Stockwinners Market Radar for May 16, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:46 EDT Visionsense says files to challenge Novadaq patent - Visionsense issued the following statement: "On May 11, Visionsense filed an IPR with the USPTO to challenge the Novadaq Technologies's U.S. Patent 8,892,190. The '190 patent describes a method for using fluorescence angiography to assess patency of vessel grafts. The '190 is the only patent specifically identified on the Novadaq website as associated with the SPY Elite system... The use of fluorescence imaging for assessment of vessel grafts is a known technique that dates back to the late 1970s; long before the priority date of the '190 patent." CEO Alex Chanin added, "Our modern fluorescence imaging technology provides significant innovation, economic value and clinical value to surgeons. Filing of this IPR is consistent with our intellectual property strategy for our products."

19:29 EDT Bombardier signs $700M IT agreement with IBM - Bombardier (BDRBF) announced a long-term partnership agreement with IBM (IBM) to support the global integration of Information Technology services across Bombardier Transportation and the company's aerospace segments. "As part of our turnaround plan, Bombardier is working to improve productivity, reduce costs and grow earnings. The IT transformation initiative announced today will help us better integrate globally... We will transform our service delivery model to focus on our core competencies, and leverage the best practices of our strategic partner," Bombardier noted. The new six-year deal valued at approximately $700M spans 47 countries and is "expected to generate recurring savings," the company added.

18:44 EDT SMTC to close Suzhou Facility and cut 210 jobs - On May 15 the Board of Directors of the Company approved a corporate restructuring plan for its manufacturing facilities and corporate level operations, which includes the closure of the Suzhou Facility in China and a reduction in labor force impacting approximately 210 employees at the Company's manufacturing facilities and its corporate headquarters. The Restructuring Plan is expected to generate annualized expense reductions of approximately $5.0M. The Restructuring Plan and the wind down and closure of the Suzhou Facility is expected to be substantially completed by the end of the Q2. The Company estimates the expense to be recognized in connection with the closure of the Suzhou Facility will total approximately $600,00, which is comprised of employee severance costs of $500,000 and equipment disposal and transfer costs of $100,000. Exclusive of the expenses estimated to be incurred related to the closure of the Suzhou Facility, the Company estimates the expense to be recognized in connection with the Restructuring Plan will total approximately $1.1M primarily comprised of employee severance costs. Total severance charges of approximately $1.6M are expected to be recorded in the Q2 related to the Global Restructuring Plan and the closure of the Suzhou Facility. In order to reduce cost, improve efficiencies and better align with target markets, the Company has approved a plan to consolidate operations with the closure of its Suzhou Facility. As a result of this decision to close the Suzhou Facility, we will be transferring customers to service them with existing capacity in our other manufacturing facilities.

18:33 EDT Northrop Grumman raises quarterly dividend 11% to $1.00 from 90c per share - The board of directors of Northrop Grumman declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share on Northrop Grumman common stock, an 11% increase from the prior quarterly dividend of 90c per share. This is the 14th consecutive annual increase in Northrop Grumman's common stock dividend. The dividend is payable June 21 to shareholders of record as of the close of business June 5.

18:06 EDT Retail Properties of America signs Ulta Beauty lease at Huebner Oaks - Retail Properties of America (RPAI) announced that Ulta Beauty (ULTA)signed a new lease at Huebner Oaks, a 287,000 square foot lifestyle center located in San Antonio, Texas. Ulta Beauty will be joining Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Chico's (CHS), Gap (GPS), REI, Old Navy and other national retailers at this 99% leased center. Ulta Beauty is expected to open in the fall of 2017 and will occupy 8,000 square feet of retail space between PINK and Brighton Collectibles.

17:56 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond holders approve proposal for adoption of proxy access bylaws - At the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Bed Bath & Beyond, the Company's shareholders approved a shareholder proposal for adoption by the Company of proxy access bylaws. On May 10, the Company amended its Amended By-Laws to adopt proxy access bylaws, which are included as a new Section 11 under Article II of the Amended By-Laws. The amendment became effective on May 10. The Company's proxy access bylaws will permit a shareholder, or a group of up to 20 shareholders, owning at least 3% of the Company's outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years to nominate and include in the Company's proxy materials for its Annual Meetings (beginning with the 2018 Annual Meeting) director nominees constituting up to the greater of two individuals or 20% of the Company's Board of Directors, provided that the shareholder and the nominee(s) satisfy specified requirements. These proxy access bylaws were favorably received by the proponent of the 2016 shareholder proposal, as well as other major institutional shareholders during the Company's engagement discussions. The Company also amended other sections of the Amended By-Laws to make clarifications and conforming changes resulting from the adoption of the proxy access bylaws.

17:52 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB), up 16% after reporting Q1 earnings and giving FY17 guidance... Jack in the Box (JACK), up 10% after reporting Q2 earnings and giving FY17 guidance... Netlist (NLST), up 9.6%... Urban Outfitters (URBN), up fractionally. LOWER: Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW), down 3.3% after filing to sell $250M of convertible senior notes.

17:39 EDT Tiptree Financial receives not in compliance notification from NASDAQ - Tiptree received, as expected, a notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The NASDAQ Stock Market stating that the Company is not in compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5250 because it has not yet filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31. The NASDAQ letter has no immediate effect on the listing of Tiptree's common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market.

17:34 EDT Syndax says ENCORE 601 trial meets threshold to advance to next stage - Syndax Pharmaceuticals (SNDX) reported that the ENCORE 601 non-small cell lung cancer cohort enrolling patients with disease progression on or after PD-1 therapy has met the pre-specified objective response threshold to advance into the second stage of the Phase 2 trial, and will re-open enrollment immediately. ENCORE 601, a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating the combination of entinostat plus Merck's (MRK) anti-PD-1 blocking therapy Keytruda, is enrolling two cohorts: Patients who had previously progressed on PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy; and patients naive to PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy. To advance into the definitive stage of the Phase 2 study, at least 2 out of 20 NSCLC patients who had previously progressed on PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy or 3 out of 13 NSCLC patients previously naive to PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy need to demonstrate an objective response to entinostat-Keytruda treatment. The cohort of NSCLC patients who had previously progressed on PD-1 or PD-L1 will now re-open and enroll a total of 56 patients. Completion of enrollment is anticipated in 1H18. "Later this quarter, the company anticipates being able to determine whether to expand the cohort of NSCLC patients naive to PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy," Syndax noted. "The early data here with several objective responses to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination in patients with NSCLC who previously progressed on PD-1 therapy is promising and certainly worth additional investigation," said Matt Hellmann, medical oncologist and immunotherapy expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

17:18 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $303.9M government contract modification - Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is being awarded $303,936,000 for modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract for the procurement of three low-rate initial production Lot 2 MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft. In addition, this modification provides for one main operation control station, one forward operation control station, trade studies, and tooling. Work is expected to be completed in April 2021. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $303,936,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting.

