Stockwinners Market Radar for October 26, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:31 EDT PhaseRx to appeal delisting to Nasdaq Hearing Panel - PhaseRx announced receipt of a delisting notice from Nasdaq, which informed the company that, absent an appeal, trading in PhaseRx's common stock will be suspended from Nasdaq at the opening of business on November 1. PhaseRx will appeal the decision to a Nasdaq Hearing Panel, which will stay the suspension of their securities, pending the panel's decision subsequent to the hearing. As a result of Nasdaq's rejection of the plan of compliance and initiation of delisting procedures, PhaseRx will proceed to appeal to a Nasdaq Hearing Panel. There can be no assurance that the panel will grant PhaseRx's request for continued listing.

18:05 EDT Microsoft says sees FY18 tax rate 22% plus or minus 2 points

17:57 EDT Investors Bancorp raises quarterly dividend 12.5% to 9c per share - To be paid on November 24 for stockholders of record as of November 10.

17:51 EDT Acme United acquires First Aid Only facility for $4M - Acme United announced the exercise of its option to purchase its First Aid Only manufacturing and distribution center in Vancouver, WA for $4M. The property consists of 53,000 square feet of office, manufacturing, and warehouse space on 2.86 acres. Built in 1993, the facility is in excellent condition and was recently appraised at $6.25M. The annual rent net of expenses is $407,000. The purchase was financed by a variable rate mortgage at 3.74%, which will result in additional annual interest expenses of $150,000. After depreciation, the acquisition will be accretive.

17:41 EDT Microsoft says ahead of plan with LinkedIn integration - Says engagement across the LinkedIn platform is strong.

17:39 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Align Technology (ALGN), up 11.4%... Amazon (AMZN), up 7.9%... First Solar (FSLR), up 6%... Tandem Diabetes (TNDM), up 5.9%... Microsoft (MSFT), up 3.5%... Acacia Research (ACTG), up 3.5%... Alphabet (GOOG), up 3%... Stryker (SYK), up 2.8%. ALSO HIGHER: PICO Holdings (PICO), up 9.9% after announcing a $5.00 per share special dividend... Gigamon (GIMO), up 6% after reporting quarterly earnings and after it said it will be acquired by Elliott for $38.50 per share. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Mattel (MAT), down 20%... Electronics for Imaging (EFII), down 17%... Expedia (EXPE), down 15.9%... Super Micro Computer (SMCI), down 12.4%... Baidu (BIDU), down 10.1%... Fortinet (FTNT), down 9.5%... Cerner (CERN), down 7.8%... Town Sports International (CLUB), down 7.1%... Gilead Sciences (GILD), down 3.8%... Deckers Brands (DECK), down 1.7%. ALSO LOWER: Priceline (PCLN), down 3% after Expedia reported downbeat quarterly results.

17:36 EDT Sierra Metals reports mineral reserves for Yauricocha are 8.92M tonnes - Sierra Metals has updated its Mineral Reserves Estimate at the Company's Yauricocha Mine, located in Yauyos Province, Peru. Highlights include: Mineral Reserves for Yauricocha are 8,917,000 tonnes averaging 48.3 g/t silver, 1.2% copper, 0.8% lead, 2.4% zinc and 0.5 g/t gold representing a 134% increase to the previous Reserve Estimate. This new Reserve Estimate more than doubles the previous mine life at current throughput levels when compares to the previous August 2016 Reserve Estimate. Total Proven and Probable Contained Metal has significantly increased by 86% silver, 237% copper, 58% lead, 96% zinc, and 97% gold as compared to the previous August 2016 reserve estimate. Increases to copper contained metal reflect the discovery and delineation of new Cu-rich zones in Cuye, Mascota, and Esperanza and a 14% increase in Copper Price. The updated Reserve Estimate has incorporated the recent significant increase to Yauricocha's Mineral. This Reserve Estimate does not include the latest drill intercepts reported from Cuye-Mascota (press released on October 2, 2017) as they were completed after the cut-off date of the current report.

17:27 EDT BankFinancial extends expiration date of repurchase program - BankFinancial announced that its Board of Directors has extended the expiration date of the Company's current share repurchase authorization from December 31, 2017, to June 30, 2018. Pursuant to the current share repurchase authorization, there are 331,676 shares of common stock authorized for repurchase through June 30, 2018.

17:25 EDT Planet Payment trading halted, news pending

17:13 EDT Western Digital not confident Toshiba agreement to be reached soon - Western Digital (WDC) says joint ventures with Toshiba (TOSBF) still working productively, working well. Says working on solution to resolve matters with Toshiba. Says two paths for resolutions: stakeholders either engage in constructive dialogue, or matter will be resolved through arbitration process. Says will not agree to terms such as SanDisk waiving its consent rights. Says not confident agreement with Toshiba will be reached on this investment tranche. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:06 EDT Mattel down 18% to $12.56 after weak Q3 results, suspension of dividend

17:01 EDT CDK Global acquires DDE, terms not disclosed - CDK Global has purchased Dashboard Dealership Enterprises. DDE is a full-service enterprise reporting company that has grown its customer base to 600 dealership locations over the last 15 years. The acquisition of DDE, a current CDK Global Partner Program participant, allows CDK to deliver a more robust reporting solution. The mobile-friendly product offers enterprise-level reporting to help dealers measure and manage their business. Executive Eye can also help dealers to assess the financial health of one store or an entire group through business analytic reporting tools, as well as view key performance indicators from all stores side-by-side, providing easy performance comparisons and the ability to identify stores that need attention. As part of the acquisition, DDE CEO Josh Blick and COO William Page III will join CDK to help guide further development of Executive Eye.

16:59 EDT Microsemi to acquire high performance timing business of Vectron for $130M - Microsemi (MSCC) and Knowles (KN), jointly announced that Microsemi has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the high performance timing business of Vectron International, a Knowles company, for $130M. Microsemi expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive once closed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is currently expected to close in Microsemi's fiscal first quarter ending December 2017.

16:52 EDT Baidu down over 11% to $230.47 after Q3 results, guidance

16:49 EDT Expedia reports Q3 room nights stayed for global growth brands up 18% - Room nights stayed for the global growth brands of Brand Expedia, Hotels.com, EAN and Egencia combined increased 18% year over year, with HomeAway room nights stayed up 36% y/y.

16:44 EDT Endo files suit to obtain FDA compliance with Drug Quality and Security Act - Endo announced that its subsidiaries, Par Sterile Products and Endo Par Innovation Company, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. FDA seeking a declaration that the FDA's current framework allowing for the bulk compounding of numerous products is unlawful under the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The lawsuit also seeks the immediate removal of vasopressin from the FDA's Category 1 nominations list to assure that non-sterile-to-sterile outsourcing facilities cannot engage in bulk compounding of vasopressin. Endo filed the suit based on legislative provisions contained in the DQSA amendments requiring FDA to implement a regulatory framework regarding bulk compounding that serves to protect the public health.

16:39 EDT Boston Beer provides FY17 guidance - Underlying the Company's current 2017 projection are the following 52-week full-year estimates and targets: Depletions and shipments percentage change of between minus 7% and minus 4% from the 53-week number in 2016. Price increases per barrel of between 1% and 2%. Gross margin of between 51% and 52%. Increased investments in advertising, promotional and selling expenses of between $10 million and $20 million. This does not include any changes in freight costs for the shipment of products to the Company's distributors. This estimate is subject to timing of brand investments currently planned for the fourth quarter of 2017 which could move into 2018. Non-GAAP effective tax rate of approximately 37%, excluding the impact of ASU 2016-09. Estimated capital spending of between $35 million and $45 million, most of which relates to continued investments in the Company's breweries.

16:35 EDT PICO Holdings trading resumes

16:33 EDT Baidu reports Q3 adjusted EBITDA $1.03B - Representing a 62% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

16:31 EDT Holly Energy increases distribution 8.4% to 64.5c per share - Holly Energy has declared a cash distribution of 64.5c per unit for Q3, an 8.4% increase vs. the 59.5c per unit distribution declared for 3Q16. The distribution will be paid on November 14 to unitholders of record on November 6.

