October 2019 – Stock Market Research, Option Picks, Stock Picks,Financial News,Option Research

October 31, 2019

BeiGene shares soar on Amgen stake

Amgen to buy 20.5% stake in BeiGene for $2.7B at $174.85 per ADS

BeiGene (BGNE) and Amgen (AMGN) announced a global strategic oncology collaboration for the commercialization and development in China of Amgen’s XGEVA, KYPROLIS, and BLINCYTO, and the joint global development of 20 oncology assets in Amgen’s pipeline, with BeiGene responsible for development and commercialization in China.

In connection with the collaboration, Amgen will purchase a 20.5% stake in BeiGene for approximately $2.7B in cash at $174.85 per American Depositary Share, or ADS.

Amgen will receive one seat on BeiGene’s Board of Directors.

Under the agreement, BeiGene will commercialize XGEVA, KYPROLIS and BLINCYTO in China for five or seven years, during which time the parties will equally share profits and losses.

Amgen enters Chinese market by taking stake in BeiGene, Stockwinners

Following the commercialization period, BeiGene will have the right to retain one product and will be entitled to receive royalties on sales in China for an additional five years on the products not retained; and XGEVA was approved in China in 2019 for patients with giant cell tumor of the bone and is in development for prevention of skeletal-related events in cancer patients with bone metastases.

Blincyto is indicated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Stockwinners

KYPROLIS is in late-stage development in China for patients with multiple myeloma, and BLINCYTO is in late-stage development in China as a treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Kyprolis is indicated for multiple myeloma , Stockwinners

BeiGene has agreed to jointly develop 20 Amgen oncology pipeline assets globally, which include targeted small-molecule agents such as AMG 510, a first-in-class investigational KRAS G12C inhibitor, as well as BiTE antibodies, for solid and hematologic malignancies; Amgen and BeiGene will co-fund global development costs, with BeiGene contributing up to $1.25B worth of development services and cash over the term of the collaboration.

BeiGene is entitled to receive royalties from global sales of each product outside of China, with the exception of AMG 510; For each pipeline asset that is approved in China, BeiGene will receive commercial rights for seven years from approval, during which time the parties will share equally in profits and losses.

BeiGene is also entitled to receive royalties from sales in China for five years after the seven-year commercial term; and BeiGene will also have the right to retain approximately one of every three approved pipeline assets, up to a total of six, other than AMG 510, for commercialization in China, during which time the parties will share in profits and losses.

The transactions have been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and are expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, subject to approval by a majority vote of BeiGene’s shareholders pursuant to the listing rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the expiration or termination of applicable waiting periods under applicable antitrust laws, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

BeiGene has already received commitments from shareholders holding approximately 40% of its outstanding shares to vote in favor of the transactions.

BGNE closed at $138.34, last traded at $174.58.

STOCKWINNERS.com

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This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility

October 30, 2019

Anixter sold for $3.8 billion

Anixter to be acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice for $81.00 per share in cash

Anixter (AXE) has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice to be acquired in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $3.8B.

The transaction will result in Anixter becoming a private company and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, CD&R-managed funds will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Anixter common stock for $81.00 per share in cash.

This represents a premium of approximately 13% over Anixter’s closing price on October 29, and a premium of approximately 27% over the 90-day volume-weighted average price of Anixter’s common stock for the period ended October 29.

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice buys Anixter, Stockwinners

Anixter International Inc. distributes enterprise cabling and security solutions, electrical and electronic wire and cable solutions, and utility power solutions worldwide. The company operates through Network & Security Solutions (NSS), Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), and Utility Power Solutions (UPS) segments.

It is anticipated that upon completion of the transaction, Bill Galvin, along with other members of Anixter’s executive management team, will continue to lead the company.

Anixter’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the agreement with CD&R and recommends that Anixter stockholders approve the proposed merger and merger agreement.

Anixter expects to hold a Special Meeting of Stockholders to consider and vote on the proposed merger and merger agreement as soon as practicable after the mailing of the proxy statement to its stockholders.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Anixter may solicit superior proposals from third parties for a period of 40 calendar days continuing through December 9, 2019.

In accordance with the merger agreement, Anixter’s Board of Directors, with the assistance of its advisors, intends to solicit superior proposals during this period.

In addition, Anixter may, at any time, subject to the provisions of the merger agreement, respond to unsolicited proposals that are reasonably likely to result in a superior proposal.

Anixter advises that there can be no assurance that the solicitation process will result in an alternative transaction.

