Stockwinners Market Radar for August 16, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:22 EDT Actuant agrees to divest Viking SeaTech, acquire Mirage Machines - Actuant Corporation announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell its Viking SeaTech business to Acteon Group Limited, a global subsea services business, for approximately $12M. Actuant has also signed a definitive agreement to purchase Mirage, a $12M revenue provider of industrial and energy maintenance tools, from Acteon for approximately $16M, plus potential future performance based consideration. The two transactions will close simultaneously, and are subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The Viking business generated approximately $20M in revenue during the past twelve months. In conjunction with the sale, Actuant expects to record after tax charges in the range of $110M-$125M, including a cash charge of approximately $28M from unwinding certain rental fleet operating leases, including those resulting from the mid-2014 sale and leaseback transaction. The remaining charges largely consist of non-cash items including the write down of Viking assets to their net realizable value and the recognition in earnings of the cumulative effect of foreign currency rate changes since acquisition. These charges will be incurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 and early in fiscal 2018, upon closing. "We are pleased to have reached this mutually beneficial agreement with Acteon. On a pro-forma basis, Actuant's trailing twelve month adjusted earnings per share would have been approximately 15c-16c higher, taking into account Viking's performance in a very challenging upstream market and the accretion associated with Mirage. We believe these proactive portfolio management actions will improve overall shareholder value."

18:37 EDT Silver Run merging with Alta Mesa and Kingfisher Midstream into $3.8B company - Silver Run Acquisition has entered into definitive agreements to combine with Alta Mesa Holdings and Kingfisher Midstream. Alta Mesa is an independent exploration and production company with assets located in the STACK play in Oklahoma. Kingfisher is a company engaged in the gathering, processing, and marketing of hydrocarbons in the STACK play. Founded in 1987 and based in Houston, Texas, Alta Mesa is a pure-play exploration and production company focused on the STACK play in the Anadarko Basin. Kingfisher Midstream is a private midstream company with a leading position in the STACK play, with Alta Mesa serving as its anchor producer. At consummation of the transaction, Silver Run II is expected to be renamed Alta Mesa Resources and trade on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "AMR". James T. Hackett, Chairman and CEO of Silver Run II, will serve as Executive Chairman following the consummation of the business combination, while Harlan H. Chappelle, Michael E. Ellis, and Michael A. McCabe will continue as CEO, COO and CFO of Alta Mesa Resources, respectively. Alta Mesa Resources will have an aggregate market capitalization of approximately $3.8B. At $10.00 per share, the combined company would represent a valuation of 7.1x FV/2018E EBITDA. Riverstone and Alta Mesa management will collectively own a significant portion of the combined company, representing approximately 34% of the pro-forma market capitalization. The transaction is subject to the approval of Silver Run II stockholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in Q4.

18:03 EDT Great Lakes Dredge CEO acquires 42,610 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Great Lakes Dredge CEO Lasse Petterson disclosed the acquisition of 42,610 common shares of the company in four tranches priced in a range of $3.875-$3.95 per share.

17:59 EDT NetApp says expects typical seasonal revenue patterns in FY18

17:51 EDT NetApp says expects typical seasonal seasonal revenue patterns in FY18

17:49 EDT Bellatrix Exploration regains NYSE minimum price compliance - Bellatrix Exploration received notification from the NYSE that the company has regained compliance with the NYSE's continued listing standard regarding the price of its common shares because the average closing price of a Bellatrix common share has exceeded $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days following implementation of the 5-for-1 share consolidation on July 6.

17:35 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - HIGHER: Blucora (BCOR), up 7% after director Elizabeth Huebner told the board she will retire effective August 10... Black Box (BBOX), up 2.7% after director John Heller disclosed the acquisition of 10,000 common shares of the company. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: L Brands (LB), down 5.8%... Vipshop (VIPS), down 5.4%... Briggs & Stratton (BGG), down 2.5%... Synopsys (SNPS), down 2%... Cisco Systems (CSCO), down 1.8%... NetApp (NTAP), down 1.3%... SpartanNash (SPTN), down 0.8%. ALSO LOWER: Lakeland Industries (LAKE), down 10.5% after it filed to sell common stock... GAIN Capital (GCAP), down 4.1% after it filed to sell $80M of convertible senior notes due 2022... Financial Engines (FNGN), down 3.9% after it announced an offering of 4.11M shares of common stock for holders... Acadia Healthcare (ACHC), down 2.3% after it announced an offering of 2.83M shares of common stock for holders.

17:20 EDT General Dynamics awarded $115.3m government contract modification - General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded an $115,310,691 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract for additional lead-yard services, development studies and design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines. This modification provides lead-yard services for Virginia-class submarines that will maintain, update and support the Virginia-class design and related drawings and data for each Virginia-class submarine, including technology insertion throughout its construction and post-shakedown availability period. Work is expected to be completed by October 2017. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

17:16 EDT National Commerce, FirstAtlantic Financial sign definitive merger agreement - National Commerce Corporation, the parent company of National Bank of Commerce, and FirstAtlantic Financial Holdings, the parent company of FirstAtlantic Bank, jointly announced the signing of a definitive agreement providing for the merger of FirstAtlantic with and into NCC. Subsequent to the merger, FirstAtlantic Bank will become a part of NBC, but will continue to operate under the "FirstAtlantic Bank" trade name and its existing management team. The transaction is expected to result in a combined institution with approximately $3.1B in assets.Under the terms of the definitive agreement, each share of common stock of FirstAtlantic issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be converted into the right to receive either 0.44 shares of NCC common stock or $17.25 in cash. However, the total amount of cash payable in the merger will be equal to, as nearly as practicable, $11,148,555, subject to NCC's right to increase the cash component of the merger consideration up to $14,857,305 if cash elections from FirstAtlantic shareholders exceed the initial cash amount. Accordingly, elections by FirstAtlantic shareholders to receive a particular form of consideration, whether cash or NCC common stock, will be prorated as necessary to cause the total amount of cash payable by NCC in the merger to equal, as nearly as practicable, the cash amount described above. Each outstanding option to purchase shares of FirstAtlantic common stock will be cancelled in return for a cash payment equal to the difference between $17.25 and the option exercise price, while outstanding warrants to purchase shares of FirstAtlantic common stock will represent a right to purchase shares of NCC common stock, with the exercise price and number of shares underlying the warrants adjusted according to the exchange ratio described above.

17:13 EDT Westlake Chemical CFO Mark Bender sells 13,794 shares of company stock - Mark Bender, Westlake Chemical CFO, disclosed in a filing late Wednesday, that he had sold 13,794 shares of company stock on August 15, for an average price of $70.22 per share. The total transaction value was $968,620.

17:07 EDT Blucora director retires from board effective August 10 - Elizabeth J. Huebner, who has served as a director of Blucora since 2009, informed the board of the company that she is retiring from the board effective as of August 10. Huebner served as the Chair of the Audit Committee, and following her retirement, Georganne Proctor was appointed by the board to serve as the Chair of the Audit Committee. In addition, in order to maintain compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605, which requires that the company's Audit Committee consist of at least three independent directors, the board appointed Mr. William Atwell as a member of the Audit Committee effective as of Ms. Huebner's retirement. The decision to retire from the Board was not a result of any disagreement with the company. Following Ms. Huebner's retirement, the Board reduced the size of the Board to eight directors.

