Stockwinners Market Radar for June 27, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:07 EDT Qualcomm partners with Gizwits to support upgrade to LTE IoT - At Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated and Gizwits, announced their intention to create a breakthrough in IoT development solutions by working toward delivering the world's first commercial 2G cellular modules with field upgrades to LTE IoT. The Quectel BG36 module -aimed to be compatible with China Mobile's network and manufactured by Quectel based on the Qualcomm MDM9206 LTE IoT modem- will be powered by the Gizwits IoT cloud services and designed to help developers, device manufacturers and service providers to create economical 2G solutions, which are also designed to be flexible and long-lasting by supporting future over-the-air activation of NB-IoT and eMTC as the cellular ecosystem transitions toward the latest LTE IoT standards. This capability is intended to allow IoT devices to use the cellular technology that is best suited for today's use cases, while being able to accommodate emerging requirements throughout the device lifetime - for instance, supporting commercial and enterprise solutions in case of new cellular network technology deployments and changes, or allowing end-customers to take advantage of new network features and more convenient connectivity economics that arise later on.

20:02 EDT Xinyi selects Cadence for new integrated NB-IoT Modem - Cadence Design announced that Xinyi Information Technology has licensed the Cadence Tensilica Fusion F1 DSP for its new Marconi X1 NB-IoT SoC. The Fusion F1 DSP enables a single-core solution, which helps lower cost and reduce design area. The highly integrated Xinyi Marconi X1 modem is the first to integrate a CMOS power amplifier in a single die and features an NB-IoT protocol stack from Huachang Technology, who was able to optimize the stack on the Fusion F1 DSP and reduce code size by 20% compared to other processor architectures. The Xinyi Marconi X1 modem solution is being demonstrated in Hall W5.P2.7 at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, June 27-29, 2018. The Xinyi Marconi X1 NB-IoT modem SoC supports the global NB-IoT specification and is compliant with the 3GPP Release 13 and the latest Release 14. It will be used for a wide variety of IoT applications, including smart city, smart logistics, industry 4.0, smart home and wearables. Based on several patent-pending technologies, the highly integrated modem includes a power amplifier, RF, analog, power management unit, baseband and an application processor. It also boasts ultra-low power-less than 1uA in power-saving mode-in a small QFN48 package. The fully programmable modem architecture enables the chip to implement additional communication protocols including proprietary wireless network communication needs. Due to its efficient instruction set architecture for communications, the Fusion F1 DSP is ideal for NB-IoT modem solutions. Implementing the modem on the Fusion F1 DSP makes it easier to update and upgrade to accommodate future standards. Because the Fusion F1 DSP is adept at running DSP and control code workloads, the L1/L2/L3 can all be implemented on a single core. This can lower power and reduce cost compared to alternative solutions.

19:33 EDT Kirkland Lake Gold pursues arbitration to purchase of Fosterville Royalty - Kirkland Lake Gold announced that Fosterville Gold Mine Pty Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has initiated arbitration against AuRico Metals Australian Royalty Corporation and AuRico Metals Inc. , wholly-owned subsidiaries of Centerra Gold Inc. The Notice of Arbitration was delivered by FGM in accordance with the terms of the royalty agreement between FGM and AMARC to enforce certain rights of FGM set out in the Royalty Agreement, including its right of first offer and its right of first refusal in the event of a sale of the 2% royalty included in the Royalty Agreement.

19:10 EDT ExxonMobil, Eni say marketing efforts underway for Rovuma LNG project - ExxonMobil (XOM) and Eni (E) said that marketing efforts are underway for the Rovuma LNG project, which will produce, liquefy and sell natural gas from the gas fields of the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique. Senior management representatives of the co-venture parties met today during World Gas Conference in Washington, D.C. to affirm marketing progress. "The key strength of Area 4 is the quality of the co-venture partnership," said Massimo Mantovani, Eni chief gas and LNG marketing and power officer. "Following the final investment decision on Coral South FLNG in 2017, we are working together to develop the remaining gas fields which will feed the Rovuma LNG trains, taking full advantage of the expertise of all our co-venture parties."

19:02 EDT iRhythm names Karim Karti as COO - iRhythm Technologies announced the appointment of Karim Karti to Chief Operating Officer effective July 23, 2018. Karti brings more than 20 years of experience and a proven track record of driving growth, profitability and innovation in the global health care technology and services industry. In this new position at iRhythm, Karti will have responsibility for the research and development, commercial execution, operations and service organizations. He will be responsible for ensuring operational excellence across iRhythm and will report to Kevin King, President and Chief Executive Officer. Karti's prior experience during his 22 year tenure at GE Healthcare includes numerous leadership roles in business and services management, product management, and sales and marketing in the US, Asia and EMEA. Most recently, as President and CEO of the $9B Imaging division at GE Healthcare, he accelerated growth and increased profitability while increasing the division's pace of innovation. Prior, Karti served as the Chief Marketing Officer for GE Healthcare where he drove strategy for the business, revamped its marketing capabilities and implemented digital platforms to accelerate growth. In his role as CEO of the emerging markets division of GE Healthcare, Karti successfully implemented innovative go-to market strategies. In addition, he served as President and CEO of GE Healthcare in Korea and led the services commercial organization in EMEA where he expanded the business and launched new service offerings. Karti began his career with Procter & Gamble in Brand Management.

18:55 EDT Qualcomm names Mark Fields and Kornelis Smit to board of directors - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced the appointment of two highly-qualified and independent Directors to its Board of Directors: Mark Fields, former President and CEO of Ford Motor Company (F), and Kornelis Smit, Vice Chairman of Comcast (CMCSA).

18:35 EDT State regulators issue Consent Order against Equifax - State financial regulatory agencies entered into a Consent Order on June 25, 2018, with Equifax Inc., requiring the company to take specific action to protect confidential consumer information in the wake of an extensive security breach last year. Equifax, one of the country's three major credit reporting agencies, disclosed on September 7, 2017, that a vulnerability in one of its websites was exploited by criminal hackers in May 2017 to gain access to the personal information of an estimated 146 million U.S. consumers. Data accessed through this cybercrime event included individual customer names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and related personally identifiable information. In response to this breach, an examination team composed of state financial regulators from Alabama, California, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and Texas commenced a multi-state examination of the company in November 2017 to evaluate the company's information security and cybersecurity controls. The conditions Equifax agreed to in the Consent Order require the company's board to remediate the deficiencies and unsafe practices that contributed to the breach. The order subjects Equifax to periodic reporting to the multi-state regulatory agencies regarding remediation efforts. Subsequent on-site regulatory reviews are planned to validate actions reported by the company. Reference Link

18:06 EDT Investar Holding increases cash dividend 14% to 4c per share - Investar Holding increased its quarterly cash dividend 14% to 4c per share to holders of Investar Holding Corporation common stock. The dividend is payable on July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 9.

18:03 EDT Scana evaluating legal options after South Carolina assembly rate bill - SCANA Corp and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company are evaluating their legal options regarding a bill the South Carolina General Assembly passed today to reduce the amount SCE&G can collect from customers under the Base Load Review Act related to the V.C. Summer nuclear construction project. SCANA and SCE&G believe that the proposed legislation is unconstitutional. The proposed legislation would temporarily reduce the portion of SCE&G's electric rates associated with the V.C. Summer nuclear construction project from approximately 18% of the average residential electric customer's bill to approximately 3.2% , or a reduction of approximately $31M per month. This lower rate would be effective until the Public Service Commission of South Carolina renders its decision on the joint petition that was filed in connection with the proposed merger of SCANA with Dominion Energy.

17:39 EDT Profire Energy CFO sees y-o-y revenue growth for remainder of 2018 - Profire Energy CFO Ryan Oviatt stated, "We believe the Q2 is shaping up to be a historically good quarter for the company, and we continue to see strong demand for our products. (...) We believe the company is well positioned to build on a strong first half of 2018 to achieve year over year growth in revenue for the remainder of 2018". CEO Brenton Hatch stated, "We believe the company remains on track to outperform FY17 fiscal year in FY18."

17:37 EDT BAE Systems awarded $224.3M U.S. Navy contract modification - BAE Systems is awarded $224,331,310 for modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price delivery order on indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract. This modification provides for the production and delivery of an additional 10,185 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems II under full-rate Production Lot 7. The procurement of the additional units will upgrade the current 2.75-inch rocket system to a semi-active laser-guided precision weapon in support of the Air Force, Army, and foreign military sales customers.

