Stockwinners Market Radar for January 04, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:28 EDT Apple confirms Meltdown, Spectre vulnerabilities affect Mac, iOS devices - Apple said on the support page of its websites that security researchers have recently uncovered security issues known by two names, Meltdown and Spectre. These issues apply to all modern processors and affect nearly all computing devices and operating systems. All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected, but there are no known exploits impacting customers at this time. "Since exploiting many of these issues requires a malicious app to be loaded on your Mac or iOS device, we recommend downloading software only from trusted sources such as the App Store," the company said. "Apple has already released mitigations in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2 to help defend against Meltdown. Apple Watch is not affected by Meltdown. In the coming days we plan to release mitigations in Safari to help defend against Spectre. We continue to develop and test further mitigations for these issues and will release them in upcoming updates of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS."

17:41 EDT FTD Companies names Steven Barnhart CFO - FTD Companies announced the appointment of Steven Barnhart, a veteran financial and e-commerce leader, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective Jan. 8, 2018. Barnhart brings to FTD extensive prior experience as a public company chief financial officer and has a track record of delivering growth and profitability, maximizing shareholder value, and developing and executing on corporate strategy at leading consumer and e-commerce organizations. Most recently Barnhart served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Bankrate.

17:36 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Aehr Test Systems (AEHR), up 6%... Sonic (SONC), up 5.6%. ALSO HIGHER: WSI Industries (WSCI), up 15.7% after DPW Holdings reported a 7.76% stake in the company... Datawatch (DWCH), up 15.2% after Reuters reported that the company hired a financial adviser after drawing acquisition interest... ConforMIS (CFMS), up 13.5% after it said that a study shows that 100% of patients treated with iTotal CR achieve mechanical alignment in target range... YuMe (YUME), up 6.6% after RhythmOne plc commenced an exchange offer to acquire the company for cash and stock... Amarin (AMRN), up 5% after it provided preliminary 2017 results and 2018 outlook... T2 Biosystems (TTOO), up 2.8% after it guided for fourth quarter revenue above its prior forecast range... LexinFintech (LX), up 1.6% after KPartners disclosed a 14.4% stake in the company. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: PriceSmart (PSMT), down 6.7%. ALSO LOWER: Francesca's (FRAN), down 16.4% after it lowered its Q4 guidance and provided FY17 guidance... Regenxbio (RGNX), down 16.3% after it guided for fiscal 2018 cash burn of $85M-$95M... Novan (NOVN), down 10.4% after filing to sell common stock and warrants... OncoMed (OMED), down 9.6% after CEO Paul Hastings resigned... Scynexis (SCYX), down 9.1% after it said it plans to restart clinical trials with IV SCY-078 in Q3... Oneok (OKE), down 3.6% after filing to sell 19M shares of common stock... AveXis (AVXS), down 0.7% after it said it was aligned with the FDA on the next step toward a BLA submission for AVXS-101.

17:16 EDT Barnes & Noble sees FY18 comparable store sales decline in mid-single digits - Based on the holiday sales results, Barnes & Noble expects comparable store sales to decline in the mid-single digits and consolidated EBITDA to be in a range of $140M-$160M for FY18, excluding any unusual or non-recurring items.

17:13 EDT DPW Holdings reports 7.76% stake in WSI Industries

17:05 EDT Xilinx CEO Moshe Gavrielov to retire, Victor Peng to succeed - Xilinx (XLNX) announced that its board of directors has appointed Victor Peng as president and CEO, effective January 29. Peng will become the fourth CEO in Xilinx's history and takes the helm of the global market leader of programmable semiconductor products at a time of increasing momentum and opportunity. Most recently, he served as COO and was appointed as a member of the board of directors in October 2017. Before joining Xilinx, Peng served as corporate vice president of the graphics products group silicon engineering at AMD (AMD). Xilinx, also announced that CEO and president Moshe Gavrielov has informed the company's board of directors that he is retiring from the company and the board, effective January 28.

17:02 EDT Berkshire Hills to ovver $1,000 bonuses to over 1000 employees after tax reform - Berkshire Hills Bnacorp, the parent of Berkshire Bank, announced additional investments in its employees and communities following the recent passage of federal tax reform legislation. These investments include: Raising Berkshire's minimum wage to $15 per hour; Providing a special, one-time bonus of $1000 to over 1000 employees. This grant benefits all full-time employees below a certain compensation threshold, covering over 70% of the Bank's workforce, and augments the special $500 holiday bonus these colleagues received in the fourth quarter; Enhancing Berkshire's investment in employee development and training programs to benefit our employees and bolster our current offering at AMEBU - American's Most Exciting Bank University; Contributing $2 million to the Berkshire Bank Charitable Foundation which supports charitable organizations, scholarships, and volunteerism across Berkshire's local communities. This will bolster the foundation's endowment and allow for increased local giving.

16:54 EDT WSFS Financial announces actions that will reduce Q4 EPS by 71c-74c - As a result of the reduction in the corporate income tax rate, WSFS is required to revalue its net deferred tax asset, or DTA, at December 31, 2017. WSFS estimates the revaluation of its DTA will result in an incremental income tax charge of approximately $12M-$13M in Q4 of 2017. The company anticipates a negative earnings per share impact of approximately 37c-40c resulting from this income tax charge. WSFS expects to recover this charge through lower taxes by the end of Q3 in 2018. Additionally, in light of the current higher interest rate environment, the lower corporate tax rate, and the tax-equivalized yield on its Bank-Owned Life Insurance, or BOLI, investments, WSFS will surrender all BOLI policies in 2018, as the returns on such policies are no longer accretive to the company's expected high-performance goals for return on assets. The decision to surrender the policies was based on ongoing administrative complexity and a reduction in insured interest coverage, as a significant majority of those insured are no longer current associates. WSFS' decision to surrender the policies will result in an incremental income tax charge of approximately $8M in Q4 of 2017. The company anticipates an impact on EPS of approximately 25c resulting from this income tax charge. The timing to surrender the BOLI policies in conjunction with the new tax rates represents a $3.6M savings over the prior tax rate environment. Additionally, WSFS will record a pre-tax operating expense of approximately $2.8M from a fraud loss in Q4 of 2017, resulting from a scheme to defraud the bank that was previously disclosed in a current report on June 22, 2017. The company anticipates an impact on EPS of approximately 6c resulting from this pre-tax operating expense. Overall, the actions in this announcement are expected to reduce reported after-tax income by $22.8M- $23.8M in Q4 of 2017, or 71c-74c in EPS.

16:46 EDT Mallinckrodt successfully completes stannsoporfin NDA filing - Mallinckrodt announced it has successfully completed the rolling submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S.FDA to seek approval of its recently acquired developmental product stannsoporfin. If approved, the drug is expected to become the first and only pharmacologic option in the U.S. indicated for treatment of neonates at risk for developing severe hyperbilirubinemia, or severe jaundice.

16:44 EDT LATAM Airlines sees FY18 operating margin 7.5%-9.5% - Having reviewed its operational projections for 2018, the company is estimating an operating margin for the full year 2018 in the range of 7.5%-9.5%.

16:36 EDT Chase Corporation acquires Stewart Superabsorbents for $71.4M - Chase Corporation acquired Stewart Superabsorbents, an advanced superabsorbent polymer formulator and solutions provider, with operations located in Hickory and McLeansville, NC. In the most recently completed calendar year, SSA and its recently acquired Zappa-Tec business had combined revenue in excess of $24M. Chase expects this acquisition to be immediately accretive to its earnings. The business was acquired for a purchase price of $71,382,000, net of cash acquired, pending any working capital adjustments and excluding acquisition-related costs. As part of this transaction, Chase acquired all equity of the business and entered into multiyear leases at both locations. The purchase was funded from a combination of a $65,000,000 draw on Chase's existing revolving credit facility and available cash on hand. The transaction was effective December 31, 2017. Chase Corporation will continue to manufacture and market under the Zappa Stewart brands and locations, with plans to integrate Zappa Stewart into its ERP platform in the coming months to further enhance existing operational, development and engineering expertise.

16:33 EDT Dollar Tree settles lawsuit related to selling 330 stores to Dollar Express - On January 4, Dollar Tree reported that the company has settled a previously reported lawsuit relating to the company's November 2015 divestiture of 330 Family Dollar stores to Dollar Express , a portfolio company of Sycamore Partners. Under the terms of the settlement, Sycamore Partners and Dollar Express paid the company $35M. In connection therewith, the parties to the lawsuit agreed to mutual releases and dismissal of the litigation claims and counterclaims with prejudice.The company had previously evaluated the collectability of certain receivables from Dollar Express relating to the Divestiture. Based on information then available, the company determined that outstanding amounts totaling $53.5M were not recoverable and recorded impairment charges to write down the receivables to zero. The settlement of the litigation is expected to result in a partial reversal of the receivables impairment in the amount of $35M in the company's fiscal fourth quarter 2017 condensed consolidated income statement.

