Stockwinners Market Radar for January 29, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:25 EDT Renesas calls report of Maxim takeover talks not true - Japan's Renesas, in a statement tonight, says it is not the source of CNBC's report that it is in talks to acquire Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM). Renesas calls the report not true. Maxim closed the trading day up $7.26 to $66.27 but is down 9%, or $5.77, to $60.50 in after-hours trading. Just before the close of the trading day, CNBC, citing "several sources close to the matter," reported that Renesas is in talks to acquire Maxim for close to $20B. Reference Link

18:09 EDT IHS Markit director Robert P. Kelly acquires 10,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, IHS Markit director Robert P. Kelly disclosed the acquisition of 10,000 common shares of the company at a price of $48.69 per share.

17:50 EDT United Capital reports 7.9% passive stake in Globus Maritime

17:31 EDT Aetna enters four-year reinsurance arrangement with Vitality Re IX - Aetna announced that it has entered into a four-year reinsurance arrangement with Vitality Re IX Limited as part of its long-term capital management strategy. The arrangement allows Aetna to reduce its required capital and provides $200M of collateralized excess of loss reinsurance coverage on a portion of Aetna's group commercial health insurance business. Vitality Re IX Limited is a newly formed insurance company which issued health insurance-linked notes in a private offering in connection with this transaction.

17:22 EDT Extreme Networks to replace Time Inc. in S&P 600 at open on 2/1 - S&P MidCap 400 constituent Meredith (MDP) is acquiring Time (TIME) in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date pending final conditions.

17:19 EDT Healthcare Services to replace Buffalo Wild Wings in S&P 400 at open on 2/5 - Arby's Restaurant Group is acquiring Buffalo Wild Wings in a deal expected to be completed on or about February 2 pending final approvals.

17:14 EDT BlackRock reports 5.5% passive stake in Coherus BioSciences

17:09 EDT Energizer names Patrick J. Moore vice chairman of the board - Energizer Holdings announced the appointment of Patrick J. Moore as vice chairman of the board of directors, effective immediately. Moore has served on Energizer's board of directors since July 2015, and serves as chair of the board's Audit Committee.

17:00 EDT BlackRock reports 6.9% passive stake in Andeavor

16:57 EDT Hunt Cos. reports 9.5% stake in Five Oaks - On January 18, Hunt CE Holdings and XL entered into that certain Share Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Hunt CE Holdings acquired 710,495 shares of the company's Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $3,389,061.15 and XL agreed to cancel all of the warrants issued to XL pursuant to that certain Warrant to purchase shares of the company's Common Stock by and between the Company and XL, dated September 29, 2012, as amended. Such warrants were exercisable for 3,753,492 shares of the company's Common Stock. The acquisitions by Hunt CE Holdings of the Common Stock were effected because of the Reporting Persons' belief that the Common Stock represented an attractive investment. Hunt Cos may from time to time acquire additional shares of the Company's Common Stock or engage in discussions with the Company concerning further acquisitions of shares of its Common Stock or further investments in the Company. Such further acquisitions or investments could be material.

16:46 EDT Gulfport Energy announces $100M stock buyback

16:43 EDT Natera to showcase Panorama prenatal test at SMFM - Natera will feature its recently expanded Panorama non-invasive prenatal test, which is now validated for screening twin pregnancies, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Annual Meeting in Dallas, Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, 2018. Panorama is the first NIPT that can screen twin pregnancies for zygosity and determine gender for each twin as early as 9 weeks' gestation. It is the only NIPT that differentiates between maternal and fetal DNA, which enables women to learn more about their pregnancies through a simple blood draw from the mother, posing no risk to the babies. Vistara, an NIPT that screens single-gene disorders and was launched in mid-2017, also will be showcased at the meeting. The test complements Panorama and screens for conditions that have a combined incidence rate of 1 in 600, which is higher than that of Down syndrome.

16:35 EDT MetLife postpones Q4 earnings release - MetLife announced it has postponed its earnings report and conference call related to its results for the fourth quarter and full year ended Dec. 31, 2017, which had previously been scheduled for Jan. 31, 2018, and Feb. 1, 2018, respectively. MetLife will now issue its fourth quarter and full year 2017 earnings report and its Fourth Quarter Financial Supplement on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 after the market closes. The company will hold its earnings conference call and audio webcast on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. (EST). MetLife expects to file its 2017 Form 10-K by March 1, 2018.

16:33 EDT Revlon CFO says 'material asset transfer is not being considered' - CFO Chris Peterson says: "With the momentum that we generated in the fourth quarter of 2017, we are confident that the combination of our $260 million of 2017 Adjusted EBITDA, the synergies and cost reductions remaining to be captured through the Elizabeth Arden Integration, and our ongoing business initiatives provide Revlon with a stable foundation for its future success. Although we still have continuing improvements to make, we're encouraged by our fourth quarter results, which represent a sequential improvement from the first nine months of the year. Our liquidity position has strengthened, and Revlon color cosmetics returned to growth in North America. The sector is experiencing a profound shift, but we're gaining momentum on our strategy to respond to the accelerating pace of innovation and increasing migration to digitally-focused consumer engagement. We're also pleased with our continued growth in e-commerce and look forward to expanding our share of this important category. Contrary to false rumors and pure speculation in public reports, a material asset transfer is not being considered."

16:31 EDT Surgery Partners names R. David Kretschmer interim CFO - Surgery Partners announced that R. David Kretschmer has been appointed Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. In the near term, Kretschmer will also serve as interim CFO following the departure of Teresa Sparks, who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Surgery Partners also announced it has retained leading executive search firm Russell Reynolds to support the search for a permanent CFO candidate.

16:26 EDT Houlihan Lokey CEO 'optimistic' about current business climate - "We are pleased to report the highest quarterly revenues in our firm's history. This was achieved with all three of our business segments reporting an increase in quarterly revenues when compared to the same period last year. In calendar 2017, we were once again ranked as the #1 M&A advisor for all U.S. transactions under $1 billion and the #1 global financial restructuring advisor both in terms of number of transactions and value. We are optimistic about the current business climate and the opportunities that exist for the firm. We believe that tax reform will be net positive for our clients, our business and our shareholders," said CEO Scott Beiser.

16:24 EDT Preferred Apartment acquires Class A office property in Atlanta, Georgia - Preferred Apartment Communities announced that it acquired four recently delivered Class A adaptive re-use office buildings totaling approximately 186,779 square feet in a development known as Armour Yards from Third & Urban and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Armour Yards is strategically located directly between Buckhead and Midtown Atlanta. The buildings together are 96% leased to a diverse mix of credit-worthy tenants led by Coyote Logistics, a subsidiary of UPS, with a weighted average remaining lease term of more than seven years. The acquisition increases the size of our office portfolio to five assets totaling more than 1.5 million square feet across the Southeast and Texas.

16:24 EDT Aflac announces expanded partnership with NXT Capital - Aflac announced that it has expanded its relationship with NXT Capital to include management of a portfolio of commercial real estate mortgage loans. Aflac Global Investments, the asset management subsidiary of Aflac Incorporated, has committed to fund a portfolio of up to $2B of floating-rate, first mortgage loans for institutional quality, middle market commercial properties throughout the U.S. on behalf of Aflac's general account, including purchasing approximately $1.1B of these loans from NXT. Aflac has also increased its minority equity investment in NXT by approximately $75M to strengthen a partnership that began nearly a year ago with an agreement to manage a portfolio of middle market corporate loans. Today's announcement reinforces Aflac's and NXT's mutual commitment to cultivating a long-term relationship and the enduring benefits of partnering together in two important private market asset classes.

