Stockwinners Market Radar for February 02, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:49 EDT ON Semiconductor reports Q4 adjusted gross margin 37.5%

18:26 EDT Wells Fargo down 2.5% to $62.50 after Fed announces sanctions

18:19 EDT Federal Reserve restricts growth at Wells Fargo pending improved controls

17:37 EDT Related Management in confidentiality pact with Ladder Capital - Related Management, an 8.2% stakeholder in Ladder Capital, reported that they and the company are in a confidentiality pact.

17:23 EDT Oshkosh awarded $106.3M government contract modification - Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $106,310,284 modification to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 for 416 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and 832 kits. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2019. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.

17:18 EDT Peter Grauer to step down from Blackstone board - On January 30, Peter Grauer, a member of the board of directors of Blackstone Group Management L.L.C, the general partner of The Blackstone Group L.P. (BX), informed the Partnership that, with regret, he was stepping down from the Board effective immediately. Grauer, who is Chairman of the board of Bloomberg L.P., is taking this action due to Blackstone funds' pending acquisition of a majority stake in the financial and risk division of Thomson Reuters (TRI). This division is a direct competitor of Bloomberg. While there is no legal requirement that Grauer resign, he felt this was the appropriate step given the appearance and potential of a conflict. In connection with Grauer's departure, the size of the Board was reduced from eleven members to ten members.

17:05 EDT Air Transport Services reaches tentative agreement with pilots's union - Air Transport Services Group said that its subsidiary, Air Transport International, has reached a tentative agreement to amend the collective bargaining agreement with its pilots group, currently numbering more than 220 flight crew members. ATI's pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. ATI and ALPA have been negotiating amendments to the current collective bargaining agreement since it became amendable in May 2014. The tentative amended agreement would extend for four years from the date of ratification by the ATI pilots. Terms of the tentative amended agreement were not disclosed, but will be presented to the ATI pilot group prior to holding a ratification vote. The vote is expected to be completed prior to the end of March.

16:56 EDT YouTube to provide 'greater transparency' for users around news broadcasters - YouTube said in a blog post that it will start rolling out notices below videos uploaded by news broadcasters that receive some level of government or public funding. Our goal is to equip users with additional information to help them better understand the sources of news content that they choose to watch on YouTube. "We're rolling out this feature to viewers in the U.S. for now, and we don't expect it to be perfect," Alphabet subsidiary said. The notice will appear below the video, but above the video's title, and include a link to Wikipedia so viewers can learn more about the news broadcaster. Reference Link

16:35 EDT ARCH Venture Fund VIII reports 17.7% passive stake in Sienna Biopharmaceuticals

16:25 EDT Pyxis Tankers files to sell 5.23M shares of common stock for holders

16:16 EDT Prothena announces departure of Chief Medical Officer Sarah Noonberg, MD, PhD - Prothena announced that Sarah Noonberg, MD, PhD, has decided to resign from her position as Chief Medical Officer. She will provide Prothena with transitional support until March 15. The company is commencing a search for a replacement. During this period, Martin Koller, MD, Prothena's former Chief Medical Officer, will provide leadership for our clinical and medical organizations on a consulting basis.

16:01 EDT ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing president Franklin to retire - Rob Franklin, president of ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company, has announced his intention to retire, effective March 1, 2018, after more than 35 years of service. The board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation has appointed Peter Clarke as president of ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company and elected him as a vice president of the corporation. Clarke is currently vice president, international gas, ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company, and lead country manager for ExxonMobil businesses in the U.K.

15:59 EDT Hudson Bay Capital reports 5.45% passive stake in SenesTech

15:47 EDT Hudson Bay Capital reports 5.73% passive stake in Riot Blockchain - In a regulatory filing, Hudson Bay Capital disclosed a 5.73% stake in Riot Blockchain. The filing does not allow for activism.

15:25 EDT Alkermes rises after Nektar said to explore sale - Shares of Alkermes (ALKS) have been rising this afternoon after Bloomberg reported that another drugmaker exploring some of the same therapeutic areas, Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR), is exploring its strategic options, including a potential sale. Bloomberg notes in a follow-up report that Alkerme's drug candidate ALKS 4230 has a similar mechanism of action as Nektar's NKTR-214. Alkermes and Nektar also share three of the same top six shareholders, Bloomberg added. In late afternoon trading following Bloomberg's initial report about Nektar, its shares are up 1.3% to $89.86 while Alkermes is up nearly 8% at $62.91.

15:04 EDT AbbVie unit granted FDA orphan status for gastric cancer treatment - Pharmacyclics, a unit of AbbVie, was granted FDA orphan designation for Imbruvica as a treatment of gastric cancer, including gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

14:43 EDT Toyota sold over 1.52M electrified vehicles in 2017, up 8% y/y - Toyota Motor announced that it reached a major milestone in annual sales of electrified powertrains in 2017 with over 1.52M sold worldwide. The figure was an increase of 8% over the prior record set in 2016, marking back-to-back years of growth and accomplishing one of Toyota's Environmental Challenge 2050 targets, selling more than 1.5M electrified vehicles in a single year, three years in advance of the original target set for 2020. Additionally, cumulative sales of electrified vehicles now exceed 11.47M, which represents a reduction of more than 90M tons of CO2 compared to sales of equivalent conventional vehicles. The company will continue the development and diversification of electrified vehicles as it now turns its sights to include the mass production of battery electric vehicles from 2020, starting in China and India, followed by Japan, the United States and Europe. Toyota also aims to further expand sales of hybrid electric vehicles in emerging markets to further contribute to lowering CO2 from new vehicles sales worldwide.

