Stockwinners Market Radar for May 22, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:02 EDT IHS Markit expands MarkitSERV trade reporting solution in Asia and Europe - IHS Markit (INFO) announced that it has expanded its MarkitSERV Integrated Reporting solution to CME Group's Trade Repositories in Australia and Europe. Integrated Reporting, part of a suite of trade reporting services from MarkitSERV, supports multiple asset classes, repositories and jurisdictions. It provides a controlled and customizable solution for regulatory reporting, supplying clients with static data management, business rules, dashboards, workflow and reconciliation tools. The service accepts trade, pricing and collateral data from a range of trading venues, client systems, core MarkitSERV platforms and other IHS Markit services.

19:03 EDT On The Fly: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Ctrip (CTRP) up 1.4%... Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) up 0.2%. ALSO HIGHER: Arcos Dorados (ARCO) up 4.0% after $60M stock buyback... MetLife (MET) up 1.1% after $1.5B stock buyback. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Red Robin (RRGB) down 14.8%... The Container Store (TCS) down 13.1%... Urban Outfitters (URBN) down 2.5%. ALSO LOWER: Curis (CRIS) down 4.4% after 1-for-5 reverse split... Independent Bank Group (IBTX) down 1.0% after merger with Guaranty Bancorp.

18:22 EDT Pool Corp. director Stokely sells 10,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Pool Corp. director John E. Stokely disclosed the sale of 10,000 common shares of the company in three transactions priced in the range of $147.2656-$149.1386 per share.

18:05 EDT Ctrip falls over 3% afterhours following Q1 earnings -

18:02 EDT Plumas Bank agrees to purchase Carson City branch of Mutual of Omaha Bank - Plumas Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of Plumas Bancor, announced that it has signed a purchase and assumption agreement to acquire the Carson City, Nevada branch of Mutual of Omaha Bank. The transaction, which is expected to close later this year pending regulatory approval, will result in the acquisition of approximately $50M in deposits and less than $1M in loans.

17:47 EDT Container Store drops 12% after Q4 EPS lower than estimates - Shares of the Container Store are down approximately 12% to $7.26 after Q4 results.

17:41 EDT Rainy Day says DAVIDsTEA management 'unrepresentative' of shareholders - Rainy Day Investments has proposed a slate of seven nominees for election as directors of DAVIDsTEA Inc. at the annual meeting to be held in Montreal on June 14, 2018. RDI said that its slate is comprised of "highly-qualified individuals with extensive experience" running Canadian retail businesses. "The RDI slate is unified in its conviction that a financial turnaround of DAVIDsTEA can be achieved, and is representative of the interests of individual shareholders who believe in the future of DAVIDsTEA," RDI said. "This is in stark contrast to the slate of nominees proposed by DAVIDsTEA management and current Board of Directors." RDI said that DAVIDsTEA's management slate is dominated by three investment funds whose interests are not aligned with those of long-term, individual shareholders, lacks Canadian representation, and lacks nominees with direct Canadian retail operating experience.

17:33 EDT Independent Bank to merge with Guaranty Bancorp in all-stock transaction - Independent Bank Group (IBTX) and Guaranty Bancorp (GBNK) jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Guaranty Bancorp will merge with and into Independent Bank Group in an all-stock transaction. Upon completion of the merger, Guaranty Bank and Trust Company will be merged with and into Independent Bank. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of Guaranty Bancorp will receive 0.45 shares of IBTX common stock for each share of GBNK common stock. The aggregate consideration is valued at approximately $1.0 billion, or approximately $35.37 per GBNK share, based on the closing price of IBTX common stock of $78.60 on May 21, 2018. Independent Bank Group expects the acquisition to be ~6.5% accretive to earnings per common share in 2020, and ~4.7% dilutive to tangible book value per share at closing with an earnback period of 3.1 years. Upon consummation of the transaction, Mr. Taylor and Edward B. Cordes, Guaranty Bancorp's Chairman of the Board, will join the Board of Directors of Independent Bank Group. Michael B. Hobbs, President of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company, has entered into an employment agreement with Independent Bank and will serve as Colorado Market CEO upon closing. The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is currently expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. The transaction is subject to customary conditions, including the approval by shareholders of Guaranty Bancorp and Independent Bank Group, and customary regulatory approvals.

17:31 EDT Bandera Partners reports 9.6% passive stake in Joint Corp.

17:31 EDT Guaranty Bancorp trading halted, news dissemination

17:19 EDT Insmed announces data from CONVERT study meets endpoint, presented at ATS - Insmed announced that detailed data from its ongoing Phase 3 CONVERT study of ALIS in adult patients with treatment refractory NTM lung disease caused by MAC were presented at the American Thoracic Society, or ATS 2018 International Conference. Results from 336 randomized patients in the Phase 3 CONVERT study cumulatively demonstrated that ALIS, combined with GBT, improved culture conversion rates. The global CONVERT study met its primary endpoint of culture conversion by month six with statistical significance. In the study, the addition of ALIS to GBT eliminated evidence of NTM lung disease caused by MAC in sputum by month six in 29% of patients, compared to 9% of patients on GBT alone. Additionally, results from an exploratory analysis using the 6MWT, a quality of life measure, demonstrated that converters from both groups saw a mean increase in distance walked at month six of 16.8 meters as compared to baseline.

17:18 EDT Kohl's closes down over 7% despite better than expected Q1 earnings - Earlier on Tuesday the CFO of Kohl's, Bruce Besanko, said during the retailer's conference call that the shift in the retail calendar was a benefit to the first half of the year. Kohl's "Friends and Family" promotion also aided to the department stores comparable sales during the quarter, according to the CFO. Shares of Kohl's closed down 7.42% to $60.61 per share. Shares are slightly lower in after-hours trading.

17:16 EDT Take-Two CEO sells 40,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick disclosed the sale of 40,000 common shares of the company in two transactions, both dated May 18. The first transaction of 37,419 shares was bought at $113.2484 per share, while the second transaction of 2,581 shares was purchased at $113.8947 per share.

17:12 EDT Jacksonville Bancorp receives holder approval to complete pending merger - Jacksonville Bancorp, the holding company for Jacksonville Savings Bank, announced that its stockholders overwhelmingly approved their pending merger with CNB Bank Shares, Inc. at its special stockholders' meeting held today. Subject to the receipt of the required regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, the parties expect to close the merger on May 31, 2018.

17:06 EDT PSEG enters next phase of GSMP investing $1.88B to replace aging pipes - PSEG is moving forward with the next phase of its gas system modernization program, or GSMP 2, following approval of a multi-party settlement by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, or BPU. Through GSMP 2, PSEG will invest $1.875B to continue the accelerated replacement of aging gas pipes, supporting a safe, clean and reliable gas system. The work, which will create some 3,200 jobs, entails replacing 875 miles of pipes and other gas infrastructure improvements through 2023. Under GSMP, by December, PSEG will have completed the replacement of more than 450 miles of vintage, high-risk pipe. PSEG plans to begin neighborhood work related to GSMP II in early 2019.

