Stockwinners Market Radar for July 23, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:24 EDT Pepperidge Farm to recall four kinds of Goldfish crackers on Salmonella concerns - Campbell Soup subsidiary Pepperidge Farm has been notified by one of its ingredient suppliers that whey powder in a seasoning that is applied to four varieties of crackers has been the subject of a recall by the whey powder manufacturer due to the potential presence of Salmonella. Pepperidge Farm initiated an investigation and, out of an abundance of caution, is voluntarily recalling four varieties of Goldfish crackers. The products were distributed throughout the United States. No illnesses have been reported. No other Pepperidge Farm products in the U.S. are subject to this recall.

17:46 EDT Fannie Mae CEO Mayopoulos to step down as CEO by year-end - Fannie Mae announced the appointment of David Benson as President. In this role, Benson will report to the CEO and manage the day-to-day business and operations of the company, including the ongoing execution of the company's strategy. In addition, the company announced that Celeste Brown has been promoted to EVP and CFO. Both appointments are effective August 6. The company also announced that Timothy J. Mayopoulos has decided to step down as CEO by the end of the year. Mayopoulos will remain CEO until his departure, and he will work closely with the Board of Directors to ensure a smooth transition and succession. As CEO, he will continue to set the overall enterprise vision and strategic direction of the company and serve on Fannie Mae's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors announced that it will conduct a search for a successor to Mayopoulos. "Today's announcement reflects the Board's interest in ensuring continuity and in continuing to pursue Fannie Mae's ongoing transformation," said Egbert L.J. Perry, Chairman of Fannie Mae's Board of Directors. "I am grateful that we have an incredibly talented and experienced leadership team that is laying the foundation for a better, more innovative, safer, and more sustainable housing system for future generations."

17:42 EDT Hess Midstream Partners raises quarterly distribution 3.6% to 34.52c per unit - The distribution will be payable on August 13 to unitholders of record as of the close of business on August 2.

17:38 EDT Helix Energy jumps 6.9% after reporting upbeat quarterly results

17:31 EDT Seaspan appionts Tina Lai as Chief Human Resources Officer - Seaspan has appointed Tina Lai to the newly-created position of Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining Seaspan, Ms. Lai spent five years at Metrie, the largest supplier and manufacturer of solid wood and composite molding in North America, as Vice President, Human Resources.

17:28 EDT Kayne Anderson Capital reports 14.9% passive stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners

17:20 EDT Altium Capital reports 9.9% passive stake in Oragenics

17:16 EDT Crestwood Equity provides strategic update on Delaware Basin - Crestwood Equity Partners announced that Crestwood Permian Basin Holdings LLC completed construction and began processing volumes at the Orla plant, a new 200 MMcf/d cryogenic gas processing plant located in Reeves County, TX. Concurrently, CPJV brought into service the Orla Express Pipeline, a 33 mile, 20-inch-high pressure line connecting the existing Willow Lake system with the Orla plant. CPJV expects the Nautilus-to-Orla Pipeline, a 28 mile, 20 inch high pressure line connecting the Nautilus system to the Orla plant, to be fully in-service in the coming days. The Orla plant and associated infrastructure was placed into service on schedule, on budget, and without any major recordable safety incidents.

17:06 EDT Iron Mountain partners with Google Cloud - Iron Mountain announced a partnership with Google Cloud to develop new AI-powered SaaS solutions on GCP to help organizations analyze their vast physical and digital information and data repositories, to unlock insights, improve decision making and create new revenue streams. Iron Mountain expects to deliver these new subscription services built on GCP this September. In addition, Iron Mountain has selected Google Cloud as its preferred cloud provider for artificial intelligence and machine learning, providing Iron Mountain with highly reliable and secure services.

17:04 EDT Crane raises FY18 free cash flow view to $250M-$280M from $240M-$270M

16:59 EDT Alphabet says machine learning and AI generating "great" results - Says machine learning and AI generating "great" results. Says revamped google news has received "great" reviews. Says expanding devices compatible with Google assistant. Says it now has 25 times the ability to map algorithmically. Says made by Google hardware business has momentum. Says advertising on Youtube is "incredibly strong". Says unit sales of Chromebooks grew 175% year-over-year. Says launched new Goggle AI research center in Ghana.

16:45 EDT Vitamin Shoppe names Sharon Leite CEO - Vitamin Shoppe announced that it has appointed Sharon M. Leite as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 27, 2018. She will also become a member of the board of directors. Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, Leite was the President of Godiva Chocolatier in North America since October 2017.

16:43 EDT Infinera to acquire Coriant for $150M - Infinera announced its intent to acquire Coriant, a privately held global supplier of open, hyperscale network solutions. The acquisition significantly scales the company as the next wave of global network spending begins, creating one of the world's largest optical network equipment providers. The combination positions Infinera to capitalize on the next wave of global network spending as network operators transform their networks to transition from 4G to 5G, from Optical Transport Network to packet and from closed to open network architectures. Infinera's vertically integrated business model provides the unique ability to unleash value for customers and investors as the company's combined network solutions power the world's largest network operators. Ovum forecasts optical network spending to reach $17.8B in 2022. Under the terms of the definitive purchase agreement governing the acquisition, subject to customary adjustments, Infinera will pay approximately $150M in cash at closing, and estimated additional amounts of $25M in the two quarters post-closing and $55M over a period of years. Infinera will issue approximately 21M shares, which when combined with the cash consideration, results in total transaction consideration of approximately $430M. Confident in the combined company's opportunities, Coriant's majority owner, Oaktree Capital Management ("Oaktree"), expressed an interest in being compensated for this transaction largely in stock. Post-transaction, Oaktree will own approximately 12% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. Pursuant to the terms of the definitive purchase agreement, Oaktree has agreed to lock up 50% of its shares for six months post-close and the remaining 50% of its shares for 12 months post-close. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. The board of directors of Infinera has unanimously approved the transaction.

16:37 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs' Nashwauk Land acquisition upheld in court ruling - Cleveland-Cliffs announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware reaffirmed the 2017 Cliffs acquisition of land located in Nashwauk, MN. The ruling resolved the land dispute in favor of Cliffs and Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties LLC. With that, Cliffs expects to be able to utilize the acquired real estate interests to implement a financially sustainable plan for the site. In his ruling, Judge Brendan Shannon also determined that Mesabi Metallics LLC's lease rights terminated on October 31, 2017 when it failed to exit bankruptcy by such date. The properties acquired by Cliffs include parcels that were previously leased by GPIOP to Mesabi Metallics, formerly known as Essar Steel Minnesota. The land interests include a combination of undivided and whole fee interests as well as mineral and surface leases, all lying within the Biwabik Iron Formation. The acreage acquired is approximately 553 acres and the acreage being leased is approximately 3,215 acres.

16:36 EDT Whirlpool down 9.3% to $137.44 following Q2 results, FY18 guidance -

16:34 EDT Whirlpool says taking strong actions to restore profitability in 2H18 - Following weak EMEA performance, the company is taking strong actions to restore profitability in the second half of 2018.

