Stockwinners Market Radar for March 19, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:54 EDT Medifast director Connolly sells 7,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Medifast director Charles P. Connolly disclosed the sale of 7,500 common shares of the company at a price of $89.31 per share.

18:07 EDT PNM Resources sees 6.8% annual EPS growth in FY18-FY21 - Comments from the company's UBS EuropeanTour investor slides.

17:49 EDT Sigma Designs fall almost 1% after disclosing preliminary results - Shares are down 0.83% to $6.00 per share in after-hours trading.

17:41 EDT VSE Corp. awarded $28.5M task order - VSE Corporation was recently awarded a task order under the United States Air Force Contract Field Teams Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract, supporting the 314th Air Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base in Little Rock, Arkansas. This task order consists of a one year base period of performance with one one-year option period and an additional six-month option period, and total potential value of $28.5M.

17:32 EDT Oracle says autonomous database to accelerate tech ecosystem growth

17:26 EDT Oracle says bulk of bookings not from traditional user base

17:26 EDT SandRidge Energy rejects Midstates Petroleum's combination offer - SandRidge Energy announced that its board, after careful consideration and a detailed technical and financial review, has rejected Midstates Petroleum's unsolicited public offer to combine the two companies in a stock for stock merger at a 60%/40% exchange ratio. The company engaged RBC Capital Markets as its financial advisor with respect to these matters. After extensive analysis, SandRidge has concluded that the relative asset values of the two companies do not support a combination effected at current stock prices. The decision was primarily based on significantly differing opinions of Midstates' proven oil and gas reserves, largely related to the assessment of the number of economically viable drilling locations at current oil and gas prices. SandRidge recognizes the combination would likely result in meaningful synergies given the expectation that SandRidge could efficiently absorb Midstates' assets and operations with limited incremental expense. However, the company does not support Midstates' estimate that the combined business plan would result in generally flat production and free cash flow of $320M-$400M, over the four year period from 2019 to 2022. For these and other reasons, SandRidge has concluded that accepting Midstates' proposal would be highly dilutive and not in the best long-term interests of SandRidge stockholders.

17:23 EDT Celanese drops merger pact with Blackstone's Rhodia Acetow business - Celanese Corporation (CE) announced that it is abandoning its merger agreement with Blackstone's (BX) Rhodia Acetow business and that the two parties have withdrawn their notification of the proposed joint venture from the European Commission. The parties were unable to reach an agreement with the European Commission on acceptable conditions to allow the proposed joint venture to proceed. "We are disappointed with the approach that the European Commission has taken on this case and we will be reviewing our strategic options," said Mark Rohr, chairman and chief executive officer. "Celanese will continue to meet customer current and evolving needs efficiently while providing the highest level of quality and service." The companies announced plans on June 18, 2017, to combine the Cellulose Derivatives business of Celanese with Rhodia Acetow to create synergies in the acetate tow market. Competition approval, without any divestitures, was granted in Mexico, Turkey, China, and Russia. The European Commission required excessive divestitures that would have undermined the benefits of the transaction.

17:21 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - HIGHER: Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA), up 24.6% after it said that its ulcerative colitis drug met its primary, secondary, and clinical remission endpoints in a Phase 2 trial... Finjan Holdings (FNJN), up 11.7% after Halcyon Long reported a 14.2% stake in the company and said it may seek talks with the company and its board... Endologix (ELGX), up 8.2% after it reported "positive" results from its ENCORE analysis with EVAR... Timken (TKR), up 6.2% after it raised its outlook for 2018... Marinus Pharmaceuticals (MRNS), up 5.9% after Mizuho initiated coverage of the stock with a Buy rating... Blackberry (BB), up 5.4% after it announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft (MSFT). DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Oracle (ORCL), down 6.1%. ALSO LOWER: Proteostasis (PTI), down 7.4% after it filed to sell 9M shares of common stock... GlycoMimetics (GLYC), down 6.4% after it filed to sell 4.5M shares of common stock.

17:18 EDT Armistice Capital reports 9.99% passive stake in Alphatec

17:17 EDT Oracle CEO Hurd: Pipeline is at record level

17:16 EDT Oracle sees Q4 adjusted effective tax rate 20% - Sees FY19 effective tax rate 19.5%.

17:13 EDT Krystal Biotech CEO Krish Krishnan buys $550,000 in company shares - Krystal Biotech CEO Krish Krishnan disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 50,000 shares or $550,000 in company shares on March 19.

17:10 EDT Oracle says expects operating margins to continue to expand - Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:04 EDT Halcyon Long reports 14.2% stake in Finjan Holdings, says shares undervalued - In a regulatory filing, Halcyon Long Duration Recoveries Management disclosed a 14.2% stake in Finjan Holdings, saying it acquired the shares in the belief that the securities were undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity. Going Forward, Halcyon Long said it may have conversations with members of the company's management team and members of its board regarding multiple topics, including, but not limited to, corporate governance and the composition of the board, including potentially seeking a board seat, general business operations and strategic alternatives to promote long-term value for the benefit of all shareholders.

16:56 EDT Zoetis VP Heidi Chen sells 7,383 shares of company stock - In a regulatory filing out after the close on Monday Heidi Chen, a Vice President, at Zoetis disclosed the sale of 7,383 shares of Zoetis at an average price of $84.71 per share for a total value of $625,414. The sale took place on March 16.

16:50 EDT Biotechnology Value Fund reports 6.7% passive stake in Corvus Pharmaceuticals

16:48 EDT Bain Capital lowers stake in Rapid7 to 7% from 9%

16:37 EDT Gulf Island Fabrication gets construction awards with U.S. Navy, terms not given - Gulf Island Fabrication announced that, through its subsidiary Gulf Island Shipyards, L.L.C., it has signed a contract for the construction and delivery of one (1) Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship Vessel with the U.S. Navy with an option for seven (7) additional vessels. Revenue backlog and man-hours estimates associated with this project will be included in the company's financial results for the quarter ending March 31, 2018. In addition to this award, Gulf Island, L.L.C., our fabrication subsidiary, has signed a contract with U.S. Wind, Inc. for one (1) MET tower and platform for its offshore wind project located off the U.S. coast of Maryland.

16:34 EDT KKR and Venado acquire Eagle Ford assets of Cabot Oil & Gas for $765M - Venado Oil and Gas and KKR (KKR) announced that they have closed on the acquisition of the operated and non-operated Eagle Ford assets of Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (COG) for a purchase price of $765M, subject to customary closing adjustments. Venado and KKR acquired interests which include approximately 303 gross/203 net wells and 74,400 net acres situated primarily in the Eagle Ford oil window of South Texas. During Q4, the assets produced 15,656 net barrels of oil equivalent per day.

16:33 EDT Campbell Soup says President of Americas Simple Meals and Beverages to leave - Campbell Soup announced that, effective April 2, Mark Alexander, President of Americas Simple Meals and Beverages, will leave the company to pursue other opportunities. Alexander has led both developed and emerging markets businesses for Campbell, including operations in Asia Pacific, Australia, Europe and North America. He began his career with Campbell in Toronto as an assistant brand manager.

16:31 EDT Colgate-Palmolive recommends holders reject 'mini-tender' offer by Baker Mills - Colgate-Palmolive received notification from Baker Mills that it had increased the number of shares subject to Baker Mills's "mini-tender" offer to purchase shares of outstanding common stock of Colgate from 45,000 shares to 100,000 shares, representing approximately 0.0114% of the Company's outstanding common stock as of January 31, 2018. Baker Mills's offer price of $57.00 continues to represent a significant discount from the current market price of Colgate's common stock - approximately 18% less than the $69.27 and $69.62 closing prices per share of Colgate's common stock on March 2, 2018 and on March 16, 2018, the last trading day before the mini-tender offer commenced and the day on which Colgate received notification of the increase in the number of shares sought, respectively. Colgate does not endorse Baker Mills's mini-tender offer and continues to recommend that Colgate stockholders do not tender their shares in response to the offer because the offer is at a price below the current market price for Colgate's shares. Colgate also continues to recommend that any stockholders who have tendered shares to Baker Mills withdraw those shares by providing the written notice described in the offering documentation before the expiration of the offer, which is currently scheduled for 5:00pm New York time on April 4, 2018. Colgate is not associated with Baker Mills, its mini-tender offer or the offer documentation.

16:30 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

16:26 EDT WageWorks provides update on Form 10-K filing - WageWorks provided an update regarding its Form 10-K for FY17. As reported by WageWorks on March 2, the company was unable to file its Form 10-K within the prescribed time period without unreasonable effort or expense. The extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 expired on March 16. As disclosed in the Form 12b-25, the company did not expect to file the Form 10-K by the prescribed due date allowed pursuant to Rule 12b-25. The company continues to work diligently to complete the preparation of its consolidated financial statements in order to be in a position to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for FY17 with the SEC as soon as possible. The company also announced that, as expected, it has received a notice from the NYSE indicating that the company is not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing requirements under the timely filing criteria outlined in Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual as a result of the company's failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for FY17. The NYSE informed the company that, under the NYSE's rules, the company will have six months from March 16 to file the Form 10-K with the SEC. The company can regain compliance with the NYSE continued listing requirements at any time before that date by filing the Form 10-K with the SEC.

16:24 EDT Waha Capital lowers stake in AerCap to 15.1% from 15.5%

16:19 EDT Northern Oil and Gas sees Q1 output up 5%-6% from Q4 and raises FY18 view - Northern Oil and Gas announced Q1 production estimate and increased full year 2018 production guidance. The company is expecting Q1 average daily production to increase by 5% to 6% over fourth quarter 2017, a sequential increase of nearly 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Northern Oil and Gas is also raising full year 2018 production guidance- now expecting average daily production to increase by 18% to 22% over 2017, compared to prior guidance indicating a 16% to 20% increase. Northern added a total of 3.6 net wells to production in January and February; continues to expect to add between 20 and 22 net wells to production during 2018.

16:18 EDT RPM unit acquires Miracle Sealants Company, terms not disclosed - RPM International announced that its Rust-Oleum Group has acquired Miracle Sealants Company, a manufacturer of sealers, cleaners, polishes and related products primarily for tile and natural stone. Based in Arcadia, Calif., Miracle Sealants has annual net sales of approximately $25M. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to be accretive to earnings within one year, excluding one-time, transaction-related costs, were not disclosed.

