Stockwinners Market Radar for May 31, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EDT Ritchie Bros. closes IronPlanet acquisition, enters alliance with Caterpillar - Ritchie Bros. (RBA) announced it completed its acquisition of IronPlanet, an online marketplace for heavy equipment and other durable assets. Ritchie Bros. acquired IronPlanet for approximately $758.5M. The transaction is expected to be earnings accretive within the first year, excluding acquisition costs. Later this year, Ritchie Bros. will combine its online EquipmentOne brand with the IronPlanet DailyMarketplace, "creating a harmonized brand offering called Marketplace E that gives customers more ways to set reserve pricing." The company will be combining the Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet sales forces in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Territory and Strategic Account Managers will be positioned as solution sellers and offer customers three main product offerings: RBA integrated unreserved onsite auctions; IronPlanet weekly featured auctions and Marketplace E, an IronPlanet solution. Mascus, Kruse Energy and GovPlanet will continue to remain as stand-alone businesses with stand-alone sales teams. As a part of the acquisition, Ritchie Bros. also enters into an initial five-year strategic alliance with Caterpillar (CAT) which is expected to "strengthen its relationship with Caterpillar's independent dealers around the world by providing them enhanced and continued access to a global auction marketplace to sell their used equipment." The company also will continue to coordinate and manage Cat auctions in respective Cat dealer geographies. Greg Owens, former CEO of IronPlanet, is named Group President, New Sectors & Ventures and will oversee all aspects of the Cat Strategic Alliance, GovPlanet and Kruse Energy. He will also explore ventures to enter new sectors and businesses, both organically and through acquisitions. "In 2H17, we will focus on aligning and unifying the company, optimizing the integration, starting to achieve synergies and getting the organization ready for a fast start in 2018 to deliver growth and add shareholder value," commented Ritchie CEO Ravi Saligram. Ritchie Bros. will maintain its global headquarters and technology presence in Vancouver and confirmed that Pleasanton, CA, IronPlanet's headquarters, will also be one of its key technology hubs. The company will optimize its U.S. office network over the next few years and establish a small commercial hub in the western suburbs of Chicago in the fall of 2017.

18:55 EDT Goldcorp completes sale of Cerro Blanco to Bluestone - Goldcorp announced it completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Cerro Blanco gold-silver project, located in Guatemala, to Bluestone Resources. Goldcorp received approximately $18M in cash, a 1% net smelter return royalty on production, the right to receive about 3.1M common shares of Bluestone, and 258,805 share purchase warrants. Goldcorp will receive an additional $15M in cash within six months of commencement of commercial production at Cerro. As part of the transaction Goldcorp has granted Bluestone a right of first refusal with respect to the purchase of certain assets and equipment at the Marlin mine, also located in Guatemala, and received a $2M non-refundable deposit from Bluestone to be applied against future purchases.

18:33 EDT Radius Health 10% owner Biotech Growth acquires 40,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Radius Health 10% owner Biotech Growth disclosed the purchase of 40,000 common shares of the company at a price of $34.2087 per share. The transaction brings Biotech Growth's total direct common stock ownership to 5,038,799 shares.

18:01 EDT MannKind, BIOMM enter into distribution pact for Afrezza in Brazil - MannKind Corporatin and BIOMM announced that they have entered into a supply and distribution agreement for the commercialization of Afrezza Inhalation Powder in Brazil. Under the supply and distribution agreement, Biomm will be responsible for preparing and filing the necessary applications for regulatory approval of Afrezza, including from the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria and, with respect to pricing matters, from the Camara de Regulacao de Mercado de Medicamentos. Upon satisfactory approval from these regulatory bodies, MannKind will manufacture and supply Afrezza to Biomm, and Biomm will be responsible for promoting and distributing Afrezza within Brazil.

17:45 EDT Fosun consortium to acquire stake in Polyus - A Fosun consortium announced entry into a share purchase agreement on May 31 pursuant to which it agreed to acquire 10% of Polyus at $70.60 per share for a maximum consideration of approximately $887M, with the option to increase the purchase to 15%. Reference Link

17:40 EDT Ligand says Aziyo acquires commercial products from partner CorMatrix - Ligand Pharmaceuticals announced it will receive $10M from a contractually specified royalty rate buy-down following the sale by CorMatrix Cardiovascular of rights to its commercial pericardial repair and CanGaroo Envelope extracellular matrix products to Aziyo Biologics. In May 2016, Ligand acquired rights to royalties on these products and several pipeline ECM programs from CorMatrix for $17.5M. Under the terms of the original transaction, Ligand was entitled to a $10M payment if, upon acquisition, the new owner elected to buy-down the royalty rate. As a result of this transaction, Ligand will receive a 5% royalty on these commercial products from Aziyo, down from the original 20% royalty with CorMatrix. As part of the royalty rate reduction, Aziyo has agreed to pay Ligand up to $10M of additional sales-based milestones tied to the commercial success of the currently-marketed products and to extend the term on these royalties by one year. Ligand's rights to potential royalties from CorMatrix upon the successful development of its remaining pipeline ECM programs remain unchanged. "This transaction repays the majority of the initial royalty purchase price, adds $10 million of new potential milestones and extends the term for royalties to be earned from the underlying ECM products. Ligand also retains rights to royalties on pipeline products being developed by CorMatrix. Overall, this transaction improves the value of the deal," commented CEO John Higgins.

17:31 EDT Dish's Sling TV adds traditional TV guide view - Dish's Sling TV announced: "Today we're announcing some new updates to the user interface for Android users, which will begin to roll out to users today. We will continue to roll updates to all Android users in the next several days, and will expand these UI updates to additional devices in the coming weeks... To make it easier than ever to see what's on and what's coming up, we added a new grid guide option. While this addition isn't 'revolutionary,' you'll be right at home with the traditional TV guide view. Believe it or not, following DVR, the grid guide has consistently been our most requested feature from Sling TV customers... In addition to grid guide and the new MyTV ribbons, we're also unveiling a new screen in the next few weeks, dedicated to your favorite TV shows." Reference Link

17:26 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Palo Alto Networks (PANW), up 12.4%... Box (BOX), up 3.5%. ALSO HIGHER: Asanko Gold (AKG), up 18.6% after it refuted the recent short report issued by Muddy Waters... Minerva (NERV), up 15.2% after it amended its agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals (JNJ) related to MIN-202... FireEye (FEYE), up 1.3% after Palo Alto Networks reported better than expected results for the third quarter and provided an upbeat guidance for the fiscal fourth quarter. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Semtech (SMTC), down 4.3%... HP Enterprise (HPE), down 2%.

17:23 EDT Callon Petroleum boosts borrowing base 30% to $650M - Callon Petroleum announced it has entered into an amended and restated credit agreement with respect to the senior secured revolving credit facility. The agreement extends the maturity date of the Facility until May 25, 2022, increases the borrowing base by 30% to $650M and increases the maximum commitments of the lenders from $500M to $2B. The 30% increase in the borrowing base amount reflects the significant reserve growth from the company's existing Midland Basin assets in addition to the contribution from its recently acquired Delaware Basin assets. In addition, the amended and restated credit agreement provides Callon the ability, subject to certain conditions, to elect the amount of the aggregate commitments under the Facility up to the amount of the borrowing base then in effect.

17:12 EDT TPG Group Holdings reports 16.7% stake in Superior Industries

17:01 EDT Glen Capital Partners reports 5.26% passive stake in Regional Management

16:53 EDT First Data says partners with Rhode Island on government innovation center - First Data announced the company will partner with the state of Rhode Island to serve as a founding member of a Providence-based smart government innovation center. "The center will be the first such research partnership of its kind for First Data, and will leverage innovative research developed with the state's leading educational institutions to address evolving needs in the public sector for data-driven policy design. First Data will be the inaugural partner for the center, and it is expected that more for-profit organizations will join the effort... The smart government center will leverage First Data's expertise within the FinTech industry and its premier data and analytics capabilities to produce research and analytical tools with government applications. The tools developed by the center will be designed for eventual use by other local and state government agencies through pilot programs," the company said.

16:49 EDT Palo Alto Networks sees Q4 billings $625M-$645M - Sees Q4 product revenue $188M-$191M. Sees Q4 CapEx roughly $55M. Guidance taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

16:45 EDT Carson Block: Photos of wall failure at Asanko Gold mine 'valid' - Carson Block of Muddy Waters is speaking on Bloomberg TV.

