Stockwinners Market Radar for June 12, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:57 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P 400, 500, 600 indices - S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, June 19: S&P MidCap 400 constituent Everest Re (RE) will replace Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) in the S&P 500, S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) will replace Everest Re Group in the S&P MidCap 400, and Armada Hoffler Properties (AHH) will replace Pinnacle Financial Partners in the S&P SmallCap 600. Reckitt Benckiser Group (RBGLY) is acquiring Mead Johnson Nutrition in a deal expected to be completed soon, pending final conditions.

18:51 EDT Tidewater says Prepackaged Plan likely to become effective in July - As previously disclosed, on May 1, Tidewater and certain of its subsidiaries the filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, seeking approval of a prepackaged plan of restructuring. On May 19, the Bankruptcy Court set a combined hearing to consider approval of the Debtors' disclosure statement and confirmation of the Prepackaged Plan for June 28. If the Prepackaged Plan is approved by the Bankruptcy Court within the time frame we currently expect, the Prepackaged Plan will likely become effective in July 2017, at which point or shortly thereafter the Debtors would emerge from bankruptcy, however, there can be no assurance that the effectiveness of the Prepackaged Plan will occur on such date, or at all.

18:31 EDT Janssen: Invokana significantly cuts risk of CV death, heart attack, stroke - Johnson & Johnson's Janssen announced that results from the landmark CANVAS Program showed INVOKANA significantly reduced the combined risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke, versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at risk for or with a history of CV disease. The results also showed canagliflozin treatment was associated with a reduced risk for hospitalization for heart failure and demonstrated potential renal protective effects. These data from the integrated analysis of the CANVAS and CANVAS-R trials were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and presented at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting. Specifically, canagliflozin achieved a 14% reduction in the risk of the composite primary endpoint of CV mortality, nonfatal MI or nonfatal stroke, and demonstrated the CV safety of canagliflozin and superiority compared to placebo. Each component evenly contributed to this risk reduction, including nonfatal MI by 15%, CV death by 13%, and nonfatal stroke by 10%. These outcomes were broadly consistent across various patient subgroups and across the individual components of the primary endpoint. Additional analysis further revealed canagliflozin lowered the risk of HHF by 33% and provided sustained positive effects on glycemic and blood pressure control, as well as weight reduction, demonstrating wide-ranging durability. In addition, canagliflozin showed potential renal protective effects, delaying progression of albuminuria and reducing the risk of clinically important renal composite outcomes by 40%. Overall adverse events seen in the CANVAS Program were consistent with previous findings. An increased risk of amputation with canagliflozin was seen in both the completed CANVAS and CANVAS-R studies. There was an increased risk of amputation corresponding to a hazard ratio of 1.97. The highest absolute risk of amputation occurred in patients with a prior history of amputation or peripheral vascular disease, but the relative risk for amputation with canagliflozin was comparable across these subgroups. These findings have been shared by the U.S. FDA and will be reflected in the U.S. Prescribing Information for canagliflozin, the company noted. Separately, while an increased risk of adjudicated low trauma fracture was identified in the CANVAS study, no increase was observed in the CANVAS-R study. A full assessment is ongoing to provide a complete safety review of these results.

18:21 EDT Copart acquires Cycle Express, terms not disclosed - Copart announced that it has acquired Cycle Express, LLC, which conducts business primarily as National Powersport Auctions. NPA currently operates facilities in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Philadelphia, and San Diego. NPA predominantly auctions pre-owned powersports vehicles on behalf of financing companies, dealers and manufacturers.

18:01 EDT Southside Bancshares, Diboll State Bancshares to merge - Southside Bancshares and Diboll State Bancshares announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Diboll State Bancshares will merge into Southside Bancshares and First Bank & Trust East Texas will merge into Southside Bank. The combined company will have nearly $7B in assets. Under the terms of the agreement, Diboll State Bancshares shareholders will receive, in aggregate, 5,535,000 shares of Southside common stock and up to $25M in cash. Based on Southside Bancshares' closing stock price of $35.01 on June 12, the value of consideration to Diboll State Bancshares shareholders would be $218.8M in the aggregate. The merger has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2017, after receipt of regulatory approvals, the approval of the shareholders of Diboll State Bancshares, Inc. and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The combined entity will operate under the names Southside Bancshares, Inc. and Southside Bank. Following the closing of the merger, two Diboll State Bancshares, Inc. board members will join the Southside board, which will be expanded to 17 members. Diboll State Bancshares, Inc.'s executive management team will remain in place after the merger, assuring the continuity of local decision making. Diboll State Bancshares, Inc. executives will assume the following titles: Jay Shands - Regional President, East Texas; Trey Denman - Executive Vice President; Jim Denman - Executive Vice President. The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share in the first full year after closing. Both Southside Bank and First Bank & Trust East Texas are well-capitalized banks and the pro forma company is expected to be well-capitalized following the transaction.

17:52 EDT Cancer Genetics director acquires 100,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Cancer Genetics director John Pappajohn disclosed the purchase of 100,000 common shares of the company at a price of $3.7487 per share. The transaction brings Pappajohn's total direct common stock ownership to 2,542,519 shares.

17:42 EDT ISS recommends vote against all Hospitality Properties nominees, union says - Labor union UNITE HERE announced that Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended shareholders withhold votes from all director nominees at Hospitality Properties Trust at the company's upcoming June 15 annual meeting, "after HPT eliminated annual director elections and put in place additional restrictions on shareholders' right to select board representatives of their choice." According to the union, ISS also highlighted "sharp restrictions" on who can nominate directors or propose other business; restrictions on potential shareholder nominees to the board; restrictions on bylaw amendment; and restrictions on special meetings. ISS also took issue with the company's externally-advised structure, which may bring conflicts of interest and carries a lengthy lock-in period, according to the union's coverage of the ISS report.

17:37 EDT ISS recommends Gaming and Leisure holders vote for election proposal, union says - Labor union UNITE HERE announced that Institutional Shareholder Services recommends shareholders of Gaming and Leisure Properties support a shareholder proposal that would reform the way the company's directors are elected. The resolution recommends that nominees receive a majority of the votes cast in order to be seated. Under GLPI's current bylaws, a nominee can be elected with as little as a single vote in uncontested elections, the union said. The shareholder proposal also recommends that GLPI adopt a director resignation policy providing for the replacement of directors who fail to receive majority support. Gaming and Leisure's annual shareholder meeting is slated for June 15.

17:27 EDT Novo Nordisk says 'DEVOTE' trial meets primary goal - Novo Nordisk announced primary results from DEVOTE, the first randomised, double-blind, treat-to-target, event-driven trial comparing two basal insulins, Tresiba and insulin glargine U100, in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular disease. The trial demonstrated that Tresiba met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority compared with insulin glargine U100 for major adverse CV events with a hazard ratio of 0.91. Additionally, the findings for each component of MACE were consistent with the overall endpoint, including first occurrence of CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke. Results were presented at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting. Results from the secondary endpoints of the trial showed a significant reduction in the rate of severe -- 40% -- and nocturnal severe -- 53% -- hypoglycaemia with Tresiba vs. insulin glargine U100. Additionally, post hoc analyses showed similar levels of glycaemic control with an end of trial A1C estimated treatment difference of 0.01% between the two treatment groups and significantly lower fasting plasma glucose levels with Tresiba after 2 years vs. insulin glargine U100. The safety profile of Tresiba in DEVOTE was generally consistent with previous Tresiba clinical trials.

17:23 EDT Harris awarded $255M government contract - Harris Corp., RF Communications, Rochester, New York, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a $255M maximum ceiling value to provide the Special Operations Forces Tactical Communications Next Generation Manpack Radio system in support of U.S. Special Operations Command to conduct a Capital Equipment Replacement Program, replacing legacy manpack radios such as the AN/PRC-117F and AN/PRC-117G. The STC NGMP will provide Special Operations Forces teams with the ability to communicate utilizing a two-channel manpack radio. The NGMP will provide a capability to receive and distribute intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data in the form of full motion video, and support simultaneous dual channel line of sight and/or beyond line of sight operation utilizing legacy, and advanced waveforms. The majority of the work will be performed at the contractor's location in Rochester, New York, and is expected to be completed by June 2023. Fiscal 2017 procurement funds in the amount of $1,050,000 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively awarded using Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15 procedures and one proposal was received. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.

17:20 EDT Armada Hoffler to replace Pinnacle Financial in S&P 600 at open on June 19

17:19 EDT Pinnacle Financial to replace Everest Re in S&P 400 at open on June 19

17:16 EDT Senator Investment reports 7.23% passive stake in Spirit Realty

17:08 EDT Fusion, XComIP to form JV to launch Fusion Global Services - Fusion has reached an agreement with XComIP create Fusion Global Services, LLC, a newly formed company organized to provide voice services to carriers worldwide. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the third quarter of 2017 subject to customary approvals and consents. Fusion and XComIP will both contribute their carrier services revenue, customers, vendor agreements and certain system and infrastructure assets to the newly formed entity. Upon the close of the transaction, Fusion's Carrier Services division will be organized and managed separately from Fusion, with Fusion holding a 60% ownership position in the new entity. XComIP, an established service provider of similar size in carrier services revenue and customer base, will hold a 40% ownership position in the new entity. The new company, which will be led by Jay Adams, XComIP's CEO, will leverage the considerable strengths of both companies in serving the global carrier community while relieving Fusion of much of the day-to-day management of the business that currently resides in its Carrier Services division. This will likewise enable Fusion's management team to devote greater time and resources toward expanding the company's rapidly growing and higher margin Business Services division.