14:28 EDT Purple completes business combination with Global Partner Acquisition - Global Partner Acquisition Corp. (GPAC), a special purpose acquisition company, and Purple Innovation, a comfort technology company known for creating the "World's First No Pressure Mattress," announced that they have completed their business combination, pursuant to which Purple has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. Under the terms of the merger agreement, GPAC has changed its corporate name to Purple Innovation. The company's common stock and warrants are expected to be listed on NASDAQ beginning on February 5, 2018 under the symbols "PRPL" and "PRPLW." Sam Bernards, the new CEO of the company stated, "We are beyond excited to team up with GPAC and become the first direct-to-consumer mattress player to go public in the U.S. as we continue to execute on our mission of bringing comfort and restful sleep to billions of people around the world."

14:04 EDT Alkermes rises to high of day, up 3% to $60.14

14:01 EDT Nektar jumps after Bloomberg report on sale exploration - Shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) have surged in afternoon trading after Bloomberg said the biotech company is exploring its strategic options, including a possible sale of the company. People with knowledge of the matter told the news service that Nektar might also opt for partnerships and licensing agreements. Nektar has attracted interest from bigger drugmakers, though some are wary because of a high valuation and risks associated with its pipeline, the report added. Nektar, whose pipeline of investigational drugs includes treatments for cancer, auto-immune disease and chronic pain, has come off its highs but remains up about $5.02, or 6%, at $93.76.

13:48 EDT Portolan Capital reports 5.58% passive stake in Quantum

13:23 EDT Phillips 66 sees 2018 effective tax rate in low-to-mid 20% range - Says new tax laws in terms of the foreign cash, "probably gives us access to $1B$1.2B of cash that previously was overseas that we didn't have cost-effective access." Comments are from Phillips 66 executives at the company's Q4 earnings call.

13:14 EDT Phillips 66 sees refining turnaround costs $230M-$260M - Comments are from the company's Q4 earnings conference call.

13:00 EDT Pacific Sequoia reports 6.4% passive stakeTrueCar

12:32 EDT Nordstrom to relocate Oak Park Mall Store - Nordstrom (JWN) announced plans to relocate its Oak Park Mall store in Overland Park, Kansas, to Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. The new, approximately 116,000-square-foot store is expected to open in 2021. Nordstrom will continue serving customers at its current location in Oak Park Mall until it relocates. Taubman Centers (TCO) and The Macerich Company (MAC) jointly own and manage the 15-block, 1.3 million-square-foot, mixed-use retail and office property located in Kansas City.

12:15 EDT Tenet says received proposal by Glenview to amend bylaws - Tenet Healthcare issued the following statement: On January 21, 2018, the Tenet Board amended the company's bylaws to provide shareholders representing a majority of the Company shares with the ability to call a special meeting. These amendments demonstrate Tenet's continued commitment to strong governance, and provide a clear process for shareholders to decide on company matters that are important to all shareholders. We are committed to continuing to enhance our corporate governance practices. Today, we received a proposal made by Glenview Capital to amend the company's bylaws to include a provision that would allow shareholders to act by written consent. The company is reviewing the submission. We will make a recommendation to shareholders in due course. Tenet shareholders are not required to take any action at this time."

12:10 EDT Booz Allen selected as prime contractor on $621M task order by DHS - Booz Allen has been selected as the first prime contractor under the Department of Homeland Security's government-wide Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Dynamic and Evolving Federal Enterprise Network Defense Program, with a $621M single-award, six-year task order. Booz Allen has supported the DHS CDM efforts for more than two years, thus far helping 13 Federal Agencies deploy cybersecurity tools to better protect four million computers. CDM DEFEND expands capabilities of the CDM Program to include: cybersecurity coverage for cloud and mobile devices; automated capabilities for incident response and system compliance; enhanced protection of data at rest and in transit; and improved user management.

11:52 EDT Universal Logistics acquires Fore Transportation for $34.9M - Universal Logistics Holdings announced its acquisition of Fore Transportation. Based in the Chicagoland suburb of Harvey, Illinois, Fore Transportation offers a full suite of intermodal logistics solutions, including local and regional drayage services, yard services, chassis rental, and repair and maintenance. Fore Transportation operates over 150 trucks and reported total operating revenues of approximately $32.3M for the year-ended December 31, 2017. Universal expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive. The cash purchase price was $34.9M, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. To fund the acquisition, Universal used available cash and borrowed approximately $31.3M using its margin credit facility, revolving credit facility and secured real estate financing. Mesirow Financial, Inc. served as exclusive financial advisor to Fore Transportation.

