Stockwinners Market Radar for May 19, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:11 EDT PennTex board to review unsolicited tender offer from Energy Transfer Partners - "PennTex Midstream Partners (PTXP) confirmed that our affiliate and owner of our general partner, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (ETP), has commenced an unsolicited tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership for $20.00 per unit in cash. The board of directors of our general partner intends to advise unitholders of its formal position regarding the tender offer within ten business days of its commencement by making available to unitholders and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9."

17:35 EDT SharpSpring initiates process to explore, evaluate strategic alternatives - The SharpSpring Board of Directors, in consultation with Progress Partners as its financial advisor, has initiated a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value. The Board plans to proceed in a timely manner, but has not set a definitive timetable for completion of this process. There can be no assurance that this review process will result in a transaction or other strategic alternative of any kind. The company does not intend to disclose developments or provide updates on the progress or status of this process until it deems further disclosure is appropriate or required.

17:25 EDT Chanticleer Holdings says reverse stock split includes warrants - Chanticleer Holdings announced that its previously announced reverse split is also being effected on its publicly traded warrants trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "HOTRW". As a result, the number of public warrants outstanding will be reduced from 2,444,450 to 244,445. Each public warrant will be exercisable for one share of common stock at the exercise price of $50.00. This is effective for trading purposes on Friday, May 19, 2017. The company's post-reverse split common stock have a new CUSIP number of 15930P800 and the public warrants have a new CUSIP number of 15930P164.

17:21 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $137.8M government contract modification - Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $137,834,819 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide additional funding for affordability-based cost reduction initiatives in support of low-rate initial production Lot 9 F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter. Work is expected to be completed in December 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

17:16 EDT Illuminet Holdings files form to delay 10-Q - The company could not complete the filing of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2017, due to a delay in obtaining and compiling information required to be included in the company's Form 10-Q, which delay could not be eliminated by the Company without unreasonable effort and expense. In accordance with Rule 12b-25 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Company will file its Form 10-Q no later than the fifth calendar day following the prescribed due date.

17:08 EDT J. Steven Emerson reports 8.6% stake in Lilis Energy

16:58 EDT Myovant Sciences announces presentation of 'positive' Phase 2 data on relugolix - Myovant Sciences (MYOV) announced the presentation of data from a placebo-controlled Phase 2 study conducted by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (TKPYY) evaluating relugolix in Japanese women with endometriosis-associated pain. The study met its primary endpoint with relugolix, an oral once-daily hormonal treatment, resulting in a statistically significant reduction in overall pelvic pain compared with placebo. The findings were presented during an oral presentation on May 19 at the 2017 World Congress on Endometriosis in Vancouver, Canada. Relugolix demonstrated statistically significant dose-dependent reductions over placebo in each of three study arms (10, 20, and 40 mg) on the primary endpoint of change from baseline in overall pelvic pain at the end of the 12-week treatment period. Overall pelvic pain was assessed using a 100 millimeter Visual Analogue Scale in which 0 mm indicated "No pain" and 100 mm indicated "Pain as bad as you can imagine." Scores were reported daily in patient diaries. Reductions in pain symptoms were dose dependent, with the greatest decline in overall pelvic pain seen in the relugolix 40-mg group (p less than 0.0001 vs. placebo). The mean reduction from baseline in overall pelvic pain for the relugolix 40-mg group at the end of the treatment period was -10.4 mm, representing a -72.9% mean change from baseline pain at the beginning of the study. The mean reduction in the placebo arm of -3.8 mm represented an -8.6% mean change from baseline. The reduction achieved by relugolix, 40 mg orally once daily, was comparable to that observed in a reference arm of patients receiving monthly injections of leuprorelin. For pain during menses, or dysmenorrhea, the relugolix 40-mg group achieved a mean reduction from baseline of -29.7 mm (-97.1% mean change from baseline) compared with -5.2 mm (-11.7% mean change from baseline) in the placebo group. No clear trend of change in dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse, was observed in the small subset of patients who reported sexual activity in the study. Patients in each relugolix group demonstrated greater reductions from baseline in the use of analgesics and greater improvement from baseline on each subcategory of the long-form 30-item Endometriosis Health Profile scale measuring quality of life and symptom severity than did patients in the placebo group. The most commonly observed adverse events (occurring in at least 10% of patients in the relugolix groups and greater in the relugolix than placebo groups) were primarily mild or moderate in severity and included irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding (metrorrhagia, menorrhagia, irregular menstruation), sweating (hyperhidrosis), and hot flush. Bone mineral density decreased in a dose-dependent fashion in the relugolix groups with the greatest losses (mean percent change from baseline) observed in the relugolix 40-mg group (-2.1%), as compared with the placebo group (-0.1%) and the leuprorelin group (-2.2%).

