Stockwinners Market Radar for May 15, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT Energy Transfer Partners announces binding open season for Permian Express 3 - Energy Transfer Partners announced that Permian Express Terminal and Permian Express Partners will commence a binding open season for Permian Express 3. The project is being developed to deliver crude oil from the Permian Basin to multiple markets. Permian Express 3 is initially expected to provide transportation of up to 100,000 barrels per day, with service commencing in 4Q17. Additional committed service opportunities are expected to be offered in future open seasons that will provide for an estimated total capacity of up to 300,000 barrels per day. The open season will commence on May 16.

18:48 EDT Norsat receives updated proposal from Privet Fund - Norsat International announced that further to its news releases of September 19, 2016, March 17, 2017, March 27, 2017 and April 17, 2017, it has received an updated unsolicited, proposal from Privet Fund Management to acquire the company for cash consideration of $11.00 per share. The Privet Proposal is not subject to any due diligence or financing conditions. Privet has indicated that it is prepared to sign a definitive agreement on non-financial terms and conditions substantially identical to the existing arrangement agreement with Hytera. The Special Committee comprising all of the Independent Directors of the Board of Directors, in consultation with the Company's legal and financial advisors, will review and consider if the Privet Proposal is a "Superior Proposal" as defined in the Arrangement Agreement. If, after completing the review, the Independent Directors determine that the offer by Privet is a Superior Proposal, they will notify Hytera of that determination. Hytera will then have a period of five business days to offer to amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement. Hytera is under no obligation to make such an offer, but if they offer to amend the Arrangement Agreement and the Independent Directors determine that the proposal of Privet ceases to be a Superior Proposal, Norsat will enter into an amendment of the Arrangement Agreement and implement the amended offer. If, after the Independent Directors determine the Privet offer is a Superior Proposal, Hytera does not offer to amend the Arrangement Agreement, or offers to amend but the Privet Proposal remains a Superior Proposal, Norsat intends to accept the Privet Proposal, terminate the Arrangement Agreement and pay Hytera the termination fee of $2M, all in accordance with the terms of the Arrangement Agreement. However, a definitive agreement with Privet can only be executed by Norsat after approval from the Industrial Technologies Office representing the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative program. Further, any transaction with Privet would be subject to approvals from and including but not limited to shareholders of Norsat, under the Investment Canada Act and Controlled Goods Directorate. At this time, there can be no assurance that the Privet Proposal will lead to the termination of the Arrangement Agreement and the execution of a definitive agreement with Privet, or that the transaction contemplated by the Privet Proposal will obtain all necessary approvals or be consummated.

18:23 EDT Etsy says it 'values constructive engagement' with shareholders - Etsy commented on the Schedule 13D filings by TPG Group Holdings Advisors, Inc. and Dragoneer Investment Group, LLC. Etsy said it values constructive engagement with its shareholders and is focused on maximizing value for all shareholders. Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, said, "Since my appointment as CEO two weeks ago, I have gained an even greater appreciation for all that Etsy has accomplished over the past twelve years and its potential for growth and value creation. One of the most challenging things to do in a marketplace business is create a differentiated value proposition for buyers that provides a unique opportunity for sellers. Etsy has done just that, creating a strong technology platform and cultivating powerful loyalty driven by a robust seller community and 45 million listings." Mr. Silverman continued, "We are now reviewing our strategic and operational plans to ensure Etsy is focused on the most value-enhancing near- and long-term opportunities. We will prudently invest in areas that will deliver the greatest returns. At the same time, we see significant opportunities to scale our marketplace business model and drive efficiencies. In everything we do, we will strive for operational excellence and focused execution. I am encouraged by what I have seen and heard from our employees, sellers, buyers, and shareholders. I'm excited to build on Etsy's solid foundation while increasing our focus on areas where we can do better. We look forward to providing a dditional details when our review is completed." Fred Wilson, Chair of the Etsy Board, said, "Consistent with its fiduciary duty, the Board will carefully consider all options to enhance shareholder value, following Etsy's review of its strategic and operational plans. Etsy is a great company and we are confident in the ability of our strong new leadership team to unlock the significant value inherent in the business."

18:15 EDT Jamba unable to complete filing of Form 10-Q Quarterly Report - According to a regulatory filing, as of May 15, 2017, the filing deadline for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 4, 2017, Jamba Inc. was not able to complete the preparation, review, and filing of its Form 10-Q due to the focus of the company on the completion of its Form 10-K yet to be filed for its fiscal year ended January 3, 2017 and the dedication of company resources toward such completion. The Company underwent significant changes in business model, leadership, key personnel, and relocation of corporate office in 2016. These changes resulted in a significant increase in non-routine transactions and impacted certain routine processes needed to effectively accumulate and present consolidated financial results. The company anticipates that it will disclose a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended January 3, 2017 due to ineffective risk assessment of the risks of material misstatement in financial reporting. The company identified that the risk assessment process, which was intended to identify new transactions and changes to existing processes and design appropriate control activities over financial reporting, may not be sufficient to prevent or detect material misstatement on a timely basis. The company is working diligently on a remediation plan to enhance the company-wide internal control over financial reporting. The company intends to file its Form 10-Q as soon as practicable, with timing contingent on completion of 2016 financial statements, their subsequent audit and completion of financial statements for the quarter ended April 4, 2017.

18:04 EDT Pershing Square exits position in Valeant - Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed in an SEC filing its holdings as of March 31, 2017. Pershing Square exited one positions during the quarter, Valenat (VRX). Pershing Square reduced its stake in two holdings, Air Products (APD), and Mondelez (MDLZ). Pershing Square's top holdings as of March 31, in order of size, were Restaurant Brands International (QSR), Chipotle (CMG), and Mondelez.

18:01 EDT Celanese announces ethyl acetate price increases in Americas region - Celanese Corporation will increase list and off-list selling prices for the following acetyl intermediate product to 3c per pound in the U.S. and Canada and $65 per MT in Mexico and South America. The price increases will be effective June 1, 2017, or as contracts otherwise allow, and are incremental to any previously announced increases.

17:48 EDT TPG reports 4.3% stake in Etsy, offered to engage in talks - This Schedule 13D is being filed jointly on behalf of TPG Group Holdings, SBS Advisors. On May 3, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $10.391174. On May 4, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 1,690,994 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $10.476409. On May 5, 2017, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 444,394 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.277399. On May 8, 2017, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 562,304 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.256292. On May 9, 2017, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 200,000 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.420260. On May 11, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 204,923 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.089318. On May 12, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 373,019 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.222275. On May 15, TPG Partners VII acquired an aggregate of 118,663 shares of Common Stock in open market purchases at a weighted average price per share of $11.4349. Upon the request of the Commission, TPG will provide the Commission full information regarding the number of shares of Common Stock purchased at each separate price. In the case of each of the purchases by TPG Partners VII, the purchase price will be funded by equity contributions of the limited partners of TPG Partners VII. Etsy is a unique company whose success derives from the creativity and commitment of its community. TPG understands the value of that community and the importance of preserving its role. TPG currently invests in a number of businesses in which creativity and artistry are at the core of the company's identity and operations, such as Cirque du Soleil, Creative Artists Agency, Fender, ipsy and STX Entertainment. Enabling creativity to thrive at these companies is central to growth and economic success. Likewise, with Etsy, TPG recognizes the importance of facilitating entrepreneurialism and creativity in order to drive success, which means that value creation for Etsy stockholders depends on extending value to all Etsy stakeholders. TPG, together with the Dragoneer Entities, looks forward to engaging with the company, its employees and the broader Etsy community of artists and entrepreneurs to plan and build for Etsy's long-term future.TPG acquired the TPG VII Shares on the belief that they were undervalued at the time of purchase. The Reporting Group has contacted representatives of Etsy to offer to engage in discussions regarding strategic alternatives. The Reporting Persons intend to review their investment in Etsy on a continuing basis and during such time offer to engage in further discussions with management and Etsy's board of directors, other holders of Common Stock, financing sources and other relevant parties, such as other industry participants. The Reporting Persons may engage in discussions or take other actions concerning the business, operations, assets, governance, strategy and future plans of Etsy, which discussions or actions may include proposing or considering one or more of the actions described in subsections (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D. The Reporting Persons, in connection with any such discussions with Etsy, may enter into one or more confidentiality agreements and may enter into voting agreements, or other similar agreements with the purpose or effect of facilitating such actions.TPGmay also increase their ownership position in Etsy, including by purchasing additional shares of Common Stock or other securities directly from Etsy or in open market or privately negotiated transactions. The Reporting Persons may change their plans or proposals in the future, including by disengaging from any dialogue with Etsy or decreasing their ownership position in Etsy.

17:41 EDT Apteligent says acquired by VMware - Apteligent announced it has been acquired by VMware. "Six years ago, we started with a simple premise - mobile teams needed a better solution to understand and diagnose user experience. Over time, our capabilities expanded into the best-in-class mobile app performance monitoring platform... Apteligent further reinforces VMware's commitment to deliver the technical innovations necessary to enable the next generation Digital Workspace with analytics-driven user experience, intelligence-based decision automation, and highly scalable mobile-first cross-cloud enterprise solutions," the company said. Reference Link

17:35 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: BioDelivery Sciences (BDSI), up 4.8%... Vipshop (VIPS), up 1.8%. ALSO HIGHER: Akebia (AKBA), up 14% after it entered into an exclusive license agreement with Vifor Pharma to sell vadadustat to Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) dialysis clinics in the United States upon approval by the FDA. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Pernix Therapeutics (PTX), down 24.1%... ParkerVision (PRKR), down 7%... Editas Medicine (EDIT), down 6.6%. ALSO LOWER: TearLab (TEAR), down 6.2% after it hired an investment bank to assist in its evaluation of strategic alternatives and after it reported quarterly results... Kornit Digital (KRNT), down 3% after it filed to sell 4.25M shares for Fortissimo Capital Fund II.

17:22 EDT Fortuna Silver Mines provides update on filing of certain financial documents - Fortuna Silver Mines provided an update on the filing of certain financial documents. As previously announced, Fortuna was delayed in filing its annual audited financial statements and related MD&A for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the related CEO and CFO certificates, and its annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2016 due to a review by the United States SEC of its audited financial statements contained in the Annual Report on Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2015. In connection with the delayed filing of the Annual Financial Documents, the Company applied for and received a management cease trade order from the British Columbia Securities Commission and other Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. The MCTO prohibits certain executive officers of the Company from trading in securities of the Company until the Company completes the required filing of the Annual Financial Documents and is current on all filing obligations. The Company has resolved the SEC Comments and filed its Annual Financial Documents today. A formal closure of the inquiry process by the SEC is expected to follow after the filing of the Annual Financial Documents. While the process with the SEC is near completion, due to the delay in finalizing the Annual Financial Documents, the Company will be delayed in filing its interim financial statements and related MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related CEO and CFO certificates. The Company intends to file the Interim Financial Documents on May 24.

