Stockwinners Market Radar for March 23, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:00 EDT DGSE Companies opens 3rd jewelry refurbishment center - Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange has opened a Jewelry Refurbishment Center in its Euless store to better serve its North Texas customers. The center joins the company's Dallas flagship store and its Charleston, S.C., location in offering on-site service to restore jewelry to a like-new appearance. The flagship store also includes a comprehensive jewelry and fine watch repair facility. Dallas Gold & Silver operates four stores in North Texas and one in South Carolina.

17:11 EDT HollyFrontier says Woods Cross refinery running at reduced rates due to fire - HollyFrontier announced that its subsidiary's Woods Cross refinery located in West Bountiful, Utah is running at reduced rates due to a crude unit fire that occurred on March 12. There were no reported injuries as a result of the fire; however, the refinery's ability to receive crude oil deliveries has been affected. HollyFrontier is in the process of determining the scope of the damage resulting from the fire, the extent to which it will affect or delay crude oil deliveries and the steps necessary to repair the damage. At this time, HollyFrontier does not anticipate the event having any material impact to its first quarter consolidated crude throughput guidance.

17:06 EDT Raytheon awarded $523M U.S. Air Force contract modification - Raytheon Missile has been awarded a $523,148,647 fixed-price incentive modification to previously awarded contract FA8675-18-C-0003 for Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile Production Lot 31. This modification provides for AMRAAM Production Lot 32 for the production of the AMRAAM missile and other AMRAAM system items. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2021.

16:54 EDT Edwards Lifesciences prevails in USPTO dispute over Boston Scientific - Edwards Lifesciences (EW) announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO decided in Edwards' favor in an Inter Partes Review of Boston Scientific's (BSX) U.S. transcatheter heart valve patent, number 8,992,608 - the '608 patent. The USPTO determined that all claims of the '608 patent that have been asserted against Edwards are invalid. The '608 patent was asserted against Edwards in a case filed by Boston Scientific in Delaware in 2016. Subsequently, Edwards asserted three of its own foundational transcatheter heart valve patents against Boston Scientific. The Edwards patent claims are unaffected by the USPTO's ruling and will continue to trial, which is expected later in 2018.

16:41 EDT Park West Asset Management reports 7.1% passive stake in CAI International

16:35 EDT Harvest Fund lowers stake in Westlake Chemical Partners to 9.0% from 10%

16:33 EDT Quorum Health names Terry Allison Rappuhn new chair of the board - Quorum Health Corporation announced that William M. Gracey, previously the chair of the company's board of directors and member of the company's Compensation and Governance and Nominating Committees, is resigning due to other professional and personal commitments, and the board has elected Terry Allison Rappuhn as the new chair of the board.

16:31 EDT Bunge North America issues statement regarding resolution of 199a issue - Bunge North America issued the following statement following Congressional approval of the omnibus spending bill containing legislation to correct the new tax law which created unintentional tax consequences by giving farmers specific tax benefits for delivering to cooperatives over private grain companies. The following statement can be attributed to Todd Bastean, president, Bunge's North American region. "We appreciate Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle working together to correct this unintended change to the tax code. A healthy, competitive agribusiness and food industry is important to the U.S. economy and we want to thank Congress for finding a solution that restores the level playing field for participants in the value chain."

16:21 EDT Glenview Capital reports 5.6% passive stake in Newell Brands

16:10 EDT Agilysys appoints Dr. Prabuddha Biswas as CTO - Agilysys announced two new senior executive appointments. Dr. Prabuddha Biswas has been appointed Chief Technology Officer, effective April 19. Biswas assumes the CTO role from Larry Steinberg who recently informed the company that he is leaving to pursue other opportunities. In addition, Heather Varian Foster has been named VP of Marketing, a new position at Agilysys, effective March 29.

