Stockwinners Market Radar for March 15, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:25 EDT Goldman Sachs execs 'committed' to having women make up half of workforce - In a memo to employees, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and co-COO David Solomon said that the bank is "committed" to having women represent 50% of its global workforce over time. "An important first step is to have women make up 50% of our incoming analyst class - and we are working to achieve this goal by 2021," the memo reads. "In addition, we are working to increase the number of women and diverse professionals who join our firm through our lateral hiring efforts." "The advancement of women in the workplace - and more broadly the state of diversity at our firm - is top of mind for all of us," the memo says. Reference Link

18:17 EDT ACCC institutes proceedings in federal court against Equifax - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC, has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against credit reporting body, Equifax, alleging breaches of the Australian Consumer Law. The ACCC alleges that from June 2013 to March 2017, Equifax made a range of false or misleading representations to consumers, including that its paid credit reports were more comprehensive than the free reports, when they were not. Equifax also allegedly represented that consumers had to buy credit reporting packages for it to correct information held about them, or to do so quicker. In fact, Equifax was required by law to take reasonable steps to correct the information in response to a consumer's request for free. In addition, the ACCC alleges that Equifax represented that there was a one-off fee for its credit reporting services, when its agreement provided that customer's subscriptions to the services automatically renewed annually unless the consumer opted out in advance. We allege this renewal term is an unfair contract term, which is void under the ACL.

18:01 EDT Nike says CEO Mark Parker will remain 'beyond 2020' - Nike announced that Mark Parker will remain as chairman, president and CEO beyond 2020 and Elliott Hill, former president of Nike Geographies, will take on the new role as president of consumer and marketplace. Michael Spillane will continue to lead all categories, design, product and merchandising. In the new structure, both Hill and Spillane will report directly to Mark Parker. Trevor Edwards, Nike brand president, has decided to retire from Nike in August. He will now serve as an advisor to Mark Parker until his retirement as Nike transitions its organization.

17:43 EDT Overstock.com now down almost 10%, updates SEC probe on tZERO - Overstock.com said in a filing after the close of trading on Thursday: "In February 2018, the Division of Enforcement of the SEC informed tZERO and subsequently informed us that it is conducting an investigation and requested that we and our affiliates, including Medici Ventures and tZERO voluntarily provide certain information and documents related to tZERO and the tZERO security token offering in connection with its investigation. We are in the process of responding to these document requests and intend to cooperate fully with the SEC in connection with its investigation, which will require the time and attention of tZERO and our personnel, and may have an adverse effect on our ability to focus attention on our businesses and our ability to raise capital. In addition, the investigation could result in a delay of the tZERO security token offering, negative publicity for tZERO or us, and may have a material adverse effect on us or on the current and future business ventures of tzero." Shares of Overstock.com are down 9.7% in after-hours trading to $43.55 per share.

17:36 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Amyris (AMRS), up 19.4%... Quorum Health (QHC), up 17.6%... Catabasis Pharmaceuticals (CATB), up 7.2%... Adobe Systems (ADBE), up 3.5%... Jabil (JBL), up 3.2%... Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH), up 2.4%. ALSO HIGHER: Kroger (KR), up 0.8% after its board approved a $1B share repurchase authorization. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Overstock.com (OSTK), down 11%... Gemphire Therapeutics (GEMP), down 5.4%... Zumiez (ZUMZ), down 3.8%... Ulta Beauty (ULTA), down 1.8%... Cara Therapeutics (CARA), down 1.2%. ALSO LOWER: Purple Innovation (PRPL), down 12.1% after it announced the departure of CEO Sam Bernards.

17:30 EDT Tallgrass Energy Partners sees FERC tax policy revisions as 'immaterial' - Tallgrass Energy Partners announced that it does not expect policy revisions governing recovery of income taxes released from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to have a material impact on the company's revenues. "While we are in the process of reviewing the FERC orders, it's important to note that the bulk of TEP's revenues come from REX and Pony Express," said Tallgrass Energy President and CEO David G. Dehaemers Jr. "Both REX and Pony Express have negotiated rate contracts, and we expect the ruling would have little to no impact on these revenues. While TIGT and Trailblazer both have some recourse rate contracts, we expect the impact to be immaterial to Tallgrass given the relative size of those businesses."

17:22 EDT Broadcom says Qualcomm failure won't have any affect on future M&A plans - Broadcom (AVGO) says "disappointed" with Qualcomm (QCOM) proposal falling through, but will comply with President's order. Says "touched" by ISS report continuing to recommend Broadcom nominees for Qualcomm board. Says doesn't see this weeks events having any affect on future M&A plans.

17:16 EDT Broadcom sees business conditions remaining 'favorable' in Q2 - Sees business conditions remaining "favorable" in Q2. Says revenue mix by segment in Q2 to be "dramatically different." Says China, South Korea boosting growth. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:09 EDT Raytheon awarded $150.4M government contract - Raytheon was awarded a $150,431,534 hybrid foreign military sales contract for staffing and training for Qatar depot operations for the Qatar Emiri Air Force Patriot Missile System. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Doha, Qatar, with an estimated completion date of March 15, 2018. Fiscal 2018 foreign military sales funds in the amount of 150,431,534 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

17:07 EDT Kinross Gold announces new shareholder rights plan - Kinross Gold announced that it has adopted a new shareholder rights plan to take effect on March 29. The new plan will replace the current shareholder rights plan, which will expire on March 29. The new plan will ensure that Kinross and its shareholders continue to receive the benefits associated with the current shareholder rights plan. As with the current plan, the new plan is designed to ensure that all Kinross shareholders have an equal opportunity to participate in a take-over bid and receive full and fair value for their Kinross common shares. The new plan is similar to plans recently adopted by other Canadian companies and approved by their shareholders. Subject to the receipt of requisite regulatory approvals, shareholder ratification at the annual meeting of shareholders on May 9,and shareholder reconfirmation at Kinross' annual shareholder meetings in 2021 and 2024, the new plan will remain in effect until the conclusion of Kinross' annual shareholder meeting in 2027. The new plan includes amendments that reflect changes to the legislative framework governing take-over bids in Canada that came to force in 2016. These amendments include: lengthening the minimum bid period to 105 days; requiring that all non-exempt take-over bids meet a minimum tender requirement of more than 50% of the outstanding securities of the class subject to the bid held by independent shareholders; and, requiring a minimum ten day extension after the minimum tender requirement is met. Under this new regime, a target issuer also has the ability to voluntarily reduce the minimum bid period to not less than 35 days. Additionally, the minimum bid period may be automatically reduced if the board chooses to proceed with an alternative change of control transaction. The rights issued under the new plan will initially attach to and trade with the common shares and no separate certificates will be issued unless an event triggering these rights occurs. The rights will become exercisable only when a person, including any party related to it, acquires or attempts to acquire 20% or more of the outstanding shares without complying with the "Permitted Bid" provisions of the new plan or without approval of the board. Should such an acquisition occur or be announced, each right would, upon exercise, entitle a rights holder, other than the acquiring person and related persons, to purchase common shares at a 50% discount to the market price at the time. Under the new plan, a "Permitted Bid" is a bid made to all shareholders, must be open for a minimum of 105 days and must contain certain conditions, including that no shares will be taken up and paid for unless 50% of the shares of the class subject to the bid that are held by independent shareholders are tendered to the bid.

17:04 EDT New York REIT completes 1-for-10 reverse stock split - New York REIT announced that its previously announced 1-for-10 reverse stock split of common stock became effective at 5:00 pm ET. NYRT's common stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NYRT." At the Effective Time, every 10 issued and outstanding shares of common stock were converted into one share of common stock. As a result of the reverse stock split, the number of outstanding shares of NYRT's common stock was reduced from 167.93M to approximately 16.79M.

16:49 EDT Bellerophon provides business update - Bellerophon Therapeutics provided a business update and reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31. "I am pleased to report continued progress in our clinical development programs evaluating INOpulse to treat pulmonary hypertension in a wide range of unmet chronic diseases," said Fabian Tenenbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Bellerophon. "Our most advanced program, INOvation-1, a Phase 3 study for pulmonary arterial hypertension, is more than 50% enrolled, and an interim analysis is planned for mid-2018, with availability of top-line data for the complete study anticipated around the end of the year. In addition, we have randomized the first patient in our Phase 2b study evaluating INOpulse in pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung diseaseincluding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We expect top-line results from this study by the end of the year. Recently, we announced positive results from our Phase 2 study in pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and look forward to continuing the development of INOpulse in this devastating unmet medical need." "Importantly, our robust clinical development program is supported by a strong balance sheet, as we ended 2017 with more than $31.8M in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The upcoming year has the potential to be transformative for Bellerophon, with data expected in our PAH and PH-ILD programs, as well as anticipated further progress in our PH-COPD clinical development program. We are excited about these opportunities and remain focused on developing first-in-class therapies for patients suffering from serious chronic orphan pulmonary diseases in order to continue building long-term shareholder value," concluded Mr. Tenenbaum.

16:47 EDT Overstock.com falls over 7% after reporting Q4 earnings results

16:43 EDT Independent Bank shareholders approve acquisition of Traverse City State Bank - Independent Bank Corporation, the parent company of Independent Bank, with total assets of approximately $2.8B, and TCSB Bancorp, the parent company of Traverse City State Bank, with total assets of approximately $350M, previously announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement on Dec. 4, 2017 for IBCP to acquire TCSB. The proposed transaction has been approved by TCSB shareholders with 99% of the votes received approving the transaction. As previously announced the proposed transaction has also been approved by both the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. The merger of IBCP and TCSB is currently expected to be effective on April 1.