17:13 EDT Pershing Square - Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed in an SEC filing its holdings as of March 31, 2017. Pershing Square exited one positions during the quarter, Valenat (VRX). Pershing Square reduced its stake in two holdings, Air Products (APD), and Mondelez (MDLZ). Pershing Square's top holdings as of March 31, in order of size, were Restaurant Brands International (QSR), Chipotle (CMG), and Mondelez.

17:08 EDT Turquoise Hill reports Q1 copper production down 16.3% sequentially - Copper production for Q1'17 decreased 16.3% over Q4'16 and Q1'17 gold production decreased 49.0% over Q4'16 due to lower grades and recoveries at the lower end of the grade recovery curve.

17:03 EDT Berkshire Hathaway adds to Apple stake, exits 21st Century Fox - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed in an SEC filing its holdings as of March 31, 2017. Berkshire Hathaway exited one position during the quarter, 21st Century Fox (FOXA). Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in seven holdings, including by size of previous position, Apple (AAPL), Bank of New York Mellon (BK), Southwest Airlines (LUV), and Sirius XM (SIRI). Berkshire Hathaway reduced its stake in three holdings, IBM (IBM), Delta (DAL), and WABCO (WBC). Berkshire Hathaway's top holdings as of March 31, in order of size, were Kraft Heinz (KHC), Wells Fargo (WFC), Apple, and Coca-Cola (KO).

16:55 EDT Blue Ridge Capital reports 5.07% passive stake in Ultra Petroleum

16:53 EDT Xianjian Advanced Technology reports 5.1% passive stake in Sorrento

16:46 EDT tronc makes bid for owner of Chicago Sun-Times - tronc announced it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Wrapports, owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and other media assets, including its minority ownership interest in digital content network business Aggrego, the alternative weekly Chicago Reader and syndicated column The Straight Dope. "The announcement comes as Wrapports, at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, publishes notice tomorrow of its plan to sell the Sun-Times to a buyer that will continue to publish the paper. If no other bidder comes forward, tronc will be that buyer and the acquisition will close as early as June 1... Earlier this year, Wrapports management approached tronc leadership about pursuing the transaction. Since that time, the parties have worked with the Department of Justice to demonstrate that this combination is the best way to preserve multiple editorial voices in the greater Chicago area. The specific terms of the potential transaction are not yet finalized. If it closes, Chicago Sun-Times will continue to be an independent newsroom," the company noted.

16:38 EDT Muddy Waters retweets criticism of 'suckers' investing in Snap - Carson Block's Muddy Waters Research retweeted a post from Twitter user @WillauerProsky stating, "More suckers pile into Snap after filings reveal Fidelity and BlackRock were already suckered."

16:35 EDT AutoNation announces resignation of COO William Berman, effective May 15 - AutoNation announced the resignation of William "Bill" Berman as President and COO, effective May 15. Bill will continue to serve as an employee of the company in an advisory capacity through June 30. Mike Jackson, AutoNation's Chairman and CEO, will assume all operating responsibilities as AutoNation begins the selection process for a new President and COO.

16:34 EDT Corindus reports findings from CorPath 200 registry study - Corindus Vascular Robotics announced the latest post-market findings from the PRECISION Registry at the 2017 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Scientific Sessions. "Findings show a high success rate of both radial and femoral access robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary interventions," the company noted. Results showed that 754 patients with an aggregate of 949 lesions were treated with robotic PCI using transradial access in 452 and transfemoral access in 298. Technical -- 88.6% TRA vs 82.4% TFA -- and clinical success rates -- 98.9% TRA vs 94.9% TFA -- for both groups were high. Corindus is now launching the PRECISION GRX Study, a post-market registry to continue market surveillance of its second generation CorPath GRX System.

16:31 EDT Diffusion Pharmaceuticals updates TSC progress - Diffusion Pharmaceuticals' David Kalergis, Chairman and CEO, stated, "With the completion of our recent private placement, we believe we are now well positioned to advance our clinical development strategy for our lead product candidate, trans sodium crocetinate, TSC. We are in dialogue with the U.S. FDA regarding the design of a Phase 3 trial of TSC in newly diagnosed inoperable GBM patients, and plan to complete a protocol review in the third quarter of 2017. Assuming FDA sign-off on final protocol design, the study is planned to initiate by the end of 2017."

16:27 EDT TearLab hires investment bank to assist in evaluation of alternatives - The company continues to make progress on its evaluation of strategic alternatives and is currently reviewing a wide range of options. Additionally, TearLab has engaged an investment bank to assist in the evaluation of strategic alternatives. The company does not have a further update on any specific alternatives at this time.

16:16 EDT CBRE Group says acquires Brenner Real Estate Group - CBRE Group announced it has acquired the business of Brenner Real Estate Group, a full-service commercial real estate services firm in South Florida. The firm is led by Scott Brenner, and includes a team of more than 20 professionals. "BREG's team is well-integrated into the South Florida market and provides comprehensive real estate services including leasing brokerage, investment sales and property management," the company said.

16:13 EDT First Cash Financial announces $100M share repurchase authorization - FirstCash announced that its board of directors has authorized a new share repurchase plan for up to $100M of its common stock effective May 15, 2017. The company expects to fund the share repurchases primarily through its operating cash flows and the expected net proceeds from the private placement offering of senior notes due 2024. The new share repurchase program replaces the company's prior share repurchase program, which was terminated effective May 15, 2017.

16:13 EDT Akebia shares up 6.7% after vadadustat licensing, investment agreement

16:11 EDT Washington Prime completes formation of second JV with O'Connor Capital - Washington Prime Group reported the successful completion of the formation of its second joint venture with O'Connor Mall Partners, L.P., an affiliate of O'Connor Capital Partners. As a result of the transaction, O'Connor has a 49% interest in the joint venture and Washington Prime Group retains a 51% interest. The six properties in the joint venture are: Arbor Hills located in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Classen Curve/Nichols Hills Plaza/The Triangle at Classen Curve located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Gateway Center located in Austin, Texas; Palms Crossing located in McAllen, Texas; The Arboretum located in Austin, Texas; and The Shops at Arbor Walk located in Austin, Texas. A seventh property, Malibu Lumber Yard, located in Malibu, California, is expected to be transferred to the joint venture later in the second quarter of 2017. Washington Prime Group received approximately $340M of proceeds from the formation of the second joint venture and new mortgage debt, with proceeds being used to reduce the company's outstanding debt and for general corporate purposes. In addition, the company will receive approximately $12.5M upon transfer of Malibu Lumber Yard. This reflects the gross value of the seven properties of approximately $600M, less the mortgages secured by such properties at closing. The company completed the transactions for new mortgage debt of approximately $215M prior to the completion of the second joint venture. This pricing reflects a capitalization rate of approximately 5.25% on in-place net operating income. Washington Prime Group will retain management and leasing responsibilities of the properties. In addition, redevelopment costs associated with the properties will now be a shared expense between the two companies. Washington Prime Group has an existing joint venture with O'Connor for five of the company's properties and certain related outparcels.

16:08 EDT Akebia, Vifor Pharma enter exclusive license pact over Vadadustat - Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) and Vifor Pharma Group announced they have entered into an exclusive license agreement to sell vadadustat to Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) dialysis clinics in the United States upon approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Vifor Pharma will also make a $50M equity investment in Akebia at $14 per share. Vadadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizer currently in Phase 3 development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Vifor Pharma will exclusively distribute vadadustat to Fresenius Medical Care North America for use solely within its dialysis facilities in the U.S. to meet their need for a HIF-based treatment for anemia associated with CKD. Fresenius Medical Care is the largest kidney dialysis provider in the U.S. and, in 2016, treated over 185,000 dialysis patients, or nearly 40% of the U.S. dialysis patients. This agreement is structured as a profit-sharing arrangement between Akebia and Vifor Pharma. It is subject to approval of vadadustat by the FDA and inclusion of vadadustat in a bundled reimbursement model, upon which Akebia will receive a $20M payment from Vifor Pharma. Akebia's revenue from the profit share and the milestone payment will be shared with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Akebia's U.S. collaborator. Akebia, in collaboration with Otsuka, plans to commercialize vadadustat in other dialysis organizations and centers and in the non-dialysis market in the U.S.

16:07 EDT Galapagos NV: Seven abstracts on filgotinib accepted by EULAR 2017 - Galapagos NV announces the acceptance of seven abstracts from several clinical and pre-clinical studies with the investigational agent filgotinib in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, by the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology organized by the European League Against Rheumatism EULAR 2017, held in Madrid from 14-17 June.

16:06 EDT Anthera announces 1st patient screened in Result study of Sollpura - Anthera Pharmaceuticals announced that it has commenced screening in the RESULT Phase 3 clinical study of Sollpura for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis. Based on feedback from the US FDA, this non-inferiority study will compare the efficacy of Sollpura, a biologically manufactured pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, PERT, to Pancreaze, a porcine-extracted PERT, as assessed by CFA after 4 weeks of treatment. Topline data are expected at the end of 2017 or early 2018, depending on the speed of patient enrollment. "As a key investigator in the SOLUTION study and now participating in the RESULT study, I am excited to be part of this important study for Cystic Fibrosis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Sollpura has the potential to address an unmet need for PERTs with a reduction in pill burden, as well as the benefit of a product that is not extracted from pigs," shared Dr. Steven R. Boas, M.D., FAAP, FACSM President and CEO, The Cystic Fibrosis Institute, Glenview, IL. The RESULT clinical study builds upon data from the previous Sollpura trial and allows for more frequent and higher dose adjustments based upon clinical signs and symptoms. As with current practice with porcine enzymes, the RESULT study allows patients to increase their daily dose to an individualized dose that achieves maximum therapeutic benefit, while maintaining a potential reduction in daily pill burden as compared to porcine PERTs. "We are very pleased to achieve this important milestone for Sollpura," shared William Shanahan, Chief Medical Officer, "and we appreciate the input from the US FDA and members of the CF Community in the design of RESULT. There is enthusiasm within patient and provider communities for a non-porcine derived product and we look forward to this important study."

16:03 EDT Aptean and Marlin Business Services Corp. launch new financing program - Marlin Business Services announced they have entered an agreement for Marlin to support Aptean's North American operations with financing options for its customers. Marlin's financing options will be available through Aptean's direct sales team and accessible via its online portal. The new strategic alliance will enable customers to acquire Aptean's industry-specific software solutions with Marlin's fast, convenient approval process. Customers will also benefit from Marlin's extensive vendor finance and technology industry experience."Aptean is excited to make financing options available to our customers through the joint program with Marlin. The new offering equips our sales teams with additional tools to ensure mutual success with our customers," said Kyle Bowker, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Aptean. "We are pleased to put Marlin's extensive vendor finance program experience to work for Aptean's customers," said Michael Kinka, Vice President, Strategic National Accounts, Marlin Business Services Corp. "We look forward to supporting Aptean's sales efforts with our efficient, creative and competitive financing solutions along with our diversified technology industry expertise."

