Stockwinners Market Radar for July 09, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:08 EDT Five9 announces Gaurav Passi steps down as EVP for Products - As of July 2, 2018, Gaurav Passi no longer serves as the Executive Vice President for Products of Five9, Inc and will depart from the company to pursue other opportunities. If Mr. Passi executes a release, he will receive benefits under the company's Key Employee Severance Plan as a Tier 3 participant and may receive other benefits that he and the company may negotiate.

19:08 EDT Altaba agrees to sell 614M shaes of Yahoo Japan to SoftBank - Altaba (AABA) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SoftBank Corp (SFTBY), which is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., to sell up to 613,888,888 shares of Yahoo Japan Corporation common stock that it currently holds to SoftBank Corp. for JPY 360 (approximately $3.26) per share in cash. The price is the closing price of Yahoo Japan common stock as quoted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on July 9, 2018, Tokyo time, the last quoted price prior to this announcement. In order to comply with Japanese legal requirements, the transaction is being structured as a tender offer by SoftBank Corp. pursuant to which SoftBank Corp. will tender for 613,888,888 Yahoo Japan shares, or the equivalent of US$ 2 billion at the tender offer price. Altaba has agreed to tender at least 613,888,888 shares in the tender offer. Other shareholders of Yahoo Japan will also be able to tender shares held by them in the tender offer. If the tender offer is oversubscribed, then the number of shares that will be purchased from tendering shareholders, including Altaba, will be subject to proration based on the number of shares tendered by each shareholder in accordance with Japanese tender offer rules. If no other Yahoo Japan shareholders participate in the tender offer, and Altaba sells 613,888,888 shares in the tender offer, upon consummation, based on current holdings, Altaba would continue to hold 1,363,393,312 shares of Yahoo Japan, or approximately 27% of the shares outstanding, after giving effect to the consummation of the concurrent self-tender by Yahoo Japan described below.

19:03 EDT MediciNova 'pleased' with results from clinical MN-166 trial - MediciNova announced clinical data from ad-hoc subgroup analyses of MediciNova's completed clinical trial of MN-166 in ALS, which was conducted at Carolinas HealthCare System's Neuromuscular/ALS-MDA Center at Carolinas HealthCare System Neurosciences Institute. The ad-hoc subgroup analyses include data from the "Early ALS subgroup" which is 31 subjects who had either bulbar onset or upper limb onset out of a total of 49 subjects without non-invasive ventilation in the full analysis set and the "Early ALS + NIV subgroup" which is 39 subjects who had either bulbar onset or upper limb onset out of a total of 67 subjects with and without non-invasive ventilation in the full analysis set. The full analysis set includes all randomized subjects who received at least 14 days of study drug and had at least one post-dose efficacy measurement. The subgroup analyses were completed for the ALSFRS-R total score, the ALSAQ-5 score, and the Manual Muscle Test. A responder was defined as a subject who did not worsen on the score at the end of the 6-month double-blind period. In the early ALS subgroup, there was a higher percentage of responders in the MN-166 group compared to the placebo group. 30.0% of subjects in the MN-166 group were responders on the ALSFRS-R total score compared to 9.1% of subjects in the placebo group. There was a higher percentage of subjects who improved in the MN-166 group compared to the placebo group. 25.0% of subjects in the MN-166 group improved on the ALSFRS-R total score compared to 0.0% of subjects in the placebo group at the end of the 6-month double-blind period. In the early ALS + NIV subgroup, there was a higher percentage of responders in the MN-166 group compared to the placebo group. 26.9% of subjects in the MN-166 group were responders on the ALSFRS-R total score compared to 7.7% of subjects in the placebo group. There was a higher percentage of subjects who improved in the MN-166 group compared to the placebo group. 23.1% of subjects in the MN-166 group improved on the ALSFRS-R total score compared to 0.0% of subjects in the placebo group at the end of the 6-month double-blind period. Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, "We are very pleased with the results of these new analyses which indicate that MN-166 could improve outcomes in this devastating and fatal disease. We believe this is a direct result of MN-166's mechanism of enhancing the production of neurotrophic factors including nerve growth factor. We look forward to meeting with the FDA."

18:54 EDT Ellington Financial announces estimated book value per share $19.90 on June 30 - Or $19.58 on a diluted basis.

18:27 EDT Latam Airlines reports preliminary June traffic up 1.3% - LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries, reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for June 2018 compared to June 2017. System passenger traffic increased 1.3%, while capacity rose by 6.4%. As a result, the company's load factor for the month fell 4.1 percentage points to 80.3%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 59% of the month's total passenger traffic.

18:18 EDT Alphabet, Uber invest in bike sharing startup Lime - Bike sharing service Lime announced that it is raising $335M in its newest funding round. The round was led by GV, and Joe Kraus will take a seat on the company's board. Other new investors include Alphabet, IVP, Atomico and Fidelity Management and Research Company. In addition, Uber is joining the current round, making a sizable investment. Reference Link

17:38 EDT Acceleron pops, Celgene shares higher after blood-disorder drug study results - Shares of Celgene (CELG) and Acceleron Pharma (XLRN) are both higher after the drug companies announced results from a phase III, randomized, double-blind, multi-center clinical study. Luspatercept achieved a highly statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of erythroid response, which was defined as at least a 33 percent reduction from baseline in red blood cell transfusion burden with a reduction of at least 2 units during the protocol-defined period of 12 consecutive weeks, from week 13 to week 24, compared to placebo. Shares of Acceleron Pharma are up 12% to $53 per share, while Celgene is up fractionally.

17:20 EDT Allegiant Travel reports June total system traffic up 9.5% - Reports total system passengers up 11.0%. Reports total system load factor up 0.6 points to 85.2%. Reports total system departures up 8.6%.

17:15 EDT Altamont Pharmaceutical reports 14.1% passive stake in Soligenix

17:06 EDT Biotechnology Value Fund reports 5.5% passive stake in Kura Oncology

17:04 EDT Keurig Dr Pepper announces succesful completion of merger - Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) announced the successful completion of the merger between Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group. The transaction creates the seventh-largest company in the U.S. food and beverage sector and third-largest beverage company in North America, with annual revenues of approximately $11B. Shares in Keurig Dr Pepper will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 10 under the ticker symbol KDP.

16:54 EDT Luspatercept achieved primary and key secondary endpoints in Phase III study - Celgene Corporation (CELG) and Acceleron Pharma (XLRN) announced results from a phase III, randomized, double-blind, multi-center clinical study. Luspatercept achieved a highly statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of erythroid response, which was defined as at least a 33 percent reduction from baseline in red blood cell transfusion burden with a reduction of at least 2 units during the protocol-defined period of 12 consecutive weeks, from week 13 to week 24, compared to placebo. BELIEVE evaluated the efficacy and safety of luspatercept plus best supportive care versus placebo plus best supportive care in adults with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia. In addition to achieving the primary endpoint of the study, luspatercept also met all key secondary endpoints of demonstrating statistically significant improvements in RBC transfusion burden from baseline of at least a 33 percent reduction during the period from week 37 to week 48, at least a 50 percent reduction during the period from week 13 to week 24, at least a 50 percent reduction during the period from week 37 to week 48, and a mean change in transfusion burden from week 13 to week 24. Adverse events observed in the study were generally consistent with previously reported data. The companies also recently announced that luspatercept met the primary and key secondary endpoints in the MEDALIST study, a phase III, randomized, double-blind, multi-center clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of luspatercept versus placebo in patients with IPSS-R very low, low or intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndromes with chronic anemia and refractory to, intolerant of, or ineligible for treatment with an erythropoietin-stimulating agent, ring sideroblast-positive and require frequent RBC transfusions. Data from BELIEVE and MEDALIST will be submitted to a future medical meeting in 2018. The companies plan to submit regulatory applications for luspatercept in the United States and Europe in the first half of 2019. Luspatercept is not approved for any indication in any geography.

16:46 EDT Highbridge Capital reports 5.77% passive stake in EverQuote

16:40 EDT Home Federal Bancorp announces $1,000 bonuses for 60% of employees - Home Federal Bank announced plans to pay up to a $1,000 cash bonus to eligible non-exempt and non-commissioned employees. Approximately 60% of HFB's employees will receive this bonus. In addition, HFB recently increased its 401k plan employer matching contribution rate from 4% to 6%. "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created an opportunity to reward our employees, build lasting relationships in our community, and produce long-term value for our shareholders," said Jim Barlow, president and CEO of HFB. "The Board's decision to recognize our employees is reflective of our commitment to the future growth and success of HFB."

16:36 EDT Strayer: Capella gets approval of change of ownership from regional accreditor - Strayer Education announced that Capella University received notice that its regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, has approved the change of ownership of Capella University in connection with the merger between Capella University's parent company, Capella Education Company, and Strayer Education, Inc., the parent company of Strayer University, which will change its name to Strategic Education, Inc. The merger is expected to close on or before August 1.

16:32 EDT Armistice Capital reports 5.0% passive stake in InspireMD

16:31 EDT Gabelli reports 9.37% stake in Gyrodyne

16:28 EDT Herman Miller CEO sells 18,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Herman Miller CEO Brian C. Walker disclosed the sale of 18,000 common shares at a price of $38.4909 per share.

16:25 EDT Satori Capital reports 17.09% passive stake in Lovesac

16:22 EDT Pzena Investment reports AUM as of June 30 $36.9B vs. $33.5B last year

16:17 EDT American Renal Associates, UnitedHealth execute binding settlement term sheet - American Renal Associates Holdings (ARA) and UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company (UNH) announced that they have executed a binding Settlement Term Sheet and will be negotiating terms of a definitive settlement by August 1, 2018. Under the terms of the Agreement, ARA will pay $32M and will follow certain procedures and share information with UnitedHealthcare. In conjunction with the Agreement, ARA and UnitedHealthcare will enter into a three-year network agreement, effective August 1, 2018, that will provide UnitedHealthcare plan participants with more cost effective, in-network access to all of ARA's dialysis clinics in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The network agreement will include UnitedHealthcare's health benefit products across the commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care markets, and will allow chronically-ill end-stage renal disease patients to better coordinate their access to care with ARA's clinics and ARA-affiliated nephrologist partners who are part of the UnitedHealthcare network. The network agreement will also include certain value-based contracting features designed to improve quality and lower hospitalization costs for UnitedHealthcare plan participants who receive kidney care at ARA clinics. In a joint statement, the companies said, "We are pleased to have reached a resolution on this matter and we look forward to building a more cooperative relationship that enables us to collaborate on high quality care for dialysis patients."

