Stockwinners Market Radar for April 17, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:05 EDT A.H. Belo CEO Jim Moroney retires - A. H. Belo Corporation announced that Jim Moroney, chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer of A. H. Belo Corporation, plans to retire effective with the May meeting of the Board of Directors. Moroney will continue serving as a director and will assume the title of Publisher Emeritus of The Dallas Morning News, where he served as publisher and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 until March 2018. Robert W. Decherd will succeed Moroney as chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer. Decherd previously served as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of A. H. Belo and Belo Corp. from 1987-2013. Decherd has remained a director over the five years since Moroney became the Company's Chief Executive Officer.

19:55 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure issues response to Moab Capital Partners - Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation issued the following statement in response to the April 17, 2018 letter and press release from Moab Capital Partners: "MIC welcomes open communications with shareholders and values constructive dialogue on a wide range of matters. We have engaged with Moab Capital on numerous occasions and are disappointed that Moab Capital has chosen to make inaccurate assertions which mischaracterize key facts and the substance of prior discussions with the company... The MIC Board of Directors takes its fiduciary duties very seriously, and together with the management team, is focused on the successful execution of the company's strategy. In doing so, we will continue to consider the input of shareholders toward the common goal of enhancing value... As previously communicated, MIC will be discussing the performance of and outlook for the company in its first quarter earnings press release on May 2, 2018 and related conference call with management the morning of May 3, 2018".

19:42 EDT BlackRock to acquire Tennenbaum Capital Partners, terms not disclosed - BlackRock (BLK) and Tennenbaum Capital Partners announced a definitive agreement under which BlackRock will acquire TCP, a leading manager focused on middle market performing credit and special situation credit opportunities. TCP complements BlackRock's Global Credit business with seasoned investment talent and a strong long-term track record at a time when clients are increasingly turning to private credit as a higher-yielding alternative to traditional fixed income allocations. A key element of the transaction is the continuity of TCP's successful senior management team, including all five partners - Lee Landrum, Michael Leitner, Howard Levkowitz, Philip Tseng, and Rajneesh Vig. The combined platform will merge TCP's significant experience in private performing credit and special situations investing with BlackRock's global scale, industry expertise, and portfolio and risk management capabilities. Clients of both firms will benefit from this powerful combination, which will result in enhanced scale and a broader origination network. TCP is based in Los Angeles and has approximately $9B of committed client capital as of December 31, 2017. Its more than 80-person team, which will join BlackRock as part of the transaction, has demonstrated strong performance over nearly two decades. TCP currently serves as the investment adviser of TCP Capital Corp. (TCPC), a business development company. Upon completion of the transaction, TCP is expected to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock and, pending the approval of TCP Capital Corp.'s shareholders, remain the investment adviser of TCP Capital Corp. Current members of the TCP team will continue to be responsible for the investments of TCP Capital Corp. and continue to focus on executing the same proven investment strategies and process as they have since TCP Capital Corp.'s inception. The transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018, is subject to customary regulatory and closing conditions. The financial impact of the transaction is not material to BlackRock earnings. Terms were not disclosed.

19:02 EDT Riot Blockchain reports FY17 net income ($19.8M) - For the month of March 2018, Riot generated approximately 69 Bitcoins and 44 Bitcoin Cash utilizing a daily average of 2,547 Bitmain S9 miners deployed at its mining facility located in Oklahoma City. Riot's mining expansion plans remain on track to have approximately 8,000 Bitmain S9 miners deployed by the end of May 2018, utilizing approximately 12MW of energy capacity. This would be over 3x the daily average number of miners deployed during the month of March 2018. When fully deployed, Riot expects its presently owned hashing power to be over 110 Petahash, which would rank the company among the largest publicly listed cryptocurrency mining operations. Chairman and CEO John O'Rourke remarked, "We are pleased to note the filing of Riot's 2017 Annual Report Form 10-K, which includes the initial quarter of the evolution of the Company into a blockchain technology company. We continue to focus on the expansion of our cryptocurrency mining operations and the active investigation of launching a cryptocurrency exchange in the United States. We see a strong integration opportunity of supply and demand between our mining operation and a potential exchange."

18:59 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) up 4.2%... CSX (CSX) up 4.3%... United Continental (UAL) up 2.8%... Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR) up 1.2%. ALSO HIGHER: Tesla (TSLA) up 2.6% after reports of capacity expansion plans to build Model 3s. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: IBM (IBM) down 5.7%... Lam Research (LRCX) down 6.8%... Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) down 2.7%... Badger Meter (BMI) down 5.3%. ALSO LOWER: Catabasis (CATB) down 8.4% after restructuring... Aeglea (AGLE) down 9.9% after equity offering... Ethan Allen (ETH) down 2.4% after below-consensus Q3 guidance... AK Steel (AKS) down 1.5% after UBS Sell initiation... Turquoise Hill (TRQ) down 1.6% after Q1 output.

18:42 EDT Pandora chief accounting officer bought 64K shares - In a regulatory filing after market close, Pandora Chief Accounting Officer Karen Walker disclosed the purchase of 64K shares of common stock.

18:03 EDT Embraer CFO Jose Antonio de Almeida Filippo resigns, Nelson Salgado to succeed - Embraer informed its shareholders and the market in general that Jose Antonio de Almeida Filippo has resigned from the position of CFO, executive VP finance and investor relations to pursue new professional projects. The board of the company elected today Nelson Krahenbuhl Salgado, as an interim measure, for the position of CFO, executive VP finance and investor relations, replacing Filippo. Nelson will also accumulate his current institutional relations duties. He has been with Embraer for 30 years, having started his career in the engineering department. He has occupied several executive positions for corporate functions, many of them in the financial area. Currently, Nelson is responsible for institutional relations and corporate communications activities.

17:48 EDT American Lorain receives audit opinion containing concern explanation - The NYSE American Company Guide Section 610 requires public announcement through the news media disclosing the receipt of an audit opinion containing a going concern explanation. As previously disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the FY17, which was filed with the SEC on April 17, 2018, the American Lorain's audited financial statements contained a going concern explanatory paragraph in the audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm. This announcement does not represent any change or amendment to the Company's consolidated financial statements or to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The Company is taking steps to improve its current financial position, although there can be no guarantee that such measures will be successful.

17:26 EDT Wexford Capital lowers stake in Famous Dave's to 18.6% from 21.1%

17:23 EDT IBM says continues to make progress in blockchain - Says continuing to grow SaaS offerings. Says had "strong" revenue growth in SaaS and security in Q1. Says continues to make progress in emerging areas such as blockchain. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:18 EDT SM Energy reports Q1 total production 10.14MMBoe - SM Energy announced certain operating results for the first quarter of 2018 including production, realized pricing and total capital spend. Highlights include: 10.14 MMBoe total production, exceeding the high end of guidance 42% oil production in the commodity mix 18% sequential and 100% year-over-year growth in Midland Basin production $37.76 per Boe average realized price, highest level in 14 quarters Costs incurred $372 million and total capital spend $367 million, slightly ahead of guidance primarily due to increased ownership interests in certain RockStar wells, as a result of land trades and unitizations Outperformance driven by better than expected performance from first quarter well completions in the Midland Basin. President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Ottoson comments: "Combine our exceptional operations team with some of the best assets in the Midland Basin and the result is continued outperformance. We have ramped up our Midland operations to nine rigs and five completions crews with extremely impressive execution. 2018 is off to a great start."

17:02 EDT Turquoise Hill reports Q1 Oyu Tolgoi production 23.1K tons vs. 24.1K last year - Material mined decreased 20.0% over Q4 due to winter weather effects in January as well as dig-unit maintenance work during the quarter. Mill throughput decreased 11.8% over Q4 due to the January planned maintenance. Copper production in Q1 decreased 14.3% over Q4 mainly due to lower throughput and slightly lower grades. Gold production increased 20.0% over Q4'17 due to higher gold grades from Phase 4A and an increase in recovery.

16:59 EDT Intuitive Surgical refines FY18 procedure growth to 12%-15% from 11%-15% - Reaffirms FY18 gross profit margin of 70%-71.5%.

16:46 EDT Och-Ziff Capital names Thomas Sipp CFO after Alesia Haas resigns - On April 16, the board of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group appointed Thomas Sipp, CFA, to serve as the company's CFO and an executive managing director, effective no later than June 1 to succeed Alesia Haas, who submitted her resignation as the CFO on April 12. Ms. Haas will remain with the company through June 1 to effect an orderly transition. Sipp, joins Oz from Magis Partners, where he served as Managing Partner for the venture firm focused on wealth management products. During the prior eight years, Sipp held several senior executive positions at Credit Suisse, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse's Asset Management division and Global Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse's $1 trillion Wealth & Asset Management division.

16:42 EDT Ultragenyx expects 'gradual build' around Crysvita this year

16:40 EDT Ultragenyx 'not planning any price increases for Crysvita' for next few years - Comments from Investor Conference call accompanying FDA Approval for Crysvita.