16:31 EDT RTI Surgical acquires Zyga Technology, terms not disclosed - RTI Surgical signed an agreement to acquire Zyga Technology with closing subject to filing with the state of Delaware. Zyga Technology is a leading spine-focused medical device company that develops and produces innovative minimally invasive devices to treat underserved conditions of the lumbar spine. Zyga Technology's primary product is the SImmetry Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System. The sacroiliac joint fusion market has seen significant growth in recent years and is estimated currently to be a $100 million market in the United States. By 2024, the SIJF market in the US is expected to exceed $200 million, anticipated to be driven mainly by an increase in procedure volumes and adoption by new surgeons. Zyga Technology is a private company with approximately 30 employees and approximately $4 million in annual revenue. Upon closing, RTI Surgical will fund the acquisition through a combination of cash and borrowing under its existing credit facility. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The agreement has been executed as of today, January 4, 2018, by both parties. Closing will occur following the re-opening of the Delaware Department of State, which is presently closed due to inclement weather.

16:24 EDT Kite Realty Group promotes David Buell to SVP Chief Accounting Officer - Kite Realty Group announced that David Buell has been promoted to the role of SVP Chief Accounting Officer, effective January 1. Mr. Buell previously served as the company's Corporate Controller, a position he had held since 2014. Mr. Buell replaces Thomas Olinger, who retired from the company. "Dave has been an instrumental member of our management team since his arrival in 2010, and we are excited to welcome him to his new role. His exceptional acumen and professionalism are second to none, and the team is looking forward to his continued success," said John Kite, Chief Executive Officer. "Tom has been a trusted and valued member of the Kite team as our CAO, and we are very thankful for his service and contribution during his 13-year tenure with the company."

16:21 EDT Aflac names Virgil Miller COO of Aflac U.S. - Aflac Incorporated announced changes for two key executives as part of its ongoing U.S. Operations strategy. Virgil R. Miller has been promoted to president of Aflac Group Insurance and executive vice president; chief operating officer, Aflac U.S., reporting to Teresa L. White, president of Aflac U.S. In his new role, Miller is responsible for the strategic leadership and overall direction of operations at Aflac Group, as well as operations for Aflac U.S. Additionally, Jamie A. Lee has been promoted to senior vice president and chief service officer, Aflac U.S., reporting to Miller.

16:21 EDT Kite Realty Group names David Buell SVP, Chief Accounting Officer - Kite Realty Group announced that David Buell has been promoted to the role of Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, effective January 1, 2018. Buell previously served as the company's Corporate Controller, a position he had held since 2014. Buell replaces Thomas Olinger, who retired from the company. Before joining the company, Buell was a Senior Manager at KPMG LLP.

16:17 EDT Mercury Systems awarded $12M order for radio frequency modules - Mercury Systems announced it received a $12 million order from a leading defense prime contractor for SWaP-optimized radio frequency modules ready for integration into an advanced electronic warfare system. The order was booked in the company's Q2 and is expected to be shipped over the next several quarters.

16:14 EDT Orbital ATK sings cooperative pact with U.S. Airforce SMC - Orbital ATK announced it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. The CRADA provides the framework and plan for data exchanges needed to certify Orbital ATK's Next Generation Launch system to carry National Security Space missions. Orbital ATK is currently in early production of development hardware for NGL. To date, the company has jointly invested with the Air Force more than $200M to develop the NGL rocket family. The next phase of the NGL program is expected to begin when the Air Force awards Launch Services Agreements in mid-2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at company facilities in Promontory and Magna, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; Chandler, Arizona; Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

16:11 EDT Rexford Industrial provides update on recent "At the Market" stock program - Rexford Industrial Realty announced that, under its "At the Market" stock offering program, the company issued an aggregate of 596,448 shares of common stock during the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The shares were issued at a weighted average offering price of $30.44 per share, receiving gross proceeds of approximately $18.2M and net proceeds of approximately $17.9M. The company used the net proceeds of the ATM to fund acquisitions, repay indebtedness and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

16:10 EDT Oneok to invest approximately $1.4B to construct new pipeline - ONEOK announced plans to invest approximately $1.4B to construct a new pipeline, and related infrastructure, to transport natural gas liquids from the Rocky Mountain region to the company's existing Mid-Continent NGL facilities. The Elk Creek Pipeline - an approximately 900-mile, 20-inch diameter pipeline that is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 - will have the capacity to transport up to 240,000 barrels per day of unfractionated NGLs from near the company's Riverview terminal in eastern Montana to Bushton, Kansas. The Elk Creek Pipeline is expected to cost approximately $1.2B, with related infrastructure costs expected to total approximately $200M. The pipeline will have the capability to be expanded to 400,000 bpd with additional pump facilities.

16:07 EDT Cerner, Adventist Health expand partnership - Adventist Health announced an expansion of its partnership with Cerner. Adventist Health and Cerner have a longstanding strategic alignment and shared goal to further improve the quality of care and the patient experience using technology and more coordinated services. Through this expansion, Cerner will assume day-to-day management of Adventist Health's revenue cycle and clinical applications IT staff.

16:06 EDT OncoMed sees FY18 operating cash burn below $55M vs. $81.5M last year - The company states: "OncoMed (OMED) ended 2017 with approximately $103.1 million in cash. OncoMed's current cash is estimated to be sufficient to fund operations through at least the third quarter of 2019, without taking into account future potential milestone payments from partners. Full-year net cash burn for 2017 was approximately $81.5 million, in accordance with the company's 2017 guidance. OncoMed estimates 2018 operating cash burn to be less than $55 million, before considering potential milestones/opt-ins. Enrollment has concluded in the Phase 1a/b clinical program of rosmantuzumab that included five patients harboring a RSPO3 gene fusion, as well as patients with high RSPO3 gene expression levels. OncoMed's clinical experience to date in treating these patients has failed to provide compelling evidence of clinical benefit. The company expects that data from the Phase 1 study will be presented at a future medical conference and is discussing next steps with its partner Celgene (CELG)".

16:03 EDT AveXis aligns with FDA on next step in BLA submission for AVXS-101 - AveXis provided an update following the receipt of minutes from the end-of-Phase 1 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted on December 5, 2017, regarding the company's primary gene therapy candidate, AVXS-101, for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy Type 1. The goal of the end-of-Phase 1 meeting was to review the non-clinical, clinical and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls data that has been generated by AveXis to date, and to align with the FDA on next steps leading to a Biologics License Application submission. The FDA provided detailed information requests in each of the areas discussed, which the company plans to address by submitting the requested information to the investigational new drug application on an on-going basis. AveXis has been working on many of these areas of focus in anticipation of the requests at some point during the review process. AveXis also plans to provide available data from its on-going pivotal trial of AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1 prior to the pre-BLA meeting. The general purpose of the pre-BLA meeting is to outline what information is to be submitted in the BLA and how that information will be submitted. AveXis intends to make the requested data submissions to the IND in advance of the pre-BLA meeting, which may allow the meeting itself to focus on how the BLA and supportive information will be submitted.

16:02 EDT Apple: App Store customers made $300M purchases on New Year's Day - Apple said that App Store customers around the world made apps and games a bigger part of their holiday season in 2017 than ever before, culminating in $300M in purchases made on New Year's Day 2018. During the week starting on Christmas Eve, a record number of customers made purchases or downloaded apps from the App Store, spending over $890M in that seven-day period.

15:57 EDT ATS Group acquires Willbros Tank Services, terms not disclosed - ATS Group announced the strategic acquisition of Willbros Tank Services from Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. The closing was completed effective January 1, 2018. The expanded company will operate as ATS Group, LLC.

15:54 EDT DLT Solutions awarded DoD enterprise software contract for ForeScout products - DLT Solutions announced that it was awarded an enterprise software initiative blanket purchase agreement on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense to help secure data from traditional and Internet of Things-connected devices, and accelerate automated incident response to breaches, with ForeScout software and services. The contract has a three-year base period with two one-year options. ForeScout products available through the ESI BPA include CounterACT, CounterACT Enterprise Manager, Extended Modules, and ControlFabric Architecture.

15:37 EDT CSPC announces HP Inc. battery recall for fire and burn hazards - Lithium-ion batteries for HP Inc. notebook computers and mobile workstations are being recalled due to fire and burn hazards potentially caused by the batteries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This recall involves lithium-ion batteries for HP Notebook computers and mobile workstations. There has been eight reports of battery packs overheating, melting, or charring, including three reports of property damage totaling $4,500 with one report of a minor injury involving a first degree burn to the hand. Reference Link

15:26 EDT Senrigan Capital reports 5.3% passive stake in JA Solar

14:26 EDT Houston Wire & Cable holder D3 makes suggestions in letter to company - In a letter sent by David Nierenberg's D3 Funds, the holder of a 9% stake in Houston Wire & Cable, to the Chairman of the board of directors of the company, D3 gives its updated thoughts on four suggestions it had previously made for the company to drive profitable revenue growth; continue to increase insider ownership of HWCC shares; consider further evolutionary changes in board membership; and use free cash flow to halve debt. In the letter, D3 states: "Since filing our 13D in late September, 2016, six recent developments corroborated our thesis about HWCC's up-side potential, leading us to continue buying shares, while simultaneous broad macro developments increased our send of urgency about HWCC's repositioning itself for accelerated growth."

14:25 EDT HBO confirms 'Game of Thrones' to return in 2019 for final season - Time Warner's HBO said that fantasy series "Game of Thrones" will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019. David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik will be the directors for the new season. Writers for the new season are David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill.

14:09 EDT FRONTEO Inc (ADS) trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:55 EDT CBOE Holdings reports December Options ADV up 12.4% y/y - Reports December Futures ADV up 42% year over year. Reports December U.S. Equities ADV down 14.2% year over year.

