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

20:17 EDT SP Plus launches Parking.com - SP Plus announced the launch of the Parking.com website and mobile app for finding, reserving and purchasing parking at locations across North America. Parking.com now serves as SP+'s primary online selling platform, which offers customers the ability to conduct nationwide searches, check availability, compare pricing, reserve and purchase parking via the website or mobile app. Customers are also able to manage their monthly parking accounts at selected locations.

19:06 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Vericel Corp (VCEL) up 15.7%... Twilio (TWLO) up 14.9%... Commercial Vehicle Group (CVGI) up 12.6%... Rapid7 (RPD) up 10.2%... Five9 (FIVN) up 9.1%... Etsy (ETSY) up 8.1%... Kennametal (KMT) Up 8.1%... Turtle Beach (HEAR) up 7.7%... Ramaco Resources (METC) up 7.2%... Manitowoc (MTW) up 5.7%... NeoPhotonics (NPTN) up 5.0%... RingCentral (RNG) up 5.0%... Tactile Systems (TCMD) up 4.6%... Oasis Petroleum (OAS) up 2.9%... Jones Energy (JONE) up 2.9%... ANSYS (ANSS) up 1.9%... Cabot (CBT) up 1.4%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Gemphire Therapeutics (GEMP) down 23.7%... Zillow Group (Z) down 16.0%... Talend (TLND) down 6.9%... Diplomat Pharmacy (DPLO) down 6.8%... National CineMedia (NCMI) down 5.4%... Weight Watchers (WTW) down 4.4%... Marriott International (MAR) down 3.8%... BrightHouse Financial (BHF) down 3.8%... American States Water (AWR) down 3.7%... Luminex (LMNX) down 3.5%... Tenet Healthcare (THC) down 3.2%... Mammoth Energy (TUSK) down 2.9%... Carrizo Oil (CRZO) down 1.9%... Brooks Auto (BRKS) down 1.7%.

19:02 EDT MediciNova to initiate MN-166 trial in collaboration with Cambridge - MediciNova announced that it plans to initiate a Phase 2/3 trial of MN-166 in degenerative cervical myelopathy in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. This clinical trial is being conducted under an agreement between MediciNova, the University of Cambridge, and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Funding for this clinical trial is being provided by the National Institute for Health Research in the United Kingdom. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Mark Kotter, NIHR Clinician Scientist, Honorary Consultant in Neurosurgery at the University of Cambridge. This trial will evaluate MN-166 as an adjuvant treatment for DCM following spinal surgery and determine whether MN-166 is more effective than placebo in improving outcomes after spinal surgery. Nonclinical studies have shown that inhibiting PDE-4, a well-established mechanism of action of MN-166, promotes nerve growth in a traumatic spinal cord injury model. This re-growth in the spinal cord may lead to partial or complete recovery of function in DCM patients. MediciNova will provide the study drug supply, regulatory support, and safety monitoring support.

18:48 EDT Rite Aid, Albertsons set August 13 deadline for election form of consideration - Rite Aid Corporation and Albertsons Companies, Inc. announced that, in connection with the pending merger between Albertsons and Rite Aid, the election deadline for holders of shares of Rite Aid common stock, former service providers that are holders of Rite Aid restricted stock units and holders of Rite Aid restricted share awards, as applicable, to elect the form of consideration they wish to receive in connection with the merger, pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 13, 2018. Accordingly, an election will be valid only if a properly completed and signed election form, together with all required documents and materials set forth in the election form, is received by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., the exchange agent for the transaction, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 13, 2018. Rite Aid stockholders who hold their shares through a bank, broker or other nominee may be subject to an earlier deadline and should carefully read the instructions from their bank, broker or nominee regarding making elections for their shares. The election deadline does not impact the deadline for Rite Aid stockholders to vote on the Merger Agreement and related proposals described in the proxy statement, which will be considered at the special meeting of Rite Aid stockholders scheduled for August 9, 2018. Rite Aid stockholders are encouraged to vote their shares if they have not already done so.

18:00 EDT Columbia Sportswear approves $200M stock buyback increase - Columbia Sportswear announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $200 million of company common stock in market or negotiated transactions. The authorization is effective immediately. Year-to-date, the company has repurchased 939,560 shares, including 398,518 shares since our last earnings release on July 26, 2018. Currently, the company has $59.7 million remaining available under the current share repurchase authorization.

17:53 EDT Lilis Energy reports Q2 production up 53% quarter-over-quarter - Lilis Energy reported operating results for Q2. Highlights include: Production increased by 53% quarter-over-quarter and 210% year-over-year and current production exceeding 7,300 Boepd, excluding pending acreage swaps; secured infrastructure solutions including a flow assurance agreement that provides firm crude transportation with Gulf Coast pricing, new water gathering and disposal agreements, and natural gas and crude oil gathering agreements; increased liquidity by $55M, without dilution, through executing crude gathering and water gathering and disposal contracts; began delineation of the Company's position in the Delaware Basin and delivered strong results from the Company's Wolfcamp A, B and XY and 3rd Bone Spring wells; the Company increased its 2018 target exit rate to 8,000 Boepd as result of increasing production from successful development program and longer lateral development.

17:47 EDT SPDR Gold Trust holdings fall to 788.71MT from 794.89MT - This is the second consecutive decline and also the lowest level of holdings since August 11th, 2017.

17:35 EDT Realty Income CEO John Case sells 35K shares of company stock - Realty Income CEO John Case disclosed in a filing that he had sold 35,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $57.70 per share on August 6. The total transaction value was $2,019,500.

17:34 EDT Allegiant Travel reports July total system traffic up 11.3% - Reports total system passengers up 13.4%. Reports total system load factor up 0.6 points to 86.8%. Reports total system departures up 12.8%.

17:15 EDT Allscripts Sunrise selected by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has selected Allscripts Sunrise as its electronic health record, in a move that further solidifies the company's position in the South East of England. The trust, which runs two major hospitals and regional Cancer Center, already uses the Allscripts patient administration system, following a go-live in October last year. It will now roll-out the Sunrise clinical suite in a phased deployment that will focus initially on order communications and test results, clinical documentation, patient tracking and vital signs.

17:06 EDT Armistice Capital reports 5.1% passive stake in Zoe's Kitchen

17:01 EDT Bonanza Creek to divest mid-continent operations for $117M - Bonanza Creek Energy announced that it has entered into an agreement and simultaneously closed on the divestiture of its operations in the Mid-Continent region to an undisclosed buyer for $117 million in cash, subject to customary terms and conditions and purchase price adjustments based on a February 1, 2018 effective date. The divested operations include approximately 11,000 net acres located in Lafayette and Columbia Counties, primarily targeting the Cotton Valley formation. The divested operations include proved reserves as of December 31, 2017 of approximately 12 MMBoe (100% proved developed) and associated net production during the first quarter of 2018 of approximately 3,000 Boe/d (55% oil). The company's borrowing base remains unchanged at $192 million after the closing of this transaction. Updated full-year guidance will be provided in conjunction with the upcoming second quarter earnings conference call and Corporate Presentation.

16:59 EDT Continental Resources announces Franco-Nevada payment for stake in subsidiary - Continental Resources (CLR) announced that Franco-Nevada (FNV) has agreed to pay approximately $220M for a stake in a newly-formed minerals subsidiary. In accordance with the deal terms, the Company will receive the proceeds at closing, offsetting the majority of previously incurred capital expenditures. The amount to be received by the Company at closing is subject to adjustment under the terms of the transaction documents. In addition, the parties have also committed, subject to satisfaction of agreed upon development thresholds, to spend up to a combined $125M per year over the next three years to acquire additional minerals through the newly-formed subsidiary. With a carry component on capital acquisition costs, the Company is to fund 20% of future mineral acquisitions. The Company will be entitled to between 25% and 50% of total revenues generated by the minerals subsidiary based upon performance relative to certain predetermined targets.

16:59 EDT Jones Energy reports Q2 production 2,272 MBoe

16:57 EDT Cabot CEO: Remain positive about the current business environment - CEO Sean Keohane said: "We are very pleased to deliver another excellent quarter, reflecting the strength of our global competitive position and we remain positive about the current business environment. Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, we anticipate that Reinforcement Materials will continue its robust performance supported by our advantaged leadership position and our strong operational and commercial execution. In Performance Chemicals, we expect to maintain margins and continued strong volumes in Specialty Carbons and Formulations, while we anticipate some impact on volumes and fixed costs in Metal Oxides due to coordinated turnarounds with two of our fumed silica feedstock providers in the quarter. Although the ongoing competitive pressures will continue to impact results in the Purification Solutions segment, we expect higher seasonal volumes in the fourth quarter to improve results sequentially. In the Specialty Fluids segment, we are expecting the continued ramp up of drilling activity on recently awarded projects to drive improved results in the fourth quarter. We continue to execute on our strategy and are poised to deliver a very successful 2018 fiscal year."

16:55 EDT Salient Midstream reports total assets $284.5M - At the close of business on July 31, the Fund's total assets were $284.5M and the Net Asset Value, or NAV, per share was $11.98. On July 31 the closing share price of the Fund was $10.52, which was trading at a 12.2% discount to the NAV. For the month ending July 31, 2018, the Fund's yield was 6.5%2 while the Fund's NAV and market price total returns were 5.5% and 5.6%, respectively, compared to 6.6% for the Alerian MLP Index.

16:52 EDT Oasis Petroleum raises FY18 production view to 83.0MBoepd-84.5MBoepd - Increased FY18 production guidance to 83.0MBoepd-84.5MBoepd, representing a 4% increase at the midpoint from previous guidance of 79.0-82.0 MBoepd, which has been adjusted to reflect the full year impact from divestitures of approximately 2.0 MBoepd. The Company is forecasting oil cut to range between 75 to 76% during the FY18.

16:51 EDT Marriott reports Q2 comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR up 3.8% - Second quarter 2018 comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR rose 3.8% worldwide, 5.7% outside North America and 3.1% in North America. The company added a record 23,000 rooms during the second quarter, including roughly 2,900 rooms converted from competitor brands and approximately 10,900 rooms in international markets. At quarter-end, Marriott's worldwide development pipeline increased to roughly 466,000 rooms, including approximately 41,500 rooms approved, but not yet subject to signed contracts.

16:51 EDT Black Stone Minerals cuts FY18 DD&A per Boeview to $7.00-$8.00 - Previous view $8.00-$9.00.

16:48 EDT Oasis Midstream Partners raises dividend 5% to 41c - The company declared a quarterly cash distribution for the Q2 of 41c per unit, an approximate 5% increase from the cash distribution declared for the Q1, in line with the Partnership's 20% annualized distribution growth target.