16:08 EDT Snyder's-Lance receives shareholder approval for acquisition by Campbell Soup - Snyder's-Lance (LNCE) announced that its shareholders, at a special meeting held on March 23, approved the previously announced proposed acquisition of the Company by Campbell Soup Company (CPB). 90.26% of the company's shares outstanding were voted, with more than 99.33% of the votes cast in favor of the proposal, representing more than 89.65% of Snyder's-Lance's issued and outstanding shares. Under the terms of the proposed acquisition, Campbell Soup Company will acquire all shares outstanding of Snyder's-Lance for $50.00 per share in cash. The closing of the transaction is anticipated to occur on or about Monday, March 26, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions at such time. At the closing, shares of Snyder's-Lance common stock will no longer be listed for trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

16:06 EDT Tintri CFO Ian Halifax to leave on April 30 - Tintri announced that Ian Halifax, CFO at Tintri, will leave the company on April 30. Halifax has agreed to assist in the orderly transition of his CFO responsibilities. His departure is not based on any disagreement with the company's accounting principles or practices or financial statement disclosures. Tintri has initiated a search for a successor CFO and will name an interim CFO prior to Halifax's departure.

15:53 EDT Dow Jones Industrial Average drops over 400 points in late-day trading

15:25 EDT Arcos Dorados resumes dividend with expected 10c payout in FY18 - As part of its Investor Day presentation earlier, Arcos Dorados announced that it is resuming dividend payout. For 2018, the company will pay a dividend of $0.10 per share to all Class A and Class B shareholders in 2 equal installments of $0.05 per share on April 5, 2018, and October 5, 2018. The dividend will be paid to shareholders of record as of April 2, 2018 and October 2, 2018, respectively. Additionally, the company disclosed plans to open 65-70 new restaurants in FY18 and invest a total of $200M-$300M in capital expenditures.

14:20 EDT Trump says federal suits coming against opioid manufacturers - In a press conference deatailing the $1.3T omnibus government funding bill President Trump announced he would sign, the president mentioned in passing that "we'll be suing" certain drug companies related to the opioid crisis. Opioid manufacturers include privately held Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin, and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which makes Duragesic fentanyl skin patches. Opioid distributors include Cardinal Health (CAH), AmerisourceBergen (ABC), and McKesson Corp. (MCK). In afternoon trading following the press conference, Johnson & Johnson was down 0.6%, Cardinal Health was down 1.6%, and McKesson was down over 1.1% -- All at or near their lows of the day. AmerisourceBergen, however, was trading higher by 0.5%.

13:47 EDT Trump says stock market 'will be great' when asked about tariff concerns

13:35 EDT Apache announces 'significant' oil discovery in U.K. North Sea - Apache announced a "significant" oil discovery on Block 9/18a Area-W in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. Garten is located 6 kilometers south of the Beryl Alpha Platform. The company said, "The Garten discovery well targeted a downthrown structural closure and encountered more than 700 feet of net oil pay in stacked, high quality Jurassic-aged sandstone reservoirs. Recoverable resource is expected to exceed 10 million barrels of light oil, which is at the high end of predrill estimates. Apache has a 100 percent working interest in the Garten block." John Christmann, Apache's CEO, said, "The Garten discovery marks our fourth commercial discovery in the Beryl area in the past three years spanning several play types ranging from the Tertiary to the Triassic. Apache's strategy to focus on exploration near operated facilities is set to deliver significant production without the long cycle time of large scale projects." The Garten discovery well will be suspended as a future producer and tied back to the Beryl Alpha platform. Apache said it is working closely with the Oil and Gas Authority to obtain the regulatory approvals to initiate production, which is anticipated in the first quarter of 2019.

13:32 EDT President Trump says he will not sign omnibus bill like this again

13:30 EDT President Trump announces signing of omnibus spending bill

13:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 5 to 995 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 5 rigs from last week to 995, with oil rigs up 4 to 804, gas rigs up 1 to 190, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1. The U.S. Rig Count is up 186 rigs from last year's count of 809, with oil rigs up 152, gas rigs up 35, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 1. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 13 rigs and down 5 rigs from last year's count of 18. The Canada Rig Count is down 58 rigs from last week to 161, with oil rigs down 51 to 93, gas rigs down 7 to 68, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 0. The Canada Rig Count is down 24 rigs from last year's count of 185, with oil rigs up 23, gas rigs down 46, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 1.

