Stockwinners Market Radar for February 06, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:00 EDT Triumph, China Southern enter exclusive pact for nacelle maintenance - Triumph Group announced its subsidiary, Triumph Aviation Services Asia, Ltd., has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Southern Airlines to cooperate in a comprehensive alliance for nacelle maintenance, potentially including the establishment of a joint venture entity in Shenyang, China. Triumph Aviation Services Asia, is an operating company of Triumph Product Support. Under the MOU, Triumph Aviation Services Asia will be relied on as supplier of choice to provide repair services for China Southern's fleet of V2500 and PW4168 nacelles while the joint venture company is being established. The JV will then provide repair and overhaul services for nacelle components and additional aircraft components of China Southern Airlines' fleet in the long term, as well for as other operators in the China region.

18:07 EDT Avnet raises quarterly dividend 5.5% to 19c per share - Avnet announced that its board of directors approved a 5.5% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 19c per share. The dividend will be paid on March 27, 2018, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 13, 2018.

17:32 EDT Akamai sees FY18 CapEx 15%-17% of revenue

17:22 EDT Evertec to replace Sucampo in S&P 600 at open on 2/14 - S&P 500 constituent Mallinckrodt (MNK) is acquiring Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (SCMP) in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date pending final conditions.

17:19 EDT Ring Energy to replace Boyd Gaming in S&P 600 at open on 2/13

17:18 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Snap (SNAP), up 20%... Nanometrics (NANO), up 14.5%... Akamai (AKAM), up 7.7%... Acxiom (ACXM), up 6.4%... MagnaChip (MX), up 3.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Pioneer Natural (PXD), up 4.6% after it reported quarterly results, raised its semiannual dividend, announced a $100M stock repurchase program, and announced plans to divest its South Texas, Raton and west panhandle assets. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Container Store (TCS), down 8.2%... Microchip (MCHP), down 5.9%... Chipotle (CMG), down 4.2%... Macom (MTSI), down 2.3%. ALSO LOWER: Halcon Resources (HK), down 8.2% after it announced a public offering of common stock.

17:10 EDT Disney says planning multiple 'Star Wars' TV series for online service

17:06 EDT Asur reports January traffic down 2.5% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste announced that total passenger traffic for January 2018 declined 2.5% when compared to December 2016. Passenger traffic rose 5.0% in Mexico, and declined 24.9% in San Juan and 5.0% in Colombia. Note that the decline in passenger traffic at San Juan Airport reflects the impact of Hurricane Maria, which hit the island on September 21, 2017.

17:04 EDT Rex Energy reports Q4 production 205.3MMcfe/d, up from 194.9MMcfe/d last year - Rex Energy's fourth quarter 2017 production was 205.3 MMcfe/d, consisting of 123.4 MMcf/d of natural gas, 13.0 Mboe/d of NGLs and 0.7 Mboe/d of condensate. Condensate and NGLs accounted for 40% of production during the quarter. Full-year 2017 production was 184.5 MMcfe/d.

17:03 EDT Akamai says sees Q1 CapEx $65M-$75M

17:01 EDT Highwoods Properties acquires two developmental properties - Highwoods Properties announced it has acquired two development parcels totaling nine acres in the vibrant Gulch district in CBD Nashville, for a combined purchase price of $50.3M. Highwoods used 1031 exchange funds held in escrow from dispositions closed in 2017 to acquire the two parcels, which are currently zoned and entitled for an aggregate of 1.2M square feet of future office development. Highwoods plans to develop an office project encompassing approximately 479,000 square feet, including street level retail, on the recently acquired 5.4-acre parcel, which is located at Church Street and 11th Avenue North and is valued at $24.6M. The anticipated total cost of this potential build-to-suit development project is $252M. The project is designed to consist of two structures, one of 8 stories and the other 7 stories, and will sit atop a 6 level structured parking podium, half of which will be below grade.

16:54 EDT Gilead sees 'strength' to build pipeline internally and through M&A, partnership - Gilead said in earnings call presentation slides that the company has "financial strength to build pipeline internally, as well as through acquisitions and external partnerships."

16:52 EDT Freeport McMoRan reinstates dividend with a 5c payout - Freeport-McMoRan announced today that its board has reinstated a cash dividend on its common stock. The board intends to declare a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, with the initial quarterly dividend expected to be paid on May 1, 2018. Richard C. Adkerson, FCX's President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our board's action to reinstate common stock dividends reflects strong execution of our plan to strengthen FCX's financial position over the last two years, improved market conditions and a positive outlook for strong cash flow generation. We expect to continue to strengthen our balance sheet, maintain a disciplined approach to investing in attractive growth projects as economic conditions warrant and provide cash returns to shareholders. We remain focused on building values for shareholders and a continuation of positive market conditions will enable the consideration of additional cash returns to shareholders, consistent with our long-standing tradition."

16:51 EDT Gilead sees FY18 HCV product sales of $3.5B-$4B vs. $9.1B in FY17 - FY18 guidance compares to FY17 actual HCV product sales of $9.1B, with the company attributing $0.8B-$1B of the loss to total market patient starts and $4.3B-$4.6B of the decline to the "competitive environment." Guidance from Gilead earnings call presentation slides.

16:48 EDT Disney says 'Black Panther' ticket presales outpace all superhero films - Says enthusiastic about Fox (FOXA) businesses Disney (DIS) is acquiring. Says acquisition will deliver more quality content and the capability to produce even more content. Says acquisition will greatly diversify services geographically. Says new ESPN online service to cost $4.99 per month. Says "Black Panther" had "phenomenal" reception at premiere last week. Says "Black Panther" presales outpace all superhero films. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

16:45 EDT Snap sees Q1 revenue growth moderating from Q4 pace - Says exited Q4 with slightly higher cost per DAU than the quarterly average of 70c. Says cost impact of application redesign has yet to be fully determined. Says focusing on executing additional cost-saving initiatives in 2018 to continue to offset future cost increases. Says planning for a "slight" increase in CapEx in 2018. Says planning for continued gains in team productivity and modest hiring. Says focused on removing "friction" from products, advertising business, and the company's team. Says over 90% of Snap Ads were bought programmatically during Q4. Says plans to moderate growth of team over the next year. Comments taken from prepared remarks ahead of the company's Q4 earnings conference call.

16:41 EDT PDC Energy announces Year-End 2017 proved reserves of approximately 453 MMBoe - -- PDC Energy reported year-end 2017 proved reserves and full-year production. Year-end 2017 proved reserves of 452.9 million barrels of oil equivalent, an approximate 33% increase over year-end 2016 proved reserves with estimated all-sources reserve replacement of 450%. Proved reserves of 97.9 MMBoe in the Delaware Basin, an increase of 65.4 MMBoe or 200% from year-end 2016. Before-tax SEC PV10 of the year-end 2017 reserves of $3.2 billion, an increase of approximately 92% from year-end 2016. Anticipated 2017 production of 31.8 MMBoe, a 44% increase over 2016, with estimated 2017 oil production of 12.9 MM barrels, a 48% increase over 2016. Anticipated fourth quarter 2017 oil production of over 40,400 barrels per day, an 8% increase over third quarter 2017. Anticipated December 2017 production exit rate of 97,000 barrels of oil equivalent ("Boe") per day. Anticipated 2017 capital investment of approximately $790 million.

