Stockwinners Market Radar for December 15, 2017 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:33 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - HIGHER: Akamai (AKAM), up 13.9% after Elliott reported a 6.5% stake in the company... TD Ameritrade (AMTD), up 2.3% after CNBC reported that the company plans to offer bitcoin futures... Procter & Gamble (PG), up 1.1% after it named Trian's Nelson Peltz to its board of directors. LOWER: Aratana Therapeutics (PETX), down 10.1% after its AT-016 pivotal study did not achieve protocol-defined efficacy success criteria... HP Enterprise (HPE), down 0.8% after it filed an automatic mixed securities shelf.

17:19 EDT Peltz to join Procter & Gamble board effective March 1, 2018 - Procter & Gamble announced that it has appointed Nelson Peltz, Chief Executive Officer and a founding partner of Trian Fund Management, L.P., to its Board of Directors, effective March 1, 2018. The company has also committed to re-nominate Peltz to the Board as part of the company's slate of nominees for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

17:16 EDT Sunesis CEO Swisher to resign, Dayton Misfeldt named interim CEO - According to a regulatory filing, on December 2, 2017, Daniel N. Swisher, Jr. provided notice of his resignation from all of his positions with the company, including as Chief Executive Officer, President, Corporate Secretary and director of the company, effective as of December 31, 2017. The company and Swisher intend to enter into a transition agreement under which Swisher will serve as a strategic advisor to the board of directors of the company, effective as of January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2018 unless further extended by mutual agreement of the parties. In accordance with the Transition Agreement, on January 5, 2018, Swisher will receive $125,000, one third of which will be payable in cash and two thirds of which will be payable in fully vested shares of common stock granted under the 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. Under the Transition Agreement, the options and other company equity granted to Swisher will continue to vest through the end of the Advisory Period and for so long as Swisher continues to provide advisory services to the company, at which time any further vesting of his options and equity grants will cease and Swisher will have three months from the end of the Advisory Period to exercise his vested options. Except for the foregoing, all other rights and obligations with respect to Swisher's equity will be as set forth in the Plan and applicable plan documents. As previously disclosed in the company's current report on Form 8-K, effective January 1, 2018, on December 2, 2017, the board appointed Dayton Misfeldt, a member of the Board, as interim Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2018.

17:02 EDT Jay S. Hennick reports 10% stake in FirstService

16:55 EDT Cannell Capital reports 8.2% passive stake in Health Insurance Innovations

16:35 EDT American Lorain regains compliance for continued listing on NYSE - American Lorain announced that, as a result of the forms 10-Q filings for the periods ended March 31, June 30, and September 30 with the SEC on December 11 the company has been advised by the staff of NYSE Regulation that it has regained compliance with the continued listing standards of the NYSE American, as set forth in part 10 of the NYSE American Company Guide, specifically Sections 134 and 1101. Accordingly, the late filer indicator will no longer be disseminated with the company's trading symbol.

16:21 EDT Kellogg announces share buyback authorization of up to $1.5B - Kellogg Company announced that its board of directors has approved a share repurchase authorization of up to $1.5B, under which the company may buy back Kellogg shares at its discretion from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2019. The company uses buybacks as a way to offset dilution from options exercises and other stock grants, as well as to opportunistically return cash to share owners. Its previous $1.5B authorization expires on December 31, 2017.

16:17 EDT Aratana: AT-016 pivotal study did not achieve protocol-defined efficacy success - Aratana Therapeutics has received top-line pivotal field effectiveness study results for AT-016, an investigational adipose-derived allogeneic stem cell therapeutic candidate for the control of clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis. On December 14, 2017, Aratana's license partner responsible for the development of AT-016 shared the results of a pivotal study, which did not achieve protocol-defined efficacy success criteria. As part of Aratana's exclusive commercial license for dogs with osteoarthritis in the United States, Aratana had funded the clinical study and other work. Aratana anticipates that after its license partner has further evaluated the study results, the parties will determine if the collaboration to bring the therapeutic to market will continue. "Recently, the focus has been on the commercialization of our three FDA-approved pet therapeutics ENTYCE, NOCITA, and GALLIPRANT," explained Steven St. Peter, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aratana Therapeutics. "However, Aratana continues to invest in a pipeline of development-stage therapeutic candidates. While we are disappointed with this individual study result, we have had our successes and will continue to execute on our pet therapeutics business model."

