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

20:25 EDT Ford names Anning Chen the new head of China business - Earlier today, Ford announced a new president and CEO of Ford China along with plans to break the China business away from its from Asia Pacific unit overall. Ford China will operate under the direction of veteran auto executive Anning Chen, who will report directly to Ford global headquarters in Dearborn.

18:55 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Manhattan Associates (MANH) up 5.0%... Range Resources (RRC) up 4.7%... Teradyne (TER) up 4.0%... Total Systems (TSS) up 2.1%... Navient (NAVI) up 2.0%... Capital One (COF) up 1.3%... Juniper (JNPR) up 1.0%... Robert Half (RHI) up 0.8%. ALSO HIGHER: Clementia Pharma (CMTA) up 42.1% after announcing plan to submit NDA for Palovarotene... Anadarko Petroleum (APC) up 3.4% after Wells Fargo upgrade... Cabot Oil (COG) up 1.9% after Wells Fargo upgrade... Akorn (AKRX) up 1.9% after entering S&P SmallCap 600 index... II-VI (IIVI) up 0.5% after being initiated at Buy at DA Davidson. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Noodles & Co (NDLS) down 17.1%... MKS Instruments (MKSI) down 9.7%... iRobot (IRBT) down 8.8%... Carlisle Companies (CSL) down 8.3%... Texas Instruments (TXN) down 5.6%... Edwards Lifesciences (EW) down 3.5%... Arlington Asset Management (AI) down 1.6%... UMB Financial (UMBF) down 1.0%... First Commonwealth Financial (FCF) down 1.0%... Varian Medical (VAR) down 0.9%. ALSO LOWER: QEP Resources (QEP) down 1.8% after Wells Fargo downgrade.

18:42 EDT Pfizer, Eli Lilly: Phase 3 study of tanezumab met all three co-primary endpoints - Pfizer (PFE) and Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) announced complete results from a Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous administration of tanezumab, an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody, in patients with osteoarthritis pain treated for 16 weeks. The study met all three co-primary efficacy endpoints, demonstrating that among patients with moderate-to-severe OA pain of the knee or hip, both dosing regimens of tanezumab were associated with a statistically significant improvement in pain, physical function and patient's global assessment of their OA, compared to placebo. These data were presented during a late-breaking oral session at the 2018 American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology for Health Professionals Annual Meeting in Chicago. "The results demonstrated by tanezumab in this study are particularly meaningful, given that patients had moderate-to-severe pain and were unable to achieve adequate pain relief with other treatment options, including opioids and NSAIDs," said Ken Verburg, tanezumab development team leader, Pfizer Global Product Development. "Our goal is to be able to offer tanezumab as a potential non-opioid treatment option for these patients suffering from osteoarthritis pain."

18:09 EDT Valmont lowers FY18 free cash flow view to 0.60-0.65 times earnings from 1-times

18:00 EDT Newcrest Mining reports Q1 gold production 548K oz, up 5% from last year - Reports Q1 copper production 25KT, up 49% from last year. Backs FY19 gold production view of 2.35M-2.60M oz.

17:59 EDT BMW expands technical campaign to include roughly 1.6M vehicles - BMW Group said that internal investigations have revealed that in the case of some diesel vehicles glycol-leakage from the EGR-Cooler can occur. In combination with typical soot deposits and the high temperatures normally present in the EGR module this might result in smoldering particles. This could lead in very rare cases to the melting of the intake manifold and in extremely rare cases result in fire. The BMW Group has decided to carry out a technical campaign to check the EGR module and replace any faulty components on the potentially affected diesel vehicles. The technical campaigns initially decided for European and Asian countries in mid-August 2018 involved around 480,000 BMW diesel vehicles. During further examination of engines with a similar technical setup, the BMW Group analyzed individual cases that were not included in the original technical campaigns. These individual cases posed no significant risk to our customers. Nonetheless the BMW Group decided to further reduce even this minor risk by expanding the country-specific technical campaigns. As a whole, the initial technical campaign and the expanded campaign include around 1.6M vehicles worldwide produced from August 2010 until August 2017. Individual production periods vary per model.