16:41 EDT Net 1 UEPS appoints Alfred Mockett to its board of directors - Net 1 UEPS Technologies announced the appointment of Mr. Alfred Mockett as an independent non-employee director of the Company, effective June 1, 2017. He will also serve on the nominating and corporate governance, audit and remuneration committees.Mr. Mockett's career spans more than 30 years of guiding publicly and privately held corporations worldwide. He has served as chief executive officer of Dex One Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed provider of online, mobile and print marketing solutions, chairman and chief executive officer of Motive Inc, a NASDAQ-listed provider of broadband and mobile service management software, chairman and chief executive officer of American Management Systems, a billion dollar NYSE-listed consulting firm to the global financial services and communications industries, and chief executive officer of British Telecommunications divisions and subsidiaries: BT Ignite, BT Worldwide, BT Global Communications, and BT Special Businesses. Mr. Mockett currently serves as non-executive chairman of Hibu Group Limited and non-executive director of Corporate Risk Holdings LLC.

16:35 EDT Transocean sells jackup fleet to Borr Drilling - Transocean announced that it has completed the previously disclosed transaction to sell its jackup fleet to Borr Drilling Limited for a total consideration of approximately $1.35 billion. The sale included the company's 10 high-specification jackups and five jackups under construction at Keppel FELS Limited's shipyard in Singapore.The company received cash of approximately $320 million associated with the sale. Additionally, the transaction transfers to Borr the company's remaining financial obligations related to the five jackups under construction at Keppel. Transocean is expected to continue operating the three jackups working in Thailand until the current drilling contracts expire and will reflect the associated revenue and expenses in income from continuing operations. "The sale of our jackup fleet is consistent with our strategic goal of remaining the industry's undisputed leader in the ultra-deepwater and harsh environment markets, where our high quality assets, unmatched operational experience and trusted customer relationships provide us with a clear competitive advantage," said Jeremy Thigpen, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Further," added Mark Mey, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, "this transaction is consistent with our goal of enhancing liquidity to provide greater strategic optionality. We have taken an impairment of approximately $1.6 billion in relation to the sale of the jackup fleet to Borr, but continue to remain comfortably within our debt to tangible capitalization ratio in our revolving credit facility."

16:32 EDT PG&E raises quarterly dividend 4c to 53c per share - PG&E announced it is raising its quarterly common stock dividend by 4c per share to 53c per share, beginning with the dividend for the second quarter. On an annual basis, this action increases PG&E's dividend by 8%, from $1.96 per share to $2.12 per share. "This represents another significant step toward returning our dividend payout to levels in line with those of similar energy companies. Offering a comparable dividend positions PG&E to more cost-effectively raise capital to support continued major investments in safety, reliability and clean energy on behalf of our customers," said PG&E CEO and President Geisha Williams.

16:32 EDT AutoNation appoints Lance Iserman as COO and Executive VP of Sales - AutoNation Western Region President Lance Iserman has been named Executive VP of Sales and COO. Iserman has over 30 years of retail automotive experience and over 15 years of experience within the AutoNation organization. AutoNation also named Steve Kwak, Western Region President. Kwak has been a part of the Western Region management team for 12 years.

16:30 EDT Minerva announces amended agreement for MIN-202 in insomnia - Minerva Neurosciences (NERV) announced that it has entered into a binding term sheet to amend its co-development and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica (JNJ) related to MIN-202, a selective orexin-2 receptor antagonist, and to repurchase all Minerva shares owned by Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC. This amendment and the stock repurchase are conditional upon the closing of the pending acquisition of Actelion Ltd. by affiliates of Janssen and approval by the European Commission. Under the amended agreement, Minerva will gain global strategic control of the development of MIN-202 to treat insomnia, and Janssen will forego its right to royalties on MIN-202 insomnia sales in Minerva territories. Minerva will retain its current rights to MIN-202 as adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder, which include an exclusive license in the European Union, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway, with royalties payable by Minerva to Janssen, and royalties on sales payable by Janssen to Minerva elsewhere worldwide. Payments to Minerva by Janssen under this new agreement include an upfront payment of $30 million, $20 million at the start of a Phase 3 insomnia trial for MIN-202 and $20 million when 50% of the patients are enrolled in this trial. Janssen will waive the remaining payments due from Minerva for Phase 2 development of MIN-202, which total approximately $13 million. Minerva will assume all financial responsibility for Phase 3 development costs for MIN-202 in insomnia. All Minerva stock currently owned by Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc. totaling approximately 3.9 million shares and representing approximately 10% of total Minerva shares outstanding will be repurchased by Minerva at par value of $.0001 per share or approximately $389 in total. "We view the new agreement with Janssen as a structure that will ensure a more focused and efficient clinical development of MIN-202 in insomnia by Minerva," said Dr. Remy Luthringer, president and chief executive officer of Minerva. "We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Janssen while accelerating the clinical advancement of our portfolio. In addition, the infusion of financial resources under this agreement significantly extends Minerva's financial runway." Minerva expects that these combined financial resources will support the development of MIN-101, its lead product candidate to treat negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and the development of MIN-202 in insomnia and MDD to the end of 2019. Within that time frame, Minerva expects to generate data readouts from its planned Phase 3 trial with MIN-101 and three Phase 2b trials with MIN-202 in both indications. Additional clinical activities planned during that period include a Phase 2 trial with MIN-117 and a Phase 1 trial with MIN-301.

16:21 EDT Emerson Radio extends repurchase program to December 31 - Emerson Radio announced that its board has extended the Company's current stock repurchase program to December 31, 2017. As previously announced, the program allows for the repurchase of up to $5M of the Company's common stock.

16:19 EDT Box reports Q1 free cash flow $4M vs. ($16.2M) last year - Reports Q1 cash flow from operations $8.5M vs. ($4.2M) last year.

16:16 EDT Genesee & Wyoming completes acquisition of Atlantic Western Transportation - Genesee & Wyoming announced it has completed its acquisition of the shares of Atlantic Western Transportation, parent company of Heart of Georgia Railroad. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. HOG will be managed as one of G&W's Coastal Region railroads, led by Senior Vice President Andy Chunko.

16:12 EDT AmpliPhi Regulus appoints Grint as CEO, says CEO Salka resigns - AmpliPhi Biosciences (APHB) announced the appointment of Paul Grint as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Grint has served on the Company's board of directors since November 2015 and "has more than two decades of executive leadership experience in biologics and small molecule development, including the successful development and commercialization of anti-infective products," the company noted. M. Scott Salka has resigned as CEO and director of AmpliPhi, and will serve as a consultant to the Company during a transition period. Grint previously served as President and CEO of Regulus Therapeutics (RGLS). "The board is delighted that Paul has agreed to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer at this critical time. His extensive experience in product development, clinical trials, drug approvals and anti-infectives will serve AmpliPhi well as our focus transitions to clinical development of phage therapies for patients with serious or life-threatening infections," said Jeremy Curnock Cook, Chairman.

16:09 EDT TapImmune expects to reach several clinical milestone over next 18 months - "TapImmune is entering a period where we expect to reach several substantive clinical milestones over the next 18 months," said Dr. Glynn Wilson, Chairman and CEO of TapImmune. "By the end of 2017, we expect to have four active Phase 2 studies ongoing in multiple high-need cancers, including clinical studies sponsored by our top-tier partners, the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Two of the planned Phase 2 studies are fully funded by approximately $17 million in U.S. Government grants to the Mayo Clinic, which continues to be a significant source of non-dilutive clinical funding. Based on the breadth of our pipeline, we believe TapImmune is the only immune-oncology company of our size that is poised to generate such substantial value through the continued development of our novel vaccine candidates. We look forward to advancing our extensive pipeline and to translating our anticipated clinical milestones in to multiple value inflection points for our shareholders." Dr. Wilson continued, "Adding to this position of clinical strength is our earlier stage PolyStart technology platform, which is designed to improve antigen expression compared to current vaccines. We continue to generate encouraging in vitro and in vivo data that demonstrate how PolyStart may be able to enhance the potency of virtually any expression-based vaccine. Once matured, we expect that TapImmune will benefit from multiple opportunities to leverage this next-generation technology, both to continue expanding our in-house oncology pipeline, as well as to out-license PolyStart to strategic partners developing vaccines for infectious disease. We plan to explore several ways to monetize this valuable and proprietary platform."

16:05 EDT Itron appoints Hooper as CFO - Itron announced that Joan Hooper has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective June 5. She most recently served as the CFO of CHC Helicopter, a helicopter services company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia from 2011 to 2015. Hooper will take over the CFO role from Robert Farrow, Itron's interim CFO since March 2017. Farrow will remain with the company as its vice president, strategic planning and treasury.

16:03 EDT Fenix Parts gets Nasdaq filing extension - Fenix Parts announced that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel issued a decision granting the Company's request for an extension to file its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2017.The Company's continued listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market is subject to, among other things, the Company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission its 2016 Form 10-K by June 9, 2017 and its March 31, 2017 Form 10-Q by July 14, 2017. In addition, on or before August 14, 2017, the Company is required to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2017. The Company continues to be actively engaged with its independent auditors to expedite, to the extent possible, the completion of its annual audit and quarterly review so that the 2016 Form 10-K and March 31, 2017 Form 10-Q may be filed with the SEC as soon as possible.