16:36 EDT Healthcare Services increases quarterly dividend to .19c per share - Healthcare Services board declared a quarterly cash dividend of .19c per common share, payable on June 29 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 25. This represents the 60th consecutive quarterly cash dividend payment, as well as the 59th consecutive increase since our initiation of quarterly cash dividend payments in 2003.

16:34 EDT Getty Realty acquires 30 properties for $52M - Getty Realty Corp. announced the closing of an acquisition and leasing transaction under which it acquired the fee interests in 30 convenience store and gasoline station properties from E-Z Mart Stores, Inc., a privately-owned regional convenience store chain located in the Southern United States, for approximately $52M and simultaneously, in connection with the acquisition by a subsidiary of GPM Investments, LLC of the operations of E-Z Mart's 273-store chain, leased the 30 properties to GPM under a unitary lease. The properties acquired are located within metropolitan markets in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The unitary lease provides for an initial term of 15 years, with four five-year renewal options. Rent is scheduled to increase annually during the initial and renewal terms of the lease.

16:32 EDT United Continental sees FY18 adjusted CapEx $3.6B-$3.8B

16:32 EDT Och-Ziff names Thomas M. Sipp CFO - Och-Ziff Capital Management announced that its board of directors has appointed Thomas M. Sipp, CFA, as Chief Financial Officer. Sipp joins Oz from Magis Partners, where he served as Managing Partner for the venture firm focused on wealth management products. During the prior eight years, Sipp held several senior executive positions at Credit Suisse, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse's Asset Management division and Global Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse's $1T Wealth & Asset Management division. Sipp received a B.A. in Finance from Alfred University and an M.B.A from the University of Pittsburgh. Oz Chief Financial Officer, Alesia J. Haas, has resigned to pursue another career opportunity in a different industry. Haas will remain with the company through June 1, 2018 in order to effect a smooth transition.

16:31 EDT United Continental sees Q2 CASM growth 0%-1%

16:30 EDT BP Midstream raises quartelry distribution 0.5c to 26.75c per share - BP Midstream Partners LP announced that the board of directors of BP Midstream Partners GP LLC, the general partner of the Partnership, declared a quarterly cash distribution of 26.75c per unit for the first quarter of 2018. The distribution reflects an increase of 0.5c over the Partnership's minimum quarterly distribution. The first quarter 2018 distribution will be payable on May 15, 2018, to unitholders of record as of May 1, 2018, with an ex-distribution date of April 30, 2018.

16:30 EDT Catabasis Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

16:28 EDT United Continental sees Q2 consolidated capacity growth 4%-5% y/y

16:25 EDT CSX up 3.6% after reporting Q1 results

16:22 EDT Interactive Brokers up 1.2% afterhours following Q1 earnings

16:21 EDT IBM down over 5% afterhours following Q1 earnings

16:20 EDT Bruker acquires privately held Anasys Instruments Corp., terms not disclosed - Bruker announced that it has acquired Anasys Instruments Corp., a privately held company that develops and manufactures nanoscale infrared spectroscopy and thermal measurement instruments. This acquisition adds to Bruker's portfolio of Raman and FTIR spectrometers, as well as to its nanoscale surface science instruments, such as atomic force microscopy and white-light interferometric 3D microscopy. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:19 EDT Exterran sells production equipment assets to Titan Production Equipment - Exterran announced the sale of its North American production equipment, or PEQ assets. An asset purchase agreement, or APA was signed April 16 with Titan Production Equipment, a newly-formed company backed by an affiliate of Castle Harlan, the New York private equity firm. The sale is expected to close in the summer of 2018 and will not have a material financial impact to Exterran. The sale allows Exterran to accelerate its growth strategy by focusing as a systems and process company for oil, gas, water and power. The company will continue to manufacture production equipment outside of North America. In addition, Exterran will continue to offer its customers complete solutions in gas gathering, processing and compression, including offering production equipment in North America through Titan. Included in the sale is Exterran's 80-acre manufacturing facility in Columbus, Texas.

16:18 EDT United Continental reports Q1 CASM up 4.3%, TRASM up 3.4%, PRASM up 2.7% - Consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 2.7 percent year-over-year. Consolidated total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) increased 3.4 percent year-over-year. Consolidated unit cost per available seat mile (CASM) increased 4.3 percent year-over-year. First-quarter consolidated CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel and profit sharing, increased 0.6 percent year-over-year.

16:17 EDT Aegean Marine appoints Pavlos Papageorgiou CFO - Aegean Marine Petroleum Network announced that Pavlos Papageorgiou has been appointed CFO, effective immediately. Papageorgiou succeeds Spyros Gianniotis, who will continue to act as an independent consultant to the company to help ensure a seamless transition of financial and operational responsibilities.

16:16 EDT Mercury Systems receives $4.8M order - Mercury Systems announced it received a $4.8M order from a leading defense prime contractor for high-performance digital signal processing modules for an unmanned airborne synthetic aperture radar application. The order was booked in the company's Q3 and is expected to be shipped over the next several quarters.

16:13 EDT Scotts Miracle-Gro to acquire assets of Sunlight Supply - The Scotts Miracle-Gro announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Sunlight Supply, in a transaction that will greatly enhance the ability of SMG's wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Company, to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving hydroponic products marketplace. Terms of the transaction call for ScottsMiracle-Gro to pay $425M in cash and $25M in SMG equity to Sunlight Supply upon completion of the deal. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, will be financed using the Company's existing credit facility. ScottsMiracle-Gro expects to have a debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio slightly above 4.0 times at the completion of the transaction.

16:08 EDT Intuitive Surgical up almost 5% after reporting Q1 earnings results

16:06 EDT ICF International selected by large Midwestern investor-owned utility - A large Midwestern investor-owned utility has selected ICF to provide program management, marketing, IT and customer care support for its demand side management program. The utility awarded ICF multimillions in purchase orders in the Q1 of FY18 and Q4 of FY17.

16:06 EDT Sterling Construction awarded $60M Boerne, Texas project - Sterling Construction announced that its subsidiary Texas Sterling Construction Co. was selected by the Texas Department of Transportation to reconstruct and widen a portion of Interstate 10 and its frontage roads near Boerne, TX. The $60.2M project consists of 6.2 miles of new asphalt pavement, and the construction of bridge structures at South Main Street and West Bandera Road. Associated drainage, electrical and signage work along Interstate 10 will also be included. This particular project will require over 140,000 cubic yards of excavation and over 230,000 cubic yards of embankment for the walls and bridges as well as over 220,000 tons of asphalt paving. The project is scheduled to begin in early June, and is expected to take 30 months to complete.

16:05 EDT Egalet announces two health plans place ARYMO ER in preferred position - Egalet Corporation announced that two large Northeast regional health plans have placed ARYMO ER, or morphine sulfate, extended-release tablets for oral use only -CII in a preferred formulary position effective immediately.

16:03 EDT Interactive Brokers reports Q1 Total DARTs 939K, up 43% from prior year - Q1 Customer equity grew 33% from the year-ago quarter to $129.2B and customer debits increased 40% to $29.3B. Q1 Customer accounts increased 27% from the year-ago quarter to 517K.

16:02 EDT Scientific Games launches online sports betting channel for Szerencsejatek Zrt. - Scientific Games announced it has successfully launched an online sports betting channel for Szerencsejatek Zrt., the largest gaming service provider in Hungary. Fully owned by the Hungarian State, Szerencsejatek Zrt. has the exclusive right to sell sport games as well as instant and draw-based lottery games. With the implementation of the new internet sports betting platform, Scientific Games is now Szerencsejatek Zrt.'s sole provider of gaming systems technology and is responsible for the development, installation, and maintenance of the systems. The omni-channel platform allows Szerencsejatek Zrt. to deliver sports betting via mobile and internet, as well as through their distribution channel of nearly 5,000 retail lottery terminals.

16:01 EDT Colliers International acquires Colliers International Winnipeg - Colliers International Group announced the acquisition of Colliers International Winnipeg. Colliers Winnipeg is the number one commercial real estate advisory firm in the region, providing a full range of services including sales and leasing brokerage, property management and valuation and tax appraisal services to local, regional, national and international clients. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

15:48 EDT Hertz, Avis drop after car-share startup Turo launches commercial host program - Shares of car rental titans Hertz (HTZ) and Avis Budget (CAR) are falling amid a strong rally in U.S. stock markets on Tuesday after San Francisco-based peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace Turo announced it is adding vehicles from independent car rental companies to its platform. COMMERCIAL HOSTS PROGRAM: In a blog post, Turo CEO Andre Haddad said: "Our Commercial Host program not only expands our footprint worldwide, giving travelers access to cars wherever their journey takes them, but it provides Commercial Hosts - small independent car rental entrepreneurs who are able to offer commercial rental insurance to their guests - the ability to offer their cars to our rapidly growing global community." MAJOR INVESTORS JOIN: Turo also announced "Sumitomo Corporation and American Express Ventures to the Turo family! Their investments have brought our Series D total to $104M, and they promise to be invaluable additions to Turo's amazing roster of strategic investors". PRICE ACTION: Shares of Hertz dropped over 7.6% to $20.57 per share while Avis is down almost 4% to $47.73 per share in late afternoon trading.

