Stockwinners Market Radar for January 09, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:52 EDT Discovery Communication to relocate global headquarters to New York City - Discovery Communications (DISCA) announced plans to relocate its global headquarters from Silver Spring, Maryland, to New York City in 2019. Contingent upon the closing of the company's acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI), Discovery also will establish a National Operations Headquarters at Scripps' current campus in Knoxville, Tennessee. To take advantage of the proximity to business, investment and production partners in New York, the company will bring together all current Discovery and, pending closing of the transaction, Scripps employees currently located across several different facilities in New York in a new Global Headquarters. Planning for the space and location in New York is underway with an anticipated move to a new building by the second half of 2019. Following an in-depth financial and operational analysis, and based on the strengths, capabilities and advantages of the current Scripps Knoxville campus, the facility will become Discovery's National Operations Headquarters pending closure of the transaction.

18:34 EDT Halozyme sees 25%-30% ENHANZE royalty revenue growth in 2018 - Halozyme Therapeutics (HALO) forecasts 25%-30% royalty revenue growth in 2018 and potential for royalty revenue to reach nearly $1B in 2027 based on the current and expected momentum of partners coformulating products with its ENHANZE technology. "We enter 2018 building on the most successful year in Halozyme history, where we established our ENHANZE technology as the go-to standard to convert IV therapies to subcutaneous delivery, potentially helping our partners improve their competitive advantage and easing the treatment burden for patients," said Dr. Torley. "With this momentum and the marquee therapies under development or planned for development with ENHANZE - including subcutaneous formulations of Darzalex, a Herceptin/ Perjeta fixed-dose combination and Opdivo - we now see the potential for ENHANZE royalty revenue to reach nearly $1 billion in 2027." Janssen (JNJ) initiated four phase 3 registration studies with ENHANZE in 2017, and Halozyme expects additional partners to begin three phase 1 studies with new targets in 2018. The breadth of clinical development with the ENHANZE technology follows the signing of three global collaboration and licensing agreements in 2017. In total, Halozyme now has eight partners with the potential to generate an average mid-single-digit royalty on net sales of commercialized products. Three commercialized products coformulated with the ENHANZE technology generated $64M in royalty revenue in 2017, growing 25% from 2016, Dr. Torley said. The company expects to report fourth quarter and 2017 financial results in February. Halozyme also provided updates on the clinical development of its late-stage investigational oncology drug, PEGPH20, including its HALO-301 registration trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. As previously announced, the company expects the study will reach the target number of progression-free survival events late in the fourth quarter. In addition, Halozyme may report phase 1b response rate data during the year from two other clinical trials studying PEGPH20 in additional tumor types. Between Halozyme- and partner-led trials, PEGPH20 is being studied in pancreas, gastric, lung, breast, gall-bladder and bile-duct cancers. Dr. Torley said the company exited 2017 with $460M-$470M in cash and cash equivalents and is well financed into 2020.

17:56 EDT Apogee Enterprises raises dividend 12.5%, increases share repurchase plan by 1M - The Board of Directors of Apogee Enterprises announced it has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 15.75c per share, payable on February 14 to shareholders of record on January 30. The dividend of 15.75c per share represents an increase of 12.5% from the previous quarterly dividend of 14c per share. The Board of Directors also increased its existing share repurchase authorization by 1M shares, bringing the total available share repurchase program to approximately 1.5M shares.

17:33 EDT SiriusXM: Steve Bannon to longer host show since programming pact with Breitbart - SiriusXM issued the following statement: "Breitbart News has decided to end its relationship with Stephen K. Bannon, therefore he will no longer host on SiriusXM since our programming agreement is with Breitbart News."

17:29 EDT Midland States receives regulatory approval for acquisition of Alpine Bancorp - Midland States Bancorp and Alpine Bancorporation announced the receipt of the required regulatory approval from The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for the acquisition of Alpine Bancorporation by Midland States Bancorp. The consummation of Midland's acquisition of Alpine Bancorporation remains subject to the approval of each party's shareholders, approval by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Midland and Alpine expect the acquisition will close by the end of February 2018.

17:20 EDT Domino's Pizza down 1.8% after CEO Patrick Doyle announces departure

17:19 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: TSR (TSRI), up 35%. ALSO HIGHER: Tandem Diabetes (TNDM), up 22.4% after it reporte preliminary Q4 revenue above consensus estimates... AmTrust (AFSI), up 21.2% after a Stone Point group proposed to acquire the company at $12.25 per share... Ocean Rig UDW (ORIG), up 12.4% after Bloomberg reported that it is working with Credit Suisse on exploring a sale... Tivity Health (TVTY), up 9.8% after it extended its partnership with Humana (HUM) on the SilverSneakers fitness program... RPC, Inc. (RES), up 0.5% after the stock was initiated with an Equal Weight rating at Stephens. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: EXFO (EXFO), down 4.5%. ALSO LOWER: Nordstrom (JWN), down 1.3% after it reported holiday sales results.

17:17 EDT Franklin Resources announces preliminary AUM $753.8B as of December 31 - Compared to $753.2B as of November 30. The increase in assets under management was due to net inflows that resulted from a seasonal increase in distributions that more than offset a decrease from net market change and other. Preliminary average assets under management for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, were $752.7 billion.

17:12 EDT Gundlach says the high for Bitcoin is in

17:04 EDT TSR rises 36% afterhours to $7.90 after Q2 earnings

17:01 EDT Lands' End selected as uniform supplier for American Airlines Flight Service - Lands' End (LE) announced that it has been selected as the new uniform supplier for American Airlines (AAL) Flight Service, Airport Customer Service and Premium Customer Services. The awarded uniform program will allow Lands' End to outfit 51,000 American Airlines employees, with an estimated 1.8M apparel items.

16:58 EDT Gundlach says world growth synchronized for first time in years - Comments from Jeffrey Gundlach CEO of DoubleLine Capital on webcast.

16:52 EDT James Flynn reports new 9.985% passive stake in Melinta Therapeutics - This filing does not allow for activism.

16:43 EDT Esterline CFO Robert George to depart, Stephen Nolan to succeed - Esterline (ESL) announced that Stephen Nolan, CFO for Vista Outdoor (VSTO), will succeed Robert George as Esterline's CFO, effective February 5. George, who has been with Esterline as CFO for 21 years, will remain with the company in a special advisory role to help ensure a seamless transition before retiring in June. Nolan has more than 15 years of experience in operational and strategic finance, most recently serving as CFO for Vista Outdoor, a publicly traded manufacturer of outdoor sports and recreation products.

16:37 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM $62.1B as of December 31, 2017 - A decrease of $466M from November 30, 2017. The decrease was due to distributions of $757M, partially offset by market appreciation of $269M and net inflows of $22M.

16:33 EDT Crescent Point Energy sees FY18 exit growth rate of about 7% - The company's 2018 budget is expected to generate annual average production of 183,500 boe/d and exit production of 195,000 boe/d. This represents annual growth of approximately 5% and year-over-year exit growth of approximately 7%. These growth rates are in addition to the company's monthly dividend income provided to shareholders. Crescent Point is also pleased to announce it achieved a 2017 exit rate of 183,000 boe/d, which represented year-over-year production growth of approximately 10 percent, both on an absolute and per share basis. This growth was realized despite executing several non-core asset dispositions throughout 2017. The company also successfully identified new drilling locations during 2017, including additional horizontal locations in the Uinta Basin. At year-end 2017, Crescent Point's risked Uinta Basin horizontal inventory increased to approximately 850 net locations, up from 120 at the end of 2016. These new higher rate locations have the potential to generate significant production and increase the productive capacity of the company's drilling inventory by approximately 70 percent compared to the prior year. Crescent Point also updated its estimated original oil-in-place for the Uinta Basin, which grew by over 60 percent to approximately 8.5 billion barrels.

16:31 EDT Stone Point group including AmTrust CEO propose acquisition of company - Private equity funds managed by Stone Point Capital, together with Barry Zyskind, Chairman and CEO of AmTrust Financial Services, George Karfunkel and Leah Karfunkel announced that they have jointly proposed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of AmTrust that the Karfunkel-Zyskind Family does not already own or control for $12.25 per share in cash, which represents a 20.8% premium over AmTrust's closing stock price on January 8. The Karfunkel-Zyskind Family owns or controls approximately 43% of the outstanding shares of AmTrust common stock. Stone Point and the Karfunkel-Zyskind Family believe the proposed transaction will provide AmTrust's common stockholders with immediate liquidity and certainty of value at a significant premium to the current share price while allowing AmTrust to focus on the long term without the emphasis on short-term results.

16:30 EDT Jeffrey L. Gendell reports 5.18% passive stake in SB Financial - In a regulatory filing, Jeffrey L. Gendell disclosed a 5.18% stake in SB Financial, representing 247,791 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:23 EDT Par Pacific to acquire 33 Cenex Zip Trip convenience stores for $70M - Par Pacific Holdings announced that a wholly-owned subsidiary of Par Petroleum, LLC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 33 Cenex Zip Trip convenience stores from CHS Inc. for approximately $70 million plus the agreed value of inventory at closing. Par Pacific anticipates Adjusted EBITDA from the acquired stores to be approximately $7.0 to $7.5 million in the first full year of operations. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions and other approvals.

16:21 EDT Preferred Apartment acquires Lux multifamily community in Florida - Preferred Apartment Communitie announced the acquisition of Lux, a 265-unit Class A multifamily community in Jacksonville, Florida constructed in 2017. Lux is located adjacent to Sorrel, a Class A multifamily community that PAC acquired in 2016. PAC acquired this community through a wholly-owned subsidiary and financed the acquisition utilizing a non-recourse first mortgage loan from Nationwide Life Insurance Company. The principal balance on the first mortgage loan is approximately $31.5M, bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.91% per annum, has a 12-year term and amortizes based on a 30-year schedule.

16:21 EDT Synnex raises quarterly dividend 17% to 35c from 30c per share - The dividend is payable on January 31, 2018 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on January 19, 2018. The SYNNEX Board of Directors will assess the dividend on an annual basis each January. In addition to the increased dividend, SYNNEX expects that the anticipated benefit associated with the 2017 US tax reform law will be utilized for business investment and debt reduction.

