Stockwinners Market Radar for June 25, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:20 EDT Avita Medical's clinical trial data demonstrates RECELL effectiveness - AVITA Medical announced that results from a pivotal clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness and clinical benefits of the RECELL Autologous Cell Harvesting Device in the treatment of deep partial-thickness burns were published for the first time in a major peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Burn Care & Research. In the randomized, controlled clinical trial, burn sites treated with the RECELL Device required 97.5 percent less donor skin than burn sites treated with the standard of care, resulting in a statistically significant reduction in patient-reported pain, increased patient satisfaction and improved donor scar outcomes.

19:01 EDT Newcrest Mining ordered to divest at least 26% interest from Gosowong holding - Newcrest's 75%-owned Indonesian subsidiary, PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals, has entered into an amendment agreement with the Government of Indonesia to amend the Gosowong Contract of Work. Under the amendment agreement the CoW will change in a number of respects, the more significant of which comprise the following: PT NHM shall pay prevailing tax rates contained in the Indonesian Income Tax Laws law from 1 July 2018. Though the net impact of these changes in aggregate will negatively impact the value of Gosowong, the impact on cashflow is not expected to be material for Newcrest. Indonesian parties must own at least 51% of PT NHM within two years of signing the amendment agreement. As a result, Newcrestmust divest at least another 26% interest from its current shareholding percentage of 75%.

18:25 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P 400, 500 indices - S&P MidCap 400 constituent Copart (CPRT) will replace Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) in the S&P 500, and Exelixis (EXEL) will replace Copart in the S&P MidCap 400 effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, July 2. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which is merging with privately held Keurig Green Mountain, is changing its name to Keurig Dr Pepper and its ticker symbol (KDP) in a transaction expected to be completed soon. The newly combined company will no longer be eligible for inclusion in the S&P 500 as its Investable Weight Factor, which measures the percentage of free float available to the public, is expected to fall well below the 50% eligibility threshold needed for continued inclusion in the index.

18:02 EDT SemGroup, DCP Midstream extend open season for NGL service in Texas - SemGroup (SEMG) and DCP Midstream (DCP) announced that, due to shipper interest, they have extended by one week the binding open season for natural gas liquids transportation service from the DJ Basin to Mont Belvieu, Texas. The transportation capacity is available via a soon-to-be converted portion of White Cliffs Pipeline and Southern Hills Pipeline, connecting Weld County, Colorado to Mont Belvieu, Texas. The project, which is expected to be in service in the fourth quarter of 2019, will provide DJ Basin customers with increased NGL takeaway capacity and open access to the Texas Gulf Coast markets. SemGroup owns 51% of White Cliffs Pipeline and is the operator. DCP owns 66% of Southern Hills Pipeline and is the operator. Shippers will move product under a published joint tariff between the two carriers. The open season is being held to provide prospective shippers an opportunity to receive discount transportation rates in exchange for long-term volume commitments. Open Season began May 24, 2018, and will now conclude at 5 p.m. Central Time on July 2, 2018.

17:41 EDT Donald Trump says 'surprised' Harley-Davidson first to 'wave the White Flag' - President Donald Trump said in a tweet: "Surprised that Harley-Davidson, of all companies, would be the first to wave the White Flag. I fought hard for them and ultimately they will not pay tariffs selling into the E.U., which has hurt us badly on trade, down $151 Billion. Taxes just a Harley excuse - be patient!" Reference Link

17:34 EDT American Eagle chairman Jay Schottenstein sells $21.4M in company shares - American Eagle Chairman Jay Schottenstein disclosed in a filing that he had sold 842,206 shares of company stock at an average price of $25.42 for a total transaction value of $21,408,877 on June 21.

17:30 EDT OrbiMed Capital GP reports 5.76% passive stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals

17:28 EDT Cisco VP David Goeckeler sells $1.5M worth of common stock - Cisco VP David Goeckeler disclosed in a filing that he had sold 35,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $43.27 per share for a total transaction value of $1,514,349 on June 22.

17:24 EDT Ocwen names John Britti interim CEO - Ocwen Financial announced that John V. Britti, presently EVP and Chief Investment Officer, has been appointed to serve as the company's interim CEO from July 1, until the expected closing of the company's acquisition of PHH Corporation, at which time Glen A. Messina will assume the role of President and CEO in accordance with his previously disclosed agreement with the company. As previously announced, Ronald M. Faris, the company's current President and CEO, will be retiring effective June 30. Britti will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer during his tenure as interim Chief Executive Officer. A determination will be made at a future date by the company's Compensation Committee with respect to the appropriate compensation for Mr. Britti for his service as interim CEO, which determination may be made following the conclusion of his service in this role.

17:22 EDT Samarco signs deal with Brazilian authorities over Fundao tailing dam - Vale (VALE) said that, on June 25, 2018, it entered into a final agreement with Samarco Mineracao S.A., BHP Billiton Brasil Ltda (BHP) and the following institutions: the Federal and State Prosecution offices, the Federal Public Defenders' office and the State Public Defenders' offices of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo and the Federal Attorneys' office and State Attorneys' offices of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo. The agreement establishes, among other matters, innovations in the governance of the Renova Foundation to ensure a greater participation of the affected people and a process to deal with a possible renegotiation of the programs designated to repair the disruption of the Fundao tailing dam, to be assessed after the conclusion of the work of specialists hired by Samarco to advise the Federal Prosecutor's Office.

17:19 EDT Exelixis to replace Copart in S&P 400 at open on July 2

17:17 EDT Viking Global Investors reports 5.4% passive stake in Middleby

16:57 EDT Palatin enters Russell 3000 index - Palatin Technologies announced that it has been added to the Russell 3000 Index as part of the annual Russell U.S. Index reconstitution. The addition was effective as of the U.S. market opening today.

16:47 EDT Ocean Power receives new patent to optimize energy harvesting - Ocean Power Technologies announced that the company has received a new U.S. patent for a method of controlling wave power generation equipment to optimize energy harvesting in low to moderate sea states. Real time sensor data and proprietary, predictive algorithms are used by the PowerBuoy's control system to maximize the net power generated in low to moderate sea states. The control technique is fast enough to be applied to the timescale of a single passing wave. The newly issued patent involves techniques for allowing the PowerBuoy to remain in a sleep mode, then activate very quickly to harvest wave energy, and then return to a sleep mode if wave conditions are not optimal for continued power generation. This patent represents an upgrade over earlier control system designs and a significant improvement in power management. The newly issued patent increases the company's U.S. issued patent portfolio to 65 patents, with 50 active U.S. patents. In addition, the company has an additional 3 U.S. patent applications pending. Expiration dates for issued U.S. patents range from 2018 through 2032.

16:41 EDT Senvest Management reports 5.1% passive stake in TowerJazz

16:35 EDT Mirati Therapeutics added to Russell 2000 Index - Mirati Therapeutics announced that it has been added to the Russell 2000 Index, effective as of the open of the market on Monday, June 25, 2018, following Russell's annual reconstitution of its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. The index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index and represents approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of that index.

16:30 EDT Ulta Beauty's ECK sells 3,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Ulta Beauty director Dennis K. Eck disclosed the sale of 3,500 common shares of the company in two transactions. The first transaction of 2,500 shares was priced at $252.01 per share, while the second transaction of 1,000 shares was priced at $250.32 per share.

16:25 EDT Icahn will not submit offer in connection with SandRidge Energy's review process - SandRidge Energy announced it had entered into a confidentiality agreement with Icahn, on June 22, 2018. In addition, the company arranged with Icahn that, subject to compliance with the confidentiality agreement, it would provide certain Icahn representatives board observer rights, with such rights being terminable at any time and subject to certain limited exceptions. In addition, on June 22, 2018, the company was informed that Icahn would not be submitting an offer in connection with the company's strategic review process.

16:21 EDT Eloxx Pharmaceuticals names Dr. Greg Williams as COO - Eloxx Pharmaceuticals announced that it has hired Dr. Greg Williams as the COO and David P. Snow as Chief Business Officer of the company. Dr. Williams has over 30 years of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology experience leading regulatory affairs, compliance, quality, manufacturing, commercial and product development programs. Snow has over 25 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry developing global brands, leading large commercial organizations across major markets, driving transformation and growth, and delivering a successful track record of business development.

16:18 EDT Sunesis in $15.5M stock purchase pact with Aspire Capital - Sunesis Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered into a common shares purchase agreement of up to $15.5M with Aspire Capital Fund.Under the terms of the Agreement, Aspire Capital has made an initial investment via purchase of $500,000 worth of SNSS common shares at a price of $2.19 per common share. In addition, Aspire Capital has committed to purchasing up to an additional $15M of common shares of Sunesis, at Sunesis' request from time to time during a 24-month period beginning on the effective date of a registration statement related to the transaction and at prices based on the market price at the time of each sale. There are no warrants, derivatives, or other share classes associated with this Agreement. Under the terms of the Agreement, Sunesis will control the timing and amount of the further sale of common shares of Sunesis to Aspire Capital. "We are delighted to enter into this transaction with Aspire Capital and are happy with the control this arrangement gives us in our fundraising," said Willie Quinn, Chief Financial Officer of Sunesis. "This facility gives us another strategic and flexible financing tool which can efficiently support the advancement of our kinase inhibitor pipeline, led by the novel, non-covalent BTK inhibitor vecabrutinib." "We are excited to invest in Sunesis and to be providing additional financial support with this Agreement, as we believe the company's lead asset, vecabrutinib, has the potential to become an important new treatment option for patients with CLL," said Steven G. Martin, Managing Member of Aspire Capital. "We are impressed with the Sunesis team and the work they have done to understand the science behind non-covalent BTK inhibition and what that can mean for patients. We look forward to seeing clinical validation for vecabrutinib."

16:17 EDT GlobalSCAPE regains compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards - GlobalSCAPE announced that it has regained compliance with the NYSE American LLC continued listing standards. As previously reported by the company in a Current Report on Form 8-K on August 28, 2017, GlobalSCAPE received notice on August 22, 2017 that the company was not in compliance with the continued listing standards of the NYSE American Company Guide.

16:15 EDT Point72 Asset Management reports 5.5% passive stake in Catalyst Biosciences

16:10 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announces uplisting to Nasdaq Capital Market - Aerpio announced that its common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to the pricing of the public offering it announced.

16:07 EDT Anson Funds Management reports 9.9% passive stake in InVivo Therapeutics

16:06 EDT Prothena announces Tran Nguyen appointed to newly created COO role - Prothena Corporation announced that Tran Nguyen has been appointed to the newly created role of COO, in addition to serving in his current role as CFO.