16:07 EDT Peoples Financial announces 110,000 share repurchase program - Peoples Financial announced the board approved the repurchase of up to 110,000 shares of the company's common stock. Shares will be repurchased at the discretion of management either on the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, and repurchased shares will be retired. As of September 30, the company reported 5,123,186 common shares outstanding.

16:01 EDT Repros expects to receive negative CHMP opinion on enclomiphene MAA - Repros Therapeutics announced that following an Oral Explanation, it has received feedback that a negative opinion is likely to be received in January 2018 from the CHMP, or Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a committee of the European Medicines Agency, for the centralized marketing authorization application for enclomiphene for the treatment of secondary hypogonadism previously submitted to the EMA by the company's U.K. subsidiary, Renable Pharma Limited.

15:03 EDT Luxottica CEO Vian to leave company three months before term expires - Luxottica Group said it is simplifying its governance structure with the departure of the Chief Executive Officer for Product and Operations Massimo Vian three months before his term expires. The Group will consolidate executive responsibilities in the hands of the Executive Chairman Leonardo Del Vecchio and the Deputy Chairman Francesco Milleri, who also assumes the position of Chief Executive Officer. Stefano Grassi, Chief Financial Officer of the Group, has been appointed to Luxottica's Board of Directors. "We thank Massimo for his contributions over the past thirteen years. He brought passion and energy to defining a modern and innovative Operations organization. Also thanks to him today, Luxottica has a strong team of managers who share the same focus on quality and innovation. We wish him every success in his future professional endeavors," said Leonardo Del Vecchio, founder and chief architect of the Group's culture and strategic vision.

14:08 EDT Citi reports November credit loss 2.49% vs. 2.38% last month - Reports 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.58% vs. 1.57% last month.

13:58 EDT FMR reports 9.533% passive stake in Denali Therapeutics

13:25 EDT Box Office Battle: 'The Last Jedi' looking to become fourth $200M opening ever - Coming to theaters this weekend, and expected to become only the fourth movie to ever open over $200M domestically, is Disney's (DIS) "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." The latest "Star Wars" film has already earned $45M in Thursday night previews -- the second highest preview gross of all time, behind "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and well ahead of the $29M "Rogue One" earned on its Thursday night opening last year. "The Last Jedi," which is opening at 4,232 theaters, is expected to domestically gross $220M-$228M, below the record-breaking $247.9M gross of "The Force Awakens" back in 2015. Also opening this weekend as a counterprogramming option is 21st Century Fox's (FOX, FOXA) animated children's book adaptation "Ferdinand," which is expected to open in the $14M-$19M range. Also still in theaters is Disney's animated "Coco," which is looking to earn another $11M-$12M in its fourth weekend at theaters. Other publicly traded companies in filmmaking include Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK), Lionsgate (LGF.A, LGF.B), Sony (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA, VIAB).

13:07 EDT Dominion raises annual dividend 10% to $3.34 per share - The board of directors of Dominion Energy established a 2018 dividend of $3.34 per share of common stock, up from $3.035 per share in 2017, or a 10% increase. Subject to board declaration in January, the first quarterly dividend of 83.5c per share will be payable in March 2018. The expected 2018 dividend increase would mark the 15th consecutive year in which the annual dividend rate rose from the previous year's rate.

12:44 EDT American Express reports November net write-off rate 1.9% vs. 1.8% last month - Reports November 30 days past due loans 1.3% vs. 1.3% last month.

12:23 EDT Roku rallies 9%, shares top $50 - Shares of Roku are up 9%, or $3.96, to $50.11 in midday trading. Citron Research on November 29 called Needham's $50 price target on the shares "price chasing." Needham analyst Laura Martin, appearing that day on CNBC with Citron's Andrew Left, predicted Roku shares will "quadruple."

