Stockwinners Market Radar for November 27, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:03 EDT Tesco sees Nabors deal effective in December - Tesco Corporation (TESO) provided an update on the previously announced combination of the company with Nabors Industries (NBR). The approval process with the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, which was initiated on October 10, 2017, remains ongoing. A special meeting of holders of the company's common shares, unexpired options and restricted stock units will be held in the Sheraton Eau Claire, 255 Barclay Parade SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 5C2, Canada at 10:00 a.m., Calgary time, on December 1, 2017 to obtain their vote to approve the Arrangement. FAS approval is not expected to be received prior to the Meeting. Although it is not possible at this time to determine precisely when or if FAS approval will be obtained and when or if the transaction will be consummated, it is presently anticipated that the Arrangement will become effective in December 2017.

17:27 EDT Gaming Partners announces special dividend of 12c per share - To be paid no later than December 22 to shareholders of record as of December 8.

17:20 EDT Randal Jones reports 8.3% stake in Cerecor

17:15 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Thor Industries (THO), up 10.1%... Tech Data (TECD), up 4.3%. ALSO HIGHER: Apollo Endosurgery (APEN), up 28.1% after it received FDA clearance for its OverStitch endoscopic suturing system... Sierra Oncology (SRRA), up 10.9% after Perceptive Advisors reported a 7% passive stake in the company. LOWER: Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX), down 5.5% after it filed to sell 11M shares of common stock... Aratana Therapeutics (PETX), down 7.5% after it filed to sell $35M in common stock... Ardmore Shipping (ASC), down 9.1% after it filed to sell 5.6M shares for holder GA Holdings LLC.

17:02 EDT RGC Resources raises quarterly dividend from 14.5c to 15.5c - The board of RGC Resources, Inc at its meeting on November 27, 2017, declared a quarterly dividend of $0.155 per share on the company's common stock. The indicated annual dividend is $0.62 per share, a $0.04 or 6.9% per share increase over the prior annual level.

16:57 EDT Tech Data up 4.3% to $97.25 after Q3 results top estimates

16:49 EDT Steadfast Capital reports 5.6% passive stake in Stitch Fix

16:39 EDT W.R. Grace to license UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Sinochem Quanzhou - W. R. Grace & Co. has contracted to license its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical Co., Ltd. for a 1M-ton-per-year ethylene cracker and refinery expansion project at its facility in Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. The new 350-kiloton-per-year line is expected to begin operations in 2020 to produce high-end impact copolymers. The Quanzhou operation is a subsidiary of Sinochem Group of Beijing, one of China's four state oil companies and its leading chemical service provider. Sinochem Quanzhou previously licensed UNIPOL PP Process Technology in 2009 for a 200-kiloton-per-year line in Quanzhou that started up in 2014. The project represents the 26th UNIPOL PP Process Technology reactor lines licensed in China. With this license, the total design capacity of UNIPOL PP lines in China will exceed 8,000 kilotons per year.

16:36 EDT athenahealth appoints Marc Levine CFO - athenahealth announced that Marc Levine will join the company on December 15 as an executive VP and will become the company's CFO and treasurer, effective January 2, 2018. Levine brings nearly 30 years of financial and operational expertise to athenahealth. John "Jack" Kane will step down as interim CFO as of January 2, 2018, and will continue to serve as a member of the board of the company.

16:33 EDT Tech Data CEO says 'Q3 results were in line with our expectations' - "We are pleased to report Q3 results that were in line with our expectations and that continue to highlight the enhanced earnings power and cash flow profile of the new Tech Data," said Robert Dutkowsky, chairman and CEO. "For the first time in Tech Data's history, quarterly sales surpassed $9 billion, and through pricing discipline and strong cost controls, we delivered solid non-GAAP earnings per share. In addition, we generated $70 million of cash from operations, paid down $350 million of our debt, reflecting our strong commitment to deleverage the company, and earned an adjusted return on invested capital for the trailing twelve-month period well in excess of our weighted average cost of capital. We continue on our path to building the IT distributor of the future, one with breadth, specialized skills and extensive capabilities to help our customers and vendor partners capitalize on growth opportunities across the computing continuum."

16:32 EDT FCB Financial to acquire Floridian Community Bank for $88M - FCB Financial Holdings and the second largest Florida-based independent bank, and Floridian Community Holdings, Inc. jointly announced the signing of a definitive agreement for FCB to acquire Floridian Community by merger. Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the board of each company, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018. For FCB shareholders, the transaction is expected to be financially attractive and immediately accretive to earnings. FCB currently estimates that annual pre-tax expense savings associated with the merger will be approximately 45% of Floridian Community's run-rate expenses in 2018. Merger integration-related costs are expected to be $8-10 million. The transaction is expected to be approximately 1% and 2% accretive to 2018 and 2019 fully diluted earnings per share respectively. Subject to the terms of the merger agreement, Floridian Community shareholders will receive 0.4584x shares of FCB Class A common stock for each outstanding share of Floridian Community common stock and 1.75 million shares in the aggregate. The transaction is valued at approximately $88.1 million or 1.72x tangible book value as of September 30, 2017.

16:23 EDT Consolidated Tomoka receives shareholder proposal from Wintergreen Advisers - Consolidated-Tomoka Land announced that it had received from Wintergreen Advisers, LLC, a shareholder proposal dated November 13, 2017, and a notice of intent to nominate three candidates for election to CTO's board of directors dated November 24, 2017. Wintergreen has requested that the shareholder proposal and the director nominations be submitted for consideration by CTO's shareholders at the company's 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The shareholder proposal requests that the Board hire an independent adviser to maximize shareholder value by evaluating all options for the Company, including a sale or liquidation of CTO. The three director nominees identified by Wintergreen are David J. Winters, Elizabeth N. Cohernour, and Evan H. Ho. "The board will carefully consider and respond publicly to Wintergreen's proposal and director nominations," the company said. "Shareholders who review the Wintergreen Materials should be aware, however, that the company disputes several statements made by Wintergreen, in its supporting statement included with the notice of intent to nominate the three director candidates, as being factually incorrect."

16:20 EDT Waddell & Reed announces retirement of Henry Herrmann as chairman of the board - Waddell & Reed Financial announced that Henry Herrmann, chairman of the board, will retire from the company's board on the date of the company's annual meeting of stockholders in April 2018. The board has appointed Thomas Godlasky, an independent director of the company since July 2010, to succeed Herrmann as chairman of the board in 2018. Herrmann retired as the company's CEO in August 2016 after 45 years of service with the company, but remained non-executive chairman of the board. He has been chairman since January 2010 and a director since March 1998.

16:19 EDT SteelWave, Invesco Real Estate acquire former LA Times printing facility - SteelWave and Invesco Real Estate (IVC), announced the acquisition of the former Los Angeles Times printing facility, which consists of a 249,075-square-foot printing press warehouse with an attached 112,408-square-foot office building, the former LA Times Orange County press room, and an adjacent 4.0-acre parcel of land, located in Costa Mesa, California. The project is directly adjacent to SteelWave's Hive project, a 180,000-square-foot creative office project, which is the headquarters for the Los Angeles Chargers organization and their training facility. Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HF) arranged acquisition financing for the development. The HFF debt placement team representing the borrower included senior managing director John Rose, managing director Todd Sugimoto, senior director Patrick Burger and analyst Olga Walsh.