16:23 EDT Hawaiian Holdings sees FY18 cost per ASM ex-fuel down 0.5% to up 2.5%

16:22 EDT Correction: Hawaiian Holdings sees FY18 cost per ASM ex-fuel down 0.5% to up 2.5

16:20 EDT Hawaiian Holdings sees Q1 cost per ASM ex-fuel up 3.5%-6.5%

16:20 EDT VistaGen issues letter amid preparation for Phase 2 study for depression - VistaGen Therapeutics issued a letter to stockholders as the Company prepares to initiate its Phase 2 study of AV-101 for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In the letter to stockholders, Shawn Singh, Chief Executive Officer, highlights the Company's recent milestones and discusses the impending launch of the Company's Phase 2 clinical study of AV-101 for MDD. VistaGen's AV-101 is an oral new generation antidepressant with a mechanism of action that is fundamentally differentiated from all standard, FDA-approved antidepressants."In early-2017, I had the privilege of "Ringing the Bell" at The Nasdaq Stock Market's headquarters in Times Square on behalf of our company. That exciting and unique corporate event proved to be a symbolic prologue to the productive year for VistaGen that followed. The milestones we accomplished in 2017 have strongly positioned us to advance our AV-101 Phase 2 program to new levels throughout this year and next," commented Mr. Singh in the letter to stockholders. "Following a productive meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the fall of 2017, we achieved two key regulatory milestones before year end. First, in October 2017, the FDA authorized us to proceed, under our Investigational New Drug (IND) application, with our U.S. multi-center Phase 2 clinical study of AV-101 as an oral new generation adjunctive treatment for MDD patients with an inadequate response to standard, FDA-approved antidepressants. In addition, in December 2017, the FDA granted us Fast Track Designation for development of AV-101 for treatment of MDD, providing us the opportunity for frequent FDA interactions regarding the most appropriate and efficient development pathway to bring AV-101 to MDD patients. 2017 culminated with the closing of an underwritten public offering that generated gross proceeds of $15 million, enabling us to commence and advance through our Phase 2 study in 2018. I want to thank, again, our underwriters and our new and existing investors for supporting our vision."

16:18 EDT Antero Resources says working to address discount in trading value of stock - Antero Resources announced that the company and its Board of Directors are working with its financial and legal advisors to evaluate various potential measures to address the discount in trading value of Antero's stock relative to some of the premier U.S. large capitalization upstream independents that have a similar profile in terms of leverage, capital efficiency, production growth and free cash flow generation. The potential measures to be evaluated include the return of capital to shareholders. Over the past several months, Antero conducted a shareholder outreach program in order to solicit feedback from its largest shareholders as to how the Company can improve its corporate governance and compensation practices. At Antero's recent Analyst Day in New York, the Company announced its intent to redesign the 2018 compensation plan based on the feedback received in its shareholder outreach program. Additionally, at the Analyst Day Antero presented a five year outlook based on strip pricing that featured highly efficient capital spending, strong corporate level returns, low leverage, free cash flow generation and scale. This outlook highlighted the valuation discount relative to some of the premier U.S. large capitalization upstream independents. Antero's management team and its Board of Directors are charged with analyzing the merits of potential actions to increase shareholder value.

16:17 EDT Covanta's Rookery South energy recovery facility receives environmental permit - Covanta's Rookery South Energy Recovery Facility has been granted an environmental permit by the UK Environment Agency. The Rookery project, located in Bedfordshire, UK, will convert over 500,000 tons of residual waste per year into approximately 60 MW of low carbon energy. Site preparation work has begun with full construction anticipated to follow by mid-2018, in conjunction with financial close. The project is expected to be fully operational in 2021.

16:08 EDT Oritani Financial increases dividend by 7.5c per share - The company reported that its board voted to increase the company's regular quarterly dividend to shareholders by 7.5c, to 25c per share. A 25c quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock has been declared. The record date for the dividend will be February 9 and the payment date will be February 23.

16:07 EDT Sanmina CEO says 'disappointed' with Q1 results - "As I mentioned in our preliminary announcement last week, we are disappointed with our actual results for the first quarter and expectations for the first half of fiscal 2018," stated Bob Eulau, CEO of Sanmina Corporation. "Based on new programs moving to volume production, a solid pipeline of new business and the current forecasts from our customers we are confident the second half of fiscal 2018 will be stronger." "I am excited about the opportunities ahead and the unique value Sanmina brings to its customers. We have a dedicated and experienced team that is focused on operational excellence, driving improvements and optimizing our cost structure as we continue to execute on our strategy," concluded Eulau.

16:07 EDT Sanmina reports Q1 adjusted operating margin 2.7%

16:02 EDT Hawaiian Holdings sees Q1 cost per ASM ex fuel up 3.3%-6%

16:01 EDT 3M, 3Shape partner to advance digital workflows for orthodontics - 3M and 3Shape announced their intention to work together to advance the field of orthodontics through digital workflows supporting indirect bonding, clear aligners and other emerging digital orthodontic workflows. "Our partnership with 3Shape puts our customers first and is designed with practitioners, their patients, and their businesses in mind. Our goal is to make it easier for Orthodontists to engage patients, provide effective treatments and run a profitable practice. The workflow will include our indirect bonding solutions, our customized lingual offering, and future new offerings in the digital orthodontic space," said Jim Ingebrand, President and General Manager, 3M Oral Care Division. For 3M's and 3Shape's joint customers, the cooperation will enable use of the 3Shape TRIOS scanner and 3Shape indirect bonding software with 3M's Incognito lingual appliance system, the Clarity ADVANCED brackets with APC Flash Free technology for indirect bonding procedures, as well as future orthodontic product offerings. These combined solutions will enable better outcome while improving productivity of the practice.

15:33 EDT Boeing to announce fourth quarter results, guidance on new CEO Twitter channel - Boeing reportst that it will announce its fourth quarter of 2017 financial results and 2018 guidance on Wednesday, Jan. 31, through @BoeingCEO, a new Twitter channel for Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg that launches this week. A full Boeing news release also will be posted to www.boeing.com. "Starting with our fourth quarter financial results and 2018 guidance, this new communications approach for our CEO will provide an effective platform for sharing company news and industry insight," said Phil Musser, Boeing senior vice president of Communications.

14:24 EDT Congressman Brady says Exxon Mobil to invest $50B in U.S. over next 5 years - Texas Congressman Kevin Brady, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, tweeted: "More great tax reform news! ExxonMobil's CEO Darren Woods announcing $50 billion investment in U.S. over next 5 years. This on top of already huge build-out of Gulf operations, creating tens of thousands of new good paying jobs." Reference Link

14:09 EDT Microsoft acquires cloud-connected game tool maker PlayFab - Kareem Choudhry - Corporate Vice President, Gaming at Microsoft announced in a post to the company's blog that Microsoft has acquired PlayFab, a complete backend platform provider of services to build, launch and grow cloud-connected games. PlayFab's tools are designed to be used by game developers across all platforms, including mobile, PC and console, the blog noted. Choudhry states in the post: "This acquisition extends the investments and work we've done on Microsoft Azure to provide a world-class cloud platform for the gaming industry...Incorporating PlayFab's experience, growing network of game developers and powerful gaming-as-a-service platform into our product offering is an important step forward for gaming at Microsoft." Reference Link

13:01 EDT Mario Gabelli names National Beverage as takeover candidate - Mario Gabelli just finished speaking on CNBC.

12:56 EDT Mario Gabelli 'just starting' position in General Electric - Mario Gabelli on CNBC said he's "just starting" a position in General Electric and that he probably owns now $40M-$50M worth of the stock. The investor likes GE around $16 and sees the stock going to the low $20's in two years.

12:50 EDT Kevin O'Leary mentions Jack Henry, Olin as stock picks on CNBC

12:24 EDT ILG confirms receipt of four director nominations from FrontFour Capital - ILG confirmed that FrontFour Capital Group LLC and affiliates have provided notice of their nomination of four candidates for election to the board of directors of ILG at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. ILG said it continue to engage in dialogue with shareholders, including FrontFour, and the board will review FrontFour's director nominations in consultation with its financial and legal advisors.

