Stockwinners Market Radar for March 21, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:01 EDT HSBC Bank USA raises prime and reference rate to 4.75% - HSBC Bank USA and its affiliates announced that they raised their prime and reference rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective Thursday, March 22, 2018.

18:30 EDT Immutep commences patient dosing in additional TACTI-mel cohort - Immutep initiated patient dosing in the new cohort of the TACTI-mel Phase 1 clinical trial. This clinical study is evaluating the combination of Immutep's lead immunotherapy product candidate eftilagimod alpha with pembrolizumab - Keytruda - in unresectable or metastatic melanoma patients in Australia. The additional cohort consists of six patients that will receive 30 mg of efti in combination with pembrolizumab starting at cycle one of pembrolizumab. Patients will be treated for up to 12 months. Safety assessment is the main objective of this study.

18:24 EDT Campbell Soup appoints Maria Teresa Hilado as director - Campbell Soup (CPB) announced that the company's Board of Directors has elected Maria Teresa Hilado as a member of the Board, effective March 21. Hilado has more than 30 years of experience in finance and treasury with several leading multinational companies across a variety of industries. She recently retired from global pharmaceutical company Allergan (AGN) after serving as Executive Vice President and CFO from Dec. 2014 to Feb. 2018. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for PepsiCo (PEP) for five years. Earlier in her career, Hilado spent more than 17 years with General Motors (GM) in leadership roles of increasing responsibility, most notably Assistant Treasurer, and CFO, GMAC Commercial Finance LLC. She began her career with Far East Bank & Trust Co., in Manila, Philippines.

18:14 EDT Deutsche Bank raises prime rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective March 22 - Deutsche Bank announced that its New York Branch, Deutsche Bank New York, and its subsidiary Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas have raised their prime lending from 4.50% to 4.75% effective March 22.

18:03 EDT U.S. Bancorp raises prime lending rate to 4.75% - U.S. Bancorp announced it has raised its prime lending rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective tomorrow, March 22, 2018, at all U.S. Bank locations. U.S. Bancorp last announced a change in its prime lending rate on December 13, 2017, when it was increased 25 basis points to 4.50%.

18:00 EDT Webster Financial raises prime rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective March 22

17:35 EDT Sienna Biopharmaceuticals CFO Richard Peterson to resign, John Smither succeeds - Sienna Biopharmaceutical (SNNA) announced the appointment of John Smither as the company's CFO. Smither will succeed Richard Peterson, who has resigned for personal reasons, effective Mar. 29. Smither served as Sienna's CFO from January 2016 to March 2017, and subsequently has served as an independent consultant in the biopharmaceutical industry. Previously, he served as CFO of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (KYTH),

17:32 EDT Granite Construction awarded $1M road & bridge rehabilitation project in Alaska - Granite has been awarded a $51M pavement and bridge rehabilitation contract in Girdwood, Alaska by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. The contract will be included in Granite's Q1 2018 backlog. The Seward Highway Milepost 75-90 Road & Bridge Rehabilitation Project will rehabilitate approximately 15 miles of the Seward Highway. Granite is responsible for Phase 1 of the project which will cover MP 75 to 77.7 and MP 81 to 90. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2018 and conclude in Fall 2020.

17:21 EDT Comerica increases prime rate to 4.75% from 4.50% - Comerica announced it will raise its prime rate to 4.75% from 4.50% effective Thursday, March 22.

17:20 EDT Fifth Third raises prime lending rate to 4.75% from 4.5%, effective immediately - Fifth Third Bancorp announced that it is increasing its prime lending rate to 4.75% from 4.5%, effective immediately.

17:18 EDT MGP Ingredients to replace Evercore Partners in S&P 600 at open on 3/26

17:16 EDT Northern Trust increases prime rate to 4.75% from 4.5%, effective Thursday - The Northern Trust Company has increased its prime rate to 4.75% from 4.5%, effective Thursday, March 22.

17:07 EDT Titan executes agreement for acquisition by Molteni of Probuphine in Europe - Titan Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase, supply and support agreement with L. Molteni & C. dei F.lli Alitti Societa di Esercizio S.p.A. through which Molteni has acquired the European intellectual property related to Probuphine, including the Marketing Authorization Application under review by the European Medicines Agency, and will have the exclusive right to commercialize the Titan supplied Probuphine product in Europe, as well as certain countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East and North Africa. Titan received an initial payment of approximately $2.4M for the purchased assets and will receive potential additional payments totaling up to approximately $5.5M upon the achievement of certain regulatory and product label milestones. Additionally, Titan is entitled to receive earn-out payments for up to 15 years on net sales of Probuphine in the Molteni Territory ranging in percentage from the low-teens to the mid-twenties. The agreement supersedes the previously executed term sheet that contemplated a license arrangement with respect to the intellectual property Titan has sold to Molteni.

17:03 EDT Wheaton Precious Metals sees FY18 attributable production 22.5M silver ounces - Sees FY18 attributable production 355,000 gold ounces.

17:03 EDT Ability announces share consolidation - Ability announced a 1-for-10 consolidation of its ordinary shares. Beginning on the open of trading on Friday, March 23, the company's ordinary shares will trade on a post-consolidated basis on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the Company's existing trading symbol, "ABIL." Beginning on the open of trading on Sunday, March 25, the company's ordinary shares will trade on a post-consolidated basis on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the company's existing trading symbol, "ABIL."

16:46 EDT Central Securities names John C. Hill president - Wilmot Kidd, chairman of the board and CEO of Central Securities, announced the appointment by the board of directors of John C. Hill as president of the corporation, effective March 21, 2018. Kidd will continue in his present roles. Hill joined the corporation in 2016 as vice president.

16:41 EDT Edwards Lifesciences completes enrollment in PARTNER 3 CT sub-study - Edwards Lifesciences Corporation announced that enrollment is complete in the computed tomography imaging sub-study within the PARTNER 3 trial of the SAPIEN 3 valve. This randomized sub-study is examining leaflet mobility of both the SAPIEN 3 valve and surgical heart valves in low-risk patients undergoing valve replacement for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis. Enrollment in the PARTNER 3 main study of the SAPIEN 3 valve in low-risk patients was already complete. As previously indicated, Edwards continues to anticipate that data from the PARTNER 3 trial will be presented at ACC 2019, and expects to receive FDA approval for the indication late that year.

