Stockwinners Market Radar for September 12, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:46 EDT Malibu Boats targets FY19 revenue growth in 'high-single digits' - In its Investor Day presentation earlier today, Malibu Boats also forecast FY19 unit sales increase in mid-single digits and gross margins to register a "modest increase". The company's longer-term financial targets are for annual net sales growth of about 10%, adjusted EBITDA margin of over 20%, and annual EPS growth of over 15%. Reference Link

18:55 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Impinj (PI) up 34.5%... Tailored Brands (TLRD) up 11.5%. ALSO HIGHER: Fluor (FLR) up 1.7% after extended $2B contract from DOE. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Pivotal Software (PVTL) down 26.2%... Oxford Industries (OXM) down 3.6%. ALSO LOWER: Progenics Pharma (PGNX) down 18.5% after its Phase 3 study for 1404 missed one of target endpoints... Foamix (FOMX) down 3.6% after equity offering... Galapagos (GLPG) down 1.4% after equity offering.

18:30 EDT Magnolia Oil & Gas director John Walker buys 160K shares of common stock - Magnolia Oil & Gas director John Walker disclosed in a filing that he had bought 160,000 shares of company stock on September 10-12. The total transaction value was $2.2M.

17:50 EDT Zions Bancorp granted relief from SIFI designation and approved for merger - Zions Bancorporation announced that it has been notified of the final decision by the Financial Stability Oversight Council to grant Zions' appeal for relief from the designation of Zions or its successor as a systemically important financial institution, or SIFI, under the Dodd-Frank Act. Zions has now received the material requisite regulatory approvals to complete the merger of its holding company with and into its bank, ZB, N.A., with the resulting bank to be known as Zions Bancorporation, N.A. As described in its proxy materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Zions will hold a special shareholder meeting on September 14, 2018 with respect to shareholder approval of the merger. Assuming receipt of shareholder approval at the meeting, it is anticipated that the merger will be completed effective as of September 30, 2018. The merger is expected to result in the elimination of duplicative regulatory efforts, leaving the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as the Bank's primary federal regulator.

17:38 EDT BioPharmX names David Tierney as new CEO - BioPharmX Corporation announced the appointment of David S. Tierney, M.D., as its chief executive officer. Anja Krammer continues to serve in her roles as president and corporate secretary for BioPharmX. Dr. Tierney was also appointed as a director to the board of directors of BioPharmX. BioPharmX Corporation noted that Dr. Tierney is an accomplished healthcare executive with a proven record of achievements leading the growth of both pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Additionally, Dr. Tierney possesses significant experience in successfully developing and commercializing drug delivery platforms, which will be a particularly valuable asset for BioPharmX as it commercializes its own topical dermatology technology.

17:35 EDT Verso issues statement on ISS report relating to election of directors - Verso issued the following statement in response to a September 4, report issued by Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, relating to the election of directors at Verso's annual meeting of stockholders: "We believe that ISS reached the wrong conclusion in failing to recommend that stockholders vote in favor of four of five of Verso's highly qualified and experienced director nominees. ISS's recommendation ignores Verso's transformative success and significant stockholder value creation following emergence from Chapter 11 on July 15, 2016, as well as the roles that each of Messrs. Alan Carr, Eugene Davis, Steven Scheiwe and Jay Shuster have played in those efforts. Rather, ISS's "withhold" recommendation for these nominees is premised solely on Verso not having removed the supermajority vote requirements contained in our organizational documents and lack of gender diversity on the board. We note that the supermajority vote provisions contained in Verso's organizational documents were approved and adopted as a part of Verso's reorganization only two years ago, and do not believe that such provisions adversely impair stockholder rights. In addition, ISS only recently adopted its policy, effective in 2017, which was after Verso's supermajority vote provisions were adopted, to treat such supermajority vote provisions as a governance failure resulting in "withhold" recommendations for members of corporate governance and nominating committees. As such, ISS's recommendation is contrary to the legitimate governance choices of Verso's stockholders made in 2016 when these provisions were approved for inclusion in Verso's organizational documents. However, Verso is not averse to the adoption of majority provisions if our stockholders wish such provisions to be included in our organizational documents. Accordingly, after Verso's 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, the board of directors will consider submitting to our stockholders, at our annual meeting to be held in 2019, a proposal to remove the supermajority vote provisions or impose a sunset requirement on such provisions. Further, we note that prior to the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the board of directors expects to seek to identify additional potential director nominees from a candidate pool that includes women and individuals from minority groups. We believe that all of Verso's board nominees merit a "For" vote from Verso stockholders. In addition to the foregoing, Verso notes that ISS maintains in its report that Mr. Davis sits on the boards of the following public companies: Bluestem Group Inc. and Titan Energy LLC. Bluestem Group Inc. is a privately held company that does not have common stock registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and Titan Energy LLC filed a form 15 on June 6, 2018 to terminate registration under the Exchange Act."

17:23 EDT Pzena Investment opposes staples's acquisition of Essendant - As Essendant's (ESND) largest shareholder, Pzena Investment Management (PZN) believes that the proposal from Staples to acquire Essendant at $12.80 a share does not constitute a superior offer to the proposed merger with SP Richards, nor does the offer of $12.80 adequately value the company independent of the SP Richards transaction. For that reason, Pzena Investment Management does not intend to support the Staples proposal as it currently stands if and when it is presented to shareholders

17:16 EDT Boeing awarded $194.5M U.S. Navy contract modification - Boeing is awarded $194,517,924 for modification P00126 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for P-8A Aircrew Training System production concurrency upgrades in support of the Navy and the government of Australia. The training system upgrades are required for training devised to be ready for initial training to meet future mission capabilities. Work is expected to be completed in September 2023.

17:06 EDT Tesla CEO: Customers may experience longer response times due to NA volume - Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Due to a large increase in vehicle delivery volume in North America, Tesla customers may experience longer response times. Resolving this is our top priority." Reference Link

17:02 EDT GTY Technology Holdings to buy CityBase for $160M - GTY Technology Holdings has agreed to buy CityBase, Inc. for $160M in cash and stock, the company announced today. GTY raised more than $550M in November 2016 to identify and invest in compelling and emerging trends in the technology sector. CityBase will operate as a wholly owned business unit of GTY, continuing to grow and invest in its clients, products and mission to transform how people experience government. The new entity will include six like-minded companies, all of which serve the public sector.

16:49 EDT HFF sells medical office complex in Morristown, NJ - Holliday Fenoglio Fowler announces the sale of a 538,107-square-foot, three-building, Class A medical office complex in Morristown, New Jersey. The three buildings are 93% leased to Atlantic Health System (Moody's Aa3), an integrated health delivery system, and house some of their critical offices and unique services. Located at 435, 465 and 475 South Street, the complex is situated in the highly coveted city of Morristown, just one mile south of Atlantic Health Systems' flagship 742-bed hospital.

16:39 EDT Spectrum Brands making executive leadership changes - Spectrum Brands is making changes to its executive leadership, effective October 1. Nathan Fagre, Senior VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and Stacey Neu, Senior VP, Human Resources, will be leaving the company to pursue other interests. Ehsan Zargar has been named Executive VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and the human resource function has been reassigned to Douglas Martin, Executive VP and CFO, and Zargar. Zargar was a Director of Spectrum Brands Holdings from August 2017 until July 2018. From June 2011 until July 2018, Zargar also served in a number of positions as an employee of HRG Group,

16:36 EDT Kroger Mid-Atlantic associates in Virginia ratify labor pact with UFCW - Kroger Mid-Atlantic division announced associates working at 22 Kroger stores in its Richmond and Hampton Roads market have ratified a new labor agreement with The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400. The Mid-Atlantic division agreement raises starting wages to $9.50 an hour for part-time associates and $10 an hour for full-time associates. After one-year of service, wages move to $10 an hour for part-time and $11 an hour for full-time. This is in addition to overall wage rate increases, high-quality, affordable health care benefits and contributions to a pension fund to support associates in retirement. This agreement covers more than 3,200 associates in the Richmond, Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach and Norfolk areas.

16:33 EDT U.S. Energy Department extends $2B Fluor contract through March of 2024 - Fluor announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has exercised its option to extend its current management and operating contract of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through March 31, 2024. The contract is currently being executed by Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fluor. Fluor will book the $2B contract extension value in the third quarter of 2018. FFPO began management and operations work on the SPR on April 1, 2014. As a result of this contract extension, Fluor will continue to support DOE in the execution of the SPR's life extension engineering and construction efforts.

16:32 EDT Life Storage announces Joseph Saffire to succeed David Rogers as CEO in 2019 - Life Storage announced that it will promote the company's Chief Investment Officer Joseph Saffire to CEO upon the retirement of current CEO David Rogers, effective March 1, 2019. Rogers will continue to serve on the company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Life Storage, Saffire held various executive leadership roles over a two-decade banking career across three continents with HSBC, Wells Fargo, and First Niagara Financial Group.