13:02 EDT Cambridge Analytica undertaking independent third-party audit on data - Acting Cambridge Analytica CEO Dr. Alexander Tayler said in a new statement, "I became Chief Data Officer for Cambridge Analytica in October 2015. Shortly after, Facebook requested that we delete the data. We immediately deleted the raw data from our file server, and began the process of searching for and removing any of its derivatives in our system. When Facebook sought further assurances a year ago, we carried out an internal audit to make sure that all the data, all derivatives and backups had been deleted, and gave Facebook a certificate to this effect. Please can I be absolutely clear: we did not use any GSR data in the work we did in the 2016 US presidential election. We are now undertaking an independent third-party audit to verify that we do not hold any GSR data. We have been in touch with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) since February 2017, when we hosted its team in our London office to provide total transparency on the data we hold, how we process it, and the legal basis for us processing it. I want to make sure we remain committed to helping the ICO in their investigations." Reference Link

12:29 EDT Ferroglobe says 'disagrees' with ITC dumping determination - Ferroglobe PLC said it has learned that the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that the dumped and subsidized imports of silicon metal from Australia and Brazil, the dumped imports from Norway, and the subsidized imports from Kazakhstan are not causing material injury to the U.S. silicon metal industry. On March 8, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that the imports from these countries are being dumped at rates as high as 134.92% and are being subsidized at rates as high as 100%. As a result of the negative ITC injury determinations, the DOC will not issue antidumping or countervailing duty orders and will terminate its investigations. At this time, the ITC has not issued the Views of the Commission, which will explain the basis for these decisions. The final determinations and Commission Views are scheduled to be issued by April 10. Ferroglobe disagrees with this outcome. The company will review the ITC determinations with its counsel and will decide what further steps to take with respect to those determinations.

12:24 EDT Musk says 'lame' Tesla page coming down after asking what Facebook is - Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk offered a response, albeit a tardy one, to WhatsApp founder Brian Acton's tweet on Wednesday proclaiming, "It is time. #deletefacebook." Musk today tweeted, "What's Facebook?" When asked if he was going to delete the SpaceX page on Facebook, Musk tweeted, "I didn't realize there was one. Will do." Then when asked about taking Tesla's page off Facebook, Musk added, "Definitely. Looks lame anyway." Shares of Facebook are down $1.51 to $163.38 in midday trading. Tesla is down $6.60 to $302.50.

12:10 EDT Amag enters stipulation of dismissal with Sandoz over Feraheme - Amag Pharmaceutical disclosed this morning that it and Sandoz entered a stipulation of dismissal, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, pursuant to a settlement agreement, that dismisses and resolves the U.S. patent litigation related to the company's Feraheme for intravenous use. Amag said, "The Company believes that this mutually agreeable settlement with Sandoz, along with the recent label expansion approval, provides a clear path forward for the continued growth of Feraheme in the U.S. IV iron market. The U.S. IV iron market is made up of five branded products today, three of which have been off patent for several years. Despite attempts by a number of manufacturers to develop generic versions, there is only one generic IV iron available, which was approved seven years ago. The Company believes this may be due to the challenges associated with the manufacture and demonstration of bioequivalence for such highly complex molecules." According to the terms of the settlement, if Sandoz receives FDA approval by a certain date, Sandoz may launch its generic version of Feraheme on July 15, 2021, or earlier under certain circumstances customary for settlement agreements of this nature. Sandoz will pay a royalty on the sales of its generic version of Feraheme to Amag until the expiration of the last Feraheme patent listed in the Orange Book. If Sandoz is unable to secure approval by such date, Sandoz will launch an authorized generic version of Feraheme on July 15, 2022 for up to twelve months. Sandoz's right to distribute, and Amag's obligation to supply, the authorized generic product shall be in accordance with standard commercial terms and profit splits.

12:01 EDT Boeing, All Nippon finalize order for two 777 Freighters - Boeing and All Nippon Airways announced the Japanese carrier has placed a new order for two 777 Freighters valued at $678M according to list prices. While ANA is a major operator of the 777 passenger jet, it has grown its cargo operation with the medium-sized 767 Freighter. In adding the 777 Freighter - the world's largest and longest range twin-engine cargo jet - ANA is expanding its cargo capabilities just as the air freight market keeps growing at historically high rates.