16:33 EDT Hexcel boosts dividend 20% to 15c per share - As announced the Board of Directors declared a 20% increase in the quarterly dividend from 12.5c per share to $15c per share. The dividend will be payable to stockholders of record as of August 3, 2018, with a payment date of August 10.

16:33 EDT Williams Partners raises quarterly dividend to 62.9c from 61.4c per share - The board of directors of the partnership's general partner has approved the quarterly cash distribution, which is payable on Aug. 10, 2018, to common unitholders of record at the close of business on Aug. 3, 2018.

16:24 EDT Assured Guaranty files suit over Puerto Rico Oversight Board - Two bond insurance subsidiaries of Assured Guaranty Ltd. have filed an adversary complaint challenging the constitutionality of appointments to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. The lawsuit contends that appointments to the Oversight Board violated the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, and asks the Title III Court to dismiss the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority's Title III petition based on the Oversight Board's lack of lawful authority to initiate such Title III proceeding. Given the Title III Court's recent dismissal of a similar lawsuit filed by another party in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's Title III case, Assured Guaranty expects to participate in the appellate phase of the various Appointments Clause lawsuits. Assured Guaranty's decision to file this lawsuit was necessitated by the manifest constitutional defects in the Oversight Board's appointment process and its consistent pattern of exceeding its legal authority and disregarding the creditor protections and legal requirements built into the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act.

16:21 EDT Moelis declares $1.50 per share special dividend and keeps 47c regular dividend - On July 20, 2018, the board of Moelis declared a special dividend of $1.50 per share in addition to a regular quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share. The $1.97 per share will be paid on September 12, 2018 to common stockholders of record on August 2, 2018.

16:17 EDT American Assets Trust signs lease with Safeway at Waikele Center in Waipahu - American Assets Trust has signed a 20-year lease for approximately 50,000 square feet in the former Sports Authority space at the Waikele Center in Waipahu, Hawaii. The store is anticipated to open in the third or fourth quarter of 2019. "We are thrilled to welcome Safeway to Waikele Center," said Ernest Rady, President and CEO of the Company. "And we are committed to keeping Waikele Center squarely in the limelight of trusted and local Hawaiian shopping centers."

16:11 EDT Penn Virginia trading halted, news pending

16:10 EDT Infinera trading halted, news pending

16:09 EDT Agree Realty increases 2018 acquisition and disposition guidance - Agree Realty increased its 2018 acquisition guidance to $350M-$400M and its 2018 disposition guidance to $50M-$75M.

16:08 EDT SRC Energy reports preliminary Q2 boepd 47,646

16:06 EDT Alphabet reports Q2 paid clicks on Google properties up 58% - Reports Q2 paid clicks on Google properties up 58 year-over-year and cost-per-click on Google properties down (22%). Reports Q2 impressions on Google Network Members' properties up 1% year-over-year and cost-per-impression on Google Network Members' properties up 14%.

16:02 EDT TD Ameritrade reports Q3 average client trades per day 784,000, up 54% - "It was an excellent quarter as substantial expense reductions drove record net income and EPS. Investor engagement was robust, with strong client net buying," said Steve Boyle, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "At the same time, we're clearly seeing the expected benefits of our Scottrade acquisition. In fact, we achieved many cost savings sooner than expected, with approximately $212 million in synergies realized through June. The strength of these results more than offset a slight decline in trading revenue compared to the prior record quarter."

15:57 EDT Rice Midstream trading resumes

14:25 EDT PNC Financial EVP Lyons sells 14,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, PNC Financial executive VP Michael P. Lyons disclosed the sale of 14,000 common shares of the company at a price of $140.8739 per share.

13:02 EDT Schottenfeld Opportunities Fund II reports 5.68% stake in Barnes & Noble - In a regulatory filing, Schottenfeld Opportunities Fund II disclosed a 5.68% stake in Barnes & Noble, saying it believes the shares are "substantially undervalued" and represent an attractive investment opportunity. The fund said that it has engaged in, and expects to continue to engage in, discussions with members of management and/or the board of directors of the company, other current or prospective shareholders, industry analysts, potential strategic transaction partners, investment and financing professionals and other third parties regarding a variety of matters relating to Barnes & Noble, which may include, among other things, the company's business, management, operations and capital structure, as well as strategic alternatives potentially available to the company.

12:11 EDT Biocept jumps almost 7% after announcing pact with UC San Diego Health - Ealrlier today, Biocept announced that it will work with Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health to conduct two clinical studies in patients with a variety of solid tumors. These studies will use Biocept's Target Selector liquid biopsy assays to detect circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA and compare results with findings from CT or PET scans. The first study is designed to determine the feasibility of using liquid biopsy to predict disease recurrence in patients with Stage II or III cancer at high risk for recurrence. The second study will evaluate the feasibility of using liquid biopsy to predict response to therapy in patients with metastatic solid tumors. The studies are designed to evaluate Biocept's CTC and ctDNA assays in multiple cancer types, but will focus primarily on CTC biomarkers in patients diagnosed with breast, lung, and colon cancer. "Despite recent advances in chemotherapy and radiation, risk for post-resection disease recurrence in patients with stage II or stage III solid tumors remains unacceptably high," said Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Clinical Trials Office director, Moores Cancer at UC San Diego Health. "The current standard of care to assess disease recurrence is CT imaging, which may only detect recurrence after significant organ damage has occurred. Detecting disease recurrence in these patients with a blood sample may enable more rapid and comprehensive treatment options." Shares of Biocept are up 6.98% or 43c to $6.65 per share in afternoon trading.

12:01 EDT Riot Blockchain jumps 8% after announcing mining pool private beta - Earlier today, Riot Blockchain announced the beta development of its own private Bitcoin Mining Pool. Mining pools are groups of miners that work as a team and contribute their hashing power to solving computations that secure the blockchain. By pooling resources, miners increase the odds and consistency of receiving block rewards, which are the fees collected as part of Bitcoin's "proof of work" security model. Securing the Bitcoin network is based heavily on the distributed nature of mining power. As mining pools have become more popular, higher percentages of the global hash rate have become centrally managed. This centralization has created potential security concerns within the Bitcoin community. The company is privately testing its own mining pool platform intending to provide an alternative to major players such as AntPool and BTC.com, which are owned and operated by Bitmain. Shares of Riot Blockchain are up 8.14% or 48c to $6.38 per share in early afternoon trading.

12:00 EDT Illinois Tool Works falls -7.4% - Illinois Tool Works is down -7.4%, or -$10.90 to $135.96.

12:00 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs rises 9.3% - Cleveland-Cliffs is up 9.3%, or 93c to $10.89.

12:00 EDT Dover Downs rises 53.5% - Dover Downs is up 53.5%, or $1.08 to $3.10.