17:02 EDT Westlake Chemical CFO Mark Bender sells 13,794 shares of company stock - Mark Bender, Westlake Chemical CFO, disclosed in a filing late Wednesday, that he had sold 13,794 shares of company stock, for an average price of $70.22 per share. The total transaction value was $968,620.

16:55 EDT Integrated Core Strategies reports 5.1% passive stake in QEP Resources

16:48 EDT L Brands sees FY17 SSS down low to mid-single digits - Sees FY17 SSS excluding Victoria's Secret swim and apparel about flat. Cuts FY17 free cash flow view to $650M-$700M from $750M-$850M.

16:40 EDT LGL Group announces terms for rights offering - The LGL Group announced that the company has set the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 5 as the record date for its previously announced rights offering of common stock. The company also set the purchase price for the Common Stock offered pursuant to the rights offering at $5.50 per share.

16:31 EDT Cisco says FY17 year-end product backlog approximately $4.8B - Cisco reported that product backlog was approximately $4.8B at the end of fiscal 2017, an increase of 3% compared with the balance at the end of fiscal 2016.

16:27 EDT Turning Point Brands: Standard General remains largest owner - Turning Point Brands has issued a statement to provide background regarding a transaction by Standard General, L.P. related to Standard General's continuing beneficial ownership of Turning Point Brands common stock. "Some media reports have not been complete in their reporting regarding that transaction," Turning Point said. "Standard General remains the largest beneficial owner of TPB common stock. On November 25, 2016, Standard General entered into a contribution and exchange agreement to transfer its direct ownership of shares of Turning Point Brands common stock to a related company, Standard Diversified Opportunities Inc. That exchange transaction closed on June 1, 2017, with the result that Standard General now owns approximately 87.4% of SDOI common stock. Through its control of SDOI, Standard General retains its beneficial ownership of TPB common stock. As of June 30, 2017, SDOI holds approximately 51.7% of TPB common stock outstanding. SDOI is a holding company that owns and operates subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including OTP, outdoor advertising, and insurance."

16:23 EDT U.S. Silica acquires Mississippi Sand for $95.4M - U.S. Silica has acquired Mississippi Sand, a low-cost frac sand mining and logistics company based in St. Louis, Mo. for $95.4M in cash. The plant, located in Festus, Mo., is capable of producing 1.2 million tons annually of mostly fine grade sand. Mississippi Sand controls over 30 million tons of high-quality frac sand reserves on 650 acres through a long-term lease agreement. The facility is located 40 miles southeast of U.S. Silica's Pacific, Mo. mine and plant. Mississippi Sand's distribution network is composed of five barge terminals and three rail terminals, two of which are unit train-capable, with a combined annual throughput of 2.2 million tons. The terminals serve many basins, including the Mid-Continent, Marcellus/Utica, Eagle Ford, Fayetteville, Haynesville, Permian and the DJ basins. U.S. Silica will use cash on hand to fund the acquisition. The transaction is expected to be accretive to the company's EPS in Q3. The acquisition also includes an approximately one million ton-per-year dry plant located near Seagraves, TX. The plant is currently idled but could be utilized in the future as part of U.S. Silica's in-basin strategy in the Permian.

16:21 EDT Global Eagle says its inflight Wi-Fi system is now linefit for Boeing 737 MAX - Media, content, connectivity and data analytics provider Global Eagle Entertainment (ENT) is now offering its Global Eagle's Airconnect 3.0 inflight Wi-Fi system for factory installation on the Boeing (BA) 737 MAX family of airplanes.The equipment is the first catalog-offerable linefit connectivity system available for installation during assembly of the 737 MAX."Being the first Wi-Fi connectivity solution to be linefit on the 737 MAX benefits airlines and passengers," said Per Noren, Global Eagle Senior Vice President, Aviation. "Not only does it provide substantial time- and cost-saving benefits to airlines, it also allows them to quickly offer passengers the most complete travel experience with the latest technology." Several Boeing 737 MAX customers will be among the first to receive Global Eagle's technology installed on their aircraft during the fall of 2017. Global Eagle also is in discussions with Boeing to offer linefit

16:18 EDT Rand Logistics gets code certification on eight Canadian vessels - Rand Logistics announced today the company has received five-year International Safety Management Code certifications on eight of its Canadian vessels by the American Bureau of Shipping, the Company's third-party surveyors. "Certification of our vessels to the ISM Code is a direct reflection of our commitment to our core values of safety, health, security and protection of the environment in which we operate. The teamwork and effort put forth by our shipboard and shoreside employees to achieve these certifications were admirable and correlate to the pride our employees have in operating in the Great Lakes region," stated Gerald Ray, Vice President of Operations for Lower Lakes Towing, Ltd., the Company's Canadian operations. "Each and every employee should be proud of these certifications, which align with our operational and safety excellence initiatives." The first vessel in the Canadian fleet achieved ISM compliance in November 2016 and the eighth vessel obtained certification the week of July 17, 2017. It is expected that the ninth Canadian vessel will be certified after completion of its ISM audit in November, after returning to service to support the grain harvest. The International Safety Management Code is an international standard for the safe operation of ships and for pollution prevention. The ISM Code, to which participation is voluntary, establishes safety-management objectives and requires a safety management system to be established by the Company.

16:16 EDT Sterling Bancorp, Astoria Financial get OCC merger approval - Sterling Bancorp (STL), the holding company for Sterling National Bank and Astoria Financial (AF), the holding company for Astoria Bank, announced that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has approved the merger of Astoria with and into Sterling. The transaction, which was announced March 7, and approved by the shareholders of Astoria Financial Corporation and Sterling Bancorp on June 13, remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including the approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Assuming such conditions are satisfied, Sterling Bancorp and Astoria Financial Corporation expect to complete the Merger early in the fourth calendar quarter of 2017.

16:09 EDT ICF International awarded $21M emergency preparedness contract from FEMA - The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, recently awarded ICF a contract valued up to $20.8M to support education and preparedness programs to protect communities living in proximity to the nation's nuclear power plants. The Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program contract, which was awarded in the second quarter, has a term of five years including one base and four option years. ICF has supported the REP Program since 2000, the first year the contract opened to the private sector. Since that time, the company has served as a trusted partner, helping FEMA and its state, local and industry partners by providing program management, policy analysis, training and exercise evaluations designed to protect the public health and safety of citizens living near the estimated 60 commercial nuclear power plants nationwide.

16:08 EDT SpartanNash names Mark Shamber CFO - SpartanNash (SPTN) announced that the company has appointed Mark Shamber as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective September 11, 2017. Shamber previously served as Chief Financial Officer for United Natural Foods (UNFI).

16:02 EDT Analog Devices names Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah CFO - Analog Devices (ADI) announced that Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah will join the company on September 28, 2017 as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Reporting to CEO Vincent Roche, Mahendra-Rajah will oversee ADI's global finance organization, with responsibility for financial management, reporting, controls, planning, and strategy. Mahendra-Rajah currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of WABCO Holdings (WBC).