16:20 EDT Tivity Health extends partnership with Humana on fitness program - Tivity Health (TVTY) and Humana (HUM) announced that they have extended their existing partnership through December 31, 2022, under which Humana offers the acclaimed SilverSneakers fitness program to Humana's Medicare Advantage individual and group members. This newly signed agreement allows for continued access by the majority of Humana's current 3.3 million members and future enrollees across the country to SilverSneakers, the leading community fitness program for older adults. The contract extension reaffirms Humana's commitment to help its Medicare Advantage members achieve their best health. SilverSneakers, available to most Humana members since 2004, provides a platform that motivates members to actively improve their physical health and make important and frequent social connections that are critical to a long and healthy life.

16:18 EDT Mercury Systems receives $7.7M follow-on order from defense prime contractor - Mercury Systems announced it received a $7.7M follow-on order from a leading defense prime contractor for BuiltSecure high-density secure memory devices integrated into a state-of-the-art airborne command, control and intelligence system. The order was booked in the company's fiscal 2018 second quarter and is expected to be shipped over the next several quarters. BuiltSecure memory devices leverage the company's expertise in three-dimensional packaging technology, transforming a two-dimensional array of memory devices into a single, vertically-integrated memory module ruggedized for the harshest military operating environments. With up to 85% space savings enabled by Mercury's BuiltSecure memory devices, valuable board real estate is now available to system architects for the incorporation of additional components needed to support enhanced system functionality. BuiltSecure memory devices are designed and manufactured in the company's Advanced Microelectronics Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

16:18 EDT United Continental reports December traffic up 2.7% - UAL's December 2017 consolidated traffic increased 2.7% and consolidated capacity increased 3.7% versus December 2016. UAL's December 2017 consolidated load factor decreased 0.8 points compared to December 2016. The company now expects Q4 consolidated passenger unit revenue to be about flat compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, driven by stronger yields and better close-in demand. United Airlines previously forecast Q4 consolidated passenger unit revenue to be down 2% to flat compared to the fourth quarter of 2016.

16:16 EDT SandRidge comments on Icahn letter - SandRidge Energy commented on the open letter that was received from Carl Icahn this morning: "The SandRidge Board of Directors and management team value constructive shareholder dialogue and are engaged in ongoing discussions with shareholders, including Mr. Icahn. In this regard, SandRidge's independent board members are scheduled to meet with several major shareholders next week, including Mr. Icahn. As we have already confirmed in writing to Mr. Icahn on two separate occasions, both publicly in our Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2017 and privately in a letter to his counsel dated December 12, 2017, the short-term rights plan does not prevent shareholders from speaking with each other as long as they do not form a group and comply with federal securities laws."

16:12 EDT Columbus McKinnon 3-year roadmap aims to pay down $55M-$60M in debt this year - Columbus McKinnon Corporation hosted an investor briefing to outline "Blueprint 2021: Raising Expectations", a three-year roadmap that outlines the strategic vision for the Company and defines business goals and financial performance objectives. The goals of the plan are to drive stronger earnings power with EBITDA margins greater than 15% through operational improvements, new product development and by capturing greater market share. The company expects to pay down approximately $55 million to $60 million of debt in FY2018 and $55 million to $65 million in FY2019. By achieving net leverage below two times EBITDA in fiscal year 2019, Columbus McKinnon will have the financial flexibility to further pivot through acquisitions toward an industrial technology business.

16:11 EDT Gabelli stake in Lennar 10.24% from 11.76% due to increase in outstanding shares - The aggregate number of securities beneficially owned by GAMCO has increased since the previous Amendment to Schedule 13D was filed on behalf of the GAMCO. This Amendment to Schedule 13D is being filed to reflect a decrease in the percent of the outstanding shares beneficially owned by the GAMCO which is due solely to an increase in the shares outstanding as reported by Lennar in its Schedule 14A filed on January 5.

16:09 EDT Parsley Energy CEO Bryan Sheffield to step down in 2019, Gallagher to succeed - Parsley Energy (PE) announced that next year, in January 2019, Chairman of the Board and CEO Bryan Sheffield will be succeeded as CEO by Matt Gallagher, the company's current President and COO. Gallagher is appointed to Parsley's Board of Directors effective immediately. Sheffield will serve as CEO through the end of 2018, in the newly-created position of Executive Chairman throughout 2019, and as Chairman of the Board thereafter. As part of the succession plan, the Board has determined to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO at the time of Sheffield's transition to Executive Chairman. Matt Gallagher has served as the Company's President and COO since January 2017. Since joining the company in 2010, he has served in positions of increasing responsibility across the company, including overseeing engineering and geoscience activities. Prior to joining Parsley, Gallagher served in various engineering and investor relations functions with Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) between 2005 and 2010.

16:06 EDT Nordstrom reports November/December SSS up 1.2% - Nordstrom announced an increase in its net sales of 2.5% and an increase in comparable sales of 1.2% for the nine weeks ended December 30, 2017, compared with the same period last year. This reflected an improvement in Nordstrom full-line and Nordstrom Rack stores relative to year-to-date sales trends and continued growth in e-commerce at Nordstrom.com and Nordstromrack.com/HauteLook. In the Nordstrom brand, including U.S. and Canada full-line stores and Nordstrom.com, net sales when combined with Trunk Club, increased 0.7% and comparable sales increased 1%. In the Nordstrom Rack brand, which consists of Nordstrom Rack stores and Nordstromrack.com/HauteLook, net sales increased 8.2% and comparable sales increased 2.9%.

15:49 EDT GoPro says seeing 10 times increase in sales on Amazon since price cut - At the JP Morgan Conference the company said: "At GoPro.com (GPRO) we've seen a 10x increase in sell-through of HERO6 Black and more than a 10x sales uplift sells through at Amazon (AMZN)."

15:36 EDT Azul reports December passenger traffic up 15.4% y/y - Azul announced its preliminary traffic results for December 2017. Passenger traffic increased 15.4% compared to December 2016 on a capacity increase of 13.1%. As a result, load factor was 83.1%, 1.7 percentage points higher than in the same period last year. In 2017, load factor increased 2.4 percentage points over last year, reaching 82.1%. Domestic load factor was 80.3% and international was 89.5%.

15:32 EDT Feuerstein sees 'irrational exuberance' over Nektar tumor drug - STAT's Adam Feuerstein tweeted, "$NKTR The irrational exuberance for NKTR-214 continues, I presume? #JPM18...Easier (less risky) to pour money into $NKTR -214 with tiny amount of data and no pivotal catalyst in sight than $INCY and its make-or-break IDO ph3 readout looming. #JPM18." NKTR-214 is a CD122-biased agonist designed to stimulate the patient's own immune system to fight cancer. Shares of Nektar Therapeutics are up 18%, or $10.24, to $67.30 following the company's presentation at the JPMorgan healthcare conference.

15:16 EDT Akamai up 3% after report of engaging bank for strategic review

15:13 EDT Nektar sees NKTR-262 Phase 1 dosing in Q1, NKTR-181 NDA in Q2 - Nektar President and CEO Howard Robin made a presentation at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. As part of the presentation, Robin announced that, based upon the company's preliminary estimates, as of December 31, 2017, the company had cash and investments of $353.2M. In slides for the presentation, Nektar discussed its pipeline, noting that NKTR-214 is in Phase 1/2 trials, NKTR-262 Phase 1 dosing will start in Q1 2018, and that an IND for NKTR-255 is seen in 2018. An NDA for NKTR-181 is expected to be submitted in Q2 2018, the slides also state. The company said earlier in a regulatory filing that it expected the presentation and Q&A breakout session will include certain forward-looking statements. In afternoon trading, Nektar shares are up $11.02, or 19%, to $68.42.

15:03 EDT Meet Silicon Labs: A talk with CFO John Hollister - Silicon Labs (SLAB) is a fabless semiconductor company that provides silicon, software and solutions for the Internet of Things, Internet infrastructure, industrial automation, consumer and automotive markets. In an exclusive interview with The Fly, CFO John Hollister talked about the Internet of Things, competition, M&A, and much more. Here are some of the highlights: INTERNET OF THINGS: Discussing some of the trends in the Internet of Things space, Silicon Labs' CFO highlighted home automation, smart metering, the industrial market, and connective lighting as some of the areas where the company is seeing success. Additionally, John Hollister said he believes Silicon Labs' biggest strength lies in its broad portfolio of wireless connectivity and being able to "mix and match" depending on customer needs. COMPETITION MAY BE SHRINKING: While the executive acknowledged the existence of several competitors in the space, he noted that there has been a fair amount of industry consolidation, which he sees as positive for Silicon Labs. "One thing I can say is the number of competitors is declining over time," Hollister contended, noting that the larger companies have been more focused on their integration strategies and cost synergies. "It has created more of an opening for us to leverage our advantages," he added. TAX REFORM: While Hollister sees the tax reform as having ramifications for corporate America, the CFO pointed out that the company is still assessing any potential impact on Silicon Labs. M&A STRATEGY TO CONTINUE: Silicon Labs has recently announced the acquisition of Sigma Designs, one of several companies it has acquired in recent years. The executive noted that Silicon Labs' M&A strategy has allowed it "to expand markets, to add technical capability, and to bring in critical talent." "Our goal is to grow the company both organically and inorganically," the CFO noted. IOT PERCEPTION CHANGING: Hollister believes the way people perceive the Internet of Things space is changing as they start to understand "the Internet of Things is happening" and as more everyday applications "become relevant for all of us, not only in our personal lives but in business." "It's just exciting to be part of this story, where we are leading in the market trend," Hollister said. "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. A more detailed version of this interview to follow.