16:35 EDT SemGroup announces sale of asphalt business for $72M - SemGroup announced that it has completed the sale of its asphalt business, SemMaterials Mexico, to Ergon Asfaltos Mexico for approximately $72M including working capital, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.

16:32 EDT W.P. Carey increases quarterly dividend to $1.015 per share - W. P. Carey reported that its board increased its quarterly cash dividend to $1.015 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend rate of $4.06 per share. The dividend is payable on April 16 to stockholders of record as of March 29.

16:31 EDT Parker Drilling receives continued listing standard notice from NYSE - Parker Drilling Company announced that on March 14, Parker Drilling was notified by the New York Stock Exchange of its noncompliance with continued listing standards because the average closing price of its common stock over a prior 30 consecutive trading day period had fallen below $1.00 per share, which is the minimum average closing price per share required to maintain listing on the NYSE. As required by the NYSE, the company has notified the NYSE of its intent to cure the deficiency and restore its compliance with the NYSE continued listing standards. In general, a listed company has a period of six months following the receipt of the notice to regain compliance.

16:30 EDT Encompass Health to acquire Camellia Healthcare, terms not disclosed - Encompass Health Corp. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately owned Camellia Healthcare and affiliated entities. Camellia Healthcare operates a portfolio of home health, hospice and private duty locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee and generated revenues of approximately $78M in 2017. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approval. Encompass Health expects to fund the transaction with cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The Camellia Healthcare acquisition enables Encompass Health to leverage its home health and hospice operating platform across key certificate of need states and to strengthen its geographic presence in the Southeastern United States. Upon completion of this transaction, Encompass Health, the fourth largest provider of Medicare-certified skilled services in the country, expects to become one of the top 25 largest hospice providers in the country as its hospice service line continues to exhibit strong growth. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

16:20 EDT Endocyte to present at AACR - Endocyte announced that four posters will be presented by Endocyte scientists at the American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR. The company will present two posters and a late-breaking abstract relating to Endocyte's chimeric antigen receptor T-cell adaptor molecule platform, along with a poster on PSMA-617.

16:19 EDT TransDigm acquires Kirkhill business from Esterline - TransDigm Group (TDG) announced that it has completed the acquisition of the Kirkhill elastomers business from Esterline Technologies (ESL) for a total purchase price of $50M in cash, subject to adjustment.

16:17 EDT Zumiez sees Q1 comparable sales growth of 4.0%-6.0%

16:15 EDT Orthofix to acquire Spinal Kinetics in deal valued at up to $105M - Orthofix International announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Spinal Kinetics Inc., a privately held developer and manufacturer of artificial cervical and lumbar discs. Terms of the agreement include $45M in cash closing consideration plus up to $60M in contingent milestone payments related to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the M6-C cervical disc and the achievement of trailing twelve-month sales targets of $30M and $50M. The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. Orthofix expects the acquisition to not only add revenue in 2018, but also increase its organic revenue growth rate in 2019 and beyond. The company also expects the deal to be slightly accretive to the company's non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and adjusted EBITDA within 12 months of PMA approval in the U.S. and further accretive thereafter.

16:12 EDT Independent Bank raises quarterly dividend 19% to 38c per share - The board of directors of Independent Bank Corp., parent of Rockland Trust Company, announced a 38c per share dividend which represents a 19% increase over the previous quarterly dividend of 32c. The dividend will be payable on April 6, 2018, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 26, 2018.

16:09 EDT Purple announces departure of CEO Sam Bernards - Purple Innovation announced that Sam Bernards has stepped down as CEO in order to pursue other opportunities. Terry Pearce, co-founder and chairman of the board of directors, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found by the board with the assistance of an executive search firm.

16:00 EDT Magellan Midstream does not expect material impact from recent FERC ruling - Magellan Midstream Partners announced that it does not expect a material impact from today's revised policy statement by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to disallow income tax allowance cost recovery in rates charged by pipeline companies organized as master limited partnerships. The company stated: "Although Magellan is organized as an MLP, it does not have cost-of-service rates that would be directly impacted by this policy change. Rather, the rates on approximately 40% of the shipments on Magellan's refined products pipeline system are regulated by the FERC primarily through an index methodology. As an alternative to cost-of-service or index-based rates, interstate pipeline companies may establish rates by obtaining authority to charge market-based rates in competitive markets or by negotiation with unaffiliated shippers. Approximately 60% of Magellan's refined products pipeline system's markets are either subject to regulations by the related state or approved for market-based rates by the FERC. In addition, most of the tariffs on Magellan's crude oil pipelines are established by negotiated rates that generally provide for annual adjustments in line with changes in the FERC index, subject to certain modifications."

15:49 EDT Andeavor Logistics sees less than $10M negative impact to EBITDA from FERC news - After the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced that it would be revising its policy regarding income tax allowances in the rates of pipelines operated by MLPs, Andeavor Logistics (ANDX) said it operates some FERC regulated pipelines, but anticipates that the ruling may only have a possible annual negative impact to Andeavor Logistics' net earnings and EBITDA of less than $10M, which reflects the entire potential impact of changes in the FERC corporate tax allowance. In addition, the FERC ruling also addressed the rate structure of certain pipelines operated by SFPP, L.P. Andeavor (ANDV) is a party to these cases involving SFPP, L.P. and anticipates receiving refunds that will have a positive impact upon future cash flows, which we are in the process of estimating.

15:01 EDT US Foods sees 8%-10% adjusted EBITDA growth over next 3 years - US Foods Holding held its first Investor Day today to highlight the company's strategic priorities and financial objectives for the next three years. The session focused on the company's Great Food. Made Easy. strategy and differentiated offering. "Today, we outlined how our innovation, technology and unique selling model will help us continue to grow with our target customers," said Pietro Satriano, US Foods chairman and CEO. "We believe our strategy, coupled with our focus on increasing productivity, will continue to create long-term value for our shareholders and position us favorably in an attractive and growing industry." "The priorities we shared during today's meeting are expected to generate 8-10% Adjusted EBITDA growth over the next three years," said Dirk Locascio, US Foods chief financial officer. "With a focus on executing our strategy and improving our operating expense leverage, we feel confident in our ability to generate strong cash flow and double our adjusted diluted earnings-per-share over the mid-term."

14:42 EDT CVS Health applauds drug price 'right to know' legislation introduced in Senate - CVS Health released the following statement regarding the ''Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act," introduced by U.S. Senators Collins, McCaskill, Barrasso, Stabenow and Cassidy and the "Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018," introduced by U.S. Senators Stabenow, Collins, Wyden, Cassidy, McCaskill and Barrasso: "CVS Health applauds the introduction of the 'Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act,' and the 'Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018,' which will help ensure all consumers can make informed decisions about their prescription drug costs at the pharmacy counter. CVS Health's own pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark, does not engage in the practice of preventing pharmacists from informing patients of the cash price of a prescription drug, known as 'gag clauses.' Actually, our contracts with all dispensing pharmacies in our network require that CVS Caremark members always get the benefit of at least the lower of the pharmacy's cash price and the plan's copay. If a CVS Caremark plan member's copay for a drug is greater than the dispensing pharmacy's contracted rate, it is not our practice to collect that difference from the pharmacy."

14:39 EDT Enterprise Products says FERC policy change to have no material impact - Enterprise Products Partners announced that revisions announced today by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, with regard to its 2005 policy for recovery of income taxes are not expected to have a material impact to the earnings and cash flow of Enterprise. The FERC announced today that it would revise its 2005 Policy Statement for Recovery of Income Tax costs so that it no longer will allow interstate pipelines owned by master limited partnerships to recover an income tax allowance in the cost of service. "We do not expect the revisions to the FERC's policy on the recovery of income taxes to materially impact our earnings and cash flow. The cost-based tariff rates that are in effect for all of our interstate pipelines are based on a cost of service for those pipelines whereby the disallowance for the recovery of an income tax allowance will not have a material effect, if any, to the posted tariffs," said A.J. "Jim" Teague, CEO of Enterprise's general partner.

14:04 EDT Ford planning lineup of eight hybrid or battery electric SUVs by 2020 - Ford is revamping its lineup, building on truck, SUV and commercial strengths, investing in new propulsion and delivering standard connectivity on new vehicles, paving the way for over-the-air updates and the Transportation Mobility Cloud, an open platform that will empower tomorrow's mobility systems. By 2020, Ford will offer North America's freshest lineup among all full-line automakers, with its average showroom age dropping from 5.7 to 3.3 years as it replaces three-quarters of its lineup and adds four new trucks and SUVs. Ford is going all-in on hybrids, offering customers more performance and capability yet serving as a hedge against higher gas prices. All new Ford vehicles will have 4G LTE connectivity by the end of 2019. Ford is also introducing Ford Co-Pilot360, a new driver-assist technology package with standard automatic emergency braking and helps protect from the front, rear and sides. By 2020, Ford estimates SUV sales could account for 50 percent of U.S. industry retail sales - one reason Ford is reallocating $7 billion in capital from cars to SUVs. By 2020, Ford plans an industry-leading lineup of eight SUVs - five of which will offer hybrid powertrains and one battery electric. Ford SUV sales are estimated to grow 20 percent - more than double the industry rate - to more than 950,000 by 2020, according to LMC Automotive, and surpass 1 million by 2021. The company added that increased use of augmented and virtual reality are helping reduce Ford's plant changeover time by an estimated 25 percent, which adds an average $50 million to the company's bottom line per changeover.