16:02 EDT Asanko reiterates 'strength' of mining business, refutes Muddy Waters report - Asanko Gold reiterated prior disclosure regarding the "strength" of its gold mining business and pipeline of growth projects and "strongly advised" shareholders to disregard a short report issued by Muddy Waters. "There is no merit to the negative assertions about Asanko in the report. Asanko reaffirmed plans for a June 5 release of its Expansion Definitive Feasibility Study that details the company's organic growth pipeline and confirms the strong cash generating capability of an expanded Asanko Gold Mine... The side wall issue was previously disclosed and has not materially impacted our ability to operate. We maintain our production guidance of 230,000-240,000 ounces for 2017, which we continue to expect will generate between $64M-$77M in cash this year assuming $1,200/oz gold. The short report has no merit and our upcoming Expansion Definitive Feasibility Study will by itself provide a complete rebuttal to Muddy Water's technical claims and will also make other information available to refute the non-technical allegations... Asanko's president and CEO Peter Breese and chairman Colin Steyn have regularly purchased Asanko shares and have not sold any Asanko shares. The 2015 transaction referred to in the Muddy Waters report was nothing more than a change of indirect to direct holdings amongst shareholders within a private company," the company said.

15:57 EDT NRC to issue new reactor license to Dominion for North Anna - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized the issuance of a Combined License for Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna site in Virginia. The license grants Dominion permission to build and operate an Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor design at the site, near Mineral, Va. The Commission authorized the agency's Office of New Reactors to issue the license following a hearing on March 23. The Commission found the staff's review of Dominion's application to be adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings. NRC expects to issue the license in the next few days. Reference Link

15:55 EDT Tesaro jumps 12% after report of exploring possible sale

15:19 EDT comScore expands partnership with Charter Communications - comScore announced an agreement with Charter Communications to expand its integration of Charter's aggregated and anonymized television data from all U.S. markets into comScore's TV measurement service. The expansion includes all Charter Spectrum markets added from its transactions with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, as well as viewing information from Charter's Spectrum TV Everywhere application. The expanded footprint will encompass all Charter Spectrum markets, including New York and Los Angeles. With the addition of these new markets, comScore's massive and passive television measurement services will cover over 35 million homes and 75 million televisions. With the inclusion of viewing information from Charter's Spectrum TV Everywhere application, comScore continues to expand its cross-platform measurement solutions. "This expansion cements our ongoing relationship with Charter and continues to allow comScore to help our advertising industry clients make more informed decisions," said comScore's Chief Executive Officer Gian Fulgoni.

15:02 EDT Senator Grassley says taxpayers estimated to have overpaid $1.27B for EpiPen - Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, announced that he received an estimate from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General that the taxpayers may have overpaid for EpiPen by as much as $1.27B from 2006 through 2016, far more than the $465M that the company reported it had agreed to in settlement negotiations with the Justice Department. Grassley noted that he has pressed EpiPen maker Mylan and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for documentation and answers on why EpiPen was misclassified under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, resulting in overcharges to the states and taxpayers. Reference Link

14:40 EDT Delta says testing biometric boarding pass experience - Delta announced it is testing a biometric boarding pass experience at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, "allowing eligible Delta SkyMiles Members to forego a paper or mobile boarding pass and hard copy ID in favor of using fingerprints as proof of identity at the Delta Sky Club." Phase two of the test would allow members to use their fingerprints to check a bag, check in at the Delta Sky Club and board a flight, the company noted, adding that the experiment sets "the foundation for Delta to deliver a more convenient customer experience broadly in the future."

14:25 EDT Extreme Networks wins bid for Avaya's networking business - Extreme Networks announced that it is the winning bidder to acquire Avaya's networking business. The assets of Avaya's networking business unit will therefore be sold to Extreme for approximately $100M, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the asset purchase agreement entered into March 7. The final agreement has been approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and is expected to close on or shortly after July 1, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

14:00 EDT Morgan Stanley: Deposit growth 'pretty consistent' with asset growth - Says profit should improve on fewer recruting bonuses. Says deposit growth has stayed "pretty consistent" with asset growth over the years. Comments taken from Deutsche Bank 7th Annual Global Financial Services Conference.

13:51 EDT Alphabet CFO sees big opportunity in cloud - Alphabet CFO Roth Porat is speaking at the Code Conference.

13:46 EDT Musk to leave President's councils if Trump exits climate accord - In response to a question on Twitter about what he'd do if President Trump withdraws from the Paris climate accord, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case."

13:43 EDT Morgan Stanley's Saperstein: Wealth Management activity moderated at end of Q1 - Morgan Stanley Wealth Management co-CEO Andy Saperstein said that wealth client transactional activity "quite strong" at beginning of 2017, began to moderate towards end of Q1. Says view of the market ranges from "cautious" to "wait-and-see." Says clients lack conviction right now, since there are many unknowns. Says company will be in complete compliance with DoL regulations. Comments taken from Deutsche Bank 7th Annual Global Financial Services Conference.

13:27 EDT Citron cautious on Wayfair again as Wal-Mart launches ad campaign for Hayneedle - Citron Research, which has made frequent cautious comments about Wayfair, tweeted "add this to F#$ $W column. Today WalMart starts natl commercials for Hayneedle.No aquisition there" along with a link to an article discussing the retail giant's rollout of a national advertising campaign for Hayneedle, the online furniture and home decor retailer it acquired as part of its deal to buy Jet.com. Reference Link

13:20 EDT Netflix CEO: No conflict of interest yet with Facebook board role - Asked at Recode's Code Conference about his position on the Facebook (FB) board and whether he's had to step out of any meetings due to conflicts of interest as the company eyes increased video content, Netflix (NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings said, "There's not a big conflict yet. They're not doing 'House of Cards.' We're not bidding on the same shows."

13:10 EDT Netflix CEO: 'No plans' for advertising on platform

13:06 EDT Reed Hastings: Probably assessed China regulatory challenges wrong

13:04 EDT Netflix CEO: 'Both Amazon and us have little footholds' in India

13:02 EDT Goldman Sachs: IPO activity still muted, but still sees some upside

13:01 EDT Goldman's Solomon: Capital markets environment 'good,' but 'not really robust'

12:59 EDT Netflix CEO: Theater owners will 'eventually' allow more choice on windowing

12:55 EDT Netflix CEO: 'Just getting started' on movies - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is speaking at the Code Conference.

12:40 EDT FG Alpha on Ominto statement: 'Don't think I have ever seen a weaker response' - FG Alpha Management, which yesterday published a short report on Ominto, weighed in on the company's response this afternoon to its report: "I don't think I have ever seen a weaker response." Reference Link

12:35 EDT AT&T says game changer in 5G is latency - Comments are from AT&T at the Cowen and Company 45th Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.

12:26 EDT Citron calls UnitedHealth coverage of Exact Sciences a negative - Citron Research views UnitedHealth's (UNH) coverage of Cologuard as a negative for Exact Sciences (EXAS), claiming Exact had to lower the price of the test, making it unprofitable. Shares of Exact are up 10% to $35.80 in midday trading. Reference Link

12:22 EDT Avinger reports 'positive' 2-year clinical data from VISION study - Avinger announced positive two-year clinical data from the pivotal VISION study of the company's Lumivascular technology. The VISION study was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Avinger's Pantheris system to perform directional atherectomy while, for the first time ever, allowing physicians to use real-time intravascular imaging to aid in the removal of plaque from diseased lower extremity arteries. Data from the study, which demonstrated successful achievement of all primary and secondary safety and effectiveness endpoints, supported U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510k clearance of the system in 2016. Twenty four month follow-up results from 89 patients were presented by Patrick Muck, M.D., Chief of Vascular Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, at New Cardiovascular Horizons in New Orleans, Louisiana. This includes an additional 34 patients beyond the interim data set presented on January 25, 2017. Data presented today remain subject to adjustment based on final statistical analysis and review by the study's clinical events committee. "The complete VISION 24-month data demonstrates positive longer-term sustained results for patients treated with Pantheris, and importantly, these patients have largely avoided the need for a repeat procedure in a two-year timeframe," commented Dr. Muck. "Considering that the outcomes were generated at the hands of brand new users with a first-generation clinical trial device, such positive results represent an important step forward for Pantheris in the clinical setting." "These excellent results continue to reinforce our enthusiasm for the Pantheris System," said Dr. John B. Simpson, Avinger's Founder and Executive Chairman. "We are gratified that Lumivascular technology is improving the lives of patients with PAD, including many facing amputation. In the meantime we continue to refine the system, with Pantheris 3.0, our next-generation atherectomy catheter, and a lower-profile Pantheris device currently in development."

