Stockwinners Market Radar for October 20, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:37 EDT DBV sinks following peanut allergy trial miss, Aimmune soars - Shares of DBV Technologies (DBVT) are sinking after the company announced that its Phase III study in peanut allergic patients ages four to 11 years missed the primary endpoint. The stock is down 46%, or $22.35, to $25.72 in after-hours trading. DBV said it will continue ongoing discussions with the FDA and plans to proceed with the Biologics License Application preparation process. Shares of Aimmune Therapeutics (AIMT), a company also in Phase III with a peanut allergy treatment, are soaring. The stock is up 56%, or $14.24, to $39.90.

17:23 EDT Armistice Capital reports 4.7% passive stake in Intellipharmaceutics

16:44 EDT EJF Capital reports 7% passive stake in Eagle Bancorp

16:40 EDT Tesla amends 'warehouse agreements' to increase commitments to $1.1B - On October 18,Tesla entered into an amendment to each of the Warehouse Agreements. The Amendments increased the shared aggregate lender commitments across the Warehouse Agreements from $600M to $1.1B and added additional lenders, among other things. As a result, the commitments under the A&R 2016 Warehouse Agreement and the 2017 Warehouse Agreement were $511,125,806 and $588,874,194, respectively, as of October 18. The Warehouse Agreements provide that the lender commitment under the A&R 2016 Warehouse Agreement may from time to time be reduced and reallocated to the 2017 Warehouse Agreement in a corresponding amount.

16:35 EDT Connecture trading resumes

16:17 EDT Gabelli reports 8.26% stake in Schmitt Industries Inc

16:11 EDT Xencor says all 12 of patients from study of XmAb 5871 achieved primary endpoint - Xencor announced that the final results from its open-label, Phase 2 study of XmAb 5871 in patients with IgG4-Related Disease will be presented in a late-breaking, oral presentation on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at the American College of Rheumatology 2017 Annual Meeting. XmAb 5871 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets CD19 with its variable domain and that uses Xencor's XmAb immune inhibitor Fc domain to target Fc?RIIb, a receptor that inhibits B-cell function. XmAb5871 is the first drug candidate that Xencor is aware of that targets Fc?RIIb inhibition. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients on Day 169 with a decrease in the IgG4-RD RI of greater than or equal to 2 points compared to baseline. Secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients achieving an IgG4-RD RI of 0 with no corticosteroids after month 2. Other immunosuppressive medications were not allowed. Mechanistic studies were performed at baseline and at selected intervals. 12 patients, 80%, completed the study and all 12 achieved the primary endpoint of at least a 2-point reduction in the IgG4-RD RI on Day 169. None of the 12 required CS after month 2. 8 patients achieved remission.

16:00 EDT Connecture trading halted, news pending

15:22 EDT Box Office Battle: Disaster movie 'Geostorm' to be box-office disaster? - This weekend will see the Halloween holiday-timed release of Lionsgate (LGF.A, LGF.B) comedy "Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween," which is opening at 2,388 theaters. "Boo 2!" is expected to win this weekend's domestic box office with a gross of about $25M. Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK) subsidiary Universal and Blumhouse Productions' horror film "Happy Death Day," which won last weekend's box office, is expected to earn an additional $11M-$12M this weekend, in its second weekend at theaters. Also opening this weekend at 3,246 theaters is Time Warner's (TWX) Warner Bros. climate disaster film "Geostorm," which stars Gerard Butler. The film, which had a production budget of $120M, is expected to earn in the range of $9M-$11M. Another Warner Bros. film, "Blade Runner 2049," the sequel to the 1982 science fiction classic "Blade Runner," is expected to earn an additional $7M-$8M in its third weekend at theaters. Other publicly traded companies in filmmaking include 21st Century Fox (FOX, FOXA), Disney (DIS), Sony (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA, VIAB).

15:13 EDT Context BH Capital reports 5.1% passive stake in Bay Bancorp, Inc.

