Stockwinners Market Radar for April 30, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:22 EDT FDA asks Nabriva to address facility deficiencies before approving Contepo - Nabriva Therapeutics announced that it received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA for the New Drug Application seeking marketing approval of CONTEPO, or fosfomycin, for injection for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections, including acute pyelonephritis. The CRL requests that Nabriva address issues related to facility inspections and manufacturing deficiencies at one of Nabriva's contract manufacturers prior to the FDA approving the NDA. Nabriva plans to request a "Type A" meeting to discuss the FDA's findings. The FDA did not request any new clinical data and did not raise any concerns with regard to the safety of CONTEPO.

19:14 EDT Provident Financial extends April 2018 stock buyback plan by one year - Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. announced that the company's board of directors authorized a one-year extension of the April 2018 stock repurchase plan. To date, a total of 23,748 shares of the company's common stock have been purchased under the plan, leaving 349,252 shares of the company's common stock authorized for purchase from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions prior to the expiration of the extension which is on April 26, 2020.

18:51 EDT MA Gaming Commission to let Wynn Resorts retain license, will fine it $35M - The Massachusetts Gaming Commission released its Decision and Order regarding the suitability of Wynn Resorts, Limited, Wynn MA, LLC, and its individual qualifiers. In reaching its decision, the five-member commission carefully considered all of the facts presented in the comprehensive Investigations and Enforcement Bureau report, as well as the witness testimony and evidence, entered into the record during and after the adjudicatory hearing held on April 2-4, 2019. This decision arises out of the MGC's year-long investigation into allegations of sexual assault, misconduct and other inappropriate behavior, and the handling of those allegations by the company. According to the decision, the Commission identified "numerous violations of controlling statutes and regulations largely pertaining to a pervasive failure to properly investigate in accordance with existing policies and procedures, and to notify the Commission about certain allegations of wrongdoing." As a result, the Commission will impose a $35M fine on the licensee and require a series of license conditions, including an independent monitor to review and evaluate the company's adherence to policies and organizational changes outlined by Wynn Resorts in the adjudicatory record. Also, Chief Executive Officer Matthew Maddox, whose suitability was sustained by Commission majority, will be assessed a $500,000 fine and be subject to license conditions for all the reasons described in the decision, including his clear failure to require an investigation about a specific spa employee complaint brought to his attention.

18:42 EDT Zebra Technologies CEO: We had a very strong first quarter - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Zebra Technologies CEO Anders Gustafsson said: We have confidence in our outlook... We understand our customers workflows very well... Our work with the NFL is going well... The NFL is using our technology more and more.

18:03 EDT Pool Corp. director Seymour sells 8,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Pool Corp. director Harlan F. Seymour disclosed the sale of 8,000 common shares of the company at a price of $181.0865 per share.

17:57 EDT Twilio says will be moving customers over to new A2P service accordingly - On its Q1 conference call, Twilio (TWLO) said that it recently got some "clarity" on the Verizon (VZ) A2P, or application to person, offering it outlined a few quarters ago. The company noted that Verizon has established a new A2P channel for long-code SMS messages that will add a quarter of a cent fee per message to all businesses with A2P SMS messaging use cases. "Verizon will be implementing this new offering in mid-May, and we will be moving moving customers over to the new service accordingly," Twilio said. "We'll be passing this feed through to our customers and we do not expect this to impact the gross profit dollars received per message it will impact the gross margin percentage. So for Q2, you should expect about a 50 basis point drag given the mid-quarter change and roughly a 100 basis point drag our overall gross margin percentage on a go-forward basis. This should also add about $3M-$4M in revenue per quarter on a go-forward basis. This is incorporated into the guidance provided today and added about $8M-$9M to our 2019 revenue forecast in total." The company added that it expects to be slightly profitable in Q2, modestly in the red for Q3 due to its big customer vent SIGNAL falling in August this year, and then back in the black for Q4.

17:30 EDT Apple CFO says 'working hard to catch up' with customer demand for Apple Watch - Says making progress in the Enterprise market with 'significant iOS traction with large enterprise platforms'. Seeing growing adoption of Apple Pay by commercial airlines.

17:24 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $132.28M Navy contract - Northrop Grumman has been awarded an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed-value of $132.28M. This contract procures the necessary hardware and systems engineering technical support, analysis and studies to integrate the Department of Navy, or DoN, large aircraft infrared countermeasures, or LAIRCM, system onto aircraft for the Navy, Army, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Norway. Hardware for this procurement includes the following weapon replaceable assemblies: 283 advanced threat warning sensors; 79 control indicator unit replaceables; 52 -2103 signal processors; 120 infrared missile warning sensors; 91 guardian laser transmitter assemblies; 13 multi-role electro-optical end-to-end test sets; 190 GLTA shipping containers; 46 high capacity cards; 10 LAIRCM signal processor replacements smart connector assemblies; and 123 personal computer memory card, international association cards. Work is expected to be completed in June 2021. FY19 aircraft procurement, FY18 aircraft procurement, FY19 working capital and foreign military sales, or FMS, funds in the amount of $42.39M are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Navy, Army, the government of United Kingdom and the government of Norway. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:21 EDT Healthcare Services raises quarterly dividend to 19.75c per share - Payable on June 28 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 24.

17:14 EDT Apple CEO says demand for 2nd generation of AirPods has been 'incredible' - Says the results of trade-in program have been "striking" at 4-times in the March-quarter a year ago.

17:11 EDT AutoNation VP Christopher Cade sold almost $110K in company shares - AutoNation VP Christopher Cade disclosed in a filing that he had sold 2,555 shares of company stock at an average price of $42.40 per share on April 29 for a total transaction value of $108,337.

17:07 EDT Apple CEO says performance in China improved relative to December quarter - Says believe strongly in long-term China opportunity. Says active installed base of devices continues to grow in each geographic segment. Says had best quarter ever for App Store and Apple Music. Set new March quarter revenue record for Apple and Apple Pay. Comments from Q2 earnings call.

16:49 EDT Reed's transfers stock exchange listing to Nasdaq - Reed's Inc. announced it is planning to transfer its stock exchange listing from NYSE American to the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company's shares are expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq listed security on May 10, 2019, with the common stock continuing to trade under the symbol "REED".

16:44 EDT QTS Realty Trust acquires two data centers in Netherlands - QTS Realty Trust announced, as part of its global growth strategy, the expansion of its operations internationally with the acquisition of two operating data centers in the Netherlands. QTS acquired the two data center assets, totaling approximately 30 gross megawatts currently built out, from TCN SIG Telehousing B.V. for approximately $44M, including closing costs. QTS currently anticipates approximately $15M of additional capital investments required for recommissioning of the two facilities. This additional investment, in addition to the initial purchase price, represents an upfront cost per megawatt of approximately $2M, which is materially below the average cost to build in the Netherlands market.

16:42 EDT Stealth Biotherapeutics reports 'positive' results for elamipretide - Stealth BioTherapeutics recently presented positive results from its ophthalmic programs in dry age-related macular degeneration and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. The data, which were presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2019 Annual Meeting, being held April 28 - May 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia, demonstrated significant improvements in visual function following treatment with elamipretide, an investigational drug, in its ReCLAIM study of patients with dry AMD and in the open-label portion of its ReSIGHT study of patients with LHON.

16:40 EDT Lydall sees weakness persisting in sealing products end markets during Q1 - Management concluded, "As we enter the second quarter, demand remains generally steady in the Thermal Acoustical Solutions and the Technical Nonwovens segments. In the Performance Materials segment, we are continuing to experience stable conditions in filtration markets, but we expect weakness to persist in the sealing products end markets during the quarter. EBITDA will be favorably impacted by the Interface acquisition, and we anticipate continued operational improvements in Thermal Acoustical Solutions and seasonally higher sales in Technical Nonwovens to drive incremental EBITDA compared to the first quarter. We remain focused on cost control and margin improvement plans across the businesses as well as working capital initiatives to enhance cash flow generation."