12:15 EDT Ominto says short report includes 'false and misleading' statements - Ominto provided the following statement in response to a recent report published on the company: "A report recently published on Ominto includes false and misleading statements which we believe are aimed at manipulating the Company's stock. The claims made in the report are meritless. We remain focused on realizing our business objectives, building on our leadership position in global Cash Back shopping."

12:06 EDT United Technologies validates growth option for F135 engine - Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies, announced the successful completion of performance testing of its Fuel Burn Reduction Demonstrator Engine. Based on this success, Pratt & Whitney can now offer a Growth Option 1.0 upgrade configuration for the F135 engine, which powers the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. The engine testing, conducted at Pratt & Whitney's West Palm Beach, FL, facility, verified this upgrade can provide a 5 to 6 percent fuel burn improvement and a 6 to10 percent thrust increase across the F-35 flight envelope. While the current production F135 engine meets today's performance requirements, an F135 propulsion upgrade would enable future capability improvements associated with the F-35 weapon system's block upgrade program. Pratt & Whitney has been working through the Navy-sponsored F135 Fuel Burn Reduction and Air Force-sponsored Component and Engine Structural Assessment Research technology maturation programs to develop a suite of compressor and turbine technologies, which can be used to enhance the performance of the F135 engine by decreasing fuel burn, increasing thrust, and improving hot section durability. "Based on the demonstrated improvements, we see a potential path forward with the Growth Option 1.0 configuration for the F135 engine that could benefit the global fleet of F-35s in the near term at low technical risk and low cost, should the program desire an upgraded engine in the future," said Matthew Bromberg, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "The performance benefits of increased thrust and reduced fuel burn will provide even greater capability with respect to combat mission radius, acceleration, and sustained turn rate, as well as enable improvements in powered lift thrust."

12:04 EDT Pratt & Whitney certifies engine for Embraer E-Jet E2 aircraft - Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan PW1900G engine received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies (UTX) .The PW1900G engine powers the two largest aircraft in Embraer's (ERJ) second generation of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft. The E190-E2 took its first flight in May 2016 and the E195-E2's first flight was on March 29.

11:44 EDT Chevron Chairman and CEO Watson says 'well positioned' with strong portfolio - Chevron provided an overview of the company's 2016 operational and social performance and future growth plans for the company at its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Midland, Texas. "2016 was a transition year for Chevron and the industry," said John Watson, chairman of the board and CEO. "We took significant actions to reduce costs, limit cash consumption and protect the balance sheet. As oil prices improved, recovery in earnings was evident in the second half of the year. This progress has continued into 2017." Watson reiterated that he is confident about the company's future. "We are well positioned with a strong portfolio and the right business model, including a profitable downstream and chemical business and an upstream portfolio of shorter cycle opportunities, highlighted by our enviable position in the Permian Basin," said Watson. "Our long-term strength is also underpinned by projects in Kazakhstan, Australia, the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and attractive future options in West Africa, South America, Asia and North America." As reported during the meeting, the preliminary report of the Inspector of Elections was as follows: An average of 97 percent of the votes cast were voted for each of the 12 nominees for election to the board of directors. Approximately 88 percent of the votes cast were voted, on an advisory basis, in favor of an annual advisory vote on named executive officer compensation. Approximately 94 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding a report on business with conflict-complicit governments. Approximately 73 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding a report on transition to a low carbon economy. Approximately 61 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal to require an independent chairman. Approximately 69 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal to set the special meetings threshold at 10 percent.

11:38 EDT Discover says 'not scared' of traditional M&A

11:36 EDT Netflix CEO says "Glow" could have biggest impact on company - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is speaking on CNBC.

11:31 EDT Netflix CEO says has 'lots to learn' in Asian markets - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is speaking on CNBC.

11:28 EDT Netflix has 'no plans' on news and sports, CEO says - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is speaking on CNBC.

11:24 EDT Netflix CEO says cord cutting driven mostly by pricing, will be 'long and slow' - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is speaking on CNBC.

11:17 EDT ViaSat says ViaSat-2 in final launch preparation, sees launch on June 1 - ViaSat announced its ViaSat-2 satellite is in the final launch preparation stage at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. ViaSat-2 is scheduled to launch on June 1, in a one hour launch window commencing at 4:45 pm PDT.

11:14 EDT Discover CFO says not seeing signs of cyclical turn in credit quality in U.S. - Comment taken from the Deutsche Bank Global Financial Services Conference.

10:51 EDT Asanko Gold trading halted, news pending

10:45 EDT Navico: ITC determines Garmin violated cease-and-desist orders - Navico announced that an Enforcement Initial Determination filed by an International Trade Commission Administrative Law Judge on May 25, 2017 finds that Garmin violated the cease-and-desist orders issued in 2015 regarding the importation and sale of products featuring DownVu scanning sonar technology. The Judge recommends a $37M fine for violating the ITC orders. Additional details of the EID are expected to be made public in June. In the newly issued EID, the Administrative Law Judge also determined that Garmin's previously touted "design-around" DownVu solution with a tilted transducer element also infringes upon Navico's sonar technology patents.

10:38 EDT New York Times establishes 'Reader Center,' led by Hanna Ingber - The New York Times said yesterday that it is establishing a Reader Center "to capitalize on our readers's knowledge and experience, using their voices to make our journalism even better. Our readers are among our greatest strengths, helping us to distinguish ourselves from all of our competitors." The Times continues, "To lead this important initiative, we are turning to one of our smartest and most digitally savvy journalists: Hanna Ingber. Hanna, currently an editor on the international desk, will head a team that will partner with reporters, columnists and editors in the newsroom and in opinion on a range of projects, including: Improving how we respond directly to tips, feedback, questions, concerns, complaints and other queries from the public - whether they arrive through email, social media, posts on our own platforms or other channels. Helping to make sure that we are as transparent as possible in how we explain our coverage." Reference Link

10:31 EDT Aecom CEO sees infrastructure build with some light tax reform - The Aecom CEO is speaking about what he sees coming out of the new administration. The Aecom CEO is speaking on a CNBC interview.

10:25 EDT PayPal CEO says competitive enironment 'more benign' vs. last year - PayPal CEO Dan Schulman says the company's operational, financial metrics "strong." Says value proposition "fundamentally changed" over last year. Says "confident" in view that net adds will increase by more than 20M in 2017. Says competitive environment "more benign" than it was a year ago. Says retail going through "tremendous transformation" right now, cites "explosion" of mobile phones. Comments taken from the Deutsche Bank Global Financial Services Conference.

10:22 EDT New York Times says to offer employee buyouts, aimed primarily at editors - The New York Times offered buyouts to its newsroom employees on Wednesday, aiming to reduce layers of editing and requiring more of the editors who remain. In a memo to the newsroom, Dean Baquet, the executive editor, and Joseph Kahn, the managing editor, said the current system of "backfielders" and copy editors - two separate groups who have different tasks before a story is published - would be replaced with a single group of editors who would be responsible for all aspects of a story. Another editor would be "looking over their shoulders before publication." "Our goal is to significantly shift the balance of editors to reporters at The Times, giving us more on-the-ground journalists developing original work than ever before," they said in the memo. The buyouts are aimed primarily at editors, but reporters and others in the newsroom would be free to apply as well, the memo said. Baquet and Kahn said that the savings would be used to hire as many as 100 more reporters. The Times could turn to layoffs if there are not enough volunteers for buyouts, Baquet and Kahn said in the memo. Reference Link

10:14 EDT Customers says two all-cash proposals could be superior to Flagship deal - Customers Bancorp disclosed in a regulatory filing a response to a shareholder question at the company's annual meeting relating to the status of the BankMobile divestiture. Jay Sidhu, Chairman and CEO of Customers, said, "Customers Bancorp is committed to executing the divestiture in a manner that is best for our shareholders, customers, team members, college campuses BankMobile serves and our business partners. Since Flagship Community Bank was unable to raise all the required capital needed to complete the acquisition as disclosed in the agreement executed with Customers Bancorp in mid-February, we are now considering restructuring the transaction as a tax free spin-off of BankMobile to Customers Bancorp shareholders. This would be followed by an all-stock acquisition of BankMobile, at a to be determined valuation, and subject to regulatory approval, by a well capitalized Flagship Community Bank. Flagship believes it has adequate capital commitments to consummate the restructured transaction. If completed, this deal could be very attractive for current CUBI shareholders over the long term. However, over the past few weeks, Customers has also received two unsolicited all-cash proposals, both of which the board believes could, subject to mutual due diligence and negotiation of a definitive agreement, be considered superior to the Flagship proposal. If Customers Bancorp is successful in executing a definitive agreement along the lines of the Letters of Intent submitted, both of these all cash offers could be materially accretive to Customers Bancorp earnings and equity capital. While there are no assurances, we are hopeful that we will be able to execute one of these options over the next several weeks."