15:31 EDT AK Steel to raise carbon flat-rolled steel products price by minimum of $30/ton - AK Steel said that it will increase current spot market base prices for all carbon flat-rolled steel products by a minimum of $30 per ton, effective immediately with new orders.

15:04 EDT Community Bank System boosts quarterly dividend to 34c from 32c - Community Bank System announced that its board declared a quarterly cash dividend of 34c per share on its' common stock. The dividend will be payable on October 10, to shareholders of record as of September 15. The 2c increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend over the same quarter of last year, or 6.3% higher, represents an annualized yield of 2.55% based on the company's closing price of $53.25 on August 15, it stated.

14:22 EDT Dana CEO 'deeply concerned and saddened' by Charlottesville events - Dana President and CEO James Kamsickas issued the following statement: "At Dana, we are deeply concerned and saddened by the horrific events that occurred in Charlottesville this past weekend. Racism, bigotry, and violence have no place in our society. As CEO, I will continue to strongly advocate for the important issues of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion. We understand the decision to disband the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative Council. The intent of the council was to be a forum to discuss job creation and economic development in the United States. Dana has a strong record in this area, and we will continue to look for ways to create jobs and participate in the development of the U.S. workforce."

14:16 EDT JPMorgan CEO 'strongly' disagrees with Trump's reaction - JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement, "I strongly disagree with President Trump's reaction to the events that took place in Charlottesville over the past several days...Today, members of the President's Strategic and Policy Forum agreed to disband. The group put out its own statement. But I also wanted you to understand why I personally supported this decision and how strongly I feel about these issues." Reference Link

14:01 EDT GE CEO notified council of decision to step down from council this morning - GE CEO Jeff Immelt says in a statement that the Committee he joined "had the intention to foster policies that promote American manufacturing and growth. However, given the ongoing tone of the discussion, I no longer feel that this Council can accomplish these goals. Therefore, I notified members of the council this morning that I could no longer service ont he President's Committee on American Manufacturing." Reference Link

13:40 EDT Dimon wanted to disband forum after Trump's remarks, Gasparino tweets - Fox Business News' Charlie Gasparino tweeted, "#BreakingNews -- wall street titan & @jpmorgan chief Jamie Dimon was in favor disbanding the biz forum after Trumps Charlottesville remarks." Reference Link

13:34 EDT Strategic & Policy Forum: 'The President and we are disbanding the Forum' - In a statement, the Strategic & Policy Forum commented that "Intolerance, racism and violence have absolutely no place in this country and are an affront to core American values. The President's Strategic and Policy Forum was conceived as a bi-partisan group of business leaders called to serve our country by providing independent feedback and perspectives directly to the Presidnet... We believe the debate over Forum participation has become a distraction from our well-intentioned and sincere desire to aid vital policy discussions on how to improve the lives of everyday Americans. As such, the President and we are disbanding the Forum." Reference Link

13:27 EDT United Technologies CEO Hayes tenders resignation from council - In a statement, United Technologies Chairman and CEO said he has tendered his resignation from the American Manufacturing Council "effective immediately." He said that "as the events of the last week have unfolded here in the U.S., it is clear that we need to collectively stand together and denounce the politics of hate, intolerance and racism. The values that are the cornerstone of our culture: tolerance, diversity, empathy and trust, must be reaffirmed by our actions every day." Reference Link

13:06 EDT Forum CEOs: Yesterday's press conference was 'point of no return,' Coombs tweets - CNBC's Bertha Coombs tweeted that "CEOs say yesterday's press conference was 'tripwire' & point of no return; were hearing from employees, customers & public." Reference Link

12:56 EDT Campbell Soup CEO resigns from President Trump's council - Campbell Soup Company issued a statement on behalf of its CEO Denise Morrison which reads: "Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the President should have been - and still needs to be - unambiguous on that point. Following yesterday's remarks from the President, I cannot remain on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. I will continue to support all efforts to spur economic growth and advocate for the values that have always made America great."

12:53 EDT Arrow Financial names Edward Campanella CFO - Arrow Financial announced Edward J. Campanella will join the company as SVP, Treasurer and CFO for Arrow, and EVP and CFO for the company's lead subsidiary, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, effective September 5. Campanella will be responsible for planning and management of all finance, treasury and accounting functions for Arrow, which reached a record $2.7B in assets at the end of the second quarter. He will be based in Glens Falls and report to Arrow President and CEO Tom Murphy. Campanella is currently serving as CFO of National Union Bank of Kinderhook, brings 19 years of finance and banking experience to Arrow.

12:29 EDT 3M CEO resigns President Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative - 3M CEO Inge Thulin announced in a statement his resignation from President Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. He states, "After careful consideration, I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals...At 3M, we will continue to champion an environment that supports sustainability, diversity and inclusion."

12:17 EDT Josh Browns names Store Capital, Invitation Homes as picks on CNBC

12:06 EDT Pershing Square: Hilton, Airbnb 'compete for different customers' - Cites two reasons Hilton's share price was temporarily depressed: People were worried about lodging cycle, risk of competitive entry by Airbnb. Notes that share price increased after investment, says had about 5% position. Hilton is up about 0.9% to $62.61 at midday.

12:01 EDT Pershing says held Hilton stake, exited position over last 45-60 days

11:54 EDT Pershing: Fannie, Freddie 'treated unfairly by so-called third amendment'

11:45 EDT General Motors announces voluntary delisting from TSX - General Motors announced that it has applied and received approval for a voluntary delisting of its common stock from the Toronto Stock Exchange, or TSX, in Canada. The delisting from the TSX will not affect the company's listing on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE. Trading on the NYSE and alternative platforms accounts for a vast majority of GM's current daily trading volume. Given the relatively low trading volume of its shares on the TSX and the fact that GM's NYSE listing provides its shareholders with sufficient liquidity, the company believes that the costs associated with maintaining a dual listing are no longer justified. Accordingly, effective at the close of markets on Nov. 30, 2017 the company's shares will no longer be traded on the TSX. After delisting from the TSX, the company's common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol GM. Shareholders will be able to continue to trade their shares on other exchanges and those who wish to do so should contact their broker or investment manager for further details.

11:38 EDT Ackman: If ADP gave week extension, there would be no proxy fight

11:30 EDT Prologis acquires partner's interest in Brazil portfolio - Prologis announced the completion of its acquisition of Cyrela Commercial Properties,' CCP, interest in its Brazil portfolio. Prologis now owns 100 percent of Prologis CCP. Prologis CCP was a joint venture between Prologis and Cyrela Commercial Properties. Now that the transaction has closed, Prologis Brazil owns and operates 9.2M square feet of logistics facilities and land that can support 12M square feet of new logistics facilities in Brazil's primary markets of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro.

11:22 EDT Pershing Square: ADP has similar downside risk as Air PRoducts - Pershing Square's Bill Ackman said on the Q2 earnings call that Mondelez (MDLZ) has been hit unfairly by Whole Foods (WFM) sale, and that growth has been hurt by sales in Brazil, Middle East. Ackman also commented that ADP (ADP) has similar downside risk as Air Products (APD), similar upside as CP Rail (CP).

