Stockwinners Market Radar for June 01, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:52 EDT Tortoise MLP reports unaudited total assets approximately $1.3B as of May 31 - Unaudited net asset value was $802.4M, or $16.93 per share.

18:44 EDT Tortoise Energy Independence reports total assets about $245.6M at May 31 - Unaudited net asset value was $178.3M, or $12.18 per share.

18:37 EDT Tortoise Power & Energy reports unaudited total assets $198.5M as of 5/31 - Reports unaudited net asset value was $146.6M, or $21.10 per share.

18:22 EDT Pengrowth Energy confirms delisting from NYSE, plans to trade on OTCQX - Pengrowth Energy confirms that it has received a delisting notification from the New York Stock Exchange. The company received notice on December 1, 2017 that its share price had fallen below the NYSE's continued listing standard for average closing price of less than U.S. $1.00 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. Given that the share price on the NYSE has not recovered sufficiently to regain compliance, the Board of Directors of Pengrowth decided that it was not in the long-term best interest of the company or its shareholders to effect a reverse stock-split of the company's common stock, in order to preserve the listing of its common stock on the NYSE. Pursuant to Listed company Manual Section 802.01C, trading in the common shares of Pengrowth on the NYSE ceased after markets closed on June 1, 2018 and delisting proceedings commenced. Pengrowth's shares will continue to trade in Canada on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "PGF".

17:59 EDT Celgene, bluebird bio report updated results of Phase I study of bb2121 - Celgene (CELG) and bluebird bio (BLUE) announced updated results from the ongoing CRB-401 phase I clinical study of bb2121, an investigational anti-B-cell maturation antigen AR T cell therapy, in 43 patients with late-stage relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. These data were the subject of an oral presentation by Noopur Raje, M.D. at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. "We are encouraged by the continuing deep and durable responses seen in this study and look forward to the results of our pivotal study, KarMMa, which is currently enrolling," said Jay Backstrom, Chief Medical Officer for Celgene. "We continue to see BCMA as an excellent target in multiple myeloma and we believe bb2121 has the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment approach and outcomes for these patients. We and our partners at bluebird bio are fully committed to the continued rapid clinical development of bb2121 and the evaluation of its potential in the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma." The open-label phase I CRB-401 study is evaluating the preliminary safety and efficacy of bb2121 anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Patients in the study were heavily pre-treated, with a median of seven prior myeloma treatment regimens in the dose escalation cohort and eight prior regimens in the dose expansion cohort. More than 90% of patients had received prior treatment with two IMiD therapies, two proteasome inhibitors, daratumumab and an autologous stem cell transplant. As of the March 29, 2018 data cut-off, 43 patients had been enrolled and dosed in either the dose-escalation cohort of the study, at four dose levels, or in the dose expansion cohort in a dose range between 150-450 x 106 CAR+ T cells. Patients received a lymphodepleting conditioning regimen of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, followed by an infusion of bb2121 anti-BCMA CAR T cells. The CAR T cells were produced from each patient's own blood cells, which were modified using a proprietary lentiviral vector encoding the anti-BCMA CAR.

17:30 EDT Elliot reports 5.9% stake in CDK Global - As of the date hereof, Elliott, Elliott International and EICA collectively have beneficial ownership of 7,726,346 shares of common stock constituting approximately 5.9% of the shares of common stock outstanding.

17:15 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $866M government contract - Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $866M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple contract line item contract for the sustainment and modification of radar sensors, providing depot-level sustainment services and modification projects for the Ballistic Missile Early Warning systems and PAVE Phased Array Warning system radars, and the Parameter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization system. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and other locations, and is expected to be complete by May 31, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity.

17:02 EDT NetEase acquires minority stake in Bungie, terms not disclosed - NetEase (NTES) and Bungie announced that NetEase has acquired a minority stake in Bungie to support the incubation of new creative gameplay and accelerate Bungie's vision of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company. Bungie will continue to operate independently with its employee-owned corporate structure. Through its existing partnership with Activision (ATVI), Bungie will continue to develop and expand the Destiny franchise and support its passionate community. In addition, under the stewardship of Chief Creative Officer and Bungie Founder Jason Jones, Bungie will begin the creation of new worlds.

16:48 EDT Servotronics names Jim Takacs COO - Servotronics announced the promotion of James "Jim" Takacs to Chief Operating Officer. The company's promotion of Takacs to the COO position is a major step in a larger initiative to scale out the operations group of Servotronics in tandem with recent and expected growth. To support Takacs in this effort, the company is actively recruiting additional managerial resources including a Director of Engineering to spearhead research & development and a Vice President of Operations to directly manage day-to-day manufacturing operations.

16:46 EDT AbbVie says IMBRUVICA data suggest improved treatment outcomes - AbbVie announced findings from an interim analysis of the Phase 3 iNNOVATE study evaluating IMBRUVICA plus RITUXAN in previously untreated and relapsed/refractory patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. At a median follow up of 26.5 months, the study successfully met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a significant improvement in progression-free survival with ibrutinib plus rituximab compared to rituximab alone. Patients taking ibrutinib plus rituximab also experienced an 80 percent reduction in relative risk of disease progression or death than those only treated with rituximab. Additionally, the data found that the combination with ibrutinib provided reductions in infusion reactions associated with rituximab and immunoglobin M flare. "The iNNOVATE study provides further evidence of the potential clinical benefit of IMBRUVICA-based combination therapy in patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia," said Thorsten Graef, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Clinical Development at Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company. "The data from this chemotherapy-free combination regimen suggests that patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, including those who are newly diagnosed, could have another beneficial therapeutic option in the future."