15:41 EDT Helios and Matheson says auditors expressed 'substantial doubt' about future - In its annual 10-K report released prior to the open this morning, Helios and Matheson stated in its section regarding risks: "The report of our independent auditors on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017 included an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our auditors' doubts are based on our incurring significant net losses and our working capital position. Our ability to continue as a going concern will be determined by our ability to obtain additional funding in the short term to enable us to continue the development and integration of our MoviePass business." Helios and Matheson shares are down about 5% in late day trading.

15:19 EDT NTSB says one passenger on Southwest flight with engine issue has died - NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt, speaking at a news conference about this morning's incident involving a Southwest Airlines 737 that made an emergency landing this morning in Philadelphia, said the death is the first fatality on a U.S. airline in nine years.

14:58 EDT JetBlue inflight crewmembers elect Transport Workers Union - JetBlue issued the following statement in response to the unionization vote among JetBlue's 5,000 inflight crewmembers in which the crewmembers who voted elected to have the Transport Workers Union represent them: "While we respect the outcome of the election, we are disappointed in this result because we believe the direct relationship is superior to third-party representation. Our crewmembers remain at the heart of the JetBlue experience and we value all they do to provide that experience to our customers. As we move forward, we will work to come together around our mission to inspire humanity that has set JetBlue apart from other airlines since day one. Once the National Mediation Board authorizes the TWU as the representative body for JetBlue inflight crewmembers, both JetBlue and TWU will organize negotiating committees."

14:51 EDT AT&T 'commends' FCC for moving forward with mmWave spectrum auctions - AT&T released a statement attributed to Joan Marsh, executive VP of Regulatory and State External Affairs: "AT&T commends the FCC for moving forward with mmWave spectrum auctions later this year. The 24 GHz and 28 GHz bands, which are the focus of today's Spectrum Frontiers public notice, are an important piece in the mix of spectrum that will be required to make 5G a reality. We are encouraged by the Commission's commitment to make this necessary spectrum available, and we are hopeful similar auction rules for the 37 GHz and 39 GHz bands are soon to follow." Reference Link

14:45 EDT Car rental stocks slide in afternoon trading - Hertz (HTZ) shares are near session lows, falling over 8%, while Avis Budget (CAR) is down more than 4%.

14:34 EDT Star Group increases quarterly distribution to 11.75c from 11c per unit - Star Group announced that it has increased its quarterly distribution for the three months ended March 31 to 11.75c per common unit from 11c per common unit. The record date is April 27 with a payment date of May 7.

14:26 EDT Appian to invest $24.8M to expand headquarters operation in Fairfax County, VA - Virginia governor Ralph Northam announced that Appian Corporation will invest $28.4M to expand its headquarters operation in Fairfax County. The company will move into Valo Park, in the 785,000 square-foot multi-tenant campus owned by Tamares Group at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in Tysons Corner. The project will retain 600 existing jobs and create 600 new ones over the next five years.

14:09 EDT Mersana Therapeutics says XMT-1522 shows synergy with checkpoint inhibitor - As previously reported, Mersana Therapeutics (MRSN) announced new data on Mersana's lead ADC platform, Dolaflexin, and on the HER2 targeted ADC XMT-1522, presented as part of the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting being held April 14-18. In a poster presented on Sunday, April 15, "Unique Pharmacologic Properties of Dolaflexin-based ADCs - a Controlled Bystander Effect," Mersana demonstrated the ability of the DolaLock controlled bystander effect to improve the efficacy and tolerability of ADC therapies. Mersana investigators demonstrated the release and intracellular conversion of auristatin F-hydroxypropylamide to auristatin F, as well as biodistribution and tumor retention in vivo. AF-HPA is the initial drug release product, which is freely cell permeable. Intra-tumor metabolism helps convert the AF-HPA to AF, which is non-cell permeable and highly potent. Conversion of AF-HPA to AF was observed within tumor cells, and co-culture assays with HER2-positive and HER2-negative cells confirmed the cell permeability and bystander-killing capabilities of AF-HPA. Biodistribution studies revealed time-dependent concentrations of AF-HPA and AF as well as significant accumulation of AF in xenograft tumor models. A second poster presented on Tuesday, April 17, "Synergy of an anti-HER2 ADC TAK-522 in combination with anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody in a syngeneic breast cancer model expressing human HER2" co-authored by Takeda (TKPYY) and Mersana, characterized the ability of both the free payload AF-HPA and the ADC XMT-1522 to induce immunogenic cell death in cells. In addition, a novel syngeneic breast cancer model expressing human HER2 at a relatively low antigen density was developed. XMT-1522 showed significant inhibition of tumor growth in this poorly immunogenic tumor model. A combination of XMT-1522 and a checkpoint inhibitor further enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy, resulting in complete responses.

14:03 EDT DelMar Pharmaceuticals presents 'positive' updates on VAL-083 trials - DelMar Pharmaceuticals announced that the company presented a "positive update" on its two ongoing clinical trials of VAL-083, a first-in-class small molecule chemotherapeutic, for the treatment of MGMT-unmethylated Glioblastoma Multiforme at the American Association for Cancer Research. "We are pleased with the continued progress of our ongoing clinical trials with VAL-083 as a potential treatment for MGMT-unmethylated GBM. These trials are important elements of our clinical development strategy to advance VAL-083 as a potential treatment for GBM patients who have little or no viable alternatives," said interim president and CEO Saiid Zarrabian.

13:41 EDT FDA approves Rigel's Tavalisse for chronic immune thrombocytopenia - Tavalisse has been approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment.

13:36 EDT Jones Energy trading resumes

13:35 EDT J.Jill jumps 9% after director Nelson Travis buys 100K shares - Nelson Travis, a director at J.Jill, disclosed in a filing out last night that he had purchased 100,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $5.00 per share between April 12 and April 13. The total transaction value of the purchase was $499,800. Shares of J.Jill are up 8.6% or 42c to $5.32 per share in afternoon trading.

13:27 EDT Ultragenyx, Kyowa Kirin say FDA approves Crysvita for treatment of XLH - Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and Kyowa Kirin International PLC announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Crysvita for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemia in adult and pediatric patients one year of age and older. Crysvita is an antibody that blocks fibroblast growth factor 23, a hormone that causes phosphate urinary excretion and suppresses active vitamin D production by the kidney. "Patients now have an approved breakthrough therapy that can help correct the underlying disease, transforming the treatment of XLH and reducing related bone disease in both children and adults living with this disease," said Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Ultragenyx. "This milestone represents Ultragenyx's second approved therapy in less than six months and validates our strategy to rapidly transform good science into effective therapies for rare diseases. This approval would not have been possible without the patients, their families and clinicians who participated and I would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication."

13:27 EDT ChinaNet Online explodes 45% after reporting results, utilization of block chain - Shares of China-based internet advertisement company ChinaNet (CNET) jumped after reporting fourth quarter revenue that increased over 64% from the year-ago period. REVENUE JUMPS: Q4 revenue spiked 64.1% to $15.3M from $9.4M in the year-ago quarter, ChinaNet-Online said this morning. Operating expenses for Q4 were down to 40.7% from 42.9% last year. Most notably, revenues from search engine marketing and data service increased by 121.1% to $13.1M from $5.9M in the corresponding period of 2016. Net loss attributable to ChinaNet Online Holdings was $6.2M in Q4, compared to $2.3M in the corresponding period of 2016. Handong Cheng, Chairman, President and CEO of CNET, stated that "2017 has been a transitional year for us. Realizing that our small-to-medium enterprise or SME customers are struggling as the Chinese economy slows down, we have actively migrated our business focus towards servicing larger customers and providing search-engine advertising solutions. As a result, we achieved 64.1% of year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 34.2% in full-year 2017." APPLYING BLOCK CHAIN TECHNOLOGY: CEO Cheng also commented that "At the same time, we see tremendous opportunities in applying block chain technology to helping SMEs to achieve better business results than ever before." PRICE ACTION: Shares of ChinaNet Online are up 45.3% to $3.59 per share in afternoon trading.

13:20 EDT McDermott says ISS recommends investors vote for proposals relating to CB&I - McDermott International (MDR) announced that Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that McDermott stockholders vote "FOR" each of the proposals relating to the combination with CB&I (CBI). In its report dated April 17, 2018, ISS states the following: "The industrial logic of the deal is solid. The merger will help McDermott diversify geographically, adding exposure to the US market, and diversify the company's client base. Also, the added scale combined with CBI capabilities in onshore projects should provide cost and revenue synergy opportunities for the combined company... On balance, support for this deal is recommended. The strategic rationale for the combination is sound, the valuation paid appears to be reasonable, offering upside potential to MDR shareholders, and management's proven track record in turning around unprofitable projects suggests that execution should not be an issue."