14:56 EDT Silicon Labs CFO says IoT perception changing as applications become relevant

14:56 EDT Broad wireless connectivity portfolio among Silicon Labs strengths, CFO says

14:56 EDT Silicon Labs CFO believes M&A strategy to continue

14:48 EDT AK Steel drops after underwhelming analyst view - Shares of steelmaker AK Steel (AKS) are having a rough day after an analyst at Jefferies lowered his rating on shares. LEVERAGE TO CYCLE MAY UNDERWHELM: Seth Rosenfeld and his team at Jefferies downgraded shares of AK Steel to Hold from Buy in a note this morning. Rosenfeld said he sees the company's move away from its past reliance on spot sales to longer-term contracts as a long-term positive, but noted "it leaves the company with only limited exposure to current spot price enthusiasm." Additionally, the auto recovery anticipated may help sales but contract pricing from the car makers may be disappointing, he added. RAW MATERIAL COST: According to the report, AK Steel saw a relative benefit from "advantageous coal contracts" in 2017 that may not materialize in the current year. Rosenfeld also believes iron ore costs may increase more for AK Steel than some of its peers, as the recent Atlantic pellet premium hike will lead to higher ASP's for supplier Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF), but higher costs for AK Steel. VALUATION: According to Jefferies, AK Steel was trading at 6.3 times EV/EBITDA at the time the note was written. That is compared to a historical average of 5.1 times and the sector at 6.5 times. Jefferies said, "Our new $6.50 [price target] implies 6.2x EBITDA." PRICE ACTION: Shares of AK Steel are down almost 8% to $6.12 in afternoon trading. PEERS: Shares of United States Steel (X) and Cleveland-Cliffs are down around 2%, while Steel Dynamics (STLD) is down 1.34%. Nucor (NUE) is down just 0.66% in afternoon trading.

14:40 EDT For The Win: Switch beats Wii U's lifetime sales, PS4 holiday shipments 'robust' - Welcome to "For The Win," The Fly's weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks. CONSOLE SALES: Last evening, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SNE) announced "robust" sales for the PlayStation 4 system during the holiday season, as the company reported over 5.9M units sold over the holidays. The bump has brought the PS4's cumulative sales to over 73.6M units globally as of December 31, 2017. The announcement comes nearly a week after Nintendo (NTDOY) said that its Switch console has become the "fastest-selling home video game system in U.S. history," having sold over 4.8M units in the U.S. after its March 3, 2017 launch. According to the Japanese gaming giant, that's the highest total for the first 10 months of any home video game system in U.S. history. Additionally, Game Informer reported yesterday that the Switch has officially sold more total units in Japan than the Wii U, Nintendo's previous home gaming console that launched in December 2012. Switch sales in Japan have reached 3.4M units, surpassing the Wii U's lifetime sales in the country of 3.3M, the report noted, citing Famitsu's sales tracking. KEYBANC SEES BIG YEAR FOR ESPORTS: The popularity of eSports appears to be having an impact on video game stocks, as KeyBanc analyst Evan Wingren said yesterday in a research note to investors that 2018 is a crucial year for eSports, with the Overwatch League and the League of Legends North American League Championship Series defining the initial success or failure of eSports. The analyst said he views Activision Blizzard (ATVI), the company behind "Overwatch," and Take-Two (TTWO), which makes the popular "NBA 2K" series, as best positioned to take share in the eSports market as of now. Meanwhile, Netgear (NTGR) announced today that it is sponsoring the Overwatch League team Seoul Dynasty ahead of the inaugural season of Overwatch League, which begins on January 10, 2018 and runs until June. Netgear added that the sponsorship, along with the launch of Nighthawk Pro Gaming during CES 2018 earlier this week, is part of the company's efforts to establish "deeper ties with the passionate and growing" eSports community. BMO UPGRADES EA: BMO Capital analyst Gerrick Johnson upgraded Electronic Arts (EA) yesterday to Outperform from Market Perform and raised his price target to $130 from $97. The analyst said he believes the stock price's decline was overdone, noting that the game maker is a "solid long-term story" with a stable sports portfolio and a sensible eSports strategy. The upgrade echoes a similar sentiment from Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, who reaffirmed an Outperform rating on EA last week and said that sales of "Star Wars Battlefront II" should bounce back in December after an "underwhelming" first month. Meanwhile, Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey said in a note today that Electronic Arts' execution risk has been elevated given its recent issues with the "Star Wars" game and would be cautious headed into the company's quarterly earnings release. Hickey noted, however, that he sees this as a transitory product driven event that doesn't stop the digital secular thesis driving EA's long-term earnings power and maintained a Buy rating on the stock.

14:31 EDT Intel still thinks patch impact shouldn't be significant for average users - In a security issue update posted to its corporate IR site earlier, Intel stated in part: "To best ensure security of our customers' data, we are working with the industry to develop and distribute software and firmware mitigations for the exploit methods disclosed by Google Project Zero; also known as "Spectre" and "Meltdown". As of now, we have not received any information that these exploits have been used to obtain customer data. In early December we began distributing Intel firmware updates to our OEM partners. For Intel CPUs introduced in the past five years, we expect to issue updates for more than 90 percent of them within a week, and the remainder by the end of January. We will continue to issue updates for other products thereafter. We are pleased with this progress, but recognize there is much more work to do to support our customers...Based on our most recent PC benchmarking, we continue to expect that the performance impact should not be significant for average computer users. This means the typical home and business PC user should not see significant slowdowns in common tasks such as reading email, writing a document or accessing digital photos. Based on our tests on SYSmark 2014 SE, a leading benchmark of PC performance, 8th Generation Core platforms with solid state storage will see a performance impact of 6 percent or less." Reference Link

14:29 EDT Netgear sponsors Overwatch League team Seoul Dynasty - Netgear (NTGR) announced sponsorship of the Overwatch League (ATVI) team Seoul Dynasty. With the launch of Nighthawk Pro Gaming during CES 2018 earlier this week, Netgear is establishing deeper ties with the growing esports community. This sponsorship agreement with Seoul Dynasty represents an extended investment of Netgear in esports, as Netgear will be the exclusive corporate logo to appear on the Dynasty jersey. "Nighthawk has long been a brand recognized by gamers for high-performance networking hardware," said Heidi Cormack, senior vice president of Global Marketing for NETGEAR. "With the company's enhanced focus on developing products specifically for gamers with our Nighthawk Pro Gaming category of products, we wished to show our ongoing support and commitment for the gaming community through esports sponsorships such as this latest partnership with the Overwatch League's Seoul Dynasty."

14:28 EDT NuStar announces Open Season for 2nd capacity expansion of Permain Crude System - NuStar Energy announced the start of its Binding Open Season involving a second capacity expansion of NuStar Permian Transportation and Storage LLC's Permian Crude System. With crude oil throughput volumes to certain destinations on NuStar's Permian Crude System approaching the system's capacity, the NuStar Permian Crude System Expansion No. Two will provide shippers with additional transportation capacity that is capable of reaching multiple downstream markets through interconnects at Colorado City, Texas. The NuStar Permian Crude System Expansion No. Two is currently expected to consist of three phased-in expansion projects, including: Big Spring South Inlet; Colorado City Mainline Expansion; and County Line Loop. Once completed, these projects are expected to provide approximately 70,000 barrels per day of additional capacity on the Permian Crude System, of which 90% of such additional capacity will be available for volume commitments during the Open Season. Under the NuStar Permian Crude System Expansion No. Two Open Season, potential shippers will have the opportunity to make volume commitments and sign a Transportation Services Agreement from designated origin point segments to NuStar's Colorado City, Texas Terminal at tiered-volume committed rates. Subject to the limitations set forth in the TSA, shippers that execute a TSA during the Open Season will also have the option to elect firm transportation rights on NuStar's Permian Crude System during periods of prorationing for those movements for which shippers have made volume commitments.

14:28 EDT Ford to test self-driving vehicles in a new city this year - Ford (F) said in a Medium blog post that it will begin testing self-driving vehicles in a new city, the first in which it plans to validate its autonomous vehicle business model. In partnership with Argo AI, the car maker will expand development and testing of the technology that enables a vehicle to drive itself. The company said it will talk more about its city collaboration later this year. The car maker added that it plans to expand the work it has started with Lyft and Domino's (DPZ), both of which are helping the company design for the "best possible customer experience." Reference Link

14:27 EDT Toyota expands Takata air bag safety recall - Toyota Motor North America announced earlier that, based on recent information from Takata as required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is expanding its recall involving Takata front passenger air bag inflators. This expansion, based on the latest information from Takata, involves approximately 601,300 additional vehicles in the U.S. All known owners of the involved vehicles will be notified by first class mail by early March. Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace either the front passenger air bag inflator or the front passenger air bag assembly at no cost to customers.

14:27 EDT Microsoft: Chip security flaw fixes may slow some servers - Microsoft (MSFT) said in a blog post that, as a result of security flaws present in certain processors that were made public last week, certain servers may be slowed down and some PCs may experience performance issues due to fixes and mitigations. In the blog post, Windows and Devices Group executive VP Terry Myerson said that the company is performing its own sets of benchmarks but also is simultaneously working on further refining its work to tune performance. Myerson noted that, in general, the company's experience is Variant 1 and Variant 3 mitigations have minimal performance impact, while Variant 2 remediation, including OS and microcode, has a performance impact. According to the blog post, the company has found so far that, with Windows 10 on newer silicon, benchmarks show single-digit slowdowns, though with Windows 10 on older silicon, some benchmarks show more significant slowdowns. With Windows 8 and Windows 7 on older silicon, the company expects most users to notice a decrease in system performance. Windows Server on any silicon, especially in any IO-intensive application, shows a more significant performance impact when you enable the mitigations to isolate untrusted code within a Windows Server instance, Microsoft noted. "For context, on newer CPUs such as on Skylake and beyond, Intel (INTC) has refined the instructions used to disable branch speculation to be more specific to indirect branches, reducing the overall performance penalty of the Spectre mitigation," Myerson said. "Older versions of Windows have a larger performance impact because Windows 7 and Windows 8 have more user-kernel transitions because of legacy design decisions, such as all font rendering taking place in the kernel. We will publish data on benchmark performance in the weeks ahead."

14:22 EDT Toyota to introduce Amazon Alexa in vehicles - Toyota (TM) announced earlier it will introduce Amazon Alexa, Amazon's (AMZN) intelligent cloud based voice service, within select Toyota and Lexus vehicles with Toyota Entune 3.0 App Suite and Lexus Enform App Suite 2.0 in 2018. Additional models will be available in 2019. This feature will allow Toyota and Lexus customers in the United States to interact with Alexa in the car.

