Stockwinners Market Radar for March 27, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:38 EDT FS Bancorp raises quarterly dividend from 11c to 14c per share - The dividend will be paid on May 14, 2018 to shareholders of record as of April 30, 2018.

20:07 EDT The Medicines Co announces CFO transition effective immediately - The Medicines Company announced the appointment of Christopher Visioli as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the company, effective immediately. Mr. Visioli succeeds William B. O'Connor, who is retiring from the company after serving as Chief Accounting Officer and then Chief Financial Officer for a total of 13 years. Mr. O'Connor will remain with the company as an advisor through 2018, assisting Mr. Visioli in transition and completing the close-out of the company's non-core businesses and products. Mr. Visioli will report directly to Clive Meanwell, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of The Medicines Company.

19:47 EDT Community Health to sell three Tennessee Hospitals to West Tennessee Healthcare - Community Health Systems announced that an affiliate of the company has signed a definitive agreement to sell three Tennessee hospitals - 225-bed Tennova Healthcare-Dyersburg Regional in Dyersburg, 150-bed Tennova Healthcare-Regional Jackson in Jackson and 100-bed Tennova Healthcare-Volunteer Martin in Martin - and their associated assets to West Tennessee Healthcare. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

18:50 EDT ForeScout CFO Harms sells 46,169 common shares - In a regulatory filing, ForeScout Technologies CFO Christopher Harms disclosed the sale of 46,169 common shares of the company at a price of $27.637 per share.

18:48 EDT ForeScout director Salem sells 65,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, ForeScout Technologies director Enrique T. Salem disclosed the sale of 65,000 common shares of the company at a price of $27.637 per share.

18:45 EDT ForeScout director Jensen sells 14,530 common shares - In a regulatory filing, ForeScout Technologies director Mark Edwin Jensen disclosed the sale of 14,530 common shares of the company at a price of $27.637 per share.

18:43 EDT ForeScout vice chairman DeWalt sells 251,870 common shares - In a regulatory filing, ForeScout Technologies vice chairman David G. DeWalt disclosed the sale of 251,870 common shares of the company at a price of $27.637 per share.

18:41 EDT ForeScout CEO sells 210,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, ForeScout Technologies president and CEO Michael DeCesare disclosed the sale of 210,000 common shares of the company at a price of $27.637 per share.

18:14 EDT Dollar General SVP Kindy sells 8,221 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Dollar General SVP of Global Supply Chain Michael J. Kindy disclosed the sale of 8,221 common shares of the company at a price of $93.046 per share.

18:03 EDT Technology shares pummeled after reports of Trump measures on Chinese investment - Shares of technology companies were under increased pressure on Tuesday after reports that the Trump administration is considering measures against Chinese investments in U.S. technologies. The comments fanned the flames of fear on China retaliation. According to a Bloomberg report out earlier Tuesday, the Treasury Department is working to identify sectors in U.S. Technology "in which Chinese companies would be banned from investing, such as semiconductors and so-called 5G wireless communications." FOREIGN INVESTMENT TO BE LIMITED: In a Fox Business Network interview, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said, "There will be limitations on foreign investment." In a New York Times report from late last week, a U.S. trade representative issued a lengthy report "outlining a pattern of predatory behavior by the Chinese, including forcing American companies to transfer valuable technology and trade secrets, and "systematic" data theft by China through hacking of American computer systems." According to various reports, China's premier, Li Keqiang, said "No one will emerge a winner from a trade war." PRICE ACTION: Shares of chip maker Nvidia (NVDA) closed down almost 8%. Skyworks (SWKS) and Qualcomm (QCOM) also closed down. Other technology companies to watch include Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), and Oracle (ORCL) which all closed down significantly.

17:46 EDT Nike, NFL announce long-term extension for on-field rights - The National Football League and Nike announced a long-term extension to their on-field rights partnership. Central to the extension, Nike will continue to provide all 32 NFL teams with uniforms and sideline apparel bearing the Nike brand for use during all games. Additionally, Nike will continue to provide footwear and gloves worn on the field during games by NFL players who are under contract with Nike.

17:31 EDT Cision director Dryden sells 203,344 ordinary shares - In a regulatory filing, Cision director Dyson Dryden disclosed the sale of 203,344 ordinary shares of the company at a price of $10.32 per share.

17:24 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: RH (RH), up 12.9%... lululemon (LULU), up 6.5%. ALSO HIGHER: Parsley Energy (PE), up 2% after the stock was initiated with a Buy rating at UBS. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Pareteum (TEUM), down 7.5%... Sonic (SONC), down 4.9%... Shoe Carnival (SCVL), down 3.9%. ALSO LOWER: InspireMD (NSPR), down 15.8% after it filed to sell common stock... Dominion Energy (D), down 1.6% after it commenced a registered direct offering of 20M shares of common stock.

17:02 EDT Denison Mines announces increase in estimated output at Midwest Project - Denison Mines is pleased to announce an increase in the mineral resources estimated for the Midwest Project, located in the eastern Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Project is host to the high-grade Midwest Main and Midwest A uranium deposits which lie along strike and within six km of the J Zone deposit and Huskie discovery on Denison's 64.22% Waterbury Lake project. Collectively, the Midwest and Waterbury deposits occur within close proximity to existing uranium mining and milling infrastructure - including provincial highways and powerlines, as well as Denison's 22.5% owned McClean Lake mill. The Midwest Project is now estimated to contain total Inferred Mineral Resources of 18.2 M lbs U3O8 above a cut-off grade of 0.1% U3O8. The Midwest Project is now estimated to contain total Indicated Mineral Resources of 50.78 M lbs U3O8 above a cut-off grade of 0.1% U3O8.

16:49 EDT FDA grants Dexcom's De Nova request, establishes special controls for CGM - DexCom announced that the FDA has granted a De Novo request for the Dexcom G6 continuos glucose monitoring system, or CGM, the newest generation of CGM for people with diabetes ages two and up. The Dexcom G6 is indicated by the FDA for use as both a standalone CGM and for integration into automated insulin dosing systems. The powerful and revolutionary new Dexcom G6 is the first CGM to receive this classification by the FDA. Along with this authorization, the FDA is establishing criteria, called special controls, which outline requirements for assuring CGM accuracy, reliability and clinical relevance as well as describe the type of studies and data required to demonstrate acceptable CGM performance.

16:33 EDT RA Capital lowers stake in Dicerna to 7.6% from 8.6%

16:26 EDT FENOC's Davis-Besse Power Station returns to service - FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, or FENOC, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., announced its Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, returned to service at 4:03 p.m. today following a March 3, 2018, shutdown for refueling and maintenance. The 24-day outage marks the shortest refueling outage in Davis-Besse's 41 years of operation, with the previous record being 38 days in 2012.

16:23 EDT Owens & Minor names Shana Neal chief HR officer - Owens & Minor (OMI) announced that it has appointed veteran human resources leader Shana Neal as Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, effective March 26, 2018. She will report to Cody Phipps, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Owens & Minor, and will serve on his executive leadership team. Neal joins Owens & Minor from Becton Dickinson (BDX), where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, with oversight of the Life Sciences Segment.

16:19 EDT Aptose Biosciences sufficiently funded into Q1 of 2019 - Total cash and cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2017 were $11.4M, which, based on current operations and estimations, provide the company with sufficient resources to fund research and development and operations into Q1 2019.

16:17 EDT iStar CFO Geoff Jervis to step down, Andrew Richardson named interim CFO - The company announced that Geoff Jervis will step down as CFO to pursue other opportunities and Andrew Richardson will take on the additional role of interim CFO of both iStar and Safety, Income and Growth while a search is undertaken for a permanent CFO. Jervis will remain an advisor to the company during the transition.

16:17 EDT UDR, Inc. raises annualized common dividend 4% - UDR announced that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend on its common stock for the first quarter of 2018 in the amount of 32.25c per share, payable in cash, on April 30, 2018 to UDR common stock shareholders of record as of April 9, 2018. The April 30th dividend will be the 182nd consecutive quarterly dividend paid by the Company on its common stock. As previously announced in February, the company's annualized and declared 2018 common dividend of $1.29 per share represents a 4% increase over the annualized and declared common dividend of $1.24 per share in 2017.

