Stockwinners Market Radar for September 04, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:02 EDT Semtech announces volume production for ClearEdge CDR - Semtech announced mass production of a fully integrated quad 28G ClearEdge CDR with single-ended electro-absorption modulated lasers laser driver. It offers the industry's lowest power, consuming only 790 mW at maximum, 1.5 Vppse swing, in a 6mm x 5mm package with integrated bias-T passive components.

19:00 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Coupa Software (COUP) up 12.8%... Smartsheet (SMAR) up 3.6%. ALSO HIGHER: Tesaro (TSRO) up 10.8% after expanding to 2nd stage of Jasper trial of Zejula in combo with TSR-042... Dova Pharma (DOVA) up 2.5% after submitting sNDA to FDA for DOPTELET... USA Compression (USAC) up 0.8% after being initiated at Overweight at MUFG. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Caleres (CAL) down 10.8%... HealthEquity (HQY) down 5.8%... RH (RH) down 4.8%... Workday (WDAY) down 2.7%. ALSO LOWER: PetIQ (PETQ) down 8.0% after filing mixed securities shelf... Tilly's (TLYS) down 5.5% after offering common stock for holders... ADT Inc (ADT) down 1.5% after announcing CEO resignation.

18:25 EDT Aflac says U.S. District Court tossed out suit against company - Aflac released a statement on a U.S. District Court's decision to toss out a lawsuit against the company. "Aflac Incorporated is pleased that the derivative suit filed against the company late last year by three current or former independent agents has been dismissed in its entirety. The suit had no merit. The company has been open and transparent from day one, even posting the reports from the independent Special Litigation Committee on the company's website for the purpose of full disclosure. The judge determined that the SLC was indeed independent and that it conducted a thorough, reasonable and good faith investigation with the assistance of non-conflicted, independent counsel. Justice has been served as this case is now dismissed," said Audrey Boone Tillman, general counsel Aflac Incorporated.

18:03 EDT Celanese raises prices for Engineered Materials Polymer products - Celanese announced price increases on its Polyamide 66 and Polyamide 6 compounded engineering plastics including Celanyl, Nilamid, Frianyl, Ecomid, Nylfor, Nivionplast, and Omnilon. The price increases will be effective for orders shipped on or after September 17, 2018, or as contracts otherwise allow. The price increases include 35c per lb for Polyamide 66 compounded products, 10c per lb for Polyamide 6 compounded products, and 10c per lb for Ecomid / Nylfor products.

17:40 EDT Goldcorp reports project milestones toward production increase and cost decrease - Goldcorp is pleased to report significant progress on key permitting and project milestones which will contribute both to our five-year 20/20/20 plan to increase gold production and gold reserves by 20%, while decreasing all-in sustaining costs per ounce by 20%, and to our Beyond 20/20 growth opportunities. At Borden, bulk sample extraction began in August 2018, two months ahead of schedule, with operating permits expected in the fourth quarter of 2018. The mine electrification process is underway, and commercial production remains on track for the second half of 2019. The Century prefeasibility study remains on schedule for completion in the fourth quarter of 2018, and the associated project description has been submitted and is currently undergoing a 20-day public comment period in order to move on to the next stage of permitting. The Coffee project completed the adequacy review phase of the permitting process with Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) in August, 2018 and has now entered a 30 to 60 day public comment period. Production is still expected to commence in 2021. At Penasquito, the Pyrite Leach Project has completed construction with commissioning further accelerated to the third quarter of 2018, two quarters ahead of schedule. First gold and commercial production are expected in the fourth quarter.

17:34 EDT US WorldMeds And Salix Pharmaceuticals to highlight LUCEMYRA data - US WorldMeds and Salix Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies, will present data evaluating the efficacy and safety of LUCEMYRA, lofexidine, 0.18 mg tablets at the 2018 PAINWeek Conference in Las Vegas from September 4-8. LUCEMYRA is the first and only non-opioid medication indicated for mitigation of opioid withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt opioid discontinuation in adults.

17:26 EDT Biotechnology Value Fund reports 5.6% passive stake in Calithera Biosciences

17:17 EDT David Bar-Or retires as Ampio Chief Science Officer - Ampio Pharmaceuticals announced that Dr. Bar-Or has decided to retire, effective September 30, 2018, from his full-time position of Chief Science Officer of Ampio but is retaining his positions on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board.

17:04 EDT Cloudera launches end-to-end IoT architecture - Cloudera (CLDR) announced the launch of an end-to-end, open source Internet of Things architecture in collaboration with Red Hat (RHT) and Eurotech. Enterprises now have a modern IoT architecture that is scalable, secure, and technologically advanced without vendor lock-in. Organizations that bought into proprietary IoT platforms are finding themselves tied to limited functionality, locked into a particular vendor, and unable to scale. Enterprises have had to piece together multiple vendors' solutions, manage all of the complexities of integration, and deal with security risks of the patchwork, only to end up with incompatible connectivity, a rigid architecture from black box solutions, and minimal interoperability. These setbacks cause businesses to miss out on technological advances such as machine learning, real-time decision-making, and cloud/hybrid flexibility. Cloudera with Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, and Eurotech, a long-time leading provider of industrial embedded hardware, have collaborated to develop an end-to-end architecture that is based on open standards and is integrated, flexible and runs on multi- or hybrid-cloud environments. This architecture is designed to provide the foundational components that organizations need to quickly and securely roll out IoT use cases. This modular architecture also features end-to-end data management and analytics capabilities, including the ability to push machine learning and intelligence back out to the 'edge' for real-time decision making. From onboarding and managing connected devices or 'things,' to enabling protocol translation and performing analytics at the edge; from delivering real-time analytics and machine learning on IoT data to accelerating application development cycles, and enabling integration with enterprise applications, the architecture enables enterprises to accelerate their IoT deployments while ensuring end-to-end data security and compliance.

17:01 EDT Zymeworks announces milestone in partnership with Eli Lilly, will receive $2M - Zymeworks (ZYME) reported the achievement of a development milestone in its collaboration with Eli Lilly (LLY). In accordance with Zymeworks' 2013 licensing and collaboration agreement with Lilly, Zymeworks will receive a milestone payment of $2.0 million for Lilly's submission of an IND application for a bispecific antibody enabled by Zymeworks' proprietary Azymetric(TM) platform. Previously, Zymeworks announced Lilly's nomination of two bispecific immuno-oncology drug candidates for late-stage preclinical development. Under its two licensing and collaboration agreements with Lilly, Zymeworks has granted Lilly worldwide licenses to research, develop and commercialize multiple bispecific therapeutics directed towards Lilly's targets. To date, Zymeworks has received an upfront licensing payment and multiple research milestone payments under these agreements, in addition to historical equity investments made by Lilly in Zymeworks. Zymeworks is also eligible to receive further development and commercial milestone payments and tiered royalties on global product sales.

16:51 EDT Workday sees Q3 subscription revenue $609M-$611M. - Says guidance inclusive of Adaptive Insights contribution. Says Adaptive Insights has been operating under the Workday business segment since its acquisition closed on August 1. Says Q2 revenue outside of the U.S. was up 48%. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

16:45 EDT RealPage CFO Bryan Hill sells over $1.5M in company stock - RealPage CFO Bryan Hill disclosed in a filing that he had sold 25,000 shares of company stock at $61.55 per share on August 30. The total transaction value of the sale was $1,538,750.

16:41 EDT Monster Beverage officer Emelie Tirre sells more than $1M in company stock - Monster Beverage officer Emelie Tirre disclosed in a filing that he had sold 17,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock at an average share price of $60.91 on August 30. The total transaction value of the share sale was 1,035,470.

16:36 EDT Rosehill Resources names Gary C. Hanna interim president, CEO - Rosehill Resources announced that the chairman of the company's board of directors, Gary C. Hanna, has been appointed to also serve as the interim president and CEO of the company and its sole subsidiary, Rosehill Operating Company, LLC, effective immediately and until the search for a new president and CEO is complete. Hanna succeeds J. A. Townsend, the company's prior president and CEO. The company previously announced Townsend's retirement in April 2018.

16:34 EDT Tier REIT completes lease with Fortune 100 company for entirety of Domain 12 - TIER REIT announced it has completed a lease with a Fortune 100 company for the entirety of its Domain 12 development project. Domain 12 is a 320,000 square foot office tower currently under construction within The Domain in Austin, Texas, and is expected to deliver in fourth quarter 2019. Additionally, the Company announced today that it expects to commence construction on Domain 10, a 300,000 square foot office tower, in October 2018. Scott Fordham CEOr, commented, "We are pleased to have such strong tenant demand within The Domain. In addition to fully leasing our Domain 12 development project more than a year in advance of its anticipated completion, we believe we are well positioned to commence development of Domain 10 next month with letters of intent exceeding 350,000 square feet." Mr. Fordham continued, "Looking beyond Domain 10, we are fully designed and entitled at Domain 9, a 330,000 square foot prospective development that can accommodate additional office demand within The Domain." "We are poised to capitalize on these value-creating development opportunities as a result of approximately $130 million in gross proceeds raised in 2018 through the Company's at-the-market equity offering program, and planned property dispositions," added Mr. Fordham.

16:31 EDT Coeur Mining announces commercial production at its new Silvertip operation - Coeur Mining is pleased to announce that it declared commercial production effective September 1, 2018 at its new high-grade Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine located in northern British Columbia. During August, processing rates averaged approximately 450 mtpd, up from approximately 350 mtpd during July and approximately 250 mtpd during June. Processing rates regularly ranged between 500 to 650 mtpd during August and exceeded 800 mtpd late in the month. During the same time, plant availability improved to 80%, up from 75% in July and 65% in June. Through July, the Company has invested a total of $51.3 million in Silvertip, including $29.8 million of capitalized operating expenses, $8.0 million of capitalized resource infill drilling and $2.1 million of expensed resource expansion drilling. Near-term priorities for the Company include the construction of improved camp facilities, acceleration of underground development activity and the introduction of long hole stope mining to selected areas. As of August 31, 2018, Silvertip had 250 employees.