To the extent that a superior proposal received prior to December 9, 2019 or, in certain circumstances, 10 days thereafter leads to the execution of a definitive agreement, Anixter would be obligated to pay a $45M break-up fee to CD&R.

Anixter does not intend to disclose developments with respect to this solicitation process unless and until it determines it is appropriate to do so.

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October 28, 2019October 27, 2019

Liberty Property Trust sold for about $61 per share

Prologis to acquire Liberty Property for $12.6B

Prologis (PLD) and Liberty Property Trust (LPT) announced that the two companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement by which Prologis will acquire Liberty in an all-stock transaction, valued at approximately $12.6B, including the assumption of debt.

The board of Prologis and the board of trustees of Liberty have each unanimously approved the transaction.

Warehouses and logistics facilities — Liberty’s specialty — have become a hot part of the real estate market as more shopping moves online and demand for the space increases.

The acquisition gives Prologis a portfolio of 107 million square feet of logistics properties that’s owned or managed, as well as buildings under construction and land for future development. It also includes 4.9 million square feet of office space.

Prologis plans to dispose of approximately $3.5B of assets on a pro rata share basis. This includes $2.8B of non-strategic logistics properties and $700M of office properties.

This transaction is anticipated to create immediate cost synergies of approximately $120M from corporate general and administrative cost savings, operating leverage, lower interest expense and lease adjustments.

Initially, this transaction is expected to increase annual core funds from operations per share by 10c-12c. Upon stabilization of the acquired development assets, completion of the planned non-strategic asset sales and redeployment of the related proceeds, annual stabilized core FFO per share is forecasted to increase by an additional 4c per share for a total of 14c-16c.

Liberty holds mostly class A properties, Stockwinners

Further, there are future synergies with the potential to generate approximately $60M in annual savings, including $10M from revenue synergies and $50M from incremental development value creation.

“Liberty’s logistics assets are highly complementary to our U.S. portfolio, and this acquisition increases our holdings and growth potential in several key markets,” Prologis Chairman and Chief Executive Hamid R. Moghadam said in the statement.

Under the terms of the agreement, Liberty shareholders will receive 0.675x of a Prologis share for each Liberty share they own.

The transaction, which is currently expected to close in Q1 of 2020, is subject to the approval of Liberty shareholders and other customary closing conditions.

Liberty shares have risen 21% this year, compared with the 55% jump in Prologis shares.

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October 27, 2019

LVMH offers to buy Tiffany for $120 per share or $14.5B

Tiffany is expected to reject the offer

According to several sources including Bloomberg, Financial Times and Reuters, Louis Vuitton owner LVMH has approached Tiffany & Co (TIF) with a $14.5 billion acquisition offer, people familiar with the matter said, at a time when the U.S. luxury jeweler grapples with the impact of tariffs on its exports to China.

LVMH, which has for years been looking for ways to expand in the U.S. market, submitted a preliminary, non-binding offer to Tiffany earlier this month, one of the sources said.

LVMH is looking to boost U.S. sales, Stockwinners

LVMH’s offer valued Tiffany at about $120 per share, another of the sources added. Tiffany shares ended trading on Friday at $98.55.

Tiffany is expected to reject the $14.5B offer, Stockwinners

Financial Times reports that Tiffany is expected to rebuff the takeover approach from French luxury group LVMH, with the US jeweller believing the offer undervalues the company, according to people familiar with the matter. Tiffany’s advisers were on Sunday still assessing the surprise indicative offer from LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group by sales, with the board set to consider the next move.

LVMH, which is behind brands such as Fendi, Christian Dior and Givenchy, as well as Veuve Cliquot champagne, has stood out for several years as one of the top performers in the upscale retail sector in China.

Tiffany, on the other hand, has not been as resilient. Beyond the tariffs that have been triggered by the trade war between the United States and China, a lower Chinese domestic sales tax has also contributed to double-digit decreases in its sales to Chinese tourists in the United States and in other destinations.

High-end brands have also long relied on Hong Kong as a major shopping hub drawing visitors from mainland China in particular, and four months of pro-democracy demonstrations are starting to take their toll.

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October 25, 2019

Amag Pharma announces publication of PROLONG trial in journal

AMAG Pharmaceuticals (AMAG) announced that the results of the PROLONG trial were published online in the American Journal of Perinatology.

