Stockwinners Market Radar for September 27, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:20 EDT Alcobra, Arcturus agree to merge - Alcobra and Arcturus Therapeutics announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge the two companies in an all-stock transaction. The transaction will result in a combined company focused on developing novel RNA medicines in therapeutic areas including infectious disease, cystic fibrosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and rare liver diseases. Arcturus has developed proprietary technology platforms incorporating Unlocked Nucleomonomer Agent Oligomer chemistry and lipid-mediated nanoparticle nucleic acid delivery systems. The UNA Oligomer platform incorporates improvements to the chemical structure of RNA to generate pharmaceutical and therapeutic benefits. The LUNAR delivery system is optimized for high RNA encapsulation efficiency, which improves manufacturing and cost-of-goods and enables particle size control to potentially improve the targeting of clinically important cells and tissues, including liver hepatocytes, liver stellate cells, myocytes and lung cells. Under the terms of the merger agreement, the holders of Arcturus outstanding capital stock immediately prior to the merger will receive ordinary shares of Alcobra in the merger. On a pro forma and fully-diluted basis for the combined company, Alcobra shareholders are expected to own approximately 40% and Arcturus shareholders are expected to own approximately 60% of the combined company, subject to certain adjustments based on net cash of the two companies at closing. The conversion ratio for the transaction is based on a valuation of Alcobra of $46.7M, which includes approximately $35M of expected Alcobra cash at the time of closing. The proposed merger has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The proposed merger is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to the approval of the transaction by the shareholders of both companies, and other customary closing conditions. Joseph E. Payne is expected to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, with Pad Chivukula, Ph.D., serving as Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and Stuart Collinson, Ph.D., serving as the Executive Chairman. The board of directors of the combined company will be comprised of seven members, including three members to be designated by Alcobra and four members to be designated by Arcturus. If the transaction is consummated, Alcobra's name will be changed to Arcturus Therapeutics, Ltd., and Alcobra intends to apply to change its ticker symbol to ARCT on NASDAQ. Upon completion of the merger, the corporate headquarters will be in San Diego, California and the company will remain domiciled in Israel.

18:01 EDT Celanese announces emulsion polymers price increases - Celanese Corporation will increase list and off-list selling prices for emulsion polymer products. The price increases will be effective October 1, 2017, or as contracts otherwise allow, and are incremental to previously announced price increases.

17:38 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Thor Industries (THO), up 2.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Chiasma (CHMA), up 8.2% after it announced the randomization of the first patient in its new Phase 3 CHIASMA OPTIMAL clinical trial. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Comtech (CMTL), down 13.5%... Pier 1 Imports (PIR), down 7.6%... Progress Software (PRGS), down 0.5%.

17:30 EDT Washington Federal and Anchor Bancorp announce extension of merger agreement - Washington Federal (WAFD) and Anchor Bancorp (ANCB) announced today that they have mutually agreed to amend their merger agreement that was entered into on April 11. The amendment extends from December 31 to June 30, 2018, the date after which either party can elect to terminate the agreement if the transaction contemplated by the agreement has not yet been completed. The need for the amendment was due to the identification of certain issues with respect to procedures, systems and processes of Washington Federal's bank subsidiary, Washington Federal, National Association, relating to its Bank Secrecy Act program. Washington Federal is taking proactive steps to remediate these issues. Given that these remediation efforts likely would impact regulatory approvals necessary to consummate the merger, Washington Federal has decided to withdraw its regulatory applications relating to the merger and resubmit them after the remediation has progressed. The amendment to the merger agreement also provides for up to three additional six month extensions beyond June 30, 2018, and addresses certain Anchor operational matters in light of the extension. There can be no assurance that the merger will be completed by the extended termination date or any further extended date.

17:27 EDT Campbell Soup to end Pacific Foods deal if holder suit not resolved in 60 days - Campbell Soup Company entered into an agreement on July 6, 2017 to acquire Pacific Foods of Oregon for $700M. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. On Aug. 21, 2017, the estate of a former Pacific Foods shareholder, Edward C. Lynch, filed a lawsuit against Pacific Foods, certain of its directors and others seeking more than $250M in damages. While Campbell is not named in the suit, the lawsuit creates an impediment to closing. Today, Campbell notified Pacific Foods that the company has 60 days under the terms of the agreement to resolve the issues arising from the suit if the transaction is to be completed. After the 60-day period, Campbell has the option to extend the cure period or terminate the agreement. Mark Alexander, Campbell's President, Americas Simple Meals and Beverages, said, "We remain enthusiastic about acquiring Pacific Foods, which has a track record of growth and strong health and well-being credentials. However, we will not complete the transaction unless the issues arising from this litigation are resolved to our satisfaction."

17:23 EDT Boeing awarded $152.5M government contract modification - The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is being awarded $152,529,718 for modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of two C-40A aircraft in support of the Navy. Work is expected to be completed in September 2019. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $152,529,718 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

17:18 EDT Raytheon awarded $450M government contract - Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $450M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Small Diameter Bomb II integrated engineering change proposal contract. The contract provides for design, development, integration, test and production engineering for changes to the SDB II technical and production baseline. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

17:03 EDT Heartland Financial subsidiary Morrill & Janes names Steven E. Ward CEO - Heartland Financial subsidiary Morrill & Janes Bank and Trust has named Steven E. Ward President and CEO. Ward has held several leadership positions across Heartland including President of Centennial Bank and Trust and President and CEO of Illinois Bank & Trust, where he served for nearly eight years.

16:58 EDT Aceto CEO Salvatore Guccione steps down, William Kennally to succeed - Aceto (ACET) announced that it has appointed William Kennally, III, as President and CEO effective October 2. Salvatore Guccione, ACETO's CEO has stepped down from all positions with Aceto effective September 27. Kennally started his career in 1979 with The Upjohn Company which was later acquired by Pharmacia. During his career, Bill held positions of increasing responsibility within Pfizer (PFE) and Pharmacia including President, Greenstone, a generic and authorized generic pharmaceuticals supplier which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer. In 2010, Bill became Regional President North America; Global Established Products for Pfizer, and prior to his retirement in 2015 was Regional President North America Advisor, Global Established Pharma with Pfizer.

16:36 EDT Flowers Foods sees FY17 gross savings $25M-$30M relative to FY16 - The company detailed gross savings targets relative to fiscal 2016 of $25M-$30M for fiscal 2017 and of $70M-$80M for fiscal 2018 from PG&S, SCO, and other cost saving initiatives. The company also outlined meaningful incremental brand investments in fiscal 2018, as well as anticipated input cost inflation in the range of $30M-$40M for 2018. Additionally, the company maintains its previously communicated EBITDA margin goal for fiscal 2018 of 12%-13%. Flowers' long-term organic growth goal is to outperform its categories by supporting the company's high-potential brands with innovation and marketing, while improving execution in the marketplace. In addition to organic growth, the company will continue to look at accretive acquisitions. The company is targeting long-term sales growth of 3%-4%. Flowers remains confident in its target of realizing 250bps of EBITDA margin expansion by fiscal 2021, and expects EPS growth over the long-term in the range of 8%-10%. "Flowers is positioned to deliver top-tier returns to shareholders over the long-term," said Steve Kinsey, CFO and chief administrative officer. "Today, we are executing on a number of sound strategic priorities designed to strengthen our competitive advantages through brand growth and improving operational efficiency."