16:16 EDT New Media acquires substantially all assets of Online Automotive Solutions - New Media Investment Group announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Online Automotive Solutions, a tech-enabled video, data and auto-focused inventory solutions provider, for $4M. This acquisition expands the digital marketing services that UpCurve, New Media's small business solutions provider, offers through its GateHouse Auto vertical. OAS, led by founder Jeff Urgo, has provided auto-focused marketing services to media companies and auto dealers, including Cars.com, Chicago Tribune Company, Vehix.com and Sun-Sentinel Publishing Company, for over 10 years. Urgo joins UpCurve as Vice President of Sales for its GateHouse Auto division, effective immediately.

16:14 EDT Dominion to pursue the divestiture of non-core assets - Dominion Energy announced several initiatives that would materially improve its near-term credit profile. Dominion Energy will pursue a debt financing of the Cove Point liquefied natural gas facility this year and utilize the proceeds to reduce parent-level debt. Dominion Energy will also pursue the divestiture of non-core assets that could include the company's interest in Blue Racer Midstream, an unregulated natural gas gathering and processing joint venture focused on the Utica natural gas basin. In combination with the capital investment reductions previously announced and new equity, these actions would allow Dominion Energy to achieve its target parent leverage ratio two years ahead of plan and complete its planned equity issuance for 2018 and 2019 (other than issuance under the existing dividend reinvestment program and common shares issued directly to SCANA shareholders under terms of the companies' proposed merger).

16:12 EDT VirTra to trade on Nasdaq Capital Market, (VTSID) to be ticker until April 2 - VirTra announced that its common stock is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, under the ticker (VTSID), on March 29. In connection with the move to Nasdaq, VirTra has registered its common shares with the SEC and as such, VirTra will be subject to all the reporting obligations of a public reporting company going forward. On or about April 2, it is expected that the "D" will be dropped from VirTra's ticker symbol with the company then trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker (VTSI).

16:11 EDT Lululemon inventories at FY17-end rose 10% to $329.6M

16:09 EDT Universal Forest in pact to acquire certain assets of North American Container - Universal Forest Products announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed an agreement to purchase substantially all of the operating assets of North American Container, NACC, a Marietta, Ga.-based manufacturer of structural packaging products, adding steel, corrugated and hardwood packaging to Universal's growing portfolio of industrial products. Founded in 1967, NACC has nine manufacturing facilities in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. It had sales of approximately $71M in 2017. NACC offers several proprietary packaging designs and holds a number of patents. This acquisition will allow Universal to enhance capacity and expand into geographic areas identified as opportunities for growth, including South Carolina and Tennessee; offer existing and targeted customers additional solutions for packaging and crating needs; enhance manufacturing through automation; and offer customers the opportunity to purchase corrugated, steel and lumber packaging from a single supplier, among other benefits. "This exciting opportunity will blend the best products of our two proven companies to create an industry-leading offering of structural packaging products," said Universal CEO Matthew J. Missad. "NACC's proprietary agriculture boxes and crates, for example, will be of great interest to our existing customers, and our production methods will help us enhance manufacturing operations and output. "We are impressed with the people, products, culture and leadership of NACC, and we are working toward a successful merger of our businesses and capabilities in a way that benefits customers, employees and shareholders," he added. The purchase is scheduled to close by June 1.

16:07 EDT DAVIDsTEA considering directord slate proposed by RDI - DAVIDsTEA provided an update on its ongoing strategic alternatives process. The board of DAVIDsTEA responded to the most recent public announcement of Rainy Day Investments, or RDI, a holder of 46% of the outstanding shares of DAVIDsTEA, and Herschel Segal, RDI's president and a former member of the board of the company. RDI had been represented on the board since the company's initial public offering in 2015, and has been instrumental in selecting and guiding the management team until the resignation of Segal. The board is considering the "alternative" slate proposed by RDI and looks forward to nominating a slate of directors qualified to represent all of the company's shareholders. The board has received feedback from other significant shareholders and continues to be mindful of that during this process. In considering the best interests of the company and all of its shareholders, The board will evaluate the merits of any director duly recommended by a shareholder of the company, and if appropriate, nominate such person for service.

16:06 EDT GAIN Capital responds to ESMA statements - GAIN Capital Holdings notes that the European Securities and Markets Authority, or ESMA, and the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, have issued statements announcing regulatory changes in the provision of contracts for difference, or CFDs, to retail clients. The measures on CFDs are being introduced as a temporary intervention on a three-month basis, during which ESMA and FCA will reflect on whether it is necessary extend the intervention measures for a further three months or on a permanent basis, respectively. While GAIN does not agree with every aspect of ESMA's new rules, the Company is strongly supportive of measures that enhance consumer protection in the FX/CFD market and elevate standards across the sector, including curbing aggressive marketing to inexperienced investors and mandating disclosure requirements that ensure all clients fully understand the risks of FX/CFD trading.

16:03 EDT United Airlines, Air New Zealand expand the joint venture relationship - Air New Zealand announced it will begin new nonstop service between Auckland and Chicago, beginning Nov. 30, 2018. The new service announcement deepens the joint venture relationship between Air New Zealand and United Airlines. In addition to the new route announcement, United announced it will extend its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland to year-round beginning April 2019.

15:34 EDT Casdin Capital reports 7% passive stake in GenMark

15:20 EDT FPSC unanimously approves Florida City Gas rate case settlement - The Florida Public Service Commission, or FPSC, has unanimously approved the rate case settlement jointly developed by Florida City Gas, the Office of Public Counsel, and other parties to the case. Among other things, the $11.5M approved revenues will be used to develop Florida's first liquefied natural gas, or LNG, facility, an infrastructure solution that is expected to enable the company to maintain its high levels of service for the foreseeable future. With the proposed rate increase, the typical residential customer will experience an average increase of $1.45 per month or 5.3%. The settlement also reflects the $4.6M net savings to customers as a result of Florida City Gas's implementation of federal tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017. Florida City Gas is one of seven natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (SO).

15:16 EDT Citron's Left calls Twitter 'univestible' at current valuation multiples - Andrew Left of Citron Research is speaking on CNBC.

14:42 EDT Nvidia, Arm partner to bring deep learning to billions of IoT devices - NVIDIA and Arm announced that they are partnering to bring deep learning inferencing to the billions of mobile, consumer electronics and Internet of Things devices that will enter the global marketplace. Under this partnership, NVIDIA and Arm will integrate the open-source NVIDIA Deep Learning Accelerator architecture into Arm's Project Trillium platform for machine learning. The collaboration will make it simple for IoT chip companies to integrate AI into their designs and help put intelligent, affordable products into the hands of billions of consumers worldwide.

14:31 EDT Meet Hemispherx: CEO says 'dramatic changes' underappreciated by Street - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Hemispherx BioPharma's (HEB) CEO Tom Equels discussed the company's changes in recent years and how those seem to be underappreciated by Wall Street: "I believe that there may be a failure to appreciate the dramatic changes in management and the fruits of those changes. Two years ago, I became CEO and reformed both management and the company's priority goals. We are committed to efficient execution on those priority goals which fall into three main categories, immuno- oncology, Ampligen for ME/CFS, and Ampligen as a viral vaccine enhancer. Two years ago, we established certain significant milestones, almost all of which have been accomplished. We've accomplished more in two years than in the prior ten years. We have done so while at the same time dramatically reducing the company's burn rate. It is our aim to move forward and meet our future goals with the same drive and commitment." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company.

14:24 EDT Nvidia introduces DRIVE Constellation self-driving simulation system - Speaking at the opening keynote of GTC 2018, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang announced NVIDIA DRIVE Constellation, a cloud-based system for testing autonomous vehicles using photorealistic simulation. "Deploying production self-driving cars requires a solution for testing and validating on billions of driving miles to achieve the safety and reliability needed for customers. With DRIVE Constellation, we've accomplished that by combining our expertise in visual computing and datacenters. With virtual simulation, we can increase the robustness of our algorithms by testing on billions of miles of custom scenarios and rare corner cases, all in a fraction of the time and cost it would take to do so on physical roads," said Rob Csongor, vice president and general manager of Automotive at NVIDIA. DRIVE Constellation will be available to early access partners in the third quarter of 2018.

