Stockwinners Market Radar for November 28, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:12 EDT Boston Scientific sees update on status of LOTUS Edge Valve during Q4 call - Boston Scientific announced a delay to previously communicated timelines for commercialization of the LOTUS Edge Aortic Valve System in Europe and the U.S. After initiating a voluntary recall for the LOTUS and LOTUS Edge Aortic Valve Systems earlier this year, Boston Scientific implemented manufacturing process and design specification changes to the LOTUS Edge delivery system with the intent of re-introducing the product in Europe by the first quarter of 2018 and filing the final Pre-Market Approval module with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by January 2018. The company now expects to provide an update on the status of the LOTUS Edge Valve during its fourth quarter 2017 earnings conference call on February 1, 2018, as it continues to focus on manufacturing and regulatory milestones to support the long-term success of the Lotus platform.

18:05 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P MidCap 400, S&P SmallCap 600 indices - Delphi Technologies (DLPH- new) will replace Frontier Communications (FTR) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Frontier Communications will replace Contango Oil & Gas Co. (MCF) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the open of trading on Wednesday, December 6. S&P 500 constituent Delphi Automotive (DLPH), to be renamed Aptiv plc and trade under new symbol "APTV," is spinning off Delphi Technologies in a transaction expected to be completed post close on Monday, December 4, pending final conditions. The renamed Aptiv plc will remain in the S&P 500 following the spin-off transaction. Frontier Communications is ranked near the bottom of the S&P MidCap 400 and is no longer representative of the mid-cap market space. With a market capitalization below $100M, Contango is ranked at the bottom of the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small-cap market space.

17:54 EDT Airgain selected by AirTies for premium in-home wi-fi performance - Airgain announced it has been selected by AirTies Wireless Networks to enhance Wi-Fi coverage and video streaming performance within the home. AirTies Wireless Networks will use Airgain antenna technology in its Air 4920 Mesh Extender, which is used to extend the Wi-Fi signal and capacity into hard to reach areas within subscribers' homes to enhance overall coverage.

17:30 EDT Regal Entertainment confirms $23 per share acquisition talks with Cineworld - Regal Entertainment Group confirmed that it is currently engaged in discussions with Cineworld Group plc about a possible all-cash acquisition of Regal at a price of $23.00 per share. No agreement has been reached, and there is no assurance that any transaction will result.

17:20 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Nuance Communications (NUAN), up 5.6%... Marvell (MRVL), up 2.6%. ALSO HIGHER: Ovid Therapeutics (OVID), up 6.4% after it said that adolescent patients aged 13 or older will be included in its Phase 2 STARS trial. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Wesco Aircraft (WAIR), down 18.2%... Autodesk (ADSK), down 11%. ALSO LOWER: Scorpio Tankers (STNG), down 7.4% after it announced an offering of 30M shares of common stock.

17:17 EDT Red Lion Hotels increases guidance for new franchise agreements - RLH announced that the company is increasing its guidance for new franchise agreements that will be executed in 2017. Through October 2017, the company achieved its guidance for new franchise agreements for the year of 130. The company expects to exceed 140 new executed contracts by the end of the year.

17:02 EDT Novanta's Chairman Stephen Bershad sold 500,000 common shares - Novanta announced that the Company's Chairman of the Board, Stephen W. Bershad, has sold 500,000 common shares, representing approximately 22% of his holdings in the Company. Bershad will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board, and continues to hold 1,808,010 shares immediately following this sale.

16:53 EDT VAALCO Energy announces workover operations completed at South Tchibala wells - VAALCO Energy announced that the workover operations for the South Tchibala 2-H and the South Tchibala 1-HB wells were completed, and the entire operation was conducted safely and efficiently with no injuries or environmental incidents. However, on November 24, the electrical submersible pump in a different well on the same platform, the Avouma 2-H well failed, resulting in that well being temporarily shut-in. The well was producing approximately 1,925 barrels of oil per day, or BOPD, gross, or 520 net to the Company, prior to being shut-in. As previously announced, the ESP systems failed in both the South Tchibala 2-H and the South Tchibala 1-HB wells on the Avouma Platform. Following completion of workover operations on the South Tchibala 1-HB, which was restored at a rate of 1,100 BOPD gross, or 300 BOPD net to VAALCO, workover operations on the South Tchibala 2-H were completed and that well is currently producing at a stabilized rate of about 1,225 BOPD gross, or 330 BOPD net to VAALCO. With the addition of the two recent workover wells, and taking into account the suspension of production from the Avouma 2-H well, total Company net production is currently averaging approximately 3,950 BOPD.

16:32 EDT Malvern Bancorp announces restatement of certain financials - Malvern Bancorp announced it is restating its consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, for each of the years in the two year period ended September 30, 2016, and its consolidated interim financial statements for the periods ended December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017. The previously filed Specified Financial Statements should no longer be relied upon. The Company will be filing amendments to its fiscal 2016 10-K and 10-Qs for the first three quarters of fiscal 2017, which will include the restated Specified Financial Statements. The matters described relate to the Company's income tax account balances. The effect of these matters is to increase net income for fiscal 2016 by approximately $208,000, fiscal 2015 by approximately $970,000 and fiscal 2014 by approximately $388,000. The effect of these matters as of and for the nine months ended June 30, 2017, is a decrease to net income of approximately $795,000 and a decrease in tax liability account of $795,000. These matters have no effect on the Company's cash position, net interest margin, pre tax income or the Company's operating expenses. In connection with these matters, the Company is filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC under Item 4.02(b), as the Company was advised by BDO USA, LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, that the Company should disclose that BDO's audit report on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and for each of the years in the two year period ended September 30, 2016, and BDO's completed interim reviews of the Company's consolidated interim financial statements as of and for the periods ended December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, should no longer be relied upon. BDO also informed the Company that BDO's report on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2016 in Item 9A of the Company's fiscal 2016 10-K that the Company's internal control over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2016, should no longer be relied upon.

16:26 EDT Summit Materials declares 1.4c special stock dividend - Summit Materials announced that it has declared a special stock dividend of 1.4c shares of the Company's Class A common stock, par value 1c per share for each outstanding share of Class A Common Stock. The special stock dividend is payable on December 22 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 8. Cash will be paid in lieu of issuing any fractional shares of Class A Common Stock.

16:21 EDT Autodesk down 13% to $112.76 after Q3 results, FY guidance

16:17 EDT Wells Fargo to exit personal insurance business - Wells Fargo announced that it will exit the Personal Insurance business and immediately begin winding down marketing and product promotion activity. The decision comes after a strategic assessment of the business, which began in early October 2017. product promotion activity. The decision comes after a strategic assessment of the business, which began in early October 2017. "Wells Fargo continually reviews our product and service offerings to ensure they meet our customers' needs and align with the company's long-term strategic goals," said Laurie Nordquist, head of Personal Insurance. "The decision to exit the Personal Insurance business reflects these practices, and we will wind down operations in a measured and responsible way for our existing customers." Since 2003, Wells Fargo has offered auto, homeowners, renters and umbrella personal insurance products to consumers and anticipates completing the exit process during the first quarter of 2018. Until that time, Wells Fargo will continue to make available its suite of Personal Insurance products, in addition to servicing and managing customer policies. The Personal Insurance business is the last remaining insurance brokerage agency in Wells Fargo's portfolio, and its financial contribution was not material to the company. This decision does not impact Wells Fargo's Wealth and Investment Management's life insurance practice. In the coming weeks and months, Wells Fargo will provide information and updates to customers as the company takes steps to exit the business.