16:38 EDT Arlo Technologies reaches agreement with Viex Capital - Arlo Technologie announced that it has entered into a cooperation agreement with VIEX Capital and certain affiliates ), which owns approximately 9.7% of the outstanding shares of Arlo's common stock. Under the terms of the cooperation agreement, Arlo has agreed to increase the size of its board of directors from six to seven and to appoint an independent director recommended by VIEX to fill the vacancy created as a result of such expansion. The Arlo board of directors has also approved commencing a comprehensive strategic review, with the purpose of evaluating a wide range of strategic alternatives available to Arlo to optimize the value of Arlo and to improve returns to its stockholders.

16:36 EDT Advanced Disposal Services reaffirms FY19 guidance - The company said, "Consistent with the joint press release issued with Waste Management on April 15, 2019, regarding entry into a merger agreement pursuant to which a subsidiary of Waste Management will acquire all outstanding shares of Advanced Disposal for $33.15 per share in cash, we are reaffirming our 2019 revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted free cash flow guidance. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies, is expected to close by the first quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approvals by a majority of the holders of Advanced Disposal's outstanding common shares. In light of the pending transaction, we have elected to cease conducting quarterly earnings conference calls until transaction closing, although we will continue to provide a quarterly earnings release. We will also enter into an extended quiet period related to investor communications and cease providing forward-looking guidance after this press release until the transaction is closed."

16:35 EDT Apple reports Q2 Products revenue $45.57B vs. $51.29B last year

16:34 EDT UDR, Inc. reports Q1 same-store Net operating income up 3.8%

16:32 EDT Apple boosts quarterly dividend by 5% to 77c - Apple's board of directors has declared a cash dividend of 77c per share of the company's common stock, an increase of 5%. The dividend is payable on May 16, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 13.

16:31 EDT AMD up 5.4% after reporting Q1 earnings, giving Q2 guidance

16:27 EDT Unum Group backs FY19 operating income growth outlook of 4%-7%

16:24 EDT PepsiCo declares quarterly dividend of 95.5c per share - The Board of Directors of PepsiCo declared a quarterly dividend of 95.5c per share of PepsiCo common stock, a 3% increase versus the comparable year-earlier period. This action is consistent with PepsiCo's previously announced increase in its annualized dividend to $3.82 per share from $3.71 per share, which will begin with the June payment. This dividend is payable on June 28 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 7. PepsiCo has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since 1965, and 2019 marked the company's 47th consecutive annual dividend increase.

16:21 EDT Denny's reports Q1 domestic system-wide SSS growth of 1.3% - Denny's reported Q1 domestic system-wide same-store sales grew 1.3%, including increases of 1.5% at company restaurants and 1.2% at domestic franchised restaurants.

16:20 EDT Veracyte Q1 test volume grew 33% from last year to 9,162

16:18 EDT M.D.C. Holdings sees Q2 backlog conversation ratio 41%-43%

16:15 EDT Concho Resources raises FY19 oil production guidance to 27%-31% - The company increased full-year 2019 total production growth guidance to 23% to 27%, reflecting first-quarter 2019 outperformance and strong execution of a disciplined capital program. Additionally, the company increased full-year 2019 oil production growth guidance to 27% to 31%.

16:14 EDT Concho Resources sees Q2 production 316-322 MBoepd - Tim Leach, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are delivering exceptional performance across our portfolio as we execute on our clear strategy to drive sustained, differentiated oil growth, free cash flow and corporate returns. Results for the first quarter of 2019 reflect our focus on large-scale development, controlling costs and generating solid returns on strategic investments, as demonstrated by the Oryx sale. During the quarter, we completed several important projects ahead of schedule, driving increased production that exceeded the high end of our guidance range. Given our strong start to the year, we are raising our full-year production growth outlook while maintaining our capital expenditure guidance. Our high-quality assets and returns-driven approach position us to extend our track record of enhancing value for shareholders."

16:09 EDT Nicholas Financial acquires Metrolina Credit Company - Nicholas Financial announced that the company acquired substantially all of the assets of ML Credit Group, doing business as Metrolina Credit Company. Metrolina provides automobile financing to consumers by direct loans and through purchases of retail installment sales contracts originated by automobile dealers in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina.

16:04 EDT Akamai CEO says 'pleased' with Q1 results - "We are pleased with our excellent start for the year, with revenue, margins and earnings all exceeding expectations," said Dr. Tom Leighton, CEO. "The outperformance was driven by the continued very strong growth of our security business, very strong traffic growth from our media business and our ability to improve efficiency while continuing to invest in innovation and new products to drive future growth."

15:42 EDT Exelon 'commends' Pennsylvania joining the U.S. Climate Alliance - Exelon Corporation issued a statement in response to Pennsylvania joining the U.S. Climate Alliance and releasing its Climate Action Plan: "As the nation's largest producer of emissions-free energy, Exelon commends Governor Wolf's decision to join the U.S. Climate Alliance and set ambitious carbon reduction goals for the Commonwealth. We agree that any plan to address climate change must include the preservation of Pennsylvania's five nuclear plants, which keep electricity costs stable for consumers and provide 93 percent of the state's zero-carbon electricity. In fact, Three Mile Island Unit 1 alone produces more zero-carbon energy than all renewables in Pennsylvania."

15:22 EDT Facebook says building discovery and re-engagement features to Gaming tab - An earlier blog post from Facebook highlighted an announcement made at GDC or the Game Development Conference. "At GDC we announced the rollout of the Facebook Gaming tab - a central place for people to discover, play, watch, and share gaming experiences personalized for them. For both players and developers, the Facebook Gaming tab will become the primary home for Instant Games within the Facebook family of apps. Instant Games have always been playable within the Facebook app itself: we originally released the platform on Facebook News Feed alongside Messenger, and since then we've been working on ways to enable people to play games across more surfaces, including Groups, Facebook Lite, and Portal. Now with the Facebook Gaming tab in place, our primary opportunity is unlocking value for Instant Games on Facebook. To do this effectively, we're focused on building discovery and re-engagement features within the Facebook Gaming tab and the Facebook app's Bookmarks menu on mobile. At GDC we began showing developers some work-in-progress features to get their feedback. At F8 we're sharing more about the progress we're making as we work to build a rich Instant Games experience within the Facebook app." Reference Link

14:10 EDT Investor group 'disappointed' in 'personal attacks' from TPL trustees - SoftVest, L.P., Horizon Kinetics LLC and ART-FGT Family Partners, which collectively beneficially own over 25% of the outstanding shares of Texas Pacific Land Trust, issued the following statement in response to various materials released by TPL in the last two days: "We are deeply disappointed at the new lows that the incumbent Trustees have sunk in the past 48 hours, as they have escalated the callous personal attacks against Eric Oliver, his business record, and even his family in order to intimidate him from continuing to run for election as Trustee of TPL. We are simply not going to dignify such unprofessional and unethical conduct with additional commentary. We hope the incumbent Trustees, management, and self-avowed governance expert General Cook realize the harm they are causing TPL and its shareholders."

14:00 EDT Altria says FDA authorizes sale of IQOS Tobacco Heating System in U.S. - Altria Group (MO) announced that the Food and Drug Administration authorized sale of the IQOS heated tobacco system in the U.S. market. FDA authorization follows review of the Premarket Tobacco Product Applications, or PMTA, submitted by Philip Morris International (PM). Philip Morris USA, under an exclusive licensing agreement with Philip Morris International, will commercialize IQOS in the U.S. with three HeatStick variants, Altria noted. Scientific review of the Modified Risk Tobacco Product, or MRTP, application is ongoing and is independent of the PMTA marketing order authorization. "With FDA authorization, PM USA will introduce IQOS in the U.S. for adult smokers in Atlanta, Georgia to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible, and intends to make the most of the company's first-mover advantage in heated tobacco. IQOS has had terrific success internationally. We're very excited to bring this platform to adult smokers in the U.S. "PM USA will act on market insights and expects to scale IQOS quickly and efficiently," said Howard Willard, Chairman and CEO of Altria.