16:41 EDT South Jersey Industries approved for acquisition of Elkton Gas - SJI announced that it has received the necessary regulatory approval from the State of Maryland Public Service Commission for the proposed acquisition of Maryland-based Elkton Gas assets from Pivotal Utilities, a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas. The purchase is part of a larger transaction that also includes the acquisition of New Jersey-based Elizabethtown Gas. Pending the state approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for the acquisition of Elizabethtown Gas and satisfaction of other closing conditions, the transaction is anticipated to close in mid-2018. Upon closing, SJI will become the second largest natural gas provider in New Jersey and the third largest local gas distribution company in the country, with service to more than 681,000 customers.

16:36 EDT National CineMedia enters pact with Standard General over director appointment - National CineMedia announced that it has entered into an agreement with Standard General L.P. to immediately add one new independent director to the company's board of directors and, if NCM, Inc. stockholders approve an amendment to the company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, to nominate up to two independent directors designated by Standard General at each of the company's annual meetings occurring during the standstill period. Standard General is NCM, Inc.'s largest stockholder, currently owning approximately 18% of the company's outstanding common stock. Under the agreement, Andrew P. Glaze, an investment professional at Standard General, will be appointed to the NCM, Inc. Board within the next 30 days and will be nominated for election at the company's 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Also at the 2018 Annual Meeting, NCM, Inc. will seek stockholder approval for an amendment to the company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the board of directors, increase the maximum size of the Board to eleven directors and to amend certain Board approval rights . If the company's stockholders approve the Proposed Charter Amendment at the 2018 Annual Meeting, the company has agreed to nominate two individuals designated by Standard General for election to the board at the company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and at each subsequent company annual meeting occurring during the standstill period. Per the agreement with Standard General, the standstill period means the period beginning on June 1, 2018 and ending on the earliest to occur of the 2018 Annual Meeting if the Proposed Amendment is not approved by the company's stockholders and 30 days prior to the deadline for stockholder nominations and proposals to be voted on at the Company's 2022 Annual Meeting. Pursuant to the agreement, Paula Williams Madison, an NCM, Inc. director since 2014, will step down from the board immediately prior to Glaze's appointment and Glaze will be appointed to fill the vacancy created by Madison's resignation from the board.

16:32 EDT AGM Group Holdings acquires SIFT Capital Partners Limited - AGM Group Holdings announced that, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AGM Technology Limited, it entered into a definitive equity acquisition agreement with SIFT Capital Partners Limited and its shareholders to acquire a 75% equity interest in SIFT for a cash consideration of approximately $760K. SIFT is a Hong Kong-based asset management firm which currently holds a Type 9 license granted by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, or SFC. The closing of the transaction is subjected to satisfactory legal and financial due diligence, the approval of SFC, the record of Amendment to the Articles of Association of SIFT, and other customary closing conditions. Separately, the company entered into an equity acquisition agreement to acquire 100% equity interest in AGM Global Asset Management, a Cayman Islands company, from a related party for a nominal amount. AGM Global is not conducting any business currently.

16:21 EDT Community Health completes divestiture of Louisiana hospital - Community Health Systems announced that subsidiaries of the company have completed the sale of 60-bed Byrd Regional Hospital and its associated assets to subsidiaries of Allegiance Health Management. The effective date of the transaction is June 1.

16:19 EDT Associated Banc-Corp completes acquisition of Anderson Insurance - Associated Banc-Corp announced that Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting has closed the previously announced acquisition of Anderson Insurance & Investment Agency, an independent insurance agency based in Minneapolis. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:16 EDT Agios says Phase 1 AG-881 dose-escalation data 'encouraging' - Agios Pharmaceuticals presented the first data from the ongoing Phase 1 study evaluating single agent AG-881 in advanced glioma and other solid tumors. The data were featured in an oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. AG-881 is an investigational, oral, selective, potent inhibitor of mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 and IDH2 enzymes, which was designed for enhanced brain penetrance for development in IDH-mutant glioma. "IDH mutant glioma is a distinct disease where patients are typically diagnosed in their thirties and forties and endure a deteriorating quality of life from the side effects associated with multiple rounds of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and ultimately die of their disease," said Ingo Mellinghoff, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an investigator for the study. "The AG-881 Phase 1 dose-escalation data are encouraging, as they demonstrate a favorable safety profile at lower dose levels and show signals of clinical activity that support further evaluation of the role of inhibiting mutant IDH in low-grade glioma." "With no curative or approved targeted therapies for low-grade glioma and a poor long-term prognosis, we are committed to exploring the novel mechanism of action of our IDH inhibitors in this indication," said Chris Bowden, M.D., chief medical officer at Agios. "Data from our ivosidenib and AG-881 Phase 1 trials and the ongoing perioperative study, combined with feedback from regulators and the neurology community, will inform our pivotal development plan."