16:44 EDT Brookdale Senior Living sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA $535M-$565M - Based on the impact of transactions with Welltower entered into following the Company's issuing guidance in May 2018, the Company is updating its FY18 expectations for Adjusted EBITDA, excluding transaction and organizational restructuring costs, to a range of $535M-$565M. This updated range reflects the estimated approximately $10M impact to Adjusted EBITDA resulting from such transactions. The Company reiterates its FY18 guidance for Adjusted Free Cash Flow of $10M-$30M and expects full-year amounts of transaction and organizational restructuring costs and non-development capital expenditures to be in line with the previously issued guidance. The Company also reiterates its FY18 guidance for the Company's proportionate share of Adjusted Free Cash Flow of unconsolidated ventures in a range of $10M-$20M.

16:41 EDT Solar Capital board approves reduced asset coverage requirement - Solar Capital announced that effective August 2, 2018, its Board of Directors including all Independent Directors, and based on the recommendation of its investment advisor, Solar Capital Partners, approved the reduction in the asset coverage requirement under of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as allowed under the Small Business Credit Availability Act. As a result, effective August 2, 2019, the Company's asset coverage requirements will be reduced from 200% to 150%. The Company will target a range of 0.90x to 1.25x debt-to-equity, operating at a substantial cushion to the regulatory limit.In order to potentially accelerate the adoption, the Board authorized the submission of a proposal for voting shareholders to approve the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in revised Section 61 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as modified by the SBCAA. If the Company's voting shareholders approve the proposal by the required majority of votes at its 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the 150% asset coverage ratio will become effective on the day after such approval. Solar Capital's Board approved the reduction of the asset coverage requirement following the Company's analysis of how the increased leverage flexibility could affect the Company's strategic priorities and positive long-term value creation for shareholders, as well as an assessment of the associated risks and how they can be managed or mitigated. Importantly, the Board also approved an amendment to the Investment Advisory Agreement reducing the Investment Advisor's annual base management fee to 1.00% on assets financed using leverage over 1.0x debt-to-equity.

16:39 EDT Soroban Capital reports 5.3% passive stake in Mohawk Industries

16:38 EDT 683 Capital Management reports 13.1% passive stake in RedHill Biopharma

16:37 EDT BWX Technologies still sees long-term EPS CAGR in low-double digits - BWXT reiterated long-term guidance that beyond 2017, and excluding the benefit of tax reform, the Company anticipates an EPS Compound Annual Growth Rate in the low-double digits over a three to five year period based on a robust organic growth strategy and balance sheet capacity.

16:35 EDT Zillow trading resumes

16:35 EDT Turtle Beach trading resumes

16:33 EDT Mosaic sees Q3 Potash sales volumes 2.2M-2.5M - Sees Q3 Phosphates sales volumes 2.1M-2.4M. Sees Q3 Mosaic Fertilizantes sales volumes 3.2M-3.6M.

16:31 EDT Antares Pharma appoints James Tursi as Chief Medical Officer - Antares Pharma announced the appointment of James Tursi M.D. to the position of executive VP, Head of Research & Development, Chief Medical Officer effective August 6.

16:29 EDT Brighthouse Financial announces $200M stock repurchase program - Brighthouse Financial announced that its board authorized the repurchase of up to $200M of Brighthouse Financial common stock. The stock repurchase program is the first for Brighthouse since becoming an independent, publicly-traded company in August 2017. "We are pleased to announce this initial stock repurchase program, significantly ahead of our original expectation to start returning capital in 2020," said Eric Steigerwalt, CEO. "From the beginning, we have worked diligently to enhance our financial strength and flexibility. This program reflects the progress we have made, the confidence we have in our strategy, and our commitment to returning capital to shareholders over time."

16:28 EDT Asur reports total July passenger traffic up 3.5% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. announced that total passenger traffic for July 2018 increased 3.5% when compared to July 2017. Passenger traffic rose 6.0% in Mexico and 5.6% in Colombia and declined 6.0% in San Juan. This announcement reflects comparisons between July 1 through July 31, 2018 and 2017. Transit and general aviation passengers are excluded for Mexico and 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.

16:26 EDT Turtle Beach sees Q3 EPS 44c, consensus (4c) - Sees Q3 revenue $65M, consensus $38.29M. Sees Q3 adjusted EBITDA $11M compared to $3.3M in the Q3 of FY17.

16:25 EDT PDF Solutions appoints Christine Russell CFO - PDF Solutions announced that Christine Russell will replace Gregory Walker as CFO upon Walker's retirement as VP, Finance and CFO after the company files its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30. Walker will remain with the company in an operations role.

16:23 EDT Centennial Resource Development lowers 2018 cost guidance - Based on recent operational results, Centennial lowered its full-year 2018 guidance ranges for LOE, Cash G&A, GP&T and DD&A on a per unit basis. As a result of ethane recovery and anticipated further extraction of additional NGLs from the natural gas stream, the company adjusted its full-year 2018 total equivalent production target. "Centennial delivered second quarter unit costs either below or at the low-end of our full-year guidance ranges. We have the confidence to lower our total unit cost for the second consecutive year," CEO Mark Papa said. "Overall, our operations team continues to do an outstanding job driving down costs and keeping drilling and completion costs in-line, even in light of the current inflationary oilfield service cost environment in the Permian Basin."

16:19 EDT Weight Watchers down 5% to $87.58 after Q2 report, guidance hike

16:18 EDT China Commercial Credit wins $1.44M arbitration award - China Commercial Credit announced that it received a favorable final arbitration award from the International Arbitration Tribunal of the American Arbitration Association on July 31 in its previously disclosed arbitration with Sorghum Investment Holdings Limited. In the award, the Tribunal found that Sorghum willfully breached the certain Share Exchange Agreement dated August 9, 2017 by and among Sorghum, the Sorghum shareholders and the company. The Tribunal awarded the company damages of $1.44M against Sorghum and denied Sorghum's counterclaims against the company in all aspects with prejudice. The Tribunal also awarded pre-award interest of 9% per annum from December 19, 2017, the date of breach to July 30, the date of award. The award is final.

16:15 EDT Itron awarded contract to deploy OpenWave for Samoan Utility - Itron will deploy its OpenWay Riva IoT solution, smart meters and Itron Prepayment Management Platform support system for Electric Power Corporation in Samoa to improve vending channels for prepaid electricity and increase awareness of the distribution system. Minimizing a lengthy implementation process, Itron will host OpenWay Riva and IPMP and provide them as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to the utility. Itron will also provide project management, meter installation and training. Serving two major islands in Samoa in the South Pacific, EPC has nearly 40,000 customers and is currently limited to PC-based point-of-sale terminals for new and existing prepayment customers. With IPMP, the customers will be able to pay their bills through a self-service internet portal, Android-based point of sale terminals and smart phone applications. In addition, the OpenWay Riva platform has the ability to offer significant advantages for the electricity distribution system such as outage detection, conservation voltage reduction, theft detection, demand response and the ability to detect unsafe conditions.

16:14 EDT Etsy raises FY18 GMS growth view to 18%-20% from 16%-19% - Or ~$3.84B - $3.90B from ~$3.77B - $3.87B.

16:11 EDT Luminex reaffirms FY18 revenue view $310M-$316M, consensus $314.72M

16:11 EDT Spok authorizes $10M stock repurchase - Spok Holdings announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of the Company's common stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The new program is expected to be funded from Spok's cash on hand and is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's earnings.

16:10 EDT Ambarella appoints Kevin Eichler as CFO - Ambarella announced the appointment of Kevin Eichler as VP and CFO, effective immediately. Eichler succeeds George Laplante, who announced his intention to retire earlier this year.

16:09 EDT Gemphire: FDA asks company give additional data regarding partial clinical hold - Gemphire Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested that the company produce data from a sub-chronic toxicology study to provide information to support lifting the partial clinical hold on gemcabene with respect to clinical trials of longer than six months in duration. The FDA also informed the Company that the End of Phase 2 meeting, and consequently the initiation of Phase 3 trials investigating gemcabene in dyslipidemia indications and long-term safety exposure trials needed for registration, will not take place until the partial hold has been lifted. Gemphire's ongoing Phase 2a proof-of-concept studies investigating gemcabene as a treatment for familial partial lipodystrophy and for pediatric NAFLD are not affected by the FDA's request for additional data and the Company continues to expect that these studies will produce top-line interim data in late 2018 and in the first half of 2019, respectively. In addition, the Company continues to be free to conduct clinical trials that do not extend beyond six months in duration. Beginning in 2004, the FDA began issuing partial clinical holds to all sponsors of PPAR agonists or agents deemed to have PPAR-like properties from preclinical studies. The FDA takes the position that PPAR agonists are potential liver toxins, but recognizes that rodent observations are often not relevant to humans. In 2004, the FDA determined that gemcabene has PPAR agonist properties and issued a partial clinical hold. In response the FDA has requested that, as part of a complete response, Gemphire must provide additional data including a subchronic (13 week) study in PPARalpha knock-out mice and PPAR transactivation assays using monkey and canine PPAR isoforms, to further understand the human relevance of the preclinical findings. The Company has initiated plans to conduct these required studies and expects to submit the additional results to the FDA in the second quarter of 2019. "We are working closely with the FDA to release the partial clinical hold on gemcabene, with the goal of proceeding to an End of Phase 2 meeting and reaching agreement on the design of a Phase 3 clinical program," said Dr. Steven Gullans, CEO of Gemphire. "Our confidence in gemcabene's safety profile is supported by the fact that it has been observed to be safe in nearly 1,200 human subjects in 24 Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. In fact, gemcabene's safety performance in previous human clinical provided the basis for the FDA to allow the agent to be evaluated in a multi-center, investigator-led ongoing NAFLD trial in pediatric patients. "In the meantime, we are continuing to execute on our ongoing Phase 2a POC clinical trials of gemcabene in NAFLD/NASH. Gemphire is well capitalized, with $28 million cash on hand as of June 30 2018. Based on current projections, taking into account the delay of significant cash expenditures for clinical trials and manufacturing and the amended terms of the loan agreement with SVB, we believe we have sufficient resources to fund operations into the fourth quarter of 2019."

16:08 EDT Iovance expects update on melanoma program later this year - The company said in today's earnings release, "The dosing of the first patient with lifileucel in Europe for the treatment of metastatic melanoma marked an important milestone for Iovance and our global development plans as we continue our mission to develop TIL therapy as a treatment option for cancer patients. In line with expansion of the TIL platform, we are initiating investigation of TIL therapy in several new indications with high unmet need, as part of our collaboration with MD Anderson. We continue to advance our four company-sponsored trials and intend to provide an update regarding our melanoma program later this year." It added that enrollment in its global Phase 2 metastatic melanoma study, C-144-01, continues.

16:07 EDT Zillow to acquire Mortgage Lenders of America - Zillow Group announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mortgage Lenders of America, a national mortgage lender, headquartered in Overland Park, Kan. The transaction, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including mortgage regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition of Mortgage Lenders of America will allow Zillow Group to streamline and shorten the home-buying process for consumers who purchase homes through Zillow Offers. This is consistent with Zillow Group's strategy to create a better home-buying experience by building products that ease and simplify the transaction. In addition, Mortgage Lenders of America will continue its current line of business, offering mortgages to consumers and participating in Zillow's mortgage marketplace. Owning a mortgage lender will allow Zillow Group to develop new tools and partnership opportunities, including for real estate brokers with existing in-house mortgage operations or mortgage affiliates. Mortgage Lenders of America will continue to operate from its Kansas headquarters.