11:40 EDT The Intersection: Crypto and Wall Street This Week - As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly: 1. BITCOIN DROP: Bitcoin deepened its 2018 loss to over 40% on Friday falling to $7,850 on the Bitstamp exchange amid Facebook (FB) banning cryptocurrency advertisements, the SEC accusing AriseBank of committing an "outright scam" in its ICO and officials from Japan's Financial Services Agency raiding the offices of cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, the Financial Times reported. The digital currency ended 2017 at $13,800 after rising as high as $19,666 during a rally sparked by retail trader enthusiasm and increasing interest from institutional investors. 2. FSA ORDERS EXCHANGE CHECKS: Japan's Financial Services Agency is planning to inspect all cryptocurrency exchanges in the country and has ordered Coincheck to improve its operations after hackers stole $534M worth of digital NEM coins from the exchange, Reuters reported Monday. Coincheck, which suspended trading in all cryptocurrencies except bitcoin on January 26, said it would return roughly 90% of the stolen tokens with internal funds although it has not yet determined how or when. 3. FACEBOOK BANS ADS: In a Tuesday post to the Facebook Business blog, Rob Leathern, product management director, said, "We've created a new policy that prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency...This policy is intentionally broad while we work to better detect deceptive and misleading advertising practices, and enforcement will begin to ramp up across our platforms including Facebook, Audience Network and Instagram. We will revisit this policy and how we enforce it as our signals improve." 4. SEC HALTS ARISEBANK ICO: On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it obtained a court order halting an allegedly fraudulent initial coin offering that targeted retail investors to fund what it claimed to be the world's first 'decentralized bank'". The SEC said Dallas-based AriseBank "used social media, a celebrity endorsement, and other wide dissemination tactics to raise what it claims to be $600M of its $1B goal in just two months." A court approved an emergency asset freeze over AriseBank and its co-founders Jared Rice Sr. and Stanley Ford and appointed a receiver over AriseBank, including over its digital assets, said the SEC, which seeks "preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest and penalties, and bars against Rice and Ford to prohibit them from serving as officers or directors of a public company or offering digital securities again in the future." 5. CFTC SUBPEONAS: The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued subpoenas to digital currency exchange Bitfinex and digital coin company Tether in December, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The businesses, which share CEO Jan Ludovicus van der Velde, said in a statement, "We routinely receive legal process from law enforcement agents and regulators conducting investigations. It is our policy not to comment on any such requests." 6. INDIA VOWS CRACKDOWN: Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government will begin to crackdown on cryptocurrencies in his budget speech on Thursday, the Financial Times reported. "The government does not consider cryptocurrencies as legal tender or coin and will take all measures to eliminate the use of these crypto assets in financing illegitimate activities," he said. 7. SQUARE LAUNCHES BITCOIN BUYING: Square's (SQ) Jack Dorsey tweeted: "Instant buying (and selling, if you don't want to hodl) of Bitcoin is now available to most Cash App customers. We support Bitcoin because we see it as a long-term path towards greater financial access for all. This is a small step. We also made this! cash.me/bitcoin." 8. SAMSUNG ASIC CHIPS: Samsung (SSNLF) has confirmed that it has started manufacturing ASIC chips used to mine cryptocurrency but declined to provide further details, TechCrunch reported Wednesday. The confirmation follows reports that said Samsung was collaborating with a Chinese distribution partner for the chips. 9. CRYPTO STOCK PLAYS: Cryptocurrency revenues have been pointed to as reasons to be bullish on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) in select research. Overstock (OSTK), Digital Power (DPW), Long Blockchain (LBCC), Kodak (KODK), Seven Stars Cloud Group (SSC), Riot Blockchain (RIOT), Longfin (LFIN), Pareteum (TEUM) and Social Reality (SRAX) are other stocks that have been touted, or promoted themselves, as a way to play the crypto theme. PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, bitcoin was down roughly 19.6% this week to $8,956 in U.S. dollars according to CoinDesk. Meanwhile, Overstock dropped 15.3%, Kodak fell 31.4%, Riot Blockchain was down 30.3%, Longfin dropped 15.1% and Social Reality fell 29.7%, all on a weekly basis. Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) fell about 33% this week to $12.55. WANT BITCOIN NEWS ALERTS?: To receive alerts on stories relating to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Fly subscribers can enter "Bitcoin" into the "Add symbols" box of their portfolios.

11:35 EDT Frontier jumps after report of possible sale of landline assets - Shares of Frontier Communications (FTR) are jumping in morning trading after Bloomberg reported that the company is considering a sale of landline assets that it had acquired from Verizon (VZ) about two years ago. Sources told Bloomberg that Frontier is considering a sale of assets in California, Florida and Texas, which would likely be sold in parts rather than as a single package. Following the report, Frontier shares are up 90c, or 11%, to $8.98.

11:23 EDT Vodafone confirms talks with Liberty Global about possible deal for EU assets - Vodafone Group (VOD) noted the recent press speculation regarding a potential transaction with Liberty Global (LBTYA). Vodafone confirms that it is in early stage discussions with Liberty Global regarding the potential acquisition of certain overlapping continental European assets owned by Liberty Global. There is no certainty that any transaction will be agreed, nor as to the terms, timing or form of any transaction. Vodafone is not in discussion with Liberty Global regarding a combination of both companies, the company stated.

11:19 EDT Chevron sees 4%-7% production growth in 2018 without asset sales - Comments from Q4 earnings conference call.

11:19 EDT Chevron says Q4 Permian production 206 Mboed - Chevron has 16 company operating rigs with 6 pressure pumping crews in the Permian.

11:05 EDT TOR Minerals to deregister common stock - TOR Minerals announced its board of directors approved the voluntary suspension of its duty to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the voluntary deregistration of its common stock. These actions will result in the company's common shares no longer being listed on the NASDAQ and the company no longer being a reporting issuer to the SEC. The company is eligible to suspend its reporting obligations and deregister its common stock because there are fewer than 300 holders of record of the company's common stock. "After careful consideration, the Board of Directors concluded that the costs associated with operating as a reporting company, and the attendant demands on management, are not justified by the limited benefits. In that regard, in the last several years, the volume of trading in the Company's common stock has declined significantly, the public market has not offered liquidity for significant amounts of stock, and the stock often has not traded at all," TOR Minerals stated.

