Stockwinners Market Radar for June 16, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:53 EDT CAS Medical receives deficiency letter from Nasdaq - According to a regulatory filing, on June 14, 2017, CAS Medical Systems received a deficiency letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that the company, as a result of not having a market value of listed securities of at least $35M for 30 consecutive business days, is no longer in compliance with Listing Rule 5550b of the Nasdaq Listing Rules for continued listing. Under the rules, the company has until December 11, 2017 to regain compliance, which would occur if the company's MVLS equals or exceeds $35 million for ten consecutive business days. If the company fails to regain compliance by such date, the company has the opportunity to appeal such decision to a Nasdaq Hearings Panel. At this time, this notification has no effect on the listing of the company's common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

17:31 EDT Perficient repatriating $9.6M from China subsidiary - Perficient announced it is repatriating $9.6M from its subsidiary in China, freeing up that capital to provide more flexibility for growth. "Our successful and profitable operations in China have allowed us to build cash balances greater than we plan to permanently deploy in the region," said Paul E. Martin, chief financial officer. "We will use this capital to help further invest and hire domestically, reduce borrowing costs, and to help fund mergers and acquisitions. While the transaction creates a one-time tax impact to quarterly and annual GAAP earnings, there is no impact on our quarterly or annual adjusted earnings, and we expect the repatriation will provide long-term benefits to the business."

17:17 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded $3.01B government contract modification - Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is being awarded a $3,013,903,706 fixed-price-incentive modification to a previously awarded competitive contract to exercise options for the procurement of the detail, design, and construction of Landing Helicopter Assault Replacement Flight 1 Amphibious Assault Ship. Work is expected to be completed by January 2024. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $1,154,247,187 will be obligated at award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

17:07 EDT Corvex Management raises CenturyLink stake to 5.6% from 5.5%

16:49 EDT Insignia Systems finance director Cherrey to resign - According to a regulatory filing, on June 12, 2017, Mark Cherrey informed Insignia Systems of his intention to resign all positions with the company, including his positions of Director of Finance and Controller, effective June 30, 2017. The company expects to designate a successor principal financial officer and/or principal accounting officer prior to Cherrey's departure.

16:16 EDT Cobalt announces effectiveness of 1-for-15 reverse stock split - Cobalt announced that its previously announced 1-for-15 reverse stock split became effective at the close of regular NYSE trading hours on June 16. Cobalt's common stock will begin trading on a post-reverse stock split basis at the opening of the NYSE's regular trading hours on June 19. Cobalt effected the reverse stock split by filing an amendment to its second amended and restated certificate of incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State. Cobalt's shares of common stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CIE" under the new CUSIP number 19075F 304.

16:04 EDT FJ Capital reports 5.16% passive stake in MidSouth Bancorp

15:44 EDT Iroquois Capital reports 5.2% passive stake in Apricus Biosciences

15:32 EDT Genesis Healthcare reaches settlement with DOJ for $53.6M - Genesis HealthCare has finalized its previously reported agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and related government agencies to resolve a legacy Sun Healthcare therapy matter in Georgia, a Skilled Healthcare therapy matter related to certain facilities in the Midwestern United States and a Skilled Healthcare hospice matter related to the Las Vegas Creekside Hospice False Claims Act litigation pending in federal court. A Skilled Healthcare legacy investigation related to staffing in certain California facilities arising from a state court action in 2010 was also resolved. Genesis executed the settlement on June 9 and will pay $53.6M, including interest. Genesis denies the allegations in these legacy matters that arose prior to the acquisition of Sun Healthcare in 2012 and the combination with Skilled Healthcare in 2015. Genesis operates in a heavily regulated industry and is pleased to resolve these legacy matters acquired in the Sun Healthcare and Skilled Healthcare transactions.

15:24 EDT Dan Niles is long Facebook and Google - Dan Niles is speaking in a CNBC interview.

15:13 EDT S&P puts Amazon ratings on watch negative on deal to buy Whole Foods - S&P Global Ratings placed its ratings, including the "AA-" corporate credit rating, on Amazon.com on CreditWatch with negative implications, which it said reflects its expectation that Amazon's leverage will increase as a result of its plan to purchase Whole Foods for about $14B. "Our preliminary view is that Amazon's leverage will approach 1.5x, but mostly likely remain below 2x. We see the purchase as a major strategic initiative for Amazon, with execution risk, but also potential significant implications for Amazon's market strategy as well as for the broader U.S. grocery market," S&P stated.