16:54 EDT Myovant Sciences presents 'positive' Phase 2 data for relugolix at WCE - Myovant Sciences (MYOV) announced the presentation of data from a placebo-controlled Phase 2 study conducted by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (TKPYY) evaluating relugolix in Japanese women with endometriosis-associated pain. The study met its primary endpoint with relugolix, an oral once-daily hormonal treatment, resulting in a statistically significant reduction in overall pelvic pain compared with placebo. The findings were presented during an oral presentation on May 19 at the 2017 World Congress on Endometriosis in Vancouver, Canada. Relugolix demonstrated statistically significant dose-dependent reductions over placebo in each of three study arms (10, 20, and 40 mg) on the primary endpoint of change from baseline in overall pelvic pain at the end of the 12-week treatment period. Overall pelvic pain was assessed using a 100 millimeter Visual Analogue Scale in which 0 mm indicated "No pain" and 100 mm indicated "Pain as bad as you can imagine." Scores were reported daily in patient diaries. Reductions in pain symptoms were dose dependent, with the greatest decline in overall pelvic pain seen in the relugolix 40-mg group (p less than 0.0001 vs. placebo). The mean reduction from baseline in overall pelvic pain for the relugolix 40-mg group at the end of the treatment period was -10.4 mm, representing a -72.9% mean change from baseline pain at the beginning of the study. The mean reduction in the placebo arm of -3.8 mm represented an -8.6% mean change from baseline. The reduction achieved by relugolix, 40 mg orally once daily, was comparable to that observed in a reference arm of patients receiving monthly injections of leuprorelin. For pain during menses, or dysmenorrhea, the relugolix 40-mg group achieved a mean reduction from baseline of -29.7 mm (-97.1% mean change from baseline) compared with -5.2 mm (-11.7% mean change from baseline) in the placebo group. No clear trend of change in dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse, was observed in the small subset of patients who reported sexual activity in the study. Patients in each relugolix group demonstrated greater reductions from baseline in the use of analgesics and greater improvement from baseline on each subcategory of the long-form 30-item Endometriosis Health Profile scale measuring quality of life and symptom severity than did patients in the placebo group. The most commonly observed adverse events (occurring in at least 10% of patients in the relugolix groups and greater in the relugolix than placebo groups) were primarily mild or moderate in severity and included irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding (metrorrhagia, menorrhagia, irregular menstruation), sweating (hyperhidrosis), and hot flush. Bone mineral density decreased in a dose-dependent fashion in the relugolix groups with the greatest losses (mean percent change from baseline) observed in the relugolix 40-mg group (-2.1%), as compared with the placebo group (-0.1%) and the leuprorelin group (-2.2%).

16:41 EDT Stonepine Capital reports 6.8% passive stake in Cumberland

16:32 EDT Global Eagle receives Nasdaq notice of noncompliance - On May 15, Global Eagle Entertainment received a notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The NASDAQ Stock Market stating that the Company is in continued non-compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) because it has not yet filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2017 and remains delinquent in filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. The NASDAQ letter has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company's common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market.On May 19, the Company submitted to NASDAQ the Company's plan to regain compliance with the NASDAQ Listing Rule. If it accepts the Company's plan, NASDAQ can grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the Annual Report (which would be September 12) for the Company to regain compliance. If NASDAQ does not accept the Company's plan, then the Company will have the opportunity to appeal that decision to a NASDAQ Hearings Panel before any delisting occurs.

16:30 EDT Insmed files common stock shelf

16:20 EDT FICO to discontinue dividend in favor of Its share repurchase plan - FICO announced that its Board of Directors has determined to discontinue regular cash dividend payments in favor of using its excess cash flow for share repurchases. As of March 31, the company had $155.4 million remaining under its current stock repurchase program. FICO has repurchased $74.6M of its common stock during the six months ended March 31, 2017 and $138.4 million in fiscal 2016. FICO paid $1.2M in dividends, or $0.04 per share, during the six months ended March 31, 2017 and $2.5M, or $0.08 per share, in fiscal 2016. "Our share repurchase plan has been successful and continues to be the most meaningful way to return excess cash to shareholders," said Will Lansing, chief executive officer. "During the past years we have significantly reduced our outstanding share count and the historical dividend has become nominal in value for our shareholders

16:17 EDT Singh/Saharan Revocable Trust reports 15.5% passive stake in Nutanix

16:11 EDT CorMedix CEO acquires 75,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, CorMedix CEO Khoso Baluch disclosed the acquisition of 75,000 common shares at a price of 47.5c per share. The transaction, dated May 17, 2017, brings Baluch's total direct common stock ownership to 85,000 shares.

16:05 EDT Zeff Capitalmakes offer to acquire all of TSR's outstanding stock - TSR announced today that Zeff Capital, a Delaware limited partnership that owns approximately 7.2% of TSR's common stock, filed an amended Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18,. This filing reported that on May 1, Zeff Capital delivered a letter to the Company indicating, among other things, Zeff Capital's interest, expressed on behalf of its affiliated investment funds, in acquiring all of the outstanding shares of common stock not already owned by Zeff Capital or its affiliates for $6.15 per share, in cash. In addition, Zeff Capital's letter states that the proposed purchase price represents a premium of approximately 27% over the closing price of TSR common stock on May 1. The filing states that the proposal is conditioned upon, among other things, completion of satisfactory due diligence, completion of a financing plan, negotiation of mutually acceptable definitive agreements and the satisfaction of the then conditions expected to be set forth in such agreements.