14:20 EDT DURECT, Pain Therapeutics rise after Remoxy hits primary endpoint in study - Shares of DURECT Corporation (DRRX) and Pain Therapeutics (PTIE) are trading higher after Pain Therapeutics said Remoxy met the primary endpoint in a late-stage trial. TRIAL RESULTS: Pain Therapeutics this morning results from a human abuse potential study of its late-stage drug candidate, Remoxy. Study results indicated that in non-dependent recreational opioid users who snored the drug reported significantly lower abuse potential compared to immediate-release, or IR, oxycodone. All study subjects reported reduced "drug liking" for Remoxy compared to oxycodone IR. In addition, nasal administration of Remoxy resulted in lower exposure to oxycodone, lower peak concentrations, or Cmax, and longer time to peak drug concentration, or Tmax, against comparator drugs, suggesting comparatively lower abuse potential, the company said. Remoxy intact and microwaved each demonstrated lower VAS scores on the primary endpoint, "drug liking," versus oxycodone IR, indicating that oxycodone IR was significantly preferred over Remoxy. "We believe these data indicate Remoxy may have limited nasal abuse potential relative to comparator drugs," said Remi Barbier, president and CEO. "We have now successfully completed all studies necessary to resubmit the Remoxy new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration, and plan to do so shortly." The company said its NDA is on track for resubmission in the first quarter of 2018. DURECT COLLABORATION: Remoxy ER uses DURECT Corporation's (DRRX) ORADUR technology. The companies entered into an agreement in 2002 granting Pain Therapeutics exclusive worldwide right to develop and commercialize four oral sustained-release, abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic products based on ORADUR technology. DURECT says on its website that it will also receive royalties for Remoxy ER, if commercialized, of 6.0% to 11.5% of net sales of the product, depending on sales volume. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, Durect rose nearly 13% to $1.06, while Pain Therapeutics was up 175% to $10.62.

13:49 EDT Alkermes sees NDA for ALKS 5461 completed this month - Alkermes in conference presentation slides says the new drug application rolling submission for ALKS 5461 is expected to be completed in January. The company says launch preparations are underway for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

13:02 EDT Perrigo sees adjusted tax rate up 200-300bps starting in 2018 - Perrigo says initial impact of U.S. tax reform expected to increase adjusted effective tax rate 200-300bps beginning in 2018. Doesn't see material impact on operating cash flows from tax reform. Says new CEO Uwe Rohrhoff "a great fit," says he will start Monday, January 15. Says will look at bolt on acquisitions or other ways of returning value to shareholders. Comments taken from the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.

11:14 EDT XpresSpa, formerly FORM Holdings, now trading under new symbol 'XSPA' - XpresSpa Group (XSPA), a health and wellness holding company, announced that the company's stock officially began trading on Nasdaq under its new ticker symbol, "XSPA." FORM Holdings Corp. (FH) announced on January 5 that it has changed its corporate name to XpresSpa Group. "Rebranding XpresSpa Group aligns our corporate messaging with the strategic focus of our business - to build a preeminent pure-play health and wellness services company," said Andrew Perlman, CEO of XpresSpa.

11:08 EDT Boeing reports 763 total deliveries for commercial airlines programs in FY17 - In Defense, Space & Security Programs, Boeing reported deliveries of 11 new AH-64 Apaches, 57 remanufactured AH-64 Apaches, no C-17 Globemaster IIIs, 9 new CH-47 Chinooks, 35 renewed CH-47 Chinooks, 16 F-15 models, 23 F/A-18 models, 19 P-8 models, 3 commercial and civil satellites, and 1 military satellite in FY17.

11:03 EDT Regency Centers announces acquisition of Scripps Ranch Marketplace - Regency Centers announced it has acquired Scripps Ranch Marketplace, a 132,000 square foot shopping center anchored by Vons as well as CVS, Starbucks, and other local operators in the San Diego area.

10:45 EDT Jack in the Box sees FY18 SSS plus 1%-2% - Sees share repurchases $200M in 2H18.

10:39 EDT Dover acquires Ettlinger for Fluids segment, terms not disclosed - Dover announced that it has acquired Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH and its affiliated entities, based in Konigsbrunn, Germany. Ettlinger, which will become part of the Maag business unit within Dover's Fluids segment, is a manufacturer of filtering solutions for the plastics recycling industry. Ettlinger's annual revenue was approximately EUR 16M in 2017. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Robert A. Livingston, Dover's President and CEO, said, "We are pleased to have Ettlinger join Dover as we extend our already strong industry position in plastics and polymers processing. In addition to the meaningful share repurchases we will complete in 2018, we also expect to continue to build and enhance our platforms with focused bolt-on transactions like Ettlinger, which deliver greater-than-GDP growth along with highly accretive margins."

10:24 EDT Street Fight: Wells Fargo cautious on Principal Financial as Goldman says buy - This morning, Goldman Sachs analyst Alex Scott upgraded Principal Financial (PFG) to Buy on his view that the company has potentially positive earnings growth drivers and the stock has limited downside risk. Meanwhile, his peer at Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to Market Perform, arguing that its current valuation already reflects the relative growth in earnings derived from the company's niche of fee-based businesses, aided by healthy equity market performance. BUY PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL: In a research note to investors this morning, Goldman Sachs' Scott upgraded Principal Financial to Buy from Neutral after his work suggested a number of potentially positive earnings growth drivers. The analyst noted that he sees organic growth in the Spread and International segments, upside to estimates driven by margins, potential for inorganic growth through deploying excess capital, and a possibility that the pension partnership with the China Construction Bank will be finalized in 2018. Nonetheless, Scott pointed out that he believes the company could experience some pricing pressure within the Specialty Benefits segment during the year, but the improved growth related to tax reform and scale positions the segment well. The analyst also raised his price target on the shares to $80 from $71. MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: Conversely, Wells Fargo analyst Sean Dargan downgraded Principal Financial to Market Perform from Outperform, with a $79 price target, saying the stock's valuation already reflects the relative growth in earnings. While the analyst acknowledged that Principal's earnings per share will benefit from tax reform, like all companies under his coverage, Dargan noted that its push to show growth in spread earnings via pension risk transfer exposes the company to "greater longevity risk," which deserves a lower multiple than "pure" spread earnings. The analyst told investors that he now prefers Voya Financial (VOYA), pointing out that the company should look more like Principal over time after shedding its capital-intensive annuity business. Furthermore, Dargan argued that he sees more upside in Voya at current valuation levels. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Principal Financial have gained over 1% to $73.12.

10:20 EDT American Eagle says in the process of defining new store concept for AE

10:18 EDT American Eagle says growing Aerie business to be $1B business - Says saw sequential improvements in margin in every quarter in 2017. Says environment "not easy." Says growing Aerie business to be $1B business. Comments taken from the 20th Annual ICR Conference. American Eagle Outfitters is down 4.7% to $17.11 in morning trading.

10:12 EDT Brinker names Wade Allen chief digital officer - Brinker International announced that Wade Allen has been named SVP and chief digital officer of the company, effective immediately. Allen will transition from David Doyle, former Brinker chief information officer, who will retire after more than 23 years with the company. In his role as chief digital officer, Allen will lead the creation of a seamless, efficient end-to-end digital experience from Team Member to Guest. Allen joined the Brinker family in 2014 as VP of digital guest experience.

10:10 EDT WWE, NextVR partner to for virtual reality highlights of WWE special events - NextVR and WWE (WWE) announced a new partnership to bring fans unique WWE experiences in virtual reality, featuring highlights from select 2018 WWE special events. The virtual reality experiences will be approximately 10 minutes in length and available for free to fans globally on a new WWE channel within the NextVR app following each event. The content will provide fans with a completely new experience, featuring highlights from WWE's biggest events including the excitement of the fans, athleticism of WWE's larger-than-life Superstars, pivotal moments, epic showdowns and surprise appearances, giving them the opportunity to see the action as if they were there live. For each production, NextVR will work alongside WWE's award-winning TV and production team to position NextVR's custom virtual reality cameras throughout each event to capture the most immersive views of WWE action. Fans with a Samsung GearVR (SSNLF) headset or Google Daydream View (GOOG, GOOGL), along with a compatible smartphone, Sony PlayStation VR (SNE), or Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality (MSFT) can download the free NextVR app from the corresponding platform store to access the free highlights.

10:08 EDT J&J CEO says fundamental M&A strategy won't be changed by tax reform - Alex Gorsky said he is pleased to see the U.S. now has "competitive" tax policies and he sees tax reform giving the company added flexibility, but added that he does not see tax reform changing the company's fundamental M&A strategy, which will always be an important part of the company's overall strategy. Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky is being interviewed by CNBC from the JPMorgan Annual Healthcare Conference.

10:04 EDT Comtech awarded $1M order for NFV-based location services - Comtech Telecommunications announced that during 2Q18, its Enterprise Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Commercial Solutions segment, has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $1M from a major U.S. telecom organization for its virtualized Mobile Location Center platform. The vMLC platform is a fully virtualized, cloud-native solution architected to take advantage of deployment in a Network Function Virtualization environment. It is designed to scale with flexibility to support value-added services, lawful interception, emergency services, and any operator services. Furthermore, it offers access to multiple location technologies including A-GNSS, LTE-OTDOA, E-CID, Hybrids, and Cell ID.

09:48 EDT Jack in the Box sees resuming share repurchases in 2H18 - Says will take a "re-look" at cost effectiveness of kiosks, automation. Says digital experience evolving much faster than anyone anticipated. Expects sale of Qdoba to close "sometime in the spring," potentially in April, says will take some work to separate Qdoba. Says will continue to execute towards 95% refranchising in 2018. Sees opportunity to focus on Jack in the Box brand post-Qdoba sale. Says to give long-term guidance in the months to come. Says 2018 to be a "transitional" year. Says tax law change, which it is still evaluating, creating "a little bit of noise for us." Sees 2018 EBITDA margin greater than30%, EBITDA at $260M-$270M. Sees FY18 SSS up 1%-2%, new unit growth of about 25 new restaurants systemwide. Sees FY18 CapEx $30M-$35M, share repurchases of $200M in back half of year. Comments taken from the 20th Annual ICR Conference. Jack in the Box is down 3% to $93.62 in morning trading.