16:31 EDT ADP announces letter to stockholders urging vote for company director nominees - ADP announced it is sending a letter to stockholders and issued the following statement: "Our Annual Meeting is rapidly approaching, and we urge all ADP stockholders to protect the value of their investment by voting the WHITE proxy card today in support of ADP's 10 highly qualified directors today," said John P. Jones, Chairman of the Board. "Earlier this week, we were pleased to gain the support of leading independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which recommended that stockholders support ADP and vote for nine of our 10 directors on the WHITE proxy card and withhold on Director Eric Fast. While we are very pleased with ISS' overall recommendation, which validates the successful oversight by our highly qualified Board of ADP's strong track record and execution of our 'All in on HCM' strategy, we disagree with the withhold recommendation."

16:30 EDT Microsoft rallies $1.51 to $80.27 following Q1 results

16:29 EDT Alphabet jumps $34.33 to $1,025.75 after Q3 results

16:29 EDT Amazon.com soars $79.10 to $1,051.53 after Q3 results

16:25 EDT Energy Transfer Partners increases cash distribution 1.5c to 56.5c per share - Energy Transfer Partners announced a 1.5c increase in its quarterly cash distribution to 56.5c per ETP common unit, $2.26 on an annualized basis, for Q3. This quarterly distribution will be paid on November 14, 2017 to unitholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2017.

16:25 EDT Mattel trading resumes

16:18 EDT Gigamon enters agreement to be acquired by Elliot for $38.50 per share in cash - Gigamon and Elliott Management announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Elliott will acquire Gigamon for $38.50 per share in cash, for a total value of approximately $1.6B. Upon completion of the transaction, Gigamon will become a privately held company. Elliott's investment is being led by its private equity affiliate, Evergreen Coast Capital. Under the terms of the agreement, Gigamon shareholders will receive $38.50 in cash for each share of Gigamon common stock held. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 21% to the Company's unaffected closing price on April 28, 2017, the day following the Company's release of its first quarter 2017 financial results and the date on which Elliot became required to file a Schedule 13D with respect to its ownership interest in Gigamon. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Gigamon Board of Directors. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of outstanding shares of Gigamon stock, which will be sought at a special meeting of shareholders to be scheduled. Elliott Management and its affiliates currently hold a 7.0% equity voting stake in the Company and have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the transaction.

16:17 EDT Gigamon enters agreement to be acquired by Elliot for $38.50 per share in cash

16:16 EDT PICO Holdings announces $5.00 per share special dividend - PICO Holdingsannounced that its board has declared a special cash dividend of $5.00 per share, or approximately $115.7M. The dividend will be payable to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 6. Payment is expected to be made on or around November 20.

16:10 EDT Microsoft reports Q1 More Personal Computing revenue of $9.4B - Revenue in More Personal Computing was $9.4B and relatively unchanged, down 1% in constant currency. Windows OEM revenue increased 4%, ahead of the overall PC market. Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 7% driven by annuity revenue growth. Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 15%, driven by higher revenue per search and search volume. Surface revenue increased 12% driven by sales of the new Surface Laptop. Gaming revenue increased 1% with Xbox software and services revenue growth of 21% offset by lower hardware revenue.

16:10 EDT Deckers Brands authorizes $335M buyback, says will not actively pursue sale - Deckers Brands announced that its board of directors has authorized a new $335 million stock repurchase program, in addition to the $65 million remaining under Deckers' current authorization, for a total of $400 million. This represents approximately 20% of the current market capitalization. Deckers also today announced the completion of its review of a potential sale of the company. The Board remains open to considering strategic and financial alternatives as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance stockholder value, but will not actively pursue a sale of the entire company at this time. With the assistance of its advisors, Moelis & Company LLC and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, the Board of Directors undertook a thorough and wide-ranging process to consider potential interest in an acquisition of Deckers. As part of that process, Deckers and its advisors contacted 90 potential acquirers, including strategic and financial parties, both domestic and international, but this effort did not result in a transaction.

16:09 EDT Microsoft reports Q1 Intelligent Cloud up 14% to $6.9B - Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $6.9B and increased 14%. Server products and cloud services revenue increased 17% driven by Azure revenue growth of 90%, or up 89% in constant currency. Enterprise Services revenue increased 1%, with growth in Premier Support Services offset by declines in custom support agreements.

16:08 EDT Alphabet CFO calls Q3 results 'terrific' - Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet, said, "We had a terrific quarter, with revenues up 24% year on year, reflecting strength across Google and Other Bets. Our momentum is a result of investments over many years in fantastic people, products and partnerships."

16:07 EDT Alphabet reports Q3 aggregate paid clicks up 47% vs. last year - Reports Q3 aggregate cost-per-click down 18% vs. last year.

16:06 EDT Microsoft CEO says results 'reflect accelerating innovation' - "This quarter we exceeded $20 billion in commercial cloud ARR, outpacing the goal we set just over two years ago," said Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft. "Our results reflect accelerating innovation and increased usage and engagement across our businesses as customers continue to choose Microsoft to help them transform."

16:05 EDT Expedia reports Q3 gross bookings up 11% y/y

16:03 EDT PICO Holdings trading halted, news pending

16:00 EDT Mattel trading halted, news pending

15:49 EDT Aetna jumps 11%, halted after report of CVS takeover talks

15:40 EDT Nexstar Media applauds FCC proposal to modernize local media ownership rules - Nexstar Media said that it applauds the FCC's publication of a draft proposed rulemaking to modernize local media ownership rules to reflect the realities of the evolving media marketplace, while supporting greater public service to local communities. Perry A. Sook, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. stated, "For over two decades, Nexstar has endorsed an organization-wide commitment to uphold the FCC mandate and public interest principles of diversity and localism through the delivery of exceptional local programming and community service. With outdated cross-ownership rules that were imposed in the mid-1970s, giants in national telecom, cable and internet have rapidly consolidated and a proliferation of new video and media offerings for consumers has emerged. During this period, local broadcasters and local media businesses endured significant regulatory impediments to compete and innovate. We share Chairman Pai's view that change is needed to enable local broadcasters to fully compete in today's marketplace. The FCC's proposed rulemaking takes an important step forward in re-writing outdated local media ownership rules and modernizing regulations to allow the local broadcast industry to compete on equal footing. We believe these proposed actions will encourage new investment to support job creation, increased local programming production and greater public service."

15:29 EDT EJF Capital reports 5.7% passive stake in MBIA

14:42 EDT Drug distributors, PBMs slide as Trump discusses fight against opiod epidemic - Shares of a number of drug distributors, including AmerisourceBergen (ABC), Cardinal Health (CAH), McKesson (MCK), and several pharmacy benefit managers, including Express Scripts (ESRX) and CVS Health (CVS), are moving lower in afternoon trading as President Donald Trump holds a press conference to discuss his initiative to fight the U.S. opiod epidemic, which he has now declared a national emergency.

14:07 EDT Kitov announces Phase III/IV trial for KIT-302 meets primary endpoint - Kitov Pharmaceuticals announced that its randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled renal function clinical trial for its lead drug candidate, KIT-302, successfully met its primary efficacy endpoint. Data from the trial demonstrated that KIT-302 lowered systolic blood pressure a comparable amount to the widely used antihypertension drug, amlodipine besylate, thus meeting the trial's primary efficacy endpoint of achieving at least 50% of the amlodipine reduction. Kitov submitted its New Drug Application for marketing approval of KIT-302 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2017, and in September 2017, FDA filed the NDA, thereby granting a full review. "Although the renal clinical trial was not required as part of the initial KIT-302 NDA submission, the company anticipates completion and submission of the report to FDA by January 2018," Kitov stated.

