Stockwinners Market Radar for October 24, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:00 EDT Anthem to acquire America's 1st Choice, terms not disclosed - Anthem announced that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire America's 1st Choice, a privately-held for-profit Medicare Advantage organization that offers HMO products, including Chronic Special Needs Plans and Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans under its Freedom Health and Optimum brands in Florida. The company also operates America's 1st Choice of South Carolina. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018 and is subject to approvals from state and federal regulatory authorities, standard closing conditions and customary approvals required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The transaction is expected to be slightly accretive to earnings in 2018.

17:59 EDT Associated Banc-Corp EVP and chief audit executive Patrick Derpinghaus retires - Associated Banc-Corp announced changes involving its executive committee. Patrick Derpinghaus, executive vice president and chief audit executive, has announced his plans to retire March 1, 2018. In anticipation of Derpinghaus' retirement and succession, the company also announced that Matthew Braeger has accepted the position of executive vice president and deputy chief audit executive effective October 24, 2017. He will continue to report to Derpinghaus.

17:35 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Akamai (AKAM), up 10.8%... iRobot (IRBT), up 5.4%... MKS Instruments (MKSI), up 4.3%... Regal Entertainment (RGC), up 3.7%... Capital One (COF), up 2.9%... TSYS (TSS), up 2.7%... Range Resources (RRC), up 2.4%. ALSO HIGHER: Whiting Petroleum (WLL), up 7.7% after it named Bradley J. Holly president and CEO. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Acadia Healthcare (ACHC), down 20.1%... AMD (AMD), down 10.9%... Manhattan Associates (MANH), down 9.9%... Chipotle (CMG), down 9.2%... Juniper (JNPR), down 6.4%... Edwards Lifesciences (EW), down 6.4%... Shutterfly (SFLY), down 3.8%... Discover Financial (DFS), down 3.5%... Nabors Industries (NBR), down 2%... AT&T (T) , down 1.6%. ALSO LOWER: Savara (SVRA), down 12.1% after it filed to sell common stock... Hutchison China MediTech (HCM), down 9.4% after it announced a proposed offering of ADSs... Idera Pharmaceuticals (IDRA), down 7.3% after it filed to sell $60M in common stock... Scorpio Bulkers (SALT), down 7.2% after it filed to sell 10M shares of common stock.

17:16 EDT Twitter to increase transparency for advertisements - Twitter announced steps to dramatically increase transparency for all ads on Twitter, including political ads and issue-based ads. The company will also be improving controls for customers and adopting stricter advertising policies. In the coming weeks, Twitter will launch an industry-leading transparency center that will offer visibility into who is advertising on Twitter, details behind those ads, and tools to share feedback. Specifically, the transparency center will show: all ads that are currently running on Twitter, including Promoted-Only ads, how long ads have been running, ad creative associated with those campaigns, ads targeted to you and personalized information on which ads you are eligible to receive based on targeting. To make it clear when users are seeing or engaging with an electioneering ad, Twitter will now require that electioneering advertisers identify their campaigns as such. Twitter will also change the look and feel of these ads and include a visual political ad indicator. Twitter will make these updates first in the U.S. and then roll them out globally.

17:07 EDT Fluor awarded $240M U.S. Army contract - Fluor Enterprises has been awarded a $240,000,000 contract to provide construction services for all aspects of restoration of electrical power to Puerto Rico. Nine bids were solicited with two bids received. Work will be performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of April 18, 2018.

17:05 EDT Chipotle: Roughly 15% of customers ordering Queso - Says roughly 15% of customers ordering Queso. Says SSS gained 4% after Queso launch. Says food costs will normalized just over 34% heading into Q4. Says raising prices in some restaurants. Says labor will continue to be a challenge heading into 2018 with higher wages and tighter labor market.

17:02 EDT Chipotle says working to integrate mobile payments in restaurants - Says working to integrate mobile payments in restaurants. Says renewed focus has company on the right path. Says four restaurants remain temporarily closed due to hurricanes. Says saw particularly high avocado prices in Q3 due to tropical storms.

16:59 EDT MultiVir receives FDA fast track designation for MIV-711 for the treatment of OA - Medivir AB announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation for the company's product candidate MIV-711, for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Previously announced results from a phase IIa study showed that MIV-711 demonstrated benefit on joint structure and thereby has the potential to act as a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug. There are currently no disease-modifying therapies approved for the treatment of OA and all approved treatments affect only day to day symptoms and have no effect on the degenerative changes in the diseased joint.

16:51 EDT Pilgrim's Pride to close Luverne facility which employs 200 people - Pilgrim's Pride announced that it will close its Luverne, Minn., poultry processing facility, which employs approximately 200 people, effective December 29. The decision to close the facility will allow Pilgrim's to shift production and equipment to more efficient operations to enhance synergies and better serve the company's key customers. Production capabilities at Luverne will be transferred to other nearby Company facilities. The facility closure will have no impact on the Company's overall production capacity.

16:45 EDT Akamai says traffic growth accelerated in Q3 - Says optimistic about media business, gaining market share. Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

16:43 EDT Capital One reports common equity Tier 1 capital ratio 10.7% at Sept 30

16:41 EDT Edwards Lifesciences says experienced 'minimal impact' from hurricanes - "We are pleased to report strong third quarter performance that delivered double-digit overall organic growth driven by robust sales of innovative therapies. Sales were in line with our expectations and were lifted by 20 percent global underlying growth in TAVR. And, we continue to aggressively pursue breakthrough structural heart therapies with the potential to drive significant future growth and help an even broader group of patients," said Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO. "While we are assisting a number of our employees who were personally affected by the recent natural disasters, we were fortunate to have experienced minimal business impact."

16:38 EDT Cheniere Energy Partners increases dividend 1c to 44c - Cheniere Energy Partners declared a cash distribution per common and subordinated unit of 44c to unitholders of record as of November 3.

16:33 EDT Triumph Group awarded 2-year contract with DLA valued at $22.9M - Triumph Group was recently awarded a two-year contract with Defense Logistics Agency Aviation valued at $22.9M to provide aftermarket spare rotary actuators for the main landing gear on the C-5 Galaxy aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force. Under the contract, Triumph Geared Solutions - Park City will supply the spare main landing gear rotary actuators to DLA Aviation based out of Robins Air Force base in Georgia for the C-5 Galaxy, which is one of the largest aircraft in the world.

16:32 EDT Qumu CFO Goepfrich to leave - Qumu announced that CFO Peter Goepfrich will be leaving the company to join a private equity portfolio company, effective November 6. The company expects to identify a candidate to act as interim CFO in the short term. The company will also engage a search firm to recruit a successor CFO.

16:31 EDT CVS Health announces new pharmacy network anchored by CVS Pharmacy - CVS Healthy announced a new 30,000-store performance-based pharmacy network anchored by CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens, along with up to 10,000 community-based independently owned pharmacies across the United States. The network is designed not only to deliver unit cost savings, but also to improve clinical outcomes that will lead to lower overall health care costs for CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management clients and their members.

16:30 EDT California First National Bancorp trading resumes

16:28 EDT Macerich raises quarterly dividend 4.2% to 74c per share - The dividend is payable on December 1 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 10.

16:27 EDT Virtu Financial to sell BondPoint to IntercontinentalExchange - Virtu Financial (VIRT) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Virtu's fixed income trading venue, BondPoint, to Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The transaction is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2018, and the closing is subject to applicable regulatory reviews and approvals. Under the terms of the agreement, Virtu will receive $400M in cash upon the close of the transaction, the net after-tax proceeds of which will be used to repay a portion of Virtu's outstanding term loan.

16:23 EDT Hess Midstream Partners raises quarterly distribution 3.6% to 31.07c per share - Hess Midstream Partners LP announced that the board of directors of its general partner declared a quarterly cash distribution of 31.07c per common unit for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. The distribution represents the Partnership's first distribution increase and a 3.6% quarterly increase compared to the Partnership's minimum quarterly distribution of 30c per unit. The distribution will be payable on November 13, 2017 to unitholders of record as of the close of business on November 3, 2017.

16:21 EDT CrossAmerica increases Q3 dividend 0.8% - CrossAmerica Partners announced that the board of its general partner has approved a quarterly distribution of 62.75c per unit attributable to Q3, representing a 0.8% increase in the Partnership's cash distribution per unit from 62.25c per quarter paid in Q2 and a 3.3% increase compared with the distribution per unit attributable to Q3 of 2016. The distribution attributable to Q3 is payable on November 13 to all unitholders of record on November 6.

16:20 EDT EQT Midstream Partners boosts quarterly cash distribution to 98c - EQT Midstream Partners declared a quarterly cash distribution of 98c per unit for Q3. The distribution will be paid on November 14, to all EQM unitholders of record at the close of business on November 3. The quarterly cash distribution is 5% higher than the Q2, and 20% higher compared to Q3.