16:22 EDT Tesaro expands to 2nd stage of Jasper trial of Zejula in combo with TSR-042 - TESARO announced it has initiated the second stage of the JASPER study that is designed to assess clinical benefit of ZEJULA in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody in first-line non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, patients. The decision to advance the trial was based on achieving the protocol defined response criteria in the initial cohort of 16 treated patients with high PD-L1 expression, of which 14 were evaluable for a response. Nine of the 14 patients had objective responses by RECIST criteria at the time of the analysis1; with all 14 patients experiencing tumor shrinkage."These JASPER data provide preliminary evidence that the combination of ZEJULA and an anti-PD-1 antibody could be active as a first-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and high levels of PD-L1 expression," said Mary Lynne Hedley, Ph.D., President and COO of TESARO. "In the second stage of the trial, 36 additional patients will be enrolled and treated with ZEJULA in combination with TSR-042, our anti-PD-1 antibody. TSR-042 is the foundation of our lung cancer strategy, and is also being studied as a monotherapy in our GARNET trial in anti-PD-1 naive patients who have progressed on chemotherapy, and in combination with TSR-022, our anti-TIM-3 antibody, in AMBER, a study in late-line NSCLC patients that have progressed after anti-PD-1 therapy. We look forward to sharing lung cancer data from both GARNET and AMBER at the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC, Annual Meeting in November."

16:18 EDT Dominion and Scana merger achieves milestone - The proposed combination of Dominion Energy (D) and SCANA (SCG) has achieved another significant milestone. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC, has approved the indirect transfer of the Operating License for V.C. Summer Unit 1 and of the Combined Licenses, or COLs, for V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3 from SCANA's wholly owned subsidiary, South Carolina Electric & Gas, to Dominion Energy. This constitutes one of several regulatory approvals required by the merger agreement between the two companies.

16:16 EDT Heritage Insurance names Arash Solemani as EVP and head of Investor Relations - Heritage Insurance Holdings announced that Arash Solemani joined the management team at Heritage as an Executive Vice President & Director of Investor Relations. Mr. Solemani was previously a sell-side analyst for 9 years at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a financial services specialist, and its parent company, Stifel. During his tenure at KBW, Arash focused on the P&C insurance industry. He is widely regarded as an insurance industry expert, and is the only analyst that covered all five publicly traded homeowners insurance companies in Florida. Prior to KBW, Mr. Solemani worked in Deloitte's Audit and Enterprise Risk Services division as a CPA.

16:15 EDT Autoliv chairman sells 42,589 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Autoliv chairman Jan Carlson disclosed the sale of 42,589 common shares of the company at a price of $89.53 per share.

16:13 EDT HealthEquity reports HSAs 3.6M as of July 31 - "The total number of HSAs for which we serve as a non-bank custodian as of July 31 was 3.6M, an increase of 23% from 2.9M as of July 31, 2017. Additionally, total Active HSA Members as of July 31, 2018 was 2.9Mn, an increase of 19% from 2.5 million as of July 31, 2017. An Active HSA Member is an HSA Member that (is associated with a Health Plan and Administrator Partner or an Employer Partner, in each case as of the end of the applicable period; or (has held a custodial balance at any point during the previous twelve month period.Total Custodial Assets as of July 31, 2018 was $7B, an increase of 31% year over year, consisting of:Custodial Cash Assets of $5.5B, an increase of 23% compared to July 31, 2017; andCustodial Investment Assets of $1.5B, an increase of 72% compared to July 31, 2017.

16:10 EDT Red Robin COO Carin Stutz leaves role, Guy Constant to succeed - Red Robin announced a change in the company's restaurant operations leadership. Guy Constant, who currently serves as the company's executive VP and CFO, will move to the role of executive VP and COO for Red Robin upon the hiring of a new CFO and transfer of duties, anticipated in early 2019. The company has begun an executive search for a new CFO as part of Constant's transition to operations leadership for Red Robin. Constant will be replacing Carin Stutz, who served as Red Robin's executive VP and COO since April 2016, and is leaving that role effective immediately. Denny Marie Post, Red Robin's president and CEO, will serve as interim COO through the remainder of 2018, as Constant transitions to his new role and while the search for a new CFO is underway.

16:08 EDT Advanced Energy closes LumaSense acquisition - Advanced Energy Industries announced that the acquisition of LumaSense Technologies closed September 1st. Under the terms of the merger agreement, the aggregate consideration was approximately $85M in cash without giving effect to amounts deposited in escrow, the working capital adjustment, related transaction fees & expenses and the repayment of outstanding indebtedness of LumaSense. Revenues for LumaSense in 2017 were approximately $60M. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings on a non-GAAP basis and generate over $10M of annualized revenue and cost synergies by 2020. In addition, for AE's photonic-based product portfolio, combining LumaSense and the Sekidenko product line, the company targets to deliver greater than $100M in annualized revenue and to reach non-GAAP operating margins in the low to mid 20's within the next three years.

16:08 EDT Americold Realty Trust names Carlos Rodriguez COO - Americold Realty Trust has enhanced its leadership team with two executive appointments. Carlos Rodriguez has joined Americold as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Rodriguez will lead and integrate Americold's global operations and various support functions to better position the organization for growth in the future. Rodriguez brings a wealth of distribution and supply chain experience to the company. In his former role as Senior Vice President, Distribution and Global Transportation Services, for Big Lots Stores, he was responsible for North American Retail Distribution centers and a global transportation network supporting 1,425 retail stores representing $5.5B in sales. In addition, David Stuver has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Business Development and Supply Chain Solutions.

16:06 EDT TransEnterix names Eric Smith chief commercial officer - TransEnterix announced that Eric Smith has been named Chief Commercial Officer, effective August 31, 2018. In this newly created role, which will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, Smith will lead the company's global commercialization efforts, with a focus on both strategic and tactical execution efforts in sales, upstream and downstream marketing, field clinical support and training with a focus on adoption and clinical excellence. Most recently, Smith was a Vice President, Franchise Leader Acute Care at KCI Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of wound healing products.

16:04 EDT Sierra Wireless opens new global service center in Atlanta - Sierra Wireless announced the opening of a new global service center in Atlanta, Georgia to support its existing and growing internet of things, or IoT, services customer base. The global service center is located in the Platinum Tower in Atlanta. More than 140 employees will be based at the location, monitoring millions of Sierra Wireless connected devices around the world and providing global customer support. This new service center supports Sierra Wireless' strategic goal of becoming a global IoT service leader and will enable the company to meet the needs of new and existing customers and support its burgeoning partner network. Sierra Wireless has also joined the Technology Association of Georgia as a corporate member and will sponsor the upcoming IoT Converge event.

15:23 EDT NTSB releases preliminary report on Tesla Model S battery fire - The NTSB released a statement saying that on Friday, June 15, 2018, about 5:30 p.m., Pacific daylight time, a 2014 Tesla Model S electric-powered passenger car, occupied by a 44-year-old male driver, was traveling westbound on Santa Monica Boulevard, in West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California. Motorists flagged down the Tesla driver because they saw smoke coming from the vehicle. The driver stopped the Tesla next to the north-side curb in the 7800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard and exited the vehicle. A nearby Los Angeles Police Department patrol car also stopped, and the officers directed traffic around the burning car. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the vehicle fire, dispatching an engine unit from station #8, which is located at 7643 Santa Monica Boulevard. The fire was extinguished, and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed from the scene without incident. The NTSB obtained a video of the event taken by the driver after he exited the vehicle. The NTSB also obtained a video taken by a bystander. A preliminary examination of the driver's video showed smoke coming from the underside of the Tesla after the driver had stopped it at the curb. The bystander video recorded that, a few minutes later, flames were coming from under the Tesla on both the left and right sides, aft of the front wheels and extending under the front doors. The video also showed police and fire department personnel, as well as bystanders walking by the vehicle near the smoke during the incident. Smoke and flames were still coming from the vehicle as the fire engine arrived on the scene about 5:40 p.m. Los Angeles County firefighters wearing self-contained breathing apparatus responded to the fire and applied both water and foam. The flames were quickly extinguished, but smoke continued to come from the vehicle. Firefighters removed portions of the vehicle's left front fender and under-hood trim, severed the high voltage cut loop, and applied additional water and foam under the hood and behind the front wheels. The fire captain estimated that less than 300 gallons of water and foam were applied during the event. While on scene, the firefighters consulted by telephone with Tesla representatives about how best to contain and secure the vehicle. Tesla advised the firefighters of the possibility of re-ignition until the vehicle's battery was completely cooled. The fire captain decided to remove the vehicle from the scene. According to the fire department event log, the responders cleared the scene at 6:28 p.m., by which time the fire operations were complete, and the vehicle was towed from the scene. To investigate the circumstances of the fire, Tesla arranged to take possession of the vehicle from the owner. The vehicle was moved to the Tesla service center in Burbank, California. While at the service center, Tesla conducted an initial safety inspection and removed the battery pack and its cover to drain the remaining electrical charge from the battery. The vehicle was then reassembled and relocated for further inspection. The NTSB was provided with information from the initial inspection and participated in the subsequent inspection. Reference Link

14:22 EDT AirAsia Group Berhad reports 10.2% passive stake in Fly Leasing

13:59 EDT Three Bays Capital reports 5.9% passive stake in Summit Materials

13:32 EDT Seven Stars Cloud Group announces acquisition of Grapevine Logic - Seven Stars Cloud Group announced its acquisition of Grapevine Logic, an end-to-end influencer marketing platform. "Grapevine will play a pivotal role in SSC's consumer asset digitization strategy...By applying blockchain-enabled technologies such as smart contracts and the tokenization of assets to Grapevine's existing ecosystem and existing social media influencer business model, SSC looks to revolutionize the way influencers and celebrities alike, engage with fans, brands and communities on a global scale," Seven Stars said.

12:59 EDT Dollar Tree added to Best Idea Long List at Hedgeye

12:48 EDT Milacron's Gentilcore sells 35,800 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Milacron director James Gentilcore disclosed the sale of 35,800 common shares of the company at a price of $21.0797 per share.

12:34 EDT Interactive Brokers reports August DARTs up 6% y/y - Interactive Brokers Group reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for August. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 741,000 Daily Average Revenue Trades, 6% higher than prior year and 1% lower than prior month. Ending client equity of $141.1B, 25% higher than prior year and 2% higher than prior month. Ending client margin loan balances of $29.1B, 20% higher than prior year and 3% higher than prior month. Ending client credit balances of $48.1B, 3% higher than prior year and 3% higher than prior month. 566,000 client accounts, 26% higher than prior year and 2% higher than prior month. 302 annualized average cleared DARTs per client account. Average commission per cleared client order of $3.77 including exchange, clearing and regulatory fees.