16:18 EDT S&W Seed moves corporate offices to Sacramento, California - S&W Seed announced that it has moved its global corporate offices from Hanford, California to Sacramento, California. Located in Old Sacramento, the office will consolidate S&W's executive, sales and marketing, finance and administration teams. S&W will continue to maintain its locations in Five Points, California, which includes seed production and processing, Nampa, Idaho, which includes seed production and processing as well as its newly constructed research and development facilities for alfalfa, stevia and sorghum, and in Arlington, Wisconsin, which includes alfalfa research and development. Additionally, S&W Seed Company will continue to maintain its locations in Australia, including: Adelaide and Keith in South Australia covering sales, administration, seed production, processing and alfalfa research and development; and Toowoomba, Queensland as the center for S&W's research in hybrid seed crops. The new global corporate address is 106 K Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, California 95814.

16:13 EDT Point72 Asset Management reports 5.1% passive stake in Radius Health

16:11 EDT Dova announces FDA's NDA acceptance, priority review for Avatrombopag - Dova Pharmaceuticals announced the New Drug Application, or NDA, for avatrombopag has been accepted for filing and has been granted Priority Review by the FDA. Dova is seeking FDA approval of avatrombopag for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease who are scheduled to undergo a procedure. The submission is based on two identically-designed Phase 3 clinical trials, ADAPT 1 and ADAPT 2, in which avatrombopag met all primary and secondary endpoints with high statistical significance. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, goal date for an FDA decision is May 21, 2018.

16:08 EDT BioTelemetry division enters strategic collaboration with Onduo - Telcare, a division of BioTelemetry (BEAT), the manufacturer of the world's first FDA-cleared cellular-enabled blood glucose monitor, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Onduo, a joint venture created by Verily, an Alphabet (GOOG) company, and Sanofi (SNY). Under this partnership, Telcare will serve as the supplier of remote blood glucose systems and the resulting data for patients enrolled in Onduo's groundbreaking diabetes management program. Onduo will leverage Telcare's ability to deliver near real-time blood glucose results to create effective care management programs targeted primarily to the Type 2 diabetes community.

16:07 EDT New Relic accelerates enterprise cloud adoption with offerings for AWS - New Relic (NEWR) announced new product capabilities, customer enablement, and best practice guidance for organizations leveraging Amazon Web Services (AMZN) through their cloud journey. Many of the most advanced and disruptive businesses running on AWS drive their cloud optimization and resource investments using New Relic, including Dunkin' Donuts, Morningstar, Scripps Networks, Telstra, Cloud Technology Partners, Relus Cloud, and Slalom. The company's latest updates support the speed, agility, and confidence for these teams, and help enable businesses adopting AWS.

16:04 EDT Apollo Endosurgery receives FDA clearance for endoscopic suturing system - Apollo Endosurgery announced the FDA 510k clearance of the OverStitch Sx, a new, full-thickness flexible endoscopic suturing system that will work on a broad range of single-channel flexible endoscopes. Flexible endoscopic suturing using Apollo's current version of OverStitch is an important tool for both surgeons and gastroenterologists, but it is currently only compatible with a limited number of dual channel endoscopes and physicians without access to this specific capital equipment cannot leverage the benefits of endoscopic suturing. OverStitch Sx removes this access limitation, and will be compatible with most single channel endoscopes with diameters ranging from 8.8 mm to 9.8 mm. Once available, the combination of the current version of OverStitch and OverStitch Sx will provide most physicians with access to the benefits of full-thickness flexible endoscopic suturing regardless of their hospital's selection of endoscopic capital equipment or endoscope manufacturer. Apollo plans to introduce the Sx system in the U.S. and Europe in the first half of 2018.

16:02 EDT Perceptive Advisors reports 7% passive stake in Sierra Oncology

14:32 EDT Marcato says Deckers intention to refresh board in 2018 is 'too little too late' - Marcato Capital Management, which manages funds that beneficially own approximately 8.4% of the outstanding common shares of Deckers Outdoor, issued a statement in response to the company's announcement that it intends to appoint at least two new independent directors by its 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stating in part: "Deckers' announced intention to add new directors is a desperate attempt to avoid accountability for failing to achieve its strategic goals over a period of multiple years. If anything, Deckers' announcement is a clear admission that the current Board lacks the skills, insight, and oversight required to properly lead the Company. The fact that this announcement comes just weeks before Deckers' 2017 contested Annual Meeting further underscores the clear contempt the incumbent directors have towards the corporate governance process - once again doing as little as possible, at the slowest pace possible, and at the last moment possible...The fact that Deckers' Board continues to waste stockholder capital on an expensive and time-consuming proxy contest when an effective solution has been presented, inherently represents why full-scale Board change is required."

13:34 EDT Deere reports October retail sales trends - Deere reported that U.S./Canada industrywide sales of 2WD tractors less than 40 PTO hp were down up 12% in September, while Deere sales in the category had a single digit increase. Industry sales of 2WD tractors between 40 and 100 PTO hp were up 3%, and Deere sales were up less than the industry. Industry sales of 2WD tractors above 100 PTO hp were up 38%, and Deere sales in the category were up more than the industry. Industry sales of 4WD tractors were up 16%, while Deere sales in the category were up by a single digit. Industry sales of combines were up 46%, while Deere sales in the category were up more than the industry. Information from presentation slides posted last night to Deere's investor website. Reference Link

12:53 EDT Johnson Controls CEO acquires 27,300 ordinary shares - In a regulatory filing, Johnson Controls chairman and CEO George Oliver disclosed the acquisition of 27,300 ordinary shares of the company at a price of $36.7995 per share.

12:42 EDT Quidel plans to defend its position against Beckman Coulter in dispute - Quidel Corporation (QDEL) acknowledged Beckman Coulter plans to pursue commercial litigation to allow it to sell BNP directly to customers, contrary to its agreement with Quidel for the development, manufacture, and supply of a B-type Naturietic Peptide assay for the diagnosis of cardiac disease. Quidel views Beckman's claims as meritless, and in opposition to Beckman's long-standing strategy of honoring the Supply Agreement with its previous partners - Alere and Biosite - over the last 14 years, and merely a tool in an effort to purchase the BNP assay business from Quidel. Quidel plans to vigorously defend the validity of the Supply Agreement and is confident in its legal position. In recent weeks, the Board of Directors of Quidel unanimously rejected offers by Beckman's parent company, Danaher Corporation (DHR), to acquire the BNP assay business. The Board found that Danaher's proposal was inadequate for the BNP assay business, and believes the execution of Quidel's long-term strategy, including the integration of its recently acquired assets, will create substantial long-term value for Quidel's shareholders. On October 6, Quidel acquired certain assets and rights from Alere, which were divested as part of Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) acquisition of Alere. Under the Supply Agreement, which Alere acquired from Biosite and Quidel acquired from Alere, Quidel provides to Beckman certain proprietary antibodies, Beckman manufactures assays, Beckman sells the assays to Quidel, which in turn sells the assays to customers for use on Beckman analyzers. Pursuant to the terms of the Supply Agreement, the Supply Agreement, including its non-compete provision, remains in effect so long as the Scios license remains in effect.