11:52 EDT Neuralstem says preclinical data shows NSI-189 improves cognition in mouse model - Neuralstem announced the presentation of data at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Chicago, Illinois, demonstrating that oral administration of NSI-189 in a mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease leads to "a significant amelioration and/or improvement in cognition measures and anxiety." Results are being presented in a poster titled "Effect of Neurogenic Compound NSI-189 on Indices of Cognition and Anxiety in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease." Corinne Jolivalt, associate professor in the Department of Pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, said, "Data from this preclinical study suggest that NSI-189 may be able to mitigate or reverse the cognitive impact of Alzheimer's disease. We look forward to continuing this line of inquiry to further evaluate the potential of NSI-189 in the treatment of this devastating disease."

11:25 EDT De Blasio: Tronc's decision to 'gut' Daily News newsroom 'a disaster for NYC' - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: "It's no secret that I've disagreed with the Daily News from time to time. But Tronc's greedy decision to gut the newsroom is bad for government and a disaster for NYC. Tronc should sell the paper to someone committed to local journalism and keeping reporters on the beat." Reference Link

10:43 EDT Tesla drops after WSJ report fuels cash concerns - Shares of Tesla (TSLA) are under pressure on Monday following a report that the electric car maker has asked some suppliers for cash back from previous purchases to help it become profitable. SUPPLIERS ASKED FOR CASH BACK: The Wall Street Journal, citing a memo Tesla sent to a supplier, said Tesla has asked some suppliers to refund a portion of previous payments made by the company in order to help it become profitable. According to the memo, which asked a supplier to return a "meaningful amount of money of its payments since 2016," all suppliers were being asked to help Tesla become profitable. The memo described the request as essential to continued operations and an investment to continue long-term growth on both sides. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk responded to the Journal's article, tweeting that "Only costs that actually apply to Q3 & beyond will be counted. It would not be correct to apply historical cost savings to current quarter." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Tesla, which has publicly struggled with manufacturing issues, labor issues and a fatal crash and is expected to report quarterly results on August 1, previously said it expects to report positive GAAP net income in its third and fourth quarters. In early July, Tesla reported Q2 production totaled 53,339 vehicles, a 55% increase from Q1. Of note, Tesla said it produced 5,031 Model 3 vehicles in the last week of the quarter, meeting its Model 3 production rate, and expects to increase production to 6,000 Model 3s per week by late August. Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked engineers to remove a standard brake and roll test from the tasks completed as Model 3 cars were finished to speed up production and make the company's goal of making 5,000 of the cars in a week, according Business Insider, citing internal documents. The car maker is also facing a third investigation by California State Safety and Health regulators after a complaint was submitted by an unnamed employee of the company at its Fremont, California assembly plant, Jalopnik reported. Erika Monterroza, a spokesperson for the state's industrial relations department, confirmed the agency had opened a new inspection on June 19, the third for Tesla since April. RECENT ANALYST COMMENTARY: On July 19, Needham analyst Rajvindra Gill downgraded Tesla to Underperform from Hold, telling investors that cancellations for Model 3 orders have picked up in recent weeks and refunds now outpace deposits for the Model 3. Gill cited expectations of slower Model S/X sales amid increased competition and possible cannibalization from Model 3, expiration of a $7,500 tax credit, slower gross margins improvement with "persistently high" production costs, lower energy segment revenue after recent restructuring and Tesla's "unsustainable capital structure with a projected $6B free cash flow burn through 2020." About one in every four Model 3 orders is canceled, Gill added. Responding to Gill, a Tesla spokesperson told Reuters that the "notion that Model 3 cancellations are outpacing orders is unequivocally false." PRICE ACTION: Shares of Tesla are down 4% to $301.12 in morning trading.

10:33 EDT Muddy Waters releases third in sequence of short reports on TAL Education - Muddy Waters, which has previously disclosed a short position in TAL Education, has released a new report on the company, the third in its series, in which it says it explains why the firm thinks Peiyou offline enrollments are declining. Reference Link

10:08 EDT Lockheed Martin announces plans to add 400 more jobs in Fort Worth - Lockheed Martin announced that it has hired more than 1,800 new employees in support of the F-35 program, meeting a commitment made in January 2017 by Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson. The company also announced that it plans to create an additional 400 jobs at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility to support increased production on the program. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Trump Administration's second Made in America day, which showcased a full-scale F-35 model on the South Lawn of the White House.

10:00 EDT RPC, Inc. falls -5.7% - RPC, Inc. is down -5.7%, or -86c to $14.18.

10:00 EDT Illinois Tool Works falls -7.2% - Illinois Tool Works is down -7.2%, or -$10.53 to $136.33.

10:00 EDT Hi-Crush Partners rises 18.4% - Hi-Crush Partners is up 18.4%, or $2.00 to $12.85.

09:59 EDT Amazon dips as Trump suggests 'many feel' antitrust claims should be brought - Shares of Amazon (AMZN) are in focus after President Donald Trump targeted the company in a series of tweets, the latest attack by the president against Amazon. TRUMP TWEETS: This morning, President Trump tweeted that ""The Amazon Washington Post has gone crazy against me ever since they lost the Internet Tax Case in the U.S. Supreme Court two months ago. Next up is the U.S. Post Office which they use, at a fraction of real cost, as their 'delivery boy' for a BIG percentage of their packages...." He added that "....In my opinion the Washington Post is nothing more than an expensive (the paper loses a fortune) lobbyist for Amazon. Is it used as protection against antitrust claims which many feel should be brought?" WHAT'S NOTABLE: The president has previously slammed Amazon, its Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos and has investigated the Trump campaign's potential collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. In April, President Trump ordered a commission led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to examine the Postal Service's finances and "the expansion and pricing of the package delivery market and the USPS's role in competitive markets." Trump tweeted that "Only fools, or worse, are saying that our money losing Post Office makes money with Amazon. THEY LOSE A FORTUNE, and this will be changed. Also, our fully tax paying retailers are closing stores all over the country...not a level playing field!" While speaking to reporters, Trump has said Amazon "will have to pay much more money to the Post Office." Trump spoke of Amazon's role in what he sees as two different issues - paying too little to the Post Office to get its packages shipped and the closing of retailers across the country. Meanwhile, UBS previously said it hosted an expert call with Patrick Donahoe, former Postmaster General at the USPS, who "unequivocally" stated that the Amazon contract is profitable for the USPS. In May, The Washington Post reported that Trump personally pressured Postmaster General Megan Brennan to double what it charges Amazon and other companies to ship packages. At the time, Trump tweeted that "I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the election. Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business!" According to the Washington Post, the USPS has called its relationship with Amazon mutually beneficial. PRICE ACTION: In early trading, Amazon has dipped $22, or 1.2% to about $1,792 per share.

09:51 EDT Popular announces $125M stock repurchase plan - Popular announced a common stock repurchase of up to $125M authorized by the company's Board of Directors. This action follows the non-objection from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

09:47 EDT Halliburton falls -5.7% - Halliburton is down -5.7%, or -$2.58 to $42.62.

09:47 EDT Emerge Energy rises 5.8% - Emerge Energy is up 5.8%, or 40c to $7.35.

09:47 EDT Dover Downs rises 50.5% - Dover Downs is up 50.5%, or $1.02 to $3.04.