13:37 EDT Stein Mart says October SSS flat

13:37 EDT Stein Mart to cut 10% of corporate office headcount in cost reduction effort - Stein Mart announced that it has instituted cost reductions expected to total savings of approximately $10M in 2018 including the elimination of approximately 10% of its corporate office headcount. These actions are part of the company's ongoing efforts to control costs and simplify its business processes in this highly competitive retail environment. Most of the other cost reductions are also at the corporate headquarters. This announcement is in addition to tight expense controls and other steps the company has taken this year to strengthen its financial position, including: Lowering inventories by 15%; Reducing capital expenditures by $22M over the prior year; Suspending the quarterly dividend. "While we believe our sales-driving strategies are now taking hold, we are still in a very challenging retail environment. With this in mind, we are taking the necessary steps to better position our company for long-term success," said Hunt Hawkins, CEO. "The trend of comparable stores sales decreases continued into the third quarter and was slightly worse in August and September due to the impacts of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. With only a few days remaining in the month, however, October comp store sales are flat reflecting traction from new merchandising and marketing initiatives put into place this fall. We are encouraged by this significant shift from the negative comp sales trend we saw through September and believe our current strategies are the right ones to build our unique and valuable brand."

13:24 EDT Viking Global reports 7.2% passive stake in Parsley Energy

13:18 EDT lululemon falls after Bloomberg reports Nike upping Yoga investment

13:04 EDT Deutsche Boerse says 'very likely' to miss 2017 targets - The company said, "Our secular growth initiatives are well on track. However, due to prevailing negative cyclical effects, we will very likely not be able to fully meet our targets for the financial year 2017. Nonetheless, the Group remains very well positioned to benefit from secular and cyclical growth over the medium term. Deutsche Borse Group therefore affirms its forecast for annual earnings growth of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent for 2018 and 2019."

12:54 EDT Southwest expects Q4 capacity to increase 1%-2% - Sees Q4 CASM flat to up 1.5%. Sees Q4 unit costs easing compared to last three quarters. Sees FY capex at $2.3B. Still sees fleet growing to 707 by end of 2017 and 750 by end of 2018.

12:02 EDT Amazon announces new fulfillment center in Calgary - Amazon announced plans to open its seventh Canadian fulfillment centre to be located in the greater Calgary region's Rocky View community. The 600,000 square foot customer fulfillment facility located in Nose Creek Business Park, Amazon's first in Alberta, will create more than 750 new full-time associate roles - joining Amazon's current and growing workforce of 2,000-plus full-time fulfillment employees across the country. In total, Amazon employs more than 4,400 employees throughout Canada working at corporate offices, development centers, and other facilities. The new facility will join Amazon's network of current fulfillment centres located in Ontario: Brampton, Mississauga, and Milton, and British Columbia: Delta and New Westminster. Associates at this facility will pick, pack, and ship items ranging from aviator sunglasses to zebra costumes.

11:37 EDT ConocoPhillips sees more than $16B of asset sales in 2017 - In slides being presented on the Q3 earnings conference call, ConocoPhillips said it expects more than $16B of asset sales in 2017 and that it is on track for $3B of share buybacks by the end of the year. The company expects less than $20B of debt by YE.

11:17 EDT Noble Midstream increases quarterly distribution to 46.65c per share - Noble Midstream Partners announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner, Noble Midstream GP LLC, declared a cash distribution of 46.65c per unit for the third quarter 2017, a 4.7% increase from the second quarter 2017. The third quarter 2017 distribution will be payable on November 13, 2017 to unitholders of record as of November 6, 2017.

11:12 EDT American Airlines sees $1.2B in aircraft CapEx in 2018

11:06 EDT Lockheed Martin, Navantia sign MOU to renew 20-year agreement - Lockheed Martin and Navantia have signed a renewed Memorandum of Agreement between the companies to collaborate to explore mutually beneficial new business opportunities in the areas of surface ships and naval combat systems.

11:02 EDT Street Check: Analyst makes prescient call ahead of Celgene disappointments - Shares of Celgene (CELG) are plunging after the company slashed its 2020 sales guidance. This follows last week's announcement that the biotech company is discontinuing a late-stage Crohn's treatment trial. Back on October 5, and ahead of both negative events, Morgan Stanley analyst Matthew Harrison had downgraded Celgene to Underweight, citing underappreciated generic risk and a cautious view on its 2018 pipeline potential. RESULTS, DISCONTINUATION: This morning, Celgene reported third quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.91, which was above consensus of $1.87. The company also announced third quarter revenue of $3.29B, below consensus of $3.42B. Meanwhile, the said it sees 2017 adjusted earnings per share of $7.30-$7.35, and lowered its 2017 total revenue forecast to approximately $13B from a prior view of $13B-$13.4B. Additionally, the company said it sees 2020 adjusted earnings per share greater than $12.50 versus previous view of greater than $13.00, while cutting its total 2020 net product sales outlook to $19B-$20B from over $21B. This comes a week after the company announced that the GED-0301 phase III REVOLVE trial in Crohn's disease and the extension trial will be discontinued. Celgene has decided to stop the trials following an October recommendation of the Data Monitoring Committee, which assessed overall benefit/risk during a recent interim futility analysis. There were no meaningful safety imbalances identified in the analysis. The company added that it is waiting to review the full dataset from the phase II trial with GED-0301 in ulcerative colitis to determine next steps. SELL CELGENE: On October 5, Morgan Stanley's Harrison downgraded Celgene to Underweight saying consensus underappreciated the potential for generic Revlimid as early as April 2020, much sooner that the expected 2026 entry, and the challenges key pipeline assets GED-0301 and ozanimod could face. The analyst noted that Dr. Reddy's (RDY) has a unique polymorph of Revlimid as revealed by an EU patent filling, and expects it to file a inter partes review, or IPR, by October 2020. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Commenting on today's earnings results, Jefferies analyst Michael Yee told investors that he believes shares of Celgene could fall to $100-$110. The bull case at this point is valuation and 2020 guidance was already known to be at risk after last week's GED031 failure, Yee pointed out, adding that the shares at current levels ascribe closer to no pipeline value. The analyst reiterates a Buy rating on Celgene. Meanwhile, his peer at Piper Jaffray added that he sees little to reverse the selloff in the shares. Analyst Christopher Raymond remains cautious on the stock, noting that he believes Celgene's diversification effort "appears to be headed in the wrong direction." Wells Fargo analyst Jim Birchenough downgraded Celgene to Market Perform from Outperform following the company's downward revision of its 2020 outlook. Given the GED0301 failure in Crohns's, the push out in timelines for ozanimod in ulcerative colitis and a reduced outlook for solid tumor revenues, Birchenough believes "a tipping point of setback has been reached," he tells investors. The analyst cut his price target to $101 from $163 on the shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Celgene has plunged over 15% to $100.99 per share.

10:59 EDT American Airlines says close-in yields rebounded 'quite strongly' in September

10:42 EDT American Airlines CEO 'feels good' about where American is, industry is - CEO Parker says would be "disappointed" if unit revenue didn't exceed adjust unit costs in 2018.

10:29 EDT Essendant trading resumes

10:25 EDT American Airlines on NAACP advisory: 'We pride ourselves on inclusiveness' - Commenting on the NAACP's advisory, "We at American pride ourselves on inclusiveness and diversity." Says travel advisory announcement was "a disappointment."

10:23 EDT American Airlines sees positive domestic PRASM in Q4

10:20 EDT OPKO Health licensee Tesaro reports FDA approval of Varubi IV - OPKO Health (OPK) announces that its licensee, TESARO (TSRO), received U.S. FDA approval for VARUBI IV in combination with other antiemetic agents in adults for the prevention of delayed nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of emetogenic cancer chemotherapy, including, but not limited to, highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Delayed nausea and vomiting can occur anytime between 25 and 120 hours following chemotherapy, and is often extremely debilitating.TESARO licensed exclusive rights for the development, manufacture, commercialization, and distribution of VARUBI from OPKO Health in December 2010. TESARO previously launched an oral version of VARUBI in November 2015. OPKO Health will receive tiered double-digit royalties on sales of VARUBI IV. In addition, OPKO Health is eligible to receive additional commercial milestone payments of up to $85M upon achievement of certain sales thresholds. TESARO is expected to launch VARUBI IV in November 2017.