17:35 EDT Chipotle falls 3.1% after announcing charges, store closures on investor call

17:33 EDT SmartFinancial to acquire Foothills Bancorp - SmartFinancial parent company of SmartBank, and Foothills Bancorp, parent company of Foothills Bank & Trust, jointly announced ttheir entry into an agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which SmartFinancial will acquire Foothills Bancorp and Foothills Bank & Trust. As of March 31, Foothills Bank & Trust had total assets of approximately $215M. Upon completion of the transaction, SmartFinancial is expected to have total consolidated assets in excess of $2.2B. "This acquisition provides an incredible opportunity to expand our presence in East Tennessee and introduce our brand and excellent client service to Blount County, as well as expand our west Knox County presence," said SmartFinancial President and CEO, Billy Carroll. "The footprint makes a lot of sense to us given that we already have a strong foundation in neighboring communities, making the expansion with Foothills Bank & Trust a great strategic fit." The agreement and plan of merger provides for the merger of Foothills Bancorp with and into SmartFinancial, with SmartFinancial to be the surviving corporation. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger, each share of Foothills Bancorp common stock outstanding immediately prior to the merger will be converted into the right to receive $1.75 in cash and 0.666 share of SmartFinancial common stock, which equates to $18.69 per share of Foothills Bancorp common stock and an aggregate transaction value of approximately $36.2 million, in each case based on the 20-day average closing price for SmartFinancial's common stock of $25.44 as of June 27, 2018.

17:20 EDT Heritage Financial to replace Kindred Healthcare in S&P 600 at open on July 2 - A group that includes S&P 500 constituent Humana (HUM) is acquiring Kindred Healthcare (KND) in a transaction expected to be completed on or about that date pending final conditions.

17:13 EDT WageWorks and lenders agree on extension, says liquidity remains strong - WageWorks provided an update regarding its lender financing reporting extension agreement. WageWorks and its lenders have agreed upon an extension and the expectation is that the agreement will be filed in advance of the June 30 deadline. All details related to the updated agreement will be filed as part of a Form 8-K. WageWorks has executed the agreement and has paid the applicable extension fee. WageWorks continues to make meaningful progress in completing the audit and the filing of its financial statements and continues to work diligently to conclude the process as expeditiously as possible. WageWorks' liquidity remains strong and the company continues to provide a high level of service to its clients.

17:06 EDT Ormat says 11 MW Plant 1 expansion reaches commercial operation - Ormat Technologies announced that the 11 MW Plant 1 expansion project in the Olkaria III complex in Kenya successfully completed its tests and commenced commercial operation on June 2, 2018. Since 2000, Ormat has developed and expanded the Olkaria III complex in phases and increased its generating capacity from 13 MW to 139 MW by 2016. With the completion of the 11 MW expansion project, the total generating capacity of the complex has reached 150 MW. The scope of the project included drilling of new wells, adding a new Ormat Energy Converter unit, and optimizing other existing units. The electricity generated from the expanded Plant 1 will be sold to Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited under the terms of Plant 1 within the Olkaria III complex power purchase agreement. The new capacity from the expansion is expected to generate average annual revenues of approximately $8M and to contribute to the Electricity segment performance. Ormat financed the Olkaria III complex with a $310M senior secured project finance loan and a $50 million subordinated loan in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Plant 1 expansion was financed by Ormat corporate sources and it is covered under a political insurance umbrella policy from leading global insurers in the private sector to cover exposure to certain political risks involved in operating in developing countries.

17:04 EDT Merck says WHO-led study shows carbetocin non-inferior to oxytocin - Merck announced study results on an investigational heat-stable formulation of carbetocin for the prevention of excessive bleeding after childbirth, also known as postpartum haemorrhage. The results demonstrated that heat-stable carbetocin is clinically non-inferior to the standard of care, oxytocin, for the primary outcome of greater than or equal to500 ml blood loss or additional uterotonic use. Non-inferiority was not demonstrated for the second primary outcome of blood loss of greater than or equal to1,000 ml or more. Results from the CHAMPION clinical trial, led by the World Health Organization and conducted as part of a public-private collaboration with Ferring and Merck for Mothers, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. CHAMPION is the largest study conducted in PPH prevention, with nearly 30,000 women from 10 countries. The CHAMPION trial of investigational heat-stable carbetocin was conducted by the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, including the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, with scientific and financial support provided by Merck for Mothers.

17:02 EDT Famous Sino reports 5% passive stake in Sorrento Therapeutics

17:00 EDT Merck Global Health Innovation Fund reports 11.8% passive stake in ElectroCore

16:54 EDT Turquoise Hill names Luke Colton as interim CEO, effective July 1 - Turquoise Hill announced the company's Board of Directors has appointed CFO Luke Colton to the additional position of interim CEO, effective July 1. The board is in the final stages of a robust CEO search and expects to make an announcement in the near term. As previously disclosed, current CEO Jeff Tygesen is retiring from the company. Prior to joining Turquoise Hill in October 2017, Colton worked for Rio Tinto in various product groups, including Energy & Minerals and Iron Ore. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, he was a Senior Accountant with Ernst & Young.

16:51 EDT Glacier Bancorp boosts dividend 13% to 26c per share - Glacier Bancorp board declared a quarterly dividend of 26c per share, an increase of 3c per share, or 13.04%. The company has declared 133 consecutive quarterly dividends and has increased the dividend 43 times. The dividend is payable on July 19 to owners of record on July 10.

16:42 EDT Chipotle says Q1 sales trends have continued into Q2 - Says company has "excellent" value proposition. Says has made progress in digital. Says will accelerate digital focus in coming months. Says throughput at restaurants has been "below potential." Comments taken from Special Investor Call.

16:39 EDT Edge Therapeutics updates results from Phase 3 Newton 2 study of EG-1962 - Edge Therapeutics updated results from its ongoing analyses of the Phase 3 Newton 2 study of EG-1962 in adults with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Edge discontinued the Newton 2 study following a pre-specified interim analysis that indicated a low probability of achieving a statistically significant difference compared to standard of care oral nimodipine in the study's primary endpoint. The Phase 3 Newton 2 study compared the efficacy and safety of EG-1962 to oral nimodipine in adults with aSAH. This analysis showed that in the study's primary endpoint, 45% of subjects treated with a single intraventricular injection of EG-1962 experienced a favorable outcome at Day 90, compared to 41% of subjects treated with oral nimodipine. In the Newton 2 study, while these results did not achieve statistical significance, they suggest a clinically meaningful potential benefit for EG-1962 in subjects with WFNS grade 3 or 4. Edge continues to conduct a review of strategic alternatives focused on maximizing stockholder value. Edge has largely completed the process of streamlining its operations, including reducing its headcount from 37 to 13 employees by June 30.

16:35 EDT Amgen announces initial findings from global migraine survey - Amgen announced initial findings from a large global migraine patient survey, involving more than 11,000 people from 31 countries, including the U.S. The findings revealed that migraine is associated with overall work and activity impairment. On average, 60% of employed respondents worldwide missed almost a full working week due to migraine in a month. Migraine is a distinct neurological disease and is estimated to cost up to $22B in the U.S. each year. Among survey participants in the U.S., approximately 63% reported overall work impairment due to migraine.

16:32 EDT Air Lease announces delivery of Boeing 787-9 aircraft with LOT Polish Airlines - Air Lease (AL) announced the delivery of one new Boeing (BA) 787-9 aircraft on lease to LOT Polish Airlines. This Boeing aircraft joins three B737-8 MAX aircraft currently on lease to LOT from ALC, with an additional three B737-8 MAX aircraft confirmed to deliver in 2018 and 2019 from ALC's order book with Boeing.

16:31 EDT Territorial Bancorp declares special dividend of 10c per share - Territorial Bancorp has declared a special mid-year cash dividend of 10c per share payable on July 25 to shareholders of record as of July 11.

16:29 EDT Redmile Group reports 12.2% passive stake in Xeris Pharmaceuticals

16:26 EDT Inspire Medical's therapy for treatment of sleep apnea approved in Japan - Inspire Medical announced that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved its Inspire therapy to treat moderate to severe OSA. Inspire obtained CE Mark for its Inspire therapy in 2010 and U.S. FDA approval in 2014. To date, physicians have treated more than 3,000 patients worldwide with Inspire therapy. Inspire will now seek reimbursement coverage for its therapy in Japan. The reimbursement process will require significant time and interactions with the authorities in Japan. Inspire intends to launch its therapy in Japan in 2H19.

