Stockwinners Market Radar for May 01, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT Twitter unveils slate of new content deals

19:50 EDT PayPal launches 'Business in a Box' - PayPal announced the launch of "Business in a Box." The company explained, "PayPal Business in a Box brings a number of our partners, including WooCommerce and Xero, and our products together in one place for the first time, to deliver a simple, integrated solution that gives you the tools you need to start an online business. Everything is tied together by your PayPal Business account, so it all works seamlessly and simply." Reference Link

19:37 EDT Superior Energy executive VP acquires 30,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Superior Energy executive VP Brian K. Moore disclosed the purchase of 30,000 common shares in the company at a price of $12.0798 per share. The transaction brings Moore's total direct common stock ownership to 299,525 shares.

19:16 EDT Rent-A-Center mails definitive proxy materials in connection 2017 annual meeting - Rent-A-Center announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is scheduled to be held on June 8, 2017. Rent-A-Center stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 24, 2017 will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. In conjunction with the definitive proxy filing, Rent-A-Center is mailing a letter to stockholders urging them to use the WHITE proxy card to vote "FOR" ALL of Rent-A-Center's experienced and highly qualified director nominees - Mark E. Speese, Jeffery M. Jackson and Leonard H. Roberts - to the board of directors.

18:56 EDT Tortoise Pipeline reports unaudited total assets about $298.7M on April 30 - Unaudited net asset value was $230.8 million, or $23.04 per share.

18:45 EDT Tortoise MLP reports unaudited total assets approximately $1.6B as of April 30 - Unaudited net asset value was $956.7M, or $20.32 per share.

18:36 EDT Tortoise Energy reports unaudited total assets approximately $2.8B at April 30 - Unaudited net asset value was $1.5B, or $30.89 per share.

18:31 EDT Middleby acquires Burford Corporation, terms not disclosed - Middleby announced the acquisition of Burford Corporation, a leading manufacturer of industrial baking equipment. The company is based in Maysville, Oklahoma and has approximately $15M in annual revenues.

18:05 EDT AmeriGas reports Q2 retail volumes 6% lower than the prior year - Primarily as a result of the warm weather. Jerry Sheridan, president and CEO of AmeriGas, said, "Our operations were clearly impacted by the very warm weather during the quarter. We met this challenge by maintaining our focus on operational efficiency and containing operating expenses. Our teams did a nice job offsetting increases in the cost of fuel with reductions in overtime and travel expenses while continuing to drive improvement in our unit margins. Considering these difficult conditions, we were pleased with the performance of the business in the second quarter. Another significant accomplishment in the quarter was completing the steps to de-risk our debt structure by extending maturities and lowering average interest rates by over 100 basis points in total. Finally, as was recently announced, our Board approved our 13th consecutive distribution increase for our unitholders, underscoring their confidence in our ability to withstand warm weather in the near-term while focusing on creating long-term, sustainable value for our investors."

18:03 EDT Celanese announces price increase for ethyl acetate - Celanese will increase list and off-list selling prices for ethyl acetate. The price increases will be effective immediately, or as contracts otherwise allow. New price for Ethyl Acetate in USA/Canada in USD/lb 5c, in Mexico in USD/MT $110 and in Europe EUR/MT $110. As a result of the above and the price increase announced by Celanese on April 12, the listing and off-listing selling price for ethyl acetate will, as of May 1 increase by 8c USD/lb in the USA/Canada and $175 USD/MT in Mexico and South America.

17:59 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Luminex (LMNX), up 13.7%... Tenet Healthcare (THC), up 13%... Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), up 8.9%... Chegg (CHGG), up 8.6%... Community Health (CYH), up 6.6%... Corcept Therapeutics (CORT), up 5.8%... Exelixis (EXEL), up 3.9%. ALSO HIGHER: Angie's List (ANGI), up 42.6% after the company agreed to be acquired by IAC (IAC)... Span-America (SPAN), up 35.3% after it agreed to be acquired by Savaria for $29 per share. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Harmonic (HLIT), down 16.4%... AMD (AMD), down 9.1%... Cognex (CGNX), down 1%. ALSO LOWER: Sunesis (SNSS), down 15.1% after it said it will withdraw its European Marketing Authorization Application for vosaroxin as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia... Taylor Morrison (TMHC), down 3.3% after it announced an offering of 10M shares of Class A common stock.

17:48 EDT AMD says feels good about Gaming business, cites coming Vega launch

17:40 EDT AMD says long-term target margins accessible in a number of ways

17:33 EDT Raytheon awarded $327.15M government contract - Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, is being awarded a $327,146,998 fixed-price-incentive (firm target) modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise options for Air and Missile Defense Radar low-rate initial production. This modification will provide for the first three Air and Missile Defense Radar low-rate initial production units, including non-recurring engineering efforts in support of production. Work will be performed in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2017 and 2016 shipbuilding and conversion funding in the amount of $327,146,998 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

17:32 EDT Tanger Factory reports Q1 NOI up 13.9% - Reports Q1 AFFO increased 3.6% to 58c per share, or $58.3M from $56c per share, or $55.8M for the Q1 of FY16.

17:32 EDT Ability to delay filing annual report on Form 20-F - Ability announced that it has filed a Form 12b-25, Notification of Late Filing, with the U.S. SEC. The Company was unable to file, without unreasonable effort and expenses, its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 on or before the prescribed due date of May 1, 2017. As previously disclosed, Company's independent board members resigned in early April and Company's management has had to devote substantial time and effort to identify replacements and address various regulatory issues that have arisen in connection with the resignations. The Company has therefore been unable to conclude internal and external discussions with its advisors on the disclosures for the Annual Report and its financial statements. The Company anticipates that it will file the Annual Report within the prescribed extension period. The Company expects to report for the year ended December 31, 2016, revenues of $16.5M, a decrease of $35.7M, or 68%, compared to total revenues of $52.2M for the year ended December 31, 2015. This change in results of operations is primarily attributable to the ongoing transition to a revenue stream more focused on ULIN, the customer adoption of which has been much slower than the Company had anticipated.

17:28 EDT First NBC Bank receives letter from Nasdaq over delisting - First NBC Bank Holding Company, the holding company for First NBC Bank, announced that it received a letter from the staff of Nasdaq today advising the company that it has determined that First NBC's common stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Global Select Market. According to the Nasdaq Staff Determination Letter, the determination to delist First NBC's securities was based on the commencement of the receivership of First NBC Bank, First NBC's principal asset and wholly-owned operating subsidiary. The letter also indicated that First NBC's failure to file its periodic reports as required by Listing Rule 5250c1 served as an additional basis for delisting. Under the letter, First NBC may request an appeal of the delisting determination to the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel; however, the company does not intend to do so. Therefore, trading of First NBC's common stock will be suspended at the opening of business on May 10, 2017, and a Form 25-NSE will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will remove First NBC's securities from listing and registration with Nasdaq.

17:24 EDT Chemours raises FY17 adjusted EBITDA outlook to $1.15B-$1.25B - CEO Mark Vergnano commented, "Coming off our strong first quarter results, we now expect our 2017 Adjusted EBITDA to be in a range of $1.15 billion to $1.25 billion. We continue to anticipate that performance will remain strong for both Ti-Pure titanium dioxide and Opteon refrigerants. We have seen earlier than anticipated demand for some of these products, and as a result, expect first half and second half profitability to be more balanced than we saw in 2016. Guided by our transformation plan, we believe we are well positioned for the remainder of 2017, as we continue to strengthen our businesses and benefit from positive market conditions."

17:22 EDT IAC's HomeAdvisor to combine with Angie's List - IAC (IAC) and Angie's List (ANGI) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine IAC's HomeAdvisor and Angie's List into a new publicly-traded company, to be called ANGI Homeservices Inc. The combined business, which will maintain both Angie's List and HomeAdvisor brands, will offer unparalleled scale and product breadth to match homeowners with service professionals in the $400B domestic home services market. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017. Under the terms of the agreement, Angie's List stockholders will have the right to elect to receive either one share of Class A common stock of ANGI Homeservices Inc. or $8.50 per share in cash, for each share of Angie's List stock that they own, with the total amount of cash available in the transaction capped at $130M. Depending upon the number of Angie's List stockholders electing to receive cash, upon completion of the transaction, IAC will own between approximately 87% and approximately 90% of the equity value of the combined company. By the end of 2018, management expects to fully implement $100M-$250M of annualized synergies. The combined company will have a target five-year compound annual growth rate of revenue of 20%-25%, and a target Adjusted EBITDA margin that will ramp to approximately 35%.

17:20 EDT IAC's HomeAdvisor to combine with Angie's List

17:19 EDT LeMaitre to replace First NBC Bank in S&P 600 at open on May 3 - First NBC Bank was placed into receivership on May 1 and is therefore no longer eligible for continued inclusion in the S&P SmallCap 600.

17:17 EDT AMD Computing and Graphics revenue down 1% Q/Q - AMD Computing and Graphics revenue up 29% Y/Y. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:06 EDT Ronald Zimmerman reports 6.1% passive stake in PLX Pharma

17:03 EDT Medpace authorizes share repurchase program of up to $50M - Medpace said its board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $50M of the company's common stock in the open market or negotiated transactions, at the discretion of our management. The extent and timing of repurchases depends on market conditions, applicable regulatory requirements, and other considerations. The share repurchase program does not obligate the company to acquire any minimum amount of common stock and the program may be modified, limited, extended, suspended or terminated at any time at the company's discretion. The company currently expects that the repurchases under the program will be made in compliance with the SEC's Rule 10b-18.

16:54 EDT ZIOPHARM sees advance towards Ph. 1 study of 'Sleeping Beauty' POC in 2017 - "In January 2017, ZIOPHARM announced improved production times utilizing its non-viral platform to engineer T cells in an ongoing Phase 1 study of second-generation Sleeping Beauty-modified CD19-specific CAR+ T cells... The Company expects to advance towards a Phase 1 study evaluating the point-of-care in 2017," said ZIOPHARM.