11:36 EDT Dropbox opens for trade at $29, IPO priced at $21

11:20 EDT Ferroglobe sinks after ITC makes 'negative determinations' on silicon metal - The U.S. International Trade Commission said it has "made negative determinations in its final phase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations concerning Silicon Metal from Australia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Norway." Shares of Ferroglobe PLC are down 25%, or $3.67, to $10.85 in late morning trading. Silicon metal from Australia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Norway does not injure U.S. industry, the U.S. ITC said. Reference Link

11:13 EDT Ferroglobe halted for volatility after dropping 22.5% to $11.25

11:09 EDT Ferroglobe shares fall 12%, or $1.76, to $12.76

11:00 EDT Omeros slides as Trump weighs veto of omnibus spending bill - Shares of Omeros (OMER) were sliding in morning trading after U.S. president Donald Trump said he is weighing a veto of the omnibus spending bill that benefits Omeros' cataract surgery drug Omidria. WHAT'S NEW: After Congress passed the $1.3T omnibus spending bill, President Trump tweeted that he is "considering a VETO" of the proposal because it does not extend protections for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients or fully fund his proposed border wall. If Trump does not sign a funding bill into law, the U.S. government will shut down at 12:01 am ET on Saturday. With respect to Omeros, complicated policy included in the proposed spending package will allow the company an additional two years of higher prices via Medicare for Omidria, according to STAT. In addition, MarketWatch said yesterday that Height analyst Andrea Harris noted that "pass-through" status for Omdiria had expired late last year, and the drug was expected to be bundled with other cataract surgery supplies. WEDBUSH DOWNGRADE: Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Liana Moussatos downgraded Omeros to Neutral from Outperform and cut her price target on the shares to $19 from $47. The analyst said that the loss of pass-through reimbursement at the end of 2017 resulted in Omidria sales no longer being able to fund the company, and that the downgrade was due to "lack of clarity for the financial status" with disruption in Omidria sales and the inability to fund progress with the company's potential value driver OMS721. Moussatos added that, even with the potential extension of Omidria pass-through reimbursement for two more years starting in October 2018, sales are unlikely to fund the pipeline in 2018 and 2019. H.C. WAINWRIGHT PRICE HIKE: On the other side, H.C. Wainwright analyst Raghuram Selvaraju reiterated a Buy rating on Omeros and raised his price target on the shares to $34 from $30 after Congress approved the omnibus spending bill, thus extending Omidria pass-through reimbursement status. The analyst said this was an "unexpected success" for Omeros, which he expects will now see a significant rebound in Omidria sales and resumption of growth in the franchise. The analyst's note was released before Trump's tweet. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Omeros shares are down 9.4% to $14.27 per share.

10:48 EDT Liberty Global unit terminates agreement to acquire Multimedia Polska - Liberty Global cisclosed this morning that its subsidiary UPC Polska Z.o.o. withdrew its application for regulatory clearance to acquire Multimedia Polska S.A. after "failing to agree on revised commercial terms with the sellers that take into account current regulatory and market conditions." The agreement to acquire Multimedia has been terminated, Liberty said.

10:35 EDT Starboard reaches agreement with Forest City for board reconstitution - Starboard Value LP, which currently owns approximately 3.0% of the outstanding shares of Forest City Realty Trust, Inc, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Forest City providing for, among other things, a reconstitution of the Forest City Board of Directors.

10:22 EDT New York AG says Bank of America pays $42M in 'masking scheme' settlement - New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that Bank of America Merrill Lynch will pay a record $42M penalty to the State of New York to settle an investigation into fraudulent practices in connection with BofAML's electronic trading services. As part of the settlement, BofAML admits that, pursuant to undisclosed agreements with so-called electronic liquidity providers such as Citadel Securities, Knight Capital, D.E. Shaw, Two Sigma Securities, and Madoff Securities, BofAML "systematically concealed from its clients over a five-year period that it was secretly routing its clients' orders for equity securities to such firms for execution." Reference Link

10:01 EDT Booz Allen awarded $78M contract from SSC Pacific - SSC Pacific awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a five-year, cumulative value $78M indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract in November 2017 to provide engineering and support services for network and information systems technology programs. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific provides the U.S. Navy and other branches of the Defense Department with the technological capabilities to maintain U.S. dominance in the field of cyberspace.