16:15 EDT OncoCyte announces new NGS platform, biomarkers in development of DetermaVu - OncoCyte reported that its most recent study of clinical samples in the development of DetermaVu, its lung cancer diagnostic blood test, has produced "encouraging" results. This study supports moving the test to a leading clinical diagnostic testing platform and indicates that the clinical performance of the test may be better than was previously expected. The move to a leading diagnostic testing platform is expected to resolve the inconsistent data issues OncoCyte encountered with the diagnostic testing platform it had previously used in the development of DetermaVu. OncoCyte believes that the precision of Next Generation Sequencing, or NGS, platforms may increase test performance. In addition, the use of a NGS platform could allow for decentralized operations beyond OncoCyte's CLIA lab, potentially enabling development of a CE marked kit product for distribution in Europe and other markets, if OncoCyte's upcoming studies are successful. In addition, the study incorporated newly discovered biomarkers into a new, next-generation version of DetermaVu. These biomarkers appear to be more robust than those used in the earlier biomarker panel and may enhance the utility and accuracy of DetermaVu. The use of the new biomarkers in combination with the existing Wistar biomarkers achieved encouraging results even without the inclusion of clinical data such as nodule size, while the original DetermaVu algorithm included nodule size as a contributing factor. The study found that an enhanced algorithm incorporating the best-performing new biomarkers with the best-performing biomarkers used in previous DetermaVu studies yielded accuracy results equivalent or superior to results of previous studies using the earlier biomarker panel and algorithm. Because the error bar or potential range of results from the small sample set in the study is wide, these results must be confirmed in a larger sample set.

16:07 EDT Itron to install OpenWay Riva IoT solution for City of Pearland, Texas - Itron will install Itron's OpenWay Riva IoT solution for water plus leak sensors for the City of Pearland, Texas to help reduce water loss and improve delivery of water to its 120,000 customers. The utility will also take advantage of Itron Analytics, a software-as-a-service offering that collects and analyzes data in the network to improve operational awareness. To increase metering accuracy, improve customer service and provide better water consumption data, the City of Pearland will replace its existing Automated Meter Reading system with 37,000 Itron OpenWay Riva water communication modules and leak sensors. With Itron Analytics, the city can make faster, more informed decisions about its operations and better account for water loss. As a part of the contract, Itron will install endpoints, routers and provide overall project management.

16:04 EDT Kratos Defense announces delivery of first SSAT drone system for Navy - Kratos Defense announced the delivery of the first production BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target, or SSAT, drone system for the U.S. Navy. These production deliveries are part of the previously announced low rate initial production, or LRIP, year one contracts worth approximately $37M.

16:04 EDT MGM Resorts says single-use plastic straws will only be served upon request - MGM Resorts International announced that single-use plastic straws will only be served upon request at company operated restaurants in the U.S. As one of the world's top five largest non-chain restaurant operators in the world, MGM Resorts and its employees understand their responsibility in protecting our planet and helping reduce their carbon footprint. This initiative, which began rolling out in May 2018, aims to eventually remove more than 250,000 straws a day from landfills and waterways-that's 100M straws each year.

16:03 EDT TPI Composites and Vestas expand relationship in Mexico - TPI Composites announced that Vestas Wind Systems A/S has exercised an option to add two more V136 blade manufacturing lines under an existing multiyear supply agreement. TPI will produce blades from six lines for Vestas at TPI's new manufacturing hub in Matamoros, Mexico. Production from this facility will begin this quarter. "We are pleased that Vestas has executed its option to add two more production lines with TPI in Mexico for its V136 wind turbine," said Steve Lockard, President and CEO of TPI Composites.TPI has produced wind blades in Mexico since 2002, and currently operates three wind blade facilities in Ciudad Juarez.

16:02 EDT Shutterfly launches Kids, Pets categories - Shutterfly announced the launch of two new categories: Kids and Pets. Now kids, pets and their parents can show their personality with an inspiring range of customizable products. Shutterfly Kids offers a variety of products for children, including School Gear, Kids Room, Travel, Toys and Games, and Tableware. The collection is designed for children ages 4-14+, and includes personalized bean bags, duvets, fleece blankets, custom backpacks, folders, and beach towels. Shutterfly Pets offers products for both pets and their owners, ranging from personalized pet beds, bowls, and blankets to pet tags and bandanas. Pet Lovers can incorporate their favorite breed into their home decor in a variety of styles including water color, silhouettes, and cartoon drawings. "Kids and Pets are at the center of many of the most memorable moments in the lives of the families we serve, and we are thrilled to bring a broad array of new products in both categories to customers on Shutterfly.com," said Michele Anderson, Senior Vice President of Retail. "Targeted category expansion is a strategic focus for the company and we are being thoughtful about how to make it simple and fun to preserve and share all of a family's most precious memories. We look forward to adding fresh ideas to these categories over time and making both Kids and Pets a valued addition to Shutterfly.com."

16:01 EDT Paccar announces $300M share repurchase program - The PACCAR board of directors approved the repurchase of an additional $300M of its outstanding common stock. PACCAR recently completed its previously authorized $300M share repurchase program. "PACCAR's excellent net profits and cash flow deliver good returns for its shareholders," said Mark Pigott, executive chairman. "The company's shareholder return has averaged 12.5 percent in the last fifteen years, compared to the S&P 500 Index return of 9.5 percent."

15:36 EDT House panel sends questions to Apple, Alphabet CEOs on third-party access - The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Greg Walden, along with three other senior Republicans on the committee, sent letters to Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet (GOOG) CEO Larry Page asking questions about location data and mobile phone privacy practices and the handling of customer data. In writing to Tim Cook, the panel brought up Apple's statements that it never believed that detailed profiles of people that have "incredibly deep personal information that is patched together from several sources should exist." "However, users have consistently had access to apps through the App Store that you have highlighted as contradictory to Apple's values, including Google and Facebook apps," the committee said. "Only a few weeks ago Apple announced changes to its App Store rules that were characterized as attempting to limit how much data third-party app developers can collect from Apple device users. These statements and actions raise questions about how Apple device users' data is protected and when it is shared and compiled." In writing to Larry Page, the panel noted that Google announced in June 2017 changes to Gmail that would halt scanning the contents of a user's email to personalize advertisements to "keep privacy and security paramount." "Last week, reports surfaced that in spite of this policy change, Google still permitted third parties to access the contents of users' emails, including message text, email signatures, and receipt data, to personalize content," the panel said. "In the context of free services offered by third parties, these practices raise questions about how representations made by a platform are carried out in practice." Reference Link

15:25 EDT FDA, CDC investigating cyclosporiasis illnesses linked to Del Monte vegetables - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local officials have been investigating a cluster of cyclosporiasis illnesses associated with recalled Del Monte 6oz and 12oz vegetable trays containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and dill dip that were sold by Kwik Trip/Kwik Star locations in IA, IN, MI, MN, and WI, the agencies announced in updates on July 5. Additionally, Del Monte is recalling "small veggie trays," which are 28oz and include broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery and dill dip that were distributed to Illinois and Indiana. As of July 5, 2018, CDC has reported 212 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in persons from IA, MN, WI and MI who reportedly consumed the vegetable trays. Seven of these people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. The two cases from Michigan reportedly purchased the vegetable tray in Wisconsin and therefore Michigan is not impacted from this outbreak, the FDA has stated. Reference Link

14:19 EDT Dorian LPG confirms receipt of revised unsolicited proposal from BW LPG - Dorian LPG confirmed that it has received a revised unsolicited proposal from BW LPG to combine with Dorian. Under the revised proposal, Dorian shareholders would receive 2.12 shares of BW LPG for each share of Dorian. BW LPG's initial proposal was made on May 29, 2018. The Dorian Board of Directors unanimously declined the proposal on June 15, 2018 citing "Dorian's younger, more fuel-efficient ships; its superior commercial performance; its stronger balance sheet; and lack of shareholder benefit from the dual listing that BW LPG proposed." The company added: "The board of directors of Dorian will review BW LPG's revised proposal in consultation with its financial and legal advisors. No assurance can be given that any transaction will occur."

14:05 EDT IsoRay trading resumes

14:02 EDT Stanley Black & Decker increases Centredale site reserve by $78M on EPA pact - In a regulatory filing, Stanley Black & Decker confirmed that it has reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency for reimbursement of EPA's past costs and remediation of environmental contamination found at the Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund site located in North Providence, Rhode Island. The EPA had alleged that Black & Decker and certain of its current and former affiliates are liable for site clean-up costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act as successors to the liability of Metro-Atlantic, Inc., a former operator at the site, and demanded reimbursement of the EPA's costs related to this site. Black & Decker and certain of its current and former affiliates contested the EPA's allegation that they are responsible for the contamination, and have asserted contribution claims, counterclaims and cross-claims against a number of other potentially responsible parties, including the federal government as well as insurance carriers. "Although the settlement with the EPA resolves EPA's claims against the company, the litigation against other PRPs to recover costs associated with this clean-up continues," Stanley stated. The company has increased its reserve for this site by $78M to approximately $146M, reflective of the settlement reached. The $78M increase will be reflected in the company's second quarter 2018 GAAP financial results, Stanley noted.

13:43 EDT Enterprise Products increases quarterly cash distribution - Enterprise Products Partners announced that the board of directors of its general partner declared an increase in the quarterly cash distribution paid to limited partners with respect to the second quarter of 2018 to 43c per common unit, or $1.72 per unit on an annualized basis.The quarterly distribution will be paid Wednesday, August 8, to unitholders of record as of the close of business Tuesday, July 31. This distribution, which represents a 2.4% increase over the distribution declared with respect to the second quarter of 2017, is the partnership's 56th consecutive quarterly distribution increase and the 65th overall distribution increase since Enterprise's initial public offering in 1998.

