that on May 2, 2017, Apricus was notified by The NASDAQ Stock Market that Apricus has evidenced full compliance with all criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, including the minimum stockholders' equity requirement. Nasdaq's determination follows Apricus' previously announced closing of a $7.0 million equity offering and its receipt of $12.2 million in aggregate payments from Ferring International Center S.A. in connection with the previously announced ex-U.S. Vitaros-related asset sale. As a result of the foregoing, the Nasdaq listing matter is now closed.

16:36 EDT Oclaro reports cash and equivalents $254.8M at April 1 -

16:36 EDT TeleNav trading resumes

16:35 EDT Potbelly trading resumes

16:34 EDT Acceleron COO Ertel to transition to special advisor to CEO - Acceleron Pharma today announced that Steven Ertel, due to medical reasons, will transition from his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to become a special advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ertel was recently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Steve joined Acceleron in January 2006.

16:34 EDT Angie's List not hosting Q1 conference call due to pending merger - As previously reported, Angie's List (ANGI) and IAC (IAC) have entered into a definitive agreement to combine Angie's List and IAC's HomeAdvisor into a new, publicly traded company, to be called ANGI Homeservices. In light of the pending merger, Angie's List will not be hosting a conference call for its first quarter 2017 results.

16:33 EDT Apple reports Q2 Mac units 4.2M vs. 4.03M last year

16:32 EDT Apple reports Q2 iPhone units 50.76M vs. 51.19M last year

16:30 EDT FireEye trading resumes

16:26 EDT Weight Watchers reports end of period subscribers in Q1 up 16% - End of Period Subscribers in Q1 2017 were up 16.0% versus the prior year period, driven by growth in all major geographic markets. Q1 2017 End of Period Meeting Subscribers were up 10.7% and End of Period Online Subscribers were up 20.1% versus the prior year period. Total Paid Weeks in Q1 2017 were up 12.8% versus the prior year period, driven by growth in all major geographic markets. Q1 2017 Meeting Paid Weeks increased 7.7% and Online Paid Weeks increased 17.0% versus the prior year period.

16:25 EDT Spectrum sees ADVANCE enrollment completion 2H, sees Rolontis BLA next year - "To strengthen the regulatory package in the U.S. and Europe, the Company has initiated an international 218-patient RECOVER study and first patient enrollment is imminent. The Company continues to expect to file a BLA next year," added Spectrum regarding its ROLONTIS program.

16:24 EDT Etsy reports Chief Technology Officer leaving company - Etsy also announced that John Allspaw, Chief Technology Officer, will be leaving the company and Mike Brittain, VP of Engineering, will be named interim CTO. Allspaw will serve in an advisory role to the Company through May 31.

16:23 EDT Spectrum says evaluable ADVANCE patients reduced to 400 from 580 per amended SPA

16:20 EDT Frontier Communications determines to set reverse split ratio at 1-for-15 - Frontier Communications announced that its Board of Directors has made a determination that it will set the reverse stock split ratio at 1-for-15 if stockholders approve the reverse stock split proposal that is now before them and, following such approval, the Board decides to proceed with the reverse stock split. "The Board made its determination after considering a number of factors, including the recommendation of the Company's financial advisor, target pricing, and feedback from stockholders and commentators. In addition to the reverse stock split, the proposal before Frontier stockholders would reduce the authorized number of shares of common stock from 1,750,000,000 to 175,000,000," the company noted.

16:18 EDT DigitalGlobe continues to see MDA merger close in 2H

16:16 EDT Frontier Communications cuts quarterly dividend to 4c per share - Frontier Communications announced that the board of directors has revised the company's capital allocation strategy, which includes a reduction in the quarterly dividend to 4c per share, to enhance financial flexibility and achieve a targeted leverage ratio2 of 3.5x by year-end 2021, down from the current ratio of 4.39x. The board has reduced the quarterly common stock dividend from 10.5c to 4c per share, beginning with the dividend payable on June 30 to shareholders of record on June 15. This change allows for reallocation of approximately $300M annually, increasing to approximately $400M annually in the second half of 2018 following the conversion of the mandatory convertible Series A Preferred Stock to common stock. Frontier plans to use these proceeds primarily to repay debt, with the goal of lowering the leverage ratio from 4.39x to 4.0x by the end of 2019, and 3.5x by the end of 2021. Frontier also announced its intention to issue secured debt in the second quarter of 2017, subject to market conditions, and to use the proceeds to address maturities and reduce interest expense. For the full year 2017, Frontier reiterated its guidance of adjusted free cash flow of $800M-$1.0B and capital expenditures of $1.0B-$1.25B.

16:14 EDT Newfield Exploration reports Q1 production 145,978 BOEPD - Newfield's total net production in the Q1 was 145,978 BOEPD, comprised of 43% oil, 19% natural gas liquids and 38% natural gas. Domestic production in the first quarter was 138,833 BOEPD, comprised of 40% oil, 20% natural gas liquids and 40% natural gas.

16:12 EDT Vanda reports cash and equivalents $137.8M as of March 31 - Reports cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $137.8M as of March 31 representing a decrease to Cash of $3.6M during the Q1.

16:12 EDT Devon Energy announces $1B divestiture plan - Devon Energy announced its intent to divest approximately $1B of upstream assets across its portfolio. The non-core assets identified for monetization include select portions of the Barnett Shale focused primarily around Johnson County and other properties located principally within the company's U.S. resource base. Devon expects to commence the divestiture program in the second quarter of 2017 and complete the sale process over the next 12 to 18 months. The company plans to deploy divestiture proceeds toward its U.S. resource plays and to further strengthen its investment-grade financial position. The company's non-core divestiture plan is also expected to accelerate Devon's transition to higher-margin production. "This divestiture program, combined with our excellent liquidity and strong hedge position, supports our capital program and places us firmly on track to achieve our production growth targets in 2017 and 2018," said the company.

16:06 EDT Gilead Sciences reports Q1 product sales $6.4B - Reports Q1 antiviral product sales $5.8B. Reports Q1 other product sales $536M.

16:05 EDT Aerie Pharmaceuticals sees topline Mercury 2 data in Q2 - "All programs for our product candidates remain on track," Aerie says. Topline 90-day efficacy and safety data from Mercury 2 are expected in the second quarter. If both Mercury 1 and Mercury 2 are successful, the Roclatan NDA is expected to be submitted in late 2017 or early 2018. Mercury 3 is set to commence in mid-2017. Preparatory activities for the potential commercialization of Rhopressa are "advancing," the company noted.

16:02 EDT Akamai CEO says Q1 'a very solid quarter' - "Q1 was a very solid quarter for Akamai on both the top and bottom lines," said Dr. Tom Leighton, CEO. "We are especially pleased with the strong results of our performance and security solutions, which grew 17% year-over-year, or 18% in constant currency*, and now account for over 60% of our overall revenue. As we look forward, I remain excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, as Akamai is uniquely positioned to help our customers provide the highest quality and most secure digital experiences on the Internet."

16:00 EDT TeleNav trading halted, news pending

16:00 EDT FireEye trading halted, news pending

15:39 EDT Roche announces FDA approval for complementary PD-L1 biomarker test - Roche (RHHBY) announced approval of the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP263) Assay by the US Food and Drug Administration as a complementary diagnostic to provide PD-L1 status for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are being considered for treatment with AstraZeneca's (AZN) durvalumab, an FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.

15:01 EDT Wix.com drops 8% to $75 - Shares of Wix.com (WIX) have fallen $6.45, or 7.9%, to $74.95 in afternoon trading. The Fly notes that in its live markets commentary on April 26, FT's Alphaville discussed a market rumor that Cisco (CSCO) may be interested in the company. In reporting the rumor, the moderator of the Alphaville room added: "Feels odd. But that's what's out there, and we note it for completeness." Reference Link

14:30 EDT Emerson says will have a broader package to offer customers - Emerson says will have a broader package to offer customers with Pentair's Valves and Controls business. Can support customer on total project solution mow. Comments from company earnings call.

14:23 EDT Emerson sees margin improvement in automation business in coming quarters - Sees 2H improvement in Automation Solutions.Comment from Q2 earnings call.