16:35 EDT Harsco Rail anounces two orders totalling $25M for for international delivery - Harsco's railway track maintenance division, Harsco Rail, announced two orders for international delivery this year totalling close to $25M. The first order calls for the production of Harsco Rail's precision rail grinding equipment for use in Saudi Arabia on the double-tracked 453 km high speed line being built between Mecca and Medina. When completed, the rail line is projected to carry a maximum of as many as 166,000 passengers per day. The Harsco-built machines will be used to maintain railhead contours for extended rail life and smoother operation, thus reducing fuel consumption, operating costs and noise. Grinding also corrects possible surface damage that can potentially lead to rail fractures. Harsco's order also includes initial operator training as well as spare parts support. Under the second order, Harsco Rail will provide two on-track measuring vehicles for the assessment of rail geometry and ballast profiling in the Republic of South Africa, working as an Original Equipment Manufacturing partner in support of Transnet Freight Rail, the heavy haul railway freight system within South Africa. Harsco will be supplying the vehicles to Molamu Majories and Thari Joint Venture, the contractor to Transnet. Deliveries under both orders are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

16:33 EDT Bay Bancorp, Inc. trading halted, news pending

16:31 EDT Gilead COO Kevin Young to retire effective early 2018 - Gilead Sciences announced that Kevin Young CBE, COO, plans to retire, effective early 2018. Young will remain with Gilead through the first quarter of next year and in an advisory capacity thereafter. Young joined Gilead in 2004 to lead the company's worldwide commercial operations.

16:23 EDT Thor Industries up 5% to $126.00 after better than expected Q4 results

16:22 EDT Destination Maternity holder Orchestra-Premaman delivers letter to shareholders - On September 25 Orchestra-Premaman delivered, which has a 13.8% stake in Destination Maternity delivered a Stop, Look & Listen Letter to Destination Maternity's shareholders (i) stating its opposition to Destination Maternity's nominees for election to the Board at the company's I2017 annual meeting of stockholders, (ii) announcing that Orchestra-Premaman will soon be mailing their own proxy materials, and (iii) urging fellow Shareholders not to vote until they have read the Orchestra-Premaman's proxy materials.Orchestra-Premaman submitted the Letter because it has serious concerns with the company's track record of poor performance, missing important targets and unclear financial reporting. Orchestra-Premaman believe the Destination Maternity's current nominees to the Board, all of whom are current Board members sharing responsibility for Destination Maternity's current poor performance, should not be rewarded for their poor performance by being reelected to the Board. Representatives of Orchestra-Premaman has engaged, and intend to continue to engage, in discussions with the Board regarding matters relating to the composition of the Board.

16:21 EDT Progress Software boosts share repurchase authorization to $250M - Progress Software announced that its board of directors has increased the total share repurchase authorization from the $91M remaining on the previous authorization to $250M. Progress' intent is to utilize $150M of this authorization by the end of fiscal year 2018, and the total amount by the end of fiscal year 2019.

16:17 EDT Thor Industries Chairman says outlook 'remains very positive' - "The outlook for Thor remains very positive. We expect demand in the industry to remain strong, as more numbers and types of consumers adopt the RV lifestyle and are attracted to the exceptional brands and products of our subsidiaries," said Peter Orthwein, Thor Executive Chairman. "As an industry leader, we remain focused on delivering the innovation that our loyal customers have come to expect, and that our dealers associate with our long-standing brands. Looking ahead, we will continue to manage our growth and balance costs, especially during this period of a tight labor market, all while maintaining our discipline of investing in those areas that deliver continued high return for our shareholders."

16:10 EDT Limoneira CFO Joseph Rumley to resign - On September 26, Joseph Rumley informed the Board of Directors of Limoneira of his intention to resign from his position as the company's CFO, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary, to pursue other opportunities. Rumley's intention to resign does not reflect any disagreement or dispute with the company on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies, or practices. The effective date of Rumley's resignation has not yet been determined, but is expected to be in January 2018. The company has commenced a process to identify and retain a successor to Rumley. Rumley has indicated his intention to assist in the transition of his duties and responsibilities.

16:08 EDT Chubb reports preliminary Q3 loss estimate from Harvey and Irma of $650M - Chubb reported preliminary loss estimates in Q3 attributable to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma at approximately $650M pre-tax, or $520M after tax. Losses for Hurricane Irma are currently estimated to range from $800M-$950M pre-tax, or $640M-$760M after tax. These estimates are net of reinsurance, include reinstatement premiums and comprise losses generated from the company's commercial and personal property and casualty insurance businesses as well as its reinsurance operations.

16:06 EDT SRC Energy raises FY production view to 33-35 MBOE/D - The continued execution of SRC's operational plan is expected to result in third quarter production volumes of approximately 40-41 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, MBOE/D, driven by 36 gross-32 net-wells that were turned to sales during the quarter. The company's estimated third quarter oil mix, on a 3-stream basis, is expected to be approximately 45%. Based on current production volumes and expected timing of fourth quarter 2017 completions, the company now expects full-year production to be approximately 33-35 MBOE/D as compared to previously issued guidance of 32-34 MBOE/D.

16:05 EDT DHX Media trading halted, news dissemination

15:18 EDT Outfront Media awarded long-term contract by NY MTA - OUTFRONT Media announced that the board of directors of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded OUTFRONT Media the advertising and communications concession agreements for subway, commuter rail and buses, as well as billboards, subject to the execution of definitive agreements. These awards will continue OUTFRONT Media's successful, long-term public-private partnership with the MTA and present new opportunities for the MTA to provide real-time and intelligent communications to its customers and generate advertising revenue. Working together with the MTA, OUTFRONT Media will deploy over 50,000 cutting edge digital displays across the vast MTA transit system. Following the execution of definitive agreements, OUTFRONT's Liveboard digital displays will be installed on a rolling basis over a number of years commencing in 2018. This transformative project will be the largest deployment of digital media in a transit environment anywhere and will create a ubiquitous real-time customer communications and advertising platform that will reach MTA customers throughout their journeys. In addition, OUTFRONT Media will continue the management of over 500 billboard locations for the MTA. In partnership with the MTA, OUTFRONT Media will help to modernize the billboard network by intelligently deploying digital assets and expanding the ON Smart Media platform.

15:10 EDT Amazon cuts Echo price to $99.99, introduces Echo Plus - Amazon announced the launch of the new Echo with a "new design and improved sound," available at a lowered price of $99.99. The company also introduced the Echo Plus, which has a built-in smart home hub, priced at $149.99 with a Philips Hue smart lightbulb included while supplies last. Additionally, Amazon announced it is expanding Alexa's calling and messaging feature to include support for free outbound calling to phone numbers within the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Echo Connect, a new Alexa accessory that the company said "turns your Echo into a high quality, hands-free speakerphone for your home phone line," will be priced at $34.99 and will be available later this year, Amazon added.

15:06 EDT Amazon says Echo Spot, priced at $129.99, to ship in December - Amazon announced its launch of Echo Spot, the newest addition to the Echo family. Echo Spot has a smaller design and "the added convenience of a circular screen so that Alexa can show you things," the company said. The Echo Spot, priced at $129.99, is available for pre-order and will begin shipping in December.

14:54 EDT Delphi sees approximately $6B in revenue from Delphi Tech by 2022

14:48 EDT Caesars announces approvals from Louisiana, Missouri gaming regulators - Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, or "CEOC," announced that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and the Missouri Gaming Commission have granted the necessary licenses and regulatory approvals required for the reorganization of CEOC. With the additions of Louisiana and Missouri, the companies have now received approvals from all necessary gaming authorities for CEOC's restructuring and for the merger of Caesars Acquisition Company (CACQ) into Caesars Entertainment, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Stockholders of Caesars Entertainment and Caesars Acquisition have also approved the previously announced Merger of both companies, as well as a number of other matters related to the restructuring of CEOC and its emergence from bankruptcy. Caesars Entertainment currently anticipates completing the merger and CEOC's restructuring in the first week of October.