16:56 EDT Herbjorn Hansson reports 7.75% stake in Nordic American Offshore - Herbjorn Hansson acquired the common shares for investment purposes. Herbjorn Hansson at at any time and from time to time may acquire additional common shares or dispose of any or all of common shares they own depending upon an ongoing evaluation of the investment in the common Shares, prevailing market conditions, other investment opportunities, other investment considerations and/or other factors. Herbjorn Hansson have no plans or proposals which relate to, or could result in, any of the matters referred to in paragraphs (a) through (j) inclusive of the instructions to Item 4 of Schedule 13D. Herbjorn Hansson, one of the Reporting Persons, serves as the Executive Chairman and Director of the Issuer. As such, Mr. Hansson may have influence over the corporate activities of Nordic American Offshore.

16:47 EDT Fenix Parts files Notification of Late Filing with the SEC - Fenix Parts announced that it has filed a Form 12b-25 Notification of Late Filing for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31 with the SEC. The Form 12b-25 will allow the Company an additional five calendar days to file the first quarter Form 10-Q. The Company does not expect to file its Q1 Form 10-Q until after it has filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Therefore, the Company expects to receive a non-compliance notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market stating the Company is not in compliance with its first quarter filing requirement following the five-calendar day extension.

16:41 EDT lululemon names Stuart Haselden as COO, effective immediately - On May 12, the company appointed Stuart Haselden as its COO, effective immediately. Haselden will continue performing the duties and position of CFO.

16:38 EDT PAVmed postpones business update call - PAVmed announced it will postpone its business update conference call to May 31. The call had originally been set for May 17.

16:34 EDT ePlus acquires OneCloud Consulting, terms not disclosed - ePlus announced that its subsidiary, ePlus Technology, is acquiring OneCloud Consulting. Based in Milpitas, CA, OneCloud Consulting is a versatile team of highly trained technology consultants, architects, developers and instructors. OneCloud enables its clients' cloud and application strategy via professional services, technical education and software development. The acquisition expands ePlus' ability to address its clients' needs in cloud-based solutions and infrastructure. The acquisition of OneCloud Consulting Inc. is expected to close May 17. Terms were not disclosed.

16:25 EDT Jack in the Box sees Q3 Jack system SSS (1%)-1% - Sees Q3 Qdoba company SSS (1%)-1%.

16:23 EDT W. R. Berkley raises regular dividend 8%, declares 50c special dividend - W. R. Berkley announced that its board has voted to increase the regular cash dividend on its common stock to an annual rate of 56c per share, representing a 7.7% increase from the present rate. The first quarterly dividend at the new rate of 14c per share will be paid on July 5 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 15. In addition, the board has declared a special cash dividend on its common stock of 50c per share to be paid on July 5 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 15.

16:20 EDT StoneMor Partners appoints R. Paul Grady CEO - StoneMor Partners announced the appointment of R. Paul Grady as president and CEO, effective May 17. Grady, who will also join the StoneMor board, replaces Lawrence Miller, who is retiring as chairman, president and CEO. StoneMor also announced the appointment of Mark Miller as CFO, effective immediately, and added that Bob Sick has joined its board.

16:18 EDT Urban Outfitters CEO says sees 'strong' growth from direct-to-consumer - "During the first quarter we continued to see strong double-digit growth from our direct-to-consumer channel and our wholesale business," said Richard A. Hayne, CEO. "We believe we have significant opportunity to continue to grow both of these channels at all of our brands," finished Mr. Hayne.

16:18 EDT Jack in the Box to explore Qdoba options, other value enhancements - "After a sluggish start to the quarter, which we believe was attributable to delayed tax refunds and record rainfall in California, Jack in the Box system same-store sales improved to positive territory as these transitory issues passed and we pivoted our advertising towards value messages. However, same-store sales at Qdoba company restaurants worsened in the latter two months of the quarter, as we lapped more aggressive discounting in last year's second quarter. While margins at Qdoba were still disappointing, they improved to over 16% in the final month of the quarter as we were able to manage labor and food costs more effectively than in Q1, despite the larger decline in same-store sales. We are also encouraged that Qdoba company same-store sales have improved thus far in Q3. At our investor meeting last May, we said one of the factors that would cause us to reconsider our strategy with respect to Qdoba was valuation. It has become more apparent since then that the overall valuation of the company is being impacted by having two different business models. As a result, we've retained Morgan Stanley & Co to assist the Board in its evaluation of potential alternatives with respect to Qdoba, as well as other ways to enhance shareholder value," said Jack in the Box.

16:13 EDT Jack in the Box sees Q1 Jack system SSS (1%)-1% - Sees Q1 Qdoba company SSS (1%)-1%.

16:10 EDT Jack in the Box retains Morgan Stanley to help evaluate options for Qdoba

16:03 EDT DeVry announces tech-focused educational pathway, lowers tuition for program - To help in closing the tech skills gap, DeVry University announced it is offering a new educational pathway for its students -- the DeVry Technology Pathway. "With its Tech Path, DeVry has embedded technology-related curriculum within many of its degree and certificate programs. To ensure its Tech Path-designated programs are accessible, the university is also reducing tuition rates in these associate and bachelor offerings for new and readmit students," the company noted. Specifically, DeVry University is lowering the tuition rate for its Tech Path-designated associate and bachelor programs to $487 per credit hour. The new tuition rate will be effective for new and readmit students beginning with the July 2017 session, which starts July 3. This is a reduction of 20% from the current $609 per credit hour for non-Tech Path-designated programs.

15:57 EDT China Digital trading resumes

15:50 EDT Citron's Left says Exact Sciences is 'a marketing company' - Citron Research's Andrew Left is being interviewed on Bloomberg TV about his short report, published yesterday, on Exact Sciences.

15:45 EDT Exact Sciences' Cologuard can 'never' replace colonoscopies, Citron's Left says - Citron Research's Andrew Left is being interviewed on Bloomberg TV about his short report, published yesterday, on Exact Sciences.

