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

18:06 EDT MoviePass lowers price to $7.95 per month - MoviePass, a movie-theater subscription service and a majority-owned subsidiary of Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc., and Fandor, the streaming service with the largest collection of independent films, documentaries, international features and shorts, are introducing a new annual subscription plan. This new MoviePass subscription plan will allow movie-goers to visit the theater every day for a year, and have access to the full Fandor content library for a year, for just under $116. This new annual offer lowers the MoviePass monthly price from $9.95 to $7.95 and is coupled with an annual Fandor subscription. This combined offer is back after testing a limited time run in November 2017; it is now being reintroduced as a limited time offer nationwide.

17:46 EDT Maxar Technologies' MDA signs contract with international customer - MDA, a Maxar Technologies company, announced that it has signed a contract with an unnamed international customer. MDA will provide turnkey, unmanned aircraft system surveillance services. The contract includes options for additional years. MDA's UAS service will use a fleet of Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aircraft to provide surveillance information. MDA will be responsible for all aspects of the service including acquisition of all the systems and required infrastructure, training, airworthiness, logistics, supply chain, maintenance and all flight operations.

17:36 EDT Monarch Alternative raises Resolute Energy stake to 9.75% from 9.21%

17:33 EDT Wynn Resorts says Steve Wynn has no immediate plans to sell shares - In a regulatory filing, Wynn Results said that, on February 9, 2018, it was informed that counsel for Stephen A. Wynn submitted a letter to the parties in a lawsuit which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in which Elaine P. Wynn has asserted certain cross claims against Wynn. The Letter states that, in light of the significant changed circumstances triggered by Wynn's resignation as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Company and of Wynn Macau, Limited, Wynn no longer contests that the Amended and Restated Stockholder Agreement, dated January 6, 2010, by and among Stephen A. Wynn, Elaine P. Wynn and Aruze USA, Inc. is invalid and unenforceable. The Letter further states that, while Mr. Wynn does not agree with Ms. Wynn's bases for claiming the 2010 Stockholders Agreement is invalid and unenforceable, he does agree that it no longer binds either party and that, as such, it is Mr. Wynn's position that certain of the cross claims asserted by Ms. Wynn in the pending case are now moot. A copy of the Letter is attached hereto and furnished as Exhibit 99.1. No assurance can be provided as to the outcome of such proceedings. Wynn has informed the Company that regardless of whether the Stockholders Agreement is in effect, he has no immediate plans to sell shares that he owns and that if he elects to sell any such shares over time, he will seek to conduct such sales in an orderly fashion.

17:08 EDT American International Group reports 7.9% stake in Macy's

16:50 EDT UPS increases size of Board to thirteen members, elects Christiana Shi - On February 8, the Board of Directors of United Parcel Service, upon recommendation of the Board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, increased the size of the Board to thirteen members and elected Christiana Shi to the Board. The Board also appointed Shi to the Compensation Committee and Risk Committee of the Board.

16:22 EDT Muddy Waters says 'appaling' how NYSE, Nasdaq teaming up on Herbalife - Muddy Waters Research said in a tweet that cited a Bloomberg article on short sellers, "It's appalling how @NYSE and @Nasdaq are reportedly teaming up $HLF, which paid a 9-figure fine, to target short sellers...when HLF's wrongful conduct was exposed by a short. Once again, the exchanges put on full display the extent of their corrosion." Reference Link

15:31 EDT Vaxart 'appreciates' support of CAS Group over Aviragen deal - Vaxart announced it has reached an understanding with the CAS Group under which East Hill, a major shareholder in Aviragen, will support the merger between Vaxart and Aviragen. "We are committed to creating significant value for all our shareholders as evidenced by the amended terms of the merger that were recently announced," said Wouter W. Latour, M.D., chief executive officer of Vaxart. "We want to thank all those who helped in that process, including in particular the current Vaxart shareholders. We look forward to building a long term relationship with East Hill, as with all our shareholders, and greatly appreciate their support."

14:52 EDT Guess forms special committee to oversee Marciano conduct probe - Guess said that, on February 7, 2018, the board of directors formed a special committee comprised of two independent directors to oversee an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of improper conduct by Paul Marciano. Marciano adamantly denies the allegations, the company said. "As a leader in the fashion industry, Guess?, Inc. takes seriously any allegation of sexual harassment," the company said in a statement. "The company does not condone such misconduct in any form."