16:16 EDT Wells Fargo to exit personal insurance business

16:16 EDT Optum unveils $250M fund to invest in health care innovation startups - Optum, the health services business of UnitedHealth, announced the creation of Optum Ventures, a $250M venture fund focused on investing in startup and early-stage companies whose innovations will help advance the health care system. Optum Ventures invests in digital health companies that use data and insights to help improve consumers' access to health care services and how care is delivered and paid for, and that make the health care system more reliable and easier to navigate. "Optum Ventures is uniquely positioned to help develop and grow startups and early-stage companies through capital investment, Optum's decades of experience in health care, and our access to the health care marketplace," said Larry Renfro, CEO of Optum and Managing Partner of Optum Ventures. "Optum Ventures will be the partner of choice for companies developing innovations that help make health care work better for everyone."

16:13 EDT Gladstone Investment acquires ImageWorks Display and Marketing Group - Gladstone Investment Corporation announced that on November 21, Gladstone Investment partnered with members of the executive management team in the acquisition of ImageWorks Display and Marketing Group. Gladstone Investment provided equity and secured debt to complete the transaction. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, ImageWorks is a market leading point-of-purchase display provider specializing in the design, engineering and production of custom semi-permanent and permanent displays across a variety of brands and consumer product end markets.

16:12 EDT Orion Energy expects $1.4M in revenue from new awards - Orion Energy Systems announced the receipt of award notifications to retrofit three U.S. Government facilities with Orion's LED lighting systems. Orion expects to record at least $1.4M in revenue from these awards over the balance of its FY18 year ending March 31, 2018. The bulk of the revenue will be product sales, along with installation services and some engineering and professional services.

16:09 EDT Instructure acquires Practice, terms not disclosed - Instructure announced it has acquired Practice, an applied video microlearning solution used to sustain continuous learning cultures and drive innovation.

16:07 EDT Jamba receives positive Nasdaq panel decision - Jamba announced that it received a positive decision from the Nasdaq Hearings Panel of The Nasdaq Stock Market granting the company's request to continue its listing on Nasdaq, subject to the condition that the company provide the Panel with a written update on the status of its work on its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2017 and its Forms 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended April 3, July 4 and October 3, 2017 on or before February 1, 2018 and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission its delinquent filings on or before March 15, 2018. The Panel's determination follows an in-person hearing before the Panel at which the Panel considered the company's plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing requirements and the company's reasons for delay, including the changes the company underwent in the past several years as it moved its business to a franchise-focused model and the significant changes in leadership, key personnel, and relocation of corporate office in 2016, resulting in a significant increase in non-routine transactions which impacted processes related to the preparation of the financial reports, and a reduced materiality threshold. The company is diligently working to satisfy the terms of the Panel's decision.

16:06 EDT Marvell reports Q3 adjusted gross margin 61.6%

16:05 EDT Independent Bank to acquire Integrity Bancshares - Independent Bank Group, the holding company for Independent Bank, announced that Independent Bank Group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Integrity Bancshares and its subsidiary, Integrity Bank SSB, Houston, Texas. Integrity Bancshares, through Integrity Bank, operates four full service banking locations in the Houston metropolitan area. As of September 30, Integrity Bancshares, on a consolidated basis, reported total assets of $805M, total deposits of $679M, and total equity capital of $84M. Under the terms of the agreement, Independent Bank Group will issue 2.1M shares of Independent Bank Group common stock and pay cash in the aggregate amount of $31.6M to the shareholders and option holders of Integrity. If Integrity's tangible equity is greater than $84M at closing, Integrity will be permitted to pay a pre-closing cash distribution to its shareholders in an amount equal to any such excess. The cash portion of the merger consideration will be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis to the extent that Integrity's tangible equity is less than $84M at closing. The merger has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close during Q2 of 2018, although delays may occur. The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including the approval by shareholders of Integrity, and customary regulatory approvals.

16:02 EDT Audi management, works council extend job security until end of 2025 - Audi (AUDVF), which is owned by Volkswagen (VLKAY), and the Audi Works Council announced the extension of job security until the end of 2025. The deal covers the entire workforce of Audi Ag. General Works Council Chairman Peter Mosch and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler also announced that two all-electric SUV models are to be built at the Ingolstadt site from 2021. "We have long been fighting for a job guarantee up until the end of 2025. Our colleagues need that certainty, and that is something we can now finally give them," declared Peter Mosch at the start of the works meeting. Reference Link

15:57 EDT Regal Entertainment trading resumes

15:24 EDT Dexcom rises after UnitedHealth announces partnership - Shares of Dexcom (DXCM) are higher today after UnitedHealth (UNH) announced at its investor conference this morning that it is partnering with the company to advance Dexcom's "smarter, less invasive way of continually monitoring blood glucose throughout the day." Optum plans on enrolling nearly 10,000 participants in a pilot in the next few months, UnitedHealth announced during its event. Via the test program, participants will use their smartphones to see realtime glucose readings, UnitedHealth Group will receive all this information wirelessly, and all that data will also be fed back to the participants' primary care physician, the company added. In afternoon trading, DexCom is near its best levels of the session, rising nearly 5% to $58.24.

15:10 EDT Palo Alto Networks achieves AWS Networking Competency status - Palo Alto Networks (PANW) announced that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AMZN) Networking Competency status. This designation, which complements the AWS Security Competency that Palo Alto Networks achieved in 2016, recognizes that Palo Alto Networks provides proven technology and deep expertise to help customers adopt, develop and deploy networks on AWS.

15:06 EDT Regal Entertainment trading halted, news pending

14:35 EDT Regal Entertainment trading resumes

14:33 EDT Film exhibitors jump following report of takeover approach to Regal - Shares of AMC Entertainment (AMC) and Cinemark (CNK) are rising along with Regal Entertainment (RGC) after Reuters said that Cineworld has made a takeover approach to Regal. Regal Entertainment jumped about 5% before being halted following Reuters' report.

14:30 EDT Regal Entertainment halted for volatility after jumping 5% to $19.11

14:23 EDT Amazon.com announces AWS PrivateLink - At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services announced that customers can now use AWS PrivateLink to access third-party SaaS applications from their Virtual Private Cloud without exposing their VPC to the public Internet. "With AWS PrivateLink, customers can now connect their VPCs to third-party services in a secure and scalable manner. Earlier this month, AWS introduced the ability for customers to access AWS services over AWS PrivateLink. Now, AWS has extended AWS PrivateLink to support non-AWS services so that customers no longer have to choose between using a third-party SaaS offering or exposing their critical data to the Internet," the company stated.

14:01 EDT Comtech announces contract award of over $8M - 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 a contract from a "major U.S. space contractor" to source and test space components in support of a critical NASA Program. This contract is valued in excess of $8M and was initially funded in excess of $4M, the company added.