17:02 EDT Kellogg CFO acquires 8,080 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Kellogg CFO Fareed A. Khan disclosed the purchase of 8,080 common shares of the company at a price of $61.776 per share.

16:59 EDT Wilks Brothers reports 5.56% passive stake in Halcon Resources

16:49 EDT Aegean Marine receives noncompliance notice from NYSE - Aegean Marine announced that it has received an expected notice from the New York Stock Exchange stating that the company is not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing requirements under the timely filing criteria outlined in Section 802 of the NYSE listed company manual due to the delay in filing the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. As previously disclosed, the company was unable to file its 2017 Form 20-F without unreasonable effort or expense due to the need for additional time to complete the company's consolidated financial statements to be included therein, and the related assessment of internal controls over financial reporting. At this time, the company cannot predict with certainty when the above-referenced review of the 2017 financial statements will be completed. The company does not expect to make further comment regarding such review until its conclusion. The NYSE informed Aegean that, under NYSE rules, Aegean will have six months from the 2017 Form 20-F due date to file the 2017 Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

16:40 EDT Align Technology VP Julie Tay sells $1.3M in company common stock - Julie Tay, a VP at Align Technology, disclosed in a filing that she had sold 4,440 shares of company stock at an average price of $300 per share on May 21. The total transaction value of the sale was $1,332,000.

16:32 EDT Constellation Brands names Jim Sabia as Chief Marketing Officer - Constellation Brands (STZ, STZ.B) announced that it has promoted Jim Sabia to the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Constellation Brands. In this new role, Sabia will serve as the marketing lead for the company's Beer and Wine & Spirits Divisions, responsible for all aspects of marketing across Constellation's entire beverage alcohol portfolio. Sabia will serve as a member of the company's Executive Management Committee and report directly to Bill Newlands, President and COO.

16:30 EDT OCC approves merger of three Fulton Financial subsidiary banks - Fulton Financial announced that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has approved the Corporation's application to merge two of its subsidiary banks - FNB Bank, N.A., based in Danville, PA, and Swineford National Bank, based in Middleburg, PA - into its largest banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A. The consolidation of the three bank charters is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2018. Customers of the banks should see minimal, if any, changes, other than the bank name, as a result of the merger. As discussed in previous communications, it is Fulton Financial Corporation's goal to eventually merge all of its subsidiary banks into Fulton Bank, N.A. so that it will operate one banking subsidiary in its five-state, mid-Atlantic footprint.

16:20 EDT First Connecticut raises quarterly dividend to 17c per share - Dividends will be payable on June 11 to all shareholders of record as of June 1.

16:19 EDT UGI Corporation announces new $50M Marcellus Shale development project - UGI Energy Services (UGI) announced the further expansion of its Auburn Gathering System with the construction of two additional compressor stations in Susquehanna County and Wyoming County. The expanded system will increase the capacity of the Auburn Gathering System by approximately 150,000 dekatherms per day, bringing the total capacity of the system to 620,000 dekatherms per day. Deliveries will begin in the fall of 2018 with the balance of capacity becoming available in the fall of 2019. The new development project will transport gas from acreage being produced by Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (CBT). The project is supported by a long-term agreement and will require a total capital investment of $50 million.

16:18 EDT Simmons First National declares 15c per share dividend - Simmons First National Corp.'s board declared a regular 15c per share quarterly cash dividend payable July 5 to shareholders of record June 15. This dividend represents a 2.5c per share, or 20%, increase over the dividend paid for the same period in 2017. The per share data reflects the effect of the company's two for one stock split effective February 8.

16:16 EDT Hertz stockholders approves all company proposals at Annual Meeting - Hertz Global announced that its stockholders approved all proposals recommended by the Board of Directors and presented for a vote at Hertz's 2018 Annual Meeting, including an advisory proposal to approve the compensation of Hertz's named executive officers, the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company's independent auditors for 2018, the re-election of six directors, who serve one-year terms and stand for re-election annually, and the election of new Board member, Anindita "Ann" Mukherjee.

16:13 EDT Six Flags acquires 5 new parks owned by Premier Parks, terms not stated - Six Flags Entertainment (SIX) announced it has entered into a purchase agreement with affiliates of Premier Parks, LLC to acquire the lease rights to operate five parks owned by EPR Properties (EPR). The parks have previously been operated by Premier Parks, LLC of Oklahoma City. These latest acquisitions will expand the company's portfolio of North American parks to twenty-five. The parks joining the Six Flags family are: Wet n' Wild Splashtown, Houston's largest waterpark; Wet n' Wild Phoenix, the largest waterpark in Arizona; Darien Lake near Buffalo, NY; Frontier City in Oklahoma City; and White Water Bay, near Frontier City.

16:09 EDT Paratek Pharmaceuticals presents new analysis on OPTIC study of omadacycline - Paratek Pharmaceutical presented a new analysis of the Phase 3 OPTIC study of omadacycline, its first in class aminomethylcycline, versus moxifloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, for the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, or CABP. OPTIC efficacy results were presented by measures of disease severity. The data showed similar, high rates of response for the early clinical response, or ECR, and post therapy evaluation endpoints in both the omadacycline and moxifloxacin treatment groups, regardless of the severity of disease. The results were presented as an oral session at the American Thoracic Society 2018 International Conference.

16:06 EDT Advanced Energy acquires electrostatic business of Monroe Electronics - Advanced Energy Industries announced it has acquired the electrostatic business of privately-held Monroe Electronics, located in Lyndonville, New York. AE's most recent acquisition. Production of these electrostatic products will be integrated into the recently acquired Trek manufacturing facility in nearby Lockport, New York.

16:06 EDT Pure Storage launches new Pure Partner Program - Pure Storage announced the launch of a new program for partners. The new Pure Partner Program will empower partners with new training, certifications, support and incentives. The new program is being debuted at the Global Partner Forum during the Pure//Accelerate 2018 conference and program benefits will go into effect August 1.

16:05 EDT Red Robin CEO says taking steps to improve traffic trends - CEO Denny Marie Post says: "While our sales were disappointing in the first quarter, we continued to do much better than casual dining on traffic according to Black Box Intelligence, outpacing the sector by 230 basis points. This makes our seventh quarter in a row of gaining market share. We did this by driving our off-premise sales by almost 40% year over year, increasingly going where the Guest wants us to be... We are taking steps to improve sales and traffic trends while continuing to make strides on productivity, which is critical to ensure we can deliver great service and value despite rising costs."

16:03 EDT Mersana Therapeutics to present data from Phase 1 study of XMT-1522 at ASCO - Mersana Therapeutics announced that it will present interim data from the ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation and expansion study evaluating the company's investigational compound, XMT-1522, in patients with HER2-expressing breast, lung and gastric tumors. The data will be presented in a poster session at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, annual meeting.