13:32 EDT Norwest Venture sells PCA SKIN to Colgate-Palmolive, terms not disclosed - Norwest Venture Partners announced it has sold PCA SKIN to Colgate-Palmolive Company. PCA SKIN is a player in medical-grade in-office and take-home skin care products, with professionally dispensed products and treatments available in more than 13,000 medical and aesthetic practices globally. This acquisition enables Colgate-Palmolive to expand its portfolio of personal care products through the addition of PCA SKIN's highly effective professional skin treatments and daily care products. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

13:15 EDT Hyundai announces partnership with self-driving startup Aurora - Hyundai Motor (HYMLF) and Aurora, an autonomous vehicle technology company, announced a strategic partnership to bring self-driving Hyundai vehicles to market by 2021. This partnership will incorporate Aurora's self-driving technology into Hyundai vehicles starting with models custom-developed and launched in test programs and pilot cities. Over the longer term, Hyundai and Aurora will work to commercialize self-driving vehicles worldwide. To start, the partnership will focus on the ongoing development of hardware and software for automated and autonomous driving and the back-end data services required for Level 4 automation. Level 4 autonomous vehicles defined by SAE can operate without human input or oversight under select conditions. The goal of the partnership is to deploy autonomous driving quickly, broadly and safely. The Financial Times reported this morning that Volkswagen (VLKAY) had also reached a partnership with Aurora.

13:01 EDT Mercer appoints Adolf Koppensteiner COO - Mercer International announced that Adolf Koppensteiner has been appointed COO of the company effective January 1. Koppensteiner continues to serve as a managing director of the company's Stendal mill, a position he has held since June 2013. Prior thereto, he served as mill manager of the company's Rosenthal Mill since joining the company in 2007.

12:51 EDT LivaNova reports first patient enrolled in RESTORE-LIFE depression study - LivaNova announced the launch and enrollment of the first patient in the post-market study to assess short-, mid- and long-term effectiveness and efficiency of Vagus Nerve Stimulation therapy as adjunctive therapy in real-world patients with difficult to treat depression, dubbed the "RESTORE-LIFE" study. This study will evaluate the use of LivaNova's VNS Therapy System in patients who have treatment-resistant depression and have failed to achieve an adequate response to standard psychiatric management. RESTORE-LIFE will enroll a minimum of 500 patients who will be implanted with VNS Therapy at up to 80 sites, currently under way internationally outside of the United States. Patients will undergo follow-up for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years to evaluate changes in clinical symptoms in response to VNS Therapy. The study's primary endpoint is response at one year, defined as a reduction in total score on the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale of at least 50% from the patient's baseline score. Secondary endpoints will be evaluated as well, including factors such as quality of life, patient function, health care utilization and adjunctive antidepressant treatments.

12:17 EDT WiLAN announces IP framework agreement with TSMC - Wi-LAN, a Quarterhill (QTRH) company, announced that it has entered into a new seven-year intellectual property framework agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM). The new framework agreement grants TSMC certain rights under semiconductor process technology patents currently owned by WiLAN. The agreement also establishes an annual subscription basis for TSMC to obtain rights to certain future semiconductor process technology patents acquired by WiLAN. The framework further includes patent assignments to TSMC based on a mutually agreed selection process. This agreement is separate from the agreement announced by WiLAN on April 1, 2016 regarding the Polaris Innovations Limited portfolio, which remains in place. All other terms of the agreement are confidential.

12:01 EDT SEC says many cryptocurrency markets not following securities laws - Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton along with Commissioners Kara Stein and Michael Piwowar issued a statement commending the North American Securities Administrators Association for "highlighting important issues and concerns related to cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings and other cryptocurrency-related investment products." The SEC's statement reads in part, "NASAA's release is a timely and thoughtful reminder to Main Street investors to exercise caution. The release recognizes that cryptocurrencies, while touted as replacements for traditional currencies, lack many important characteristics of traditional currencies, including sovereign backing and responsibility, and now are being promoted more as investment opportunities than efficient mediums for exchange. The NASAA release also reminds investors that when they are offered and sold securities they are entitled to the benefits of state and federal securities laws, and that sellers and other market participants must follow these laws. Unfortunately, it is clear that many promoters of ICOs and others participating in the cryptocurrency-related investment markets are not following these laws. The SEC and state securities regulators are pursuing violations, but we again caution you that, if you lose money, there is a substantial risk that our efforts will not result in a recovery of your investment." Reference Link

11:53 EDT PSEG slides after nuclear subsidy bill vote scuttled - Shares of electric utility Public Service Enterprise Group (PEG) are sliding after a bill that would have asked ratepayers for additional funds to support the company's nuclear units, which was expected to be voted on today in New Jersey's Senate, faltered in the lower house. WHAT'S NEW: The bill, S-3560, was pushed by PSEG for more than a year and would have asked ratepayers for $300M annually to "prop up" the company's three nuclear units in South Jersey, according to a report from NJ Spotlight. However, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto balked at posting it, the report noted, adding that the bill is "almost certain to emerge in a much different form in the next legislative term." PSEG declined to answer questions about the bill when asked about it being pulled, NJ Spotlight added in its report on the bill. PRICE ACTION: In late morning trading, PSEG shares are down $1.32, or 2.6%, to $49.42. Reference Link

11:44 EDT Amazon reports cooking capabilities in Alexa Smart Home Skill API - Amazon says, "Customers have now connected tens of millions of smart home devices to Alexa, including cameras, door locks, lights, entertainment systems, and thermostats. Today we are excited to introduce cooking capabilities as part of the Smart Home Skill API. Now you can build skills to enable customers in the US to control their microwave ovens using Alexa. Support for other cooking devices, such as conventional ovens, is coming soon. Cooking capabilities will also be available in other countries soon.Customers are increasingly using voice user interfaces as a hands-free way to manage their lives, and hands-free control is especially valuable when cooking. With the built-in cooking device controls in the Smart Home Skill API, you will make it easier for your customers to control your cloud-connected microwave. Instead of pressing multiple buttons to enable advanced microwave features, your customers can now use their voices." Reference Link

11:28 EDT Facebook CEO Zuckerberg: Personal challenge to fix Facebook's abuse issues - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "Every year I take on a personal challenge to learn something new. I've visited every US state, run 365 miles, built an AI for my home, read 25 books, and learned Mandarin... The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do -- whether it's protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent. My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues. We won't prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools. If we're successful this year then we'll end 2018 on a much better trajectory.This may not seem like a personal challenge on its face, but I think I'll learn more by focusing intensely on these issues than I would by doing something completely separate. These issues touch on questions of history, civics, political philosophy, media, government, and of course technology. I'm looking forward to bringing groups of experts together to discuss and help work through these topics." Reference Link

11:12 EDT Nintendo: Switch console has sold more than 4.8M units in the U.S. - Nintendo said the Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling home video game system in U.S. history. The home console that players can take wherever they go launched March 3, 2017, and in 10 months has sold more than 4.8 million units in the United States, according to Nintendo's internal sales figures. That's the highest total for the first 10 months of any home video game system in U.S. history, surpassing Nintendo's own Wii system, which was the previous record holder with more than 4 million units sold during the same timeframe. More than 300 games created by third-party developers have already launched for Nintendo Switch.

10:55 EDT Dexcom sinks after Abbott receives Medicare coverage for Libre - Shares of Dexcom (DXCM) are moving lower after Abbott (ABT) this morning announced that FreeStyle Libre, its new continuous glucose monitoring system, is now available to Medicare patients. Libre has met the codes for therapeutic continuous glucose monitoring systems used for coverage by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the company announced. Coverage includes all Medicare patients with diabetes who use insulin and who meet the eligibility criteria, it added. Shares of Dexcom, which markets a competing continuous glucose monitoring system, are down 9% to $52.96 in morning trading.

10:38 EDT Ebix to acquire MTSS business from Transcorp International for $7.4M - Ebix announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Money Transfer Service Scheme Business of Transcorp International for approximately $7.4M, through one of its Indian subsidiaries. Transcorp International Inward Remittance Exchange encompasses 7,500 Distribution Outlets, 40 Branches, processing approximately 1.7M Transactions Per Annum. The agreement while approved by the Transcorp International Board, is subject to its shareholders and other regulatory/commercial approvals. The customary process for such approvals can take a timeline of 45 to 60 days. The acquisition once approved, is expected to be accretive to Ebix earnings immediately. The company funded the transaction using its internal cash reserves. Ebix did not use any investment bankers for the transaction.

10:04 EDT Globant collaborates with Google Cloud on comprehensive OTT solution - Globant (GLOB) announced a collaboration with Google (GOOG) Cloud to offer an end-to-end OTT platform solution for the media and entertainment industry. This integrated offering leverages Google Cloud's Anvato Media Content Platform for content ingestion, metadata management, analytics, and server-side ad insertion, and Globant's Signal OTT Application Platform, for video app creation, ongoing curation and content management, and application UX updates across all major consumer devices such as Roku, iOS, Xbox, Android, and more.

09:55 EDT Monsanto not providing guidance citing pending Bayer deal - Monsanto not providing FY18 financial guidance citing pending Bayer (BAYRY) deal. Expects yield annual savings of $500M in 2018. Says does not expect FY18 tax rate to exceed 30%. Sees improved pricing in glyphosate-based herbicides.