13:53 EDT Before the Move: Analysts split if GM autonomous event can add fuel to rally - This Wednesday and Thursday, General Motors (GM) will be hosting investor events to review the company's "vision for an autonomous future." Ahead of the highly-anticipated events, Guggenheim analyst Emmanuel Rosner upgraded General Motors to Buy, while his peer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch argued that it may serve as a catalyst for "Big Bang upside to stock." Not as bullish, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas told investors that while "the cars will drive themselves," it may be difficult to exceed rising expectations for GM's leadership in this hotly contested space. BUY GENERAL MOTORS: Last week, Guggenheim's Rosner upgraded General Motors to Buy from Neutral and raised his price target on the shares to $52 from $48 ahead of the company's event focused on its vision for an autonomous future and reflecting increased comfort around its 2018 outlook. The analyst argued that he expects General Motors to showcase the advanced status of its technology, which may give the company a competitive advantage in putting autonomous vehicles on the road and monetizing the ride. Further, Rosner told investors that his analysis shows a path to profitably win share of the U.S. ride hailing market by improving cost to just 80c/mile by 2025 through driverless operation, and offering this service for about $1/mile. There could be a "sizeable earnings opportunity" from mobility services for General Motors over the next 5-10 years, he contended. Additionally, in the nearer term, the analyst also believes that GM's 2018 earnings outlook has been somewhat de-risked on the back of CEO Mary Barra's recent comments confirming his view that the impact from its truck downtime would be significantly smaller than forecasted by market research firm IHS. Also bullish on General Motors was his peer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Analyst John Murphy told investors this morning that he believes the company's highly-anticipated investor event this coming Wednesday and Thursday will serve as the venue at which GM may provide incremental disclosure/information on its future technology portfolio. This could serve as a positive catalyst for the stock, he contended. Murphy noted that he expects GM to showcase its Cruise Anywhere AV-EV ride-hailing operation, which could demonstrate its relative leadership position in the autonomous/electric evolution. Additionally, he also expects GM to provide financials/estimates for its "future tech" operations and/or outline its strategy to realize value for its assets now, including potential ring-fencing of the business and offering of a stake. He reiterated a Buy rating on the shares. DIFFICULT TO TOP RISING EXPECTATIONS: Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas argued that while "yes, the cars will drive themselves," it may be difficult to exceed rising expectations for General Motor's leadership in this hotly contested space. Regarding expectations for the upcoming autonomous event, the analyst told investors that he expects to have 10-15 minutes of continuous driving in a GM Cruise Automation-equipped, all-electric Chevrolet Bolt through downtown San Francisco, and expects GM to express its timeline of deploying fleets of fully autonomous cars in a service within quarters, not years. Overall, Jonas pointed out that his recent downgrade of General Motors to Equal-Weight serves as both a recognition of the progress made by the company to improve the business' strategic profile over the past few years as well as his concern that the market may be discounting that GM is in a leading position on shared/autonomous/electric mobility. PRICE ACTION: In early afternoon trading, shares of General Motors have gained almost 1% to $44.56. Year-to-date the stock has gained about 28%. "Before the Move" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive stories that identify potentially market moving events, along with analyst predictions, ahead of the news.

13:03 EDT Network-1 Technologies receives patent expanding Cox patent portfolio - Network-1 Technologies announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 9,832,266 to Network-1. The claims in the newly issued patent are generally directed towards methods of content identification and performance of actions following therefrom. The newly issued patent arises from a patent application contained in the patent portfolio acquired by Network-1 from Professor Ingemar Cox in 2013. The Portfolio includes patents relating to enabling technology for identifying media content, such as music and videos, and taking further actions to be performed based on such identification including, among others, the insertion of advertisements and the facilitation of the purchase of goods and services relating to the media content. Since December 2016, Network-1 has received 10 new patents in the Portfolio. Since the acquisition of the Portfolio, Network-1 has filed 24 additional patent applications, 17 of which have been issued bringing the total Portfolio of granted patents to 22. Seven applications relating to the original specification are still pending and Network-1 anticipates further issuances of additional claims for this Portfolio.

12:52 EDT G. Willi-Food CEO Tim Cranko resigns over personal reasons - G. Willi-Food International announced that Tim Cranko submitted a letter of resignation as CEO of the company for personal reasons, effective as of December 31, 2017. The company expects to appoint a new CEO to replace Cranko in the near future.

12:41 EDT Citron calls Roku 'total joke,' attempts to 'pop some real bubbles' - Citron Research just tweeted, "Time to pop some real bubbles. $ROKU, total joke. Citron trusts Mark Mahaney at $28 price target and that is IF they can hold comp back. Today's Needham research is irresponsible. Unless $ROKU finds a way to stream a BTC- this stock is MUCH LOWER....caveat emptor."

11:04 EDT Powell says case for December rate hike coming together - Federal Reserve Chair nominee Jerome Powell said to Congress that the case for a rate hike in December is coming together.

10:44 EDT Suncor confirms first oil production at Hebron project - Suncor (SU) confirmed that it has been advised by the operator of the Hebron project, ExxonMobil Canada (XOM), that Hebron produced its first barrel of oil on Nov. 27. At peak, Hebron is expected to produce up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day with approximately 31,000 barrels of oil per day net to Suncor. Suncor holds a 21% interest in the project. Other co-venturers in the Hebron project include Chevron Canada Limited (CVX) and Statoil Canada Ltd. (STO), Suncor stated.

10:34 EDT Steelcase announces agreement to acquire AMQ Solutions - Steelcase announced the pending acquisition of AMQ Solutions, a California-based provider of height adjustable desking, benching and seating for workstations in the open plan, collaborative environments and training rooms. The acquisition is expected to help Steelcase provide a broader range of price points to meet existing customer needs and serve additional customers globally. Steelcase has entered into definitive agreements to purchase all outstanding membership interests of AMQ and certain assets of an affiliated company in an all cash transaction. The transaction is expected to be completed during Steelcase's 4Q18, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. AMQ's revenue for the trailing twelve months was approximately $37M. Following completion of the transaction, the AMQ offering is expected to be available through authorized Steelcase dealers in addition to AMQ's existing network of dealers and sales representatives.

10:21 EDT Rockwell sees 'extraordinary' returns after Emerson pulls takeover bid - Rockwell Automation (ROK) issued a statement regarding Emerson's (EMR) announcement that it has withdrawn its unsolicited proposal to acquire the company. Rockwell Automation said: "We thank our shareowners for their input and support, our employees for their focus and dedication, and our partners and customers for their continued confidence in Rockwell Automation throughout this process. The Rockwell Automation Board and management team are committed to the execution of our strategy, which we are confident will continue delivering extraordinary shareowner returns."

09:36 EDT Semiconductor Manufacturing International trading halted, news pending

09:27 EDT Shell sees continuing divestments at average rate of over $5B to at least 2020 - Royal Dutch Shell said: "The $30 billion divestment programme between 2016 and 2018 is almost delivered, with deals worth $23 billion completed, $2 billion announced, and $5 billion in advanced progress. Once this programme is completed the company expects to continue divestments at an average rate of more than $5 billion until at least 2020."

09:25 EDT Royal Dutch Shell scrip dividend programme to be cancelled - Royal Dutch Shell said it is confident it can cancel its scrip dividend programme while investing at sufficient levels to maintain value accretive growth in the portfolio. "The strength of its balance sheet, coupled with stronger cash flow and a relentless focus on capital efficiency, discipline and flexibility, have given the company the confidence to cancel the scrip dividend programme with effect from the fourth quarter 2017 dividend," Shell stated. Separately, as per intentions stated in December 2015 at the time of the combination with BG, the company is confirming the plans for share buybacks of at least $25B in the period 2017-2020, subject to progress with debt reduction and recovery in oil prices.