16:47 EDT Empery Asset reports 5.19% passive stake in BioPharmX

16:45 EDT ALJ Regional Holdings confirms Chairman terminated stock trading plan - ALJ Regional Holdings confirmed that Jess Ravich, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of ALJ, terminated the previously adopted pre-arranged stock trading plan, dated September 13, 2016, established in accordance with guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and ALJ's policies regarding stock transactions. The 10b5-1 Plan was adopted on behalf of the Exemption Trust under the Ravich Revocable Trust of 1989, for which Ravich served as trustee and whose beneficiaries are Ravich's heirs. No shares were sold under the 10b5-1 Plan to which Ravich was the beneficiary. The Trust sold 429,947 shares of ALJ common stock under the 10b5-1 Plan. As of April 17, 2017, Mr. Ravich and his affiliates held 13,861,236 shares of ALJ common stock, which represented in total approximately 38.6% of ALJ's outstanding capital stock.

16:42 EDT QTS Realty Trust reports Q1 NOI of $67.4M, up 10.0% vs Q1 of last year -

16:39 EDT Corindus announces 100th robotic-assisted PCI case using CorPath GRX - Corindus Vascular Robotics announced the milestone of the 100th robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention case performed using the Company's second-generation CorPath GRX System. "Since its commercial launch in January 2017, the CorPath GRX System has been used successfully in a variety of procedural settings and physicians have reported an increase in the number of procedures that can be performed robotically," the company noted. Sunil Rao, Section Chief of Cardiology at the Durham VA Medical Center, stated, "The addition of active guide management has allowed me to increase the number of interventional procedures I perform robotically, and as a result, I was able to complete several difficult cases entirely using the CorPath GRX System."

16:39 EDT HCA to acquire three Houston hospitals from Tenet - HCA (HCA) announced an agreement to purchase three hospitals in Houston from Tenet Healthcare (THC). The agreement includes 423-bed Houston Northwest Medical Center, 181-bed Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital and 444-bed Park Plaza Hospital. HCA's healthcare network in Houston currently includes 10 hospitals, eight surgery centers, two freestanding ERs and 10 imaging centers. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the third quarter.

16:38 EDT LabCorp's takeover of Pathology Associates clears antitrust review - LabCorp announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, or HSR Act, applicable to LabCorp's acquisition of Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories, LLC has expired. As previously announced, LabCorp, Providence Health & Services and Catholic Health Initiatives entered into a definitive agreement for LabCorp to acquire all of the ownership interests in PAML, one of the nation's premier medical reference laboratories and a healthcare solutions company jointly owned by Providence and CHI. Expiration of the waiting period satisfies one of the conditions necessary to complete the pending acquisition. The transaction remains subject to other closing conditions, which are expected to be satisfied in the near future.

16:36 EDT Community Health says completes divestiture of eight hospitals to Steward - Community Health Systems announced that subsidiaries of the Company have completed the sale of their ownership interest in eight hospitals and their associated assets to subsidiaries of Steward Health Care. Facilities included in the transaction are 119-bed Wuesthoff Health System-Melbourne in Melbourne, Fla.; 298-bed Wuesthoff Health System-Rockledge in Rockledge, Fla.; 154-bed Sebastian River Medical Center in Sebastian, Fla.; ValleyCare Health System of Ohio, with 355-bed Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, 311-bed Trumbull Memorial Hospital and 69-bed Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren; 258-bed Sharon Regional Health System in Sharon, Pa. and 196-bed Easton Hospital in Easton, Pa. The effective date of the transaction is May 1. With the divestitures completed, Community Health affiliates continue to operate 21 hospitals in Florida and 15 hospitals in Pennsylvania. The eight hospitals included in this transaction are part of the planned hospital divestitures previously discussed.

16:35 EDT Community Health up 1.5% after Q1 report

16:33 EDT Trinity Industries raises quarterly dividend 18% to 13c per share - Trinity Industries declared an increase in its quarterly dividend to 13 cents per share. The new dividend reflects an increase of 18% compared to the most recent quarterly dividend of 11 cents per share. The quarterly cash dividend is payable July 31 to stockholders of record on July 14.

16:32 EDT AMD sees FY17 net inventories down

16:32 EDT AMD sees approximately $50M increase in FY17 licensing gain

16:31 EDT Arconic appoints Roegner to lead rolled products, says streamlines structure - Arconic announced that Eric Roegner, Chief Operating Officer of Investment Castings, Arconic Titanium and Engineered Products and President of Arconic Defense, has been named President of Arconic Global Rolled Products, effective immediately. Roegner continues as President of Arconic Defense. He succeeds Kay Meggers who is leaving Arconic effective June 2 to become a faculty member at the Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University. "Eric is the ideal leader to deliver on our strategic plan for the Global Rolled Products segment. He is a highly qualified internal candidate with a solid operational track record... Roegner will report to Interim CEO David Hess. With this appointment, the Company has streamlined its leadership structure and Eric's prior position will be eliminated," said the company.

16:29 EDT AMD sees Q2 adjusted gross margin approximately 33% - Sees FY17 adjusted gross margin up Y0Y.

16:27 EDT Nivalis Therapeutics sees Alpine merger close in Q3

16:25 EDT 3M closes sale of identity management business, sees 5c-10c per share benefit - 3M announced that it has completed the sale of its identity management business to Gemalto. Approximately 450 3M employees are expected to join Gemalto or one of its affiliates. The business includes 3M Cogent, a wholly owned subsidiary of 3M, which provides a full spectrum of biometric solutions with a focus in law enforcement, border control and civil identification. Annual global sales of the business are approximately $205M. As 3M discussed on its April 25 earnings conference call, the company will record a $0.05 to $0.10 per share benefit from this divestiture, net of various investments to drive growth and improve productivity.

16:23 EDT Intevac reports approval of DELTA-I program - "Recent traction in orders and revenue in new markets reflect important milestones in the future growth trajectory of our company. In Q1, we recognized revenue on VERTEX volume production systems and received follow-on orders for 12 ENERGi implant tools... We are also pleased to report an important development, which is the approval of the DELTA-I program under the Department of Defense's Coalition Warfare Program. This program is funded by the DoD, SOCOM and several foreign nation coalition partners. The DELTA-I program includes a $12M funding commitment to complete the design of our ISIE 19 sensor as well as the development of a digitally-fused infrared/night vision goggle. This program is a key component of our ability to realize the future revenue opportunity pipeline for Photonics of well over $1B," said Intevac.

16:22 EDT Norwegian Cruise Line extends share repurchase program to April 2020 - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced that its board extended its three-year, $500M share repurchase program, which was originally scheduled to expire on April 29, 2017, through April 29, 2020. As of April 28, 2017, there was $263.5M remaining available for repurchases under the share repurchase program.

16:22 EDT Community Health completes sale of 8 hospitals to Steward Health - Community Health Systems announced that subsidiaries of the company have completed the sale of their ownership interest in eight hospitals and their associated assets to subsidiaries of Steward Health Care. Facilities included in the transaction are 119-bed Wuesthoff Health System-Melbourne in Melbourne, Fla.; 298-bed Wuesthoff Health System-Rockledge in Rockledge, Fla.; 154-bed Sebastian River Medical Center in Sebastian, Fla.; ValleyCare Health System of Ohio, with 355-bed Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, 311-bed Trumbull Memorial Hospital and 69-bed Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren; 258-bed Sharon Regional Health System in Sharon, Pa. and 196-bed Easton Hospital in Easton, Pa. The effective date of the transaction is May 1. With the divestitures completed, Community Health Systems affiliates continue to operate 21 hospitals in Florida and 15 hospitals in Pennsylvania.

16:20 EDT Tenet agrees to sell acute care hospitals in Houston, TX to HCA - Tenet (THC) and HCA Holdings (HCA) have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of Tenet's acute care hospitals and related operations in Houston, Texas. The transaction is expected to result in net proceeds of approximately $725M and to be completed in the third quarter of 2017, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The facilities included in the sale are three acute care hospitals and one long-term acute care hospital, as well as other hospital-affiliated entities, including physician practices. During 2016, these facilities generated net revenue after the provision for doubtful accounts of approximately $575M and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $80M.

16:19 EDT Installed Building Products acquires Legacy Glass & Supply - Installed Building Products announced the acquisition of Legacy Glass & Supply, located in Sanford, Florida. Founded in 2005, Legacy Glass & Supply primarily provides shower glass, shelving and bathroom mirrors predominately for single-family residential customers. "With annualized revenues of $5.4 million, Legacy Glass & Supply expands our product offerings in the greater Orlando market, by adding an extensive line of shower doors, shelving, mirrors, and bath accessories," said the company.

16:16 EDT CNX Coal Resources sees FY17 coal sales 6.4M-6.9M tons - Sees FY17 adjusted EBITDA of $95M-$115M; Maintenance capital expenditures of $30M-$34M.

16:15 EDT FleetCor rises 1% after earnings, Cambridge Global deal announcement - FleetCor shares are up $1.88, or 1.3%, to $150.06 in after hours trading.

16:14 EDT Cardtronics names Dan Antilley Chief Information Security Officer - Cardtronics announced Dan Antilley has been named its new Chief Information Security Officer. Antilley will join Cardtronics, effective May 30, from Bank of America, where he served as senior VP, Global Information Security Operations Executive.

16:14 EDT Foamix intends to conduct third U.S. Phase 3 Trial of FMX101 - Foamix Pharmaceuticals announced results from additional analysis of the recently completed Phase 3 pivotal trials for its lead candidate FMX101 in moderate to severe acne. Foamix has reviewed its regulatory strategy for FMX101. Based on the knowledge gained from the results of the first two pivotal trials, the company intends to conduct a third U.S. Phase 3 Trial, beginning mid-year, in patients with moderate to severe acne. If the results will be positive, this trial is expected to form the basis for a New Drug Application, or NDA, which the company plans to submit in the second half of 2018.

16:13 EDT Exelixis backs FY17 total costs, OpEx $290M-$310M

16:13 EDT FleetCor to acquire Cambridge Global Payments for $675M - FleetCor Technologies announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cambridge Global Payments, a B2B international payments provider. The transaction price is approximately $675M, which will be financed using a combination of existing cash and borrowings under FleetCor's existing credit facility. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017, subject to regulatory approval and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. "We expect the acquisition to be accretive to earnings in 2017 and our financial leverage will approximate 2.9x post-close," said CFO Eric Dey.

