Stockwinners Market Radar for June 30, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:32 EDT Sikorsky awarded $3.77B government contract - Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. was awarded a $3,767,831,006 firm-fixed-price foreign military sales contract for a Black Hawk multi-year production effort to include associated services for program system management, engineering, technical data and publications. One bid was solicited and one bid received. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2022. Fiscal 2010 and 2017 other funds in the amount of $1,136,857,218 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

17:27 EDT SITO Mobile names Pallack CEO, Del Priore CFO - SITO Mobile announced the appointment of Thomas J. Pallack and Mark Del Priore as the company's CEO and CFO, respectively. Since June 1, 2017, Pallack and Del Priore served as executives of the company on an interim basis. In addition, the company announced the appointment of William Seagrave as the company's COO.

16:51 EDT EJF Capital reports 5.4% passive stake in Bank of Commerce Holdings

16:41 EDT Integrated Core Strategies reports 4.9% passive stake in Walter Investment

16:34 EDT Vivo Capital VIII reports 5.1% passive stake in Selecta Biosciences

16:23 EDT Forward Pharma enters into series of restructuring agreements - On June 30, Forward Pharma A/S entered into a series of restructuring agreements to effect part of the corporate restructuring plan substantially in the form set forth in Appendix D to the Settlement and License Agreement, dated January 17, 2017, by and among Forward Pharma, Biogen Swiss Manufacturing GmbH, Biogen International Holding (BIIB) and certain other parties named therein. As a result of the Restructuring Agreements, the intellectual property of Forward Pharma that is the subject of the License Agreement , as well certain assets and liabilities, including $58M was transferred to Forward Pharma Operations ApS, a Danish limited liability company and wholly-owned direct subsidiary of Forward Pharma. Forward Pharma Operations then, in turn, transferred the Licensed Intellectual Property to FWP IP ApS, a Danish limited liability company. Forward Pharma also transferred its interest in the License Agreement to Forward Pharma Operations, which will give instructions to FWP IP ApS with respect to the filing, prosecution, maintenance, defense and/or enforcement of specified Licensed Intellectual Property. Subject to receipt of the requisite governmental approvals, the capital stock of FWP IP ApS will be transferred to a newly formed independent Danish foundation. The board of directors of the foundation will consist of five members, comprised of three independent members and one member appointed by each of Forward Pharma and Biogen. All actions of the foundation will require the unanimous approval of its board of directors. Following the completion of the Restructuring, the Licensed Intellectual Property will be owned and controlled by FWP IP ApS, provided that Forward will continue to have the authority to control the filing, prosecution, maintenance, defense and enforcement of specified Licensed Intellectual Property, in each case to the extent set forth and in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement. Forward's right to direct certain matters relating to the Licensed Intellectual Property also includes Forward's right to continue to manage and direct the pending interference proceeding for the U.S. patent application 11/576,871, as well as the pending opposition proceedings in Europe for the EP2801355 patent. The contribution by Forward Pharma of the Operating Capital to Forward Pharma Operations is intended to provide sufficient capital to fund these activities, as well as other obligations of Forward Pharma Operations arising under the Restructuring Agreements. Forward will also continue to be entitled to receive royalties from Biogen under the License Agreement, when and as provided for thereunder, contingent on prevailing in the Interference Proceeding and/or the Opposition Proceeding. Finally, Forward will continue to have the one-time right to assign or sublicense its existing co-exclusive right to make any and all use in the United States of the U.S. Licensed Intellectual Property owned, registered or otherwise protected or enjoyable under the laws of the United States to a third party, but only if Biogen does not acquire exclusive rights to the U.S. Licensed Intellectual Property, in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement. At this point, no decision has been made to return cash to shareholders and the analysis of capital allocation of the $1.25B cash payment received from Biogen continues. Forward currently expects to conclude its evaluation of the capital allocation strategy within the current calendar year, and will announce the outcome of the evaluation, as soon as sufficient clarity is obtained.

