Stockwinners Market Radar for November 21, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:00 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P SmallCap 600 index - S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the open of trading on Thursday, November 30: CONSOL Mining Corporation, to be renamed CONSOL Energy (CEIX), will replace Iconix Brand Group (ICON). S&P MidCap 400 constituent CONSOL Energy, to be renamed CNX Resources (CNX), is spinning off CONSOL Mining in a transaction expected to be completed after the close of trading on Tuesday, November 28 pending final conditions. Post spin-off, the newly named CNX Resources will remain in the S&P MidCap 400 and will change its Global Industry Classification Standard to Oil & Gas Exploration & Production. Iconix Brand Group is ranked near the bottom of the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small-cap market space. PDF Solutions (PDFS) will replace Black Box (BBOX) in the S&P SmallCap 600. With a market capitalization below $60M, Black Box is ranked at the bottom of the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small-cap market space.

18:23 EDT Magna announces two share repurchase programs - Magna International announced that it intends to purchase for cancellation Common Shares pursuant to two specific share repurchase programs. Magna has entered into agreements with two arm's-length third party sellers to repurchase Common Shares through daily purchases under each Program. The Programs will run sequentially with purchases under the first Program taking place between November 24 and December 29, subject to a maximum of 1,472,000 Common Shares. Purchases under the second Program will take place between the trading day following the completion of all purchases under the first Program and December 29 subject to a maximum of 1,400,000 Common Shares.

18:09 EDT Prima BioMed secures European patent grant for lead product IMP321 in cancer - Prima BioMed announces the grant of patent number 2604275 entitled "Use of Recombinant LAG-3 or the Derivatives thereof for Eliciting Monocyte Immune Response" by the European Patent Office. This European patent was filed as a divisional application and follows the grant of the European parent patent, which was issued in August 2013. The claims of this new patent are geared toward the use of Prima's lead candidate IMP321 in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer. According to the claims, IMP321 elicits a monocyte-mediated immune response and is administered before, with, or subsequent to administration of the chemotherapeutic agent. Importantly, these granted claims support the application of IMP321 in Prima's AIPAC clinical trial in metastatic breast cancer in Europe. The patent expiry date is 3 October 2028.

18:01 EDT M.D.C. Holdings declares special 8% stock dividend - M.D.C. Holdings announced that its board of directors has declared a special 8% stock dividend. The stock dividend will be distributed on December 19 to shareowners of record on December 5, 2017 and will be in the form of one additional share of MDC common stock for each 12.5 shares owned by shareowners on the record date.

17:58 EDT HP Inc. sees pressure on average sales prices in 2018

17:53 EDT HP Inc. says returned $722M to shareholders in Q4

17:45 EDT HP Inc. sees printing segment continuing to make 'significant' progress - Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

17:27 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: GameStop (GME), up 4%. ALSO HIGHER: Axalta Coating (AXTA), down 3% after it and AkzoNobel (AKZOY) scrapped merger talks without reaching an agreement... Exelixis (EXEL), up 1.9% after it announced Phase 3 trial resutls for Cabozantinib. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Guess (GES), down 10.8%... Caleres (CAL), down 9.7%... HP Inc. (HPQ), down 2.9%... Salesforce.com (CRM), down 1.4%. ALSO LOWER: HP Enterprise (HPE), down 5.9% after reporting quarterly results and announcing that Meg Whitman will step down as CEO.

17:18 EDT GameStop 'on track' to achieve FY17 collectibles revenue view - Says "on track" to achieve FY17 collectibles revenue view of $650M-$670M.

17:14 EDT Salesforce: Amazon.com continues to be key partner in International expansion - Says International investments paying off. Says partner ecosystem continues to expand. Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:12 EDT GameStop: Q4 hardware sales to be driven by Switch, Xbox One X - GameStop (GME) says Q4 hardware sales to be driven by Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) and Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox One X. Sees NPD sales to be negative for December, since there aren't many major December software releases.

17:10 EDT Morgan Stanley reports 5% passive stake in Och-Ziff Capital

17:04 EDT Celestica expands operations in Oradea, Romania - Celestica Inc announced it has expanded its operation in Oradea, Romania. The expansion increases existing manufacturing services for Celestica's customers from a strategic location in Eastern Europe. The 9,000 sqm expansion reflects Celestica's growing customer base and opportunities primarily in the Advanced Technology Markets such as smart energy, industrial and healthtech.

17:02 EDT Salesforce names Bret Taylor as President and Chief Product Officer - Salesforce named Bret Taylor President and Chief Product Officer, and named Alex Dayon President and Chief Strategy Officer. Taylor will be responsible for driving Salesforce's global product vision, design and development, and go-to-market strategy. Taylor is the co-founder and CEO of Quip, which was acquired by Salesforce in 2016. He has spent his career building widely used products for businesses and consumers. Prior to founding Quip, Taylor served as the CTO of Facebook, which he joined in 2009 after it acquired his social networking company, FriendFeed. Bret also spent several years at Google, where he co-created Google Maps. Dayon will lead strategic initiatives, working closely with Salesforce's customers on product direction and transformation. Dayon joined Salesforce in 2008, when the company he founded, InStranet, was acquired by Salesforce. Both executives will report to Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff.

16:37 EDT Global Eagle receives continued non-compliance letter from Nasdaq - On November 16 Global Eagle Entertainment received a notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market stating that the Company is in continued non-compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250 because it has not yet filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Q1 ended September 30. Nasdaq previously granted the Company's requested extension until November 30 to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and until January 31, 2018 to file its Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, June 30, and September 30. The Q3 2017 Nasdaq Notification does not affect the terms of that extension related to the continued listing of the Company's common stock. The Company satisfied the extension requirement relating to its 2016 Form 10-K when it completed that filing on November 17. The Company continues to make progress towards satisfying the extension requirement relating to its 2017 Form 10-Qs.