16:11 EDT Innophos Holdings sees Q2 sales comparables improving, sequentially - Sales comparables in Q2 are expected to improve sequentially, but still be down approximately 5% year-over-year, due primarily to portfolio pruning of lower margin, less differentiated applications, which did not take full effect until the second half of 2016. External factors impacting sales into Venezuela and China are expected to continue into the second quarter. Earnings in the second quarter are forecast to be impacted by the remainder of consulting fees for the implementation of Phase 2 of Operational Excellence initiatives, which are estimated to be approximately $3M. Input costs and operating costs in Q2, with the notable exception of the aforementioned fees, are expected to be in line with Q1. The favorable Q1 tax rate of 28% was significantly helped by the change in taxation on stock compensation. Excluding this discrete item, the effective tax rate for the current quarter would have been 33%. The Company anticipates that the tax rate will return to the more normalized level of approximately 33% beginning in the second quarter. Q2 EPS, revenue consensus 66c, $174.01M, respectively.

16:10 EDT Exelixis on track to file cabozantinib sNDA in untreated RCC in Q3

16:10 EDT Exelixis sees Ph. 3 cabozantinib combination trial in RCC start later this year

16:05 EDT Nautilus expands buyback program to $25M - Nautilus announced that its Board of Directors approved a $15M share repurchase program, bringing the total authorization under existing programs to $25M. The Company has completed approximately $5.4M in total share repurchases under the $10M program announced in May 2016. The balance of $4.6M under that program may be repurchased from time to time through May 4, 2018. Shares may be repurchased under the new $15 million program from time to time through April 25, 2019. "One of the top priorities in terms of capital deployment remains investment in growth-oriented initiatives, both organic and through acquisitions. We also recognize that the Company's operating cash flow provides the flexibility to be opportunistic and repurchase shares," said the company.

16:03 EDT Ignyta says Entrectinib NDA submissions tracking toward 2018 - "In April 2016, we announced a comprehensive program update on entrectinib and the STARTRK-2 trial. As of that update: Entrectinib program is more than 85% enrolled to goal for the primary efficacy analysis to potentially support a TRK tissue agnostic NDA submission. More than 50 patients with ROS1 fusion-positive NSCLC were enrolled; interim data from 32 of these patients as assessed by investigator demonstrated 75% (24 of 32) confirmed RECIST ORR and 17.2 months DOR Entrectinib demonstrated a confirmed RECIST ORR of 64% (7 of 11) in ROS1 NSCLC patients with CNS metastases. The program is tracking towards dual NDA submissions in TRK and ROS1 in 2018 if supported by clinical data, with anticipated US commercial launch in both indications in 2019," said Ignyta.

16:01 EDT First Bancorp to acquire ASB Bancorp for $43.12 per share

15:55 EDT eHealth holder Cannell Capital pushes for $13.50-$14.50 per share tender offer - In a regulatory filing, Cannell Capital, holder of a 9.6% stake in eHealth, disclosed a letter sent to the company's CEO in which the firm advocates for a Modified Dutch Tender for eHealth with a range of "about $13.50 to $14.50 per share." In the letter, Cannell states: "Any which way you slice it, we think that EHTH's current valuation offers a great opportunity to pick off large future cash flows at a bargain price. Do it."

15:32 EDT Span-America agrees to be acquired by Savaria for $29 per share - Span-America Medical Systems announced that it has reached an agreement to be acquired by Savaria Corporation, an Alberta, Canada corporation. Savaria intends to acquire Span-America by way of an all-cash tender offer for $29 per share, or approximately $80.2M. Savaria has indicated that it will finance the transaction with cash on hand, a financing commitment from National Bank of Canada and a Canadian equity private placement of subscription receipts. The transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2017. Tom Henrion, Chairman of Span-America's board, said, "The Board of Directors of Span-America unanimously approved the proposed acquisition of Span-America by Savaria. The proposed all-cash tender offer of $29 per share represents an immediate and substantial cash value as well as a significant premium over our stock price, and we believe it fully values the company for our shareholders...All of Span-America's board members and senior managers have agreed to tender their shares in the tender offer."

15:00 EDT Fox News confirms departure of Fox News co-president Bill Shine - Bill Shine, co-president of Fox News Channel since August 2016, has resigned and will leave the company after helping the transition over the next few weeks, announced 21st Century Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch. Shine had been with Fox News since its inception over 20 years ago. Jack Abernethy remains co-president of Fox News and CEO of Fox Television Stations. Suzanne Scott, executive VP becomes president, Programming of Fox News Channel. Jay Wallace, executive VP of News becomes president, News of Fox News Channel.

14:35 EDT Sabby Management reports 8.07% passive stake in CytRx

13:57 EDT Target CEO pay drops 33% - Target disclosed in a proxy statement earlier that CEO Brian Cornell's 2016 compensation fell to about $11.3M from nearly $17M in 2015. The news follows the company's Q4 earnings report in late February, which saw the stock fall 12% in a single day.

13:49 EDT UBS pays $445M to settle NCUA mortgage-backed securities claims - The National Credit Union Administration, on behalf of U.S. Central Federal Credit Union and Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, has received $445M from UBS for claims arising from losses related to purchases of residential mortgage-backed securities by those corporate credit unions. NCUA in April 2016 recovered $79.3M from UBS for losses sustained by two other corporate federal credit unions, Members United and Southwest. NCUA's recoveries from financial institutions the agency alleged sold faulty securities to five corporate credit unions, leading to their collapse, have reached nearly $4.8B. Reference Link

13:30 EDT Facebook responds to report of 'emotional' ad research, says reviewing matter - Responding to a report that the company allegedly touted its ability to analyze emotions -- including discovering signs of anxiousness or vulnerability in teenagers -- to advertisers, Facebook released the following statement: "On May 1, The Australian posted a story regarding research done by Facebook and subsequently shared with an advertiser. The premise of the article is misleading. Facebook does not offer tools to target people based on their emotional state. The analysis done by an Australian researcher was intended to help marketers understand how people express themselves on Facebook. It was never used to target ads and was based on data that was anonymous and aggregated. Facebook has an established process to review the research we perform. This research did not follow that process, and we are reviewing the details to correct the oversight." Reference Link

13:08 EDT Motorola Solutions acquires PTT broadband provider Kodiak Networks - Motorola Solutions announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Kodiak Networks, a privately held provider of broadband push-to-talk, PTT, for commercial customers. The acquisition agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close later this year. Kodiak partners with mobile network operators globally to offer its cloud-based PTT solution and management platform, which delivers clear, reliable, instant performance over 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and 3G networks. The acquisition of Kodiak adds a complementary, carrier-integrated PTT-over-cellular solution to Motorola Solutions' existing WAVE PTT portfolio, which today includes solutions for high-performance PTT and flexible, "over-the-top" broadband PTT. WAVE connects disparate networks to enable communication between smartphones, radios and computers via wireless or wireline broadband. It also reflects Motorola Solutions' strategy to build its communications and collaboration software portfolio, and establish stronger annual recurring revenue streams. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

13:05 EDT Hulu, NBCUniversal reach pact to bring more NBC channels to Hulu live TV service - Hulu, a joint venture of Disney (DIS), Comcast (CMCSA), Fox (FOX) and Time Warner (TWX), and NBCUniversal have reached a comprehensive, new distribution agreement that will bring NBC and Telemundo Owned Television Stations and portfolio of leading cable networks to Hulu's upcoming new live TV streaming service when it launches this Spring. The deal will provide live and on-demand streaming access to networks including NBC, Telemundo, USA, Syfy, Bravo, E!, MSNBC, CNBC, NBCSN and more, bringing the total number of channels in Hulu's live TV service to more than 50. The agreement also includes a framework for licensing the NBC and Telemundo broadcast affiliates for carriage on Hulu's new service.

12:41 EDT American Express adds Hamptons dining experience to card perks - American Express announced that its card members "will have access to exclusive experiences in the Hamptons all summer long. Starting today, all American Express Card Members can book reservations at the EMP Summer House, the East Hampton pop up restaurant from the recently named World's Best Restaurant, Eleven Madison Park." As the exclusive partner of the EMP Summer House, American Express is the only form of credit card payment accepted at the restaurant and an American Express Card will be needed to make a reservation. The company added, "Platinum Card Members will also get access to a number of exclusive events at EMP Summer House as part of the By Invitation Only program... Throughout the summer, American Express will be announcing a number of additional exclusive events and experiences for Card Members at EMP Summer House."

12:34 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher appoints Mead as Chief Marketing Officer - Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) announced that Christopher Mead has joined the company as its new Chief Marketing Officer. "Chris's extensive global marketing leadership expertise and skill set will be tremendous assets as we continue to expand our global footprint and deliver additional solutions and services," the company remarked. Mead comes to Gallagher from the CME Group (CME). As CME's Managing Director - Marketing, he helped shape the company's global strategic direction.

12:29 EDT Interactive Brokers reports April DARTs down 3% y/y - Interactive Brokers Group reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for April. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 645,000 Daily Average Revenue Trades, or DARTs, 3% lower than prior year and 1% lower than prior month; ending client equity of $99.3B, 38% higher than prior year and 3% higher than prior month; ending client margin loan balances of $21.8B, 40% higher than prior year and 4% higher than prior month; ending client credit balances of $44.2B, 15% higher than prior year and 1% higher than prior month; 411,000 client accounts, 18% higher than prior year and 1% higher than prior month; 368 annualized average cleared DARTs per client account; average commission per cleared client order of $4.04 including exchange, clearing and regulatory fees.

12:21 EDT Nintendo: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch the fastest seller in series history - Nintendo says that with more than 459,000 combined packaged and digital sales in the U.S. on launch day alone -- April 28, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch system is the fastest-selling game in the long-running Mario Kart series. The previous record holder for the highest first-day sales in the franchise was Mario Kart Wii, with U.S. sales of approximately 433,900 when it launched in 2008. The solid sales numbers for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe equate to an attach rate of 45 percent - meaning nearly one in two Nintendo Switch owners in the U.S. purchased a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the first day it was available. To date, more than 2.7 million Nintendo Switch systems have been sold globally.