16:09 EDT Anson Funds Management reports 8.8% passive stake in Fibrocell Science

16:04 EDT Fairmount Santrol trading resumes

15:56 EDT Zymeworks trading resumes

15:40 EDT Zymeworks trading halted, news pending

14:53 EDT Hudson Bay Capital reports 11.66% passive stake in Jensyn Acquisition

14:48 EDT Sand Grove Capital reports 5.5% passive stake in Mitel

14:33 EDT Atlassian off highs after report of Microsoft talks about potential GitHub deal

14:12 EDT Eli Lilly says will price Olumiant at 60% less than leading TNF inhibitor - As previously reported, Eli Lilly (LLY) and Incyte (INCY) confirmed earlier that the U.S. FDA has approved the 2-mg dose of Olumiant, a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of adults with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to one or more tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapies. Lilly said it will launch Olumiant in the U.S. by the end of the second quarter of 2018. The price of Olumiant will be 60% less than the leading TNF inhibitor, noted Lilly, which will also be offering a patient support program, "Olumiant Together." Incyte is now eligible to receive a $100M milestone payment from Lilly as a result of the Olumiant approval, which Incyte expects to recognize in the second quarter of 2018.

13:37 EDT Citi renews long-term credit card agreement with Shell - Citi Retail Services (C) announced a long-term agreement with Shell Oil Products US (RDS.A) to continue to provide a suite of private label and cobrand credit cards to customers in the United States.

13:31 EDT Spirit AeroSystems CEO says 737 recovery is tracking to plan - Spirit AeroSystems president and CEO Tom Gentile announced at the Bernstein 34th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference that the 737 recovery is tracking to plan. "We are seeing positive impacts from our recovery efforts and expect to be fully recovered to schedule by mid-year," said Gentile. In addition, the completion of $1.3B of bond financing on May 30, 2018, was discussed. The new bonds were part of a broader plan to take advantage of the current interest rate environment to lower the company's average cost of borrowing and extend debt maturities. The use of proceeds from the bond issuance, combined with borrowings under the company's revolving credit facility and term loan, will be used to fund the acquisition of Asco Industries, repurchase the company's bonds due in 2022, pay down a portion of the company's term loan, execute an accelerated share repurchase program, and for financing and acquisition-related costs. "Our new debt structure will place our leverage in-line with industry peers while leaving us comfortably within our desired investment grade rating," Gentile commented. In conjunction with the debt offering completion, the $725M ASR was initiated on May 30, 2018.

13:25 EDT Tadano reports 14.9% stake in Manitex

13:17 EDT EdR up 4% after report of exploring possible deal to go private

13:07 EDT Box Office Battle: 'Solo' expecting second weekend win - Disney's (DIS) Han Solo origin tale "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is again expected to top the box office in its second weekend at theaters. The "Star Wars" spin-off, starring Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, had a disappointing opening weekend of $103M, and is expected by Box Office Mojo to dip about 64% to around $30M this weekend. 21st Century Fox's (FOX, FOXA) R-rated "Deadpool 2," starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular anti-hero merc with a mouth, is expected to earn $22M-$23M over the weekend, its third at theaters. STX Entertainment's drama "Adrift," starring Shailene Woodley, is expected to open in third place with a domestic gross of $13M-15M. Disney's "Infinity War," which is now in its sixth weekend at theaters, is expected to add $10M-$11M for the weekend. The domestic total for "Infinity War" is now over $631M, with a global gross of $1.92B. Publicly traded companies in the space include Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK), Lionsgate (LGF.A, LGF.B), Sony (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA, VIAB).

13:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 1 to 1,060 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 1 rig from last week to 1,060, with oil rigs up 2 to 861 and gas rigs down 1 to 197. The U.S. Rig Count is up 144 rigs from last year's count of 916, with oil rigs up 128 and gas rigs up 15. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 19 rigs and down 4 rigs year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is up 18 rigs from last week to 99 rigs, with oil rigs up 21 to 56 and gas rigs down 3 to 43. The Canada Rig Count is unchanged at 99 rigs from last year's count of 99, with oil rigs up 5 and gas rigs down 5.

12:39 EDT Roche says EC approves Perjeta in combination with Herception and chemotherapy - Roche announced that the European Commission has approved Perjeta in combination with Herceptin and chemotherapy for post-surgery treatment of adult patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence. High risk of recurrence is defined as lymph node-positive or hormone receptor-negative disease. The Perjeta-based regimen should be administered for a total of one year as part of a complete regimen for eBC and regardless of the timing of surgery. "Despite advances in the treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer, many people still have a recurrence and progress to an incurable stage. In the early breast cancer setting, where the ultimate goal is cure, it is critical that we continue building on existing therapies," said Sandra Horning, MD, Roche's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. "Today's approval is great news, as we believe the Perjeta-based regimen has the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of people with HER2-positive early breast cancer who are at high risk of recurrence. We are committed to working with EU member states to ensure the Perjeta-based regimen is available to eligible patients as soon as possible."

