Stockwinners Market Radar for May 09, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:39 EDT Bank of Nova Scotia to acquire 51% of Banco Cencosud in Peru for CAD130M - Scotiabank announced its Peruvian subsidiary, Scotiabank Peru, has reached an agreement with Cencosud Peru to acquire a 51% controlling interest in Banco Cencosud, which offers credit cards and consumer loans in Peru, for approximately CAD $130MM. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will also enter into a 15-year partnership to manage the credit card business and provide additional products and services to customers. Scotiabank and Cencosud already have similar partnership arrangements in Chile and Colombia. Scotiabank will become the second-largest credit card issuer in Peru following the closing of the transaction. The terms of the transaction are not financially material to Scotiabank. This agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

19:17 EDT Wyndham approves $300M stock buyback following spin-off - The board of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has approved a share repurchase authorization of $300 million, while Wyndham Destinations will have approximately $1 billion remaining under its current share repurchase authorization.

19:05 EDT Insight Enterprises CIO Guggemos sells 11,520 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Insight Enterprises chief information officer Michael Guggemos disclosed the sale of 11,520 common shares of the company at a price of $43.3384 per share.

19:00 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Turtle Beach Corp (HEAR) up 49.0%... Wright Medical Group (WMGI) up 8.4%... SolarEdge (SEDG) up 5.4%... Carvana (CVNA) up 5.0%... Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) up 3.6%... Builders FirstSource (BLDR) up 3.5%... Sunrun (RUN) up 3.3%... Green Dot Corp (GDOT) up 2.8%... CenturyLink (CTL) up 2.7%... Copa Holdings (CPA) up 2.7%... Roku (ROKU) up 2.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Qualcomm (QCOM) up 2.0% after new $10B buyback. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: MDC Partners (MDCA) down 16.8%... Nuance Communications (NUAN) down 13.9%... Open Text (OTEX) down 8.8%... Synaptics (SYNA) down 7.4%... Booking Holdings (BKNG) down 7.0%... Infinera (INFN) down 6.5%... MercadoLibre (MELI) down 5.0%... Sunoco (SUN) down 2.1%... Altice USA (ATUS) down 1.7%. ALSO LOWER: Integra LifeSciences (IART) down 5.6% after equity offering... Nabors (NBR) down 5.1% after equity offering.

18:16 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure enters into 10b5-1 plan for share purchases - Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation announced that its external Manager, Macquarie Infrastructure Management Inc., has entered into a plan to acquire additional shares of MIC common stock pursuant to a trading plan under Rule 10b5-1, promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Currently, the Manager owns approximately 5.8M shares of MIC common stock, or 6.8% of MIC's outstanding shares.

18:02 EDT ZTO Express sees Q2 adjusted net income $159.4M-$167.4M - This guidance represents a 36.9%-43.8% increase from the same period of 2017.

17:42 EDT Sony updates warranty terms for U.S., Canada PlayStation systems - Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment updated the terms of its Limited Warranties for PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita systems sold in the United States and Canada. SIE implemented two primary changes: Its previous warranties stated that the warranty does not apply if the product is used with a peripheral that is not supplied or licensed by SIE. The updated warranties state that the warranty does not apply "to damage caused by" use of the product with an unlicensed peripheral. In addition, its previous warranties stated that the warranty does not apply if the warranty seal on the product has been altered or removed. The updated warranty states that the warranty does not apply "to damage caused by" opening the product or to damage caused by service performed by someone other than a representative of SIE or an SIE-authorized service provider. Second, SIE added language that clarifies and confirms the company's longstanding practice of providing free return shipping for in-warranty consoles in the U.S. and Canada, and free return shipping for repaired consoles to the customer. SIE long has provided this free, round-trip shipping, but its warranties didn't specifically say so. Now they do. Reference Link

17:35 EDT Raging Capital Management lowers stake in Ashford Energy to 7.0% from 8.8%

17:33 EDT Latam Airlines reports preliminary April traffic up 0.8%, capacity up 1.4% - Latam Airlines reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for April 2018 compared to April 2017. System passenger traffic increased 0.8%, while capacity rose by 1.4%. As a result, the company's load factor for the month fell 0.5 percentage points to 83.4%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 60% of the month's total passenger traffic.

17:08 EDT Golden Minerals enters into stock purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital - Golden Minerals entered into a registered direct purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, pursuant to which LPC has agreed to purchase $1.3M of the company's common stock at 41c per share, the closing price of common stock on the NYSE on May 8. In addition, the company entered into a separate common stock purchase agreement and registration rights agreement with LPC that would allow the company, at its sole discretion, to sell up to an additional $10.0M of the company's common stock to LPC over a 36-month period contingent on the effectiveness of a resale registration statement and satisfaction of other customary conditions contained in the agreements. Proceeds from both purchase agreements will be used for general corporate purposes, including advancing the exploration program at the Company's El Quevar property in Argentina.Golden will control the timing and amount of any future sale of common stock to LPC. In consideration for entering into the common stock purchase agreement, Golden paid LPC a commitment fee of $300K. Golden maintains the right to terminate the common stock purchase agreement at any time, at its discretion, without any cost or penalty.

17:01 EDT Ford says F-150 production suspended at Kansas City, Dearborn plants - Ford Motor Company said it is working with its supply base to offset impacts of a fire that occurred at one of the company's suppliers last week and is affecting the production of certain vehicles, due to a shortage of die-cast components. "This is a fluid situation, but we are working closely with our supplier and UAW partners to do everything we can to limit the impact on our production," said Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of Global Operations. "It's a full team effort and we're confident that any impacts will be short term. The good news is we have strong inventories of our best-selling F-Series pickups and other vehicles, and customers won't have a problem finding the model they want." Current impacts from the supply shortage, included: F-150 production is suspended at Kansas City Assembly Plant and will also be suspended at the Dearborn Truck Plant at the end of the second shift tonight. Ford F-Series Super Duty production is down at both the Kentucky Truck Plant. Ford expects Super Duty production to continue at Ohio Assembly plant in Avon Lake. While the production shortage is expected to have an adverse impact on the company's results, the company's guidance of delivering an adjusted EPS in the range of $1.45 to $1.701 for the full year is unchanged.

16:56 EDT Evolent Health partners with SOMOS IPA in New York - Evolent Health announced it has partnered with SOMOS IPA to accelerate value-based care in New York. The partnership will focus first on supporting the performance goals of New York's Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program for approximately 300,000 New York residents and will serve as a platform to expand to other value-based care arrangements.

16:54 EDT St. Joe, Key Interntaional announces plans for JV - The St. Joe Company and Key International announced their intent to pursue the formation of a joint venture to develop a new resort hotel in Panama City Beach, Florida. "Key International welcomes the opportunity to work with a well-established and reputable partner like St. Joe, with the goal of expanding full service hotels in the Panama City Beach market," stated Inigo and Diego Ardid, Co-Presidents of Key International. Since the 1970's, Key International has been investing in and developing high end properties in Spain and the United States. Key International is currently developing a number of projects, including a 175-room Embassy Suites Oceanfront Resort in St. Augustine, Florida.

16:51 EDT Enbridge reinforces regulatory case on Line 3 Replacement Project - Enbridge (ENB) and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (EEP) filed its Exceptions to the Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Recommendations of the Administrative Law Judge with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Following a comprehensive review of the non-binding ALJ recommendation on the Line 3 Replacement Project, Enbridge's Exceptions filing reinforces the evidence on need and preferred route and will help inform the MPUC vote on the Line 3 Replacement Project in June 2018.

16:49 EDT Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. announces two-for-one stock split - The Board of Directors of Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. have approved a two-for-one split of the company's common stock. The record date for the two-for-one stock split is the close of business on May 22nd, with the distribution of new shares scheduled for on or about May 25th, 2018. As a result of the split, shareholders will receive one additional common share for each common share they hold as of the record date. The total number of common shares outstanding will increase from 2,234,494 to 4,468,988.