16:17 EDT U.S. Silica to sell transload assets to CIG Logistics for $75M in cash - U.S. Silica Holdings announced that is has signed an agreement to sell three transloads located in the Permian, Eagle Ford and Appalachian Basins to CIG Logistics for $75M in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of this month, pending financing. The three facilities are located near Odessa, Texas, San Antonio, Texas and Benwood, W. Va., and comprise approximately 70 thousand tons of storage capacity. As part of the agreement, U.S. Silica will continue to service customer needs through the transloads, which CIG will now own and operate.

16:16 EDT Toro Company acquires L.T. Rich Products, terms not disclosed - The Toro Company announced that it has acquired L.T. Rich Products, a leading manufacturer of commercial zero-turn spreader/sprayers, aerators and snow and ice management equipment. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. L.T. Rich Products is known for its industry-leading Z-Spray line of stand-on spreader/sprayers for landscape contractors and grounds professionals. With five models designed to tackle properties of all sizes, these high-capacity, zero-turn machines are built for productivity, durability and precise application. Other products include the Z-Plug stand-on aerator that is designed to convert to a slicer/seeder, snow plow or dethatching rake, and the stand-on Snowrator for snow and ice management.

16:13 EDT PetIQ expands board to eight members - PetIQ announced the expansion of its board from six to eight members with the appointments of Susan Sholtis and Larry Bird as independent directors, effective March 15. Sholtis and Bird will serve as members of PetIQ's compensation and audit committee, respectively.

16:12 EDT AmpliPhi to collaborate with Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead - AmpliPhi Biosciences announced a collaboration with the Western Sydney Local Health District and the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, based in Sydney, Australia. The agreement covers compassionate use treatment of patients with severe Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections with AmpliPhi's investigational bacteriophage therapeutics AB-SA01 and AB-PA01. To date, several critically ill patients have received AB-SA01 or AB-PA01 at the Westmead Hospital, under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's Special Access Scheme guidelines. In January, AmpliPhi announced positive interim results from the first patients treated under its single-patient expanded access program, including patients treated at the Westmead Hospital. This new agreement will expand and is expected to accelerate the collaboration to supply AB-SA01 and AB-PA01 for additional patients with serious and life-threatening infections, who do not respond to antibiotics, while collecting clinical and microbiological data.

16:10 EDT Bill Barrett to change name to HighPoint Resources on March 20 - Bill Barrett announced that it has completed its strategic combination with Fifth Creek Energy Company. In conjunction with the closing, the company will change its name to HighPoint Resources Corporation and will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the new symbol "HPR" on March 20.

16:06 EDT Arena says ulcerative colitis drug met endpoints in Phase 2 trial - Arena Pharmaceuticals announced topline Phase 2 results from the Oasis trial for etrasimod, an investigational, once-daily, orally administered, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator in development for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Patients receiving the 2 mg dose of etrasimod achieved statistically significant improvements versus placebo in the primary, all secondary, and clinical remission endpoints. Relative to placebo, there was a statistically significant 0.99 point improvement in a 3-componen Mayo Clinic Score with etrasimod 2 mg at week 12, the company said. In the 1 mg group, there was a 0.43 point improvement in 3-component Mayo Clinic Score at week 12 relative to placebo, which was not statistically significant. Significantly more patients in the etrasimod 2 mg group achieved endoscopic improvement compared with placebo, it added. The proportion of patients achieving clinical remission, defined by the 3-component Mayo Clinic Score, was 33.0% in the etrasimod 2 mg group compared to 8.1% for the placebo group (p less than 0.001). Remission as defined by the 4-component Total Mayo Clinic Score was 24.5% and 6.0% for etrasimod 2 mg and placebo, respectively. Etrasimod was well tolerated and there were fewer patients with serious adverse events compared to placebo, according to Arena. Impact on heart rate and atrioventricular conduction was low throughout the study with no discontinuations from study related to bradycardia or AV block. There were no increases in liver function tests compared to placebo and no reports of macular edema or pulmonary function test abnormalities. The Company plans to present full study results at future medical congresses. Preston Klassen, M.D., M.H.S., Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals, said, "We believe these data support proceeding to a Phase 3 program in ulcerative colitis and continuing efforts to understand the broad potential utility of etrasimod in other immune and inflammatory diseases with significant unmet needs. Along with the positive Phase 2 results for ralinepag reported last year, this important milestone for the Company further amplifies our conviction in Arena's internally discovered and developed compounds and their potential to be best-in-class."

16:05 EDT Oracle reports Q3 short-term deferred revenues up 8% to $8B - Operating cash flow on a trailing twelve-month basis was up 13% to $15.2B.

16:04 EDT Oracle reports Q3 adjusted operating margin 44%

16:03 EDT Oracle reports Q3 Cloud and On-Premise Software revenues up 8% to $8B

16:02 EDT RLJ Entertainment special committee engages advisors - RLJ Entertainment announced that the company's special committee of independent directors has retained Allen & Company as its financial advisor and Greenberg Traurig as its legal counsel to assist the special committee in connection with its consideration, review, evaluation and negotiation of the previously announced proposal from AMC Networks (AMCX) to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of RLJE not currently owned by AMC Networks or entities affiliated with Robert Johnson, chairman of RLJ Entertainment's board.

16:00 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals trading halted, news pending

15:41 EDT Ferrellgas Partners expects minimal impact from revised policy by FERC - Ferrellgas Partners announced that it expects minimal, if any, impact from last week's revised policy statement by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC. As stated in the ruling, FERC's jurisdiction is limited to MLPs that own interstate pipelines, a group that does not include Ferrellgas.

15:33 EDT CACI 'confident' CSRA acquisition proposal is 'superior' - CACI International (CACI) provided detailed information for its shareholders regarding its proposal to acquire all outstanding shares of CSRA Inc. (CSRA), a provider of next-generation IT solutions and professional services to government organizations, for $44.00 per share in cash and stock. "This transaction is about growth and represents a transformation of two companies that will reshape the entire government solutions and services industry," CACI said. "Combining the long- term customer relationships and unique capabilities of both companies, our vision is to create a new kind of company, with the depth and breadth of capabilities required to meet the evolving requirements of any customer, current or in the future. In light of recent increased government spending in many of our markets, the combination of CACI and CSRA would allow CACI's and CSRA's shareholders to participate in the long-term value creation of the combined company." The terms of CACI's proposal include: A net synergies target of $165M, which is based on readily identifiable opportunities and consistent with synergies achieved in precedent transactions; the proposal is expected to be neutral to CACI's FY19 EPS, and accretive in its FY2020; the propsal is structured to provide CSRA holders with "immediate upside" from equity participation in the substantial value creation of the combined entity, while still delivering superior economic value than the GD proposal at a CACI share price of $140 or higher; and the proposal of $44 per share factors in the break-up fee of $204M. "We are confident that this is a superior proposal and look forward to negotiating any of the specific points of our proposal to help CSRA and their Board determine likewise," CACI said. "Operationally, we expect to experience substantial diversity across our customer set including an improved footprint in the Department of Defense, especially in areas of electronic warfare, cloud-based solutions, data analytics, machine learning, cyber and readiness and training," the company added. "Further, we expect greater margin contribution as roughly 60% of our contract base will be firm fixed price and time and material structures. Finally, our combined roughly $29B total backlog position with combined total awards over the last twelve months of about $14B and a pipeline of over $19B provides a significant foundation for future growth buoyed by important customer past performance."

14:48 EDT Facebook taps Stroz Friedberg to audit Cambridge Analytica - Facebook said it has hired a digital forensics firm, Stroz Friedberg, to conduct a comprehensive audit of Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica has agreed to comply and afford the firm complete access to their servers and systems. The company said it has approached the other parties involved - Christopher Wylie and Aleksandr Kogan - and asked them to submit to an audit as well. Kogan has given his verbal agreement to do so. Wylie thus far has declined. "This is part of a comprehensive internal and external review that we are conducting to determine the accuracy of the claims that the Facebook data in question still exists," Facebook said in a statement. "This is data Cambridge Analytica, SCL, Mr. Wylie, and Mr. Kogan certified to Facebook had been destroyed. If this data still exists, it would be a grave violation of Facebook's policies and an unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments these groups made." "We are moving aggressively to determine the accuracy of these claims," the company continued. "We remain committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people's information. We also want to be clear that today when developers create apps that ask for certain information from people, we conduct a robust review to identify potential policy violations and to assess whether the app has a legitimate use for the data. We actually reject a significant number of apps through this process. Kogan's app would not be permitted access to detailed friends' data today." Reference Link

14:15 EDT Natural Grocers recalls Coconut Smiles Organic after reports of illnesses - Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets is recalling Natural Grocers brand 10-ounce Coconut Smiles Organic due to the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, the FDA posted on its website. The recalled product was distributed to 145 Natural Grocers stores located in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Six illnesses have been reported by individuals who ate Coconut Smiles Organic purchased from Natural Grocers, the agency said. Shares of Natural Grocers are down 13c to $7.36 in afternoon trading. Reference Link

13:55 EDT NJR Clean Energy Ventures sells wind farm to NorthWestern Energy for $18.5M - NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the non-regulated clean energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NJR), announced the sale of its 9.7 megawatt wind farm in Two Dot, Montana to NorthWestern Energy (NWE) for $18.5M. CEV entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the natural gas and electricity investor-owned utility, and submitted a joint filing for authorization with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Once approved by FERC, the transaction is expected to close. Located approximately 93 miles east of the state capital of Helena, the Two Dot wind farm was completed and became operational in 2014. It consists of six, GE 1.62 MW wind turbines, and the energy produced is currently sold to NWE. CEV also owns and operates wind projects in Carroll County, Iowa, Rush County, Kansas, Carbon County, Wyoming and Somerset County, Pennsylvania with a total installed capacity of 117 MW.

13:28 EDT Michelin intends to acquire Fenner for 610p per share - Michelin (MGDDY) announced that it intends to acquire Fenner (FNERF). Fenner provides conveyor belt solutions and reinforced polymer products for the mining and general industrial markets. It had 2017 annual revenues of GBP 655M. The boards of both companies have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition by Michelin. Each shareholder will receive 610 pence in cash for each Fenner share, representing a 30.7% premium to Fenner's share price of 467p at the close of business on March 16, valuing Fenner at approximately GBP 1.3B on an enterprise value basis. Michelin says it has identified "significant opportunities to achieve material cost savings, of which GBP 30 million immediate annual synergies, unlock processing efficiencies and leverage R&D skills, with a view to delivering faster growth and creating significant value."