09:38 EDT CHF Solutions shares rise in early trade after VA contract circulated - Shares of CHF Solutions are strong in early trading after a contract award dated July 12 from the Tampa VAMC office was circulated. The total award value is $6,516,750, according to a post to FedBizOpps.gov. Reference Link

09:31 EDT Sallie Mae, Chegg introduce enhanced Study Starter benefit - Sallie Mae (SLM) and Chegg (CHGG) introduced a newly enhanced studying and tutoring benefit to support student success. Study Starter is an exclusive benefit that gives students free 24/7 access to a suite of study support services from the Chegg platform. Sallie Mae is the first and only private student lender to offer this in-school benefit to its customers. Study Starter is now available to all Sallie Mae undergraduate private student loan customers and Sallie Mae Parent Loan customers with a new loan. Four months of Chegg Study connects students with Chegg's Textbook Solutions and Expert Answers services that offer step-by-step solutions for thousands of the most popular college textbooks and access to a database of more than 22M fully-solved study questions. Thirty minutes of Chegg Tutors matches students with online tutors available 24/7 for instant or scheduled one-on-one help with an academic subject, coursework, or exam prep. Students receive instruction from tutors via video or text chat while sharing work on-screen. Four months of EasyBib Plus offers unlimited access to a web-based bibliography generator that can create citations in various style guides; proof papers to prevent unintentional plagiarism; and a copyediting feature for grammar, spelling, and style feedback to improve writing skills.

09:29 EDT Halliburton says sees international business better in 2H18 - Says seeing ramp up in international activity.

09:26 EDT Hasbro says 30% of manufacturing is outside of China - Says biggest percentage of impact from Toys "R" Us happened in early quarters. Says 30% of manufacturing is now outside of China and heading to 40% in the coming years. Says source 25% of U.S. revenues by manufacturing locally. Says the company is communicating how terrible trade war would be for business.

09:18 EDT Halliburton sees international pricing improving in 2019

09:17 EDT Halliburton says expects international markets to improve in coming quarters - Says "better positioned than ever" in international markets.

09:11 EDT Adamis Pharmaceuticals adds sublingual ED product candidate to pipeline - Adamis Pharmaceuticals announced that it has been conducting pre-IND development work for a fast-dissolving sublingual tablet containing tadalafil. Adamis intends to submit an investigational new drug, or IND, application to the FDA with the goal of filing a New Drug Application before year end.

09:09 EDT SSC enters into exclusive agreement with China Venture Capital Institute - Seven Stars Cloud Group, or SSC, announced that the Company has successfully entered into an exclusive agreement with the China Venture Capital Research Institute, or CVCRI, and its subsidiaries. As a result, of this strong partnership, SSC will be able to provide the following asset classes and fintech services to financial markets: fractionalization and securitization in China; tokenization of these asset classes; and CVCRI is uniquely supported by Chinese regulators and authorities, in order to innovate and pioneer next-generation efforts across the above asset classes. As such, they have decided to work on an exclusive basis with SSC.

09:07 EDT Honeywell selected by Allegiant Air to provide maintenance services - Honeywell has been selected by Allegiant Air to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for its auxiliary power units and select avionics components across its fleet of new Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. The agreement also includes the replacement of non-Honeywell auxiliary power units, or APUs, with Honeywell's 131-9A version, ensuring commonality across the Allegiant fleet. Allegiant Air is a wholly owned company of Allegiant Travel (ALGT)

09:05 EDT Tenneco announces Brian Kessler, Roger Wood as CEO's of future public companies - Tenneco announced that its board has selected Brian Kesseler and Roger Wood as the CEO of the aftermarket and ride performance company and powertrain technology company, respectively, the two new independent, publicly traded companies, which will be established in the second half of 2019. Immediately upon closing of the Federal-Mogul acquisition, and prior to separation, Kesseler and Wood will serve as co-CEOs of Tenneco, leading their respective businesses, while preparing each to become a stand-alone entity and helping facilitate a smooth spin-off. During this period, both CEOs will report to the Tenneco board. The appointments of Kesseler and Wood are dependent on Tenneco closing the acquisition of Federal-Mogul and separation of the business through a tax-free spin-off. Kesseler, Tenneco's current CEO will become chairman and CEO of the aftermarket and ride performance company, which will be headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. Kesseler has been serving as Tenneco CEO since May 2017, having joined the company as COO in 2015. Wood will become chairman and CEO of the new powertrain technology company, which will be headquartered in the Detroit, Michigan area. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2018.

09:03 EDT Fitbit partners with CFDA to launch Fitbit Versa collection with PH5 - Fitbit announced availability of the PH5 for Fitbit Versa Collection, which was developed as part of Fitbit's collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America previewed in the spring. "This new line of accessories created for Fitbit Versa, already a smartwatch with more than 1 million devices shipped in its first six weeks of launch, offers consumers the chance to bring even more style to their wrist in a fresh and unexpected way. PH5 for Fitbit Versa combines an unconventional approach to knitwear with unique and playful styles, featuring six bands in a variety of bold styles and colors." The PH5 for Fitbit Versa Collection is available now at Fitbit.com, and two designs exclusively at Target in the US only.

09:02 EDT Tetra Tech awarded $85M contract by USAID - Tetra Tech announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development awarded the Company an $85M single-award contract to support enhanced energy security in Ukraine. The five-year USAID/Ukraine Energy Security through Competitive Energy Markets Program aims to improve the legal and regulatory environment in the energy sector and increase the resilience of energy supplies in Ukraine. Tetra Tech will provide technical services to support private sector-led energy investments, increased renewable energy generation, and reliable and affordable energy for all Ukrainians. Specific tasks include developing energy market models to create competitive energy market reforms, completing renewable energy pre-feasibility assessments, and developing creative financial incentive mechanisms to facilitate private sector investment in renewable energy. Tetra Tech also will collaborate with local organizations in implementing the program to develop Ukraine's institutional capacity, encourage ownership of results, and ensure sustainability of reforms.

09:01 EDT Pegasystems appoints Adriana Bokel as Chief People Officer - Pegasystems announced it has appointed Adriana Bokel Herde as Chief People Officer and senior vice president, effective today. Bokel Herde will be responsible for Pega's global people strategy and operations, reporting to Alan Trefler, Pega's founder and CEO. She will be based out of the company's Cambridge, Mass. headquarters, succeeding Jeff Yanagi, who will be retiring from Pega. For more than 20 years, Bokel Herde has held leadership positions in fast growing companies and is recognized as an innovative, high-performing leader with the ability to architect, execute, and drive business growth. Her areas of expertise include business strategy, talent recruitment and development, diversity initiatives, change management, leadership development, operations, innovation, and employee experience.

08:57 EDT Rice Midstream trading halted, news dissemination

08:48 EDT National CineMedia announces chairman Scott Schneider to retire - National CineMedia announced that chairman of the board Scott Schneider will retire as of July 31. Schneider has served as an independent director of National CineMedia since February 2007 with a majority of that time as lead director, and has served as chairman since January 2016. He also served as a member of the NCM Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.