13:33 EDT Adverum presents preclinical data on dosing contralateral eye with ADVM-022 - Adverum Biotechnologies presented preclinical data on sequentially dosing a contralateral eye with ADVM-022 gene therapy. The data presented today in a poster session at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2019 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC demonstrate that ADVM-022 can be administered safely to the second eye, 2 months after injection in the first eye. Highlights from the poster included:Sequential intravitreal injections of ADVM-022 at 2x1012 vg in one eye followed by the contralateral eye 2 months later induced sustained expression of aflibercept in ocular compartments of the second eye, including vitreous, aqueous humor, retina, and choroid for up 7 months. Sequential injections of ADVM-022 were well-tolerated, as assessed by ophthalmic examinations and histopathology. Minimal perivascular infiltrates and mild inflammation were observed, comparable between first and second eyes. Average retinal thickness and volume assessed by OCT was unchanged in both eyes for the duration of the study. When assessing immunological response, the development of immunity following ADVM-022 in one eye does not block transduction following sequential dosing in the contralateral eye in NHP.

12:44 EDT Dan Niles says AlphaOne reducing exposure to Alphabet shares - Dan Niles of AlphaOne Capital Partners is speaking on CNBC.

12:36 EDT Public Citizen says Trump efforts to change RFS 'tainted' by Icahn involvement - Non-profit consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen said in a letter to the EPA yesterday that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to alter aspects of the Renewable Fuel Standard are "tainted" by the involvement of Carl C. Icahn, founder of Icahn Enterprises (IEP). "Until all details of Mr. Icahn and his agents' communications with the White House, the EPA and other relevant agencies are publicly disclosed, it is impossible to rule out that initiatives presented in this docket were orchestrated by Mr. Icahn, especially since the changes in this docket resembles aspects of Mr. Icahn's own reform proposal," the letter reads. Public Citizen notes in the letter that Icahn Enterprises owns 71% of the common stock of CVR Energy (CVI) and that Icahn's refineries feature "significant financial exposure" to obligations under the RFS, and "Mr. Icahn has been active in his efforts to influence EPA RFS and RIN policy for years." While the group notes that Icahn "resigned" from his position as "special advisor" to the president in 2017, it said that he has not resigned from "speaking with and influencing the President on regulatory policy that impact his financial interests." Reference Link

12:33 EDT Cheddar founder and CEO Jon Steinberg says 'beyond thrilled' to join Altice USA - Cheddar founder and CEO Jon Steinberg said via Twitter: "Beyond thrilled to join Altice USA and build a world class international, national, local, and business news live leader." Reference Link

12:22 EDT Altice USA agrees to acquire Cheddar for $200M - Altice USA confirmed in a press release that it has reached an agreement to acquire Cheddar, "the digital-first news company," for $200M. Cheddar Founder and CEO Jon Steinberg will join Altice USA to lead Altice News, including Cheddar, News 12 and i24NEWS. Altice USA began its partnership with Cheddar in 2017 as an investor in the company, the company noted. This transaction does not materially impact Altice USA's leverage ratio and has no impact on its planned share repurchases for 2019, the company stated.

12:10 EDT Social Capital CEO says Slack 'most interesting' company he's seen - Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya is speaking on CNBC.

12:02 EDT McDonald's says menu teams 'paying close attention' to plant-based products

12:01 EDT CNX Resources falls -13.0% - CNX Resources is down -13.0%, or -$1.36 to $9.11.

12:01 EDT Diebold falls -20.8% - Diebold is down -20.8%, or -$2.58 to $9.85.

12:00 EDT Turkcell trading resumes

12:00 EDT WageWorks rises 14.4% - WageWorks is up 14.4%, or $6.19 to $49.25.

11:51 EDT Carlisle to acquire Hosco and IDS, terms not disclosed - Carlisle Companies Incorporated announced the acquisition of Hosco Fittings and Integrated Dispense Solutions. Hosco is a manufacturer of precision stainless steel fluid handling components designed for high volume, high purity paint circulating and application finishing systems. IDS designs and manufactures dispensing solutions for precision applications of high viscosity materials. Both Hosco and IDS will become part of the Carlisle Fluid Technologies operating segment. Chris Koch, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Acquiring Hosco and IDS are examples of CFT executing on its Vision 2025 strategy to expand further into the attractive Sealants and Adhesives equipment market. Hosco and IDS add high-quality products and solutions to CFT's current offerings, along with strong technical resources and capabilities which will support and enhance CFT's position as a provider of innovative solutions and services to our customers. Through the application of the Carlisle Operating System, we will focus on leveraging the installed bases of both companies to drive further growth and innovation. We are very pleased to welcome the Hosco and IDS teams to Carlisle."

11:31 EDT McDonald's says traffic 'in line with where it's been the last few quarters'

11:28 EDT ESPN says to shut down flagship magazine in September - ESPN said in a statement that it will shut down its flagship magazine, ESPN The Magazine, in September. The company said: "Our journalists will continue to create the same exceptional content. Consumer habits are evolving rapidly, and this requires ESPN to evolve as well. The only change here is that we are moving away from printing it on paper and sending it in the mail, following September's release of The Body Issue. Our data shows the vast majority of readers already consume our print journalism on digital platforms, and this approach will maximize our reach and impact. In the future, we will explore releasing tentpole collections such as Body in special, differentiated print formats."

11:23 EDT McDonald's says making broader set of investments in people - Says will improve representation of women in the company. Says will put training and systems in place to enhance equality.

11:17 EDT McDonald's says major refranchising efforts are 'winding down'

11:10 EDT McDonald's says 'well on our way' to open 400 restaurants in China in 2019 - Says U.S. continues to experience 'strong' average check growth. Says Bacon event and 2 for 5 event performed well in the quarter. Says donut sticks resonated well with customers. Says converted an additional 400 locations to EOTF in the quarter. Says now has 8,000 EOTF locations completed or 60% of estate in the U.S. Says still expects to complete about 2,000 locations this year. Says China continues to be a 'competitive' market. Says opened 90 new restaurants in China in the quarter.

11:04 EDT NeoGenomics slides despite better than expected quarterly results - After initially moving up following first quarter results, shares of NeoGenomics (NEO) have since moved into negative territory. The operator of cancer-focused testing laboratories reported better than expected earnings per share, while raising guidance for 2019. QUARTERLY RESULTS: NeoGenomics reported first quarter adjusted earnings per share of 7c, which was better than the expected 4c, and said consolidated revenues were $95.6M, an increase of 51% over the same period in 2018, and above the consensus estimate of $90.6M for the quarter. The company added that clinical test volume increased by 31% year over year, and average revenue per clinical test increased by 15% to $368 primarily due to the acquisition of Genoptix as well as the benefit of reimbursement initiatives. Also related to the Genoptix acquisition, consolidated operating expenses increased by $19.8M, or 80%, compared to the first quarter of 2018, according to the company. Consolidated gross profit improved by $19.8M, or 73%, compared to the first quarter of 2018, to $47.1M, while net loss in the quarter was $2.4M, reflecting an accrual related to Health Discovery Corporation litigation of $4.9M, net of tax. 2019. FINANCIAL OUTLOOK: NeoGenomics also raised its full year 2019 revenue guidance to $384M-$400M from $379M-$395M, and its adjusted EBITDA to $52-$56 from $49-$53. The consensus forecast for FY19 revenue is currently $385.1M. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of NeoGenomics have dropped 4% to $20.05.

10:46 EDT eBay CEO says 'we don't want to compete on one-day shipping' - eBay CEO Devin Wenig is speaking on CNBC.

10:39 EDT eBay CEO sees 'plenty of room' for both eBay, Amazon in marketplace - eBay CEO Devin Wenig is speaking on CNBC.

10:28 EDT General Motors sees 2H truck production higher vs. 1H

10:22 EDT Berkshire Hills Bancorp summarizes goals for 2020-2021 - Expects to drive ROA to 1.10% in short term, 1.15% medium term. Targets expansion of NIM to 3.20%+. Sees efficiency ratio in mid-50's.

10:16 EDT General Motors sees 2H 'meaningfully stronger' vs. 1H

10:12 EDT General Motors CEO says now sees 'viable path forward' in Brazil

10:09 EDT General Motors CEO says to build future Chevrolet models at facilities in Brazil

10:02 EDT PVH Corp. enters into licensing agreement with Nike for men's underwear business - PVH Corp (PVH) announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with NIKE, Inc. (NKE) for the design, sourcing, marketing and worldwide distribution of NIKE-branded men's underwear. "We are incredibly proud to be working with NIKE, as this is an opportunity for two great companies to build on each other's strengths, making it a win-win for everyone, especially consumers," said PVH's Cheryl Abel-Hodges, President of Calvin Klein North America and The Underwear Group. With the addition of NIKE men's underwear, The Underwear Group will expand its portfolio which includes CALVIN KLEIN, TOMMY HILFIGER, Olga, Warner's and True & Co.