13:30 EDT Bristol-Myers says Health Canada approves immuno-oncology combination therapy - Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada announced that immuno-oncology combination therapy OPDIVO 3mg/kg plus YERVOY 1mg/kg for intravenous injections, was approved by Health Canada for the treatment of adult patients with intermediate/poor-risk advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The data to support the approval was based on CheckMate 214, a phase three clinical trial demonstrating a significant increase of 37% in overall survival in the intermediate/poor risk patient population receiving the OPDIVO + YERVOY combination compared to a current standard of care, sunitinib.6 The median OS was not yet reached for OPDIVO plus YERVOY. The Objective Response Rate of the combination was 41.6%, including 9.4% of Complete Responses. The Checkmate 214 data was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2018. In the study, Grade 3-4 adverse reactions were reported in 46% of OPDIVO plus ipilimumab patients and in 63% of sunitinib patients. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 30% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus ipilimumab and 15% of patients receiving sunitinib. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 1% of patients were diarrhea, pneumonitis, hypophysitis, adrenal insufficiency, colitis, hyponatremia, increased ALT, pyrexia and nausea.

13:29 EDT Vista Outdoor to sell eyewear brands for expected proceeds of $158M - Earlier today, Vista Outdoor announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the legal entities operating its Bolle, Cebe and Serengeti brands to an entity controlled by a significant European private equity fund. The sale is part of Vista Outdoor's previously announced strategic business transformation plan, designed to allow the company to focus resources on pursuing growth in its core product categories of ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories, hydration bottles and packs, and outdoor cooking products. "We are pleased to have successfully reached an agreement to sell our eyewear and safety business at an attractive price," said Chris Metz, Chief Executive Officer of Vista Outdoor. "The business will have the opportunity to reach its full potential under new ownership. This divestiture is the first step in our transformation plan and will be the first of several potential asset sales that will significantly reduce Vista Outdoor's leverage and provide additional resources to for us to reinvest in our core businesses." Gross proceeds from the divestiture are expected to be approximately $158M, subject to customary working capital and transaction adjustments. The purchase price represents a premium to the EBITDA multiple paid for Bolle, Cebe and Serengeti as part of the Bushnell acquisition in 2013. Vista Outdoor expects to use the net after-tax proceeds of the sale to repay outstanding indebtedness. The transaction is expected to close within approximately 30 to 45 days, subject to customary closing conditions. Shares of Vista Outdoor are up fractionally to $26.61 per share in afternoon trading.

13:11 EDT Pfizer, others 'should be ashamed' about raising drug prices, Trump tweets - President Donald Trump tweeted: "Pfizer & others should be ashamed that they have raised drug prices for no reason. They are merely taking advantage of the poor & others unable to defend themselves, while at the same time giving bargain basement prices to other countries in Europe & elsewhere. We will respond!" Other large-cap drug companiesinclude AstraZeneca (AZN), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Novartis (NVS), Roche (RHHBY) and Sanofi (SNY).Reference Link

12:58 EDT Black & Decker agrees to clean up Rhode Island project for estimated $100M - The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced today that two subsidiaries of Stanley Black & Decker - Emhart Industries and Black & Decker - have agreed to clean up dioxin contaminated sediment and soil at the Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site in North Providence and Johnston, Rhode Island. The settlement, which includes cleanup work in the Woonasquatucket River and bordering residential and commercial properties along the River, requires the companies to perform the remedy selected by EPA for the Site in 2012, which is estimated to cost approximately $100M, and resolves longstanding litigation. Reference Link

12:23 EDT EU clears T-Mobile Austria to buy Liberty Global's Austrian unit - The European Commission has approved unconditionally under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of UPC Austria, Liberty Global's (LBTYA) Austrian unit, by T-Mobile Austria, part of Deutsche Telekom (DTEGY). The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns as the companies' activities and assets are largely complementary. The Commission found that the impact of the transaction on this market is likely to be limited, considering in particular that UPC's fixed internet access products differ considerably from TMA's mobile broadband products. These products differ both in terms of the underlying technology and product characteristics and as a result are not closely competing. The Commission also found that the merged entity would continue to face significant competition from other players such as the incumbent A1 Telekom Austria and Hutchison Drei Austria.

12:19 EDT Elaine Wynn sought new chairman for Wynn Resorts, but board rejected candidate - In a regulatory filing, Elaine Wynn said that "On July 5, 2018, Ms. Wynn reiterated her April 17, 2018 request that the Board immediately begin the process to amend the Company's articles of incorporation to provide for the annual election of ALL directors and to have the entire Board stand for re-election at the Company's 2019 annual meeting of shareholders.Ms. Wynn repeated the request for immediate declassification shortly after learning of the decision by the Board not to elect an extremely well-qualified candidate to the Board and appoint the Candidate as a vice chairman of the Board. A former Fortune 500 CEO, the Candidate has served on the boards of at least six public companies, including as Chairman of the Board of three public companies, and has extensive credibility with gaming industry regulators. The reason provided for the Board's decision was that neither the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee nor the full Board wanted to bring in an outsider as a vice chairman, despite the Candidate's qualifications. In an effort to resolve differences between the Company and herself, Ms. Wynn had offered to sign a multi-year standstill in exchange for the Candidate's appointment as Chairman. During discussions, a Company representative raised the possibility of vice chair without a standstill. The Candidate is not a close associate of Ms. Wynn. There is no agreement or understanding between the Candidate and Ms. Wynn as to any agenda. Further, the Candidate was told that he had been suggested as a director candidate by both a current director and a former director even before Ms. Wynn had suggested the Candidate's name. The Candidate had made a Board leadership position (chair or vice chair) an express condition to his willingness to join the Board, because he felt that a leadership role would be necessary for him to be in a position to help address the Company's regulatory issues. While the Board offered the Candidate a Board seat, the Board did so knowing that it would not meet the Candidate's condition, and he declined. Ms. Wynn made the July 5, 2018 request for immediate declassification in the interest of further improving the Company's governance practices. After observing various actions of the current Board (including the Board's response to Ms. Wynn's good faith efforts to settle differences between Ms. Wynn and the Company) and taking into account the criticisms of the special committee investigation reported on in The Wall Street Journal on June 17, 2018, it is Ms. Wynn's position that the Board needs to have a greater sense of accountability to shareholders, which would be greatly enhanced by an annual election of all directors."

12:03 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Reassurance Holdings, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of 100% of the equity interest of Chicago, Illinois-based Reassurance Holdings, including its subsidiaries Coverdell & Co. and Carefree Marketing. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1963, Coverdell is a licensed insurance broker, discount medical plan organization and third-party administrator, providing direct marketing of insurance and membership programs to many of the largest financial services institutions in the United States and Canada. Vince Di Benedetto and his associates will continue to operate from their current location under the direction of Kevin Garvin, head of Gallagher's North American Affinity Operations.

12:00 EDT Jianpu Technology falls -6.0% - Jianpu Technology is down -6.0%, or -40c to $6.26.

12:00 EDT Twitter falls -8.3% - Twitter is down -8.3%, or -$3.89 to $42.76.

12:00 EDT AU Optronics rises 9.4% - AU Optronics is up 9.4%, or 40c to $4.65.

11:37 EDT ICT Group to be acquired by BEK in cash deal valued at $25M or $65.25 per share - ICTC Group and BEK Communications Cooperative announced an agreement in which BEK will acquire ICTC in an all-cash transaction valued at $25M or $65.25 per ICTC share. Dan Miller, Chairman and CEO of ICTC Group, Inc. commented, "This deal is the culmination of a comprehensive strategic review, and is a significant milestone for our loyal customers, professional staff, and shareholders." ICTC recently began a multi-year investment cycle, utilizing its strong balance sheet and skilled technical team, to accelerate the deployment of high-speed broadband and related services. It is expected that BEK will continue this robust program for the benefit of consumers. The purchase price represents a premium of 54% from the 2017 average trading price for ICTC shares of $42.33, and a 170% premium to the 2016 average trading price of $24.17. Derrick Bulawa, CEO of BEK Communications, added "We are delighted to be bringing the ICTC community into our cooperative family. This is a terrific opportunity to leverage our operational presence in nearby Valley City and to provide broader distribution of our network, media and cloud products, to a market looking for advanced services." The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. ICTC will publish its financial results for the second quarter of 2018 in early August.

11:10 EDT Perspecta selected to provide geography data managment services to NGA - Perspecta announced that it has been selected to support the creation, validation, enrichment, and integration of foundational geospatial intelligence data for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on the Janus Geography contract. The 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract includes a three-year base period with an optional three-year period and four-year period and has a total ceiling value of $920M. On the Janus contract, which represents new business for the company, Perspecta will combine a non-traditional open source data acquisition approach with machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve mission-specific foundational geospatial intelligence for the NGA. Specifically, Perspecta will leverage agile operations capabilities to rapidly and cost-effectively assemble, generate, and disseminate data, products and services to meet broader, more challenging customer needs.

11:02 EDT John Wiley & Sons names Taneli Ruda chief strategy officer - John Wiley & Sons (JWA, JWB) announced the appointment of Taneli Ruda as the company's new EVP and chief strategy officer, effective July 9, 2018. With over 20 years of experience across information, technology and consulting industries, Ruda will help to define and accelerate the next phase of Wiley's growth, driving key initiatives that serve the research and education sectors. Most recently, Ruda served as head of corporate strategy at Thomson Reuters (TRI), with responsibility for defining the company's portfolio and growth strategies and driving company-wide mergers and acquisitions.

11:00 EDT Kroger announces $17M investment in northern KY distribution center - Kroger announced today a $17 million investment in its distribution center on Mt. Zion Road in Florence, Kentucky located in Boone County, which will ramp up production at the facility and create 250 new jobs, majority full-time positions. The project is supported by a Kentucky Business Investment incentive of up to $1 million over 10 years. The company's annual eligibility for the performance-based tax credit is linked to investment, job creation and retention, and average hourly wage targets. The 674,000-square-foot ambient distribution center currently employs 80 associates. It opened in October 2017 after Kroger's $60 million investment in the replenishment center to service the company's direct-to-store distribution centers across the eastern half of the country, as well as Kroger's growing ecommerce and digital business.

10:50 EDT Acadia slides as SIRF says 'something is horribly wrong' with Nuplazid - Shares of Acadia (ACAD) are sliding after SIRF's Roddy Boyd said his investigation of the company revealed that it is "a ruthless marketing entity" focused on finding loopholes and not really a pharmaceutical company. 'NOT A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY': Citing his investigation of Acadia, Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation's Roddy Boyd said the company is "a ruthless marketing entity" focused on finding loopholes and not really a pharmaceutical company. Boyd goes on to contend in his cautious report that "evidence is mounting that something is horribly wrong with Acadia's sole drug, Nuplazid," which is an anti-psychotic for Parkinson's disease patients who experience episodic hallucinations and delusions. Central to Acadia's marketing is promotion of the "faulty illusion" that Nuplazid received FDA approval after successfully passing a series of clinical trials and evaluations for its efficacy and safety. "But that's not the case: Nuplazid essentially tiptoed into the market through the FDA's equivalent of the cellar door, a legal but unusual method of entry," the report reads, adding that "Nuplazid, when tested on people, has been a bust from the very start. The drugmaker has had a brutal time demonstrating that the medication works better than a sugar pill." ABOUT SIRF: The Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation was created in 2012 with "the goal of providing in-depth financial investigative reporting for the common good." SIRF is supported by "tax-deductible contributions of individual donors and foundations, none of whom derive any professional or economic benefit from this support," its website reads. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Acadia have dropped about 6% to $16.76.