15:52 EDT Goldman Sachs reports 1.11M stake in Snap - Goldman Sachs' (GS) 13F quarterly investment filing Monday shows the investment bank owns roughly 1.11M shares of Snap Inc (SNAP). The filing is current as of March 31.

15:33 EDT H.I.G. Capital to sell stake in Surgery Partners to Bain Capital Private Equity - H.I.G. Capital is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to sell its existing stake in Surgery Partners to Bain Capital Private Equity. In conjunction with the transaction, Surgery Partners and National Surgical Healthcare have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Surgery Partners will acquire NSH from Irving Place Capital for approximately $760M. Funding for the transaction will be provided in part by Bain Capital Private Equity, who is injecting capital in exchange for preferred equity in the Company. In December 2009, H.I.G. partnered with Surgery Partners CEO Mike Doyle to acquire Surgery Partners, which at the time operated a small portfolio of ambulatory surgery centers and physician practices in Florida. With the leadership of Mike Doyle and the Surgery Partners team and strategic guidance and capital support from H.I.G., the Company executed upon an aggressive growth plan, expanding its footprint across the country and enhancing its specialty mix and ancillary service offerings, through both organic growth and acquisitions, including the acquisitions of Symbion and NovaMed. In 2015, Surgery Partners underwent an initial public offering on the NASDAQ exchange, with H.I.G. retaining a majority equity stake in the Company. The combined Surgery Partners and NSH company will operate 125 surgical facilities, 58 physician practice locations and complementary ancillary services in 32 states.

14:59 EDT Hackett Group announces $5M increase to share repurchase authorization - The Hackett Group announced that its Board of Directors increased the authorization under its share repurchase program by an additional $5M.

14:22 EDT Citi reports April credit loss 2.34% vs. 2.88% last month - Reports April 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.52% vs. 1.63% last month.

13:25 EDT Spectrum Brands announces definitive agreement to acquire PetMatrix - Spectrum Brands Holdings announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately owned PetMatrix, LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of rawhide-free dog chews. PetMatrix is on pace to achieve approximately $75M in sales in calendar year 2017. Financial terms of the accretive, all-cash transaction were not disclosed. "PetMatrix will immediately strengthen our pet care portfolio with its well-established and growing brands catering to healthy alternative pet trends," said Andreas Rouve, CEO of Spectrum Brands Holdings. "We expect it to further solidify Spectrum Brands as a leader in the North American dog chews category and to provide compelling white space revenue opportunities in Europe, Latin America and Asia." The acquisition, which has been approved by Spectrum Brands' Board of Directors, is expected to close by the end of May 2017 and is subject to customary closing conditions. RBC Capital Markets is serving as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal advisor to Spectrum Brands. J.P. Morgan and Friend Skoler & Co. are serving as financial advisors and Goodwin Procter LLP is serving as legal advisor to PetMatrix.

13:23 EDT Whirlpool near highs after increase in U.S. home appliance shipments reported - Shares of Whirlpool are near their session highs in afternoon trading after the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers reported that U.S. major home appliances shipments rose 1.1% to 6.07M units in April when compared to the same month of last year. According to Bloomberg, the industry association also reported that U.S. shipments of washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ranges, and ovens, otherwise known as the "AHAM 6," increased 13.7% to 3.75M in April.

13:16 EDT Univar sees 2019 EPS $2.00-$2.30, adjusted EBITDA $750M-$800M - Univar is hosting investors in New York City on May 15, at which time Stephen D. Newlin, chairman and CEO, and other members of the senior management team are presenting the company's strategic plan and financial performance targets. Univar will share key actions it is taking under each of the company's three strategic priorities of Commercial Greatness, Operational Excellence and One Univar, which were established in the past year, that will ignite sustainable, superior growth. "Univar is well positioned to create significant value through three powerful growth pathways that include improved margins, increased market share and market expansion," said Newlin. "We have clearly defined our growth plan and we have the right team in place to successfully execute it." By successfully executing against its plans, Univar expects to deliver annual adjusted EBITDA growth of 11% or greater through 2021 and EPS greater than $3.00 in 2021. For the year 2019, the company announced it expects adjusted EBITDA to be within a range of $750M-$800M and EPS within a range of $2.00-$2.30.

13:15 EDT Concurrent sells Real-Time business segment for $35M - Concurrent Computer Corporation announced that it has sold its Real-Time business segment to technology-focused investment firm Battery Ventures for gross proceeds of $35M cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments and indemnification obligations. The Real-Time business segment will operate as an independent, privately-held company doing business as Concurrent Real-Time, Inc. Concurrent Computer Corporation will focus its continuing operations on accelerating the growth of its existing video storage and delivery business. Under terms of the agreement, Concurrent has closed on the sale of the Real-Time segment's global operations with the exception of its European operations. The European operations portion of the transaction will close upon approval of the transaction by the French Ministry of the Economy, which is pending. Of the $35M in gross proceeds, $2.8M is being held by the buyer Battery Ventures until the approval is received. In addition, $2M of the transaction proceeds has been placed into escrow for future release to Concurrent, subject to various terms and conditions, on May 15. Concurrent recorded expenses of $1.1M related to the transaction for the third quarter ended March 31. Management believes that as a result of the Real-Time business segment sale, the pro forma working capital position of the company has increased by approximately $30M and the Board of Directors has initiated a process to evaluate strategies to maximize shareholder returns. In connection with the closing of the transaction, the special banking committee of the company's board of directors that was formed to direct the work of its investment banking advisors and review the company's strategic alternatives has been dissolved.

13:10 EDT European Commission to meet with U.S. officials Wednesday on possible laptop ban - Speaking at a press briefing Monday, European Commission chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas provided new details on the potentially expanded airline laptop ban: "Commissioners Avramopoulos and Bulc took part in a conference call with U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly and a number of EU ministers. Our commissioners stressed that the EU shares the concerns of the U.S. on the security and safety of air passengers, and recalled the need for joint and coordinated action. No ban on electronic devices or any other decision was announced on this occasion. As a next step, the Commission will host high level talks at political and technical level with the U.S. authorities this Wednesday afternoon, May 17, in order to jointly assess any new threats and work towards a common approach to address them." Publicly traded companies in the space include American Airlines (AAL), Delta (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV) and United (UAL). Reference Link

13:04 EDT Whirlpool strength attributed to monthly AHAM data - Today's strength in Whirlpool shares is being attributed to strong data from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, according to contacts.

12:50 EDT Audi, Volvo to build Android Auto into future vehicles - Google (GOOG) announced in a blog post: "Since its launch three years ago, Android Auto has grown to be supported by 300 car models and aftermarket stereos. And thanks to the standalone Android Auto mobile app, millions more Android mobile users can now use Android Auto... Today, Audi (AUDVF) and Volvo (VOLVY) announced they will build Android into their next generation of cars. That means your car's built-in infotainment system could allow you to control your air conditioning, sunroof, and windows, find the nearest restaurant with Google Maps, listen to Spotify or NPR, or just ask your Google Assistant for help - even when you leave your phone behind. A preview of their systems will be on display at Google I/O this week." Reference Link

12:30 EDT Accenture acquires Media Hive, terms not disclosed - Accenture has acquire Media Hive, an e-commerce solutions provider with expertise in cross-channel commerce strategy, custom application development, and the creation of innovative retail experiences for any device. The acquisition will strengthen the capabilities of Accenture Interactive around Salesforce Commerce Cloud implementations and the delivery of best-in-class commerce experiences for clients.

12:21 EDT Exact Sciences CEO says Citron's Left 'dead wrong' - Kevin Conroy is speaking on CNBC to refute Citron Research's short report.

12:08 EDT Boeing assembly of Air Force T-X in St. Louis to support 1,800 jobs - Boeing's decision to assemble its T-X Air Force training jet at its St. Louis facility is expected to support approximately 1,800 jobs in the region. If the Air Force chooses Boeing to help train pilots for generations to come, T-X will be the newest project for a community that has produced some of the most acclaimed military aircraft of the past seven decades. "The Boeing T-X trainer will keep Americans safe and create more jobs for Missourians," said Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. "Companies like Boeing, which are committed to growing and investing here, show the world that our state is open for business and ready to create new jobs." The jobs projection includes direct and indirect positions expected to be supported by the T-X work. Boeing T-X is a training system designed specifically for the Air Force training mission. It will replace the service's fleet of aging T-38 aircraft. The initial acquisition, for 350 aircraft and the associated ground-based training and support, is valued at up to $16B. Initial operating capability is planned for 2024. The contract award is expected by the end of the year.

12:00 EDT trivago CEO says competitors not tapping into same ideas - The CEO says focusing on hotels has been paying off, while speaking on CNBC.

11:46 EDT Cybersecurity names surge following 'WannaCry' ransomware attack - Shares of cybersecurity solutions providers are soaring Monday after a cyberattack involving a ransomware called "WannaCry" hit businesses, hospitals and government agencies in at least 150 countries over the weekend. WHAT'S NEW: The attack, the highest-profile computer-worm outbreak in nearly a decade, is likely to keep spreading, reports say. The ransomware, which took advantage of security vulnerabilities in Microsoft (MSFT) software, affected companies including Renault (RNSDF), FedEx (FDX) and Hitachi (HTHIY). INCREASED SPENDING ON DEFENSES SEEN: Evercore analyst Ken Talanian said the attack serves as a reminder that ransomware campaigns will remain a threat enabled by the darkweb, anonymous connectivity, and anonymous cryptocurrency. Talanian added the continued threat will drive investment opportunities in cybersecurity solutions providers including Fortinet (FTNT), Check Point (CHKP), Symantec (SYMC) and Proofpoint (PFPT). Oppenheimer analyst Shaul Eyal agreed the attack could lead organizations to "fear-driven product procurement" to boost cybersecurity defenses, saying Check Point, Cyber Ark (CYBR), FireEye (FEYE), Fortinet, Imperva (IMPV), Mimecast (MIME), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Splunk (SPLK), Symantec, and Verint (VRNT) stand to benefit. HARDWARE IMPACT: In an analyst action that did not cite this particular attack, but discussed the broader theme of IT security, Morgan Stanley analyst James Faucette upgraded Cisco (CSCO) to Overweight from Equal-weight and raised his price target to $39 from $32. Citing a "paradigm shift to security-defined networks," which the analyst expects to become the primary driver of network spending, Faucette said he continues to see evidence that security sales are beginning to pull through network equipment upgrades, which he thinks will improve replacement cycle metrics. Separately, Longbow Research analyst Joe Wittine reiterated Buy stances on Seagate (STX) and Western Digital (WDC), arguing that the attack could "drive incremental corporate PC replacement during 2Q and 2H." PRICE ACTION: Fortinet, Check Point and Symantec rose 3.5%, 2.2% and 3.9%, respectively in morning trading. Proofpoint and FireEye each increased about 9%, while Mimecast, Palo Alto Networks and Splunk gained from 2% to nearly 8%. Meanwhile Cisco rose 2.5% to $34.28 in morning trading.