14:35 EDT Aviragen shareholder group now supports merger with Vaxart - The Concerned Aviragen Shareholders Group, or CAS Group, who are significant stockholders of Aviragen Therapeutics, with collective beneficial ownership of approximately 8.3% of Aviragen's outstanding shares of common stock, announced that it has carefully reviewed and considered the improved terms of the proposed merger between the company and Vaxart, recently announced by the company and that, in light of these recent developments, the CAS Group is now in support of the merger.

14:03 EDT Future FinTech names Zhi Yan Chief Technology Officer - Future FinTech Group announced that it has hired new management staff to bolster the company's professional team and deepen its fintech, finance and marketing capabilities. Zhi Yan has been hired as Chief Technology Officer. Yan will be responsible for the development of Future FinTech's blockchain products and businesses. Yan is experienced in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

13:30 EDT Nestle acquires majority interest in Terrafertil, terms not disclosed - Nestle announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Terrafertil, a company selling natural, organic, plant-based foods and healthy snacks. The move widens Nestle's presence in a fast-growing category in Latin America, the United States and the United Kingdom. The transaction includes all of Terrafertil's operations and assets in the seven countries where it operates. Nestle and Terrafertil will make the corresponding notifications to the antitrust authorities, within the legal terms and in accordance with the provisions of the regulations of each country, as applicable.

13:02 EDT Harvest Capital Credit lowers dividend citing 'very competitive' environment - Harvest Capital Credit announced that its board has declared dividends of 9.5c per share for the months of January, February and March. The January dividend is payable on February 28 to shareholders of record on February 21. The February dividend is payable on March 27 to shareholders of record on March 20. The March dividend is payable on April 26 to shareholders of record on April 19. "Our board of directors decided to lower our monthly dividend from $0.1125 per share to $0.095 per share due to the continuation of a very competitive investment environment. After two years of increasing competition for debt investments to lower and middle market companies, we had hoped that 2018 would offer a more friendly environment but early indications in 2018 lead us to believe that this year will offer more of the same. Instead of reaching for yield to support the previous dividend level or compromising our underwriting standards, we have chosen to lower the dividend to what we believe to be a sustainable level in light of expected pressure on our overall portfolio yield and slower than expected portfolio growth," said CEO Richard Buckanavage.