11:19 EDT TELUS acquires Voxpro - TELUS announced the acquisition of Voxpro, a provider of customer experience, technical support and sales operations solutions with locations in the United States, Ireland, Romania, and the Philippines. Now operating as 'Voxpro - powered by TELUS International,' the Ireland headquartered company brings a dynamic track record supporting companies, helping them to evolve and scale into some of today's most renowned global brands. With its dedicated, shared or co-located customer support capabilities, Voxpro provides TELUS International with additional diversity and flexibility in meeting the needs of marketplace disruptors. With locations in Folsom, California and Athens, Georgia, the partnership grows TELUS International's U.S. footprint, providing a more comprehensive onshore offering to existing and prospective customers. In addition, Voxpro's robust European operations will add new service delivery centers in Ireland, while also expanding TELUS International's presence in Bucharest, Romania and Manila, Philippines. Likewise, TELUS International brings a robust global infrastructure with a track record of customer experience innovation for leading global brands, including excellence in omnichannel support, cloud contact center and analytics to further fuel Voxpro's impressive growth and success to date. Approximately 2,700 Voxpro team members, including the Voxpro leadership team, will join the TELUS International family, bringing the combined employee base to almost 28,000 team members across the globe serving customers in over 35 languages.

10:51 EDT Urban Outfitters jumps after reporting earnings, sales beat - Shares of Urban Outfitters (URBN) rose in morning trading after the retailer reported better than expected second quarter earnings per share and sales, though its comparable store sales declined. EARNINGS: After the market close on Tuesday, Urban Outfitters reported Q2 EPS of 44c on revenue of $873M, handily beating analysts' estimates of 37c and $861.78M, respectively. However, comparable retail segment net sales, which include the comparable direct-to-consumer channel, decreased 4.9% for the quarter. By brand, comparable retail segment net sales increased 2.9% at Free People, but decreased 4% at the Anthropologie Group and 7.9% at Urban Outfitters. The company said the decline in was due to negative retail store sales, which was partially offset by continued sales growth in the direct-to-consumer channel. The company also reported an increase of wholesale segment net sales of 10% and a gross margin of 34.1%. "While we are disappointed in our second quarter performance, we have a number of initiatives underway including: speed to customer, international growth, wholesale expansion and digital investments," CEO Richard Hayne said in a statement. "We believe these initiatives combined with encouraging fashion apparel trends could lead to improved topline performance in future quarters." MOST ANALYSTS ENCOURAGED: SunTrust analyst Pamela Quintiliano reiterated a Buy rating on the stock saying the Q2 results and conference call were "encouraging" and the company's comments about the positive momentum of its apparel business "bodes well" for 2H17. Jefferies analyst Randal Konik also kept a Buy rating and upped his price target to $25 from $23 saying he sees long-term opportunity as improved execution, cost savings and plans to invest in higher return areas are expected to drive margin recovery. KeyBanc analyst Edward Yruma kept a $26 price target and an Overweight rating on Urban, saying there are "reasons to believe that Urban Outfitters is finally turning the corner," as the company's "controlled store count, 35%+ e-commerce penetration, and focus on differentiated merchandise" are "attractive," and the company's selling of more products at regular prices could be "an early indicator of a turn." In addition, Baird analyst Mark Altschwager said with its better earnings visibility, lean store base, clean balance sheet, brand-level operational improvements underway, and undemanding valuation metrics, he likes the 12 month risk/reward. Altschwager reiterated his Outperform rating and raised his price target to $22 from $21. GOLDMAN STILL SAYS SELL: Goldman Sachs analyst Lindsay Drucker Mann said Urban Outfitters' Q2 report showed a notable improvement in business relative to its mid-quarter comp update in early June; however, the analyst remains Sell rated given structural pressures impacting specialty retailers and said it's too early to have conviction for sustained positive momentum. Drucker Mann stills sees risk to the downside and said negative sentiment across the group should keep a cap on multiples. The analyst raised Urban's price target to $18 from $16. INDUSTRY PEERS: Mall-based retailers and department stores have been hurt by the increasing popularity of fast-fashion retailers like Zara, Forever 21 and H&M, as well as an increase in online shopping on sites such as Amazon (AMZN). After the company reported weak Q1 results, Urban CEO Hayne commented that sluggish sales are "impacting virtually all U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers. There are simply too many stores and too many malls in North America." Nordstrom (JWN) said in June that members of its founding family formed a group to explore the possibility of pursuing a "going private" transaction, but WWD recently said that the retailer is not in negotiations with "anybody" regarding a potential sale. Macy's (M) last week reported another quarter of declining comps, though its EPS and revenue were above analysts' estimates. While Macy's backed its guidance for FY17, it forecast Q3 comp sales on an owned plus licensed basis down 2.5% "or worse" and fall season comp sales on an owned plus licensed basis to be down 0.8% to down 2.6%. Kohl's also reported earnings last week, with EPS and revenue narrowly beating estimates, though its comp sales declined 0.4% from the year ago period. J.C. Penney (JCP) reported a larger than expected loss for the latest quarter, with its comp sales dropping 1.3%. Earlier in the year, Gap (GPS) said it would take steps to better position the company for improved business performance and that it was identifying opportunities to streamline its operating model to be "more efficient and flexible." Meanwhile, bebe (BEBE) secured deals with landlords in May to shutter all of its stores, allowing it to avoid bankruptcy and continue to sell products online. PRICE ACTION: Urban Outfitters rose 19.5% to $20.10 in morning trading. Shares are down nearly 29% year-to-date.

10:31 EDT Evolving Systems to acquire Lumata; terms not disclosed - Evolving Systems announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the business operations of Lumata Holdings Ltd. The acquisition of Lumata follows Evolving Systems' acquisitions of Sixth Sense Media in 2015, and Business Logic Systems in 2017.

10:28 EDT Neff: H&E Equipment won't submit revised proposal to acquire company - Neff Corporation (NEFF) announced that it has received notice from H&E Equipment Services (HEES) that H&E has determined not to submit a revised proposal to acquire the company in response to a previously announced acquisition proposal from a strategic bidder to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the company for $25.00 per share in cash.. As previously announced on August 13, 2017, the company's Board of Directors had determined the alternative proposal from the strategic bidder constituted a "Superior Proposal" to the pending merger with H&E. Having received notice that H&E does not intend to modify the terms of the existing merger agreement, the company will now move forward with its discussions with the strategic bidder. Under the previously announced agreement with H&E, the company is required to pay a $13.2M termination fee to H&E if the company terminates the existing merger agreement. As announced, the strategic bidder has agreed to pay the termination fee to H&E on the company's behalf in the event that the strategic bidder and the company enter into a definitive merger agreement.

10:09 EDT Apache completes strategic exit from Canada - Apache announced it has completed the previously disclosed sale of its Apache Canada Ltd. subsidiary to Paramount Resources Ltd., which consists of properties located principally in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Apache also completed the previously disclosed sale of its Provost assets in Alberta to an undisclosed privately owned company. Together, with the June 30 sale of its assets at Midale and House Mountain, these transactions constitute a full country exit for the company from Canada.

