Stockwinners Market Radar for January 08, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:13 EDT Buenaventura sees FY18 Yanacocha gold production 470K-545K ounces - Sees FY18 Tantahuatay gold production 160K-180K ounces. Sees FY18 La Zanja gold production 70K-80K ounces. Sees FY18 Tambomayo gold production 110K-130K ounces. Sees FY18 Orcopampa gold production 190K-210K ounces.

19:09 EDT Buenaventura reports Q4 Yanacocha gold production 134,291 ounces - Reports Q4 Tantahuatay gold production 45,164 ounces. Reports Q4 La Zanja gold production 30,648 ounces. Reports Q4 Tambomayo gold production 27,605 ounces. Reports Q4 Orcopampa gold production 50,056 ounces.

18:47 EDT Washington Gas plans to deliver $34M in savings from Federal tax reduction - Washington Gas, a WGL Holdings company, announced plans to file with state regulatory commissions in all three of its service territories, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, to pass through annual tax savings to the more than 1.1M customers that the company serves across the region. If the recommendations are approved, Washington Gas has committed to providing a reduction in customer rates that would lower annual customer bills by approximately $34M, beginning in the first quarter of 2018. The federal tax savings are driven by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a new law passed on December 22, 2017, that went into effect on January 1, 2018. Reducing the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% lowers the amount that Washington Gas will have to pay in federal income tax.

18:17 EDT United Community Banks to acquire NLFC in $130M deal - United Community Banks and NLFC Holdings Corp. announced a definitive agreement for United to acquire NLFC, including its wholly-owned subsidiary, Navitas Credit Corp. Headquartered in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Navitas is a specialty lending company providing equipment finance credit services to small and medium-sized businesses nationwide. As of September 30, 2017, Navitas reported outstanding loans and leases totaling approximately $350M in the aggregate comprised of a diversified group of business borrowers operating in multiple industries and geographic markets. Navitas serviced over 17,000 finance contracts with a total original value of over $750M for approximately 14,500 business customers. The transaction value is estimated to total approximately $130M, with 35% of the consideration to be paid in United common stock and 65% to be paid in cash. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to United's earnings per share by approximately 20c in the first full year of operations and is consistent with United's stated acquisition criteria pertaining to tangible book value and targeted internal rates of return. The transaction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2018.

18:11 EDT Qualcomm selected by Jaguar Land Rover over advanced connectivity tech - Qualcomm (QCOM) and Jaguar Land Rover, a subsidiary of Tata Motors (TTM), announced that the companies are working together to use Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive platforms to power highly advanced telematics, infotainment and digital cluster with integrated connectivity, and rear seat entertainment, helping to meet the demand for rich, immersive and seamless connected in-vehicle experiences to future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. For telematics units, Jaguar Land Rover will use the Snapdragon 820Am Automotive platform to provide customers with ultra-quick and efficient connectivity throughout the vehicle by integrating 4G LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies. Using the automotive platform's integrated global navigation satellite system and automotive dead reckoning, future vehicles are expected to have the increased capability to effectively be aware of its surroundings. As the automotive industry advances toward 5G, highly advanced connectivity solutions are needed to support road safety, mission critical applications, as well as advanced capabilities, such as autonomy.

18:09 EDT Qualcomm powers advanced connected car technologies in 2018 Honda Accord - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced its continued support for personalization, infotainment and telematics systems, as demonstrated with the recent launch of the 2018 Honda Accord (HMC). The 2018 Honda Accord features a highly advanced Snapdragon Automotive Platform to power cutting-edge applications for its in-vehicle infotainment and navigation system. Snapdragon automotive solutions are designed to support automotive manufacturers' efforts to provide rich, intuitive experiences to consumers. As part of Qualcomm Technologies' efforts to offer widespread support for automotive manufacturers' implementations of the connected car the 2018 Honda Accord also features a Qualcomm 4G LTE modem which is designed to support the Hondalink vehicle connectivity system. The 2018 Honda Accord will be on display in the Qualcomm Technologies automotive booth #5616 located in the North Hall, during CES 2018.

18:07 EDT First Hawaiian CFO Michael Ching to leave company on January 31 - First Hawaiian announced that Michael Ching, CFO and Treasurer of First Hawaiian and First Hawaiian Bank, will be leaving the company. His last day of employment will be January 31. He will continue to assist the company on a consulting basis, and, effective February 1, Eric Yeaman, President and COO, will serve as acting CFO as the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement.

18:04 EDT Qualcomm to provide support for Android Things, Google Assistant - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced at CES 2018 support for Android Things, the Google Assistant, Google Cast for audio and other Google (GOOG) services on the Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform. The solution is designed to allow original equipment manufacturers to more easily create differentiated smart speakers featuring support for the rich voice interaction of the Google Assistant across various product tiers and categories. The integrated platform is designed to bring together a unique combination of processing capability, connectivity options, voice user interfaces and premium audio technologies to help meet increasing consumer demand for comprehensively featured, highly intuitive smart speakers. Among OEMs launching products based on the Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform at CES 2018, LG will showcase LG ThinQ Speaker which comes with Google Assistant built-in. The Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform with support for Android Things is available to select customers today, and it is expected to be generally available in the first half of 2018.

18:00 EDT Boeing, Turkish Airlines announce order for three 777 Freighters - Boeing and Turkish Airlines announced that the carrier ordered three more 777 Freighters in December 2017. The new order came weeks after the carrier took delivery of two of the large cargo jets as part of its plan to further expand its freight business. "These freighter orders will surely contribute to our significant target for establishing a young and efficient cargo fleet," said M. lker Ayc, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines. "The new aircraft will be delivered this year and will provide us with additional flexibility to serve more destinations while we continue to develop our global freight service."

17:51 EDT Altice N.V. board approves plans for separation of Altice USA from Altice NV - Altice N.V. announces that its Board of Directors has approved plans for the separation of Altice USA from Altice NV, which will be renamed "Altice Europe." The separation will enable each business to focus more on the distinct opportunities for value creation in their respective markets and ensure greater transparency for investors. Altice NV aims to complete the proposed transaction by the end of the second quarter 2018 following regulatory and Altice NV shareholder approvals. The separation is to be effected by a spin-off of Altice NV's 67.2% interest in Altice USA through a distribution in kind to Altice NV shareholders. Following this proposed transaction, the two companies will be led by separate management teams. Patrick Drahi, founder of Altice, will retain control of both companies through Next and is committed to long-term ownership. Post- separation, Drahi will serve as President of the Board of Altice Europe and Chairman of the Board of Altice USA. Simultaneously, the Board of Directors of Altice USA, acting through its independent directors, today approved in principle the payment of a $1.5B cash dividend to all shareholders immediately prior to completion of the separation. Formal approval of the dividend and setting of a record date are expected to occur in the second quarter of 2018. The payment of the dividend will be funded with available Optimum revolving facility capacity and a new financing at Optimum. Altice NV will use EURO$625 million of its EUR$900M of proceeds received in the Altice USA dividend to prepay a portion of the Altice Corporate Financing facility and will retain EUR$275M on balance sheet. In addition, the Board of Directors of Altice USA has authorized a share repurchase program of $2B, effective following completion of the separation. In the spirit of enhanced accountability and transparency, Altice Europe will reorganize its structure comprising Altice France (including French Overseas Territories), Altice International and a newly formed Altice Pay TV subsidiary. This will include integrating Altice's support services businesses into their respective markets and bundling Altice Europe's premium content activities into one separately funded operating unit with its own P&L. Altice NV's ownership of Altice Technical Services US will be transferred to Altice USA prior to completion of the separation for a nominal consideration.

17:36 EDT OMA Airports reports 0.2% decrease in December 2017 passenger traffic - Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA, reported that terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports decreased 0.2% in December 2017, as compared to December 2016. Domestic traffic decreased 0.3%, and international traffic increased 0.9%.

17:32 EDT Sabby reports 4.99% passive stake in DelMar Pharmaceuticals

17:26 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: A. Schulman (SHLM), up 5.3%. ALSO HIGHER: Adamas Pharmaceuticals (ADMS), up 4.2% after it announced the U.S. launch of Gocovri... Allergan (AGN), up 0.9% after it provided preliminary results for FY18... DexCom (DXCM), up 0.1% after it provided better than expected preliminary revenue for Q4 and FY17. LOWER: Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV), down 17.2% after it provided a lower-than-expected outlook for Q4 earnings per share... Urban Outfitters (URBN), down 5.8% after it reported that holiday sales grew 3.6% year-over-year... e.l.f. Beauty (ELF), down 6.6% after it reconfirmed its FY17 outlook... Citi Trends (CTRN), down 4.2% after reporting 2017 holiday sales results.

17:06 EDT Nordstrom Rack president Karen McKibbin to retire, Thomas named successor - Karen McKibbin, president of Nordstrom Rack, will be retiring from Nordstrom in March. Karen joined Nordstrom in 1985 and has held many leadership roles within the company, including president of Nordstrom Canada, where she led the first-ever international expansion of Nordstrom's full line stores. Geevy Thomas, chief innovation officer, will succeed Karen. Geevy, who joined Nordstrom in 1983, has held numerous senior leadership positions throughout the organization and served as president of Nordstrom Rack from 2010 to January 2017.

17:01 EDT Hudbay Minerals acquires mining properties in Peru - Hudbay Minerals announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, HudBay Peru S.A.C., has entered into the following agreements to acquire mining properties in southern Peru near its Constancia mine: (i) an option agreement with a private Peruvian consortium to earn a 100% interest in the Caballito and Maria Reyna mining properties; and (ii) an agreement to acquire from Panoro Minerals Ltd. 100% of the Kusiorcco mining properties.

16:59 EDT Hawaiian Holdings raises FY17 operating revenue per ASM view to 6.1%-6.6% - Prior was 5.5%-6.5%. The company states: "The record number of passengers in 2017 marks 13 straight years of growth as the company continues to expand its network and fleet."

16:54 EDT Hawaiian Holdings reports December traffic up 3.9% - Hawaiian Airlines, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, announced its system-wide traffic statistics for the month of December. December traffic, measured in RPMs, was up 3.9% compared to the same month of last year. Capacity, measured in ASMs, was up 3.5% from last year. Passengers were up 7.9% and load factor was up 0.3 points to 84.4%.

16:44 EDT Medtronic sees charges of approximately $1.6B-$1.8B - On January 8, 2018, Medtronic announced a multi-year global Enterprise Excellence Program designed to drive long-term business growth and sustainable efficiency. The Program is expected to further leverage the company's global size and scale as well as enhance the customer and employee experience.This effort will be managed by a central Program Management Office and is expected to result in annual gross savings of more than $3B by the end of the company's fiscal year 2022. The Program is designed to drive operating margin improvement as well as fund investment in strategic growth initiatives. A portion of the Program will result in pre-tax exit and disposal costs and other charges of approximately $1.6B to $1.8B, the vast majority of which are expected to be incurred by the end of fiscal year 2022 and result in cash outlays to be substantially complete by the end of fiscal year 2023.

16:39 EDT J & J Snack Foods unit issues product recall for certain items - On January 8, Hom/Ade Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of J & J Snack Foods, issued a Product Recall Notification for certain products marketed under the name "MARY B's Biscuits," which have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected products were manufactured by a third party, and the company intends to work in coordination with such third party supplier and the U.S. FDA to effectuate the recall. The company intends to hold the third party supplier responsible for the costs of this recall.

16:37 EDT Seagate announces expanded partnership with Adobe - Seagate (STX) announced an expanded partnership with Adobe (ADBE), providing limited-time, no-cost access to Adobe's latest applications bundled with popular Seagate and LaCie drives. Two new offerings available immediately include two complimentary months of the "Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan" - which features the new cloud-based photo service, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC - across the full range of Seagate Backup Plus and LaCie Porsche Design devices, as well as packaging one complimentary month of the "Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan" - which features Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC and much more - with all LaCie Rugged, LaCie d2 and LaCie big devices.

16:35 EDT Sprouts Farmers Market sees Q4 SSS growth of 4.6%

16:34 EDT Allergan sees U.S. tax reform 'broadly neutral' to effective tax rate over time - On December 22, 2017 the Tax Cut and Jobs Act was enacted into law by President Donald Trump. Allergan is providing the following guidance on the expected impact of the TCJA on the company. Overall, Allergan anticipates the future impact of the TCJA will be broadly neutral to the company's non-GAAP effective tax rate over time, with a moderate increase for 2018 as compared to full year 2017.