09:54 EDT Xinyuan Real Estate rally attributed to partnership with Tencent - The move higher in shares of Xinyuan Real Estate is being attributed to a cloud partnership between the company and Tencent. The stock is up 3%, or 17c, to $6.08. Reference Link

09:33 EDT Air Industries agrees to sell Welding Metallurgy to CPI Aerostructures for $9M - Air Industries Group (AIRI) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Welding Metallurgy subsidiary for $9M in cash to CPI Aerostructures (CVU), subject to a customary adjustment based on the net working capital of WMI at the closing of the acquisition. The agreement also calls for up to an aggregate of $1M in cash to be paid to Air Industries if WMI enters into certain long-term supply agreements during 2018.

09:24 EDT Exelon utilities issue RFPs regarding aggregation of capacity resources in PJM - Five Exelon utilities -- Atlantic City Electric, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Commonwealth Edison, Delmarva Power, and Potomac Electric Power Company -- have issued a joint-utility request for proposals, or RFP, from Winter Resources to aggregate with the Exelon utilities' Summer Resources for the purpose of offering Capacity Performance resources into the PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. May 2018 Base Residual Auction. As explained in the RFP, the Exelon utilities are willing to consider proposals that provide Winter Resources with a greater share of the annual Capacity Performance capacity revenue. The Exelon utilities are seeking to aggregate 600 megawatts of unforced capacity.

09:08 EDT Portola receives negative CHMP opinion for betrixaban, plans to appeal - Portola Pharmaceuticals announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has issued a negative opinion for betrixaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism, or VTE, in adult patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness with risk factors for VTE, including VTE-related death. The company intends to appeal the opinion and seek a re-examination by the CHMP. Betrixaban was approved by the FDA in June 2017 under the trade name Bevyxxa.

09:03 EDT MoviePass lowers price to $6.95 per month - MoviePass a majority-owned subsidiary of Helios and Matheson Analytics announced that, for a limited time, it is offering its annual subscription to new subscribers for $6.95/month. month subscription plan in August 2017. MoviePass has recently expanded its executive team and increased its profile across the entertainment industry through initiatives like its involvement in the SXSW film festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and HMNY's formation of MoviePass Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HMNY founded to acquire rights in films with film distributors. "We believe our business will succeed by granting the public greater access to see movies how they were originally intended to be seen - in theaters," said HMNY's Chairman and CEO Ted Farnsworth. "As the leading movie theater subscription company, we want to bring better value to our MoviePass fans. With this new annual plan, MoviePass is bringing cinema back to the masses."

08:55 EDT Everbridge reports result for voluntary tender offer for Unified Messaging - Everbridge announced the final registration of acceptances regarding the voluntary tender offer made by Everbridge Holdings Limited to acquire the entire issued share capital of Unified Messaging Systems ASA. The final acceptance level was 184,746,970 shares, representing approximately 93.3% of the total shares in UMS on a fully diluted basis. In addition, Everbridge has acquired 1,738,019 shares in the market at an average purchase price of NOK 1.36 per share. Everbridge has not acquired any shares at a purchase price exceeding the offer price of NOK 1.37 per share. As a result, Everbridge will, upon settlement of the Offer, control 186,484,989 shares, representing approximately 94.2% of the total shares in UMS on a fully diluted basis. In addition, Everbridge will purchase 2,285,000 share options at a price equal to the difference between the offer price of NOK 1.37 and the exercise price for the share options

08:54 EDT Janssen announces positive CHMP opinion for Juluca - The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, CHM, of the European Medicines Agency has issued a Positive Opinion recommending marketing authorisation for JULUCA. Dolutegravir/rilpivirine is a single-pill, two-drug regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in adults who are virologically suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least six months with no history of virological failure and no known or suspected resistance to any non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibito or integrase strand transfer inhibitor. "We are delighted to be one step closer to bringing JULUCA to people living with HIV in Europe," said Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "Building on our 25-year commitment to make HIV history, this is an important milestone towards continuing to grow our portfolio of treatment options, to help meet the diverse and individual needs of people living with HIV."