12:22 EDT The Intersection: Crypto and Wall Street This Week - As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly: 1. BITCOIN HITS HIGH: Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of $17,900 on the Bitstamp exchange on Friday amid growing warnings that the market could be a speculative bubble, Reuters reported. The cryptocurrency has risen almost 80% so far in December and is set for its best month in percentage terms since 2013. 2. CBOE FUTURES OPEN: Cboe Global Markets (CBOE) began trading Cboe Bitcoin futures, XBT, on Sunday with an opening price of $15,000 and saw 890 contracts traded by 7:15 p.m. CT. Monday was the first full day of trading and by early afternoon roughly 3,700 contracts had been traded, Reuters reported. Following the opening of trading, the contract price jumped 10% higher and after an additional 10% increase CBOE halted trading for five minutes. In addition, the company's website, which is not linked to its trading engine, briefly suffered an outage upon the start of trading due to elevated traffic. 3. SEC SAYS NO ICOS REGISTERED: On Monday, Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton issued a statement on cryptocurrencies and ICOS saying, "Investors should understand that to date no initial coin offerings have been registered with the SEC. The SEC also has not to date approved for listing and trading any exchange-traded products holding cryptocurrencies or other assets related to cryptocurrencies. If any person today tells you otherwise, be especially wary...The technology on which cryptocurrencies and ICOs are based may prove to be disruptive, transformative and efficiency enhancing." 4. YELLEN, FCA CAUTIOUS: Fed Chair Janet Yellen, in her FOMC meeting press conference, said that bitcoin is "highly speculative" and plays a "very small role" in the U.S. payments system, stating that she does not view it as legal tender nor a "stable source of value." She added, "Undoubtedly there are individuals who could lose a lot of money if bitcoin were to fall in price, but I really don't see that as creating a full-blown financial stability risk." Meanwhile, the head of the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority, Andrew Bailey, said Bitcoin is not a secure investment and is as risky as gambling because the cryptocurrency does not have the backing of central banks or governments, BBC reported on Thursday. 5. GOLDMAN SEEKS 100% MARGIN: Goldman Sachs (GS) is seeking a 100% margin on some bitcoin future trades, deterring some customers from looking to clear their trades through the bank and resulting in some taking their business elsewhere, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The margin requirement is higher than Options Clearing's 44% to clear contracts traded on the Cboe Global Markets and the 47% expected to be a condition by CME Group (CME), which launches bitcoin futures trading next week. 6. OTHER CRYPTO CHATTER: Social Capital's Chamath Palihapitiya said on CNBC on Monday that he sees bitcoin trading to $100,000 over the next three-to-four years. The venture capitalist recommends investors put 1% of their money into the cryptocurrency. 7. BITCOIN STOCK PLAYS: Cryptocurrency revenues have been pointed to as reasons to be bullish on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) in select research. Overstock (OSTK), which has invested in blockchain technology and is planning a launch of its own cryptocurrency, is another stock that has been touted as a way to play the crypto theme. PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, bitcoin was up nearly 18% this week to $17,592 in U.S. dollars according to CoinDesk. Meanwhile, AMD shares rose 1.9% this week to $10.11 and Nvidia dropped 1.9% on a weekly basis to $187.95. Bitcoin Investment Trust surged about 45% this week to $2,545. WANT BITCOIN NEWS ALERTS?: To receive alerts on stories relating to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Fly subscribers can enter "Bitcoin" into the "Add symbols" box of their portfolios.

11:28 EDT Unilever confirms deal to sell Spreads business to KKR for EUR6.825B - Unilever (UN; UL) announced that it has received a binding offer from KKR (KKR) to purchase its global Spreads business for EUR6.825B on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever said: "In April of this year we set out our 2020 programme to accelerate sustainable value creation. After a long history in Unilever we decided that the future of the Spreads business would lie outside the Group. The announcement today marks a further step in reshaping and sharpening our portfolio for long term growth. The consideration recognises the market leading brands and the improved momentum we have achieved. I am confident that under KKR's ownership, the Spreads business with its iconic brands will be able to fulfil its full potential as well as societal responsibilities." The offer is subject to certain regulatory approvals and employee consultation in certain jurisdictions. Completion is expected mid-2018. Unilever intends to return the net cash realised to shareholders, unless more value-creating acquisition alternatives arise.

11:22 EDT Blackhawk to sell Grass Roots Meetings & Events for $30.3M - Blackhawk Network Holdings announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell the Grass Roots Meetings & Events business to BCD Meetings and Events for a purchase price of approximately $30.3M. Talbott Roche, Blackhawk CEO and president, commented, "Under Blackhawk's management, Grass Roots Meetings & Events has made great progress in driving revenue growth and earnings, and this is reflected in the selling price achieved. As previously announced, we are divesting Grass Roots Meetings & Events, which will allow Blackhawk to focus on its core business. We are pleased with the outcome and believe that Grass Roots Meetings & Events has found the right partner to bring the business to the next stage of development."