16:19 EDT Juniper down over 4% after reporting Q3 earnings, giving Q4 guidance

16:17 EDT Sanofi files U.S. suit against Mylan to defend patent rights on Lantus Mylan - Sanofi (SNY) filed a patent infringement suit against Mylan N.V., Mylan GmbH, Mylan Inc., and Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc (MYL) in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Sanofi alleges infringement of 18 patents in its suit. The suit was triggered by notifications received from Mylan beginning in mid-September, in which Mylan stated that it had filed a NDA with the FDA for insulin glargine pre-filled pen and vial drug products. Mylan also stated that its NDA included a paragraph IV certification challenging all of the Sanofi patents then listed in the FDA Orange Book for Sanofi's Lantus and Lantus SoloStar products.

16:14 EDT NuVasive announces $100M share repurchase program - NuVasive announced that its board approved a share repurchase program authorizing the purchase of up to $100M of the company's common stock over a three-year period commencing October 25. The company said, "NuVasive's Board of Directors strongly believes in the ability of the leadership team to execute against our strategic initiatives and position the company for continued growth and value creation. We are confident in our ability to fund long-term organic growth initiatives and improve operating profitability, while staying committed to disciplined capital deployment and to driving value for our shareholders."

16:09 EDT BlackRock Capital Investment CFO Milia to leave - BlackRock Capital Investment Corporation announced that Donna Milia, CFO for BlackRock Capital Investment Corporation, has decided to leave BCIC for personal reasons. Milia has agreed to remain with BlackRock Advisors, BCIC's investment advisor, through December 29. Michael Pungello, co-head of BlackRock's Global Alternatives Operations group assumed the interim CFO position effective October 20. Pungello is a member of BlackRock Business Operations as part of Global Fund Administration. Pungello is familiar with the accounting and operations of BCIC due to his position at BlackRock as well as his involvement in both the transaction leading up to BlackRock's purchase of BlackRock Kelso Capital as well as the integration following the March 2015 acquisition. In addition to his interim CFO duties, Pungello is also responsible for administrative support for various alternative products including hedge funds, hedge fund of funds, and private equity funds.

16:09 EDT Chipotle sees FY18 new restaurant openings 130-150 - "We continued to make important progress to improve the guest experience at our restaurants during the quarter," said Steve Ells, founder, Chairman and CEO of Chipotle. "Our strategic initiatives in operations, innovating our digital sales platform, new menu introductions, and marketing the brand are starting to take hold. Despite several unusual impacts during the quarter, including the impact of hurricanes, we maintained our focus and saw some encouraging signs. Our leadership remains focused on setting the foundation for future growth, and we are confident in our teams' ability to deliver against those plans."

16:08 EDT Chipotle sees FY17 comparable restaurant sales roughly 6.5% - Sees FY17 new restaurant openings slightly below the low end of 195-210.

16:07 EDT TriNet appoints Barrett Boston as Chief Revenue Officer - TriNet announced that Barrett Boston has joined TriNet as senior VP, Chief Revenue Officer. Boston brings sales leadership experience to TriNet and is a key addition to the company and its executive team. In his role, Boston leads the TriNet effort around acquiring new clients and managing the revenue growth and long-term relationships with existing clients.

16:05 EDT AT&T reports 3M total wireless net adds in Q3 - AT&T reports U.S. wireless operating income margin of 30.5% with "best-ever EBITDA margins of 42.0% and wireless service margin of 50.4%." The company said it was its "best-ever third-quarter postpaid phone churn of 0.84%, showing the success of video and wireless bundling strategy." Reports 3.0 million total wireless net adds, including 2.3 million in U.S., driven by connected devices, prepaid and postpaid, and nearly 700,000 Mexico net adds.

16:04 EDT California First National Bancorp to delist from NASDAQ - California First National Bancorp announced that its Board of Directors approved the company undertaking to voluntarily delist its common stock from the NASDAQ Global Market and deregister its common stock with the SEC. The company's board unanimously approved the delisting and deregistration following the recommendation of a committee of the company's independent directors formed to consider the matter. The company notified NASDAQ of its intent to voluntarily delist and withdraw the registration of its common stock with the SEC. The company intends to file a Form 25 with the SEC on or about November 3. The company expects the last trading day for its common stock on NASDAQ will be on or about November 10. The company has made an application to have its shares quoted on the OTCQX Market, and following the NASDAQ delisting, the company expects its shares will be quoted on the OTCQX Market under the same symbol, "CFNB".

16:02 EDT Stryker acquires VEXIM - Stryker Corporation announced that it has acquired control of VEXIM, a French medical device company listed on the Euronext Growth stock exchange in France. Stryker indirectly acquired securities held by certain VEXIM shareholders and managers of VEXIM representing in the aggregate 50.7 % of the share capital and 50.3 % of the voting rights of the company, and 37.1 % of the outstanding BSAAR warrants. Stryker paid EUR 20.00 per share and EUR 3.91 per BSAAR warrant. This price represents an aggregated equity value of VEXIM on a fully diluted basis of approximately EUR 183M, which corresponds to an enterprise value of approximately EUR 162M. The transaction is expected to close Q4. The transaction is expected to be neutral to Stryker's 2017 adjusted net earnings per diluted share.

13:37 EDT Monro in talks with Amazon over tire installation service - Monro (MNRO) on its earnings conference call earlier today disclosed it is in talks with Amazon.com (AMZN) for a service to install tires that are purchased through the online retailer. Monro CEO Brett Ponton said on the call, "We are in discussions with Amazon currently right now. I have a tendency to move a little bit slower and methodical in that discussion for two reasons. One, I want to make certain that we have the technology capability lined up to deliver a good experience as we move into test. We want a good experience for the consumer, number one, and also a good experience with Amazon, number two. So we are in discussions with them. We're in process of building our capability to make certain that this experience can be seamless, which is requiring a little behind-the-scenes work from a technology point of view to make that happen." Monro shares are down 2% to $49.25 in afternoon trading following the company's Q2 results.

13:19 EDT Stanley Black & Decker says Lowe's to roll out Craftsman brand in 2H18 - On its earnings conference call earlier, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) announced that it will roll out the Craftsman brand in the second half of 2018 with Lowe's (LOW) in the home center channel. "We have been more than impressed with the level of commitment and support afforded by Lowe's for the Craftsman brand," Jeffrey Ansell, the president of SWK's global tools and storage unit, adding that "We continue working with other channel partners to continue to provide them with successful programs to facilitate their growth as well." Stanley Black & Decker acquired Craftsman from Sears (SHLD) earlier this year. Stanley Black and Decker is up nearly 5% in afternoon trading to $165.87, while is up about 1%. Sears, meanwhile, is down over 5% to $6.22.

13:01 EDT Activision's Destiny 2 now available on PC globally - Bungie and Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, delivered for the first time its action game Destiny 2 on PC across the globe today. The console game, released on September 6, was recognized as the best-selling console game of 2017 in the United States to date with less than one month of sales by The NPD Group yesterday, and now Destiny 2 PC is available exclusively on Blizzard Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment's online-gaming platform, for digital distribution and at global retailers.

12:58 EDT Cooperman says has not looked at General Electric shares - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:53 EDT Cooperman says owns 'some' Wells Fargo and Citi - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:42 EDT Paccar sees 2018 gross margin 'comparable' to 2017 - For 2018, sees similar sales mix to 2017. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

12:34 EDT Cooperman says Ackman a friend, but behavior regarding ADP 'terrible' - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:27 EDT IntercontinentalExchange announces strategic stake in Euroclear - Intercontinental Exchange announced it has acquired a 4.7% stake in Euroclear for EUR 275M. ICE anticipates having one representative join the Board of Euroclear, a provider of post-trade services, including settlement, central securities depositories and related services for cross-border transactions across asset classes. ICE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Sprecher said, "Euroclear's infrastructure plays an increasingly important role as technology, collateral, risk management and regulation continue to drive an emphasis on post-trade services. This transaction demonstrates our continued focus on expanding our investments in mission critical clearing and risk management assets."

12:26 EDT Cooperman says United trading less than six times 2018 earnings - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:09 EDT Cooperman says conditions for large market decline 'aren't present' - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:05 EDT Cooperman says market fully valued, largest position is Alphabet - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

11:59 EDT Lockheed Martin says contract timing led to Q3 sales to slip - Management said the company expects cash from operations growing by $400M vs. in 2017. Comments provided during Q3 earnings conference call.

11:49 EDT Caterpillar says Q3 the 'high water mark' for CI segment margins - Sees "a little bit of improvement" for Energy & Transportation margins in Q4.