10:17 EDT American Airlines sees 2018 non-fuel CASM up by about 2% - American Airlines said it sees 2017 total capacity up about 1% vs. last year. Sees FY domestic capacity about flat y/y, international up about 4%. Sees Q4 consolidated CASM up about 4.5%, with mainline up 5% and regional up 2%. Sees unit cost growth rate trending lower. American is still in the process of developing its 2018 operating plan but expects 2018 non-fuel CASM to increase by about 2%. Sees 2018 fuel prices up 16%. American plans to invest $4.1B in new aircraft this year as it continues to renew its fleet. Sees $1.65B in non-aircraft CapEx. Sees Q4 pretax margin ex-items 4.5%-6.5%. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

10:03 EDT Neos Therapeutics says received unsolicited proposal from PDL BioPharma - Neos Therapeutics (NEOS) confirmed that it has received an unsolicited proposal from PDL BioPharma (PDLI) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Neos for $10.25 per share in cash. Consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its independent legal and financial advisors, the Neos Board of Directors will carefully review and consider the PDL proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and Neos shareholders. Neos noted that the proposal received today follows an unsolicited proposal from PDL on June 23, 2017 to acquire the company for $10.25 per share in cash, which was unanimously rejected by the Neos Board of Directors as not in the best interest of Neos shareholders. In making the determination to reject the July $10.25 per share proposal, the Neos Board considered, among other things, that the company is successfully executing its strategy and the Board believes management is well positioned to continue executing on this strategy to drive additional value creation in both the near and long-term.

10:01 EDT Comtech receives $1.3M order from international space customer - Comtech announced that during its first quarter of fiscal 2018, its Command & Control Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, has received orders totaling $1.3M from a long term international space and communications customer.

09:36 EDT AB InBev says market share in Brazil has 'stabilized'

09:27 EDT Ford CEO says mobility unit 'not at scale yet' for potential separation

09:23 EDT Houston American Energy's O'Brien well enabled for first production - Houston American Energy's O'Brien #3H well in its southern Reeves County Riverbend project area is now connected to a gas sales line enabling the sale of first production. The well, now on line, is expected to reach peak rate within the next thirty days. The company's second well, the Johnson #1H, also completed in the Upper Wolfcamp A, is shut in awaiting completion of a seven-mile gas sales line and is currently expected to begin selling production by early to mid-November. The company anticipates that all critical company infrastructure is now in place, and third party infrastructure will soon be in place, to support a multi-well drilling program.

09:19 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: UPS (UPS), up marginally... Ford (F), up 1.8%... American Airlines (AAL), up 2.7%... ConocoPhillips (COP), up just under 1%... Twitter (TWTR), up 11.8%... McKesson (MCK), up 4.4%... Xerox (XRX), up 1.2%... Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), up 15.9%... Teradyne (TER), up 4%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Nokia (NOK), down 17%... Comcast (CMCSA), down 3.9%... AB InBev (BUD), down 2.1%... Potash (POT), down 4.2%... Celgene (CELG), down 15.6%... Dunkin Brands (DNKN), down 2.5%... Boston Scientific (BSX), down 3.8%... Bristol-Myers (BMY), down 2.1%... Hershey (HSY), down 1%... KKR (KKR), down 2.5%. ALSO LOWER: Inventure Foods (SNAK), down 10.8% after announcing it will be acquired by Utz Quality Foods for $4 per share in cash.

09:17 EDT Ford says better auction values helping credit unit's results

09:15 EDT Standex raises quarterly dividend 2c per share to 18c - Standex International announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 18c per share, which is payable November 28, 2017 to shareholders of record November 9, 2017. The dividend represents a 2c per share increase over the last four quarterly dividends.

09:12 EDT InfoSonics regains compliance with Nasdaq $1.00 minimum bid requirement - InfoSonics received notification from NASDAQ indicating that the company has regained compliance with NASDAQ in that the company's closing bid price has been at $1.00 per share or greater for at least 10 consecutive business days. The matter is now closed and the company's stock will continue to be listed and trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

09:07 EDT Land & Buildings issues presentation on Taubman Centers malls - Land & Buildings Investment Management announced that it has issued a presentation regarding Taubman Centers showing that the company's nine dominant malls are thriving, a far cry from the prevailing media and investment community rhetoric claiming the death of the entire mall industry. The company said, "The presentation titled "Taubman Mall Visits Debunk Myth of Dying Malls" highlights that Taubman's dominant malls are still thriving and that the problem with the company's underperformance compared to peers is management missteps and poor oversight by the Board: Photo tour highlights that Taubman's dominant malls are thriving - Our recent photo tour of Taubman's nine dominant malls reveals bustling activity, in stark contrast to prevailing assumption that Taubman's malls are dying. Prevailing rhetoric not driver for Taubman's dominant malls - Despite the rhetoric in the media and investment community about the health of the 2,000 malls in the United States, Taubman does not own 2,000 malls or even 50 malls, but rather has the vast majority of its value in just nine super regional dominant malls. Big data comes up short - Big data providers suggested Taubman's sales would decline in the second quarter yet the Company reported sales growth of 2.9%. Vast majority of value and superior in quality - Taubman's nine dominant malls account for the vast majority of Taubman's value and generate more than 40% more sales per square foot than other Class A Mall Peer portfolios at nearly $1,000 per square foot. Taubman's problems are self-inflicted - Taubman has repeatedly blamed poor performance on the industry, when the problems lie with management and poor oversight by the Board. Taubman's NAV could be double current share price - Taubman trades at a 6.3% implied cap rate and is likely worth twice the current share price due to the extraordinary value of Taubman's nine dominant malls and the dearth of high-quality malls available for institutions to purchase, with cap rates likely around 4%. Significant share price upside - In the next 15 months we believe TCO shares could rise materially if management steps up and fixes the sorry state of affairs at the Company, otherwise it is likely the Taubman Family will lose control, as a majority of new independent directors could be nominated in just 15 months."

09:05 EDT Liquidmetal Technologies appoints Bruce Bromage as COO - Liquidmetal Technologies announced the appointment of Bruce Bromage as its COO. As COO, Bromage is responsible for executing business strategy and management of all company functions, and reports to Professor Lugee Li, Chairman and CEO. In addition to the managerial duties he previously held, Bromage is responsible for ensuring the achievements of and coordinating and supporting the objectives of the company's sales, legal, human resources, and accounting functions. Bromage previously served as Liquidmetal's Executive Vice President of Business Development and Operations.

09:04 EDT GoPro expands engineering office in Bucharest - GoPro announced it will be expanding its presence in Bucharest, Romania with a move to a larger office space in Timpuri Noi Square. Located near the Timpuri Noi subway station on the M1 and M3 lines, the top floor office space features sweeping views of downtown Bucharest, making the Timpuri Noi Square location a new GoPro campus. The software engineering office will continue to focus on development of GoPro's web and e-commerce platforms.

09:03 EDT Energy Recovery awarded $3.3M for desalination projects in Egypt - Energy Recovery announced total awards of $3.3M to supply its PXTM Pressure Exchanger technology for desalination projects in Egypt. The orders are expected to ship in the 4th quarter of 2017. Energy Recovery will supply its PX-Q300 Pressure Exchangers for multiple facilities, which will produce up to 155,000 cubic meters of water per day. Energy Recovery estimates the PX devices will reduce the plants' power consumption for all projects by 15.5 MW, saving over 133.6 GWh of energy per year, and helping the plants avoid over 79,800 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

09:02 EDT Chevron appoints John Frank to board of directors - Chevron Corporation announced that John Frank has been elected to Chevron's board of directors. Frank's appointment is effective November 2, and he will serve on the company's Audit Committee. Frank is Vice Chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, a firm he joined in 2001 as General Counsel.

08:54 EDT Integra LifeSciences sees full recovery of Puerto Rico facility in 2018

08:50 EDT Facebook announces new partnerships with Edmunds, Cars.com, CDK Global - Deborah Liu, VP, Marketplace at Facebook (FB), says Facebook is expanding its used car inventory by partnering with leaders in the auto industry. In the coming weeks, Marketplace will introduce features that will make it easier for car shoppers in the US to: "Browse inventory from auto dealers through new partnerships with Edmunds, Cars.com, Auction123, CDK Global (CDK) and SOCIALDEALER; Find what they're looking for by visiting the enhanced vehicles section and filtering listings by year, make, model, mileage, vehicle type and transmission; See trusted car values from Kelley Blue Book; Communicate directly with dealership representatives via Messenger, powered by chat providers like ActivEngage, CarCode, Contact At Once!, and Gubagoo. In addition to vehicles, we are testing features in other Marketplace categories like jobs, event tickets, retail, and home rentals to give people more options when looking for products and services in their community." Reference Link

08:50 EDT Scientific Games wins Kansas Lottery's 10-year systems contract - Scientific Games was awarded a new 10-year contract for lottery gaming systems and related services by the Kansas Lottery, which may be renewed by the Lottery for up to five years. The systems implementation is planned for July 2018.