08:44 EDT Hasbro says does not expect to capture lost revenue from Toys "R" Us in 2018 - Says hopes to recapture revenue lost from Toys "R" Us in 2019. Says Power Rangers acquisition enhances story-led portfolio. Says by 2020 Power Rangers will be activated across the blueprint. Says Marvel merchandise sold well behind movie releases. Says 2019 shaping up to be great year. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:37 EDT Cemtrex receives over $20M in new orders in EMS segment - Cemtrex announced that the company received over $20 million in new orders in its Electronics Manufacturing Services, or EMS, Segment during its most recent quarter ended June 30th, 2018. The company's new orders were driven primarily by customers in medical devices, industrial technology, automation, and measurement devices. The orders came from both new customers and existing customers such as ERBE, Staubli, and Heinzmann. These new orders bring the total EMS segment's backlog up to over $50M in total which puts the segment on a path toward organic growth of 10% over the next twelve months.

08:36 EDT XPO Logistics to continue managing emergency supplies for NYCEM - XPO Logistics announced that it will continue to manage emergency stock supplies as part of its multi-year partnership with the New York City Emergency Management Department, or NYCEM. XPO manages more than 6,000 pallets of life-sustaining supplies at two city facilities, with responsibility for emergency distribution. The program is the largest of its kind in the U.S. on a municipal level.

08:34 EDT Simulations Plus subsidiary awarded $1.7M for model development - DILIsym Services, a Simulations Plus company announced it has been awarded a Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, grant by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK. The total award for this Fast Track SBIR grant is up to $1.7M over the next 18-24 months. The initial award is for Phase I, at a level of $225,000, with Phase II beginning in January 2019, subject to successful completion of Phase I. Drug-induced kidney injury can be costly, and may require multiple interventions, including hospitalization. The goal of this project is to provide software that can be used in drug development efforts to predict a drug's potential to cause drug-induced kidney injury, as well as assess and improve the understanding of mechanisms of drug-induced kidney injury.

08:33 EDT On Track Innovations receives purchase order for advanced contactless readers - On Track Innovations has received a purchase order for 5,000 advanced contactless readers to the massive Russian retail self-service market, which will be delivered by the Q3. Due to confidentiality, the terms of the contract cannot be disclosed.

08:32 EDT Waters acquires exclusive rights to Prosolia's DESI technology - Waters Corporation, Prosolia, Inc. and the Purdue Research Foundation announced that Waters acquired exclusive rights to Desorption Electrospray Ionization technology for all mass spectrometry applications from Prosolia and PRF. Waters will continue to support its customers who are already realizing the benefits of DESI technology with their Xevo and Synapt time-of-flight mass spectrometers. As the technology transitions from Prosolia to Waters, Prosolia will also continue supply DESI technology for certain non-Waters mass spectrometer configurations until September 30, 2019. Prosolia will be responsible for and will continue to honor its warranty commitments made prior to Waters' acquisition of the DESI technology to those scientists and organizations who currently have a DESI source unit on any non-Waters mass spectrometer.

08:29 EDT Barrick Gold president Kelvin Dushnisky to become CEO of AngloGold - Barrick Gold (ABX) announced that Kelvin Dushnisky has accepted the position of CEO of AngloGold Ashanti (AU), and will be leaving the company at the end of August. Dushnisky joined Barrick in 2002, and advanced through a series of progressively senior positions, before being appointed President in 2015. The company intends to announce a successor to Dushnisky in due course.

08:17 EDT Boston Properties, CPPIB announce joint venture - Boston Properties and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, or CPPIB, announced that they have formed a joint venture and completed the acquisition of Santa Monica Business Park in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica, California for a purchase price of approximately $627.5M, including $11.5M of seller funded leasing costs after the effective date of the purchase and sale agreement. Santa Monica Business Park is a 47-acre office park consisting of 21 buildings totaling approximately 1.2M net rentable square feet. Approximately 70% of the rentable square footage is subject to a ground lease with 80 years remaining, including renewal periods. The ground lease provides the joint venture with the right to purchase the land underlying the properties in 2028 with subsequent purchase rights every 15 years. The property is 94% leased. As part of the joint venture, CPPIB will invest $147.4M for a 45% ownership in the Business Park. Boston Properties will provide customary operating, property management and leasing services to, and will invest US$180.1M in the joint venture. In addition, the acquisition was completed with US$300M of financing. The mortgage financing bears interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.28% per annum and matures on July 19, 2025. At closing, the borrower under the loan entered into interest rate swap contracts with an aggregate notional amount of $300M through April 1, 2025, resulting in an effective fixed rate of 4.063% per annum through the expiration of the interest rate swap contracts.

08:16 EDT Top Image Systems appoints John London as CFO - Top Image Systems announces the appointment of John London as Interim CFO. London will be responsible for global finance efforts and will be based in the Company's Plano, Texas, office. Prior to joining Top Image Systems, London was CFO of Magna5.

08:14 EDT Exxon Mobil increases estimate for Stabroek Block to over 4B barrels - ExxonMobil said it has increased its estimate of the discovered recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana to more than 4B oil-equivalent barrels and has advanced its evaluation to support a third phase of development and consideration of two additional phases. The increase follows completion of testing at the Liza-5 appraisal well, a discovery at Ranger, incorporation of the eighth discovery, Longtail, into the Turbot area evaluation and completion of the Pacora discovery evaluation. The previous recoverable resource estimate was 3.2B oil-equivalent barrels. Guyana's first development, Liza Phase 1, will use a floating production, storage and offloading, or FPSO, vessel to produce 120,000 barrels of oil per day, starting by early 2020. Liza Phase 2, which is targeted for sanctioning by the end of this year, will use an FPSO vessel designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day and is expected to be producing by mid-2022. The Liza-5 well successfully tested the northern portion of the Liza field and, along with the giant Payara field, will support a third phase of development in Guyana. The Payara development will target sanctioning in 2019 and will use an FPSO vessel designed to produce approximately 180,000 barrels of oil per day, as early as 2023. The Longtail well established the Turbot-Longtail area as a potential development hub for recovery of more than 500 million oil-equivalent barrels. Additional prospects to be drilled in this area could increase this estimate. The collective discoveries on the Stabroek Block to date have established the potential for up to five FPSOs producing over 750,000 barrels per day by 2025. There is potential for additional production from significant undrilled targets and plans for rapid exploration and appraisal drilling, including at the Ranger discovery.

08:11 EDT Hess Corp. increases resource estimate for Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana - Hess Corporation announced an increased estimate of gross discovered recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana to more than 4 billion barrels of oil equivalent, up from the previous estimate of 3.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The increase follows completion of testing at the Liza-5 appraisal well, a discovery at Ranger, incorporation of results from the eighth discovery on the Block at the Longtail exploration well into the Turbot area evaluation, and completion of the Pacora discovery evaluation. This evaluation supports a third phase of development and consideration of two additional phases. There is potential for additional development phases from significant undrilled targets and plans for rapid exploration and appraisal drilling, including at the Ranger discovery. The Liza phase 1 development sanctioned in June 2017 is progressing rapidly. Development drilling began this May and construction of the floating production, storage and offloading vessel and subsea equipment is under way, laying the foundation for first production of gross 120,000 barrels of oil per day by early 2020. Phase 2 of the Liza development, which is targeted for sanction by the end of this year, will use a second FPSO with gross production capacity of approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day - start up for Phase 2 is expected by mid 2022. The Liza-5 well, which successfully tested the northern portion of the Liza Field, along with the giant Payara Field will support a third phase of development in Guyana. Planning is underway for this third phase of development, which is targeted to be sanctioned in 2019 and will use an FPSO designed to produce approximately 180,000 barrels of oil per day, with first production as early as 2023. The collective discoveries on the Stabroek Block to date have established the potential for up to five FPSOs producing over 750,000 barrels per day by 2025.