14:54 EDT Biotest reports 25% stake in ADMA Biologics - Biotest said that the purpose of the transaction is so it can acquire a substantial voting and equity interest in ADMA in exchange for the assets described herein and to enter into certain other agreements between the parties.

14:38 EDT Equifax to acquire ID Watchdog for $63.335M in cash - ID Watchdog announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition by a subsidiary of Equifax of all of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of the company for $63,335,000 in cash, which equates to approximately 40c per Ordinary Share. The purchase price represents a premium of 77% of the closing price of the company's Ordinary Shares on the TSX Venture on June 15, 2017. The transaction is structured as a statutory merger and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2017.

14:28 EDT CenturyLink drops 6% after lawsuit accuses of Well Fargo-like scheme

14:25 EDT Equifax to acquire ID Watchdog, terms not disclosed - Equifax announced an agreement to acquire ID Watchdog, an identity theft protection and resolution services company providing solutions to the Employee Benefits marketplace. The closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and ID Watchdog shareholder approval. The acquisition is anticipated to close in the third quarter of 2017.

13:56 EDT Datascope to join Maquet in patent infringement case against Abiomed - Datascope announced the filing of a motion to join Maquet Cardiovascular existing patent infringement case against Abiomed in the federal court for the District of Massachusetts, to assert counterclaims alleging that Abiomed has engaged in false advertising by promoting its Impella device as superior to Datascope's intra-aortic balloon pumps, IABPs. Simultaneously, Maquet is expanding its infringement case by alleging that most Impella(R) models infringe three patents issued to Maquet this year, thus bringing the total number of patents in the suit to six. Both Datascope and Maquet are Getinge companies. Datascope is a leading manufacturer of IABPs, which are circulatory assist devices that use counterpulsation to help the heart pump blood in patients in need of cardiac support. Abiomed's Impella(R) is a ventricular assist device used for mechanical circulatory support. Datascope's counterclaims assert that Abiomed has engaged in a pattern of intentional and widespread false advertising regarding Impella compared with IABP in violation of federal and state law. According to the lawsuit, Abiomed has falsely advertised that the PROTECT II trial, which was terminated for futility and was underpowered, and a related "hypothesis-generating" post hoc analysis of the PROTECT II data, demonstrate that Impella(R) significantly reduces major adverse events compared with IABP at 90 days. Datascope alleges that Abiomed's marketing materials are false. Datascope's counterclaims also identify recent developments to support Datascope's position that Abiomed's superiority claims are unlawful. An example is Health Quality Ontario's February 2017 in-depth technology assessment, which concludes that "percutaneous ventricular support with Impella does not lower death rates; nor is it safer or cheaper than usual treatment with balloon pumps."1Another example is the October 2016 explorative, randomized, controlled IMPRESS trial, sponsored by Abiomed, which concludes that routine treatment with Impella CP was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality compared with IABP.2 In addition, Datascope alleges that Abiomed disseminated false representations regarding U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of IABP, the cost-effectiveness of Impella compared with IABP, the standard of care, and other features of Impella(R). According to the lawsuit, Abiomed advertises that IABP is not FDA-approved as safe and effective for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, or for use during high-risk PCI. The counterclaims state that IABP has, in fact, been designated as a Class II device and that a 2012 FDA review found that IABP offers a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these indications. In 2016, Maquet asserted that many Impella models infringe three Maquet patents entitled "Guidable Intravascular Blood Pump And Related Methods". Earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued three more patents to Maquet in this area; Maquet is adding the three new patents to the case. Maquet asserts that all six patents relate to significant technological developments that Abiomed improperly incorporated in many of its Impellaproducts, for which Maquet is entitled to just compensation.

13:34 EDT Cigna reports CMS notice of marketing and enrollment sanctions being lifted - In a regulatory filing, Cigna disclosed that on June 16 the company received notification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, that the marketing and enrollment sanctions imposed by CMS on January 21, 2016, have been lifted. "Effective immediately, Cigna may resume marketing of its Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug and Medicare Part D Plans and may begin enrolling beneficiaries with effective dates beginning July 1, 2017. In addition, based on the final Medicare Star Ratings for the 2018 payment year, we expect that approximately 60% of our Medicare Advantage customers will be in a 4 Star or greater plan," the company stated.