10:06 EDT Interpace Diagnostics adds to gains after Oxford Health covers ThyraMIR - Earlier on Wednesday, Interpace Diagnostics Group announced that Oxford Health Plans will cover Interpace's ThyraMIR test for indeterminate thyroid nodules effective August 1. Oxford Health Plans, a UnitedHealthcare (UNH) company, offers health care benefits to employers and individuals primarily in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut making it one of the largest health plans in the heavily populated tri-state Region. Oxford's commercial insured products and services include traditional health maintenance organizations, preferred and exclusive provider organizations, point-of-service plans and consumer-driven health plans. In addition, Oxford also offers Medicare plans and third-party administration of employer-funded benefits plans. With the addition of Oxford's members, ThyraMIR is now covered for over 250 million lives nationwide, including through Medicare, National, and Regional health plans. This follows the Company's recent announcement of its National contract with Aetna for its ThyGenX and ThyraMIR products along with the approval by Cigna of ThyGenX. Shares of Interpace Diagnostics are up almost 27%, or 28c to $1.36 per share in early trading

09:45 EDT Spruce Point puts Strong Sell on Dorman, sees 30%-50% downside - Spruce Point Capital tweeted, "Spruce Pt is pleased to release a Strong Sell report on Dorman Products, $DORM 30%-50% downside...$DORM announced $AMZN partnership has driven stock outperformance. SP channel checks indicate big risk of $DORM agitating biggest customers. Sell side expect $DORM to continue growing top-line sales at 7%. Slowing growth of $DORM customers $AZO $ORLY $AAP and lack of innovative product makes this unlikely."

09:40 EDT Abeona Therapeutics expands gene therapy clinical trials - Abeona Therapeutics announced the pivotal expansion of its gene therapy clinical trials for patients with MPS IIIA in the USA, Europe and Australia. The planned expansion will enroll an additional eight to ten MPS IIIA subjects, with total enrollment of fourteen to sixteen subjects to be completed by 1Q2018. Per the design of the clinical trial, subjects will receive a single, intravenous injection of ABO-102 to deliver the AAV viral vector systemically throughout the body to introduce a corrective copy of the gene that underlies the cause of the MPS IIIA disease. Subjects are evaluated at multiple time points post-injection for safety assessments and initial signals of biopotency and clinical activity, which suggest that ABO-102 successfully reached target tissues throughout the body, including the central nervous system. "We have completed the necessary regulatory and ethical committee approvals and site initiations in Europe and Australia in order to accelerate enrollment," stated Juan Ruiz, M.D., Ph.D., Abeona's Chief Medical Officer. "We remain very encouraged by the improvements observed in clinically relevant biomarkers post- dosing of ABO-102, including durable reductions in heparan sulfate measured in the CNS, reduction of organ disease pathology, and signals of CNS improvement or stabilization at one-year follow-up in Cohort 1 subjects, and look forward to providing a more fulsome clinical update at important clinical conferences, including ESGCT, this fall," he continued.

09:23 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Urban Outfitters (URBN), up 21.6%... Target (TGT), up 3.6%... Agilent (A), up 5.4%. ALSO HIGHER: Apple (AAPL), up fractionally following a Wall Street Journal report that the company has budgeted $1B for original content. LOWER: Amazon.com (AMZN), down marginally after President Trump tweets about the company... Netflix (NFLX), down marginally following the Wall Street Journal report that Apple has a $1B budget for original content... Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), down 1.7% 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.

09:13 EDT Wipro wins managed services engagement with Grameenphone - Wipro announced that it has won a five-year IT infrastructure and applications managed services engagement with Grameenphone, a telecom operator in Bangladesh. This partnership closely aligns with Wipro's vision to localize, expand its presence and explore new businesses opportunities in the country. Wipro will be setting up a new delivery center in Bangladesh.

09:07 EDT Henry Schein Dental enters into exclusive distribution agreement with CAEK - Henry Schein's Henry Schein Dental division has entered into an exclusive agreement with CAEK, a female-founded Software-as-a-Service company focusing on compliance-related software for the healthcare industry, to sell CAEK's HIPAA software, LayerCompliance. LayerCompliance is a cloud-based tool designed to help healthcare practitioners navigate the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that provides privacy and security standards to protect patients' health information.

09:03 EDT Northern Trust selected as asset servicing provider for Boeing retirement plan - Northern Trust (NTRS) has been selected to provide global custody and related services, including financial and regulatory reporting, to the defined contribution retirement plan of The Boeing Company (BA). Boeing has one of the largest DC/401(k) plans in the United States, with approximately $54B in assets. In addition to global custody, valuation and unitization of assets, Northern Trust will provide a range of regulatory and performance reporting solutions, compliance monitoring, derivatives processing and third-party custom cash fund servicing.

09:02 EDT Jaguar Health says name updated on Nasdaq.com post-merger - Jaguar Health provided the following general updates regarding the post-merger transition process. As previously announced, the merger of Jaguar Animal Health and Napo Pharmaceuticals became effective July 31, at which point Jaguar Animal Health's name changed to Jaguar Health, Inc. and Napo began operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jaguar focused on human health and the ongoing commercialization of, and development of follow-on indications for, Mytesi.Jaguar's company name is now updated on Nasdaq.com, and it is expected that Jaguar's market capitalization figure will be updated on Nasdaq.com and on third-party Web-based financial data platforms like Yahoo Finance later this month. The term "market capitalization" refers to the total market value of a company's outstanding shares of voting common stock, and is commonly referred to as a company's "market cap". As of today, Jaguar's quantity of outstanding shares of voting and non-voting common stock has increased to approximately 67.7 million.

09:01 EDT Energy Recovery awarded $2.7M for desalination projects in China - Energy Recovery announced total awards of $2.7M to supply its PXTM Pressure Exchanger technology for desalination projects in China. The orders will begin shipping in Q4.

08:54 EDT Plains All American, Plains GP announce director change - Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (PAGP) announced that Oscar K. Brown has been appointed by an affiliate of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) to serve as its designated representative on the Board of Directors of PAA GP Holdings LLC, replacing Ben Figlock. The GP Holdings Board has responsibility for managing the business and affairs of PAA and PAGP. Brown currently serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development, at Occidental.

08:49 EDT Target says will face tougher prior year comparison in Q3 - Says facing tougher prior year comparison in Q3. Sees decline in EBIT of about $230M in Q3. Expects near-term environment to remain choppy.

08:47 EDT Tier one insurer expands strategic partnership with Majesco - Majesco announced that a tier one customer has expanded its strategic partnership with Majesco to provide additional services including development, testing and business analysis for their multi-year modernization program. This agreement significantly expands the role of Majesco for their modernization program. The insurer is leveraging Majesco's enterprise consulting services and the business transformation framework, ADM services and the technical reference architecture, and testing services with the test automation framework and testing repository to support the strategy and modernization of their underwriting and policy platform.

08:43 EDT Target sees 2017 cash flow from ops higher than last year - Says capital priorities remain the same, including investing in business, dividend, share repurchases. Still sees FY17 CapEx in $2B-$2.5B range, but believes FY18 CapEx will be $3B or more, somewhat higher than previous expectations.