11:37 EDT Sherwin-Williams says to start to see benefit of price increases starting in Q4 - Sees majority of of pricing benefit in 1Q18, but says some benefits may "lag" into Q2. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

11:28 EDT Caterpillar: Potential tax reform would be 'positive' for long-term - Expects higher material costs and period cost spend for targeted investments to negatively impact operating leverage in Q4. Sees FY Construction Industries sales for the year to be up about 20% vs. previous outlook of up 10%-15%. Sees FY Resource Industries sales up about 30% vs. previous 20%-25% outlook. Says forecast for new equipment sales has not changed. Sees FY Energy & Transportation sales up about 10% for FY vs. previous 5%-10% outlook. Says power generation industry "remains challenged," sees sales about flat to slightly up for FY. Says potential tax reform, infrastructure bill would be "positives" for the long-term.

11:20 EDT Caterpillar sees higher steel costs pressuring material costs - Says seeing increased order activity by mining customers. Notes that product availability is "a concern" in some areas, says working with supply chain to increase production levels to satisfy customer demand. Says working with supply base to reduce lead times. Sees higher steel costs putting pressure on material costs moving forward. Says Latin America, especially Brazil, remains "challenged." Says competitive environment in resource industry putting pressure on pricing for many products. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call. Caterpillar is up 4.2% to $137.26 in late morning trading.

11:14 EDT McDonald's expects FY17 G&A costs down 7% - Says momentum continues to build across all segments. Expects G&A costs to be down 7% for full year, expects Q4 G&A costs to be similar to Q3. Expects FY effective tax rate 32%-33%. Expects Q4 positive impact of 4c-6c from foreign currency. Expects refranchising activity to have dilutive impact to EPS,revenue, expects it to negatively impact EPS a few cents per quarter until 3Q18. Says refranchising activity will grow operating margin. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

11:07 EDT MiMedx slides as Citron Research 'chimes in' with $3 price target - Shares of MiMedx (MDXG) are falling after noted short-seller Andrew Left of Citron Research issued a YouTube video discussing his view of the stock, stating that he believes the stock is in the "countdown to a formal investigation" and setting a $3 price target on the shares. In the YouTube video description, Citron writes: "Citron would not enter into a "noisy" name unless we can add insight into the short thesis and create a better-informed marketplace for mentioned stock." MiMedx, which has been the focus of a number of other short-selling firms recently, is down about 6% to $11.60 in morning trading following Citron's video release. Reference Link

11:01 EDT Greenlight bought HP Enterprise, closed Best Buy short during Q3 - In its quarterly letter to investors, David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital said it bought HP Enterprise (HPE), Micron Technology (MU) and Tempur Sealy (TPX) during the third quarter. The letter, obtained by Bloomberg News, also states the fund closed its short position in Best Buy (BBY) and long position in PVH Corp. (PVH). Greenlight's largest positions at the end of the quarter, unchanged from Q2, were AerCap (AER), Bayer (BAYRY), Consol Energy (CNX), General Motors (GM) and gold.

10:46 EDT Micron's reported flash partnership shake-up fuels M&A speculation - Commenting on an article from The Register indicating that Micron (MU) is reportedly parting ways with its all-flash array, or AFA, software partner Excelero, Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini told investors that the news could catalyze the company to revisit a larger-scale acquisition of a proven AFA player with firmware-software expertise like Pure Storage (PSTG). PRODUCT NOT FOUND: Over the weekend, The Register, a U.K.-based IT blog, said that Micron has put is SolidScale all-flash array product "into web site limbo." However, it might "not be dead." The SolidScale scale-out all-flash array was announced in May, and used NVMe SSDs, had an NVMe over Fabrics access link and was powered by Excelero's NVMesh server SAN software, the publication added, noting that the SolidScale section has also disappeared from Excelero's website. "Micron is aligning the go-to-market and fulfillment process for its Micron SolidScale architecture to the company's established Micron Accelerated Solution process and will no longer market directly under the Micron SolidScale brand. [...] The configuration that SolidScale supported will now be marketed as Micron Accelerated Solutions built with Excelero NVMesh," a Micron spokesperson was quoted as stating. Further, the company also acknowledged that the head of Micron's storage division has resigned. MICRON SEEN REVISITING M&A OPTIONS: Following The Register's article casting doubt over the health of Micron's partnership with Excelero, Susquehanna's Hosseini told investors that the news could catalyze Micron to revisit a larger-scale acquisition of a proven AFA player with firmware/software expertise like Pure Storage. Further, the analyst noted that such a chain of events, namely the head of Micron's storage division resignation after just one month, both companies deleting their respective SolidScale webpages, and the realignment/rebranding of SolidScale under Micron's Accelerated Solutions offering, points to the need for "surgical M&A." If Micron is indeed moving in a different direction, this leaves a "void to be filled in its goal of moving up the stack," Hosseini contended, while noting that Pure Storage's FlashBlade and FlashArray dovetail well with Micron's goals, as they use raw NAND modules and NVMe interconnect. Additionally, the analyst argued that Micron could extend Pure Storage's cost structure lead, and cost structure advantages would yield better positioning with hyperscale customers, who are increasingly bypassing traditional hardware OEMs to assemble their own systems. Because SolidScale was slated for volume production in 2018, Micron may feel pressured to identify a new partner sooner rather than later, he said. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Micron are fractionally up to $41.63, while Pure Storage's stock has gained almost 3% to $16.27.

10:34 EDT Helios and Matheson jumps as MoviePass exceeds initial projections - Shares of Helios and Matheson Analytics (HMNY) jumped in morning trading after the company said its MoviePass theater subscription services surpassed over 600,000 paying monthly subscribers this month. MOVIEPASS EXCEEDING PROJECTIONS: Helios and Matheson, a majority owner of MoviePass, said this morning that the subscriber base for the movie theater subscription service surpassed 600,000 paying monthly subscribers as of October 18, compared to about 20,000 as of August 14. The company said the continued growth has exceeded initial expectations. The company also said that its subscriber churn rate has been shrinking, to 2.4% in month two from 4.2% in month one. Based on current churn rates, MoviePass said monthly subscriber retention is above 96% and average paying monthly subscriber life expectancy is 46.8 months. "Month after month we aim to improve our service with faster card delivery, improved application updates, and an easier-to-use web site. We believe our strategy is paying off in terms of increased satisfaction, reduced churn, and faster growth," MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said in a statement. "When you apply computer science and machine learning to an industry that we believe has lacked significant innovation, useful patterns start to emerge," said Helios and Matheson Chairman and CEO Ted Farnsworth. WHAT'S NOTABLE: On August 15, Helios and Matheson announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake of MoviePass, which is led by Lowe, a Netflix (NFLX) co-founder and former Redbox president. Helios and Matheson also introduced a new monthly movie ticket subscription of $9.95, allowing customers to get in to one showing every day at any theater in the U.S. that accepts debit cards for about the price of a single ticket each month. The following month, MoviePass subscribers rose to over 400,000 from less than 20,000. Earlier this month, Helios and Methson increased its ownership stake in MoviePass to 53.71% from 53%. Helios and Matheson Analytics shareholders still have to approve the company's purchase of its majority stake in MoviePass. Following the price cut to $9.95, MoviePass said its website was overwhelmed by the volume of traffic from interested customers, forcing some theatergoers to wait almost a month before their passes arrived in the mail. At the time, Lowe said he "totally underestimated demand," but the company boosted its team to 35 to deal with the backlog. CITRON, STREETSWEEPER CAUTIOUS: Some are cautious on Helios and Matheson as shares have jumped over 1000% since announcing the acquisition of a majority stake in MoviePass. Citron Research tweeted on October 11 that Helios and Matheson's stock will "trade back to $20 Retail investors are warned. You might like product but $1+bill it isn't. Giving away $1 for .90 no biz." A day later, Citron tweeted that "Don't like to stay short companies that are expected to lose money high borrow $ hit tgt price in one day. all timing." Helios and Matheson has also been mentioned cautiously by TheStreetSweeper. PRICE ACTION: Helios and Matheson, while off earlier highs, is still up about 9% in morning trading to $14.53.

10:20 EDT Caterpillar sees FY restructuring costs of $1.3B vs. previous outlook of $1.2B - Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q3 earnings conference call.

10:05 EDT Ford announces series of senior leadership changes - Ford announced global leadership changes as it continues to redesign company operations for long-term success. In Global Markets, Kumar Galhotra is named group vice president, Lincoln and Chief Marketing Officer, effective Nov. 1. He will report to Jim Farley, executive vice president and president, Global Markets. At the same time, Stephen Odell, executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service has elected to retire, after 37 years of service at Ford. Linda Cash is named vice president, Quality and New Model Launch, reporting to Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president, Global Operations. Cash succeeds Bennie Fowler, group vice president, Quality and New Model Launch, who has elected to retire. Succeeding Cash is Dale Wishnousky, who is named vice president, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe and is appointed a company officer. Om Ford of Europe, Birgit Behrendt is named vice president, Joint Ventures, Alliances and Commercial Affairs. As the company redesigns the organization and grows Ford Credit, Joy Falotico, chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Credit Company and group vice president of Ford Motor Company, now will report to Jim Hackett, effective Nov. 1. Falotico previously reported to Bob Shanks.