16:22 EDT Matador acquires 8,400 gross acres in New Mexico for $387M - Matador announced the successful acquisition of 8,400 gross acres for approximately $387M, or a weighted average cost of approximately $46,000 per net acre, in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico in the Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale on September 5 and 6. Matador estimates these properties should immediately add an incremental 16.3M barrels of oil equivalent, or boe, or 10%, in proved undeveloped reserves, or PUDs, with a PV-10 of approximately $135M to its total proved reserves base. This amount equates to a weighted average value of approximately $16,000 per net acre acquired. The total estimated value of these PUDs is additive to Matador's previously reported proved oil and natural gas reserves of 170.2M boe at June 30, consisting of 95.4M barrels of oil and 448.2B cubic feet of natural gas with a PV-10 of $1.8B. The acquired leases are federal leases and provide an 87.5% net revenue interest, or NRI, as compared to approximately 75% NRI on most fee leases. As a result, Matador will retain an additional 17% of the net production from each well drilled and completed on these properties, which should significantly improve the economics of wells drilled on this acreage. Matador believes this increased NRI enhances the value of the acquired properties, especially given the company's expectation of multiple zones of development, including as many as seven to nine potentially productive zones in certain tracts. The large majority of the acquired acreage is believed to be conducive to drilling longer laterals of up to two miles or more, utilizing central facilities and multi-well pad development, which should reduce well costs and further improve well returns and economics. The effects of this acquisition on Matador's production and on potential additional midstream opportunities should begin to be realized in late 2019, 2020 and beyond as Matador expects to initiate production from these properties with higher NRIs and lower costs per lateral foot. The acquired acreage includes approximately 2,800 gross/net acres in the Stateline area, 4,800 gross/net acres in the Antelope Ridge asset area, 400 gross/net acres in the Arrowhead asset area and 400 gross/net acres in the Twin Lakes asset area, bringing Matador's total leasehold and mineral position in the Delaware Basin to approximately 217,400 gross acres. Matador expects to finance these acreage acquisitions using cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility, which had no borrowings outstanding at September 12, but additional options include, among others, the divestiture of portions or all of its non-Delaware Basin assets.

16:19 EDT Tailored Brands CEO says reported positive SSS for all retail brands in Q2 - "We are pleased to report positive comparable sales for all of our retail brands this quarter. We executed well on growing our custom business and on increasing transactions through brand marketing campaigns and enhanced omni-channel initiatives," said Tailored Brands CEO Doug Ewert. "I am also pleased with the progress we are making to move to a leaner, more efficient inventory model, which is particularly important as custom clothing becomes a larger percentage of our mix. With leaner inventories, we can improve the customer experience and free-up working capital."

16:18 EDT Artisan Partners reports August 2018 AUM total $117.4B - Artisan Partners Asset Management reported that its assets under management as of August 31, 2018 totaled $117.4B. Separate accounts accounted for $58.8B of total firm AUM, while Artisan Funds and Artisan Global Funds accounted for $58.6B.

16:16 EDT Tailored Brands reports Q2 Men's Wearhouse SSS up 1% - Men's Wearhouse comparable sales increased 1.0%. Comparable sales for clothing increased primarily due to an increase in transactions and a slight increase in average unit retail, partially offset by a decrease in units per transaction. Comparable rental services revenue decreased 11.5%, primarily reflecting timing impacts of the 53-week to 52-week calendar shift, an earlier prom season, and a shift in demand for weddings to the third quarter. The company expects to report roughly flat comparable rental services revenue in the third quarter. Jos. A. Bank comparable sales increased 2.0% primarily due to an increase in transactions, partially offset by a slight decrease in units per transaction, while average unit retail was flat. K&G comparable sales increased 3.5% primarily due to an increase in units per transaction and average unit retail partially offset by a slight decrease in transactions. Moores comparable sales increased 3.7% primarily due to increases in both transactions and average unit retail, while units per transaction were flat.

16:13 EDT GTY Technology Holdings to acquire six companies - GTY Technology Holdings announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire six companies that are leading the digital transformation in the public sector market. The transaction is expected to close in early 2019. Under the definitive agreements, subject to customary adjustments as provided therein, GTY has agreed to acquire the companies for total aggregate base consideration of $365M in cash and stock, plus an aggregate earn-out consideration of up to $132M in cash and stock. In addition, the new entity is expected to have an equity incentive plan in place at closing with 5.3M shares reserved for future awards to employees and other plan participants. In connection with the business combination, GTY expects to hold a special meeting of its warrantholders (to be held immediately prior to the special meeting of GTY's shareholders for the business combination) to approve an amendment to the warrant agreement governing its outstanding warrants to provide that, at the closing of the business combination, each whole public warrant will be automatically exchanged for $1.35 in cash and each private placement warrant will be automatically exchanged for $0.75 in cash. Approval of the warrant agreement amendment will require the affirmative vote of at least 50% of the outstanding public warrants. Assuming no GTY stockholders exercise their redemption rights in connection with the business combination and GTY obtains warrantholder approval to amend its warrant agreement, the combined company is expected to have approximately $237 million of cash on the balance sheet at the closing to fund earnings producing capital expenditures, salesforce expansion, future acquisitions to accelerate growth, and general corporate purposes. In order to provide sufficient time to complete the business combination in early 2019, GTY expects to seek shareholder approval of an extension of GTY's deadline to complete an initial business combination from November 1, 2018 to a date in the first quarter of 2019. All current directors of GTY are expected to be appointed to the board of the new entity at the closing. The board of directors of GTY has approved the proposed business combination, and the applicable governing body of each of the target companies has approved its applicable proposed transaction. In addition, GTY expects to receive within one business day the requisite shareholder consents for CityBase, eCivis and OpenCounter and has received voting and supporting agreements for Bonfire. Completion of the proposed business combination is subject to GTY shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions.

16:11 EDT MNB Bancorp holders approve merger with Independent Bank - Independent Bank Corp., parent of Rockland Trust Company, announced that at a special meeting held on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 the shareholders of MNB Bancorp, parent of The Milford National Bank & Trust Company, overwhelmingly approved the pending merger with Independent Bank Corp., with 87.6% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote voting in favor and no shares voting against. The closing of the merger remains subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals and other standard conditions. The parties anticipate that the merger will close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

16:08 EDT Teekay Tankers completes sale-leaseback of sixk Aframax tankers - Teekay Tankers Ltd. announced that it has completed and closed the previously-announced sale-leaseback transaction for six Aframax tankers, the Whistler Spirit, Blackcomb Spirit, Emerald Spirit, Garibaldi Spirit, Tarbet Spirit and Peak Spirit. As a result, the company has increased its liquidity position by approximately $60M after the repayment of outstanding debt related to these vessels. This financing was part of the company's financing initiatives announced on August 2.

16:07 EDT Espey Mfg announces $1.00 per share special dividend - The Espey board has declared a special cash dividend of $1.00 per share. This special dividend is in addition to a regular dividend of 25c per share for Q1. The dividends will be payable on October 1 to all shareholders of record at September 24.

16:06 EDT Progenics Phase 3 study for 1404 meets one co-primary endpoint, misses other - Progenics announced top line data from its Phase 3 study of 1404, the company's prostate specific membrane antigen, or PSMA,-targeted small molecule SPECT/CT imaging agent that is designed to visualize prostate cancer. The Phase 3 trial evaluated the specificity of 1404 imaging to identify patients without clinically significant prostate cancer and sensitivity to identify patients with clinically significant disease. The study dosed 471 patients in the U.S. and Canada with low-grade prostate cancer, whose biopsy indicated a histopathologic Gleason grade of 3+4 severity and/or were candidates for active surveillance. Median PSA levels for patients dosed in trial was 5.58 ng/mL. In the study, 1404 detected clinically meaningful prostate cancer with specificity ranging among the three readers from 71-75%. The co-primary endpoint of sensitivity was not met and ranged amongst the three readers from 47-51%. The trial protocol required the lower limit of the two-sided 95% CI for both specificity and sensitivity to exceed 60%. The most frequent treatment related events included headache, dizziness and fatigue.

16:01 EDT XL Group trading resumes

16:00 EDT Progenics trading halted, news pending

15:17 EDT Care.com mentioned cautiously again by Batman Research - In a tweet, Batman Research said that Care.com "bad practices still continue." Further, Batman Research's Edwin Dorsey pointed out that: "Since my last report, two more children died in the care of a Care.com babysitter, Fentanyl was found at a daycare on Care.com, the SF DA is investigating Care.com for inaccurate sex offender checks." In afternoon trading, shares of Care.com have dropped over 6% to $18.92. Reference Link

15:03 EDT Orion-Sequans partnership results in LTE-enabled Orion smart walkie-talkie - LTE chipmaker Sequans Communications and Orion Labs announced that their strategic partnership to build Orion wearables based on LTE has resulted in the commercial availability of the first LTE-enabled Orion smart walkie-talkie, Orion Sync. Orion Labs and Sequans have been collaborating over the last 18 months to integrate Sequans' LTE for IoT chips into Orion's unique push-to-talk IoT wearables. The partnership was established to support Orion Labs' strategy of developing wearable devices that can provide voice communications to other devices, people and bots, without the need to tether to a cell phone. The first Orion Sync device to become available, and announced today by Orion, is based on Sequans Calliope LTE Cat 1 technology, with the next devices to be based on Sequans Monarch LTE-M technology. "Orion Sync is one of the most exciting new LTE for IoT wearables available in the market today," said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO. "As a smart walkie-talkie, it is in a category all by itself, with simple, yet extremely useful push-to-talk capabilities that bring real value to enterprises and small businesses that need instant access to their team members. Now enabled with ultra-reliable, everywhere-available LTE, Orion Sync will no doubt become an indispensable IoT wearable to many enterprises."