16:03 EDT Energy Focus appopints Jerry Turin CFO - Energy Focus announced that Jerry Turin will join the company as its CFO and secretary on May 29. Turin is an experienced CFO with more than 20 years of strategic leadership in corporate finance, business development, turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and investor relations within public and privately-held companies. Most recently, Mr. Turin served as Chief Financial Officer of Intematix

15:27 EDT Xcel Energy cuts carbon emissions 35% - Xcel Energy said it is a step closer to achieving one of the most aggressive carbon-reduction goals in the industry. Today, the company announced it cut carbon emissions 35%, according to its newly released Corporate Responsibility Report. This puts Xcel Energy on track to reach or exceed its ambitious goal of reducing carbon emissions 60% by 2030 from 2005 levels. Xcel Energy surpassed the U.S. commitment under the Paris Climate Accord in 2016, which called for a 26%-28% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025. It's now working to achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2022 from 2005 levels. The company plans to continue reducing its environmental footprint with an energy mix that is projected to be 60% carbon free in 2022. This transition to cleaner energy involves retiring aging coal plants and replacing their energy with a combination of wind and solar power and using natural gas as backup. Much of the energy will come from wind power, as Xcel Energy will more than double its wind generation with 12 new wind farms in seven states. These new energy sources are complemented by two key sources - the company's array of advanced customer energy efficiency programs and the continued efficient operation of its carbon-free nuclear plants in the Upper Midwest.

14:45 EDT Lear's Foster sells 2,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Lear director Jonathan F. Foster disclosed the sale of 2,500 common shares of the company at a price of $203.2353 per share.

14:34 EDT Home builders have another rough day as Toll Brothers' results confirm concerns - Shares of home building companies are having a difficult day after peer Toll Brothers (TOL) reported quarterly results that were dented by higher costs. Toll Brothers reminded investors of the challenges facing home builder firms earlier when it reported second quarter earnings per share of 72c, way below estimates of 76c, on revenue that was just in-line with Street expectations. COST HEADWINDS CONTINUE: According to various reports out recently, the national labor shortage is making it increasingly difficult and expensive to find construction workers. With that, the price of lumber -- an integral part of the cost of building a home -- is skyrocketing. According to a recent statement from industry research group Wood Markets, the continuation of U.S. duties on Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. are expected to cause more short-term market and price volatility in softwood lumber. "The preliminary duties launched earlier in 2017 rocked the U.S. market and more of the same is expected in 2018." According to the Wall Street Journal, the lumber issue is being exacerbated by a shortage of railcars and trucks to ship the product. Stinson Dean, a broker in Kansas City, Mo., who ships wood from sawmills to lumber yards, said, according to the WSJ. "None of us have experienced a market like this. We are in a lumber supply crisis." Toll's report did nothing to allay these issues as costs jumped 20.5% to $1.29B for the quarter. Gross margins bore the brunt of the increase this quarter, dropping to 22.5% from the year-ago-quarter's 24.3%. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Toll Brothers are down 8.7% to 39.82 per share in afternoon trading. PEERS DOWN: The entire group is in the red, including PulteGroup (PHM), D.R. Horton (DHI), Lennar (LEN), KB Home (KBH), Meritage Homes (MTH), and Beazer Homes (BZH).

14:26 EDT On Track Innovations rises as FCC authorization circulated - An FCC Grant of Authorization dated May 22 was granted to On Track Innovations or an "ultra-compact, multi-purpose NFC reader" according to a post to the FCC website being circulated among traders, according to contacts. Shares of microcap On Track Innovations are up 11c, or 9%, to $1.32 in afternoon trading. Reference Link

13:41 EDT Pfizer says study found Prevnar 13 reduces the risk of hospitalization - Pfizer announced that results from a study analyzing real-world effectiveness data found that Prevnar 13 reduced the risk of hospitalization from vaccine-type pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia by 73% in adults aged 65 and older. Importantly, Prevnar 13 worked under real-world conditions where people received pneumococcal vaccination as advised by their health care providers, and many had underlying medical conditions that increase the risk for pneumococcal pneumonia.1 The results were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study, conducted jointly between the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Pfizer, was designed as a test-negative case-control study and provides evidence supporting the findings of the landmark randomized, controlled Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults. CAPiTA was one of the largest vaccine efficacy trials ever conducted in older adults and demonstrated a significant reduction by 45.6% in vaccine-type pneumococcal CAP in adults vaccinated with PCV13. The Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults excluded people with high-risk medical conditions.2The safety profile of PCV13 in CAPiTA was consistent with studies previously conducted in adults. The study was nested within a population-based surveillance study of adults in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, who were hospitalized with CAP. The population-based surveillance study prospectively enrolled adults in Louisville, Kentucky who were hospitalized with CAP in one of nine adult acute-care hospitals between October 7, 2013 and September 30, 2016. The nested case-control sub-study analyzed a subset of CAP patients enrolled between April 1, 2015 and April 30, 2016. The study used an established measure of vaccine effectiveness known as a test-negative design. In this study, patients hospitalized with CAP had routine cultures performed as well as a urine antigen detection test to determine if they had infections with pneumococcal serotypes included in the vaccine, PCV13. Patients with pneumonias caused by pneumococcal serotypes included in PCV13 were considered "cases," and "control" subjects were patients with CAP who tested negative for PCV13 serotypes. In the study period, there were a total of 2,034 CAP hospitalizations with a median age of 76 years. Researchers identified PCV13 serotypes in 68 of patients who served as the case subjects. Cases were less likely to have received PCV13 vs. controls. This indicated that PCV13 use in adults aged 65 and older can prevent 73% of CAP caused by PCV13 serotypes.

13:05 EDT BP invests $20M in ultra-fast charging battery company StoreDot - BP Ventures said it is investing $20M in ultra-fast charging battery developer StoreDot. StoreDot has developed a lithium ion-based battery technology which enables ultra-fast charging for the mobile and industrial markets. Using this technology, StoreDot is also developing a new type of electric-car battery that will aim to achieve a charging experience that is comparable to the time spent to refuel a traditional car. StoreDot currently expects first sales of its flash batteries for mobile devices as early as 2019. BP believes that ultra-fast charging will be key in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles worldwide.

13:00 EDT E.W. Scripps to transfer stock listing to Nasdaq - The E.W. Scripps Co. will transfer its stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market, effective after market close on June 1, 2018. Scripps Class A common stock is expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq-listed security at market open on June 4, 2018, and will continue to trade under the ticker symbol "SSP." Scripps executives will ring the opening bell for Nasdaq trading on June 29, 2018, the 30th anniversary of Scripps' initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange.