16:29 EDT Roku says active accounts exceeded 19M as of end of 2017 - In a filing, Roku announced that based on preliminary data, active accounts exceeded 19M at December 31, 2017. Active accounts represent distinct users who have streamed any content on the Roku platform in the last thirty days of the period presented.

16:23 EDT Divisar Capital reports 5.8% passive stake in Calix - In a regulatory filing, Divisar Capital disclosed a 5.8% stake in Calix, representing 2,938,305 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:20 EDT Williams Partners reports record natural gas transmission of 15.6MMdt at Transco - Williams Partners L.P. announced that it has delivered a record amount of natural gas on its Transco interstate gas pipeline, providing essential services to gas distribution companies, power generators and other customers located along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. The nation's largest-volume natural gas transmission system, Transco delivered a record-breaking 15.58 million dekatherms on Jan. 5, 2018. The new peak-day mark surpasses the previous high that was set on Jan. 1, 2018. The Transco system, which stretches from South Texas to New York City, also established a new three-day market area delivery record, averaging 14.90 MMdt from Jan. 4 to Jan. 6, 2018.

16:18 EDT Barracuda CEO says 'delivered a strong third quarter' - "We delivered a strong third quarter driven by continued momentum in our core focus areas," said BJ Jenkins, president and CEO. "As we announced in November, we entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by leading private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo, LLC in an all-cash transaction valued at $27.55 per share, or approximately $1.6 billion. The proposed transaction is expected to close before our fiscal year end of February 28, 2018."

16:16 EDT Barracuda reports Q3 gross billings $110.6M - Gross billings were $110.6M, compared with $100.4M in the third quarter of fiscal 2017. Billings for core products increased 24% to $76.6M, compared with $61.6M in the third quarter of fiscal 2017. Excluding Sonian, which Barracuda acquired during the quarter, billings for core products increased 22% to $75.5M. The number of active subscribers grew 16% to over 360,000 as of November 30, 2017. The annualized renewal rate from subscriptions on a dollar basis was 101%.

16:15 EDT Barracuda reports total active subscribers increased 16% y/y to over 360,000

16:11 EDT Nortech Systems names Connie Beck CFO - Nortech Systems has named Connie Beck as vice president and chief financial officer. Along with directing all financial planning and accounting practices, she will oversee Nortech's relationships with its business partners, the financial community and shareholders. Beck was vice president of finance and controller for MOCON, Inc., a publicly traded provider of measurement instruments and services, from 2013 to 2017.

16:08 EDT Limoneira evaluating impact of new tax law - On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act was signed into law, which enacts significant changes to U.S. tax and related laws. Some of the provisions of the new tax law affecting corporations include, but are not limited to a reduction of the federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, limiting the interest expense deduction, expensing of cost of acquired qualified property and elimination of the domestic production activities deduction. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the new tax law will have on its financial condition and results of operations. Preliminarily, the Company anticipates a significant reduction in its effective income tax rate and its net deferred federal income tax liabilities as a result of the income tax rate reduction, with such changes being included in the Company's financial statements beginning in the three months ending January 31, 2018.

16:06 EDT ICF International awarded two re-compete blanket purchase agreements - The National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute recently awarded ICF (NASDAQ: ICFI), a global consulting and technology services provider, two re-compete blanket purchase agreements to support the agency's cancer content development, communications and web development efforts. The BPAs, which were awarded in the third quarter, have a combined ceiling value of up to $70M. Each has a term of five years which includes one 1-year base and four 1-year options. The first BPA is with the Office of Communications and Public Liaison and has a ceiling of $50M; the second is with the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and has a ceiling of $20M.

15:53 EDT Iridian Asset Management reports 10.1% passive stake in Eagle Pharmaceuticals - In a regulatory filing, Iridian Asset Management disclosed a 10.1% stake in Eagle Pharmaceuticals, representing 1,503,202 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

15:18 EDT Swissquote Bank reports 12% passive stake in Cytori Therapeutics - In a regulatory filing, Swissquote Bank disclosed a 12% stake in Cytori Therapeutics, representing 5,540,055 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

14:42 EDT GoPro CEO says makes sense to consider options, but must build as if independent - GoPro CEO Nick Woodman said in an interview with Bloomberg that it makes sense to consider its options, including a possible takeover of the company, but that the company has to build itself as if it intends to stay independent. Woodman is being interviewed on Bloomberg after having been interviewed on CNBC earlier following the company's release of lowered guidance earlier this morning.

14:23 EDT Tenet sees new tax law positively affecting EPS over next two to three years - Tenet said the new tax law in the U.S. is positive for Tenet from an economic perspective, due to the expectation of lower cash tax payments and reduction in taxable income that the company anticipates reporting on its federal tax return. "Although the change meaningfully lowers adjusted earnings per share in 2018, the Company anticipates the new tax law will positively affect EPS over the next two to three years due to the lower tax rate," Tenet stated in a press release to coincide with the company's presentations at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

13:45 EDT Sarepta down 2% to $53.61 after reporting Q4 sales, 2018 outlook

13:32 EDT Comtech awarded $1.2M order to upgrade high-power, solid-state amplifiers - Comtech Telecommunications announced that during its 2Q18, its New York-based subsidiary, Comtech PST, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, received a $1.2M order to upgrade solid-state, high-power amplifiers from a major prime contractor. This upgrade of existing field proven hardware enables the end user to leverage their previous investment and to continue to be able to address evolving electronic warfare needs.

13:10 EDT Eagle Asset Management reports 5.91% passive stake in Progenics - In a regulatory filing, Eagle Asset Management disclosed a 5.91% stake in Progenics, representing 4,153,754 common shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

13:05 EDT Global Partner Acqusition trading resumes

12:58 EDT Vertex sees tezacaftor-ivacaftor combination approval in 2H in Europe

12:54 EDT BRT Apartments to sell multifamily property for more than $97M - BRT Apartments announced that it has entered into a contract to sell The Fountains Apartments, a 542 unit property located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for approximately $97.3M. It is anticipated the sale will be completed, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, in the second quarter of fiscal 2018. BRT estimates that its share of the gain on this sale, net of its share of mortgage prepayment charges, will be approximately $20.5M. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, this property generated $9.2M of rental and other revenue and $7.9M of expense, including $1.9M of depreciation and $1.9M of interest expense. "We anticipate that in the short-term, we will be able to recycle the proceeds from this sale into accretive acquisition opportunities," commented Jeffrey A. Gould, CEO and President of BRT.

12:50 EDT Vertex: Kalydeco-Orkambi eligible patients 31K-44K in 2018

12:50 EDT Teva says not planning to issue equity

12:46 EDT Teva CEO: Challenges facing company are 'straight forward' - Teva CEO Kare Schultz says cost cuts will not affect revenue generating areas, says not talking about "chopping up the company." Sees operating 20-25 global sites following the restructuring. Under old structure, says "no one really looked at" operating profit & P&L, except for the CEO and board of directors. Challenges for the company include debt, Copaxone competition, price erosion in U.S. generics, fewer than expected generic launches in the U.S. Says not planning any major acquisitions. Comments taken from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

12:44 EDT Tenet: Job eliminations to reach approximately 2,000 positions - Says executing on cost reduction plans to realize $250M in run-rate savings by the end of 2018. Says has initiated a process to sell Conifer. Says reducing corporate overhead by 20% compared to 2016. Says eliminated regional management layer in hospital business. Says further streamlining USPI. Sees realizing $125M in cost reductions in 2018, sees exiting 2018 with $250M of run-rate savings. Sas planning divestitures of non-core markets in the near term, including Aspen, Philadelhpia, and Chicago. Says focusing capital investments on services for chronic disease patients, higher acuity care, ambulatory access points, and tele-medecine. Says plans to buy-up to 95% stake in futher integrate USPI into the company's healthcare delivery business. Says demographics and patient demand remain attractive. Comments taken from the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference presentation.

12:38 EDT Eagle Asset Management reports 5.53% passive stake in Chart Industries - In a regulatory filing, Eagle Asset Management disclosed a 5.53% passive stake in Chart Industries, representing 1,702,195 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

12:34 EDT Celgene does not need to acquire partners, CEO says - Celgene (CELG) CEO Mark Alles said on CNBC that his company does not need to acquire partners like bluebird bio (BLUE).

12:34 EDT Toyota unveils e-Palette Alliance, Concept Vehicle at CES - Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) president Akio Toyoda announced a new mobility service business alliance and e-Palette Concept Vehicle designed to meet the demands of future multi-mode transportation and business applications. "The automobile industry is clearly amidst its most dramatic period of change as technologies like electrification, connected and automated driving are making significant progress. Toyota remains committed to making ever better cars. Just as important, we are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever-better society for the next 100 years and beyond. This announcement marks a major step forward in our evolution towards sustainable mobility, demonstrating our continued expansion beyond traditional cars and trucks to the creation of new values including services for customers," said Akio Toyoda. Unveiled at CES, the new e-Palette Alliance will leverage Toyota's proprietary Mobility Services Platform to develop a suite of connected mobility solutions and a flexible, purpose-built vehicle. The new alliance will create a broad-based ecosystem of hardware and software support designed to help a range of companies utilize advanced mobility technology to better serve customers. Launch partners include Amazon (AMZN), DiDi, Mazda (MZDAF), Pizza Hut (YUM) and Uber, who will collaborate on vehicle planning, application concepts and vehicle verification activities. In the near term, the Alliance will focus on the development of the new e-Palette Concept Vehicle, also unveiled at CES. The concept reflects one of Toyota's visions for Automated Mobility as a Service applications. It is a fully-automated, next generation battery electric vehicle designed to be scalable and customizable for a range of Mobility as a Service businesses.

12:26 EDT North Star Investment reports 5.7% passive stake in Crown Crafts - According to the filing reporting North Star's stake, the investment manager beneficially owns 573,622 shares of Crown Crafts' stock. This filing does not allow for activism.

12:21 EDT Viacom names Fukiko Ogisu chief people officer - Viacom announced that Fukiko Ogisu has been promoted to executive VP and chief people officer, effective January 8, 2018. In this newly created role, Ogisu will manage the company's human resources organization and associated functions, as well as oversee Viacom's security services. Ogisu will join Viacom's senior leadership team and will report to Christa D'Alimonte, executive VP, general counsel and secretary. Ogisu joined Viacom in 2008, serving most recently as Senior Vice President, HR Business Operations and Information Solutions, where she leads worldwide HR business operations, organizational effectiveness, learning and development, employee experience programs and policies, and the company portal

12:15 EDT Copart President Vincent Mitz to resign at end of year - Copart disclosed that on January 4, Vincent Mitz notified the company of his intention to resign as President, effective on December 31, 2018.

12:04 EDT BRT Realty Trust trading halted, news pending

11:52 EDT JP Morgan reports 5.4% passive stake in Acushnet Holdings - This filing does not allow for activism.

