Stockwinners Market Radar for April 11, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:42 EDT Genesis Healthcare divests 23 facilities in Texas - Genesis HealthCare signed a definitive agreement to sell 23 Texas skilled nursing facilities to Regency REIT, LLC. The transaction is expected to close on or about July 1, 2018 and is subject to additional due diligence, regulatory and licensing approvals, and other customary conditions. Genesis currently operates or manages a total of 24 facilities in the state of Texas. In addition to the 23 facilities expected to be divested in the Regency transaction, Genesis also plans to exit the operations of an additional leased skilled nursing facility. Aggregate revenue and EBITDA of all 24 facilities totaled approximately $173.7 million and $7.4 million, respectively, in 2017. Genesis estimates these transactions will result in the reduction of approximately $97 million of indebtedness and $1.8 million of annual cash lease expense. Closing of both transactions would mark the company's complete exit of its inpatient business in the state of Texas.

19:34 EDT Zscaler security cloud receives FIPS 140-2 validation for encryption - Zscaler is proud to announce the immediate availability of FIPS 140-2 validated encryption within Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access, including the Zscaler application. FIPS 140-2 is the U.S. government standard used to ensure that cryptographic modules meet the necessary security levels for confidentiality and integrity of Sensitive but Unclassified information. Zscaler now meets the FIPS 140-2 standard and is eligible to be procured by U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Defense. Other regulated industries such as utilities, finance, and healthcare have also adopted the FIPS 140-2 standard as a requirement.

19:02 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - HIGHER: Zumiez (ZUMZ) up 3.8% on March SSS... TechnipFMC (FTI) up 1.1% on Goldman Sachs upgrade... Reata Pharmaceuticals (RETA) up 11.6% on Phase 2 Cardinal study update... Bellicum Pharma (BLCM) up 21.5% on FDA lifting BPX-501 study hold... QuinStreet (QNST) up 16.4% on preliminary Q3 revenue beat. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Bed Bath Beyond (BBBY) down 14.0% on earnings/FY18 guidance miss... Argan (AGX) down 4.4% on earnings. LOWER: AXT Inc (AXTI) down 9.6% on Q1 guidance cut... Polarity (COOL) down 8.0% on equity offering.

18:10 EDT Baozun chairman says will invest more in technology in 2018 - In his annual 2017-end letter, Baozun chairman profiles 2018 initiatives: "Invest more in technology to serve clients better: We will invest more in technology, including upgrading our core e-commerce system, internal management systems, next generation business service systems for brands and merchants, and innovative value-added systems based on data analytics and artificial intelligence. Strengthen the ability to serve large and medium sized customers: We intend to provide more software services to our large and medium-sized brand partners, in addition to retail operations, logistics, IT and digital marketing. These new services will leverage our deep industry experience and knowledge in technological innovation. We believe our services will help brand partners to strengthen their leading market positions and support the evolving transformation of their businesses. Baozun plans to offer more value-added services to our brand partners, including production design automation, retail assortment planning, business intelligence, and other innovative services. By making investments in these areas, Baozun will be able to cross sell and strengthen its capabilities in serving large and medium-sized brand partners. Serve More Clients: With our more than 10 years of brand e-commerce experience, we have been able to transform our experience and knowledge into valuable software products, platforms, services and solutions, providing them to not only large, medium, and small-scale brands, but also merchants. A larger base of clients will help to reduce the costs of technology, and increase scale and profitability. Strengthen technology innovation and commercialization: We will continue to invest in technology and innovation, which can be seen in the number of patent applications for which we apply. We released several new software products and modules and will continue to do so in the future. In 2018, we are especially focused on commercialization and promotion of these products and services to a larger group of clients.

17:43 EDT LiqTech announces framework agreement with marine scrubber manufacturer - LiqTech announced that the company has signed another framework agreement with a large marine scrubber manufacturer. The framework agreement has an initial term for 2018 and 2019 and provides that a minimum of 35 systems are estimated to be delivered during the initial term. The first 14 systems to be purchased under the framework agreement have already been identified.

17:32 EDT SSR Mining reports Q1 production results - SSR Mining produced 42,960 ounces of gold and stacked 7.1M tons of ore during Q1. Production was 19% less than the previous quarter, due to lower ore stacked in 4Q17. Q1 gold sales totaled 42,078 ounces. At Seabee, achieved record mill throughput of 93,269 tons, or 1,036 tons/day, for 23,717 ounces of gold production. With the commissioning of the new gravity circuit at the end of the quarter, in circuit gold inventory increased by approximately 2,400 ounces of gold, which is expected to positively impact gold production through the remainder of 2018. Q1 Seabee gold sales were 20,012 ounces, lower than gold production due to bullion inventory increasing relative to the previous quarter. total ore milled increased 5% over the previous quarter, with the Santoy mine supplying 73% of ore milled. At Puna Operations, SSR produced 0.9M ounces of silver as performance from stockpiles continued to exceed expectations. attributable share of silver production and sales in the third quarter was 0.7 million ounces and 0.8 million ounces, respectively. Ore was milled at an average rate of 4,144 tons per day, 14% below the previous quarter.

17:31 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond says sees FY18 SSS growth in low single digits - Sees FY18 revenue growth flat to slightly positive, consensus $12.07B. Sees FY18 tax rate 26%-27%, CapEx $375M-$425M. Sees Q3 EPS lighter and Q4 EPS stronger due to new revenue recognition process.