Amag Pharma shares rise ahead of FDA meeting, Stockwinners

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMAG) announced that the results of PROLONG (Progestin’s Role in Optimizing Neonatal Gestation) were published online in the American Journal of Perinatology. PROLONG was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating 17-OHPC (17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or Makena^®) in patients with a history of a prior spontaneous singleton preterm delivery. The PROLONG trial was conducted as part of an approval commitment under the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) “Subpart H” accelerated approval process.

As previously announced, the PROLONG trial did not meet the two pre-specified co-primary endpoints of a reduction of preterm birth and a reduction in the neonatal morbidity and mortality index, in contrast to the original Meis trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

PROLONG reaffirmed that the 17-OHPC safety profile is comparable to placebo, the company said.

Amag Pharma (AMAG) shares rise ahead of FDA meeting, Stockwinners

Makena is a progestin indicated to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women pregnant with a single baby who have a history of singleton spontaneous preterm birth.

Makena was approved by the FDA in February 2011 and was granted orphan drug exclusivity through February 3, 2018. In February of 2018, AMAG introduced the prefilled Makena auto-injector containing a short, thin, non-visible needle for subcutaneous use, offering patients and providers a new administration option.

The FDA will hold a meeting of the Bone, Reproductive and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee on October 29 to “better understand and interpret the PROLONG trial data,” AMAG added.

Analysts’ Comments

Piper Jaffray analyst Christoper Raymond said the briefing documents posted this morning ahead of Tuesday’s advisory committee meeting to discuss Makena’s failed confirmatory PROLONG trial “leave the door open” for the continued marketing of the drug.

Draft questions propose pursuing withdrawal of Makena’s approval, leaving Makena on the market but requiring a new confirmatory trial, or leaving it on the market without a new confirmatory trial and he thinks it appears that the FDA “is leaning toward the latter two options.”

However, he also thinks that the detailed PROLONG data that have now been provided for the first time “make a strong argument for the drug’s withdrawal,” Raymond tells investors.

The analyst sees the full PROLONG data having “some chilling effect” on overall use whether the FDA pulls the drug or not and he keeps a Neutral rating on Amag Pharmaceuticals shares.

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October 22, 2019

Cision sold for $10 per share

Cision to be acquired by Platinum Equity affiliate in deal valued at $2.74B

Cision (CISN) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Platinum Equity in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $2.74B.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the members of Cision Ltd.’s board of directors, an affiliate of Platinum Equity will acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Cision Ltd. for $10.00 per share in cash.

The purchase price represents a 34% premium over Cision Ltd.’s 60-day volume-weighted average price ended on October 21, 2019.

A special meeting of Cision Ltd.’s shareholders will be held as soon as practicable following the filing of a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and subsequent mailing to its shareholders.

Certain affiliates of GTCR, collectively holding approximately 34% of the outstanding shares of Cision Ltd., have entered into a voting agreement committing them to, among other things, vote in favor of adopting the acquisition agreement.

The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is subject to approval by Cision Ltd.’s shareholders, along with the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and antitrust regulatory approvals, as necessary.

Cision Ltd. provides public relations (PR) software, media distribution, media intelligence, and related professional services to businesses worldwide. The company enables public relations and communications professionals to manage, execute, and measure their strategic PR and communications programs.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Cision Ltd. will become wholly owned by an affiliate of Platinum Equity.

Cision Ltd. may solicit alternative acquisition proposals from third parties during a “go-shop” period from the date of the agreement until November 12, 2019.

There is no guarantee that this process will result in a superior proposal, and the agreement provides Platinum Equity with a customary right to match a superior proposal and termination fee if a superior proposal is accepted.

Cision Ltd. does not intend to disclose developments with respect to the solicitation process unless and until the company determines such disclosure is appropriate.

“This transaction will provide shareholders with immediate and substantial cash value, while also providing us with a partner that shares in our commitment to customers and employees and can add strategic and operational value,” said Kevin Akeroyd, Cision’s CEO.

“Based on our extensive engagement with Platinum over the past several months, we are confident that Platinum’s support will enable Cision to execute on its strategy and next phase of growth.”

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October 16, 2019October 22, 2019

Assembly Biosciences reports chronic hepatitis data, shares jump

Assembly Biosciences announces presentation of ABI-H0731, ABI-H2158 data

Assembly Biosciences (ASMB) announced that data on its lead HBV core inhibitor candidates, ABI-H0731 and ABI-H2158 for the treatment of chronic HBV will be featured in a late-breaking poster session during the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Meeting.