13:45 EDT Meet Hemispherx: CEO expects Phase 2 study in colorectal cancer to start soon - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Hemispherx BioPharma's (HEB) CEO Tom Equels discussed other Ampligen studies, namely Phase 1/2 programs in ovarian, colorectal, and peritoneal cancer and renal cell carcinoma and melanoma cancers: "The colorectal cancer program is most advanced and we believe the phase 2 study will be initiated in the next month or so. This study is designed to extend our understanding of Ampligen's role in favorably modulating the tumor microenvironment by enhancing the ratio of T effector cells to T regulatory cells and thus making the tumor potentially more likely to respond to checkpoint blockage. We expect the ovarian cancer phase 1/2 study to begin enrolling in the second half of this year." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

13:26 EDT Meet Hemispherx: CEO says in talks with FDA over Phase 3 CFS study - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, CEO Tom Equels commented on the Food and Drug Administration's decision to not approve Hemispherx BioPharma's (HEB) New Drug Application for Ampligen in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome without additional clinical data: "The FDA has requested additional efficacy and safety data that would require a confirmatory Phase III study. Having identified several subsets of patients with severe CFS/ME and approximately twice the response rate to Ampligen vs. placebo, we are currently in discussions with the agency on the details of incorporating such a subset into the confirmatory Phase III study. It is important to note that we are the only drug, late stage in the developmental pipeline with the FDA for this wholly unmet medical need in the United States. It is also important to note that we recently obtained a commercial approval for Ampligen for ME/CFS from the Republic of Argentina, which is the first time any drug has been approved by a respected regulatory authority for ME/CFS anywhere in the world." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

13:04 EDT Oracle says court decision 'upholds fundamental principles' of copyright law - Dorian Daley, Oracle's Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, General Counsel said in a statement, "The Federal Circuit's opinion upholds fundamental principles of copyright law and makes clear that Google violated the law. This decision protects creators and consumers from the unlawful abuse of their rights."

13:02 EDT Meet Hemispherx: CEO hopes for pancreatic cancer clinical program this year - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, CEO Tom Equels discussed Hemispherx BioPharma's (HEB) recently announced partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to study the use of the company's immune-enhancing drug Ampligen administered with a peptide vaccine developed by UNMC as a potential treatment of pancreatic cancer: "This preclinical work will be looking at Ampligen's anti-tumor activity against pancreatic cancer alone, as well as combined with checkpoint blockage. Our hope is that this study will show an additive or synergistic anti-tumor effect with increased survival compared to the controls. We believed such an important finding could progress toward a clinical or early access program in pancreatic cancer later this year. The peptide vaccine component has a longer development timeline. The hope here is that the triple combination would boost the response rate even higher." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

12:47 EDT Southcross holders approve merger with American Midstream Partners - Southcross Energy Partners (SXE) announced that its unitholders have voted to approve the previously announced proposed merger of Southcross and American Midstream Partners (AMID) and related matters pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of October 31, 2017 by and among Southcross, AMID, its general partner, and a certain wholly owned subsidiary of AMID. During a special meeting of unitholders held today, investors voted on merger-related proposals, which included the merger and a non-binding advisory vote on merger compensation. The merger proposal passed with a vote of more than 95 percent of votes cast by non-affiliated unitholders, representing approximately 64 percent of all outstanding units held by such unitholders. A majority of the non-affiliated unitholders also approved the advisory merger compensation proposal. The closing of the merger remains subject to the closing conditions described in the definitive proxy statement filed by SXE with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 13, 2018. The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018.

12:40 EDT Meet Hemispherx BioPharma: A talk with CEO Tom Equels - Hemispherx BioPharma (HEB) is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the clinical development of new drug entities for treatment of seriously debilitating disorders. In an exclusive interview with The Fly, CEO Tom Equels talked about the company's pipeline, clinical trials, partnerships, and much more. Here are some of the highlights: UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PARTNERSHIP: Recently, the company announced a partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to study the use of Hemispherx's immune-enhancing drug Ampligen administered with a peptide vaccine developed by UNMC as a potential treatment of pancreatic cancer. CEO Tom Equels hopes this study will show "an additive or synergistic anti-tumor effect with increased survival compared to the controls," and believes that such finding could progress toward a clinical or early access program in pancreatic cancer "later this year." FDA APPROVAL FOR AMPLIGEN IN CFS: Hemispherx's Ampligen is currently undergoing clinical development for the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, with the Food and Drug Administration yet to approve the company's New Drug Application. Equels noted that the FDA has requested additional efficacy and safety data that would require a confirmatory Phase III study. "Having identified several subsets of patients with severe CFS/ME and approximately twice the response rate to Ampligen vs. placebo, we are currently in discussions with the agency on the details of incorporating such a subset into the confirmatory Phase III study," he added. COLORECTAL CANCER PROGRAM: Ampligen is also being studied in two other Phase 1/2 programs via university partnerships in ovarian, colorectal, and peritoneal cancer and renal cell carcinoma and melanoma cancers. The CEO pointed out that the colorectal cancer program is the most advanced and that he believes the Phase 2 study will be initiated in the "next month or so." "We expect the ovarian cancer phase 1/2 study to begin enrolling in the second half of this year," the chief executive said. PARTNERSHIPS: While pointing out that Hemispherx is not seeking to acquire any additional assets, Equels said the company is "actively seeking" co-development relationships for the development of the company's toll like receptor 3 agonist, Ampligen. "Co-development relationships with Big or Mid-size Pharma companies for the development of Ampligen are a top priority," the CEO added. 'DRAMATIC CHANGES' UNDERAPPRECIATED BY THE STREET: Two years ago, Tom Equels became CEO of Hemispherx and reformed "both management and the company's priority goals." The chief executive believes that there may be a "failure to appreciate the dramatic changes in management and the fruits of those changes." "We've accomplished more in two years than in the prior ten years. We have done so while at the same time dramatically reducing the company's burn rate," he highlighted. "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. A more detailed version of this interview to follow.

12:31 EDT Hemispherx CEO calls Ampligen co-development partnerships 'top priority'

12:31 EDT Hemispherx CEO says in talks with FDA over Ampligen NDA in CFS

12:11 EDT General Electric continues rally amid talk of Buffett investment - Shares of General Electric are rallying as investors speculate on a possible investment by Warren Buffett. After Bloomberg ran a story attributing today's rally to Buffett chatter, CNBC's Fast Money is weighing on the validity of the conjecture. Meanwhile, shares of General Electric are inching higher. The stock is now up 5%, or 66c, to $13.55.

12:03 EDT Tom Lindquist tapped as CEO of Allina Health Aetna JV - "After a comprehensive search process, we believe we have found the best individual to assume leadership of Allina Health Aetna," said Dan Finke, SVP of Clinical Services and Joint Venture Markets for Aetna. "Tom has the right tool set and experience in the health insurance industry to guide the company to success in the years to come." Allina Health Aetna is a unique partnership that combines the resources of Allina Health's high-quality facilities and broad care network of affiliated doctors, nurses and other health care professionals with Aetna's national health plan expertise and commitment to innovation. Both Allina Health and Aetna bring their significant care management and data analytics tools together with the mutual aim to deliver high-quality, affordable care that is better coordinated. "We are thrilled to have Tom join Allina Health Aetna," said Ben Bache-Wiig, MD, Executive Vice President of Allina Health and chair of the Allina Health Aetna board of directors. "We look forward to Tom leading the organization as we bring innovative insurance products to market which provide unparalleled care coordination, ease of access and streamlined processes to our membersAllina Health and Aetna have named Tom Lindquist as CEO of Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company (Allina Health Aetna), the jointly owned health care company that was announced by the two organizations in January 2017.

11:35 EDT SEC charges Maxwell, former executives with inflating financial results - The Securities and Exchange Commission says it charged Maxwell Technologies and one of its former sales executives in a "fraudulent revenue recognition scheme designed to inflate the company's reported financial results." According to the SEC's order, Maxwell "prematurely recognized revenue from the sale of ultracapacitors - small energy storage and power delivery products - in order to better meet analyst expectations." Van Andrews, a former Maxwell sales executive and corporate officer, allegedly "inflated the company's revenues by entering into secret side deals with customers and by falsifying records in order to conceal the scheme from Maxwell's finance and accounting personnel and external auditors." Maxwell's former CEO David Schramm and former controller James DeWitt also were charged for "failing adequately to respond to red flags that should have alerted them to the misconduct." The SEC's order found that Maxwell and Andrews violated antifraud, books and records, and internal accounting controls provisions of the federal securities laws and that Andrews caused certain violations by Maxwell. Both Maxwell and Andrews consented to the SEC's order without admitting or denying the allegations and agreed to pay penalties of $2.8M and $50,000, respectively. Andrews also agreed to be barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for five years. Without admitting or denying the findings that they caused certain violations by Maxwell, Schramm agreed to pay a total of nearly $80,000 in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalty and DeWitt agreed to pay a $20,000 penalty. Shares of Maxwell are down 1c to $6.03 in late morning trading.

