Stockwinners Market Radar for April 25, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT FCC chairman vows review of media ownership rules - In a speech to the National Association Of Broadcasters Tuesday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai said, "At the FCC's next public meeting on May 18, we will vote on a proposal to start a comprehensive review of the FCC's media regulations... We'll also explore whether certain rules should be modified to provide regulatory relief to small businesses. And to be clear, while our broadcast regulations will be a critical subject of this proceeding, we will also review rules pertaining to cable and direct broadcast satellite... It's also critical, of course, for our media ownership rules to match the modern marketplace. It seems pretty clear that many of them don't - including one dating back to 1975. Ask yourself: Do you take seriously any assessment of the market for news that says 'That Internet thing - just ignore it'? So going forward, we're going to have a much more fact-based discussion about where our media ownership regulations rules are and where they should be." Publicly traded companies potentially affected by relaxed ownership rules include Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI), Tribune Media (TRCO), CBS (CBS), Nexstar (NXST) and Comcast (CMCSA). Reference Link

19:20 EDT Verizon introduces unlimited prepaid plan - Verizon announced it is introducing an unlimited prepaid plan. "Starting today, prepaid customers can get unlimited data, talk and text across the U.S. for just $80... This plan is all about giving our prepaid customers more choice," the company said. Reference Link

19:02 EDT MediciNova: Survival rate from MN-166 open-label period 'significantly higher' - MediciNova announced that principal investigator Dr. Benjamin Rix Brooks, Director, Carolinas HealthCare System's Neuromuscular/ALS-MDA Center, presented exploratory interim data from MediciNova's ongoing clinical trial of MN-166 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the American Academy of Neurology 69th Annual Meeting in Boston. The exploratory interim analysis of survival rate was conducted on 47 randomized ALS patients without non-invasive ventilator support who completed per-protocol treatment vs. subjects who withdrew from the study before the open-label period. Survival rate after open-label period was significantly higher in the group of subjects who completed the entire treatment than in the group of subjects who withdrew prior to the open-label period. The exploratory interim analysis of muscle strength evaluated 26 subjects who completed the entire study period and post 2-week evaluation. These 26 subjects were sorted into sub-groups by type of onset of ALS, including bulbar-onset and limb-onset. The exploratory interim analysis compared clinical outcomes for these subjects at two time points, Month 12 vs. Month 12 + 2 weeks, to determine the effect of stopping MN-166 treatment on clinical outcomes. Dr. Benjamin Brooks, Director, Carolinas HealthCare System's Neuromuscular/ALS-MDA Center, commented "We are encouraged by the interim data thus far from this exploratory analysis. This sub-group analysis suggests that the bulbar-onset ALS patient may be a target for future clinical trials because we found no change in lower motor neuron ALS burden on the Brisbane-Sydney UMN LMN ALS Burden Scale in this subgroup, but further analysis is needed as perhaps this is not the only responsive group but only the group that we can see in a clinical trial designed as we did."

18:10 EDT Pain Therapeutics backs 1H net cash usage $5M

18:03 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P MidCap 400, S&P SmallCap 600 indices - S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices effective prior to the open on Friday, April 28: PBF Energy (PBF) will replace Waddell & Reed Financial (WDR) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Waddell & Reed Financial will replace Stillwater Mining (SWC) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Sibanye Gold (SBGL) is acquiring Stillwater Mining in a deal expected to be completed soon pending final conditions. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (ARI) will replace ZELTIQ Aesthetics (ZLTQ) in the S&P SmallCap 600. S&P 100 and 500 constituent Allergan (AGN) is acquiring ZELTIQ Aesthetics in a deal expected to be completed on April 27 pending final conditions.

18:00 EDT Frontline says makes new offer to DHT Holdings

17:56 EDT Kennametal sees restructuring yielding annual pre-tax savings $165M-$180M - "Restructuring programs are currently expected to produce combined annual ongoing pre-tax permanent savings of $165M-$180M. In total, pre-tax charges for these initiatives are expected to be approximately $165M-$195M," said Kennametal.

17:51 EDT TechnipFMC awarded subsea contract for ExxonMobil Liza in Guyana - Technip (FTI) has been awarded a contract by an affiliate of ExxonMobil (XOM) for the engineering, manufacture and delivery of the subsea equipment for the proposed Liza deep water project.The award scope includes seventeen total enhanced vertical deep water trees and associated tooling, as well as five manifolds and associated controls and tie-in equipment "We are pleased that ExxonMobil has selected TechnipFMC for the Liza subsea equipment. We value our long-term, collaborative relationship with ExxonMobil and we are committed to execution excellence and the successful long-term development of the project in Guyana," said Hallvard Hasselknipe, President Subsea Projects, TechnipFMC. Liza, operated by an ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is located in the Stabroek block approximately 193 km offshore Guyana in waters depths of 1,500 m to 1,900 m. This greenfield development has an estimated recovery in excess of 1 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

17:35 EDT UMB Financial approves 2M shares repurchase plan - UMB Financial approved the repurchase of up to 2,000,000 shares of the company's common stock from time to time at any point until the regular meeting of the Board that immediately follows the 2018 annual meeting of the company's shareholders. Shares acquired under the repurchase program may be available for reissuance or resale, including in connection with the company's compensation plans and dividend reinvestment plan.

17:28 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $109.5M government contract - Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $109,563,735 modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 5503 issued previously against basic ordering agreement N00019-14-G-0020. This modification provides for the procurement of 567 modification kits for offboard system hardware and turnaround assets, and also recurring labor for the completion of hardware and software upgrades in support of the F-35 Lighting III Block 3F upgrade. Work is expected to be completed in December 2021. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

17:22 EDT Chipotle sees marketing, promo expense rising in Q2 before tapering in 2H - "Our combined marketing and promo expense decreased 320 basis points compared to last year as we lapped significant promo activities from February and March 2016. Total marketing and promo expense during the quarter was 3.4%. We expect our marketing and promo costs will rise further in Q2 to around 3.6% to 3.7% as we support our first ever national TV campaign before leveling off in the second half of the year, for an overall marketing and promo of about 3.3% for the full year," Chipotle said.

17:20 EDT PBF Energy to replace Waddell & Reed in S&P 400 at open on April 28

17:19 EDT Forsite Development to acquire two Consumers Energy sites - Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, has selected an experienced firm to demolish and redevelop two of its former coal-fired power plants. Consumers Energy tapped Forsite Development to redevelop its 115-acre B.C. Cobb Generating Plant in Muskegon and 248-acre J.R. Whiting Generating Complex in Luna Pier, near Monroe. Today, Consumers Energy filed a request with the Michigan Public Service Commission seeking approval to have Forsite acquire the two sites. The MPSC has up to 180 days to act on the request. It is anticipated the sites will be demolished within two years of the transaction being finalized, pending a positive outcome with the MPSC review. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

17:17 EDT First Industrial Realty raises Q1 dividend 10.5% to 21c per share - The company's board of directors declared a common dividend of 21c per share/unit for the quarter ending March 31 that was paid on April 17 to stockholders of record on March 31. The new dividend rate represents a 10.5% increase from the prior rate of 19c per share.

17:14 EDT Stillwater Mining's shareholders adopted merger agreement with Sibanye Gold - Stillwater Mining announced that its shareholders adopted the merger agreement with Sibanye Gold Limited at Stillwater's annual shareholder meeting. In addition, Sibanye earlier today announced that its shareholders approved the transaction and the related issuance of shares by Sibanye in a rights offering. Subject to customary closing conditions in accordance with the merger agreement, the merger is expected to close on or about May 4.

17:12 EDT Chipotle: 'Some' sentiment metrics at or above 2015 levels - "The result of our marketing activities has been a steady inflow of new customers, a strong 18% conversion rate from the first visit to regular customer, and ongoing improvements in customer sentiment. During the quarter, we saw increases in admiration, helpfulness, taste and ingredient quality perceptions. Some of these measures are now at or above levels from 2015. We also saw strong increases in friendly and fast service, and restaurant cleanliness measures," Chipotle said.

17:10 EDT Chipotle: Recently detected unauthorized activity in payment network - "We recently detected unauthorized activity on the network that supports payment processing for purchases made in our restaurants. We immediately began an investigation with the help of leading cyber security firms, law enforcement, and our payment processor. We believe actions we have taken have stopped the unauthorized activity, and we have implemented additional security enhancements. Our investigation is focused on card transactions in our restaurants that occurred from March 24, 2017 through April 18, 2017. Because our investigation is continuing, complete findings are not available, and it's too early to provide further details on the investigation," says Chipotle.

17:07 EDT Ashland board approves distribution of remaining interest in Valvoline - Valvoline (VVV) reported that the board of directors of Ashland Global Holdings (ASH) has approved the distribution of all of its remaining interest in Valvoline to Ashland stockholders and has determined the approximate distribution ratio, record date and distribution date for the final separation. The Ashland board of directors has authorized the distribution to Ashland stockholders of an aggregate of 170,000,000 shares of Valvoline common stock on May 12, 2017, the distribution date, as a pro rata dividend on shares of Ashland common stock outstanding at the close of business on the record date of May 5, 2017. Based on the number of shares of Ashland common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2017, Ashland estimates that each share of Ashland common stock will receive approximately 2.73 shares of Valvoline common stock in the distribution. The actual distribution ratio for the Valvoline common stock to be distributed per share of Ashland common stock will be determined based on the number of shares of Ashland common stock outstanding on the record date. The Distribution is subject to certain customary conditions, including receipt of a customary tax opinion, and confirmation of sufficient capital adequacy and surplus to make the distribution. Ashland expects all of these conditions to be satisfied on the distribution date. Fractional shares of Valvoline common stock will not be distributed to Ashland stockholders. Instead, the fractional shares of Valvoline common stock will be aggregated and sold in the open market, with the net proceeds distributed pro rata in the form of cash payments to Ashland stockholders who would otherwise receive Valvoline fractional shares. The spin-off has been structured to qualify as a tax-free distribution to Ashland stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Cash received in lieu of fractional shares will, however, be taxable. Ashland stockholders should consult their tax advisors with respect to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the distribution.

17:05 EDT First Interstate sees Cascade Bancorp merger closing by end of May - During first quarter 2017, First Interstate (FIBK) received regulatory approval to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Cascade Bancorp (CACB), parent company of Bank of the Cascades, an Oregon-based community bank with 50 banking offices across Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Upon completion of the acquisition, the Company will become a regional community bank with over $12B in total assets and a geographic footprint that will span Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. "We are pleased to be ahead of schedule in completing our merger with Cascade Bancorp and now expect to close the transaction by the end of May, pending shareholder approval," said CEO Riley. "We continue to anticipate that the synergies from this merger, combined with our entrance into markets with more robust economies, will have a positive impact on our ability to generate profitable growth for the shareholders of the combined company," continued Riley.

17:02 EDT Flushing Financial raises quarterly dividend 6% to 18c per share - Flushing Financial said it increased its quarterly cash dividend by 6% to 18c per share.