16:48 EDT PrivateBancorp announces intent to delist, deregister - PrivateBancorp announced that it has notified the New York Stock Exchange of its intention to delist its 7.125 percent Subordinated Debentures due 2042, which currently trade under ticker symbol "PVTD," and has notified the Nasdaq Global Select Stock Market of its intention to delist the 10% Trust Preferred Securities of PrivateBancorp Capital Trust IV, which currently trade under ticker symbol "PVTBP." Both actions are being taken in anticipation of the closing of the acquisition by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce of PrivateBancorp that, as previously announced, is expected to close on June 23, 2017, which will result in the successor company to PrivateBancorp being a wholly owned subsidiary of CIBC following the closing. PrivateBancorp expects to file Form 25 notifications prior to market open on June 23, 2017, with the Securities and Exchange Commission to request the removal of the Debentures and the Listed TruPS from listing on the NYSE and Nasdaq, respectively, and to deregister such securities under Section 12b of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, as further described below, it is currently anticipated that, following the closing of the CIBC acquisition, the Debentures and the Listed TruPS will be called for redemption on their first available redemption date following the closing. PrivateBancorp expects trading in the Debentures and the Listed TruPS will be suspended on June 23, 2017, and that the delisting of the Debentures and the Listed TruPS will become effective 10 days from the filing date of each respective Form 25. Upon effectiveness of each Form 25 filing, it is expected that Form 15 filings will be made with the SEC to terminate the registration of the Debentures and the Listed TruPS under Section 12g of the Exchange Act, and to notify the SEC of the suspension of PrivateBancorp's public reporting obligations with respect to the Debentures and Listed TruPS.

16:36 EDT Synaptics to acquire Conexant for $300M in cash and 726,666 shares of stock - Conexant Systems announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Synaptics pursuant to which Synaptics has agreed to acquire Conexant and its portfolio of silicon and software solutions for audio, voice and imaging applications for $300M in cash and 726,666 shares of Synaptics common stock in a cash-free, debt-free transaction. The Conexant transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances.

16:35 EDT International Game signs cross-licensing agreement with Konami Gaming - International Game Technology announced that it has signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Konami Gaming, a leading innovator of slot machines and gaming enterprise management systems for the global gaming market. Under the agreement, Konami Gaming can offer games including patented game features from the IGT portfolio, and will pay licensing fees to IGT.

16:33 EDT Cobalt board approves 1-for-15 reverse stock split - Cobalt International Energy announced that its board of directors has approved a 1-for-15 reverse stock split of Cobalt's issued and outstanding shares of common stock, which will become effective upon the filing and effectiveness of a Certificate of Amendment to Cobalt's Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation after the market closes on or about June 23, 2017. Trading on a split adjusted basis is planned to begin when the market opens on June 26, 2017. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share of Cobalt's common stock will receive a full share in lieu of such fractional share. Following the reverse split, Cobalt's shares of common stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CIE." 19075F 304 will be the new CUSIP number under which Cobalt's common stock will trade following the reverse stock split.

16:32 EDT Synaptics sees gross margins accretive from 'smart home' acquisition - "At Synaptics, we have a knack for bringing the right technologies to the right growth markets, and adding voice and video processing solutions to our portfolio blends perfectly into the company's innovative technology product mix," said Rick Bergman, President and CEO, Synaptics. "These acquisitions provide Synaptics the industry's broadest portfolio of human interface solutions and rapidly accelerates the execution of our consumer IoT strategy, driving our next major phase of growth. The acquisitions are expected to add significant revenue, strong margins, new tier-one customers, an increasingly diverse customer base, impressive global talent, and a deep portfolio of intellectual property." "Synaptics has a long history of delivering products that drive industry inflection points, which presents an exciting opportunity for us," said Jan Johannessen, CEO, Conexant. "Our voice and audio processing solutions are enabling an entirely new category of digital personal assistants, and joining forces with Synaptics will help us further disrupt the emerging and growing consumer IoT ecosystem. The two companies share a common vision of investing with partners and customers to deliver powerful human interface solutions for a variety of applications."

16:32 EDT IMAX announces new $200M share repurchase plan, cost reduction initiative - IMAX announced a number of actions aimed at increasing company value, including the approval by the company's Board of Directors of a new share-repurchase program which authorizes the repurchase of up to $200M of its common shares by June 30, 2020. In addition, the company is implementing a cost-reduction plan that will target approximately $20M in annualized cost savings aimed at increasing profitability, operating leverage and free cash flow. The company's previously announced $200M repurchase program, which will conclude this month, is expected to result in the total repurchase of more than 6.4M shares and a 4% net reduction in shares outstanding since the program began in 2014. This includes second-quarter-to-date repurchases of 1,468,100 shares. As part of its cost-reduction plan IMAX expects approximately 100 full-time positions, including positions at IMAX China, will be eliminated, equal to roughly 14% of the company's full-time global workforce. IMAX expects to report an aggregate pre-tax restructuring and impairment charge of approximately $15M in 2017 in connection with its cost-reduction efforts. The Company further expects approximately $11M of the restructuring and impairment charges will be recognized in the second quarter of 2017. The Company anticipates the cost savings to take effect beginning in the third quarter of 2017. IMAX will provide updated 2017 cost guidance on its upcoming second-quarter earnings call in late July.

16:30 EDT Halliburton names Christopher Weber CFO - Halliburton announced the appointment of Christopher Weber as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective June 22, 2017. Weber joins Halliburton from Parker Drilling Company, a global provider of drilling services and rental tools, where he served for four years as senior vice president and CFO. Previously, Weber served as the vice president and treasurer of Ensco.

16:26 EDT CypressFirst urges Cypress shareholders to vote the GOLD proxy card - CypressFirst urges stockholders to vote the GOLD proxy card to elect both highly qualified candidates Dan McCranie and Camillo Martino to enhance governance and help execute on Cypress 3.0.

16:22 EDT Farallon Capital reports 9.5% passive stake in Savara

16:19 EDT Merck down 2.2% after enrollment pause in two Keytruda studies

16:19 EDT Moelis declares special dividend of $1.00 per share - Moelis announced that its Board of Directors has declared a special dividend of $1.00 per share payable on July 6 to common stockholders of record on June 22. "Today's special dividend announcement is consistent with our commitment and track record of returning excess capital to our shareholders. We remain focused on profitable organic growth and shareholder returns," the company said.

16:17 EDT Dodge & Cox reports 6.2% passive stake in Grupo Televisa

16:17 EDT Invesco reports preliminary AUM $859B as of May 31 - Invesco reported preliminary month-end assets under management of $859B, an increase of 2.1% month over month. The increase was driven by favorable market returns, higher Money Market AUM, PowerShares QQQs inflows, foreign exchange, and net long-term inflows. FX increased AUM by $0.9B. Preliminary average total AUM for the quarter through May 31 were $843.3B, and preliminary average active AUM for the quarter through May 31 were $687.7B.

16:16 EDT Leidos awarded $18M prime contract by NAVSUP - Leidos was awarded a prime contract by the Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center to provide professional and technical support to the Joint Staff J6 Joint Deployable Analysis Team. The cost-plus fixed-fee task order has a one-year base period of performance, two one-year options, and a total contract value of approximately $18M if all options are exercised. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

16:13 EDT Globalfoundries reports 5.2% passive stake in Everspin Technologies

16:09 EDT Duke Energy, Siemens enter agreement for advanced gas turbine technologies - Duke Energy (DUK) submitted plans to the North Carolina Utilities Commission for expansion of its Lincoln County Combustion Turbine generation site. The proposal includes Siemens (SIEGY) as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor for the project, including supply of the advanced gas turbine unit. Approximately 400 megawatts of peaking energy will be needed to meet Duke Energy customers' needs in the Carolinas by 2024. Approval for early construction provides Siemens with an opportunity to build and test its newest gas turbine technologies in time to meet that need. Following construction, testing and validation, the new unit will be turned over to Duke Energy for operation. The proposed unit would be the most efficient combustion turbine in the Duke Energy fleet and around 25% more efficient than the existing Lincoln County turbines.

16:08 EDT Rex Energy sees estimated EBITDAX growth of over 150% by year-end 2018

16:07 EDT Manning & Napier announces preliminary AUM $28.7B as of May 31 - Manning & Napier reported preliminary assets under management as of May 31 of $28.7B compared with $29.2B at April 30 and $31.6B at March 31.

16:06 EDT AllianceBernstein reports preliminary AUM $512B as of May 31 - AllianceBernstein announced that preliminary assets under management increased to $512B during May from $504B at the end of April. The 1.6% increase was the result of market appreciation and positive firmwide net flows. By channel, Retail and Private Wealth net inflows were partially offset by net outflows from Institutions.

16:05 EDT Fluor says wins five-year contract from GLOBALFOUNDRIES - Fluor announced it was awarded a contract by GLOBALFOUNDRIES to provide onsite maintenance and operations support for its microprocessors and water fabrication units at its Burlington, Vermont and Fishkill, New York locations. Fluor will book the undisclosed contract value in the second quarter of 2017. The project will be managed through Stork, part of Fluor's diversified services segment. Fluor will begin work later this month at both locations employing approximately 40 full-time workers at each site.

16:04 EDT Rex Energy places into sale the four-well Baird pad in the Moraine East Area - Rex Energy announced that it has placed into sales the four-well Baird pad in the Moraine East Area. The Baird wells were drilled to an average lateral length of approximately 7,140 feet and completed in an average of 39 stages and 2,727 pounds of sand. The wells produced at an average 24-hour sales rate per well, assuming full ethane recovery, of 10.1 MMcfe/d consisting of 4.4 MMcf/d of natural gas, 823 bbls/d of NGLs and 124 bbls/d of condensate. "We are extremely pleased with the results from the Baird pad, and in particular, with the two Marcellus wells that averaged over 12.0 MMcfe/d. In addition, the Baird 4H produced the highest condensate rates we've seen to date in the entire Butler Operated Area. The strong performance of the Baird wells, which are located in the northernmost part of Moraine East, demonstrates the future potential for the northern portion of the field," said Tom Stabley, Rex Energy's President and Chief Executive Officer. He continued, "The placement of the Baird pad into sales marks another success in the execution of our two-year plan. We remain on schedule to place the six-well Shields, four-well Mackrell and four-well Wilson pad into sales in the latter half of this year, which will be the catalyst for increased production growth in the second half of 2017."