16:35 EDT Herman Miller CEO says 'broad-based sales growth' across all segments in Q3 - Brian Walker, CEO, stated, "Broad-based sales growth across all of our business segments was a clear highlight for the quarter, led by strong double-digit growth from our International and Consumer business segments. We were particularly encouraged that the acceleration in sales for the Consumer business resulted in meaningful improvement in operating margins for the segment as we execute on this important strategic priority. While order levels in North America reflected the project-based nature of the industry during the quarter, a favorable macro-economic picture and the potential for U.S. tax reform to be a catalyst for industry demand provide a supportive backdrop going forward. Highlighting our strategy of expanding our addressable markets, our International, Consumer and Specialty business segments each delivered strong order growth this quarter. With our collection of leading brands, a global multi-channel distribution capability and focus on our five key strategic priorities, we are well-positioned to drive sustainable long-term growth."

16:30 EDT Citi raises base lending rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective Thursday - Citibank, N.A. said it has raised its base lending rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective Thursday, March 22.

16:25 EDT Rogers Corporation CFO Stipp to retire from company - Rogers Corporation announced that Janice E. Stipp, Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, will be retiring from the company effective May 16, 2018. The company has entered into a six-month consulting agreement with Stipp to aid in the transition after her departure. An executive search process has commenced for a permanent successor.

16:23 EDT Herman Miller reports Q3 new orders $563.2M, up 3.7% y/y

16:18 EDT Associated Banc-Corp raises prime rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective March 21

16:16 EDT Equity Bancshares appoints Craig Anderson COO, Craig Mayo CCO - Equity Bancshares, the Wichita-based parent company of Equity Bank, announced the hire of Craig Anderson, who is being named as executive VP and COO, and the hire of Craig Mayo, who is being named as executive VP and Chief Credit Officer.

16:13 EDT Raytheon raises annual dividend 8.8% to $3.47 from $3.19 per share - The Board of Directors of Raytheon has voted to increase the company's annual dividend payout rate by 8.8%, from $3.19 to $3.47 per share. The Board also authorized payment of a quarterly cash dividend of 86.75c per outstanding share of common stock, to be paid on May 10 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 11.

16:11 EDT Oil-Dri Corporation of America declares dividends, authorizes stock repurchases - The board of Oil-Dri Corporation of America declared quarterly cash dividends of 23c per share of the company's common stock and 17.3c per share of the company's Class B stock. The dividends declared will be payable on June 1 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 18. The company has paid cash dividends continuously since 1974 and has increased dividends annually for fourteen consecutive years. The board also ratified its prior authorizations to repurchase 250K shares of common stock approved on March 11, 2011 and 250K shares of common stock approved on June 14, 2012. A total of 300,822 shares of common stock may yet be repurchased under these authorizations. The board also authorized the repurchase of 300K shares of Class B Stock.

16:11 EDT Meredith announces headcount reductions - Meredith announced headcount reductions, part of its plan to realize between $400 to $500 million of cost synergies from the Time Inc. acquisition. Approximately 200 employees have been notified that their positions have been eliminated. Additionally, Meredith said approximately 1,000 more positions will be eliminated over the next 10 months. Previously, Meredith announced the elimination of approximately 600 positions as it transitions subscription fulfillment operations to a lower-cost provider. These headcount reductions do not include the impact of any potential divestitures. These actions are key pieces of Meredith's previously stated strategy to eliminate duplicative positions and consolidate certain functions at the company's headquarters in Des Moines, where operational costs are significantly less.

16:10 EDT Meredith to explore sale of TIME, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Money brands - Meredith announced several initiatives as part of its aggressive execution of an integration strategy outlined following its acquisition of the Time Inc. media brands, which closed on January 31, 2018. Meredith's strategy centers on four major initiatives: Conduct a portfolio review of all its media assets and divest those not core to its business; Improve advertising and circulation performance of the Time Inc. properties to industry norms; Grow revenue and raise profit margins on Time Inc. digital properties to Meredith's levels; and Achieve annual cost synergies in $400 million to $500 million range in first two years of operations."We have made significant progress executing on these initiatives since we closed on the acquisition just six weeks ago," said Meredith President and CEO Tom Harty. "For example, today we are announcing we have completed our portfolio review and decided to explore the sale of the TIME, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Money brands. These are attractive properties with strong consumer reach. However, they have different target audiences and advertising bases, and we believe each brand is better suited for success with a new owner. We are pleased with the inbound interest we have received, and we are confident these brands will be positioned for growth with an owner that shares Meredith's respect for editorial integrity and independence." Meredith will not comment further until potential agreements have been reached. Today's announcement follows the sale of several other acquired Time Inc. properties, including Time Inc. UK and Golf. Additionally, Meredith said it will soon unveil a new brand-centered sales organization and go-to-market strategy that fully leverages its new powerful media portfolio, including its enhanced digital reach. These will be outlined during all-employee meetings beginning March 28.

16:08 EDT Meredith to explore sale of TIME, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Money brands

16:06 EDT AVEO Oncology announces publication of results from TIVO-1 extension study - AVEO Oncology announced the publication of long-term follow-up results from Study 902, where patients were treated with tivozanib as second-line treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma, in the European Journal of Cancer. The publication, titled "Efficacy of Tivozanib Treatment after Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: Crossover of a Phase 3 Study," was published online first and is available here. Tivozanib is an oral, once-daily, potent and highly selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In Study 902, a total of 161 patients with aRCC received tivozanib as second-line treatment subsequent to disease progression on sorafenib in the Phase 3 TIVO-1 study. As previously reported, median progression-free survival and median overall survival were 11.0 months and 21.6 months, respectively. Overall response rate was 18% and stable disease was 52% for an overall disease control rate of 70%. Tivozanib was generally well tolerated, with adverse events consistent with those observed in previous tivozanib trials. The activity shown in TKI refractory patients compares favorably with data published for other TKI agents in a similar population.

16:02 EDT Americas Silver provides update on San Felipe resource estimate - Americas Silver provided an update of the mineral resource estimate at the San Felipe zinc-silver-lead project. San Felipe is located 130 km northeast of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In 2017, Americas Silver acquired an option on San Felipe giving it the right to acquire a 100% interest in the property without any underlying third-party royalties. Indicated mineral resources are estimated to contain 4.7M tonnes of ore, including 560M pounds of zinc, 256M pounds of lead and 9.1M ounces of silver. Inferred mineral resources are estimated to contain 2.0M tonnes, including 158M pounds of zinc, 63M pounds of lead and 3.1M ounces of silver. Contained zinc and silver increased by 258% and 236% respectively in the indicated mineral resource. "With the significant increase in contained zinc and silver in the indicated resource, San Felipe now becomes a more substantial project in the current zinc market," stated Darren Blasutti, President and CEO of Americas Silver Corporation. "The updated estimate at San Felipe highlights potential for another low-capital project for the Company, after our successful start-up of the San Rafael mine and the rapid resource expansion of the silver-rich Zone 120 deposit. We will continue to evaluate San Felipe for its economic merits and strategic fit ahead of making the final payments for the option on the property by the end of the year."