10:10 EDT Customers Bancorp received two unsolicited all-cash proposals in past few weeks

10:08 EDT Muddy Waters announces new short position in Asanko Gold

10:04 EDT Discover says to enhance customer service with in-app messaging - Discover announced the launch of messaging, a customer service option that allows customers to communicate with Discover's customer service agents without having to stop and restart numerous interactions. The new feature, which will be rolled out in phases, enables customers to message Discover's customer service representatives via the Discover mobile app.

10:01 EDT United Airlines announces updates to transcontinental service - United Airlines announced updates to its transcontinental service beginning July 1 including: adding Boston-San Francisco to its premium transcontinental route network, upgrading meal service and amenities for customers seated in business class and adding complimentary hot meal and beverage service for customers seated in Economy Plus. "We routinely see high demand for travel between our coasts and we want to provide the same level of quality typically reserved for international routes - this includes all flat-bed seating in business class as well as an industry-leading dining experience for customers in Economy Plus," said Mark Krolick, United's vice president of marketing.

10:00 EDT General Dynamics awarded $244M U.S. Navy training services contract - General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded the Training Services for the Center for Surface Combat Systems contract by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The single-award contract has a potential value of approximately $244M for a one-year base period with four option years. General Dynamics will provide training and training-related program support services, from curriculum development to advanced warfare training across the CSCS domain, which includes their 15 learning sites and detachments and International Programs.

09:54 EDT Flex Pharma trading resumes, shares up 13% to $3.74

09:52 EDT Correction: BofA sees Q2 trading revenue down year-over-year - Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said earlier at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference that Q1 trading revenue was up strongly over a "weak" Q1 of last year but that Q2 trading revenue will be down compared to a strong Q2 in FY17. 1H trading revenue should be up compared to the same period of last year, which is something that hasn't been the case in five years, Moynihan added.

09:50 EDT Flex Pharma halted for volatility after dropping 8% to $3.04

09:39 EDT JPMorgan CFO says U.S. economic growth 'solid, not stellar' - Sees no change in outlook for loan growth. Stands by April expectations of additional $4.5B net interest income despite some changes in market outlook for interest rates.

09:30 EDT Nevada reports April statewide gaming win up 1.19% to $886.53M - Nevada reports April Las Vegas Strip gaming win down 3.25% to $475.38M. Publicly traded companies in the casino space include Boyd Gaming (BYD), Caesars (CZR), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Penn National (PENN) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN).

09:25 EDT JPMorgan CFO says revenue in markets businesses down about 15% y/y - CFO Marianne Lake says "Reforming CCAR through how it's implemented and supervised is a possibility, if not a probability." Says Q1 continued trend of having seasonal distortion, and Q2 "does look better" comparatively. Seeing "decently healthy" capital markets activity in Q2. Says low rates, low volatility have led to generally quiet, subdued client flows. Says revenue down about 15% in markets businesses vs. year ago.

09:24 EDT European Commission grants clearance for Baker Hughes, GE deal - Baker Hughes (BHI) and General Electric (GE) announced that the European Commission has cleared the proposed transaction between Baker Hughes and GE's oil and gas business under EU merger control rules. "The companies remain confident in the value that the combined company will deliver to its customers, employees, shareholders and to the oil and gas industry," the companies said. Baker Hughes and GE continue to work constructively with regulators and expect to close the transaction in mid-2017.

09:22 EDT Diana Containerships sells Panamax container vessel for $6.15M - Diana Containerships has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party the 2002-built vessel "Doukato" with delivery to the buyer latest by June 16 for a sale price of approximately $6.15M before commissions. Upon completion of the sale, Diana Containerships' fleet will consist of 11 container vessels.

09:21 EDT Baxter, Mayo Clinic launch research and development collaboration - Baxter International and Mayo Clinic announced a new research and development collaboration to advance innovation across a spectrum of therapeutic areas where there are high unmet patient needs. The collaboration agreement will bring together the clinical and development expertise at Baxter and Mayo Clinic, where clinicians and researchers will work side-by-side to advance new technologies and therapies that transform patient care. The primary emphasis of the collaboration will be in areas where breakthrough treatment options can be introduced and innovation can drive access to high-quality care. The first project will focus on kidney disease, with additional projects planned in other areas. Approximately 14% of Americans have some degree of chronic kidney disease, and nearly half also have diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease - the two major causes of CKD. The initial agreement is for a five-year period, with a five-year renewal option. Additional details of the agreement were not disclosed.

09:19 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Danaos (DAC), up 14.8%... Analog Devices (ADI), up 5.5%. ALSO HIGHER: Mallinckrodt (MNK), down 2.4% after Reuters reported that the company is exploring a sale of its generic drug unit... Array BioPharma (ARRY), up 3.2% after entering a partnership with Ono Pharmaceutical. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Michael Kors (KORS), down 8.5%... Vera Bradley (VRA), down 2.4%... Golden Ocean (GOGL), down 5.1%. ALSO LOWER: Akari (AKRX), down9% after disclosing resignation of Chief Executive Officer... Gemphire Therapeutics (GEMP), down 12.8% following the resignation of CEO Mina Sooch... Apollo Commercial (ARI), down 3.9% after its 12M share Spot Secondary priced at $18.25.

09:17 EDT JPMorgan CFO says shrunk mortgage unit in reaction to market risks

09:15 EDT Bank of America CEO sees Q2 charges for data center closures, severance costs

09:14 EDT Bank of America CEO says hasn't seen slowdown in loan growth - Moynihan said industry-wide lending slowdown reflects bank-by-bank decisions, adding that BofA has not seen a slowdown in loan growth.

09:11 EDT Taubman Centers urges shareholders to vote for board nominees - Taubman Centers urges shareholders to vote for all three of the company's director nominees on the white proxy card today. Shareholders can vote online or by telephone by following the instructions on the white proxy card. Since the annual meeting is tomorrow, voting online or by telephone is the best way for investors to ensure that their shares will be timely represented at the annual meeting. Taubman urges shareholders not to return any Gold proxy card sent by Land and Buildings. Even if shareholders have already voted using a Gold proxy card, they have the right to change their vote simply by using the white proxy card to vote in support of Taubman's director nominees. Only the last-dated proxy will count.

09:10 EDT JPMorgan CFO says bank can run safely on less capital than required

09:08 EDT JPMorgan CFO says 'not the time' to give up on tax reform - JPMorgan CFO Marianne Lake says "We remain hopeful that there will be tax reform on the agenda." Says tax reform is "complicated," not the time to give up on reform. Sees "significant reasons to be optimistic," says some things to come to fruition over next few weeks "one way or the other." Says dialogue on reform "real," but adds that "we need to be a little bit patient." Says reform good for clients, good for the economy. Comments taken from the Deutsche Bank Global Financial Services Conference.

09:08 EDT Smucker Foods of Canada announces voluntary recall on flour products in U.S. - In collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. announced a voluntary recall on specific production codes of Golden Temple, Swad, and Maya flour products in the U.S. due to possible E. coli O121 contamination. The impacted product was produced by Ardent Mills located in Saskatoon, SK Canada. Additional flour and flour products have been voluntarily recalled in Canada in cooperation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as part of their ongoing E. coli investigation. Impacted product is packaged in 20 lb. paper bags and was distributed nationwide to 19 distributors and two small retailers.

09:06 EDT TELUS investing $4.7B through 2020 in British Columbia comm infrastructure - TELUS will invest $4.7B in new communications infrastructure across British Columbia through 2020, including $1.2B in 2017. This investment will extend the TELUS PureFibre network directly to more homes and businesses in rural and urban communities, for both 4G LTE wireless service and development and testing on 5G wireless service through the 5G Living Lab in downtown Vancouver, and support key services.

09:03 EDT Papa John's names Brandon Rhoten chief marketing officer - Papa John's International (PZZA) announced Brandon Rhoten has joined the company as global chief marketing officer. Rhoten joins Papa John's after most recently serving as VP of advertising, media and digital/social at Wendy's International (WEN). Rhoten will oversee all domestic and international marketing efforts for the brand and report to Papa John's President and Chief Operating Officer, Steve Ritchie.

09:01 EDT Readly expands program with AT&T Thanks to DirecTV, AT&T internet customers - In March, eligible AT&T wireless customers were offered exclusive access to a new private version of Readly, called Readly Select, which gives users complimentary, limited time access to four digital magazine titles per monthly period. This benefit is courtesy of AT&T THANKS, a customer appreciation program offering entertainment and service benefits to AT&T customers. Thousands of AT&T wireless customers are already enjoying their benefit of complimentary access to Readly Select. Because of the success of the Readly Select launch, starting today Readly and AT&T THANKS are expanding the benefit to eligible DIRECTV and AT&T high-speed internet customers, giving them 12 months of complimentary access to Readly Select.

