Stockwinners Market Radar for July 10, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:50 EDT Elliott aims to challenge Berkshire's offer for Energy Future, Oncor - Elliott Management disclosed in a July 5 correspondence with Energy Future Holdings that it has been in the process of negotiating a term sheet for a fully consensual restructuring that values reorganized EFH/EFIH at approximately $9.3B and Oncor at approximately $18.5B. "Notwithstanding the significant progress we have made towards that equitization transaction, we understand the Debtors' professionals are now in the process of negotiating and finalizing a possible change of control transaction with Berkshire Hathaway Energy," a letter from Elliott to EFH reads. "While we are entirely supportive of a transaction with Berkshire or another third party in the event that the value provided by that transaction exceeds the value being proposed by Elliott, we fear that the Berkshire transaction does not provide such value. Almost by definition, any transaction other than a creditor-led equitization that incorporates the current Oncor ring-fencing provisions "as is" would introduce increased regulatory risk and therefore would increase both closing uncertainty as well as the potential for additional delay, leading to clear present value diminution to EFIH unsecured creditors." Elliott said it urges Energy Future's board to continue to engage with Elliott regarding its proposed transaction. "We remain available to discuss alternatives to the proposed Berkshire transaction," Elliott said. Reference Link

18:39 EDT Coach successfully completes tender offer to acquire Kate Spade - Coach (COH) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary has successfully completed its previously announced tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of Kate Spade & Company (KATE), at a price of $18.50 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon and less any applicable withholding taxes. The tender offer expired at 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 10. Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, the depositary for the tender offer, has advised Coach that, as of the tender offer expiration, an aggregate of 96,384,196 Kate Spade & Company shares were validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer, representing approximately 75% of the Kate Spade & Company shares then outstanding. The parties expect to complete the acquisition of all remaining outstanding shares of Kate Spade & Company on Tuesday, July 11, pursuant to a merger of Coach's wholly owned subsidiary into Kate Spade & Company. Following the merger Kate Spade & Company will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Coach, and its shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

18:07 EDT K2M Group announces long-term distribution agreement with Japan Medicalnext - K2M Group announced the signing of a new, long-term, exclusive agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary Japan Medicalnext Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned entity of MC Healthcare, and a prominent supplier of medical devices in Japan, for the distribution of K2M's innovative spinal technologies. Pursuant to the agreement, Japan Medicalnext is the exclusive distributor of K2M's spine products in Japan. The terms of the agreement include a long-term partnership of up to seven years. With more than 250 employees-including 50 orthopedic sales professionals-in seven offices located throughout the country, Japan Medicalnext has significant experience in medical device distribution, including the Japanese spinal surgery market.

17:44 EDT AAR Corp. names Michael Milligan as CFO, effective September 1 - AAR announced that Michael Milligan was appointed CFO, effective September 1 at the quarterly Board of Directors meeting. Milligan spent the last 16 years as Senior Vice President and CFO with NES Rental Holdings, a private equity-owned national supplier of equipment rental services to construction and industrial services companies.

17:28 EDT Insight Venture Partners VIII reports 17.3% stake in Tintri

17:17 EDT Franklin Resources reports 10.3% passive stake in Tahoe Resources

17:08 EDT Sturm, Ruger CFO Dineen promoted to SVP of finance - Sturm, Ruger & Company is pleased to announce the promotion of Thomas Dineen to the position of Senior Vice President of Finance. Tom will continue to serve as the company's Treasurer and CFO. Tom joined Ruger in 1997 and was promoted to Treasurer and CFO in 2003. In 2006, Tom was named a Vice President of the company."Over the past 20 years with Ruger, Tom has proven that he is the best in the industry at what he does," stated Christopher J. Killoy, President and CEO. "Not only does he have tremendous financial aptitude, but he also has a keen understanding of the firearms industry, our customers, and how our business should be structured to ensure our continued success." Tom will navigate potential investment and acquisition opportunities as well as direct strategic financial business planning and development. Additionally, he will continue to oversee the financial operations of the company, manage investor relations, and drive business growth while maintaining strong relationships at all levels of the distribution channel.

17:04 EDT Alexander & Baldwin names James Mead CFO - Alexander & Baldwin (ALEX) announced James E. Mead has been named chief financial officer, effective immediately. Mead succeeds Paul K. Ito, who will continue as senior vice president, finance and treasurer of A&B through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. Jim Mead most recently served as chief financial officer for SL Green Realty Corporation (SLG).

17:02 EDT Morgan Stanley reports 6.1% passive stake in DryShips

16:56 EDT Allegiant Travel sees Q4 system, scheduled departures up 7%-11% y/y - Sees Q4 system, scheduled ASMs up 9%-13% y/y.

16:55 EDT Allegiant Travel sees Q3 system, scheduled departures up 4%-8% y/y - Sees Q3 system, scheduled ASMs up 3%-7% y/y.

16:50 EDT Allegiant Travel sees Q2 TRASM 2.7%-3.1% vs. prior view of 1.5%-3.5% - Sees Q2 CASM ex-fuel y/y change 13.1%-13.5% vs. prior view of 13%-15%. Sees Q2 fixed fee revenue and other revenue $19.5M-$20M vs. prior view of $16M-$18M.

16:46 EDT Allegiant Travel sees July scheduled departures up 7% y/y - Sees July ASMs up 4% y/y.

16:37 EDT HealthSouth announces planned name change to Encompass Health Corporation - HealthSouth announced it will change its name to Encompass Health Corporation, effective January 2, 2018. The corporate name change will be accompanied by a NYSE ticker symbol change, from "HLS" to "EHC." Beginning in the first quarter of 2018, both business segments will begin transitioning to the Encompass Health name. The total rebranding investment is estimated to be approximately $25M-$30M, to be incurred between 2017 and 2019. Approximately $7M-$10M is expected to be incurred in 2017, of which $6M-$8M will be operating expenses and $1M-$2M will be capital expenditures. Only $1M of this investment is included in previously provided full-year 2017 guidance which will be updated in conjunction with the company's second quarter earnings release scheduled for July 31.

16:34 EDT GlaxoSmithKline reports 9.7% stake in Aileron Therapeutics

16:32 EDT Cotiviti Holdings to acquire RowdMap for $70M in cash - Cotiviti Holdings announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire RowdMap Based in Louisville, Kentucky, privately-held RowdMap is a payer-provider, value-based analytics company. Pursuant to the definitive agreement, Cotiviti will pay $70M in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and Cotiviti intends to fund the entire purchase price with available liquidity. Cotiviti also intends to issue an aggregate of approximately 800,000 shares of restricted Common Stock to certain employees of RowdMap as a material inducement to their employment with Cotiviti, and in reliance on New York Stock Exchange Rule 303A.08. Half of these shares are subject to performance-based vesting requirements. The other half are subject to continued employment with Cotiviti, with one-third vesting on each of the first three anniversaries of the closing of the acquisition. The transaction is expected to close by the end of July 2017. Due to the equity incentives and impact of purchase accounting, on a GAAP net income basis the acquisition is not expected to be accretive in 2017 or 2018. On a non-GAAP adjusted net income basis, the acquisition is expected to be neutral to full year 2017 results and accretive in 2018.

16:31 EDT GE Healthcare acquires Novia Strategies, terms not disclosed - GE Healthcare announced it is expanding its U.S. healthcare consulting business with the acquisition of Novia Strategies, a 22-year-old healthcare consulting firm founded and led by clinicians with deep experience helping organizations transform while delivering critical outcomes. The acquisition helps GE Healthcare deliver on its commitment to be the leading provider of outcomes-based solutions and to help healthcare organizations meet the demand for increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare for their patients. Novia Strategies will become part of GE Healthcare Camden Group, which has advised more than 2,400 hospitals and health systems on such critical issues as redesigning care delivery, accelerating health system integration, succeeding with population health management, and maximizing the use of resources. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

16:28 EDT Dialog Semiconductor reports 13.7% stake in Energous

16:24 EDT Cornwall Capital lowers stake in Hill International to 5.32%

16:18 EDT BRT Realty Trust acquires acquires two sun-belt communities - BRT Apartments announced that on June 29, it acquired, through a joint venture in which it has a 50% equity interest, Mercer Crossing, a 509 unit Class A multi-family property centrally located in the Farmers Branch area of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas for $85.7M, including $55.2M of mortgage debt obtained in connection with the acquisition. The debt carries an interest rate of 4.22%, is interest only for five years and matures in 2028. On June 2, 2017, BRT acquired, through a joint venture in which it has a 58% equity interest, a 44 acre land parcel in the Bells Bluff area of Nashville, Tennessee, for $5.3M. The venture contemplates developing a 402 unit Class A multi-family property at this site for an estimated $73M, which will be funded in part by an estimated $47.4M of construction financing. The construction financing, which will be advanced as construction progresses, matures in 2022 and bears interest at the rate of one month LIBOR plus 285 basis points. BRT has agreed to contribute up to $15M of equity to this venture, of which $4.8M has been contributed to date.