10:41 EDT IsoRay trading halted, news pending

10:36 EDT Street Fight: Analysts diverge on Trade Desk growth outlook - Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser initiated Trade Desk (TTD) with a Sell rating as he believes the company can grow rapidly this year but should decelerate in subsequent years and eventually plateau at a size that is smaller than Criteo's (CRTO). Meanwhile, his peer at Citi raised his price for Trade Desk to $118 while reiterating a Buy rating on the stock, as he believes the company has an opportunity to expand globally and increase its share of wallet with existing customers. PIVOTAL RESEARCH SAYS SELL TRADE DESK: In a research note to investors, Pivotal Research's Wieser initiated Trade Desk with a Sell rating and $58 price target as he believes Trade Desk can grow rapidly this year, but should decelerate in subsequent years and eventually plateau at a size that is smaller than Criteo's. Furthermore, the analyst told investors that he believes Trade Desk shares are currently overvalued. Wieser also initiated coverage this morning of Criteo with a Buy rating, saying he sees the company resuming high single digit growth in the mid-term and gradually improve its margins from a larger revenue ex-TAC base than Trade Desk has at present. CITI BULLISH ON TRADE DESK, UPS TARGET: Meanwhile, Citi analyst Mark May raised his price target for Trade Desk to $118 from $94, while reiterating a Buy rating on the shares after taking over coverage of the name. The analyst told investors in a research note of his own that Trade Desk has established itself as a leading independent demand-side platform used by the leading agencies and brands to plan, execute and measure ad campaign buys on properties outside the "walled gardens" of Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Facebook (FB). Estimating that the global ROW market is $35B today and will grow at a 5-year CAGR of 12% to $55B in 2022, May argued that he believes Trade Desk has an opportunity to expand globally to capture new channels like connected TV, and to increase its share of wallet with existing customers. He forecasts 35%-40% EBITDA growth in 2018 and 2019. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Trade Desk have dropped fractionally to $93.72.

10:16 EDT Stilwell Group says 'appalled' at destruction of value at Wheeler REIT - The Stilwell Group, one of the largest shareholders of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust announced that it delivered an open letter to shareholders of the company. The letter says in part: "We are the largest owner of the Company's common equity. We are appalled at the destruction of value that has occurred at WHLR. Six legacy directors remain on the Board of Directors, and we've duly submitted our notice to run for three of their positions at the upcoming Annual Meeting. In January, WHLR issued 1.4 million shares of Series D, $25 Convertible Preferred Stock at an $8.50 discount to face value, something I've never seen occur at even a reasonably healthy company in my 35 years of working on Wall Street. This resulted in an immediate destruction of more than $12 million dollars for the common shareholders, and it has exposed WHLR common holders to potentially even worse consequences in the future. The transaction this financed was completely voluntary; hence, it appears to have been completely foolhardy. According to press reports, the Board voted unanimously to sell the Series D shares at the $8.50 discount to face value, and our common shares declined by half. To me, this begs the question: Were none of the Board members capable of doing the very basic math, or were they each lacking in judgment, or were they all so lacking in gumption that they couldn't oppose the 'group-think' of their fellow directors? While Jon Wheeler has since been fired, six legacy directors remain on the Board: Stewart Brown (placed on the Board by Westport Capital Partners LLC), David Kelly, John McAuliffe, Carl McGowan, Jr., John Sweet and Jeffrey Zwerdling. We're going to attempt to retire at least half of them."

10:03 EDT Sonoco implementing 4% price increase for all rigid paper containers - Sonoco announced it is implementing a 4% price increase for all composite cans and corresponding metal ends in the United States and Canada, effective with shipments beginning August 1. "Sonoco's global sourcing power and commitment to supply security have allowed us to effectively mitigate historic inflationary pressures," said Robin Gordon, division vice president of sales for Sonoco's U.S. and Canada composite cans and metal ends. "However, the recent trade announcements assigning tariffs on the steel and aluminum supply, along with strong regional demand, have placed unprecedented stress on our suppliers' feedstocks and corresponding input costs. While we will continue to monitor the domestic and global sourcing landscape to find ways to mitigate inflation, we do need to recover our current cost exposure. We will continue to work with our suppliers to ensure supply security and find ways to bring input costs down over the coming months."

10:01 EDT Hyatt to eliminate single-use plastic straws and drink picks - Hyatt announced Hyatt hotels around the world plan to eliminate single-use plastic straws and drink picks. After Sept. 1, 2018, straws and picks will be available on request only, and eco-friendly alternatives will be provided where available.

10:01 EDT Rogers Corporation acquires Griswold, terms not disclosed - Rogers Corporation announced the acquisition of Griswold, a manufacturer of custom-engineered cellular elastomer and high-performance polyurethane. Griswold's products and solutions serve a variety of applications in the general industrial, electronics, automotive and consumer markets. Griswold's custom-engineered cellular elastomer expands the product portfolio of Rogers' Elastomeric Material Solutions segment, while Griswold's high-performance polyurethane products increase Rogers' existing EMS capabilities. The transaction closed Friday July 6, 2018. Terms were not disclosed. Rogers' expects the transaction to be accretive to 2019 earnings per share. Trailing twelve month revenues for Griswold were nearly $30M, and Rogers plans for Griswold's profitability to be comparable to EMS' current product lines in 2020 and beyond.

10:00 EDT AU Optronics rises 8.7% - AU Optronics is up 8.7%, or 37c to $4.62.

09:47 EDT Standard Motor falls -2.5% - Standard Motor is down -2.5%, or -$1.25 to $49.13.

09:47 EDT Four Seasons Education falls -5.4% - Four Seasons Education is down -5.4%, or -28c to $4.87.

09:47 EDT BRF S.A. rises 5.4% - BRF S.A. is up 5.4%, or 32c to $6.30.

09:42 EDT Siemens, Alibaba Cloud partner to foster industrial IoT in China - Siemens (SIEGY) and Alibaba Cloud (BABA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner to foster the industrial Internet of Things in China. The two companies will leverage each other's technology and industry resources to build a unique IoT solution to support Industrie 4.0, China's manufacturing upgrade and transformation and other industrial Internet initiatives. As part of Siemens' comprehensive digital offerings, MindSphere is Siemens' cloud-based, open IoT operating system that delivers a wide range of device and enterprise connectivity options, robust applications, advanced analytics, and closed-loop innovation with complete digital twin solutions. The implementation of MindSphere on Alibaba Cloud will provide compelling services for companies in China Mainland to innovate with advanced industrial solutions. Under the MoU, both companies will begin collaborating immediately and intend to make MindSphere on Alibaba Cloud available in 2019.

09:14 EDT Eldorado Resorts, Churchill Downs announce termination of casino transaction - Eldorado Resorts (ERI) and Churchill Downs Incorporated (CHDN) announced that they have terminated their previously announced agreement whereby Churchill was to acquire substantially all of the assets and properties associated with Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi and amended their previously announced agreement whereby Churchill is to acquire substantially all of the assets and properties associated with Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania from Eldorado. Pursuant to the termination and amendment agreements, Churchill will pay Eldorado a $5M termination fee, subject to the parties' execution of a definitive agreement with respect to the Lady Luck Nemacolin transaction as described below.

09:11 EDT AeroVironment selected by Army to compete for task orders valued at up to $248M - AeroVironment announced that on April 10, the United States Army selected the company and six other suppliers for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems sustainment under a five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract. The seven awardees will compete for LRRS and MRM UAS, Tactical Open Architecture Controller system and spare and repair parts procurement task orders over the duration of the contract. The maximum value of the contract is $248M over five years.

09:09 EDT Churchill Downs announces termination of Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg acquisition - Churchill Downs (CHDN) announced that it has terminated its definitive purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets and properties used in connection with the operation of Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi and amended its previously announced definitive purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets and properties used in connection with Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania from Eldorado Resorts (ERI). Pursuant to a Termination Agreement and Release, dated as of July 6, 2018, by and among CDI, ERI and certain subsidiaries of ERI, CDI has agreed to pay to ERI a termination fee of $5M, subject to the parties' execution of a definitive agreement with respect to the Lady Luck Nemacolin Transaction, as described below. As previously disclosed, on February 28, 2018, CDI announced that it had entered into two separate definitive asset purchase agreements with ERI and certain of its subsidiaries to effectuate the Presque Isle Transaction and Lady Luck Vicksburg Transaction for total aggregate consideration of approximately $229.5M, to be paid in cash, subject to certain working capital and other purchase price adjustments. Also as previously disclosed, on May 7, 2018, CDI and ERI each received a request for additional information and documentary material pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended from the Federal Trade Commission in connection with the FTC's review of the pending Lady Luck Vicksburg Transaction. Following receipt of, and consideration of the time and expense needed to reply to, the Second Request, pursuant to the Termination Agreement, CDI and ERI mutually agreed to terminate their respective rights and obligations with respect to the Lady Luck Vicksburg Transaction. Concurrently with the entry into the Termination Agreement, CDI and ERI also entered into the Amendment, pursuant to which CDI and ERI have agreed to, among other things: eliminate the consummation of the Lady Luck Vicksburg Transaction as a condition to closing the Presque Isle Transaction, withdraw the parties' filings previously submitted in connection with the HSR Act and submit new filings pursuant to the HSR Act to reflect the transactions contemplated by the Amendment and the Termination Agreement and,cooperate in good faith, subject to certain conditions, to enter into an agreement pursuant to which CDI will assume the rights and obligations of an affiliate of ERI to operate the Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin in Farmington, Pennsylvania for cash consideration of $100,000. The Presque Isle Transaction reflects a stand-alone purchase price of $178.9M subject to certain working capital and other purchase price adjustments and remains dependent on usual and customary closing conditions. Closing of the Presque Isle Transaction is also conditioned on the execution of the definitive agreement with respect to the Lady Luck Nemacolin Transaction.