16:11 EDT Barracuda co-founder Michael Peron steps down as CMO - Barracuda Networks announced that Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President Michael Perone will step down as CMO as of June 30, 2017. He will remain on the company's board of directors and will continue to assist with strategic and emerging technology investments and opportunities. Erin Hintz, most recently CMO at Urban Airship, will join Barracuda as senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

16:04 EDT AZZ Inc. acquires Enhanced Powder Coating - AZZ announced that it has acquired the assets of Enhanced Powder Coating, a privately held, high specification, NADCAP certified provider of powder coating, plating and anodizing services based in Gainesville, Texas. EPC, founded in 2003, offers a full spectrum of finish technology including powder coating, abrasive blasting and plating for heavy industrial, transportation, aerospace and light commercial industries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. AZZ anticipates the acquisition of EPC will be accretive to earnings within the first year of operation. Tim Pendley, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AZZ Metal Coatings, commented, "The acquisition of EPC is a great addition to AZZ and enhances our position as a metal coatings solutions leader. This acquisition is consistent with our strategic initiative to grow our Metal Coatings segment with products and services that complement our industry-leading galvanizing business. We are pleased to welcome EPC's employees to AZZ, and look forward to providing our customers with high quality service, and expanded coatings technology."

16:02 EDT Middleby acquires CVP systems - The Middleby Corporation announced the acquisition of CVP Systems, a leading manufacturer of high-speed packaging systems for the meat processing industry. The company is based in Downers Grove, Ill., and has approximately $20 million in annual revenues. "CVP Systems is a world leader in Modified Atmosphere Packaging, a highly innovative packaging technology that extends the shelf life of food through removing air and introducing a more beneficial environment during packaging. The addition of CVP further deepens the capabilities of our food processing group with a highly complementary technology to our product portfolio," said Selim A. Bassoul, Chairman and CEO of The Middleby Corporation. "With this acquisition we add a highly respected brand and continue to strengthen the portfolio of comprehensive solutions that we offer our customers in the food processing industry."

15:51 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires 7 Burger King properties for $16M - Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT) announced the acquisition of seven Burger King (QSR) properties leased to Cambridge Franchise Holdings for $16M. The properties are occupied under two separate triple-net master leases with 20-year initial terms and above average brand performance. The first master lease pool consists of four properties in Mississippi and Tennessee that have all been recently renovated and re-imaged by Cambridge. The second master lease pool consists of three properties in Mississippi and Indiana that are newly constructed. This is the third transaction with Cambridge, now a 120-unit franchisee, at a similar going-in cash cap rate as previously announced transactions.

14:37 EDT SteadyMed submits NDA for Trevyent - SteadyMed announced that it submitted a New Drug Application, or NDA, to the FDA for its lead drug product candidate, Trevyent, for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Designed to address the limitations of existing PAH therapies, Trevyent combines SteadyMed's preservative-free, parenteral treprostinil formulation with the Company's proprietary PatchPump, in a sterile, pre-filled, pre-programmed, single use disposable infusion system capable of delivering treprostinil subcutaneously or intravenously.

13:50 EDT Broadway Financial announces sale of shares by U.S. Treasury - Broadway Financial (BYFC) has been informed that the United States Department of the Treasury sold a total of 1,832,092 shares of the company's voting common stock yesterday; 916,046 voting shares were sold to Pacific Western Bank (PACW), and an equal number of voting shares were sold to Community Bank. These shares were sold at a price of $1.90 per share. The sales reduced the U.S. Treasury's ownership from 19.83% of the company's total shares (voting plus non-voting) to 13.15% of the total shares, and from 29.12% of the company's voting shares to 19.32% of the voting shares. MJC Partners assisted the U.S. Treasury with the transaction.