12:42 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. CHINA CRYPTO CRACKDOWN: An article published on Sunday night by Financial News, a publication affiliated to the People's Bank of China, said that the Chinese government's recent attempts to stamp out digital currency trading by shutting down domestic exchanges had not completely eradicated trading and that the government will now "step up measures to remove any onshore or offshore platforms related to virtual currency trading or ICOs," The South China Morning Post reported Monday. 2. CREDIT CARD BANS: Barclays (BCS) will likely follow other lenders in the U.S. in banning customers from purchasing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with its credit cards, Reuters reported Friday. The move by the bank, which is reviewing its policy on a country-by-country basis and has not yet made any changes, comes as Lloyds Banking Group (LYG), Virgin Money, JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) are implementing bans in an effort to protect customers from running up huge amounts of debt if cryptocurrencies' values were to drop 3. CFTC, SEC HEADS BACK OVERSIGHT: Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman Christopher Giancarlo and Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton provided testimony to the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. The regulators said lawmakers may still need to pass legislation that gives agencies authority over Bitcoin's spot market and digital currency online trading platforms. Clayton also said he believes all initial coin offerings he's seen have been securities sales and the agency currently has the regulatory oversight needed for enforcement. 4. FRANCE, GERMANY CALL FOR CLAMPDOWN: French finance minister Bruno le Maire and his interim German counterpart Peter Altmaier, along with Francois Villeroy de Galhau and Jens Weidmann, the heads of the Banque de France and Bundesbank respectively signed a letter to fellow G20 finance ministers which said cryptocurrencies "could pose substantial risks for investors" and potentially longer-term financial stability, the Financial Times reported Friday. The letter, which called for greater protections for retail investors, noted that the instruments "are currently largely mislabeled as 'currencies' in the media and on the internet", and said a "lack of clarity" around the tokens "can only fuel speculation". 5. BUCKINGHAM STARTS BITCOIN INVESTMENT TRUST AT SELL: Buckingham analyst Chris Brendler started Bitcoin Investment Trust with an Underperform rating and $8.35 price target, as he believes the significant premium to its net asset value is unsustainable as speculation eases and additional retail investment options in bitcoin become available. The analyst added that despite bitcoin's recent fall in value, he still sees a classic asset bubble and believes "conditions are ripe for inflated valuations." 6. CRYPTO CHATTER: Goldman Sachs (GS) global head of investment research Steve Strongin said most cryptocurrencies are unlikely to survive in their current form and investors should ready for the coins to lose their value amid future competitors, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. "The high correlation between the different cryptocurrencies worries me," he said. "Because of the lack of intrinsic value, the currencies that don't survive will most likely trade to zero." Meanwhile, Bank for International Settlements general manager Augustin Carstens questioned the sustainability of cryptocurrencies, CNBC reported Tuesday. "While perhaps intended as an alternative payment system with no government involvement, it has become a combination of a bubble, a Ponzi scheme and an environmental disaster," he said. "The volatility of bitcoin renders it a poor means of payment and a crazy way to store value." In addition, economist Nouriel Roubini took to Twitter on Tuesday saying he believed bitcoin would crash to zero. He tweeted, "As expected Bitcoin now crashes below $6000. Now the $5K handle is reached. And the US Congressional Hearing on Crypto-Scams is still a day away. HODL nuts will hold their melting Bitcoins all the way down to ZERO while scammers and whales dump and run..." 7. 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 up roughly 1% this week to $8,616 in U.S. dollars according to CoinDesk. Meanwhile, Advanced Micro Devices fell 13%, Kodak dropped 19%, Seven Stars Cloud Group was down 19%, Riot Blockchain rose 24% and Social Reality fell 49%, all on a weekly basis. Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) rose about 26% this week to $13.65. Note that a 91-for-1 stock split took effect for the fund on January 29. 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.

12:31 EDT BRT Realty Trust trading halted, news pending

12:20 EDT Airbus to pay EUR81.25M penalty in Eurofighter Austria case - Airbus said that the investigation of Airbus Defence and Space GmbH by the Munich Public Prosecutor related to the sale of Eurofighter aircraft to the Republic of Austria in 2003 has been terminated. The result of the investigation by the Munich Public Prosecutor, which had been ongoing since 2012, did not confirm the allegations of bribery. In order to conclude the investigation, the Munich Public Prosecutor has issued an administrative penalty notice against Airbus Defence and Space GmbH under the German Act on Administrative Misdemeanours amounting to EUR81.25M. The total amount comprises an administrative fine of EUR250,000 and a disgorgement of EUR81M. Airbus Defence and Space GmbH has accepted this notice.

11:34 EDT Unilever receives offer from Dr. Oetker to acquire Alsa business - Unilever announced that it has received a binding offer for the purchase of its Alsa baking and dessert business from Dr. Oetker for an undisclosed amount. The transaction would include the manufacturing unit in Ludres, France. Bauke Rouwers, General Manager Unilever France said: "In the context of our global strategy to accelerate long term, sustainable value creation, the baking and desserts category is not part of Unilever's evolving core portfolio. We are confident that under Dr. Oetker's ownership and support, Alsa, which has established a strong legacy in the world of desserts since its origins in 1897 in Lorraine, would be able to progress to its full potential." The binding offer is subject to the usual regulatory requirements and consultation processes.

11:10 EDT Uber CEO expresses 'regret' over actions related to Waymo litigation - In a statement on settling the Waymo driverless car lawsuit, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that it is "acknowledging and correcting mistakes of the past," noting that he wanted to "express regret." "To our friends at Alphabet: we are partners, you are an important investor in Uber, and we share a deep belief in the power of technology to change people's lives for the better," the Uber CEO said. "Of course, we are also competitors. And while we won't agree on everything going forward, we agree that Uber's acquisition of Otto could and should have been handled differently... To be clear, while we do not believe that any trade secrets made their way from Waymo to Uber, nor do we believe that Uber has used any of Waymo's proprietary information in its self-driving technology, we are taking steps with Waymo to ensure our Lidar and software represents just our good work." Reference Link