16:02 EDT Aimmune says over 97% of patients in PALISADE trial completed up-dosing - Aimmune Therapeutics announced that, in the ongoing Phase 3 PALISADE trial of AR101, more than 97% of patients currently on study have completed up-dosing. AR101 is Aimmune's proprietary, investigational biologic oral immunotherapy for desensitization of patients with peanut allergy. PALISADE is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of AR101 in peanut-allergic children, adolescents, and adults. A total of 554 peanut-allergic patients, ages 4-49, were randomized to receive either AR101 or placebo for approximately six months of up-dosing followed by six months of maintenance therapy. Aimmune remains blinded to data from the trial. Based on observations of aggregated data to date, Aimmune expects that the percentage of patients completing the entire study will be well ahead of the powering calculations behind the study design. With the vast majority of patients now successfully through up-dosing in PALISADE, Aimmune estimates that final study visits will be completed around year-end 2017, and that topline data will be available in the first quarter of 2018.

16:01 EDT Cleantech Solutions enters agreement with ECrent - Cleantech Solutions announced that it has entered into exclusive discussions with ECrent Capital Holdings, a private company incorporated in British Virgin Islands focusing on developing and operating of a global rental platform to promote sharing economy across 30 countries and regions. The Company's board of directors plans to form a special committee consisting of independent directors to evaluate and negotiate, on behalf of the Company, the potential acquisition and/or business cooperation transaction(s) with ECrent. The special committee is also expected to engage independent financial and other advisors in connection with such potential transactions. The exclusive period is initially set for three months and may be extended by both parties.

15:57 EDT Janus Henderson reports 14.4% passive stake in Saint Joe Co.

15:42 EDT Coherus crashes after FDA rejection, but Wall Street says problems manageable - Biosimilar researcher Coherus Biosciences (CHRS) announced this morning that the FDA rejected its current application for CHS-1701, which aims to mimic Amgen's (AMGN) Neulasta. The stock fell heavily on the news, but Wall Street analysts argued that issues raised by the FDA appear resolvable. BACKGROUND: Coherus Biosciences is a developer of "biosimilars" -- nearly identical copies of original biologic drugs -- whose product pipeline includes CHS-1701, a biosimilar of Amgen's Neulasta, and CHS-1420, a biosimilar of AbbVie's (ABBV) Humira. FDA REJECTION: Early Monday, Coherus announced receipt of a "complete response letter" from the FDA, rejecting the company's current application for CHS-1701. According to Coherus, the letter primarily focused on a request "for a reanalysis of a subset of subject samples with a revised immunogenicity assay, and requests for certain additional manufacturing related process information. The FDA did not request a clinical study to be performed in oncology patients." COMPANY SEES ONE-YEAR TIMELINE: On a conference call this morning, Coherus executives outlined a roughly one-year timeline for potential approval, stating: "We anticipate that we will need a Type 1 meeting... FDA scheduling guidance is 30 days for such meetings. We believe that we can generate responses to the CRL within six months... The agency can take up to six months to evaluate resubmission." REDUCED CASH PLANS: Coherus also announced during its call this morning that "we have developed a revised financial plan for 2H17 which calls for an average use of cash of $40M per quarter... which is a significant reduction from 1H. Further, we project quarterly cash use of $30M-$35M per quarter for 1H18... We believe we can operate at this rate into 2H18 or until product approval." CREDIT SUISSE SAYS NOT WORST CASE: Keeping an Outperform rating and $38 target on Coherus, Credit Suisse analyst Alethia Young says the news isn't a worst case scenario and that she is "cautiously optimistic" on timelines. Understanding how long the requested reanalysis will take is key, she says, and her conversations today with Coherus revealed a "high degree" of management confidence in running an analysis that would ultimately lead to FDA conversations in about six months. Young highlights that the CRL didn't identify "major issues" like misguided trials or manufacturing problems, but she reiterates her view that shares could trade to $12-$15 on the event. Approval remains the key positive catalyst for Coherus and that driver is now likely shifted until mid-2018 or the second half of next year, the analyst contends, adding that shares could be range bound until further clarity on the reanalysis. For Amgen, Young says today's news is positive, as she doesn't expect another biosimilar competitor until perhaps 2019 at the earliest. COWEN SAYS NO ISSUES WITH DRUG: Cowen analyst Ken Cacciatore says the CRL issues "appears resolvable" with a total delay of likely one year. The rejection didn't seem to raise any specific criticism of CHS-1701 and instead reflected FDA desire to use the most advanced testing possible. It is likely, says Cacciatore, that the agency concluded during other recent reviews that a stricter test should be used and that it is now "asking everyone" to adopt enhanced standards. While unfortunate for Coherus, the FDA is "likely just being complete and thorough," the analyst argues. Accounting for the company's expectations for a one-year delay, Cacciatore says Coherus is now "on track" for possible 2H18 approval and launch. JPMORGAN CALLS SELLOFF OVERREACTION: JPMorgan's Chris Schott argues that the CRL "appears very much addressable," and continues to believe CHS-1701 will be one of -- if not the -- first Neulasta biosimilar. Today's selloff is an overreaction, the analyst says, calling Coherus an "attractive" pure play in biosimilars with upside to $30-plus given 2018 approval for 1701. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Coherus are down 25.5% to $15.38 in afternoon trading, while Amgen is up 0.25%.

15:38 EDT IDT Corp Chairman buys 1M shares - IDT Corp Chairman Howard Jonas acquired 1M shares at an average price of $14.93 on June 9, according to a regulatory filing.

15:18 EDT Teva announces launch of generic Zetia in U.S. - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced the launch of generic Zetia tablets, 10 mg, in the U.S. Ezetimibe is a prescription medicine used to lower levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. Ezetimibe tablets are for patients who cannot control their cholesterol levels by diet and exercise alone. It can be used by itself or with other medicines to treat high cholesterol. Ezetimibe tablets work to reduce the amount of cholesterol the body absorbs. "Despite advances in the treatment of high cholesterol in recent years, many people are still living with active disease and are in need of additional generic therapeutic options," said Dipankar Bhattacharjee, Teva's President and CEO, Global Generic Medicines. "We are excited to add another strong generic to our U.S. portfolio and see potential to build on its success by leveraging our expertise in the cardiovascular area."

15:16 EDT Invesco reports 13.3% passive stake in Changyou.com

14:22 EDT Janus Henderson reports 10.5% passive stake in Heron Therapeutics

14:18 EDT Janus Henderson reports 9.3% passive stake in Dunkin' Brands

14:02 EDT Avis Budget partners with RocketSpace to accelerate mobility innovation - Avis Budget Group announced it has teamed with RocketSpace, a technology campus for start-ups and corporate innovators, to "identify market opportunities and fuel cross-industry innovation." The company commented, "Avis Budget Group joins a diverse group of global businesses across the mobility value chain... who will collaborate with start-ups on real-life product testing and go-to-market solutions. Innovation areas include automated driver assisted systems, on-board vehicle diagnostics and electric vehicle systems." RocketSpace remarked, "As our fleet management industry partner, we're very optimistic that innovative solutions piloted in the program will be implemented and scaled through Avis Budget Group's network of vehicles."

13:54 EDT Penn Virginia halted for volatility after jumping 6% to $46.18

13:45 EDT Janus Henderson reports 13.2% passive stake in Cimpress

13:38 EDT Janus Capital reports 14.6% passive stake in athenahealth

13:27 EDT ESET, Dragos warn of malicious software that may cause power outages - Cyber security firms ESET, a Slovakian anti-virus software maker and Dragos, a U.S. critical-infrastructure security firm both released their analysis of the malware, known Industroyer or Crash Override. ESET said: "ESET researchers have been analyzing samples of dangerous malware capable of performing an attack on power supply infrastructure. The malware was likely involved in the December 2016 cyberattack on Ukraine's power grid that deprived part of its capital, Kiev, of power for over an hour. "The recent attack on the Ukrainian power grid should serve as a wake-up call for all those responsible for the security of critical systems around the world," warns ESET Senior Malware Researcher Anton Cherepanov. ESET researchers discovered that Industroyer is capable of directly controlling electricity substation switches and circuit breakers. It uses industrial communication protocols used worldwide in power supply infrastructure, transportation control systems, and other critical infrastructure. The potential impact may range from simply turning off power distribution, triggering a cascade of failures, to more serious damage to equipment." Dragos said: Today the Dragos, Inc. team is releasing a report titled Crash Override: Analyzing the Malware that Attacks Power Grids. Crash Override is a malware framework that has not been disclosed before today but is the capability used in the cyber-attack on the Ukraine electric grid in 2016. Dragos can also confirm that we are tracking the adversary group behind the attack as ELECTRUM and can assess with high confidence the group has direct ties to the Sandworm Team which targeted infrastructure companies in the United States and Europe in 2014 and Ukraine electric utilities in 2015. The electric grid is extremely reliable. Crash Override represents alarming tradecraft and the ability to disrupt operations, but the public must understand that the outages could be in hours or days not in weeks or months. The electric grid operators train regularly to restore power for similar sized events such as weather storms. The first thank you that needs publicly stated is to those men and women responsible for having put the electric grid into a defensible situation through their dedication to reliability and safety of electric power." Publicly traded companies in the space include Barracuda (CUDA), Check Point (CHKP), F5 Networks (FFIV), FireEye (FEYE), Fortinet (FTNT), Imperva (IMPV), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Proofpoint (PFPT), Qualys (QLYS) and Symantec (SYMC). Reference Link

13:18 EDT Wipro issues statement after NYSE contact, says ex-dividend date undetermined - Wipro issued the following statement: "In view of today's market activity in the Wipro stock, the New York Stock Exchange has contacted the company in accordance with its usual practice. The company felt that it was important to clarify to the market that the payable date and ex-dividend date for its ADR bonus issue, or stock dividend, are yet to be determined. At NYSE, for ADR stock dividends or bonus issue, the ex-dividend date is set as the first business day after the stock dividend is paid, which is also after the record date. Therefore NYSE has not yet declared an ex-dividend date for Wipro's ADR program. Once the payable date is declared NYSE will announce the ex-dividend date for the ADR."