13:06 EDT GM to open new supplier park at Arlington Assembly - General Motors announced plans to open a new supplier park to support future vehicle production at its Arlington Assembly. The new park is expected to house up to 1,250 employees, including bringing more than 850 new jobs to Arlington, Texas. These new jobs are in addition to the 7,000 GM jobs and $1 billion in U.S. investments GM announced earlier this year. The park is expected to be operational in 2018. The new supplier park will consist of two industrial manufacturing and warehouse buildings comprising more than 1.2 million square feet. GM estimates nearly 600 of the new manufacturing and professional jobs created in these facilities will replace work previously done outside of the U.S. "Through strong supplier and community relations, we're able create new supplier parks to generate significant benefits to our manufacturing operations and the communities in which we operate," said Steve Kiefer, GM senior vice president of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "This new supplier park will create improved logistics efficiency and coordination, while also bringing significant employment opportunities to Arlington." Reference Link

12:53 EDT Hostess Brands names Andrew Jacobs chief commercial officer - Hostess Brands announced that Andrew W. Jacobs has been promoted to executive vice president and chief commercial officer, leading all commercial activities for the company. Previously, Jacobs was senior vice president and chief customer office at Hostess Brands, and prior to that, he served as senior vice president of strategic channels.

12:31 EDT Kenon trading resumes

12:02 EDT Ipsen says FDA expands approved use of Dysport - Ipsen announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved use of Dysport for injection for the treatment of spasticity in adults, based on its supplemental Biologics License Application in lower limb spasticity. In July 2015, Dysport was approved for the treatment of upper limb spasticity in adults. In July 2016, Dysport was approved to treat pediatric patients with lower limb spasticity aged two and older, making it the first and only botulinum toxin that the FDA approved for this indication. In a Phase III, multi-center, prospective, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study, adult patients treated with Dysport following a stroke or traumatic brain injury showed improvement in muscle tone at the ankle joint, measured by the mean change from baseline on the Modified Ashworth Scale at Week 4. The duration of response for the majority of patients within the study was between 12-16 weeks. In this study, some patients experienced a longer duration of response.

11:53 EDT Canadian National to pay over $2.5M in penalties for environmental offenses - On June 15, Canadian National Railway Company pleaded guilty, in the Provincial Court of Alberta, to one offense under the Fisheries Act and three offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. As a result, CN has been ordered to pay $2.5M, which will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund. An additional fine of $125,000 was levied on May 25, 2017 in relation to the provincial charges laid by Alberta Environment and Parks, under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. On April 9, 2015, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers responded to a report of an oil sheen on the North Saskatchewan River. With assistance from the City of Edmonton's Drainage Services' staff, Environment and Climate Change Canada officers traced the substance over eight kilometres through Edmonton's storm drain system to an engine fuelling station at CN's Bissell Yard. A joint investigation with Alberta Environment and Parks determined that the oil-water separator and fuel storage system at Bissell Yard was not compliant with a number of requirements under the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations, which caused an estimated 90 litres of diesel to be released to the storm sewer.

11:12 EDT Box Office Battle: 'Cars 3' expected to zoom past 'Wonder Woman' - The major release opening this weekend is Disney/Pixar's (DIS) "Cars 3," an animated film featuring anthropomorphic cars, which is expected to reach the top spot at the box office with a domestic gross of $55M-$58M. The cartoon is expected to surpass Time Warner's (TWX) superhero flick "Wonder Woman," which is expected to gross $30M-$35M nationwide in its third weekend. Coming in third place this weekend is "All Eyez On Me," a biopic of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, which is distributed by Lionsgate's (LGF.A) Summit Entertainment and is estimated to gross $15M-$22M domestically. Rounding out the weekend's top five should be Columbia Pictures' (SNE) "Rough Night," an R-rated comedy which is anticipated to achieve a domestic gross of roughly $21M, and Universal Pictures' (CMCSA) "The Mummy," which is expected to gross $12M-$15M in its second weekend. Other publicly traded companies in filmmaking include 21st Century Fox (FOX, FOXA) and Viacom (VIA, VIAB).