17:52 EDT Star Bulk Carriers announces termination of debt restructuring restrictions - Star Bulk Carriers announced that it has repaid to its lenders all outstanding deferred debt amounts originating from the September 2016 restructuring of its finance agreements. The Company currently has no restrictions on vessel acquisitions or new debt and is free to make dividend payments to its shareholders from January 1, 2019 onwards. The company also announced today that it has refinanced existing loans of approximately $617 million with new debt financing totaling over $625 million. The New Debt will finance 59 vessels of all types, ranging from Newcastlemax down to Supramax, with an average age of 10.2 years. With this transaction, the Company has been able to expand its banking group to include new European and Asian financial institutions, and reduce its cost of debt as the interest margin on the New Debt is 70 bps lower than the weighted average interest margin on refinanced debt.

17:42 EDT Payment Data Systems says Q3 credit card dollars processed up 112% - Payment Data Systems announced record transaction processing volumes for the third quarter of 2018. Payment Data Systems says credit card dollars processed higher by 112% in Q318 versus Q317. Total dollars processed in the third quarter of 2018 was approximately $885M, the highest quarterly volume in the history of the company. "We continue to execute on our plans to grow both organically as well as through acquisitions. Based on volumes processed, revenues for the third quarter are expected to be an all-time record," said Louis Hoch, President and CEO. "I am also pleased that our ACH business recorded its fifth quarter of sequential growth in electronic check processing volumes. We are proactively investing the positive cash flow generated by the ACH business into our future growth businesses: prepaid card processing and integrated payments. We are very well positioned to achieve record transaction volumes for the year."

17:28 EDT Enable Midstream to acquire Velocity Holdings for $442M - Enable Midstream Partners, LP said it is significantly expanding its crude oil midstream business with today's announcement of agreements in two of the country's most active crude plays. In the Anadarko Basin, Enable has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Velocity Holdings, LLC, an integrated crude oil and condensate gathering and transportation company in the SCOOP and Merge plays, for $442M, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. In the Williston Basin, Enable has entered into new contractual commitments for a substantial expansion of the company's crude and water gathering systems driven by significant producer activity and a backlog of drilled but uncompleted wells from over 90,000 gross acres of dedication. Taken together, Enable expects the two crude business expansions to generate a 2019 total capital invested to Adjusted EBITDA multiple of approximately 13 times, working down to below a 10-times multiple by 2020. These expansions are expected to be accretive to distributable cash flow per unit starting in 2019. Enable does not expect to raise common equity to finance the Velocity acquisition.

17:25 EDT SAIC announces end of HSR waiting period for Engility acquisition - SAIC announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino, or HSR, Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended with respect to the proposed acquisition of Engility by SAIC has expired. The expiration of the waiting period occurred on October 22. The expiration of the act's waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to closing of the proposed merger, which remains subject to other closing conditions in the agreement and plan of merger, dated as of September 9, by and among SAIC, Engility and Raptors Merger.

17:20 EDT MKS Instruments down over 11% after below-consensus Q4 guidance

17:18 EDT Resideo to replace Akorn in S&P 400 at open on 10/30 - Honeywell (HON) is spinning-off Resideo Technologies (REZI) to shareholders in a deal expected to be completed on October 29.

17:06 EDT Noodles & Company falls over 17% after reporting quarterly results, guidance - Shares of Noodles & Company are down 17.13% or $2.17 to $10.50 per share in after-hours trading.

17:02 EDT Sempra unit signs long-term contract for refined fuels terminal in Sinaloa - Sempra Energy announced that its Mexican subsidiary, Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V., has signed a long-term contract with a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation for approximately 50% of the 1-million-barrel initial capacity of the Topolobampo refined fuels marine terminal in Sinaloa, Mexico. Under the agreement, MPC's subsidiary will have storage capacity of 500,000 barrels of refined fuels that will provide access to new international supplies of fuel to meet the growing demand in the West Coast region of Mexico. Commercial operations of the approximately $150M marine terminal are expected to commence in late 2020.

16:45 EDT Mitek adopts tax benefits preservation plan to protect valuable tax assets - Mitek Systems announced that its board has entered into a tax benefits preservation plan designed to protect the value of the Company's substantial net operating loss carryforward, NOLs. As of October 23, Mitek has estimated available NOLs of $27.6 million for federal income tax purposes, and NOLs for state income tax purposes of approximately $30.1 million. Mitek's ability to utilize its NOLs could be substantially limited if an "ownership change", as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, were to occur. In general, an ownership change will be considered to have occurred when the percentage of Mitek's common stock owned by one or more 5-percent shareholders, as defined under Section 382, increases by more than 50 percentage points at any time during the prior three years. The purpose of the Plan is to deter an ownership change from being triggered under these technical rules, which will protect Mitek's ability to utilize its valuable NOLs. The Board adopted the Plan, which is intended to protect Mitek's tax assets and to allow all of Mitek's shareholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company, after considering, among other matters, the estimated value of the Company's NOLs, the potential diminution of the tax asset if an ownership change were to occur, and the risk of an ownership change occurring following recent trading activity in the Company's shares.