Shares jump on hepatitis data, Stockwinners

A hepatitis B infection can result in either an acute infection or a chronic infection. When a person is first infected with the hepatitis B virus, it is called an “acute infection” (or a new infection). Most healthy adults that are infected do not have any symptoms and are able to get rid of the virus without any problems. Some adults are unable to get rid of the virus after six months and they are diagnosed as having a “chronic infection.”

Title: Continued Therapy with ABI-H0731+Nrtl Results in Sequential Reduction/Loss of HBV DNA, HBV RNA, HBeAg, HBcrAg and HBsAg in HBeAg-Positive Patients.

Abstract Summary: Final results from Phase 2a are reported for HBeAg+ patients with chronic HBV infection treated with 731+Nrtl for 24 weeks.

In Study 202, greater mean log10 declines in HBV DNA and RNA were achieved with 731+Nrtl versus entecavir alone.

In Study 201, the proportion of patients on 731+Nrtl versus Nrtl alone achieving DNA target not detected was 69% vs 0%, and the proportion of patients achieving RNA less than35 U/mL whose RNA was greater than or equal to35 U/mL at baseline was 52% vs 0% respectively.

In Study 211, there are 64 HBeAg+ patients currently on extended treatment beyond 24 weeks. Among the 27 HBeAg+ patients receiving 731+Nrtl in Study 201, 41% have now achieved DNA TND along with RNA less than35 U/mL and HBeAg less than1 IU/mL.

At their last time point, Study 202 patients now in Study 211 have demonstrated mean DNA and RNA declines of 6.1 and 3.0 logs, respectively, with observed mean log changes of greater than or equal to 0.6 for HBeAg, greater than 0.8 log for HBcrAg and greater than or equal to 0.4 log for HBsAg.

731 continues to exhibit a favorable safety and tolerability profile in patients treated for up to 1 year, with only mild/moderate adverse events and lab abnormalities, and only a single discontinuation due to a Grade 1 rash.

The combination of 731+NrtI results in faster and deeper declines in HBV DNA and RNA than NrtI alone, as well as subsequent declines in the surrogate markers of cccDNA predictive of cccDNA pool depletion, and HBsAg.

A Visual Guide to Hepatitis, Stockwinners

The emergent data supports the continued development of 731.

Abstract data are as of the time of submission; the poster is expected to include updated safety and efficacy results. Title: The Second-Generation Hepatitis B Virus Core Inhibitor ABI-H2158 is Associated with Potent Antiviral Activity in a 14-Day Monotherapy Study in HBeAg-positive Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Abstract Summary: The Phase 1b study is enrolling sequential cohorts of 9 patients and each cohort will be randomized to receive 2158 or placebo QD for 14 days in a blinded manner.

Dosing in the 1st cohort has been completed. In patients receiving 2158, mean declines from Baseline to Day 15 in HBV DNA and RNA levels were 2.3 log10 and 2.1 log10 IU/mL respectively.

No serious AEs, dose limiting toxicities or premature discontinuations were reported.

Three patients reported a total of 5 mild, drug-related AEs that recovered without intervention; dizziness, fatigue, rash, headache and upper abdominal pain.

Treatment emergent laboratory abnormalities were infrequent, mild and transient, with no ALT elevations Grade greater than or equal to 1 in severity.

Day 14 plasma 2158 Cmax and AUC0-24hr were 3,390 ng/mL and 46,100 hr*ng/mL, respectively.

Results from the initial 100 mg low dose of ABI-H2158 cohort demonstrated potent antiviral activity, a favourable safety profile when administered for 14 days, and support once daily dosing in CHB patients.

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October 14, 2019

SmileDirectClub shares tumble on new California law

SmileDirectClub says nothing in AB1519 requires ceasing or modify operations

SmileDirectClub (SDC) issued a statement on California Assembly Bill 1519, stating in part:

“We are pleased with the Governor’s signing statement for AB1519.

New California law sends shares lower, Stockwinners

While the authorizing nature of AB1519 made it difficult to veto the bill, the Governor clearly indicated that he expects all stakeholders to come to together to find a better way to create policy around teledentistry.

While this bill does not preclude SmileDirectClub’s continued operations in California, it will create unnecessary hurdles and costs to Californians that need care but struggle to afford it. The undebated, clinically unsupported, and ill-advised policy changes that are included in this bill – a bill that was intended to reauthorize the Dental Board of California until last-minute policy additions were added – have created arbitrary barriers to technological innovation…Simply put, this bill represents the dental lobby’s thinly-veiled attempt to protect traditional dentistry at the expense of Californians, and Governor Newsom made the correct choice in issuing his strongly-worded rebuke of the tactics and policy that this bill represents.