15:51 EDT Bryan Ezralow reports 5.1% passive stake in Chanticleer Holdings

14:19 EDT Avnet CFO acquires 6,933 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Avnet CFO Kevin M. Moriarty disclosed the acquisition of 6,933 common shares at a price of $36.08 per share. The transaction brings Moriarty's total direct common stock ownership to 61,332 shares.

14:07 EDT Kroger subsidiary to hire 800 store associates on Saturday - Ralphs Grocery Company, a subsidiary of Kroger, is looking for people to fill 800 jobs in its Southern California supermarkets. All Ralphs supermarkets will be holding hiring events this Saturday, May 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. "We have a wide variety of positions that we need to fill in every Ralphs store in Southern California," said Kendra Doyel, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Ralphs Grocery Company. "Positions are available in most every department, including front end, deli, meat, bakery and grocery. Some of our stores also have positions available in support of our online ordering service, ClickList." The positions for which Ralphs is hiring offer competitive wages, flexible schedules, benefits and room for advancement.

13:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 16 to 901 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 16 rigs from last week to 901, with oil rigs up 8 to 720, gas rigs up 8 to 180, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1. The U.S. Rig Count is up 497 rigs from last year's count of 404, with oil rigs up 402, gas rigs up 95, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is up 2 rigs from last week to 23 and down 1 rig year over year. The Canadian Rig Count is up 5 rigs from last week to 85, with oil rigs up 7 to 36 and gas rigs down 2 to 49. The Canadian Rig Count is up 41 rigs from last year's count of 44, with oil rigs up 20, gas rigs up 22, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 0.

12:21 EDT MagneGas announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split - MagneGas announced that it has filed a certificate of amendment to its certificate of incorporation to effect a 1-for-10 reverse stock split, effective as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today. The reverse stock split was effected by MagneGas in accordance with the authorization adopted by MagneGas stockholders at the Special Meeting of Stockholders held on May 17, 2017. Proportional adjustments will be made to the conversion and exercise prices of the company's outstanding warrants, convertible notes, convertible preferred stock and stock options, and to the number of shares issued and issuable under the company's equity compensation plans. The number of authorized shares of the company's common stock will remain 90 million shares until such time as the board of directors determines to file an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized shares of the company's common stock from 90 million shares to 190 million shares, which increase was also approved by MagneGas stockholders at the Special Meeting of Stockholders held on May 17, 2017.

11:49 EDT Fox News confirms termination of Bob Beckel - Fox News Channel issued the following statement: "Bob Beckel was terminated today for making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee."

11:28 EDT Cobas Asset Management reports 6.28% passive stake in McClatchy

11:21 EDT Sotheby's rises after Basquiat painting sets new record - Shares of art auctioneer Sotheby's (BID) are trading higher after the company auctioned off a work of art by painter Jean-Michel Basquiat for a record $110.5M. WHAT'S NEW: The 1982 Basquiat painting, called "Untitled," was bought by Japanese billionaire and Zozotown founder Yusaku Maezawa after just ten minutes of bidding, Sotheby's said. The painting surpassed the previous record for a work by a U.S. artist at auction, which was $105.4M paid for Andy Warhol's "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)." Sotheby's said "Untitled" was a critical landmark in Basquiat's career because it "declared the arrival of the brilliant, then virtually unknown young artist into a world that would be forever transformed by his paintings." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Sotheby's announced earlier this week that it sold a pair of diamond earrings for $57.4M, making the set the most expensive earrings ever sold at auction. The set consists of the 14.54-carat "Apollo Blue" earring, which sold for $42.1M, and the 16-carat "Artemis Pink" diamond, which brought in $15.3M. Tad Smith, Sotheby's chief executive officer, suggested earlier this month that fine art prices have room to grow based on the spending power of the world's billionaires, CNBC reported. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Sotheby's rose nearly 2% to $50.40 in late morning trading.

10:35 EDT IT security ratings reshuffle moves Palo Alto, Symantec in opposite directions - One IT security stock was upgraded and one was downgraded today, as Jefferies raised Palo Alto Networks (PANW) to Buy from Hold and RBC Capital cut Symantec (SYMC) to Market Perform from Outperform. PALO ALTO: The company's recent struggles are being primarily caused by the status of its product cycle rather than execution or competitive issues, wrote Jefferies analyst John DiFucci. The company may have one more quarter of weak results before returning to "meaningful new business growth," the analyst stated. Since enterprise customers "are overwhelmed" by the large number of IT security solutions they have to deal with, Palo Alto's "elegant..consolidated framework" should be appealing to them, DiFucci believes. He raised his price target on the stock to $150 from $130. SYMANTEC: The stock had jumped 80% since its lows of 2016, noted RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg. Investors were pricing in a "best case scenario" of $2 in EPS in fiscal 2018, but the company provided guidance of only $1.75-$1.85, Hedberg noted. Although Symantec has several positive catalysts, including higher security spending and its ability to cross sell products from Blue Coat and obtain synergies from LifeLock, these catalysts are largely priced into Symantec's shares, the analyst stated. He trimmed his price target on the name to $32 from $34. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Palo Alto rose 2.3% to $116.29 and Symantec retreated 1.6% to $29.26.

