Stockwinners Market Radar for August 15, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:01 EDT Landing Jeju, Lionsgate announce plans for Lionsgate Movie World - Landing Jeju Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Landing International Development Limited and the developer and operator of Jeju Shinhwa World, and global content leader Lionsgate announced plans to develop Lionsgate Movie World at Jeju Shinhwa World, Korea. Lionsgate Movie World, spanning approximately 1.3M square feet and centered around multiple renowned Lionsgate film properties, is Lionsgate's first branded outdoor theme park and the latest milestone in the continued ramp up of Lionsgate's location-based entertainment business around the world.

18:25 EDT ACC approves Arizona Public Service's rate review agreement - The Arizona Corporation Commission approved a comprehensive and broadly supported agreement to resolve Arizona Public Service's first rate review in five years. ACC Staff, the Residential Utility Consumer Office, limited-income advocates, private rooftop solar organizations and dozens of other stakeholders supported the consensus agreement, which encompasses a wide range of customer interests and shows what can be accomplished when people come together to resolve complex policy issues. The ACC approved the previously established agreement with modifications, but the changes do not materially affect the overall economic terms of the agreement. "Arizona's energy consumers are the clear winners here because this agreement enables investment in a smarter, cleaner energy infrastructure, gives customers more choice and control through new rate options, and continues Arizona's solar leadership," said Don Brandt, APS Chairman, President and CEO. APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

18:08 EDT Elliott discloses 5% shareholding in BHP Billiton - Elliott disclosed that it now holds 5% of the issued shares of BHP Billiton and released the following statement: "Since Elliott initiated a public conversation on BHP's performance and opportunities to create value for all shareholders, BHP appears to have taken steps toward a smarter, more value-generative way of conducting business, and we support and encourage continued progress. Recent statements by the company give us confidence that Chairman-elect Ken MacKenzie will heed shareholders' calls to take constructive steps to enhance value for BHP and its owners, including: A full exit from U.S. shale and an in-depth, open and truly independent review of the petroleum business' place in BHP's portfolio. BHP management's comments and indications regarding BHP's oil and gas assets so far have been encouraging. We and other shareholders look forward to hearing more from management on this subject, following the growing analyst and shareholder consensus that BHP should exit U.S. shale; Instituting a new responsible approach and philosophy regarding capital allocation. Such an approach will ensure that the significant free cash flow that BHP is expected to have for the foreseeable future results in enhanced returns to shareholders over time, as additional dividend income and through the efficient use of share buybacks; Unification of BHP's value-restrictive and obsolete dual-listed company structure. BHP's shareholders have made it clear that constructive steps for substantial and meaningful change are needed at BHP. The election of a new Chairman is an opportunity for action. With new leadership, shareholders fully expect the true value of their company to be unlocked - something which we are confident BHP's Chairman-elect has firmly in mind as he takes the reins. At the same time, our increased shareholding leaves us well placed to monitor BHP's progress and hold it accountable for delivering results."

17:34 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Urban Outfitters (URBN), up 18.9%... Agilent (A), up 3.7%. ALSO HIGHER: LPL Financial (LPLA), up 2% after it announced the acquisition of National Planning Holdings. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Viavi (VIAV), down 5.9%. ALSO LOWER: Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), down 3.4% after it announced topline results from its CheckMate -214 study, saying that while there was an improvement in progression-free survival, it did not reach statistical significance... Intec Pharma (NTEC), down 3.1% after it filed to sell common stock.

17:21 EDT Raytheon, Lockheed Martin JV awarded $133.9M government contract modification - Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $133,910,119 modification to foreign military sales contract W31P4Q-13-C-0129 to procure Javelin containerized all-up rounds, command launch units, Javelin vehicle launcher-electronics and associated non-recurring engineering. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2017 other procurement funds in the amount of $133,910,119 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

17:08 EDT UDR, Inc. CEO sells 30,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, UDR, Inc. CEO Thomas W. Toomey disclosed the sale of 30,000 common shares of the company at a price of $38.8642 per share. The transaction, dated August 14, 2017, brings Toomey's total direct common stock ownership to 1,106,295 shares.

17:04 EDT U.S rail regulator STB seeks weekly performance data from CSX - The Surface Transportation Board' STB requests specific performance data from CSX related to service disruptions and recovery efforts. On August 14, the Members of the Surface Transportation Board requested that CSX submit weekly specific service performance data to the Board's Rail Customer and Public Assistance office for purposes of ongoing calls between CSX senior management and STB staff. The performance data will assist the Board in actively monitoring CSX's service levels and the effectiveness of its recovery efforts. The Board's letter to CSX said in part: "We are writing to express the Surface Transportation Board's continued concerns over widespread degradation of rail service across the CSX Transportation system...The Board's July 27 letter outlined our concerns about disruptions in rail service resulting from CSX's implementation of changes to its operating plan. Since that time, it is not apparent to the board or interested stakeholders that service is improving." Reference Link

16:57 EDT Kansas City Southern raises dividend, announces new $800M share repurchase plan - Kansas City Southern announced that its Board of Directors approved two actions to return capital to KCS's shareholders as part of KCS's capital allocation plan: 1. An increase in the quarterly dividend on KCS's common stock from 33c to 36c per share. The board declared a common stock dividend at this increased amount payable on October 4 to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 11. 2. A new $800M share repurchase program, which replaces the company's previous $500M program announced in 2015 and completed in the second quarter of 2017. The new authorization includes: (a) a $200M Accelerated Share Repurchase program, which will be launched immediately and is expected to be completed by early in the fourth quarter of 2017; and (b) a $600M open market purchase program expiring June 30, 2020. Approximately 1.6M of the shares to be repurchased under the Accelerated Share Repurchase program will be received by KCS on August 16, 2017. The total number of shares ultimately repurchased under the program will be determined upon final settlement and will be based on the volume-weighted average price of KCS's common stock during the applicable valuation period, less a discount.