08:40 EDT Monsanto, ToolGen announce global licensing agreement on CRISPR platform - Monsanto and ToolGen announced that the companies have reached a global licensing agreement for the use of ToolGen's CRISPR technology platform to develop agricultural products. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

08:36 EDT Pinnacle Foods raises quarterly dividend to 32.5c per share from 28.5c per share - Pinnacle Foods announced that its board has approved a 14% increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend, from 28.5c per share to 32.5c per share, effective with the company's upcoming third quarter 2017 dividend. The upcoming dividend is payable on October 9, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 29. On an annualized basis, the new dividend increases to $1.30 per share, from the previous annualized rate of $1.14 per share.

08:31 EDT CBRE Group, Kahua enter into long-term, global agreement - CBRE Group and Kahua announced that the companies have entered into a global, strategic agreement whereby CBRE will use Kahua to manage a wide range of projects across its global client base. The Kahua Network, delivered as an Application Platform-as-a-Service, connects CBRE with its global clients and their project teams, allowing applications, business processes and information to be shared across organizations to more effectively manage capital assets. CBRE has made an equity investment in Kahua and will have an executive join Kahua's Board of Directors. Through this long-term agreement, CBRE and Kahua will continue to jointly develop application technology that will address the unique needs of real estate occupiers, owners, contractors, architects and engineers operating within the project management supply chain. CBRE and Kahua are confident that leveraging the solution across the lifecycle of capital assets under CBRE management will significantly improve productivity throughout the supply chain.

08:30 EDT Trian says not seeking to replace P&G CEO or existing directors

08:29 EDT Trian issues letter to Procter & Gamble shareholders - Trian Fund Management, whose investment funds beneficially own approximately $3.5B of shares of The Procter & Gamble Company, is mailing a letter to its fellow shareholders detailing why it believes that adding to the Board Nelson Peltz, a highly motivated independent director with a material ownership stake and substantial industry experience, can lead to the breakthrough ideas P&G needs. Nelson has a long track record of improving performance at consumer companies and being a highly positive agent for change. "The letter also corrects false and misleading statements P&G has made about its operating performance and about Nelson. The reality is that P&G's operating and stock price performance has been lackluster for far too long. Trian believes it is necessary to cut through P&G's rhetoric so shareholders can make an informed decision at P&G's annual meeting, on October 10, 2017. P&G has suggested that shareholders face an either/or choice: Nelson Peltz OR the current Board and management team. That is not true. As P&G knows, Trian is NOT seeking to replace the CEO or any existing directors. We are simply asking shareholders to vote to ADD Nelson to the Board where his sole focus will be to improve long-term performance, prioritizing market share, profitable growth and stronger shareholder returns. Trian urges fellow shareholders to help revitalize P&G and to vote "FOR" Nelson Peltz on the WHITE Proxy Card."

08:24 EDT Strategy Analytics: Samsung Galaxy S8 was best-selling Android smartphone in Q2 - According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Samsung (SSNLF) Galaxy S8 was the world's best-selling Android smartphone model in the second quarter of 2017. Samsung's S8 and S8+ smartphone models together shipped an impressive 19 million units worldwide. Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments reached a robust 360.4 million units in Q2 2017. The top-five most popular models together accounted for 1 in 6 of all smartphones shipped worldwide during the quarter." Juha Winter, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "We estimate Apple (AAPL) iPhone 7 shipped 16.9 million units and captured 5 percent marketshare worldwide in Q2 2017. The iPhone 7 remains the world's most popular smartphone model overall, due to a compelling blend of user-friendly design, extensive supporting apps, and widespread retail presence for the device. Apple iPhone 7 Plus, with its bigger screen and higher pricing, shipped 15.1 million units for second place and 4 percent marketshare worldwide in Q2 2017. Apple today accounts for two of the world's top five smartphone models." Mawston added, "We estimate Samsung Galaxy S8 shipped 10.2 million units for third place and 3 percent marketshare worldwide in Q2 2017. The Galaxy S8+ captured fourth position with 9.0 million shipments and 2 percent marketshare globally. Samsung's Galaxy S8 has instantly become the world's most popular Android smartphone model, due to its attractive curved-screen design, a rich portfolio of software apps, and best-in-class retail distribution across dozens of countries."

08:21 EDT Target says to expand Target Restock to 7 more markets this fall - In addition to Dallas and Denver, Target's CFO says the company will expand Target Restock to seven more markets this fall. Target also plans to expand same-day delivery test to several other NYC locations this fall. Mulligan said Target has done 63 store remodels so far this year and is seeing 2%-4% sales lift from reimagined stores. Mulligan said Target is on track to add 30 new small format stores this year.

08:17 EDT TRACON Pharmaceuticals announces results from NCI Phase 1/2 trial of TRC105 - TRACON Pharmaceuticals announced that positive results from the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, Phase 1/2 trial of TRC105 and Nexavar in hepatocellular cancer, or HCC, were published in the August 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. The Phase 1b/2 trial enrolled a total of 26 patients with advanced HCC. Patients were dosed at one of four levels of TRC105, and with the standard dose of Nexavar of 400 mg twice daily. The overall response rate in the 20 evaluable patients with measurable disease over all four dose levels was 25% by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, or RECIST, with all responses occurring at the highest two dose levels of TRC105. The ORR in the two highest dose levels of TRC105 was 33%. Four additional patients had confirmed stable disease, one of whom was treated for 22 months. Median progression free survival, or PFS, was 3.8 months and median overall survival, or OS, was 15.5 months. Nexavar was approved for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC based on median OS of 10.7 months versus 7.9 months with placebo in the multicenter SHARP trial. The ORR for Nexavar treatment by RECIST in the SHARP trial was 2%. NCI study researchers concluded that the combination of TRC105 and Nexavar was well-tolerated at the recommended single agent doses of both drugs, and that encouraging evidence of activity was observed. TRACON is currently sponsoring a separate Phase 1/2 multicenter study of TRC105 and Nexavar to confirm the activity reported by the NCI. The NCI will recruit patients into this multicenter study.

08:12 EDT Target CEO: Environment 'choppy,' will continue to be 'challenging' - Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell said on Target's Q2 earnings call that his team is "energized," on track for transformation of 100 stores in 2017 and 600 stores over a three-year period. Cornell said Target is still moving toward Everyday low prices and away from promotions. Cornell said Q2 traffic, which was up over 2%, was better than recent trends and better than expectations, noting that strength is "broad-based" across the country, categories and channels. He also said the consumer environment remains "choppy" and will continue to be "challenging"; he said pace of change "doesn't show any signs of slowing down." The executive also noted that Target's digital sales were up 32% in Q2. Target is currently testing and rolling out additional fulfillment options, including Target Restock, expansion of ship from store. Cornell also said the Cat & Jack brand is exceeding expectations, having just crossed $2B sales mark, only slightly more than a year after launch. He also said he has been "really impressed" with Casper's management. Cloud Island has generated double-digit comp increases in the period since launch, Cornell said. Target is up 5.3% in premarket trading.