12:27 EDT BioTime closes AgeX share sale transaction with Juvenescence - BioTime earlier today announced that it has closed the previously announced transaction with Juvenescence Limited, a company developing therapeutics focused on improving and extending human lifespans. BioTime sold 14.4M shares of AgeX to Juvenescence for $43.2M. The cash consideration of $21.6M, or 50% of the purchase price, will be paid in two installments. The first installment of $10.8M was received by BioTime at the close of the transaction. The second installment will be paid on November 5, 2018. The remaining 50% of the $43.2M consideration, or $21.6M, has been paid by Juvenescence in the form of a two-year convertible promissory note with an annual interest rate of 7%, payable at maturity, if not converted into Juvenescence common stock sooner. By combining its existing cash and other assets with the total $43.2M nominal value of the Juvenescence transaction, if realized in cash, BioTime believes it "has sufficient capital, at management's currently planned level of expenditures and receipts" based on a monthly cash burn average of approximately $2M to $2.2M, to achieve its upcoming Renevia and OpRegen milestones, which are expected to be completed by 2020. "Critical to the success of any biotech company are programs, people and capital," said Dr. Michael West, CEO of AgeX and Co-CEO of BioTime. "AgeX, aided by this alliance, is now an organization that is strong in all three of these areas, while providing both short and long-term benefits to BioTime." Shares of BioTime are unchanged at $2.75 in midday trading.

12:14 EDT ShiftPixy jumps almost 12% after launch of driver management feature - Earlier today, ShiftPixy introduced a highly efficient and innovative proposition for fast food and fast casual restaurant operators who are trying to avoid the brand damage and high costs from third-party delivery."Third-party delivery has created a wave we call the convenience economy which provides a great source of new revenue for fast food and fast casual restaurant operators," said Scott Absher, ShiftPixy's Co-Founder and CEO. "However, many operators are now concerned that the complaints of food quality, late arrival, damage or wrong orders are harming their brand and the overall customer experience. Today we are launching our driver management feature as our first step to enable our restaurant operator clients to self-deliver and preserve their brand, customer experience, customer data and the 30 percent in fees they give to traditional third-party platforms." The new driver management layer for operators in the ShiftPixy ecosystem will now allow ShiftPixy clients to use their own team members to self-deliver a brand intended customer experience. ShiftPixy has taken the compliance, management and insurance issues related to the support of a delivery option and created a turnkey self-delivery opportunity. Shares of ShiftPixy are up around 12% to $3.75 in early afternoon trading.

12:04 EDT Triple-S selects Abarca as PBM for commercial and Medicare businesses - Triple-S Management announced that its managed care subsidiary, Triple-S Salud, on its behalf and on behalf of its Medicare Advantage subsidiary, Triple-S Advantage has entered into a three-year agreement with Abarca Health, a leading pharmacy benefits manager, PBM, in Puerto Rico, to consolidate the management of its prescription drug benefit programs for its Commercial and Medicare business lines. The agreement with Abarca is effective January 1, 2019. Abarca currently serves as Triple-S's Medicare Advantage PBM. The current collaboration between Triple-S and Abarca has been essential to achieving a five-star rating in the Part D component of Triple-S's HMO product each of the past two years, and contributing to the HMO product's overall four-star rating.

12:00 EDT Banco Macro falls -13.5% - Banco Macro is down -13.5%, or -$5.91 to $37.73.

12:00 EDT Sunlands Online rises 8.2% - Sunlands Online is up 8.2%, or 52c to $6.90.

12:00 EDT R.R. Donnelley rises 10.1% - R.R. Donnelley is up 10.1%, or 51c to $5.57.

11:47 EDT Peter Solomon director at Monro sells 5K shares of company stock - Peter Solomon, a director at Monro, disclosed in a filing that he had sold 5,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $70.48 per share on August 30. The total transaction value of the share sale was $352,400.

11:44 EDT Amazon.com crosses $1T market cap level for first time - Amazon shares crossed above the level that would give the company a $1T market cap for the first time in late morning trading, though the stock has pulled back to have a market cap just below that round-number level.

11:24 EDT Trump: 'NBC Fake News...making excuses for probably highly unethical conduct' - President Donald Trump tweeted: "NBC FAKE NEWS, which is under intense scrutiny over their killing the Harvey Weinstein story, is now fumbling around making excuses for their probably highly unethical conduct. I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?" Reference Link

11:16 EDT Schlumberger CEO: Industry set for multiyear global growth cycle - Schlumberger Chairman and CEO Paal Kibsgaard addressed the CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York City, saying that "While opinions differ on many topics, I think we can all agree on one point -- that the past four years have not been kind to the oilfield services industry. After absorbing the abrupt impact of the most devastating global downturn on record and navigating the commercial aftermath of the nearly 50% drop in global E&P investments, our industry is now facing investor concerns related to global economic growth and the potential impact this could have on oil demand going forward. These concerns are at present overshadowing the fact that global oil inventories continue to drop; production challenges in the global supply base are accelerating; Brent oil prices are holding firm, well above $70 per barrel; and the international recovery is now starting. We continue to believe that our industry is set for a multi-year global growth cycle and we are excited about the opportunities this presents to Schlumberger." Kibsgaard also commented that "We will deliver 65% incremental margins during the coming global growth cycle... Our SPM business will, at least, be cash flow neutral in 2018 and 2019, after which, we will see a significant free cash flow tailwind, as our recent project additions reach their planned production rates. At the same time, the capex requirements for our seismic business, after adopting the asset light model, will be limited to specific multi-client projects, where we continue to request a significant level of customer pre-commitments. At this stage, we are not planning any major transactions that would involve significant cash outlays, other than the pending Eurasia Drilling transaction, where we now have met and accepted all the requirements stipulated by the Russian regulatory authorities and await their final decision. Based on all of this, we should meet or exceed our stated goal of converting more than 75% of our net income into free cash flow."

11:04 EDT Baidu Cloud collaborates with Intel AI to advance financial services, shipping - Baidu (BIDU) and Intel (INTC) outlined new artificial intelligence collaborations showcasing applications ranging from financial services and shipping to video content detection. Specifically, Baidu Cloud is leveraging Intel Xeon Scalable processors and the Intel Math Kernel Library-Deep Neural Network as part of a new financial services solution for leading China banks; the Intel OpenVINO toolkit in new AI edge distribution and video solutions; and Intel Optane technology and Intel QLC NAND SSD technology for enhanced object storage.

11:00 EDT Trump questions if NBC license should be looked at amid 'excuses' for conduct - President Donald Trump just tweeted: "NBC FAKE NEWS, which is under intense scrutiny over their killing the Harvey Weinstein story, is now fumbling around making excuses for their probably highly unethical conduct. I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?" NBC is a unit of Comcast. Reference Link

10:54 EDT Street Fight: Analysts split on Integrated Device after takeover interest report - Needham analyst N. Quinn Bolton downgraded Integrated Device (IDTI) to Hold, citing the stock's 12% rise after Nikkei reported that Renesas Electronics (RNECY) is mulling the purchase of the U.S. chip maker. Meanwhile, both Piper Jaffray analyst Harsh Kumar and Craig-Hallum analyst Anthony Stoss raised their price targets on the shares as they believe there is still upside on the table from current share levels. RENESAS CONSIDERING BUYING INTEGRATED DEVICE: Japanese automotive chip maker Renesas Electronics is mulling the purchase of U.S. chip maker Integrated Device Technology, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The potential acquisition comes as Renesas is bolstering its business in chips for self-driving cars and the deal could be worth as much as $6B, making it one of the largest acquisitions by a Japanese chip maker, the report added. MOVING TO SIDELINES ON VALUATION: In a research note this morning, Needham's Bolton downgraded Integrated Device to Hold from Buy, saying the 12% rise following the Nikkei speculation of a $6B acquisition by Renesas has taken its valuation to levels that reflect the M&A premium. The analyst acknowledged that he believes such a transaction makes strategic sense and fairly values the shares. Further, Bolton does not anticipate issues with a CFIUS review and sees a low likelihood of other bidders. However, the analyst pointed out that if the parties fail to reach an agreement or CFIUS blocks the transaction, Integrated Device's shares would fall. STILL UPSIDE FROM CURRENT LEVELS: Reiterating an Overweight rating on Integrated Device shares, Piper Jaffray's Kumar raised his price target on the stock to $51 from $37.50 after hosting investor meetings with management and following Nikkei's report that Renesas was looking to buy the company. The analyst believes the company can continue to grow above the high end of its 8%-10% range and sees Integrated Device as having a significant competitive advantage in several of its segments, with over 60% of the compute market. Moreover, Kumar noted that the company is not seeing any macro headwinds, and lead times and capacity remain stable. Regarding the reported interest by Renesas, the analyst told investors that the company deserves more than a 17% premium as it is doing "extremely well" on its own and could easily get to a $6B market cap in the next 1-2 years organically. An appropriate premium should be at least 35%-45% based on Integrated Device's business outlook and other recent transaction multiples in the semiconductor landscape, he contended. Meanwhile, Craig-Hallum's Stoss also raised his price target for Integrated Device to $48 from $41 after Renesas confirmed it is looking into buying the company. The analyst told investors in a research note of his own that the rumors around the deal suggest there is still upside on the table from current share levels. Stoss has long believed Integrated Device was a solid takeout candidate given the company's world class operating model and positioning in attractive end markets, and thinks Renesas has the appropriate balance sheet and free cash flow characteristics to get a deal done. Importantly, the analyst argued that there are multiple players that would also make bids to acquire Integrated Device given the attractive value it brings to multiple different companies. He reiterated a Buy rating on Integrated Device shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Integrated Device have gained about 0.5% to $42.67.

10:26 EDT Facebook says Menlo Park to be headquarters for 'foreseeable future' - John Tenanes, VP Global Facilities and Real Estate at Facebook, says in a blog post: "As Facebook grows its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, we strive to create a unique workplace and be a good neighbor. Today we're sharing details about our latest completed project, a new building we call MPK 21. Designed by Frank Gehry and built in less than 18 months, MPK 21 is a highly sustainable building with a 3.6-acre rooftop garden featuring over 200 trees and a half-mile meandering pathway. We also brought the outdoors into the office space: The Town Square is a sheltered green space with 40-foot-tall redwood trees, and The Bowl is an amphitheater-style courtyard that connects MPK 21 with another Gehry-designed building, MPK 20. Inside is an open workspace designed to foster collaboration between teams, as well as quiet areas for focused work. A single pathway runs the length of the building. Along this path are five unique dining options, 15 art installations commissioned through our Artist in Residence Program, and a 2,000-person event and meeting space with state-of-the-art A/V technology... As we add offices in other cities in the Bay Area, we remain invested in Menlo Park, which will be our headquarters for the foreseeable future." Reference Link

10:17 EDT Ericsson to acquire CENX - Ericsson has agreed to acquire 100% of the shares in CENX, boosting Ericsson's Operations Support Systems portfolio with vendor-agnostic service assurance and closed-loop automation capability. Ericsson has held a minority stake in CENX since 2012. CENX, founded in 2009, is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. The company achieved significant year-over-year revenue growth in FY17. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

10:04 EDT NextDecade announces retirement of COO Rene van Vliet - NextDecade announced earlier that the company's COO, Rene van Vliet, will retire as an officer and director of the company effective October 1, 2018. Mr. van Vliet will remain as an advisor to company until the end of 2018. NextDecade has initiated a global search for a new COO and intends to conclude this process prior to year-end.