15:41 EDT McAlester Army office posts notice of intent to purchase Digital Ally dash cams - The McAlester, Oklahoma Contracting Office of the U.S. Army posted a notice of Intent to issue a sole source purchase order using Simplied Acquisition Procedures for the purchase of DVD-800 HD Police Dash Camera Kits and Vulink kits which link the existing body cameras worn by the individual officer with the dash camera system. "MCAAP currently possesses Digital Ally Body Camera Systems. Due to the proprietary software and hardware used to link the body cameras withthe requested dash cam system, no other vendor is able to provide equipment that will link directly withthe systems currrently owned by MCAAP. Due to the unique nature of this requirement, only one qualified supplier, Digital-Ally is capable of providing this requirement," the notice stated. Reference Link

15:37 EDT LendingTree CEO: smaller lenders will be fine as rates rise

15:08 EDT Stanley Black & Decker CEO: Sizable M&A 'will have to wait for a few quarters' - On potential M&A, Stanley Black & Decker CEO Jim Loree said that "our focus now is effectively integrating and leveraging our investments in the Craftsman, Lenox and Irwin tools brands to deliver the growth and value we expect and have committed to -- we're on track to do just that. Any sizable new acquisitions we might pursue will have to wait for a few quarters and would likely be in the form of industrial bolt-ons or further expansion of the commercial electronic security business. That doesn't rule out the occasional small tool bolt-on that might come up in the next few quarters. It also doesn't preclude larger tool acquisitions in the coming years once the recent additions are firmly in place and performing well... Acquisition targets must meet key criteria, including solid returns, sound strategic logic and fit within our value creation model."

14:49 EDT Etsy soars as activist investors pile-on - Shares of Etsy (ETSY), an ecommerce site for creative and vintage goods, are jumping after two activist investors disclosed activist stakes in the company. STAKES DISCLOSED: After the close on Monday, TPG Group and Dragoneer Investment Group jointly reported an 8% stake in the company. Both TPG and Dragoneer, disclosed their stakes of 4.3% and 3.7%, respectively, while informing investors that they've asked Etsy "to engage in discussions regarding strategic alternatives." ETSY RESPONSE: Following the report of the activist stakes, Etsy said in a statement that it values constructive engagement with its shareholders and is focused on maximizing value for all shareholders. Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, said "We are now reviewing our strategic and operational plans to ensure Etsy is focused on the most value-enhancing near- and long-term opportunities." DOWN SINCE IPO: The shares of the craft good marketplace have fallen steadily since its IPO in mid April of 2015. The stock hit its high back in April of 2015, briefly trading as high as $36 per share, but quickly came back to earth to trade as low as $6.04 per share at the beginning of 2016, down over 80%. Shares were the victim of competition from Amazon (AMZN), and eBay (EBAY). Prior to its trading low back in January 2016, Roth Capital put a Sell rating on shares in late December 2015, saying "the rapid growth in Etsy seller services is masking decelerating growth in active sellers, gross merchandise sales, and marketplace revenue, which collectively are a truer measure of health of its marketplace." IMPROVING PROSPECTS: The prospects for the e-commerce company seemed to improve by the summer of 2016, prompting a positive note from Citigroup analyst Mark Kelley, who recommended the stock with a target price of $14 a share. The analyst said the company has developed a strong brand for its "quirky" products. Kelley argued at the time that the average analyst estimate for its Seller Services business -- the additional marketing and sales services bought by its numerous small vendors -- is "far too conservative." CALL FOR STRATEGIC REVIEW: On May 2, Etsy reported first quarter financial results that missed on the top and bottom lines. Hours before it reported its results in early May, black-and-white Capital, owner of over 2M Etsy shares, or 2% of the company, issued a press release expressing its concerns regarding the "destruction of shareholder value" since the company's initial public offering in April 2015. black-and-white released two letters that it previously sent to Etsy's board, highlighting the "steep deceleration" of gross merchandise sales growth, areas for operational improvements, "poor" corporate governance and the "necessity of exploring strategic alternatives in order to maximize value for all shareholders." The firm said it believes Etsy's intrinsic value per share is set to reach $30, representing roughly 170% upside, over the next few years with operational improvements. "Based on historic transactions involving similar online marketplaces, black-and-white is confident the company could be sold today for a minimum of $15.50, or roughly 45% higher than the current market price," the firm added. Ironically, with the release of its quarterly results the company announced that it had appointed a new CEO, the previously mentioned Josh Silverman, replacing prior CEO Chad Dickerson. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Etsy are up almost 23% to $13.89 per share in late afternoon trading.

14:21 EDT Stamps.com weakness attributed to cautious Capital Forum mention

13:25 EDT Facebook says found, fixed bug that misattributed clicks on video carousel ads - Facebook says in a blog post, "During our regular reviews to ensure the accuracy of our systems, we recently found and fixed a bug that misattributed some clicks on video carousel ads as link clicks. This bug occurred when people were on mobile web browsers on smartphones - not on desktop or in the Facebook mobile app. The bug affected billing only for the following conditions: for the video carousel ad unit; when the advertiser chose to bid on link clicks; and only for people who were on smartphone web browsers. In these cases, instead of being billed only for link clicks (clicks to an advertiser's selected destination), these advertisers were incorrectly billed when people clicked on the videos in the carousel to enlarge and watch them. Advertisers will receive a full credit for the charges they incurred for these misattributed clicks. Most consumers use Facebook through the app on their phones, and mobile web browser ad impressions make up a small percentage of the overall ads impressions people see on Facebook. Given that this bug related to mobile web for smartphones only, and specifically for video carousel ads that bid on link clicks, the impact from a billing perspective was 0.04% of ads impressions. Regardless of how many impressions were affected, we take all bugs seriously and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused." []:[https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/05/video-carousel-ads-on-mobile-web/]

13:05 EDT Google introduces 'Google Cloud IoT Core' - Google announced the launch of Google Cloud IoT Core. The company explained, "Today we're announcing a new fully-managed Google Cloud Platform service called Google Cloud IoT Core. Cloud IoT Core makes it easy for you to securely connect your globally distributed devices to GCP, centrally manage them and build rich applications by integrating with our data analytics services." Cloud IoT Core is currently available as a private beta test. Reference Link

12:34 EDT Notable companies reporting after market close - Notable companies reporting after the market close, with earnings consensus, include Jack in the Box (JACK), consensus 91c... Urban Outfitters (URBN), consensus 16c... Acxiom (ACXM), consensus 15c... Baozun (BZUN), consensus 7c... Red Robin (RRGB), consensus 57c.

12:25 EDT Hospitality International selects Sabre as strategic technology provider - Hospitality International, a full-service online hotel franchisee company has selected Sabre Hospitality Solutions as a preferred technology provider for its more than 280 hotels. Under the agreement, Hospitality International hotel owners will have access to Sabre's central reservation system, booking engine and call center services.

12:14 EDT FMC Corporation says lithium spin most likely in 2H18 or 2019

12:09 EDT FMC Corporation CEO says Ag looking better in Latin America and Asia

12:05 EDT ATUM licenses gene design software to Thermo Fisher Scientific - ATUM, formerly DNA2.0, announced that the company has signed a patent licensing agreement that gives Thermo Fisher Scientific access to the company's novel gene design platform. "Most people think visually, so seeing a graphic representation of a sequence is very helpful in the design process," said Alan Villalobos, ATUM's Vice President of Synthetic Biology and an inventor of the method. "Gene Designer 2.0 represents sequence elements as icons, and features a drag and drop function that is crucial for avoiding errors that creep in during cut-and-paste operations, when one nucleotide missed can destroy the function of the entire construct. We are delighted that Thermo Fisher is incorporating these features into its Vector NTI Express Designer software." Gene Designer 2.0 software, introduced by ATUM in 2005, captures the entire gene design process in one efficient application, using a range of design tools purposely built for the task: Intelligent algorithms for in silico cloning, codon optimization, back translation and primer design. Graphically rich molecular view to display, annotate and edit constructs. Customizable database to store, manage, and track genetic element, genes and constructs. Drag-and-drop interface for moving sequence elements within or between constructs.

