Stockwinners Market Radar for November 08, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:34 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Otonomy (OTIC), up 92.7%... Roku (ROKU), up 27.2%... Points International (PCOM), up 17.3%... SolarEdge (SEDG), up 14.3%... Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), up 7%. ALSO HIGHER: Medtronic (MDT), up 2.2% after it reported better than expected preliminary revenue for the second quarter. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Meet Group (MEET), down 14.5%... Quorum Health (QHC), down 11.1%... TransMontaigne (TLP), down 10%... OPKO Health (OPK), down 9.6%... Stericycle (SRCL), down 8.1%... CenturyLink (CTL), down 7.8%... Just Energy (JE), down 7.4%... Hologic (HOLX), down 6.4%... Monster Beverage (MNST), down 3.8%. ALSO LOWER: SenesTech (SNES), down 26.3% after it filed to sell 2.5M shares of common stock.

18:04 EDT Cameco approves change in dividend payment to annually vs. quarterly - Cameco's board of directors has determined that the company's annual dividend in 2018 will be 8c per common share, a reduction of 32c per common share on an annual basis. Further, the board has approved a change in the dividend payment schedule to an annual payment instead of quarterly. This change does not impact the quarterly dividend, announced on October 27, 2017, of 10c per common share payable on January 15, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 29, 2017.

18:02 EDT Wheeler REIT backs FY17 AFFO view $1.48-$1.53

17:38 EDT Just Energy lowers FY18 adjusted EBITDA view to $175M-$190M from $210M-$220M

17:27 EDT Pan American Silver sees 2017 silver production 24.5-26.0 million ounces - Sees 2017 gold production 155-165 thousand oz. Increased estimate for 2017 copper production by 46% to 13.0-13.5 thousand tons.

17:23 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $386M government contract modification - Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $386M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification to a previously awarded contract for reentry system/reentry vehicles subsystem support. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and other various sites, to include Hill Air Force Base, Utah, with an expected completion date of June 4, 2022. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity.

17:15 EDT Kinross Gold FY17 production tracking toward high end of 2.5M-2.7M oz view - Kinross' 2017 production guidance took into account the potential curtailment at Paracatu and is tracking towards the high end of the range of approximately 2.5 - 2.7 million Au eq. oz., with robust year-to-date production from Maricunga, Kettle River-Buckhorn and Round Mountain strengthening the Company's portfolio. Kinross is tracking towards the low end for both its production cost of sales guidance range of $660 - $720 per Au eq. oz. and its all-in sustaining cost guidance range of $925 - $1,025 per Au eq. oz. sold. The Company expects to meet its 2017 capital expenditures forecast of approximately $900 million, +/- 5%.

17:08 EDT Atmos Energy raises dividend 7.8% to 48.5c per share - Atmos Energy's board has declared a quarterly dividend of 48.5c per common share. The indicated annual dividend for FY18 is $1.94, which represents a 7.8% increase over fiscal 2017.

17:06 EDT Sun Life Financial raises dividend 5% to C$0.455 per share - Payable December 29 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 29.

17:02 EDT Triton International expects market to remain 'favorable' - Triton International CEO Brian Sondey said, "In general, we expect our market to remain favorable. While we are heading into the seasonally slower period for dry containers, we expect the low inventory of available containers will keep market conditions firm. In addition, the traditional peak season for refrigerated containers is starting, and we have seen the supply / demand balance for refrigerated containers tighten ahead of the peak season over the last few months. We also expect to benefit from a full quarter of revenue in the fourth quarter from the very large number of dry containers picked up in the third quarter, and we expect our utilization will remain near peak levels during the fourth quarter. We expect our gain on sale of used containers will be impacted by a reduced inventory of containers available for sale and a lower benefit from prior period mark-downs, but on balance, we expect our Adjusted pre-tax income will increase from the third quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter."

17:00 EDT Calumet Specialty Products sells Superior Refinery for $492M - Calumet Specialty Products completed the sale of its Superior, Wisconsin Refinery and various related assets for a total consideration of $492M. The total consideration included the sale price of $435M and an additional $57M for net working capital, inventories, and reimbursement of certain capital spending. The transaction will be accretive to 2017 and 2018 cash flows, decreases earnings volatility and exposure to capital intensive fuels business .

16:55 EDT Endo names Dr. Sharad Mansukani to Board of Directors - Endo announced the appointment of Sharad Mansukani, M.D., CPE, CMCE to the company's Board of Directors effective immediately. Endo also announced Douglas Ingram's decision to resign as a director from the company's Board of Directors effective November 6, 2017 due to his appointment as President and CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics earlier this year.

16:52 EDT Cenveo awarded 2020 U.S. Census Printing and Mailing Contract - Cenveo has been awarded the 2020 Census Printing and Mailing Contract from the U.S. Census Bureau. The two-year $61M contract is one of the largest contracts for printing and mailing ever awarded by the U.S. Government Publishing Office.

16:50 EDT Flowers Foods says on track to achieve FY18 gross savings goal $70M-$80M - Relative to fiscal 2016.

16:49 EDT Fox: India's Star to meet FY18 EBITDA targets

16:46 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM $61.6B as of October 31 - An increase of $66M from September 30.

16:42 EDT Gastar Exploration sees FY17 net average daily production 6.0-6.4 MBoe/d - Sees FY17 production 72%-75% liquids.

16:41 EDT TeleTech announces majority acquisition of Motif, terms not disclosed - TeleTech announced the majority acquisition of Motif, a leading digital trust and safety services company based in India and the Philippines. The acquisition will be immediately accretive.

16:40 EDT CenturyLink sees FY17 guidance below range provided in February - "The company anticipates standalone CenturyLink full-year 2017 results to be below its full-year guidance provided in February of this year (adjusted for the Colocation Sale), primarily due to lower strategic revenue growth during the course of the year and higher capital expenditures than originally anticipated."

16:38 EDT Harland Clarke Holdings reports 8.7% passive stake in ALJ Regional Holdings

16:37 EDT Barracuda acquires Sonian Inc., terms not disclosed - Barracuda Networks announced it has acquired privately held Sonian Inc., a leading provider of public cloud archiving and business insights. This acquisition will deepen Barracuda's cloud archiving, and email security and management capabilities, as well as expand Barracuda's channel reach with the addition of key OEM partners.

16:36 EDT vTv initiates Phase 1b/2 study evaluating diabetes treatment - vTv Therapeutics announced the initiation of simplici-T1, an adaptive Phase1b/2 study assessing the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of TTP399 in adult patients with type 1 diabetes. The study is designed to evaluate whether TTP399 is well tolerated when administered as an add-on to insulin therapy and can improve daily glucose profiles and HbA1c in people living with T1D. Results from the Phase1b part of the study are expected in early 2018. The study is being conducted with support from JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. "It is very exciting to launch this effort to potentially develop a completely novel pill therapy for type 1 diabetes," said Dr. John Buse, director of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute and of the Diabetes Center at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and principal investigator for this study. "This disease is characterized by a huge burden of care on more than one million Americans affected and with limited treatment options. The UNC team is very hopeful that better treatments for type 1 diabetes will be near at hand."