12:36 EDT Wheeler REIT says it did not offer to purchase Cedar Realty Trust - Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (WHLR) announced its response to a public announcement by Cedar Realty Trust (CDR) relating to recent correspondence between Wheeler and Cedar. The company said, "On November 22, Wheeler sent a letter to Cedar's Board of Directors suggesting that representatives of Wheeler and Cedar meet to discuss possible methods to enhance shareholder value in both companies. On November 27, Cedar responded to Wheeler's correspondence by publicly releasing incorrect information suggesting that Wheeler offered to purchase Cedar. In fact, the letter from Wheeler to Cedar's Board of Directors was simply a request for a meeting to discuss methods to enhance shareholder value, including possible acquisition opportunities. Wheeler's correspondence did not include an offer. As part of its normal operations, both Wheeler management and its Board of Directors will continue to review opportunities and strategies designed to increase shareholder value."

11:42 EDT Stratasys announces deal to bring 3D printed medical modeling to Philips - Stratasys (SSYS) announced the company is further advancing the impact and use of 3D printing in medical modeling by signing an agreement with Philips (PHG). The agreement includes virtually seamless interfacing and dedicated workflows across Philips IntelliSpace Portal 10 and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing's parts-on-demand service - allowing a broader range of medical professionals to improve training, research and surgical planning through 3D printing. By interfacing with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Philips clinical informatics and data management customers can rapidly design, order, and produce 3D printed anatomical structures on-demand. With dramatic realism enabled by Stratasys' unique PolyJet-based full-color, multi-material 3D printing solutions, advanced modeling enables medical professionals to innovate and evolve their healthcare strategies.

11:05 EDT OPKO Health announces enrollment of first patient in Phase 2B study of OPK88004 - OPKO Health announces that the company has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2b dose ranging trial of OPK88004, its orally administered selective androgen receptor modulator to treat men with benign prostatic hypertrophy or enlarged prostate. "We believe that OPK88004 has the potential of establishing a new standard of care for a disease that affects millions of men worldwide. Given the large number of patients with BPH, we expect to complete the study and to have topline results before the end of 2018," stated Phillip Frost, Chairman and CEO of OPKO Health.

11:03 EDT Philips announces partnerships with 3D Systems and Stratasys - Royal Philips (PHG) announced agreements with 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS) to help progress patient care and improve the clinician experience. Through interfacing with IntelliSpace Portal 10, Philips customers will now have a virtually seamless connection to 3D Systems and Stratasys solutions to expedite 3D printing to create models to help radiologists understand patient anatomy that is difficult to visualize and deliver personalized medicine in the most unique, complex cases, the company said. "Through our agreement with Philips, 3D Systems is furthering its commitment to advancing clinical performance and optimizing procedural outcomes through education and collaboration," said Kevin McAlea, Executive VP, Healthcare and Metals Business Units, 3D Systems. "Stratasys is committed to opening new doors for practitioners to prepare for procedures by opening data communication from the hospital-based imaging systems to the 3D printing products and services used to provide patient-specific modeling. Our alignment with a market leader like Philips takes this capability one step further," said Scott Rader, GM of Healthcare Solutions at Stratasys.

10:52 EDT comScore says U.S. online shopping from desktops up 22% on Thanksgiving - comScore (SCOR) reported U.S. desktop retail e-commerce spending for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2017. Thanksgiving Day saw a 22% gain to $1.57B in spending, while Black Friday followed with an even stronger spending day with $2.36B in desktop online sales, up 20% from Black Friday 2016, the market research firm said. Operators of some of the top online shopping sites in the U.S. include Amazon.com (AMZN), Wal-Mart (WMT), Kohl's (KSS), Macy's (M), Target (TGT) and eBay (EBAY).

10:36 EDT Morningstar reports October U.S. mutual fund, ETF asset flows - Morningstar reported estimated U.S. mutual fund and exchange-traded fund asset flows for October 2017. In October, investors put $27.6B into U.S. equity passive funds, more than doubling September's $12.7B inflow. On the active front, investors pulled $18.8B out of U.S. equity funds, compared with $18.5B in the previous month. Morningstar estimates net flow for mutual funds by computing the change in assets not explained by the performance of the fund and net flow for ETFs by computing the change in shares outstanding.

10:32 EDT AudioCodes announces approval for extension of share repurchase program - AudioCodes announced that it has received court approval to repurchase up to an additional $20M of its ordinary shares through May 27, 2018. The share repurchases will be funded from available working capital and will take place in open market transactions or in privately negotiated transactions.

10:30 EDT Predicted slide in NAND prices seen as bad for Western Digital, not Micron - Shares of Western Digital (WDC) are falling after Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty downgraded the stock to Equal Weight as she sees a peak approaching in the NAND memory market. Meanwhile, her colleague Joseph Moore raised his price target for Micron (MU) and argued that the shares should be bought on any NAND-related weakness. BEARISH ON NAND, BULLISH ON DRAM: In a research note to investors, Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore noted that while he has been bullish on memory for the last 12 months without the need to differentiate between the commodities, it is going to be "important to increasingly differentiate" between DRAM, which he expects to remain strong, and NAND. DRAM long-term cycle indicators, as well as short-term checks, look positive, he contended, adding that the disparity between DRAM EBITDA and capital spending is unprecedented, as DRAM profits have subsidized the strategic nature of the NAND transition. On the other hand, Moore pointed out that NAND short-term checks now show modest deceleration, but the cycle indicators make him more cautious. NAND has seen an unprecedented surge in spending, is likely to see supply accelerate from 35% growth in 2017 to 45% in 2018, and has high elasticity of demand in all segments, the analyst argued, noting that there is also simply a higher margin for error in forecasting supply, given the nature of the NAND transition. While acknowledging that there is a common risk to be aware of between the two commodities, namely customer inventory accumulation, Moore believes the risks feel higher for NAND. BUY MICRON: Morgan Stanley's Moore recommended investors buy Micron on any weakness related to the NAND market dynamics and raised his price target on the stock to $55 from $39. The analyst noted that NAND is only one third of Micron's sales. He also argued that there is some hidden protection in the fact that its NAND cost structure is improving faster than peers and the product quality is also improving faster as first and second-generation 3D are qualified with new customers, which could protect from price erosion. The analyst reiterated an Overweight rating on equipment names Applied Materials (AMAT) and Lam Research (LRCX) expecting a strong first half of 2018, but said he sees some potential second half of the year challenges in the more negative NAND scenarios. MOVING TO THE SIDELINES ON WESTERN DIGITAL: Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley's Huberty downgraded Western Digital to Equal Weight from Overweight on deteriorating NAND prices and continued Toshiba (TOSYY; TOSBF) memory joint venture uncertainty. While the analyst is positive on the company's diversified portfolio driving outsized growth versus closest peer Seagate (STX), Huberty told investors she believes the NAND industry is entering a downturn for the first time since the first quarter of 2016, increasing earnings risk and capping near-term valuation for Western Digital shares. Further, the analyst noted that she sees NAND supply growth outpacing demand in the first half of 2018 after undersupply for nearly two years. Weaker demand in consumer, client, and enterprise SSDs due to elevated prices also contributes to upcoming oversupply, she added, while predicting NAND prices will fall 7%-15% quarterly beginning in the first quarter of next year. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Western Digital have dropped about 6% to $87.05, while Micron's stock has slipped nearly 3% to $48.26.