16:55 EDT Chipotle: Recently detected unauthorized activity in payment system - Says investigation into matter is continuing.

16:47 EDT Costco announces $7.00 per share special cash dividend - Costco Wholesale Corporation announced that its board has declared a special cash dividend on Costco common stock of $7.00 per share, payable May 26 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 10. The aggregate payment will be approximately $3.1B. The special dividend will be funded primarily through additional borrowings. The special dividend will be in addition to the company's regular quarterly cash dividend of 50c per share that was also declared Tuesday, which will also be payable on May 26 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12. That amount represents a quarterly increase of 5c per share.

16:47 EDT Costco announces $7.00 per share special cash dividend - Costco Wholesale Corporationannounced that its board has declared a special cash dividend on Costco common stock of $7.00 per share, payable May 26 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 10. The aggregate payment will be approximately $3.1B. The special dividend will be funded primarily through additional borrowings. The special dividend will be in addition to the company's regular quarterly cash dividend of 50c per share that was also declared Tuesday, which will also be payable on May 26 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12. That amount represents a quarterly increase of 5c per share.

16:40 EDT Texas Instruments says Q1 Analog revenue grew 20% in core business - Management said, "In our core businesses, Analog revenue grew 20 percent and Embedded Processing revenue grew 10 percent from the same quarter a year ago. Operating margin increased in both businesses."

16:38 EDT Chipotle CEO: Online sales up 53.5% through Q1 - Chipotle CEO Steve Ells is speaking on the company's Q1 conference call.

16:37 EDT Aratana Therapeutics met with FDA for transfer of ENTYCE - Aratana Therapeutics announced that it recently met with the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, or CVM, regarding the proposed manufacturing transfer of ENTYCE. Aratana believes that it is in agreement with CVM on how to proceed. Aratana intends to resubmit the required prior approval submission in the coming weeks. If the submission is approved, Aratana believes it would be able to make ENTYCE commercially available by the fall of 2017.

16:35 EDT Pennsylvania REIT revised FY17 EPS view to (15c)-(5c), consensus (11c) - The Company is reaffirming its February 23 FFO guidance $1.64-$1.74 per diluted share.

16:34 EDT Texas Instruments reports inventory at end of Q1 at 132 days - Management said, "Our balance sheet remains strong with $3.0 billion of cash and short-term investments at the end of the quarter, about 80 percent of which was owned by the company's U.S. entities. Inventory ended the quarter at 132 days."

16:33 EDT Pennsylvania REIT reports Q1 same Store NOI was flat compared to prior year - Reports Q1 same Store NOI was flat compared to prior year, in line with management expectations, resulting from the impact of department store closures and in line tenant bankruptcies, as anticipated.

16:32 EDT Janus Capital shareholders approve merger with Henderson Group - Janus Capital Group announced that Janus shareholders approved the agreement and plan of merger with Henderson Group dated as of October 3, 2016 with approximately 86.2% of shares outstanding cast in favor of the proposal. The approval is the result of a vote on the proposals identified in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, dated March 21, during a special meeting of the shareholders Tuesday morning related to the proposed merger with Henderson. The corresponding Henderson shareholder vote will take place on April 26.

16:29 EDT Triumph Group, VAS Aero collaborate on PW4168 Nacelles - Triumph Group said it will join forces with VAS Aero Services, LLC to provide airline operators with PW4168 nacelles for the A330. The comprehensive supply program will be supported out of Triumph's Hot Springs, Arkansas, or Chonburi, Thailand, facility. The alliance will assist Triumph in providing best-quality, timely maintenance services for PW4168 nacelles for its airline customers. The cooperation helps facilitate exchanges or leases that guarantee availability of spares to Triumph's customers while their components are undergoing maintenance.

16:26 EDT Concurrent announces availability of Origin Release 3 - Concurrent announces the availability of Origin Release 3, offering video service providers the most comprehensive origin platform for ingesting, hosting, distributing, and serving video content to any device, any time, over any network, for content service providers. Concurrent's Origin Release 3 adds several new capabilities including "Restart TV" for live streams to IP devices enabling viewers to go back to the beginning of any live show they are watching; and new small footprint deployment options providing lower cost entry points without compromising functionality or the ability to scale as capacity requirements increase. The platform uses a common integrated architecture to enable service providers to launch live video streaming, video on demand, Catch-up TV, Restart TV, and cloud DVR services to IP devices and classic cable set-top boxes. Integrated content adaptation for Just-In-Time IP packaging and encryption ensures the content is delivered using the adaptive bitrate (ABR) format and digital rights management supported by the type of IP device.

16:24 EDT Workiva partners with Fastpath - Workiva and Fastpath, specializing in audit, security and compliance software, jointly announced a partnership to help companies automate how they document and test internal controls over financial reporting required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. "Workiva will integrate its Wdesk platform with Fastpath Assure to provide a comprehensive SOX solution for managing internal controls testing, user access controls and segregation of duties. Enterprises will be able to use Fastpath Assure to automate testing and identify security conflicts within Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management and other operational systems and embed and annotate that evidence for internal controls testing in Wdesk," the company said. The integration of Wdesk and Fastpath Assure will be released in summer 2017.

16:22 EDT Deckers Brands to review strategic alternatives - Deckers Brands announced that its board of directors has initiated a process to review a broad range of strategic alternatives. This review process includes an exploration and evaluation of strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value, which may include a sale or other transaction. "We have made significant progress in streamlining our cost structure, optimizing our retail store fleet, and realigning our brands, with the goal of improving profitability," said Dave Powers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Deckers. "The management team continues to remain focused on driving improvements in the business through our recently announced $150 million savings program. We are also continuing to explore additional margin enhancing opportunities and plan to further articulate more details on our upcoming year-end earnings call on May 25, 2017." With the Board of Directors and management team focused on enhancing stockholder value and a commitment to pursuing the right course of action for all stockholders, the Board believes now is an appropriate time to explore a broad range of strategic alternatives that may have the potential to unlock further value. While the Board conducts its review, the entire Deckers team remains committed to improving operations and profitability. Deckers has retained Moelis & Company LLC as its financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, as its legal counsel to assist in the review process. In making the announcement, Deckers cautioned that there can be no assurance that the strategic review process will result in a transaction. Deckers has not set a timetable for completion of the review process, and it does not intend to comment further unless a specific transaction is approved by the Board of Directors, the review process is concluded or it is otherwise determined that further disclosure is appropriate or required by law.

16:20 EDT Illumina says Q1 NovaSeq orders top 135 - "We are witnessing an exciting uptake of the NovaSeq platform with more than 135 orders placed in Q1."

16:20 EDT Edwards Lifesciences CEO says Q1 continued trend of 'exceptional growth' - "Our first quarter continued a trend of exceptional growth for Edwards at both the top and bottom lines," said Michael Mussallem, chairman and CEO. "Strong total sales growth of 19 percent on an underlying basis was above our expectations and reflected strength in all three of our product lines across all regions, with particular strength in transcatheter heart valves in the U.S. We're also pleased with our progress on key R&D milestones as we pursue innovative solutions for the patients we serve."

16:18 EDT Acadia reports Q1 same facility sales up 4.8% - Patient days rose 3.7% and revenue per patient day increased 1.0%. Same facility revenue increased 5.5% for the U.S. facilities, with an increase of 5.8% in patient days and a decline of 0.3% in revenue per patient day.

16:16 EDT Galapagos announces new Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept study with filgotinib - Galapagos announces a new Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept study investigating filgotinib and another investigational agent in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. This study is being led by filgotinib collaboration partner Gilead Sciences, Inc. "We are very excited with the initiation of this Proof-of-Concept study with filgotinib in CLE. This is the first time we evaluate filgotinib in an autoimmune skin disorder, and specifically, one with a significant unmet need," said Dr. Walid Abi-Saab, Chief Medical Officer of Galapagos. "This study represents another cornerstone in Gilead and Galapagos' efforts to explore filgotinib in inflammation. We look forward to seeing whether filgotinib can impact signs and symptoms of CLE." Galapagos and Gilead entered into a global collaboration for the development and commercialization of filgotinib in inflammatory indications. This study in CLE is in addition to the ongoing Phase 2 studies in Sjogren's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis, as well as the ongoing FINCH Phase 3 program in rheumatoid arthritis, the DIVERSITY Phase 3 study in Crohn's disease (also Phase 2 in small bowel and fistulizing Crohn's disease), and the SELECTION Phase 2b/3 study in ulcerative colitis. Filgotinib is an investigational drug and its efficacy and safety have not been established.

16:15 EDT Wynn Resorts reports Q1 Las Vegas revenue up 6% to $412.9M - Reports Q1 Las Vegas adjusted property EBITDA up 23.4% to $134.6M. Says "table games drop was $458.6 million, a 3.5% decrease from $475.2 million for the first quarter of 2016."

16:14 EDT Wynn Resorts reports Q1 Wynn Palace revenue $475.8M - Reports Q1 Wynn Palace adjusted property EBITDA $111.9M. Says "table games turnover in VIP operations [for Wynn Palace] was $11.04 billion and table games win as a percentage of turnover (calculated before commissions) was 3.03%, slightly outside the expected range of 2.7% to 3.0%."

16:11 EDT GoPro says Susan Lyne joins board of directors - GoPro announced that Susan Lyne, founder and President of AOL-backed investment fund BBG Ventures, has been appointed to GoPro's Board of Directors. Ms. Lyne brings decades of experience in media, ecommerce, technology, and consumer products, playing leadership roles at both startups and public companies. Notably, she was CEO of the AOL Brand Group, CEO and then Chair of Gilt.com, served as President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and before that, worked at Disney/ABC, rising to President of ABC Entertainment. Her current company, BBG Ventures, invests in visionary entrepreneurs building the next generation of market-defining consumer products and services, and every company in its portfolio has at least one female founder.

16:10 EDT Perrigo concludes some previous financial statements should not be relied upon - Perrigo announced that the Company's Board of Directors, after consultation with management and discussion with Ernst & Young, the Company's independent accounting firm, and following the recommendation of the Company's Audit Committee, concluded that the Company's previously issued financial statements for the following periods should no longer be relied upon: the fiscal years ended June 28, 2014 and June 27, 2015; the transition period from June 28, 2015 to December 31, 2015; and the quarterly periods ended December 28, 2013, March 29, 2014, September 27, 2014, December 27, 2014, March 28, 2015, September 26, 2015, April 2, 2016, July 2, 2016 and October 1, 2016.

16:09 EDT EQT GP raises quarterly distribution to 19.1c per unit - EQT GP Holdings declared a quarterly cash distribution of 19.1c per unit for the first quarter. The distribution will be paid on May 24 to all EQGP unitholders of record at the close of business on May 5. The quarterly cash distribution is 8% higher than the fourth quarter of 2016, and 43% higher than the first quarter of 2016.

16:08 EDT Capital One reports common equity Tier 1 capital ratio 10.4% at March 31 - Common equity Tier 1 capital ratio under Basel III Standardized Approach of 10.4% at March 31.