08:09 EDT Iridium, Rockwell Collins announce partnership - Iridium Communications (IRDM) announced Rockwell Collins (COL) as the newest Iridium Certus service provider for the aviation industry. Rockwell Collins will be adding the service to its comprehensive suite of aircraft connectivity applications for commercial, government and ARINCDirectSM business customers. Initial flight trials will take place later this year, with Iridium Certus commercial service introduction for aviation users expected in mid-2019. Commercial service introduction for other verticals, such as maritime and land-mobile, is planned for 2018. Iridium Certus is powered by Iridium NEXT, the company's next-generation satellite constellation, currently being deployed. To date, there have been six successful Iridium NEXT launches, deploying 55 new satellites to orbit. Two more launches are planned for 2018, each carrying 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, for a total of 75 launched, with 66 in the operational constellation and nine serving as on-orbit spares. The seventh launch is currently targeted for July 25, 2018 out of SpaceX's west coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

08:06 EDT Nxt-ID subsidiary announces agreement with Lil' Flip - Fit Pay, a wholly owned subsidiary of NXT-ID, announced a co-marketing agreement with rapper, record producer and entrepreneur Wesley Eric Weston, Jr., better known as Lil' Flip aka 'Flip Gate$'. Under the agreement, Lil' Flip and FitPay will collaborate to market a contactless payment device that allows Bitcoin holders to make contactless payments in millions of retail locations with value exchanged from their cryptocurrency. The device, which will include artwork designed by Lil' Flip and carry his branding, leverages the FitPay(R) Bitcoin Exchange and payment Token Requestor platforms.

08:05 EDT Lennox: Q2 'led by broad strength in our Residential and Commercial businesses' - "Lennox International posted record revenue, profit and margin in the second quarter led by broad strength in our Residential and Commercial businesses," said Chairman and CEO Todd Bluedorn. "In Residential, revenue and profit hit new highs on strength in both replacement and new construction business. Residential revenue was up 9% at constant currency, and profit rose 9% as segment margin remained at the record 21.5% level. In Commercial, revenue and profit also set new highs. Commercial revenue was up 12% at constant currency on strength in North America equipment and services. Commercial profit rose 18% as segment margin expanded 70 basis points to 18.0%. In Refrigeration, revenue was up 1% at constant currency, and profit rose 5% as segment margin expanded 40 basis points to 14.9%. With the record first half for the company and strong start in the third quarter, we are raising our outlook for 2018 as we continue to expect another record year for Lennox International. We now expect adjusted revenue growth of 6-8% in 2018 and adjusted EPS from continuing operations of $9.95-$10.35. In addition, we are raising our stock repurchase guidance to a total of $450 million for the full year."

08:04 EDT DowDuPont names Northrop Grumman CEO to Advisory Committee of Materials Sciences - DowDuPont (DWDP) announced that Wesley G. Bush, Chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman (NOC), will join the Advisory Committee of its Materials Science Division; and Rajiv L. Gupta, Former Chairman and CEO of Rohm & Haas Company, will join the Advisory Committee of its Specialty Products Division. As previously announced, the Materials Science Division is anticipated to separate by the end of the first quarter of 2019, and Agriculture and Specialty Products Divisions are expected to separate by June 1, 2019.

08:03 EDT Lennox backs FY18 CapEx view approximately $100M - Reiterating guidance for an effective tax rate of 22%-24% on an adjusted basis for the full year.

08:03 EDT Lennox raises FY18 stock repurchase guidance from $350M to $450M

08:01 EDT Lennox raises FY18 outlook

07:46 EDT Capitala Group leads $27.3M investment in Optio RX - Capitala Group announced that it recently originated a combination of a senior secured debt facility and minority equity totaling $27.3M to support Cold Bore Capital in the formation of Optio RX, LLC. Based out of Nashville, TN, Optio is an owner and operator of specialty compounding pharmacies and home infusion providers licensed across the United States. Optio currently specializes in providing medication and care in the fertility, veterinary and hemophilia segments. Capitala's investment will help fund the company's next phase of growth as it looks to acquire additional specialty pharmacies across the country.

07:33 EDT China Customer Relations Centers not aware of reasons for recent volatility - China Customer Relations Centers announced that it is not aware of the reasons for the recent volatility in its stock price. In addition, the Company has not selectively disclosed any material nonpublic information to analysts, investors or others without concurrently making a widespread public disclosure. Additionally, neither the Company's executive officers, directors nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any controlling shareholders, sold or purchased common shares of the Company within the last 30 days. The Company's management believes it is prudent to advise the market of this given recent fluctuations of its stock price.

07:31 EDT Nutrien seels equity state in Arab Potash Company - Nutrien announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SDIC Mining Investment Co. to sell 23,294,614 common shares of Arab Potash Company for gross proceeds of $502M. The announced transaction represents the entirety of Nutrien's holdings in APC. Completion of the APC sale was required by the Competition Commission of India and Ministry of Commerce in China in providing their clearance for the merger of Agrium and PotashCorp to form Nutrien. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.

07:19 EDT Omeros initiates sales of Omidria in Europe, satisfies 'sunset clause' - Omeros announced initial sales of Omidria in Europe. Omidria, approved and commercially available in the U.S., is also approved in the European Union for use in cataract and lens replacement surgery to maintain mydriasis, prevent miosis and to reduce postoperative eye pain. These sales satisfy the "sunset clause" provision in the EU and maintain the ongoing validity of the European marketing authorization for Omidria, allowing Omeros continued flexibility in its partnering, sales and pricing strategies for Omidria throughout Europe. The "sunset clause" requires a medicinal product to be placed on the market in at least one European country within three years of the European Commission granting the product marketing authorization; otherwise, that authorization is no longer valid. Following successful completion of required testing, labeling, packaging and release for its European use, Omidria has been made available on a limited basis in the EU, satisfying the clause and preserving the company's options for European commercialization while Omeros continues building utilization and value for Omidria in the U.S. Pass-through status and separate payment for Omidria by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are scheduled to re-initiate in the U.S. on October 1.