08:45 EDT Ultragenyx, Dimension Therapeutics announces expiration of HSR waiting period - Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) and Dimension Therapeutics (DMTX) announced that the required waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 with respect to Ultragenyx's proposed acquisition of Dimension expired at 11:59 p.m. on October 25, 2017. On October 2, 2017, Ultragenyx and Dimension entered into an agreement under which Ultragenyx will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Dimension for $6.00 per share in cash, without interest, with the transaction to be effected through a tender offer. The expiration of the HSR waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to consummate the tender offer. Other offer conditions remain to be satisfied, including among others, a minimum tender of at least a majority of outstanding Dimension shares on a then fully diluted basis. The tender offer is scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, Eastern time, on November 7, 2017 (one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on November 6, 2017), unless it is extended pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement between Ultragenyx and Dimension.

08:42 EDT Integra LifeSciences says committed to long-term double digit EPS growth - Expects organic growth to accelerate in 2019 and beyond.

08:40 EDT Integra LifeSciences: Still running at less than full capacity in Puerto Rico - Says will have an impact on certain products in Q4. Sees about $8M impact to Q4 revenue. Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

08:38 EDT WWE sees FY18 adjusted OIBDA of at least $115M - In 2018, management expects the Company to achieve another year of record revenue and has targeted Adjusted OIBDA of at least $115M, which would represent another all-time record. As management continues to believe there is a significant long-term growth opportunity for WWE, the 2018 approach balances earnings growth with investment in strategic areas.

08:37 EDT WWE sees FY17 adjusted OIBDA $108M-$112M - For the full year 2017, the company projects average paid subscribers to WWE Network of approximately 1.53M representing year-over-year growth of 8% and record Adjusted OIBDA of $108M to $112M.

08:36 EDT Patriot Bank, Prime Bank announce shareholder approval of merger - Patriot National Bancorp and Prime Bank announced that, as a result of Prime's shareholder meeting on October 17th 2017, more than 71% of the shareholders of Prime voted in favor of the transaction by which Prime Bank, headquartered in Orange, Connecticut, would be acquired and merged into Patriot's operating subsidiary, Patriot Bank. This represents confirmation of the transaction previously communicated in Patriot's press release of August 2nd, 2017, which announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement between Patriot and Prime. The transaction will be consummated pursuant to a Merger Agreement, as may be amended, which has previously been entered into. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, and is expected to close before the end of 2017. None of the shareholders of Prime Bank exercised appraisal rights. Upon closing, the acquisition will result in a new Patriot Bank branch located in the Town of Orange, in New Haven County, Connecticut.

08:35 EDT WWE sees FY!& adjusted OIBDA $108M-$112M - For the full year 2017, the company projects average paid subscribers to WWE Network of approximately 1.53M representing year-over-year growth of 8% and record Adjusted OIBDA of $108M to $112M.

08:34 EDT WWE sees Q3 adjusted OIBDA $31M-$35M - For the fourth quarter 2017, the Company projects average paid subscribers to WWE Network of 1.47M. The company also estimates fourth quarter 2017 Adjusted OIBDA of approximately $31M to $35M. This range represents an expected year-over-year increase from $20.5M in the fourth quarter 2016 primarily due to the contractual escalation of television rights fees and the continued growth of WWE Network subscribers as well as more favorable year-over-year comparisons in the Company's fixed cost base.

08:33 EDT PDL BioPharma proposes to buy Neos Therapeutics for $10.25 per share cash - PDL BioPharma (PDLI) announced that it has submitted a proposal to acquire Neos Therapeutics ( NEOS) for $10.25 per share in cash. This all-cash transaction represents a premium of 40% to the closing price of Neos shares on October 25, 2017 and a premium of 41% to Neos' share price prior to PDL's initial proposal on June 23, 2017. The PDL proposal is not subject to any financing conditions. The acquisition of Neos is consistent with PDL's stated strategy for growth and is a logical next step in the execution of its strategic plan. In particular, the Company believes that this acquisition would create an attractive pediatric platform and foundation for future growth. Based on its due diligence, PDL's Board of Directors strongly believes that PDL's backing and substantial financial resources would greatly augment the performance of the Neos product portfolio and allow more patients to benefit from Neos' products. PDL has high regard for Neos' organization and sales force and believes that the addition of PDL's greater resources will add substantial value to currently marketed treatments over a shorter period of time as well as accelerate the development of additional products. PDL first approached the Neos Board of Directors in early June of 2017 in an effort to privately negotiate a mutually beneficial transaction. On June 23, 2017, PDL formally proposed to acquire Neos for $10.25 per share, a proposal the Neos Board promptly rejected. PDL notes that three days after Neos' Board rejected PDL's proposal, Neos announced a significantly dilutive financing at a substantially lower price, selling shares at a net price of $6.25 per share. Following Neos' dilutive financing at $6.25 per share, PDL maintained its $10.25 proposal to the Board, an increase in the total transaction size given the dilution of the financing. As a result of the Board's recent rejection of PDL's latest proposal-and in light of the Board's refusal to negotiate in good faith toward a transaction in the best interests of Neos shareholders-PDL's Board and management are now making its proposal to the Neos Board public so that Neos shareholders can decide what is in their best interest. The Neos Board has had approximately four months since PDL's first proposal, therefore PDL expects the Neos Board to have sufficient information to make its public response to this proposal quickly. The PDL proposal will remain outstanding for a period of fourteen days. The proposal does not create any binding obligation on Neos, PDL or any of their respective affiliates. With appropriate engagement from Neos' management, PDL is ready to finalize diligence and conclude the transaction within a short time. PDL currently owns common stock of Neos amounting to less than 5% of Neos' outstanding shares. If Neos is unable to complete this transaction, PDL reserves the right to sell any and all of these shares at any time.

08:32 EDT Principal Financial to acquire MetLife Afore in Mexico - Principal Financial Group (PFG) announced it has signed an agreement to acquire full ownership of MetLife Afore, S.A. de C.V., MetLife, Inc.'s (MET) pension fund management business in Mexico, subject to regulatory approval. With nearly 25 years in Mexico, Principal is committed to growing across its mandatory pension, voluntary long-term savings, and mutual funds businesses. The purchase agreement between Principal and MetLife will be reviewed by Mexican regulatory authorities before closing, which is anticipated during the first quarter of 2018. BNP Paribas Securities Corp. and Credit Suisse Securities LLC served as financial advisors on the transaction to Principal and MetLife, respectively. White & Case LLP served as legal counsel for Principal and Nader, Hayaux y Goebel, S.C. for MetLife.

08:31 EDT Morgan Stanley names Elizabeth Corley to board - Morgan Stanley (MS) announced that Elizabeth Corley has been elected to the company's Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2018. Corley is non-executive Vice Chair of Allianz Global Investors UK Ltd (AZSEY). Prior to that, she was the global CEO of Allianz Global Investors after serving as European CEO.

08:30 EDT Inventure Foods trading resumes

08:24 EDT Motorola Solutions delivers 3.5 millionth TETRA radio terminal - Motorola Solutions announced that it has shipped its 3.5 millionth TETRA digital radio terminal to public safety and commercial customers worldwide.

08:20 EDT Achaogen announces submission of plazomicin New Drug Application - Achaogen announced the submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for plazomicin, seeking approval to treat complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis and bloodstream infections due to certain Enterobacteriaceae in patients who have limited or no alternative treatment options. The company also intends to submit an application for registration in the European Union in 2018.