13:02 EDT Serenity Capital reports 23.4% passive stake in Bright Scholar

12:59 EDT Oramed says seeking approval for Israel listing - Oramed disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday: "On June 5, the board of Oramed Pharmaceuticals authorized the company to apply for the listing of the company's shares of common stock... on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange. The company is seeking approval from the Israel Securities Authority and expects that the common stock will begin trading on the TASE during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending August 31, 2017. The common stock will continue to trade on the NASDAQ."

12:55 EDT In potential challenge to Venmo, banks launch payments solution Zelle - Peer-to-peer payments solution Zelle began rolling out Monday, potentially bringing new competition against PayPal's (PYPL) Venmo platform. Zelle comes from the bank-owned joint venture Early Warning Services, whose owners include JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Bank of America (BAC). Other Zelle participants include Citi (C), U.S. Bancorp (USB), Morgan Stanley (MS), Capital One (COF), Ally Financial (ALLY), BB&T (BBT), Fifth Third (FITB), KeyCorp (KEY) and SunTrust (STI). "Changing the way money moves, Zelle allows for funds to be sent from one bank account to another in minutes, using only a recipient's email address or mobile number. 'Send Money with Zelle' is conveniently available within the mobile banking apps of Zelle Network participants -- a network which includes banks and credit unions of all sizes. With no additional app to download, Zelle will make digital payments a fast, safe and easy alternative to checks and cash," the company explained. PRICE ACTION: Shares of PayPal are down 2.75% in afternoon trading. Reference Link

12:37 EDT Snap launches self-serve ad manager, unveils ad creation tool, partners program - Snap announced Monday the "Snap Publisher" ad creation tool as well as a "Certified Partners" program to link clients to expert third-party ad tech providers, according to several media reports. The company also rolled out its previously announced self-serve ad manager. Snap Publisher will launch in July, the company noted. Reference Link

12:07 EDT Tyson Foods recalls nearly 2.5M pounds of chicken products over misbranding - Tyson Foods is recalling approximately 2,485,374 pounds of ready-to-eat, or RTE, breaded chicken products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Friday. The products could contain milk, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. The RTE breaded chicken items were produced and packaged on various dates from Aug. 17, 2016 through Jan.14, 2017. The products subject to recall bear establishment number "P-1325" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped for institutional use nationwide. According to Tyson's records, schools have purchased products through the company's commercial channels. The problem was discovered on June 6, 2017, when the company received notification from an ingredient supplier that the bread crumbs the company received and used in the recalled products potentially contained undeclared milk. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Reference Link

12:01 EDT Tyson Foods names HP Enterprise exec Spradley as CTO - Tyson Foods (TSN) has hired HP Enterprise (HPE) chief information officer Scott Spradley to become the company's chief technology officer, effective June 26. Spradley will be part of Tyson Foods' enterprise leadership team, reporting directly to President and CEO Tom Hayes. He will lead the company's Information Technology team and approach to new technologies and systems that enable growth. Devin Graham, who served as interim chief technology officer, will remain with the company as vice president, technology and support and help Spradley transition to his new role.

11:56 EDT FMR reports 10.046% passive stake in Shake Shack

11:46 EDT GE's incoming CEO Flannery says to undertake 'disciplined' review of company - Incoming CEO Flannery says "inheriting a great set of assets." Says will undertake "disciplined" review of company, will listen to feedback from stakeholders, investors, customers in the coming weeks and months. Says will focus on cash flow, costs.

11:39 EDT S&P sees 'growing appetite for mergers' from Kraft Heinz - S&P in a report today examined Kraft Heinz's (KHC) "growing appetite for mergers and acquisitions." The failed bid for Unilever (UN, UL) "demonstrated Kraft Heinz's growing risk appetite, scale ambitions, and financial muscles," S&P said in its report. "This is not the last M&A play we are likely to see from Kraft Heinz," said S&P Global Ratings analyst Bea Chiem. "Consequently, the most frequent questions we receive concerning the U.S. packaged food sector concern Kraft Heinz."

11:31 EDT EnPro announces District Court approval of joint reorganization plan - EnPro Industries announced that on June 12, 2017 the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina entered an order confirming the joint plan of reorganization of certain of EnPro's subsidiaries, including Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC, to resolve their current and future asbestos claims. The District Court's decision follows a hearing before the District Court held on June 12, 2017, following the recommendation for confirmation of the Joint Plan made by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina after a hearing held by it on May 12, 2017. All remaining objections to the Joint Plan pending at the time of the Bankruptcy Court's hearing had been resolved prior to the hearing before the District Court and no new objections were raised at the District Court's hearing. The Joint Plan may not be consummated until at least 40 days after the date the District Court issues its order confirming the Joint Plan. EnPro anticipates that, absent any appeals, the Joint Plan will be consummated on or about July 29, 2017. The District Court also approved several settlements with insurance carriers that issued policies covering losses associated with product liability claims against Coltec and certain of its subsidiaries, as had been recommended by the Bankruptcy Court following its May 12 hearing. In addition, the District Court approved a settlement, reached after May 12, with the successors to Coltec's Fairbanks Morse Pump business in which the Fairbanks Morse Pump successors agreed to pay OldCo $6 million in three installments over nine years following consummation of the Joint Plan. The successor entities are entitled to recoup up to the full amount of their payments to OldCo from collections expected to be received from an additional insurance carrier that issued general liability policies to Coltec prior to January 1, 1976. OldCo and the asbestos trust to be established under the Joint Plan will share equally in any collections above that $6 million amount. OldCo estimates that the carrier will owe approximately $11 million in reimbursements over the life of the asbestos trust for its share of Coltec claims.

11:21 EDT Lattice, Canyon Bridge to withdraw and refile joint voluntary notice to CFIUS - On June 9, Lattice Semiconductor, Canyon Bridge Acquisition, and Canyon Bridge Merger Sub entered into an amendment to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 3, 2016, pursuant to which the parties agreed to withdraw and re-file their joint voluntary notice to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, CFIUS, under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, to allow more time for review and discussion with CFIUS in connection with the proposed merger between Lattice and Canyon Bridge Merger Sub, and agreed to extend the outside date after which the Merger Agreement may be terminated by either Lattice of Canyon Bridge if the Merger has not become effective to September 30, subject to adjustment as described in the Merger Agreement.

11:17 EDT Elk Creek Partners reports 5.01% passive stake in Novadaq

11:06 EDT Tesaro rallies after web report claims Sanofi interested in buyout - Sanofi (SNY) and at least one other suitor have expressed interest in acquiring Tesaro (TSRO), website Street Insider reports, citing "a person claiming to have knowledge of the matter." The second company is likely Gilead Sciences (GILD), and a deal could be worth $10B, the website speculated. Shares of Tesaro, a frequent subject of takeout conjecture, have rallied off the day's lows and are now up $1.22 to $140.00. The company's market capitalization is around $7.40B.

10:43 EDT Ocular Therapeutix falls after Chief Medical Officer resigns - In a regulatory filing out after the close on Friday, Ocular Therapeutix disclosed that Jonathan Talamo has resigned from his position as Chief Medical Officer of the company, effective June 15. Shares of Ocular Therapeutix are down 4.46% or 50c to $10.70 per share in morning trading.

10:36 EDT United Natural Foods rallies 4%, or $1.44 to $41.86

10:27 EDT TransDigm falls 7% after report of Elizabeth Warren request for probe - Shares of TransDigm are down over 7% in early trading after CNBC said that Senator Elizabeh Warren of Massachusetts sent a letter in May regarding her request for an investigation of the company.

10:19 EDT Miragen Therapeutics trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:15 EDT Otkritie to commence partial tender offer for QIWI shares at $28 per share - In an announcement made on June 10, Otkritie Holding and Otkritie Investments Cyprus Limited said that they intend to make a cash tender offer, at a price of $28 per share, for up to 24,794,253 outstanding Class B ordinary shares, including Class B Shares represented by American Depositary Shares, of QIWI. The offerors, together with their affiliates, currently hold approximately 8.85% of the outstanding securities of QIWI which, when added to the maximum number of securities the offerors are seeking to acquire in the offer, constitutes approximately 63.85% of the outstanding securities outstanding as of March 17.

10:06 EDT Transcontinental Realty Investment trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:02 EDT CBS, Sinclair Broadcast report affiliation agreement renewals - CBS (CBS) and Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) announced a multi-year deal that renews station affiliation agreements for four of its owned or operated stations, including KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah; KEYE in Austin, Texas; WSBT in South Bend, Ind.; and WGFL in Gainesville, Fla. The four renewed markets serve more than 2M households. The new deal also includes the renewal of participation in CBS All Access plus a commitment to distribution of Sinclair's CBS affiliates via the new YouTubeTV live television service in markets where the offering is available. In addition, the companies agreed to assign Tribune's (TRCO) CBS affiliation agreements to Sinclair upon planned closing of the merger.

09:50 EDT First South Bancorp trading resumes

09:32 EDT LivaNova names Keyna Skeffington as SVP, general counsel - LivaNova (LIVN) announced the appointment of Keyna Skeffington as senior vice president and general counsel. She most recently served as vice president of legal -- corporate and securities, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary at Medtronic (MDT).

09:28 EDT GE incoming CEO Flannery says to take 'fresh look' at company overall early on - Incoming CEO Flannery says there are "clearly some areas we need to improve on quickly," says "no one's happy with the stock price right now."