14:17 EDT PepsiCo says cooperating with SEC investigation - After the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the SEC is investigating claims that Maura Smith, former general counsel for PepsiCo, was fired from the position in retaliation for the way she handled an internal probe into possible wrongdoing in Russia, the company issued the following statement: "Fair and ethical business conduct is central to PepsiCo's core values. This story was based on private, attorney-client privileged documents that were, as a result of a technical error, mistakenly emailed to a Wall Street Journal reporter by a law firm that represents PepsiCo. The documents relate to conduct at a Russian company that began prior to its acquisition by PepsiCo in 2011. As soon as PepsiCo became aware of the conduct, it fully investigated and remediated the issues, which were not material to PepsiCo's financial statements. The end of Ms. Smith's tenure was in no way related to any dispute or disagreement regarding matters investigated or actions taken in connection with the company's remediation efforts. PepsiCo did not engage in any retaliatory conduct and any allegations to the contrary are untrue. The company is cooperating with the SEC investigation."

13:52 EDT AMC's Aron sees comments to come after Q4 about 'miraculous' box office recovery - AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron said he expects that after the fourth quarter media will be writing about the "miraculous recovery" made in the U.S. box office, citing big-name releases including the next Star Wars film. Aron made the comments while being interviewed on CNBC.

13:12 EDT Trump says 'we have the votes' on healthcare for early next year - President Trump said to reporters that his healthcare reform bill will have the votes in January, February or March as one of the "yes" votes is in the hospital and two others will be coming. Trump added that he will, in the meantime, meet with Democrats to see if he can come up with an "even better" healthcare bill. The President noted that he'll be signing an executive order on healthcare next week. Publicly traded companies in the insurance space include Aetna (AET), Anthem (ANTM), Centene (CNC), Cigna (CI), Health Net (HNT), Humana (HUM), Molina Healthcare (MOH), UnitedHealth (UNH) and WellCare (WCG).

12:50 EDT Worthington Industries authorizes buyback of up to additional 6.83M shares - The board of directors of Worthington Industries authorized the repurchase of up to an additional 6,828,855 of the company's common shares, increasing the total number of common shares available for repurchase to 10M.

12:45 EDT Repsol, CNOOC awarded oil blocs in Brazil, Reuters reports - CNOOC and Repsol received oil blocs in the Espirito Santo basin off the coast of Brazil in an oil auction on Monday, according to Reuters, citing oil regulator ANP. Reference Link

12:42 EDT Progress Software investor Praesidium sees unlocked value in company - Praesidium Investment Management Company, one of the largest shareholders of Progress Software, owning approximately 8.8% of the outstanding shares of the company, commented on the opportunity to drive significant value creation at Progress. In a prior letter to the company, Praesidium detailed opportunities for the company to unlock value for shareholders through freeing up what Praesidium believes to be over $100M in excess sales & marketing and R&D expenditures. "Praesidium believes right-sizing the current operations alone would drive operating margins to over 55% and annual free cash flow to $175M. Praesidium has retained, as advisors, Mark Fusco and John Shackleton, two of the most respected CEOs in the software industry, both with incredible track records of driving shareholder value. Through the implementation of a low-risk, repeatable software consolidator strategy focused on reinvesting capital at high rates of return, Praesidium believes its plan has the potential to drive the value of Progress to over $80 per share," said the investment management firm in a statement. Praesidium also expressed its serious concerns with the vast underperformance of Progress's shares under the direction of the Board, which has overseen the destruction of significant shareholder value. Shares of Progress Software are up .39% to $37.66 per share in afternoon trading.

12:21 EDT House committee asks Facebook, Twitter, Google about Russian anti-fracking ads - U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, Republican representative from Texas, has sent letters to the CEOs of Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR), and Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) requesting documents and information related to Russian entities purchasing anti-fracking and anti-fossil fuel advertisements on the platforms. The letters are part of the committee's ongoing oversight of efforts to manipulate the U.S. energy market. "In light of Facebook's disclosure of over $100,000 in social media advertising associated with Russian accounts focused on the disruption and influence of U.S. politics through social media, it is likely that Russia undertook a similar effort using social media to influence the U.S. energy market," the letter reads. "The American people have a right to know whether the information they are hearing, seeing, and reading is being presented on behalf of a foreign government. Social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, have the ability to serve as an effective propaganda arm conveying specific messages to geographically targeted audiences. The Committee is concerned that divisive social and political messages conveyed through social media have negatively affected certain energy sectors, which can depress research and development in the fossil-fuel sector and the expanding potential for natural gas." Reference Link

12:10 EDT Houston Wire & Cable holder D3 contends share price could triple - In a letter to the Chairman and the CEO of Houston Wire & Cable disclosed in a regulatory filing, shareholder D3 Family Funds stated: "Since 03 filed our 13G for the end of 2016, we have increased our ownership of HWCC almost 30% to 1,374,851 shares, 8.39% of the company. We believe this makes us the second largest shareholder. We took advantage of what we consider to be the mis-pricing of the company's shares because we believe HWCC's share price could triple over the next several years...HWCC is well-positioned to participate in the cyclical recovery of both parts of its core business----MRO and major project. We hope you will invest in internet commerce as a convenient, faster, and less costly way of doing business and utilize artificial intelligence as a customer service tool...We hope you will use free cash to halve debt again, after funding digital and Vertex ' growth...We hope for continued insider buying; not all outside directors bought stock; no senior manager bought stock; and aggregate insider purchased ownership remains low, despite the quality of HWCC and the bargain price of its shares."

12:04 EDT Tyson pleads guilty to Clean Water Act violations, will pay $2M fine - Tyson Poultry pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Missouri, to two criminal charges of violating the Clean Water Act stemming from discharges at its slaughter and processing facility in Monett, Missouri, the Department of Justice announced. The charges to which Tyson pleaded guilty arose out of a spill after the company mixed ingredients in its chicken feed at its feed mill in Aurora, Missouri. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Tyson will pay a $2M criminal fine and serve two years of probation. In addition, Tyson will pay $500,000 to maintain and restore waters in the Monett area, with a focus on Clear Creek and the adjoining waterways. Shares of Tyson Foods are down 41c to $65.42 in midday trading. Reference Link

12:02 EDT Marsh & McLennan names Katherine Brennan deputy general counsel, CCO - Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) announced that Katherine J. Brennan has been appointed Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer. Brennan's appointment is effective October 18. Brennan will report to Peter J. Beshar, EVP and General Counsel of Marsh & McLennan, and be based in the company's New York headquarters. From 2008 to 2015, Brennan served in a number of leadership roles at Marsh & McLennan, including General Counsel of Guy Carpenter, Senior Corporate Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary. For the past two years, Brennan has served as SVP, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at S&P Global (SPGI).

12:00 EDT Tyson Foods off intraday lows after Bloomberg says to pay $2M for EPA fine

11:57 EDT AEP Generation Resources seeks bids for limestone - AEP Generation Resources, a competitive generation subsidiary of American Electric Power Company, issued a request for proposal for the supply of limestone to Cardinal and Conesville power plants. AEPGR seeks a three-year term, starting in 2018 and continuing through 2020, with unilateral options to renew.

11:41 EDT IZEA drops after holder AWM Investment sells shares - AWM Investment, a top institutional holder of IZEA, an online operator of marketplaces that facilitate transactions between marketers and content creators, disclosed in a filing on Tuesday evening that it had sold 450,000 shares of IZEA stock at an average price of $5.74 for a total transaction value of $2,584,620 between September 22 and September 26. Shares of IZEA are down almost 8% in morning trading to $6.10 per share.