16:05 EDT Great Point Partners reports 6.44% passive stake in Savara

16:04 EDT Arena reports cash, equivalents and investments balance $592.4M at June 30

16:01 EDT Zillow trading halted, news pending

16:00 EDT Teva move lower attributed to Celltrion inspection letter - Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical moved lower heading into the close, which is being attributed to an FDA inspection letter that was sent to Celltrion following an inspection conducted on July 9-17. RBC Capital analyst Randall Stanicky has previously said on March 26 that he was concerned about fremanezumab given Celltrion's outstanding warning letter. In October of 2016, Celltrion and Teva had announced that the companies entered into an exclusive partnership to commercialize two of Celltrion's mAb biosimilar candidates in the U.S. and Canada. Reference Link

15:38 EDT Adamas weakness attributed to deaths shown in FAERS database - Shares of Adamas Pharmaceuticals have fallen in afternoon trading, which is being attributed to new deaths in patients receiving the company's Gocovri being listed in the FDA's Adverse Events Reporting System, or FAERS, database. The FAERS system shows three deaths being reported in June in patients using Gocovri. "While the FAERS dashboard offers stakeholders many more ways of searching for and organizing data on adverse events reported to the FDA for many drug and biologic products, there remain limitations to the data. For example, while FAERS contains reports on a particular drug or biologic, this does not mean that the drug or biologic caused the adverse event," the FDA states on its page related to accessing the FAERS data. Adamas shares are down 6% to $24.22 in afternoon trading, though that is off the earlier low near $23.50 per share. Reference Link

14:18 EDT Cognex director Anthony Sun sells 10K shares - Cognex director Anthony Sun disclosed in a filing that he had sold 10,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $53.01 per share on August 6. The total transaction value was $530,141.

14:14 EDT Encompass Health chief HR officer Levy sells 28,955 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Encompass Health chief human resources officer Cheryl B. Levy disclosed the sale of 28,955 common shares of the company at a price of $78 per share.

13:52 EDT Caesars CEO buys 100K shares - Caesars President and CEO Mark Frissora purchased 100,000 shares of the company's common stock at an average price of about $9.55 on August 3, according to a regulatory filing.

13:34 EDT Neogen chairman James Herbert sells $2M in company shares - Neogen chairman James Herbert disclosed in a filing that he had sold $2,131,017 in company shares on August 2 and August 3. Herbert sold 26,000 shares at an average price of $81.96 per share.

12:56 EDT SeaWorld spikes after reporting quarterly jump in attendance, SEC deal - Shares of SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) surged in afternoon trading, climbing the most in over five years, after the company reported a significant increase in theme park attendance as well as an agreement in principle with the Securities and Exchange Commission on its investigation. EARNINGS AND GUIDANCE: This morning, SeaWorld reported second quarter earnings per share of 26c, which slightly missed analysts' estimates of 27c, though revenue of $391.9M came in ahead of the $371.4M consensus. Attendance at the company's theme parks jumped 4.8% over last year in the quarter to 6.4M guests. John Reilly, interim CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, commented that the results were driven by "our new strategic pricing strategies, new marketing and communications initiatives and the positive reception of our new rides, attractions and events. In addition, we continued to experience a double-digit increase in season pass sales revenue and an increase in total revenue per capita driven by a 6.5% increase in in-park per capita spending." On the company's earnings conference call, Reilly expanded further, citing a free beer promotion in Tampa and Orlando, rising sales of season passes and new rides for the attendance increase. Reilly also said SeaWorld has seen continued strong attendance through July. Looking ahead, SeaWorld established a goal of achieving $475M-$500M in adjusted EBITDA by the end of 2020. SEC SETTLEMENT: Separately, SeaWorld said this morning that it has reached an agreement in principle with the SEC related to possible violations of federal securities law. SeaWorld said it has recorded an estimated liability of $4M related to the matter, which stems from a "Wells" notice the company received in April notifying it that the agency was recommending that a civil enforcement action or administrative proceeding be brought against the company. BACKGROUND: SeaWorld has been under investigation by both the SEC and Department of Justice for executives' disclosures and public statements in August 2014 and earlier about the impact of the "Blackfish" documentary and trading in the company's securities. Last year, SeaWorld's board also formed a special committee comprised of independent directors with respect to the inquiries. Earlier this year, Joel Manby unexpectedly stepped down as CEO after less than three years. Under his leadership, the company announced in 2016 it would end killer-whale breeding. ANALYST COMMENTARY: In a research note to investors, Stifel analyst Steven Wieczynski noted the company's "very strong" Q2 and said he continues to recommend the turnaround story on steadily improving underlying operations and incremental cost savings opportunities. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of SeaWorld are up nearly 19% to $25.05.

12:14 EDT CHS Inc. names Mary Kaul-Hottinger chief human resources officer - CHS Inc. has named Mary Kaul-Hottinger senior vice president, Human Resources, effective Sept. 10, 2018. "In her new role as our chief human resources officer, Mary and her team will continue to help us attract, develop and retain high-performing and diverse employees throughout our organization. The energy and passion our employees bring to CHS is vital to our continued success," says Jay Debertin, president and CEO, CHS.

12:05 EDT Teamsters authorize strike at Republic Services in Atlanta - Sanitation workers employed by Republic Services voted yesterday to authorize a strike to protest the company's violations of federal labor law. "The 120 drivers, helpers and mechanics who are members of Teamsters Local 728 in Atlanta may exercise their legal right to strike in protest of Republic's violations of federal labor laws that protect workers' rights. Republic broke federal law when it took work away from its full-time mechanics and outsourced it to subcontractors."

12:02 EDT Apple, Akamai, Etsy, Swiss Re to develop wind, solar energy farms in IL, VA - Apple (AAPL), Akamai (AKAM), Etsy (ETSY), and Swiss Re (SSREY) announced an agreement to develop two new wind and solar energy farms in Illinois and Virginia. Spearheaded by Apple, the new projects will generate 290 megawatts to the PJM electric grid serving much of the Eastern United States, including areas of Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. The two new projects will provide enough power for 74,000 homes, and will support each of the companies' operations. Akamai, Etsy and Swiss Re previously had limited opportunity to access large renewable energy projects in the regions covered by the thirteen state PJM wholesale electric market. By collaborating with Apple, these companies were able to access wind and solar power from the new projects at competitive prices and agreement terms. The group, with technical assistance from 3Degrees, will collectively purchase 125 megawatts from a wind farm near Chicago and 165 megawatts from a solar PV project outside Fredericksburg, Virginia, which will be delivered to the electric grid covered by the PJM wholesale electric market. The projects are expected to come online over the next two years. The solar and wind projects will be developed by sPower and Geronimo Energy, respectively.

11:36 EDT Magnetar Financial reports 6.55% stake in Supervalu

11:15 EDT Street Fight: BWS says sell GTT as William Blair remains bullish - This morning, BWS Financial analyst Hamed Khorsand initiated coverage of GTT Communications (GTT) with a Sell rating, arguing that M&A has come at a cost the company can no longer afford. Meanwhile, his peer as William Blair remains bullish on the stock, saying he views Friday's pullback in the shares following quarterly results as a buying opportunity. RESULTS: On Friday, GTT Communications reported second quarter losses per share of ($2.83) and revenue of $326.8M, with consensus at (39c) and $290.04M, respectively. The company also said that net loss was $136.3M, compared to net income of $700,000 in Q2 2017 and net loss of $30.7M in Q1 of 2018. The net loss was primarily due to the result of several non-recurring costs related to the Interoute acquisition, including $13.7M in exit, transaction and integration costs, $13.8M loss on extinguishment of debt and $88.6M of expense related to a foreign currency hedge which was entered into at the time the Interoute acquisition was announced and subsequently settled at closing. SELLOFF A BUYING OPPORTUNITY: In a research note this morning, William Blair analyst Jim Breen told investors that he views the pullback in shares of GTT Communications on Friday after a less than clean quarter as a buying opportunity. The analyst acknowledged that he understands investors being cautious given the recently elevated debt levels to fund the Interoute acquisition, as well as margin weakness and a slight sequential revenue decline in the quarter. However, Breen highlighted that the majority of the reported revenue impact came from foreign exchange and the one-time churn of two customers, and he expects margin expansion over the next several quarters. The Interoute acquisition will nearly double the size of the total company, provide $100M in synergies, and further expand GTT's potential deal pipeline, he contended. Further, with expanding margins and low capital-expenditure requirements, the analyst estimates free cash flow will continue to increase. Breen reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares. BWS SAYS SELL GTT: Meanwhile, BWS Financial's Khorsand started coverage of GTT Communications with a Sell rating and $5 price target. The analyst noted that GTT has been rolling up Internet backbone companies in an effort to enhance its scale and presence in the industry, but it has come at a cost they can no longer afford. Over the span of eleven years GTT has completed over 30 acquisitions, but now has $3.2B in debt and has yet to report a quarter where cash flow from operations would be able to cover capex, interest expense, and enough to make a principal debt payment, he contended. Khorsand believes GTT could end up in a perpetual cycle of making larger deals to keep cash flowing through the balance sheet in an effort to extend out maturities. The debt balance could leave little value for the equity, he added. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of GTT have dropped almost 2% to $39.75.

11:11 EDT Tencent discloses 33.4% stake in Pinduoduo - In a regulatory filing, Tencent (TCEHY) disclosed that prior to Pinduoduo's (PDD) initial public offering on July 25, Tencent Mobility, a Cayman Islands limited liability company controlled by Tencent Holdings, and a British Virgin Islands limited liability wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent Holdings collectively held 27,781,280 Series B-2 preferred shares, 75,240,240 Series C-2 preferred shares, 241,604,260 Series C-3 preferred shares and 410,261,960 Series D preferred shares of Pinduoduo. Immediately prior to the completion of the IPO, all Series B-2 preferred shares, Series C-2 preferred shares, Series C-3 preferred shares and Series D preferred shares held by Tencent Mobility, TPP and Chinese Rose were re-designated and re-classified as Class A Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis. On July 25, Tencent Mobility acquired 7,894,737 American Depositary Shares, representing 31,578,948 Class A Ordinary Shares, as part of the IPO at a price per American Depositary Share of $19. The shares were acquired with working capital funds from Tencent Holdings.