12:52 EDT FDA Commissioner says agency working to expedite gene therapy programs - Scott Gottlieb, the Commissioner of the FDA, stated in prepared remarks for the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine's Annual Board Meeting: "We're at a key point when it comes to cell and gene therapy. These therapies have the potential to address hundreds, if not thousands, of different rare and common diseases...To advance this progress, and address these challenges, the FDA is conducting applied scientific research in cell and gene therapy on novel clinical trial designs. We're also working to expedite development programs though use of all of our regulatory pathways. This includes the use of Breakthrough Therapy designation and more recently, the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation, or RMAT designation. We advanced draft guidance on how we intend to apply the RMAT designation, along with other new steps that we intend to take to expedite the development of novel products, as part of our regenerative medicine framework that we released in November of 2017. We'll be releasing a similar framework soon that will explain how we intend to address manufacturing issues and the development pathway for gene therapy products." Jefferies analyst Michael Yee has previously identified Regenxbio (RGNX), Bluebird Bio (BLUE), Spark Therapeutics (ONCE), BioMarin (BMRN), Abeona Therapeutics (ABEO), Nightstar Therapeutics (NITE) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR) as "mid-to-late stage" gene therapy players. Reference Link

12:43 EDT Game On: BofA says Activision 'best positioned' for esports growth - 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 releases is Microsoft Studios' (MSFT) "State of Decay 2," a zombie survival action game releasing on Xbox One and PC today. Also out this week is Sony Interactive's (SNE) "Detroit: Become Human," an adventure game launching exclusively on PlayStation 4 consoles. NEW 'COD' REVEAL: Last Thursday, Activision Blizzard (ATVI) subsidiary Treyarch hosted a Community Reveal Event for "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4," the latest in its popular series of first-person shooters. At the event, the developer confirmed the absence of a traditional single player campaign and said the title will be the first "COD" game available on Blizzard's Battle.net platform. The developer also said that "Black Ops 4" will include a new game mode called "Blackout," a battle royale game similar to games like "Fortnite" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds." "Black Ops 4" launches October 12, 2018. TAKE-TWO EARNINGS: Last Wednesday, Take-Two (TTWO) reported better than expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter and provided guidance for the first quarter and fiscal 2019. Of note, the company mentioned on its quarterly call that a "highly-anticipated" title from one of developer 2K's "biggest franchises" is now planned for launch during fiscal 2020 after originally being slated for fiscal 2019. BOFA ESPORTS: This morning, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Justin Post maintained a Buy rating and $76 price target on Activision Blizzard, saying that the game maker is "best positioned" for the growth of esports, which he believes will grow to a $1B market next year. The analyst noted Activision's established and "dominant" Overwatch League and "Call of Duty" franchise generating over $100M in expected fiscal 2018 revenue. In addition, Post noted that Take-Two and Electronic Arts (EA) have esports exposure with their respective sports game tournament leagues, though he notes that Take-Two is less exposed than EA and offers less esports potential with upcoming "GTA" and "Red Dead Redemption 2" titles. FORTNITE ESPORTS: "Fortnite" publisher Epic Games has announced that it will provide $100M to fund prize pool for "Fortnite" competition in the 2018-2019 season. The move comes less than a week after Epic said that its popular battle royale game will be arriving on Android (GOOG) devices soon, targeting this summer for the release. Epic Games is 40% owned by Tencent (TCEHY) and is part of Disney's (DIS) Accelerator Program. The mobile version of "PUBG" is published by Tencent while the Xbox One version if published by Microsoft Studios.

12:38 EDT Cooperman says biggest position remains Alphabet, has small stake in Amazon - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:20 EDT Cooperman calls Citi 'solid fundamental value' - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC

12:19 EDT Cooperman says sold Wells Fargo position, invested in Citi - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:12 EDT Cooperman continues to own JPMorgan and Synchrony - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:10 EDT ACLU objects to Amazon selling facial recognition tool to government - The ACLU said in a statement earlier: "Today the American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of California released emails between Amazon employees and local law enforcement revealing how the company has been pushing its facial recognition product, prompting privacy objections about how the technology is being used. The emails were obtained through freedom of information requests submitted by the ACLU.The documents are the result of a six-month ACLU investigation into how Amazon has been helping government agencies from Oregon to Florida deploy a new surveillance product called Rekognition, which is powered by artificial intelligence. Also today, a diverse coalition of organizations including the ACLU sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding that the company stop providing its facial recognition tool to the government." Reference Link

12:09 EDT Altria Group announces new structure consisting of two divisions - Altria Group announced a new structure to maximize its core tobacco businesses while realizing its aspiration to be the U.S. leader in authorized, non-combustible, reduced-risk products. Key components of this new structure include establishment of two divisions - core tobacco and innovative tobacco products; creation of a chief growth officer function to accelerate speed to market for innovative products and technologies; and and aligning product development efforts more directly to the core and innovative tobacco product businesses. Altria will adapt its structure from a COO who oversees all operating companies to a structure aligned with the company's dual strategies - maximizing income from core tobacco businesses and growing new income with innovative tobacco products. PM USA, USSTC, Middleton, and Nat Sherman will form Altria's core tobacco division. Jody Begley, as SVP, Tobacco Products, Altria, will oversee the core tobacco businesses, as well as their product development and engineering support. He will report to Billy Gifford, Vice Chairman and CFO. Leading those businesses will be: Heather Newman, president and CEO, PM USA, Shannon Leistra, president and CEO, USSTC, Ryan Bauersachs, managing director and general manager, Middleton and Dominik Meier, managing Director and general manager, Nat Sherman. Nu Mark, Altria's innovation company, will focus on developing a compelling portfolio of non-combustible products that adult smokers enjoy and have the potential to drive adult smoker conversion. This portfolio includes oral nicotine-containing products, e-vapor and innovative inhalable products. Brian Quigley, as president and CEO, Nu Mark, will oversee the innovative products business, reporting to Howard Willard.

12:05 EDT Leon Cooperman thinks market is fairly valued - Cooperman is speaking on CNBC.

11:55 EDT ARK Investment reports 10.84% passive stake in Invitae

11:17 EDT TJX 'disproportionally' attracting millennial customers - TJX "very pleased" with Q1 results. Says well positioned to capitalized on buying opportunities. Says it has increased the per share dividend by 25% in April. Says "disproportionally" attracting millennial customers. Says happy with eCommerce strategy. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call.

10:05 EDT Abbott recalls HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System - The FDA announced Abbott is recalling the HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System due to a malfunction in the device's outflow graft assembly that may cause the outflow graft to twist and close up over time. The FDA said it has identified this as a Class I recall, "the most serious type of recall." Abbott sent an Urgent Medical Device Recall notification to physicians on May 21, alerting them again to the device malfunction and providing them with instructions for managing patients getting the device or patients who already have the device implanted, the FDA stated. Reference Link

09:45 EDT Kohl's 'feels good' about flat to up 2% comp guidance for FY

09:31 EDT B.O.S. Better Online supply chain division receives $150,000 order - B.O.S. Better Online Solutions announced that its Supply Chain Division has received a $150,000 order for electronic components from a new India-based customer. The order is for delivery through 2020.