10:04 EDT Buffalo Wild Wings downgraded after Roark 'sweetens' bid - Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS following reports that Roark Capital has sweetened its bid for the company and a report that more than one potential bidder is considering the company. ROARK'S SWEETENED BID: According to a report from Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter said Roark Capital, which owns Arby's and Carl's Jr., has sweetened its bid for Buffalo Wild Wings to about $155 per share. The new all-cash offer would value Buffalo Wild Wings at nearly $2.4B, the report said. Discussions between the two sides started in the past few days are "ongoing," the people added, noting that it is not certain a deal will be reached. Earlier this month, CNBC said Roark made an offer of over $150 per share, or more than $2.3B. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Buffalo Wild Wings lost a proxy fight with activist Marcato Capital Management, which held a 6.4% stake in the company as of September 30, in June. After the proxy contest ended, Buffalo Wild Wings' chief executive officer Sally Smith said she would retire by the end of the year. The company has yet to name her successor. Roark Capital, which has investments in chains such as Cinnabon, Carvel and Auntie Anne's, earlier this year backed an unsuccessful attempt to buy Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which instead sold to Restaurant Brands International (QSR) for about $1.8B. UBS MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: UBS analyst Dennis Geiger downgraded Buffalo Wild Wings to Neutral from Buy, and said the risk/reward is more balanced following the recent share rally fueled by Roark's bid for the company and another recent report that said more than one potential bidder is looking at buying the company. Without visibility into the likelihood of a takeout, it's difficult to argue for a much higher valuation, Geiger said. The analyst also said that while Roark's experience could support "better opportunities" in terms of a new CEO and management team, as well as improving operations, he believes that Buffalo Wild Wings could either reject the bid or seek a higher offer. Stifel analyst Chris O'Cull said earlier this month that an acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings by Roark could "provide an attractive exit for Marcato Capital." PRICE ACTION: Buffalo Wild Wings is currently down about 0.7% to $144.90. Year-to-date, shares are down 6%.

10:01 EDT American Electric seeks bids for coal - American Electric Power is seeking bids for the supply of coal to one or more of its generating stations. AEP seeks proposals for the following: Up to 400,000 tons of Central Appalachian coal, FOB Barge, beginning in January 2018 and ending in June 2018; Up to 1,700,000 tons of Powder River Basin coal, FOB Rail (joint-line served), beginning in January 2018 and ending in June 2018; Up to 250,000 tons of Illinois Basin coal, FOB Barge, beginning in January 2018 and ending in June 2018. AEP is open to alternative pricing structures or other innovative, value-added concepts. Proposals with alternative terms will be accepted. Accepted bids will be at AEP's discretion.

09:51 EDT Unit Corp. names Les Austin as SVP, CFO, effective immediately - Unit Corporation (UNT) announced that Les Austin has been named SVP and CFO of the company, effective immediately. The position was held by David T. Merrill, who was promoted to COO in August 2017. Austin has over 23 years of energy finance and leadership experience, most recently serving as SVP and CFO of Cypress Energy Partners, L.P (CELP).

09:35 EDT Jumei trading resumes

09:27 EDT Trump says tax bill 'coming along very well' with 'great support' - President Donald Trump just tweeted, "The Tax Cut Bill is coming along very well, great support. With just a few changes, some mathematical, the middle class and job producers can get even more in actual dollars and savings and the pass through provision becomes simpler and really works well!"

09:24 EDT Jumei receives withdrawal of buyer group going private proposal - Jumei announced that the special committee of the company's board received a letter dated November 27, 2017 from Leo Ou Chen, Founder, Chairman of the board of and CEO of the company, Yusen Dai, Sequoia Capital China II L.P., Sequoia Capital China Partners Fund II, L.P. and Sequoia Capital China Principals Fund II, L.P., stating that the Buyer Group would withdraw its prior non-binding going private proposal dated February 17, 2016, with immediate effect.

09:17 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Bazaarvoice (BV), up 13.5% after agreeing to be acquired by Marlin Equity Partners... Tuniu (TOUR), up 4% after reporting quarterly results... Protalix (PLX), up 5.3% after announcing study results which support potential of PRX-102 in Fabry Disease... Alkermes (ALKS), up 5.2% after entering into a licensing agreement with Biogen (BIIB). LOWER: Himax (HIMX), down 2.8% after being downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley... Square (SQ), down 4% after being downgraded to Sell from Neutral at BTIG.

09:15 EDT Fresenius Medical announces improved health outcomes via its ESCOs - Fresenius Medical Care North America announced the first performance year results from its End Stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations. The results, which cover the period from October 2015 through December 2016, show improved health outcomes for patients receiving care coordination through the ESCOs. This success was validated by an independent report from Lewin Group, which showed a nearly 9% decrease in hospitalization rates for these patients during the same time. As a result, Fresenius Medical Care ESCOs together generated more than $43M in gross savings, an average 5.47% reduction in expenditures per patient, with all six of its first-year ESCOs exceeding the shared savings benchmark. FMCNA's ESCO programs, known as Fresenius Seamless Care, were established through an agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as part of CMS' Comprehensive End Stage Renal Disease Care Demonstration Program, the nation's first disease-specific shared savings program. This program was designed to identify, test and evaluate new ways to improve care for Americans with ESRD. Under each ESCO, local nephrologists and dialysis providers partner to develop innovative care models based on highly coordinated, patient-centered care. Patients retain all of their Medicare benefits and the freedom to choose their providers.

09:10 EDT Barracuda trading resumes

09:07 EDT Intuit selects AWS for machine learning, artificial intelligence - Amazon Web Services (AMZN) announced that Intuit (INTU) selected AWS as its standard for machine learning and artificial intelligence workloads. With more than 150 patents pending and 40 artificial intelligence and machine learning features within its products today, Intuit expanded its use of AWS to further expedite deployment of its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities at scale for its customers. In addition, Intuit will run its companywide data lake on AWS. Intuit began its artificial intelligence journey over 10 years ago and continues to advance its product experiences, anti-fraud and security, and customer care practices to impact its 46 million customers worldwide.

09:05 EDT SenesTech receives initial order for ContraPest from Guest Services - SenesTech received an initial order for ContraPest from Guest Services, the National Park Service concessionaire adjacent to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. The initial order is part of a pilot rat control program developed with the National Park Service, which manages 24 sites in the District of Columbia, and GSI, the NPS concessionaire at that location. This program will be using ContraPest, SenesTech's lead product for controlling rodent infestations through fertility control.