16:22 EDT Emerson Radio extends stock repurchase program - Emerson Radio has extended the company's current stock repurchase program to December 31. The stock repurchase program, which was initially established in December 2016, allows for the repurchase of up to $10M of the company's outstanding common stock. The company has repurchased approximately $6.7M of its common stock under the program as of June 15.

16:20 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond down 7% to $18.74 after Q1 results, FY guidance

16:20 EDT Rite Aid reports Q1 retail pharmacy SSS down 0.7% - Same store sales from Retail Pharmacy continuing operations for the quarter decreased 0.7% compared to the prior year, consisting of a 1.8% decrease in front-end sales and 0.1% decrease in pharmacy sales. Pharmacy sales included an approximate 133 basis point negative impact from new generic introductions. The number of prescriptions filled in same stores, adjusted to 30-day equivalents, decreased 1.5% compared to the prior year period due primarily to exclusion from certain pharmacy networks that Rite Aid participated in during the prior year. Prescription sales from continuing operations accounted for 66.4% of total drugstore sales.

16:19 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond reports strong sales from customer-facing digital channels - Net sales for the fiscal 2018 first quarter were approximately $2.8B, an increase of approximately 0.4% from the prior year quarter. Comparable sales in the fiscal 2018 first quarter decreased by approximately 0.6%, and included strong sales growth from the company's customer-facing digital channels, and sales from stores that declined in the mid-single-digit percentage range.

16:18 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond declares quarterly dividend of 16c per share - Payable on October 16 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 14.

16:17 EDT Madison Square Garden to explore possible spinoff of sports businesses

16:08 EDT Preferred Bank boosts dividend to 25c from 22c - Preferred Bank reported that the board increased the quarterly cash dividend by 3c from 22c per share to 25c per share, representing a 13.6% increase. The increase reflects the growing earnings of the Bank and is consistent with the Bank's traditional dividend payout ratio. The dividend is payable on July 20 to holders of record on July 6.

16:06 EDT Five Below exec Romanko sells 6,673 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Five Below EVP of Merchandising Michael Romanko disclosed the sale of 6,673 common shares of the company at a price of $98.7817 per share.

14:15 EDT Array Biopharma trading resumes

13:59 EDT Array BioPharma to resume trading at 2:15 pm ET - Array BioPharma shares will resume trading at 2:15 pm ET, with quotation to resume at 2:10 pm ET, according to Nasdaq.

13:33 EDT Ticketmaster UK says customers' personal information may have been compromised - Ticketmaster UK announced: "On Saturday, June 23, 2018, Ticketmaster UK identified malicious software on a customer support product hosted by Inbenta Technologies, an external third-party supplier to Ticketmaster. As soon as we discovered the malicious software, we disabled the Inbenta product across all Ticketmaster websites. Less than 5% of our global customer base has been affected by this incident. Customers in North America have not been affected. As a result of Inbenta's product running on Ticketmaster International websites, some of our customers' personal or payment information may have been accessed by an unknown third-party. We have contacted customers who may have been affected by the security incident. UK customers who purchased, or attempted to purchase, tickets between February and June 23, 2018 may be affected as well as international customers who purchased, or attempted to purchase, tickets between September 2017 and June 23, 2018. If you have not received an email, we do not believe you have been affected by this security incident based on our investigations. Forensic teams and security experts are working around the clock to understand how the data was compromised. We are working with relevant authorities, as well as credit card companies and banks." Live Nation owns Ticketmaster. Reference Link

13:14 EDT Oil drillers spike higher after U.S. crude inventories plummet - Shares of U.S oil drillers are notably higher on Wednesday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA, reported that U.S. commercial crude oil inventories decreased by 9.9M barrels from the previous week. At 416.6M barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 4% below the five-year average for this time of year. DRILLERS CUT RIGS: The total oil rig count dipped to 862 in the week to June 22, according to the Baker Hughes rig report, issued on this past Friday. "That put the rig count on track for its smallest monthly gain since declining by two rigs in March with just three rigs added so far in June," said Reuters at the time. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Transocean (RIG), Diamond Offshore (DO), Noble Corp. (NE), Ensco (ESV), Rowan Companies (RDC), and Nabors (NBR) are all higher in afternoon trading.

12:59 EDT Disney says DOJ clears pending acquisition of 21st Century Fox - The Walt Disney Company (DIS) announced that the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice has cleared the pending acquisition by Disney of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (FOXA). The DOJ has entered into a consent decree with Disney and 21st Century Fox that allows the acquisition to proceed, while requiring the sale of the Fox Sports Regional Networks. Under the consent decree, Disney will have at least 90 days from the date of closing the transaction to complete this sale, with the possibility that the DOJ can grant extensions of time up to another 90 days. The decree is subject to the normal court approval process. The parties have worked diligently since announcing the acquisition last December to provide the DOJ the information that it needed for its investigation of the transaction. Disney says, "We are pleased that the DOJ concluded that, with the exception of the proposed acquisition of the Fox Sports Regional Networks, the transaction will not harm competition, and that we were able to resolve the limited potential concerns to position us to move forward with this exciting opportunity that will enable us to create even more compelling consumer experiences." Last week, Disney and Fox announced an amended acquisition agreement pursuant to which Disney will acquire Fox for $38 per share in cash and stock, immediately following the spin-off of the businesses comprising "New Fox" as previously announced. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of non-United States merger and other regulatory reviews, and other customary closing conditions, as well as approval of shareholders of both companies.

12:52 EDT Array Biopharma trading halted, news pending

12:43 EDT Lear sees core operating margins growth to increase to 8.5%+ by 2023 - Sees continued content growth and market share gains in E-Systems and Seating segments. Says sales growth of 7% annually from 2018 to 2023. Sees Seating sales growth 4-5 ppts above industry production. Sees E-Systems sales growth 6-8 ppts above industry production. Sees E-Systems margin expansion growing at faster rate than Seating. Says expects to continue to deliver record free cash flow with "segment leading" free cash conversion. Says expects to maintain investment grade credit metrics and a competitive dividend. Comments taken from slides presented at Investor Day.

12:28 EDT Exide, Leclanche announce launch of lithium-ion battery joint venture - Exide Industries, which said it is India's largest manufacturer of lead acid storage batteries and power storage solutions provider, and Leclanche SA, which is identified in the companies' press release as "one of the world's leading energy storage solution companies," announced a joint venture to build lithium-ion batteries and provide energy storage systems for India's electric vehicle market and grid-based applications. Both Albemarle (ALB) and FMC Corporation (FMC), which are involved in lithium production, are moving slightly off their earlier highs following the announcement from Exide and Leclanche.

12:18 EDT DOJ confirms settlement with Disney over Fox deal requires RSN divestitures

12:00 EDT WageWorks falls -9.3% - WageWorks is down -9.3%, or -$4.78 to $46.48.

12:00 EDT Britannia Bulk falls -10.5% - Britannia Bulk is down -10.5%, or -75c to $6.41.

12:00 EDT Intelsat rises 9.6% - Intelsat is up 9.6%, or $1.67 to $19.03.

11:48 EDT Ford China, Baidu to work on AI, connectivity in cars - Ford Motor China (F) and Baidu (BIDU) agreed to explore strategic collaborations to enrich the consumer experience and build a sustainable mobility ecosystem in China. Ford China and Baidu will jointly explore cooperation across a variety of domains including connectivity and digital services, artificial intelligence and digital marketing. The two companies will work together to collaborate on new in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital services based on Baidu's DuerOS conversational AI platform, with features such as voice recognition, natural language understanding and image recognition in order to deliver a simple and personalized user experience for Ford vehicle owners in China. Ford and Baidu are looking to establish a joint connectivity lab to investigate innovation opportunities across their automotive and mobility businesses in China. Both companies are dedicated to developing new cloud-based AI solutions to enrich the user experience in-vehicle and through other customer touchpoints. The two companies will also explore opportunities in cloud computing, such as integration with Transportation Mobility Cloud, the open cloud-based platform being developed by Autonomic, a subsidiary of Ford Smart Mobility, that provides transportation services such as vehicle connectivity for multiple players in the transportation ecosystem. In addition, Ford and Baidu will leverage both parties' areas of expertise to investigate technologies and big data to explore business opportunities related to targeted digital marketing. This would enable Ford to more precisely understand Chinese consumer behaviors and preferences and develop offerings to meet their needs. This new LOI further builds on the existing partnership between the two companies. In July last year, Ford joined Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving open platform as a founding member. The expanded relationship includes more areas of collaboration and lays the foundation for future growth and innovation for both companies.