09:29 EDT Diana Shipping announces time charter contract for m/v P. S. Palios with Koch - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore, for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v P. S. Palios. The gross charter rate is $17,350 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of about thirteen months to maximum fifteen months. The charter is expected to commence on May 24, 2018. The m/v P. S. Palios is currently chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of $10,550 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties.

09:21 EDT Overstock.com subsidiary t0.com, BOX Digital launch joint venture token exchange - t0.com, Inc. and BOX Digital Markets LLC announce a joint venture to launch the industry's first regulated security token exchange. On May 18, the two companies entered into a letter of intent to form an exchange to list and publicly trade security tokens for companies that issue, or convert existing stock to, security tokens. The proposed joint venture would be equally owned by tZERO and BOX Digital, with each having equal representation on the board, together with one mutually agreed upon independent director. Lisa Fall, who currently serves as CEO of BOX Digital and as president of BOX Options Exchange would be the CEO of the joint venture.

09:19 EDT Kohls says had 320bp benefit to comps from friends & family shift - Kohl's (KSS) says had 320bp benefit to comps from friends & family shift. Says home, footwear, men's business were strongest in Q1, while children's was the most challenging. Sees FY CapEx approx. $700M. Expects to repurchase $300M-$400M for the year. Sees gross margin up 15-20bps for the year. Notes that active continues to outperform the company, delivering 10% comp growth for the quarter. Says Nike (NKE) continues to post strong growth, Under Armour (UA, UAA) also experiencing strong growth, seeing "tremendous" growth in Adidas (ADDYY). Says to launch active expansion test in 30 stores in August. Comments taken from the Q1 earnings conference call. Kohl's is down about 2% in pre-market trading.

09:14 EDT Seritage Growth Properties announces JV to own The Collection at UTC - Seritage Growth Properties and Invesco Real Estate announced a joint venture partnership to own The Collection at UTC, the adaptive re-use of the existing Sears store and auto center at Westfield UTC in La Jolla, California. The transaction values The Collection at UTC at approximately $165 million, including costs remaining to complete the project. Seritage sold a 50% interest in the project to a separate account managed by Invesco and received proceeds of approximately $44 million at closing, which it utilized primarily to repay existing mortgage debt associated with the property. The partnership will invest, or pursue construction financing to fund, the additional capital required to convert the Sears store and auto center into 226,200 square feet of premium space leased to a collection of growing retailers and leading dining, entertainment and fitness concepts.

09:11 EDT Kulicke & Soffa enters licensing agreement with Rohinni - Kulicke and Soffa announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with Idaho, US based Rohinni, to facilitate the design, commercialization and distribution of next-generation micro and mini LED solutions. Next-generation LED technologies have the potential to further enhance performance, improve efficiency and reduce the size of existing lighting technologies. Significant high-volume end-markets including automotive, display, consumer electronics and general lighting are anticipated to drive adoption and benefit from this emerging technology. While micro and mini LED benefits are compelling, high-volume production challenges must be addressed prior to widespread market adoption of these emerging lighting solutions. Rohinni has developed promising solutions that directly address production challenges and have enabled greater design flexibility in end-use applications. In parallel, Rohinni has also established a network of partnerships in several key segments poised to benefit from this technology. Kulicke & Soffa's existing market positions, R&D competencies, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities provide scale to further extend Rohinni's leadership and its effort in driving adoption of new LED technologies.

09:07 EDT BAE Systems receives Lockheed Martin EW contract - BAE Systems (BAESY) has received a contract from Lockheed Martin (LMT) to ensure the readiness of critical electronic warfare, or EW, systems on the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Under the five-year contract, BAE Systems will manage the supply chain and establish the infrastructure necessary to make sure the systems are mission capable and available to warfighters. The EW suite for the F-35, called the AN/ASQ-239 system, protects the aircraft with advanced technology for critical missions. The system's advanced avionics and sensors provide a real-time, 360-degree view of the battlespace, helping to maximize detection ranges and provide the pilot with options to evade, engage, counter, or jam threats. Under the contract, BAE Systems will maintain regional warehouses with on-hand inventories of critical EW components to improve fill rates and reduce wait times. The company will also establish various metrics that will be used to further strengthen confidence in the supply chain.

09:04 EDT Edwards Lifesciences: Treatment with SAPIEN 3 valve shows 'positive' outcomes - Edwards Lifesciences announced 30-day data demonstrating that treatment with the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve in more than 450 commercial centers around the U.S. show consistently positive patient outcomes. The data, involving almost 2,000 severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis patients at intermediate-risk of open-heart surgery, demonstrated consistency with those results achieved in earlier controlled clinical trials in a limited number of hospitals. The propensity-matched analysis comparing real-world data collected from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry with outcomes of patients enrolled in the PARTNER II studies of the SAPIEN 3 valve was presented during the EuroPCR 2018 late-breaking clinical trials hotline session by E. Murat Tuzcu, M.D., chief academic officer and the chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. "These data comparing real-world outcomes with clinical study results in intermediate-risk patients treated with the Edwards SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve demonstrated comparably positive outcomes including high survival rates and low rates of stroke," Tuzcu said.

09:03 EDT Comcast announces nationwide launch of xFi Pods - Comcast announced the national availability of xFi Pods, "giving Xfinity Internet customers an innovative, new option for their whole-home WiFi needs. The small, easy to install adaptive pods plug into any electrical outlet, pair with either the xFi Wireless Gateway or the xFi Advanced Gateway, and help customers extend reliable WiFi coverage to hard to reach areas of their home."

09:01 EDT Kimberly-Clark to expand production at North Carolina nonwovens plant - Kimberly-Clark has approved $30M for expansion and improvements to its nonwovens manufacturing facility in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The plant produces nonwoven materials for Kimberly-Clark's North American adult and feminine care brands including Depend, Poise and U by Kotex. The two-year project will focus on expanding the plant's production capacity and efficiency, and is expected to add 14 new jobs at the site, while maintaining current employment.

09:00 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Kohl's (KSS), up 6%. ALSO HIGHER: Micron (MU), up 7.5% after raising Q3 guidance, announcing a $10B repurchase plan and seeing positive analyst reactions to its analyst day that was held yesterday... Automakers including Ford (F), General Motors (GM) and Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) are up 1%-2% in pre-market trading after China agreed to lower its import duties on U.S. manufactured cars... Macy's (M), up 2% after Kohl's report and after Macy's shares were upgraded to Positive from Neutral at Susquehanna... Shares of Acacia Communications (ACIA) and Oclaro (OCLR), both suppliers to ZTE Corp. (ZTCOY), are up 4.5% and 1.7%, respectively, after The Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. and China have reached the broad outline of a deal to settle the controversy over ZTE that would lift the ban on U.S. companies selling components and software to the Chinese telecom company in exchange for major management changes and fines. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Dycom (DY), down 11%... Pure Storage (PSTG), down 7.5%... Toll Brothers (TOL), down 4%. ALSO LOWER: J. C. Penney (JCP), down 8% after announcing Chairman and CEO Marvin Ellison will resign from his role to pursue another opportunity with Lowe's (LOW), where he has been named president and CEO, effective July 2. Shares of Lowe's are up 3% following the news.

