Stockwinners Market Radar for September 28, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:23 EDT root9B, LLC acquired by Tracker Capital, terms not disclosed - root9B, LLC has been acquired by an affiliate of Tracker Capital Management, LLC, an early stage investor focused principally on emerging technologies and companies with the potential to advance U.S. national security interests. root9B will now operate as an independent, privately-held company with no affiliation with root9B Holdings, Inc. It will continue to be headquartered in Colorado Springs and led by its existing management team.

18:37 EDT Sierra Metals increases mineral resource estimate for Yauricocha Mine in Peru - Sierra Metals has updated its Mineral Resource Estimate at the company's Yauricocha Mine, Peru. Total Measured and Indicated Contained Metal has increased by 72% silver, 128% copper, 74% zinc, 64% lead and 61% gold. Total Inferred Contained Metal has increased by 55% silver, 59% copper, 105% zinc, 42% lead and 83% gold. Mineral Resources for Yauricocha are 13,206,000 tons averaging 62.3 g/t silver, 1.5% copper, 0.9% lead, 2.8% zinc and 0.6 g/t gold representing a 68% increase from the previous resource tonnage estimate Total Inferred Mineral Resources for Yauricocha are 6,632,000 tonnes averaging 43.0 g/t silver, 1.2% copper, 0.5% lead, 2.2% zinc and 0.5 g/t gold representing a 77% increase from the previous resource tonnage estimate Increases to copper grade reflect the discovery and delineation of new Cu-rich zones in Cuye, Mascota, and Esperanza and a 14% increase in Copper Price assumptions.

18:00 EDT Scana reports on South Carolina Public Service Commission's deferral - The Public Service Commission of South Carolina, as part of a Special Commission Business Meeting, deferred action on the Office of Regulatory Staff's request for South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, principal subsidiary of Scana, to suspend revised rates collections. At its business meeting today, the SCPSC ordered a hearing officer to establish a briefing schedule and hearing date concerning the ORS's request. The SCPSC cited the need for due process and for additional review given the potential impact of the proposed actions. SCE&G's existing retail electric rates will remain in effect pending further action of the SCPSC. Prior to the Business Meeting, SCE&G filed a motion with the SCPSC to dismiss the ORS request citing numerous legal and constitutional deficiencies. The company claims that the proposed relief repeals multiple valid and legally binding orders issued under the BLRA, constitutes retroactive rate-making which is unlawful, denies SCE&G approximately $445M in annual revenue. SCE&G intends to defend its rights and claims, including appealing any adverse decision.

17:40 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Smart Global (SGH), up 6.2%... Tyson Foods (TSN), up 5.4%... KB Home (KBH), up 1.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Aehr Test Systems (AEHR), up 16.5% after it received follow-on orders for its FOX-XP Test and Burin-in Solution... Aptevo Therapeutics (APVO), up 13% after it amended its loan agreement with MidCap Financial... A10 Networks (ATEN), up 12.8% after it raised its third quarter revenue guidance... Zynerba (ZYNE), up 4.9% after the stock was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray... Marinus Pharmaceuticals (MRNS), up 3.6% after Bain Capital Life Sciences Fund reported a 15.8% passive stake in the company. LOWER: Western Refining Logistics (WNRL), down 0.8% after its board set a September 28 record date for determining holders of WNRL common units entitled to execute and deliver written consents with respect to its proposed acquisition by Andeavor Logistics (ANDX).

17:35 EDT Andeavor announces closing date for Western Refining acquisition - Andeavor Logistics (ANDX) and Western Refining Logistics (WNRL) announced that the board of WNRL's general partner has set September 28 as the record date for determining holders of WNRL common units entitled to execute and deliver written consents with respect to the proposed acquisition. The consent process will conclude on October 27. The approval and adoption of the acquisition requires the affirmative vote or consent of holders of at least a majority of the outstanding WNRL common units. Certain Andeavor (ANDV) affiliates, which beneficially own a majority of the outstanding WNRL common units, have delivered a written consent adopting and approving in all respects the agreement and plan of merger, dated as of August 13 and the transactions contemplated thereby. The delivery of this consent is sufficient to adopt the merger agreement and approve the acquisition by Andeavor Logistics of WNRL, without the receipt of written consent from any other holder of WNRL common units. Andeavor Logistics expects the closing of the acquisition to occur on October 30, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining customary conditions to closing. As previously announced on August 14, the IDR buy-In transaction between Andeavor and Andeavor Logistics is expected to immediately follow the closing of the WNRL acquisition.

17:24 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $103.3M government contract modification - Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $103,287,296 modification to foreign military sales contract W31P4Q-15-C-0151 for Hellfire II missile production. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2015, 2016 and 2017 other procurement and other funds in the combined amount of $103,287,296 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

17:23 EDT KB Home sees FY18 housing revenue $4.5B-$4.9B

17:20 EDT Starbucks extends licensing agreement with Maxim's Caterers Limited - Starbucks announced it has entered into an agreement with its long-time strategic partner Maxim's Caterers Limited - a restaurant operator of multiple brands across Asia - to fully license Starbucks operations in Singapore. Under the agreement, Maxim's Caterers Limited will have the exclusive rights to operate and develop Starbucks stores in Singapore. The move further accelerates Starbucks operations in this important market and aligns with Starbucks growth agenda. Starbucks entered Singapore in 1996 with the opening of its first store at Liat Towers, centrally located along the renowned Orchard Road shopping belt.

17:19 EDT Photronics to replace Atwood Oceanics in S&P 600 at open on 10/6 - Ensco (ESV) is acquiring Atwood Oceanics (ATW) in a deal expected to be completed soon pending final closing conditions.

17:18 EDT General Dynamics awarded funds by Navy for two DDG 51-Class destroyers - The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics funding for the planning and construction of two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, DDG 126 and DDG 127. The contract modification fully funds the two ships. DDG 126 was awarded under the contract that was part of a multi-year competition for DDG 51-class destroyers in 2013. DDG 127 was approved by Congress under separate legislation.

17:15 EDT KB Home sees FY18 revenue 'just short of' $4.7B, consensus $4.72B - Says Hurricane Harvey impacted Texas results by 60-80 net orders. Says expects to be "well-positioned" heading into 2018. Says overall housing market conditions remain "stable."

16:53 EDT Whole Foods reports on unauthorized access of payment card information - Whole Foods Market recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores. These venues use a different point of sale system than the company's primary store checkout systems, and payment cards used at the primary store checkout systems were not affected. When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue. The company's investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more. While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank. The Amazon.com systems do not connect to these systems at Whole Foods Market. Transactions on Amazon.com have not been impacted.

16:49 EDT Intracoastal Capital reports 4.99% passive stake in DelMar Pharmaceuticals

16:45 EDT Sachiko Kuno reports 17.9% stake in Sucampo

16:35 EDT Triple-S updates operations after Hurricane Maria - Triple-S Management Corporation provided an update on its operations following Hurricane Maria. All of its buildings were successfully evacuated prior to the storm reaching the island and backup generators were already in place. While corporate headquarters experienced some wind and rain damage, Triple-S' businesses are up and running, albeit with a scaled-back workforce to allow employees to concentrate on the safety and well-being of their families. Roberto Garcia-Rodriguez, president and CEO of Triple-S Management, said, "We are still very early in assessing the damage Island wide, but our maximum P&C exposure is $10 million. Some of this exposure will likely be offset by our Managed Care operations, which are experiencing lower utilization as our members rebuild their homes and focus on their families. We continue to identify ways to help our members get the care they need in a timely fashion and the Government has made those in need of healthcare a top priority. The fallout from Hurricane Maria is another in a long list of challenges that Puerto Rico has faced in the last decade. I am confident that the resolve and resilience of our people will allow us to band together and rebound from this devastating natural disaster."

16:35 EDT SMART Global trading resumes

16:32 EDT Tessera files patent infringement suit against Samsung - Tessera Technologies and certain of its subsidiaries filed legal proceedings today against Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) and certain of its affiliates, alleging infringement of 24 patents that cover a wide range of semiconductor processing, bonding, and packaging technologies, as well as imaging technologies. Tessera is a subsidiary of Xperi (XPER). The legal proceedings were filed in the U.S. International Trade Commission, three U.S. federal district courts, and certain international jurisdictions, alleging infringement by Samsung's semiconductor products, its Galaxy S6, S7, S8, and Note 8 smartphones, and other products. "Samsung has benefitted from its use of our semiconductor technologies for 20 years, having entered into its first license with Tessera, Inc. in 1997. Samsung has also been a customer of our FotoNation imaging technologies, and has expressed interest in certain of our other solutions. Samsung's most recent semiconductor patent license expired in December 2016, but we believe it is continuing to use our patented technologies without authorization, and without paying us fair compensation," said Jon Kirchner, the Company's CEO. "We diligently tried to work through our differences with Samsung over an extended period of time, and while we remain in dialogue, unfortunately at this point the parties have not been able to come to an agreement."