10:52 EDT David Filo reports 6.9% passive stake in Altaba - In a regulatory filing, David Filo disclosed a 6.9% stake in Alataba, representing 60,623,562 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

10:24 EDT GoPro's weak results fuel view of 'tough' first half of 2018 - Shares of GoPro (GPRO) are in focus in morning trading after the company reported worse than expected quarterly results. An analyst followed the weak results by downgrading the stock, forecasting a "tough" first half of 2018. WEAK RESULTS: After the market close on Thursday, GoPro reported an adjusted loss per share for the fourth quarter of (30c) on revenue of $334.8M, falling short of analysts' consensus estimates of (11c) and $340.08M, respectively. On January 8, GoPro cut its Q4 revenue outlook to $340M from $460M-$480M, which included a negative impact of approximately $80M for price protection on HERO6 Black, HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session cameras, as well as the Karma drone. In its earnings report, GoPro noted that its "Plus" subscription service now has 130,000 paying subscribers. GUIDANCE: On its quarterly earnings call, GoPro said it expects revenue in the first half of 2018 to be "lower" compared to the year-ago period, but sees revenue growth in the second half of the year vs. the second half of 2017 with the introduction of new higher-margin products. The company said margins will "fluctuate" throughout the year, but noted that margins will be in the mid-20% range in 1H18, recovering to the upper-30% range in the second half. GoPro said it expects to be unprofitable in 1H18 before returning to profitability in 2H, resulting in a loss for the year. The loss, however, will narrow compared to 2017, the company said. CEO Nick Woodman said that GoPro still sees "significant demand" for its products "at the right price." WHAT'S NOTABLE: On January 8, GoPro also announced the reduction of its global workforce from 1,254 employees as of September 30, 2017 to fewer than 1,000 employees worldwide, and that its founder and CEO Woodman would reduce his 2018 cash compensation to $1. Woodman said the company plans to exit the drone market after selling its remaining inventory. CNBC later reported that GoPro hired JPMorgan Chase to help it seek a potential sale of the company, though Woodman told Bloomberg that the company has not engaged the bank to explore a sale. Woodman told CNBC that "If there are opportunities for us to unite with a bigger parent company to scale GoPro even bigger, that is something that we would look at." Woodman told Bloomberg it makes sense to consider the company's options, including a possible takeover, but that the company has to build itself as if it intends to stay independent. ANALYST COMMENTARY: JPMorgan analyst Paul Coster downgraded GoPro to Neutral and lowered his price target for the shares to $8 from $9, forecasting a "tough" first half of 2018 for the company. In a note to clients, Coster said the company has not made the ease-of-use breakthrough that will fuel growth, and GoPro's product cycle for 2H18 will likely only deliver gradual improvement in the experience. Citi analyst Stanley Kovler cut his price target to $5.50 from $7 and said he expects GoPro's 2018 to be second-half weighted for the third consecutive year. PRICE ACTION: After reporting its Q4 results, GoPro initially dropped as much as 11%, but the stock has since rebounded and is down about 1.5% to $5.41.

10:00 EDT Bottomline Technologies jumps as 'competitive strengths' fuel earnings beat - Shares of Bottomline Technologies (EPAY) are higher in morning trading after the company reported better than expected earnings, revenue and EBITDA. Following the report, an analyst at Needham raised his price target, noting the company's "competitive strengths." QUARTERLY RESULTS: After the closing bell on Thursday, Bottomline Technologies reported second quarter core earnings per share of 31c, beating analysts' consensus estimates of 26c and the 26c it reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenue $95.2M also beat estimates of $92.5M and is a 10% increase from last year. Subscription and transaction revenues, which are primarily related to the company's cloud platforms, were $63.2M, up 14% year-over-year. In a statement, President and Chief Executive Officer Ron Eberle noted that growth and profitability were "ahead of our expectations." GUIDANCE: Bottomline Technologies provided guidance for the third quarter on its earnings conference call, forecasting EPS of 25c and total revenue of $97M. Analysts currently expect the company to report EPS of 24c on revenue of $92.37M. Subscription and transaction revenue is expected to be $65.5M. Looking to fiscal 2018, Bottomline sees EPS of $1.13-$1.15 and total revenue of $384M-$385M, compared to the current consensus of $1.09 and $374.87M, respectively. Bottomline sees FY18 subscription and transaction revenue of $257M-$258M and adjusted EBITDA of $86M-$87M. The company reiterated its confidence in achieving its targets for fiscal 2019, including $300M in subscription and transaction revenue and $100M in adjusted EBITDA. ANALYST REACTION: In a note to clients following Bottomline's earnings beat, Needham analyst Mayank Tandon raised his price target to $45 from $38. Tandon said Bottomline's competitive strengths position it well to executive on revenue growth and margin expansion in the medium- to long-term. He sees the potential for FY18 estimates to move higher based on "robust" booking trends. Craig-Hallum analyst George Sutton said the continued improvement in results and an accelerated backlog suggests management has "all but accomplished" the FY19 goals. Sutton raised his price target to $43 from $40 and reiterated a Buy rating. PRICE ACTION: In early trading, shares of Bottomline Technologies are up 3.5% to $37.95.

09:50 EDT Atlantic Capital trading resumes

09:23 EDT Mueller Water sees 'ongoing benefit' from tax legislation - Says "pleased" by 6.6% growth in consolidated net sales in Q1. Says benefited from ongoing manufacturing productivity improvements. Says tax legislation improved Q1 earnings and will be an ongoing benefit by providing additional liquidity and earnings. Expects to report expenses related to strategic reorganization throughout 2018. Says will be subject to a one-time transition tax on undistributed foreign earnings later this year. Says will benefit from lower corporate income tax rate in 2019 compared with 2018 blended rate but expects to be unfavorably impacted by the elimination or reduction of certain deductions currently available. Says still experiencing unfavorable material cost environment, expects costs to be lower in 2H18 than 1H, but still up from a year ago. Expects near-term CapEx to be higher than historical CapEx. Expects Free Cash Flow to be higher than net income. Says will continue to look for strategic acquisitions to enhance product portfolio. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:21 EDT VMware says 'not in a position to speculate' on outcome of Dell evaluation - VMware (VMW) issued a statement regarding a Schedule 13D filed by Dell Technologies (DVMT) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2 about potential business opportunities being evaluated by Dell, including a possible business combination with VMware. VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger said, "We are not in a position to speculate on the outcome of Dell's evaluation of potential business opportunities. Dell has been a tremendous partner since it became our majority owner and as we've accelerated our growth. We look forward to Dell's continued support as we work to execute our growth plans in the years ahead. The VMware management team remains laser-focused on serving our customers and partners with the best portfolio of software products and services across cloud, mobile, networking and security." The Lead Director of VMware Board of Directors, Paul Sagan, said, "The VMware Board of Directors is committed to creating value for, and protecting the interests of, all stockholders. The Board of Directors follows sound corporate governance practices, and will continue to do so in connection with any potential transaction involving our controlling stockholders."