14:52 EDT Duke Energy estimates 1-3M power outages in Carolinas due to Hurricane Florence - Duke Energy meteorologists are estimating power outages in the Carolinas from approaching Hurricane Florence could be between 1-3 million customers. "The magnitude of the storm is beyond what we have seen in years. With the storm expected to linger, power restoration work could take weeks instead of days. Despite our workforce, customers should continue to make plans for their homes and facilities. It's important for people to know this is no ordinary storm and customers could be without power for a very long time - not days, but weeks," said Howard Fowler, Duke Energy's incident commandor.

14:47 EDT Apple announces iPhone XR, starting at $749 - Apple announced iPhone XR, which the company said integrates "breakthrough technologies from iPhone XS in an all-screen glass and aluminum design with the most advanced LCD in a smartphone featuring a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and six beautiful finishes." iPhone XR includes Apple's A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine, the TrueDepth camera system, Face ID and an advanced camera system, the company said. iPhone XR will be available to pre-order beginning Friday, October 19 and in stores beginning Friday, October 26. iPhone XR will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in white, black, blue, yellow, coral and (PRODUCT)RED starting at $749. The iPhone Upgrade Program is available for iPhone XR with monthly payments starting at $37.41, Apple added.

14:44 EDT Apple CEO Tim Cook says Mac Mojave software available on September 24

14:41 EDT Apple says iOS 12 operating system will be available September 17

14:40 EDT Apple says iPhone XS Max will start at $1,099

14:39 EDT Apple says iPhone XR will start at $749

14:31 EDT Apple says iPhone XR has same A12 chip as iPhone XS

14:27 EDT Apple introduces iPhone XR

14:23 EDT Apple looking to use only recycled materials to make its products

14:18 EDT Apple says iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max has dual SIM support

14:16 EDT CVS applauds FDA actions to curtail sale, marketing of e-cigarettes - CVS Health (CVS) said it applauds the enforcement actions taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to curtail the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to the nation's youth. "We applaud the historic enforcement actions announced today by FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, and believe they represent the most important step the agency has taken to date to curtail youth use of e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine products," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., M.P.H. and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Health. "We hope the actions taken today by the FDA will reduce the number of people that are exposed to tobacco and other harmful products, which can reduce the prevalence of tobacco-related diseases including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and make a significant impact on the health of our next generation." Publicly traded companies in the tobacco space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI), and Philip Morirs (PM).

14:02 EDT CBS confirms '60 Minutes' producer leaving after violating company policy - CBS News reported that "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager is leaving CBS News effective immediately. Bill Owens, who had served as Executive Editor, will manage the "60 Minutes" team as CBS leadership searches for a new executive producer of the program. The company added, according to CBS News: "This action today is not directly related to the allegations surfaced in press reports, which continue to be investigated independently. However, he violated company policy and it is our commitment to uphold those policies at every level."

13:49 EDT Apple says iPhone A12 Bionic chip can process 5 trillion operations per second

13:43 EDT Apple announces iPhone XS Max, largest iPhone screen

13:40 EDT Apple introduces Apple Watch Series 4, available September 21 - Apple introduced Apple Watch Series 4, which it says "has been refined, combining new hardware and software enhancements into a genuinely singular, unified form." The display is over 30% larger within a thinner, smaller case, while "the new interface provides more information with richer detail," the company said. Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5 brings "advanced activity and communications features, along with revolutionary health capabilities, including a new accelerometer and gyroscope, which are able to detect hard falls, and an electrical heart rate sensor that can take an electrocardiogram using the new ECG app, which has been granted a De Novo classification by the FDA." Beginning Friday, September 14, Apple Watch Series 4 with GPS will be available to order in 26 countries and territories, and Apple Watch Series 4 with GPS + Cellular will be available to order in 16 countries and territories. Both models will be available in stores beginning Friday, September 21. Apple Watch Series 4 GPS starts at $399 and Apple Watch Series 4 GPS + Cellular starts at $499, both featuring the updated design and new health capabilities. Series 3 will be available at the new, lower starting price of $279, Apple said.

13:38 EDT Apple CEO Tim Cook says iPhone 10 is #1 smartphone in the world

13:35 EDT Apple says Apple Watch Series 4 software available September 17

13:34 EDT Apple says Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $399, Series 3 dropped to $279

13:28 EDT Fitbit down 3% as Apple discusses health features of new Watch - Apple (AAPL), at its product event, has said that Apple Watch Series 4 received FDA clearance and is the first over-the-counter ECG product. As Apple's event continues, shares of smartband and smartwatch maker Fitbit (FIT) are down about 3% to $5.77 per share.

13:22 EDT Apple says Apple Watch Series 4 is first over-the-counter ECG product

13:13 EDT Apple says Apple Watch Series 4 has screen over 30% larger

13:08 EDT Apple CEO Cook says Apple Watch is the #1 watch in the world

12:49 EDT Comcast extends offer for Sky until October 6 - Comcast (CMCSA) said its offer for Sky (SKYAY) is being further extended and will remain open for acceptances until 1:00 p.m. London time on October 6. A further announcement will be made by Comcast Bidco at the appropriate time if, subject to the consent of the Panel, the offer is extended beyond this closing date, Comcast added.

12:00 EDT Snap falls -8.3% - Snap is down -8.3%, or -82c to $9.07.

12:00 EDT Skechers falls -9.1% - Skechers is down -9.1%, or -$2.61 to $26.09.

12:00 EDT Ecopetrol rises 9.7% - Ecopetrol is up 9.7%, or $2.17 to $24.70.

11:52 EDT Nintendo Switch online service set to launch September 18 - Nintendo of America tweeted: "#NintendoSwitchOnline memberships will start on 9/18. You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial from Nintendo #eShop at launch! We will introduce more information during the Nintendo Direct on 9/13." Reference Link

11:40 EDT Boeing says working to reduce risk of 797 delays

11:33 EDT Snap slides after analyst says sell as 'pain not over' - Shares of Snap (SNAP) are sliding after BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield told investors he was "tired of watching Snapchat decline from the sidelines" and downgraded the shares to Sell. The analyst noted that since October 2017, Snap's stock has lost over half its value but he does not believe "the pain is over." Meanwhile, his peer at Citi lowered his price target on Snap to $8, saying he now sees less likelihood of a near-term takeover due to the company's recent operational challenges. BTIG SAYS SELL SNAP: In a research note to investors, BTIG's Greenfield downgraded Snap to Sell from Neutral, with a price target of $5, saying his previous assumption that "communications apps were sticky and would protect engagement" was incorrect. Moreover, the analyst noted that while he waited for "management to figure out monetization," the stock has lost over half of its value. The pain is likely not over, he added, stating that he is now "tired" of the company's excuses for missing numbers. The analyst has said since the IPO back in March of last year that "a bet on Snap was also a bet on [CEO] Evan Spiegel's product innovation ability." However, he has been disappointed in the company's product evolution and sees no reason to believe it will change. Overall, Greenfield believes a Sell rating is warranted given falling engagement and consensus expectations that are too high. CITI NO LONGER SEES NEAR-TERM BUYOUT: Meanwhile, in a research note of his own, Citi analyst Mark May lowered his price target for Snap to $8 after removing his takeover premium assumption. The analyst had assumed a 50% probability of a takeout at a 35% premium to his fundamental value of $8 per share. However, he told investors that he now sees less likelihood of a near-term takeover due to Snap's recent operational challenges. May reiterated a Sell rating on the shares. His peer at Jefferies also lowered his price target for Snap to $11 from $14, while keeping a Hold rating on the shares. Based on third-party data analysis of Android usage, Snap's daily active users and time spent are both trending down in the third quarter in the U.S., U.K., Spain, France, Germany, and Australia, analyst Brent Thill contended. While advertiser sentiment is neutral to positive, the analyst argued that reach is capped due to declining users. Thill added that he continues to prefer shares of Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) over Snap. PRICE ACTION: In late morning trading, shares of Snap have dropped nearly 8% to $9.12.

11:31 EDT Boeing CEO says still deciding whether to increase 737 output in 2020

11:17 EDT Boeing's Muilenburg says hasn't seen material impact from U.S. tariffs on metals - At the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference, Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he hasn't seen a material impact from U.S. tariffs on metals. The CEO backed Boeing's plan to deliver 810-815 planes this year and sees deliveries exceeding 900 planes within two years. Muilenberg said higher August deliveries reflects 737 recovery action. Boeing is on track for mid-teens profit margins by the end of the decade. Muilenberg also commented that the company's productivity initiatives are "more than upsetting" disruptions in the supply chain. Boeing is up 1.6% in morning trading to $350.87.