09:50 EDT NYSE accepts InspireMD's plan to regain compliance - InspireMD announced that the New York Stock Exchange has accepted the company's plan to regain compliance with the NYSE American's stockholder's equity continued listing standard. As previously disclosed, the NYSE American notified the company on August 17, 2017, that it had fallen below the NYSE's continued listing standards. Based upon a review of the compliance plan and information submitted by the company, the Exchange determined that the company made a reasonable demonstration of its ability to make substantial progress toward regaining compliance with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the Company Guide by February 17, 2018. The company will be subject to periodic review by the exchange staff during the period covered by the plan. Failure to make progress consistent with the plan or to regain compliance with the continued listing standards by the end of the plan period could result in the company's shares being delisted from the Exchange.

09:40 EDT Fifth Third expects corporate banking fees up 10%-15% in Q4 - Sees corporate banking fees up 10%-15% in Q4 sequentially, driven by deals in pipeline. Says optimistic about fee growth trends. Continue to expect noninterest expenses to be flat for FY17, up 1.5% for Q4. Says continues to believe credit provision will be reflective of loan growth. Says capital levels remain "strong." Says will look to return capital to shareholders "prudently".

09:32 EDT Sienna Biopharmaceuticals doses first patient in topical SNA-120 Phase 2b trial - Sienna Biopharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been dosed in the company's Phase 2b clinical trial of topical product candidate SNA-120 in the treatment of pruritus, or itch, associated with psoriasis and in the treatment of psoriasis itself. SNA-120 is designed to selectively inhibit tropomyosin receptor kinase A, or TrkA, the high affinity receptor for nerve growth factor, or NGF, a known mediator of itch and neurogenic inflammation associated with psoriasis. This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of SNA-120 compared to vehicle in approximately 190 patients with at least moderate pruritus and mild-to-moderate psoriasis. With the commencement of this Phase 2b trial, Sienna will make a $5M milestone payment to the former shareholders of Creabilis plc, in shares of Sienna common stock, subject to certain offsets, based on the volume-weighted average price of the stock over the 20-day trading period preceding the commencement of the trial.

09:28 EDT Fifth Third expects to achieve positive operating leverage in Q4 - Says continues progress toward long-term financial goals. Says focused on improving customer experience. Expects to achieve positive operating leverage in Q4 and FY17. Expects modest growth in commercial portfolio in Q4 due to expected $200M in remaining exits. Says expanding commercial workforce. Expects to grow consumer and mortgage loans in low to mid single digit range in Q4. Says "feel good" about deposit balances. Says deposit pricing remains "relatively muted." Says market remains competitive. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:26 EDT GM CEO says looking at global cities for self-driving car tests

09:20 EDT U.S. Cellularand Ericsson complete joint testing of 5G use cases - U.S. Cellular (USM) and Ericsson (ERIC) have completed joint testing of various 5G use cases at 28GHz. The tests, a significant step toward the launch of a 5G network, were conducted in rural and suburban environments in Madison, Wisconsin. The trials were conducted under a variety of real-world conditions, and they achieved peak throughput speed of 8.5 Gbps. In addition, virtual reality was tested, achieving peak speeds of 4 Gbps. This virtual reality test was one of the highlights of the trial, as it proved how the ultra-high speeds and low latency of 5G will enable VR applications. The companies also tested augmented reality, advanced beamforming and massive MIMO.

09:18 EDT GM sees 2017 revenue, EBIT adjusted 'generally in line' with 2016 - CFO Chuck Stevens says operating environment is more challenging than expected earlier in the year, with raw material costs on the rise and the recently resolved labor situation in Canada. Sees 2017 revenue, EBIT adjusted, EBIT adjusted margins "generally in line" with 2016.

09:14 EDT GM CFO expects strong 10%+ margins for North America for 2017

09:12 EDT Eli Lilly CEO says alternatives for Elanco include IPO, merger or sale - Eli Lilly chairman and CEO David Ricks said on the company's Q3 call that the strategic alternatives for the Elanco Animal Health business include a potential IPO, merger, sale or retaining the business. Eli Lilly announced earlier this morning that it is reviewing strategic alternatives for Elanco.

09:11 EDT Renren contacted by NYSE due to unusual activity in its ADS - In view of the unusual market activity in the Renren's American Depositary Shares, or ADS, on Monday, October 23, the New York Stock Exchange has contacted the Company in accordance with its usual practice. The Company stated that its policy is not to comment on market rumors or otherwise speculate on unusual market activity.

09:08 EDT Tetra Tech awarded $950M contract by USACE - Tetra Tech announced that it was one of seven contractors selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, for an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract valued at $950M. Under the five-year International Remediation and Environmental Services contract, Tetra Tech will provide comprehensive environmental remediation services to the Department of Defense outside the continental United States. Tetra Tech will work with Huntsville Center to safely identify, recover, and remediate hazardous, toxic, and radiological waste in OCONUS, with an initial focus on regions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tetra Tech will provide technical services to address human health and environmental risks including engineering evaluations, sampling and analysis, and remedial or removal actions.

09:04 EDT United Technologies says Airbus stake in C-series good for UTX long-term

09:04 EDT Progress Software announces plans to expand board - The Board of Directors of Progress Software announced that it is initiating a search process to identify and add up to two new independent directors. The Board has retained an executive search firm to assist the Board in the process. This process will be overseen by the Board's Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. In light of the Company's continued focus on providing the most complete platform for building modern mission-critical business applications, the Board's criteria for the new director candidates will emphasize diverse individuals with executive experience at public companies in the enterprise infrastructure software industry. The search is in keeping with the Board's longstanding focus on ensuring that it has the right skills and perspectives to enable the Company to execute on its business strategy, strengthen its competitive positioning, and deliver value to all shareholders. To that end, Progress has significantly refreshed its Board over the last year by adding three new directors, with two new independent directors having joined in June 2017. Our current Board has seven members, comprised of six independent directors and our Chief Executive Officer. The Board's Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee will consider as director candidates qualified individuals suggested by shareholders, including those director candidates previously suggested by Praesidium Investment Management. To make a recommendation at this time, shareholders should contact the Company's Corporate Secretary by submitting an email communication to BOD@progress.com with the information required for recommendations as outlined in the Company's proxy statement previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its 2017 Annual Meeting. All recommendations will be forwarded to the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.

09:02 EDT Amazon says to create more than 1,000 new FT positions in Phoenix-area - This fall, Amazon will celebrate its ten year anniversary of fulfilling customer orders from the Phoenix-area by opening a new center supporting customer fulfillment and unveiling an overhaul of its original Valley facility. Together, the two facilities will create more than 1,000 new full-time positions for Phoenix's economy. These new jobs are on top of the 6,000 full-time workers Amazon now employs at four fulfillment centers and other locations throughout the Copper State.

09:01 EDT Delphi to acquire nuTonomy for $400M - Delphi Automotive announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire nuTonomy for an upfront purchase price of $400M and earn-outs totaling approximately $50M. The transaction brings together the leading start-up and Tier 1 in autonomous driving and further accelerates Delphi's commercialization of AD and Automated Mobility on-Demand solutions for automakers and new mobility customers worldwide.

08:56 EDT United Technologies says Rockwell deal intended to maximize aerospace unit value

08:47 EDT ACEA says EU commercial vehicle registrations up 0.6% in September - In September, commercial vehicle registrations across the EU remained stable, rising 0.6%compared to one year ago, said the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Publicly traded truck makers and suppliers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Paccar (PCAR), CNH Industrial (CNHI), Navistar (NAV), Cummins (CMI) and Allison Transmission (ALSN). Reference Link

08:42 EDT United Technologies says still sees EPS growth in 2018

08:39 EDT United Technologies: 'We feel particularly good about the end markets we serve'

08:37 EDT Gilead: Oral ACC inhibitor led to significan reductions in measures of liver fat - Gilead Sciences announced results from a Phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating two doses of GS-0976, an oral, investigational inhibitor of Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The data demonstrate that the higher dose of GS-0976 when administered for 12 weeks was associated with statistically significant reductions in hepatic steatosis and a noninvasive marker of fibrosis compared to placebo. These results are being presented during a late-breaking abstract session at The Liver Meeting 2017 in Washington, D.C. Eighteen other abstracts on Gilead's NASH and liver fibrosis pipeline were also presented at the meeting. The study included 126 patients who were randomized to receive GS-0976 20 mg, GS-0976 5 mg, or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. All patients in the study were diagnosed with NASH and liver fibrosis stages F1 through F3 based on biopsy, or by magnetic resonance elastography and MRI proton density fat fraction. Patients receiving GS-0976 20 mg demonstrated significant decreases in liver fat content compared to placebo after 12 weeks of treatment. Patients treated with GS-0976 20 mg also experienced a significant decrease in TIMP-1, a serum marker associated with liver fibrosis. Differences between GS-0976 5 mg and placebo were not statistically significant.