16:33 EDT Target to offer same-day delivery and drive up service coast to coast - Target announced its plans to be America's easiest place to shop for the holiday season, including becoming the first retailer to offer same-day delivery and drive up service coast to coast. Additionally, for the first time, Target will offer Free 2-Day Shipping to all guests on hundreds of thousands of items, with no minimum purchase and no membership required, beginning Nov. 1.

16:31 EDT Celgene says study shows revlimid demonstrated improvement in PFS - Celgene Corporation announced results from an open-label phase II/III National Clinical Trials Network study led by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. REVLIMID was provided by Celgene under a clinical trials agreement with the NCI's Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. ECOG E3A06 is a randomized study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the investigational use of REVLIMID monotherapy versus observation in patients with asymptomatic smoldering multiple myeloma. In the study, single-agent REVLIMID achieved a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival compared to observation. Based on the preliminary results of the study, safety was consistent with the known safety profile of REVLIMID. "In multiple myeloma, there has been an important question regarding the risks and benefits of treating patients with smoldering myeloma. We believe that the properties of REVLIMID could play an important role in delaying the progression of smoldering myeloma into active myeloma," said Jay Backstrom, Chief Medical Officer for Celgene.

16:28 EDT Planet Green Holdings regains compliance with NYSE listing standards - Planet Green Holdings announced that it has regained compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards. On October 22 the Company received a letter from the Exchange stating that the Company has regained compliance with Part 1003 of the NYSE American Company Guide with respect to the low price of the Company's shares of common stock.

16:26 EDT Texas Instruments down 5.2% to $95.01 after Q4 guidance trails estimates

16:22 EDT Rollins announces 3-for 2 stock split, special cash dividend of 14c per share - Rollins announced that the Board of Directors has approved a three-for-two stock split of the company's common shares. The split will be affected by issuing one additional share of common stock for every two shares of common stock held. The additional shares will be distributed on December 10, 2018, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 9, 2018. Fractional share amounts resulting from the split will be paid to shareholders in cash. In addition, the company declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 14c per share plus a special year-end dividend of 14c per share both payable December 10, 2018 to stockholders of record at the close of business November 9, 2018. Dividends will be paid on pre-split shares.

16:21 EDT USANA raises share repurchase authorization - USANA said its board of directors has authorized up to $150M in funding for share repurchases by the company of its outstanding common stock. This authorization is inclusive of the $24.4M that was remaining under the prior authorization as of the end of the second quarter. Repurchases may be made from time to time, in the open market, through block trades or otherwise. The number of shares to be purchased and the timing of purchases will be based on market conditions, the level of cash balances, general business opportunities, and other factors. Additional share repurchases would represent upside to the revised EPS outlook the company issued today.

16:18 EDT Blackstone Energy acquires Ulterra Drilling Technologies, terms not stated - Blackstone Energy Partners announced that it has entered into binding agreements to acquire a controlling, majority interest in Ulterra Drilling Technologies from affiliates of American Securities LLC. American Securities and certain members of management will retain a minority equity interest in the Company going forward. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close prior to year-end 2018. Ulterra is the largest pure-play, independent supplier of polycrystalline diamond compact drill bits to the oil and gas industry. The Company is one of the fastest growing PDC drill bit manufacturers, having more than doubled total revenue since 2016. Ulterra currently has a leading position in many of the most active U.S. onshore oil and gas basins, including the Permian and Eagle Ford, and has a growing presence internationally. Ulterra's singular focus on PDC drilling technology allows it to deliver the highest level of customer service and customization to producers across a wide range of basins and geological formations, driving industry leading performance and durability.

16:14 EDT Falcon Minerals declares initial dividend of 9.5c per share - Falcon Minerals announced that the company's board has approved Falcon's initial dividend of $0.095 per Class A share for the partial quarter ended September 30, 2018. This amount represents an annualized dividend of $0.90 per Class A share. The dividend for the partial third quarter 2018 will be payable on November 15, 2018 for all Class A shareholders of record on November 8, 2018.