11:39 EDT Sabre announces new agreement with Booking.com for listings - Sabre (SABR) announced that it has signed a new agreement with Booking.com (BKNG), under which Sabre agency customers will have access to all Booking.com listings, including its alternative lodging listings, through the Sabre Content Services for Lodging. Officially launching later in 2018, the new lodging solution will be available via Sabre APIs as well as the Sabre Red Workspace, GetThere and TripCase. Traci Mercer, senior vice president of lodging, ground and sea for Sabre Travel Network, said, "Our collaboration with Booking.com allows us to offer a comprehensive set of interesting and unique properties to our systems. Adding the Booking.com portfolio to Sabre's lodging offering will allow travel buyers to meet the growing demand for alternative lodging options and deliver even more value to their travelers."

11:30 EDT Street Fight: Analysts diverge on Molina Healthcare's outlook - JPMorgan analyst Gary Taylor downgraded Molina Healthcare (MOH) this morning to Neutral as he believes the stock if fully valuing a complete recovery to peer margins that is still years away. On Friday, his peer at Jefferies had upgraded the shares to Buy, citing management's turnaround efforts and potential for $6 earnings per share in 2020. Both rating changes came before Molina Healthcare announced its intent to sell its Medicaid Management System to DXC Technology (DXC) for a total purchase price of $220M. JEFFERIES SAYS BUY MOLINA: In a research note to investors on Friday, Jefferies analyst David Windley upgraded Molina Healthcare to Buy from Hold and raised his price target for the shares to $124 from $86. The analyst also added the stock to his firm's Franchise Pick List. Windley argued that management's turnaround plan is "responsibly conservative and significantly value-enhancing." Furthermore, the analyst told investors that he sees the potential for $6 in earnings per share in 2020, with earnings per share power near $10 in the longer-term, assuming retention of Texas Medicaid contracts and modest revenue growth from other sources. JPMORGAN MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: Not as bullish, JPMorgan's Taylor downgraded Molina Healthcare to Neutral from Overweight this morning, as he believes the stock is fully valuing a complete recovery to peer margins that is still years away and that material upside would have to come from a much higher view of sustainable margins than Medicaid plans have ever achieved or new revenue opportunities that he does not think Molina can execute on as it continues to fix its operations. While the analyst told investors that he sees a high probability that Molina will retain its $2.2B 2020 Texas Medicaid contracts, he does not like the downside risk heading into that Q3 re-procurement announcement. As Molina focuses on retaining existing businesses and improving its margin profile, he believes Centene (CNC) and WellCare (WCG) are better positioned to win new Medicaid contracts. Taylor also raised his price target on Molina to $106 from $91. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Molina Healthcare announced this morning that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Molina Medicaid Solutions, a Medicaid management information systems business, to DXC Technology. The divestiture, which is expected to close in the third quarter, is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and the receipt of certain third-party consents and regulatory approvals. The net purchase price for the equity interests of MMS is estimated to be approximately $220M after certain adjustments. Commenting on the news, JPMorgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang told investors in a research note of his own that he is encouraged with the deal as it strengthens DXC's positioning in the Medicare and Medicaid implementation segment. The analyst anticipates the combined company to serve 24 U.S. states/regions. On the other hand, Huang noted that he views the deal to be competitively negative for Conduent (CNDT), who implements MMIS for 10 states/regions in the U.S. PRICE ACTION: In late morning trading, shares of Molina have dropped 1.4% to $98.01.

10:36 EDT Scana drops 1.5% in early trading - Scana shares are down 57c, or 1.5%, to $37.93.

10:27 EDT WWE rises after new TV deals with Fox, Comcast top expectations - Shares of WWE (WWE) are on the rise after the sports entertainment company announced multi-year agreements with both Comcast's (CMCSA) USA Network and Fox Sports (FOXA). Guggenheim analyst Curry Baker raised his price target on WWE's shares to $82 following the announcement, while his peer at MKM Partners argued that he sees the stock price potentially reaching $100. FOX, COMCAST DEALS: Last night, WWE announced that it has completed "landmark" agreements with Comcast's USA Network and Fox Sports, effective October 1, 2019, for the U.S. distribution of WWE's flagship programs Raw and SmackDown. As part of these five-year agreements, Monday Night Raw will continue to air on USA Network and Fox Sports will distribute SmackDown Live each Friday on Fox broadcast network. These agreements increase the average annual value of WWE's U.S. distribution to 3.6 times that of the prior deal with NBCU, the company noted. Given the substantial revenue growth provided by its new U.S. deals with USA Network and Fox Sports, the company is currently targeting Adjusted OIBDA of at least $200M for 2019, during which the new deals' rates are effective for only three months. WWE's management currently expects to reach agreement in the U.K. by year-end 2018; and in India during the first half of 2019. GUGGENHEIM UPS TARGET: In a research note to investors this morning, Guggenheim's Baker raised his price target on WWE's stock to $82 from $68, noting that the combined average annual value of the deals with USA Network and Fox Sports of $524M was ahead of his $500M a year forecast. Even at a $524M average annual value, WWE still significantly under-indexes all other professional sports contracts on a per viewer hour basis, he contended, adding that as such, he still sees ample runway in five years when the U.S. rights for RAW and SmackDown are again up for renewal. Beyond the U.S. renewals, Baker continues to see a number of opportunities for WWE including the U.K. and India renewals, incremental content deals similar to the Mixed Match Challenge on Facebook (FB) Watch, WWE Network tiering, sponsorship/advertising growth, and significant runway across business segments internationally. The analyst reiterated a Buy rating on WWE shares. STOCK PRICE COULD REACH $100: Meanwhile, MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler told investors in a research note of his own that the U.S. TV rights deals were bigger than anticipated, reiterating a Buy rating and $68 price target on WWE's shares. Nonetheless, the analyst said valuation could move toward $100 per share, which he sees as "very reasonable." The value of these two contracts is up 3.6 times to an estimated $2.3B from the last programming rights deal of approximately $640M and surpasses his recently increased $1.9B view, he contended. Handler sees no reason why the incremental $400M should not be able to drop entirely to the bottom line. Furthermore, the analyst believes there is potential for even greater profitability with the U.K. and India renewals on the horizon and there is also the possibility of adding on digital programming rights. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of WWE have gained over 6% to $70.72.

10:11 EDT Conagra says doesn't anticipate any antitrust issues for Pinnacle deal

10:08 EDT Analyst says Wayfair 'built to win' following industry checks - Shares of Wayfair (W) are higher in morning trading after an analyst at Piper Jaffray said the e-commerce company is "built to win" following recent industry checks that suggest the company is increasing initiatives to drive long-term growth. Separately, his peer at BofA Merrill Lynch said he expects the company to report strong second quarter results and solid guidance for the third quarter. 'BUILT TO WIN': Piper Jaffray analyst Peter Keith reiterated an Overweight rating on Wayfair and raised his price target on the stock to $150 from $96, telling investors in a research note that Wayfair is "built to win" following recent industry checks that suggest the company is ramping up initiatives to drive long-term growth. Keith cited Wayfair's launch of the "Prime-like" (AMZN) membership program MyWay as well as a ramp in its B-to-B program. These, combined with its "best-in-class" logistics network for the home furnishing category, should help widen the competitive moat in the coming years. Keith said he expects the B-to-B initiative could increase the total addressable market in the U.S. by about 20%. Based on his view of sustainable strong fundamentals, Keith also increased his target multiple for Enterprise Value to Sales to 1.2-times to 1.0-times. Looking longer-term to 2022, Keith suggested Wayfair can reach about $17B in total revenue or about $13B in U.S. revenue and about $4B in international revenue. ANALYST SEES 'STRONG' Q2: Akshay Bhatia, Keith's peer at BofA Merrill Lynch, told investors in a research note of his own that he expects Wayfair to report "strong" Q2 results and provide "solid" Q3 guidance, adding that third-party spending data suggests revenue growth acceleration and that aggregated credit and debit card data from Bank of America remains positive for the furniture and home improvement sectors. Bhatia believes Wayfair's recent earnings highlight that the company has built "solid" scale in the industry, with improving repeat order rates, and that its recent results suggest that it can grow through the tougher comps and grow its incremental revenue dollars. The analyst raised his price target to $125 from $95 and maintained a Buy rating on the stock. GUIDANCE: In May, Wayfair forecast Q2 total revenue $1.558B-$1.592B against analysts' consensus estimates at the time of $1.49B, though the consensus has moved higher and currently stands at $1.6B. At the time, the company forecast Q2 EBITDA margin of (2.1%)-(2.4%) of net revenue and said its Way Day event was the biggest revenue day in the company's history. WHAT'S NOTABLE: On June 21, shares of Wayfair were in focus after the Supreme Court sided with the state of South Dakota in a fight it brought against the company to require a business that has no physical presence in the state to collect its sales tax. The Supreme Court ruled that a prior judgement regarding the physical presence rule was "unsound and incorrect," according to a judgement posted to the high court's website. Wayfair said at the time that it does not expect the decision to have a "noticeable impact" on its business, as it "already collects and remits sales tax on approximately 80% of our orders in the United States, a number that continues to grow as we expand our logistics footprint." William Blair analyst Ryan Domyancic said he does not believe the ruling on state sales tax will have an adverse impact on Wayfair. However, KeyBanc analyst Edward Yruma called the ruling a negative for Wayfair, arguing that it may reduce some of the price differential that has helped it gain share from traditional peers. PRICE ACTION: In early trading, shares of Wayfair rose 2.75% to $115.25.