10:00 EDT Nissan reports August U.S. sales up 3.7% to 112,376 vehicles - Nissan Group announced total U.S. sales for August 2018 of 112,376 units, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. Combined sales of Nissan crossovers, trucks and SUVs set an August record, up 22%. Nissan Rogue sales set an August record with 33,400 units sold, up 12%. Murano crossover sales increased 97% to 9,619.

09:47 EDT WPP falls -7.2% - WPP is down -7.2%, or -$5.95 to $76.85.

09:47 EDT Southwestern Energy rises 4.1% - Southwestern Energy is up 4.1%, or 23c to $5.85.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN rises 7.2% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is up 7.2%, or $1.54 to $23.01.

09:38 EDT Macau casino operators in red despite continuing run of monthly gaming gains - Casino companies operating in Macau are in focus in morning trading after Macau's gaming bureau said casino revenue in the Chinese territory jumped over 17% in August compared to the same month of last year. August marks the 25th consecutive month of gains. Publicly traded companies in the Macau gaming space include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Melco Resorts (MLCO). GAMING DATA: Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said gross revenue from games of fortune in the region rose 17.1% year-over year to 26.56B patacas, compared to 22.68B patacas in the year-ago period and the 15% increase analysts were expecting. The Macau market's GGR for the first eight months of 2018 was up 17.5% y/y, according to the official data. According to advisory firm Union Gaming, "Two big typhoons within one week of each other [in August 2017], made for a very favorable calendar this August and hence nice year-on-year growth: the reality is that the absolute level of GGR this August was the highest of the entire year, and only second to February -- benefiting from Chinese New Year -- on a GGR per day basis." ANALYST COMMENTARY: Stifel analyst Steven Wieczynski told investors in a research note that Macau's August performance was better than the "whisper expectations that were out there floating around," and he views the August GGR result as "somewhat of a relief" given the fact that Macau GGR had "missed" the last two months versus consensus expectations. Investors might have to start to rethink their bearish views toward the Macau names, the analyst added, as August's results should remove some of the fears around the mass and premium mass sides of the market. He believes the market can grow 12%-15% in September given the "easier" 16% y/y comparison coupled with the Mid-Autumn Festival that occurs in September this year versus October last year. In a research note of his own, Bernstein analyst Vitaly Umansky said he continues to "voice caution" about the strength and volatility surrounding VIP and that the weight of the overall GGR number "needs to be taken with a bit of skepticism" as weekly channel checks have "proven to be less than accurate and volatile." Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli thinks sentiment towards Macau is likely to begin to improve heading into the end of the year given August's "solid" results, but acknowledged lingering macro and trade war concerns. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Las Vegas Sands was fractionally lower, while MGM slid 1.25%, Wynn Resorts fell about 0.5% and Melco Resorts shares trading in New York declined 0.6%.

09:31 EDT Staples urges Essendant shareholders to vote against S.P. Richards merger - Staples announced that it has filed a preliminary proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to urge the shareholders of Essendant to vote AGAINST the proposed merger with S.P. Richards, a subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company, and has filed an Investor Presentation with the SEC. Staples believes the SPR merger is inferior and presents significant antitrust risks that could delay or prevent the transaction from closing. In support of its campaign, Staples has filed with the SEC an investor presentation in connection with its opposition to the proposed SPR merger, outlining the risks to Essendant shareholders.Staples also has sent the following letter to Essendant: "As conveyed to your legal counsel, we will be separately sending to your legal counsel a merger agreement we are prepared to execute. Consistent with our prior proposal, you will see that our transaction would not be subject to a financing condition. In addition, while we do not believe there would be any regulatory impediments to promptly closing our transaction, we have included a regulatory break-up fee of $20M - that is at the higher end of precedents and shows our confidence in obtaining regulatory clearance. Your proposed merger with S.P. Richards has very significant regulatory uncertainty and risk, given that it is a horizontal merger to what would appear to be a monopoly. Moreover, there is no apparent remedy that could be undertaken that would allow for the transaction to close. Your agreement for the S.P. Richards merger does not provide you with any protection if it is blocked, and your own disclosures make it clear that you will not even know whether you can obtain regulatory approval until the end of the year. We believe that if your proposed transaction is blocked, Essendant's stock could fall to below $5 a share - we would then be in a position to acquire Essendant for well below $11.50 a share...We believe that our $11.50 offer already is far superior to your highly uncertain proposed merger, and would note that none of the information you have shared with us has changed our view on value. Nevertheless, in order to come to a negotiated transaction, we continue to be prepared to engage to see if we can reach agreement through a potential increase in price. However, in that context, it is important to recognize that the current trading prices for your stock are based on takeover speculation and unrealistic price expectations."

09:25 EDT Churchill Downs announced completion of 50% ownership of Ocean Downs - Churchill Downs announced that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of the remaining 50% ownership of the Casino at Ocean Downs and Ocean Downs Racetrack located in Berlin, Maryland owned by Saratoga Casino Holdings in exchange for CDI's 25% equity interest in SCH. SCH is the parent company of Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York and Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Black Hawk, Colorado. SHRI has agreed to grant CDI and its affiliates exclusive rights to operate internet real-money sports betting and real-money iGaming on behalf of SHRI in New York and Colorado for a period of fifteen years from the date of the liquidation agreement should such states permit SHRI to engage in sports betting and iGaming, subject to payment of commercially reasonable royalties to SHRI.

09:24 EDT Ford reports August U.S. sales up 4.1% to 218,504 vehicles - Ford Motor Company's August U.S. sales totaled 218,504 vehicles - an increase of 4.1 percent overall and 1.1 percent at retail Fleet sales of 52,710 vehicles climbed 15.0 percent, with commercial fleet turning in a strong 20 percent gain "F-Series completed 16 straight months of sales gains, while Ford Brand SUVs were up 21 percent in August. With greater production output and stronger stock positions, our two newest products had a terrific August. Sales of our all-new Expedition were up a strong 95 percent. Right now, the hottest vehicle in America is our all-new Lincoln Navigator, which saw sales expand by more than 100 percent in August." - Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

09:22 EDT Ford reports August U.S. sales up 4.1% to 218,504 vehicles

09:21 EDT Cheetah Mobile has 'no intention to engage' in going-private transaction - Cheetah Mobile announced the company has been made aware of a rumor in the market that the management of the company is contemplating a going-private transaction to take the company private. The company wishes to dispel this rumor and confirm that the board of directors and management team of the company have no intention to engage in such transaction. The company is fully committed to its public shareholders and intend to continue to operate the company as a public company.

09:20 EDT ProAssurance, Sure Med Compliance announce program to help combat opioid crisis - ProAssurance Corporation announced an exclusive affiliation with Sure Med Compliance to promote the use of SMC's Care Continuity Program in an effort to help combat the opioid epidemic in the United States. The CCP helps physicians and other healthcare providers develop and maintain responsible prescribing practices for opioids and other scheduled medications by equipping them with tools to verify which patients are suitable for opioid therapy, identify those who have significant risk factors, and closely monitor the effects of treatment over time. Through this affiliation, ProAssurance insureds who meet certain eligibility requirements will have access to an exclusive thirty day free trial of the CCP. ProAssurance insureds who elect to continue using the Care Continuity Program will be able to do so at exclusively discounted rates.

09:19 EDT KEYW awarded $5M in research, development and design work - The KeyW Holding Corporation announced short-term research, development and design-related contracts totaling approximately $5M, the vast majority of which will be completed in 2018, and are expected to serve as precursors to follow-on programs that will deliver in 2019 and beyond. "These recent awards highlight KeyW's ability to develop affordable and timely sensing solutions that address enduring mission requirements," said Kirk Herdman, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. The awards will be booked to backlog in the third quarter of 2018."

09:18 EDT HubSpot's platform ecosystem exceeds 200 participating partners - HubSpot announced that the HubSpot Connect platform partner program has grown to now include more than 200 integrations. In the last year, HubSpot Connect has seen 108% growth in the number of total Connect partners. There are over 6,000 software vendors building tools for marketing, sales, and service teams. At the same time, the growth rate of SaaS spending per company is projected to increase by 118% from 2017 to 2020, according to Blissfully. Businesses continue to look for the right mix of applications for their industry, size, and needs among the thousands of capabilities, use cases, and choices for companies building their technology stack. As a platform company, HubSpot embraces the power of these tools to complement or extend the functionality of HubSpot's core product offerings. Through the Connect Program, the company helps customers find and use high-quality, good-fit solutions that are right for their business by certifying and curating applications within the HubSpot ecosystem.

09:17 EDT BlackLine names Andres Botero CMO - BlackLine announced that B2B cloud software marketing veteran Andres Botero has joined the financial automation software company as chief marketing officer. As CMO, Mr. Botero will be responsible for driving BlackLine's global marketing strategy as the company seeks to capitalize on the growing worldwide demand for solutions that drive greater efficiency, financial governance and risk management across the spectrum of accounting and financial operations. Botero will report to COO Marc Huffman. He most recently served as senior vice president, Alliances, Channels and chief marketing officer at CallidusCloud.

09:15 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Recro Pharma (REPH), up 25% after providing a regulatory update from a July Type A meeting with the FDA relating to a path forward for intravenous meloxicam... MannKind (MNKD), up 47% after announcing an exclusive licensing and collaboration agreement with United Therapeutics (UTHR)... PG&E (PCG), up 5% after BofA Merrill Lynch upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $56 from $48. Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith said the passage of SB 901 by the California legislature substantially de-risks liabilities from the 2017 wildfires... Southwestern Energy (SWN), up 3% after agreeing to sell Fayetteville Shale E&P for $1.87B.. Ocean Rig (ORIG), up 16% after announcing Transocean (RIG) will acquire the company in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $2.7B... . UP AFTER EARNINGS: Conn's (CONN), up 6%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: WPP (WPP), down 7%. ALSO LOWER: Transocean, down 1% after announcing it will acquire Ocean Rig... Signet Jewlers (SIG), down 4% after Citi analyst Paul Lejuez downgraded the stock to Sell from Neutral. While the company's Q2 sales were better than expected with overall comps of up 1.7%, the underlying fundamentals do not suggest that business is healthy, Lejuez tells investors in a research note... Seagate (STX), down 4% after Evercore ISI analyst C.J. Muse downgraded it to Underperform based on peaking margins and HDD secular headwinds... Macy's(M), down 2% after Goldman Sachs analyst Alexandra Walvis initiated coverage of the stock with a Sell rating and $33 price target.