09:18 EDT Sonoco Products CEO Jack Sanders to retire in April, COO Rob Tiede to succeed - Sonoco announced president and CEO M. Jack Sanders will retire, effective April 2, 2018, following a 30-year career with the company. Sonoco's board has named Robert Tiede, who currently serves as the company's Executive Vice President and COO, as CEO-elect. Tiede will join the board of directors upon Sanders' retirement. Since joining Sonoco in 2004, Tiede, has led all of Sonoco's global industrial, consumer and protective packaging operations, while spending the bulk of his tenure building the company's consumer-related businesses.

09:16 EDT Calvin Klein announces multiyear collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation - Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp., announced a multi-year partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Calvin Klein, Inc.'s financial commitment will support the foundation's endowment from which it distributes grants sustaining the creation, presentation and documentation of contemporary visual art. In turn, Calvin Klein will be granted unprecedented access to the late artist's works, including many that have not yet been published. The global partnership is effective through 2020 and will extend to licensing projects across various business lines and future activations within the CALVIN KLEIN brand portfolio.

09:12 EDT EXFO Inc. files voluntary tender offer for Astellia's shares - Following the off-market acquisitions of 33.1% of Astellia's equity, EXFO Inc. launched an all-cash voluntary public tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Astellia. This offer will be proposed at a price of 10 euros per Astellia share, the same amount that was paid by EXFO for the off-market acquisitions. The price of 10 euros per share represents a 44.7% premium over the unaffected closing share price of Astellia on August 30, 2017, the day before the intention of EXFO to acquire Astellia was announced, and a 56.7% premium over the volume-weighted average share price over the last 12 months before this date. Astellia has also filed with the AMF a draft document in response to the tender offer launched by EXFO, which contains in particular the independent expert report and the recommendation of Astellia's Board of Directors.

09:06 EDT Aspen Technology slected by JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy for aspenONE software - Aspen Technology announced that JXTG Nippon Oil and Energy, the largest oil company in Japan, has selected the company's aspenONE Petroleum Supply Chain software as its preferred optimization solution for economic and operational planning. JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy chose Aspen PIMS-AO, Aspen Petroleum Scheduler and Aspen Multi-Blend Optimizer products to optimize refinery profitability and reduce product quality giveaway. This improved capability is crucial, as planners and schedulers navigate a volatile and increasingly complex global marketplace, and companies focus on operational excellence and long-term business sustainability. AspenTech's accurate planning and advanced scheduling tools can protect against declining profitability while helping companies mitigate the issue of skills shortage.

09:04 EDT Nutanix names Tyler Wall chief legal officer - Nutanix has named Tyler Wall as chief legal officer. Wall brings more than two decades of executive experience across the full spectrum of corporate legal responsibilities and will lead and scale the legal organization in support of the company's growth. Prior to joining Nutanix, Wall was SVP, general counsel at Red Book Connect.

09:03 EDT Microsemi and SiFive form strategic relationship - SiFive and Microsemi announced the companies have formed a strategic relationship to meet the growing interest and demand in the RISC-V instruction set architecture. The companies have previously collaborated to provide RISC-V soft CPU cores for Microsemi's PolarFireFPGAs, IGLOO2 FPGAs, SmartFusion2 system-on-chip FPGAs and RTG4 FPGAs, currently available as part of the Microsemi Mi-V RISC-V ecosystem. The expanded relationship includes roadmap alignment on future CPU features to facilitate additional end markets and applications, and expand adoption of the free and open RISC-V instruction set architecture in areas such as machine learning, storage, networking, gateways and smart IoT devices. The companies also announced the HiFive Unleashed, a development board based on SiFive's RISC-V-based Freedom Unleashed platform and Microsemi's PolarFire FPGAs, to be available in the Q1 of FY18 for software developers worldwide.

09:03 EDT Turner selects AWS as preferred cloud provider - Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com company (AMZN), announced that Turner, a Time Warner (TWX) global entertainment, sports, and news company, has named AWS as its preferred cloud provider. Turner is moving thousands of virtual machines to AWS and creating cloud-native applications that meet the evolving business and technology demands of its broad portfolio of brands and partners, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, CNN, NCAA, and NBA. By leveraging sophisticated analytics and machine learning on top of AWS, Turner aims to reimagine the TV viewing experience for its fans and achieve deeper insights into their preferences.

09:02 EDT Amazon announces 'best-ever holiday shopping weekend' for devices - Amazon announced its best-ever holiday shopping weekend for devices, with millions of Amazon devices sold between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Highlights include: Echo Dot and Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote were not only the best-selling Amazon devices, but they were the best-selling products from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon.com. Customers purchased 2.7x as many Fire TV Sticks as in the same period last year. Fire TV continues to be the #1 streaming media player family in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, across all retailers. Kindle celebrated its 10th anniversary with the best holiday shopping weekend ever for Kindle Paperwhite in the U.S. and globally. Fire Kids Edition continues to be the #1 kids tablet in the U.S., across all retailers. Customer reaction to Echo Spot was incredibly positive and it is sold out for this holiday season; customers can still pre-order to reserve their place in line and orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis in the new year. Echo Dot was the best-selling device at Whole Foods Market over the holiday weekend. "Customers purchased millions of Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices this weekend, and Alexa devices were the top sellers across all of Amazon," said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President, Amazon Devices & Services. "We're excited that tens of millions of customers around the world will be using Alexa to prepare for the holidays."

08:58 EDT Chembio Diagnostics awarded UNICEF contract to supply POC DPP Zika assays - Chembio Diagnostics announced that it has been awarded a conditional Long Term Arrangement, or LTA, from UNICEF for purchases of the Company's DPP Zika System, which is subject to Chembio satisfying certain conditions. The UNICEF LTA, which is valid through December 31, 2019, includes a firm purchase commitment of $1.5M and possible additional purchases of up to $3.4M, for a potential total amount of up to $4.9M. Under terms of the LTA, purchases of the DPP Zika System will begin after Chembio has met the following conditions: receipt of World Health Organization Emergency Use Assessment and Listing, or EUAL, completion of clinical and analytical performance evaluation, and a successful quality management system, or QMS, inspection. In February 2017, UNICEF launched a Request for Proposal, or RFP, for the supply of Zika virus diagnostics for testing at point-of-care through 2019. UNICEF'S RFP is supported by a $10M Advance Purchase Commitment, or APC, from USAID, which aims to reduce demand uncertainty risks for manufacturers who invest in the research and development of new products. UNICEF is collaborating with partners, such as WHO and the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO, to make commercially available POC diagnostics for Zika virus.

08:38 EDT UnitedHealth sees Medicaid enrollment growth of 15% in 2018 - Sees smaller Obamacare footprint in 2018, sees 200K risk-based lives in 2018. Sees 2018 commercial medical cost growth of 6% in 2018. Sees Medicaid enrollment growth of 15% in 2018. Sees total Medicare enrollment growth of 7% next year vs. 12% growth this year. Optum plans to enroll 10,000 participants in a diabetes management program, using technology, coaching and house calls. Comments taken from UnitedHealth's Investor Conference. UnitedHealth is down 1.1% in pre-market trading.

08:34 EDT Westmoreland CEO Kevin Paprzycki resigns, Michael Hutchinson named interim CEO - Westmoreland announced that Kevin Paprzycki is stepping down from his position as CEO effective immediately. Paprzycki served in this position since 2015. The board appointed Michael Hutchinson, Audit Committee Chairman and current member of the board, to serve as the interim CEO while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement. Hutchinson will oversee Westmoreland's strategic direction and be responsible for managing day-to-day operations until the new CEO is appointed. The board commenced a search for a full-time successor and is engaging a leading executive search firm to identify and evaluate candidates.