11:30 EDT Apple says new iPad faster than 'virtually every Chromebook'

11:24 EDT Apple announces new iPad for Education - The iPad will be available for $299 to schools, and will support the Apple Pencil stylus. This announcement was made at Apple's "Let's Take a Field Trip" education event.

11:05 EDT Street Fight: Analyst diverge on AnaptysBio after peanut allergy trial data - Last night, AnaptysBio (ANAB) announced preliminary results from a Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial assessing its lead drug ANB020 in adult patients with peanut allergy. Commenting on the news, JMP Securities analyst Konstantinos Aprilakis told investors he sees the data as "early but impressive," while his peer at Jefferies believes it removes an overhang from AnaptysBio's stock. However, not all were as bullish. Baird analyst Brian Skorney argued that the peanut allergy data released was "not particularly encouraging." PEANUT ALLERGY TRIAL: After the market close yesterday, AnaptysBio announced top-line proof-of-concept data from an interim analysis of an ongoing Phase 2a trial in adult patients with peanut allergy. According to the data, 46% of patients exhibiting "moderate-to-severe" symptoms during a baseline oral food challenge at enrollment improved peanut tolerance to cumulative 500mg at day 13 after one dose of ANB020 compared to 0% dosed with placebo. AnaptysBio noted that allergic symptoms that usually overlap with peanut allergy were observed in four of five patients dosed with placebo but just one of 15 ANB020 dosed patients. The company added that ANB020 was "generally well-tolerated" and all patients remain enrolled in the trial. 'EARLY BUT IMPRESSIVE': In a research note this morning, JMP Securities' Aprilakis called AnaptysBio's proof-of-concept data for ANB020 "early but impressive," and told investors he believes the results more than satisfy the threshold for progression to a larger Phase 2b clinical trial. The analyst also noted that this marks the second positive POC study for IL-33 inhibition, further supporting the central role of IL-33 in mediating atopic diseases and ANB020's capacity to address a wide range of atopic conditions. Aprilakis reiterated an Outperform rating and assigned a $180 price target on the shares. Jefferies analyst Biren Amin also commented on the results, saying the data removes an overhang from the stock and sets up the next catalyst, namely Phase 2a top-line data of ANB020 in asthma that is now expected in the third quarter. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating and $145 price target on the shares. Meanwhile, Stifel analyst Alex Schwartz raised his price target for AnaptysBio to $152 from $139 as he believes the results establish ANB020 proof-of-concept in peanut allergy, and expects longer-duration trials and incorporating a multi-dosing strategy will likely only lead to increased peanut tolerance. Further, the analyst told investors he thinks AnaptysBio can now generate a partnership on more favorable terms to the company. He reiterated a Buy rating on AnaptysBio shares. DATA 'NOT PARTICULARLY ENCOURING': Not as bullish on the results announced last night, Baird's Skorney said the peanut allergy data was not particularly encouraging and that overall, investors were ambivalent about the study. Additionally, the analyst pointed out that while he remains enthusiastic about the outcome of the company's asthma study, one may see some investor disappointment in its delay from a second quarter readout to the third quarter. Nonetheless, Skorney reiterated an Outperform rating and $144 price target on AnaptysBio shares. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Peters argued that his bullish thesis on competitor DBV Technologies (DBVT) remains intact following last night's peanut allergy data from AnaptysBio. While the early Phase 2a data suggest AnaptysBio's ANB020 could have an effect both on sensitivity to peanut protein as well as symptom severity during the food challenge, the data are "far from clear" and potential timelines to market suggest minimal impact on DBV's Viaskin Peanut, Peters contended. The analyst added that he does not view the ANB020 data as directly competitive to Viaskin Peanut. Meanwhile, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst William Tanner says he's "challenged to believe" much more is known about AnaptysBio's ANB020 following last night's peanut allergy data release that involved only 20 patients. Tanner, who reiterated an Overweight rating on competitor in the peanut allergy space Aimmune Therapeutics (AIMT), said that with only two oral food challenges conducted per patient, "it's no wonder there weren't dropouts" in AnaptysBio's trial. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of AnaptysBio are fractionally up to $114.35.

10:52 EDT Citron says short Twitter with Facebook scandal raising regulation risk - Citron Research, which noted that it was previously bullish on Twitter (TWTR) in the low $20's, published a new report in which it recommends shorting the stock with a short-term target for the stock of $25 per share. With Facebook (FB) and Google (GOOGL), Twitter is being called to a senate hearing on data privacy on April 10 and Citron sees a "scary answer" to the question of how reliant Twitter is on data licensing. An acquisition of Twitter by another party is "far less likely until these companies clean house with regard to privacy concerns and selling user data," Citron added in its report. In morning trading, Twitter shares are down about 5% to $30.44. Reference Link

10:28 EDT Geron drops after report highlights 'flimsy' survival claims - Shares of Geron Corporation (GERN) are falling after Adam Feuerstein of STAT said the stock's rally since January is based on "flimsy" survival claims. "FLIMSY DATA": The tripling in Geron shares since January has been based on "flimsy data," STAT's Adam Feuerstein wrote on Tuesday. The company's market value has been approaching $1B after CEO John Scartlett suggested imetelstat, an experimental treatment for myelofibrosis, is helping patients live longer, however Feuerstein reports that there is no proof of the claim. Geron and partner Janssen, the pharmaceutical unit of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), are conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial of imetelstat enrolling 100 patients with myelofibrosis who no longer respond to Jakafi, the only approved medication for the disease. On a conference call last week, Scarlett said a review of the trial in March found median overall survival for all the patients had not been reached after a follow-up of 19 months and the final median overall survival could be longer as the study is still open. Scarlett compared the survival rate to a Janssen analysis presented in 2016, in which median overall survival was seven months in patients who discontinued or no longer responded to Jakafi. Feuerstein said the data point makes imetelstat look better but the rest of Janssen's analysis undercuts Scarlett's argument. The analysis showed that of the 430 patients who received Jakafi as a first-line treatment, only 15% went on to receive a second-line therapy with a different drug and the other 85% of patients received no further treatment signaling they were too weak and close to death. In addition, 63 patients that received Jakafi first and then a different second-line treatment had a median survival of 14 months and another 49 patients that began on Jakafi and then received Jakafi again had a median survival of 30 months. The combined median survival for the 112 patients was roughly 22 months, making the 19-month median survival for imetelstat patients look less promising. Feuerstein added that Geron and Janssen declined to disclose data on baseline disease characteristics of patients enrolled in the Phase 2 study and also declined to explain why the disclosure of primary endpoint results from the study has been delayed. Feuerstein also tweeted, "You have to sorta admire $GERN CEO John Scarlett. He pumped the stock on a flimsy survival claim. Imetelstat's prospects are still dim, but in short term, Scarlett is working it." WHAT'S NOTABLE: On Thursday, Seeking Alpha contributor "Alpha Exposure" said the recent update from Geron "was definitely negative," and confirmed their view of imetelstat's "likely failure." The contributor, who is short the shares, believes "IMbark may have a healthier patient population which explains the longer than expected overall survival" and Geron provided proof that the treatment has no impact on survival by reporting no difference in median survival in either dosing arm. PRICE ACTION: Geron fell 10.4% to $5.36 in morning trading.