16:17 EDT Ocular Therapeutix submits amendment to extend review for DEXTENZA NDA - Ocular Therapeutix announced that it has submitted details of a manufacturing equipment change as an amendment to the NDA resubmission for DEXTENZA 0.4 mg, for intracanalicular use, for the treatment of ocular pain following ophthalmic surgery currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company is requesting FDA to consider this submission a major amendment and extend the current NDA target action date of July 19, 2017 under the Prescription Drug Fee User Act by three months and to review the submission during the current review cycle. As detailed in the amendment, Ocular Therapeutix has modified a piece of manufacturing equipment referenced in the NDA resubmission and will be submitting data on a new commercial batch to demonstrate that this modification, along with other improvements, has addressed outstanding issues regarding particulate matter.

16:15 EDT Gabelli raises Herc Holdings stake to 17.04% from 8.19%

16:11 EDT Achillion Chief Scientific Officer Joel Barrish leaving company - Achillion Pharmaceuticals announced that Mingjun Huang, Ph.D., is being promoted to senior VP and Head of Research. With this promotion, Dr. Huang broadens her leadership responsibility to all aspects of discovery and non-clinical development. The company also announced that Joel Barrish, Ph.D., executive VP and Chief Scientific Officer, plans to leave the company for personal reasons.

16:08 EDT Arena jumps 25% after reporting data from Phase 2 trial of ralinepag

16:08 EDT Immersion files lawsuits against Fitbit over patent infringement - Immersion (IMMR) announced that it has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Fitbit (FIT), alleging infringement of three Immersion U.S. patents. Immersion has also filed complaints against Fitbit and its Shanghai-based distributor in China, Runtong International Trade Co., Ltd. in the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court, alleging infringement of three Immersion Chinese patents. The complaints allege that certain Fitbit wearable devices including the Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Flex 2, Fitbit Alta, Fitbit Alta HR, Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Charge 2, Fitbit Charge HR, Fitbit Blaze, and Fitbit Surge infringe Immersion patents covering haptic feedback devices, systems and methods. The complaints seek orders requiring Fitbit, and its Chinese distributor Runtong, to immediately and permanently stop manufacturing, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing infringing Fitbit devices in both the U.S. and China; as well as damages to compensate Immersion for the harm the infringement has inflicted.

16:05 EDT Arena reports successful primary efficacy analysis in Phase 2 trial of ralinepag - Arena Pharmaceuticals announced Phase 2 results for ralinepag, an investigational, long-acting, orally administered prostacyclin receptor agonist under development for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. In this 61-patient study, the primary efficacy analysis demonstrated a statistically significant absolute change from baseline in pulmonary vascular resistance compared to placebo. Ralinepag also demonstrated numerical improvement in 6-minute walk distance. Ralinepag improved median PVR by 163.9 dyn.s.cm-5 from baseline compared to a 0.7 dyn.s.cm-5 worsening from baseline in the placebo arm. Patients treated with ralinepag had a 29.8% improvement in PVR compared to the placebo arm and a 20.1% improvement in PVR compared to baseline. Additionally, adverse events observed in the study were consistent with other prostacyclin treatments for the management of PAH, with headache, nausea, diarrhea, jaw pain and flushing being the most commonly reported adverse events. "The positive outcome of this Phase 2 trial in a contemporary PAH patient population is an important milestone in the development of ralinepag for the treatment of patients suffering from this grievous illness. It is exciting to see the positive nonclinical pharmacological profile translating into potentially the first oral prostacyclin therapy that may approach consistent therapeutic levels without the complexity of parenteral therapy. These data give us confidence to move expeditiously toward a Phase 3 clinical program," said Preston Klassen, Chief Medical Officer of Arena.

16:05 EDT pSivida amends pact with Alimera, seen improving revenue generation - pSivida (PSDV) announced an amendment of its exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Alimera Sciences (ALIM) that grants Alimera rights to pSivida's Durasert three-year treatment for posterior segment uveitis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, EMEA. With this license, Alimera plans to pursue a secondary indication for ILUVIEN for posterior segment uveitis in EMEA, which could accelerate the uveitis indication approval as well as commercialization. pSivida retains commercialization rights for posterior segment uveitis in all other countries, including the United States. The amended agreement also modifies the companies' existing global licensing agreement for ILUVIEN for the treatment of diabetic macular

16:04 EDT Aeglea appoints James Wooldridge Chief Medical Officer - Aeglea BioTherapeutics announced that it has appointed James Wooldridge, M.D. to the position of Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Wooldridge joins Aeglea from Eli Lilly & Company, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer for immuno-oncology clinical development.

16:03 EDT Kimco Realty acquires Jantzen Beach Center - Kimco Realty Corp. announced the post-second quarter acquisition of Jantzen Beach, a 96%-occupied, 746,000-square-foot, open-air shopping center on 67 acres in Portland, Oregon, for $131.8M, or $177/square foot, substantially below replacement cost. Jantzen Beach is the company's eighth property in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA, expanding Kimco's concentration in a top 25 market where it also maintains a regional office. The Jantzen Beach acquisition will expand the company's future redevelopment pipeline through potential outparcel development of two 6,000-square-foot pad buildings, and mixed-use densification opportunities supported by flexible zoning. The center also offers strong mark-to-market upside from several below-market anchor leases. Kimco also reported its transaction activity for the second quarter of 2017: the company acquired a parcel adjacent to its Augusta Exchange shopping center in Augusta, Georgia, for a gross purchase price of $700,000. The land acquisition is an excellent redevelopment opportunity for an outparcel that will complement the existing tenant mix. Kimco's share of the purchase price was $340,000. Kimco disposed of interests in nine shopping centers, totaling 892,000 square feet, and two land parcels for a gross sales price of $155.8 million. Kimco's share of the sales price was $128.1 million. With these dispositions, the company has exited the states of Maine and Louisiana.

16:02 EDT Getty Realty to acquire 42 properties for $70.1M - Getty Realty Corp. announced the effectiveness of definitive agreements for an acquisition lease-back transaction with a U.S. subsidiary of Applegreen PLC. Under the terms of the transaction with Applegreen, the company, through a subsidiary, will acquire interests in 38 fee simple and four leasehold properties for $70.1M and simultaneously enter into a unitary lease with Applegreen covering all of the Properties. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the fourth quarter of 2017. Upon closing, the company expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to net earnings.

15:08 EDT Wasatch lowers passive stake in Zoe's Kitchen to 4.7% from 7.8%

14:12 EDT T. Rowe Price reports 11.5% passive stake in Novanta

14:09 EDT T. Rowe Price reports 11.2% passive stake in Casey's General Stores

13:15 EDT Jennison lowers passive stake in Ocular Therapeutix to 6.8% from 12.9%

13:02 EDT Global Innovative reports 14.8% passive stake in Moxian

12:49 EDT uniQure notes 84% decrease in spontaneous bleeds in AMT-060 trial

12:48 EDT Capital World Investors reports 12.9% passive stake in Blue Apron

12:34 EDT Teamsters union urges McKesson holders to vote against 'Say-on-Pay' proposal - According to a regulatory filing, the International Brotherhood of Teamaster issued a letter to McKesson shareholders, urging them to vote against the "Say-on-Pay" Proposal and for the Independent Chair Proposal on July 26, 2017. "The rise of legal, regulatory and reputational risks facing the company highlights the need for greater accountability and board level oversight, including the need for executive pay reform and an independent chair," the letter reads. The union urged holders to vote against the approval of Executive Compensation due to a "set of troubling pay practices, particularly in light of mounting controversy over the company's role in fueling the prescription opioid epidemic and poor share performance."