09:20 EDT Roper Technologies appoints Neil Hunn COO - Roper Technologies announced that Neil Hunn has been appointed COO, effective immediately. Hunn remains an Executive Vice President.

09:13 EDT Weatherford sees Q1 EBITDA lower than $183M consensus estimate

09:13 EDT Sprint: Up to SoftBank whether Sprint to be taken private

09:09 EDT Dell Technologies confirms evaluating opportunities, including IPO, VMware combo - In a regulatory filing, Dell Technologies (DVMT) disclosed that the company is evaluating potential business opportunities, including a potential public offering of Dell Technologies common stock or a potential business combination between Dell Technologies and VMware (VMW). Dell Technologies is also considering maintaining the status quo. The potential business opportunities currently being evaluated by Dell Technologies do not include the sale to a third party of Dell Technologies or VMware, the company noted. Dell has not determined which, if any, potential business opportunity to pursue and there can be no assurance that any potential business opportunity will be pursued, the terms thereof, or whether, if pursued, any such business opportunity would be consummated, the company added in the filing.

09:07 EDT Weatherford says sees $500M in divestitures beyond land-rigs sale - Sees planned land-rigs sale next month.

09:02 EDT Delta Air Lines reports January traffic unchanged - Delta Air Lines reported operating performance for January. The company carried 13.3M passengers across its network in the month. Traffic, as measured by total system RPMs, was flat compared to the same month of last year. Capacity, as measured by total system ASMs, was up 1.8% from the prior year. Load factor in January was 79.7%, compared to 81.2% in January of last year.

09:01 EDT Trimble acquires privately-held e-Builder for $500M in cash - Trimble announced it has acquired privately-held e-Builder, a leading SaaS-based construction program management solution for capital program owners and program management firms. e-Builder extends Trimble's ability to accelerate industry transformation by providing an integrated project delivery solution for owners, program managers and contractors across the design, construct and operate lifecycle. e-Builder currently manages more than $300B of construction project value and over 200,000 projects from some of the most influential owners in North America. The all cash purchase price of $500 million will be financed through a new $300 million credit facility and cash. The new facility has terms and conditions similar to the existing revolver with a 364 day term. e-Builder's reported trailing twelve month revenue is approximately $53 million. In recent years, e-Builder's revenue growth rate has exceeded 20 percent annually, with greater than 65 percent subscription revenue as a percentage of total revenue. The transaction is expected to be dilutive to Trimble's first quarter non-GAAP net income per share by $0.01 per share and dilutive to full year 2018 non-GAAP net income per share by $0.02 to $0.03 per share, due to the impact of fair value accounting of e-Builder's deferred revenue and interest expense. Trimble expects the acquisition to be accretive to 2019 non-GAAP net income per share.

09:00 EDT Eversource 'shocked and outraged' by Northern Pass permit denial - Eversource Energy issued a statement on Northern Pass after the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee voted to deny the project's application. "We are shocked and outraged by today's SEC outcome. The process failed to comply with New Hampshire law and did not reflect the substantial evidence on the record. As a result, the most viable near-term solution to the region's energy challenges, as well as $3 billion of NH job, tax, and other benefits, are now in jeopardy. Clearly, the SEC process is broken and this decision sends a chilling message to any energy project contemplating development in the Granite State. We will be seeking reconsideration of the SEC's decision, as well as reviewing all options for moving this critical clean energy project forward. The Northern Pass is a 192-mile electric transmission line project that will bring to New England 1,090 megawatts of clean hydropower. This reliable and affordable source of power will also bring a wide range of benefits to the region, including millions of dollars in energy cost savings and a significant reduction in carbon emissions."

08:57 EDT Sprint's new CFO Combes says sees more cost reductions in 2018, 2019

08:52 EDT Weatherford says has 'clear line of sight' on $1B transformational goal

08:46 EDT Remark Holdings' KanKan selected by China Mobile IoT - Remark Holdings announced that China Mobile IoT has selected KanKan, Remark Holdings' artificial intelligence platform, as its AI-solution partner for facial recognition and verification technology. A wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, China Mobile IoT Company has businesses in agriculture, financial technology, logistics, traffic control, public safety, medicine and energy.

08:46 EDT YuMe trading halted, news dissemination

08:35 EDT YouTube warns creators of 'consequences' for 'egregious' actions - In a blog post, YouTube CEO Susan Wojciki said, "I want to start off 2018 the same way I want to see it through: with a spirit of openness, transparency and enthusiasm. So to kick off the year, I wanted to share our top priorities with you for 2018.In 2018, we want to do everything we can to strengthen the trust that our community places in YouTube through open and frequent communication...The nature of an open platform means we never know what trends or moments are going to arise next. But the same creativity and unpredictability that makes YouTube so rewarding-like the fact that a reggaeton song can become the most popular video in history-can also lead to unfortunate events where we need to take a clear, informed, and principled stance...We realize we have a serious social responsibility to get these emerging policy issues right, so we seek advice from dozens of expert advisors and third-parties...These third-parties have been essential in helping us refine our policies and we will continue to work with them throughout 2018. We'll also improve the enforcement of our policies through a combination of human review and machine learning technology. In 2018, our goal is to bring the total number of people across YouTube and Google working to address content that might violate our policies to over 10,000. Using machine learning, we now also allow creators to automatically review and hold potentially offensive comments....And we're also currently developing policies that would lead to consequences if a creator does something egregious that causes significant harm to our community as a whole. While these instances are rare, they can damage the reputation and revenue of your fellow creators, so we want to make sure we have policies in place that allow us to respond appropriately." Reference Link