11:03 EDT American Electric announces agreement to sell M&I Electric U.S. operations - American Electric Technologies announces that it has entered into an agreement to sell the U.S. assets of its M&I Electric Industries subsidiary to Myers Power Products. The purchase price for the assets will be $17.3M resulting in cash proceeds at closing of approximately $13.9M after working capital and other closing adjustments. The buyer is also assuming approximately $12.8M of liabilities related to the assets being sold. The company will pay off its long term debt of $6.5M and certain other expenses in connection with the sale resulting in additional working capital of approximately $5.2M upon completion of the transaction. AETI will continue to operate its Brazilian subsidiary and will retain its interest in its BOMAY Joint Venture with China National Petroleum Company. The BOMAY Joint Venture was recently renewed for another 10 years. Myers has agreed to continue to provide certain technical support to BOMAY post-closing and not to engage in the business being conducted by BOMAY in China and by the company's Brazilian subsidiary in Brazil for up to five years post-closing. The transaction is structured as a sale of less than 50% of the Company's net assets and is expected to result in a gain. The Company expects to incur minimal tax liability based on its ability to utilize accumulated Tax Net Operating Losses and should result in no tax impact on shareholders. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter, but is subject to customary closing conditions and investors are advised that there can be no assurance that the sale will be completed.

11:01 EDT General Dynamics awarded contract by United States Postal Service - General Dynamics Information Technology has been awarded a contract for Enterprise Information Technology Program, or EITP, Technical Support Services, or TSS, by the United States Postal Service. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract includes a base period of three years, with four additional one-year option periods; with an estimated ceiling value of $467M. Under this IDIQ, GDIT will provide resources, expertise and technology to deliver next-generation IT services, components and products. These solutions will help the Postal Service achieve improvements in customer service, performance and productivity. GDIT will also provide the professional, technical and end-to-end support services required for Postal Service applications; support and assist in developing strategies for the next generation of IT products; and develop and implement engineering improvements for operating and administrative processes.

10:43 EDT Facebook rises after WSJ says bank info sought for new services - Shares of Facebook (FB) are rising in morning trading after The Wall Street Journal reported that over the past year the company has asked JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citi (C) and U.S. Bancorp (USB) to share detailed financial information about their customers so that the social media giant could offer products to bank customers on Messenger. Facebook has talked about a feature to show its users their checking-account balances and also pitched fraud alerts, the report added. In morning trading, Facebook shares are up about 2.5%, or $4.59, to $182.36. Reference Link

10:33 EDT Ocean Bio-Chemical announces acquisition of Snappy Marine - Ocean Bio-Chem subsidiary Star brite Distributing announces the acquisition of Snappy Marine, a manufacturer and distributor of teak care products, for the marine industry. CEO Peter Dornau, "We started looking at Snappy Marine, Inc. in early 2018. As discussions continued, we realized that Snappy had great brand recognition, which would fit nicely into the Star brite range of products. By acquiring Snappy Marine, Star brite acquires a brand of teak care products trademarked under the Snappy Teak Nu name, which has significant brand recognition in the boating/marine industry. The Snappy brand of products are known for high quality and superior performance in renewing weathered teak wood to like-new condition. Snappy Marine has a loyal customer base in both the US and international markets. We believe that together the Star brite and Snappy brands can be leveraged to increase sales of both brands. The strong economy continues to drive sales of new and pre-owned recreational boats, and increased recreational boating which, in turn, is increasing demand for boat care products, including teak care products. We believe the acquisition of Snappy will be accretive to net income in 2018."

10:25 EDT Arista Networks trading resumes

10:08 EDT Raytheon invests in advanced manufacturing for radar development - Raytheon Company announced the opening of a $72M, 30,000 square foot facility on its Andover, Mass.-based campus, which is now home to some of the industry's leading innovations in manufacturing. The new space features advanced automation technology to support complex radar testing and integration. The new radar facility in Andover supports quality, reliability, repeatability and delivery speed through: Two near field radar test ranges, one of which is now the largest in the company, 1.5 megawatt substation to meet power requirements of current and future radar programs. Autonomous material movement via automated guided vehicles, The aerospace and defense industry's first "dual robotic" system for radar array assembly. The new radar development facility is the primary location for integration and testing of current and future radar programs for U.S. and international customers. AN/SPY-6, the U.S. Navy's next-generation integrated air and missile defense radar, now in low rate initial production, is the first system to enter the space.

10:05 EDT Westmoreland sinks 40% after 'going concern' warning stays in quarterly filing - Shares of Westmoreland Resource Partners are down over 40% after the company again said in its quarterly filing that ability to continue as a going concern is in "substantial doubt." Westmoreland wrote in this morning's filing, "The Partnership does not currently have liquidity or access to additional capital sufficient to pay off the Term Loan by its December 31, 2018 maturity date. This condition gives rise to substantial doubt as to the Partnership's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these financial statements were issued." Westmoreland used the same language in its previous quarterly filing on May 4. The stock in morning trading is down over 40%, or $1.68, to $2.50.

10:05 EDT Arista Networks trading halted, news pending

09:58 EDT Square climbs after Buckingham upgrades stock on revenue acceleration - Shares of Square (SQ) are higher in morning trading after a Buckingham analyst upgraded the stock to Buy citing revenue acceleration. UPGRADE: On Monday, Buckingham analyst Chris Brendler upgraded Square to Buy from Neutral and raised his price target to $85 from $65 saying the strong results in the second quarter reduced his concerns about high valuation and competition and he thinks the quarter's "impressive acceleration" is sustainable. The analyst believes there is growing potential for the company in consumer lending, digital bank accounts and cryptocurrency and while he still has concerns about elevated expectations against a "no-room-for-error" valuation, he sees no reason why Square will not continue to report better-then-expected core revenue growth into 2020. In addition, Brendler said long-run adjusted EBITDA margins of 40%-50% justify a higher valuation. EARNINGS AND GUIDANCE: Last Wednesday, Square reported Q2 earnings per share of 13c on revenue of $385.4M, beating analysts' consensus estimates of 12c and $367.95M, respectively. The company also said it expects Q3 EPS of 8c-10c on revenue $407M-$412M, which compares to analyst estimates of 13c and $405.64M, respectively. In addition, the company guided to fiscal year 2018 EPS of 42c-46c on revenue of $1.52B-$1.54B, which compares to estimates of 46c and $1.53B, respectively. ANALYST VIEW: Following Square's earnings report, JPMorgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang raised his price target for Square to $60 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares, citing weakness strategy. He said he believes the story of the quarter was how subscription and services drove all the acceleration, driven by the adoption of newer products like Instant Deposit, Cash Card and Square for Restaurants. RBC Capital analyst Daniel Perlin raised his price target to $82 and kept his Outperform rating citing another quarter of accelerated revenue and an increase in gross payment volume, along with "relatively stable take rates, and better-than-expected hardware revenues." In addition, Stifel analyst Scott Devitt raised his price target to $76 from $72 noting that adjusted revenue and adjusted EBITDA exceeded the high-end of guidance and consensus forecasts and management raised its FY18 adjusted revenue growth guidance. Square's increased investment in key strategic areas should support higher levels of growth over the long term, added Devitt, who kept a Buy rating on the stock. Needham analyst Mayank Tandon also raised his price target to $75 and kept his Buy rating citing the company's 30% gross payment volume increase, stable transaction margins, and rising operating leverage boosting its adjusted EBITDA. Tandon said he believes that the growth story in the payments industry remains "open ended." Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst James Faucette kept an Equal Weight rating and a $75 price target on the name saying strength in Subscription/Services revenue was key to revenue upside in Q2 and he sees this momentum as likely to continue in the near-term. However, he also believes the market may be over valuing "certain pieces," such as Instant Deposit and Square Capital. The company's upfront investment to pursue new and expanded opportunities could limit the stock's upside in the near-term, he said. PRICE ACTION: Square rose 2%, or $1.37, to $69.73 in morning trading.

09:47 EDT Wynn Resorts names Phil Satre vice chairman, settling dispute with Elaine Wynn - Shares of Wynn Resorts (WYNN) are in focus on Monday morning after the company reached a settlement with Elaine Wynn, its largest shareholder. As a result of the agreement, Phil Satre will become vice chairman of the company's board and will take over as chairman following the retirement later this year of D. Boone Wayson. SATRE NAMED VICE CHAIR: Wynn Resorts this morning named Phil Satre, the former Chairman and CEO of Harrah's Entertainment, as its vice chairman. Satre, who is resigning as the chairman of International Game Technology (IGT), will take over as chairman of Wynn following the planned retirement of D. Boone Wayson later this year. In a statement, Wayson said that the appointment of Satre "is the result of a collaborative effort with co-founder Elaine Wynn, which I believe will serve as the beginning of a constructive and unified effort by all parties to move the company forward." BACKGROUND: The deal settles a long-standing dispute between Elaine Wynn, the ex-wife of former CEO Steve Wynn, and the company since she was ousted in 2015 from the board. She unsuccessfully launched a proxy challenge to regain her seat that year and recently reignited her battle with the casino operator. In July, it was reported that Wynn, the biggest shareholder with a nearly 9% stake, sought a new chairman for the company, but its board rejected her candidate. Elaine Wynn supported Satre, though sources said board member Betsy Atkins helped to block his nomination. The candidate was offered a position on the board, but not the role of chairman or vice chairman, Elaine Wynn said in a regulatory filing.In May, Wynn announced the resignation of directors John Hagenbuch and Robert Mills from the company's board. Combined with other departures, 60% of the Wynn Resorts board has changed since February. Steve Wynn resigned as CEO in February following allegations of sexual harassment and later sold all his shares. Since then, Elaine Wynn has put pressure on the company to make more changes, including leading a campaign to oust Hagenbuch. She also urged the company to seek outside counsel in negotiating the separation of former General Counsel Kim Sinatra. Elaine Wynn suggested the termination could be for cause and that the company could withhold severance payments from Sinatra if she didn't cooperate with regulatory investigations. Wynn is currently under investigation in Nevada, Massachusetts and Macau in connection with whether the company is "suitable" to hold a license based on reports that executives and directors were aware of Steve Wynn's alleged sexual harassment. ELAINE WYNN'S STATEMENT: In a statement this morning, Elaine Wynn said "I have long respected Phil as a leader in the gaming industry and am confident that his addition to the company's leadership team, coupled with the plans laid out by Management, will bring the company tremendous success in the years to come. Phil's role as vice chair, and as chairman in the future, will be key to furthering the Wynn Resorts brand as one of the premier destination resort operators in the world." PRICE ACTION: Shares of Wynn Resorts are up 1.3% in early trading to $151.12.

09:47 EDT Continental Building rises 6.4% - Continental Building is up 6.4%, or $2.20 to $36.50.

09:30 EDT Superior Uniform appoints Michael Attinella as new CFO - Superior Group of Companies named Michael Attinella as the company's new CFO and treasurer, effective immediately. Attinella will oversee Superior Group of Companies' global business financial activities. He succeeds Andrew Demott, Jr. in the CFO position as Demott shifts his responsibilities to fully focus on his role as COO of the company. Demott will work closely with Attinella during the transition of CFO responsibilities. Attinella joins Superior Group of Companies from HSNi, a $3.7B leading electronic retailer, where he served as SVP and chief accounting officer of HSNi since 2008, and EVP and CFO of HSN since 2013.