10:31 EDT Micron slides as Goldman cuts rating on weaker memory fundamentals - Shares of Micron Technology (MU) are under pressure this morning after Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delaney downgraded the stock to Neutral as he sees weaker fundamentals for DRAM and NAND ahead. The analyst also lowered his price target for Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology (STX) on similar concerns. GOLDMAN MOVING TO SIDELINES ON MICRON: In a research noted this morning, Goldman Sachs' Delaney downgraded Micron to Neutral from Buy and lowered his price target on the shares to $50 from $68. The analyst, who is not making a call on the current quarter, told investors that he sees weaker fundamentals for DRAM and NAND in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first half of 2019. Delaney said he expects Micron's gross margin to decline sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2018 through mid-2019, noting that the stock is historically well correlated with the company's gross margin. His view of margin declines is due to lower memory average selling prices, both from more "challenging" DRAM conditions and also NAND oversupply. Further, Delaney noted that his 2019 earnings per share estimate for Micron is now 31% below consensus expectations. Memory downturns usually last for several quarters and can see an acceleration in price declines, as customers delay procurement to wait for lower prices, the analyst contended. Additionally, Delaney argued that given past downturns for memory were often more severe than investors and companies initially forecast, his downside scenario analysis implies that Micron shares could trade in a range of about $20-$50 depending on the severity. Nonetheless, the analyst acknowledged that Micron's fourth quarter results should be solid. CONTINUED MEMORY WEAKNESS: In a separate note this morning, Goldman Sachs' Delaney lowered his price target for Neutral-rated Western Digital to $63 from $80 and Sell-rated Seagate Technology to $39 from $44 after updating his DRAM and NAND industry models and outlook. For DRAM, the analyst now expects slight oversupply in 2019, and for NAND he continues to expect oversupply in 2018 and 2019 but to a greater extent than his prior view. Both DRAM and NAND should improve in the second half of 2019, he assumed. The analyst pointed out that industry discussions in September suggest that weaker memory trends have continued, due to both increased bit output as well as decelerating demand. Delaney told investors he continues to believe that the DRAM industry has improved cycle to cycle, and is now assuming a benign downturn after a record long nine-quarter upturn. The magnitude of price declines in DRAM during the downturn will be more modest than past downturns, he contended, but noted that his estimates are still below consensus. Delaney highlighted that investors "need to remain cognizant of the fact that memory downturns have historically often been worse than initially expected by companies or analysts." PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Micron have dropped over 6% to $40.90. Seagate's stock has also slipped over 1% to $48.38, while Western Digital has gained about 1.5% to $55.85.

10:24 EDT Citron issues 'final word' on Tilray 'before $50' - In a newly published report on Tilray (TLRY), about which Citron Research has previously been cautious, the short-selling firm said in part: "Since August 15, US marijuana stocks Tilray and Cronos (CRON) have significantly outpaced the performance of their Canadian traded peers. Due to federal regulation, US listed stocks cannot have any operations in the US without losing their listings, whereas Canadian listed stocks can have US operations. The US will be the largest cannabis market in the world. Today, the California market is over 5x larger than all of Canada. Despite obvious logic, we've seen US retail investors pile into the US listed marijuana stocks...Lastly, over the past week Citron has received hundreds of emails from investors ranging from anti-Semitic to threats on family, but NOT one of them could justify the price increases with any analysis whatsoever. We have been publishing for 17 years and this is generally a sign of a retail bubble." Reference Link

10:13 EDT Viacom sees positive U.S. affiliate revenue in Q4, 2019

10:05 EDT Viacom: Paramount to return to historical profitability levels in next few years

10:02 EDT Ideanomics announces joint venture with Asia Times, takes 10% ownership stake - Ideanomics is pleased to announce a Joint Venture with Asia Times Holdings, to be named Asia Times Financial Limited. Asia Times Financial will focus on the digital economy, through asset digitization indicators and derivative product production, providing next-generation financial information services through a combination of AI-enabled financial data and analytics that will be delivered to the investor community via end-to-end encrypted instant messaging services that can work in parallel with blockchain-based financial services. The unique partnership of digital asset production, trading, and data, with branded indices, research and networking, delivered over direct messaging channels, will create a community for investors in the digital economy and enable the transparency required for modern risk management and investment strategy decision-making. Under the terms of the JV deal, Ideanomics will invest into the joint venture and become a significant shareholder of Asia Times Holdings, which is the world leader in providing online English language geostrategic, business and financial news on Asia. Asia Times will serve as a brand for the joint venture, as well as an investor outreach platform for Ideanomics.

10:01 EDT MasterCard announces Mastercard Track in collaboration Microsoft - Mastercard (MA) introduced Mastercard Track in collaboration with Microsoft (MSFT). Mastercard says "Track is a unique global trade platform that will simplify and enhance how companies around the world do business with each other." Initially, Mastercard is partnering with nine B2B networks and procure-to-pay solution providers - Basware, BirchStreet, Coupa, the Infor GT Nexus Commerce Network, Ivalua, Jaggaer, Liaison Technologies, Tradeshift and Tungsten Network - representing a wide range of global businesses, to roll out Track's identity, compliance and payment management capabilities to buyers and suppliers. Beginning in early 2019, customers of these organizations will be able to maintain, retrieve and exchange key information relating to themselves and their trading partners through the Track Trade Directory, a secure, permissioned repository of over 150 million company registrations worldwide. This central directory will integrate feeds from more than 4,500 compliance lists into one place, making the screening and onboarding of suppliers more efficient.

10:00 EDT PGT, Inc. falls -6.7% - PGT, Inc. is down -6.7%, or -$1.75 to $24.30.

10:00 EDT Snap falls -9.1% - Snap is down -9.1%, or -90c to $8.99.

10:00 EDT Pyxus rises 7.5% - Pyxus is up 7.5%, or $1.80 to $25.75.

09:59 EDT Viacom CEO Bakish says sees remaining 'active' in M&A - Viacom President and CEO Bob Bakish told the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference that the company expects to remain "active" in M&A, but that it is looking to acquire assets to accelerate its strategy.

09:47 EDT Barclays ETN+ FI Enhanced Global High Yield ETN Series B falls -6.5% - Barclays ETN+ FI Enhanced Global High Yield ETN Series B is down -6.5%, or -$6.50 to $93.50.

09:47 EDT Wabco falls -10.6% - Wabco is down -10.6%, or -$13.20 to $111.15.

09:47 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical rises 6.8% - Biohaven Pharmaceutical is up 6.8%, or $2.46 to $38.70.

09:45 EDT Senate Commerce Committee to hold September hearing on data privacy - U.S. Sen. John Thune, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that he will convene a hearing titled "Examining Safeguards for Consumer Data Privacy,"on September 26. "This hearing will examine privacy policies of top technology and communications firms, review the current state of consumer data privacy, and offer members the opportunity to discuss possible approaches to safeguarding privacy more effectively," the committee said in a statement. Representatives from AT&T (T), Amazon.com (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Twitter (TWTR), Apple (AAPL) and Charter Communications (CHTR) will be called as witnesses. "Consumers deserve clear answers and standards on data privacy protection," said Thune. "This hearing will provide leading technology companies and internet service providers an opportunity to explain their approaches to privacy, how they plan to address new requirements from the European Union and California, and what Congress can do to promote clear privacy expectations without hurting innovation." Reference Link

09:40 EDT FDA sends letters to five e-cigarette manufacturers over use by kids - Publicly traded companies in the tobacco space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI) and Philip Morris (PM).

09:31 EDT Penn National files application for Hollywood Casino York - Penn National Gaming announced that it has filed an application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for Hollywood Casino York, the company's first Category 4 satellite gaming facility, to be located at the York Galleria Mall in Springettsbury Township, Pennsylvania. The development of Hollywood Casino York represents an overall investment of nearly $120M, including the company's $52.6 million Category 4 slots and table games license fees. Hollywood Casino York, which will initially open with approximately 500 slot machines and 20 tables games, has been designed to accommodate up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games. The construction timeline is anticipated to be approximately 12-18 months following receipt of all requisite approvals, including final licensing by the PGCB.

09:29 EDT Natera reports 'several million dollar agreement' for clinical trial - In a regulatory filing, Natera disclosed that the company has entered into "a several million dollar agreement with a leading pharmaceutical company" to participate in a prospective randomized clinical trial using a CLIA-validated Signatera custom circulating tumor DNA assay. The exploratory clinical outcomes study is expected to randomize early-stage cancer patients based on minimal residual disease measured by Signatera to receive a novel treatment versus standard of care therapy in the adjuvant setting. "To the company's knowledge, this is the first such trial sponsored and managed by a pharmaceutical company. Based on data from the National Cancer Institute SEER Program, Natera estimates that there are over 1.8 million early-stage cancer patients in the U.S. alone," Natera said.

09:21 EDT Party City to acquire a franchise group representing 21 stores for $22.9M - Party City announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a master franchise group representing 21 franchise stores in the Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas markets. The purchase price of approximately $22.9M represents a fully synergized multiple of EBITDA of approximately four times. In 2017, this franchise operator reported sales of approximately $33.5M. Prior to the acquisition, the company's retail operations included 839 company-owned Party City stores and approximately 118 franchise stores.

09:18 EDT Adial Pharmaceuticals announces 'successful' stability results for AD04 - Adial Pharmaceuticals announced "successful" results related to the stability testing of the clinical trial material for its lead drug candidate, AD04, a genetically targeted therapeutic agent being developed to treat alcohol use disorder. The program indicated stability at the four-year time point for both the active drug candidate and the placebo tablets that had been previously manufactured for use in clinical trials.