09:13 EDT Cyberoptics receives $2.75M of orders for MX600 systems - CyberOptics announced that it has received orders valued at approximately $2.75M for MX600 memory module inspection systems. The orders were received from the same customer who previously purchased the MX600. Based on current material lead times, the company presently anticipates that revenue from these orders will be recognized in the first half of 2019. The company will provide updates regarding the potential timing of revenue recognition as the year progresses.

09:13 EDT Whiting Petroleum appoints Tim Sulser as Chief Corporate Development Officer - Whiting Petroleum announced that Tim Sulser has been named Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer, effective September 4. Sulser previously served as CEO of Salt Creek Oil and Gas, and Director of Investment Banking for Tudor Pickering & Holt. In his role as Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer, Sulser will be responsible for Corporate Planning, Business Development, Acquisitions and Divestitures, and Exploration.

09:11 EDT Charter launches Spectrum Mobile - Charter Communications announced the full market launch of Spectrum Mobile for new and existing Spectrum Internet subscribers across its footprint. The Company completed a successful soft launch earlier this summer. Designed to provide customers the highest quality experience and save them money, Spectrum Mobile is built on America's largest, most reliable LTE cellular network and is combined with a nationwide network of Spectrum WiFi hotspots. Spectrum Mobile is a smarter network, designed for the way mobile devices are used today, and the way they will be used tomorrow. Customers have the freedom to choose from Unlimited data, priced at $45/month starting with the first line, or By the Gig for $14/Gig, shared across all lines.

09:10 EDT Entravision announces new morning show 'El y Ella' - Entravision Communications Corporation announced that starting on Tuesday, September 4th, it will begin airing "El y Ella" on WNUE-FM, 98.1 Salsa y Mas every weekday from 6am to 10am ET and will be hosted by Arnaldo Olivieri "JR al Aire" and Jessica Reyes. Mr. Olivieri and Ms. Reyes were happily married for 14 years and after being divorced for the last 5 years, they are "back together" and will be sharing their "uncoupled conversations" on "El y Ella."

09:09 EDT Condor Hospitality Trust announces sale of non-core legacy hotel - Condor Hospitality Trust announced the closing on the sale of a legacy hotel asset, the 121-room Super 8 in Creston, Iowa for $5.1M. Net proceeds from the sale will be applied to outstanding debt on the company's $150M secured credit facility.

09:08 EDT Ebix acquires Miles Software for approximately $19M - Ebix announced that one of its Indian subsidiaries has signed the agreement to acquire Mumbai based Miles Software for an amount of approximately $19M, with an additional contingent earn out of up to $8.5M payable after 2 years.

09:07 EDT Diana Shipping announces continuation of time charter contract for m/v Medusa - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Cargill International S.A., Geneva, for one of its Kamsarmax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Medusa. The gross charter rate is $14,000 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum thirteen months to maximum fifteen months. The new charter period commenced yesterday. The m/v Medusa was chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of $10,000 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties. The "Medusa" is a 82,194 dwt Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel built in 2010. This employment is anticipated to generate approximately $5.46 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

09:05 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Wheatman Insurance Services, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Woodland Hills, California-based Wheatman Insurance Services LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1989, Wheatman Insurance is a retail property/casualty insurance broker and employee benefits consultant and broker. It offers a full range of personal lines and financial services to families and individuals, as well as commercial property/casualty and employee benefits coverages to businesses, across the state of California. Mark G. Wheatman and his team will be relocating to Gallagher's Woodland Hills office under the direction of Scott Firestone, head of Gallagher's Southwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operations, and Norbert Chung, head of Gallagher's Western region employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations.

09:03 EDT Toyota Motor North America reports August sales down 2% to 223,055 units - Toyota Motor North America reported August 2018 sales of 223,055 units. With the same number of selling days in August 2018 compared to August 2017, sales were down 2% on a daily selling rate and volume basis. Toyota division posted August 2018 sales of 194,433 units, down 1.2% on a DSR and volume basis. Lexus posted August sales of 28,622 units, down 7.1% on a DSR and volume basis.

09:02 EDT EyeGate: EGP-437 did not show non-inferiority to control group in Phase 3 study - EyeGate Pharmaceuticals announced top-line results from its Phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of EGP-437 delivered through the EyeGate II Drug Delivery System in patients with non-infectious anterior segment uveitis. Although EGP-437 showed clinical efficacy, defined as a reduction in anterior chamber cell score throughout the study, it did not demonstrate non-inferiority to the prednisolone acetate ophthalmic solution control group. This was measured as the proportion of subjects with an anterior cell count of zero at Day 14. EyeGate will continue to review the data and will be assessing its strategic options for EGP-437 going forward. Stephen From, President and CEO of EyeGate, said, "Although we are disappointed with the results of the Uveitis study we continue to review the data and assess the path forward for EGP-437. This also represents an opportunity to shift our focus toward the key clinical trials that support our innovative Ocular Bandage Gel product, which has the potential to benefit patients with corneal surface damage. We are actively enrolling for the PRK and PE studies, both of which are on track for announcement of top-line data in the fourth quarter of 2018. We continue to consider all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value."

08:50 EDT EyeGate trading resumes

08:47 EDT Neogen acquires Livestock Genetic Services, terms not disclosed - Neogen Corporation announced that it has acquired the assets of Livestock Genetic Services, a Virginia-based company that specializes in genetic evaluations and data management for cattle breeding organizations. The acquisition of Livestock Genetic Services enhances Neogen's in-house genetic evaluation capabilities, and complements the company's unparalleled global network of animal genomics laboratories. LGS has been a long-time strategic partner of Neogen's genomics business. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

08:39 EDT Zogenix announces published data from ZX008 study - Zogenix announced that detailed results of the Phase 2, open-label study evaluating its investigational drug, ZX008, for the treatment of refractory patients with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, or LGS, were published in the September issue of Epilepsia. Consistent with the previously-reported data from this study, the results demonstrated that ZX008 provided sustained, clinically meaningful seizure reduction in the majority of patients and was generally well-tolerated. The single-center, Phase 2, open-label dose-finding trial was a 20-week core study and a long-term extension option for those patients who were responders in the core study. Results presented in the paper included up to 15 months of treatment for patients in the long-term extension. Patients initiated treatment of ZX008 twice-daily. Patients who were responders remained at their effective dose, while non-responders were considered for a dose increase. Patients enrolled in the study had refractory LGS and a baseline median seizure frequency of 61 per month with multiple seizure types. Patients failed a median of five anti-epileptic treatments, including vagus nerve stimulation and ketogenic diet. Patients achieved a 53% median reduction in convulsive seizure frequency during the 20-week treatment period of the core study. A reduction in convulsive seizure frequency of at least 50% was seen in 62% of patients, with a reduction of at least 75% being reported in 23% of patients. The median dose of ZX008 was 0.4 mg/kg/day.

08:32 EDT U.S. Physical Therapy acquires interest in physical therapy practice - U.S. Physical Therapy announced that it has acquired a majority interest in a four clinic physical therapy practice. The practice produced $4.3M in revenue in 2017. U.S. Physical Therapy acquired a 70% interest for $7.7M. The remaining 30% partnership stake is being retained by existing management.

08:29 EDT EyeGate trading halted, news pending

08:27 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded automated test equipment contract - The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a seven-year contract worth up to more than $500M to build and deliver more than 200+ electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems to maximize aircraft readiness. The previous Navy CASS contract awarded in 2000 to Lockheed Martin was worth $287M. Lockheed Martin technicians build and test eCASS stations, which troubleshoot and repair avionics for Navy aircraft, at a facility in Orlando, Florida. According to Navy Naval Air Systems Command, eCASS saves the Navy money by averting the repair of avionics at the next level of maintenance or sending the parts back to the original equipment manufacturer. Sailors use eCASS to troubleshoot and repair aircraft electronics ashore and at sea, allowing them to return aircraft such as the F/A-18 and E-2D to operational status quickly and efficiently.

08:21 EDT Equity Residential announces retirement of CEO David Neithercut - Equity Residential announced key executive management changes as part of its succession planning program. David Neithercut, the company's president and CEO since 2006, will retire as CEO on December 31, 2018, at which time Mark Parrell will be appointed CEO and join the Company's Board of Trustees. Neithercut will remain a member of the Board following his retirement. Parrell has been appointed president effective today. He has served as the company's EVP and CFO since 2007. Robert Garechana has been appointed EVP and CFO effective today. Garechana currently serves as SVP and treasurer of the company, has served as Treasurer since 2008, and held various other finance roles since joining the company in 2004.

08:19 EDT Sanofi says EU grants marketing authorization for Cablivi in aTTP - Sanofi said yesterday that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Cablivi for the treatment of adults experiencing an episode of acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare blood-clotting disorder. Cablivi is the first therapeutic specifically indicated for the treatment of aTTP. Cablivi was developed by Ablynx, a Sanofi company. Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi, will work with relevant local authorities to make Cablivi available to patients in need in countries across Europe. The approval of Cablivi in the EU is based on the Phase II TITAN and Phase III HERCULES studies in 220 adult patients with aTTP. The efficacy and safety of caplacizumab in addition to standard-of-care treatment, daily PEX and immunosuppression, were demonstrated in these studies. In the HERCULES study, treatment with caplacizumab in addition to standard-of-care resulted in a significantly shorter time to platelet count response, the study's primary endpoint; a significant reduction in aTTP-related death, recurrence of aTTP, or at least one major thromboembolic event during study drug treatment; and a significantly lower number of aTTP recurrences in the overall study period. Importantly, treatment with caplacizumab resulted in a clinically meaningful reduction in the use of PEX and length of stay in the intensive care unit and the hospital, compared to the placebo group. Additionally, the U.S. FDA has accepted for priority review the Biologics License Application for caplacizumab for treatment of patients 18 years of age and older experiencing an episode of aTTP. The target action date for the FDA decision is February 6, 2019.

08:17 EDT Scientific Games appoints James Sottile as EVP and Chief Legal Officer - Scientific Games announced that James Sottile will join the company as Executive Vice President, or EVP, and Chief Legal Officer for the Company, effective September 4th. Sottile will oversee Scientific Games' global legal organization and report to Scientific Games President and CEO Barry Cottle. Sottile joins Scientific Games from Jones Day, where he was a partner in its New York office. He has extensive experience successfully litigating complex commercial matters, negotiating positive solutions with regulators and developing legal strategies to solve critical business issues. Sottile has been named a notable practitioner by Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2005 and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 2011.