09:28 EDT Heritage Insurance approves $50M share repurchase program - Heritage Insurance Holdings announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $50M of its outstanding shares of common stock through December 31, 2022.

09:24 EDT MoviePass to limit users to three movies or fewer a month

09:24 EDT Durect licensee, Pain Therapeutics, receives Complete Response Letter from FDA - DURECT (DRRX) announced that its licensee, Pain Therapeutics (PTIE) reported that it received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. FDA for Pain Therapeutics' New Drug Application for REMOXY ER extended-release capsules CII, which concluded that,"The data submitted in the NDA do not support the conclusion that the benefits of REMOXY Extended-Release Capsules outweigh the risks." Pain Therapeutics further announced a strategic reorganization to align its resources on advancing its drug and diagnostic assets in Alzheimer's disease.

09:21 EDT Helios and Matheson offers new subscription model for MoviePass - MoviePass, a majority-owned subsidiary of Helios and Matheson (HMNY), announces its new subscription plan and business model effective August 15. MoviePass' new subscription plan retains its industry-low monthly subscription rate of $9.95 and at the same time creates a long-term and sustainable business model. The new plan will include many major studio first-run films. The company said, "For our subscribers who have migrated to the new subscription plan, we are suspending Peak Pricing and Ticket Verification. MoviePass is available at 91% of the theaters. We have heard - and we have listened to - our MoviePass Community and we will not be raising prices to $14.95 a month. The new plan is focused on usage by the bulk of our subscribers who have historically used MoviePass to attend three movies or fewer a month. Additionally, the new plan addresses past misuses which imposed undue costs on the system, including ticket scalping, unauthorized card usage and other activities, which in the past necessitated the use of certain remedial measures that have sometimes been inconvenient for our subscribers. Beginning August 15, MoviePass subscribers will transition to the new plan upon their renewal, which gives subscribers up to three movies a month for $9.95, and up to a $5.00 discount for any additional movie tickets. Because only 15 percent of MoviePass members see four or more movies a month, we expect that the new subscription model will have no impact whatsoever on over 85 percent of our subscribers." Monthly subscribers will be given the opportunity to subscribe to the new plan when their current plan comes up for renewal beginning August 15. Annual subscribers will not be affected by this plan until their renewal dates. Any subscriber can still cancel anytime.

09:13 EDT Harris awarded $400M ceiling increase to EW supply contract - Harris has been awarded a $400M increase to the ceiling value of a single-award IDIQ contract to supply electronic warfare, or EW, systems for international F-16 fighters helping to protect allied aircraft against evolving radar and electronic threats. The new ceiling value is $491M and was received during Q4 of Harris' FY18.

09:10 EDT Web.com trading halted, news pending

09:07 EDT Summit Midstream subsidiary to hold binding open season - Summit Midstream Partners announces that its subsidiary, Summit Permian Transmission, is holding a binding open season for firm transportation capacity on its Double E Pipeline. The Project will provide natural gas transportation service from various receipt points in the Delaware Basin to various delivery points in and around the Waha Hub, thereby connecting a growing supply of associated natural gas to a liquid trading point with multiple current and planned takeaway pipelines to demand centers along the United States Gulf Coast and Mexico. The target in-service date for the Project is the Q2 of 2021; however, the ultimate in-service date of the Project will be subject to, among other things, approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other governmental authorities, and actual construction of the facilities. This Open Season will commence at 9:00 a.m. CDT on Monday, August 6, 2018, and end at 4:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, September 14.

09:06 EDT EnviroStar to acquire Industrial Laundry Services in cash and stock deal - EnviroStar announced that it executed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire substantially all the assets and assume certain liabilities of Orlando, Florida based Industrial Laundry Services using a combination of cash and EVI stock. Industrial Laundry Services is a provider of commercial laundry installation and maintenance services to customers in the hospitality, healthcare, institutional, and for-profit sectors in central Florida.

09:05 EDT Hudson approves shareholder written resolution - Hudson announced the approval of a shareholder written resolution that adopts new bye-laws of the company. The new bye-laws make certain amendments to the company's bye-laws which, among other matters, permit the appointment of one or more deputy chairman of the board. The text of the new bye-laws has been furnished to the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. The shareholder written resolution was passed when it was signed by registered shareholders who as of July 31 held a simple majority of the total voting rights of all issued and outstanding shares of the company, provided such majority included at least one shareholder holding Class B common shares of the company. Subject to the adoption of the new bye-laws, the board has appointed James Cohen, a member of the board, as an additional deputy chairman of the board. In addition, the board has appointed Joaquin Moya-Angeler Cabrera to be a member of the nomination and remuneration committee.

09:04 EDT Worldpay to extend relationship with CRS Texas - Worldpay announced they have agreed to extend its exclusive relationship with CRS Texas for four years. The two companies, which have maintained a highly successful partnership over the past 10 years, are invested in continuing to strengthen their relationship and expand their reach.

09:03 EDT J.R. Simplot executes licensing agreement with Corteva Agriscience and MIT - The J.R. Simplot announced that it has executed a joint intellectual property licensing agreement with Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for foundational CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene editing tools. The technology provides Simplot with another avenue to bring desirable traits forward in certain fruits and vegetables and advance products to the market in the United States to benefit both farmers and consumers. Simplot provides a full line of fresh, frozen and chilled offerings that include potatoes, avocados and strawberries.

09:03 EDT Under Armour names Mohamed A. El-Erian to board - Under Armour announced that Mohamed A. El-Erian has joined the company's Board of Directors, effective Oct. 1. Dr. El-Erian is the former CEO and co-chief investment officer of PIMCO, a role he held from 2007 to 2014, and currently serves as the chief economic advisor at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO.

08:58 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Bluebird Bio (BLUE), up 5% after after announcing a collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) in the pursuit of immune cell therapies for cancer treatment... Intercept (ICPT), up 7% after Goldman Sachs analyst Salveen Richter double upgraded the stock to Buy from Sell and raised his price target for the shares to $157 from $46. The analyst says Ocaliva in fatty liver disease nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is the crux of Intercept's value proposition and that he's positive into the Phase 3 Regenerate interim readout in the first half of 2019... Antares Pharma (ATRS), up 8.5% after entering into an agreement with Pfizer (PFE) to develop a combination drug device rescue pen... UP AFTER EARNINGS: SeaWorld (SEAS), up 15%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: HSBC (HSBC), down 1.5%... Sempra Energy (SRE), down 3%. ALSO LOWER: Praxair (PX), down 6% after Linde (LNEGY) announced late Friday that discussions with various antitrust authorities have resulted in further indications that merger clearances for the compannies' proposed combination could be subject to requirements "more onerous than previously expected."... Acadia (ACAD), down 3% after Piper Jaffray analyst Danielle Brill downgraded the stock to Neutral and cut her firm's price target for the shares to $19 from $61 after taking over coverage of the name. The recent negative headlines related to potential Nuplazid safety issues will continue to weigh on sales and the shares for the foreseeable future, Brill tells investors.

08:53 EDT Rite Aid cuts FY adjusted EBITDA view to $540M-$590M from $615M-$675M

08:52 EDT Linde sees 'more onerous' divestiture requirements for Praxair merger - Linde (LNEGY) announced late Friday that discussions with various antitrust authorities have resulted in further indications that merger clearances of the business combination of Linde Aktiengesellschaft and Praxair (PX) could be subject to requirements "more onerous than previously expected." Linde was informed that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission expressed expectations with regards to further divestiture commitments and prospective purchasers which are considered required for a merger clearance. Linde and Praxair are analyzing "these expectations to assess their scope and to evaluate how they could be implemented to achieve a timely clearance of the business combination," the company said in a statement. Linde added, "The discussions with the FTC about the divestiture commitments will be continued in order to achieve a mutually acceptable result. Based on ongoing discussions with the FTC and other antitrust authorities and current knowledge, there is in addition a higher probability that a threshold for divestiture commitments, which is to be accepted by each contract party under the Business Combination Agreement, will be exceeded. Linde and Praxair remain in a constructive dialogue with the regulators and with each other on the required divestitures."

08:50 EDT Pareteum Corp trading resumes

08:35 EDT GulfMark Offshore receives non-binding unsolicited proposal from Harvey Gulf - GulfMark Offshore (GLF) confirmed that it has received a non-binding, unsolicited proposal from HGIM to combine the companies through a merger in which GulfMark would acquire Harvey Gulf, with the combined company remaining publicly listed. Pursuant to the Harvey Gulf proposal, GulfMark stockholders would own 41.2% of the combined company. Harvey Gulf emerged from bankruptcy on July 2, 2018 as a private company. Harvey Gulf's proposal letter represents that Harvey Gulf's enterprise value is $900M, a valuation that has not been validated at this time by GulfMark, and which would imply a total Harvey Gulf equity value of $595M based on Harvey Gulf's reported $305M of outstanding net debt. Based on the foregoing, and GulfMark's public equity valuation of $337M as of the close of business on July 13, 2018, the last trading day prior to announcement of GulfMark's proposed merger with Tidewater (TDW), the Harvey Gulf 100% stock proposal would imply a combined equity value of $932M, and a 41.2% ownership interest would imply a value of $384M for GulfMark stockholders. As previously announced on July 16, 2018, GulfMark entered into a definitive agreement with Tidewater to combine the two companies. Under the terms of the all-stock agreement, GulfMark stockholders will receive 1.100 shares of Tidewater common stock for each share of GulfMark common stock they hold. Each GulfMark noteholder warrant will be automatically converted into the right to receive 1.100 Tidewater shares, subject to Jones Act restrictions on maximum ownership of shares by non-U.S. citizens. Concurrent with the closing, $100M of the existing GulfMark debt is expected to be repaid. The GulfMark Board of Directors, with the assistance of outside financial and legal advisors, will review the Harvey Gulf unsolicited proposal in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties and in compliance with its obligations under its merger agreement with Tidewater. GulfMark's Board has not made any determination as to whether the Harvey Gulf unsolicited proposal constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a "Superior Offer" under the terms of the Tidewater merger agreement. At this time, the GulfMark Board of Directors continues to believe that the Tidewater merger is in the best interest of GulfMark stockholders and continues to recommend that GulfMark stockholders adopt the Tidewater merger agreement at the special meeting of GulfMark stockholders to be scheduled for this fall. GulfMark stockholders are advised to take no action at this time.

08:34 EDT Pareteum raises FY18 revenue growth outlook to 80% vs last year - The company said, "Based on our 36-month Contractual Revenue Backlog of $276M, as of June 30 and 2,713,600 connections, we have raised our 2018 outlook. The Company now expects revenue growth greater than 80% over 2017, up from the previous provided guidance of 70%. Also, with its current cost structures, Pareteum expects positive EBITDA and cash from continuing operations for the full year 2018. As we convert Contractual Revenue Backlog to Connections, our revenue will increase and for every incremental dollar of revenue, we expect contribution to our bottom line. Our target gross margins are in the range of 70-75%."