13:33 EDT Molina Healthcare trading resumes

13:28 EDT WestJet reaches definitive agreement for up to 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners - WestJet (WJAFF) announced earlier a definitive purchase agreement with Boeing (BA) for up to 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This agreement includes commitments for 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to be delivered between the first quarter of 2019 and December 2021, with options for an additional 10 aircraft to be delivered between 2020 and 2024. The airline also announced it has selected General Electric's (GE) GEnx-1B engine for the 787. "With the most sophisticated commercial airliner available, we turn our attention to further growing our international presence... The Dreamliner will give WestJet the ability to serve new destinations in Asia and South America, and to expand its service offerings into the European market," WestJet remarked. As part of this purchase agreement, WestJet is converting 15 firm orders for the Boeing 737 MAX that were to be delivered between 2019 and 2021 to options available between 2022 and 2024.

13:17 EDT Molina changing leadership 'in light of disappointing financial performance' - Dale B. Wolf, Chairman commented that "In light of the company's disappointing financial performance, the Board has determined to change leadership in order to drive profitability through operational improvements. These changes represent targeted and deliberate actions to enhance the company's focus and improve its competitive position within the healthcare industry. With the industry in dynamic transition, the Board believes that now is the right time to bring in new leadership to capitalize on Molina's strong franchise and the opportunities we see for sustained growth. The Board is committed to achieving operational excellence and improving the company's financial performance on behalf of our shareholders, more than 20,000 employees and our over 4 million members."

13:13 EDT Molina Healthcare names Dale Wolf as chairman

13:13 EDT Molina Healthcare names CAO Joseph White interim CEO, permanent CFO

13:00 EDT MasterCard, General Motors expand digital payment relationship - MasterCard (MA) announced a major expansion of its long-standing relationship with General Motors (GM). Customers at more than 4,000 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships in the United States, as well as online customers, will soon be able to order and pay for ACDelco and other service parts, accessories such as Chevrolet Performance Parts, Maven car-sharing services, OnStar guidance, security and data plans, and over-the-air updates for OnStar Go using Mastercard's payment gateway. The gateway enables fast and secure electronic credit and debit card processing.

12:51 EDT Molina Healthcare trading halted, news pending

12:46 EDT Ritter Pharmaceuticals announces issuance of new patents for RP-G28 - Ritter Pharmaceuticals announced that it has been issued three new patents directed to its development compound RP-G28. The company is also providing an update on its phase 3 program based on conversations with regulatory authorities and experts. The company has been issued two new U.S. patents and one new Australian patent. The two new U.S. patents are directed to compositions containing RP-G28 and methods of using RP-G28, further strengthening the intellectual property positions of RP-G28. The issuance of an Australian patent provides additional international protection for compositions containing the compound. Michael Step, CEO of Ritter Pharmaceuticals, notes, "We now have 15 issued patents and over 25 additional pending patent applications. This additional intellectual property continues to protect our compound and its uses, likely beyond 2030." In addition to the new intellectual property, the company has been working diligently on preparing for phase 3, having had preliminary discussions with its regulatory experts and the U.S. FDA. "We will be holding an end of phase 2 meeting with the FDA to present and discuss our phase 3 plan, for which we hope to receive guidance and agreement on what is expected before filing a new drug application for commercializing RP-G28," said Andrew Ritter, President and co-founder of Ritter Pharmaceuticals. "We believe that the completion of one well-powered phase 3 study with robust clinical results may be sufficient to successfully file this NDA. Based on our communication with the FDA, including our Type C meeting in March 2017 and subsequent communications, we feel we have established agreement with the FDA on defining clinically meaningful benefit to patients and have established endpoints that we feel are both achievable in the clinic and represent sufficient basis for an approval once completed. We will be discussing the final features of this trial and other relevant aspects of the program with the FDA at our upcoming meeting to ensure we have a product that meets regulatory goals in phase 3," stated Andrew Ritter.

12:45 EDT Ormat Technologies trades to highs following Dealreporter mention

12:31 EDT YouTube says working on site redesign - Alphabet's YouTube announced in a blog post: "We're working on a redesign of the desktop experience that highlights your favorite videos and creators while making YouTube easier and more fun to use. Starting today, we're opening up a preview of the new design to a small group of people from all around the world so we can get feedback... The new design is clean and fresh, thanks to the removal of visuals that can distract from your browsing or watching experience. We're focused on making the content shine! The new design is aligned across Google platforms, including the YouTube mobile app, while still providing the features you know and love." Reference Link

12:20 EDT Etsy rallies after 2% shareholder calls for strategic review - black-and-white Capital, owner of over 2M Etsy shares or 2% of the company, issued a press release earlier today expressing its concerns regarding the "destruction of shareholder value" since the company's initial public offering in April 2015. black-and-white released two letters that it previously sent to Etsy's board, highlighting the "steep deceleration" of gross merchandise sales growth, areas for operational improvements, "poor" corporate governance and the "necessity of exploring strategic alternatives in order to maximize value for all shareholders." The firm believes Etsy's intrinsic value per share is set to reach $30, representing roughly 170% upside, over the next few years with operational improvements. "Based on historic transactions involving similar online marketplaces, black-and-white is confident the Company could be sold today for a minimum of $15.50, or roughly 45% higher than the current market price," the firm added. black-and-white concluded, "It is our desire to maintain an open and constructive dialogue with the Board; however, we cannot sit idly by while the Company's value continues to decline. We hope and expect that the Board will act objectively and expediently for the benefit of all shareholders. To the extent that the Board fails to do so, we are fully prepared to take any actions we believe are necessary to protect the best interests of all Etsy shareholders." Shares of the online marketplace are up 3%, or 33c, to $11.39 in midday trading.

12:17 EDT Microsoft unveils 'Surface Laptop' - Microsoft unveiled its "Surface Laptop" Tuesday. The company noted, "We took all of these innovations from Surface and brought them together to make a meticulously crafted laptop that is tailored for Windows 10 S. It is thinner, quieter, more powerful, and more personal because of every hard won lesson of the last five years. At 2.76lbs and 14.47mm at its thickest point, no other laptop this light and thin can match the sleek design, power, performance, and battery life of Surface Laptop... You don't always need to bring a charger with you to class, or discussion, or study group because Surface Laptop has up to 14.5 hours of battery life." Reference Link

11:22 EDT Honda reports April U.S. sales down 7% to 138,386 vehicles - American Honda Motor reported April sales of 138,386 Honda and Acura vehicles, a decrease of 7.0% from year-ago results. The Honda Division saw a decrease of 6.3% on sales of 124,254 vehicles. Acura Division sales of 14,132 cars and SUVs were down 12.8% compared to the same month of last year.

11:18 EDT United States intervenes in False Claims Act lawsuit against UnitedHealth - The United States has intervened and filed a complaint in a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group that alleges UHG obtained inflated risk adjustment payments based on untruthful and inaccurate information about the health status of beneficiaries enrolled in UHG's largest Medicare Advantage Plan, UHC of California, the Justice Department announced. The action follows the government's intervention in February of this year in United State ex rel. Poehling v. UnitedHealth Group. Inc., a related lawsuit in the Central District of California that also alleges that UHG defrauded the Medicare Program. government is scheduled to file a complaint in that matter no later than May 16. The complaint filed yesterday by the United States alleges that UHG knowingly disregarded information about beneficiaries' medical conditions, which increased the payments UHG received from Medicare.

11:01 EDT Analyst confident upcoming iPhone will have Broadcom wireless charging - In a research note to investors, JPMorgan analyst Harlan Sur said he believes Apple (AAPL) will integrate Broadcom's (AVGO) wireless charging chip into its upcoming iPhone, with the latter getting set to commence manufacturing production of its chip this month. WIRELESS CHARGING, DESIGN WINS: Back in February, JPMorgan's Sur had discussed in a research note to investors Broadcom's wireless charging and new touch controller custom chip and was confident that the company had won the wireless charging chip socket on the iPhone, but believed it was still unclear if Apple would be integrating wireless charging into the upcoming smartphone device launch in the second half of 2017. Citing his recent efforts, the analyst told investors that he now believes the tech giant will integrate Broadcom's wireless charging chip into the new iPhone, and that the latter is getting set to commence manufacturing production of the chip in May with its foundry partners. At full run-rate, the wireless charging win could add $500M-$600M of annualized revenues to Broadcom's wireless business, he contended. Additionally, Sur noted that he now believes there may be two ASIC chips on the upcoming iPhone instead of one, with these chips enhancing dollar content and functionality versus the prior generation touch ASIC chip. Finally, the analyst pointed out that he thinks the iPhone maker will also use Broadcom's next generation Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip, which enables simultaneous Wi-Fi data transmit/receive on both 2.4Ghz/5Ghz bands and the new Bluetooth 5.0 standard. There should be at least a $2-$3 step-up in dollar content from the new wireless charging chip, new touch controller chips and upgraded wireless connectivity content in the new iPhones, he argued. Sur reiterated an Overweight rating and a $260 price target on Broadcom's shares on a diverse set of top line growth drivers that "should drive profitability and cash flow and a commitment to strong capital returns." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Apple is expected to report second quarter results today after market close. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Broadcom are up 1.2% to $223.98. Apple's stock has gained about 0.75% to $147.70, just cents off the 52-week high the iPhone maker hit earlier in the session.