12:08 EDT Globalfoundries reports 7.9% passive stake in Aquantia - In a regulatory filing, Globalfoundries U.S. disclosed a 7.9% stake in Aquantia, representing 2,642,052 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

11:30 EDT VMware down after CNBC says considering buying Dell in reverse-merger

11:16 EDT Forward Pharma down 8.7% to $4.89 after resuming trading

11:13 EDT Forward Pharma to resume trading at 11:15 am ET - Forward Pharma will resume trading at 11:15 am ET, according to Nasdaq. Forward Pharma announced earlier that the European Patent Office has revoked the EP2801355 patent following the oral hearing in an opposition proceeding. The company noted that it is "disappointed" with the EPO's decision and expects to file an appeal.

10:50 EDT Boeing venture arm announces investment in battery technology start-up - Boeing announced its investment in Cuberg, Inc., a start-up founded by former Stanford University researchers developing next-generation battery technology for potential aerospace and industrial applications. Cuberg developed an advanced battery cell that is designed to be a drop-in solution to existing large-scale battery manufacturing processes. It combines a lithium metal anode, proprietary electrolyte and high-voltage cathode to achieve high energy density and thermal durability. Boeing HorizonX Ventures led this second seed investment round, which included a follow-on investment by HPC Energy Services, a Canadian integrated oil and gas product and service company. This is Boeing HorizonX Ventures' first investment in an energy storage company, Boeing noted.

10:46 EDT Forward Pharma says European Patent Office revokes '355 patent - Forward Pharma A/S announced that the European Patent Office has revoked the EP2801355 patent following the oral hearing in the Opposition Proceedings. The EPO Opposition Division revoked the '355 patent after considering third-party oppositions from several opponents. The Opposition Division will issue detailed reasons for the decision in written form in due course, and following receipt and review of these, Forward plans to appeal the Opposition Division's decision to the Technical Board of Appeal, with an expected duration of the appeal process of an additional two to three years. "We are disappointed with the EPO's decision to revoke the '355 patent. We continue to believe the '355 patent's claims are valid and once the written decision of the Opposition Division is issued, we expect to file an appeal to the Technical Board of Appeal," said Dr. Claus Bo Svendsen, CEO of Forward.

10:45 EDT Wall Street weighs in on Steven Wynn sexual harassment allegations - Shares of Wynn Resorts (WYNN) are sliding as Wall Street analysts weigh in on the sexual harassment allegations made against Steven Wynn, the company's founder and CEO. This morning, UBS analyst Robin Farley downgraded the stock to Neutral, citing increased risk to the company's outlook following The Wall Street Journal's recent report detailing the allegations. Her peers at JPMorgan and Deutsche also commented on the report, arguing that the claims create uncertainty and a "sizable overhang" on Wynn Resorts' shares. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS: On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that dozens of people interviewed by the publication who have worked at Steve Wynn's casinos have described a decade-long pattern of sexual misconduct. Some have said Wynn had pressured employees to perform sex acts, the report noted. In response to the allegations, Steve Wynn said, "The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous." Over the weekend, Reuters reported that Wynn has resigned as finance chair of the Republican Party's fundraising arm. INCREASED RISK: In a research note to investors, UBS' Farley downgraded Wynn Resorts to Neutral from Buy, while raising her price target for the shares to $194 from $174 following recent EBITDA outperformance. The analyst argued that she sees increased risk to the company's outlook following the sexual harassment allegations against CEO Steve Wynn. The allegations and subsequent investigations will likely cap near-term upside in the stock, Farley contended. ALLEGATIONS BRING UNCERTAINTY: Citing "vast uncertainty," Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli lowered his price target for Wynn Resorts to $199 from $209 but reiterated a Buy rating on the shares given fundamental strength of current operations and the inherent asset value of the desirable existing asset base and potential pipeline. Santarelli, however, believes the next several months are likely to be choppy, and that Steve Wynn's influence on operations, the brand and the investment community "is more pronounced than that of the majority of his peers." As such, if Wynn were to step down, there would be an impact, over time, on the operations of Wynn Resorts, he contended. His peer at JPMorgan also commented on the allegations, saying the news creates a "sizable overhang" on the shares of Wynn Resorts. Investors would be compensated for the related risk at around $150 per shares, said analyst Joseph Greff, who argued that these allegations could be "very serious" given that the gaming industry is a highly regulated business, individual gaming licenses have character clauses and Wynn's name is on each of his resorts in Las Vegas and Macau. SHARE REACTION OVERDONE: Commenting on the report, Morgan Stanley analyst Thomas Allen argued that the stock reaction may be overdone, as this is not the first time some of these allegations have been reported, all the dated instances in the report are from 2005 or earlier and that the company could shift focus away from future development projects and more toward current cash flow if there were to be a change at the top. Additionally, were stock weakness to persist, Wynn Resorts could be an interesting strategic asset in a consolidating industry, Allen added, while reiterating an Overweight rating on the shares. Jefferies analyst David Katz also kept a Buy rating and a $220 price target on Wynn Resorts, saying all scenarios following the allegations against the CEO "suggest the company and reasonable value endure in a potentially different context." The analyst noted he sees enough near-term positive performance and opportunity and underlying asset value to maintain his positive stance despite the "uncertainty." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Wynn Resorts have declined another 7.5% to $166.80. On Friday, following the Journal's report, Wynn Resorts shares had dropped about 10%.

10:34 EDT Lockheed Martin expects 2018 tax rate to be slightly under 18%

10:28 EDT Lockheed Martin CFO sees $900M refund from 2017 pension-related taxes

10:12 EDT Avon Products rises amid push from activist investors to explore sale - Shares of Avon Products (AVP) are up after activist investors called on the cosmetics company to explore strategic alternatives, including a possible a sale. ACTIVISTS URGE EXPLORATION OF SALE: A group of Avon shareholders of led by Shah Capital, Barington Capital Group and NuOrion Partners, which collectively beneficially own approximately 3.5% of Avon's outstanding common stock, sent a letter to the board urging it to retain a financial advisor to explore all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including a sale of the company in whole or in parts. The investors said that they are "extremely disappointed with the deteriorating operating and share price performance that has occurred under the stewardship of the current board." The group also said it is "dismayed by the board's failure to act quickly and decisively on the past recommendations its members have made to improve the long-term performance of the company, including promptly hiring a new chief executive officer," which it called "a step that has been long overdue and members of the shareholder group recommended over two years ago." As a result, the shareholder group said it has lost confidence in the ability of Avon's current board to create "meaningful" long-term value for its public shareholders, and "sees no reason why shareholders should continue to wait for a turnaround from a board that has overseen a tremendous destruction of shareholder value." The shareholder group said it believes believes that the best path forward for Avon is for the board to retain a financial advisor to explore the sale of the company. The shareholder group believes that Avon would be "highly attractive" to buyers due to its well-known brand, a "vast" product offering, "strong" market positions and its 6M direct sales representatives. WHAT'S NOTABLE: In May 2017, Barington Capital and NuOrion Partners called on Avon to begin a search for a new CEO, saying, "During more than five years as CEO, Sheri McCoy has overseen a tremendous destruction of shareholder value." At the time, the group noted that Avon's stock price had fallen by more than 80% since appointing McCoy as CEO, with EPS also declining. In August, Avon announced that McCoy would step down as CEO and as a director on March 31, 2018. Avon's board retained executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles to assist in identifying McCoy's successor. WEAK THIRD QUARTER EARNINGS AND GUIDANCE: In November, Avon reported third quarter results that missed analysts' expectations. The company also announced that it expected FY17 results to come in below guidance. "With mixed results in Q3 and some positive trends, we expect to see modest improvement continue in Q4. However, it will not be enough to overcome the slow start to 2017, and thus we expect annual results to come in below our 2017 guidance," CFO Jamie Wilson said at the time. "We are focused on improving key operating metrics in our core markets," Wilson said. Previous guidance given in August included FY17 constant-dollar revenue growth in the low single-digits, adjusted operating margin expansion of 100-140 basis points over 2016 and "slightly positive" free cash flow including an expected $65M in increased capital expenditures. PRICE ACTION: Avon rose 1.7% to $2.47 in morning trading.