12:14 EDT Analysts mixed on GameStop after Q1 revenue misses estimates, interim CEO named - Shares of GameStop (GME) were in focus after the company reporting quarterly results and reaffirmed its guidance for fiscal 2018. Analysts' commentary was mixed following the earnings report. EARNINGS: After the market close yesterday, GameStop reported first quarter earnings per share of 38c on revenue of $1.93B, compared to analysts' estimates of 37c and $1.96B, respectively. Comparable store sales fell 5.3% in the quarter, with new hardware sales slipping 7.9% and new software sales falling 10.3%. The retailer noted that each of these categories was impacted by the "highly successful" launch of the Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) as well as a particularly strong lineup of gaming titles in the same quarter last year. GUIDANCE: GameStop backed its guidance for fiscal 2018, noting that it expects earnings to be "substantially" back half weighted for the fiscal year given the overlap of the Nintendo Switch launch last year and expected strength of the title lineup in the second half of the year. INTERIM CEO: Additionally, GameStop announced that board member Shane Kim, a former Microsoft (MSFT) executive, will serve as interim chief executive officer until a permanent one is named. In addition, Rob Lloyd was promoted to chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Dan DeMatteo will remain as the company's executive chairman of the board. WHAT'S NOTABLE: The quarterly report comes ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, a major gaming convention which is scheduled to take place from June 12 to June 14. Though some game makers, including Bethesda, Electronic Arts (EA), Nintendo, and Activision Blizzard (ATVI), have already unveiled major titles set to launch in the back half of the year, video game publishers and developers typically announce new upcoming titles during E3. BENCHMARK, BAIRD CUT PT: Following the report, Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey cut his price target on GameStop to $10 from $12 and kept a Sell rating on the stock, saying he has "no confidence" in the company's management. Hickey said that he views execution risk as elevated, with management back end loading fiscal year expectations, while Epic Games' "Fortnite," one of the most popular games in the world, is Free to Play. Epic Games is 40% owned by Tencent (TCEHY) and is part of Disney's (DIS) Accelerator Program. In addition, Baird analyst Colin Sebastian lowered his price target on the stock to $14 from $18 but maintained an Outperform rating, saying that results were in-line but highlighted by continued strength in collectibles partially offset by anticipated weakness in new hardware, new software, pre-owned declines and ongoing Tech Brands weakness. The analyst also noted that Q1 had a "light" game release slate. WEDBUSH BACKS OUTPERFORM: Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter backed an Outperform rating and $19 price target on GameStop, saying the retailer delivered Q1 results that "modestly" exceeded his expectations. The analyst expects the shares to trade at a compressed EPS multiple until the company can slow the rate of decline in its core video game business. Pachter noted that GameStop "clearly" deserves to trade at a compressed multiple due to "modestly declining" earnings, but that the Outperform rating reflects the large upside appreciation potential. PRICE ACTION: At midday, GameStop shares were marginally higher at $13.20.

11:58 EDT Honda reports May U.S. sales up 3.1% to 153,069 units - Honda brand gained a total of 4.3% for the month with May U.S. sales of 140,250 units, while Acura posted a 8.0% decline from the same month of last year with U.S. sales of 12,819 units.

11:16 EDT Petrobras announces resignation of CEO Pedro Parente - Petrobras informs that this morning Pedro Parente resigned from his position as CEO of the company. "The nomination for an interim CEO will be analyzed by the Board of Directors in due time. The composition of the Executive Board remains the same," the company stated in a press release confirming the news previously reported by media outlets including Bloomberg and Reuters.

11:04 EDT Raytheon's Naval Strike Missile selected by U.S. Navy under $14.8M contract - The U.S. Navy has selected the Naval Strike Missile, offered by Raytheon Company and Kongsberg Gruppen, to meet its over-the-horizon requirement for littoral combat ships and future frigates. Raytheon will manufacture and deliver over-the-horizon weapon systems under a $14.8M contract for offensive missiles loaded into launching mechanisms, and a single fire control suite. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $847.6M.

10:43 EDT TGI Solar Group announces $1M share buyback program - TGI Solar announced that its board of directors approved a program to buy back up to $1M of the company's stock.

10:39 EDT Lowe's board increases quarterly dividend 17% to 48c per share - The company announced that the board of directors has declared a 17% increase in its quarterly cash dividend to 48c per share, payable Aug. 8, 2018, to shareholders of record as of July 25, 2018. Lowe's has declared a cash dividend every quarter since going public in 1961.

10:28 EDT Ford says will look to stay competitive on pricing in face of tariffs

10:24 EDT Petrobras drops 7% after news of resignation of CEO

10:19 EDT Micron turns negative, down 1% in early trading - The move lower in Micron in early trading may relate to a purported report from Brightwire that is said to claim the company's offices in China were raided and regulators took documents, according to contacts.

10:17 EDT Toyota Motor North America reports May sales down 1.3% to $215,321 vehicles - Toyota Motor North America reported May 2018 sales of 215,321 vehicles, a decrease of 1.3% from May 2017 on a volume basis. With one more selling day in May 2018 compared to May 2017, sales were down 5.1% on a daily selling rate basis.