12:06 EDT Fox News signs former WH press secretary Ari Fleischer to contributor role - FOX News Channel has signed former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer to a contributor role, announced Jay Wallace, President of News. In this role, effective immediately, he will offer strategic communications and political analysis across FNC and FOX Business Network's daytime and primetime programming. Fleischer is currently the president of Ari Fleischer Communications and Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, a company that offers strategic advice and communications training to sports organizations, athletes and various corporations. Fleischer served as the White House press secretary to former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003.

11:54 EDT Severn Bancorp, Inc. to acquire Mid Maryland Title Company; terms not disclosed - Severn Bancorp, parent company of Severn Savings Bank, FSB, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Mid Maryland Title Company, a real estate settlement company that handles commercial and residential real estate settlements in Maryland. The purchase is subject to the completion of due diligence and is anticipated to close in September.

11:38 EDT Medtronic announces expanded FDA approval for transcatheter valve replacement - Medtronic announced the expanded FDA approval of the self-expanding CoreValve Evolut transcatheter aortic valve replacement platform to include patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are at an intermediate risk for open-heart surgery. "With hemodynamic performance shown to be superior to surgical aortic valve replacement, the CoreValve Evolut platform is designed to deliver excellent valve performance for these patients who are often considered to be a more active than high- or extreme-risk patients previously indicated for the procedure," the company said in a statement.

11:26 EDT NICE reverses recommendation, says cabozantinib should be available on NHS - The U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced that it now recommends cabozantinib as an option for people with advanced renal cell carcinoma, or RCC. "The NICE appraisal committee were unable to recommend cabozantinib following their initial assessment of the drug in February 2017. This was because they felt some of the clinical evidence presented by the company was unreliable. In response to this, the company revised their submission to strengthen the evidence. The NICE committee have since concluded cabozantinib is a cost-effective, viable treatment option for people who have advanced RCC," the regulator announced today. CABOMETYX, the tablet formulation of cabozantinib, is marketed by Exelixis. Reference Link

10:57 EDT Xtant receives 510(k) premarket notification Spider Cervical Plating System - The FDA decision of "substantially equivalent" was issued on July 6, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

10:40 EDT Jefferies says sell Intel, sees Nvidia as winner in computing's 'tectonic shift' - Jefferies analyst Mark Lipacis downgraded Intel (INTC) to Underperform this morning, citing competitive concerns. The analyst believes that there is a "tectonic shift" in computing toward a parallel model, with Intel having the most to lose and its competitor Nvidia (NVDA) potentially being the major beneficiary. Lipacis raised his price target on Nvidia to $180 from $140. SELL INTEL: In a research note to investors, Jefferies' Lipacis downgraded Intel to Underperform, his firm's equivalent of a sell rating, and lowered his price target on the shares to $29 from $38. The analyst argued that there is a "tectonic shift" in computing toward a parallel model, and as the incumbent with dominant share, he thinks Intel has the most to lose. The chipmaker's Xeon/Xeon PHI platform is disadvantaged versus Nvidia in emerging parallel workloads like deep neural networking, Lipacis pointed out. Furthermore, the analyst noted that Intel is losing share in datacenter to Nvidia, while chip competition from AMD (AMD), Cavium (CAVM) and Xilinx (XLNX) is increasing. ANALYSTS UP NVIDIA TARGETS: Meanwhile, Jefferies' Lipacis raised his price target for Nvidia to $180 from $140 as he sees the company as the "key beneficiary of the fourth tectonic shift" in computing due to its pole position as the ecosystem enabler for deep learning applications. The company's decade long investment in its proprietary GPU-processing language has resulted in a multi-year competitive advantage that has yet to be fully appreciated by investors, the analyst contended. Lipacis reiterated a Buy rating on Nvidia's shares. Also this morning, Needham analyst Rajvindra Gill raised his price target for Nvidia to $200 from $130 on higher conviction that the company's agreement with Toyota (TM) will generate "meaningful" revenue over the next 24 months. The analyst noted that Nvidia was selected by Toyota to provide the Drive PX Xavier for the OEM's future autonomous vehicles, and said he believes the deal could generate up to $1.7B of incremental revenue. He reiterated a Buy rating on Nvidia's shares. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Jefferies' Lipacis also upgraded both Cavium and Xilinx to Buy this morning. The analyst believes both companies will benefit as the industry undergoes a "tectonic shift" toward a parallel computing model. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Intel have dropped almost 1% to $33.61, while Nvidia's stock had gained almost 3% to $150.46.

10:31 EDT Bernstein latest to upgrade PayPal with years of outperformance seen ahead - The shares of PayPal (PYPL) are climbing after research firm Bernstein upgraded the stock to Outperform from Market Perform, saying that the company is poised to outperform over the next several years. LONG-TERM OUTPERFORMER: PayPal is probably at the beginning of a multiple year stretch of outperformance, contended Bernstein analyst Lisa Ellis. The company's long-term outlook has improved because of its focus on "three critical drivers," Ellis stated. Specifically, the company has improved its "Pay with PayPal" checkout button, while it has built partnerships with major companies including the credit card networks Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) as well as Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), making it more of "a collaborator" than a "disruptor," Ellis wrote. NEARER TERM CATALYSTS: PayPal will probably make an acquisition soon, "most likely of a European payments asset," Ellis believes. Additionally, the company's decision to pursue a partner for its credit business should generate about $4B-$5B of cash and reduce worries about its exposure to consumer credit, the analyst stated. Finally, recent price increases should help the company's earnings beat expectations "over the next three to four quarters," Ellis predicted. TARGET: Ellis hiked her price target on PayPal to $61 from $46. OTHER BULLS: On June 21, Pacific Crest upgraded PayPal to Overweight from Sector Weight. Analyst Josh Beck wrote that the company's Choice and Venmo strategies were moving from investment to "harvesting mode." On June 16, SunTrust analyst Andrew Jeffrey raised his price target on the shares to $60 from $53, saying that its "pricing, better-than-expected funding costs and operating leverage" could enable its results to beat expectations.He kept a Buy rating on the stock. And on June 28, Craig-Hallum's Bradley Berning contended that the stock could double in three years, if the company continues enhancing its products and buying back shares and sells its credit business. He raised his price target on PayPal to $65 from $54 and kept a Buy rating on the shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, PayPal rose 2% to $55 per share. Over the last three months the stock has advance about 28%.

10:25 EDT Heartland completes Citywide acquisition, sees future accretion to EPS - Denver-based Centennial Bank and Trust, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, and Aurora-based Citywide Banks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citywide Banks of Colorado, jointly announced that Heartland has completed its acquisition of Citywide. Based on Heartland's closing stock price of $47.45 per share as of July 7, the aggregate merger consideration is valued at approximately $211.2M. The merger consideration is approximately $216.75 per share of Citywide common stock, with Citywide shareholders receiving $60.16 in cash and 3.30 shares of Heartland common stock for each share of Citywide common stock, subject to certain "hold-back" provisions of the merger agreement between Heartland and Citywide relating to the cash portion of the merger consideration. Heartland expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share in the first full year following systems integration, which is planned for the fourth quarter of 2017. Immediately following the closing of the merger between Heartland and Citywide, Citywide Banks was merged into Centennial Bank and Trust, which adopted the "Citywide Banks" name. Kevin G. Quinn, formerly President and CEO of Citywide Banks, will lead the combined Citywide Banks organization as President and CEO. Kevin W. Ahern will remain Chairman of the Board of the combined entity, and James A. Basey, formerly CEO of Centennial Bank and Trust, will serve as Vice-Chairman of its Board. Martin J. Schmitz, formerly Chairman of the Board of Citywide, has been appointed to the Board of the combined organization.

10:01 EDT Lockheed Martin announces sale contract from Bahrain for ATPs - Lockheed Martin announced that it has received a direct commercial sale contract from the Bahrain Defense Force to provide Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods for its F-16 fleet. Under the $22.45M contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver ATPs, spares and support equipment for integration. To meet the BDF's urgent operational need, pod deliveries will begin in early 2018, Lockheed said.