16:48 EDT Cardinal Health raises quarterly dividend 3% to 47.63c per share - The dividend will be payable on July 15 to shareholders of record on July 2.

16:46 EDT CNO Financial names Daniel Maurer as chairman of board - CNO Financial Group (CNO) reported that the company's board of directors has elected Daniel Maurer as chairman. Maurer joined the CNO Financial board in May 2015 and has served as a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee, and the Governance and Nominating Committee. Prior to joining the CNO board, he served in leadership roles at Intuit (INTU), Proctor & Gamble (PG) and Campbell Soup (CPB).

16:45 EDT CNO Financial raises quarterly dividend 11% to 10c per share - Payable June 25 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 11.

16:44 EDT Invesco reports preliminary AUM $972.8B as of April 30 - An increase of 4.1% month over month. The increase was driven by the Guggenheim acquisition, favorable market returns, an increase in money market AUM, and reinvested distributions; partially offset by net long-term outflows, foreign exchange, and non-management fee earning AUM outflows.

16:43 EDT Papa Murphy's reports Q1 comparable store sales decline of 3.9%

16:40 EDT Builders FirstSource says housing industry demand remains on 'solid trajectory'

16:36 EDT Univar names David Jukes as President and CEO - Univar announced that its board of directors has appointed David Jukes as the company's president and CEO as well as to its board of directors, effective May 9. Jukes succeeds Stephen Newlin who was appointed Executive Chairman of Univar's board of directors. These appointments mark the completion of the previously announced CEO succession plan. Prior to joining Univar, Jukes was the senior vice president of global sales, marketing and industry relations for Omnexus, a plastics industry e-commerce platform.

16:36 EDT SolarEdge to acquire Gamatronic, terms not disclosed - SolarEdge announced that it will enter the field of Uninterruptible Power Supply by signing an asset purchase agreement with Gamatronic Electronic Industries Ltd. Gamatronic develops, manufactures, and sells UPS electrical devices that provide emergency power to appliances when the input power source fails. The company's products include UPS systems of a wide range of outputs and monitoring and control solutions for power systems. Gamatronic has been selling its products since 1970 and today sells its products in the United States, China, Europe, South Africa, and Latin America. SolarEdge is purchasing substantially all of Gamatronic's assets, including its intellectual property, brand, and tangible assets. Upon closing of the agreement, approximately 100 of Gamatronic's employees will be rehired as SolarEdge employees. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2018.

16:34 EDT Hilton Grand Vacations invests $41M in Hilton Los Cabos - Hilton Grand Vacations announced it has made a $41M deposit to purchase 87 of the 375 hotel rooms within the Hilton Los Cabos Beach and Golf Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, from a joint venture of partners including Trinity Real Estate Investments, LLC. HGV plans to convert the 87 rooms into 74 timeshare units. The total project investment for the company is expected to be approximately $50M, which includes the deposit, renovations and additional start-up costs. HGV expects to obtain title to the units in the second quarter of 2019. Renovations are anticipated to begin immediately after the title is transferred. HGV also expects to add a sales center and commence sales by the end of 2019.

16:31 EDT Qualcomm announces new $10B share repurchase program - Qualcomm announced that its Board of Directors has approved, effective immediately, a new $10B stock repurchase authorization that replaces the previous $15B stock repurchase program announced in March 2015, which had $1.2B of repurchase authority remaining. The new stock repurchase authorization has no expiration date.

16:30 EDT Werner increases quarterly dividend 29% - Werner Enterprises announced that its board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 9c per common share payable to stockholders of record at the close of business on July 2. This dividend is a 2c per share increase, or 29%, compared to the company's previous quarterly dividend rate of 7c per share. This dividend will be paid on July 17.

16:25 EDT Synchronoss says needs more time to comply with Nasdaq requirements - Synchronoss Technologies announced that it does not expect to regain compliance with the continued listing requirements set by the Nasdaq Hearings Panel prior to May 10, 2018. Synchronoss continues to work diligently to complete the restatement and regain compliance with its SEC reporting obligations as soon as practicable. Although the Company believes its auditors are in the final stages of completing their audit, there remain some matters that have taken longer to finalize than initially anticipated. On the March 28 business update call Synchronoss provided comments on certain items related to the restatement process. These have not changed. The company continues to anticipate that none of these items will have an impact on the company's cash position. These are preliminary positions and are subject to change as the company's external auditors continue to evaluate and audit the company's current positions. "We are disappointed in our inability to meet the May 10 deadline for regaining compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements," says Glenn Lurie, President and CEO, Synchronoss. "However, we have made tremendous progress and expect that the audit will be completed no later than June 30, 2018. I also want to thank Ernst & Young for the efforts it is making toward completing the task at hand."

16:23 EDT Franco-Nevada increases dividend 4.3% to 24c per share - Franco-Nevada has declared a quarterly dividend of 24c per share, a 4.3% increase from the previous 23c per share quarterly dividend. The dividend will be paid on June 28 to shareholders of record on June 14.

16:20 EDT CenturyLink backs FY18 adjusted EBITDA view $8.75B-$8.95B - Backs FY18 free cash flow view $3.15B-$3.35B.

16:15 EDT Advanced Energy appoints Neil Brinker COO - Advanced Energy Industries announced that Neil Brinker will join the company as its executive VP and COO on June 18. Most recently, Neil was the group president of IDEX Corporation.

16:11 EDT KeyCorp raises quarterly dividend 14% to 12c per share - The dividend is payable on June 15 to holders of record of such common shares as of the close of business on May 29.

16:10 EDT Sunrun expects FY18 deployments to grow 15% year-over-year - For FY18, Sunrun continues to expect deployments to grow 15% year-over-year.

16:09 EDT Sunrun expects to deploy approximately 88 MW in Q2 - In Q2, Sunrun expects to deploy approximately 88 MW, reflecting approximately 16% growth year-over-year.

16:09 EDT Bsquare Corp CEO Jerry Chase to step down, Kevin Walsh named acting CEO - Bsquare announced that president and CEO Jerry Chase is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Chase will also be stepping down from his board seat. Going forward, Bsquare will be led by board chairman Andrew Harries who will assume an expanded role as executive chairman, and by Kevin Walsh who will serve as acting CEO while continuing to oversee marketing and corporate strategy. Chase will transition into an advisory role with Bsquare. The company will conduct a search for a new CEO.

16:04 EDT SkyWest reports combined April traffic - SkyWest reported 144,600 block hours in April 2018, compared to 152,100 block hours in April 2017, a decrease of 7,600 or five percent. The net decrease was consistent with SkyWest's fleet transition plan to improve the mix of aircraft in its fleet by adding new E175 aircraft while reducing its 50-seat jets. The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 6,800 additional block hours from SkyWest's E175 aircraft (includes the E175 aircraft and the E175 SC aircraft) and a decrease of approximately 14,400 block hours from its other aircraft types. In April 2018, SkyWest's dual class aircraft represented approximately 52 percent of SkyWest's total block hour production for the month compared to approximately 50 percent in April 2017. SkyWest reported 580,900 block hours for year-to-date April 2018, compared to 604,800 block hours year-to-date April 2017, a decrease of 23,900, or four percent. This net change was primarily driven by approximately 26,500 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 50,400 block hours from its other aircraft types. SkyWest had 83,500 departures in April 2018 compared to 90,600 in April 2017, a decrease of 7,100, or 7.8 percent.

16:03 EDT Craft Brew Alliance backs FY18 CapEx view $16M-$19M

14:44 EDT Hyster-Yale Materials increases dividend to 31c from 30.25c per share - Hyster-Yale Materials announced that the board of directors increased its regular cash dividend from 30.25c to 31c per share. The dividend is payable on both the Class A and Class B Common Stock, and will be paid June 15 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 1.

14:30 EDT Cellectar granted Orphan Drug Designation for CLR 131 - Cellectar Biosciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Orphan Products Development has granted Orphan Drug Designation to CLR 131, the company's lead Phospholipid Drug Conjugate product candidate, for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer. "Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common type of tissue sarcoma in children. While initial response to treatment is generally favorable, there is an important need for new treatments, especially in children who experience relapse." said John Friend, M.D., chief medical officer of Cellectar. "Cellectar is committed to working closely with the FDA to fully evaluate the potential for targeted delivery of CLR 131 to address this currently unmet medical need."