09:25 EDT Carolina Financial to acquire First South Bancorp - Carolina Financial (CARO) and First South Bancorp (FSBK), the parent company of First South Bank announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement. Upon completion of the acquisition, the combined company will have approximately $3.2B in assets, $2.2B in loans and $2.5B in deposits. This transaction will further solidify Carolina Financial's position as one of the largest Carolinas-based community banks. The transaction provides core funding and economy of scale benefits in attractive markets throughout North Carolina. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of each company. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017 and is subject to customary conditions, including both regulatory and shareholder approvals. Subject to the terms of the merger agreement, First South shareholders will receive 0.52 shares of Carolina Financial common stock for each share of First South's common stock, which equates to an aggregate deal value of $162M based on Carolina Financial Corporation's closing stock price of $32.49 as of June 9, 2017.

09:16 EDT GE lead director: Board 'couldn't be more pleased' with Flannery's appointment - GE's Lead Director Jack Brennan says "could not have had a better partner in this process than Jeff Immelt." Says plan for GE CEO transition process was set in 2011. Says GE is a "different company" than when Immelt took over. Says board "couldn't be more pleased" with Flannery's appointment. Chief Communications Officer Deirdre Latour says considered both internal and external candidates for CEO role.

09:12 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: General Electric (GE), up 4.2% after announcing that John Flannery, current President and CEO of GE Healthcare, has been named CEO of the company... TrovaGene (TROV), up 35% after entering an agreement with AstraZeneca (AZN)... Fibrocell (FCSC), up 9.3% after receiving rare pediatric disease designation from the FDA for FCX-013. LOWER: Apple (AAPL), down 2% after being downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Mizuho... Adobe Systems (ADBE), down 2.7% after being downgraded to Sell from Hold at Pivotal Research... Coherus Biosciences (CHRS), down 30.3% after the FDA issued a complete response letter for its biologics license application for CHS-1701.

09:11 EDT Wecast Network to acquire 51% of NextGen Exchange Group - Wecast Network announced that it has acquired 51% of NextGen Exchange Group, the first Blockchain- and Big Data-enabled index exchange, which will reside and operate under Wecast Network's Wecast Services Group and become an essential component of Wecast's Transactional Finance Product Cloud business. WCST will pay no monetary or stock consideration for the acquisition. WCST will purchase 51% of the outstanding capital shares in NextGen Exchange Group from the seller, Redrock Capital Group Limited, a Bruno Wu controlled and owned company. In addition, Seller has entered into a separate agreement with the Delaware Board Of Trade Holdings, under which Seller will transfer 5% of the total issued and outstanding stock of NextGen to DBOT. The Delaware Board of Trade or DBOT, is an approved and licensed FINRA / SEC regulated electronic trading platform with operations in Delaware. By utilizing DBOT's existing platform, trading system and technology, NextGen will be amongst the world's first Big Data, artificial intelligence and blockchain-based platform to generate a new array of derivative indexes asset-backed securities and digital currencies. Digital currency based products and index product trading is expected to begin in the second half of 2017.

09:08 EDT General Electric's Immelt says 'the right time' for leadership transition - GE's outgoing CEO Jeff Immelt says summer of 2017 "the right time" for leadership transition. Says "change is good." Says incoming CEO John Flannery is "resilient," a "team-builder" and "the perfect person to run the company at the right time." Comments taken from GE's Facebook Live chat.

09:06 EDT Intevac announces additional HDD order for 200 Lean System - Intevac announced the receipt of an order for an additional 200 Lean system, which will be equipped with the latest technology enhancements for HDD magnetic media sputtering. Scheduled to ship in early 2018, this order brings the company's 200 Lean backlog to six systems.

09:05 EDT Intel announces expiration of HSR waiting period for acquisition of Mobileye - Intel Corporation (INTC) announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, with respect to the previously announced proposed acquisition of Mobileye (MBLY) by Intel expired effective June 9 at 11:59 p.m., New York City time. The expiration of the HSR waiting period satisfies a condition to the closing of the previously announced all cash tender offer by Cyclops Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel, to purchase all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Mobileye. Completion of the tender offer remains subject to additional conditions described in the tender offer statement on Schedule TO filed by Cyclops Holdings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 5. Such conditions include the receipt of regulatory approvals in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions and at least 95% of Mobileye's outstanding shares being validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the expiration of the tender offer. The tender offer will continue to be extended until all conditions are satisfied or waived, or until the tender offer is terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement by and between Intel and Mobileye and as described in the Schedule TO.

09:03 EDT GlycoMimetics appoints Patricia Andrews to board - GlycoMimetics announced the appointment of Patricia S. Andrews, CEO and director of Boston Biomedical, Inc., to its Board of Directors.

09:02 EDT Korn/Ferry names Frank Giampietro as SCP, Chief Commercial Officer - Korn Ferry announced that Frank Giampietro has joined the firm as Senior Client Partner and Chief Commercial Officer. He will be based in the Philadelphia office and will be a member of the Korn Ferry Hay Group global leadership team. Giampietro joins Korn Ferry from Willis Towers Watson, where he was Managing Director, Group Exchanges.

09:01 EDT BAE Systems awarded $180.5M contract by U.S. Navy - The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $180.5M contract to continue producing Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rockets to meet the growing U.S. and international demand for the systems.

08:55 EDT First South Bancorp trading halted, news pending

08:48 EDT Amazon to open Robotics facility in Colorado, create more than 1,500 jobs - Amazon announced plans to open its second Colorado fulfillment center in Thornton, which will be the first Amazon Robotics facility in the Centennial State. Amazon will create more than 1,500 new full-time associate roles at this facility. Amazon employees will work alongside innovative technologies at the 855,000-plus square-foot fulfillment center picking, packing, and shipping smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys. The project is being developed by Trammell Crow Company and Clarion Partners.

08:46 EDT Parkway announces short-term renewal with Apache at Post Oak Central - Parkway (PKY) announced that it has signed a 26-month lease extension with Apache (APA) at Post Oak Central. The renewal extends all 524,000 square feet currently occupied by Apache through February 28, 2022. Additionally, the renewal preserves Apache's existing five-year and ten-year renewal options, which would supersede the terms of this amendment if exercised prior to December 31, 2017.

08:36 EDT Zosano Pharma presents additional data from ZOTRIP study - Zosano Pharma presented additional data from its pivotal Phase 2/3 ZOTRIP study evaluating M207 as an acute treatment for migraine during the 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society in Boston, MA. The data were presented Saturday during the late-breaking session by Egilius Spierings, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical investigator for the study and a Clinical Professor of Neurology and Craniofacial Pain at Tufts University Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine. As previously reported, the 3.8mg dose of M207 achieved both co-primary endpoints of pain freedom and most bothersome symptom freedom at 2 hours. In addition, the 3.8mg dose achieved significance in the secondary endpoints of pain freedom at 45 minutes and 1 hour and showed durability of effect on pain freedom at 24 and 48 hours. The data presented at AHS demonstrated that these results were attained with no SAEs and a favorable tolerability profile. M207 is designed to rapidly deliver zolmitriptan during a migraine attack utilizing Zosano's proprietary Adhesive Dermally-Applied Microarray, or ADAM technology. Zosano's ADAM technology consists of titanium microprojections coated with drug, and in the case of M207, our formulation of zolmitriptan. Our ADAM technology delivers zolmitriptan by abrading the stratum corneum and allowing drug to be absorbed into the microcapillary system of the skin.

08:34 EDT Elevate Credit launches Elevate Labs - Elevate Credit announced the launch of Elevate Labs at its new San Diego-based Advanced Analytics center. "The center of excellence underscores the company's commitment to innovation in the non-prime credit market," the company says. Elevate's technology and proprietary risk analytics are optimized to help non-prime consumers meet their immediate financial needs while improving their financial futures. The company annually invests $40M in its technology and analytics capabilities, including substantial investments in its proprietary IQ and DORA risk technology and analytics platforms, to support rapid scaling and innovation, robust regulatory compliance and ongoing improvements in underwriting. DORA, Elevate's proprietary risk analytics platform, utilizes a terabyte-scale Hadoop database composed of thousands of elements, 1.5M customer records and other wide-ranging data inputs including credit bureau data, web behavioral and performance data, bank account data and other non-traditional data, to accurately assign risk to customers.

08:33 EDT Ampio names Tom Chilcott as interim CFO - Ampio Pharmaceuticals announced that the company has not renewed the employment agreement of Gregory Gould, Ampio's CFO, which expired on June 10, and has appointed Tom Chilcott, Ampio's controller, as Interim CFO. As previously disclosed, Gould has been dividing his time as CFO of both Ampio and Aytu BioScience since April 2015.

08:31 EDT CECO Environmental names Dennis Sadlowski as CEO - CECO Environmental announced that Dennis Sadlowski has been appointed CEO of the company by the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Sadlowski has been acting in the role of interim CEO of CECO since January 24, and has been a member of the company's board of directors since May 2016. Sadlowski previously held a number of senior leadership roles including CEO of Siemens Energy and Automation, COO of LSG Sky Chefs, and CEO of International Battery.

08:31 EDT Bio-Rad announces FDA clearance of BioPlex 2200 Syphilis Total & RPR Assay - Bio-Rad Laboratories announced it has received FDA clearance for its BioPlex 2200 Syphilis Total & RPR assay, a novel one-step universal testing method to aid in the diagnosis of syphilis infection.

08:18 EDT Gilead submits NDA for Bictegravir, Emtricitabine, Tenofovir Alafenamide regimen - Gilead Sciences announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an investigational, once-daily single tablet regimen containing bictegravir, a novel investigational integrase strand transfer inhibitor, and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. BIC/FTC/TAF has demonstrated high rates of virologic suppression and no treatment-emergent resistance through 48 weeks in Phase 3 clinical trials among treatment-naive adult patients and among virologically suppressed adult patients who switched regimens. The NDA for BIC/FTC/TAF is supported by data from four Phase 3 studies in which the regimen met its primary objective of non-inferiority. Three of the ongoing studies are designed to explore the efficacy and safety of BIC/FTC/TAF compared to triple-therapy regimens containing dolutegravir among treatment-naive patients and among virologically suppressed patients switching from an existing antiretroviral regimen with dolutegravir. A fourth ongoing study in virologically suppressed patients compares switching to BIC/FTC/TAF versus remaining on a suppressive regimen of two nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors and a boosted protease inhibitor. Gilead plans to submit a marketing authorization application for BIC/FTC/TAF in the European Union in Q3. Bictegravir in combination with FTC/TAF as a single tablet regimen is an investigational treatment that has not been determined to be safe or efficacious and is not approved anywhere globally.