08:33 EDT Foundation Building Materials acquires R M Supply, ArmCom Distributing - Foundation Building Materials announced that it has completed the acquisitions of two specialty building product distributors in the Midwest to enhance its growth strategy and expand its product offerings. The terms of the transactions were not disclosed. For over 30 years, R M Supply has been an independent distributor of wallboard, steel framing, insulation, and wallboard accessories. R M Supply operates two branches in Wentzville and Herculaneum, Missouri. For almost 70 years, ArmCom Distributing Company, a division of the St. Paul Linoleum and Carpet Company, has been an independent distributor of ceiling products. ArmCom operates five branches: St. Louis Park, Minnesota; Rochester, Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Omaha, Nebraska. The company expects the performance of the two acquired companies to be consistent with prior years, with an estimated $27M to $29M in collective net sales for the remainder of fiscal year 2018. These transactions are expected to be immediately accretive to the company with financial benefits driven by increased scale and expected cost savings.

08:20 EDT Muddy Waters applauds investigations into OSI Systems - Muddy Waters Research just tweeted, "We applaud the @TheJusticeDept and @SEC_Enforcement for moving quickly to investigate $OSIS for bribery. It's always good to see that FCPA matters."

08:07 EDT Pareteum signs $1M contract to provide Global Cloud Services to Russian MVNO - Pareteum announced that is has signed a $1M 3-year contract to provide its Global Cloud Services Platform to an established Russian Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or MVNO. The agreement entails connectivity for roaming, airtime, voice and SMS to a broader addressable market of consumer, enterprise and mobile connections.

08:06 EDT Nexstar raises quarterly dividend 25% to 37.5c per share - Nexstar Media Group announced that its Board of Directors approved a 25% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 37.5c per share of its Class A common stock beginning with the dividend declared for 1Q18. The dividend is payable on Friday, March 2, 2018, to shareholders of record on Friday, February 16, 2018.

08:04 EDT Imperial Oil reports Q4 EPS with items (C16c) vs. C$1.70 last year with items - Q4 net loss was C$137M or C16c per-share on a diluted basis, reflecting impairment charges of C$289M or C35c per-share, associated with the Horn River development and C$277M, or C33c per-share, associated with the Mackenzie gas project. FY16 Q4 included a C$988M gain from the sale of retail sites.

08:04 EDT Exxon Mobil reports Q4 oil-equivalent production of 4M bpd - Oil-equivalent production was 4 million barrels per day, down 3 percent from the prior year. Excluding entitlement effects and divestments, oil-equivalent production was down 1 percent from the prior year. Liquids production totaled 2.3 million barrels per day, down 133,000 barrels per day as field decline and lower entitlements were partly offset by higher volumes from work programs and projects. Natural gas production was 10.4 billion cubic feet per day, up 17 million cubic feet per day from 2016, as project ramp-up and work programs were partly offset by field decline and lower demand. U.S. Upstream earnings were $7.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, including $7.6 billion for tax reform and asset impairments of $481 million. Downstream earnings were $1.6 billion, up $323 million from the fourth quarter of 2016.

08:02 EDT Charter reports Q4 subscriber gains - In the fourth quarter, total video, Internet and voice customers increased by 15,000, 300,000 and 53,000, respectively. Fourth quarter total residential and SMB customer relationships increased 206,000, compared to 243,000 during the fourth quarter of 2016, when excluding the impact of customer activity.

07:45 EDT Saia reports Q4 EPS ex-items 53c, consensus 53c - Reports Q4 revenue $353M, consensus $343.13M.

07:38 EDT Manpower says Q4 results 'significantly impacted' by FX - Financial results in the quarter were also significantly impacted by stronger foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar compared to the prior year period. On a constant currency basis, revenues increased 7% and net earnings per diluted share increased 67%. Excluding the discrete net tax benefits, on a constant currency basis, net earnings per diluted share increased 8%. Earnings per share in the quarter were positively impacted 10c by changes in foreign currencies compared to the prior year.

07:36 EDT Sprint Q3 net income includes about $7.1B favorable impact from tax reform - Sprint reports Q3 net income of $7.2B, operating income of $727M, and adjusted EBITDA of $2.7B. Net income includes approximately $7.1B of favorable impact from tax reform, the company noted.

07:11 EDT Avista raises dividend by 4.2% to 37.25c per share - Avista's board has declared a quarterly dividend of 37.25c per share on the company's common stock, an increase of 1.5c per share, or 4.2%, yielding an annualized dividend of $1.49. The common stock dividend is payable March 15, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 23, 2018.

07:04 EDT Virtus Investment announces investment in Sustainable Growth Advisers - Virtus Investment Partners announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority interest in Sustainable Growth Advisers, an investment manager specializing in high-conviction U.S. and global growth equity portfolios. The transaction would expand Virtus' offerings of investment strategies from its affiliated managers and diversify its client base, particularly among institutional investors and international clients. Virtus would purchase the equity interest currently held by Estancia Capital Management, a private equity firm, as well as a portion of the equity held by SGA's partners, including its three co-founders. Key investment professionals will retain the remaining equity in the company, enter into long-term employment agreements, and reinvest a meaningful portion of their after-tax proceeds from the transaction into the company's investment strategies. As a Virtus affiliated boutique, SGA will retain autonomy over its investment process and maintain its independent structure, culture, brand identity, and control over day-to-day activities. SGA also will benefit from access to Virtus' distribution and shared business support capabilities. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2018, subject to customary closing conditions and client approvals. Virtus expects to finance the transaction using balance sheet resources and available capacity on its credit facility, or may seek additional sources of debt financing, depending on market conditions.