09:29 EDT Allstate announce senior leadership changes, names Mario Rizzo as CFO - Allstate announced three senior leadership promotions in preparation for the retirement of Matt Winter, President of The Allstate Corporation. The promotions include Steve Shebik to Vice Chairman of The Allstate Corporation, Glenn Shapiro to President of Allstate Personal Lines and Mario Rizzo to CFO. Shebik will oversee Allstate Life and Retirement, Allstate Benefits, Encompass, Esurance, Property-Liability Alternative Segments, Business Transformation, Finance, and D3, a corporate analytics team. He has successfully held numerous senior roles at Allstate over the last 22 years, most recently as CFO. He will continue reporting to Wilson. Shapiro has been promoted to President of Allstate Personal Lines, overseeing product, claims, operations, risk, finance and distribution. He has more than 28 years of property-liability experience and joined Allstate in 2016 as Executive Vice President, Allstate Personal Lines Claims. Rizzo is promoted to Executive Vice President and CFO, reporting to Shebik. Rizzo has served as CFO of Allstate Personal Lines as well as corporate Treasurer.

09:26 EDT Rexahn appoints Douglas Swirsky as CFO - Rexahn Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Douglas Swirsky as its president and CFO, effective immediately. Swirsky was most recently President, CEO and a director of GenVec.

09:24 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance says continues to look at M&A in 'disciplined way' - Says tax reform makes U.S. a more desirable area for M&A.

09:22 EDT Casella Waste acquires Complete Disposal Co. and collection assets - Casella Waste has acquired all of the outstanding stock of Complete Disposal Company, and its subsidiary United Material Management of Holyoke, for a total consideration of up to $16.5M. The acquisition closed on January 2. Complete is an integrated solid waste services provider in the greater Holyoke, MA marketplace which is expected to generate approximately $17.0M of revenues in 2018. Also, on December 29, Casella acquired the commercial and residential collection assets from a hauler in Vermont for a total consideration of up to $1.8M.

09:18 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: RPM (RPM), up 4.3% after reporting quarterly results... Overstock (OSTK), up 2.4% after reporting plans for a new blockchain venture... Costco (COST), up 1.3% after reporting December same-store sales... Macy's (M), up 1.7% after reporting November/December comparable sales and updated fiscal 2017 guidance... Exelixis (EXEL), up 1.1% after announcing an amendment to the protocol for the phase 1b trial of cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors... pSivida (PSDV), up 7.1% after being granted a waiver by the FDA for a $2.4M NDA filing fee for Durasert three-year microinsert. LOWER: Tesla (TSLA), down 2.4% after pushing back its weekly Model 3 production rate goal to the second quarter... Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), down 2.7% after reporting quarterly results... Western Digital (WDC), down 1.2% after being downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

09:12 EDT ClearOne awarded new patent for video synchronization by USPTO - ClearOne has been awarded a new patent relating to ClearOne's video streaming technology. The USPTO issued a patent which enables, among other things, all of the video decoders playing back a stream of video to stay synchronized with the encoder, eliminating jerky, stuttering, video playback. This invention is used in the ClearOne VIEW Pro D110 decoder.

09:07 EDT Navistar partners with FleetUp for real-time fleet diagnostic services - Navistar is partnering with FleetUp, a provider of ELD/HOS compliance solutions for Intelligent Fleet Management, to create a comprehensive vehicle diagnostics and preventative maintenance solution using FleetUp's FMCSA-compliant electronic logging device and fleet management service technology. Integrating with Navistar's OnCommand Connection program, an open architecture diagnostics system, fleet managers have access to comprehensive information from all vehicles for real-time data analysis of vehicle performance.

09:03 EDT Williams-Sonoma introduces multi-channel specialty brand Robin - Williams-Sonoma announces the launch of Robin, a new multi-channel specialty brand within the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio focused on fostering healthier lifestyles through improved sleep quality. The Robin suite of products is designed to aid in sleep quality and wellness by promoting rest, renewal, and relaxation. The Robin collection of products will be sold in select stores and online by Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma Home. The brand's launch is anchored by the exclusive Robin Sleep System, which includes the Robin Pocket Spring Mattress Set and the SleepScore Max Sleep Improvement Monitor. Starting at $629, the Robin Sleep System offers a convenient path to healthier sleep.

09:02 EDT Abbott's glucose monitoring system available to Medicare patients - Abbott's new continuous glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle Libre System, is now available to Medicare patients, having met the codes for therapeutic CGM systems used for coverage by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Coverage includes all Medicare patients with diabetes who use insulin and who meet the eligibility criteria. The factory-calibrated FreeStyle Libre system is the only CGM system recognized by Medicare that requires no user calibration whatsoever.

09:02 EDT Penumbra announces formation of MVI Health JV - Penumbra announced it has entered into a joint venture called MVI Health Inc., for the purpose of exploring healthcare applications of virtual reality technology with Sixense Enterprises, Inc. MVI Health will be headquartered in Alameda, and will be supported by investments from Penumbra and license, intellectual property and other resource contributions from Sixense Enterprises.

08:56 EDT Overstock rises after reporting plans for new blockchain venture - In a regulatory filing last night, Overstock.com disclosed that on December 27 the company, its wholly owned subsidiary Medici Ventures, Patrick Byrne and Hernando de Soto entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that provides that the parties will form a company, "Desoto," that will be owned 50% by Medici, 33% by Hernando de Soto and 17% by Patrick Byrne, who is the CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Overstock, and also serves on the board of directors of Medici. The goal of the new company is to develop a blockchain-based system to develop a global property registry system focused on the property rights of people in the developing world. Overstock and/or Medici will pay or contribute $14M to help launch the project, $8M of which will be used to fund DeSoto, and Medici will receive a 50% ownership interest in DeSoto. Patrick Byrne personally will contribute $14M to help launch the project, and will receive a 17% ownership interest in DeSoto. Hernando de Soto will serve as Chairman of DeSoto and as a director of Medici. Patrick Byrne will serve as Co-Chairman and CEO of DeSoto, in addition to his positions with Overstock and Medici. "The MOU contemplates a more detailed future agreement, and provides that the parties will cooperate in good faith to reach more detailed agreements in the future," the filing added. In pre-market trading, Overstock has risen $1.95, or 2.7%, to $73.50 per share.

08:51 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance says 'optimistic' about future prospects - Says continuing to invest in key areas. Says sees no significant impact to guidance from Rite Aid (RAD) this year. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:50 EDT Park Electrochemical announces special dividend of $3.00 per share - Park announced that its board has declared a special cash dividend of $3.00 per share payable February 13, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 23, 2018. The special cash dividend will be funded from the company's cash balances.

08:49 EDT Scientific Games launches new line of instant games in three states - Scientific Games' new, proprietary line of instant games, HD Games, have launched in a number of U.S. states and "are performing well" according to the company. The Ohio Lottery tested HD Games products with Cashing Thru the Snow, a $2 holiday game launched in October 2017. Washington's Lottery opted to launch the $5 Seahawks Fever game as an HD Games product this year. The Montana Lottery just launched the new product as a $3 crossword game, Crossword Electro HD.

08:44 EDT EyeGate promotes Interim CFO Sarah Romano to CFO - EyeGate Pharmaceuticals announced the promotion of Sarah Romano from Interim CFO to CFO, effective January 1, 2018. Romano joined EyeGate in 2016 serving as Corporate Controller. She was promoted to Interim CFO on February 1, 2017.

08:41 EDT Park Electrochemical trading resumes

08:39 EDT Carnival to add new ships from four of its brands in 2018 - Carnival will launch four new cruise ships in 2018 across four of its 10 global brands - Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Seabourn and AIDA Cruises. The new ships are part of Carnival Corporation's ongoing fleet enhancement strategy with 18 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2018 and 2022.

08:37 EDT Revance estimates FY18 cash burn of $117M-$137M - Revance expects cash burn for 2018 to be in the range of $117M to $137M. Revance expects 2018 GAAP operating expense to be in the range of $128M to $154M, which when excluding depreciation of $1M to $3M and estimated stock-based compensation of $17M to $21M, results in projected 2018 non-GAAP operating expense of $110M to $130M, driven by increased research and development expenditure and launch preparation activities. With three clinical programs and preparations to file the Biologics License Application all underway, Revance anticipates 2018 GAAP research and development expense to be in the range of $84M to $101M, which when excluding depreciation of $1M to $2M and estimated stock-based compensation of $7M to $9M, results in projected 2018 non-GAAP research and development expense of $76M to $90M. Revance's unaudited shares outstanding as of December 31, 2017 were approximately 36.5M.

08:35 EDT Castle Brands announces bourbon inventory acquisitions - Castle Brands announced that it has purchased, or agreed to purchase, an additional $4.2M of aging and new-fill bourbon. These additional purchases bring Castle Brands total purchases of aging and new fill bourbon to $9.6M for the current fiscal year.

08:35 EDT NuVasive extends porous interbody to TLIF and PLIF procedures - NuVasive launched its COALESCE Thoracolumbar Interbody Fusion Device and received FDA 510(k) clearance for expanded indications of its COHERE Cervical Interbody Fusion Device. The launch and updated claims follow the NuVasive September 2017 acquisition of Vertera Spine, developers of interbody implants for spinal fusion using patented porous polyetheretherketone technology. COALESCE is now commercially available for TLIF and PLIF procedures in multiple footprint, height and lordotic options, and is magnetic resonance compatible. The expanded FDA 510(k) indications for COHERE allow it to be used at multiple levels in the cervical spine with both autograft and allograft.