13:45 EDT Google, Ubisoft working on open-source gaming servers project - Google (GOOG, GOOGL) said in a blog post that it is working on Agones, a new open-source project that uses Kubernetes to host and scale dedicated game servers. Currently under development in collaboration with interactive gaming giant Ubisoft (UBSFY), Agones is designed as a batteries-included, open-source, dedicated game server hosting and scaling project built on top of Kubernetes, with the flexibility to tailor it to the needs of different multiplayer games. "Many of the popular fast-paced online multiplayer games such as competitive FPSs, MMOs and MOBAs require a dedicated game server-a full simulation of the game world-for players to connect to as they play within it," Google said. "This dedicated game server is usually hosted somewhere on the internet to facilitate synchronizing the state of the game between players, but also to be the arbiter of truth for each client playing the game, which also has the benefit of safeguarding against players cheating." Reference Link

13:42 EDT NEX Group announces receipt of preliminary takeover approach by CME Group

13:38 EDT FDA takes steps to reduce smoking rates by lowering nicotine in cigarettes - FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb earlier today issued a statement on steps to "dramatically reduce smoking rates by lowering nicotine in combustible cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels." The FDA issuied an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, or ANPRM, to explore a product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels. "This new regulatory step advances a comprehensive policy framework that we believe could help avoid millions of tobacco-related deaths across the country," Gottlieb said. The ANPRM provides a "wide-ranging review of the current scientific understanding about the role nicotine plays in creating or sustaining addiction to cigarettes and seeks comments on key areas, as well as additional research and data for public review, as we continue our consideration of developing a nicotine product standard," he added. He went on, "We believe the public health benefits and the potential to save millions of lives, both in the near and long term, support this effort. Notably, new estimates included in the ANPRM that are being published in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluate one possible policy scenario for a nicotine product standard. If this scenario were implemented, this analysis suggests that approximately 5 million additional adult smokers could quit smoking within one year of implementation." Publicly traded companies in the space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI) and Philip Morris (PM). Reference Link

13:28 EDT CRISPR stocks plunge after Solid clinical hold, Arbor breakthrough - Shares of companies developing CRISPR-based therapies are plunging after the FDA placed a clinical hold on Solid Biosciences' (SLDB) gene therapy treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In addition, stealth biotechnology company Arbor Biotechnologies announced its first scientific discovery, a CRISPR-associated enzyme that "promises several advantages over other ones," according to STAT's Sharon Begley. In response, shares of Editas Medicine (EDIT) are down 8% to $38.04, Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) is down 11% to $25.54 and Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP) is down 9% to $52.90. Reference Link

13:02 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded contract to train special operations airmen - The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to provide comprehensive training support services for Air Force Special Operations Command, supporting schoolhouse operations for various crew positions across multiple mission design series aircraft, aircrew training and support for AFSOC Special Operation Forces aircrews and assets. The Air Commando Training and Support contract has the potential of lasting up to eight years, with an overall value of $200M or more. The AFSOC ACTS program provides Air Force special operations with aircrew instruction and distributed, fully-networked mission rehearsal and training capabilities, as well as logistics support for numerous AFSOC weapon systems, including the special mission C-130J, CV-22 and a wide variety of other training systems. Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will provide engineering and cybersecurity support that will ensure AFSOC's training devices remain concurrent with their aircraft. Through advancements with virtual reality development, this program will offer aircrew members with next-generation training capability.

12:24 EDT FTC requires CoreLogic to provide data to RealtyTrac for 3 more years - The Federal Trade Commission announced that it will modify an order entered in 2014 against CoreLogic. CoreLogic agreed to the 2014 order to resolve Commission concerns about CoreLogic's acquisition of DataQuick Information Systems. The Commission alleged that the proposed acquisition would significantly reduce competition in the market for national bulk data in violation of the federal antitrust laws. To resolve that concern, CoreLogic agreed to divest bulk data and information used by DataQuick to Renwood RealtyTrac and provide other support so that RealtyTrac could replace DataQuick as a competitor in the national bulk data market. The Commission alleges that CoreLogic did not provide all of the required data and information by the deadlines in the order. CoreLogic also did not adequately identify and provide to RealtyTrac the full scope of bulk data and information DataQuick used in the bulk data market, it adds. "CoreLogic disputes the allegations but has entered into the consent with the Commission under which the Commission is issuing an Order Modifying Order amending the 2014 order and adding two detailed addendum: a Service Level Addendum and Technical Transfer Plan," the FTC says. Under the modified order the Commission is requiring CoreLogic to provide bulk data to RealtyTrac for an additional three years beyond the term of the 2014 order; thus until at least 2022. Reference Link

11:53 EDT GM to invest $100M to upgrade facilities to make autonomous vehicles - General Motors announced it will build production versions of its Cruise AV at its Orion Township assembly plant in Michigan. Roof modules for GM's self-driving vehicles will be assembled at its Brownstown plant. The Cruise AV, which the company plans to commercialize in 2019, is the first production-ready vehicle built from the ground up to operate safely on its own with no driver, steering wheel, pedals or manual controls. GM will invest more than $100M to upgrade both facilities. Roof module production has already begun and production of the fourth generation Cruise AV is expected to begin in 2019.

11:52 EDT Google renames Android Wear to Wear OS by Google - Dennis Troper, Director of Product Management, Wear OS by Google, says in a blog post: "Android Wear was founded on the belief that wearable technology should be for everyone, no matter what style you wear on your wrist or what phone you have in your pocket. Since then, we've partnered with top watch and electronics brands to create more than 50 watches to help you manage your fitness, connect with the people who matter most, and show you the information you care about. The best part: We're just scratching the surface of what's possible with wearables and there's even more exciting work ahead. As our technology and partnerships have evolved, so have our users. In 2017, one out of three new Android Wear watch owners also used an iPhone. So as the watch industry gears up for another Baselworld next week, we're announcing a new name that better reflects our technology, vision, and most important of all-the people who wear our watches. We're now Wear OS by Google, a wearables operating system for everyone. You'll begin to see the new name on your watch and phone app over the next few weeks." Reference Link

11:50 EDT Pipeline owners slide after FERC reverses course on tax allowance cost recovery - Shares of a number of companies that own oil and gas pipelines, including Enbridge (ENB), TransCanada (TRP), Williams (WMB), Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), Plains All American (PAA) and Kinder Morgan (KMI), are sliding following an announcement from an energy industry regulator. Earlier, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, responded to a federal court remand by stating it no longer will allow master limited partnership, or MLP, interstate natural gas and oil pipelines to recover an income tax allowance in cost of service rates. FERC said its revised policy statement explains that, while all partnerships seeking to recover an income tax allowance will need to address the double-recovery concern, the application of the United Airlines court case to non-MLP partnerships will be addressed as those issues arise in subsequent proceedings.

11:34 EDT Synnex named primary distributor for business, office printing products by OKI - OKI Data Americas announced that it has named Synnex as the primary distributor for its entire Business and Office Printing line of hardware and consumables in the U.S. This collaboration will simplify the purchasing path for existing resellers of OKI's business and office products, consolidating all hardware and consumables transactions through Synnex. The move builds on OKI's existing relationship with Synnex and allows the distributor to offer a more robust portfolio of OKI products, supplying resellers with the latest cutting-edge printing solutions at competitive price points and access to more targeted and advantageous promotional programs.

11:17 EDT Street Fight: Analysts diverge on Solid Biosciences after FDA clinical hold - Shares of Solid Biosciences (SLBD) are plunging after the company announced that the Food and Drug Administration has placed its Phase I/II clinical trial for SGT-001 microdystrophin gene transfer in Duchenne muscular dystrophy on clinical hold. Following the news, JPMorgan analyst Anupam Rama downgraded the stock to Underweight, the firm's sell-equivalent rating, as he sees the hold raising "concerns on multiple levels. Meanwhile, his peer at Leerink reiterated an Outperform rating, saying the selloff may be "premature." TRIAL ON CLINICAL HOLD: Solid Biosciences announced it has received notification from the FDA that IGNITE DMD, its Phase I/II clinical trial for SGT-001 microdystrophin gene transfer in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, has been placed on clinical hold. The first patient dosed in the clinical trial was a non-ambulatory adolescent who received 5E13 vg/kg of SGT-001 on February 14. Several days after administration the patient was hospitalized due to laboratory findings that included a decrease in platelet count followed by a reduction in red blood cell count and evidence of complement activation. The patient responded well to medical treatment and is currently asymptomatic, the company said. Solid has halted enrollment and dosing in IGNITE DMD and is awaiting the formal clinical hold letter from the FDA to understand the requirements for resuming the clinical trial. SELL SOLID: In a research note this morning, JPMorgan's Rama downgraded Solid Biosciences to Underweight from Neutral and lowered his price target on the shares to $9 from $28. The analyst told investors that SGT-001's clinical hold raises concerns on "multiple levels," including unclear timelines to resolution of both the clinical and manufacturing holds and lost ground on timelines relative to the competition. Furthermore, Rama pointed out that it will likely take compelling clinical data to regain confidence in management, which is not expected in the near-term. SELLOFF MAY BE 'PREMATURE': Still bullish on the stock, Leerink analyst Joseph Schwartz told investors that Solid Biosciences' disclosure of a clinical hold on Phase 1/2 IGNITE DMD trial comes as a "surprise." However, the analyst believes it is too early to "throw in the towel" on SGT-001. In fact, a "knee-jerk reaction" may present an attractive buying opportunity for investors due to small sample size, a lack of other noteworthy adverse effects, and the patient's positive recovery since the incident. He reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares. READ-THROUGH TO SAREPTA: In a research note of his own, H.C. Wainwright analyst Debjit Chattopadhyay said Sarepta Therapeutics' (SRPT) lead in developing a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is potentially solidified after Solid's hold news. Based on the differences between Sarepta's and Solid's vectors and the evolving safety profiles of the two competing approaches, the analyst would be a buyer of Sarepta's stock in the event of any "collateral damage" stemming from the Solid Biosciences' clinical hold. WHAT'S NOTABLE: In its IPO filing earlier this year, Solid said testing of SGT-001 had been partially suspended since November. While the partial clinical hold kept Solid from administering a high dose of the gene therapy, it was permitted to continue testing a lower dose. PRICE ACTION: In late morning trading, shares of Solid Biosciences have dropped over 64% to $9.44, while Sarepta's stock has gained 1.5% to $83.50.