10:02 EDT Lincoln National reports Placer County selection for defined contribution plans - Lincoln Financial announced that its Retirement Plan Services business has been selected by Placer County, Calif. as the provider for its defined contribution retirement plans, effective June 25. There are more than 3,817 participants in Placer County's retirement plans, with assets of $180M.

10:01 EDT Live Nation acquires majority stake in Red Mountain Entertainment - Live Nation announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Red Mountain Entertainments. Together, the companies plan to combine Red Mountain's rich market expertise with Live Nation's extensive resources to continue growing live entertainment offerings throughout the Southeastern United States. Red Mountain will continue to oversee all operations for its diverse suite of events and projects, which range from concert promotions, to festival promotion and production, as well as venue consulting. The core concert promotions business handles show bookings in venues ranging from amphitheaters and arenas to clubs and theatres, including exclusive venues The Wharf Amphitheater, Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, Brandon Amphitheater, and Iron City. The entire Red Mountain Team will continue to stay with the company and operate from their home base of Birmingham, Alabama as they become part of Live Nation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

10:00 EDT Conagra not providing FY EPS guidance given dynamics of pending Pinnacle deal

10:00 EDT Ensco rises 8.2% - Ensco is up 8.2%, or 53c to $7.03.

09:57 EDT Conagra Brands: Inflation coming in higher than expected

09:30 EDT General Mills says retailers like its broad-based new product innovation - Says grew cereal growth with merchandising down double digits speaks to good baseline demand. Says pet specialty is still very important category. Says it has seen good results in advertising in Australia and expects the same in the UK. Says had "tremendous" growth with bars in India and the Middle East. Says yogurt segment improved the most. Says retailers like its broad-based new product innovation.

09:21 EDT Inseego to expand asset management solutions for KES - Inseego will expand the global deployment of its intelligent ground support equipment, or GSE, asset management solutions for KLM Equipment Services, or KES, and its airline customers. This subsidiary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and their customers have realized benefits from the Ctrack asset tracking and fleet management technology and will combine its expertise with Inseego's to enhance operations across a wider base of aviation clients. Together, Inseego and KES and will team up to develop new management services and features for the global commercial aviation market.

09:16 EDT Charles & Colvard, Cree enter into multi-year supply agreement amendment - Charles & Colvard (CTHR), announced that it has amended its Exclusive Supply Agreement with Cree (CREE), the company's supplier of silicon carbide material. This favorable amendment to the Supply Agreement extends the longstanding relationship for five years, with an option for an additional two-year extension, for a total of seven years. Cree's patented process for developing micropipe-free SiC material enables the exclusive production of Charles & Colvard's premium moissanite product, Forever One. Using innovative technology and sustainable practices, Charles & Colvard delivers what it believes to be an unrivaled gemstone product at a revolutionary value.

09:11 EDT Rambus renews patent license with IBM for five years - Rambus (RMBS) announced it has renewed a patent license agreement with IBM (IBM). The five-year agreement authorizes IBM to integrate Rambus memory controller and interface technologies. Other terms of the agreement are confidential.

09:08 EDT CSP Inc. announces sale of Germany operations to Reply for EUR10M - CSPi announced it has agreed to sell its Germany operations to European IT service provider and media conglomerate Reply for EUR10M in cash, which is approximately $11.6M at current exchange rates. Reply will acquire all of the outstanding stock of CSP's German subsidiary, which includes all of the assets and liabilities, including the pension obligation. The sale, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, is subject to various closing conditions, including, among others, the approval of the German Federal Cartel Office. CSP will continue to operate its United Kingdom location to serve certain multinational clients.

09:06 EDT BlackBerry, Samsung collaborate on digital transformation solutions - BlackBerry Limited (BB) announced a multi-year strategic relationship with Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) to collaboratively develop and bring to market integrated solutions to accelerate the digital transformation and Enterprise of Things initiatives of their shared business customers. The companies will focus on applying Samsung's extensive device solutions and BlackBerry's capabilities in endpoint security and management to deliver improved workforce productivity and enable the emergence of new business models. One of the first outputs of this partnership will be that joint enterprise customers using cutting-edge Samsung devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, wearables and the Samsung DeX mobile desktop experience, will gain the ability - out-of-the-box - to manage all those devices on a single pane of glass via the BlackBerry Universal Endpoint Management (UEM) platform. The extended relationship builds on the companies' multi-year partnership, first announced in 2014, that brought to market several enterprise mobility solutions based on the Samsung Knox, BlackBerry UEM and BlackBerry SecuSUITE platforms for secure endpoint management and mission-critical communications.

09:04 EDT Nevada Gold announces sale of Club Fortune for $14.6M - Nevada Gold & Casinos announced the signing of a definitive purchase agreement to sell its Club Fortune Casino in Henderson, Nevada to Truckee Gaming for $14.6M, subject to certain adjustments, including a working capital adjustment. The sale price is equal to approximately 8.5X EBITDA for Club Fortune for the trailing twelve months ended April 30, 2018. The transaction, which received lender consent, is subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Commission, and is expected to close in late 2018. Following the consummation of the Club Fortune sale, Nevada Gold intends to close its Las Vegas corporate office and move its corporate headquarters to its Washington Gold office in the Seattle, Washington area. The Company expects to reduce its corporate overhead by approximately $1.2M as a result.

09:03 EDT Ligand receives $47M for signing amendment in WuXi Biologics agreement - Ligand announced it has received $47M as a result of signing an amendment relating to its OmniAb platform agreement with WuXi Biologics. This amendment provides WuXi Bio more efficiency in expanding its OmniAb antibody discovery services. Under the previous license agreement, OmniAb antibodies discovered and sub-licensed by WuXi Bio generated potential pre-defined contract payments to Ligand and potential royalties on global product sales. Under the amended agreement, Ligand will continue to be eligible to earn royalties at the same rate and terms as the previous agreement and the pre-defined contract payments have been eliminated. With this new business relationship, WuXi Bio believes it will be able to increase the number of OmniAb antibodies it discovers for its clients in China and around the world.

09:02 EDT Amgen reports results from Phase 3 study of ABP 710 - Amgen announced results from a Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of biosimilar candidate ABP 710 compared with REMICADE in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. The results confirm non-inferiority compared to infliximab but could not rule out superiority based on its primary efficacy endpoint, which compared the response difference measured by 20% or greater improvement defined by the American College of Rheumatology Criteria, ACR20, at week 22. Key secondary endpoints included ACR50, ACR70 and Disease Activity Score 28-joint count C reactive protein. The primary endpoint of ACR20 had a prespecified equivalence margin of +/- 15 percent, and the observed upper end of the confidence interval was 15.96 percent. ACR50 and ACR70 trended in the same direction as ACR20. Notably, the DAS28-CRP difference in mean change from baseline was close to zero. Overall, the safety profile and immunogenicity were comparable between ABP 710 and infliximab. "We believe this study confirms no clinically meaningful differences between ABP 710 and infliximab," said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "Biosimilars are approved based on the analytical, nonclinical and clinical data, and we believe that the totality of the evidence we've generated supports ABP 710 as highly similar to the reference product."