12:11 EDT FRONTEO USA names Michael Novelly as CFO - FRONTEO USA announced the appointment of Michael Novelly as CFO of FRONTEO USA. In the CFO role, Novelly will be responsible for leading the financial organization for FRONTEO USA, and coordinating global financial reporting with the corporate offices of FRONTEO Inc. in Tokyo. Novelly most recently served as CFO of Gracenote, a global entertainment data and technology company.

12:03 EDT Eli Lilly discloses receipt of civil investigative demands - In its quarterly 10-Q filing, Eli Lilly stated: "We have received a civil investigative demand from the State of Washington's Office of the Attorney General relating to the pricing of our insulin products and our relationships with pharmacy benefit managers. We are cooperating with this investigation. We have received a civil investigative demand from the State of New Mexico's Office of the Attorney General relating to the pricing of our insulin products. We are cooperating with this investigation."

12:02 EDT Central Garden & Pet acquires K&H Manufacturing - Central Garden & Pet announced that it has purchased K&H Manufacturing, a producer of premium pet supplies and the largest marketer of heated pet products in the country. K&H sells branded pet products under the K&H and K&H Pets brands. K&H produces innovative pet products that span several categories, including dog and cat, small animal, and farm and ranch. In business for 20 years, K&H's patented heating products, as well as products with cooling and other thermal properties, are a strong strategic fit with Central's existing pet portfolio. The purchase will enable Central to offer an even broader variety of products and continued service excellence to all of Central's customers. "K&H has exhibited an excellent history of growth, and we are excited to work with the K&H management team, who will be staying with the business, to help it continue to flourish in the years ahead," said George Roeth, President & CEO of Central Garden & Pet. "Central and K&H have a shared passion for bringing consumers high quality, innovative, value-added products that help pet owners give their pets a more comfortable and caring environment. Together, we can continue to grow the category and develop exciting new products."

11:21 EDT Loews sees CCC acquisition as platform to add to purchases in the space - There are no additional acquisitions in the space being contemplated at this time.

11:15 EDT Battleground: Analysts disagree on Synchrony outlook after credit deteriorates - Two research firms disagreed on the outlook for credit card issuer Synchrony (SYF) after the company's net charge off rate increased last quarter. Stephens downgraded the shares, but DA Davidson recommended buying the stock on weakness. RESULTS: Synchrony on Friday morning reported that its net charge offs as a percentage of total average loan receivables rose last quarter to 5.33%, compared to 4.74% during the same period a year earlier. Net charge offs refer to debt owed to a credit card company that is unlikely to be recovered and this "bad debt" is often written off and classified as gross charge-offs. The company's allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total period-end loan receivables was 6.37%, compared to 5.50% in the same period of last year. Its first quarter earnings per share came in at 61c, versus the consensus outlook of 73c. BULLISH TAKE: DA Davidson analyst Arren Cyganovich recommends buying Synchrony on weakness. The company's net charge offs were previously below normal, and the company provided 2018 net charge off guidance of low to mid 5%, which is "a normalized loss level," the analyst stated. Additionally, there is now less risk that Synchrony will raise its net charge off guidance further, and the company appears to have set aside more reserves than necessary, Cyganovich wrote. Furthermore, the analyst says that the company's card products have "superior value." Finally, its organic loan growth exceeds average industry levels and it has strong operating leverage and "substantial excess capital," said the analyst, who cut his price target on the name to $41 from $45 but kept a Buy rating on the stock. BEARISH TAKE: Stephens analyst Vincent Caintic,downgraded Synchrony to Equal Weight from Overweight. It will take time for Synchrony's credibility on its credit to return after it was damaged for the second time in a year, the analyst stated. Even if one quarter's results top expectations, investors likely won't trust the company until 2019, Caintic believes. He slashed his price target on the shares to $29 from $44. ALLIANCE DATA READ THROUGH: SunTrust analyst Andrew Jeffrey blamed the decline in Alliance Data's (ADS) stock on Synchrony's "disappointing" Q1 results. The analyst says that Alliance's net charge offs have tended to rise before those of Synchrony, rather than vice versa. Additionally, Alliance Data tends to have higher quality loans than Synchrony, as Alliance Data does not hold loans for "furniture, autos, vet and dental care, etc," he wrote. Moreover, Alliance's data indicates that its losses should drop in the second half of 2017 and 2018, Jeffrey wrote. Unlike Synchrony, which said it was hurt by a decline in recovery pricing, Alliance does not use third party collectors, stated Jeffrey, who kept a $310 price target and a Buy rating on the shares. PRICE ACTION: In Monday morning trading, Synchrony dropped 1% further after falling about 16% on Friday, while Alliance Data has bounced a mild 0.2% today after falling about 4% on Friday.

10:58 EDT Ocwen trading resumes

10:41 EDT LendingClub upgraded ahead of potential earnings short squeeze - Shares of LendingClub (LC) are on the rise after Susquehanna analyst James Friedman upgraded the stock to Positive, noting that his firm's survey of loan originations suggests sufficient first quarter momentum to create an upward bias in 2017 and 2018 consensus forecasts. LendingClub is expected to report quarterly earnings on May 4. UPGRADED TO POSITIVE: In a research note this morning, Susquehanna's Friedman upgraded LendingClub to Positive from Neutral, saying he believes the first quarter "will be close enough." The analyst told investors that his analysis of LendingClub daily filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission lead him to believe the company saw a roughly 34% increase in March 2017 loans versus February 2017, which is a "good base for second quarter onward." His analysis suggests sufficient quarter momentum to create an upward bias in 2017 and 2018 consensus not contemplated in the valuation or the high short interest. Moreover, based on his expectation of higher loan origination in 2017 and 2018, Friedman raised his price target on the shares to $9 from $6. SIG PYTHON ANALYSIS: Susquehanna's Friedman explained that he developed a methodology using Python software that anticipates total quarterly originations based on daily SEC filings of all standard loans offered and the requested loan amounts. The analyst also added that his forecast contemplates historical trends of loans offered-to-originated, and the ratio of standard loans originated to total loans, including custom and "other" loans. WHAT'S NOTABLE: According to Bloomberg data, short interest in LendingClub shares represents about 14.5% of total float, or 11.5 "days to cover." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of LendingClub have gained about 2% to $5.96. Over the last 3 months, the stock is down nearly 6%.

10:29 EDT Ocwen confirms 'working on' agreement to strengthen New Residential relationship - Ocwen Financial (OCN) announced it is working with New Residential (NRZ) towards an agreement that would further solidify and enhance the business relationship between the two companies. The proposed new agreement relates to approximately $117B in mortgage servicing rights, or "MSRs", and would convert New Residential's existing Rights to MSRs to fully-owned MSRs; this would be completed as soon as possible following the signing of a definitive agreement. As MSRs transfer to New Residential, the MSRs will move to a new subservicing agreement that would have a five year term. In effect, the new arrangement would convert the existing arrangement into a more traditional subservicing arrangement and involve upfront payments to Ocwen of $425M as MSRs transfer. Under the agreement, New Residential would also make an equity investment in Ocwen and become a 4.9% owner. "We are excited about the prospect of this new arrangement and expect that this agreement will further strengthen what I view as an already strong partnership by eliminating some of the uncertainties inherent in the existing arrangement, which will be good for shareholders of both companies," commented Ron Faris, President and CEO of Ocwen.

10:18 EDT Battleground: Analysts diverge on Dunkin' Brands takeover potential - In the wake of Panera Bread's (PNRA) recent announcement that Europe's JAB Holding has agreed to acquire the company in a transaction valued at approximately $7.5B, Maxim analyst Stephen Anderson argues that he still views Dunkin' Brands (DNKN) as "one of the strongest candidates" for a potential acquisition in the Quick Service restaurant space. This comes a few days after his peer at Longbow told investors he does not expect the company to be acquired anytime soon. Meanwhile, RBC Capital analyst David Palmer upgraded Dunkin' Donuts' parent to Outperform, as he anticipates a "more profitable system." STRONG BUYOUT CANDIDATE: In a research note to investors this morning, Maxim's Anderson said he still views Dunkin' Brands as "one of the strongest candidates" for a potential acquisition in the Quick Service restaurant space, even after JAB Holdings' deal for Panera takes it out of the running for now. Moreover, the analyst argued that he sees comp growth and geographic expansion opportunities for Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in both the U.S. and overseas and sees a potentially lucrative licensing business for the company as an "increasingly important attribute." Dunkin' Brands' best likelihood for M&A will come from a multinational, multi-concept franchise operator, such as Yum! Brands (YUM), Anderson contended, adding that he believes the latter is seeking franchise-driven growth concepts to complement its existing brand portfolio. The analyst estimates a range of $70-$75 for a potential takeout, and assigns a 25% likelihood of a possible acquisition in the next 12 months. Anderson acknowledged that McDonald's (MCD) has recently gained market share through beverage discounting, but noted that Dunkin' Brands held its own during the quarter with limited menu price increases. He reiterated a Buy rating on the stock ahead of quarterly results and raised his price target on Dunkin' to $64 from $61. ACQUISITION 'HIGHLY UNLIKELY': Conversely, Longbow analyst Alton Stump told investors in a research on his own on Friday that he believes a takeout of Dunkin' Brands is "highly unlikely" to happen anytime soon. While an acquisition of the company by either JAB or Restaurant Brands (QSR) may make sense on the surface, Dunkin' Brands' all-franchised operating model is "not a good fit" for JAB and its leveraged balance sheet would likely steer Restaurant Brands away, the analyst argued. Furthermore, he noted that Dunkin' Brands' decelerating same-store sales and net unit growth fundamentals are likely hard for any potential acquirer, including private equity players, to ignore. In the absence of a takeout, the analyst believes the shares of Dunkin' Brands contain substantial downside risk based on the company's weakening core fundamentals and, therefore, reiterates an Underperform rating and $35 price target on the shares. WHAT'S NOTABLE: This morning, RBC Capital's Palmer upgraded Dunkin' Brands to Outperform from Neutral and increased his price target on the shares to $64 from $54 based on his outlook for improving franchisee profitability and improved long-term unit and earnings per share growth. Additionally, the analyst told investors that he sees upside from potential cash back to shareholders, either through accelerated buybacks or a higher dividend payout. A "dramatic reduction" in menu items and heightened focus on core coffee could bolster franchisee profitability by as much as hundreds of basis points over the next year, he argued, adding that improving margins could enable a better commitment to national value platforms and deter menu price inflation. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Dunkin' Brands have gained about 3% to $57.63.