08:37 EDT Praxair signs long-term agreement to supply Samsung display complex - Praxair (PX) announced it has signed a long-term agreement to build, own and operate an air separation plant that will supply 700 tons per day of nitrogen to Samsung's (SSNLF) display manufacturing complex in Tangjeong, South Korea. This complex is the largest sixth-generation flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes panel plant in the world. Its capacity is increasing in 2017 in order to meet global market demand. OLEDs are used in a variety of products including televisions, mobile devices, digital cameras, virtual reality headsets and laptops.

08:36 EDT Planet Fitness announces leadership appointments - Planet Fitness announced the appointments of Craig Miller as Chief Digital & Information Officer and Rob Sopkin as Chief Development Oficer. Miller will be responsible for driving the vision and leadership of the Company's technology innovation as well as managing its digital information systems, while Sopkin will lead the Company's strategic and aggressive system-wide expansion efforts. Miller brings more than 20 years of experience in building industry-leading technology systems and innovative customer facing applications within prominent consumer companies. Most recently, he served as senior vice president and chief information and technology officer at Sonic Drive-In, where he was responsible for developing and executing technology transformation strategies and services, including customer experience, digital engagement, store operations, advanced analytics and corporate solutions. Sopkin joins Planet Fitness with approximately two decades of regional and national real estate and development experience. Most recently, he served as chief real estate officer at Dean & Deluca, where he was responsible for all aspects of development, construction, design and facilities, and created a strategic growth plan and store development organizational structure for the U.S. rollout of gourmet market stores and the launch of a new fast casual concept.

08:34 EDT Halozyme announces clinical trial evaluating PEGPH20 - Halozyme Therapeutics announced the initiation of a multi-arm clinical trial evaluating PEGPH20, Halozyme's investigational new drug, in combination with atezolizumab, or TECENTRIQ, an anti-PDL1 cancer immunotherapy from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. The combination will be tested in patients with previously treated, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer.

08:33 EDT VOXX subsidiary receives three new patents covering validation systems - EyeLock, a majority owned subsidiary of VOXX International, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued three new U.S. Patents: No. 9,792,498, No. 9,792,499 and No. 9,792,497, making that a total of 54 patents granted to the Company to date. The new patents cover crucial technology innovations for the validation of iris and facial images; the ease and speed of biometric matching; and visual guidance for gaze alignment.

08:30 EDT Fifth Third sees Q4 NII on FTE basis roughly flat sequentially - Sees Q4 adjusted noninterest income up approximately 10%, excluding mortgage. Sees Q4 NII on FTE basis roughly flat sequentially, NIM down about 2bps sequentially. For Q4, sees modest sequential commercial loan growth, including impact of $200M of remaining exits, Sees low to mid single digit consumer and mortgage loan growth, excluding auto balances. Sees noninterest expense up about 1.5% in Q4 sequentially. Sees Q4 effective tax rate 29%-30%. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q3 earnings conference call.

08:24 EDT United Technologies sees FY17 organic sales growth 3%-4% - FY17 revenue consensus $59.44B. Sees FY17 free cash flow $3B-$3.5B. Guidance from presentation slides for Q3 earnings conference call.

08:21 EDT Whirlpool to continue to supply Kenmore products to Sears - Whirlpool (WHR) CEO Marc Bitzer confirmed reports that the company will no longer supply Whirlpool appliances to Sears (SHLD) but notes the company will continue to supply Kenmore appliances. Comments provided during Q3 earnings conference call.

08:16 EDT Varian Medical says first patients in U.S. treated with HDRT - Varian announced five patients with brain cancer became the first patients in the US to be treated using the company's HyperArc High Definition Radiotherapy, a new type of radiosurgery treatment, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center. HyperArc is designed to automate and simplify sophisticated treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery and make them available to more cancer patients around the world.

08:12 EDT Fluidigm announces distibution agreement for histoCAT with University of Zurich - Fluidigm announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with the University of Zurich to offer histoCAT software for multiparameter tissue analysis. Under the agreement, Fluidigm obtained rights to globally distribute the software in conjunction with the Hyperion Imaging System. "The development of histoCAT is a major step forward in unlocking the latent potential of mass cytometry to deeply interrogate tissue samples. Through this new secondary analysis software, researchers can explore a wider range of new questions in conjunction with the Hyperion Imaging System workflow," said Chris Linthwaite, President and CEO of Fluidigm.

08:11 EDT Global Blood Therapeutics announces approval of 'voxelotor' as INN for GBT440 - Global Blood Therapeutics announced that the World Health Organization has approved "voxelotor" as the International Nonproprietary Name for its lead product candidate GBT440, and that the United States Adopted Name Council has adopted "voxelotor" as the United States Adopted Name for GBT440. Voxelotor is an oral, once-daily therapy that is designed to modulate hemoglobin affinity for oxygen and is in clinical development for the treatment of sickle cell disease.

08:09 EDT Aldeyra presented data from ADX-102 studies - Aldeyra Therapeutics presented novel data at the American Society of Human Genetics 2017 Annual Meeting demonstrating that ADX-102 reduced levels of gamma-hydroxybutyrate and gamma-aminobutyrate in a knockout mouse model of Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency, or SSADH. SSADH Deficiency is an orphan neurological disease caused by mutations in SSADH, resulting in elevated levels of succinic semialdehyde. Excess succinic semialdehyde is converted into GHB, GABA, and other metabolites that lead to severe neurological dysfunction, including cognitive delay, seizures, and motor dysfunction. Excess levels of GHB and GABA impair neuronal transmission. A small number of patients with a diagnosis of autism have been found to have SSADH Deficiency.

08:08 EDT Catalyst Biosciences announces strategic collaboration with Mosaic Biosciences - Catalyst Biosciences and privately held Mosaic Biosciences announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to develop Catalyst's anti-C3 protease assets for dry age-related macular degeneration and other serious inflammatory retinal disorders. Catalyst's current anti-C3 protease compounds are selective for C3 and have been shown to completely inhibit C3 in preclinical studies with good tolerability after intraocular administration. Under terms of the agreement, Catalyst and Mosaic will collaborate to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of Catalyst's anti-C3 proteases, with a goal of delivering product candidates that have a target profile of a once quarterly intravitreal dosing in humans and better potency compared with competitors. Catalyst and Mosaic will co-fund the research; Catalyst will retain global commercial rights for all collaboration products and Mosaic will receive product sublicense fees and/or milestone payments and royalties.

08:07 EDT Orange selects Harmonic live encoding and transcoding platform - Harmonic (HLIT) announced that Orange (ORAN) has upgraded its IPTV and OTT video delivery architecture with a Harmonic live encoding and transcoding platform. At the heart of the workflow is Harmonic's Electra software-based system, which offers Orange a unified solution for both IPTV and OTT delivery streamlining operations and providing the operator with the flexibility to reuse system capacity as its needs evolve over time.

08:04 EDT Gogo's 2Ku technology selected by LATAM Airlines Brazil - Gogo (GOGO) announced that it has been selected by LATAM Airlines (LTM) Brazil to introduce inflight connectivity using Gogo's 2Ku technology to 100 of its A320 aircraft, which operate flights in Brazil as well as to other countries in Latin America. Gogo's inflight connectivity service will begin in the first half of 2018 and the roll-out of the technology is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019.

08:04 EDT Patterson Companies names Mark Walchirk president and CEO - Patterson Companies (PDCO) named Mark Walchirk President and CEO, effective November 20, 2017. He will succeed James Wiltz, who will continue to serve as Interim President and CEO until that time and will remain on the Patterson Board following the transition. Walchirk will also become a member of the Board, which will be expanded to include nine directors, as of the effective date. Walchirk joins Patterson from McKesson Corporation (MCK), where he most recently served as President of U.S. Pharmaceutical, the largest business unit within McKesson's North America pharmaceutical distribution & services segment.