13:39 EDT Quadrant 4 in partial settlement with SEC, files for Chapter 11 restructuring - Quadrant 4 System announced that it has reached partial settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its previously disclosed investigation. Separately, the company has voluntarily filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case to allow the company to continue normal operations while actively marketing and ultimately selling its business units as going concerns. The company is aware of additional criminal charges filed today by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois against its former executives, Nandu Thondavadi and Dhru Desai, charging them with wire fraud in connection with various types of misconduct while employed by the Company. No criminal charges have been, or are anticipated to be, filed against the company. Since the November 30, 2016 arrests of Messrs. Thondavadi and Desai, the company has been cooperating closely with both the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice under the direction of its new executive team and reconstituted board of directors. As part of its settlement with the SEC, the company has consented to the entry of a proposed judgment on a "no-admit, no-deny" basis that would require it to refrain from violating various provisions of the federal securities laws. The draft judgment, which requires court approval, is part of a "bifurcated settlement" under which civil penalties, if any, may be determined in future litigation. The Company does not believe this settlement will impair its operations during the Chapter 11 process. The Chapter 11 filing is in direct response to the actions and arrest of Messrs. Thondavadi and Desai. The Company's senior secured lender, BMO Harris Bank, N.A. has agreed to supply additional funding to assist the company with operating during the Chapter 11 process, and the Company expects to continue normal operations throughout the Chapter 11 case while actively marketing its business units for sale as going concerns. The company believes that all of its customers, suppliers and employees can continue to rely on the company to provide them with the superior services and relationships the company has delivered for years. "The filing was necessary to preserve the value of our businesses and to ensure continued operations and services to our customers and employees. The voluntary Chapter 11 filing will give the company sufficient breathing room to continue working through the process. The company has already received signed asset purchase agreements for certain of its business units from reputable and stable organizations, which will be subject to approval during the Chapter 11 process and help guarantee the continuation of the company's services to customers and other interested parties," said Robert H. Steele, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "Marketing and sale efforts for the Company's remaining business units will continue during the Chapter 11. We expect prompt and successful results from those efforts as well. All of our energies are focused on concluding this process in an professional and positive manner," Steele stated. The company intends to work with all key constituents to maintain customer services, employee relationships, and to maximize its asset values and exit Chapter 11 in the quickest and most efficient means possible. The company expects that its current management team will continue to lead the company throughout this process.

13:21 EDT Infosys divests Cloudyn investment for $4.4M - Infosys (INFY) announces that it signed yesterday an agreement for divestment of its entire investment in Cloudyn for a total consideration of approximately $4,4M. "The divestment is due to Microsoft (MSFT) signing a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Cloudyn," the company says.

13:02 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 1 to 940 rigs - Baker Hughes reported the U.S. rig count is down 1 rig from last week to 940, with oil rigs down 2 to 756 and gas rigs up 1 to 184.

12:20 EDT DASAN Zhone appoints Dr. Seungdong Lee Global Chief Technology Officer - DASAN Zhone Solutions announced that Dr. Seungdong Lee has been appointed as the Global Chief Technology Officer of the company. Effective immediately, Dr. Lee will lead product innovation, research and development for DASAN Zhone Solutions and continue in his role as technology leader of DASAN Network Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DZS. Dr. Lee has served in escalating engineering and product development roles at both DASAN Networks and DASAN Network Solutions during the last 20 years.