10:22 EDT Valeant falls to lows of day after Mylan wins IPR challenge of Apriso patent - Valeant (VRX) shares are down 24c, or 1.8%, to $13.23 after the USPTO posted the text of its decision in the inter partes review of patent no. 8,865,688 related to the drug.

10:18 EDT Deere: Economic fundamentals in NA Construction, Forestry 'cause for optimism' - Says signs of further stabilization in market conditions. Says seeing "modestly higher demand" for products. Says agriculture sector, South America seeing strong recovery. Says economic fundamentals in Construction and Forestry industries in North America are "a cause for optimism." Says GDP growth positive, housing starts expected to exceed 1.25M units this year. Following the forecasted about 5% reduction in 2016 cash receipts, sees 2017 total cash receipts plus government payments to be about $367B, roughly flat with 2016. Sees R&D down about 1% in 2017. Comments taken from the Q2 earnings conference call. Deere is up 7.6% in morning trading to $121.30.

09:55 EDT Foot Locker sees MSD comps in Q3, Q4 - Says double digit EPS "is what we're working towards" in Q3, Q4.

09:39 EDT Foot Locker says consumers migrating to 'the coolest shoe' - Says still selling "a lot" of Superstars, Stan Smiths.

09:32 EDT Chris Connor elected to Yum! Brands board - Yum! Brands (YUM) announced that Christopher Connor was elected to its board of directors at the company's annual meeting of shareholder. "Chris' executive leadership and global retail experience make him a strong addition to the Yum! Brands Board," said Robert Walter, non-executive chairman. "We are thrilled to have Chris join us during this exciting time for Yum! Brands, as we continue to evolve as the restaurant industry's leading global franchisor." Connor served as executive chairman of The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) until 2016.

09:27 EDT Foot Locker says has 'plenty of runway to go' on strategic initiatives - Still sees FY17 tax rate about 34%. Sees gross margin decline of 60-80bps in Q2. Says has "plenty of runway to go" on strategic initiatives. Says "optimistic" about upcoming product flow

09:17 EDT Foot Locker drops 14.3% as earnings call continues, says developing 'Plan B'

09:11 EDT Tanger Factory closes on sale of Westbrook, Connecticut center - In keeping with the company's long-standing practice of pruning its portfolio and recycling capital, Tanger closed on the sale of its Westbrook, Connecticut center on May 17, 2017 to a private real estate developer and operator for $40M, which represents a capitalization rate of approximately 10.0% on forward property level net operating income excluding lease termination fees and non-cash adjustments and net of property management fees. This compares favorably to four similar, but more productive, non-core assets the Company sold in 2015 at an average 10.4% cap rate. The 290,000 square foot Westbrook center was 90% occupied at March 31, 2017 and was the least productive asset in Tanger's consolidated portfolio, having generated average tenant sales 44% below the Company's consolidated portfolio per square foot average for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2017. Tanger expects to record a gain of approximately $6.6M on the sale of the Westbrook outlet center during the second quarter of 2017 and has elected not to defer any taxable gain on this transaction, which is currently not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's 2017 taxable income. Tanger intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of this unencumbered asset to fund purchases under the newly authorized share repurchase plan as soon as possible, based on market conditions. Tanger expects a net accretive effect on 2017 net income per share of approximately $0.04, which reflects the expected gain on the Westbrook transaction, partially offset by the loss of seven and a half months of net operating income from the Westbrook property. The dilutive effect on 2017 funds from operations is expected to be approximately $0.025 per share. The Westbrook transaction is not expected to have a significant impact on Tanger's 2017 same center net operating income growth. The impact of the share repurchase plan is contingent upon the quantity and timing of shares repurchased as well as the weighted average purchase price of shares repurchased.

09:10 EDT Foot Locker says developing 'Plan B' in case recent sales trends continue - Says experienced "unprecedented challenges" early in the quarter, did not quite succeed in "raising the bar higher." Says shoppers "change shopping and buying habits quickly." Says comp sales in February were down low teens, March rebounded to be up high single digits, April wound up with very high single digit increase. Says company expected April to finish up low double digits, but last few weeks of quarter "were strong, but not quite as strong as we anticipated." Says sales trending a bit lower than expected over the last few weeks. Says developing a "Plan B" in case recent sales trends continue; Plan B focused on controlling expenses, inventory in order to achieve FY guidance of mid single digit percentage comparable store sales increase and a double- digit percentage EPS increase. Expects traffic to normalize over balance of year.