09:05 EDT Logility acquires Halo Business Intelligence - Logility, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Software,announced it has acquired privately-held Halo Business Intelligence, a San Diego-based supplier of advanced analytics and business intelligence solutions for the supply chain market. Halo has developed innovative supply chain analytics that transform data from disparate enterprise systems into intelligent and actionable business information. As supply chains transition towards a digital era driven by algorithmic planning and machine learning, companies need a single, integrated platform to simplify the growing complexity and abundance of both structured and unstructured data available. Halo's advanced analytics deliver interactive visibility to help customers make quicker, smarter fact-based decisions. The combination of the Logility planning and optimization portfolio including the award-winning Logility Voyager Solutions, Demand Solutions and NGC Andromeda platforms, with Halo's advanced analytics capabilities will enable businesses to move away from emotion-based projections to predictive and prescriptive analytics to increase visibility and accelerate decision-making across the entire supply chain network from raw materials sourcing to omni-channel delivery.

09:04 EDT Perrigo announces launch of AB rated generic version of Exalgo 32mg tablets - Perrigo announced the launch of an AB rated generic version of Exalgo 32mg extended release tablets. Exalgo 32mg extended release tablets C-II is an opioid agonist indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain in opioid tolerant patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time. Annual market sales for the brand and generic equivalents of Exalgo 32mg extended release tablets for the 12 months ended September 2017 were approximately $32M.

09:04 EDT Jumei trading halted, news pending

09:03 EDT Citi names Brian Ovaert global head of securities services - Citi (C) announced that Brian Ovaert has joined the firm as a managing director and global head of securities services and issuer services operations. In this new role, he will be responsible for all day-to-day activities, re-engineering initiatives and overall strategic direction of the Securities Services operations function. He will be based in New York and report jointly to Stuart Riley, global head of markets and securities services operations & technology, and Okan Pekin, global head of prime, futures and securities services. He joins Citi from Northern Trust (NTRS) where he was most recently an EVP and head of enterprise operations.

09:02 EDT Barracuda agrees to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $27.55 per share in cash

08:48 EDT BioMarin sells second Rare Pediatric Priority Review Voucher for $125M - BioMarin announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher it obtained in April of this year for a lump sum payment of $125M. The company received the voucher under a U.S. FDA program intended to encourage the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases. BioMarin was awarded the voucher when it received approval of Brineura, a new biological product for patients with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, also known as tripeptidyl peptidase 1 deficiency, a form of Batten disease. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including anti-trust review. The sale of the PRV will be recorded as a $125M gain on sale of an intangible asset and will also be associated with approximately $25M of income tax expense. As a result of the sale, the company will update its GAAP Net Loss guidance by the $100M net after tax gain, and for full-year 2017, the GAAP Net Loss guidance will be reduced to between ($10M)-($30M). The sale of the PRV is a special item that will be excluded from Non-GAAP Income and consequently the Non-GAAP Income guidance for the full-year 2017 is unchanged at $60M-$80M.

08:45 EDT Bazaarvoice to be acquired by Marlin Equity Partners

08:44 EDT Barracuda trading halted, news pending

08:41 EDT W.R. Grace licenses UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Oriental Energy - W. R. Grace has contracted to license its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Oriental Energy New Material Co., Ltd. for an expansion at its facility in Ningbo, China. The two new 400-kiloton capacity lines are expected to begin operations in 2020 to produce homopolymer and random copolymers. The Ningbo operation is a subsidiary of Oriental Energy Co. Ltd. of Nanjing City, China, a comprehensive alkane resources operator that develops clean energy and new material for the international market. Oriental Energy previously licensed UNIPOL PP Process Technology for a 400-kiloton PP line in 2012.

08:36 EDT Inspired Entertainment says Virtual Sports products receive approval from NJ DGE - Inspired Entertainment announced that its Virtual Sports products have received approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and are now the first and only Virtual Sports products available in the State.

08:33 EDT Consolidated Water raises quarterly dividend to 8.5c from 7.5c per share - The cash dividend is payable January 31, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business January 3, 2018.

08:30 EDT PNC Financial to acquire The Trout Group

08:25 EDT Bazaarvoice trading halted, news pending

08:10 EDT Peabody Energy completes sale of majority of inactive Burton Mine - Peabody announced that it has completed the sale of the majority of its inactive Burton Mine and related infrastructure to the Lenton Joint Venture for approximately $11M, subject to certain customary post-closing adjustments. In addition to receipt of cash proceeds from the sale, the transaction reduces Peabody's asset retirement obligation by approximately $41M. The sale also provides for the release of approximately $30M of restricted cash in support of such asset retirement obligation, which combined with the company's recently announced revolving credit facility, is expected to free up approximately $300M in cash. Peabody placed the Burton Mine on care, maintenance and rehabilitation in December 2016 and announced the sale of the mine in September 2017. The Lenton Joint Venture, of which New Hope Coal is a 90% participant, controls mining tenements that adjoin the Burton Mine located in Queenland's Bowen Basin.

08:07 EDT Materialise, Siemens Healthineers partner for 3D printing in hospitals - Materialise (MTLS) and Siemens Healthineers (SIEGY) announced that they are joining forces to bring Materialise Mimics inPrint software to hospitals around the world. 3D printing technology is growing rapidly in the medical field, and soon it will be even more mainstream as 3D printing software becomes more accessible in hospitals. The partnership, announced at the 2017 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting, makes Materialise Mimics inPrint software, a dedicated solution for printing anatomical models in hospitals, available to radiologists through the Siemens Healthineers syngo.via open app platform. Adopting virtual 3D anatomical models facilitates surgical planning and collaboration between radiologists and surgical teams. 3D-printed anatomical models improve patient communication, training and education surrounding anatomically complex pathologies.

08:06 EDT RadiSys, Rohde & Schwarz announce partnership agreement - Radisys and Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity announced that they have partnered to deliver a real-time, low-latency networking and security solution to multiple major European communication service providers.

08:05 EDT Zayo Group to acquire Spread Networks for $127M - Zayo Group Holdings announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Spread Networks for $127M in cash. Spread Networks is a privately-owned telecommunications provider that owns and operates a 825-mile, high-fiber count long haul route connecting New York and Chicago. The acquisition will provide Zayo's customers with the lowest latency and most direct fiber route between the two cities and additional physical path diversity. This path is particularly important to financial services customers who have trading operations in the key financial markets of New York and Chicago. When combined with Zayo's fiber routes from Seattle to Chicago and San Francisco to Chicago, many other verticals including content, media and cloud providers benefit from the low-latency, coast-to-coast network. Traffic to and from Asia, which connects through cable landing stations in the Pacific Northwest, are also express connected via the combination of Zayo existing fiber routes and the Spread route. The high-fiber count route, which currently serves more than 60 customers, has ample capacity for new customers. Of the 432 fibers available on the route, less than 25 percent are utilized today and the acquisition provides Zayo with overpull rights and additional conduit. The route connects 755 Secaucus Rd. in Secaucus, NJ and 1400 Federal Blvd. in Carteret, NJ to 350 Cermak Rd. in Chicago, IL, with additional connectivity enabled by Zayo's existing network. Zayo will use the acquired assets to provide a low-latency wavelength route from Seattle to New York. The all-cash transaction is expected to be funded with cash on hand and debt and is expected to close in the first calendar quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. For the quarter ending December 31, 2017, Spread Networks is expected to generate $22.8M in annualized revenue and $7.5M in annualized EBITDA. Zayo expects to reach $10.5M in annualized EBITDA from the Spread acquisition by the September 30, 2018 quarter through cost synergies and organic growth.