16:38 EDT LPL Financial says total client cash sweep balances at July-end down 1.8% - LPL Financial, a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings, released its monthly activity report for July. Total brokerage and advisory assets served at the end of July were approximately $550B, a 1.4% increase compared to the end of June. Total Net New Assets for July were $0.9B. Total client cash sweep balances at the end of July were $27.3B, a 1.8% decrease compared to June 2017.

16:32 EDT Atrion raises quarterly dividend 14% to $1.20 per share - Atrion Corporation announced an increase in its quarterly cash dividend from $1.05 per share to $1.20 per share. Specifically, the board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share on its outstanding shares of common stock. This dividend will be payable on September 29, 2017 to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2017.

16:22 EDT LPL Financial announces acquisition of National Planning Holdings - LPL Financial LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings announced it has acquired the independent broker-dealer network of National Planning Holdings. The transaction is structured as an asset purchase with an initial purchase price of $325M. The company will also make a contingent payment between $0 and $123M in the first half of 2018, which will be based on the level of NPH's business that onboards onto LPL's platform. The transaction was signed and closed on August 15, following receipt of regulatory approval. Under the transaction structure, LPL will onboard NPH advisors and client assets onto its platform rather than integrating NPH's operations, although NPH will maintain its operations during the onboarding period. No contingent payment would be due if less than 72% of NPH production is onboarded, and the amount of the contingent payment increases on an interpolated basis for onboarded production in the range of 72%-93.5%. The company expects onboarding costs of $40M-$60M, including staffing to onboard NPH advisors and clients, account closure and transfer fees, and technology capacity investments, that will be mostly complete by mid-2018.

16:15 EDT Nortech Systems authorizes stock buyback of up to $250,000 - Nortech Systems Incorporated announced that its board of directors has approved a stock repurchase program under which the company is authorized to repurchase shares of its common stock in an amount up to $250,000 over the next year, in amounts of up to $62,500 per quarter. The repurchases will be made in the open market in compliance with applicable securities laws and other legal requirements and are subject to market conditions, share price, available cash and other factors. The plan does not obligate the company to acquire any particular amount of common stock and it may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

16:13 EDT National Planning Holdings announces sale to LPL Financial - National Planning Holdings, which is wholly owned by Prudential plc (PUK), announced the sale of its independent broker-dealer network, consisting of INVEST Financial Corporation, Investment Centers of America, Inc., National Planning Corporation and SII Investments, Inc., to LPL Financial (LPLA). The transaction is structured as an asset sale, which includes substantially all of the business of the network, for an initial purchase price of $325M. Following a successful transition of NPH's financial advisors and clients to LPL, the purchase price may increase to a maximum of approximately $448M. The transition period is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2018. Barry Stowe, chairman and chief executive officer of Prudential plc's North American Business Unit, said the industry is in a time of significant regulatory change and consolidation in the independent broker-dealer sector. During the transition period, the NPH firms will continue to maintain all necessary infrastructure of their businesses to ensure uninterrupted support and a smooth transition of all client accounts and their financial advisors. By year-end 2018, and subject to regulatory approval, the NPH firms intend to wind down the operations and withdraw their broker-dealer registrations.

16:09 EDT Alexion receives three new U.S. patents for Soliris - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has issued U.S. Patents No. 9,732,149; 9,718,880; and 9,725,504, which are directed to the composition of matter of eculizumab, pharmaceutical formulations of eculizumab, and methods of treating paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria with eculizumab, respectively, and which will expire in 2027. The new composition of matter patent is directed to the full-length amino acid sequence of eculizumab and covers molecules that contain the same sequence. The new formulation patent is directed to pharmaceutical compositions that contain eculizumab, independent of their intended use. The new method of use patent is directed to treating PNH with eculizumab, and supplements other patents that are directed to treating atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and other complement-mediated diseases with eculizumab. Alexion is pursuing corresponding patent applications in other regions and countries, including Europe and Japan. In addition, Alexion is pursuing patent applications for pending additional indications of Soliris, such as for the treatment of refractory generalized myasthenia gravis.

16:07 EDT Huntsman announces progress in closing merger with Clariant - Huntsman announced progress towards satisfying the regulatory approval condition to closing its merger of equals with Clariant AG. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which reviews the antitrust implications of certain business combinations, delivered a second request for information to Huntsman yesterday relating to just two products -- sodium isethionate, used in personal care products like soap and shampoos, and a polyetheramine product used in certain construction and additive/paint and ink applications.

16:02 EDT Wells Fargo names Betsy Duke to succeed Sanger as independent chair - Wells Fargo announced that its board of directors has taken a range of Board refreshment actions, including naming Elizabeth A. "Betsy" Duke to succeed Stephen W. Sanger as independent Chair, effective January 1, 2018; having three long-serving directors retire at year-end 2017; and adding a new independent director and changing the composition of Board committees, both effective September 1, 2017. The actions announced today are in addition to the appointment earlier this year of two new independent directors, Karen B. Peetz and Ronald L. Sargent. The Board expects to name up to three additional independent directors before the 2018 Annual Meeting.