09:59 EDT 22nd Century: FDA completes inspection of North Carolina facility - 22nd Century Group announced that last week the U.S. FDA conducted a comprehensive inspection of the company's manufacturing facility in North Carolina as a part of the FDA's review of 22nd Century's Pre-Market Tobacco application for the company's VLN cigarettes. The FDA's inspection was a component of the third phase of the FDA's four phase review process for the PMT application. The FDA's stated goal for the inspection was "to verify the information and data contained in the [PMT] application." As such, the FDA inspectors witnessed production of 22nd Century's proprietary VLN cigarettes. In addition, FDA inspectors reviewed 22nd Century's raw material receiving and storage procedures, quality control processes, manufacturing equipment and systems, tobacco processing methods, and finished-products analyses procedures. Concurrent with the FDA's review process for 22nd Century's MRTP and PMT applications, the FDA is pursuing a proposed rule that, when finalized and effective, would limit the amount of nicotine in all cigarettes sold in the United States to "minimally-addictive or non-addictive levels."

09:53 EDT PetIQ dips after Spruce Point issues short report calling for up to 90% downside - Spruce Point Capital Management has issued a "Strong Sell" opinion on PetIQ (PETQ), stating that it sees 75-90% downside risk given what it views as "fundamental challenges in its core pharmaceutical distribution business, unrealistic growth expectations in its recently-acquired services segment, and a broader appreciation of the company's dubious past and questionable management team." Sell-side optimism around sales growth and margin expansion is misplaced, argues the short-seller, who notes that analysts value PetIQ using a multiple "more than double" that of pharmaceutical distributors including McKesson (MCK), Cardinal Health (CAH), Amerisource (ABC) and Patterson (PDCO). In morning trading following Spruce Point's report, PetIQ shares have fallen about 8% to $28.06. Reference Link

09:50 EDT HealthEquity trading resumes

09:47 EDT Trex Company falls -14.1% - Trex Company is down -14.1%, or -$10.78 to $65.75.

09:47 EDT Martin Marietta rises 5.9% - Martin Marietta is up 5.9%, or $12.72 to $226.94.

09:47 EDT WageWorks rises 15.7% - WageWorks is up 15.7%, or $6.74 to $49.80.

09:42 EDT IBM boosts quarterly dividend to $1.62 per share from $1.57 - IBM's board eclared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.62 per common share, payable June 10, to stockholders of record as of May 10. The dividend declaration represents an increase of 5c per common share. Ginni Rometty, IBM chairman, president and CEO said, "Our strong cash generation has enabled IBM to invest aggressively in the emerging, high-value segments of our industry, while continuing to return capital to our shareholders."

09:34 EDT Shineco enters into agreement with Life Spectacular to establish NewHemp lab - Shineco announced that the company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Tenjove NewHemp Biotech, entered into a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Life Spectacular, an enterprise specializing in personal custom-made skin care products, on April 27, 2019 to establish a NewHemp North American Cosmeceutical Laboratory to explore opportunities in the beauty market. Pursuant to the Framework Agreement, Proven Skincare agrees to organize relevant scientific research personnel, is responsible for product development, testing and promotion and delivering four different types of skin care products qualified formulas in 2019 and 2020 including masks, creams, essences and body lotions. The company agrees to invest capital to support Proven Skincare, supply CBD materials as well as produce and distribute products in U.S. and China.

09:27 EDT MasterCard sees deal activity picking up in Q2

09:22 EDT MasterCard sees Q2 revenue growth consistent with or slightly better than Q1

09:19 EDT Ambow Education enters into agreement with Beijing Qiyu Technology Company - Ambow Education Holding has entered into a strategic agreement with Beijing Qiyu Technology Company. The collaboration with Qiyu, a technology-driven company, will focus on research and development, manufacturing and education in the field of AI and humanoid robotics. Under the agreement, the parties intend to develop a practical training platform to teach AI and humanoid robotics principles. This platform will include an application-oriented AI teaching system, a cloud-based learning management system, and comprehensive set of humanoid robotics source code. All related teaching systems, curriculum, courses, textbooks and a case library will be developed jointly by both parties. When completed, the platform will give students a hands-on opportunity to learn AI and humanoid robotics technical skills as well as related activities such as entrepreneurship and dynamic innovation. Universities and colleges in China are expected to be the main target customers of this new platform.

09:16 EDT Republic Services names Jon Vander Ark as president - Republic Service announced that Jon Vander Ark has been named president of the company. As president, Vander Ark is responsible for the Company's ongoing transformation and continued growth. He will oversee operations, sales, marketing and business development and will continue reporting to Don Slager, chief executive officer. Prior to this appointment, Vander Ark served as COO, developing greater rigor around safety, fleet readiness, labor effectiveness and route optimization. He joined Republic Services in January 2013 as EVP, chief marketing officer, responsible for advancing the Republic Services brand, elevating the Company's customer-centric service approach, and introducing its Priority Based Selling technique and its Capture tablet-based pricing tool.

09:14 EDT HealthEquity confirms proposal to acquire WageWorks for $50.50 per share in cash - HealthEquity (HQY) confirmed that it has made a proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of WageWorks (WAGE) for $50.50 per share in cash. The proposal was submitted to WageWorks on April 11. "The proposed acquisition would accelerate HealthEquity's growth by creating the premier provider of both HSAs and additional consumer-directed benefits, including flexible spending and health reimbursement arrangements, COBRA and commuter accounts. The company would have a wide distribution footprint, significant customer base, and proprietary technology driving member engagement, smart spending and health saving for life. HealthEquity has carefully considered the strategic and financial benefits of this acquisition, leveraging publicly available information, proprietary research, its own industry knowledge and the expertise of external advisors. It has provided a definitive debt financing commitment letter to WageWorks, and has also indicated a willingness to include HealthEquity stock as a component of transaction consideration." While HealthEquity stands ready to engage with WageWorks to negotiate a transaction, there can be no assurance such negotiations will be undertaken or that an agreement will be reached.

09:09 EDT Comtech awarded $14.3M of additional funding from U.S. Army - Comtech Telecommunications announced that during Q3, its Command & Control Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, received additional funding of $14.3M to provide baseband equipment to support the United States Army.

09:07 EDT Echo Global adds $50M to share repurchase program - Echo Global Logistics announced that its Board of Directors amended its ongoing repurchase program on April 26 which provides for the repurchase of the Company's outstanding common stock and 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2020, to add an additional $50M of capacity through October 31, 2020. As of the amendment date, and inclusive of this $50M increase, the Company has approximately $62M of repurchase availability under its repurchase program.

09:05 EDT CarGurus announces partnership with Capital One Auto Finance - CarGurus announced a partnership with Capital One Auto Finance that will benefit both consumers and dealers. The partnership will enable eligible shoppers on CarGurus.com to pre-qualify for financing before visiting the dealership, creating a more transparent and efficient process for buying a car. CarGurus shoppers who are pre-qualified for financing through this partnership will now know more about purchasing their vehicle before they go to the dealership.

09:04 EDT BNY Mellon selected by Horizon Healthcare Service - BNY Mellon announced that it has been chosen by Horizon Healthcare Services, New Jersey's largest and oldest health insurer, to be its sole provider of global custody services, accounting and reporting, benefit disbursements, performance measurement, and analytics. BNY Mellon's New York and Pittsburgh offices will jointly support Horizon.

09:03 EDT Abbott announces next phase of partnership with DoD - Abbott announced the next phase of partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, and researchers from the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury, or TRACK-TBI, Network, one of the largest traumatic brain injury, or TBI, efforts of its kind. Together the groups will conduct a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of Abbott's point-of-care blood test technology, which is under development to help clinicians assess brain injuries within minutes, using only a few drops of a patient's blood.