California law may require a dentist at every SDC shop, Stockwinners

Nothing in AB1519 requires SmileDirectClub to cease or modify its operations, and nothing regarding teledentistry in this legislation can take effect until the Board has given all stakeholders the opportunity to submit public comment and debate the merits of any proposed rules with clinically-based data – as the Governor has requested in his signing statement. To that effect, SmileDirectClub will be reaching out to our partners in the field to coordinate efforts so that a positive outcome for the industry – and for the California consumers – can be reached…To be clear, SmileDirectClub will continue to legally operate in California, we will be an active participant in the administration-directed public debates surrounding teledentistry, and we will continue to provide affordable orthodontic care to thousands of smiling Californians.

Moving forward, SmileDirectClub welcomes transparent policy debates that include all stakeholders.”

Heavy lobbying by both sides made AB-1519 national news, Stockwinners

UBS Comments

UBS analyst Kevin Caliendo noted that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed bill AB-1519 over the weekend and the law is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2020.

He thinks that SmileDirectClub may need to place dentists inside its shops due to the new law, though it is less clear if the bill will mean that patients will need to get x-rays as well as iTero scans, which may eventually be determined in court.

The analyst, who noted that SmileDirect is scheduled to report Q3 results on November 12, noted that he has received questions on if the company might pre-announce, but he has “no insight or precedent into whether the company will opt to do that or not.” Caliendo has a Buy rating and $24 price target on SmileDirectClub shares.

SDC shares are down 9% to $10.12 in Monday’s trading.

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October 14, 2019October 13, 2019

Watch Shares of Adverum Biotechnologies!

Adverum Biotechnologies reports additional data from Phase 1 trial of ADVM-022

Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM) announced additional clinical data for the first cohort of patients in the ongoing OPTIC phase 1 clinical trial of ADVM-022, the company’s intravitreal injection gene therapy, in treatment-experienced patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

Adverum also announced enrollment plans for the third and fourth cohorts in the ongoing OPTIC trial.

The third cohort has been initiated and patients will be treated with ADVM-022 at a dose of 2 x 10^11 vg/eye, the same dose used in the second cohort.

Subsequently, patients in the fourth cohort will be treated with ADVM-022 at a dose of 6×10^11 vg/eye, the same dose used in the first cohort.

Since inflammation has generally been mild and responsive to steroid eye drops, patients in the third and fourth cohorts will receive prophylactic steroid eye drops instead of prophylactic oral steroids.

Previously, on September 12, 2019, Adverum presented data from the first cohort in the ongoing OPTIC trial at a pre-specified 24-week time point.

Wet and Dry Macular Degeneration, Stockwinners

The additional data for this cohort includes key outcomes with a median follow-up of 34 weeks.

In treatment-experienced patients previously requiring frequent anti-VEGF injections to maintain vision, the data continue to demonstrate that the single ADVM-022 injection in this cohort was sufficient to maintain vision, with zero rescue injections required for any of the six patients.

Aaron Osborne, MBBS, chief medical officer of Adverum, added, “The clinical profile of ADVM-022 demonstrates this gene therapy’s potential to be a significant advance for patients with wet AMD. It is very encouraging that there continues to be zero rescue injections in this cohort of treatment-experienced patients with more than 6 months follow-up on all patients. We are expanding the development of ADVM-022 and are excited to share that enrollment is now open for the third cohort in OPTIC.

We look forward to being able to deliver this novel intravitreal gene therapy candidate as soon as possible to patients with wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy, our second indication for ADVM-022. We are grateful for all of the investigators, patients, and caregivers who continue to participate in the OPTIC trial.”

Adverum plans to begin dosing patients in the third cohort of the OPTIC trial in the fourth quarter of 2019 and plans to begin enrollment in the fourth cohort in the first quarter of 2020.

Adverum plans to present 52-week data from the first cohort of patients in the OPTIC trial as well as 24-week data from the second cohort of patients in the first half of 2020.

Adverum plans to submit an investigational new drug application for the treatment of ADVM-022 in diabetic retinopathy in the first half of 2020.

Piper Jaffray

Commenting on Adverum Biotechnologies update at AAO, Piper Jaffray analyst Tyler Van Buren notes that zero rescue injections have been required and disease activity by OCT and visual acuity has been maintained with 6 ADVM-022 patients now out to a median of 34 weeks.

Importantly, despite the intense criticism over inflammation and visual acuity fluctuations during the initial data disclosure last month, numerous KOLs at the conference were unconcerned and believe that ADVM-022 looks like a potential treatment option so far, he contends.