08:33 EDT Clarus Corporation initiates quarterly cash dividend of 2.5c per share - Clarus Corporation announced that its board has approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend program. Under the program, Clarus will pay a quarterly cash dividend of 2.5c per share, or 10c per share on an annualized basis, to shareholders. The first dividend will be paid on September 4, to shareholders of record on the close of business on August 20.

08:32 EDT Sun Hydraulics announces business name change to Helios Technologies - Sun Hydraulics Corporation announced the adoption of Helios Technologies as its new business name. The use of a new name for the parent holding company is in alignment with the company's progress toward its Vision 2025 strategy, which is to achieve global technology leadership in the industrial goods sector by 2025 with critical mass exceeding $1B in sales while maintaining superior profitability and financial strength. Shares of Helios Technologies will continue to trade on Nasdaq using the company's existing ticker symbol, SNHY.

08:30 EDT New Amcor will have primary listing on the NYSE and listing on ASX - The combination will be effected through a merger of Amcor and Bemis into a newly created holding company incorporated in Jersey. It is intended that New Amcor will be tax resident in the UK after closing. New Amcor will have a primary listing on the NYSE and a listing on the ASX. Amcor and Bemis shareholders will receive shares in New Amcor in a tax-free exchange. Existing Amcor shareholders will have the option to receive one New Amcor ASX listed CDI or one New Amcor NYSE listed share for each Amcor share held. Bemis shareholders will receive 5.1 New Amcor NYSE shares for each Bemis share held, resulting in Amcor and Bemis shareholders owning approximately 71% and 29% of the combined company, respectively. This structure has several key benefits, including: Listings on two major global exchanges with primary listing on the NYSE and an ASX listing via CDIs; Expected index inclusion in the S&P 500 of the full market capitalization of the combined company (estimated at $17B) and pro-rata inclusion of CDIs in the S&P / ASX 200 index, resulting in greater liquidity and considerably increased index buying; and Ongoing financial strength and funding flexibility for continued investment. After completion of the transaction it is expected that key aspects of Amcor's financial profile will remain largely unchanged, including: A compelling, progressive dividend which will continue to be an important component of annual shareholder returns; Post closing, the first annual dividend paid by New Amcor is expected to be no less than the value of the last annual dividend per share declared by Amcor prior to completion of the transaction, providing significant dividend per share accretion to Bemis shareholders; and An on-going capital allocation philosophy consistent with Amcor's shareholder value creation framework. Upon completion of the transaction, New Amcor's Board is expected to comprise 11 members, 8 of whom are current Amcor directors, and 3 of whom are current Bemis directors. Amcor's current Chairman, Graeme Liebelt and current CEO Ron Delia will continue in those roles after the transaction and Delia will continue to serve as the only Executive Director on the Board. New Amcor will continue to maintain a critical presence in Wisconsin and other key Bemis locations. The combined company also expects to leverage Bemis' plant network and innovation center while continuing to invest in the U.S. New Amcor will continue to support the communities in which Bemis operates and announced a contribution of $35,000 to the Bemis Foundation on behalf of Amcor's 35,000 employees world-wide.

08:23 EDT Amcor Limited, Bemis to combine in $6.8B all-stock transaction

08:11 EDT Hilltop Holdings invests in new Dallas HQ, executes long-term lease - Hilltop Holdings announced it made an investment in a new real estate development in Dallas' University Park, which will serve as headquarters for both Hilltop and its largest subsidiary, PlainsCapital Bank. Joining Hilltop in the transaction is the company's chairman and largest shareholder, Gerald J. Ford, who will be an equal investing partner in the project. Together, Hilltop and the Ford family will each own 25% of the six-story, 119,000-square-foot Class A commercial office building at 6565 Hillcrest Avenue and each own 50% of the 1.7-acre tract on which the building will sit. A third party unaffiliated with Hilltop and the Ford family will own the remaining 50% of the building. Strode Property Company is the developer of the project. The building will be named Hilltop Plaza, and construction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2019. Hilltop and PlainsCapital Bank will lease approximately 68,000 square feet of corporate office space on the top four floors of Hilltop Plaza and will also open an approximately 4,000-square-foot PlainsCapital Bank branch on the building's first floor. Hilltop will occupy just over half of the building's rentable space and expects to move in during the fourth quarter of 2019. The remaining space in the building will be leased for commercial office, retail and restaurant use.

08:10 EDT Skyworks acquires Avnera for $405M - Skyworks announced it signed a definitive agreement to purchase Avnera, a developer of Analog System on Chips, or ASoCs. Acquisition of Avnera, a private fabless semiconductor supplier, augments Skyworks' wireless connectivity by adding ultra-low power analog circuits to enable smart interfaces via acoustic signal processing, sensors and integrated software. Upon consummation of the transaction, Skyworks will expand its addressable market by over $5B. Target applications include AI speakers/microphones, virtual assistants, intelligent gaming controllers and vehicle in-dash systems as well as wired/wireless headsets. Skyworks will pay $405M in cash to Avnera equity holders at closing with up to an additional $20M if certain performance targets are exceeded over a 12-month post-closing period. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Skyworks and Avnera and is anticipated to close by September, subject to customary closing conditions. Excluding any non-recurring acquisition-related charges and amortization of intangibles, Skyworks expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to diluted earnings per share.

08:09 EDT Ironwood: On track to complete separation into two companies in 1H19 - "Ironwood's performance during the second quarter was driven by year-over-year topline growth of approximately 25%, continued strong LINZESS demand, initiation of Phase III programs for IW-3718 and linaclotide, and further enrollment in Phase II trials for praliciguat and olinciguat," said Peter Hecht, CEO of Ironwood. "In addition, during the second quarter we announced our intent to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies, each with focused missions and opportunities for significant growth. We have made substantial progress and remain on track to complete the separation in the first half of 2019." Following the separation, Ironwood anticipates being a profitable company leveraging its core expertise in GI diseases to advance a strong portfolio of in-market and development programs, including LINZESS, IW-3718 and linaclotide delayed release. Following completion of the separation, the plan is for the two companies to have separate, non-overlapping boards of directors and independent governance structures. It is also expected that there will be no ongoing funding between the two new companies following the separation, other than certain shorter-term transition and other services.

08:08 EDT Ironwood no longer expects to be cash flow positive in Q4 - Ironwood continues to expect in 2018: SG&A expenses to be in the range of $230 million to $250 million; R&D expenses to be in the range of $160 million to $180 million; the combined Ironwood and Allergan total marketing and sales expenses for LINZESS to be in the range of $230 to $260 million; and, net interest expense to be less than $40 million. Ironwood now expects in 2018: total restructuring costs to be in the range of $18 million to $21 million, which include the workforce reductions announced in January and June and the anticipated workforce reduction announced today. Ironwood will review its cash used from operations guidance as it gains more detailed financial information related to the lesinurad franchise termination. Ironwood no longer expects to be cash flow positive in the fourth quarter of 2018 due to restructuring costs.

08:07 EDT Everbridge achieves FedRAMP Agency Authorization for Everbridge Suite - Everbridge announced it has achieved a FedRAMP Agency Authorization for its Everbridge Suite solution. FedRAMP is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Authorized by the FedRAMP Program Management Office, or PMO, Everbridge is now officially listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. Everbridge's sponsoring agency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, and Third Party Assessment Organization, Coalfire, have determined that Everbridge has met the standards for the 325 controls in the FedRAMP Moderate baseline. FedRAMP Authorization certifies that Everbridge has passed the security and risk management review process required to offer its Everbridge Suite solution to federal agencies, a mandate by OMB for any cloud service provider that serves the federal government.

08:07 EDT MasTec sees no material impact from recent FERC ruling on MVP project - MasTec announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a temporary stop work order for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project late on Friday afternoon, August 3, 2018, related to the adequacy of permits previously issued by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. In the ruling, the FERC has ordered that construction activities on the MVP temporarily stop while the permit issues are resolved. During this time, however, a significant amount of the construction work force will need to remain in place to protect the environment, right-of-ways, related work areas, and equipment. Importantly, as part of the ruling the FERC stated, "There is no reason to believe that the Forest Service or the Army Corps of Engineers, as the land managing agencies, or the BLM, as the federal rights-of-way grantor, will not be able to comply with the Court's instructions and to ultimately issue new right-of-way grants that satisfy the Court's requirements."

08:04 EDT GTT Communications announces new UK, Europe divisions - GTT Communications announced an updated division structure following the acquisition of Interoute. GTT appointed Martin Ford as UK division president, with responsibility for clients in the UK and Ireland in addition to the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Ford previously served as GTT's EMEA division president. GTT announced Jesper Aagaard as Europe division president, with responsibility for clients in continental Europe. Aagaard was formerly managing director of Interoute in the Nordics and Netherlands. The new division structure aligns with GTT's expanded presence in Europe following its May 31 acquisition of Interoute. GTT's divisions have responsibility for key functions driving organic growth and the client experience, including sales, quoting, ordering, service delivery, billing and overall client account management.

08:04 EDT FDA grants 510(k) clearance for Strata's Multi-Micro Dose Tip for XTRAC - STRATA Skin Sciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a 510(k) clearance to the Company for its Multi-Micro Dose tip accessory for its proprietary XTRAC 308nm excimer laser. The Multi-Micro Dose Tip accessory is indicated for use in conjunction with the XTRAC laser system to filter the Narrow Band -UVB light at delivery in order to calculate and individualize the maximum non-blistering dose for a particular patient. The patent-pending MMD Tip simultaneously applies multiple level doses of energy to a specific area of the patient's psoriatic plaque, thereby identifying the maximum sub-blistering energy dose for a particular treatment zone. Utilizing the results from these test patches, the physician can design the optimal therapeutic dose treatment for each patient. The optimization of the dose levels should result in a shorter treatment regimen to achieve clearance. The XTRAC excimer laser delivers a highly targeted therapeutic beam of NB-UVB light and is cleared by the FDA to treat psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema, atopic dermatitis and leukoderma - skin diseases which impact over 35 million patients in the United States alone. This technology is covered by multiple patents, including exclusive rights patents for the delivery of treatments to Vitiligo patients.

08:03 EDT Mallinckrodt forms research partnership with Washington University - Mallinckrodt announced it has formed a collaborative research partnership with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The company will fund up to $10M in research grants over a five-year period, and expects the collaborative initiative to result in multiple research programs, with a particular focus on rare diseases.