16:26 EDT TTM Technologies completes debt refinancing - TTM Technologies announced the completion of its previously announced debt refinancing, which included the closing of its private placement of $375M in aggregate principal amount of its 5.625% senior notes due 2025 and the syndication of a $350M senior secured term loan that matures in September 2024 .TTM used the proceeds of the Offering, together with borrowings from its New Term Loan Facility, to refinance the full amount of indebtedness outstanding under TTM's previous term loan facility and repay a portion of the amounts outstanding under TTM's U.S. senior secured revolving credit facility, as well as to pay related fees and expenses.

16:23 EDT Mercury Systems gets $11.5M in follow-on orders - Mercury Systemsannounced it received $11.5M in follow-on orders from a leading defense prime contractor for BuiltSAFE computing modules to be used in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence subsystems. The subsystems will be deployed in both manned and unmanned platforms as well as their associated ground stations. The orders were booked in the Company's fiscal 2018 first quarter and are expected to be shipped over the next several quarters. "Skillful execution by our manufacturing team continues to deliver high quality and on-time delivery for this very demanding customer," said Ian Dunn, Mercury's Vice President of Sensor and Mission Processing. "As part of an open systems architecture, these BuiltSAFE computing modules enable rapid deployment of the C4I subsystems."

16:20 EDT Cempra and Melinta announce the expiration of waiting period for merger - Cempra and Melinta Therapeutics announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 with respect to Melinta's pending merger with a subsidiary of Cempra has now expired. The expiration of the waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the pending merger, which remains subject to other customary closing conditions. Both companies expect the transaction to be completed in Q4.

16:18 EDT CRH Medical acquires anesthesia practice in San Antonio - CRH Medical has completed an accretive transaction whereby CRH has acquired a gastroenterology anesthesia practice in San Antonio, Texas. Alamo provides anesthesia services to an ambulatory surgical center in San Antonio, TX and is CRH's second acquisition in Texas. The total 2018 annual estimated revenue is $1.8M and the transaction is EBITDA and cash flow accretive.

16:15 EDT Gabelli reports 17.83% stake in Kaman

16:12 EDT Prothena reports PRX003 not ready to advance to mid-stage clinical development - Prothena Corporation announced clinical results of a Phase 1b multiple ascending dose study of PRX003 in patients with psoriasis. PRX003 is a monoclonal antibody targeting CD146, also known as melanoma cell adhesion molecule, a cell adhesion molecule located on the surface of T helper 17 cells. While the primary objectives of the study were achieved, advancing PRX003 into mid-stage clinical development required a well-defined relationship between biological activity and meaningful clinical effects, and these prerequisites were not met. In this study, PRX003 administration resulted in dose- and time-dependent occupancy and downregulation of CD146 on Th17 cells, consistent with prior Phase 1a SAD study results. However, the pharmacodynamic effects did not translate into meaningful clinical benefit in patients with psoriasis treated with PRX003, as measured by responses in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 75, a clinical assessment used to evaluate psoriasis severity in patients. Additionally, skin biopsy data demonstrated insufficient reduction in measurements of Th17 cell infiltration and other inflammatory markers required to advance PRX003 into mid-stage clinical development for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis as previously planned.

16:09 EDT bluebird bio says first patient treated in Phase 1 study of bb21217 - bluebird bio (BLUE) announced the treatment of the first patient with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in a Phase 1 study of bb21217. bb21217 is an investigational chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy targeting B cell maturation antigen. bluebird bio is developing bb21217 in collaboration with Celgene Corporation (CELG). bluebird bio also announced today that Celgene has exercised its option to exclusively license bb21217, under the terms of the collaboration between the two companies. "bb21217, bluebird's second oncology program to enter the clinic, complements bb2121, which has demonstrated encouraging safety and efficacy results in an ongoing Phase 1 trial. With bb21217, we manufacture a CAR T cell product enriched for 'memory T cells' - a long-lived, more potent T cell subtype - which in preclinical in vivo studies has shown improved anti-tumor activity," said Philip Gregory, chief scientific officer, bluebird bio. "While the clinical data we have shared to date from our bb2121 program have shown deep and durable responses, we know that multiple myeloma is an aggressive and historically incurable cancer. With our partners at Celgene, we are excited to bring forward a second program reflecting our commitment to exploring all avenues to deliver cutting edge therapies to patients."

16:08 EDT KB Home reports Q3 net orders up 4% to 2,608 - Reports Q3 net order value up 15% to $1.07B.

16:05 EDT Cummins and Achates Power to execute $47.4M contract - Cummins announced that it has executed a $47.4M contract, awarded by the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, to develop and demonstrate a technologically advanced engine for the next generation of U.S. combat vehicles. The Advanced Combat Engine, or ACE, project, led by Cummins Corporate Research and Technology and supported by Achates Power, aligns well with the research and development work of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. ACE is a key component of the Army's 30 year strategy to modernize tactical and combat vehicles, with potential for future production configurations being used in the Bradley Family of Vehicles and the next generation combat vehicle.

16:03 EDT Corvex Management reports 4.7% stake in Pandora

16:01 EDT SMART Global trading halted, news pending

15:51 EDT Twitter says will step up efforts to stop malicious activity - Reference Link

15:31 EDT Huntington Ingalls unit awarded $25M contract from U.S. Navy - Huntington Ingalls Industries' Technical Solutions division was recently awarded a $25M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple-award contract from the U.S. Navy to provide training services for tactical afloat shipboard, ashore and submarine command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. The three-year contract includes two one-year option periods, which, if exercised, could bring the value of the contract to $43M. Work will be performed on ships and land sites worldwide and, if all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2022. This is one of four multiple-award contracts. Support will include development and implementation of training solutions, scheduling of fleet training, and technical training equipment design and installation.

15:17 EDT Zumiez says had strong comparisons in early-period back to school season - Comments are from the 3rd Annual B. Riley & Co. Consumer Conference.

15:03 EDT IMAX says signed more theater deals this year than anticipated

15:00 EDT Lockheed Martin raises share repurchase authorization by $2B - Lockheed Martin board of directors has authorized the purchase of up to an additional $2B of Lockheed Martin common stock under its share repurchase program. With this increase, the total remaining authorization for future repurchases under the share repurchase program is approximately $4B.

14:43 EDT Lockheed Martin boosts quarterly dividend by 10% to $2.00 - Lockheed Martin said its board authorized a Q4 dividend of $2.00 per share, representing a 10% increase over the $1.82 per share dividend paid in Q3. The dividend is payable on December 29, to holders of record as of the close of business on December 1.

14:36 EDT Alere up 3.5% after U.S., Canada reach settlement with Abbott on acquisition

14:27 EDT Canada in pact with Abbott on Alere acquisition - The Competition Bureau announced today that it has reached an agreement with Abbott (ABT)Laboratories that resolves the Bureau's concerns related to Abbott's proposed acquisition of Alere (ALR). The agreement will preserve competition in the supply of medical diagnostic testing products in Canada.The Bureau's review of the proposed merger determined that it would likely result in a substantial lessening of competition in the supply of certain types of medical diagnostic testing products. In Canada, both Abbott and Alere sell point of care testing systems that are used to measure the levels of blood gases and cardiac markers in the blood. The Abbott system is called the i-STAT and the Alere systems are called the Epoc and Triage. The companies also manufacture versions of their i-STAT and Epoc systems for animal health.To resolve the Bureau's concerns, the agreement requires the sale of Alere's Epoc system to Siemens AG (SIEGY )and its Triage system to Quidel Corporation (QDEL), including related intellectual property. Upon a careful review, the Bureau determined that the sales to Siemens and Quidel would resolve the likely substantial lessening of competition. Given that Abbott and Alere's diagnostics businesses operate in many countries and the global nature of the transaction, the Bureau coordinated its review with other jurisdictions, including the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (U.S. FTC). The Bureau's strong relationships with these international counterparts led to an efficient review of this matter. The Bureau's coordination with the U.S. FTC was consistent with the agencies' agreement on Best Practices on Cooperation in Cross-Border Merger Investigations. The Bureau is satisfied that the agreement will preserve competition in Canada, including with respect to price and innovation, in the supply of bedside blood gas and cardiac marker testing systems for human health and point of care blood gas testing systems for animal health.