11:40 EDT Huntsman says MDI component margins still below average - Sees MDI margins as sustainable. Comment from Goldman Sachs Basic Materials Conference.

11:30 EDT NAO Executive Chairman Herbjorn Hansson, family increase stake in NAO to 7.7% - A company owned by the NAO Executive Chairman, Herbjorn Hansson and his son, Alexander, today bought 500,000 shares in NAO at an average price of $1.25 per share. Over the last week, as from Tuesday May 9, the Hansson family has acquired 2.48M NAO shares in aggregate at an average price of $1.15 per share. In addition to the holdings of the past, following today's transaction, the Hansson family holds shares equivalent to 7.7% of NAO. Relevant filing will be undertaken.

11:25 EDT TJX down about 4% to $73.84 as conference calls enters Q&A

11:15 EDT TJX says new U.S. home concept to be called HomeSense - Says sales "not as strong as we would have liked," in Q1, but says trends improved as quarter progressed. Says wage increases negatively impacted EPS growth by 3% in Q1. Says FY outlook for Marmaxx "unchanged." Anticipates buying back $1.3B-$1.8B of TJX stock this year. Says views ecommerce as "complementary" to physical stores. Says second U.S. home concept to be called HomeSense. The first store is expected to open late summer, with a few more stores slated in the fall. Says cardholders spending incrementally more when they shop both online and in stores. Says sees potential to grow to 5,600 stores long-term. Expects to open 250 stores across the company this year. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call.

11:02 EDT Sprint to complete deployment of LTE Cat 1 technology by end of July - Sprint announced it will complete its deployment of LTE Cat 1 technology across its nationwide network by the end of July 2017. In addition, Sprint announced plans to begin deploying LTE Cat M in mid-2018 followed by LTE Cat NB1. LTE Cat 1 is designed to support low-power applications on the Sprint network such as vehicle telematics and industrial IoT applications. LTE Cat M1 and LTE Cat NB1 are designed to support numerous other applications requiring ultra-low throughput and power consumption such as industrial sensors, asset trackers, or wearables.

11:01 EDT Edwards Lifesciences: SAPIEN 3 transcatheter valve shows positive outcomes - Edwards Lifesciences announced that new 1-year data from a large European post-approval study of the Edwards SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve demonstrated positive patient outcomes including high survival rates and low rates of stroke and paravalvular leak. The 1,946-patient data were presented at EuroPCR 2017 by Olaf Wendler, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cardiac surgery at King's College Hospital, London, and will be published in European Heart Journal.

10:48 EDT Morgan Stanley says buy Dr Pepper, sell Church & Dwight - Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) and Church & Dwight (CHD) have many things in common, but Dr. Pepper's valuation is far more attractive, according to Morgan Stanley. Moreover, the fundamentals of the soda company are improving while those of the personal care product maker are deteriorating, stated the firm, which advocates a pair trade of going long Dr. Pepper and shorting Church & Dwight. In conjunction with this call, it upgraded Dr. Pepper to Overweight and cut Church & Dwight to Underweight, its equivalent of a sell rating. SIMILARITIES: Both companies are mid-sized and "skewed" towards the U.S., wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Dara Mohsenian. Both have "strong management teams" and have "prospered in low growth product categories against much larger competitors," the analyst stated. He also believes that their "fundamentals" are "fairly similar." VALUATION: Church & Dwight is trading at a 35% premium to Dr Pepper based on 2018 price to earnings ratios, according to Mohsenian. The market is pricing in an excessive amount of concern over Dr. Pepper's acquisition of Bai and investors have not priced in the deteriorating fundamentals of Church & Dwight and the improving fundamentals of Dr. Pepper, the analyst stated. Furthermore, the market is giving Church & Dwight an excessive consolidation premium based on Kraft Heinz's (KHC) failed bid for Unilever (UL, UN), Mohsenian argued. FUNDAMENTALS: Dr. Pepper's organic sales growth accelerated to about 4% in 2015-2016 from about 1% in 2013-2014, Mohsenian noted. The company's competitive position has improved, as Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) have not invested a great deal in their soda businesses, he explained. Conversely, Church & Dwight's organic growth dropped to 3% in 2016, versus its previous five year average of nearly 4%, he stated. A number of "larger, more well-funded competitors," led by Procter & Gamble (PG), are increasing their marketing spending in the U.S, the analyst reported. Additionally, Church & Dwight will probably be hurt by retailers' efforts to pay their suppliers less amid intensifying competition, noted Mohsenian. PRICE TARGETS: The analyst raised his price target on Dr Pepper Snapple to $104 from $103 and cut his price target on Church & Dwight to $49 from $51. PRICE ACTION: In early trading, Church & Dwight lost 1% to $49.80 and Dr. Pepper gained about 1% to $91.87.

10:38 EDT AudioCodes reports court approval to repurchase up to additional $15M of shares - AudioCodes announced that it has received court approval to repurchase up to an additional $15M of its ordinary shares through November 15, 2017. The share repurchases will be funded from available working capital.

10:32 EDT TheStreet announces launch of new mobile application - TheStreet announced the launch of its new mobile application, which is free to download in the Apple Store and provides access to business news, actionable market data, technical stock analysis and investing commentary.

10:17 EDT Dick's Sporting sees short-term headwinds from Gander Mountain liquidation sales - Says has about $1B remaining on share buyback authorization. Sees short-term headwinds from Gander Mountain liquidation sales. Expects FY operating margin to increase y/y. Sees effective tax rate of approximately 37.5% for the balance of the year. Expects to take $7M charge related to severance in Q2.

10:09 EDT MoneyGram stockholders approve merger with Ant Financial - MoneyGram (MGI) announced that its stockholders "overwhelmingly" voted to approve the company's pending transaction with Ant Financial, an Alibaba (BABA) affiliate. The preliminary voting results from the Special Meeting indicate 97% of the shares voted were in favor of the transaction, representing more than 82% of all outstanding shares. As previously announced on April 16, MoneyGram and Ant Financial entered into an amended merger agreement under which Ant Financial increased the offer price to acquire all of the outstanding shares of MoneyGram for $18 per share in cash. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2017 upon the receipt of certain regulatory approvals, the company stated.