08:34 EDT Apollo Commercial completes over $2B of transactions in 2017 - Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance announced that with the completion of the company's investment activity in December, ARI committed to over $2B of new investments in 2017, a record year for the company. "ARI achieved several major milestones in 2017, investing in over $2B of commercial real estate loans across a broad spectrum of property types and geographies," said Stuart Rothstein, CEO and president of ARI. "As a result, ARI ended the year with a predominately floating-rate loan portfolio totaling approximately $3.7B. The company continues to expand its market presence and we believe ARI's reputation as a creative, reliable capital source enabled the company to have a record year of loan originations in 2017. In addition, through active capital management throughout the year, we strengthened ARI's balance sheet and diversified its sources of capital, which will enable the company to fund its robust investment pipeline in 2018."

08:32 EDT Lamb Weston sees FY18 net sales up MSD vs. previous view of LSD to MSD - The company expects: Net sales to grow mid-single digits, with price/mix and volume growth improving in the second half of fiscal 2018 as new pricing structures for an increasing number of customer contracts become effective and as the Company's new production capacity in Richland, Washington becomes available. The Company's previous estimate was for net sales to grow low-to-mid single digits. Adjusted EBITDA including unconsolidated joint ventures to be in the range of $780 million to $790 million, including higher selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2018 due to the full-year impact of incremental costs associated with being a stand-alone public company, as well as higher advertising and promotional expense in support of the introduction of the Company's Grown in Idaho product line in retail. Using the mid-point of the range, this represents an increase of approximately 13% percent versus a fiscal 2017 pro forma Adjusted EBITDA including unconsolidated joint ventures of $692 million. The Company's previous estimate was for Adjusted EBITDA including unconsolidated joint ventures to be in the range of $740 million to $760 million. Total interest expense for fiscal 2018 to continue to be in the range of $105 million to $110 million, which is an increase of approximately $45 million to $50 million from fiscal 2017 due to the full-year impact of the Company's capital structure after the spinoff from Conagra. Cash used for capital expenditures to be approximately $250 million for fiscal 2018, an increase of $25 million versus the previous estimate of $225 million. This increase primarily relates to costs associated with the initial phase of construction of a new production line at our Hermiston, Oregon facility. The Company is continuing to evaluate the effect on its effective tax rate of the tax reform legislation (the "Act") that was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The Act lowers the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, and sets forth other provisions that may affect the Company's effective tax rate for fiscal 2018. As a result, the Act will result in a blended effective tax rate for the Company for fiscal 2018 that is lower than the Company's original estimated range of 33 to 34 percent.

08:21 EDT Park Electrochemical trading halted, news pending

08:17 EDT USA Technologies announces expanded agreement with Jackson Brothers of the South - USA Technologies announced an expanded agreement with Jackson Brothers of the South. Through the agreement, USAT is upgrading an additional 750 machines to USAT's state-of-the-art cashless technology platform and telemetry services. Included in the upgrade are 100 ePort Interactives, USAT's next-generation, interactive content delivery and payments platform, which will be connected to 100 select Jackson Brothers machines.

08:15 EDT Onconova announces CRADA for rigosertib with NCI - Onconova Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, with the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Under the terms of the CRADA, the NCI will conduct research, including preclinical laboratory studies and a clinical trial, on rigosertib in pediatric cancer associated RASopathies. The RASopathies are a group of rare diseases which share a well-defined molecular basis in expression or defects involving Ras Effector Pathways. They are usually caused by germline mutations in genes that alter the RAS subfamily and mitogen-activated protein kinases that control signal transduction, and are among the most common genetic syndromes.

08:12 EDT Celsion announces FDA clearance of OVATION II study - Celsion announced that the FDA, following the customary 30 day review period, has accepted its submission without comment, providing clearance for the OVATION II Study, the Company's planned Phase I/II clinical trial of GEN-1, its DNA-based immunotherapy for the localized treatment of ovarian cancer. The Phase I/II trial was developed with extensive input from the Company's Medical Advisory Board. The OVATION II Study builds on the highly promising clinical and translational research data from the Phase IB dose-escalating OVATION Study where enrolled patients received escalating weekly doses of GEN-1, for 8 treatments in total, in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by interval debulking surgery. This next Phase I/II study is designed with a single dose escalation phase to 100 mg/m2 to identify a safe and tolerable dose of GEN-1 while maximizing an immune response, followed by a continuation at the selected dose in Phase II in an open label, 1:1 randomized design up to 90 patients with Stage III/IV ovarian cancer at up to fifteen U.S. centers. The study is powered to show a 33% improvement in the primary endpoint, progression-free survival, or PFS, when comparing GEN-1 with neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. Progression-free survival for patients treated per protocol in the Phase IB OVATION Study continues to be followed. Of the thirteen patients who received GEN-1 treatment in all four dose escalating cohorts, only four patients' cancer has progressed to-date. This compares favorably to the historical median progression-free survival of 12 months for newly-diagnosed patients with Stage III and IV ovarian cancer that undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery.

08:11 EDT Macy's expects $300M savings from cost management activities - The company said, "The company is taking actions intended to continue improvements in organizational efficiency and to allocate resources to support its growth strategy. Major components of these restructuring activities include: Staffing adjustments across the stores organization with reductions in some stores and increases in others; Further streamlining in some non-store functions; and, Closure of 11 stores in early 2018. The company expects annual expense savings of $300M from these actions beginning in fiscal-year 2018, which it intends to reinvest in the business. Also associated with these actions, the company anticipates one-time charges of approximately $160M, or approximately 33c per share, to be booked in the fourth quarter of 2017 for restructuring activities, asset impairment, store closings and other costs.

08:10 EDT Pingtan Marine Enterprise sells fish products on JD.com - Pingtan Marine Enterprise (PME) announced that the company's fish products have gone online on JD.com (JD) and will be available to consumers. The company has first launched three of its fish products including pomfret, yellow croaker and ribbon fish cuts on JD.com, and it expects to launch more products in the future.

08:09 EDT Exelixis amends protocol for Phase 1b cabozantinib/atezolizumab trial - Exelixis announced an amendment to the protocol for the phase 1b trial of cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The amendment adds four new expansion cohorts to the trial, which will now include patients with NSCLC and CRPC, in addition to previously included patients with renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. The primary objective in the expansion stage of this trial remains to determine the objective response rate in each cohort. New expansion cohorts include the following: patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC without a defined tumor genetic alteration who have not received prior therapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor; patients with NSCLC without a defined tumor genetic alteration who have progressed following treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor; patients with UC who have progressed following treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor; patients with CRPC who have previously received enzalutamide and/or abiraterone acetate and experienced radiographic disease progression in soft tissue.

08:08 EDT Protagonist Therapeutics granted two U.S. patents for peptide drug candidates - Protagonist Therapeutics announced that two new U.S. patents have been issued for the company's novel peptide drug candidates, PTG-100 and PTG-300. The first patent covers methods of treating inflammatory bowel diseases with PTG-100, an orally stable alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitor. PTG-100 is currently in Phase 2b testing in patients with moderate-to-severe, active ulcerative colitis. The new patent adds to two previously granted U.S. patents which also provide protection for the company's alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitors, including PTG-100. The second patent covers peptide analogues of hepcidin, including PTG-300, and related pharmaceutical compositions. PTG-300, the company's lead peptide hepcidin mimetic, recently completed a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers. Protagonist plans to initiate Phase 2 trials of PTG-300 in patients with beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndrome during 2018.

08:07 EDT Eiger BioPharmaceuticals completes enrollment of Phase 2 study of ubenimex - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced completion of enrollment of the Phase 2 ULTRA study. ULTRA is a randomized, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the effects of ubenimex in patients with primary and secondary lymphedema of the lower limbs. There is currently no FDA approved pharmacologic therapy for lymphedema. Compression garments and bandaging are the current standard of care. Ubenimex is a well-characterized, oral, small-molecule inhibitor of leukotriene A4 hydrolase, which blocks production of leukotriene B4, an inflammatory mediator implicated in lymphedema. A total of 54 patients were enrolled across sites in the United States and Australia. Results from the ULTRA study are expected in 2H18.

08:06 EDT ImmunoGen announces first patient dosed in Phase 1 IMGN632 study - ImmunoGen announced that the first patient has been treated with IMGN632 in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with CD123-positive hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. The Phase 1 trial in AML and BCPDN will follow a once every three week dosing schedule while in its dose-finding stage. The selected dose will then be used in expansion cohorts assessing IMGN632 in patients with BPDCN, AML, ALL, and other CD123-positive hematologic malignancies. This is the second clinical trial using IGNs, a new class of cancer-killing agents developed by ImmunoGen for use in ADCs. ImmunoGen recently reported findings from the Company's ongoing Phase 1 study of IMGN779 in patients with relapsed or refractory adult AML whose tumors express CD33. The data demonstrate that IMGN779 is well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities, pharmacokinetic exposures and pharmacodynamic CD33 saturation increasing with dose, and anti-leukemia activity observed in patients with poor prognostic features.

08:06 EDT REV Group forms strategic alliance with Daimler Buses - REV Group (REVG) announced that its subsidiary, REV Coach has been awarded the Daimler's (DDAIF) bus division North American sales rights to Setra Brand Coaches. Beginning January 2018, REV will sell Setra motor coaches in the U.S. and Canada. Visitors of the upcoming 2018 UMA Motorcoach EXPO in San Antonio, Texas will already find a Setra motor coach at REV's exhibition stand. REV Coach succeeds touring coach manufacturer Motor Coach Industries International as Daimler Buses general distributor in North America. To guarantee a smooth transition process long-term partner Motor Coach Industries International will remain in charge of after-sales service until June 29, 2018. Starting July 1, 2018, REV Coach will also be responsible for Setra's after-sales service. In addition to distribution of Setra coaches, the parties have agreed to a strategic partnership to jointly explore further opportunities in the North American market in the future.