12:48 EDT Google, Facebook's share of new digital ad dollars declining, says eMarketer - Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) may control the bulk of the U.S. digital ad market, but their competitors are starting to eat into that share. eMarketer estimates the two companies will capture a combined 56.8% of U.S. digital ad investment in 2018, down from 58.5% last year. These figures have been adjusted downward, as smaller players such as Amazon (AMZN) and Snapchat (SNAP) are experiencing faster-than-expected growth. Importantly, Google and Facebook's share of new digital ad dollars is declining as well. This year, they will garner nearly 48% of new expenditures. By comparison, that figure was nearly 73% in 2016. Facebook will generate $21B in US digital ad revenues in 2018, up 16.9% from 2017. But its share of the the country's digital ad market will dip to 19.6%, down from 19.9% last year. Google will rake in $39.92B in total US digital ad dollars in 2018, up 14.5% over 2017. While still the dominant player-a position it's expected to continue to occupy for the next several years -- Google's share of the digital ad market will decline slightly, slipping to 37.2% in 2018 from last year's 38.6%. Amazon is slowly but surely chipping away at its larger advertising rivals. This year, its US ad revenues will climb 63.5% to surpass $2B for the first time. Snapchat's US ad revenues will jump 81.7% this year, topping $1B for the first time. Twitter (TWTR) will see its US ad earnings decline for the second consecutive year in 2018, falling by 4.9% to $1.12B. Reference Link

12:33 EDT Exact Sciences down after failing to get Oprah-like celebrity endorsement - Shares of Exact Sciences (EXAS) are slipping after the company announced that it is joining forces with Harry Connick Jr. Canaccord analyst Mark Massaro pointed out in a research note following the news that he was surprised by the choice as investors expected an "Oprah Winfrey like celebrity," but recommended buying on share weakness. COLOGUARD CELEBRITY ENDORSER: Exact Sciences has announced that the Grammy and Emmy award winner, musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. and his wife and former model Jill Connick will be raising awareness of colon cancer. Their efforts will support "The New 50," a public education campaign sponsored by Exact Sciences, aiming to encourage people 50 and older to talk with their healthcare provider about screening, including noninvasive options. "The New 50" campaign spotlights Cologuard, which uses advanced technology to detect changes in stool DNA that indicate cancer and precancer. BUY ON WEAKNESS: Commenting on the announcement, Canaccord's Massaro acknowledged he was surprised by this celebrity choice given some investors' expectations for an "Oprah Winfrey like celebrity," which he thinks explains the move on the stock. However, after watching the promotional activities, the analyst argued that Connick and his wife, who have both been touched with cancer are a "solid choice," particularly in the age 50-75 bracket. Massaro also pointed out that he has connected with management, who indicated that the deal with the Connicks is for one year, which he views positively in the event Exact Sciences does not see the impact it hopes for. The analyst recommended buying on share weakness, and reiterated a Buy rating and $55 price target on the stock. Meanwhile, Leerink also noted that expectations on the Street were elevated as it was looking for a celebrity with significantly broader appeal and one that could elevate the Cologuard brand via marketing efforts. Nonetheless, Leerink told investors that the stock pullback still "appears aggressive." PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of Exact Sciences have dropped 7.6% to $48.56.

12:02 EDT Duke Energy filed request with NCUC to cut rates - On Friday, March 16, 2018, Piedmont Natural Gas filed a request with the North Carolina Utilities Commission for a decrease in customer billing rates that would reduce the average North Carolina residential customer's monthly bill by about 4%, or $2.51. Pending the Commission's approval, the rate decrease would take effect April 1.

11:53 EDT Exact Sciences lower after joining forces with Harry Connick - Shares of Exact Sciences are lower after the company announced that singer and actor Harry Connick, Jr. and his wife Jill Connick will be raising awareness of colon cancer. "Their efforts will support The New 50, a public education campaign sponsored by Exact Sciences, that debuts today during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month," the company said in a statement. The initiative aims to encourage people 50 and older to talk with their healthcare provider about screening. Exact Sciences is down 9% to $48.01 in midday trading.

11:40 EDT Medtronic say study shows 'positive' results with Cryoballoon for AF patients - Medtronic announced one-year results from the CRYO4PERSISTENT AF study of ablation with the Arctic Front Advance Cryoballoon to isolate the pulmonary veins in patients with symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation. The Arctic Front Advance Cyroablation System is not approved for treating persistent AF in the United States. The study results, presented at the European Heart Rhythm Association Scientific Sessions 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, showed 60.7% of persistent AF patients were free from all atrial arrhythmias lasting more than 30 seconds, at one year following a single ablation procedure. These clinically meaningful results are on par with outcomes seen in the FIRE AND ICE trial of paroxysmal AF patients, and are encouraging given these patients are in a more advanced disease state. The study findings also demonstrated short and predictable procedure times of 53 +/-22 minutes with the cryoballoon and a low device- and/or procedure-related complication rate of 4%. Cryoballoon ablation is used in a minimally invasive procedure to isolate the pulmonary veins, which are a source of erratic electrical signals that cause AF. The device uses cold energy rather than heat to create scar tissue and interrupt irregular electrical pathways in the heart. Recent studies have shown comparable safety and effectiveness when using cryoballoon ablation compared to RF ablation when treating symptomatic paroxysmal AF patients, as well as shorter and more consistent procedure times.

10:41 EDT Walmart to bring Handy's services to more than 2,000 stores - Handy and Walmart are making Handy's installation and assembly services for televisions and furniture available in more than 2,000 stores. Walmart says in a statement, "The new program provides Walmart shoppers with quick, affordable access to Handy's high-quality in-home installation and assembly, as interested shoppers can purchase Handy services while checking out in store. As with all Handy services, Walmart customers can schedule an appointment from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a qualified local professional will arrive on time to handle the rest. All Handy services are backed by the Handy Happiness Guarantee." Handy services are currently available for purchase in 25 Walmart stores in Atlanta and will be available in 2,000 additional Walmart stores next month.

10:30 EDT Facebook slides on Cambridge Analytica fallout - Shares of Facebook (FB) are slipping following media reports saying that Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50M users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. The data analytics company has since been suspended by the social media platform. Commenting on the news, Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser told investors he sees enhanced risks for Facebook following the data leak. CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA SUSPENDED: Facebook has suspended Cambridge Analytica, the political data company that worked with the Trump presidential campaign, claiming it violated rules by failing to delete user data collected by an app for research purposes, The Financial Times reported. Over the weekend, The New York Times published an article saying the data analytics company harvested private information from more than 50M Facebook users in developing techniques to support Trump's 2016 election campaign. FACEBOOK SPARKS PRIVACY VIOLATIONS DEBATE: Several U.S. Republican lawmakers have expressed concern over privacy violations following the news report by The New York Times. "This is a big deal, when you have that amount of data. And the privacy violations there are significant," Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in an appearance on CNN. "So, the question is, who knew it? When did they know it? How long did this go on? And what happens to that data now?" Meanwhile, EU Justice Chief Vera Jourorva also commented on the matter, saying the misuse of personal data of Facebook users is "horrifying, if confirmed" and that she will seek further clarification from Facebook this week on a previously scheduled U.S. trip, according to Dow Jones. On Twitter, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey wrote, "#BREAKING: Massachusetts residents deserve answers immediately from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. We are launching an investigation." 'ENHANCED RISKS': In a research note to investors this morning, Pivotal Research's Wieser noted that more "systemic problems" at Facebook were revealed in reporting this weekend associated with a 50M-person data leak. The analyst argued that he sees "enhanced risks for the company. Regulatory risks will intensify, enhanced use of data in advertising may be at greater risk than before, and third-party measurement partners may face more restrictions, frustrating advertisers, Wieser contended. However, the analyst sees no near-term "tangible impact" on Facebook's business as he does not think advertisers will suddenly change the trajectory of their spending growth on the platform. Wieser reiterated a Sell rating on the shares, with a $152 price target. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Facebook dropped 5.2% to $175.47.

10:23 EDT Tronc Chairman Michael Ferro retires, CEO Justin Dearborn named chairman - Justin Dearborn, CEO of tronc, Inc., has been named chairman of the board of tronc. Michael Ferro is retiring from the board of directors as the company prepares to close on the $500M sale of the Los Angeles Times to local ownership. In recent weeks, Ferro has discussed with his fellow board members and the management team his desire to retire as chairman in connection with the closing of the Times transaction. Last month, tronc announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune and various titles in the California News Group to Nant Capital, LLC, a private investment vehicle of California-based entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. As previously announced, tronc continues to expect the transaction to close in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2018.

10:09 EDT City of London says ISS recommends China Fund stockholders vote for nominees - City of London Investment Management Company, which has clients that are the beneficial owner of approximately 27.2% of the outstanding shares of common stock of The China Fund, issued a public letter to other CHN stockholders, which in part read: "We are seeking your support on the previously distributed BLUE proxy card to elect two independent director nominees who will work to maximize the value of each stockholder's investment, and to terminate the investment advisory and management agreements with The China Fund's investment advisor so it can hire a replacement. We want to inform you that Institutional Shareholder Services, has recommended that CHN stockholders vote to support both our director nominees and our proposal to terminate the investment advisor...Below are bullet points directly quoted from their recommendation on March 16, 2018. Acknowledging The China Fund's years of underperformance, ISS noted: 'Considering the fund's underperformance relative to its peer group over one-, three-, and five year periods, and the board's failure to engage an investment advisor the requisite number of shareholders would feel compelled to support, the dissident has presented a convincing case that some board change is needed and additional shareholder perspective might be beneficial.' In support of City of London's two highly qualified director nominees, ISS stated that the nominees: '...apart from simply injecting a much needed shareholder perspective - bring skills and experience that could enhance shareholder value. As such, it seems that Silver's more than 30 years of senior executive experience in the investment management industry along with Reid's 40 years of domestic and international closed-end fund experience, his service as the chairman and director of numerous closed-end funds, and his knowledge of the Asian environment will each make them valuable additions to the fund's board. In support of terminating The China Fund's current investment advisor, ISS noted: '...terminating the current advisor appears to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.'...As we stated in our last letter, do not be misled by The China Fund's false claims. If you already voted a white proxy card, mailing a later-dated BLUE proxy will revoke that vote."