10:04 EDT Roche announces 510(k) clearance for cobas e 801 module - Roch announced that its new, dedicated high-volume testing immunoassay solution for the cobas 8000 modular analyzer series, the cobas e 801 module, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "The cobas e 801 module almost doubles the currently available immunoassay testing capacity on the same footprint, delivering up to 300 tests per hour and providing 48 reagent channels. Designed to use at least 25% less patient sample than its predecessor, the analyzer offers an extensive assay menu and delivers speed, accuracy and consistency," the company said.

10:01 EDT KapStone announces fatality at North Charleston, SC paper mill - KapStone Paper and Packaging said, "At approximately 8:45 p.m. EDT, Sunday, April 30, 2017, an incident occurred at our North Charleston, SC paper mill involving employees performing maintenance work in an operating area that was offline for repairs. The incident resulted in the fatality of one employee and injuries to a second employee. The second employee was transported to a local hospital and released. Our primary concern is for the privacy and welfare of the families involved and for the safety and well-being of employees working on our site. The incident was reported to South Carolina OSHA and is currently under investigation. Further information will be provided, as appropriate, when it becomes available."

09:48 EDT AMSC awarded $8.4M contract by U.S. Navy - AMSC announced it has been awarded a contract worth up to $8.4 million for engineering and technical services from The Naval Surface Warfare Center. This sole source contract was entered into to support the U.S. Navy's insertion of AMSC's high temperature superconductor, or HTS, -based ship protection systems into the surface fleet, including interface hardware for testing and training systems, test support related to such technology and technical assistance related to high-power test capabilities for HTS power cables.

09:46 EDT T2 Biosystems appoints Darlene Deptula-Hicks as CFO - T2 Biosystems (TTOO) announced that Darlene Deptula-Hicks has been named senior vice president and CFO. Deptula-Hicks was most recently CFO and senior vice president at Pieris Pharmaceuticals (PIRS).

09:32 EDT Medtronic announces U.S. launch of Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent - Medtronic announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and U.S. launch of the Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent, or DES. "With the first 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm DES sizes available in the U.S., the Resolute Onyx DES helps expand treatment options for patients with extra-large vessels," the company said.

09:25 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Loews (L), up 3.1%... New Residential (NRZ), up 2%. ALSO HIGHER: 22nd Century (XXII), up 7.1% after it was granted authorization to conduct a clinical trial studying the its BRAND B by the FDA... Twitter (TWTR), up 3.8% after CEO Jack Dorsey disclosed that he had purchased 574,002 shares of stock. LOWER: Plantronics (PLT), down 2.5% after reporting quarterly results... Neurotrope (NTRP), down 43.6% after announcing results from its Phase 2 study of Bryostatin-1, which The Street's Adam Feuerstein said that the company is attempting to "spin" after a "failed" trial... Intra-Cellular (ITCI), down 41.2% after the FDA raised questions relating to certain findings observed in nonclinical animal toxicology studies of lumateperone and has requested additional information to confirm that the nonclinical findings are not indicative of a safety risk associated with long term exposure in humans.

09:20 EDT Sinclair Broadcast's employees file petition to decertify IATSE - Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that on March 7, employees of its station in Boise, filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to decertify the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE, Local Union 99. On April 5 a secret ballot election was held. A majority of employees who voted elected to no longer have representation by IATSE. On April 14, KBOI received official notice from the NLRB that it had certified the results of the election and that IATSE is no longer the exclusive representative of the employees in that bargaining unit.

09:11 EDT root9B Technologies sells IDDP of IPSA subsidiary to Exiger - root9B Holdings announced that it has sold the Investigative Due Diligence Practice, or IDDP, of its wholly-owned subsidiary IPSA International Services to Exiger Canada for total consideration of $6M and up to an additional $4M by way of a three-year earn-out based on the achievement by IDDP of certain performance targets. Proceeds will be reduced by a Working Capital Adjustment, currently estimated to be in excess of $1.0M. The IDDP includes the sale of the stock of IPSA's Canadian subsidiary located in Vancouver, BC and IPSA's London, Hong Kong and Miami offices, contracts and employees.

09:08 EDT Ocwen jumps after New Residential announces strategic business deal - New Residential Investment (NRZ) CEO Michael Nierenberg said on his company's Q1 earnings call that he was "thrilled to announce" that the company has agreed "in principle" on a strategic business deal with Ocwen (OCN), which he said "will be beneficial to both parties," adding that the companies "continue to hammer out details as we speak." Nierenberg stated: "Having Ocwen as a healthy counterparty to the mortgage servicing system is something that we think is extremely important. So over the past week or so and well into the night and into this morning, we've been talking Ocwen about figuring out a way to do a deal that should work for both counterparties or both parties, I should say, that will ensure success for us and ensure success for Ocwen in the long run. So we've agreed on a deal in principle with Ocwen, and I'll walk you through the points. Now it's not finalized. So we have a lot of work to do over the next couple of days." Under the terms of the deal as it stands, New Residential has agreed to pay Ocwen $425M for Ocwen's portion of the $117B of mortgage servicing rights where New Residential owns the excess. "That $425M will be funded as the PSAs are transferred into NRZ's name. We expect that process to take, hopefully, a short period of time, but we have work to do with the rating agencies, trustees and others to effectuate this transfer into our name that process will begin immediately. We've agreed to hire Ocwen as a sub-servicer to a multiyear contract of approximately 5 years and then we're going to pay Ocwen a subservicing fee associated with that contract. Part of the deal, NRZ will purchase 4.9% of Ocwen's common equity, which is about 6.1M shares for $13.9M that's as of Friday night's close," Nierenberg said. In pre-market trading, Ocwen shares have jumped 71c, or 31%, to $3.00, New Residential shares are up 33c, or 2%, to $17 and Altisource Portfolio Solutions (ASPS), another company linked to Ocwen, is up $2.51, or 11.4%, to $24.60.

09:07 EDT Peoples Financial Svcs announces 225,000 share repurchase program - Peoples Financial Services announced that its board of directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan providing for the purchase of up to 225,000 shares of its outstanding common stock. The stock repurchase program does not require Peoples to repurchase any specific number of shares, and Peoples may terminate the repurchase program at any time. Peoples currently has approximately 7,394,143 shares of common stock outstanding.

09:05 EDT Honeywell,Paragon Space Development announces teaming agreement - Honeywell and Paragon Space Development have announced a teaming agreement that will change the way astronauts experience life in space. The two companies will design, build, test and apply environmental control and life support systems for future human NASA and commercial programs.

09:03 EDT ImmunoGen says results from Phase 1 IMGN853 study published in Cancer - ImmunoGen announced that the results from a Phase 1 dose-escalation study evaluating mirvetuximab soravtansine in patients with folate receptor alpha-positive solid tumors were published in the journal Cancer. The previously disclosed data demonstrated encouraging clinical activity and a manageable safety profile for mirvetuximab soravtansine, IMGN853, and informed the dose that was used in Phase 1 expansion cohorts and the ongoing Phase 3 FORWARD I trial of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The open-label, Phase 1 dose-escalation study treated a total of 44 patients with recurrent ovarian or endometrial cancer, along with renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Patients received mirvetuximab soravtansine on day 1 of a 21-day cycle with cycles repeated until dose-limited toxicity or progression, concluding the recommended dose for future trials is 6.0 mg/kg of mirvetuximab dosed once every three weeks. On the basis of the study findings, and additional data that demonstrated the importance of FRalpha expression levels for optimal mirvetuximab sorvatansine activity, the Company designed the Phase 3 FORWARD I trial utilizing this dose in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, along with a Phase 1b trial evaluating mirvetuximab in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy and targeted agents. Mirvetuximab soravtansine exhibited a manageable safety profile and encouraging preliminary clinical activity. Adverse events (AEs) were generally mild with the majority being grade 1 or grade 2.

09:02 EDT Equinix completes acquisition of 29 data centers from Verizon for $3.6B - Equinix (EQIX) announced the completion of its acquisition of 29 data centers and their operations from Verizon Communications (VZ). The U.S. $3.6B all cash transaction includes over 1,000 customers, of which over 600 are net new, and approximately three million gross square feet of data center space, accelerating Equinix's ability to help companies extend their IT operations to the digital edge through the interconnection of people, locations, clouds and data. The acquisition of these strategic facilities further broadens Equinix's capabilities by: strengthening interconnection density on the Equinix global platform; accelerating business relationships in the government and energy sectors; and supporting Equinix's enterprise offering

08:55 EDT Consolidated Tomoka announces purchase of income property for $14.65M - Consolidated-Tomoka Land announced the acquisition of an approximately 45,000 square foot single-tenant retail building leased to LA Fitness, and an approximately 6,715 square foot, two-tenant building located on Providence Lakes Blvd., in Brandon, Florida, a suburb of Tampa, Florida, for $14.65M at a 6.7% cap rate. The Property is situated on one tax parcel consisting of approximately 5.28 acres. LA Fitness has approximately 15 years remaining on its triple-net lease with rent escalations during the term, and the other tenants in the approximately 6,715 square foot building have approximately nine and six years remaining under their respective leases. The Property is located in a dense retail corridor near Causeway Blvd. and Providence Lakes Blvd., which is approximately 0.7 miles from the 1.1 million square foot Westfield Brandon Mall and approximately 2.0 miles from the recently opened Top Golf in Tampa, Florida. The Property was purchased using the remaining proceeds from the $3.2M sale of approximately 28 acres to VanTrust Real Estate, LLC, as well as all of the proceeds from the recently announced $2.9M sale of approximately 30 acres. The remaining purchase price was funded using availability under the Company's unsecured line of credit.