17:26 EDT Arbutus Biopharma, Roivant to launch joint venture for RNA-based therapeutics - Arbutus Biopharma and Roivant Sciences today announced that they have entered into an agreement to launch Genevant Sciences, a jointly-owned company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of a broad range of RNA-based therapeutics enabled by Arbutus' proprietary lipid nanoparticle and ligand conjugate delivery technologies. Arbutus will license exclusive rights to its LNP and ligand conjugate delivery platforms to Genevant for RNA-based applications outside of Hepatitis B virus. Through its expert team and dominant intellectual property in RNA delivery, Genevant plans to develop products in-house and pursue industry partnerships to build a diverse pipeline of therapeutics across multiple modalities, including RNAi, mRNA, and gene editing. The industry-leading LNP platform developed by Arbutus is the only clinically-validated LNP delivery technology with safety and efficacy evaluated in over 400 patients across multiple clinical programs. It is the first and only LNP platform to enable an approved therapy, and has enabled a second NDA filing through its licensed use by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals for the delivery of patisiran, a therapy to treat patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis. This platform is protected by over 125 international patent families. Genevant will also receive a license to a proprietary ligand conjugate technology developed by Arbutus to enable subcutaneous delivery of RNA-based therapeutics. Biopharmaceutical companies developing nucleic acid therapeutics today include companies singularly focused on individual treatment modalities. Through its proprietary delivery platforms, Genevant is able to pursue mRNA, RNAi, and gene editing modalities and select the optimal approach for any given disease. By 2020, Genevant aims to have 5 to 10 RNA programs in the clinic targeting a range of genetic disorders with limited or no treatment options.

17:17 EDT Jana Partners lowers stake in Bloomin' Brands to 6.4% from 8.6% - Jana Partners reported its prior stake in Bloomin' Brands on March 1.

17:12 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond says 'significant opportunity' for gross margin improvement

17:08 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $209.7M contract modification by U.S. Air Force - Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $209,703,172 modification to previously awarded contract FA8625-12-C-6598 for Large Aircraft Infrared Counter Measures equipment and support. This modification provides for LAIRCM equipment and support in the calendar year 2018 base hardware buy, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,575,087,096. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2020.

17:07 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond says expects comp sales to grow in FY18 - Says ended FY17 with "very strong cash position." Expects to moderate the declines in operating profit and net earnings per diluted share in FY18 and FY19, and grow net earnings per diluted share by fiscal 2020. Comments from Q4 earnings conference call.

16:55 EDT Tesla places blame for fatal Model X crash on driver, Bloomberg says - After the family of the victim involved in the tragic Model X crash retained legal counsel, Tesla is now placing the fault of the crash on the driver, Bloomberg said. On March 23, Walter Huang died after crashing his Tesla on U.S. Highway 101 in Mountain View, California. According to Bloomberg, Tesla said, "The only way for this accident to have occurred is if Mr. Huang was not paying attention to the road, despite the car providing multiple warnings to do so." "The fundamental premise of both moral and legal liability is a broken promise, and there was none here." Reference Link

16:42 EDT Fed, OCC propose rule to tailor leverage ratio requirements - The Federal Reserve Board and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Wednesday proposed a rule that would further tailor leverage ratio requirements to the business activities and risk profiles of the largest domestic firms. Currently, firms that are required to comply with the "enhanced supplementary leverage ratio" are subject to a fixed leverage standard, regardless of their systemic footprint. The proposal would instead tie the standard to the risk-based capital surcharge of the firm, which is based on the firm's individual characteristics. The resulting leverage standard would be more closely tailored to each firm. The proposed changes seek to retain a meaningful calibration of the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio standards while not discouraging firms from participating in low-risk activities. The changes also correspond to recent changes proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Taking into account supervisory stress testing and existing capital requirements, agency staff estimate that the proposed changes would reduce the required amount of tier 1 capital for the holding companies of these firms by approximately $400M, or approximately 0.04% in aggregate tier 1 capital. Enhanced supplementary leverage ratio standards apply to all U.S. holding companies identified as global systemically important banking organizations (GSIBs), as well as the insured depository institution subsidiaries of those firms. Publicly traded companies in the space include Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Reference Link

16:30 EDT G-III Apparel COO sells over $1M worth of company shares - After the close of trading on Wednesday, Wayne Miller, the COO of G-III Apparel Group, disclosed that he had sold 28,000 shares at an average price of $38.56 a share on April 9. The total transaction value was $1,079,800.

16:24 EDT Everest Re sees Q1 catastrophe losses of $100M - Everest Re Group announced that it expects to incur $100M of estimated catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance recoverables and reinstatement premiums, in the first quarter of 2018, largely arising from the California wildfires and related events. A series of wildfires burned across many areas of California in October and December of 2017, resulting in widespread damage to homes and businesses. The Company's initial estimate of these losses in the fourth quarter of 2017 was based on the best available information at the time, including modeled data, industry loss estimates, which ranged from $8B-$10B, and preliminary client discussions. Industry loss estimates for both the Northern and Southern California events have risen dramatically since year-end and are now projected at over $13B. This increase in the industry loss estimate is consistent with the revised reports of escalated claims costs we have noted with several of our clients, prompting the change in the Company's estimate in the quarter. Additionally, the Company notes a change in its reporting of operating income, a non-GAAP financial measure. Historically operating income represented net income, excluding realized capital gains and losses and the tax impact related to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. Starting in first quarter 2018, the Company will further adjust operating income to exclude foreign exchange gains and losses as it believes the impact of foreign currency movements on income is not indicative of the performance of the underlying business in a particular period.

16:22 EDT Zumiez up 4% after reporting March SSS data - Shares are up approximately 4% to $26.25 in after-hours trading.