10:01 EDT Comtech awarded $10.1M contract from major U.S. mobile network operator - Comtech Telecommunications announced that during its third quarter of fiscal 2018, its Enterprise Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Commercial Solutions segment, has been awarded a $10.1M multi-year contract from a major U.S. mobile network operator for its hosted, advanced location services platform. The order includes development, deployment, and support.

09:37 EDT Office Depot names Scott Kriss as SVP, Chief Accounting Officer - Office Depot (ODP) announced the appointment of Scott Kriss as SVP and Chief Accounting Officer, effective April 3. Kriss will report to EVP and CFO Joseph Lower, and will lead and direct the activities of General Accounting, Financial Services, Financial Systems, External Reporting, and Sox Compliance for the company. Kriss most recently served as SVP, Chief Accounting & Tax Officer for The Wendy's Company (WEN).

09:33 EDT Warburg Pincus announces sale of Extant Aerospace to TransDigm for $525M - Warburg Pincus announced that funds affiliated with the firm have entered into a definitive agreement to sell Extant Components Group Holdings to TransDigm Group for approximately $525M in cash. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, Extant was formed in 2010 by seasoned aerospace executive James Gerwien in partnership with Warburg Pincus to specialize in the engineering, manufacturing, repair and overhaul of aftermarket components utilized on military and commercial aircraft. The company supports aerospace and defense original equipment manufacturers by licensing or acquiring their mature, non-core electronics and electro-mechanical products and supporting the long remaining life of these products, as well as any remaining forward fit production. Since its founding, Extant has successfully built a diverse portfolio of over 2,500 proprietary, aftermarket-focused assemblies and sub-assemblies on over 70 active platforms supporting more than 400 leading military and commercial customers. Extant was advised by Lazard, Wells Fargo Securities, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and Eversheds Sutherland. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.

09:18 EDT Greenhill & Co. announces final results from modified Dutch auction tender offer - Greenhill & Co. announced the final results of its modified Dutch auction tender offer, which expired at 11:59 P.M., New York City time, on Wednesday, March 14. Greenhill accepted for purchase 1,054,968 shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at a purchase price of $20.50 per share, for an aggregate cost of approximately $21.6M, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. The shares accepted for repurchase represent approximately 4% of Greenhill's total outstanding shares as of March 19.

09:11 EDT Pacira drops 8% following positive pain data from Heron Therapeutics - Shares of Pacira Pharmaceuticals (PCRX) are down 6% after competitor Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) announced positive topline results from its Phase 3 studies of the investigational agent HTX-011 in subjects undergoing bunionectomy and hernia. HTX-011 achieved all primary and key secondary endpoints in both Phase 3 trials, demonstrating "statistically significant reductions in both pain intensity and the use of opioid rescue medications through 72 hours following surgery," Heron announced. Pacira's Exparel is FDA approved for pain control across various procedures for postsurgical analgesia. Shares of Pacira are down 8%, or $2.40, to $28.50 in premarket trading while Heron is up 36%, or $7.75, to $29.25.

09:09 EDT CNH Finance announces acquisition of Triumph Healthcare Finance - CNH Finance announced the expansion of its national commercial healthcare lending capabilities with the acquisition of Triumph Healthcare Finance, a division of TBK Bank, SSB, a subsidiary of Triumph Bancorp, headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Upon completion of the acquisition, Triumph Healthcare Finance will be integrated into CNH Finance, but will continue to be based out of Portland, Oregon.

09:08 EDT Willis Towers Watson expands strategic partnership with Plug and Play - Willis Towers Watson announced they have joined as one of only two Founding Anchor Partners of Plug and Play's newest innovation platform, Enterprise 2.0, focused on transforming management structures, company culture and how work gets organized. The launch event was held recently at Plug and Play's headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA. Through Enterprise 2.0, Willis Towers Watson and Plug and Play will collaborate with start-ups and other corporations to drive innovation and efficiencies in Finance, HR, IT, Legal and Operations. The startups will be identified in collaboration with corporate partners, venture capital funds, universities and other organizations. The endeavor will include a special emphasis on talent. Its aim is to retool human capital strategies and solve key challenges like responding to the gig economy, recruiting, onboarding, performance and learning management, rewards and recognition, and benefits and payroll.

09:06 EDT Kratos Defense calls report 'factually incorrect', 'misleading' - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions said the company, "is aware of a report on the company that has recently been published in the market place, which includes statements that are factually incorrect and makes misleading assertions related to Kratos and its leadership. Kratos is successfully executing on the strategic business plan the company previously communicated of building a product and technology business where Kratos owns important intellectual property, focused on the National Security requirements of the United States and its allies. Between 2010 and 2012, Kratos made a series of acquisitions consistent with this strategy. These acquisitions are now integrated, enabling our company to successfully pursue large new program and contract opportunities. Kratos' qualified bid and proposal pipeline at December 31, 2017 was approximately $6.8B. Kratos' core focus areas as a result of these integrated businesses include unmanned systems, satellite communications, microwave electronics, missile defense and training solutions. Over the past few months, Kratos has announced approximately $270M in contract awards received, the majority of which are for high performance jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems and are either sole source or single award to Kratos in nature. The company recently received approval from the U.S. State Department to market its Mako tactical unmanned aerial drone systems in Europe and the Asia Pacific area. The company believes the Mako is the only high performance jet powered tactical UAS in its class flying today. The Mako has flown in multiple large-scale military exercises and could soon be put into production for combat use. Kratos is currently beginning production on a number of new, long-term, national security-related programs, while increasing production on several existing programs, in our microwave electronics, unmanned systems and training solutions businesses and we recently announced the opening of a new engineering and manufacturing facility in Oklahoma to address expected future increases in UAS production. The company is also under contract for several new tactical high performance unmanned aerial drone systems. It is anticipated that the achievement of production status for any of these tactical UAS systems will significantly accelerate Kratos' already expected future growth in revenue, profitability and cash flow. Kratos recently announced that it was one of 14 organizations awarded a position on the Test & Evaluation Technologies for Ranges, Armaments & Spectrum program - a shared ceiling, multiple award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract in the amount of $998M. Even though Kratos expects to generate significant revenue under the TETRAS program over the contracts life, Kratos will only include in its Backlog Funded Tasking Received, which is consistent with all similar type multiple award IDIQ contracts Kratos receives. Today, approximately 75% of the largest satellite operators in the world and approximately 90 percent of U.S. Space missions rely on Kratos' systems, products and solutions and Kratos believes that it currently operates the only company-owned global RF spectrum signal monitoring, interference detection and geolocation system in the world. Kratos recently announced the divestiture of its Public Safety & Security System Integration business, which is expected to yield approximately $70M in net cash proceeds, or approximately 10X 2017 LTM adjusted PSS EBITDA. The divestiture of PSS, which was publically identified as a non-core business by Kratos in 2016, allows for additional focus on the company's core businesses, and provides increased liquidity and flexibility for the expected production increases of Kratos' unmanned aerial drone systems. Based on the most recent publicly available information, Kratos believes that its insiders currently own approximately 15% of the company. The company believes this ownership percentage is among the highest insider ownership of a public company government contractor like Kratos, with Kratos' management and Directors routinely purchasing Kratos shares in the open market, including over the past few weeks. As a result, Kratos believes the interests of its management and Board of Directors are clearly aligned with the company's shareholders-they remain focused on continued successful execution and value generation for all Kratos stakeholders. Kratos has nine reputable independent analysts which closely follow, research and publish reports on the company, including certain of the largest banking institutions in the world, and we encourage the investing community to refer to these publications regarding our company."

09:06 EDT NF Energy Saving signs two contracts valued at $2.5M - NF Energy Saving announced that it recently signed two sales contracts, having an aggregate value of $2.5M, to supply valves. According to the contracts, the company expects to deliver these valves in the second and third quarters of this year.

09:05 EDT Yelp intergrates GrubHub's platform - Yelp (YELP) and Grubhub (GRUB), the nation's leading online and mobile food ordering company, announced the successful integration of Grubhub's restaurant network onto the Yelp platform. The combination of Grubhub's restaurant network and efficient delivery infrastructure with Yelp's large purchase-oriented audience positions the company to generate thousands of new diners and millions of orders for Grubhub restaurant partners. Yelp users will be able to order from far more local restaurants, while taking advantage of Grubhub's overall lowest-cost delivery.

09:04 EDT Amazo announces GameOn competitive gaming service for developers - Amazon announced Amazon GameOn, a cross-platform, competitive gaming service for developers. With GameOn, developers can easily integrate competitions natively into their games on mobile, PC, and console through a set of flexible APIs. GameOn is built on AWS cloud infrastructure and works on any operating system, "giving developers the ability to scale quickly, while allowing them to invest more time in what they do best -- designing great games." Amazon GameOn is being used by nWay, Game Insight, Millennial Esports' Eden Games, Umbrella Games, Nazara, Mindstorm, Mokuni, Avix, and GameCloud Studios in games ranging from casual to core across different genres. Players in these games already experience the benefits of GameOn from leaderboards to leagues to real-world prizing.

09:02 EDT TransDigm to acquire Extant Components Group for approximately $525M - TransDigm Group announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Extant Components Group Holdings, a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus, for approximately $525M. TransDigm expects to finance the acquisition primarily through a combination of cash on hand and existing availability under its revolving credit facility. For the fiscal year ending September 2018, Extant expects to derive 80% of its revenue from the aftermarket, with nearly all of the revenue from proprietary and sole source products. The revenue is derived from a mix of military and commercial applications, with the majority of the revenue coming from the military end market. Located in Melbourne, Florida, Extant employs more than 170 people and expects to generate revenue of approximately $85M for the fiscal year ending September 2018. Extant provides a broad range of proprietary aftermarket products and repair and overhaul services to the aerospace and defense end markets. The company exclusively licenses or acquires proprietary aftermarket-focused products from leading aerospace and defense OEMs. Extant then supports these products over the significant remaining useful lives of the aircraft on which the equipment is installed. The company currently owns or exclusively licenses in excess of 2,500 assemblies and sub-assemblies on over 70 active platforms. Extant offers an attractive value proposition to OEMs and as a result has an active pipeline of new product line acquisition opportunities.