11:02 EDT Battleground: Analysts clash on Nike after restructuring announced - Two research firms had very different outlooks on Nike (NKE) after the sneaker maker announced that it would restructure its workforce and lay off 2% of its employees. Robert W. Baird, noting that Nike's stock outperformed for many years following the company's 2009 restructuring, thinks that history is likely to repeat itself. Conversely, JPMorgan downgraded the shares, warning that the company's North America sales will probably get worse before they get better. BAIRD: In 2009, Nike announced that it would focus on key initiatives and reduce its headcount by 5%, noted Baird analyst Jonathan Komp. Beginning later in 2009, the stock significantly outperformed the market for a number of years, the analyst pointed out. Komp added that the headcount cuts announced yesterday appear to be justified, since the company has 2.1 times more employees than it did in fiscal 2010, but its revenue has risen just 1.7 times during the same time period. The analyst is also upbeat on the other components of the initiative, saying they are "intended to streamline and speed up strategic execution" which has been a key concern of investors. Additionally, he thinks that the changes should result in "an artful balance of cost reductions and innovation/product investments." The analyst expressed caution about Nike's upcoming fourth quarter results, but said that the stock will probably provide "a compelling buying opportunity" following that report. He kept a $62 price target and an Outperform rating on the shares. JPMORGAN: Nike's North America growth tumbled to 3% over the last 12 months, versus an average of 12% from 2012-2016, wrote JPMorgan analyst Matthew Boss. Given that 8%-9% of Nike's North America revenue is derived from "consolidating brick and mortar" stores and that it has lost space at key retail partners, the company's North America results will probably get worse before they get better, Boss warned. Specifically, in fiscal 2018 the company's North America revenue will be flat, down from 3% growth in fiscal 2017, Boss estimated. Although the analyst was encouraged by Nike's changes, he says that they will take time to impact the company. Boss trimmed his price target on Nike shares to $58 from $61. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Nike fell 3.5% after having dropped over 3% yesterday. Following the two day pullback, Nike shares are roughly flat year-to-date.

10:46 EDT Neovasc: German court partially finds in favor of Edwards Lifesciences in suit - Neovasc (NVCN) reported that the District Court in Munich, Germany has partially found in favor of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (EW), in its case against Neovasc. In this case, CardiAQ had claimed ownership rights to one of Neovasc's European patent applications for its Tiara mitral valve replacement technology. The German court found CardiAQ had contributed in part to the invention of the Tiara and awarded to CardiAQ co-entitlement rights to the disputed Tiara European patent application. There are no monetary awards associated with this matter. Neovasc intends to appeal this decision. In a related matter, Neovasc is currently appealing the 2016 decision from the U.S District Court for the District of Massachusetts which among other things granted co-inventorship rights to CardiAQ on one of Neovasc's granted U.S. patent applications. This appeal is now before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. An expedited appeal schedule has been set with all the briefings from both parties now submitted. The Company expects oral argument on its appeal in August 2017 and a ruling is expected to follow, prior to the end of 2017. Pending the outcome of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Neovasc, in consultation with its European and North American legal advisors, will vigorously defend its position that the case in Germany is without merit and will explore all options regarding the appellate process.

10:01 EDT TESSCO announces hiring of Joe Cawley as VP/CIO - TESSCO Technologies (TESS) has announced the hiring of Joe Cawley as Vice President/CIO. Prior to joining TESSCO Cawley was most recently Vice President/CIO of IT for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia. Cawley spent 20 years at IBM (IBM) before joining Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, rising to Director of Worldwide Support, TESSCO noted.

09:34 EDT Neovasc trading halted, news pending

09:30 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Celsion (CLSN), up 75.6% after filing to withdrawal its registration statement on Form S-1... Hornbeck Offshore (HOS), up 25.4% after it refinanced its existing $200M senior secured revolving credit facility with a new first-lien delayed-draw credit facility providing for up to $300M of term loans... Amazon (AMZN), up 1.5% after announcing it will acquire Whole Foods (WFM) for $42.00 per share... Adamis (ADMP), up 3.5% following FDA approval of its epinephrine syringe. GROCERS DOWN AFTER WHOLE FOODS ACQUISITION NEWS: Kroger (KR), down 11.4%... Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM), down 11.8%... Costco (COST), down 4.5%... Wal-Mart (WMT), down 5.9%... Target (TGT), down 7.9%. ALSO LOWER: Booz Allen (BAH) down 15% after being downgraded to Hold from Buy at Vertical Research... Nike (NKE), down 2.5% after being downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.

09:27 EDT 22nd Century meets with FDA on modified risk tobacco product application - 22nd Century Group announced today that the company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Goodrich Tobacco Company, held a meeting with the Office of Science of the Center for Tobacco Productsf the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Based on written feedback received ahead of the meeting, and on the positive exchange between Goodrich and the FDA at the meeting itself, the Company will now move forward with a significantly expanded Modified Risk Tobacco Product application with the CTP/FDA for the Company's BRAND A Very Low Nicotine cigarettes.