08:32 EDT CVS Health launches 'Real-Time Benefits' - CVS Health announced that its pharmacy benefits manager, CVS Caremark, will begin providing real-time visibility to member-specific medication costs and available lower-cost therapeutic alternatives at the point of prescribing and at the pharmacy. This enhanced visibility to the patient's benefit across all points of care can help eliminate potential dispensing delays, improve patient outcomes through increased medication adherence and lower costs for members and payors.

08:32 EDT Hudson Technologies expresses support for Kigali Amendment ratification - Hudson Technologies reaffirmed its support for the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which has now been ratified by more than 20 countries and will therefore go into effect in January 2019. Hudson now calls on the U.S. to join its global partners in its ratification. The Kigali Amendment is an agreement reached at the October 2016 Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol by the approximately 200 signatory countries to amend the Montreal Protocol to provide for the phase down of hydrofluorocarbon compounds by 85% by 2047.

08:31 EDT Acxiom, 4INFO partner to deliver location-based segments for digital campaigns - Acxiom announced the launch of a new partnership with 4INFO to deliver location-based audience segments, modeled by Acxiom. The data-as-a-service solution combines 4INFO's Predictive Visitors audience segments with Acxiom data to create compelling, location-informed targeting segments for digital campaigns. Through the partnership, marketers can improve their ability to provide consumers with relevant offers and engaging consumer experiences.

08:29 EDT Social Reality to pay one-time cryptocurrency dividend with BIGtoken - Social Reality announced that it intends to pay a one-time cryptocurrency dividend to all of its shareholders as part of the company's planned Initial Coin Offering. The dividend will be paid in the form of a BIGtoken, a secured digital token which the company intends to link to its BIG Platform and register with the SEC. The exact record date and any conditions related to receiving the dividend, or if a dividend will ultimately be paid at all, will be determined at such time as the company is ready to launch its BIG Platform. Social Reality CEO and Chairman Christopher Miglino said, "While most investors have heard of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, many are not yet owners. BIGtoken, in many cases, could be the first digital currency that investors own, and we intend to provide informative materials to help them understand the process."

08:22 EDT Tesaro announces availability of VARUBI IV in U.S. - Tesaro announced that VARUBI IV, is now available in the United States. The FDA approved VARUBI injectable emulsion on October 25, for use 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.

08:17 EDT Varian Medical partners with Penn Medicine to develop proton program - Varian announced it is partnering with Penn Medicine to develop and launch a comprehensive proton therapy training and education program. Comprised of both online and in-person training sessions, participants will have the opportunity to learn key clinical concepts firsthand from proton therapy experts at Penn Medicine. The program will cover all aspects of proton therapy, from patient selection and planning through treatment and follow-up. In-person training and online courses will be available starting January 2018. The in-person training consists of up to 40 weeks of onsite training at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.

08:09 EDT Ironwood names William Huyett COO - Ironwood Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of William Huyett as COO and the promotion of Gina Consylman to SVP and CFO. Huyett brings to Ironwood extensive experience in corporate strategy, capital allocation, finance, product development/commercialization and corporate leadership in the life sciences industry and many other business sectors. At Ironwood, he will be responsible for the company's finance, corporate strategy, corporate development, global operations, investor relations and corporate communications functions. Huyett joins Ironwood following a distinguished 30-year career at McKinsey and Company. Consylman is a 25-year veteran in the field of corporate finance. She joined Ironwood in 2014 and currently provides oversight of the company's finance, planning, accounting, tax, treasury and insurance functions.

08:07 EDT Aytu BioScience announces October Natesto prescriptions up 17% from last month - Aytu BioScience provided an update on the launch of Natesto in the U.S. Significant Natesto prescription growth continued through October, with prescriptions increasing 17% from the previous month, reaching their highest levels to date. Additionally, in October, the number of physicians prescribing Natesto increased 16% from the previous month.

08:07 EDT Lincoln County Vending, USA Technologies form strategic partnership - USA Technologies announced Lincoln County Vending has agreed to expand its relationship with USAT to a strategic partnership and upgrade additional machines to ePort Connect To date, with approximately 95 percent of the additional deployment completed, Lincoln County Vending has seen a migration of 23 percent of its average machine sales to cashless usage. Lincoln County Vending, a Canteen Franchisee, is a premier vending company in the southern and middle Tennessee area, providing a variety of brand name products from snack, beverage, and food machines to businesses in Fayetteville and surrounding areas. Through USAT, Lincoln County Vending will now accept cash, credit/debit cards, and contactless payments, including mobile wallet payments such as Android Pay and Apple Pay, through its NFC-capable ePort Connect cashless payment system.

08:06 EDT Sonus announces ticker change in Nasdaq to RBBN - Sonus Networks announced that following the recent completion of the Sonus and GENBAND mergers, the ticker symbol of the company's common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market will change to "RBBN" effective upon the commencement of trading on Wednesday, November 29. The company also announced that its corporate name will officially change to Ribbon Communications, effective at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, November 28.

08:05 EDT Moody's acquires stake in Rockport VAL - Moody's Corporation announced that it has made a minority investment in Rockport VAL, a provider of cloud-based commercial real estate valuation and cash flow modeling tools. Moody's investment is intended to accelerate and broaden Rockport VAL's product roadmap and drive its adoption among CRE market participants. In collaboration with Rockport VAL, Moody's Analytics will expand its offering of CRE solutions, which include CMBS and related economic data, probability of default models and loan underwriting software. This investment underscores the continued commitment to innovation of Moody's Analytics' Emerging Business Unit. The EBU aims to identify, research, and develop new business opportunities that are enabled by emerging technologies. Rockport VAL was founded earlier this year by CRE industry veteran Richard "Rick" Trepp to provide both cloud and Excel-based CRE property valuation and cash flow modeling tools to real estate investors, appraisers, brokers and lenders. The company's product strategy focuses on providing streamlined and intuitive tools with dynamic functionality. Previously, Rick Trepp founded leading CRE data and analytics companies, including Trepp LLC and Rockport LLC. Under the terms of the investment, Moody's will have a minority ownership stake in Rockport VAL and a representative on the company's board of directors. The investment was funded through U.S. cash on hand and will not have a material impact on Moody's 2017 financial results

08:04 EDT Genomic Health and Cleveland Diagnostics announce agreement - Genomic Health and Cleveland Diagnostics announced an exclusive licensing agreement to develop and commercialize new prostate cancer tests based on Cleveland Diagnostics' IsoPSA reagents and technology. Initial efforts under this agreement will focus on Genomic Health's development of a high-PSA reflex test to accurately predict the presence of high-grade cancer prior to prostate biopsy. The goal is to reduce unnecessary biopsies and optimize healthcare spending for the more than 4 million screened men who receive a PSA score between 2 and 10 each year in the U.S. 75% of all prostate biopsies performed are either negative or indicate a low likelihood of high-grade cancer, resulting in an unnecessary burden to patients and unnecessary costs to the U.S. healthcare system each year.ii

08:03 EDT Flex Pharma completes enrollment in Phase 2 exploratory spasticity study - Flex Pharma announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2 exploratory spasticity study in multiple sclerosis with approximately 50 patients in Australia. The randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, cross-over study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FLX-787, the Company's single molecule, chemically synthesized, dual A1/V1 transient receptor potential ion channel activator, in patients who suffer from spasticity, cramps and spasms as a consequence of MS. MS is an autoimmune disease in which inflammatory lesions cause demyelination, and eventually degeneration, of nerve cells over years. This loss of nerve function can result in a variety of neurological deficits such as loss of sensation, vision, and muscle control and coordination, including spasticity. Spasticity is caused by damage to motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. These lesions unmask hyperactive muscle stretch reflexes that result in persistent electrical activity in the muscle. This aberrant electrical activity - like that seen in muscle cramping - can be measured by electromyography. This stretch-triggered electrical activity in the muscle produces muscle stiffness during motion, or spasticity. We believe that this reflex hyperexcitability, like the alpha motor neuron hyperexcitability that produces cramping, can benefit from greater inhibition in the spinal circuitry generated by chemical neurostimulation with TRP activators like FLX-787. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, between 250,000 and 350,000 people in the United States suffer from MS and approximately 84% of patients with MS experience spasticity. This spasticity can be moderate to severe in almost half of the population, and the need for treatment to alleviate it increases as the disease progresses.