16:34 EDT Preferred Apartment acquires 180-unit community in Tampa, Florida - Preferred Apartment Communities announced the acquisition of a 180-unit Class A multifamily community in Tampa, Florida constructed in 2016 called Overlook at Crosstown Walk. PAC acquired this community through a wholly-owned subsidiary and financed the acquisition utilizing a non-recourse first mortgage loan from Fannie Mae originated by Berkadia Commercial. The first mortgage loan is approximately $22.2 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.95% per annum, has a seven-year term and amortizes based on a 30-year schedule.

16:32 EDT Thermo Fisher recommends shareholders reject mini-tender offer by TRC Capital - Thermo Fisher announced that it received notice of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital to purchase up to 1M shares of Thermo Fisher's common stock at a price of $181.75 per share in cash. TRC's offer price is approximately 4.43% lower than the $190.17 closing price of Thermo Fisher's common stock on November 17, 2017, the last closing price prior to commencement of the offer. The offer is for approximately 0.249% of Thermo Fisher's outstanding shares of common stock as of the offer date. Thermo Fisher does not endorse TRC's unsolicited mini-tender offer and recommends that shareholders not tender their shares because the offer is at a price below the current market price of Thermo Fisher's shares and is subject to numerous conditions. Thermo Fisher is not affiliated or associated in any way with TRC, its mini-tender offer or the mini-tender offer documentation.

16:27 EDT AkzNobel confirms dropping merger talks with Axalta Coating - AkzoNobel (AKZOY) confirmed that it and Axalta (AXTA) have terminated their discussions regarding a potential merger of the AkzoNobel Paints and Coatings business with Axalta without agreement.

16:18 EDT Alexander & Baldwin announces sale of Midstate 99 Distribution Center for $33.4M - Alexander & Baldwi announced the sale of Midstate 99 Distribution Center, an industrial facility in Visalia, Calif., for $33.4M. The four building 790,000-square foot industrial complex is located in a major agricultural hub in California's Central Valley, located 40 miles south of Fresno. The buyer, G4 Enterprises Ltd., made an unsolicited offer to purchase the property from A&B.

16:17 EDT Duke Realty declares 85c per share special dividend - Duke Realty announced that its board declared a special cash dividend of 85c per share of common stock payable on December 12 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 1. The decision to declare a special dividend was primarily a result of the sale of approximately $2.85B of assets through September 30.

16:12 EDT Salesforce CEO: 'We're on a path to exceed $20 billion' - "Salesforce delivered a record third quarter, and we're on a path to exceed $20 billion faster than any enterprise software company in history," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce. "With this phenomenal growth, we are building a company for the ages, creating value for our Trailblazers - our customers, employees, investors and communities - while helping make the world a better place for decades to come."

16:10 EDT HP Inc. drops 6% in afterhours trading after earnings, guidance - HP Inc. shares are down are down $1.35, or 6%, to $21.11 following the company's Q4 report.

16:08 EDT HP Inc. says results demonstrate HP 'strong and getting stronger' - "Our results demonstrate that HP is strong and getting stronger. We posted top-line growth across both Personal Systems and Print, with broad-based, double-digit growth in all three regions, while also growing operating profit and non-GAAP EPS year-over-year," said Dion Weisler, President and CEO, HP Inc. Q4 Personal Systems net revenue was up 13% year over year, up 14% in constant currency, with a 3.8% operating margin. Commercial net revenue increased 11% and Consumer net revenue increased 18%. Total units were up 6% with Notebooks units up 8% and Desktops units up 2%. Q4 Printing net revenue was up 7% year over year, up 7% in constant currency, with a 16.6% operating margin. Total hardware units were up 3% with Commercial hardware units flat and Consumer hardware units up 3%. Supplies net revenue was up 10%, up 11% in constant currency.

16:06 EDT Illumina wins infringement suit against Premaith Health, Ariosa Diagnostics - Illumina announced that the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, Patents Court in the United Kingdom issued a judgment in its favor in the patent infringement suit filed against Premaitha Health plc, et al. and the patent infringement suit filed against Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc., et al. The Court found that Premaitha's IONA test infringed EP 1 981 995, EP 2 385 143, EP 2 183 693 and EP 2 514 842, which are generally directed to the use of sequencing in non-invasive prenatal testing. The Court also found that the gender testing component in Premaitha's IONA test and Ariosa's Harmony test infringe EP 0 994 963. These patents are licensed by Illumina or its wholly owned subsidiary Verinata Health, Inc. "We are pleased that the Court ruled in our favor," said Charles Dadswell, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Illumina. "The Court's judgment validates the investments Illumina has made, the value of this technology and the significant contributions of the inventors in this field." Illumina intends to seek all available remedies for the infringement, including damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees.

16:03 EDT Galapagos NV initiates phase 1 CF study of GLPG3221 - Galapagos NV announces initiation of a Phase 1 study with a novel C2 corrector GLPG3221 for cystic fibrosis. Galapagos receives a $10 million milestone payment from its collaboration partner AbbVie for this achievement. The aim of the Phase 1 study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of GLPG3221 in healthy volunteers. The randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, single centre study is being conducted in Belgium. Topline results from this Phase 1 study are expected to be disclosed at a future medical conference.

15:43 EDT Trump says AT&T, Time Warner deal not good for the country - President Donald Trump, in response to a question at the White House from CNBC's Eamon Javers, said , "I'm not going to get involved in litigation, but personally I've always felt that's not a deal that's good for the country."