11:41 EDT Street Check: Longbow makes prescient call on GoPro ahead of warning - Shares of GoPro (GPRO) are sliding after the company lowered its fourth quarter revenue outlook, announced that it will be reducing its global workforce, said its COO will be departing the company in February, and that it will exit the "untenable" drone market. Predicting the company would issue a negative pre-announcement this week, Longbow analyst Joe Wittine had downgraded GoPro to Neutral ahead of the news. PRELIMINARY RESULTS, DRONE MARKET EXIT: GoPro has announced preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter. The company cut its quarter revenue outlook to $340M from $460M-$480M, which includes a negative impact of approximately $80M for price protection on HERO6 Black, HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session cameras, as well as the Karma drone. GoPro also announced that it is reducing its global workforce from 1,254 employees as of September 30, 2017 to fewer than 1,000 employees worldwide, and that its founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman will reduce his 2018 cash compensation to $1. A restructuring of GoPro's business will result in an estimated aggregate charge of $23M-$33M, including approximately $13M-$18M of cash expenditures as a result of a reduction in force. GoPro expects to recognize most of the restructuring charges in Q1 of 2018. Additionally, the company disclosed that Chief Operating Officer Charles Prober is departing the company effective February 16, and that Senior Vice President, Corporate/Business Development, General Counsel and Secretary Sharon Zezima has resigned from the company effective March 30. In this morning's press release, GoPro also said that "Although Karma reached the #2 market position in its price band in 2017, the product faces margin challenges in an extremely competitive aerial market. Furthermore, a hostile regulatory environment in Europe and the United States will likely reduce the total addressable market in the years ahead. These factors make the aerial market untenable and GoPro will exit the market after selling its remaining Karma inventory." MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: Predicting the company would issue a negative pre-announcement this week, Longbow's Wittine downgraded GoPro to Neutral from Buy. Citing channel contacts, the analyst told investors that he confirmed the holidays missed GoPro's plan. While $100 price cuts late in the quarter were a partial mitigating factor, they were not enough to save the quarter, he said. Channel inventory is not unhealthy, but it is also not lean enough to create the material first quarter sell-in catalyst he had hoped for, Wittine added. Positively, Wittine noted that the new entry level camera is slated for the second quarter at the latest, with retailers hoping for a sub-$200 price point. The analyst also believed a revised Karma was forthcoming in the second half of the year, but the company has since announced its plans to leave the drone market. Nonetheless, Wittine argued that there could still be time for a long trade in 2018 on the atypical product cycle and cost-outs driving upside to consensus, though he recommended waiting-out the fourth quarter report and first quarter guidance first. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of GoPro have dropped about 21% to $5.92.

11:20 EDT lululemon sees opportunities in digital, international businesses - Says looking to achieve $4B in revenue by 2020. Says men's business will continue to focus on brand awareness in 2018. Says working on improving digital business and "excited" about future. Says excited about opportunities in Asia and Europe, focused on driving awareness in international regions. Says still sees much 'growth potential'. Says in North America focused on agile store footprint, digital progress, omnichannel experience and community. Comments taken from ICR Conference 2018.

10:58 EDT Celgene says pipeline, new products to keep growth trajectory - Comments are from Celgene's presentation at Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

10:42 EDT GoPro would consider acquisition proposal, CEO says - GoPro CEO Nick Woodman, while speaking on CNBC, said he would look at an acquisition proposal from a larger company. Woodman noted that he'd "entertain" becoming part of bigger company. GoPro shares are down 19% to $6.07 after the company preannounced weaker than expected Q4 sales, another round of layoffs and its exit from the drone market.

10:38 EDT GoPro CEO says customers want 'great' cameras, not drones - Nick Woodman is speaking on CNBC.

10:35 EDT Ergon to buy SemGroup's asphalt business in Mexico - Ergon Asfaltos Mexico and Ergon Mexico HC, both subsidiaries of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, announce finalization of an agreement to purchase the asphalt business of SemMaterials Mexico. This agreement includes the purchase of membership interests of the following entities from SemMaterials and SemMexico: SemMexico Materials HC s. de R.L. de C.V., SemMaterials HC Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., SemMaterials Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. and SemMaterials SC Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. Ergon plans to retain the current employees in the Mexico facilities, including the existing management team. The SemMaterials Mexico sale is expected to close early in 2Q18, subject to the receipt of certain governmental approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

10:19 EDT Kohl's the latest retailer to post holiday season comp sales increase - Shares of Kohl's (KSS) got a boost in morning trading after the retailer said its sales for the holiday period were up almost 7% year-over-year. The company also raised its earnings guidance for fiscal 2017. HOLIDAY SALES RESULTS: Kohl's on Monday said that its total and comparable sales for the November and December combined period were up 6.9% over last year. Kohl's Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mansell noted that "All lines of business and all regions reported positive comp sales" for the critical holiday period. He also noted that "As expected, growth in digital demand accelerated significantly in the Holiday period from the year-to-date trend. In addition, we experienced positive sales in our stores driven by stronger traffic." RAISED GUIDANCE: Based on stronger than expected results for the November-December period, Kohl's raised its FY17 adjusted earnings per share view to $3.98-$4.08, compared with a prior range of $3.60-$3.80. The adjusted guidance excludes a previously disclosed fourth quarter tax settlement of $30M. Kohl's said it continues to expect its gross margin rate for the year to be higher than the prior year. The company said its guidance does not include the impact of recent changes to U.S. tax legislation, which is expected to have a "positive impact" on its effective tax rate and generate other noncash tax benefits. RECENT INITIATIVES: In order to combat weakness stemming from the increasing popularity of fast-fashion retailers and an increase in online shopping on sites like Amazon (AMZN), Kohl's is currently offering free Amazon returns in 82 stores. The retailer previously announced plans to roll out a "smart home experience" in 10 stores across the Los Angeles and Chicago areas. Shoppers at these stories are able to purchase Amazon devices, accessories and smart home devices and services directly from Amazon. Kohl's said 1,000-square-foot "zones" within its stores will be dedicated to Amazon products, including the Echo, Echo Dot, Fire TV and Fire tablets. Kohl's has also partnered with Under Armour (UA, UAA), Nike (NKE) and adidas (ADDYY) to sell the companies' shoes and apparel in Kohl's stores. PEERS: Last week, Kohl's peers J.C. Penney (JCP) and Macy's (M) posted holiday season comparable store sales results that were higher than the year ago period. J.C. Penney, which reaffirmed all components of its fiscal 2017 guidance, which had been lowered earlier due to more discounting and liquidating excess inventory in women's apparel, said it was "confident" that its strategic initiatives are taking hold. Macy's said it will close 11 stores as part of a previously announced plan to shutter 100 locations. According to media reports, about 5,000 jobs will be cut as a result of the closures. As a result, Macy's said it expects $300M in annual expense savings from the actions beginning in FY18, and will book a 33c per share charge in Q4 for restructuring activities and store closings. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Kohl's are up 3.3% to $56.12.

09:55 EDT GoPro drops 23% to $5.76 after trade resumption, halts again - After coming off halt, shares of GoPro dropped 23%, or $1.76, to $5.76. The shares then halted again for volatility.

09:50 EDT GoPro trading resumes

09:41 EDT Stoneridge names Thomas Dono Jr. as Chief Legal Officer - Stoneridge announced that effective January 8, Thomas Dono, Jr. will be appointed Chief Legal Officer. David Jaffe, Principal of Jaffe Counsel PLC, has led the internal legal function for the company on an interim-basis over the last year and will continue to advise the company as he transitions these responsibilities to Dono.

09:33 EDT Editas Medicine slides after issuing five-year goals at JPMorgan conference - Editas Medicine President and CEO Katrine Bosley will discuss "EM22," the company's long-range goals for the year 2022 In a presentation to investors on Wednesday, January 10, at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the company noted earlier. As part of EM22, by year-end 2022 Editas Medicine is driving to deliver on the company's commitment to make medicines for people with serious diseases around the world by advancing: Three experimental medicines in early-stage clinical trials; Two experimental medicines in or ready for late-stage clinical trials; A best-in-class platform and pipeline for developing genomic medicines; and all of these achievements fueled by the company's unique culture. In early trading following the update, Editas shares are down $3.47, or 10.33%, to $30.12.

09:29 EDT Seagate strength attributed to speculation on value of Ripple stake - Early strength in Seagate Technology is being attributed to reports highlighting the company's holdings in Ripple, which has developed digital asset XRP, a cryptocurrency. According to Seeking Alpha contributor Value Street Research, citing data from Crunchbase.com, Seagate invested in both the 2015 Series A and 2016 Series B fundraising rounds conducted by Ripple. Based on some assumptions and data from other tech sites, including TechCrunch, the Seeking Alpha contributor hypothesizes that Seagate may own over 4% of Ripple. In pre-market trading, Seagate shares are up 14% to $48.95. Reference Link

09:27 EDT Reinsurance Group's RGAx to acquire LOGiQ3, terms not disclosed - RGAx, a subsidiary of Reinsurance Group of America, announced that it has agreed to acquire LOGiQ3, a group of companies that provides technology, consulting, and outsourcing solutions to the North American life insurance and reinsurance industry. The LOGiQ3 Group includes LOGiQ3, APEXA, Cookhouse Lab, and Tindall Associates. LOGiQ3 specializes in consulting and outsourcing services for life insurance underwriting, claims, and life and health reinsurance administration. APEXA delivers a centralized online solution for advisor contracting and compliance in Canada. Cookhouse Lab, a joint venture with msg global solutions, aims to accelerate insurance innovation by bringing the industry together through an open and collaborative model. TAI is the U.S. market leader in reinsurance software and consulting services with over 30 years of experience. In a related transaction, RGAx will also acquire the remaining ownership stake in TAI held by msg global solutions. LOGiQ3 Group, with approximately 100 employees in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., will maintain a separate operation and retain employees in their current roles. The transactions are expected to close during 1Q18. Additional terms of the transactions, including the sale prices, are not being disclosed.

09:24 EDT GoPro to exit 'untenable' drone market despite number 2 position - GoPro said in this morning's press release, "Although Karma reached the #2 market position in its price band in 2017, the product faces margin challenges in an extremely competitive aerial market. Furthermore, a hostile regulatory environment in Europe and the United States will likely reduce the total addressable market in the years ahead. These factors make the aerial market untenable and GoPro will exit the market after selling its remaining Karma inventory. GoPro will continue to provide service and support to Karma customers."

09:23 EDT Vantiv shareholders approve merger with Worldpay Group - Vantiv announced that Vantiv's stockholders at its special meeting have voted to approve all stockholder proposals necessary for Vantiv to acquire Worldpay Group to create Worldpay. As previously disclosed, Vantiv expects the transaction to close on January 16 following U.K. court approval. Upon closing, the company's class A common stock will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WP" and on the London Stock Exchange via a standard listing under the symbol "WPY".

09:18 EDT Tandem Diabetes reports successful completion of t:slim X2 Insulin Pump study - Tandem Diabetes Care reported the successful completion of the first pilot study using a hybrid closed loop system featuring its t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with embedded algorithms from TypeZero Technologies and integration with Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring. This pilot study was the first of three in the National Institute of Health-funded International Diabetes Closed Loop Trial using the t:slim X2 Pump running the algorithm directly on the pump. The second study is now moving forward with enrollment at seven clinical sites and is anticipated to begin in 1Q18. The IDCL Trial is expected to conclude with a pivotal study in 2018, and Tandem plans to use this data in a PMA submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The hybrid closed loop system predicts high and low blood sugar levels and adjusts insulin delivery accordingly throughout the day, while still allowing the user to manually bolus for meals. In addition to basal insulin adjustments, the system also automates correction boluses. The hybrid closed loop software developed by TypeZero includes a series of algorithms developed from initial research conducted at the University of Virginia. To date, this technology has been used in more than 30 clinical studies involving more than 450 participants, with data referenced in a number of journal articles.The IDCL Trial started in late 2016 and is expected to include up to 360 adults with type 1 diabetes across all of its studies. Earlier phases of the IDCL used a Tandem insulin pump and Dexcom G5 sensor as part of a blood glucose control system that combined these devices with a smartphone running TypeZero's inControl closed loop algorithms. The latest series of studies, now using the fully-integrated system, began with the supervised 36 to 48-hour pilot study in 5 subjects conducted at the University of Virginia. The next study, scheduled to take place in early 2018, will be a two-week, at-home study with enrollment at seven centers across the U.S. A pivotal trial is planned to take place at these same centers following successful completion and review of the two-week study.

09:17 EDT Herbalife reports preliminary Q4 worldwide volume points down 1.8% y/y - Herbalife Ltd. announced preliminary volume point results for the fourth quarter 2017. The company is issuing this pre-release in order to discuss these preliminary results with the company's independent distributors at upcoming Company meetings. Reports Q4 worldwide preliminary volume points of 1,306.7, down 1.8% y/y.

09:11 EDT SenesTech: EPA approves label change for ContraPest - SenesTech announced that the U. S. EPA has approved a label change for ContraPest, SenesTech's innovative product for controlling rodent infestations through fertility control. This label change expands the areas and circumstances under which ContraPest may be used, including the use in feedlots and other agricultural settings with man-made structures.