09:35 EDT Alnylam says phase 2 study shows 'encouraging' safety, tolerability of fitusiran - Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi (SNY), and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) announced new results from the ongoing phase 2 open-label extension study with fitusiran in patients with hemophilia A and B, with or without inhibitors. These results were presented today in an oral presentation at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2017 Congress. The companies also announced that phase 1 clinical trial results demonstrating an encouraging preliminary safety and tolerability profile and initial evidence that monthly subcutaneously administered fitusiran lowered AT levels and increased thrombin generation in patients with hemophilia A and B without inhibitors were published online today and will appear in the September 7 print issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The updated clinical results in the fitusiran phase 2 OLE study showed that the safety and tolerability profile of fitusiran remains encouraging, with no thromboembolic events, including during co-administration of replacement factor or bypassing agents. The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, with the most common AEs consisting of transient, mild injection site reactions, the companies said. Baisong Mei, Sanofi's Senior Global Project Head, Alnylam Portfolio, said, "We're now focused on our ATLAS phase 3 program, a comprehensive set of studies focused on the unmet needs of patients with hemophilia A and B with or without inhibitors, which, if positive, will support global regulatory filings for fitusiran."

09:32 EDT Flexion management to discuss latest plans for potential launch of Zilretta - Flexion Therapeutics will hold an Investor & Analyst Day today at 10 a.m. EDT. The company will present a comprehensive update on its plans and activities to commercialize Zilretta, its lead investigational product candidate for osteoarthritis related knee pain. Andrew Spitzer, M.D., Co-Director of the Joint Replacement Program at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center, will present clinical perspectives on Zilretta, including highlights from the FX006 pivotal trial. Steven Russell, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Diabetes Research Center and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, will discuss recent findings from a Phase 2 study examining Zilretta in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Dan Deardorf, Senior VP Commercial, will provide an update on the company's commercial plans for a Q4 2017 launch of Zilretta, assuming a positive decision from the U.S. FDA in October 2017. Dan Thornton, VP Market Access, will review market access preparations and summarize the company's reimbursement strategy for Zilretta. Neil Bodick, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, will discuss the addition of a pre-clinical pipeline candidate. The new program, FX101, utilizes the company's proprietary microsphere technology to deliver an extended-release formulation of fluticasone, a well-studied synthetic corticosteroid. The company expects to initiate a Phase 2 study in 2018.

09:31 EDT Diana Shipping announces time charter contracts - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Cargill International S.A., Geneva, for one of its Kamsarmax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Medusa. The gross charter rate is $10,000 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twelve months to maximum fifteen months. The charter commenced on July 6, 2017. The m/v Medusa was chartered, as previously announced, to Quadra Commodities S.A., Geneva, at a gross charter rate of $6,300 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The company also announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Ausca Shipping Limited, Hong Kong, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Artemis. The gross charter rate is $9,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twelve months to maximum fifteen months. The charter commenced on July 8, 2017. The m/v Artemis was chartered, as previously announced, to Bunge S.A., Geneva, at a gross charter rate of $5,350 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. In addition, the Company announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Ausca Shipping Limited, Hong Kong, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Thetis. The gross charter rate is $8,350 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twelve months to maximum fifteen months. The charter is expected to commence on July 12, 2017. The m/v Thetis is currently chartered, as previously announced, to Transgrain Shipping B.V., Rotterdam, at a gross charter rate of $5,150 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties.

09:27 EDT Ensign Group acquires Colorado Healthcare Communities - Ensign Group announced that it acquired the real estate and operations of two continuing care retirement communities in Colorado. The acquisition was effective July 1, and includes: The Villas at Sunny Acres, a post-acute care and retirement community with 134 skilled nursing beds, 35 assisted living units and 198 independent living units set on 64 acres in Thornton, Colorado; and Medallion Post Acute Rehabilitation, a 60-bed skilled nursing operation, and Medallion Villas, a 44-unit assisted living and 64-unit independent living operation, both set on a single healthcare campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

09:26 EDT Cherokee announces multi-category license agreement throughout North America - Cherokee announced that it has entered into license agreements for its Hi-Tec and 50 Peaks brands in several key growth categories. The new licensing agreements with the Tharanco Group for men's and women's apparel and Interbrand for accessories including socks, gloves, and hats, mark a significant step toward broadening the Hi-Tec and 50 Peaks brands beyond footwear leveraging the brands' existing strong position in the outdoor and active markets.

09:17 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: ClubCorp (MYCC), up 30.5% after announcing that it will be acquired by Apollo Global (APO) for $1.1B... Great Plains Energy (GXP), up 3.1% after entering into a merger of equals with Westar Energy (WR)... Cesca Therapeutics (KOOL), up 11.4% after entering into an asset acquisition agreement with SynGen. LOWER: Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), down 13% after terminating talks regarding a potential transaction... Best Buy (BBY), down 3.7% after Amazon (AMZN) rolls out its own "Geek Squad" competitor... Westar Energy is down 2.7% after entering into a merger of equals with Great Plains Energy.

09:16 EDT Terreno Realty acquires Seattle, Washington property for $4M - Terreno Realty Corporation acquired an industrial property located in Seattle, Washington on July 7 for a purchase price of approximately $4M. The property consists of one industrial trans-shipment building containing approximately 13,000 square feet on approximately 1.4 acres adjacent to Seattle's Port and SoDo district. The property is at 53 S Dawson Street, provides 12 dock-high and three grade-level loading positions, and is 100% leased to one tenant through February 2019. The estimated stabilized cap rate of the property is 2.8%.

09:06 EDT LendingTree announces new Chief Marketing Officer, Brad Wilson - LendingTree announced that Brad Wilson has joined the company as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Effective immediately, Wilson will oversee LendingTree's brand strategy, marketing operations and consumer engagement as the company continues to expand into new financial service categories.

09:05 EDT Williams-Sonoma's PBteen launches exclusive collection with lululemon's ivviva - PBteen, a member of the Williams-Sonoma (WSM) portfolio of brands, launches an exclusive home decor partnership with ivivva, the athletic apparel brand created by lululemon (LULU) and inspired by active girls. The ivivva for PBteen capsule collection offers a range of home decor including furniture, bedding, and decorative accessories. Featuring signature prints from ivivva's Fall 2017 season and a bright, inspirational aesthetic, the collection includes more than 40 pieces, with prices ranging from $29.50 to $1,175. The collection is available online at PBteen.com and ivivva.com, as well as PBteen stores nationwide and select ivivva stores in the U.S. and Canada.

09:03 EDT Office Depot announces new loyalty program - Office Depot announced a new loyalty program to save customers money with expanded benefits, "Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards Everything". The program has been updated "to ensure every member is rewarded, and by creating a VIP tier, gives members even more savings while delivering an exclusive experience. In addition, the program is free to join."

09:02 EDT 3M, U of M announce Gopher Athletics sponsorship - The University of Minnesota and 3M announced a new sponsorship, the latest in a 90-year relationship between two of the state's largest institutions. This 14-year, $11.2M sponsorship of Gopher Athletics includes the naming rights to Mariucci Arena. Keeping the historic Mariucci name, the Gopher hockey facility will now be known as 3M Arena at Mariucci.

08:54 EDT Deutsche Boerse announces strategic investment, partnership with Trumid - Deutsche Boerse Group has entered into a strategic cooperation with Trumid, a financial technology company that provides an electronic trading network for corporate bonds. The Group will invest $10M for a minority stake as an add-on to Trumid's previously disclosed $28M financing from earlier this year. Trumid will use the new funding to continue enhancing and expanding its technology offering. Both firms will work together to develop products and services for the European market.

08:48 EDT Marrone Bio reports 'exellent' product efficacy results for pest products - Marrone Bio has reported excellent product efficacy results in fast growing international markets with intense pest and plant disease problems. The drivers beind the rapid adoption of biologicals are globally recognized and include evidence of increased yields and crop quality when biologicals are integrated into programs. Biologicals are also a key driver behind the reduction or elimination of synthetic pesticide residues on crops for export markets, delay of pest and plant pathogen resistance to chemicals, safety for workers and pollinators, and less environmental pollution.

08:43 EDT Celsius Holdings expands to Hong Kong - Celsius Holdings announced significant corporate milestones, advancing the company's position with an international presence in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong expansion is the fruition of an alliance which began in November 2016, when Celsius Holdings reached a distribution agreement with A.S. Watson Group, the largest international health and beauty retailer in Asia and Europe. Celsius Holdings will partner with A.S. Watson Industries, a member of ASW, which owns the renowned bottled water brand Watsons Water, and also other beverage distributing businesses. The partnership will focus on Hong Kong distribution, increasing market share and leveraging the CELSIUS brand.