15:29 EDT OraSure jumps after $143M Oragene Dx devices deal OraSure - Shares of OraSure Technologies (OSUR) are on the rise after the company announced that its subsidiary DNAG Genotek has entered into a $143M agreement for the supply of its Oragene Dx devides to an undisclosed customer. Commenting on the news, CL King analyst David Westenberg told investors that he believes the company is likely 23andme. ORAGENE DX DEVICES DEAL: OraSure Technologies announced today that its subsidiary, DNAG Genotek, a leading provider of sample collection kits and end-to-end services for human genomics, microbiome and infectious disease, has entered into a $143M agreement for the supply of its Oragene Dx devices to a leading consumer genomics customer. The agreement provides for the supply of product over several years with minimum annual purchases by the customer. Oragene Dx is the first and only FDA 510k cleared saliva DNA collection and stabilization device. It is an all-in-one system for easy and reliable collection of high quality samples. The device allows for ambient temperature transportation and storage and provides a liquid sample to enable high throughput automation in a laboratory. DEAL LIKELY WITH 23ANDME: In a research note to investors, CL King analyst David Westenberg argued that the company is likely 23andme, while noting that he views it as a positive. Further, the analyst pointed out that the deal indicates the initial $20M agreement it signed with the company back in April has been fulfilled significantly earlier than expected. Westenberg believes Orasure's exposure to the consumer genomics market provides significant upside to estimates. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating and a $19 price target on OraSure's shares. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of OraSure have jumped about 17% to $16.37.

15:24 EDT Mid Penn Bancorp declares special dividend of 10c per share - Payable on January 5, 2018, to shareholders of record on December 21, 2017.

15:19 EDT Izea announces signing of 'one of largest grocery chains in U.S' - In a tweet on its official corporate account, Izea said: "Excited to welcome one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S. to the IZEA family today! We can't wait to bring these new content opportunities to our creator network." Reference Link

15:06 EDT ProQR Therapeutics treatment of retinitis pigmentosa granted FDA orphan status - The FDA granted ProQR Therapeutics' treatment of retinitis pigmentosa orphan status, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

14:05 EDT FDA approves ViiV Healthcare's two drug HIV treatment Juluca - The FDA today said it approved Juluca, the first complete treatment regimen containing only two drugs to treat certain adults with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 instead of three or more drugs included in standard HIV treatment. Juluca is a fixed-dose tablet containing two previously approved drugs, dolutegravir and rilpivirine, to treat adults with HIV-1 infections whose virus is currently suppressed on a stable regimen for at least six months, with no history of treatment failure and no known substitutions associated with resistance to the individual components of Juluca. The FDA granted approval of Juluca to ViiV Healthcare, a joint venture between GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer (PFE).

13:53 EDT Calumet Specialty Products announces divestiture of Anchor Drilling Fluids - Calumet Specialty Products Partners announced that it closed on the sale of Anchor Drilling Fluids USA to Q'Max America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Q'Max Solutions. Under the agreement, Calumet will receive total consideration of approximately $84M, including $50M in cash, $15M to be paid at various times over the next two years for net working capital and other items, and 10% equity ownership in Fluid Holding Corp, the parent company of Q'Max. Calumet plans to use the proceeds to lower its leverage profile and for general partnership purposes.

13:44 EDT Correction: Stanley Furniture to sell substantially all its assets - Stanley Furniture Company (STLY) announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of its assets to Churchill Downs LLC. The assets are not being acquired by Churchill Downs Incorporated, the racing, gaming and online entertainment company that trades under the ticker symbol "CHDN." This note corrects a prior version that tagged the ticker for CHDN.

12:51 EDT Sabby Management reports 7.92% passive stake in SenesTech

12:08 EDT Tesaro higher after announcing 'non-dilutive' financing - Tesaro announced earlier that it has entered into a definitive term loan agreement with investment funds managed by Pharmakon Advisors. The loan facility provides Tesaro with up to $500N of borrowing capacity available in two tranches. The first $300M is expected to be drawn at an initial closing in early December, and an additional tranche of up to $200M is available for draw at Tesaro's option until December 20, 2018. The loans will mature in December 2024. "This non-dilutive debt facility provides Tesaro sufficient funding with favorable terms as we enter into a period of expected substantial revenue generation and continue to execute on our mission of providing transformative therapies to people facing cancer," said Lonnie Moulder, CEO of Tesaro. "We plan to use the proceeds from the financing to strengthen our leading PARP inhibitor franchise in ovarian cancer, further expand the development of ZEJULA in other tumor types in order to help realize its full potential, and rapidly advance our robust immuno-oncology portfolio using combination-based approaches." Shares of Tesaro are up 2.4% to $85.55 in midday trading.

11:40 EDT Bloomin' Brands says will consider JANA Partners' perspectives - Bloomin' Brands confirmed that JANA Partners has filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "The Board of Directors and management appreciate the views of its stockholders and will consider the perspectives reflected in the Schedule 13D. The Company has and will continue to serve the interests of all stockholders," Bloomin' stated.

11:17 EDT Oclaro announces participation in upcoming investor conferences - Oclaro announced that management is scheduled to participate in several upcoming investor conferences, including the Raymond James 2017 Technology Investors Conference on December 5 and the Cowen 4th Annual Networking & Cybersecurity Summit on December 13. As reported earlier by The Fly, Oclaro cancelled from an appearance at the DA Davidson Laser/Optical Conference, according to contacts. The Fly has reached out to Oclaro for comment regarding that apparent cancelation.