16:14 EDT Canadian National announces 5.5M share repurchase authorization - CN announced that its Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of its shares under a new normal course issuer bid and approved a fourth-quarter 2018 dividend.The Bid permits CN to purchase, for cancellation, over a 3-month period up to 5.5 million common shares, representing 0.9 per cent of the 611,354,197 common shares issued and outstanding of the Company not held by insiders on Oct. 16, 2018. On that date, 730,422,928 CN common shares were issued and outstanding. The Bid - starting on Oct. 30, 2018, and ending no later than Jan. 31, 2019 - will be conducted through a combination of discretionary transactions and automatic repurchase plans through the facilities of the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, or alternative trading systems, if eligible, and will conform to their regulations. "We remain committed to delivering solid shareholder value through dividends, and returning excess capital by way of share buybacks," said Ghislain Houle, CN executive vice-president and chief financial officer. "CN is implementing a three-month share repurchase program in order to coordinate all capital allocation decisions, including dividends and capital expenditures, to allow the Company to provide comprehensive guidance in January 2019." The decisions regarding the timing and size of future purchases of common shares under the Bid are subject to management's discretion and are based on a variety of factors, including market conditions. The new Bid was approved by the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) today. TSX rules permit CN to purchase daily, through TSX facilities, a maximum of 252,076 common shares under the Bid. Purchases under the Bid will be made by means

16:13 EDT Canadian National announces 5.5M share repurchase authorization - CN announced that its Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of its shares under a new normal course issuer bid and approved a fourth-quarter 2018 dividend.The Bid permits CN to purchase, for cancellation, over a 3-month period up to 5.5 million common shares, representing 0.9 per cent of the 611,354,197 common shares issued and outstanding of the Company not held by insiders on Oct. 16, 2018. On that date, 730,422,928 CN common shares were issued and outstanding. The Bid - starting on Oct. 30, 2018, and ending no later than Jan. 31, 2019 - will be conducted through a combination of discretionary transactions and automatic repurchase plans through the facilities of the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, or alternative trading systems, if eligible, and will conform to their regulations. "We remain committed to delivering solid shareholder value through dividends, and returning excess capital by way of share buybacks," said Ghislain Houle, CN executive vice-president and chief financial officer. "CN is implementing a three-month share repurchase program in order to coordinate all capital allocation decisions, including dividends and capital expenditures, to allow the Company to provide comprehensive guidance in January 2019." The decisions regarding the timing and size of future purchases of common shares under the Bid are subject to management's discretion and are based on a variety of factors, including market conditions. The new Bid was approved by the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) today. TSX rules permit CN to purchase daily, through TSX facilities, a maximum of 252,076 common shares under the Bid. Purchases under the Bid will be made by means

16:13 EDT Meridian Bancorp to increase quarterly dividend 40% - The board of Meridian Bancorp intends to declare an increase in its quarterly dividend by 2c per share, or 40%, to 7c per share in Q4.

16:10 EDT Four Corners acquires Chili's property for $2.15M - Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT) announced the acquisition of a corporate-operated Chili's restaurant through a sale-leaseback transaction with certain subsidiaries of Brinker International, Inc. (EAT) for a purchase price of $2.15M on initial annual cash rent of approximately $137,000. The lease has 15 years of initial term, rent increases of 10% every five years during the initial term and a corporate guarantee from Brinker International, Inc. FCPT believes that rent is well-supported with conservative EBITDAR coverage of 3.9x. The property is in a well-located retail corridor in Colorado with high traffic and attractive demographics. This transaction is a follow on to the three property transaction that closed on September 14, 2018.

16:08 EDT Hawaiian Holdings sees FY18 ASMs up 5.5%-6.5% - Sees FY18 cost per ASM excluding fuel and special items up 1.5%- 2.5%.

16:07 EDT Capital One reports Q3 net interest margin 7.01%, up 35 bps - Reports net charge-offs of $1.4B.

16:07 EDT IDEX Corp. reports Q3 orders up 7% at $615.1M

16:03 EDT Texas Instruments sees FY18 ongoing annual operating tax rate about 20% - And about 16% starting in 2019.