10:01 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance awarded patent for Connected Care Oncology program - Walgreens has received a U.S. patent for new proprietary technology that its Walgreens community specialty pharmacists and AllianceRx Walgreens Prime's specialty pharmacists will use to facilitate communication with and counseling of patients prescribed oral oncology medicines. Through Walgreens Connected Care Oncology, an evidence-based, patient-centered process focused on driving medication adherence and improving patient outcomes, this newly patented technology helps guide interactions with patients, helping them stay on their treatment and manage any possible side effects.

09:53 EDT Philip Morris comments on FDA Advisory Committee review of IQOS - Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA commented on their presentations to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, or TPSAC, before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, stating in part: "Although the Committee did not agree with some of the specific language of proposed risk and harm consumer communications, it confirmed that the evidence supported the statement that switching completely to IQOS significantly reduces exposure to harmful chemicals...We believe the Committee's interactions with presenters and its discussion reflected respect for our scientific data and commitment to bring IQOS to the U.S. The Committee delved into such areas as inferences about long-term health outcomes, quantification and comparison of risk, the best way to formulate consumer information, and areas for post-market surveillance. At the end of the meeting, the Members of the Committee discussed and voted on particular questions on which the Agency requested the Committee's views. TPSAC recommendations and votes are not binding on the FDA." Andre Calantzopoulos, PMI's Chief Executive Officer, said: As a next step, we look forward to working with the Agency to clarify outstanding points so as to best assist in their ongoing decision-making process, which inherently entails a certain degree of scientific uncertainty pre-market. As the FDA routinely does with regard to the many products it regulates, I believe the Agency will ultimately address that uncertainty in the best interest of people who smoke."

09:35 EDT Lockheed Martin sees total FY18 segment operating profit $5.2B-$5.35B - In conference call slides ahead of its Q4 earnings conference call, Lockheed Martin said FY18 sales by segment is expected to be: $20.325B-$20.825B in Aeronautics, $8.85B-$9.15B in Space, $13.3B-$13.7B in RMS and $7.525B-$7.825B in MFC. Segment operating profit by segment is expected to be: $2.175B-$2.225B in Aeronautics, $970M-$1B in Space, $995M-$1.035B in RMS and $1.06B-$1.09B in MFC. Total company segment operating profit is expected to be $5.2B-$5.35B for FY18.

09:24 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Seagate Technology (STX), up 2.1%... Lockheed Martin (LMT), up 1.8%... Dominion Energy (D), up marginally. ALSO HIGHER: Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS), up 35% after announcing a definitive merger agreement with Keurig Green Mountain. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Adient (ADNT), down 6.6%... Sohu.com (SOHU), down 10.4%... Changyou.Com (CYOU), down 10.5%... Sogou (SOGO), down 4.6%. ALSO LOWER: Sanofi (SNY), down 1.9% after announcing it will acquire Ablynx for EUR 45 per share.

09:11 EDT Dr Pepper Snapple, KGM: Priority is to combine companies in 'high quality way'

09:02 EDT Meredith raises dividend 4.8% to 54.5c per share - Meredith approved a 4.8% increase of its regular stock dividend to $2.18 per share on an annualized basis, an increase of 10c per share. The next quarterly dividend will be 54.5c and is payable on March 15 to shareholders of record on February 28.

09:02 EDT T-Mobile commits to 100% renewable energy by 2021 - T-Mobile announced it will move to 100% renewable electricity by 2021, and the Un-carrier has joined RE100, a collaborative, global initiative uniting more than 100 influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. T-Mobile also unveiled a 2nd wind farm project backed by the Un-carrier. T-Mobile unveiled that the company has finalized a contract for 160 MWs from Infinity Renewables' Solomon Forks Wind Project in Kansas, with power generation slated to begin in early 2019. The Solomon Forks project marks T-Mobile's 2nd major wind power project. The first, the Red Forks Wind Power Project in Oklahoma, went online this past December. Combined, the two will generate 320 MWs for T-Mobile, enough to meet an estimated 60% of the Un-carrier's total energy needs nationwide.

08:52 EDT Rexahn receives Notice of Allowance for U.S. patent covering use of RX-5902 - Rexahn Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application No. 15/255,901, "Quinoxalinyl Piperazinamide Methods of Use". The allowed patent application covers the use of RX-5902, also known as Supinoxin for the treatment of cancers including triple negative breast cancer either as monotherapy or in combination with other anti-tumor agents such as cytotoxic agents or immune checkpoint inhibitors. The allowed application will extend the patent protection for uses claimed under this patent until 2036.

08:47 EDT Abeona Therapeutics receives FDA RMAT designation to EB-101 - Abeona Therapeutics announced that the FDA has granted the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation to EB-101, the company's gene-corrected autologous cell therapy product for patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB.

08:45 EDT Internap to acquire SingleHop for $132M in cash - Internap announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SingleHop, LLC, a private company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois for $132M in cash. INAP will be acquiring SingleHop in an all cash deal for $132 million reflecting a purchase multiple of approximately 7x after synergies, based on annualized Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $16 million for 3Q 2017 and expected annualized cost synergies of $2 to $3 million. INAP expects SingleHop will contribute $45 to $50 million in annualized revenue post-closing. In INAP's fourth quarter 2017 earnings release, INAP will provide combined proforma guidance, assuming a first quarter closing of the transaction. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, which we define in the attachment to this press release entitled "Non-GAAP Financial Measure." A reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure can also be found in the attachment.

08:42 EDT Bellerophon says Phase 3 INOvation-1 study enrollment exceeds 100 patients - Bellerophon Therapeutics announced that enrollment in its Phase 3 INOvation-1 study evaluating INOpulse in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH, now exceeds 100 patients, representing more than half of the anticipated enrollment. As previously agreed with the FDA, an interim analysis of this trial will be performed by the Data Monitoring Committee when half of the subjects complete the 16-week blinded treatment phase. The interim analysis will determine if the study should be stopped early for efficacy or futility, continued as planned, or if the trial size should be increased. The Company anticipates the readout of the interim analysis in mid-2018, and the availability of top-line data from the full study toward the end of 2018.

08:41 EDT Gulf Resources sees begining bromine operations shortly after Chinese New Year - Gulf Resources announced updates to the rectification of its bromine business. In the beginning of January, 2018, Liu Xiaobin, the President and CEO, Li Min, the CFO, Miao Naihui, the COO, went on an inspection tour of the bromine plants accompanied by a U.S. based consultant. The consultant took photographs of the facilities and wrote a report accompanying the photographs. The U.S. based consultant stated in the report, "As can be seen from the photos in this report, Gulf Resources has spent a considerable amount of money in the past two months in performing the rectification of its bromine mines and factories. While there are no guarantees, management feels confident that the government will approve the rectification of the factories and mines. The company still believes it will be able to begin bromine operations step by step shortly after the Chinese New Year."

08:39 EDT Union Bankshares acquires Dixon, Hubard, Feinour, & Brown - Union Bank & Trust announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Dixon, Hubard, Feinour, & Brown, Inc., a Roanoke, Virginia based registered investment advisory firm with approximately $600M in assets under management and advisement. The acquisition, which is subject to certain closing conditions and approvals, is scheduled to close during the second quarter.