16:08 EDT Capital One reports Q1 net charge ofs $1.5B - Provision for credit losses increased 14% to $2B. Reports Q1 net interest margin of 6.88%, up 3 basis points; Efficiency ratio of 52.55%.

16:07 EDT Cree forms joint venture with San'an Optoelectronics - Cree announced that it is forming a joint venture, to be called Cree Venture LED Company Ltd., with San'an Optoelectronics Company to produce and deliver to "market high performing, mid-power lighting class LEDs in an exclusive arrangement to serve the expanding markets of North and South America, Europe and Japan."

16:05 EDT Cree says forming JV with San'an Optoelectronics - Cree announced it is forming a joint venture with San'an Optoelectronics to produce and deliver to market high-performing, mid-power lighting class LED packaged products in an exclusive arrangement to serve the expanding markets of North and South America, Europe and Japan, and serve China and the rest of the world on a non-exclusive basis. "The new joint venture, Cree Venture LED Company, will bring together the technology and brand leader in lighting class LEDs with a world class LED supplier... Located in Hong Kong, Cree Venture LED Company will be led by TK Ong, General Manager, who brings to the joint venture extensive experience in the LED market, and will be governed by a board of directors with members from both companies. Cree will own 51 percent of the joint venture, and San'an will own 49 percent of the joint venture. Cree and San'an will be working in the coming months to incorporate, fund and commence operations of the joint venture, and are targeting initial product sales by the joint venture in the third calendar quarter of 2017. Cree will receive royalties from the joint venture on its patent portfolio," the company added.

16:02 EDT Sangamo founder, Chairman Edward Lanphier will not stand for re-election - Sangamo Therapeutics announced that its founder and Chairman Edward Lanphier is not standing for re-election as a director nominee of Sangamo's Board of Directors at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The announcement comes after a year-long transition period following Lanphier's retirement from Sangamo management in June 2016 after 21 years as President and CEO.

15:22 EDT CSX CEO Harrison buys 300K shares - CSX CEO Hunter Harrison acquired 300,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $50.20 per share on April 24, according to a regulatory filing. Following the earlier filing revealing the purchases, CSX shares are near their best levels of the session, up 90c, to 1.8%, to $51.04.

14:48 EDT YouTube Kids app now on select smart TVs - YouTube, a Google (GOOG) property, said in an official blog post that the YouTube Kids app will now be available on select smart TVs. The YouTube Kids will be available on the following television sets: all 2015 - 2017 LG webOS TVs via the LG content store, all 2013 - 2017 Samsung (SSNLF) Smart TVs and Blu-Ray Players that have access to the Samsung App Store, and after a firmware update on 2016-2017 Sony (SNE) TVs. Reference Link

14:32 EDT NewLink drops after panel questions Ebola vaccine efficacy - Shares of NewLink Genetics (NLNK) are lower today after The Wall Street Journal reported after last night's close that a panel of scientists from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine has challenged the methodology of a 4,160-patient trial of an Ebola vaccine from the company and partner Merck (MRK). Doctors from the World Health Organization and other groups reported in The Lancet that the vaccine proved to be 100% effective while tested during an outbreak, but the questioning panel claims the vaccine "most likely provides some protection to recipients" but that protection "could in reality be quite low," according to the Journal's report. In afternoon trading, NewLink shares have declined 56c, or 3%, to $18.03. Reference Link

13:57 EDT Medical Transcription Billing partners with Health Compliance Network - MTBC announced a new partnership with Health Compliance Network, a provider of compliance solutions to hospitals and medical groups throughout the United States. "We look forward to helping each other grow as we coordinate marketing efforts and focus on adding value to each other's service offerings," said MTBC. The partnership between MTBC and Healthcare Compliance Network was officially launched on April 25. Among other things, the partnership will include cross-marketing and coordination regarding service offerings.

13:53 EDT Comerica raises quarterly dividend 13% to 26c per share - The Board of Directors of Comerica Incorporated increased the quarterly cash dividend for common stock 13% to 26c per share. The dividend is payable July 1 to common stock shareholders of record on June 15. This action was taken in conjunction with Comerica's announcement on June 29, 2016, that the Federal Reserve did not object to Comerica's 2016 capital plan and contemplated capital distributions.

13:50 EDT Wells Fargo confirms all directors reelected, says votes dip as low as 53% - Wells Fargo announced that based on preliminary voting results at today's Annual Meeting, all 15 directors were re-elected with a majority of the votes cast, ranging from 53 to 99 percent in favor. Stockholders also approved the 2016 compensation of the company's executives named in its proxy statement, ratified the appointment of KPMG as the company's independent auditors for 2017, and voted to have future votes on named executives' compensation every year. Stockholders did not approve the six stockholder proposals presented at the meeting. Preliminary reelection results for the directors include: Lloyd Dean at 62%, Enrique Hernandez at 53%, Cynthia Milligan at 57%, Federico Pena at 54%, and James Quigley at 65%. Voting to appoint KPMG as auditor was 97% in favor, and the advisory resolution to approve executive compensation was 96% in favor. The shareholder proposal related to "Retail Banking Sales Practices Report" received 22% votes in favor.

13:36 EDT First Financial raises quarterly dividend 5.6% to 19c per share - The board of First Financial Bankshares declared a 19c per share cash dividend for the second quarter, an increase of 5.56% over 2016, which will be paid to shareholders of record on June 16, with payment set for July 3.

13:33 EDT Buyout firm Encore sells snack maker Thanasi Foods to Conagra - Private equity firm Encore Consumer Capital has completed the sale of Thanasi Foods, marketer of the Duke's and BIGS snack brands, to Conagra Brands. Thanasi Foods will continue to be led by Justin Havlick and the existing leadership team of Thanasi Foods. Financial terms were not disclosed. "What started 13 years ago as a simple passion for fire roasting seeds and slow smoking meats, has grown into two terrific brands that are recognized in households across the U.S. This is an incredibly exciting time for our brands," remarked Thanasi.

13:24 EDT REV Group acquires Ferrara Fire Apparatus - REV Group announced the acquisition of Ferrara Fire Apparatus, a custom fire apparatus and rescue vehicle manufacturer that engineers and manufactures vehicles for municipal and industrial customers. Headquartered in Holden, LA, Ferrara employs more than 450 employees with annual revenue of approximately $140M. The acquisition of Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc. closed on April 25, 2017. Contemporaneous with the acquisition, REV has refinanced its debt facilities to include a new $350M Asset Based Lending revolving credit facility and a $75M 5-year Term Loan.

13:06 EDT Steel makers fall after peer AK Steel sees shipments flat on slowing auto sector - Shares of steel makers, including U.S. Steel (X) and Nucor (NUE), fell sharply from their opening highs while executives at steel making peer AK Steel (AKS) spoke on their earnings conference call earlier. AK STEEL EARNINGS. Before the market open, AK Steel reported first quarter earnings per share of 19c on revenue of $1.5B. Analysts on average were expecting EPS of 15c on revenue of $1.48B. The company's adjusted EBITDA of $142.9M, or 9.3% of net sales, for Q1 increased 76% from adjusted EBITDA of $81.1M, or 5.3% of net sales, for the year ago first quarter. "Our first quarter performance reflected the ongoing benefits of our margin enhancement activities, strong operational focus and an improved pricing environment," said AK Steel CEO Roger Newport. "We also made great progress in the quarter on new product development, as we continue to focus on introducing innovative products." CONFERENCE CALL DOWNER: AK Steel's CFO Jaime Vasquez spoke to the decline in automotive shipments, down 5% from the year ago quarter. "The decline in automotive shipments from a year ago reflects inventory adjustments being made by several major automotive manufacturers, a transition from steel and select vehicle platforms and the phasing out of certain passenger car models." Looking ahead, Vasquez forecast adjusted Q2 adjusted EBITDA margin to be slightly higher than Q2 a year ago, but down from the recent Q1. Vasquez attributed the change to expectations for a slight reduction in automotive shipments and higher raw material costs. The company is also anticipating Q2 shipments to be relatively flat compared to Q1, as increased shipments of the infrastructure and manufacturing markets are offset by a marginal decline in carbon automotive shipments. Moreover, the company sees its average selling price in Q2 marginally higher than Q1. PRICE ACTION: Shares of AK Steel are near session lows, down 9% to $6.50 per share, U.S. Steel, which reports quarterly earnings after the close, opened in the green but is now down 2.5% to $30.41, and Nucor reversed direction and is now down 0.8% to $60.69 per share in afternoon trading.

12:56 EDT All 15 members of Wells Fargo board get re-elected - Wells Fargo's annual shareholder meeting with all 15 board members winning enough votes for re-election.

12:37 EDT Northern Trust says has capacity to repurchase up to $75M of stock through June - Says focused on sustainably improving profitability and returns. Says has remaining capacity to repurchase up to $75M of common stock through June under its 2016 capital plan. Comments from slides that were presented on the Q1 earnings conference call. Northern Trust is up 1.5% to $90.74 in afternoon trading.

12:21 EDT Oracle NetSuite announces 'massive' expansion plan - Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit announced a "massive" expansion plan to accelerate its international growth. "The expansion initiatives will enable Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit to launch more data centers, more field offices and more development centers globally, which will help to bring the leading cloud ERP suite to more organizations around the world," the company said. Outlining specifics of the strategy, the company noted that Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit plans to more than double its data center footprint from five data centers globally to 11; NetSuite expects to double its global presence, expanding from offices in 10 countries to 23 spread across the globe; and Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit is leveraging existing Oracle development centers across India, China and Japan. The development centers will be able to accelerate the development of international, regional and local features.

12:13 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics given $5 price target in short report - Art Doyle tweeted out to his 340 followers a research report arguing a short Aclaris Therapeutics (ACRS), long Concert Pharmaceuticals pair trade. Doyle gives Aclaris shares a price target of $5. The stock in midday trading is down 76c to $29.27. Reference Link

11:58 EDT McDonald's says labor market 'tightening' in the U.S.

11:46 EDT McDonald's says expanding delivery into more cities with Uber Eats this quarter

11:33 EDT AK Steel sees Q2 shipments flat compared to Q1 - AK Steel said it expects second quarter shipments to be relatively flat compared to first quarter as increased shipments of the infrastructure and manufacturing markets are offset by a marginal decline in carbon automotive shipments. "We do expect carbon automotive shipments to increase in the second half of the year as result of new parts that we've recently been awarded by OEMs. We also estimate that our average selling price in the second quarter will be marginally higher than the first quarter. The increase in average selling price primarily effects the impact of higher spot market and certain contract business pricing," the company stated on its earnings call. AK Steel expects Q2 adjusted EBITDA margin to be "slightly higher" than the second quarter a year ago but down from the recent first quarter, reflecting expectation for a slight reduction in automotive shipments and higher raw material costs, the company added.

11:26 EDT McDonald's: Business in U.K. 'hasn't missed a beat' since Brexit

11:22 EDT AT&T plans to bring 5G Evolution to over 20 metro areas by end of year - AT&T announced 5G Evolution plans to pave the way to the next generation of faster speeds for its wireless customers with the latest devices in over 20 major metro areas by the end of this year. AT&T says, "We continue to lay the foundation for our evolution to 5G while the 5G standards are being finalized."