10:40 EDT Achillion reports resignation of Chief Medical Officer - In a regulatory filing earlier, Achillion Pharmaceuticals disclosed that on December 14, David Apelian, M.D., Ph.D. delivered his resignation as Executive VP, Chief Medical Officer of the company, effective December 28. "Apelian is leaving the company to pursue another professional opportunity. A retained search for a new Chief Medical Officer has been initiated with Russell Reynolds Associates," the company added.

10:35 EDT AK Steel says UAW members ratify labor agreement for Dearborn Works - AK Steel announced that members of the United Auto Workers, Local 600, have ratified a three-year, seven-month agreement covering about 1,180 hourly production and maintenance employees at the company's Dearborn Works. AK Steel said that UAW officials notified the company that the contract was ratified in voting that concluded yesterday. The agreement will be in effect until July 31, 2021.

10:07 EDT Bank of America reports November default rate 2.74% vs. 2.87% last month - Reports November 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.64% vs. 1.61% last month.

09:50 EDT Rosetta Genomics trading resumes

09:38 EDT Icahn files proxy to vote against Sandridge share issuance - Carl Icahn this morning filed a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC soliciting proxies from stockholders of Sandridge Energy (SD) to vote against the proposed issuance of shares in connection with the company's proposed acquisition Bonanza Creek (BCEI).

09:27 EDT Calpine stockholders approve acquisition by Energy Capital Partners-led group - Calpine Corporation announced that its stockholders approved the acquisition of Calpine by Energy Capital Partners along with a consortium of investors led by Access Industries and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $15.25 per share in cash. Holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Calpine's common stock voted in favor of adopting the merger agreement. The final voting results for all proposals will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in a Current Report on Form 8-K. The acquisition is expected to be completed during the first quarter of calendar year 2018, subject to satisfaction of the remaining customary closing conditions, including receipt of certain regulatory approvals.

09:16 EDT Nabors Industries completes acquisition of Tesco - Nabors Industries (NBR) and Tesco (TESO) announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Tesco by Nabors. Under the terms of the agreement, Nabors acquired all common shares of Tesco in an all-stock transaction. Tesco shareholders will receive 0.68 common shares of Nabors for each share of Tesco stock owned. With the completion of the transaction, Tesco common stock has ceased trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

09:13 EDT Easterly Acquisition annuonces extension of time to complete JH Capital merger - Easterly Acquisition announced the vote by stockholders to extend the deadline to complete an initial business combination to March 31, 2018. Stockholders representing 93% of the stockholder base voted, with 99% of votes cast in favor of extending the time that Easterly has to complete its initial business combination. 687,597 shares of common stock were redeemed by existing Easterly stockholders in connection with the extension, leaving approximately $150M cash in trust after redemptions. Easterly obtained the extension to allow it more time to complete its previously announced business combination with JH Capital Group Holdings.

09:10 EDT Heico declares 5-for-4 stock split - HEICO Corporation announced that its Board of Directors approved a 5-for-4 stock split on both its Class A Common Stock and Common Stock. The stock split will be effected in the form of a 25% stock dividend on each class of the Company's shares.

09:06 EDT bioMerieux appoints Alexandre Merieux as chairman, CEO - The Board of Directors of bioMerieux metand approved the appointment of Alexandre Merieux as chairman and CEO of the company, taking effect immediately. After serving as deputy CEO of bioMerieux for the last three years, Alexandre Merieux succeeds Jean-Luc Belingard, who had been chairman and CEO of the company since 2010. Jean-Luc Belingard will remain on the bioMerieux Board as a director and will continue to fulfill his responsibilities as Vice President of Institut Merieux. Working alongside Alain Merieux, he will be in charge specifically of strategy and institutional relations.

09:03 EDT Teva announces exclusive launch of generic Viread tablets in the U.S. - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced the exclusive launch of generic Viread tablets 300 mg in the U.S. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate tablets are a nucleotide analog HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older. Additionally, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate tablets are an HBV reverse transcriptase inhibitor, indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older. Viread had annual sales of approximately $762M in the U.S., according to IMS data as of October.