08:03 EDT Pfizer, Merck: Phase III JAVELIN Gastric 300 trial did not meet primary endpoint - Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE) announced that the Phase III JAVELIN Gastric 300 trial did not meet its primary endpoint of superior overall survival with single-agent avelumab compared with physician's choice of chemotherapy. The trial investigated avelumab as a third-line treatment for unresectable, recurrent or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma patients whose disease progressed following two prior therapeutic regimens, regardless of programmed death ligand-1 expression. The safety profile of avelumab was consistent with that observed in the overall JAVELIN clinical development program. The JAVELIN Gastric 300 data will be further examined in an effort to better understand the results and will also be submitted for presentation at an upcoming medical congress. The outcome of JAVELIN Gastric 300 does not have any impact on current avelumab approvals.

08:01 EDT OncoSec adds two patents to its portfolio - OncoSec Medical announced that it has added two patents to its broad patent portfolio. The first patent, JP06174632, encompasses a device for post-resection electroporation delivery of an agent to prevent recurrence of resected tumors and expires in 2030. The patent family was added to the Company's portfolio as part of a 2011 asset purchase agreement. The second patent, US 9,610,634, adds to the ImmunoPulse IL-12 portfolio, and includes coverage for reducing tumor angiogenesis while increasing T cell proliferation by the EP delivery of plasmid encoded IL-12. The second patent expires in 2025.

07:46 EDT Shopify: Merchants sold over $1B in GMV over Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend - Shopify announced its more than 500,000 merchants in 175 countries sold over $1B in gross merchandise volume during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. At the peak, Shopify merchants also generated more than $1M of transactions in just one minute. The milestone demonstrates Shopify's impact on empowering hundreds of thousands of merchants to participate in a global retail event. "This $1B milestone emphatically stakes a flag in the ground for entrepreneurs and small business owners all around the world," said Tobi Lutke, Founder and CEO, Shopify. "Their global impact was felt through each and every sale to a customer who chose to buy from our unique merchants, and we're fiercely proud of helping them be successful during a period historically dominated by big box retailers." Mobile sales continued to outpace desktop for the third consecutive year, accounting for 64% overall, an increase of 10% year-over-year. Mobile sales on Cyber Monday grew to 60%, an impressive 11% increase over 2016. With hundreds of thousands of merchants participating in the shopping weekend, the top three product categories by sales volume were apparel, accessories, and housewares.

07:32 EDT MagneGas launches USDA sterilization pilot program in Florida - MagneGas announced that it has formally launched a USDA sterilization pilot program at a leading dairy farm based in Bowling Green, FL. The primary purpose of the pilot is to evaluate the efficacy of the MagneGas patented plasma arc sterilization process for cow manure. The pilot is jointly funded by the USDA through a $432,000 USDA grant and provides MagneGas a unique opportunity to further validate the sterilization process. MagneGas previously conducted similar pilot programs for the hog industry in Indiana in 2016. The data gathered from that program was submitted to the EPA and USDA for review. The current grant was a direct result of the prior pilot study. The company believes that with the additional data gathered as a result of the current pilot in Florida, it will be in a position to move ahead with the broader commercialization of its sterilization process within the agricultural industry.

07:31 EDT Cesca Therapeutics issued second cellular processing patent by USPTO - Cesca Therapeutics announced that on November 21, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the company a new U.S Patent, No. 9,821,111, entitled "Cell Separation Devices, Systems, and Methods." This new patent covers Cesca's proprietary method for separating rare, therapeutically critical target cells from blood, bone marrow, leukapheresis product, and other cell sources, while maintaining the viability of the cells under asceptic conditions. This advanced cell separation technology, known as Buoyancy-Activated Cell Separation, or BACS, is key to the ongoing development of Cesca's CAR-TXpress platform.

07:21 EDT Baidu and Xiaomi enter into partnership - Baidu and Chinese consumer technology company Xiaomi announced that the companies have entered into a partnership to establish in-depth cooperation, leveraging the two companies' strengths in artificial intelligence, or AI, and Internet of Things, or IoT, in order to offer an enhanced experience to users in consumer electronics and smart devices.

07:08 EDT Aptevo Therapeutics announces plans to conduct Phase 2 stud of otlertuzumab - Aptevo Therapeutics announced recent developments related to the company's novel ADAPTIR bispecific antibody platform, including the planned commencement of a Phase 2 clinical evaluation of its monospecific antibody candidate, otlertuzumab, in a new indication - peripheral T-cell lymphoma, or PTCL, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition, Aptevo announced that the Company expects to file 2 Investigational New Drug applications in 2018 for 2 bispecific antibody candidates, APVO436, being developed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, and APVO210, being developed for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

07:07 EDT Arby's to acquire Buffalo Wild Wings for $157 per share in cash - Arby's Restaurant Group and Buffalo Wild Wings announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which ARG will acquire BWLD for $157 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at approximately $2.9B, including BWW's net debt. The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by both companies' Boards of Directors, represents a premium of approximately 38% to BWW's 30-day volume-weighted average stock price as of November 13, 2017, the latest trading day prior to news reports speculating about a potential transaction. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2018, subject to the approval of BWW shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. Following the close of the transaction, BWW will be a privately-held subsidiary of Arby's Restaurant Group and will continue to be operated as an independent brand. Paul Brown will serve as CEO of the parent company. Arby's is majority owned by affiliates of Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta based private equity firm that focuses on investing in franchised and multi-unit businesses in the restaurant, retail and other consumer sectors. Affiliates of Roark are committing all of the equity that, together with the proceeds of debt financing, will be necessary to complete the transaction. Certain funds advised by Marcato Capital Management, LP, which own approximately 6.4% of the outstanding shares of BWW, have entered into an agreement to vote in favor of the transaction.

07:07 EDT Arby's to buy Buffalo Wild Wings for approximately $2.9B, including debt

07:06 EDT Bruker announces contract for 133 hand-held chemical detectors - Bruker announced a contract to deliver 133 RAID M-100 hand-held chemical detectors, which are based on Bruker's advanced ion mobility spectrometry technology, to the United States National Guard. For deliveries through March 2018, the 133 RAID M-100 units upgrade and enhance the capabilities of the National Guard Homeland Response Force and of the CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package. The RAID M-100s will replace older Chemical Agent Monitor detectors that have been in service for many years.