16:05 EDT Ezcorp acquires 40 additional pawn stores in Mexico - EZCORP announced that it has acquired 40 pawn stores operating under the name "Montepio San Patricio" in and around Mexico City. With this acquisition, the Company has a total of 139 stores in the Mexico City area, the largest market in Mexico. EZCORP now owns and operates a total of 961 pawn stores, 47% of which are located in Latin America. The acquisition was completed earlier today, and the purchase price was paid in cash.

16:04 EDT Aviat Networks sees one-time restructuring charge of about $3M - In conjunction with its realignment, the company anticipates it will incur one-time restructuring charges of approximately $3M and approximately $0.5M in share-based compensation, the majority of which are expected to be incurred in the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter and first half of fiscal 2019. Additionally, the company anticipates it will generate approximately $1.2M in savings in fiscal 2019, the majority of which will be allocated to support growth-related initiatives. In addition to net headcount reductions, savings and efficiencies will be realized through increased use of automation and aggregating and consolidating back-office support functions. In fiscal 2020, the Company expects to generate annual savings of $3.2M, while being in a stronger position to drive both top- and bottom-line performance.

16:02 EDT Colony Credit Real Estate added to U.S. Small-cap Russell 2000 Index - Colony Credit Real Estate has joined the Small-cap Russell 2000 and broad-market Russell 3000 Indexes as a result of the Russell US indexes annual reconstitution, effective today June 25, 2018. Annual Russell US indexes reconstitution captures the 4,000 largest US stocks as of May 11, 2018 ranking them by total market capitalization. Membership in the Russell 2000 Index, which remains in place for one year, is based on membership in the broad-market Russell 3000 Index. The stock also was automatically added to the appropriate growth and value indexes. FTSE Russell determines membership for its Russell US Indexes primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.

16:02 EDT Endologix names Jeffry Fecho as Chief Quality Officer - Endologix announced that it has appointed Jeffry Fecho as the Company's Chief Quality Officer, effective as of June 25, 2018. Mr. Fecho brings to Endologix almost thirty years of executive leadership and quality expertise. Most recently, he was the Division Vice President for Operations and New Product Quality at Abbott Laboratories, where he led the global Quality organization across 20 sites and was responsible for the New Product Development function. Prior to that role, he spent 11 years at St. Jude Medical, where he eventually became the Vice President, Global Quality.

16:01 EDT Qiagen announces broader GeneReader applications into hereditary disease study - QIAGEN N.V. introduced seamless next-generation sequencing solutions for a wide range of hereditary diseases on the GeneReader NGS System, the complete Sample to Insight NGS solution for any lab worldwide. QIAGEN has launched customizable QIAact target enrichment panels for analysis of more than 13 hereditary disease groups. The solutions integrate QIAGEN's QCI analysis and interpretation solutions, in particular also QIAGEN's HGMD Human Gene Mutation Database, the leading genomic knowledge base on hereditary diseases, with integrated bioinformatics analysis and interpretation software to deliver clear, actionable reports. This integrated solution will allow for the analysis of specific sets of genetic hereditary disorders of interest, including inherited cancers, cystic fibrosis, inherited cardiovascular diseases, universal carrier screening and various other hereditary conditions.

15:41 EDT Catabasis says new NF-kB inhibition biomarker data support Phase 1 results - Catabasis Pharmaceuticals reported new NF-kB inhibition biomarker results showing edasalonexent target engagement in the MoveDMD Phase 2 trial and open-label extension in boys affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. NF-kB is a fundamental driver of disease progression in DMD. These results add further support to the significant NF-kB biomarker results observed in Phase 1 of the MoveDMD trial and are consistent with significantly decreased C-reactive protein with edasalonexent treatment. These data were presented at the New Directions in Biology and Disease of Skeletal Muscle Conference in New Orleans, LA. The NF-kB pathway is the key link between loss of dystrophin and disease manifestation and progression in DMD. Lack of dystrophin combined with mechanical stress activates NF-kB, which promotes inflammation and fibrosis, suppresses muscle regeneration and drives muscle degeneration. Edasalonexent is an oral small molecule that inhibits NF-kB and improves skeletal, diaphragm and cardiac disease in mouse and dog models of DMD. During the off-treatment control period when boys were not receiving edasalonexent, transcripts of NF-kB-regulated genes increased in whole blood, consistent with systemic inflammation in DMD. Gene expression analysis was performed following 12 and 24 weeks of 100 mg/kg of edasalonexent treatment and transcripts of NF-kB-regulated genes significantly decreased by 2-fold, showing decreased NF-kB signaling in boys receiving edasalonexent and consistent with edasalonexent reducing inflammation. "We are pleased to see additional clinical evidence demonstrating the activity of edasalonexent in inhibiting NF-kB in boys affected by Duchenne, consistent with the observed substantial slowing of Duchenne disease progression in the assessments of muscle function and magnetic resonance," said Andrew Nichols, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Catabasis. "Building on the results previously reported for edasalonexent treatment in patients in the MoveDMD trial, these new biomarker data further support the consistent positive edasalonexent results. We look forward to advancing edasalonexent in a single global Phase 3 trial this year with the goal of improving the quality and length of life for those affected by Duchenne."

15:35 EDT Coherus says more interactions needed with CHMP before CHS-1701 opinion - In a regulatory filing, Coherus Biosciences disclosed that on June 25, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or "CHMP", issued a draft agenda ahead of their June 25-28 meeting, indicating further interactions with Coherus regarding the outstanding issues related to pegfilgrastim biosimilar product candidate CHS-1701 are required prior to rendering a CHMP opinion. The company anticipates such interactions will occur prior to the next CHMP meeting on July 23-26, 2018, which the company understands is the next opportunity for a CHMP opinion. "To date, CHMP has not requested a pre-authorization oral explanation," the company added.

15:00 EDT MarineMax sinks as Brunswick fails to sell Sea Ray, drops yacht business - Shares of MarineMax (HZO) are under pressure following Brunswick Corporation's (BC) failed attempt to sell its Sea Ray division and decision to discontinue Sea Ray's yacht and sport yacht business. Craig-Hallum analyst Steve Dyer believes this turn of events presents "risk and uncertainty" for MarineMax, prompting him to downgrade the stock to Hold. SEA RAY SALE ENDED: Brunswick Corporation announced it has ended the sale process for its Sea Ray business, including the Meridian brand, and will "retain and revitalize" Sea Ray and leverage its premium brand to capitalize on growth opportunities in its sport boat and cruiser product categories. The company said it will discontinue Sea Ray sport yacht and yacht models, resulting in the wind down of yacht production in the third quarter of 2018. Sea Ray will begin to wind down sport yacht and yacht production in the third quarter at its Sykes Creek and Palm Coast, Florida, facilities, involving the elimination of as many as 825 positions. Palm Coast is targeted for closure as soon as practical in 2018, while a portion of Sykes Creek will continue to operate for the foreseeable future to support customer service and warranty obligations, along with other operational requirements. MARINEMAX 'EXCITED' FOR SEA RAY'S FUTURE: MarineMax is the largest retailer of Sea Ray boats in the world, historically representing over 50% of Sea Ray's world-wide sales. The Sea Ray brand accounted for approximately 23% of MarineMax's FY17 revenue. Sea Ray's sport yacht and yacht division represented less than 10% of MarineMax's rolling 12-month revenue in the period ending March 31, 2018, the company noted. Commenting on Brunswick's announcement, MarineMax said it believes its brand and product diversification will allow it to replace the Sea Ray sport yacht and yacht revenue. CEO William McGill said, "It is great to see, that through the sale process, Brunswick recognized the importance of one of the most esteemed brands in our industry...We are disappointed by the decision to discontinue sport yachts and yachts, but we are excited for the future of the Sea Ray and the focus on sport boats and sport cruisers." CRAIG-HALLUM MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: In a research note to investors following the news, Craig-Hallum's Dyer downgraded MarineMax to Hold from Buy and lowered his price target on the shares to $22 from $27. The analyst pointed out that Brunswick's failed attempt to sell its Sea Ray division and decision to discontinue Sea Ray's yacht and sport yacht business presents "risk and uncertainty" for MarineMax. The company was "by far" Sea Ray's largest dealer network and Dyer estimates that roughly 10%-15% of MarineMax's new boat sales were of Sea Ray yacht and sport yachts. While some of that can be offset with other yacht lines, the analyst is unsure of Brunswick's commitment to the remainder of the Sea Ray line. Given the "crucial importance" of Sea Ray to MarineMax's business, Dyer believes it is prudent to step to the sidelines pending better visibility as to Brunswick's intention. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of MarineMax have dropped over 12% to $19.35, while Brunswick's stock has slipped about 4% to $63.07.

14:49 EDT Discovery Communications trading resumes

14:44 EDT Discovery Communications trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:29 EDT CorePoint Lodging Inc trading resumes

14:05 EDT CorePoint Lodging Inc trading halted, news pending

14:01 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $364M ATACMS contract from U.S. Army - Lockheed Martin announced a $364M production contract for Army Tactical Missile System missiles for the U.S. Army and a Foreign Military Sales customer. The program will allow the military services to upgrade their existing Block 1 missiles with new technology and double the range, while extending the missiles' shelf life by more than 10 years and providing warfighters the latest surface-to-surface missile capability. Both the SLEP and new ATACMS rounds will be produced at Lockheed Martin's Precision Fires Production Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas. All missiles under this contract are scheduled to be delivered by January 2021.

13:54 EDT Correction: Perrigo, not Teva, contacted by FDA about missed T-Gel study - A prior headlined issued on June 22 erroneously stated that the Commissioner of the U.S. FDA had said Teva (TEVA) missed an FDA deadline for a Testosterone Gel study. The deadline was missed by Perrigo (PRGO). A corrected headline and alert have been issued.