13:05 EDT Mersana Therapeutics: XMT-1522 shows synergy with checkpoint inhibitor - Mersana Therapeutics (MSRN) announced new data on Mersana's lead ADC platform, Dolaflexin, and on the HER2 targeted ADC XMT-1522, presented as part of the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting being held April 14-18 in Chicago, IL. In a poster presented on Sunday, April 15, "Unique Pharmacologic Properties of Dolaflexin-based ADCs - a Controlled Bystander Effect," Mersana demonstrated the ability of the DolaLock controlled bystander effect to improve the efficacy and tolerability of ADC therapies. Mersana investigators demonstrated the release and intracellular conversion of auristatin F-hydroxypropylamide to auristatin F, as well as biodistribution and tumor retention in vivo. AF-HPA is the initial drug release product, which is freely cell permeable. Intra-tumor metabolism helps convert the AF-HPA to AF, which is non-cell permeable and highly potent. Conversion of AF-HPA to AF was observed within tumor cells, and co-culture assays with HER2-positive and HER2-negative cells confirmed the cell permeability and bystander-killing capabilities of AF-HPA. Biodistribution studies revealed time-dependent concentrations of AF-HPA and AF as well as significant accumulation of AF in xenograft tumor models. A second poster presented on Tuesday, April 17, "Synergy of an anti-HER2 ADC TAK-522 in combination with anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody in a syngeneic breast cancer model expressing human HER2" co-authored by Takeda (TKPYY) and Mersana, characterized the ability of both the free payload AF-HPA and the ADC XMT-1522 to induce immunogenic cell death in cells. In addition, a novel syngeneic breast cancer model expressing human HER2 at a relatively low antigen density was developed. XMT-1522 showed significant inhibition of tumor growth in this poorly immunogenic tumor model. A combination of XMT-1522 and a checkpoint inhibitor further enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy, resulting in complete responses.

12:58 EDT IRS apologizes as PTIN system down due to maintenance - "The IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number, PTIN, system is currently unavailable due to system maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience," said the agency. Reference Link

12:56 EDT NTSB gathering evidence on Southwest flight forced to land - The National Transportation Safety Board said via Twitter, "NTSB gathering information about this morning's incident involving a Southwest Airlines 737." A Southwest Airlines (LUV) plane manufactured Boeing (BA) made an emergency landing this morning in Philadelphia with an engine issue.

12:40 EDT Game On: Nielsen to measure esports brand exposure for Activision - Welcome to "Game On," The Fly's weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks. NEW RELEASES: Among this week's major game launches is Sony's (SNE) "God of War," the eighth installment of the popular action series, which will roll out on April 20 exclusively on PlayStation 4 consoles. Also out is Sega's (SGAMY) adventure game "Yakuza 6: The Song of Life," which comes out today for PS4. In addition, Nintendo (NTDOY) is rolling out its Nintendo Labo cardboard creation kits this Friday. The Labo kits, which are used as an extension for the Switch console, include cardboard cut-outs and other materials that are meant to be assembled in combination with the Switch display and Joy-Con controllers to create more interactive gaming experiences. ACTIVISION, NIELSEN PARTNERSHIP: On Monday, Activision Blizzard (ATVI) said it is partnering with Nielsen (NLSN) to measure and value esports brand investments across the game maker's multiple leagues and titles. As part of the agreement, Nielsen will measure brand exposure in esports events representing a variety of Activision Blizzard titles, event formats and geographic locations based on the same methodology that Nielsen uses to quantify value and benchmark performance for traditional sports rights holders and brands. Nielsen plans to start tracking Blizzard's Overwatch League, Overwatch World Cup, and Overwatch Contenders this year, as well as Activision's Call of Duty World League, with plans to expand to other programs in the coming year. The announcement comes nearly two weeks after the Call of Duty World League entered its first stage finals with the top eight teams from the CWL Pro League Stage 1 facing off. EA EXECUTIVE ADDITIONS: Last Friday, Electronic Arts (EA) Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson shared a note with EA employees saying that the game maker had aligned on several strategic organization changes that will "sharpen focus on the creative core of EA, drive precision in our operations, and define clear leadership for our growth initiatives." As part of the announcement, Wilson said that Patrick Soederlund will become chief design officer, Laure Miele will become chief studios officer, Blake Joergensen will become COO and CFO, Chris Bruzzo will become chief marketing officer, Matt Bilbey will become executive vice president of Strategic Growth, and Ken Moss will continue in his role as chief technology officer.

12:05 EDT Seres Therapeutics presents preclinical data on microbiome therapeutics - Seres Therapeutics announced that new preclinical data supporting the development of microbiome therapeutics for immuno-oncology will be presented by Sceneay et al in the late breaking poster session at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Chicago. The data presented provide new insights on the potential mechanism by which Seres' microbiome therapies could improve the outcomes of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Seres presented results from preclinical studies designed to evaluate the impact of various consortia of bacterial species on the anti-tumor immune response in murine models following treatment with an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. Results demonstrated that both germ-free mice lacking a microbiome and antibiotics-treated mice with a dysbiotic microbiome, failed to mount an effective anti-tumor response following treatment with an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. The response to anti-PD-1 was restored in germ-free as well as antibiotics-treated mice by introducing a diverse microbiome, and was driven by increased entry of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes into the tumor; specifically, CD8+ T effector cells. Current pre-clinical efforts are focused on optimizing specific microbiome compositions based on functional and phylogenetic information to inform the development of therapeutic candidates. Seres is developing SER-401, a preclinical stage oral microbiome therapy comprising a consortium of live bacteria to improve the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy. Through a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Seres plans to initiate a clinical study in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma later this year. In a 2017 study published in Science, the MD Anderson research team, led by Dr. Jennifer Wargo, described a microbiome signature associated with response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. A planned clinical trial will evaluate the impact of an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor with adjunctive microbiome therapy on patient outcomes.

12:01 EDT Alibaba-backed Prenetics acquires U.K.-based DNAFit - Prenetics, a genetic testing & digital health company backed by Alibaba, has acquired U.K.-based DNAFit, a direct to consumer genetic testing company with sales in over 40 countries. DNAFit will be expanding its reach into corporate wellness as well as growing its existing consumer business following the acquisition. DNAFit will continue to operate its own brand and its founding and core team will continue to lead the business.

11:49 EDT Wayfair higher as Supreme Court shows division on Internet tax sales - Shares of Wayfair are higher as the Supreme Court hears arguments in the company's case against the state of South Dakota. A rule in favor of South Dakota would allow states to start collecting sales tax on e-commerce purchases. According to reports from the Court House, via Bloomberg and CNBC, the Supreme Court signaled division today on the ruling, which is expected in June. Shares of Wayfair are up 4%, or $2.54, to $68.41 in late morning trading.

11:34 EDT IDT Corp trading halted, news pending

11:24 EDT Blue Harbour's Robbins sees 50% upside in shares of OpenText - Blue Harbour Group CEO Cliff Robbins is speaking on CNBC.

10:55 EDT Twitter: Issue sending, viewing tweets 'is now resolved' - Twitter says: "Some users may have experienced problems sending and viewing Tweets earlier today. This issue is now resolved." Reference Link

10:49 EDT Goldman swaps sell call on Coca-Cola to PepsiCo on growth outlook - In a research note to investors on the beverage space, Goldman Sachs analyst Judy Hong upgraded Coca-Cola (KO) to Neutral and downgraded PepsiCo (PEP) to Sell. While the analyst sees an improving organic sales growth outlook for Coca-Cola, Hong sees potential for continued softer North American Beverage volumes to weigh on PepsiCo's organic sales growth. BEVERAGE SPACE: Within the Staples sector, beverage valuations look most elevated, while food stocks appear oversold on consensus estimates, Goldman Sachs' Hong told investors in a research note. The analyst sees the beverage group's premium valuation as mostly justified given industry characteristics that are more attractive versus secularly challenged U.S. center store food companies. Beverages have more channel diversification and are less reliant on food grocers, beverage categories tend to have low level of private label penetration and a greater level of market/brand concentration also allows for higher pricing power, she contended. Hong believes all these dynamics should drive higher top-line growth and more insulated margin structure for beverage companies compared to food companies in the U.S. over the next 12 months. Additionally, the analyst pointed out that she sees "a few relevant trends" across the beverage theme playing out thus far in 2018, namely relative convenience store underperformance, comparative alcohol slowdown, and improvement in emerging markets benefiting multinationals, particularly in Latin America. SWAPPING COCA-COLA, PEPSICO: Goldman Sachs' Judy Hong upgraded Coca-Cola to Neutral from Sell, while trimming her price target on the shares to $46 from $47. The analyst told investors that she sees an improving organic sales growth outlook, a "cleaner base" post-refranchising, and better visibility on its margin and earnings targets. Hong believes Coca-Cola is "one of the rare" over 4% organic growth mega-cap stories, and now has increased confidence in its organic sales growth outlook. Additionally, Hong noted that she now views fundamentals as warranting a relative premium given Coca-Cola's positioning as a beneficiary of moderating foreign exchange impact, improving emerging markets growth, and higher margins post-refranchising. Meanwhile, the analyst downgraded PepsiCo to Sell from Neutral and lowered her price target on the shares to $110 from $118, citing the potential for continued softer North American Beverage volumes to weigh on organic sales growth and present modest downside risk to gross margins. While the analyst does not expect Pepsi shares to be "a material absolute underperformer," she does see scope for it to underperform other beverage names over the next 12 months given muted fundamentals and lack of clear catalysts. Both top-line and margin gains are likely to be harder to come by for PepsiCo's North America beverage business as multi-year tailwinds to volume are no longer driving growth while c-store underperformance is creating a drag, she contended. OTHERS TO WATCH: Goldman's Hong also upgraded Coca-Cola European Partners (CCE) to Buy, as she believes muted sentiment in the context of sugar tax implementation in the UK and France provides a compelling opportunity, and downgraded Molson Coors (TAP) to Neutral, predicting that weaker than expected beer volumes will drive cuts to consensus estimates. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating on Monster Beverage (MNST). PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Coca-Cola are fractionally up to $44.79, while PepsiCo's stock dropped over 1% to $108.41.