10:16 EDT Waymo, Jaguar team up to develop fleet of all-electric autonomous cars - Waymo (GOOG, GOOGL) said in a blog post that the company and Jaguar Land Rover (TTM) are announcing an "electrifying new partnership. We're joining forces to design and engineer the world's first premium electric fully self-driving vehicle, built for Waymo's transportation service. This new self-driving Jaguar I-PACE blends Jaguar's knack for innovative design with Waymo's cutting-edge self-driving technology, designed and developed completely in-house. At Waymo, we've been building the world's most experienced driver: a safe, skillful and savvy chauffeur that can take people and things from A to B at the push of a button. Imagine a world where you can take a self-driving minivan to the baseball game with family, and a self-driving I-PACE home after a night out-in both cases, a car perfectly suited for your needs. That's the world we're building. The all-electric I-PACE is a natural choice for this world. We'll add up to 20,000 I-PACEs to Waymo's fleet in the next few years-that's enough to drive about a million trips in a typical day. With this partnership, we can offer our self-driving service to many communities across the country with vehicles that are safe, quiet and eco-friendly. The new self-driving I-PACE will start testing in our fleet later this year, and will soon be playing a vital full-time role in Waymo's driverless transportation service. We're looking forward to this new partnership, and the possibilities it unlocks for Waymo's riders across the country." Reference Link

09:58 EDT Bombardier announces train contract valued at approximately $104M - Bombardier Transportation announced that it has received an order from Transport for London for five additional AVENTRA trains for services on London's Elizabeth line increasing the total order to 70 trains. The agreement also includes an expansion to the existing Train Services Agreement to cover the new trains. In total the additional contract is valued at approximately GBP 73M, or $104M.

09:22 EDT Wipro unveils Texas Technology Center, will increase headcount to 2000 - Wipro unveiled its Texas Technology Center in Plano, Texas. Wipro also plans to ramp up its headcount in Texas to 2000 over the next few years from 1400 now. The Texas Technology Center is focused on developing niche capabilities in new and emerging technologies for Wipro's clients, which include some of the nation's most innovative companies. The new facility will primarily house Wipro's US cyber security center, as well as serve as a hub for advanced analytics. The 45,000-square feet center is designed to promote collaboration, spur creativity and enhance productivity. To begin with, this center will employ 150 people and plans are on the anvil to further increase the workforce at this facility.

09:19 EDT Tyler Technologies' ERP solution selected by Pittsburgh Public Schools - Tyler Technologies signed an agreement with Pittsburgh Public Schools in Pennsylvania for Tyler's Munis enterprise resource planning solution. Pennsylvania's second-largest school district will use Munis to manage financials, procurement, human resources and payroll information.

09:15 EDT Eastside Drilling announces agreement with Source Code Beverage to can wine - Eastside Distilling announced an agreement with Source Code Beverage to begin canning their full lineup of Backpack Wine varieties. Currently Backpack Wine distributes its products through retail outlets in 30 states, as well as its online store. "We are pleased to be working with the team at Eastside to package our products; enabling us to devote our time to the things that we do best and continue the consistent growth of the business," said Backpack Wine founder Jim Doehring.

09:10 EDT L3 Technologies announces five-year cloud computing collaboration with Microsoft - L3 Technologies (LLL) announced a five-year strategic cloud computing collaboration with Microsoft (MSFT), selecting Azure Government to transform the processes and speed at which it delivers IT resources throughout its global operations. L3 Technologies is the first aerospace and defense sector company to enter into a datacenter transformation agreement of this kind with Microsoft.

09:08 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), up 4% after reaching an agreement with Novartis (NVS) for the buyout of Novartis' 36.5% stake in their Consumer Healthcare joint venture for $13B. Novartis shares are up fractionally following the deal announcement... Esperion (ESPR), up 2% after announcing that a Phase 2 clinical study of bempedoic acid met its primary endpoint... InspireMD (NSPR), up 30% after the company received regulatory approval for the CGuard Embolic Prevention System, or EPS, and MGuard Prime in Peru... Fennec (FENC), up 12% after the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for PEDMARK. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Redhat (RHT), up 7%.... DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Francesca's (FRAN), down 3%. LOWER: Overstock.com (OSTK), down 10% after 4M share offering... Geron (GERN), down 8% after STAT's Adam Feuerstein says rally of shares is based on "flimsy" data.

09:06 EDT MoviePass, Landmark Theatres sign exhibitor agreement - MoviePass,a majority-owned subsidiary of Helios and Matheson Analytics, announced an agreement with Landmark Theatres, the nation's largest theater circuit dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film. Landmark Theatres is owned by Wagner/Cuban Companies, a group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. Through this agreement, MoviePass will be integrated into Landmark Theatres' ticketing system. MoviePass members who use the service at Landmark Theatres will be able to take advantage of added benefits and features including e-ticketing, advanced screening reservations, and in-app seat selection. MoviePass currently serves over two million members nationwide and Landmark Theatres operates 255 screens across 53 theaters across 27 markets nationwide including Florida, Illinois, Los Angeles, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin.

09:04 EDT Adobe announces significant partner momentum at Summit 2018 - At Adobe Summit, Adobe announced major advances to its global partner ecosystem, which now includes more than 5,000 agencies, systems integrators and technology partners. The company also announced new partner integrations, 40 new Adobe Cloud Platform Launch partner extensions and several additions to its Adobe Exchange marketplace -- its central hub for brands to access third-party applications across Adobe Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Experience Cloud.

09:02 EDT Energy Recovery awarded $10.1M for water projects in Saudi Arabia - Energy Recovery announced total awards of $10.1M to supply its PX Pressure Exchanger, and pump technologies for water projects in Saudi Arabia. The orders are expected to ship in the Q2 and Q3. Energy Recovery will supply its PX-Q300 Pressure Exchangers, VPXPTM circulation pumps and AquaBoldTM high pressure pumps for multiple desalination facilities, which will produce up to 470,000 cubic meters of water per day. Energy Recovery estimates the PX devices will reduce the facilities' power consumption for all projects by 50 MW, saving over 431 GWh of energy per year, and helping the facilities avoid over 258,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

08:46 EDT FedEx acquires P2P Mailing fo GBP92M - FedEx Corp announced that it has acquired P2P Mailing Limited, a provider of worldwide e-commerce transportation solutions, for GBP92M. P2P's capabilities complement and expand the FedEx portfolio of offerings important to the rapidly growing global e-commerce marketplace. P2P is headquartered in Laindon, United Kingdom and will operate as a subsidiary of FedEx Cross Border within the FedEx Trade Networks operating company.

08:39 EDT Herc Holdings announces retirement of CFO Barbara Brasier - Herc Holdings announced that Barbara Brasier, senior VP and CFO, has informed the company of her retirement for personal reasons, effective April 30. The company has commenced a search process to identify its next CFO. Mark Humphrey, VP, controller and CAO will serve as the company's interim CFO.

08:37 EDT Aetna to automatically apply pharmacy rebates starting 2019 - Beginning in 2019, Aetna will automatically apply pharmacy rebates at the time of sale for its commercial fully insured plan members. While the majority of rebates have always been passed on to plan sponsors and their employees through lower premiums, Aetna believes that greater transparency is needed throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain in response to the nearly 25% increase in drug prices between 2012 and 2016. An estimated 3M Aetna members could potentially benefit from these rebates when filling prescriptions. In addition, Aetna continues to support eliminating "gag clauses" that prohibit pharmacists from telling customers that paying cash for prescription drugs may be cheaper than using their health insurance. The company does not require these clauses in contracts with pharmacists, and is encouraged by pending and recently passed legislation aimed at ending this practice.

08:35 EDT JA Solar announces resignation of CFO Herman Zhao - JA Solar announced that Herman Zhao has resigned as CFO effective March 27 to pursue other interests. The company noted that there are no issues involving the company's financial statements, internal controls or financial reporting procedures that led to Zhao's departure.

08:35 EDT Capstone secures first signature series order in Portugal for textile mill - Capstone Turbine Corporation announced an order for a C600 Signature Series microturbine to provide combined heat and power to a Portuguese textile mill. Micropower Europe, Capstone's distributor for Portugal and Spain, secured the order. The textile mill required an increase in their production capacity and sought an efficient solution for their plant expansion. Rather than import more power from the local utility at extremely high rates, they considered breaking away from the unstable and overpriced utility by becoming part of the global distributed generation energy revolution. .

08:33 EDT Moleculin, Seidman Cancer Center enter agreement for leukemia clinical trials - Moleculin Biotech announced that it has entered an agreement with The University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, which includes the Seidman Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic, to participate in its U.S. Phase I/II clinical trial of Annamycin for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia and that patient enrollment has begun.