13:43 EDT FDA says will take action when marijuana-derived products marketed illegally - FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement on the importance of conducting proper research to prove safe and effective medical uses for the active chemicals in marijuana and its components, stating in part: "Today, the FDA approved a purified form of the drug cannabidiol (CBD). This is one of more than 80 active chemicals in marijuana. The new product was approved to treat seizures associated with two rare, severe forms of epilepsy in patients two years of age and older...This is an important medical advance. But it's also important to note that this is not an approval of marijuana or all of its components. This is the approval of one specific CBD medication for a specific use. And it was based on well-controlled clinical trials evaluating the use of this compound in the treatment of a specific condition...The FDA will continue to support rigorous scientific research on potential medical treatments using marijuana and its components that seek to be developed through the appropriate scientific channels. However, we remain concerned about the proliferation and illegal marketing of unapproved CBD-containing products with unproven medical claims. The promotion and use of these unapproved products may keep some patients from accessing appropriate, recognized therapies to treat serious and even fatal diseases...We'll continue to take action when we see the illegal marketing of CBD-containing products with unproven medical claims. We're especially concerned when these products are marketed for serious or life threatening diseases, where the illegal promotion of an unproven compound could discourage a patient from seeking other therapies that have proven benefits." Reference Link

13:30 EDT Xenon Pharmaceuticals' Potiga granted FDA orphan status - Xenon Pharmaceuticals' Potiga was granted FDA orphan status as a treatment of KCNQ2 epileptic encephalopathy, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

12:58 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals announces FDA approval of Epidiolex oral solution - GW Pharmaceuticals, along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved EPIDIOLEX oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older. EPIDIOLEX is the first prescription pharmaceutical formulation of highly-purified, plant-derived cannabidiol, a cannabinoid lacking the high associated with marijuana, and the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs. Product availability is pending rescheduling which is expected to occur within 90 days. "Today's approval of EPIDIOLEX is a historic milestone, offering patients and their families the first and only FDA-approved CBD medicine to treat two severe, childhood-onset epilepsies," said Justin Gover, GW's CEO. "This approval is the culmination of GW's many years of partnership with patients, their families, and physicians in the epilepsy community to develop a much needed, novel medicine. These patients deserve and will soon have access to a cannabinoid medicine that has been thoroughly studied in clinical trials, manufactured to assure quality and consistency, and available by prescription under a physician's care." EPIDIOLEX will be marketed in the U.S. by Greenwich Biosciences, the U.S. subsidiary of GW Pharmaceuticals plc. As part of the approval process, EPIDIOLEX must be rescheduled from its current Schedule I before it can be made available to patients. Rescheduling is expected to occur within 90 days. Access is expected to be similar to other branded AEDs and EPIDIOLEX is expected to be available to appropriate patients by Fall 2018. Outside the U.S., this medicine is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of seizures associated with LGS and Dravet Syndrome. An EMA decision on whether to recommend approval is expected in the first quarter of 2019.

12:30 EDT CBL Properties names Michael Lebovitz as president, effective immediately - CBL Properties announced the appointment of Michael I. Lebovitz as President of the company, effective immediately.

12:27 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals rises as FDA site shows approval for Epidiolex

12:16 EDT Richmond Brothers reports 16.1% stake in Air Industries

12:12 EDT CohBar presents preclinical data on lead candidate CB4211 - CohBar announced the presentation of preclinical data on CB4211, its lead mitochondria based therapeutics candidate under development as a potential treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, at the American Diabetes Association 78th Scientific Sessions, held June 22-26. "The in vitro evidence for CB4211 acting as an insulin sensitizer is consistent with our prior preclinical observations in vivo...We believe CB4211 affects a foundational event in the etiology of NASH and potentially other metabolic diseases. The novel mechanism of action of CB4211 may also offer a complementary approach to other mechanisms currently being explored for the treatment of NASH and other metabolic diseases. We look forward to further testing the potential of CB4211 in clinical studies," said CohBar's Chief Scientific Officer Kenneth Cundy.

12:07 EDT ExxonMobil's XTO Energy says has reduced methane emissions by 9% since 2016 - ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy said it has reduced methane emissions from its operations by 9% since 2016, demonstrating significant progress in its methane emissions reduction program and other initiatives. Of that amount, a reduction of close to 4%, or more than 7,200 metric tons of methane, was achieved through XTO's voluntary program and other operational improvements, XTO President Sara Ortwein said at the World Gas Conference in Washington, D.C. Across ExxonMobil operations, the reduction equates to a 2 percent reduction. Through its continued efforts, XTO will contribute to ExxonMobil's measures to reduce methane emissions across its worldwide operations by 15% by 2020.

12:00 EDT Herc Holdings falls -9.3% - Herc Holdings is down -9.3%, or -$5.55 to $54.00.

12:00 EDT Yirendai falls -9.7% - Yirendai is down -9.7%, or -$2.19 to $20.41.

12:00 EDT Acorn International rises 34.2% - Acorn International is up 34.2%, or $5.35 to $20.99.

11:56 EDT Havner Family Trust buys $1M in common stock of General Finance Corp - The Havner Family Trust disclosed in a regulatory filing that it had purchased 87,363 shares of the common stock of General Finance Corp on June 22 at an average price of $12.05 per share. The total price of the transaction was $1,052,724.

11:37 EDT Frontier Communications seeks to borrow an incremental $240M, backs FY18 view - Frontier Communications announced that it is seeking to borrow an incremental $240M in its senior secured term loan B facility, subject to market and customary conditions. Frontier intends to use the proceeds of the incremental term loan B to repay borrowings under its credit agreements with CoBank ACB. Frontier also has launched technical amendments to its credit agreements with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and CoBank ACB, respectively, to, among other things, replace certain operating subsidiary pledges with pledges of direct subsidiaries of Frontier and to strengthen the lenders' security package.Frontier will make available to lenders under the credit agreements a presentation discussing Frontier, the proposed amendments and the incremental term loan B. In connection therewith, Frontier also reaffirmed its full year 2018 guidance

11:15 EDT Patterson Veterinary forms joint venture with Cure Partners - Patterson Veterinary announced a new joint venture with Cure Partners, a leading provider of practice management software and services. Together the companies have formed a new business, Technology Partner Innovations, which is launching a new cloud-based practice management software, NaVetor. Features of NaVetor's workflow design include quick-view dashboard, appointment calendar, whiteboard, electronic medical records, billing and financial management, inventory, reporting and conversion and training.

11:01 EDT Amag Pharmaceuticals says intends to launch generic version of Makena in U.S. - In a regulatory filing, AMAG Pharmaceuticals announced that it intends to launch an authorized generic version of the single-dose intramuscular formulation of Makena into the U.S. market, through its generic partner, Prasco Laboratories. The company had previously entered into an agreement with Prasco so that it would be prepared to launch its own authorized generic upon the first entry of a generic Makena product, which AMAG now believes is forthcoming given the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of one generic version of the single-dose intramuscular form. Prasco has product inventory available and will commence contracting and shipping product as soon as authorized by AMAG upon launch of a generic product. A mid-year approval and launch of a generic was anticipated in the company's 2018 revenue, operating loss and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA guidance previously disclosed in May 2018. As a result of this partnership, AMAG will be able to provide patients and healthcare providers with access to a therapeutically equivalent version of the branded Makena intramuscular injection. AMAG also recently launched a Makena subcutaneous auto-injector. The prefilled Makena auto-injector offers an alternative administration option for patients and providers and contains a shorter, thinner non-visible needle compared to the intramuscular Makena injection. Based on the most recent weekly data, approximately 60% of all new patient enrollments through the Makena Care Connection have been for the Makena subcutaneous auto-injector. Makena and its authorized generic version are indicated to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women who are pregnant with one baby and who spontaneously delivered one preterm baby in the past.

10:36 EDT Netflix off lows, remains down over 4.5% in early trading - A number of high-beta "FANG" names are lower in early trading, but Netflix and the others have come off their early lows.

10:28 EDT Campbell Soup heats up as analysts debate reported Kraft Heinz interest - Shares of Campbell Soup (CPB) are on the rise after The New York Post reported that Kraft Heinz (KHC) is very interested in buying the company. While JPMorgan analyst Ken Goldman has doubts a deal may occur, he believes "in the end, money talks." Also commenting on the news, his peer at Wells Fargo argued that Kraft Heinz's resources are better positioned elsewhere. KRAFT HEINZ INTERESTED IN CAMPBELL: Kraft Heinz is said to be very interested in buying Campbell after the soup and snack company announced last month it was reviewing all aspects of its strategic plans and portfolio composition, the New York Post reported, citing a source close to the situation. Kraft believes Campbell's management will begin the sales process soon and General Mills (GIS) has also been seen as a potential suitor, according to the Post. DEAL MAY NOT TAKE PLACE: Following The New York Post's report, JPMorgan's Goldman told investors that there are arguments for a potential deal, including the use of Campbell as a "stepping stone" to a larger deal down the road and ownership of the Campbell Soup label. On the other hand, Campbell "does not seem to fit" in Kraft's desire to buy growth-type assets that have international expansion potential, he noted. Overall, the analyst would be surprised if Kraft Heinz wanted Campbell, a company that does not solve Kraft Heinz's growth problem and is facing numerous internal challenges. While Goldman does not expect a deal to take place, "in the end, money talks," he said. The accretion math is sufficiently appealing that a deal cannot be dismissed out of hand, he contended. Goldman pointed out that expected earnings per share accretion would be at least 20%-plus even if Kraft paid a 40% premium, which might be too enticing for 3G and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) to turn down. The analyst reiterated an Overweight rating and $67 price target on Kraft Heinz shares. Meanwhile, his peer at Stifel told investors in a research note of his own that he believes Campbell will not pursue an outright sale and will instead focus on small scale divestitures in front of the Snyder's Lance acquisition. While a buyout of Campbell would bring "significant" earnings per share accretion to Kraft, Christopher Growe believes it will perpetuate the negative perceptions of the latter's growth rate, leading to a lower multiple overall. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating on Kraft Heinz and a Hold on Campbell's shares. FOCUSING INWARD: In a research note of his own, Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner argued that while a Campbell deal could be accretive, he sees Kraft Heinz's resources better positioned elsewhere. The analyst noted that he can envision a deal providing 10% accretive to Kraft Heinz. However, Campbell does not provide international routes to market, while in the U.S. Baumgartner thinks its hallowed soup margins may be under structural pressure as retailers prioritize private label in a category that is not growing. Aside from short-term earnings per share accretion, the analyst does not see Campbell structurally improving Kraft Heinz's business and could even envision a dilutive impact on the latter's multiple. Long-term shareholders would be better-suited by Kraft Heinz focusing inward for now, he added. As for General Mills, Baumgartner sees it having limited interest in Campbell. The analyst believes General Mills will continue to execute venture capital investments through its 301 Inc. unit and focus on acquisitions that enhance scale and capabilities in emerging markets. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Campbell have gained almost 10% to $42.31, while Kraft Heinz and General Mills have each advanced about 1%.

10:02 EDT AgroFresh Solutions announces alliance with Del Monte Fresh Produce - AgroFresh Solutions (AGFS) announced a collaboration agreement with Del Monte Fresh Produce (FDP) to bring AgroFresh's RipeLock Quality System to more retailers and consumers across North America. The collaboration offers Del Monte, one of the world's leading banana distributors, direct access to RipeLock, AgroFresh's innovative technology for extending yellow life and delivering better quality bananas, inside and out. RipeLock works with the banana's natural ripening process, using a two-part system to control respiration during transport, ripening and distribution, reducing weight loss and improving the appearance and taste profile of the bananas.

10:00 EDT ION Geophysical falls -8.1% - ION Geophysical is down -8.1%, or -$1.85 to $21.00.