09:38 EDT KEYW wins prime contract with U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems - The KeyW Holding announced that the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic awarded the company a prime position on its indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide tagging, tracking and locating, or TTL, electronic equipment and support services to support joint commands within the Department of Defense. The five-year contract, awarded to six companies through full and open competition, has a $182 million initial value. Under the contract, KeyW will compete for task orders to acquire, field and perform logistics support for TTL equipment designed for ground, air and maritime tracking. The contract will also deliver niche engineering services, including modification and customization of equipment, to meet global missions.

09:31 EDT Eros Now reaches 5M paying subscribers - Eros International announced that Eros Now, its cutting edge digital over-the-top South Asian entertainment platform has reached 80M registered users and 5M paying subscribers worldwide as of December 31, over 150% growth, up from 2M at the end of CY16. The existing partnership deals with the leading telecom operators, mobile wallets and OEMs all serve to underpin the company's paying subscriber targets at an expected average annual ARPU of $5 in India and average annual ARPU of $35 internationally. Eros Now is on track to achieving its FY18 target of 6M to 8M paying subscribers and expects to double that base by FY19.

09:24 EDT BeiGene announces commercial supply agreement for tislelizumab - BeiGene and Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals announced that the two companies have entered into a commercial supply agreement for tislelizumab, BeiGene's investigational anti-PD-1 antibody. Tislelizumab will be manufactured in Boehringer Ingelheim's world-class biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Shanghai as part of a Marketing Authorization Holder trial project pioneered by BeiGene and Boehringer Ingelheim. Under the terms of the supply agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will manufacture tislelizumab in China under an exclusive multi-year arrangement, with contract extension possible. In addition, BeiGene also obtained certain preferred rights for future capacity expansion by Boehringer Ingelheim in China.

09:21 EDT Long Blockchain jumps after reporting cancelation of planned stock offering - Shares of Long Blockchain Corp., recently renamed from Long Island Iced Tea Corp. as the company shifted its focus, are sharply higher after the company announced in a press release that it is not proceeding with its previously announced public offering of common stock at this time. The company is continuing with its plan to consummate the purchase of 1,000 Antminer S9 mining rigs and 1,000 APW3++ PSUs, which it expects to be shipped in January 2018 for immediate commencement of mining operations. "Notwithstanding its intent to close on the proposed acquisition, the company can make no assurances that it will be able to finance the purchase of the mining equipment. The company continues to evaluate and explore multiple specific opportunities involving blockchain technology, including potential partnerships, investments and acquisitions," Long Blockchain stated. The Fly notes that on December 21 Long Blockchain Corp. previously announced that it had withdrawn its previously filed S-1 registration statement relating to a proposed underwritten public offering, which was filed on November 11. In pre-market trading, Long Blockchain shares are up 55c, or 11%, to $5.40.

09:19 EDT Airgain selected by TEKTELIC as antenna technology partner - Airgain has been selected by leading manufacturer of LoRaWAN Internet of Things Gateways, TEKTELIC Communications, as its antenna technology partner for its Carrier Grade LoRa antenna connectivity solutions. The Airgain antenna technology is paired with TEKTELIC's Carrier Grade LoRaWAN Gateways and Sensors supporting high scalability and rapid network deployment, very long lifecycle and low Total Cost of Ownership. Airgain is providing TEKTELIC with a custom designed high performance IP-67 dual LoRa antenna solution for a U.S. nationwide LoRaWAN network. The antenna has been designed to meet stringent carrier-grade requirements, demanding radio frequency specifications, and full water immersion compliance. They are also designed to blend in seamlessly with urban furniture. Additionally, Airgain is supplying TEKTELIC with custom cabling, antennas and other RF solutions. The first shipments of the antenna solutions commenced in late 2017, with volume production anticipated during the first half of 2018. Airgain was selected by TEKTELIC based on its RF expertise with Carrier and Enterprise Grade outdoor antenna solutions, as well as its experience in pioneering antenna solutions for LoRa gateways and smaller LoRa IoT devices such as sensors. Airgain is also a trusted supplier to major North American carriers of embedded LoRa, Wi-Fi, LTE, and other IoT antenna solutions for smart home gateways and set-top boxes.

09:15 EDT Seven Stars Cloud Group forms SSC Digital Investment Banking Advisory Unit - Seven Stars Cloud Group announced establishment of the SSC Digital Investment Banking Advisory Unit as part of Seven Stars Cloud's NextGen X Initial Exchange Offering, or IEO, Platform. In an effort to form a seamless conduit between Seven Stars Cloud's 7 Product Engines and the regional partners, ATS exchanges and other digital currency trading platforms & exchanges that SSC will be partnering with, the Digital IB Unit will help facilitate all aspects of IEO offering preparation and processes.The Digital IB Advisory Unit will consist of several seasoned financial executives that are being transferred over directly from Bruno Wu's Sun Seven Stars' Investment Group.

09:11 EDT ClearOne awarded new patent for speech technology by USPTO - ClearOne announced that it has been awarded a new patent relating to speech technology. The USPTO issued patent number 9,715,873 to ClearOne. This patent, entitled "Method for Adding Realism to Synthetic Speech," among other things, can be used to create "speech fonts" that allow a user to have their messages read using the voice of anyone who has authorized the use of their voice patterns for synthetic speech. This new patent is part of ClearOne's growing patent portfolio that currently includes over 100 patents and pending patent applications covering multiple new technologies in the fields of audio and video processing, audio and video streaming, and innovative communication technologies. ClearOne's patents reinforce and protect its market leadership position, and demonstrate ClearOne's ongoing ability to develop cutting-edge technologies and products.

09:07 EDT RCI Hospitality reports Q1 total club and restaurant sales $40.8M - RCI Hospitality Holdings announced total and same-store sales for its Nightclubs and Bombshells restaurant segments for the first fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2017. 1Q18 vs. 1Q17: Total club and restaurant sales: $40.8M compared to $33.3M. Consolidated same-store sales: $35.2M compared to $33M. Nightclubs segment sales: $34.9M compared to $29M (40 units vs. 37). Bombshells restaurant segment sales: $5.8M compared to $4.3M (5 units vs. 4). Eric Langan, President and CEO, commented: "Fiscal 2018 has started off well with record first quarter club and restaurant sales and strong same-store sales, continuing trends we've seen the last few quarters. Sales improved across the board. Nightclubs increased 20.4% in total sales and 7.1% on a same-store basis, while Bombshells grew 35.7% in total sales and 5.6% on a same-store basis. Langan said the outlook for FY18 continues to look good: In our current 2Q18, traffic at our three clubs in Minneapolis should be enhanced by the pro football championship being played there, and at our three clubs in New York City by the Grammy's nearby at Madison Square Garden. We have three new Bombshells in various stages of development in Greater Houston, with the first scheduled to open in our 2Q18. We continue to talk to owners around the country about acquiring their clubs. As a result of our strong 1Q18 sales and FY18 outlook, we're even more confident in achieving our initial FY18 free cash flow target of $21 million (based on estimated net cash provided by operating activities of approximately $23.5 million less maintenance capex of approximately $2.5 million). Please note we have not yet fully analyzed how the new federal tax cut, which reduces our statutory tax rate to 21% from 35%, could further add to free cash flow."

09:06 EDT Icahn voices 'grave concerns' in new letter to board of SandRidge Energy - In a new letter to the Board of Directors of SandRidge Energy made public by Carl Icahn on his personal website, the investor stated in part: "We were obviously pleased that you made the wise choice to terminate the Bonanza merger agreement, but we still have grave concerns about many of the things this board of directors has permitted to happen at SandRidge. We believe the current directors were remiss in attempting to ram through a dilutive, overpriced and value-destroying acquisition without at the very least reaching out and discussing this with the company's shareholders...We understand that you intend to meet next week with some of SandRidge's largest shareholders to discuss their views on the future of the company. We obviously support this and encourage a fulsome and ongoing dialogue between the board and the company's owners and, while we are extremely troubled by your lack of urgency, we nevertheless look forward to meeting with you on January 17th as part of this process. But that should by no means be the exclusive forum for discussing issues vital to the company's continued existence. If the pill is not terminated immediately then SandRidge should dispel lingering shareholder concerns by making a public announcement, by no later than Thursday, January 11th, stating unequivocally that discussions among shareholders concerning the above proposed changes - and any other corporate governance changes suggested by other shareholders - will not trigger the pill. As you might be aware, the Delaware courts have not ruled on the validity of 'Acting in Concert' provisions but we are convinced they are illegal and would be happy to debate the matter before a Delaware judge if you insist." Reference Link