11:28 EDT SEC charges former head traders at Nomura with fraud - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged a pair of former head traders who ran the commercial mortgage-backed securities desk at Nomura Securities International Inc. with deliberately lying to customers in order to inflate the profits of the CMBS desk and line their own pockets as a result. The SEC alleges that James Im and Kee Chan each misrepresented price information while acting as intermediaries on trades with Nomura's customers who sought to buy and sell CMBS on the secondary market. In certain instances, Im and Chan allegedly pretended they were still negotiating bond purchases with a third-party seller at higher prices when Nomura had already acquired the bonds at a lower price. Chan agreed to settle the charges by paying $51,965 in disgorgement plus $11,758 in interest and a $150,000 penalty. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Chan also agreed to be barred from the securities industry with the right to reapply after three years. The settlement is subject to court approval. The case continues against Im.

11:18 EDT Tesla downgraded by former bull worried by Apple, Alphabet competition - The shares of Tesla (TSLA) are falling after Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas downgraded the stock to Equal Weight, citing signs that the company will face stiffer competition from tech heavyweights Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL). Additionally, Wall Street appears to be overestimating the number of Model 3 vehicles that the company can sell in the near to medium term, Jonas warned. COMPETITION: There are indications that "large tech firms" are preparing to compete in the electric vehicle market, said Jonas, who noted that Alphabet is looking to increase the size of its autonomous vehicle fleet by 600%, while Apple recently obtained an autonomous driving permit from California. Ultimately, "much larger and more well capitalized competitors" will become involved in Telsa's core market, Jonas believes. MODEL 3 OVEREXUBERANCE: In the last four months, the market's expectations for sales of Tesla's upcoming Model 3 vehicle have increased significantly, Jonas stated. The analyst thinks that the market expects Model 3 deliveries to far exceed his estimates of 2,000 and 90,0000 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. OTHER FACTORS: China will probably not be a large market for Tesla, since Beijing may limit the number of foreign made, high-tech electric vehicles that can be sold in the country, Jonas wrote. Meanwhile, Tesla's newer businesses - solar, electric storage and electric trucks - probably won't be worth more than a cumulative 15% of its current market cap, Jonas believes. PRICE TARGET: Jonas kept a $305 price target on Tesla shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Tesla fell 2.4% to $317 per share. Over the last three months, the stock has advanced about 13.5%.

11:03 EDT Medtronic: Data reinforce benefits of CRT technologies in 'real world' setting - Medtronic announced new data supporting the clinical performance of the company's exclusive EffectivCRT Diagnostic and AdaptivCRT algorithm in heart failure patients who receive cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. The data were recently presented at Heart Rhythm 2017, the Heart Rhythm Society's 38th Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Chris Plummer, M.D., of Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, United Kingdom, presented an analysis of 335 patients implanted with a Claria MRI CRT-D SureScan, which provides diagnostics to help determine the cause of ineffective pacing. Awareness of effective CRT can help physicians provide a more personalized approach to treatment. Additionally, a large observational study compared the risk of developing atrial fibrillation in patients with CRT-Ds treated with AdaptivCRT vs. standard biventricular pacing. Patients treated with AdaptivCRT experienced a 35 percent reduction in the subsequent development of AF compared to patients treated with standard biventricular pacing. The data presented at Heart Rhythm 2017 are consistent with previous findings from the randomized Adaptive CRT clinical trial, which demonstrated a 46 percent reduction in the risk of developing AF. "These outcomes further confirm the benefits of these advanced cardiac resynchronization therapy technologies delivered in a contemporary real-world clinical setting," said Jonathan Hsu, M.D., cardiac electrophysiologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. "AdaptivCRT gives us more insights and automatically makes adjustments based on each patient's unique needs, and our study suggests that its use is associated with a decreased risk of developing atrial fibrillation."

10:59 EDT J.C. Penney drops as analysts jump ship with retailer in 'tough spot' - Shares of J.C. Penney (JCP) dropped in morning trading after several analysts downgraded the stock, with one saying that the retailer is "in a tough spot." J.C. PENNEY 'IN A TOUGH SPOT': Citi analyst Paul Lejuez lowered his price target for J.C. Penney shares to $4.50 and said that like other department stores in the U.S., J.C. Penney is "in a tough spot." He said that Penney's store closings will need to happen "at a more rapid pace" as sales shift online. Deutsche Bank analyst Paul Trussell downgraded J.C. Penney to Hold from Buy and lowered his price target to $5.50 from $9, saying his thesis of sustainable outperformance compared to the peer group has not transpired and that the company's Q1 SSS were in-line with the weakness experienced by peers despite non-apparel initiatives. Trussell noted that cost savings were "limited" and the company's $1.1B EBITDA guidance "could be at risk." Trussell said he is stepping to the sidelines with a lowered medium term view. Buckingham analyst Jarrod Feinstein also downgraded J.C. Penney to Neutral from Buy and cut his price target to $5 from $10, citing a lack of near-term catalysts, including a lack of visibility on the retailer's ability to reaccelerate its core comp sales from the current low single digit trend. Feinstein said that the department store sector continues to face a challenge with trying to drive traffic to stores between key shopping events that remain very promotional, and that J.C. Penney is "not alone in a sector trying to find ways to re-excite the customer" in the apparel category. Baird analyst Mark Altschwager downgraded J.C. Penney to Neutral from Outperform and lowered his price target to $5 from $9, stating that while he believes management has put the company "on a better path" by diversifying product mix, cutting costs and de-risking the balance sheet, core EBITDA growth "looks more tenuous" and valuation expansion is difficult as industry headwinds intensify and earnings quality erodes. WHAT'S NOTABLE: J.C. Penney and several of its mall-based peers, who have been hurt by the increasing popularity of fast-fashion retailers and an increase in online shopping, reported lower sales and comparable store sales in the first quarter. CEO Marvin Ellison noted that February was a "very challenging month," but said on the earnings call that the nine-week March-April combined comp improved 600 basis points from February. Ellison said the retailer is "confident" Q2 comps will be within the guided range for the year and backed his view that EBITDA for the year will be about $1.1B and free cash flow will be about $300M-$400M. J.C. Penney is delaying its planned closure of 138 stores by about a month after sales picked up in the locations and will begin the liquidation process later this month for the majority of the stores, Penney said last week. PRICE ACTION: J.C. Penney is down 4.4% to $4.35 in morning trading. Shares are down nearly 48% year-to-date. OTHERS TO WATCH: Other mall-based apparel retailers include Nordstrom (JWN), Macy's (M), Sears (SHLD) and Dillard's (DDS).

10:50 EDT Exact Sciences slumps after short-seller Citron publishes critical report - Shares of Exact Sciences (EXAS) are sliding this morning after Andrew Left's Citron Research published a cautious report, in which the short-seller argues that the "stock will soon be cut in half." According to Citron, Exact Sciences' Cologuard cancer test is "inferior by its own admission" and the company is losing money selling it while "the key metrics not disclosed by Exact Sciences are getting worse." The short-seller set a short term target of $20 on Exact Sciences shares and sees the stock "likely single digit" or a "potential zero" over three to five years. After the publication of the report, which had been teased last week, Exact Sciences shares are down 92c, or 2.7%, to $32.85, bouncing quickly off their spike lower.Reference Link

10:44 EDT Ionis drops after patient dies in trial while competitor Alnylam surges - The shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) are tumbling after the company announced that the Phase 3 NEURO-TTR study of inotersen in patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy met both primary endpoints, but also disclosed some safety data that has investors concerned, including the fact that a patient who took the drug in the clinical trial has died. The shares of Alnylam (ALNY), which has developed a competing drug based on a similar mechanism of action, are rising. Research firm Piper Jaffray believes that Alnylam will benefit from the news, but says that the safety issues facing Ionis are "not insurmountable." NEWS: A patient who was enrolled in a study of Ionis' inotersen in familial amyloid polyneuropathy died of intracranial hemorrhage, Ionis reported today. The intracranial hemorrhage was caused by thrombocytopenia, which is a deficiency of platelets in the blood. The condition can result in internal or external bleeding. In addition to the patient who died during the trial of inotersen, two other trial subjects who took the drug were diagnosed with "serious" cases of thrombocytopenia, the company reported. Additionally, four patients had serious cases of renal toxicitiy, Ionis noted. The company also said that over the 15-month period of the study, inotersen-treated patients achieved statistically significant benefit compared to placebo in the modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 and on a "Quality of Life" survey, meeting the two primary endpoints of the study. ANALYST REACTION: Ionis "made a strong case" that the side effects can be prevented through intensive monitoring, wrote Piper Jaffray analyst Joshua Schimmer. After more stringent monitoring of renal and platelet issues were instituted, no further adverse events occurred, the analyst quotes the company as saying. Additionally, Ionis' contention that Alnylam's patisiran drug has "its own safety concerns related to steroid infusion" were persuasive, according to Schimmer. Saying that Ionis "still has value," Schimmer kept a $51 price target and an Overweight rating on the shares. Meanwhile, Ionis' data indicates that the approach used by both companies to combat amyloid polyneuropathy works, but it suggests that Alnylam's drug is safer, the analyst stated. However, Alnylam's patisiran is less convenient, as it requires intravenous administration with steroid pre-treatment, Schimmer noted. He reiterated a $118 price target and an Overweight rating on Alnylam. Additionally, Schimmer raised his price target for Biogen (BIIB) to $442 from $332, citing higher confidence in aducanumab following this morning's data from Ionis. The data from Ionis validate that mobilization of amyloid from peripheral nerves in a disease caused by amyloidosis can have meaningful clinical benefit, Schimmer tells investors. He keeps an Overweight rating on Biogen. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Ionis tumbled 9.5% to $42.57, Alnylam jumped 19% to $67.66 and Biogen rose nearly 2% to $259.32.

10:29 EDT Twitter's Jinen Kamdar to leave company to join BuzzFeed - Jinen Kamdar, the director of product for media tools at Twitter, announced that after nearly 7.5 years, he will be leaving the company. Kamdar also announced that he will join BuzzFeed as VP of product. Reference Link

10:10 EDT Bank of America reports April default rate 2.7% vs. 3.06% last month - Reports April 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.57% vs. 1.61% last month.

10:05 EDT Comtech named awardee on $2.5B CS3 IDIQ contract - Comtech Telecommunications said that its Maryland-based subsidiary, TeleCommunication Systems, through its Command & Control Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, has been named as an awardee under the General Service Administration Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions IDIQ Contract. This is a 10 year contract which enables U.S. federal agencies to purchase end-to-end, turnkey solutions which incorporate commercial satellite communication services through the General Services Administration. The multiple-awardee, Indefinite Delivery - Indefinite Quantity contract has an estimated value of $2.5B over its 10-year term. The CS3 contract is the successor to the Custom SATCOM Solutions, under which TCS was also an awardee.