08:14 EDT Omnicell announces new partnership with CompleteRx - Omnicell announced a new partnership with CompleteRx to provide a comprehensive medication distribution and management solution to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Office of Pharmacy Services. The agreement includes both central pharmacy technology and the company's XT Series Automated Dispensing Cabinets. This partnership aims to improve inventory management, increase workflow efficiency, and reduce medication errors in 49 different facilities across all of SOPS' departments.

08:11 EDT Mobileye announces expansion of HSR waiting period regarding Intel offer - Mobileye (MBLY) announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, has expired with respect to the proposed acquisition of Mobileye by Intel (INTC). The expiration of the Act's waiting period satisfies a transaction closing condition related to the previously announced all cash tender offer. Completion of the tender offer remains subject to additional conditions described in the tender offer statement on Schedule TO filed by Cyclops Holdings with the U.S. SEC on April 5. Such conditions include the receipt of regulatory approvals in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions and at least 95% of Mobileye's outstanding shares being validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the expiration of the tender offer. The tender offer will continue to be extended until all conditions are satisfied or waived, or until the tender offer is terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement by and between Intel and Mobileye and as described in the Schedule TO.

08:08 EDT Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim to conduct trial investigating Jardiance tablets - Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company announced plans to conduct a new, large clinical outcomes trial investigating Jardiance tablets for the treatment of people with chronic kidney disease. The trial will enroll people with chronic kidney disease both with and without type 2 diabetes.

08:07 EDT Aircastle names Michael Inglese as CEO, Ron Wainshal to step aside - Aircastle announced that Ron Wainshal will step aside to focus on his health and recovery and Michael Inglese has been named CEO and was appointed to the Board of Directors. Inglese has served as CFO since 2007 and more recently as Acting CEO since Wainshal began his medical leave of absence in January 2017.

08:06 EDT Exelixis initiates phase 1b trial of cabozanitinib, atezolizumab combination - Exelixis announced the initiation of the dose-escalation stage of a phase 1b trial of cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma or renal cell carcinoma. The primary objective is to determine the optimal dose and schedule of daily oral administration of cabozantinib when given in combination with atezolizumab to inform the trial's subsequent expansion stage. This multicenter phase 1b, open-label study is divided in two parts: a dose-escalation phase and an expansion cohort phase. The dose-escalation phase will enroll 9 to 36 patients with inoperable, locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent UC after prior platinum-based therapy or RCC with or without prior systemic therapy. The starting dose of cabozantinib will be 40 mg daily and may be increased to 60 mg daily or decreased to 20 mg daily. All patients will receive the standard atezolizumab dosing regimen. The secondary objectives of the dose-escalation stage are to evaluate the plasma pharmacokinetics of daily oral administration of cabozantinib when given in combination with atezolizumab and to assess safety of the combination therapy through the evaluation of incidence and severity of adverse events, including immune-related adverse events. Exploratory endpoints include the correlation of clinical outcome with immune cell, tumor cell and blood biomarker analyses. Once the recommended dose and schedule are determined, the trial will enroll four expansion cohorts, each with up to 30 patients, for a total of up to 120 patients with advanced or metastatic UC or RCC. The primary objective in the expansion stage of the trial is to determine the objective response rate in each cohort.

08:05 EDT TIAA completes acquisition of EverBank - TIAA announced the successful completion of its acquisition of EverBank Financial Corp and its wholly owned subsidiary EverBank. The transaction was originally announced August 8, 2016. The new, combined bank's legal entity name is TIAA, FSB, but for the immediate future, the bank will continue to use the TIAA Direct and EverBank brands. Customers will be kept informed regarding account conversions as the integration progresses.

08:04 EDT Trovagene enters agreement with AstraZeneca in prospective biomarker study - Trovagene (TROV) announced it has entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca (AZN) to provide Trovera urine ctDNA biomarker test and services. The Trovera EGFR urine liquid biopsy test will initially be used in an open label prospective biomarker study evaluating whether the combined use of noninvasive testing is as effective as tissue testing in identifying epidermal growth factor receptor T790M mutation status.

08:03 EDT CIM Commercial Trust declares special dievidend of $1.98 per share - CIM Commercial Trust Corporation announced that it has repurchased in a privately negotiated transaction 26,181,818 shares of its common stock from a fund managed by an affiliate of CIM Group, the manager of CMCT. The aggregate purchase price was $576,000,000, or $22 per share. In order for all common shareholders to participate in the economic benefit of the share repurchase in an equitable manner, CMCT's Board of Directors has declared a special cash dividend of $1.98 per common share. The amount of the special cash dividend per common share was calculated based on the spread between $22.00, the repurchase price, and the volume-weighted average price per common share for the 20 trailing trading days through June 9, 2017 of $15.82 per common share. The dividend will be paid on June 27, 2017 to common shareholders of record as of June 20, 2017. The Fund has informed CMCT that it waived its right to receive this special cash dividend on the common shares that it owns. The repurchase and special cash dividend are part of CMCT's previously stated goal of focusing on increasing the net asset value and cash flow per share of common shares while providing liquidity to common shareholders at prices reflecting the underlying fundamentals of CMCT's portfolio. In conjunction with the share repurchase and declaration of the $1.98 per share special cash dividend, CMCT has adjusted its recurring quarterly common dividend to conform with the dividend program of its public REIT peers, which we believe have distributed 40% to 50% of funds from operations and 2.0% to 2.5% of consensus net asset value estimates on an annual basis. Accordingly, the Board today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per common share, representing approximately 45% of 2017 Q1 FFO and, on an annualized basis, 2.1% of net asset value.

08:01 EDT Extended Stay America announces resolution of lawsuit against WoodSpring Hotels - Extended Stay America announced that it has resolved the lawsuit that it brought last fall against one of its competitors over the alleged misappropriation of confidential trade secrets. As it previously announced on October 31, 2016, ESA sued WoodSpring Hotels LLC and two individuals claiming misappropriation of confidential and proprietary information for the purpose of unfairly competing against ESA. One of the individual defendants, Bernadette Ruby, was a former ESA sales executive; the other, Michael Docteroff, was an IT consultant. ESA claimed in the lawsuit that Docteroff, exploiting his position as a consultant to both ESA and WoodSpring and his access to ESA's systems, provided Ruby with confidential information from ESA's sales database, which was then used in the specific individual markets where ESA and WoodSpring have competing hotels. In settling the lawsuit, the defendants will pay ESA a combined $1.2M in damages, costs, and attorneys' fees, including a requirement that Ruby repay to ESA a portion of the severance payment that she received when she left ESA. The defendants have also agreed to an injunction that requires the destruction or return of all of ESA's confidential information, as well as to the prohibition of the future use of any ESA confidential information. For the next year, a court-appointed monitor will oversee compliance with the injunction and ensure that WoodSpring employees are aware of its requirements. Ruby is no longer employed with WoodSpring and Docteroff no longer provides services to ESA and WoodSpring. ESA's CEO, Gerry Lopez, commented: "Vigorous competition is the hallmark of our American enterprise system. We welcome it and celebrate it. But while we play hard, we play fair - and we will not tolerate unfair competition, either by our competitors or by our own employees. We are grateful to the whistleblower at WoodSpring who brought this to our attention so that it could be resolved before too much damage could be done, and hope that the message has been sent loud and clear that unfair competition will not be tolerated. We are aware that WoodSpring is under new leadership and we are confident that the current management team views these issues in the same way that we do."

07:47 EDT IMAX, AMC Theatres launch first IAMX VR Centre in NYC - IMAX Corporation (IMAX) and AMC Theatres (AMC) unveiled the new IMAX VR Centre at AMC Kips Bay 15 in New York City. The Centre, which marks the second IMAX has launched worldwide and the first to be installed within a multiplex, delivers guests immersive, multi-dimensional virtual reality experiences, including movie entertainment content and games.

07:40 EDT Privet Fund sends revised proposal to acquire Norsat for $11.50 per share - Privet Fund Management announced that Privet sent a letter to the board of directors of Norsat International containing a revised proposal to acquire 100% of the common shares of Norsat not already owned by Privet and its affiliates at a price of $11.50 per share in cash pursuant to a plan of arrangement. This consideration is greater than the $11.25 per share in consideration offered by Hytera Communications in Hytera's arrangement agreement with Norsat. Privet is confident that this revised proposal constitutes a "Superior Proposal" as defined in the Hytera Agreement. Privet will provide all of the equity capital necessary for the proposal and has received amending letters to the debt commitment letters previously provided to finance a portion of the consideration. Privet anticipates that the required regulatory approvals would not materially impact the timing or certainty of the transaction. Furthermore, given Privet's substantial existing ownership, Privet is highly confident that shareholder approval of the proposal will be readily obtained. The proposal is non-binding and is subject to the negotiation and execution of a mutually acceptable definitive acquisition agreement between Privet and Norsat. Privet is prepared to execute a definitive arrangement agreement, which includes terms and conditions substantially similar to those in the Hytera Agreement, should the board of directors of Norsat determine that Privet's proposal constitutes a "Superior Proposal" as defined in the Hytera Agreement. Privet and its affiliates continue to maintain ownership and control of 1,027,170 common shares of Norsat, representing approximately 17.6% of the outstanding common shares .

07:37 EDT Mack-Cali Realty raises quarterly dividend 33.3% to 20c per share - Mack-Cali Realty announced that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of 20c per common share for the period April 1 through June 30. The dividend will be paid on July 14 to shareholders of record as of July 6. This is an increase of 33.3% over the dividend from the prior quarter and the first increase for the company since 2006.