08:55 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: CSRA (CSRA), up 1.5% after General Dynamics (GD) announced it inteds to proceed with its all cash offer to acquire CSRA despite CACI International's (CACI) unsolicited offer to acquire CSRA... Fidelity National Financial (FNF), up 4.8% after announcing it will acquire Stewart Information Services Corporation (STC) for $50.00 per share in a cash and stock deal. Stewart is up 13.6%... Orbotech (ORBK), up 11.7% following an announcement that it will be acquired by KLA-Tencor (KLAC) for $69.02 per share. Klondex Mines (KLDX), up 59.7% following an announcement that Hecla Mining (HL) will acquire the company for $462M in cash and stock deal... Barclays (BCS), up 5.9% after Reuters reported that Activist investor Sherborne has acquired voting rights of 5.16% in Barclays... Newell Brands (NWL), up 2.6% after announcing a cooperation agreement with Carl Icahn. LOWER: Hecla Mining is down 7% following the announcement that it will acquire Klondex Mines... Universal Display (OLED), down 7.5% after Bloomberg reported that Apple (AAPL) has been quietly designing and producing its own device screens... Micro Focus (MFGP), down 52.7% after announcing a CEO transition... KLA-Tencor is down 2.4% following an announcement that it will acquire Orbotech.

08:52 EDT Coppell ISD selects Sphere 3D's HVE technology - Sphere 3D announced that Coppell ISD has selected the company's HVE technology to upgrade the district's technology infrastructure in their primary and secondary datacenters through HVE authorized reseller, Cynergy Technology. Through an RFP process, Coppell ISD expressed a need for the modernization of the infrastructure of their primary and secondary datacenters in a number of areas. First was the district's compute and storage needs; this included protection of business-critical applications, server virtualization, and an upgrade to 200 concurrent Virtual Desktop Infrastructure sessions. Next, the district desired to modernize the networking between datacenters, moving to a spine and leaf architecture as well as software defined networking. Lastly, the district is implementing a web and application delivery controller solution. Cynergy, with support from the HVE team, provided a turnkey proposal to the RFP which included HVE, Datrium, and Arista technologies. Multiple vendors presented their solutions to Coppell ISD, and Cynergy/HVE was selected as the most cost-effective and appropriate solution.

08:47 EDT Stantec signs LOI to acquire Norwest Corporation; deal to close in Q2 - Stantec has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Norwest Corporation. With the addition of Norwest, Stantec's Energy & Resources business operating unit will add a strong mining practice to the Company's portfolio in western Canada. Norwest, a 140-person energy and resources firm headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, has offices in Vancouver, British Columbia; Denver and Trinidad, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Charleston, West Virginia. The Norwest acquisition is expected to close in Q2. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

08:44 EDT OncoMed names John Lewicki CEO - OncoMed Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Dr. John Lewicki as president and CEO of OncoMed, effective immediately. Lewicki was also appointed to the company's board of directors. Most recently, Lewicki was named the company's president in January 2018. Dr. Lewicki joined OncoMed in 2004 as the company's SVP of research and development before subsequently assuming additional leadership roles within research and development.

08:42 EDT MaSTherCell appointed as process development partner for Zelluna Immunotherapy - Orgenesis announced that its manufacturing subsidiary, MaSTherCell was appointed by Zelluna Immunotherapy, a biotechnology company specializing in T-cell receptor-based immunotherapies for solid tumors with a high unmet medical need, as its contract development and manufacturing partner for Zelluna's TCR adoptive cell therapy platform. MaSTherCell will perform process development, optimization and industrialization of the current Zelluna manufacturing process. The result will be the delivery of a GMP manufacturing platform for Zelluna's TCR product pipeline. The manufacturing platform will ensure clinical manufacturing capabilities with increased efficiency and geographical spread. As a result, Zelluna will have industrialized manufacturing capabilities to support clinical development and commercialization. Zelluna's partnership with MaSTherCell at an early developmental phase enables the integration of GMP industrialization concepts into the clinical development of Zelluna TCR therapies, supporting the progress towards clinical trials. Zelluna expects to commence trials in 2019.

08:40 EDT Capstone says microturbine system supported microgrid through CA wildfires - Capstone Turbine Corporation announced that an advanced technology microgrid installation, utilizing a natural gas Capstone C65 integrated combined heat and power system with a Capstone integrated heat recovery module, continued to operate over a ten-day period during the recent devastating wildfires in Sonoma County, California. Microgrids can be connected to larger electricity grids; however, in the event of a widespread outage, microgrids will disconnect from the main grid and continue to operate independently to maintain the electricity supply to the homes and businesses that are connected to the microgrid's electricity network. The same incentives leading to an increased uptake of connected microgrids-improved reliability, greater sustainability, and lower costs-are also driving the transformation of isolated microgrids, such as island grids. The California farm, on which the microgrid is installed, is spread across 16 acres and 16 buildings. Despite widespread power outages in the region, the islanded microgrid was able to operate the irrigation systems on the farm even after evacuations were ordered. The farm was fortunately spared from the devastating wildfire.The roof-mounted HRM captures the C65 microturbines exhaust gas, creating hot water that is used for heating and cooling of the buildings and two swimming pools. Utilizing the Capstone HRM raises the total system efficiency of the combined cooling heat and power system to approximately 90%. The CCHP system is a closed loop system which reduces evaporative losses that would be incurred through traditional systems, critical to often drought-ridden California where water rates reflect the scarcity of the resource.

08:36 EDT Edwards Lifesciences: FDA grants De Novo request for HPI software - Edwards Lifesciences announced that the U.S. FDA granted the De Novo request for Edwards' Acumen Hypotension Prediction Index software. The company will initiate a targeted launch of this first-of-its-kind technology that leverages predictive analytics to alert clinicians to address potential hypotension, or low blood pressure, before it occurs in their surgical patients.

08:35 EDT InterDigital's Chordant platform achieves first oneM2M certification - InterDigital (IDCC) and its Smart-Cities focused business, Chordant, announced that the Chordant platform was the first product to be certified through the latest comprehensive verification program from the oneM2M global certification body, Telecommunications Technology Association. Last week, oneM2M and TTA announced the latest expansion of its comprehensive verification services to include oneM2M conformance testing. With the expansion, TTA aims to provide more comprehensive verification services that reach beyond the existing interoperability verification. The conformance testing was successfully performed on the Chordant platform using the Spirent (SPMYY) TTsuite-oneM2M, which is a solution based on the test automation platform TTworkbench. The Chordant platform was the first product to be certified following the expanded certification program and will be used as the industry reference for future test system validation.

08:30 EDT Orbotech trading resumes

08:21 EDT WSI Industries board, special committee reject DPW Holdings demands - WSI Industries reported that the WSI board and the Special Committee of the board have responded by letter dated March 19, 2018 to the February 16, 2018 demands made by DPW Holdings, Inc., a WSI shareholder. In its February 16, 2018 letter, DPW Holdings stated its intention to conduct a tender offer for control of over 50% of WSI's shares. DPW Holdings demanded WSI Special Committee approval to become an "interested shareholder," which would allow DPW Holdings to engage in a business combination transaction with WSI Industries as a +50% owner of WSI's shares if the tender offer were successful, and also requested that WSI Industries opt-out of the Control Share Acquisition provisions of Minnesota Statutes so that DPW Holdings would not lose voting rights on shares acquired in the proposed tender offer. As stated in the March 19, 2018 response letter, the WSI Board of Directors and Special Committee of the Board of Directors determined that, because DPW Holdings does not have adequate capital to finance the proposed tender offer as shown by its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, DPW Holdings has not made a good faith proposal to acquire WSI shares in the proposed tender offer and DPW Holdings has not made a bona fide written offer to make a control share acquisition in the proposed tender offer. The Special Committee has also determined that approving DPW as an "interested shareholder" under the Business Combination provisions would not be in best interests of all WSI shareholders. Accordingly, the demands by DPW Holdings in its February 16, 2018 letter were rejected in full.

08:19 EDT Dova Pharmaceuticals, Fosun Pharma sign exclusive distribution agreement - Dova Pharmaceuticals entered into an agreement through its wholly owned subsidiary, AkaRx, granting Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, the exclusive development and distribution rights of avatrombopag in mainland China and Hong Kong. Terms of the transaction include an upfront payment, milestone payments, and a fixed transfer price for product supplied. Under the agreement, Fosun Pharma Industrial has the right to exclusively develop and commercialize and to assist AkaRx with the registration of avatrombopag for chronic liver disease patients with thrombocytopenia in mainland China and Hong Kong. Further, Fosun Pharma Industrial will also support the development of avatrombopag for expanded indications in mainland China and Hong Kong.

08:16 EDT LVMH's CDC names Kim Jones as artistic director of Dior Homme - Christian Dior Couture announced the appointment of Kim Jones as Artistic Director of Dior Homme for the Ready-to-Wear and Accessory collections.

08:15 EDT FedEx launches returns management solution - FedEx announced the launch of FedEx Returns Technology, a comprehensive solution for returns management, which gives high-volume merchants and e-tailers the ability to quickly and easily improve their customer experience. Using the FedEx Returns Technology platform, merchants will have complete visibility into returns, giving them an easy way to track shipments, manage inventory, analyze returns trends and make more informed decisions based on shoppers' returns behaviors. FedEx Returns Technology is integrated into more than 1,700 participating FedEx Office locations across the U.S., enabling merchants to offer their customers the ability to easily drop off returns that can be inspected, professionally packed and, in some cases, enable a faster credit refund

08:15 EDT Fidelity National to acquire Stewart for $50 per share in cash, stock deal - Fidelity National Financial (FNF) announced that it has signed a merger agreement to acquire Stewart Information Services Corporation (STC) for $50.00 per share of common stock, representing an equity value of approximately $1.2 billion. The consideration will be paid 50% in cash and 50% in FNF common stock. Stewart stockholders will also have the option to elect to receive their consideration in all cash or all stock, subject to pro rata reductions to the extent the cash or stock option is oversubscribed. The FNF common stock component will be subject to a fixed exchange ratio that is based on FNF's volume weighted average price for the twenty trading days prior to the signing of the merger agreement. For those Stewart stockholders who elect to receive all FNF stock, the exchange ratio will be equal to 1.2850, subject to potential adjustment as described below and proration to the extent the stock option is oversubscribed. FNF intends to achieve at least $135M in operational cost synergies and expects the acquisition to be at least 15% accretive to pro forma 2017 adjusted net EPS at that operational cost synergy target. Under the terms of the merger agreement, if the combined company is required to divest assets or businesses for which revenues exceed $75M up to a cap of $225 million in order to receive required regulatory approvals, the purchase price will be adjusted down on a pro-rata basis to a minimum purchase price of $45.50 per share of common stock. FNF currently intends to fund the $1.2B purchase price through a combination of cash on hand at FNF, debt financing and the issuance of FNF common stock to Stewart stockholders. Including the assumption of $109M of Stewart debt, pro forma debt to total capital is expected to be no more than approximately 20% at the close of the transaction.The closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including Stewart stockholder approval, federal and state regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Closing is expected in the first or second quarter of 2019.