09:02 EDT HomeStreet CEO says 'significant progress' made toward achieving long-term goals - "During the past several months we have made significant progress toward achieving our long-term strategic goals," said CEO Mark Mason. "We are executing a series of transactions that, when completed, will redefine our business. We executed an agreement to sell substantially all of our home loan centers and we sold $14.26B unpaid principal balance of related single family mortgage servicing rights. Negotiating and concurrently executing these transactions has been challenging, and I wish to thank our staff, partners, and advisors for their hard work. Our exit of the home loan center-based mortgage origination and related mortgage servicing business will significantly reduce the size and scope of HomeStreet's single family mortgage banking business and substantially mitigate the impact of this cyclical and volatile earnings stream. Our remaining single family mortgage origination and servicing business will be much smaller, integrated with our regional commercial and consumer banking business, and will be reported within continuing operations. Going forward, originations will be sourced through our bank locations, online, and affinity relationships. We thank those employees who are part of these transactions for their tireless efforts and contributions to our success. Under generally accepted accounting principles, we are unable to recognize in the results of Discontinued Operations all of the corporate overhead and support costs such as information technology, human resources, legal and accounting that we incurred to support these businesses and previously reported in the results of operations of our former Mortgage Banking segment. These "Stranded Costs" are identified in the financial tables in this release and totaled $8.3 million during the first quarter of 2019. As part of our plan of exit or disposal of our home loan center based mortgage origination and servicing business, we have already identified approximately 45% to 50% of these Stranded Costs for reduction, the majority of which will occur during the second quarter of 2019. Included in these initial reductions are approximately 100 employees in corporate overhead positions whose positions will be eliminated prior to year-end 2019 and we provided notice to those affected employees earlier this month. In addition to these initial reductions, we have initiated a corporate wide efficiency improvement project to go beyond the current restructuring plan to improve the operating efficiency of the entire Company through further cost reductions and revenue growth. As part of this initiative, we have engaged the services of highly regarded consultants who have successfully helped many west coast banks improve their operating efficiency. "

08:59 EDT FIS, Worldpay deal granted early termination of HSR review - The Federal Trade Commission, on April 26, granted early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act waiting period for the review of the deal agreed to by Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) and Worldpay (WP), according to the post to the FTC website. Reference Link

08:53 EDT Berkshire Hathway commits to $10B investment in Occidental for Anadarko deal - Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) announced that, in connection with the financing of Occidental's proposal to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) has committed to invest a total of $10B in Occidental. The investment is contingent upon Occidental entering into and completing its proposed acquisition of Anadarko. Berkshire Hathaway will receive 100,000 shares of Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock with a liquidation value of $100,000 per share, together with a warrant to purchase up to 80.0 million shares of Occidental common stock at an exercise price of $62.50 per share. The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8% per annum. On April 24, Occidental made a proposal to acquire Anadarko for $76.00 per share, comprised of $38.00 in cash and 0.6094 shares of Occidental common stock per Anadarko share. On April 29, Anadarko announced that its Board of Directors had determined that the proposal from Occidental could reasonably be expected to result in a Superior Proposal under its existing merger agreement and that it would engage with Occidental. "We have long believed that Occidental is uniquely positioned to generate compelling value from Anadarko's highly complementary asset portfolio. We are thrilled to have Berkshire Hathaway's financial support of this exciting opportunity," said Vicki Hollub, President and CEO of Occidental. "We look forward to engaging with Anadarko's Board of Directors to deliver this superior transaction to our respective shareholders."

08:51 EDT Berkshire Hathway commits to $10B investment in Occidental for Anadarko deal

08:49 EDT MakeMyTrip acquires majority stake in Quest2Travel.com - MakeMyTrip Limited said it has acquired a majority shareholding interest in Mumbai based 'Quest 2 Travel.com India Private Limited', an internet based corporate travel management company. "Through Q2T's enterprise software, large corporate clients are able to manage their end-to-end employee travel needs on a real-time basis, in a transparent and secure manner. Its online booking platform offers the entire workflow of travel procurement, including an employee's travel request approval, corporate policy compliant online booking, invoice generation, expense management, reimbursement and final invoice settlement," MakeMyTrip said in a statement. Deep Kalra, Founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip Limited said, "This investment will help us extend our service offerings to large corporates for their travel requirements while helping Quest2Travel benefit from the travel expertise and depth of supplier relationships that MakeMyTrip has forged over the years. We have historically focused on providing travel solutions for retail customers and with this investment we are making a decisive foray into providing travel solutions for corporate customers as well."

08:44 EDT Commvault CEO says 'not pleased' with Q4 results - Commvault CEO Sanjay Mirchandani said he was not pleased with Q4 performance but added that Q4's performance is not an indication of future performance. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

08:42 EDT Vertex announces FDA approval for KALYDECO to treat eligible infants with CF - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved KALYDECO for use in children with cystic fibrosis ages six months to less than 12 months who have at least one mutation in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene that is responsive to KALYDECO based on clinical and/or in vitro assay data. KALYDECO is already approved in the U.S., Canada and EU for the treatment of CF in patients ages 12 months and older. This FDA approval is based on data from a 24-week Phase 3 open-label safety cohort of 11 children with CF aged six months to less than 12 months who have one of 10 mutations in the CFTR gene. The study demonstrated a safety profile similar to that observed in previous Phase 3 studies of older children and adults; most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, and no patient discontinued therapy due to adverse events. The most common adverse events were cough, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. Three serious adverse events, all considered unrelated to study treatment by the investigators, were observed in three patients. Mean baseline sweat chloride for the children in this cohort was 101.5 mmol/L. Following 24 weeks of treatment with KALYDECO, the mean sweat chloride level was 43.1 mmol/L. In the six subjects with paired sweat chloride samples at baseline and week 24, there was a mean absolute change of -58.6 mmol/L. KALYDECO was first approved in 2012 in the U.S. and is now available in more than 40 countries with more than 5,000 patients on therapy.

08:37 EDT Luna Innovations receives purchase order for tunable lasers from robotics firm - Luna Innovations announced that it will supply a robotics company with a significant number of its Phoenix tunable lasers. The order, valued at more than $6M, will be delivered over four years, with deliveries beginning this summer.

08:36 EDT Celsius Holdings announces distribution agreement with Big Geyser - Celsius Holdings announced an agreement with distribution powerhouse Big Geyser, the largest independent non-alcoholic beverage distributor in the New York metro area, effective April 22nd. Under the agreement, Big Geyser will carry the full CELSIUS Original Line product portfolio as well as the full CELSIUS HEAT product portfolio.

08:35 EDT MyoKardia: Mavacamten treatment resulted in obstruction reductions in trial - MyoKardia announced the publication of results from the company's Phase 2 PIONEER-HCM study of mavacamten in an upcoming issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. In the open-label Phase 2 PIONEER-HCM dose-ranging study, treatment with mavacamten for twelve weeks resulted in significant improvements across the primary and secondary endpoints measured. Among the most noteworthy findings were that mavacamten could be dosed to eliminate the LVOT pressure gradient below the guideline-based definition of obstruction or below the level used to recommend invasive intervention, as measured using echocardiography. Along with LVOT gradient reductions, patients experienced improvements in New York Heart Association functional classification and exercise capacity as measured by peak VO2 levels. Reductions in shortness of breath and in levels of NT-proBNP, a well-established marker of ventricular wall stress, were also observed. Researchers noted that improvements were seen in participants with and without background beta-blocker therapy, with and without sarcomeric genetic variants, and over a wide age range. "The positive findings from the PIONEER-HCM study guided our dosing approach in the pivotal Phase 3 EXPLORER-HCM trial of mavacamten for the treatment of oHCM, and recently reported results from the PIONEER open-label extension study have further confirmed this approach. Patients start at a daily dose of 5mg and, based on echocardiographic assessment, may be titrated up to eliminate any residual LVOT gradient. In this way, each patient's dose is individualized, and we believe this approach will reflect real-world usage," said June Lee, M.D., Chief Development Officer.

08:24 EDT Nielsen sees strength in national, digital audience measurement in FY19 - Sees pressure in local audience measurement. Says dissatisfied with company's growth rate. Says focused on expanding digital platform. Says can improve growth trajectory over time. Says leveraging AI and machine learning to expand use cases. Says has clear opportunity to strengthen position with Nielsen Connect platform. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:18 EDT CDK Global appoints Mahesh Shah as chief product and technology officer - CDK Global (CDK) announced that Mahesh Shah has joined the company as EVP, chief product and technology officer. Shah officially began this role on Monday, April 22, and will be based in the organization's new San Jose office. As CPTO, Shah will accelerate innovation, research and development, and building and testing for our product portfolio. Shah joins CDK from DXC Technology (DXC), where he most recently served as SVP and general manager of applications and global business process services.