10:56 EDT Macquarie joins Citi, Goldman at Sell on AMD after earnings - The shares of AMD (AMD) are tumbling after the chip maker's second quarter guidance appears to have disappointed investors and at least a few Wall Street analysts. In the wake of the company's quarterly results and outlook, Macquarie downgraded the stock to Underperform, its equivalent of a sell rating, from Neutral, while,Citi, and Goldman continued to recommend selling the shares. However, Wells Fargo was more upbeat on the name, raising its price target and keeping an Outperform rating and Loop Capital said it would not be "prudent" to downgrade the stock ahead of the company's upcoming analyst day. MACQUARIE SAYS SELL: AMD's results did not meet the high expectations that the stock was reflecting going into earnings, wrote analyst Srini Pajjuri. Intel (INTC) will respond to any share gains by AMD by aggressively lowering its prices, the analyst stated. Moreover, the share gains that AMD achieved in the PC market have been limited to the enthusiast category, and new products that Intel will ship in coming months may prevent further gains in that segment, the analyst stated. AMD has only a "limited opportunity" to gain share in the corporate and mainstream PC markets, according to Pajjuri, who cut his price target on the stock to $10 from $14. CITI AND GOLDMAN AGREE: AMD provided Q2 gross margin guidance of 33%, versus the consensus outlook of 33.3%, due to negative mix shifts, according to Citi analysts Christopher Danely and Philip Lee. Meanwhile, AMD is still not profitable, while its valuation and inventory were at all-time highs before today, said the analysts, who kept a Sell rating on the stock. AMD's Q2 guidance did not meet the expectations of bulls, as its revenue growth guidance only came in at 17% and it projected that its gross margins would drop by a percentage point versus the same period a year earlier, according to Goldman analyst Toshiya Hari. The analyst recommended that investors "stay cautious" on the name and lowered the price target on the shares to $10.60 from $11 while reiterating a Sell rating. WELLS: AMD is continuing to execute well, as it launched its new Ryzen chip last quarter and continues to project that its Naples and Vega chips will be launched this quarter, wrote Wells analyst David Wong. Furthermore, the company's revenue jumped 17% year-over-year last quarter and is expected to rise by a double-digit percentage this quarter, indicating that its sales are rebounding and it's "moving towards profitability," according to Wong. The analyst raised his price target range on the shares to $13-$15 from $11-$13 and kept an Outperform rating on the stock. Meanwhile, Loop Capital's Betsy Van Hees said AMD reported an "essentially in-line" Q1 but that its Q2 gross margin guidance and 75% increase to its full-year 2017 capital expenditures forecast were among "several disappoints" in its report. However, while disappointed in the "lackluster" report, she argues it would not be prudent to downgrade the stock ahead of the company's May 16 analyst day, where the company may provide transparency on a path to improving margins and a trajectory for the ramp of it Ryzen and Vega products. She keeps a Buy rating and raised her price target to $13 from $12 on AMD shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, AMD sank 16.5% to $11.37, while rival Nvidia (NVDA) sunk 2% to $104.42.

10:44 EDT Nissan reports April U.S. sales down 1.5% to 121,998 units - Nissan Group announced total U.S. sales for April 2017 of 121,998 units, a decrease of 1.5% over the prior year. Nissan highlights: Nissan Division finished April with 111,201 sales, down 2%. Overall sales of Nissan crossovers, trucks and SUVs set an April record, up 11%. Sales of the Rogue crossover set an April record with sales 27,386, up 18%. Nissan Titan sales increased 299% to 4,033. Nissan Armada sales climbed to 2,007, up 135%.

10:37 EDT Charter CFO says OTT offerings cannibalizing DirecTV, Dish bases - Charter Communications (CHTR) CFO Christopher Winfrey said earlier on the company's Q1 earnings call that over-the-top, or OTT, streaming video services, such as AT&T's (T) DirecTV Now and Dish Network's (DISH) Sling TV, appear to be cannibalizing those companies' bases, not growing the overall market. According to a transcript of the call, Winfrey said: "I think if you take a look at the evidence so far, the current OTT offerings that are out there right now just seem to be cannibalizing the same satellite providers in the base. And so it's not a -- it's just a shift amongst the base as opposed to actually growing the market." Speaking on the same topic, CEO Tom Rutledge said the company has not launched a stand-alone IP-only product "because we don't really see any opportunity to create new customer relationships out of that have a high value to us. But we certainly have the capability of doing that."

10:36 EDT CACI awarded $349M in classified national security contracts - CACI International Inc announced that it has been awarded $349M in previously unannounced awards on classified contracts with federal government customers. The awards were made during the company's first three quarters of fiscal year 2017, which ended March 31, 2017. For these contracts, CACI is delivering tailored information solutions and services to national-level agencies safeguarding our nation's security.

10:32 EDT Agrium says long term company positive on nitrogen business

10:26 EDT Valeant sees 'stable' current, forecasted liquidity - In slides for its annual shareholders meeting, Valeant reiterated its August 2016 expectation to pay down $5B of debt from divestiture proceeds and free cash flow within an 18 month timeframe of that initial statement. Valeant said it sees "stable current and forecasted liquidity position" and expects to remain in compliance with its Credit Agreement financial maintenance covenants throughout 2017, adding that it completed all 2017 mandatory amortization payments in 2016. In aggregate, Valeant has now reduced approximately $3.6B of debt since the end of 1Q 2016, the company added.

10:17 EDT Minerals Technologies signs agreement to construct satelitte PCC plant - Minerals Technologies has signed an agreement with PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper, a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper, to build a 125,000 metric-ton per year satellite precipitated calcium carbonate plant at its paper mill in Perawang, Indonesia. As part of the agreement, Minerals Technologies will also expand its present satellite PCC facility at the Perawang mill by 40,000 metric tons to 140,000 metric tons. The facility will be operated by PT Sinar Mas Specialty Minerals, an existing joint venture with APP in Indonesia. These facilities are scheduled to begin operation in the second quarter of 2018.

10:13 EDT Energous strength attributed to OET Exhibits List post to FCC website - Energous shares are up 86c, or 6.9%, to $13.39 in early trading following the circulation of a link to an FCC exhibits page, according to trading contacts. Reference Link

10:03 EDT Ford sees total April industry SAAR in low 17M vehicle range - Says overall industry declined about 5% in April vs. last year, with total industry sales of 1.45M vehicles for the month and overall industry SAAR in the low 17M vehicle range. Says incentive spending moderated from March. Comments taken from Ford's April U.S. sales conference call.

09:55 EDT GM announces deconsolidation of Venezuelan business - General Motors announced the deconsolidation of its business in Venezuela, effective as of May 1, 2017. The deconsolidation follows the unexpected seizure of GM's Venezuelan plant on April 18 by judicial authorities, which forced the company to cease operations and terminate employment relationships due to causes beyond the parties' will. Last week, GM filed an appeal with the Venezuelan Supreme Court, which, if successful, would dismiss the underlying lawsuit that led to the seizure, and reverse all related civil and criminal actions. The company expects a prompt decision and favorable outcome. The deconsolidation is expected to result in a charge of up to approximately $100M. "While the company has ceased operations, GM executives have expressed a willingness to talk with government officials and union leaders about the circumstances under which it could be possible to start production and employ some number of workers, with a new, viable business model," GM stated.

09:45 EDT General Motors sees April U.S. industry light vehicle SAAR or 17.0M - GM sees calendar year to date U.S. industry light vehicle SAAR of 17.1M.