11:31 EDT Ryanair says it will not pursue interest in Alitalia - Ryanair confirmed it will slow its growth this winter by flying 25 less aircraft from November, and 10 fewer aircraft from April 2018 and also said it will no longer pursue its interest in Alitalia. The company said, "By reducing its flying schedule in this controlled manner Ryanair will eliminate all risk of further flight cancellations, because slower growth creates lots of spare aircraft and crews across Ryanair's 86 bases this winter, roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary in Oct, Nov and Dec to meet the IAA's requirement to complete a 9 month annual leave transition period so that Ryanair starts a new calendar leave year from 1st Jan 2018 with no backlog, roster almost 40% of the annual pilot leave requirement for 2018 in Q1 2018, which removes risk of roster problems recurring next year, roll out a series of low fare seat sales for winter 2017 confident that there will be no further roster related cancellations...The 13,000 highly skilled aviation professionals in Ryanair continue to deliver Europe's lowest air fares to a growing and loyal customer base of 129m passengers p.a. This, over 30 year record of exceptional delivery, will continue but only if we learn from this mistake and work hard to ensure it never happens again. In order to focus on repairing this rostering problem this winter, Ryanair will eliminate all management distractions starting with its interest in Alitalia. We have notified the Alitalia bankruptcy Commissioners that we will not be pursuing our interest in Alitalia or submitting any further offers for the airline." Reference Link

11:19 EDT United Natural Foods falls after insiders sell shares - United Natural Foods COO Sean Griffin and SVP Joe Traficanti disclosed in filings on Tuesday evening that they had sold shares of company stock. The COO Griffin sold 8,095 shares at an average price of $43.25 for a total transaction value of $350,109 on September 22, while SVP Traficanti sold 5,800 shares at an average price of $43.25 for a total transaction value of $250,850 on the same day. Shares of United Natural Foods are down 2.6% to $43.25 per share in late morning trading.

11:08 EDT FTC requires Integra, J&J to divest 5 medical device product lines - Integra LifeSciences (IART) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) have agreed to a divestiture of five neurosurgical medical device product lines to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that Integra's proposed $1B acquisition of Johnson & Johnson's Codman Neuro division would negatively impact competition in those markets. Both companies supply a range of devices used in operative neurosurgery, hydrocephalus management and neuro-critical care. According to the FTC's complaint, the acquisition as it was proposed would likely harm competition in the U.S. markets for: intracranial pressure monitoring system, cerebrospinal fluid collection systems, non-antimicrobial external ventricular drainage catheters, fixed pressure valve shunt systems and dural grafts. Under the terms of a settlement with the FTC, Integra will sell these medical device product lines to California-based Natus Medical (BABY), which sells related neurological medical devices. To better guard against any erosion to competition, Integra and Codman also must divest Integra's manufacturing facility in San Diego, and the parties must supply Natus with cranial access kits - which provide tools used during cranial surgery and are often sold with the divestiture assets - until Natus is able to secure its own supply source.

11:04 EDT Humana contracts with CleanSlate Centers for opioid addiction services - CleanSlate Centers and Humana have signed a new contract that provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage and employer plan members at CleanSlate outpatient addiction treatment centers. The agreement provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO, Preferred Provider Organization, or PPO, and Private Fee-for-Service, or PFFS, health plan members and employer plan members seeking treatment at nearly 30 CleanSlate facilities in eight states: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Using quality, evidence-based practices, CleanSlate provides medication-assisted treatment and related therapies, primarily for alcohol and opioid use disorders. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

10:55 EDT Citron says Veritone should trade back to $20

10:41 EDT Marriott CEO says tax reform not a big impact now, not a lot of offshore money - The Marriot CEO is speaking in a CNBC interview.

10:21 EDT Amazon two-way messaging seen as opportunity, not threat, for Twilio - Shares of Twilio (TWLO) are on the rise today after several analysts pointed out that Amazon's (AMZN) launch of AWS Global SMS two-way text messaging should not be seen as a competitive threat to the company, especially since the new Pinpoint service is powered by Twilio. AWS TWO-WAY MESSAGING: Amazon Pinpoint has launched the AWS Global SMS two-way text messaging. Commenting on the new service, Amazon's Randall Hunt wrote in a post to the AWS Blog: "Last week Amazon Pinpoint launched AWS Global SMS two-way text messaging and we didn't get an opportunity to cover the launch. AWS Pinpoint users can now programmaticaly respond to their end-users' text messages. Users can provision both short codes and long codes which send inbound messages to an SNS topic." Last night, Twilio CEO and co-founder Jeff Lawson tweeted: "Excited that @twilio is now helping to power engagement on @AWS Pinpoint, with their launch of 2-way SMS!" YESTERDAY'S SELLOFF OVERDONE: In a research note to investors following the news, KeyBanc analyst Brent Bracelin argued that yesterday's selloff in Twilio appears to be an "overreaction." Twilio and Amazon have had a close relationship in the past that includes a small equity stake in Twilio that Amazon acquired prior to the Twilio IPO. Twilio has gone "all-in" on AWS and operates its global CPaaS operation on AWS' data centers, he pointed out. Nonetheless, the analyst reiterated a Sector Weight rating on Twilio's shares based on decelerating growth trends and margin erosion that is expected to occur in the second half of 2017. His peer at MUFG also pointed out that while the new Amazon service may appear to be a direct competitor to Twilio's programmable SMS Product, the company is actually helping to power engagement of the Pinpoint product. Analyst Stephen Bersey argued that he views this as a "broadening of the partnership" between Twilio and AWS more than direct competition. He reiterated an Overweight rating and $35 price target on Twilio's shares. Voicing a similar opinion, Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron told investors in a research note of his own that investor fears that the new AWS two-way messaging service will compete with Twilio are incorrect. While there is no "Powered by Twilio" branding, AWS's new Pinpoint SMS capability is powered on the back-end by Twilio's platform, he contends, adding that given Twilio's presence behind the scenes, he would view the announcement as a positive for Twilio. Furthermore, the analyst said he would be an aggressive buyer on any weakness, and reiterated an Outperform rating on Twilio's shares. NOT COMPETING WITH VONAGE: Also commenting on the news, Needham analyst Richard Valera noted that Vonage's (VG) shares fell yesterday due to the blog post discussing Amazon Pinpoint two-way SMS capability. However, the analyst pointed out that he believes it is "narrowly" focused on enabling user engagement campaigns for app developers and not a general purpose SMS/voice API, such as offered by Vonage. Valera reiterated a Buy rating and a $9.50 price target on Vonage shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Twilio have jumped about 7% to $29.49. Yesterday, the stock was under pressure on concerns related to Amazon's new product, dropping almost 7%. Vonage, which also slid late in yesterday's trading, is up 3% this morning.

09:45 EDT Trump says economy 'roaring' in tweet touting 9 month accomplishments - President Trump just tweeted, "But the people were Pro-Trump! Virtually no President has accomplished what we have accomplished in the first 9 months-and economy roaring."

09:37 EDT Oxford Immunotec provides update in patent litigation - Oxford (OXFD) announced a decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in the company's patent infringement lawsuit against Qiagen (QGEN), Quest Diagnostics (DGX), and Laboratory Corporation (LH) on the company's motion seeking to enjoin Qiagen from promoting its QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus product to new customers in the U.S. Although the court denied the company's motion because it believed the company was not likely to suffer irreparable harm from QFT-Plus during the few months remaining before trial, it found that the company was likely to prevail on the merits of its claims at trial and that Qiagen had not shown that it was likely to succeed on its subject matter, prior art or non-infringement objections. The court further noted that if the company "prevails at trial, it is likely that the infringing aspects of the QFT Plus will be permanently enjoined." "While we are disappointed that the court did not grant a preliminary injunction prohibiting the sale of Qiagen's QFT-Plus product in the U.S. before trial, we are encouraged by the court's rulings on the issues of validity and obviousness," said Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec. "We continue to look forward to the further defense of our patents at the upcoming trial in January."

09:27 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Cintas (CTAS), up 4.3%... Micron (MU), up 5.7%. ALSO HIGHER: Lannett (LCI), up 2.3% after the FDA approved its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Oxycodone and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP, 5 mg/325 mg and 10 mg/325 mg. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Nike (NKE), down 3%... Worthington (WOR), down 2.1%. ALSO LOWER: Westlake Chemical Partners (WLKP), down 9.1% after its 4.5M share Spot Secondary priced at $22.00.