08:48 EDT Itron signs contract with JPS to provide smart grid solution - Itron announced that it signed a contract with Jamaica Public Service Company, or JPS, for a nationwide smart grid deployment. JPS, which serves more than 600,000 customers, will extend its existing Itron Gen 5 network to be able to support up to 670,000 electric meters, which will help the utility improve customer service, drive grid reliability and enable revenue realization. This project will build on JPS' previous deployments with Itron on the island, which included 51,000 electric meters on Itron's smart grid network deployed in 2016 and 2017, and the rollout of 35,000 smart streetlights in 2017. Unifying all endpoints on Itron's network, this deployment that will be able to support 670,000 electric meters will extend the utility's accurate meter reading, revenue protection and enhance post-storm restorations. The Jamaican utility will manage the system through Itron's cloud-based SaaS solution.

08:44 EDT J.C. Penney drops 6.4% in premarket trading as CEO resigns to become Lowe's CEO

08:38 EDT J.C. Penney announces resignation of CEO Marvin Ellison - J. C. Penney (JCP) announced that Chairman and CEO Marvin Ellison has notified the company of his decision to resign from his role to pursue another opportunity with Lowe's (LOW). While Ellison will remain a director and CEO through June 1, he will step down from his position as chairman of the board effective immediately. The board of directors has elected current Lead Independent Director Ronald W. Tysoe as Chairman of the Board and has created an Office of the CEO, which will be comprised of Chief Financial Officer Jeff Davis, Chief Customer Officer Joe McFarland, Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer Therace Risch and Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Mike Robbins. These four leaders will share equal responsibility for the Company's day-to-day operations until a new CEO is appointed. A search committee has been formed to conduct a search for a chief executive officer at JCPenney.

08:37 EDT TJX: Consistency of customer traffic increases demonstrates strength of business - Ernie Herrman, CEO and President of The TJX Companies, Inc., stated, "We are very pleased with our first quarter results as both our consolidated comp store sales growth of 3% and earnings per share exceeded our expectations. Marmaxx, our largest division, delivered a strong 4% comparable store sales increase as consumers were drawn to our great fashions and brands at outstanding values! Customer traffic was once again the primary driver of our comparable store sales increases at each of our four large divisions. Based on our strong first quarter performance, we are updating our outlook for full-year earnings per share. We believe that the consistency of our customer traffic increases demonstrates the strength and resiliency of our business and our ability to succeed through many types of economic and retail environments. Looking ahead, the second quarter is off to a strong start and we see plentiful opportunities to capitalize on the exciting fashions and brands available to us in the marketplace. We are convinced that we will continue to gain market share and grow successfully around the world."

08:36 EDT J.C. Penney announces resignation of CEO Marvin Ellison

08:35 EDT EyeGate submits response to majority of FDA's action items for OBG product - EyeGate Pharmaceuticals announced that it has addressed three of the four outstanding items in a Second Amendment in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's review of its first amendment. EyeGate has demonstrated continued progress towards achieving the Investigational Device Exemption for a second pilot study of the company's Ocular Bandage Gel product, a cross-linked thiolated carboxymethyl hyaluronic acid platform being developed for the acceleration of re-epithelialization of large corneal epithelial defects in patients having undergone photorefractive keratectomy. In the IDE amendment response letter, the FDA identified four insufficiencies in the company's submission and requested additional information on the manufacturing processes associated with the EyeGate OBG product. These comments related to a request for clarification to the previously submitted data, modifications to the manufacturing process documents and validation of a filter used in the sterilization process. The clarification of questions on the data and documentation changes have been addressed in this most recent submission, while work continues on the filter validation requirement. The second amendment to the IDE submission is subject to review by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the FDA. Once submitted, the FDA will have 30 days to review the second amendment and either request additional data or approve the responses.

08:32 EDT CRA International announces new online trading platform NFX - CRA International announced its Auctions & Competitive Bidding Practice has teamed with Wools of New Zealand and Alliance Group to launch an independent online trading platform, the Natural Fibre Exchange. CRA has developed the NFX trading platform and will manage the trading events as the Trading Manager.

08:32 EDT Lowe's names Marvin Ellison President and CEO - Lowe's (LOW) announced that Marvin Ellison has been named president and CEO, effective July 2. He will also join Lowe's board of directors at that time. Ellison succeeds Robert Niblock, who previously announced his intention to retire. The Lowe's board has also appointed Richard Dreiling, a director of Lowe's since 2012, as chairman, effective July 2. Ellison currently serves as chairman and CEO of J. C. Penney Company (JCP), where he implemented a turnaround strategy which has improved the company's balance sheet, increased store productivity, optimized operations and grown key categories.

08:17 EDT Premier Financial declares 5 for 4 stock split - Premier Financial has declared a 5 for 4 stock split payable to shareholders of record on June 4. The company stated, "The board reflected on the positive earnings performance of the company in 2017 and the Q1 of 2018, as well as the positive impact of the lower corporate income tax rate resulting from the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, and their desire to provide shareholders with increased value. The declared stock split will result in shareholders receiving 1 additional share of common stock for every 4 shares of common stock they already own on June 4."

08:10 EDT FDA to review Zynquista as potential treatment for type 1 diabetes - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted Sanofi's (SNY) regulatory filing for Zynquista. The investigational oral treatment would be used in addition to insulin therapy to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 1 diabetes. Developed in partnership with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX), Zynquista is an investigational oral dual inhibitor of SGLT-1 and SGLT-2, proteins that influence how the intestines and kidneys absorb and eliminate sugar resulting in improved glucose control and additional clinical benefits. The FDA New Drug Application for sotagliflozin is based on data from the inTandem clinical trial program which includes three Phase 3 clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of Zynquista in approximately 3,000 adults with inadequately controlled type 1 diabetes. The safety and efficacy data have not yet been evaluated by any regulatory authority. The target FDA action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act is anticipated to be March 22, 2019. Sanofi also submitted a regulatory application to the European Medicines Agency earlier this year.

08:09 EDT Sanofi's filing for Zynquista accepted by FDA - The FDA has accepted Sanofi's (SNY) regulatory filing for Zynquista, or sotagliflozin. The investigational oral treatment would be used in addition to insulin therapy to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 1 diabetes. "If approved, Zynquista would be the first oral antidiabetic drug approved in the U.S. for use by adults with type 1 diabetes, in combination with insulin," says the company. Developed in partnership with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX), Zynquista is an investigational oral dual inhibitor of SGLT-1 and SGLT-2, proteins that influence how the intestines and kidneys absorb and eliminate sugar resulting in improved glucose control and additional clinical benefits.