08:13 EDT Stewart trading resumes

08:12 EDT Kindred Healthcare says ISS recommends investors vote for Humana deal - Kindred Healthcare (KND) announced that leading independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services recommends that Kindred stockholders vote "FOR" the transaction with affiliates of TPG Capital, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Humana (HUM). Commenting on the report, Benjamin A. Breier, President and CEO of Kindred, said, "We are pleased that ISS recognizes the significant cash value that will be delivered to stockholders through the transaction and supports our Board's recommendation that stockholders vote "FOR" the transaction. The transaction will deliver certain cash value to Kindred stockholders at a substantial premium in the face of significant operational, regulatory, reimbursement and capital structure risks, especially considering Kindred's high leverage and pending debt maturities. We strongly urge all Kindred stockholders to follow the recommendation of ISS and vote "FOR" the value maximizing transaction with the consortium TODAY." Kindred continues to expect the transaction to close in the summer of 2018.

08:11 EDT LVMH unit says Dior Homme artistic director Kris Van Assche leaving position - LVMH's Christian Dior Couture announces the departure of Kris Van Assche, eleven years after his appointment as Artistic Director of Dior Homme. Kris Van Assche will continue to "express his talent and creativity" within the LVMH Group. His next assignment will be announced at a later stage.

08:11 EDT Patrick Industries sees Collins & Company acquisition 'immediately accretive' - Patrick Industries announced that it has completed the acquisition of the business and certain assets of Bristol, Indiana-based Collins & Company, a distributor of appliances, trim products, fuel systems, flooring, tile, and other related building materials primarily to the recreational vehicle market as well as the housing and industrial markets. Collins' full-year 2017 revenues were approximately $57M. The total cash consideration paid was approximately $36.5M. The Company expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to net income per share.

08:10 EDT Depomed announces new corporate headquarters - Depomed announced it has signed a lease for its new corporate headquarters at 100 South Saunders Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, a northern Chicago suburb. The Company anticipates the new headquarters, located in the Landmark Conway Farms complex, to be operational in the third quarter of the calendar year. During the construction phase and the transition to this more cost effective location, Depomed will operate out of temporary space located in the same building. The office will house approximately 70 professionals, many of these to be new hires from the local area.

08:10 EDT Delek US announces sale of Paramount, CA assets including AltAir Paramount - Delek US Holdings announced that it signed and closed the sale of AltAir Paramount and Delek's Paramount, California refining and pipeline assets to an affiliate of Boston based World Energy. The sale includes all of Delek's membership interests in AltAir Paramount, which operates a 3,000 barrel per day renewable diesel/ renewable jet fuel facility, Delek's idled Paramount refinery, and associated pipelines and storage tanks. Based on Delek's ownership interest in AltAir Paramount, the transaction should result in expected proceeds to Delek of approximately $72.0M, taking into consideration estimated working capital, Delek US' portion of the biodiesel tax credit for 2017, and deal costs.

08:09 EDT Spherix to acquire DatChat, terms not disclosed - DatChat updated shareholders on its merger agreement with Spherix, its continued blockchain development and mining efforts. DatChat is pleased to announce that it has agreed to be acquired by Spherix. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval of the shareholders of DatChat. The proposed merger would allow DatChat to further develop its encrypted communications platform using proprietary micro-blockchain. Once fully developed, the DatChat blockchain technology will allow each message or file to become its own micro-blockchain that will be permissioned, private and controlled. The DatChat blockchain ecosystem for messaging, file storage and file sharing will be the next evolution our personal privacy platform that will allow for permanent and ephemeral chains, content delivery, mining and true privacy that comes from a decentralized encrypted peer to peer network. This technology is in the development stage. In addition to the proposed merger with Spherix, DatChat is expanding its "crypto" mining of "Ether." Ether is a cryptocurrency that fuels the Ethereum blockchain network, upon which DatChat's distributed network is being built. DatChat recently launched Ether mining, and the merger with Spherix will allow DatChat to increase those efforts.

08:09 EDT Denali Therapeutics doses first patient in Phase 1 clinical trial - Denali Therapeutics announced that it has commenced dosing of its small molecule inhibitor of RIPK1 in a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers and achieved proof of concept of its large molecule blood-brain barrier delivery platform technology in nonhuman primates. In addition, the company reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017 and appointed Peter Klein to the board. "The recent clinical progress with our RIPK1 inhibitor and LRRK2 inhibitor programs, along with achieving proof of concept for our blood-brain barrier delivery platform for biologics in nonhuman primates, are important milestones towards our goal of developing medicines for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases," said Ryan Watts, Ph.D., CEO. "Furthermore, we are very excited about initiating our collaboration with Takeda, which has allowed us to expand efforts on our blood-brain barrier delivery technology platform."

08:07 EDT Pareteum awarded $2.4M contract from global mobile operator - Pareteum announced that it has signed a 3-year contract with an established global Mobile Virtual Network Operator to provide connectivity and service through its Global Cloud Services Platform. Pareteum's GCSP enables data applications to the retail global traveling customers of its services provider MVNO customer, now with one global connection managed by the Pareteum Cloud. Pareteum's newest Communication Service Provider customer is a Branded MVNO providing advertising subsidized global data plans which facilitate applications in most worldwide locations with concentration in Europe, Africa and the US. This new 3-year contract facilitates a broader range of data services and applications single sourced from Pareteum's Global Cloud Services Platform. The contract increases Pareteum's 36-Month Contractual Revenue Backlog by $2.4M. Existing subscribers of the Branded MVNO customer will be initially migrated to Pareteum's platform, and, newly acquired subscribers will be added to Pareteum's platform as our customer continues to grow.

08:06 EDT Heron: HTX-011 achieved all primary, key secondary endpoints in trial - Heron Therapeutics announced topline results from its completed Phase 3 studies of the investigational agent HTX-011 in subjects undergoing bunionectomy and hernia repair. HTX-011 achieved all primary and key secondary endpoints in both Phase 3 trials, demonstrating statistically significant reductions in both pain intensity and the use of opioid rescue medications through 72 hours following surgery. HTX-011 is the first and only long-acting local anesthetic to demonstrate in Phase 3 studies significantly reduced pain and opioid use compared to bupivacaine solution, the current standard-of-care local anesthetic for postoperative pain control, through 72 hours. The primary and key secondary endpoints for both Phase 3 studies were identical. There was a 27% reduction in pain intensity as measured by AUC 0-72 when comparing HTX-011 to placebo. There was an 18% reduction in pain as measured by AUC 0-72 when comparing HTX-011 to bupivacaine solution. Over 72 hours post-surgery, patients receiving HTX-011 consumed 37% less opioids than placebo patients and 25% less opioids than patients receiving bupivacaine solution. 29% of patients receiving HTX-011 required no opioid medication for 72 hours post-surgery compared to only 2% receiving placebo and 11% receiving the standard-of-care, bupivacaine solution. These results parallel the significantly reduced incidence of severe pain in patients receiving HTX-011 compared to both placebo and bupivacaine.

08:06 EDT West Corp. appoints Anup Nair as Chief Information Officer - West Corporation announced that Anup Nair is joining as Chief Information Officer, or CIO, a newly created position. As CIO, Anup will have oversight of West's technology strategy including systems integration and development, infrastructure, information security and data analytics. The creation of this new position at West reflects the company's commitment to innovation and delivery of best-in-class service to its clients. Anup will assume his responsibilities effective immediately and report to West's CEO John Shlonsky. Most recently Anup served as CIO and then CTO for Vantiv, now WorldPay

08:05 EDT KLA-Tencor to acquire Orbotech for approximately $69.02 per share - KLA-Tencor (KLAC) and Orbotech (ORBK) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which KLA-Tencor will acquire Orbotech for $38.86 in cash and 0.25 of a share of KLA-Tencor common stock in exchange for each ordinary share of Orbotech, implying a total consideration of approximately $69.02 per share. The transaction values Orbotech at an equity value of approximately $3.4B and an enterprise value of $3.2B. In addition, KLA-Tencor announced a $2B share repurchase authorization. The share repurchase program is targeted to be completed within 12 to 18 months following the close of this transaction. Total cost synergies are expected to be approximately $50M on an annualized basis within 12 to 24 months following the closing of the transaction, and the transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to KLA-Tencor's revenue growth model, non-GAAP earnings and free cash flow per share. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of each company and is expected to close before the end of calendar year 2018, subject to approval by Orbotech's shareholders, required regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of the other customary closing conditions. No approval by KLA-Tencor stockholders is required. The transaction is not subject to any financing conditionality. KLA-Tencor intends to fund the cash portion of the purchase price with cash from the combined company's balance sheet. In addition, KLA-Tencor intends to raise approximately $1B in new long-term debt financing to complete the share repurchase.

08:04 EDT CACI announces contract from the Army National Guard valued at $60M - CACI announced that it has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, with a ceiling value of $60M to provide advertising and marketing support to the Army National Guard State Media Services Program. This three-year single-award contract represents continuing work in the company's Business Systems market area. The SMSP provides ARNG Retention and Recruitment Commands with access to professional advertising and creative resources to help the ARNG maintain end strength in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories. Under the contract, CACI will provide ARNG Recruitment and Retention Command with in-depth market research and analysis, digital and traditional advertising strategies, media planning and buying, and full-spectrum creative services.