09:42 EDT General Motors reports April U.S. sales down 5.8% to 244,406 units - General Motors reported April sales of 244,406 crossovers, trucks and cars, down 5.8% compared to the same month of last year. GM expects to gain retail market share for the month, with industry volumes about equal to a year ago, adjusted for one fewer selling day, the company said. Selling-day-adjusted sales are about 4 percentage points higher than reported sales. Retail sales were 191,911 units, down 4%. Selling-day-adjusted retail sales were essentially equal to a year ago. Fleet sales were 52,495 units, down 11%, or down 7% selling-day adjusted. Deliveries to daily rental companies were down 20%, as planned.

09:31 EDT Visa, ACTIVE Network form multiyear strategic alliance - ACTIVE Network announced a multi-year strategic alliance with Visa to offer Visa Checkout as a payment option across its activity and event registration platforms globally. The multi-year agreement also includes both ACTIVE and Visa investing in a series of digital, cross-promotional marketing activities to be executed throughout the term of the agreement. Upon implementation of the program this summer, ACTIVE will provide Visa Checkout as a payment option for anyone who registers for an activity or event through ACTIVE.com and its mobile app, in addition to any in-app purchases.

09:28 EDT MasterCard says most of April drivers similar to slightly better than in Q1 - Says switched volume growth of 10% through April 28, a bit higher than in Q1. Switched transaction growth was 17% through April 28, the same as seen in Q1. Cross boarder volumes have been up 17% through April 28, up 4 ppt from Q1, primarily driven by the timing of Easter. Comments from MasterCard earnings conference call.

09:25 EDT Toyota reports April U.S. sales down 4.4% to 201,926 units - Toyota Motor North America reported its U.S. April 2017 sales of 201,926 units, a decrease of 4.4% from April 2016 on a volume basis. With one less selling day in April 2017 compared to April 2016, sales were down 0.7% on a daily selling rate basis. Toyota division posted April 2017 sales of 179,810 units, down 3.5% on a volume basis, but up 0.3% on a DSR basis.

09:18 EDT Coach says looking for 'great brands with potential for growth' - Says not looking for brands "who have lost their way."

09:18 EDT BioDelivery Sciences announces approval of broader indication for Bunavail - BioDelivery Sciencesannounced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a Supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, for Bunavail buccal film, revising the indication to include the use of Bunavail for the initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence. The approval broadens the indication for Bunavail to include induction, or the initial process undertaken when a patient is transitioned from the abused opioid responsible for their addiction to the dose of Bunavail which is intended to provide relief from cravings and withdrawal. Previously, the indication for Bunavail only covered the maintenance treatment phase of opioid dependence treatment. "The expansion of the indication for Bunavail is expected to help maintain the competitiveness of Bunavail in the market and allows BDSI and its sales representatives to communicate the benefits of Bunavail in treating opioid dependence from induction through the longer maintenance phase of treatment," the company said.

09:16 EDT Century completes sale of data center for $1.86B - CenturyLink (CTL) announced it completed the previously announced sale of its data centers and colocation business on May 1 to funds advised by BC Partners, in a consortium including Medina Capital Advisors and Longview Asset Management. CenturyLink has received approximately $1.86B of pre-tax net cash proceeds, subject to certain post-closing adjustments, and an approximately 10% equity stake in the consortium's newly formed global secure infrastructure company, Cyxtera Technologies. CenturyLink plans to use the net after-tax proceeds from this sale to partly fund its acquisition of Level 3 Communications (LVLT) announced on Oct. 31, 2016. Under terms of the agreement, Cyxtera assumes ownership of CenturyLink's portfolio of 57 data centers. Approximately 700 CenturyLink employees will transition to Cyxtera.

09:15 EDT Amazon Studios secures producing deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films - Amazon Studios announced that it has struck exclusive first-look deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa's Bona Fide Productions and Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler's Killer Films will each have an exclusive first-look deal in both film and television for two years. John Lesher's Le Grisbi Productions will have an exclusive first-look deal for indie-sized films for two years. Currently, Amazon Studios is working alongside Bona Fide Productions on Marc Webb's The Only Living Boy in New York, starring Jeff Bridges, Callum Turner and Kate Beckinsale and Killer Films on Wonderstruck, the latest film from Academy Award-nominated director Todd Haynes, starring Julianne Moore. Wonderstruck will screen in competition at the upcoming 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. Both The Only Living Boy in New York and Wonderstruck are slated for release in 2017.

09:13 EDT Senomyx announces ISS, Glass Lewis reccommendations to vote for all nominees - The board of directors of Senomyx announced that proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis have both recommended that Senomyx shareholders reject efforts by an activist investor group to replace the company's board of directors. Consistent with the ISS and Glass Lewis recommendations. Kent Snyder, Senomyx chairman, said, "We are pleased that both leading proxy advisory firms have recommended that shareholders vote for our full slate of nominees. ISS and Glass Lewis have each laid out detailed cases to demonstrate that electing our nominees is the right choice for shareholders to protect their investment, and we look forward to continuing to make our case to shareholders in advance of the Annual Meeting on May 11." To follow the recommendations of ISS, Glass Lewis and the Senomyx board, shareholders should vote the white proxy card for each of the company's seven nominees by telephone, by Internet, or by signing and dating the white proxy card.

09:11 EDT MasterCard CEO says 'broadly speaking, not much has changed' in economy - MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga said on the company's Q1 call that "broadly speaking, not much has changed" in terms of the global economy since the last quarter. "We see a modest pickup in global growth, in part due to market-specific fiscal stimulus, although uncertainty about the direction of trade policies continues to be a concern," Banga added. In terms of the U.S., "like you, we're still waiting for tax, trade and infrastructure policy initiatives to come to fruition," said Banga.

09:08 EDT Engaged Capital releases presentation to Rent-A-Center shareholders - Engaged Capital, LLC, an investment firm specializing in enhancing the value of small and mid-cap North American equities with a 20.5% economic exposure to Rent-A-Center, said it has released a presentation to RCII stockholders highlighting RCII's poor corporate governance which has resulted in significant stockholder value destruction. In its presentation to stockholders, Engaged Capital outlines how it believes that RCII's board of directors has not represented the interests of stockholders due to its corporate governance flaws, which in addition to the over 20-year tenure of CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder Mark Speese, includes a classified Board structure and average director tenure exceeding ten years. Engaged Capital firmly believes there is an opportunity to significantly increase stockholder value, but change is needed. "Under the current Board, Rent-A-Center has materially underperformed the market and its peers over the short, medium and long-term. It is time to replace the directors responsible for this abysmal performance and who have refused to evaluate all alternatives to create value for stockholders. We believe there is an opportunity to increase stockholder value by 50% to 100%. Our highly-qualified nominees, who are fully aligned with stockholders' interests, have the experience and determination to evaluate all options and pursue the strategy that will drive the highest return for all stockholders. The time for change at Rent-A-Center is NOW!" said Glenn W. Welling, the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Engaged Capital.

09:07 EDT Coach still sees double digit growth in net income, EPS for the year

09:05 EDT Coach still sees returning to earnings, revenue growth in 2017

09:04 EDT Qualys appoints Mark Butler as Chief Information Security Officer - Qualys announced that it has appointed Mark Butler, a former Fiserv executive, as Chief Information Security Officer, or CISO, to help advocate CISO needs for Qualys customers and empower them in securing their digital transformation. Butler will serve as Qualys' lead CISO evangelist, helping security and compliance leadership across its 9,300 customers in over 100 countries understand the business imperatives currently driving secure digital transformation and DevSecOps, also helping customer CISOs connect those priorities with key technical needs, tools and processes. Butler brings more than 20 years of IT security experience as both a leader and practitioner - working with executive management, IT leadership and legal counsel to achieve timely visibility into new business opportunities and associated cyber risks - within leading enterprises, resellers and solution providers. His areas of security expertise include: threat intelligence, security architecture, strategy, road map development, cyber framework alignment, security solution testing, orchestration and workflow integration.

09:02 EDT Marcato urges Buffalo Wild Wings' shareholders to vote white proxy card - Marcato Capital Management, a San Francisco-based investment manager which manages funds that beneficially own approximately 6.1% of the outstanding common shares of Buffalo Wild Wings is mailing a letter to Buffalo Wild Wings shareholders urging them to hold the Board and management accountable for unacceptable, persistent underperformance and to protect the value of their investments by voting the WHITE proxy card for the election of Scott Bergren, Sam Rovit, Lee Sanders and Mick McGuire in connection with the Company's Annual Meeting on June 2.