09:09 EDT Verizon, FHOOSH announce cybersecurity strategic alliance - FHOOSH announced it has formed a strategic alliance with Verizon Enterprise Solutions to enhance the Verizon Software Defined Perimeter service with extremely fast end-to-end data protection. The new offering complements Verizon SDP and provides a comprehensive scalable solution that can be deployed to protect an organization's ecosystem. With FHOOSH inside Verizon SDP, Verizon can better protect and speed all types of customers' data from endpoints, including Internet of Things devices, and safeguard that data for its entire lifecycle.

09:08 EDT Covanta, LCSWMA extend partnership - Covanta and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, based in Lancaster, PA, announced a new agreement for the operation and maintenance of LCSWMA's two Energy-from-Waste facilities: the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility, located in Bainbridge, PA, and the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex, located in Harrisburg, PA. Combined, these two facilities process around 700,000 tons of waste annually. The new improved agreement, which was finalized at the end of 2017, extends a successful long-term collaboration between LCSWMA and Covanta through 2032.

09:08 EDT GoPro reducing global workforce from 1,254 employees to 1,000 - GoPro said its "sharper focus" will enable an $80M reduction in operating expenses compared to 2017 levels, resulting in a target operating expense level of below $400M for 2018 on a non-GAAP basis.The lower non-GAAP operating expense target will be achieved through a variety of strategies, including: GoPro is reducing its global workforce from 1,254 employees as of September 30, 2017 to fewer than 1,000 employees worldwide; GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman will reduce his 2018 cash compensation to $1. The company explained, "Although Karma reached the #2 market position in its price band in 2017, the product faces margin challenges in an extremely competitive aerial market. Furthermore, a hostile regulatory environment in Europe and the United States will likely reduce the total addressable market in the years ahead. These factors make the aerial market untenable and GoPro will exit the market after selling its remaining Karma inventory. GoPro will continue to provide service and support to Karma customers." A restructuring of GoPro's business will result in an estimated aggregate charge of $23M-$33M, including approximately $13M-$18M of cash expenditures as a result of a reduction in force. GoPro expects to recognize most of the restructuring charges in Q1 of 2018.

09:07 EDT MEI Pharma announces FDA clearance of IND for CDK inhibitor voruciclib - MEI Pharma announced that the U.S. FDA has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug Application for voruciclib, an orally available Cyclin Dependent Kinase 9 inhibitor, for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies. Under this IND, MEI Pharma plans to initiate a Phase 1 study designed to determine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary clinical activity of voruciclib in patients with B-cell malignancies.

09:05 EDT Orbital ATK awarded contract for Intelsat communications satellite - Orbital ATK (OA) announced the company has been awarded a contract by Intelsat (I) to build the Galaxy 30 communications satellite. The satellite will be based on Orbital ATK's highly successful GEOStar-2 satellite platform. Galaxy 30 will be designed, built and tested at Orbital ATK's state-of-the-art satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia, and will primarily serve video markets in North America. The satellite is scheduled to launch in early 2020.

09:05 EDT Delta Technology says policy is not to comment on unusual market activity - Delta Technology announced that, the Nasdaq Stock Market, in accordance with its usual practice, contacted the company in view of the unusual market activity in the company's ordinary shares. In responding to the NASDAQ, the company stated that its policy is not to comment on unusual market activity or rumors.

09:04 EDT Dave & Buster's down 11% after cutting revenue guidance

09:04 EDT pSivida submits NDAto FDA for Durasert - pSivida announced it has submitted its New Drug Application to the FDA for Durasert three-year treatment for posterior segment uveitis. The NDA includes data from two Phase 3 studies that each successfully achieved the primary efficacy endpoint at six months with a p value less than 0.001. In addition, the safety profile of patients treated with Durasert three-year posterior segment uveitis treatment was consistent with the safety profile of steroid treatments that are currently considered standard of care for this disease.

09:02 EDT GoPro CEO Woodman will reduce 2018 cash compensation to $1

09:02 EDT Condor Hospitality Trust sells non-core legacy hotel for $5M - Condor Hospitality Trust announced the closing on the sale of a legacy hotel asset, the 71-room Comfort Inn & Suites located at 3328 East Center Street, Warsaw, IN 46582 for $5M. Net proceeds from the sale will be applied to outstanding debt on the company's $150M secured credit facility.

09:02 EDT Five Prime earns IND milestone payment under collaboration with Bristol-Myers - Five Prime Therapeutics (FPRX) announced that it has achieved a milestone for the first Investigational New Drug application to the FDA by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) for a therapeutic candidate under the immune checkpoint pathway discovery collaboration between the companies. The first clinical candidate from the collaboration is a fully-human monoclonal antibody targeting TIM-3, an immune checkpoint receptor that is known to limit the duration and magnitude of T-cell responses. This first IND application triggers a $5M milestone payment to Five Prime.

09:00 EDT Biomerica Inc signs agreement with Beth Israel Deaconess - Biomerica announced that the Company has signed definitive agreements with two of America's leading research institutes to perform the clinical trials needed to validate the performance of its diagnostic-guided therapy,or DGT, to alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. The Biomerica InFoods IBS product is designed to allow physicians to identify patient specific foods, that when removed, may alleviate or improve an individual's IBS symptoms including but not limited to constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain and indigestion. Importantly, the InFoods DGT can be used without or in conjunction with current pharmacotherapy to potentially improve patient outcomes. Since the InFoods product is a diagnostic guided therapy and not a drug, it has no drug type side effects.

08:59 EDT Wheeler REIT announces resignation of CFO Wilkes Graham - Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust announced that Wilkes Graham has notified the Company of his intention to resign as Chief Financial Officer to accept a position with a privately-held real estate development company located in Atlanta, GA. The resignation will take effect after a transition period, which is expected to end on or before March 4, 2018. Over the next sixty days of the transition, we expect Graham will be fully engaged with the Company's fourth quarter close, earnings announcement and the signing and filing of our 10-K.

08:56 EDT GoPro trading halted, news pending

08:48 EDT Cleantech Solutions to cease trading under ticker symbol 'CLNT' - Sharing Economy International (SEII), formerly Cleantech Solutions (CLNT), announced that the company will cease trading under the ticker symbol "CLNT" and commence trading under the ticker symbol "SEII" at the market open on January 8. Along with the ticker change, the company's common stock has been assigned a new CUSIP number of 819534 108.

08:45 EDT ARCA Biopharma announces completion of GENETIC-AF Clinical Trial - ARCA biopharma announced the completion of patient follow-up for GENETIC-AF, a Phase 2B, double-blind, superiority clinical trial evaluating Gencaro as a potential genetically-targeted treatment for atrial fibrillation, or AF. All patients completed their last study visits and were transitioned off study drug by the end of December 2017. ARCA expects to report top-line Phase 2B data in March 2018. "Completion of patient treatment in GENETIC-AF represents a key clinical milestone for ARCA and we look forward to reporting top-line data for the trial, which we estimate should include approximately 50% more events than were available at the previously conducted interim analysis," commented Dr. Michael Bristow, ARCA's President and CEO. "I would like to thank our clinical investigators as well as the patients and their families for their participation. We will continue working diligently to advance Gencaro's pharmacogenetic clinical and regulatory development."

08:42 EDT Agenus announces $230M non-dilutive royalty transaction with HealthCare Royalty - Agenus (AGEN) announced a $230M non-dilutive royalty transaction with HealthCare Royalty Partners. The transaction is comprised of $190M of cash proceeds at closing plus up to $40M in milestone payments. Agenus will use part of these proceeds to redeem its royalty bond from Oberland and the additional monies to advance its registrational studies with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 for planned BLA filings in 2019 and 2020. At closing, HCR will receive the rights to royalties on sales of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) QS-21 containing vaccines. Agenus retains all rights for the development of QS-21 with its entire portfolio of checkpoint antibodies, vaccines, and cellular therapies with no third party obligation. Agenus is advancing its QS-21 powered vaccine, AutoSynVax, in combination with validated checkpoint antibodies to generate immune recognition of tumors unresponsive to checkpoint blockade alone.

08:38 EDT Sensus Healthcare ships three SRT-100 units to Chindex Medical Limited - Sensus Healthcare announced that the company has shipped three of its SRT-100 units to Chindex Medical Limited, Sensus' exclusive distribution partner in China, to provide patients with a highly effective treatment option for keloids. This follows the announcement of an expanded relationship between Sensus and Chindex Medical after the International Congress of Dermatologic & Aesthetic Surgery International League in Shanghai, China in October 2017.

08:37 EDT GAIN Capital continues global rollout of Bitcoin trading - GAIN Capital announced the launch of Bitcoin trading in Australia and Singapore on the company's City Index branded service, which is regulated by ASIC and MAS, respectively. The launch in Australia and Singapore follows the launch of Bitcoin trading to customers in the U.K. and Europe last month across the Company's City Index and FOREX.com brands. The Company's Bitcoin futures offering in the U.S. is available through its Futures Online and Daniels Trading brands. GAIN plans to complete the global roll out of Bitcoin trading in the coming months, introducing Bitcoin trading to its customers in other markets in Asia and the United States. The Company also plans to expand its cryptocurrency offering to include Ethereum and other digital currencies in early 2018.

08:33 EDT Inovio receives milestone payment from MedImmune - Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced it has received a milestone payment from MedImmune as MEDI0457 in combination with durvalumab satisfactorily completed the phase 1 safety review portion of the study and has advanced to the phase 2 efficacy stage of the trial. As part of a $700 million 2015 license and collaboration agreement, MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, is evaluating MEDI0457 in combination with durvalumab, its PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, in patients with recurrent/metastatic HPV-associated head and neck squamous cancer in a clinical trial with an estimated enrollment of 50 patients.

08:32 EDT CymaBay receives $5M milestone payment from Kowa Pharmaceuticals - CymaBay Therapeutics announced it has received a $5 million milestone payment from Kowa Pharmaceuticals America for the initiation of a study evaluating the pharmacokinetics of arhalofenate in subjects with renal impairment.

08:31 EDT Intuit says assessing impact of corporate tax reform - Intuit Inc. is reviewing the latest corporate tax reform legislation and working through the impact to the company financials in fiscal 2018 and beyond. A number of factors determine the impact of the new tax laws to the company's GAAP and long-term structural non-GAAP tax rates. Because Intuit's fiscal 2018 year started in August 2017, it will be subject to IRS rules relating to transitional tax rates in fiscal 2018. Under tax law, if the tax rate changes during a taxable year, the tax rate for the full year is calculated using the prior and new tax rates on a proportional basis using the number of days under each tax rate. "Tax reform results in fewer corporate deductions. As a result, beyond the transitional year in fiscal 2018 we expect our GAAP and long-term structural non-GAAP rate could be closer to or higher than the new statutory rate," said Neil Williams, Intuit's EVP and CFO. Intuit plans to incorporate the impact of the new tax rates to guidance when the company reports fiscal second-quarter earnings in February.

08:26 EDT Zoetis sees being subject to repatriation tax - In a regulatory filing, Zoetis noted that the Tax Act was enacted which, among other changes, reduces the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. As a result of a preliminary review of the Tax Act, Zoetis has concluded that the company will be subject to a repatriation tax and will be required to remeasure deferred tax assets and liabilities as of the date of enactment due to the reduction in the federal corporate tax rate. The company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the Tax Act and based on available information at the time of this filing, has preliminarily estimated that there will be a net reduction to the company's U.S. generally accepted accounting principles net income in the fourth quarter of 2017 which is currently not expected to exceed $350M. This amount represents the undiscounted present value and is primarily due to the repatriation tax, partially offset by the remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities at the lower enacted federal corporate tax rate. This charge will not impact the company's 2017 adjusted net income. Additionally, for full-year 2018, the company currently expects its non-GAAP adjusted effective tax rate to be in the range of 21% to 22%. "However, the company's actual adjusted effective tax rate may differ materially from management's current expectations...The ultimate impact of the Tax Act may differ from these preliminary estimates, possibly materially, as a result of, among other things, changes in assumptions the Company has made, actions the Company may take as a result of the Tax Act, additional guidance that may be forthcoming on its application, as well as final interpretations of the Tax Act by the Company," Zoetis added.