08:45 EDT Karen Singer accuses SITO Mobile of making 'inaccurate, unfounded' statements - In a regulatory filing, Karen Singer, who has sole voting power with respect to all the shares of SITO Mobile held by TAR Holdings, reported that, on April 28, a letter was sent on behalf of TAR Holdings to the Board of SITO Mobile, in response to a letter from SITO, dated April 20, addressed to TAR Holdings and asking TAR Holdings to submit an affidavit to SITO attesting to various matters in connection with TAR Holdings' nomination of nominees to the company's board of directors at the 2017 annual meeting of the Issuer's stockholders and the company's press release, dated April 25,, in which SITO "made various inaccurate, unfounded and irrelevant statements with respect to TAR Holdings and Karen Singer," among others. In addition, in the April 28 Letter, TAR Holdings reiterated its prior requests that the Board promptly provide a current and accurate analysis of the potential for an ownership change under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code and waive the application of the terms of the Purported Poison Pill and the application of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporations Law if TAR Holdings, or Karen Singer, acquires shares of common stock of the Issuer such that its aggregate beneficial ownership of Issuer common stock does not exceed 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Issuer common stock. TAR Holdings also said it confirmed that there are no "extensive and undisclosed ties" between TAR Holdings and Karen Singer, on the one hand, and Stephen Baksa and Thomas Candelaria, on the other hand, and that no relationship exists between TAR Holdings or Karen Singer and Messrs' Baksa and Candelaria, as the company "improperly alleged" in its April 25 press release.

08:41 EDT Cerecor announces results from Phase 2 trial of CERC-501 - Cerecor announced topline clinical results from a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, of the National Institutes of Health. This was a Phase 2 trial of CERC-501, a potent and selective oral kappa opioid receptor antagonist, in treatment resistant depression conducted under the leadership of Dr. Maurizio Fava of Massachusetts General Hospital. In this sequential parallel comparison design trial entitled, Proof of Concept Trial of CERC-501 Augmentation of Antidepressants Therapy in Treatment Resistant Depression, CERC-501 showed a clinically meaningful 2.0-point difference from placebo on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression - 6 - items, change from baseline to 72 hours, which served as the primary efficacy measure.

08:38 EDT Bob Evans appoints Mike Townsley as CEO - Bob Evans Farms announced the completion of its previously announced sale of Bob Evans Restaurants to Golden Gate Capital on April 28, 2017, and the completion today of its acquisition of Pineland Farms Potato Company. The sale of Bob Evans Restaurants and the acquisition of Pineland Farms Potato Company marks the beginning of a new era at Bob Evans Farms in which the company will focus exclusively on realizing the full potential of its BEF Foods business. BEF Foods is the national market share leader in refrigerated dinner side dishes, and is also the market share leader in sausage products in its core Midwest markets. The new Bob Evans, further strengthened by the manufacturing and intellectual capital of Pineland Farms Potato Company, is positioned to be a higher profit and higher growth company that is expected to provide better returns to shareholders and an enhanced product line for customers.

08:37 EDT ABP Technology and net2phone announce partnership - ABP Technology and net2phone announced a partnership to make net2phone's cloud communication services available to ABPTech's technology partners. net2phone's SIP Trunking and hosted PBX services provide clients with access to unlimited international calling from the US and Canada to 23 popular international destinations for a low, flat monthly rate. Backed by IDT Telecom, and certified by 3CX, net2phone SIP Trunking is efficient and reliable.

08:35 EDT Xenetic presents case study of PolyXen platform technology at PEGS - Xenetic Biosciences announced that it is presenting a case study highlighting the company's proprietary drug development platform technology, PolyXen, at the 13th Annual PEGS Boston conference being held May 1 to May 5 in Boston, Massachusetts. The abstract titled, "Polysialylation - A Platform Technology for Enhancing Therapeutic Proteins and Its Clinical Application," is being presented in a scientific poster presentation as a part of "Poster Session A" on May 1 to May 2. Curtis Lockshin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Xenetic will also present results from the case study in an oral presentation on Tuesday, May 2 as part of the Conquering Disease session of the Fusion Protein Therapeutics track of the Bioconjugates stream. PolyXen is Xenetic's platform technology designed to improve the half-life and other pharmacological properties of biologic drugs, in which polysialic acid, a naturally occurring, hydrophilic, non-immunogenic, linear homopolymer of sialic acid, is attached to a protein to improve its in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The positive data from the case study showed that the attachment of PSA led to retained or only slightly decreased biological activity, improved stability against proteases and thermal stress, and significantly prolonged circulating half-life. The company's PolyXen delivery technology has been clinically validated in Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies, where ErepoXen was shown to be efficacious at correcting and maintaining hemoglobin levels, while being well tolerated in humans, and without eliciting immune response after repeated dosing. ErepoXen is currently in ongoing Phase 2/3 clinical development through the company's partners and shareholders, the Serum Institute of India and SynBio of Russia, for the treatment of anemia in CKD patients.

08:34 EDT Interpace Diagnostics announces presentation of six abstracts at DDW meeting - Interpace Diagnostics Group announced the acceptance of 6 abstracts that will be presented as posters at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week, or DDW, meeting being held May 6th-9th in Chicago, Illinois. Three abstracts address the utility of PancraGEN in assessing long-term risk of malignancy in pancreatic cystic lesions and clinical scenarios in which such testing is most impactful. The conclusions are supported by data based on real-world clinical practice and patient outcomes and include 370 patients who underwent multiple PancraGEN tests over the course of 3 years. Three additional posters describe the expanded use of PancraGEN as an ancillary test for solid lesions of the pancreas and bile duct using the company's unique method for testing free-DNA obtained from bile duct brushings and fine needle aspirates. Notably, the abstracts describe results from a registry study of over 200 patients and a prospective study of 100 patients who received such testing.

08:31 EDT Simulations Plus to acquire DILIsym Services for up to $10M - Simulations Plus announced that it has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with DILIsym Services, Inc. of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Pursuant to the Agreement, upon closing, DILIsym Services will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Simulations Plus and will continue to operate under the DILIsym Services name. This accretive acquisition will result in the total number of Simulations Plus employees increasing from 68 to 79, and is expected to add more than $3M to the revenues of the combined company in the coming fiscal year 2018. The Agreement calls for the acquisition of DILIsym Services by Simulations Plus with DILIsym Services becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Simulations Plus following the closing of the acquisition, which is subject to final due diligence and other closing conditions. The closing date of the proposed acquisition is anticipated to be June 1, 2017. Under the terms of the Agreement, Simulations Plus will pay the shareholders of DILIsym Services cash consideration of up to $10M, comprised of $5M up front plus an earn-out of up to an additional $5M over the next three years, based on the profitability of the DILIsym Services division. The Agreement provides that $1M of the total up-front consideration will be held back for 18 months to satisfy any indemnifiable claims that may arise pursuant to the terms of the Agreement.

08:12 EDT Cognex raises quarterly dividend 13% to 8.5c from 7.5c - Cognex Corporation announced that the company's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 8.5c per share, payable on June 16 to all shareholders of record at the close of business on June 2. This dividend represents an increase of 1c per share, or 13%, over the 7.5c per share dividend paid in the prior quarter.

08:10 EDT Cognex authorizes stock buyback program up to $100M - Cognex Corporation announced that the company's board of directors has authorized the purchase of up to $100M of Cognex common stock in open market transactions, subject to market conditions and other relevant factors. This new authorization will commence after Cognex completes an existing $100M repurchase program, of which approximately $39M remains available. "The repurchase program is intended to help reduce share dilution associated with the company's equity incentive plans, which the company strongly believes is instrumental in its ability to recruit the highest caliber employees and to motivate and retain them," the company says.

08:09 EDT Jive Software to be acquired by ESW Capital for $5.25 per share in cash - Jive Software announced that ESW Capital, through its affiliate Wave Systems, is acquiring Jive and that Jive will become a part of the Aurea family of companies. The transaction is valued at $462M. Under the terms of the agreement, an affiliate of Aurea will commence a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Jive common stock for $5.25 in cash per share. This represents a premium of 20% to the average of Jive's closing stock price during the three months ending on April 28, 2017. Jive's Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and recommends that Jive stockholders tender their shares in the tender offer. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including a majority of the outstanding shares having been tendered in the tender offer and clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The parties expect the transaction to be completed in June 2017. Following completion of the transaction, Jive's common stock will be delisted from the NASDAQ and deregistered from the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Morgan Stanley is serving as financial advisor to Jive, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. is serving as legal advisor to Jive. Atlas Technology Group LLC is acting as financial advisor to ESW Capital and its subsidiaries. Cooley LLP is serving as legal counsel to ESW Capital and its subsidiaries.

08:09 EDT Land & Buildings' presentation outlines need for refreshed board at Taubman - Land & Buildings Investment Management, LLC announced that it has issued a detailed presentation regarding Taubman Centers outlining the case for change at Taubman and the poor performance of the company. "It is time for shareholders' voices to be heard, for accountability to be introduced in the Taubman Centers boardroom, and for a clear message to be sent to the Taubman family that shareholders will no longer tolerate abysmal corporate governance, misguided operations, lavish developments and inferior total returns," said Land and Buildings Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Jonathan Litt. "Taubman continues to deliver suboptimal value for shareholders with 57% stock underperformance versus Class A Mall Peers over the last five years. We believe our two independent and highly-qualified director nominees, Charles Elson and myself, will bring the fresh perspectives and objectivity that we believe is currently lacking on the Board and can help reverse this trend of value destruction."

08:08 EDT Pernix Therapeutics provides update on availability of Zohydro ER with BeadTek - Pernix Therapeutics announced that, due to a manufacturing issue with its supplier, the company expects that the 20mg strength of Zohydro ER with BeadTek will be on back order until at least the first quarter of 2018. Importantly, Pernix continues to market and distribute the other strengths of Zohydro ER with BeadTek, including the 10mg, 15mg, 30mg, 40mg, and 50mg strengths. The available dosage forms offer prescribers and patients a wide range of dosage options, most of which are consistent with the morphine milligram equivalents that are recommended in the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for prescribing opioids for Chronic Pain. Pernix is working closely with wholesalers and prescribers to minimize any disruption caused by the stockout, and with our supplier to ensure the return of the 20mg strength to the marketplace as soon as possible. While utilization of 10mg, 15mg and 30mg strengths of Zohydro ER with BeadTek are expected to increase in order to fulfill patient needs, the company anticipates the temporary stockout to impact the overall Zohydro ER with BeadTek prescription volume. Pernix is currently evaluating the scope of any potential impact and will provide further updates, as appropriate.

08:07 EDT iCAD says first early-stage breast cancer patient treated in Australia with IORT - iCAD announced the first early-stage breast cancer patient was treated in Australia with intraoperative radiation therapy, or IORT, using the Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System. The patient was treated at Monash Cancer Centre, a partnership between Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Monash Health, in Melbourne, Australia.