08:15 EDT OneMain Holdings says 2019 'off to a great start' - Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:13 EDT Navient board recommends investors support strategy, board - Navient announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 6. In connection with the upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Navient sent a letter to Navient shareholders urging them to vote FOR the re-election of Navient's current Board using the WHITE proxy card. The letter highlights the Board's efforts to drive enhanced performance and outlines serious concerns about the motivations of Canyon Capital Advisors LLC to nominate a slate of underqualified director candidates. Navient said in the letter: " At this meeting, Navient shareholder Canyon Capital Advisors LLC, a hedge fund which recently made an unsuccessful, inadequate attempt to acquire Navient for $12.50 per share, is trying to gain effective control of the Board of Directors of Navient without paying you and our other shareholders fair value. Canyon owns approximately 10.5% of the Company's stock, yet it has nominated a slate of four directors for election to the Navient Board. If their slate is elected - when combined with the addition last August of Canyon-recommended director candidate Frederick Arnold - Canyon would have hand-picked 50% of your ten-member Board. Effectively, Canyon would be taking control of the Company without paying you - our shareholders - for that right. We therefore strongly urge you to support Navient's slate of director nominees. Simply stated, our nominees are better qualified to oversee the execution of the Company's strategy and are far better placed to represent the best interest of every Navient shareholder than Canyon's hand-picked, underqualified nominees... In the event that Canyon is unable to force through their inadequate acquisition attempt, we believe they intend to propose that Navient pursue a risky, ill-defined alternative strategy that would create significant risks to your investment and deliver less value than our current strategy. Navient's management is laser focused on reducing costs and has done so successfully, but Canyon is proposing slashing costs in a way that we believe would undermine our successful strategy of maximizing cash flow and returning significant capital to shareholders."

08:11 EDT MasterCard reports Q1 switched transactions up 17% - Net revenue increased 9% as reported, or 13% on a currency-neutral basis, driven by the impact of the following factors: An increase in switched transactions of 17%. A 12% increase in gross dollar volume, on a local currency basis, to $1.5T. An increase in cross-border volumes of 13% on a local currency basis.

08:11 EDT MasterCard reports total assets of $23.5B as of March 31

08:08 EDT GM Financial reports Q1 net income $271M vs. $318M last year - GM Financial announced net income of $271 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, compared to $318 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and $369 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Retail loan originations were $7.2 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, compared to $8.4 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and $5.1 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. The outstanding balance of retail finance receivables, net of fees was $41.8 billion at March 31, 2019, compared to $40.7 billion at December 31, 2018 and $34.3 billion at March 31, 2018. Operating lease originations were $5.2 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, compared to $5.2 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and $5.7 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Leased vehicles, net was $43.1 billion at March 31, 2019, compared to $43.6 billion at December 31, 2018 and $43.4 billion at March 31, 2018. The outstanding balance of commercial finance receivables, net of fees was $12.4 billion at March 31, 2019, compared to $12.7 billion at December 31, 2018 and $10.4 billion at March 31, 2018. Retail finance receivables 31-60 days delinquent were 2.5% of the portfolio at March 31, 2019 and 3.7% at March 31, 2018. Accounts more than 60 days delinquent were 1.0% of the portfolio at March 31, 2019 and 1.7% at March 31, 2018. Annualized net charge-offs were 1.6% of average retail finance receivables for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and 2.1% for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. The company had total available liquidity of $28.3 billion at March 31, 2019, consisting of $5.3 billion of cash and cash equivalents, $19.7 billion of borrowing capacity on unpledged eligible assets, $0.3 billion of borrowing capacity on committed unsecured lines of credit, $1.0 billion of borrowing capacity on the Junior Subordinated Revolving Credit Facility from GM, and $2.0 billion of borrowing capacity on the GM Revolving 364-Day Credit Facility. Earnings resulting from the Company's equity investment joint ventures that conduct automotive finance operations in China were $45 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 compared to $42 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and $52 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.

08:07 EDT Smartsheet appoints Anna Griffin as Chief Marketing Officer - Smartsheet announced that Anna Griffin has joined the company as its Chief Marketing Officer. "Griffin brings more than two decades of experience in senior marketing roles, including leading the global re-branding of CA Technologies during her five years as Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing."

08:07 EDT Aldeyra completes dosing of last patient in Solace Phase 3 clinical trial - Aldeyra Therapeutics announced that the last patient has completed dosing in the SOLACE Phase 3 clinical trial of topical ocular reproxalap in patients with noninfectious anterior uveitis. The SOLACE trial is a randomized, multi-center, double-masked, parallel-group, vehicle-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial of 0.5% topical ocular reproxalap in patients with noninfectious anterior uveitis. The primary outcome measure is time-to-cure without rescue therapy. Results from the SOLACE trial are expected to be announced in the second half of 2019.

08:05 EDT Xencor says FDA lifts partial clinical hold on Phase 1 study of XmAb14045 - Xencor announced the FDA has lifted the partial clinical hold that was placed on the Phase 1 study of XmAb14045, a CD123 x CD3 bispecific antibody molecule being evaluated in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia and other CD123-expressing hematologic malignancies. The decision follows discussion and agreement with the FDA on amendments to the study protocol, including guidance on the monitoring and clinical management of cytokine release syndrome.

08:03 EDT Spartan Motors unit secures order for eleven new fire apparatus - Spartan Emergency Response, a business unit of Spartan Motors, is expanding its presence in the Midwest by securing an order for 11 new fire apparatus from repeat customer, the St. Louis Fire Department. The department has ordered one Spartan's Smeal Series 100' Rear-Mount Platform, two Smeal Series Pumpers, and eight Smeal Series 75' Rear-Mount Ladders. The order is expected to begin shipping in Q2 of 2020.

08:00 EDT McDonald's CEO says 'we started the year strong' - "We started the year strong with our 15th consecutive quarter of positive global comparable sales, reflecting continued broad-based momentum across each of our global segments," said McDonald's President and CEO Steve Easterbrook. "We remain focused on running better restaurants and elevating the experience for our customers by providing convenience on their terms through delivery, Experience of the Future, and our evolving digital channels."

07:59 EDT McDonald's reports Q1 global comparable sales increased 5.4% - Global comparable sales increased 5.4%, reflecting strong comparable sales across all segments.

07:49 EDT Jacobs Engineering selected by MAG to design new PremiAir terminal - Jacobs was selected by Manchester Airports Group, or MAG, to design its new PremiAir terminal, offering a unique "private jet experience" for passengers flying on commercial airlines. Manchester has become the first major U.K. airport to open such a facility. The PremiAir terminal is the latest investment by MAG at Manchester Airport. MAG has shared preview designs and expects the terminal to open later in 2019. Jacobs is also supporting MAG with the $1.3B Manchester Airport Transformation Program, which sees the first phase due to open in April this year, providing passengers with new state-of-the-art facilities and more capacity through the U.K.'s third largest gateway.

07:47 EDT Libbey expect to improve cash generation in FY19 and beyond - The company said, "The investments we've made in customer service, e-commerce, new products and ERP are paying dividends and position us well to further leverage and expand our leading market position. Going forward, we will become an even stronger partner for our customers as we continue to build new and innovative products and programs to meet the needs of their businesses and end users. We will remain disciplined and committed to driving efficiencies throughout the organization, while we improve our focus on cash generation in 2019 and beyond."

07:46 EDT Nielsen sees FY19 adj. EBITDA $1.8B-$1.9B - Sees FY19 free cash flow $525M-$575M. Guidance taken from Q1 earnings presentation slides.