14:20 EDT AT&T says Cohen hired as consultant, company unaware of controversy until 2018 - AT&T issued a statement on Michael Cohen to CNBC. Reference Link

14:01 EDT Quaker Chemical increases dividend 4.2% to 37c per share - The board of directors of Quaker Chemical declared a 37c per share quarterly dividend, a 4.2% increase compared to the quarterly dividends declared over the past four quarters. The quarterly dividend is payable on July 31 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 17.

13:28 EDT Street Fight: JPMorgan sees hard road for Monster as Jefferies advises patience - Shares of Monster Beverage (MNST) are sliding after the company reported quarterly results. Following the report, JPMorgan analyst Andrea Teixeira downgraded the stock to Neutral, citing rising gas prices and higher aluminum costs for her prediction of lower profitability this year. QUARTERLY RESULTS: Last night, Monster Beverage reported first quarter earnings per share of 38c, which was slightly below consensus of 39c. The company also announced first quarter revenue of $850.9M, beating the consensus estimate of $847.3M. 'DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD': In a research note this morning, JPMorgan's Teixeira downgraded Monster Beverage to Neutral from Overweight and lowered her price target on the shares to $52 from $67, following another "underwhelming" quarter and as she sees a "challenging road ahead." The analyst told investors that while the company's top line performance in the quarter was largely in-line with consensus expectations, Monster Beverage "significantly" missed margins for the third consecutive quarter. Teixeira expects margin pressure to continue behind higher input costs and continued geographic/product mix headwinds. While the analyst appreciates Monster's double digit top line growth and international opportunity, she thinks the stock will remain challenged until Monster can start improving on the margin front. Teixeira prefers top picks Estee Lauder (EL) and Constellation Brands (STZ) for Home and Personal Care exposure. Also on the sidelines, SunTrust analyst William Chappell lowered his price target for Monster Beverage to $50 from $60 and reiterated a Hold rating on the shares. Noting that the decline in gross margins was surprising, the analyst attributes the shortfall to "negative sales mix, higher input and freight costs, and additional investments in International markets," anticipating these challenges to persist amid the faster growth of lower margin products in U.S. markets. MAINTAINING BUY RATINGS: Not as bearish, Stifel analyst Mark Astrachan lowered his price target for Monster Beverage shares to $63 from $71 but reiterated a Buy rating on the stock. The analyst acknowledged that he anticipates heightened costs to be sustained through at least the third quarter of 2018 when the company begins lapping inflation and is likely to implement a price increase. However, longer-term Astrachan thinks Monster can leverage costs with continued strong sales growth, given favorable end-demand, with the company continuing to gain share globally. The analyst recommends buying shares on anticipated weakness, but thinks the stock could remain range-bound near-term given the lack of a catalyst and sector rotation out of Consumer Staples. Also reiterating a Buy rating on the shares, Jefferies analyst Kevin Grundy lowered his price target for Monster Beverage to $62 from $67 following the company's "mixed" first quarter results. The analyst sees "good value for patient investors" given strong sales growth, valuation, and strategic optionality should Coca-Cola (KO) acquire the remaining 82% of outstanding shares it does not already own. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of Monster have dropped over 7% to $49.33.

13:07 EDT Valeant granted orphan status for eosinophilic esophagitis treatment - The FDA granted Valeant's Salix Pharmaceuticals unit orphan status for budesonide, its treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis. Reference Link

12:56 EDT Take-Two rises after EA, Activision earnings beats - Shares of Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) are rising in afternoon trading ahead of its quarterly earnings report next week. The stock boost follows earnings releases from the company's two "big 3" game maker rivals, namely Electronic Arts (EA) and Activision Blizzard (ATVI), which both mentioned the growing nature of the game industry as well as the importance of growing their core gaming pipelines. EA EARNINGS: After the market close yesterday, Electronic Arts reported better than expected fourth quarter results and announced a new $2.4B stock repurchase program. In addition, the game maker provided a conservative outlook for fiscal 2019. Commenting on the results, COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen said that the company's success is driven by the way it has changed its relationship with players. "They want more depth in their favorite games, and fresh content that can hold their attention year-round," Jorgensen said. ACTIVISION EARNINGS: Last Thursday, Activision Blizzard reported better-than-expected first quarter adjusted earnings and revenue and raised its fiscal 2018 adjusted earnings per share and adjusted revenue guidance. In addition, the game maker provided a second quarter outlook that was below consensus estimates. Commenting on the results, CEO Bobby Kotick said that the company's ability to "set new records" reflects "the breadth and enduring nature of our portfolio of franchises against the backdrop of a large and growing interactive market." Kotick added that the company's "innovative core gaming pipeline, as well as initiatives like mobile, esports, and advertising, will continue to drive growth for our business." MORGAN STANLEY BULLISH: On Friday, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak said in a research note to investors that there was some impact on Activision Blizzard in the quarter from Epic Games' popular shooter "Fortnite," though that impct was less than feared. The analyst at the time said he sees the size of the "Fortnite" impact as a bullish sign for Take-Two and Electronic Arts. Epic Games is 40% owned by Tencent (TCEHY) and is part of Disney's (DIS) Accelerator Program. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, Take-Two shares are up 4.3% to $116.10. Meanwhile, EA shares are up 6.4% and Activision Blizzard is up about 3.2%.

12:42 EDT MiMedx drops after VA healthcare workers indicted on conspiracy charges - Shares of MiMedx are plunging after the U.S. Attorney's Office of the District of South Carolina reported that a grand jury indicted three health care providers for the Department of Veterans Affairs on allegations that they "cultivated relationships with MiMedx sales representatives and other officials" and conspired to cause the "excessive use of MiMedx products on VA patients in South Carolina." Shares of MiMedx are down 19%, or $1.54, to $6.47 after the indictment, dated May 8, was circulated.

12:04 EDT Lionsgate signs deal with Derbez's 3Pas Studios to develop TV series - Lionsgate's Pantelion Films and MGM, the company's Television Group has signed a deal with Latinx megastar Eugenio Derbez and producing partner Benjamin Odell's 3Pas Studios. Under the agreement, 3Pas will produce English and Spanish-language series for the company's Television Group as well as Lionsgate streaming platforms such as the recently-launched premium OTT service PANTAYA. The partnership expands Lionsgate's longstanding relationship with 3Pas, which already includes a first-look feature film deal with the company's Pantelion Films label. In addition to Overboard, which last weekend achieved the highest opening of any Pantelion title, Derbez has starred in and produced Pantelion's blockbuster Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S., and last year's hit How to Be A Latin Lover. In addition to Instructions Not Included and How To Be A Latin Lover, Derbez is renowned for the Mexican comedy sensation "La Familia Peluche," which is being adapted into an animated feature by 3Pas.