08:03 EDT TiVo announces all-new BOLT VOX, Mini VOX - TiVo introduced several exciting additions to the TiVo consumer product family -- the TiVo BOLT VOX and TiVo Mini VOX. "The latest device lineup includes TiVo's first voice control remote - the TiVo VOX Remote(TM), with which viewers can use their voice to search for programs across live TV, DVR, video-on-demand and online streaming services. The new TiVo products also include access to the latest visually rich, on-screen TiVo user experience, complete with built-in personalized recommendations and intelligent predictions. The TiVo BOLT VOX provides the most personalized and unified entertainment experience ever, combining the features of TiVo's most powerful DVR with the most popular online streaming services, all controlled by a single voice-powered remote control. The new TiVo Mini VOX allows viewers to expand this great experience to other rooms in the house with up to 4K Ultra HD picture quality, faster performance, and no additional service fees."

08:02 EDT McDonald's reports Q3 systemwide sales increased 7% in constant currencies - Systemwide sales increased 7% in constant currencies, due to strong comparable sales performance and restaurant expansion.

08:01 EDT Hamilton Beach enters into distribution agreement with Vacuvita - Hamilton Beach Brands announced it has entered into an exclusive multi-year distribution agreement with Vacuvita to sell, market and distribute Vacuvita-branded products. These unique products are designed to make storage of foods simple and accessible. Hamilton Beach will begin distribution of Vacuvita products in October 2017 and will sell throughout the United States and Canada at select retailers.

07:59 EDT McDonald's reports Q3 global comparable sales increased 6.0% - Global comparable sales increased 6.0%, reflecting positive guest counts in all segments.

07:58 EDT Ryder CEO says saw stronger than seasonal growth in rental demand - Commenting on the company's third quarter results, Ryder Chairman and CEO Robert Sanchez said, "We performed in line with our expectations for the third quarter. Although earnings were down year over year, earnings comparisons improved from the second quarter of this year. In Fleet Management Solutions, we realized better than expected rental and used vehicle sales performance. We saw stronger than seasonal growth in rental demand, as well as hurricane-related activity late in the quarter, which, along with our earlier right-sizing actions, allowed us to outperform in rental. The net impact of hurricanes was neutral in the quarter, as hurricane-related increases in rental demand were offset by property losses. Used vehicle sales volumes were higher than anticipated, lowering our used vehicle inventory level to the middle of our target range a quarter earlier than anticipated. This represents the lowest level in two years, better positioning our inventory going forward. Additionally, used vehicle pricing was in line with our expectations."

07:47 EDT Jacobs Engineering selected for copper cathode production facility PFS in Peru - Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC) has been selected by Teck Resources (TECK) and Aurubis AG to perform the pre-feasibility study for a proposed copper cathode production facility in Peru. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs will provide capital expenditure and operational expenditure estimates to Teck and Aurubis for determining project pre-feasibility. Teck and Aurubis' conceptual copper cathode production facility would incorporate their proprietary CESL copper-arsenic process technology - providing high copper and precious metal recoveries, controlled arsenic deportment, and reduced environmental impact compared to traditional pyrometallurgical smelter processing facilities in respect to air, dust and water.

07:45 EDT Engility wins $15M contract for U.S. Navy's Frigate Program - Engility Holdings announced the company secured a $15M contract to provide the U.S. Navy's Frigate Program Office with cybersecurity engineering and architecture for the next generation frigate program. For the first time, the U.S. Navy will build cybersecurity and network capabilities into the core architecture of ships, a sizeable change from the previous standard of bolting on these features at post-production. Engility's platform cybersecurity architecture brings enhanced cyber resilience, including improved protection in the form of "digital watertight doors" to the Navy's newest shipbuilding program. Just like watertight doors ensure ship operations in the event of a water breach, digital watertight doors protect operations from data breaches.

07:44 EDT Axon announces orders from Philadelphia Police Department - Axon announced the Philadelphia Police Department's agency-wide purchase of Axon Body 2 cameras and Axon's digital evidence management system, Evidence.com. The order of 4,500 Axon body cameras was received in the Q2 and will ship in nine phases through 2021. It was approved for public release following presentation of the results of the field trial at the International Association of Chiefs of Police this week.

07:43 EDT TD Ameritrade raises quarterly dividend 17% to 21c per share - During the 2017 fiscal year, the company paid $379M in cash dividends, which included four quarterly dividends of 18c per share. The company will increase its quarterly cash dividend by 3c per share, a 17T increase. It has declared a 21c per share quarterly cash dividend, payable on Nov. 21 to all holders of record of common stock as of Nov. 7.

07:41 EDT Peak Resorts reports 9% year-over-year increase in Peak Pass sales - Peak Resorts provided updated preliminary results for pre-season sales of its 2017/2018 Peak Pass. Through the October 18, 2017 pre-season pricing deadline, Peak Pass sales increased by approximately 9% on both a unit and revenue basis, compared to the prior year. The Company noted that sales of its Explorer Pass for 7-17 year-olds and adults over 30 years of age contributed to the strong year-to-date Peak Pass sales growth.

07:40 EDT Moleculin Biotech requests CTA in Poland to advance Annamycin - Moleculin Biotech announced that has submitted its request for Clinical Trial Authorization, or CTA, in Poland which, if allowed, will enable a clinical trial to study Annamycin for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, in Poland. This will be in addition to the previously announced allowance of its Investigative New Drug filing with the FDA in the US.

07:39 EDT Allegheny Technologies expects CapEx to average $100M annually - "We expect our HPMC segment results to sustain strong performance levels in commercial aerospace, with fourth quarter HPMC financial results to be modestly improved compared to the third quarter 2017. Looking ahead to 2018, we expect continued revenue growth and operating margin improvement in our HPMC segment resulting from continuing growth in demand from the aerospace market," the company said. "We remain confident about increased demand for mill products, forgings, castings, and components related to the increasing jet engine build rates over the next several years. Our focus continues on operational execution and on meeting the requirements of the aerospace production ramp. We anticipate that the 2017 financial headwinds from our castings business and completion of the start-up and qualification of our new nickel alloys powder facility will provide meaningful profit improvement opportunities in 2018. We expect the FRP segment to benefit from stabilizing and increasing raw material prices in the fourth quarter, and to be modestly profitable for the quarter and for the full year 2017. We anticipate 2017's operational improvements and product mix benefits will carry over into 2018, as we continue our efforts to position the FRP segment for sustainable profitability. Looking beyond 2017, we will be relentless in our continuing focus on enhancing ATI's technology leadership in differentiated specialty materials products; generating healthy cash flow from operations; improving our competitive cost position; and strengthening our balance sheet. We continue to expect capital expenditures to average approximately $100M annually for the next several years."

07:35 EDT JetBlue sees capacity up 4.5%-5.5% in Q4 - Capacity is expected to increase between 4.5% and 5.5% year over year in Q4. For the FY17, JetBlue expects capacity to increase between 4.0% and 5.0%. RASM growth is expected to range between negative 3.0% and 0.0% for Q4 compared to the same period in 2016. CASM excluding fuel is expected to grow between 5.0% and 7.0% for Q4. For FY17, JetBlue expects year over year CASM excluding fuel to grow between 4.0% and 5.0%.

07:33 EDT Caterpillar says continues to see strength in number of industries, regions - "Caterpillar continues to see strength in a number of industries and regions, including construction in China, on-shore oil and gas in North America, and increased capital investments by mining customers. We are working with our supply chain to increase production levels to satisfy customer demand for those markets that have improved."

07:31 EDT GM says profitable in all segments for first time since 4Q14

07:13 EDT Pentair: Separation expected to occur in 2Q18

07:09 EDT Sierra Metals updates on program at Bolivar and Cusi Mines - Sierra Metals provided an update on the operational improvement program currently taking place at its Bolivar and Cusi Mines in Mexico, focusing on modernizing operations, improving production, and reducing unit costs. A similar program was successfully implemented at the Yauricocha Mine starting in late 2015. The program to date has focused on strengthening the corporate team, adding technical expertise at the projects, improvements to production capacity through mine design, planning and sequencing, and improving metals production through improvements to the metallurgical recovery process and ore throughput.

07:08 EDT Myriad Genetics submits BRACAnalysis CDx application for approval in Japan - Myriad Genetics announced that it has submitted BRACAnalysis CDx in Japan for review by the Pharmaceutical Medical Devices Agency and marketing approval by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as a companion diagnostic to olaparib for use in HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients."This regulatory submission as a companion diagnostic for a PARP inhibitor outside the United States reflects another important major milestone as Myriad seeks to become a global leader in personalized medicine," said Mark C. Capone, president and CEO, Myriad Genetics. "We believe there is broad applicability across all healthcare systems for our suite of companion diagnostics tests to improve the quality of care and lower healthcare costs."Myriad estimates there are greater than 10,000 cases of HER2- metastatic breast cancer per year in Japan which would be eligible for testing with BRACAnalysis CDx. Myriad will support testing in the Japanese market through its United States FDA approved laboratory.