09:00 EDT General Mills says cereal offerings continue to offer good growth - Says grew higher U.S. market share. Says Haagen-Dazs sales up double digits. Says likely to start production at Indiana facility this summer and that facility will help grow distribution. Says cereal offerings continue to offer good growth. Sees adjusted tax rate of 23%-24% in FY19. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

08:54 EDT LabCorp receives FDA approval for UltraQual Multiplex PCR Assay - LabCorp announced that it has received approval from the FDA for the UltraQual Multiplex PCR Assay for HCV, HIV-1, HIV-2 and HBV for screening of donated blood plasma. This innovative assay, which was developed and will be exclusively offered by its National Genetics Institute or NGI, laboratory, builds upon LabCorp's development and commercialization of diagnostic tests. The UltraQual Multiplex PCR Assay enables the simultaneous and sensitive detection of four viral targets in a single sample. Coupled with NGI's previously FDA-approved and exclusive process to greatly increase testing throughput, the new UltraQual Multiplex PCR Assay provides enhanced turnaround time and value to the rapidly growing biologics sector of the biopharmaceutical industry.

08:49 EDT Pareteum awarded $3.5M contract from mobile service provider - Pareteum has signed a 3-year contract to provide its Global Cloud Services Platform and connectivity to an established Global Mobile Virtual Network Operator and IoT Solutions enterprise with a network of retailers, distributors and independent sales organizations throughout North America. This contract empowers the Global MVNO enterprise to use a single cloud platform to increase their mobile coverage and broadband services. Pareteum will receive monthly recurrent fees for each subscriber as well as connection revenue for their airtime, SMS and voice services.

08:45 EDT Diana Shipping, BNP Paribas reach agreement for five year loan facility - Diana Shipping (DSX) announced that on June 20, 2018, it signed a term sheet with BNP Paribas (BNPQY) for a five year loan facility of up to $75M, subject to loan documentation. The proceeds from the loan facility together with available cash will be used to voluntarily prepay in full the balance of $130M of the existing credit facility with BNP Paribas. The new loan facility will result in 17 of the Company's vessels being unencumbered.

08:33 EDT TAT Technologies extends existing contract for 5 more years with $18M in revenue - TAT Technologies subsidiary Limco Airepair reached an extension for additional five years of an existing agreement with one of the world's largest aircraft maintenance organizations representing total expected revenues of $18M, an increase of $2M from the previous contract.

08:32 EDT Raytheon elects Marta Stewart to board of directors, effective immediately - The board of directors of Raytheon (RTN) has elected Marta Stewart as a director, effective immediately. Stewart retired last year from Norfolk Southern (NSC) after a distinguished 33-year career with the company. She most recently served as Executive Vice President and CFO, a position she held since 2013.

08:29 EDT Conagra Brands says three-year FY2020 financial algorithm 'remains on track' - The company's three-year standalone fiscal 2020 financial algorithm, which uses fiscal 2017 as the base year, remains on-track. The company is truing up its algorithm, which now reflects changes in pension accounting standards and the company's strategic decision to shift brand building investments from A&P marketing to retailer marketing. The trued-up three-year standalone fiscal 2020 financial algorithm, which uses fiscal 2017 as the base year, is summarized as follows... Strategic Shift from A&P Marketing to Retailer Marketing: The company intends to continue shifting marketing investments from A&P marketing to retailer marketing in order to achieve higher returns on total marketing investments. The company estimates that A&P as a percent of net sales will decrease by approximately 150 basis points (from ~ 4.7% to ~3.2%) with a corresponding decrease in adjusted gross margin of 150 basis points (from ~32% to ~30.5%). While retailer marketing is accounted for as a reduction to net sales, the improved return on these investments is expected to result in a net neutral impact on the 3-year compound annual growth rate of organic net sales (1%-2%). As previously noted, Pension and Postretirement Non-Service Income will be moved to a new line item. As a result of adopting the new accounting standard, SG&A as a percent of net sales is expected to increase by approximately 100 basis points (from ~10.8% to ~11.8%) with a corresponding decrease in operating margin by 100 basis points (from ~16.5% to ~15.5%). There is no impact to Net Income, only a shift between line items. All guidance metrics shown above include the expected results for the Wesson oil business and exclude the expected results for the company's Canadian Del Monte processed fruit and vegetable business for the full time-period indicated. The company continues to assess alternatives for the Wesson oil business. All guidance metrics shown above do not include any impact from the pending acquisition of Pinnacle Foods (PF).

08:21 EDT PolarityTE disputes 'misleading report' published by short seller - PolarityTE announced that the company hosted a successful meeting of key opinion leaders in New York City on June 25, 2018, addressing the use of SkinTE in complex wounds requiring cutaneous reconstruction. The three medical providers who presented at the event discussed the standard of care, limitations in the field, and their use of SkinTE, including patient outcomes and ongoing cases. The presentations emphasized the challenging nature of many of the complex wounds treated, and the encouraging and positive healing observed to date.The company also wishes to address certain statements made in an opinion piece published by a short seller to coincide with the KOL summit. The company said, "Regarding online statements about a 'non-final rejection' and a 'final rejection' notice from the USPTO, the Company notes that such statements refer to the receipt of office actions from the USPTO. Office actions are part of the normal patent prosecution process, and are received on the 'notification date' identified on each office action. The Company is actively pursuing a variety of claims within multiple published non-provisional patent applications in the U.S. The prosecution dialogue between an applicant and the USPTO commonly includes a series of office actions as well as the applicant's responses to such office actions. It is common for a first office action to be referred to as a 'non-final rejection,' and for a second office action to be referred to as a 'final rejection.' Importantly, however, in each such instance the applicant has the opportunity to respond to the USPTO, as well as to continue prosecution thereafter. The Company recently received a second office action on one published patent application and is moving forward with a timely response. The process of patent prosecution before the USPTO can be lengthy. However, the Company does not feel that lack of issued patents should deprive patients of the very real potential benefits they can receive from our products in the interim...The Company strongly disputes any claim that any current directors or officers have sold shares of the Company's stock in the last 12 months. These contentions are a mischaracterization of basic SEC registration practice. Registration of the securities issuable under an incentive stock plan is a routine event and does not equate to a sale of shares. The Company filed a registration statement on Form S-8 with the SEC on May 29, 2018, which covers shares and options granted to its current and former employees and directors under the Company's incentive stock plan. The filing of a Form S-8 is a customary practice for publicly-held companies. None of the current officers and directors of the Company have sold shares...The Company believes that there is strong momentum in the business and looks forward to sharing additional information about expected positive outcomes with SkinTE, and the ongoing development of the Company's pipeline."

08:19 EDT LiveXLive Media's Slack Radio launches Amazon voice-enabled music streaming - LiveXLive Media's (LIVX) wholly-owned subsidiary Slacker Radio, a streaming music and personalized radio subscription service, has launched a "Skill" allowing the service to be integrated with Amazon (AMZN) Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices. Using Slacker's Skill, Alexa users can play specific Slacker stations and other human-curated original content through voice commands.

08:17 EDT Taoping receives $1.6M cloud-based ad terminal order for Sichuan province - Taoping announced that it has entered into a contract for the sales of 5,000 cloud-based elevator ad terminals to be installed in office buildings and residential communities throughout Sichuan, a province in southwest China occupying most of the Sichuan Basin and the easternmost part of the Tibetan Plateau and is the home of giant pandas. Signed with Sichuan Taoping IoT Technology Limited, the contract is expected to generate sales and service revenue to TAOP of about $1.6M. Today's news is the thirty-third in a series of announcements since May of 2017 on TAOP's sales of its cloud-based ad terminals. Each transaction is expected to generate recurring service and commission revenue from customers' use of the Company's Yunfa advertising distribution system and Taoping Net/ App ad screen sharing platform.

08:15 EDT Cel Sci trading resumes

08:12 EDT Pros Holdings names Michael WU Chief Artificial Intelligence Strategist - Pros Holdings announced that Michael Wu has joined the company as its Chief Artificial Intelligence Strategist. He was most recently with Lithium Technologies, where he served as its Chief Scientist for almost six years, and four years as its principal scientist. Wu developed the community health index and many predictive social analytics algorithms with actionable insights.