09:19 EDT Costco drops 4% to $173.33 after Amazon acquires Whole Foods

09:16 EDT Target drops 6% to $52.21 after Amazon buys Whole Foods

09:11 EDT Wecast Network to form joint venture with He Ying Private Equity Fund - Wecast Network announced the formation of a Joint Venture called Seven Stars He Ying Smart Cloud with Beijing HE YING Fund Management Limited. The JV, which will be 51% owned by Wecast and be added to the Product Sales Cloud, will focus on several strategic areas using Wecast's burgeoning BASE + VPaaS infrastructure: supply chain finance, supply chain management and financial settlement for both the automotive and commodities industries as well as a global commodity index exchange module based on the NextGen Exchange Group's existing platform, trading system and technology. To facilitate the cross-border supply chain finance segment of the JV, SSHY and Wecast will establish a limited partnership fund in China, with SSHY responsible for raising RMB50B from investment partners such as government entities, banks and insurance companies over the next 18 months. Since 2015, He Ying's management has raised RMB77B in private equity funds. Wecast will oversee the management and business development of the JV's operations and projects. Once fully operational, the supply chain finance fund could theoretically convert each dollar from the fund into the generation of 6-10x sales turnover over a 12 month period, with average gross margins for the commodity and automobile industry, of 1-3%.

09:10 EDT United Natural Foods drops after Amazon agrees to buy Whole Foods - Shares of United Natural Foods (UNFI) are plunging in pre-market trading after Amazon (AMZN) agreed to buy Whole Foods (WFM). In its most recent annual filing, United Natural Foods stated, "We have been the primary distributor to Whole Foods Market for more than eighteen years. Under the terms of our agreement with Whole Foods Market, we serve as the primary distributor to Whole Foods Market in all of its regions in the United States. Our agreement with Whole Foods Market expires on September 28, 2025." United Natural shares are down nearly 10% in pre-market trading to $35.95 following the Amazon deal announcement.

09:06 EDT Wal-Mart to acquire Bonobos for $310M, says Andy Dunn to report to Marc Lore - Walmart announced it has entered an agreement to acquire Bonobos, an apparel brand built on the internet, for $310M in cash. Following the closing, Andy Dunn, founder and CEO of Bonobos will report to Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, and oversee the company's collection of digitally-native vertical brands. These are brands born online, and owned from design through distribution. The brands will be offered on Jet.com and possibly other Walmart brands in a variety of countries over time, and include Bonobos and recently-acquired ModCloth. The addition of Bonobos is part of a broader e-commerce strategy to enhance the customer value proposition.

09:03 EDT Pinnacle Financial closes merger with BNC Bancorp - The merger of Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) and BNC Bancorp (BNCN) closed today, bringing Pinnacle's urban community banking model into seven new markets in the Carolinas and Virginia. Additionally Bank of North Carolina, BNC's wholly-owned bank subsidiary, merged with and into Pinnacle Bank, Pinnacle's wholly-owned bank subsidiary. Now that the merger is complete, BNC's President and CEO Rick Callicutt is Pinnacle's chairman of the Carolinas and Virginia, maintaining consistency in leadership and the local decision-making that defines Pinnacle's operating model. In addition, Callicutt will join Pinnacle's board of directors along with three others from BNC's board: Abney Boxley, Thomas Sloan and G. Kennedy Thompson. Pinnacle's new markets include Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Greensboro in North Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg and Charleston in South Carolina; and Roanoke in Virginia. BNC's offices in High Point, NC will operate as the area headquarters. Pinnacle intends to operate BNC Bank/Bank of North Carolina as a division of Pinnacle Bank until late in Q3, when it is expected that BNC branch offices will begin adopting the Pinnacle brand, including signage. BNC clients can expect clear communication about how the merger will affect them throughout the summer and fall.

09:03 EDT Amazon to buy Whole Foods for $13.7B, or $42 per share, in cash - "Millions of people love Whole Foods Market (WFM) because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon (AMZN) founder and CEO. "Whole Foods Market has been satisfying, delighting and nourishing customers for nearly four decades - they're doing an amazing job and we want that to continue." "This partnership presents an opportunity to maximize value for Whole Foods Market's shareholders, while at the same time extending our mission and bringing the highest quality, experience, convenience and innovation to our customers," said John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO.