08:19 EDT USG cuts FY CapEx view to around $175M from $200M - Sees mid-single digit net inflation in Gypsum, Ceilings manufacturing costs for 2017. Sees FY SG&A slightly below $300M, net interest expense around $65M. Sees FY impact to net income from FX to be flat. Sees FY CapEx around $175M, down from original $200M guidance. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q3 earnings conference call.

08:18 EDT Atara Biotherapeutics receives rare pediatric disease designation for ATA230 - Atara Biotherapeutics announced that ATA230 was granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for the treatment of congenital cytomegalovirus infection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ATA230, an allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy targeting antigens expressed by CMV, has been investigated in one Phase 1 and two Phase 2 clinical studies in immunocompromised patients with CMV viremia or disease who are refractory or resistant to antiviral drug treatment in the post-transplant setting. The FDA grants Rare Pediatric Disease designation to drugs or biologics intended to treat serious or life-threatening rare diseases that primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years and fewer than 200,000 persons in the U.S. Under this designation, should ATA230 be approved, Atara may be eligible to receive a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher for a biologics license or new drug application for a different product.

08:15 EDT Tecogen dissolves ULTRATEK joint venture - Tecogen announced that the company and its co-investors have agreed to dissolve their Ultra Emissions Technologies, or ULTRATEK, joint venture. The dissolution process will take place under Luxembourg law and is expected to close by the end of this quarter. Once the process is complete, all unspent funds will be distributed to the ULTRATEK investors as agreed by a unanimous consent of the shareholders executed on October 24. As part of this disbursement, Tecogen will receive all its invested funds, $2M in cash, and the sole exclusive IP that it licensed to ULTRATEK. Tecogen will then purchase all the non-cash assets of ULTRATEK, including all intellectual property, for $400,000. The IP includes two awarded patents, four patent applications, and all data and knowhow associated with the emissions testing performed by AVL.

08:15 EDT Ford sees FY automotive segment revenue about equal to 2016 - Says reallocating capital "to where we can win in the future." Says Q3 was "solid," with most financial metrics improved y/y. Sees FY pension contributions of $1.5B, including a pull ahead of about $500M to Q4 from 2018 to achieve cash tax benefit. Still sees FY shareholder distributions of about $2.7B. Seeing "steady" growth in global GDP, industry volume for 2017. Sees U.S. industry lower on weakness in fleet and retail segments, China industry higher in 2017 on stronger than expected year to date performance. Sees FY adjusted effective tax rate about 15%, automotive segment revenue about equal to 2016, automotive segment operating margin lower than 2016, automotive segment operating cash flow positive but lower than 2016. Comments from slides that will be presented on the Q3 earnings conference call.

08:11 EDT Inventure Foods to be acquired by Utz Quality Foods for $4 per share in cash - Inventure Foods and Utz Quality Foods announced they entered into a merger agreement pursuant to which Utz has agreed to acquire all of the company's outstanding shares of common stock in an all-cash transaction. Under the terms of the merger agreement, an indirect subsidiary of Utz will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the company's common stock at a price of $4.00 per share in cash, for a total purchase price of approximately $165M, including the assumption of approximately $75M of debt and debt-like items, net of cash, approximately $8M of the company's estimated closing costs and approximately $3M due to equity award holders. The acquisition is structured as an all-cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Inventure Foods common stock, to be followed by a merger in which each remaining untendered share of Inventure Foods will be converted into the right to receive the same $4.00 per share cash price paid in the tender offer.

08:10 EDT Twitter CEO reiterates company taking more aggressive stance in rules - CEO Jack Dorsey says Twitter taking more aggressive stance in Twitter's rules "and how we enforce them." Says "no change to long-term thinking" regarding margins. Says audience "growing consistently." Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call. Twitter is up 9.7% in premarket trading.

08:08 EDT CRA International increases quarterly dividend 21% to 17c from 14c - Charles River Associates announced that its Board of Directors has declared an increased quarterly cash dividend of 17c per share to be paid on December 15, 2017 to shareholders of record of CRA's common stock as of the close of business on November 28, 2017. "We are pleased to announce this 21% increase as we mark the anniversary of CRA's first quarterly cash dividend payment," said Paul Maleh, CRA's President and CEO. "Over the past twelve months, CRA has returned $24.2 million of capital to its shareholders, consisting of $4.7 million of dividends and $19.5 million of share repurchases. The increase in our quarterly dividend payment reflects the Board's confidence in CRA's long-term outlook and financial position, and demonstrates our continued commitment to returning capital to our shareholders."

08:06 EDT TiVo renews product, IP agreements with Liberty Global - TiVo Corporation (TIVO) announced that Liberty Global (LBTYA) has renewed its existing product agreements and signed a multi-year extension to their intellectual property license. This extension provides Liberty Global with expanded access to TiVo's patent portfolios and covers all Liberty Global subsidiaries.

08:05 EDT Time Warner continues to see AT&T deal to close before year-end 2017 - Time Warner (TWX) said the company continues to expect its pending merger with AT&T (T) to close before year-end 2017.

08:03 EDT American Airlines reports Q3 TRASM up 1.1% - American Airlines noted, "Continued strong demand for air travel and improving yields drove a 2.7 percent year-over-year increase in total revenue, to $10.9 billion. For the first time since the second quarter of 2014, yield grew in every geographic region, with notable strength in Latin America. Cargo revenue was up 17.0 percent to $200 million due to a 19.2 percent increase in cargo ton miles. Other revenue was up 2.2 percent to $1.3 billion. Third-quarter TRASM increased by 1.1 percent on a 1.6 percent increase in total available seat miles."

08:01 EDT Union Pacific reports Q3 operating ratio 62.8%, up 0.7 points

07:47 EDT BSE, Ebix sign MOU to launch joint venture for insurance distribution - India's leading stock exchange BSE and Ebix announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a joint venture, targeted towards setting up a pioneering robust insurance distribution network in India.BSE Investments Limited, 100% subsidiary of BSE and Ebix Fincorp Exchange, a 100% subsidiary of Ebix signed this MoU. The new venture to be branded as BSE-Ebix intends to deploy an insurance distribution exchange platform, that will allow distribution outlets, stock brokers, wealth management advisors and financial institutions etc. across the length and breadth of the country to sell life and non-life products. The venture will utilize the distribution reach of both BSE and Ebix that spans more than 200,000 outlets across the entire expanse of the country. The state of the art platform that will leverage Ebix's world leading end-to-end insurance exchange technology, will encompass the entire insurance life cycle from customer relationship management, agency management, multi-quoting, underwriting, policy creation, claims filing & settlement, to back end insurance policy administration.

07:45 EDT TG Therapeutics announces updated results from ongoing TG-1101 Phase 2 study - TG Therapeutics announced results from the Phase 2 multicenter trial of TG-1101, the company's novel glycoengineered anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, in relapsing forms of Multiple Sclerosis. The data is being presented today in two posters during Poster Session 1, from 15:30 - 17:00 CEST, at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS - ACTRIMS meeting in Paris, France. This Phase 2 trial is a 52-week randomized, placebo controlled, multi-center study evaluating the safety and efficacy of TG-1101 at accelerated infusion times. The posters include data from 24 patients with RMS that were treated with TG-1101 across three dosing cohorts. Poster Highlights: 99% median B-cell depletion was observed at week 4 and maintained at week 24; 96% of subjects were relapse free at week 24; One confirmed relapse was reported in a patient initially randomized to the placebo arm. The relapse occurred 12 days after the patients first infusion of 150mg of TG-1101. The patient remains on study and has received the second and third infusions of TG-1101 and to date has remained relapse free. The other poster showed: TG-1101 completely eliminated all of T1 Gd-enhancing lesions at week 24; 7% Reduction in the T2 lesion volume at Week 24 from baseline, suggestive of a decrease in burden of disease; 6.5% Reduction in T1 hypointense lesion volume at Week 24 from baseline.

07:39 EDT Mallinckrodt presents MS relapse data at Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting - Mallinckrodt announced results from two retrospective analyses on multiple sclerosis relapses and the impact of H.P. Acthar Gel and non-corticosteroid relapse treatment alternatives intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis on unresolved relapse rates. Results from both analyses showed H.P. Acthar Gel had a higher relapse resolution rate, relative to PMP and IVIG. The two company-sponsored analyses are being presented at MSParis2017, the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting, from October 25-28, in Paris, France.