15:03 EDT Crocs to appeal recent USPTO design ruling - Crocs announced its disagreement with the decision recently issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO relating to one of its many design patents, as well as several subsequent and needlessly dramatic headlines, and its plans to appeal the ruling. In its ruling, the USPTO found the patent issued to Crocs in 2006, which covers the design of its Classic Clog, to be invalid for technical reasons related to Crocs own early sales. Crocs will dispute this analysis in its appeal. "The impact of this ruling has been greatly exaggerated in certain news reports," said Daniel P. Hart, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Crocs. "We are confident in the appeals process and, moreover, we have plans in place to continue to protect our Classic Clog design well beyond the life of this particular patent. Crocs will continue to aggressively enforce our intellectual property portfolio against those who unfairly trade on Crocs' goodwill and reputation." The recent decision is simply the next step in the administrative process, allowing Crocs to appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and eventually the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the same court that ruled in its favor in enforcement of the same patent during its successful International Trade Commission case. The USPTO's decision has no immediate or long-term material negative impact on Crocs' business. Nor has Crocs' business been adversely impacted over the last five years, since the USPTO first reexamined validity issues with regards to the patent. It is important to note that the patent at issue remains valid and enforceable during the appeals process, which can take many years to complete. Throughout, Crocs will continue to be a world leader in innovative casual footwear, inspiring customers to express their one-of-a-kindness and to be comfortable in their own shoes.

14:36 EDT SCE asks state regulator to affirm San Onofre nuclear plant settlement

14:29 EDT Wal-Mart CEO says Trump missed 'critical opportunity' to unit country - Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement on the retailer's website, "Respect for the individual is one of our core beliefs at Walmart. And the role we play in communities around the country to build a more diverse and inclusive society is more critical than ever as the tragic events in Charlottesville over the weekend painfully reminded us. Our prayers are with the victims and their families. As we watched the events and the response from President Trump over the weekend, we too felt that he missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists. His remarks today were a step in the right direction and we need that clarity and consistency in the future. Our country is facing some very difficult issues that require our elected officials, business leaders and community-based organizations to work together. Representing a company with the largest and one of the most diverse groups of associates in the U.S., and an even more diverse customer base of tens of millions of customers, we believe we should stay engaged to try to influence decisions in a positive way and help bring people together. I will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of our associates and customers, and urge our elected officials to do their part to promote a more just, tolerant and diverse society." Reference Link

13:26 EDT Integrated Device jumps after analyst interviewed on CNBC says good M&A target - Shares of Integrated Device are up 1.23% to $24.12 in a volume spike.

13:17 EDT Movie theater operators sliding after MoviePass lowers fee to $10 - The startup MoviePass is dropping the price of the company's movie ticket monthly subscription to about $10. The news has sent several names in the movie theater space to negative territory. MOVIEPASS LOWERS FEE: MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe, an early Netflix (NFLX) executive, is planning to drop the price of the company's monthly movie ticket subscription to $9.95, allowing customers to get in to one showing every day at any theater in the U.S. that accepts debit cards for about the price of a single ticket each month, according to media reports. MoviePass will pay theaters the full price of each ticket used by subscribers, excluding 3D or Imax screens, Bloomberg explained in an article. With this price reduction, MoviePass hopes to resolve what its CEO sees as the biggest factor to blame for the theater industry's decline, namely the high ticket price, Bloomberg noted, adding that Lowe does not believe competition from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (AMZN) is what's keeping people away from movie theaters. MoviePass has secured new funding to accommodate the new subscription plan and announced that it sold a majority stake to big data firm Helios and Matheson Analytics (HMNY) to promote a nationwide rollout of this new, flat-rate service. The company, which was founded in 2011, had initially relied on a tiered pricing model based on location and frequency. Last year, MoviePass started at $15 per month and ran up to $50 for unlimited movies in bigger cities. NAMES TO WATCH: As movie theaters struggle with tepid sales, any effort to increase sales should be welcome by theater operators, the publication added. Nonetheless, several names in the sector including AMC Entertainment (AMC), Cinemark (CNK) and Regal Entertainment (RGC) are sliding in afternoon trading following the news. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, AMC has slipped 2.4% to $13.27, Cinemark is down 0.7% to $36.05 and Regal Entertainment has slid over 1.3% to $16.72. Meanwhile, Imax (IMAX) and Marcus Corp (MCS) have dropped over 1% to $18.60 and $25.55, respectively.

13:00 EDT Box CEO Levie calls President Trump's councils 'bogus' - Box CEO tweeted,Aaron Levie tweeted, "If this isn't direct evidence that these councils are bogus and there is no intent to listen to members, then I'm not sure what would be." Levie was responding to President Trump's tweet, "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!"

12:11 EDT David Tepper names Micron as stock he continues to own - Tepper to CNBC's Scott Wapner.

12:08 EDT Tepper still positive on stocks, says market 'nowhere near' overheated - David Tepper gave an interview to CNBC where he expressed continued bullishness on stocks and bearishness on bonds. The famed investor continues to like technology, and called out Alibaba (BABA), Facebook (FB) and Alphabet (GOOG) as stocks he still owns and likes. Tepper told CNBC's Scott Wapner that stock market comparisons to 1999 are "ridiculous." He believes the market is "nowhere near an overheated market."

12:02 EDT David Tepper still likes and owns Alibaba, Facebook, Alphabet - Tepper spoke to CNBC.

11:49 EDT TJX expects margins to be pressured a bit for next few months - Cites costs related to opening of new U.K. distribution center.

11:45 EDT SeaWorld rallies, off highs but still up 2% to $13.71

11:29 EDT TJX sees Q4 EPS $1.25-$1.27, will provide detailed guidance on Q3 call

11:25 EDT Trump says he has 'many' CEOs to take place of those leaving - President Trump just tweeted, "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!"