08:14 EDT Super C Group agrees to acquire 65 Michigan-based salons from Regis - The Super C Group has entered into an agreement to acquire 65 Michigan-based salons from Regis Corporation. Vision Growth Partners, a lower end, middle-market private equity company, and the managing partner of Super C Group, is led by Michael Sarafa. The group specializes in the acquisition of service-oriented retail businesses. The acquisitions, along with several planned new store openings, is expected to bring the total number of franchised Supercuts locations in Michigan to 85, which includes other franchisees. These acquisitions will make the Super C Group the largest Supercuts franchisee in the Midwest. The salons being acquired are currently branded as BoRics, Hair Master or Fiesta Salons. All the stores will be remodeled and converted into the Supercuts brand. The agreement also includes 13 existing Supercuts corporate stores. Regis Corporation has launched a national marketing push for their Supercuts brand, which includes a multi-year sponsorship with Major League Baseball. In addition to the salons that are being acquired and converted to Supercuts, The Super C Group also will open 10 new organic locations, also in Michigan, over the next several years. Super C Group intends to retain all of the approximately 400 store employees. Adrian Shayota, a member of the Super C Group, has been named as Director of Operations. Lisa Dennison, the current Regional Manager for Regis' Michigan stores, will join the Super C Group in September. The store acquisitions will take place in small groups and will be completed by the spring of 2019.

08:12 EDT Nevada State Parks Department selects Viasat for connectivity - Viasat announced the Nevada State Parks Department will tap into Viasat's satellite-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot platform, to provide a rich connectivity experience at its parks statewide. In January 2017, during his State of the State address, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval unveiled the Explore Your Nevada initiative. This program highlighted the expansion and creation of new Nevada State Park locations, as well as a number of new park amenities-including Wi-Fi enabled parks and campgrounds-to stay competitive and relevant in the outdoor recreation market. Viasat brings decades of experience supporting outdoor connectivity networks nationwide. The Company currently provides global communications and connectivity services to federal, state and local governments; militaries; small businesses; multinational corporations; airlines; and consumers, among other markets.

08:10 EDT Catalyst Biosciences announces publication of MarzAA Phase 1 data - Catalyst Biosciences announced the peer-reviewed publication of previously reported data from the Phase 1 trial of marzeptacog alfa in individuals with hemophilia A or B with or without inhibitors in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.The paper, entitled: "Phase 1, single-dose escalating study of marzeptacog alfa, a recombinant factor VIIa variant, in patients with severe hemophilia," details the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single ascending intravenous bolus doses of MarzAA. Subjects in the international Phase 1 open-label study were assigned to single dose MarzAA cohorts. MarzAA showed linear dose-response PK across the 4.5-30 mug/kg dose range, with a terminal half-life of 3.5 hours. Dose-dependent shortening of activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time, and an increase in peak thrombin, determined with a thrombin generation assay, was also observed. MarzAA was well tolerated at all dose levels and was not associated with dose-limiting toxicity. No treatment-emergent severe or serious adverse events occurred."MarzAA showed favorable pharmacological data in this first-in-human study and no potential safety concerns were identified. Together, these results supported further examination of MarzAA for the treatment of hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, particularly via subcutaneous administration," said Ralph Gruppo, M.D., lead study author.

08:09 EDT NextDecade and McDermott agree not to execute EPC contract for RGNLNG - NextDecade (NEXT) announced a status update regarding engineering, procurement, and construction, or EPC, services for its Rio Grande LNG, or RGNLNG, project in South Texas. As previously disclosed, NextDecade and McDermott International (MDR) planned to sign a lump-sum turnkey EPC contract for the construction of RGLNG by the end of Q2. NextDecade and McDermott have agreed not to execute an EPC contract for the construction of RGLNG. NextDecade and McDermott believe McDermott will have to secure a joint venture partner in order to successfully execute and financially guarantee an LNG project of RGLNG's size and scope.

08:08 EDT WhiteHorse Finance comments on recent block trade transaction - WhiteHorse Finance issued the following statement regarding a recent block trade transaction by funds affiliated with H.I.G. Capital: "On August 29, 2018, the Bayside Funds agreed to sell in a block trade an aggregate of 972,622 shares of common stock at a price of $13.88 per share to a large institutional investor. WhiteHorse Finance expects the Bayside Funds, who collectively have held a majority position in WhiteHorse Finance since its IPO in 2012, to gradually reduce their ownership positions in the Company. Following the block trade, those positions comprise 52.5 percent of all shares outstanding in the Company. Due to their control of the general partner of each of the Bayside Funds, Sami Mnaymneh and Anthony Tamer may each be deemed to be beneficial owners of common stock in WhiteHorse Finance. Messrs. Mnaymneh and Tamer disclaim beneficial ownership of shares of common stock held by the Bayside Funds, and have not sold WHF common stock personally owned."

08:07 EDT Soleno Therapeutics reports issuance of new U.S. patent for DCCR - Soleno Therapeutics announced the issuance of a new patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office related to the use of pharmaceutical formulations of diazoxide and diazoxide choline to increase lean body mass and the lean body mass/fat mass ratio in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome. PWS is a rare and complex genetic neurobehavioral and metabolic disorder affecting appetite, body composition, growth, metabolism, cognitive function, and behavior. Enrollment in Soleno's Phase III clinical trial for DCCR in PWS has commenced at multiple sites in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated the investigation of DCCR for the treatment of PWS a Fast Track development program. In addition, Diazoxide choline has received orphan drug designations in the U.S. and E.U.

08:07 EDT NextDecade announces retirement date of COO Rene van Vliet - NextDecade announced that the company's Chief Operating Officer, Rene van Vliet, will retire as an officer and director of the company effective October 1. Van Vliet will remain as an advisor to company until the end of 2018. Van Vliet has helped position NextDecade to be one of the leading second wave U.S. LNG companies by overseeing the front-end engineering and design of the company's Rio Grande LNG project and by helping implement the competitive EPC process NextDecade announced today, which will lead to a lump-sum turnkey EPC contract. NextDecade has initiated a global search for a new COO and intends to conclude this process prior to year-end. In addition, NextDecade announced that Ivan van der Walt has joined the company as Project Manager, Rio Grande LNG. Effective on October 1 and until a new COO is appointed, van der Walt will report directly to Schatzman.

08:05 EDT NextDecade receives FERC scheduling notice for Rio Grande LNG - NextDecade announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, has issued a notice of schedule for environmental review of NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG project in South Texas, as well as the associated Rio Bravo Pipeline to originate in the Agua Dulce area. According to the notice, FERC will issue its final Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, on April 26, 2019, based on issuance of a draft EIS in October 2018. FERC has established a 90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline on July 25, 2019. Assuming a favorable FERC order, NextDecade anticipates a final investment decision on the project in Q3 of FY19.

08:05 EDT Imax enters partnership with DTS - IMAX (IMAX) and DTS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi (XPER), announced a new partnership for the next-generation of home entertainment with the launch of the IMAX(R) Enhanced program. The new certification and licensing program combines the highest-end consumer electronics products with IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content and DTS audio technologies to offer consumers a new level of quality in immersive sight and sound experiences for the home. IMAX and DTS developed the program out of their decades of combined expertise in image and sound science to make it easier for consumers to select the products and content that will deliver the highest-quality, sharpest 4K HDR images and powerful, immersive sound at home. The companies are designing an IMAX Mode for the enhanced devices that will be meticulously optimized to play digitally re-mastered content as the filmmaker intended in the home. Consumers can access content from Hollywood studios as well as select IMAX documentaries through its IMAX Home Entertainment division. The company will also work with its global studio and other content partners to make available a steady stream of enhanced versions of blockbuster movies and additional programming.

08:03 EDT CACI awarded contract by DCNO - CACI International announced that it was awarded a prime position on a multiple-award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to support the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, or DCNO, Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education, or MPT&E, organization. The nine-year contract, with a ceiling value of $184M, represents both new and continuing work for CACI in its Business Systems market. For more than 20 years, CACI has supported the MPT&E organization, which is responsible for manning the fleet and making sure that sailors are ready for the tasks they will undertake. Under the contract, CACI will provide business management services and business process reengineering to support the MPT&E program as the organization moves to streamline personnel management processes and improve the quality of services.

08:02 EDT Eiger announces 'positive' meeting with FDA on Progeria program - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced it has received minutes from a pre-investigational new drug meeting with the Division of Gastroenterology and Inborn Errors Products of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for lonafarnib in the treatment of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. Eiger plans to submit a new drug application in 2019. There is no approved treatment for Progeria, an ultra-rare and fatal genetic condition characterized by accelerated aging in children. Eiger and the FDA engaged in a collaborative discussion regarding the analysis methodology for the survival data that was published in April 2018 Journal of the American Medical Association as potential support for submission of an NDA filing. This clinical study, which compared children with Progeria who received lonafarnib monotherapy with matched untreated children with Progeria, reported a primary outcome of mortality. The study found that children taking lonafarnib monotherapy experienced a 77 percent reduction in the risk of mortality compared to a natural history, matched-control cohort of untreated children after two years of study. Based on this meeting with the FDA, Eiger does not anticipate conducting additional clinical efficacy studies to complete the filing for registration. Clinical studies with lonafarnib in Progeria were funded by The Progeria Research Foundation. Eiger has supplied lonafarnib for investigational use in Progeria clinical studies since 2015, and is now responsible for development, regulatory, commercialization and distribution activities for lonafarnib in Progeria.

07:45 EDT Apellis provides update on PHAROAH trial for PNH - Apellis announced an update on its US-based Phase 1b PHAROAH trial for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH. The ongoing PHAROAH trial is evaluating treatment with APL-2, a novel inhibitor of complement factor C3, in patients on treatment with eculizumab who are severely anemic and transfusion-dependent. Patients enrolled in the PHAROAH trial were initially co-treated with APL-2 and eculizumab, with the potential for discontinuation of eculizumab at the discretion of the treating physician. Two of the six patients were removed from treatment with APL-2 due to pregnancy and BMI-associated comorbidities. Four of the six patients continued in the study for more than 32 weeks. In these four patients, co-treatment with APL-2 resulted in an improvement of hemoglobin levels and other markers for anemia and none of the four patients required a transfusion during the co-treatment period with eculizumab, which ranged from 17 to 20 months. Earlier this year Apellis announced that three of the four patients discontinued treatment with eculizumab and were continuing to receive APL-2. The fourth patient has now discontinued treatment with eculizumab and is continuing to receive APL-2. All four patients have improved hemoglobin and reticulocytes as compared to the baseline established with eculizumab monotherapy and have achieved lactate dehydrogenase levels below the upper limit of normal.

07:40 EDT Copart opens seventh location in Brazil - Copart is pleased to announce the opening of its seventh location in Brazil. The facility is located at Estrada da Roseira, 6.725, bairro Borda do Campo, Sao Jose dos Pinhais, near the city of Curitiba, the capital of the State of Parana. The new Curitiba location, which can store up to 7,000 vehicles, is strategically located to meet increasing buyer and seller needs in Brazil.