08:05 EDT Foamix announces positive results from Phase 3 open-label safety extension study - Foamix Pharmaceuticals announced positive safety data for its Phase 3 open-label safety extension study, evaluating FMX-101 in moderate-to-severe acne for a treatment period of up to 1 year. The open-label safety extension enrolled a total of 657 patients, all of whom had completed 12 weeks of FMX-101 or vehicle treatment in the preceding double-blind phases of FX2014-04 or FX2014-05. Patients continued for up to an additional 40 weeks of open-label treatment with FMX-101. 291 patients completed a total of 52 weeks on FMX-101 therapy which is in excess of the subject sample size requirements specified in the regulatory guidance for this type of safety evaluation. The key findings from the study are as follows: Non-dermal adverse events were comparable in type and frequency with those reported during the double-blinded portion of FX2014-04 and FX2014-05. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse event was nasopharyngitis. In the open-label extension, 3 patients discontinued the study for non-dermal adverse events - abdominal pain, back pain. No serious drug-related adverse events were reported. Application site adverse events occurred in less than 2% of patients during the additional 40 weeks of open-label treatment with FMX-101. Four patients discontinued in the study for an application site adverse event - worsening of acne, contact dermatitis, and localized facial edema. In the assessment of facial dermal tolerability at Week 52, more than 95% of patients had "none" or "mild" signs and symptoms, and no severe local tolerability scores were recorded. Subject satisfaction with FMX-101 treatment remained high when re-assessed at Week 52 which was consistent with scores obtained at Week 12. "We are extremely encouraged that our comprehensive safety evaluation of FMX-101 has validated earlier data demonstrating that FMX-101 appears to be well tolerated, with an acceptable safety profile and very positive patient survey results in the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris," said David Domzalski, CEO of Foamix.

08:03 EDT Monsanto sees growth in pretax income for FY18 - Monsanto (MON) said it expects growth in its pretax income for fiscal year 2018, but did not provide specific financial guidance in light of the pending combination with Bayer (BAYRY). The expected growth drivers for Monsanto's business are continued improvements in pricing for glyphosate, plus the adoption of new technologies in Seeds and Genomics such as INTACTA RR2 PRO soybeans, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton, and new corn hybrids around the world. Gains from recent asset sales are also contributing to growth. The company will remain disciplined as it monitors the evolution of U.S. corn and soybean plantings through the spring. For Agricultural Productivity, volumes of XtendiMax Herbicide with VaporGrip Technology are expected to expand as acreage grows. The company continues to invest in the construction of its dicamba manufacturing plant in Luling, La., slated for completion in 2020. As communicated previously, the company expects to complete its restructuring and cost savings initiative that began in fiscal year 2015, with the expectation that selling, general and administrative costs and research and development expenses in fiscal year 2018 will be down slightly year over year. Once the initiative is completed, the company expects to realize annual savings of $500 million in fiscal year 2018 as compared to its fiscal year 2015 baseline. The company noted that benefits related to strategic asset sales and licensing contributions are expected to be about 30 percent below the roughly $350 million pre-tax average annual contribution for the last three years. In regards to the recent passage of the U.S. tax reform legislation, the company expects it to have a positive impact on the company's effective tax rate, beginning in fiscal year 2019. For the current fiscal year, the company is still completing a full assessment; early estimates indicate that the effective tax rate should not exceed 30 percent, and has the potential to be materially lower.

08:03 EDT Pfizer, Berkeley Lights announce research collaboration - Berkeley Lights announced that it has entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer focused on optimizing BLI's proprietary Beacon Optofluidic platform with the goal of helping to accelerate Pfizer's monoclonal antibody discovery and gene editing workflows. Through the collaboration, the companies will combine BLI's platform - which utilizes a light-based, nano-fluidic method to select, characterize, culture and export single cells - with Pfizer's expertise in gene editing, sequencing, and molecular biology, as well as B-cell screening, to help advance the research aims and influence the development of the Beacon platform.

08:01 EDT Acasti Pharma announces new patents in South Korea, Canada - Acasti Pharma announced the granting of a patent by the South Korean Patent Office and the granting of a corresponding patent by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, further strengthening the international intellectual property position of CaPre. The granted patents are valid until 2030 and relate to a concentrated phospholipid composition and method of using same for treating or preventing disorders associated with cardiovascular diseases. These patents add to Acasti's growing portfolio of issued patents in the United States, Taiwan, Australia, China, Japan, Mexico and Panama. Patent applications with similar claims are being pursued in several other jurisdictions.

07:54 EDT Unisys selected for IT support services to U.S. Public Buildings Service - Unisys was selected by the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of the Chief Information Officer as one of seven companies to compete for task orders for IT services under a five-year blanket purchase agreement in support of the U.S. Public Buildings Service. Under the BPA, which is worth up to $250M over five years, Unisys will compete for task orders for work such as agile application development, building and energy systems program support, mobile and cloud platforms and help desk services. This selection represents a potential continuation and expansion of Unisys Federal's work for PBS.

07:47 EDT Jacobs Engineering awarded EPCM contract fom Pfizer - Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC) has received an engineering, procurement and construction management contract from Pfizer (PFE) for a new gene therapy manufacturing facility located at the company's manufacturing site in Sanford, North Carolina. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs will perform all required services to design, build and qualify the multi-product facility, which will manufacture gene therapy products upon completion. In addition to EPCM, Jacobs will provide design, expediting and commissioning services for the project.

07:46 EDT Pacira says J&J partnership 'continues to gain traction' - In its press release reported preliminary Q4 revenue, Pacira Pharmaceuticals said, "Our strategic partnership with Johnson & Johnson to co-promote EXPAREL across a broad range of orthopedic surgical settings continues to gain traction and helped accelerate EXPAREL daily growth to 10.0 percent for the fourth quarter and 13.5 percent for the month of December. We are highly encouraged with the success of this partnership and we look forward to the continued growth trajectory for EXPAREL in 2018 and beyond." Net Exparel sales in Q4 were $78.7M compared to $71.4M last year.

07:44 EDT Primoris announces heavy civil award valued at $19M - Primoris Services announced a new heavy civil award valued at $19 million. The contract was secured by Primoris Heavy Civil, part of the Civil segment. This award was signed in the fourth quarter of 2017 and will therefore be included in the 2017 year-end backlog calculation. The project was awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation for a project located in Houston. The award is for two and a half miles of new roadway, including earthwork grading, the construction of four bridges, a four lane concrete paved boulevard roadway with intersections, pipe and inlet storm drainage system, retaining walls, traffic signals, and roadway illumination. Work is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2018 and to be completed in the third quarter of 2019.

07:35 EDT Alimera Sciences receives acceptance of filing to obtain approval fro Iluvien - Alimera Sciences announced that it received validation of a Type II variation for Iluvien submitted on December 12, 2017. The Type II variation was submitted through the Mutual Recognition Procedure with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, in the United Kingdom as the Reference Member State. The submission to the MHRA and sixteen European member states seeks to add the indication of recurrent and persistent non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment, or NIU-PS, to the Iluvien label in Europe. All seventeen bodies have accepted the submission. Iluvien is Alimera's sustained release intravitreal implant currently indicated in Europe to treat vision impairment associated with chronic DME considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies. Alimera submitted the results from two, randomized, double-masked, multi-center phase 3 clinical trials, with the primary endpoint at six months comparing the proportion of patients who do not experience a recurrence of NIU-PS. In both studies, the primary endpoint was met.

07:35 EDT Capital One says 'all hands on deck' working to fix duplicate debit errors - Capital One stated in a tweeted posted to its corporate customer service twitter account: "We apologize that some Customers are seeing duplicate debit card transactions & experiencing long phone hold times. All hands are on deck working on a fix & Customers won't be responsible for any fees due to this issue. For updates, login online or via the mobile app." Reference Link

07:33 EDT xG Technology's Vislink Business awarded order for over $1M in Europe - xG Technology's Vislink business has received an order valued in excess of $1M from France-based AMP VISUAL TV, a European provider of outside broadcasting services. Equipment covered under the order includes Vislink HCAM 4K UHD systems, UltraReceivers, L1700's, L2174's and FocalPoint camera control equipment to provide wireless camera transmission. Delivery of the equipment is expected to commence January 5th, 2018.

07:32 EDT Webster Financial announces acceleration of investment in employees - Webster Financial announced an acceleration of investment in its employees and the communities it serves following the passage of new federal tax reform legislation. These investments include: Payment of a one-time $1,000 cash bonus in the first quarter of 2018 to full-time employees who are below the vice president level. This payment will benefit approximately 70 percent of all Webster full-time employees; Increasing Webster's minimum wage to $15 per hour by the end of 2018; Beginning in 2018, augmenting Webster's annual philanthropic and community investment by $1M; and, Enhancing Webster's investment in strategic employee development initiatives and early career programs, creating new job opportunities in our markets.