08:32 EDT Riot Blockchain closes acquisition of Logical Brokerage Corp - Riot Blockchain announced that it has closed on its acquisition of 92.5% of Logical Brokerage Corp. Logical Brokerage is a futures introducing broker headquartered in Miami, FL registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a member of the National Futures Association. Riot Blockchain intends to investigate launching a digital currency exchange and a futures brokerage operation within the United States. Neither the CFTC nor the NFA regulate spot-market digital currency exchanges or activity, although the CFTC's jurisdiction is implicated when there is fraud or manipulation involving a virtual currency traded in interstate commerce. Separately, the company announced that on or prior to April 17, and within 15 calendar days following the end of each calendar month thereafter for a six-month period, it will publicly announce its gross cryptocurrency production for the previous month. Initially the Company will release information for a six-month period and may discontinue such information release at any time. Such information will be unaudited and will reflect the activities of the installed mining servers that are operational at any given time, which may vary. Readers of this information are cautioned that: (1) our cryptocurrency production is subject to many risks and our cryptocurrency production in any month may not be representative or predictive of our cryptocurrency production in other months; (2) the value of the production is highly volatile and will not be published by us on a monthly basis; (3) our operating results, including our revenue, are dependent on many factors in addition to our cryptocurrency production; and (4) our gross cryptocurrency production is not a substitute for measures of our operating results to be reflected in our financial statements prepared under GAAP, which we will release only on a quarterly basis.

08:26 EDT Fluor awarded FEED contract by Egypt's state energy firm Enppi - Fluor Corporation announced that it was awarded the front-end engineering design, or FEED, contract by Egypt's state energy firm Enppi for the offsites and utilities portion of the main plant complex and support services for the Waphco phosphoric acid production plant at Abu Tartour, in the Egyptian province of New Valley. Fluor will book the undisclosed contract value in the first quarter of 2018.

08:14 EDT Iridium, Speedcast partner to deliver satellite broadband solutions - Iridium Communications announced that Speedcast has signed an agreement to become a land-mobile service provider for its next-generation satellite broadband technology, Iridium Certus. Speedcast joins a world-class group of service providers and will help further expand the Iridium Certus footprint. Designed for on-the-move vehicles, assets and teams, Iridium Certus will support the only truly global communications solution enabling capabilities like real-time vehicle tracking, internet, phone and data transfer, all from one service. Already a global maritime launch partner for Iridium Certus, Speedcast will bring its international network and expertise to the Iridium Certus land-mobile program as well. Specific to the land-mobile market, Iridium Certus will run on the new Thales MissionLINK terminal, ideal for off-the-grid public safety, utility, oil and gas, military and non-government organization applications. Iridium Certus will offer cost-effective, reliable and global L-band satellite broadband communications that can smoothly transition between satellite and cellular connectivity as needed, providing the end user unprecedented flexibility. Testing of the Iridium Certus service is already underway and will be commercially introduced in a series of service classes. Current focus is on the 352 Kbps speed class and will be updated to 704 Kpbs through a firmware update available at a later date. The service will operate on the Iridium network and will leverage the inherent advantages of the constellation. Through its unique architecture of 66 low earth orbit crosslinked satellites, Iridium Certus will provide a global reach that is highly reliable, even in rugged terrain and inclement weather, making it an ideal solution for mobile and remote applications.

08:12 EDT RedHill Biopharma announces oral presentations on BEKINDA 24 mg at SAEM meeting - RedHill Biopharma announced that two abstracts related to the successful Phase III study with BEKINDA 24 mg for acute gastroenteritis and gastritishave been accepted for oral presentations at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine 2018 Annual Meeting, May 16-17, 2018, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, IN. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III GUARD study with BEKINDA 24 mg successfully met its primary endpoint of efficacy in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis and gastritis, and BEKINDA 24 mg was found to be safe and well tolerated in this indication3. If approved for marketing by the FDA, BEKINDA 24 mg could become the first 5-HT3 antiemetic drug in the U.S. indicated for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis and gastritis. The first presentation, entitled 'Treatment of Acute Gastroenteritis-Related Emesis with Bimodal Release Ondansetron', will be presented by Robert Silverman, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; Northwell Health, and Lead Investigator of the BEKINDA Phase III GUARD study, on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 3:00 PM EDT. The abstract concludes that the Phase III GUARD study is the first study of acute gastroenteritis-related emesis showing benefit from any ondansetron preparation in adolescents and adults and suggests that acute gastroenteritis can be treated with a long-acting, bimodal release tablet, potentially avoiding the need for intravenous access. The second presentation, entitled 'A 24 mg bimodal-release ondansetron pill shows no evidence of QT interval prolongation', will be presented by Joseph Miller, MD, MS, Associate Clinical Professor, Emergency Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital and Investigator of the BEKINDA Phase III GUARD study, on Thursday, May 17, 2018, from 9:00 AM EDT. The abstract concludes that in patients with normal baseline corrected QT interval, 24 mg bimodal extended-release ondansetron caused no QTc prolongation in comparison to placebo.

08:11 EDT Fennec up 17% after FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation for PEDMARK - In pre-market trading, shares are up 17.81% to $12.90.

08:08 EDT Tyme Technologies announces first site open for its Phase II trial with SM-88 - Tyme Technologies announced that the first site for the Phase II clinical trial evaluating SM-88 therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer is open and additional clinical sites are scheduled to open within the coming weeks. Tyme has more than 35 sites currently in the process of opening across North America, exceeding its original number of target sites. This Phase II trial is designed as an open-label, multi-center study of SM-88 in approximately 100 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have failed at least one prior line of therapy. In Stage 1, approximately 30 patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive a dose of either 460mg or 920mg per day of Tyme's proprietary tyrosine derivative, while the doses of the other components of SM-88 will remain unchanged. After a planned analysis of the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of patients from the patients in Stage 1, it is intended that the selected tyrosine derivative dose will be continued into Stage 2 of the trial for the remaining approximately 70 patients.

08:08 EDT Advanced Energy and Sager Electronics sign distribution agreement - Advanced Energy announced a North American distribution partnership with Sager Electronics, a leading distributor of Interconnect, Power and Electromechanical components and provider of value-add solutions. Advanced Energy will partner with Sager to link customers to AE's power portfolio, including high voltage, low voltage and thermal products. Advanced Energy's precision high voltage, low voltage and temperature measurement and control solutions are now in stock at Sager Electronics.

08:06 EDT Altimmune announces 'positive' data from Phase 2a study of NasoVax - Altimmune, announced positive data from its Phase 2a study of NasoVAX intranasal influenza vaccine and provided an update on its Phase 1b study of HepTcell targeted immunotherapy in chronic hepatitis B infection. Results from the Phase 2a study of NasoVAX intranasal flu vaccine in 60 healthy individuals showed 100% seroprotection in the mid- and high-dose groups. Results from the Phase 1b study of HepTCell in hepatitis B infection showed that HepTcell was well tolerated at all doses tested, while the unblinded T-cell immunogenicity results were inconclusive. The randomized Phase 2a study compared a monovalent NasoVAX vaccine against an H1 strain of influenza to intranasal placebo in 60 healthy adults across three dose ranges. In a parallel open label study, a similar population of 20 subjects were given Fluzone, a licensed injectable influenza vaccine. Blood samples from both studies were tested and the lab was blinded to treatment assignment. Data demonstrated 100% seroprotection for the middle and high dose groups of NasoVAX as compared to 95% seroprotection with Fluzone. Mean antibody titers against influenza, as measured by the hemagglutinin inhibition and microneutralization assays increased up to 4.3-fold, indicating that high levels of immunity were induced in this study population, even with prior immunity to the influenza strain. The serum antibody responses were also robust and dose dependent. Seroconversion rates and breadth of antibody response were comparable to Fluzone for the highest NasoVAX dose tested. Additionally, compared to Fluzone, the highest dose of NasoVAX induced over nearly 6-fold higher levels of influenza cellular immunity, an important element in defending against influenza disease. All doses of NasoVAX were well tolerated and there were no cases of fever, serious adverse events or discontinuations. Rates of local and systemic side effects did not increase with dose and were not statistically different than placebo. Subjects will continue to be followed through six months after vaccination to assess durability of antibody response. The company plans to submit the full data, which will also include mucosal antibody and serum antibody levels at other time points, for presentation at an appropriate scientific conference later this year.