11:54 EDT DOT auditing FAA oversight of Allegiant, American maintenance - The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation said that, in February, it informed congressional staff that it was adjusting its approach to reviewing the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of air carrier maintenance and focusing on two carriers, Allegiant (ALGT) and American Airlines (AAL). The review, which was announced in June 2017, had been previously requested by the Ranking Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Aviation in light of safety events and disclosures regarding airlines' maintenance practices. At the time, the DOT' saudit objectives were to assess FAA's oversight of air carrier maintenance programs and whether FAA considers factors such as mergers, rapid expansion, or cost-cutting initiatives when it adjusts its oversight of air carrier maintenance programs. "During our initial audit work, we visited two air carriers and found that FAA had moved its oversight strategy from emphasizing enforcement actions to working with carriers to address the root causes for noncompliance of safety regulations," the Inspector General said. "We also found that the relationships and information-sharing practices between air carriers and their FAA oversight offices vary significantly. In addition, maintenance programs at air carriers are affected by differences in fleet mix and other operational considerations. Given these factors-as well as our analysis of complaints to the FAA hotline about the maintenance programs at two air carriers-we decided to refocus the next phase of the audit." The IG continued, "Our objectives now are to assess FAA's processes for investigating allegations of improper maintenance practices at two carriers, Allegiant Airlines and American Airlines. Specifically, we will examine FAA's independent reviews, complaints to the FAA hotline, and other sources to see whether inspectors conducting routine surveillance of Allegiant and American Airlines found similar discrepancies and determine whether FAA ensures that Allegiant and American Airlines implement effective corrective actions to address the root causes of maintenance problems." Reference Link

11:41 EDT eBay to relaunch eBay India after selling holdings in Flipkart - eBay (EBAY) announced that it has notified Flipkart and Walmart (WMT) that it intends to sell its holdings in Flipkart, which will represent gross proceeds of approximately $1.1B. Following the close of the transaction, eBay also will be ending its current strategic relationship with Flipkart, which includes unwinding its commercial agreements with Flipkart and terminating Flipkart's license to use the eBay.in brand. "We plan to relaunch eBay India with a differentiated offer to focus initially on the cross-border trade opportunity, which we believe is significant. We believe there is huge growth potential for e-commerce in India and significant opportunity for multiple players to succeed in India's diverse, domestic market," eBay stated.

11:22 EDT 'Long way to go,' but Jassy sees possibility for AWS to become biggest unit - Andy Jassy, the CEO of AWS, said there is a "long way to go," but he sees it as "possible" that the cloud unit could eventually become the company's largest unit by sales given the long-term potential.

11:16 EDT Occidental Petroleum intends to resume share repurchase program in 2018 - Says breakeven plan will be achieved ahead of schedule in Q3. Says exceeding targets. Says will continue to focus on enhancing portfolio, adding value to assets, long-term value creation. Say 4CPe plant will achieve peak-rate in Q3. Says increase to FY18 Permian resources production range is due to new productivity. Says guidance assumes $63 WTI/ $67 Brent prices for Q2 to Q4. Sees Domestic Oil & Gas at approximately $12.50/boe. Sees FY18 company tax rate of 32%. Says intends to resume share repurchase program this year. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

11:07 EDT Monro, auto parts stocks slide after Sears announces Amazon partnership - Shares of Monro (MNRO) and other tire and auto parts retailers are sliding after Sears Auto Centers (SHLD) announced that it is working with Amazon (AMZN) to provide full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase tires through the online retailer. Late last year, Monro had disclosed that the company was in talks with the e-commerce giant for a service to install tires purchased on Amazon.com. SEARS PARTNERSHIP WITH AMAZON: Sears Auto Centers announced that it is working with Amazon.com to provide full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon.com. The service will be rolling out to customers across the U.S. over the coming weeks. "With this collaboration, Sears Auto will become the first nationwide auto service center to offer Amazon.com customers the convenient Ship-to-Store tire solution integrated into the Amazon.com checkout process, which is easy and convenient.," Sears stated. The new Ship-to-Store capability is initially available at 47 Sears Auto Centers in eight metropolitan areas and will "quickly expand" to Amazon.com customers through 400 plus Sears Auto Centers nationwide following the initial launch, Sears said. Also, Sears noted that this will become the first time that DieHard all-season passenger tires will be sold on Amazon.com. MONRO TALKS WITH AMAZON: During the company's earnings call back in October 2017, Monro disclosed it was in talks with Amazon for a service to install tires that are purchased through the online retailer. Monro CEO Brett Ponton said on the call, "We are in discussions with Amazon currently right now. I have a tendency to move a little bit slower and methodical in that discussion for two reasons. One, I want to make certain that we have the technology capability lined up to deliver a good experience as we move into test. We want a good experience for the consumer, number one, and also a good experience with Amazon, number two. So, we are in discussions with them. We're in process of building our capability to make certain that this experience can be seamless, which is requiring a little behind-the-scenes work from a technology point of view to make that happen." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Monro have dropped about 6% to $53.70. Also lower are shares of O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), Advanced Auto Parts (AAP), and AutoZone (AZO), which have all slipped roughly 1%. Meanwhile, Sears' stock has jumped about 15% to $3.17 per share.

10:44 EDT Analyst pens open letter to Tesla's Musk after conference call snub - This morning, RBC Capital analyst Joseph Spak wrote an open letter to Elon Musk, inviting Tesla's CEO to talk extensively about "all the amazing industry innovations you are driving and dispel any investor misconceptions you perceive." This comes after the chief executive cut off analysts, including Spak, during the electric carmaker's earnings call, dismissing questions about gross margins and Model 3 reservations as "boring" and "dry." OPEN LETTER TO ELON MUSK: Following a controversial earnings call, RBC Capital's Spak wrote an open letter to Tesla's Elon Musk and invited the CEO to talk "extensively about all the amazing industry innovations you are driving and dispel any investor misconceptions you perceive. Name the time and the place and I will be there, along with every one of your major shareholders." Spak started by saying that he believes Tesla remains an "amazing company" with a "compelling" long-term opportunity and an "incredible" list of accomplishments already under its belt. However, the analyst pointed out that he continues to hold the carmaker "accountable" for implementing a strategic vision that aligns with an ability to execute at scale. In the open letter, Spak also highlighted that a "financial results call is an opportunity for Wall Street to re-calibrate our expectations based on the information you provide, so we can thoughtfully reflect on the financial outlook for your company. Our questions collectively represent the concerns and interests of your current and potential shareholders. Some of these questions can seem dry, boring or short-term focused, but hopefully you can appreciate that anyone looking to invest in Tesla's future must first be comfortable with its present." TESLA EARNINGS CALL: Last week, shares of Tesla were under pressure after the company reported quarterly results and Musk cut off analysts during the earnings call, dismissing questions about gross margins and Model 3 reservations as "boring" and "dry." Instead, the executive answered multiple questions from Youtuber Gali Russell. In answering questions from Russell, Musk also said that Model Y production is not expected to begin for another two years. A couple of days later, the carmaker's chief executive unleashed a tweetstorm, discussing the company's earnings conference call. In his tweets, Tesla's CEO said the two questioners he ignored on the Q1 call "are sell-side analysts who represent a short seller thesis, not investors." During that session, Musk tweeted: "Reason RBC question about Model 3 demand is absurd is that Tesla has roughly half a million reservations, despite no advertising & no cars in showrooms. Even after reaching 5k/week production, it would take 2 years just to satisfy existing demand even if new sales dropped to 0." Since that time, Elon Musk disclosed in a regulatory filing his purchase of 33,000 shares of Tesla common stock in transaction made on May 7. Also, Tesla stated in a quarterly filing made on May 7: "At this stage, we are expecting total 2018 capital expenditures to be slightly below $3 billion. Ultimately, our capital expenditures will develop in line with Model 3 production, our profitability and our operating cash generation. We continually evaluate our capital expenditure needs and may raise additional capital to fund the rapid growth of our business." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Tesla are up about 0.5% to $303.40. Since May 3, the day after the company's earnings report and call, the stock is up about 3%.

10:38 EDT Sears Auto Center announces partnership with Amazon - Sears Auto Centers (SHLD) announced that it is working with Amazon.com (AMZN) to provide full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon.com. The service will be rolling out to customers across the U.S. over the coming weeks. "With this collaboration, Sears Auto will become the first nationwide auto service center to offer Amazon.com customers the convenient Ship-to-Store tire solution integrated into the Amazon.com checkout process, which is easy and convenient. Amazon customers simply select their tires, the Sears Auto location and their preferred date and time for the tire installation. Sears Auto Centers then contacts them to confirm their appointment," Sears stated.

10:07 EDT Plug Power says focused on achieving breakeven EBITDA in 2H - Says main objective is to achieve EBITDA breakeven in 2H. Says focused on growing revenue and continuing reduction of product costs. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:04 EDT S&P lowers Walmart outlook to Negative from Stable - Standard & Poor's lowered its outlook on Walmart to Negative from Stable following the company's $16B investment in India's Flipkart. S&P's rating on Walmart remains AA.