08:35 EDT Marvell announces expiration of HSR period for proposed Cavium acquisition - Marvell Technology (MRVL) announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, in connection with its previously announced proposed acquisition of Cavium (CAVM) expired at 11:59 p.m. EST on January 26, 2018.

08:32 EDT Pernix Therapeutics announces patent litigation settlement - Pernix Therapeutics Holdings announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with Actavis Laboratories FL resolving patent litigation related to Zohydro ER. The litigation has been pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and resulted from Actavis's submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application to the FDA seeking approval to market a generic version of Zohydro ER. Under the terms of the agreement, Pernix will grant Actavis a license to begin selling a generic version of Zohydro ER on March 1, 2029, or earlier under certain circumstances. Other details of the settlement are confidential. The launch of Actavis's generic product is contingent upon Actavis receiving final approval from the FDA of its ANDA for a generic version of Zohydro ER. The settlement agreement also resolves a pending appeal related to a patent litigation between Recro Gainesville LLC and Actavis, which also relates to Actavis's proposed generic version of Zohydro ER. As required by law, the parties will submit the settlement agreement to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice for review.

08:31 EDT H&E Equipment to acquire Rental Inc for approximately $68.6M - H&E Equipment Services announced its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Rental Inc., a non-residential construction-focused equipment rental company with five branches located throughout Alabama and Florida. Under the terms of the agreement, H&E is expected to pay approximately $68.6M in cash for Rental Inc., subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, and is subject to customary closing conditions.

08:25 EDT BNY Mellon and Volante Technologies collaborate on payments technology - BNY Mellon and Volante Technologies, a global provider of software for the integration, processing and orchestration of payments and financial messages, are collaborating with on creating and deploying technology to enable real-time payments in the US and internationally. As a part of BNY Mellon's payments modernization initiative, the bank launched two services leveraging VolPay Hub technology provided by Volante. Volante developed its TCH RTP Processor Module in collaboration with BNY Mellon to process real-time payments and to allow a transaction to reach its recipient within 15 seconds or less.

08:12 EDT Office Depot selects Oracle Cloud Applications to modernize its IT systems - Office Depot (ODP) Oracle Cloud Applications to modernize its IT systems and transform its business processes to meet the demands of today's digital economy. By enhancing the performance and outcomes of key supply chain, HR, and financial management functions with Oracle Cloud Applications, Office Depot will be able to accelerate its omnichannel growth, simplify its IT infrastructure, and lower its costs.

08:10 EDT Tronox acquisition of Cristal cleared by Saudi General Authority for Competition - Tronox announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Competition has approved the company's proposed acquisition of the titanium dioxide business of Cristal, a privately held global chemical and mining company headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. To date, Australia, China, New Zealand, Turkey, South Korea, and Colombia have also approved the proposed acquisition. Tronox intends to consummate the transaction promptly following the satisfaction of all remaining conditions to closing the acquisition.

08:08 EDT BioAmber's Bio-Succinic Acid shows benefits in nursery pig feed trial - BioAmber announced the results of an independent commercial trial conducted with a North American feed formulator, on the effectiveness of BioAmber's Bio-Succinic Acid, BIO-SA, as an ingredient in Animal Feed for nursery pigs. BIO-SA feed supplementation demonstrated substantial benefits towards the growth performance and gut health in nursery pigs under dietary and environmental challenges. Specifically, the addition of bio-succinic acid to feed resulted in material increases in the average daily weight gain of nursery pigs. Results obtained by BioAmber indicate that BIO-SA in feed additives "could improve overall growth performance and reduce detrimental animal health conditions".

08:03 EDT Masimo announces FDA clearance of Next Generation SedLine - Masimo announced FDA clearance of Next Generation SedLine brain function monitoring. SedLine helps clinicians monitor the state of the brain under anesthesia with bilateral acquisition and processing of four leads of electroencephalogram signals. Next Generation SedLine features an enhanced signal processing engine, driving a variety of performance improvements and helping give clinicians a more complete picture of the brain. Next Generation SedLine provides an enhanced Patient State Index - a processed EEG parameter related to the effect of anesthetic agents - based on its enhanced signal processing engine. In addition, Next Generation SedLine displays an enhanced, Multitaper Density Spectral Array, developed by Dr. Emery Brown, MD, PhD, and Dr. Patrick Purdon, PhD, Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the Neuroscience Statistics Research Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. The DSA represents activity in both sides of the brain. When displaying a Multitaper DSA, EEG data are transformed into the frequency domain, and may provide a better display of EEG features.

08:03 EDT Nutrien to acquire Agrichem, terms not disclosed - Nutrien is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Agrichem, a leading specialty plant nutrition and plant health product company in Brazil. Agrichem is one of Brazil's largest liquid NPK fertilizer companies, as well as a producer and marketer of plant health products, including bio-stimulants and health inductors. The company has 195 employees and 35 product registrations actively marketed and a strong platform for future growth. The primary production facility is located close to key agricultural markets in Brazil, with an annual production capacity of almost 12M litres. Agrichem is expected to be accretive to earnings in 2018, with total annual historic net sales of over $55M and historic EBITDA of over $15M. The acquisition will be made in two tranches, with 80% of the business to be acquired in the coming months. The remaining 20% of the business will be acquired in 2019, based on 2018 EBITDA levels. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary conditions precedent. As part of this acquisition, Nutrien expects to capture synergies through the distribution of a variety of Nutrien's existing crop input products and services in Brazil. This includes our Loveland Products proprietary technologies and potential for leveraging our respective digital agriculture technologies.

08:02 EDT Zayo Group to acquire Neutral Path, Near North Partners for $31.5M - Zayo Group Holdings announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Neutral Path Communications and Near North Partners for $31.5M. Neutral Path is a long haul infrastructure provider, operating a fiber network in the Midwest. The transaction will add 452 owned plus additional leased route miles to Zayo's extensive North American network, including a unique, high-count fiber route from Minneapolis to Omaha. The assets are highly complementary to Zayo's Midwestern long haul dark fiber footprint. Neutral Path is expected to generate $2.1M in annualized EBITDA for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Zayo expects to achieve approximately $0.6M in annualized cost synergies within four quarters of the acquisition closing date. The transaction is expected to close in 2Q18, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The purchase price is subject to net working capital and other customary adjustments, as well as a contingent payment based on sales performance through June 30, 2018.

08:00 EDT Digital Turbine's Mobile Delivery Platform adopted by Qualcomm - Digital Turbine (APPS) announced a global agreement with Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm (QCOM). Under the multi-year agreement, Qualcomm Technologies will promote Digital Turbine's Mobile Delivery Platform as one of Qualcomm Technologies' recommended advertising and monetization solutions for global OEMs.

07:41 EDT Lockheed Martin CEO says ended 2017 with strong sales growth - "We delivered outstanding performance as we completed 2017, which enabled us to end the year with strong sales growth, $6.5 billion of cash from operations and a backlog of nearly $100 billion, while also returning over $4.0 billion to our shareholders," said Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President and CEO. "Looking ahead to 2018, we remain focused on meeting commitments to customers, pursuing new business growth opportunities, investing in innovative solutions to prepare for the future, and returning value to our shareholders."

07:38 EDT Lockheed Martin sees FY18 cash from operations greater, equal to $3B

07:36 EDT Amicus announces CDR posts CDEC positive recommendation of Galafold - Amicus Therapeutics announced that the Common Drug Review, or CDR, has posted the Canadian Drug Expert Committee, or CDEC's, positive recommendation of Galafold for listing with provincial drug formularies. CDEC recommends reimbursement of Galafold as indicated in the Canadian label, for long-term treatment of adults with a confirmed diagnosis of Fabry disease and who have an amenable mutation. Following the positive CDEC recommendation, Amicus plans to pursue discussions with the mandated authorities in order to make Galafold available to Canadian patients.