07:32 EDT Shaw Communications announces addition of T-Mobile COO Mike Sievert to board - Shaw Communications(SJR), on behalf of the board, announce the nomination of Mike Sievert who will be joining the board at its January 11, 2018 Annual General Meeting. Mike Sievert is currently the COO of T-Mobile (TMUS).

07:27 EDT Abiomed says first patient treated with Impella in Japan - Abiomed announced the first patient treated with the Impella heart pump in Japan. The Impella 2.5 and Impella 5.0 heart pumps are approved for the treatment of drug-resistant acute heart failure and are the first and only percutaneous temporary ventricular support devices Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency approved in Japan. The first patient in Japan was treated with the Impella 5.0 heart pump after suffering from acute heart failure. The patient was treated at Osaka University Hospital under the leadership of Professor Yoshiki Sawa, M.D., Ph.D. of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University's Graduate School of Medicine. According to Professor Sawa, "In acute heart failure, such as cardiogenic shock, initial treatment is very important because of its impact on subsequent cardiac functions and the patient's general condition. Impella, which provides minimally invasively mechanical support for the circulatory system, makes it possible to carry out safe and effective treatment even in the case of severe heart failure, which had been difficult until now. This is a very fortunate development for both patients and their families, so we look forward to using Impella and supporting its popularization in the medical field."The Impella 2.5 and Impella 5.0 heart pumps received Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare in September 2016 and received reimbursement, effective September, 2017. Abiomed has opened an office in Tokyo and plans to launch at 10 Japanese hospitals by the end of the fiscal year, in March 2018.

07:25 EDT Myriad: EndoPredict shown to be more effective than Oncotype DX in study - Myriad Genetics announced new results for EndoPredict, a second-generation prognostic gene expression test for breast cancer. The study found that EndoPredict was superior to the first-generation Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score in predicting breast cancer recurrence in women determined to be at intermediate clinical risk by Nottingham Prognostic Index. The data will be presented at the 3rd World Congress on Controversies in Breast Cancer being held Oct. 26-28, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. This is the second head-to-head study to show that EndoPredict significantly outperformed the first-generation prognostic test for breast cancer, especially for predicting the distant recurrence of breast cancer. The first study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in July 2016. This new study showed that EndoPredict markedly outperformed Oncotype across the 10-year follow-up period with prognostic power more than two times higher.

07:22 EDT ProQR Therapeutics Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noreen Henig to depart Nov. 4 - ProQR Therapeutics announced that Noreen Henig, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, will leave ProQR effective November 4, to pursue a new opportunity, and will serve as a special advisor to the Company going forward. Chief Development Strategy Officer, David Rodman M.D, will assume leadership over clinical development. Additionally, the company announced the promotion of Peter Adamson to Senior Vice President Ophthalmology Franchise and the promotion of Robert Friesen to Senior Vice President Science and Early Development.

07:21 EDT Digital Ally receives initial order from Safariland - Digital Ally announced Safariland's initial order for 200 VuLink patented automatic recording systems. The VuLink allows VIEVU's body-worn camera to receive wireless triggers from emergency lights, speed thresholds, or even from a Digital Ally in-car video system to automatically activate a recording without requiring officers to manually start the recording. The units will be shipped this quarter. Upon returning from the International Association of Chiefs of Police 2017 Conference, both companies commented on their thoughts regarding the recent agreement. "The response at IACP was strong, and a clear indication of the industry's anticipation for the solutions this distribution agreement provides," said Sean McCarthy who leads VIEVU and Safariland's wearable technology platform. "With this initial order we are thrilled to collaborate with Digital Ally to provide the law enforcement community with our combined industry-leading innovations of the LE4 and LE5 body-worn cameras connecting with the VuLink system." Last week, Digital Ally announced a supply agreement with Safariland that provides VIEVU the exclusive rights to integrate the VuLink system with their body cameras. "We could feel the industry's excitement surrounding this relationship at IACP. We are confident that is agreement will be advantageous for both companies as we move forward with our exclusive agreement," said Stanton Ross, CEO of Digital Ally. This agreement is good through 2020 as long as minimal purchase requirements are met, and can be extended upon mutual agreement. Digital Ally will also continue to market the VuLink system with its FirstVu HD body camera series and complete line of in-car video systems.

07:20 EDT Perion Network extends, enhances agreement with Microsoft's Bing - Perion Network (PERI) announced that it is extending its relationship with Microsoft's (MSFT) search engine, Bing. Perion announced an extended agreement through 2020, bolstering the relationship between Perion and Bing, expanding Perion's reach within the search ecosystem. The agreement covers distribution across both desktop and mobile.

07:17 EDT Six Flags announces three new parks coming to China - Six Flags Entertainment and its development partner, Riverside Investment Group, announced the addition of three more parks to be built in China. Six Flags Kids World will be built adjacent to both Six Flags Zhejiang and Six Flags Chongqing. Additionally, the all-new Six Flags Adventure Park will adjoin the Six Flags Chongqing complex. The new properties are expected to open in 2020.

07:14 EDT Milacron sees 3%-3.5% organic sales growth for FY17 - Adjusted EBITDA is forecasted to be between $222 million and $224 million. Free Cash Flow before restructuring is forecasted to be between $80 million and $90 million.

07:13 EDT Hershey announces $100M stock repurchase authorization - Hershey announced today that its board has approved an additional $100M stock repurchase authorization to repurchase shares of its common stock. Purchases under the new authorization will commence after the current program is completed. The program has no expiration date .

07:07 EDT ConocoPhillips cuts FY CapEx view to $4.5B - Fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 production is expected to be 1,195 to 1,235 MBOED and 1,350 to 1,360 MBOED, respectively. This excludes Libya and reflects expected impacts from the Barnett disposition. Full-year guidance for capital expenditures has been lowered to $4.5 billion. The company's other guidance items remain unchanged. The company expects to reduce debt to less than $20 billion by year-end 2017, and expects full-year share repurchases of $3 billion, accelerating performance on a per debt-adjusted share basis.

07:05 EDT Xerox sees FY17 operating cash flow ($50M)-$150M vs. prior view $700M-$900M - Cites Incremental Pension contributions, One-time impact of A/R sales elimination.

07:05 EDT Comcast reports Q3 cable customer relationships Increased by 115,000 - Revenue for Cable Communications increased 5.1% to $13.2 billion in the third quarter of 2017, driven primarily by increases in high-speed Internet, video and business services revenue. High-speed Internet revenue increased 8.9%, driven by an increase in the number of residential high-speed Internet customers and rate adjustments. Video revenue increased 4.2%, primarily reflecting rate adjustments, as well as additional revenue associated with a boxing event available on pay-per-view and an increase in the number of customers subscribing to additional services. Total Customer Relationships increased by 115,000 to 29.1 million in the third quarter of 2017. Residential customer relationships increased by 83,000 and business customer relationships increased by 31,000. At the end of the third quarter, penetration of our double, triple and quad product residential customers was 70.1%. Total video customer net losses were 125,000, total high-speed Internet customer net additions were 214,000, total voice customer net losses were 94,000 and total security and automation customer net additions were 51,000.

06:56 EDT Nokia down 16% after reporting Q3 results

06:50 EDT AB InBev sees accelerating total revenue growth in FY17 - The company says, "While recognizing the increased volatility in some of our key markets, we expect to accelerate total revenue growth in FY17, driven by the solid growth of our global brands and strong commercial plans, including revenue management initiatives. We expect CoS per hl to increase by low single digits on a constant geographic basis, despite unfavorable foreign exchange transactional impacts, and growth in our premium brands. We are updating our 2.8 billion USD synergy and cost savings expectation to 3.2 billion USD on a constant currency basis as of August 2016. From this total, 547 million USD was reported by SAB as of 31 March 2016, and 1 205 million USD was captured between 1 April 2016 and 30 September 2017. The balance of approximately 1.45 billion USD is expected to be captured in the next three years. We expect net capital expenditure of approximately 3.7 billion USD in FY17. We expect net capital expenditure of approximately 3.7 billion USD in FY17."