08:51 EDT Clovis says CHMP grants positive opinion for Rubraca tablets - Clovis Oncology announced that the European Union's European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a conditional marketing authorization for Rubraca as monotherapy treatment of adult patients with platinum sensitive, relapsed or progressive, BRCA mutated, high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, who have been treated with two or more prior lines of platinum based chemotherapy, and who are unable to tolerate further platinum based chemotherapy. The European Marketing Authorization application for the treatment indication was based on objective response rate and duration of response results from two multicenter, single-arm, open-label clinical trials, Study 10 and ARIEL2, in women with advanced BRCA mutant ovarian cancer who had progressed after two or more prior chemotherapies. Pending approval for the treatment indication, Clovis plans to submit the variation to the MA based on data from the phase 3 ARIEL3 clinical trial, which found that rucaparib significantly improved progression-free survival in all ovarian cancer patient populations studied. ARIEL3 is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of rucaparib that enrolled 564 women with platinum-sensitive, high-grade ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. The primary efficacy analysis evaluated three prospectively defined molecular sub-groups in a step-down manner: 1) BRCA mutant; 2) HRD positive inclusive of BRCA mutant; and finally, 3) the intent-to-treat population, or all patients treated in ARIEL3. The study achieved its primary endpoint of improved PFS by investigator review in each of three populations. The variation to the MA will be directed at the broader intent-to-treat or "all comers" population.

08:47 EDT Amgen recieves positive CHMP opinion recognizing Repatha prevents heart attacks - Amgen announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion to include a new indication in the Repatha label for adults with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering LDL-C levels. The recommended label recognizes the positive findings from the Repatha cardiovascular outcomes study and includes data on the additional reduction and prevention of heart attacks, strokes and coronary revascularizations on top of maximally tolerated statin therapy. The Repatha cardiovascular outcomes study showed reductions in the risk of heart attack by 27%, the risk of stroke by 21% and the risk of coronary revascularization procedures by 22% in patients treated with Repatha and statin therapy compared to patients treated with placebo and statin therapy over a mean duration of 26 months.

08:35 EDT Vericel reports publication of results from Phase 3 SUMMIT extension study - Vericel announced the publication of results from the MACI Phase 3 SUMMIT Extension Study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. The results demonstrated that the significantly greater improvements in Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, or KOOS, pain and function scores for MACI versus microfracture shown in the two-year Phase 3 SUMMIT, or Superiority of MACI Implant Versus Microfracture Treatment, study were maintained over the additional three-year follow-up in the SUMMIT Extension Study. MACI is an autologous cellular scaffold product indicated for the repair of symptomatic single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee with or without bone involvement in adults. MACI is the first FDA-approved product that applies the process of tissue engineering to grow cells on scaffolds using healthy cartilage tissue. The FDA approval of MACI was based on the results of the SUMMIT study, a Phase 3, prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled study that enrolled a total of 144 patients. The co-primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline to two years in the KOOS pain and function scores. The SUMMIT study is the only Phase 3 clinical trial of a cartilage repair product to date to demonstrate statistically significant improvement over microfracture at both one and two years.

08:32 EDT ACM Research awarded major orders totaling over $8.7M - ACM Research announced the receipt of multiple orders for wafer-cleaning tools based on ACM's proprietary Space Alternated Phase Shift, or SAPS, technology. The orders represent approximately $8.7M in total revenue from three existing customers. The company intends to ship all of the ordered tools by Q3, and anticipates acceptance and revenue recognition in 2018. The customers are located in China and Korea, and they manufacture 3D NAND and DRAM memory chips as well as advanced packaging.

08:30 EDT Kroger jumps 7% after Fast Company says talking merger with Target - Shares of Kroger (KR) are jumping after Fast Company reported that the grocery chain and Target (TGT) are discussing a potential merger. Kroger in premarket trading is up $1.72 to $25.10 while Target is up $1.96 to $70.85. The merger talks come on the heels of Amazon (AMZN) further penetrating the supermarket industry via its acquisition of Whole Foods.