10:49 EDT Black Creek Investment reports 9.996% passive stake in FTI Consulting - In a regulatory filing, Black Creek Investment Management disclosed a 9.996% stake in FTI Consulting, representing 3,794,046 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

10:35 EDT SandRidge drops following plans to replace CEO, CFO amid investor pressure - Shares of SandRidge Energy (SD) are falling after the company announced a management shake-up Thursday, which included the departures of its chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The shake-up comes amid pressure from investors and the receipt of an unsolicited merger proposal. CEO, CFO DEPARTURES: On Thursday, SandRidge announced that President and CEO James Bennett will leave the company, effective Thursday, with Bill Griffin, who currently serves as an independent director, will take on the role of interim president and CEO while the company conducts a full review of internal and external candidates. Griffin will continue to serve as a member of the board. Additionally, CFO Julian Bott will also leave the company, and Chief Accounting Officer Mike Johnson will service as interim CFO. John Suter will continue in his role as chief operating officer and Philip Warman will remain as general counsel with an expanded role as an executive vice president. Further, Sylvia Barnes was named as an independent director. In a statement, SandRidge's independent directors said that "in light of our new strategic direction, discussions with large shareholders and robust deliberation among the independent members of the Board, now is the right time to begin transitioning to a new leadership team." On Wednesday, SandRidge confirmed the receipt of an unsolicited merger proposal from Midstates Petroleum Company (MPO) and said its independent directors are "engaged in an ongoing dialogue with shareholders." Directors are "developing a plan of action in line with their commitment to acting in the best interests of all shareholders," the company said, adding that they will review Midstates' proposal. Under Midstates' proposal, SandRidge shareholders would own approximately 60% of the combined company and Midstates shareholders would own 40%. RECENT ICAHN TENSION: In January, SandRidge Energy management met with Carl Icahn to calm rising tensions amid Icahn's demands for a board shakeup and other governance changes. Icahn said in December that he was considering a proxy contest to remove some or all of SandRidge's directors, and called on the company to replace two directors with one designated by him and the second by other large investors. Icahn's call for board seats followed SandRidge's termination of a $746M deal to buy Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI) that Icahn and others said was too expensive. SandRidge issued a letter following the meeting rejecting Icahn's proposal, saying that "After careful deliberation, the board has decided that it is not in the best interests of all shareholders to accept Icahn's proposal...the board believes that changes to the composition of the board of directors and other major governance changes, as proposed by Icahn, should be made with the fully informed approval of a majority of all of the company's shareholders, rather than at the behest of one." PRICE ACTION: SandRidge Energy dropped 1.5%, or 24c, to $15.86 in morning trading.

09:43 EDT Lemelson Capital calls for removal of Geospace CEO, CFO, urges sale of company - Lemelson Capital announced it is calling on the board of directors of the company to remove CEO Rick Wheeler and CFO Thomas McEntire of Geospace Technologies (GEOS), In addition, it is urging the board to explore an immediate sale of the company. Reference Link

09:13 EDT Salix Pharmaceuticals, Norgine: FDA extends PDUFA action date for PLENVU - Salix Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valeant, and its partner Norgine B.V., have received notice that the U.S. FDA has extended the PDUFA action date for its review of the New Drug Application for PLENVU by three months to May 13, 2018. The PDUFA action date has been extended to allow the FDA more time to review additional data that was recently provided at its request. PLENVU was licensed by Salix from Norgine in August 2016 for introduction to the U.S. market. Salix and Norgine will continue to work closely with the FDA to support the review of PLENVU, a next-generation bowel cleansing preparation for colonoscopies.

09:08 EDT Juniper reports Chief Customer Officer to step down - In a regulatory filing, Juniper Networks announced that Vincent Molinaro, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer of the company, will step down from his current role. In order to help ensure a smooth transition, Molinaro will continue to serve as the interim Chief Customer Officer for the company until such time as his successor has been named and is in place, Juniper noted.

09:03 EDT GameStop terminates employment of COO Tony Bartel, Michael Hogan - In a regulatory filing, GameStop said that on February 7, upon authorization of its Board of Directors, GameStop terminated the employment of Tony D. Bartel and Michael P. Hogan, effective immediately. Prior to the termination of his employment, Bartel served as the company's COO; and prior to the termination of his employment, Hogan served as the company's EVP, Strategic Business and Brand Development.