10:00 EDT Carnival plc falls -9.3% - Carnival plc is down -9.3%, or -$5.92 to $58.01.

10:00 EDT Acorn International rises 20.8% - Acorn International is up 20.8%, or $3.26 to $18.90.

09:59 EDT Bluegreen Vacations finalizes exclusive agreement to acquire Manhattan Club - BBX Capital Corporation (BBX) announced that Bluegreen Vacations Corporation (BXG), which is 90% owned by BBX Capital, issued the following press release. Bluegreen Vacations Corporation announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement to acquire inventory and, by 2021, the resort management contract at The Manhattan Club, a residence-style boutique hotel in Midtown Manhattan, just steps away from Times Square, Broadway and Central Park. In addition to significantly expanding access to The Manhattan Club within the Bluegreen Vacation Club, Bluegreen is planning to open a 2,500-square foot sales center, reflecting the company's strategy of expanding frontline sales capabilities in its most popular resorts. Bluegreen is on pace to have its most significant sales center expansions in years with the addition of over 80,000 square feet of prime sales center space at 9 resorts expected to be open by summer of 2019. In addition to New York City, sales center expansions have occurred or are planned in Ridgedale, Missouri; San Antonio, Texas; St. Augustine, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada and Banner Elk, North Carolina. The agreement announced provides Bluegreen the exclusive right, on a non-committed basis, to acquire the remaining timeshare inventory at The Manhattan Club under Bluegreen's "capital-light" Secondary Market program through periodic purchases over time, and subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement, the exclusive right to acquire the management contract for The Manhattan Club resort in 2021.

09:47 EDT Carnival plc falls -6.0% - Carnival plc is down -6.0%, or -$3.83 to $60.10.

09:47 EDT Glaukos rises 7.6% - Glaukos is up 7.6%, or $3.11 to $43.99.

09:47 EDT Xerium Technologies rises 99.8% - Xerium Technologies is up 99.8%, or $6.60 to $13.21.

09:31 EDT Booz Allen awarded position on $900M contract from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Department of Defense Joint Test and Evaluation program assesses joint military operations to identify warfighting gaps and recommend solutions for the joint force. To support the JT&E program in advancing defense capabilities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a prime position on a $900M, indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract to provide engineering and technical support over a potential 10-year period.

09:29 EDT General Electric to sell Distributed Power business to Advent for $3.25B - GE announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Distributed Power business to Advent International for $3.25B. The transaction includes Distributed Power's Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, as well as manufacturing sites in Austria, Canada and the U.S. With approximately 3,000 employees and three main facilities located in Austria, the U.S. and Canada, Distributed Power has delivered more than 48,000 Jenbacher and Waukesha reciprocating gas engines to customers around the world. The Distributed Power business had sales of $1,317 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. "GE Power will continue to invest in developing the energy technologies of the future and improving the power networks we depend on today. This transaction not only accelerates our reinvestment in our business, but also enables Distributed Power to be best positioned to pursue its growth strategy," said Russell Stokes, President and CEO of GE Power. The transaction is expected to close by the fourth quarter 2018, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

09:28 EDT Cellcom Israel reports results from institutional stage of offering in Israel - Cellcom Israel announced that following the previously reported preparation for a potential offering of ordinary shares in an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 200M and options to purchase ordinary shares in an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 100M, to the public in Israel only, the company completed the institutional stage of the offering. In the institutional tender the company received early commitments from institutional investors in Israel for the purchase of ordinary shares for an approximate amount of NIS 572M and options to purchase ordinary shares for an approximate amount of NIS 245M in the offering. In light of the demand, the company decided to increase the offering amount of ordinary shares to an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 280M and options to purchase ordinary shares to an aggregate amount of approximately NIS 120M. The company's controlling shareholder submitted early commitments for 50% of the offering amount. The execution, timing, terms and amount of such contemplated offering are subject to further approval of the company's Board of Directors, publication of a supplemental offering report and the prior approval of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of the supplemental offering report. There is no assurance that such offering will be executed, nor as to its timing, terms or amount.

09:22 EDT Maximus expands share repurchase program to $200M - Maximus announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the expansion of its share repurchase program of up to an aggregate of $200M, which includes the remaining balance from the 2015 authorization of $49.3M as of June 22, 2018.

09:22 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Xerium Technologies (XRM), up 100% after Andritz AG agreed to acquire the company for $13.50 per share in an all-cash transaction... Gray Television (GTN), up 12.5% after announcing an agreement to combine with Raycom Media in a transaction that they say will create the "single largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets in the country." Gray will acquire Raycom for $3.647B in total proceeds... First Solar (FSLR), up 4% after BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral. LOWER: Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (MACK), down 34% after announcing that the CARRIE study in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer did not meet its primary or secondary efficacy endpoints... Sophiris Bio (SPHS), down 47% after reporting top-line interim safety and biopsy data following a single administration of topsalysin from its ongoing open-label, Phase 2b clinical trial... Kroger (KR), down 3% after Pivotal Research analyst Ajay Jain downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy on valuation.

09:08 EDT Comtech receives $31M order for MTTS terminals - Comtech announced that during Q4, its Orlando-based subsidiary, Comtech Systems, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, has received an order totaling approximately $31M for its Modular Transportable Transmission System, or MTTS, troposcatter terminals from a foreign subsidiary for a U.S. based top-tier prime contractor. The transportable troposcatter system will be utilized by an international end-customer as part of a deployable communications network for an Asia Pacific military. Comtech has not sold troposcatter systems to this end-customer before.

09:05 EDT Generex announces Terry Thompson as COO - Generex announced that Terry Thompson has joined the company's executive management team as COO to lead the company's efforts in building an end-to-end solution for patients, to include pharmacy, clinical laboratories, pharmacogenomic testing, compounding, drug manufacturing, and other ancillary health management services. Thompson brings a wealth of experience and expertise in healthcare, providing executive leadership in pharmacy benefits management, network administration, claims processing, and distribution & logistics for drugs, durable medical equipment and infusion therapy, as illustrated by his 35-year career.

09:04 EDT VyStar Credit Union, Cardtronics partner for fee-free ATM network - VyStar Credit Union has partnered with Cardtronics to provide its members with convenient, fee-free cash access at more than 20,000 locations nationwide. VyStar's agreement with Cardtronics also provides its members with additional ATM options in Canada and Mexico - providing the credit union's members a complete North American cash-access solution. VyStar is the 17th largest credit union in the United States, based on total assets and the 4th largest financial institution in Northeast Florida with over 600,000 members. Cardtronics is the world's largest ATM owner / operator, and the primary provider of ATM services to all the aforementioned retailers.

09:02 EDT La Jolla announces EMA validation of MAA for GIAPREZA - La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company announced that the Marketing Authorisation Application for GIAPREZA Injection for Intravenous Infusion was validated by the European Medicines Agency. Validation of the MAA confirms that the submission is complete and starts the EMA's centralized review process. La Jolla submitted the GIAPREZA MAA for the treatment of hypotension in adults with distributive or vasodilatory shock who remain hypotensive despite fluid and vasopressor therapy. The MAA is based on data from the ATHOS-3 Phase 3 study, which establishes the safety and efficacy of GIAPREZA in the proposed indication. If approved, GIAPREZA could be available for marketing in the European Union in the second half of 2019.

08:57 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $1.2B government contract - Lockheed Martin received a $1.2B contract from the U.S. government to produce 16 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft for the Royal Bahraini Air Force. The Undefinitized Contract Action award represents the first F-16 Block 70 sale and the first F-16 production program to be performed in Greenville, South Carolina. Artist's rendition of the F-16 Block 70 that will be built for the Kingdom of Bahrain at Lockheed Martin's facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The Kingdom of Bahrain is the first customer to procure the F-16 Block 70, the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration. Lockheed Martin expects F-16 production to create between 150 and 200 new jobs in Greenville. F-16 production also supports hundreds of U.S.-based Lockheed Martin engineering, procurement, sustainment and customer support jobs and thousands of U.S. supplier jobs. The F-16 supply chain is currently supported by 450 U.S. suppliers in 42 states.

08:49 EDT Senseonics presents performance data from Eversense XL CGM at ADA - Senseonics announced the presentation by third party researchers of new data from a clinical study evaluating the performance of the Eversense XL Continuous Glucose Monitoring, or CGM, system for up to 180 days in pediatrics and adults with diabetes. Findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association's, or ADA. In this prospective, unblinded, single-arm, single-center study, pediatrics and adults with diabetes were evaluated on the accuracy and safety of the Eversense XL CGM System through the 180-day study duration. When referenced against a lab analyzer, the findings demonstrated the accuracy of Eversense XL. No serious adverse events related to the insertion/removal of the sensor or device were reported.

08:46 EDT Brunswick ends sale process for Sea Ray business - Brunswick Corporation announced it has ended the sale process for its Sea Ray business, including the Meridian brand, will retain and revitalize Sea Ray and leverage its premium brand to capitalize on growth opportunities in its sport boat and cruiser product categories and will discontinue Sea Ray sport yacht and yacht models, resulting in the wind down of yacht production in the third quarter of 2018. Sea Ray will begin to wind down sport yacht and yacht production in the third quarter at its Sykes Creek and Palm Coast, Fla., facilities, involving the elimination of as many as 825 positions. Palm Coast is targeted for closure as soon as practical in 2018, while a portion of Sykes Creek will continue to operate for the foreseeable future to support customer service and warranty obligations, along with other operational requirements. The expected impact on 2018 performance and long-term planning targets will be addressed as part of the Company's conference call today as well as the second quarter earnings call. Going forward, Brunswick will report results of Sea Ray on a GAAP basis in continuing operations, rather than the previous classification as discontinued operations in recent financial reports. Sea Ray Sport Yacht and Yacht financial results will be excluded from the Company's as adjusted, non-GAAP results of continued operations to offer a clearer comparison to go-forward operations. In addition, the Company's as adjusted financial information will include the results of the Sea Ray Sport Boat and Cruiser business.

08:44 EDT Corning announces one millionth gasoline particulate filter - Corning Incorporated announced that its Environmental Technologies business reached a significant production milestone at its Kaiserslautern, Germany manufacturing facility - producing its 1 millionth Corning DuraTrap GC gasoline particulate filter for automotive emissions control. Corning engineered these ceramic particulate filters specifically for gasoline engines, in anticipation of European auto market demand for this new emissions control technology to help automakers meet the Euro 6d emissions standard and introduce some of their cleanest gasoline models yet. Corning's production scale-up effort for DuraTrap GC filters, which began with expansion of the Kaiserslautern facility in 2016, has been critical to ensure supply and support customers ahead of the regulatory implementation. Leveraging particulate filters in gasoline systems is an important engineering advancement for clean-vehicle technology in Europe as gasoline vehicles grow in popularity. Advanced gasoline engines, including high-performance gasoline- direct-injection engines, offer consumers better fuel economy without sacrificing engine performance. However, they produce a high number of fine particulates, such as PM2.5, that impact air quality and human health.