10:11 EDT Ford sees total May industry SAAR in 'high 16M, maybe 17M' unit range - Sees total May industry SAAR in the "high 16M, maybe 17M" unit range. Says Memorial Day weekend "really solid." Says YTD industry SAAR running at about 17.4M vehicle range, slightly above FY guidance. Still sees total industry SAAR in the low 17M range for FY18. The company confirms that all F-series production is back up and running after the explosion at the Meridian Magnesium factory in Michigan. Comments taken from Ford's May U.S. sales conference call. Ford is up 1.7% to $11.75 in morning trading.

10:01 EDT Comtech awarded $3.3M order from U.S. Army - Comtech announced that during its third quarter of fiscal 2018, its Command & Control Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, has received an order for $3.3M to supply troposcatter equipment to support U.S. Army activities on the Korean Peninsula. Major components of the troposcatter equipment will be provided by Comtech Systems, Inc.

09:51 EDT FDA posting indicates approval granted to Incyte and Eli Lilly's Baricitinib 2mg - A post to the FDA website indicates that on May 31 an approval was granted to Baricitinib 2mg. No press release regarding the approval has been issued yet by the FDA or either of the company's jointly developing baricitinib. Reference Link

09:49 EDT Liberty Expedia Holdings (Series B) trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:45 EDT Ablynx NV (ADR) trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:43 EDT Delaware to offer legalized sports betting ahead of New Jersey - At 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, Delaware will launch a full-scale sports gaming operation at all three casinos in the state - Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and Harrington Raceway & Casino. Betting offered Tuesday will include single-game and championship wagering on professional baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, golf, and auto racing, Governor John Carney announced yesterday. Shares of Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment (DDE) are up 27%, or 45c, to $2.09 in morning trading. Delaware will be the first new state to offer sports betting following the Supreme Court's ruling which legalized such wagering. The Court a few weeks ago ruled in New Jersey's favor to legalize sports betting at casinos and racetracks. The ruling overturned a 1992 federal law that banned sports betting in all but four states. New Jersey lawmakers are looking to pass a bill by June 7 on how to regulate and tax sports betting, according to NJ.com.

09:35 EDT Seven Stars Cloud Group names Federico Tovar as CFO, effective June 1 - Seven Stars Cloud Group announced the appointment of Federico Tovar as CFO, effective June 1. As CFO, Tovar will be responsible for SSC's financial strategy, financial management and reporting, compliance, investor relations, public relations, and corporate development.

09:20 EDT JPMorgan CEO Dimon sees short term rates hitting 2.5% "soon" - Says technology biggest threat to company's business.

09:17 EDT Ford reports May U.S. sales up 0.7% to 242,824 vehicles

09:14 EDT JPMorgan CEO Dimon: Probably in sixth inning of global expansion - Says "completely untrue" that it's 2007 again. Says it feels "completely different." Comments from Bernstein Thirty-Fourth Annual Strategic Decisions Conference 2018.

09:08 EDT Halozyme to present data evaluating pancreatic cancer survival plasma biomarkers - Halozyme will present data evaluating certain biomarkers as potential predictors of survival in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, annual meeting. In addition, Halozyme partner Janssen will present five posters of clinical studies involving subcutaneous daratumumab using Halozyme Enhaze technology. The Halozyme research of peptide biomarkers measured maturation and degradation of type III collagen, a key component of the extracellular matrix, using baseline plasma samples from patients in Halozyme's HALO-202 Phase 2 clinical study of PEGPH20 in combination with Abraxane and gemcitabine as compared to Abraxane and gemcitabine only.

09:05 EDT AMC Networks partners with ACTV8me - AMC Networks announced that it was partnering with ACTV8me, a mobile ad-tech company, to offer a powerful new data-driven platform to advertisers using inaudible audio triggers on TV commercials to instantly send customized offers to viewers through an app on their smartphones. Using the ACTV8me technology, viewers watching TV programming can be sent a variety of offers, digital currency, reward points, coupons or promotions on their smartphones through the Mobii app, triggered by the commercials they see on TV. AMC Networks recently created a dedicated ad sales team to focus on data-driven solutions, called AMCN Agility. The team will include the ACTV8me capabilities into their existing offering across all of the AMCN channels.

09:04 EDT DAVIDsTEA: Glass Lewis recommends shareholders vote 'FOR' director nominees - DAVIDsTEA announced that Glass, Lewis & Co. recommends that DAVIDsTEA shareholders vote "FOR" the management director nominees using the YELLOW Proxy or Voting Information Form prior to the company's June 14, 2018 Annual General Meeting.

08:58 EDT Wyndham Worldwide completes spinoff, becomes Wyndham Destinations - Wyndham Destinations (WYND), formerly known as Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, announced that it has completed the spinoff of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WH) to become the world's largest vacation ownership and exchange company. Wyndham Destinations now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the new symbol "WYND." As previously announced, Wyndham Worldwide common stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 18, 2018, the record date for the distribution, received one share of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. common stock for each share of Wyndham Worldwide common stock held by such stockholder on the record date. Wyndham Destinations expects to file a Form 8-K report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission containing unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements reflecting the impact of the spinoff.