14:39 EDT Empery Asset Management reports 5.63% passive stake in Tandem Diabetes

13:25 EDT Top Image to launch new cloud-based solution at SAP conference - Top Image Systems (TISA) said in a statement that it will join the SAP (SAP) Business One community to launch its new cloud-based eFLOW AP solution, integrated with SAP Business One. Top Image, "Our new AP Automation for SAP Business One solution provides automated, end-to-end invoice processing as a secure, cloud-based service. In delivering a cloud-based deployment of our proven, on-premise eFLOW AP for SAP, Top Image Systems can empower a broader range of accounts payable professionals with end-to-end automated invoice processing. For Business One organizations, the solution can radically enhance processing efficiency, expand accounts payable staff performance, reduce operational risks, and improve response times and customer journey experiences." Shares of Top Image are up 25c to $1.54. Reference Link

13:24 EDT Whole Foods says replaced POS for payment card transactions

13:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 15 to 913 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 15 rigs from last week to 913, with oil rigs down 7 to 736, gas rigs down 8 to 177, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. The U.S. Rig Count is up 360 rigs from last year's count of 553, with oil rigs up 293, gas rigs up 69, and miscellaneous rigs down 2 to 2. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged from last week at 20 and down 3 rigs year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 10 rigs from last week to 202, with oil rigs down 5 to 107 and gas rigs down 5 to 95. The Canada Rig Count is up 59 rigs from last year's count of 143, with oil rigs up 38 and gas rigs up 21.

12:11 EDT The Intersection: Crypto and Wall Street This Week - As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly: 1. CFTC RELEASES REPORT: The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission released a report on Tuesday, titled "A CFTC Primer on Virtual Currencies," in which it said digital currencies like bitcoin fall under the oversight of the commission when they are used "in a derivatives contract, or if there is fraud or manipulation involving a virtual currency traded in interstate commerce." The report, which also outlined prohibited activities and risks associated with digital currencies, said, "beyond instances of fraud or manipulation, the CFTC does not oversee 'spot' or cash market exchanges and transactions involving virtual currencies that do not utilize margin, leverage, or financing." 2. RUSSIA PLANS CRYPTO LAUNCH: Russia is planning to launch its own official cryptocurrency, called the CryptoRuble, although it is unlikely to have the decentralized nature of other digital currencies, TechCrunch reported on Sunday. The CryptoRuble, which cannot be mined, appears to be blockchain-based but will be issued and tracked by the government like ordinary currency. CryptoRubles will be able to be freely exchanged, however they will require proof of origin upon exchange, such as a documented retail transaction or service rendered and undocumented CryptoRubles will face a 13% tax. 3. SPAIN BEGINS BLOCKCHAIN: Top technology officers at some of Spain's largest companies have formed a consortium to develop a national blockchain-based ledger, called Alastria, with assistance from the government and universities, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. The consortium's board includes Banco Santander (SAN) head of blockchain research and development Julio Faura, vice presidents in charge of innovation at BME and Banco Sabadelli Maria Parga and Montserrat Guardia, Repsol's (REPYY) director of innovation Nuria Avalos, BBVA (BBVA) CTO of digital innovation Carlos Kuchovsky and Gas Natural Fenosa director of technology and communications Jose Maria Boixeda. According to an Alastria statement, the network "will provide a shared platform on which the various participants, and in particular large companies, will be able to create digital representations of the assets with which they work in their usual economic activity, also known as 'tokens'. With these 'tokens' it is possible to develop new products and innovative cutting services, in addition to being able to develop current processes faster, safer and more efficiently." 4. SHILLER SAYS BITCOIN A FAD: On Monday, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller said bitcoin is a fad and compared it to bimetallism on CNBC's Closing Bell. "I'll take bitcoin, too, because I know I can sell it and get out of it. There seems to be some strange enthusiasm for it," he said. "People get excited about things like new monetary standards. Remember bimetallism? It went into a fad, everyone was talking about it for a while. And then it faded." He added, ""I think gold is a bubble, but it's always been a bubble. It has some industrial uses, but it basically it's like a fad that's lasted thousands of years." 5. OTHER BITCOIN PLAYS: Cryptocurrency revenues have been pointed to as reasons to be bullish on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) in select research. PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, Bitcoin rose about 4.4% this week, or $250, to trade near $5,950 in U.S. dollars according to CoinDesk. Meanwhile, AMD shares were down 2% to $13.95 this week and Nvidia rose 1.7% on a weekly basis to $197.96. Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) rose 3% this week to $703. WANT BITCOIN NEWS ALERTS?: To receive alerts on stories relating to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Fly subscribers can enter "Bitcoin" into the "Add symbols" box of their portfolios.