07:35 EDT Moody's Analytics, Citi parter for cash flow analytics for CLOs - Moody's Analytics (MCO) and Citi (C) announced a partnership for Moody's Analytics to provide cash flow and data analysis for collateralized loan obligations on the Citi Velocity platform. The collaboration will allow all Citi Velocity users to access comprehensive analysis of CLO tranches powered by Moody's Analytics.

07:34 EDT Shareholder group calls on Avon Products to consider a sale of the company - A group of shareholders of Avon Products led by Shah Capital, Barington Capital Group, L.P., and NuOrion Partners that collectively beneficially owns approximately 3.5% of the outstanding common stock announced that it has sent a letter to the board of Avon calling on the board to promptly retain a financial advisor to explore all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including a sale of the company in whole or in parts. The Shareholder Group is extremely disappointed with the deteriorating operating and share price performance that has occurred under the stewardship of the current board. The Shareholder Group is also dismayed by the Board's failure to act quickly and decisively on the past recommendations its members have made to improve the long-term performance of the company, including promptly hiring a new chief executive officer - a step that has been long overdue and members of the Shareholder Group recommended over two years ago. As a result, the Shareholder Group has lost confidence in the ability of Avon's current Board to create meaningful long-term value for its public shareholders, and sees no reason why shareholders should continue to wait for a turnaround from a Board that has overseen a tremendous destruction of shareholder value. The Shareholder Group therefore believes that the best course of action is for the Board to retain a financial advisor to explore the sale of the company. The Shareholder Group believes that Avon would be highly attractive to a range of buyers due to its many positive attributes, including its well-known 130-year old brand; its vast product offering generating over $5.7 billion in sales; its strong market positions in developing countries such as Brazil, Russia and Mexico; its owned manufacturing operations; and its six million direct sales representatives. In addition, a multinational acquirer would immediately benefit from its ability to improve Avon's capital structure and the tax efficiency of its operations. The Shareholder Group is convinced that a better capitalized strategic buyer would do a much better job of unlocking Avon's tremendous value potential than the company's current Board.

07:33 EDT Keurig CEO Bob Gamgort to serve as CEO of combined company - Bob Gamgort, current CEO of Keurig, will serve as chief executive officer of the combined company and Ozan Dokmecioglu, current CFO of Keurig, will serve as its CFO. Dr Pepper Snapple President and CEO Larry Young intends to transition to a role on KDP's Board of Directors to help the new management team realize the full potential of the company. Bart Becht, of JAB, will serve as Chairman of the company's Board of Directors and Bob Gamgort will become an Executive Member of the Board. Four additional directors will be appointed by JAB, two directors will be appointed by Dr Pepper Snapple, including Mr. Young, two directors will be appointed by Mondelez International, and two independent directors will be appointed. Keurig and Dr Pepper Snapple will continue to operate out of their current locations and Bob Gamgort, CEO of the combined company, will be based in Burlington, Mass. The combined company will draw on the leadership teams of both companies, who will continue running their respective businesses.

07:32 EDT Dr Pepper Snapple investors to receive special cash dividend of $103.75/share - Under the terms of the merger agreement, Dr Pepper Snapple shareholders will receive a special cash dividend of $103.75 per share and will retain their shares in Dr Pepper Snapple. Upon closing of the transaction, Keurig shareholders will hold 87% and Dr Pepper Snapple shareholders will hold 13% of the combined company. JAB Holding Company and its partners will together make an equity investment of $9 billion as part of the financing of the transaction. JAB will be investing equity capital from JAB Holding Company as well as through JAB Consumer Fund, an investment fund backed by a group of like-minded, long-term oriented investors. Both JAB Holding Company and JAB Consumer Fund are overseen by three senior partners: Peter Harf, Bart Becht and Olivier Goudet. Entities affiliated with BDT Capital Partners, a Chicago-based merchant bank that provides long-term private capital and advice to closely held companies, are also investing alongside JAB. Upon closing of the transaction, JAB will be the controlling shareholder. Mondelez International, JAB's partner in Keurig, will hold an approximately 13-14% stake in the combined company. The balance of the transaction financing will be provided through financing debt commitments from JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2018, subject to the approval of Dr Pepper Snapple shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals.

07:31 EDT J. Alexander's urges shareholders to vote in favor of 99 Restaurants acquisition - J. Alexander's Holdings issued a statement in connection with J. Alexander's previously announced acquisition of Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub. The company said, "As the Special Meeting of Shareholders approaches, the J. Alexander's Board and Management team continue to believe this transaction will create attractive value for, and is in the best interest of, all shareholders, for reasons including: The transaction is expected to be accretive to J. Alexander's earnings per share. The acquisition presents opportunities for synergies and management estimates that potential synergies could have an annual positive impact on pre-tax income of $1.5M to $2.M. The combination with 99 Restaurants will help J. Alexander's achieve more rapid growth and increase the scale of operations. We are extremely appreciative of the support we've received thus far from several substantial holders of J. Alexander's common stock. Every vote counts - and we encourage all shareholders to vote "FOR" this transaction on the white proxy card TODAY."

07:14 EDT Alliance Holdings announces intent to simplify structure - The company said, "AHGP announced it intends to move forward with a structural simplification of the Alliance Partnerships, as initially discussed last July when AHGP exchanged its incentive distribution rights in ARLP for common units in ARLP. At that time, we indicated further evaluation of our structural alternatives and the potential outcome of tax reform proposals then under consideration was appropriate before determining whether further simplification of the Alliance Partnerships should proceed. Now that our structural evaluations are complete and tax reform has been clarified, management has recommended to the Board that further streamlining the Alliance Partnerships' structure into a single reporting and trading entity should be pursued. We currently anticipate simplification would be principally accomplished through a distribution of ARLP common units held by AHGP to the AHGP unitholders. While the final form of this simplification is being refined, AHGP expects to complete this process in 2018 and will provide additional information once a final structure is approved."

07:10 EDT Atlantic Capital reports Q4 EPS (59c), may not compare to consensus 16c - The tax reform legislation signed into law on December 22, 2017 resulted in a reduction of the value of the copmpany's deferred tax asset and an increase in tax expense of $17.4M, or (67c) per diluted share, in Q4. Reports Q4 book value per share $11.99. Reports Q4 Tier 1 capital ratio 11.1%.

07:08 EDT Adient CFO says earnings momentum to build as year progesses - CFO Jeffrey Stafeil said, "As mitigation actions take hold and additional profit improvement plans are executed, we expect positive earnings momentum will build as the year progresses."

07:07 EDT Adient sees FY18 CapEx $575M-$600M - Sees FY18 free cash flow approximately $225M; FY18 tax rate 8%-9%.

07:07 EDT Canadian Solar partnering with Photon Energy for solar project development - Canadian Solar has entered into an agreement with Photon Energy to co-develop five utility-scale solar power projects, with a total capacity of 1.14 GWp in New South Wales, Australia. Canadian Solar will acquire a 51% shareholding in each of Photon Energy's five project companies in Australia that carry a total of 1.14 GWp of projects.

07:05 EDT BioTime to present data from Renevia trial at IMCAS - BioTime announced that detailed data from the successful pivotal trial of Renevia in Europe will be presented at the International Master Course on Aging Science conference on February 3, 2018. The Renevia data will be presented by primary investigator Ramon Llull, MD, PhD, Director of Stem Europe Mallorca Center, Mallorca, Spain, at the "Contributed Talks - Lipofilling, PRP, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells." Renevia successfully met the primary endpoint in a European pivotal study for the treatment of HIV-Associated Facial Lipoatrophy. Treated patients retained approximately 100% of transplanted volume at 6 months and there were no device related serious adverse events noted during the trial. BioTime plans to submit the Renevia application for CE Marking later this quarter with an expected approval in the second half of 2018. As the company has previously reported, BioTime views the European trial as a gateway into a larger multibillion-dollar market opportunity, like cosmetic facial aesthetics.