11:10 EDT Wynn Resorts says Steve Wynn may seek to sell or portion of shares - Wynn Resorts disclosed earlier in regulatory filing that on March 14, Stephen Wynn and Elaine Wynn presented the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada in the case of Wynn Resorts vs. Kazuo Okada, with a stipulation agreeing that the amended and restated stockholders agreement, dated as of January 6, 2010, among Mr. Wynn, Ms. Wynn and Aruze USA is now invalid and unenforceable as a matter of law and that none of the parties to the stockholders agreement shall have any further rights or obligations thereunder. The district court entered an order approving the parties' stipulation and dismissing certain of Ms. Wynn's claims in the litigation on March 14, 2018. Mr. Wynn may seek to sell all or a portion of the common stock controlled by him pursuant to one or more registered public offerings, in the open market in transactions pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933 or in privately negotiated transactions, the company disclosed. It added, "If he elects to sell any such Common Stock, he will seek to conduct such sales in an orderly fashion and in cooperation with the Company. Any actions Mr. Wynn or the other Reporting Persons might undertake may be made at any time and from time to time without prior notice and will be dependent upon the Mr. Wynn's review of numerous factors, including, but not limited to: an ongoing evaluation of the Company's business, financial condition, operations and prospects; price levels of the Common Stock; general market, industry and economic conditions; regulatory considerations; the relative attractiveness of alternative business and investment opportunities; and other future developments."

11:01 EDT Washington Trust increases quarterly dividend 4% to 43c per share - The Board of Directors of Washington Trust Bancorp declared a quarterly dividend of 43c per share for the quarter ending March 31. This represents a 4% increase over the most recent quarterly dividend paid. The dividend will be paid April 13 to shareholders of record on April 2.

10:40 EDT Alexion jumps as 'clear success' seen extending rare blood disorder franchise - Shares of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) are on the rise after the company announced that its ALXN1210, a rare blood disorder drug being tested against Soliris, was successful in a late-stage study. Soliris, also marketed by Alexion, is the first and only therapy approved in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, to reduce hemolysis. Commenting on the news, Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Peters told investors that this is a "clear success" for the company given an already high efficacy bar for Soliris, an opinion shared by his peer at Piper Jaffray. STUDY DATA: Alexion announced that the pivotal Phase 3 study of ALXN1210, the company's investigational long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, demonstrated non-inferiority to Soliris in complement inhibitor treatment-naive patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria based on the co-primary endpoints of transfusion avoidance and normalization of lactate dehydrogenase levels, a direct marker of complement-mediated hemolysis in PNH. The study also demonstrated non-inferiority on all four key secondary endpoints. In addition, numeric results for all six endpoints favored ALXN1210. There were no notable differences in the safety profiles for ALXN1210 and Soliris. Although ALXN1210 did not achieve superiority, a numeric trend in favor of ALXN1210 was observed for breakthrough hemolysis, said the company, which added that regulatory submissions are planned in the U.S., European Union, and Japan in the second half of 2018. 'CLEAR' SUCCESS: In a research note following Alexion's announcement, Deutsche Bank's Peters told investors that ALXN1210 results are a "clear success" for the company given an already high efficacy bar for Soliris as well as lingering concerns about an increased risk for meningococcal infection with the drug, which did not materialize. The analyst added that although ALXN1210 did not meet statistical superiority across any single endpoint, the consistent trends suggesting numerical superiority across all endpoints. A very narrow miss on superiority for breakthrough hemolysis support that the drug not only offers increased convenience and quality of life by reducing transfusion frequency but also potentially offers improved efficacy, he added. Peters reiterated a Buy rating and $161 price target on the shares. Meanwhile, Piper Jaffray analyst Christopher Raymond pointed out that he would be an "aggressive" buyer of Alexion's shares as the company has "clearly raised the treatment bar" in PNH with the '1210 data. Furthermore, the analyst believes ALN1210 will extend the product life cycle for Alexion's complement business well into the 2030s. Raymond reiterated an Overweight rating and $170 price target on the shares. Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges also commented on the results, saying he believes the data should mitigate many of the competitive concerns related to other complement inhibitors in development and should allow Alexion to extend the IP of its complement franchise from the mid- to late-2020s to 2035. The analyst reiterated an Outperform rating and $153 price target on the stock, and recommended buying even through $140-$150 per share. XENCOR PLATFORM VALIDATED: Piper Jaffray analyst Edward Tenthoff argued in a research note of his own hat Alexion's positive data for ALXN1210 validates Xencor's (XNCR) XmAb platform, which modifies the Fc domain of antibodies. The analyst noted that Xencor licensed Xtend technology to Alexion in 2013 to extend antibody half-life and reduce dosing frequency. Regulatory submissions are planned in the second half of 2018 and Xencor is eligible for milestones and low single-digit royalties, he added. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Alexion have gained over 10% to $135.19, while Xencor is up about 1%.

10:25 EDT Sears reports holiday quarter profit, though sales continue to slide - Shares of Sears Holdings (SHLD) are in focus in morning trading after the company reported a smaller than expected decline in quarterly same-store sales. The retailer also announced $540 million in new loan agreements. EARNINGS: Sears said Wednesday after the market close that its earnings per share for the critical holiday quarter was $1.69, including a non-cash tax benefit of approximately $470M related to tax reform, as well as a non-cash accounting charge of $72M related to the impairment of the Sears trade name. The EPS figure was above the ($5.67) loss the company reported in the prior year fourth quarter and one analyst estimate of $1.16. Revenue for Q4 was $4.4B, a decline from last year's $6.1B, but above one analyst estimate of $3.86B. Sears said store closures contributed to "over half" of the revenue decline in the quarter. Total comparable store sales declined 15.6% for Q4, which was not as steep a decline as the Thomson Reuters' consensus of 16.4%. Kmart comparable store sales declined 12.2%, while Sears comparable store sales declined 18.1%. Sears Chief Financial Officer Rob Riecker said the company is planning for $200M in cost reductions on an annualized basis in 2018 unrelated to store closures. CEO COMMENTS: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edward Lampert commented that Sears made "progress" in 2017, and that Sears will look to build on that progress, "including ongoing actions to improve or close unprofitable stores and to unlock the value in our assets." Lampert said in a statement that to ensure Sears' long-term viability, "we must substantially improve our sales and gross margin performance, including adjustments to our business model." In 2017, Sears launched a Kenmore-dedicated brand presence on Amazon (AMZN). The retailer also announced licensing deals to expand the reach of its Kenmore and DieHard brands internationally. LOAN AGREEMENTS: Sears also announced on Wednesday that it secured a loan of $440M to use toward a $407M payment into its pension plans that provides for the release of 138 of its properties from a ring-fence arrangement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. It said those properties alone have an appraised value of nearly $980M. WHAT'S NOTABLE: In January, CNBC reported that Sears informed employees that it will be closing 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears brand stores between March and April of this year. "We will continue to close some unprofitable stores as we transform our business model so that our physical store footprint and our digital capabilities match the needs and preferences of our members," the company stated. In the earnings statement, CFO Riecker commented that "In addition to pursuing several transactions to adjust our capital structure in order to enhance our liquidity and financial position, we are taking incremental actions to further streamline our operations to drive profitability." PRICE ACTION: Shares of Sears have reversed earlier gains are are now down about 4% to $2.32 in morning trading.

10:15 EDT Dollar General expects $300M cash benefit in 2018 due to tax reform - Says continues to deploy capital to invest in new stores. Says completed a strategic review of real estate portfolio in Q4, closed 35 stores resulting in an impact of 7c per share in the quarter. Anticipates a cash benefit of $300M in 2018 from federal tax reform. Expects to invest about $75M of benefit in business this year and return balance to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Says planned investments in 2018 include acceleration of long-term strategic initiatives as well as store expansion and infrastructure. Says capital allocation priorities remain unchanged. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

10:08 EDT Bank of America reports February default rate 2.78% vs. 2.58% last month - Reports 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.72% vs. 1.70% last month.