14:02 EDT Quidel: FTC grants early termination of HSR waiting period for Alere deal - Quidel Corporation (QDEL) announced that it has received notice from the Federal Trade Commission granting early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, with respect to Quidel's pending acquisition of Alere Inc.'s (ALR) Triage B-type natriuretic peptide assay business run on Beckman Coulter analyzers. The acquisition of the BNP business by Quidel remains subject to the completion of Abbott's acquisition of Alere, as well as other regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Quidel's acquisition of Alere's Triage MeterPro business is not affected by the early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and remains subject to the completion of Abbott's acquisition of Alere, as well as regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

13:46 EDT TD Bank chief risk officer Chauvin to retire, Bambawale named successor - TD Bank Group announced that Mark Chauvin, Group Head and Chief Risk Officer, TD has informed the bank of his intention to retire as CRO effective January 31, 2018, after more than 37 years with the bank. TD has named Ajai Bambawale, current Head and Chief Risk Officer of TD Bank, as Chief Risk Officer, TD Bank Group effective February 1, 2018, reporting to CEO Bharat Masrani. TD also announced that Mark Chauvin will remain with the Bank until March 1, 2018 to support this transition.

13:37 EDT Alere up 3% after FTC announces settlement for Abbott merger

13:23 EDT Pershing Square highlights second in series of questions for ADP - Pershing Square Capital Management published a letter to shareholders highlighting the significant margin improvement that CDK Global (CDK) and Solera Holdings (SLH) achieved after their disposition by ADP (ADP). After separating from ADP, both CDK and Solera have delivered extraordinary increases in operating margins in only a few years. By examining the performance of CDK and Solera, investors can better understand the potential for improvement at ADP. The dramatic improvement in these businesses once they were no longer overseen by ADP's current board and management reflects the value that can be unlocked at ADP, which The Nominees for ADP's Transformation are committed to achieve. "Since our first presentation on August 17, 2017, ADP has yet to respond to the issues we have identified or the questions we have raised, including our first weekly question. Pershing Square published the second in a series of weekly public questions to ADP. We ask that ADP respond to both of these questions so shareholders can better understand ADP's potential. When ADP owned Dealer Services, it aimed to produce just ~50bps of annual margin improvement. When Dealer Services was spun-off as CDK, it promptly identified an opportunity to double margins without negative consequence to CDK's customers, shareholders or other stakeholders. Why was ADP not able to realize this opportunity when it owned CDK? CDK achieved this improvement by engaging constructively with shareholders, hiring an outside consultant to evaluate its potential, and announcing a transformation plan - why won't ADP do the same?"

13:20 EDT GoPro CEO says HERO6 Black 'in another league' - Nick Woodman is speaking on CNBC.

12:59 EDT RFID-maker Impinj rallies after analyst sees new product positive - Shares of radio frequency identification, RFID, chip maker Impinj (PI) are continuing their recovery which started in late August. Today's rally follows a note from RBC analyst Mitch Steves. Steves' note was focused on the company's new Monza R6-A tag. The tag, which is specifically designed for the European retail market, will offer improved privacy, and will help in the company's European expansion, said the analyst. Steves kept his Outperform rating on the stock and noted that Impinj will need to add customers, execute on the delayed customers, or improve margin to see more price improvement in shares. Notably, the analyst said that this will most likely not happen in 2017. BACKGROUND: The company describes itself as a leading provider of RAIN RFID solutions. RAIN RFID is a wireless technology that connects billions of everyday items to the internet, enabling businesses and consumers to identify, locate, authenticate, and engage each item. The Impinj platform is made up of both hardware and software and uses RAIN RFID to wirelessly connect everyday items to the internet, delivering digital life to the physical world. IMPINJ AND AMAZON: Impinj shares saw a boost beginning in late 2016 after online retail behemoth Amazon (AMZN) announced a new store concept Amazon Go. Amazon said at the time that it's "a new kind of store with no check-out required... In fact, RAIN RFID can improve inventory visibility by more than 25%." AUGUST BREAKDOWN: The first couple of weeks of August saw an almost 40% decimation of share price for Impinj after the company cut its 2017 order volume guidance, citing customer delays. With its Q2 financial report, the company gave tepid guidance for Q3 and a less robust product view for the year. Founder and CEO Chris Diorio noted that the company will be adversely impacted by setbacks "in planned roll out expansions at several large end customers." The slowdown will result in fewer items being tagged with the company's tracking chips. "We are revising our 2017 full-year endpoint IC estimated to be between 7B to 7.2Bunits," said Diorio in a statement. LATE AUGUST RECOVERY: On the evening of August 23, the Federal Trade Commission approved Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods Market (WFM), which was announced two months before. Shares of Impinj closed up almost 11% the next day and have tagged on another 15% since then. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Impinj are up almost 5% to $41.00 in early afternoon trading.

12:15 EDT American Airlines says guidance change will focus more on long term view

12:09 EDT American Airlines says 're-fleeting' initiative has increased its leverage - The company will keep a higher cash balance due to this increased leverage.

12:05 EDT Lionsgate, Parques Reunidos to open indoor entertainment center in Times Square - Lionsgate and Parques Reunidos, a leisure park operator, have kicked off their strategic partnership by announcing their first Lionsgate branded indoor entertainment center, set to open in New York City's Times Square in 2019. Lionsgate Entertainment City will feature attractions built around multiple iconic Lionsgate film and television properties including Mad Men, The Hunger Games and the most recent installment of the John Wick franchise. It will be located in the heart of a Times Square neighborhood that attracts over 50 million visitors annually and is the first of several branded indoor entertainment centers that the two companies are planning for high traffic urban areas in major U.S. and European cities.

12:01 EDT Time Inc.'s Essence, TV/video production units partner with Macro - Time Inc.'s ESSENCE and the company's television and video production unit, TIME INC. PRODUCTIONS, have formed a multi-platform partnership with Charles D. King's MACRO to develop and produce a television documentary and video project aimed at the multicultural audience. The partnership was announced today by Bruce Gersh, SVP of Business Development and Strategy for Time Inc. and King, Founder and CEO of MACRO. The first project of the new partnership, "I Turn My Camera On," the 10-part digital video series from MACRO Digital Studio sponsored by L Studio, is slated for an October 4, 2017, premiere on multiple platforms including ESSENCE.com and PEOPLE TV, and will be extended to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

11:53 EDT Alere agrees to pay $13M in SEC settlement - Alere announced that it has reached a settlement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the SEC's previously disclosed investigation. The SEC investigation primarily involved certain accounting and other matters occurring at foreign subsidiaries previously acquired by the company. Alere issued the following statement, "We have cooperated with the SEC and we are pleased to fully resolve this matter." Under the terms of the settlement, Alere agreed to pay approximately $13M to the SEC and consented to the entry by the SEC of an administrative cease-and-desist order, issued by the SEC, without admitting or denying the findings in the order.

11:37 EDT Dexcom plunges after competing glucose monitoring system approved - Shares of Dexcom (DXCM) are sliding after Abbott Laboratories (ABT) announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its FreeStyle Libre Glucose Monitoring System. Several analysts commented on the news this morning, with JPMorgan, Raymond James and Northland downgrading Dexcom to Neutral-equivalent ratings. LIBRE FDA APPROVAL: Last night, Abbott announced that the FDA has approved the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System as a replacement for blood glucose monitoring for adults with diabetes in the U.S. This new glucose sensing technology eliminates the need for routine finger sticks and is the only personal continuous glucose monitor that does not require finger stick calibration, the company stated. The FreeStyle Libre reads glucose levels through a sensor that is worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 10 days, making it the "longest lasting personal glucose sensor available in the U.S.," the company added. STREET REACTION: Following the announcement, Barclays analyst Matthew Taylor told investors that the FDA approval came a bit earlier than consensus expectations with a significantly better than expected label as it allows for dosing or a replacement claim. The analyst noted that he believes Abbott's entry into the U.S. market with this label could be disruptive. Further, Taylor argued that Libre could be both market expanding for glucose monitoring devices and take share from other players, including Dexcom. The analyst reiterated an Overweight rating on Abbott's shares and raised his price target on the stock to $60 from $57. DEXCOM DOWNGRADES: Meanwhile, his peer at JPMorgan downgraded Dexcom to Neutral from Overweight, pointing out that Libre's label came in better than expected, Abbott's pricing strategy is even more aggressive than thought, and an aggressive Abbott commercial strategy with the five largest pharmacies is already lined up for distribution starting in December. While not "game over" for Dexcom's CGM, the approval introduces low priced competition into the MDI segment of the population where the company was previously the sole competitor, analyst Michael Weinstein contended. He lowered his price target on Dexcom's shares to $71 from $93. His peer at Raymond James also downgraded Dexcom to Market Perform from Outperform, citing increased competitive concerns. Analyst Jayson Bedford noted that Abbott's approval was expected, but the broader label was not. Bedford expects Libre to receive Medicare reimbursement and for Abbott to be more aggressive on pricing, impacting DexCom's growth outlook. Additionally, Northland analyst Suraj Kalia downgraded Dexcom to Market Perform and lowered his price target on the stock to $60 from $85. Like his peer, the analyst sees Libre's concomitant nonadjunctive to fingersticks label as a surprise that removes a key competitive advantage for Dexcom. WILLIAM BLAIR MORE POSITIVE ON DEXCOM: Also commenting on the news, William Blair analyst Margaret Kaczor argued that while she did not think Abbott's Libre would receive a dosing claim given the product's "inferior accuracy," it still lacks Dexcom's alerts and alarms that proactively protect the patient from glycemic excursions. Libre's dosing may shift the competitive dynamic "modestly in Abbott's favor versus Street expectations," but more importantly, its approval should be market expansive as it creates a new type of glucose monitoring category in the U.S., Kaczor contended. The analyst believes Dexcom will retain a "material technological and brand advantage." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Abbott have gained over 4% to $54.28, while Dexcom's stock has plunged over 36% to $42.95.