08:41 EDT Atlas Air expects FY18 adjusted income from cont. ops up 35%-40% - For the full year, the compant expect adjusted income from continuing operations, net of taxes, to rise 35% to 40% compared with 2017 adjusted net income of $133.7M, an increase from our prior outlook of low- to mid-30% growth.

08:40 EDT Sophiris Bio reports results from Phase 2b clinical trial of topsalysin - Sophiris Bio announced top-line interim safety and biopsy data following a single administration of topsalysin from its ongoing open-label, Phase 2b clinical trial. A single administration of topsalysin continues to demonstrate an ability to ablate targeted prostate cancer cells with 10 of 35 patients (29%) demonstrating a clinical response of which 6 patients had a complete ablation with no detectable cancer on targeted biopsy of the treated area. Separately, Sophiris was recently notified that a patient death occurred on the same day as their second administration. The company is currently investigating the cause and as a precaution no additional patients will receive a second administration of topsalysin. "We are extremely saddened by the death of a patient after receiving a second administration of topsalysin," said Randall E. Woods, president and CEO of Sophiris. "Understanding the cause of the patient's death is our first priority and essential to determining the potential for re-administration of topsalysin in future clinical trials." To date, over 450 patients have received a single administration of topsalysin at various doses. The drug continues to appear to be well-tolerated in patients who received a single administration, with no new safety signals reported. In addition, biopsy data from the Phase 2b trial demonstrated that 29% (10/35) of patients sustained a clinical response at six-month follow-up - defined as no detectable tumor following targeted biopsy of the treated lesion or a reduction in the tumor to clinically insignificant. "We are very encouraged by the safety and biopsy results from a single administration of topsalysin in the Phase 2b study. Biopsy results improved from what we saw in the Phase 2a proof of concept trial and safety and tolerability remains in-line with what we have seen historically," stated Mr. Woods. "We believe that the safety and biopsy data from the first administration of topsalysin supports moving forward into potential registration studies. We will continue to evaluate whether future clinical development will include an option to administer a second dose as we receive more information about the patient death and additional information from the 10 patients who received a second dose. We will be able to evaluate this towards the end of this year."

08:38 EDT ConforMIS announces data from study of iTotal CR Knee Replacement Systems - Conformis announced publication of a study showing that patients treated with the iTotal CR Knee Replacement Systems achieved better tibial fit and tibial rotational alignment compared to patients treated with three different off-the-shelf total knee arthroscopy products. Results of the study titled "In Vivo Tibial Fit and Rotational Analysis of a Customized, Patient-Specific TKA versus Off-the-Shelf TKA" were presented in the May 2018 issue of The Journal of Knee Surgery, a leading peer-reviewed orthopedic journal. The study, which was conducted jointly by Greg Martin, MD in Boynton Beach, Florida and Lennart Schroeder, MD candidate Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet Wuerzburg, Germany, intraoperatively compared component fit in four tibial zones. The Conformis iTotal CR implant system and three OTS cruciate retaining TKA products including Biomet Vanguard, Zimmer NexGen and DePuy Sigma were evaluated intraoperatively in a total of 44 knees. Each implant system was evaluated intraoperatively on the same 44 knees to compare each brand's optimal tibial fit. Component rotation was then evaluated post operation using CT-based imaging converted into computer aided design models. Using these models, simulated surgery was performed with the OTS TKAs. The surgeon placed all implants with proper rotational alignment and the results of this study show: 37% of OTS knee showed greater than3mm under-coverage compared to 18% of Conformis iTotal and 18% of OTS had an overhang of greater than3mm compared to 0% for iTotal. In previous studies1, component overhang of greater than 3mm was linked to significantly higher post-operative pain. Additionally, when the same 44 knees were positioned for optimal fit, 45% of OTS knees had rotational errors of greater than5 degrees and 4% had greater than10 degrees. Excessive internal tibial component rotation has been found to be one of the leading factors of residual pain in TKR and can be a source of functional deficit2. No rotational deviation was observed with the Conformis iTotal implants, which are pre-aligned rotationally to match the patient's unique anatomy

08:35 EDT Diamond Offshore launches Blockchain Drilling service - Diamond Offshore announced the launch of its Blockchain Drilling service, the first application of blockchain technology in the offshore drilling industry. This service drives efficiencies and enables oil and gas operators to reduce their total cost of ownership. The company's Blockchain Drilling service provides an immutable platform for the optimization of well construction activities, including drilling related services, materiel and the supply chain, both shore-based and offshore. Users can access and analyze performance from any web accessible device for near real-time TCO management. Developed in partnership with Data Gumbo, the Blockchain Drilling service will be implemented fleet-wide on Diamond Offshore drilling rigs, creating the industry's first Blockchain Ready Rig fleet.

08:34 EDT Boxlight to acquire Qwizdom for $2.5M - Boxlight announced it has completed the acquisition of Qwizdom. Under the terms of the agreement, Boxlight acquired Qwizdom for cash, debt and common stock valued at approximately $2.5M.

08:33 EDT Stereotaxis, Johnson & Johnson Biosense Webster extend supply agreement - Stereotaxis (STXS) announced that it has entered into an amendment to the long-term Development Alliance and Supply Agreement with Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Biosense Webster. The amendment ensures the continued global availability of Biosense Webster's family of commercially-available magnetic ablation catheters, and extends the existing arrangement under which Stereotaxis receives a royalty on the sale of those catheters, through December 31, 2022. The agreement does not modify the current non-exclusive nature of the collaboration. Biosense Webster manufactures and supplies the electrophysiology community with four magnetic cardiac ablation catheters designed to be navigated with Stereotaxis' robotic technology: NAVISTAR RMT THERMOCOOL, NAVISTAR RMT, CELSIUS RMT THERMOCOOL, and CELSIUS RMT.

08:29 EDT Marsh to acquire Wortham Insurance - Marsh announced that it has reached agreement to acquire Houston-based Wortham Insurance, one of the premier independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in Q3 were not disclosed. Wortham has more than 530 colleagues based in its Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio offices. It provides property/casualty insurance, surety, personal lines, and employee benefits advice and solutions to a wide range of businesses and individuals throughout the US, with particular expertise in energy, power, construction, and retail sectors in addition to managing several specialty programs. Upon completion of the transaction, Marsh will expand its footprint in Texas to include the Austin and Fort Worth markets and will merge its existing operations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans and Tulsa with Wortham. The combined business will operate as Marsh Wortham with Richard Blades, who is currently Chairman of Wortham, as its CEO. He will report to Martin South, president of Marsh's US and Canada division. Blades will also serve as chairman of Marsh's Energy & Power practice in the US.

08:27 EDT Gilead announces European Commission marketing authorization for Biktarvy - Gilead announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Biktarvy for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. BIC/FTC/TAF combines the potency of the novel integrase strand transfer inhibitor, or INSTI, bictegravir, with the demonstrated safety and efficacy profile of Descovy, a guidelines-recommended dual nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or NRTI, backbone. The decision makes BIC/FTC/TAF Gilead's third FTC/TAF-based STR approved in the European Union in the past three years. In Europe, BIC/FTC/TAF is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults without present or past evidence of viral resistance to the integrase class, emtricitabine or tenofovir. No dosage adjustment of BIC/FTC/TAF is required in patients with estimated creatinine clearance greater than or equal to 30 mL per minute. BIC/FTC/TAF has convenient dosing, does not require testing for HLA-B 5701, and has no food intake or baseline viral load or CD4 count restrictions.

08:24 EDT AstraZeneca presents Farxiga data at ADA - AstraZeneca presented data on the use of Farxiga in diverse patient populations with type 2 and type 1 diabetes at the American Diabetes Association, or ADA. These studies reinforce the use of dapagliflozin as a treatment option to help improve glycemic control when used with the DPP-4 inhibitor Onglyza versus older treatment options in patients with T2D. Data investigating the impact of dapagliflozin across patients with a spectrum of cardiovascular, or CV, risks were also presented to help further the scientific understanding of the effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors on CV events. In addition, new data investigating dapagliflozin in T1D was also presented.

08:22 EDT Computer Services increases dividend 16.1% to 36c per share - Computer Services announced that its board approved a 16.1% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 36c per share. The dividend is payable on September 25, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 4. The quarterly dividend increased from 31c per share and represents an indicated annual dividend rate of $1.44 per share on the new rate of 36c per share.

08:20 EDT Pfizer announces survival results from PALOMA-3 trial - Pfizer announced overall survival, or OS, results from the Phase 3 PALOMA-3 trial, which evaluated Ibrance in combination with fulvestrant compared to placebo plus fulvestrant in women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer whose disease has progressed after prior endocrine therapy. The results demonstrated a positive trend in the hazard ratio favoring the Ibrance combination, although this trend did not reach statistical significance. Overall survival is a secondary endpoint of the PALOMA-3 trial and, as such, the trial design was not optimized to detect a statistically significant difference in OS. PALOMA-3 met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival, or PFS, at interim analysis. The trial demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS for Ibrance plus fulvestrant compared to placebo plus fulvestrant. PFS is a well-established measure of clinical benefit in metastatic breast cancer trials. Ibrance in combination with fulvestrant has been approved in more than 80 countries around the world based on the PFS demonstrated in PALOMA-3.

08:18 EDT Novelion Therapeutics to present 'positive' metreleptin data at ADA - Novelion Therapeutics announced that clinical data from a metreleptin study assessing weight loss in overweight and obese adults with low leptin levels will be featured in a poster presentation at the American Diabetes Association's 78th Scientific Sessions, being held June 22-26, 2018 in Orlando. The study, titled "Efficacy of Metreleptin for Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults With Low Leptin Levels," was conducted in adults with low baseline leptin, defined as less than16 ng/mL in females and less than5 ng/mL in males, and Body Mass Index levels between 27.5 and 38.0 kg/m2. The study assessed weight levels in these patients following once-daily subcutaneous doses of 10 mg metreleptin, 20 mg metreleptin, or placebo over 24 weeks. Patients with low leptin who received the 10 mg dose or 20 mg dose of metreleptin showed greater decreases in weight from baseline over the 24-week period compared to patients who received placebo. In addition, patients treated with the 20 mg dose displayed statistically significant weight loss by weeks 8-10, regardless of whether they had the highest or the lowest baseline levels of leptin. Notably, weight loss was maintained across dose levels for the entire six-month duration of the study, and patients with the lowest leptin levels benefitted most from metreleptin treatment. Metreleptin was generally well-tolerated at both doses. The most common adverse events were injection-site reactions, headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal events, and upper respiratory tract infection. Most AEs were mild to moderate in severity.