10:03 EDT Philips receives FDA 510(k) clearance to market ProxiDiagnost N90 - Royal Philips announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market ProxiDiagnost N90, its newest premium Digital Radiography-Fluoroscopy system. With its ability to perform both nearby fluoroscopy and digital X-rays through a single system, ProxiDiagnost N90 supports high room utilization and increased patient throughput, while also providing outstanding workflow support and patient accessibility.

09:40 EDT EQT Midstream Partners trading resumes

09:39 EDT Rice Midstream trading resumes

09:33 EDT EQT Corporation: On track to complete spinoff by end of 3Q18

09:32 EDT Jerry Ashcroft named as president & CEO of EQGP, EQT Midstream, Rice Midstream

09:30 EDT EQT says President and CEO Steven Schlotterbeck resigns for personal reasons

09:28 EDT Rice Midstream trading halted, news pending

09:28 EDT Long Blockchain Corp. acquiring U.K.-based Hashcove - Long Blockchain has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Hashcove, an early stage UK-based technology company focused on developing and deploying globally scalable distributed ledger technology solutions. Among its planned product offerings, Hashcove is developing tokenized platforms, crypto-exchanges and wallets, smart contracts for initial coin offerings, know-your-customer and financial clearing technology on blockchain, and other related blockchain applications. Upon closing, Hashcove will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Long Blockchain. Hashcove was cofounded by CEO and technology entrepreneur Kunal Nandwani. Long Blockchain will acquire 100% of Hashcove in exchange for LBCC common stock. Current shareholders of Hashcove will own 4.9% of the combined entity, at closing. In addition, current shareholders of Hashcove can increase their ownership to 17.1% of the combined entity based on certain milestones. Following the close of the transaction, Nandwani will become an executive officer and director of Long Blockchain. Closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur in Q2, is subject to customary closing conditions, including among others that neither Long Blockchain nor Hashcove suffers a material adverse effect.

09:28 EDT EQT Corporation trading halted, news pending

09:19 EDT Orbital ATK receives approval to build NASA spacecraft - Orbital ATK has been given approval to begin building the NASA Landsat 9 spacecraft after completing a comprehensive design review of the mission. Landsat 9, a land surface mapping satellite, will collect space-based images and data that serve as valuable resources for researchers in areas that include agriculture, land use mapping, and disaster relief. Orbital ATK is designing and manufacturing the satellite, integrating two government-furnished instruments, and supporting launch, early orbit operations and on-orbit check-out of the observatory. Representatives from NASA and Orbital ATK successfully completed a rigorous critical design review demonstrating that the program meets all technical performance measures and requirements. The execution of the design review enables the program to effectively transition into manufacturing and prepare for the assembly, test and launch operations phase of the mission. The Landsat 9 spacecraft will be manufactured and tested at the company's Gilbert, Arizona, facility and is currently planned for launch in late 2020. The spacecraft will be operated by the U.S. Geological Survey once in orbit.

09:14 EDT Greenhill & Co. announces preliminary results of modified Dutch auction - Greenhill & Co announced the preliminary results of its modified Dutch auction tender offer to purchase for cash up to $110M of shares of its common stock, par value 1c per share at a purchase price not greater than $20.50 nor less than $18.50 per share, which expired at 11:59 P.M., New York City time, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Based on the preliminary count by American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., the depositary for the tender offer, a total of 1,062,101 Shares were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at or below the purchase price of $20.50 per share, including 41,144 Shares that were tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the tender offer and based on a preliminary count by the depositary, Greenhill expects to acquire 1,062,101 Shares at a price of $20.50 per share, for an aggregate cost of approximately $21.8 million, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. The Shares expected to be accepted represent approximately 4% of Greenhill's total outstanding Shares as of March 14, 2018.

09:11 EDT Alexion says 1210 is 'largest program by far' that's been conducted in PNH

09:11 EDT Adamas Pharmaceuticals' Govocri in dyskinesia featured in publication - Adamas Pharmaceuticals announced that pooled Phase 3 data of Govocri extended release capsules for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medications, were published online in CNS Drugs. Results from the two pooled Phase 3 studies in Parkinson's disease patients with dyskinesia demonstrated that Govocri-treated patients experienced a 41% reduction in dyskinesia from baseline at Week 12, vs. 14% in placebo-treated patients, as assessed by the Unified Dyskinesia Rating total score. Reductions in both dyskinesia and OFF were seen in the diary data, as well as a nearly 4-hour improvement in ON time without troublesome dyskinesia. In addition, 52% of patients in the GOCOVRI-treated group reported a complete resolution of their ON time with troublesome dyskinesia by Week 12, vs. 23% of patients in the placebo-treated group.

09:10 EDT CytRx selects four LADR candidates for advancement towards clinical trials - CytRx Corporation announced that it has selected four new, investigational LADR candidates for advancement toward clinical testing in cancer patients. The candidates, preliminarily named LADR-7, LADR-8, LADR-9 and LADR-10, were created using CytRx's novel LADR technology which enables drug compounds to bind to albumin in the body's bloodstream and controls the release of the drug at the tumor site. All four candidates are eligible to advance into Investigational New Drug-enabling studies with the goal of filing IND applications on one or more candidates in 2018. Supportive data demonstrating the impressive in vivo antitumor efficacy of LADR-7, LADR-8, LADR-9 and LADR-10 will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 2018 Annual Meeting taking place April 14-18, 2018 in Chicago. All studies submitted to AACR were selected for poster presentations.

09:06 EDT Helios and Matheson announces plan to spin off Zone Technologies

09:04 EDT Amedica granted extension to regain compliance with NASDAQ listing - Amedica received notification from the Listing Qualifications department of The NASDAQ Stock Market, that the staff has determined to grant the company an extension until June 29 to regain compliance with the listing rules by holding an annual meeting of shareholders on or before that date. If Amedica does not satisfy these terms, NASDAQ will provide written notification to the company that its common stock will be delisted. The company stated that it intends to hold an annual meeting of shareholders by the due date, and otherwise remain in compliance with NASDAQ rules and regulations.

09:02 EDT First Bancorp raises cash dividend 25% to 10c per share - The Board of Directors of First Bancorp has declared a cash dividend on its common stock of 10c per share payable on April 25, 2018 to shareholders of record as of March 30, 2018. The 10c dividend rate represents a 25% increase over the previous dividend rate of 8c.

09:01 EDT Fitbit names Zynga COO Matthew Bromberg to board - Fitbit (FIT) announced that gaming and entertainment industry executive Matthew Bromberg has joined the Fitbit, Inc. board of directors. Bromberg is currently the COO of Zynga (ZNGA).

09:00 EDT Alexion says not commenting on 1210 pricing

08:52 EDT Sellas Life Sciences granted patent for WT-1 Peptides by USPTO - Sellas Life Sciences announced that the USPTO issued a Notice of Allowance for a U.S. patent application related to certain Wilms Tumor 1 peptides. The allowed patent application is part of an intellectual property portfolio exclusively licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which includes patent applications in major international markets. Issuance of the patent will expand the scope of protection of SELLAS' intellectual property, which includes five U.S. patents and patent applications, as well as four international applications. The terms of patent exclusivity on the component peptides extend to at least 2033 in the U.S. Patents have been granted in the U.S. and across Europe with composition of matter claims covering each of the four peptides, individually and in combination, as well as methods of use covering treatment for cancer indications that SELLAS is pursuing in clinical trials.

08:49 EDT Alexion believes ALXN1210 results are 'very robust,' 'clinically meaningful' - Says Phase 3 study arms were "well balanced" with baseline characteristics. Says "pleased" with data from study. Says would like to see 1210 as new standard of care based on efficacy, safety profile established in study. Reiterates that company is "very proud" of "solid" study results. Says will proceed with regulatory filings in 2H. Says company plans to analyze these data, which it believes are "very robust and clinically meaningful," would share plans for any additional studies later this year. Comments taken from Alexion's conference call discussing ALXN1210 PNH naive Phase 3 study results.

08:41 EDT Dick's Sporting relaunches Tommy Armour golf brand - DICK'S Sporting Goods announced the relaunch of the iconic Tommy Armour golf brand, with a renewed focus on innovative golf club technology that promotes both forgiveness and distance. Men's, women's and senior drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters are all included in the new offering. Tommy Armour will be available online and in-stores exclusively at DICK'S and Golf Galaxy starting March 18. DICK'S partnered with Designworks, a subsidiary of BMW Group, to develop a premium set of game improvement woods and irons for mid-to-high-handicap golfers that are offered at a lower price point than comparable products. One standout innovation is the TA1 Driver, featuring a DAT 55G titanium face, which is a high tensile strength material that provides longer distance and more forgiveness and is not widely available in the US market.

08:39 EDT Incyte to present 15 abstracts at AACR, including data from AXL/MER, TIM-3 - Incyte Corporation announces that 15 abstracts from its research and development portfolio will be presented at the upcoming 2018 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois from April 14-18. These abstracts include the first pre-clinical data from the company's recently announced AXL/MER, TIM-3 and LAG-3 antibody programs in patients with advanced solid tumors.