16:21 EDT Providence Service launches organizational consolidation plan - Providence Service announced an organizational consolidation plan to integrate substantially all activities and functions currently performed at the corporate holding company level into LogistiCare, the company's largest subsidiary. This process is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete, over which time implementation costs will negatively impact earnings. Once completed, the organizational consolidation is expected to generate annual savings of at least $10M. LogistiCare will retain its name and continue to be headquartered in Atlanta. The publicly-traded entity will continue to be named The Providence Service Corporation and be listed under the ticker symbol PRSC. The company's current Stamford, CT headquarters and Tucson, AZ satellite office will be closed. Current Providence employees will relocate to Atlanta and become LogistiCare employees or fully transition their roles and responsibilities to current or newly hired LogistiCare employees in Atlanta. The consolidation process will be led by Carter Pate, Interim CEO. David Shackelton will assume the newly created role of Chief Transformation Officer, Bill Severance will move from his current position as Chief Accounting Officer to Interim CFO, and Laurence Orton will move from Corporate Controller and VP Finance to Interim Chief Accounting Officer and SVP Finance. A search process for a permanent CFO, based in Atlanta, has been launched.

16:20 EDT Bellicum up 18% after FDA lifts hold on U.S. studies of BPX-501

16:19 EDT Bellicum says FDA lifts clinical hold on studies of BPX-501 in the U.S. - Bellicum Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has lifted the clinical hold on studies of BPX-501 in the U.S. The decision follows consultation with the FDA and agreement on amendments to the study protocols including guidance on monitoring and management of neurologic adverse events. Bellicum will be working with U.S. clinical sites to resume patient recruitment based on the amended protocols. The FDA clinical hold did not affect the BP-004 registrational trial in Europe, which is fully enrolled.

16:18 EDT Waddell & Reed reports March AUM of $80.2B - Waddell & Reed reported preliminary assets under management, or AUM, of $80.2B for the month ended March 31, compared to $81.4B on February 28.

16:16 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond reports Q4 SSS down about 0.6% - Comparable sales in the fiscal 2017 fourth quarter decreased by approximately 0.6%, and included strong sales growth from the company's customer-facing digital channels, and sales from stores that declined in the mid-single-digit percentage range.

16:08 EDT American Water agrees to acquire Pivotal Home Solutions for $365M - American Water Works Company announced that it has agreed to acquire Pivotal Home Solutions from Southern Company Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company, for approximately $365 million in cash, including estimated working capital. Acquired through its American Water Enterprises subsidiary and highly complementary to AWE's Homeowner Services Group, Pivotal Home Solutions is a home warranty business operating in 18 states with about 1.2 million customer contracts. Pivotal Home Solutions offers coverage for a wide variety of home appliances, heating and cooling systems, and lines in and around a home. The closing of the acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including obtaining necessary regulatory approvals and consents, the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and other customary closing conditions and deliveries. Upon completion of the acquisition, Pivotal Home Solutions will be part of American Water's home warranty businesses, while maintaining its current name and main operations in Naperville, Ill. American Water anticipates closing the transaction by second quarter 2018.

16:08 EDT Aileron Therapeutics publishes nonclinical results of ALRN-6924 - Aileron Therapeutics announced the publication of nonclinical results in Science Translational Medicine demonstrating the anti-cancer potential of ALRN-6924 in models of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. ALRN-6924 is designed to reactivate p53-mediated tumor suppression by targeting the two primary p53 suppressor proteins, MDM2 and MDMX. ALRN-6924 is being evaluated in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with AML, myelodysplastic syndrome and peripheral T-cell lymphoma.In AML, blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow produce abnormal red and white blood cells as a result of damage to DNA. P53, a natural tumor suppressor, is inactive in AML, allowing cancer cells to grow unimpeded. Reactivating p53 with ALRN-6924 appears to slow or stop the growth of both mature and immature cancer cells. As demonstrated by the researchers at Albert Einstein in their nonclinical studies, treatment with ALRN-6924 increased the median survival rate in an animal model of human AMLfrom 50 to about 150 days. In addition, about 40% of the animals were cured, meaning they were tumor-free at one year."These data further support our belief that p53's function may be more effectively restored when both MDMX and MDM2 are blocked. ALRN-6924, a stapled peptide therapeutic shown to inhibit both protein targets, has the potential to deliver on the long-held promise that restoring apoptosis through the p53 pathway may be critical in treating certain cancers," said Manuel Aivado, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of Aileron.

16:06 EDT Bancorp 34 declaration special dividend of $1.25 per share - Bancorp 34 has declared a special cash dividend of $1.25 per share. The special dividend will be paid on May 9 to stockholders of record as of April 25.

16:04 EDT OHA Investment's board approves reduced required asset coverage - OHA Investment Corporation announced that on April 11, the company's board, including a "required majority" of the board, unanimously approved the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act, as amended by the Small Business Credit Availability Act. As a result, the company's asset coverage requirements for senior securities will be changed from 200% to 150%, effective one year after the approval date, April 11, 2019.

16:02 EDT Zumiez reports March same-store sales up 12.6%

15:29 EDT Mylan down 4% as guidance discussed during investor day meeting - Mylan earlier today said that it was reaffirming its 2018 guidance. The company has been discussing more detail on the quarterly cadence of its view during the ongoing meeting.

14:33 EDT Airline shares struggle as rising fuel costs loom - Shares of major airliners are lower in afternoon trading after a Bloomberg story out Tuesday that called attention to Saudia Arabia's desire to push crude prices up another $10 a barrel. from current prices of about $70 a barrel for London's benchmark Brent. Fuel prices are a major cost for airlines aside form labor. ANALYST VIEW: According to Bloomberg, JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker said in a note to clients Tuesday, "It's still far too early in the year to make a call on how fuel shapes up for the balance of 2018, but we believe investors will closely monitor fuel developments to assess the achievability of American's and others' guidance." PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of publicly traded companies in the space -- including American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL),, Southwest (LUV), and United Continental (UAL) -- are lower.

13:06 EDT Southwest, AMFA reach agreement in principle on five-year labor agreement - Southwest Airlines announced that it has reached an Agreement in Principle with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association for the company's Aircraft Mechanics and Related Employees workgroup. The five-year agreement includes terms for updated work rules, improved wages and benefits, and a ratification bonus. AMFA represents over 2,400 Southwest Employees in the Mechanics and Related Employees workgroup.