09:13 EDT U.S. Silica to build second frac sand mine and plant in Permian Basin - U.S. Silica Holdings announced that it plans to build a second, state-of-the-art frac sand mine and plant in West Texas to serve the rapidly-growing Permian Basin. The new facility, located about 60 miles north of Midland, near Lamesa, Texas, is expected to produce approximately 2.6M tons annually and is part of the company's previously announced plan to add 8M-10M tons of new Brownfield and Greenfield capacity to meet surging frac sand demand. The $150M project will be funded with cash on hand and cash flow from operations. The company has secured customer commitments for the purchase of 1.2M tons per-year of sand including cash pre-payments, and for up to four Sandbox crews to deliver the sand directly from the mine to customer well sites. Construction of the mine and plant will begin immediately, and initial production is expected in March of 2018. The 3,500-acre site has over 30 years of reserves of fine grade 40/70 and 100 mesh. Besides having high quality reserves, the site has ample water supply, good transportation infrastructure and is located outside of the area in West Texas that has been identified as providing potential habitat for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard. With the addition of 2.6M tons of capacity at Lamesa, the company's total capital expansion program is now expected to deliver nearly 9.5M tons of incremental annual supply, including 4M tons at Crane County, and 2.8M tons at our Tyler, Kosse and Pacific sites collectively.

09:08 EDT New Jersey American Water investing $4.4M in Monmouth County - New Jersey American Water began work on a number of water infrastructure improvements, investing over $4.4M within its Monmouth County service areas. The approximate 30,130 feet of new pipe replaces water main that was installed as far back as the 1900s. The existing pipe has reached the end of its useful life and will be replaced with new ductile iron and PVC pipes. "These projects demonstrate our commitment to provide high quality, reliable water service to our customers and represent just a few of the $350M in system-wide upgrades we are making in 2017," stated Jeff Bowlby, manager of field operations.

09:03 EDT Ball to stop food can production at Springdale plant during Q4 - Ball announced that it will cease food can production at the company's Springdale, Arkansas, tinplate food and aerosol packaging manufacturing plant during the Q4. The Springdale plant will continue to produce and assemble aerosol cans, cut and coat flat sheet steel, and produce components used by other Ball food and aerosol facilities. The plant's affected employees will be provided benefits, including outplacement and severance pay, in accordance with company policies. They also can apply for open positions within Ball.

09:01 EDT Wal-Mart sets new goal for 10% priority chemical reduction by 2022 - Walmart is strengthening its sustainable chemistry policy for consumable products, reaffirming the company's work to increase transparency, advance improved product formulations, and offer a larger sustainable product selection for customers. As part of the policy expansion, Walmart aims to reduce its consumables chemical footprint for Walmart and Sam's Clubs U.S. stores by 10% by 2022, becoming the first U.S. retailer to set a time bound reduction goal. Consumables products include items like household cleaners, cosmetics and skincare items, and infant products, among others. The goal applies to chemicals defined by the Walmart Priority Chemicals List in its revised commitment. Other key updates to the Walmart sustainable chemistry commitment include: Although not a new requirement, Walmart still holds the expectation that suppliers will provide full ingredient disclosure of priority chemicals both online and now on product packages starting in 2018. Walmart looks to spur supplier transparency in cleaning products with new ingredient information on packaging, enabling customers to simply turn over the product and see ingredient information, in many ways similar to what customers already see and expect for food, beauty and personal care products. Walmart is adding two new regulatory lists to its priority chemicals list to better address fragrance allergens ingredients. In addition to its new chemical footprint reduction goal, Walmart will also ask suppliers to verify the purity of ingredients where contaminants of concern may exist. Walmart looks to increase its assortment of sustainably formulated products by encouraging use of two additional third party verification programs that lend credibility to green chemistry and safer substitutions.

08:48 EDT Boeing certifies Goodyear Tire's ultra-lightweight Flight Radial for 777X plane - The Boeing Company (BA) has certified The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's (GT) ultra-lightweight Flight Radial aviation tire for its 777X airplane. With this designation, the Goodyear Flight Radial becomes the first product to receive Boeing system part certification for the 777X. In December 2015, Goodyear announced that Boeing had selected the Flight Radial for the nose and main landing gear of the 777X, which is scheduled for delivery in 2020.

08:47 EDT La-Z-Boy CFO Louis Riccio Jr. to retire June 2018 - La-Z-Boy announced that Louis Riccio Jr., Senior Vice President and , will retire after the company completes its fiscal 2018 year-end reporting in June of 2018. La-Z-Boy will launch a national search for a successor who will work with Riccio through a transition period.

08:36 EDT OpenTable 'Guest Share' feature for restaurant groups rolls out nationally - OpenTable, part of The Priceline Group, announced the national roll-out of its "Guest Share" feature, which is designed to elevate hospitality by enabling restaurant groups to seamlessly share guest preferences and notes across their portfolio of locations. Restaurant groups with two or more related locations using GuestCenter, OpenTable's flagship hospitality solution for restaurants, can now utilize Guest Share nationwide. The feature makes it simple for restaurants to delight their guests with a more personal and extraordinary experience at every location.

08:32 EDT Perrigo announces launch of OTC store brand equivalent of Nexium 24HR capsules - Perrigo announced it has initiated shipments to retail customers of the first-to-market over-the-counter store brand equivalent of Nexium 24HR capsules. This product is packaged and marketed as store brands or retailer 'own label' brands and provides consumers a high-quality, value alternative to Nexium 24HR capsules. Nexium 24HR capsules are indicated to treat frequent heartburn. Approximate retail sales for the last 12 months were in excess of $300M.

08:32 EDT Medidata opens new London EMEA headquarters - Medidata announced the official opening of its new EMEA headquarters at 12 Hammersmith Grove, London, to facilitate the company's continued expansion in the region. Europe is one of Medidata's fastest growing markets, serving various customers, including big pharma, biotech and medtech companies and leading CROs. The company has a strong and increasing presence in the region, with offices in London and Dusseldorf and a data center in Frankfurt, with plans to expand into additional European Life Sciences hubs. London has been the location of the company's EMEA Headquarters for over ten years and serves as a pivotal hub for the region's sales and marketing operations and a global hub for R&D.

08:31 EDT Orbital ATK awarded $350M advanced anti-radar guided missile contract - Orbital ATK has been awarded a contract worth as much as $350M from the U.S. Navy to continue full-rate production of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile. With an initial award of $157M for FRP Lot 6 U.S. Navy missiles, this contract will deliver advanced capability to our warfighters. The contract also includes an option for FRP Lot 7 missiles. The contract covers all-up round missiles and captive air training missiles for the U.S. Navy, Italian Air Force and other allies through Foreign Military Sales orders. AARGM provides the U.S. Navy and our allies with critical mission capabilities to counter the accelerating proliferation of surface-to-air threats. AARGM is a U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force international cooperative major acquisition program with the U.S. Navy as the executive agent. AARGM is currently deployed and supporting operational requirements for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The missile is integrated into the weapons systems on the FA-18C/D Hornet, FA-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. AARGM is anticipated to achieve Initial Operational Capability on the Italian Air Force's Tornado ECR aircraft in 2018.

08:18 EDT Xcel Energy to build new 300 MW wind farm in South Dakota - Xcel Energy announced plans to build and own a new 300-megawatt wind farm in South Dakota, adding to the company's nation-leading wind expansion strategy. This project puts Xcel Energy on pace to be the first utility in the nation to surpass 10,000 megawatts of wind on its system, which would be more than enough clean energy to power every home in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Dakota Range project, developed by Apex Clean Energy, is the first publicly announced wind project to advance under the phase down of federal tax credits. The Dakota Range project, which will use Vestas turbines, is expected to be operational in 2021, pending regulatory approval. This increases Xcel Energy's current wind proposals nationwide to 3,680 megawatts at 13 wind farms in seven states, adding to its largest multi-state wind investment in the country. These projects expand Xcel Energy's wind portfolio 55% company wide.