12:08 EDT Meridian comments on recent FDA matters related to Magellan Diagnostics - Meridian Bioscience is providing the following clarifying comments regarding a June 29, 2017 letter from a group of U.S. Senators to the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The letter requested information on an FDA Safety Notification released in May 2017 pertaining to venous blood lead testing performed on the systems produced by Magellan Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Meridian Bioscience. On May 17, 2017 and June 6, 2017, Meridian Bioscience commented on interactions between the FDA and Magellan Diagnostics, noting that the company was cooperating fully, and working closely, with the FDA. The matters connected with the FDA Safety Notification pertaining to venous blood lead testing occurred at Magellan Diagnostics prior to Meridian Bioscience's acquisition of Magellan Diagnostics in March 2016. The FDA concluded an inspection of Magellan's quality system on June 29, 2017. Magellan is committed to addressing the FDA investigators' observations. "Magellan's access to extensive dialogue with the FDA during its inspection provided valuable insight that, coupled with the help of Meridian's regulatory team, will assist us in our response to the observations," commented Amy Winslow, Magellan's President and CEO. Matters surrounding the performance of diagnostic tests can be complex and certainly the current situation involving the Magellan Diagnostics test is no exception. Magellan understands the desire of the Senators to understand this issue more thoroughly and reiterates the following points: The testing under review pertains only to samples collected in venous blood collection tubes and is a small portion of the testing performed on Magellan systems. The FDA has stated that all LeadCare Blood Lead Testing Systems can be used with capillary blood samples. Capillary blood samples are the predominant sample type used by physicians testing at the point of care, which facilitates patient education and intervention. Meridian and Magellan continue to take these matters very seriously and will continue to work closely and fully with the FDA and CDC to address the concerns identified as quickly as possible.

11:48 EDT Steels stocks, Whirlpool higher on Axios report on Trump tarrifs - Shares of steel makers are outpacing the broader market after Axios reported that President Trump and Vice President Pence, along with a small group of America First advisers, made it clear in a meeting on Monday that the administration is resolute on imposing tariffs in the "20% range" on steel and other imports. OTHER IMPORTS: According to the Axios report, the penalties may broaden to include aluminum, semiconductors, paper, and appliances like washing machines. PRICE ACTION: Shares of steel makers, including United States Steel (X), Nucor Corporation (NUE), Steel Dynamics STLD) and ArcelorMittal (MT), are all higher in morning trading. OTHERS: U.S appliance maker Whirlpool (WHR) is trading up over 1%.

11:46 EDT CB&I trading resumes

11:27 EDT CB&I trading halted, news pending

11:19 EDT Sabre names Joe DiFonzo as Chief Information Officer - Sabre announced that it has named Joe DiFonzo as Chief Information Officer, effective July 10. DiFonzo brings to Sabre a nearly 30-year career in technology leadership, including most recently, eight years at Syniverse, a global provider of communication and information services for network operators, where during his tenure he served as both chief technology officer and CIO.

11:13 EDT Carnival discloses NOAA investigation, believes impact immaterial - Carnival disclosed in a regulatory filing that as previously disclosed, in 2015, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued Notices of Violations to all of the major cruise lines who had operated in the state of Alaska, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, for alleged violations of the Alaska Marine Vessel Visible Emission Standards. On May 22, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises entered into settlement agreements settling all claims. Carnival Cruise Line settled its claims on August 6, 2016. On May 19, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regarding discharges made by certain vessels in the recently expanded area of the National Marine Sanctuary in the Farallones Islands. NOAA is conducting an investigation. We believe the ultimate outcome will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

11:07 EDT 3M completes sale of tolling, license recognition businesses to Neology - 3M announced that it has completed the sale of its tolling and automated license/number plate recognition business to Neology, a leading provider of integrated solutions for tolling, electronic vehicle registration and public safety applications. Neology is a subsidiary of SMARTRAC, a portfolio company managed by One Equity Partners, a middle-market private equity firm. The tolling and automated license/number plate recognition business is a provider of tolling and automated license/number plate recognition solutions. Its tolling solutions include RFID readers and tags, automatic vehicle classification systems, lane controller and host software, and back office software and services. It also provides mobile and fixed cameras, software, and services in automated license/number plate recognition. The business has annual global sales of approximately $40M. The tolling and automated license/number plate recognition business was part of 3M's Transportation Safety Division, within the Safety & Graphics business. Approximately 75 employees are expected to join Neology. The impact of the transaction will be neutral to both second-quarter and full-year 2017 GAAP earnings per share.

11:01 EDT Baker Hughes shareholders approve combination with GE Oil & Gas - Baker Hughes announced that more than 99% of the votes cast at the special meeting of Baker Hughes stockowners were voted to approve the previously announced combination of Baker Hughes with General Electric Company's (GE) oil and gas business. The combination will create Baker Hughes, a GE company, which will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BHGE". Shares voted at the meeting represent approximately 86% of Baker Hughes' shares outstanding as of the record date for the meeting.