08:42 EDT Gladstone announces $26.4M industrial property acquisition in Philadelphia - Gladstone reported that it completed the acquisition of a 300,000 square foot, single-tenant Class-A industrial building located in Philadelphia, PA for $26.4M. The property is leased to the National Archives and Records Administration through 2032, with a termination option beginning in 2027. The property is home to NARA's Federal Records Center and The National Archives at Philadelphia. The lease is fully guaranteed by the United States Government and demonstrates Gladstone Commercial's emphasis on acquiring high quality properties leased to creditworthy tenants.

08:41 EDT Spring Bank announces collaboration with Gilead for HBV Phase 2 study - Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals (SBPH) announced a second clinical trial collaboration with Gilead Sciences (GILD) for a clinical study examining the use of Spring Bank's oral selective immunomodulator, SB 9200, co-administered with Gilead's Vemlidy in chronic Hepatitis B, or HBV, patients. Under the terms of the clinical trial supply and collaboration agreement, Gilead will lead the Phase 2 trial with input from Spring Bank. Spring Bank will supply SB 9200 for the clinical trial.

08:39 EDT Pure Bioscience, Roka Bioscience form marketing partnership - PURE Bioscience (PURE) announced that it has entered into a two-year nonexclusive supply agreement with Roka Bioscience (ROKA) for Roka to market PURE's line of antimicrobial disinfecting and sanitizing products and processing aids to the food industry. With this Agreement PURE Bioscience expands Roka Bioscience's reach into the operational environments of food production with environmental and surface disinfectants and processing interventions for pathogen control, complementing their Atlas foodborne pathogen testing portfolio.

08:37 EDT CRISPR Therapeutics, Neon Therapeutics enter research collaboration - CRISPR Therapeutics and Neon Therapeutics announced a research collaboration to explore the combination of each company's proprietary technologies to develop novel T cell therapies.

08:35 EDT Dolby Atmos launches in the U.S. - Dolby Laboratories announced Chicago club Sound-Bar will boast the first Dolby Atmos music entertainment experience in a club in the U.S. The Dolby Atmos residency at Sound-Bar will launch on July 29, with Solarstone - producer, composer and DJ Richard Mowatt. In collaboration with Sound-Bar, Dolby will be outfitting the venue with overhead speakers and Dolby Atmos processing technology. With over 30 speakers, 22 channels and a bespoke lighting environment that takes advantage of Dolby Atmos to move in sync with the music, this installation is one of the biggest innovations in club sound to date.

08:34 EDT Intel approved for Mobileye acquisition under German, Austrian competition laws - Intel Corporation (INTC) announced that the German Federal Cartel Office on July 6, in accordance with the Act Against Restraints of Competition and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and the Austrian Bundeswettbewerbsbehorde on July 7, in accordance with the Austrian Cartel Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, have each approved the previously announced proposed acquisition of Mobileye (MBLY) by Intel. The approval from the German Bundeskartellamt and the Austrian Bundeswettbewerbsbehorde 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, 2017. Such conditions include the receipt of regulatory approval from the Korean Fair Trade Authority 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 and as described in the Schedule TO.

08:32 EDT Royal Gold says RGLD Gold AG sold approx. 62,000 gold equivalent ounces in Q4 - Royal Gold announced that its wholly owned subsidiary RGLD Gold AG sold approximately 62,000 gold equivalent ounces comprised of approximately 52,000 gold ounces, 374,000 silver ounces and 1,165 metric tonnes of copper related to its streaming agreements during its fiscal 2017 fourth quarter ended June 30, 2017. The company had approximately 14,000 gold ounces and 537,000 silver ounces in inventory at June 30, 2017. RGLD Gold AG's average realized gold, silver and copper prices were $1,259 per ounce, $17.32 per ounce, and $5,681 per metric tonne, respectively, compared to $1,216 and $17.35 per ounce sold in the prior quarter. This is the first quarter of copper stream sales. Cost of sales was approximately $318 per gold equivalent ounce for the fourth quarter using the quarterly average silver-gold ratio of approximately 73 to 1 and gold-copper ratio of approximately 0.22 metric tonnes per ounce, compared to $356 per gold equivalent ounce in the prior quarter. Also during the fourth quarter, Royal Gold repaid $50 million of the outstanding balance on its revolving credit facility. As of June 30, 2017 there was $250M outstanding on the revolver, resulting in $750M available under the company's previously announced expanded credit facility.

08:30 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $288M contract from U.S. Army - The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $288M contract to modernize its live training program. As the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin will partner with Saab to provide a simplified training solution that combines multiple vehicle crew training systems into a single product line.

08:20 EDT SPI Energy provides Nasdaq delisting update, receives 15-day stay - SPI Energy announced that on July 7, 2017, it received a hearings letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market. As previously reported, on June 30, 2017, the company was notified by the Nasdaq Listing Qualification Staff that the company's securities were subject to delisting as a result of the company's noncompliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c). On July 7, the company timely submitted a request for a hearing before the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel and a stay of the delisting. Nasdaq has confirmed that a hearing has been set for August 10, at which hearing the company will demonstrate its ability to regain compliance with the particular deficiencies cited by the Staff as well as its ability to sustain long-term compliance with all applicable maintenance criteria. In addition, the delisting action referenced in the Nasdaq Staff's determination letter has been stayed for 15 calendar days, or until July 22. Upon expiration of the stay period, the company's securities will be suspended from trading unless the Panel grants an extension of the stay pending the hearing. The company will be notified of the Panel's determination before the expiration of the 15-day stay period.

08:18 EDT Roka Bioscience announces co-marketing, supply agreement with PURE Bioscience - Roka Bioscience (ROKA) announced that it has entered into a two year nonexclusive supply agreement with PURE Bioscience (PURE) to market PURE's line of antimicrobial disinfecting and sanitizing processing aids to the food industry. The agreement with PURE Bioscience expands Roka Bioscience's reach into the operational environments of food production with environmental and surface disinfectants and processing interventions for pathogen control, complementing the Atlas system for foodborne pathogen testing.

08:17 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch terminates discussions regarding potential transaction - Abercrombie & Fitch announced that it has terminated discussions regarding a potential transaction. The company reported on May 10, 2017 that, after receiving expressions of interest, it had commenced preliminary discussions with several parties regarding a potential transaction. Arthur Martinez, Executive Chairman of the Board of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said: "After a comprehensive review of all relevant factors, with the assistance of our financial advisor, the A&F Board of Directors determined that the best path to enhance value for stockholders is the rigorous execution of our business plan. We believe in the prospects for our business and the opportunities for our brands. We are generating solid comp store sales momentum at Hollister and continue to refine and implement strategies to position the Abercrombie brand for revitalized performance. Our strong management team and dedicated people, the investments we have made in marketing, omnichannel and other strategies to drive sales, together with our relentless focus on operational efficiencies, all contribute to our expectation for improved trends beginning in the second half of the year, compared to the prior year period." "We are committed to taking sound, aggressive action to deliver enhanced performance and long-term stockholder value," concluded Mr. Martinez. The company said it does not intend to comment any further on the above noted discussions.

08:16 EDT Eldorado Gold, Integra Gold complete plan of arrangement - Eldorado Gold is pleased to announce the successful completion of the plan of arrangement involving Integra Gold originally announced on May 15. The Arrangement was approved by the shareholders of Integra at its special meeting on July 4, and received approval from the Supreme Court of British Columbia on July 7. Pursuant to the Arrangement, Integra shareholders will collectively receive, for all the issued common shares of Integra that Eldorado did not already own, approximately C$129M cash and 77M common shares of Eldorado. Integra will continue as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eldorado and Integra common shares will be delisted from the TSXV as soon as practicable.