09:02 EDT Delta Air Lines reports April PRASM up 1% - Delta Air Lines reports consolidated passenger unit revenue, or PRASM, for the month of April increased 1.0% year over year, despite approximately 2 points of negative impact from storms in Atlanta during the month. Reports April mainline completion factor of 96.4%.

08:57 EDT CVS Health says expects minimal store closure costs for remainder of 2017

08:49 EDT Oramed receives approval in Israel to evaluate leptin drug candidate - Oramed Pharmaceuticals announced that based on positive preclinical data, the Company is developing a new drug candidate, a weight loss treatment in the form of an oral leptin capsule. Leptin, also known as the "obesity hormone" is a protein that regulates hunger. According to Grand View Research, the overall obesity market is expected to reach $15.6B in 2024. Israel's Ministry of Health has approved Oramed's commencement of a proof of concept single dose study for its oral leptin drug candidate to evaluate its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics in ten type 1 diabetic patients.

08:47 EDT EXFO to reduce global workforce by approximately 5% - EXFO announced the company has streamlined its monitoring solutions portfolio to focus on testing, active service assurance, fiber monitoring and analytics. Accordingly, EXFO will significantly reduce investments in passive wireless monitoring which represented less than 5% of total sales. Staff reductions related to this product line and varied go-to-market adjustments will affect approximately 5% of EXFO's global workforce. Following this restructuring, which should be completed in the Q4, EXFO intends to benefit from annual cost savings of $8.0M. The company will also incur one-time restructuring costs of $4.0M in the Q3.

08:40 EDT Pinnacle West says EPS outlook dependent on rate case - Pinnacle West said in earnings slides: EPS guidance issuance pending timing and outcome of APS rate case.

08:40 EDT Corvus Pharmaceuticals expands CPI-444 clinical collaboration with Genentech - Corvus Pharmaceuticals (CRVS) announced that it has expanded its clinical collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY). Under the new agreement, CPI-444 administered in combination with atezolizumab will be evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 clinical study as second-line therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, who are resistant/refractory to prior therapy with an anti-PD(L)-1 antibody. The study will be part of MORPHEUS, Genentech's novel cancer immunotherapy platform established to develop immunotherapy combination therapies more rapidly and efficiently. It is anticipated that this randomized, controlled study will enroll up to 65 patients in the treatment arm.

08:39 EDT SteadyMed receives USPTO Notice of Allowance for PatchPump - SteadyMed announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for patent application number 14/384,152, related to its PatchPump infusion system for injectable drugs. This additional patent includes, but is not limited to, claims for a pump assembly comprising a sealed, prefilled drug reservoir for the infusion of drugs.

08:37 EDT VBI Vaccines says DSMB recommends CMV Phase I study continue - VBI Vaccines provided an update on its cytomegalovirus, or CMV, Phase I clinical study, which is assessing the safety and tolerability of VBI's vaccine candidate to prevent congenital CMV infection. Congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of birth defects, affecting more live births than Down syndrome or fetal alcohol syndrome, making it a key public health priority. Upon review of all safety data up to one month after second immunizations in VBI's prophylactic CMV Phase I clinical study, the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, unanimously recommended the continuation of the study without modification. No safety signals have been detected, suggesting VBI's CMV vaccine candidate is safe and well-tolerated. Additionally, all participants in the study have now successfully received the third and final immunization in the series. Further vaccine immunogenicity and safety follow-up are ongoing. An interim safety and immunogenicity report, based on blood samples collected from participants one month post-second vaccination, is expected mid-year 2017.

08:36 EDT Abeona says EB-101 demonstrates 'significant wound healing' in ongoing trial - Abeona Therapeutics announces updated clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the EB-101 gene therapy program for patients with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, a severe form of epidermolysis bullosa, along with supportive natural history data for 128 patients with the fatal skin disease. These data were presented at the recently held Society for Investigative Dermatology conference. "Last week at the SID conference, our EB-101 team of clinical investigators and scientific collaborators presented data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 gene therapy clinical trial and a supportive natural history study of patients with RDEB that highlight the unprecedented wound healing and durable collagen C7 expression of four patients through two years post-treatment, including one patient that has continued to see EB-101 treated wounds remain healed three years post-treatment. The relevance of these benefits is highlighted when compared to non-treated control wounds evaluated from the 128-patient natural history study, which showed that RBEB patients suffer chronic and recurrent wounds that do not heal on their own and persist for several years," said CEO Timothy Miller.

08:32 EDT Imprimis and SightLife Surgical sign agreement - Imprimis Pharmaceuticals and SightLife Surgical announced the signing of an exclusive strategic sales and marketing agreement. Under the agreement, SightLife Surgical will deploy their sales team to offer Imprimis' Serum Tears compounded formulations to physicians, large practice groups, surgery centers, hospitals and healthcare organizations nationwide. Imprimis' Serum Tears autologous serum eye drops are prescribed for chronic dry eye patients who do not respond to traditional dry eye treatments.

08:30 EDT Selecta Biosciences obtains license for recombinant immunotoxin LMB-100 - Selecta Biosciences announced that it has licensed LMB-100, a next-generation immunotoxin, from the Center for Cancer Research at the NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health. LMB-100 contains a potent bacterial toxin that binds to mesothelin, a protein expressed in all mesotheliomas, pancreatic adenocarcinomas and a high percentage of other malignancies, including lung, breast and ovarian cancers. Selecta and NCI are currently in discussions regarding a planned Phase 1b clinical trial to evaluate multiple cycles of this combination treatment. Under the terms of the license agreement, NCI will receive an upfront payment of $50,000 from Selecta. NCI also is entitled to up to $9.25M in payments for milestones and low single-digit royalties on worldwide annual net sales of any resulting commercialized treatment.

08:20 EDT Momenta backs FY17 non-GAAP operating expense guidance of $200M-$240M - Momenta is reiterating non-GAAP operating expense guidance of approximately $200M-$240M for 2017 and $50M-$60M for the second quarter of 2017. This guidance includes approximately $55M of spending on M923 that will now be included in the company's 2017 operating expenses. Of the $55M, $51M of the expense has already been paid by Shire as part of the termination agreement. The quarterly recognition of collaborative revenues under the company's collaboration with Mylan is expected to be approximately $1.8M per quarter. The company expects to recognize the $50M upfront payment from CSL as revenue in the second half of 2017.

08:16 EDT MGM Resorts and Gamblit Gaming announce partnership - MGM Resorts International and Gamblit Gaming announced a strategic partnership to bring Gamblit's innovative skill-based gaming experiences to several properties within the MGM Resorts portfolio, beginning with LEVEL UP at MGM Grand. Gamblit's technologically advanced Model G interactive game tables are now live at the LEVEL UP gaming lounge at MGM Grand .

08:14 EDT Heska sees strong environment in the veterinary market for FY17 - The company said "Veterinary market indicators continue to point to a strong environment for the rest of 2017. Aided by this trend, our 2017 focus is on cost, systems and margin optimization for long-term and increasing profitability as we expand. In the face of large competitors who have and will contest our progress every step of the way, Heska teams are hard at work on numerous expansion initiatives. We are competing effectively for new market share, adding to our test menu, benefiting from end user prosperity and price, expanding and extended our multi-year contracts with customers, deepening our commitment to subscriptions over capital sales, broadening our sales reach in North America, and continuing to lay the foundations for an international launch of our diagnostics subscription model. Heska is hard at work on these and so many other positive activities because the rewards for doing them well are large and meaningful. We intend to do each of them well."

08:12 EDT Red Hat and AWS extend strategic alliance for Red Hat OpenShift - Red Hat (RHT) and Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com (AMZN) company and cloud computing provider, announced an extended strategic alliance to natively integrate access to AWS services into Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. Through this unique offering, Red Hat will make AWS services accessible directly within Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, allowing customers to take advantage of the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud whether they're using Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform on AWS or in an on-premises environment. Customers will be able to seamlessly configure and deploy a range of AWS services such as Amazon Aurora, Amazon Redshift, Amazon EMR, Amazon Athena, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Route 53, and Elastic Load Balancing with just a few clicks from directly within the Red Hat OpenShift console. Since 2008, Red Hat and AWS have collaborated to make it easy to run Red Hat Enterprise Linux on AWS. Red Hat and AWS will also work together to provide a single support path backed by both companies, so customers can run their applications in production with confidence. In addition to providing an easier way for developers to deploy their applications in containers, Red Hat and AWS are working together to more rapidly enable new AWS services with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. AWS and Red Hat will continue to offer the complete suite of Red Hat JBoss Middleware offerings as fully supported services on AWS, allowing customers to run Red Hat JBoss Middleware as containerized application components with the functionality, elasticity, and security customers have come to expect from AWS. To further enhance Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform performance on AWS, the companies will collaborate on development to further strengthen the integration between AWS and Kubernetes, the container orchestration platform that powers Red Hat OpenShift. Red Hat and AWS will demonstrate these integrations this week at Red Hat Summit 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts with expected general availability in Fall 2017. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is available for AWS via Red Hat Cloud Access or on-demand. Red Hat JBoss Middleware on OpenShift is available today for AWS via Red Hat Cloud Access.