08:37 EDT Marrone Bio signs Zequanox distribution agreement with Solenis - Marrone Bio has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Solenis, a global expert in water treatment and process chemistries, to provide Zequanox molluscicide treatment programs for enclosed and semi-enclosed water systems in the U.S. and Canada. Zequanox molluscicide is a patented, naturally derived aquatic biopesticide that effectively controls all life stages of invasive zebra and quagga mussels. The molluscicide is manufactured by MBI, at the company's plant in Michigan and, now supplied exclusively by Solenis in the U.S. and Canada for industrial water applications. The cost for treating intake pipes, water filtration equipment, and power plants' operating costs for zebra mussel damages is estimated at $3.1B spent over 10 years. Zequanox is not genetically modified.

08:34 EDT Deciphera to present at American Association for Cancer Research - Deciphera announced that two abstracts highlighting DCC-2618, the company's KIT and PDGFRa inhibitor have been selected for presentation at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

08:33 EDT XPO Logistics named a superior supplier by Boeing - XPO Logistics (XPO) has been recognized for superior performance as a supplier of Boeing (BA). XPO received the 2017 Boeing Performance Excellence Award for its supply chain management services.

08:32 EDT Solarwindow board elects majority stockholder Harmel Rayat as chairman - SolarWindow Technologies announced the appointment of Mr. Harmel S. Rayat, company founder and longtime majority stockholder, as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Rayat's appointment follows a series of important SolarWindow announcements regarding the company's push to commercial production. Last week, SolarWindow announced a record-setting 34% power performance increase for its transparent electricity-generating glass. Just prior, a collaboration was announced with one of the world's leading suppliers of organic photovoltaic materials, Taiwan-based Raynergy Tek, in pursuit of high-volume production and enhanced transparency of SolarWindow products for tall towers and skyscrapers. SolarWindow also disclosed that it entered into a Process Integration and Production Agreement with suburban Los Angeles-based Triview Glass Industries, LLC. Initially working to establish manufacturing processes and a production line through this agreement, SolarWindow and Triview plan to fabricate specific SolarWindow electricity-generating glass products at commercial scale. Rayat is the company's majority stockholder, having invested over $11M in recent years.

08:31 EDT ViewRay receives Shonin approval for MRIdian Linac System - ViewRay announced that the company received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to market the MRIdian Linac System, the company's next-generation MRIdian System, featuring linear accelerator delivery. The MRIdian cobalt system received Shonin approval in August 2016. MRIdian is the first and only MRI-guided radiation therapy system to receive Shonin approval in Japan, the world's third largest market for radiation oncology. One MRIdian cobalt system is currently treating in Tokyo at the National Cancer Center and one is under installation at the private Edogawa Hospital. The MRIdian Linac System combines MR imaging with linear accelerator radiation delivery so clinicians can visualize the tumor and nearby soft tissue and organs in real-time. Like the MRIdian cobalt system, MRIdian Linac enables daily on-table adaptive radiotherapy and real-time tracking to adjust radiation beam delivery dynamically for subtle anatomical changes that may occur, both during treatment delivery and throughout the course of treatment. Combined, these capabilities provide the potential for clinicians to improve targeting precision and thus deliver higher radiation doses.

08:18 EDT Dow AgroScience and LenioBio reach agreement for protein production research - Proteins are the building blocks of science and the speed, quality and efficiency of protein production research is being advanced through an agreement between Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of DowDuPont, and life sciences startup LenioBio. The companies announce an exclusive license to enable LenioBio to utilize Dow AgroSciences' proprietary eukaryotic cell-free protein expression technology. LenioBio will market the innovation to biopharmaceutical developers under the brand name ALiCE. While cell-free protein expression done today enables protein chemists to quickly produce small amounts of proteins when screening DNA libraries, there is a need for higher protein expression yields. The higher production efficiencies gained by ALiCE will make it possible for biopharmaceutical researchers to detect a significantly higher number of candidates from each DNA library screened, eventually leading to a higher number of viable candidates for development. ALiCE also offers the option to produce larger quantities of proteins. This innovative cell-free protein expression system was developed by Dow AgroSciences in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME under a long-standing strategic alliance. This technology has been used successfully in agricultural research.

08:16 EDT Sears expands exclusive apparel lines with celebrity brand icon Jaclyn Smith - Sears is introducing the Jaclyn Smith Ready to Wear collection from celebrity branding pioneer Jaclyn Smith. The collection - inspired by Smith's everyday life with all women in mind, and perennially popular for decades at sister retailer Kmart - is available now with top items in select Sears nationwide and the full assortment at Sears.com/Jaclyn. The Jaclyn Smith Ready to Wear collection is known for its elegant, on-trend design and offers women affordable and timeless styles with print and color that feels cheerful, tasteful and occasionally bold. The Jaclyn Smith Ready to Wear collection is curated of classic, sophisticated clothing, with quality fabrics, and ease of fit - all starting at $10.00. The collection features elegant essentials - from comfortable knit separates to woven staples like her best-selling blouses that are must-haves for transitioning from daytime to evening. Other highlights include a stylish selection of celebration dresses featuring silhouettes like curvy sheaths and classic A-lines, as well as jeans, tees, swimsuits and more available online.

08:14 EDT TapImmune says Phase 1 trial of TPIV200 shows vaccination was well tolerated - TapImmune announced the publication of clinical data from a Phase 1 trial of TPIV200, the company's multi-epitope T-cell vaccine targeting Folate Receptor Alpha in patients with ovarian and breast cancer. The study by Kalli, Block, et al., titled, "Folate Receptor Alpha Peptide Vaccine Generates Immunity in Breast and Ovarian Cancer Patients," will be published in the leading peer-reviewed oncology journal Clinical Cancer Research and will be available online today. The results show that TPIV200 vaccination was well tolerated by all patients and over 90% developed robust and durable antigen-specific immune responses against FRa without regard for HLA type, which aligns with the intended mechanism of action of the vaccine. The Phase 1 study was not designed to show efficacy and involved a small number of patients. Yet, a retrospective analysis showed that among the subset of ovarian cancer patients who were vaccinated following a first remission, median progression-free survival was extended compared to published clinical results1 for a similar patient population that received standard of care chemotherapy. TapImmune has published a white paper that further details this preliminary data and its potential implications for the company's ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of TPIV200 in women with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

08:11 EDT Genomic says TAILORx results aid in assessing effect of chemotherapy in women - Genomic Health was informed by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group that the Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment, or TAILORx, has achieved sufficient information to render a conclusion regarding the effect of chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer patients with Recurrence Score results of 11 to 25. This primary study group represents approximately 100,000 women diagnosed each year in the United States alone. ECOG-ACRIN will be submitting the results as a late-breaking abstract for presentation at an upcoming major medical meeting. The TAILORx trial was independently designed and conducted by ECOG-ACRIN under the sponsorship of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The primary objective of TAILORx is to more precisely determine the effect of chemotherapy, if any, for women with node-negative, hormone receptor-positive disease and Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score results of 11 to 25. TAILORx is the largest adjuvant breast cancer treatment trial ever conducted, and enrolled 10,273 women with early-stage breast cancer across approximately 1,200 sites in the United States and five additional countries. Investigators used the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test on every patient to quantify individual risk of recurrence and assign treatment to determine whether chemotherapy would be beneficial or not. Based on previous studies, TAILORx participants with Recurrence Score results less than 11 were treated with hormonal therapy alone while those with Recurrence Score results greater than 25 were treated with chemotherapy plus hormonal therapy. To more precisely define the effect of chemotherapy for women considered to be at intermediate risk for recurrence, more than 6,700 women with Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score results of 11 to 25, the primary study group, were randomized to receive hormonal therapy with or without chemotherapy. These randomized patients comprised 65 percent of all TAILORx patients and were followed for approximately nine years on average. All five adult cancer research groups in the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network enrolled patients in the trial. These groups include ECOG-ACRIN, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, NRG Oncology, SWOG and the Canadian Cancer Trials Group. Leading breast cancer advocacy organizations, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen and the National Breast Cancer Coalition, also supported the trial.

08:10 EDT Ovid Therapeutics' OV101 granted Fast Track designation for Fragile X syndrome - Ovid Therapeutics announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to OV101 for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome. OV101 is a delta-selective GABAA receptor agonist that targets the disruption of tonic inhibition, a central physiological process of the brain that is thought to be the underlying cause of Fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Ovid recently completed a Phase 1 PK and safety study in patients with Fragile X syndrome and Angelman syndrome, demonstrating that OV101 has a similar safety and tolerability profile in adolescents as in young adults. Ovid is moving forward with the clinical development program in Fragile X syndrome and intends to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in 2018, investigating OV101 for the treatment of males ages 13 to 22 diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome. In addition to Fragile X syndrome, Ovid is also developing OV101 for the treatment of Angelman syndrome. Topline data from the company's Phase 2 STARS clinical trial investigating OV101 for the treatment of adults and adolescents with Angelman syndrome are expected in 2H18.

08:08 EDT Tocagen to present preliminary Toca 6 Phase 1 data at AACR meeting - Tocagen announced preliminary data from the Toca 6 Phase 1 study in advanced solid tumors will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018, held April 14-18 in Chicago. New data from Tocagen's Phase 1 resection trial demonstrating the immune profile of the tumor microenvironment helps predict response in patients with high-grade glioma receiving Toca 511 & Toca FC will also be presented.