10:57 EDT Philips expands collaboration with Profound Medical - Royal Philips announced that it has entered into an agreement with Profound Medical to deepen the existing collaboration and increase the scale of its MR-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound business. As part of the agreement, Philips' MR-HIFU business will be transferred to Profound, a leader in MR-guided ultrasound ablation therapies, while Philips will obtain a minority interest in Profound. Philips' Sonalleve MR-HIFU is a therapeutic device that is used in conjunction with real-time MR imaging and thermometry to enable focused, non-invasive ablation of diseased tissue. Sonalleve is CE-marked for the treatment of uterine fibroids and palliative pain treatment of bone metastases. Philips will continue to distribute Sonalleve for use in combination with its Philips Ingenia and Achieva MR imaging systems, and Philips will provide additional services to Profound including manufacturing of the MR-HIFU table and installation services. Philips is already non-exclusively distributing Profound's TULSA-PRO system, which is specifically designed for MR-guided prostate tissue ablation procedures. As part of the agreement, Philips will obtain 7,400,000 Profound common shares representing a minority interest of approximately 12% based on the issued and outstanding Profound shares upon completion of the transaction. The agreement also includes a deferred cash payment that will depend on the achievement of future Profound revenue levels in the period up to and including 2020. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the relevant regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in 2H17. Reference Link

10:50 EDT Enel Green Power NA reports 9.02% stake in EnerNOC

10:43 EDT Certent enters into reseller agreement with IBM - Certent, Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with IBM to acquire the IBM Cognos Disclosure Management, CDM, IBM Cognos Disclosure Management on Cloud, IBM Cognos Financial Statement Reporting, FSR, and IBM Clarity 7 products. IBM will continue to be a partner of Certent's under a reseller agreement. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed

10:02 EDT SC Fundamental to consider litigation if Aviragen dosesn't sell or liquidate - In a regulatory filing, SC Fundamental disclosed that it has built a stake of over 5% in Aviragen and would consider various courses of action, including litigation and/or support of a dissident slate of directors, should the company fail to pursue a sale or liquidation.

09:33 EDT Southwest reports Chief Information Officer Sloan leaving company - Southwest Airlines announced that Senior VP and Chief Information Officer Randy Sloan is leaving the company in mid-July. Kathleen Wayton, who is currently the airline's VP of Corporate Delivery-Operations & Reservations, has been promoted to Senior VP and Chief Information Officer upon Sloan's departure. Additionally, Southwest has hired Stan Alexander into a new role of Vice President & Chief Technology Architect, effective July 10. Most recently, Alexander served as the principal consultant of Digital Pilot, an affiliate of the Feld Group Institute, where he provided technology strategy, architecture and leadership consulting services.

09:27 EDT Concord Medical to install proton therapy system at Guangzhou Concord hospital - Concord Medical (CCM) is pleased to announce that on June 29, its subsidiary, Guangzhou Concord Cancer Hospital Ltd., entered into an agreement with Varian Medical Systems Particle Therapy, GmbH, a subsidiary of Varian Medical Systems (VAR), for the purchase of a proton therapy system, and, on the same day, entered into an agreement with Varian Medical Systems Trading Co., Ltd. for the operation and maintenance of the proton therapy system.

09:17 EDT Moleculin Biotech says allowance of Annamycin IND may not occur until August - In a regulatory filing, Moleculin Biotech furnished a conference call script for the live conference call the company conducted on June 29. According to the script, Chairman and CEO Wally Klemp stated on the call: "We have a portfolio of three fundamentally different technologies, each of which is based in part on discoveries made at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the world's largest cancer research center. One of those technologies is a named drug called Annamycin that we are studying for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia or AML...There is much more work to be done with Annamycin, of course, and we're eager to move forward. The most important next step is the resubmission of the IND for Annamycin. Our most recent guidance was that we expect to announce by the end of July that our Annamycin IND has gone into effect. We still see that we will make significant advancement towards an IND but the actual allowance of the IND may not occur until August. I'd like to give everyone a bit more visibility on that process in case things are delayed by a few weeks. We believe we already have everything we need to resubmit our IND based the feedback we last received from FDA, save for one data point relating to Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control, or CMC...Nevertheless, we believe we are just a few weeks away from having that remaining piece of data."