16:41 EDT Akamai says has 'turned the corner' in media division - Expects revenue growth in media in FY18. Expects EBITDA margin growth in FY18. Comments from Q4 earnings conference call.

16:35 EDT Amlan International receives patent in China - Amlan International recently received a patent in China for its formulated intestinal health products. The products have three distinct modes of action that work together to strengthen the intestinal environment of livestock. Patents for the same formula are currently pending in the United States and additional strategic countries. The patent covers two products specifically formulated for their respective species. In poultry, Varium improves feed efficiency, promotes growth and reduces mortality while replacing or enhancing existing antibiotic growth promoters. NeoPrime stimulates a healthy intestinal environment and primes the immune system for improved post-weaning piglet performance. The feed additives are being continuously proven efficacious in the field by outperforming competitive products and enabling producers to maximize both revenue and profit.

16:32 EDT Perion Network CFO Yakovian tenders resignation, Sigron named new CFO - Perion Network announced that Ophir Yakovian has tendered his resignation as Perion's Chief Financial Officer to pursue new professional business opportunities. Maoz Sigron, Perion's Vice President of Finance and a senior finance executive with more than a decade of experience in controllership, accounting and financial management, has been appointed as Perion's CFO, effective February 7, 2018. Sigron has served in various finance leadership and senior accounting, in positions at Tnuva Dairy Corporation as well as Allot Communications and Stratasys Ltd., both of which are publicly traded corporations listed on NASDAQ. Earlier in his career he served as a CPA with PwC and holds B.A in accounting and Economics from the College of Management.

16:31 EDT Coeur Mining reports FY17 contained reserves, resources - Coeur Mining reported year-end 2017 contained reserves and resources from continuing operations, which reflect significant increases compared to 2016 and demonstrate the success of the Company's expanded near-mine exploration program. Proven and probable reserves of 335.8 million silver equivalent ounces are 10% higher, driven primarily by year-over-year silver equivalent2 reserve increases of 36% at Wharf and 17% at Palmarejo. Measured and indicated resources of approximately 385.7 million AgEqOz2 and inferred resources of 171.0 million AgEqOz2 represent increases of 42% and 45%, respectively. The company's year-end 2017 reserves assumed silver and gold prices of $17.50 per ounce and $1,250 per ounce, respectively, unchanged from the assumptions used to determine year-end 2016 and 2015 reserves.

16:29 EDT Plains All American sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA $2.3B

16:29 EDT Qiagen launches predictive Therascreen Pitx2 breast cancer test in Europe - QIAGEN N.V.announced the European launch of its novel therascreen PITX2 RGQ PCR Kit, the first clinically validated DNA methylation assay that helps predict the response of certain high-risk breast cancer patients to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. The CE-IVD marked assay is QIAGEN's first epigenetic test in breast cancer, as well as the latest addition to QIAGEN's broad portfolio of therascreen tests delivering individualized genetic insights to guide medical decisions in lung, colorectal and other cancers.

16:26 EDT Anadarko sees FY18 oil sales volume 370K-390K BOPD

16:25 EDT Anadarko sees FY18 total sales volume 238-248 MBOE

16:24 EDT Anadarko sees FY18 CapEx $4.1B-$4.5B - The company expects full-year capital investments in the range of $4.1B-$4.5B, not including capital investments made by Western Gas Partners (WES).

16:23 EDT Powell expects to report a loss in FY18 - As previously reported, Powell expects to report a net loss in FY18. However, the Company estimates its second half fiscal 2018 performance to show an improvement over the first half provided that new customer orders continue to improve as anticipated.

16:20 EDT Cubic reports record total backlog of $3.64B

16:18 EDT Snap rises 26.3% afterhours to $17.76 following Q4 earnings

16:18 EDT Snap falls rises 26.3% afterhours to $17.76 following Q4 earnings

16:16 EDT Acxiom to explore strategic options for Marketing Solutions business - Acxiom announced plans to realign its portfolio into two distinct business units: LiveRamp and Acxiom Marketing Solutions. "This realignment will allow Acxiom to best meet client needs in a rapidly evolving marketplace, create a strong foundation for continued growth and enhance value for shareholders," the company said. Acxiom expects to report its results under the realigned business units in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. "Over the last three quarters, Acxiom has undergone a comprehensive review of its businesses to drive cleaner lines of sight, clearer accountabilities and to maximize its strategic flexibility. Following this review, the Company announced today that it intends to actively explore options to further strengthen Acxiom Marketing Solutions and deliver greater value to its clients. These options may include a strategic partnership, acquisition, tax-free merger, joint venture, tax-free spin-off, sale or other potential strategic combinations...Acxiom does not intend to provide further public comments on its strategic review, unless there is a material development," the company stated.

16:13 EDT GameStop appoints Michael Mauler CEO - GameStop announced that Michael Mauler has been appointed as the company's new CEO, effective immediately. Mauler will also join GameStop's board. He previously served as executive VP and President of International, which consists of nearly 2,000 retail stores operating under the GameStop, EB Games, Micromania and Zing Pop Culture brands.

16:12 EDT Chipotle sees FY18 SSS up in the low single digits - Sees FY18 new restaurant openings 130-150.

16:12 EDT Extreme Networks reports Q2 adjusted gross margin 59.4% - Q2 GAAP gross margin for the second fiscal quarter was 55.8%, an increase of 490 basis points year-over-year, and non-GAAP gross margin was 59.4% year-over-year, an increase of 220 basis points year-over-year.

16:11 EDT Midland States increases dividend 10% - Midland States Bancorp announced that its board declared a quarterly cash dividend of 22c per share, an increase of 10% from the previous quarterly cash dividend of 20c per share. The dividend is payable on or about February 23 to all shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 16.

16:09 EDT Halcon Resources acquires acreage in Ward County, Texas for $381M - Halcon Resources Corporation announced it has recently acquired or entered into definitive agreements to acquire 22,617 net acres in Ward County, Texas for approximately $381M. The properties are currently producing ~1,325 boe/d which equates to a purchase price of ~$14,674/acre.

16:07 EDT Disney says decrease in Q1 ESPN revenue due to lower advertising revenue - Cable Networks revenues for the quarter increased 1% to $4.5 billion and operating income decreased 1% to $0.9 billion. Lower operating income was due to a loss at BAMTech and a decline at ESPN, partially offset by growth at the Disney Channels and Freeform. The decrease at ESPN was due to lower advertising revenue, partially offset by affiliate revenue growth and lower programming costs. Lower advertising revenue was due to a decrease in impressions and lower rates. The decrease in impressions reflected lower average viewership and fewer units delivered. Rates and average viewership were negatively impacted by the shift in timing of College Football Playoff games. The current quarter included three "host" bowl games, whereas the prior-year quarter included one host game and two semi-final games. Semi-final games generally generate more advertising revenue than host games. Affiliate revenue growth was due to contractual rate increases, partially offset by a decline in subscribers. Programming costs decreased due to the shift of the CFP games, partially offset by contractual rate increases for college sports and NFL programming. Semi-final games generally have a higher cost than host games.

16:06 EDT Disney reports Q1 Media Networks revenue $6.24B vs. $6.23B last year - Reports Q1 Parks and Resorts revenue $5.15B vs. $4.56B last year. Reports Studio Entertainment revenue $2.50B vs. $2.52B last year. Reports Consumer Products & Interactive Media revenue $1.45B vs. $1.48B last year.