08:51 EDT Covia to commence trading following combination of Unimin and Fairmount Santrol - Covia (CVIA) announced the completion of the previously announced strategic combination between Unimin and Fairmount Santrol (FMSA). Covia will commence trading June 1 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CVIA". In connection with the completion of the transaction, Fairmount Santrol common stock ceased trading prior to the market opening and will be delisted from the NYSE.

08:47 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch says it is running multiple pilots across work streams - Says made progress in real estate portfolio. Says saw increase in real estate productivity in Q1. Says had strong digital growth and penetration. Says has seen double digit growth in pop-ins and order-in-store. Says leveraging data to increase personalization.

08:40 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch says customers responded to newness - Says "pleased" with gross margin expansion, which is a focus of the business. Says more than two thirds of digital traffic from mobile. Says grew member accounts to 17M. Says record Q1 sales for guys. Says overall, customers responded to newness. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:39 EDT Toyota to transfer Africa sales & marketing operations to Toyota Tsusho - Toyota and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have concluded a memorandum of understanding on considering the transfer of all Toyota sales & marketing operations for Africa currently conducted by TMC to TTC, from January 2019. Such a transfer would concentrate the power of the Toyota Group for contributing to regional development through business and would enable the provision of "best-in-town" service. Excluded from the scope of this development are local operations of Toyota South Africa.

08:38 EDT DXC Technology completes separation of U.S. Public Sector business - DXC Technology (DXC) has completed the separation of its U.S. Public Sector business and combination with Vencore Holding Corp. and KeyPoint Government Solutions to form Perspecta (PRSP), an independent public company that begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "PRSP." Perspecta shares will begin trading regular way on the NYSE on June 1 while regular way trading in DXC shares beginning June 1 will not include the right to receive a distribution of Perspecta shares. In connection with the separation, DXC received a $984M cash distribution from Perspecta.

08:35 EDT Aratana Therapeutics files for FDA approval of Nocita label expansion - Aratana Therapeutics announced the company submitted a supplemental New Animal Drug Application, or NADA, for Nocita with the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, or CVM. The filing is intended to expand the Nocita label to include its use in cats as a peripheral nerve block to provide regional post-operative analgesia following onychectomy. The FDA's Animal Drug User Fee Act, or ADUFA, review date is set for July 30.

08:32 EDT West Corporation acquires AVOKE assets from Raytheon, terms not disclosed - West Corporation announced it has acquired the assets of AVOKE from Raytheon. AVOKE provides true end-to-end call experience analytics, enhancing West's comprehensive portfolio of voice, text and unified communication solutions.

08:15 EDT Advaxis presents preliminary data from Phase 1/2 KEYNOTE-046 study - Advaxis (ADXS) announced preliminary data from the ongoing metastatic, castration resistant prostate cancer Phase 1/2 KEYNOTE-046 study, conducted in conjunction with Merck (MRK) evaluating ADXS-PSA, Advaxis's Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapy, alone and in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy. ADXS-PSA was tested alone or in combination with KEYTRUDA in an advanced and heavily pretreated patient population who had progressed on androgen deprivation therapy. A total of 13 and 37 patients were evaluated on monotherapy and combination therapy, respectively. Overall, the safety profile was consistent with findings from prior clinical studies using the Lm platform. Treatment-related adverse events were mostly mild or moderate constitutional symptoms such as fever, chills, rigors, hypotension, nausea and fatigue, consistent with immune activation and manageable with standard care. One patient in the monotherapy arm was discontinued from the study due to a grade 4 TRAE related to cytokine release, which resolved within 24 hours using medical management. There were no new toxicities observed with the combination therapy. In all treated patients, those who received the combination therapy experienced the longest overall survival at data cut-off, with the median not having been reached at 13 months of follow-up.

08:10 EDT Akcea Therapeutics, Ionis receive positive EU CHMP opinion for TEGSEDI - Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA), an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS), announce that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of TEGSEDI for the treatment of Stage 1 or Stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. Click here to read the EMA's press release. The positive opinion will now be referred to the European Commission, which grants marketing authorization for medicines in the European Union, as well as to European Economic Area members Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. TEGSEDI is also under regulatory review for marketing approval in the United States and Canada.

08:07 EDT Ford, Qualcomm and Panasonic announce strategic collaboration to deploy C-V2X - Panasonic (PCRFY), Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm (QCOM) and Ford (F), announced a strategic collaboration to deploy Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, or C-V2X technologies in Colorado. This is the first U.S. deployment of C-V2X technology and is an extension of a previously announced partnership between the Colorado Department of Transportation, or CDOT, and Panasonic to integrate connected vehicle technology in the state of Colorado. Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies and Ford have joined the advanced development efforts to help deploy the technology, and to assess C-V2X capabilities this summer on select roadways throughout Panasonic's CityNOW headquarters in Denver, which will be followed by deployment in select areas along the I-70 Mountain Corridor later in the year.