09:06 EDT Acuity Brands: U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may have favorable impact - Vernon Nagel, Chairman, President, and CEO commented, "We remain positive regarding the Company's prospects for future profitable growth despite recent market softness, which has impacted our short-term performance. While various leading indicators continue to generally reflect favorable conditions for our end markets, we are cautious regarding a meaningful rebound in our end markets over the next quarter or so as a result of various factors, including labor shortages in the construction industry and uncertainty related to both infrastructure spending as well as federal regulatory and trade policies. However, we believe the recent passage of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may have a favorable impact on future demand for many end markets we serve as positive business sentiment may lead to further investments in facilities and infrastructure in the U.S. At this time, we continue to expect the growth rate for lighting and building management solutions in the North American market, which includes renovation and retrofit activity and comprises approximately 97 percent of the Company's revenues, will be up low single-digits for fiscal 2018, reflecting an expected rebound in the second half of the year. We expect the pricing environment to continue to be challenging in certain portions of the market, particularly for more basic, lesser-featured products sold through certain sales channels. We do not foresee a meaningful rebound in demand in the near term in certain international markets that we serve. In addition, we expect certain headwinds in the home center/showroom channel to continue in the near term, giving way to growth in the second half of calendar 2018 as we bring new solutions to key customers and expand our access to market in this important sales channel. We expect to continue to outperform the growth rates of the markets we serve by executing our strategies focused on growth opportunities for new construction and renovation projects, expansion into underpenetrated geographies and channels, and growth from the continued introduction of new lighting and building management solutions as part of our integrated, tiered solutions strategy." Management expects the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Act") that was passed on December 22, 2017, to favorably impact the Company's net income, diluted EPS, and cash flows in future periods, due primarily to the reduction in the federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent effective for periods beginning January 1, 2018. Additionally, positive business sentiment and other favorable aspects of the new tax law could incentivize additional investments in facilities and infrastructure in the U.S. that may increase future demand in the end-markets that the Company serves. Management currently estimates that the Company's blended consolidated effective income tax rate for full-year fiscal 2018 will approximate 26 to 28 percent before discrete items, compared with nearly 35 percent for the prior year. Management also anticipates that the tax rate for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 will be significantly lower than the estimated full-year blended tax rate to cumulatively adjust for the 35.5 percent tax rate recorded for the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Additionally, management currently estimates the second quarter tax expense to be reduced by approximately $30 million for discrete items, primarily due to a non-cash income tax benefit from the remeasurement of the Company's net U.S. deferred tax liabilities, partially offset by an unfavorable impact related to the taxation of the Company's accumulated unremitted foreign earnings. Management currently estimates that the fiscal 2019 tax rate will approximate 23 to 25 percent before discrete items. The aforementioned tax-related estimates may differ from actual results, possibly materially, due to changes in interpretations of the Act and assumptions made by the Company, as well as guidance that may be issued and actions the Company may take as a result of the Act.

09:04 EDT RealNetworks to license RealMedia HD codec to Amlogic - RealNetworks announced an agreement to license its RealMedia HD codec for porting and optimization to Amlogic, a global leader in fabless system-on-a-chip, or SoC, technologies. RealMedia HD is a video codec which delivers high-definition video quality at a fraction of the bandwidth required by other codecs. The partnership with Amlogic will allow smart TV and set-top box manufacturers to offer consumers ultra-high-definition, or UHD, video-viewing experiences while also minimizing CPU utilization.

09:03 EDT Maxim Integrated collaborates with NVIDIA on autonomous driving - Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM) has collaborated with NVIDIA (NVDA) to support the industry's first Level 5 full-autonomy system, the NVIDIA DRIVE Pegasus platform, as well as NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier for Level 4 driving. Maxim's Automotive Safety Integrity Level solutions and high-performance analog integration, which include next-generation gigabit multimedia serial link serializer and deserializer technology, as well as a power system monitoring solution, provide the flexible foundation necessary to meet functional safety requirements for NVIDIA's autonomous driving platform.

09:01 EDT Aquantia, Molex collaborate on multigigabit automotive ethernet network - Molex and Aquantia announced a collaboration to leverage Aquantia Multi-Gig Automotive Ethernet technologies in a Molex 10 Gbps Automotive Ethernet Network designed to accelerate data bandwidth in connected and autonomous vehicles. The new Molex automotive solution will be officially unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan 9-12, 2018, Las Vegas, Nevada USA.

08:58 EDT InflaRx receives IND acceptance to proceed with Phase IIb trial with IFX-1 in HS - InflaRx N.V. announced the acceptance of their Investigational New Drug application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The open IND will allow InflaRx to conduct a phase IIb study to determine efficacy and safety of IFX-1, a first-in-class anti-human complement factor C5a antibody, in patients with moderate or severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa. The randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled multicenter study is planned to be conducted at approximately 50 sites in several countries and expected to enroll approximately 175 patients, divided equally into five cohorts. InflaRx intends to initiate the study in the first quarter of 2018.

08:40 EDT Histogenics receives $10M up-front payment for Japanese NeoCart agreement - Histogenics announced that it has received the $10M up-front payment from MEDINET, under the previously announced agreement for the development and commercialization of NeoCart for the Japanese market. Per the terms of the agreement, the up-front payment was due within ten days of entering into the agreement. Histogenics and MEDINET announced entering into the agreement in December 2017, which included up to $87 million in total milestones and tiered royalties on sales, and a goal of commercializing NeoCart in Japan in 2021, if approved.

08:39 EDT NQ Mobile: Linkmotion extends product offerings beyond passenger cars - NQ Mobile announced that its subsidiary, Linkmotion Holdings, has extended its product offerings beyond passenger cars. Linkmotion was selected as the platform vendor for pure electric buses being demonstrated currently in the city of Qingdao. This new specialized platform for public transportation vehicles is an extension of the existing passenger car platform.

08:34 EDT Prologis completed thirteen development projects in second half of FY17 - Prologis announced it completed 13 build-to-suit development projects in the second half of 2017 totaling more than 4.7M square feet with a total expected investment, or TEI, of approximately $350M on a Prologis share basis. The company was also awarded 21 build-to-suit developments representing more than 6.7 million square feet during the same period at a TEI of approximately $550M on a Prologis share basis. For the full year, Prologis completed 33 build-to-suit projects totaling more than 12 million square feet and started 38 build-to-suits. These starts have a TEI of approximately $1.1B on a Prologis share basis, which is an increase of more than 45% over last year's build-to-suit TEI. This represents 47% of the company's total development TEI for 2017. More than 70% of these starts were signed with multi-site customers, and more than 95% are located in Global Markets.

08:33 EDT Iteris announces U.K., Ireland distribution agreement with C&T technology - Iteris, Inc. announced that it has partnered with C&T Technology to expand distribution of its roadway sensors technology across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The deal will see Iteris' full range of vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian detection solutions, as well as its cloud-based performance analytics software, sold through C&T Technology's extensive distribution network.

08:27 EDT Agilent acquires Luxcel Biosciences, terms not disclosed - Agilent Technologies announced it has acquired Cork, Ireland-based Luxcel Biosciences, a developer of real-time fluorescence plate-reader based in vitro cell assay kits. This acquisition expands Agilent's cell analysis portfolio with the addition of easy-to-use assay kits that are compatible with industry standard plate-readers. Luxcel is developing a portfolio of in vitro cell-based assay kits and solutions targeting cell metabolism, drug safety and toxicity, as well as hypoxia and oxidative stress for a variety of life science customers from research institutions to pharmaceutical companies. Scientists use this technology to understand the roll of cell metabolism across a variety of important research areas including cancer, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and infectious disease. Luxcel has 12 employees and is headquartered in Cork, Ireland. The Luxcel team will remain in Cork and form a dedicated sensor chemistries and bioassay solutions group within Agilent's Cell Analysis Division. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

08:24 EDT 21Vianet CFO Terry Wang to resign, Sharon Xiao Liu to succeed - 21Vianet Group announced that Terry Wang, its CFO, has decided to resign due to personal reasons, effective immediately. Wang will serve as an advisor to the company and facilitate a smooth CFO transition. Wang has served as the company's CFO since June 2015. The company also announced that Sharon Xiao Liu will succeed Wang as CFO of 21Vianet. Liu currently serves as the company's vice president of finance, primarily responsible for finance-related matters in the company's hosting and related services business. Liu joined 21Vianet in October 2010, and was previously responsible for pre- and post-IPO finance matters, investor relations, financial reporting, FP&A, and financial BP. Prior to joining 21Vianet, Liu was a manager at KPMG China in its audit division since 2003.

08:20 EDT Avolon says delivered 7 aircraft, sold 5 aircraft during Q4 - Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, issues an update for the 2017 fourth quarter and full year. Q4 Business Highlights & Fleet Metrics: 7 aircraft delivered and 5 aircraft sold during Q4; Continued strong progress on placement of new order pipeline; 2018 orderbook deliveries fully placed and all twin aisle aircraft from orderbook placed out until Q4 2019; Sale of the remaining 3 aircraft from Avolon Capital Partners, the Company's joint venture with Wells Fargo in which Avolon was a 25% JV partner, with returns realized ahead of expectations; Owned, managed and committed fleet increased by 109% year-on-year to 908 aircraft at the end of Q4; Average age of owned fleet of 5.3 years, and average remaining lease term of delivered fleet of 6.6 years; and, Total customer base increased to 153 airlines in 64 countries.

08:16 EDT Infosys expects to reverse tax provisions for $225M made in previous periods - Infosys announced the successful conclusion of an Advance Pricing Agreement, or APA, with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. The preliminary discussions with the IRS on the APA were initiated by the Company in 2015. Under the APA, the Company and the IRS have agreed on the methodology to allocate revenues and compute the taxable income of the Company's U.S. operations. This agreement covers financial years from 2011 to 2021.The APA will enhance predictability of the Company's tax obligations in respect of its U.S. operations. In accordance with the APA, the Company expects to reverse tax provisions of approximately $225M made in previous periods which are no longer required. Further, in line with the APA, the Company expects to payout approximately $233M due to the difference between the taxes payable for prior periods as per the APA and the actual taxes paid for such periods. This amount is expected to be paid over the next few quarters. The reversal of the tax provisions of approximately $225M will have a positive impact on the consolidated Basic EPS for the quarter ending December 31, 2017 by approximately 10c. Further, on account of the APA methodology, the Company expects its overall effective tax rate to be lower by about 100 basis points for future periods covered under the APA.

08:11 EDT GBT receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for voxelotor - Global Blood Therapeutics announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation, or BTD, to voxelotor for the treatment of sickle cell disease, or SCD. Voxelotor is being developed as a disease-modifying therapy for SCD and previously received European Medicines Agency Priority Medicines designation for the treatment of SCD.

08:08 EDT Cypress Semiconductor introduces automotive touchscreen controller - Cypress Semiconductor introduced a new automotive capacitive touchscreen controller family that delivers the market's most advanced feature set for next-generation infotainment systems. Cypress designed the TrueTouch CYAT817 touchscreen controller family specifically to meet rigorous automotive quality standards. The family offers an advanced hover capability that can detect a finger up to 35 mm above the screen and a force touch capability that provides accurate measurement of the pressure applied by multiple independent fingers. The family's integrated acoustic and haptic feedback control provides faster response times for a better user experience compared to systems where the processing of a touch and pressure applied are not measured on-chip.