08:16 EDT Baker Hughes awarded contract from Chevron Australia for well equipment - Baker Hughes (BHGE) has been awarded a contract from Chevron (CVX) Australia for the supply of subsea production equipment, under a 15-year Master Service Order, or MSO, with a second contract for well completion equipment. These technology solutions will enable a second development phase within the Greater Gorgon area offshore Australia, helping to maintain gas supply to the downstream LNG plant. This next phase is the first to be executed under the terms of the MSO with BHGE, signed in March 2016. The SPS scope of supply includes 13 subsea production trees, two eight-slot manifolds, 13 MS-700 SFX fatigue-resistant wellheads and specialty connectors & pipes systems, and 16 Sem2K subsea control systems and associated equipment. BHGE is also supplying well completion equipment and services under a separate five-year contract, including coring work, liner hangers, completions and wellbore cleanup technology. The Gorgon development is one of the largest natural gas projects in the world today, and BHGE has been a key partner in this multi-stage development.

08:12 EDT Ares Capital to reduce minimum asset coverage to 150% from 200% in 2019 - Ares Capital announced that its board, including all of the independent directors, approved the application to the company of the 150% minimum asset coverage ratio set forth in Section 6 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended by the Small Business Credit Availability Act, or SBCAA. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the company will be reduced from 200% to 150% on June 21, 2019. Ares Capital corporation's board approved the reduction to the minimum statutory asset coverage following an extensive review of the company's plan with respect to increased leverage flexibility, which included conversations with and important input from lenders, rating agencies and shareholders. Once the 150% coverage ratio becomes effective, the company expects to use a modest amount of incremental leverage to continue to invest primarily in its current mix of investments with no fundamental change in the company's investment strategy. In addition, the company intends to target a debt to equity range of 0.90x to 1.25x. Finally, as part of the plan, the company is reducing its annual base management fee from 1.5% to 1.0% on all assets financed using leverage over 1.0x debt to equity. As the company implements this plan over the ensuing 12-36 months after the effective date, it intends to operate in a manner that it believes will maintain its investment grade rating while generating an incremental increase in annual core earnings per share of up to 20%, depending on leverage levels and other factors.

08:09 EDT R1 RCM selected by AMITA Health for end-to-end revenue cycle management - R1 RCM announced that AMITA Health, based in Chicago, Illinois, has selected R1 RCM to provide its end-to-end RCM services across AMITA Health's acute care hospitals and physician care settings. AMITA Health is the largest health system in Illinois, with approximately $4B in annual net patient revenue across 19 hospitals and more than 230 sites of care. Approximately $2.2B of AMITA Health's net patient revenue is attributable to its recent inclusion of Presence Health. R1 has entered into an agreement for R1 to provide end-to-end RCM services to Presence Health, as contemplated in the term sheet between R1 and Presence Health announced in February 2018. In addition, AMITA Health has selected R1 to provide end-to-end RCM services across AMITA Health's other facilities. AMITA Health's net patient revenue, prior to the inclusion of Presence Health, was $1.8B. AMITA Health and R1 have signed a term sheet and expect to enter into a 10-year agreement and go live with RCM services for this incremental business in the second half of 2018.

08:07 EDT Herc Holdings appoints Mark Irion CFO - Herc Holdings announced that it has appointed Mark Irion as senior VP and CFO, effective June 25. In this role, Irion will oversee the company's finance function and perform a lead role in Herc Holdings' ongoing activities in the capital markets and in its relationships with banks, ratings agencies, institutional investors and financial analysts. Irion joins Herc Holdings with nearly 25 years of experience in finance and public accounting. For the past 19 years he served as CFO for Neff Corporation.

08:07 EDT Eli Lilly, Boehringer announce positive phase 3 data for empagliflozin - Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly announced that both randomized controlled trials in the EASE Phase III program, investigating the use of empagliflozin in combination with insulin therapy in adults with type 1 diabetes, met their primary endpoint. The primary efficacy endpoint, defined in both trials as placebo-corrected change from baseline in A1C after 26 weeks of treatment, was met for all investigated doses of empagliflozin. The safety profile in both studies was generally consistent with the previously reported safety profile of empagliflozin. The number of adjudicated diabetic ketoacidosis events was comparable between empagliflozin 2.5 mg and placebo and higher than placebo in adults with type 1 diabetes on empagliflozin 10 mg and 25 mg. The full results from the EASE Phase III program will be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting on October 4, 2018, in Berlin, Germany.

08:05 EDT Unity Biotechnology announces first patient treated in UBX0101 Phase 1 trial - UNITY Biotechnology announced the treatment of the first patient in the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating UBX0101 in moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee. The Phase 1 clinical trial of UBX0101 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study that will evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of a single intra-articular injection of UBX0101 in patients diagnosed with moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive UBX0101 or placebo in 3:1 randomization by dose level cohort.

08:05 EDT AT&T to acquire AppNexus - AT&T announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AppNexus. AppNexus will become a part of AT&T advertising & analytics, led by Brian Lesser, CEO. AppNexus is a technology company that operates a global advertising marketplace and provides enterprise products for digital advertising. With its proposed acquisition of AppNexus, AT&T is investing to accelerate the growth of its advertising platform and strengthen its leadership in advanced TV advertising. AppNexus has an experienced management team and employee base that includes more than 400 software engineers and product managers. AT&T will continue to invest in and build on AppNexus' foundational technology as it integrates with AT&T's first-party data, premium video content and distribution. AT&T has more than 170M direct to consumer relationships across its wireless, video and broadband businesses. AppNexus also extends AT&T advertising and analytics' footprint globally, expanding into Asia-Pacific, Australia, Europe, and Latin America. The transaction, which is expected to close during Q3 is subject to customary closing conditions. Until the transaction closes, each company will continue to operate independently.

08:04 EDT Sanofi reports 'positive' non-inferiority results from BRIGHT study - Sanofi presented positive non-inferiority results of the BRIGHT study comparing its long-acting insulin Toujeo to insulin degludec at the American Diabetes Association 78th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.1 At the end of the BRIGHT study, Toujeo demonstrated comparable blood sugar control versus insulin degludec (-1.64% vs. -1.59%, respectively). During the first 12 weeks of therapy, a period when patients and physicians work to determine the most appropriate individual insulin dose, Toujeo reduced the rate of low blood sugar events by 23% and the incidence of low blood sugar events by 26%, compared to insulin degludec. During the subsequent 12 weeks of the study, the two treatments showed comparable incidence and rate of low blood sugar events. The incidence of low blood sugar at any time of the day during the 24-week treatment period was also comparable between Toujeo and insulin degludec (66.5% and 69.0%, respectively).

07:50 EDT Merrimack trading resumes

07:39 EDT FuelCell announces three new project awards from the U.S. Department of Energy - FuelCell Energy announces three new projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for funding support. In addition to the recently announced ARPA-E project for development of ultra-high efficiency SOFC systems, the company has also been awarded two additional projects aimed at advancing commercialization of the company's energy storage solution. The combined funding of these new DOE awards is approximately $10M. This adds to our current funding for the 200kW demonstration and existing technology programs for power generation, electrolysis, and storage. These new programs will accelerate the progress toward commercializing our solid oxide platform in these applications.

07:36 EDT Gray Television trading resumes

07:34 EDT Advanced Emissions Solutions announces additional refined coal facility closure - Advanced Emissions Solutions (ADES) announced that Tinuum Group, a joint venture among the company's subsidiary ADA-ES, Inc., an affiliate of NexGen Resources Corporation, and an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group (GS), has completed a transaction for an additional Refined Coal facility. The RC facility is located at a coal plant that has historically burned approximately 3.3M tons of coal per year and is royalty bearing to ADES. With this addition, Tinuum Group has 18 invested facilities in full-time operation.

07:31 EDT CLPS announces strategic investment in Lihong Financial Information Services Co. - CLPS Incorporation announced its strategic investment in Lihong Financial Information Services Co., an internet lending platform company in China. The company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Qiner Co., Limited, signed a shareholder agreement with Lihong dated as of June 19, 2018, pursuant to which, the company acquired a 2.7% ownership stake in Lihong in consideration for the purchase price of RMB1M. In addition, the company's will be entitled to appoint one representative to Lihong's Board of Directors, effective as of the date of this investment.

07:29 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals enters licensing agreement with Gossamer for AKB-4924 - Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announced an exclusive global license agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Gossamer Bio for the development and commercialization of Aerpio's HIF-1 alpha stabilizer, AKB-4924, along with other related compounds. The arrangement combines Aerpio's deep understanding of HIF biology with Gossamer's experience in inflammation, immunology and inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, drug development. AKB-4924 is an investigational hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha stabilizer in development for IBD. Unlike other HIF stabilizers in clinical development, which stabilize HIF-2 and stimulate erythropoiesis, GB004 preferentially stabilizes HIF-1 alpha, and has anti-inflammatory and mucosal wound healing effects in animal models of IBD. Based on pre-clinical study results, GB004 has demonstrated several potential advantages over existing therapies for the treatment of IBD, including a possible superior efficacy and safety profile and once-daily oral route of administration. To date, Aerpio has conducted a Phase 1, single ascending dose study which found GB004 to be safe and well-tolerated. In May, Aerpio initiated a 24-subject, Phase 1, multiple ascending dose study to further assess the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of GB004 in healthy volunteers. Under the terms of the license agreement, Gossamer will pay Aerpio $20M up front, potential development, regulatory, and sales milestones of up to $400M, and royalties on worldwide net sales, which range from a high single digit to mid-teen percentage of net sales. Gossamer will be responsible for the remaining development, regulatory, and commercialization expenses for GB004.