09:52 EDT ALJ Regional reports Faneuil's acquisition of BPO from Vertex - Faneuil, a national provider of multichannel customer care and other business processing solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of ALJ Regional Holdings, announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the BPO and contact center operations of Vertex Business Services, a direct customer care provider of contact centers and back-office processes, including billing, collections and business analytics, and installing and supporting cloud-based customer care and billing technologies exclusively for the utilities industry. The aggregate consideration for the acquisition was $13M, comprised of $8.1M in cash and 1,466,667 shares of ALJ stock, as determined based on a trailing average share price formula contained in the Agreement. Under terms of the Agreement and subject to customary closing conditions, Faneuil will consolidate the BPO and contact center operations of Vertex's client programs under Faneuil's corporate umbrella.

09:32 EDT AT&T awarded $119M, five-year contract from U.S. GSA - AT&T will help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modernize its communications and reduce costs. The U.S. General Services Administration awarded AT&T a task order valued up to $119M to support the CDC. We will help improve CDC's local area network, in-building cellular coverage and Wi-Fi with a single, fully managed telecommunications solution. Our solution will support the work of hundreds of thousands CDC employees and contractors nationwide, including Puerto Rico. GSA awarded AT&T the task order on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The task order includes a 7-month base period and 4 optional years. It is awarded through GSA's government-wide acquisition contract called "Connections II." Federal agencies use Connections II to acquire network and telecommunications labor, equipment and support for buildings and campuses.

09:30 EDT Home Depot says expects 1H17 comps about the same as 2H17

09:23 EDT YY CEO Zhou Chen resigns, Chairman David Xueling Li named acting CEO - YY announced that Zhou Chen has tendered his resignation as CEO for health reasons, effective immediately. David Xueling Li, the company's chairman, will assume the role of acting CEO. Zhou Chen will continue to serve the company as a strategic advisor.

09:21 EDT Home Depot says sales in May 'very good'

09:17 EDT Home Depot sees FY17 effective tax rate approximately 36.3%

09:12 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Home Depot (HD), up 1.2%... xG Technology (XGTI), up 22.1%... SINA (SINA), up 8.2%... Vipshop (VIPS), up 3.2%... Staples (SPLS), down 1.4%. ALSO HIGHER: Snap (SNAP), up 1% after Goldman Sachs (GS) and Soros Fund disclosed stakes in the company... Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), up 1.8% after entering a collaboration with X-Chem. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Pernix Therapeutics (PTX), down 26.4%... EnteroMedics (ETRM), down 30.3%... Dick's Sporting (DKS), down 12.8%... Stratasys (SSYS), down 8.3%. ALSO LOWER: Kornit Digital (KRNT), down 7.9% after its 4.25M share Spot Secondary priced at $20.60... Pfizer (PFE), down 2% after being downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Citi... OM Asset Management (OMAM), down 3.6% after its 17.3M share Spot Secondary priced at $14.55.

09:09 EDT Home Depot says all merchandising categories posted positive comps in Q1

09:06 EDT Home Depot says Pro sales outpaced DIY in Q1 - Says online sales grew approximately 23% in Q1. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT LivaNova names Thad Huston as CFO, effective May 20 - LivaNova (LIVN) announced Thad Huston will join the company as its new CFO, effective May 20, 2017. LivaNova's former CFO, Vivid Sehgal, is coordinating with Huston to ensure an orderly transition. Huston will report directly to Damien McDonald, CEO. Huston joins LivaNova after more than 25 years at Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), having most recently served as Group CFO, Medical Devices.

09:02 EDT CHS promotes John Buckles to COO - Ventura Foods has promoted John D. Buckles to the newly created role of COO, effective June 1. In his new role, Buckles will lead an integrated commercial and operations function for the leading global manufacturer of custom and branded food products including dressings, sauces, mayonnaises and margarines. Formerly the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the company, Buckles joined Ventura Foods in 2011. Prior to his promotion, he led all sales, marketing, R&D and culinary activities in the U.S., as well as the company's international division.

08:54 EDT TJX slides 5.1% in premarket trading after reporting soft sales, weak guidance

08:49 EDT TerraForm Global receives Notification Letter from Nasdaq - TerraForm Global announced that on May 15, 2017 it received a notification letter from a Senior Director of Nasdaq Listing Qualifications. The Notification Letter stated that because the company has not yet filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, this serves as an additional basis for delisting the company's securities from the Nasdaq Stock Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires timely filing of periodic reports with the SEC. On March 21, 2017, the company announced that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel granted the company an extension until June 30, 2017 to regain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements with respect to its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, the 1Q 2017 10-Q and its delinquency in holding its annual meeting during the year ended December 31, 2016. The Notification Letter has no immediate effect on the listing of the company's common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The company continues to work to regain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements as soon as practicable. However, there can be no assurance that the company will regain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements on or before June 30, 2017 or that the company will be granted any additional extensions to regain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements.

08:40 EDT Megaport software defined network integrates with Alibaba Cloud - Megaport Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Megaport Limited, announced that it has entered into a partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group. The partnership will provide enterprises with direct and scalable access to Alibaba Cloud via the Megaport global SDN. By accessing Alibaba Cloud Express Connect, a high-speed dedicated network connection that securely links customers with their VPCs through Megaport's SDN, enterprises can scale their cloud connectivity and enable rapid provisioning of capacity to Alibaba Cloud.

08:36 EDT Buffalo Wild Wings releases investor presentation - Buffalo Wild Wings announced that it has released an investor presentation in connection the company's upcoming 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 2. Buffalo Wild Wings shareholders of record at the close of business on April 13 are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. The 93-page presentation and other important materials related to the Annual Meeting can be found on the company's website at http://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/2017-annual-meeting/ and have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "The presentation highlights the importance of electing the Buffalo Wild Wings' nominees at the upcoming Annual Meeting and discarding the proxy cards being mailed by Marcato Capital Management. As highlighted in Buffalo Wild Wings' presentation, one of Marcato's own nominees for the board of directors, Emil Lee Sanders, has given Buffalo Wild Wings shareholders one of the best reasons to vote against Marcato and for the board's nominees. Marcato nominated Sanders and has published two full pages of materials strongly advocating for the election of Sanders because of his supposed knowledge of restaurants. Yet it was Sanders himself who wrote that Marcato's plan for Buffalo Wild Wings - which presumably Sanders would carry out if he were elected to the board - involves 'Massive G & A cuts and layoffs... Let's hope the lights are left on.' The Buffalo Wild Wings board of directors encourages all shareholders to protect their investments by voting the yellow proxy card "for" the election of all nine of the board's experienced and highly-qualified director nominees: Cynthia Davis, Andre Fernandez, Janice Fields, Harry Lawton, J. Oliver Maggard, Jerry Rose, Sam Rovit, Harmit Singh and Sally Smith," the company says.