08:05 EDT Siemens expands investment in digital capabilities, including $175M R&D ramp up - Siemens is expanding its investments in U.S.-based digital capabilities to co-create intelligent solutions with customers. In order to get closer to its customers, the company has distributed its 20 centers across around 50 locations in 17 countries worldwide. Eight of these digital service hubs are located in the United States - in Austin, Foster City, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Pittsburgh, Berkeley and Orlando - and constitute the largest footprint for these centers outside of Germany. Siemens launched its MindSphere IoT operating system across the company about one year ago. Approximately one million devices and systems are now connected via MindSphere, and this figure will reach 1.25 million by the end of fiscal 2018. The company has also increased its U.S. R&D investment by $175M year over year to $1.3B in fiscal 2017 -- a 16% increase -- with a strong focus on digital innovation. In Chicago, for example, Siemens is investing $13M annually in a new digital R&D hub focused on cloud and Internet of Things applications to support the building management and automation market. Also on a global level, Siemens will again increase its global R&D expenditures in fiscal 2018 and is investing an additional sum of about $600M. As a result, R&D spending will increase from nearly $6.3B in fiscal 2017 to $6.9B in fiscal 2018.

08:04 EDT TiVo, Tru Optik deal to make linear viewership data available for OTT targeting - TiVo Corporation announced a newly inked deal with Tru Optik, the audience intelligence and data-management platform built for over-the-top television, that will now extend TiVo's deterministic, linear TV viewership data to the brands, agencies, and publishers that leverage Tru Optik to build audience-based campaigns across OTT and Connected TV. As part of the agreement, TiVo's linear TV viewership data, which reaches across all 210 national DMAs and more than 2 million households, will now be available through Tru Optik's OTT Marketing Cloud.

08:03 EDT Adient announces partnership with American Center for Mobility - Adient announced it has become a partner with the American Center for Mobility. The state-of-the-art proving ground is a nonprofit testing, education and product development facility for future mobility.

08:02 EDT Krystal Biotech submits IND application for KB103 - Krystal Biotech announces the submission of an Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to initiate a Phase 1/2, first in-human trial of KB103, an HSV-1 based gene therapy engineered to deliver a human collagen-producing gene to patients with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. DEB is an incurable, often fatal, skin blistering disease caused by a lack of collagen protein in the skin. Krystal's approach is to use a non-replicating, non-integrating engineered HSV-1 virus, to deliver COL7A1 genes to dividing and non-dividing skin cells, causing them to produce the collagen protein. KB103 is designed to be an off-the-shelf treatment for DEB that can be applied as needed, either intra-dermally or topically, directly to a patient's skin.

08:02 EDT JLL Spark acquires SaaS-based real estate asset management company Stessa - JLL Spark, a division of JLL, announced its acquisition of Stessa, a software-as-a-service-based real estate technology platform that allows investors in income properties to easily and cost-effectively track, manage and communicate the performance of their portfolios. This is the first strategic acquisition by JLL Spark since its inception and delivers on its mission to transform the real estate industry through technology-based innovation.

07:47 EDT Jacobs Engineering awarded $99M contract by NAVFAC SW - Jacobs Engineering Group, through its joint venture with EwingCole, was awarded a five-year contract to support the planning, programming, design and construction of various types of military buildings and facilities at military installations located throughout the Naval Facilities Engineering Command's Southwest, or NAVFAC SW, Area of Responsibility. Military project sites will be located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The contract has an estimated value of $99M.

07:39 EDT Pacific Biosciences announces ten-unit sequel system order for Annoroad - Pacific Biosciences of California announced a purchase order for 10 PacBio Sequel Systems that are expected to be installed at Annoroad's designated facility within the next several months, enhancing Annoroad's large-scale genomic service capabilities across various fields within the life sciences such as agriculture, basic research, medicine, and health. The Sequel System, based on Pacific Biosciences' unique Single Molecule, Real-Time technology, provides an unmatched depth of genetic information through exceptionally long sequencing reads, uniform coverage, and the highest consensus accuracy available today. The technology allows scientists to go beyond fragmented draft genomes and generate the most comprehensive de novo assemblies.

07:36 EDT Esperion Phase 2 study of bempedoic acid, PCSK9 inhibitor meets primary endpoint - Esperion announced positive top-line results from the Phase 2 clinical study that evaluated the LDL-C lowering efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid 180 mg added-on to stable background therapy of a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor in 58 patients with hypercholesterolemia. The eight-week study met its primary endpoint with additional LDL-C lowering totaling 30%. The LDL-C lowering for the bempedoic acid group was 27% from baseline, as compared to an increase of 3% for the placebo group. Patients treated with bempedoic acid also achieved a significantly greater reduction of 34% in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, an important marker of the underlying inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease, compared to the placebo group which had a reduction of 2%. In this study, bempedoic acid was observed to be safe and well-tolerated. There were essentially no differences in the occurrence of adverse events between the bempedoic acid and placebo groups, serious adverse events or muscle-related AEs. There were no discontinuations due to AEs or muscle-related AEs. No patients in either group had elevations in liver function tests of greater than three times the upper limit of normal, repeated and confirmed. The cumulative number of patients now treated with bempedoic acid in completed Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials totals 947. Of these, six patients had elevations in liver function tests. This rate of elevations in liver function tests is consistent with the rate observed in previous clinical trials and with all other previously approved oral LDL-C-lowering therapies, including statins and ezetimibe.This eight-week Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study evaluated the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid 180 mg/day in patients with hypercholesterolemia at screening who then received 12 weeks of background injectable evolocumab 420 mg administered every four weeks prior to randomization. A total of 59 patients from 21 sites in the U.S. and Canada were then randomized 1:1 to receive bempedoic acid or placebo added-on to evolocumab. The primary efficacy objective was to assess the eight-week LDL-C lowering efficacy of bempedoic acid versus placebo in patients on a PCSK9 inhibitor. Secondary objectives included evaluating the safety and tolerability of bempedoic acid versus placebo and its effects on other risk markers, including hsCRP.

07:35 EDT Francesca's sees Q1 SSS down 13%-15%

07:31 EDT Imprimis secures patent covering MKO Melt compounded formulation - Imprimis Pharmaceuticals announced it has secured a patent covering the company's innovative MKO Melt compounded formulation from the US Patent and Trademark office. US Patent 9,918,993 B2 entitled "Pharmaceutical compositions for anesthesiological applications" was issued on March 20.

07:15 EDT Sonoma announces new Acuicyn Antimicrobial Eyelid, Eyelash Hygiene solution - Sonoma Pharmaceuticals launched a new and improved Acuicyn Antimicrobial Eyelid and Eyelash Hygiene solution. Formulated from a patent-protected 100% hypochlorous acid solution, the antimicrobial Acuicyn removes encrustation and debris, helping to manage red, itchy and inflamed eyes. Now available in customized shatter-proof containers, Acuicyn is a non-detergent-based proprietary solution of pure 100% antimicrobial hypochlorous acid. It is now available via a doctor's prescription. Safe as saline, Acuicyn doesn't sting or burn making for pain-free application.

07:10 EDT BeyondSpring names Edward Dongheng Liu CFO - BeyondSpring announced the appointment of Edward Dongheng Liu as CFO of the company, effective immediately. Prior to joining BeyondSpring, he served as partner and executive director at Epiphron Capital, an early investor in BeyondSpring.

07:09 EDT InspireMD receives reguatory approval for CGuard EPS, MGuard Primein Peru - InspireMD announced that it has received regulatory approval for the CGuard Embolic Prevention System, or EPS, and MGuard Prime in Peru. The approval was granted by Peru's Ministry of Health.

07:07 EDT Antares Pharma provides XYOSTED regulatory update - Antares Pharma announced that the official minutes from the Type A meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held on February 21, 2018 have been received. The company had previously attended the in-person Type A meeting with the FDA to discuss the Complete Response Letter received in connection with the XYOSTED New Drug Application. Based upon this meeting and the FDA minutes, Antares believes that it does not need to conduct any new clinical studies to support the resubmission. The company anticipates that the resubmission will include re-analyses of existing data, and address labeling and potential post-approval risk mitigation strategies. The company anticipates submitting the complete response in the second quarter of this year. Under FDA's policies, thirty days after FDA's receipt of the resubmission, the Agency will determine whether the filing constitutes a complete response that addresses all deficiencies in the CRL and, if so, assign a target action date which the Company expects will be within six months of FDA's receipt of the resubmission.

07:06 EDT Target, Shipt to launch same-day delivery across New England - Shipt and Target announced they will begin same-day delivery of more than 55,000 groceries, essentials, home, electronics, toys and other products across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Beginning April 10, 2018 Shipt will deliver from Target stores in the following metro areas: Massachusetts: Fall River, New Bedford, Springfield, and Worcester; New Hampshire: Concord, Manchester, and Nashua; Rhode Island: Providence and surrounding areas. Beginning April 12, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Boston, including the North and South Shore. Cumulatively, the new partnership gives nearly 2.M households across New England access to Target products delivered by Shipt in as little as one hour. To celebrate the launch, new members who sign up prior to launch will receive an annual membership for $49, regularly $99.