07:24 EDT Synlogic presents preclinical data from its Synthetic Biotic oncology program - Synlogic announced the presentation of new preclinical data from its Synthetic Biotic medicine oncology program at the annual meeting of the Federation of Clinical Immunology, or FOCIS 2018. The data demonstrate the company's platform to generate Synthetic Biotic medicines that secrete or consume immunologically relevant compounds for the potential treatment of cancer and inflammation. These preclinical data demonstrate that intra-tumorally injected E. coli Nissle has the ability to colonize and persist in the tumor. Synlogic uses a strain of probiotic bacteria, E. coli Nissle, as the parent strain or "chassis" for its Synthetic Biotic medicines as it is well-characterized, readily engineerable and non-pathogenic. In addition, multiple functions can be engineered into a single bacterial strain. These properties support the development of a Synthetic Biotic immuno-oncology approach for the potential treatment of solid tumors, particularly "cold" tumors that may be resistant to current immunotherapies due to their lack of infiltrating immune cells or a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

07:22 EDT Aurinia Pharmaceuticals enrolls patients in AURORA 2 study - Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced the enrollment of the first patients into the AURORA 2 extension study in lupus nephritis and the initiation of its Phase II trial in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS. The first patients have rolled over into the AURORA 2 extension study from the AURORA Phase III clinical trial for lupus nephritis. The purpose of AURORA 2 is to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of voclosporin in patients with lupus nephritis; however, this study is not a requirement for potential regulatory approval for voclosporin. A Phase II open-label study of voclosporin has also been initiated for the treatment of FSGS, a serious and potentially life-threatening kidney disease, which is a leading cause of nephrotic syndrome. There are currently no FDA or EMA approved therapies for FSGS. This Phase II, multi-center study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of voclosporin as a first-line treatment for FSGS. The primary endpoint of the study is the proportion of subjects achieving complete or partial remission at 6 months. This Phase II trial for FSGS adds a second renal indication to Aurinia's active clinical development program for the oral formulation of voclosporin. In addition, a third clinical program utilizing the company's patented topical namomicellar formulation of voclosporin, or VOS for the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome, or DES, is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks. This head-to-head trial of voclosporin vs. Restasis is a Phase IIa study with a four-week primary endpoint of ocular tolerability.

07:21 EDT Merrimack says CARRIE study did not meet primary or secondary endpoints

07:19 EDT Universal Stainless announces base price increase on specialty, premium products - Universal Stainless & Alloy Products announced a base price increase of 3-7% on all specialty and premium products. The increase will be effective for all non-contract new orders entered July 1, 2018 forward. Current material and energy surcharges will remain in effect.

07:17 EDT China Distance Education CEO enters 10b5-1 plan - China Distance Education announced that Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, has informed the company of his intention to use his personal funds to purchase the Company's shares for an amount up to a maximum of $25M within one year. Zhu's share purchases will be made from time to time on the open market at prevailing market prices, in negotiated transactions off the market, in block trades, pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

07:17 EDT BioTime licenses GMP cell line to Goliver Therapeutics - BioTime has licensed one of its pluripotent cell lines to Goliver Therapeutics, a France-based company focused on addressing liver diseases with regenerative technologies. The terms of the agreement were undisclosed, but include an upfront payment, potential development milestone payments and royalties on sales of commercialized products.

07:16 EDT Ribbon Communications signs agreement to acquire Edgewater Networks - Ribbon Communications announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Edgewater Networks. The acquisition is projected to result in Ribbon becoming the market share leader for enterprise Session Border Controllers and Network Edge Orchestration. This acquisition will allow Ribbon to offer its global customer base a complete core-to-edge product portfolio, unrivaled end-to-end service assurance and analytics solutions, and a fully integrated SD-WAN service. Transaction Details: At the closing of the merger agreement, Ribbon will pay Edgewater Networks shareholders an aggregate of $110M, subject to customary post-closing net working capital and debt adjustments, comprised of: $50M of cash to be paid at the time of closing and to be funded through Ribbon's existing credit facility; $30M of deferred cash payments, to be funded through existing operating cash flows and completed within 18 months from the closing date; $30M of Ribbon common stock to be issued at the time of closing, not to exceed 5.2M shares. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Ribbon's Adjusted EBITDA and Non-GAAP EPS post-closing.

07:15 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announces license agreement with Gossamer for AKB-4924 - Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announced an exclusive global license agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Gossamer Bio, Inc., GB004, for the development and commercialization of Aerpio's HIF-1 alpha stabilizer, AKB-4924, along with other related compounds. The arrangement combines Aerpio's deep understanding of HIF biology with Gossamer's experience in inflammation, immunology and inflammatory bowel disease drug development. AKB-4924, to be known as GB004, is an investigational hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha stabilizer in development for IBD. Unlike other HIF stabilizers in clinical development, which stabilize HIF-2 and stimulate erythropoiesis, GB004 preferentially stabilizes HIF-1 alpha, and has profound anti-inflammatory and mucosal wound healing effects in animal models of IBD. Based on pre-clinical study results, GB004 has demonstrated several potential advantages over existing therapies for the treatment of IBD, including a possible superior efficacy and safety profile and once-daily oral route of administration. To date, Aerpio has conducted a Phase 1, single ascending dose study which found GB004 to be safe and well-tolerated. In May 2018, Aerpio initiated a 24-subject, Phase 1, multiple ascending dose study to further assess the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of GB004 in healthy volunteers. Under the terms of the license agreement, Gossamer will pay Aerpio $20M up front, potential development, regulatory, and sales milestones of up to $400M, and royalties on worldwide net sales, which range from a high single digit to mid-teen percentage of net sales. Gossamer will be responsible for the remaining development, regulatory, and commercialization expenses for GB004.

07:14 EDT EyePoint receives stockholder approval of second tranche of capital financing - EyePoint Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received stockholder approval for the second tranche of growth capital under a Securities Purchase Agreement with Essex Woodland Healthcare Partners, an established healthcare-focused investment firm, Rosalind Advisors, Inc., and another accredited investor. Under the agreement, the Company will offer and sell to the Second Tranche Investors an aggregate of approximately $25.5 million of units, with each Unit consisting of one share of common stock of the Company and one warrant to purchase a share of Common Stock. The Second Tranche Transaction is expected to close on June 25, 2018. Upon closing, and together with gross proceeds of approximately $9.5 million from the March 2018 equity financing with EW Healthcare Partners, EyePoint will have received total gross proceeds of $35.0 million. Assuming full exercise of the warrants, the total gross proceeds would reach $60.5 million. In addition, the Company intends to draw down an additional $5.0 million under the terms of its existing Credit Agreement with SWK Funding LLC, increasing the balance of the senior secured term loan to $20.0 million. Proceeds of the financing will be used to accelerate EyePoint's transformation into a commercial-stage specialty biopharmaceutical company. The Company anticipates two product launches in the first half of 2019, including DEXYCU, the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration -approved intraocular product administered as a single intraocular dose at the end of ocular surgery for the treatment of postoperative inflammation, and YUTIQ three-year treatment of non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye. YUTIQ has been accepted for filing by the FDA and is currently under standard review with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of November 5, 2018.

07:11 EDT BeyondSpring presents 'positive' data drom Phase 2 portion of Study 105 - BeyondSpring announced today that Dr. Yuankai Shi presented positive data from the Phase 2 portion of Study 105, a prospective Phase 2/3 trial of Plinabulin, its lead candidate, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN), in a keynote presentation at the 12th Annual Chinese Symposium on Medical Oncology and the 7th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Association for Clinical Oncologists on Saturday, June 23, 2018, at the Radegast Lake View Hotel in Beijing. Dr. Shi is the Principal Investigator in China for BeyondSpring's Studies 105 and 106 for the prevention of CIN, as well as the Co-Principal Investigator in China for Study 103 for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Dr. Shi presented the results of Phase 2 of Study 105, demonstrating that patients treated with Plinabulin reported less bone pain while being equally protected against severe neutropenia compared to patients treated with Neulasta, a long-acting G-CSF. G-CSF accelerates maturation and proliferation of neutrophil precursors in bone marrow, and is given 24 hours after chemotherapy and causes severe bone pain in some patients. The Phase 2 data showed that patients who were given Plinabulin maintained median absolute neutrophil counts within normal range, whereas Neulasta caused median absolute neutrophil counts much higher than the normal range, which may lead to bone marrow exhaustion and suppression of the immune system.

07:10 EDT EnLink Midstream announces executive leadership changes - The EnLink Midstream companies, EnLink Midstream, LLC (ENLC), the General Partner, and EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (ENLK), the Master Limited Partnership, announced that EnLink's Boards of Directors approved several changes to EnLink's executive and senior leadership teams. Benjamin Lamb is promoted to Executive Vice President and COO. He will lead commercial and operational efforts across all of EnLink's asset areas, ensuring the successful execution of EnLink's strategic plan and seven growth strategies. Lamb joined EnLink's predecessor company, Crosstex Energy, in 2012 and has played a key role in the development and execution of the company's strategic plan, including leading several transformative acquisitions. Most recently, Lamb served as Executive Vice President of Oklahoma and North Texas, overseeing operations and commercial activity in EnLink's key supply basins. Alaina Brooks is promoted to EnLink's Executive Leadership Team as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, and Secretary. Brooks joined EnLink's predecessor company in 2008 and has filled several legal roles since that time, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. . Eric Batchelder, Executive Vice President and CFO, will add corporate development to his CFO responsibilities, leading the company's strategy around investments, growth opportunities, and financing. Batchelder joined EnLink in January 2018 as Executive Vice President and CFO. He has more than 15 years of financial leadership experience in the energy sector, most recently as Managing Director, Energy Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, where he was responsible for transaction structuring, capital markets activity, strategic planning, business development efforts, and maintaining key client relationships for the bank's U.S. midstream energy advisory business.

07:06 EDT Pluristem, Fukushima University report 'positive' data from PLX-R18 studies - Pluristem Therapeutics reported positive data from studies conducted in collaboration with Fukushima Medical University evaluating PLX-R18 cells as a treatment for radiation damage to the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow. Data from these studies showed that PLX-R18 cells significantly increase survival rates, preserve GI stem cells activity that enhance the recovery of the GI system and prevents severe damage to the intestinal lining, suggesting PLX-R18 potential as a multi-organ therapy for acute radiation syndrome. Under a Memorandum of Understanding with Pluristem, Fukushima University, Fukushima Global Medical Science Center, has been developing targeted animal models of ARS and has been testing these models in studies to evaluate the efficacy of PLX-R18 in treating radiation damage to the GI tract and bone marrow of mice.In these preclinical studies, data showed that treatment with PLX-R18 following exposure to high level of ionizing radiation with partial shielding of the bone marrow, led to a 50% increase in survival, significantly reduced weight loss and increased white blood cell and platelet counts as compared to the control groups. GI tract damage in ARS typically includes damage to, or reduction of, local stem cells, as well as a breach of the lining of the GI tract, leading to life threatening diarrhea and sepsis. Histopathological analysis from these studies showed that PLX-R18 cells mitigate severe damage to the intestinal lining, preserve survival and enhance regeneration of local stem cells, thus preventing breaches and support recovery of the GI tissue following exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation. Pluristem's PLX-R18 cells are in late-stage development as a treatment for ARS in a program conducted and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and are also being studied by the U.S. Department of Defense to support the needs of the U.S. armed forces. PLX-R18 investigational new drug application for ARS was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, allowing Pluristem to treat victims who may have been acutely exposed to high dose radiation due to nuclear attack or accident. Pluristem's PLX-R18 ARS program has also received an orphan drug designation by the FDA.