11:23 EDT GoDaddy CEO says content is pulled from platform 'pretty often' - Blake Irving is speaking on CNBC.

11:09 EDT Shanda Media raises stake in Community Health to 22.1% - Tianqiao Chen's Shanda Media disclosed this morning an increased stake of 22.1% in Community Health Systems. Shanda's last filing on March 13 revealed a 13.74% stake. The firm now owns over 25M shares of the hospital operator that Axios earlier today said is "teetering on the edge of bankruptcy." Modern Healthcare wrote on article on Chen's higher stake. Reference Link

11:04 EDT Humana signs medicare agreement with Summit Health, terms not disclosed - Summit Health and Humana have signed a new contract that provides in-network access for Humana Medicare members at Summit Health facilities and providers in south-central Pennsylvania. The contract, which is effective August 1, provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization, Preferred Provider Organization, and Private Fee-for-Service health plan members seeking treatment at Summit Health facilities. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

11:02 EDT Applied Optoelectronics sees cost reduction for light engine and transceiver - In its presentation slides the company said it sees an approximately 40% manufacturing cost reduction of 100G transceivers from Q2 to Q4.

10:54 EDT Applied Optoelectronics sees FY17 CapEx approximately $85M - Comments are from a company slides presentation.

10:22 EDT Otonomy seen rallying up to 95% on positive Meniere's disease data - JPMorgan this morning upgraded Otonomy (OTIC) to Overweight from Neutral, saying that the stock could rise up to 95% if the results of an upcoming trial of its Otividex drug are positive. Otividex is supposed to treat Meniere's disease, which affects the inner ear and causes vertigo and hearing loss. RISK/REWARD FAVORABLE: There is a 70% chance that the results of the trial will be positive, wrote JPMorgan analyst Anupam Rama in a note to investors. Adjustments the company made ahead of the trial, whose results are due out next month increase the probability that the trial will be successful, according to the analyst. If the results are positive, Otonomy's stock will jump 65%-95%, while a negative outcome would cause the stock to fall 25%-35%, he predicted. HIGH UNMET NEED: There are currently no treatments that have been approved specifically for Meniere's disease, according to Rama. Steroids, which are currently used to treat the condition, produce "variable" outcome that are "not optimal in all cases," while surgery/ablative treatment is viewed as "a last resort," he stated. The analyst believes that there is a "high unmet need" for a Meniere's disease treatment. TARGET: Rama raised his price target on the stock to $28 from $17. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Otonomy jumped 8.7% to $18.70.

10:16 EDT Dick's Sporting sees operating margins declining year-over-year - Company says it will aggressively price offers to drive customer traffic. Expects both Q3 and FY17 operating margins to decline year-over-year. Says it expects hunting business to remain tough through the year and it will strategically invest in the category. Says it will increase marketing and pricing efforts for private brands. Sees private brands businesses reaching $1B in revenue. Says investing in online experience to improve consumer experience. Comments taken from the Q2 earnings conference call.

10:11 EDT Microsoft acquires Cycle Computing to accelerating Big Computing in the cloud - Jason Zander -- Corporate VP, Microsoft Azure -- announced in a blog post that Microsoft has acquired Cycle Computing, a leader in cloud computing orchestration, to help make it easier than ever for customers to use High-Performance Computing and other Big Computing capabilities in the cloud. The cloud is quickly changing the world of Big Compute, giving customers the on-demand power and infrastructure necessary to run massive workloads at scale without the overhead. Your compute power is no longer measured or limited by the square footage of your data center... I'm excited to welcome the Cycle Computing team to Microsoft, and look forward to seeing the impact their technology and talent will have on Azure and the customer experience." Reference Link

09:51 EDT Home Depot says 'quite pleased' with August sales

09:45 EDT Home Depot says sees lower expense growth factor in 2H17

09:31 EDT Home Depot says Pro sales grew twice as fast as DIY in Q2

09:29 EDT Coach sees pressure on gross margin in Q1, sees FY18 rate lower

09:25 EDT Home Depot says sees housing favorability continuing

09:21 EDT Home Depot says increasing FY17 share repurchase view to $7B from $5B

09:19 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: TJX Companies (TJX), up just under 1%... VBI Vaccines (VBIV), up 7.6% after announcing FDA accepted the company's Investigational New Drug Application for VBI-1901. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Advance Auto Parts (AAP), down 15.2%... Dicks Sporting Goods (DKS), down 17.7%... Coach (COH), down 8.1%... Home Depot (HD), down marginally. ALSO LOWER: Farmland Partners (FPI), down 1.1% after being downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird... Deere (DE), down 1.6% after being downgraded to Neutral ahead of earnings at BofA/Merrill.

09:18 EDT Tyler Technologies to provide land management system to New Hanover County, NC - Tyler Technologies signed an agreement with New Hanover County, North Carolina, for Tyler's EnerGov solution. This comprehensive land management system will be used by multiple departments and agencies to encourage collaboration while tracking land development projects from planning to completion. The county was looking to streamline its processes and improve transparency for its staff and customers, which required a single centralized system. New Hanover was familiar with Tyler, having already used its Munis enterprise resource planning solution, iasWorld appraisal and tax administration solution, and CLT Appraisal Services for the county's 2017 reappraisal. By using EnerGov, multiple departments and agencies can track land development projects, thereby greatly improving the customer experience through more defined processes.

09:17 EDT Carl Icahn raises Herc Holdings stake to 15.86% from 15.48% - Icahn may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of 4,494,789 shares. He purchased more shares on August 10 and 11 according to today's filing with the SEC.