09:08 EDT U.S. Silica unit wins breach of contract suit against Arrows Up - U.S. Silica Holdings announced a decisive jury verdict in a trial in State District Court in Harris County, Texas, against Arrows Up, an affiliate of OmniTRAX, a Broe Group portfolio company. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Sandbox Logistics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Silica, on all twelve issues presented in the lawsuit. The jury found that Arrows Up breached a 2014 Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement with Sandbox. It also found that Arrows Up and its founder and CEO John Allegretti, personally, breached a 2015 Settlement Agreement with Sandbox and committed fraud against Sandbox. While the final amount of damages has not yet been confirmed by the trial court, the jury awarded monetary damages to Sandbox totaling more than $43M dollars. U.S. Silica President and CEO Bryan Shinn commented, ''We are pleased with the jury verdict. It underscores the inherent value of Sandbox and serves notice to others who have misappropriated our intellectual property that we will vigorously defend ourselves. We are poised for continued, sustainable growth in this exciting market segment and with over 50 issued U.S. patents, we are the clear leader in last mile containerized proppant delivery solutions.'' Shinn added that U.S. Silica intends to seek additional relief to protect the rights of Sandbox.

09:07 EDT Fuel Tech receives APC contracts worth $2.2M - Fuel Tech announced the receipt of multiple air pollution control, or APC, contracts from customers in the US and China. These awards have an aggregate value of approximately $2.2M. An order was received in the US for an ULTRA system that will be installed on a natural gas-fired unit in the West being retrofitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction, or SCR, technology. Fuel Tech's ULTRA process provides for the safe and cost-effective on-site conversion of urea to ammonia for use as a reagent where SCR is used to reduce nitrogen oxide, eliminating the hazards associated with the transport, storage and handling of anhydrous or aqueous ammonia. A second contract was received for a gas fired utility unit in the West which will utilize Fuel Tech's UDI Urea Direct Injection to replace the existing reagent feed system for an existing SCR system. Respective equipment deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2019 and the fourth quarter of 2018. Another order was received for an engineering study that has been completed to evaluate particulate control technologies from a utility in the Pacific Rim.

09:06 EDT Land & Buildings sends letter to Brookdale Senior Living shareholders - Land and Buildings Investment Management LLC issued the following open letter to shareholders of Brookdale Senior Living Inc: "We believe the Company's new CEO, Cindy Baier, and new Chairman, Lee Wielansky, are taking the bull by the horns at Brookdale and are singularly focused on maximizing shareholder value, as evidenced by the significant positive progress announced across all facets of the Company in the past few months. With Brookdale's stock trading in the $9 - $10 range, and the real estate value of the Company potentially double its stock price based on recent transaction comps and the likely bottoming of fundamentals this year, significant upside remains to be realized. Therefore, we believe any shareholder feedback the Company receives should and will be taken seriously... We believe substantial work needs to be done to modernize the Company's corporate governance and as such, we privately encouraged the Company to seriously consider a number of areas for improvement. Specifically, we recommended that the Board of Directors consider taking the following steps, which we believe will help improve value at the Company: Take all necessary actions to fully de-stagger the Board at the 2018 Annual Meeting, which is in line with governance best practices. 2. Refrain from expanding the size of the Board beyond nine members. 3. Refresh the Board with at least two individuals with relevant health care experience and expertise in REITs, tax structuring, real estate and finance and ask two long-standing Board members to tender their resignation. 4. Appoint the new finance-oriented Board member to the Investment Committee of the Board. 5. Charge the Investment Committee with evaluating ways to maximize the value of the owned real estate, particularly in light of recent lease restructuring that has removed prior obstacles to real estate monetization, including evaluating splitting up the Company, joint ventures or outright sales. 6. Charge the Investment Committee with evaluating strategies to further eliminate lease structures to transform Brookdale into a best-in-class manager of senior housing, including evaluating converting leases into management contracts, which relieves Brookdale of the lease liability while providing the landlords with additional upside opportunity. 7. Provide additional disclosures to Brookdale shareholders on which properties are owned and which are leased, including property listings and new supply statistics. Unfortunately, it appears that the Board has not taken steps in furtherance of implementing any of our recommendations. While we are disappointed with the lack of urgency, we remain hopeful that the Board will seriously consider the views of its shareholders, including those set forth above, and that it will work to improve value on behalf of all Brookdale shareholders. We nonetheless must continue to monitor the Company and evaluate all options available to maximize shareholder value."

09:05 EDT Nutrien to acquire Waypoint Analytical, terms not disclosed - Nutrien is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Waypoint Analytical and its operating subsidiaries. Waypoint is the largest agriculture laboratory group in the U.S. and among the top 25 U.S. environmental lab groups. The company has approximately 250 employees across its operations, which include 11 U.S. laboratories and six service centers that analyze approximately 1.8N soil samples for the agricultural market on an annual basis. The acquisition will occur in two tranches, with Nutrien initially acquiring 80% ownership of Waypoint upon closing of the transaction, and the remaining 20% to be acquired by Nutrien following the fifth anniversary of the initial closing. This transaction structure will enable Waypoint to continue supporting new and existing customer relationships under the ongoing leadership of its experienced and respected management team, while also providing for strong, sustainable growth of the business.

09:04 EDT Graham receives 6.6M in orders for petrochemical industry - Graham announced that it received two orders totaling approximately $6.6M, both for the petrochemical industry in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Equipment delivery for both orders is planned for the first half of fiscal 2020 and both will add to fiscal 2019 revenue. The first order is for a Texas-based ethylene cracking plant within the company's installed base, replacing and upgrading steam surface condensers that Graham installed 25 years ago. The new condensers will provide more corrosion resistant material. Graham was well positioned to win this order as the supplier of the original equipment. The second order is for new petrochemical capacity at a Texas-based plant producing fuel additives that reduce automobile emissions. Graham will provide a process vacuum condenser.

09:03 EDT Verifone: Michael Pulli to succeed Paul Galant as CEO when Francisco deal closes - Verifone (PAY) announced that Paul Galant has decided to step down as CEO, effective at the close of the previously announced transaction with Francisco Partners. At the transaction close, which is expected to occur during the third calendar quarter of 2018, Michael Pulli, formerly CEO of Pace plc until its acquisition by ARRIS Group, Inc. (ARRS), will succeed Galant as Verifone's CEO. Galant will continue to serve on Verifone's Board and support Verifone as Vice Chairman. Galant will also become Senior Advisor to Francisco Partners on payments industry strategy and opportunities.

09:01 EDT Autodesk acquires Assemble Systems, terms not disclosed - Autodesk announced the acquisition of Salem, Massachusetts-based Assemble Systems. Assemble Systems provides a SaaS solution that enables construction professionals to condition, query and connect BIM data to key workflows across bid management, estimating, scheduling, site management and finance. Over time, Assemble Systems' solution will be integrated with Autodesk's new BIM 360 project management platform. This transaction is expected to have no impact on Autodesk's guidance issued on May 24, 2018. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed; however, Autodesk used a combination of cash and stock to finance the transaction. Autodesk has committed to offsetting the shares issued for this transaction within the current quarter through its ongoing stock repurchase program.

08:52 EDT L Catterton Asia, JD.com announce strategic partnership with Secoo - L Catterton Asia and JD.com (JD) announced a strategic partnership with Secoo Holding (SECO), Asia's largest online integrated upscale products and services platform. Through the partnership, L Catterton Asia and JD will invest $175M in Secoo. By partnering with L Catterton Asia, Secoo will be able to leverage the firm's global fashion and retail expertise to further expand within the luxury market. The partnership will provide Secoo the opportunity to collaborate with existing L Catterton portfolio companies. The transaction will also enable Secoo to continue enhancing shareholder value and strengthen its leading position in the rapidly growing Chinese luxury e-commerce market.

08:48 EDT Mylan announces U.S. launch of generic Exelon Patch - Mylan (MYL) announced the U.S. launch of Rivastigmine Transdermal System, 4.6 mg/24 hrs, 9.5 mg/24 hrs and 13.3 mg/24 hrs, a generic version of Novartis' (NVS) Exelon Patch. Mylan received final approval from the U.S. FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for this product, which is indicated for the treatment of dementia associated with mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease and the treatment of mild to moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. Rivastigmine Transdermal System, 4.6 mg/24 hrs, 9.5 mg/24 hrs and 13.3 mg/24 hrs, had U.S. sales of approximately $248M for the 12 months ending May 31, 2018, according to IQVIA.

08:43 EDT Branford Castle acquires controlling interest in Titan Production Equipment - Branford Castle Partners has made a controlling investment in Titan Production Equipment. Titan is a carve-out of the North American oil and gas production equipment assets of Exterran Corporation. Terms of the Titan transaction were not disclosed. Castle Harlan arranged and will have a management role in the investment, which was first announced in April 2018.

08:38 EDT Kimco Realty announces Q2 sales volume $334M - Kimco Realty announced transaction activity for Q2 and year to date 2018. During Q2, the company sold 17 shopping centers totaling 2.7M square feet for $334M. Kimco's share of these dispositions was $319.3M. The blended cap rate for the property sales was in line with the company's expected range of 7.5% to 8%. The dispositions include Primrose Marketplace, a 368,000-square-foot property in Springfield, Missouri for $51.8M, Broadway Plaza, a 356,000-square-foot property in Chula Vista, California for $58.5M, and Downers Park Plaza, a 269,000-square-foot center in Downers Grove, Illinois for $26.7M. In addition, the company exited the state of Alabama with the sale of The Grove, a 145,000-square-foot property in Hoover, Alabama for $21M. Year to date, the company's dispositions included 38 shopping centers and 4 land parcels, totaling 5M square feet, for a gross sales price of $556.1M. Kimco's share of the sales price was $531.8M.

08:36 EDT Kindred Biosciences: Mirataz commercially available to veterinarians in U.S. - Kindred Biosciences announced that Mirataz for the management of weight loss in cats is commercially available to veterinarians in the United States. Mirataz is the first and only transdermal medication for the management of weight loss in cats approved by the U.S. FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.

08:34 EDT Restaurant Brands names Duncan Fulton as Chief Corporate Officer - Restaurant Brands announced the appointment of Duncan Fulton as its Chief Corporate Officer, effective immediately.