09:02 EDT Amazon, Whole Foods expect to close transaction during 2H17

09:01 EDT Synopsys replenishes share repurchase authorization to $500M - Synopsys announced that its Board of Directors has replenished its existing stock repurchase authorization back to $500M. Synopsys' Board of Directors originally approved the stock repurchase program in 2002 and has periodically replenished the program as funds are spent. The program does not obligate Synopsys to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and the program may be suspended or terminated at any time at Synopsys' discretion.

09:00 EDT Amazon to acquire Whole Foods for $42 per share in cash

08:37 EDT Network-1 Technologies increases share repurchase program - Network-1 Technologies announced that its board has extended and increased its previously announced share repurchase program pursuant to Rule 10(b)-18 of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, permitting the company to repurchase up to $5M of shares of its common stock over the next two years, for a total authorization since inception of the program of approximately $17M. To date, the company has repurchased an aggregate of 7.1M shares of its common stock under the Share Repurchase Program since inception of the program in August 2011 at an average price of $1.72 per share or an aggregate cost of approximately $12.21M.

08:33 EDT Apple: Erlicht, Van Amburg joining from Sony Pictures Television

08:32 EDT Apple says Jamie Erlicht, Zack Van Amburg to lead video programming - Apple (AAPL) announced that Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg are joining Apple in newly created positions overseeing all aspects of video programming. Erlicht and Van Amburg will lead video programming worldwide, reporting to Eddy Cue. They join Apple from Sony Pictures Television (SNE) where they have served as presidents since 2005, and have been responsible for some of the most popular and widely acclaimed programming of the past decade, including favorites such as Breaking Bad and its spinoff Better Call Saul, The Crown, Rescue Me and many more.

08:18 EDT Hess takes final investment decision for Liza Phase 1 development - Hess (HES) announced it has sanctioned the first phase of development of the Liza Field, one of the industry's largest oil discoveries of the past decade, located on the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. In addition, the company announced positive results from the Liza-4 well, which encountered more than 197 feet of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs and will underpin a potential Liza Phase 2 development. Gross discovered recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block are now estimated to be 2.0 billion to 2.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, including Liza and other successful exploration wells on Liza Deep, Payara and Snoek. The first phase of a planned multiphase development of the Liza Field is expected to have a gross capital cost of approximately $3.2B for drilling and subsea infrastructure and will develop approximately 450 million barrels of oil, with first oil expected by 2020. The first phase of development will utilize a leased floating production, storage and offloading vessel that will have the capacity to process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day from four subsea drill centers consisting of 17 wells, including eight producers, six water injectors and three gas injectors. Hess' net share of development costs is forecast to be approximately $955M, of which $110M is already included in Hess' 2017 capital and exploratory budget. Of the remaining net development costs, approximately $250M is expected in 2018 and approximately $330M in 2019, with the balance expected between 2020 and 2021. In 2017 and 2018, Hess and its partners plan to continue exploration and appraisal of the 6.6 million acre Stabroek block. There are numerous prospects across multiple play types on the block, representing additional multibillion barrel unrisked exploration potential. Drilling of the Payara-2 well, which will also test a deeper prospect underlying the Payara oil discovery, is expected to commence in late June following completion of a drillstem test at Liza-4. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Limited holds a 30% interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited (CEO) holds a 25% interest.

08:12 EDT PPG marks completion of EUR45M paint and coatings facility in Lipetsk, Russia - PPG marked the opening of a EUR45M, or $49M, paint and coatings manufacturing facility and commercial operation in the Lipetsk region of Russia. The site will provide about 200 total positions and produce about 25 million liters of coatings at full capacity. In addition to facilities for manufacturing and distributing coatings for automotive, industrial, packaging, and protective and marine applications, the facility includes administrative offices and technical laboratories.

08:07 EDT Transgenomic, Precipio form Scientific Advisory Board - Precipio Diagnostics and Transgenomic announced the formation of a new Scientific Advisory Board in anticipation of their previously disclosed merger. The new SAB, which will become effective on the closing of the merger, is being established to provide scientific and technical guidance and expertise to the combined company's management and board of directors in support of current and future business initiatives. SAB members include Dr. Jeffrey Sklar of the Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Mike Makrigiorgos of Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Dr. Gil Mor of the Yale University School of Medicine.