08:13 EDT Gulf Resources: temporary production suspension at natural gas well in Sichuan - Gulf Resources announces the temporary suspension of production at its first natural gas well in Sichuan Province. In the initial stages of production, the content of the natural gas did not meet the expected quality standards. The basic issue is that the water content in the natural gas is too high, which is a common problem in natural gas wells. From the outset, the company was aware that this type of problem could occur, which is why it was only producing test quantities of natural gas. Gulf Resources currently is consulting with the professional petroleum experts from Southwest Petroleum University to assess the issue and make recommendations. At the present time, the company believes the solution will likely involve the addition of relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment, which should take a few months to procure and install. However, until the full plan from the Southwest Petroleum University team is received, the company cannot be completely certain of the cost or the timing. While this is a short-term set back, the company believes this will not change the intermediate to long-term opportunities for natural gas production in Sichuan Province. Gulf Resources continues to be optimistic about both its core business and the opportunities in Sichuan Province. At the present time, Gulf expects to report strong results in bromine and improved results in chemicals for the second quarter of 2017. Overall, excluding potential extraordinary items and currency exchange problem, the company expects to report that sales in Q2 increased over those in the previous year. It also expects to report that earnings and earnings per share increased by double digits.

08:07 EDT Biostage granted continued listing on Nasdaq - Biostage announced that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel has granted the company's request for continued listing on Nasdaq. The company's continued listing is subject to a number of conditions, with the Panel's decision ultimately requiring that the company evidence full compliance with all requirements for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, including the $1.00 bid price and $2.5M stockholders' equity requirements, by no later than November 13.

08:07 EDT InVivo Therapeutics names Richard Toselli CMO - InVivo Therapeutics Holdings announced the appointment of Richard Toselli, as CMO, effective July 5. Toselli, a fellowship-trained spinal neurosurgeon, will assume all responsibilities related to the company's clinical and regulatory strategy. Prior to joining InVivo, Toselli served as CMO for Cochlear Limited.

08:06 EDT NexPoint Residential announces acquisition Of Rockledge apartment community - NexPoint Residential Trust announces the acquisition of a 708-unit apartment community in Marietta, Georgia. On June 30, NexPoint Residential Trust, through its operating partnership, NexPoint Residential Trust Operating Partnership, L.P., acquired the property, Rockledge, from an unaffiliated third-party for approximately $113.5M. Rockledge consists of 708 units situated on 78.1 acres of contiguous land within Atlanta's second largest Class A Office submarket, approximately one mile from the new Atlanta Braves stadium, with direct access to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Originally developed in three phases by Post Properties, Rockledge had average monthly rents of $1,153 and 93.6% physical occupancy at acquisition.

08:05 EDT Erin Energy expects to double production - Erin Energy Corporation (ERN) provided an update on its drilling operations that are expected to double production for the company and also updated its plans for drilling one of its prime exploration prospects. Erin Energy has finalized its plan to spud Oyo-9 by end of July and has sent a notification to the rig contractor, Pacific Drilling (PACD), to this effect. The rig contractor has in turn assured Erin of their readiness to mobilize their sixth generation rig, Pacific Bora by the end of July. Oyo-9 is expected to increase Oyo field production by six to seven thousand barrels of oil per day, which alone will double the current production of the company. Coincidental with the completion of Oyo-9, the company will also tie back in to its FPSO the Oyo-7 well which could add an additional approximately 2,000 barrels of oil per day. The company is also discussing a possible extension to the contract with Pacific Drilling, depending on availability of funds, to drill one or two wells in the prolific Miocene geological zone located in OML 120. Erin continues to produce over 6,200 BOPD from its Oyo 8 well.

08:04 EDT VMware appoints Claire Dixon as Chief Communications Officer - VMware (VMW) announced the appointment of Claire Dixon to the post of senior vice president and Chief Communications Officer, effective immediately. In this role, she will lead VMware's global communications team including public relations, industry analyst relations, stakeholder engagement, employee communications and thought-leadership campaigns. She joins VMware from eBay (EBAY), where she was vice president, Global Communications.

08:03 EDT CB&I awarded material supply contract by PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical - CB&I announced it has been awarded a contract by PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk to supply materials for the revamp of existing cracking heaters at CAP's naphtha cracker plant in Cilegon, Indonesia. The revamp will increase CAP's ethylene production capacity from 860 KTA to 900 KTA, enabling CAP to meet increased market demand for petrochemical products in Indonesia. CB&I previously provided the license, basic engineering and detailed engineering for the naphtha cracker revamp project.

08:02 EDT Frontier Communications announces completion of reverse stock split - Frontier Communications announced the completion of its 1-for-15 reverse stock split of the issued shares of common stock, which became effective as of the beginning of trading today. Frontier common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "FTR." In addition, and at the same time, the total number of shares of common stock that Frontier is authorized to issue changed from 1,750,000,000 shares to 175,000,000 shares.

08:01 EDT TiVo renews long-term intellectual property license with Foxtel - TiVo Corporation announced that Foxtel, an Australian pay-TV platform, has signed a multi-year intellectual property license renewal. This agreement offers Foxtel ongoing access to TiVo's industry-leading entertainment discovery patent portfolios.

07:51 EDT LeMaitre reports resignation of VP of Sales for the Americas - In a regulatory filing after the close on Friday, LeMaitre Vascular disclosed that on July 1, Michael Wijas, who served as VP, Sales, The Americas, of the company notified the company of his resignation, effective July 7. The company said it has initiated a search for a replacement. In the interim, the North American sales management team will report to George LeMaitre, Chairman and CEO of the company.

07:46 EDT Avino Silver & Gold Mines provides update on Bralorne Gold Mine - Avino Silver & Gold Mines is pleased to provide the following update on the Bralorne Gold Mine located near Gold Bridge, British Columbia. "Since acquiring the Bralorne Gold Mine in 2014, the Company has been focussed on returning this historical gold mine to production while building long term relationships with the First Nations and local communities towards this common goal. Instead of taking a phased approach to the future re-opening of the mine, the Company is evaluating the possibility of combining the phases and potentially start the mine at a higher operating rate. A diamond drill program is being planned for the fall to define the resources for mining purposes and potentially expand the resources."

07:33 EDT Uranium Energy to acquire Alto Parana Titanium Project in Paraguay - Uranium Energy is pleased to announce that the company has exercised its previously disclosed option to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of CIC Resources Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIC Resources Inc., in accordance with the terms and conditions of the company's share purchase and option agreement with the Vendor, dated March 4, 2016, as amended. As a result, UEC now controls 100% of the Alto Parana Titanium Project located in the departments of Alto Parana and Canindeyu in the Republic of Paraguay. In accordance with the terms of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement, the Company has issued to the Vendor 664,879 restricted common shares of the company, at a deemed issuance price of $1.5363 per Share, for aggregate consideration of $1,021,453. The Consideration represents (i) the Company's Option exercise payment of $275,000 and (ii) the reimbursement by the Company to the Vendor of all Property maintenance costs incurred since execution of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement. In addition to the Consideration, the Company has also granted the Vendor a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty on the Property. The Company has the right, exercisable at any time for a period of six years following exercise of the Option, to acquire 0.5% of the Royalty at a purchase price of $500,000. The Company previously acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of JDL Resources, also a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vendor, pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement, in June 2016. The Company acquired JDR in exchange for a cash payment of $50,000 and the issuance of 1,333,360 Shares to the Vendor. JDR holds additional titanium mineral property concessions that lie adjacent to and contiguous with the Property. UEC will now be working on preparing a proposed NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Property which will be released before the end of 2017 and is continuing to evaluate options to further unlock the potential value of these acquisitions.

07:31 EDT Concert says to amend protocol for Phase 2a CTP-543 trial

07:30 EDT Concert Pharmaceuticals: FDA lifts clinical hold on CTP-543 trial

07:22 EDT BioLineRx: Genentech commences Phase 1b/2 study for BL-8040 - BioLineRx (BLRX) announced that Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY), has commenced a Phase 1b/2 study for BL-8040 in combination with atezolizumab, Genentech's anti-PDL1 cancer immunotherapy agent, evaluating the combination in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Up to 40 patients are planned to be enrolled in this Phase 1b/2, multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label study to evaluate the clinical response, safety and tolerability, as well as multiple pharmacodynamic parameters, of BL-8040 in combination with atezolizumab. Initially, patients will receive BL-8040 injections as priming monotherapy for five consecutive days, after which, from day 8, they will receive both BL-8040 and atezolizumab, and continue with multiple treatment cycles for up to two years or until disease progression, clinical deterioration or unacceptable toxicity. The clinical study collaboration between BioLineRx and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, is part of MORPHEUS, Roche's Novel Cancer Immunotherapy Development Platform. MORPHEUS is a phase 1b/2 adaptive platform to assess the efficacy and safety of combination cancer immunotherapies

07:18 EDT EnSync completes sale of power purchase agreement with Easter Seals Hawaii - EnSync announced the sale of the 20-year power purchase agreement that the company entered into with Easter Seals Hawaii, a nonprofit organization that provides services for people with disabilities and special needs. The PPA is for a 122-kilowatt solar panel installation at the nonprofit's Kapolei Napuakea Service Center. The undisclosed investor's purchase of EnSync Energy's PPA will enable Easter Seals Hawaii to save on electricity costs. Under the new PPA, EnSync Energy will continue to manage construction and operations, as well as maintenance of the ground-mount system, while the investor provides long-term ownership.