10:35 EDT Starboard in talks with Macerich over board, CEO says - Starboard Value CEO Jeffrey Smith is speaking on CNBC.

10:34 EDT Eiger: Sub-analysis of trial results show HRR to 'all-oral' LNF regimen - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced additional lonafarnib data from the LOWR HDV Program presented at The International Liver Congress 2018, in Paris, France. A subanalysis of the LOWR-2 study reveals high response rates to LNF all-oral therapy in patients with low baseline viral loads less than or equal to 4 logs. After 24 weeks of treatment, all-oral lonafarnib-based regimens suppressed HDV-RNA below the limit of quantitation in 100% of patients with low baseline viral loads less than or equal to 4 logs. In addition, HDV-infected patients with high baseline viral loads greater than 4 logs responded well to combination therapy of LNF + RTV + PEG IFN-a-2a, where 50% were BLQ and 88% achieved greater than or equal to 2 log decline at Week 24. "This new sub-analysis demonstrates high response rates with all-oral lonafarnib / ritonavir therapy in HDV-infected patients with baseline viral loads less than or equal to 4 logs. Our data indicate that this will be relevant in approximately 30% of HDV-infected patients who present with this low baseline viral load profile," said David Apelian, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Medical Officer at Eiger. "In addition, we have demonstrated good response rates in patients with higher baseline viral loads greater than 4 logs with the addition of pegylated interferon-alfa to lonafarnib / ritonavir therapy. We are focused on developing the first approved therapy for HDV-infected patients with multiple lonafarnib-based regimens to provide options for practitioners and patients."

10:28 EDT Newell Brands offers 'incredible value,' Starboard CEO says - Starboard Value CEO Jeffrey Smith is speaking on CNBC.

10:25 EDT Twitter reported to be experiencing service issues - Twitter may be experiencing service issues, according to downrightnow, citing user reports. Reference Link

10:23 EDT Goldman Sachs CFO says 'highly likely' to continue with bolt-on acquisitions

10:07 EDT LightRx Face & Body partnering with Hologic to provide SculpSure - LightRx Face & Body announced earlier that they are partnering with Hologic to provide SculpSure - a non-invasive laser body contouring treatment - at each of its 80 centers nationwide. "Our clientele has been searching for body contouring solutions that are safe, effective and affordable. After carefully reviewing the marketplace and conducting detailed comparison experiments, SculpSure became the clear choice for our company. It provides the clinically proven, state-of-the-art technology and results that our customers want," said Rich Morgan, President of LightRx Face & Body.

10:01 EDT Goldman Sachs CFO says recent expense level likely indicative of future

10:01 EDT GrubHub announces availability of Venmo as payment option - Grubhub announced the availability of Venmo as a payment option for their diners. "Diners purchasing food on Grubhub, Seamless, or Eat24 mobile apps can now pay with their Venmo balance, linked bank account or debit card. Once the order is placed, diners can split the bill with Venmo, making it easier than ever to share the costs of group food orders with friends. This functionality is available to anyone who has the Venmo app installed on their mobile device and will automatically show up in their available payment options at checkout."

09:54 EDT Goldman CFO says still sees $5B-$6B of repurchases per CCAR cycle

09:50 EDT Goldman CFO says doesn't expect to execute share buybacks in Q2

09:43 EDT Goldman Sachs CFO sees room for additional earnings, revenue growth - Says start to 2018 characterized by synchronized global growth, rising interest rates. Says "cautiously optimistic" that many of the growth drivers seen in Q1, including emergence of new market trends, can remain in place. Says sees room for additional revenue, earnings growth as global franchise is further diversified. Says "optimistic" for advisory given tax clarity. Comments made by CFO Marty Chavez on the Q1 earnings conference call.

09:34 EDT UnitedHealth expects strong revenue growth in Medicaid in 2018 - CEO David Wichmann says within ten years, "half of all Americans will be receiving their health care from physicians operating in highly evolved and coordinated value-based care designs." Says the "structural shift from fragmented fee-for-service medicine is the type of opportunity for which we are built." Says company is "collaborating across the health care sector to improve quality and value for people and seeking to take our performance for them to significantly higher levels as we march towards an NPS average score of 70 across the enterprise over the next 5 years." Optum CEO Larry Renfro says company hopes "to accelerate early-stage open market innovations across the breadth of the Health Care Services marketplace with up to $600M in newly committed funds" from Optum Ventures. United Healthcare CEO Steven Nelson says company "continues to expect strong revenue growth in 2018" in Medicaid. CFO John Rex says company continues "to expect our 2018 medical care ratio to run in a range of 81.5%, plus or minus 50 basis points." Says continues "to maintain a strong position, with significant financial flexibility." Says "looking ahead, our earnings outlook balances, the fundamental performance strength seen across the company in Q1. Our usual prudent respect for medical costs inclusive of the impact of flu in Q1 increased investment spending in the second half of plan and a modest in-year headwind from the health insurance tax deferral, which has increasing impact through the course of the year. Taken together, we've raised our expectations for 2018 adjusted earnings to a range of $12.40 to $12.65 per share, or growth of more than 24% over 2017 at the midpoint." Wichmann says company is "pursuing growth and diversification with the emphasis in 5 key areas: Health care delivery, pharmacy care service, consumer-centric benefits, digital health care and global." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:30 EDT Algonquin to acquire additional 16.5% equity interest in Atlantica for $345M - Algonquin Power & Utilities announced that it has entered into an agreement with an entity related to Seville-based Abengoa to purchase an additional 16.5% equity interest in Atlantica Yield for a total purchase price of approximately $345M, based on a price of $20.90 per share. APUC previously acquired and currently holds an indirect 25% equity interest in Atlantica. The additional acquisition is expected to close in the Q2 or Q3, subject to certain governmental approvals and other closing conditions. No shareholder approvals are required. Concurrent with the commitment to acquire the additional interest in Atlantica, APUC has agreed with certain institutional investors to issue and sell approximately 37.5M common shares of APUC at a price of CA$11.85 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately CA$445M.

09:22 EDT Dunkin' Donuts announces plans for seven new restaurants in Alabama - Dunkin' Donuts announced the signing of a multi-unit store development agreement with existing franchisees Lagunita Franchise Operations. Over the next several years the franchisee group is planning to open seven new Dunkin' Donuts restaurants throughout Montgomery, Alabama. The first two locations are scheduled to open in 2019, with additional restaurants scheduled to open over the next several years. The franchisee group is led by Damon Dunn. LFO has been franchising with Dunkin' Donuts since October 2016 and currently operates seven restaurants in the Mobile, Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast regions. This new development agreement will allow them to further penetrate neighboring markets.

09:20 EDT H&R Block appoints Vinoo Vijay as Chief Marketing Officer - H&R Block announced that Vinoo Vijay will become the company's Chief Marketing Officer, effective April 23, 2018. Vijay will assume responsibility for all marketing functions to include brand strategy, product management and client experience, performance marketing/CRM, online experience, creative and advertising, and corporate communications. Most recently he was Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Corporate and Public Affairs at TD Bank.

09:14 EDT J&J: Restructuring driven by new technology for newer products

09:12 EDT Allegiant Travel oversight defended by FAA in letter to CBS News - In a post to the official twitter account of the Federal Aviation Administration last night, the FAA stated: "The #FAA has zero tolerance for intentional, reckless behavior, flagrant violations, or refusal to cooperate in corrective action by air carriers. We take legal enforcement action when warranted. Read our letter sent to @CBSNews and @60Minutes on April 11." In the letter, dated April 11 and addressed to CBS News, the FAA's Ali Bahrami said: "Since the 2016 CHEP, the FAA has conducted ongoing evaluations of Allegiant's safety compliance, as it does with all carriers, and has not identified any significant or systemic problems with the carrier's current operation. Had we identified such problems, the FAA would have taken immediate action." Reference Link

09:10 EDT Lockheed Martin submits proposal for U.S. Air Force's GPS IIIF program - Lockheed Martin has submitted a competitive and fully compliant proposal for the U.S. Air Force's GPS III Follow On program, which will add enhanced capabilities to the most advanced GPS satellites ever designed. The GPS IIIF program intends to produce up to 22 next-generation satellites. Currently, the first 10 GPS III satellites are in full production at Lockheed Martin's GPS III Processing Facility, a $128M cleanroom factory designed in a virtual reality environment to drive efficiency and reduce costs in satellite production.