07:04 EDT Verizon's Oath names Kathryn Friedrich head or RYOT Studio - Oath, a subsidiary of Verizon, announced two significant appointments to expand its global sales organization. Kathryn Friedrich will join the company as Chief Business Officer, RYOT Studio and Karen Schmidt has been appointed Vice President, Head of B2B Field Marketing. They will report directly to John DeVine, Chief Revenue Officer.

07:01 EDT General Finance Corp subsidiary acquires assets from Lucky's Lease - General Finance Corporation subsidiary Pac-Van announced its acquisition of Lucky's Lease of South Royalton, Vermont on Friday, January 26th. Lucky's Lease provides its customers with quality storage container, storage trailer and ground level offices. Lucky's Trailer Sales, a sister company to Lucky's Lease, will retain its over-the-road semi-trailer fleet and will continue to provide for the rental and sales of this product.

06:50 EDT Leidos awarded prime contract by GSA for IT operation, services - Leidos was awarded a prime contract by the General Services Administration, or GSA, Office of Chief Information Officer for the Office of Public Buildings Information Technology Services, or ITS, to provide information technology, operation, and maintenance services with the potential to modernize and enhance legacy systems to improve organizational performance. The multiple-award, blanket purchase agreement has a one-year base period, four one-year option periods, and a total contract value of approximately $250M. Leidos is one of seven contractors eligible to compete for task orders under the program.

06:48 EDT InVivo says 'substantial doubt' about ability to continue as going concern - In a regulatory filing, InVivo said that "There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which will affect our ability to obtain future financing and may require us to curtail our operations. Our clinical trial has been on hold since July 2017 and we may not be successful at defining a clinical path forward, and, even if we are, we may not be able to raise the funds to complete such clinical path, either of which may cause us to curtail or cease operations... Our financial statements as of September 30, 2017 were prepared under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern. At September 30, 2017, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $17.2 million. We estimate that our existing cash resources will be sufficient to fund our operations into the third quarter of 2018. This estimate is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong; expenses could prove to be significantly higher, leading to a more rapid consumption of our existing resources. In particular, we may be required to undertake clinical studies that are significantly more costly that we are anticipating. Our current cash resources will not be sufficient to complete clinical development of our Neuro-Spinal Scaffold implant. If we are unable to define a clinical path forward in a timely manner or in a manner that aligns with our cash resources, or it we are unable to raise capital, we may be forced to cease our operation entirely. Even if we are able to define a clinical path forward, our ability to continue as a going concern will depend on our ability to obtain additional equity or debt financing, attain further operating efficiencies, reduce or contain expenditures, and, ultimately, to generate revenue. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our audited financial statements, and it is likely that investors will lose all or part of their investment. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Based on these factors, management determined that there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern."

06:45 EDT WestRock, KapStone merger expected to generate $200M in cost synergies by 2021 - The transaction significantly enhances WestRock's (WRK) scale and scope in the market and accelerates WestRock's ability to achieve its strategic goals and enhance its value proposition as the premier partner and provider of innovative, winning solutions to its customers: Creates opportunity for approximately $200M in cost synergies and performance improvements. The transaction is expected to generate annual run-rate cost synergies and performance improvements of approximately $200M by the end of fiscal 2021 that WestRock expects will be captured through the integration of the KapStone (KS) operations into WestRock's corrugated packaging system. The categories of benefits include process and capital improvements at mill and box plant locations, converting and network optimization, procurement and administrative efficiencies. The acquisition will enable WestRock to supply additional corrugated packaging to Victory Packaging. The acquisition will accelerate WestRock's plans to improve margins in its North American corrugated packaging business. Strengthens WestRock's presence on the West Coast. The addition of KapStone's West Coast facilities improves WestRock's ability to serve customers in this important area and reduce costs across its supply chain. In addition, this expansion opens new opportunities for WestRock to sell the full suite of its product portfolio to KapStone's current customers in this region. Broadens WestRock's differentiated paper and packaging solutions portfolio with the addition of attractive paper grades and distribution capabilities. The addition of KapStone's complementary specialty kraft paper offerings that WestRock does not offer today enables WestRock to provide a broader product portfolio to existing customers, as well as provides new opportunities to sell WestRock's enterprise-wide offerings to KapStone's customers. Increases mix of virgin fiber based paper in WestRock's paper portfolio. KapStone's 3M tons of paper is made using 78% virgin fiber and 22% recovered fiber. This increases WestRock's overall mix of virgin fiber from 65% to 67%.

06:39 EDT WestRock, KapStone merger expected to generate $200M in cost synergies by 2021 - The transaction significantly enhances WestRock's (WR) scale and scope in the market and accelerates WestRock's ability to achieve its strategic goals and enhance its value proposition as the premier partner and provider of innovative, winning solutions to its customers: Creates opportunity for approximately $200M in cost synergies and performance improvements. The transaction is expected to generate annual run-rate cost synergies and performance improvements of approximately $200M by the end of fiscal 2021 that WestRock expects will be captured through the integration of the KapStone (KS) operations into WestRock's corrugated packaging system. The categories of benefits include process and capital improvements at mill and box plant locations, converting and network optimization, procurement and administrative efficiencies. The acquisition will enable WestRock to supply additional corrugated packaging to Victory Packaging. The acquisition will accelerate WestRock's plans to improve margins in its North American corrugated packaging business. Strengthens WestRock's presence on the West Coast. The addition of KapStone's West Coast facilities improves WestRock's ability to serve customers in this important area and reduce costs across its supply chain. In addition, this expansion opens new opportunities for WestRock to sell the full suite of its product portfolio to KapStone's current customers in this region. Broadens WestRock's differentiated paper and packaging solutions portfolio with the addition of attractive paper grades and distribution capabilities. The addition of KapStone's complementary specialty kraft paper offerings that WestRock does not offer today enables WestRock to provide a broader product portfolio to existing customers, as well as provides new opportunities to sell WestRock's enterprise-wide offerings to KapStone's customers. Increases mix of virgin fiber based paper in WestRock's paper portfolio. KapStone's 3M tons of paper is made using 78% virgin fiber and 22% recovered fiber. This increases WestRock's overall mix of virgin fiber from 65% to 67%.

06:33 EDT Westlake Chemical Partners increases distribution 2.95 to 38.6c per share - Westlake Chemical Partners declared a distribution of 38.64c per unit, representing a 2.9% increase from the Q3 distribution. The distribution will be payable on February 23 to unit holders of record on February 8.

06:31 EDT Sharing Economy International enters into exclusivity deal with JoGeep - Sharing Economy International announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, EC Rental, has entered into an exclusivity agreement with the shareholders of JoGeep, regarding a potential acquisition by EC Rental of not less than 51% of JoGeep. JoGeep offers short-term renting of suitcases in different sizes for those travelers who do not always need to own a suitcase at home because of space concerns. JoGeep offers suitcases in a variety of styles, sizes and brands to suit any traveler's needs, including American Tourister, Delsey, Lojei, Samsonite and Rimowa. The rental fee is calculated daily and no deposit is required if the customer has purchased travel insurance.

06:30 EDT Suncor transitions to continuous operations at Fort Hills - Suncor announced that the Fort Hills project is continuing its steady ramp up of production following the safe startup of secondary extraction on Jan. 27, 2018. Fort Hills, which is located approximately 90 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, has a capacity of approximately 194,000 barrels per day, approximately 103,000 bbls/d net to Suncor. As expected, the first of three trains from secondary extraction is now online and production on this train will continue to ramp up through the first quarter.

06:08 EDT Mylan, Biocon receive positive CHMP opinion for Semglee - Mylan and Biocon announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of Semglee, insulin glargine, a long-acting insulin analog used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in adults, adolescents and children aged 2 years and above. The CHMP positive opinion will be considered by the European Commission. The European Commission decision on the approval is expected in April.