11:20 EDT McDonald's says not pursuing transaction involving McDonald's Japan - Says expanding Experience of the Future program in the U.S. Says mobile order & pay to be in most U.S. restaurants by end of year. Sees 2c-4c negative impact from currency in Q2, 5c-7c for FY. Says not pursuing a transaction involving McDonald's Japan.

11:14 EDT McDonald's says mobile order & pay to be in 20,000 stores by end of year

11:14 EDT McDonald's: Traffic strengthening in U.S., Germany, but still negative - CEO Steve Easterbrook says global guest count increased in Q1 y/y. Says growing guest count is company's biggest priority. Saw positive guest count contribution from Japan, U.K., Canada in Q1; says traffic beginning to strengthen in U.S. and Germany, though they were negative in Q1. Reiterates plans to start serving fresh beef Quarter Pounder burgers across most of its restaurants beginning in mid-2018, says "convinced" customers will appreciate the improvement. Says expanding delivery to more markets this quarter. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call. McDonald's is up 4.4% to $140.17 in morning trading.

11:09 EDT Elliott accuses Arconic of having 'tampered with upcoming shareholder vote' - Elliott Management, which manages funds that collectively beneficially own a 13.2% economic interest in Arconic, published a letter to Arconic's shareholders, in which it states in part: "Three times in the past six weeks, we have received the unwelcome news that Arconic's Board and management have tampered with the upcoming shareholder vote in an effort to entrench themselves and in blatant disregard of their fundamental duties to shareholders: On March 13th, it was revealed that the Company traded valuable legal claims for a two-year voting agreement designed to entrench the Board and management; On April 12th, the Company threatened shareholders with a $500 million "poison put" liability designed to raise the specter of significant financial harm should the nominees put forward by Elliott Management be elected; Yesterday, the Board postponed the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to a yet-to-be-determined date. We can only assume that this postponement represents an attempt by the Company to buy itself additional time to solicit votes, because the departure of former CEO Klaus Kleinfeld has left a gap on its slate of director nominees, and because its solicitation efforts appear to be in disarray. In another sign of desperation, the Company has now made a disingenuous public offer to add two of the Shareholder Nominees to its slate...At this point, given where things stand, we have determined that the only realistic way to produce the kind of change Arconic needs is through the election of all four of the highly qualified Shareholder Nominees to Arconic's Board."

11:01 EDT Battleground: Analysts diverge on Amazon ahead of earnings - Today, Raymond James analyst Aaron Kessler downgraded Amazon.com (AMZN) to Market Perform as he sees the shares being "fairly valued" after the stock's run-up. His peer at Pacific Crest was also cautious on the stock ahead of quarterly results, saying the company is likely to miss expectations. This comes a day after two research firms increased their price targets on Amazon's shares given their more bullish outlook. MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: In a research note this morning, Raymond James' Kessler downgraded Amazon to Market Perform from Outperform and removed his previous $925 price target. The analyst told investors that he believes shares are "fairly valued" and that he expects investment levels to remain elevated near-term. Additionally, Kessler pointed out that Wall Street consensus operating income estimates for the second quarter appear aggressive, and that he believes the second half of 2017 margin improvement expectation is already reflected in the shares. Furthermore, the analyst noted that he expects less near-term upside for Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud infrastructure segment, given December price cuts and increasing competition. At current levels, Amazon will need to begin to show greater operating leverage for shares to move meaningfully higher, he contended, adding that he would like to see improved margins and lower losses for International, shipping costs and Prime Video. PACIFIC CREST SEES EPS MISSING EXPECTATIONS: Meanwhile, in a research note of his own, Pacific Crest analyst Edward Yruma told investors that he believes Amazon continues to gain share in retail and at AWS, and that a Consumer Survey shows Prime membership has reached 51% of U.S. households, with the company taking steps to attract less-affluent consumers. However, the analyst pointed out that he expects Amazon's first quarter earnings per share to miss expectations, driven by fulfillment expenses and reduced cloud growth amid greater competition. While Wal-Mart's (WMT) shift during the first quarter to change free shipping policies likely did not materially affect Amazon's quarter, the recent initiation of the former's in-store pickup discounts opens the early innings of a potential price battle, Yruma argued. BULLISH AHEAD OF RESULTS: Yesterday, two research firms raised their price targets on Amazon ahead of quarterly results, which are expected to be reported on April 27. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter increased his price target on Amazon's shares to $1,250 from $900, matching the Street high according to Bloomberg data. The analyst told investors that he expects the company to continue delivering "substantial" earnings growth, tempered by spending on new initiatives. Further, Pachter believes Amazon will report first quarter revenue at or above the high end of guidance, driven by "strong" growth of Prime memberships, "solid sales" of Amazon-branded products, and AWS growth. The analyst reiterated an Outperform rating on the stock. Also bullish on Amazon, his peer at Goldman Sachs raised his price target on the stock to $1,100 from $1,000. Analyst Heath Terry reiterated a Conviction Buy rating on Amazon, saying he expects faster revenue growth than consensus currently sees, which will more than offset near-term margin pressures. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Amazon are fractionally up to $907.66. Over the last three months, shares of the e-commerce giant have risen 8.5%.

10:39 EDT JetBlue says fleet review 'going to take a little bit of time' - JetBlue (JBLU) says headcount review not exempt from cost reduction efforts. Says fleet review "going to take a little bit of time." Commenting on A321LR (EADSY), says decision will be made "on a margin basis," adds that if margins of LR are not comparable to domestic NEO, "we don't do it."

10:35 EDT American Electric says to invest $17.3B in capital over next three years - American Electric Power is focused on building the next generation energy grid and enhancing service for customers, according to Nicholas K. Akins, AEP's chairman, president and CEO. Akins addressed shareholders at the company's annual meeting today in Charleston, West Virginia. "We are making investments to create a smarter, more resilient and efficient grid that supports the integration of new technologies and cleaner resources to meet the energy needs of our customers. Over the next three years, we plan to invest $17.3B in capital, including $13B in our transmission and distribution systems and $1.5B in new renewable energy, to help develop the grid of the future," Akins said. "We are well-positioned as a premier regulated energy company that delivers strong financial results for our shareholders. The investments we're making in our core regulated businesses, along with our proven track record of cost discipline, will support our operating earnings growth rate of 5%-7%," Akins said.

10:31 EDT JetBlue says early A321NEOs have Pratt & Whitney GTF engines - JetBlue says "We felt that swapping the NEOs for CEOs in 2018 is good contingency planning for us."

10:28 EDT JetBlue says committed to policy of not overselling flights

10:27 EDT Freeport says Indonesia negotiations on long term pact starting immediately

10:26 EDT Freeport says Indonesia negotiations on long term pact starting immediately

10:26 EDT Eli Lilly says hasn't contemplated scenario to not pursue baricitinib in RA - On Eli Lilly's Q1 call, management stated that it has "not contemplated a scenario which we would not pursue baricitinib in rheumatoid arthritis." In terms of the bari timing, the company said it can't give an estimate until they meet with FDA, which "we are hoping we will do within the next 60 days." Furthering these comments and bari's impact on guidance, CEO David Ricks said that guidance for average annual revenue growth of 5% from 2015 through 2020 is "what we believe to be the minimum performance that we thought we could achieve. What we didn't do is provide what we thought was the maximum we could achieve even taking into account the impact of bari, we still believe we could stay above that 5% minimum goal that we've established...So again, our confidence is still very high in our ability to achieve that objective."

10:21 EDT Freeport McMoRan says continuing to have discussions with Indonesia on smelters - Comments from Q1 earnings call.

10:17 EDT JetBlue sees April RASM up double digit percentages - Says Q1 negatively impacted by off-peak demand that was below expectations. Says committing to goal of sustaining above average pretax margin. Says saw sequential improvement in monthly RASM performance. Says Mint continues to be a RASM, margin builder. Says aims to improve on-time performance in 2017. Says capacity adjustments began to take effect in April. Says to operate 31 Mint aircraft in nine markets by year-end. Says will discontinue reporting monthly RASM results. Sees further sequential RASM improvement in Q2. Sees April RASM up double digit percentages, or about 11%, and sees positive RASM for balance of Q2. Sees Q2 total RASM up 3%-6% y/y. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call. JetBlu is up about 4% in morning trading to $22.59.

10:01 EDT Apple to launch educational sessions at 495 Apple Stores - Apple announced plans to launch dozens of new educational sessions next month in all 495 Apple Stores ranging in topics from photo and video to music, coding, art and design, and more. The hands-on sessions, collectively called "Today at Apple," will be led by highly-trained team members, and in select cities world-class artists, photographers and musicians, teaching sessions from basics and how-to lessons to professional-level programs. The free programs focus on the features of Apple products customers love most, across all skill levels and ages. For example, an iPhone user interested in photography can start with six How To sessions that cover shooting, organizing, editing, and more. Many sessions will be taught by new Creative Pros, the liberal arts equivalent to Apple's technical Geniuses.

09:55 EDT Coca-Cola says will continue zero-based budget process

09:34 EDT HSBC announces Voice ID voice biometric authentication system - HSBC in the US announced a new voice biometric authentication system enabling retail customers to access their accounts by using their own voice. HSBC is offering the technology to all of its retail customers in four languages: English, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin. HSBC's Voice ID verifies a customer's voice in seconds by asking them to say a simple pass phrase, reducing the need to use PINs, passwords and security questions when calling to access their accounts. The Voice ID technology analyses over 140 behavioral and physical voice characteristics to identify and authenticate the user. The system also includes enhanced controls that add additional layers of security and fraud prevention.

09:26 EDT Coca-Cola says balance of geo-political risk still leaning to the downside

09:19 EDT Scorpio Bulkers to time charter in Ultramax vessel - Scorpio Bulkers announced that it has entered into an agreement to time charter in one Ultramax vessel. The Company has entered into a time charter-in agreement with an unrelated third party on one Ultramax Vessel. The agreement is for two years at approximately $10,125 per day with a Company option to extend the agreement for one year at approximately $10,885 per day. The time charter is expected to commence prior to the end of October 2017.

09:18 EDT Hawkins appoints Jeffrey Oldenkamp as CFO - Hawkins announced the hiring of Jeffrey P. Oldenkamp to join the Company as Vice President on May 16. Oldenkamp will assume the additional roles of CFO and Treasurer after the filing of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is expected in early June. Kathleen Pepski had previously announced her planned retirement and will remain in the roles of CFO and Treasurer until that time. Oldenkamp joins Hawkins from MTS Systems Corporation, where he served as Chief Financial Officer since January of 2015. Prior to being appointed CFO, Oldenkamp was the Vice President of Finance for the MTS Test business. He has over 20 years of extensive financial leadership experience, and has held various financial positions at Nilfisk-Advance and Emerson Electric. Oldenkamp holds a Master's of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas.