09:08 EDT Tennant announces greenhouse gas reduction targets - Tennant announced new greenhouse gas, or GHG emission reduction targets in line with climate science as part of the Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi. Tennant joins more than 100 of the world's largest companies who have set science-based targets. SBTi helps companies determine a pathway for reducing their emissions in line with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Key elements of Tennant's new targets include: reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions 25% by 2030 from a 2016 base year and reduce scope 3 use of sold products emissions 50% per U.S. dollar of equipment revenue by 2030 from a 2016 base year. Scope 1 emissions are directly created by a company's facilities or use of vehicles. Scope 2 emissions are created from purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling. Scope 3 emissions include those that result from the use of Tennant products by our customers. The use of sold products category accounts for a substantial portion of Tennant total GHG footprint.

09:05 EDT Curtiss-Wright awarded $85M contract by U.S. Navy - Curtiss-Wright announced that it has been awarded a contract valued in excess of $85M to provide main propulsion steam turbines and auxiliary equipment for the U.S. Navy's Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise. The award was received from Huntington Ingalls, Newport News Shipbuilding to support planned ship construction. Curtiss-Wright is performing the work within its EMS division in the Power segment. Engineering and manufacturing will commence in 2018 and will continue through at least 2022. The products will be shipped to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.

09:04 EDT LiveXLive Media appoints Michael Zemetra as CFO - LiveXLive Media announced that it has appointed Michael Zemetra as its Chief Financial Officer effective April 13. Zemetra brings to LiveXLive significant financial and operational experience from his leadership roles with global companies across multiple industries. Zemetra will succeed Jerry Gold, who guided LiveXLive through many important milestones in the company's evolution. Now that these activities are complete, Gold has been appointed chief strategy officer and has joined LiveXLive's Board of Directors effective April 16. He will be advising on company strategy and music industry relations and working with Zemetra to ensure a seamless transition.

09:03 EDT Related Fund Management withdraws proposal to acquire Ladder Capital - In a regulatory filing earlier, Related Fund Management stated: "Although the Confidentiality Agreement previously filed stated that [Ladder Capital] would be providing confidential information to [Related] (and [Related] had been hopeful that such information would provide them with a basis for raising their proposed acquisition price per share), [Ladder Capital] has refused to provide that information." As a result, Related has determined not to further pursue acquisition discussions with the company at this time and are withdrawing their proposal to acquire Ladder Capital, the filing added.

09:01 EDT Big Lots CEO David Campisi to retire - Big Lots announced the retirement of David Campisi as President, CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors. Campisi, who had been on a leave of absence for medical reasons since December 2017, has decided to retire in order to focus fully on his health. Lisa M. Bachmann, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising & Operating Officer, and Timothy A. Johnson, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and CFO, will continue to work closely with the Company's Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors to carry out Campisi's executive responsibilities. The Big Lots Board has initiated a formal search process to identify a permanent successor CEO and is in the process of retaining an executive search firm to assist the Board in identifying and reviewing both internal and external candidates.

08:54 EDT J&J sees $600M-$800M in annual pre-tax cost savings from new actions - Johnson & Johnson said it plans to implement actions across its global supply chain that are intended to enable the company to focus resources and increase investments in critical capabilities, technologies and solutions necessary to manufacture and supply its product portfolio of the future, enhance agility and drive growth. The company expects these supply chain actions will include expanding our use of strategic collaborations, and bolstering our initiatives to reduce complexity, improving cost-competitiveness, enhancing capabilities and optimizing our network. Discussions regarding specific future actions are ongoing and are subject to all relevant consultation requirements before they are finalized. In total, J&J expects the actions to generate $600M-$800M in annual pre-tax cost savings that will be substantially delivered by 2022. The company expects to record pre-tax restructuring charges of approximately $1.9B-$2.3B, which will be treated as a special item.

08:44 EDT TransMontaigne increases dividend .015c to 78.5c - TransMontaigne announced that it declared a distribution of 78.5c per unit for the period from January 1 through March 31, representing a .015c increase over the previous quarter. The distribution is payable on May 8 to unitholders of record on April 30.

08:37 EDT General Electric, Zinc announce jointly developed communication solution - ServiceMax from GE Digital, and Zinc, provider of an enterprise communication platform announced a jointly developed solution for field service teams to communicate in real-time, and specifically correlated to Predix ServiceMax work orders, accounts, installed products and contacts. By connecting field technicians and enabling them to share real-time knowledge within the context of the task at hand, Zinc and Predix ServiceMax together improve completion rates, drive productivity and increase employee engagement. With this integration, Predix ServiceMax and Zinc streamline how customers are serviced end-to-end. When questions or issues are encountered in the field, technicians can easily create a conversation with the relevant people, history and context of the work order or product they are working on. All communication history is accessible via quick links from Predix ServiceMax for future review, analysis and customer success initiatives. App-to-app integration capabilities include the ability to: Initiate secure, contextual conversations using text, voice, video, or push-to-talk from either Predix ServiceMax or Zinc, share content files and location for instant answers, create conversations with relevant people and information associated with the work order, account, installed product or contact and access communication history via Predix ServiceMax.

08:35 EDT Sequential Brands enters into agreement to expand AVIA brand in China - Sequential Brands Group announced that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Beiying Sports Technology, a leading sports manufacturer and distributor, to bring its AVIA brand to Greater China. Under the new agreement, Beiying will work closely with the company to develop and distribute a line of men's, women's and kid's footwear, apparel and accessories. The new collection will launch later this year across all retail channels. Beiying also plans to open AVIA stores, including flagship stores in key metropolitan Chinese cities, over the next few years. Symphony Investment Partners, a leading advisory group in the apparel and footwear space, assisted Sequential in the transaction.

08:33 EDT Partner Communications receives class-action lawsuit for telephone malfunction - Partner Communications announced that the company received a lawsuit and a motion for the recognition of this lawsuit as a class action, filed against Partner and its fully owned subsidiary, 012 Smile Telecom in the Central District Court on April 11. The claim alleges that there is a malfunction in the telephone system of Partner and 012 Smile, according to which when a call recipient activates a follow-me service to a number abroad and the call is diverted abroad via 012 Smile, the call segment charge from Israel to overseas applies to the caller, as if he placed an international call, rather than to the recipient of the call that activated the follow-me service, thereby the respondents are violating the provisions of the law and the agreements with their customers. The total amount claimed against the Respondents if the lawsuit is recognized as a class action, was not stated by the plaintiff. Partner is reviewing and assessing the lawsuit and is unable at this preliminary stage, to evaluate, with any degree of certainty, the probability of success of the lawsuit or the range of potential exposure, if any.

08:32 EDT Merck announces first Phase 3 studies for PCV-15 vaccine - Merck announced that the company is beginning two Phase 3 studies of PCV-15, its investigational polyvalent conjugate vaccine for the prevention of pneumococcal disease. The first study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of PCV-15 followed by Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent one year later in healthy adult subjects 50 years of age or older. The second Phase 3 study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of PCV-15 followed by Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent administered eight weeks later in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus. The decision to move PCV-15 to Phase 3 is based on the findings of Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies, the results of which are being presented at the upcoming International Society on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases, which begins on Sunday, April 15.

08:32 EDT Moab calls Macquarie Infrastructure for reconstitution of the Board - Moab Capital Partners announced that it has delivered a letter to the board of directors of Macquarie Infrastructure calling for an immediate reconstitution of the Board and urging shareholders to vote against all six current members of the Board standing for re-election at the May 16 Annual Meeting. Moab Capital and related entities manage investment funds that beneficially own approximately 1% of MIC's outstanding shares, and have been shareholders of MIC since 2011. Moab Capital has retained Olshan Frome Wolosky as its advisor in connection with its efforts to hold the existing Board accountable and protect the best interests of MIC shareholders.

08:31 EDT Vocera board elects Brent Lang to succed Robert Zollars as chairman - Vocera Communications announced the company's board of directors elected President and CEO Brent D. Lang to chairman of the board, effective June 1, 2018, following the annual shareholder meeting. Lang succeeds Robert J. Zollars, who will be transitioning off the board at the same time, having reached the end of his term. Lang has been a member of the Vocera board since his appointment to CEO in 2013 when he succeeded Zollars in that position as well. Howard Janzen will continue to serve as the board's lead independent director.