08:05 EDT Perry Ellis: Continuing to evaluate George Feldenkreis proposal

08:05 EDT Activision Blizzard announces esports leadership roles - Activision Blizzard announced that it has filled three key esports leadership roles for Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. Daniel Cherry has joined as CMO, Marc Kolin has come on board as VPt of finance & strategy, and Brandon Snow has been tapped for the role of CRO. The three bring a wealth of experience from traditional sports, entertainment, and venue management, and will be supporting several esports goals and initiatives, from viewership and brand awareness to financial oversight and reporting to commercialization and corporate partnerships.

08:04 EDT Biogen to present data in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's at AAT-AD/PD - Biogen will present data from its portfolio of investigational therapies for people with neurodegenerative diseases at the Advances in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Therapies, or AAT-AD/PD, Focus Meeting in Torino, Italy. AAT-AD/PD is a new joint meeting between the International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on Advances in Alzheimer's Therapy and AD/PD. Alessandro Padovani M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and director of the Institute of Neurology at the Universita degli Studi di Brescia, will open the meeting discussing the importance of early identification and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. His discussion will include Centiloid, a method used to standardize the aducanumab Phase 1b study amyloid PET results as previously measured by the composite Standardized Uptake Value Ratio. At 54 weeks, the treatment group receiving the highest dose of aducanumab experienced a 69% reduction from baseline in amyloid plaque as observed on the Centiloid Conversion scale. There was no change from baseline in the placebo arm. In the Phase 1b long-term extension , the most commonly reported adverse events were headache, fall, and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. Of the 185 patients dosed with aducanumab in the Phase 1b study, 46 patients experienced ARIA-E. There were no new cases of ARIA-E in patients who continued on the same dose of aducanumab.

08:03 EDT Selecta Biosciences sees cash and equivalents sufficient into mid-2019

07:55 EDT Harvest Capital Credit delays form 10-K filing, postpones earnings release - Harvest Capital Credit announced that it will delay filing its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The company has filed a Form 12b-25, Notification of Late Filing, with the SEC which allows the company to extend the deadline to file its Form 10-K. The Form 12b-25, among other things, addresses the reasons for the delayed filing. The company now plans to report financial results for the fiscal quarter and year ended December 31, 2017, and to hold a conference call to discuss the results, on March 30, 2018. Further information about the conference call will be provided in advance of that date.

07:48 EDT Garmin introduces ultra high-definition scanning sonar - Garmin announced ultra high-definition scanning sonar, a new technology that uses a higher frequency range to deliver "stunningly" clear images and detail of structure and fish below and around the boat at greater depths. Clarity and detail of fish, rocks, brush piles, structure and beyond are redefined with this new scanning sonar system that includes ultra high-definition ClearVu and ultra high-definition SideVu sonar with frequencies ranging from .8 to 1.2 MHz. The superior ClearVu image clarity lets anglers see up to 200 feet below the boat.

07:41 EDT Alexion jumps after blood disorder drug succeeds in head-to-head trial - Shares of Alexion jumped in pre-market trading after the company said its rare blood disorder drug was successful in a late-stage study. WHAT'S NEW: The drug, ALXN1210, was being tested against another drug, Soliris, in a Phase 3 study in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH. ALXN1210 was shown to be non-inferior to Soliris, achieving the co-primary endpoints of transfusion avoidance and normalization of lactate dehydrogenase, or LDH, levels, a direct marker of complement-mediated hemolysis in PNH. ALXN1210 also demonstrated non-inferiority to Soliris on all four key secondary endpoints. Detailed results will be submitted for presentation at a future medical conference, the company said, adding that it is planning regulatory submissions in the U.S., EU and Japan in the second half of 2018. EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY: "We are very pleased with these positive data for ALXN1210 in the first and only head-to-head study versus Soliris, and the results reinforce our ambition to establish ALXN1210 as the new standard of care for patients with PNH," said John Orloff, EVP and Alexion's head of research and development. Orloff added, "The data are also consistent with our hypothesis that immediate, complete, and sustained C5 inhibition is critical for patients with this potentially life-threatening disease... Soliris has established a high bar for efficacy. Achieving non-inferiority on both co-primary and all key secondary endpoints, as well as seeing numeric results in favor of ALXN1210, in such a rigorous study met a very high hurdle." PRICE ACTION: Alexion is up nearly 5% to $128.50 per share in pre-market trading.

07:36 EDT LightInTheBox establishes experimental cryptocurrency mining operation - LightInTheBox Holding announced that it has established an experimental cryptocurrency mining operation in North America. The company's experimental cryptocurrency mining operation is composed of a group of powerful GPU-based specialized computers that participate in a decentralized cryptocurrency system. The computers compute algorithmic results to support the system and in turn earn yields overtime, in the form of the corresponding cryptocurrency. LightInTheBox established the experimental mining operation in a strategically selected North American region with an ample and economical supply of renewable energy.

07:34 EDT M III Acquisition announces new meeting date for special meeting of stockholders - M III Acquisition announced that it has moved the special meeting of its stockholders to approve the proposed business combination with IEA Energy Services. The Special Meeting was previously scheduled for March 15, 2018 but has been rescheduled to March 20, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at the offices of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10105. The deadline for stockholders to exercise their redemption rights with respect to shares of MIII's common stock was 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on March 8, 2018. The record date for the Special Meeting has not changed, and thus only MIII stockholders of record as of the close of business on Friday, February 9, 2018 will be entitled to vote the shares of common stock owned by them on the record date at the Special Meeting.

07:33 EDT Alliance Data reports February net charge offs 6.9% vs. 6.8% last month - Reports February delinquency rate 5.6% vs. 5.1% last year.

07:25 EDT Energy Transfer Partners, Satellite form joint venture for U.S. export terminal - Energy Transfer Partners and Satellite Petrochemical have entered into definitive agreements to form a joint venture, Orbit Gulf Coast NGL Exports with the purpose of constructing a new export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast to provide ethane to Satellite for consumption at their ethane cracking facilities in China. Orbit will also construct a 20-inch ethane pipeline originating at ETP's Mont Belvieu Fractionators that will make deliveries to Orbit's ethane export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast as well as domestic markets in the region. At the terminal, Orbit will construct an 800,000 barrel refrigerated ethane storage tank and a 175,000 barrel per day ethane refrigeration facility. ETP will be the operator of the Orbit assets. Additionally, ETP will construct and wholly own the infrastructure that is required to both supply ethane to the pipeline and to load the ethane on to Very Large Ethane Carriers destined for Satellite's newly constructed ethane crackers in China's Jiangsu Province. Subject to Chinese governmental approval, it is anticipated that the Orbit export terminal will be ready for commercial service in Q4 of 2020. As part of these agreements, ETP and Satellite also executed agreements for the sale of ethane at the terminal. ETP will provide Satellite with approximately 150,000 barrels per day of ethane under a long-term, demand-based agreement. ETP will also provide storage and marketing services for Satellite.

07:15 EDT Roadrunner announces integration, rebranding of operating companies - Roadrunner Transportation Systems announced the integration and rebranding of several operating companies into its Ascent Global Logistics operating segment. The increased size and scale of Ascent Global Logistics is designed to drive operational improvements and further the execution of world-class client solutions. Operating companies to rebrand include Ascent's Domestic Freight Management companies, Capital Transportation Logistics, Great Northern Transportation Services, Group Transportation Services and MESCA Freight Services, as well as its International Freight Forwarding company, Marisol International. Ascent's Retail Consolidation company, Prime Distribution Services, will remain co-branded with Ascent Global Logistics. The Roadrunner Truckload Plus brokerage offering will also rebrand to Ascent Global Logistics and will fully integrate into the existing Domestic Freight Management business. The combined Ascent Global Logistics business represents annual revenue in excess of $550M with over 7,500 customers and 24 company offices throughout the United States. This integration will enable Ascent Global Logistics to strengthen its truckload brokerage capabilities providing stronger solutions for clients while simultaneously making it easier for Roadrunner Truckload Plus customers to benefit from Ascent's LTL, international and retail consolidation solutions and expertise. Chris Cook, current President of Roadrunner Truckload Plus, will assume responsibility of the fully-integrated Ascent Domestic Freight Management team. Current business leaders in Ascent's Domestic Freight Management companies will take on expanded roles in the newly combined business platform. Micah Holst will continue to serve as President of the Ascent International Freight Forwarding business and Bill Vechiarella will remain President of Prime Distribution Services. Both will work closely with Cook and Goodgion on new business and cross-solution client opportunities. Existing customer and agent relationships will not be impacted by the business integration.

07:09 EDT Central Garden & Pet to acquire General Pet Supply - Central Garden & Pet announced it has signed a binding agreement to acquire all business assets of General Pet Supply, a leading Midwestern U.S. supplier of pet food and supplies. Central previously had a partnership alliance with General Pet Supply serving different regions of the country. The acquisition is expected to close in early April.