11:13 EDT Pingtan lower after Caixin links to illegal wildlife transport - Shares of Pingtan Marine Enterprise are lower after China's Caixin linked the company to Fuzhou Honglong, whose ships were found illegally transporting endangered species like baby sharks and scalloped hammerhead. Caixin's investigation revealed that ship owner Fuzhou Honglong Ocean Aquatic Products has close links to Pingtan and that the largest stakeholders of the two companies are members of the same family. Shares of Pingtan Marine are down 16%, or 45c, to $2.38 in morning trading. Reference Link

10:52 EDT McDonald's up after Longbow predicts better than expected U.S. sales - McDonald's (MCD) U.S. comparable sales are set to exceed expectations this quarter, predicted research firm Longbow, which also upgraded the shares to Buy from Hold. U.S. OUTLOOK: After Longbow conducted checks, Alton Stump, an analyst at the firm, estimated that McDonald's comparable sales rose 4%-4.5% this quarter. According to Stump, analysts were on average looking for an increase of just 3.5%. POSITIVE CATALYSTS: McDonald's beverage promotion continued to increase its year-over-year comp sales by 1.5 to 2 percentage points this quarter, the analyst stated. Meanwhile, its Signature Crafted sandwiches increased the average amount spent by its customers by 1.5 percentage points, and its Sriracha Big Mac, launched in late July, "sold surprisingly well," wrote Stump. TARGET: McDonald's short-term and long-term outlook are favorable and the stock should trade at a higher multiple than its historical average, given the company's "ongoing turnaround" in the U.S. and overseas, Stump stated. He set a $183 price target on the name. MSCIENCE ON OTHER SIDE: On September 12, another research firm, MScience, said it was cautious about McDonald's Q3 results after it conducted its own channel checks. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, McDonald's rose 2% to $157.49 per share.

10:42 EDT Analyst sees Amazon disrupting retail pharmacy industry - In a research note this morning, Bernstein analyst Lance Wilkes told investors that he expects Amazon (AMZN) to enter the retail pharmacy industry, which leaves him increasingly concerned it will negatively impact Pharmacy Benefit Manager, or PBM, earnings levers. AMAZON TO DISRUPT RETAIL PHARMACY: Amazon will enter the retail pharmacy industry, especially because it is a large and disruptable market, Bernstein's Wilkes told investors, adding that he believes Amazon is well positioned to address/impact the major customer issues in this market. Wilkes sees the retail pharmacy sector as a $300B market with potential margins in the high single digits, and believes the barriers to online/mail adoption have been poor user interface and insufficient cost savings to motivate consumers to switch to online/mail. Amazon can disrupt retail pharmacy given the operating expense efficiencies of a centralized online model, he argued, while noting that the major advantages come from eliminating 70,000 retail locations, which could be replaced by automated distribution centers with efficient pharmacist oversight. Further, the analyst pointed out that Amazon could further lower prices if it is willing to sacrifice margin to gain scale. In terms of strategic options, Wilkes argued that the e-commerce giant could either partner with large PBMs, such as UnitedHealth's (UNH) OptumRx or Cigna (CI), or disrupt both the PBM and retail pharmacy model through buying a smaller transparent PBM or creating a carve-out online option for MCOs and employers. The analyst believes OptumRx, along with other MCO owned PBMs, are the most logical partner, and thinks MedImpact or RiteAid's (RAD) EnvisionRx are the most logical targets. Additionally, Wilkes noted that the innovation of utilizing Amazon would be consistent with UnitedHealth's innovative approaches in other consumer engagement areas. Overall, the analyst sees Amazon's entry as negative for independent pharmacies, somewhat negative for national pharmacies and distributors, and a long term negative for PBMs. Publicly traded owners of PBMs include Express Scripts (ESRX), UnitedHealth, and CVS Health (CVS). PERRIGO OPPORTUNITY: Commenting on the specialty pharmaceuticals sector, Morgan Stanley analyst David Risinger told investors in a research note of his own that after thinking through Perrigo's (PRGO) opportunity to grow with Amazon, he does not expect much of an incremental sales opportunity. Online purchases will likely cannibalize existing Perrigo sales via traditional retailers, he argued. Amazon currently sells Perrigo's GoodSense low-cost brand and Risinger sees it as possible that Amazon eventually develops its own brand and sources private label products from Perrigo and others, which would also likely cannibalize GoodSense. The analyst reiterated an Equal Weight rating on Perrigo's shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Amazon are fractionally up to $950.90. Shares of Express Scripts and UnitedHealth are also fractionally up to $63.19 and $194.96, respectively, while CVS is fractionally down to $81.21.

10:28 EDT Hain Celestial board overhaul fuels added sale speculation - Shares of Hain Celestial (HAIN), an organic and natural products company, jumped in morning trading after the company reached an agreement with an activist investor on changes to its board and entered into a mutual cooperation agreement under which it will form a group to examine strategic alternatives. ENGAGED AGREEMENT: Hain Celestial stated this morning that it has reached an agreement with Engaged Capital for changes to its board. As part of the agreement, Hain said it will nominate six new directors, including Celeste Clark, Dean Hollis, Shervin Korangy, Jack Sinclair and Dawn Welling, to the board, while three of the company's current directors will not stand for reelection at the annual meeting. Additional, as per the terms of the agreement, Engaged Capital founder Glenn Welling will also join Hain's board. Hain plans to hold its 2017 annual meeting on November 16. REVIEWING ALTERNATIVES: In a regulatory filing discussing the deal with Engaged, Hain said it will form a working group of the board to work with an advisor to review the company's portfolio of businesses, brands and operating strategy. The group will also evaluate alternatives to create shareholder value. The members of the Working Group will be Hain's president, chief executive officer and chairman Irwin Simon, lead independent director Andrew Heyer, as well as Welling and Korangy. In June, Engaged reported a 9.9% stake in Hain, making it the company's largest shareholder. The activist investor, which had recently won a similar battle against Rent-A-Center (RCII), urged Hain to add directors with more food-industry experience, more-closely align executive compensation with performance, reduce costs and consider a sale. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Hain is working with Centerview Partners to help with the review, which could lead to a full or partial sale of the company. HAIN NOT FOR SALE: Hain Celestial is not for sale, CNBC's David Faber reported earlier. Though the company would be open to takeover approaches, Faber said the company is not running an auction or shopping itself. ANALYST COMMENTARY: Commenting on today's news, Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner, who has a Market Perform rating and $42 price target on Hain, concluded that an asset unwind will likely present the best path to maximizing value given the company's "disparate" portfolio, competition and "sizeable" price tag even before a bid premium. According to the analyst, the "pieces" of Hain are "worth more than the sum." Jefferies analyst Akshay Jagdale said his initial reaction is "positive," as it removes the overhang of a potential proxy fight. The analyst noted that management previously mentioned that it was conducting a periodic strategic review and that it would be open to "pruning" the portfolio if it made sense. PRICE ACTION: Hain is up about 1% to $40.71 in morning trading, off earlier highs.

10:18 EDT Roche announces CE label expansion for PD-L1 assay - Roche announced the expanded use of the VENTANA PD-L1 Assay in non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic urothelial carcinoma in CE markets where the Roche cancer immunotherapy medicine TECENTRIQ is approved. This unique assay evaluates patient PD-L1 status using immune cell and tumor cell staining within the tumor microenvironment, providing clinicians with information that may guide treatment decisions. It was previously approved by the U.S. FDA as a complementary diagnostic to provide PD-L1 status on patients with NSCLC and mUC who are considering treatment with TECENTRIQ.

09:48 EDT Conagra Brands will continue pursuit of 'value-enhancing' M&A - Says looking for opportunities that are modernizing and synergistic. Says its seeks opportunities with attractive top-line and that will be accretive to margin. Says will continue to divest assets strategically.