10:48 EDT DHX Media 'not aware' of material undisclosed information related to company - DHX Media, in response to a request by Market Surveillance, has confirmed that it is not aware of any material undisclosed information relating to the company.

10:30 EDT Honeywell says expects lower CapEx, working capital in 2018

10:22 EDT General Electric CEO not 'wed' to any current business structure - John Flannery is speaking on CNBC.

10:21 EDT GE CEO says business units have 'significant amount of synergy' - John Flannery is speaking on CNBC.

10:15 EDT Concordia trading resumes

10:12 EDT General Electric CEO says not viewing the dividend 'emotionally'

10:11 EDT General Electric CEO says dividend analysis will be presented in November - John Flannery is speaking on CNBC.

10:08 EDT General Electric CEO says company undergoing 'sweeping change' - John Flannery, while speaking on CNBC, adds the company's units need to be run better.

10:03 EDT Veracyte: Data presented demonstrate accuracy of BRAF V600E - Veracyte announced that data presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association being held October 18-22 in Victoria, BC, Canada demonstrate the accuracy of identification of BRAF V600E and parathyroid tissue through new classifiers developed in conjunction with the next-generation Afirma Genomic Sequencing Classifier. The BRAF V600E and parathyroid classifiers were designed to further reduce unnecessary surgeries in thyroid cancer diagnosis and guide appropriate treatment for patients whose thyroid nodules are likely cancerous. In the first study, researchers used the BRAF classifier to blindly evaluate 264 indeterminate thyroid nodule fine needle aspiration samples for the BRAF V600E mutation. They found that the Afirma classifier had a 100 percent sensitivity and a 99 percent specificity for the mutation when compared to castPCR results as the reference standard. The second Afirma classifier poster showed that in a study of 195 indeterminate thyroid nodule FNA samples, the next-generation classifier was highly accurate at distinguishing parathyroid from non-parathyroid tissue. Enlarged and embedded parathyroid glands are often mistaken for thyroid nodules and cytopathology is often indeterminate. The ability to accurately distinguish between the two cell types can help reduce unnecessary surgeries, as well as complications related to surgery. These data were presented by Dr. Julie Ann Sosa of Duke University Medical Center.

09:58 EDT Honeywell says had 'outstanding' Q3, 'clean beat in all segments' - Says strong orders and backlog growth across the business.

09:50 EDT Concordia files for debt restructuring in Canada - Concordia International announced that it has taken a further step in its previously announced efforts to realign its capital structure by commencing a court proceeding under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The CBCA is a Canadian corporate statute that, among other things, allows Canadian corporations to restructure certain debt obligations. Under the CBCA process, Concordia's management will continue to lead day-to-day operations and operate its business as usual, while meeting its commitments to employees, suppliers and customers. The Proposed Recapitalization Transaction, which Concordia intends to implement through a corporate plan of arrangement under the CBCA, would seek to reduce the company's existing secured and unsecured debt obligations by more than $2B. "The Proposed Recapitalization Transaction may result in dilution of the outstanding common shares of the Company, with an associated impact on the value of such shares. The extent of such dilution, although unknown at this time, may be sizable. Concordia is continuing discussions with its lenders and their respective advisors to finalize the terms of the Proposed Recapitalization Transaction," the company stated.

09:39 EDT General Electric CEO Flannery: Board 'fully supportive' of making changes - Says board size "one of the topics being discussed."

09:36 EDT Honeywell says Q3 organic sales grew more than 30% in India, China - Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:28 EDT General Electric sees 2018 as a 'reset' year

09:21 EDT GE's Miller says Industrial Solutions sale to close in mid-2018

09:19 EDT Procter & Gamble CFO says unable to pinpoint why U.S. growth is lagging

09:11 EDT Hubbell announces new $400M share repurchase program - The Hubbell board approved a new share repurchase authorization of up to $400M. This new program is set to expire in October 2020.

09:08 EDT Procter & Gamble says no plans to significantly change promotion strategy - Says retailers funding discounts on P&G products.