08:02 EDT Essent Group announces closing of $424.4M reinsurance transaction - Essent Group announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Essent Guaranty has obtained $424.4M fully collateralized excess of loss reinsurance coverage on mortgage insurance policies written by Essent in 2017 from Radnor Re 2018-1 Ltd., a newly formed Bermuda special purpose insurer. Radnor Re is not a subsidiary or an affiliate of Essent Group Ltd. "We are very excited to announce the closing of our inaugural credit risk transfer transaction," said Mark Casale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This transaction is a significant milestone for our company, as it expands our capital sources while also providing a layer of protection against adverse credit losses. Additionally, we believe that a transaction like this strengthens our mortgage insurance franchise and enhances the role that Essent plays in supporting a strong and robust U.S. housing finance system."

08:01 EDT Pareteum secures additional $1.5M contract with leading tourism retailer - Pareteum announced that an established Mobile Virtual Network Operator who, in September 2017, selected Pareteum's Global Mobility Cloud Platform and connectivity to provide service for their retail customers' mobile phones, phone cards, and internet service, purchased through hundreds of internet kiosks in airports, railway stations and shopping malls around the world, has added $1.5M to their contract with Pareteum.

07:33 EDT Qualcomm extends cash offer for NXP Semiconductors to April 2 - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced that Qualcomm River Holdings B.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 27, 2016, by and between Qualcomm River Holdings B.V. and NXP, as amended. The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 2, unless extended or earlier terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement.

07:31 EDT ViiV Healthcare Gains CHMP positive opinion for Juluca in Europe - ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company, majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), with Pfizer (PFE)and Shionogi Limited as shareholders announced that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, CHMP, has issued a Positive Opinion recommending marketing authorisation for Juluca for the treatment of HIV infection in adults who are virologically suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least six months with no history of virological failure and no known or suspected resistance to any non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or integrase inhibitor. The 2-drug regimen comprises dolutegravir 50mg and rilpivirine 25mg.

07:05 EDT PLx Pharma says timing of sNDA for 81 mg dosage of Aspertec has shifted - Timing of filing of the supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for the 81 mg dosage of Aspertec has shifted as a result of some recent and unexpected inconsistencies with a key ingredient that is outsourced. PLx has implemented a plan to source an alternate supply of material to ensure consistency and the highest quality product. This new plan will impact timing of the launch of both dosage strengths, which is now anticipated to occur by mid-2020.

07:03 EDT GasLog Partners announces multiple new charter agreements - GasLog Partners announced that it has entered into agreements with a new customer for two new charters plus options for an additional two charters. The agreements include an approximately three and a half year charter for GasLog Santiago commencing in the third quarter of 2018 and a one year charter for a GasLog Partners 145,000 cubic meter steam vessel commencing in the fourth quarter of 2019. The charterer has options to extend the GasLog Santiago charter for up to an additional seven years and the steam vessel charter for up to an additional four years, both at escalating rates.

07:00 EDT Destination XL CEO David Levin to retire by end of 2018 - Destination XL (DXLG) announced that David Levin, President and CEO, has informed the Board of Directors of his plan to retire as President, CEO and Director of Destination XL Group, by the end of 2018. The Board has engaged Heidrick & Struggles International (HSII) to lead a search process to identify a successor for Levin, which is expected to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year. The search will include a review of both external candidates and internal candidates from the company's deep bench of senior executives. Levin will also be prepared to provide transition support and assist on requested projects following his retirement as CEO.

06:33 EDT DPW Holdings unit enters agreement securing 25 MW of power to support rigs - DPW Holdings announced that its subsidiary, Super Crypto Mining, has entered into an agreement with a U.S. based entity securing the right to 25 megawatts of power in support of SCM's operations of approximately 20,000 mining rigs at the location. SCM will be placing at least 2,000 mining rigs at the new location practically immediately. Some of these machines will be supporting our Cloud Mining offering, which we expect will commence on May 1.