08:08 EDT Biocept study: Incorporation of Thermo Fisher's QS5 improves detection of cancer - Biocept (BIOC) announces that incorporation of the Thermo Fisher (TMO) QuantStudio5 real-time PCR instrument into the company's Target Selector ctDNA lung cancer assays improves detection of key lung cancer mutations. Data from 3,000 samples analyzed using Biocept's liquid biopsy assays for EGFR, BRAF and KRAS mutations demonstrated single mutant copy detection on the QS5 platform with more than 99% sensitivity and more than 99% specificity. The results will be presented in a poster at the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic being held January 8-11, 2018 in San Diego.

08:06 EDT Masimo receives FDA clearance for home use of Rad-97 Pulse CO-Oximeter - Masimo announced FDA clearance for home use of the Rad-97 Pulse CO-Oximeter. Rad-97 offers Masimo noninvasive and continuous monitoring, through Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion SET pulse oximetry and upgradeable rainbow technologies, in a compact, standalone monitor that combines advanced connectivity and communication capabilities for telehealth with an interface easily customized for use at home. With an ever increasing number of patients receiving care at home, there is a growing need for high-quality home monitoring and telehealth equipment. Rad-97, in addition to SET pulse oximetry and advanced parameter monitoring technology through rainbow noninvasive monitoring, is available with optional integrated blood pressure and capnography measurements. Its innovative communication capabilities allow monitoring data from a variety of third-party Bluetooth-enabled devices used at home, including thermometers, weight scales, and glucometers, to seamlessly transfer to Rad-97 - and from there to anywhere in the world, in real time. The optional integrated camera allows remote clinicians to interact with patients over live audio and video. Rad-97 brings hospital-grade technology to the home in a single, integrated device that is a monitoring, connectivity, and telecommunications hub.

08:04 EDT Select Medical, Banner Health enter joint venture in Arizona - Select Medical announced a joint venture agreement with Banner Health to combine operations of more than 38 physical therapy centers in Arizona and four acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals located in Phoenix. Banner Health will be the majority owner; Select Medical will serve as managing partner. The deal includes the construction of three new acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals beginning in 2018 with anticipated completion by 2019. Future plans involve consolidation of the existing hospitals into the new state-of-the-art facilities designed to better serve the needs of patients requiring care resulting from stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, amputation, neurological disorders, among other conditions. Under the agreement, the combined outpatient rehabilitation services will include 26 Select Physical Therapy centers currently operating in the region as well as 12 Banner Health Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation centers. The four inpatient rehabilitation hospitals to be contributed to the joint venture are currently located at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City, Ariz., Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, Ariz. and Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz.

08:02 EDT Air Products to acquire Royal Dutch Shell's Coal Gasification Technology unit - Air Products (APD) announced an agreement to acquire Royal Dutch Shell's (RDS.A. RDS.B)) Coal Gasification Technology business as well as Shell's patent portfolio for Liquids Gasification. Financial terms are not being disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to close in the coming months. As a leading industrial gas company, Air Products has extended its onsite supply model to use coal gasification to generate synthesis gas for major projects. Acquiring Shell's coal gasification process capabilities will further support previously announced projects by Air Products, such as Lu'An in Changzhi, Shanxi Province, China, and future projects.

08:01 EDT BofI Holding sees one-time charge of $8M-$9M against deferred tax asset in Q2 - BofI Holding has assessed the financial impact expected to result from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law December 22, 2017. Based on currently available information, the company expects to incur a one-time charge of approximately $8M-$9M or 12c-14c per diluted share, against its deferred tax asset in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 ended December 31, 2017. The deferred tax asset revaluation relates primarily to the reduced value of deferred tax assets resulting from loan loss reserves. The company will receive the benefit of the reduced federal tax rate as of January 1, 2018, through a reduction in the average tax rate applied to the income earned in fiscal year 2018. The reduction in the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, starting January 1, 2018, will be partially offset by changes in deductions of certain state and local taxes.

07:47 EDT TeleTech changes its name to TTEC - TeleTech Holdings announced that it has changed its name to TTEC, pronounced T-tec. While the Company will still operate its four business segments, TTEC is streamlining its go-to-market to make it easier for clients to understand how its capabilities integrate together.

07:41 EDT Raytheon awarded contract valued at more than $1.5B - An undisclosed member of the 14-nation group that own the combat-proven Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System has awarded Raytheon a direct commercial sales contract worth more than $1.5B for additional capability. The contract was awarded on Jan 4, 2018.

07:35 EDT Primoris announces heavy civil award valued at $25M - Primoris Services announced a new heavy civil award valued at $25M. The contract was secured by Primoris Heavy Civil, part of the Civil segment. The project was awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation and is located in the greater Houston area. The project is for the construction of an elevated intersection over two diverging railroad tracks. Work includes earthwork grading, retaining walls, construction of a 165,000 square foot multidirectional bridge, a storm drainage system, and demolition of the existing roadways and associated features. Work is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2018 and to be completed in the third quarter of 2020.

07:32 EDT Del Taco clarifies comments made at ICR on SSS guidance for FY17 - Del Taco Restaurants clarified comments made during management's fireside chat at the 20th Annual ICR Conference at the Grande Lakes Orlando Resort in Florida on January 8, 2018. During the discussion, management affirmed their expectation for mid-single digit comparable restaurant sales for FY17. The company did not provide comparable restaurant sales guidance for FY18.

07:31 EDT Alliance Data to launch co-brand, private label credit cards for IKEA Group - Alliance Data Systems announced its Columbus, Ohio-based card services business, a premier provider of branded private label, co-brand and business credit card programs, has signed a new agreement to provide branded credit card services in the United States for IKEA Group, the world's largest furniture retailer. The IKEA Group operates 47 stores in the U.S. and a total of 362 in 29 countries around the world. IKEA aims to offer consumers home furnishing solutions of good design and function at affordable prices. Alliance Data will create a loyalty-driven credit card program that combines customer insights and industry benchmarking to develop a customized rewards and benefits package tailored for the unique IKEA customer base. The co-branded rewards card can be used for both IKEA purchases and for everyday spending needs such as gas, groceries and utilities. The card will incorporate custom program perks designed to recognize customers for their loyalty. In order to make the card as affordable and rewarding as possible, IKEA Group in the U.S. has designed the card without an annual fee, and will reinvest resources from the card to offer customers more generous rewards. Alliance Data will leverage its digital and mobile expertise throughout the customer's shopping journey, including its Frictionless Mobile CreditSM, which provides a seamless application experience-throughout the store or online-and puts customers in control of how and where they want to initiate the experience.

07:26 EDT Sprouts Farmers Market enters partnership with Instacart - Sprouts Farmers Market announced it will expand home delivery service to its major markets across the country through a new partnership with Instacart. Customers will be able to enjoy quick, convenient delivery of thousands of fresh, natural and organic products from Sprouts by simply visiting delivery.sprouts.com, the Instacart website or mobile app, where they can choose to have their groceries delivered same-day within one or two hours, or schedule a delivery for later in the week. Sprouts, which currently offers home delivery in eight cities across the country, will roll out the Instacart service to markets in phases, starting with select zip codes in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona today. Additional markets will be announced at a later date.

07:13 EDT Medtronic enrolls first patient in Vectors Post Market Clinical Study - Medtronic announced the first patient enrolled in the Vectors Post Market Clinical Study. The study will follow patients with chronic intractable pain who are undergoing spinal cord stimulation, or SCS, treatment managed with the Evolve workflow, which standardizes guidance that balances high-dose, or HD, and low-dose, or LD, therapy settings to help physicians optimize treatment. Evolve runs on Medtronic SCS systems including Intellis, the world's smallest implantable SCS neurostimulator, which recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CE Mark approval. The first patient was enrolled by The Center for Interventional Pain & Spine in Wilmington, Delaware.

07:10 EDT Target up 3% in the pre-market after raising FY17 view and its FY18 EPS outlook

07:07 EDT Simply Good Foods backs FY18 outlook - Simply Good Foods reaffirms its outlook for fiscal year 2018. The company continues to expect net sales growth to be consistent with its previously stated long-term growth algorithm of 4% to 6% and Adjusted EBITDA growth at a slightly higher rate than net sales, including the impact of an incremental $2.0 million of public company expenses.

07:07 EDT Cubic announces its CTS business division is expanding its India operations - Cubic announced that its Cubic Transportation Systems, or CTS, business division is expanding its Hyderabad, India operations into a larger facility to support the company's growth resulting from its recent major fare payment system contract awards in New York and Boston. In the next year, the company expects to double the current headcount at its India operations to support the company's strategic business growth objectives.

07:05 EDT ITG reports December U.S. trading volume 2.7B shares - ITG announced that December 2017 U.S. trading volume was 2.7B shares and average daily volume, or ADV, was 133M shares, compared to 2.9B shares and ADV of 137M shares in November 2017 and 3.1B shares and ADV of 150M shares in December 2016. There were 20 trading days in December 2017 and 21 trading days in both November 2017 and December 2016.

07:04 EDT Tonix Pharmaceuticals appoints Jessica Morris as COO - Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Jessica Morris as COO. Previously Executive Vice President of Operations, Morris brings to the senior leadership team a deep understanding of drug development and corporate strategy from her tenure at Tonix as well as over a decade of experience in the financial industry.

07:03 EDT Oceaneering announces Statoil umbilical contract - Oceaneering International (OII) announced that it secured a contract from Statoil Petroleum (STO) to supply umbilicals for the Johan Castberg Project in the Barents Sea. The contract is for dynamic and static control umbilicals, totaling approximately 39 kilometers (24 miles) in length, and associated hardware. Oceaneering plans to design and manufacture the umbilicals at its facility in Rosyth, Scotland, with delivery scheduled for early 2021. The control umbilicals for Statoil's Johan Castberg project are expected to be used to transmit hydraulic control fluid and chemicals, as well as provide the electrical power and fiber-optic requirements to operate and monitor the subsea wells, which are located in approximately 400 meters (1,312 feet) of water. The umbilicals are expected to be tied back to a floating production, storage, and offloading facility, or FPSO.