08:05 EDT Ares Capital to sell majority stake in Alcami to Madison Dearborn Partners - Alcami announced it has reached an agreement to be acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners, or MDP, a private equity firm based in Chicago, will acquire a majority ownership position in Alcami from existing shareholder Ares Capital (ARCC). Alcami's management team, led by CEO, President, and Chairman, Dr. Stephan Kutzer, will continue to guide the company. The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2018, pending customary closing conditions. As part of the transaction, Ares Capital is acting as lead debt financing arranger, and is maintaining a minority equity position in the company.

08:02 EDT Newell Brands CFO Ralph Nicoletti to retire at end of 2018 - Newell Brands announced that Executive Vice President and CFO Ralph Nicoletti will retire at the close of 2018. Newell Brands will begin a search for Nicoletti's successor. Both internal and external candidates will be considered.

07:55 EDT Novelion Therapeutics: MYALEPTA receives positive CHMP opinion - Therapeutics announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended the granting of marketing authorization, under exceptional circumstances, for MYALEPTA. The CHMP recommends granting marketing authorization for MYALEPTA, as an adjunct to diet, as a replacement therapy to treat the complications of leptin deficiency in lipodystrophy patients with confirmed congenital generalized LD; or acquired generalized LD in adults and children 2 years of age and above; or with confirmed familial partial LD or acquired partial LD, in adults and children 12 years of age and above for whom standard treatments have failed to achieve adequate metabolic control. The CHMP's positive opinion will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to grant approval of this indication. The Company anticipates a decision in mid-2018. If approved by the EC, MYALEPTA, which has orphan drug designation in Europe, will be the first and only licensed treatment in the EU as an adjunct to diet as a replacement therapy to treat the complications of leptin deficiency in LD patients.

07:46 EDT Becton Dickinson names John DeFord Chief Technology Officer - BD appointed John DeFord as executive vice president and chief technology officer. Since the completion of the C. R. Bard, Inc. transaction, DeFord has served as senior vice president of R&D for the Interventional Segment at BD.

07:41 EDT PAVmed updates terms of previously announced rights offering - PAVmed announced that its board of directors has approved the following changes to its previously announced rights offering: (i) the common stock and Series Z Warrants included in the units will now be tradeable immediately upon their issuance, and (ii) the subscription price shall be $1.15 per unit. Each right now entitles the holder to purchase one unit at the subscription price of $1.15 per unit and each unit remains comprised of one share of the company's common stock and one Series Z Warrant. The record date for the rights offering remains May 21, 2018 and the subscription rights are still non-transferrable and may only be exercised during the subscription period. The subscription period for the rights offering commenced on May 23, 2018 and will expire at 5:00 PM EDT, on Thursday, June 7, 2018 unless extended by the company.

07:38 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch ends Q1 with $405.1M in inventory, up 2% y/y

07:35 EDT Pfizer receives positive CHMP opinion for oncology biosimilar, TRAZIMERA - Pfizer announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion, recommending marketing authorization for TRAZIMERA, a potential biosimilar to Herceptin, for the treatment of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer and HER2 overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

07:34 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch sees FY18 CapEx $135M-$140M - Capital expenditures are expected to include approximately $85M for store updates and new stores and between $50M-$55M for direct-to-consumer and omnichannel investments, information technology and other projects. The company plans to open 22 full-price stores in fiscal 2018, including 13 Hollister and nine Abercrombie stores. In addition, the company anticipates closing up to 60 stores in the U.S. during the fiscal year through natural lease expirations.

07:12 EDT Auryn Resources announces 'encouraging' results from Tacora target in Peru - Auryn Resources is pleased to announce encouraging results from its initial three trenches at the Tacora target within the Huilacollo oxide gold project in southern Peru. Broad zones of oxide gold and silver mineralization were encountered within hydrothermal breccia bodies that form part of a 1.5 km long structural corridor that defines the Tacora target. Auryn has completed a talus fine survey over the 1.5 kilometer long structural corridor to define the gold and silver mineralization footprint within the target zone, results are outstanding. A follow up trenching program has been designed to expand the mineralized system. Michael Henrichsen, COO & Chief Geologist of Auryn, stated, "The broad zones of oxide gold and silver mineralization encountered in hydrothermal breccias at surface confirm our thesis that the Tacora target has the potential to become a significant body of mineralization. We look forward to obtaining the results from our talus fine survey to define the entire footprint of the mineralized system and to expanding our trenching program as we move toward understanding full potential of the Huilacollo oxide gold system."

07:07 EDT Spirit Realty completes spin-off of Spirit MTA REIT - Spirit Realty (SRC) announced that the previously announced spin-off of Spirit MTA REIT has been completed. Shares of Spirit MTA REIT will begin regular trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker (SMTA). SRC common stockholders of record on May 18 received one share of SMTA common stock for every 10 shares of SRC common stock. As a result of the spin-off, Spirit MTA REIT is now a separate and independent publicly traded real estate investment trust. Spirit MTA REIT owns, directly and indirectly, the assets that collateralize Master Trust 2014, all the properties leased by Shopko Retail Shops and certain of its affiliates, as well as certain other assets. Spirit will continue to provide asset and property management services to Spirit MTA REIT.