07:06 EDT Peoples Bancorp, ASB Financial announce definitive merger agreement - Peoples Bancorp and ASB Financial Corp, the parent company of American Savings Bank, jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement. Under the agreement, ASB will merge with and into Peoples, and American will subsequently merge with and into Peoples Bank, in a transaction valued at approximately $39.6 million. According to the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, ASB shareholders will have the opportunity to elect to receive 0.592 shares of Peoples common stock for each share of ASB common stock or $20.00 cash per share with a limit of 15% of the merger consideration being paid in cash. Based on Peoples' 20-day volume weighted average closing price of $33.78 per share as of October 20, 2017, the aggregate deal value is approximately $39.6 million, or $20.00 per share. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Peoples' estimated earnings before one-time costs, with a tangible book value earn back under two years, and an internal rate of return which exceeds internal thresholds. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2018 and is subject to ASB shareholder approval, regulatory approval and other conditions set forth in the merger agreement. Peoples is being advised by Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and the law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. ASB is being advised by Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. and the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP.

07:06 EDT Viking Therapeutics reports 'positive' results from in vivo study of VK2809 - Viking Therapeutics announced positive final results from an eight-week study of VK2809 in an in vivo model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Data from this study demonstrated statistically significant improvements in several key measures relevant to the development and progression of NASH. Additionally, an evaluation of gene expression changes demonstrated statistically significant changes in the expression of multiple genes associated with the development and progression of NASH following eight weeks of treatment with VK2809, as compared to vehicle control. The results were presented in a poster presentation at The Liver Meeting 2017, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, held October 20-24, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Presented study results also highlighted that treatment with VK2809 was safe and well-tolerated, with no significant changes to liver function tests observed relative to controls. Additionally, data showed that VK2809 compared favorably to the study's active control treatment, a PPAR-targeting agent that is currently in late-stage clinical development.

07:04 EDT Biogen CEO says encouraged by strength of Spinraza launch - "Our multiple sclerosis portfolio demonstrated resilience in an increasingly competitive market, and we're encouraged by the strength of SPINRAZA's global launch. We had a solid third quarter, and over the balance of the year we anticipate seasonal pressure as well as increased spending as we invest behind our strategic priorities. We believe that our new agreements with Eisai and Neurimmune will improve our long-term economics of aducanumab. We are pleased by Eisai's decision to exercise their option on aducanumab, demonstrating their confidence in the asset. The region-based profit split with Eisai is designed to leverage each company's respective geographic strengths and infrastructures. We made important progress advancing our pipeline, including initiating new trials in Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy and completing enrollment of studies in stroke and Parkinson's disease. In the next 12 months, we expect data readouts from multiple programs across our core and emerging growth areas," said Biogen's CEO Michel Vounatsos.

07:03 EDT Graphic Packaging to form new partnership with International Paper - Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK) will create a $6B paper-based packaging company by forming a new partnership comprised of Graphic Packaging's existing businesses and International Paper's (IP) North America Consumer Packaging business. Graphic Packaging Holding Company will own 79.5% of the partnership and will be the sole operator. International Paper will own 20.5% of the partnership, equivalent to a $1.14B value. The partnership will assume $660M of International Paper debt. There will be no change to Graphic Packaging's current Board of Directors or leadership team. The transaction will be completed at a compelling EV/Adjusted EBITDA multiple of 8.6x, pre-synergies, and 6.3x, post-synergies. International Paper will have a 2-year lock-up on the monetization of their partnership interest and cannot purchase GPK shares for a period of 5 years, subject to limited exceptions.The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of both companies. The transaction is subject to standard closing requirements and regulatory review and is expected to close in early 2018.

07:02 EDT Biogen reports Q3 Tecfidera U.S. revenue $836M, Spinraza U.S. revenue $198M - In the third quarter of 2017, TECFIDERA revenues comprised $836M in sales in the U.S. and $233M in sales outside the U.S. In the third quarter of 2016, U.S. TECFIDERA revenues benefited by approximately $40M to $50M due to inventory build in the channel, affecting the year over year comparison. Inventory levels in the third quarter of 2017 for TECFIDERA in the U.S. were relatively flat versus the second quarter of 2017. In the third quarter of 2017, SPINRAZA revenues comprised $198M in sales in the U.S. and $73M in sales outside the U.S. Inventory levels for SPINRAZA in the U.S. were relatively flat versus the second quarter of 2017, as compared to a $30M increase in the second quarter of 2017. Outside the U.S., SPINRAZA revenues were primarily from Germany and Turkey.

06:57 EDT Endeavour Silver verifies high grade silver mineralization in Veta Colorada - Endeavour Silver announces that exploration drilling on the Parral property in Chihuahua State, Mexico has verified high grade silver mineralization within the Argentina-Remedios area of the Veta Colorada, which was drilled but never mined by a previous owner, IMMSA. Industrial Minera Mexico, S.A. de C.V. operated a high grade silver mine on the Veta Colorada until 1990 and on closing left behind a 32.1 million oz historical silver resource contained in 4.0M tonnes grading 248.5 grams per tonne. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as a current mineral resource, Endeavour has not verified the historical resource and is not relying on it as a current mineral resource. Twenty-one drill holes totaling 6,928 metres of core were drilled to test the portion of the historic resource located within the Argentina-Remedios area of the Veta Colorada. The drill holes were spaced at approximately 100 m centres over an area 400 m long by 400 m deep. Drilling highlights include 457 gpt silver over a 9.3 m true width in hole CV26.5-1. Another high grade intercept assayed 4,641 gpt silver over a 2.3 m true width in hole CV27-2.

06:44 EDT Zealand Pharma granted orphan drug designation for glepaglutide by FDA - The FDA Office of Orphan Products Development, or OOPD, has granted an orphan drug designation to glepaglutide for the treatment of the rare disease short bowel syndrome, or SBS. Glepaglutide is a Zealand-invented long-acting GLP-2 analog that may offer a treatment option for patients with reduced or complete loss of intestinal function. Glepaglutide has been shown to reduce fecal wet weight output as well as indicated increases in both energy, fluid and electrolyte absorption in SBS patients in a Phase 2 trial. Interactions with U.S. and EU regulatory authorities are planned with the aim of moving glepaglutide into Phase 3 clinical trials in 2018.

06:41 EDT Eli Lilly down just under 1% after reporting Q3 results

06:41 EDT Infosys board reaffirms that there is no merit to allegations of wrongdoing - Over the past eight weeks, members of the management team and the Committee of Directors undertook a comprehensive strategy refresh exercise. With the objective of outlining a sharpened strategic direction, they reviewed all programs across the organization, accelerated execution plans and prioritized key areas of investments across the services and software portfolios. As previously indicated, the Chairman has conducted a review of all the external investigations into certain anonymous complaints the Company had previously received. The review covered a range of matters described below, including the acquisition of Panaya which was completed by the Company in February 2015 and the severance payments to the former CFO. After careful consideration led by our Chairman, the Board reaffirms the previous findings of external investigations that there is no merit to the allegations of wrongdoing.

06:38 EDT Eli Lilly sees no product supply risk, significant financial impact from storms - Following the impact of Hurricane Maria, the company has accounted for all employees in Puerto Rico, and its manufacturing sites had minimal damage. The company's inventory strategy for products is designed to protect against this type of event, and Lilly sees no product supply risk or other significant financial impact at this time.

06:37 EDT Eli Lilly confirms workforce reductions impacting about 3,500 positions - Eli Lilly announced actions to streamline operations to more efficiently focus resources on developing new medicines and to improve its cost structure. Global workforce reductions, including those from a U.S. voluntary early retirement program, are expected to impact approximately 3,500 positions. Annualized savings of approximately $500M will be about equally split to improve the company's cost structure and reinvest in the business, including product launches and clinical development for new indications and line extensions. Lilly confirmed these savings would improve upon its previous commitment and now expects to achieve an OPEX-to-revenue ratio of 49% or less in 2018.

06:33 EDT Vical announces joint development program with AnGes - Vical announced that it is pursuing early stage development of a novel treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus infection based on its DNA and lipid-delivery technologies. This development effort is being conducted in collaboration with Vical's strategic partner, AnGes, Inc of Osaka, Japan. The initial stage of this program will be to demonstrate preclinical proof of concept for inhibiting HBV infection in a human liver model in the second half of 2018. The ultimate aim of this program would be to demonstrate eradication of persistent HBV infection in CHB patients. AnGes has provided partial funding for the initial stage of this program and, if successful, Vical expects that AnGes will continue to participate in the funding of the program. AnGes has been granted the right of first refusal to negotiate with Vical for an exclusive license to develop and commercialize this therapy in Japan. Vical intends to first establish in vitro proof of concept against HBV infection using an HBV-producing cell line followed by in vivo testing in an elaborate preclinical model of HBV infection which enables human hepatocytes to be infected with HBV and then treated and monitored for suppression of several virologic markers including reduction in covalently-closed circular (ccc) DNA levels in the livers. Should Vical establish in vivo proof of concept, it intends to advance the product towards Phase 1 testing, ideally in CHB patients, to achieve clinical proof of concept at an early stage of development. Results of the preclinical proof of concept studies are anticipated in the second half of 2018.