09:05 EDT Schlumberger sees continuation of trends seen in Q3 during Q4 - Management said they expect a continuation of the trends seen in Q3, during Q4, moderated slightly by seasonality.

09:04 EDT AerCap delivers two new Airbus A350 aircraft to Air Mauritius - AerCap Holdings (AER) announced the delivery of a new Airbus (EADSY) A350-900 to Air Mauritius, the first of two new A350 aircraft deliveries on long-term lease from AerCap's order book with Airbus. A second A350-900 aircraft is scheduled for delivery to Air Mauritius in November. AerCap has one of the largest Airbus A350-900 portfolios with a total of twenty-six owned and on order, delivering through 2019.

09:03 EDT Procter & Gamble says Q1 'a little more challenging' than anticipated - Cites run up in commodity costs and impact from natural disasters.

09:01 EDT Rent-A-Center reports September core U.S. SSS down 4.2% - Rent-A-Center announced the following key operating metrics for its Core U.S. and Acceptance NOW businesses for September 2017: Core U.S.: Same Store Sales: (4.2%). Delinquencies: 6.9%, 30 basis points favorable versus prior month, 270 basis points favorable versus prior year. Average Monthly Rate of New Agreements: 14.9% favorable versus prior year. Co-worker Turnover: 86.6% and 22.0 percentage points favorable versus prior year. Acceptance NOW: Same Store Sales: 8.1%. Delinquencies: 11.2%, 90 basis points unfavorable versus prior month, 250 basis points unfavorable versus prior year. In the Core U.S. segment, September same store sales improved sequentially for the fifth consecutive month, with an increase of 110 basis points, and a total year-to-date increase of 850 basis points, due to the improvements driven by the Company's strategic plan. As a result of the impact of recent hurricanes, the Company instituted a change to the same store sales store selection in its reporting, excluding geographically impacted regions for 18 months. This change will ensure that the same store sales figure is consistent and accurately reflects the underlying performance of the business. Rent-A-Center continues to see a positive trajectory from the improvement in its Core U.S. inventory position. The current average monthly rate for all agreements in the portfolio is approximately $114.50, up approximately 5.5 percent versus the prior year. The monthly rate of new agreements was approximately $116.00 in September, up 15 percent from the prior year. The Company is assessing and implementing strategies aimed at improving the Acceptance NOW business model, including an enhanced value proposition expected to increase ownership and improve return on investment.

08:59 EDT Schlumberger says SPM acquisition is highly accretive - Management said SPM helped to mitigate risks in the company's core business. Comment provided during Q3 earnings conference call.

08:50 EDT Synchrony sees NIM trending closer to 16.25% in Q4 - Says organic growth remains a "top priority." Says remained focused on deposit growth. Synchrony says sees deposit growth generally in line with receivables growth long term. Expects expenses going forward to be largely driven by growth, including strategic investments and direct deposit program. Expects loan loss reserve builds in Q4 to be in the $275M. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

08:49 EDT GE's Bornstein: GE 'not living up to our own standards' - Commenting on his departure, Vice Chairman and CFO Jeff Bornstein says GE "not living up to our own standards," adds "the buck stops with me."

08:44 EDT Procter & Gamble says after tax profit margins in China 'remain very strong'

08:39 EDT GE CEO Flannery: Dividend is a priority in capital allocation framework

08:39 EDT Procter & Gamble says sees FY18 CapEx 5%-5.5% of sales

08:37 EDT GE has identified $20B+ of assets company will exit in next 1-2 years

08:37 EDT AzurRx BioPharma, Mayoly Spindler announce MS1819-SD IMPD submission - AzurRx BioPharma announced the submission of an Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier, or IMPD, for its lead product MS1819-SD, a recombinant lipase for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, caused by chronic pancreatitis, or CP, and cystic fibrosis, or CF. This Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier has been submitted through the European Medicines Agency clinical trial portal for approval prior to opening of clinical centers in France as part of the ongoing clinical study in chronic pancreatitis and other indications. The IMPD includes information related to the quality, manufacture and control of the MS1819-SD, as well as data from clinical and non-clinical studies.