07:05 EDT Axsome Therapeutics announces AXS-07 for migraine treatment - Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXSM), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the management of central nervous system disorders, today announced its next product candidate, AXS-07, which is being developed for the acute treatment of migraine. AXS-07 is an oral, fixed-dose combination of MoSEIC meloxicam and rizatriptan. Meloxicam is a new molecular entity for migraine enabled by Axsome's MoSEIC technology, which results in rapid absorption of meloxicam while maintaining a long plasma half-life. Rizatriptan has demonstrated strong efficacy in the treatment of migraine as a single agent. The distinct mechanism of action and rapid absorption of MoSEIC meloxicam, combined with the known efficacy of rizatriptan, is expected to result in rapid, superior and consistent relief of migraine pain, with lower symptom recurrence, as compared to currently available therapies. Axsome has received, from the FDA, Pre-Investigational New Drug Application written guidance on a proposed clinical developmental plan for AXS-07 including a planned Phase 3 trial. Based on this feedback, Axsome believes that only one Phase 3 trial may be needed for the approval of AXS-07 for the treatment of migraine. Axsome anticipates starting this trial in 2018 contingent on the availability of resources.

07:04 EDT G1 Therapeutics, AstraZeneca enter clinical trial collaboration in NSCLC - G1 Therapeutics (GTHX) announced a clinical trial collaboration with AstraZeneca (AZN) to evaluate AstraZeneca's epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, or TKI, Tagrisso in combination with G1's oral CDK4/6 inhibitor G1T38 for the treatment of EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. Under the terms of the agreement, G1 will sponsor and conduct a Phase 1b/2 study in collaboration with AstraZeneca in patients with NSCLC who have experienced disease progression on first-line EGFR inhibitors and harbor the EGFR T790M mutation. After defining the recommended Phase 2 dose of G1T38 in combination with Tagrisso in the Phase 1b portion, the Phase 2 study is designed to randomize 108 patients (one-to-one) to G1T38 plus Tagrisso or Tagrisso monotherapy to assess progression free survival. G1 plans to initiate the trial in the first quarter of 2018.

07:03 EDT ITUS receives notice of allowance for second key cancer technology patent - ITUS announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance on the second patent filed by the company to protect its cancer detection technology. ITUS is developing a platform called Cchek from which it expects to launch a series of non-invasive, inexpensive diagnostic blood tests for early cancer detection. The patent is titled, "SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK ANALYSIS ON FLOW CYTOMETRY DATA FOR CANCER DIAGNOSIS", and the inventors are Dr. Amit Kumar, John Roop, and Anthony Campisi. This patent is assigned wholly to Anixa Diagnostics Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary of ITUS Corporation.

07:02 EDT Theravance Biopharma files sNDA to FDA forTrelegy Ellipta - Theravance Biopharma highlighted the filing of a supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, with the FDA for the use of Trelegy Ellipta, the triple combination therapy of fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, and vilanterol, or FF/UMEC/VI, in a single ELLIPTA inhaler, for an expanded indication for the maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reduction of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. If this sNDA is approved, the labeled indication for Trelegy Ellipta would include a wider population of patients with COPD who are at risk of an exacerbation and require triple therapy.

06:57 EDT Emerson withdraws proposal to acquire Rockwell Automation for $225 per share - Emerson (EMR) announced that it has withdrawn its proposal to acquire Rockwell Automation (ROK) for $225 per share due to the Rockwell Board of Directors' continued unwillingness to engage in discussions about a potential combination. "The Rockwell Board again rejected our offer, which would have delivered approximately $30 billion of value to Rockwell shareholders," said Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr. "We are disappointed that the Rockwell Board refused even to discuss the potential combination of our two great companies. Instead of engaging in constructive dialogue, the Rockwell Board decided to let this unique and value-generative opportunity go unexplored. We remain confident in the strategic plans we have in place, and in Emerson's ability to create a global automation leader with a technology portfolio to meet evolving customer needs across process, hybrid and discrete product lines. Our Company is in a great position - we have successfully repositioned our portfolio over the last two years, and have market-leading platforms in Automation Solutions and Commercial & Residential Solutions, both of which are performing well and have very attractive growth outlooks. Our future is bright, and we remain focused on accelerating core growth through new market penetration, technology innovation and strategic bolt-on acquisitions. We are also committed to returning capital to shareholders through our strong and growing dividend and our share repurchase program. Management believes the Company's shares are an attractive investment opportunity. Accordingly, we plan to accelerate repurchases over the next month and buy back up to $1 billion over the next 12 months. We look forward to executing on this strategy to drive near- and long-term value creation for all Emerson stakeholders."

06:54 EDT AstraZeneca reports EMA accepts regulatory submission for Tagrisso - AstraZeneca announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted a variation to the Marketing Authorization Application for Tagrisso, a third-generation, irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with clinical activity against central nervous system metastases, for the 1st-line treatment of adult patients with locally-advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have EGFR mutations.

06:46 EDT Auris Medical announces HEALOS trial did not meet primary efficacy endpoint - Auris Medical Holding AG announced top-line results from the HEALOS Phase 3 clinical trial of AM-111 in severe to profound sudden deafness. Overall, the HEALOS trial did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in hearing from baseline to Day 28 compared to placebo for either active treatment groups. However, a post-hoc analysis of the subpopulation with profound acute hearing loss revealed a clinically and statistically significant improvement in the AM-111 0.4 mg/mL treatment group. The HEALOS trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of AM-111. The hearing improvement at the three worst affected contiguous test frequencies at Day 28 was 38.4 dB for patients in the AM-111 0.4 mg/mL group compared to 33.4 dB for the placebo group. For patients in the AM-111 0.8 mg/mL group the improvement was 36.6 dB (p=0.448). Post-hoc analysis in the subpopulation of patients with profound hearing loss showed an improvement at Day 28 of 42.7 dB in the AM-111 0.4 mg/mL group vs. 26.8 dB in the placebo group, which was statistically significant. The improvement was 37.3 dB in the AM-111 0.8 mg/mL group.

06:43 EDT Bristol-Myers announces EMA validated its type II variation application - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, validated its type II variation application, which seeks to expand the current indications for Opdivo plus Yervoy to include the treatment of intermediate- and poor-risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, or RCC. Validation of the application confirms the submission is complete and begins the EMA's centralized review process. The application is based on data from the phase 3 CheckMate -214 study, which was stopped early based on the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee following a planned interim analysis of overall survival. The results of the study were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2017 Congress.

06:35 EDT Christopher & Banks reports Q3 gross margin down 300 bps to 33.8% - Primarily due to continued higher promotions and markdowns to move through non-go-forward product and address slow sellers more quickly.

06:33 EDT Christopher & Banks reports total inventory $51.4M at Q3-end - Compared to $54.1M at the end of the third quarter last year, a reduction of 4.9%.