12:17 EDT Impinj RS1000 spread spectrum transmitter granted FCC authorization - The FCC granted equipment authorization to the IPJ-RS1000, according to a posting to the FCC website dated April 11. Reference Link

11:36 EDT ManTech awarded $22.5M contract from U.S. Marine Corps - ManTech announced a $22.5M contract for vehicle maintenance and support services for engineering, acquisition and life-cycle sustainment of United States Marine Corps tactical vehicles. ManTech will be responsible for research & development, design, acquisition and full life-cycle management of light, medium and heavy tactical vehicles, as well as legacy wheeled vehicle systems and ancillary equipment used by the U.S. Marine Corps. As part of the life cycle process, ongoing design upgrades will help augment safety and protection measures, while improving vehicle fuel efficiency and performance in all driving conditions. The contract was awarded by the program managers of Medium and Heavy Tactical Vehicles and Light Tactical Vehicles in the USMC Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command. The award was made via the DoD Information Analysis Center's Defense Systems Technical Area Task Multi-Award Contract.The DoD IAC serves as a bridge between the warfighter and the acquisition community offering an enhanced research base of Scientific and Technical Information and flexible MACs that yield new STI for reuse within DoD daily.

11:14 EDT Facebook CEO testimony well received by Street with Zuckerberg back on Hill - Several Wall Street analysts reiterated their bullish views on Facebook (FB) this morning following Mark Zuckerberg's first day of testimony before a committee on Capitol Hill. Ahead of today's session in front of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is currently ongoing, Citi analyst Mark May told investors that uncertainty still remains for the social media giant. SENATE HEARING: Shares of Facebook rallied yesterday as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. The executive reiterated that an ad supported service is still the best business model for the company and said Facebook is cooperating with the office of Robert Muller, but was uncertain if the company had received subpoenas as part of the office's investigation. While acknowledging that Facebook must take a more proactive role, Zuckerberg also said he sees areas of potential legislation that he views as worthwhile to consider. WELL PREPARED: In a research note to investors this morning, Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein said his bullish view on Facebook was unchanged by the congressional hearing, with Zuckerberg appearing "well prepared." On potential incremental regulation, Helfstein pointed out that Senators Markey and Blumenthal both inquired regarding GDPR-style opt-in permissions, which Zuckerberg agreed with in principle, while not committing to support any specific piece of legislation. At the end of the CEO's testimony, he once again confirmed there has been no large change in usage related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, in line with Helfstein's expectations. The analyst reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares. Voicing a similar opinion, his peer at Wells Fargo said Zuckerberg appeared "focused, conciliatory, and genuinely engaged in a productive discussion with legislators" on how best to rectify the company's loss in public trust and the company's roadmap to safeguard against future abuses. Analyst Ken Sena sees this as a positive sign, adding that he believes the chief executive "exceed investor expectations." The analyst reiterated an Outperform rating and $230 price target on the shares. Also commenting on Mark Zuckerberg's first day of testimony, SunTrust analyst Youssef Squali told investors in a research note of his own that Zuckerberg appeared "well-prepared and cooperative." Squali believes the testimony will likely lead to increased regulation, but maintained his view of no evidence of flight by large digital advertisers and no indication that users are leaving Facebook. He reiterated a Buy rating and $225 price target on the stock. UNCERTAINTY REMAINS: While acknowledging that Facebook shares rallied yesterday after several members of Congress suggested that the threat from over-regulation was less than feared, Citi analyst Mark May told investors he believes uncertainty remains for Facebook. New regulations in the U.S. may not materially impact Facebook's business, but other factors, including proactive changes Facebook itself makes, pending regulatory changes in Europe, and possible fines still could, May contended. Nonetheless, he reiterates a Buy rating on Facebook shares. Meanwhile, Argus analyst Joseph Bonner lowered his price target for Facebook to $214 from $237 saying the headline risk for the company has increased from the Cambridge Analytica scandal as well as the reported U.S. election tampering. Bonner contended that Facebook may be faced with "material" regulatory action and also may experience a decline in user engagement from the privacy related backlash. The analyst has a Buy rating on the stock. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, while Zuckerberg's testimony is being broadcast, shares of Facebook are down fractionally to $164.61.

10:22 EDT Fastenal sees ongoing tax rate 24.5%-25% - Says was hit "hard" by weather in Q1. Says signed 100 new Onsite locations in Q1 vs. 64 last year, signed 5,679 industrial vending devices in Q1, up 4.5% y/y. Still sees 2018 vending device signings of 21,000-23,000. Sees ongoing tax rate 24.5%-25%. Sees "good" cash flow in 2018. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call. Fastenal is down 5.3% to $51.54 in morning trading.

10:17 EDT Digital Colony to acquire Digita Oy; financial terms not disclosed - Digital Colony, a joint venture between Digital Bridge Holdings and Colony NorthStar, announced that a Digital Colony affiliate has entered into a binding agreement to acquire 100% of the capital in Digita Oy from First State Investments. The transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in Q2. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bank of America Merrill Lynch and ICECAPITAL served as financial advisors, with Roschier acting as legal advisor to First State. Ashurst LLP provided legal counsel to Digital Colony.