09:09 EDT Home Depot says seeing 'positive signs' in housing data - Sees it as a tailwind for business.

09:06 EDT Kulicke & Soffa authorizes $100M share repurchase program - Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced it has fully executed its entire $100M repurchase program, originally announced on August 27, 2014. Kulicke & Soffa has also announced its Board of Directors has authorized an additional $100M repurchase program. The new authorization is effective immediately, may be suspended or discontinued at any time and is expected to be funded using the vompany's available cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Under the program, Kulicke & Soffa may purchase shares of its common stock through open market and privately negotiated transactions at prices deemed appropriate by management. The timing and amount of repurchase transactions under this program will depend on market conditions, availability of US cash as well as other corporate and regulatory considerations. As of July 1, K&S had $565.4M in cash, cash equivalents and short term investments and 71.1M shares outstanding.

09:05 EDT Home Depot says seeing 'broad based growth' across all geographies - Says Pro sales outpaced DIY sales in Q2. Comments from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT Ubiquiti introduces FrontRow camera technology - Ubiquiti Networks announced FrontRow, a new camera technology "enabling the effortless capture and sharing of life's experiences. FrontRow's sleek, 55-gram form-factor was specifically designed to wear conveniently. Unlike traditional cameras and smartphones requiring manual operation, FrontRow can operate fully autonomously - allowing one to capture life's experiences while completely staying in the moment."

09:02 EDT Jones Lang LaSalle signs agreement with Exari to implement DocGen - Exari announced that Jones Lang LaSalle has signed a multi-year agreement with Exari. JLL will implement Exari DocGen to a number of UK-based offices.

09:01 EDT Amazon says Instant Pickup to launch this week - Amazon introduced Instant Pickup, a free service offering Prime and Prime Student members a curated selection of daily essentials available for pickup in two minutes or less at five of Amazon's fully staffed pickup locations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Berkeley, Calif., Columbus, Ohio, and College Park, Md. Items available with Instant Pickup include snacks, drinks and electronics, as well as some of Amazon's most popular devices. "With Instant Pickup, Prime and Prime Student members can use the Amazon App to shop hundreds of need-it-now items like food, cold drinks, personal care items, technology essentials and Amazon devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, Fire TV and a selection of Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers. Prime members can browse the selection, place an order, even add last-minute items to an online order and pick it up from a self-service locker - all within two minutes or less. Instant Pickup is available at five select pickup locations beginning today and will be available at more locations in the coming months. Amazon operates a total of 22 staffed pickup locations on or near college campuses across the country. All Amazon customers can ship their orders to a pickup location, and Prime members receive Free Same-Day and One-Day delivery on millions of items. Plus, returns are always free."

08:48 EDT Brocade says board approves workforce reduction program - In a regulatory filing, Brocade said that on August 11, its board approved a workforce reduction plan intended to facilitate the exit of personnel resources deemed non-essential to the business of the company due primarily to (i) the divestiture of certain software product lines in the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2017 and (ii) an internal realignment of sales resources. The workforce reduction plan impacts approximately 230 notified employees in the United States who are expected to exit the Company during the company's fourth fiscal quarter of 2017. The company expects to incur aggregate charges of approximately $23M-$26M in its fourth fiscal quarter of 2017 for severance and other employee termination costs associated with the workforce reduction plan. All of these charges are expected to result in cash expenditures. The company's headcount as of August 11, excluding the notified employees and employees associated with the fiscal fourth quarter software divestitures, was approximately 4,600.

08:46 EDT Coach says to reduce 'surprise sales' at Kate Spade, review store fleet - Says still has room to grow Coach brand, particularly in Europe and China. Says "excited" about work with Selena Gomez. Says expects to drive double digit growth in Stuart Weitzman. Sees new store concept for Stuart Weitzman later this year. Commenting on Kate Spade, Coach says it has "a lot of work ahead" to integrate teams, processes. Says Kate Spade a "strong, unique brand," says brands have "very little overlap." Says taking several steps to position Kate Spade brand in FY18, including reduction of "surprise sales" and store fleet review. Comments taken from the Q4 earnings conference call. Coach is down 9.2% in premarket trading.

08:37 EDT Equus II reports Q2 NAV $42.1M, up $700,000 since March 31 - Equus Total Return reports net assets as of June 30, 2017, of $42.1M, an increase of approximately $700,000 since March 31. Net asset value per share increased to $3.12 as of June 30 from $3.06 as of March 31.

08:36 EDT Helios and Matheson to acquire majority stake in MoviePass - Helios and Matheson Analytics announced that is has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake of movie subscription technology company MoviePass. MoviePass is available in over 91% of all theaters in the U.S. The MoviePass app enables subscribers to see unlimited movies, in theaters with no blackout dates; no contracts; just a low flat $9.95 monthly fee. MoviePass will continue its operations with existing leadership and continue to expand throughout the U.S. MoviePass has agreed, following the closing of this transaction, to apply for listing and seek to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market or the New York Stock Exchange by March 31, 2018, at which point HMNY would remain the majority shareholder of MoviePass. HMNY will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the MoviePass transaction and a financing transaction with an institutional investor occurring simultaneously. The closing of the MoviePass transaction is conditioned upon HMNY consummating an equity or equity-linked financing transaction with aggregate gross proceeds of at least $10M among other material conditions to be described in the Current Report. HMNY's two largest stockholders, collectively holding approximately 49% of HMNY's outstanding shares of common stock, have agreed to vote in favor of the MoviePass transaction and concurrent financing transaction, as will be described in the Current Report, for purposes of compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635.