08:25 EDT Immunomedics trading halted, news pending

08:22 EDT Cision names Pritham Shetty as chief technology officer - Cision (CISN) announced it has hired Pritham Shetty as chief technology officer. As a former executive at Adobe (ADBE), Pritham brings extensive experience in the digital marketing industry and will work to continue building out Cision's data and technology offerings. Pritham will oversee Cision's global software development teams and lead the company's technology roadmap and operations.

08:21 EDT Coeur Mining reports Q4 silver equivalent production of 11.7M ounces - Coeur Mining announced record fourth quarter silver equivalent production of 11.7 million ounces, consisting of 4.5 million ounces of silver and 119,114 ounces of gold. Silver equivalent production increased 23% quarter-over-quarter and 17% year-over-year. Silver production increased 15% quarter-over-quarter and 17% year-over-year, while gold production increased 28% and 16%. Full-year 2017 silver equivalent1 production, also the highest in Company history, totaled 39.4 million ounces, which was 9% higher compared to 2016. Full-year silver production was 16.4 million ounces, 11% higher than in 2016 and at the high-end of the Company's guidance of 15.3 - 16.6 million ounces. Full-year gold production was 383,444 ounces, 7% higher than in 2016 and in-line with Company guidance of 367,000 - 392,000 ounces. Production growth was driven primarily by the Palmarejo mine, where 2017 silver equivalent1 production increased 64% compared to 2016. In 2018, Coeur expects to produce 36.6 - 40.0 million silver equivalent1 ounces, consisting of 12.8 - 14.4 million ounces of silver, 355,000 - 375,000 ounces of gold, and 23.0 - 28.0 million pounds of both zinc and lead.

08:19 EDT DarioHealth begins selling Smart Glucose Meter in U.K. - DarioHealth (DRIO) announced it has successfully sold the first Lightning-enabled version of the acclaimed Dario Blood Glucose Monitoring System in the United Kingdom, according to schedule. The Lightning-enabled device ensures that consumers will be able to receive the same quality user experience with DarioHealth on the latest Apple (AAPL) devices, including the brand-new iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Apple iOS has just over 50% market share in the U.K. With additional potential users, DarioHealth believes that it will be able to quickly increase U.K.-driven revenues and achieve greater market penetration.

08:18 EDT Nordson Asymtek acquires Infiniti Dosing product lines - Nordson ASYMTEK announces that it has acquired the rights and assets to progressive cavity pump product lines from Infiniti Dosing o.m.s, based in Polling, Germany. The transaction, which closed on January 5, 2018, provides Nordson ASYMTEK with dispensing and dosing products marketed by Infiniti under the Dot Streamer and Accura brands. Infiniti's owner and founder, Mr. Jean-Claude Tytgat, will join Nordson ASYMTEK and continue to work on technology developments.

08:17 EDT Syros says on track to report data on SY-1425 combinations, SY-1365 - In a presentation at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. PST, the company will detail its three strategic priorities for the year: Aggressively advancing its two clinical-stage programs with planned data readouts on two combinations with SY-1425, a first-in-class selective retinoic acid receptor alpha agonist, from the ongoing Phase 2 trial in genomically defined acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome patients, and with the first clinical data for SY-1365, a first-in-class selective cyclin-dependent kinase 7 inhibitor, from the Phase 1 trial in advanced solid tumors. Leveraging its leading gene control platform to fuel its discovery and preclinical pipeline in oncology, including immuno-oncology, and the recent expansion into monogenic diseases, keeping the Company on track to achieve its goal of delivering one Investigational New Drug application every other year on average. Building on its strong fundamentals to continue its evolution toward a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with therapies that transform patients' lives. Based on its current operating plans, Syros expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, together with the upfront cash and equity investment from its collaboration with Incyte, will enable the Company to fund its anticipated operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2019. Syros had approximately $81.9 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2017.

08:16 EDT RiceBran names CFO Brent Rystrom to additional position of COO - RiceBran announced that the company has appointed its CFO, Brent Rystrom, to the additional position of COO. Rystrom, who joined the company as CFO in 2017, will assume the additional role of overseeing the company's operations effective immediately.

08:15 EDT Exelixis, StemSynergy enter licensing agreement for novel anticancer therapies - Exelixis announced that it has entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with StemSynergy Therapeutics for the discovery and development of novel oncology compounds targeting Casein Kinase 1 alpha, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway implicated in key oncogenic processes. The agreement is part of Exelixis' ongoing strategy to build an innovative pipeline beyond its two internally-discovered, commercially available compounds, cabozantinib and cobimetinib. Under the terms of the agreement, Exelixis will partner with StemSynergy to conduct preclinical and clinical studies with compounds from StemSynergy's CK1alpha Activator Program. Exelixis will pay StemSynergy an upfront payment of $3M and up to $3.5M in initial research and development funding. StemSynergy will be eligible for a variety of milestones for the first product to emerge from the collaboration, including preclinical and clinical development and regulatory milestone payments, commercial milestones, as well as single-digit royalties on worldwide sales. Exelixis will be solely responsible for the commercialization of products that arise from the collaboration.

08:14 EDT GTT Communications acquires Custom Connect; terms not disclosed - GTT Communications announced the acquisition of Custom Connect, an Amsterdam-headquartered provider of high-speed network connectivity serving multinational enterprises and financial trading firms. Terms have not been disclosed.

08:12 EDT Varian Medical Halcyon treatment system receives Taiwan FDA approval - Varian announced its Halcyon system has received Taiwan FDA approval, which allows the company to market this new cancer treatment system in Taiwan. This approval further expands the global availability of Halcyon and high-quality, cost-effective cancer treatments.

08:10 EDT Ambarella introduces CV22 4K SoC with CVflow computer vision architecture - Ambarella introduced the CV22 camera SoC, the second chip in the CVflow family, combining image processing, 4Kp60 video encoding and CVflow computer vision processing in a single, low power design. The CV22's CVflow architecture provides the DNN processing required for the next generation of intelligent home monitoring, automotive, drone and wearable cameras. Fabricated in advanced 10nm process technology, it achieves an industry-leading combination of low-power and high-performance in both human vision and computer vision applications.

08:08 EDT Ascena Retail names Eric Hunter as president of Plus Fashion segment - ascena retail group, inc (ASNA) announced that Eric Hunter will serve as President of ascena's Plus Fashion segment which includes the Lane Bryant, Catherines and Cacique brands. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Marketing for Pier 1 Imports (PIR), a position he held since 2013.

08:07 EDT Teva announces global license agreement with Alder Biopharmaceuticals - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) announced that its subsidiary, Teva Pharmaceuticals International, has signed a global license agreement with Alder BioPharmaceuticals (ALDR). The agreement validates Teva's IP and resolves Alder's opposition to Teva's European Patent No. 1957106 B1, with respect to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide antibodies and methods for their use. It also provides Alder with clarity for its ongoing plans in the field. Under the terms of the agreement, Alder has received a non-exclusive license to Teva's anti-CGRP antibodies patent portfolio to develop, manufacture and commercialize eptinezumab in the U.S. and worldwide, excluding Japan and Korea. In exchange, Alder has agreed to: Withdraw its appeal before the European Patent Office; Make an immediate one-time payment of $25M to Teva; Make a second one-time payment of $25M upon the approval of a biologics license application for Alder's eptinezumab with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or of an earlier equivalent filing with a regulatory authority elsewhere in the license territory in which any Teva licensed patents exist; Following commercial launch of eptinezumab, pay $75M at each of two sales-related milestones and provide certain royalty payments on net sales at rates from 5% to 7%.

08:06 EDT AbbVie: FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation for upadacitinib - AbbVie announced the U.S.FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational, once-daily oral JAK1-selective inhibitor upadacitinib in adult patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy. This Breakthrough Therapy Designation is supported by positive Phase 2b results previously announced in September 2017,11 and marks 13 Breakthrough Therapy Designations granted to AbbVie's investigational treatments since the company's inception in 2013. Upadacitinib is not approved by regulatory authorities and its safety and efficacy have not been established.

08:05 EDT Sprint, Dynamics unveil Wallet Card - Dynamics and Sprint at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show unveiled the first battery-powered, "connected" payment card. Wallet Card is the world's first connected, secure payment card. The Consumer Technology Association recognized Sprint with four CES Innovation awards including the Best of Innovation Award for Security Technologies. It was an honoree for Computers, Embedded Technologies, and Technologies for a Better World. Sprint is providing IoT technology, support and expertise to the initiative - in addition to being the first telecommunications entity to power the card.

08:05 EDT Whirlpool announces connected homes collaboration with Honeywell - Whirlpool (WHR) announced at CES 2018 a collaboration with Honeywell (HON), via which consumers will now be able to connect smart appliances from Whirlpool to Honeywell's line of connected thermostats, allowing for remote management of their appliance operating modes and energy outputs. The capabilities will roll out across brands in the Whirlpool portfolio throughout 2018.

08:03 EDT Masco signs agreement to acquire Kichler Lighting; terms not disclosed - Masco Corporation announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire The L.D. Kichler Co., a developer of decorative residential and light commercial lighting products, ceiling fans and LED lighting systems across both consumer and professional distribution channels. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Kichler Lighting had revenues of approximately $450 million in 2017 and employs approximately 700 people worldwide. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review, and will be funded with cash on hand. Masco intends to report the financial results of Kichler Lighting in its Decorative Architectural Products segment. Additionally, Masco announced that it acquired Mercury Plastics, Inc. in the fourth quarter of 2017. Mercury is a plastics processor and manufacturer of water handling systems for appliance and faucet applications, as well as other highly engineered plumbing products, tubing, and assemblies. Based in Middlefield, Ohio, Mercury had revenues of approximately $45 million in 2017 and employs approximately 300 people. Masco intends to report the financial results of Mercury in its Plumbing Products segment.

08:02 EDT Hilltop Holdings relocates, consolidates corporate headquarters within Dallas - Hilltop Holdings announced that it has relocated its corporate headquarters from 200 Crescent Court in the Dallas Uptown area to a larger office space at One Victory Park, just northwest of downtown Dallas. The financial holding company also has consolidated its executive team and many of its corporate support functions at the new location. Hilltop Holdings has experienced substantial growth in recent years, completing extensive acquisitions and operational integrations, as well as an organization-wide restructuring. Growth at the corporate level has coincided with the expansion of the company's operations to ensure an appropriate and scalable holding company structure to effectively manage an organization of Hilltop Holding's size. Since early 2013, the company has grown by 39 percent to approximately 5,500 employees nationwide. For the same period, headcount at the holding company increased by 93 percent to 145 employees, as staffing needs have grown in key functional areas such as human resources, accounting, information technology, and risk management. According to Jeremy B. Ford, Hilltop Holdings president and co-CEO, the decision to relocate the corporate headquarters best serves the company's employees and shareholders.

07:59 EDT DiamondRock CFO Sean Mahoney to depart on March 31 - DiamondRock Hospitality announced that Sean Mahoney, Executive Vice President and CFO, will leave the company on March 31 to pursue other opportunities. The change is not related to any issues involving the company's financial results, business practices, internal controls or financial reporting. DiamondRock has engaged Spencer Stuart to conduct a nationwide search for a successor.

07:57 EDT DiamondRock CFO Sean Mahoney to depart - DiamondRock has engaged Spencer Stuart to conduct a nationwide search for a successor.

07:51 EDT CEL-SCI awarded patent for LEAPS vaccine - CEL-SCI announced that the European Patent Office has issued CEL-SCI patent EP 2254588B1 titled, "Method of Preparation and Composition of Peptide Constructs for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis" for the Company's LEAPS platform technology. CEL-SCI's LEAPS technology relates to peptide constructs which may be useful in the treatment or prevention of autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, and host versus graft rejection.