10:03 EDT Amgen granted orphan status for treatment of refractory celiac disease - The FDA granted Amgen orphan status for its treatment of refractory celiac disease. Reference Link

10:01 EDT Cinedigm announces signing ceremony for agreements with key Chinese partners - Cinedigm announced it will participate at the Beijing Film Festival with three film industry presentations by Cinedigm chairman and CEO Chris McGurk and a signing ceremony for business cooperation agreements between Cinedigm and several important new Chinese partners. Cinedigm executives will also join a panel discussion about China-US film and TV co-production and co-distribution. This highly involved participation at such a key Chinese entertainment industry event emphasizes Cinedigm's rapid move to become an important player in the reciprocal distribution of independent entertainment content and Over-the-Top channels between the U.S. and China. On April 19th, Cinedigm will participate in the signing ceremony to announce several new company partnerships and alliances with key Chinese entertainment companies. The ceremony will begin with a presentation from McGurk titled "The Golden Age for Going Global," which will focus on new initiatives to globalize and monetize Chinese produced films outside of China. Additionally, the company will premiere a new video reel that highlights Cinedigm's current entertainment content and OTT businesses. Before the signing ceremony there will be a panel discussion about China-US Film and TV co-production and co-distribution, emphasizing the significance of China-US film and TV exchanges, as well as discussing the opportunities and solutions for Chinese content's going global. McGurk and Bill Sondheim, president of Cinedigm Entertainment Group, will participate in this panel along with key players in the Chinese entertainment industry. After the panel discussion, the signing ceremony will commence. Following the signings, McGurk will be holding a press conference with several Chinese media outlets regarding the presentation subjects and Cinedigm's plans in China and the U.S.

09:48 EDT CymaBay reports new results from ongoing Phase 2 study of seladelpar - CymaBay Therapeutics earlier today announced that a late-breaking poster presentation describing new data from a second interim analysis of its ongoing Phase 2 study of seladelpar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC, will be featured during The International Liver Congress hosted by the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases on April 11-15. These data demonstrate that in patients with PBC, seladelpar exhibits potent and sustained anti-cholestatic and anti-inflammatory efficacy over 26 weeks of administration. As of January 2018, 71 patients were exposed to at least one dose of seladelpar, of whom 53 received 12 weeks of treatment and 42 received 26 weeks of treatment. At baseline, mean alkaline phosphatase were 358, 333, and 262 U/L in the 2 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg groups, respectively. At 12 weeks, changes in AP were -21%, -33%, and -45% in the 2 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg groups, respectively. After 12 weeks, dose titration was permitted for patients whose AP remained above normal and at a level where additional AP lowering had the potential to reduce the risk of disease progression. At 26 weeks, decreases in AP were similar across regimens at -45%, -43%, and -43% in the 5 mg, 5 to 10 mg titration and 10 mg groups, respectively. At 26 weeks, 69%, 67%, and 79% of patients across these three dose regimens, respectively, had an AP less than 1.67 times the upper limit of normal, with at least a 15% decrease in AP from baseline and normal bilirubin. Overall, 29% of patients had a normal AP at 26 weeks. "We have now firmly established doses of seladelpar with compelling efficacy and tolerability which we expect to further confirm in a Phase 3 study planned to start in the second half of the year," said Dr. Pol Boudes, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of CymaBay.

09:38 EDT QuinStreet slides as Kerrisdale short report accuses reliance on 'fake traffic' - Kerrisdale Capital published a new short report on QuinStreet, in which the firm alleges that the company's recent "uptick in revenue is a sham: a mix of malware redirects, bogus leads from web surfers trying to score 'swagbucks,' and a one-time lucky deal with Progressive that has already plateaued." The firm contends that QuinStreet has little to differentiate it in a highly competitive market, adding "Based on comps from private competitors with superior business models, [QuinStreet] should be trading at $5-7, not $12. But if, as we believe, a significant amount of its business is based on fake traffic, there's no floor." In early trading, QuinStreet shares have fallen $1.12, or 9%, to $11.20. Reference Link

09:23 EDT U.S. Bank mobile payment expands to Mastercard bsuiness travel cards - The U.S. Bank Corporate Travel Card (USB) is expanding its mobile capabilities to Mastercard (MA) corporate card transactions. Clients whose business travel cards run on the Mastercard network can now pay for purchases via mobile devices.

09:19 EDT Starboard files proxy materials to elect four nominees to Newell Brands board - Starboard Value, a significant shareholder of Newell Brands with beneficial ownership of approximately 3.8% of the company's outstanding shares, announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials, including a BLUE proxy card, for the election of four highly-qualified director nominees at the company's 2018 Annual Meeting scheduled to be held on May 15, 2018 and mailed a letter to shareholders. Starboard is urging shareholders to support real change at Newell by voting the BLUE proxy to elect its diverse slate of four experienced nominees, Pauline J. Brown, Gerardo I. Lopez, Bridget Ryan Berman and Robert A. Steele, at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Reference Link

09:18 EDT AcelRx-commissioned report on cost of IV morphine published in medical journal - AcelRx reported the publication of a report commissioned by AcelRx analyzing the economic burden associated with administration of intravenous morphine for acute pain in the emergency department in the peer-reviewed journal Drugs in Context. Conclusions of the study highlighted that the costs associated with IV administration for moderate-to-severe acute pain relief in the ED inflict an economic burden on national health services; these costs could potentially be avoided with an equally rapid and efficacious analgesic not requiring IV administration.

09:09 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: VirnetX (VHC), up 24% after a report that a federal jury in Texas granted the company a $502.6M judgment against Apple (AAPL) for patent infringement... Arrowhead (ARWR), up 6% after announcing the presentation of clinical data on its investigational medicine for chronic hepatitus B infection... Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO), up 5.5% after announcing a partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations under which Inovio will develop vaccine candidates against Lassa fever and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. LOWER: Babcock & Wilcox (BW), down 36% after withdrawing its 2018 renewable guidance... Analogic Corp. (ALOG), down 13% after agreeing to a "take-under" by Altaris... Intec Pharma (NTEC), down 16% after the company's 4.76M share spot secondary offering priced at $5.25 per share.