07:42 EDT Novocure announces publication of data on Tumor Treating Fields - Novocure announced that the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, known in the field as the Red Journal, has published the results of an EF-14 post-hoc analysis demonstrating that higher doses of Tumor Treating Fields improved survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients. The simulation-based, post-hoc analysis included 340 patients from the EF-14 phase 3 pivotal trial, which compared Tumor Treating Fields plus temozolomide versus temozolomide alone for the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM. All EF-14 patients who were on treatment for at least two months and who had MRIs of acceptable quality were included. The median overall survival and progression free survival were significantly longer when the average dose density in the tumor bed was greater than0.77 mW/cm3: overall survival and progression free survival.

07:40 EDT Primoris announces civil design, build award valued over $71M - Primoris announced a new heavy civil design/build award valued over $71M. The contract was secured by Primoris Heavy Civil. The project was awarded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and is located in northwestern Louisiana. The project upgrades an existing highway interchange with four new ramp connections and twin bridges. The new interchange will allow for improved access to a nearby military base. Design work has begun and construction is scheduled to begin in Q4. Project completion is anticipated for Q4 of 2021.

07:36 EDT CGI Group selected by HSBC - CGI (GIB) has been selected to deliver a new global trade technology platform by HSBC Group (HSBX). The platform is intended to accelerate the ongoing transformation of HSBC's global trade and receivables business by refreshing the underlying technology and improving agility and processing capabilities. It will harness CGI Trade360, an end-to-end global trade finance solution, which will deliver all the software and business capability to power the bank's global trade business.

07:34 EDT PayPal acquisition of iZettle provisionally cleared by UK CMA - PayPal announced that it welcomes the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority's, or CMA, decision to provisionally clear its previously completed acquisition of iZettle. The CMA found that the merger of PayPal and iZettle does not raise competition concerns in the UK. "We are pleased the CMA has provisionally cleared our transaction," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. "We look forward to adding iZettle's products and services to our platform to help small businesses access even more affordable tools to run their shops and compete against the retail giants." The CMA has published these provisional findings on its website. Its final decision is expected by mid-June after collecting views on the provisional findings and assessing all evidence. PayPal will continue to work closely with the CMA through the remainder of its review. PayPal's acquisition of iZettle was completed on September 20, 2018 and is not subject to review in any other country.

07:33 EDT Rocket Pharmaceuticals receives $6.5M grant from CIRM - Rocket Pharmaceuticals announces that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, has awarded Rocket a $6.5M CLIN2 grant award to support the clinical development of gene therapy for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I, or LAD-I. The CIRM was founded in 2004 following the passing of Proposition 71 or the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, which allocated $3B in state funding for stem cell research conducted in California. Rocket's Investigational New Drug Application, or IND, for RP-L201 was accepted by the FDA in November 2018. Proceeds from the grant will help fund clinical trial costs as well as manufactured drug product for Phase I/II patients enrolled in the U.S. clinical site, University of California, Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, led by PI Donald Kohn, M.D., UCLA Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Pediatrics, Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. The trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the infusion of autologous hematopoietic stem cells transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding the ITGB2 gene.

07:29 EDT Aptinyx reports results from NYX-458 Phase 1 study - Aptinyx reported positive results from a Phase 1 study of its NMDA receptor modulator, NYX-458, in clinical development for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson's disease. In the randomized, placebo-controlled study, which included 62 healthy volunteers, single and multiple ascending oral doses of NYX-458 were evaluated across a 20-fold dose range-10 mg to 200 mg. Across the study, including in a cohort of elderly volunteers, NYX-458 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile with no serious adverse events reported and no adverse events leading to discontinuation. Only two adverse events-one headache and one case of nausea-in the study were considered possibly related to NYX-458 and both were characterized as mild. Further, NYX-458 demonstrated a dose-proportional pharmacokinetic profile and no meaningful accumulation was observed with seven daily doses. The predictable nature of this pharmacokinetic profile enables accurate dose selection to achieve appropriate therapeutic exposure in clinical development. As evaluated through cerebral spinal fluid drug concentration, NYX-458 demonstrated CNS exposure in line with that observed at preclinically efficacious doses. CSF exposure levels were approximately 15% of the plasma concentration, similar to observations in preclinical studies.

07:28 EDT Blue Apron reports Q1 customers 550K vs. 786K last year - Reports Q1 average order value $57.15 vs. $56.58 last year

07:24 EDT Trillium Therapeutics CEO Stiernholm resigns, Kirkman named interim CEO - Niclas Stiernholm has informed the board of Trillium of his resignation as president & CEO of the company effective immediately. In addition, Stiernholm has resigned as a director of the company. The board has appointed a committee to lead a search for Trillium's next CEO. In the interim, the board has appointed Robert Kirkman, the current chairman of the board, as executive chairman. In addition, Bob Uger, the current CSO of Trillium, will assume the role of interim president. Uger has also been appointed to the board to fill the vacancy created by Stiernholm's departure. Kirkman and Uger will together lead the company and are anticipated to continue in their new roles until the appointment of a new CEO.

07:20 EDT Corning 'on track' to achieve goals of 2016-2019 framework - Says "on track" to achieve goals of 2016-2019 Strategy and Capital Allocation Framework. Says has returned $414M to shareholders in first-quarter 2019, for a total of $12.3Bsince the Framework's introduction. Says investing to position businesses for short- and long-term sales growth.

07:19 EDT McDermott awarded contract by ENI Mexico - McDermott International announced the award of a contract by ENI Mexico for engineering, procurement and construction of wellhead platform one, or WHP1, to be installed in the Amoca field, located approximately 18 miles, or 30 kilometers, offshore Dos Bocas in southeast Mexico. The four-deck topsides will have two main decks and will weigh approximately 2,924 tons. The four-legged jacket and piles will weigh approximately 1,785 ton. McDermott will perform the hookup, commissioning and startup of 12 wells. The jacket and piles are scheduled to be ready for loadout by the end of the fourth quarter 2019 while the deck is expected to be ready for loadout by the end of the Q2 of 2020. The engineering work is expected to begin immediately, and the contract will be reflected in McDermott's second quarter 2019 backlog.

07:13 EDT Resolute Forest expects lower price realizations in Q2 - The company said, "We maintain our view on market pulp fundamentals even as prices have recently started to trend down. While we expect lower price realizations in the Q2 limited capacity additions and growing demand will continue to support favorable market dynamics over the medium term. Our tissue segment remains a key focus as we continue to build on the late-year progress in terms of productivity and quality. We expect our wood products cost performance to improve for the balance of the year. But we're more conservative with our expectations around lumber markets even as some market participants are more enthusiastic following abnormally wet and wintry conditions and in light of production curtailments among Canadian producers, including downtime of our own. While our near-term outlook is more uncertain, our medium to long-term outlook remains positive. With ongoing global demand declines and currently low operating rates, we expect lower pricing for our paper grades in the second quarter. But despite the softening market conditions, our paper business generated strong first quarter EBITDA margins, and we are confident we can continue to produce attractive cash flows as we take steps to reduce inventory and maintain our competitive cost position."

07:10 EDT VF approves announced separation of VF's Jeanswear organization - VF announced that its Board of Directors has approved the previously announced separation of VF's Jeanswear organization into an independent, publicly traded company. The new company, named Kontoor Brands, Inc., will include the Wrangler, Lee and Rock & Republic brands, and the VF OutletTM business. The separation will be achieved through the distribution of 100% of the shares of Kontoor Brands to holders of VF common stock. VF shareholders entitled to receive the distribution will receive a book-entry account statement or a credit to their brokerage account reflecting their ownership of Kontoor Brands common stock. The distribution of Kontoor Brands' shares is expected to be completed after the market close on May 22, 2019, with VF shareholders receiving one share of Kontoor Brands common stock for every seven shares of VF common stock held at the close of business on the record date of May 10. Following the distribution of Kontoor Brands' common stock on May 22, 2019, Kontoor Brands will be an independent, publicly traded company. Kontoor Brands has received approval for the listing of its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "KTB."

07:06 EDT Tile Shop announces $15M share repurchase program - The board of Tile Shop authorized a share repurchase program, pursuant to which the company may, from time to time, purchase shares of its common stock for an aggregate repurchase price not to exceed $15M. The program will begin on May 2 and will continue indefinitely until the full repurchase amount has been utilized or the board terminates the program.