07:14 EDT Valeant pays down $811M of senior secured term loans - Valeant Pharmaceuticals announced that following the recent closure of the sale of Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, the company has used the net proceeds of the sale to pay down $811M of its senior secured term loans. With this transaction, all mandatory amortization has been paid through 2019. In aggregate, Valeant has now reduced its debt by more than $4.3B since the end of the first quarter of 2016. The company continues to reiterate its expectation to pay down $5B in debt from divestiture proceeds and free cash flow within 18 months of August 2016.

07:12 EDT China Distance Education announces strategic investment in Beijing Ruida - China Distance Education announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida Chengtai Education Technology Co., a leading provider of exam preparation services for participants in China's national judicial examination, for a total consideration of $28.3M, subject to adjustments under certain pre-agreed conditions. In addition, CDEL has the right, at its option, to further increase its equity interest in Beijing Ruida up to 60% before April 2019 under certain pre-agreed conditions. The acquisition of 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida is an all-cash transaction, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017.

07:08 EDT Asterias receives FDA clearance to enroll C-4 patients in SCiStar study - Asterias Biotherapeutics announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted the company's amendment to the clinical research protocol for its ongoing AST-OPC1 SCiStar Phase 1/2a clinical trial in motor complete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The amendment expands the eligibility criteria to include patients with a C-4 spinal cord injury and extends the dosing window from 14 to 30 days to 21 to 42 days post-injury. The protocol amendment will expand patient eligibility and enable study investigators to administer AST-OPC1 to patients with injuries at one vertebral level higher than the trial's previous C-5 limitation, to the fourth cervical vertebra down, known as C-4, near the middle of the neck. A C-4 cervical level injury, the second most common level of SCI in the SCiStar study's targeted patient population, generally means that the injured person is paralyzed from the neck down and requires round-the-clock care. The lifetime direct costs of care for a patient suffering a high cervical spinal cord injury, such as a C-4 spinal cord injury, can approach $5M. As suggested by existing research, if these patients can show two motor levels of improvement on at least one side they may regain the ability to perform daily activities such as feeding, dressing and bathing, which increases their quality of life and independence and significantly reduces the overall level of required daily assistance and associated healthcare costs for these patients. In addition, the amendment to inclusion parameters will also expand the dosing window to 21 to 42 days after a patient's spinal cord injury occurs, providing study investigators more time to screen patients to determine if they are eligible to participate in the SCiStar study. The expansion of the dosing window is supported by recent preclinical research that indicated AST-OPC1 cells can durably engraft at a patient's injury site when administered up to two months after the date of injury.

07:06 EDT Seres Therapeutics names former Amgen CMO Willard Dere to board - Seres Therapeutics (MCRB) announced the appointment of Willard Dere, M.D., a seasoned industry executive, to its Board of Directors. Dere brings to Seres more than two decades of scientific, clinical, and strategic biopharmaceutical experience. He is currently Professor of Internal Medicine, Executive Director of Personalized Health, and Co-director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. Previously, Dere held several positions at Amgen (AMGN), including, most recently, Head of Global Development and Chief Medical Officer.

07:04 EDT Reata Pharmaceuticals receives orphan drug designation for bardoxolone methyl - Reata Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has granted orphan designation to bardoxolone methyl for the treatment of Alport syndrome. Earlier this year, Reata initiated a Phase 2/3 clinical study to evaluate bardoxolone methyl in patients with chronic kidney disease, or CKD, caused by Alport syndrome. The purpose of the study is to determine if Alport syndrome patients experience improvements in kidney function similar to those observed in multiple, previous trials of bardoxolone in patients with other forms of CKD. Reata expects data from the Phase 2 portion of the trial to be available by year-end 2017.

07:02 EDT Ignyta receives FDA orphan drug designation for entrectinib - Ignyta announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to entrectinib for "treatment of NTRK fusion-positive solid tumors." NTRK fusions are molecular alterations that occur in a broad variety of adult and pediatric solid tumor types. Entrectinib is the company's investigational, orally available, CNS-active tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting tumors that harbor NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK gene fusions. This product candidate is in a Phase 2 clinical trial called STARTRK-2, which is the second of the "Studies of Tumor Alterations Responsive to Targeting Receptor Kinases." The trial is a global, multicenter, open label, potentially registration-enabling Phase 2 clinical trial of entrectinib that utilizes a basket design with screening of patient tumor samples for the relevant targets.

07:01 EDT NewLink Genetics receives notice of allowance from USPTO covering indoximod - NewLink Genetics announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance for U.S. patent application number 15/171,031 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, covering claims to the salts and prodrugs of indoximod. Indoximod is Newlink's orally bioavailable, small molecule targeting the IDO pathway with a distinct mechanism of action.

06:59 EDT Bristol-Myers: FDA accepts sNDA to include indication for Sprycel - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the U.S. FDA accepted its supplemental New Drug Application to include an indication for Sprycel (dasatinib) to treat children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia, as well as a powder for oral suspension formulation of Sprycel. The application is under priority review with an action date of November 9, 2017.

06:49 EDT Helen of Troy CEO says Q1 was 'solid start' to FY18 - Julien Mininberg, CEO, stated: "We are pleased to report a solid start to our current fiscal year. Strong focus on our strategic choices delivered net sales revenue growth of 3.4% and adjusted diluted EPS growth of 7.9%. Core business net sales for our leadership brands increased over 8% in the quarter, driven by incremental growth investments, successful new product introductions, online channel growth of over 30%, incremental distribution, and growth in international sales. The quarter was led by our Housewares segment, which increased sales by 16.3%, including growth in both Hydro Flask and OXO. Health & Home grew core business net sales by 3.4% and improved its profitability. In Beauty, core business net sales declined 1.4%, which was better than our expectations, as product innovation contributed to market share growth in the U.S. retail appliance category. In Nutritional Supplements, while quarterly revenue was down 12% due primarily to the transition to new systems, we believe we are now past the majority of the system transition challenges and are encouraged by the progress we are seeing from our omni-channel strategy. We are seeing consistent improvement in many underlying leading indicators since February such as a growing active buyer file, rising reactivation purchases and climbing average daily sales." Mininberg continued: "We are pleased with our profit progress for the quarter and believe we remain on track to achieve our full year outlook. Our top line growth drove operating leverage which, combined with tax benefits, more than offset a slight decline in gross profit margin. Our business continues to generate solid adjusted diluted EPS growth, even as we have made incremental investments in product development, marketing and brand building to support growth in the longer-term."

06:44 EDT Great Plains Energy, Westar Energy announce leadership of combined company - Upon closing, Mark Ruelle will become the non-executive chairman of the new company board. Terry Bassham will serve as president and CEO of the new company and will also serve as a member of the board of directors. Senior management roles will be shared by executives from both companies. Among these are: Westar's (WR) current senior vice president and CFO, Tony Somma, will become executive vice president and CFO. Kevin Bryant, current Great Plains Energy (GXP) senior vice president of finance and strategy and CFO will become executive vice president and COO. Greg Greenwood, Westar's senior vice president of strategy, including regulatory affairs, will become the new company's executive vice president of strategy and chief administrative officer, responsible for regulatory affairs and merger savings, among other responsibilities. The board of directors will consist of an equal number of directors nominated from each company, including Bassham from the Great Plains Energy board and Ruelle from the Westar Energy board. The lead independent director will be Charles Q. Chandler, IV, currently Westar Energy's independent chairman of the board.