16:04 EDT Gilead raises quarterly dividend 10% to 57c per share - Gilead Sciences announced that the company's board of directors has declared an increase of 10% in the company's quarterly cash dividend, beginning in the first quarter of 2018. The dividend increase will result in a quarterly dividend of 57c per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on March 29, 2018, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2018. Future dividends will be subject to Board approval.

16:03 EDT Hawaiian Airlines reports January traffic up 2.6% - Reports January passengers transported up 4.3%, capacity up 2.3%, load factor up 0.2 points.

16:00 EDT NETGEAR trading halted, news pending

15:40 EDT Disney says creators of Game of Thrones to pen new Star Wars series of films - Disney announced that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of "Game of Thrones," will write and produce a new series of Star Wars films. These new films will be separate from both the episodic Skywalker saga and the recently-announced trilogy being developed by Rian Johnson, writer-director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." No release dates have been set for the new films, the company stated on a post to StarWars.com. Reference Link

15:02 EDT AmerisourceBergen reports receipt of subpoenas - In a regulatory filing, AmerisourceBergen disclosed that during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, the company's subsidiary U.S. Bioservices Corporation settled claims with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, or USAO-SDNY, and with various states arising from the previously disclosed matter involving the dispensing of one product and U.S. Bio's relationship with the manufacturer of that product. In accordance with the settlement agreements, the United States' complaint against U.S. Bio was dismissed and the participating states agreed not to bring, and to dismiss with prejudice, any state law claims that they had the authority to bring against U.S. Bio. The company paid the United States $10.7M in fiscal 2017 and paid the participating states $2.8M in the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which together constitute the previously-disclosed $13.4M settlement. In January 2017, U.S. Bio received a subpoena for information from the USAO-EDNY relating to U.S. Bio's activities in connection with billing for products and making returns of potential overpayments to government payers. "The company is engaged in discussions with the USAO-EDNY and has been producing documents in response to the subpoena," AmerisourceBergen said. In November 2017, the company's subsidiary PharMEDium received a grand jury subpoena for documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, or USAO-WDTN, seeking various documents, including information generally related to the laboratory testing procedures of PharMEDium's products, and more specifically, for PharMEDium products packaged in a certain type of syringe at its Memphis, Tennessee facility. "The company is engaged in discussions with the USAO-WDTN and has begun producing documents responsive to the subpoena," it stated.

14:47 EDT Brown-Forman to acquire 30 MW of electricity annual from Solomon Forks project - Brown-Forman announced a major commitment to renewable energy with an agreement to purchase 30 megawatts of electricity annually from Solomon Forks Wind Project, a new wind power project in Kansas. The wind farm is expected to generate the equivalent of more than 90% of Brown-Forman's annual electricity usage in the United States. Brown-Forman is the first major U.S. spirits and wine producer to commit to a power purchase agreement in the U.S. Power purchase agreements allow companies such as Brown-Forman to invest in renewable energy generation on a large scale and publicly demonstrate a commitment to renewable energy. These arrangements also provide a stable price for power over the length of the contract. Brown-Forman will purchase the wind power generated over the next 15 years and retain ownership of the resulting renewable energy credits to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity usage at its U.S. facilities. The electricity generated by the wind farm will then be sold on the wholesale market. Schneider Electric's Energy & Sustainability Services worked with Brown-Forman to identify and evaluate options and arrange the deal. The project is supported by a PPA between Brown-Forman and Infinity Renewables, the developer of Solomon Forks Wind Project. The Solomon Forks Wind Project is located on over 50,000 acres of land near the city of Colby in northwestern Kansas. Construction activities for the entire project are slated to commence in 2018 with commercial operation targeted for 2019. Renewable energy accounted for the majority of new installed global energy capacity in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency, and power purchase agreements by companies in the U.S. have totaled close to six gigawatts since 2015.

14:35 EDT NovaBay trading resumes

14:15 EDT S&T Bancorp chairman Charles G. Urtin to retire - S&T Bancorp reported Charles "Chuck" G. Urtin, Chairman of S&T Bancorp, Inc. board of directors has announced plans for retirement, effective as of the company's May 21, 2018 Annual Shareholders Meeting. He served as Chairman of S&T since 2013 and was formerly Vice Chairman from 2008 to 2013.

14:00 EDT Southern Copper up after quarterly results, investor call - Shares of Alabama-based copper producer Southern Copper (SCCO) are trading higher along with other publicly traded metal producers, including Alcoa (AA) and Freeport (FCX), as the markets attempt a comeback after selling off sharply at the start of the week. QUARTERLY EARNINGS. Southern Copper reported fourth quarter adjusted earnings per share of 59c, in-line with analyst estimates. Revenue was up 33.3% from Q4 of last year to $1.9B, slightly above estimates of $1.81B. The company continued to benefit from cost-reduction programs and expansion actions. "In 2018, we will complete the Peruvian Toquepala expansion project adding 100,000 tons to our annual copper production, allowing us to reach one million tons of annual copper production capacity with an even lower cash cost per pound of copper," said German Larrea, the chairman of Southern Copper. "In 2018, we will complete the Peruvian Toquepala expansion project adding 100,000 tons to our annual copper production, allowing us to reach one million tons of annual copper production capacity with an even lower cash cost per pound of copper," Larrea continued. CONFERENCE CALL HIGHLIGHTS: Southern Copper said it anticipates copper production to grow by 6% to 931,000 tons in 2018 from the 877,000 tons it produced in 2017. The drivers of growth will be the beginning of operations at its new Toquepala concentrator and the recovery of SX-EW Buenavista production. Southern also anticipates 2018 copper demand outpacing supply, with the cash cost of about 89c in 2018 and dropping over the next few years. PRICE ACTION: Southern Copper is up almost 2% to $47.68 per share in afternoon trading. OTHERS: Copper peer Freeport-McMoRan is also higher, trading up 3.3% to $18.24 per share. Aluminum maker Alcoa is up over 1%, while shares of iron ore maker Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) are spiking almost 3.3% to $6.66 per share.

13:31 EDT Eastman Chemical board approves repurchase of up to an additional $2B of stock - The Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of up to an additional $2B of Eastman common stock. Share repurchases will be implemented through purchases made from time to time in either the open market or private transactions. The timing, volume, and nature of share repurchases will be at the discretion of management, depending on market conditions, applicable securities laws, and other factors, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

13:15 EDT Franklin Resources reports 5.1% passive stake in Echo Global - In a regulatory filing, Franklin Resources disclosed a 5.1% stake in Echo Global, representing 1,420,209 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

13:09 EDT Apple looking into rebates for previously bought iPhone battery replacements - Apple sent a letter U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation chairman John Thune, saying that it is exploring offering rebates to consumers who paid the full, non-discounted price for a replacement battery in an effort to restore performance to their older iPhones. In the response letter, Cynthia Hogan, Apple's vice president for public policy in the Americas, stated that the company's recent actions related to iPhones with older batteries were based on providing customers with "the best experience," in this case meaning preventing iPhone 6 or later models from unexpectedly shutting down under certain circumstances. Reference Link