16:35 EDT Infinera to reduce headcount as part of restructuring initiative - Infinera announced it is implementing a plan to restructure its worldwide operations in order to reduce its expenses and establish a more cost-efficient structure that better aligns its operations with its long-term strategies. As part of this restructuring plan, Infinera will reduce headcount, rationalize certain products and programs, and close a remote R&D facility. Infinera anticipates annual savings from the restructuring to be approximately $40M, compared to what the projected run-rate of expenses for fiscal 2018 would have been prior to the restructuring. Infinera estimates total costs related to the restructuring will be in the range of $21M-$27M. The company anticipates a majority of the restructuring will be completed during the fourth quarter of 2017.

16:34 EDT TransMontaigne Parnters to acquire two West Coast facilities from PAA - TransMontaigne Partners (TLP) announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into an agreement to acquire the Martinez Terminal and Richmond Terminal from an affiliate of Plains All American Pipeline (PAA) for a total purchase price of $275M. The acquisition expands the Partnership's storage and terminaling footprint into the San Francisco Bay Area refining complex. The acquisition is expected to be financed through the proceeds of a common unit offering and cash available from other sources. The closing of the acquisition is expected to occur on or about January 1, 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. The West Coast Facilities include two waterborne refined product and crude oil terminals with a total of 64 storage tanks with approximately 5.4 million barrels of storage capacity. The facilities have extensive connectivity to domestic and international refined product and crude oil markets through significant marine, pipeline, truck and rail capabilities. The facilities are supported by multi-year, fee-based agreements with contract terms of up to 5 years. The purchase price reflects a less than ten times multiple of the Partnership's estimate of the 2018 EBITDA attributable to the West Coast Facilities based on current customer contracts and historical and anticipated activity levels, revenues and operating costs. The Partnership cautions that it cannot provide any assurance that the West Coast Facilities will achieve this anticipated level of EBITDA.

16:33 EDT The Hillman Group acquires ST Fastening System - The Hillman Companies and The Hillman Group announced that it has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement by which it acquired substantially all of the assets, and assumed certain liabilities, of Hargis Industries, doing business as ST Fastening System, a specialty fastener manufacturer and distributor based out of Tyler, Texas. Hillman believes that STFS's core product line of specialty fasteners fits well with Hillman's fastener portfolio. STFS's products are sold to metal building fabricators, hardware wholesalers, and building products distributors in the U.S. Hillman and STFS both have a strong commitment to customer focus and innovation within their product lines. STFS's headquarters will remain in Tyler, Texas and STFS will continue to maintain a distribution center in Cincinnati, Ohio. STFS will continue to be led by industry veteran Bruce Crouch.

16:30 EDT GAIN Capital names Alastair Hine as COO, effective November 6 - GAIN Capital announced that Alastair Hine was appointed COO, effective November 6. Hine will be based in GAIN Capital's London office and report directly to CEO, Glenn Stevens. Hine joins GAIN Capital from IG Group, where he spent the last 18 years in senior leadership roles in technology, marketing and operations, including Chief Information Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and, most recently, Chief Innovation Officer.

16:28 EDT Otonomy up 128% after reporting 'positive' Phase 3 Otividex trial results

16:21 EDT Sunrun sees Q4 deployment of about 87 MW - In Q4, we expect to deploy approximately 87 MW. We continue to expect to deploy 325 MWs for the full year 2017, reflecting 15% year-over-year growth.

16:19 EDT United Continental reports October traffic increased 1.7% - United Airlines reported October operational results, stating consolidated traffic, or revenue passenger miles, increased 1.7%. Consolidated capacity, or available seat miles, increased 3.4% versus October 2016. October consolidated load factor decreased 1.3 points compared to October 2016.

16:18 EDT TPI Composites narrows FY17 billings view to $945M-$950M - CEO Steve Lockard says: "We expect to finish the year strong and are narrowing our full year guidance on total billings to between $945 million to $950 million. We currently have approximately $4.4 billion in contract value through 2023, including 48 wind blade manufacturing lines and our transportation production lines along with a strong pipeline of global opportunities including current and new customers, and both onshore and offshore blades, all of which support our growth targets. As we discussed last quarter, there are some industry headwinds that will meaningfully lower our year-over-year growth in 2018 and will have a residual impact on our growth through 2019 including the trend in some non-U.S. markets of transitioning to auction-based systems and U.S. market demand shifts driven by the current PTC cycle. However, the most significant driver of our lower growth in 2018 will be the unusually high number of lines in transition, expected to be 14, along with the ramp up of the backfill lines in Turkey and China and lines currently under contract that won't be installed until the second half of 2018. In addition to driving down LCOE in 2019 and 2020, we expect these transitions and startups will position us nicely for strong growth in 2019 and beyond. Notwithstanding, we are revising our revenue CAGR target to 20% to 25% through 2019."

16:16 EDT SRC Energy acquires undeveloped land, non-operated production from Noble Energy - SRC Energy (SRCI) announced that it has entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement to acquire certain undeveloped land and non-operated production from Noble Energy (NBL) for consideration of $568M in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

16:10 EDT Babcock & Wilcox backs FY17 power revenue view $825M-$875M - Backs FY17 Renewable revenue view roughly $350M. Backs FY17 Industrial revenue view $400M-$450M.

16:08 EDT Fox sees Sky deal closing by June 30, 2018 - 21st Century Fox's (FOXA) pending acquisition of the public shares of Sky (SKYAY) has been cleared on public interest and plurality grounds in all of the markets in which Sky operates except the UK, including Austria, Germany, Italy and the Republic of Ireland. The acquisition has also received unconditional clearance by all relevant competition authorities. The transaction is subject to certain other customary closing conditions and the requisite approval of Sky shareholders unaffiliated with the company. On September 20, 2017, the U.K. Secretary of State referred the proposed transaction to the Competition and Market Authority for a second phase review on grounds of media plurality and broadcasting standards. Absent further delays, the transaction is expected to close by June 30, 2018.

16:05 EDT Fox: Q1 shows strength in dynamic global market for distinctive video brands - Commenting on the results, Executive Chairmen Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch said: "The Company's double-digit gains in affiliate revenues demonstrate our strength in the dynamic global market for distinctive video brands and content, across both established distributors and new entrants. We delivered top-line growth at all of our businesses, backed by stand-out storytelling, sports and news, as well as a product focus that will drive greater consumption and compelling opportunities for financial returns on our content investment. Our solid first quarter performance puts us on track to achieve our overall financial and operational objectives for this fiscal year."

16:04 EDT 21st Century Fox reports Q1 Cable Network programming revenue $4.2B - Reports Q1 Television revenue $1.07B. Reports Q1 Filmed Entertainment revenue $1.96B.

15:11 EDT BML Investment Partners reports 5% passive stake in Support.com

14:53 EDT Netgear targets long-term CAGR for overall business of over 10% - In analyst day presentation slides, Netgear shared the following long-term targets: 10%+ CAGR for Overall Business; 10%+ of Net Revenue from Services; 25% of Total NTGR Gross Profit $'s from Services; 12%+ Non-GAAP operating Margin; Annual Non-GAAP EPS Growth.