07:06 EDT Layne Christensen: ISS recommends holders vote FOR merger with Granite - Layne Christensen commented on the recommendation by proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, that its clients vote FOR adoption of the merger agreement with Granite Construction. Michael Caliel, President and CEO of Layne, said, "We are pleased that ISS has recognized the compelling merits of the proposed transaction, and therefore recommended that our stockholders vote FOR adoption of the merger agreement with Granite. We look forward to the approval of the merger by our stockholders at the Special Meeting." On February 14, 2018, Layne entered into a merger agreement with Granite, whereby Granite will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Layne in an all-stock transaction, with Layne stockholders receiving 0.27 shares of Granite stock for each share of Layne. Layne's board unanimously recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement. In reaching its recommendation that Layne stockholders vote FOR the transaction with Granite, ISS thoroughly analyzed the strategic rationale of the transaction, Layne's standalone prospects, the process that Layne undertook in ultimately agreeing to a transaction with Granite, the value realized for stockholders as a virtue of the transaction, as well as public statements made by Layne stakeholders and bondholders.

07:04 EDT Sarepta receives anticipated negative CHMP opinion for EXONDYS - Sarepta Therapeutics announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency, has adopted a negative opinion for EXONDYS, as expected. EXONDYS is designed to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy amenable to skipping exon 51 of the dystrophin gene. As previously reported on Sarepta's May 5, 2018 earnings call, a negative opinion was anticipated following the oral explanation trend vote. Sarepta will request a re-examination of the opinion, which will result in the assignment of a new rapporteur and co-rapporteur. The Company will also request a Scientific Advisory Group on DMD be called so that neuromuscular specialists, experienced with working with treatments for these patients, can provide expert guidance and insight into, among other things, the validity of the external controls used and the importance of certain functional endpoints, including for instance, the relevance of meaningful slowing pulmonary decline in patients with this difficult to treat disease. The re-examination process is expected to be completed by year-end 2018.

07:02 EDT Jeld-Wen names Gary Michel as President and CEO, effective June 18 - JELD-WEN (JELD) announced that its board of directors has selected Gary Michel as the company's president and CEO effective June 18. Michel will also be elected to the board of directors of JELD-WEN. Kirk Hachigian, chairman of the board of directors and acting CEO, will continue to serve as chairman. Hachigian will devote his time to supporting Michel and ensuring a successful transition for customers, employees, and shareholders. Michel joins JELD-WEN from Honeywell (HON) where he was president and CEO of Honeywell's Home and Building Technologies strategic business group.

06:56 EDT Louisiana-Pacific CFO Sallie Bailey to retire - Louisiana-Pacific announced Sallie Bailey has elected to retire as CFO of LP. LP has initiated a search for a CFO, and has retained a leading executive search firm. Mike Kinney, Director of Investor Relations and Treasurer, a 32-year veteran of LP with deep building products and finance experience, is expected to serve as interim CFO following Bailey's retirement on July 13, 2018, should the search continue to be active at that time.

06:37 EDT LyondellBasell announces approval of up to 10% share repurchase program - LyondellBasell announced that shareholders approved a new share repurchase program authorizing the company to repurchase up to 10% of the company's shares over the next 18 months. The repurchases will be executed from time to time through open market or privately negotiated transactions. The amount and timing of future share repurchases and dividends will depend on, and be subject to, market conditions, general economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other corporate considerations. The share repurchase program and dividend policy may be suspended or discontinued at any time. This share repurchase program does not obligate LyondellBasell to acquire any particular amount of shares. LyondellBasell had approximately 391M shares outstanding as of May 30. The company also announced that at its annual general meeting, shareholders approved the amendments to its Articles of Association that implement the transition from a dual board structure to a unitary board of directors. In connection with this transition, each of the director nominees, including Bob Patel, the CEO, was elected to serve on the unitary board.

06:31 EDT New Senior Investment maintains dividend, strategic review continues - New Senior Investment Group announced that the Company's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of 26c per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. The dividend is payable on June 22, 2018 to shareholders of record on June 11, 2018. An important factor in the Board's decision to maintain the first quarter dividend at this level is the ongoing review of strategic alternatives. As previously announced on February 23, 2018, the Board, together with the Company's management team and legal and financial advisors, is exploring a full range of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. In connection with the strategic review, the Company has formed a special committee of the Board composed entirely of independent and disinterested directors. The Special Committee is being advised by independent legal and financial advisors. The Board expects to announce the outcome of the strategic review, including a change to the Company's dividend policy, in the coming months.

06:08 EDT Big Lots down 3.5% after reporting Q1 results, lowering FY18 EPS guidance

05:39 EDT Euro Tech Holdings announces 70c special dividend - Euro Tech Holdings announced that its board has authorized a special dividend of approximately 70c per ordinary share, in cash, payable on June 22, to shareholders of record as of June 15.

05:35 EDT Southwest Gas announces filing of NV general rate case, Mesquite expansion - Southwest Gas announced that Southwest Gas Corporation filed a general rate case with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, Docket No. 18-05031. The case requests a statewide overall general rate increase of approximately $32.5M, which reflects any reduced tax liability associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. also announced that the Commission voted to approve an order granting Southwest's proposal to extend natural gas service to Mesquite, Nevada pursuant to Nevada legislation. The Commission's order approves a capital investment of approximately $28M.