08:02 EDT KLA-Tencor to acquire Orbotech for approximately $69.02 per share

08:02 EDT China Information receives fourth contract for Guangxi Autonomous Region - China Information Technology announced that it has entered into a contract for the sale of 1,500 CNIT cloud-based ad terminals to be installed in office buildings and residential communities throughout Baise, a national highway transport hub in Guangxi Autonomous Region. Signed with Baise Taoping IoT Technology Limited, the contract is expected to generate sales and service revenue to CNIT of about $0.5M. Today's news is the twenty-fourth in a series of announcements since May of 2017 on CNIT's sales of its cloud-based ad terminals. Each sale is expected to generate recurring service and commission revenue from customers' use of the Company's Yunfa advertising distribution system and Taoping Net/App ad screen sharing platform. Chairman and CEO Jianghuai Lin reiterated that by 2018, the Company expects to sell an additional 120,000 cloud-based ad terminals with market penetration in 100 cities with coverage for 200 million people throughout China.

08:01 EDT KLA-Tencor to acquire Orbotech for approximately $69.02 per share

08:01 EDT Xerium Technologies announces review of strategic alternatives - Xerium Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. Alternatives could include a sale of the Company or of its divisions and selected assets in separate transactions, a strategic merger, a Reverse Morris Trust transaction, or other business combination. The company has engaged TN Capital Advisors LLC as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP as legal advisor to assist in the process. James Wilson, Chairman of the Board, said, "Our markets are stable and our execution is strong and getting stronger. With an expected EBITDA to capital expenditure ratio of roughly 7 times, Xerium is on a path to increase shareholder value through debt reduction. However, the Company currently carries expensive debt that could be refinanced on more attractive terms by a buyer, and suffers from poor stock trading liquidity. After careful consideration, the Board has determined that there may be opportunities to accelerate value recognition or unlock additional value through strategic actions, and this is an appropriate time to identify and evaluate options for shareholders."

07:55 EDT Orbotech trading halted, news pending

07:52 EDT Unisys signs $35M contract with Australian Department of Home Affairs - Unisys announced the Australian Department of Home Affairs has signed a multi-year contract with Unisys Australia to design and implement the new Enterprise Biometric Identification Services system. The estimated value of the contract is up to $35M. EBIS replaces the previous biometrics matching system that was also provided and supported by Unisys for the last 12 years. The contract was awarded after a competitive tender. The new EBIS system will be used by the Department to match face images and fingerprints of people wishing to travel to Australia, including visa and citizenship applicants, against biometric watch lists to identify people of security, law enforcement or immigration interest, while simultaneously facilitating the processing of legitimate travelers. EBIS is designed to support anticipated growth in visa applications, border clearance and applications for citizenship over the next 10 years.

07:35 EDT Cidara Therapeutics' Phase 2 STRIVE trial of rezafungin meets primary objectives - Cidara Therapeutics reported positive topline results from the global, randomized Phase 2 STRIVE clinical trial of its lead antifungal candidate rezafungin acetate. STRIVE met all of its primary objectives, as once-weekly intravenous dosing of rezafungin was observed to be generally well tolerated and safe in patients with candidemia and/or invasive candidiasis. The data also showed evidence of the efficacy of rezafungin, which was defined in the trial by clearance of Candida from the blood or other normally sterile sites, resolution of signs related to the infection, investigator assessment of clinical response and overall survival. These results enable Cidara to advance its planned Phase 3 pivotal trials in the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis and the prevention of invasive fungal infections in 2018. Rezafungin is a novel antifungal echinocandin being developed as a once-weekly, high-exposure therapy for the treatment and prevention of serious invasive fungal infections. The STRIVE trial results include efficacy data from 92 treated patients and safety and tolerability results from 104 patients, from 31 trial sites in North America and Europe. The trial was not statistically powered to demonstrate superiority or non-inferiority and therefore comparisons of efficacy are directional. STRIVE met its primary safety and efficacy objectives in the treatment of candidemia/invasive candidiasis. The rezafungin 400mg/200mg regimen had the highest efficacy rate in all assessments. The high numbers of patients with indeterminate responses in Group 1 largely accounted for the relative difference between Overall Success and Clinical Cure rates. There were no concerning trends in adverse events observed. Rezafungin was well-tolerated at both dosing regimens. Treatment emergent adverse events were observed in most patients, with an incidence of 88.6% in Group 1, 94.4 percent in Group 2, and 81.8% in Group 3. The rates of severe adverse events were 37.1%, 27.8%, and 39.4%, respectively. There were six adverse events leading to study drug discontinuation across all study groups: four in Group 1, one in Group 2 and one in Group 3. Two out of the six were considered possibly related to study drug: one in Group 1 and one in Group 3. There were two serious adverse events possibly related to study drug: one in Group 2 and one in Group 3, and both patients fully recovered. There were no deaths related to study drug, and there were no concerning trends in System Organ Class groups or specific adverse events. Based on the STRIVE trial results, Cidara plans to initiate two Phase 3 clinical trials in mid-2018:Phase 3 ReSTORE Treatment Trial: A single, global, randomized, double-blind, controlled Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial in approximately 150 mITT patients with candidemia and/or invasive candidiasis. This global Phase 3 trial is expected to generate topline data in 2020. The design will be similar to the STRIVE trial, but with a primary outcome measure of All-Cause Mortality at day 30. Phase 3 ReSPECT Prophylaxis Trial: A single, global, randomized, double-blind, controlled Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplant to enable use of rezafungin in a 90-day prophylaxis regimen to prevent infections due to Candida, Aspergillus and Pneumocystis. Rezafungin will be dosed once weekly and compared to a regimen containing two drugs dosed once daily, for 90 days, at which time fungal-free survival will be measured. The trial will include adults with underlying conditions including acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrom, lymphoma and aplastic anemia. This trial is expected to produce an interim futility read-out in 2019 and provide topline results in 2020.

07:34 EDT Document Security enters partnership with Hong Kong R&D Centre for LSCM - Document Security Systems announced that they have partnered with the Hong Kong R&D Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies, or LSCM, to commence research focused on developing a next generation of DSS' Brand Protection products utilizing blockchain technology. The joint research project between LSCM and DSS will develop potential solutions for a blockchain deployment within the supply chain. It can take years to build the supply chain and companies won't adopt anti-counterfeiting solutions which are disruptive to existing processes and systems. This often keeps brand owners from implementing effective anti-counterfeiting solutions. Blockchain has the potential to provide a non-disruptive solution for anti-counterfeiting, especially when combined with DSS' smartphone-based authentication product - AuthentiGuard.

07:33 EDT Golar LNG, Golar LNG Partners announce organizational changes - Golar LNG (GLNG) and Golar LNG Partners (GMLP) announce changes to the roles of their respective officers Brian Tienzo and Graham Robjohns, both of whom have held their current positions for approximately 7 years. With immediate effect Brian Tienzo will step down as CFO of Golar and will take up the position of CEO and CFO of Golar LNG Partners, he will also retain certain responsibilities for Group financing activities. Graham Robjohns will step down as CEO of Golar Partners and take up the role of CFO and Deputy CEO of Golar LNG.

07:15 EDT Alio to acquire Rye Patch Gold for C$1.57 per share - Alio Gold (AL) and Rye Patch Gold (RPMGF) are pleased to announce they have entered into an agreement whereby Alio Gold will acquire, through a plan of arrangement all of the outstanding shares of Rye Patch. Under the Arrangement, each common share of Rye Patch will be exchanged for 0.48 common shares of Alio Gold.The offer implies a value of C$1.57 per Rye Patch share, a 35% premium to Rye Patch shareholders, based on the 20-day volume weighted average trading price of Alio Gold shares on the TSX and Rye Patch shares on the TSX.V for the period ending March 16, 2018. The offer values Rye Patch's outstanding equity at approximately C$128 million. The number of Alio Gold shares to be issued will be approximately 39.0 million based on the issued and outstanding shares as of the announcement date, subject to adjustment for options, warrants and restricted stock units vested prior to the Arrangement. The transaction is expected to close on or about May 25, 2018. Existing Alio Gold and Rye Patch shareholders will own approximately 53% and 47% of the combined company, respectively, following the close of the transaction. In conjunction with the proposed transaction, Macquarie Bank Limited has agreed not to exercise its right to require immediate repayment of the existing Florida Canyon project loan as a result of this change of control, subject to certain conditions. At the closing of the transaction, the outstanding principal owing on the MBL project loan is expected to be $15M. MBL and the Company have commenced discussions regarding a restructuring of the loan at or after closing of the transaction and MBL has provided indicative terms for such a restructuring which remain subject to credit approval. The indicative terms for the restructuring envision the principal remaining at the closing of the transaction will be repaid over 12 equal quarterly payments along with accrued interest. Project loan type covenants including forward-looking financial ratios, cash sweep for early repayment of the loan and debt service and capital reserve account requirements would be replaced with a corporate guarantee and security from Alio Gold and certain of its affiliates. The Company intends to continue to work with MBL to seek final credit approval ahead of the close of the transaction. Alio Gold will continue to be managed by the executive team in Vancouver, Canada led by Greg McCunn as Chief Executive Officer and Colette Rustad as Chief Financial Officer. In addition, the Company will seek to retain Doug Jones from Rye Patch as its Chief Operating Officer. Alio Gold's Board of Directors will continue to be led by Chairman, Bryan Coates and Alio Gold have invited two directors from Rye Patch, Tim Baker and John Mansanti, to join the combined board. Committees are expected to be reconstituted at the first board of directors' meeting following the close of the transaction. In the event that the transaction is not completed, a termination fee of C$4M is payable to either Alio Gold or Rye Patch, respectively, upon termination of this transaction by the terminating party on terms customary for a transaction of this nature. Rye Patch has also provided Alio Gold with certain other customary rights, including a right to match competing offers. Full details of the Arrangement will be included in the management information circulars of Alio Gold and Rye Patch and both circulars are expected to be mailed to their respective shareholders on or about April 17, 2018. It is anticipated that both shareholder meetings and closing of the transaction will take place on or about May 25, 2018.

07:11 EDT Agios Pharmaceuticals doses first patient in AG-270 Phase 1 Study - Agios Pharmaceuticals announced dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 study of AG-270, a first-in-class methionine adenosyltransferase 2a, or MAT2A, inhibitor. This open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study investigates AG-270 in patients with solid tumors or lymphoma with deletion of the metabolic gene methylthioadenosine phosphorylase.