09:01 EDT SkyWest reports January block hours down 3.8% - SkyWest reported approximately 147,800 block hours in January 2018, compared to approximately 153,700 block hours in January 2017, a decrease of 5,900 or 3.8%. The net decrease was consistent with SkyWest's fleet transition plan to improve the mix of aircraft in its fleet by adding new E175 aircraft while reducing its 50-seat jets. The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 7,200 additional block hours from E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 13,100 block hours from other aircraft types. In January 2018, SkyWest's dual-class aircraft represented approximately 53% of SkyWest's total block hour production for the month compared to approximately 47% for the month of January 2017. SkyWest had approximately 84,300 departures in January 2018 compared to approximately 87,500 in January 2017, a decrease of 3,200, or 3.6%.

08:56 EDT NGL Energy Partners sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA $440M-$450M

08:47 EDT PG&E sees FY18 total CapEx $6.3B

08:40 EDT Helios and Matheson stockholders approve increasing authorized shares to 500M - In a regulatory filing last night, Helios and Matheson Analytics disclosed that at a special meeting of stockholders held on February 5, the company's stockholders approved an amendment to the company's Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of authorized common stock from 100,000,000 to 500,000,000 shares. Following stockholder approval of the charter amendment, a certificate of amendment to the company's Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 8, at which time the charter amendment became effective.

08:32 EDT Intuit: Q2 revenue lower than expected due to later opening of tax season

08:30 EDT Terex increases quarterly dividend 25% to 10c per share - Terex Corporation announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 10c per share. The new quarterly cash dividend is an increase of 25% over the 2017 quarterly dividend amount. The dividend is to be paid on March 19 to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 9.

08:03 EDT Tenneco sees constant dollar revenue growth of 3% in Q1 - Tenneco expects constant dollar total revenue growth of 3% in the first quarter 2018, outpacing a flat light vehicle industry production growth forecast. The company expects organic growth to outpace the industry with revenues driven by the ramp up of recently launched programs and Tenneco's strong position on light vehicle platforms globally, double-digit year-over-year growth in commercial truck and off-highway revenues and a solid contribution from the global aftermarket. In 2018, the company expects 5% organic growth, outpacing industry production by 3 percentage points, with increases in both the Ride Performance and Clean Air product lines. In 2019 and 2020, Tenneco expects revenue growth will continue to outpace industry production. In those years, the company expects organic growth of 6% - 8% in 2019, and 5% - 7% in 2020, including the current forecasted global light vehicle production growth of 2% in each year. In 2018, Tenneco expects: Capital expenditures between $380M-$410M; Annual interest expense between $75M-$80M; Cash taxes between $105M-$125M; Full year tax rate between 23% and 25%.

08:02 EDT PG&E will not seek CPUC rehearing on DCPP joint proposal decision - Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the joint parties announced they will not seek a California Public Utilities Commission rehearing on the Diablo Canyon Power Plant joint proposal decision, and in accepting the CPUC's ruling to retire DCPP, PG&E will now withdraw its license renewal application at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. PG&E remains focused on safely operating DCPP to the end of its existing licenses, which expire for Unit 1 in 2024 and Unit 2 in 2025. In its decision, the CPUC approved several key elements of the agreement, including approval to cease plant operations once the NRC operating licenses expire. The Commission also authorized an employee retention program to maintain the plant's highly skilled workforce to continue safely operating the facility, and expressed its intention to avoid any increase in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the closure of DCPP. PG&E also announced that it will now move ahead with establishing a community engagement panel to provide input from and disseminate information to the community to help inform the site-specific DCPP decommissioning plan. Among the areas that will be examined by the panel is the future use of the site and PG&E lands that surround the plant. As for the remaining goals that were proposed in the original joint proposal agreement, including economic support for the greater San Luis Obispo County community and a specific plan for replacing DCPP with greenhouse gas-free energy resources, PG&E and the joint parties stated they are supportive of other pathways to achieve these objectives, including through existing CPUC regulatory proceedings and potential state legislation.