09:08 EDT Richmond Brothers, Ravich issue letter to Rockwell shareholders - Richmond Brothers and Mark Ravich, who together with their affiliates beneficially own over 6.1 million shares, or 11.8%, of the Rockwell Medical's outstanding common stock, sent a letter to Rockwell shareholders outlining the case for electing Mark Ravich to the board at the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders to be held on June 1. The letter said, "We believe - based on the outpouring of support we have received so far - that many of you share our long-standing frustrations with Rockwell Medical's failed execution and continued poor performance. The list of failures and problems at Rockwell is long - including the failure to monetize two approved and promising drugs, abysmal corporate governance practices, egregious executive compensation practices, a complete lack of regard for shareholder concerns, disinterest in communicating with shareholders and the market, and perhaps most importantly, a lack of independent oversight. The question you face now is who is best-positioned to deliver the change that Rockwell sorely needs. In our view, Mark Ravich is the clear choice. He is independent, has relevant investment and board experience, and is personally invested in the company...The bottom line is that shareholders need a voice in Rockwell's boardroom so that shareholders' best interests are put first and foremost and there is proper oversight of the company's management. That is the only way, in our view, that Rockwell's underperformance can be corrected and excessive executive compensation can be reined in...We urge you to support the change Rockwell desperately needs and vote the blue proxy card to elect Mark Ravich to the Board."

09:04 EDT Campbell Soup sees adjusted gross margin approximately 38% for FY17

09:03 EDT United-Guardian announces 20% increase in mid-year dividend to 42c per share - United-Guardian announced that its board declared a cash dividend of 42c per share, to be paid on June 12 to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 30. President Ken Globus said, "Based on improved first quarter financial results, along with strong sales to date for the second quarter, the Board decided that it would be in the best interest of our stockholders to increase the mid-year dividend to 42c per share, an increase of 20% from the 35c per share dividend that we paid in June 2016. With the resumption of purchases of one of our Lubrajel products for sale in China, along with strong sales of our Renacidin Irrigation, the Board felt that there was sufficient justification, and more than enough cash reserves, to increase the mid-year dividend."

09:02 EDT Ford's Joe Hinrichs says company 'committed to American manufacturing'

09:01 EDT Campbell Soup says 'on track to deliver another year of strong cash flow'

08:54 EDT FCA US files for diesel vehicle emissions certification - FCA US announced it has formally filed an application for diesel vehicle emissions certification with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board for its 2017 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 diesel vehicles. These vehicles feature updated emissions software calibrations. The filing is the result of many months of close collaboration between FCA US and EPA and CARB, including extensive testing of the vehicles, to clarify issues related to the Company's emissions control technology. With the permission of EPA and CARB, FCA US intends to install the same modified emissions software in 2014-2016 MY Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 diesel vehicles. FCA US believes this will address the agencies' concerns regarding the emissions software calibrations in those vehicles. FCA US also believes that these actions should help facilitate a prompt resolution to ongoing discussions with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and other governmental agencies. FCA US expects that following EPA and CARB approval, owners of the 2014-2016 MY vehicles will be able to receive the software updates at their dealerships. FCA expects that the installation of these updated software calibrations will improve the 2014-2016 MY vehicles' emissions performance and does not anticipate any impact on performance or fuel efficiency.

08:45 EDT Campbell Soup says expects 'modest' sales growth from C-Fresh in Q4

08:43 EDT Medical Properties investing $1.4B in 10 acute care hospitals, 1 health facility - Medical Properties Trust announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire the real estate interests of ten acute care hospitals and one behavioral health facility currently operated by IASIS Healthcare and to be operated by Steward Health Care System LLC when the transaction is completed. The $1.4B real estate transaction will be immediately accretive to normalized FFO per share by approximately 10c and to net income by 5c per share in 2018 assuming all debt financing. Steward and IASIS separately announced a simultaneous merger transaction, completion of which is a condition of MPT's investment. MPT's interests in the hospitals to be acquired will be subject to a master lease and mortgage loan arrangements with cross default provisions and backed by a corporate guaranty. Nine hospitals will be purchased for $700 million and leased back to Steward under the master lease, which has an expiration date of October 31, 2031, and includes three five-year extension terms, resulting in a GAAP yield of 10.2%. The new mortgage loans, also aggregating $700M, have the same contractual terms as the leases. Additionally, MPT is making an attractive $100M preferred equity investment in Steward, which will provide low risk equity-like returns. MPT's pro forma investment of $3.3B in Steward real estate will include MPT's existing investment in hospital real estate leased to IASIS, and generate approximately $298 million in annual revenue split 67% rental income and 33% interest income from mortgages. Expected 2018 EBITDAR rent and interest coverage for all Steward hospitals is 2.8 times. The transaction is expected to close by September 30, 2017, subject to customary approvals and consents. MPT expects to finance the acquisitions with proceeds from a combination of a fully committed $1B term loan with a term up to two years, its revolving credit facility with present availability of approximately $1B and the possible issuance of long-term unsecured notes. The Company intends to maintain its prudent leverage position and does not expect net debt to adjusted EBITDA to exceed 5.7 times.

08:35 EDT CypressFirst urges Cypress shareholders to vote 'GOLD' proxy card - Camillo Martino and J. Daniel McCranie, nominees for election to the Cypress Semiconductor Board of Directors at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholder scheduled to be held on June 8, and T.J. Rodgers, founder and former CEO of Cypress and the company's largest individual stockholder, issued an open letter to Cypress stockholders regarding the upcoming election of directors. The CypressFirst letter, urges Cypress Semiconductor stockholders to vote the GOLD proxy card FOR the election of Dan McCranie and Camillo Martino.