08:15 EDT Westinghouse wins contract to dismantle reactor coolant systems - Westinghouse Electric Company announced it has signed a contract with JAVYS for the dismantling of the reactor coolant systems of two VVER-440 units at the Bohunice V1 Nuclear Power Plant in Slovakia. The project is financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The scope of the contract covers the pre-dismantling decontamination, dismantling, and fragmentation of power reactor pressure vessels, power reactor internal components and other power reactor structures, systems and components of Bohunice V1. It also includes material and waste management in accordance with Slovak and European Union regulations.

08:10 EDT BioCardia announces interim safety analysis in CardiAMP stem cell therapy trial - BioCardia announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board has completed the pre-specified interim analysis of safety outcomes for the first 10 patients treated in the Phase 3 trial of its investigational CardiAMP cell therapy product. The DSMB indicated there were no significant safety concerns with the CardiAMP study results and recommended that the trial continue, as planned. This ongoing multi-center, double-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled Phase 3 trial is expected to enroll 260 patients at up to 40 centers nationwide. The trial is evaluating CardiAMP cell therapy in adult patients with heart failure that develops following a heart attack. The primary efficacy endpoint is a significant improvement in Six Minute Walk distance at 12 months' post-treatment. It also incorporates the impact of major adverse cardiac events and other clinically meaningful events. Study subjects must be diagnosed with New York Heart Association Class II or III heart failure as a result of a previous heart attack. The national co-principal investigators are Dr. Raval and Carl Pepine, MD, of the University of Florida, Gainesville. The company anticipates filing an investigational device exemption supplement to add an interim efficacy readout in 4Q18 and expects top line data in 4Q19.

08:08 EDT Baxter launches DeviceVue advanced asset tracking system for Sigma Spectrum - Baxter International announced the launch of DeviceVue, a comprehensive asset tracking solution available exclusively to hospitals using the Sigma Spectrum Infusion System. Designed to help enhance clinical and hospital efficiency, DeviceVue helps enable clinicians and biomedical engineers to quickly find unused pumps by viewing pump location and status data from their PC, iPad or iPhone. With DeviceVue, Baxter is the first and only smart infusion pump manufacturer to offer a tagless, end-to-end asset tracking application.

08:05 EDT Audentes Therapeutics: FDA grants Rare Pediatric Disease, Fast Track for AT132 - Audentes Therapeutics announced that the U.S.FDA has granted Rare Pediatric Disease and Fast Track designations for AT132, the company's gene therapy product candidate being developed to treat X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy. In addition to these two new designations, AT132 has also received Orphan Drug designation from both the FDA and European Medicines Agency.

08:04 EDT Immune Pharmaceuticals announces 'positive' results in bertilimumab trial - Immune Pharmaceuticals announced preliminary results from the first six subjects enrolled in its ongoing, open-label phase 2 study of bertilimumab in patients with moderate to severe bullous pemphigoid. In February 2017, the company reported results from the first three subjects enrolled in the study. The results from three new subjects confirm and extend previous findings. The six subjects in the study experienced a decline in the Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index Total Activity Score of 85%. The mean BPDAI Total Activity Score declined from a baseline of 56 to 10 by the final assessment on day 84. The improvement experienced by all six subjects was rapid, with a mean decline in the BPDAI Total Activity Score of 72% achieved by day 42. All six subjects in the study achieved a greater than 50% reduction in their BPDAI Total Activity Score by the final assessment, and four of the six patients had a greater than 90% reduction. Bertilimumab was well tolerated in all six subjects and no serious adverse events were reported. An important goal of this study is to minimize steroid exposure, which causes significant morbidity and mortality in BP patients. Treatment guidelines for moderate-to-severe BP suggest a starting prednisone dose of 0.5-1.0 mg/kg and a slow taper. In contrast, all six subjects in the study experienced rapid improvement in their condition despite a low initial steroid dose and rapid taper. The mean initial prednisone dose was 0.3 mg/kg (equivalent to 26 mg), which was tapered to just 0.1 mg/kg by the last assessment. As of the last follow-up, five of the six subjects were receiving a prednisone dose of 10 mg or less. The attached figure illustrates the mean BPDAI scores and mean prednisone dose observed in the study, as well as the prednisone dose that subjects would have received under the treatment regimen employed by Joly et al in their landmark study of oral and topical corticosteroids. Based on baseline disease severity, subjects in our ongoing phase 2 study would have been expected to be treated with an initial prednisone dose of 0.75 mg/kg tapering by day 84 to 0.4 mg/kg. These subjects received approximately 30 mg per day less prednisone over the course of the study than they would have been expected to receive in a standard BP treatment regimen. A reduction in corticosteroid use to this extent would represent a meaningful step forward in the management of this challenging condition.

08:03 EDT Hologic receives FDA 510(k) clearance to market SculpSure - Hologic (HOLX) announced that the U.S. FDA has granted an expanded FDA 510(k) clearance for Cynosure's (CYNO) non-invasive body contouring product, SculpSure. The state-of-the-art body contouring laser treatment is now cleared to treat a double chin, marking the product's sixth cleared body treatment area. SculpSure is also cleared to treat the abdomen, love handles, back, and inner and outer thighs.

08:02 EDT 2K announces WWE 2K18 season pass, downloadable content offerings - 2K (TTWO) announced details surrounding the Season Pass and downloadable content offerings for WWE 2K18, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE (WWE) video game franchise. The offerings will include playable WWE and NXT Superstars, including The Hardy Boyz; a host of new in-game moves; and access to both unlockable content and player progression features. The individual content packages will begin releasing in late 2017, with some packages releasing in early 2018, for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.

07:49 EDT ReneSola updates on impact of sale of manufacturing and LED business - ReneSola provides a business update. As announced on September 25, the Company has entered into a definitive share repurchase and subscription agreement, or SPA, with Mr. Xianshou Li, the Company's Chairman and CEO for the sale of the Company's manufacturing and LED distribution businesses. The transaction will also transfer substantially all of ReneSola's related indebtedness to Li. The transaction will result in: the Company will no longer be liable for the bank borrowings in excess of RMB 3B, and the Buyer and his spouse will continue to provide personal guarantees for a majority of such bank's borrowings; the acquired businesses will cancel approximately $217.3M of intercompany payables owed to it by the Company; and the Company will issue 180 million ordinary shares to ReneSola Singapore Pte., an entity to be fully owned by the Buyer upon completion.This transaction will significantly improve the Company's balance sheet, providing the financial flexibility necessary

07:40 EDT Hoegh LNG announces suspension of acquisition of SRV shares from MOL - Hoegh LNG Partners announced on August 24 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Hoegh LNG Partners Operating, had entered into a term sheet to acquire from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, or MOL, 23.5% of the shares of each of SRV Joint Gas and SRV Joint Gas Two, as well as 23.5% of the outstanding shareholder loans from MOL aggregating $1.5M. The Partnership originally expected the Acquisition to close by September 30. As discussed in the Partnership's Form 6-K for the quarter ended June 30 the charterer of the two FSRUs has raised certain performance claims with respect to the vessels. Although the Partnership would be indemnified by its sponsor, Hoegh LNG Holdings, for its share of the cash impact of any settlement with the charterer with respect to such claims, the Partnership has informed MOL of its intention to suspend the Acquisition pending further resolution of this matter. The closing of the Acquisition also continues to remain subject to the execution of a definitive purchase agreement, as well as certain other documentation and final board approvals.