07:05 EDT Charter sees FY19 capex of $7B - Property, plant and equipment expenditures totaled $1.7B in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $2.2 billion during the first quarter of 2018, primarily driven by a decline in CPE and scalable infrastructure spending. The company said: "We currently expect capital expenditures, excluding capital expenditures related to mobile, to be approximately $7B in 2019, versus $8.9B in 2018. Our expectation for lower capital expenditures in 2019 versus 2018, is primarily driven by our expectation for lower customer premise equipment spend with the completion of our all-digital conversion, lower scalable infrastructure spend with the completion of the rollout of DOCSIS 3.1 technology across our footprint and lower support capital spend with the substantial completion of the integration of Legacy TWC and Legacy Bright House."

07:02 EDT Becton Dickinson receives FDA approval for BD ChloraPrep - BD announced it has received FDA approval for BD ChloraPrep skin preparation with sterile solution, "the only fully sterile chlorhexidine gluconate, or CHG, antiseptic skin preparation commercially available in the U.S."

06:58 EDT Merck sees new restructuring pre-tax costs up to $1.2B

06:54 EDT CNX Resources reaffirms 2019 production volumes of 495-515 Bcfe

06:50 EDT OneMain Holdings sees FY19 net charge-offs less than 6.5% - Sees FY19 net charge-offs less than 6.5%, operating expense +3%, "stable" yield. Sees C&I ending net receivables +5%-10%, tangible leverage 6.0x. Comments taken from slides being presented on the Q1 earnings conference call.

06:46 EDT Pfizer raises midpoint of 2019 adjusted EPS guidance

06:42 EDT Co-Diagnostics files provisional patent for targeted NGS library preparation - Co-Diagnostics announced the filing of a provisional patent with the USPTO for its single-step next generation sequencing library preparation methods and composition, claiming an exclusive privilege and/or right to practice the invention, which also embodies the use of the company's patented CoPrimer technology in the process. The technology has numerous applications in liquid biopsy and oncology, agrigenomics, and infectious diseases.

06:37 EDT WW says membership close to 4.6M people at end of Q1 - WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers, announced last night the launch of a new advertising campaign called "Gamechanger." The new advertisement features Oprah Winfrey calling another WW member "to talk about how powerful the WW app has been on her wellness journey, the friendships she has made within the community and the support network that is available to her 24/7," the company said in a statement. "We aim to be the world's everything app for wellness. Today, we're celebrating the power of the WW app for our members through this new creative asset with Oprah," said Mindy Grossman, President and Chief Executive Officer of WW. "This advertisement brings to life the impact the WW app has on our members. All of our members, which at the close of the first quarter was approximately 4.6 million people, have access to this incredible, Webby Award-winning app."

06:35 EDT Eaton raises FY19 outlook to reflect accretion from Ulusoy acquisition

06:34 EDT GE reports Q1 Power revenue $5.66B, Renewable Energy revenue $1.6B - Reports Q1 Industrial segment organic revenue $26.2B. Reports Q1 Aviation revenue $7.95B, Oil and Gas revenue $5.62B, Health Care revenue $4.68B, GE Capital revenue $2.23B.

06:32 EDT General Electric CEO says Q1 results were better than expectations - GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. said, "We saw progress in the first quarter as we continued to execute on our priorities to improve our financial position and strengthen our businesses. We announced the sale of BioPharma, closed the Wabtec merger, settled WMC, and improved our operating performance. We delivered strong industrial orders in the quarter, up 9 percent organically, with backlog closing at $374 billion, up 6 percent year over year. Our quarterly results were better than our expectations, largely driven by timing of certain items, which should balance out over the course of the year. Therefore, we expect our performance for the year to be in line with our previous commentary."

06:27 EDT BP sees Q2 production 'broadly flat' with Q1 - BP said: "Looking ahead, we expect second-quarter 2019 reported production to be broadly flat with the first quarter reflecting ramp up of major projects offset by ongoing seasonal turnaround and maintenance activities in high margin regions."

06:21 EDT Ingersoll-Rand reports Q1 book to bill of 105% driving record backlog - Reports operating margin expansion of 170 bps; adjusted operating margin higher by 90 bps.

06:17 EDT Ingersoll-Rand raises full-year 2019 EPS guidance to top end of prior range

06:13 EDT JinkoSolar secures over 10.7 GW in orders in 2019 - JinkoSolar announced that it has already secured over 10.7 GW in orders for 2019. The signing of several large supply agreements in Vietnam, Mexico, Spain and a number of other markets has allowed JinkoSolar to secure over 10.7 GW in orders for 2019. Overseas orders with fixed terms and conditions account for the vast majority of the secured orders. Installations in China are expected to pick up during the second half of 2019. This record-high 10.7 GW order book consists primarily of high efficiency products like Cheetah, which highlights a clear trend taking place in global markets with demand shifting towards high-efficiency products.

06:08 EDT Gardner Denver backs FY19 adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $680M-$710M

06:04 EDT Gardner Denver, Ingersoll-Rand deal to be tax-free valued at approx. $15B - The transaction will be effected through a "Reverse Morris Trust" transaction pursuant to which Ingersoll Rand Industrial is expected to be spun-off to Ingersoll Rand's shareholders and simultaneously merged with and surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardner Denver. The combination will result in existing Ingersoll Rand shareholders owning 50.1% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis, with existing stockholders of Gardner Denver owning 49.9% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The transaction is expected to be tax-free to Ingersoll Rand and Gardner Denver's respective shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. At the time of transaction close, ClimateCo will receive a cash payment of $1.9 billion. IndustrialCo has obtained fully underwritten commitments to provide it or a member of the IndustrialCo group with the debt facilities to fund its $1.9 billion payment to ClimateCo. The transaction is expected to close by early 2020, subject to approval by Gardner Denver stockholders, regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

06:03 EDT WellCare not providing guidance due to pending merger with Centene

06:01 EDT Gardner Denver to combine with Ingersoll-Rand's industrial segment

06:00 EDT Boeing: Disagree alert 'not necessary' for safe operation of 737 MAX - Boeing said in a statement posted on its website: "We want to provide a response to several news stories yesterday and today reporting on the disagree alert on the 737 MAX. Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes. The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended. The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable. On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck and on the flight deck display. This information is readily accessible to pilots, and it always has been. The air speed, attitude, and altitude displays, together with the stick shaker, are the primary flight information indicators in the flight deck. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators, not on the AOA disagree alert or the angle of attack indicator. As the MAX safely returns to the air after the software modifications are approved and certified, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert per a service bulletin to airlines. We are confident that when the MAX returns to the skies, it will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly."

05:30 EDT Accenture to acquire Zielpuls, terms not disclosed - Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Zielpuls, a technology consultancy headquartered in Germany. Upon close, Zielpuls will become part of Accenture Industry X.0. Following completion of the acquisition, the Zielpuls co-CEOs Markus Frey and Dr. Marc Poppner will join Accenture as managing directors. They will continue to lead the Zielpuls team along with their existing management team and support the firm's transition to Accenture Industry X.0. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

05:13 EDT Sandoz enters agreement for proposed trastuzumab biosimilar - Sandoz, a Novartis division, announced that it has entered into an agreement to commercialize a proposed trastuzumab biosimilar. This medicine is currently in Phase III clinical development for treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive, or HER2+, breast and specific gastric cancer tumors. "The agreement between Sandoz and EirGenix, Inc, a biotechnology manufacturing and development company that aspires to provide high-quality medicines for individuals and society, aims to bring to market a proposed biosimilar trastuzumab." EirGenix will maintain responsibility for development and manufacturing, and Sandoz has the right to commercialize the medicine upon approval in all markets excluding China and Taiwan. According to the terms of the agreement, EirGenix will receive an upfront payment on signing, milestone payments, and is entitled to receive profit share payments for sales in the territories. This structure allows Sandoz to keep in-house resources focused on bringing forward a robust internal pipeline. The collaboration further expands the existing Sandoz oncology portfolio of four oncology biosimilar medicines, while enabling the company to further develop its strong hospital presence. Other specific terms of the agreement are confidential.

05:08 EDT WageWorks confirms proposal from HealthEquity - WageWorks (WAGE) confirms that it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from HealthEquity (HQY). The WageWorks board, in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, will continue to carefully review the proposal in order to pursue the course of action that is in the best interests of all WageWorks shareholders.