08:08 EDT FLIR Systems appoints Paul Sale as Chief Human Resources Officer - FLIR Systems announced that Paul Sale will join the company in the newly-created position of Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Reporting to CEO Andy Teich, Sale will be charged with leading FLIR's organizational strategy, talent acquisition and development, compensation, benefits, and corporate culture initiatives. Sale most recently served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Mentor Graphics.

08:06 EDT Amyris announces advancements under DARPA - Amyris announced that it has successfully expanded its world-class expertise in strain engineering and optimization to 26 key metabolic precursors across multiple organisms, as part of its Technology Investment Agreement, or TIA, with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. The multi-year TIA, worth up to $35 million to create new research and development tools and technologies to significantly reduce the time and cost of bringing new molecules to market, was previously announced on September 23, 2015, as part of DARPA's Living Foundries program.

08:04 EDT Kate Spade climbs 1% after WWD says company talking to PE firms

08:03 EDT Aetna sees Medical Membership of about 22.2M at year-end 2017 - In its Health Care Segment, Aetna sees Medical Membership of about 22.2M at year-end 2017, a health care medical benefit ratio of 84% +/- 50 bps and non-ACA core commercial medical cost trend of 6%-7%.

08:02 EDT bluebird bio enters worldwide license agreement with Novartis - bluebird bio (BLUE) announced that it has entered into a worldwide license agreement around its proprietary lentiviral vector platform with Novartis Pharma AG (NVS). Under the terms of the agreement with Novartis, Novartis will non-exclusively license certain bluebird patent rights related to lentiviral vector technology to develop and commercialize chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies for oncology, including CTL019, Novartis's anti-CD19 CAR T investigational therapy. Financial terms of the agreement include an upfront payment to bluebird as well as milestone and royalty payments.

07:55 EDT Correction: previous release was for Libbey not for LyondellBasell

07:48 EDT AMAG Pharmaceuticals Phase 3 Feraheme study met all primary, secondary endpoints - AMAG Pharmaceuticals announced positive top-line results from a Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority clinical trial evaluating Feraheme compared to Injectafer in approximately 2,000 adults with iron deficiency anemia. The study results demonstrated non-inferiority to Injectafer based on the primary composite endpoint of incidence of moderate-to-severe hypersensitivity reactions and moderate-to-severe hypotension. Additionally, the trial met secondary safety and efficacy endpoints, including the demonstration of superiority to Injectafer regarding mean improvement in hemoglobin per gram of iron administered from baseline to week 5.

07:45 EDT PLX Pharma appoints Rita O'Connor as CFO - PLx Pharma announced the appointment of Rita O'Connor as CFO, effective July 1, 2017. O'Connor succeeds David Jorden, who has served as the company's Acting CFO since June 2015 and previously served as a PLx board member since 2005. Jorden will transition at the end of July.

07:44 EDT CAE signs training solutions contracts valued over C$375M - CAE announced at the 2017 World Aviation Training Conference and Tradeshow a series of commercial aviation training solutions contracts and agreements with airlines worldwide, including Scandinavian Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Korean Air and new Chinese customer Donghai Airlines. These agreements, valued at more than C$375M, form part of the orders awarded to CAE during its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017. They involve comprehensive cadet-to-captain training programs and the sale of 11 more full-flight simulators, or FFS, which brings CAE's total FFS sales for fiscal year 2017 to 50.

07:42 EDT Scotts Miracle-Gro announces offer to sell European, Australian businesses - Scotts Miracle-Gro announced it has received a binding and irrevocable offer for its European and Australian consumer operations from Exponent Private Equity. The proposed transaction, valued at approximately $250M, is expected to close during the company's fiscal fourth quarter, and is subject to prior consultation with the works councils, employee representative bodies and regulatory approval. Depending on the timing of closure, the transaction could result in dilution by up to 20c per share in fiscal 2017. CEO Jim Hagedorn said, "While this sale is a reflection of our commitment to concentrate more resources on our U.S. business, as we outlined last year in announcing Project Focus, we wanted to make sure we found a partner that would steward these brands, give stability to our associates and provide our shareholders with a fair valuation. We are delighted with the proposed agreement we have reached with Exponent, and we believe it accomplishes all of those goals. We expect this transaction to be seamless to our retail partners, our consumers and our associates."

07:38 EDT Gramercy Property Trust announces indirect sale of Grammercy Europe assets - Gramercy Property Trust (GPT) said that Gramercy Property Europe, a Europe-focused real estate investment fund sponsored by the company and managed by a subsidiary of the company, has entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the Fund's assets to a consortium of clients managed by AXA Investment Managers - Real Assets (AXAHY). The total gross valuation is approximately EUR1B, or $1.1B, with an exit cap rate of approximately 6.2%. The transaction and a simultaneous disposition by the company of its 5.1% minority interest in eight Fund properties is expected to result in net distributions to the company of approximately EUR90.7M, or $96.6M, inclusive of a promoted interest distribution of approximately EUR7.9M, or $8.4M.

07:34 EDT NexPoint Residential reports Q1 NOI up 8.4% -

07:28 EDT Macellum urges stockholders of Citi Trends to vote for its nominees - Macellum SPV III, LP, Macellum Advisors GP, and certain of their affiliates, a large stockholder of Citi Trends that has nominated two highly qualified candidates for election at the Company's upcoming annual meeting of stockholders, Jonathan Duskin and Paul Metcalf, expressed its bewilderment by the Company's claims that it began a "strategic pivot" in 2012, under Executive Chairman Ed Anderson, which has dramatically improved the Company's performance. Macellum notes that a simple review of the facts clearly contradicts the Company's claims. Macellum urges stockholders to vote on the WHITE proxy card to elect its two highly qualified nominees - Jonathan Duskin and Paul Metcalf - to the Board at the Company's upcoming annual meeting.

07:26 EDT Noble Energy sells upstream Appalachia natural gas assets for $1.225B - Noble Energy (NBL) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to divest all of its upstream assets in northern West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania to an undisclosed buyer for a total amount of $1.225B. The amount includes upfront cash of $1.125B and an additional contingent amount of $100M, structured as three separate payments of $33.3M. The contingent payments to the company are in effect should the average annual price realization at Dominion South exceed $3.30 per million Btu in the individual annual periods from 2018 through 2020. Included in the divestment is current production of approximately 415 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent per day and a 100% working interest in approximately 385,000 acres. Total proved reserves as of year-end 2016 related to these assets were 1.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent. In addition, the buyer will assume responsibility for up to 430 million cubic feet of natural gas per day of the company's firm transportation, established to support Marcellus upstream production. The Marcellus acreage will retain its dedication to CONE Midstream (CNNX) for natural gas gathering. Noble Energy's interest in CONE Midstream is not included in the transaction. The transaction is anticipated to close by the end of the second quarter of 2017, with a January 1, 2017 effective date. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to pay down essentially all of the debt borrowings resulting from the Clayton Williams Energy transaction, which materially expanded the company's core Delaware Basin position.

07:24 EDT Tonix Pharmaceuticals announces issuance of U.S. patent - Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,636,408 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent, "Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride," claims the composition and manufacture of a unique formulation that characterizes TNX-102 SL. The '408 patent is expected to provide Tonix with U.S. market exclusivity until 2034, the company said.