08:35 EDT Procter & Gamble says market growth 'continues to be sluggish' - Says market share trends continue to improve. Says e-commerce growth continues to be "very strong." Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:35 EDT General Electric CEO: Everything is on the table,' 'there are no sacred cows'

08:32 EDT AVX raises quarterly dividend to 11.5c per share - The Board of Directors of AVX Corporation recently declared an increased dividend of 11.5c per common share for the quarter ended September 30. This represents a 46c annual dividend rate, and a 4.5% increase over the previous dividend rate. The dividend will be paid to shareholders of record on November 2 and will be disbursed on November 16.

08:29 EDT Allstate announces expansion of ride-hailing coverage - Starting this week, Allstate will offer ride-hailing coverage in seven additional states for customers who drive for a Transportation Network Company like Lyft or Uber. The Ride for Hire coverage will now be available in 43 states. First introduced in 2015, Ride for Hire becomes available this week in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Vermont. Pending regulatory approvals, Ride for Hire coverage is expected to be available countrywide in 2018.

08:06 EDT Gilead says study results add to evidence supporting viral hepatitis therapies - Gilead Sciences announced results from Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies of its approved medicines for chronic hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infection, adding to the body of evidence supporting Gilead's viral hepatitis therapies in diverse patient populations. These and other data from more than 25 abstracts will be presented this week at The Liver Meeting 2017, which begins today in Washington, D.C. Positive results from studies of Harvoni in HCV-infected patients with severe renal impairment, Epclusa in HCV-infected liver transplant recipients and Vosevi in NS5A-inhibitor experienced HCV-infected patients will be presented during poster sessions on October 21 and October 22. In addition, updated results from two Phase 3 studies demonstrating improved long-term bone and renal safety in HBV-infected patients one year after switching from Viread to Vemlidy will be presented on October 21. In an open-label Phase 2 study evaluating once-daily Harvoni for 12 weeks among HCV genotype 1 patients with severe renal impairment, 100 percent of patients achieved SVR12, including patients with compensated cirrhosis and those who had failed prior treatment. Safety events were consistent with those expected for the patient population. In an open-label Phase 2 study evaluating once-daily Epclusa for 12 weeks among 79 liver transplant patients with genotype 1-4 chronic HCV infection, treatment with Epclusa resulted in an overall SVR12 rate of 96 percent, including patients with cirrhosis and prior treatment failure, and was well tolerated. A deferred treatment cohort of the POLARIS-1 Phase 3 study confirmed previously reported results demonstrating the effectiveness of 12 weeks of Vosevi as salvage therapy for treatment-experienced patients. The study evaluated once-daily Vosevi in NS5A-inhibitor experienced patients with chronic HCV who were initially randomized to receive placebo in POLARIS-1.

08:04 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs cuts FYsales, production volume for U.S. iron ore - Cliffs full-year sales and production volume expectations for U.S. iron ore were each reduced by 500,000 tons to 18.5 million long tons. The reduction in sales volumes is attributable to a significant reduction in pellet nomination by a large customer, partially offset by increased export sales. For 2018, Cliffs expects sales and production volumes of 20 million long tons, as a result of the increased capacity from the acquisition of the remaining minority interest in the Tilden mine. Cliffs' full-year 2017 Asia Pacific Iron Ore sales and production volume expectations were each reduced by 500,000 metric tons, to 10.5 million metric tons of sales and 11 million metric tons of production. The reductions were driven by operational decisions reflecting current market conditions and quality ore availability. For 2018, Cliffs expects Asia Pacific Iron Ore sales and production volumes of 11 million tons. Cliffs is maintaining its full-year 2017 SG&A expense expectation of $110 million. Cliffs also notes that of the $110 million expectation, approximately $30 million is considered non-cash. As a result of the July refinancing transaction, the Company's full-year 2017 interest expense was reduced by $5 million to approximately $130 million. Of this $130 million, approximately $20 million is expected to be non-cash. In 2018, Cliffs' expects net interest expense to be less than $100 million. Cliffs' full-year 2017 capital expenditures budget has been maintained at $115 million.

08:03 EDT Rice Midstream raises quarterly distribution 4% to 28.14c per unit - Rice Midstream Partners announced the Board of Directors of its general partner has approved a cash distribution of 28.14c per unit for the third quarter, an increase of 4% above the second quarter distribution. The distribution is payable on November 16 to unitholders of record on November 7.