07:37 EDT Dynatronics to acquire Bird & Cronin for approximately $14.5M - Dynatronics announced it has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Bird & Cronin, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of orthopedic soft goods and specialty patient care products. Bird & Cronin will be operated following closing of the purchase as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dynatronics. The purchase price is approximately $14.5M, payable in cash and stock of Dynatronics, with an additional $1M contingent payment payable 24 months following the closing based on post-closing revenues of the Bird & Cronin operating unit. The purchase price will be paid at closing by delivery of cash totaling $9.1M and the issuance of $3.6M in shares of Dynatronics Series D Preferred Stock. Dynatronics will also pay the seller between $0.5M and $1.5M in cash on the second anniversary of the closing based on a predetermined formula. Approximately $900,000 in cash and $400,000 in stock will be subject to a holdback, with 50% of the holdback released one year from the closing date and the other 50% approximately two years from the closing date. Bird & Cronin recorded revenues for the twelve months ended September 30, 2016 of approximately $23.2M, with gross margin of approximately 36.0%, and operating income of approximately $2.1M. Adjusted EBITDA during the twelve months ended September 30, 2016 was $2.3M. On a pro forma combined basis, sales for Dynatronics and Bird & Cronin for the twelve month period ended June 30, 2017 totaled approximately $60M, with Bird & Cronin products accounting for approximately 40% of combined revenues. Results also include the results of Hausmann Industries, acquired by Dynatronics in April 2017, which was consolidated for one fiscal quarter. The combination of Bird & Cronin and Dynatronics is expected to bring numerous benefits to the combined entity, including: Gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin accretion; Opportunities to expand Bird & Cronin products into private practice physical therapy, athletic training, and chiropractic markets; Access to a strong management team with desire to continue in the combined business. Dynatronics expects the combined entity to be cash flow positive following the acquisition and anticipates that there may be cost synergies from the combination of the two businesses over time. The Company plans to reinvest any such synergies into the combined business. Dynatronics also expects certain one-time costs from the integration.

07:36 EDT Jepesen announces renewal agreement with Air Malta - Boeing, through its subsidiary Jeppesen, announced a three-year service renewal agreement with Air Malta to provide Jeppesen's industry-leading FliteDeck Pro electronic flight bag services on iPad, in addition to digital charting data and NavData global navigation services for the airline.

07:34 EDT CGI Group awarded EUR64.9M contract by European Comission - CGI has been selected by the European Commission for a five-year contract valued at EUR64.9M to oversee IT quality assurance, quality control, and project management services for the Commission's Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union, or DG TAXUD. CGI's oversight of the IT systems and activities managed by or on behalf of DG TAXUD, will help to reduce risks, ensure operational excellence and support the DG TAXUD in successfully pursuing a number of strategic initiatives ahead. Under the new contract, CGI will define the quality standards against which other IT suppliers for the DG TAXUD are measured based on industry best practices and market trends, as well as maintain and evolve its overall IT quality management system.

07:33 EDT Qualcomm invents new, smart single-use biometric patches - Qualcomm (QCOM), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, announced that it has designed and developed breakthrough reference designs for cost-effective, connected and medical-grade biometric patches that will enable a multitude of intelligent care models, from perioperative care to assessing the impact of therapeutic interventions. Designed to allow health care professionals to monitor patients across the care continuum with access to near real-time data, the patches measure a variety of biometric parameters, including clinical thermometry and sophisticated motion measurements. Benchmark Electronics (BHE) will license the reference designs and serve as the device design and manufacturer of record with the FDA for those sensors. As a part of the collaboration, Qualcomm, Qualcomm Life, and Benchmark Electronics entered into a Healthcare Product License Agreement, which allows Benchmark to license reference designs for Qualcomm Life's biometric patches. Clinical validation is currently underway, and the patches are slated to be commercially available through Benchmark in 2018.

07:31 EDT Azure Power wins 20MWs of solar rooftop projects for Indian Railways - Azure Power announced that it has won an additional 20 MWs of solar rooftop projects for Indian Railways, the largest rail network in Asia, owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. With the new allocation of 20 MWs, Azure Power has become the largest supplier of solar power to Indian Railways with a cumulative awarded capacity of over 66 MWs which includes the 46 MWs of capacity won earlier this year. Azure Roof Power will be used to provide power for 25 years to various Indian Railway facilities across 17 states and union territories. The power will be sold at a tariff range of INR 3.64 - 4.49 based on location. In addition, Azure Power qualifies for a capital incentive from Indian Railways which is expected to result in a weighted average levelized tariff of INR 4.88 per kWh.

07:08 EDT Tucows acquires Roam Mobility from Otono Networks - Tucows announced that it has acquired Roam Mobility from Otono Networks. Roam is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or MVNO, operating on the same nationwide GSM network as Ting Mobile. The acquisition includes three Roam brands that will each continue to operate independently alongside Ting within Tucows' mobile network access group. There will be no changes for either Roam or Ting customers. Revenue from the Roam businesses will start contributing to Tucows financials toward the end of September. However, it is not expected to have a material impact on overall company performance. Tucows will also be partnering with Otono for eSIM enablement and will utilize the Otono Platform in the near future to bring greater device support to Ting. eSIM allows mobile users to more easily choose mobile networks and switch between networks on their tablets and wearables.

07:07 EDT YogaWorks acquires Pure Prana Yoga Studio in Alexandria, Virginia - YogaWorks continues its expansion with the acquisition of Pure Prana Yoga Studio in Alexandria, Virginia. This deal marks YogaWorks' third studio acquisition since it became a publicly traded company in August and comes on the heels of last month's purchase of two studios in Virginia and Washington D.C.

07:05 EDT OncoCyte reports successful completion of CLIA lab validation study of DetermaVu - OncoCyte announced that its CLIA laboratory has successfully completed a rigorous validation study of DetermaVu, OncoCyte's diagnostic test for lung cancer. In this study, OncoCyte assayed approximately 120 samples previously tested in its 299-patient study presented at the American Thoracic Society conference in May 2017, with the goal of demonstrating that OncoCyte's new clinical laboratory provides the same results on clinical samples as those obtained in its R&D lab. The results met all performance criteria, demonstrating the accuracy and robustness of the assay as performed in the Company's CLIA laboratory. The CLIA lab validation study included specific protocols to confirm the accuracy, reproducibility, and precision/repeatability of DetermaVu.

07:03 EDT Lexicon begins dosing in Phase 1 study of LX9211 for neuropathic pain - Lexicon Pharmaceuticals announced the company has initiated dosing in a Phase 1 study of LX9211, an orally-administered small molecule for the treatment of neuropathic pain. LX9211 is a selective inhibitor of AAK1, which in preclinical studies demonstrated significant reduction in pain response in a series of pain models and was well-tolerated at and above efficacious doses in animals. The Phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study for LX9211 is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of LX9211 across nine oral escalating dose levels in healthy volunteers.

07:01 EDT Check-Cap files CE Mark registration of C-Scan - Check-Cap announced that it has filed for the CE Mark registration of C-Scan. Data from the multi-center clinical investigation to support the submission showed safety and encouraging results for detecting patients with polyps in an un-prepped colon. The objective of the study was to assess safety and the clinical performance of C-Scan in detecting patients with polyps. The three-center trial enrolled 66 patients. The study demonstrated a 44% sensitivity in the 45 subjects included in the analysis for polyps, with specificity of 89%. Sensitivity strongly correlated to the percentage of the colon scanned. Sensitivity was 78% and 100% for subjects where greater than 50% and 70% of the colon was scanned, respectively. Specificity was consistent for all subjects.

06:57 EDT Lannett receives FDA approval of ANDA for Oxycodone and Acetaminophen Tablets - Lannett announced that it received approval from the FDA of its Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, for Oxycodone and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP, 5 mg/325 mg and 10 mg/325 mg, the therapeutic equivalent to the reference listed drug, Percocet Tablets, 5 mg/325 mg and 10 mg/325 mg, of Vintage Pharmaceuticals, LLC.