15:56 EDT Tellurian announces $50M investment from Bechtel - Tellurian announced that an affiliate of Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals has made a $50M zero coupon preferred equity investment in Tellurian which has an implied Tellurian common share price of $8.16 per share. Bechtel CEO Brendan Bechtel said, "Tellurian management and Bechtel have worked together for many years and we look forward to continuing our success as equity partners." Tellurian CEO Meg Gentle added, "Bechtel and Tellurian management have constructed 55M tonnes per annum of liquefaction capacity together on various projects and have formed a respected and productive relationship. We are fortunate to have such strong strategic partners including Bechtel, GE and Total and look forward to breaking ground at Driftwood LNG in 2019."

15:50 EDT KeyCorp raises prime lending rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective Thursday - KeyCorp and its banking affiliates have raised their prime lending rate to 4.75% from 4.50%, effective Thursday, March 22.

15:45 EDT Facebook's Zuckerberg comments on Cambridge Analytica situation - Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in part: "I want to share an update on the Cambridge Analytica situation -- including the steps we've already taken and our next steps to address this important issue...We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you. I've been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn't happen again. The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago. But we also made mistakes, there's more to do, and we need to step up and do it...In 2015, we learned from journalists at The Guardian that Kogan had shared data from his app with Cambridge Analytica. It is against our policies for developers to share data without people's consent, so we immediately banned Kogan's app from our platform, and demanded that Kogan and Cambridge Analytica formally certify that they had deleted all improperly acquired data. They provided these certifications...Last week, we learned from The Guardian, The New York Times and Channel 4 that Cambridge Analytica may not have deleted the data as they had certified. We immediately banned them from using any of our services. Cambridge Analytica claims they have already deleted the data and has agreed to a forensic audit by a firm we hired to confirm this. We're also working with regulators as they investigate what happened...This was a breach of trust between Kogan, Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. But it was also a breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it. We need to fix that...First, we will investigate all apps that had access to large amounts of information before we changed our platform to dramatically reduce data access in 2014, and we will conduct a full audit of any app with suspicious activity. We will ban any developer from our platform that does not agree to a thorough audit...Second, we will restrict developers' data access even further to prevent other kinds of abuse. For example, we will remove developers' access to your data if you haven't used their app in 3 months...Third, we want to make sure you understand which apps you've allowed to access your data. In the next month, we will show everyone a tool at the top of your News Feed with the apps you've used and an easy way to revoke those apps' permissions to your data. Beyond the steps we had already taken in 2014, I believe these are the next steps we must take to continue to secure our platform." Reference Link

15:40 EDT Zuckerberg says Facebook 'made mistakes,' he's 'responsible' for platform - Reference Link

15:18 EDT Vuzix responds to address 'inaccurate information' circulated in 'blogosphere' - At the request of Vuzix shareholders, the company is responding to "address inaccurate information regarding the company that is being circulated within the blogosphere and social media. This press release is meant to correct these inaccurate statements by providing the actual facts." The company stated: "Vuzix became a public entity via its initial public offering (not a reverse merger) on December 24, 2009 with its filing and acceptance of its S-1 Registration statement by the US Securities Commission. We initially commenced trading on the TSXV in Canada thereafter and became listed on the OTC markets in 2010 before subsequently uplisting to the NASDAQ on January 28, 2015. Since inception, the US SEC has been its prime regulatory reporting entity; Vuzix has a business relationship with Toshiba that includes a master supply agreement requiring Toshiba to place $5 million minimum of orders over the first 12 months of the MSA in order to maintain exclusivity for a custom pair of smart glasses that was developed by Vuzix, is being manufactured by Vuzix and is being delivered to Toshiba by Vuzix. Vuzix announced in a press release on March 12, 2018 that the Company has begun mass production for Toshiba. Vuzix received the first purchase order from Toshiba under the MSA on March 12, 2018 and filed an 8-K with financial details on the initial purchase order received from Toshiba totaling $1.1 million on March 13, 2018; Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses support Amazon Alexa and Amazon Alexa voice assistant currently runs on the Vuzix Blade. The full commercial release of Vuzix Blade will also ship with support for the Alexa voice assistant. There are multiple visual and actual examples of Alexa running on the Vuzix Blade at CES 2018 and Mobile World Congress...Further, the Vuzix Blade will commence volume production in the second quarter of this year; Vuzix demonstrated the Vuzix Blade to an estimated 4,000 industry professionals including independent members of the media at CES and MWC in January and February 2018. Our communication teams have done a great job getting the message out and we have been inundated with requests for meetings and demonstrations since those two global trade shows. The overwhelming positive media coverage was based on the media's independent evaluation and opinions, and Vuzix continues to appreciate their professionalism and interest in our products and commercial traction and activities; At CES the same Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses were shown to members of the media, to industry professionals as well as interested customers and potential partners. This includes a long list of consumer and mobile electronics companies. On March 20, 2018, the Company issued a press release indicating that the Company has added 10 new customer engagements and is now engaged with more than a dozen consumer and mobile electronics companies that are currently exploring various paths to market involving the Company's waveguide optics and related technology."

14:38 EDT ChinaCache spike attributed to write-up on AWS website - Shares of ChinaCache International Holdings moved higher as traders circulated an Amazon Web Services webpage discussing the company. The AWS site reads, "ChinaCache is Mainland China's first and largest premier CDN Network, delivering static content and full static files to your customers with low latency and high transfer speeds through leading edge optimization, acceleration and caching technologies. ChinaCache is AWS only Global MP provider that specialize in CDN services in Mainland China." When the write-up was posted on the website is unclear. Shares of ChinaCache are up 18%, or 22c, to $1.50 in afternoon trading. Reference Link

14:27 EDT Azure Power wins 130 MWs of solar power projects - Azure Power announced that it has won a cumulative capacity of 130 MWs at a blended tariff of INR 3.35 per kWh, bringing the company's total portfolio to over 1,720 MWs. The win includes a 100 MWs utility scale project at the Pavagada solar park in Karnataka and a 30 MWs solar rooftop project with Indian Railways, the largest rail network in Asia, owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways.

14:18 EDT Boeing delivers first 737 MAX 9 - Boeing and the Lion Air Group celebrated the very first 737 MAX 9 to be delivered. The airplane will go into service with Thai Lion Air, where its added capacity will help the airline launch several international routes. The Lion Air Group is the launch customer for the MAX 9. They were also the first operator to put the MAX 8 into service, and have announced a commitment for 50 MAX 10s. The Group also has an additional 200 737 MAXs on order and is one of the world's largest operators of the 737.