09:39 EDT Maiden Holdings sees Q3 impact from hurricanes $8M-$31M - Maiden Holdings announced its initial estimate of net loss exposure to the impact of all third quarter 2017 catastrophe activity to be in the range of $8M-$31M. Maiden expects no third quarter earthquake losses and no impact from Hurricane Maria. Commenting on the recent catastrophe activity, Art Raschbaum, President and CEO of Maiden said, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the many people impacted by these devastating events. It is important to note that Maiden is not a participant in the catastrophe reinsurance market and consistent with Maiden's strategy of focusing on non-catastrophe business, the Company expects a modest level of losses from the significant storms occurring during the third quarter of 2017. Across Maiden's entire portfolio, internal catastrophe modeling and specific account-by-account analyses suggests, at this time, that hurricane related losses will have a modest impact on Maiden's 2017 combined ratio. As the expected results from these hurricanes suggest, aggregation of all property exposures are carefully managed to mitigate the impacts of catastrophes on the Company's earnings and balance sheet."

09:23 EDT Rite Aid says has opportunities 'we couldn't even consider before' - Rite Aid (RAD) sees opportunities to put money back in the business, "a lot of different directions we can go." Says primary focus is to get momentum back in core business. Says contract with McKesson (MCK) goes through end of March 2019, says in conversations about how relationship will work going forward.

09:20 EDT Amazon to open fufillment center in Euclid, Ohio creating 1,000 jobs - Amazon.com announced plans to open its fifth Ohio fulfillment center in Euclid, which will create more than 1,000 full-time positions. The company recently announced upcoming fulfillment centers in Monroe and North Randall, and it currently operates fulfillment centers in Etna and Obetz. Associates at the 650,000-square-foot facility will pick, pack and ship customer items such as electronics, books, housewares and toys. Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards.

09:17 EDT Booz Allen awarded $87.2M contract by Naval Aviation Enterprise - The Naval Aviation Enterprise, a partnership led by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, ensures the Navy's ability to maintain current readiness and identify and incorporate future warfighting capabilities. To support this mission, the Navy has awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a $87.2M cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite delivery contract to provide technical, analytical and managerial support. Booz Allen will help the NAE foster a collaborative environment between Naval Aviation stakeholders to ensure that warfighting requirements are maintained while working to identify and address maintenance, manpower and training issues affecting readiness--reducing costs where possible.

09:16 EDT Napo Pharmaceuticals files CMC supplement with FDA for Mytesi - Jaguar Health announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Napo Pharmaceuticals has filed a Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls supplement with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for six-tablet bottles of Mytesi, Napo's FDA-approved human drug, in preparation for Napo's planned national sample campaign. Mytesi is approved by the U.S. FDA for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy. Jaguar and Napo are pursuing a follow-on indication for Mytesi in chemotherapy-induced diarrhea, an important supportive care indication for patients undergoing primary or adjuvant chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Mytesi is also in development for rare disease indications for infants and children with congenital diarrheal disorders and short bowel syndrome; for irritable bowel syndrome; for supportive care for inflammatory bowel disease; and as a second-generation anti-secretory agent for use in cholera patients. Mytesi has received orphan-drug designation for SBS. The planned sample bottles will contain enough Mytesi tablets for three days of use. To implement the filing, Napo produced stability data in support of a one-year shelf life for the contents of the sample bottles.

09:12 EDT PTC Therapeutics trading halted, news pending - The FDA Peripheral & Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee will hold a meeting today to discuss PTC Therapeutics' New Drug Application for ataluren for treatment of patients with dystrophinopathy due to a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene.

09:10 EDT Westinghouse, Turboatom sign extended partnership contract - Westinghouse Electric Company announced that it has signed an extended Memorandum of Understanding with Ukrainian company PJSC Turboatom, in partnership to coordinate and cooperate on increasing the capacity of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Turboatom is engaged in designing and manufacturing turbines for nuclear, thermal and hydro power plants.

09:08 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical, SGC announce collaboration agreement in IBD - Takeda Pharmaceutical, Karolinska Institutet and The Structural Genomics Consortium announced a combined pre-competitive and proprietary collaboration to discover and validate new potential intervention points for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The agreement establishes a translational medicine research team of scientists and clinicians from Takeda, Karolinska University Hospital and SGC, which will develop advanced translational disease models from patient-derived tissue samples from a large and well-characterized IBD patient cohort. These industry-standard assays will be used to test high quality chemical probes from the SGC, as well as compounds from Takeda, allowing scientists to interrogate previously unexplored cellular targets and pathways in these diseases of substantial need, including Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda will provide funding for these research studies over a three-year period. In the pre-competitive arm of the collaboration, KI, SGC and Takeda will make all reagents and knowledge available to the research community without restriction on use to maximize the impact of the collaboration. In the proprietary arm of the collaboration, study outcomes will be exclusively for Takeda, and may allow the company to link patients to drug candidates, identify new patient subpopulations or assess the underlying biological mechanisms contributing to the initiation and progression of IBD.

09:05 EDT Toyota Racing Development selects Amazon Web Services for cloud services - Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com company (AMZN), announced that Toyota Racing Development (TM), the in-house engineering division for Toyota and Lexus motorsports programs, has gone all-in on AWS. Building its race intelligence system on the cloud with the most functionality has helped TRD's teams win NASCAR races. TRD uses AWS's industry-leading cloud services to create mission-critical applications that enable its crews to improve precision, consistency, and speed during practice runs and in competition. These race intelligence applications collect data from vehicles and their environments and apply real-time analytics and machine learning to better understand how a vehicle may handle on any track under any circumstance.

09:04 EDT Future FinTech holds signing ceremony for IB-LIVE provincial agents in China - Future FinTech held a signing ceremony of 'IB-LIVE' provincial agents by GlobalKey Supply Chain, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. GlobalKey Supply Chain had previously signed a License Agreement with Shaanxi Entai Bio-Technology Co. to serve as the sole global general distributor and operational platform for 'IB-LIVE' with responsibility for marketing, sales, publicity and distribution. 'IB-LIVE' is a group of products for improving male sexual health. The company estimates that sales of the 'IB-LIVE' product could reach RMB30M in Q4 and approximately RMB200M in FY18.

09:02 EDT Heidrick & Struggles to acquire Amrop Denmark, terms not disclosed - Heidrick & Struggles has entered into an agreement to acquire Amrop Denmark, the leading executive search and leadership consulting firm in Denmark. The acquisition is expected to close December 31, 2017. All five Amrop Denmark partners are expected to join Heidrick & Struggles' Copenhagen office as partners. The combined organization is expected to become the largest leadership advisory firm in the Danish market with nine client-facing consultants and a total of 37 employees

09:00 EDT Tennant names Jeffrey Cotter general counsel - Tennant Company (TNC) announced the appointment of Jeffrey Cotter as SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective September 25. Cotter replaces Heidi Wilson who announced her retirement earlier this year. Most recently, Cotter served as VP, general counsel, and corporate secretary of G&K Services (GK), where he oversaw all legal affairs of the publicly traded company.

08:56 EDT Rite Aid sees pressure on pharmacy margins for remainder of year - Rite Aid (RAD) says reimbursement rate pressure has created challenges for business. Says expects to receive proceeds of asset sale over a period of several months, will be used to pay off about $270M of net liabilities related to divested assets. Believes store footprint will be more profitable following Walgreens (WBA) transaction, will have less exposure to pharmacy reimbursement rates. Says not providing guidance at this time. Sees pressure on pharmacy margins for rest of year. Says believes it will grow Med D membership in 2018 by approximately 100,000 members. Expects leverage to substantially improve upon completion of asset sale. Comments taken from the Q2 earnings conference call. Rite Aid is down 5.7% in premarket trading.

08:53 EDT Chembio Diagnostics receives FDA EUA for DPP Zika System - Chembio Diagnostics announced that it has received FDA Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, for its DPP Zika System. The DPP Zika System, which provides results in 15-20 minutes from only 10microL of blood, is the first rapid Zika test to receive an FDA EUA for use in high and moderate complexity CLIA certified laboratories. The DPP Zika System includes the DPP Zika IgM Assay and DPP Micro Reader, which is portable, hand-held, easy to use, and can reduce the risk of human error during test interpretation. The test is authorized for the presumptive detection of Zika virus IgM antibodies in fingerstick whole blood, EDTA venous whole blood, EDTA plasma or serum specimens collected from individuals meeting CDC Zika virus clinical and/or epidemiological criteria, from 8 days of on-set and up to 12 weeks. The DPP Zika System has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use in authorized laboratories in the United States that are certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment, to perform high or moderate complexity tests, or by similarly qualified non-U.S. laboratories.

08:40 EDT Kellogg backs FY17 guidance - The company reaffirmed its full-year 2017 guidance for currency-neutral comparable Net Sales, Operating Profit, Earnings Per Share, and Cash Flow. The company confirmed that its transition out of Direct Store Delivery remains on track, and that its underlying sales trends are improving sequentially in Q3, as previously forecast. Meanwhile, its comparable-basis profit margins continue to improve, on the strength of its Project K and Zero-Based Budgeting initiatives.