07:39 EDT Dominion announces commitments secured for $3B Cove Point term loan - Dominion Energy announced that it has successfully secured commitments totaling $3B from over 20 lenders for its three-year, non-amortizing, Cove Point term loan facility. The facility is expected to close and fund later this month. Initial drawn pricing for the term loan is set at Libor plus 1.375%. Dominion Energy intends to use the proceeds from the financing to reduce parent-level debt. As a result, parent level debt as a percentage of total company debt will fall by approximately 8 percent, representing significant progress toward achieving Dominion Energy's credit objectives.

07:37 EDT Callon Petroleum sees FY18 total production 31.5-33.0 MBOE/d - Callon has updated its 2018 guidance for the acquisition and the results of operations through August 2018. Sees FY18 total production 31.5-33 MBOE/d up from 29.5-32. Sees LOE, including workovers, $5.00-$6.00, down from $5.25-$6.25. Sees operational CapEx $530M-$560M, up from $500M-$540M. Sees capitalized expenses $75M-$85M, up from $60M-$70M. Sees net operated horizontal wells placed on production 47-50, up from 43-46.

07:32 EDT Forward Air's CEO transition became effective - Forward Air announced that its previously-announced CEO transition became effective on September 1 when Tom Schmitt, the Company's new President and CEO, began his employment with the Company and was elected as a member of the Company's Board of Directors. The Company's Board now consists of nine members, seven of whom are independent directors. Also, effective on September 1 Bruce Campbell assumed his new role as Executive Chairman.

07:24 EDT Southwestern Energy announces $200M share repurchase program

07:24 EDT Southwestern Energy to sell Fayetteville Shale E&Pfor $1.87B - Southwestern Energy announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Flywheel Energy, LLC, a private company backed by Kayne Private Energy Income Funds, to sell its Fayetteville Shale E&P and related midstream gathering assets for $1.865 billion in cash, subject to adjustments and customary closing conditions. In addition, the buyer will assume approximately $438 million of future contractual liabilities after taking into account certain obligations retained by the company. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by Southwestern Energy's directors, has an effective date of July 1, 2018, and is expected to close in December 2018. Following the closing, the company will have pro-forma debt of approximately $2.3 billion. A portion of proceeds will be used to replace cash flow that would otherwise have been generated by the Fayetteville assets and reinvested into SWN's liquids-rich assets in West Virginia. The resulting increase in activity in West Virginia is expected to accelerate the Company's path to self-funded growth in production and shareholder value. The company targets a long-term sustainable debt/EBITDA ratio of 2x by 2020. The commitments under the company's revolving credit facility are expected to remain at approximately $2.0 billion following the close of the transaction. As a result of the transaction, Southwestern Energy expects additional annualized interest and organizational cost reductions of $60-75 million. This is incremental to the $110 million in annualized interest and G&A savings announced in the second quarter. The company expects to offset federal taxes using existing net operating losses.

07:21 EDT Recro Pharma provides update from FDA meeting on IV meloxicam - Recro Pharma provided a regulatory update following receipt of the official meeting minutes from a July Type A meeting with the FDA relating to a path forward for intravenous, or IV meloxicam, the company's lead product candidate for the management of moderate to severe pain. Recro had requested this Type A meeting with the FDA to address a complete response letter, or CRL, it received from the FDA regarding the new drug application, or NDA, for IV meloxicam. During the meeting, Recro discussed data from ad hoc analyses and selective secondary endpoints of Recro's clinical trials which the FDA had highlighted in the CRL, as well as CMC related questions on extractable and leachable data provided in the NDA. Based upon the discussion with the FDA as reflected in the official meeting minutes, Recro anticipates resubmitting the IV meloxicam NDA by the end of September. The NDA resubmission will incorporate revised language relating to the product label and, additional information relating to extractable and leachable items.

07:19 EDT Dynavax announces FDA grantes priority review for new sBLA for Keytruda - Merck announced that the FDA has accepted and granted priority review for a new supplemental Biologics License Application, or sBLA, seeking accelerated approval for KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. This sBLA is based on data from the Phase 2 KEYNOTE-017 trial including overall response rate, or ORR, and duration of response, or DOR; these data were presented earlier this year at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO Annual Meeting. In July 2017, KEYTRUDA was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for this indication.

07:17 EDT Target expands holiday assortment to offer over 2,500 new, exclusive toys - Target Corp. announced Bullseye's Top Toys of 2018. This year's guide to the most-coveted toys includes something for every age and budget - from an even bigger L.O.L. Surprise! and a plush take on the Fingerling craze to the latest tech gear and more. New this year, to make shopping Bullseye's Top Toys even more easy and fun, Target has created an online experience that showcases top toys by key trends of the season. The retailer also will soon unveil a digital spin on its annual kids gifting catalog. Additionally, with services like Order Pickup, Drive Up, same-day delivery shopped by Shipt and free, no-membership-required two-day shipping, Target offers more easy and convenient shopping options than other retailers. Plus, REDcard holders save an extra five percent every day and get free shipping on most items at Target.com.

07:16 EDT Aeglea BioTherapeutics announces data from pegzilarginase trial at SSIEM - Aeglea BioTherapeutics announced completion of enrollment and additional clinical data at the 2018 Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism, or SSIEM, from its ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of pegzilarginase, its lead investigational therapy, in patients with the rare genetic disease Arginase 1 Deficiency, or ARG1-D. Administration of pegzilarginase resulted in marked reductions in plasma arginine and related guanidino compounds. Clinical improvements in one or more instruments of neuromotor function in all three patients completing eight weeks of repeat dose administration. Pegzilarginase was generally safe and well tolerated; most treatment-related adverse events were mild and all were resolved. No marked or sustained increase in ADA titers in patients exposed to pegzilarginase and initial evidence of rapid tolerization in patients with low titer ADAs. The company plans to present new interim clinical data for the Phase 1/2 trial in October.

07:15 EDT Penumbra closes on acquisition of interest in MVI Health joint venture - Penumbra announced it has closed on the acquisition of a controlling interest in its joint venture, MVI Health. After closing the transaction, Penumbra increased its ownership to 90% of the equity of MVI Health for $20M in upfront cash consideration. MVI Health, originally formed in May 2017, is a joint venture between Penumbra and Sixense Enterprises, a leader in virtual reality software and tracking solutions for enterprise.

07:13 EDT US Ecology acquires ES&H Dallas for $22M - US Ecology announced the asset purchase of ES&H of Dallas, L.L.C., which provides emergency and spill response, light industrial services and transportation and logistics for waste disposal and recycling from locations in Dallas and Midland, Texas. The acquisition will provide deeper penetration into the emergency and spill response marketplace and extend the reach of the company's core waste disposal and recycling business in the Gulf region. Total consideration for the business and related property was $22.0 million. The transaction closed on August 31, 2018 and will be reported as part of the company's Field and Industrial Services segment. Its financial contribution is not expected to have a material impact on 2018 earnings guidance, which was reaffirmed on August 2, 2018 in conjunction with the company's second quarter earnings release. The company estimates that the acquisition will contribute approximately $20 million of revenue and $4.0 million of EBITDA in 2019.

07:12 EDT Cronos Group, Ginkgo Bioworks partner to produce cultured cannabinoids - Cronos Group and Ginkgo Bioworks announced a landmark partnership to produce cultured cannabinoids. Using its platform technology for organism design and development, Ginkgo will complement Cronos Group's technologies for producing a full spectrum of cannabinoids. As part of this unprecedented deal, Cronos Group has agreed to issue a specific number of common shares in tranches subject to Ginkgo's achievement of certain production milestones.

07:11 EDT Helius Medical submits request for FDA 510 clearance of PoNS device - Helius Medical announced that the company has submitted a request to the FDA for de novo classification and 510 clearance of the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator, or PoNS device. The company's request for de novo classification and 510 clearance is supported by clinical data from two double-blind, randomized, controlled trials demonstrating the PoNS device's safety and efficacy, with combined enrollment of 163 patients. It is also informed by feedback provided by FDA during pre-submission meetings that focused on the company's trial designs, clinical data and design verification testing.

07:11 EDT Conn's reports 'positive' SSS in Q2, no percentage provided - "We achieved many operating and financial milestones during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019, highlighted by significant growth in earnings to a second quarter record of $0.53 per diluted share. Second quarter financial results were driven primarily by positive same store sales, the contribution of new store growth, record retail gross margin, and continued improvement in credit segment performance. The initiatives to drive retail growth are starting to take hold and second quarter same store sales increased for the first time since the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, while total retail sales were up 3.5% over the prior year period. The momentum in our business is encouraging and we continue to believe fiscal year 2019 will be a strong year," stated Norm Miller, Conn's Chairman and CEO.

07:09 EDT Check-Cap announces interim results from study of C-Scan system Version 3 - Check-Cap announced the interim results for its post-CE approval study of the C-Scan system Version 3. Data from the multi-center clinical investigation showed promising results for detecting patients with polyps in an un-prepped colon. The objective of the study is to assess safety and clinical performance of the C-Scan system Version 3 in detecting patients with polyps. In a recent multi-center study on 31 evaluable patients, the C-Scan system Version 3, equipped with improved algorithms, demonstrated a sensitivity of 76%, with specificity of 80% for polyp detection, when using the full patient population with a gender-based analysis. Confirmatory colonoscopy and C-Scan system results analysis were performed by independent expert investigators who were blinded to corresponding test's results.Improvements to the C-Scan system version 3 include better scan imaging density, 2D/3D imaging and a new motility analysis algorithm that was recently tested on two years of continued clinical study data.

07:09 EDT Universal Stainless & Alloy reports continuance of CBA with Bridgeville laborers - Universal Stainless & Alloy reported that it has agreed with Local 9531 of the United Steelworkers to a day by day continuance of the collective bargaining agreement, or CBA, subject to a 72-hour termination notice by either party, covering the hourly production and maintenance employees at the company's Bridgeville facility. The continuance provides additional time to negotiate a mutually acceptable labor agreement. During the continuance, the employees will work under the terms and conditions of the prior agreement, which otherwise would have expired at midnight on August 31. The Bridgeville facility, which mainly produces semi-finished specialty steel products, includes the company's melt shop, universal rolling mill, electro slag remelt furnaces and two of the company's eleven vacuum arc remelt furnaces. The company's facilities in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania are covered by separate collective bargaining agreements and are not affected by the current negotiations.