08:56 EDT Rosetta Genomics trading halted, news pending

08:53 EDT Bayer terminates development and license agreement with Nektar - Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) disclosed that it received formal notice of termination from Bayer (BAYRY) of the co-development, license and co-promotion agreement, dated August 1, 2007, between the company and Bayer, effective as of January 13, 2018. There are no payment obligations to Bayer that arise as a result of the termination of the agreement and Nektar will avoid incurring approximately $25M-$30M in commercial manufacturing scale-up and readiness costs over the next 12-18 months that would have been required to meet the company's obligations under the agreement. On November 24, Nektar reported that it did not expect Bayer to continue further development of Amikacin Inhale.

08:38 EDT Arc Logistics expected to be removed from Alerian Small Cap MLP Index - Alerian announced that Arc Logistics Partners is expected to be removed from the Alerian Small Cap MLP Index in a special rebalancing.

08:36 EDT Longfin acquires Ziddu.com - Longfin announces the acquisition of Ziddu.com, a Blockchain-empowered solutions provider that offers Microfinance Lending against Collateralized Warehouse Receipts in the form of Ziddu Coins. Ziddu Coin is a smart contract that enables SME's, processors, manufacturers, importers and exporters using cryptocurrencies across continents. Ziddu Coins are loosely pegged to Ethereum and Bitcoin. The importers/exporters convert offered Ziddu coins into Ethereum or Bitcoin and use the proceeds for their working capital needs. At the end of the contract, importers/exporters will realize their proceeds and pay back their funds through cryptocurrencies only. Depending upon the risk profile of the counterparty, the interest will vary from 12% to 48%.

08:34 EDT Praxair announces price increases effective in January - Praxair is notifying customers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada of price increases effective January 1, 2018, or as contracts permit. Individual price adjustments may be higher or lower depending upon the product purchased and the customer's contract provisions: Up to 15% for bulk nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and facility fees. These adjustments are in response to rising energy, distribution and labor costs.

08:33 EDT Global Medical REIT changes to majority voting standard for director elections - Global Medical REIT announced that on December 14, the Board of Directors of the company approved an amendment to the company's Bylaws to change the voting standard in an uncontested election of directors from a plurality standard to a majority standard. In addition, the Board approved an amendment to the company's Corporate Governance Guidelines to include a director resignation provision. Under the company's amended Corporate Governance Guidelines, a director who receives less than a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election of directors shall tender his or her resignation to the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board will then make a recommendation to the Board on whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether any other action should be taken. Within 90 days from the final certification date of the election results, the Board will decide whether to accept or reject such resignation or whether other action should be taken, and the company will report such decision in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

08:31 EDT China Biologic receives operating permit for new facility in Shandong Province - China Biologic announced that, the company's majority-owned subsidiary, Shandong Taibang Biological Products Co., has recently received the operating permit from local authorities to commence plasma collection at its new branch collection facility in Ju County in Rizhao City, Shandong Province. The company announced the receipt of approval to build one new plasma collection station in Ju County and one branch collection center in Feicheng County, respectively, in January 2017. The new Ju County station covers a collection territory of approximately 3M people. The company expects the new station to reach its designed collection capacity in approximately three years.

08:19 EDT Methode Electronics board approves increase dividend of 11c per share - Methode Electronics announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 11c per share to be paid on January 26, 2018, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on January 12, 2018. This quarterly dividend represents an increase of 2c, or 22%, per share over the prior quarterly dividend of 9c.

08:15 EDT Laureate Education agrees to sell institution in Malaysia to Affinity Equity - Laureate Education and Affinity Equity Partners have signed an agreement for the sale of Laureate's global network institution in Malaysia - INTI University and Colleges - for a total transaction value of $180M. The net transaction value to Laureate under the Agreement will be $162M.

08:14 EDT PolarityTE announces application of SkinTE on first patients - PolarityTE announced that human use of SkinTE is underway, and the product is now on patients, at multiple centers, within a variety of wound types and indications including acute and chronic wounds, burn wounds, surgical reconstructions and scar revisions. In addition, several patients with healed skin grafts, the gold standard treatment, have undergone removal of those grafts and replacement with SkinTE. Multiple medical centers have scheduled additional procedures through the end of 2017, and the Company expects an increasing number of applications during the first half of 2018 to meet market demand for the product. As clinical application grows, results and outcomes from the first group of treated patients are expected to be published throughout the first half 2018, addressing the many different patient populations treated.