08:37 EDT Abeona Therapeutics, Brammer collaborate on commercial translation of ABO-102 - Abeona Therapeutics announced an update on the company's manufacturing strategy and plans for ABO-102, including strategic manufacturing commitments with Brammer Bio for commercial translation. Abeona also announced the recent appointment of Phillip B. Maples, Ph.D., as Vice President of Therapeutic Development and Quality Management to oversee all cell-therapy manufacturing and Adam Davis, Ph.D., as Director to oversee AAV manufacturing.

08:36 EDT Kellogg CEO John Bryant retires, Steven Cahillane to succeed

08:35 EDT SteadyMed submits Type A Meeting Request package to FDA - SteadyMed announced that it has submitted a Type A Meeting Request and Briefing Document to the FDA. The Type A meeting is being requested in response to the FDA's August 28, 2017 Refusal to File, or RTF, letter relating to SteadyMed's New Drug Application, or NDA, for Trevyent, its lead drug product candidate that is in development for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, or PAH. The Meeting Request and Briefing Document contain SteadyMed's proposals to address the issues raised by the FDA in the RTF letter, along with a request for a Type A meeting to obtain agreement on SteadyMed's proposed pathway to a Trevyent NDA resubmission. Per FDA guidance to industry, a Type A meeting is a meeting needed to help an otherwise stalled product development program proceed. If granted, Type A meetings are generally scheduled within 30 days of the meeting request.

08:33 EDT Rockwell Medical files Calcitriol post-approval manufacturing submission - Rockwell Medical provided an update on the commercial launch of Calcitriol, stating that it has submitted its chemistry, manufacturing and controls, or CMC, post-approval drug manufacturing supplement to the FDA. The company anticipates Calcitriol to be commercially available in the U.S. approximately 30 days after the CMC submission, provided the FDA has no further requests. Calcitriol is Rockwell's FDA approved active Vitamin D injection for the management of hypocalcemia in patients undergoing chronic renal dialysis.

08:32 EDT Tandem Diabetes reports high satisfaction rates for insulin pump software update - Tandem Diabetes Care announced that one-third of t:slim X2 Pump users have already updated their pumps via personal computer to add the new Dexcom G5 Mobile continuous glucose monitoring integration. Tandem announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and immediate launch of the CGM-enabled t:slim X2 Pump on August 28, including the associated software update for more than 12,000 customers who purchased a t:slim X2 Pump prior to the approval. Of the t:slim X2 Pump users who have taken advantage of the software update, more than 85% indicated they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the update process.

08:31 EDT Catabasis to present results from Sarepta collaboration at ICWMS - Catabasis Pharmaceuticals (CATB) said it will present data from the Catabasis and Sarepta (SRPT) joint research collaboration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy at the 22nd International Congress of the World Muscle Society in a poster presentation titled "Edasalonexent, an NF-kB inhibitor, enhances myotube formation in vitro, and increases exon-skipped sarcolemmal dystrophin in muscle of mdx mice" during poster session 4 on Thursday, October 5, 2017 from 17:00 - 18:30 CEST. The International Congress of the World Muscle Society is being held October 3 - 7, 2017, at the Palais du Grand Large in Saint Malo, France.

08:29 EDT AK Steel ratifies labor agreement for Rockport Works with UAW members - AK Steel reported that members of the United Auto Workers Local 3044, have ratified a four year labor agreement covering about 319 hourly production employees at the company's Rockport Works. The agreement will be in effect until September 30, 2021.

08:27 EDT Party City to hire 25,000 employees for Halloween season - Party City said that it plans to hire approximately 25,000 temporary employees and open up more than 270 Halloween City pop-up stores in preparation for a busy Halloween season.

08:22 EDT BlackBerry's Radar-L adopted by Titanium Transportation - BlackBerry announced that Titanium Transportation Group has started deploying Radar-L across its fleet of flatbeds. Titanium's entire fleet now utilizes the BlackBerry Radar platform.

08:16 EDT BlackBerry says licensing business performed 'quite well' in Q2 - Sees additional opportunities in 2H18.

08:14 EDT Pioneer Power to provide monitoring systems for home improvement retailer - Pioneer Power Solutions' Critical Power Division has been selected to provide a remote monitoring solution for the emergency power systems at a limited number of stores for a leading home improvement retailer.

08:12 EDT Omnicell expands partnership with Prime Healthcare - Omnicell announced that Prime Healthcare, a 45-hospital network serving 14 states, is implementing the company's new XT Series automated medication dispensing systems in seven hospitals. Prime Healthcare is also adding anesthesia and supply offerings to the suite of Omnicell solutions used in select sites.

08:08 EDT BlackBerry says expects strong public sector business outside U.S.

08:08 EDT Achaogen awarded up to $18M contract by BARDA - Achaogen announced that it has been awarded a contract valued at up to $18M in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, to support the development of C-Scape, a product candidate being developed to treat serious bacterial infections due to extended spectrum beta-lactamase, or ESBL,-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The BARDA contract was awarded to Achaogen under BARDA's Antibacterials program, and includes a nine-month base period with committed funding of $12M and subsequent option periods that, if exercised, would bring the total value of the award to $18M.

08:06 EDT AbbVie announces resolution of Humira patent disputes with Amgen - AbbVie (ABBV) announced a global resolution of all intellectual property-related litigation with Amgen (AMGN) over Amgen's proposed biosimilar adalimumab product. Under the terms of the settlement agreements, AbbVie will grant to Amgen a non-exclusive license to AbbVie's intellectual property relating to Humira beginning on certain dates in certain countries in which AbbVie has intellectual property. The license period will begin on Jan. 31, 2023 in the U.S., on Oct. 16, 2018 in most countries in the European Union, and on other dates in various countries in which AbbVie has intellectual property. Amgen will pay royalties as specified under the agreements. The precise terms are confidential between the parties. All litigation pending between the parties will be dismissed, and Amgen has acknowledged the validity of AbbVie's intellectual property related to Humira. Laura Schumacher, executive vice president, external affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary, AbbVie, said, "In reaching this agreement, we have achieved the balance between protecting investment in innovation and providing access to biosimilars, which will play an important role in our health care system. We will continue to defend our intellectual property and to reinvest in further advancements in medicine to bring choices to patients in need."

08:05 EDT BlackBerry says 'pleased with execution' in Q2 - Said delivered strong software billings growth. Expects double digit billings growth for remainder of year. Says had highest operating margin in five years. Comments from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:04 EDT D.R. Horton, Forestar report preliminary merger consideration election results - D.R. Horton (DHI) and Forestar (FOR) announced the preliminary results of the elections made by Forestar stockholders regarding the form of merger consideration they wish to receive in connection with D.R. Horton's pending acquisition of approximately 75% of the currently outstanding shares of Forestar pursuant to that certain merger agreement by and among D.R. Horton, Forestar and Force Merger Sub. As previously announced, the cash and stock elections will be subject to proration and adjustment procedures, as set forth in the merger agreement. Subject to those proration and adjustment procedures in the merger agreement, common stockholders of Forestar had the option to elect to receive, for each share of Forestar common stock held, either (i) an amount in cash equal to $17.75 or (ii) one new share of Forestar common stock. As previously announced, the deadline for making this election was 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 27.Based on available information as of the election deadline, the preliminary election results were: Holders of 38,259,107 shares of Forestar common stock, or approximately 91.23% of the outstanding shares of Forestar common stock, elected to receive the cash consideration. Holders of 4,260,068 shares of Forestar common stock, or approximately 10.16% of the outstanding shares of Forestar common stock, elected to receive the stock consideration. Because the number of shares subject to elections above exceeds 41,938,936 shares, which was the number of shares of Forestar common stock outstanding as of the close of business of September 27, 2017, it appears there are duplicative elections made pursuant to guaranteed delivery procedures.

08:03 EDT j2 Global announces Vivek Shah to become CEO in 2018 - j2 Global announced that it has selected Vivek Shah to succeed Nehemia Zucker as CEO effective January 1, 2018. The j2 Board of Directors believes Shah is a tested and dynamic executive capable of leading j2 Global into the future as a leading Internet information and services company with a continued focus on growth and profitability. Zucker will serve as CEO of j2 until the end of this year. On January 1, 2018, Hemi will join OCV, a venture capital firm organized by j2's Chairman of the Board, Richard Ressler. For the past five years, Mr. Shah has served as CEO of Ziff Davis, j2's digital media business.

08:03 EDT VistaGen Therapeutics receives Notice of Allowance from USPTO for AV-101 - VistaGen Therapeutics announced receiving a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application No. 14/775,287 related to certain methods of production for AV-101, VistaGen's lead CNS product candidate.

08:02 EDT Nasdaq to explore strategic alternatives for PR solutions, digital media units - Nasdaq announced that it has commenced a process to evaluate potential strategic alternatives for the Public Relations Solutions and Digital Media Services units within its Corporate Solutions business. This process is a result of Nasdaq's refined strategic direction, which emphasizes the company allocating more resources towards technology, data and analytics opportunities, leveraging its capital markets foundation.