09:18 EDT Carlyle Group to become majority investor in Sedgwick in $6.7B transaction - Sedgwick announced that affiliates of funds managed by The Carlyle Group (CG) have agreed to become the majority owner of Sedgwick in a transaction valued at approximately $6.7B. Current majority shareholder KKR (KKR) will fully exit its position following the transaction. Funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, together with Sedgwick management, will remain minority investors. On an annual basis, Sedgwick handles more than 3.6M claims and has fiduciary responsibility for claim payments totaling more than $19.5B. The parties are working to close the deal later this year, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Equity capital for the investment will come from Carlyle Partners VII, an $18.5B fund that focuses on buyout transactions in the U.S., and Carlyle Global Financial Services Partners III, L.P., a dedicated financial services buyout fund.

09:17 EDT Barnes & Noble announces 'Fear' fastest-selling adult title in over three years - Barnes & Noble announced that Bob Woodward's Fear is the top seller in stores nationwide and online at BN.com just one day after the book's release, with the fastest sales for an adult title since Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman was released in July 2015.

09:16 EDT Carlyle Group to become majority investor in Sedgwick in $6.7B transaction

09:09 EDT Morgan Stanley announces partnership with Cheyenne Woods - Morgan Stanley announced a new partnership with LPGA tour professional, Cheyenne Woods. Woods will serve as a brand ambassador for Morgan Stanley and will support the Firm's giving back initiatives alongside Justin Rose, including the "Eagles for Impact" program.

09:08 EDT OptimizeRx launches ROI guarantee to pharmaceutical manufacturers - OptimizeRx has launched a 2:1 return-on-investment, or ROI, guarantee to pharmaceutical manufacturers who invest in the company's financial messaging solutions. OptimizeRx's patient savings messages are real-time medication savings information delivered to providers within the EHR workflow, increasing the likelihood that a physician and patients will understand the true out-of-pocket cost of the prescribed drug.

09:06 EDT Avis Budget launches 'Curbside Delivery' - Avis announced a new way for connected travelers to return a rental vehicle one step closer to their final destination. Just select "Curbside Delivery" as a trip add-on in the Avis app, or through an email or SMS text message alert from Avis, drive the rented vehicle back to the lot, and an Avis representative will transport you and your passengers in the same vehicle right to the airport terminal curb with all your luggage.

09:04 EDT Boot Barn announces nationwide launch of Miranda Lambert's Idyllwind collection - Boot Barn Holdings is proud to announce the full launch of Idyllwind - Fueled by Miranda Lambert. The brand is inspired by vintage and retro looks with a modern fashion edge and a focus on comfort, fit, and quality for the everyday girl who wants to look amazing and feel good at the same time. The product range of apparel, accessories, and of course, cowboy boots are true to Miranda's spirit, reflecting her roots, personality, and style - original, authentic, and fearless.

09:02 EDT Italian pharma company selects Emerson to enable digital transformation - Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici has selected Emerson to digitize operations and work processes at three manufacturing sites in Italy. With the $20M contracts, Emerson will provide automation technology to help create a fully electronic manufacturing environment for increased efficiencies, quality and regulatory compliance. As part of its growth strategy, FIS constructed a new $123M unit at its Termoli site, doubling capacity to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients. Emerson will implement its Syncade manufacturing execution system at the Termoli site, as well as the Montecchio facility, providing automated workflows and paperless procedures and record-keeping. Paperless manufacturing improves production efficiency and offers widespread benefits in compliance, product quality, inventory and document control, which are critical in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry.

09:01 EDT Siemens Healthineers announces first global installation of Acuson Sequoia - Siemens Healthineers has announced the first global installation of its newest ultrasound system, the Acuson Sequoia, at Baptist Health South Florida. With ten facilities and five "centers of excellence" in the South Florida region, Baptist Health South Florida purchased numerous Acuson Sequoia systems in order to enhance its imaging capabilities within the scope of gastroenterology, primary care, and bariatric specialties. With its powerful architecture and innovative features, the new Acuson Sequoia expands precision medicine by enabling high-resolution imaging that adapts to patients' size and personal physical characteristics, contributing to more confident diagnosis. Siemens Healthineers built the entirely new Acuson Sequoia system to adapt to the "BioAcoustic Variations" of each patient, characteristics that include tissue density, stiffness, and absorption. With its new Deep Abdominal Transducer (DAX), a new high-powered architecture, and innovative updates to elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound, the new Acuson Sequoia produces penetration up to 40cm without image quality degradation often caused by attenuating echo signals, an industry first.

08:47 EDT Honeywell spinoff Resideo announces key leadership, stock exchange selection - As part of final preparations for its planned spinoff from Honeywell (HON), Resideo Technologies (REZI) announced the selection of an experienced CFO, the composition of its full board of directors, and its intention to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "REZI" when trading begins on a to-be-announced date. Joseph Ragan will serve as executive vice president and CFO of Resideo. He was most recently CFO at Ferroglobe (GSM), a publicly traded, $2B global manufacturer of metal alloys and other metallic products created through a merger of FerroAtlantica and Globe Specialty Metals.

08:43 EDT Citi CFO sees Q3 investment banking revenues 'somewhat lower' than last year - Sees Q3 total FICC trading revenues flat to slightly higher in Q3 vs. last year.

08:42 EDT Fusion secures $1.6M cloud solutions contract with convenience store chain - Fusion has secured a $1.6M, three year cloud solutions contract with a convenience store chain operating in the southeastern U.S. The rapidly growing chain required a significant communications and network upgrade and looked for a service provider to deliver an all-in cloud communications solution that included security and business continuity. The customer chose Fusion's cloud services platform to provide eight scalable and fully converged voice and network solutions to accommodate the company's future growth. Fusion's single source solution for the cloud meets the chain's voice, data and network requirements and links the chain's multiple locations with connectivity backed by quality of service guarantees. In combination with its feature rich and productivity-enhancing cloud voice services, Fusion's SD-WAN, wireless failover and managed security products offer the growing chain secure, always-on application performance while lowering costs.

08:39 EDT Zscaler drops 3.5% on IPO lockup expiration day - Shares of Zscaler are trading lower in the premarket trading on the day of its initial public offering lockup expiration. The stock, which is up 168% since the March IPO, is down 3.5% to $41.49 in premarket trading. Today is the first day some shareholders and company insiders get to sell their shares in the software-as-a-service provider.

08:36 EDT iClick Interactive Asia issues $30M convertible notes to LIM Advisors - iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited announced the sale at par of $30 million in aggregate principal amount of mandatory convertible notes due September 12, 2023 to a fund managed by LIM Advisors Limited, a non-U.S. person, in an offshore transaction exempt from registration with the U.S. SEC under Regulation S of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. CLSA acted as the Company's exclusive financial advisor for the placement. iClick intends to use the proceeds from the issuance of the Notes for further expansion in international markets and enhancement of its New Retail and Business Intelligence solutions, as well as investment, acquisition and business collaboration opportunities that align strategically with the Company's long-term goals.

08:34 EDT Simulations Plus receives new grant award from FDA - Simulations Plus announced that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it has been awarded a new funded cooperative agreement, for $250,000 per year for up to two years, to integrate drug product quality attributes into the mechanistic Transdermal Compartmental Absorption and Transit model in GastroPlus. Under the cooperative agreement, FDA scientific and program staff will assist and participate in project activities in a partnership role with a number of leading pharmaceutical, generic, cosmetic, and contract research organizations as part of the newly formed Consortium for Dermal Absorption Modeling. Dr. Jessica Spires, senior scientist II, will serve as principal investigator and have primary responsibility for the scientific, technical, and programmatic aspects of the award, and for the day-to-day management of the project. Funding for this collaboration is made possible by the Food and Drug Administration through grant 1U01FD006526-01.

08:33 EDT Manulife Financial appoints Chief Human Resources Officer and replaces CIO - Manulife has appointed Pamela Kimmet as Chief Human Resources Officer. Kimmet most recently served as the Chief Human Resources Officer of Cardinal Health, and previously led the HR function at a number of global organizations, including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Bear, Stearns & Co. and Lucent Technologies. Chief Investment Officer Warren Thomson has made the decision to retire. Scott Hartz has been promoted to the role of Chief Investment Officer effective March 1, 2019. Hartz currently serves as Head of General Account Investments for Manulife, and is also Chief Investment Officer for John Hancock Life Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife.

08:33 EDT Citi CFO says has line of sight to $2.8B of efficiency savings by 2020 - At the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference, Citi CFO John Gerspach updated the firm's Investor Day outlook. Gerspach said Citi's priorities are unchanged, and the firm has a line of sight to increased efficiency savings by 2020 for about $2.8B of savings. Citi is maintaining its low-50% efficiency ratio target, with 100bps of improvement in 2018 and 400bps of aggregate improvement in 2019 and 2020. Citi now expects its tax rate to be less than 24% by 2020. Citi sees delivering ROTCE of 13.5%+ by 2020 and raised its longer-term ROTCE target to about 16% from about 14%. Gerpsach said credit quality remains "broadly stable" across the franchise. Citi is on track to achieve 10.5%+ ROTCE in 2018, with an improvement to about 12% in 2019. Says on pace for $60B of capital returns over 2017-2019 CCAR cycles. The CFO says buybacks "attractive," but noted that the company has increased its dividend. Sees delivering revenue growth broadly in line with 4%-5% CAGR expectations for the core businesses. Citi is up about 1.2% in pre-market trading.