09:30 EDT Transocean acquires interest in harsh environment newbuild semisubmersible - Transocean announced that, through a joint venture with funds managed and/or advised by Hayfin Capital Management, it has purchased a 33.3% interest in the West Rigel, a newbuild harsh environment semisubmersible. The total purchase price for the rig, built by Sembcorp Marine Ltd.'s Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd, is $500M. Transocean has initially invested $83M in the joint venture with an additional investment of $83M to be made at a later date in accordance with the terms of the joint venture arrangements with Hayfin. Transocean has also invested $8M for working capital, which includes upgrades and activation cost with additional amounts to be later funded. The rig is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2018, and available for charter in the first quarter of 2019.

09:17 EDT Terreno Realty acquires Renton, Washington industrial property for $6M - Terreno Realty Corporation acquired an industrial property located in Renton, Washington on May 7, 2018 for a purchase price of approximately $6M. The property consists of one industrial distribution building containing approximately 39,000 square feet on approximately 2.3 acres adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 405 and Highway 167 in the northern Kent Valley. The property is at 2701 East Valley Road, provides four dock-high and three grade-level loading positions, parking for 42 cars and is 100% leased to one tenant. The estimated stabilized cap rate of the property is 5.2%.

09:12 EDT MicroVision announces new license agreement with global technology company - MicroVision announced that it has entered into a license agreement with a leading global technology company to allow the licensee to use MicroVision's display technology to manufacture and sell display-only engines based on MicroVision reference designs. The agreement grants a world wide, exclusive, five-year license to display-only technology. In order to maintain exclusivity, the licensee is required to purchase minimum quantities of MEMS and ASICs from MicroVision. The licensee has agreed to pay MicroVision a license fee of $10 million in 2018. An initial payment of $5 million is scheduled to be paid this quarter and a second payment of $5 million is scheduled to be paid in October. As part of the agreement, MicroVision expects to receive additional payments for non-recurring engineering expenses and services associated with process and product transfer and qualification milestones. The agreement does not include a license to MicroVision technology related to interactive displays, LiDAR and 3D sensing, or near-eye applications, such as augmented or virtual reality, which remain key vertical markets for MicroVision.

09:11 EDT Westell Technologies appoints Alfred John as CEO - Westell Technologies announced that its board has chosen Alfred John as the company's new president and CEO, effective May 21. Stephen succeeds interim President and CEO Kirk Brannock, who will retain the role of chairman of the board.

09:08 EDT Hawaii renews Prudential contract to oversee state compensation plan - State of Hawaii officials informed Prudential Retirement that Hawaii has renewed its contract with Prudential to oversee its State of Hawaii Deferred Compensation Plan totaling nearly $2.4B in retirement assets. Prudential Retirement is a business unit of Prudential Financial. Prudential Retirement has been managing the voluntary plan since 2013, which currently has 27,919 members, and its stable value business has serviced the plan for more than 30 years. The new three-year recordkeeping contract became effective April 1.

09:05 EDT One Horizon Group agrees to acquire Banana Whale Studios - One Horizon Group announced that it has entered into a term sheet that includes the main provisions of the definitive agreements to acquire a majority interest in Banana Whale Studios Pte, Ltd., a B2B software provider in the $100+ billion-dollar gaming industry focusing on innovation and next generation games and entertainment. By the proposed transaction terms, OHGI will transfer the intellectual property and secure messaging business to Banana Whale Studios and make $350,000 in additional working capital available to Banana Whale Studios for integration and related purposes; the balance of the payment for majority interest will be in stock based on an earn-out tied to earnings that will drive substantial value to OHGI shareholders. Banana Whale Studios' portfolio of game titles such as slots and lottery games are presently being deployed in Asia, with player numbers in the hundreds of thousands representing more than $100 million in annual market potential. Banana Whale Studios earns a share of the revenue generated from its games that are published on operators' websites. The management team of Banana Whale Studios have been key personnel in some of the world's largest online gaming operators, managing the design, development and rapid scaling of software, games and platforms transacting over $5 billion in annual revenues, providing gaming and entertainment to millions of international users across desktop and mobile devices.

09:04 EDT Qumu receives $1M in Qumu Cloud license fees from iStudy - Qumu announced that iStudy, Qumu's sales partner in Japan, has agreed to pay Qumu $1M in non-refundable Qumu Cloud license fees, with $500,000 due on May 30, 2018 and $500,000 due on September 1, 2018. The agreement further expands the strategic relationship between the companies, guarantees iStudy the services necessary to support its rapidly growing base of Qumu Cloud customers, and injects cash into Qumu's operations.

09:03 EDT Amazon announces Amazon Experience Centers - Amazon (AMZN) announced the opening of interactive Amazon Experience Centers within select Lennar (LEN) model homes across the United States. In these Alexa-enabled smart homes, customers can simply ask Alexa to control the television, lights, thermostat, shades, and more. The model homes showcase how customers can use Alexa in their everyday lives. Customers can experience just how easy it can be to reorder household essentials with a press of an Amazon Dash Button, listen or watch Prime content with Fire TV or schedule on-demand home services through Amazon Home Services. Customers can visit a model home in person or learn more by going to amazon.com/experience. In a real home setting, customers can experience how Alexa, Prime, and Amazon services come together to help them. Amazon Experience Centers feature the latest products and experiences set up by Amazon experts. Amazon is constantly updating and refining the experience within each model home. Amazon experts are Amazon employees who are specially trained on the latest technology and are passionate about helping customers. Customers have rated Amazon experts at 4.9 out of 5 stars. Customers who want to bring the experience to their existing homes can book a one-on-one session with an Amazon expert. Amazon Experience Centers are now open in Lennar model homes in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC with more coming soon. Customers can visit amazon.com/experience for more information and to find available homes to tour.

08:57 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: TripAdvisor (TRIP), up 19%... Electronic Arts (EA), up 2.7%... ADT Inc. (ADT), up 5.6%... Coty (COTY), up 6%... AB InBev (BUD), up 3.5%... Office Depot (ODP), up 11%... Match Group (MTCH), up 5%. LOWER: Walmart (WMT), down 5% after announcing agreements to become the largest shareholder in Flipkart by investing approximately $16B for an initial stake of approximately 77% in the Indian e-commerce company. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Disney (DIS), down 0.8%... Extreme Networks (EXTR), down 29%... Caesarstone (CSTE), down 16%... Mindbody (MB), down 15%... Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) down 8%... Monster Beverage (MNST) down 7%... Etsy (ETSY), down 1%.

08:45 EDT TransMontaigne announces expansion of Brownsville, Texas operations - The company entered into terminaling services agreements with third parties for the construction by either the Partnership, of new facilities in Brownsville for the storage of gasoline, diesel and additives for further transportation by truck and the Diamondback Pipeline to the U.S./Mexico border. The Diamondback pipeline consists of an 8" pipeline that previously transported propane approximately 16 miles from our Brownsville, Texas facilities to the U.S./Mexico border and a 6" pipeline, which runs parallel to the 8" pipeline that has been idle and can be used to transport additional refined products. The company expects the first tanks of the additional storage capacity under construction to be completed and placed into commercial service by the end of 2018. The company expects to recommission the Diamondback pipeline and resume operations by the end of 2019, with the additional storage capacity being completed and placed into commercial service at the same time. Due to rights of first refusal held by the joint venture, it is uncertain at this time whether the Brownsville terminaling expansion efforts will be constructed and owned by the Partnership or Frontera. The anticipated aggregate cost of the above terminaling and pipeline expansion projects is estimated to be approximately $60M.

08:42 EDT ResTORbio completes dosing of patients in RTB101 Phase 2b study - resTORbio announced that dosing has been completed in its Phase 2b trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of RTB101, an orally-administered, selective TORC1 inhibitor, alone or in combination with everolimus, in reducing the incidence of respiratory tract infections, or RTIs, in 652 elderly subjects.