07:13 EDT Hi-Crush Partners raises quarterly distribution to 75c per unit - Hi-Crush Partners announced today that the board of its general partner has declared a quarterly cash distribution of 75c per unit on all common units, or $3.00 on an annualized basis, for the second quarter of 2018, up from a previous quarterly cash distribution of 22.5c per unit. The distribution will be paid on August 14, to all common unitholders of record on August 3, 2018. "The strong underlying market fundamentals in the frac sand and logistics market and our outlook for further growth, fueled by the transactions we have announced, support the confidence we have in the future of Hi-Crush," said Laura Fulton, CFO of Hi-Crush. "To enable our unitholders to more fully and directly participate in the strength of our business and the cash flow we are generating, our board elected to increase our quarterly distribution to 75c per unit for the second quarter of 2018."

07:11 EDT Alnylam announces presentations from APOLLO Phase 3 study of patisiran at PNS - Alnylam announced that the company presented new analyses from the APOLLO Phase 3 study of patisiran, an investigational RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of hereditary ATTR, or hATTR, amyloidosis, in six presentations at the 2018 Peripheral Nerve Society, or PNS, annual meeting. Overall health status was an exploratory endpoint assessed in APOLLO using EuroQOL-5-dimension 5-level, or EQ-5D-5L, a standardized measure of health status based on five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, and the EuroQOL visual analogue scale, or EQ-VAS, a measure of a patient's global impression of their overall health as evaluated on a scale of zero to 100. At 18 months, a larger proportion of patients on patisiran than placebo, respectively, showed preservation or improvement relative to baseline in each EQ-5D-5L domain.

07:07 EDT Lithia Motors announces Erik Lewis as CHRO - Lithia Motors announced Erik Lewis as senior VP and CHRO. Lewis assumes oversight of human resources from Chris Holzshu, Lithia's executive VP. Lewis most recently served as the CHRO of Apple Leisure Group.

07:05 EDT Acceleron reports preliminary results from Part 1 of ACE-083 Phase 2 trial - Acceleron Pharma announced "positive" preliminary results from Part 1 of the Phase 2 clinical trial with ACE-083 in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease at the Peripheral Nerve Society annual meeting held in Baltimore, Maryland. The company plans to initiate Part 2 of the ACE-083 CMT Phase 2 trial in the third quarter of 2018. Part 1 of the trial was an open-label, dose-escalation study that enrolled a total of 18 patients with CMT1 or CMTX who received ACE-083 at dose levels of 150 mg, 200 mg, or 240 mg. ACE-083 was administered by injection into the tibialis anterior muscle bilaterally once every three weeks for three months to evaluate safety and increases in muscle volume. Muscle volume was measured by MRI three weeks after the last injection of ACE-083. Muscle volume and fat fraction are represented as the changes from baseline averaged for each side. Mean total muscle volume increases ranged from 12.6% to 14.2%. Mean absolute decreases in fat fraction ranged from 1.7% to 3.5%. In addition, treatment with ACE-083 resulted in mean increases from baseline in contractile muscle volume, ranging from 15.8% to 19.6%.

07:04 EDT McDermott awarded EPC contract in Saudi Arabia - McDermott International announced it has been awarded a sizeable contract from Samsung Engineering Saudi Arabia Company for engineering, procurement and construction, or EPC, of CB&I Storage Tanks for the Jubail United Petrochemical Company, or JUPC, Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol Plant No. 3 at Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The fixed lump sum contract encompasses the engineering, procurement and fabrication of 23 CB&I storage tanks and modification of two existing tanks. McDermott defines a sizeable contract as between $1M and $50M.

07:03 EDT FS/KKR announces agreement to merge FS Investment, Corporate Capital Trust - FS/KKR Advisor, LLC, a partnership between FS Investments and KKR Credit Advisors, announced that FS Investment (FSIC) and Corporate Capital Trust (CCT) have entered into a definitive agreement under which FSIC and CCT will be merged. The combined company will have on a pro-forma basis over $8B in assets invested in 221 portfolio companies across 23 industries as of March 31, 2018. The Boards of Directors of both FSIC and CCT have approved the transaction, with the participation throughout by, and the unanimous support of, their respective independent directors. Under the terms of the agreement, CCT shareholders will receive a number of FSIC shares with a net asset value equal to the NAV of the CCT shares they hold, as determined shortly before closing, subject to the payment of cash in lieu of fractional shares. The combined company will trade under the ticker symbol "FSIC" on the New York Stock Exchange and will remain externally managed by FS/KKR. The proposed merger is expected to provide a range of near-term and long-term benefits focused on driving shareholder returns through reduced operating expenses, enhanced portfolio diversification, lower financing costs and improved secondary market liquidity. The transaction is subject to approval by FSIC and CCT shareholders and other customary closing conditions. FSIC and CCT expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2018.

07:02 EDT LifePoint shareholders to receive $65 per share in cash

07:01 EDT Sangamo announces first treatment of patient in Phase 1/2 trial of SB-318 - Sangamo Therapeutics announced treatment of the first patient in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating SB-318, an investigational in vivo genome editing therapy for patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I. The EMPOWERS Study is an open-label, ascending dose clinical trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of SB-318 in up to nine adult subjects with attenuated MPS I.

07:00 EDT Teekay Offshore GP appoints Jan Steinsland as CFO - Teekay Offshore GP, the general partner of Teekay Offshore Partners announced that Jan Rune Steinsland has been appointed the new CFO of Teekay Offshore Group, a management services company that provides services to the Partnership's subsidiaries effective September 3. The Partnership's interim CFO, Tim Cowan, will step down effective September 3, 2018, but will remain with the Partnership for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition. Steinsland brings approximately 30 years of energy and offshore industry experience, including most recently serving as CFO of drilling contractor Songa Offshore SE, where he was a member of the senior management team and oversaw strategic financial planning and reporting, and established a proven track record of accretive contract renegotiations and raising capital from various sources, including commercial debt and the debt and equity capital markets.

06:51 EDT Reata reports results from two Phase 2 studies of bardoxolone methyl - Reata Pharmaceuticals announced results from two Phase 2 studies of bardoxolone methyl, or bardoxolone, in patients with chronic kidney disease, or CKD. Reata reported positive one-year results for the Phase 2 portion of CARDINAL, a study of bardoxolone in patients with CKD due to Alport syndrome, and positive final results for the Phase 2 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, or ADPKD, cohort of PHOENIX. In the Phase 2 portion of CARDINAL, significantly increased estimated glomerular filtration rate at Week 48 from baseline of 10.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 was observed in patients treated with bardoxolone.

06:50 EDT Hexindai declares special cash dividend of 13c per share - Hexindai announced that the board of directors of Hexindai has declared a cash dividend of 40c per ordinary share, which is equivalent to 40c per American Depositary Share , or ADS, each of which represents one ordinary share. Holders of the company's ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs, on August 2, will be entitled to receive the cash dividend. The cash dividend will consist of an annual dividend pursuant to the newly adopted annual dividend policy of 27c per ordinary share and a special cash dividend of 13c per ordinary share. Citibank, the depositary bank for the company's ADS program, expects to pay out dividends to ADS holders on or around August 10.