08:32 EDT Azul and JetBlue sign unilateral codeshare agreement - Azul announced its new partnership with JetBlue Airways through a unilateral codeshare agreement. Azul will place its "AD" code on JetBlue flights between several destinations and JetBlue's focus cities in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Orlando. From both Florida gateways Azul operates nonstop service to the airline's hub at Sao Paulo, Brazil's Viracopos International Airport and Recife. Customers purchasing a codeshare itinerary will benefit from having a single ticket issued by Azul that includes flights operated by both Azul and JetBlue and the customer friendly convenience of thru check-in and baggage transfer.

08:17 EDT Amazon.com announces private offering of senior unsecured notes - Amazon.com (AMZN) announced that it is offering to sell senior unsecured notes in a private offering. The company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund all or a portion of the consideration for its acquisition of Whole Foods Market (WFM) and for general corporate purposes.

08:08 EDT Xenetic provides update on PolyXen platform technology - In May 2017, Xenetic (XBIO) along with its strategic collaborator, Shire (SHPG), announced data from Shire's Phase 1/2 program of SHP656, its PSA-Recombinant Factor VIII, which was being developed as a long-acting therapeutic for the treatment of hemophilia A, utilizing Xenetic's PolyXen platform technology to conjugate polysialic acid to therapeutic blood-clotting factors. Despite not achieving the principal objective of once-weekly dosing in this Phase 1/2 study, the Company's PolyXen technology demonstrated that it works as a platform to successfully extend the circulating half-life of rFVIII with no drug-related serious adverse events reported to date. Including the company's own studies with a polysialylated erythropoietin candidate, this is the second instance in which PolyXen platform technology has been demonstrated, in a human clinical trial setting, to confer extended half-life to a biotherapeutic, while maintaining pharmacological activity and a favorable safety and tolerability profile. Moving forward, Xenetic believes data from Shire's SHP656 program, although discontinued, continues to support the broad utility of its proprietary PolyXen technology platform, and expects the growing body of data from this platform will enable the company to build a pipeline of partnerships utilizing this proven technology. Expected Next Steps: Pursue business development activities to identify target molecules to explore partnerships utilizing PolyXen delivery platform; and Explore other potential applications of the PolyXen platform technology within the Shire portfolio.

08:07 EDT Jounce Therapeutics appoints Hugh Cole as Chief Business Officer - Jounce Therapeutics announced that Hugh Cole has been appointed as Chief Business Officer and head of corporate development. He brings over 25 years of experience in biotech across business development, corporate strategy, R&D portfolio, program, and alliance management, commercial planning and execution, and overall corporate leadership. Most recently he served as chief business officer for ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, where in under three years, he led nine business development transactions for the company and helped develop and implement ARIAD's new corporate strategy.

08:04 EDT DigitalGlobe signs four-year DAP contract with Australian Department of Defence - DigitalGlobe announced that it signed a Direct Access Program contract with the Australian Department of Defence. This multi-year agreement will allow the Australian government to access DigitalGlobe's industry-leading commercial satellite imaging constellation to support defense and intelligence missions. The contract is expected to deliver $83M in incremental revenue to DigitalGlobe over four years, beginning in January 2018. As a DAP partner, the Australian Department of Defence will be able to directly task and download imagery in real-time to its ground station from all five DigitalGlobe satellites-including WorldView-4, launched in November 2016, and WorldView-3, launched in August 2014, which are the world's two highest-resolution commercial satellites. The addition of Australia-a key ally of the U.S. and member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance-expands the global footprint of DigitalGlobe's DAP program and reflects the Australian government's commitment to increase the use of commercial satellite imagery for its critical national defense and intelligence missions.

08:03 EDT Centene's subsidiary awarded Medicaid Managed Care Program - Centene announced that its Illinois subsidiary, IlliniCare Health, has been awarded the Medicaid Managed Care Program including children who are in need through the Department of Children and Family Services, or DCFS,/Youth in Care contract by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS. Contingent upon successful contract negotiations, the new four-year agreement, with the option to renew the contract for up to an additional four years, is expected to commence on January 1, 2018.

08:02 EDT GoDaddy launches SmartLine - GoDaddy is launching SmartLine. SmartLine is an easy-to-use app that gives small business owners a dedicated business phone number with the features of a professional phone system, all accessible in their existing smartphone. SmartLine allows users to separate their personal and professional calls, yet only carry one phone.

08:02 EDT FDA amends regulations for use of Sonova GLS safflower oil in dog food - Arcadia Biosciences announced that the U.S. Federal Register has published the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Arcadia's food additive petition that its SONOVA GLA safflower oil is safe and nutritious for use in dog diets. This approval allows Arcadia to launch sales of its SONOVA GLA safflower oil to pet nutrition companies as a rich source of omega-6 fatty acids in their dog food formulations. Arcadia's SONOVA gamma linolenic acid safflower oil is a highly-concentrated source of omega-6 fatty acids GLA and linoleic acid and has been used in human nutritional supplements since its approval by the FDA in 2009. Publication in the Federal Register completes the issuance of a new food regulation: "Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, part 573 - Food Additives Permitted in Feed and Drinking Water of Animals - be amended to provide for the safe use of gamma-linolenic acid safflower oil as a source of omega-6 fatty acids in dry food for adult dogs." FDA concluded that it had completed its review and found that "the data adequately support the safety and functionality of GLA safflower oil as a source of omega-6 fatty acids in dry food for adult dogs."