08:34 EDT Synutra completes announced merger - Synutra International announced the completion of the merger contemplated by the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 17, 2016, by and among Beams Power Investment, Beams Power Merger Sub and the Company. As a result of the Merger, the Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which was approved by the Company's stockholders at a special meeting held on April 28 each share of Company common stock has been cancelled and converted into the right to receive $6.05 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, except for shares of common stock held by any of Parent, Merger Sub and any other direct or indirect subsidiary of Parent and the Company, all of which have been cancelled and ceased to exist without the right to receive any payment or distribution thereon, and shares of common stock owned by stockholders who have properly validly perfected and have not effectively withdrawn or lost their appraisal rights pursuant to Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which shares of common stock have been cancelled for the right to receive the fair value of such shares as determined in accordance with the provisions of the DGCL.

08:31 EDT Aqua America to spend $450M on water infrastructure upgrades in 2017 - Aqua America said it plans to invest $450M in 2017 on water infrastructure upgrades. Projects are planned across all eight of Aqua's states to ensure clean and safe water reaches each customer. Between 2012 and 2016, Aqua invested $1.5B in infrastructure renewal, including replacement of more than 700 miles of water mains.

08:15 EDT Encore Capital subsidiary prevails in U.S. Supreme Court decision - Encore Capital announced that its subsidiary Midland Funding prevailed in the case Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, which was before the Supreme Court of the United States. The high court reversed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, holding that the filing of an accurate proof of claim on an unextinguished time-barred debt does not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

08:12 EDT Albireo Pharma announces two new U.S. patents allowed for A4250 - Albireo Pharma announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed U.S. Patent Application No. 15/276,446, "IBAT inhibitors for the treatment of liver diseases." The '446 patent claims a method of treatment for Albireo's lead product candidate A4250 in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and other specified liver diseases. Upon issuance, the regular term of the '446 patent will expire in November 2031.

08:10 EDT Command Security announces $50M contract award - Command Security announced that the company has received the award of a four-year contract to provide physical security services for a web services segment of a major online retailer. This award is in addition to previously announced services by the company with this customer. Total revenues associated with this award are estimated to be approximately $13M annually or approximately $50M over the four-year term. The work will be performed at approximately 12 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region and is planned to begin during the June/July 2017 period.

08:08 EDT NAPCO Security announces large equipment order from Pepperdine University - NAPCO Security Technologies announced that Pepperdine University has placed a large order for approximately 300 Trilogy Networx Locks for use on its campus in Malibu, CA. Trilogy Networx Locks will be used in Pepperdine University administration buildings as well as its library. The locks communicate wirelessly via Ethernet or 802.11B/G for a comprehensive wireless networked door access control system. In 10 seconds, authorized users can activate emergency global lockdown, Authorized users can also quickly and wirelessly change users, schedules, lock features or retrieve 35,000 events/lock from any networked PC. This order was recently received and the installation will be done over the coming months. The university has previously installed NAPCO equipment in its dormitories. This additional order provides evidence of the great satisfaction that they have with the use of NAPCO products to protect the staff and students on its campus.

08:06 EDT Adaptimmune initiates first site for its MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cell study - Adaptimmune announced that it has initiated the first site for its MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cell study in patients with multiple malignant solid tumors. This study is now open for enrollment. This is Adaptimmune's third wholly-owned therapeutic candidate to enter clinical trials. The Company already has ongoing studies to evaluate its T-cell therapies targeting the MAGE-A10 cancer antigen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, urothelial cancer, melanoma, or head and neck cancers; and AFP in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

08:05 EDT CTS Corporation acquires Noliac, terms not disclosed - CTS Corporation has announced the acquisition of Noliac, a designer and manufacturer of tape cast and bulk piezoelectric components, sensors and transducers. Headquartered in Denmark with manufacturing facilities in Denmark and the Czech Republic, Noliac serves OEMs in the aerospace & defense, test & measurement, medical and industrial markets. Founded in 1997, Noliac leverages twenty years of experience in piezoelectric multi-layer tape cast manufacturing to produce stacked actuators and other components. Since its founding, Noliac has expanded operations to also include piezoelectric bulk manufacturing processes and in-house design and production capabilities for sensors and transducers. "The acquisition of Noliac demonstrates CTS' commitment to our strategy of investing in technologies that Sense, Connect and Move," stated Kieran O'Sullivan, CEO of CTS. "In 2016 we acquired single crystal production capabilities to strengthen our piezoelectric product portfolio. By acquiring Noliac, we expand our tape cast manufacturing capabilities. This enables us to provide a more complete range of piezoelectric solutions to our customers, while growing our European presence and further diversifying our end market profile."

08:04 EDT Pareteum selected by leading financial services company - Pareteum announced that it has been selected by a leading financial services and marketing company under a seven-year services agreement. Under terms of the new Software-as-a-Service agreement, our customer plans to host a number of communications service providers and enterprise business customers that will enable companies to provide mobile wireless services creating new brands and applications. These Mobile Virtual Network Operators also plan to offer Internet of Things, or IoT, services on Pareteum's Managed Services platform as a complete turnkey mobile service to its retail end users including consumers, Enterprises and other third parties. The new agreement includes paid in advance service establishment fees and guaranteed recurring monthly service revenues with a minimum total contract value of approximately $2M.

08:03 EDT CEL-SCI presents on LEAPS RA vaccine candidates at IMMUNOLOGY meeting - CEL-SCI announced that Daniel Zimmerman, senior VP of research, cellular immunology, presented additional data on its LEAPS rheumatoid arthritis vaccine candidates CEL-4000 and CEL-2000 at IMMUNOLOGY 2017, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists May 12 to May 16 in Washington, D.C. The title of his poster is "Key serum cytokine markers for evaluating the efficacy of vaccine therapy in autoimmune models of rheumatoid arthritis." The abstract can be viewed online or found through the conference website at: www.immunology2017.org. Zimmerman and the research team concluded that serum concentrations and ratios of key disease-related cytokines can predict therapeutic efficacy in different animal models of RA. The data showed that a reduced RA disease progression was observed in mice treated with LEAPS vaccines and was accompanied by decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines level and increased ratios of anti-inflammatory/regulatory to pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, a successful vaccine therapy appears to be associated with a ratio shift in favor of anti-inflammatory/regulatory cytokines. The ability to predict cytokine responses to therapy should allow for better design or choice of the appropriate immunomodulatory LEAPS vaccines and other therapies in RA.

08:02 EDT Merck to present new Phase 3 data on Ertugliflozin at ADA - Merck (MRK) announced that 19 scientific presentations from Merck's diabetes pipeline and portfolio - including Phase 3 data for investigational ertugliflozin, additional analyses of JANUVIA, and real-world research - will be presented at the 77th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, June 9-13, 2017. Oral and poster presentations of ertugliflozin, a SGLT-2 inhibitor in development with Pfizer (PFE), include new data from two Phase 3 studies and 52-week extension data from three other studies in the VERTIS clinical development program.