08:04 EDT Masimo announces FDA clearance of NomoLine capnography sampling lines - Masimo FDA clearance and U.S. release of the full family of NomoLine capnography sampling lines. NomoLine sampling lines are available in more than 40 configurations of airway adapter sets and cannulas for use in a variety of clinical scenarios, including for intubated and non-intubated patients in both low and high humidity applications, for all patient populations, including neonatal patients. NomoLine capnography sampling lines are compatible with both Masimo and third-party OEM NomoLine monitors and enable hassle-free sidestream capnography and gas monitoring.

08:03 EDT Rocky Brands announces sale of Creative Recreation brand - Rocky Brands announced the sale of its Creative Recreation brand to a private investment group. The sale included the inventory, product designs and molds, trademarks and related intangible assets of Creative Recreation along with certain licensing and other contracts. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

08:02 EDT Medovex submits IDE with FDA for DenerveX System - Medovex announced that has submitted an Investigational Device Exemption, or IDE, with the FDA for its DenerveX System targeting pain associated with the Facet Joint. The DenerveX System is CE Marked in Europe and it is commercially available in Europe and certain other international markets.

08:02 EDT Deckers Brands provides update on board refreshment process - Deckers Brands provided an update on its ongoing process of adding new perspectives and fresh voices to its Board of Directors. As part of that process, Deckers intends to appoint at least two new independent directors by its 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The appointment of new directors will coincide with an equal number of retirements from the existing Board. In line with its commitment to meet the needs of its consumers, win in the marketplace and deliver value to stockholders, the Deckers Board is seeking individuals with highly additive skills and relevant experience, taking into account Deckers' global, multi-brand, and multi-channel business model. Further, these new directors are intended to increase Board diversity and reduce the average tenure of independent directors. Deckers is working with a leading director search firm on the Board refreshment process. Deckers expects to hold its 2018 Annual Meeting in September 2018, consistent with the timing of its prior annual meetings.

08:01 EDT ManTech awarded $816M contract from U.S. Department of State - ManTech announced an $816M contract with the U.S. Department of State to provide wide-ranging electronic and physical security countermeasure programs that will safeguard personnel supporting State's mission, both overseas and domestic. Unique for its range of scope and the span of engineering and technology innovations deployed, the multi-year agreement designates ManTech to deliver omnipresent, round-the-clock technical security in an era of rising terrorist threats

07:36 EDT TG Therapeutics announces initiation of NCI/SWOG-sponsored Phase II trial - TG Therapeutics announced that along with SWOG, the global cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, it has initiated a three arm Phase II trial evaluating the combination of TGR-1202, the company's PI3K delta inhibitor, plus obinutuzumab, compared to the combination of obinutuzumab plus lenalidomide, and obinituzumab plus CHOP, in patients with early relapsing or refractory Follicular Lymphoma, or FL. Target enrollment will be 50 patients per arm. The primary outcome of this study is to assess the Complete Response rate following six cycles of treatment. Key secondary outcomes include ORR, DOR and PFS. The safety profile of each of these regimens will also be evaluated. The study will be independently run by SWOG, which has received NC funding since 1956. TG has agreed to provide TGR-1202 free of charge for use in the study. The goal of the study is to identify safe and effective novel combinations that can be used to manage these challenging early relapsing Follicular Lymphoma patients. The study is now open at over 100 hospitals, cancer centers, and other clinical sites across the U.S.

07:32 EDT Bioverativ receives FDA approval for ALPROLIX label update - Bioverativ announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved updated labeling for ALPROLIX, the extended half-life therapy for the treatment of adults and children with hemophilia B. The label update, including the addition of pediatric data showing prophylactic treatment with ALPROLIX results in effective bleed protection with extended dosing intervals, further supports the long-term efficacy and safety profile of ALPROLIX. These updates are based on interim data from the Phase 3 B-YOND open-label extension trial and final data from the Phase 3 Kids B-LONG pediatric study. ALPROLIX is a recombinant clotting factor therapy developed using Fc fusion technology to prolong circulation in the body and has been studied in more than 150 adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients over 17,000 exposure days as part of its clinical development program. The new label demonstrates additional clinical trial experience with 93 subjects treated prophylactically for more than 104 weeks. The ALPROLIX label update is based on FDA review of results from B-YOND, an open-label, non-randomized extension study of previously-treated adults and adolescents enrolled in the Phase 3 B-LONG study and participants of Kids B-LONG, a Phase 3 study of children with severe hemophilia B. In these trials, weekly prophylactic treatment with ALPROLIX resulted in a median spontaneous annualized bleeding rate of zero among children and 1.04 among adults and adolescents, and a median joint annualized bleeding rate of zero among children and 1.11 among adults and adolescents. Median overall ABRs for children, and adults and adolescents with weekly prophylactic treatment, were 1.97 and 2.95, respectively. Updated pharmacokinetic data from these studies are also included in the label. Obstructive uropathy was also added to the label as a common adverse reaction. Obstructive uropathy was reported in two subjects and the condition was resolved in both cases with hydration. Other common adverse reactions include headache and oral paresthesia.

07:31 EDT Sears, KMart announce free home delivery for online orders through Christmas - Beginning November 27, Sears and Kmart introduced more value and shopping convenience with an offer of free home delivery for online purchases on all orders over $399, through Monday, December 25.

07:14 EDT SandRidge Energy adopts short-term shareholder rights plan - SandRidge Energy (SD) announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a short-term shareholder rights plan. The Rights Plan is designed to protect our shareholders' right to vote, on a fully informed basis, on the proposal to approve the issuance of the Company's common stock in connection with the proposed merger with Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI) based on the additional disclosure forthcoming in the Company's proxy materials for the merger. The Board adopted the Rights Plan to ensure that the Board remains in the best position to perform its fiduciary duties, comply with the Company's obligations under its merger agreement with Bonanza Creek, and enable all SandRidge shareholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company. The Rights Plan is designed to deter the acquisition of actual, de facto or negative control of the Company by any person or group without appropriately compensating its shareholders for such control. The Rights Plan is not designed to prevent any action the Board determines to be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. The Company intends to recommend the ratification of the Rights Plan for approval by its shareholders at the Company's 2018 annual meeting of shareholders. If ratified by the shareholders, the Rights Plan will expire on November 26, 2018. If the Rights Plan is not ratified, then the Rights Plan will terminate and cease to be effective. The Rights Plan will be triggered only if a person or group of persons acting in concert exceeds beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the Company's common stock. Shareholders who currently have beneficial ownership of over 10% are grandfathered in, but may not acquire additional shares without triggering the Rights Plan.

07:09 EDT Cedar Realty Trust board unanimously rejects proposal from Wheeler REIT - Cedar Realty Trust (CDR) announced that its Board of Directors has received and unanimously rejected an unsolicited and unrealistic proposal from Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (WHLR) to evaluate opportunities to combine the two companies. The Cedar Board of Directors fully reviewed Wheeler's unsolicited proposal in consultation with its advisors and unanimously concluded that it is not in the best interest of shareholders for Cedar to enter into discussions with Wheeler.