14:02 EDT Fed says economic outlook has strengthened in recent months - The Federal Reserve says in today's statement, "Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The economic outlook has strengthened in recent months. The Committee expects that, with further gradual adjustments in the stance of monetary policy, economic activity will expand at a moderate pace in the medium term and labor market conditions will remain strong. Inflation on a 12-month basis is expected to move up in coming months and to stabilize around the Committee's 2 percent objective over the medium term. Near-term risks to the economic outlook appear roughly balanced, but the Committee is monitoring inflation developments closely."

14:00 EDT Federal Reserve boosts benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points

13:26 EDT Pennsylvania, West Virginia regulators approve Penn National-Pinnacle deal - Penn National Gaming (PENN) announced that at separate meetings today, The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and the West Virginia Lottery Commission approved the company's pending acquisition of Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK). The completion of the proposed transaction is contingent on receipt of additional regulatory approvals, as well as certain other conditions. Penn National and Pinnacle recently announced that both companies will hold special shareholder meetings on March 29 to vote on matters related to the acquisition. Timothy Wilmott, CEO of Penn National Gaming, said, "We look forward to securing additional regulatory approvals in the near term, with our goal remaining to complete the transaction in the second half of 2018."

13:10 EDT Penn National gets approval from certain regulators on pending Pinn

13:05 EDT Starbucks reaffirms 12% or greater earnings growth target at analyst day - Starbucks today is hosting its annual meeting of shareholders. The company reiterates its 12% or greater non-GAAP earnings per share growth target and commitment to return $15B to shareholders through the next three years. Starbucks has also committed to achieving and maintaining 100% gender pay equity for partners in all company-operated markets globally, setting a new bar for multinational companies. Further, Starbucks announced it has achieved 100% pay equity for women and men, and for people of all races, performing similar work in the United States. Starbucks also revealed a new commitments to sustainability, including a $10M investment in the "NextGen Cup Challenge" in partnership with the Closed Loop Foundation, and in a coffee traceability pilot program to "assure transparency and trust and to give coffee farmers even greater financial empowerment."

12:36 EDT FDA approves Genentech's Lucentis - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Lucentis 0.3 mg prefilled syringe as a new method of administering the medicine to treat all forms of diabetic retinopathy. In April 2017, Lucentis 0.3 mg became, and remains, the first and only FDA-approved medicine to treat all forms of diabetic retinopathy in people with or without diabetic macular edema, a complication of the eye disease that causes swelling in the back of the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working age adults and affects nearly 7.7M people in the U.S. The Lucentis 0.3 mg PFS is now the first syringe prefilled with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent FDA-approved to treat both diabetic retinopathy and DME.

11:53 EDT Air Transport pilots ratified amendment to collective bargaining agreement - Air Transport Services Group said that pilot employees of its Air Transport International, Inc. subsidiary have ratified an amendment to the collective bargaining agreement between ATI and the Air Line Pilots Association. The amended agreement extends for four years from the date of ratification. Terms of the amended agreement were not disclosed by ATI.

11:36 EDT Advantage Oil & Gas begins odd-lot share repurchase program - Advantage Oil & Gas is commencing an odd-lot share repurchase program pursuant to which it will offer to buy back common shares from registered and beneficial shareholders of Advantage who own 99 or fewer common shares. The Odd Lot Program affords Odd Lot Holders the opportunity to sell all, but not less than all, of their common shares or to continue to maintain their current holdings. Advantage will purchase up to a maximum of C$4M of its common shares under the Odd Lot Program. The Odd Lot Program will begin on March 27, 2018 and will expire once the Maximum is met or at the close of business on May 8, 2018, unless otherwise extended. Advantage may extend the Period for up to an additional six weeks and may increase the Maximum at its sole discretion. Under the Odd Lot Program, Advantage will pay tendering Odd Lot Holders the following: Canadian Odd Lot Holders will receive a price per common share equal to the five day volume weighted average price of the common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the week immediately prior to the week in which the Odd Lot Holder tenders their common shares; and United States Odd Lot Holders will receive a price per common share equal to the 5 day VWAP of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the week immediately prior to the week in which the Odd Lot Holder tenders their common shares.

11:09 EDT Wells, KeyBanc still bullish on Facebook despite Cambridge Analytica scandal - Facebook (FB) has been in the spotlight following reports saying the social media company's user data was accessed by Cambridge Analytica to assist President Donald Trump in winning the 2016 election. Commenting on the share selloff since Friday, Wells Fargo analyst Ken Sena told investors he sees the pullback as a buying opportunity, an opinion shared by his peer at KeyBanc. Reiterating a Sell rating on the name, however, Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser argued that Facebook's "systemic mismanagement" has become a new concern. BUYING OPPORTUNITY: In a research note to investors, Wells Fargo's Sena said he views the 9% pullback in shares of Facebook as a buying opportunity, with details of the 2014 Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal continuing to unfold. In a research note titled "Thank Goodness For Instagram," the analyst argued that the potential impact on usage and advertising from the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal remains "quite manageable." While headline risk may ensue from the congressional and agency interviews, investors should not lose sight of the areas where Facebook is doing very well, particularly Instagram, Sena contended. Further, he sees Instagram becoming a "bigger catalyst" within the Facebook story this year. The analyst does not see the recent news and the specifics around the facts as commensurate with the selloff, even under his worst-case scenario, which assumes a 5.5% revenue headwind stemming from user attrition and reduced ad efficacy. Sena reiterated an Outperform rating and $230 price target on the shares. In a research note of his own, KeyBanc analyst Andy Hargreaves pointed out that the firestorm of news headlines, and Facebook's poor navigation of those, have driven an increase in uncertainty that has far surpassed the risk to Facebook's cash flow growth. Nonetheless, the analyst recommended investors buy Facebook at current levels as he sees potential catalysts in earnings, a reasonable response from the company and the passage of the height of negative headline volume. Hargreaves reiterated an Overweight rating and $245 price target on the shares. 'SYSTEMIC MISMANAGEMENT' PRESENTS NEW RISKS: Reiterating a Sell rating and $152 price target on Facebook's shares, Pivotal Research's Wieser noted that his prior negative view on Facebook has been primarily due to concerns about limits to growth for digital advertising in general and for Facebook in particular, but now signs of "systemic mismanagement" have become a new concern. Investors now have to consider whether the company will conclude that it has grown in a manner that is untenable, which would then depress the size of the company, or whether it needs to significantly improve how it is managed, which introduces the risks of personnel changes, he contended, adding that both scenarios present new incremental risks. WHAT'S NOTABLE: According to The Verge, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to address the company's employees about Cambridge Analytica scandal at 1pm ET on Friday during its regular Q&A session. In a statement, Facebook said that "Mark, l and their teams are working around the clock to get all the facts and take the appropriate action moving forward, because they understand the seriousness of this issue... The entire company is outraged we were deceived. We are committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people's information and will take whatever steps are required to see that this happens." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Facebook are up about 0.6% to $169.16.