06:07 EDT Facebook to review third-party apps that had access to 'large amounts of data' - Facebook will review all third-party apps that had access to "large amounts of data" through its platform to prevent another Cambridge Analytica scandal. The company will also inform users of data misuse. "Protecting people's information is the most important thing we do at Facebook. What happened with Cambridge Analytica was a breach of Facebook's trust. More importantly, it was a breach of the trust people place in Facebook to protect their data when they share it... We will investigate all apps that had access to large amounts of information before we changed our platform in 2014 to reduce data access, and we will conduct a full audit of any app with suspicious activity. If we find developers that misused personally identifiable information, we will ban them from our platform. We will tell people affected by apps that have misused their data. This includes building a way for people to know if their data might have been accessed via 'thisisyourdigitallife.' Moving forward, if we remove an app for misusing data, we will tell everyone who used it. If someone hasn't used an app within the last three months, we will turn off the app's access to their information. We are changing Login, so that in the next version, we will reduce the data that an app can request without app review to include only name, profile photo and email address. Requesting any other data will require our approval. We already show people what apps their accounts are connected to and control what data they've permitted those apps to use. Going forward, we're going to make these choices more prominent and easier to manage. In the coming weeks we will expand Facebook's bug bounty program so that people can also report to us if they find misuses of data by app developers." Reference Link

06:02 EDT Merck, Eisai announce LENVIMA approved in Japan for unresectable HCC - Eisai Co. (ESALY) and Merck (MRK) announced that the multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor LENVIMA has been approved in Japan for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. This is the first approval worldwide for LENVIMA for the indication of unresectable HCC and the first new systemic therapy to be approved in Japan for the front line treatment of HCC in approximately 10 years. Additionally, this is the first regulatory approval for LENVIMA under the global strategic collaboration agreement executed in March 2018 between Eisai and Merck for the co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA.

05:57 EDT GlaxoSmithKline withdraws from Pfizer consumer unit auction - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) confirms it has withdrawn from the process relating to Pfizer's (PFE) Consumer Healthcare business. Emma Walmsley, CEO, GSK said: "While we will continue to review opportunities that may accelerate our strategy, they must meet our criteria for returns and not compromise our priorities for capital allocation." The Fly notes that Reckitt Benckiser (RBGLY) pulled out of the bidding for Pfizer's Consumer Healthcare unit earlier this week, stating that an acquisition for the whole business "did not fit" its acquisition criteria and an acquisition of part of the business "was not possible."

05:43 EDT TechnipFMC, Magma Global enter strategic collaboration agreement for HFP - TechnipFMC has agreed the terms of a collaboration agreement with Magma Global Ltd. to develop a new generation of hybrid flexible pipe, HFP, for use in offshore applications. HFP is expected to provide increased strength and fatigue performance, while also achieving dramatic weight and cost reductions, for subsea fluid transport applications. As part of the collaboration, TechnipFMC is purchasing a minority stake in Magma Global.

05:37 EDT Amicus announces approval of Galafold in Japan - Amicus Therapeutics announced that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or MHLW, has approved the oral small molecule pharmacological chaperone Galafold capsules 123mg for treatment of patients aged 16 years and older with a confirmed diagnosis of Fabry disease and who have an amenable mutation. Galafold is the first and only oral precision medicine for Fabry disease in Japan. Amicus will now proceed with pricing and reimbursement processes, and anticipates launching Galafold in Japan in the coming months once those processes have concluded.

05:32 EDT Galaxy Entertainment Group purchases 5.3M shares in Wynn Resorts - Galaxy Entertainment Group and Wynn Resorts announced that Galaxy Entertainment has agreed to purchase 5.3M primary shares of Wynn Resorts at a price of $175 a share, resulting in $927.5M of gross proceeds to Wynn Resorts. In addition, two long-term institutional investors, both of whom are currently investors in Wynn Resorts, have agreed to purchase the remaining 8M shares held by founder and former Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn, thus demonstrating their confidence in the long-term strength of the company. The purchase price of the shares held by Mr. Wynn is also $175 a share. The two sales, combined with previous sales by Mr. Wynn, effectively eliminate his ownership in Wynn Resorts.

04:58 EDT Fly Cast Audio not broadcasting today, March 23 - Fly Cast Audio will not be broadcasting today, March 23, due to scheduled maintenance. Fly's audio of live breaking news will resume on Monday, March 26.