07:50 EDT Twitch to tighten policies around sexual harassment, sexual content - In a blog post, the company said, "We're sharing an update to our Community Guidelines. This is just the first of many improvements coming to the policies, moderation processes, and safety features on Twitch...Over the past several months, you've told us certain sections of our Community Guidelines were not clear enough, or, in some cases, not strong enough to govern this ever-changing landscape. And we were too slow to act. To begin addressing this, we're rolling out a series of updates to the policies, moderation processes, and products that guide interpersonal interaction on Twitch. Today's update focuses on our anti-harassment and sexual content policies...We want everyone to not only feel welcome on Twitch, but to be proud to be part of the community. To that end, we are strengthening our stance on harassment and hate. First, conduct we deem to be hateful will result in an immediate indefinite suspension. Hate simply has no place in the Twitch community. Additionally, we will now consider verifiable hateful or harassing conduct that takes place off-Twitch when making moderation decisions for actions that occur on Twitch...Twitch is an open global community with users of many ages and cultures. Because of this, it's important that your content is not sexual in nature. We're updating our moderation framework to review your conduct in its entirety when evaluating if the intent is to be sexually suggestive...During the transition period, we'll be reaching out to some streamers whose current and past content may violate these new guidelines to help you be successful on Twitch. Our goal is to ensure everyone understands and adheres to the updated Community Guidelines so you can keep creating content for your communities. In the coming months, we will also be revisiting our enforcement policies for both partners and non-partners, our appeals process, IRL guidelines, and preventing user-to-user harassment. You can also expect significant improvements to AutoMod, Twitch's automated chat moderation system." Reference Link

07:43 EDT Google, Getty Images announce multi-year global licensing partnership - Getty Images and Google announced an agreement that includes a multi-year global licensing partnership, enabling Google to use Getty Images' content within its various products and services. "This agreement between Getty Images and Google sets the stage for a very productive, collaborative relationship between our companies," said Dawn Airey, CEO, Getty Images. "We will licence our market leading content to Google, working closely with them to improve attribution of our contributors' work and thereby growing the ecosystem." "We're excited to have signed this licence agreement with Getty Images, and we'll be using their images across many of our products and services, starting immediately, " said Cathy Edwards, Engineering Director at Google. Reference Link

07:32 EDT Qualcomm extends offering period of cash tender offer for NXP Semiconductors - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced that Qualcomm River Holdings, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 27, 2016. The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on February 23 unless extended or earlier terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement. Completion of the tender offer remains subject to additional conditions. The transaction is expected to close in early 2018.

07:31 EDT SEACOR Marine announces closing of JV with Montco Offshore - SEACOR Marine Holdings announced that the formation and capitalization of a new joint venture company by SEACOR Marine and Montco Offshore, LLC was consummated on February 8. In accordance with the terms of a Joint Venture Contribution and Formation Agreement, SEACOR Marine and MOI contributed certain liftboat vessels and other related assets to the Joint Venture, and the Joint Venture assumed certain operating liabilities and indebtedness associated with the liftboat vessels and related assets. The Joint Venture consolidates the ownership and operation of eleven liftboat vessels previously operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEACOR Marine, six liftboat vessels previously operated by MOI, and two liftboat vessels previously operated by a previously existing joint venture between an affiliate of MOI and an affiliate of SEACOR Marine. The Joint Venture assumed approximately $131M of indebtedness from MOI's pre-petition facilities which, apart from a guarantee of interest payments for two years after the closing of the transactions, is non-recourse to SEACOR Marine. SEACOR Marine holds approximately 72% of all equity interests in the Joint Venture, and is entitled to appoint a majority of the board of managers of the Joint Venture.

07:02 EDT Bio-Path Holdings announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split - Bio-Path Holdings announces a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding common stock, which was previously approved by the company's board and stockholders. The reverse stock split became effective at 5:00 pm Eastern Time on February 8, 2018, and the company's shares of common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on the Nasdaq Capital Market at the commencement of trading on February 9, 2018 under the company's existing symbol "BPTH." The company's common stock has been assigned a new CUSIP number of 09057N 201 in connection with the reverse stock split. The reverse stock split is intended to increase the per share trading price of the company's shares of common stock to satisfy the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As a result of the reverse stock split, every 10 shares of common stock issued and outstanding were consolidated into one issued and outstanding share. The reverse stock split reduced the company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock from approximately 113.4 million to approximately 11.3 million. In addition, proportionate adjustments will be made to the exercise prices of the company's outstanding stock options and warrants and to the number of shares issued and issuable under the company's existing stock incentive plans.