07:42 EDT Dick's Sporting down 16% to $29.25 after mixed Q2 results, weak guidance

07:38 EDT Lumos Networks joins Wireless Infrastructure Association - Lumos Networks announced that the company has joined the Wireless Infrastructure Association. "Given the substantial progress that Lumos Networks has made transforming into a fiber bandwidth provider, we believe that WIA is well suited to represent our interests within the communications infrastructure ecosystem," said Timothy G. Biltz, President and CEO of Lumos Networks. "We agree wholeheartedly with the view of WIA that the availability of dense, redundant and secure fiber networks will play an increasingly critical role for both carriers and enterprises as networks evolve to 5G."

07:37 EDT Dick's Sporting reports Q2 eCommerce sales up approximately 19% - eCommerce sales for the second quarter of 2017 increased approximately 19%. eCommerce penetration for the second quarter of 2017 was 9.2% of total net sales, compared to 8.5% during the second quarter of 2016. In the second quarter, the Company opened 13 new DICK'S Sporting Goods stores. The Company also closed one specialty concept store. As of July 29, 2017, the Company operated 704 DICK'S Sporting Goods stores in 47 states, with approximately 37.4 million square feet, 98 Golf Galaxy stores in 32 states, with approximately 2.1 million square feet, and 29 Field & Stream stores in 14 states, with approximately 1.4 million square feet.

07:35 EDT Dick's Sporting sees FY17 CapEx approximately $400M on a net basis - Sees FY17 CapEx approximately $515M on a gross basis.

07:31 EDT Alliance Data reports July net charge offs 6.0% vs. 4.8% last month - Reports July delinquency rate 5.17% vs. 5.05% last month.

07:09 EDT Group 1 Automotive acquires Audi dealership in Texas - Group 1 Automotive announced that it has acquired the exclusive Audi dealership in Fort Worth, Texas, which is expected to generate $55M in estimated annual revenues. The Company owns and operates 13 Audi dealerships across Florida, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Texas, and the United Kingdom.

07:04 EDT Sierra Oncology establishes DDR Advisory Committee - Sierra Oncology announced it has established a DDR Advisory Committee composed of leading experts in this emerging field of cancer drug development. The DDR Advisory Committee will advise Sierra's management as it advances its DDR oriented development programs and seeks to maximize the potential clinical and commercial deployment of its drug candidates.

07:03 EDT Brown & Brown announces $50M share repurchase program - Brown & Brown announced that it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase program, or ASR, with JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, for up to $50M of the company's common stock. The ASR is part of the company's board-approved $400M share repurchase authorization announced on July 20, 2015.

07:02 EDT NeuroMetrix announces issuance of patent for Quell therapy - NeuroMetrix announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 9,731,126. The patent covers novel technology whereby the Quell device automatically modulates therapeutic neurostimulation based on the user's sleep characteristics. In addition, the patent includes claims related to providing device users with feedback about their sleep. Quell is uniquely positioned to address the impact of chronic pain on sleep. It is the only transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator cleared by the FDA for use during sleep that is available over the counter. Quell also measures and tracks sleep data to help users understand the amount and quality of their sleep. These measurements are available via the Quell smartphone app and Quell Health Cloud.

07:02 EDT Applied Genetic, FFB announce partnership agreement - Applied Genetics and the Foundation Fighting Blindness, or FFB, announced a partnership agreement to support the organizations' shared mission to advance gene therapy research to treat inherited retinal diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, AGTC will provide grant funding to support the Foundation's My Retina Tracker registry as well as a genetic testing study designed to identify barriers that are preventing greater patient participation in genetic testing. With AGTC's support, additional registry participants who have been diagnosed with X-linked retinoschisis, or XLRS, X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, or XLRP, or achromatopsia will have the opportunity to receive a genetic test to support their diagnosis and determine their potential eligibility for one of the AGTC sponsored gene therapy clinical trials.

07:00 EDT Coach reports Q4 North America Coach brand SSS up approx. 4% - On a 13-week versus 13-week basis, total North American Coach brand sales increased 4% over prior year, while North American direct sales rose 5% on a dollar basis and 6% on a constant currency basis for the quarter. Both North American aggregate and bricks and mortar comparable store sales rose approximately 4%. As planned, sales at North American department stores declined approximately 40% at a POS and approximately 20% on a net sales basis as the company has now started to anniversary the pullback in shipments into the channel.

06:49 EDT Coach reports North America SSS up mid-single digits for Coach brand - Victor Luis, CEO of Coach said, "Our strong fourth quarter results - in which we achieved mid-single-digit North America comparable store sales for the Coach brand and drove solid growth at Stuart Weitzman - capped an excellent FY17 performance for the company. For the year, we posted a double-digit increase in net income as we continued to make progress on our brand and company transformation plan. We generated positive Coach brand North American comps in each quarter, while driving solid international Coach brand sales gains, notably in Europe and Mainland China. Importantly, the Coach brand evolved across the key consumer pillars of product, stores and marketing, with strategic actions including a broader 1941 collection, dual gender runway shows, the execution of a differentiated store concept and new collaborations and campaigns further elevating brand perception."

06:39 EDT Epizyme announces CFO transition plan - Epizyme announced a leadership transition plan for its finance organization. Andrew E. Singer, executive vice president, finance and administration and CFO of Epizyme, will be leaving the Company at the end of August to pursue other business opportunities. As part of this transition, Susan Graf, Chief Business Officer of Epizyme, will assume responsibility for the finance organization going forward, including Epizyme's financial reporting and analysis group. In addition, the Company plans to appoint a senior vice president of finance who will report to Graf beginning in September, and has also secured the professional finance consulting services of Danforth Advisors during this transition.