10:53 EDT Analysts cut Time Warner, AT&T targets following DOJ lawsuit - Following the news that the U.S. Department of Justice is suing to block AT&T (T) and Time Warner's (TWX) merger deal, several Wall Street analysts lowered their price targets for both names. Nonetheless, Baird analyst William Power argued that he sees the merits of the antitrust case favoring AT&T. DOJ LAWSUIT: Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is suing to block the deal agreed to between AT&T and Time Warner. Commenting on the news, AT&T's Senior Executive VP and General Counsel David McAtee II said the DOJ lawsuit is "a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent." He added: "Vertical mergers like this one are routinely approved because they benefit consumers without removing any competitor from the market. We see no legitimate reason for our merger to be treated differently. [...] Fortunately, the Department of Justice doesn't have the final say in this matter. Rather, it bears the burden of proving to the U.S. District Court that the transaction violates the law. We are confident that the Court will reject the Government's claims and permit this merger under longstanding legal precedent." PRICE CUTS: In light of the news that the DOJ will be suing to block the merger, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker lowered her price target for Time Warner to $84 from $100 to reflect its standalone value. Looking at Time Warner purely on fundamentals, the analyst told investors that she is not totally sure 2018 estimates are accurate given that the company has given no sense of trends for next year. While Ryvicker acknowledged that many investors have asked what Time Warner is worth, she does not think anyone steps in for it. The analyst reiterated a Market Perform rating on Time Warner's shares. Her peer at Barclays also cut his price target for Time Warner to $92 from $107. Analyst Kannan Venkateshwar argued that the DOJ move "in effect goes against almost 40 years of judicial commentary and action and, therefore, is quite unprecedented." Based on past DOJ frameworks, the analyst believes it may be tough for it to establish competitive harm, but the companies are likely in a 4-6 month period of litigation that should delay not only the closing of the deal but may also "chill other M&A activity across the space." Absent a deal, Venkateshwar estimates Time Warner could trade at $77 per share. Meanwhile, Nomura Instinet analyst Jeffrey Kvaal lowered his price target for AT&T shares to $42 from $45 as he considers shares on fundamentals, while noting that he did not cut his target post the third quarter video miss given the pending deal. Nonetheless, Kvaal told investors he believes the shares have "room to run" with or without Time Warner. CASE MERITS FAVOR AT&T: Commenting on the lawsuit, Baird analyst William Power argued that the merger deal may be delayed, but is not dead. The analyst argued that with Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG; GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) now media forces, including in original content, he finds it difficult to believe that AT&T will be able to significantly raise pricing for the Turner properties or HBO and risk driving away current partners. Ultimately, Power believes the merits of the case favor AT&T. The analyst reiterated an Outperform rating and $42 price target on AT&T shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Time Warner have gained over 1% to $88.79 while AT&T is fractionally down to $34.42 per share.

10:35 EDT Dexcom announces development agreement with Eli Lilly - DexCom (DXCM) announced a development agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) to include Dexcom CGM into Lilly's Connected Diabetes Ecosystem. The companies expect to combine Lilly's smart insulin delivery devices and Dexcom CGM to improve the future of diabetes management. Through the Connected Diabetes Ecosystem, the companies aim to provide a comprehensive solution to people with diabetes. Devices such as CGM, smart-pens and insulin pumps, drugs, apps and other analytical tools will be aimed at improving outcomes. Clinical trials are expected to begin by the end of 2017.

09:49 EDT Proto Labs trading resumes

09:42 EDT Lowe's says 'continues to see momentum' with tickets above $500

09:37 EDT Oritani Financial announces special dividend of 45c per share - Oritani Financial announced that its board has declared a special cash dividend of 45c per share on the company's common stock. The record date for the dividend will be December 8, and the payment date will be December 22.

09:32 EDT H&E Equipment to acquire Contractors Equipment Center for $122.4M in cash - H&E Equipment Services announced its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Contractors Equipment Center, a non-residential construction focused equipment rental company located in the greater Denver, Colorado, area. Under the terms of the agreement, H&E is expected to pay approximately $122.4M in cash for CEC, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the late fourth quarter of 2017, and is subject to customary closing conditions including Hart-Scott-Rodino Act clearance.

09:31 EDT China Recycling Energy to transform into a energy storage solution provider - China Recycling Energy announced that to conform to megatrends of domestic and international new energy and distributed energy sources, the Company plans to transform into "an energy storage integrated solution provider". At present, the global energy storage industry development has broad prospects. Many research institutions from different fields predicted future capacity of energy storage systems and showed confidence in the future market of energy storage, though with different definitions.

09:28 EDT AbbVie announces ASH accepted data from Phase 3 MURANO study - AbbVie announced that the American Society of Hematology, or ASH, has accepted data from the Phase 3 MURANO study evaluating venetoclax tablets in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as an oral, late-breaking presentation during the upcoming 59th ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition, December 9-12, in Atlanta, GA. The abstract is one of six late-breaking abstracts accepted for presentation at the meeting. In total, 28 AbbVie abstracts have been accepted for ASH 2017. These abstracts include data from investigational studies of the company's portfolio of medicines for investigational or new use in various blood cancers and diseases, including, acute myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic graft-versus-host-disease, among others.

09:24 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Diana Shipping (DSX), up 1.3%... Eaton Vance (EV), up fractionally... Dollar Tree (DLTR), up 2.5%... Chico's FAS (CHS), up 4.4%... Movado (MOV), up 6%... Cheetah Mobile (CMCM), up 18.9%... Medtronic (MDT), up 4%... Hormel Foods (HRL), up 3.3%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Lowe's (LOW), down 2.8%... Campbell Soup (CPB), down 7.7%... Kirkland's (KIRK), down fractionally... DSW (DSW), down 13.5%... Signet Jewelers (SIG), down 20%... Burlington Stores (BURL), down 1.5%. ALSO LOWER: Cytokinetics (CYTK), down 35.1% after announcing that its VITALITY-ALS Phase 3 clinical trial of tirasemtiv did not meet the primary endpoint.