14:43 EDT KBS Fashion announces resignation of Keyan Yan as CEO - KBS Fashion Group earlier announced changes to its senior management and board of directors. On November 1, Keyan Yan resigned from his positions as CEO and President of the company. Yan will continue to serve as Chairman of the board. The board has appointed Xiaowen Zheng as its new CEO and President, effective immediately. The board also voted to appoint Xiaowen Zheng as director of the company and the size of board increased to eight. Additionally, Lixia Tu, who currently serves as CFO of the company, was appointed as Secretary of the company, effective immediately. Prior to this appointment, Zheng has served as Chairman and CEO of Shancangzi Culture Communications, a China-based advertising and branding agency.

13:50 EDT Kroger announce collaboration with Google Cloud Platform - The Kroger Co. (KR) announced its cloud computing portfolio is expanding with Google Cloud Platform (GOOG, GOOGL). "The adoption of Google Cloud Platform signals our commitment to positioning Kroger as an industry leader for digital programs such as ship-to-home and home delivery," said Chris Hjelm, Kroger's Chief Information Officer

12:35 EDT ArcelorMittal to lead discussions with European Commission on IIva acquisition - An ArcelorMittall-led consortium will continue discussions with the European Commission regarding the proposed acquisition of Ilva. ArcelorMittal confirms that the European Commission has initiated a Phase II review of AM Investco Italy Srl's proposed acquisition of Ilva. ArcelorMittal will continue to work closely and constructively with the European Commission to explain the dynamics of the steel industry, the rationale of the proposed acquisition and the benefits it will bring to industry, customers, the environment and the local economy. The company anticipates ongoing dialogue with the Commission to secure approval for this transaction in a timely manner.

12:27 EDT Glaxo says belimumab plus SoC resulted in less organ damage over 5 year study - GlaxoSmithKline announced results of the first study assessing levels of organ damage in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus treated with Benlysta, or belimumab, plus standard of care versus SoC alone. Patients with SLE are at risk of irreversible organ damage, which can accrue over time and is associated with increased risk of death. The data being presented at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology/Association for Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting shows that patients treated with belimumab plus SoC had significantly less organ damage over 5 years compared to those on SoC alone, the company stated.

12:04 EDT Nielsen announces new radio measurment agreement with iHeartMedia - Nielsen (NLSN) announced that iHeartMedia (IHRT) has signed a multi-year agreement for radio ratings services for all Portable People Meter, or PPM, and radio diary measured markets. This multi-year agreement provides Nielsen's radio ratings services for all iHeartMedia radio stations across its more than 150 local markets. The agreement also includes the use of Nielsen data and services for Katz Media Group, Premiere Radio Network and Total Traffic & Weather Network.

12:01 EDT PayPal launches domestic operations in India - PayPal Holdings announced the launch of its domestic operations in India. At launch, Indian consumers can use PayPal to shop online at some of India's most popular businesses. Merchants offering PayPal will be able to process both local and global payments through PayPal, getting access to PayPal's more than 218 million customers around the world and in India through a single integration.

11:28 EDT Rent-A-Center says not in best interests to enter exclusivity pact with Vintage - In a regulatory filing, Rent-A-Center disclosed that the Board of Directors of the company sent a letter to Vintage Capital Management responding to a conditional, non-binding proposal made by Vintage to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the company. The letter states in part: "The Board appreciates Vintage's interest in the company and looks forward to additional dialogue. Given the early stage of the strategic review and the level of inbound interest from other parties, we do not believe it is in the best interests of our stockholders to enter into an exclusivity agreement with Vintage at this time. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact JPMorgan which is acting as the company's financial advisor throughout this process."

11:20 EDT Boeing says in 'a lot of campaigns' for 787 Dreamliner orders - Says seeing stronger demand for 777 freighter as cargo rebounds. Comments made by Boeing CFO Brad Smith at the Baird Global Industrial Conference.

11:02 EDT Sell Sally Beauty amid tougher competition from Target, Ulta, analyst says - Shares of Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH) dropped in morning trading after an analyst downgraded the stock to the firm's equivalent of a sell rating, saying its retail segment is facing tougher competition while its professional segment is decelerating. TOUGHER COMPETITION: Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman this morning downgraded Sally Beauty to Underweight, the firm's equivalent to a sell rating, and lowered his price target on shares to $15 from $22. In a note to clients, Gutman said the retail segment is facing tougher competition, which is leading to margin erosion and negative comps as well as intensifying EBIT pressure. Gutman, like several other analysts, noted the "more crowded" beauty landscape, and said competitive pressures from Target (TGT), Wal-Mart (WMT) and Ulta (ULTA) appear to be "catching up" with Sally, adding that Sally's value offering is relatively less compelling in the current highly promotional environment. Looking ahead, Gutman expects retail segment comps will be modestly negative for the foreseeable future and believes margins will also continue to erode. Sally's professional segment typically offsets weakness in the retail segment, but it is also decelerating, the analyst noted. WHAT'S NOTABLE: In October, Piper Jaffray analyst Erinn Murphy downgraded Ulta following a survey showing a slowdown in beauty spending by teenagers. At the time, Murphy said her firm's Fall 2017 Teen Survey results indicated spending declines of 13% in color cosmetics among all female teenagers. While skincare declines were "less bad," down 7% year-over-year, overall beauty wallet was down low-double digits. Sally Beauty and Ulta also face competition from department stores like Macy's (M), which are discounting high-end cosmetics and offering rewards, and Amazon (AMZN). DA Davidson analyst Linda Bolton Weiser has speculated whether Sally Beauty will be, or should be, an acquisition target for Amazon, as beauty "has been a hard category to crack" for Amazon. The analyst previously said Sally is more Amazon-proof than many retailers. UPCOMING EARNINGS: Sally Beauty is expected to report fourth quarter earnings on November 21. Analysts currently expect the company to report EPS of 48c on revenue of $991.17M. After reporting third quarter EPS that beat expectations, Sally backed its view of approximately flat full year consolidated same store sales growth, and expects full year net new store growth of approximately 1.5%. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Sally Beauty are down 8% to $15.68. Shares are down over 40% year-to-date. Peer Ulta Beauty is also lower by 1.2% this morning.

10:51 EDT Marriott says Alibaba China relationship to be 'great lift'

10:31 EDT Singapore Technologies discloses 8.7% stake in CenturyLink - Singapore Technologies Telemedia disclosed a stake of 8.7% in CenturyLink, which represents over 92.9M shares. Singapore Technologies obtained the shares via CenturyLink's acquisition of Level 3 and notes it may engage in communications with the company or stockholders.

10:28 EDT AT&T to invest additional $1B in U.S. if competitive tax rate enacted - AT&T committed to step up its 2018 U.S. investment by an additional $1B if Congress passes -- and the President signs into law -- the corporate tax provisions currently in the House bill introduced last week. "With a rate of 20% combined with provisions for full expensing of capital expenditures for the next five years, we're prepared to increase our investment in the United States. If the House bill is signed into law, we'd commit to increase our domestic investment by $1B in the first year in which the new rates are in place. And research tells us that every $1B in capital invested in telecom creates about 7,000 good jobs for the middle class." AT&T's year-one incremental investment will support the company's fiber build to U.S. homes and businesses. Beyond 2018, a lower tax rate would incent AT&T to continue to deploy incremental capital to its fiber and future 5G builds.