07:10 EDT TransCanada expects no material impact from proposed FERC revisions - TransCanada released the following statement regarding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's, or FERC, recent pronouncements on income tax matters with respect to pipeline ratemaking: On March 15, 2018, FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NOPR, and revised policy statement to address the treatment of income taxes for ratemaking purposes. There are two separate avenues for these changes to be addressed: the first is a NOPR, which focuses on evaluating and addressing impacts to pipeline tariffs in regards to income tax rate changes enacted through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017; and the second is a revision to FERC's long-standing income tax allowance policy to no longer permit master limited partnerships, or MLPs, to recover an income tax allowance in their cost of service rates. Approximately 50 percent of our U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines 2018 revenues are derived from negotiated or discounted tariffs and therefore would not be materially impacted by FERC's actions. This percentage is expected to increase to approximately 65 percent in 2019 as our growth projects are placed into service. As part of the modernization settlement on Columbia Gas Transmission, we recently filed for, and FERC approved, implementation of a rate reduction due to the corporate tax rate changes on that system. As noted previously in its annual disclosure documents and on its fourth quarter 2017 results call, TransCanada expects a modest increase in earnings and no fundamental change to its EBITDA guidance, payout metrics, financial flexibility or funding plans through 2020 as a result of U.S. Tax Reform. Furthermore, given that a sizeable portion of our U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines portfolio is held in corporate form, including ANR, Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf, along with the composition of its revenue base and level of ownership in TC PipeLines, LP, changes to FERC's tax allowance policy for MLPs are not expected to have a material financial impact on the company. TransCanada is currently reviewing details of these FERC actions and plans to file comments with FERC both individually and through our trade organizations. Once the public comment period is complete, we expect FERC to issue final order(s) sometime in the summer or in early fall 2018. We appreciate that FERC is allowing TransCanada and our peers the opportunity to comment on this NOPR and that FERC recognizes there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each of our U.S. natural gas pipelines are unique, with different customer bases and contract structures. We will evaluate each of our pipelines individually to determine specific impacts and paths forward and will communicate additional information to the investment community after we complete our evaluation of the impacts and the final FERC order(s).

07:06 EDT Pain Therapeutics announces FDA advisory committee meeting for REMOXY ER - Pain Therapeutics announced that the FDA will hold an Advisory Committee Meeting to discuss the New Drug Application, or NDA, for REMOXY ER. The tentative date for this meeting is June 26, 2018. Members of the Advisory Committee review and evaluate data around safety and effectiveness and make appropriate recommendations. All final decisions, however, are made by the FDA. Details of the meeting agenda will be available in the Federal Register at a later date. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act target date for the REMOXY NDA is August 7, 2018. If approved, REMOXY ER will be classified as a Schedule II drug, subject to strict prescribing and dispensing rules. Pain Therapeutics has included in the NDA submission a comprehensive Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, that is consistent with current FDA and industry-wide guidelines for extended-release opioid products. The REMS is intended to control inappropriate prescribing, misuse and abuse of extended-release opioids while maintaining patient access to essential pain medications.

07:05 EDT Central Garden & Pet names Brooks Pennington III chairman of the board - Central Garden & Pet announced that Brooks Pennington III has succeeded Bill Brown as chairman of the board. Brown will remain on the board and continue to focus on higher-level strategic initiatives for the company. Pennington has been on Central Garden & Pet's board for 20 years and has been the company's director of special projects since 2006. Prior to his current role, Pennington served as the President and CEO of Pennington Seed.

07:03 EDT KBR awarded $69.3M contract from NAWCAD - KBR announced that its global Government Services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded a $69.3M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, or IDIQ, contract to provide engineering and technical services to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, or NAWCAD. Under this contract awarded by NAWCAD, KBRwyle will be responsible for the engineering, installation and maintenance of the Light Airborne Multipurpose System, or LAMPS, MK III Datalink. The Navy uses this datalink to transmit command and control, radar, and acoustic information between H-60 Seahawk helicopters and surface ships. This data provides naval forces an expanded, real-time picture of the battlespace. KBRwyle will provide full life cycle support to this multi-mission datalink system, including systems integration, test and evaluation, in-service engineering, logistics, repair and validation, training, lab maintenance, and technical management.

06:56 EDT VF Corp. to sell Nautica brand business to Authentic Brands Group - VF Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Nautica brand business to Authentic Brands Group. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals for a closing to occur. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

06:51 EDT KBR receives $34.1M task order from U.S. Air Force - KBR announced that its global government services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded a $34.1M task order to provide analytical and engineering weapons systems support to assist the U.S. Air Force, or USAF, with air traffic safety and cyber threats. Specifically, KBRwyle's work will support the USAF's Life Cycle Management Center, or AFLCMC, engineering directorate's engineering and communication network branch. This branch provides engineering, integration, technical advice, and direction to all AFLCMC weapon system program offices and other organizations. KBRwyle will provide a range of services, including system engineering analyses, cybersecurity assessments, cyber resiliency strategy development, and air traffic management / identification friend or foe component testing and certification for DoD and foreign military sales requirements. KBRwyle will primarily perform this work at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The task order award period is 54 months.

06:46 EDT American Midstream Partners sees no material impact from proposed FERC revisions - American Midstream Partners announced that the proposed revisions outlined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, regarding its 2005 Policy Statement for Recovery of Income Tax Costs, are expected to have a negligible impact on the financial results of the Partnership. The FERC announced, on March 15, 2018, that it plans to 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. After consideration of the proposed policy changes by the FERC, American Midstream has determined, that based on the current rate structure on the Partnership's FERC regulated pipelines, the proposed changes are expected to have a negligible impact on the earnings and cash flow of the Partnership. Further, any proposed FERC policy revisions will have limited application to American Midstream, as a substantial majority of the Partnership's operations are not FERC regulated.

06:32 EDT Newell Brands announces cooperation agreement with Carl Icahn - Newell Brands (NWL)announced that it entered into a cooperation agreement with Carl Icahn, Chairman of Icahn Enterprises (IEP), who beneficially owns approximately 6.9% of the company's outstanding shares. As part of the agreement with Icahn, Newell Brands has agreed to appoint each of the following individuals designated by Icahn to the Newell Brands Board of Directors effective immediately: Patrick Campbell, Brett Icahn, Andrew Langham and Courtney Mather, with Campbell elected to serve as the new Chairman of the Board. These designees will serve alongside James Craigie, Debra Crew, Michael Polk, Steven Strobel and Michael Todman on the Newell Brands Board of Directors. In addition, Judith Sprieser and another independent director nominee to be designated by Icahn, and approved by the Board, will be nominated to stand for election at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Pursuant to the Agreement, Icahn has agreed to vote all of his shares in favor of the Newell Brands nominees at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In addition, Newell Brands also announced that it has expanded its accelerated transformation plan, which remains focused on creating a company that is simpler, faster and stronger. The Company believes there are further accretive divestiture opportunities that will bring the total yield of the accelerated transformation plan to approximately $10B of after-tax proceeds. The Company reiterated that it will continue to execute its strategic initiatives, including: Optimizing the portfolio to ensure focus on brands with attractive margins and growth potential in global categories. Driving operational efficiency and simplifying operations. Improving financial flexibility, increasing free cash flow productivity and returning capital to the shareholders. Capitalizing on Newell's scale and differentiated capabilities to drive market share gains through innovation, eCommerce and international deployment. The agreement with Icahn provides that the Company's Finance Committee, which will be chaired by Courtney Mather, will oversee, in addition to its existing responsibilities, the divestitures contemplated by the Company's expanded accelerated transformation plan.

06:02 EDT Affimed N.V. names Dr. Leila Alland as Chief Medical Officer - Affimed N.V. announced the appointment of Dr. Leila Alland to the position of Chief Medical Officer, effective March 26. As CMO, Dr. Alland will be responsible for the clinical strategy and execution of Affimed's first-in-class NK and T cell engager programs through early and late stage clinical trials. Dr. Alland brings to the company over 20 years of experience in industry and academic research with a strong track record of successful oncology and hematology drug development.

06:01 EDT TPI Composites, Vestas sign multiyear supply agreement - TPI Composites announced that it has signed a multiyear supply agreement with Vestas Wind Systems A/S to provide blades from four manufacturing lines for the new V150-4.2 MW wind turbine for global markets. The blades will be produced at a new facility in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, which is scheduled to open for production in the first half of 2019. TPI's new manufacturing hub will be designed to be state-of-the-art and able to reliably and cost effectively serve China and global wind markets via land and by water from the port of Yangzhou. The manufacturing complex, located on a 20-hectare site, will initially be 80,000 m2 with the ability to expand and serve multiple customers. In addition to blades, the manufacturing complex will also be capable of producing precision molding and assembly system in a new tooling manufacturing facility. TPI has produced wind blades in China since 2007. TPI currently produces wind blades and precision molding and assembly systems in four facilities in China.

05:41 EDT SPI Energy receives letter of non-compliance from Nasdaq - SPI Energy announced that it received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market on March 14, 2018, notifying the company that the minimum bid price per ordinary share was below $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and, therefore, that the company did not meet the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Rule 5450(a)(1) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Pursuant to Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the company has a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until September 10, 2018, to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement. If at any time during the Compliance Period, the closing bid price per share is at least $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide the company a written confirmation of compliance and the matter will be closed. In the event that the company does not regain compliance by September 10, 2018, the company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance period if it transfers to the Nasdaq Capital Market and provides written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the deficiency. Any such transfer would be subject to the determination by the staff of Nasdaq that the company would be able to cure the deficiency in such additional period.

05:37 EDT Dana confirms plans for secondary listing of new company on LSE - Dana has undertaken a series of productive meetings with U.K.-based shareholders of GKN PLC. During those meetings, Dana outlined the compelling rationale for its proposed combination with GKN Driveline. Dana received direct feedback from GKN shareholders that they would like to hold stock in the proposed new Dana plc and participate in the undeniable strategic benefits of the Dana-GKN Driveline combination, as well as the significant value that will be unlocked through this transaction. In order to provide more shareholders with an opportunity to hold stock of Dana plc, Dana today confirmed that it will seek a secondary 'standard listing' on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange for Dana plc following the completion of the proposed combination. Additionally, Dana confirmed that it expects to continue to pay its current quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share to the enlarged shareholder group.