08:03 EDT Xencor announces interim data from Phase 2 Study of XmAb 5871 - Xencor announced interim data from an ongoing, open-label, pilot Phase 2 study of XmAb 5871 in patients with active IgG4-Related Disease. Data show that 93% of patients achieved a response to therapy, 12 of them within two weeks of their first dose. The data were presented by John H. Stone, M.D., MPH, director of rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. "We continue to be very encouraged by the rapid initial response in IgG4-RD disease activity observed in this interim data set, in which now 14 of 15 patients evaluated for IgG4-RD Responder Index achieved a response, with initial responses typically occurring after the first dose and deepening over time," said Paul Foster, M.D., chief medical officer of Xencor. "We expect to report final study results for these 15 patients in 2017."

08:01 EDT Exxon Mobil makes final investment decision to proceed with Liza oil development - Exxon Mobil said it has made a final investment decision to proceed with the first phase of development for the Liza field, one of the largest oil discoveries of the past decade, located offshore Guyana. The company also announced positive results from the Liza-4 well, which encountered more than 197 feet of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs, which will underpin a potential Liza Phase 2 development. Gross recoverable resources for the Stabroek block are now estimated at 2 billion to 2.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels, which includes Liza and other successful exploration wells on Liza Deep, Payara and Snoek. The Liza Phase 1 development includes a subsea production system and a floating production, storage and offloading vessel designed to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day. Production is expected to begin by 2020, less than five years after discovery of the field. Phase 1 is expected to cost just over $4.4B, which includes a lease capitalization cost of approximately $1.2B for the FPSO facility, and will develop approximately 450 million barrels of oil. The development received regulatory approval from the government of Guyana. The Liza field is approximately 190 kilometers offshore in water depths of 1,500 to 1,900 meters. Four drill centers are envisioned with a total of 17 wells, including eight production wells, six water injection wells and three gas injection wells. The Liza field is part of the Stabroek Block, which measures 6.6 million acres, or 26,800 square kilometers. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds a 45 percent interest in the block.

07:34 EDT Alliance Data's BrandLoyalty, Disney EMEA announce partnership - Alliance Data (ADS) announced that its LoyaltyOne European-based BrandLoyalty business, one of the largest and most successful data-driven loyalty marketers outside of the Americas, signed a multi-year agreement with Disney EMEA (DIS) to develop the retail loyalty market throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa for Disney EMEA, to run from 2018 to 2021. The new partnership builds on an already successful relationship between the organizations, which, since 2014, has seen several highly popular Instant Loyalty Promotions based around famous Disney characters and franchises successfully launched and implemented in supermarkets/hypermarkets around the world.

07:32 EDT Weight Watchers to open near 52-week high after insider buy - Weight Watchers (WTW) shares are getting a boost following a filing by the company's general counsel showing he purchased shares in the weight loss company. SHARE PURCHASE: Weight Watchers said in a regulatory filing on Thursday afternoon that general counsel Michael Colosi purchased 7,110 shares in the company. RECENT COMPANY NEWS: In May, the Oprah Winfrey-backed diet company posted a surprise profit for the first quarter and reported revenue that also beat analysts' expectations. The company also said it ended the quarter with 3.6M subscribers, up 16% from a year ago. The gains prompted the company to raise its earnings per share view for fiscal year 2017. Weight Watchers has been on a turnaround track since Winfrey took a stake in the company and agreed to become a company spokesperson in October 2015. In addition to "the Oprah Effect," CFO Nick Hotchkin said the company is retaining customers through technology investments and an improved weight loss program. Weight Watchers announced in late April that Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc (HSNI), would join the company as president and CEO in July. The company had been seeking a replacement for Jim Chambers, who resigned in September 2016. Weight Watchers recently announced results from a two-year study published in The Lancet which found that adults with obesity referred to Weight Watchers for one year lost significantly more weight and were able to keep it off for longer "compared to those who either received brief advice and self-help materials, or were referred to a 12-week Weight Watchers program." Those on both the 12- and 52-week Weight Watchers program also had greater blood sugar control and greater reductions in body fat than those on the brief intervention program. PRICE ACTION: Weight Watchers closed on Thursday up 6.3% at $28.80, just off the 52-week high of $28.95 hit during the session.

07:03 EDT EU passenger car registrations up 7.6% in May - In May, passenger car registrations across the EU increased by 7.6% to 1,386,818 units, reported the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The five big markets performed very well last month, except for the United Kingdom, which recorded an 8.5% decline in car registrations in May, said the ACEA. Publicly traded automakers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).