08:53 EDT BofA sees completing sale of U.K. consumer card business ahead of schedule - Bank of America (BAC) announced that it expects to complete the sale of its consumer credit card business in the United Kingdom, MBNA Ltd., to Lloyds Banking Group (LYG) on June 1, sooner than previously communicated. Upon closing, Bank of America expects to record a minimal after-tax gain associated with the sale. The primary ongoing impacts to the income statement will be a reduction in net interest income, offset in part by a reduction in non-interest expense. In addition, the sale is expected to improve Basel 3 risk-based capital ratios by approximately 11 basis points under the Advanced approaches and 15 basis points under the Standardized approach in the second quarter ending June 30, 2017. The U.K. consumer credit card portfolio had approximately $9.4B in credit card receivables and earned $211M in interest income in the first quarter of 2017. The transaction does not impact Bank of America's global commercial card business, which is part of Global Transaction Services. "The sale completes the transformation of Bank of America's consumer credit card business from a multi-country, multi-brand business to a single-brand business serving core retail customers in the United States," the bank stated.

08:49 EDT Pfizer announces FDA, EMA acceptance of regulatory submissons for SUTENT - Pfizer announced that a supplemental New Drug Application for SUTENT has been accepted for filing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If approved, the sNDA would expand the approved use of SUTENT to include use as an adjuvant treatment in adult patients at high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma following nephrectomy. In addition, the European Medicines Agency has validated for review a Type II Variation application for SUTENT in the same patient population. SUTENT is the most widely prescribed first-line treatment for advanced RCC worldwide. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for a decision by the FDA is in January 2018. The submissions are based on results from the S-TRAC trial, a randomized double-blind Phase 3 trial of adjuvant SUTENT vs. placebo in 615 patients with locoregional, resected RCC at high risk of recurrence. The study met its primary endpoint of improving disease-free survival (DFS), and the results were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2016. The S-TRAC trial has two cohorts: Global and China. These results are from the Global cohort only. Results from the China cohort are not yet mature and will be reported at a later date. In the trial, after up to one year of treatment, the median DFS in participants treated with SUTENT after surgery was 6.8 years compared with 5.6 years for patients treated with placebo as assessed by blinded independent central review. Patients treated with SUTENT experienced an overall reduction in risk of recurrence or death of 24 percent. This difference was statistically significant. In addition, in a secondary subgroup analysis of patients at higher risk than the overall study population, the median DFS with SUTENT was 6.2 years compared with 4.0 years for patients treated with placebo as assessed by blinded independent central review. Higher risk was defined as those with a stage 3 tumor, no or undetermined nodal involvement, no metastasis, Fuhrman grade 2 or higher, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, of 1 or higher, or a stage 4 tumor, or any tumor with nodal involvement. The adverse events seen in the trial were consistent with the known safety profile of SUTENT. The most common adverse reactions were diarrhea, painful palms and soles, hypertension, and fatigue. Grade greater than or equal to 3 adverse events were more frequent with SUTENT vs. placebo. No deaths occurred due to treatment.

08:45 EDT Buffalo Wild Wings urges shareholders to vote for board nominees - Buffalo Wild Wings recommended that shareholders vote on the yellow proxy card in connection with the company's upcoming 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 2. The company reminds shareholders that it has sent several letters containing important information about the Annual Meeting and provided investors with a thorough presentation on the issues raised by Marcato Capital Management and Marcato's nominees for the board. Those materials are available at http://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/2017-annual-meeting/. "Buffalo Wild Wings shareholders are reminded that their vote is extremely important, no matter how many shares they own," the company says. Buffalo Wild Wings strongly recommends that shareholders elect the company's best-in-class leaders by voting the yellow proxy card for all Buffalo Wild Wings' nominees.

08:41 EDT Acxiom selected by Michaels for omnichannel marketing - Acxiom (ACXM) announced an expansion of its collaboration with Michaels Stores (MIK), the largest specialty retailer of arts and crafts in North America. Michaels has selected Acxiom's integrated, data-driven marketing solutions to deliver more personalized customer experiences. Providing enhanced campaign measurement and analytics, Acxiom's comprehensive solution brings together strategy, first- and third-party data, and advanced analytics to enable a 360 degree view of Michaels' customers across both digital and offline channels.

08:40 EDT Michael Kors says FY18 to be 'rebuilding year' - Michael Kors says it expects the digital channel to grow as a percent of sales, but notes that stores will play an "important role" in increasing revenue long-term. Says will selectively open new stores in "key" cities, with a primary focus on expanding presence in Asia. Says plans to renovate 100 stores over the next year in new, "modern" format. Says Access smartwatches performed "well" in Q4, but did not offset decline in fashion watches. Expects to close 20-40 full-price stores in FY18. Anticipates wholesale net sales down in low teens range, licensing revenue approx. flat in FY18. Sees "roughly flat" retail net sales for FY18. Sees FY18 gross margin about 60%. Sees gross margin improvement from reduction in promotional days, favorable channel and geographic mix. Sees FY18 operating margin approx. 16%, tax rate 18%. Sees FY CapEx $200M, with a focus on renovating retail store fleet. Plans to open 50 new stores primarily in Asia region, as well as 77 shop-in-shops, most of which will be for men's business. Says FY18 to be a year where company "resets our base," "rebuilding year." Michael Kors is down about 7% in premarket trading.

08:38 EDT RiceBran regains compliance with Nasdaq requirement - RiceBran Technologies announced that, on May 25, 2017, the company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC stating that the company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), which requires maintenance of a minimum of $2.5M stockholders' equity in order to remain listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

08:35 EDT Forward Pharma appeals initial decision in Biogen patent interference case - Forward Pharma (FWP) filed the notice of appeal of the PTAB decision that ended the interference proceeding between the Forward 11/576,871 patent application and an issued Biogen (BIB) patent. The appeal was filed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and seeks to have the decision overturned and the interference reinstated. The appeal is expected to last ten months or longer. Forward has retained legal representation from a specialist appeals team at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, led by name partner Kathleen Sullivan.

08:33 EDT Evoke Pharma enters agreement with Rho to submit NDA for Gimoti - Evoke Pharma has entered into an agreement with Rho, a regulatory consulting and contract research organization. Rho will assist Evoke with the preparation and submission of its planned 505(b) New Drug Application for Gimoti, the company's patented nasal delivery formulation of metoclopramide for the relief of symptoms associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in adult women. The company remains on track to initiate and complete its PK study in the second half of this year with a NDA submission by late 2017 or early 2018.

08:25 EDT Teva announces 'positive' results for Phase III study of Fremanezumab - Teva Pharmaceutical announced positive results from a Phase III HALO study of fremanezumab, an investigational treatment for the prevention of migraine. In the chronic migraine study, patients treated with fremanezumab experienced statistically significant reduction in the number of monthly headache days of at least moderate severity vs. placebo during the 12 week period after first dose, for both monthly and quarterly dosing regimens. Similar to the Phase II trials, both patients that were on monotherapy and stable doses of prophylactic medications were included in the trial. In addition, patients treated with fremanezumab experienced significant improvement compared to placebo on all secondary endpoints for both monthly and quarterly dosing regimens, including: response rate, onset of efficacy, efficacy as monotherapy, and disability. The results were positive, and of 13 hierarchical comparisons, p was less than0.0001 in 12 of them, being 0.0004 in the remaining. The most commonly-reported adverse event in the study was injection site pain, with similar rates in the placebo and active groups. Based on these results, Teva plans to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fremanezumab later this year. Teva's Phase III HALO study in Episodic Migraine will report topline results in the coming weeks.

08:21 EDT Michael Kors says Q4 Europe SSS declined in low 20% range on reported basis

08:19 EDT 8x8 partners with Jenne to distribute cloud communications solutions - 8x8 and Jenne, announced a partnership to bring 8x8's integrated, enterprise-grade cloud communications, contact center and team collaboration solutions to mid-market and enterprise companies in the U.S. through a value-added distribution model. "The 8x8 and Jenne partnership demonstrates a joint commitment to equipping the channel with state-of-the-art technology, tools and training to accelerate business growth through the offering of cloud communications and collaboration solutions in a value-added distribution model," the company says.

08:14 EDT Michael Kors still believes men's business represents $1B revenue opportunity - Says FY17 a "difficult," "disappointing" year. Says retail environment remains challenging. Believes Greater China, along with Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia will ultimately generate $1B in revenue for company. Says taking steps to protect brand by reducing promotional activity in digital flagships, lifestyle stores and wholesale doors. Says has seen a decrease in retail, wholesale sales as a result, "we believe this is the right action to protect our brand health long-term." Continues to believe men's business ultimately represents a $1B revenue opportunity. Comments taken from the Q4 earnings conference call.