07:04 EDT Teva says EMA accepts marketing authorization application for fremanezumab - Teva Pharmaceutical announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted the Marketing Authorization Application for fremanezumab, an anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide antibody for the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine in adults. Fremanezumab is a quarterly or monthly injection that may be administered by a healthcare professional, or self-administered by the patient. The MAA includes data from the HALO clinical trial program, which enrolled more than 2,000 patients with episodic migraine and chronic migraine, evaluating both quarterly and monthly dosing regimens, in which fremanezumab achieved statistically significant results across all trial endpoints. The most common adverse events reported in clinical trials include injection site pain, induration, and erythema.

07:03 EDT Lightbridge secures key Chinese patent - Lightbridge announced it has received a notice of allowance for another key patent in China related to the manufacturing process for its innovative metallic fuel rods. The allowed Chinese patent is a divisional patent based on the 2011 Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application and covers a co-extrusion manufacturing method for Lightbridge-designed multi-lobe metallic fuel rods via the casting route.

07:02 EDT China New Borun forms special committee to evaluate 'going private' proposal - China New Borun announced that its Board of Directors has formed a special committee consisting of three independent directors to consider the previously announced non-binding "going-private" proposal that the Board received on January 10, 2018 from Jinmiao Wang, CEO and Chairman of the Board, and King River Holding Limited, a British Virgin Island company and a majority shareholder of the Company. Wen Jiang, Xisheng Lu and Binbin Jiang will serve on the Special Committee, which will be chaired by Wen Jiang. The Special Committee intends to retain independent legal and financial advisors to assist it in evaluating the Proposal.

06:55 EDT Quanta Services selected for two large diameter mainline pipeline projects - Quanta Services announced that it has executed contracts for two large diameter mainline pipeline projects in the Appalachian region of the United States with estimated aggregate revenue in excess of $550M. The contract for one project was executed in December 2017 and will be reflected in backlog as of December 31, 2017. Contracts for the other project were executed in January 2018 and will be reflected in backlog as of March 31, 2018.

06:50 EDT Merck to invest $12B over five years in capital projects - Plans to invest approximately $12B over 5 years in capital projects including approximately $8B in the United States Made a contribution to the Merck Foundation in the fourth quarter of 2017. Plans to provide a one-time, long-term incentive award for its eligible non-executive employees in the second quarter of 2018.

06:48 EDT BWX Technologies subsidiary awarded C$18.6M contract by SNN - BWX Technologies announced that its subsidiary BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada has been awarded a C$18.6M, four-year contract to manufacture zircaloy-4 seamless tubes for Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica, or SNN, which operates the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in Romania.

06:47 EDT Trump says FBI, DOJ leaders 'politicized' the investigative process - President Donald Trump just tweeted, "The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!"

06:35 EDT Mobile Mini raises dividend to 25c from 23c - Mobile Mini declared a cash dividend of 25.0c per share, which will be paid on March 14 to shareholders of record on February 28, 2018.

06:32 EDT Ares Management to acquire Convergint Technologies, terms not disclosed - Ares Management announced that a fund managed by its Private Equity Group has acquired Convergint Technologies, a leading global independent security integrator, from investment funds affiliated with KRG. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

06:31 EDT Stratasys announces collaboration with PostNord Strundefinedlfors - Stratasys announced a collaboration with PostNord Strundefinedlfors, a subsidiary to PostNord, the leading supplier of communication and logistics solutions in the Nordic region. The collaboration enables PostNord Strundefinedlfors to leverage Stratasys' additive manufacturing expertise and technology solutions to create an on-demand part production and delivery service for a diverse range of customers across the PostNord logistics network. Stratasys' regional partner, Protech, will provide the necessary local support to PostNord Strundefinedlfors, including machines, services and expertise. This includes the purchase of a Stratasys J750 - the world's only full color, multi-material 3D printer.

06:16 EDT UPS patent file describes system that could decentralize private sales - The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed a UPS patent application for a computerized item exchange "locker bank" that accepts numerous forms of payment. The patent describes "A secure, computerized locker bank that is adapted to facilitate the payment for, and physical exchange of an item between entities who have brokered the sale of the item via a marketplace, such as an on-line marketplace (e.g., an on-line auction site, an on-line classified advertisement site, or an online retail marketplace), or a traditional marketplace (e.g., traditional paper classified advertisements). In particular embodiments, each locker in the computerized locker bank comprises one or more imaging devices for allowing a potential purchaser to view an item (e.g., stored within a locker) before purchasing the item and retrieving it from the locker." Reference Link

06:11 EDT Airbnb CEO: 'We are not going public in 2018' - Airbnb said in a statement that it elevated Belinda Johnson to the position of Airbnb COO. Airbnb announced that CFO Laurence Tosi has decided to dedicate his full time and energy to his investment fund, Weston Capital Partners, and dedicate time to the several external boards he currently sits on and will be leaving Airbnb. Airbnb CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky said: "I know people will ask what these changes mean for a potential IPO. Let me address this directly. We are not going public in 2018. Our primary focus is becoming a 21st-century company and advancing our mission. We're working on getting ready to go public and we will make decisions about going public on our own timetable." Johnson's appointment follows the addition of Airbnb's first independent board director, outgoing American Express CEO Ken Chenault, which was announced last week. Reference Link

06:02 EDT Walter Investment announces CEO transition plan - Walter Investment announced that Anthony Renzi, the company's CEO and president, will be leaving the company. To ensure a smooth transition, Renzi intends to stay with the company and continue to serve as CEO and President until a permanent or interim successor is named. The company expects to retain an executive search firm to identify and evaluate internal and external candidates to succeed Renzi. As previously announced on January 17, 2018, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently approved the company's prepackaged financial restructuring plan. The company is continuing to work towards satisfying all conditions precedent to the Prepackaged Plan and currently expects that such conditions will be satisfied and to emerge from Chapter 11 in the near-term.