09:02 EDT Abbott initiates study of high-resolution imaging in coronary artery disease - Abbott initiated a clinical trial evaluating long-term outcomes of patients who undergo stent implantation guided by high-resolution light-based imaging technology-called optical coherence tomography- compared to a common X-ray-guided technique called angiography. The trial is the first large-scale randomized global study using Abbott's OCT imaging in patients with high-risk, complex coronary artery disease. The ILUMIEN IV trial will enroll up to 3,650 patients with high-risk, complex disease at 125 centers in North America, Europe and Asia to determine if OCT-guided stent procedures result in larger vessel diameters.

08:59 EDT Deere reports March retail sales trends - Deere reported that U.S./Canada industrywide sales of 2WD tractors less than 40 PTO hp were up 5% in March, while Deere sales in the category were down by a double digit percentage. Industry sales of 2WD tractors between 40 and 100 PTO hp were flat, and Deere sales in the category were down by a single digit percentage. Industry sales of 2WD tractors above 100 PTO hp were up 5%, and Deere sales in the category were up less than the industry. Industry sales of 4WD tractors were down 6%, while Deere sales in the category were down double digits. Industry sales of combines were down 14%, while Deere sales in the category were down more than the industry. Information from presentation slides posted to Deere's investor website.

08:38 EDT Solarwindow announces over 90 patents, trademarks filed - SolarWindow announced that the company has now filed more than 90 U.S. and international patents and trademarks for protecting its brand identities, products, services, processes, and materials. The SolarWindow intellectual property portfolio covers electricity-generating liquid coatings for windows, automobiles, aircraft, mission-critical military applications, and more.

08:36 EDT KKR to appoint David Haines as executive chairman of the Global Spreads Business - KKR (KKR) announced that it intends to appoint David Haines as executive chairman of the Global Spreads Business, subject to and effective from the successful completion of the transaction with Unilever (UL). Unilever announced that it had received a final, binding, irrevocable and fully financed offer from KKR to purchase its Global Spreads Business. The offer is subject to certain regulatory approvals and employee consultation in certain jurisdictions. Completion is expected mid-2018.

08:34 EDT Commvault eexpands integration with Microsoft Azure Stack - Commvault (CVLT) announced expanded integration with Microsoft (MSFT) Azure Stack aimed at enabling enterprises to simplify migration, management, protection and activation of data on Azure Stack, the Microsoft Azure public cloud, its recently announced Azure Government Cloud, and other hybrid cloud infrastructure. Commvault allows businesses, healthcare organizations, public agencies and managed service providers to easily use Azure Stack as a Commvault appliance.

08:32 EDT EyeGate issued new patent for Iontophoretic Contact Lens - EyeGate Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the Company a patent covering the utility of its iontophoretic contact lens. The U.S. patent entitled "Iontophoretic Contact Lens" was issued on April 10, 2018. This is the first issued patent covering the iontophoretic contact lens. The patent relates to a multi-layer contact lens for ocular therapy, comprising a reservoir adapted to contain an electrically-charged therapeutic compound and an electrode providing iontophoretic current to the charged compound to propel it into the ocular tissue. The iontophoretic contact lens provides an easy, potentially improved technique for delivery of therapeutics to the retina.

08:13 EDT Inovio awarded up to $56M from CEPI to advance DNA vaccines - Inovio Pharmaceuticals and CEPI - the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations - announced a partnership under which Inovio will develop vaccine candidates against Lassa fever and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. CEPI will fund up to $56M to support Inovio's pre-clinical and clinical advancement through Phase 2 of INO-4500, its Lassa fever vaccine, and INO-4700, its MERS vaccine. The shared goal of Inovio and CEPI is for the Lassa and MERS vaccines to be available as soon as possible for emergency use.This is the second company agreement CEPI has signed since its launch in 2017. These partnerships represent an innovative approach to funding vaccine development, unlocking research and development potential so that vaccines are ready for efficacy studies during an outbreak. The agreement will enable funding for Inovio's development efforts over a five-year period. The partnership agreement also includes options, not counted in the total above, to establish investigational stockpiles of both vaccines. CEPI's funding will support development up to the end of Phase 2, providing clinical safety and immunological data, and the establishment of investigational stockpiles that will be ready for clinical efficacy trial testing during outbreaks. CEPI's portfolio of investments will provide additional benefits to the wider vaccine community through the development of assays, reference standards and associated knowledge that may accelerate the development of other vaccines and medical counter measures against Lassa fever and MERS.

08:12 EDT Izea receives noncompliance letter from Nasdaq - Izea announced that the company received a notification letter from the listing qualifications department of The Nasdaq Stock Market stating that the company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250, which requires timely filing of all required periodic reports with the SEC. The letter was sent as a result of the company's delay in filing its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

08:10 EDT FTE Networks awarded new contracts totaling about $24.3M - FTE Networks announced that it has been awarded new projects totaling approximately $24.3M, bringing its year-to-date total to approximately $133M. These new contracts further strengthen the Company's upward growth trajectory, and are expected to have a positive impact on earnings. The newly acquired customer project portfolio includes companies in the communications, technology, REIT, and hedge fund industries. Additionally, the Company continues to be awarded re-occurring infrastructure projects in strategic markets across the United States under existing master service agreements, through which FTE helps create intelligent workplaces by providing state-of-the-art technology, infrastructure and fit-out services. Several of these new and re-occurring awards are with marquee customers in the coveted New York City metro region, bolstering the Company's market presence, visibility, and enhancing its prospects for further expansion. FTE expects to complete these projects over the next 12 months.