09:14 EDT Fifth Street Asset engaged in strategic talks for potential sale of BDC business - Fifth Street Asset Management (FSAM) is in discussions regarding a potential sale transaction regarding its BDC investment advisory business, which includes the management of Fifth Street Finance Corp. (FSC) and Fifth Street Senior Floating Rate Corp. (FSFR). No definitive agreement has been reached and there can be no assurance that any transaction will result from these discussions. FSAM does not intend to comment further at this time and any additional statements will be made if and when appropriate.

09:03 EDT Kraft Heinz agrees to sell Campbell, N.Y. facility to Upstate Niagara - The Kraft Heinz Company and Upstate Niagara Cooperative announced that they have signed an agreement by which Upstate Niagara will purchase the Kraft Heinz cheese plant located in Campbell, N.Y. Closing of the deal is expected to be completed within the next 30 to 60 days. "We're thrilled to announce that Upstate Niagara Cooperative has agreed to purchase our Campbell dairy facility and has signed a long-term co-packing agreement with Kraft Heinz," said Michael Mullen, SVP of corporate & government affairs at Kraft Heinz. "This deal guarantees that at least 125 jobs will remain in Campbell with anticipated growth to 150 within a year, during which our business customers will experience zero disruption in the service of our dairy products. As part of our commitment to this transaction, Kraft Heinz has pledged an ongoing investment of $3M to $5M to improve and maintain the Campbell facility."

08:43 EDT Centene to offer ACA plans on Missouri exchange in 2018 - Centene announced that it plans to launch its Health Insurance Marketplace product, Ambetter, in Missouri for 2018. Centene anticipates to cover 40 counties, including the "bare counties" that were expected not to have coverage by any other health insurers in 2018. Centene previously announced its commitment to participating on the 2018 exchanges and is currently working through the regulatory process in those states. "Centene is proud to be headquartered in the state of Missouri. Our local Missouri health plan, Home State Health, has been proudly serving Medicaid members since 2012. We strive to be a responsible partner with the state and are committed to working closely with regulators and policymakers to collaborate on actions that stabilize the market and offer affordable coverage options," said Centene Chairman and CEO Michael Neidorff.

08:32 EDT Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to acquire Parkway for $1.2B - Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Parkway announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which CPPIB will acquire 100% of Parkway, a Houston-based real estate investment trust, for$1.2B, or $23.05 per share. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Parkway's stockholders. The $23.05 per share consideration, which consists of $19.05 per share plus a $4.00 special dividend to be paid prior to closing, represents a premium of approximately 14.3% when compared to Parkway's 30-day volume weighted average price ended June 29, 2017 and a premium of approximately 13.1% when compared to the prior closing price. Parkway's board of directors unanimously approved the agreement. TPG Capital and its affiliates, which collectively own approximately 9.8% of the outstanding common stock of Parkway, have agreed to vote in favor of the transaction. Parkway will pay its previously announced second quarter dividend on June 30, 2017, but will suspend all future quarterly dividend payments through the expected close of the transaction.