07:09 EDT Verastem names Joseph Lobacki as Chief Commercial Officer - Verastem announced the appointment of Joseph Lobacki as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer. Lobacki, formerly Chief Commercial Officer of Medivation, will be responsible for overseeing the commercial strategy and execution for Verastem's lead product candidate, duvelisib.

07:09 EDT ChemoCentryx secures up to $100M in new capital commitments - ChemoCentryx (CCXI) announced that it will receive a $50M milestone payment from Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma, or VFMCRP, a company of the Vifor Pharma Group and Fresenius Medical Care. The milestone was triggered by the European Medicines Agency's validation of the company's Conditional Marketing Authorization, or CMA, application for avacopan in the treatment of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto-antibody-associated vasculitis, announced earlier today. In addition to the $50 million milestone from VFMCRP, the company also entered into a $50M growth capital financing agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC), bringing total new capital commitments of up to $100M to ChemoCentryx. Such additional capital is expected to provide funding to advance avacopan through topline data from the Phase III ADVOCATE trial as well as potential registration filings in the U.S. and EU.ChemoCentryx, which is responsible for the discovery and development of avacopan, owns and retains the commercial rights to the drug in the United States and China, and VFMCRP has licensed the rights to commercialize the drug in all other countries. Under the terms of the Kidney Health Alliance with Vifor Pharma, which comprises both avacopan and CCX140, ChemoCentryx has received a total of $155M in upfront cash and cash commitments in addition to the $50M milestone announced. ChemoCentryx is eligible to receive additional payments upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales-based milestones, as well as tiered double-digit royalties on potential net sales of avacopan and CCX140 in the Vifor licensed territories. The $50M credit facility from Hercules Capital comprises three tranches. The first tranche of $15M, of which $5M was funded upon closing of the agreement, is available through June 2018. The remaining $35M is available in two additional tranches, subject to certain conditions. The term loan has a 24-month interest-only period from initial funding, which is extendable to 30 months upon the achievement of certain milestones and matures in 48 months.

07:06 EDT Foundation Building Materials: Legislation to reduce liability under TRA - Foundation Building Materials is providing preliminary estimates regarding its Tax Receivable Agreement with its controlling shareholder due to the passage of recent tax legislation. On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The Act reduced the maximum federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective January 1, 2018. The passage of this legislation is expected to significantly reduce the company's liability under the TRA. In the company's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company disclosed that its undiscounted liability as of September 30, 2017 under the TRA was $203.8M. Due to the decrease in the federal corporate income tax rate, the company now expects that as of December 31, 2017, the undiscounted liability of the TRA will be between $130M-$145M, and the discounted present value of the TRA will be between $85M-$100M. The decrease in the undiscounted value of the TRA will be recorded in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2017, and the company estimates earnings per share for the fourth quarter to be positively impacted by a range of $1.37 to $1.72 due to this adjustment.

07:05 EDT Deciphera initiates Phase 3 clinical study of DCC-2618 - Deciphera Pharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated a Phase 3 clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DCC-2618, a pan-KIT and PDGFRalpha inhibitor, in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Initiation of the INVICTUS study follows results from the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in September 2017, in which durable disease control by DCC-2618 was observed in heavily pretreated patients with GIST. The INVICTUS Phase 3 clinical study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international, multicenter trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of DCC-2618 compared to placebo in patients with advanced GIST patients whose previous therapies have included imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 120 patients randomized 2:1 to either 150 mg once daily of DCC-2618 or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint is median progression free survival as determined by independent radiologic review using modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Secondary endpoints as determined by independent radiologic review using modified RECIST include Objective Response Rate; Time to Tumor Progression and Overall Survival. About DCC-2618 DCC-2618 is a pan-KIT and PDGFRalpha kinase switch control inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of KIT and/or PDGFRalpha-driven cancers, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors, glioblastoma multiforme and systemic mastocytosis. DCC-2618 was specifically designed to improve the treatment of GIST patients by inhibiting the full spectrum of mutations in KIT and PDGFRalpha. DCC-2618 is a pan-KIT and pan-PDGFRalpha inhibitor that blocks initiating KIT mutations in exons 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, and 18, known to be present in GIST patients and the D816V exon 17 mutation known to be present in ASM patients. DCC-2618 inhibits PDGFRalpha mutations in exon 18, including the D842V mutation that drives a subset of GIST. About Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Deciphera Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of cancer patients by tackling key mechanisms of drug resistance that limit the rate and/or durability of response to existing cancer therapies. Our small molecule drug candidates are directed against an important family of enzymes called kinases, known to be directly involved in the growth and spread of many cancers. We use our deep understanding of kinase biology together with a proprietary chemistry library to purposefully design compounds that maintain kinases in a "switched off" or inactivated conformation. These investigational therapies comprise tumor-targeted agents designed to address therapeutic resistance causing mutations and immuno-targeted agents designed to control the activation of immunokinases that suppress critical immune system regulators, such as macrophages. We have used our platform to develop a diverse pipeline of tumor-targeted and immuno-targeted drug candidates designed to improve outcomes for patients with cancer by improving the quality, rate and/or durability of their responses to treatment. Availability of Other Information About Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Investors and others should note that Deciphera Pharmaceuticals communicates with its investors and the public using its company website (www.deciphera.com), including but not limited to investor presentations and scientific presentations, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information that Deciphera Pharmaceuticals posts on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals encourages investors, the media and others interested in Deciphera Pharmaceuticals to review the information that it posts on these channels, including Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' investor relations website and may include other social media channels than the ones described above. The contents of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from its website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential for DCC-2618 to treat GIST; statements regarding the potential benefits to patients of DCC-2618; statements regarding plans and timelines for the clinical development of DCC-2618; and Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' strategy, business plans and focus. The words "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "target" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential for DCC-2618 to treat GIST; statements regarding the potential benefits to patients of DCC-2618; statements regarding plans and timelines for the clinical development of DCC-2618; and Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' strategy, business plans and focus. These and other risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other filings that Deciphera Pharmaceuticals may make with the SEC in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' views only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Deciphera Pharmaceuticals explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180104005092/en/ Media: The Yates Network Gina Nugent, 617-460-3579 gina@theyatesnetwork.com or Investor Relations: Argot Partners Laura Perry, 212-600-1902 Laura@argotpartners.com or Sam Martin, 212-600-1902 Sam@argotpartners.com or Company: Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Christopher J. Morl, 781-209-6418 Chief Business Officer cmorl@deciphera.com Source: Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018 Acquire Media Codes: LS/US.MA LB/nam LB/weur LC/fr LC/us LR/am LR/eur LR/nam LS/fr LS/us NT/Contract NT/Contract.NewProd NT/Health IS/appsci IS/haw.cancer IS/haw.drugs IS/haw.gastro IS/haw.initiate IS/haw.ph3 IS/haw.pharmdev IS/haw.treat MC/HOT XC/any XC/any.major XC/any.major.US XC/any.public.US XC/any.US XC/NASDAQ-NMS XC/one XC/one.major XC/one.major.US XC/one.public XC/one.public.US XC/one.US XC/one.US.major IS/haw IS/haw.approval IS/haw.clinical IS/haw.disease IS/haw.healthsc IS/haw.practice IS/haw.reg IS/impact IS/impact.drugreg MC/YES MC/YES.PR NT/Biotechnology NT/FDA NT/Science+Tech MC/action MC/action.watch MC/action_filter MC/IMPACT MC/XBIZREL MC/XCOMPANY MC/XINDUSTRY MC/equity XC/any.company XC/any.NASDAQ XC/any.public XC/any.US.equity XC/any.US.major NI/Healthcare NI/Pharmaceutical NI/Services II/hcare.biopharm II/hcare.biotech II/hcare.pharma Vendor Codes: SU/product/service

07:04 EDT Walgreens reports Q1 Retail Pharmacy USA sales $22.25B - Retail Pharmacy USA had first quarter sales of $22.5 billion, an increase of 8.9 percent over the year-ago quarter. Sales in comparable stores increased 4.7 percent compared with the same quarter a year ago. Pharmacy sales, which accounted for 72.4 percent of the division's sales in the quarter, increased 14.1 percent compared with the year-ago quarter, primarily due to higher prescription volumes, including mail and central specialty following the formation of AllianceRx Walgreens Prime. Comparable pharmacy sales increased 7.4 percent, primarily due to higher volume. Reimbursement pressure and generics had negative impacts on comparable pharmacy sales growth, which was partially offset by brand inflation.Retail Pharmacy International had first quarter sales of $3.1 billion, an increase of 4.1 percent from the year-ago quarter due to currency translation. Sales decreased 0.8 percent on a constant currency basis. On a constant currency basis, comparable store sales decreased 0.7 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. Pharmaceutical Wholesale had first quarter sales of $5.7 billion, an increase of 5.6 percent from the year-ago quarter. On a constant currency basis, comparable sales increased 4.5 percent, which was behind the company's estimate of market growth, weighted on the basis of country wholesale sales, due to challenging market conditions in certain continental European countries, partially offset by strong performance in emerging markets.