08:31 EDT New Jersey Turnpike Authority selects Iteris ClearPath Weather SaaS solution - Iteris announced that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has selected Iteris' ClearPath Weather to provide weather forecasting services for improved winter road maintenance response covering 295 miles of highway in the state of New Jersey. The three-year contract, which is renewable for an additional two years, will give the NJTA access to high-resolution pavement weather forecasting and treatment alternatives, and maintenance decision support system services, throughout both the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway during winter weather events. In addition, Iteris will provide the NJTA with 24/7 access to ClearPath Weather's severe weather advisories and alerting services, as well as direct access to Iteris meteorologists forecasting from the firm's Weather Operations Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

08:26 EDT BlackBerry, Check Point enter global independent software vendor partnership - BlackBerry (BB) and Check Point (CHKP) announced the companies have entered a global independent software vendor, or ISV, partnership. The strategic agreement is the first of its kind for Check Point and includes joint go-to-market planning and selling of Check Point's market-leading mobile threat defense solution, SandBlast Mobile, along with BlackBerry UEM and BlackBerry Dynamics. To further streamline the customer experience and improve service delivery, BlackBerry's teams will be fully trained on the Check Point SandBlast Mobile solution to resell and serve as a single point of contact for professional services and support. With organizations across the globe adopting mobility solutions to improve productivity and deliver digital transformation projects, mobile security is often overlooked despite cyberattacks getting more sophisticated. Recent Check Point research found that 94% of security professionals doubt their company can prevent a breach of employees' mobile devices.

08:24 EDT Spirit AeroSystems cuts FY18 adusted EPS outlook, cites elevated costs

08:21 EDT Enphase Energy expands manufacturing capacity with Flex in Mexico - Enphase Energy announced that it has expanded its manufacturing agreement with Flex to include the company's facilities in Mexico. Starting in Q2 of 2019, Flex will begin delivering Enphase products produced in Mexico to the US market as part of a mitigation plan for the impending USTR Section 301 tariff in the U.S.

08:17 EDT Catasys expands OnTrak-A solution to Iowa, Nebraska - Catasys announced that it has expanded its OnTrak-A solution into Iowa and Nebraska with one of the nation's leading health plans, which is the second largest plan in both states. Eligible commercial and Medicare Advantage plan members in these states are now able to participate in OnTrak-A, an integrated 52-week program that identifies, engages and treats members with unaddressed behavioral health conditions that impact co-morbid medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, COPD, and congestive heart failure, resulting in high medical costs. With this expansion, the OnTrak program is now available in 22 states to members of major health plans

08:15 EDT Myomo announces distribution partnership with Bandagist Jan Nielsen - Myomo announced continued momentum across Europe with the appointment of John Frijters as Business Development Manager for EU, a distributor agreement with Bandagist Jan Nielsen to deliver MyoPro to patients across Denmark and the first screening day in the United Kingdom. Bandagist Jan Nielsen and Myomo have signed a distribution contract to help bring MyoPro to patients in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Copenhagen Denmark, Bandagist Jan Nielsen was founded and is currently owned by Jan Nielsen. Nielsen has a team of bandagists, physiotherapists, specialized technicians, and shop assistants that manage the patient care needs on orthosis and prosthesis and other medical aids. The team also offers patients in-home visits. Myomo conducted the first ever MyoPro free screening day in the United Kingdom with Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Hobbs Rehabilitation. Held on September 4, 2018, the screenings gave potential users a convenient chance to be evaluated by clinical specialists to determine if the MyoPro might help them overcome upper-limb paralysis caused by stroke, brachial plexus injury or other neuromuscular disease or injury. Ten attended and eight were qualified. Myomo has seen good success with screening days across the United States and is continuing to educate and assist more individuals, families, physicians, and therapists about the benefit of the MyoPro myoelectric orthosis.

08:12 EDT FedEx Ground expands U.S. operations to six days per week - FedEx Corp. has boosted its capacity and operational innovation to expand FedEx Ground U.S. operations to six days per week in response to the growing e-commerce demand and record influx of volume expected this holiday season, and beyond. FedEx has more than 425,000 dedicated team members who stand ready to deliver for customers throughout this expected record holiday season, and to continue to provide outstanding service year-round. The rise in demand and volume at FedEx has been dramatic and consistent for more than 10 years. For example, the record volume day in the history of FedEx 10 years ago was 12 million shipments. Today, FedEx handles more than 14 million shipments on an average day. FedEx anticipates a record amount of volume through its network again this year. In order to deliver exceptional service during this busy time, FedEx will increase hours for some existing employees, and hire for approximately 55,000 positions during the holiday season. FedEx Ground will once again run six- and seven-day operations through the holiday season, and will continue six-day operations throughout its U.S. network year-round.

08:11 EDT Interactive Brokers becomes first company to list stock on IEX - Interactive Brokers Group has decided to move the listing of its shares, symbol IBKR, to IEX. IEX is a new stock exchange striving to provide better trade executions than any other exchange, by providing certain new order types and by delaying the processing of all orders by 350 microseconds, targeted at preventing faster traders from front running orders. IEX typically charges between .03c and .09c per share for execution of marketable orders, which by comparison, is far less than any of the largest exchanges.

08:08 EDT Zscaler achieves AWS security competency status for zero trust - Zscaler (ZS) announced that Zscaler Private Access is the first zero trust architecture to achieve Amazon (AMZN) Web Service Security Competency status. The ZPA zero trust architecture securely connects authorized users and devices to named, internally managed applications without exposing the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud to the internet. With ZPA, applications connect to users via inside-out connections, making them invisible to unauthorized users and reducing the risk of internet-based attacks. Enterprises using ZPA can create micro-segmented architectures without virtualizing the security stack and creating complex firewall policies.

08:07 EDT Athenex, Hanmi Pharmaceutical announce realignment of joint projects - Athenex and its business partner, Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced a strategic realignment of their joint projects to further explore and develop those projects worldwide. Under the realignment, Athenex and Hanmi Pharmaceutical agree to new arrangements in the following projects:a) Orascovery Program - Extension of Athenex's territories to worldwide apart from Korea. In previous agreements, Athenex in-licensed the rights of the Orascovery Program from Hanmi Pharmaceutical for the US, Europe, Latin America, Japan, China and the rest of Asia apart from Korea. The revised agreement will also provide Athenex with rights to the Middle East and North Africa as well as South Africa. Given the excellent progress that has been made in the various clinical programs, Athenex and Hanmi Pharmaceutical believe that global development of the Orascovery Program under Athenex will result in more rapid advancement of the clinical and regulatory process across the globe. Hanmi Pharmaceutical, as a leader of the pharmaceutical industry in Korea, will continue to oversee the development and regulatory efforts in Korea. b) KX-01 Oral Formulation - Athenex will receive back from Hanmi Pharmaceutical the rights to KX-01 Oral Formulation for Korea, China and other Asian territories. As recently announced, KX-01 Ointment was shown to be effective and safe for actinic keratosis in two Phase 3 clinical studies conducted in the US, with both studies having met their primary endpoint of 100% clearance of AK lesions at Day 57 within the treatment areas, with statistical significance. The arrangement will allow Athenex to explore the potential of KX-01 Oral Formulation globally.

08:07 EDT Cornerstone announces recruiting solution, acquisition of Workpop - Cornerstone OnDemand unveiled Cornerstone Frontline, a recruiting solution built to meet the needs of companies seeking to hire local, entry-level and frontline employees, such as store managers recruiting new cashiers, supervisors seeking seasonal warehouse employees and healthcare providers looking for administrative staff. Today, Cornerstone has more than 1,000 retail, manufacturing and healthcare clients. Cornerstone also announced the acquisition of Workpop, Inc. Founded in 2014, Workpop provides an easy-to-use, robust web and mobile solution for candidates and hiring managers in service-based industries. The new Cornerstone Frontline recruiting solution will combine the power of Cornerstone's enterprise applicant tracking system for corporate employees with Workpop's robust recruiting solution. Available next year, Cornerstone Frontline will be part of the Cornerstone Recruiting suite, which delivers an engaging candidate experience, streamlines the hiring and onboarding process and enables organizations to make smarter hiring decisions.

08:06 EDT SkyWest reports August traffic down 4.3% y-o-y - SkyWest reported 155,900 block hours in August 2018, compared to 162,200 block hours in August 2017, a decrease of 6,300 or 3.9%. The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 7,800 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 14,100 block hours from its other aircraft types. SkyWest had 90,600 departures in August 2018 compared to 97,200 in August 2017, a decrease of 6,600, or 6.7%. Load factor was up 1.5 points y-o-y to 82.4%.