10:46 EDT Southwest guidance, flight cancellations cause airline stocks to lose altitude - Shares of domestic airlines dropped in morning trading after Southwest Airlines (LUV) cut its revenue per available seat mile, or RASM, guidance for the first quarter, primarily due to the competitive fare environment that continues to pressure passenger revenue yields. The Southwest report comes as flight delay and cancellation statistics from FlightAware.com showed that U.S. airlines have canceled over 4,200 flights amid the latest storm impacting the Northeast. SOUTHWEST CUTS RASM VIEW: In a regulatory filing, Southwest said it was lowering its outlook for Q1 RASM to be in line with a year ago from its previous guidance of a 1%-2% increase, primarily due to the competitive fare environment that continues to pressure passenger revenue yields, and lower-than-expected travel demand due to the timing of spring break holidays. The carrier said the "sub-optimal" flight schedule resulting from the retirement of its Boeing (BA) 737-300 classic fleet also hurt passenger revenue yields and load factors. However, Southwest said it now expects Q1 operating expenses per available seat mile, or CASM, to be flat to up 1% and fuel costs to be about $2.10 per gallon. In January, Southwest said it expected unit costs, excluding fuel and oil expense and special items, to be up 0.5%-1.5% and fuel costs of $2.10-$2.15 per gallon. Separately in the filing, Southwest said it has recast certain 2016 and 2017 financial information to reflect the adoption of new accounting rules, but said it the impact of the new revenue standard will be "immaterial" to its Q1 and fiscal 2018 RASM comparisons. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Last week, Delta (DAL), United Continental (UAL), and Hawaiian Airlines (HA) all boosted their Q1 guidance, reflecting relative strength in international markets. AIRLINES CANCEL FLIGHTS AMID STORM: Live flight delay and cancellation statistics from FlightAware.com showed that U.S. airlines have canceled over 4,200 flights as of Wednesday morning, amid the storm impacting the Northeast. Two-thirds of the scheduled departures from Newark Liberty International Airport, or 418 flights, were called off for Wednesday, FlightAware said. More than 70M people are under a winter storm watch, warning, or advisory from the southern Appalachians to Boston, CNN said. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Southwest is down almost 6% to $57.06. Delta, JetBlue (JBLU), American Airlines (AAL), and Spirit Airlines (SAVE) are all down about 3%, while United Continental is down about 1%.

10:34 EDT Ocean Bio-Chemical declares 6c per share special cash dividend - Ocean Bio-Chem announced that its board declared a special cash dividend of 6c per share, payable on April 16 to shareholders of record on April 2.

10:25 EDT Before the Move: Tesla in focus ahead of shareholder vote on compensation - Shares of Tesla (TSLA) are in focus amid the upcoming shareholder vote on a proposed $2.6B compensation package for chief executive officer Elon Musk. SHAREHOLDER VOTE: Tesla shareholders will vote on the package for Musk at a special shareholder meeting on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. The package, which would give Musk an unprecedented ten-figure award of stock options, is linked to Tesla meeting a number of goals and needs support from investors holding a majority of the share. Shareholders Baillie Gifford & Co. and T. Rowe Price (TROW) have signaled they're likely to support the plan. PAY PLAN DETAILS: On January 23, Tesla announced a new ten-year performance award for Musk with vesting entirely contingent on achieving market cap and operational milestones. In order to fully vest, Tesla's market cap would have to grow to $650B, an increase of almost $600B, and important revenue and profitability goals would also have to be achieved. Musk will receive no guaranteed compensation of any kind -- no salary, no cash bonuses and no equity that vests simply by the passage of time. Instead, his only compensation will be a 100% at-risk performance award. The performance award consists of a ten-year grant of stock options that vests in 12 tranches. Each of the 12 tranches vest only if a pair of milestones is met. To meet the first market cap milestone, Tesla's current market cap must increase to $100B. For each of the remaining 11 milestones, Tesla's market cap must continue to increase in additional $50B increments. For Musk to fully vest in the award, Tesla's market cap must increase to $650B. To meet the operational milestones, Tesla must meet a set of escalating revenue and adjusted EBITDA targets designed to ensure that as Tesla's market cap grows, the company is also executing well on both a top-line and bottom-line basis. For each of the 12 tranches that is achieved, Musk will vest in stock options that correspond to 1% of Tesla's current total outstanding shares. If none of the 12 tranches is achieved, Musk will not receive compensation. For vesting to occur when the milestones are met, Musk must remain as Tesla's CEO or serve as both executive chairman and chief product officer with all leadership reporting to him. PROXY FIRM RECOMMENDATIONS: Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis has recommended Tesla stakeholders vote against the proposal, saying if Musk were to receive the full grant, he would own 28.3% of the car maker, Reuters reported in March. "The cost of the grant is staggering relative to executive compensation levels among public companies worldwide," Glass Lewis said. In addition, proxy firm ISS recommended shareholders reject the pay package, saying the "unprecedented" stock award is too rich, Reuters reported. The award "locks in unprecedented high pay opportunities for the next decade, and seemingly limits the board's ability to meaningfully adjust future pay levels in the event of unforeseen events or changes in either performance or strategic focus," ISS said. TESLA UNDER PRESSURE: Tesla has also seen executives depart the company in the last month with Susan Repo, corporate treasurer and VP of finance, leaving to take on a chief financial officer position at another firm and chief accounting officer Eric Branderiz departing for "personal reasons". Additionally, the company lost Jon McNeill, president of global sales and service, in February and former CFO Jason Wheeler in 2017. Tesla is also expected to report production and deliveries results for its Model 3 Sedan, which has faced challenges including quality issues and a production halt. Musk has delayed manufacturing goals several times for Model 3. PRICE ACTION: Tesla rose 2.6% to $318.54 in morning trading. "Before the Move" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive stories that identify potentially market moving events, along with analyst predictions, ahead of the news.

10:18 EDT Southwest now sees Q1 CASM flat to up 1% vs. prior view of 0.5%-1.5% - In a regulatory filing, Southwest said it "continues to be encouraged by cost trends" and now expects its first quarter 2018 operating expenses per available seat mile, or CASM, excluding fuel and oil expense and profitsharing expense, to be in the range of flat to up one percent, compared with first quarter 2017's CASM of 8.68c, as recast, which excluded fuel and oil expense, profitsharing expense, and special items.

10:16 EDT Southwest recasts some 2016, 2017 info for adoption of new revenue standard - In a regulatory filing, Southwest said it has recast certain 2016 and 2017 financial information, included in the attached schedules, to reflect the expected effects of the adoption of the New Revenue Standard. The company currently expects the impact from the New Revenue Standard to be immaterial to its first quarter and annual 2018 year-over-year operating revenue per available seat mile comparisons. The carrier recast its 2017 EPS to $5.57 from $5.79 based on the accounting standards.