10:17 EDT Marriott: Corporate group, transient demand cautious, has seen few cancellations - Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson said on the company's Q3 earnings call that leisure demand was "strong" in Q3. He said that while corporate group and transient demand "cautious," Marriott has seen few cancellations. The company said hurricanes during Q3 boosted North America RevPar by 25bps. Marriott says five hotels remain closed in Florida and five in Texas following the hurricanes. Sorenson sees North American group business pace up in Q4. Sorenson also noted that Q1 lodging demand will have "tough" comparisons. The executive said Marriott is not seeing project cancellations or hesitancy to sign deals, but says construction cycles may be delayed "a few months." Expects $250M of G&A savings from Starwood deal in 2018.

10:05 EDT Amazon says adopts hypervisor based on KVM - Amazon Web Services (AMZN) revealed in a blog post thatt has created a new hypervisor based on KVM, not the Xen (CTXS) hypervisor on which it has relied for years. AWS commented, "Going forward, we'll use this hypervisor to power other instance types and plan to share additional technical details in a set of AWS re:Invent sessions." The Fly notes that Citrix Systems is down 2.3% to $82.69 in morning trading. Reference Link

09:55 EDT AeroVironment sinks after Spruce Point predicts 30%-50% downside - Shares of AeroVironment are down after short-seller Spruce Point Capital announced a new short position in the name. In a research reported posted on its website, Spruce Point says its "fundamental and forensic research" suggests 30%-50% downside in the seller of drones. The firm explained, "AVAV Nearly Identical To Our iRobot Short, Another Over-Hyped Play On A Laggard In Its Industry: Spruce Point conducted an extensive evaluation of AVAV, and find it to be a nearly identical stock promotion to iRobot. AVAV is being hyped as a play on drones, but its products are stagnant and being out-innovated by peers. Like iRobot, we find: 1) Foolish stock promoters, including a former one tied to a notorious Ponzi scheme, 2) Poor governance + unjust insider enrichment, 3) Continuous insider selling,4) Poor capital allocation, 4) Frequent accounting errors + warranty revisions, and 5) Nonsensical and distorted valuation." Shares of AeroVironment are down 6%, or $2.69, to $45.60 in early trading. Reference Link

09:50 EDT Investar Holding trading resumes

09:45 EDT Investar Holding trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT Humana says 'feels very good' about attrition levels

09:28 EDT Wendy's says saw QSR traffic starting to pick up at end of quarter

09:24 EDT Rexahn doses first patient in Phase IIa clinical trial of RX-3117/Abraxane combo - Rexahn Pharmaceuticals announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase IIa clinical study of RX-3117 in combination with Abraxane in patients newly diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have had no prior chemotherapy. Abraxane is commonly used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in combination with other chemotherapies.

09:22 EDT Humana says taken measures to reduce administrative costs for 2018 and beyond

09:18 EDT BioPharmX receives feedback from FDA on Phase 3 trial for BPX-011 - BioPharmX has received positive feedback from the FDA regarding design of its planned phase 3 clinical trial for BPX-011, the company's topical minocycline gel for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of acne vulgaris. The company has incorporated feedback from the FDA on key elements of its phase 3 acne program and received clear guidance regarding expectations and requirements for clinical, non-clinical, and chemistry, manufacturing and controls needed to support a post phase 3 NDA submission. BPX-01 is intended for the targeted treatment of non-nodular inflammatory acne vulgaris. The FDA concurred with the company's proposal to use an inflammatory lesion IGA as a co-primary endpoint along with inflammatory lesion reduction. In light of this positive feedback from the FDA, the company continues to consider various options as it finalizes its study design plans and works on additional program requirements needed for an NDA submission. The company is considering strategic partnering alternatives to fund its phase 3 acne clinical trials and expects to begin the trial, should the company raise the necessary capital or upon entering into a strategic partnership to fund the trials.

09:15 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Match Group (MTCH), up 15.2%... Take Two (TTWO), up 12.3%... Container Store (TCS), up 21.7%... Humana (HUM), up 1.1%... Huntington Ingalls (HII), up marginally. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Wix.Com (WIX), down 12.8%... Plug Power (PLUG), down 5.2%... Snap (SNAP), down 12.2%...LendingClub (LC), down 20.3%... Vitamin Shoppe (VSI), down 12.8%. ALSO LOWER: Sears Holdings (SHLD), down 2.8% after announcing amendment to pension plan protection arrangement and giving third quarter guidance.

09:12 EDT General Mills Chairman Ken Powell to retire, Jeffrey Harmening to succeed - General Mills announced that Ken Powell will be retiring as Chairman of the Board effective the end of the year. The company's Board of Directors has elected CEO Jeffrey Harmening to serve as Chairman of the Board upon Powell's retirement effective January 1, 2018. Harmening will continue to serve as the company's CEO. Harmening became CEO June 1, 2017, when Powell stepped down from the role. At the time, it was expected that Powell would serve as the company's Chairman for a transition period until his retirement.

09:04 EDT Ally Financial names Dinesh Chopra Chief Strategy Officer - Ally Financial has appointed Dinesh Chopra as its new Chief Strategy Officer. In his newly-created role Chopra will lead Ally's Corporate Strategy team. Chopra joins Ally from Citigroup where he served as global head of Strategy, Retail Bank, Mortgage, Fintech & Digital Payments responsible for leading strategic planning and improving performance for the related lines of business.

09:02 EDT Blackstone, Ivanhoe Cambridge announce residential rooftop solar project - Blackstone, through funds it manages on behalf of its real estate investors, and Ivanhoe Cambridge, a real estate subsidiary of Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, announced plans to implement the largest private multi-family residential rooftop solar project in the United States. The project will be run by StuyTown Property Services, the property management company of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. This 3.8 Megawatt solar energy system will span across the property's 22 acres of rooftops. Once completed, StuyTown will have tripled Manhattan's capacity to generate solar power. NYC-based renewable energy developer Onyx Renewable Partners is project developer for the installation, which is expected to begin this winter and reach completion in 2019. The installation will consist of 9,671 high efficiency solar panels and will generate enough energy to power over 1,000 New York City apartments annually. The project is expected to offset approximately 63,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, comparable to removing 12,000 cars from the road for a year.

09:00 EDT Cheetah Mobile's Live.me raises $50M from Bytedance - Cheetah Mobile announced that Live.me Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to raise $50M from Bytedance as its Series B financing. In addition, Live.me will have priority to provide live streaming services to Bytedance in overseas markets should Bytedance start to integrate live streaming features into its products in these markets. This transaction is subject to certain closing conditions.

08:47 EDT MySize granted patent in U.S. - My Size obtained patent approval in the U.S. after approval in Russia and Japan. The patent relates to My Size's "Measurement of a Body Part" technology. The U.S. patent will expire January 20, 2033.

08:45 EDT EyeGate completes enrollment in Phase 2b trial of EGP-437 - EyeGate Pharmaceuticals (EYEG) has completed enrollment in the double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2b trial of its EGP-437 combination product for the treatment of pain and inflammation in patients having undergone cataract surgery. Topline data is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2018. As a result, EyeGate has received an additional milestone payment under its licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX).