08:01 EDT IBM, Nutanix launch multiyear hyperconverged initiative - IBM (IBM) and Nutanix (NTNX) announced a multi-year initiative to bring new workloads to hyperconverged deployments. The integrated offering aims to combine Nutanix's Enterprise Cloud Platform software with IBM Power Systems, to deliver a turnkey hyperconverged solution targeting critical workloads in large enterprises. The partnership plans to deliver a full-stack combination with built-in AHV virtualization for a simple experience within the datacenter.

07:55 EDT Hughes Network Systems awarded contract by major multinational organization - Hughes Network Systems announced it has been awarded a multi-year contract to implement and manage a global IP-based communications network for a major multinational organization. Under the agreement, Hughes will be responsible for the implementation, support and management of all elements of the network providing critical connectivity for more than 300 geographically diverse and remote monitoring sites in a large number of countries around the world. Hughes Network Systems is an EchoStar business segment.

07:45 EDT Wayfair launches visual search - Wayfair Inc. announced the launch of "Search with Photo," a new feature that leverages artificial intelligence to make it easier than ever for shoppers to find the furnishings they want for their homes. Shoppers can now simply snap a photo to find and purchase specific products that match the looks they see and love. Visual search makes home inspiration a reality with a single image, allowing shoppers to quickly and conveniently find matches and similar styles from Wayfair's selection of more than 8 million products.

07:36 EDT Sangamo granted Fast Track designation for SB-525 gene therapy by FDA - Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to SB-525, the Company's clinical stage cDNA gene therapy candidate for hemophilia A, which is being developed as part of an exclusive, global collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer (PFE). The FDA's Fast Track designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs and biologics to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need.

07:35 EDT Dick's Sporting CEO calls retail environment 'challenging' - "In the first quarter, we generated non-GAAP earnings per diluted share near the high end of our guidance. Despite a challenging retail environment, we realized growth across each of our three primary categories of hardlines, apparel and footwear, and were pleased with the performance of our newly relaunched eCommerce site," said Edward Stack, Chairman and CEO. "We remain optimistic as we drive profitable growth on our new eCommerce platform, make marked progress on our new merchandising strategy and continue to capture market share." Stack continued, "Looking ahead, we continue to evaluate and adjust our business model, and are taking actions to reduce our expense structure in order to fund and develop our longer-term strategic initiatives."

07:33 EDT Dick's Sporting sees FY17 CapEx approximately $350M on a net basis - In 2017, the Company anticipates capital expenditures to be approximately $350M on a net basis and approximately $465M on a gross basis. In 2016, capital expenditures were $242M on a net basis and $422M on a gross basis.

07:30 EDT Dick's Sporting reports Q1 SSS up 2.4%

07:13 EDT Xenetic provides update on license deal with Shire - Xenetic (XBIO) provided an update on its license deal with Shire (SHPG), a significant stockholder of the company, along with the clinical status of the product candidate SHP656, or PSA-Recombinant Factor VIII being developed as a long-acting therapeutic for the treatment of hemophilia utilizing Xenetic's proprietary PolyXen platform technology. The stated goal of Shire is to introduce an innovative, modified rFVIII protein with a significantly prolonged circulating half-life, with the objective of providing a once weekly treatment or reaching higher trough activity levels for greater efficacy. SHP656 is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical study. Shire expects to report topline data from this Phase 1/2 study in Q2 and, if the outcome of the trial is successful, Xenetic expects Shire to launch a Phase 3 trial before the end of 2017. Xenetic has the potential to receive from Shire up to $100M in cash milestones plus royalties linked to sales.

07:10 EDT AVEO Oncology names Matthew Dallas as CFO, effective June 1 - AVEO Oncology (AVEO) announced the appointment of Matthew Dallas as chief financial officer, effective June 1, 2017. In this role, Dallas will be responsible for the company's financial strategy and management as it takes steps toward the potential commercialization of tivozanib. Dallas will also serve on the executive leadership team which governs corporate strategy at AVEO. He succeeds Keith Ehrlich, the company's current CFO, whose retirement from the company was previously announced. Most recently, he served as CFO and Treasurer of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, a position he held through that biopharmaceutical company's initial public offering, follow-on offering, and subsequent acquisition, for approximately $960M by Eli Lilly (LLY) in March.

07:05 EDT Sandy Spring Bancorp to acquire WashingtonFirst - Sandy Spring Bancorp (SASR), the parent company of Sandy Spring Bank, and WashingtonFirst Bankshares (WFBI), the parent company of WashingtonFirst Bank, jointly announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement for Sandy Spring to acquire the Virginia-based WashingtonFirst to create one of the premier banks in the Greater Washington, D.C. region. Under the terms of the agreement, WashingtonFirst shareholders are expected to receive 0.8713 shares of Sandy Spring common stock for each share owned of WashingtonFirst common stock, subject to adjustment if Sandy Spring's average stock price during a specified measurement period prior to closing is more than $50.15 or less than $37.07 per share. The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, has a value of $489M in the aggregate, based on Sandy Spring's closing price of $41.89 on May 12, 2017. Upon closing, Sandy Spring shareholders will own approximately 67.8% of the combined company and WashingtonFirst's shareholders will own approximately 32.2% of the combined company. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of each company.

07:03 EDT Can-Fite BioPharma files application in Canada for Piclidenoson - Can-Fite BioPharma announced it has filed a Clinical Trial Application with Health Canada for Piclidenoson. Can-Fite has a Canadian distribution partner, Cipher Pharmaceuticals. Can-Fite intends to commence its Phase III Acrobat trial of Piclidenoson in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the Q2.

07:01 EDT BMW, Intel, Mobileye announce Delphi as partner for autonomous driving platform - The BMW Group (BMWYY), Intel (INTC) and Mobileye (MBLY) announce their intention to onboard Delphi (DLPH) as a development partner and system integrator for their State-of-the-Art autonomous driving platform. The four partners intend to jointly deploy a cooperation model to deliver and scale the developed solutions to the broader OEM automotive industry and potentially other industries. Delphi has already provided a prototype compute platform to the BMW Group and is working together with Intel and Mobileye in the areas of perception, sensor fusion, and high performance automated driving computing. In July 2016 BMW Group, Intel, and Mobileye announced that they are joining forces to make self-driving vehicles become a reality and are collaborating to bring solutions for highly and fully automated driving into series production by 2021. The Cooperation Partners have since developed a scalable architecture that can be adopted by other automotive developers and carmakers to pursue State-of-the-Art designs and create differentiated brands. System integrators, such as Delphi, are critical for the go to market strategy of the joint solution to reach multiple automotive OEMs quickly. A key role for Delphi will be the integration of the solution delivered by BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye into OEM vehicle architectures. Additionally, Delphi may also provide required hardware components such as sensors as well as specific customization efforts and applications for differentiation. This engagement between Delphi and the Cooperation Partners is non-exclusive. The Cooperation Partners are in the process of onboarding additional integration and development partners to support future OEM customer needs.