08:34 EDT Immersion enters settlement, license agreement with Fitbit - Immersion (IMMR) announced that the company has entered into a settlement and license agreement with Fitbit (FIT), the terms of which are confidential.

08:33 EDT Randa responds to Perry Ellis' Special Committee - Randa Accessories announced that it has submitted the following letter to the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Perry Ellis International in response to the Special Committee's July 5, 2018, press release regarding Randa's proposal to acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of Perry Ellis at a price of $28.00 per share. Randa's proposal was made following the previously announced merger agreement between Perry Ellis and a newly formed entity controlled by its founder and director, George Feldenkreis, and represents $0.50 per share more than the consideration offered in that insider transaction. In brief: "We are confident that Perry Ellis' shareholders understand that $28.00 per share is greater than $27.50 per share. We're disappointed that the Special Committee continues to communicate via public press releases rather than engaging directly with Randa. We have previously provided executed financing commitments from world-class financial institutions, which, along with Randa's demonstrated financial capacity, are together more than sufficient to consummate our proposed transaction. The only condition cited in connection with our proposal and our financing is wholly due to the withholding from Randa of access to certain key business contacts who were readily available to George and his CEO-son, Oscar. Once this issue is resolved, we are confident that we can reach a mutually acceptable definitive merger agreement within 24 hours. We are confident that a transaction with Randa would be completed prior to consummation of the Insider Transaction. Randa is regarded as a leading brand management company, considered "best-in-class" by brand owners and licensors. This is clearly illustrated by our decades-long partnerships with Dickies, Levi's, Columbia Sportswear, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and other global brands. We anticipate that the Perry Ellis' inbound and outbound license partners will be eager to join forces with us, as will its global retail and supply partners."

08:30 EDT MabVax Therapeutics Holdings trading resumes

08:27 EDT Cool Holdings announces ticker symbol change to 'AWSM' - Cool Holdings announced that its ticker symbol on the Nasdaq Capital Market will change to "AWSM" from "IFON." Trading under the new ticker symbol will begin at market opening on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. No action is needed from the company's current shareholders relative to the ticker symbol change. The common stock will continue to be listed on Nasdaq and the CUSIP number will remain unchanged as 21640C105.

08:23 EDT Seattle Genetics, Astellas complete enrollment in enfortumab vedotin trial - Seattle Genetics (SGEN) and Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) announced completion of enrollment for the enfortumab vedotin EV-201 pivotal phase 2 clinical trial cohort of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have been previously treated with both platinum chemotherapy and a checkpoint inhibitor. Enfortumab vedotin is an investigational antibody-drug conjugate that targets Nectin-4. The companies expect to report topline efficacy and safety results from this first cohort of the EV-201 trial, which is intended to support potential registration under the U.S. FDA accelerated approval pathway, in the first half of 2019. The companies also announced dosing of the first patient in EV-301, a global, randomized phase 3 clinical trial evaluating enfortumab vedotin in patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. The EV-301 trial is intended to support a broader global registration strategy and to serve as the confirmatory randomized trial in the U.S. for EV-201. Enfortumab vedotin has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were previously treated with checkpoint inhibitors.

08:17 EDT Citius Pharmaceuticals provides update on Mino-Lok Phase 3 Trial - Citius Pharmaceuticals provided a status report on the progress of the Mino-Lok Phase 3 clinical program. The Mino-Lok Phase 3 Trial is planned to enroll 700 patients in 50 participating institutions, all located in the U.S. There will be interim analyses at the 50% and 75% point of the trial as measured by the number of patients treated. Citius reports that as of this past week there are 12 active sites currently enrolling patients including such academic centers as MD Anderson Cancer Center, Henry Ford Health Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, University of Chicago, and others. There are 13 additional well renowned medical centers in startup mode. When these study centers are activated, site recruitment will have reached 50% of the target institutions planned; and, there are another 13 centers in feasibility stage.

08:13 EDT RiceBran enters supply agreement with Golden Ridge Rice Mills - RiceBran Technologies announced that it has entered into a stabilized rice bran supply agreement with Golden Ridge Rice Mills, a state-of-the-art milling operation located in Wynne, Arkansas. As part of the agreement, RBT has also secured an option to acquire the assets of Golden Ridge Rice Mills. The new three year Supply Agreement calls for Golden Ridge to supply RiceBran Technologies with at least 9.6M pounds of SRB annually, which would represent a 32% increase in the company's SRB supply when compared to the total 2017 SRB production volume. In order to fulfill that obligation, Golden Ridge is building a new SRB production facility that is expected to begin production no later than August 1, 2018. RBT has agreed to lend $400,000 to Golden Ridge and an additional $165,000 for the purchase of equipment from RBT to complete the upgrades to Golden Ridge's SRB storage and production capabilities. These loans will be repaid by Golden Ridge through discounting the price of delivered SRB, with any unpaid amounts payable in cash in 18 months. As part of the Supply Agreement, RiceBran Technologies has secured a six-month option to purchase Golden Ridge's milling assets. Upon exercising that option, RBT will have 120-days from the exercise date to complete the purchase of the milling business assets. It is anticipated by the company that the Golden Ridge milling assets purchase would include a combination of the assumption of certain liabilities and the issuance of RBT common stock.

08:10 EDT MabVax Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim sign asset purchase agreement - MabVax Therapeutics and Boehringer Ingelheim announced they have signed an asset acquisition and related agreements centered on MabVax's program targeting a glycan commonly overexpressed on multiple solid tumor cancers. Boehringer Ingelheim has acquired all rights in and to the program. MabVax will receive a total of $11M in upfront and near-term milestones as well as downstream regulatory milestone payments plus further earn-out payments. The asset acquisition is separate and distinct from other programs under development at MabVax, enabling MabVax to retain all rights to its lead HuMab-5B1antibody program which is in Phase 1 clinical trials as a therapeutic product and as a diagnostic product, as well as other antibody discovery programs from the company's rich antibody discovery portfolio targeting other cancer antigens. MabVax discovered the antibody series at the center of this transaction from biological samples, originally from patients who were vaccinated against their solid tumors with a glycan antigen-containing vaccine. The discovery of fully human antibodies directly from vaccinated cancer patients has potential advantages which include greater specificity and reduced toxicities. MabVax completed and has reported on early preclinical development activities to establish the utility of the program.

08:08 EDT SkyWest reports combined June traffic - SkyWest reported 149,300 block hours in June 2018, compared to 159,200 block hours in June 2017, a decrease of 9,900 or 6.2%. The net decrease was consistent with SkyWest's fleet transition plan to improve the mix of aircraft in its fleet by adding new E175 aircraft, while reducing its 50-seat jets. The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 6,100 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft (includes the E175 aircraft and the E175 SC aircraft) and a decrease of approximately 16,000 block hours from its other aircraft types. In June 2018, SkyWest's E175 aircraft represented approximately 25% of SkyWest's total block hour production for the month compared to approximately 20% for the month of June 2017. SkyWest reported 875,500 block hours for year-to-date June 2018, compared to 919,800 block hours year-to-date June 2017, a decrease of 44,300, or 4.8%. This net change was primarily driven by approximately 39,000 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 83,300 block hours from its other aircraft types. SkyWest had 87,000 departures in June 2018 compared to 96,000 in June 2017, a decrease of 9,000, or 9.4%.

08:07 EDT Lockheed Martin partners with Guardtime Federal - Lockheed Martin is expanding its work with Guardtime Federal to integrate a variety of integrity and cyber-related capabilities into Lockheed Martin aircraft products and processes. The new contract builds on specialized mission support testing in 2015, and the integration systems and support contract related to supply chain risk and software development management in 2017. This time the focus is on further reducing the attack surface of the information supply chain that forwards information to and from operational aircraft systems.

08:06 EDT iBio establishes strategic commercial relationship with CC-Pharming - iBio announced the commencement of a strategic commercial relationship with CC-Pharming of Beijing, China for joint development of products and manufacturing facilities for the Chinese biopharmaceutical market, utilizing iBio's technology. The first product focus selected pursuant to the Master Joint Development Agreement executed between iBio and CC-Pharming will be a therapeutic antibody, with additional, mutually selected products to be added to the venture as it proceeds. Service fees payable to iBio for this first phase will be approximately $4.7M. iBio will provide process development and manufacturing services at its Texas facility for initial product development, and will assist CC-Pharming in facility design and optimization for eventual manufacturing in China. CC-Pharming will manage all operations in China with iBio participating through joint ownership of the China business and ongoing collaboration.

08:05 EDT Enterprise Products begins open season for expanded refined products services - Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced that its affiliate, Enterprise TE Products Pipeline Company LLC, is conducting an open season to gauge shipper support for incremental volumes of ultra-low sulfur diesel and motor gasoline on the company's existing 14-inch diameter pipeline that originates in Seymour, Indiana and terminates in the Chicago, Illinois area. To accommodate the additional throughput, Enterprise would increase the capacity on a portion of the 14-inch diameter pipeline in order to receive incremental product in the Indianapolis, Indiana area and deliver such product to the Griffith, Indiana area in Lake County. Pending sufficient shipper commitments during the open season, expanded service would be expected to begin in December 2018. The open season is being held in response to increased shipper demand for refined products deliveries into the Chicago area market.

08:05 EDT Supervalu: Blackwells exposure to Supervalu 'materially lower than 7.7%' - SUPERVALU announced that it will be mailing a letter to its stockholders in connection with the company's upcoming 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on August 16, 2018. SUPERVALU stockholders of record at the close of business on June 25, 2018 are eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting. The SUPERVALU Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" ALL nine of SUPERVALU's director candidates and "FOR" the Holding Company Proposal on the WHITE proxy card. In the letter, the company says: "At SUPERVALU's upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders on August 16, 2018, you will be asked to make important decisions regarding the composition of the Company's Board and the future structure of your Company, which we believe will impact the value of your investment. Blackwells Capital, a New York-based alternative investment firm, is trying to seize control of your Board by proposing to replace six of nine directors. Blackwells' attempt to seize control of your Company, without paying a premium to all stockholders, is highly disproportionate to its actual ownership stake in SUPERVALU. Any claim Blackwells could make to act on behalf of SUPERVALU's stockholders is belied by the fact that, through short sales of call options and the purchase of put options, Blackwells' exposure to the Company is substantially less than it represents. In fact, while Blackwells claims that it has a 7.7% ownership interest in SUPERVALU, analysis of the detailed information it has provided in its filings shows that, taking into account its various options contracts, Blackwells' exposure to the Company's shares is materially lower than 7.7%. We believe that there is significant risk to the important progress the Company is making in executing its ongoing strategic plan by supporting Blackwells and its proposal to replace the majority of your Board."