07:48 EDT Mallinckrodt to sell RECOTHROM, PREVELEAK to Baxter for about $185M - Mallinckrodt (MNK) announced it has entered into an agreement under which it will sell certain hemostasis products to Baxter (BAX) for approximately $185M, with upfront payment of $153M, inclusive of existing inventory, and the remainder in potential future milestones. Baxter will assume other expenses, including contingent liabilities associated with PREVELEAK. In the twelve months preceding September 29, 2017, Mallinckrodt's net sales of hemostasis products were $56.2M, substantially all of which related to RECOTHROM and PREVELEAK. The sale of the two products to Baxter does not qualify for GAAP treatment as a discontinued operation, and therefore historical sales and earnings results will not be recast to reflect the divestiture. The sale is anticipated to dilute Mallinckrodt's adjusted diluted earnings per share by 10c-15c in 2018, which will be offset by shares repurchased during the fourth quarter 2017. Proceeds from the sale will be used by the company toward paying down debt. Mallinckrodt will retain RAPLIXA for topical use and is evaluating strategic options for this product. Due to its shift in focus to the critical care, autoimmune and rare disease spaces, the company will discontinue marketing of the product upon close of the Baxter transaction. As a result, a write-off for this product will be reported for the fourth quarter 2017. The closing of the transaction is subject to the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. Mallinckrodt expects to complete the transaction in the first half of 2018.

07:46 EDT Baxter to acquire two hemostat, sealant products from Mallinckrodt - Baxter International (BAX) announced an agreement to acquire two hemostat and sealant products from Mallinckrodt (MNK): RECOTHROM Thrombin topical, the first and only stand-alone recombinant thrombin, and PREVELEAK Surgical Sealant, which is used in vascular reconstruction. The acquisition also includes PREVELEAK, a surgical sealant designed to seal suture holes formed during surgical repair of the circulatory system and to reinforce sutured connections between blood vessels. PREVELEAK augments Baxter's portfolio of complementary hemostats, sealants and tissue products used in cardiovascular and other surgeries, offering surgeons additional clinically differentiated products to address patients' varying needs. PREVELEAK is approved in the United States and European Union. Sales of the proposed acquired products totaled approximately $56M in the twelve months preceding September 29, 2017. Upon closing, the deal is expected to be modestly accretive to Baxter's 2018 adjusted earnings and increasingly accretive thereafter. Under the terms of the agreement, Baxter will acquire RECOTHROM and PREVELEAK for an upfront payment of approximately $153M and potential contingent payments in the future. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018, subject to the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions.

07:42 EDT Actinium appoints Dr. Dale Ludwig, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer - Actinium Pharmaceuticals (ATNM) announced that Dr. Dale Ludwig has been appointed Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Ludwig joins Actinium from Eli Lilly (LLY). Dr. Ludwig will be responsible for leading the company's initiatives on its Actinium Warhead Enabling, or AWE, Technology Platform and the AWE Program that is focused on the utilization of the payload actinium-225 in conjunction with targeting agents to create Antibody Radio-Conjugates or ARC's and bio-betters with the goal of expanding Actinium's clinical pipeline and facilitating collaborations. In addition, Dr. Ludwig will also lead preclinical program development and support clinical development programs via translational research efforts.

07:41 EDT Can-Fite signs multi-million dollar distribution agreement for Piclidenoson - Can-Fite BioPharma announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Gebro Holding GmBH to distribute Can-Fite's lead drug candidate, Piclidenoson, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis in 3 European countries including Spain, Switzerland and Austria, upon receipt of regulatory approvals. Under the terms of the distribution agreement, Gebro is making a total upfront and milestone payment of approximately $2,000,000 to Can-Fite. In addition, the agreement provides that additional payments of up to approximately $7,000,000 will be received by Can-Fite upon the achievement of certain regulatory, launch and sales milestones plus double-digit percentage royalty payments on net sales. Can-Fite recently initiated patient enrolment for its Phase III ACRobat trial of Piclidenoson for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Upon receipt of payments due at signing of the agreement, the company believes that its shareholders' equity is above $4M.

07:40 EDT TG Therapeutics announces global license agreement with Jiangsu Hengrui - TG Therapeutics and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine announced that the companies have entered into an exclusive global license agreement pursuant to which TG Therapeutics will obtain worldwide rights, excluding Asia but including Japan, for the development of Hengrui's Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor program, including lead candidate TG-1701, as monotherapy and in combination with ublituximab, TG's glycoengineered anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, and umbralisib, TG's next generation PI3K-delta inhibitor. In addition to TG-1701, the global license agreement covers TG-1702, another BTK inhibitor in pre-clinical development. Under the terms of the agreement, Hengrui will receive an up-front licensing fee and near-term milestones, payable in TG common stock, and will be eligible to receive additional payments contingent on certain clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, totaling approximately $350M, as well as tiered royalties on net sales. Michael S. Weiss, Executive Chairman and CEO of TG Therapeutics stated, "We are pleased to be partnering with one of the leading Chinese biopharmaceutical companies. We have been evaluating potential BTK inhibitors for quite some time and we were really impressed with Hengrui's research that led to the development of these two highly selective BTK inhibitors. We believe TG-1701 could be comparable to the best-in-class BTK inhibitors and in combination with ublituximab and umbralisib, could represent a truly unique triple combination treatment option across CLL and NHL...With this license, we have taken a major step toward the development of a next generation, wholly-owned, proprietary, triplet therapy. Our goal is to advance TG-1701 into the clinic as quickly as possible in the first half of this year."

07:38 EDT Caesars receives early termination of HSR for acquisition of Centaur Holdings - Caesars Entertainment announced that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 with respect to the previously announced acquisition of Centaur Holdings. The proposed acquisition was announced on November 16, 2017.

07:38 EDT Amicus sees FDA acceptance of U.S. NDA for filing in Q1 - John F. Crowley, Chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics, stated, "During 2017 we continued to build a leading global rare disease biotech company while advancing our vision to maximize the impact of our medicines for people living with rare diseases. We exceeded our EU launch and regulatory objectives for our Fabry precision medicine Galafold, and we reported clinical data from our Pompe clinical study that lays the foundation for a potential new treatment paradigm for this muscle disease. Throughout 2018 we are poised to create significant additional value for patients and shareholders across our key programs in Fabry and Pompe, and through our focused commitment to advancing and expanding a pipeline of novel medicines for rare metabolic diseases." The company's anticipated milestones include FDA acceptance of U.S. NDA for filing in 1Q18; Regulatory decision on Japanese J-NDA in 1H18; and ATB101 co-formulated with migalastat advancing toward the clinic in 2019.

07:36 EDT Matinas achieves statistical endpoint for success in MAT2203 Phase 2a study - Matinas BioPharma announced that investigators from the National Institutes of Health have relayed to the company positive data from a third patient enrolled in the collaborative Phase 2a clinical study of Matinas' lead anti-infective product candidate MAT2203 for the treatment of chronic refractory mucocutaneous candidiasis infection. This third patient, with long-standing azole resistant mucocutaneous candidiasis, met the primary endpoint of the Phase 2a study in achieving greater than or equal to 50% clinical response with treatment of MAT2203. MAT2203 was well tolerated with any adverse events observed being mild in severity and unrelated to study drug. With this third positive response, the study has met its statistical hurdle for success. MAT2203 is the company's orally-administered, encochleated formulation of the broad spectrum fungicidal medication amphotericin B. Matinas BioPharma's proprietary lipid-crystal nano-particle formulation of amphotericin B has a novel mechanism of absorption and distribution to infected tissues and has the potential to transform the way this potent fungicidal agent is administered and used in clinical practice.

07:33 EDT Wayfair appoints former TJX CFO Jeffrey Naylor to board of directors - Wayfair (W) announced the appointment of former TJX (TJX) Jeffrey Naylor to its board of directors. Naylor will fill the board seat formerly held by Neeraj Agrawal, general partner of Battery Ventures, who is stepping down from the nine-person board after seven years of service.

07:33 EDT Axovant Sciences trading resumes

07:32 EDT Veracyte announces strategic realignment, new appointments - Veracyte announced key business initiatives, including strategic realignments to its corporate structure and new appointments, to advance commercial growth of its three market-leading genomic tests. Veracyte is consolidating its clinical, medical and research and development functions into one department to ensure a strong, consistent focus on addressing unmet customer needs and supporting the sales and marketing team. The new scientific, clinical and medical affairs department will be headed by Giulia C. Kennedy, Ph.D., who has served as chief scientific officer since the company's founding in 2008. Veracyte has also expanded its sales team to 73 specialists under the direction of eight regional sales directors who will report directly to John Hanna, the company's chief commercial officer. In addition, the company has appointed Jessica Meng as vice president of marketing. Ms. Meng comes to Veracyte from Genentech where she led marketing for Avastin in oncology.

07:30 EDT SPI Energy appoints Scott Sullivan as Chief Marketing Officer - SPI Energy announced that Scott Sullivan has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer and President of SPI US Region, effective immediately. Sullivan will focus on strengthening the company's current solar and storage business, expanding the potential opportunities of smart home projects in the United States and help to guide the product and marketing strategy to further improve the profitability as the company continues its evolution in the cleantech industry.

07:27 EDT Destination XL reports holiday sales SSS up 3% - Destination XL Group announced that total sales for the 9-week holiday sales period ended December 30, 2017 increased 3.5% to $101.3 million as compared to $97.9 million for the same period of the prior year. Comparable sales for the same period increased 3.0%.

07:26 EDT Axovant says intepirdine did not meet primary efficacy endpoints in studies - Axovant Sciences announced that its investigational drug intepirdine did not meet its primary efficacy endpoints in the Phase 2b HEADWAY and pilot Phase 2 Gait and Balance studies. Separately, the Company's investigational drug nelotanserin met its prespecified primary endpoint of safety in the pilot Phase 2 Visual Hallucination study. In addition, in this exploratory study, nelotanserin treatment resulted in a positive trend in efficacy in a prespecified intent to treat analysis of the motor function scale, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III. Nelotanserin treatment also resulted in an efficacy signal in a post-hoc subset analysis of patients with higher baseline scores on the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms - Parkinson's Disease.

07:22 EDT Ionis Pharmaceuticals' inotersen NDA accepted for Priority Review by FDA - Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced that its NDA for inotersen has been accepted for Priority Review by the U.S. FDA. Inotersen is an investigational drug for the treatment of patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis. Priority Review is granted by the FDA to drugs with the potential to address a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness of the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of a serious condition. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of July 6, 2018.

07:20 EDT SemGroup to sell Mexican asphalt business for $70M - SemGroup announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its asphalt business, SemMaterials Mexico, to Ergon Asfaltos Mexico HC, LLC, for an estimated $70M including a reimbursement of approximately $15 million of net working capital, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. SemGroup intends to use proceeds from the sale toward its capital raise plan associated with the acquisition of Houston Fuel Oil Terminal Company, or HFOTCO, and to pre-fund capital growth projects. The SemMaterials Mexico sale is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2018, subject to the receipt of certain governmental approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

07:19 EDT Chico's sees FY18 effective tax rate 26%-28% - The Company has completed a preliminary analysis of the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 signed into law on December 22, 2017 on its business. The law includes significant changes to the U.S. corporate income tax system, including a Federal corporate rate reduction from 35% to 21% and limitations on the deductibility of interest expense and executive compensation. At this time, the Company anticipates that the fiscal 2018 effective tax rate will be in the range of 26% to 28%. This compares to a pre-tax reform expected effective tax rate of approximately 38%.

07:17 EDT Oragenics announces reverse stock split - Oragenics announced a reverse split of its common stock, $0.001 par value, at a ratio of 1 for 10, effective January 19, 2018. The company's common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the markets open on January 22, 2018 under the existing trading symbol "OGEN". As a result of the reverse split, each 10 pre-split shares of common stock outstanding will automatically combine into one new share of common stock without any action on the part of the holders, and the number of outstanding common shares will be reduced from approximately 49 million shares to approximately 4.9 million shares. The reverse split will also apply to common stock issuable upon the exercise of the company's outstanding stock options. In addition, the Company also announced that the authorized common stock of the company will be decreased from 450 million to 45 million shares. The authorized preferred stock will remain at 50,000,000 shares. The common stock issued pursuant to the reverse stock split will remain fully paid and non-assessable. The reverse stock split will not affect the par value of the common stock.