07:06 EDT Easterly Acquisition Corp to merge with Sirius Group subsidiary - Sirius International Insurance Group and Easterly Acquisition Corp. announced that they have executed a definitive agreement and plan of merger for a proposed business combination that would result in Sirius becoming a publicly listed company. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Easterly would merge with a subsidiary of Sirius Group and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sirius Group. Upon the closing of the Merger, Easterly's common stock would be exchanged for Sirius Group's common shares at a price of 1.05x Sirius Group's pro forma diluted GAAP book value per share as of June 30. Following the Merger, Sirius Group's common stock will be traded on the NASDAQ. Assuming no redemptions by Easterly stockholders, the proposed all-stock transaction is expected to yield a combined entity with a pro forma market capitalization of approximately $2.2B at closing, with current Easterly stockholders owning approximately 7% of the combined company immediately following the merger. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Sirius intends to execute a private placement of common shares and request Easterly to commence a tender offer to purchase Easterly's public warrants on terms to be mutually agreed upon between Sirius and Easterly. Easterly has scheduled a special meeting of its stockholders for June 28 to approve an extension of time to complete a business combination through November 30. Assuming that Easterly's stockholders approve the extension period, Sirius Group has agreed to lend to Easterly 3c per month through the extension period for each public share that is not redeemed at Easterly's special meeting of its stockholders on June 28. Easterly will deposit such loan proceeds into its trust account upon receipt. The loan will be forgiven if the Merger does not close by November 30. The merger has been approved by the boards of directors of each of Sirius Group and Easterly, and is expected to close at the end of Q3 or beginning ofQ4.

07:03 EDT Easterly Acquisition Corp, Sirius International Insurance to merge

07:02 EDT Sempra Energy announces TechnipFMC-Kiewit as EPC contractor for LNG project - Sempra LNG & Midstream, a unit of Sempra Energy (SRE) announced that a TechnipFMC (FTI) and Kiewit partnership has been selected as the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning, or EPC contractor for the Energia Costa Azul, or ECA, liquefaction project under development in Baja California, Mexico. The TechnipFMC-Kiewit partnership will perform the engineering, planning and related activities necessary to prepare, negotiate and finalize a lump-sum EPC contract for the project, leveraging the two companies' extensive experience on liquefied natural gas, or LNG projects worldwide. Permitted to be built adjacent to the existing ECA regasification facility, the liquefaction project is being developed by Sempra Energy to provide customers with direct access to west coast LNG supplies. Development of the ECA liquefaction project is contingent upon: obtaining customer commitments; completing the required commercial agreements; securing all necessary permits and approvals; obtaining financing and incentives; reaching a final investment decision; and other factors associated with the investment and the size, phasing and schedule of the development. In addition to the ECA liquefaction development, Sempra LNG & Midstream is developing a three-train, 14-million-tonnes-per-annum liquefaction facility at Cameron LNG in Louisiana that is currently in construction.

06:52 EDT European Union raises tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles to 31% from 6% - The European Union has enacted tariffs on various U.S.-manufactured products, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles. These tariffs, which became effective June 22, 2018, were imposed in response to the tariffs the U.S. imposed on steel and aluminum exported from the EU to the U.S. Consequently, EU tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles exported from the U.S. have increased from 6% to 31%. Harley-Davidson expects these tariffs will result in an incremental cost of approximately $2,200 per average motorcycle exported from the U.S. to the EU. Harley-Davidson believes the tremendous cost increase, if passed onto its dealers and retail customers, would have an immediate and lasting detrimental impact to its business in the region, reducing customer access to Harley-Davidson products and negatively impacting the sustainability of its dealers' businesses. Therefore, Harley-Davidson will not raise its manufacturer's suggested retail prices or wholesale prices to its dealers to cover the costs of the retaliatory tariffs. In the near-term, the company will bear the significant impact resulting from these tariffs, and the company estimates the incremental cost for the remainder of 2018 to be approximately $30M-$45M. On a full-year basis, the company estimates the aggregate annual impact due to the EU tariffs to be approximately $90M-$100M. To address the substantial cost of this tariff burden long-term, Harley-Davidson will be implementing a plan to shift production of motorcycles for EU destinations from the U.S. to its international facilities to avoid the tariff burden. Harley-Davidson expects ramping-up production in international plants will require incremental investment and could take at least 9 to 18 months to be fully complete.Harley-Davidson maintains a strong commitment to U.S.-based manufacturing which is valued by riders globally. Increasing international production to alleviate the EU tariff burden is not the company's preference, but represents the only sustainable option to make its motorcycles accessible to customers in the EU and maintain a viable business in Europe. Europe is a critical market for Harley-Davidson. In 2017, nearly 40,000 riders bought new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Europe, and the revenue generated from the EU countries is second only to the U.S.

06:47 EDT Northern Dynasty: Corps to consider alternatives as part of EIS prep process - Northern Dynasty Mineral provides the following corporate update in advance of its annual general meeting on June 28: "As part of the EIS preparation process, the Corps will undertake a comprehensive alternatives assessment and consider a broad range of alternatives. Northern Dynasty continues to advance engineering studies and has proposed some changes to the initial mine design in the 404 permit application. Northern Dynasty cautions that the current project description may not be the ultimate development plan for the project and that a final project design has not been selected. Northern Dynasty remains committed to advancing a responsive project design that coexists with a healthy fishery in Alaska; one that will provide substantial economic benefits to Alaska and all stakeholders and Northern Dynasty continues to seek to re-partner the Pebble Project."

06:38 EDT LyondellBasell JV to expand polypropylene capacity in South Korea - PolyMirae Company announced that it would establish a joint venture with SK Advanced in South Korea. The joint venture intends to build a new 400,000 ton/year polypropylene plant to serve customers in Asia. The plant will be located in the southeastern port city of Ulsan and is dependent on regulatory filings and permitting reviews. PolyMirae is a joint venture 50% owned by LyondellBasell and 50% owned by Daelim, a construction and petrochemical company in South Korea. Construction on the project will begin in January 2019 and operations at the plant will begin in the first half of 2021. The new polypropylene plant will be one of the largest of its kind in Asia and will utilize LyondellBasell's industry-leading Spheripol technology. Polypropylene manufactured at the joint venture will be sold to customers in South Korea and exported throughout Asia for use in automotive components, injection molding, blow molding and packaging film. Some of the polypropylene will also be sold to compounding companies in South Korea and the broader region.

06:34 EDT Descartes Systems acquires Velocity Mail for $25.5M - Descartes Systems announced that it has acquired certain assets of Velocity Mail, an electronic transportation network that provides global air carriers with mail and parcel shipment scanning and tracking solutions. Velocity Mail connects commercial airlines and their logistics partners with government postal authorities around the world. Using Velocity Mail's network, global air carriers use mobile devices to accurately track shipments and deliveries in real-time. Velocity Mail automates the shipment process from route generation to accounting reconciliation, simplifying operational processes for the air carriers, ground handlers and postal authorities. Velocity Mail is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Descartes acquired Velocity Mail for $25.5M in cash, satisfied from Descartes' existing acquisition line of credit.

06:27 EDT Scorpio Tankers agrees to sell, leaseback two MR and LR2 product tankers - Scorpio Tankers announced that it has agreed to sell and leaseback two MR product tankers and two LR2 product tankers in two separate transactions to an international financial institution. Upon completion, the company's liquidity is expected to increase by $42M in aggregate after the repayment of outstanding debt. These lease financing arrangements are part of the company's new financing initiatives that were announced on April 25. As part of the agreements, the company will bareboat charter-in the vessels for a period of seven years. In addition, the company has purchase options beginning at the end of the third year of each agreement. There is also a purchase obligation for each vessel upon the expiration of each agreement. These lease financing arrangements are subject to customary conditions precedent and the execution of definitive documentation.

06:10 EDT Ennis CEO says 'positive' on remainder of year - CEO Walters noted, "Given our strong balance sheet and continued strong performance, our Board approved a 12 1/2% increase in our quarterly dividend, effective with our upcoming regularly scheduled August dividend payment. This is the third increase in our quarterly dividends in the last six years, and the second in the last two years. We also purchased approximately 38,000 shares of our common stock in the first quarter, under our stock repurchase program, at an average price of $17.92 per share. In accordance with our repurchase program, we will continue to repurchase our shares when we believe the market price is undervalued. The industry continues to be challenged by paper price increases, trucking shortages and allocations of certain paper grades. The printing industry hasn't experienced paper allocations for several decades, and we believe our long-term relationship with our paper supplier will allow the Company to avoid any material disruption in our supply chain. While we don't see any of these challenges changing in the short-term, we are encouraged by our performance so far this year and feel positive about the remainder of the year. We continue to strengthen one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry and our cash position remains significant, which allows us many opportunities."

06:04 EDT Amazon.com Prime member savings available at Whole Foods starting June 27 - Amazon.com Prime member savings will be available in all Whole Foods Market and Whole Foods Market 365 stores nationwide beginning Wednesday, June 27, providing even more opportunities for Prime members to save at the nation's leading natural and organic grocer.

05:52 EDT Data I/O, Secure Thingz announce collaborationMicrochip - Secure Thingz and Data I/O (DAIO) announced their collaboration to deliver a secure provisioning solution for the new SAM L11 MCU family from Microchip Technology (MCHP). This solution gives Microchip an industry-leading secure and scalable platform to enable the rapid growth of the Internet of Things market and its need for increased security.

05:41 EDT Sogou announces resignation of COO Dr. Liyun Ru - Sogou announced that Dr. Liyun Ru, the company's COO, has resigned, effective June 30, to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Ru will remain an advisor to Sogou until June 30, 2019, to ensure a smooth transition. Dr. Liyun Ru was responsible for the development of Sogou's search division. Following Dr. Ru's departure, Dr. Jingfang Xu, Vice President, will lead Sogou's search division.

05:35 EDT Andritz AG to acquire Xerium Technologies for $13.50 per share in cash - Xerium Technologies and Andritz AG announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Andritz will acquire Xerium for $13.50 per share in an all-cash transaction. This price per share represents a premium of 146.8% to the unaffected share price prior to the announcement by Xerium of a review of strategic alternatives on March 19, 2018. Two of Xerium's largest stockholders, Carl Marks Management Company and Wynnefield Capital, which together represent approximately 20% of Xerium's outstanding common stock, have entered into a voting agreement with Andritz to support the merger. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by Xerium's stockholders, regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. The parties expect to close the transaction during the second half of 2018.

05:29 EDT Greystar-led fund to acquire EdR for $41.50 per share cash in $4.6B transaction