08:02 EDT Tribune Broadcasting renews affiliation agreement with Fox Broadcasting Company - Tribune Broadcasting, a division of Tribune Media (TRCO), announced that it has reached a comprehensive agreement with Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX. FOXA) to renew the existing Fox affiliations of eight Tribune Media television stations, including KCPQ-TV (Seattle), KDVR-TV (Denver), WJW-TV (Cleveland), KTVI-TV (St. Louis), WDAF-TV (Kansas City), KSTU-TV (Salt Lake City), WITI-TV (Milwaukee), WGHP-TV (Greensboro, NC). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

07:58 EDT LaSalle Hotel files investor presentation in connection with Blackstone deal - LaSalle Hotel Properties (LHO) announced that it has filed an investor presentation with the SEC in connection with the previously announced merger with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII (BX) and the other transactions contemplated by LaSalle's merger agreement with Blackstone.The presentation highlights that the Blackstone transaction maximizes both value and certainty for LaSalle shareholders. Among other things, the presentation notes: The significant premium and certainty of the all-cash transaction with Blackstone. The transaction represents a premium of approximately 35 percent over LaSalle's unaffected share price, a premium of approximately 13 percent to LaSalle's consensus net asset value as of May 18, 2018 and protection from the downside risks inherent in a stock transaction. LaSalle shareholders will receive $33.50 per share in cash in September 2018 upon completion of the Blackstone transaction, which is expected within one week of the Blackstone transaction being approved by shareholders at LaSalle's Special Meeting of Shareholders. LaSalle's Board of Trustees conducted a thorough process that produced strong competitive dynamics, maintained a level playing field and maximized value. During April 2018, the company and its advisors contacted 20 potential buyers, including Blackstone and Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB)). The Board engaged with all interested parties and conducted extensive negotiations over price, consideration and terms. After careful consideration, the LaSalle Board unanimously determined that the Blackstone transaction represents a compelling opportunity for LaSalle shareholders. The facts regarding Pebblebrook's rejected proposals and LaSalle's thorough sale process. LaSalle sets the record straight. The LaSalle Board unanimously recommends that LaSalle shareholders vote the WHITE proxy card "FOR" the proposal to approve the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Blackstone Merger Agreement prior to the Special Meeting, which will be held on September 6.

07:49 EDT Atlantica Yield raises quarterly dividend 31% y-o-y to 34c per share - On July 31, 2018, the Board of Directors of Atlantica Yield approved a dividend of 34c per share which represents a 31% increase with respect to the second quarter of 2017. This dividend is expected to be paid on or about September 15, 2018 to shareholders of record as of August 31, 2018.

07:34 EDT SenesTech amends terms of rights offering - SenesTech announced updated pricing terms of the Rights Offering and provided a reminder to subscription holders that the subscription period for the Rights Offering will expire at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, on August 8, 2018, unless extended by the company. The company elected to (i) reduce the subscription price of each Unit from $1.75 per Unit to $1.15 per Unit, (ii) reduce the exercise price of the warrants included as part of the Units from $1.75 per share to $1.15 per share, and (iii) increase the number of subscription rights the company will accept from 8,571,428 to 13,043,478. Each subscription right now entitles holders to purchase one Unit at $1.15 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock of the company and one warrant. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock of the company at an exercise price of $1.15 per share from the date of issuance until its expiration 5 years from the date of issuance. If exercising subscription rights through a broker, dealer, bank or other nominee, rights holders should promptly contact their nominee and submit subscription documents and payment for the units subscribed for in accordance with the instructions and within the time period provided by such nominee. The broker, dealer, bank or other nominee may establish a deadline before August 8, 2018, by which instructions to exercise subscription rights, along with the required subscription payment, must be received. For subscription rights that were exercised prior to the updated pricing terms, such Units will be issued at the revised price of $1.15 per Unit, and any excess funds will be returned, without interest, as soon as practicable after the closing of the Rights Offering. All record holders of rights certificates that wish to participate in the Rights Offering must deliver a properly completed and signed rights certificate, together with payment of the subscription price for both basic subscription rights and any oversubscription right election, to the Subscription Agent at the address below, to be received before 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 8, 2018.

07:32 EDT Otonomy, Mission Pharmacal sign co-promotion agreement for OTIPRIO - Otonomy announced the signing of a co-promotion agreement with Mission Pharmacal Company that provides Mission with an exclusive right to promote OTIPRIO for acute otitis externa in pediatrician and primary care physician offices as well as urgent care clinics in the United States. Financial terms for the multi-year agreement were not disclosed; however, Otonomy will receive an annual co-promotion fee and reimbursement of a proportion of product support expenses, and retain a share of gross profits from the sale of OTIPRIO to Mission's accounts. Otonomy retains all commercial rights for other customer segments for AOE and use of OTIPRIO in all other indications including ongoing sales for use during pediatric ear tube surgery.

07:31 EDT Manpower COO Darryl Green to retire, effective August 31 - ManpowerGroup announced that Darryl Green has decided to retire as President and COO, effective August 31, due to family health issues. Green has been with ManpowerGroup since 2007 and has been a member of the Executive Leadership Team for the past eleven years. Prior to his appointment as COO in 2014, Green was President, APME and Northern Europe. The company does not intend to appoint a successor COO. Chairman and CEO Jonas Prising will assume the responsibilities of this role.

07:21 EDT Henry Schein sees FY18 one-time restructuring charge of 22c-27c - Henry Schein is providing details on a comprehensive restructuring plan designed to increase profitability by improving business efficiencies, reducing redundancies and maximizing the company's infrastructure. The company expects to record a one-time restructuring charge in 2018 of between $45M-$55M on a pretax basis, or 22c-27c per diluted share. This restructuring charge primarily includes severance pay, facility closing costs, and outside professional and consulting fees directly related to the restructuring plan. CEO Bergman stated, "As we noted in our first-quarter communications, we periodically look to reduce costs, particularly following a number of acquisitions, which create redundant activities. We are also looking at opportunities to augment technology solutions to generate improved efficiencies across our businesses. Accomplishing this through a coordinated effort is the most efficient means of realizing lower costs. By continuing to streamline our operations, we expect to create a leaner organization that will allow us to better serve our customers' rapidly changing needs and our priority is to continue to build shareholder value. These changes are difficult to make, however, we recognize that they are necessary to enable Henry Schein to continue to build upon our success as well as to deliver solid long-term financial returns to our shareholders."

07:13 EDT Ovid Therapeutics says Phase 2 STARS Trial of OV101 achieved primary endpoint - Ovid Therapeutic announced that the Phase 2 STARS trial of OV101 achieved its primary endpoint of safety and tolerability. The investigational medicine showed a favorable safety profile and was well tolerated in adults and adolescents with Angelman syndrome. OV101 is the only selective extrasynaptic GABAA receptor agonist in development shown to mediate tonic inhibition, a key underlying pathophysiological mechanism of Angelman syndrome. The Phase 2 STARS international study is the first industry-sponsored, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial for Angelman syndrome. The study randomized 88 patients across three groups: a once-daily or twice-daily dose of OV101, or placebo. At the prespecified efficacy analysis at 12 weeks of treatment, OV101 showed a statistically significant improvement compared to placebo in the physician-rated clinical global impressions of improvement - a measure commonly used in clinical trials that allows the physician to capture a constellation of clinical symptoms. CGI-I was ranked first in the topline statistical plan. Subsequent analyses in the hierarchy were conducted on a prespecified subset of scales across the domains of behavior, sleep and gait. While the analysis of these prespecified subsets did not show a statistically significant difference from placebo, full data analyses on these domains are ongoing and will be communicated in the future. Ovid intends to discuss these data with regulatory authorities to determine the next steps for a registrational pathway. Based on these data, the company plans to initiate in the fourth quarter of 2018 an open-label extension study; Angelman syndrome patients who completed any prior OV101 study may be eligible to receive the investigational medicine in this study. STARS was a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study. Eighty-eight patients aged 13 to 49 years of age diagnosed with Angelman syndrome were randomized at 13 clinical trial sites in the U.S. and Israel. The study randomized patients to one of three arms: once-daily dose of OV101 at night, twice-daily dose of OV101, and placebo. The intent to treat population was 88 patients. A modified intent to treat analysis of 87 patients, which includes any patient who enrolled in the study and received at least one dose of study drug, was performed to evaluate the efficacy endpoints. The primary endpoint of the trial was to assess the safety and tolerability of OV101 compared to placebo. The STARS trial explored the clinical utility of OV101 on improvements in clinical global impressions, maladaptive behavior, sleep, and gross and fine motor skills. The study met its primary endpoint of safety and tolerability given that the adverse events with OV101 treatment were similar to placebo treatment, with the majority of AEs being mild. OV101 showed a favorable risk profile and was well tolerated through 12 weeks of treatment. Overall, the data are consistent with the favorable risk profile observed in previous insomnia trials with this investigational medicine. The most common AEs reported in the trial were vomiting, somnolence, irritability, aggression, and pyrexia. Events occurring in greater than 5 percent compared to placebo in either treatment arm included pyrexia, rash, seizure, enuresis and myoclonic epilepsy. Serious adverse events of seizure were reported in two patients: one patient in the QD dose experienced a seizure and that was deemed unrelated to study drug; one patient experienced a seizure in the BID dose group and that was assessed as possibly related to study drug by the investigator. Treatment discontinuations due to adverse events were low. One patient in the placebo arm discontinued compared to no patients and three patients in the once-daily dose group and twice-daily dose group, respectively.

07:11 EDT Pain Therapeutics receives CRL from FDA for Remoxy - Pain Therapeutics announced it had received a Complete Response Letter, or CRL, from the FDA for its New Drug Application, or NDA, for Remoxy, an abuse-deterrent, extended-release form of oxycodone. According to FDA, "The data submitted in [the] NDA do not support the conclusion that the benefits of Remoxy Extended-Release Capsules outweigh the risks." Remi Barbier, President & CEO said, "This is a bizarre conclusion to reach, especially during a time of staggering human and economic toll created by opioid abuse and addiction. We have an innovative drug with a social purpose, and a staggering amount of data that easily supports best-in-class abuse deterrence versus OxyContin. We relied on the criteria of a fair, neutral and impartial regulatory review, as any sponsor would. Instead, I believe Remoxy received an ideological judgement call that is vague in nature but conclusive in its damaging effects."

07:10 EDT Protagonist announces results from re-analysis fo Phase 2 Propel study - Protagonist Therapeutics announced results from an independent blinded re-analysis of the Phase 2 PROPEL study of oral alpha-4-beta-7 integrin antagonist PTG-100 for the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis, UC. No safety concerns were noted with PTG-100. The data from blinded endoscopy re-reads and a comprehensive data review provide signals of clinical efficacy and support further development of PTG-100. In March Protagonist announced discontinuation of the study following a planned interim analysis conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee. The interim data revealed an unusually high placebo rate of clinical remission that led to a futility decision and discontinuation of the trial. A re-read of the endoscopies by the CRO's subcontractor and a subsequent fully blinded re-read of the endoscopies by an independent third party, Robarts Clinical Trials, confirmed that a subset of the initial endoscopy reads provided by the CRO were in error. If the re-read of endoscopy results had been utilized for the interim futility analysis, the trial would have continued. In addition, improvements observed in independent, blinded histological scores favor PTG-100 over placebo and correlate with the clinical remission and endoscopic response outcomes from the re-analysis.

07:10 EDT Alpine Immune Sciences appoints Mark Litton as COO - Alpine Immune Sciences announced the appointment of life sciences veteran Mark Litton to the role of president and COO. Litton joins Alpine from Alder BioPharmaceuticals, where he has served as CBO and treasurer since co-founding the company in 2004. At Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Litton oversaw the company's business operations, including playing an integral role in Alder's initial public offering and subsequent financing, as well as high-profile collaborations and partnerships.