08:10 EDT Oracle Utilities establishes strategic relationship with American Electric - Oracle Utilities (ORCL) announced that they have established a strategic relationship with American Electric Power (AEP) in support of AEP's strategy to improve service to customers and enhance operational efficiency. The strategic agreement provides AEP with complete access to Oracle Utilities' applications and Oracle enterprise applications to support their business and technology transformation. Oracle is providing AEP with leading-edge technologies to help them meet their customer experience and performance goals. The collaboration will allow AEP to improve operations through the consistent use of applications and business processes across the enterprise. Oracle's integrated technology also provides utilities with the flexibility and scalability required to decrease total cost of ownership over time.

08:08 EDT Legg Mason reports preliminary AUM approximately $754.1B as of March 31

08:07 EDT BIOLASE commences process to explore strategic alternatives - The Board of Directors of BIOLASE, supported by its management team, has commenced a process to explore strategic alternatives focused on enhancing shareholder value. Strategic alternatives to be considered may include a commercial agreement - such as a licensing, joint venture or partnership - with another company, a merger or other business combination with another party, or a specific action approved by the Board that warrants an announcement. The company does not intend to discuss the process or comment unless and until the Board believes disclosure is appropriate or has approved an action. There can be no assurance that the contemplated exploration of strategic alternatives will result in any transaction. The Board will continue to aggressively pursue the current business plan, which includes successfully implementing innovative sales, marketing and customer support efforts.

08:06 EDT Nektar doses first patient in Phase 1/2 study for advanced solid tumors - Nektar has initiated dosing patients in the Phase 1/2 REVEAL clinical study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the combination of investigational medicines NKTR-262 and NKTR-214 in the treatment of solid tumors. NKTR-262 is a novel toll-like receptor agonist designed to induce the body's innate immune response and create antigen-specific T cells to fight cancer. NKTR-214 is designed to activate the adaptive immune system to expand and proliferate these specific cancer-fighting T cells in the tumor micro-environment.

08:03 EDT Raytheon selected to demonstrate Army mobile intelligence platform - Raytheon has been awarded a U.S. Army contract to demonstrate the company's commercially available mobile intelligence platform designed to allow soldiers to collect and access information on the battlefield. Under the contract awarded by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Raytheon will demonstrate the company's FoXTEN software product. The Army will conduct a series of operational tests of the FoXTEN software over the next year before making a final procurement decision.

08:02 EDT JetBlue sees Q1 RASM up approx. 6.1%, above prior 3.5%-5.5% guidance

08:01 EDT JetBlue reports March traffic up 7.3% y/y, capacity up 3.3% - JetBlue Airways reported its preliminary traffic results for March 2018. Traffic in March increased 7.3% from March 2017, on a capacity increase of 3.3%. Load factor for March 2018 was 89%, an increase of 3.3 points from March 2017. JetBlue's preliminary completion factor was 93.6% and its on-time performance was 64.2%.

07:47 EDT BiondVax begins trial of universal flu vaccine candidate in United States - BiondVax Pharmaceuticals reported the first participant enrollment in the United States in a Phase 2 clinical trial of the company's universal flu vaccine candidate, M-001. The trial is sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. Conducted under an FDA Investigational New Drug, the trial marks M-001's clinical debut in the United States.

07:32 EDT Qualcomm unveils Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform - Qualcomm, through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, announced the Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform, featuring the company's first family of system-on-chips purpose-built for the Internet of Things using advanced 10nm FinFET process technology. The QCS605 and QCS603 SoCs are engineered to deliver powerful computing for on-device camera processing and machine learning, with exceptional power and thermal efficiency, across a wide range of IoT applications. The SoCs integrate Qualcomm Technologies' most advanced image signal processor to date and the Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence Engine, along with a heterogeneous compute architecture including a cutting-edge ARM-based multicore CPU, vector processor and GPU. The Vision Intelligence Platform also includes Qualcomm Technologies' advanced camera processing software, machine learning and computer vision software development kits, as well as proven Qualcomm Technologies' connectivity and security technologies. The platform is optimized to support exciting new possibilities for industrial and consumer smart security cameras, sports cameras, wearable cameras, virtual reality 360 and 180 cameras, robotics, smart displays, and more. KEDACOM and Ricoh THETA are planning to develop products based on the Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform.

07:09 EDT Foundation Medicine to present new data, products at AACR - Foundation Medicine announced the presentation of new findings at the American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR, annual meeting. The data supports the use of both tissue- and blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling, or CGP, to advance personalized cancer care and inform the use of targeted and immunotherapy treatment approaches. Presentations span several of Foundation Medicine's suite of molecular information products including its recently FDA approved assay, FoundationOne CDx, as well as FoundationOne, FoundationACT and the company's novel blood-based assay to measure tumor mutational burden, or bTMB. In the area of immunotherapy, new data will be presented highlighting the use of Foundation Medicine's bTMB assay, which is currently being utilized in a global clinical trial setting to investigate bTMB as a non-invasive biomarker of response to first-line atezolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, patients as part of Roche/Genentech's prospective, randomized Phase III Blood First Assay Screening Trial. Previously this assay was shown to be associated with response to the anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy agent, atezolizumab, in individuals with previously-treated NSCLC. New data to be presented at AACR builds on these findings, showing that: (a) high TMB is significantly associated with improved survival on atezolizumab versus chemotherapy in second-line NSCLC, (b) measurement of high TMB using Foundation Medicine's assays in blood versus tissue is correlated with, and is largely explained by, shared variants present in both sample types, and (c) a sufficiently-sized assay is required to reliably characterize patients with high TMB.

07:04 EDT Arrowhead to present ARC-520 clinical data at ILC - Arrowhead announced the presentation of clinical data on ARC-520, the company's prior generation investigational medicine for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection, at The International Liver Congress, or ILC. An ePoster with these data is now available at ILC and on the company's website. The poster presentation includes follow-up data for patients enrolled in the Heparc-2001 multi-dose extension study. In the study, 8 chronic hepatitis patients received up to 9 doses of 4 mg/kg ARC-520 once every 4 weeks with daily entecavir, or ETV. Viral DNA, RNA, and antigen knockdown were measured at regular intervals. Patients continued their daily ETV and were monitored for an additional 12 months following the last ARC-520 dose.