09:20 EDT TimkenSteel to increase prices on seamless tubing products by $40 per ton - TimkenSteel announced it will increase prices on seamless mechanical tubing products by $40 per ton. This increase is applicable to orders not already covered by pricing agreements, and effective for shipments beginning April 1, 2018. All surcharge mechanisms remain in effect.

09:14 EDT Proto Labs trading halted, news pending

09:08 EDT Lowe's says home improvement industry 'poised for further growth' - Says housing expected to "remain a bright spot."

09:05 EDT Lowe's says U.S. had positive comps in all categories in Q3 - Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT InnerWorkings selected by Trinchero Family Estates as marketing partner - InnerWorkings announced a new long-term contract with global wine and spirits producer Trinchero Family Estates. Under a multi-year agreement, InnerWorkings will deliver a comprehensive solution to manage the execution of all in-market point-of-sale activity across the Trinchero Family Estates portfolio through a dedicated team and a single technology platform. Encompassing a wide breadth of point-of-sale categories including fixtures and displays, branded merchandise, creative services, and warehousing and logistics, InnerWorkings will help provide unmatched brand consistency, transparency, and visibility. InnerWorkings' scalable VALO software platform will aggregate seasonal campaigns for TFE and provide a robust reporting suite with enhanced ability to collaborate and analyze, driving better decision making and reducing waste within the supply chain.

09:02 EDT L3 Technologies announces Free Space Optics contract awards - L3 Technologies announced the award of multiple contracts relating to the development of Free Space Optics capabilities for U.S. Department of Defense and space customers. FSO technology enables high-bandwidth communication while protecting signal integrity in a highly contested spectrum environment and is a proven next-generation solution for high-capacity, over-the-air communications. Work on these contracts will be done by L3 Communication Systems-West, which is part of the company's Communication Systems business segment. L3 CS-West has been developing robust and reliable FSO communications since 2007, enabling long- and short-haul transmission capabilities for enhanced dissemination of large volumes of video and data.

08:55 EDT Stone Energy trading resumes

08:48 EDT Eaton Vance reports AUM $382.4B for FY17 - This represents an increase of 19% from $320.9B from last year.

08:43 EDT Campbell Soup says expects to complete Pacific Foods acquisition by year-end - Says saw lower seasonal inventory build in U.S. soup in Q1. Says unfavorable weather resulted in higher carrot costs. Says hurricane recovery led to higher supply chain costs. Says continues to invest in business, including innovation support, real food, e-commerce, and health and well-being, including funding Habit. Says Q1 results are clear indication company needs to do more. Says shelf stable beverages remained challenged. Says expects operating environment to remain challenging. Plans to shift soup marketing to focus on product attributes, increase in-store presence, accelerate e-commerce across division. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:39 EDT Stone Energy, Talos Energy combination to have ADP of about 47 Mboe - The combination will create a leading offshore independent E&P company and a leader in the Gulf of Mexico with a large, high quality asset base and leading cost profile. The combined company will have estimated 2017 average daily production of approximately 47 Mboe and proved reserves of 136 MMboe as of June 30, 2017 based on SEC prices. The combined company will also benefit from a deep inventory of identified exploration and development prospects and a significant acreage footprint in the Gulf of Mexico, including over 1.2 million combined gross acres, of which approximately 160,000 acres is offshore Mexico. The Zama oil discovery, operated by Talos, was the first private sector offshore exploration well in the history of Mexico and was previously disclosed as having between 1.4 billion and 2.0 billion gross barrels of original oil in place. Additionally, the combined company expects to achieve up to $25 million in annual pre-tax synergies from supply chain management and other operational efficiencies by year end 2018. The new company will have increased financial flexibility, in part through its expected new $1 billion credit facility with an expected $600 million in initial borrowing capacity, and no material long term note maturities until 2022. Upon closing, the combined company's pro forma unrestricted cash, undrawn credit facility and ability to access public capital markets will provide flexibility to pursue additional attractive growth opportunities. The combined company is expected to have a pro forma net debt-to-2017E EBITDA ratio of 1.4x and approximately $325 million to $375 million in liquidity at closing. Talos Energy, Inc. will be well-positioned as the counterparty of choice for drilling and consolidation opportunities in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

08:36 EDT Stone Energy to combine with Talos Energy in an all-stock transaction - Talos Energy and Stone Energy announced that their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved the combination of Talos and Stone in an all-stock transaction that will create a premier offshore-focused exploration and production company. The company will be named Talos Energy and is expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "TALO." Highlights of the combined company will include: Pro forma estimated 2017 average daily production of approximately 47,000 barrels of oil equivalent; Pro forma proved reserves of 136M barrels of oil equivalent as of June 30, 2017 based on SEC pricing, which are 69% oil and 74% located in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico; Two recent discoveries, Tornado II and Rampart, provide near-term opportunities for growth; Long-term growth profile, underscored by the historic, world-class Zama oil discovery in the shallow waters of Mexico; and Strong pro forma balance sheet and credit profile, highlighted by low leverage and ample liquidity. Under the terms of the transaction, each outstanding share of Stone common stock will be exchanged for one share of Talos Energy common stock and the current Talos stakeholders will be issued an aggregate of approximately 34.2M common shares. At closing, Talos stakeholders will own 63% of the combined company, with Stone shareholders owning the remaining 37%. Based on Stone's stock price of $35.49 on November 20, 2017 and the terms of the proposed transaction, Talos Energy, Inc. will have an initial equity market capitalization of approximately $1.9B and an enterprise value of approximately $2.5B.