08:04 EDT Myomo announces Micah Mitchell as CCO - Myomo announced that Micah Mitchell is joining the company as CCO, a newly created executive role. The addition of a CCO reflects Myomo's transition from a controlled introduction of its proprietary MyoPro product line to expansion of its sales, marketing, and distribution activities to address the large unmet need of expanded mobility for individuals with arm and hand paralysis. Mitchell will report to CEO Paul Gudonis and work with Davie Mendelsohn, Myomo's vice president of sales and clinical services, to grow the company's network of MyoPro Centers, expand its field staff of business development and clinical professionals and generate demand for its product line among patients, physicians and therapists.

08:02 EDT MabVax Therapeutics Holdings trading halted, news dissemination

08:02 EDT Booking Holdings agrees to acquire HotelsCombined - Booking Holdings announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire hotel metasearch site, HotelsCombined. Based in Sydney, Australia with a strong presence in APAC and thousands of active affiliates worldwide, HotelsCombined will report into Booking Holdings' leading travel metasearch brand, KAYAK. HotelsCombined was founded in 2005. The acquisition has been approved by HotelsCombined's board of directors and stockholders and is expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of closing conditions.

07:38 EDT CTI BioPharma down 23% after Phase 3 trial of PIXUVRI did not meet endpoint - In pre-market trading, shares are down 23% to $4.00.

07:34 EDT PAVmed regains compliance with Nasdaq - PAVmed announced that The Nasdaq Stock Market notified the company that it has regained compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550.

07:33 EDT CLPS announces partnership with GloBird Energy in Australia - CLPS announced that it has reached an agreement with GloBird Energy, a competitive cost energy provider in Australia, to establish a QR Code based billing service using the Q-Bill product to facilitate utility payments. In an effort to provide an efficient cash free payment system, CLPS and SuperPay, a widely used cross border payment brand in Australia, jointly launched Q-Bill, a QR-Code based payment system. The company, through its consolidated subsidiary, CLPS Technology, signed a service agreement with GloBird Energy dated June 13, pursuant to which the company will use Q-Bill to provide a QR Code billing for utility payments to GloBird Energy. Q-Bill will generate QR Codes for GloBird clients which can be scanned for mobile payments through widely adopted platforms, including Alipay and WeChat Pay. GloBird will be able to review and download the transaction data from a web portal.

07:32 EDT Good Times Restaurants reports Q3 SSS up 3.8% - Good Times Restaurants announced that its Good Times' same store sales increased 3.8% in Q3 and its Bad Daddy's same store sales increased 0.5% during the quarter. Same store sales for Bad Daddy's exclude the weeks during which the original Bad Daddy's in Charlotte, NC was closed for remodeling.

07:31 EDT Alibaba, IAC seen as potential suitors as Groupon reported to seek buyer - Shares of Groupon (GPRN) are surging in morning trading after a report said the daily deals company is seeking a buyer. According to the report, executives have contacted several public companies to try to drum up interest in buying the company. GROUPON SEEKS BUYOUT: Daily deals company Groupon is looking to be acquired, Recode reported this weekend, adding that executives have contacted several public companies in the past month to try to lure potential suitors. Groupon has made it known for some time to potential acquirers that the company is open to the idea of a sale, but representatives for Groupon were especially aggressive last month in attempting to create interest among potential suitors, two sources said. It is unclear whether Groupon's endeavors have been successful, the report also noted. POTENTIAL SUITORS: Alibaba (BABA), which bought a nearly 6% stake in Groupon in 2016, has been reported as a potential suitor, as well as IAC (IAC), whose CEO Joey Levin sits on Groupon's board of directors. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Though Groupon was worth over $16B by its IPO day in 2011, today it is valued at just $2.4B following a decline in the daily deals category. Over the last year, Groupon has focused more on its digital voucher business and less on its Goods category. In May, Groupon reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter, with CEO Rich Williams, who has led the company since 2015, telling investors that the company will continue to focus on food and drinks for Groupon+, but may explore new categories later in the year. PRICE ACTION: In pre-market trading, shares of Groupon are up 49c, or 11%, to $4.85.

07:24 EDT Guess collaborates with Alibaba for fashion AI - Guess (GES) has reached another milestone in its partnership with Alibaba (BABA) to bring artificial intelligence, or AI, to the fashion world to provide customers with a more "enriching" shopping experience that combines online and offline shopping behaviors. Rounding out a partnership that began in 2013 with the launch of Guess in Tmall, this year, Guess also became a global strategic partner of Alibaba's FashionAI project, an initiative to give shoppers a glimpse of what the future of fashion retail will look like powered by artificial intelligence. With the launch of the interactive concept shop driven by Alibaba AI, Guess and Alibaba saw the implementation of the O2O project come to life, marking the maturity of the unified customer experience concept. On July 4, Alibaba launched the pilot FashionAI concept shop on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus aimed at providing a better retail experience for shoppers and to help brands better use analytics in ordering and maintaining inventory. The FashionAI concept store featured smart racks, smart mirrors and next-generation fitting rooms. Alibaba's FashionAI system underpins the stores, offering up mix-and-match clothing and accessory suggestions for customers from the GUESS line, as well as items sold by others on Tmall and Taobao.

07:22 EDT Gilat Satellite, Telesat announce technology partnership - Gilat Satellite is pleased to announce a collaborative project with Telesat for development of broadband communication technology using low earth orbit satellites. CIIRDF will fund the project to facilitate faster and more secure data transmission over satellite. The joint Canada-Israel innovation project will combine Telesat's and Gilat's engineering capabilities to do live testing, using Gilat modem technology, over the Telesat Phase-1 LEO satellite launched earlier this year. The adaptation of Gilat's leading-edge modem technology to support advanced LEO constellations, such as the system Telesat is developing, will highlight the benefits that a high-quality satellite broadband experience can deliver to billions of potential users worldwide who live beyond the reach of fiber networks.

07:21 EDT Pluristem signs collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher - Pluristem Therapeutics (PSTI) announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) to advance fundamental knowledge of cell therapy industrialization and to improve quality control of the end-to-end supply chain. The collaboration combines Thermo Fisher's experience in cell therapy development and bioproduction scaleup with Pluristem's expertise in cell therapy manufacturing, clinical development and quality control. Together, the companies hope to transform cell therapy manufacturing into a large-scale, high capacity industry that will enable the production of millions of therapeutic doses of regenerative medicines.

07:16 EDT WuXi Biologics, Immune Pharmaceuticals announce development partnership - WuXi Biologics and Immune Pharmaceuticals announced a development and manufacturing agreement for the production of bertilimumab, Immune's first-in-class anti-eotaxin-1 monoclonal antibody. Bertilimumab is designed to block the protein eotaxin-1, which is responsible for causing inflammation in a significant number of diseases. Immune recently completed a phase 2a trial of bertilimumab in patients with moderate-to-extensive bullous pemphigoid, plans to launch a pivotal study in BP in 2019 and is continuing to enroll subjects in an ongoing phase 2 trial in ulcerative colitis. The new partnership between the companies combines Immune's leading expertise in immunology research and development with WuXi Biologics' expertise in biologics late-stage development and commercial manufacturing to expedite the program towards potential global product approval. WuXi Biologics will scale the new bertilimumab manufacturing process to 2,000 liters, which can support the planned clinical development program and potential future commercial needs. WuXi Biologics will also serve as the fill/finish manufacturer for bertilimumab. Current timelines call for initiating Good Manufacturing Practice production in 2Q19, with supplies released for clinical use in 3Q19.

07:14 EDT G1 Therapeutics appoints John Demaree CCO - G1 Therapeutics announced appointments for two newly created executive leadership roles to support the company's continued growth. John Demaree joins the company as CCO and Stillman Hanson has been named general counsel. Demaree has more than 20 years of oncology experience, building commercial capabilities and leading multiple successful product launches. Prior to joining G1, Demaree served as VP, oncology marketing at Astellas Pharma, where he was responsible for establishing and leading the oncology marketing function, including the successful launch of Xtandi.

07:10 EDT Molina Healthcare announces selection for Medicaid contract in Puerto Rico - Molina Healthcare announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico, has been selected by the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration to be one of the organizations to administer the Commonwealth's new Medicaid Managed Care contract. Under the current contract, Molina serves approximately 316,000 members in the East and Southwest regions of Puerto Rico. Services under the new contract, currently expected to begin on November 1 would cover the entire island. Contracts will be executed pending the assessment and agreement to the contract terms by Molina and ASES. The base contract runs for a period of three years with an optional one year extension.

07:07 EDT Eagle Pharmaceuticals announces ODE for Bendeka by FDA - Eagle Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has granted seven years of orphan drug exclusivity, or ODE, in the U.S., for Bendeka, a liquid, low-volume and short-time 10-minute infusion formulation of bendamustine hydrochloride. As a result, and consistent with the order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on June 8, the FDA will not approve any drug applications referencing Bendeka until the ODE expires in December 2022. Additionally, on July 7, the FDA filed a motion with the court asking it to clarify that the order was not intended to affect applications referencing Treanda. Eagle continues to believe that an appropriate application of ODE would first allow generic Treanda entrants in December 2022, rather than November 2019, and expects to vigorously defend the scope of its exclusivity grant.

07:07 EDT Bovie Medical to retain Advanced Energy, OEM businesses

07:06 EDT Anavex receives approval to initiate ANAVEX 2-73 Phase 2 clinical trial - Anavex Life Sciences announced that the company has received approval from the Spanish Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices, or AEMPS, to initiate its Phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled 14-week trial of the safety and efficacy of ANAVEX 2-73 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease dementia, or PDD. The Phase 2 study is scheduled to initiate enrollment of approximately 120 patients, randomized 1:1:1 to two different ANAVEX 2-73 doses or placebo, within the next few months, in up to 24 clinical study sites.

07:04 EDT Aclaris topical JAK 1/3 inhibitor granted FDA Fast Track designation - Aclaris Therapeutics announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to Aclaris' investigational topical Janus Kinase, or JAK, 1/3 inhibitor for the treatment of alopecia areata, including patchy alopecia areata and the more severe variants of the disease, alopecia totalis and universalis.