10:03 EDT Lockheed Martin to deliver sniper pods for Kuwait Hornet aircraft - Lockheed Martin received a delivery order from the U.S. Air Force to provide Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods to the Kuwait Air Force for its F/A-18C/D Hornet aircraft. The order was added under Lockheed Martin's existing foreign military sales indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract and includes 14 Sniper ATPs, spares, support equipment and integration. Pod deliveries will begin in 2018 to address urgent operational needs of the Kuwait Air Force.

10:01 EDT Nielsen expands measurement of Twitter mobile campaigns to 23 new markets - Nielsen (NLSN) announced it has expanded its measurement of Twitter (TWR) mobile campaigns to 23 new global markets, in addition to the US. Through Digital Ad Ratings, Nielsen will now provide independent audience verification metrics for campaigns on Twitter's mobile app globally, enabling clients to measure how effectively ads on the social platform reached their intended audience.

09:32 EDT UPS integrates chatbot with UPS My Choice - UPS said it has integrated its customer-facing chatbot with UPS My Choice, allowing customers to obtain information about their incoming packages and recent deliveries without providing a tracking number. UPS said it is the first U.S. package delivery company to offer a chatbot experience specifically designed for authenticated users.

09:30 EDT AVEO Oncology announces passing of lead director Henri Termeer - The Board of Directors of AVEO Oncology issued the following statement regarding the passing of its Lead Director Henri A. Termeer. "We are deeply saddened at the loss of a visionary, mentor, colleague and dear friend, Henri A. Termeer. Henri's wisdom, foresight and persistence fundamentally changed our industry, which exists to serve patients suffering from devastating diseases. His passion for taking on the biggest challenges in medicine has made, and continues to make, a tremendous difference for so many. He has been a role model and an inspiration for countless others to do the same. We are privileged to have worked with Henri to pursue his vision. Our thoughts are with his family."

09:26 EDT Synchronoss delays filing of Q1 earnings, Form 10-Q - Synchronoss Technologies announced that it will delay its first quarter 2017 earnings release and conference call, as well as the filing of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. As previously reported by the Company, while Synchronoss' new CEO Stephen Waldis and CFO Lawrence Irving have been working diligently to accomplish a timely filing of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2017, they required additional time to comply with the Company's internal controls and procedures and to review certain aspects of the Company's financial statements and corresponding notes for inclusion in the Form 10-Q. In connection with their review, Messrs. Waldis and Irving, together with the audit committee of the Company's board of directors and with the assistance of accounting and legal advisors, conducted a thorough review of accounting of certain transactions conducted in prior financial periods. This review was preliminarily completed and the results of it were provided to the Company's auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, who suggested additional reviews. The Company is in the process of completing the additional reviews and does not anticipate this delay will be protracted, and will file its Form 10-Q and report its financial results for the first quarter of 2017 following completion of those reviews and the auditor's review. Synchronoss is committed to the highest standards of transparency and financial reporting and is working diligently to complete this process. The Company does not expect the results of its accounting review or its delayed filing of its Form 10-Q to have any impact on its core business, and looks forward to sharing more details around its first quarter results and outlook as soon as practicable.

09:23 EDT Nordstrom expands loyalty program in Canada - Nordstrom (JWN) announced it is expanding its loyalty program in Canada. Beginning today, Canadian customers can apply for the Nordstrom Rewards Visa credit card and earn points on their purchases. The Nordstrom Rewards Visa will be offered through MBNA, a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD), which Nordstrom called "the leading provider of co-branded and affinity credit card programs in Canada."

09:19 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals rises after CEO buys 25K shares - Shares of Arena Pharmaceuticals are rising in pre-market trading after CEO Amit Munshi disclosed in a regulatory filing that he bought 25,000 shares of company stock on May 12 at an average price of $1.19 per share. In pre-market trading following the disclosure, Arena shares are up 3c, or 2.5%, to $1.23.

09:14 EDT Yatra names Ranbir Kapoor as brand ambassador - Yatra.com announced Ranbir Kapoor, a Bollywood Superstar, as its new brand ambassador. Ranbir's passion for travelling and his immense fan following amongst the Indian population is an excellent fit for Yatra, which recently unveiled its new brand identity conveying the delivery of a seamless and diverse travel experience. This association with Ranbir is timed perfectly with Yatra's next phase of growth which is to establish itself as a travel marketplace having all services related to travel such as flights, hotels, holidays, buses, trains, cabs, homestays, activities, etc.

09:10 EDT Rent-A-Center reports April core U.S. SSS down 13% - Rent-A-Center announced the following key operating metrics for its Core U.S. and Acceptance NOW businesses for April 2017: Core U.S. Same Store Sales were down 13%; Delinquencies: 6.5% and 40 basis points unfavorable versus prior month; Average Monthly Rate of New Agreements: 3.8% unfavorable versus prior year; Co-worker Turnover: 83.4% and 15.9 percentage points favorable versus prior year. Acceptance NOW Same Store Sales were up 5.5%; Delinquencies: 7.9% and 90 basis points favorable versus prior month. In the Core U.S. segment, April same store sales declined sequentially due to lower rental and fees revenues caused primarily by one less business day year-over-year. The impact of the business day reduced same store sales by approximately 4 percentage points, offsetting the positive impact seen year-to-date on improving the quality of the portfolio and recapturing the portfolio that was lost. The quality of the rental portfolio remains strong coming out of the tax season and is 140 basis points ahead of the prior year delinquency rate. In addition, the Company is beginning to see the value proposition changes and stronger assortment positively impact the average monthly rate as the year-over-year gap improved by 280 basis points sequentially. During April, the Company implemented a new profit sharing compensation program, which is expected to improve accountability and execution at the store level. The turnover number remained essentially flat sequentially; however, the gap versus last year improved. The Company is well-positioned to carry forward the positive momentum through the summer months and is encouraged by the meaningful improvements across key metrics year-to-date. In Acceptance NOW, April same store sales continued to be positively impacted by the delay in tax refunds as merchandise sales remained close to double digits, while rental and fees was just under 5 percent. The overall comp in Acceptance NOW was not impacted from a business day perspective as they are open seven days a week in most retail partner locations. Delinquencies improved sequentially for the second month in a row due to the focus on quality sales and higher seasonality. The Acceptance NOW team has only 6.8 percent delinquencies in partners excluding Conn's and HHGregg, down significantly from earlier in the year.

09:07 EDT Thermo Fisher says leverage ratio won't prevent bolt-on M&A deals

09:05 EDT Rent-A-Center: Vote for Engaged Capital 'a vote for value destruction' - Rent-A-Center mailed a letter to its stockholders in connection with its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 8, 2017. The Rent-A-Center Board unanimously recommends stockholders vote the WHITE proxy card "FOR" the company's director nominees: Mark E. Speese, Jeffery M. Jackson and Leonard H. Roberts. "As our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders approaches on June 8, 2017, we wanted to encourage you to vote for the superior slate of directors nominated by the Rent-A-Center Board of Directors. As you know, hedge fund Engaged Capital, LLC has nominated a dissident slate of director nominees to replace three of your highly-accomplished and experienced directors. If elected, we believe Engaged Capital's nominees would adversely affect your investment and the future of Rent-A-Center. Currently, you are represented by a Board of Directors that is experienced and committed to acting in the best interests of ALL Rent-A-Center stockholders. The Rent-A-Center Board is composed of seven highly-qualified directors, a majority of whom are independent. The Board has been carefully constructed to have strong retail, finance, marketing, technology, strategic planning and C-suite expertise, all of which are critical to overseeing the nation's leading rent-to-own retailer, particularly while executing an operational turnaround. In contrast, Engaged Capital's nominees lack both the experience and expertise needed to lead Rent-A-Center towards future growth and profitability. Further, Engaged Capital's hand-picked nominees will be first and foremost loyal to Engaged Capital and will pursue its agenda to run a sale process, however value destructive it may be for long-term stockholders."

09:03 EDT HCP names Scott Brinker as Chief Investment Officer - HCP announced that Scott Brinker will join the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, with an effective date of January 4, 2018. Brinker will report to HCP's CEO, Tom Herzog. Brinker most recently served as Chief Investment Officer at Welltower from July 2014 to January 2017. Prior to that, he served as Welltower's Executive Vice President of Investments from January 2012 to July 2014. From July 2001 to January 2012, he served in various investment and portfolio management related capacities with Welltower.

09:02 EDT Greenlight: Fresh thinking needed at board level to address GM valuation gap

09:01 EDT UBS Asset Management hires Suni Harford as head of investments - UBS Asset Management (UBS) announced that Suni P. Harford will join the firm as Head of Investments in July 2017. She will be responsible for c.500 investment employees and oversee approximately $600B in assets under management across both traditional and alternative asset classes. She will be based in New York and report to Ulrich Koerner, President of UBS AM. Suni joins UBS AM from Citigroup (C) where she has worked for the past 24 years, most recently as Regional Head of Markets for North America, a role she held for nine years.

08:44 EDT DigitalGlobe to provide elevation data to Rise Broadband - DigitalGlobe announced an agreement to provide elevation data to Rise Broadband to enable faster and more efficient deployment of wireless internet services in the United States. DigitalGlobe will provide Rise Broadband, a fixed wireless internet service provider, with Vricon's high-resolution Digital Surface Model data, to rapidly verify fixed wireless broadband service availability to households and businesses in its market areas before sending installation teams into the field.

08:43 EDT Cerus announces first patient transfusion for Phase III RedeS study - Cerus Corporation announced that the first patient has been transfused in Puerto Rico for the "INTERCEPT Blood System for Red Blood Cells in Regions at Potential Risk for Zika Virus Transfusion-Transmitted Infections" clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the INTERCEPT Blood System for Red Blood Cells when compared to conventional RBCs in regions impacted by the Zika virus epidemic. RedeS is a two-stage study being conducted initially in Puerto Rico, a region significantly impacted by the Zika virus epidemic. The study is expected to be expanded to other areas at risk for transfusion-transmitted infections due to the Zika virus, such as Florida. The first stage of the trial is a double-blind, controlled, parallel group trial where 600 adult patients will be randomized to receive up to 28 days of transfusion support with INTERCEPT-treated RBCs or conventional RBCs, with a primary endpoint of hemoglobin increment following transfusion. In a second optional stage, up to 20,000 patients would receive RBC transfusion support with up to 50,000 RBC units in an open-label, single-arm treatment use study. The objective of the second stage is to provide early access to the INTERCEPT pathogen reduction system for RBCs in regions where a substantial proportion of the population has been infected or is at risk of infection by the Zika virus, and the risk of asymptomatic infection among qualified blood donors is recognized. Study RBCs are currently being manufactured and supplied to participating Puerto Rican hospitals by Banco de Sangre de Servicios Mutuos. RedeS is funded as part of an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

08:38 EDT Compelling cancer data with ViewRay's MRIdian System presented at ESTRO 36 - ViewRay announced highlights from ESTRO 36, the annual meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, which featured broad clinical experience with the company's MRIdian System, including compelling early data on its use in pancreatic cancer. A presentation by Sasa Mutic, Ph.D., from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, highlighted early retrospective multi-institutional data on pancreatic cancer treatments with MRIdian at University of California, Los Angeles Health System; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center; VU University Medical Center; and Washington University School of Medicine. The study compared SBRT treatments with and without on-table adaptive dose reshaping and found that delivering a higher biological dose, enabled by MRI-guided on-table adaptive radiotherapy, may lead to improved survival in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. A second clinical presentation on pancreatic cancer treatment with MRIdian was given by Anna Bruynzeel, M.D., Ph.D., from VU University Medical Center, focusing on their single-institutional experience. Early results illustrated MRIdian's ability to deliver high doses with low toxicity, despite the proximity of the duodenum, through the use of daily plan adaptation and real-time tracking. Following the promising data presented at ESTRO, ViewRay plans to support a multi-institutional single-arm prospective clinical trial in unresectable pancreatic cancer to demonstrate the benefits of MRIdian's daily on-table adaptive SBRT and real-time tissue tracking capabilities, with a focus on toxicity, local control and overall survival outcomes.