Overall, the analyst argues that safety continues to be clean in these initial patients and looks forward to the 52-week update in first half of 2020.

Van Buren reiterates an Overweight rating and $14 price target on the shares as ADVM-022 continues to look like a viable gene therapy candidate for wet AMD, which has $1B-plus potential.

ADVM closed at $5.29.

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October 10, 2019

Enterprise Spending Drought

Forescout pummeled, Cisco falls amid weakening enterprise spending view

Shares of publicly-traded companies in the network security space are trading lower after Forescout Technologies (FSCT) announced preliminary results for its third quarter.

Forescout slashed its view on sales and profit for the quarter, as sales are seen getting pushed out to future quarters amid a weakening in the global macroeconomic environment.

EXPECTATIONS FALL

Forescout now sees total Q3 revenue of $90.6M-$91.6M as compared to its prior view of $98.8M-$101.8M. Non-GAAP operating loss for Q3 is expected to be in the range of $1.6M-$1.4M, compared to the company’s prior guidance range for an operating profit of $2.6M-$3.6M.

Forescout CEO Michael DeCesare said, “Q3 results were impacted by extended approval cycles which pushed several deals out of the third quarter.

This was most pronounced in EMEA against the backdrop of a challenging macro-economic environment. These deals were not lost to competitors and we are working to get them over the finish line.” JPMorgan analyst Sterling Auty downgraded ForeScout to Neutral from Overweight after the company announcement.

Auty cut his price target for ForeScout shares to $35 from $54. He also called this the “first notable negative preannouncement” in the software sector and thinks investors will be watching carefully to see if there are further issues that will cause multiples in the space to contract further.

ENTERPRISE SPENDING DROUGHT

Adding to the negativity in the Enterprise space was a Cisco Systems (CSCO) downgrade from Goldman Sachs.

Goldman Sachs downgrades Cisco Systems, Stockwinners

Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall downgraded Cisco Systems to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $48, down from $56.

Large enterprise spending will continue to weaken and telecom spending activity will remain depressed in the near term, Hall stated.

The analyst noted that Goldman’s Enterprise Activity Index deteriorated in September, while his latest reseller survey was also incrementally negative on enterprise spending trends. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Forescout are down over 35.5% to $25.26 while Cisco is down over 2%.

OTHER STOCKS TO WATCH

Other companies to watch in the enterprise and security space include A10 Networks (ATEN), Check Point (CHKP), CyberArk (CYBR), Cyren (CYRN), and Fortinet (FTNT).

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October 4, 2019

Sarepta reports positive results for muscular dystrophy Type 2E treatment

Sarepta announces results from gene therapy trial for beta sarcoglycanopathy

Sarepta Therapeutics (SPRT) announced the nine-month functional results from three Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Type 2E ,LGMD2E, clinical trial participants who received SRP-9003. SRP-9003 is an investigational gene therapy intended to transduce skeletal and cardiac muscle with a gene that codes for the full-length, native beta-sarcoglycan protein, the lack of which is the sole cause of LGMD2E.

Sarepta drops after U.K. trial halt, — Sarepta rises on muscular dystrophy data, Stockwinners

In Cohort 1 of the SRP-9003 study, three participants ages 4-13 were treated with an infusion of SRP-9003 at a dose of 5x1013vg/kg.

Improvements in functional outcomes were observed at day 270 for all three participants.

“We have now observed consistent functional improvements, in addition to high levels of expression of the missing protein of interest and strong results in related biomarkers, in both of our first cohorts for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and LGMD2E. We intend to test one higher dose of SRP-9003 in LGMD2E participants, select our clinical dose and then advance our SRP-9003 program, along with our other five LGMD programs, as rapidly as possible,” said Doug Ingram, Sarepta’s president and chief executive officer.

“With the results of our first LGMD2E cohort, Sarepta continues to build its gene therapy engine, an enduring model created to design, develop and bring to the medical and patient community transformative therapies for those living with, and too often dying from, rare genetic disease.”

No new safety signals were observed and the safety profile seen to date supports the ability to dose escalate in the next cohort of the study. As previously disclosed, two participants in the study had elevated liver enzymes, one of which was designated a serious adverse event (SAE), as the participant had associated transient increase in bilirubin. Both events occurred when the participants were tapered off oral steroids and, in both instances, elevated liver enzymes returned to baseline and symptoms resolved following supplemental steroid treatment.

SPRT is up $5.52 to $86.86.

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