08:36 EDT Time Warner falls after AT&T CFO says deal timing 'now uncertain' - While speaking at an investor conference hosted by Wells Fargo, AT&T (T) CFO John Joseph Stephens said the timing of his company's acquisition of Time Warner (TWX) is "now uncertain." AT&T previously expected the deal to close by the end of 2017. Shares of Time Warner are down 3%, or $2.96, to $91.70 in premarket trading. Stephens added that AT&T's talks with the Justice Department are ongoing. He noted that no vertical merger, like AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, has been blocked in 40 years.

08:31 EDT Dextera Surgical cancels Q1 earnings conference call for November 9 - Dextera Surgical announced that it plans to release its fiscal 2018 first quarter financial results after the markets close on November 9, 2017, and will file its 10-Q with the SEC within the required timeframe. Dextera will not hold the previously announced conference call on November 9 for investors in connection with the company's quarterly results.

08:26 EDT Neuralstem appoints Dr. David Recker as Chief Medical Officer - Neuralstem announced the appointment of David Recker, MD, FACR, FACP, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Recker serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Vericel (VCEL), where he has been responsible for clinical development, regulatory affairs, medical and scientific affairs, pharmacovigilance, statistics and data management.

08:25 EDT Fortress Biotech says Cellvation's granted RMAT designation for CEVA101 by FDA - Fortress Biotech announced that the FDA has granted Cellvation's CEVA101 Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation for the treatment of traumatic brain injury. Under terms of the RMAT designation, the FDA will help facilitate the program's expedited development and review, and will provide guidance on generating the evidence needed to support approval of CEVA101 for TBI. CEVA101 is currently being assessed in Phase 2 clinical trials for severe TBI in children and adults.

08:21 EDT Moleculin Biotech appoints Dr. Sandra Silberman as Chief Medical Officer - Moleculin Biotech announced the appointment of Dr. Sandra Silberman as Chief Medical Officer in charge of New Products. "Dr. Silberman is a highly experienced, well-esteemed oncologist and CMO," commented Walter Klemp, Chairman and CEO of Moleculin. "Among her many accomplishments, she was the project leader for Gleevec, a blockbuster cancer drug. We've benefitted from her guidance during her time on our Science Advisory Board, but as we have gained momentum with our WP1066 and WP1122 Portfolios, we now need the focus of a highly qualified CMO. We are honored to have such an accomplished physician leading these planned clinical projects."

08:18 EDT Amag says cord blood cells improve motor function in some with cerebral palsy - Cord Blood Registry, or CBR, from AMAG Pharmaceuticals announced research recently published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine found that children with cerebral palsy who received an infusion of their own neo-natal cord blood, collected & stored at birth, saw improved motor function and brain connectivity one year after treatment, when receiving a high cell dose. The prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical study examining the efficacy of autologous cord blood in treating children with cerebral palsy was led by researchers at Duke University. "The study results are compelling for further study of the use of autologous blood cord infusions in children with cerebral palsy," said Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., the study's principal investigator and director of the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank and The Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. Dr. Kurtzberg is also chief scientific officer of the Robertson Clinical and Translational Cell Therapy Program at Duke University.

08:16 EDT Dow's Liveris to promote mutually beneficial commercial cooperation with China - Andrew Liveris, executive chairman of DowDuPont, and chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, will join President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and a host of noted business leaders on a trade mission to China this week. The trade mission will promote commercial successes while seeking to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China through increasing exports of high-value U.S. goods and services to China and by improving access for U.S. manufacturers to China's growing markets. "Secretary Ross and the entire Trump Administration understand that it is in everyone's interest to promote constructive engagement between China and the U.S. that focuses on removing the barriers to fair and reciprocal market access and ensuring that companies are competing on fair commercial terms," said Liveris. "The U.S. and China have obviously grown into important partners in trade and other areas and I am encouraged and thankful for the opportunity to participate in the dialogue between these great countries."

08:16 EDT Energy Focus not providing FY17 guidance at this time - Given the continuing quarterly volatility in military maritime sales and the timing uncertainty in commercial sales growth, it is challenging for us to provide quarterly revenue guidance at this time. Our focus is to control our operating costs, so that we can reach our goal of returning to profitability in 2018. Once our revenue achieves a more predictable growth rate, we will provide further guidance.

08:12 EDT Ignyta announces new data highlighting immune modulation of RXDX-106 - Ignyta announced new preclinical data for RXDX-106 - a novel immunomodulatory agent that demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity, alone and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, by modulating the tumor microenvironment through TYRO3, AXL, and MER receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition. In the TME, TAM RTKs contribute to cancer cell evasion of the immune system and progression by promoting anti-inflammatory and pro-tumorigenic activities. RXDX-106 is a potent and selective TAM inhibitor in late-stage preclinical development, designed to reverse TAM RTKs-mediated immunosuppression and inhibit tumor growth and progression. The data were presented in two posters at the 32nd Annual SITC Meeting, in National Harbor, Maryland. Using complementary approaches, including gene and protein modulation, RXDX-106 treatment resulted in the recruitment of both innate and adaptive immune cell subtypes to the TME. Using RNA sequencing, differential expression of immunomodulatory genes were observed in RXDX-106 treated compared to vehicle treated mouse cohorts, indicative of an enrichment in pro-inflammatory/anti-tumorigenic immune cell infiltration. In addition, RXDX-106 demonstrated immune-mediated, single-agent anti-tumor activity in multiple tumor models that was further enhanced by combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors. These data further demonstrate the ability of RXDX-106 to activate both innate and adaptive immunity, as observed by treatment-mediated changes in relevant cytokine levels and immune cell biomarkers, and regulating cross-talk between immune and cancer cells. These promising early findings support further development of RXDX-106 to potentially treat a wide variety of cancers.

08:11 EDT Synlogic says Phase 1 SYNB1020 met primary objectives - Synlogic announced top-line clinical data from its Phase 1 placebo-controlled single and multiple ascending dose clinical trial of SYNB1020 in healthy volunteers. The trial successfully met the primary objectives demonstrating safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers and identifying the maximum tolerated dose. Furthermore, proof of mechanism was demonstrated by a clear signal in a plasma nitrogen endpoint. SYNB1020, is a novel, first-in-class, Synthetic Biotic medicine that is orally delivered and designed to treat elevated blood ammonia levels, or hyperammonemia, in genetic urea cycle disorders or in chronic liver disease. SYNB1020 was safe and well tolerated in subjects in multiple ascending dose cohorts who received total daily doses of up to 1.5x1012 CFU for 14 days. There have been no serious adverse events, and no cases of infection with the bacteria in this study. While the study is ongoing, there is no evidence of colonization by SYNB1020 as all subjects who have completed follow-up have cleared the bacteria from their systems within the expected timeframe. In the MAD component of the Phase 1 study, daily dosing of SYNB1020 over 14 days in healthy volunteers enabled identification of a dose-response relationship between SYNB1020 oral administration and changes in a nitrogen endpoint in plasma which was found to be statistically significant in the highest dose cohort compared to placebo. In addition, viability and evidence of mechanistic activity of the Synthetic Biotic was demonstrated in feces of subjects who received SYNB1020, but not in control subjects. As expected, SYNB1020 did not lower blood ammonia levels in these healthy individuals who had normal blood ammonia levels at baseline. Collectively, the data support the hypothesis that SYNB1020 treatment may enable metabolism of potentially neurotoxic blood levels of ammonia in patients with hyperammonemia stemming from UCDs or liver damage.