06:23 EDT Canalys: VR headset shipments topped 1M for first time in Q3 - Virtual reality headset shipments are showing no signs of slowing, as the quarterly total exceeded 1 million units for the first time in Q3, according to research from Canalys. Sony (SNE) took the lead, shipping more than 490,000 PlayStation VR sets in Q3. It was followed by Facebook's (FB) Oculus, which shipped 210,000 of its Rift headsets. HTC took third place, shipping 160,000 Vive VR units. Collectively, Sony, Oculus and HTC made up 86% of the total market in Q3 2017. The global VR headset market is expected to gain a sizeable boost in 2018 from new entrants supporting Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Mixed Reality platform. "VR in business can be applied to many industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare and education," said Low. "As top-tier PC vendors, including HP (HPQ), Lenovo (LNVGY), Acer, Asus and Dell, launch their own VR headsets, using their distribution channel efficiencies, one can expect a strong VR uptake in business." Reference Link

06:07 EDT Toyota names Koji Kobayashi as chief financial and risk officer - Toyota (TM) plans to change its executive lineup and revise its organizational structure in January 2018 to further strengthen cooperation among companies of the Toyota Group and boost business innovation. After introducing a regional-based management system in 2011 and a business unit system in 2013, TMC made substantial changes to its structure in April 2016 to create a company built around a product-based, rather than function-based, organization. Among efforts to actively boost business innovation in 2017, it established EV C.A. Spirit, a company that promotes development of basic structural technologies for electric vehicles through a business structure that is open to participation by other companies. The corporate management-related divisions and the Business Planning & Operation business unit are to be restructured. The corporate strategy function is to be reduced. The Japan Sales Business Group is to be restructured and based on regions rather than sales channels. The TPS Group is to be newly created. Koji Kobayashi, vice chairman and board member of Denso Corp (DNZOY), who previously worked at Toyota for more than 30 years in roles including finance and sales, returns to the Japanese company as chief financial and risk officer from January. The company is also promoting Shigeki Tomoyama, who heads Toyota's division for connected vehicle technologies and its racing arm, and Moritaka Yoshida, an architect of Toyota's modular production system who also worked on the firm's latest foray into automated driving functions, to EVP roles. Reference Link

06:05 EDT TransCanada backs dividend growth expectations to 2020 - TransCanada will host its annual Investor Day in Toronto where it will provide a financial update and review strategic plans for its natural gas pipelines, liquids pipelines and energy businesses. "Today, our $86B high-quality portfolio of energy infrastructure assets is performing very well," said Russ Girling, TransCanada's president and chief executive officer. "Looking forward, we are advancing $24B in commercially secured near-term growth projects that will expand and extend our asset footprint across North America." As those projects enter service, TransCanada expects comparable EBITDA to grow at an average annual rate of approximately 10% between 2015 and 2020. Significantly, over 95% of the company's EBITDA is expected to come from regulated businesses or long-term contracted assets. At the same time, the company continues to advance a series of additional opportunities that are expected to result in further growth in EBITDA beyond 2020. The portfolio is comprised of more than $20B in projects in development including Keystone XL, the Bruce Power life extension program and Coastal GasLink as well as numerous other organic growth projects that are expected to emanate from TransCanada's natural gas pipelines, liquids pipelines and energy businesses in Canada, the United States and Mexico. "Based on the confidence we have in our business plans, today we are reaffirming that we expect to grow our common share dividend at an average annual rate at the upper end of an eight to 10 per cent range through 2020," added Girling. "We are also extending our outlook to 2021 when we expect the common share dividend to grow by an additional eight to 10 per cent. Notably, our dividend outlook is supported by expected growth in earnings and cash flow with strong dividend coverage ratios, providing us the financial flexibility to prudently fund our significant capital program." On November 9, 2017, TransCanada announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.625 per common share for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The quarterly amount equates to $2.50 per common share on an annualized basis and represents a 10 per cent increase over the amount declared in 2016. TransCanada's board has increased the common share dividend in each of the last seventeen years, from $0.80 per common share in 2000 to $2.50 per common share in 2017.

06:02 EDT W.R. Grace to license its Unipol PP Process Technology to KIPIC - W. R. Grace & Co. has contracted to license its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company, or KIPIC, for the integrated petrochemical complex at its Al-Zour refinery. Expected to open in 2023, the facility is designed to produce 940 kilotons per year of PP, including high-end homopolymer, random copolymer, and impact copolymer thermoplastic resins. KIPIC is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, or KPC, Kuwait's national oil company. A long-time Grace customer, KPC previously licensed UNIPOL PP Process Technology for an affiliate's Joint Venture.

05:52 EDT Achieve announces clinical trial supply agreement with Auckland UniServices - Achieve Life Sciences announced an agreement with Auckland UniServices Limited, as the commercial arm of the University of Auckland, to provide cytisine for use in the Phase 3 "RAUORA" clinical trial. "RAUORA" is an investigator-sponsored and led, single-blind, randomized, non-inferiority trial that will evaluate the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of cytisine compared to varenicline for smoking cessation in 2,140 Mori and whanau of Mori. Comparing quit rates at six months, the trial hypothesizes that 12 weeks of cytisine plus behavioral support will be at least as effective as 12 weeks of varenicline plus behavioral support.

05:40 EDT Ardelyx, Kyowa Hakko Kirin announce license agreement for tenapanor in Japan - Ardelyx and Kyowa Hakko Kirin announced that they have entered into a license agreement that provides Kyowa Hakko Kirin with exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Ardelyx's lead investigational product, tenapanor, for the treatment of cardiorenal diseases, including hyperphosphatemia, in Japan. Tenapanor is an oral, minimally systemic NHE3 inhibitor discovered and developed by Ardelyx that is in Phase 3 development in the United States for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, who are on dialysis. Under the terms of the license agreement, Ardelyx will receive a $30M upfront payment and is eligible to receive additional development and commercialization milestones worth up to $130M. Ardelyx is also eligible to receive high-teen royalties throughout the term of the agreement. Kyowa Hakko Kirin will have the exclusive rights to develop, market and commercialize tenapanor for cardiorenal diseases and conditions associated with them, including hyperphosphatemia, in Japan.

05:36 EDT Scotiabank submits binding offer to acquire BBVA shares in BBVA Chile for $2.2B

05:28 EDT Adobe data shows Cyber Monday is largest online sales day in history with $6.59B - Adobe released its 2017 online shopping data for Cyber Monday and the holiday weekend overall. Cyber Monday is projected to hit a new record as the largest online sales day in history with $6.59B by the end of the day. This marks a 16.8 percent year-over-year, or YoY, increase as of 10:00 p.m. ET. In comparison, Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day brought in $5.03B and $2.87B in revenue respectively. Top sellers on Cyber Monday included the Nintendo Switch, PJ Masks and Hatchimals & Colleggtibles figurines, Apple AirPods, streaming devices like Google Chromecast and Roku, and Super Mario Odyssey, the video game. The holiday shopping season so far drove a total of $50B in online revenue, a 16.8% increase. Adobe predicts this will be the first-ever holiday season to break $100% in online sales. Overall web traffic to retail sites increased by 11.9% on Cyber Monday, with the season average at 5.7%. Mobile set a new record representing 47.4% of visits and 33.1% of revenue. Smartphone traffic specifically grew 22.2% YoY while revenue coming from smartphones saw 39.2% growth YoY, a new all-time high. Mobile transactions are closing at a 12% higher rate compared to Cyber Monday 2016. For purchases made on smartphones, Apple iOS led with an average order value of $123, in comparison to Google Android at $110. November 23 through 26 totaled $13.03B, a 14.4% increase YoY. Thanksgiving Day spend totaled $2.87B, 18.3% growth YoY, while Black Friday hit $5.03B, up 16.9% YoY. Thanksgiving weekend saw $5.12B in revenue. Online spend surpassed at least $1B every day in the lead up to Thanksgiving. For the rest of the season, 13 days are projected to exceed $2B in online sales bringing the total to 18 $2B days this holiday season, over double the number from last year. Publicly traded companies in the space include Amazon.com (AMZN), Best Buy (BBY), Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Overstock.com (OSTK) and eBay (EBAY).