06:30 EDT Biogen announces amended agreement with Neurimmune Holding - Biogen announced that it has increased the profit potential on aducanumab, its Phase 3 investigational treatment for early Alzheimer's disease, by reducing the potential royalty payment on potential commercial sales of aducanumab to Neurimmune Holding AG. In exchange for a 15% reduction in the previously negotiated royalty rates, Biogen agreed to make a one-time $150M payment to Neurimmune Holding AG. Biogen licensed the worldwide rights to aducanumab from Neurimmune Holding AG in 2007 and is responsible for its development and the commercialization. As part of this amended agreement, Biogen also has an option to further reduce the royalty owed on potential commercial sales of aducanumab by an additional 5 percent in exchange for an additional one-time $50M payment to Neurimmune Holding AG.

06:13 EDT ContraVir Pharmaceuticals to use preclinical services from NIAID - ContraVir Pharmaceuticals announced that it will utilize preclinical services from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to characterize the antiviral activity of CRV431 in a humanized mouse model of hepatitis B virus infection.NIAID-funded contractor KMT Hepatech provides in vivo research services utilizing the proprietary platform technology of the KMT Mouse, also known as the chimeric mouse.

06:08 EDT Stanley Black & Decker up 1% after reporting Q3 results

06:05 EDT Polaris Industries sees $10-$15M in costs from manufacturing network realignment - Polaris announced on April 24, 2017 that it was making changes to its network to consolidate production of like products and better leverage plant capacity. Changes include discontinuing manufacturing at its plant in Milford, Iowa, and transferring Milford production to existing Polaris facilities in Huntsville, Ala.; Roseau, Minn.; and Anaheim, Calif. Additionally, the Company plans to transfer fabrication operations for its Pro Armor aftermarket products from its facility in Riverside, Calif., to its recently acquired Transamerican Auto Parts facility in Chula Vista, Calif. Beginning in the second quarter of 2017, costs associated with the manufacturing realignment, anticipated to be in the range of $10M-$15M, are recorded in the income statement within the respective gross profit and operating expenses. These costs are excluded from Polaris' 2017 sales and earnings guidance on a non-GAAP basis.

06:02 EDT Facebook not planning to ask publishers to pay for distribution in news feed - Adam Mosseri, Head of News Feed at Facebook, said in a social media post, "There have been a number of reports about a test we're running in Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Slovakia, Serbia, Guatemala, and Cambodia. Some have interpreted this test as a future product we plan to deliver globally. We currently have no plans to roll this test out further. We always listen to our community about ways we might improve News Feed. People tell us they want an easier way to see posts from friends and family. We are testing having one dedicated space for people to keep up with their friends and family, and another separate space, called Explore, with posts from pages. The goal of this test is to understand if people prefer to have separate places for personal and public content. We will hear what people say about the experience to understand if it's an idea worth pursuing any further. There is no current plan to roll this out beyond these test countries or to charge pages on Facebook to pay for all their distribution in News Feed or Explore. Unfortunately, some have mistakenly made that interpretation - but that was not our intention. It's also important to know this test in these six countries is different than the version of Explore that has rolled out to most people. Outside of the above countries, Explore is a complementary feed of popular articles, videos, and photos automatically customized for each person based on content that might be interesting to them. We've heard from people that they want an easy way to discover relevant content from pages they haven't connected with yet. While Explore includes content from relevant pages, posts from pages that people like or follow will continue to appear in News Feed." Reference Link

05:58 EDT KBR awarded project management services contract by OZ Minerals - KBR announced it has been awarded a contract by OZ Minerals for project management services for the development of its Carrapateena copper-gold project located in South Australia. Under the contract, KBR will provide professional services for the execution phase of the project as part of an integrated project team. KBR had previously been supporting OZ Minerals to finalize its early contractor involvement strategy and associated feasibility study activities.

05:54 EDT Applied DNA Sciences signs CertainT license agreement with Palmetto Synthetics - Applied DNA Sciences has signed a new CertainT trademark license agreement with Palmetto Synthetics. Palmetto's mission "is to be the leading global innovator and provider of specialty synthetic fiber while fostering a culture of integrity, dignity and respect for their team members, business partner, community and environment." The newly signed CertainT trademark licensing agreement enables Palmetto to reach their goals of bringing transparency to their own manufacturing processes, and also to provide their customers with traceability and trust in the original tagged synthetic fiber.

05:48 EDT ADTRAN enters global agreement with CCS - ADTRAN announced an agreement with CCS to deliver self-organizing mmWave technology for backhaul and access capabilities to wired and wireless operators as they embrace 5G densification architectures and significantly higher access speeds. The global agreement with CCS, a UK-based pioneer in self-organizing 5G mmWave backhaul and Gigabit access, forms the latest development in ADTRAN's Mosaic Open Network Alliance initiative. It complements ADTRAN's existing SD-Access based NG-PON2 solution for 5G backhaul, featuring non-service impacting wavelength agility and ultra-low latency to safeguard the extraordinary SLA performance demands of 5G, IoT and other mission-critical services.

05:44 EDT Hess Corp. sells interest in Norway, begins process to sell interests in Denmark - Hess Corporation announced several additional steps in the continued execution of its strategic plan to further focus the company's portfolio and allocate capital to higher return assets: An agreement to sell its oil and gas interests in Norway for total proceeds of $2B; Commencement of a process to sell its interests in Denmark; Implementation of a cost reduction program expected to deliver annual cost savings of more than $150M starting in 2019. "With the continued success of our asset sale program, we are focusing our portfolio on higher return assets and reducing our breakeven oil price," CEO John Hess said. "Proceeds from these asset sales, along with cash on the balance sheet, will prefund development of our world class investment opportunity in offshore Guyana, where we have participated in one of the world's largest oil discoveries of the past decade - positioning our company to deliver more than a decade of cash generative growth and significant value for our shareholders." The sale of its interests in Norway combined with the company's previously announced divestitures of its enhanced oil recovery assets in the Permian Basin and interests in Equatorial Guinea have captured approximately $3.25B in cash proceeds year to date. These reshaping moves including the planned sale of interests in Denmark will also extinguish approximately $3.2B in future abandonment liabilities. In addition, with a portion of these cash proceeds, we expect to reduce Hess Corporation debt by $500M in 2018. Together with the planned $150M annual cost reduction program, these actions are expected to reduce cash unit production costs by approximately 30% - to less than $10 per BOE - by 2020. Hess has entered into an agreement to sell its subsidiary Hess Norge, which owns interests in the Valhall and Hod fields in Norway, to Aker BP ASA for total proceeds of $2 billion, effective January 1, 2017. The Valhall and Hod fields produced an average of 26,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day net to Hess over the first six months of 2017. Hess holds a 64.05 percent interest in Valhall and a 62.5 percent interest in Hod. The sale is subject to customary conditions for completion, including approval by the Ministry of Oil and Energy, Ministry of Finance and relevant competition clearance and is expected to be completed by year end 2017. In addition, Hess will commence a process to sell its interests in Denmark, where it holds a 61.5 percent interest in the South Arne Field. This sales process is expected to be completed in 2018. The South Arne Field produced an average of 11,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day net to Hess in the first six months of 2017.

05:25 EDT Alexion announces FDA approval of Soliris - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has approved Soliris as a treatment for adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, or gMG, who are anti-acetylcholine receptor, or AchR, antibody-positive. In the Phase 3 REGAIN study and its ongoing open-label extension study, Soliris demonstrated treatment benefits for patients with anti-AchR antibody-positive gMG who had previously failed immunosuppressive treatment and continued to suffer from significant unresolved disease symptoms, which can include difficulties seeing, walking, talking, swallowing and breathing. These patients are at an increased risk of disease exacerbations and crises that may require hospitalization and intensive care and may be life-threatening. These patients represent approximately 5%-10% of all patients with MG.

05:21 EDT Veritex announces branch office sales, terms not disclosed - Veritex Holdings announced that Veritex Community Bank entered into a Purchase and Assumption Agreement with Horizon Bank, SSB to sell certain assets associated with the Austin and Cedar Park branches located in Austin, Texas. The pending sale is expected to close in Q1 of 2018, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals. Customers of these branches will receive additional information regarding the impact of the sale in the near future. After the sale close, Veritex will have no branch offices in these communities. Terms of the transaction were not announced. After the sale of the Austin branches, Veritex will operate 17 branch locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, two branches in the Houston metropolitan area and one mortgage office.