08:10 EDT Foamix announces dosing of last patient in Phase 3 studies of FMX103 - Foamix Pharmaceuticals announced that it has completed patient enrollment and has dosed the last patient in its two Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of FMX103, topical minocycline foam 1.5%, for the treatment of rosacea. The two Phase 3 pivotal studies are being run simultaneously, and the Company currently anticipates reporting top-line results early in the fourth quarter of this year. A total of 1522 patients have been enrolled in the rosacea Phase 3 program. Patients who completed participation in either of these studies are given the option to continue into a long-term open-label safety extension to evaluate the safety of intermittent use of FMX103 for up to an additional 9 months. Enrollment in this extension study is also complete, having enrolled 505 patients.

08:08 EDT CEL-SCI announces arbitrator ruling that inVentiv breached its contract - CEL-SCI (CVM) announced that after a four and a half year battle, a decision has been delivered by the arbitrator in CEL-SCI's arbitration suit against clinical development giant inVentiv, now part of Syneos Health (SYNH). The arbitrator ruled that inVentiv materially breached its contract with CEL-SCI. inVentiv was the Clinical Research Organization, or CRO that CEL-SCI had hired to manage the company's global Phase 3 head and neck cancer study from 2011 to 2013. This is a final and binding decision and to CEL-SCI's knowledge, marks the first ever decision in favor of a pharmaceutical/biomedical company against a CRO for breach of contract.

08:07 EDT Trovagene's PCM-075 in AML shows leukemic reduction effect in clinical trial - Trovagene Announces Preliminary Clinical Data from First Dosing Cohort Demonstrating Durable Treatment Effect of PCM-075 in Combination with Cytarabine or Decitabine in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory AML Additional pharmacodynamic data supports inhibition of PLK1 in leukemic cells as measured by pTCTP in its Phase 1b/2 trial in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Trovagene announced preliminary clinical data from the first dosing cohort showing a treatment effect with PCM-075 in combination with low-dose cytarabine or decitabine, as measured by decreases in leukemic cells in both peripheral blood and bone marrow in patients in its ongoing Phase 1b/2 trial in relapsed or refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In the first dose level, seven patients were treated with PCM-075 at 12 mg/m2 in combination with either LDAC or decitabine. Three patients exhibited substantial reductions in the percentage of both circulating leukemic cells within the blood and leukemic cells within the bone marrow. Two of these three patients continued on treatment in the second cycle and further decreases in circulating leukemic cells in the blood and within the bone marrow were observed. The next dose level cohort of PCM-075 at 18 mg/m2 in combination with LDAC or decitabine is currently enrolling and dosing patients. PLK1 inhibition in the Phase 1b/2 AML trial is being assessed in patients 3-hours following administration of PCM-075 in combination with LDAC or decitabine. Significant reductions in PLK1, as measured by pTCTP levels, were observed in the circulating blood cells in four of six patients treated with PCM-075 in combination with cytarabine or decitabine. Three of these four patients also had significant reductions in circulating blast cells during the treatment cycle.

08:03 EDT Highfields Capital to vote against Rite Aid's proposed merger with Albertsons - Highfields Capital, which holds approximately 47M shares, or 4.4% of the outstanding shares of Rite Aid, said that it intends to vote against Rite Aid's proposed merger with Albertsons, as presently constituted. Highfields, as fiduciary for $12B of client assets, evaluates each shareholder vote on its own merits. Based on the firm's analysis, the current terms of the proposed transaction between Rite Aid and Albertsons do not offer compelling value. In Highfields' estimation, the proposed transaction is in the best interests of Albertsons and Rite Aid management, but not Rite Aid shareholders.

08:03 EDT ANI Pharmaceuticals launches Cholestyramine for Oral Suspension USP - ANI Pharmaceuticals launched Cholestyramine for Oral Suspension USP, 4g/dose, in cans. The current annual U.S. market for this product is estimated at approximately $22M. Cholestyramine for Oral Suspension USP is indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet for the reduction of elevated serum cholesterol in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia who do not respond adequately to diet.

08:00 EDT Global Blood Therapeutics trading resumes

07:49 EDT Capitala Finance leads $37M investment in Installs - Capitala Finance announced that it recently originated and led an investment of senior secured debt totaling $37M in Installs. Capitala made its original investment in Installs alongside Graycliff Partners in 2016.

07:37 EDT Cel Sci trading halted, news pending

07:33 EDT Arrowhead receives positive opinion from EMA's COMP for ARO-AAT - Arrowhead announced that the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, or COMP, issued a positive opinion on Arrowhead's application for orphan designation of its RNAi candidate, ARO-AAT, for the treatment of congenital alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. ARO-AAT was previously granted orphan drug designation by the FDA in February.

07:32 EDT GECAS, OZ Management close STARR 2018-1 - GE Capital Aviation Services (GE) and Oz Management (OZM) announced today the closing of STARR 2018-1. Operating as START, this closing marks the first aircraft portfolio purchase vehicle structure to include a dedicated Asset Manager for equity investors. In this transaction GECAS is selling a portfolio of aircraft to Start, which is financing its acquisition through issuance of 144A debt and equity. The sales are subject to typical conditions precedent including any regulatory approvals that may be necessary. GECAS will continue to service the portfolio and an affiliate of Oz will serve as an Asset Manager. The diversified portfolio is comprised of 24 in-production Boeing and Airbus aircraft on lease to 16 global airlines in 15 countries, with a total appraised value of approximately $700mn. An affiliate of Oz, through an exclusive, multi-year agreement with GECAS, will serve as an asset manager on this and potential future transactions, acting on behalf of the syndicated equity investors as an advisor to the board regarding portfolio matters. In this capacity, Oz will provide increased transparency on behalf of START Ltd. through enhanced investor reporting to improve liquidity for debt and equity investors. With nearly $1T in outstanding market value in commercial aviation, this asset manager structure aims to broaden the investor base in the sector and bring increased institutional capital to the space, similar to other securitization markets such as CLOs. In addition to serving as the asset manager, funds managed by Oz have the added opportunity to invest equity.

07:27 EDT Pinnacle Foods down 5.7% to $63.99 after agreeing to be acquired by Conagra Brands

07:25 EDT Global Blood Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

07:23 EDT Merck, AstraZeneca announce Lynparza survival improvement over placebo - AstraZeneca (AZN) and Merck (MRK) announced positive results from the randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, Phase III SOLO-1 trial of Lynparza tablets. Women with BRCA-mutated, or BRCAm, advanced ovarian cancer treated 1st-line with Lynparza maintenance therapy had a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared to placebo. The safety and tolerability profile of Lynparza was consistent with previous trials. Based upon these data, AstraZeneca and Merck plan to initiate discussions with health authorities regarding regulatory submissions.

07:17 EDT Icon announces collaboration with Practice Fusion - Icon announced that it is working with Practice Fusion to leverage active patient data in support of health research. Practice Fusion offers connectivity solutions and services that can help make healthcare management better for clinical labs, pharmacies, imaging centers, health systems and other US healthcare ecosystem stakeholders. These connected partners utilize the Practice Fusion platform to help coordinate care, and help develop innovative programs to improve outcomes, reduce costs and enhance the patient experience.

07:11 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials says LignoTech Florida begins operations - Rayonier Advanced Materials and Borregaard ASA announced LignoTech Florida, owned 45% by RYAM and 55% by BRG, officially begun operations at the new lignin plant in Fernandina Beach. The plant has production capacity of 100,000 dry metric tons of lignin with the option of a second phase that can later expand production by an additional 50,000 dry metric tons.

07:10 EDT General Mills CEO says will continue to follow Consumer First strategy in FY19 - "Fiscal 2018 represented an important first step in returning our business to sustainable topline growth," said General Mills Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening. "We made significant progress toward competing more effectively this year, with strong innovation, marketing, and in-store execution driving positive organic sales growth in each of our last three quarters. And we moved to reshape our portfolio for future growth with the acquisition of Blue Buffalo, a fast-growing, highly profitable business that is leading the transformation of the U.S. pet food category. While our full-year profit results fell short of our initial plans, we finished the year delivering growth in sales, margins, profit, and EPS in the fourth quarter. And I'm pleased with the continued progress we've made in cash generation, with our free cash flow up nearly 30 percent this year." Harmening continued, "As we turn to fiscal 2019, we'll continue to follow our Consumer First strategy and execute against our global growth priorities to further improve our topline momentum. We are committed to competing effectively across all our brands and geographies, increasing investments to accelerate our differential growth platforms, and maximizing the growth opportunities for Blue Buffalo. We are also keenly focused on maintaining our efficiency in this more inflationary cost environment, and we have initiatives underway to help protect our profitability."