12:49 EDT For The Win: 'Anthem' and 'Red Dead' delayed, 'Mario Kart' coming to mobile - Welcome to "For The Win," The Fly's weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks. NEW RELEASES: Among this week's game releases is the high-definition remake of Sony' Interactive's (SNE) "Shadow of the Colossus," which comes out today as an exclusive title for PlayStation 4. The game is a remake of the PlayStation 2 title of the same name, which came out in North America in October 2005. Also coming out this week is Take-Two's (TTWO) "Civilization VI: Rise and Fall," the first expansion pack for turn-based strategy game "Civilization VI," which launched in 2016. The expansion is available in North America for Microsoft Windows (MSFT) on February 8. RECENT EA RESULTS: Last week, Electronic Arts (EA) reported results for its fiscal third quarter, reporting Q3 GAAP earnings per share of (60c) on net bookings of $1.97B. The game maker added that the lower-than-expected Q3 bookings figure was due to low sales of "Star Wars Battlefront II." The company also noted that it recognized $176M, or 57c per share, of incremental income tax expense due to the application of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In addition, the game maker provided better-than-expected guidance for the fourth quarter, but cut its fiscal 2018 EPS view to roughly $3.25 from the previous view of $3.63, saying the updated view includes the net impact of roughly (48c) per share due to the new tax law. MAJOR GAME DELAYS: Along with its quarterly report, EA confirmed that its upcoming online multiplayer action game "Anthem" will be released in early 2019, which is later than its previously planned launch window of fall 2018. The company noted on its quarterly earnings call that it does not view the new "Anthem" launch date as a delay and that it is "very confident" with the new ship date. Two days later, Take-Two subsidiary Rockstar games delayed the release of upcoming Western action game "Red Dead Redemption 2" to October 26, 2018. The company, which originally saw the game coming out in Spring 2018, said that the delay will allow for additional time to "further polish the final product." In its announcement of the matter, Take-Two also reiterated its outlook for fiscal 2019. MOBILE MARIO KART: Last Thursday, Nintendo of America (NTDOY) tweeted that a mobile version of the "Mario Kart" series is currently in development and will launch in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," the most recent version of the series that launched last year on the Nintendo Switch, was the fifth-highest selling video game of 2017.

12:34 EDT European Commission to review acquisition of Shazam by Apple - The European Commission has accepted a request from Austria, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden to assess under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Shazam by Apple. The Commission considers the transaction may threaten to adversely affect competition in the EEA. The Commission said, "Apple's proposed acquisition of Shazam does not meet the turnover thresholds set by the EU Merger Regulation for mergers that must be notified to the European Commission because they have an EU dimension. It was notified by Apple for regulatory clearance in Austria, where the transaction meets the national merger notification threshold. Austria submitted a referral request to the Commission pursuant to Article 22(1) of the EU Merger Regulation. This provision allows Member States to request that the Commission examine a merger that does not have an EU dimension but affects trade within the Single Market and threatens to significantly affect competition within the territory of the Member States making the request. Subsequently Iceland, Italy, France, Norway, Spain and Sweden joined the request. On the basis of the elements submitted by Austria and the countries joining the referral request, and without prejudice to the outcome of its full investigation, the Commission considers that the transaction may have a significant adverse effect on competition in the European Economic Area. The Commission has also concluded that it is the best placed authority to deal with the potential cross-border effects of the transaction. The Commission will now ask Apple to notify the transaction." Reference Link

11:38 EDT Arrow Financial SVP David DeMarco to expand role as Chief Banking Officer - Arrow Financial Corporation announced David S. DeMarco, who has been a SVP since 2009, will expand his role as the company's newly appointed Chief Banking Officer. In addition, Andrew J. Wise was added to the Arrow executive leadership team as SVP and COO. The promotions follow another record-earning year for Arrow and further signify the company's focus on enhancing operations and continuously strengthening its strategic direction.

11:17 EDT M&A rumor target TripAdvisor up again - Shares of TripAdvisor (TRIP) are up more than 9% to $38.91 in morning trading the day after the stock was one of only two S&P gainers yesterday during the market's rout. The Fly notes that on December 6, 2017, Macquarie analyst Matthew Brooks commented on M&A speculation and said Priceline (PCLN) was unlikely to buy TripAdvisor. Brooks said TripAdvisor's bargaining power over suppliers would be lost if Priceline bought the company, Priceline has 137M reviews and the benefit of adding 570M from TripAdvisor is uncertain, a high proportion of TripAdvisor traffic is research, not purchase, and Google (GOOGL) is TripAdvisor's main competitor, making it difficult to improve earnings power under Priceline. Expedia (EXPE), the other major OTA that has been rumored as another potential buyer of TripAdvisor, is up 1.7% to $127.11 this morning.

10:40 EDT lululemon CEO Laurent Potdevin resigns over misconduct accusations - Shares of lululemon athletica (LULU) are in focus after the company announced the resignation of chief executive officer Laurent Potdevin for "conduct" issues. CEO RESIGNATION: lululemon announced yesterday that Laurent Potdevin has resigned as CEO and member of the board of directors, effective immediately. Potdevin had served as CEO since January 2014. lululemon expects all employees to exemplify the highest levels of integrity and respect for one another, and Potdevin "fell short of these standards of conduct," the company said, adding that the board has begun a search for a new CEO. "While this was a difficult and considered decision, the Board thanks Laurent for his work in strengthening the company and positioning it for the future," said Glenn Murphy, executive chairman. "Culture is at the core of lululemon, and it is the responsibility of leaders to set the right tone in our organization. Protecting the organization's culture is one of the Board's most important duties." Lululemon has promoted three members of its management team -- Celeste Burgoyne, Stuart Haselden and Sun Choe -- to oversee more day-to-day operations, marketing, e-commerce growth, product innovation and supply chain enhancements. According to a Bloomberg report, Potdevin's resignation was over misconduct that spanned a range of incidents involving multiple individuals. The misconduct was not related to finances or operations, the report noted. GUIDANCE REAFFIRMED: In the wake of Potdevin's resignation, lululemon looked to reassure investors by backing its fourth quarter guidance of earnings per share between $1.25-$1.27 and revenue of $905M-$915M, which compares to analysts' estimates of $1.27 and $911.67M, respectively. In addition, the company's growth strategies remain on track to achieve $4B in revenue in 2020. ANALYST COMMENTARY: Following the announcement, Jefferies analyst Randal Konik said the level of management turnover at lululemon during "this critical juncture in the company's growth trajectory gives us some pause." The analyst sees better opportunities elsewhere given lululemon's "high" valuation and "less plentiful" margin opportunity. He maintained a Hold rating on lululemon with a $72 price target. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank analyst Paul Trussell said that while he finds the circumstances of Potdevin's resignation unfortunate, he has confidence in the remainder of lululemon's management team, particularly Glenn Murphy. The analyst recommended using any pullback in the shares as a buying opportunity and reiterated a Buy rating with a $95 price target. Citi analyst Paul Lejuez said he views the resignation as more of a positive for lululemon. It presents the company with an opportunity to bring in a seasoned executive to take lululemon "to the next level," the analyst said. Lejeuz kept a Neutral rating on the shares with an $88 price target. Additionally, KeyBanc analyst Edward Yruma said he views the departure negatively, and notes it comes after creative director Lee Holman's departed in November. The analyst believes Potdevin has been an integral part of the company's stabilized performance in recent quarters. Canaccord analyst Camilo Lyon said he does not see the departure as a major setback, but notes there is a level of uncertainty until the position is filled. Lyon reiterated his Hold rating and $75 price target. Furthermore, Morgan Stanley analyst Kimberly Greenberger said it is likely that investors will speculate the top two contenders for the job are Murphy, executive chairman and ex-CEO of The Gap (GPS), and Stefan Larsson, the ex-CEO Ralph Lauren (RL). If lululemon picks either, Greenberger would expect the stock to react positively. The analyst kept an Equal Weight rating and $73 price target on lululemon. PRICE ACTION: lululemon dropped 0.75% to $76.85 in morning trading.