06:37 EDT Advance Auto Parts CEO sees 'industry headwinds' continuing in 2H17 - "We delivered sales growth and continued to close the comp sales performance gap versus the industry in Q2 while more than doubling year to date Free Cash Flow. Our revised guidance for the year incorporates the impact of industry headwinds in the first half, which we expect to continue in the second half of the year and we are taking the appropriate actions to adapt to this environment. We've now assembled a world class leadership team that is executing our transformation plan to significantly drive growth and long term shareholder value," said Tom Greco, President and CEO.

06:33 EDT Advance Auto Parts expects to continue reducing inventory levels - The company expects to continue reducing inventory levels to improve cash flow, and therefore will experience the associated non-cash accounting gross margin headwinds. Excluding the non-cash impact of the year over year inventory reduction which is estimated to be 75 basis points, the year over year reduction on Adjusted Operating income rate is expected be 125 basis points to 225 basis points.

06:32 EDT Advance Auto Parts sees FY17 SSS (3%)-(1%) - For FY17: Sees 60-65 new stores; CapEx approximately $250M; Free cash flow at least $300M; tax rate 37.5%-38%.

06:30 EDT Advance Auto Parts reports Q2 adjusted EPS $1.58, consensus $1.67 - Reports Q2 revenue $2.26B, consensus $2.26B.

06:15 EDT Synchrony reports July net charge off rate 4.73% vs. 4.59% last month - Reports July 30-plus days delinquency rate 2.90% vs. 2.86% last month.

06:10 EDT Capital One reports July net charge-offs 4.79% vs. 4.76% last month - Reports July 30-plus day performing delinquencies 3.81% vs. 3.63%.

06:06 EDT Home Depot up 1.7% after reporting Q2 results, raising FY17 guidance

05:48 EDT Transocean agrees to acquire Songa Offshore in deal valued around $3.4B - Transocean has reached an agreement with Songa Offshore SE whereby it will, subject to certain conditions, make a Voluntary Exchange Offer to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Songa Offshore, including shares issued before expiry of the offer period as a result of the exercise of warrants, convertible loans and other subscription rights. The consideration in the Offer will be based upon NOK 47.50 per share of Songa Offshore, representing a 37.0% premium to Songa Offshore's five-day average closing price of NOK 34.68 per share. The consideration implies an equity value of Songa Offshore on a fully diluted basis of approximately $1.2B, and an enterprise value of approximately $3.4B. The transaction strengthens Transocean's industry-leading position with the addition of Songa Offshore's four "Cat-D" harsh environment, semisubmersible drilling rigs on long-term contracts with Statoil in Norway. Songa Offshore's fleet also includes three additional semisubmersible drilling rigs. The transaction is expected to be accretive on an EBITDA, Operating Cash Flow, and Net Debt / EBITDA basis, and the company anticipates annual expense synergies of approximately $40M. The combined company will operate a fleet of 51 mobile offshore drilling units with backlog of $14.3B consisting of 30 ultra-deepwater floaters, 11 harsh environment floaters, three deepwater floaters and seven midwater floaters. Additionally, Transocean has four ultra-deepwater drillships under construction, including two contracted with Shell for ten years each. Consistent with Transocean's strategy of recycling older less capable rigs, Transocean anticipates re-ranking the combined fleet, which may result in additional rigs being recycled. Jeremy Thigpen, President and CEO of Transocean said: "Songa Offshore is an excellent strategic fit for Transocean. With this combination, we add four new state-of-the-art Cat-D semisubmersible rigs to our existing fleet, further enhancing our position in the harsh environment market. We also demonstrate our continued commitment to the Norwegian market and strengthen our technical and operational presence in that region. Importantly, we add approximately $4.1B in contract backlog to our already industry-leading backlog of $10.2B, which provides us with even more visibility to future cash flows in this challenging market." The transaction is recommended by Songa Offshore's board of directors and certain members of the senior management team, in addition to Songa Offshore shareholders Perestroika AS, funds beneficially owned by Asia Research & Capital Management Ltd., and York Capital Management Global Advisors, LLC, which collectively beneficially own 76.6% of Songa Offshore's outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis and have all executed irrevocable pre-acceptance agreements pursuant to which they will agree to accept the Offer. These pre-acceptances cannot be withdrawn as a result of a superior offer from a third party. The remaining Songa Offshore shareholders have the option to accept the consideration as described below in Additional Transaction Elements. The transaction has a value of approximately $3.4B, including premium. No changes to Transocean's executive management team or corporate structure are anticipated as a result of the combination. The company will remain headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with significant operating presence in Houston, Texas, Aberdeen, Scotland and Stavanger, Norway. The combined company's board of directors following the completion of the acquisition will include Frederik Wilhelm Mohn, chairman of the board of Songa Offshore and owner of Perestroika AS, Songa Offshore's largest shareholder. As part of the transaction, Transocean intends to establish a harsh environment center of excellence in Norway to the extent practical and commercially viable, which could support other harsh environment markets. Upon Transocean acquiring at least 90% of the shares in Songa Offshore on a fully diluted basis through the Offer, it intends to make a compulsory acquisition of the remaining shares and to propose at a general shareholders meeting of Songa Offshore that an application be filed with the Oslo Stock Exchange to de-list the Songa Offshore shares. Transocean expects to close the transactions contemplated by the Offer during Q4.

05:29 EDT PS Business Parks announces resignation of CFO Edward Stokx - PS Business Parks announced that Edward Stokx, Executive Vice President, CFO and Secretary of the company, resigned from his position with the company effective August 31. Until the company appoints a successor to Stokx, Maria Hawthorne, the company's President and CEO, will act as the company's principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The company has the internal resources to assist Hawthorne with overseeing the company's financial and accounting affairs during this period.