07:02 EDT CTI BioPharma says Phase 3 trial of PIXUVRI did not meet primary endpoint - CTI BioPharma and Servier announced that the pivotal Phase III trial evaluating PIXUVRI combined with rituximab in comparison to gemcitabine combined with rituximab in patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma did not meet its primary endpoint of an improvement in progression-free survival. "We are disappointed with the outcome of the PIX306 trial and will proceed to conduct a thorough review of clinical data to assess the next steps for the PIXUVRI program," commented Adam Craig, MD, PhD, CEO of CTI BioPharma. "We would like to express our appreciation to the patients, families and investigators who participated in the study." Results from the study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

06:56 EDT Bovie Medical trading halted, news pending

06:55 EDT CTI BioPharma trading halted, news pending

06:37 EDT Mallinckrodt announces two retrospective analyses from Ofirmev injection - Mallinckrodt announced two retrospective analyses that provide health economic insights on use of Ofirmev injection, intravenous, or IV, acetaminophen, in total knee arthroplasty, or TKA, and its impact on length of stay, discharge status and readmissions. Both retrospective analyses were conducted in the Premier inpatient hospital database of patients who underwent TKA, and who received either IV or oral acetaminophen from the day of surgery up to day 3 as part of their postoperative pain management, from January 2012 to September 2015. A total of 134,216 patients receiving oral acetaminophen and 56,475 patients receiving IV acetaminophen were included in the two studies. the first study assessed the postoperative outcomes of TKA patients who received IV acetaminophen versus oral acetaminophen, evaluating the hospital lengths of stay and discharge dispositions. Lengths of stay were calculated as the number of days from the date of hospital admission to the date of discharge, and the discharge disposition was categorized as to home or to a skilled nursing facility. The second study evaluated 30-day hospital readmission rates in TKA patients who received either IV or oral acetaminophen perioperatively and sought to extrapolate the potential annual cost savings on a national level. All causes of readmissions that occurred between patient discharge and 30 days post discharge were recorded.

06:34 EDT Suncor provides update on Syncrude recovery plan - Suncor provided an update on the Syncrude Oil Sands facility following the site wide power disruption on June 20. Preliminary investigation results indicate that the cause of the disruption was a transformer trip in Syncrude's power house resulting in a rapid site wide loss of power and steam generation. As a result, all process units were brought down. There were no injuries or safety incidents as a result of this outage. Syncrude has developed a return to service plan. Power and steam systems have been fully restored, the assessment and repair for the transformer is underway, and the safe and staged return to operations has begun. One coker, producing approximately 150,000 barrels per day, is expected to return to service during the second half of July. A second coker, producing approximately 100,000 bbls/d, is expected to return to service during the first half of August. However, coke removal is required on the remaining coker due to the nature of the shutdown. In order to mitigate the impact, Syncrude will investigate advancing some of the planned maintenance for this coker that had been originally scheduled for the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. Pipeline shipments of treated product are estimated to be approximately 60% to 70% of capacity for August. It is expected that Syncrude will ramp up to full production in early to mid-September.

06:25 EDT Amphastar announces expansion of Amphastar Nanjing Pharmaceuticals - Amphastar Pharmaceuticals announced business expansion plans for its subsidiary, Amphastar Nanjing Pharmaceuticals. To date, ANP has provided Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and starting materials specifically to Amphastar. After the expansion is completed, ANP intends to begin selling APIs both to Amphastar and externally around the world to expand its overall markets. More importantly, ANP is expanding to manufacture finished pharmaceutical products for distribution in China and in other markets globally. To help fund this expansion, ANP completed a private placement of its equity, raising approximately $57M. Multiple private equity investors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and the United States participated in the private placement. Amphastar has retained approximately 58% of the equity interest of ANP immediately after the private placement.

06:14 EDT Insulet partners with IDF Europe - Insulet announced it has entered into a partnership with the European Region of the International Diabetes Federation to collaborate on regional advocacy activities. This partnership provides broader access for Insulet to more closely engage with the European diabetes community.

06:10 EDT Starbucks to eliminate plastic straws globally by 2020 - Starbucks announced it will eliminate single-use plastic straws from its more than 28,000 company-operated and licensed stores by making a strawless lid or alternative-material straw options available, around the world. Starbucks, the largest food and beverage retailer to make such a global commitment, anticipates the move will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws per year from Starbucks stores. Starbucks has designed, developed and manufactured a strawless lid, which will become the standard for all iced coffee, tea and espresso beverages. The lid is currently available in more than 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada for select beverages including Starbucks Draft Nitro and Cold Foam. The lid is also being piloted for Nitro beverages in additional markets including China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, Starbucks will begin offering straws made from alternative materials - including paper or compostable plastic - for Frappuccino blended beverages, and available by request for customers who prefer or need a straw.

06:07 EDT Proofpoint names Klaus Oestermann as President and COO - Proofpoint announced the hiring of Klaus Oestermann for the role of president and COO, effective July 9. Oestermann has also been appointed to serve on Proofpoint's board of directors. Concurrently, also effective July 9, Proofpoint's current chairman of the board, Eric Hahn, is announcing his retirement, and current CEO, Gary Steele, will replace Hahn as chairman. Steele will retain the title of CEO. Dana Evan, a current member of the board, will assume the role of lead independent director for the company. Evan, who has served on the board since 2008, brings tremendous market experience to the role.

06:05 EDT Baker Hughes announces June international rig count of 959, down 8 - Baker Hughes BHGE) announced that the Baker Hughes international rig count for June 2018 was 959, down 8 from the 967 counted in May 2018, and down 1 from the 960 counted in June 2017. The international offshore rig count for June 2018 was 195, down 3 from the 198 counted in May 2018, and down 2 from the 197 counted in June 2017. The average U.S. rig count for June 2018 was 1,056, up 10 from the 1,046 counted in May 2018, and up 125 from the 931 counted in June 2017. The average Canadian rig count for June 2018 was 137, up 54 from the 83 counted in May 2018, and down 13 from the 150 counted in June 2017. The worldwide rig count for June 2018 was 2,152, up 56 from the 2,096 counted in May 2018, and up 111 from the 2,041 counted in June 2017.

06:02 EDT KBR awarded $133M Army PATRIOT Contract - KBR announced that its global government services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded a $133M task order by the U.S. Army's Lower Tier Project Office to provide technical and engineering services to the PATRIOT missile system. KBRwyle will provide engineering and technical analysis support of the PATRIOT missile system as well as adjunct systems. KBRwyle will support all engineering changes; modification retrofits; technical upgrades; Reliability, Availability and Maintainability, or RAM, improvements; and training development for the U.S. and its allies.

05:36 EDT Tencent seeks to list Tencent Music unit in the U.S. - The board of directors of Tencent Holdings Limited announced that the company has submitted a proposal to The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited pursuant to PN15 in relation to the proposed spin-off by way of a separate listing of its online music entertainment business operated by its majority-owned subsidiary, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, an online music entertainment platform in China, on a recognized stock exchange in the United States through a registered public offering, and that the Stock Exchange has confirmed that the company may proceed with the proposed spinoff. The terms of the proposed spinoff, including offering size, price range and assured entitlement of Tencent Music securities for shareholders of the company, have not yet been finalized. Further announcement(s) will be made by the company in relation to the proposed spinoff as and when appropriate.

05:30 EDT Nano Dimension enters partnership with AURURA Group - Nano Dimension announced it has entered the Chinese market with a strategic partnership with the AURORA Group, a leading distributor of additive manufacturing systems. The AURURA Group will market and sell Nano Dimension's award-winning DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D printer for electronics to customers in China. In addition to the strategic partnership, the AURORA Group also purchased a second DragonFly 2020 Pro 3D printer. The AURORA Group is the majority shareholder of General Integration Technology, or GIT, a provider of 3D software and distributor of 3D printers, that recently purchased and successfully installed a DragonFly 2020 Pro for its showroom in Taichung, Taiwan. The partnership expands Nano Dimension's Asia Pacific market coverage that already includes Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. According to a January 2018 market research report from the International Data Corporation, China's 3D printing market is leading Asia and growing rapidly. 3D printing in China benefits from government support and both industrial and private consumer investments in the technology.

05:25 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Milne Alexander, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher announced the acquisition of Milne Alexander, with offices in Sydney, New South Wales and Port Lincoln, South Australia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

05:20 EDT Cytori reports sustained benefit of cell therapy in erectile dysfunction trial - Cytori Therapeutics announced publication in the peer-reviewed journal, Urology, of "A 12-Month Follow-up After a Single Intracavernous Injection of Autologous Adipose-derived Regenerative Cells in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction Following Radical Prostatectomy: An Open-label Phase I Clinical Trial." The trial of Adipose-Derived Regenerative Cells, or ADRCs, or Cytori Cell Therapy in erectile dysfunction, or ED, following radical prostatectomy was performed by investigators from the Danish Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. In the trial, 21 patients with ED after radical prostatectomy, or RP, with no signs of recovery following conventional therapy, received a single intra-cavernous injection of autologous ADRCs. Six men were incontinent, and 15 were continent at inclusion. Safety and efficacy were evaluated over 12 months through assessment of adverse events and use of validated questionnaires including the International Index of Erectile Function-5, or IIEF-5, and Erection Hardness Score, or EHS. The mean age at baseline was 60.2 years. The approach was deemed safe with no serious adverse events reported. At 12 months following treatment with cell therapy, erectile function assessed using the IIEF-5 showed a statistically significant improvement from a median baseline score of six to a median of eight; p=0.004. Subset analysis of the 15 patients with urinary continence at baseline, showed substantially greater improvement from a median baseline score of six to 13; p=0.012. At 12 months after surgery, median EHS was unchanged in the combined group of 21 patients. However, patients in the continent subset exhibited statistically significant improvement in EHS from a baseline median score of one to a median of two at 12 months; p=0.03. Further, 53.3% or eight out of 15 continent patients reported recovered function sufficient for completion of intercourse. ED and urinary incontinence are serious issues for many men following RP. Cytori Cell Therapy is being used to address both of these medical problems. Thus, in addition to the work published in this report, the company has fully enrolled the Autologus Aipose Derived Regenerative Cells for the Treatment of Male Stress Urinary Incontinence, or ADRESU, trial of Cytori Cell Therapy in men with stress urinary incontinence following RP. The primary endpoint for the ADRESU trial is the percentage of patients who experience greater than 50% reduction in urinary leakage volume from baseline one year following treatment. Data from ADRESU are anticipated in the first half of 2019.