08:35 EDT Buffalo Wild Wings urges shareholders to vote for board nominees - Buffalo Wild Wings mailed a letter to its shareholders in connection with the company's upcoming 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 2. The Buffalo Wild Wings board of directors unanimously recommends that shareholders vote the yellow proxy card for the election of all nine of the board's nominees: Cynthia Davis, Andre Fernandez, Janice Fields, Harry Lawton, J. Oliver Maggard, Jerry Rose, Sam Rovit, Harmit Singh and Sally Smith. The letter said, "We are less than three weeks away from the Buffalo Wild Wings 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which will be held on June 2nd. As you probably know by now, Marcato Capital Management, is seeking to have you vote to remove every independent director who has served on our board for more than eight months. Marcato wants you to take this radical step so that there is room for Marcato to add its hand-picked substitutes, who have neither the experience with the company nor the skills that we believe are necessary to continue Buffalo Wild Wings' history of success. Buffalo Wild Wings has performed well as a business and as an investment. The company has generally outperformed its casual dining peers on key operational and financial metrics. Not surprisingly, shareholders have been rewarded as well - the total return earned by our shareholders over the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods ended April 28, for example, exceed the median returns generated by our casual dining peers. We encourage you to vote for all our nominees, who have helped Buffalo Wild Wings generate these returns."

08:34 EDT Mellanox's InfiniBand solutions selected by University of Waterloo - Mellanox Technologies announced that the University of Waterloo selected Mellanox EDR 100G InfiniBand solutions to accelerate their new supercomputer. The new supercomputer will support a broad and diverse range of academic and scientific research in mathematics, astronomy, science, the environment and more.

08:33 EDT Vonage receives seven new patents in Q1 - Vonage has received seven new patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. At the end of the first quarter of 2017, Vonage had more than 150 U.S. patents, and an additional 160 U.S. patent applications pending, along with many foreign patents and pending applications in jurisdictions worldwide. Among the patents issued is one that enables the creation of user-defined SMS groups. In this case, group account settings may be configured to provide features such as specifying which group members are copied on outgoing messages, or setting the group identifier which is displayed to recipients on outgoing messages (Pat. No. 9,591,144). This feature may be especially useful for businesses that wish to provide a group identity to their customers, such as in the case of a help desk or customer support function.

08:31 EDT Orbital ATK receives $53M large cliber training ammunition orders from U.S. Army - Orbital ATK has received contracts valued at $53M to produce large caliber training ammunition for the U.S. Army. The orders include both 120mm and 105mm ammunition types. The 120mm training ammunition, used by the Abrams main battle tank, includes the M865 kinetic energy and the M1002 multi-purpose tank training rounds. The 105mm M724A2 is used for crew training on the Stryker Mobile Gun System vehicles. These training rounds closely replicate tactical ammunition in appearance and ballistic performance to provide the warfighter with an affordable, yet realistic training experience. The contracts include production of new M1002 and M724A2 rounds to fill inventories and the recapitalization of existing M865 and M1002 rounds to extend their service life.

08:30 EDT Immersion signs license agreement with Onkyo for TouchSense technology - Immersion announced that it has signed a license agreement with Onkyo Corp., a Japanese leading electronics manufacturer. The agreement enables Onkyo to use Immersion TouchSense Premium and TouchSense Lite technologies in its smartphones.

08:28 EDT Eros Now partners with T-Mobile's Binge On - Eros Now, an over-the-top Indian entertainment platforms owned by Eros International Plc (EROS), announced a partnership with T-Mobile's (TMUS) video streaming program, Binge On. This association will enable users of T-Mobile across the United States to enjoy Eros Now's premium entertainment through Binge On without paying any data charges.

08:23 EDT Discover reports April net charge-off rate 3.0% vs. 2.8% last month - Reports April 30-plus day delinquency rate 2.0% vs. 2.1% last month.

08:16 EDT Alexion presents data on Strensiq treatment for HPP - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced that researchers presented data showing that the rapid benefits of Strensiq achieved in adolescents and adults with hypophosphatasia within the first six months were sustained through five years of treatment. These are the final data from the extension phase of a randomized, open-label, dose-ranging Phase 2 trial of Strensiq and they confirm previously presented interim results. The results were presented at the European Calcified Tissue Society Congress in Austria and demonstrate a reduction in two key biomarkers of HPP disease activity, as well as improvements in physical function in patients treated with Strensiq, as observed in tests to measure walking distance, running speed and agility, and muscle strength. Strensiq was generally well-tolerated. The most common treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate injection-site reactions. Strensiq is approved in the U.S. as a treatment for patients with perinatal-, infantile- or juvenile-onset HPP. Strensiq is also approved in Australia, Canada, the EU, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland. Reductions in plasma concentrations of plasma pyridoxal 5' phosphate and inorganic pyrophosphate levels at six months were greater in patients treated with Strensiq than in the control group. PLP and PPi are substrates of the enzyme that patients with HPP lack and that Strensiq replaces. As such, PLP and PPi are biomarkers to measure reduction in HPP disease activity. Decreases from Baseline in both PLP and PPi levels were maintained through five years. Physical function, as measured by the Six Minute Walk Test, improved from a median of 76% of that predicted for healthy peers at Baseline to a median of 85% predicted by six months in patients treated with Strensiq. Results were sustained through five years of treatment and increased to 88% at five years. Speed and agility, as measured by median change from Baseline in the BOT-2 Running Speed and Agility subscale, increased by a median of 4 points after five years of treatment. Strength, as measured by median change from Baseline in the BOT-2 Strength subscale, increased by a median of 3.5 points after five years of treatment. One patient withdrew because of serious AEs of injection site hypersensitivity and anaphylactoid reaction. This patient subsequently received Strensiq post-marketing without reaction. All patients experienced greater than or equal to one treatment-emergent adverse event; the majority of TEAEs were mild in intensity.

08:15 EDT Playa Hotels & Resorts announces retirement of CFO Larry Harvey - Playa Hotels & Resorts announced the retirement of its CFO, Larry Harvey, effective at the end of the second quarter. Ryan Hymel, currently SVP and Treasurer, has been appointed by the Board to succeed Harvey as CFO, effective July 1, 2017.

08:13 EDT Norton by Symantec reports Norton Core pre-orders at Amazon, Best Buy - Norton by Symantec (SYMC) announced that Norton Core, a secure Wi-Fi router, is available for pre-order purchase at Amazon (AMZN) and Best Buy (BBY). Amazon and Best Buy will offer Norton Core through online pre-orders for a limited time at $249.99, bundled with a one-year complimentary subscription to Norton Core Security Plus that includes protection for an unlimited number of connected personal devices such as laptops, desktops, Macs, Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, and IoT/connected devices.

08:12 EDT Alcobra CEO Dr. Yaron Daniely to step down, David Baker named interim CEO - Alcobra announced that Dr. Yaron Daniely will be stepping down on May 31, 2017 as president and CEO to become the CEO of Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. David Baker, currently Alcobra's Chief Commercial Officer, will assume the position of interim CEO. Dr. Daniely will remain on the board of Alcobra and will be actively involved in ensuring a seamless transition of duties and responsibilities. The company's board also announced that it has appointed Dr. Daniely as chairman of the board, effective June 1.

08:09 EDT China Finance Online announces resignation of CFO Jun Wang - China Finance Online announces that Jun "Jeff" Wang has resigned as the company's CFO for personal reasons, effective May 16. The company has started conducting a search for a new CFO. Wang will remain as a director of China Financial Online.

08:08 EDT Teva, Otsuka sign licensing agreement covering Japan for Fremanezumab - Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced an agreement covering Japan for Otsuka to develop and commercialize Teva's investigational drug candidate fremanezumab, TEV-48125, an anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibody for the prevention of migraine. Fremanezumab is administered monthly as a subcutaneous injection. Through the agreement, Otsuka secures exclusive rights in Japan to fremanezumab, which Teva is globally developing in other countries. In global Phase IIb studies conducted by Teva for episodic and chronic migraine, all doses achieved their primary and secondary study endpoints. The data indicated a significant reduction in both the number of monthly cumulative headache hours, and the number of migraine days, relative to baseline. No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported with the use of fremanezumab. Common adverse events observed in clinical trials included mild injection-site pain or erythema and pruritus. With the agreement consummated, Otsuka is to pay Teva a lump-sum payment of $50M. Milestone payments will be made upon filing and regulatory approval in Japan and then upon achievement of specified revenue targets. Future clinical trials in Japan will be carried out and funded by Otsuka. In addition, Otsuka holds exclusive sales rights and will pay royalties on revenues to Teva.

08:07 EDT BioAmber names Mario Settino as CFO - The company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mario Settino as CFO. Settino replaces the Company's current Interim CFO, Raymond Land, who will continue to serve as Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors. Settino is seasoned professional with over 30 years of financial and operational experience in various industries such as services, manufacturing and high-end technology. He previously served as President and CFO of Peds Legwear and prior to this was CFO of Miranda Technologies.

08:05 EDT Eiger BioPharmaceuticals completes Phase 2 LIBERTY study enrollment - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced completion of enrollment of the Phase 2 LIBERTY study. The LIBERTY study is designed to evaluate the effects of ubenimex added to current standard of care in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Ubenimex is a well-characterized, oral, small-molecule inhibitor of leukotriene A4 hydrolase, which blocks the production of leukotriene B4, an inflammatory mediator implicated in PAH disease. A total of 61 patients were enrolled across 45 sites in the U.S. and Canada in less than one year.