07:02 EDT GeoPark reports Q1 consolidated oil and gas production up 28% to 32,195 BOEPD - GeoPark Limited announced its operational update for the three-month period ended March 3. Highlights include: Consolidated oil and gas production up 28% y/y to 32,195 boepd, up 5% compared to 4Q2017; Oil production increased by 33% to 27,345 bopd, up 8% compared to 4Q2017; Colombian oil production increased by 37% to 26,303 bopd, up 8% compared to 4Q2017; Gas production increased by 3% to 29.1 mmcfpd, down 9% compared to 4Q2017; Current production of 35,000 boepd, including new production from Argentina acquisition. Given the sustained increase in Brent oil prices and increased performance over the past four months, GeoPark is currently working on expanding its work program for the remainder of 2018 to accelerate production and cash flow targets for the year. Revised capital expenditure and production guidance will be forthcoming.

06:54 EDT Fastenal sees FY18 CapEx approximately $149M - An increase of $36.5, or 32.4% from 2017. This increase primarily relates to upgrading and adding capacity to the existing hub network and to the purchase of property for potential future expansion.

06:39 EDT Gold Standard Ventures reports infill drilling results at Dark Star deposit - Gold Standard Ventures reported on the status of the 2018 infill drilling program at the Dark Star and Pinion oxide gold deposits on its 100%-owned/controlled Railroad-Pinion Project in Nevada. Two reverse-circulation and two core rigs have completed 4,605m of infill drilling in Dark Star. These four rigs have now moved to the Pinion deposit where 5,450m of infill drilling has been completed in 62 holes. Infill and development work at Dark Star and Pinion is expected to account for approximately 40,800m of drilling in 296 holes while exploration should add another 34,000m of drilling in 85 holes. On the western side of Dark Star, the company intersected 53.4m of 0.92 g Au/t, including 6.1 of 2.47 g Au/t; and 77.7m of 1.57 g Au/t, including 9.1m of 4.74 g Au/t; intersected 132.6m of 0.63 g Au/t, including 16.8m of 1.58 g Au/t. These results, along with results in DR18-04 and DR18-05, outperform what was predicted in the resource block model. Another hole intersected 126.5m of 1.18 g Au/t, including 25.9m of 2.43 g Au/t. This intercept is thicker than predicted by the resource block model. DR18-08 intersected 80.8m of 1.56 g Au/t, including 27.4m of 3.03 g Au/t. This intercept is higher grade than predicted by the resource block model. In March, the company bought down a strategic net smelter royalty from 5% to 2%. The NSR covers portions of the Dark Star and Pinion gold deposits.

06:33 EDT Plymouth Industrial REIT purchases two Chicago industrial buildings for $15.7M - Plymouth Industrial REIT acquired two single-tenant Class B industrial buildings in the Chicago area totaling 270,000 square feet for $15.68M in cash. The acquisition was funded with borrowings on the company's credit facility and is projected to provide an initial yield of 8.0%. The 236,736-square-foot property in Elgin, Illinois is 100% leased to Stamar Packaging, a distributor of packaging, shipping and industrial supplies, until April 2027. The property is located in the North Kane County submarket and has additional land for potential expansion. The property in Arlington Heights, Illinois is 100% leased to Arrow Up, a provider of containerized bins used in the oil fracking industry, until April 2022. The property is located in the Northwest Cook County submarket.

06:09 EDT ForeScout partnering with KPMG for cybersecurity solutions - ForeScout announced an agreement with KPMG in which the firm will serve as a certified system integrator of ForeScout's solutions and provide business partners and customers undergoing digital transformations. KPMG brings its cybersecurity experience to support product implementation, process development and system integration for the full suite of ForeScout's network visibility, security and automation solutions.

06:08 EDT Total, Saudi Aramco sign MOU to build giant petrochemical complex - Saudi Aramco and Total signed a memorandum of understanding to build a giant petrochemical complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The complex will be integrated downstream of the SATORP refinery, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Total in Jubail, in a move designed to fully exploit operational synergies. The cracker will feed other petrochemical and specialty chemical plants representing an overall amount of $4B investment by third party investors. In total, $9B will be invested, creating 8,000 local direct and indirect jobs. The project will produce more than 2.7 million metric tons of high value chemicals.

06:02 EDT TherapeuticsMD enters into label negotiations for TX-004HR with FDA - TherapeuticsMD has entered into negotiations with the FDA regarding the proposed label for TX-004HR, the company's investigational applicator-free estradiol vaginal softgel capsule for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vaginal pain during sexual intercourse - dyspareunia -. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date for the completion of the FDA's review of the new drug application for TX-004HR is May 29. The company does not anticipate providing subsequent updates with respect to label negotiations prior to the PDUFA target action date.

05:56 EDT EU confirms inspections concerning distribution of sports media rights - The European Commission can confirm that on April 10 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the distribution of media rights and related rights pertaining to various sports events and/or their broadcasting. The Commission has concerns that the companies involved may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices. The Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from the relevant national competition authorities. According to a report out of the Telegraph on Tuesday, the British headquarters of the Murdoch entertainment empire 21st Century Fox was part of the raid.

05:16 EDT Columbia Sportswear intends to acquire remaining interest in China JV from Swire - Columbia Sportswear announced its intent to acquire the remaining 40% interest in Columbia Sportswear Commercial , the joint venture that it currently operates in China with Swire Resources, a subsidiary of Swire Pacific. The acquisition is subject to various conditions, including regulatory approval in China, and is expected to be completed on or about January 1, 2019. Jason Zhu will continue as general manager of Columbia Sportswear Commercial.