07:59 EDT Remark Media awarded AI contract for intellectual property piracy in China - Remark Holdings announced that Sefon, a Big Data services company headquartered in Chengdu, China, awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to Remark Holdings' KanKan subsidiary to help fight intellectual-property piracy in China. The proprietary technology will first be deployed in the Guizhou region.

07:56 EDT Accenture sees FY18 operating margin 14.9%-15.1% - An expansion of 10 to 30 basis points from adjusted operating margin for fiscal 2017. For fiscal 2018, the company expects operating cash flow to be in the range of $5B-$5.3B; property and equipment additions to be $600M; and free cash flow to be in the range of $4.4B-$4.7B. The company expects its annual effective tax rate to be in the range of 23%-25%.

07:46 EDT Jacobs Engineering awarded $34.6M CNS/ATM contract from U.S. Air Force - Jacobs Engineering Group was awarded a continuation contract for the United States Air Force Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management software development. The software supports the fleet of Air Mobility and Air Combat Command aircraft. The contract is valued at $34.6M over five years if all options are exercised. Work will be primarily performed at the Jacobs Software Engineering Center in Nashua, NH. Under this contract, Jacobs will continue software development previously done under the Global Mobility and Special Mission Mission Planning Software Development and Sustainment contract. Jacobs will design, develop and deliver CNS/ATM compliant software which produces aircraft readable navigational databases for the C-5, C-17, KC-10, KC-135, E-3 DRAGON and EC-130H aircraft. The contract also includes data validation of National Geospatial Agency aviation datasets and support for Foreign Military Services aircraft platforms.

07:40 EDT Conagra Brands reports Q1 adjusted gross margin up 26 bps to 29.2% - Q1 gross margin increased 3 basis points to 28.8%. Adjusted gross margin increased 26 basis points to 29.2%. Improvements in price/mix and the impact of divesting lower margin businesses more than offset the impact of input cost inflation. The company estimates that incremental slotting fees reduced adjusted gross margin expansion by approximately 35 basis points.

07:35 EDT Quest Diagnostics to acquire Shiel Medical Laboratory from Fresenius Medical - Quest Diagnostics (DGX) announced an agreement under which Quest will acquire the Shiel Medical Laboratory business from Fresenius Medical Care (FMS). The transaction is structured as a purchase of assets. Shiel is a clinical laboratory provider serving the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. Fresenius Medical Care's dialysis-related laboratory services business, Spectra Labs, is not affected by the divestiture. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

07:33 EDT BlackBerry signs BlackBerry Secure licensing deal with Yangzhou New Telecom - BlackBerry announced the company has signed its first BlackBerry Secure licensing deal with Yangzhou New Telecom Science and Technology Company, or NTD, a Yangzhou and Beijing based electronics design firm that develops and manufactures smartphones and IoT devices. As part of BlackBerry's multi-dimensional licensing strategy, this licensing agreement means NTD will develop devices that will be branded by OEMs, carriers and local smartphone brands and marketed as "BlackBerry Secure" due to the use of BlackBerry's security software. This builds on the agreements with BB Merah Putih, Optemius and TCL, which enable those companies to bring to market BlackBerry-branded devices such as the award-winning BlackBerry KEYone smartphone.

07:31 EDT Arcimoto announces new manufacturing plant in Oregon - Arcimoto announced it has signed a lease on a manufacturing plant for its Arcimoto SRK three-wheeled electric vehicle and received the necessary building permits from the City of Eugene Planning Department for leasehold improvements. The Company will take delivery of the 30,000 square foot facility on October 1, 2017 and plans to occupy it by the end of next month. The Arcimoto Manufacturing Plant is located in West Eugene and will have the capacity to employ up to 250 people.

07:24 EDT Luxoft acquires UNAFORTIS - Luxoft Holding announced that it has acquired UNAFORTIS, a Swiss-based wealth management consultancy specializing in Avaloq implementations and business consulting anchored in IT services. Avaloq is a provider of fully integrated banking software for the back, middle, and front office. With a team of in-depth experts dedicated to Avaloq-related services, UNAFORTIS is one of its leading implementation partners. This acquisition therefore deepens Luxoft's expertise in standardized software and enables Excelian, Luxoft Financial Services to target a growing global client base within the wealth management, private, and universal banking sectors. In addition, Luxoft intends to offer Avaloq-based services beyond the predominantly Swiss-client base of UNAFORTIS. Luxoft therefore plans to work with Avaloq to develop more wealth management and private banking clients. In particular, Luxoft expects to build a 150 to 200-engineer global practice, taking advantage of synergies in the shared markets of Excelian and the recently acquired derivIT in the UK, APAC, Germany and North America, as well as the near and offshore - regionally adaptable - core capabilities of Luxoft.

07:20 EDT New Gold completes Schedule 2 amendment to close Rainy River effluents - New Gold reported that the amendment to Schedule 2 of the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations, required to close two small creeks and deposit tailings at the Rainy River project, has become effective. The company began processing ore on schedule on September 14. Since that date, the company has processed over 150,000 tonnes of ore, including an average of approximately 20,000 tonnes per day over the last four days.

07:12 EDT xG Technology receives $200K in orders for video system from California county - xG Technology's IMT Vislink business has received orders valued at approximately $200K for HD airborne video downlink system equipment from a county law enforcement agency located in Northern California.

07:10 EDT Sierra Metals signs MOU with Jinchuan Group in mexico - Sierra Metals signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jinchuan Group which formalizes the intentions of the parties in respect of their cooperation focused on the Jinchuan's Bahuerachi copper mining project's development in Chihuahua, Mexico. Jinchuan acquired the Bahuerachi copper porphyry deposit in connection with its acquisition of Tyler Resources in 2008 and has conducted multiple geologic and engineering studies with an aim to developing a large scale open pit copper mine. The Bahuerachi project concessions are adjacent to Sierra Metals' Bolivar copper mine concessions. The MOU has the objective of accelerating the cooperation between Jinchuan and Sierra Metals at the Bahuerachi mining concessions in a manner that is mutually beneficial to both companies.

07:07 EDT MagneGas develops system to recycle 95% of MangeGas2 waste products - MagneGas has developed and installed a capture and evaporation system that recycles 95% of the minimal waste byproducts produced during the production of MagneGas2. The company states that this renders the system virtually waste-free when compared to competitive legacy acetylene production methods.

07:06 EDT Galena completes enrollment in two NeuVax clinical trials - Galena Biopharma announced that two clinical trials evaluating NeuVax in combination with trastuzumab for the prevention of recurrence in breast cancer patients have enrolled the protocol-defined number of patients to complete enrollment. The milestones were reported by the clinical research organization conducting both trials - a Phase 2b clinical trial in HER2 1+/2+ patients and a Phase 2 clinical trial in HER2 3+ patients.

07:05 EDT Rite Aid reports Q2 SSS down 3.4% - Same store sales for the quarter decreased 3.4% over the prior year, consisting of a 4.6% decrease in pharmacy sales and a 0.9% decrease in front-end sales. Pharmacy sales included an approximate 189 basis point negative impact from new generic introductions. The number of prescriptions filled in same stores, adjusted to 30-day equivalents, decreased 1.8% over the prior year period due in part, to exclusion from certain pharmacy networks that Rite Aid participated in the prior year. Prescription sales accounted for 67.8% of total drugstore sales, and third party prescription revenue was 98.3% of pharmacy sales.

07:02 EDT Penske Automotive sees 4c-5c impact to Q3 EPS from hurricanes - Penske Automotive provided a preliminary estimate of the impact on its operations in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria. The company operates 19 dealerships and 3 collision centers in the affected areas which represented approximately 9% of the company's consolidated revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2017. Hurricane Maria has significantly impacted the island of Puerto Rico, as the power grid and communication systems on the island have been severely damaged. As a result, certain of the company's operations have been suspended and are expected to remain impacted for the immediate future. Our first priority in Puerto Rico is assisting our employees and their families as recovery efforts continue on the island and we are working directly with our Puerto Rico team towards that end. Hurricanes Irma and Harvey disrupted our operations in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Operations in Florida and Texas were impacted for nearly one week while Georgia experienced a disruption in operations for 1-2 days. Operations in Florida, Texas and Georgia are now operating at full capacity. As a result of the hurricanes, the company's third quarter 2017 financial performance is expected to be adversely impacted. The assessment of losses in Puerto Rico is ongoing and is expected to continue for the immediate future as basic services to the island resume. The company currently estimates that storm-related losses, expenses, and business interruption, net of expected insurance proceeds, will reduce earnings per share by 4c-5c for the three months ended September 30, 2017.