08:40 EDT Ironwood urges shareholders to vote for director nominees - Ironwood Pharmaceuticals announced that it filed an investor presentation with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for May 31, 2018. The company said, "Ironwood's Board and management team are transforming the business and taking action designed to unlock shareholder value, including through the recently announced intent to separate its soluble guanylate cyclase business from the commercial and gastrointestinal business into two independent, publicly traded companies: The decision to separate the two businesses is the result of a comprehensive strategic review that began in the fall of 2017 focused on opportunities to best develop Ironwood's strong commercial platform and rich drug discovery and development assets. The Board and management team unanimously determined that a separation of these businesses presents the best way to drive operating performance, accelerate growth and unlock value. The separation is expected to result in two focused and durable businesses with strong prospects for long-term growth and value creation. The companies are expected to be led by separate and distinct management teams that are focused on each business's unique strategic priorities, target markets, capital allocation strategies and corporate development opportunities. Ironwood has the right Board with the right experience to execute the company's strategy as we drive toward a smooth and efficient separation of the two businesses: Ironwood has a proactive, regularly refreshed and accountable Board, with six new independent directors added since 2013 and an average tenure of six years for Ironwood's independent directors. Ironwood's directors have significant expertise in areas essential to the company's success, including strategic transactions, capital allocation and finance, customer and market insights and senior leadership in small entrepreneurial companies and large pharmaceutical organizations. The Board oversees and is accountable for corporate strategy and capital allocation, including a full annual strategic review. The Board undergoes a rigorous annual self-evaluation process to assess the performance and effectiveness of the Board as it makes decisions to drive value creation. The Board has provisions in place to align with shareholder interests, including a director compensation philosophy that emphasizes equity compensation. Ironwood strongly believes that Sarissa has not made a compelling case for Ironwood to add Alex Denner to the Board, given the skills, experience and diversity of the existing directors who have acted to unlock value for Ironwood shareholders. The Ironwood Board of Directors unanimously recommends that shareholders vote on the WHITE proxy card "FOR" ALL of its nominees."

08:37 EDT Therapix Biosciences to voluntarily delist from Tel Aviv Stock Exchange - Therapix Biosciences announced that its Board of Directors has decided to take steps to voluntarily delist Therapix's ordinary shares from trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, while maintaining a continued listing of its American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Therapix is delisting its ordinary shares from the TASE in order to be subject to one set of listing regulations instead of two, to allow greater flexibility to execute its business and financing strategy and to reduce costs of operations. Under applicable Israeli law, the delisting of Therapix's ordinary shares from trading on the TASE is expected to become effective three months from the date of the request. During this time, Therapix's ordinary shares will continue to be traded on the TASE. Therapix is not aware of any technical or substantive impediment to the trading of Therapix's ADSs on the Nasdaq Capital Market following its delisting from the TASE. An announcement regarding the delisting procedure and timeline will follow. Therapix's listing and trading of its ADSs on Nasdaq will be unaffected by this decision. Therapix's ADSs will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market and Therapix will remain subject to the rules and regulations of the U.S. SEC and Nasdaq Capital Market applicable to listed companies.

08:35 EDT GAIN Capital reports April operating metrics - In the retail segment in April, OTC Trading Volume was down 15.4% sequentially and up 20.2% y/y. OTC Average Daily Volume was down 10.9% sequentially and up 14.0% y/y. 12 Month Trailing Active OTC Accounts were down 0.7% sequentially and were down 3.8% y/y. 3 Month Trailing Active OTC Accounts were down 3.8% sequentially and down 9.8% y/y.

08:34 EDT Hertz Europe launches free, mobile Wi-Fi for qualifying car rentals - Hertz Europe, part of Hertz Global Holdings, has launched free, mobile Wi-Fi and other exclusive benefits for qualifying car rentals in more than 200 locations across Europe, in celebration of the company's one hundred year anniversary. The complimentary 4G Internet connection and other services such as free International calls of up to 30 minutes a day, translation tool, and city guides are provided via the Hertz Connect portable device, available from selected locations in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

08:33 EDT Mimecast appoints Christina Van Houten as Chief Strategy Officer - Mimecast announced Christina Van Houten has joined the leadership team as the new Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, Christina will drive corporate development, product management and market strategy as part of building out Mimecast's leading email security, archive, and cyber resilience cloud platform.

08:23 EDT Dominion Chief Innovation Energy David Christian retiring July 1 - Dominion Energy Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer David A. Christian will retire effective July 1. On that date, Mark O. Webb, senior VP Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, will become senior VP -Corporate Affairs and Chief Innovation Officer, reporting to CEO Thomas F. Farrell, II. Carlos M. Brown will continue to serve as VP and general counsel, and lead the company's Law Department and legal function, reporting directly to Farrell. Effective July 1, the company will promote Emil Avram, director-Engineering Services in the Gas Infrastructure Group, to vice president-Innovation.

08:12 EDT Durect ammends licensing agreement for Posimir with Novartis' Sandoz - Durect (DRRX) has entered into an amendment to the development and commercialization agreement with Sandoz AG, a division of Novartis (NVS), regarding Posimir in the U.S. Durect received an upfront payment from Sandoz of $20M at the time the agreement between the two companies became effective in June 2017 and was initially eligible for up to an additional $43M in payments based on successful development and regulatory milestones, of which $30M is feasible following the results of the PERSIST Phase 3 clinical trial, and up to an additional $230M in sales-based milestones. Sandoz received exclusive commercialization rights for Posimir in the U.S. upon regulatory approval with sole funding responsibility for commercialization activities. Sandoz has agreed to pay Durect a tiered double-digit royalty on product sales for a defined period. Pursuant to the amended agreement, DURECT is now eligible for up to $30M in milestone payments based on NDA approval, and remains eligible for up to an additional $230M in sales-based milestones. Each party, pursuant to the Amendment, is also permitted to develop or commercialize competing products. There is also a new termination fee payable to Durect in the event that Sandoz terminates the agreement for convenience.

08:10 EDT Global Partners sees FY18 EBITDA $180M-$210M

08:08 EDT Equinix, Telxius announce collaboration on MAREA and BRUSA cable systems - Equinix and Telxius announced that they are working together on U.S. facilities and services for the next-generation cable landing station architecture for the MAREA and BRUSA cable systems. The two subsea cables will terminate in the U.S. directly into the MAREA and BRUSA cable landing station located in Virginia Beach, VA, and the capacity will extend the backhaul capacity into Equinix DC2 International Business Exchange data center, representing the newest innovative design in subsea cable infrastructure.

08:02 EDT Deluxe acquires LogoMix for $43M in all cash transaction - Deluxe Corporation announced that it recently acquired 100% of privately held LogoMix, a Boston-based provider of logo design and other small business branding and marketing services. Founded in 2006, LogoMix enables businesses and individuals to create and purchase custom marketing products for use online and offline. On LogoMaker.com, users can create a custom logo in minutes and, in one click, print their logo on business cards, signs, pens and other offline marketing products. LogoMix's other marketing services include websites, business email, domains and Google Apps for Work. The LogoMix acquisition strengthens Deluxe's fast-growing suite of innovative small business marketing services. Those solutions include website development and hosting, email marketing, social media, search engine optimization and logo design, in addition to the company's industry-leading checks and forms offerings. The move also improves Deluxe's reach, as more than 60% of LogoMix's customers are outside of the U.S. Deluxe acquired LogoMix for $43M in an all cash transaction. LogoMix founder Craig Bloem, will remain with Deluxe, taking a position as vice president in the small business services unit, reporting to McRoberts. Deluxe will integrate LogoMix's proprietary AI capabilities across its business. These capabilities will give Deluxe the ability to better cross-sell Deluxe products to its customers. LogoMix currently sells more than 60 percent of its customers more than a single product.

07:58 EDT Palihapitiya says not short Facebook - Chamath Palihapitiya, the venture capitalist and owner of the Golden State Warriors, said during an interview on CNBC that he is not short Facebook shares, responding to a prior suggestion made by Jeff Gundlach that Palihapitiya was short the stock.