07:04 EDT CNO Financial names Yvonne Franzese as Chief Human Resources Officer - CNO Financial Group announced that Yvonne Franzese has been named Chief Human Resources Officer. Franzese will report directly to Gary Bhojwani, CNO President and CEO successor.

07:04 EDT Biogen, Alkermes announce license and collaboration agreement for ALKS 8700 - Biogen (BIIB) and Alkermes (ALKS) announced that they have entered into a global license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize ALKS 8700, a novel, oral, monomethyl fumarate small drug molecule in Phase 3 development for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will receive an exclusive, worldwide license to commercialize ALKS 8700 and will pay Alkermes a mid-teens royalty on worldwide net sales of ALKS 8700. This collaboration aligns the interests of Alkermes and Biogen in the successful development and commercialization of ALKS 8700 as an important potential treatment option for patients suffering from MS. Biogen will reimburse Alkermes for fifty percent of the 2017 ALKS 8700 development costs, with Alkermes receiving an upfront payment of $28M representing Biogen's share of development expenses already incurred in 2017. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, Biogen will be responsible for all development expenses related to ALKS 8700. Alkermes may also receive milestone payments for ALKS 8700 with a maximum aggregate value of $200M upon certain clinical and regulatory achievements. Biogen anticipates the initial milestone payment of $50M will be recorded as an expense in 2017. Alkermes will maintain responsibility for regulatory interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through the potential approval of the New Drug Application for ALKS 8700 for the treatment of MS. Biogen shall be responsible for all commercialization activities for ALKS 8700. ALKS 8700 is currently in Phase 3 development for MS. Alkermes plans to seek approval of ALKS 8700 under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway referencing Biogen's TECFIDERA. The registration package for ALKS 8700 will include pharmacokinetic bridging studies that establish bioequivalence to TECFIDERA and data from a two-year safety study known as EVOLVE-MS-1. Initial safety data from EVOLVE-MS-1 were recently presented at MSParis2017, the 7th Joint Meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in October. Safety data from the first month of the EVOLVE-MS-1 study showed that treatment with ALKS 8700 was associated with low rates of gastrointestinal adverse events leading to discontinuation and no occurrence of serious GI AEs. The most common AEs during the first month of treatment with ALKS 8700 were flushing, pruritus and diarrhea. Also, currently underway is a head-to-head study evaluating the GI tolerability of ALKS 8700 compared to TECFIDERA. Initial data from EVOLVE-MS-2 are expected in the first half of 2018.

07:02 EDT RYB Education provides update following allegations of 'improper conduct' - RYB Education issued an update following the local police authority's release of two reports on November 25, 2017 regarding the investigation of the case described in RYB's press release issued on November 24, 2017. According to one police report, a 22-year-old female teacher at the RYB-operated kindergarten in question was detained as a criminal suspect for maltreatment of children in the facility, and the police investigation is continuing. The other police report stated that an individual spread fabricated and untrue information about child abuse at the kindergarten by military personnel through social media channels, causing a significant and adverse impact on the general public. According to the police report, this individual remains in police detention and has confessed her unlawful conduct and expressed remorse for the harm she has caused. The police report does not address the individual's motive in disseminating this materially false and misleading information regarding the Company. The Company is deeply saddened by the alleged maltreatment towards children by the RYB teacher, and extends its apologies to all of RYB's parents, children, and the public for the negative impact resulting from this incident. RYB will continue to uphold its duty as a socially responsible education service provider and is in the process of implementing the following remediation steps: Dismiss the accused teacher and remove the facility principal from her position, effective immediately, and continue to enforce its zero-tolerance policy towards unethical or illegal behavior throughout all of its facilities; Perform a thorough self-inspection across all RYB teaching facilities and review and inspect all practices in these facilities, through a special task force led by the independent directors of the Company; Implement a comprehensive upgrade of security and surveillance systems and put in place a system of third-party supervision to ensure accountability and transparency; Communicate with concerned parents and use its best efforts to prevent and minimize any harm to their children. The Company will enlist help from doctors and psychiatrists to care for any children who may have been affected by this incident and provide them with counseling and other necessary medical care; Assign additional experienced RYB teaching staff and management team to the affected RYB kindergarten to minimize disruption to this kindergarten and the children's education; and Offer full cooperation to the government authorities in connection with the investigation. RYB remains fully committed to the safety and happiness of each and every child who is enrolled in RYB kindergartens and will continue to seek to implement best practices commensurate with its status as a leading early childhood education service provider in China.

06:58 EDT LyondellBasell to purchase 50% stake in Quality Circular Polymers - LyondellBasell announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a 50% stake in Quality Circular Polymers, a high standard plastics recycling company in Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. Under the terms of the agreement, LyondellBasell will be a 50 / 50 partner in QCP with SUEZ, a French company specialized in water and waste management. This transaction marks the first time that a major plastics and chemicals company partners with a leader in resource management to contribute to circular economy objectives. LyondellBasell will market QCP materials following the completion of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval. LyondellBasell and SUEZ are seeking to secure regulatory approval by the end of this year.

06:47 EDT Civeo to acquire Noralta Lodge for approximately $289M - Civeo and Noralta Lodge announced the companies have entered into a definitive agreement for Civeo to acquire Noralta for a total consideration of approximately $289M on a cash-free, debt-free basis, subject to adjustments. Highlights include: Transaction strengthens Civeo's workforce accommodations offering with multiple complementary locations and a large percentage of premium private rooms. Acquisition would be accretive to operating cash flow, increase Civeo's standalone operating cash flow by approximately 75% during the twelve month period ended September 30, 2017 and reduce Civeo's 3Q17 leverage ratio from 4.4x standalone to 3.2x on a pro forma combined basis. Noralta provides greater revenue visibility through contracts in place with two major investment grade oil sands producers with estimated, aggregate annual revenues of at least C$130M during their terms Noralta generated C$155M, C$32M and C$71M of revenue, net income and EBITDA, respectively, during the twelve month period ended August 31, 2017. Expected annual synergies of C$10M by 2019, primarily related to operational and corporate efficiencies. The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2018.

06:40 EDT Puma Energy selects WEX's IFCS payment processing system - WEX (WEX) and OTI PetroSmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of OTI (OTIV), are pleased to announce that Puma Energy has selected WEX's IFCS payment processing system to support its on-road B2B fueling offer. IFCS is integrated with OTI PetroSmart's automated vehicle identification solution, EasyFuelPlus, which uses NFC technologies to identify, authorize and complete fueling transactions for eligible vehicles.

06:37 EDT Julius Baer CEO Borris Collardi resigns - The board has taken note of the resignation of Boris F.J. Collardi from his position as CEO of Julius Baer, a role he assumed in 2009. Boris F.J. Collardi is leaving Julius Baer with immediate effect. He will join the privately owned Pictet Group in Geneva to co-head its global wealth management group as of mid-2018. The board has appointed Bernhard Hodler as CEO with immediate effect. As part of its ongoing succession planning, the board will engage in an evaluation process for the long-term leadership of the Group. Bernhard Hodler, currently Chief Risk Officer of Julius Baer, was named deputy to the CEO in September 2017. He has been a member of Julius Baer's senior executive team since 1998 and has held various senior positions, including Chief Operating Officer and President of the Management Committee of the Bank.