08:04 EDT Syros Pharmaceuticals says first patient dosed in Phase 1 SY-1365 trial - Syros Pharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 clinical trial of SY-1365, its first-in-class selective cyclin-dependent kinase 7 inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors, including transcriptionally dependent cancers such as triple negative breast, small cell lung and ovarian cancers. SY-1365 has shown significant anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity in multiple preclinical models of difficult-to-treat solid tumors, including triple negative breast, small cell lung and ovarian cancers. SY-1365 has induced anti-tumor activity in both cell line-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft models of triple negative breast cancer, including complete regressions at a twice weekly dosing regimen consistent with the initial regimen being used in the Phase 1 clinical trial. In preclinical models, SY-1365 has also been shown to preferentially kill cancer cells over non-cancerous cells and can lower the expression of oncogenic transcription factors, including MYC. The Phase 1 trial is a multi-center, open-label trial that is expected to enroll approximately 70 patients with advanced solid tumors, including expansion cohorts focused on transcriptionally dependent cancers. The primary objective of the trial is to assess the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of SY-1365, with the goal of establishing a maximum tolerated dose and a recommended Phase 2 dose and regimen. The dose-escalation phase will be open to solid tumor patients for whom standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective. Following the dose-escalation phase, expansion cohorts are planned to further evaluate the safety and anti-tumor activity of SY-1365 in patients with triple negative breast, small cell lung and ovarian cancers, to confirm a recommended Phase 2 dose and regimen, and to enroll patients with tumors of any histology in a cohort focused on analyzing biopsied tumor tissue. Syros plans to expand future clinical development of SY-1365 into acute leukemias based on the data generated in this trial.

08:03 EDT PRA Group agrees to settle with IRS - PRA Group has reached a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service in regards to the Notices of Deficiency for tax years ended December 31, 2005 to December 31, 2012. Under the agreement, which remains subject to court approval, PRA Group will utilize a new tax methodology to recognize net finance receivable, or NFR, revenue effective tax year 2017. The company will not be required to pay any interest or penalties related to the prior periods. Deferred, taxable NFR revenue related to the difference in timing under the new method will be incorporated evenly into the company's tax filings over four years with no associated interest.

08:02 EDT Valvoline announces completion of final separation from Ashland - Valvoline (VVV) announced that on May 12, 2017 Ashland Global Holdings (ASH) completed the previously announced distribution of 170,000,000 shares of common stock of Valvoline as a pro rata dividend on shares of Ashland common stock outstanding at the close of business on the record date of May 5, 2017. Valvoline will join the S&P MidCap 400 Index effective May 16, 2017. Based on the shares of Ashland common stock outstanding as of May 5, 2017, the record date for the distribution, each share of Ashland common stock received 2.745338 shares of Valvoline common stock in the distribution. Fractional shares of Valvoline common stock were not distributed to Ashland stockholders. Instead, the fractional shares of Valvoline common stock will be aggregated and sold in the open market, with the net proceeds distributed pro rata in the form of cash payments to Ashland stockholders who would otherwise receive Valvoline fractional shares. The distribution was structured to qualify as a tax-free distribution to Ashland stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Cash received in lieu of fractional shares will, however, be taxable. Ashland stockholders should consult their tax advisors with respect to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the distribution.

08:01 EDT AptarGroup says electronic lockout device approved by EMA - Aptar Pharma (ATR) announced the approval by the European Medicines Agency of the first integrated electronic nasal lockout device (e-Lockout) following a multi-year development with Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TKPYY). Aptar Pharma agreed to supply Takeda with its e-Lockout device for a multidose nasal spray version of Instanyl. The EMA has granted marketing authorization for this multidose nasal spray treatment under the name Instanyl DoseGuard. This represents a major milestone for Aptar Pharma, with the e-Lockout device being the first and only fully integrated electronic nasal drug delivery device to be approved by a U.S. or European regulatory authority. Already available in unidose and multidose nasal spray versions, Takeda will launch Instanyl DoseGuard in Europe in several multidose strengths, all using Aptar Pharma's patented electronic lockout system, which marks another product innovation in the management of breakthrough pain.

07:42 EDT AIG, Hamilton Insurance, TSIQ announce expansion of partnership - American International Group, Hamilton Insurance Group and Two Sigma Insurance Quantified, an independent affiliate of Two Sigma Investments, LP, announced they have entered into a memorandum of understanding designed to expand their partnership with a view to leading the data-driven evolution of underwriting. The MOU underscores AIG's, Hamilton's and TSIQ's commitment to transforming commercial insurance through data science and technology. It follows the three companies' investment in Attune, the data-enabled technology platform launched in September 2016 to serve the U.S. small to medium-sized commercial insurance market. Under the terms of the MOU: Attune's target market will be expanded to include companies with annual revenues of up to $35M, a target market segment of up to $150B in annual gross written premiums. Hamilton will retain its one-third ownership of Attune. AIG has agreed in principle it will acquire Hamilton USA, the U.S. platform of Hamilton Insurance Group, to continue accelerating its application of data science and analytics to transform underwriting. AIG and TSIQ will enter into a partnership to leverage TSIQ's insurance-focused data science and technology expertise for a broad spectrum of commercial insurance underwritten globally by AIG. Hamilton Re and AIG will enter into a reinsurance strategic partnership in which Hamilton Re will be provided with the opportunity to participate on market terms in an increased volume of AIG's ceded reinsurance. The relationship could result in material premium growth for Hamilton Re and provides AIG an alternative source of reinsurance capital. Completion of the proposed transactions among AIG, Hamilton and TSIQ is subject to negotiation of definitive agreements and obtaining required regulatory approvals. In connection with entering into these transactions, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as legal counsel to AIG, Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Hamilton, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal counsel to TSIQ and Two Sigma.

07:38 EDT Primoris announces new MSA with utility customer - Primoris announced a new Master Service Agreement, or MSA, with a major utility customer with a three-year anticipated value of approximately $21M. The contract was secured by Q3 Contracting, or Q3C, part of the Utilities & Distribution segment. The award is a three-year agreement to perform natural gas main and service renewal work in northern and northeastern Iowa. The work includes installing small and medium sized gas mains in the utility easement using conventional and HDD methods, associated tie-ins, renewing service lines to residential homes and the abandonment of existing lines. It is estimated that the MSA will generate approximately $7 million per year over the course of the contract. While the agreement does not obligate the customer to award Primoris a specific dollar amount, our discussions with the customer and our history with similar clients form the basis for our anticipated value.

07:36 EDT Nuvo Pharmaceuticals: Court upholds Horizon's U.S. Pennsaid 2% patent - Nuvo Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey has upheld the validity of Horizon Pharma's U.S. patent covering Pennsaid 2% w/w, which Actavis Laboratories has admitted that its proposed generic version of Pennsaid 2% would infringe. Nuvo earns revenue by selling commercial bottles and physician samples of Pennsaid 2% to Horizon under an exclusive manufacturing and supply agreement that extends to 2029. On July 6, 2015, Horizon filed a patent infringement lawsuit in District Court against Actavis related to Abbreviated New Drug Applications filed with the U.S. FDA to market a generic version of Pennsaid 2% in the U.S. The lawsuit claims infringement of Horizon's U.S. Patent No. 9,066,913 ('913 patent) titled "Diclofenac Topical Formulation," which covers Pennsaid 2%. Horizon has advised Nuvo that the District Court's decision was made based on the validity of Horizon's '913 patent for Pennsaid 2% and that the Court's judgement will prevent Actavis from launching a generic version of Pennsaid 2% in the United States.

07:32 EDT AIG confirms Brian Duperreault as president and CEO, effective May 14 - American International Group announced the appointment of Brian Duperreault as President, CEO and Director effective May 14. Duperreault has resigned as Chairman and CEO of Hamilton Insurance Group. Peter D. Hancock resigned as President, CEO and Director concurrent with Duperreault's appointment. Duperreault is Chairman of Attune, a data-enabled company established by Hamilton Insurance Group, AIG and Two Sigma, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Blue Marble Microinsurance. Douglas M. Steenland, AIG's Chairman of the Board, said: "Brian is uniquely qualified to lead AIG at this important time. Brian has spent his entire career in insurance. He worked for AIG for 21 years at the start of his career, so he knows this company well."

07:30 EDT Alliance Data reports April net charge offs 7.4% vs. 6.3% last month - Reports April delinquency rate 4.7% vs. 4.8% last month.

07:21 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals appoints Volker Knappertz, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer - GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) announced the appointment of Volker Knappertz, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. Reporting to GW's CEO Justin Gover, Dr. Knappertz will be based in the company's U.S. headquarters in Carlsbad, California. In addition, GW has appointed Prof. Ben Whalley as Head of Discovery Research, based in the UK. Most recently he was the Vice President of clinical development for multiple sclerosis, oncology and biosimilar products at Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA).

07:16 EDT Horizon Pharma announces district court decision to uphold Pennsaid patent - Horizon Pharma announced that the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey upheld the validity of Horizon Pharma's patent covering Pennsaid 2% w/w, which Actavis Laboratories UT, Inc. has admitted that its proposed generic diclofenac sodium topical solution product would infringe. On July 6, 2015, Horizon filed a patent infringement lawsuit in District Court against Actavis related to Abbreviated New Drug Applications filed with the FDA to market a generic version of Pennsaid 2%. The lawsuit claims infringement of Horizon's U.S. Patent No. 9,066,913 titled "Diclofenac Topical Formulation," which covers Pennsaid 2%. The District Court's decision was made based on the validity of Horizon Pharma's '913 patent for Pennsaid 2% and the Court's judgment will prevent Actavis from launching a generic version of Pennsaid 2% in the United States. Pennsaid 2% has 18 Orange Book listed patents with terms that extend to 2030.

07:13 EDT Amicus announce 'positive' functional data in Pompe Phase 1/2 study - Amicus Therapeutics announced positive functional data from initial patients in a global Phase 1/2 study to investigate ATB200/AT2221 in patients with Pompe disease. Patients who completed six months of treatment with ATB200/AT2221 showed improvements in the six-minute walk test distance and other measures of motor function, in addition to stability or improvements in forced vital capacity, or FVC. Consistent with previous results1 presented at the 2017 WORLDSymposium, patients treated with ATB200/AT2221 continue to show improvements in biomarkers of muscle damage and disease substrate.

07:11 EDT VEREIT announces $200M share repurchase plan - VEREIT announced that the company's Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $200M of shares of its outstanding common stock over the next 12 months as market conditions warrant. Repurchases may be made through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, structured or derivative transactions, including accelerated stock repurchase transactions, or other methods of acquiring shares, or pursuant to Rule 10b5-1, from time to time as permitted by securities laws and other legal requirements.

07:09 EDT Zion Oil & Gas raises rig derrick in Israel - With the raising of the derrick, Zion Oil & Gas will commence acceptance testing in preparation for spudding its Megiddo-Jezreel #1 well, onshore Israel. Victor G. Carrillo, Zion's CEO, states that "We anxiously await spudding this deep well. An independent third party engineering report affirmed Zion's internal interpretation of multiple geologic target horizons with the potential of very significant oil-in-place estimates if a discovery is made."