10:33 EDT European Commission approves Discovery acquisition of Scripps, with conditions - The European Commission announced it has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Scripps (SNI) by Discovery (DISCA). The decision is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Discovery. To address the Commission's competition concerns, Discovery committed to making TVN24 and its sister channel TVN24 Bis available to current and future TV distributors in Poland for a reasonable fee determined by reference to comparable agreements. This commitment will remain in place for a period of 7 years. The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would raise no competition concerns. The Commission's decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments.

10:19 EDT Apple patent shows a stylus that can draw on any surface - Apple has filed a patent for a stylus that works on any surface and would allow users to also draw in midair. "In some examples, touch-down and lift-off on a non-touch-sensitive surface can be monitored by a force sensor of the input device. The position and/or motion of the input device can be tracked according to various methods including one or more of a motion and orientation sensor, a camera, or an electromagnetic- or sound-based triangulation scheme. The force data and position/motion data can be processed to generate content, including textual character input and three-dimensional objects. In some examples, the content can be generated based on tracking position and/or motion of the input device without requiring contact with a surface." Reference Link

10:13 EDT Home Bancorp trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:02 EDT Preformed Line Products Co trading resumes

09:57 EDT Preformed Line Products Co trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:48 EDT Grifols' HyperRAB 300 IU/mL receives FDA approval - Grifols has received approval from the U.S. FDA for a new higher potency formulation of its HyperRAB rabies immune globulin for rabies postexposure prophylaxis (treatment of a person immediately after exposure to the rabies virus). The new formulation is twice the potency (300 IU/mL) of currently available rabies immune globulin options, offering a greater concentration of anti-rabies virus antibodies within each mL of volume, and for patients, the potential for fewer injections by significantly reducing the volume of medication administered in each dose.

09:39 EDT General Motors CEO says must take action in South Korea to be viable

09:32 EDT Progressive to hire 7,500 people in 2018 - Progressive plans to hire more than 7,500 people in 2018. Positions include IT and analyst roles, corporate functions, and customer care and claims roles. The majority of the jobs are based at larger Progressive sites, but hundreds are remote work opportunities. Here's a breakdown of the number of positions expected to be filled at each large Progressive location: Austin, TX -725, Cleveland, OH - 1,300, Colorado Springs, CO - 900 , Phoenix, AZ - 350, Sacramento, CA - 325, Tampa, FL - 1,300. Progressive recently decided it would no longer ask applicants about their salary history. These new hires will share in Progressive's success and will be eligible to participate in the company's annual bonus plan. Progressive also offers medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, as well as extensive training programs, career development options, and a casual work environment

09:31 EDT Nielsen announces launch of Nielsen Branded Integration Intel - Nielsen announced the launch of Nielsen Branded Integration Intel, an innovative solution that seeks to standardize the way product and brand exposures are valued across screens and devices. While media owners, brand and advertisers recognize that branded integrations are a valuable way to reach consumers, many have lacked the tools and understanding needed to accurately compare, measure and ultimately monetize their true value. The solution will also allow the industry to uncover insights into how these campaigns compare to that of media exposure via traditional TV advertising.

09:29 EDT Rand Capital says Knoa Software achieved 'record' cloud revenue in 2017 - Rand Capital Corporation reported that one of its portfolio companies, Knoa Software, Inc., announced that it achieved record Cloud revenue in 2017. Specifically, the company increased its cloud-based subscription service revenue by more than five times and also nearly doubled its perpetual license revenue, compared with 2016. Knoa Software is a leading provider of user experience management software. The 2017 revenue growth was driven by a record number of new customers in the Asia-Pacific market, the newest region to begin adopting its UEM software. Furthermore, Knoa's flagship UEM software, which is resold by SAP as SAP UEM by Knoa, was used to facilitate several major customer migration projects to SAP S/4HANA and SAP Fiori.

09:26 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: General Motors (GM), up 3.3%... Lumentum (LITE), up 9.2%... Tapestry (TPR), up 1.2%... Micron (MU), up 5.1%... Skyworks (SWKS), up 2.5%... Oclaro (OCLR), up 6.2%... Allergan (AGN) and Emerson Electric (EMR) are up marginally... Spirit Airlines (SAVE), up fractionally. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Becton Dickinson (BDX), down 3.5%... Cummins (CMI), down 3.4%... Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), down 1.2%... Dunkin Brands (DNKN), down 1.4%.

09:19 EDT Tyler Technologies to provide Odyssey solution to Travis County, Texas - Tyler Technologies signed an agreement with Travis County, Texas, for Tyler's Odyssey Case Manager solution. The solution, already used by the Justice of the Peace courts, will now be used by the county's civil, criminal, and probate courts to track all aspects of case management, such as locating case information, creating dockets, generating case information, and providing advanced search features.

09:14 EDT Credit Suisse sees delivering irrevocable call notice on XIV ETNs - Credit Suisse AG announced the event acceleration of its VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short Term ETNs, or XIV ETNs, due to an acceleration event. The acceleration date is expected to be February 21, 2018. "Since the intraday indicative value of XIV on February 5, 2018 was equal to or less than 20% of the prior day's closing indicative value, an acceleration event has occurred. Credit Suisse expects to deliver an irrevocable call notice with respect to the event acceleration of XIV to The Depository Trust Company by no later than February 15, 2018. The date of the delivery of the irrevocable call notice, which is expected to be February 15, 2018, will constitute the accelerated valuation date, subject to postponement due to certain events. The acceleration date for XIV is expected to be February 21, 2018, which is three business days after the accelerated valuation date. On the acceleration date, investors will receive a cash payment per ETN in an amount equal to the closing indicative value of XIV on the accelerated valuation date. The last day of trading for XIV is expected to be February 20, 2018. As of the date hereof, Credit Suisse will no longer issue new units of XIV ETNs," the bank announced. On February 2, 2018, the closing indicative value was $108.3681. None of the other ETNs offered by Credit Suisse are affected by this announcement, the bank noted.

09:12 EDT Spirit Airlines sees Q1 CASM ex-fuel down 5.5%-6.5%

09:10 EDT General Motors: On track to achieve $6.5B in efficiencies by end of the year - Says on track to achieve $6.5B in efficiencies by the end of this year. Says will continue to focus on costs after 2018. Says expects improved results in GM International. Still planning 20 new all electric vehicles by 2023. Comments taken from the Q4 earnings conference call. GM is up 2.4% in pre-market trading.

09:05 EDT Ceva sees Q1 gross margin 'a bit lower than normal' - Sees Q1 OpEx $17.6M-$18.6M.