08:14 EDT Parkway Inc trading halted, news pending

08:10 EDT Abiomed announces publication of study with Impella 2.5 heart pump - Abiomed announced the recent publication of a peer-reviewed retrospective study on hemodynamic support with the Impella 2.5 heart pump. The study analyzed patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock, or AMICS, undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, on an unprotected left main coronary artery, or ULMCA. The study was published in the Journal of Interventional Cardiology. Results of the study suggest that initiation of Impella 2.5 heart pump prior to the start of a PCI on an ULMCA culprit lesion is associated with significant survival benefit in patients supported for cardiogenic shock following an AMI. Patients supported with the Impella 2.5 heart pump post-PCI appear to have very poor survival at 30 days. This study adds to the existing body of clinical data supporting the early placement of Impella heart pumps before PCI for patients in cardiogenic shock. These new data support prior publications with percutaneous heart pumps, such as Impella, supporting cardiogenic shock patients published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the Journal of Interventional Cardiology representing nearly 12,000 Medicare/insurance patients and 154 cVAD Registry patients respectively. Additional data from Abiomed's observational IQ Database of 15,259 AMICS patients and data from the Detroit Cardiogenic Shock Initiative reinforce the best practice of placing Impella heart pump before PCI in cardiogenic shock patients.

08:06 EDT Global asset management company selects Zayo for wavelength solution - A global investment management company has selected Zayo Group for a wavelength solution to connect the company's data centers in the eastern U.S. The project, part of an infrastructure transformation initiative, expands a long-standing relationship with Zayo, dating back nearly a decade. Zayo will provide two fully diverse wavelengths rings for the customer. The rings will connect the company's new data centers in the Washington D.C.-area with its headquarters. Zayo worked closely with the customer to design a solution that utilizes Zayo's network, with buildout required for just one of several data centers.

08:02 EDT Atento announces strategic partnership with Keepcon - Atento announced the signing of a strategic partnership and the acquisition of a minority stake at Keepcon, a leading provider of semantic technology-based automated customer experience management. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:01 EDT Pioneer Power announces new contract for liquid-filled network transformers - Pioneer Power Solutions announced it has signed a contract with a large electric utility provider to supply its liquid-filled network transformers. The company expects the 30-month contract, which became effective June 26, to generate annualized revenues of up to $2M through 2019. First shipments are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017.

07:05 EDT Precipio Diagnostics, Transgenomic complete merger - Precipio Diagnostics and Transgenomic announced the closing of their previously announced merger. In connection with the transaction, Transgenomic has changed its name to Precipio. Precipio's common stock is expected to commence trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the new ticker symbol "PRPO" upon the opening of trading on June 30, or soon thereafter. The company will operate under the leadership of Ilan Danieli, CEO; Carl Iberger, CFO; and Steve Miller, CCO. The board of directors of Precipio will initially be comprised of five directors: Robert Patzig will remain as chairman of the board, together with Michael Luther, one of Transgenomic's existing board members. Samuel Riccitelli, Mark Rimer and Ilan Danieli together comprise the remaining members of the board. Precipio's corporate headquarters is in New Haven, Connecticut. Terms of the merger include the initial closing on a $1.2M private placement of preferred and convertible securities, out of a total authorized amount of up to $7M in preferred equity. Simultaneous with the merger, holders of more than $14M in secured debt have converted into equity, providing the combined company with a stronger balance sheet.

06:55 EDT Roche acquires diabetes app firm mySugr - Roche and mySugr announced that the two partners have signed an agreement under which Roche acquired all shares of mySugr. "Counting more than one million users globally, mySugr is one of the leading mobile diabetes platforms in the market and will become an integral part of Roche's new patient-centered digital health services platform in diabetes care. The acquisition allows Roche to expand its leading position in the area of diabetes management," the company said. As a focal point for Roche's integrated diabetes management strategy, mySugr is foreseen to remain a separate legal entity with an open platform for all diabetes devices and services. Users will continue to have the ability to automatically upload blood glucose data from their preferred device into the mySugr logbook app as well as the facilitated data sharing with healthcare professionals and caregivers. Reference Link

06:54 EDT Pfizer's glasdegib designated for orphan status as AML treatment - Pfizer's glasdegib was designated by the FDA for orphan status as a treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