07:14 EDT New York & Co. sees Q4 operating income $2M-$4M - The Company detailed that with four weeks remaining in the quarter it continues to expect its fourth quarter fiscal year 2017 operating results to reflect operating income in the range of $2M-$4M. The Company plans to report actual results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2017 in March 2018. Gregory Scott, New York & Company's CEO, stated: "We had a strong holiday performance that included positive comparable sales and expansion in gross margin demonstrating the success of our strategy. Indeed, our ongoing ability to differentiate our stores with exclusive celebrity brands, reach existing and new consumers with effective digital marketing campaigns and capitalize on our increased omni-channel capabilities has served us well in the final quarter of the year. At the same time, we continue to benefit from increased royalties under the private label credit agreement and efficiencies from our supply chain, which contributed to improvement in gross margin. In addition, we also maintain stringent control of inventory and expense with continued real estate optimization, including reduced rents. Combined, this is expected to result in a significant increase in profitability for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year as compared to the prior year periods."

07:12 EDT Rexnord to acquire Centa Power Transmission, terms not disclosed - Rexnord announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Centa Power Transmission, a leading manufacturer of premium flexible couplings and drive shafts for industrial, marine, rail and power generation applications. Subject to customary closing conditions, the transaction is expected to close by the end of February.

07:11 EDT Sage Therapeutics to provide pipeline update at JPMorgan Healthcare Conference - Sage Therapeutics announced that in a corporate presentation at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CEOJeff Jonas, M.D., will discuss several components of the company's strategy to build the business for the long term by assembling the capabilities to fully develop and commercialize important medicines. His remarks will highlight three key areas of focus in the pursuit of new classes of CNS therapies: impacting novel, fundamental brain mechanisms; addressing treatment gaps with differentiated therapies; and discovering a potentially groundbreaking approach to depressive disorders. Dr. Jonas will provide additional detail on the following development programs: Brexanolone: Sage is currently focused on launch readiness and building commercial infrastructure to ensure successful commercial execution, if Sage's proprietary formulation brexanolone is approved to address postpartum depression, a common biological complication of childbirth. SAGE-217 and SAGE-324: Sage's novel, oral, next-generation positive allosteric modulators of synaptic and extra-synaptic GABAA receptors. GABA Discovery Programs: Evaluating a series of novel GABAA receptor modulators in pre-clinical development, including SAGE-689, SAGE-105, and others. NMDA Programs: Sage's novel, oral, first-in-class oxysterol-based positive allosteric modulators of the NMDA receptor. The company recently selected SAGE-904 as its second NMDA receptor positive allosteric modulator product candidate for development. Positive modulation of NMDA receptors may have potential in the treatment of a range of neurological disorders associated with a variety of cognitive, neurological and behavioral symptoms. Sage ended 2017 with approximately $518M of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, including $325.7M in net proceeds from a public offering completed in November 2017. Based on its current operating plans, Sage expects that its operating expenses will increase year over year in 2018 to support continued pipeline advancement and potential product commercialization of brexanolone in PPD. Sage expects to provide specific 2018 financial guidance in Q4 and FY17 financial results announcement in February 2018.

07:09 EDT Level Brands unit enters into license agreement with Isodiol - Level Brands has entered into a licensing agreement with Vancouver-based Isodiol International. Under the agreement, Isodiol will work with Level Brands to develop consumer products for kathy ireland Health & Wellness, a licensor to Level Brands, and for Level Brands subsidiary I'M1, the company's lifestyle brand for men. Encore Endeavor One Level Brands' corporate brand management and producer of experiential entertainment events, will provide strategic advisory services for the new wellness product lines. Level Brands will receive an initial $2M payment in the form of Isodiol shares and initial cash payments of $62,500 due at execution of the licensing agreement and on June 30, 2018 . During the term of the agreement Level will also receive $750,000 per quarter in the form of Isodiol shares and a 3% royalty on all gross sales of branded products. The contract term is for an initial five years. Marketing materials were designed and filmed in December 2017 and both parties intend to finalize all points of the negotiations no later than January 31, 2018.

07:08 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics A-101 45% met primary, all secondary endpoints in 2 trials - Aclaris Therapeutics announced positive results from its two Phase 2 clinical trials, WART-202 and WART-203, of A-101 45% topical solution, referred to as A-101 45%, an investigational new drug for the treatment of common warts. A-101 45% met all primary and secondary endpoints of each trial, achieving clinically and statistically significant clearance of common warts. A-101 45% is a proprietary high-concentration hydrogen peroxide topical solution being developed as a prescription treatment for common warts. Both trials evaluated the safety and efficacy of A-101 45% as compared to placebo. The two randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials were designed to understand the effects of dose frequency and to explore additional clinical endpoints that will be further evaluated in a planned Phase 3 development program. The WART-203 trial evaluated 159 patients who self-administered either A-101 45% or placebo twice weekly through Day 56, for a total of 16 treatments. Each patient had between one and six warts at baseline. The trial achieved its primary endpoint, which was mean change from baseline in the Physician's Wart Assessment, or PWA, scale score at Day 56 (Visit 10 or one week after the last treatment). The PWA score is a four-point scale of the investigators' assessment of the severity of a target wart at a particular time point.

07:07 EDT Acorda Therapeutics sees FY18 Ampyra net revenue $330M-$350M - AMPYRA net revenue is expected to be $330-$350 million. The Company expects to maintain exclusivity of AMPYRA at least through July 30, 2018; this guidance is subject to change based on the appellate court's decision. R&D expenses for the full year 2018 are expected to be $100-$110 million and include manufacturing expenses associated with INBRIJA. SG&A expenses for the full year 2018 are expected to be $170-$180 million. Year-end cash balance for 2018 is projected to be over $300 million.

07:06 EDT uniQure 'intensifying efforts to further expand' gene therapy product pipeline - uniQure announced its near-term objectives following a transformational year of achievement and corporate execution. Key business accomplishments during 2017 included uniQure's alignment with regulatory authorities to advance AMT-061 into late-stage clinical development in hemophilia B, progress with its research pipeline including AMT-130 in Huntington's disease, further enhancement of the company's manufacturing capabilities, and the strengthening of its financial position. "We ended 2017 with significant momentum across all of our programs and the cash to fund operations into 2020," stated Matthew Kapusta, chief executive officer of uniQure. "Now that we have established robust, commercial-scale manufacturing in our Lexington facility, we are highly focused on the near-term initiation of our pivotal study of AMT-061 in hemophilia B and Phase I/II trial of AMT-130 in Huntington's disease. We also are intensifying efforts to further expand our gene therapy product pipeline. In addition to AMT-126, our BMS-partnered gene therapy candidate for congestive heart failure, we have a number of promising early-stage projects focused on liver-directed and CNS disorders. We expect multiple new INDs to be filed over the next two years, further leveraging our industry-leading manufacturing and technology platform." As of December 31, 2017, the company had approximately $159M in cash and cash equivalents, and expects cash on hand will be sufficient to fund operations into 2020.

07:05 EDT Xoma appoints Dee Datta, Ph.D., as Chief Business Officer - XOMA announced the appointments of Dee Datta, Ph.D., as Chief Business Officer and Danny Hart as Vice President, General Counsel. Dr. Datta and Hart will report to XOMA's CEO, Jim Neal. Prior to joining XOMA, Dr. Datta served as Vice President of Corporate Development at Forty Seven.

07:04 EDT Garmin announces Garmin Speak Plus with Amazon Alexa - Garmin International (GRMN) announced the Garmin Speak Plus with Amazon (AMZN) Alexa, adding a built-in dash camera to its Garmin Speak. The in-vehicle device is enabled with Amazon's cloud-based Alexa voice service for hands-free access to music, news briefings, sports scores, exclusive GPS navigation from Garmin, and much more. With the addition of the newly integrated dash cam, drivers can rest at ease with their own personal eyewitness overseeing their daily drive. The Garmin Speak Plus will automatically record and save files when an incident is detected, and introduces advanced driver assistance features that include Forward Collision and Lane Departure Warnings.

07:04 EDT Darden to record non-cash net tax benefits of approximately $70M from Tax Act - The company also announced the fiscal 2018 anticipated financial impacts of H.R. 1, originally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted on December 22, 2017. During the Company's fiscal third quarter ending February 25, 2018, the Company will be required to revalue its deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities to account for the future impact of lower corporate tax rates on these deferred amounts. Based upon preliminary analysis, the Company estimates that it will record non-cash net tax benefits of approximately $70M, or approximately 56c per diluted share, related to the revaluation of these deferred tax items.

07:03 EDT Schneider National: CFO Lori Lutey to retire within next six months - In a regulatory filing, Schneider National said that Lori A. Lutey, the company's EVP and CFO, will be retiring within the next six months in order to spend more time with family and friends. Lutey's departure from the company is not due to any dispute or disagreement over the company's accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosures or policies. To assist in an orderly transition, Lutey will continue to serve in her current role for a transition period expected to run through June 30, 2018, at which time Lutey's employment will end.

07:02 EDT Kamada announces interim results from Phase 2 clinical trial of IV AAT - Kamada (KMDA) announced interim results from the company's Phase 2 trial of intravenous Alpha-1 Antitrypsin, or IV AAT, for the prevention of lung transplant rejection. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Shire (SHPG) at the Rabin Medical Center - Beilinson Hospital in Israel, and is being led by Prof. Mordechai R. Kramer, M.D., Director of the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine at the Hospital. The Phase 2 trial is a randomized, open-label study of 30 lung transplant patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IV AAT to prevent lung transplantation rejection compared with standard-of-care treatment, or SOC. The study is randomized 2:1, with 20 patients in the treatment group receiving IV AAT in combination with SOC, or AAT+SOC, and 10 patients in the control group receiving SOC. This is a two-year study, with the first year consisting of an evaluation of treatment with AAT+SOC vs. SOC, and then an additional one-year of follow-up. In May 2017, the last of the 30 patients to be recruited entered the study and began treatment. The interim report summarizes data from the first six months of treatment for the initial 16 patients in the study. Ten of these 16 patients are in the AAT+SOC group, and six are in the SOC arm. To date, six patients have died, four patients in the AAT+SOC arm, and two in the SOC group, from common transplant-related complications unrelated to treatment with IV AAT. Out of the 10 total patients who lived throughout the six-month treatment period, four experienced acute rejection post transplantation, but survived and their situation improved and stabilized. Two of the patients who experienced the acute rejections were in the AAT+SOC arm, but their situation resolved without the need to change treatment; the other two patients were in the SOC group and their situation resolved, with one of them changing treatment. Moreover, pulmonary function, which is a key indicator of acute or chronic rejection, improved and was found to be stable in all 10 patients who are alive following six months of treatment. Kamada's IV AAT demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, consistent with the results observed in previous clinical studies in different indications. None of the adverse events, or AEs, or serious adverse events, or SAEs, observed to date were considered to be related to treatment with IV AAT. During the six months of treatment, the six patients in the SOC group had a total of 28 AEs, while the 10 patients in the AAT+SOC arm had a total of 36 AEs. This represents a rate of 3.6 AEs and 2.5 AEs per 100 days of treatment in the SOC and AAT+SOC arms, respectively. Out of the 28 AEs in the SOC group, four were SAEs, while out of the 36 AEs in the AAT+SOC arm, three were SAEs. This represents a rate of 0.51 SAEs and 0.2 SAEs per 100 days of treatment in the SOC and AAT+SOC arms, respectively.

07:00 EDT CEVA enters partnership with Silentium - CEVA and Silentium announced that the companies have partnered to deliver a low power active noise cancellation solution for headsets and hearables.

06:56 EDT Alkermes CEO calls 2018 'transformative year of milestones' - Richard Pops, CEO of Alkermes, tweeted yesterday, "Nice to be back in #SanFrancisco for #JPM18. Happy New Year. A transformative year of milestones ahead in 2018 for $ALKS."

06:52 EDT DPW Holdings invests $1M in Sandstone Diagnostics - DPW Holdings announced that it has provided, through a preferred investment with certain privileges and rights, $1M to Sandstone Diagnostic. This investment represents a 4.05% equity stake in the innovative developer of point-of care medical testing equipment and systems. Sandstone is the creator of Trak, www.trakfertility.com, the leading male fertility tracker which has been clinically tested and is FDA cleared for distribution. Trak is a consumer test kit and mobile app for males that provides couples a simple and accurate way to monitor and improve his fertility from the comfort and privacy of their home. Trak utilizes its proprietary bio-analysis platform to empower men to take control of their reproductive health and improve a couple's chances of conception. Sandstone Diagnostics is a Bay Area consumer health company focused on leveraging innovative biotechnologies to develop instruments and consumables for point-of-care medical testing that empower people to measure and improve important health markers at home.