08:04 EDT Nuance names four independent directors, appoints Lloyd Carney as chairman - Nuance Communications announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved and appointed four new members to the Board, including a new, non-executive Chairman. Effective immediately, Lloyd Carney, former CEO at Brocade Communications, joins as Nuance's Chairman of the Board. In addition, Daniel Brennan, Executive Vice President and CFO of Boston Scientific, Thomas Ebling, former CEO and former Chairman of Demandware, Inc. and Michal Katz, Co-Head of the Global Technology Investment Banking Group and Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets, LLC join the Board as independent directors. With the appointments of Mr. Carney, Mr. Brennan, Mr. Ebling and Ms. Katz, Nuance's Board of Directors now comprises of nine members, eight of whom are independent. Since December of 2017, Nuance's Board of Directors has added seven new Directors.

08:03 EDT Equinix names Charles Meyers as President and CEO, effective immediately - Equinix announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Charles Meyers to the position of President and CEO, effective immediately. Meyers will also join Equinix's Board of Directors. He succeeds Peter Van Camp, who has served as interim CEO since January 2018. Van Camp will resume his role as Executive Chairman of the Equinix Board of Directors. Meyers has a distinguished 25-year career in the technology industry including a number of executive leadership positions at leading telecommunications and information technology companies.

08:02 EDT DLH Holdings appoints Gil Tadmor as Chief Technology Officer - DLH Holdings has appointed Gil Tadmor as corporate Chief Technology Officer. Before joining DLH in 2015, he served in technology leadership roles with SCI Group, Gene Logic, Corvis Corporation, and Raytheon.

07:36 EDT Bilibili to acquire minority interest in Fun-Media - Bilibili announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire minority equity interest in Fun-Media. Fun-Media is a Japanese-based company that wholly owns animation production studios Feel inc., ZEXCS and Assez Finaud Fabric.

07:35 EDT Allergan launches Spotlyte digital hub for asthetic treatment consumer education - Allergan launched Spotlyte, a digital hub of curated content that helps consumers discover how medical aesthetic treatments may fit into their routines through content, product reviews and insider profiles, beauty news and trends, and a team of trained specialists ready to offer real-time support and chat directly. Spotlyte is the first venture from the new Allergan-owned digital ventures unit, Project Moonwalker.

07:33 EDT Apellis doses first patient in Phase 3 clinical program for APL-2 for GA - Apellis announced that it has commenced its Phase 3 clinical program for APL-2 in patients with geographic atrophy, or GA, consisting of two Phase 3 trials. The first patient has been dosed in the OAKS trial and the first patient has been enrolled in the DERBY trial. Both trials will assess the safety and efficacy of APL-2 in patients with GA, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration. There are approximately 1M patients in the United States with GA and there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for the disease, which leads to loss of visual function and blindness.

07:31 EDT Cigna announces launch of $250M Cigna Ventures fund - Cigna announced the launch of Cigna Ventures, a corporate venture fund focused on transformative and innovative health care companies. Cigna has committed $250M of capital to Cigna Ventures to invest in promising startups and growth-stage companies that are unlocking new growth possibilities in health care and will bring improved care quality, affordability, choice, and greater simplicity to customers and clients. Cigna Ventures is focused on companies across three strategic areas: insights and analytics; digital health and retail; and care delivery/management.

07:27 EDT GAP announces results of bidding concession for Kingston Airport in Jamaica - Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico announced that, following highly competitive bidding process, the company was selected by the Government of Jamaica as a "provisional Preferred Bidder" to operate, modernize and expand the Norman Manley International Airport located in the city of Kingston, via 25-year concession agreement. Although GAP received notification of its status as provisional preferred bidder, certain terms within the concession agreement remain to be defined with the Government of Jamaica. Once the pending terms are established, GAP will inform to the market the terms and general conditions of this transaction.

07:21 EDT Akari Therapeutics announces results from Coversin model - Akari Therapeutics announced results that demonstrate the potential advantages of Coversin's bifunctional mode-of-action inhibiting both the complement and leukotriene pathways. Coversin has a unique bifunctional mode-of-action that appears to independently inhibit C5 and LTB4 by binding tightly both molecules. In an RA mouse model, performed in the laboratory of Andrew Luster, the effectiveness of Coversin, which binds to C5 and LTB4, is compared to PAS LTB4-Coversin, which binds to LTB4 alone and to Zileuton, an FDA-approved leukotriene inhibitor. The PASylated version of Coversin, which is designed to allow weekly subcutaneous dosing, was chosen in order to help validate this as a treatment option. In an ex vivo study on four BP patients performed by Christian Sadik, blister fluid from BP patients showed an LTB4 concentration markedly higher than seen in the serum of healthy patients, likely indicating synthesis of LTB4 in the vicinity of human blisters. The presence of C5a in blister fluid implies local activation of C5. Furthermore, the presence of both activators in human blister fluid provides support for therapeutic use of Coversin for treatment of BP. These new findings support earlier data from a mouse model of immune complex induced alveolitis where combined inhibition of LTB4 and C5 by Coversin was significantly more effective than inhibiting either C5 or LTB4 alone2.

07:14 EDT Pernix Therapeutics' subsidiaries file appeal in litigation against Alvogen - Pernix Therapeutics announced that its subsidiaries, Pernix Therapeutics LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company and Pernix Ireland Pain Designated Activity, filed a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the company's litigation against Alvogen Malta Operations. The litigation relates to Alvogen's submission of an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, to the FDA seeking approval to market a generic version of Pernix's Zohydro ER with BeadTek. The United States District Court for the District of Delaware previously found the asserted claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,265,760 and 9,339,499, which relate to methods of treating patients with mild and moderate hepatic impairment with hydrocodone bitartrate, to be infringed, but invalid. Absent a reversal of the court's decision, pursuant to a previous settlement agreement dated September 29, 2016, between Alvogen and Recro Gainsville, Alvogen can launch a generic version of Zohydro ER with BeadTek, subject to final approval of an ANDA from the FDA, as early as October 1, 2019. All other terms of the settlement agreement are confidential.

07:11 EDT Carvana launches as-soon-as-next-day delivery in Tulsa - Carvana has launched its as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery offering in Tulsa, doubling its Oklahoma market presence. Customers can shop more than 10,000 vehicles on Carvana.com, finance, purchase, and even sell their current vehicle to Carvana, then schedule as-soon-as-next-day delivery to their driveway in as little as 10 minutes.

07:07 EDT Bausch Health reaches resolution of Xifaxan intellectual property litigation - Bausch Health and its wholly owned subsidiary, Salix Pharmaceuticals, together with Salix's licensors Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Alfasigma SpA, have agreed to resolve the outstanding intellectual property litigation with Actavis Laboratories FL, regarding Xifaxan 550 mg tablets. Under the terms of the agreement, the Salix Parties will grant Actavis a non-exclusive license effective Jan. 1, 2028 to the Salix Parties' intellectual property relating to Xifaxan 550 mg tablets in the U.S. Bausch Health will not make any financial payments or other transfers of value as part of the agreement. Actavis acknowledges the validity of the licensed patents. Final patent expiry on Xifaxan 550 mg tablets is late 2029. Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, Actavis will have the option to market a royalty-free generic version of Xifaxan 550 mg tablets, should it receive approval from the FDA on its ANDA, or to market an authorized generic version of Xifaxan 550 mg tablets with drug supply being provided by Salix. In the case an authorized generic is marketed, the volume of the authorized generic will be subject to manufacturing and supply quantities until final patent expiry, and Bausch Health will receive an undisclosed share of the economics from Actavis on its sales of an authorized generic. The parties have agreed to dismiss all litigation related to Xifaxan, and all intellectual property protecting Xifaxan will remain intact and enforceable.

07:06 EDT Spectrum Brands's RUSSELL HOBBS partners with actress Kate Beckinsale - Spectrum Brands announced that its RUSSELL HOBBS brand has partnered with its first U.S. brand ambassador, actress, Kate Beckinsale, for their 2018 campaign. Beckinsale will work with the brand as it celebrates its availability on this side of the pond. Established in Britain in 1952, the brand now has worldwide presence bringing stylish, functional kitchen appliances to homes across the globe. RUSSELL HOBBS chose Kate Beckinsale, an iconic British actress, to be its first-ever U.S. brand ambassador as she embodies British heritage and classic style, which is what the brand is well known for. As part of her partnership, Beckinsale will partake in a media campaign featuring original, easy-to-make recipes and share her favorite tips for entertaining at home, all of which will be featured on the RUSSELL HOBBS website.

07:04 EDT Targa Resources to sell assets in petroleum logistics business for $160M - Targa Resources announced that it has executed agreements to sell its refined products and crude oil storage and terminaling facilities in Tacoma, Washington and Baltimore, Maryland to an affiliate of ArcLight Capital for approximately $160M. Subject to customary closing conditions, the sale is expected to close in Q4. Targa intends to use the proceeds to fund a portion of its growth capital program underway.