08:11 EDT Surgery Partners announces $50M share repurchase program - Surgery Partners announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $50M of its common stock.

08:03 EDT BorgWarner names Frederic Lissalde as COO, effective January 1, 2018 - BorgWarner announced the appointment of Frederic Lissalde to executive vice president and COO, effective January 1, 2018. In this position Lissalde will be responsible for the operations of the company with the business presidents reporting to him. Lissalde will report to James Verrier, president and CEO. Lissalde has held positions of increasingly significant responsibility during his eighteen years with the company.

08:02 EDT Alaska Air reports November traffic up 9.2%, capacity up 9.3% - Reports November load factor down 0.1 points.

07:40 EDT Takeda, TiGenix announce positive CHMP opinion for Cx601 - Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (TKPYY) and TiGenix (TIG) announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency, in conjunction with the Committee for Advanced Therapies, has adopted a positive opinion recommending a marketing authorization for investigational compound Cx601. Cx601 is expected to be indicated for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in adult patients with non-active/mildly active luminal Crohn's disease, when fistulas have shown an inadequate response to at least one conventional or biologic therapy. The positive CHMP opinion was based on results from TiGenix's Phase III ADMIRE-CD pivotal trial. The ADMIRE-CD trial is a randomized, double-blind, controlled, Phase III trial designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of investigational compound Cx601.3 24-week results were published in The Lancet and showed that Cx601 achieved statistically significant superiority versus the control group in the primary efficacy endpoint of combined remission. In addition, the rates and types of treatment related adverse eventsand number of discontinuations due to adverse events were comparable between Cx601 and control arms, the most common of which were anal abscess and proctalgia. Further follow-up data indicated that Cx601 maintained long-term remission of treatment refractory complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn's disease over 52 weeks. The opinion will now be referred to the European Commission with a decision anticipated in the coming months. An MA will allow Cx601 to be marketed in all 28 member states of the EU, plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Cx601 has been licensed to Takeda for the exclusive development and commercialization outside of the U.S. Receipt of the MA will trigger a milestone payment from Takeda to TiGenix of EUR15M. The companies have been working closely together to advance preparations for commercialization, with a potential start of the commercial launch by Takeda anticipated after MA is transferred from TiGenix to Takeda.

07:32 EDT Rigel Pharmaceuticals CFO Ryan Maynard resigns, effective December 31 - Rigel Pharmaceuticals announced the resignation of Ryan Maynard, executive vice president and CFO, effective December 31. Nelson Cabatuan, Rigel's vice president, finance will serve as the company's interim principal accounting officer. The company has initiated an external search for its next CFO who is expected to have significant commercial experience.

07:30 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics trading resumes

07:04 EDT Alnylam announces lift of FDA clinical hold on Fitusiran - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi (SNY), announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has lifted the hold on clinical studies with fitusiran, including the Phase 2 open-label extension study and the ATLAS Phase 3 program. Alnylam and the FDA had previously reached alignment on new clinical risk mitigation measures, including protocol-specified guidelines and additional investigator and patient education concerning reduced doses of replacement factor or bypassing agent to treat any breakthrough bleeds in fitusiran studies. The FDA has now approved the protocol amendments and other updated clinical materials for fitusiran studies. Fitusiran is an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting antithrombin for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A and B. It is designed to lower levels of AT with the goal of promoting sufficient thrombin generation to restore hemostasis and prevent bleeding.

07:03 EDT Sanofi says FDA lifts clinical hold on fitusiran - Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi (SNY), and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) announced today that the FDA has lifted the hold on clinical studies with fitusiran, including the Phase 2 open-label extension study and the ATLAS Phase 3 program. Alnylam and the FDA had previously reached alignment on new clinical risk mitigation measures, including protocol-specified guidelines and additional investigator and patient education concerning reduced doses of replacement factor or bypassing agent to treat any breakthrough bleeds in fitusiran studies. The FDA has now approved the protocol amendments and other updated clinical materials for fitusiran studies. Fitusiran is an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting antithrombin (AT) for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A and B. It is designed to lower levels of AT with the goal of promoting sufficient thrombin generation to restore hemostasis and prevent bleeding.