07:43 EDT IVECO signs supply agreement with Jost Group for 500 natural gas trucks - IVECO, the commercial vehicles brand of CNH Industrial, has secured the largest deal for its Stralis NP vehicles to date. The agreement signed with Jost Group, one of the leading pan-European transport and logistics companies, foresees the delivery of a fleet of 500 Stralis NP trucks running on Liquefied Natural Gas. LNG is widely regarded as the only currently available mass market alternative to diesel. This order will replace pre-Euro VI diesel-powered vehicles, aged four to five years, in the Belgian firm's fleet of 1,400 trucks and 3,000 trailers. Presently, Jost Group conducts operations with 132 IVECO Stralis vehicles, including two running on compressed natural gas.

07:35 EDT Manpower CEO says 'well positioned to finish 2017 with strong performance' - Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO, said, "We made good progress with solid results in the third quarter and we are well positioned to finish 2017 with strong performance. Our market-leading global footprint and extensive portfolio of workforce solutions continue to resonate well with our clients and candidates. We expect the broad-based global improvement in both employer hiring intentions and economic growth to provide us with good opportunities for continued profitable growth."

07:32 EDT Qualcomm extends cash tender offer for shares of NXP Semiconductors - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced that Qualcomm River Holdings B.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 27, 2016, by and between Qualcomm River Holdings B.V. and NXP. The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 17, 2017, unless extended or earlier terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement.

07:26 EDT Aristeia says ISS supports case for change at Sina - Aristeia Capital, a long-term investor in Sina Corporation, and currently one of the company's five largest shareholders, owning approximately 3M shares, announced that Institutional Shareholder Services, an independent proxy voting advisory firm, has endorsed Aristeia's case for change and recommended that Sina shareholders vote on the BLUE proxy card to support the election of Aristeia's nominee, Thomas Manning, to the company's Board at the upcoming Annual Meeting of shareholders, which is currently scheduled to be held on November 3. ISS concluded that shareholders should vote to elect Thomas Manning to the Sina Board, saying: "The dissident presents a compelling case for adding at least one new independent director to the board. Manning, who brings experience relevant to the company's expansion into online finance as well as a sizable record of public board service in China, seems well-suited to add value to the company...An examination of the arguments reveals compelling reasons for shareholders to seek change at the company. Among the most obvious is the rather large valuation discount, the sheer size of which seems to indicate more than a mere holding company discount, especially considering that the company is not a complex conglomerate...a number of shareholders have expressed frustration with trying to understand the company's smaller, but nevertheless significant and growing, portfolio of non-Weibo investments given the company's relative opacity...There are a number of other governance issues at play...Each of these factors dilutes the board's efficiency as a mechanism for aligning the interests of management with those of shareholders."

07:07 EDT EnerJex Resources receives NYSE notice of non-compliance - On October 19, the company received notice from NYSE Regulation, Inc. that it is not in compliance with certain NYSE American continued listing standards relating to stockholders' equity. Specifically, the Company is not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(i) (requiring stockholders' equity of $2M or more if an issuer has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in two of its three most recent fiscal years) of the NYSE American LLC Company Guide. As a result, the Company has become subject to the procedures and requirements of Section 1009 of the Company Guide and is required to submit a plan by November 19, 2017 advising the NYSE American of the actions the Company has taken or will take to regain compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards. The plan period may not exceed April 19, 2019.

07:06 EDT EnerJex Resources signs definitive merger agreement with AgEagle Aerial Systems - EnerJex Resources announced that it has entered into a definitive Merger Agreement with AgEagle Aerial Systems, a leading commercial agricultural drone company. AgEagle products are designed to improve centuries old farming methodologies through the use of GPS technology, high-resolution aerial imagery, computer learning and robotics. Upon completion of the Merger transaction, EnerJex's Common and Series A Preferred shareholders will own approximately 15% of the combined company. The Company is valuing AgEagle at approximately $20M prior to the completion of any financing that occurs in advance of the merger. The transaction, which has been approved by the board of directors of both companies, is expected to occur late in the fourth quarter of 2017 or first quarter of 2018, subject to various closing conditions, including, among other things: approval by the stockholders of both EnerJex and AgEagle; the raising of at least $4M prior to the consummation of the merger; approval by NYSE for the listing of the combined company's common stock on the NYSE American exchange immediately upon consummation of the merger; and other closing conditions. The Company intends to dispose of its principal assets, primarily its Kansas oil and gas properties, concurrently with the closing of the Merger. In the event the Merger is not consummated the Company does not have a present intention to dispose of the above described assets.