08:06 EDT Cracker Barrel CEO says 'higher commodity inflation' pressured margins - Commenting on the third quarter, Cracker Barrel President and CEO Sandra Cochran said, "I am pleased that we again delivered positive comparable store sales growth in both restaurant and retail and that the sales trend reflected sequential improvement versus previous quarters. Higher commodity inflation and expenses related to our strategic initiatives pressured operating margins, but I'm pleased with the progress we're making. Our confidence in the strength of our business is reflected in our increased regular dividend and our declared special dividend."

08:06 EDT Axcelis announces multiple orders for Purion M medium current implanter - Axcelis Technologies announced multiple orders for the Company's Purion M medium current implanter from several leading power device chipmakers located in the US and Europe. The orders include a new customer penetration as well as follow on business. The Purion M features Axcelis' innovative solution for high temperature silicon carbide processing, and will be used in high volume production of power devices supporting automotive, mobile and the IoT market spaces. The systems are scheduled to ship in the Q2.

08:06 EDT Pfizer begins Phase 1/2 study to evaluate RSV vaccine - Pfizer announced that it has started a Phase 1/2 trial of its respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, vaccine candidate in healthy adult volunteers. RSV is a common respiratory virus that affects the lungs and airways, with significant impact on young children and older adults. The highest risk of severe outcome from RSV occurs in the first months of life. Currently available prophylactic treatments for RSV are limited for use in high risk young children and infants, including very premature infants. If successful, Pfizer's investigational RSV vaccine could help protect young infants through the immunity created following vaccination of pregnant women. The maternal vaccine candidate is intended to raise RSV neutralizing antibody levels in pregnant women who then pass these protective antibodies to their unborn child and provide immunity during the early months of an infant's life. Pfizer is also advancing a maternal vaccine candidate against Group B streptococcus, or GBS, currently in Phase 1/2 trials. For older adults, RSV is the second leading cause of moderate to severe respiratory illness, following influenza. The risk of serious infection increases with age and for those with chronic heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system. There is no specific treatment for RSV and currently no licensed vaccine to prevent the disease. The trial is designed as a Phase 1/2 randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blind, dose-ranging study with two age groups enrolled in parallel to support both the maternal and older adult indications. One age group includes males and females 18-49 years of age; the other includes males and females 50-85 years of age. The study's primary endpoints are safety and tolerability, and its secondary endpoint is immunogenicity.

08:03 EDT Cracker Barrel raises quarterly dividend to $1.25, declares special dividend - The Company announced that its Board of Directors increased the quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share on the Company's common stock, which represents a 4.2% increase over the Company's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The quarterly dividend is payable on August 6, 2018 to shareholders of record on July 13, 2018. The Board of Directors also declared a special dividend of $3.75 per share on the Company's common stock. This is the Company's fourth special dividend declaration. The special dividend is payable on August 3, 2018 to shareholders of record on July 13, 2018.

08:01 EDT Cracker Barrel Q3 comparable store restaurant sales growth of 1.5% - Cracker Barrel comparable store restaurant sales increased 1.5%, including a 2.8% increase in average check partially offset by a 1.3% decrease in comparable store restaurant traffic. The average menu price increase for the quarter was approximately 2.5%. Comparable store retail sales increased 0.9% from the prior year quarter.

07:35 EDT Conversant, Signet Jewelers form digital marketing pact - Conversant, the digital media arm of Epsilon, an Alliance Data (ADS) company, announced an expanded relationship with Signet Jewelers (SIG), the largest specialty jewelry retailer in the United States. Conversant and Epsilon will provide digital marketing capabilities and data services that enable Signet to analyze, activate and measure digital advertising.

07:32 EDT CytomX Therapeutics receives FDA clearanced for IND application for CX-2029 - CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its Investigational New Drug application for CX-2029, a first-in-class CD71-directed Probody drug conjugate being co-developed by CytomX and its partner AbbVie (ABBV). CD71, also known as the transferrin receptor 1, is a highly expressed protein present in a number of solid and hematologic cancers that possess attractive molecular properties for the efficient delivery of cytotoxic payloads to tumor cells. The achievement of this milestone triggers a $25M payment to CytomX from AbbVie.

07:11 EDT Houlihan Lokey acquires BearTooth Advisors - Houlihan Lokey announced that it has acquired BearTooth Advisors, an independent advisory firm providing strategic advisory and placement agency services to alternative investment managers. The transaction closed yesterday. BearTooth was founded in 2014 by Bob Brown, Andy Lund, Jim McGee, and Riverstone Holdings LLC and operates as a division of Riverstone Capital Services. Through this unique combination of agency and in-house operating experience, BearTooth seeks to provide general partner clients with a more strategic alternative to legacy agency options. Since its formation, BearTooth has been engaged as lead advisor on more than 20 mandates, including traditional follow-on fund raises, new product extensions, new firm and fund formations, direct private equity placements, and broader strategic advisory services. Following the closing of the transaction, the BearTooth team will form the Private Funds Group, a new service offering within Houlihan Lokey's corporate finance business. The group will be based in London and New York.

07:09 EDT Tesla CEO responds to Consumer Reports, says brake complaint 'very strange' - After Consumer Reports said yesterday that "big flaws - such as long stopping distances in our emergency braking test and difficult-to-use controls" kept Tesla's Model 3 from earning a Consumer Reports recommendation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered some replies last night on Twitter, stating in a series of tweets: "Very strange. Model 3 is designed to have super good stopping distance & others reviewers have confirmed this. If there is vehicle variability, we will figure it out & address. May just be a question of firmware tuning, in which case can be solved by an OTA software update. [...] The CR braking result is inconsistent with other reviewers, but might indicate that some Model 3's have longer braking distances than others. If so, we will address this at our expense. First time we've seen anything like this. [...] Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won't stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car. Reference Link

07:07 EDT AirMedia not in compliance with Nasdaq listing rules - AirMedia Group announced that it has received a letter dated May 17 from The Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250 for continued listing because its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 was not filed on a timely basis with the SEC.

07:05 EDT Kohl's jumps 3.2% in premarket trading after Q1 results beat forecasts

07:04 EDT Check-Cap announces publication from clinical study of C-Scan - Check-Cap announced that the results of its multicenter clinical study that examined C-Scan safety and efficacy for polyp detection confirmed by ensuing colonoscopy, which was submitted for capsule CE Mark, received in January, has been published in Gut, an official peer-reviewed journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology. The article, entitled "A Novel Prep-Less X-Ray Imaging Capsule for Colon Cancer Screening: A Feasibility Study," reported that in 45 analyzed patients, capsule and FIT sensitivity were 44% and 37%, respectively, with capsule sensitivity increasing to 78% when greater than50% of the colon surface area was imaged and a linear correlation was observed between imaged area and sensitivity. In an updated scanning algorithm, retrospectively implemented on the study data, the article noted a dramatic increase in number of subjects with imaged area greater than50%, from 21/45 to 41/45 following the new algorithm implementation.