08:09 EDT Iovance announces first patient dosed in C-145-04 Phase 2 trial of LN-145 - Iovance Biotherapeutics announced that the first patient was dosed in its C-145-04 Phase 2 trial of LN-145 for the treatment of patients with recurrent, metastatic or persistent cervical carcinoma. LN-145 is an adoptive cell transfer therapy that utilizes an autologous TIL manufacturing process as originally developed by the NCI. C-145-04 is a Phase 2, multicenter, single-arm, open-label interventional study that will enroll up to 47 patients and will assess the safety and efficacy of LN-145 for the treatment of patients with recurrent, metastatic, or persistent cervical carcinoma. The cell transfer therapy used in this study involves patients receiving a non-myeloablative lymphocyte depleting preparative regimen, followed by infusion of autologous TIL and the administration of a regimen of up to six doses of IL-2.

08:07 EDT Peak Resorts announces planned CFO transition - Peak Resort announced its succession plan for CFO, Stephen Mueller. Mueller will step down on October 3, following the company's 2017 annual meeting of stockholders. He will remain with the company for an initial period of three years, as Executive Vice President to assist in the transition of financial reporting matters and provide assistance with special projects and growth initiatives. He will also remain a member of the board of directors. In this planned transition, Christopher Bub, Chief Accounting Officer, will assume the CFO role on October 3.

08:05 EDT Trovagene announces 'positive' data from study of PLK1 inhibitor, PCM-075 - Trovagene announced positive data from a preclinical in-vivo study examining the combination of their PLK1 inhibitor, PCM-075, with a leading investigational FLT3 Inhibitor. This FLT3 mutant xenograft model shows PCM-075 in combination with Quizartinib resulted in 96% tumor growth inhibition versus monotherapy with Quizartinib (81%) or PCM-075 (76%). This research data is planned for future publication.

08:04 EDT Baidu announces buyer group investment in China Unicom - Baidu announced that an investor consortium led by the company had entered into a share purchase agreement with China United Network Communication Limited, one of the largest telecommunications companies in China. The Buyer Group will invest RMB7.0B in exchange for privately issued shares of China Unicom. In connection with the investment, Baidu has entered into a business cooperation agreement with China Unicom. The investment is part of China Unicom's mixed-ownership reform pilot-run plan.

08:02 EDT Henry Schein announces two-for-one stock split - Henry Schein announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 2-for-1 split of the company's common stock. Each Henry Schein stockholder of record at the close of business on September 1, 2017, will receive a dividend of one additional share for every share held, and trading will begin on a split-adjusted basis on September 15, 2017. This is Henry Schein's second stock split since its initial public offering in November 1995, with the first split, also 2-for-1, completed in February 2005. Following this second stock split, Henry Schein will have approximately 158M shares outstanding.

07:54 EDT Amazon accused by Trump of damaging 'tax paying retailers' - Shares of Amazon.com (AMZN) dropped in premarket trading after U.S. President Donald Trump said the e-commerce giant is "doing great damage to tax paying retailers." TRUMP TWEET: Trump said in a Twitter post early Wednesday that Amazon is causing "great damage to tax paying retailers." He added that "Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!" WHAT'S NOTABLE: Trump has previously criticized Amazon and the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon Chairman, President and Chief Executive officer Jeff Bezos. In June, Trump attacked, tweeting, "The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes," and called it "fake news." Trump previously called the Washington Post a "big tax shelter" that Bezos used to keep Amazon's taxes low. At the time, he added that "if Amazon ever had to pay fair taxes, its stock would crash and it would crumble like a paper bag."Amazon previously fought to only collect sales taxes in the U.S. for purchases in states where it doesn't have a physical presence, but now collects sales tax in all states that has one. In March, Amazon prevailed over the IRS in a $1.5B-plus dispute over the company's transactions with a Luxembourg-based subsidiary. PRICE ACTION: Amazon is down about 0.3% in premarket trading, after declining about 1% earlier.

07:48 EDT Jacobs Engineering selected by PEMEX Fertilizantes for PMC services - Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract from PEMEX Fertilizantes to deliver Project Management Contract services for the Ammonia IV Rehabilitation Project in the Cosoleacaque Petrochemical Complex in Veracruz, Mexico. PEMEX Fertilizantes is rehabilitating the Ammonia IV plant, and its associated auxiliary facilities, in order to restore its operating design capacity and reduce the risks associated with non-programmed shutdowns and abnormal operations. As PMC contractor for PEMEX Fertilizantes, Jacobs supervises the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor developing the Ammonia IV Plant Rehabilitation.

07:34 EDT Moleculin Biotech acquires WP1122 active drug compound for brain cancer - Moleculin Biotech announced it has acquired WP1122 active drug compound it plans to study for the treatment of brain tumors. Walter Klemp, CEO of Moleculin commented: "There has been a lot of excitement recently surrounding the WP1122 technology and its potential to become a new approach for treating brain tumors. We are pleased that we have now secured exclusive access to a significant quantity of GMP synthesized WP1122 drug substance from our sublicense partner in Poland. Access to this product allows us to accelerate preclinical toxicology and analytical testing of WP1122," Klemp continued, "which enables preparation of an Investigational New Drug application so we can begin proof of concept clinical trials. Research at MD Anderson using live human brain tumors transplanted into mice has shown that WP1122 has the potential to outperform the current standard of care treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most pervasive forms of brain tumors. We are eager to get this drug into human testing to determine if we have something that could make a real difference for patients."

07:30 EDT Boulevard Acquisition trading resumes

07:07 EDT Tyson Foods to expand Tennessee poultry operation - Tyson Foods will invest $84M as part of its commitment to the continued success of its Union City, Tennessee poultry plant, company officials said today. More than 300 jobs will be created by the project, which is expected to be complete by mid-2019. The project, set to begin this fall, will increase capacity to the plant's existing harvest area, add processing lines, as well as upgrades to supporting operations at the hatchery, feed mill and in transportation. About 25,000 square feet will be added to the plant facility. In order to meet the new capacity of the facility, Tyson Foods estimates nearly 200 more broiler chicken houses will need to be built in northwestern Tennessee within the next two years. Independent farmers who may want to grow for Tyson Foods are encouraged to visit the Grow With Tyson website to learn more about the process and make initial contact with the company. The Union City plant and related operations were built by Tyson Foods and opened in 1997. It makes partially fried chicken products for food service. The facility employs more than 1,000 people and paid nearly $32M in wages during its 2016 fiscal year. Annual payout for farmers who raise chickens for the plant was more than $15M. The company also operates facilities in Goodlettsville, Newbern and Shelbyville, Tennessee employing about 5,000 in the state with an annual payroll of more than $181M. Tyson Foods paid Tennessee poultry growers more than $61M in its 2016 fiscal year and estimates its total statewide impact to be $313M.