16:03 EDT Carlisle reports Q3 organic growth up 5.5% - CEO Chris Koch says: "I am pleased to report we achieved 5.5% organic growth in the quarter, driven by strong demand, price realization in our core business, and the execution of our growth strategy for metal roofing products at CCM, continued robust commercial aircraft build rates and MedTech market strength at CIT, strength in the General Industrial markets at CFT and positive trends in off-highway vehicle markets at CBF... In the third quarter, Carlisle experienced certain challenges at CCM that negatively affected revenues and reported operating income. These included well above average wet weather in much of the Eastern US, Midwest and Texas, which reduced days on the roof. Our pricing strategy at Accella tested the upper limits of the market and impacted volumes in the quarter. Despite these challenges, we are encouraged by continued solid underlying demand for our products across commercial construction markets, our ability to maintain share while driving price realization in core CCM products, and slated actions to accelerate integration of and improve profitability at Accella."

15:25 EDT American Express confims subpoenas received in probe of FXIP unit - In a regulatory filing, American Express stated: "We are subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision in jurisdictions around the world, and the costs of compliance are substantial. In recent years, the financial services industry has been subject to rigorous scrutiny, high regulatory expectations, and a stringent and unpredictable enforcement environment...For example, we have been cooperating with certain governmental authorities that have requested information from, or served subpoenas on, us, seeking information relating to a small, specialized part of our business, known as foreign exchange international payments or FXIP, which offers cross-border payments services primarily to small and middle market business customers in five countries, including the United States. In particular, we received investigative subpoenas from both the civil and criminal divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice as well as inquiries from the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and others. FXIP accounts for less than one half of one percent of our total revenue net of interest expense and is unrelated to our card businesses. Relatedly, we are conducting a review with an outside law firm of FXIP's pricing practices. We do not believe this matter will have a material adverse impact on our operations or results."

15:01 EDT Wells Fargo raises share repurchase authority by 350M shares - The Wells Fargo board of directors also increased the company's authority to repurchase common stock by an additional 350M shares.

14:44 EDT Musk says Tesla will cut some interior configuration options for Model S, X - Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that, in an effort to simplify production, many Tesla Model S and X interior configurations will no longer be available after November 1. "Order now to be sure of the one you want," Musk said. Reference Link

14:06 EDT iCAD announces new clinical data on the Xoft Electronic Brachytherapy System - iCAD announced new clinical research demonstrating positive outcomes supporting the use of the Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx,System for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Preliminary results demonstrated that IORT using the Xoft System is safe with excellent local control and cosmesis, and low morbidity. The analysis of the international, multi-center trial was unveiled during an oral presentation at the 60th American Society for Radiation Oncology, ASTRO, annual meeting at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas."We are pleased that clinical results from our global installed base continue to highlight the therapeutic value of this state-of-the-art treatment option," said Ken Ferry, CEO of iCAD. "In addition, it is an honor to mark our 20th year of innovations in targeted cancer care among healthcare providers who are making an important difference each day in the lives of their patients. We look forward to continuing to partner with radiation oncology leaders worldwide to precisely and effectively treat cancer in the years to come."

14:03 EDT Facebook introduces Messenger 4 - In a blog posting, Facebook said: "Starting today, we're rolling out a new, simplified version of Messenger: Messenger 4. In a recent Messenger study, 7 out of 10, 71%, people told us simplicity is the top priority for them in a messaging app. Among people surveyed who are messaging more frequently, 62% say messaging makes them feel closer to their friends. We believe Messenger 4 delivers the closeness and authenticity that you've been asking for - through simplicity of design and powerful features that put the focus back on messaging and connecting." Reference Link