09:17 EDT Old Second Bancorp names Brad Adams as CFO - Old Second Bancorp announced that Bradley Adams will join the Company as executive vice president and CFO, effective May 2. Adams will also serve as the Company's principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. He most recently served as executive vice president and director of corporate development and strategy for TCF National Bank.

09:15 EDT UPS announces retirement of Chief Marketing and Business Services Officer - UPS announced Teresa Finley, Chief Marketing and Business Services Officer, is retiring after 34 years of UPS service. Her distinguished career, primarily in senior finance positions as Controller and CFO of multiple business units, Corporate Controller, Treasurer and Investor Relations Officer, culminated with her current role as a member of the UPS Management Committee, the company's top leadership group.

09:14 EDT Fifth Third: Geopolitical uncertainty causing borrowers to remain cautious - Says geopolitical uncertainty, concerns about administration's ability to implement growth policies have caused borrowers to remain cautious. Says company "not distracted" by these macroeconomic challenges. Expects credit environment to remain stable for forseeable future. Says guidance relatively similar to January guidance.Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call.

09:11 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Alcoa (AA), up 3.6%... Caterpillar (CAT), up 6.2%... DuPont (DD), up 1.7%... Rite Aid (RAD), up 4.3%... Centene (CNC), down 1.4%... AK Steel (AKS), up 5.9%... Corning (GLW), up 2.3%... Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), up 3.4%... McDonald's (MCD), up 3.1%... JetBlue (JBLU), up 3.8%... Biogen (BIIB), up 4.4%... McDermott (MDR), up 7.3%. ALSO HIGHER: Tyson Foods (TSN) is up 1.1% and AdvancePierre Foods (APFH) is up 9.3% following an announcement that Tyson Foods will acquire AdvancePierre Foods for $40.25 per share in cash... Straight Path (STRP), up 8.2% after receiving a "superior" unsolicited offer... Dow Chemical (DOW), up 1.1% after DuPont reported quarterly results. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Hubbell (HUBB), down 1.3%... Eli Lilly (LLY), down 1.1%... Ryder (R), down 6.7%... Lockheed Martin (LMT), down 2.9%... PulteGroup (PHM), down 4.3%... 3M (MMM), down marginally. ALSO LOWER: Express Scripts (ESRX), down 15.7% after it reporting quarterly results and saying that it is unlikely that its contract with Anthem (ATHM) will be extended.

09:09 EDT Coca-Cola says 3% concentrate decline due to factors that will correct - Says continued challenges in Brazil, Venezuela weighing on company. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:01 EDT Interlink Electronics announces expansion of global R&D center in Singapore - Interlink Electronics announced the expansion of its global R&D center in Singapore. As part of this strategic expansion, Interlink Electronics intends to add 10 scientists and engineers to its existing team in Singapore and invest $3.5M in the next 3 years to establish a state-of-the art facility in Singapore. The global R&D team will pursue scientific research, technology platform development and advanced product development in areas of material science, printed electronics devices and manufacturing processes and multi-disciplinary system engineering. The global R&D center will support strategic partnerships with key players in electronics manufacturing services, digital manufacturing including 3D printing and product development. The strategic partnership will also contribute towards strengthening Singapore's public sector and private sector ecosystem in key segments including advanced materials, precision engineering, high-value manufacturing, automotive electronics and information technology.

08:55 EDT Buffalo Wild Wings affirms data in proxy statement is accurate, SEC compliant

08:52 EDT Mountain Province Diamonds sees FY17 carats recovered 4.4M - Based on results achieved to date, the Company provided the following 2017 production guidance: Tonnes mined 40M; tonnes processed 2.7M; carats recovered 4.4M; grade 1.62 carats per tonne.

08:46 EDT AstraZeneca reports Tagrisso receives full approval in EU - AstraZeneca announced that the European Commission has granted full marketing authorization for Tagrisso 40mg and 80mg once-daily tablets for the treatment of adult patients with locally-advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer. In March , the U.S. FDA granted Tagrisso a conversion from accelerated to full approval. Tagrisso was also recently approved in China through the new Priority Review Pathway, which grants an accelerated review timeline for innovative therapies.

08:41 EDT Hubbell down 1.3% after reporting quarterly results

08:40 EDT SITO Mobile promotes Jon Lowen to - SITO Mobile announced the promotion of Jon Lowen, current EVP of Operations and Product Development, to COO.

08:35 EDT Theravance Biopharma presented data from studies of VIBATIV - Theravance Biopharma announced the presentation of positive new data from several studies of VIBATIV, or telavancin, the Company's proprietary FDA-approved antibiotic. Study results highlighted greater in vivo and in vitro potency for VIBATIV against difficult-to-treat Staphylococcus aureus pathogens as compared to other commercialized antibiotics. Additionally, presented findings included results from a study evaluating the pharmacokinetics of VIBATIV in obese subjects. These data were presented at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which is being held in Vienna, Austria, April 22-25.

08:34 EDT ChannelAdvisor announces strategic partnership with eBay - ChannelAdvisor Corporation (ECOM) announced a new strategic partnership with eBay (EBAY). ChannelAdvisor manages billions of dollars in annual sales on eBay, and through this strategic partnership the companies will jointly implement programs to help enable growth for eBay and ChannelAdvisor clients.

08:34 EDT Sanofi: Aubagio had significant effect on reducing cortical gray matter atrophy - Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi, announced that new investigational data evaluating the effect of Aubagio on cortical gray matter atrophy in patients with a first clinical episode suggestive of MS will be presented at the 69th American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting. Data from the Phase III TOPIC study show Aubagio had a consistent and significant effect on reducing cortical gray matter atrophy across all time points evaluated over two years. Cortical gray matter is a part of the central nervous system that makes up the outer surface of brain tissue of the cerebral hemispheres. Gray matter is believed to be associated with cognitive function.

08:33 EDT PhaseRx receives 'positive' opinion for orphan drug designation for PRX-OTC - PhaseRx announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has issued a positive opinion recommending orphan medicinal product (orphan drug) designation for PRX-OTC for the treatment of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. OTCD is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a complete or partial lack of the enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase, an essential urea cycle enzyme that facilitates the break down and removal of ammonia from the body.

08:32 EDT DelMar Pharma enters into collaboration with Duke University for VAL-083 - DelMar Pharma announced that it has entered into a three-year collaboration with Duke University to evaluate VAL-083, the Company's platform compound, as a front-line treatment for newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Under the terms of the collaboration, DelMar will fund a series of pre-clinical studies to be conducted by Duke University's Glioblastoma Drug Discovery Group to evaluate VAL-083, either alone or in combination with other agents, for activity against a range of glioblastoma subtypes. The goal of the research will be to identify molecular characteristics of GBM tumors that are more likely to respond to VAL-083, and not the standard of care, temozolomide, as a front-line treatment or through combination therapies.

08:31 EDT Barnes & Noble Education names Michael Miller chief legal officer - Barnes & Noble Education announced that Michael C. Miller has been named Chief Legal Officer & Vice President of Corporate Affairs. Mr. Miller will report to Max J. Roberts, CEO of Barnes & Noble Education. Suzanne E. Andrews will continue as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of the Board of Directors, and will report to Miller. Miller will oversee all legal matters, including corporate, litigation, labor and employment matters and mergers and acquisitions, as well as the Company's state and federal government affairs program and lobbying initiatives. Miller joins Barnes & Noble Education from Monster Worldwide where he served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

08:19 EDT Coca-Cola sees FY17 net CapEx $2B-$2.5B - Sees FY17 net share repurchases approximately $2B; FY17 Underlying effective tax rate 24%.

08:17 EDT Coca-Cola CEO says Q1 results 'in line with our plan' - Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, said, "The first quarter performance was in line with our plan, and we remain on track to deliver our underlying revenue and profit targets for the full year. As anticipated, revenues in the quarter were adversely impacted by two fewer days and the shift of the Easter holiday. Most importantly, we continue to execute against the long-term strategic transformation plan for the Company - a plan that I am confident will deliver even greater shareowner and stakeholder value in the years to come." "Next week I will proudly hand over the CEO reins to James Quincey with full confidence that he will complete the Company's transformation and lead our aggressive growth agenda. His vision of accelerating The Coca-Cola Company's evolution into a total beverage business with a focus on driving sustainable growth across a broad portfolio is exciting for all stakeholders, and he has my full support," Kent continued.

08:14 EDT Catabasis Pharmaceuticals announce 'favorable' results in MoveDMD trial - Catabasis Pharmaceuticals announced additional "favorable" results across multiple functional assessments in the MoveDMD trial at the American Academy of Neurology 69th Annual Meeting. In Part B of the MoveDMD trial, designed to evaluate the potential of edasalonexent in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, numerical improvements were seen in prespecified rate change analyses across five functional assessments. These results are in addition to and consistent with the numerical improvements in the same functional assessments with edasalonexent compared to placebo after 12 weeks of edasalonexent treatment. In the MoveDMD trial, functional assessments were performed at baseline of Part A, at baseline of Part B, which was on average eight months later, and at the endpoint of Part B, which was following 12 weeks of treatment. This design enabled the comparison of changes in functional ability between an extended off-treatment period and 12 weeks of treatment with edasalonexent. The MoveDMD trial was not powered for functional assessments and these analyses were generally not statistically significant. During the off-treatment period there were declines in average speeds of timed function tests as well as the North Star Ambulatory Assessment and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument assessment. During edasalonexent treatment, positive numerical changes were observed across the five functional assessments compared with the off-treatment period: rate of decline slowed by 50% for 10-meter walk/run, rate of decline slowed by 45% for time to stand, rate of decline slowed by more than 50% for 4-stair climb with no decline in function, rate of decline in score slowed by more than 50% for NSAA with positive improvement seen, and rate of decline in score slowed by more than 50% for PODCI with positive improvement seen The edasalonexent 100 mg/kg/day treatment group also showed numerical improvement versus placebo across these five functional assessments in Part B of the trial. Functional assessments included in this trial have precedence as endpoints for pivotal trials in DMD.

08:13 EDT Eli Lilly sees two more product launches possible by year end 2018 - Eli Lilly sees the potential to launch 20+ new molecules in 10 years from 2014-2023, and, on average, could launch 2+ new indications or line extensions per year. Lilly sees "minimum" average annual revenue growth of 5% in constant currency from 2015 through 2020 and expects annual dividend increases. Excluding forex on international inventories sold, sees gross margin % to increase from 2015 through 2020, with OPEX % of revenue of 50% or less in 2018. Guidance from Eli Lilly earnings presentation slides.

08:11 EDT Avino Silver & Gold Mines announces results from ten holes in Avino Mine - Avino Silver & Gold Mines announced results from a further ten holes of its originally planned 18-hole drill program at the main Avino Mine located on the Avino property, 80 Km northeast of Durango, Mexico. The objective of the foregoing drill program which commenced in September, 2016 was to explore the area of the Avino Vein System between the San Luis workings and the Elena Tolosa current production area. The 18-hole drill program was completed with Hole ET-17-11 in mid March, and in order to fully evaluate the tonnage and the grade of the new zone, Avino decided to extend the program with an expected additional 20 drill holes. The drill is currently completing Hole ET-17-17.