08:33 EDT Stone Energy to combine with Talos Energy

08:33 EDT Novelion Therapeutics provides update on agreement between Aegerion and DOJ - Novelion Therapeutics announced that District Judge William Young rejected Aegerion Pharmaceuticals' amended criminal plea agreement which was negotiated with the United States Department of Justice. Aegerion Pharmaceuticals is an indirect subsidiary of Novelion. The company, in consultation with its outside counsel, is currently evaluating its options and next steps.

08:32 EDT EarlySense appoints Karissa Price-Rico as COO - EarlySense announced that Karissa Price-Rico has been appointed COO. This new position has been created to support EarlySense's continued global growth in the hospital, post-acute and consumer health markets and follows the recent success of the new InSight platform and the launch of two new consumer products, Live for the aging population and Percept for couples who are trying to conceive. Price will oversee operations across all divisions of the company and will report to Co-Founder and CEO, Avner Halperin. Price earned her Ph.D. in International Political Economy from Harvard University and has held a variety of healthcare positions over the past 20 years. She previously served as President of Healthways a well-being and wellness provider for employers, health plans and health systems. She also brings experience in remote patient care, having served as CMO of Intel-GE Care Innovations, a joint venture that connected the care continuum to the home.

08:31 EDT Teligent announces FDA approval of Erythromycin Topical Solution USP, 2% - Teligent announced it has received approval of the company's abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, from the FDA of Erythromycin Topical Solution USP, 2%.

08:27 EDT DSW down 17% to $18.60 after Q3 results, FY17 guidance trail estimates

08:17 EDT GW to present new Phase 3 Epidiolex results at AES - GW Pharmaceuticals, along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences, announced that new results from completed Phase 3 trials of Epidiolex in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, along with other supportive data, will be presented at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting, December 1-5, in Washington D.C. "We continue to see a robust flow of data from the Epidiolex clinical program and look forward to sharing these new data with the epilepsy community at AES. Importantly, data in the abstracts show long-term maintenance of safety and efficacy, as well as that patients on Epidiolex who achieved clinically meaningful responses did so regardless of concomitant clobazam therapy," said Justin Gover, GW's CEO. "Having recently completed our New Drug Application submission to the FDA, we are now focused on the goal of gaining approval for Epidiolex in mid-2018 and making this much-needed, first-in-class medicine available to the patients who need it."

08:11 EDT Arcadia Biosciences announces Kevin Comcowich to chair board of directors - Arcadia Biosciences announced that Kevin Comcowich has been elected to chair the board of directors, replacing George Gosbee who passed away last week. Comcowich joined the Arcadia board as an independent director in 2016 and previously served as chair of the audit committee. He most recently served as the chief executive officer and portfolio manager of HTX Energy Fund in Houston, Texas. The board also appointed Gregory Waller to chair the audit committee and Amy Yoder to chair the compensation committee.

08:08 EDT Deckers Brands issues investor presentation on Marcato statements - Deckers Brands filed an investor presentation is says highlights "Marcato's continued false and misleading statements about Deckers and Marcato's nominees' lack of critical and relevant skills, as well as industry and board experience." The presentation and other important information related to Deckers' Annual Meeting on December 14 can be found on Deckers' website at www.votedeckers.com. The company says,"A few of the misleading tactics used by Marcato highlighted in the presentation include: Cherry-picking dates to show stock price returns...Trying to take credit for Deckers' share price improvement...Failing to acknowledge the success of Deckers' strategic initiatives...Using a variety of Marcato-favoring business assumptions, without outlining any rationale around those assumptions...Failing to acknowledge that Deckers' high pay-for-performance alignment has resulted in lower realized pay during years where performance was below target...In addition to propagating false and misleading statements about Deckers, Marcato has nominated a slate of unvetted, unknown and unqualified director candidates. Most have never served on the board of a public company and many have no C-level executive experience. Nearly all of Marcato's nominees lack global, multi-brand or retail experience, and those with this experience did not work in operating or strategic roles. Additionally, Marcato's proposed slate has an alarming history...In contrast, the Deckers Board has the right mix of skills and experience to oversee the Company's transformation....Deckers' Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" ALL of Deckers' nominees listed on the WHITE proxy card."

08:07 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics presents new data for ATI-450 - Aclaris Therapeutics announced that Dr. Gabriel Mbalaviele presented data from pre-clinical studies of Aclaris' recently acquired drug candidate, ATI-450, a selective inhibitor of the p38/MK2 pathway, at a symposium at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting earlier this month. The abstract summarizing the data is titled "NOMID-Associated Complications in Mice Are Prevented By CDD-450, a Small Molecule Inhibitor of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Activated Protein Kinase 2, or MK2, Pathway." In pre-clinical studies, ATI-450 was active in blocking multiple manifestations of the Neonatal-onset Multisystem Inflammatory Disease, or NOMID, form of Cryopyrin associated periodic syndromes, or CAPS, using an inducible transgenic murine model of the disease. CAPS are a spectrum of diseases arising from the gain of function mutations in NLRP3, a key component of the inflammasome, resulting in elevated systemic IL-beta levels. Furthermore, ATI-450 inhibited cold-induced production of IL-1beta from the blood of patients with another CAPS syndrome, Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome, or FCAS. These results confirm the key role of the p38/MK2 pathway in the IL-1beta biosynthetic pathway and suggest the potential for ATI-450 to be an oral treatment for CAPS. "This data is compelling, and clearly, further evaluation of ATI-450 as a potential oral treatment for CAPS is warranted," said Dr. Joseph Monahan, Executive Vice President, Research & Development of Aclaris. "We look forward to advancing this program towards the clinic."