08:16 EDT Advaxis presents data highlighting ADXS-HOT at AACR - Advaxis announces the presentation of ADXS-HOT preclinical data in a poster discussion entitled "Targeting Shared Hotspot Cancer Mutations with a Listeria monocytogenes Immunotherapy Induce Potent Anti-Tumor Immunity" at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting underway in Chicago. The discussion, held yesterday, was led by Daniel O. Villarreal, Ph.D., Principal Scientist at Advaxis. The ADXS-HOT franchise leverages the company's proprietary Lm Technology to target common mutations in tumor driver genes. This study's objective was to identify and target common mutations and to determine if the ADXS-HOT platform could effectively target those hotspots and control tumor growth. Results indicate that ADXS-HOT could achieve this in preclinical models against single and multi-target constructs. "The results of this preclinical work with ADXS-HOT represent an exciting opportunity that may allow us to develop disease-specific immunotherapies that have the potential to be effective against multiple targets, capable of generating high-avidity T cells against shared of public mutations, as well as multiple proprietary highly immunogenic cancer-testes and oncofetal antigens for multiple tumor types," said Robert G. Petit, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Advaxis. "Additionally, the results show increased functionality and resiliency in CD8 T cells upon restimulation, indicating the potential not only to increase the number and frequency of CD8 T cells, but to strengthen them."

08:10 EDT Cardiome completes enrollment for Phase 4 SPECTRUM study - Cardiome Pharma announced completion of enrollment for the Phase 4 SPECTRUM study evaluating Brinavess, or vernakalant hydrochloride, IV, the Company's antiarrhythmic drug for the rapid conversion of recent onset atrial fibrillation, or AF, in the post-authorization setting in the European Union. In this prospective and retrospective observational registry, 2,000 patients were enrolled and assessed to characterize normal conditions of use, dosing and safety following administration of Brinavess. The full clinical study report will be available during third quarter 2018 and Cardiome plans to publish these data.

08:09 EDT Pingtan Marine Enterprise commences rebuilding project for 27 fishing vessels - Pingtan Marine Enterprise announced that the company has signed an agreement with Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and officially commenced the modification and rebuilding project for its 27 fishing vessels, following a previous announcement last week that the 27 fishing vessels received approval from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China for modification and rebuilding.

08:05 EDT UTC Aerospace Systems announces 8-year contract extension with Qantas Airways - UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies (UTX), announced an 8-year contract extension with Qantas Airlines to provide BR715 engine nacelle asset support and repair services for the airline's fleet of 20 Boeing (BA) B717-200 aircraft. The long-term agreement is through Prime Solutions, which is customized to the airline's specific support requirements.

08:03 EDT Teva to present 38 abstracts across five CNS disorders at AAN - Teva announced 38 scientific abstracts across five difficult-to-treat disorders of the central nervous system will be presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Los Angeles from April 21-27, 2018. The breadth of data spans a diverse set of patient populations including migraine, multiple sclerosis, tardive dyskinesia and Huntington's disease. Among the 21 accepted migraine abstracts to be presented, 19 include additional data from the Phase III HALO clinical trial program for fremanezumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the CGRP ligand, currently being investigated as a preventive treatment for migraine. These data examined the overall efficacy, safety and tolerability profile of fremanezumab in both chronic and episodic migraine. Studies included patients on fremanezumab alone or in combination with other preventive medications. Additional data further contribute to the scientific understanding of the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Teva's COPAXONE for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis, including up to seven-year results from the Glatiramer Acetate Low-Frequency Administration study and an abstract assessing pregnancy outcomes in RMS patients exposed to COPAXONE 20 mg/mL during all three trimesters. Teva will also present AUSTEDO tablets data providing clinical and real-world insights into the applicability of use across chorea associated with Huntington's disease and tardive dyskinesia in adults.

08:03 EDT CDK Global acquires Progressus Media - CDK Global announced that it has purchased Progressus Media. The acquisition adds complementary technology and capabilities to the CDK advertising business, for which the company has recently appointed Jen Cole VP and general manager. Progressus' team, technology and products will accelerate growth in social media channels, as the company's Social Suite ad tech is integrated into the CDK automotive marketing solution set. The Progressus Media team will retain their current office location in downtown Chicago, and the team will focus on fully integrating into the CDK advertising business over the next several weeks.

08:02 EDT Southern Company names Andrew Evans as CFO, effective June 1 - He will assume the role vacated by Art Beattie, who has announced his plans to retire.

08:02 EDT Verifone, POS Portal announce availability of Verifone Connect - Verifone (PAY) and POS Portal, a ScanSource (SCSC) company, announced the availability of Verifone Connect, "a secure and fully integrated global product that not only enables payment acceptance, but allows businesses to increase consumer engagement and drive efficiency. By distributing payment devices configured with Verifone Connect, POS Portal will be the first to offer a turnkey solution and immediate access to Verifone Connect with certified preconfigured payment devices."

07:40 EDT Goldman Sachs CEO says 'broadening client base,' diversifying businesses

07:38 EDT Goldman Sachs reports standardized CET1 ratio of 12.1% - The firm's Standardized common equity tier 1 ratio on a fully phased-in basis was 12.1% and 11.9% as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The firm's Basel III Advanced common equity tier 1 ratio on a fully phased-in basis was 11.1% and 10.7%as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The firm's supplementary leverage ratio on a fully phased-in basis was 5.7% and 5.8% as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. During the quarter, the firm repurchased 3.0 million shares of its common stock at an average cost per share of $264.32, for a total cost of $800 million. Book value per common share was $186.73 and tangible book value per common share was $176.28, both based on basic shares of 387.6 million as of March 31, 2018.

07:35 EDT MagneGas announces record sales of $500,000 for March - MagneGas Corporation announced that the company generated record sales of $0.5M for the month of March. These are the highest combined industrial gas and welding supply sales in corporate history. These figures did not include any sales from the Trico Welding Supply acquisition, which closed on April 2, 2018. The record growth was largely due to recent acquisitions that expanded the company into California, Texas and Louisiana, as well as continued growth in Florida. The company has implemented an aggressive marketing initiative in these new markets, with a heavy emphasis on leveraging MagneGas2 to drive new client acquisition. "Our recent acquisition strategy is paying off with tangible results," commented Scott Mahoney, CFO of MagneGas. "We are seeing rapid sales growth, with 70% year-over-year growth for March, and 10% sequential monthly growth from February to March of this year. We are confident that our strategy is working and will transform the financial performance of the Company in 2018."

07:29 EDT Icon agrees on preliminary deal terms with Intel for Pharma Analytics Platform - ICON (ICLR) announced that it has agreed on preliminary deal terms with Intel (INTC) to enable ICON to offer the Intel Pharma Analytics Platform for use in clinical trials. The Intel platform is an edge-to-cloud artificial intelligence solution that enables remote monitoring and continuous capture of clinical data from study subjects using sensors and wearable devices, and can apply machine learning techniques to objectively measure symptoms and quantify the impact of therapies.

07:17 EDT Proteostasis receives endorsement for study protocol of PTI-428 - Proteostasis Therapeutic announced that the Company's study protocol to investigate PTI-428 in CF patients on background Symdeko therapy has received endorsement from the Therapeutics Development Network, or TDN, the drug development arm of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, or CFF. The Phase 2 study is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics, or PK, of multiple doses of PTI-428 in a 28-day dosing study. This will be the Company's next Phase 2 study of PTI-428, a first in class cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator amplifier, in CF patients.

07:13 EDT Anavex to initiate ANAVEX2-73 Phase 2 study in PDD - Anavex Life Sciences announced that the company is planning to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of lead candidate ANAVEX2-73 in Parkinson's Disease Dementia, or PDD. The company is moving forward with a Phase 2 trial with ANAVEX2-73 in PDD, which will study the effect of the compound on both the cognitive and motor impairment of Parkinson's disease. The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 PDD study has been submitted to regulatory authorities in Europe, and pending approval, the company plans to initiate this clinical trial H2 2018. Additional protocol details will be shared at that point. The earlier studies of ANAVEX2-73 in a disease modifying model of Parkinson's disease were funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

07:09 EDT Comerica sees Q2 growth in average loans, higher net interest income - Management expects the following for second quarter 2018 compared to first quarter 2018: Growth in average loans due to seasonal increases, particularly in Mortgage Banker Finance. Net interest income higher, reflecting the full quarter impact from the first quarter 2018 rate increase and the return of loan growth. Provision for credit losses higher. Noninterest expenses modestly lower, primarily due to lower compensation expense.

07:05 EDT Sierra Oncology reports preclinical data results for Chk1 inhibitor SRA737 - Sierra Oncology is reporting preclinical results in two posters for its Checkpoint kinase 1, or Chk1, inhibitor SRA737, at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. "The data presented within these posters demonstrate that SRA737, as monotherapy and in combination with a poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor such as niraparib, has anti-tumor activity across a broad range of settings. Anti-tumor activity was observed both in homologous recombination repair proficient cancers which are poor candidates for PARPi alone, and in HRR deficient tumor cells that have acquired resistance to either PARPi and/or platinum agents," said the company. "We also observed inhibition of tumor growth in aggressive CCNE1-driven high grade serous ovarian cancer patient-derived xenografts. CCNE1 amplification is known to increase replication stress and genomic instability, leading to increased reliance on Chk1. Analogous to PARPi, which first exhibited robust activity in patients harboring BRCA mutations, Chk1 inhibitors such as SRA737 may prove effective in defined genetic backgrounds of high replication stress, such as CCNE1 amplification." The efficacy of SRA737 monotherapy is currently being investigated in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial in replication stress-driven cancer including a patient cohort with CCNE1 amplified HGSOC.