06:56 EDT WashingtonFirst Bankshares trading halted, news pending

06:53 EDT Lannett says FDA approves ANDA for Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride Oral Solution - Lannett announced that it received approval from the FDA of its Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, for Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride Oral Solution, 2.5 mg/5 mL, the therapeutic equivalent to the reference listed drug, Xyzal Oral Solution, 2.5 mg/5 mL, of UCB Inc.

06:52 EDT Insys Therapeutics' CFO Darryl Baker to transition from its role - Insys Therapeutics announced that Darryl S. Baker, the Company's CFO, will transition from the role of CFO when a successor is hired. Insys has engaged an executive search firm to support the recruitment of a new CFO. Baker will continue to work closely with the management team, including the new CFO, to facilitate a smooth and successful transition of his responsibilities.

06:50 EDT Boston Scientific announces 'positive' results from REPRISE III clinical trial - Boston Scientific announced positive results from the REPRISE III clinical trial, presented at the annual EuroPCR Scientific Program, in Paris. Data from the study demonstrated that the LOTUS Valve System, a transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI, system, showed superiority over the CoreValve TAVI System platform for the primary effectiveness endpoint and non-inferiority for the primary safety endpoint. The primary effectiveness endpoint, a composite of all death, disabling stroke and moderate or greater paravalvular aortic leakage, or PVL, at one year, was lower with the LOTUS Valve system compared to the CoreValve platform. The LOTUS Valve system also demonstrated non-inferiority to CoreValve platform for the primary safety endpoint which was a composite of all-cause mortality, stroke, life-threatening and major bleeding events, stage two or three acute kidney injury or major vascular complications through 30 days. The pre-specified secondary endpoint demonstrated the LOTUS Valve system had significantly lower rates of moderate to severe PVL occurrences when compared to the CoreValve platform.

06:47 EDT Citi Trends recommends stockholders to vote Blue proxy card - Citi Trends announced that it has sent a letter to stockholders in connection with the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be held on May 24. The Citi Trends Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote the BLUE proxy card today FOR each of the Company's three highly qualified and experienced director nominees: Barbara Levy, Lawrence E. Hyatt and R. Edward Anderson.

06:36 EDT Alexion and RCIGM partner to accelerate diagnosis of newborns - The Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, or RCIGM, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the diagnosis of critically-ill newborns with rare genetic disorders. The collaboration combines the Institute's genomic research expertise with Alexion data science and bioinformatics capabilities to advance precision medicine for infants in an intensive care setting.

06:30 EDT Mirna Therapeutics, Synlogic agree to merge

06:17 EDT Cisco, Emory, Texas A&M back Notion Capital's $140M round - Notion Capital, a European venture capital firm focused on enterprise SaaS and Cloud companies, said it has completed the first close of a new $80M growth equity fund, Notion Capital Opportunities LP, to provide later stage follow-on capital to its venture portfolio. Notion is also announcing the $140M final close of Notion Capital III LP, its third venture fund focused on European enterprise SaaS and Cloud companies at Series A stage. New LP investors include Cisco Investments, the venture capital arm of Silicon Valley tech giant Cisco, as well as globally-diverse and respected financial investors such as Emory and Texas A&M university endowments and Key Capital.

06:09 EDT Universal Music Group, Tencent Music announce signing of licensing agreement - Universal Music Group, part of Vivendi (VIVHY) and Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TCEHY), a digital music distribution platform in China, announced the signing of a landmark licensing agreement that will significantly expand the Chinese music market. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, TME will distribute music from UMG's roster of record labels and global recording stars on its streaming platforms QQ Music, KuGou and Kuwo. TME will also be UMG's master distribution and licensing partner to exclusively sub-license UMG's content to third-party music service providers in China. Both parties will work together to find new ways to develop artists, to innovate business models and to reinforce a robust copyright protection environment. In addition, TME will support UMG artists to promote their music, leveraging Tencent online properties and other media channels. Furthermore, to accelerate the development of Chinese recording artists and advance a vibrant local repertoire, UMG and TME will work together to design, build and develop Abbey Road Studios China, a state-of-the-art recording and mastering facility inspired by UMG's iconic recording studio in London.

06:05 EDT Staples CEO says '2017 is off to a good start' - "2017 is off to a good start and, consistent with our strategy, we drove solid sales growth in the mid-market and improved profitability in North American Retail during the first quarter," said Shira Goodman, Staples' CEO. "Based on our success growing categories beyond office supplies, we're intensifying our focus on several key growth categories including facilities supplies, breakroom supplies, furniture, technology solutions, and promotional products, or what we now refer to as 'Pro Categories'. We're pursuing this opportunity from a position of strength as we bring together the products, services, and expertise to provide a differentiated offering to business customers of all sizes."

06:04 EDT Staples reports Q1 North American retail sales $1.5B - North American Retail sales for the first quarter of 2017 were $1.5B, a decrease of 8% compared to the first quarter of 2016. Store closures negatively impacted first quarter 2017 sales growth by approximately 2%. Comparable store sales decreased 6% versus the prior year. The decline was primarily driven by technology products, office supplies, and ink and toner. Operating income rate increased 54 basis points to 3.5% compared to the first quarter of 2016. This primarily reflects increased product margin rate, partially offset by the negative impact of lower sales on fixed expenses. The company closed 18 stores during the first quarter of 2017 and ended the quarter with 1,237 stores in the United States and 304 stores in Canada.

06:01 EDT Home Depot reports Q1 U.S. SSS up 6%

05:51 EDT NAO Executive Chairman Herbjorn Hansson, family increase stake in NAO to 6.9% - A company owned by the NAO Executive Chairman, Herbjorn Hansson and his son, Alexander, yesterday, Monday May 15, bought 300,000 shares in NAO at an average price of $1.17 per share. Over the last week, as from Tuesday May 9, the Hansson family has acquired 1.98M NAO shares in aggregate at an average price of $1.13 per share. In addition to their holding from before, following yesterdays transaction of 300,000 shares in NAO, the Hansson family holds shares equivalent to 6.9% of NAO.

05:41 EDT Symantec blocks 22M attempted 'WannaCry' ransomeware attacks globally - Symantec reported it has blocked nearly 22M WannaCry infection attempts across 300,000 endpoints, providing full protection for Symantec customers through its advanced exploit protection technology. The WannaCry ransomware attacks targeted and affected users in various countries across the globe by encrypting data files on infected computers and demanding users pay a $300 ransom in bitcoin to decrypt their files. The protection of Symantec customers was enabled in part due to the integration of real-time threat intelligence shared across both Symantec Endpoint Protection and the Blue Coat ProxySG, which provided real-time threat awareness across the endpoint, network and cloud.