06:43 EDT Cambrex to acquire Halo Pharma for $425M, accretive in FY19 - Cambrex announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Halo Pharma, a leading dosage form Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, or CDMO, majority owned by funds managed by the private investment firm SK Capital Partners, for approximately $425M. Halo provides drug product development and commercial manufacturing services, specializing in oral solids, liquids, creams, sterile and non-sterile ointments. Cambrex's $500M senior credit facility. Upon completion of the transaction, Cambrex's net leverage ratio, pro forma for the transaction, is expected to be about 1.2x. Cambrex expects the transaction to be accretive in 2019. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur during the Q3.

06:35 EDT Aerie receives "Day 74" notification from FDA for Roclatan - Aerie Pharmaceuticals reported that it has received the "Day 74" notification from the FDA earlier than scheduled, the FDA has completed its initial 60-day review of the NDA for Roclatan, or netarsudil/latanoprost ophthalmic solution, 0.02%/0.005% and the FDA has determined that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. The PDUFA goal date for the completion of the FDA's review of the Roclatan NDA is set for March 14, 2019. This date reflects a standard 10-month review period and is consistent with management's expectations for the 505 filing. The "Day 74" notification indicated that the FDA has not identified any potential review issues, and did not mention the need for an advisory committee.

06:34 EDT Hasbro reports Q2 operating profit margin of 9.7%

06:33 EDT Hasbro says Q2 revenues negatively impacted by the liquidation of Toys"R"Us - Second quarter 2018 revenues were negatively impacted by the liquidation of Toys"R"Us in the U.S. and many other global markets, including lower Toys"R"Us revenues and the near-term disruption of its stores' liquidation in the marketplace, as well as managing retail inventory, primarily in Europe.

06:15 EDT Barclays to create up to 2,500 jobs at new Glasgow tech hub - Barclays announces plans to develop a new campus at Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow, which will provide a state-of-the-art workplace for the bank's functions, technology and operations teams. The campus will play a pivotal role in the execution of Barclays' long-term strategic priorities and will be one of a small number of key global sites. Barclays has agreed to purchase the campus development from Drum Property Group Ltd and is currently working with them to finalise the design of the new facility as part of the wider Buchanan Wharf development. It is expected that, once completed, the campus will be able to accommodate up to 2,500 additional roles, doubling Barclays' current workforce in Scotland and making the bank one of Glasgow's biggest commercial employers. The project has been made possible by the continued close collaboration with Scottish Enterprise, with which Barclays has reached an agreement for a funding grant of GBP 12.75m, and Glasgow City Council, which has been instrumental in turning the initial proposal into a viable scheme.

06:12 EDT LightInTheBox elects Zhiping Qi CEO, announces CFO Robin Lu's resignation - LightInTheBox announced certain management changes. Zhiping Qi has been elected as CEO of LightInTheBox by the board of the company. Qi is also expected to join the board following the general meeting of shareholders which will take place on August 17. Qi is one of the founding team members and was po-President and vice chairman of Shenzhen Sinoagri, an online agricultural procurement and distribution service provider, from 2010-2017. Qi was responsible for its overall strategic planning, investments, and management. Qi has been executive director and co-CEO of Zall Smart Commerce. In addition, the company has received and accepted the voluntary resignation of Robin Lu, CFO of the company, due to personal reasons. Lu will work to ensure a smooth transition until his last day before the end of Q3.

06:07 EDT Barnwell subsidiaries to purchase interests in Alberta properties for $10.5M - Barnwell Industries announced that its wholly-owned subsidiaries have entered into a purchase and sale agreement with an independent third party for the purchase of interests in oil and natural gas properties located in the Twining area of Alberta, Canada. The purchase price for Barnwell interests is approximately$10.5M at current Canadian dollar exchange rates, and is subject to customary adjustments to the purchase price at closing, including adjustments to reflect an effective date of sale of July 1. The purchase price will be paid from available cash. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in August.

06:05 EDT Arista Networks' Any Cloud extends to Google Cloud Platform - Arista Networks (ANET) announced its Any Cloud hybrid cloud networking platform, which reduces operational costs and complexity for enterprises migrating workloads to the public cloud from their on-premises datacenters, is now available on Google Cloud Platform (GOOG, GOOGL). The new virtualized offering, Arista vEOS Router combined with CloudVision with Cloud Tracer functionality, provides consistent operations, orchestration, security, and telemetry across multi-cloud environments.

06:03 EDT Omega Healthcare terminates restructuring support agreement of 4 West - Omega Healthcare Investors announced that the company has given notice to terminate the restructuring support agreement of its tenant, 4 West Holdings, effective July 25, 2018. On July 1, Omega successfully transitioned the legacy Orianna portfolio in Mississippi to an existing Omega operator with a contractual annual rent of $12M. The company is also progressing with the transition of the remaining previously announced facilities and expects this process to conclude in the next few months.

05:25 EDT Chi-Med initiates Phase Ib/II proof-of-concept study of sulfatib - Hutchison China MediTech, or Chi-Med, has initiated a Phase Ib/II proof-of-concept study of sulfatinib in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or NET, patients and in biliary tract cancer, or BTC, patients in the U.S. Sulfatinib is an oral small molecule angio-immuno kinase inhibitor that can simultaneously block tumor angiogenesis and immune evasion. This study follows several trials that are underway in China, including two Phase III studies in pancreatic and non-pancreatic NET that commenced after positive results from a Phase II study, and a Phase II study in BTC patients. In addition, a Phase I dose escalation part of this study in the U.S. was recently completed.

05:22 EDT Papa John's adopts limited duration stockholder rights plan - Papa John's announced that its board has approved the adoption of a limited duration stockholder rights plan and declared a dividend distribution of one right for each outstanding share of common stock. The record date for such dividend distribution is August 2, 2018. The Rights Plan expires, without any further action being required to be taken by Papa John's board =, on July 22, 2019. The adoption of the Rights Plan is intended to enable all Papa John's stockholders to realize the full potential value of their investment in the company and to protect the interests of the company and its stockholders by reducing the likelihood that any person or group gains control of Papa John's through open market accumulation or other tactics without paying an appropriate control premium. In addition, the Rights Plan provides the board with time to make informed decisions that are in the best long-term interests of Papa John's and its stockholders and does not deter the Papa John's board from considering any offer that is fair and otherwise in the best interest of Papa John's stockholders. Under the Rights Plan, the rights generally would become exercisable only if a person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 15% or more of Papa John's common stock in a transaction not approved by the Papa John's board. In that situation, each holder of a right will have the right to purchase, upon payment of the exercise price and in accordance with the terms of the Rights Plan, a number of shares of Papa John's common stock having a market value of twice such price. In addition, if Papa John's is acquired in a merger or other business combination after an acquiring person acquires 15% or more of Papa John's common stock, each holder of the right would thereafter have the right to purchase, upon payment of the exercise price and in accordance with the terms of the Rights Plan, a number of shares of common stock of the acquiring person having a market value of twice such price. The acquiring person or group would not be entitled to exercise these Rights. John Schnatter and his affiliates and associates who currently beneficially own shares of common stock in excess of 30% have been grandfathered under the Rights Plan but will become an acquiring person upon their acquisition of 31% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions as described in the Rights Plan. In the Rights Plan, the definition of "beneficial ownership" includes derivative securities.