07:06 EDT Paramount Gold Nevada receives approvals for baseline data reports - Paramount Gold Nevada reported that two more baseline environmental reports have been approved and accepted by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and the Department of Environmental Quality. Paramount CEO, Glen Van Treek commented: "Thanks to the ongoing co-operation of Oregon state agencies, we are pleased to report that we remain on track to submit our Consolidated Permit Application in mid-2018." The next major milestone for Paramount is the completion of a Preliminary Feasibility Study for the proposed underground mine at its Grassy Mountain Gold Project. "We expect to release the PFS early next month. The PFS is a key component of the consolidated permit application. It will also give markets a much better idea of the economics of Grassy Mountain as well as reporting the project's first ever estimate of reserves," Van Treek said. The latest baseline reports approved and accepted by the DOGAMI were on grazing and recreation. The grazing report was submitted to the state of Oregon on January 18, 2018 and approved on March 9, 2018. The purpose of the grazing management baseline report is to describe existing Bureau of Land Management grazing allotments, active grazing preferences, current grazing practices, and management strategies within the Grassy Mountain Mine Project grazing management study area. The baseline recreational report was submitted to the state of Oregon on January 12, 2018 with receipt of final approval on March 15, 2018. The purpose of the recreation baseline study is to characterize existing recreation opportunities, amenities, and usage in the Grassy Mountain Mine Project recreation study area in Malheur County, Oregon. The primary local recreation area is located on BLM administered land.

07:05 EDT AcelRx appoints John Saia as General Counsel - AcelRx Pharmaceuticals (ACRX) announced the appointment of John Saia as General Counsel, effective April 16. Saia joins AcelRx from McKesson (MCK), a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care, and healthcare information technology. Saia has over a decade of healthcare industry experience and joins AcelRx from McKesson, where he most recently served as its Corporate Secretary and Associate General Counsel. At McKesson, he served in various roles with increasing responsibilities and leadership, which included leading and supporting nearly 100 acquisitions over this time period. Saia received his law degree from The George Washington University Law School and bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University.

07:02 EDT McCormick announces $1,000 bonus payments for U.S. hourly employees - McCormick & Company announced plans to reinvest a portion of its incremental tax savings from the recent U.S. Tax Act into one-time $1,000 bonus payments for eligible U.S. hourly employees in May. The company also announced plans to accelerate hourly employee wage increases to ensure more competitive compensation and attract, develop and retain top talent within the organization. The changes will benefit the majority of the company's U.S. based hourly employees. In addition to employee bonuses and wage increases, McCormick reiterated its plans to use its tax benefits to make strategic investments to drive growth, return cash to shareholders, and pay down debt.

07:01 EDT Broadridge acquires ActivePath, terms not disclosed - Broadridge has completed the acquisition of ActivePath, an Israeli-based digital technology company. ActivePath's unique technology enhances the consumer experience associated with consumer statements, bills, and regulatory communications. ActivePath extends Broadridge's ability to transform and accelerate the pace of digital adoption, further strengthening Broadridge's leading Governance and Communications businesses. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

07:01 EDT Bristol-Myers says FDA accepts sBLA for indication of Opdivo/Yervoy combo - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted its supplemental Biologics License Application, or sBLA, for Opdivo in combination with Yervoy for the treatment of adults with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. The FDA granted the application priority review and, in February 2018, granted the combination Breakthrough Therapy Designation for this potential indication, recognizing the need for new treatment approaches in this patient population. The FDA action date is July 10, 2018.

06:53 EDT Endeavour Silver provides update in Terranova mine project in Mexico - Endeavour Silver provided an update on its Terronera silver-gold mine project, located in Jalisco state, Mexico. Since the release of the initial Pre-Feasibility Study, or PFS, one year ago, Endeavour has conducted a number of engineering trade-off studies to refine the operating parameters and optimize the economic performance of the project. Endeavour retained a number of engineering consulting firms to work with Endeavour's technical services group in preparing and updating the PFS. Highlights of Project Engineering Studies on Operating Parameters included: Optimal throughput based on current Mineral Reserves and Resources is 1500 tonnes per day, or tpd; optimal development plan based on time needed to develop the mine is two stages of 750 tpd each; Annual production at 1500 tpd is estimated at 5.0M oz silver equivalents per year based on 300 grams per tonne, or gpt, net payable silver equivalents per tonne; mineral Resource model updated to include the small but very high grade La Luz vein, Mine plan is initially 100% cut and fill in the Terronera vein due to weak rock strength in the vein and 100% resuing in the narrow La Luz vein; plant design is crush, grind, flash flotation, regrind and conventional flotation to produce a single bulk sulfide silver-gold concentrate.

06:34 EDT McCormick up 3.8% after reporting Q1 results, giving FY18 guidance

06:32 EDT Pioneer Natural to sell of Eagle Ford Shale acreage to Sundance for $102M - Pioneer Natural Resources announced that it has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Sundance Energy, to sell approximately 10,200 net acres in the western portion of Pioneer's Eagle Ford Shale acreage position for $102M, subject to normal closing adjustments. The acreage is located in Atascosa, LaSalle, Live Oak and McMullen Counties, Texas. Current net production is approximately 1,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day. After the sale closes, which is expected during the Q2 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, Pioneer's acreage position in the Eagle Ford Shale will be approximately 59,000 net acres, all of which is held by production.

06:13 EDT MYOS announces tissue development research agreement with Rutgers - MYOS announced that it has entered into a research agreement with Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, to engage Rutgers researchers in a program focused on discovering compounds and products for promoting the growth and development of muscle tissue. "We hope this program will result in the discovery of compounds and products that we can potentially develop as therapeutics for improving muscle health and performance and preventing muscle loss in disorders such as sarcopenia and cachexia," said Joseph Mannello, CEO of MYOS.

06:03 EDT IHS Markit CEO says 'pleased' with Q1 results - "We were very pleased with a strong Q1, which positions us well for the year, and continue to make progress with our strategic initiatives," said Lance Uggla, chairman and CEO at IHS Markit. "Our organic growth benefited from strong execution and improving underlying fundamentals in our end markets," said Todd Hyatt, CFO at IHS Markit. "Transportation and Financial Services continued to perform very well, while CMS and Resources continued to improve."

05:45 EDT Amazon confirms distribution deal with Casino Group's Monoprix - Amazon and Monoprix confirmed that they are joining forces to bring grocery items sourced from Monoprix to Prime Now service customers in Paris and its neighborhood this year. Grocery items sourced from Monoprix will be available in the Prime Now app and web site through a dedicated virtual store.

05:37 EDT Ballard Power subsidiary receives $1.9M follow-on order from U.S. Army - Ballard Power announced that the company's subsidiary, Protonex, has received a $1.9M follow-on purchase order for the supply of SPM-622 Squad Power Manager Kits to support U.S. Army Security Force Assistance Brigades, or SFAB.

04:48 EDT GlaxoSmithKline acquires Novartis stake in Consumer Healthcare venture for $13B - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announces that it has reached an agreement with Novartis (NVS) for the buyout of Novartis' 36.5% stake in their Consumer Healthcare joint venture for $13B. The Consumer Healthcare joint venture was formed as part of the three-part transaction between GSK and Novartis which was approved by shareholders in 2014. Last year, GSK's Consumer Healthcare business reported sales of GBP 7.8B. Under the terms of the original transaction, Novartis has the right, exercisable from March 2, 2018 to March 2, 2035 to require GSK to purchase its stake in the joint venture. "This put option, in both size and possible timing, creates inherent uncertainty for the Group's capital planning. The new agreement to buy-out Novartis' stake removes this uncertainty and improves the Group's ability to plan allocation of capital to its other priorities," the company said. The business expects operating margins to approach "mid-20's" percentages by 2022 at 2017 CER. The transaction is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings in 2018 and thereafter, and is expected to "strengthen operational cash flows." GSK added, "Together with the Group's new launch opportunities and expected operational improvements, these financial benefits further support GSK's increased confidence in its ability to deliver its 2020 outlooks and invest effectively in the Group's other priorities." The transaction is subject to approval by GSK shareholders as Novartis.