06:50 EDT Brookfield Infrastructure increases dividend 8% to 47c - The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly distribution in the amount of 47c per unit, payable on or about March 29 to unitholders of record as at the close of business on February 28. This distribution represents an 8% increase compared to the prior year.

06:34 EDT ImmunoGen reports $267.1M in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31

06:31 EDT ChipMOS reports January revenue down 14.1% to $45.9M vs. $53.4M last year

06:06 EDT SoftBank, Didi Chuxing to provide platform services for Japan's taxi industry - Didi Chuxing and SoftBank Corp. announced the establishment of a partnership to provide platform services for the taxi industry. The partnership will utilize DiDi's advanced AI technologies to build ride-hailing platforms to enhance efficiency for both taxi operators and drivers. DiDi and SoftBank aim to commence trial services in Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Tokyo and other locations within this year. DiDi and SoftBank also plan to set up a joint venture in Japan. DiDi and SoftBank will diligently study local market conditions and policies, and will actively engage with industry practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders, with the aim of building an open and inclusive platform that will be available to all of Japan's taxi operators. Reference Link

05:33 EDT Yirendai enters partnership with PICC P&C - Yirendai announced that it has entered into a three year business agreement with PICC Property and Casualty Company, or PICC P&C. Under the terms of the Agreement, PICC P&C will provide surety insurance for loans, with maximum term of 12 months and maximum contract amount of approximately $31,000 which are facilitated through Yirendai's online marketplace. PICC P&C will charge borrowers an insurance premium and will reimburse lenders their principal and expected interest in the event of loan defaults within the agreed scope of the Agreement.

05:26 EDT Visa acquires SAAS technology company Fraedom - Visa announced an agreement to acquire Fraedom, a Software-as-a-Service technology company providing payments and transaction management solutions for financial institutions and their corporate customers. Fraedom has been a Visa partner for nearly ten years, and its technology underlies Visa IntelliLink Spend Management, a core platform for Visa's commercial and small-business clients. The acquisition will strengthen and expand Visa's business suite of solutions to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the B2B payments industry. The transaction, which is subject to the customary closing conditions, is expected to close in Q1.

05:18 EDT Pacific Biosciences announces outcome of first phase of patent litigation - Pacific Biosciences of California announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission has terminated its investigation into whether Oxford Nanopore's MinION and PromethION devices and associated consumables, reagents, and software infringe one or more claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,404,146 and 9,542,527, owned by Pacific Biosciences. The decision by the ITC is based on its interpretation that the term "single-molecule sequencing" is limited to sequencing-by-synthesis approaches, and that Oxford Nanopore's sequencing approach is therefore not "single-molecule sequencing." "We disagree with the present determination of non-infringement in this lawsuit, and note that the ITC's construction of the term 'single-molecule sequencing' is inconsistent with both the commonly understood meaning of that term as well as relevant U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Circuit precedent," said Dr. Michael W. Hunkapiller, CEO of Pacific Biosciences. "We continue to stand firm in our resolve to protect our investment and leadership position in the field we have created, and we look forward to the next phases of our litigation against Oxford Nanopore in the U.S. and Europe. We initiated the ITC action against Oxford Nanopore to stop use of its '2D' method in the United States that we believe infringes our patents. We were pleased that, within months of filing the suit, Oxford Nanopore discontinued sale of its 2D products worldwide." In addition to the ITC case, which Pacific Biosciences has the right to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Pacific Biosciences has also filed complaints against Oxford Nanopore and its affiliates in U.S. District Court based on three separate patents owned by Pacific Biosciences; these patents are not in the same family as those asserted in the ITC, and cover other aspects of Oxford Nanopore's products that Pacific Biosciences believes infringe on its patents. Pacific Biosciences has also filed complaints against Oxford Nanopore in the High Court of England and Wales and the District Court of Mannheim, Germany, where Oxford Nanopore has asserted an unrelated patent against Pacific Biosciences.