06:07 EDT Egalet announces Arymo ER data published in Current Medical Research and Opinion - Egalet announced that data on ARYMO ER xtended-release tablets for oral use only -CII was published online in the Current Medical Research and Opinion journal. ARYMO ER, formulated with Egalet's Guardian Technology, is approved for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.

06:04 EDT Ford announces resignation of Ford China chairman and CEO Jason Luo - Ford announced the resignation of Jason Luo, former chairman and CEO of Ford China, effective immediately. In this role, Luo was responsible for leading the company's operations in Greater China including its import business, Lincoln, its passenger car joint venture Changan Ford, commercial vehicle investment in Jiangling Motors Corporation, and the company's operations in Taiwan. Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president and president, Ford Asia Pacific, noted that "Jason offered his resignation for personal reasons that predate his time at Ford. Ford accepted Jason's resignation as the right way for him and the company to proceed. Jason's decision was not related to the business strategy or performance of Ford China, which remains robust, with a bright future ahead. We continue to act in the best interest of our company, employees, and stakeholders." Luo's replacement will be the subject of a future announcement. In the interim, Fleet will assume Luo's responsibilities as the company works to build its business in China through a robust portfolio of product offerings and better ownership experience

06:02 EDT Superior Energy appoints Westervelt T. Ballard, Jr. CFO, James W. Spexarth CAO - Superior Energy has elected, effective as of March 1, Westervelt T. Ballard, Jr. as CFO and James W. Spexarth as CAO. Ballard will succeed Robert S. Taylor, who is retiring after 22 years of service to the company. Since 2012, Ballard has served as Executive Vice President with leadership responsibilities for the company's global premium tubulars, completion tools and international well services businesses. Spexarth becomes the company's first Chief Accounting officer after joining Superior Energy in 2013 as a Vice President and Controller. Before joining the company, Mr. Spexarth held numerous accounting and finance managerial roles with Halliburton Company over ten years.

06:01 EDT Facebook publishes privacy principles, rolls out educational videos - Facebook said in a blog post that it was publishing its privacy principles for the first time and rolling out educational videos to help users control who has access to their information. Erin Egan, Chief Privacy Officer, said, "Starting today we're introducing educational videos in News Feed that help you get information on important privacy topics like how to control what information Facebook uses to show you ads, how to review and delete old posts, and even what it means to delete your account. We know how important it is for you to have clear, simple tools for managing your privacy. This year, we'll introduce a new privacy center that features core privacy settings in a single place. We're designing this based on feedback from people, policymakers and privacy experts around the world. Our efforts to build data protection into our products and give you more information and control reflect core principles we've had on privacy." Facebook's privacy principles, which are separate from the user terms and conditions that are agreed when someone opens an account, range from giving users control of their privacy, to building privacy features into Facebook products from the outset, to users owning the information they share. "We recognize that people use Facebook to connect, but not everyone wants to share everything with everyone -- including with us. It's important that you have choices when it comes to how your data is used," Egan wrote. Reference Link

05:55 EDT Nexeo Solutions announces new distribution agreement in Mexico with BASF - Nexeo Solutions (NXEO) announced a new distribution agreement with BASF Personal Care in Mexico. Nexeo Solutions has been authorized for Actives, Emulgin Line, Tinosorb Portfolio, Emulgade Line, Uvinul Portfolio, Cetiol Line, Z-Cote Portfolio, Cosmedia Line, Tocopherol Care, Gluadin, Nutrilan Keratine, and Luviset. These ingredients are used in skin care, hair care, and sun care products. "We are pleased to deepen our relationship with BASF (BASFY) by adding their Personal Care products to our portfolio," said Brian Herington, Senior Vice President of Chemicals for Nexeo Solution. "This authorization continues to broaden our specialty line card as part of our overall Chemicals strategy."

05:51 EDT China Lodging forms JV with TPG Capital Asia - China Lodging Group announced it has formed a joint venture with TPG Capital Asia. The Joint Venture has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% equity interest of two hotel properties in Beijing - Novotel Beijing Sanyuan and Ibis Beijing Sanyuan - at a cash consideration of RMB 1.18B from Ascendas Hospitality Trust, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first half of 2018. Post-closing, the Joint Venture will renovate the hotels and Huazhu will continue to serve as operator. Hitone Capital, a boutique real estate focused investment firm, provided advisory service on the transaction, and will continue to provide support on closing and asset management. Huazhu, as a leading hotel operator in China, has a diversified brand portfolio from economy, midscale to upscale segments and has strong operation capability. By partnering with leading investment funds, Huazhu not only secures prime locations to expand its flagship upscale hotels, but also takes a share of asset appreciation by improving the operational efficiency. As more and more upscale and luxury hotel owners are disposing underperforming assets, the company is anticipating more hotel property opportunities in the future. With limited space for new development, China's first-tier cities have entered a period of urban renewal as they look for better planning and more efficient use of commercial properties. Novotel Beijing Sanyuan and Ibis Beijing Sanyuan are adjacently located in prime locations in Chaoyang District, Beijing's central business area, also known as CBD, which serves as a hub where multinational companies and foreign embassy compounds are based.

05:49 EDT Monster Digital, Innovate Biopharmaceuticals extend outside closing date - Monster Digital and Innovate Biopharmaceuticals announced that they have agreed to extend the outside closing date of their previously announced reverse merger. The company and Innovate have amended the merger agreement to provide that the outside termination date for the Merger will be January 29, 2018. As previously disclosed, following the Closing, Innovate will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Monster Digital, and Monster Digital, as the parent of the surviving company, will be renamed "Innovate Biopharmaceuticals, Inc." Innovate stockholders will own the substantial majority of shares of the combined company after the transaction. The common stock shares of the combined company will trade under the symbol INNT.

05:45 EDT Ballard Power comments on short-seller report - To ensure the company's shareholders have accurate information about the company's performance and prospects, Ballard Power Systems previewed its anticipated year-end financial results and provided comments on a recent short-seller report. Based on preliminary unaudited financial statements for fiscal 2017 Ballard expects to report record annual revenue of approximately $120 million, positive Adjusted EBITDA, and year-ending cash on hand of approximately $60 million. A conference call to review fourth quarter and full-year 2017 operating results will be held March 1, 2018. "We believe these results fully validate our long-held belief that Ballard is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the worldwide trend toward zero-emission transportation," said Randy MacEwen, President and CEO. "Nothing we have seen in the short-seller report fundamentally changes our outlook for the business. To the contrary, we note that some of the statements upon which the short-seller bases its argument are demonstrably false, while others amount to little more than what we believe is unduly negative speculation about the obvious and well-disclosed risks and uncertainties of commercializing new technologies in emerging markets." Ballard notes the short-seller's report contains a number of unsubstantiated forward-looking statements, assumptions and opinions, as well as other statements and assertions that are simply false. Following are illustrative examples, among others, of important factual errors in the short-seller's report: A false claim that the Synergy Ballard joint venture is only able to produce a few hundred fuel cell stacks per year. In fact, the joint venture has produced 1,145 stacks since beginning operations in September 2017, including 558 stacks manufactured in December alone; and A false claim that there are no fuel cell bus demonstration lines operating in Guangdong, Sanshui or Yunfu. In fact, according to the local transit operators, 11 of the previously commissioned fuel cell buses powered by Ballard technology have been operating in the Cities of Foshan and Yunfu since October 2016, traveling a total of more than 240,000 km to date. The remaining 13 commissioned fuel cell buses are ready for operation, subject to receipt of license plates from the appropriate local authorities. As these examples indicate, Ballard shareholders would be well-advised to view any communication from these types of investors with a healthy degree of skepticism, particularly since short-sellers profit when a target company's shares decline in value. Ballard will continue to demonstrate the strength of its strategy and will let the results of its business efforts speak for themselves.