08:10 EDT Sanofi: Most patients treated with Lemtrada in Phase III study did not relapse - Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi, announced new six-year investigational data from a post-hoc analysis of the extension study of Lemtrada in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. These data will be presented at the 69th American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting. Lemtrada is administered as two annual treatment courses, with the first treatment course administered via intravenous infusion on five consecutive days, and the second course administered on three consecutive days, twelve months later. The majority of patients treated with Lemtrada in the Phase III pivotal study CARE-MS II did not relapse between their first and second courses of Lemtrada; 24% of Lemtrada-treated patients in CARE-MS II relapsed between courses. Consistent with the CARE-MS I and II full cohorts, through year six the most frequent adverse events observed with Lemtrada were infusion-associated reactions; other AEs of interest included autoimmune AEs.

08:08 EDT JCP says Fiesta Restaurant's financial situation has become urgent - JCP Investment Management, together with its affiliates and the other participants in its solicitation, collectively one of the largest stockholders of Fiesta Restaurant Group, with aggregate ownership of approximately 8.6% of the Company's outstanding shares, issued a statement in response to the Company's April 24 announcement regarding, among other things, the closure of 30 Pollo Tropical restaurants outside of Florida. Statement ended: "The operational and financial situation of the Company has become urgent. The time for accountability is now and we look forward to providing stockholders with an opportunity to voice their frustrations and send a clear message to the Board at the upcoming annual meeting."

08:07 EDT Long Island Iced Tea announces new partnership with Sam's Club for Puerto Rico - Long Island Iced Tea (LTEA) announced that it has secured placement of its flagship brand Long Island Iced Tea in 11 Sam's Club locations across Puerto Rico that will commence in April 2017. Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart (WMT).

08:05 EDT AbbVie and Pfizer invest in Aquinnah's work to treat ALS - Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals announced that two additional pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer (PFE) and AbbVie (ABBV), have invested in Aquinnah's work to treat ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. This $10M adds to an earlier $5M investment made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals in December 2015.

08:05 EDT ManTech awarded $220M contract by FBI - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has awarded ManTech International a contract to provide enterprise IT infrastructure support to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division. CJIS equips law enforcement, national security, and the Intelligence Community with the criminal data and information systems needed to protect the United States, while preserving civil liberties. Valued at $220M, this cost-plus-award-fee contract ensures the continuation of many years of successful support to the FBI's CJIS division as an incumbent and expands ManTech's expertise to aspects of work previously supported by another contractor.

08:03 EDT Sanofi Regeneron announces FDA approved sBLA for Praluent Injection - Sanofi and Regeneron Pharma announced that the FDA approved the companies' new supplemental Biologics License Application, or sBLA, for a once-monthly, 300 mg dose of Praluent Injection for the treatment of adults with high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Praluent is indicated as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL cholesterol. The effect of Praluent on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined.

08:02 EDT HC2 unit BeneVir granted patent by USPTO - BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent No. 9,623,059, entitled "Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus and Therapeutic Uses Thereof", covering the composition of matter for Stealth-1H, BeneVir's lead oncolytic immunotherapy, as well as other platform assets. BeneVir is a portfolio company within Pansend Life Sciences, a subsidiary of HC2 Holdings, Inc. The patent is exclusively licensed to BeneVir from NYU School of Medicine. The technology originated in the lab of Ian Mohr, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine, and Chair of BeneVir's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Mohr is a world leader in the field of oncolytic immunotherapy and invented key intellectual property used to create the first FDA-approved oncolytic immunotherapy. This patent protects BeneVir's product platform through 2032," said Matt Mulvey, BeneVir CEO. "We plan to bring Stealth-1H into the clinic next year and accelerate the pre-clinical development of our platform assets to help a diverse array of patients whose tumors do not respond to current therapeutic options, including immune checkpoint inhibitors."

08:00 EDT McDonald's reports Q1 U.S. comparable sales increased 1.7% - In the U.S., first quarter comparable sales increased 1.7%, building upon strong prior year results that benefited from the launch of All Day Breakfast. The U.S. continues to strengthen its foundation as it executes strategic menu, value and convenience initiatives, with first quarter performance benefiting from the expansion of All Day Breakfast offerings, along with the Big Mac and beverage value promotions. Operating income for the quarter increased 13%, reflecting savings from the Company's recent G&A and refranchising initiatives, a gain from the strategic sale of a restaurant property and higher franchised margin dollars. The U.S. continues to focus its efforts on driving guest count growth. Comparable sales for the International Lead segment increased 2.8% for the quarter, primarily driven by continued momentum in the U.K. and Canada's successful launch of All Day Breakfast. The segment's operating income increased 2% (6% in constant currencies), fueled by sales-driven improvements in franchised margin dollars across most markets. In the High Growth segment, first quarter comparable sales increased 3.8%, led by strong performance in China and positive results across the entire segment. The segment's operating income rose 36% (38% in constant currencies), with about half of the increase resulting from lower depreciation expense due to the accounting treatment of the pending sale of the China and Hong Kong businesses. Results also benefited from prior year VAT reform in China. In the Foundational Markets & Corporate segment, first quarter comparable sales rose 10.7% and operating income increased significantly, led by very strong performance in Japan as well as strong results across the segment's other geographic regions.

07:47 EDT DuPont sees 1H Agriculture sales up mid-single digits percent - In Agriculture, DuPont 1H sales are forecast to increase mid-single digits percent driven by volume growth, pricing gains and the positive impact of currency. In Performance Materials, 1H sales are forecast to increase mid-single-digits percent driven by volume growth partially offset by the negative impact of currency. In Nutrition & Health, 1H sales expected to be down low-single-digits percent as volume growth in probiotics and cultures will be more than offset by negative impacts from currency and portfolio changes. In Industrial Biosciences, 1H sales growth is anticipated in the mid-single-digits percent. In Protection Solutions, 1H sales growth is anticipated in the low-single digits percent with gains in Nomex, Tyvek and surfaces partly offset by declines from Kevlar. Guidance from DuPont presentation slides.

07:46 EDT Jacobs Engineering awarded maintenance, product handling, packaging contract - Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC) received a four-year contract extension from Kraton Corporation (KRA) to provide maintenance and product handling and packaging services at Kraton's Belpre, Ohio facility. Jacobs' presence at the Belpre site includes approximately 125 full-time employees, including site and safety managers, operating engineers, millwrights, electricians, pipefitters, boilermakers and sheet metal workers. During a typical polymer turnaround, which requires additional labor to complete the required work in a limited timeframe, Jacobs employs more than 200 people on site. Jacobs has been providing maintenance and product handling and packaging services to serve the polymer modification and medical industries since 2008.

07:45 EDT JetBlue sees CASM ex-fuel growth moderating in 2H - JetBlue (JBLU) expects an effective annual tax rate of approximately 38%. However, the actual tax rate in the second quarter and full year 2017 could differ due to a number of factors. JetBlue estimates total Other Income to be between ($20) and ($25) million in the second quarter and between ($90) and ($100) million for the full year. As of March 31, 2017 JetBlue's fleet was comprised of 130 Airbus (EADSY) A320 aircraft, 21 Airbus A321 All-Core aircraft, 19 Airbus A321 Mint aircraft, and 60 EMBRAER (ERJ) 190 aircraft. Says Q2 CASM ex-fuel expected to be "peak" of 2017 growth pressures. Sees CASM ex-fuel growth to moderate in 2H. Says tactical capacity, revenue initiatives launched in February are improving RASM performance. Says has $100M of $250M-$300M in savings as "work in progress" currently. Sees double-digit RASM growth in April, expects positive RASM for balance of Q2. Says deferring 8 Airbus aircraft from 2019 to 2023, 5 aircraft from 2020 to 2024. Says swapped 2018 NEOs with CEOs. Sees average of about $1.1B in annual CapEx from 2017-2020. Sees Q2 aircraft CapEx $220M-$270M, nonairfact CapEx $35M-$45M; sees FY17 aircraft CapEx $1.05B-$1.2B, nonaircraft CapEx $150M-$200M. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q1 earnings conference call. JetBlue is up about 3% in pre-market trading.

07:41 EDT Ashford Hospitality responds to Felcor Lodging - Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) responded to the announcement that the Board of Directors of FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (FCH) had entered into a merger agreement with RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ) providing for all-stock consideration for FelCor stockholders valued at $8.01 per share based on the April 24 closing share price of $22.12 per share. Ashford Trust announced that it had submitted a revised offer to FelCor's Board of Directors on April 20 comprised of 50% cash consideration and valued at $8.22 per share based on the April 24 closing share price of AHT of $6.43 per share. Despite the acceptance of RLJ's all-stock offer, FelCor pushed hard for a cash offer from Ashford Trust. Ashford Trust believes its offer would have been more attractive to shareholders than the RLJ offer as it included 50% cash, would have provided a more certain path to future value creation through guaranteed synergies and operational enhancements and offered a higher dividend yield on the stock component of the bid. Ashford Trust is disappointed that the FelCor Board of Directors decided not to meaningfully engage on the recently revised offer.

07:38 EDT Crescita grants exclusive license for Pliaglis to Taro Pharma - Crescita Therapeutics announced it has entered into a development and commercialization license agreement with Taro Pharmaceuticals, the Canadian subsidiary of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries. Under the terms of the Agreement, Crescita has granted Taro an exclusive license to the rights to sell and distribute Pliaglis in the U.S. market and for a second-generation enhanced version with patent pending. In consideration of the rights granted under the Agreement, Taro will make the following payments to Crescita: an upfront, non-dilutive payment of $2.0M; up to $5.75M in non-dilutive development and sales milestone payments; and tiered royalties on net sales of products licensed under the Agreement. In addition, Crescita and Taro have entered into a fee-for-service development agreement, whereby, the Company will provide services related to further development of Pliaglis and the Enhanced Formulation. Crescita will receive these fees based on services performed.

07:37 EDT Tyson Foods to acquire AdvancePierre Foods for $40.25 per share cash - Tyson Foods (TSN) and AdvancePierre Foods Holdings (APFH) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which a subsidiary of Tyson will launch a tender offer to acquire all of AdvancePierre's outstanding common shares for $40.25 per share in cash. The total enterprise value of the transaction, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, is approximately $4.2B, including $3.2B in equity value and $1.1B in assumption of AdvancePierre debt. The offer price represents a 31.8% premium to AdvancePierre's closing price on April 5, the most recent unaffected trading day, and a 41.6% premium to the company's 60-day volume-weighted average trading price ending on April 5. Funds affiliated with Oaktree Capital Management, which own approximately 42% of the outstanding shares of AdvancePierre common stock, have entered into a tender and support agreement pursuant to which those funds have agreed to tender their AdvancePierre shares pursuant to the tender offer. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Tyson's earnings per share on both a GAAP and cash basis, excluding one-time costs. Based on the most recent filings by both companies, the combined initial net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio would be approximately 2.7x, which Tyson expects to be reduced steadily by its strong cash flow, including any divestiture proceeds, supporting Tyson's commitment to its investment-grade credit profile. Tyson expects the transaction will result in cost synergies of approximately $200M, to be fully realized within three years. Cost synergies will be created by a consolidated manufacturing footprint, procurement efficiencies, distribution network consolidation, and addressing redundant sales and marketing functions and duplicative corporate overhead. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition. The tender offer will be subject to customary conditions, including the tender of a majority of the outstanding AdvancePierre shares pursuant to the offer and receipt of required regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of Tyson's fiscal 2017.