08:09 EDT Wells Fargo Securities names Stratford Shields as head of public finance - Wells Fargo Securities announced that Stratford Shields has been named managing director and head of Public Finance, effective immediately. Based in New York City, Shields now oversees a national team of professionals responsible for originating and structuring capital markets products and services for municipal and nonprofit clients. He reports to Phil Smith, head of Government & Institutional Banking. Shields brings more than 25 years of experience to his new role with Wells Fargo, most recently as managing director and Midwest regional manager for RBC Capital Markets.

08:07 EDT Global Partners sees FY17 EBITDA above midpoint of $190M-$220M view - "With respect to forecasting 2017 net income and net cash from operating activities, the most comparable financial measures to EBITDA calculated in accordance with GAAP, the Partnership is unable to project either metric without unreasonable effort and for the following reasons: 1) The Partnership is unable to project net income because this metric includes the impact of certain non-cash items, most notably those resulting from the divestiture program of non-strategic sites, which the Partnership is unable to project with any reasonable degree of accuracy; and 2) The Partnership is unable to project net cash from operating activities because this metric includes the impact of changes in commodity prices, including their impact on inventory volume and value, receivables, payables and derivatives, which the Partnership is unable to project with any reasonable degree of accuracy. For full-year 2017, Global expects to achieve EBITDA above the midpoint of its guidance of $190.0 million to $220.0 million, which guidance excludes the gain or loss on the sale and disposition of assets and any impairment charges."

08:05 EDT Sears says achieved annualized cost savings target of $1.25B - Sears Holdings announced that it achieved its annualized cost savings target of $1.25B through the simplification of its organizational structure, streamlining of operations, and closure of under-performing stores, including those announced earlier this month. It also said it generated additional cash proceeds of approximately $167M subsequent to quarter-end from real estate transactions and commercial arrangements. Proceeds were utilized to pay down outstanding real estate loans and revolver borrowings resulting in an adjusted availability on revolving credit facility and general debt basket of $185M and $120M, respectively. Sears also noted it paid down outstanding borrowings under its Term Loan maturing in June of 2018 by $205M during November, reducing the outstanding balance to approximately $520M, bringing total 2018 Term Loan repayment during 2017 to approximately $450M.

08:05 EDT Pacira lowers 2017 Exparel sales outlook to $280M-$285M from $290M-$310M - The company sees 2017 non-GAAP gross margins of approximately 70%. It stated, "We continue to make important progress during 2017 as we advance our strategy to expand the role of EXPAREL as the only long-acting local analgesic capable of providing non-opioid pain control during the most intense period of postsurgical pain. Recent highlights include the FDA acceptance of our sNDA for nerve block; the publication of new research quantifying the devastating impact of opioids for postsurgical pain; a unique collaboration with Aetna to reduce opioid use associated with impacted wisdom teeth extractions; and the advancement of our important partnership with J&J."

08:03 EDT PDL BioPharma urges Neos Therapeutics to provide update on sale process - PDL BioPharma (PDLI) reiterated that its proposal to acquire Neos Therapeutics (NEOS) for $10.25 per share in cash will expire November 8 at market close. PDL originally made public its proposal to acquire Neos on October 26, 2017 at a premium of approximately 40% to the pre-proposal closing price of Neos shares. PDL is confident its proposal represents fair value for the Company and offers certain and compelling value for Neos shareholders. It has therefore decided it will not extend the deadline for, or otherwise alter, its proposal. In reaching the decision to not extend the deadline, John McLaughlin, CEO of PDL, said, "We continue to believe our proposal to acquire Neos is a compelling one and that-as evidenced by Neos' stock, which is trading at current levels as a result of our offer -Neos shareholders agree with the merits of our proposal. As a shareholder of Neos, PDL hopes that management will be transparent on today's third quarter earnings call and inform shareholders of the strategic options currently being evaluated by Neos' Board and management."

08:02 EDT Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharma initiate Phase 1b EV-103 trial - Seattle Genetics (SGEN) and Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) announced dosing of the first patient in EV-103, a phase 1b clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of enfortumab vedotin in combination with pembrolizumab or atezolizumab, two types of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies, for first- or second-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. Enfortumab vedotin is an investigational antibody-drug conjugate designed to deliver the cell-killing agent monomethyl auristatin E to the target Nectin-4. The EV-103 study is a single arm, open label multicenter trial that will enroll up to 85 patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who are ineligible for first line cisplatin-based chemotherapy or have progressed following treatment with a regimen containing platinum-based chemotherapy. Enfortumab vedotin will be administered during weeks one and two of every three-week cycle, and pembrolizumab or atezolizumab will also be administered during week one of this period. The primary objective of the trial is to assess the safety and tolerability of enfortumab vedotin in combination with CPI therapy. Secondary endpoints include the recommended dose in combination with CPIs, overall response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS), among other measures.

07:50 EDT MGM Resorts sees Q4 Las Vegas Strip revenues down low to mid-single digits - CEO Murren said, "As a result of the October 1st incident, our business in Las Vegas will be impacted in the near term primarily due to a short-lived uptick in cancellations and a temporary suspension of marketing efforts. Since restarting such efforts, our booking pace has largely rebounded to normal levels. We are also making significant progress on the transformation of Monte Carlo to Park MGM, and as expected, will continue to experience disruption at the property. As a result, in the fourth quarter, we expect our Las Vegas Strip revenues to decrease by a low to mid-single digit percentage, with non-hotel elements partially offsetting a 5%-7% REVPAR decline. Accordingly, we anticipate our fourth quarter Las Vegas Strip Adjusted Property EBITDA margins to decrease by roughly 100 basis points." Murren concluded, "We are encouraged by the current trajectory of our business, supported by the strength of our forward convention bookings, our entertainment and sports calendar, and the conclusion of our high returning capital investment projects next year. We remain confident in the stability of our business and the enduring power of the Las Vegas brand."

07:40 EDT Wendy's sees 42% of global system image activated by the end of 2017 - "Image Activation, which includes reimaging existing restaurants and building new restaurants, remains an integral part of our global growth strategy. With 39 percent of the global system featuring the new image, the Company continues to expect that approximately 42 percent of the global system will be image activated by the end of 2017. The Company is now expecting 2017 net new unit growth of approximately 0.5 percent to 1 percent in North America and approximately 14 percent internationally."

07:38 EDT Wendy's reports Q3 company-operated restaurant margin 16.7% - Compared to 18.4% in the third quarter of 2016. The 170 basis-point decrease was primarily the result of higher commodity costs.

07:37 EDT Wendy's says on track to achieve 2020 goals - The company continues to expect to achieve the following goals by the end of 2020: Global systemwide sales (in constant currency and excluding Venezuela) of ~$12B. Global restaurant count of ~7,500. Global Image Activation of at least 70%. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 38%-40%. Free cash flow of ~$275M (capital expenditures of ~$65M).

07:35 EDT Wendy's sees FY17 commodity cost inflation of approximately 3%-4% vs. 2016 - Sees FY17: Labor inflation of approximately 4%; Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $404M-$410M, an increase of approximately 3%-5% compared to 2016.