07:04 EDT Kura Oncology, OncoDNA announces screening collaboration - OncoDNA is pleased to announce that it has signed a screening agreement with Kura Oncology. Under the agreement, OncoDNA will support patient enrolment for Kura's ongoing HRAS tipifarnib trial in patients with HRAS mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Tipifarnib is an inhibitor of farnesylation, a key cell signalling process implicated in cancer initiation and resistance to standard therapies. Tipifarnib has demonstrated encouraging clinical activity, including durable responses in HRAS mutant HNSCC. OncoDNA provides physicians in Europe and internationally with next generation sequencing assays for HNSCC oncogenic mutations, including HRAS, for whom tipifarnib may be a potential treatment option. In addition to screening for HNSCC patients with HRAS mutations at clinical sites participating in Kura studies, the Company will also support Kura's other recruitment efforts. OncoDNA offers community oncologists comprehensive cancer biomarker analyses and treatment recommendations tailored to the molecular profile of individual patients' tumors. OncoDNA will inform physicians with HNSCC patients carrying HRAS mutations of potential treatment and clinical trial options, including tipifarnib. Additional information about Kura's currently ongoing RUN-HN trial can be found at clinicaltrials.gov. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

07:03 EDT Acceleron initiates PULSAR Phase 2 trial of sotatercept - Acceleron announced the initiation of the PULSAR Phase 2 trial of sotatercept for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a chronic and life-changing disease that can lead to heart failure. The company plans to report preliminary results from the 6-month primary treatment period of the PULSAR Phase 2 trial in the first half of 2020.

07:01 EDT Dunkin' Brands announces new $250M share repurchase program - Dunkin' Brands Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new program for the repurchase of up to $250M of the company's common stock. The authorization is good for a period of two years.

06:50 EDT IntercontinentalExchange names Stacey Cunningham as new President of NYSE Group - Intercontinental Exchange announced that Stacey Cunningham will become President of NYSE Group, succeeding Thomas Farley, who has served in that role since 2014. Cunningham, currently the COO of NYSE Group, began her career as a floor clerk on the NYSE trading floor in 1996 and will now become the 67th President of the New York Stock Exchange in its 226-year history. As Cunningham ascends to her new role, John Tuttle, currently the NYSE's Global Head of Listings will become COO of NYSE Group. Tuttle, who joined the NYSE in 2007, will lead NYSE's Global Listings, Capital Markets, and Exchange Traded Products businesses. The promotions of Cunningham and Tuttle are effective as of May 25.

06:35 EDT Riverside County Sheriff's Office upgrades Nice Inform multimedia recording - Nice announced that the has upgraded to the latest NICE Inform multimedia recording and incident intelligence technology as it transitions to an all IP environment in preparation for Next Generation 9-1-1. The NICE upgrades were recently deployed at five sites, including three dispatch centers, a training center, and a centralized records bureau which handles all warrant and record requests for the county.

06:30 EDT Advance Auto Parts reports Q1 SSS down 0.8%

06:16 EDT Pointer Telocation, Microsoft agree to collaboration on an AI system - Pointer Telocation (PNTR) announced a new technological collaboration with Microsoft (MSFT) in Israel, building an AI system for modeling and understanding driver behavior. The system will learn based on the large volume of driver behavior data collected by Pointer historically as well as on an ongoing basis, combined with environmental data such as speed limits, road types and weather conditions. The analysis will be performed using Microsoft Azure cloud services, using the most advanced machine learning tools and big data analysis techniques. Pointer's goal is to build a predictive system for driver behavior, based on patterns within the big data collected. The system will be able to forecast those drivers which are more likely to be involved in a future road accident in light of the way they drive and their history. It will also be able to indicate which component of their driving needs improving, in order to reduce their risks.

06:04 EDT DelMar Pharmaceuticals appoints Saiid Zarrabian to full-time CEO - DelMar Pharmaceuticals announced that the board has appointed Saiid Zarrabian as the full-time President and CEO of the Company, effective immediately. Zarrabian had previously served as the company's interim President and CEO since November 2017 and prior to that as an independent board member since July 2017.

06:01 EDT Pacific Premier receives stockholder approval for issuance of shares - Pacific Premier Bancorp announced that, at a special meeting of the company's stockholders held on May 21, the company received stockholder approval of the issuance of shares of its common stock in connection with the consummation of the proposed merger with Grandpoint Capital. In addition, Grandpoint's stockholders approved the proposed transaction by written consent, with the solicitation period for the written consent of Grandpoint's stockholders ending on May 21. The proposed transaction with Grandpoint remains subject to receipt of all required bank regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

05:44 EDT Spark Therapeutics, Pfizer announce data SPK-9001 ongoing Phase 1/2 trial - Spark Therapeutics (ONCE) and Pfizer (PFE) announced that, with a cumulative follow-up of more than 18 patient years of observation, all 15 participants in the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of investigational SPK-9001 for severe or moderately severe hemophilia B, had discontinued routine infusions of factor IX concentrates. None of the 15 participants experienced serious adverse events, and there were no thrombotic events or factor IX inhibitors, as of the May 7, 2018 data cutoff. These data will be presented today by Spencer K. Sullivan, M.D., hematologist and clinical investigator, Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine, at the World Federation of Hemophilia, or WFH, World Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, during the "Free Papers: Gene Therapy" session at 10:15 a.m. BST. "We are pleased to see all 15 participants, notably including the first four participants who have been followed for more than two years, continue to show that a single administration of SPK-9001 has resulted in dramatic reductions in bleeding and factor IX infusions, with no serious adverse events," said Katherine A. High, M.D., president and head of research & development at Spark Therapeutics. "Our commitment to gene therapy research across our hemophilia programs remains steadfast with the goal of developing a novel therapeutic approach with a positive benefit-risk profile that aims to free patients of the need for regular infusions, while eliminating spontaneous bleeding."

05:40 EDT Sprint partners with Scopeworker on multi-billion dollar 5G depoloyment - Scopeworker announced that it will partner with Sprint to help digitize the company's multi-billion-dollar supply chain. Following successful trials in which double-digit percentage savings for Sprint's procurement department were consistently generated, Scopeworker will engage in multiple programs to automate cost, time and quality efficiencies. The Sprint programs are major, multi-year investments that will dramatically improve its network coverage, reliability and speed. Scopeworker simplifies the world's most complex services supply chains with an uncomplicated digital transformation. The web platform and mobile apps real-time automate engagement between buyers, suppliers and workers for an end-to-end supply chain uberization.