07:08 EDT Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Phase 3 NEURO-TTR study of Inotersen meets endpoints - Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced that the Phase 3 NEURO-TTR study of inotersen in patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy met both primary endpoints. Over the 15-month period of the study, inotersen-treated patients achieved statistically significant benefit compared to placebo in the modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 (mNIS+7) and the Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire-Diabetic Neuropathy (pless than0.0001 and p=0.0006, respectively). Statistically significant differences were also observed for both endpoints at eight months. Treatment-emergent adverse events considered related to treatment were seen more commonly with inotersen than placebo. Two key safety findings were observed during the study that required changes to the monitoring schedule. Three serious adverse events of thrombocytopenia were observed in inotersen-treated patients; two patients recovered and one patient died due to intracranial hemorrhage. One additional inotersen-treated patient discontinued treatment due to non-serious thrombocytopenia. Four inotersen-treated patients discontinued treatment due to a renal observation; two patients met a predefined renal stopping rule and two experienced serious renal adverse events, one of whom experienced chronic renal insufficiency. One placebo-treated patient also met a predefined renal stopping rule. Enhanced monitoring was implemented during the study to support early detection and management of the thrombocytopenia and renal issues. All five serious adverse events occurred before enhanced monitoring was fully implemented. A detailed review of safety data from the study is ongoing.

07:06 EDT Sophiris Bio: Data from Phase 2a topsalysin study to be presented at AUA meeting - Sophiris Bio a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing topsalysin as a first-in-class treatment for urological diseases, announced that successful data from its Phase 2a proof-of-concept study of topsalysin, which evaluated the drug as a focal treatment for localized prostate cancer, will be presented today as a poster at the 112th AUA meeting.

07:05 EDT Radius Health appoints Jose Carmona as CFO - Radius Health (RDUS) announced that Jose Carmona has been appointed CFO of the company. Prior to joining Radius, Carmona was CFO of Innocoll Holdings (INNL). Carmona succeeds Nick Harvey, who will continue as an advisor to the company in the areas of Finance, Business Development and Strategy during a transition period.

07:03 EDT VF Corp. names Arne Arens as The North Face global brand president - VF Corporation announced the appointment of Arne Arens to the position of Global Brand President, The North Face, effective immediately. In March of this year, Arens was named Vice President and General Manager, The North Face, Americas. He will continue to report to Scott Baxter, Vice President, VF and Group President, Outdoor & Action Sports Americas.

07:01 EDT Thermo Fisher to acquire Patheon for $35.00 per share in cash

06:57 EDT Azul reports Q1 passenger traffic up 7% - Passenger traffic increased 7.0% over a capacity increase of 2.7% resulting in a higher load factor of 81% compared to a load factor of 78% in 1Q16. Operating cost per ASK excluding fuel (CASK ex-fuel) decreased 6.9% while CASK decreased 2.2% despite the 54% increase in WTI year over year. Azul's operating fleet totaled 122 aircraft at the end of the quarter, representing a net reduction of eight aircraft compared to 1Q16.

06:51 EDT Energy XXI: NSAI's estimates total SEC proved reserves 109.4 MMBOE - Energy XXI Gulf Coast provided final results of its independently engineered reserves report prepared by Netherland Sewell & Associates as of March 31, 2017. In recent years, the company had utilized third-party engineers to audit its internal calculations of reserves, but has not had a fully-engineered third-party report prepared since 2012. The company's most recent internally-prepared report was prepared as of December 31, 2016. NSAI's report estimates total SEC proved reserves as of March 31, 2017 to be 109.4 MMBOE, of which 80% were oil, 2% were natural gas liquids, and 18% were natural gas. All of the company's proved reserves are on the Gulf of Mexico Shelf or U.S. Gulf Coast, and 71% are classified as proved developed reserves. SEC 12-month average NYMEX pricing on March 31, 2017 was $47.62 per barrel of oil and $2.73 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas, before differentials. The present value of the SEC proved reserves discounted at 10% was $108.4M.

06:46 EDT Helen of Troy announces new $400M share repurchase plan - Helen of Troy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of $400M of its outstanding common shares in keeping with its stated intention to opportunistically return to shareholders capital not otherwise deployed for core business growth or strategic acquisitions. This new authorization is effective May 10 for a period of three years, and replaces Helen of Troy's existing repurchase authorization, of which $83M remained.

06:42 EDT Synchrony reports April net charge-off rate 5.33% vs. 4.71% last month - Reports April 30-plus day delinquencies 2.88% vs. 2.95% last month.

06:35 EDT China Automotive receives preliminary non-binding 'going private' proposal - China Automotive announced that its board has received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter, dated May 14, from its Chairman, Hanlin Chen, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the company not already beneficially owned by Chen for $5.45 per share of common stock in cash. Chen and his affiliates currently beneficially own approximately 56.4% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the company on a fully diluted and as-converted basis. The proposal is expressly conditioned on approval by a special committee of the board comprised of independent directors and is subject to a non-waivable condition requiring approval by a majority vote of the company's unaffiliated stockholders. The board has established a special committee of the board, consisting of Arthur Wong, Robert Tung and Guangxun Xu, to consider the proposal. The Special Committee is empowered to, and will be responsible for, among other things, investigating, evaluating, negotiating and making a recommendation to the board with respect to the proposal. The Special Committee is also empowered to retain its own independent advisors to assist in the evaluation of the proposal and any alternative proposals. The company cautions that no decisions have been made by the Special Committee or the board with respect to the company's response to the proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made by Chen or any other person, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the proposal or any other transaction, or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

06:32 EDT comScore introduces service to measure OTT content viewing on TV screens - comScore (SCOR) recently announced announced comScore OTT Intelligence, a syndicated service that measures U.S. household viewing of over-the-topcontent on television screens. This new service is based on the company's proprietary Total Home Panel -- a research platform that measures consumer behavior across home network-connected devices. OTT content viewing represents a growing segment of the cross-platform television viewing landscape, but until now the behavior has been difficult to quantify. Though it is well-known that OTT services like Netflix (NFLX) are gaining in importance, the inability to measure activity streamed through TV-connected devices - for example, streaming boxes/sticks, smart TVs, and gaming consoles - has made media measurement for OTT a challenge. comScore OTT Intelligence now illuminates this previously difficult-to-measure segment of the viewing market. comScore OTT Intelligence is delivered to subscribers through a dynamic user interface that provides a single-source view of dozens of OTT content providers including Netflix, Amazon (AMZN), Hulu (FOXA, DIS, CMCSA, TWX), and YouTube (GOOG). Reported measures include household reach, audience size and demographics, along with a variety of usage metrics. Data can be segmented for cord-cutting and cord-never homes, as well as those with a cable or satellite subscription.

06:24 EDT Cellular Biomedicine announces addition of second clinical site for CARD-1 study - Cellular Biomedicine Group announced the addition of a new independent Phase I clinical trial of the Company's ongoing CARD-1 study in patients with chemorefractory and aggressive DLBCL. The Company and Shanghai Tongji Hospital are conducting a single arm, non-randomized study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of C-CAR011 therapy in relapsed or refractory B cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The trial will enroll 15 patients comprised of DLBCL, Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Follicular Lymphoma.

06:18 EDT ClubCorp, FourFront reach agreement to add two independent directors to board - ClubCorp (MYCC) announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with FrontFour Capital Group LLC and certain of its affiliates under which two new independent directors have been added to the ClubCorp Board of Directors, effective immediately. With these additions, the ClubCorp Board now comprises 10 directors, nine of whom are independent. The two new independent directors are: Simon M. Turner, formerly the President, Global Development of Starwood Hotels & Resorts (MAR): Turner, who was identified as a mutually agreeable candidate pursuant to the Agreement, will be included on the company's slate of class I directors standing for election at the 2017 Annual Meeting and will serve as a member of the Board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Emanuel "Manny" Pearlman, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Empire Resorts: Pearlman, who was designated by FrontFour pursuant to the Agreement, will serve as a class II director with a term expiring at the company's 2018 Annual Meeting and as a member of the Board's Strategic Review Committee. Pursuant to the Agreement, FrontFour has agreed to abide by certain customary standstill and voting provisions. In addition, FrontFour has committed to withdraw its director nominations and support the Board's nominees at the 2017 Annual Meeting.

06:08 EDT Vodacom to buy strategic stake in Safaricom from Vodafone for R35B - Vodacom Group (VDMCY) announces that it has agreed terms to acquire a strategic stake in Kenya's Safaricom held by Vodafone (VOD). Subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, Vodacom will fund the acquisition of a 34.94% stake in Safaricom by issuing 226.8 million new ordinary shares. The transaction is set to further enhance Vodacom as a leading African mobile communication company. Based on Friday's JSE closing price of R152.49 per Vodacom share, this values the proposed transaction at R34.6 billion. This represents a 5.9% discount to the Safaricom share price on the Nairobi Securities Exchange at closing ahead of the announcement. Vodacom's interest in Safaricom proportionally equates to approximately 12.6% of the Group's reported service revenue as announced in its latest year end results. The transaction provides a large level of diversification in a single transaction and Safaricom is highly complementary to Vodacom Group's existing footprint.

06:05 EDT Hercules Capital to expand review of investment advisory structure - Hercules Capital announced that the company will expand its ongoing review designed to determine the most appropriate investment advisory structure to enhance shareholder value. Accordingly, the Special Meeting of Stockholders previously scheduled for June 29, 2017 has been postponed indefinitely, and the proposal to seek stockholder approval to adopt an external investment management structure has been withdrawn at this time. The Company's Board of Directors has not set a timetable for this review process, and there can be no assurance that the Board's review process will result in an external investment management structure being proposed or adopted or whether a special meeting will be held, or if externalization is undertaken, as to its terms, counterparty, structure or timing. The Company does not expect to make further public comment regarding these matters unless and until the Hercules Board has approved a specific alternative or otherwise concludes its review process.

05:58 EDT KBR awarded Australian rail infrastructure project - KBR announced it has been awarded a program alliance contract by the Victorian Government for railroad crossing removal projects in Victoria, Australia. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will remove two railroad crossings in an integrated alliance with John Holland, Metro Trains and the Level Crossing Removal Authority. These projects will commence in the coming months and be completed in 2018 with KBR providing engineering and design services for the crossing removals and associated works. Subject to these projects being delivered in line with strict performance measures, the alliance has the potential to extend the contract to remove a further four railroad crossings. The works are being undertaken by the Victorian Government as part of its program to remove 50 of the most dangerous and congested railroad crossings across the city of Melbourne. Last year, KBR and its alliance partners successfully delivered the first four railroad crossing removals as part of this government initiative.

05:36 EDT NAO Executive Chairman Herbjorn Hansson, family increase stake in NAO to 6.5% - NAO Executive Chairman, Herbjorn Hansson and his son, Alexander, have accumulated 1.68% shares in NAO at an average price of $1.12 per share. Together with its previous holding, the Hansson family holds shares equivalent to 6.5% of NAO. This is after the last purchase of 181,007 NAO shares Friday May 12.

05:32 EDT Kennedy Wilson sells 130,000 sq ft office building to JPMorgan at Capital Dock - Kennedy Wilson (KW), in a joint venture with Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and the National Asset Management Agency, or NAMA, announces that J.P. Morgan Bank Ireland (JPM) is to become the first major occupier to commit to the highly-sought after Capital Dock campus development through a forward-funding sale agreement.