07:31 EDT Wendy's reports Q3 North America same-restaurant sales up 2% - Reports 42 global restaurant openings in the third quarter, 110 year-to-date.

07:26 EDT AgroFresh Solutions acquires controlling interest in Tecnidex - AgroFresh Solutions has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling-interest in Tecnidex, a provider of post-harvest fungicides, waxes, and biocides for the citrus market. AgroFresh will use its existing cash to purchase 75% of Tecnidex, with the balance being retained by Manuel Garcia-Portillo, Chairman and owner of Tecnidex. AgroFresh has an option to purchase Garcia-Portillo's interest over time. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to AgroFresh and to close by the end of 2017.

07:12 EDT Target announces first in series of Weekend Deals - Target announced the first in its series of Weekend Deals, a new holiday sale that will feature compelling offers, like category-wide discounts on items that rarely go on sale, both in stores and on Target.com. The deals are timed for the weekends, when twice as many guests shop than an average weekday. Weekend Deals begin Nov. 11 and 12, with Target's biggest sale of the year on kitchen appliances and Thanksgiving prep essentials. Throughout November and December Target will offer new Weekend Deals, designed to give guests meaningful discounts on the items they are shopping for most during that time in the season. For example, with Thanksgiving just two weeks away, the first Weekend Deal offers guests 25% off all kitchen appliances, including brands like KitchenAid and Cuisinart, with no exclusions, and 15% off Thanksgiving prep essentials, like disposable tableware, napkins, paper towels and more. Guests shopping in stores will need a coupon for the kitchen appliances offer, which can be found in the Target app or by texting KITCHEN to TARGET (827438)*. The Thanksgiving essentials discount will be applied automatically. Later in the season, Weekend Deals will include discounts on holiday decorations and top gifts, as guests get their homes ready for the holidays and begin shopping for friends and family.

07:11 EDT Digital Ally exploring strategic alternatives - Digital Ally announced that its board has initiated a process to explore a full range of strategic alternatives to best position the Company for the future including, but not limited to, monetizing its patent portfolio and related patent infringement litigation against Axon Enterprise, Inc. and Enforcement Video, LLC d/b/a WatchGuard Video, the sale of the company as a whole, or the sale of select properties or groups of properties or individual businesses. The result of the strategic review may also include the continued implementation of the company's business plan. The company has retained Roth Capital Partners to assist in this process. There can be no assurance a transaction will result from this process and the company does not intend to disclose additional details unless and until it has entered into a specific transaction. The company has recently received several unsolicited inquiries from parties involving a variety of alternatives including, but not limited to, 1) seeking distribution and/or licensing rights to the company's patented VuLink auto-activation technology, 2) seeking distribution and/or licensing rights to the company's suite of patents other than the VuLink; 3) full sale of the company; and 4) partial sale of its law enforcement or commercial divisions. In addition, the company has recently entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with VieVU, LLC regarding the company's patented VuLink product line. The company believes the unsolicited inquiries are being driven by the recent and important wins it received in the U.S. Patent Office that confirm the validity of our VuLink and related auto-activation technologies. Digital's board and management engaged Roth to ensure that the company and its shareholders consider all reasonable alternatives to maximize shareholder value, given the multiple inquiries. On July 6, the Patent Office denied Axon's petition for inter partes review, or IPR, of Digital's Patent No. 9,253,452. And on August 3, 2017, the Patent Office denied Axon's final petition for IPR of the '452 Patent. This was Axon's final attempt to invalidate the '452 Patent before the Patent Office. With the Patent Office determining that Axon failed to demonstrate even a reasonable likelihood of invalidating the '452 Patent in its IPR petition, an IPR status update was submitted to the District Court of Kansas. The Court can now decide whether to maintain the stay of the litigation that was implemented pending the results of the IPR petitions. The Company believes that there will be no reason to maintain the stay and, if lifted, it will request an expedited schedule for trial. On May 27, 2016, Digital filed a complaint against WatchGuard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas alleging patent infringement based on WatchGuard's VISTA Wifi and 4RE In-Car product lines. In May 2016, WatchGuard filed an IPR petition with the Patent Office challenging the validity of the '950 Patent and filed a motion to stay litigation, pending at least a preliminary decision from the PTAB regarding the IPR petition filed challenging the '950 Patent and four additional IPR petitions filed by Axon challenging the '292 Patent and the '452 Patent. In doing so, WatchGuard agreed to be bound by the Patent Office's decision in connection with the four IPR petitions filed by Axon against the '292 Patent and the '452 Patent. A compromise was subsequently reached under which the court stayed the case, and ordered the parties to submit a report by January 5, 2018 notifying the court about the status of the pending IPR petitions. The Patent Office subsequently denied institution of all of Axon's IPR petitions against the '452 Patent, which means these requests will not proceed. The Company expects Patent Office to render its decision in the near future regarding whether it will grant institution of WatchGuard's IPR regarding the '950 Patent.

07:08 EDT Alkermes says 'positive' preclinical data presented for ALKS 4230 - Alkermes announced the presentation of "positive" preclinical data on the company's immuno-oncology drug candidate, ALKS 4230. Data presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, or SITC, Annual Meeting showed that treatment with ALKS 4230 significantly delayed tumor growth and led to accumulation of tumor-killing T cells in the tumor microenvironment in individualized and humanized melanoma xenograft models of tumor immunology. ALKS 4230 is an engineered fusion protein designed to preferentially bind and signal through the intermediate affinity interleukin-2 receptor complex, thereby selectively activating and increasing the number of immunostimulatory tumor-killing immune cells while avoiding the expansion of immunosuppressive cells that interfere with anti-tumor response. Elliot Ehrich, Executive VP, Research and Development of Alkermes, said, "We continue to progress in the ongoing dose-escalation stage of the phase 1 study for ALKS 4230 in patients with solid tumors, and look forward to determining the optimal dose range of ALKS 4230 and initiating dose expansion in 2018."

07:05 EDT ConocoPhillips plans averages annual capital expenditures of $5.5B in 2018-20 - ConocoPhillips will hold an Analyst and Investor Meeting to outline the company's 2018-2020 operating plan and strategy for long-term value creation. The three-year plan averages annual capital expenditures of $5.5B, based on a flat real West Texas Intermediate price of $50 per barrel, and targets strong performance on several value-oriented metrics, including: Greater than 20 percent cash return on capital employed by 2020; Sustaining capital of $3.5B; Less than a $40-per-barrel average sustaining price; Greater than 30 percent payout of cash provided by operating activities to shareholders annually, including dividends and share buybacks; Extending the $1.5B per year of share buybacks for an additional year through 2020, resulting in total 2017-2020 share buybacks of $7.5B; Debt reduction to $15B in 2019; Total share buybacks of $7.5B and debt reduction to $15B will represent a 20 percent decrease in debt-adjusted share count by year-end 2020; Approximately 5 percent underlying production compound annual growth rate and over 5 percent cash margin CAGR, resulting in more than a 10 percent cash flow CAGR; Improvement in financial returns driven by disciplined investments in the company's resource base of 15 billion barrels of oil equivalent with an average cost of supply of less than $35 per barrel.