07:03 EDT Performance Food Group appoints Jim Hope as CFO - Performance Food Group Company announced the appointment of Jim Hope as CFO effective March 1, 2018. Hope will succeed Tom Ondrof, who will be transitioning from his position and will become the strategic growth leader, working closely with PFG's senior management on strategic growth initiatives. Ondrof and Hope will work closely together during the transition, which will begin immediately, and Ondrof will oversee the completion of the company's reporting requirements for the second fiscal quarter in February before transitioning to his new role.Since joining the company in 2014, Hope has led efforts to streamline PFG's business operations, strengthen internal best practices, develop the new Specialty business, and guide the company's Procurement and Operations strategies. Hope will lead PFG's corporate finance department and oversee accounting, tax, treasury, investor relations and financial planning. He will also continue to oversee PFG's procurement function and Specialty businesses. As a member of the executive leadership team, he will continue to report directly to George Holm, president & CEO.

06:55 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

06:49 EDT BWX Technologies: John Fees to transition to non-executive chairman of board - BWX Technologies announced that John Fees, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, will transition to a non-executive chairman role, effective May 4, 2018. Fees has served as Executive Chairman of BWXT since July 2015 when the company spun off its power generation business to focus on government and commercial nuclear markets.

06:48 EDT CNX Resources agrees to purchase Noble Energy 50% interest in CONE Gathering - CNX Resources (CNX) announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Noble Energy (NBL) 50% membership interest in CONE Gathering LLC for $305M in cash and the mutual release of all outstanding claims. CONE Gathering holds all of the interests in CONE Midstream GP, LLC, which in turn holds the general partnership interest in CONE Midstream Partners, LP (CNNX) and all of the incentive distribution rights in CONE. As a result of this transaction, CNX will own 100% of CONE Gathering, making CONE a single-sponsor master limited partnership. Completion of the Purchase Agreement is subject to customary closing conditions. The closing of the Purchase Agreement is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018.

06:29 EDT Synchrony reports November net charge-off rate 5.03% vs. 5.23% last month - Reports 30-plus day delinquencies 3.09% vs. 3.16% last month.

06:13 EDT JPMorgan reports November net credit losses 2.36% vs. 2.35% last month - Reports November 30-plus day delinquencies 1.22% vs. 1.24% last month.

06:12 EDT Egalet receives FDA tentative approval - Egalet announced that the FDA has granted tentative approval for an expanded label for ARYMO ER extended-release, or ER, tablets C-II for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. The FDA has issued tentative approval for a supplement submitted earlier in 2017 to update the ARYMO ER prescribing information with data from a Category 2/3 intranasal human abuse potential, or HAP, study and an intranasal abuse-deterrent claim. This data was previously excluded from the label at original new drug application, or NDA, approval due to exclusivity granted to another company. The final approval is expected to be granted when the exclusivity period expires on October 2, 2018.

06:05 EDT Capital One reports November net charge-offs 5.16% vs. 4.70% last month - Reports November 30-plus day performing delinquencies 4.11% vs. 4.13% last month.

06:01 EDT Kennedy Wilson acquires Northbank Apartments in Dublin, Ireland for EUR45M - Kennedy Wilson announces that it has acquired Northbank Apartments, a wholly-owned 124-unit apartment community in Dublin's North Docks, for EUR45M from Jarmar Properties Limited acting through David Carson of Deloitte as Statutory Receiver, the lender being the National Asset Management Agency. Situated in Dublin's North Docks, Northbank is located just 50 meters from Kennedy Wilson's existing 84-unit Liffey Trust apartments. The two buildings benefit from great transport links as the LUAS Red line is immediately adjacent connecting to Dublin's city centre and main train stations in five minutes.

05:09 EDT Hutchison China MediTech initiates fruquintinib U.S. clinical trials - Hutchison China MediTech has initiated the United States Phase I bridging clinical trial of fruquintinib. Fruquintinib is a highly selective and potent oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, or VEGFR, 1, 2 and 3, that has met its primary endpoint in several Phase II and III clinical trials in China for the treatment of colorectal, lung and gastric cancers. The clinical study in the U.S. is a multi-center, open-label, Phase I clinical study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of fruquintinib in U.S. patients with advanced solid tumors. The first drug dose was administered earlier this month. Additional details about this study may be found at clinicaltrials.gov, using identifier NCT03251378.