10:03 EDT LendingTree launches free credit monitoring service - LendingTree (TREE) announced the launch of a free credit monitoring service within the My LendingTree platform. In partnership with TransUnion (TRU), LendingTree monitors users' credit profiles daily and sends alerts of any changes or potential suspicious activity within 30 minutes of the credit report being updated.

10:01 EDT BAE Systems awarded $97M in U.S. Army orders - The U.S. Army has placed two orders totaling $97M for BAE Systems to provide new night vision goggles and thermal weapon sights, which together will enable soldiers to rapidly and covertly acquire targets in all weather and lighting conditions. The orders are part of a previously announced five-year contract for the Army's Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III and Family of Weapon Sight-Individual program. Work on ENVG III/FWS-I program will be conducted at BAE Systems' facilities in Lexington, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas.

09:45 EDT Starbucks would never sell customer data, CEO says - Kevin Johnson is speaking on CNBC.

09:40 EDT Starbucks CEO says approaching 15M active users on mobile app - Kevin Johnson is speaking on CNBC.

09:17 EDT FleetCor announces partnership with Uber Freight - FleetCor announced a partnership with Uber Freight, as part of Uber Freight's new Uber Freight Plus program, that provides eligible Uber Freight app users discounts and savings on fuel, maintenance, and tires. The Uber Freight fuel card is powered by Comdata, a FleetCor company and leader in payment innovation. Uber Freight provides a free, easy-to-use app that seamlessly connects trucking companies with loads to haul. Uber Freight selected Comdata to power the Uber Freight fuel card because the company is a trusted provider in the industry and possesses a unique ability to provide broad network acceptance and administer discounts for fleets and drivers. With this prepaid or credit card, active carriers and their drivers can save on fuel, maintenance and tires, as well as leverage Comdata's expertise to provide the compliance services fleets need to meet IFTA and state permit requirements.

09:14 EDT Pandora to acquire AdsWizz for $145M - Pandora announced it will acquire AdsWizz.The addition of AdsWizz will upgrade Pandora's ad tech capabilities, provide its advertisers with greater audience reach, and expand the company's revenue opportunities. AdsWizz is one of the few ad tech firms that is completely dedicated to digital audio, serving some of the largest players in the industry. With digital audio advertising growing 42% year-over-year, according to the IAB, the combined offering of Pandora and AdsWizz will capitalize on this trend, while making it easier for publishers to monetize their inventory, and for advertisers to buy and measure their campaigns. At the closing of the transaction, AdsWizz will become a subsidiary of Pandora, with Van de Wyer remaining the CEO of AdsWizz. Pandora agreed to pay $145M in a combination of cash and stock, with a minimum of 50% paid in cash and the remainder to be paid, at Pandora's election, in either cash or stock, subject to certain price adjustments at and after closing. The acquisition does not change the Q1 guidance or the FY18 commentary that was provided on Pandora's most recent earnings call. This transaction is expected to close in Q2 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.

09:09 EDT AbbVie, International Myeloma Foundation announce partnership - AbbVie and the International Myeloma Foundation announced they have entered into a collaboration to conduct a landmark retrospective chart review study to better understand and help manage multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer. The primary objective of the study is to determine the overall survival of patients with MM and the t(11;14) translocation, which is present in an estimated 16%-24% of FISH-tested MM cases. IMF researchers from at least 30 participating sites across the world will retrospectively review and characterize the outcomes of 1,500 patients with the t(11;14) translocation identified on FISH, making this study one of the largest and most comprehensive MM studies to date. Secondary objectives include response rates, progression-free survival, time to progression, time to next treatment, duration of responses and overall survival with different regimens among patients with the t(11;14) translocation. Additional secondary objectives include determining prognostic factors for overall survival among MM patients with t(11;14) translocation and to identify the spectrum of co-existing genetic abnormalities among this patient population.

09:05 EDT Monsanto announces exclusive collaboration for AgriMetis' SpinoMetis platform - Monsanto and AgriMetis have announced an exclusive collaboration for Monsanto's continued research with AgriMetis' SpinoMetis platform, which includes novel insect protection compounds derived from a naturally-occurring bacterium. The SpinoMetis platform builds on the established safety and efficacy profiles of other products of the same origin to provide a semi-synthetic, broad-spectrum approach to controlling key insect pests in agriculture. In early research, the platform has been shown to be comparable or superior to commercial comparators in trials evaluating performance against lepidopteran, hemipteran, and other pests. The agreement includes an exclusive global license from AgriMetis to Monsanto for agricultural research in row, vegetable, and other crops for a three-year period, as well as an option for Monsanto to acquire exclusive commercial rights at the end of the term. AgriMetis is a company focused on discovering novel agrochemicals based on fermentative and/or synthetic improvements for crop protection.

09:02 EDT AbbVie, International Myeloma Foundation announce partnership - AbbVie and the International Myeloma Foundation announced they have entered into a collaboration to conduct a landmark retrospective chart review study to better understand and help manage multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer.

08:48 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Fennec Pharmaceuticals (FENC), up 19.1% after the FDA granted Fast Track designation to Pedmark... Mulesoft (MULE), up 5.2% after agreeing to be acquired by Salesforce (CRM) for $6.5B in cash and stock... Prothena (PRTA), up 20.5% after it announced a collaboration deal with Celgene (CELG)... DXP Enterprises (DXPE), up 3.8% after reporting quarterly results. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: General Mills (GIS), down 8.3%... FedEx (FDX), down marginally... Winnebago (WGO), down fractionally. ALSO LOWER: salesforce.com is down 3.7% following the announcement that it will acquire Mulesoft.

08:44 EDT General Mills says spending less on traditional advertising

08:42 EDT General Mills says could have moved faster to mitigate costs - Comments from Q3 earnings conference call.

08:38 EDT Sino-Global outlines 2018 logistics strategy in open letter to shareholders - Sino-Global CEo Lei Cao released a letter to shareholders outlining its 2018 corporate strategy. The letter states, among other things: "Our main objective for the calendar year 2018 is to continuously increase our business in the U.S. and to enhance the core competitiveness of our company in its market sector. To achieve this, we plan to further integrate technology into our business model to yield additional benefits for the Company and our clients. (...) In light of COSCO container shipping route from the U.S. to China, and the rising demand in China for U.S. based products combined with COSCO's empty container shipments rate along these routes (U.S. to China unutilized shipments currently averages around 80-90%), another key objective for 2018 and into fiscal year 2019 is to assist COSCO in the wide spread adoption of containerization. (...) We have signed two agreements with leading suppliers for trial "bulk-to-container" runs, which were successfully completed and have started the new calendar year with a significant purchase order that we expect will generate approximately $10M in gross revenue for the company. By leveraging our platform and relationships, we believe we can utilize an online-driven platform to take advantage of this trade imbalance on behalf of Sino-Global's primary customers. (...)"