07:02 EDT Quest Resource enters comprehensive contract servicing 2,300 auto care centers - Quest Resource announces a multi-year contract to service equipment and recycle a variety of automotive waste streams generated by one of the largest chains of auto care and tire centers across the United States. The auto care and tire retailer is a current customer of Quest that has taken the step to commit to a long-term business relationship. Quest's national coverage, safety, operational excellence, and commitment to customer service were all factors contributing to the decision. Quest will continue to be instrumental in helping the customer achieve its long-term environmental vision.

06:56 EDT Apache sees Q4 adjusted international production 138,000-140,000 BOE/d - Apache provided an update to its fourth-quarter 2017 production outlook and certain other items. Internationally, the company revised its production outlook to reflect the impact of unscheduled downtime at the third-party operated Forties Pipeline System and the underperformance of recent wells in the Beryl area of the North Sea. Adjusted sales volumes were also lower in Egypt, primarily due to the impact of improving Brent oil prices on the cost recovery mechanisms in Apache's production sharing contracts. As a result of these factors, the company expects fourth-quarter adjusted international production in the range of 138,000 to 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and base-level production volumes to be lower than planned going into 2018. In the United States, fourth-quarter production is expected to be at the high end of the company's guidance range of 218,000 to 224,000 per day BOE, driven primarily by strong quarter-over-quarter growth in the Permian Basin. John J. Christmann IV, Apache's CEO and president, said, "Robust Brent crude prices enabled our international operations to generate strong free cash flow during the fourth quarter despite the reduction in production volumes. In the Permian, we delivered our second quarter in a row of strong oil production growth; and, at Alpine High, we achieved our production target of more than 25,000 BOE per day by the end of December."

06:49 EDT Express says updated Q4 guidance reflects share repurchases - On November 28, 2017, the company's Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase program that authorized the company to repurchase up to $150M of the company's outstanding common stock using available cash. Under this authorization, the company has repurchased 448,310 common shares for approximately $5M and currently has $145M remaining under its authorization. The company's updated fourth quarter guidance reflects such share repurchases, however does not contemplate any future share repurchases.

06:34 EDT Assurant, The Warranty Group amend structure of $2.5B deal - Assurant and The Warranty Group jointly announced that they have amended the structure of their $2.5B transaction, previously announced on October 18, 2017. Under the revised terms, Assurant will acquire TWG Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries, and remain a Delaware corporation. This change follows recently enacted U.S. tax legislation and allows Assurant to simplify the overall deal structure and optimize the transaction financing mix. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions. The transaction remains valued at $1.9B in equity value or $2.5B of enterprise value, including The Warranty Group's existing debt. As before, the acquisition is expected to be modestly accretive to 2018 Assurant operating earnings per share on a run-rate basis, and significantly more accretive excluding the amortization of transaction-related intangible assets. Accretion is now measured against a higher expected Assurant stand-alone earnings per share baseline, which reflects the net benefits from enacted U.S. tax legislation. Assurant will continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AIZ. Changes from the new transaction structure include: TPG Capital and its affiliates will receive 10.4M Assurant shares, or approximately 19.8% of the current shares outstanding. This represents a reduction from the 16M shares to have been issued previously. In exchange for fewer Assurant shares, TPG Capital and its affiliates will receive increased cash consideration, totaling approximately $860M, based on yesterday's closing price, after taking into effect the transaction collar adjustment. Assurant has entered into a new commitment letter for a $1.5B bridge facility (increased from $1B) to reflect the new structure. Assurant currently expects to replace this bridge facility with a combination of debt and equity, subject to market conditions. The transaction will no longer be taxable to Assurant's shareholders in the U.S. or other jurisdictions. Upon closing, Assurant's board will be comprised of 14 directors, including two from TPG Capital. The strategic rationale and other key terms previously announced are unchanged.

06:32 EDT Azure Power wins 200MW solar power project in India - Azure Power announced it has won a 200MW solar power project through an auction conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India, or SECI, a Government of India enterprise and a company with a AA+ debt rating by ICRA, a Moody's Company. Azure Power will sign a power purchase agreement with SECI to supply power at a tariff of INR2.48, or 4c, per kWh for 25 years. The solar plant will be set up at Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan and is likely to be commissioned in 2019.

06:11 EDT Ford says December China sales down 9% y/y to over 140,000 units - Ford Motor Company sales in China totaled nearly 1,200,000 vehicles in 2017, down 6% compared to 2016. The December sales for Ford Motor Company in China totaled more than 140,000 units, a 9% decrease year over year.

06:10 EDT Encana sees 2018 capital plan 'similar' to 2017 - The company expects its 2018 capital program will be similar to 2017 with modest allocation adjustments to optimize delivery. Encana plans to invest virtually all its anticipated 2018 capital in its core assets, with around 70 percent directed to the Permian and Montney. The company anticipates between 25 to 35 percent production growth from its core assets from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018, with significant oil and condensate growth in the second half of the year.

06:09 EDT Encana says firmly on track to meet, exceed five-year targets - Encana delivered strong performance through the fourth quarter of 2017 to close another year successfully executing its strategy, delivering significant oil and condensate growth and driving additional efficiency gains. Supported by the strong finish to 2017, the company is firmly on track to meet or exceed the targets in the five-year plan shared at its Investor Day in October 2017. Driven by its focus on innovation and execution efficiency, Encana's core assets delivered production growth of approximately 31% from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017. This growth significantly exceeds the company's original target of greater than 20% and is above the top end of its revised 25%-30% guidance range. Encana accomplished this growth with a capital investment of approximately $1.8B. "Consistent with our plan, we delivered a strong finish to 2017," said Doug Suttles, Encana President & CEO. "We have established a powerful track record of meeting and beating our targets, continuously driving efficiency and capital discipline. We are positioned to deliver significant value growth in 2018 while funding our capital program from corporate cash flows."

06:01 EDT Altice announces reorganization, Altice USA spinoff, new Altice Europe structure - Altice N.V. (ATCEY) yesterday announced that its Board of Directors has approved plans for the separation of Altice USA Inc. (ATUS) 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 Next2 and is committed to long-term ownership. Post-separation, Mr. 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 $1.5 billion 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 EUR625 million of its c.EUR900 million of proceeds received in the Altice USA dividend to prepay a portion of the Altice Corporate Financing facility and will retain c.EUR275 million on balance sheet. In addition, the Board of Directors of Altice USA has authorized a share repurchase program of $2 billion, effective following completion of the separation.

05:53 EDT Intel CEO: Mobileye's autonomous driving tech to be used in 2M vehicles - In the opening keynote for CES 2018, Intel (INTC) CEO Brian Krzanich highlighted how data is transforming the world around us and driving the next great wave of technology innovation, from autonomous driving to artificial intelligence to virtual reality and other forms of immersive media. In autonomous driving, he unveiled Intel's first autonomous vehicle in its 100-car test fleet; disclosed that BMW (BMWYY), Nissan (NSANY), and Volkswagen (VLKAY) are moving their Mobileye-based mapping design wins to actual deployments; and announced new collaborations with SAIC Motor and NavInfo to extend crowdsourced map building to China. Focused on the future of AI, Krzanich announced a partnership with Ferrari North America to use Intel's AI technologies to apply data from the racetrack to enhance the experience for fans and drivers. In immersive media, he introduced the newly established Intel Studios and announced Paramount Pictures (VIA, VIAB) will be the first major Hollywood studio to explore this technology in tandem with Intel to see where this will lead for the next generation of visual storytelling. In autonomous driving, Krzanich announced that 2 million vehicles from BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen will use Mobileye Road Experience Management technology to crowdsource data to build and rapidly update low-cost, scalable high-definition maps throughout this year. In sports, Krzanich announced that Intel will enable the largest scale virtual reality event to date with the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 using Intel True VR technology.

05:35 EDT Gazit-Globe CEO Dori Segal to step down, Chaim Katzman named successor - Gazit-Globe announced that Dori Segal is stepping down as Vice Chairman of the board and CEO of the company and from all his other executive roles in the company on January 31, 2018. Chaim Katzman, the chairman of the company, will assume the position of CEO as of such date.

05:32 EDT Novartis advances head-to-head superiority trials of Cosentyx vs. Humira - Novartis announced the initiation of SURPASS, a head-to-head clinical trial of Cosentyx versus proposed biosimilar adalimumab in ankylosing spondylitis, or AS. SURPASS is the first head-to-head clinical trial in AS investigating superiority of Cosentyx in slowing spinal bone damage versus proposed biosimilar adalimumab. SURPASS is currently recruiting patients, with the 'first patient first visit' already achieved in November 2017. SURPASS and EXCEED are part of a larger rheumatology program for Cosentyx. EXCEED is a head-to-head clinical trial of Cosentyx versus Humira (adalimumab) in psoriatic arthritis, which is already recruiting.

05:19 EDT Quotient reports further positive data on initial disease screening microarray - Quotient reported positive data for the initial MosaiQ disease screening microarray and provided an update on the ongoing internal verification and validation, or V&V, study for blood grouping. In this study a total of 548 known positive and negative samples were tested. 59% of samples tested for CMV were positive and 35% of samples tested for Syphilis were positive. The results were derived using microarrays manufactured in Quotient's validated, high-volume manufacturing facility and run on field trial ready instruments. The process validation studies represent the final step prior to commencing formal V&V studies for the MosaiQ SDS Microarray. Underyling blood grouping assays for MosaiQ continue to perform to expectations. All assays required for the MosaiQ IH II Microarray have completed development and transfer of these assays to manufacturing has commenced. After an investigation late last year into the physical properties of the printed microarrays, specifically the preservative layer, it was decided to modify the manufacturing process for MosaiQ microarrays. The modification is expected to further improve the performance and robustness of MosaiQ, particularly as it relates to the antigen typing assays. Following implementation of the modifications to the MosaiQ manufacturing process Quotient will recommence the V&V studies for the in MosaiQ IH Microarray, with the commencement of European field trials expected to take place shortly thereafter. The company continues to have high expecations for the performance of the MosaiQ system in both a field trial and customer laboratory setting.