07:03 EDT Spectrum expands poziotinib trial into first-line therapy, doses first patient - Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated two new cohorts for first-line, locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR or HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations in its current Phase 2 non-small cell lung cancer clinical trial. Spectrum also announced that it has dosed the first patient in the expanded patient population. "Given the exciting preliminary poziotinib clinical data in NSCLC patients with EGFR exon 20 mutations who have received prior systemic therapy, we are happy to extend our participation in Spectrum's trial to explore poziotinib's activity in the first-line setting," said Jonathan Goldman, M.D., Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Associate Director of Drug Development and Director of Clinical Trials in Thoracic Oncology at UCLA Health. "Current available therapies for NSCLC patients with exon 20 insertion mutations have been shown to be minimally effective. We do not have good options for these patients as we do in other settings with actionable mutations. This clinical trial expansion is a welcome milestone for patients and physicians battling this disease." The poziotinib NSCLC clinical program for patients with EGFR or HER2 exon 20 mutations currently consists of a Phase 2 pivotal, Spectrum-sponsored, multi-center global study with active sites in the United States and future centers planned in Canada and Europe, and a Phase 2 investigator-initiated study at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Spectrum's ZENITH20 study now includes four cohorts, with each cohort being an independent study with pre-specified statistical hypotheses and statistical power. The protocol amendment incorporating the two new cohorts was designed based on input from the FDA. The two previously-treated cohorts will enroll up to 87 patients each, and the two first-line cohorts will enroll up to 70 patients each. For each cohort, the primary endpoint is objective response rate; the secondary endpoints are disease control rate, duration of response, safety and tolerability; and the exploratory endpoints are progression-free survival and quality of life.

07:02 EDT Broadridge appoints Tim Gokey as next CEO, effective on January 2, 2019 - Broadridge (BR) announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Tim Gokey, the company's President and COO, to become its CEO. In addition, the Board appointed Rich Daly, the current CEO, to the role of Executive Chairman of the Board. Les Brun, Broadridge's independent Chairman of the Board, will become the Lead Independent Director. All moves will become effective on January 2, 2019. Prior to joining Broadridge, Gokey was President of the Retail Tax business at H&R Block (HRB), where he had a strong record of innovation and profitable growth.

06:56 EDT Vital Therapies drops 88%, or $5.55, to 75c after study failure

06:48 EDT Stanley Black & Decker to cquire 20% stake In MTD Products for $234M - Stanley Black & Decker has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 20% stake in MTD Products, a privately held global manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, for $234M in cash. Stanley Black & Decker has the option to acquire the remaining 80% of MTD beginning on July 1, 2021. With 2017 revenues in excess of $2B, MTD manufactures and distributes lawn tractors, zero turn mowers, walk behind mowers, snow throwers, trimmers, chain saws, utility vehicles and other outdoor power equipment for both residential and professional lawn and garden customers. Headquartered in Valley City, Ohio, MTD has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, and a global distribution network. Going forward, the two companies will work together to pursue revenue and cost opportunities, improve operational efficiency and introduce new products. The transaction is expected to close in early 2019. Stanley Black & Decker will appoint two representatives to MTD's 11-member Board of Directors. Beginning in 2021, should Stanley Black & Decker choose to exercise its right to acquire the remaining 80% stake, the companies have agreed to a valuation multiple based on MTD's expected 2018 EBITDA, with a sharing arrangement for any future EBITDA growth.

06:40 EDT EU backs fines for tech firms over terror propaganda - The European Union is proposing massive fines for online providers that aren't fast enough in removing terrorist content from their services, raising pressure on firms like Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR). The bloc's executive arm Wednesday proposed new legislation that would create a legal obligation for any online service to remove terrorist content within an hour of being notified of its presence, and to install automated systems to prevent removed content from popping up again. "In the event of systematic failures to remove such content following removal orders, a service provider could face financial penalties of up to 4% of its global turnover for the last business year," the European Commission said. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "Terrorist propaganda has no place in our societies - online or offline. We have already made important progress in removing terrorist content online through our voluntary cooperation in the EU Internet Forum. But we need to increase our speed and effectiveness to stay ahead - across the EU. Many of the recent attacks in the EU have shown how terrorists misuse the internet to spread their messages."

06:31 EDT Intrexon announces transfer of stock listing to Nasdaq from NYSE - Intrexon announced that it is transferring its stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Intrexon will retain the "XON" ticker with trading on the Nasdaq exchange expected to begin on September 25.

06:22 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical submits IND for migraine candidate BHV-3500 - Biohaven Pharmaceutical has submitted an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA to evaluate the safety and tolerability of BHV-3500, the first small molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist to be advanced into the clinic in an intranasal formulation. Biohaven's multiple CGRP product candidates are designed for both acute treatment and prevention of migraine. Preliminary proof-of-concept of BHV-3500 has been observed in a preclinical marmoset assay with oral delivery, and no cardiovascular safety or systemic toxicity issues have been observed in preclinical testing.

06:16 EDT Sanofi and Regeneron granted sBLA for Praluent - Sanofi (SNY) and Regeneron (REGN) announced that the FDA has accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application for Praluent- alirocumab - Injection, a PCSK9 inhibitor. The sBLA outlines a proposed update to the Prescribing Information to include the effect of Praluent in reducing the overall risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, an umbrella term that includes heart attack, ischemic stroke, death from coronary heart disease and unstable angina requiring hospitalization. The FDA set a PDUFA action date of April 28, 2019. The sBLA is supported by data from a Phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial. The effect of Praluent on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including MACE, is currently being reviewed and has not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority. In addition, the FDA recently approved an update to the Praluent Prescribing Information to include clinical information regarding its use in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia who require additional lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol along with diet and maximally-tolerated statin therapy and who are undergoing apheresis treatment.

06:13 EDT Synchronoss, SoftBank, TBCASoft partner on mobile payments service - SoftBank (SFTBY), Synchronoss Technologies (SNCR), and TBCASoft, announced that they have partnered on a Proof of Concept for a new cross-carrier mobile payments service based on the Rich Communications Service global messaging standard and TBCASoft's cross-carrier blockchain platform. The three companies have successfully completed a mobile payments service PoC that is designed to allow users to make a range of in-store, mobile and digital purchases directly from their device.

06:09 EDT Shire granted EU marketing authorization for Veyvondi - Shire announced that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorization for VEYVONDI for the treatment of bleeding events and treatment/prevention of surgical bleeding in adults with von Willebrand disease when desmopressin treatment alone is ineffective or not indicated. VEYVONDI should not be used in the treatment of hemophilia. VEYVONDI is the first and only recombinant von Willebrand Factor treatment in the EU for von Willebrand disease that specifically addresses the primary deficiency or dysfunction of von Willebrand Factor while also allowing the body to restore and maintain adequate Factor VIII plasma levels. With this approval, Shire is now authorized to market VEYVONDI in the 28 Member States of the European Union, as well as in Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.

06:06 EDT UTStarcom enters strategic partnership with Tongding Internet Information - UTStarcom has formed a strategic partnership with Tongding Internet Information Co., a Shenzhen Stock Exchange listed company, to jointly market and distribute the respective companies' products and services in China and international markets. Based in Wujiang, China, Tongding Internet Information specializes in the research and development, manufacturing, sales and distribution of communication cables and optical fibers. Upon the formation of this strategic partnership, UTStarcom and TD intend to focus on developing their optical fiber cable businesses in India as well as marketing and selling UTStarcom's flagship PTN and SyncRing products in China.

06:03 EDT Southwest reports August traffic - Southwest Airlines reported its August preliminary traffic statistics. The company flew 11.4 billion RPMs in August, up 1.3% from the 11.3 billion RPMs flown in August 2017. ASMs increased 2.0% to 13.5 billion in August 2018, vs. August 2017 ASMs of 13.3 billion. The August 2018 load factor was 84.3% vs. 84.9% in August 2017.

06:00 EDT Nielsen expands review of strategic alternatives

05:56 EDT Bristol-Myers says efficacy endpoints achieved in Phase 2 study of BMS-986165 - Bristol-Myers announced results from a Phase 2 study of BMS-986165, an investigational oral, selective tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Efficacy endpoints including greater than or equal to75% and 90% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index were achieved following 12 weeks of treatment with greater than or equal to3 mg daily of BMS-986165, with a favorable risk-benefit profile. Nasopharyngitis, headache, diarrhea, nausea and upper respiratory tract infection were the most common adverse events reported. These data were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 27th European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology Congress in Paris. In addition, data from the Phase 2 study describing biomarker changes and the selectivity of BMS-986165 for TYK2 in relation to clinical responses will be presented at EADV on Sept. 15, during a late-breaker session.

05:28 EDT Vital Therapies says VTL-308 study failed to meet primary, secondary endpoints - Vital Therapies announced that the VTL-308 study failed to meet the primary endpoint of a significant improvement in overall survival through at least 91 days assessed using the Kaplan Meier statistical method. The secondary endpoint of proportion of survivors at study day 91 also showed no statistically significant difference between the groups. The company added that there was a numerical improvement in survival in the ELAD-treated group between three months and one year following randomization. In light of these results, Vital Therapies "does not believe the ELAD System can be approved in the United States or European Union, if ever, without additional clinical trials that would require substantial capital and time to complete." Consequently, the company will cease any further development of the ELAD System and explore strategic options. "Although we did not achieve the outcome we were hoping for, we would like to thank those who made this trial possible, including our investigators and their staffs, the patients who were enrolled and their families, and all Vital Therapies employees," said Russell Cox, CEO of Vital Therapies. The stock closed yesterday down 9%, or 65c, to $6.30.