06:57 EDT Lannett announces approval for Amantadine Hydrochloride Capsules USP, 100 mg - Lannett announced that it received approval from the FDA of its Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, for Amantadine Hydrochloride Capsules USP, 100 mg, the therapeutic equivalent to the reference standard drug, Amantadine Hydrochloride Capsules USP, 100 mg, of Sandoz Pharmaceuticals. Previously, the branded version of the product was marketed as Symmetrel Capsules, 100 mg. For the 12 months ended April 2017, total U.S. sales of Amantadine Hydrochloride Capsules USP, 100 mg, at Average Wholesale Price were approximately $25M, according to IMS.

06:31 EDT BeiGene says BGB-3111, obinutuzumab combination well tolerated with ORR of 89% - BeiGene presented initial clinical data from an ongoing Phase 1 trial of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase, or BTK, inhibitor BGB-3111 combined with the anti-CD20 antibody obinutuzumab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, / small lymphocytic lymphoma, or SLL, and follicular lymphoma, or FL, at the 14th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, or 14-ICML, in Lugano, Switzerland. The initial Phase 1 data demonstrate that the combination is well tolerated with an overall response rate, or ORR, of 89% including complete responses, or CRs, in 22% of treatment naive CLL/SLL patients, an ORR of 92% with CRs in 16% of relapsed/refractory, or R/R, CLL/SLL patients, and an ORR of 73% with CRs in 33% of R/R FL patients.

06:28 EDT Cognizant announces new shared investigator platform capabilities - Cognizant, as part of its collaboration with TransCelerate BioPharma, a non-profit organization with membership comprised of global biopharmaceutical companies, announced new Shared Investigator Platform, or SIP, capabilities that make it easier for clinical trial researchers to access, share and analyze data.

06:12 EDT BHP's MacKenzie says 'looks forward' to engaging with shareholders - Chairman-elect, Ken MacKenzie, said "It is an honor and a privilege to succeed Jac Nasser as Chairman of BHP. Under his leadership, BHP has been transformed into a simpler, more productive and more resilient company. As incoming Chairman, I look forward to engaging with shareholders and other stakeholders over the coming weeks to understand their perspectives. I am committed to the creation of long-term value for all of our shareholders and will work tirelessly with the Board and management to achieve this."

06:06 EDT Agilent announces expanded use of cancer diagnostic in EU - Agilent Technologies announced expanded access to a clinically validated test for PD-L1, that will help physicians in Europe make more informed decisions about how best to treat patients with Urothelial Cancer, or UC. Europe is the first region to launch a PD-L1 CE-IVD test for UC globally. The CE marking demonstrates the product meets all relevant European Medical Device Directives. The PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx has broad utility as it has already been previously CE marked for detecting tumor cell PD-L1 expression for non-squamous, non-small-cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck and melanoma. PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx now has more clinically validated tissue indications than any other commercially manufactured PD-L1 assay on the market. Because individual patients may respond differently to the same treatment, scientists have been focusing on the development of personalized medicine, which is where Agilent's Dako brand of diagnostics comes into play, providing important information about the status of key biomarkers in individual cancer patients. Agilent is a worldwide leader in partnering with pharmaceutical companies to develop immunohistochemical-based diagnostics for cancer therapy. Expanded use in other countries is currently pending approval.

06:02 EDT Alliant Energy to acquire 50% ownership interest in Great Western Wind Project - EDF Renewable Energy announced the signing of the Purchase and Sale Agreement by which Alliant Energy will acquire a 50% ownership interest in the 225 megawatt Great Western Wind Project. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary conditions precedent.

05:58 EDT Bristol-Myers to sell manufacturing facility in Swords, Ireland to SK Biotek - Bristol-Myers Squibb and SK Biotek announced the companies have signed a definitive purchase agreement to sell Bristol-Myers Squibb's small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facility in Swords, Ireland, to SK Biotek, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SK Holdings, based in Seoul, South Korea. The companies intend to complete the deal by Q4, at which time SK Biotek will continue to manufacture the current portfolio of small molecule pharmaceutical products at the site. Bristol-Myers Squibb and SK Biotek anticipate that the transaction will close during the fourth quarter of 2017. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

05:54 EDT Mellanox announces strategic collaboration with HP Enterprise - Mellanox Technologies(MLNX) announced a strategic collaboration with HP Enterprise (HPE) to enable the industry's most efficient high-performance computing and machine learning data centers, based on the innovative technologies from both companies. The mutual solutions will enable customers to leverage the InfiniBand and Gen-Z open standards to maximize their return on investment for current and future data centers and applications.