07:19 EDT MVSC files amendend complaint in antitrust suit against CDK Global - Motor Vehicle Software Corporation announced that it has filed an amended complaint in its antitrust lawsuit against CDK Global, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, and Computerized Vehicle Registration. In the original complaint filed in February, MVSC outlined how Reynolds and CDK entered into an illegal conspiracy to block MVSC from participating in their data access programs (the 3PA and RCI programs, respectively). Access to dealer data is critical for companies like MVSC to provide electronic vehicle registration services to their auto dealer clients. Now, MVSC has filed an amended complaint with further evidence of collusion between CDK and Reynolds, corroborating MVSC's original claims. Specifically, the amended complaint alleges that CDK and Reynolds conspired to eliminate competition in the data integration market, including by entering into a written market division agreement pursuant to which CDK and Reynolds agreed not to compete in that market. This, and other evidence detailed in the complaint, is direct and irrefutable evidence that CDK and Reynolds have colluded to eliminate competition for access to dealer data. As the complaint explains, this further collusion has directly damaged MVSC because not only have CDK and Reynolds barred MVSC from participating in the 3PA and RCI programs, but they have now made it impossible for MVSC to obtain dealer data from anyone else. MVSC CEO Don Armstrong said, "Our lawsuit now includes further evidence that strongly supports our original claims As the complaint alleges, the fact that CDK and Reynolds actually put their market division agreement in writing is astonishing. We look forward to vigorously prosecuting our case to hold CDK and Reynolds to account for their anticompetitive conduct." In its complaint, MVSC claims that Defendants' conduct violates federal and state antitrust laws, the California Unfair Competition Law, and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. MVSC seeks a permanent injunction barring Defendants from continuing their unlawful conduct. The lawsuit also seeks an injunction allowing MVSC to participate in CDK's and Reynolds' third-party programs on reasonable, non-discriminatory terms

07:18 EDT Roadrunner reports $540M redeemable preferred stock investment from Elliott - Roadrunner Transportation Systems announced an approximately $540M redeemable preferred stock investment from affiliates of Elliott Management, a private investment firm which is an existing holder of approximately 8.6% of Roadrunner's common shares. Proceeds from Elliott Management's investment were used to pay off and terminate the company's senior credit facility and to provide working capital to support the company's current operations and future growth. The company expects that approximately $240M of the new preferred stock investment will soon be replaced with a new asset-based lending facility with a group of commercial lenders, which may include members of the company's previous bank group. A portion of the preferred stock investment serves as a short-term bridge to allow the company to complete an ABL facility. If an ABL facility is not in place within 90 days of closing, this preferred stock investment would convert into a first lien secured note due July 2019. The remaining $300M preferred stock investment is structured in four series, which have terms of either six or eight years and provide a dividend rate based on current LIBOR of between 8.75% and 16.50%, depending on certain leverage ratios and other factors. A portion of the dividends can be paid in kind at the company's option. The preferred stock has no financial covenants.

07:16 EDT ZIOPHARM announces FDA acceptance of IND for CD33-specific CAR-T cell therapy - ZIOPHARM Oncology announced that an investigator-initiated Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to the FDA for a Phase 1 trial infusing the Company's CD33-specific CAR+ T therapy for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, is now active, with the first patient to be enrolled in the study expected to begin treatment in the third quarter of 2017. The CD33-specific CAR+ T cells incorporate a kill switch designed to eliminate the modified T cells under potential adverse safety conditions.

07:15 EDT TrueCar's ALG sees U.S. revenue from new vehicle sales down 3% from last year - TrueCar's ALG projects U.S. revenue from new vehicle sales will reach $48B for the month of April, down 3% from a year ago. Despite higher average transaction prices, lower sales volumes will result in an expected decline of $1.5B in revenue for automakers versus April 2016. Additionally, incentive spending is projected to increase 13.9%."With the spring selling season underway, automakers are starting to manage production levels and pull back on elevated incentive spending with expected declines from March 2017," said Eric Lyman, ALG's Chief Industry Analyst. ALG estimates the average transaction price for a new light vehicle was $33,112 in April, up 0.9 percent from a year ago. Average incentive spending per unit grew by $424 to $3,465. The ratio of incentive spending to ATP is expected to be 10.5%, up from 9.3% a year ago. Publicly traded companies in the space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).

07:13 EDT Canadian Solar secures financing for 47MWp solar power projects in Australia - Canadian Solar announced that it has secured $50M of non-recourse project financing with a 5-year term for two of its solar farm power projects in Australia with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. and Clean Energy Finance Corporation. The 17MW Longreach project and larger 30MW Oakey project in Queensland are both scheduled to commence construction in May 2017 and reach commercial operation in early 2018. The solar power projects are expected to generate clean energy to power nearly 12,000 homes under a 20-year contract for differences awarded under the Queensland government's Solar 150 program. These projects have been awarded $2.7M grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

07:08 EDT Granite Construction sees FY17 low-double digit consolidated revenue growth - Sees consolidated EBITDA margin of 6.5% to 7.5%. Company said "Despite the loss in the Q1, we maintain our strong growth expectations for 2017. Overall outlook and direction of our business is excellent, with market improvements being seen across our portfolio. On April 6th, the California legislature approved SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which commits to more than $52B of incremental investment in the state over the next decade. This combines with the nearly $190B of long-term local measures passed by voters in California and Washington State last November to signal a significant, positive shift in public infrastructure investment. Our vertically integrated teams in the West are well prepared to handle the growth, as these businesses are still operating well below capacity."

07:06 EDT BioDelivery Sciences announces FDA approval of BUNAVAIL - BioDelivery Sciences announced that the U.S. FDA has approved a Supplemental New Drug Application for BUNAVAIL buccal film revising the indication to include the use of BUNAVAIL for the initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence. The approval broadens the indication for BUNAVAIL to include induction, or the initial process undertaken when a patient is transitioned from the abused opioid responsible for their addiction to the dose of BUNAVAIL which is intended to provide relief from cravings and withdrawal. Induction is the first step to assist a patient in discontinuing or markedly reducing their use of other opioids. Previously, the indication for BUNAVAIL only covered the maintenance treatment phase of opioid dependence treatment.

07:04 EDT Ryder to be exclusive maintenance provider of Workhorse Group - Ryder System (R) announced that the Company will be the strategic service partner for Workhorse Group (WKHS). Ryder will be the exclusive maintenance provider for Workhorse's entire light- and medium-duty range-extended electric vehicle fleet in North America and will provide a combination of warranty and maintenance services as part of Ryder's SelectCare fleet maintenance portfolio. Ryder will also serve as the primary distributor in North America for Workhorse's E-100 and E-GEN range-extended medium-duty vehicles, as well as the W-15 electric pickup truck being unveiled later today during the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo.

07:03 EDT Archer Daniels: AG Services delivered improved results over year-ago quarter - Ag Services delivered improved results over the year-ago quarter. In Merchandising and Handling, North America grain showed better results, with improving grain carries and good execution volumes amid strong global demand for U.S. commodities. International merchandising was down from the year-ago quarter due to lack of merchandising opportunities and some unfavorable mark-to-market effects. Transportation had a significantly improved quarter, led by our North America barge and stevedoring operations, which capitalized on high volumes versus the prior-year quarter. Milling and Other had a solid quarter, but with lower volumes and margins. Corn Processing results were significantly better than the year-ago quarter. Sweeteners and starches delivered a strong performance on improved domestic demand and higher volumes and margins from the European business. Bioproducts was up over the previous year, with very strong exports and improved margins driving solid results in ethanol. Animal nutrition was up, with improved margins in lysine offset partially by overall lower sales volumes caused by a mild winter. Oilseeds Processing results were up over the first quarter of 2016. Crushing and origination was comparable to the year-ago period: Softseeds results were significantly higher than the previous year, as we took advantage of our softseed processing footprint and flex capacity to capitalize on margin opportunities both in North America and Europe. A competitive global protein meal market continued to pressure soybean crush margins. South America crush and origination was down, as the pace of farmer selling has not kept pace with export demand.

07:00 EDT CVS Health opened 27, closed 60 retail stores in Q1 - During the three months ended March 31, the company opened 27 new retail stores and closed 60 retail stores. In addition, the company relocated 10 retail stores. As of March 31, 2017, the company operated 9,676 retail stores, including pharmacies in Target stores, in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Brazil. As previously disclosed, the company intends to close a total of approximately 70 retail stores during 2017 and expects to take a cumulative charge of approximately $220M primarily associated with the remaining lease obligations of such stores. The company closed 60 of the 70 retail stores in the three months ended March 31, 2017 and took a charge of $199M. The company expects to close approximately ten additional stores during the remainder of 2017.

06:57 EDT The Female Health announces results from clinical study of Preboost - The Female Health announced that interim and final results from a clinical study of its proprietary product, PREBOOST for the management of premature ejaculation, or PE, will be presented in a podium presentation at the American Urological Association, or AUA, 2017 Annual Meeting, which will take place May 12-16 in Boston, MA. PREBOOST is a new, proprietary OTC male genital desensitizer used for the treatment of PE and is currently available in the US.