06:36 EDT Catalyst Pharmaceuticals announces 'positive' results from trial of Firdapse - Catalyst Pharmaceuticals announced positive top-line results from a second Phase 3 clinical trial of Firdapse for the symptomatic treatment of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. Firdapse received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA in August 2013 and this clinical trial was conducted using a protocol agreed to by the FDA through the Special Protocol Assessment process. This trial had two prospectively defined co-primary endpoints. The first of these, quantitative myasthenia gravis score, achieved a statistically significant p-value of 0.0004, and the second, subject global impression, achieved a statistically significant p-value of 0.0003. More importantly, a clinically significant difference of 6.4 points was observed between the Firdapse and placebo groups for the QMG endpoint. Firdapse was well tolerated and showed a similar safety profile to that seen in earlier studies. All p-values reported are based on the entire intent to treat population of patients that enrolled in this trial. The prospectively defined secondary endpoint for the physician's clinical global impression of improvement achieved statistical significance (p-value 0.0020). Further, the exploratory endpoints had the following results: (i) the triple timed up and go endpoint achieved statistical significance (p-value 0.0112), (ii) the evaluation of the QMG-Limb domains endpoint achieved statistical significance (p-value 0.0010), and (iii) the most bothersome symptom endpoint was not statistically significant, but showed a positive trend (p-value 0.0572).

06:29 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical completes enrollment in Study BHV3000-302 - Biohaven Pharmaceutical announced completion of enrollment in Study BHV3000-302, the Company's second pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial examining the efficacy and safety of rimegepant in the acute treatment of migraine. The trial began shortly after the commencement of rimegepant's first efficacy trial, Study BHV3000-301, and the two trials enrolled simultaneously with the objective of announcing topline results for the migraine program in the first quarter of 2018. Together the two pivotal trials enrolled approximately 3,000 subjects, which is expected to support a robust assessment of the efficacy of rimegepant in the acute treatment of migraine as required by the FDA for registration. Biohaven continues to evaluate the long-term safety of rimegepant in a third trial, Study BHV3000-201.

06:26 EDT AkzoNobel to acquire V.Powdertech business, terms not disclosed - AkzoNobel has agreed to acquire the business of V.Powdertech Co., the leading Thai manufacturer of powder coatings, supplying a range of products for domestic appliances, furniture and general industrial applications, and currently employing more than 250 employees. The acquisition of V.Powdertech will bring new technologies and services to complement AkzoNobel's global technology portfolio and business in market segments such as architectural and automotive coatings. The transaction includes all relevant technologies, patents and trademarks, as well as a manufacturing plant in Samutsakhon, Thailand. In addition, the employees from V.Powdertech will be joining AkzoNobel, bringing with them product and market expertise to serve an expanded customer base in the region. The transaction is expected to be completed within the coming weeks.

06:24 EDT AstraZeneca makes regulatory submission for Tagrisso in Japan for NSCLC - AstraZeneca on Friday announced the submission of a supplemental new drug application to Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency for the use of Tagrisso, a third-generation, irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with clinical activity against central nervous system metastases, for the 1st-line treatment of patients with inoperable or recurrent EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The Japan sNDA is based on data from the Phase III FLAURA trial, in which Tagrisso significantly improved progression-free survival compared to current 1st-line EGFR-TKIs, erlotinib or gefitinib, in previously-untreated patients with locally-advanced or metastatic EGFRm NSCLC.

06:23 EDT AstraZeneca, Chinese FIIF establish JV to develop medicines in China - AstraZeneca on Friday announced a strategic joint venture with the Chinese Future Industry Investment Fund, or FIIF, to form an equally-owned, stand-alone company in China to discover, develop and commercialise potential new medicines to help meet unmet needs globally, and to bring innovative new medicines to patients in China faster. FIIF is managed by the SDIC Fund Management Company, a private equity management company. The new company, Dizal Pharmaceutical, incorporates all scientific and technical capabilities of AstraZeneca's Innovation Center China, and holds exclusive rights to develop and commercialise three potential medicines currently in pre-clinical development from AstraZeneca's pipeline in its main therapy areas of oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and respiratory. It is also expected to initiate novel clinical programmes. The FIIF will contribute funding and expertise in establishing strategic partnerships in China. Dr. Xiaolin Zhang, previously Head of AstraZeneca's ICC, has been named as CEO of the new company. All staff employed by the ICC have been invited to join the new company.

06:18 EDT AWS launches Amazon Sumerian to build AR, VR and 3D apps quickly - Amazon's AWS has launched Amazon Sumerian, which "lets you create and run virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D applications quickly and easily without requiring any specialized programming or 3D graphics expertise. With Sumerian, you can build highly immersive and interactive scenes that run on popular hardware such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and iOS mobile devices. For example, you can build a virtual classroom that lets you train new employees around the world, or you can build a virtual environment that enables people to tour a building remotely. Sumerian makes it easy to create all the building blocks needed to build highly immersive and interactive 3D experiences including adding objects, and designing, animating, and scripting environments. Sumerian does not require specialized expertise and you can design scenes directly from your browser." Reference Link

06:06 EDT Jones Energy says evaluating strategic, financing alternatives - Jones Energy announced that the company is exploring strategic alternatives as well as opportunities to strengthen its balance sheet and is working with financial advisors in this process. "Earlier today we announced modifications to our credit facility which will provide for the continued development of our Merge assets in 2018," said Jonny Jones, Chairman and CEO. "These modifications were an important step. However, we believe it is prudent to explore additional opportunities to strengthen our balance sheet, secure additional capital, and improve the Company's financial flexibility." Jones Energy is working with Credit Suisse to evaluate strategic and financial alternatives and to assist the Company in determining the most appropriate course to deliver shareholder value. In addition, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. is working with Jones Energy to evaluate potential drilling joint ventures, or "DrillCo" alternatives, which will enable the continued development of its Western Anadarko properties. The Company has received interest from potential investors in this structure and is working to develop final proposals. With respect to its ongoing process, Jones Energy said that no assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process. The company does not intend to announce results of the Board's evaluation unless it determines such disclosures to be necessary or appropriate.

06:02 EDT Clean Energy, Landi Renzo to combine compressor businesses - Landi Renzo S.p.A. and Clean Energy Fuels announced that the two companies are combining their compressor manufacturing subsidiaries to form a new standalone company that will immediately become one of the leading suppliers of natural gas compressors and other related products across the entire globe. Landi Renzo's SAFE, with a strong presence in Europe and Asia, and Clean Energy Compression, which is well established in the North and South America markets, will combine manufacturing and support operations and equip an international sales team with an expanded line of quality compressors featuring the latest technologies. Upon closing, which is anticipated before the end of the year, Landi Renzo will own 51% of the new company and take over operational management, while Clean Energy will retain a 49% ownership. Andrew J. Littlefair, President and CEO of Clean Energy, will serve as the chairman of the board. The combined company will be headquartered in San Giovanni Persiceto, Italy, and retain Clean Energy's manufacturing operation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.