07:08 EDT SJW Group, Connecticut Water names Eric Thornburg CEO of combined company - SJW Group (SJW) and Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) announced that both companies' boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine through a merger of equals to create the 3rd largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in the United States, based on pro forma enterprise value and combined rate base. The combined company will be led by an experienced Board of Directors and leadership team that leverages the strengths and capabilities of its subsidiaries. All utility and operating subsidiaries will continue under existing local leadership and brand names - San Jose Water, SJWTX, Inc., SJW Land Company, Connecticut Water Company, Maine Water Company, Avon Water Company and Heritage Village Water Company. Upon closing of the transaction, the Board of Directors of the combined company will consist of 12 directors, with seven directors appointed by SJW Group and five directors, including the Lead Independent Director, appointed by Connecticut Water. Eric W. Thornburg will serve as Chairman, President and CEO of the newly-merged company. David C. Benoit will serve as President, New England Region, overseeing the New England operations, including Connecticut Water. In addition, Andrew R. Gere will continue serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of San Jose Water, Thomas Hodge will continue serving as President of SJWTX, Inc. and Richard Knowlton will continue serving as President of Maine Water Company. James Lynch will serve as Chief Financial Officer of the newly combined company, Kristen Johnson will serve as Chief Human Resource Officer, Suzy Papazian will serve as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Andrew Walters will serve as Chief Administrative Officer and Maureen Westbrook will serve as Senior Vice President of External Affairs. The combined company's headquarters will be located in San Jose, CA, with the New England headquarters located in Clinton, CT. The transaction, which is expected to close by year-end 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, including the approval of the issuance of shares in the transaction by SJW Group stockholders, the approval of Connecticut Water shareholders, the approvals of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the approval of the Federal Communications Commission, and the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The transaction is not subject to any financing condition.

07:03 EDT StarTek announces agreement to combine with Aegis - StarTek has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Capital Square Partners for a strategic transaction involving CSP portfolio company, ESM Holdings Limited, or Aegis, a global business service provider of customer experience management. Under the terms of the agreement, STARTEK will issue CSP 20.6 million shares of its common stock in exchange for all the outstanding common stock of Aegis. Concurrently, CSP or an affiliate will further increase its investment in STARTEK by purchasing 833,333 primary shares of STARTEK common stock at closing at $12 per share, representing a $10 million investment2. STARTEK common stock closed at a price of $10.53 per share on March 14, 2018. Post transaction, CSP is expected to own approximately 55% of the combined company, and STARTEK shareholders are expected to own approximately 45% of the combined company. CSP will also have the right to appoint a majority of the combined company's board of directors. The companies' integration plans and leadership structure are nearing completion and will be announced by STARTEK in connection with the preparation and filing of its proxy statement to solicit stockholder approval of the combination transaction. This transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both companies, and is expected to close no later than the third quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval and approval of the transaction by STARTEK shareholders. Key shareholders of STARTEK, reflecting ownership of approximately ~30% of its outstanding common stock, have agreed to support and vote in favor of the transaction. William Blair & Company acted as STARTEK's financial advisor and Jenner & Block LLP acted as STARTEK's legal counsel. Shearman & Sterling LLP acted as legal counsel for CSP.

07:03 EDT Target, Shipt to launch same-day delivery in Washington D.C., Baltimore - Shipt and Target announced they will begin same-day delivery of more than 55,000 groceries, essentials, home, electronics, toys and other products in two East Coast cities. Beginning March 29, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Cumulatively, the new partnership gives nearly 2.9 million households across these two cities access to Target products delivered by Shipt in as little as one hour. To celebrate the launch, new members who sign up prior to March 29 will receive an annual membership for $49, regularly $99.

07:00 EDT Ionis and Akcea Therapeutics partner to market Inotersen for hATTR - Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA), an affiliate of Ionis, announced an exclusive, worldwide license by Ionis to Akcea for inotersen and AKCEA-TTR-LRx, formerly IONIS-TTR-LRx, in a transaction potentially worth up to approximately $1.7B to Ionis plus profit sharing payments. The newly combined Akcea team is preparing to launch inotersen in the U.S. and EU following planned approvals in mid-2018 to treat people with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, or hATTR, a systemic, progressive and fatal disease. AKCEA-TTR-LRx is planned to enter clinical development in 2018. As part of the collaboration, the inotersen commercial team is joining Akcea. Sarah Boyce, currently Ionis' chief business officer, will join Akcea as president and take a seat on the Akcea board of directors upon closing. Under the agreement, Akcea will pay Ionis an upfront licensing fee of $150M, payable in shares of common stock priced by reference to a recent trading average. Akcea will have rights to commercialize inotersen and AKCEA-TTR-LRx globally. To support commercialization of inotersen, Ionis will purchase $200M of Akcea common stock priced by reference to a recent trading average. Upon closing this transaction, Ionis' ownership in Akcea will increase by 7%, from 68% to 75%, totaling 64,114,545 shares. Regulatory approval of inotersen and AKCEA-TTR-LRx in the U.S. and EU will trigger milestone payments to Ionis of $50M and $40M, respectively, with additional milestone payments due upon approval of both programs in various other geographies. The license for the two drugs also includes various sales milestone payments of up to nearly $1.3B. The transaction is expected to close in Q2, assuming satisfaction of certain conditions.

06:50 EDT J.Jill CEO Paula Benett retiring April 16, succeeded by Linda Heasley - J.Jill President and CEO and Director Paula Bennett will retire. Bennett will be succeeded by Linda Heasley, who currently serves on the Board of Directors, effective April 16. Bennett will work closely with Heasley and the leadership team to ensure a smooth transition. Heasley has served on the Board of J.Jill since March 2017 and most recently served as CEO of The Honey Baked Ham Company since February 2017. Prior to joining HoneyBaked Ham, she served as CEO and President of Lane Bryant, a specialty size apparel brand, from 2013 to 2017.

06:36 EDT Donnelley Financial announces new strategic agreement with MSCI - Donnelley Financial Solutions (DFIN) announced a new strategic arrangement with MSCI (MSCI). With the SEC's reporting modernization rules, which go into effect on June 1, U.S. mutual funds and other registered investment funds are required to gather more extensive information at a higher frequency, including additional reference and taxonomy data and risk metrics, to meet their monthly Form N-PORT requirements. Under the agreement, MSCI will provide financial market data and risk metrics that will feed into Donnelley Financial Solutions' ArcFiling data platform to streamline the reporting process and help support compliance.

06:33 EDT LSC Communications awarded multi-year logistics agreement with Bauer Media USA - LSC Communications has signed multi-year, multi-million-dollar agreements with Bauer Media Group USA to provide distribution and cooperative mailing services for Bauer's magazines sold through retail and subscription channels. LSC's logistics planning system and cooperative mailing platform will aim to help Bauer achieve optimal delivery costs and qualify for the best possible postal rates for the publisher's magazine circulation. The Bauer Media Group is Europe's largest privately owned publishing Group.

06:21 EDT Norfolk Southern sees Q1 operating expenses about $50M above prior forecast - As part of yesterday's J.P. Morgan Aviation, Transportation & Industrials Conference slides, Norfolk Southern saw "lower velocity" leading to an increase expenses of approximately $50 million. The company also stated that "intermodal strength continues, export coal remains robust, and RPU is affected by strength in Intermodal and declines in Merchandise." Reference Link

06:20 EDT iHeartMedia, certain units commence Chapter 11 proceedings - iHeartMedia (IHRT) announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with holders of more than $10 billion of its outstanding debt and its financial sponsors. The agreement reflects widespread support across the capital structure for a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that will reduce iHeartMedia's debt by more than $10B. iHeartMedia will continue operating the business in the ordinary course as a leading global multi-platform media, entertainment and data company. To implement the balance sheet restructuring contemplated by the agreement in principle, iHeartMedia and certain of its subsidiaries, including iHeartCommunications, Inc., have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (CCO) and its subsidiaries did not commence Chapter 11 proceedings. The company has filed with the Bankruptcy Court a series of customary motions seeking to maintain business-as-usual operations and uphold its commitments to its valued employees and other stakeholders during the process. These "first day" motions, which the Company expects to be granted in short order, will help facilitate a smooth transition into Chapter 11. iHeartMedia believes that its cash on hand, together with cash generated from ongoing operations, will be sufficient to fund and support the business during the Chapter 11 proceedings.

06:16 EDT JPMorgan reports February net credit losses 2.28% vs. 2.40% last month - Reports February 30-plus day delinquencies 1.24% vs. 1.21% last month.

06:13 EDT Dril-Quip former CFO Jerry Brooks to retire - Dril-Quip announced that Jerry Brooks will retire effective March 30. Brooks, began his tenure at Dril-Quip as the company's CAO in February 1992 before assuming the position of CFO in 1999. He was named VP, finance and CFO in 2007. Brooks served in that position until he transitioned into his current role as VP of investor relations in March 2017.

06:08 EDT Microsoft: Machine translation system can translate news from Chinese to English - A team of Microsoft researchers said Wednesday that they believe they have created the first machine translation system that can translate sentences of news articles from Chinese to English with the same quality and accuracy as a person.Researchers in the company's Asia and U.S. labs said that their system achieved human parity on a commonly used test set of news stories, called newstest2017, which was developed by a group of industry and academic partners and released at a research conference called WMT17 last fall. To ensure the results were both accurate and on par with what people would have done, the team hired external bilingual human evaluators, who compared Microsoft's results to two independently produced human reference translations. Reference Link

06:06 EDT Capital One reports February net charge-offs 5.16% vs. 5.33% last month - Reports February 30-plus day performing delinquencies 3.92% vs. 4.11% last month.