06:50 EDT Bayer expects negative earnings impact from Brazilian Crop Science unit - The company said, "Despite an encouraging start to the year and continued good growth momentum, Bayer's Crop Science Division will have to adjust its business forecast for FY17. At the end of the harvest season in Brazil, regular stocktaking revealed an unexpectedly high channel inventory level of crop protection products. For this reason, Bayer will be working with its customers to initiate measures aimed at normalizing the situation. This will have a one-time effect of EUR300M to EUR400M on earnings FY17. Appropriate accounting measures are already being taken in Q2. Bayer is also expecting earnings to be additionally impacted by unfavorable currency developments. Business performance by the Consumer Health Division is weaker than previously expected. Against this background, Bayer will be adjusting its full-year forecasts for sales and earnings in the Crop Science and Consumer Health divisions. This will also result in adjustments to the forecasts for Group sales and earnings indicators. By contrast, the Pharmaceuticals Division and Covestro continue to perform strongly. The Animal Health business unit is performing in line with expectations. The outlook will be adjusted during preparation of the interim report for the second quarter and announced with its publication." Reference Link

06:43 EDT Windtree phase 2b AEROSURF study did not meet primary endpoint - Windtree Therapeutics last night announced top line results for its AEROSURF phase 2b clinical trial evaluating aerosolized KL4 surfactant for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, 28 to 32 week gestational age, receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure for RDS. A total of 221 patients were enrolled at 48 sites in North America, Europe and Latin America. Based on the planned top-line results, data show that AEROSURF did not meet the primary endpoint of a reduction in nCPAP failure at 72 hours. The nCPAP failure rates for the 25 minute and 50 minute dose groups were comparable to nCPAP alone. The company said, "The lack of a desired top-line treatment effect was due in large part to an unexpected rate of treatment interruptions. These treatment interruptions were primarily due to specific lots of disposable cartridge filters with a higher tendency to clog and occurred in about 23% of active enrollments, predominantly in the longer 50 minute dose group." Based on the results of the study, the company "plans to work with regulators and develop a phase 3 regulatory and clinical plan using its next generation ADS, the design of which has been demonstrated to mitigate the device-related treatment interruptions experienced in this phase 2b clinical trial."

06:14 EDT Tesla's Musk says news on Model 3 release date coming Sunday - Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted out "News on Sunday" when replying to this comment on Twitter: "@elonmusk please have mercy. I don't care if you say July 31st - but the speculation on Model 3 final release date has to stop."

06:10 EDT Nokia appoints Gregory Lee as president of Technologies - Nokia (NOK) announced the appointment of Gregory Lee as president of Nokia Technologies and as member of the Group Leadership team, with immediate effect. Lee joins Nokia after a 13-year career at Samsung Electronics (SSNLF), where he most recently served as president and CEO, Samsung Electronics, North America. Reference Link

06:08 EDT Buffett's Berkshire will exercise warrants to buy 700M Bank of America shares - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) said in a statement, "On June 28, 2017, Bank of America Corporation announced that it plans to increase its quarterly dividend to $0.12 per common share. When this occurs, Berkshire will exercise its warrants to acquire 700,000,000 shares of Bank of America Common Stock at the exercise price of $7.142857 per common share. Pursuant to the terms of the warrants, Berkshire expects to use its $5 billion of Bank of America Corporation 6% Preferred Stock that it currently owns as the consideration to acquire the common shares."

06:04 EDT Lumber Liquidators appoints Lee Reeves as Chief Legal Officer - Lumber Liquidators announced that it has appointed Lee Reeves as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. Reeves was a Partner with Nexsen Pruet, PLLC in Charlotte, NC before joining Lumber Liquidators.

05:56 EDT KKR to partner with Dixon Hospitality - Dixon Hospitality and global investment firm KKR announced a partnership under which KKR will acquire a majority stake in the company. Dixon Hospitality is one of the largest and fastest-growing food and beverage-focused operators in the Australian hospitality industry. The company has a strategy of acquiring well-run venues and function spaces with a focus on providing patrons with an exceptional experience and unique atmosphere. KKR will make the proposed investment from its recently closed $9.3B Asian Fund III. The transaction is subject to customary approvals. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.