06:56 EDT Babcock & Wilcox provides update on renewable projects - Babcock & Wilcox reported that it has identified a structural steel issue at a renewable energy project in the United Kingdom. Management believes that the issue is the result of an engineering error by a subcontractor, and work has been stopped at the project pending further investigation. Additionally, while the issue has not manifested itself in other projects, the company has proactively stopped work at two renewable projects in the United Kingdom that have similar engineering designs. "We are working diligently to assess the situation. Keeping in mind that the safety of our employees and subcontractors is our top priority, we chose to stop work temporarily at all three projects," said Jimmy Morgan, senior vice president of B&W's Renewable segment. "We presently expect the total cost impact to the first project will be in the range of $10 to 15 million. We also presently expect the total cost impact to the other two projects to be below that amount. These estimates do not take into account possible recoveries from third parties, which we intend to actively pursue."

06:47 EDT WidePoint awarded $9.3M task order by ICE - WidePoint announced an award of Option Year 2 task order modification for cellular wireless managed services by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, for approximately $9.3M.

06:33 EDT Enanta: AbbVie's MAVIRET receives approval in Japan for treatment of HCV - Enanta Pharmaceuticals (ENTA) announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved AbbVie's (ABBV) MAVIRET, a once-daily, ribavirin-free treatment for adults with chronic hepatitis C virus infection across all major genotypes. MAVIRET is the first and only 8-week treatment option in Japan for GT1 and GT2 HCV infected patients without cirrhosis and who are new to direct-acting antiviral treatment, including those with chronic kidney disease. These patients represent the majority of people living with HCV in Japan.2 In Japan, MAVIRET is also approved as a 12-week option for patients infected with GT3-6, patients with specific treatment challenges, including patients with compensated cirrhosis, and those with limited treatment options such as those not cured with previous DAA treatment.1 Enanta expects to receive a $15M milestone payment from AbbVie in the quarter ending December 31, 2017, upon price reimbursement approval of MAVIRET in Japan.

06:11 EDT ForeScout Technologies and CyberArk partner to develop security solution - ForeScout Technologies and CyberArk announced a new partnership and joint solution. The joint solution, available as the ForeScout Extended Module for CyberArk, provides deep enterprise security capabilities to improve visibility and insight into privileged accounts on previously unknown devices, enforce greater security controls, and automate threat detection and response.

06:06 EDT Five Alumni of Heinz send letter to Procter & Gamble directors - Five Alumni of the H.J. Heinz Company Board of Directors sent a letter to Directors of The Procter & Gamble reflecting on their positive experience working with Nelson Peltz in the Heinz boardroom. Following Heinz's hard-fought 2006 proxy contest against Trian Fund Management, the Alumni of the Heinz Board found Nelson Peltz to be a valuable, constructive and collegial director with a focus on delivering long-term value to Heinz shareholders. The five signatories of the letter are former Heinz directors Charles E. Bunch, Thomas J. Usher, Dennis Reilley, John G. Drosdick and Dean R. O'Hare - all of whom were members of the Heinz Board for the entirety of Nelson Peltz's tenure on the Board from 2006 through 2013.

06:03 EDT JAKKS Pacific enters into toy licensing deal with Disney for Incredibles 2 - JAKKS Pacific (JAKK) announced it has entered into a multi-year, global master toy licensing deal with Disney Consumer Products for Disney Pixar's Incredibles 2. The deal also includes master toy rights for the 2004 film The Incredibles. Under the terms of the worldwide agreement, JAKKS will manufacture, market, and distribute action figures and accessories, including mini-figures and collectible figures, playsets, interactive toys, preschool toys, role-play and dress-up accessories, novelty toys, radio control toy vehicles, toy vehicles, including die cast and plastic as well as associated playsets. Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (DIS)

06:01 EDT GDS Holdings to acquire operational data center in Guangzhou - GDS Holdings announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire an operational data center in Guangzhou, further positioning the Company for growth in a key Tier 1 market. The GZ2 facility has an IT area of approximately 5,400 sqm, which is fully committed and utilized by a major Internet customer. GZ2 is located adjacent to the company's Guangzhou 1 data center, which is also fully committed with another major Internet company as anchor customer. GZ2 came into service in mid-2015 and is already profitable. GDS will further upgrade the power capacity of the GZ2 facility in order to support the Internet customer's growing Cloud business. The acquisition is expected to close later this year, subject to customary closing conditions.

05:53 EDT Volkswagen's Scania fined EUR880M by EU for participating in trucks cartel - The European Commission has found that Scania (VLKAY) broke EU antitrust rules. It colluded for 14 years with five other truck manufacturers on truck pricing and on passing on the costs of new technologies to meet stricter emission rules. The Commission has imposed a fine of EUR880.523M on Scania. In July 2016, the Commission reached a settlement decision concerning the trucks cartel with MAN, DAF, Daimler (DDAIF), Iveco and Volvo/Renault. Scania decided not to settle this cartel case with the Commission, unlike the other five participants in the trucks cartel. As a result, the Commission's investigation against Scania was carried out under the standard cartel procedure.Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, said: "Today's decision marks the end of our investigation into a very long lasting cartel - 14 years. This cartel affected very substantial numbers of road hauliers in Europe, since Scania and the other truck manufacturers in the cartel produce more than 9 out of every 10 medium and heavy trucks sold in Europe. These trucks account for around three quarters of inland transport of goods in Europe and play a vital role in the European economy. Instead of colluding on pricing, the truck manufacturers should have been competing against each other - also on environmental improvements."

05:33 EDT Elbit Systems awarded $300M contract for supply of command and control systems - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded an approximately $300M contract, for the supply of command and control systems to a customer in Asia-Pacific. The project will be performed over the next three years.

05:29 EDT Yintech Investment to acquire Forthright Securities for $2.1M - Yintech Investment announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% equity interest in Forthright Securities from Ming Yan, a co-founder and director of Yintech who held 21.4% of the company as of June 30. Yintech has received approval from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong for the proposed transaction. The proposed transaction is expected to be completed in October for a total consideration of approximately $2.1M, subject to customary closing conditions and adjustments.

05:24 EDT AbbVie announces approval of Maviret in Japan - AbbVie announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or MHLW, approved Maviret, a once-daily, ribavirin-free treatment for adults with chronic hepatitis C virus, or HCV, infection across all major genotypes, or GT1-6. Maviret is the first and only 8-week treatment option in Japan for GT1 and GT2 HCV infected patients without cirrhosis and who are new to direct-acting antiviral, or DAA, treatment, including those with chronic kidney disease, or CKD. These patients represent the majority of people living with HCV in Japan. In Japan, Maviret is also a 12-week option for patients infected with GT3-6, patients with specific treatment challenges including patients with compensated cirrhosis, and those with limited treatment options such as those not cured with previous DAA treatment.

05:15 EDT Bombardier issues statement on Commerce Department's preliminary decision - Bombardier (BDRBF) issued the following statement: "We strongly disagree with the Commerce Department's preliminary decision. The magnitude of the proposed duty is absurd and divorced from the reality about the financing of multibillion-dollar aircraft programs. This result underscores what we have been saying for months: the U.S. trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing (BA) is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition and prevent U.S. airlines and their passengers from benefiting from the C Series. The simple truth is that Bombardier created a superior aircraft that is more efficient, more comfortable, and quieter. The C Series serves a market segment not supported by any U.S. manufacturer. Delta (DAL) wants to bring this remarkable new aircraft to the U.S. flying public. Boeing wants to prevent U.S. passengers from realizing these benefits, irrespective of the harm that it would cause to the U.S. aerospace industry and the cost to airlines and consumers. Looking beyond today's and next month's preliminary decisions, the International Trade Commission will determine next year whether Boeing suffered any injury from the C Series. Because Boeing did not compete at Delta and because Boeing years ago abandoned the market the C Series serves, there is no harm. There is wide consensus within the industry on this point, as well as a growing chorus of voices, including airlines, consumer groups, trade experts, and many others who have come forward to express grave concerns with Boeing's attempt to force U.S. airlines to buy less efficient planes with configurations they do not want and economics that do not deliver value. The U.S. government should reject Boeing's attempt to unfairly tilt the playing field in its favor and to impose an indirect tax on the flying public through unjustified import tariffs."