08:13 EDT Digital Turbine announces multiyear agreement with Indus OS - Digital Turbine, announced a multiyear agreement with Indus OS. Indus OS is available on eight million smartphones across 80 smartphone models, and aims to add 100 million users by 2020. Already live, Indus OS launched Digital Turbine's Ignite Platform to power its mobile app campaigns mid-May 2017.

08:10 EDT Whirlpool secures four-year renewal agreement with PulteGroup - PulteGroup (PHM) has renewed a four-year exclusive agreement with Whirlpool Corporation (WHR). Under this agreement, which became effective Jan. 1, 2017, Pulte Group will feature Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air brand home appliances in its new homes nationwide.

08:08 EDT CyrusOne forms strategic alliance with CSRA - CyrusOne announced it has established a strategic alliance with CSRA, a leading provider of IT solutions for government agencies and programs. As part of the alliance terms, CyrusOne becomes one of CSRA's go-to-market data center providers. CyrusOne operates more than 35 carrier-neutral data center facilities across the U.S Europe, and Asia to provide customers with the flexibility and scale to match their specific IT growth needs. CyrusOne facilities are engineered to include the power-density infrastructure required to deliver excellent availability, including an architecture with the highest available power redundancy.

08:05 EDT Medtronic intiates PRODIGY study - Medtronic recently launched PRODIGY, a 1,650-patient global study, to identify individuals at high risk for opioid induced respiratory depression, or OIRD, a form of respiratory compromise. It is the first study to assess the clinical and economic benefits derived from the use of pulse oximetry and capnography, in patients receiving opioid medication on hospital general care floors. The first patient was enrolled in the PRODIGY study at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

08:04 EDT AT&T Foundry innovation center, Caltech to form AQT alliance - The AT&T Foundry innovation center in Palo Alto, California is joining the California Institute of Technology to form the Alliance for Quantum Technologies, or AQT. The Alliance aims to bring industry, government, and academia together to speed quantum technology development and emerging practical applications. This collaboration will also bring a research and development program named INQNET. The program will focus on the need for capacity and security in communications through future quantum networking technologies. Quantum networking will enable a new era of super-fast, secure networks. AT&T, through the AT&T Foundry, will help test relevant technologies for commercial applications.

08:02 EDT Salesforce announces new $50M fund from Salesforce Ventures - Salesforce announced a new $50Mfund from Salesforce Ventures, the company's corporate investment group. The new SI Trailblazer Fund will be dedicated to the next-generation of cloud consulting firms, enabling them to accelerate their growth and drive greater customer success. In conjunction with the fund, Salesforce is also launching a new SI Trailblazer Alliance Initiative to provide portfolio companies with resources and training to build out their service capabilities for the future.

07:48 EDT Chembio Diagnostics CEO taking medical leave of absence - In a regulatory filing, Chembio Diagnostics reported that CEO John Sperzel III is taking a medical leave of absence. In connection with Sperzel's leave of absence, on May 30, the Chembio board appointed Sharon Klugewicz, the company's President Americas Region, and former COO, as acting CEO.

07:39 EDT Noble Midstream increases Q2 volume guidance - Noble Midstream Partners increased Q2 volume guidance as a result of continued well performance from Noble Energy's (NBL) enhanced completions above the partnership's expectation. Estimated oil and gas gathered volumes have been increased to range from 70,000 to 75,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, a 7.5% increase from the original Q2 guidance and 15% higher than Q1.

07:36 EDT Amicus' SD-101 granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation - Amicus has received Rare Pediatric Disease designation from the FDA for the novel topical medicine SD-101 for the treatment of epidermolysis bullosa. The Rare Pediatric Disease designation for SD-101 covers the broad treatment of EB. In addition to the Rare Pediatric Disease designation, SD-101 has Orphan Drug designation and was one of the first treatments to receive the FDA's Breakthrough Therapy designation.If a new drug application for SD-101 is approved, Amicus is eligible to receive a priority review voucher that may be sold or transferred. Amicus is on track to report top-line data from the Phase 3 ESSENCE study of SD-101 during Q3. 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.

07:32 EDT Dunkin' Brands names Kate Jaspon as CFO, effective June 5 - Dunkin' Brands Group announced that Kate Jaspon, interim CFO, has been promoted to the position of CFO, effective June 5. She will serve on the Dunkin' Brands Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to Dunkin' Brands' CEO Nigel Travis. Several weeks ago, Kate seamlessly stepped into the role of CFO on an interim basis, and we are delighted to now officially offer her the position," said Nigel Travis, Dunkin' Brands' Chairman and CEO. "Kate has made significant contributions to our organization and she has helped lead us through a number of important transactions, including our IPO and follow-on equity offerings, securitization and several debt restructurings, and has overseen the implementation of our enterprise risk management program." Jaspon was appointed interim CFO in April and replaces Dunkin' Brands CFO Paul Carbone, who left the company to take a new position as the COO at a specialty retail chain.

07:23 EDT Michael Kors drops 7% in premarket trading following weak guidance

07:22 EDT Michael Kors says to close 100-125 full-price retail stores over next two years - Michael Kors announced that it intends to improve the profitability of its store fleet by closing between 100 and 125 of its full-price retail stores over the next 2 years. Over this time period, the company expects to incur approximately $100M-$125M of one-time costs associated with store closures. Collectively, the company ultimately anticipates ongoing annual savings of $60M as a result of store closures and the lower depreciation and amortization associated with these impairment charges.

07:15 EDT Garmin launches Approach S60 golf watch - Garmin International announced the Approach S60, its newest GPS golf watch with a sunlight-readable color touchscreen display and sleek new design that's made for everyday use both on and off the course. "Preloaded with more than 40,000 courses from around the world with lifetime updates, the S60 features full-color course view mapping that golfers can view right from their wrist. It provides quick access to critical information needed during a round like precise yardages to greens, hazards and doglegs to help players master their game. With a modern style that goes beyond the clubhouse, the Approach S60 also features the popular QuickFit watchbands that can be easily interchanged in seconds, without tools," the company says. They're available in an assortment of colored silicone, leather or stainless steel styles, and can be interchanged with a number of Garmin multisport watches, including the popular fenix 5 series.The Approach S60 is expected to be available in June in black or white with a suggested retail price of $399.99. A premium version with a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel and black leather band will also be available for $499.99.

07:12 EDT ProQR Therapeutics' QR-110 granted Fast Track designation by FDA - ProQR Therapeutics received Fast Track designation from the FDA for QR-110, the lead molecule in its ophthalmology pipeline. QR-110 is being developed for the treatment of patients with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis Type 10, a rare genetic disease that causes individuals to lose sight, often in the first years of life. QR-110 is currently in clinical development with the planned Phase 1/2 open-label trial that will assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of multiple administrations of QR-110 in one eye of each patient and will include approximately 6 adults and 6 children with LCA 10. Top-line trial results are expected in 2018.

07:06 EDT MabVax Therapeutics signs agreement with MSK for CAR T-cell immunotherapies - MabVax Therapeutics Holdings announced that it entered into a sponsored research agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the development of novel Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapeutics using antibody targeting sequences derived from MabVax's fully-human antibodies for pancreatic, small cell lung, and other solid tumor cancers. CAR T-cell therapeutics are unique anti-cancer immunotherapies that genetically modify a patient's own T-cells to recognize an antigen on targeted tumor cells. Under the new agreement, MabVax will provide funding to evaluate the efficacy of multiple CAR T-cell products incorporating several different antibody targeting sequences. The research program will evaluate in xenograft models of pancreatic and small cell lung cancer targeting sequences from MabVax's leading monoclonal antibody clinical development candidate HuMab-5B1. Multiple CAR T-cell constructs have been created and tested in cell based assays demonstrating utility and warranting continued testing in animal models of pancreatic cancer and other CA19-9 expressing tumors. MabVax has provided a second set of novel antibody targeting sequences from its clinical and research programs to MSK for development into new CAR T-cell constructs for the treatment of solid tumors. MSK will evaluate the new CAR T-cell constructs and test in both in vitro and in animal models of solid tumors with a goal of completing investigational new drug enabling pre-clinical studies. The work will be conducted in the laboratory of Michel Sadelain, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Center for Cell Engineering and Gene Transfer and Gene Expression at MSK. MabVax has certain rights to the new CAR T-cell inventions developed during the collaboration, including an exclusive time-limited option to license MSK's rights in such inventions.