08:32 EDT iFresh announces Ying to replace He as CFO - iFresh announced that the company has appointed Alfred Chung-Chieh Ying as the company's CFO, effective immediately. Ying will replace Peiling He, who stepped down from the CFO position after fulfilling her duties assisting iFresh in its transition to a public operating company upon the completion of the NYM Holding acquisition in February 2017.

08:19 EDT Gap bucks retail trend as Old Navy performance shines - Shares of Gap (GPS) jumped in early trading after the retailer reported quarterly results, including same-store sales, that beat analysts' expectations, bucking the trend of disappointing results in the retail sector. Gap's performance in the quarter was helped by Old Navy, a consistent bright spot for the retailer. EARNINGS BEAT, GUIDANCE BACKED: For the first quarter, Gap reported earnings per share of 36c on revenue of $3.4B, beating analysts' estimates calling for EPS of 29c and revenue of $3.39B. Comparable store sales for the quarter were up 2%, compared with a 5% decrease in the year-ago period. Same-store sales at Old Navy were up 8% vs. a 6% decrease last year. Gap Global and Banana Republic SSS both fell 4%. Looking ahead, Gap backed its fiscal 2017 EPS view of $1.95-$2.05, with comp sales flat to up slight. Net sales for the fiscal year are expected to be slightly below the comp sales range driven by an expected negative impact from foreign currency fluctuations year-over-year, Gap said. Additionally, Gap raised its EPS guidance for the first half of FY17, and now sees EPS down mid-single digits vs. the same period last year, an improvement from previous guidance of down high-single digits. EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY: "Old Navy has a very significant penetration of millennial customers that are engaged in that brand," Chief Executive Officer Art Peck said on the company's earnings conference call. Athleta, Gap's athleisure brand, is an "exceptional performer," Peck added. As far as reports of declining retail traffic, Peck said that while traffic "remains an issue" for the industry, he said he is "inclined to turn this around, just as I'm inclined to say that headwinds are only headwinds if you're facing in the wrong direction." Peck said Gap has a "conversion opportunity, not a traffic problem." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Gap's upbeat results come amid a disappointing quarter for many retailers, with department stores such as Macy's (M), Nordstrom (JWN) and J.C. Penney (JCP) and other retailers including Ralph Lauren (RL) and American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) reporting disappointing results. Bebe Stores (BEBE), which announced in late April that it will close all its stores by the end of May, said this week it hired a liquidation firm to assist with the sale of the inventory and store fixtures. Retailers have been hurt by the increasing popularity of fast-fashion retailers, as well as an increase in online shopping. The issues facing mall-based retailers were reiterated by Urban Outfitters (URBN) CEO Richard Hayne after the company reported a weak first quarter on Tuesday. Urban said total retail segment comps sales registered a "disappointing" 3% decline, well below plan, which drove increased promotional activity and "more margin pressure than we had anticipated." OTHERS TO WATCH: Additional Gap peers include Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and The Buckle (BKE). PRICE ACTION: Gap is up about 4.4% to $24.20 in pre-market trading.

08:08 EDT Student Transportation announces normal course issuer bid - Student Transportation announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has approved its notice of intention to approve its normal course issuer bid for a portion of its common shares as appropriate opportunities arise from time to time. Pursuant to the notice, STI is permitted to acquire up to a maximum number of common shares equal to 9,225,542 common shares, being 10% of the public float as of May 14. STI may begin to purchase common shares on or about May 24 and the normal course issuer bid will expire on May 23, 2018.

08:06 EDT Zayo selected by Northern Virginia data center providers for dark fiber - Zayo Group Holdings announced it has signed multiple contracts in the past three months to deliver dark fiber to large data center providers in Northern Virginia. The providers will rely on Zayo's extensive dark fiber network to connect with other data centers in the area. With nearly 4,000 route miles of fiber in the Washington D.C. andNorthern Virginia tech corridor, Zayo can provide the customers with connectivity to more than 110 data centers, 1,200 on-net enterprise locations and 19 cloud destinations. "The agreements solidify Zayo as the leading fiber infrastructure provider to data center facilities and large enterprises in this corridor, also known as 'data center alley'," said Randy Dunbar, senior VP, Fiber Solutions East Region. "We are aggressively focused on demonstrating our position as the premier dark fiber provider, both in the region and across the U.S. This scale, and our infrastructure expertise, offers a compelling value proposition for potential customers."

08:05 EDT Masimo announces full market release of EWS on the Root hub - Masimo announced the full market release of Early Warning Score on the Root patient monitoring and connectivity hub. EWS aggregates information from multiple vital signs and clinical observations to generate a score that represents the potential degree of patient deterioration.

08:04 EDT Lion Bio reports first patient dosed in second cohort of LN-144 study - Lion Biotechnologies announced that the first patient was dosed in the second cohort of its ongoing Phase 2 trial of LN-144 for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. This cohort utilizes the company's generation 2 manufacturing process which includes cryopreservation of the outbound products. "We are pleased to be able to offer a shorter manufacturing process for TIL to the melanoma patients enrolling in Cohort 2 of LN-144 trial. This process reduces the time from excision to infusion from approximately six weeks to just over three weeks and includes cryopreservation for the outbound product," said CEO Maria Fardis. Lion Biotechnologies will be releasing interim data from the first cohort of this study at the upcoming 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting from June 2-6.