07:05 EDT GE CEO: New leadership team, cost actions to better position company in 2018 - GE Chairman and CEO John Flannery said in a statement, "This was a very challenging quarter. While a majority of our businesses had solid earnings performance, this was offset by a decline in Power performance in a difficult market. Our Industrial CFOA for the quarter was down principally because of lower Power volume, resulting in lower earnings and higher inventory. We believe that the new leadership team at Power and the cost actions that we are taking will better position the company in 2018 and beyond."

07:03 EDT Alnylam to present APOLLO Phase 3 study results at European meeting - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said that the results of the APOLLO Phase 3 study of patisiran in hereditary ATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy, as well as additional posters on patisiran and hATTR amyloidosis, will be presented at the 1st European ATTR Amyloidosis Meeting for Patients and Doctors being held November 2-3, 2017 in Paris, France.

07:01 EDT Procter & Gamble: Q1 sales, earnings results 'in line' with expectations - "First quarter sales and earnings results were in line with our going-in expectations and keep us on track to deliver our targets for the fiscal year," said David Taylor, Chairman, President and CEO. "We delivered organic sales growth in a decelerating global market and against a relatively strong base period. Market share trends continue to improve, with more of our top brands and countries holding or growing share. Looking forward, we will drive innovation, productivity and organization transformation to accelerate top-line growth while further expanding our industry-leading profit margins." Operating cash flow was $3.6 billion for the quarter. Free cash flow productivity was 87%. The Company returned $4.3 billion of cash to shareholders via $1.8 billion of dividend payments and $2.5 billion of common stock repurchase.

06:52 EDT Baker Hughes CEO says 'pleased with our progress' - "The combination of GE Oil & Gas and Baker Hughes closed on July 3, and we are pleased with our progress during our first operating quarter. Despite the continuing challenging environment, we delivered solid orders growth and secured important wins from customers, advanced existing projects and enhanced our technology offerings in the quarter. We also achieved key integration milestones and made significant progress working as a combined company. I am now more convinced than ever that we combined the right companies at the right time," said Lorenzo Simonelli, BHGE chairman and CEO.

06:50 EDT Baker Hughes sees oil, gas environment 'challenging' for remainder of 2017 - "We expect the overall oil and gas environment to remain challenging for the rest of the year. We have seen some improvement in activity but we have not seen meaningful increases in customer capital commitments. Oil prices remain volatile and, as a result, our customers remain cautious. We continue to support our customers through innovative solutions and solid execution and are focused on integrating and driving the best of both legacy businesses."

06:49 EDT Misonix enters $11M license, royalty and manufacturing agreement - Misonix announced that it has entered into a license and exclusive manufacturing agreement with Hunan Xing Hang Rui Kang Bio-Technologies, a Chinese corporation, under which Misonix has licensed certain manufacturing and distribution rights to its SonaStar product line in The People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macau in exchange for payments totaling a minimum of $11 million. The agreement calls for upfront technology license fees and stocking orders of $5M; minimum royalty payments from the sale of SonaStar products in the licensed territories of $2M per calendar year in each of 2019, 2020, and 2021 and additional royalty payments based on product sales through August 2027. The Agreement also provides that Misonix will supply SonaStar products to Hunan Xing Hang Rui Kang Bio-Technologies Co. at agreed prices during the transition period prior to their commencement of manufacturing, and provides for reimbursement of technology transfer costs to Misonix of up to $1M.

06:48 EDT First Data to acquire BluePay for $760M in cash - First Data announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire BluePay Holdings, Inc. from current owners, including TA Associates and BluePay management, for $760 million in cash, subject to adjustments. The transaction is expected to be modestly accretive in the first full year post-closing, before expected synergies. BluePay, a provider of technology-enabled payment processing for merchants in the U.S. and Canada, is one of First Data's largest distribution partners with a strong focus on software-enabled payments and Card-Not-Present transactions. BluePay processes approximately $19 billion of annual volume for more than 77,000 merchants and is integrated into more than 450 software platforms. The company has software integration solutions that complement those offered through First Data's CardConnect business.