09:02 EDT Tapestry to expand Coach Create to 250 stores globally - Says continues to increase focus on digital. Says expanding Coach Create to 250 stores globally. Says Coach will relaunch signature in retail channel in Spring 2018. Says will continue to innovate across price brackets. Says will offer "compelling" Mother's Day assortment. Says well-positioned to drive positive SSS for Coach in Spring. Says customers continue to respond to Kate Spade "make it mine" campaign. Says especially excited about trend in ready-to-wear. Expects to expand program in 2H18. Says very excited about 25th anniversary campaign in Spring. Says continues to further learnings on Kate Spade brand. Says continues to see Kate Spade brand resonate as fashionable and on-trend. Will focus on accelerating core handbag and accessories categories in coming quarters. Will continue to reduce "surprise sales" and reduce circulation. Says continuing to look to capture synergies. Says remains on track to post double-digit growth at Stuart Weitzman for 2018.

09:02 EDT Choice Hotels promotes Brian Kirkland to Chief Technology Officer - Choice Hotels International announced the promotion of Brian Kirkland to the position of Chief Technology Officer. In this new leadership role, Kirkland will oversee the company's overall information technology strategy, development and operations. He will report directly to John Bonds, senior vice president, enterprise operations and technology. Kirkland has been a key member of Choice's technology innovation team since 2015, which is based in Phoenix, Ariz. He previously served as vice president of engineering. Recently, Kirkland notably led Choice's efforts to successfully design and launch the industry's first new global reservation system in 30 years, choiceEDGE.

08:59 EDT Identiv to acquire 3VR Security - Identiv has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 3VR Security, Inc., a video technology and data analytics company. It is anticipated that this combination will provide Identiv with a full range of technologies to deliver its vision for secure, pervasive yet frictionless premises security, situational awareness and business insights. 3VR's video intelligence solutions provide a single platform for real-time security and customer insights, enabling organizations to protect employees, customers and assets as well as improve store operations and shopping experiences. 3VR's open, pluggable platform leverages existing customer infrastructure and allows customers to expand their systems' capabilities seamlessly. 3VR serves customers in the financial services, retail, hospitality and other industries. Identiv expects 3VR to add between $10 million and $11 million to the company's Premises segment revenue in fiscal year 2018. Identiv also expects 3VR to contribute a mid-term target non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 10% post synergies. Identiv's acquisition of 3VR is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close no later than February 20, 2018. The total consideration at close is expected to be $6.9 million, comprised of $1.6 million in cash; $2.0 million in subordinated promissory notes; and $3.3 million in shares of Identiv common stock. Additionally, in the event 3VR achieves certain significant shipment targets in 2018, Identiv would be obligated to issue additional earnout consideration in shares of Identiv common stock, and in the event that 3VR generates certain additional gross margin concerning a supply arrangement, Identiv would pay a portion of the additional margin as consideration, as further described in the definitive agreement.

08:45 EDT Tapestry to buyback Coach business in Australia, New Zealand - Says pleased to deliver "better-than-expected" results across financial metrics. Says Kate Spade integration continued smoothly throughout the quarter. Says especially excited about opportunities of brand. Says taken operational control of the Kate Spade joint ventures, for Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the Stuart Weitzman business in Northern China from our distributor. Announces buyback of the Coach business in Australia and New Zealand from our distributor, with an expected closing in Q3. Will create Tapestry hub and center of excellence in Sydney to drive growth. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:40 EDT PAR Technology unit announces new $4.5M contract from AFRL in NY - PAR Technology Corporation announces that its subsidiary, PAR Government Systems Corporation, was awarded a $4.5M research and development contract from the U.S. Air Force called "Synchronized Command and Control Multi-Domain Test and Integration". SC2MDTI is a three-year program with the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, under which, PAR Government will perform research and development of state-of-the-art solutions for Command, Control, Communications, and Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems across the cyber, air, and space domains. PAR will integrate and experiment with next generation computing and network architectures. The contract work will be performed by PAR Government's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business sector.

08:39 EDT Ceva says licensing environment 'continues to be healthy' - Comments from Q4 earnings conference call.

08:33 EDT Alon USA Partners to cease trading do to acquisition by Delek US - Alerian announced that Alon USA Partners (ALDW) will be removed from the Alerian Small Cap MLP Index, or AMSI, in a special rebalancing. Special rebalancings are triggered by corporate actions such as mergers, bankruptcies, and liquidations. ALDW will cease to trade due to its acquisition by Delek US Holdings (DK). The rebalancing will take place today after market close.

08:31 EDT Omnicom acquires Snow Companies - Omnicom Health Group announced that it has acquired Snow Companies, a full-service patient engagement agency that focuses on direct-to-patient, or DTP, communications, marketing, education, and patient research initiatives for major pharmaceutical and biotech companies around the world. Established in 2001 in Williamsburg, Virginia, Snow Companies works in over 80 disease states and therapeutic areas.

08:26 EDT Remark Holdings' KanKan platform selected by Shanghai Open University - Remark Holdings announced that Shanghai Open University, one of the largest online educational institutions in China, selected KanKan, Remark Holdings' artificial intelligence platform, to provide an AI-based automatic video indexing and editing productas its online class video-management platform. KanKan Media Box will allow Shanghai Open University to manage, reuse and resell its approximately one million hours of online class content to various online channels, which was impossible for the university to achieve prior to KanKan Media Box.

08:16 EDT IDT announces February 15 as record date for spinoff of Rafael subsidiary - IDT Corporation announced that the record date for the spin-off of its subsidiary, Rafael Holdings, Inc., to IDT stockholders, will be February 15 and that distribution date for the spin-off will be on or about March 5. Rafael is comprised of IDT's real estate holdings, its interests in Rafael Pharmaceuticals and Lipomedix, two clinical and early stage pharmaceutical companies, and $50M-$60M in cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and/or interests in hedge funds.

08:12 EDT Zogenix receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for ZX008 - Zogenix announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its investigational product, ZX008, for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome.

08:11 EDT TICC Capital announces $25M share repurchase program - TICC Capita announced that the company's board has authorized a program for the purpose of repurchasing up to $25M worth of its common stock.

08:09 EDT Trovagene announces first patient completed first cycle of dosing with PCM-075 - Trovagene announced that the first patient has completed the first cycle of dosing with PCM-075 in combination with low-dose cytarabine in its Phase 1b/2 multicenter trial of patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, or AML. Two clinical trial sites are currently screening and enrolling patients and five additional sites are planned to be activated by the end of the first quarter. PCM-075 is the first oral PLK1-selective adenosine triphosphate competitive inhibitor to enter clinical trials with proven antitumor activity in hematologic and solid tumor preclinical models.

08:08 EDT Array BioPharma reports cash and equivalents $420M as of December 31 -

08:06 EDT Lennox sees FY18 CapEx approximately $100M

08:04 EDT Lennox lowers FY18 effective tax rate view to 22%-24% from 31%-32%

08:02 EDT Boeing announces services orders for $900M - Boeing announced services orders valued at more than $900M that will enable carriers and partners to excel in today's competitive airline environment. This agreements stretch across Global Services' four capability areas, including parts; engineering, modifications and maintenance; digital aviation and analytics; and training and professional services.

08:01 EDT Lennox raises FY18 guidance

07:57 EDT General Motors CFO says 'very pleased' with North America results - Says 'laser focused' on self-driving program. Says targeting launch in 2019. Chuck Stevens is speaking on CNBC.