08:03 EDT GGP, Forever 21 partner to launch Riley Rose concept - GGP Inc. and Forever 21 Inc. announced their partnership to introduce an innovative brick-and-mortar experience. The fast-fashion giant will debut Riley Rose, its highly anticipated beauty boutique at 13 GGP regional shopping centers. "Forever 21 is always ready to expand into new concepts, and has partnered with GGP to open stores in 13 of their top tier locations," said Do Won Chang, CEO of Forever 21. "These new, experiential spaces will be focused on accessories, cosmetics and home goods for the millennial consumer. We will open 10 stores in 2017, and follow up with three more in 2018."

08:02 EDT Williams elects Stephen Bergstrom as chairman, effective immediately - The Williams Companies (WMB) announced that Stephen W. Bergstrom has been elected Chairman of the Board, effective immediately. Bergstrom will replace Dr. Kathleen B. Cooper who will become Chair of the Board's Nominating and Governance Committee. Dr. Cooper has served on the Williams Board since 2006. Bergstrom joined the Williams Board in August of 2016 and served as president and chief executive officer of the general partner of American Midstream (AMID) and as executive chairman of the board of directors of the general partner from May 2013 to December 2015.

08:02 EDT Concord Medical to acquire Shanghai ProMed Cancer Center - Concord Medical Services announced that its subsidiary, Meizhong Jiahe Hospital Management Corp., previously known as CMS Hospital Management Co., Ltd, jointly with Guofu Huimei Investment Management Limited Partnership, proposed to acquire Shanghai ProMed Cancer Center, LLC by purchasing existing, and subscribing for newly increased, registered capital of ProMed. The acquisition is pending necessary shareholder approval and governmental filings. MHM will hold 31.64% of the equity interest in ProMed after the completion of the acquisition.

07:49 EDT Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for expanded use of Zykadia - Novartis announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of expanding the use of Zykadia to include the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive. The CHMP recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which holds the authority to approve medicines for the European Union. The EC typically follows the CHMP recommendation and typically issues an approval decision within two months, the company noted.

07:37 EDT TG Therapeutics to present on TG-1101, TGR-1202 at lymphoma conference - TG Therapeutics announced that clinical abstracts featuring TG-1101 and TGR-1202 have been selected for presentation at the upcoming International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma. Abstracts will be included in the Abstract Book available online on Wednesday, June 7, through the ICML meeting website, the company noted.

07:33 EDT Amicus announces planned analysis of ESSENCE trial primary endpoints - Amicus Therapeutics announced it has completed the analysis plan for the primary endpoints in the blinded ongoing Phase 3 clinical study, ESSENCE, of the novel topical medicine SD-101 for epidermolysis bullosa. ESSENCE is a double-blind, placebo-controlled registration study that completed enrollment of more than 160 patients who have a documented diagnosis of Simplex, Recessive Dystrophic, or Junctional non-Herlitz EB. Based on discussions and written communication from the Dermatology Division of the U.S. FDA, Amicus will analyze the primary endpoints for the Phase 3 ESSENCE study as follows: The endpoint of "time to wound closure within 3 months" will be analyzed first. If the difference between SD-101 6% and placebo is statistically significant, then the study will be considered a success; If the first endpoint is statistically significant, then "proportion of patients with target wound closure at month 3" will be analyzed and considered statistically significant at p less than or equal to 0.05. Amicus said it is on track to report top-line data from the ESSENCE study during the third quarter of 2017. To date, more than 95% of patients completing the 3-month primary treatment period have elected to continue in the open-label extension study. Jay Barth, Chief Medical Officer of Amicus, said, "We believe that the planned analysis of the primary endpoints increases our overall likelihood for success in the Phase 3 ESSENCE study of SD-101 for epidermolysis bullosa."

07:22 EDT Campbell Soup CEO says rebounded with sales growth in March, April

07:21 EDT Avon Products names James Thompson as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer - Avon Products announced the appointment of James Thompson as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, effective August 1. James will report directly to Avon's CEO Sheri McCoy, and will be based at Avon's headquarters in London, UK. James previously served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to Chiquita Brands International for nine years.

07:07 EDT PPG, Vision Systems to develop aircraft window shading applications - PPG and Vision Systems have reached a commercial agreement to work together on developing new applications utilizing Vision Systems' electronically dimmable window shading solutions for aircraft. The agreement provides a framework for PPG and Vision Systems to pursue opportunities in commercial, regional, military and general aviation applications that capitalize on each company's expertise. Vision Systems' dimmable window solutions offer instant response time for changing light transmittance and have no size limitations relative to aircraft transparency applications. The dimmable windows can be controlled individually by a seatside wired or wireless interface or cabinwide through the aircraft cabin window management system. Vision Systems developed its latest-generation Nuance V2 dimmable window through its Smart Lite division devoted to the design, production and sales of new electronically dimmable solutions. It is based on suspended particle device film technology licensed from Research Frontiers and an innovative Vision Systems interlayer that offers unprecedented optical quality with 2.5% haze, 100% clarity and 99.6% blockage of visible light with the ultra-dark version of the Nuance product.