06:53 EDT Merck CEO says KEYTRUDA momentum drove revenue growth in Q1 - "Merck delivered solid performance across our broad range of products that address major disease categories and the needs of global health," said Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO, Merck. "The continued momentum of KEYTRUDA in oncology, along with the strength of the vaccine and other franchises and animal health, helped to drive revenue growth in the quarter."

06:50 EDT Teleflex receives 510 clearance from FDA for AC3 Optimus IABP - Teleflex has announced 510 clearance from the FDA for its AC3 Optimus Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, or IABP. This device helps a weakened heart pump blood and can deliver IABP therapy to a broad range of patients, even those not previously considered candidates for IABP therapy. Clinicians may use the pump on patients with the most severe arrhythmias or with heart rates as high as 200 beats per minute.

06:48 EDT Pfizer reports Q1 Innovative Health revenues up 6%, Essential Health down 9% - IH revenues increased 6% operationally in first-quarter 2017, driven by continued growth from key brands including Ibrance and Eliquis globally, the addition of Xtandi revenues in the U.S. resulting from the September 2016 acquisition of Medivation, as well as Lyrica and Xeljanz, both primarily in the U.S. Global Ibrance revenue increased 59% operationally while global operational revenue growth for Eliquis and Xeljanz was 52% and 27%, respectively. Global Prevnar 13/Prevenar 13 revenues declined 7% operationally. EH revenues declined 9% operationally, primarily resulting from a 23% operational decline from Peri-LOE Products, including Pristiq in the U.S., which lost marketing exclusivity in the U.S. in March 2017, Lyrica in most developed Europe markets and Zyvox in developed Europe and in the U.S., a 68% decline in HIS revenues, reflecting its February 3, 2017 divestiture, and a 5% operational decline from Legacy Established Products.

06:48 EDT Merck FY17 EPS view includes approximate 1.5% negative impact from FX

06:47 EDT Coach: Strategic vision for brands, company 'remains clear' - "While the retail environment remains uncertain, our strategic vision for our brands and our company remains clear. The traction we've achieved to date on our transformation plan and the success of our integration of Stuart Weitzman give us continued confidence in our direction. Moreover, with our new leadership structure, Coach, Inc. is well positioned to continue its journey as a global house of brands and to focus on opportunities to drive long-term and sustainable growth," the company said.

06:37 EDT Spectrum Brands sees FY17 revenue growth 'above category rates' - FY17 consensus $5.12B. Spectrum Brands expects fiscal 2017 reported net sales to grow above category rates for most categories, along with an anticipated negative impact from foreign exchange of approximately 100 to 150 basis points. Fiscal 2017 adjusted free cash flow is projected to be approximately $575M-$590M compared to $535M in fiscal 2016. Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $110M-$120M, including rollover spending from fiscal 2016. These incremental investments will support footprint optimization, vertical integration improvements, technology and innovation and are expected to enhance the Company's margin structure and organic net sales growth rate.

06:33 EDT Concert Pharma begins Phase 2a clinical trial of CTP-543 - Concert Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating CTP-543 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in patchy or complete hair loss. CTP-543 is an orally-administered selective inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, known as JAK1 and JAK2, which are enzymes believed to be involved in this autoimmune disorder. The Phase 2a trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CTP-543 after 12 months of dosing with the primary efficacy analysis at week 24. The Company expects to report topline data in the Q1 of 2018.

06:27 EDT Verifone selected by PrivatBank - Verifone announced that it has been selected as the payment solution and service provider for PrivatBank, the largest acquirer in Ukraine. As part of a three-year service agreement, Verifone will set up and manage PrivatBank merchants with point-of-sale solutions giving PrivatBank the freedom to focus on their more than 120,000 merchant clients of all sizes and verticals with financial services.

06:23 EDT NeuStar releases fourth Worldwide DDoS Attacks report - Neustar released the findings from its fourth annual Worldwide DDoS Attacks and Cyber Insights Research Report. The report documents the frequency and cost of attacks and what measures are being taken to counter these threats. The report also includes, for the first time, Q1 attack data and trends captured from the Neustar DDoS Security Operations Center. Highlights from Neustar's May 2017 Worldwide DDoS Attacks and Cyber Insights Research Report include: Volumetric attacks getting larger - 45% of DDoS attacks were more than 10 gigabits per second, or Gbps; and, 15% of attacks were at least 50 Gbps, almost double the number reported last year; 849 out of 1,010 organizations were attacked with no particular industry spared, an increase of 15% since 2016. 727 were hit more than once.

06:18 EDT Armada Hoffler reaffirms FY17 normalized FFO view 99c-$1.03 - Sees FY17 total NOI $73.7M-74.2M.

06:13 EDT Apple's AirPods achieve 98% customer satisfaction in Creative Strategies study - According to recent survey conducted by market research firm Creative Strategies, a 98% of AirPods owners said they were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the wireless headphones. "Remarkably, 82% said they were very satisfied. The overall customer satisfaction level of 98% sets the record for the highest level of satisfaction for a new product from Apple. When the iPhone came out in 2007, it held a 92% customer satisfaction level, iPad in 2010 had 92%, and Apple Watch in 2015 had 97%." Creative Strategies also commented, "While the overall satisfaction number is remarkable, a second question we asked of these owners stood out even more. We used a standard benchmark question called a Net Promoter Score, which ranks a consumer's willingness to recommend the product to others. This ranking is on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being extremely likely to recommend and 0 being not likely at all to recommend. It was this number that surprised me. Apple's Net Promoter Score for AirPods came back as 75. To put that into context, the iPhone's NPS number is 72. Product and NPS specialists will tell you anything above 50 is excellent and anything above 70 is world class. According to Survey Monkey's Global Benchmark of over 105,000 organizations who have tested their NPS, the average is an NPS of 39." Reference Link

06:09 EDT Amerseco reports total project backlog was $1.643 as of March 31 - Total project backlog consisted of $505.0M of fully-contracted backlog of signed customer contracts for installation or construction of projects, to be converted into revenue over the next 12-24 months, on average; and $1.138B of awarded projects, representing projects in development for which we do not have signed contracts.

06:03 EDT Aetna reports medical membership down about 664,000 at March 31 - Medical membership at March 31, 2017 decreased by 664,000 compared with December 31, 2016, primarily reflecting declines in Aetna's Commercial Insured products primarily related to Aetna's ACA compliant individual and small group products, partially offset by increases in Aetna's Commercial ASC products.

05:36 EDT Celyad grants Novartis non-exclusive license for allogeneic CAR-T cells - Celyad (CYAD) announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Novartis (NVS) for Celyad's U.S. patents for the production of allogeneic CAR-T cells. This license agreement is related to two targets currently under development by Novartis. The agreement includes Celyad's intellectual property rights under United States Patent No. 9,181,527 related to allogeneic human primary T-Cells that are engineered to be T-Cell Receptor, or TCR, deficient and express a Chimeric Antigen Receptor, or CAR. The granted claims are not limited to specific CARs or specific methods of generating allogeneic CAR T- cells, such as genome editing or genetic engineering. Under the terms of the agreement Celyad receives an upfront payment and is eligible to receive success based clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments. If all success based milestones are achieved, Celyad is eligible to receive payments, including the upfront payment, totalling $96M. In addition, Celyad will receive single digit royalties based on net sales of the licensed target associated products. Novartis has the option to extend the agreement to additional targets and/or to convert its license into an exclusive license. Celyad retains all rights to grant further licenses to third parties for the use of allogeneic CAR-T cells. Celyad will not be involved in the development of Novartis' CAR-T cells. Celyad will continue to focus on the development of its CAR-T pipeline, including its allogeneic NKR-2 T-cell immunotherapy in the EU and US territories and in collaboration with Ono Pharmaceuticals, its partner in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

05:26 EDT Kayne Anderson Energy reports net assets of $471M as of April 30 - As of April 30, 2017, the Fund's net assets were $471M, and its net asset value per share was $12.85. As of April 30, 2017, the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 459% and the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 342%.

05:22 EDT Kayne Anderson Energy reports net assets of $212M as of April 30 - As of April 30, 2017, the company's net assets were $212M, and its net asset value per share was $19.69. As of April 30, 2017, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 385% and the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 296%.