07:05 EDT Boulevard Acquisition to combine with Estre Ambiental waste management company - Boulevard Acquisition and Estre Ambiental, the largest waste management company in Brazil and Latin America, have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Boulevard will combine with Estre. As a result of the transaction, Estre will become a publicly listed company with an anticipated initial enterprise value of approximately $1.1B, implying a 7.7x multiple of its projected 2018 Adjusted EBITDA. Estre provides waste-related and environmental services to a public of more than 31 million people daily in seven Brazilian states. The company is expected to generate revenues of approximately $466M and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $132M in 2017. Estre's management team will continue to lead the company following the completion of the transaction. A new Cayman holding company will be formed and, prior to the consummation of the business combination, all or substantially all of the shareholders of Estre will exchange their shares of Estre for shares of Holdco at a fixed value of $10.00 per share and as a result Estre will become a subsidiary of Holdco. At the closing, Boulevard will also become a subsidiary of Holdco, which will be the publicly traded entity with its shares listed on NASDAQ, and the outstanding Boulevard shares will be converted in the business combination into shares of Holdco at a fixed exchange rate of one-to-one. All outstanding warrants to purchase Boulevard shares will, by their terms, become warrants to purchase shares of Holdco with an exercise price of $11.50 per warrant. It is expected that the combined company will have an initial enterprise value of approximately $1.1B. After giving effect to the transaction and assuming no redemptions by the existing Boulevard stockholders, existing Estre shareholders will hold approximately 43% of the shares of the public company, while existing Boulevard stockholders will hold the remaining shares. The transaction is expected to close in Q4. Closing is subject to approval by Boulevard's shareholders and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

07:03 EDT RADA Electronic receives $8M order from U.S. military - RADA Electronic announced it has received a strategic first order for dozens of Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radars, or MHR. The order is highly significant for RADA, totaling over $8M and will be delivered during 2017. The radars will be used by a key U.S. military force, providing it with air surveillance with emphasis on counter-UAV with the most advanced on-the-move capabilities. The radars are expected to be fielded for operational use soon after delivery.

07:01 EDT H&E Equipment says does not intend to submit revised proposal for Neff - H&E Equipment Services announced that it has notified Neff Corporation that it does not intend to submit a revised proposal for the acquisition of Neff, which will permit Neff to terminate H&E's previously announced merger agreement with Neff. In connection with that determination, John Engquist, CEO of H&E, stated that, "We will remain disciplined on the price that we pay for assets. We intend instead to pursue an accelerated strategy of greenfield expansion and opportunistic roll-up acquisitions which we believe will be a higher and better use for our resources." As previously announced, on July 14, 2017, H&E and Neff entered into a merger agreement pursuant to which H&E agreed to acquire Neff for $21.07 per share, subject to certain downward adjustments. On August 13, 2017, Neff notified H&E that it had received a superior acquisition proposal from a strategic bidder to acquire Neff for $25.00 per share, and that Neff intends to terminate the merger agreement to enter into an agreement for such acquisition proposal. Prior to terminating the merger agreement Neff was required to negotiate in good faith with H&E for five business days. H&E has waived this period. Under the merger agreement, Neff is required to pay a termination fee of approximately $13.2M to H&E if Neff terminates the merger agreement to enter into an agreement for such acquisition proposal.

06:51 EDT UnitedHealth names David Wichmann as CEO, effective September 1 - The board of directors of UnitedHealth Group announced that David Wichmann, president of UnitedHealth Group, will succeed Stephen Hemsley as CEO and become a director of the company, effective Sept. 1, 2017. On the same date, Hemsley will take the newly created role of executive chairman of the board of directors; current board chairman, Richard Burke, will become lead independent director. These changes are designed to ensure continuity as the company continues to grow and evolve. The company will continue on its strategic path to improve health care quality for the customers and care providers it serves. UnitedHealth Group's commitment to high performance and value in health care will drive sustainable growth in 2017, 2018 and beyond.

06:43 EDT Ares Management invests $1.45B in DuPage Medical Group - Ares Management's private equity group has closed a strategic partnership with DuPage Medical Group, an independent, multi-specialty physician group. The investment by Ares will enable continued support for growth initiatives across the entire organization, including DMG's practice management company and DMG's subsidiary, Boncura Health Solutions. The $1.45B transaction closed on August 15. As part of its investment, Ares also acquired Summit Partners' stake in DMG Practice Management Solutions, and Summit will exit as an investment partner.

06:39 EDT SAIC awarded $39M engineeringg task order by SSC Atlantic for U.S. Marines - SAIC has been awarded a task order by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic to provide engineering services in support of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Operations Center. The single-award task order has a one-year period of performance, four one-year options, and a total award value of approximately $39M. Under the contract, SAIC will provide engineering, logistics, testing, software integration, software development, information assurance and software security, and programmatic support services to operate and maintain the COC system.

06:35 EDT Target reports Q2 gross margin 30.5% vs. 30.9% a year ago - Reflecting increased digital fulfillment costs and the company's efforts to improve pricing and promotions. Second quarter SG&A expense rate was 20.6% in 2017, compared with 20.1% in 2016, driven by higher compensation costs, primarily due to increased bonus expense, and impairment losses resulting from planned or completed store closures and supply chain changes partially offset by the benefit of the company's cost-saving efforts.

06:33 EDT Target reports Q2 comparable digital channel sales increased 32% - On top of 16% growth in second quarter 2016.

06:15 EDT Trump: 'Amazon doing great damage to tax paying retailers' - President Donald Trump tweeted: "Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!" Reference Link

06:12 EDT AkzoNobel: Elliott to support appointment of Thierry Vanlancker to board

06:05 EDT Mesoblast's cell theraphy for osteoarthritis featured in peer-reviewed journal - Mesoblast announced that the Phase 2a trial of its Mesenchymal Precursor Cells for prevention of radiographic and clinical features of knee osteoarthritis after traumatic injury has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. The results showed that a single intra-articular injection of Mesoblast's product candidate MPC-75-IA reduced cartilage loss and bone changes by six months, and improved pain and function for over two years, when compared to controls. The paper concluded that MPCs may modulate the inflammation-related pathological processes that are associated with post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis. The study found that a single injection of 75 million mesenchymal precursor cells was well tolerated and appeared to slow the onset of a number of the early changes at the knee that are common following knee injury and signify the development of knee osteoarthritis. Larger studies are warranted to confirm whether this treatment will slow or even prevent the development of knee osteoarthritis following early joint injuries. The study findings warrant further investigation of MPCs as a potential disease modifying agent for the treatment of early joint injuries

05:28 EDT RLJ Lodging Trust, Felcor Lodging holders approve merger - RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ) and FelCor Lodging (FCH) announced that at special meetings held earlier today shareholders of RLJ approved the issuance of common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share, of RLJ in connection with the Merger and stockholders of FelCor approved FelCor's merger with and into a subsidiary of RLJ in a stock-for-stock transaction in connection with the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 23, by and among RLJ, FelCor and the other entities party thereto. At the special meeting of RLJ shareholders, approximately 78% of the votes cast were voted in favor of the proposal related to the issuance of RLJ Common Shares in connection with the Merger. At the special meeting of FelCor stockholders, approximately 81% of the outstanding shares of FelCor common stock were voted, with approximately 99% of the votes cast in favor of the Merger. The Merger is expected to close on or about August 31, 2017, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all closing conditions related to the transactions. Assuming completion of the Merger, FelCor stock is expected to be delisted from trading on the New York Stock Exchange after the close of trading on August 31, 2017. As a result of the Merger, among other things, each share of FelCor common stock will be converted into 0.362 RLJ Common Shares. RLJ Common Shares will continue to trade under the existing ticker symbol "RLJ" on the NYSE.