08:06 EDT Audentes Therapeutics announces results from Recensus Study - Audentes Therapeutics announced the publication of "A Multicenter, Retrospective Medical Record Review of X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy: The RECENSUS Study," in Muscle & Nerve. This publication from RECENSUS, a study sponsored by Audentes, expands upon the data first presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Scientific Conference in March 2017, and reinforces the high mortality and significant disease burden experienced by children with XLMTM and their families. The results from 112 boys enrolled in RECENSUS form one of the largest peer-reviewed publications of data illustrating the substantial clinical, humanistic and economic burden of XLMTM.

08:01 EDT Cytokinetics trading resumes

07:38 EDT Chico's: Q3 impact on income from operations from hurricanes approximately $10M - In the third quarter, the company was impacted by the Hurricanes, resulting in reduced operating hours or the temporary closure of more than 300 stores as well as a decline in direct to consumer sales. The business interruption of the Hurricanes had a significant impact on the company's operations. The impact to income from operations due to lower net sales, impairment charges and other incremental Hurricane related expenses was approximately $10M. On an after-tax basis, the Hurricane related impact to net income was $5M, or 4c per diluted share.

07:35 EDT Chico's reports inventories of $265M at Q3-end - At the end of the third quarter, inventories totaled $265M compared to $261.3M at the end of the third quarter last year. Inventories at the end of the third quarter include a $15.1M increase compared to the prior year date due to a change in shipping terms with a supplier. Excluding the impact of the change in shipping terms, inventory decreased 4.3%.

07:33 EDT Alliance Data announces Precima signed agreement with Loblaw Companies - Alliance Data Systems announced that Precima, a consulting and analytics firm specializing in shopper insights and housed within Alliance Data's LoyaltyOne business, signed a new long-term agreement with Loblaw Companies. Precima is working with Loblaw to create a single access retail analytics portal enabling customer, marketing and merchandising insights for both grocery and pharmacy retail, set to launch in 2018.

07:32 EDT Chico's sees Q4 SSS be down high single-digits - For the fourth quarter, the company expects comparable sales to be down high single-digits. The fiscal 2017 53rd week is not included in the comparable sales calculation. Net sales for the 53rd week are expected to approximate $30M. The company anticipates fourth quarter gross margin rate to be approximately flat to up slightly compared to last year. The company also expects fourth quarter SG&A expenses to decrease compared to last year, largely offset by costs from the 53rd week.

07:31 EDT Chico's reports Q3 SSS down 8.2% - Driven by lower average dollar sale and a decline in transaction count.

07:25 EDT Cytokinetics trading halted, news pending

07:10 EDT Anavex says newly published data shows neuroprotective features of S1R - New data published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Neurotoxicity Research confirm that sigma-1 agonists, including multiple investigational compounds from Anavex Life Sciences, induce an anti-oxidant effect and protect mitochondrial function in pathological central nervous system conditions. In addition, another recent publication in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Behavioural Brain Research, confirms that the absence of sigma-1 receptor, or S1R, function exacerbates amyloid toxicity and increases learning impairments in pharmacologic and genetic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Lead author of both publications, Tangui Maurice, PhD, Professor at INSERM Montpellier noted, "Both findings are consistent with the concept that sigma-1 receptor activity seems to be essential for cell survival under stress with the ability to counter the different manifestations of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative pathologies." Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage are key factors involved in the pathology of many neurodegenerative diseases. Research shows that oxidative damage occurs in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease prior to the onset of significant plaque pathology3. The Neurotoxicity Research publication provides further insight on the mechanism of three Anavex sigma-1 receptor agonists, ANAVEX 2-73, ANAVEX 1-41, and ANAVEX 3-71, which are all being studied in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, or AD, Parkinson's disease, or PD, and multiple sclerosis, or MS. Since S1R agonists are known to be potent neuroprotectants in preclinical models, they might play a critical role in providing neuroprotection for patients with AD and related disorders. The second publication investigates how lack of S1R function effects learning behavior and biochemical markers in a pharmacologic and a genetic mouse model of AD. The transgenic mice, bred to express human amyloid precursor protein, or APP, carrying the Swedish and Indiana mutations, APPSweInd, were crossbred with S1R knockout, or S1RKO, mice, or APPSweInd/S1RKO. Compared to APPSweInd or S1RKO mice, APPSweInd/S1RKO exhibited an increased vulnerability to amyloid toxicity and more pronounced deficits in both short and long term memory. Furthermore, these deficits increased with age. Analyses of oxidative stress and Bax expression levels in the hippocampus of these animals also confirmed a higher level of toxicity in APPSweInd mouse brains when S1R expression had been deleted. These observations support the concept that S1R activity is a signal amplifier for endogenous neuroprotection systems. "These results seem to further validate sigma-1 receptor agonism as a therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases," stated Christopher U. Missling, PhD, President and CEO of Anavex. "We continue our research on sigma-1 receptor agonists in a variety of central nervous system disorders, with our lead candidate, ANAVEX 2-73, soon progressing to a late-stage clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease after positive data in a Phase 2a study."

07:06 EDT Target announces 15% off sitewide sale on Target.com on Cyber Monday - Target unveiled its plans for Cyber Week, including a 15% off sitewide sale on Target.com on Cyber Monday, Nov. 27, in addition to some of the lowest prices of the year and savings on hundreds of thousands of products throughout the week. The 15% off sitewide sale on Target.com will go live early Monday morning, Nov. 27. No online promo code will be required, making it simple and convenient to save. Additionally, Target is offering free shipping throughout the holiday season, and guests who use a Target REDcard receive 5% savings on nearly all items.