07:47 EDT Jacobs Engineering awarded five-year contract renewal from Shell - Jacobs Engineering Group received a five-year contract renewal from Shell Canada Limited to provide mechanical maintenance and turnaround services on the company's Scotford site located in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Employing approximately 300 full-time personnel on the site, Jacobs will continue to provide mechanical maintenance and turnaround services for the full facility. This contract award builds on Jacobs momentum of securing several significant maintenance and turnarounds contracts in North America this past year; including a three-year contract to execute maintenance, turnarounds and small capital construction at five sites for a multinational fertilizer company; two five-year multiple use contracts to support four petroleum facilities; a five-year mechanical maintenance contract extension for a synthetic crude oil producer; a four-year contract extension to provide maintenance, product handling and packaging services for a specialty chemicals company; a four-year contract to perform small capital construction for seven chemical plants; and a five-year contract to deliver small capital construction, ongoing maintenance and turnaround execution at a production facility.

07:35 EDT Ball to build plant in Paraguay and add capacity in Argentina facility - Ball has announced plans to build a one-line beverage can and end manufacturing plant in Asuncion, Paraguay, and to add capacity in its Buenos Aires, Argentina, facility. The investment in Argentina is the third in two years. These investments will allow the company to serve the growing beverage can market in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, and to support various customer demands with multiple can sizes. The Asuncion plant is expected to begin production in the Q4 of FY19 and its capacity is contracted under long-term agreements.

07:35 EDT Actinium reports trial to study Actimab-A, CLAG-M combination in AML - Actinium Pharmaceuticals announced that the company is initiating a new clinical trial that will study Actimab-A in combination with CLAG-M for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. CLAG-M is a salvage chemotherapy regimen that consists of cladribine, cytarabine, and filgrastim with mitoxantrone for patients with relapsed or refractory AML. The combination trial will be a Phase 1, dose-escalation study that will be conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin by principal investigator Dr. Ehab Atallah. Actimab-A is Actinium's lead drug candidate from its CD33 program and is an Antibody Radio-Conjugate that is comprised of the CD33 targeting antibody lintuzumab and actinium-225, an alpha-emitting radioisotope. Actimab-A is currently being studied in Phase 2 clinical trial in patients that are newly diagnosed with AML who are over the age of 60 that are ineligible for intense chemotherapy, also known as unfit patients. The company expects to complete patient enrollment of the Phase 2 trial in the first half of 2018 and report top line data results in the second half of 2018. The Company is also developing Actimab-M and Actimab-MDS, which are also CD33 actinium-225 ARCs. Actimab-M is being studied in a Phase 1 investigator-initiated trial for patients with refractory multiple myeloma. The Phase 1 Actimab-M trial is expected to complete enrollment and report top like data in the second half of 2018. Actimab-MDS is expected to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial in the second half of 2018 following a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in the first half of 2018. Actimab-MDS is intended to bridge patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that have a p53 genetic mutation to a bone marrow transplant via targeted myeloablation.

07:32 EDT Endo begins two identical Phase 3 RELEASE clinical trials of CCH - Endo International announced the initiation of two identical Phase 3 RELEASE clinical trials of collagenase clostridium histolyticum, or CCH, for the treatment of cellulite. The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled RELEASE studies will evaluate the safety and efficacy of CCH in reducing the appearance of cellulite. The Phase 3 RELEASE studies are expected to enroll 840 women aged 18 years or older with moderate to severe cellulite in the U.S.

07:32 EDT Celgene: Phase III Optimismm trial achieved primary endpoint - Celgene announced that the Phase III, randomized, open-label, international clinical study, OPTIMISMM, achieved its primary endpoint, showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival for the pomalidomide arm versus the comparator arm. OPTIMISMM evaluated the efficacy and safety of POMALYST/IMNOVID plus bortezomib and low-dose dexamethasone versus bortezomib and low-dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. It is the only phase III trial to investigate a triplet combination in patients who have all received prior lenalidomide, or Revlimid, a population for which there is a growing unmet medical need. In the study, the safety profile was consistent with previously reported data. Detailed data from OPTIMISMM will be presented at future medical meetings. The combination of POMALYST/IMNOVID, bortezomib and low-dose dexamethasone is not currently approved for use.

07:15 EDT Archer Daniels directors vote to increase cash dividend to 33.5c per share - Archer Daniels Midland Company's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of 33.5c per share on the company's common stock, a 4.7% increase from last quarter's dividend of 32c per share. The dividend is payable on March 13, 2018, to shareholders of record on Feb. 20, 2018. This is ADM's 345th consecutive quarterly payment, a record of 86 years of uninterrupted dividends. As of Dec. 31, 2017, there were 557,427,852 shares of ADM common stock outstanding.

07:10 EDT Tyson Foods invests in Chicago-based food startup Tovala - Tyson Foods, through its corporate venture subsidiary Tyson Ventures, has completed an investment in Tovala, a Chicago-based food startup that makes smart countertop steam ovens with fresh ready-to-cook meals. The terms of the investment are not being disclosed. Tyson Ventures joins a strong group of investors including Origin Ventures, the Pritzker Group, startup incubator Y Combinator, Morningstar Inc. founder Joe Mansueto, and restaurant entrepreneur Larry Levy in Tovala's recently closed and announced Series A round of funding. The capital raised will be used to support Tovala's growth, including adding staff across all departments, geographic expansion, and investment in product, operations, technology and marketing.

07:06 EDT Allergan sees FY18 adjusted tax rate approximately 14%

07:05 EDT Aurora Cannabis increases consideration offered per CanniMed share - Aurora Cannabis and CanniMed Therapeutics announced the filing of Aurora's Notice of Variation and CanniMed's Notice of Change to Directors' Circular in connection with Aurora's improved offer to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of CanniMed not already owned by Aurora or its affiliates. As previously announced by the parties on January 24, 2018, CanniMed's board of directors is unanimously recommending that CanniMed's shareholders accept the Improved Offer. Pursuant to the terms of the Notice of Variation, Aurora has increased the consideration offered per CanniMed Share, at the election of each CanniMed shareholder, to: (a) 3.40 common shares of Aurora; (b) $43.00 in cash; or (c) any combination thereof. The maximum amount of cash available under the Improved Offer is $140M, and the number of Aurora Shares to be issued will be between approximately 72 million and 84 million.

07:02 EDT BioDelivery Sciences announces Belbuca patent litigation settlement with Teva - BioDelivery Sciences International announced that it has entered into a Settlement Agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals that resolves BDSI's previously reported Belbuca buccal film, or CIII, patent litigation against Teva pending in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. BDSI alleged in the lawsuits that the generic form of Belbuca which Teva is seeking approval to market in the United States pursuant to three Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, filings with the FDA, infringed upon two U.S. patents owned by BDSI. As part of the settlement agreement, which is subject to review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, BDSI has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Teva that permits Teva to first begin selling its generic version of Belbuca in the U.S. on January 23, 2027 or earlier under certain circumstances. Other terms of the agreement are confidential.

06:59 EDT Emerson sees FY18 consolidated tax rate approximately 25%-27% - In 2019 and thereafter, the tax rate is expected to be approximately 25%.

06:58 EDT Aspen Aerogels reports ITC exclusion order prohibiting import of Chinese aerogel - Aspen Aerogels announced that the United States International Trade Commission, or ITC, has issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting the importation of infringing aerogel insulation manufactured by Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co. Ltd. and Nano Tech. The exclusion order was issued as a remedy pursuant to a final determination in International Trade Commission Section 337 Investigation No. 1003 that Alison and Nano infringe Aspen Aerogels product and process patents relating to aerogel insulation. ITC exclusion orders are enforced by United States Customs and Border Protection after a sixty day presidential review period. The final determination may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

06:57 EDT Aecom reports Q1 total backlog up 11% vs last year - Total backlog increased 11% over the prior-year period to nearly $49B, and continued to reflect a favorable mix shift to the higher-margin DCS and MS segments.