07:09 EDT Pain Therapeutics receives CRL from FDA for Remoxy

07:08 EDT Antares Pharma enters into development with Pfizer - Antares Pharma (ATRS) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Pfizer (PFE) to develop a combination drug device rescue pen. This rescue pen will utilize the Antares QuickShot auto injector and an undisclosed Pfizer drug. Pfizer will pay for the development of the product and will be responsible for obtaining FDA approval of the combination product. The parties intend to enter into a separate supply agreement pursuant to which Antares will provide fully packaged commercial ready finished product to Pfizer at cost plus margin and Pfizer will then be responsible for commercializing the product in the United States, pending FDA approval. Antares will then receive royalties on net sales on the combination product.

07:07 EDT Avenu signs agreement to acquire assets of Conduent business - Avenu Insights & Analytics, a portfolio company of Mill Point Capital, has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of the Local and Municipal Constituent Government Software Solutions business of Conduent Incorporated. The purchase positions Avenu as a leading provider of solutions used by jurisdictions to manage service delivery across multiple agencies. The sale, which primarily includes software solutions for Conduent's local and municipal government clients, gives Avenu a combined customer base of nearly 3,000 in the 50 states and Canada. The transaction, which is subject to certain regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the Q3.

07:05 EDT Bausch Health subsidiary and US WorldMeds launch Lucemyra in the U.S. - US WorldMeds and Salix Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies, announced the U.S. launch and availability of Lucemyra, or lofexidine, 0.18 mg tablets, the first and only non-opioid medication indicated for mitigation of opioid withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt opioid discontinuation in adults.

07:03 EDT Neuralstem appoints Jim Scully as Interim CEO - Neuralstem announced that the board has appointed Jim Scully as interim CEO. Scully will assume the role effective immediately and succeeds Rich Daly who served as president and chief executive officer of the company since February 2016.

07:02 EDT Ceragon Networks says is increasingly optimistic about long-term outlook - The company said, "The Q2 contributed to a strong first half and was in line with our expectations. Our bookings in Q2 continue to support our target quarterly revenue run rate of $80M-$85M during the second half, and we continue to target an increase in net income for the year. We are increasingly optimistic about the longer-term outlook as we work with operators to plan and implement projects to upgrade, densify and optimize their networks on the road to full 5G deployments during the next several years."

07:01 EDT PepsiCo names Ramon Laguarta as CEO, succeeding Indra Nooyi

06:57 EDT WidePoint enters partnership with CDW - WidePoint (WYY) announced a new partnership with CDW (CDW). Jin Kang, CEO of WidePoint, stated, "CDW is a premier provider of integrated technology solutions throughout the public and private sectors. We are pleased to partner with CDW to provide WidePoint's TM2 solutions to organizations seeking to maximize and secure their telecom and mobile resources with our enhanced identity management. WidePoint's strategy of partnering with large system integrators increases our access to government agencies and commercial enterprises in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to deliver our TM2 solutions."

06:40 EDT Newell Brands: FY18 guidance adjusted for divestiture of Waddington and Rawlings - The 2018 full year guidance is adjusted for the divestiture of Waddington and Rawlings and net sales guidance is adjusted for discontinued operations treatment.

06:36 EDT Newell Brands CEO says 'drove the Accelerated Transformation Plan into action' - "Newell Brands drove the Accelerated Transformation Plan into action in the second quarter, beginning a period of significant change to both our portfolio and organization," commented Michael Polk, President and CEO of Newell Brands. "We announced and completed the divestitures of Waddington and Rawlings and are well into the sale processes on all other businesses held for sale. We also took significant steps to right-size our organization for the scale of our new portfolio, with changes announced and actioned between May and August. We continue to prioritize deleveraging, with gross debt in Q2 2018 $900 million below prior year and plans in motion to de-lever by nearly an incremental $900 million by the end of Q3 2018. In the context of these significant changes and a very challenging U.S. retail environment, we delivered second quarter results generally in line with expectations. While there is much more to do, we are acting decisively to make Newell Brands a simpler, faster and stronger company." "Reigniting performance on our continuing businesses is a critical priority and we expect sequential improvement in our operating results in the back half of 2018 despite increased inflation, worsening foreign exchange and the negative impact of tariffs," continued Polk. "While the retail landscape remains difficult, consumer macros are generally good and we expect core sales on our continuing businesses to recover to growth by the fourth quarter, with margins improving as a result of strong savings programs and broad-based price increases. Adjusted for the estimated negative 20 cents per share impact in the second half of 2018 related to the divestiture of Waddington and Rawlings, we expect to deliver between $2.45 and $2.65 of normalized EPS in 2018."

06:35 EDT Newell Brands sees 2H18 normalized operating margins 12%-14% - The company expects second half normalized operating margins of 12%-12.4% and core sales growth to sequentially improve from down low single digits percent in Q3 2018 to up low single digits percent in Q4 2018. Both metrics include only results from continuing operations.

06:33 EDT Regeneron, Bluebird Bio announce collaboration - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) and bluebird bio (BLUE) announced a collaboration to apply their respective technology platforms to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel immune cell therapies for cancer. The collaborators will specifically leverage Regeneron's VelociSuite platform technologies for the discovery and characterization of fully human antibodies as well as T cell receptors, or TCRs, directed against tumor-specific proteins and peptides, and bluebird bio will contribute its field-leading expertise in gene transfer and cell therapy. The collaborators have jointly selected six initial targets and will equally share the costs of research and development up to the point of submitting an Investigational New Drug, or IND, application. Additional targets may be selected over the five-year research collaboration term. When an IND is submitted for a potential cell therapy product, Regeneron will have the right to opt-in to a co-development/co-commercialization arrangement for certain collaboration targets, with 50/50 cost and profit sharing. If Regeneron does not opt-in, the company is eligible to receive milestone payments and royalties from bluebird bio on any potential resulting products. Regeneron will also make a $100 million investment in bluebird bio common stock at a price of $238.10 per share, which represents a premium of 59 percent over the $150 closing price on August 3, 2018. This approximately $37 million premium will be credited against Regeneron's initial 50 percent funding obligation for basic collaboration research, after which the collaborators will fund ongoing research equally. The transaction is subject to preclearance by the Federal Trade Commission under applicable antitrust laws.

06:10 EDT Gilead says CNDA approves Genvoya for treatment of HIV-1 infection - Gilead Sciences announced that the China National Drug Administration has approved Genvoya for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Genvoya is the first TAF-based single tablet regimen for the treatment of HIV to be approved in China. Genvoya is indicated in China as a complete regimen for the treatment of adults and adolescents infected with HIV-1 without any known mutations associated with resistance to the integrase inhibitor class, emtricitabine or tenofovir. In the United States, Genvoya has a boxed warning in its product label regarding the risks of post treatment acute exacerbation of hepatitis B.

06:06 EDT My Town Games signs partnership with Discovery - My Town Games announces a first-of-its-kind partnership with Discovery to create co-branded games that allow kids to explore open-ended play. This co-venture will launch later in the summer as My Town Discovery, a game recommended for ages 6-12 that features a virtual world where kids can hang out with their friends and explore their community - go shopping, see the school they will be attending in the fall, go to the park, stop for a bite to eat in the burger shop, play mini games and visit the really cool Science Discover Museum that My Town designed with Discovery #mindblown. My Town Discovery will debut at the App Store and on Google Play as a 7-day free trial and then game players will have the option to "join the club" with a monthly subscription fee. An added benefit to the game is specially-branded Discovery #mindblown content filled with fascinating facts "did you know..." of special interest to young learners. Initially there will be no IAPs and more games and adventures will be added in the coming months.

05:56 EDT Can-Fite BioPharma signs multi-million dollar agreement with CMS Medical - Can-Fite BioPharma announced it has signed a License, Collaboration and Distribution Agreement with CMS Medical for the commercialization of Can-Fite's Piclidenoson for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis and Namodenoson for the treatment of advanced liver cancer and NAFLD/NASH in China. Under the terms of the agreement, CMS Medical is making an upfront payment of $2M to Can-Fite and is required to pay to Can-Fite milestone payments of up to $14M upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones and payments of up to $58.5M upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. In addition, the agreement provides for double-digit royalty payments on net sales.

05:27 EDT UMC enters partnership with Avalanche Technology for MRAM development - United Microelectronics and Avalanche Technology announced that they have entered a partnership for joint development and production of MRAM to replace embedded flash. UMC will also make this technology available to other companies through licensing with Avalanche Technology Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, UMC will provide embedded non-volatile MRAM blocks based on UMC's 28nm CMOS manufacturing process. This will enable customers to integrate low latency, very high performance and low power embedded MRAM memory blocks into MCUs and SoCs, targeting the Internet of Things, wearable, consumer, industrial and automotive electronics markets. The two companies are also considering to expand the cooperation beyond 28nm, as Avalanche Technology's CMOS compatibility and scalability to advanced process nodes enables integration of unified memory blocks into next generation highly integrated MCUs and SoCs. This allows system designers to maintain the same architecture and software ecosystem without a redesign.

05:18 EDT Nutrisystem rallies after Legion Partners sees path to $90 share price - Legion Partners Asset Management late Thursday disclosed a 5.22% stake in Nutrisystem, representing over 1.5M shares. The filing allows for activism. Legion believes the current market price of the shares does not reflect Legion's intrinsic value. In the firm's view, one of the key areas that does not appear to be well understood or fully appreciated by the market is the opportunity for the company to improve the efficiency of its approximately $200M annual marketing expense. Historically, Nutrisystem has relied primarily on short form television marketing, Legion writes in a regulatory filing. Further, Nutrisystem's cost of acquiring an individual customer has increased annually from approximately $184 in 2007 to over $300 in 2017, the firm contends, citing its own estimate. Legion Partners believes the company can lower customer acquisition costs "materially" over the next several years by shifting its media mix to more effective digital marketing channels and initiatives. In addition, the firm believes improvements to the company's digital product portfolio "can substantially increase customer lifetime value." The "impact of gaining marketing efficiencies through digital advertising and upgrading the digital product portfolio should be reflected in a rapid expansion in the profitability" of Nutrisystem, contends Legion. It estimates that if the company can improve its overall digital strategy and marketing efficiency, the resulting decline in customer acquisition costs and reacceleration in customer growth could double reported earnings per share from $1.90 in fiscal 2017 to almost $4.00 in fiscal 2020, causing the valuation of the stock "to move from current prices to approximately $90 per share." Nutrisystem closed Friday up 10%, or $4.10, to $43.50. Legions says it is "highly focused on collaborating" with Nutrisystem's management and the board of directors to "significantly accelerate and improve" the company's digital strategy efforts in order to "drive a substantial increase" in profitability. Legions added that it may seek to add certain digital marketing and product development expertise to the company's board.