06:41 EDT Great Plains Energy, Westar Energy see cost savings of $35M-$45M in 2018 - More than a year of integration planning has identified significant operating efficiencies and cost savings. Complementary and contiguous service territories, shared generation assets and expanded footprint are expected to create cost savings and net operating efficiencies of about $35M-45M in 2018, growing to $140M-170M by 2021 and beyond. The company will provide a minimum of $50M in total rate credits for all customers upon the closing of the transaction. The credit, which exceeds the expected net savings in 2018, will be given to customers as a one-time reduction. It is an immediate up-front benefit to customers, reflecting confidence in future operating efficiencies and cost savings the company expects to achieve over time by combining operations. Thereafter, cost savings resulting from the merger efficiencies will benefit customers through the normal regulatory process, which also will allow the combined company a better opportunity to earn its authorized return without relying solely on rate increases. This transaction will create opportunities for the companies to leverage their combined resources and stronger balance sheet to maintain already strong customer service levels. In addition, the companies will share best practices for customer service and reliability across the combined customer bases. The combined company has committed that there will be no layoffs as a result of the transaction. Any employee reductions related to the merger will be accomplished through attrition and normal retirements from both Great Plains Energy and Westar Energy. Following close, the company will maintain a strong workforce across its operations. This includes maintaining Westar Energy's customer contact center in Wichita, establishing new walk-in customer service centers in Wichita and Topeka and maintaining operating headquarters in both Kansas City, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas. Corporate headquarters will remain in Kansas City, Missouri. The company will maintain at least 500 employees in its downtown Topeka headquarters for at least five years after the merger. Given vacancies and natural attrition, the company expects to continue to recruit employees to Topeka to fill jobs. The company will continue to invest corporate resources and employee volunteer hours in its communities while maintaining current levels of charitable giving.

06:37 EDT Great Plains Energy, Westar Energy agree to merger of equals - Westar Energy (WR) and Great Plains Energy (GXP) announced that both companies' boards of directors have unanimously approved a revised transaction that involves no premium paid or received with respect to either company, no transaction debt, no exchange of cash, and is a stock-for-stock merger of equals, creating a company with a combined equity value of approximately $14B. The new, combined company will provide electric utility service to approximately one million Kansas customers and nearly 600,000 customers in Missouri. The combined company will have a new name, yet to be established. Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy will merge to form a new holding company, which will operate regulated electric utilities in Kansas and Missouri. Operating headquarters will be in both Topeka, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Corporate headquarters will be in Kansas City, Missouri. Under the terms of the agreement, Westar Energy shareholders will exchange each share of Westar Energy common stock for a share in the new holding company. Great Plains Energy shareholders will receive .5981 shares of common stock in the new holding company for each Great Plains Energy share. The transaction has a total equity value of approximately $14B. It is structured to permit a tax-free exchange of shares. No transaction debt will be incurred. The exchange ratio reflects the agreed-upon ownership split between the two companies. Following completion of the merger, Westar Energy shareholders will own approximately 52.5% and Great Plains Energy shareholders will own approximately 47.5% of the combined company. The agreement provides that, upon closing, the new holding company expects to set its initial common dividend at a level which maintains the current dividend for Great Plains Energy shareholders. This will result in approximately a 15 percent dividend increase for Westar Energy shareholders. In connection with the agreement, Great Plains Energy will redeem all of the previously issued debt and convertible preferred stock it issued in contemplation of the previous plan to acquire Westar Energy. Due to the revised nature of this transaction, Great Plains Energy and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System have agreed to terminate their preferred convertible equity commitment. After these financial transactions are completed, the companies anticipate that Great Plains Energy will have not less than $1.25B in cash on its balance sheet. After the closing of the merger, the combined company anticipates repurchasing common stock to return excess cash to shareholders and maintain a balanced consolidated capital structure. With the Kansas Corporation Commission's encouragement in its order, the companies continue to work with Kansas regulatory staff and the other parties. They will continue working directly with regulatory staff in both Kansas and Missouri as well as other parties to gain necessary approvals as expeditiously as possible. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by Great Plains Energy's shareholders and Westar Energy's shareholders and the receipt of regulatory approvals, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Missouri Public Service Commission, the KCC, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

06:34 EDT Great Plains Energy, Westar Energy agree to merger of equals -

06:20 EDT Google to purchase green electricity generated by Sunport Delfzijl for 10 years - Google and Eneco announced that Google will purchase all of the green electricity generated by Sunport Delfzijl, the largest solar energy park in the Netherlands, for a period of ten years. The agreement with Eneco is Google's fourth investment in sustainable energy in the Netherlands and the second agreement between Eneco and Google. The electricity generated by the solar park will help offset the energy consumption of Google's data centre located twenty kilometres further up in the Eemshaven. The solar park in Delfzijl contains around 123,000 solar panels on a terrain of 30 hectares and is expected to deliver approximately 27 Gigawatt Hours of green electricity. The data centre and the solar park are both located on the terrain of Groningen Seaports in the Delfzijl port area. Sunport Delfzijl is operational since the beginning of 2017. Sunport was developed and built by the German energy company Wirsol. Reference Link

06:01 EDT China Yuchai wins order for 100 hybrid engines order from Liuzhou Bus - China Yuchai announced that it has won an order for 100 hybrid engines from Liuzhou Hengda Bus who operates Liuzhou's public transportation system. The order comprises 85 new buses from Xiamen Kinglong and 15 buses from Zhongtong Bus all powered by GYMCL's YC6J200-50 diesel-electric hybrid engines. GYMCL is the exclusive engine supplier for this order. The YC6J200-50 is a compact, lightweight, 4-stroke, 6-cylinder hybrid engine rated at 147 Kw at 2500 rpms. It is designed to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions.

05:55 EDT TSMC reports June revenue up 5.3% from prior year - TSMC announced its net revenues for June 2017: On a consolidated basis, revenues for June 2017 were approximately NT$84.19B, an increase of 15.6 percent from May 2017 and an increase of 3.4% from June 2016. Revenues for January through June 2017 totaled NT$447.77B, an increase of 5.3% compared to the same period in 2016.

05:49 EDT Amazon kicking off Prime Day six hours early - Amazon is kicking off its third annual Prime Day six hours early this year - giving members 30 hours to shop beginning at 6pm PT / 9pm ET, Monday, July 10. With new deals starting as often as every five minutes, members can shop for deals organized by more than 20 of the most-shopped-for themes - from shutterbugs to sports enthusiasts and everything in between. In addition to shopping deals, Prime members can visit www.amazon.com/primeday to stream live deal reveals at the top of every hour during peak shopping times - and buy the featured products right there, as they're watching - as well as get deal updates and insider tips on everything they need to know about Prime Day. Prime members can also download the Amazon App and start watching upcoming deals up to 24 hours before they are live.

05:47 EDT UMC reports June revenue down 2.16% to NT$13.1B vs. NT$13.53B last year

05:42 EDT Central European Media divests assests to Slovenia Broadband for $262.5M - Central European Media Enterprises announced that it has agreed to sell its leading broadcast operations in Croatia and in Slovenia to Slovenia Broadband S.a r.l., a subsidiary of United Group B.V., subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close by year-end. Cash purchase price is approximately $262.5M, subject to customary working capital adjustments. The combined OIBDA for Nova TV and POP TV for the twelve months ended March 31, 2017 was $13.8M. Proceeds will be used to repay the EUR 250.8M term loan due 2018, which based on our results from the period ended March 31, 2017 would have reduced CME's net leverage ratio from 6.3 times to 5.1 times. CME's current average borrowing cost is expected to decrease 275 basis points to 4.5% upon repayment of the 2018 term loan following closing of the transaction. Accretive to CME's OIBDA margin as well as free cash flow, since the cash generated by the Slovenian and Croatian operations will be more than offset by estimated savings of at least $30M of interest costs annually.

05:34 EDT Prima BioMed announces approval for initiation of INSIGHT clinical trial - Prima BioMed announced that its collaboration partner, the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research, Krankenhaus Nordwest GmbH in Frankfurt Germany, or IKF, has received the regulatory and ethical approvals for the clinical trial investigating IMP321 in new settings, called "INSIGHT". Approval has been received from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, or PEI, the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines for the German Federal Ministry of Health, which is the competent regulatory authority in the field of medicinal products that assesses and monitors antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases for human use. Approval has also been received from the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research ethics committee. The clinical trial will commence in due course. The investigator sponsored INSIGHT clinical trial will explore different routes of administration of IMP321 in solid tumors.