07:02 EDT Accenture raises semi-annual cash dividend 10% to $1.33 per share

06:53 EDT Gold Standard Ventures to commence drilling at Lewis Project in Nevada - Gold Standard Ventures will commence a drill program in mid-October at its 100%-owned Lewis Project in the Battle Mountain mining district, Lander County, Nevada. The $1.5M program will test a variety of targets with approximately 4,600m of drilling in 11 holes. The 5,340-acre property has several known mineralized zones and potential for new discoveries of economic gold and silver deposits. The project was acquired by Gold Standard as part of its purchase of Battle Mountain Gold completed on June 14. RC drilling will test for extensions of the historical Virgin deposit in the footwall of the Virgin fault. The Virgin gold-silver deposit consists of higher grade structures surrounded by low grade disseminated mineralization within a zone measuring about 600 meters long, 120 meters wide and 180 meters deep. Funds are budgeted for expanding the soil grid to the north and additional gravity coverage.

06:47 EDT BWX Technologies joint venture awarded three-year, $928M contract extension - BWX Technologies' (BWXT) Nuclear Waste Partnership joint venture between its subsidiary BWXT Technical Services Group, Inc. and AECOM (ACM) has been awarded a three-year extension to its management and operations contract at the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico. With an expected value of approximately $928M, the modification extends NWP's contract through September 30, 2020, with the potential for an additional two-year option.

06:39 EDT Abstract posted at WCLC for Spectrum's poziotinib - An abstract posted last night for the World Conference on Lung Cancer on Spectrum Pharmaceuticals' poziotinib concluded, "Poziotinib has selective activity against EGFR exon 20 mutations and potent activity in cell lines, PDX, and GEM models. Three platinum-refractory patients with EGFR exon 20 mutations have been treated thus far and are evaluable for response; all three had partial responses at the time of the initial scan. Updated data from the ongoing phase 2 clinical trial of poziotinib will be presented at the meeting." Reference Link

06:21 EDT Apple: iPhone X's Face ID not as secure for twins, children under 13 - Apple released security guidelines on Wednesday about iPhone X's Face ID, the feature that allows users to unlock the device just by looking at it. In the document, Apple said that the probability of a random person unlocking an iPhone X with Face ID is 1 in 1,000,000 versus 1 in 50,000 for its previous fingerprint sensor. However, the company noted that "The probability of a false match is different for twins and siblings that look like you as well as among children under the age of 13, because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed. If you're concerned about this, we recommend using a passcode to authenticate." Reference Link

06:19 EDT Toshiba approves sale of TMC to consortium led by Bain Capital - Toshiba's (TOSBF, TOSYY) board, as announced on September 20, "Notice on the Sale of Toshiba Memory Corporation," has approved the sale of all shares of Toshiba Memory Corporation, or TMC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba to K.K. Pangea, a special purpose acquisition company formed and controlled by a Bain Capital Private Equity, LP-led consortium. Toshiba has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement, or SPA, with Pangea. U.S. investors are comprised of Apple (AAPL), Kingston Technology, Seagate Technology (STX), and Dell Technologies Capital. Western Digital (WDC) has sought to prevent a transfer of Toshiba's interest in certain Joint Ventures between Toshiba and SanDisk, a subsidiary of Western Digital, to any third party. Toshiba and SanDisk are currently engaged in litigation and arbitration. The SPA contemplates that the sale of TMC will be consummated even if the Joint Venture interests have not been transferred to TMC prior to the closing unless the transfer of TMC's stock itself is blocked by an injunctive order. Upon satisfaction of all conditions, the closing of the share transfer will be on the first business day of the month immediately following the month in which the conditions are satisfied or waived. If such conditions are not satisfied or waived at least 11 business days prior to the first business day of such month, then the closing shall take place on the first business day of the following month. If the conditions are satisfied or waived during the period starting on February 15, 2018 and ending on the end of March 23, 2018, the closing shall occur on March 30, 2018. The SpA requires both Toshiba and Pangea to use their reasonable best efforts so as to complete the closing and Toshiba intends to close by the end of March 2018.

06:13 EDT Daimler acquires ride sharing provider Flinc - Daimler Mobility Services has announced the full acquisition of the Darmstadt-based flinc GmbH. flinc is a provider of door-to-door ridesharing for short- and medium-haul routes. The start-up launched the flinc platform for short-distance carpooling in 2011. Today, around half a million customers are registered with the platform. As the first ridesharing solution, flinc was integrated into free floating carsharing platforms, local public transport apps and app-based navigation systems. Many renowned companies use flinc's corporate ridesharing solution to secure and improve employee mobility. flinc GmbH will continue to operate independently. The founders Dr. Klaus Dibbern, Michael Hubl and Benjamin Kirschner will remain in the leadership team.

06:07 EDT Insulet opening manufacturing facility in Massachusetts - Insulet will host a groundbreaking celebration at its new manufacturing facility on a 26-acre site in Acton, Massachusetts. The new $100M facility is expected to create hundreds of local jobs. The company plans to begin production at this location in 2019.

06:03 EDT Autohome CFO Julian Jiun-lang Wang resigns, Jun Zou to succeed - Autohome announced that Jun Zou has been appointed to serve as the CFO of the company, and that Yan Kang and Julian Jiun-lang Wang have resigned as president and CFO of the company, respectively. Kang and Wang also resigned from the board of directors of the company. The appointment and resignations all took effect as of September 28. The resignations of Kang and Wang were not due to any disagreement with the company regarding its business, finance, accounting and/or any other affairs. Following their resignations, the Board is now comprised of seven members.

06:01 EDT Helmerich & Payne CFO Juan Pablo Tardio to retire in June, 2018 - Helmerich & Payne announced that Juan Pablo Tardio, Vice President and CFO, has informed the company of his intention to retire in June of 2018. The company will soon begin a comprehensive search for CFO candidates. Tardio will continue to serve in his current role until a successor is identified and has an opportunity to effectively transition into that position.

05:46 EDT Seagate to participate in consortium led by Bain to acquire Toshiba Memory - Seagate Technology (STX) announced its participation in the consortium led by Bain Capital Private Equity that has entered into an agreement with Toshiba Corporation to acquire Toshiba Memory Corporation. In the agreement, Seagate has committed to provide up to $1.25B in financing to support the acquisition, to be provided at closing, which is expected by March 2018. In addition, Seagate expects to enter into a long-term NAND supply agreement with Toshiba Memory that will provide continuity of raw NAND for Seagate's expanding SSD product portfolio. Seagate expects this transaction to be accretive to its earnings. "Over the course of many years, Seagate has developed an excellent long-term relationship with Toshiba Memory, and we have always been impressed with their consistent leadership in advancing NAND technology," said Steve Luczo, Seagate's chairman and chief executive officer. "We are pleased and honored to be part of the Bain Capital consortium and to help facilitate maintaining Toshiba Memory as a world leading independent NAND technology company. We know that Bain Capital is dedicated to the long-term success of Toshiba Memory and believe this acquisition is in the long-term best interests of our industry and of storage customers worldwide."

05:40 EDT Constellium extends long-term partnership with Fiat Chrysler - Constellium (CSTM) announced that it extends its long-term partnership with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCAU) to supply aluminium Auto Body Sheet for the new Alfa Romeo Stelvio. This first ever SUV produced by Alfa Romeo hit the road early 2017, and is the second vehicle produced on the newly launched FCA Giorgio platform. Constellium is the primary supplier of Auto Body Sheets both for the closures and inner parts for the Stelvio.

05:37 EDT Exa Corp. to be acquired by Dassault Systemes for $24.25 per share - Exa Corporation announced that its board has unanimously agreed to be acquired by Dassault Systemes in a transaction valued at approximately $400M or $24.25 per share. Under the terms of the merger agreement, a subsidiary of Dassault Systemes will commence a tender offer within the next 10 business days to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Exa common stock for a price of $24.25 per share payable in cash upon completion of the offer. This represents a fully diluted equity value for Exa of approximately $400M. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4.

05:31 EDT TechnipFMC awarded EPCI contract for Statoil Peregrino Phase II Project - TechnipFMC (FTI) has been awarded by Statoil (STO) an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation, or EPCI, contract. It covers the execution of the subsea pipeline connection for the new production platform in Peregrino Phase II Project, located in Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. This new fixed platform will be connected by the in-field lines to the existing platform. TechnipFMC will be responsible for the overall execution for engineering, procurement, manufacturing, construction, installation and pre-commissioning of the rigid pipelines, flexible lines and the required subsea equipment. The company will leverage local capabilities as well as the global state of the art pipelay fleet for the offshore campaign, which is scheduled to start in 2019.

05:12 EDT Valeant provides update on Canadian regulatory filing about financing plans - Valeant Pharmaceuticals routinely evaluates refinancing opportunities, including capital markets transactions, to continue to enhance its capital structure. As part of this, the company filed a routine private placement exemption application with Autorite des marches financiers, the principal securities regulator in Quebec. At this time, no decision has been made with respect to any capital markets transactions. The company does not intend to provide any updates on its financing plans until a definitive decision on any such financing has been made.