07:09 EDT Molina Healthcare to sell Medicaid subsidiary to DXC Technology - Molina Healthcare (MOH) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Molina Medicaid Solutions, a Medicaid management information systems business, to DXC Technology (DXC). The divestiture, which is expected to close in Q3, is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and the receipt of certain third party consents and regulatory approvals. The net purchase price for the equity interests of MMS is estimated to be approximately $220M after certain adjustments.

07:06 EDT Level Brands announces seven-year licensing agreement with Boston Therapeutics - Level Brands (LEVB) announced a seven-year licensing agreement with Boston Therapeutics (BTHE). Under the terms of the agreement, Boston Therapeutics is licensing the Kathy Ireland Health & Wellness brand to market its diabetes supplement, Sugardown. Boston Therapeutics will pay Level Brands an initial marketing fee of $850,000 to produce intellectual property to support the marketing efforts of the newest product to be branded under Kathy Ireland Health & Wellness, plus ongoing royalties.

07:03 EDT Northern Oil and Gas to acquire assets in Williston Basin - Northern Oil and Gas announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire producing assets in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. Acquisition includes current estimated production of 165 barrels of oil equivalent per day and over 1,900 acres in the Pronghorn area of the Williston Basin. The acquired acreage is 100% held by production and focused in the Pronghorn area, operated by Whiting Petroleum and Continental Resources. Total consideration is $5M in cash and 500,000 shares of Northern common stock, with the acquisition expected to close on or about August 1.

07:02 EDT AcelRx receives European Commission approval for Dzuveo - AcelRx announced that the European Commission has approved Dzuveo, under development in the U.S. as Dsuvia, for the management of acute moderate to severe pain in adults in medically monitored settings. Dzuveo represents the second EC approval for an AcelRx developed product, with the first being Zalviso, which is currently being marketed in Europe by Grunenthal. AcelRx previously announced the acceptance of the resubmitted New Drug Application for Dsuvia, approved in Europe as Dzuveo, by the FDA, for which the FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of November 3.

06:55 EDT Endeavour Silver announces silver-gold mineralization in nine holes at Torronera - Endeavour Silver announces that infill drilling within the Terronera vein system on the Terronera property in Jalisco State, Mexico has consistently intersected high grade silver-gold mineralization in nine drill holes. The best intercept to date returned 618 grams per tonne silver and 3.2 gpt gold over 21.2 metres true width silver equivalent over 69.6 feet in hole TR11-4. All nine drill holes were targeted to fill gaps in the drill pattern, with the goal to upgrade up to 1M tonnes of inferred resources to measured and indicated resources so they can be included in the mine plan for Terronera, and to expand the inferred resources at depth. Hole TR11-4 is the deepest mineralized hole drilled to date, it intersected the mineralized zone at 430 m vertical depth, and remains open at depth. The infill drill program is now 60% complete, with 5,990 m drilled out of 10,000 m planned. Once the infill drill program is completed in September and full drill results are available, a revised resource estimate will be prepared, but the new results will not be in time to include in the updated pre-feasibility study anticipated to be released in August.

06:54 EDT Cara Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

06:40 EDT Conagra Brands CEO says 'squarely on track' to deliver long-term commitments - Sean Connolly, president and CEO of Conagra Brands, commented, "Fiscal 2018 marked another year of tremendous progress in our transformation, despite a challenging inflationary environment. The year was further proof that we are squarely on track to deliver on the long-term commitments we presented at our 2016 investor day. Since then, we have improved our sales performance with innovation, renovation and enhanced marketing capabilities. We've also driven profitability through a focus on executional excellence and we created an externally-focused, results-oriented culture. Clearly, our hard work is paying off with improved and more consistent performance, and I am very proud of the progress we have made over the past three years." Connolly added, "Looking ahead, our fiscal 2019 guidance anticipates solid growth in our net sales, adjusted gross profit, and adjusted operating profit, consistent with our long-term plan. We are confident we will sustain the progress we've made on our fundamentals, and we are well-positioned to continue to drive meaningful value creation. Our pending acquisition of Pinnacle Foods, which we also announced this morning, will further enhance our progress and we expect it will provide incremental opportunities to capture value for our shareholders."

06:32 EDT Aquinox says Phase 3 LEADERSHIP 301 trial failed to meet primary endpoint - Aquinox Pharmaceuticals announced that the Phase 3 LEADERSHIP 301 clinical trial evaluating once-daily, oral rosiptor (AQX-1125) for the treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome failed to meet its primary endpoint. "This is a disappointing result for Aquinox and for patients," said David Main, President and CEO of Aquinox. "LEADERSHIP 301 was a robust and well-conducted trial, and we believe the results are definitive. We have conducted a number of sensitivity, subpopulation, and secondary endpoint analyses and none demonstrate a benefit of rosiptor over placebo. We had hoped to deliver better news to the patients and investigators that made the personal commitment to participate in the trial." Main added, "These results support halting all further development activities with rosiptor. We will be undertaking a thorough evaluation of our pipeline and other strategic options available to the company and will be in a position to provide further guidance later this year." LEADERSHIP 301 enrolled 433 participants, including 341 female subjects who were randomized to receive rosiptor 100 mg or 200 mg, or placebo. The trial was balanced in terms of baseline characteristics between arms, and enrolled a population very similar to the prior Phase 2 trial. Rosiptor failed to achieve a statistically significant reduction in the mean change from Baseline at Week 12 in maximum daily bladder pain score compared to placebo in the female subjects, which was the primary endpoint. Rosiptor was generally well tolerated with the rate of adverse events during the 12-week treatment period similar to that of placebo and prior trials

06:21 EDT Conagra Brands sees Pinnacle Foods acquisition accretive to adj. EPS in FY2020 - On a percentage basis, Conagra Brands (CAG) expects the transaction to be low single-digit accretive to adjusted EPS in the fiscal year ended May 2020 and high single-digit accretive to adjusted EPS in the fiscal year ended May 2022. Conagra Brands expects to achieve approximately $215M in annual run-rate cost synergies by the end of fiscal year 2022, with one-time cash costs to achieve the synergies estimated at approximately $355M, inclusive of expected capital expenditures of approximately $150M. The transaction is expected to be financed by Conagra Brands equity issued to Pinnacle Foods (PF) shareholders, new transaction debt and incremental cash proceeds from a public equity offering and/or divestitures. In recent years, Conagra Brands has established a proven track record of executing strategic transactions. The two organizations share complementary portfolios, supply chains, and results-oriented cultures, which are expected to facilitate integration.

06:15 EDT Conagra Brands to acquire Pinnacle Foods for $10.9B in cash and stock

05:53 EDT Leju CEO agrees to purchase 6,788,198 ordinary shares of company - Leju Holdings announced that Geoffrey He, Leju's CEO, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,788,198 ordinary shares of the company, representing approximately 5% of the company's current total outstanding share capital, from E-House Holdings Limited, a principal shareholder of the company. The total consideration of the transaction is $9,299,831, equivalent to $1.37 per ordinary share or $1.37 per ADS, which represents the average closing price of the company's ADSs for the 30 consecutive trading days prior to June 27, 2018. This share purchase has been approved by Leju's Board and the shares purchased are subject to a three-year lock-up.

05:41 EDT Facebook revises political ad rules - Campbell Brown, head of global news partnerships at Facebook, said in an updated blog post that Facebook will divide its political ads archive into two sections -- one for ads promoting news stories about politics and one for ads promoting political candidates and issues. The new approach follows weeks of criticism from publishers who argued that Facebook's decision to categorize promotion of their news articles as political content would serve to further confuse readers about what is fact and what is opinion. Reference Link

05:37 EDT Citi appointed as despositary bank for Autolus Therapeutics' ADR program - Citi (C), acting through Citibank N.A., has been appointed by Autolus Therapeutics (AUTL) as depositary bank for its American Depositary Receipt programme. Autolus' American Depositary Shares trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "AUTL." Each ADS represents one ordinary share of Autolus.

05:33 EDT Baidu announces $1B share repurchase program - Baidu announced that its board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $1B of its shares over the next 12 months. The company plans to fund repurchases from its existing cash balance.