07:35 EDT Watsco boosts annual dividend 19% to $5.00 per share - Watsco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 19% increase in its annual dividend to $5.00 per share on each outstanding share of its Common and Class B common stock. The increase will be reflected in the company's next regular dividend payment beginning in July 2017.

07:35 EDT Allegheny Tech: HPMC on track for 2017 sales growth of approx. 10% - "The HPMC segment remains on track for 2017 sales growth of approximately 10%, and low-double-digit operating profit as a percentage of sales," the company said. "We expect our cost structure to continue to improve throughout the year as a result of our 2016 titanium operations restructuring actions, including achieving a better balance of titanium raw material cost inputs following last year's idling of our Rowley titanium sponge production facility. Additionally, our isothermal and hot-die forge press utilization continues to improve to meet aerospace demand growth, including new market share gains. We expect to sustain the FRP segment's return to profitability at a low-single digit level as a percentage of segment sales, after adjusting for positive impact of the ferrochrome surcharge benchmark change on first quarter 2017 results. Order volumes remain at reasonably good levels as we move into the 2017 second quarter. We remain cautious because prices of raw materials have eroded since the first quarter, and our visibility in the second half of 2017 remains limited. While improved, conditions remain challenging in the oil & gas market. Cash generation from operations remains a key focus. We generated positive cash flow from operations in the first quarter 2017, excluding the ATI Pension Plan contribution, even with a modest growth in managed working capital. We do not expect to pay any U.S. federal income taxes in 2017 due to net operating loss carryforwards, and we intend to carefully balance our working capital and other cash needs with the pace of our capital expenditure requirements and financing obligations. We have support from our agent bank to extend the duration of our $100 million ABL term loan from the current due date in November 2017 to September 2020, subject to customary due diligence and other closing activities. We expect to finalize this term loan extension in the second quarter of 2017. Beyond 2017, we continue to expect capital expenditures to average no more than $100 million annually for the next several years."

07:31 EDT Caterpillar raises FY17 forecast

07:21 EDT Noble Midstream announces additional acreage dedications in Delaware Basin - Noble Midstream Partners LP (NBLX) announced that approximately 64,000 net acres in Reeves County, Texas, acquired by Noble Energy, Inc. (NBL) from Clayton Williams Energy (CWEI) were dedicated upon close of the acquisition to the Partnership's Blanco River development company for infield crude oil and produced water gathering, and substantially all of the acquired acreage was dedicated for infield gas gathering. In addition, Noble Energy has dedicated infield gas gathering on substantially all of their legacy 47,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin to the Blanco River DevCo. Noble Midstream owns a 25% controlling interest in the Blanco River DevCo and the remaining 75% ownership is retained by Noble Energy. The Partnership's Delaware Basin in field gathering dedications now total approximately 111,000 net acres for crude oil and produced water, with substantially all of the acreage also dedicated for gas gathering. Noble Midstream's Delaware Basin services also include crude oil transmission and storage through a 50% interest in the Advantage pipeline system. In conjunction with the new dedications, the Partnership has waived its right of first refusal for natural gas processing on approximately 80,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin, of which approximately 35,000 net acres were dedicated to a third party through 2021.

07:16 EDT Brinker reports Q3 Chili's company-owned comparable restaurant sales down 2.3% - Chili's company-owned comparable restaurant sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 decreased 2.3 percent compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2016 but increased sequentially by 1.0 percent from the second quarter of fiscal 2017. Chili's U.S. franchise comparable restaurant sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 increased 0.3 percent compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2016 and also improved sequentially by 3.3 percent from the second quarter of fiscal 2017. Maggiano's comparable restaurant sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 decreased 1.6 percent compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2016. Chili's international franchise comparable restaurant sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 decreased 7.1 percent compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2016.

07:14 EDT Voyager Therapeutics announces additional results from Phase 1b trial of VY-AADC - Voyager Therapeutics announced dose-dependent improvements in functional and quality of life measures from the Phase 1b trial of VY-AADC01 for advanced Parkinson's disease presented as part of an emerging oral presentation at the AAN Annual Meeting. In addition, during a separate oral presentation at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, investigators presented results for maximizing coverage of the putamen during the surgical procedure for VY-AADC01. "We are pleased that VY-AADC01 data were selected for oral presentation at major neurology and neurosurgery meetings," said Bernard Ravina, M.D., M.S., chief medical officer of Voyager Therapeutics. "In addition to the previously reported improvements in biomarkers and motor symptoms, investigators at the AAN meeting presented data on patients' improved function and quality of life. Motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson's are debilitating and these function and quality of life results are key indicators of the potential clinical impact of a one-time treatment with VY-AADC01. Here, we were encouraged with the 9-point improvement in PDQ-39 total score, a patient reported outcome, in Cohort 2 at 12 months. In addition to these data at the AAN meeting, the data at the AANS meeting highlighted key advances in the neurosurgical techniques used to administer VY-AADC01 and increase the coverage of the putamen, the brain region that we are targeting with our gene therapy approach aimed at restoring patients' response to their levodopa medication."

07:12 EDT Tiffany:Dutch court rules in favor of Swatch, orders Tiffany to reimburse Swatch - In a regulatory filing, Tiffany & Co (TIF) said that as previously disclosed the company took action in the courts of the Netherlands seeking to annul the arbitration award issued on December 21, 2013 in favor of the Swatch (SWGAY) and its wholly owned subsidiary Tiffany Watch Co. The Arbitration Award was issued by a three-member arbitral panel convened in the Netherlands pursuant to the Arbitration Rules of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute, and reflected the panel's ruling with respect to certain claims and counterclaims among the Swatch Parties and the Tiffany Parties under the agreements entered into by and among the Swatch Parties and the Tiffany Parties that came into effect in December 2007. The Appellate Court issued its decision on April 25, 2017, finding in favor of the Swatch Parties and ordering the Tiffany Parties to reimburse the Swatch Parties EUR 6,340.00 in legal costs. However, the Tiffany Parties have a right to appeal the decision of the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, and the Arbitration Award may ultimately be set aside by the Supreme Court. If the Tiffany Parties take action to appeal the decision of the Appellate Court, Registrant's management expects that the annulment action will not be ultimately resolved until, at the earliest, Registrant's fiscal year ending January 31, 2019. If the Arbitration Award is finally annulled, management anticipates that the claims and counterclaims that formed the basis of the arbitration, and potentially additional claims and counterclaims, will be litigated in court proceedings between and among the Swatch Parties and the Tiffany Parties. The identity and location of the courts that would hear such actions have not been determined at this time. In any litigation regarding the claims and counterclaims that formed the basis of the arbitration, issues of liability and damages will be pled and determined without regard to the findings of the arbitral panel. As such, it is possible that a court could find that the Swatch Parties were in material breach of their obligations under the Agreements, that the Tiffany Parties were in material breach of their obligations under the Agreements or that neither the Swatch Parties nor the Tiffany Parties were in material breach. If the Swatch Parties' claims of liability were accepted by the court, the damages award cannot be reasonably estimated at this time, but could exceed the damages paid by the Tiffany Parties under the Arbitration Award and could have a material adverse effect on Registrant's consolidated financial statements or liquidity. In the arbitration, the Swatch Parties sought damages based on alternate theories ranging from CHF 73,000,000 to CHF 3,800,000,000, and the Tiffany Parties' counterclaims sought damages based on alternate theories ranging from CHF 120,000,000 to approximately CHF 540,000,000. Pursuant to the Arbitration Award, the Tiffany Parties paid the Swatch Parties damages of CHF 402,737,000, as well as interest from June 30, 2012 to the date of payment, two-thirds of the cost of the arbitration, and two-thirds of the Swatch Parties' legal fees, expenses and costs. These amounts were paid in full in January 2014.

07:09 EDT Biogen to communicate strategic review in July - Biogen said in earnings presentation slides, "Strategic review to be communicated in July, but not waiting to take action."

07:08 EDT Biogen sees aducanumab trials 50% enrolled by mid-May - Biogen in earnings presentation slides said it expects both ENGAGE and EMERGE for aducanumab will be 50% enrolled by mid-May 2017.

07:07 EDT Nord Anglia to be acquired for $32.50 per share in cash in $4.3B deal - Nord Anglia Education announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger with Bach Finance Limited and Bach Acquisitions Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, pursuant to which Nord Anglia Education will be acquired by Parent in a transaction valued at approximately $4.3B, including the repayment of debt. Immediately following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Parent will be beneficially owned by a consortium led by funds affiliated with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the merger, each ordinary share of the company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for the right to receive $32.50 in cash without interest, except for 69,613,389 shares beneficially owned by Premier Education Holdings Ltd or its transferee and shares held by Parent, the company or any of their subsidiaries. The merger consideration per Share represents a premium of 18 percent over Nord Anglia Education's closing share price of $27.62 on April 24 and a premium of approximately 33 percent over the average closing share price during the 90 calendar days ended April 24. The merger agreement provides for a so-called "go-shop" period, during which the Special Committee will actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals. The initial go-shop period is 30 days, following which period, the Special Committee will be permitted to continue discussions and enter into or recommend a transaction with any person or group that submitted a qualifying proposal during such 30-day period. The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash contributed by CPPIB and BPEA and third party financing underwritten by a group of financial institutions. There is no financing condition to the closing.

07:06 EDT DMC recommended continuation of enrollment for Asterias' SCiStar trial - Asterias Biotherapeutics announced that following a regularly scheduled interim review of safety data from its SCiStar Phase 1/2a clinical trial of AST-OPC1 for acute spinal cord injury, the study's Data Monitoring Committee, or DMC, recommended continuation of enrollment for the 10 million cell and 20 million cell dose cohorts in the study, as planned.

07:04 EDT Entegris acquires W. L. Gore & Associates' product line for $20M - Entegris announced that it acquired W. L. Gore & Associates' water and chemical filtration product line for microelectronics applications in an asset purchase for approximately $20M. Entegris expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings beginning in 2017.