06:46 EDT Merck: FDA accepts NDA's for doravirine - Merck announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted for review two New Drug Applications for doravirine, the company's investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. The NDAs include data for doravirine as a once-daily tablet for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents, and for use of doravirine with lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in a once-daily fixed-dose combination single tablet as a complete regimen. The FDA has set a target action date of Oct. 23, 2018, for both applications under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act

06:32 EDT Haverty Furniture sees one-time charge of $3.5M-$4M from Tax Act - On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law Public Law No. 115-97, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Tax Act contains significant changes to corporate taxes, including a permanent reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. The reduction in the corporate rate will require a one-time revaluation of certain tax-related assets. Based on preliminary estimates, it is currently expected the revaluation will result in a one-time tax charge of $3.5M-$4M, which will be recorded as additional income tax expense in Havertys' consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the fourth quarter of 2017. This estimated range is based upon a review and analysis of the net deferred tax assets at September 30, 2017, and expected adjustments in the fourth quarter. Havertys actual write-down may vary from this range as it is dependent on the final net deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2017. Havertys anticipates subsequent regulations and interpretations to be released associated with the Tax Act that will provide additional guidance on its application; however, we currently estimate that Havertys effective tax rate for 2018 will be in the range of 24% to 26%.

06:28 EDT Regis sees $38M one-time charge related to salon closings - On January 8, Regis announced a restructuring of its SmartStyle portfolio, pursuant to which it will close 597 non-performing Company owned SmartStyle salons (which includes 8 TGF locations) on January 31, 2018. Regis intends to offer many impacted stylists and salon managers comparable positions in other SmartStyle or Regis family of brands salons. The action delivers on Regis' commitment to restructure its salon portfolio to improve shareholder value and position Regis for long-term growth. Regis anticipates total net one-time charges of approximately $38M in connection with the salon closures, of which approximately $36M will be paid in cash. The cash charges include approximately $1M of severance and approximately $35M of costs to terminate the leases and return the vacated salons to pre-occupancy condition. Approximately $27M of cash disbursements associated with the salon closures occurred during the second fiscal quarter. The approximately $2M of net non-cash expenses relate to $5M of impairment and write-off related charges partially offset by $3M of non-cash benefit related to deferred rent balances associated with the salon closures. The 597 non-performing salons generated negative cash flow of approximately $15M during the twelve months ended September 30, 2017.

06:20 EDT Regis to close approximately 600 nonperforming SmartStyle salons on Jan 31 - Regis announced it will close approximately 600 nonperforming company owned SmartStyle salons on January 31. CEO Sawyer said, "Consistent with our multi-year strategic plan, Regis is taking steps in 2018 to restructure our salon portfolio to improve shareholder value and position the company for long-term growth. Today's announcement, when combined with the previously announced sale and subsequent franchising of our mall-based and international salons, delivers on that commitment. This initiative is a positive step forward and we anticipate this action will allow Regis to reallocate capital and human resources to strategically grow our remaining 2,000 SmartStyle salons with creative new offerings within Walmart."

06:16 EDT Insulet: Medicare Part D plans may now cover Omnipod System - Insulet announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued guidance clarifying that Medicare Part D Plan Sponsors may provide coverage for products such as the Omnipod System under the Medicare Part D (prescription drug) program. The CMS guidance empowers Insulet to begin working with Medicare Part D carriers to ensure beneficiaries living with diabetes have access to the Omnipod System. Securing Medicare Part D coverage also provides Insulet with a direct pathway to gain Medicaid coverage at the state level, as many state-run Medicaid programs follow CMS prescription drug guidance to determine coverage. This allows access for lower-income individuals and families on Medicaid for whom Omnipod is currently not an option. The Company estimates that obtaining Medicare and Medicaid coverage extends access to Insulet's Omnipod System to approximately 450,000 additional individuals with Type 1 diabetes in the United States.

06:13 EDT VW taps Nvidia to build AI into new electric microbus - Volkswagen (VLKAY) and NVIDIA (NVDA)shared their vision for how AI and deep learning will shape the development of a new generation of intelligent Volkswagen vehicles using the NVIDIA DRIVE IX platform to create new cockpit experiences and improve safety. At the kickoff of CES 2018, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang discussed on stage how AI is transforming the auto industry and highlighted the new I.D. Buzz, Volkswagen's rebirth of the iconic VW MicroBus, reimagined in electric car form and infused with AI technology for the cockpit and self-driving. The VW I.D. Buzz will use DRIVE IX technology to create "Intelligent Co-Pilot" applications, which will include convenience and assistance systems based on processing sensor data from both inside and outside of the car. The I.D. Buzz is part of the I.D. family with which Volkswagen will launch its electric car campaign and gradually introduce autonomous driving starting in 2020. More than 20 fully electric vehicle models are planned by 2025, as the automaker works toward its goal of becoming the world leader in this area. These new models are based on the completely new MEB car architecture that is consistently geared toward zero-emission, digital mobility and making use of the electric drive's overall package benefits.

06:11 EDT Mellanox holder Starboard Value delivers letter to CEO, board - Starboard Value delivered a letter to Mellanox CEO Eyal Waldman and the board, saying: "We invested in Mellanox because we believe the Company is deeply undervalued and there are significant opportunities to create value based on actions within the control of management and the Board... Unfortunately, despite an extremely strong product and technology portfolio, Mellanox has been one of the worst performing semiconductor companies for an extended period of time... This consistent underperformance is troubling and puzzling, given both the strong performance of Mellanox's peers and the tailwinds provided by the company's favorable exposure to many of the most attractive end markets in the industry: high-performance computing, cloud computing, hyperscale data centers, and artificial intelligence. This underperformance has led to a crisis of confidence among investors and has contributed to Mellanox trading at a meaningful discount to its peers. We believe that this poor stock price performance has been driven by a pattern of weak execution that has included both excessive spending and missed growth opportunities... It now appears that due to our involvement and other external pressures, you and the Board recognize there is a problem. However, while the new targets for 2018 that were disclosed in December represent a modest improvement, we remain concerned that these commitments are merely reactionary, and, even if these new goals are achieved, do not come close to addressing the magnitude of the problem. Moreover, given Mellanox's extended history of underperformance and missed expectations, we believe that the company lacks sufficient credibility to convince shareholders that it will hit even these modest targets... We are also concerned that the targets outlined for 2018 are solely reliant on revenue growth to drive operating margin expansion, adding additional risk to the plan... Looking forward, we have severe concerns regarding the company's recently announced plan - we do not believe that it goes nearly far enough to address the magnitude of the problem and there remains significant skepticism about whether the company can hit even these modest targets. Our goal is for Mellanox to create substantial value for the benefit of all shareholders. However, the time for fringe changes and marginal improvements has long passed. Given the significant and continuing underperformance at Mellanox, and the high level of frustration among the shareholder base, the company's recently announced targets are not nearly enough to offset years of poor performance and missed expectations."

06:04 EDT PetIQ to acquire VIP Petcare in $220M deal - PetIQ announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Community Veterinary Clinics, LLC d/b/a VIP Petcare, a leading operator and provider of nationwide veterinary clinics and veterinarian services within major U.S. retailers. The transaction has been unanimously approved by PetIQ's board of directors and is expected to close by the end of January 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction is valued at approximately $220M, comprised of $100M in cash, up to an additional $30M payable pursuant to promissory notes issued to VIP Petcare Holdings, and 4.2M membership units of PetIQ Holdings LLC and a corresponding 4.2M shares of PetIQ's Class B common stock issued to Seller, valued at approximately $90M, based on the closing share price of PetIQ's stock on January 5, 2018. Of the $30M in promissory notes payable to the Seller, $20M is payable contingent upon the achievement of certain performance-based financial targets over the next two calendar years. PetIQ plans to finance the cash portion of this transaction with $25M of existing cash on hand and $75M of new debt with secured financing commitments from East West Bank and Ares Capital Management LLC. Pro-forma for the transaction, net leverage is expected to be approximately 1.6x to 1.8x for LTM Adjusted EBITDA for the calendar year ending December 31, 2018. The transaction is expected to close by the end January 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. In connection with execution of the transaction agreement, PetIQ will issue options to purchase an aggregate of 800,000 shares of Class A common stock of PetIQ to 30 employees hired in connection with the transaction as employment inducement awards pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). 100,000 of the options will be issued to Will Santana, who entered into a new employment agreement with PetIQ, effective upon closing of the transaction. The grant date for all of the options is January 5, 2018 and the exercise price is $21.37, the closing price of PetIQ's Class A common stock on such date. The options vest in equal annual installments on each of the first four anniversaries of the closing date of the transaction agreement, generally subject to continued employment through each vesting date. The options will vest on an accelerated basis in the event of a termination of employment without cause.

06:01 EDT Novo Nordisk offers to acquire Ablynx for up to EUR30.50 per share in cash - Novo Nordisk (NVO) confirms that it made a proposal on December 22, 2017 to acquire Ablynx (ABLX) for EUR 28.00 per share in cash and one CVR with total potential cash payments over time of up to EUR 2.50 per share. This proposal implies a total equity valuation of approximately EUR 2.6 billion1 for Ablynx and represents a premium of up to 60% over Ablynx's share price as of December 6, 2017 of EUR 19.12, which was the day prior to our first proposal, and up to 66% over Ablynx's 3 month VWAP of EUR 18.39 as of 5 January 2018. Novo Nordisk has made a concerted and good faith effort to engage in discussions with Ablynx. This proposal is the second proposal that Novo Nordisk has made to Ablynx's Board of Directors and represents up to approximately a 14% increase over the first proposal. Novo Nordisk regrets that the Board of Directors of Ablynx has so far declined to engage in any discussions, despite the proposals which have been put forward. Novo Nordisk has conducted a deep analysis of Ablynx's business and product portfolio, based on publicly available information, including caplacizumab, ALX-0171, vobarilizumab, its other pipeline products and partnerships. Following that analysis, Novo Nordisk has concluded that combining Ablynx's caplacizumab with Novo Nordisk's strong global haematology franchise and extensive worldwide resources is a compelling opportunity and provides the clearest path to realizing full potential of Ablynx's portfolio in the best interests of all stakeholders, including patients and physicians. The proposed transaction would combine Novo Nordisk's regulatory, scientific and commercial expertise with Ablynx's strong existing medical teams to optimise the development and global commercialisation of caplacizumab.

05:54 EDT LightInTheBox accepts Bitcoin payment - LightInTheBox announced that bitcoin will now be accepted on the LightInTheBox.com and MiniInTheBox.com platforms as of January 5th, 2018. Bitcoin payments will be processed through BitPay.

05:44 EDT Perrigo appoints Uwe Rohrhoff as CEO - Perrigo announced the appointment of Uwe Rohrhoff as CEO, effective January 15, 2018, following the retirement of John Hendrickson. Rohrhoff serves as Audit Committee Chairman on the board of Catalent. He is also Deputy Chairman of Klockner&Co SE, one of the world's largest producer-independent steel and metal distributors. Rohrhoff plans to step down from both boards. Hendrickson will resign as CEO and board member on January 15, 2018 and will remain with the Company until March 15, 2018 to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

05:39 EDT KIRKBI to acquire significant minority stake in Valinge from KKR - KIRKBI, the holding and investment company of the Kirk Kristiansen family, has signed an agreement to acquire KKR's 49.8% stake in Valinge, a Swedish industrial R&D company, alongside the founding Pervan family that via Pervanovo Invest AB will maintain its majority ownership of 50.2%.

05:14 EDT Nvidia selected by Uber for AI computing system in self-driving vehicle fleet - NVIDIA and Uber today announced that the ridesharing company has selected NVIDIA technology for the AI computing system in its fleet of self-driving vehicles. Speaking at the opening press conference of CES 2018, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said that the collaboration utilizes NVIDIA technology for Uber Advanced Technologies Group's fleets of self-driving cars and freight trucks, running AI algorithms that enable vehicles to perceive the world, predict what will happen next and quickly choose the best course of action, even in complex environments.