06:50 EDT Axalta Coating sees FY18 net sales up 8%-9% excluding FX tailwinds - Sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA of $940M-$980M; interest expense of $165M; income tax rate, as adjusted, of 19%-21% reflecting the anticipated benefit of the enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act legislation; free cash flow of $420M-$460M; capital expenditures of $160M; depreciation and amortization of $365M.

06:49 EDT Tapestry reports Coach Q2 SSS up 3% - Net sales for Coach totaled $1.23 billion for the second fiscal quarter as compared to $1.20 billion in the prior year, an increase of 2% on a reported and constant currency basis. Global comparable store sales rose 3%, including a benefit of approximately 100 basis points driven by an increase in global e-commerce.

06:42 EDT BP sees 2018 underlying production to be higher than 2017 - BP said, "We expect full-year 2018 underlying production to be higher than 2017 due to the ramp-up of major projects. The actual reported outcome will depend on the exact timing of project start-ups, acquisition and divestment activities, OPEC quotas and entitlement impacts in our production-sharing agreements*. We expect first-quarter 2018 reported production to be broadly flat with the fourth quarter 2017, reflecting continued growth from the 2017 major project start-ups, offset by the expiration of the Abu Dhabi offshore concession and divestment impacts."

06:35 EDT AmerisourceBergen sees FY18 brand drug inflation 6%-7% - AmerisourceBergen also continues to operate under the following working assumptions regarding the pharmaceutical market: Brand drug inflation to be in the range of 6 percent to 7 percent; Generic drug deflation to be in the range of -7 percent to -9 percent; Contributions from new generic launches similar to the prior year; and No significant contributions from biosimilars.

06:33 EDT Toyota updates consolidated financial forecasts for FY, sees net revenue of Y29T - For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, TMC has not revised its consolidated vehicle sales forecast from 8.95 million units, in consideration of the latest sales trends worldwide. TMC revised its consolidated financial forecasts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018. Based on an exchange rate assumption of 111 yen to the U.S. dollar and 129 yen to the euro, TMC now forecasts consolidated net revenue of 29 trillion yen, operating income of 2.2 trillion yen, income before income taxes of 2.45 trillion yen, and net income of 2.4 trillion yen.

06:20 EDT Haemonetics board authorizes repurchase of $260M of common shares - The company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $260M of Haemonetics common shares through March 30, 2019.

06:14 EDT Armada Hoffler sees FY18 normalized FFO $1.00-$1.05 - Sees FY18 total NOI $80.7M-$81.4M.

06:06 EDT Dunkin' Brands raises Q1 dividend to 34.75c per share - Dunkin' Brands Group announced that its board has declared a quarterly cash dividend to shareholders. The dividend of 34.75c per share of common stock is payable on March 21, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 12. This represents a 7.75% increase over the prior quarter's dividend.

06:05 EDT Dunkin' Brands to announce financial targets at Investor & Analyst day - Dunkin' Brands will be hosting its 2018 Investor & Analyst day on Thursday, February 8. The company will provide its 2018 and long-term financial targets at its upcoming Investor & Analyst day. The company expects that its 2018 effective tax rate will be approximately 28%, which reflects the impact from the Tax Act, net of state taxes and international provisions.

06:04 EDT Twitter's director of AR/VR Alessandro Sabatelli leaves company - Alessandro Sabatelli, the head of Twitter's AR/VR team, announced via a tweet that he is leaving the social media site after 18 months. Sabatelli joined Twitter in June 2016. He said: "After three and a half years I'm moving on from Twitter (actual elapsed time 18 months). It's been an incredible ride and I've had the great pleasure to work alongside some amazing people! Together we managed to ship product while having fun. Thanks everyone." Reference Link

06:03 EDT Atkore sees Q2 adjusted EBITDA 42c-48c -

05:53 EDT Sikorsky, Rheinmetall sign strategic teaming agreement - Rheinmetall and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company signed a strategic teaming agreement for competing in the German Air Force "Schwerer Transporthubschrauber" Program. Sikorsky and Rheinmetall will look to introduce more German teammates in the weeks to come. The team will leverage and build upon the deep knowledge and expertise of the German defense industry.

05:44 EDT Aircalin selects Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for A320neo aircraft order - Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies (UTX), and Aircalin, the flag carrier airline of New Caledonia, announced the selection of the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, or GTF, engine to power the airline's commitment for two Airbus (EADSY) A320neo aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2020.

05:41 EDT SWISS selects Pratt & Whitney GTF engines to 15 aircraft - Swiss International Air Lines, or SWISS, has selected Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, or GTF, engines to power 15 total Airbus (EADSY) A320neo and A321neo aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies (UTX).

05:38 EDT ALLDATA signs preferred partner agreement with Autologic Diagnostics - ALLDATA Europe GmbH, an affiliate of ALLDATA LLC, an AutoZone company, has signed a reseller agreement with Autologic Diagnostics Ltd. headquartered in Oxford, England. Autologic is a world leader in advanced aftermarket automotive diagnostics. With Technical Support Centres in the UK, North America, and Australia, Autologic employs more than 50 Brand Specialist Master Technicians to help its customers fix cars faster. The agreement enables Autologic to distribute ALLDATA Repair to its customers, enhancing their ability to repair even the most complex European vehicles with ALLDATA's original manufacturer repair information. ALLDATA Repair helps ensure that independent workshops have access to OEM diagnostic and repair information needed to meet manufacturer standards.

05:09 EDT American Railcar appoints John O'Bryan as CEO - American Railcar Industries announced that ARI's board has appointed John O'Bryan as the company's President and CEO. The board had appointed O'Bryan as the President and Interim CEO on January 1. O'Bryan joined ARI as Chief Commercial Officer in June 2017.

05:06 EDT UTC Aerospace Systems to provide critical content for KAI KF-X fighter jet - UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies, announced that it will provide several key components for Korea Aerospace Industries, or KAI, KF-X advanced multirole fighter jet. The company is under contract with KAI to provide the fighter's complete environmental control system-including air conditioning, bleed air control and cabin pressurization and liquid cooling-along with the aircraft's air turbine starter and flow control valve. To help make the environmental control system easier to install and maintain, UTC Aerospace Systems designed it with key components of the air conditioning and liquid cooling integrated into a single pack. Compared to a system with components distributed across the aircraft, this integrated design also helps reduce weight by eliminating the need for ducts and connectivity between distributed components, and reduces the amount of space the system occupies on the aircraft. In addition, UTC Aerospace Systems' air turbine starter converts pneumatic power from the aircraft's auxiliary power unit into mechanical energy to supply the necessary torque to start the engine both on the ground and in the air. The flow control valve regulates the air flow and pressure into the air turbine starter to provide optimal engine starting capability. UTC Aerospace Systems' content on the KF-X represents a continuation of its longstanding relationship with KAI. The company already provides the complete environmental control system, air turbine starter and airframe mounted accessory drive for KAI's T-50 trainer, along with multiple systems for the TA-50 and FA-50 light attack variants. KAI aims to manufacture more than 100 KF-X fighters for the Republic of Korea Air Force. Production deliveries are expected to commence in the mid-2020s.