08:06 EDT Micronet Enertec subsidiary receives $1M order for TREQr5 product - Micronet Enertec Technologies announced that its Mobile Resource Management, or MRM, subsidiary Micronet, via its wholly owned subsidiary Micronet, received a purchase order valued at approximately $1,060,000 for its recently released TREQr5 product from a leading fleet management solutions provider. This order is a follow-on to an order announced at the end of December 2016 from the same customer for a similar amount.

08:05 EDT Synergy Pharmaceuticals to present Trulance data at DDW - Synergy Pharmaceuticals announced that the company will present six abstracts, including a late-breaker oral presentation showing new data on Trulance for the treatment of adults with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, at Digestive Disease Week, May 6 to May 9 in Chicago. Trulance is a once-daily tablet approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with chronic idiopathic constipation and is currently being evaluated for the treatment of adults with IBS-C. The recommended dosage of Trulance for CIC is 3 mg taken orally, once daily, with or without food at any time of the day. Synergy will also present findings from the new BURDEN-CIC study, which evaluated the experiences and perceptions of people living with CIC and healthcare providers who regularly treat this condition. In addition, the company will present four posters, which include two that have been recognized as Posters of Distinction.

08:04 EDT Marriott expands modular construction initiative - Marriott unveiled a comprehensive expansion to its initiative to drive adoption of modular construction of hotels in North America. In addition, the company said it expects to sign 50 hotel deals in 2017 that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms or bathrooms - more than 10% of the Select Brand signings expected for the region this year.

08:03 EDT Sinovac Biotech to delay filing annual report on Form 20-F - Sinovac Biotech has filed a Form 12b-25 Notification of Late Filing with the U.S. SEC that discloses that the company is unable to file its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016 within four months after the end of year 2016. Additional time is needed by the company's Audit Committee in its internal investigation related to a recent report regarding the allegations raised in a research report by Geoinvesting. The investigation has slowed completion of the company's financial statements and audit for the year ended December 31, 2016. The filing of Sinovac's 2016 Annual Report is delayed as a result.

08:00 EDT Jive Software trading halted, news pending

07:46 EDT Cytokinetics presents results from dose escalation phase of COSMIC-HF - Cytokinetics announced that results from the dose escalation phase of COSMIC-HF, a Phase 2 trial evaluating omecamtiv mecarbil in patients with chronic heart failure, were presented at Heart Failure 2017, the annual congress of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, held in Paris, April 29-May 2, 2017. The results were presented in a Rapid Fire Abstracts session by John Teerlink, M.D., professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and director of Heart Failure at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Omecamtiv mecarbil, a novel investigational cardiac myosin activator that increases cardiac contractility, is being developed by Amgen in collaboration with Cytokinetics for the potential treatment of heart failure. "The dose escalation phase of COSMIC-HF supported the selection of the optimal formulation of omecamtiv mecarbil based on low peak-to-trough variability in plasma concentration, as well as the implementation of the PK-based dose titration strategy that was employed in the expansion phase of COSMIC-HF recently published in The Lancet," said Fady I. Malik, MD, PhD, Cytokinetics' Executive Vice President, Research and Development. "This same formulation is now being used in the ongoing Phase 3 cardiovascular clinical outcomes trial, GALACTIC-HF."

07:44 EDT Neurotrope says Alzheimer's study data indicate Bryostatin-1 improves cognition - Neurotrope announced "positive" top-line results from its Phase 2 study of Bryostatin-1 in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, a population the company said is "not commonly targeted in AD clinical trials." Bryostatin-1, a Protein Kinase C epsilon activator that works through synaptic growth factors, as well as anti-amyloid and anti-tangle signaling pathways in the brain, has been shown, in non-clinical efficacy studies, to induce the growth of mature synapses in the brain and prevent neuronal death. Top-line results indicate that the 20 microg dose, administered every two weeks, met the pre-specified primary endpoint in the Completer population, but not in the mITT population. Among the patients who completed the protocol, the patients on the 20 microg dose at 13 weeks showed a mean increase on the SIB of 1.5 vs. a decrease in the placebo group of -1.1, whereas, in the mITT population, the 20 mcg group had a mean increase on the SIB of 1.2 vs. a decrease in the placebo group of -0.8. A total of 147 patients were enrolled into the study; 135 patients in the mITT population and 113 in the Completer population. The Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory Severe Impairment version was a secondary endpoint. The p values for the comparisons between 20 microg and placebo for the ADCS-ADL endpoint were 0.082 and 0.104, respectively, among the patients who completed the protocol in the mITT population. Analysis of secondary and numerous additional exploratory endpoints are ongoing. "Together these results indicate, in this relatively small trial, that Bryostatin-1, at the 20 microg dose, improved outcomes in important dimensions that are impaired in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease i.e., cognition and the ability to care for oneself. Since most of the patients in this study were already taking donepezil and/or memantine, the efficacy of Bryostatin-1 was in addition to standard of care," the company stated. The safety profile of Bryostatin-1 20 microg was similar to that of the placebo group except for a somewhat higher incidence of diarrhea. "These results, which show improvement in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, the population that is generally recognized as the most difficult to treat, provide exciting evidence of a new therapeutic approach potentially could rejuvenate synaptic networks in the brain. Improvements across the range of important manifestations of the underlying neurodegenerative disease, as shown in this Phase 2 study, could potentially represent a shift in the paradigm to treat Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Daniel Alkon, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Neurotrope.

07:38 EDT Engility awarded $170M NASA contract - Engility Holdings won the re-compete of the Systems and Software Assurance Services contract from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Engility will help NASA's Independent Verification and Validation program support missions to explore earth and the universe, including future moon and Mars expeditions. Under the IV&V contract, Engility's technical efforts will help NASA procure, develop, deploy and operate systems and software to meet exacting performance demands. By employing analytical techniques, security assessments and independent testing, Engility will add assurance that system software will operate safely, reliably and securely to achieve mission success. The team will deliver specialized engineering services such as software, safety and mission assurance; secure coding; and cybersecurity, which includes cyber vulnerability assessment and remediation. In 2005, the IV&V contract was awarded to TASC, ten years prior to being acquired by Engility. The company now operates and supports customers, such as NASA, under the Engility brand. The cost-plus-fixed-fee, single-award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract, awarded in Q2, has a 5-year period of performance.

07:34 EDT Revance to expand Phase 2 program for RT002 injectable for Plantar Fasciitis - Revance Therapeutics announced that it is expanding the company's Phase 2 program investigating the use of DaxibotulinumtoxinA for Injection for the management of plantar fasciitis from a single center to a multi-center study with protocol updates. Revance expects to report topline results from the Phase 2 study in Q4. The study protocol has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is scheduled to post on clintrials.gov this week. Recruitment and screening of patients under the new study protocol is already underway. This Phase 2 prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single administration of Revance's investigational drug candidate DaxibotulinumtoxinA for Injection in reducing the signs and symptoms of plantar fasciitis. This study is expected to enroll approximately 60 subjects across three centers in the United States. The study's primary efficacy endpoint is the reduction in the visual analog scale for pain in the foot. Improvement in the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Score is one of several secondary endpoints. Subjects will be followed for 16 weeks post treatment.

07:31 EDT Huntsman completes acquisition of IFS Chemicals Limited - Huntsman announced that it has completed the acquisition of IFS Chemicals Limited, one of the UK's leading independent formulators of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate based systems. The purchase price was not disclosed. Located in Kings Lynn, England, IFS was established more than 35 years ago and its customized MDI systems are used in a diverse range of end markets, including insulation, appliances, automotive and elastomeric applications.

07:29 EDT Macau reports April casino revenue up 16.3% to 20.16B patacas - Macau's gaming bureau reported April gross revenue from games of fortune in the region rose 16.3% year over year to 20.16B patacas. Publicly traded companies in the Macau gaming space include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Melco Resorts (MLCO).

07:18 EDT Cardinal Health sees FY17 Medical segment revenue growth high-single digits - Sees FY17 double-digit segment profit growth vs. prior year. Guidance from presentation slides.

07:16 EDT Centennial acquires properties for $350M and raises production target - Centennial Resource Development announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain undeveloped acreage and producing oil and gas properties in the core of the Northern Delaware Basin from GMT Exploration for total consideration of approximately $350M in cash, subject to purchase price adjustments and customary closing conditions. Pro-forma for the pending acquisition, Centennial is raising its 2020 production target to 60,000 barrels of oil per day from the previous target of 50,000 Bbls/d, representing a four-year compound annual oil growth rate of approximately 80% from 2016 to 2020. Increases Delaware Basin position to ~88,000 net acres from ~76,000 net acres at year-end 2016. Centennial's estimated average daily oil production volumes during the Q1 were approximately 10,500 Bbls/d, which represents an increase of 65% compared to average daily oil production volumes for the period from October 11, 2016 through December 31, 2016. Estimated oil production during the quarter was higher than the Company's internal expectations, which was driven by continued strong well results across its acreage position in Reeves County, Texas.

07:11 EDT TrueCar's ALG sees April auto sales down 3.9% to 1.44M units - TrueCar's ALG projects total new vehicle sales, including fleet deliveries, will reach 1,440,200 units in April, down 3.9% from a year ago and nearly flat on a selling day adjusted basis at -0.2%.This month's seasonally adjusted annualized rate for total light vehicle sales is an estimated 17.1 million units for the month, down 1.9% from a 17.4 million-unit SAAR a year ago. Excluding fleet sales, U.S. retail deliveries of new cars and light trucks are expected to decline 4.8% with 1,190,657 units and down on a selling day adjusted basis at -1.2%. "Despite higher incentives and nearly flat sales (on a daily sales rate basis), there is positivity in the April sales numbers," said Eric Lyman, chief industry analyst for ALG. "Historical ALG data indicate Easter weekend sales are typically 2 percent lower than average, putting April 2017 at a disadvantage since the holiday fell in March last year. Also, fleet deliveries continue to drop on a year over year basis, indicating that retail demand is still driving sales in 2017." Publicly traded companies in the space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).