07:33 EDT USPTO issues allowances to Alnylam for two patent applications - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Notices of Allowance for two patent applications owned by Alnylam. The USPTO has allowed claims in patent application 15/483,354, which is a member of the McSwiggen patent family acquired from Merck (MRK) in 2014, covering single-stranded polynucleotides of about 18 to 20 nucleotides targeting the human transthyretin gene, and comprising 10 or more phosphorothioate linkages as well as 10 or more chemically modified pyrimidines. The second allowed patent application, 14/943,612, which is a member of the Manoharan patent family, contains claims directed to RNA agents of any length with at least one 2'-O alkyl modification and 4-20 phosphorothioate linkages conjugated to a GalNAc moiety of any valency.

07:31 EDT Qualcomm announces agreement with LifeScan - Qualcomm (QCOM), through its subsidiary Qualcomm Life, announced its agreement with LifeScan, one of the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Diabetes Care Companies, to streamline wireless data capture from LifeScan's OneTouch Verio Flex blood glucose meters to physicians to enable more informed care. Qualcomm Life's medical-grade 2net solution will power the connectivity for efficient, cable-free data collection. The companies plan to deploy the 2net solution to select physician offices in the Fall of 2017, and expand globally in 2018.

07:21 EDT GeoPark announces four new drilling explorations in Colombia - GeoPark Limited announced new drilling and testing successes in the Llanos 34 Block in Colombia. Exploring a fault trend southeast of the Tigana/Jacana oil field complex, GeoPark drilled and completed the Jacamar 1 exploration well to a total depth of 10,627 feet. A test conducted with an electric submersible pump in the Guadalupe formation resulted in a production rate of approximately 1,000 bopd of 17.5 degrees API, with 13% water cut, through a choke of 38/64 mm and wellhead pressure of 79 pounds per square inch. Oil shows during drilling and petrophysical analysis indicate the potential for hydrocarbon production also in the shallower Mirador and the deeper Gacheta formations. Following the drilling of the Jacana Sur 2 appraisal well in Q1 to test the northwest boundaries of the Jacana oil field, a test was conducted with an electric submersible pump in the Guadalupe formation. It resulted in a production rate of approximately 270 bopd of 16.5 degrees API, with 21% water cut, through a choke of 32/64 mm and wellhead pressure of 48 pounds per square inch. Following the drilling of the Jacana 8 appraisal well in Q1 to test a channel sand in the Mirador formation, which had not previously produced oil in the Jacana oil field, a test conducted with an electric submersible pump resulted in a production rate of approximately 1,850 bopd of 24.0 degrees API, with 0.4% water cut, through a choke of 32/64 mm and wellhead pressure of 100 pounds per square inch. The deeper Guadalupe formation was also tested and oil was found in an area which previously had no reserves assigned to it. GeoPark drilled and completed the Tigana Sur 5 development well to a total depth of 11,310 feet. A test conducted with an electric submersible pump in the Guadalupe formation resulted in a production rate of approximately 1,010 bopd of 14.9 degrees API, with a 0.4% water cut, through a choke of 32/64 mm and wellhead pressure of 85 pounds per square inch. For the period July 2017 to December 2017, GeoPark secured a minimum Brent price of $51 per barrel for 6,000 bopd through a zero-cost collar structure that includes a maximum price of $57.5 per barrel. Approximately 50-60% of GeoPark's production is hedged through Q3 at a floor of $51-$53 per barrel and 25-30% is hedged through Q4 at a floor of $51.

07:13 EDT Novartis treatment of neuroendocrine tumors granted FDA orphan status - Novartis' treatment of neuroendocrine tumors was granted FDA orphan status, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

07:12 EDT Intercept announces new data analysis from FLINT trial of OCA - Intercept Pharmaceuticals announced a retrospective analysis of the Phase 2 FLINT trial in patients who had a diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and type 2 diabetes. The poster entitled "Improvements in Liver Histology with Obeticholic Acid in Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus" was presented at the American Diabetes Association's 77th Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California. Obeticholic acid, or OCA, is an investigational therapy for the treatment of NASH. Both type 2 diabetes and advanced fibrosis are associated with lower transplant-free survival in patients with NASH. In FLINT, 149 NASH patients had type 2 diabetes and, within this population, 45% had advanced bridging fibrosis. In a retrospective analysis of FLINT patients with a diagnosis of NASH and type 2 diabetes at baseline, a greater percentage of OCA-treated patients achieved the primary endpoint of the trial, a greater than or equal to2-point improvement in NAFLD activity score, or NAS, without worsening of fibrosis, at week 72 as compared to placebo. More than twice as many OCA-treated patients with fibrosis experienced greater than or equal to1 stage of fibrosis improvement as compared to patients in the placebo group. This benefit was observed for every fibrosis stage. OCA treatment resulted in a mean 3.3 kg reduction in body weight from baseline compared to a 0.3 kg increase in the placebo group.

07:09 EDT EnSync announces sale of PPA for apartment complex in Oahu, Hawaii - EnSync announces the sale of a power purchase agreement for a 120-unit apartment complex in Oahu, Hawaii. Previously, EnSync Energy announced the sale of a PPA for a 116-unit apartment complex in Oahu, as part of a multi-development program providing residents of the island with stable electricity for the next two decades. The 300-kilowatt EnSync Energy system will provide electricity to the complex at a contracted price for the 20-year term of the power purchase agreement. Revenue will be recognized in the coming quarters based upon completion of project milestones.

07:09 EDT Nexstar board authorizes $100M expansion of share repurchase program - Nexstar Media Group said that its Board of Directors has approved an expansion of the company's share repurchase authorization to repurchase up to an additional $100M of its Class A common stock. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company repurchased approximately 839,000 shares of its Class A common stock at an average purchase price of approximately $58.10 per share for a total cost of $48.7M, which depleted the balance of its prior $100M share repurchase authorization. Chairman, President and CEO Perry Sook comments, "With the operating momentum across our business Nexstar remains on track to meet our target for average annual free cash flow in the 2017/2018 cycle of approximately $565M. As such, we have the financial flexibility to take a range of actions to enhance shareholder value including our return of capital initiatives through the quarterly cash dividend and share repurchases, leverage reduction and pursuing opportunistic, accretive tuck-in acquisitions."

07:08 EDT AstraZeneca says new data 'underpins' safety of Farxiga - AstraZeneca presented new data at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions underpinning the safety profile of Farxiga with an analysis of data pooled from dapagliflozin clinical trials, as well as three new cardiovascular outcomes analyses from the ongoing CVD-REAL study, the first large real-world evidence study of its kind evaluating treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors, including dapagliflozin. In an updated safety analysis, data pooled from 30 Phase IIb/III clinical trials for dapagliflozin showed no new safety signals and the incidence of adverse events was generally similar to that in the control groups. Importantly, there was no imbalance in lower-limb amputations, with eight patients and seven patients identified in the dapagliflozin and control groups, respectively. Elisabeth Bjork, VP, Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Global Medicines Development, said: "SGLT-2 inhibitors are being prescribed with greater frequency for patients with type-2 diabetes, so it is vital that we have a clear understanding of the safety profile of these medicines and examine their effectiveness in a real-world setting. The data we are presenting at ADA underpins the safety of Farxiga and highlights the potential for earlier use of the SGLT-2 inhibitor class, and in broader patient populations than originally understood."

07:07 EDT GTx: Women treated with enobosarm showed reduction in incontinence episodes - GTx announced release of preliminary clinical data from its ongoing, open-label, Phase 2 clinical trial of enobosarm 3 mg in postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. An abstract entitled "Kegels In A Bottle": Preliminary Results Of A Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator For The Treatment Of SUI In Post-Menopausal Women, summarizing clinical data from the first seven patients completing 12 weeks of treatment with enobosarm, is now available on the International Continence Society's website. This proof-of-concept clinical trial is the first of its kind to evaluate an orally-administered selective androgen receptor modulator for SUI. In this ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial, enobosarm 3 mg is being given to post-menopausal women who have demonstrated SUI symptoms for more than six months, with 3 to 15 reported SUI episodes per day averaged over a three-day period, and a positive bladder stress test. The primary endpoint is the number of SUI episodes per day on the 3-day voiding diary at 12 weeks, compared to base line. The clinical findings from the first seven patients enrolled in the study following their completion of treatment, are: Each of the women treated with enobosarm showed a clinically significant reduction in incontinence episodes per day: Mean stress leaks decreased by 80.9 percent from baseline over 12 weeks; Stress leaks decreased from a mean of 5.7 leaks/day at baseline, to 1.1 leaks/day at Week 12; All patients saw at least a 65 percent reduction in number of stress leaks; Reductions in incontinence episodes were sustained well beyond the stopping of study drug at Week 12: Patients demonstrated continued reduction in incontinence episodes for up to five months; Women reported improved quality of life in the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) and Female Sexual Function Index; At Week 12, all seven patients showed improved PGI-I scores and 5 of 7 patients showed improvement in FSFI. Enrollment in the Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial of 3 mg of enobosarm in women with SUI is ongoing.

07:06 EDT RXi Pharmaceuticals initiates consumer/functional testing program with RXI-231 - RXi Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a consumer/functional testing program with RXI-231, a cosmetic ingredient based on sd-rxRNA that targets tyrosinase. The cosmetic product that will be tested is a gel formulation designed to aid in the reduction of pigmentation and thereby improving skin appearance. The consumer testing program will evaluate the use and consumer acceptability of RXI-231. Three studies are planned under this program. The first two studies in volunteers are performed to determine irritation and sensitization potential of the gel product containing RXI-231 when applied to the skin. The RXI-231 gel is intended to improve the appearance of existing areas of hyperpigmentation on the skin. Therefore, a third study will investigate the potential of the product to improve the appearance of skin pigmentation induced by UV exposure.