06:47 EDT Valero Energy Partners acquires Port Arthur assets, Parkway Pipeline for $508M - Valero Energy Partners (VLP) announced that the board of directors of its general partner has approved the Partnership's acquisitions of the Port Arthur terminal assets and Parkway Pipeline from Valero Energy (VLO) for total consideration of $508M. In the first twelve months of operation, the acquired operations are expected to contribute a total of approximately $24M and $60M of net income and EBITDA, respectively. The transaction is expected to close effective November 1, 2017. The Port Arthur terminal assets consist of 47 tanks with 8.5 million barrels of storage capacity for crude oil, intermediates, and refined petroleum products, which support Valero's Port Arthur refinery. Parkway Pipeline is a 141-mile, 16-inch refined petroleum products pipeline linking Valero's St. Charles refinery with the Plantation and Colonial pipeline systems in Collins, Mississippi. Parkway Pipeline currently has 110,000 barrels per day of capacity, with the ability to expand to more than 200,000 barrels per day. The Partnership expects to finance the acquisitions primarily with borrowings under its revolving credit facility, cash on hand, and the issuance of additional common units and general partner units to Valero subsidiaries. The newly issued units will be allocated in a proportion allowing the general partner to maintain its 2 percent general partner interest.

06:40 EDT Spirit Airlines announces $100M stock repurchase program - The authorization will expire on October 25, 2018.

06:34 EDT Southwest backs FY18 ASM growth view of less than 5.7% - Southwest ended third quarter 2017 with 687 aircraft in its fleet. This reflects the third quarter 2017 delivery of six new Boeing 737-800s, six pre-owned Boeing 737-700s, and nine new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, as well as the retirement of the Boeing 737-300 Classic fleet, which was completed on September 29, 2017. The company continues to expect to end 2017 with 707 aircraft and 2018 with 750 aircraft in its fleet. Additional information regarding the company's aircraft delivery schedule is included in the accompanying tables. The Company currently expects its fourth quarter 2017 available seat miles to increase in the one to two percent range, compared with the same year-ago period. During third quarter 2017, the company continued its investment in California by adding nearly 20 new nonstop routes, increasing frequency to 27 existing routes, and opening new international gateways, in each case beginning in 2018. The company also recently announced plans to begin selling tickets in 2018 for service to Hawaii and announced its intention to launch an application process for Federal Aviation Administration authorization for ETOPS. The company continues to expect its 2018 available seat mile year-over-year growth to be less than 5.7 percent, with first half 2018 year-over-year growth in the range of three to four percent.

06:24 EDT Sprague Resources raises quarterly cash distribution to 62.25c per unit - The announced distribution will be paid on November 13 to unitholders of record as of the close of business on November 6.

06:12 EDT First Cash Financial raises quarterly dividend to 20c per share - The 20c per share fourth quarter cash dividend on common shares outstanding declared by the Board of Directors will be paid on November 30 to stockholders of record as of November 13.

06:09 EDT CSX postpones investor conference, announces share buyback - Following yesterday's announcement of executive changes including naming Jim Foote as COO, CSX Corporation is postponing its scheduled October 30th Investor Conference to a later date. "Our team continues to build momentum and the addition of Jim increases my confidence in our ability to serve customers and deliver shareholder value," said Hunter Harrison, president and CEO. "I am more confident than ever in CSX's ability to achieve industry leading operating and financial performance and look forward to showcasing our leadership team at a future date." CSX also announced the Board has authorized $1.5B in share repurchases, which builds on the $1.5B program recently completed. "The Board's action to expand the repurchase program demonstrates our confidence in CSX's long term future and ability to generate substantial free cash flow," said Harrison.

06:07 EDT Hilton sees FY18 system-wide RevPAR up 1%-3% - For 2018, system-wide RevPAR is expected to increase between 1.0% and 3.0% on a comparable and currency neutral basis compared to 2017. Given Hilton's strong development pipeline, unit growth should continue to accelerate in 2018 as its global system of rooms is expected to expand by approximately 6.5% on a net basis.

05:58 EDT Mylan wins UK court ruling related to Copaxone 40 mg/mL patent - Mylan N.V. (MYL) announced that the United Kingdom's High Court of Justice has issued a decision in favor of Mylan and its European partner Synthon, finding all claims of Teva's (TEVA) patent EP (UK) 2 949 335 (EP 335) relating to Copaxone 40 mg/mL invalid based on obviousness. This victory is yet another important milestone for Mylan, and this U.K. court decision only further increases Mylan's confidence in its ability to bring high quality, lower-cost generic versions of Copaxone to the multiple sclerosis community and patients around the world. Over the course of the last eight years, Mylan has successfully overcome Teva's four waves of U.S. patent litigation, eight Citizen Petitions, injunction proceedings in India, more than 15 regulatory challenges, patent litigations or commercial actions across Europe, and now the litigation in the U.K., in addition to obtaining dismissal of Teva's suit against the FDA seeking to delay approval of the 20 mg/mL product. Today's positive ruling in the U.K. will further help pave the way for Mylan's future launches of Glatiramer Acetate Injection 40 mg/mL in certain European markets. In addition, Mylan recently learned of Teva's latest action with the filing of an infringement action against Mylan's Irish subsidiary Mylan Teoranta in the High Court of Ireland alleging that Mylan's Glatiramer Acetate 40 mg/mL injection infringes two European patents. In fact, one of those patents is the same patent that was just invalidated today by the U.K. High Court of Justice and the counterpart to a U.S. patent that was previously held invalid by both the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Mylan will support the multiple sclerosis patient population through its continued commitment to bring lower-cost generic versions of Copaxone around the world regardless of any further attempts by Teva to deny such access.

05:39 EDT Shire receives EC approval for label extension of Firazyr - Shire announced that the European Commission has approved a label extension granting a new indication for Firazyr, broadening its use to adolescents and children aged 2 years and older, with hereditary angioedema, or HAE, caused by C1-esterase-inhibitor, or C1-INH, deficiency. Firazyr has been approved in the European Union since 2008 for symptomatic treatment of acute attacks of HAE in adults with C1-INH deficiency.

05:33 EDT Suncor gets approval for tailings, Millennium Operational Amendment applications - Suncor announced it has received approval from the Alberta Energy Regulatorm, or AER, for its Suncor Base Plant Tailings Directive application and related Millennium Operational Amendment application. Over the past few months, Suncor technical experts have met with Aboriginal communities, stakeholders and the regulator to clarify and provide additional information about Suncor's tailings management plan. The approved plan will facilitate the treatment of current fluid tailings, reduce the tailings inventory and decrease the overall number of tailings ponds on site. With the approval, Suncor will now work to implement its tailings management plan, working diligently to address the conditions outlined in the approval and continuing to engage with Aboriginal communities and stakeholders.

05:19 EDT Vertex says Phase 3 tezacaftor study for F508del mutation missed endpoint - Vertex announced last night top-line results from a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study evaluating the addition of tezacaftor in people with cystic fibrosis ages 12 and older who were already receiving ivacaftor monotherapy and who have one copy of the F508del mutation and one copy of a gating mutation. The study enrolled 151 CF patients throughout sites in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe. The study did not meet its primary endpoint of absolute change in percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second from baseline through eight weeks. For those receiving tezacaftor in addition to ivacaftor, ppFEV1 improved 0.5 percentage points compared to 0.2 percentage points in those receiving placebo in addition to ivacaftor. Safety data from the study showed that the addition of tezacaftor to ivacaftor was generally well tolerated and consistent to prior Phase 3 studies of the tezacaftor/ivacaftor combination. Key secondary endpoints were changes in sweat chloride and change in CFQ-R. Sweat Chloride decreased 5.8 mmol/L in those who received tezacaftor in addition to ivacaftor compared to placebo in addition to ivacaftor. There was no change in CFQ-R compared to the placebo group. Based on the results from this study, Vertex does not plan to seek regulatory approval for the tezacaftor/ivacaftor combination in people with CF ages 12 and older with one copy of the F508del mutation and one copy of a gating mutation, the vast majority of whom are today eligible for Kalydeco.