08:35 EDT Philip Morris shifts entire capacity of Greece factory to smoke-free products - Philip Morris International announced that the factory of its Greek affiliate in Aspropyrgos, has ceased cigarette production and is now exclusively producing HEETS, the tobacco units used with IQOS. "This first full conversion of a cigarette factory is a landmark step in our vision of a smoke-free future where people who smoke switch from the most harmful form of nicotine consumption - cigarettes - to scientifically substantiated smoke-free alternatives. The EUR 300M investment included the construction of three new buildings and the replacement of cigarette production lines with high-tech facilities capable of producing 10,000 smoke-free tobacco units per minute. The conversion of the factory started in August 2017. The facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2018 and will create 400 new jobs. Along with our plant near Bologna, Italy, Papastratos is our company's second facility fully dedicated to manufacturing smoke-free products. We have also announced plans to either fully or partially transform our cigarette factories in Korea, Romania and Russia."

08:34 EDT ClearSign Combustion completes follow-on project for Aera Energy - ClearSign Combustion has installed and carried out an initial performance test at Aera Energy's S-9 Coalinga OTSG unit on a complex waste gas application. The retrofitted unit achieved initial field testing results with NOx and CO concentrations below established regulatory standards.

08:32 EDT Cantel Medical acquires Aexis Medical for $24.8M - Cantel Medical announced that it has acquired Aexis Medical BVBA, a company specializing in advanced software solutions focused on the tracking and monitoring of instrument reprocessing workflows for hospitals and healthcare professionals. The total deal consideration was $24.8M consisting of $21.1M up-front consideration and $3.7M in an earnout structure to be paid at the two-year anniversary of closing. For the calendar year ending December 31, 2017, Aexis Medical reported revenues of $4.2M. Cantel Medical anticipates this transaction to be modestly dilutive to GAAP EPS in both fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019, and anticipates this transaction to be neutral to fiscal year 2018 non-GAAP EPS and a few cents dilutive to fiscal year 2019 non-GAAP EPS as the company invests in this important platform. Based in Belgium, the business consists of unique, integrated information technology solutions that offer an extensive and comprehensive system to support the day-to-day management of instrument reprocessing workflows and data reporting within complex hospital environments. Aexis Medical employs nearly 60 employees comprised of software development experts as well as a commercial sales and service organization and other support functions to drive the business.

08:12 EDT Cidara says Phase 1 QT clinical trial showed no cardiac abnormalities - Cidara announced the results of its definitive QT clinical trial. This clinical trial was a Phase 1, single-center, randomized, comparative study of the effect of single-ascending doses of rezafungin, IV placebo, and a single oral dose of moxifloxacin in healthy adult subjects. The primary objective was to assess the effects of rezafungin on QT interval. Secondary objectives included assessments of other cardiac conduction parameters, including PR intervals, QRS intervals and heart rate. The trial enrolled 60 healthy adult subjects into two cohorts of 30 subjects, each with three dose groups, rezafungin, IV placebo and oral moxifloxacin. The rezafungin doses of 600 mg and 1400 mg were selected to achieve peak concentrations up to 2.5-fold higher than the expected peak concentration of the 400 mg dose given once-weekly for three weeks. The trial was conducted in accordance with FDA feedback and relevant guidance. The results of the trial indicated that rezafungin in single doses up to 1400 mg IV had no significant effect on QT prolongation or on any of the other cardiac conduction parameters tested.

08:05 EDT Pareteum awarded $15M service contract with African mobile operator - Pareteum has signed a 5-year contract to provide Managed Service Platform services to an Africa-based Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Pareteum will be paid on a monthly recurring revenue basis for platform support services based on the number of connections. Additional fees will be paid to Pareteum for other solutions, as activated, including Blockchain enablement.

08:04 EDT U.S. State Department approves second Kratos tactical UAS for marketing - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that it has received U.S. State Department approval to market a second of the company's High Performance Jet Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems to certain North American, European, and Asia Pacific region countries. Kratos had announced that the U.S. State Department had recently approved Kratos Mako tactical UAS for International Marketing. Kratos Mako provides fighter-like performance and has flown in multiple large-scale military exercises and could soon be put into production for combat use. All Kratos Tactical UAS are highly maneuverable unmanned aircraft, capable of carrying and operating weapons and advanced sensor systems and are designed to function as a wingman to manned aircraft as a force multiplier in contested airspace, or be deployed independently or in groups of UAS.

08:03 EDT Checkpoint Therapeutics initiates dose expansion portion of CK-301 Phase 1 trial - Checkpoint Therapeutics announced the completion of the dose escalation portion of the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of CK-301, a fully human anti-PD-L1 antibody, in selected recurrent or metastatic cancers, and the initiation of the first dose expansion cohort, which is evaluating an 800 mg dose of CK-301 administered every two weeks.

08:01 EDT Oracle awarded contract by Midwestern Higher Education Compact - Following a competitive sourcing event, Oracle announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. Effective immediately, the contract provides discounts on Oracle Cloud, licenses, hardware, education, consulting and support services for public and not-for-profit colleges and universities across MHEC's 12 member states. The contract also extends to MHEC's sister compacts: the New England Board of Higher Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

07:36 EDT Meridian Bioscience realigns around Diagnostics, Life Science units - Meridian Bioscience announced the realignment of its business structure aimed at building a stronger, more sustainable organization and paving the way for future growth. Effective immediately, the company will conduct operations through two Business Units, Diagnostics and Life Science, both of which will be supported by a global corporate team. The company said, "Each of the two business units will now have a consolidated sales and marketing team supporting the entire product portfolio. This consolidation will enable strong commercial relationships to be expanded across product lines and markets. Corporate functions have been redefined under the new organizational structure. This will allow the corporate team to provide more cohesive support across the Diagnostics and Life Science Business Units while reducing duplicative efforts. Savings from this realignment will be fully reinvested back into the business, with an emphasis on bolstering R&D spending, business development, and customer-facing roles. As a result of this reinvestment, the realignment will have no impact on fiscal 2018 non-GAAP guidance. It should be noted this guidance published on October 19, 2017 does not include the positive impact of Tax Reform which will be addressed in our second quarter of fiscal 2018 earnings release. " The Diagnostics Business Unit consists of three business areas: Molecular; Core; and Point of Care. All commercial activities, including sales and marketing, have been consolidated to serve the entire business unit. For the time being, Jack Kenny will act as the EVP of the Diagnostics Business Unit, in addition to his role as CEO. Jack will lead the effort to integrate the diagnostics businesses into one high-performing organization, accelerating growth and delivering new products to market. The Life Science Business Unit consists of Immunological reagents and Molecular reagents. All commercial activities, including sales and marketing, have been consolidated to serve the entire business unit. Lourdes Weltzien, Ph.D., has been promoted to EVP, Life Science, and will lead the Life Science Business Unit, driving increased scale and efficiency from the consolidated businesses while pursuing new growth opportunities.