07:03 EDT Destination XL says on track to generate free cash flow of $15M-$20M - The company commented, "A recent report, which has been repeated by various media outlets, has called into question our ability to repay our debt. This report inaccurately assesses our financial position and business outlook. We ended fiscal 2016 with over $57.0 million of unused, excess availability under our credit facility and a Debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.0x. We remain on track to generate free cash flow of $15 to $20 million which will be used to repay our debt and repurchase our shares in the open market."

07:01 EDT Copa Holdings reports April system-wide passenger traffic up 16.5% - For the month of April, Copa Holdings' system-wide passenger traffic increased 16.5% year over year, while capacity increased 6.3%. As a result, system load factor for April was 83.4%, a 7.3 percentage point increase when compared to April 2016.

06:51 EDT Supervalu, Unified Grocers announce early termination of HSR waiting period - SUPERVALU and Unified Grocers announced that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, with respect to SUPERVALU's proposed acquisition of Unified Grocers. The early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies a closing condition for the transaction. The transaction is also subject to approval by Unified Grocers' shareholders. Unified Grocers has set June 22, 2017 for its shareholder meeting. The acquisition is currently expected to close in late June, and remains subject to other customary closing conditions.

06:50 EDT Deere reports Q2 Agriculture & Turf sales up 1% - Net sales of the worldwide equipment operations increased 2 percent for the quarter and 1 percent for the first six months compared with the same periods a year ago. Sales included price realization of 2 percent for both periods. Foreign-currency rates did not have a material translation effect on net sales for either the quarter or first six months compared with the same periods in the prior year. Equipment net sales in the United States and Canada decreased 5 percent for the quarter and were down 6 percent for the first six months. Outside the U.S. and Canada, net sales increased 14 percent for the quarter and 13 percent for the first six months, with no material effect of currency translation in either period. Construction and forestry sales increased 7 percent for the quarter and 1 percent for six months, mainly as a result of higher shipment volumes and price realization, partially offset by higher warranty costs. Net income attributable to John Deere Capital Corporation was $64.5 million for the second quarter and $138.7 million year to date, compared with $69.6 million and $169.4 million for the respective periods last year. The decline for both periods was primarily due to less-favorable financing spreads, higher selling, administrative and general expenses including voluntary employee-separation expenses, and a lower average portfolio, partially offset by lower losses on lease residual values. Net receivables and leases financed by JDCC were $32.015 billion at April 30, 2017, compared with $33.208 billion at May 1, 2016.

06:48 EDT Foot Locker CFO says 'overall financial position remains very strong' - "Our overall financial position remains very strong," said Lauren Peters, Executive Vice President and CFO. "In addition, the tight inventory discipline we have maintained over the last several years is serving us well now, because even with first quarter sales that ran below expectations, we believe our inventory is still well positioned to drive improved top line results over the balance of the year. At the same time, we are aggressively reviewing and implementing opportunities to lower expenses as we work to achieve a mid-single digit EPS increase for the full year."

06:46 EDT Foot Locker CEO says Q1 'one of our most profitable quarters ever' - "The first quarter was one of our most profitable quarters ever, but it did fall short of our original expectations," said Richard Johnson, Chairman of the Board and CEO. "The slow start we experienced in February, which we believe was largely due to the delay in income tax refunds, was unfortunately not fully offset by much stronger sales in March and April. Nonetheless, we believe our banners remain at the center of a vibrant sneaker culture. We are confident that our customers have not lost their tremendous appetite for athletic footwear and apparel and that our position in the industry is stronger than ever."

06:03 EDT Spotify acquires Paris-based machine learning startup Niland - Spotify said in a statement, "We are pleased to welcome Paris-based machine learning startup Niland to the Spotify family. Niland has changed the game for how AI technology can optimize music search and recommendation capabilities and shares Spotify's passion for surfacing the right content to the right user at the right time. The team from Niland will join our New York office and help Spotify continue innovating and improving our recommendation and personalization technologies resulting in more music discovery which benefits both fans and artists. Their innovative approach to AI and machine learning based recommendation systems is a perfect fit for the Spotify team." Spotify competes with Pandora (P), Apple Music (AAPL), Google Play (GOOGL, GOOG) and Amazon Music (AMZN).

05:34 EDT Shire to highlight new research into chronic hypoparathyroidism at ECE - Shire announced new research to be presented on rhPTH(1-84) and on the treatment and management of chronic hypoparathyroidism at the upcoming 19th Annual Meeting of the European Congress of Endocrinology, 20-23 May, Lisbon, Portugal. The data being shared provides valuable new insights into chronic hypoparathyroidism, including the long term treatment effect of rhPTH(1-84), extensive global registry data on a number of disease related variables, and patient-reported outcome data on symptoms related to the disease from the Hypoparathyroidism Symptom Diary. These data demonstrate Shire's long term commitment to improving our understanding of this rare condition in order to further improve the lives of people living with chronic hypoparathyroidism. At the congress, there will be three poster presentations on chronic hypoparathyroidism and two satellite symposia.