06:56 EDT Regeneron backs FY17 EYLEA U.S. net product sales guidance of up about 10%

06:53 EDT Southwest reports October traffic up 4.5% - Southwest Airlines reported its October and year-to-date preliminary traffic statistics. The company flew 10.7B revenue passenger miles, or RPMs, in October 2017, an increase of 1.9% from the 10.5B RPMs flown in October 2016. Available seat miles, or ASMs, increased 1.7% to 12.4B in October 2017, compared with October 2016 ASMs of 12.2B. The October 2017 load factor was 85.8%, compared with 85.7% in October 2016. Based on these results and current trends, the company continues to expect its Q4 operating revenue per ASM, or RASM, to increase in the range of up slightly to 1.5%, as compared with Q4 of 2016.

06:37 EDT Cable ONE names Julia Laulis Chair of board - Cable One announced the election of Julia Laulis, President and CEO, as Chair of the Board effective upon the retirement of Executive Chairman Thomas Might on December 31, 2017. Might will continue to serve as a member of the company's Board of Directors following his retirement.

06:34 EDT Snap erases losses after disclosing 10% stake by Tencent - The stock is now up 36c to $15.48 in premarket trading.

06:31 EDT Humana raises FY17 operating cash flow view to $3.3B-$3.6B from $3B-$3.4B

06:28 EDT Airbus names C. Jeffrey Knittel as chairman, CEO of Airbus Americas - C. Jeffrey Knittel, formerly both CEO of C2 Aviation Capital and President of CIT Transportation Finance, will join Airbus early next year, taking the reins of the company's business in the Americas. Knittel, who brings more than 25 years of global aerospace leadership experience to the position, will join the company at its Americas headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, on January 12, as Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO. As Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO, Knittel will be responsible for Airbus' commercial aircraft business throughout the Americas, as well as for providing leadership for the company's helicopters and space and defense businesses in North America.

06:15 EDT China's Tecent bought 10% stake in Snap via open market purchases - Snap (SNAP) disclosed this morning in its quarterly regulatory filing that China's Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) notified the company in November that it acquired 145,778,246 shares of its non-voting Class A common stock via open market purchases. The stake represents around 10% of Snap's outstanding shares. Snap explained, "As a result of our ownership structure, Tencent and Snap are not obligated to disclose changes in Tencent's ownership of our Class A common stock, so there can be no assurance that you, or we, will be notified of any such changes." The camera company added, "We have long been inspired by the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Tencent and we are grateful to continue our longstanding and productive relationship that began over four years ago. For its part, Martin Lau, Tencent's President, informed us that Tencent is excited to deepen its shareholding relationship with us, and that it looks forward to sharing ideas and experiences."

06:12 EDT Encana CEO says 'We are generating significant momentum for 2018' - "Driven by innovation and strong execution, each of our core assets is firmly on track to meet or beat its 2017 targets," said Doug Suttles, Encana President & CEO. "Consistent with our plan, the Permian and Montney are delivering significant oil and condensate growth in the fourth quarter, driving continued corporate margin expansion and setting the stage for a strong finish to the year." "Our financial and operational performance demonstrates our strategy is working and that we can deliver quality corporate returns through the commodity cycle," added Suttles. "We are generating significant momentum for 2018 and are strongly positioned to deliver leading returns, cash flow growth and free cash flow through our five-year plan."

06:10 EDT Regis announces partnership with Buxton - Regis announced its industry-exclusive agreement with LSMx, a Buxton local store marketing application. Buxton is a leading customer analytics provider for over 4,000 retailers. Regis Corporation intends to use LSMx, and its advanced customer data insights, to drive hyper-local, targeted marketing for its corporate and franchise salons. The LSMx application allows for real-time, unit level, customer and revenue optimization.

06:08 EDT Vitamin Shoppe sees FY17 SSS down 7%, including impact from hurricanes - Sees FY17 reported full year gross margin rate of 29.5% to 29.8%. This includes charges associated with the Nutri-Force restructuring and North Bergen closure this year. Excluding these charges, full year gross margins of 30.6% to 30.9%. Sees FY17 capital expenditures of $50M, including build out of distribution center in Arizona, IT investments, approximately 15 new stores, 10-15 brand defining store transformations and corporate office expansion in Secaucus to support closure of offices in North Bergen.

06:03 EDT Snap CEO Spiegel says redesigning Snapchat to make it easer to use - Evan Spiegel said in an earnings letter to Snap investors that the company is redesigning Snapchat to make it easier to use and expects that it will be "disruptive to our business in the short term." Spiegel said: "One thing that we have heard over the years is that Snapchat is difficult to understand or hard to use, and our team has been working on responding to this feedback. As a result, we are currently redesigning our application to make it easier to use. There is a strong likelihood that the redesign of our application will be disruptive to our business in the short term, and we don't yet know how the behavior of our community will change when they begin to use our updated application. We're willing to take that risk for what we believe are substantial long term benefits to our business... As part of the redesign, we are going to make it easier to discover the vast quantity of content on our platform that goes undiscovered or unseen every day. We think that there is a big opportunity to surface some of this content in a personalized and more relevant way, while still maintaining the exploratory nature of our service. We are developing a new solution that provides each of our 178 million Daily Active Users with their own Stories experience, leveraging the tremendous benefits of machine learning without compromising the editorial integrity of the Stories platform that we have worked so hard to build. As part of our efforts around Search and Maps, we now index millions of Stories every day, meaning we have the long tail of content necessary to provide a truly personal experience. We hope that showing the right Stories to the right audience will help grow engagement and monetization for our partners and for Snapchat." Reference Link

05:50 EDT JD.com commits to purchasing over $2B of U.S. goods over next 3 years - JD.com participated in a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People, with the company entering agreements to purchase in excess of $1.2B of beef from The Montana Stock Growers Association, or MSGA, and pork from Smithfield Foods, Inc. over the next three years. The agreements are part of an overall commitment by JD to purchase $2B of U.S. goods across a wide range of categories over three years. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Jr. and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang were in attendance to witness the signing ceremony.

05:34 EDT Novartis says MONALEESA-7 trial met primary endpoint - Novartis announced positive topline results from the global MONALEESA-7 trial, the second Phase III trial of Kisqali in advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The MONALEESA-7 trial met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival, or PFS, in premenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative, or HR+/HER2-, advanced breast cancer. MONALEESA-7 is the first prospective global Phase III trial in more than 20 years, designed specifically for premenopausal women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, to demonstrate superiority of any CDK4/6 inhibitor in combination with oral hormonal therapies and goserelin versus endocrine treatment alone in this patient population. No additional safety signal was identified in the MONALEESA-7 study.

05:14 EDT FMC to sell portion of European herbicide portfolio to Nufarm for $90M - FMC Corporation (FMC) announced the signing of a definitive agreement with Nufarm Limited to divest a portion of FMC's European herbicide portfolio. Under the transaction, Nufarm will acquire FMC's SU-class herbicides and Florasulam for post-emergence use to control broadleaf weeds in cereals. In exchange, FMC will receive $90M, which includes the purchase of existing product inventory. The divestiture will satisfy FMC's commitments to the European Commission related to its recent acquisition of a significant portion of DuPont's (DWDP) Crop Protection business.