07:15 EDT PPDAI Group announces $60M share repurchase program - PPDAI Group announced that effective March 21, the board of directors of the company approved a share repurchase program whereby PPDAI is authorized to repurchase its own Class A ordinary shares in the form of American depositary shares with an aggregate value of up to $60M during the next twelve-month period.

07:08 EDT General Mills reports Q3 gross margin down 220 bps to 32.3% of net sales - Adjusted gross margin, which excludes certain items affecting comparability, decreased 250 basis points to 32.5 percent. This was driven by higher input costs, including increased freight and logistics costs, commodity inflation, and other operational costs, as well as higher merchandising expense.

07:05 EDT General Mills says Blue Buffalo Pet Products acquisition slated to close in 4Q18

07:03 EDT Nabriva Therapeutics names Jennifer Schranz CMO - Nabriva Therapeutics (NBRV) announced the appointment of Jennifer Schranz, M.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Schranz joins Nabriva Therapeutics from Shire (SHPG) with nearly two decades of experience in clinical development and medical affairs. In her role at Nabriva, Dr. Schranz will lead clinical development and medical affairs and contribute to the company's business development strategy.

06:51 EDT FTC terminates HSR waiting period for LyondellBasell, A. Schulman acquisition - LyondellBasell (LYB) announced that the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, with respect to its pending acquisition of A. Schulman (SHLM). The termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions for the closing of the pending acquisition, which remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including approval by A. Schulman shareholders and the receipt of other required regulatory clearances and approvals. As previously announced on February 15, LyondellBasell and A. Schulman, a leading global supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, composites and powders, entered into a definitive agreement under which LyondellBasell will acquire A. Schulman for a total consideration of $2.25B. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2018.

06:48 EDT Mednax acquires Children's Eye Care in Kirkland, Washington, terms not disclosed - Mednax announced the acquisition of Children's Eye Care, a private pediatric ophthalmology practice based in Kirkland, Washington. This was a cash transaction and it is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings. No additional terms of the transaction were disclosed.

06:44 EDT EU clears Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto, subject to conditions - The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Monsanto (MON) by Bayer (BAYRY). The merger is conditional on the divestiture of an extensive remedy package, which addresses the parties' overlaps in seeds, pesticides and digital agriculture. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "We have approved Bayer's plans to take over Monsanto because the parties' remedies, worth well over EUR6B, meet our competition concerns in full. Our decision ensures that there will be effective competition and innovation in seeds, pesticides and digital agriculture markets also after this merger." The commitments submitted by Bayer address these competition concerns in full: They remove all of the parties' existing overlaps in seed and pesticide markets, where concerns were raised, by divesting the relevant Bayer businesses and assets.They cover Bayer's global R&D organisation for seeds and traits as well as Bayer's research activities to develop a challenger product to Monsanto's glyphosate. They also cover certain Monsanto assets, which in future would have competed with a Bayer seed treatment against nematode worms. Finally, Bayer has committed to grant a licence to its entire global digital agriculture product portfolio and pipeline products to ensure continued competition on this emerging market. Bayer has proposed BASF (BASFY) as purchaser for the remedy package. The Commission's assessment is ongoing whether a) the divestiture to BASF meets all purchaser requirements, and b) whether it creates any problematic overlaps or raises other competition concerns

06:25 EDT WhatsApp cofounder Acton tweets 'It is time. #deletefacebook' - Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Brian Acton, the cofounder of WhatsApp, which Facebook acquired for $19B, tweeted, "It is time. #deletefacebook." Reference Link

06:12 EDT GE Transportation announces 225 orders for refurbished locomotives - GE Transportation (GE) has secured 225 orders in 2018 for locomotive modernizations, as well as completes the first of 100 modernizations for Norfolk Southern (NSC). With the increased demand, GE's one-million-square-foot facility in Fort Worth is now the world's largest locomotive modernization facility. The modernization program updates aging locomotives - some more than 20 years old - with customized solutions that range from simple changes, including control system upgrades, to complex restorations, such as the comprehensive transformation of an aged DC locomotive into an AC locomotive outfitted with state-of-the-art digital technology. Canadian Pacific (CP), looking to take advantage of such optimization, had 30 modernized locomotives delivered in 2017 and an additional 80 are on order to be delivered in 2018.

06:06 EDT Amphastar receives favorable judgment in Momenta and Sandoz lawsuit - Amphastar Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Court for the District of Massachusetts entered final judgment in favor of Amphastar in a lawsuit brought by Momenta Pharmaceuticals and Sandoz. The District Court held that Amphastar is "the prevailing party" in the case and affirmed the jury verdict, dated July 21, 2017, holding that the claims of Momenta's U.S. patent are invalid because the claims are not enabled and lack written description. The District Court also determined that Momenta and Sandoz had waived their ability to enforce the patent. The District Court also denied Momenta's and Sandoz's motion to dismiss Amphastar's antitrust lawsuit relating to Momenta's and Sandoz's anticompetitive conduct before the USP and the District Court provided a schedule for the antitrust lawsuit with a jury trial set for September 9, 2019.

06:04 EDT KBR receives contract to design Naval Group submarine yard - Naval Group has formally signed a design services subcontract, or DSSC, with local engineering company, KBR to assist with the concept design of the proposed future submarine construction yard at the Osborne Naval Shipbuilding precinct in South Australia. The submarine construction yard concept design will include the facilities and infrastructure required to construct a fleet of twelve regionally superior future submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Through the DSSC, KBR will support Naval Group to deliver the concept design for the Future Submarine yard to the Commonwealth of Australia in July.

05:51 EDT Amarin announces Middle East approval for Vascepa - Amarin Corporation announced that the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon has approved Vascepa capsules as a prescription medication for use in Lebanon as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. This approval is a result of the collaborative effort by the parties since the start of their 2016 agreement to register and commercialize Vascepa in multiple countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

05:46 EDT Brookfield enters strategic partnership with LCM Partners - LCM Partners announces that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Brookfield Asset Management aimed at jointly growing LCM's leading asset management and credit servicing business globally. Under the terms of the agreement, Brookfield will acquire a 25% strategic interest in Link Financial Group, which comprises both LCM and its sister companies which operate a pan-European loan servicing platform under the Link Financial brand, with an option to acquire another 24.9% interest over time.