07:05 EDT NeoPhotonics: Direct revenue from ZTE in FY17 was approx. 1% of total revenue

07:04 EDT Colony Industrial acquires East Bay industrial portfolio in San Leandro, CA - Colony Industrial announced that it has acquired a two-building East Bay industrial portfolio in San Leandro, CA. Colony Industrial is the industrial platform of Colony NorthStar. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

07:02 EDT Compugen: Data presented by Bayer highlights efficacy of BAY 1905254 - Compugen (CGEN) announced that preclinical data presented by Bayer (BAYRY) at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research held April 14-18, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois, highlights the efficacy of BAY 1905254 (formerly the CGEN-15001T program) in cancer immunotherapy. BAY 1905254 is a first-in-class therapeutic antibody candidate targeting ILDR2, a novel immune checkpoint discovered by Compugen. Bayer plans to advance the program into first-in-human trials in 2018. The data was highlighted in a Bayer poster presentation titled "Discovery and preclinical characterization of BAY 1905254 a novel immune checkpoint inhibitor for cancer immunotherapy targeting the immunoglobulin-like domain containing receptor 2." The poster describes the characterization of BAY 1905254, a human/mouse cross-reactive antibody blocking the immunosuppressive activity of ILDR2. The data demonstrated that BAY 1905254 exhibits anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy in various mouse models, and was also shown to have additive/synergistic anti-tumor effects in combination with other cancer therapy approaches, indicating the possibility for multiple combination approaches for use in cancer immunotherapy.

06:48 EDT Tapestry names Eraldo Poletto as CEO & Brand President, Stuart Weitzman - Tapestry announced the appointment of Eraldo Poletto as CEO and Brand President of Stuart Weitzman. He is expected to join the company on April 30, and will succeed Wendy Kahn, the brand's current CEO and Brand President, who is leaving the company. In this role, Poletto will be responsible for all aspects of Stuart Weitzman globally, partnering closely with the brand's Creative Director, Giovanni Morelli. Poletto will report to Victor Luis, Tapestry, Inc.'s CEO. Poletto most recently held the role of CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo Sp.A.

06:36 EDT Gold Standard Ventures reports status of 2018 program at Pinion - Gold Standard Ventures reported on the status of the 2018 infill drilling program at the Pinion oxide gold deposit on its 100%-owned/controlled Railroad-Pinion Project in Nevada's Carlin Trend. Two reverse-circulation and two core rigs have completed 8,126m of infill drilling in 87 holes. This year's $25.8M program includes an estimated 74,800m of RC and core drilling in 381 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. Drilling to date and upcoming plans include the following: 115 infill and development drill holes, totaling 12,731m, have been completed at the Dark Star and Pinion oxide gold deposits. Of these 115, results for 46 holes have now been released including this news release. A 25 to 30-hole Phase 1 exploration program will begin in late April at Jasperoid Wash where a new deposit was discovered in 2017. Drilling this year will reduce spacings and provide the requisite data for a maiden resource estimate by the end of 2018. On the exploration front, geologic mapping, CSAMT and trenching are now underway at the new Ski Track target, which is along the northwestern extension of the Jasperoid Wash structural corridor. RC scout drilling has also begun on a new exploration target west of Dixie.

06:33 EDT Ares EIF to acquire majority stake in Conti Solar - Conti Solar, an industry-leading renewable energy development, engineering, procurement, and construction company, announced that it has received a strategic investment from a fund managed by Ares EIF, the power and energy infrastructure strategy in the Private Equity Group at Ares Management, L.P.. Expected to close at the end of April, the investment will give Ares EIF a majority ownership stake in Conti Solar with a minority position retained by The Conti Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The company will continue to operate as Conti Solar, maintain its current offices, and be managed by its current executive team. The Conti Group will continue to be involved in the oversight and strategic direction of the company.

06:31 EDT Genesee & Wyoming reports March traffic of 279,912 carloads, down 3.7% y/y - Genesee & Wyoming reported traffic volumes for March 2018 and the first quarter of 2018. G&W's traffic in March 2018 was 279,912 carloads, a decrease of 10,840 carloads, or 3.7%, compared with March 2017. G&W's same-railroad traffic in March 2018 was 279,280 carloads, a decrease of 11,472 carloads, or 3.9%, compared with March 2017. G&W's traffic in the first quarter of 2018 was 811,313 carloads, a decrease of 9,935 carloads, or 1.2%, compared with the first quarter of 2017. G&W's same-railroad traffic in the first quarter of 2018 was 809,743 carloads, a decrease of 11,505 carloads, or 1.4%, compared with the first quarter of 2017. First quarter carloads in North America included lower than expected coal traffic in G&W's Midwest Region as well as the adverse impact of overall rail network congestion.

06:05 EDT Microsoft: Azure Sphere OS incorporates custom Linux kernel - Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post: "Microsoft is announcing new offerings to take security more squarely to where it needs to go and where it has not effectively gone before - the edge. We're unveiling a series of new services and features that will better harden not only our intelligent cloud but also the billions of connected devices that live on its edge. And we're supporting these advances with new offerings that will making security easier for our customers to manage. Over the past 15 years, we've repeatedly taken steps to strengthen security protection not only for Windows and Office software, but also to harden our Xbox chipsets. We're now combining this expertise and these advances to secure at the silicon level the billions of connected devices that will sit on the edge of the world's computing network. Applying new advances by our security researchers, we are introducing security protection for the next generation of cloud and edge devices powered by microcontroller unit. Today we're announcing Azure Sphere, the industry's first holistic solution for securing MCU-based devices from the silicon to the cloud. This solution brings together three critical pieces and advances: First, Azure Sphere is based on Microsoft's development of an entirely new class of MCUs with more than five times the power of legacy MCUs. Second, Azure Sphere will bring to these new chips a new customized operating system built for IoT security. This OS incorporates a custom Linux kernel that has been optimized for an IoT environment and reworked with security innovations pioneered in Windows to create a highly secured software environment. Finally, Azure Sphere will feature a turnkey cloud security service that guards every Azure Sphere device, including the ability to update and upgrade this security protection for a 10-year lifetime of the device." Reference Link

05:58 EDT KrebsOnSecurity: Deleted Facebook cybercrime groups had 300,000 members - KrebsOnSecurity's Brian Krebs said in a blog post that "Hours after being alerted by KrebsOnSecurity, Facebook last week deleted almost 120 private discussion groups totaling more than 300,000 members who flagrantly promoted a host of illicit activities on the social media network's platform. The scam groups facilitated a broad spectrum of shady activities, including spamming, wire fraud, account takeovers, phony tax refunds, 419 scams, denial-of-service attack-for-hire services and botnet creation tools. The average age of these groups on Facebook's platform was two years. On Thursday, April 12, KrebsOnSecurity spent roughly two hours combing Facebook for groups whose sole purpose appeared to be flouting the company's terms of service agreement about what types of content it will or will not tolerate on its platform... The biggest collection of groups banned last week were those promoting the sale and use of stolen credit and debit card accounts. The next largest collection of groups included those facilitating account takeovers - methods for mass-hacking emails and passwords for countless online accounts such Amazon, Google, Netflix, PayPal, as well as a host of online banking services. In a statement to KrebsOnSecurity, Facebook pledged to be more proactive about policing its network for these types of groups. Facebook said its community standards policy does not allow the promotion or sale of illegal goods or services including credit card numbers or CVV numbers (stolen card details marketed for use in online fraud), and that once a violation is reported, its teams review a report and remove the offending post or group if it violates those policies." Reference Link

05:32 EDT Sanofi enters exclusive talks to sell Zentiva to Advent for EUR 1.9B - Advent International and Sanofi have entered into exclusive negotiations under which Advent would acquire Zentiva, Sanofi's European generics business for EUR 1.9B. Advent's offer is firm, binding and fully financed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2018, subject to finalization of definitive agreements, completion of the appropriate social processes and approval of relevant regulatory authorities. This process will be conducted in full respect of social dialogue with Sanofi employee representatives.

05:21 EDT Novartis invests $100M to research and develop next-generation antimalarials - Novartis announces a five-year commitment to the fight against malaria in conjunction with the 7th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Conference and the Malaria Summit of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. Further, the company releases new African research on progress and remaining challenges toward the 2030 malaria elimination targets, together with Elimination 8 and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust program. Over the next five years, as part of its commitment, Novartis will invest more than $100M to advance research and development of next-generation treatments to combat emerging resistance to artemisinin and other currently used antimalarials. The company will also implement an equitable pricing strategy to maximize patient access in malaria-endemic countries when these new treatments become available. In order to contribute to the WHO's target of reducing malaria-related child mortality by at least 90% by 2030, Novartis will further help expand access to pediatric antimalarials and implement healthcare system strengthening programs in 4 sub-Saharan countries.