07:48 EDT Palatin presenting precilinical MC-1 receptor results at aTIDES meeting - Palatin announced a poster presentation on its PL-8177 and PL-8331 melanocortin-1 receptor agonist programs. PL-8177 is Palatin's lead clinical product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease. PL-8331 is the company's drug candidate for the treatment of dry eye. The poster presentation will be made at the TIDES: Oligonucleotide and Peptide Therapeutics 2018 meeting on May 9. Data from a rat model of bowel inflammation showed reduced inflammation and colon weight scores to a similar degree as sulfasalazine, the positive control drug. PL-8177 was also evaluated in a mouse model of autoimmune uveitis. In this model, PL-8177 administered by intraperitoneal injection demonstrated significantly reduced retinal inflammation compared to untreated controls. PL-8177 is in ongoing Phase 1 safety studies. PL-8331 was evaluated in a mouse model of dry eye. In this model PL-8331 demonstrated reduction in corneal epithelial damage due to dry eye with efficacy similar to Restasis cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion. Palatin anticipates completing Investigational New Drug preclinical enabling activities on PL-8331 later this calendar year.

07:41 EDT Laureate Education reports Q1 new enrollments up 8% - Reports Q1 total enrollments up 2%.

07:38 EDT Inspired Entertainment still sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA $54M-$58M

07:34 EDT 21st Century Fox to acquire seven stations from Sinclair Broadcast for $910M - 21st Century Fox (FOXA, FOX) announced a definitive agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) and Tribune Media Company (TRCO) to acquire seven television stations for approximately $910M. The transaction will grow Fox Television Stations' coverage to nearly half of all U.S. households, and its market presence to 19 of the top 20 DMAs, including the addition of key markets that align with Fox's sports rights. 21st Century Fox has also entered into new network affiliation agreements with Sinclair (and licensees of certain stations to which Sinclair provides services), and will grant Sinclair options to acquire two of its stations, the CW-affiliate WPWR in Chicago, IL, where FTS currently has a duopoly, and FOX-affiliate KTBC in Austin, TX for potential proceeds of approximately $15M and $160M, respectively. Completion of the stations acquisition by 21st Century Fox is anticipated for the second half of this calendar year, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to be coordinated with the closing of Sinclair's proposed acquisition of Tribune.

07:32 EDT Sinclair Broadcast sees FY18 CapEx approximately $180M - Which includes approximately $65M related to the spectrum repack which is expected to be reimbursed by the government.

07:32 EDT Sinclair Broadcast sees Q2 media revenues $684.3M-$688.4M - Q2 revenue consensus $721.51M.

07:22 EDT Sinclair reports agreement for multi-year renewals of 34 Fox affiliations - In connection with the sale of certain Tribune (TRCO) stations to Fox (FOXA), Fox has agreed to provide Sinclair (SBGI) with an option to purchase television stations WPWR-TV Chicago and KTBC-TV Austin. Sinclair, and licensees of certain stations to which it provides services, and Fox have agreed to a multi-year renewal of 34 Fox affiliates, including all eight of Tribune's Fox affiliates which are not being sold to Fox.

07:18 EDT AMERI Holdings secures IT migration award - AMERI Holdings has secured an award to migrate the legacy SAP Analytics platform of a North American manufacturer and supplier of consumer food and beverage packaging and storage products to SAP HANA as a first step in the client's digital transformation journey to HANA. The client has undertaken a BW on HANA Migration and Optimization project that is a key component to its database consolidation strategy following the acquisition of subsidiaries in recent years. The award leverages Ameri100's core competency in driving SAP migration and optimization strategies to offer the client a fast-ROI, lower-risk and lower-cost first step in modernizing its IT infrastructure.

07:18 EDT AcelRx resubmits new drug application for DSUVIA - AcelRx Pharmaceuticals announced the resubmission of the New Drug Application for DSUVIA with the U.S. FDA. AcelRx anticipates that the FDA will acknowledge acceptance of the NDA within 30 calendar days of the resubmission date. AcelRx expects a six-month review by the FDA with a projected PDUFA date in the fourth quarter of 2018.

07:17 EDT Attunity wins $750,000 deal with large telecommunications company - Attunity (ATTU) announced that a large telecommunications company has signed a strategic license agreement to use Attunity Replicate to enable a large-scale data lake initiative on Microsoft Azure (MSFT). The Attunity platform, which will displace the Customer's incumbent solution, will integrate data from multiple geographically-dispersed data centers for real-time analytics. The deal represents an initial use case and provides the option to expand as the project scope grows. The Customer, a global telecommunications leader, required a solution for consolidating engineering data from several nationally-dispersed data centers into a cloud-based data lake. This data included diverse sources including SQL Server, Oracle and MySQL. The Customer found that its incumbent data integration solution could not address the scale and diversity of the data systems involved and decided to replace their existing solution with Attunity Replicate. Attunity met their needs for a universal solution supporting their broad platform mix, and enables the reduction of manual labor, accelerates data ingestion to Microsoft Azure, and reduces risk by providing geographic redundancy in the event of a catastrophic failure.

07:14 EDT Three proxy firms support Elaine Wynn's campaign for change at Wynn Resorts - Elaine P. Wynn, co-founder and the largest shareholder of Wynn Resorts, announced that, in a report issued on May 8, 2018, Egan-Jones Proxy Services has joined Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. in recommending that Wynn shareholders WITHHOLD votes from legacy director John J. Hagenbuch at the Company's annual meeting on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Egan-Jones also joined ISS and Glass Lewis in recommending that shareholders vote "AGAINST" approval of Wynn Resorts' say-on-pay proposal. Commenting on the news, Wynn said, "I am extremely pleased that all three proxy advisory firms agree with my belief that change is required at Wynn in order to truly become the 'New Wynn.' I urge my fellow shareholders to support my WITHHOLD the vote campaign against Mr. Hagenbuch." Wynn believes that it is problematic that Mr. Hagenbuch has been a longtime member of the Compensation Committee and serves on the Special Committee responsible for overseeing the investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by his close friend, Stephen A. Wynn, the Company's former Chairman and CEO.

07:12 EDT Visa, PayPal extend partnership to Canada - Visa (V) and PayPal (PYPL) announced an extension of their strategic partnership to Canada that will see them work collaboratively to accelerate the adoption of secure, reliable and convenient digital and mobile payments for consumers and merchants in Canada. The two companies are already collaborating in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Europe. This latest step brings the benefits of the partnership to Canadian consumers and businesses. The partnership creates a seamless experience for consumers who choose to pay with their Visa card at places that accept PayPal. Through collaboration between bank partners and PayPal, consumers will be able to add Visa cards into the PayPal digital wallet easily from other banking apps. It also enables PayPal to leverage Visa Direct, which allows Visa cardholders to more easily move funds from their PayPal account to an eligible Visa debit card in real-time. In addition, Visa and PayPal have agreed to extend participation in the Visa Digital Enablement Program. VDEP provides Visa's partners with access to tokenisation technology, which enables simple and secure payment on mobile phones or any connected device. This will help expand the use of PayPal to businesses that accept Visa in physical locations.

07:10 EDT Enbridge to sell 49% stake in select renewable power assets for C$1.75B - Enbridge has entered into agreements with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to monetize a 49% interest in select North American onshore renewable power assets, as well as 49% of Enbridge's interests in two German offshore wind projects through a newly created joint venture with CPPIB, for approximately C$1.75B. The assets being contributed by Enbridge to the joint venture include all of Enbridge's Canadian renewable power assets, held through Enbridge Income Fund, as well as two U.S. assets, namely the Cedar Point Wind Farm in Colorado and the Silver State North Solar Project in Nevada. Enbridge expects to retain its interests in certain other U.S. renewable power assets, which may be monetized or sold at a later date. Under the terms of the agreements, CPPIB will fund its 49% pro-rata share of the remaining construction capital required to complete the Hohe See projects, which are scheduled to come into service at the start of 2020. This additional capital commitment is estimated at approximately C$0.5B, bringing CPPIB's total commitment to approximately C$2.25B. Enbridge and its affiliates will continue to manage, operate and provide administrative services for the renewable power assets. Further, Enbridge and CPPIB have entered into an agreement whereby the two parties will form a 50-50 joint venture for the pursuit of future European offshore wind projects. These projects may be in the early development, late development, construction or operational phase. Each of the North American and German sale agreements is subject to closing adjustments and conditions customary in transactions of this nature. Closing is expected to occur during the third quarter of 2018 subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and consents. Enbridge anticipates a minimal amount of cash taxes arising from the sale of these renewable assets.