06:45 EDT Booz Allen to acquire Morphick

06:41 EDT GE drops 2.4% in premarket trading after earnings miss, guidance cut

06:39 EDT GE says has received $4B dividends from GE Capital year-to-date - Says 2H dividend decision deferred.

06:39 EDT General Electric reports Q2 Power revenue $8.68B - Reports Q3 Renewable Energy revenue $2.91B, Oil & Gas revenue $5.37B, Aviation revenue $6.82B, Healthcare revenue $4.72B, Transportation revenue $1.07B.

06:37 EDT General Electric reports Q3-end backlog $328B, up $1B vs. Q2 driven by services

06:37 EDT General Electric says targeting $2B+ 'cost out' - Says targeting $20B+ of exits in 1-2 years. In Q3, Orders were up 11%, flat organically, with strength in most segments offset by Power. Industrial segment revenue (1)% organically; excluding Power & Oil & Gas +2%. Says cost out ahead of plan, $500M in the quarter and $1.2B year-to-date.

06:33 EDT Synchrony reports Q3 net interest margin up 40 bps to 16.74% - Return on assets was 2.4% and return on equity was 15.3%. Efficiency ratio was 30.4%, compared to 30.6% in the third quarter of 2016, driven by strong positive operating leverage. Year-to-date efficiency ratio was 30.3%, compared to 31.0% in the prior year.

06:32 EDT Citizens Financial reports Q3 Net interest margin up 8 bps to 3.05% - Net interest margin increased eight basis points to 3.05%, driven by improved yields on interest-earning assets, including the benefit of higher short-term interest rates, partially offset by higher funding costs. The rise in net interest margin includes a two basis point benefit tied to higher-than-expected commercial loan interest recoveries.

06:04 EDT Intel Capital reports $60M of new investments in 15 data-focused startups - Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, announced new investments totaling more than $60M in 15 technology startups. This latest group of new portfolio companies brings Intel Capital's year-to-date investing to more than $566M. "The world is undergoing a data explosion," said Wendell Brooks, Intel senior vice president and president of Intel Capital. "By 2020, every autonomous vehicle on the road will create 4 TB of data per day. A million self-driving cars will create the same amount of data every day as 3 billion people. "As Intel transitions to a data company, Intel Capital is actively investing in startups across the technology spectrum that can help expand the data ecosystem and pathfind important new technologies," Brooks said.The companies joining Intel Capital's portfolio are trailblazing technologies that leverage multiple facets of the data lifecycle - including analyzing, capturing, managing and securing data. These newly funded companies focus on artificial intelligence, 3D medical visualization, robots for retail, and cybersecurity inspired by the human immune system, among other technologies. Brooks also announced that, two years after the launch of the Intel Capital Diversity Initiative, more than 10% of Intel Capital's portfolio companies now are led by women or other groups underrepresented in the technology industry - including three of the companies introduced today. Intel Capital announced investments in Amenity Analytics, Bigstream, LeapMind, Synthego, Trace, AdHawk Microsystems, Horizon Robotics, EchoPixel, Alcide and others. Reference Link

05:59 EDT Twitter unveils user safety roadmap through January 2018 - Twitter has unveiled its user safety roadmap through January 2018. In a blog post, Twitter also expanded its definition of of non-consensual nudity, updated its policy around hate and added information for suspended accounts . Reference Link

05:25 EDT Qualcomm, SenseTime to collaborate to drive-on device AI - Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, and SenseTime Group Limited announced plans to collaborate on artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning, or ML, for future mobile and IoT products. This collaboration will draw from the expertise of both companies in AI by leveraging SenseTime's ML models and algorithms with Qualcomm Snapdragon premium and high-tier platforms, which offer advanced heterogeneous computing capabilities for client based AI. The companies expect to drive the popularity and development of on-device AI in areas such as innovative vision and camera-based image processing. Devices such as smartphones and connected cameras are becoming more intelligent with the proliferation of AI. Implementing AI on the device provides a number of advantages over cloud-only implementations, enabling edge devices to provide reliable execution with or without a network connection. Additional benefits of on-device AI include real-time performance, privacy protection and enhanced reliability.