07:02 EDT Rite Aid: Completion of Walgreens merger 'in best interest' of shareholders - As announced on January 30, 2017, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) and Rite Aid (RAD) entered into an amendment to the original merger agreement dated as of October 27, 2015. Under the terms of the amendment, WBA and Rite Aid agreed to reduce the price for each share of Rite Aid common stock to be paid by WBA. In addition, WBA will be required to divest up to 1,200 Rite Aid stores and certain additional related assets if required to obtain regulatory approval. The exact per share merger consideration will be determined based on the number of retail stores that WBA agrees to divest in connection with the parties' efforts to obtain the required regulatory approvals for the merger, with the price set at $7.00 per share if 1,000 retail stores or fewer retail stores are required to be divested and at $6.50 per share if 1,200 retail stores are required to be divested. Additionally, WBA and Rite Aid agreed to extend the end date to July 31, 2017. While WBA and Rite Aid continue to be actively engaged in discussions with the Federal Trade Commission regarding the transaction and are working toward a close of the merger by July 31, 2017, there can be no assurance that the requisite regulatory approvals will be obtained, or that the merger will be completed within the time period contemplated by the merger agreement on the current terms, if at all. The transaction is subject to approval by the holders of Rite Aid's common stock, the expiration or termination of applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and other customary closing conditions.

06:59 EDT Fifth Third sees FY17 NII up 4%-5%, adjusted NIM at high end of 2.95%-3% range - Sees FY17 NII up 4%-5%, adjusted NIM at high end of 2.95%-3% range. Guidance includes September and December rate hikes. Sees Q2 NII up 1%-1.5% sequentially from adjusted NII, with NIM up about 2 basis points from adjusted NIM. Sees FY adjusted noninterest income up 3%, excluding mortgage and Q2 adjusted noninterest income up 8%, excluding mortgage. Sees FY noninterest expense annual growth of about 1%, with Q1 flat vs. last year. Sees NCOs range-bound with potential quarterly variability, says provision reflective of loan growth. Sees FY effective tax rate in mid-24% range, Q2 in 25% range, assuming no Federal corporate tax rate change. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q1 earnings conference call.

06:56 EDT TreeHouse announces definitive agreement to sell SIF business to Riverbend Foods - TreeHouse Foods announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Soup and Infant Feeding, or SIF, business to Riverbend Foods LLC, a newly formed portfolio company of Insight Equity, a private equity firm. The SIF business is based in Pittsburgh, Pa. and is a leading manufacturer of private label condensed and ready-to-serve soup, baby food and gravy packaged in cans, glass jars and Tetra Recart(R) formats. Sales of the business were approximately $210M in 2016. The transaction will have a negligible impact on the ongoing operating income of TreeHouse Foods. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2017.

06:49 EDT Straight Path: AT&T has option to match or exceed bidder's offer

06:47 EDT Straight Path: Unsolicited offer of $104.64 per share a 'superior proposal'

06:46 EDT Capella Education sees Q2 revenues up 2.5%-3.5% compared to Q2 of FY16 - Sees Q2 consolidated operating margin 13.5%-14.5% of total revenue. Capella University new enrollment is expected to be down in the low-single digit percentage range year-over-year and total enrollment is expected to decline about one percent year-over-year. "Continued learner success improvements and new enrollment growth for Capella University contributed to solid first quarter results," said the company. "We expect quarterly variability in new enrollment growth, and planned investments will drive a different quarterly investment pattern in 2017 compared to 2016. Our focus on delivering our annual performance goals remains unchanged."

06:39 EDT Accenture awarded $64M TSA contract - Accenture Federal Services has been awarded a contract by the Transportation Security Administration to modernize, enhance and maintain over 70 TSA enterprise applications using Agile and DevOps software development practices. The contract, which has a one-year base and three one-year options, is worth a total of $64M. It calls for AFS to provide a range of IT services led by Agile development teams in the TSA's existing technology environment while supporting the transformation of its core IT applications. AFS is a pioneer in applying Agile methodology and tools to enterprise programs to help federal clients modernize and transform their technology.

06:37 EDT Medtronic says DCB demonstrates consistent results - Medtronic reinforced consistent results for its IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon with two new sub-analyses from the IN.PACT Global Study in patients with peripheral artery disease. The new data were reported at the annual 2017 Charing Cross Symposium in London, one of the world's largest educational meetings specializing in vascular and endovascular disease management. Results of the primary safety endpoint were generally consistent across the cohorts and no safety signals were observed. "These sub-analyses show that IN.PACT Admiral continues to deliver durable and consistent results across our more typically treated patient populations," commented Dr. Ansel. "Notably, the data in this study highlight that the IN.PACT Admiral DCB can be safe and effective when used in our patients with complex PAD, such as those with challenging calcified lesions and with significant co- morbidities."

06:34 EDT FDA grants Fast Track designation to Epizyme's tazemetostat - Epizyme announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to tazemetostat, the Company's first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, either wild type EZH2 or with EZH2 activating mutations. Fast Track designation is intended to provide expedited processes for the development and FDA review of drugs that may reduce development time and costs associated with bringing a drug to market.

06:32 EDT Supervalu reports Q4 retail identical store sales down 5.8% - Total net sales within the Wholesale segment increased 3.0 percent. Retail identical store sales were negative 5.8 percent. Fees earned under services agreements in the fourth quarter were $42 million compared to $44 million last year.

06:28 EDT Whirlpool sees about $300M of raw material inflation in 2017 - Says had sort-term challenges in Q1 with European integration; continued focus on completing key elements of the integration and delivering second-half operating margin expansion. Business priorities for 2017 include: Driving above-industry growth while expanding margins; executing previously-announced cost-based price increases; accelerating free cash flow growth though focus on working capital; aggressive cost takeout to more than offset raw material inflation. For 2017, sees 11.5%-12% operating margin for North America operations. Says has plans in place to deliver operating margin improvements for EMEA in 2H, sees 3%-4% operating margin for the region for 2017. Sees 8%-9% operating margin for Latin America for 2017, 7%-8% operating margin for Asia. Sees 2017 ongoing business EBIT margin 7.4%-8%. Sees ~$300M of raw material inflation in 2017, ~$475M of cost productivity. Intends to continue repurchasing shares throughout 2017. Capital allocation priorities include: Capital investment of 3.5% of sales; maintaining "strong" investment grade rating; dividends; share repurchases; M&A. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q1 earnings conference call.

06:16 EDT Progress Software appoints Dmitri Tcherevik to Chief Technology Officer - Progress announced the appointment of Dmitri Tcherevik to the role of Chief Technology Officer. In his new role, Dmitri will lead Progress' technology vision, strategy and evolution across the entire portfolio of Progress products. This includes driving incubation projects, contributing to product roadmaps, working on technology M&A and partnership opportunities. Dmitri will also evangelize our core product strategy and cognitive-first perspectives to the market.

06:09 EDT Capricor announces 'positive' six-month results from Phase I/II HOPE trial - Capricor Therapeutics announced positive top-line results from a safety and exploratory efficacy analysis of six-month data from the randomized 12-month Phase I/II HOPE Clinical Trial of CAP-1002, an investigational candidate for the treatment of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder for which treatment options are limited. John Jefferies, M.D., Professor of Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Cincinnati and Director, Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy, and Principal Investigator of the HOPE Trial, said, "In HOPE, we saw potential effects in both the heart and skeletal muscle that appear quite compelling in an exploratory trial. These results clearly support the conduct of a confirmatory clinical trial in DMD to further evaluate the potential of CAP-1002. We look forward to an effective medication becoming available for people with this progressive and fatal disease, one that is poorly met by current options."

06:08 EDT Del Frisco's to open two restaurants in FY17, four to seven in FY18 - Management said, "For fiscal year 2017, we will be opening two restaurants -- a Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House in Plano, TX in the second quarter on May 3, 2017 and a Del Frisco's Grille in downtown New York City in our fiscal third quarter on June 21, 2017. For fiscal year 2018, we expect to open four to seven restaurants, consisting of at least two Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak Houses, two to four Del Frisco's Grilles and possibly one Sullivan's Steakhouse."

06:03 EDT Polaris Industries to record costs from wind down of Victory in 2017 - Polaris announced on January 9, 2017 its intention to wind down its Victory Motorcycles operations. The decision is expected to improve the long-term profitability of Polaris and its global motorcycle business, while materially improving the Company's competitive position in the industry. The Company will record costs associated with supporting Victory dealers in selling their remaining inventory, the disposal of factory inventory, tooling, and other physical assets, and the cancellation of various supplier arrangements. These costs will be recorded in the 2017 income statement in respective sales, gross profit and operating expense beginning in the first quarter of 2017. These costs are excluded from Polaris' 2017 sales and earnings guidance on a non-GAAP basis.

06:00 EDT Orexigen announces new drug submission for Contrave in Canada - Orexigen Therapeutics announced that Health Canada has completed its screening phase and accepted for review a New Drug Submission for marketing approval of Contrave. The regulatory submission was filed by Valeant Canada, an affiliate of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. If approved, Valeant will market and distribute Contrave in Canada as part of its distributorship agreement with Orexigen, executed in August 2016.

05:57 EDT Bristol-Myers, Transgene announce new clinical research collaboration - Bristol-Myers Squibb and Transgene announced a new clinical research collaboration to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Transgene's investigational therapeutic vaccine TG4010 in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo + standard chemotherapy, or CT, as a first-line treatment for advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors have low or undetectable levels of PD-L1. The Phase 2 clinical trial will explore the potential of combining Transgene's TG4010, an investigational therapeutic vaccine designed to generate an immune response against MUC1 expressing tumors such as NSCLC, in conjunction with Bristol-Myers Squibb's immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo, designed to alleviate immune suppression. Both therapies will be combined with standard chemotherapy in first line NSCLC patients. The Phase 2 trial will evaluate objective tumor responses, and disease control in patients provided the regimen of TG4010 + Opdivo + CT, whose tumors express low and undetectable levels of PD-L1. In addition, the study will evaluate safety and tolerability of this regimen together with other efficacy metrics. This multi-center single-arm trial is expected to deliver first results in 2018. Under the terms of the agreement, Transgene will be the sponsor of the trial. Bristol-Myers Squibb will provide Opdivo for use in the study.

05:45 EDT IBM enters collaboration with Lanka Bell - Lanka Bell, a telecommunications service provider in Sri-Lanka, announced a collaboration with IBM to provide cloud services to enterprises, start-ups, developers and government bodies via the IBM Cloud. As a part of the agreement, the two companies will jointly market and sell new offerings for public, private and hybrid cloud deployments, including workload migrations, disaster recovery and capacity expansion solutions via the IBM Cloud.

05:40 EDT IBM enters IP licensing agreement with AIM Photonics - IBM and AIM Photonics, The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics, an institute of Manufacturing USA, announced a patent and intellectual property licensing agreement and confirmed IBM has joined the AIM Photonics consortium, which seeks to advance integrated photonic circuit manufacturing and technology development. The collaboration between IBM and AIM Photonics is expected to provide a path for the development of new technologies and products that will further solidify the consortium's position in the integrated photonics manufacturing ecosystem. Additionally, the intellectual property licensing agreement with IBM will help AIM Photonics establish standard processes in the development of silicon photonics assemblies, such as couplings for communication signals and light sources. Industry and academic AIM Photonics members will access these technologies through a process design kit and prototype development at the Rochester Test Assembly and Packaging facility and the 300mm chip facility at SUNY Poly's Albany campus.