07:08 EDT Delek US, Energy Transfer, Magellan and MPLX to proceed with pipeline plans - Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP), MPLX (MPLX) and Delek US Holdings (DK) announced that they have received sufficient commitments to proceed with plans to construct a new 30-inch diameter common carrier pipeline to transport crude oil from the Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast region, with the ability to increase the pipe diameter to expand the capacity based upon additional commitments received during the upcoming open season. An open season for additional shipper volume commitments on the new pipeline system will be launched this week. The 600-mile pipeline system is expected to be operational in mid-2020 with multiple Texas origins, including Wink, Crane and Midland. The pipeline system will have the strategic capability to transport crude oil to both Energy Transfer's Nederland, Texas terminal and Magellan's East Houston, Texas terminal for ultimate delivery through their respective distribution systems. The project is subject to receipt of customary regulatory and Board approvals of the respective entities.

07:05 EDT Systemax closes sale of France operations - Systemax announced it has closed the previously announced sale of its France-based IT business to Bechtle AG. The sale was denominated on a cash-free, debt-free basis and included normalized working capital adjustments. Total cash provided from the sale, before tax and transaction expenses but inclusive of cash on hand in France, was approximately $270M at current exchange rates. With the completion of the sale, Systemax currently operates its Industrial Products Group business in North America, which is focused on industrial supplies and MRO, markets the Company has served since 1949. IPG sells private-label and brand-name industrial equipment and supplies to businesses throughout North America, primarily under the names Global Industrial in the U.S and Global Industrial CA / Avenue in Canada. IPG offers over 1 million products that are primarily sold through its websites and corporate sales force. It is a highly successful and rapidly growing business that generated approximately $800 million in revenue in 2017 and grew its revenue at a CAGR of 13.7% from 2012 through 2017.

07:05 EDT RedHill Biopharma reports completion of enrollment for Phase III Talicia study - RedHill Biopharma announced that the last patient was enrolled in the confirmatory Phase III study with TALICIA 1 for H. pylori infection. Top-line results from the study are expected to be announced before year's end.If successful, and subject to additional regulatory feedback, the ERADICATE Hp2 study is expected to complete the package required to file a New Drug Application with the U.S. FDA for TALICIA in early 2019. TALICIA was granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation by the FDA, providing Fast-Track Development, six months priority NDA review and eight years of U.S. market exclusivity. TALICIA is intended to be the first product to be indicated for the treatment of H. pylori infection, regardless of ulcer status. The two-arm, randomized, double-blind, active comparator confirmatory Phase III study compares TALICIA against a dual therapy amoxicillin and omeprazole regimen at equivalent doses. The study enrolled 455 non-investigated dyspepsia patients with confirmed H. pylori infection in 55 clinical sites across the U.S. Subjects were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive four capsules, three times daily, of either TALICIA or the active comparator, for a period of 14 days. Subjects are being assessed for the study's primary endpoint of eradication of H. pylori infection at 43 through 71 days after initiation of treatment. The first Phase III study with TALICIA successfully met its primary endpoint of superiority over historical standard-of-care eradication rate of 70%, with high statistical significance. The study results demonstrated 89.4% efficacy in eradicating H. pylori infection with TALICIA. Notably, these results were also superior to subsequent open-label treatment with SoC therapies of patients in the placebo arm of the ERADICATE Hp study, which demonstrated 63% eradication rate, further supporting the potential efficacy of TALICIA. Treatment with TALICIA was shown to be safe and well tolerated.

07:04 EDT Macau reports August casino revenue up 17.1% to 26.56B patacas - Macau's gaming bureau reported August gross revenue from games of fortune in the region rose 17.1% year-over-year to 26.56B patacas. Publicly traded companies in the Macau gaming space include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Melco Resorts (MLCO).

07:02 EDT Transcat acquires assets of Angel's Instrumentation for $4.7M - Transcat announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Angel's Instrumentation, effective August 31. The purchase price was $4.7M and is subject to certain customary holdback provisions. Established in 2000, AI provides in-house and on-site calibrations nationally to the manufacturing and maritime industries from its Chesapeake, Virginia calibration laboratory.

06:59 EDT Quanta Services announces $500M stock repurchase program - Quanta Services announced that its board of directors, in support of management's request, has authorized the company to repurchase, from time to time through August 30, 2021, up to $500M in shares of its outstanding common stock under a new stock repurchase program. The new program is in addition to the remaining $46M available under the previously authorized $300M stock repurchase program, pursuant to which Quanta has repurchased approximately 7.2M shares of its common stock in the open market for a total cost of approximately $254M and which authorizes repurchases through June 2020. The new repurchase program may be implemented through open market repurchases or privately negotiated transactions, at management's discretion, based on market and business conditions, applicable contractual and legal requirements and other factors. The new stock repurchase program does not obligate Quanta to acquire any specific amount of common stock authorized and may be modified or terminated by Quanta's board at any time at its sole discretion and without notice.

06:56 EDT Transocean drops 1.3% in premarket trading after agreeing to buy Ocean Rig

06:51 EDT TAT Technologies to discuss approval of 100,000 share purchase by CEO Igal Zamir - TAT Technologies reported that it has revised the annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for October 4 by removing item 5, regarding the approval of a grant of 100,000 options to purchase ordinary shares of the company to Igal Zamir, the company's CEO, in order to further discuss this matter internally. No change is made to any other item on the agenda for the meeting.

06:35 EDT Sharing Economy International amends license agreement with Ecrent Capital - Sharing Economy International announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sharing Economy Investment, has amended the terms of the license agreement, which was originally entered into on May 8 and amended on May 24, with Ecrent Capital, regarding the grant of an exclusive and sublicensable license from Ecrent to SEII to utilize certain software and trademarks in order to develop, launch, operate, commercialize, and maintain an online website platform in Taiwan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, and Korea. According to the latest amendment, Ecrent will guarantee that the operation of its related websites, mobile applications and business services will contribute revenue of $13M and gross profit of $2.52M from the closing date of the license agreement through December 31, 2019.

06:11 EDT WellCare sees Meridian acquisition accretive to FY19 EPS by 40c-50c - WellCare Health Plans announced that, effective September 1, it completed its acquisition of Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, and MeridianRx, a pharmacy benefit manager following the receipt of all required regulatory approvals. With the closing of the acquisition, Meridian is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of WellCare. The transaction is expected to produce 40c-50c of accretion to WellCare's adjusted EPS in 2019, 70c-80c of accretion in 2020, and $1.00+ of accretion in 2021, inclusive of $30M-$40M in synergies that will ramp up over the next few years and exclusive of one-time transaction-related expenses of $75M-$85M and cumulative integration-related expenses of $50M-$60M.

06:07 EDT CNA Financial appoints Michael Costonis as COO - CNA (CNA) announced the appointment of Michael Costonis as COO, reporting to Dino Robusto, Chairman & CEO, CNA. Costonis will lead all information technology, analytics and operations functions across the organization. Costonis, who joins CNA September 5, succeeds J. Merten, who will retire at year-end after 30 years in the insurance and consulting industries. Costonis joins CNA after a 26-year career at Accenture (ACN), where he was the Global Insurance Industry Practice Leader.

06:02 EDT Pointer Telocation's Cello CANiQ IN device certified in India - Pointer Telocation announced that its Cello CANiQ IN device was officially certified for India's MoRTH's, or Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, AIS 140 standard. MoRTH along with ARAI, or Automotive Research Association of India, in India have framed the AIS 140 standard for Intelligent Transport Systems in India to bring safety and efficiency for all public transportation vehicles such as state transport buses, app based taxis, private passenger carrying buses, and non-app licensed taxis.

05:33 EDT AIR Worldwide enters collaboration with Capsicum Re - Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide announced that it is collaborating with Capsicum Re as part of a joint effort to enhance the insurance industry's modeling of what many refer to as "silent" cyber incidents. Capsicum Re has also adopted AIR's cyber risk modeling and analytics platform, ARC, which includes a wide range of cyber scenarios and models to help deliver sophisticated insights to its insurance portfolios. AIR Worldwide is a Verisk business. As part of the collaboration, the two firms will identify which non-cyber lines of business and industries are more likely to be exposed to silent cyber-related losses. The result of this collaboration is expected to yield the availability of models that simulate the impact of incidents that could cause silent cyber-related losses. AIR continually collects data on cyber risk to inform its cyber risk models, and the addition of Capsicum Re's expertise is expected to result in models that provide unique insights for identifying and evaluating silent cyber exposures.

05:27 EDT ING settles with DPPS, to pay fine of EUR 675M, EUR 100M for disgorgement - ING announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, or DPPS, relating to previously disclosed investigations regarding various requirements for client on-boarding and the prevention of money laundering and corrupt practices. Under the terms of the agreement ING has agreed to pay a fine of EUR 675M and EUR 100M for disgorgement. ING has fully cooperated with the DPPS investigation. It has also undertaken an internal investigation, the results of which have been shared with the Dutch Central Bank. The investigations established serious shortcomings in the execution of policies to prevent financial economic crime at ING Netherlands in the period investigated. The identified broader shortcomings include: CDD files missing or being incomplete, assignment of incorrect risk classifications, the failure to have the CDD review process in order, failure to exit business relationships in a timely manner, insufficient functioning of the post-transaction monitoring system, classifying clients in the wrong segments and insufficient availability of qualitative and quantitative human resources. During the period investigated the execution of ING Netherlands' FEC policies resulted in the termination of ING's relationship with thousands of clients. Nevertheless the shortcomings identified resulted in clients having been able to use their bank accounts for, inter alia, money laundering practices for a number of years. ING sincerely regrets that as a result of the above shortcomings ING Netherlands did not adequately fulfil its role as gatekeeper to the financial system, helping fight financial crime. "As a bank we have the obligation to ensure that our operations meet the highest standards, especially where it comes to preventing criminals from misusing the financial system. Not meeting those standards is unacceptable and ING takes full responsibility," said Ralph Hamers, CEO of ING.

05:20 EDT Tahoe Resources Guatemalan subsidiary mining license reinstatement reversed - Tahoe Resources reports that it has learned through a Guatemalan Constitutional Court Press Conference that the Constitutional Court reversed the Supreme Court's decision to reinstate the Escobal mining license of Tahoe's Guatemalan subsidiary, Minera San Rafael, or MSR. We understand that the Constitutional Court's resolution orders that the Escobal mining license will remain suspended until the Ministry of Energy and Mines, or MEM, completes the ILO 169 consultation with the Xinka communities in the region of the Escobal mine. At this time, the Company does not have a timeline for completion of MEM's ILO 169 consultation. However, in the similar case of OXEC, MEM completed the consultation within 6 months. The Constitutional Court is expected to issue a formal resolution in the next several days. Upon review of the written ruling, the Company will provide further updates.