07:05 EDT Acacia Communications identifies quality issue with portion of AC400, CFP units - Acacia Communications announced that the company has identified a quality issue that it currently believes affects a portion of the approximate 1,300 AC400 units and 5,000 CFP units manufactured by one of its three contract manufacturers over an approximate four month period. The company believes the root cause of this quality issue has been identified as a circuit board cleaning process that has since been eliminated, and manufacturing at this contract manufacturer has resumed. The company does not believe that products currently being shipped are affected by this quality issue. The company is actively working with affected customers to remediate this issue. The company is also working to estimate the cost of these remediation efforts and assess the impact of this issue on its near-term manufacturing capacity.

07:04 EDT Compugen sees delay of 'several months' in COM701 IND submission - Compugen announced that it anticipates a delay of several months in the submission of an investigational new drug application for COM701, Compugen's clinical candidate antibody targeting CGEN-15029/PVRIG. Previously the company had disclosed an expectation of IND filing in Q4 of this year. The company was recently informed by its manufacturing service provider for COM701 - a global contract development and manufacturing organization - that the batch of material they manufactured for compugen's planned GLP toxicity studies was contaminated during the manufacturing process. The contamination was discovered during quality control procedures prior to release of the affected batch and, as such, was not used in any preclinical studies. This contamination has necessitated the production of a new batch of material for the execution of these studies. As a result, Compugen anticipates a delay of several months in the submission of an investigational new drug application for COM701 and will provide further updates as appropriate. Anat Cohen-Dayag, PhD, CEO and President of Compugen, commented, "As previously disclosed, the COM701 program is one of the four program areas that are currently the focus of the Company's therapeutics and business development efforts. While we are disappointed in the delay of our anticipated IND filing date, we would like to stress that this contamination and resulting delay are related to a technical issue in the CDMO's manufacturing process, and does not detract from the quality of the data generated by the Company supporting the clinical rationale for COM701. Therefore, based on the information currently available to us, we expect this delay may have a limited effect with respect to our on-going business development discussions for this program."

07:03 EDT Compugen sees delay of 'several months' in COM701 IND submission - Compugen announced that it anticipates a delay of several months in the submission of an investigational new drug application for COM701, Compugen's clinical candidate antibody targeting CGEN-15029/PVRIG. Previously the company had disclosed an expectation of IND filing in Q4 of this year.

07:02 EDT Capricor Therapeutics announces formal meeting with FDA in second half of June - Capricor Therapeutics announced that a formal meeting between Capricor and the U.S. FDA, at which Capricor plans to discuss potential product registration strategies for CAP-1002 in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy indication, is scheduled to be held by telephone in the second half of June 2017. Capricor also announced that it will deliver a presentation on its DMD therapeutic development program at the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy 2017 Annual Connect Conference, to be held June 29 through July 2, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

07:01 EDT J.Jill sees Q2 adj. EPS 27c-29c, consensus 27c - Sees Q2 SSS up in the high single-digits.

06:38 EDT Google's AlphaGo research team announces new focus - Google's AI business DeepMind will halt its research into board games and instead focus on more practical applications like finding cures for diseases, inventing new materials, and reducing energy consumption. In a blog post, the company says, "The research team behind AlphaGo will now throw their energy into the next set of grand challenges, developing advanced general algorithms that could one day help scientists as they tackle some of our most complex problems, such as finding new cures for diseases, dramatically reducing energy consumption, or inventing revolutionary new materials. If AI systems prove they are able to unearth significant new knowledge and strategies in these domains too, the breakthroughs could be truly remarkable. We can't wait to see what comes next. While AlphaGo is stepping back from competitive play, it's certainly not the end of our work with the Go community, to which we owe a huge debt of gratitude for their encouragement and motivation over the past few years. We plan to publish one final academic paper later this year that will detail the extensive set of improvements we made to the algorithms' efficiency and potential to be generalised across a broader set of problems. Just like our first AlphaGo paper, we hope that other developers will pick up the baton, and use these new advances to build their own set of strong Go programs. We're also working on a teaching tool - one of the top requests we've received throughout this week. The tool will show AlphaGo's analysis of Go positions, providing an insight into how the program thinks, and hopefully giving all players and fans the opportunity to see the game through the lens of AlphaGo." Reference Link

06:32 EDT ChemChina says around 94.7% of Syngenta shares tendered - ChemChina announced the definitive end results for ChemChina's offer to acquire Syngenta, according to which around 94.7% of shares have been tendered. ChemChina re-affirmed its intention to request the cancellation of the remaining publicly held Syngenta shares in accordance with the Swiss Financial Markets Infrastructure Act if the 98% threshold is exceeded. To that end, it intends to acquire further shares through market purchases or in off-market transactions. If the level of participation remains below 98%, ChemChina re-affirmed its intention to proceed to a squeeze-out merger.

06:19 EDT Toshiba unable to present audited results at shareholders meeting - Toshiba says it will not be able to present its audited annual business results for the fiscal year ended March at its general shareholders meeting on June 28. "At this point, completion of the auditing is expected to take some more time," the company said in a statement, but said it will continue to work with its independent auditor to file its securities report by June 30.

06:13 EDT Novartis reiterates overall strategy for value creation - Novartis says, "Group management reiterates the overall strategy for Novartis value creation. Through innovation, Novartis expects to continue to build depth in key therapeutic areas while preserving flexibility to follow the science outside those areas. Our key growth products are expected to drive the next phase of growth that is anticipated to start in 2018. Centralizing functions like Global Drug Development, Manufacturing and Novartis Business Services is expected to drive productivity and create a stronger company for the future. This would allow Novartis to create shareholder value. The Novartis capital allocation strategy remains unchanged. Our priorities are first investing organically, then growing the annual dividend in CHF, making value creating bolt-on acquisitions and finally executing share buy backs."

06:08 EDT IBM, Cisco enter new collaboration on cybercrime - Cisco (CSCO) and IBM (IBM) Security announced they are working together to address the growing global threat of cybercrime. In a new collaboration, Cisco and IBM Security will work closely together across products, services and threat intelligence for the benefit of customers. Through this expanded collaboration, IBM's Managed Security Services team will work with Cisco to deliver new services aimed at further reducing complexity. One of the first offerings is designed for the growing hybrid cloud market. As enterprise customers migrate security infrastructure to public and private cloud providers, IBM Security will provide Managed Security Services in support of Cisco security platforms in leading public cloud services.

06:05 EDT Google not planning to update Nik Collection or add new features over time - Google has quietly announced that it will be abandoning the Nik Collection of photo editing software, saying "The Nik Collection is free and compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.10; Windows Vista, 7, 8; and Adobe Photoshop through CC 2015. We have no plans to update the Collection or add new features over time." Reference Link

05:53 EDT IBM acquires digital workplace hub XCC from TIMETOACT GROUP - IBM announced it has completed the acquisition of TIMETOACT GROUP's digital workplace hub, XCC - Web Content & Custom Apps Extension. The technology will join the IBM Connections Cloud platform and scale globally through the launch of a new offering called the IBM Connections Engagement Center - a single, accessible engagement center for organizational news and content. The new offering will provide organizations of all sizes a single destination and intranet for personalized communication between a company and its employees, news sharing, embedded applications and other peer-to-peer collaboration. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Specific product and pricing details for the IBM Connections Engagement Center offering for on-premises and cloud deployment will be available in the coming months.

05:50 EDT Array BioPharma enters partnership with Ono Pharmaceutical - Array BioPharma and Ono Pharmaceutical announced a license, development and commercialization partnership for Array's late-stage novel oncology compounds, binimetinib and encorafenib. As a result of this agreement, Ono will receive rights to develop and commercialize binimetinib and encorafenib in Japan and South Korea. Binimetinib, a MEK inhibitor, and encorafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, are currently in two global Phase 3 trials, for the treatment of patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma and BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Array will receive an upfront payment of $31.6M and retains exclusive commercialization rights for binimetinib and encorafenib in the United States, Canada and Israel. Array is entitled to receive up to an additional $156M if certain development and commercial milestones are achieved. A portion of these milestones is related to the Phase 3 BEACON CRC trial. In addition, Array will be eligible for robust, tiered, double-digit royalties based on product sales in Japan and South Korea. Ono will obtain the right to conduct clinical trials of binimetinib and encorafenib in Japan and South Korea, as well as participate in all future global development of binimetinib and encorafenib by contributing 12% of those future costs.

05:46 EDT Sandoz proposed biosimilars adalimumab, infliximab accepted for review by EMA - Sandoz, a Novartis division, announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted for regulatory review their Marketing Authorization Applications for biosimilars to AbbVie's (ABBV) Humira and Janssen's (JNJ) Remicade both of which are used to treat immunological diseases. Sandoz is seeking approval for biosimilar adalimumab and infliximab for use in all indications of their respective reference medicines.