07:03 EDT KKR to acquire majority stake in Weld North Education, terms not disclosed - Silver Lake announced that it will acquire a majority stake in Weld North Education, a leading digital education technology company focused on developing digital curriculum and tools for preK-12th grade. Silver Lake's investment will help WNE accelerate its long-term growth initiatives to serve the rapidly changing technology demands for educating preK-12 students. Jonathan Grayer, Chairman and CEO of Weld North, will continue to lead the company, which is being sold by its prior majority owner, KKR. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

07:02 EDT Cato Corp. reports December SSS down 9% - Cato Corporation reported sales for the five weeks ended December 30, 2017 of $94.7M, a 9% decrease from sales of $104.4M for the five week period ended December 31, 2016. Same-store sales for the month decreased 9%. Sales for the eleven months ended December 30, 2017 were $787.9M, a 13% decrease from sales of $901.8M for the eleven months ended December 31, 2016. The company's year-to-date SSS decreased 13%. As of December 30, 2017, the Company operated 1,355 stores in 33 states, compared to 1,368 stores in 33 states as of December 31, 2016.

07:01 EDT Audentes Therapeutics reports 'positive' data from first dose cohort of ASPIRO - Audentes Therapeutics announced positive interim data from the first dose cohort of ASPIRO, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of AT132 in patients with X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy. ASPIRO is a multicenter, multinational, open-label, ascending dose study to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of AT132 in approximately 12 XLMTM patients less than five years of age. "The early AT132 efficacy data observed in our first dose cohort of patients have exceeded our expectations," stated Dr. Suyash Prasad, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Audentes. "At the 12-week timepoint, Patient 1 has improved from a severely compromised baseline to achieve a CHOP-INTEND score and maximal inspiratory pressure that are approaching the ranges normally seen in healthy children. Importantly, Patient 1 has also attained several age-appropriate developmental milestones within this time period, including head-control, rolling over and sitting unassisted. While still early in the trial, we view these initial efficacy data as a promising indicator of the potential for AT132 to bring meaningful benefit to patients and families living with this devastating disease."

07:00 EDT CVS Health sees FY18 Retail/LTC segment revenue growth of 2.5%-4% - In the Retail/LTC segment, CVS expects revenue growth of 2.5% to 4%, driven by strong same store script growth of 6% to 7% primarily as a result of broader partnerships established with PBMs and health plans and its expanded participation as a preferred pharmacy in a greater number of Medicare Part D networks. The company expects same store sales to be in the range of 2% to 3.5% in FY18.

06:57 EDT J.C. Penney reports holiday SSS up 3.4%, reaffirms FY guidance - J. C. Penney announced that its comparable store sales for the combined nine-week period ending December 30, 2017 increased 3.4 % over the same period last year. The company also reaffirmed all components of its most recent full-year financial guidance for fiscal 2017. "We are very encouraged with our overall comp sales performance during the holiday season, which was led by home, beauty and fine jewelry. Additionally, our apparel categories continue to demonstrate improved comp performance, particularly in women's and kids. We are also pleased by our e-commerce business that continues to outpace prior year results with double-digit sales growth, largely driven by sought-after gifting categories such as fine jewelry, home decor and luggage, toys, boots and athletic footwear. Our ability to execute e- commerce fulfillment from 100% of our brick and mortar stores helped fuel the growth in e-commerce for the holiday season. We remain confident that our strategic initiatives are taking hold and resonating with customers," said Marvin Ellison, chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney.

06:45 EDT RPM raises FY18 outlook

06:36 EDT Ares Management sells Kendall multifamily complex in South Florida - Ares Management announced that funds managed by its Real Estate Group have completed the sale of Signature at Kendall, an upscale garden-style multifamily development with a total of 546 residential units located in the Kendall submarket of Miami. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The significant demand accelerated Ares' exit of the investment sooner than originally anticipated.

06:34 EDT Plymouth Industrial REIT acquires single-tenant manufacturing building for $4.1M - Plymouth Industrial REIT acquired 440 McLean Boulevard in the Chicago Northwest submarket of Elgin, Illinois for $4.1M in cash. The acquisition is projected to provide an initial yield of 9.7%. The 75,000-square-foot light manufacturing building is leased to Burndy Engineering, a manufacturer of equipment for the natural gas industry and a subsidiary of NYSE-listed Hubbell Corporation.

06:33 EDT Time Inc. sells Essence to Essence Ventures, terms not disclosed - Essence Ventures, an independent African-American owned company focused on merging content, community and commerce, announced its acquisition of multi-platform media company Essence Communications from Time Inc. ESSENCE President Michelle Ebanks will continue at the helm of the company and will also join its board of directors. In addition, the all Black female executive team of ESSENCE, including Ebanks, will have an equity stake in the business.Through the Essence Ventures' investment and resulting incremental growth opportunities, ESSENCE will focus on expanding its digital businesses via distribution partnerships, compelling original content and targeted client-first strategies. In addition, the brand will expand its international growth by planting its rich content ecosystem, including the flagship magazine, digital properties and successful live event franchises, in more global markets with women who have shared interests and aspirations.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

06:31 EDT Apollo Global led group to acquire significant position in OneMain Holdings

06:17 EDT Summit Materials appoints Karl Watson as COO - Summit Materials has appointed Karl H. Watson Jr. Executive VP and COO, succeeding Douglas C. Rauh, effective January 8. Watson has more than 25 years of experience in the construction materials industry. In 2017, he served as President, Cement & Southwest Ready Mix at Martin Marietta Materials, a supplier of construction aggregates and heavy building materials.

06:08 EDT Rosehill Resources warrants and units will continue to be listed on Nasdaq - Rosehill Resources received notice from the Nasdaq Hearings Department acknowledging that the deficiency disclosed in November 2017 has been cured and the company's warrants and units will continue to be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market. The initial notification received by the company did not address the Company's Class A common stock, which will continue to be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

06:03 EDT Patterson-UTI reports December average 161 drilling rigs operating - Patterson-UTI reported that for the month of December 2017, the company had an average of 163 drilling rigs operating. For the three months ended December 31, 2017, the company had an average of 161 drilling rigs operating.

06:01 EDT GM says China sales up 13.1% to 491,702 vehicles in December - General Motors and its joint ventures sold more than 4 million vehicles in China for the first time in 2017. Retail sales totaled 4,040,789 units, which was up 4.4% from the previous high in 2016. Sales in China in December were up 13.1% to 491,702 vehicles.

05:30 EDT PCM, Inc. acquires Provista UK - PCM, Inc. announced that its UK-based subsidiary, PCM Technology Solutions UK, has acquired Provista Technology Services Ltd. and its subsidiary, Provista UK, collectively Provista UK. PCM UK's acquisition of Provista UK will further enhance its expertise and vendor accreditations in the United Kingdom as a Cisco Gold Partner, allowing PCM UK and its subsidiaries to offer further consultancy, integration and supply of services and solutions across the UK marketplace while replicating many existing offerings from our North American organization. The acquisition will provide PCM UK with an immediate capability in the United Kingdom to deliver networking, security, unified communications and data center solutions backed with feature-rich services and support offerings. Provista UK is also expected to contribute to PCM UK's opportunity to extend its growth of the existing managed services and multi-lingual global service desk within the European region. PCM currently expects this strategic acquisition to be mildly accretive to the PCM UK segment, which we continue to expect will be accretive as a whole for 2018.

05:22 EDT Ballard Power announces narrowed focus, further cost reductions at Protonex - Ballard Power announced that, as a result of its strategic review in 2017 of its Protonex subsidiary, the company has recently implemented certain changes at Protonex, including to narrow and sharpen the focus of its business by divesting certain non-core assets. This divestiture is expected to yield annualized cost savings of $1.4M per year. This action is in addition to steps taken in August 2017 to reduce and align the Protonex cost base. Together, these actions are expected to yield annualized cost savings of $2.6M, better positioning Protonex to deliver future profitability. The Protonex business had three businesses: Power Manager, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAV's, and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, or SOFC. In 2017 Ballard conducted a strategic review of each of these business activities to determine the most effective strategic course for each business. The Power Manager business has underperformed against expectations, primarily due to unexpected delays in achieving a certain procurement milestone in the U.S. Army's Program of Record. Ballard initially expected to achieve this milestone in 2016; however, the milestone was not achieved until September 2017. This Program of Record includes a number of new devices focused on improving power and energy management on and around the soldier, including Protonex' Squad Power Manager Kit, or SPM-622, conformal wearable batteries, and man-worn power and data distribution devices, such as the Protonex Vest Power Manager family. As a result of this milestone, which enables full rate production status, Ballard now expects growth in the Power Manager business beginning in 2018. Protonex has made significant progress in the UAV business, both in the military market and the commercial market, including key business planning, field trials and business development activities. Ballard plans to re-brand the commercial UAV business with the Ballard brand under the leadership of Phil Robinson, previously Vice President, Defense Power Systems at Protonex, who was appointed as Vice President, UAV. With respect to the SOFC business, Protonex had been engaged in certain product development and commercialization programs for small-scale SOFC stationary power products. In 2017 it was determined that these assets were not core to Ballard's proton exchange membrane, or PEM, fuel cell business, and the company decided to divest these non-core assets. As a result, certain SOFC assets were transferred to a private, start-up company, Upstart Power Inc., effective December 31, 2017, for nominal consideration. Initially, 10 Protonex employees have moved to Upstart Power Inc., with an additional 6 employees expected to be transferred later this year on completion of certain Technology Solutions contracts. As part of this transfer of employees, Dr. Paul Osenar, previously President of Protonex, has moved to Upstart Power Inc. as CEO. This action has enabled Ballard to significantly reduce the cost structure at Protonex. Ballard has no ownership interest or liabilities associated with Upstart Power Inc. With Dr. Osenar's departure, Dave Long, previously Vice President, Electronics and Systems at Protonex, has been appointed interim General Manager at Protonex.