07:05 EDT Concert Pharmaceuticals reports $30M venture debt financing from Hercules - Concert Pharmaceuticals (CNCE) announced that it has entered into a $30M venture debt financing agreement with Hercules Capital (HTGC)."This non-dilutiv financing further extends our existing cash runway. This financing ensures that we are fully capitalized for the meaningful milestones we anticipate in 2018 for our key pipeline product candidates - CTP-543 for alopecia areata and AVP-786 for Alzheimer's agitation. In addition, we continue to expect to realize $160M in connection with the closing of the CTP-656 asset purchase agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)," said Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and CEO of Concert. "Hercules has been a good partner for Concert and we're pleased to be working with them again." The debt is in the form of a secured loan, secured by Concert's assets, excluding intellectual property, and bearing interest at a calculated prime-based variable rate currently at 8.55%. The full amount of the loan was funded upon closing. The loan will mature on June 1, 2021. Payments under the loan are interest-only for a period of 18 months, followed by equal monthly installments of principal and interest for 30 months thereafter. In addition, Concert has an option under the terms of the loan to pay off the loan within six months with a 50 percent reduction in the end of term charge and without a prepayment penalty following the closing of the Vertex transaction. In connection with the debt financing, Concert issued Hercules a warrant to purchase up to 61,273 of Concert's common shares at an exercise price of $12.24 per share.

07:04 EDT Amarin: Vascepa showed reductions in reduced triglyceride levels - Amarin announced two EPA-related data presentations unveiled this week at the American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA. A post-hoc analysis of the ANCHOR study further characterizing the efficacy and safety of prescription pure EPA Vascepa in the subgroup of statin-treated women with persistent high triglycerides and diabetes mellitus type 2, showed that, compared with placebo, Vascepa reduced triglyceride levels and several other potentially atherogenic lipid parameters and inflammatory markers, and significantly increased blood EPA levels. The study titled, "Icosapent Ethyl in Statin-Treated Women with Persistent High Triglycerides and Diabetes Mellitus: ANCHOR Study Subanalysis," was led by Eliot A. Brinton, MD, FAHA, FNLA. An in vitro mechanistic study suggesting that EPA may be a potential strategy for reducing blood vessel cell dysfunction is summarized in a published presentation, "Eicosapentaenoic Acid Reduces Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation and Human Endothelial Dysfunction in Vitro in a Manner Distinct from Docosahexaenoic Acid," by R. Preston Mason, PhD. The data demonstrated that EPA has antioxidant properties, distinct from DHA, that preserves certain cellular functions within blood vessel cells under disease-like conditions.

07:02 EDT Bioverativ reports FDA acceptance of INDA for BIVV001 for Hempophilia A - Bioverativ announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted the company's Investigational New Drug application for BIVV001, also known as rFVIIIFc-VWF-XTEN, a novel, investigational factor VIII therapy designed to potentially extend protection from bleeds with prophylaxis dosing of once weekly or longer for people with hemophilia A. BIVV001 builds on the company's existing Fc fusion technology by adding a region of von Willebrand factor and XTEN polypeptides to potentially extend its time in circulation. It is the only investigational factor VIII therapy in development that is designed to overcome the von Willebrand factor ceiling, which is believed to impose a half-life limitation on current factor VIII therapies.

07:01 EDT Armstrong Flooring completes acquisition of VCT busienss of Mannington Mills - Armstrong Flooring announced that it has closed on the previously announced definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire the Vinyl Composition Tile business of Mannington Mills, a nationally recognized flooring company. Armstrong Flooring intends to use its existing plant and distribution networks to accommodate the additional VCT volume from the acquisition in order to drive top and bottom line benefits through increased scale and capacity utilization.

06:54 EDT JinkoSolar signs cooperation agreement with Quantum Power GK in Japan - JinkoSolar Holding announced that its Japan subsidiary has entered into a 187MW Cooperation Agreement with Quantum Power GK, a Japanese company within Quantum Group. In accordance with the Agreement , Jinko Japan will exclusively supply 187MW worth of 275Wp modules for three projects of Quantum Power in Japan located in Ibaraki, Gunma and Mie prefecture. The last one is the largest integrated renewable project for Quantum, located in Matsuzaka, Mie prefecture, 330 km southwest of Tokyo. The project will operate a solar power plant, which generates 127,500 MWh per year and provides clean energy nearly to 90,000 households in the region. The power plant will start construction from July 2017 and is scheduled to complete by November 2018. The shipment of the modules for the Projects is supposed to commence in Q4.

06:47 EDT Leidos awarded $12M prime contract by NSWCCD - Leidos was awarded a prime contract by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, or NSWCCD, to provide operational support to NSWCCD acoustic trials and research activities for the Navy's Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility, or SEAFAC. The single-award cost-plus fixed-fee contract has a six-month base period of performance, one three-month option, and a total contract value of approximately $12M if the option is exercised. Work will be performed in Ketchikan, AK, Poulsbo, WA, and Long Beach, MS.

06:39 EDT Coherus Biosciences receives CRL from FDA for BLA for CHS-1701 - Coherus BioSciences announced that the U.S. FDA has issued a complete response letter for its biologics license application for CHS-1701, a pegfilgrastim biosimilar candidate, under the 351(k) pathway. The CRL primarily focused on the FDA request for a reanalysis of a subset of subject samples with a revised immunogenicity assay, and requests for certain additional manufacturing related process information. The FDA did not request a clinical study to be performed in oncology patients. Additionally, the CRL does not indicate additional process qualification lots would be required or raise concerns over the GMP status of CHS-1701 bulk manufacturing and fill-finish vendors. Coherus will work with the FDA to address the information requests.

06:34 EDT General Electric says 2017 framework remains unchanged

06:31 EDT Nomad Foods enters into accretive transaction to settle legacy tax claims - Nomad Foods announced that it has entered into an agreement to repurchase 9.78M of its shares beneficially owned by funds advised by Permira Advisers at a purchase price of $10.75 per share, which represents a 25% discount to the closing price of Nomad Foods ordinary shares on June 9, 2017. The transaction, which is 6% accretive to EPS, relates to a final settlement of indemnity claims against an affiliate of Permira, of legacy tax matters that predate its acquisition of Iglo Group in 2015. The aggregate purchase price of approximately $105.1M will be funded from the company's cash on hand and the shares will be retired.

06:21 EDT Rio Tinto says receives proposal from Glencore for Coal & Allied Industries - Rio Tinto acknowledges that it has received a proposal from Glencore to acquire Rio Tinto's wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, Coal & Allied Industries Limited. The Rio Tinto board and management will give the proposal appropriate consideration and respond in due course.

06:02 EDT Exxon Mobil calls Schneiderman emissions inquiry a 'political witch hunt' - Exxon Mobil, in a court filing on Friday, accused New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman of "abuse of the powers of his office" in his investigation of the oil company. Exxon's response followed an earlier filing, when Schneiderman questioned Exxon's evaluation of its oil and gas assets, suggesting that the process the company says it uses to take the potential cost of carbon pollution into account "may be a sham." Exxon further commented, "It is an abuse of the powers of his office and the court system itself, furthering only the Attorney General's transparent political ambitions and ultimately bound to taint a prospective jury pool, thereby depriving ExxonMobil of a fair trial in the event this political witch hunt were to reach that unlikely stage."

06:02 EDT Insulet presents 'promising' data from study of Omnipod Horizon system - Insulet announced additional promising data from the first feasibility study of the Omnipod Horizon Automated Glucose Control System hybrid closed-loop system. Initial results presented earlier this year demonstrated Insulet's personalized model predictive control algorithm performed well, was safe during the day and night for adults with type 1 diabetes, and was very effective at night with minimal hypoglycemia and excellent fasting glucose. New data revealed today at the American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions in San Diego demonstrated pediatric and adolescent populations experienced positive results consistent with the performance in the adult population, reinforcing Insulet's expectation of the many future benefits of the Omnipod Horizon. The 36-hour study included a modified version of Insulet's Omnipod System, a Dexcom continuous glucose sensor, and Insulet's personalized MPC algorithm with announced meals ranging from 30-90 grams of carbohydrates and limited physical activity. Overall, the study included 34 adults, 12 adolescents and 12 pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. Key findings in the pediatric and adolescent patients included greater than 70% of time spent in the target blood glucose range overall and approximately 85% or greater time in the target range overnight. These initial results indicate that the algorithm performance can address the unique challenges faced by pediatric populations with high insulin sensitivity and adolescents who tend to be insulin resistant.

05:31 EDT SAP, Accenture announce expanded collaboration agreement - SAP SE (SAP) and Accenture (ACN) announced an expanded collaboration to co-innovate, co-develop and jointly go to market with breakthrough digital solutions based on the new SAP Leonardo digital innovation system. The long-standing strategic partners will focus on embedding digital technologies including additional machine learning, analytics and the Internet of Things at the core of clients' businesses to deliver even greater value from their SAP investments.

05:29 EDT Broadridge forms strategic alliance with Spence Johnson - Broadridge Financial Solutions announced an agreement with Spence Johnson, a provider of global institutional data and intelligence, to bring together retail and institutional data, benchmarking and analytics. The combined capabilities will generate a unique global view of the global asset management market. This strategic alliance leverages Broadridge's Global Market Intelligence and Spence Johnson's institutional Money in Motion dataset that provides detailed analytics on institutional assets.

05:24 EDT Cypress Semiconductor Executive Chairman Ray Bingham steps down - Cypress Semiconductor announced that Executive Chairman Ray Bingham has tendered his resignation as Executive Chairman and is stepping down from the board of Directors. He also notified the board that he was declining to stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting. The board has accepted his decision. In addition, Eric Benhamou has stepped down as Lead Independent Director. He will remain on the board. In response to these developments, the board has appointed current independent director W. Steve Albrecht as its new Chairman. As a world-renowned expert in the field of corporate governance, the board unanimously decided that Steve is the right person for the job. Finally, the independent members of the Cypress board decided, given CEO Hassane El-Khoury's superior performance, there is no longer a need for the Executive Chairman role. All of these changes are effective immediately.