07:06 EDT Land's End appoints Gill Hong Chief Merchandising Officer - Lands' End (LE) announced the hiring of Gill Hong as Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer and Head of International for Lands' End. In this new role, Hong will play a critical role in leading all aspects of merchandising, as well as oversee Lands' End's International Business. Most recently, Hong was with Gap (GPS), as an Executive Advisor, consulting primarily for Old Navy. Hong will oversee merchandising strategies for all Lands' End's product categories, including men's, women's, kids, footwear, outerwear, swim, accessories and home. In addition, Hong will lead Lands' End's international development and expansion strategies to optimize the potential of existing markets, while driving new international growth initiatives.

07:03 EDT Kamada announces new supply agreement with international organization for KamRAB - Kamada announced that it has signed a supply agreement with an undisclosed international organization for KamRAB. Kamada's Rabies Immune globulin recently received FDA approval for passive, transient post-exposure prophylaxis of rabies infection, when given immediately after contact with a rabid or possibly rabid animal. This three-year agreement will extend through 2020, and is expected to generate revenues for Kamada of approximately $13M.

07:02 EDT Enservco enters into agreement with bank - Enservco announced that its lender, East West Bank, has granted the company a waiver on its fixed charge coverage ratio with respect to its loan agreement with East West Bank.

06:54 EDT Medtronic CEO says Q2 results 'very encouraging' - "Our second quarter financial results are very encouraging, when considered in the context of a quarter in which we faced three hurricanes and the California wildfires. Hurricane Maria, in particular, significantly affected our manufacturing operations in Puerto Rico," said Omar Ishrak, Medtronic chairman and CEO. "Against this backdrop, we delivered a sequential acceleration in our organic revenue growth, as expected."

06:48 EDT Medtronic: 'Seeing increased revenue momentum from new product launches' - "We are seeing increased revenue momentum from several important new product launches, which we expect to continue into the second half of the fiscal year," said Ishrak. "The combination of our growth momentum, business and geographic diversification, as well as our scale in markets around the world contribute to our goal of delivering increasingly consistent and dependable results for our shareholders."

06:43 EDT Jacobs Engineering says on track to close CH2M acquisition mid-December 2017

06:40 EDT Kirkland's reports Q3 SSS down 0.6%

06:33 EDT Gold Standard Ventures announces results from drilling in Carlin Trend - Gold Standard Ventures announced results from 11 of 19 completed reverse-circulation, or RC, and core holes at the Pinion oxide gold deposit on its 100%-owned/controlled Railroad Project in Nevada's Carlin Trend. These drill holes are a portion of Gold Standard's 2017 $15.5M program which includes up to 48,800 m of RC and core drilling in 117 hole. The Pinion drilling was designed to upgrade and potentially add to resources by reducing drill spacing in critical portions of the deposit and expand drill coverage near the margins of the current pit design for possible resource additions. All 11 drill holes intersected oxidized and altered multi-lithic dissolution collapse breccia, the principal Pinion host rock, and seven of the holes returned significant, higher-grade intercepts greater than one gram per tonne. Results include 56.4m of 1.68 g Au/t in PIN17-02, 42.7m of 1.23 g Au/t in PIN17-10, 15.2m of 1.66 g Au/t in PIN17-04 and 32.0m of 0.89 g Au/t in PIN17-05. In most instances, the new results either confirm or outperform the expectations in the current resource estimate block model.

06:06 EDT Lowe's appoints Richard Maltsbarger as COO - Lowe's announced that Richard Maltsbarger, Lowe's Chief Development Officer and president, international, has been appointed COO, effective February 3, 2018, and will continue to report to Robert Niblock, chairman, president and CEO. Maltsbarger succeeds Rick Damron who plans to retire after 36 years with the company. Damron has served as COO since 2012.

06:02 EDT Lowe's reports Q3 hurricane-related sales about $200M

05:22 EDT Concordia comments on CMA Statement of Objections related to liothyronine - Concordia commented on the issuance by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, of a Statement of Objections, or SO, to the company and the former owners of the company's International segment, Hg Capital and Cinven, in relation to the pricing of liothyronine in the United Kingdom between November 2007 and July 2017. A SO is an expression of a preliminary view by the CMA that a competition law infringement may have occurred. The CMA pricing investigation, which commenced in October 2016, relates to three products, including liothyronine tablets. The company has been informed by the CMA that, in relation to the other two products, one has been put on a slower investigative track while the other is not an administrative priority for the CMA currently. The company commented, "We do not believe that competition law has been infringed. The pricing of liothyronine has been conducted openly and transparently with the Department of Health in the UK over a period of 10 years. Over that time, significant investment has been made in this medicine to ensure its continued availability for patients in the UK, to the specifications required by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK. We will review the CMA's preliminary position, as set out in its Statement of Objections, and we will be responding to it in detail. We continue to work co-operatively with the CMA as it proceeds with its investigation." The SO issued today includes matters that pre-date Concordia's ownership of its International segment. Concordia acquired the International segment from Cinven and certain other sellers as a result of its transaction to purchase Amdipharm Mercury Limited, which closed on October 21, 2015. The two former owners of AMCo, Cinven and Hg Capital, are also named in the Statement of Objections. The timing of the SO in relation to the supply and pricing of liothyronine, coincides with the timing of the Closing Submissions that commence this week in the appeal by Flynn Pharma and Pfizer against the CMA's decision that the pricing of phenytoin tablets was excessive and infringed competition law.

05:16 EDT Cisco, INTERPOL collaborate to combat cybercrim - Cisco and INTERPOL have announced an agreement to share threat intelligence as the first step in jointly fighting cybercrime. Headed by INTERPOL's global cybercrime center, the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore, the alliance will see the two organizations develop a coordinated and focused approach to data sharing. This not only will allow for quick threat detection around the world, but also pave the way for potential future collaboration on training and knowledge sharing.