06:01 EDT Athersys enters $100M equity facility with Aspire Capital - Athersys and Aspire Capital Fund announced that a new equity facility has been established, as a follow-on to a current facility. Under the new agreement, Athersys has the right to sell up to $100M of its common stock to Aspire Capital under certain conditions over a three-year period. The agreement represents an important tool for accessing capital to complement business collaborations, grants and traditional fundraising and as such, provides the company with added financial strength and flexibility. In conjunction with the new facility, Aspire made an initial investment of $1M at a price of $2.00 per share. As of December 31st, 2017, the company had approximately $29.3M of cash and cash equivalents available to fund operations.

05:58 EDT Weyerhaeuser sees Q1 Timberlands earnings, adj. EBITDA comparable to $252M in Q4 - Weyerhaeuser expects Q1 Timberlands earnings before special items and Adjusted EBITDA to be comparable to the fourth quarter. In the West, the company anticipates improved average log sales realizations, partially offset by modestly lower fee harvest volumes. In the South, the company expects seasonally lower fee harvest volumes, comparable realizations, and higher trucking costs. In real estate, energy, and natural resources, Weyerhaeuser anticipates significantly lower earnings and Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter compared with the fourth quarter due to seasonally lower Real Estate sales and royalties from Energy & Natural Resources operations. In wood products, Weyerhaeuser anticipates first quarter earnings before special items and Adjusted EBITDA from the Wood Products segment will be comparable to the fourth quarter. The company expects higher sales volumes, improved operating rates, and slightly higher lumber sales realizations, offset by lower average sales realizations for oriented strand board.

05:46 EDT Insys Therapeutics addresses NY AG complaint - INSYS Therapeutics released the following statement in response to a complaint filed by the New York attorney general: Like so many stakeholders in the healthcare community and in the government, we share the desire to address the serious national challenge related to the misuse and abuse of opioids that has led to addiction and unnecessary deaths and has caused so much pain to families and communities around the country. Consistent with our management team's sincere commitment to conduct business according to high ethical standards and the best interests of patients, we also have taken and will continue to strive to take measures to ensure that sound compliance protocols underpin our business practices. Furthermore, we intend to continue working collaboratively and constructively with all relevant authorities to resolve our outstanding governmental investigations. Concurrently, we remain committed to focusing on patients by delivering on the promise of our approved and potential pipeline products for their appropriate indications, which address a variety of serious and unmet patient needs. In this regard, INSYS has invested more than $250M in R&D since 2013. With respect to the recently filed New York Attorney General complaint, the following facts bear consideration: Launched in 2012, SUBSYS accounted for a fractional percentage of opioid prescriptions nationally. In 2015, the year of highest utilization for SUBSYS, there were about 9,200 patients who were prescribed the product versus approximately 52M patients who were prescribed opioids in the United States. This represents less than 0.018 percent. The figures are similar for New York, where approximately 2.23M patients were prescribed opioids in 2015, of which 680 patients or 0.03 percent were prescribed SUBSYS. In 2017, SUBSYS patients were 0.0065 percent of the total patients prescribed opioids in New York. Accordingly, we do not believe it is factually accurate to link INSYS with materially contributing to the opioid crisis in the State of New York or the nation. As the healthcare community and the government seek solutions to our national opioid crisis, which began more than a decade and half ago, and our company looks to put behind it the challenges of the past, it can be disheartening when dialogue on this extremely important topic disregards the enormous amount of data and other facts available to all stakeholders.

05:43 EDT Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund reports net assets $338M at Jan. 31 - Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund provided a summary unaudited statement of assets and liabilities and announced its net asset value and asset coverage ratios under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of January 31, 2018. As of January 31, 2018, the Fund's net assets were $338M and its net asset value per share was $15.34. As of January 31, 2018, the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 473% and the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 350%.

05:41 EDT Kayne Anderson Energy reports net assets $205M at Jan. 31 - Kayne Anderson Energy Development provided a summary unaudited statement of assets and liabilities and announced its net asset value and asset coverage ratios under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of January 31, 2018. As of January 31, 2018, the company's net assets were $205M, and its net asset value per share was $18.99. As of January 31, 2018, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 419% and the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 311%.

05:28 EDT Woodward to relocate Duarte, CA operations to Fort Collins, CO - Woodward announced its intention to relocate its Duarte, CA operations to the company's newly renovated Drake Campus in Fort Collins, CO. The Duarte facility, which manufactures thrust reverser actuation systems, or TRAS, is part of the company's Airframe Systems business group, with approximately 350 employees. The Duarte facility is unable to support the significant amount of new business recently awarded, including a major TRAS contract with Airbus, while maintaining the highest quality and customer service levels. After conducting a thorough study, which centered on specific criteria including facilities that meet world class standards, are not encumbered by threats of eminent domain, and have a ready and capable workforce with the ability to transition quickly, the company selected its newly renovated Drake Campus location. "This has been a difficult decision, and we acknowledge the impacts to our members in Duarte," said Thomas A. Gendron, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "However, this move will allow us to produce world-class products in a facility that can accommodate growth, and deliver high levels of quality and customer service to our customers." Working closely with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, the company will begin the transition process, expected to span 18-24 months.