07:09 EDT Kindred Biosciences enrolls first patient for Zimeta trial - Kindred Biosciences announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the pivotal effectiveness trial evaluating its novel, oral formulation of Zimeta for the control of fever in horses.

07:08 EDT Cardinal Health reports Q3 Pharmaceutical segment revenue up 3% to $28.4B - Third-quarter revenue for the Pharmaceutical segment increased 3% to $28.4B due to performance from the Specialty business and growth from Pharmaceutical Distribution customers. Segment profit for the quarter decreased 7% to $611M. This decrease was driven by generic pharmaceutical pricing, the final quarterly impact of the loss of Safeway, and the company's ongoing investment in its pharmaceutical IT platform. These were partially offset by solid performance from Red Oak Sourcing.

07:06 EDT Horizon Pharma announces FDA approval to expand age range for Ravicti - Horizon Pharma announced the FDA has approved its supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, to expand the age range for RAVICTI Oral Liquid to people two months of age and older who have urea cycle disorders that cannot be managed by dietary protein restriction and/or amino acid supplementation alone. RAVICTI initially was approved by the FDA in 2013 for adults and children as young as two years of age.

07:05 EDT Shire, Parion Sciences enter license agreement to commercialize P-321 - Shire and Parion Sciences announced they have entered into an agreement granting Shire exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize P-321. Shire will lead development of P-321, an investigational epithelial sodium channel inhibitor for the potential treatment of dry eye disease in adults, with the opportunity for Parion to co-fund. P-321 is a Phase 2 compound being developed to address tear volume deficiency and promote ocular surface healing. While further clinical trials are needed to fully evaluate its safety profile and efficacy, P-321 is a novel molecule that is believed to address dry eye disease by inhibiting ENaC, which is thought to block the absorption of tears, and help keep the ocular surface hydrated; current prescription treatments target the effects of ocular inflammation. While specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, Shire will make an initial $20M upfront license payment with an additional $20M payment based on the achievement of a near term development milestone. Parion will be entitled to receive additional potential milestone payments, with a total potential deal value of up to $535M. Parion has the option to co-fund through additional stages of development in exchange for enhanced tiered double-digit royalties. In addition, Parion has the option to co-fund commercialization activities and participate in the financial outcome from those activities.

07:04 EDT Crane acquires Westlock Controls from Emerson for $40M - Crane Co. (CR) announced that it has acquired Westlock Controls from Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) for cash consideration of $40M.

07:03 EDT Fiesta Restaurant files definitive proxy statement, sends letter to investors - Fiesta Restaurant Group announced it has filed with the SEC its definitive proxy materials in connection with the Company's 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and is mailing the materials to its shareholders. Fiesta shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 4, 2017 will be entitled to vote at the 2017 Annual Meeting, which will be held at 8:00 a.m. on June 7, 2017. Fiesta's board of directors calso sent a letter to shareholders urging them to vote on the WHITE proxy card "FOR" the Company's highly qualified slate of nominees: Barry J. Alperin, Stephen P. Elker and Brian P. Friedman.

07:02 EDT Fiesta Restaurant appoints Nicholas Shepherd, CEO Richard Stockinger to board - Fiesta Restaurant Group announced that, Nicholas P. Shepherd and President and CEO Richard C. Stockinger have been appointed to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. With the appointment of Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Stockinger, the Board of Directors increases from 7 to 9 directors. Mr. Shepherd is an independent director who will serve as a Class I director with a term expiring at the Company's 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. Mr. Stockinger will serve as a Class III director with a term expiring at the Company's 2018 annual meeting of stockholders.

06:56 EDT 22nd Century granted authorization for Brand B trial by FDA - 22nd Century Group, announced that the FDA has granted 22nd Century authorization to conduct a clinical trial studying the Company's BRAND B, low tar-to-nicotine ratio cigarettes. This trial is designed to confirm that as smokers make the adjustment to a higher nicotine cigarette, they take in less smoke because the nicotine is more readily available. 22nd Century has engaged a Contract Research Organization with extensive experience in combustible cigarette exposure studies to conduct the BRAND B trial this summer.

06:50 EDT Rexford Industrial acquires industrial property for $16.5M, sells other property - Rexford Industrial Realty announced the acquisition of an industrial property for approximately $16.5 million. Additionally, the Company announced the disposition of an industrial property for approximately $6.9 million. Proceeds from the disposition and borrowings under the Company's line of credit were used to fund the acquisition. The Company acquired 2390 Ward Avenue, located in Simi Valley within the Ventura County submarket, for approximately $16.5 million, or approximately $119 per square foot. The highly-functional property contains 138,700 square feet on 8.07 acres and is leased at below-market rates. The modern building features 28' clear height, an above-standard dock-high door ratio and excess parking with low site coverage. According to CBRE, the vacancy rate in the 63 million square foot Ventura County submarket was 2.4% at the end of the first quarter, 2017. Separately, the company sold 9375 Archibald Avenue for approximately $6.9 million, or $110 per square foot. The property includes multiple buildings comprising 62,677 square feet, located in the Inland Empire West submarket. Proceeds from the sale were used in a tax deferred 1031 exchange to fund a portion of the Ward Avenue acquisition.

06:42 EDT Pembina Pipeline, Veresen announce business combination - Pembina Pipeline and Veresen announce they have entered into an arrangement agreement to create one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in Canada with a pro-forma enterprise value of approximately C$33B. The combined company will feature an asset base supported by long-life, economic hydrocarbon reserves concentrated in some of the most prolific resource plays in North America. The diversified portfolio will include crude oil, liquids and natural gas pipelines, terminal, storage and midstream operations, gas gathering and processing facilities as well as fractionation facilities. Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, Pembina is offering to acquire all the issued and outstanding shares of Veresen by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act. The Transaction is valued at approximately C$9.7B including the assumption of Veresen's debt and preferred shares. Pembina is offering to acquire all of the outstanding Veresen common shares in exchange for either 0.4287 of a common share of Pembina or C$18.65 in cash, subject to pro-ration based on maximum share consideration of approximately 99.5M Pembina common shares and maximum cash consideration of approximately C$1.523B. Assuming full pro-ration, each Veresen shareholder would receive C$4.8494 in cash and 0.3172 of a common share of Pembina for each Veresen common share. This offer represents a 21.8 percent premium to Veresen's 20 day weighted average price of C$15.31 and a 22.5 percent premium to Veresen's closing share price of C$15.23 on April 28, 2017. The Transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter of 2017.

06:38 EDT Pembina Pipeline, Veresen to combine in deal valued around C$9.7B

06:35 EDT Rudolph Technologies announces sale of multiple Firefly Inspection Systems - Rudolph Technologies announced that two of the industry's leading suppliers of advanced packaging services have purchased multiple Firefly Inspection Systems. The Firefly System, with Rudolph's patented Clearfind Technology, can detect defects that are almost impossible to find using conventional imaging techniques - helping to significantly reduce yield-robbing failures in both the front- and back-end of the semiconductor manufacturing process. Two leading manufacturing service providers, a foundry and an outsourced assembly and test facility, have placed orders for multiple Firefly Systems for fan-out and wafer-level chip scale packaging applications.

06:33 EDT BancorpSouth appoints John Copeland as CFO - BancorpSouth, the parent company of BancorpSouth Bank, announces John Copeland has joined the company as Senior Executive Vice President, Treasurer and CFO.

06:32 EDT Suncor confirms restart of pipeline shipments from Syncrude Mildred Lake - Suncor announced that shipments from the Syncrude Mildred Lake Oil Sands facility have resumed following the March 14 incident. Over the weekend, Syncrude completed the necessary repairs and start-up activities to begin shipping product by pipeline. Shipments are currently at approximately 140 kbpd and are expected to ramp up as additional units complete turnaround activities. Production is expected to return to full rates in June.

06:22 EDT Duke sees medical office business divestment 7c dilutive to FY17 core FFO - In closing Duke Realty CEO Jim Connor noted, "While the transaction is expected to be dilutive to our 2017 Core FFO per share guidance by about 7c per share, or 14c annually in the short term, we view the transaction as a big win for shareholders with the expected return of capital in the form of a special dividend, further reductions to leverage and a more simplified business model. Going forward, we are confident our best in class balance sheet, high quality asset profile and best in class operations should be able to offer outperformance in terms of risk-adjusted FFO, AFFO and dividend growth over the long term."

06:18 EDT Duke Realty to sell medical office business to Healthcare Trust - Duke Realty Corporation (DRE) entered into an agreement with a subsidiary of Healthcare Trust of America (HTA), to sell its medical office business, including its remaining portfolio in a transaction expected to close in stages through the second and third quarters of 2017 for a purchase price of $2.8B. The sale of the HTA Portfolio and Business, when combined with the previously disclosed and completed ten-building portfolio sale to the parent entity of TriHealth,, would encompass all of the company's 7M square foot medical office portfolio and platform for total gross proceeds of $2.96B. The company intends to use the proceeds from these transactions to reduce leverage, fund future growth through development and acquisitions and for a return of capital to shareholders through a special dividend.

06:12 EDT Healthcare Trust to acquire Duke Realty medical office portfolio for $2.75B

06:06 EDT DISH activated approximately 547,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers in Q1 - In the first quarter, DISH activated approximately 547,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers, compared to approximately 657,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers in the prior year's first quarter. Net Pay-TV subscribers declined approximately 143,000 in the first quarter, compared to a decline of approximately 23,000 in the first quarter 2016. The company closed the first quarter with 13.528 million Pay-TV subscribers, compared to 13.874 million Pay-TV subscribers at the end of first quarter 2016. Pay-TV ARPU for the first quarter totaled $86.55, compared to the year-ago period's Pay-TV ARPU of $87.94. Pay-TV subscriber churn rate was 1.69 percent versus 1.63 percent for first quarter 2016. DISH lost approximately 25,000 net broadband subscribers in the first quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 555,000.

05:33 EDT Ballard Power appoints Rob Campbell as Chief Commercial Officer - Ballard Power Systems announced that effective May 1 the company has appointed Rob Campbell as vice president and Chief Commercial Officer, following his distinguished career in senior leadership roles in the global cleantech and power generation industries, including the hydrogen fuel cell industry. Karim Kassam, vice president - commercial will be leaving Ballard at the end of May, after supporting an efficient and seamless transition.