07:09 EDT Microbot Medical receives notice of allowance for patent - Microbot Medical announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has issued a notice of allowance for Patent Application No. 15/187,003, covering the company's Self-Cleaning Shunt device. The allowed application is a Continuation of Patent No. 9,393,389, issued on July 19, 2016.

07:06 EDT Walmart to pay about $16B for an initial stake of about 77% in India's Flipkart

07:04 EDT Conduent divesting $500M of additional revenue from certain contracts - "We had a strong start to the year and continued to show improvement in our trajectory from both a financial and operational perspective. We have announced the signing of definitive agreements for two divestitures so far in 2018. We are also divesting approximately $500 million of additional revenue from certain Customer Care contracts. These are important steps in strengthening our balance sheet, solidifying the core of our business and positioning the company for long-term, profitable growth," said Ashok Vemuri, CEO of Conduent. "In the first quarter, our Commercial revenue, excluding one-time items and strategic actions, grew three percent as the investment in our core is starting to yield results. Profitability improved across key segments with higher service line penetration, better pricing and deployment of platforms and software."

06:54 EDT Office Depot CEO says Q1 results 'exceeded our recent outlook' - "I am extremely pleased that we continue to see positive momentum in our core businesses and delivered financial results in the first quarter which, although lower than the prior year, exceeded our recent outlook," said Gerry Smith, CEO of Office Depot. "We achieved a major milestone this quarter with the Business Solutions Division reporting positive sales growth for the first time since 2012. This is largely driven by our focus on growing the customer base with our demand generation efforts and successfully expanding our offerings beyond office products. When combined with CompuCom, these business-to-business focused divisions represent nearly 60% of total sales. I'm also pleased that our continued focus on working capital management allowed us to generate strong cash flows in the quarter, which further strengthens our liquidity and provides additional capital to strengthen our operations and invest in growth initiatives."

06:52 EDT AB InBev sees FY18 revenue per hl growth ahead of inflation - AB InBev said: "While recognizing volatility in some of our key markets, we expect to deliver strong Revenue and EBITDA growth in FY18 driven by the solid performance of our brand portfolio and strong commercial plans. Our growth model is now far more focused on category development, and as a consequence, we expect to deliver revenue per hl growth ahead of inflation based on premiumization and revenue management initiatives, while keeping costs below inflation. While 1Q18 was slightly better than we initially expected, we remain confident that growth will accelerate for the balance of the year, primarily in the second half...We expect net capital expenditure of between 4.0 and 4.5 billion USD in FY18...We continue to expect dividends to be a growing flow over time, although growth in the short term is expected to be modest given the importance of deleveraging."

06:49 EDT Caesars, VICI Properties enter into letter of intent for asset sale - Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and VICI Properties (VICI) have entered into a non-binding letter of intent related to the acquisition by VICI Properties of two real estate assets owned by Caesars as well as modifications to certain of the lease agreements between the two companies. The LOI contemplates that VICI will acquire from Caesars the real estate assets associated with the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace and the real estate assets associated with Harrah's Philadelphia for $507.5M and $241.5M, respectively. The aggregate purchase price of $749M for these two properties will be reduced by $159M to reflect the consideration due to VICI Properties related to planned lease modifications. Caesars will continue to operate both properties under the terms of the long-term leases between both companies. Caesars annual lease payment related to Octavius Tower will be $35M. Caesars initial annual lease payment related to Harrah's Philadelphia will be $21 million in the first year after close and will be subject to contractual annual increase thereafter in accordance with the Non-CPLV Lease. The parties expect to announce definitive agreements in the coming weeks and to consummate the transaction in phases by the fall of 2018.

06:34 EDT Herc Holdings raises 2018 adjusted EBITDA view to $620M-$655M from $630M-$660M - Still sees 2018 net fleet CapEx $535M-$575M.

06:24 EDT Syneos Health sees FY18 effective tax rate 27%-28%

06:16 EDT STERIS makes changes to board of directors - STERIS' Chairman of the Board John P. Wareham will not stand for re-election to the Board of Directors when his term expires on July 31 at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Wareham has been a member of the Board since 2000 and has served as Chairman of the Board since 2005. The Board of Directors expects to appoint current independent director Dr. Mohsen M. Sohi to the role of Chairman of the Board, if he is re-elected as a Board member. Effective May 4, the company also appointed Nirav Shah to the Board. Previously Dr. Shah served as Commissioner of Health of the State of New York from January 2011 to May 2014, and as Senior Vice President and COO for Clinical Operations for Kaiser Permanente Southern California from May 2014 to October 2017.

06:14 EDT Cincinnati Bell reports Fioptics internet subscribers up 6,200 in Q1 - For the first quarter, revenue increased from the prior year, driven by strong demand for fiber-based products and the contribution from the OnX Enterprise Solutions acquisition. Fioptics internet subscribers totaled 232,800 at the end of the first quarter, up 25,500 compared to a year ago. Fioptics video subscribers totaled 146,300, up 5,200 compared to the same period in 2017. During the quarter, the Company passed an additional 8,600 addresses with Fioptics, which is now available to 580,800 homes and businesses, expanding Cincinnati Bell's fiber network to reach more than 70% of Greater Cincinnati.

06:06 EDT Vitamin Shoppe sees FY18 SSS down low to mid single-digits - Sees FY18 gross margin rate of 30.5%-31.0%. The company expects improved product margins offset by higher delivery costs and fixed cost deleverage. Sees FY18 CapEx of approximately $30M, and includes the opening of two new stores.

06:02 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical establishes EAP for BHV-0223 - Biohaven Pharmaceutical announced that it has established an expanded access program, or EAP, with sublingual BHV-0223, an investigational drug candidate, for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Through this program, physicians may be able to obtain BHV-0223 for their eligible patients with ALS at no cost. BHV-0223 is a sublingual and lower dose formulation of riluzole which employs the Zydis orally dissolving tablet technology and does not require swallowing tablets or additional fluids. The active ingredient riluzole is the only approved drug therapy for ALS shown to prolong survival. Biohaven anticipates submitting a new drug application, or NDA, for BHV-0223 to the FDA in Q3.

05:57 EDT Liberty Global to sell certain European operations to Vodafone for $22.7B - Liberty Global (LBTYA) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its operations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic to Vodafone Group (VOD) for a total enterprise value of approximately $22.7M on U.S. GAAP basis, as compared to $22B on an EU-IFRS basis. These four businesses represented approximately 28% of Liberty Global's consolidated 2017 operating cash flow, or OCF, which does not include its 50% share of OCF from the VodafoneZiggo joint venture in the Netherlands. The sale price represents a total enterprise value for all four businesses combined of 11.5 times 2017 adjusted Segment OCF, or approximately 24.0 times 2017 operating free cash flow, or OFCF, with an implied adjusted Segment OCF multiple for Liberty Global's German operation of 12.0 times. The transaction will be notifiable to the European Commission for regulatory approval, which is expected to occur mid-2019. After completion of the transaction, Liberty Global will continue to be Europe's leading cable television and broadband provider, with consolidated operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Slovakia. Together, these country operations reach 24 million homes, account for 26 million video, broadband and fixed-line telephony subscribers and 6 million mobile services. In addition, Liberty Global owns 50% of VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture in the Netherlands with 4 million customers subscribing to 10 million fixed-line and 5 million mobile services.

05:51 EDT Correction: Wex did not raise FY18 guidance