13:53 EDT Street Fight: Analysts diverge on Selecta Bio's gout drug data read-through - Shares of Selecta Biosciences (SELB) are under pressure after the company announced new interim data from Phase 2 trial of SEL-212, a product candidate for the treatment of chronic severe gout designed to lower SUA. Commenting on the results, Mizuho analyst Difei Yang told investors that the market reaction is "overly negative" as it is likely acceptable to the FDA to proceed into Phase 3 and remains "superior" to standalone Horizon Pharma's (HZNP) Krystexxa. More bearish on the data presented, her peer at Cowen called the results "disappointing" and said it "virtually eliminates [SEL-212] as a threat." SEL-212 DATA: Selecta Biosciences presented new interim Phase 2 data from patients receiving SEL-212, a product candidate in development for the treatment of chronic severe gout designed to lower SUA, at the 2018 American College of Rheumatology/Association for Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting in Chicago. The interim data consists of new cohorts of patients that received five monthly doses of SEL-212, at doses of 0.1 or 0.15 mg/kg of SVP-Rapamycin in combination with 0.2mg/kg of pegadricase. In the new cohorts, projections based on the rate of SUA control for patients who have completed the treatment period suggest that approximately 66% of the evaluable patients may maintain SUA level control below 6 mg/dL throughout five months of therapy with concurrent mitigation of ADAs against the pegadricase enzyme. Final data are still pending for five of these patients. The projection for these five patients is based on the observation that all other patients in these cohorts that had serum uric acid levels less than 6 mg/dL at week 12 successfully maintained control of SUA through the entire five-month period. Furthermore, the observed sustained maintenance of SUA near 0 mg/dL has led to rapid reduction in tissue urate deposits as measured by DECT imaging. DECT scans were performed as an exploratory measure to evaluate reduction of tissue urate burden in a subset of patients of the Phase 2 trial. STOCK REACTION 'OVERLY NEGATIVE': In a research note to investors following the news, Mizuho's Yang argued that the market reaction to Selecta Biosciences' Phase 2 data on SEL-212 is "overly negative." While the data was "not as good" as she had hoped for and can be perceived less convincing than the data presented mid-June, Yang believes it is likely acceptable to the Food and Drug Administration to proceed into Phase 3 and remains superior to standalone Krystexxa. A Phase 3 clinical trial and SEL-212 is expected to begin in 2018 along with a parallel head-to-head study with Krystexxa, she added. The analyst increased the Probability of Success of SEL-212 in her model to 75% from 60%, and reiterated a Buy rating and $30 price target on Selecta's shares. 'DISAPPOINTING' DATA: Meanwhile, Cowen analyst Ken Cacciatore told investors that he views Selecta Biosciences data from its potential competitive program to Horizon Pharma's Krystexxa as "disappointing." Further, the analyst believes the news "virtually eliminates [SEL-212] as a threat" and far outweighs the modestly negative potential 340(B) timing change. While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to change the date on which 340(B) pricing would come into effect to January 1, 2019 from July 1, 2019, Cacciatore called this news "largely irrelevant" since his model for Horizon already assumed adjustments to the program beginning in July 2019, he added. Cacciatore argued that the net of these two disclosures should be viewed "much more positively than negatively." He reiterated an Outperform rating and $25 price target on Horizon Pharma's shares. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of Selecta Biosciences have plunged nearly 34% to $8.82, while Horizon Pharma's stock has dropped about 4.5% to $18.36.

13:39 EDT Snapchat joins the Yext knowledge network - Yext (YEXT) announced a global integration to put businesses in control of the facts about them on Snapchat (SNAP). Starting in November, information consumers see in Snapchat Context Cards and Organic Venue Geofilters about businesses that use Yext will be powered directly by the Yext Brain. "This integration changes the game for businesses looking to reach customers on Snapchat," said Howard Lerman, Founder and CEO of Yext. "Starting today, Snapchat users will see the most up-to-date, authoritative business information in Context Cards and Organic Venue Geofilters straight from the business itself via Yext Brain."

13:21 EDT Oracle to acquire DataFox, terms not disclosed - On October 22, 2018, Oracle announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire DataFox, whose cloud-based artificial intelligence data engine and derived business content provide the most current, precise and expansive set of company-level information and insightful data to optimize business decisions. Oracle is currently reviewing the existing DataFox product roadmap and will be providing guidance to customers in accordance with Oracle's standard product communication policies.

13:05 EDT Wells Fargo to hire new technology head to join Wells Fargo Operating Committee - Wells Fargo announced the next step in its technology transformation. A new technology leader will be hired who will report directly to CEO Tim Sloan and will join the Wells Fargo Operating Committee. The new technology leader will lead a combined Enterprise Information Technology and Enterprise Information Security team. Those teams continue to be led by Chief Technology Officer Scott Dillon and Chief Information Security Officer Rich Baich, respectively, and will report to the new leader once named. In the interim, they will report to Chief Financial Officer John Shrewsberry. Enterprise Information Technology has been part of the Enterprise Finance and Information Technology team. Enterprise Information Security has been part of Corporate Risk. "Technology and information security are at the heart of what allows us to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially," said Sloan. "Almost everything we do every day for our customers, shareholders and team members is touched by the technology and security professionals who develop and protect our systems. This new combined team will allow us to further accelerate our efforts to simplify Wells Fargo's technology environment, strengthen our security capabilities, mitigate risk, and enhance our ability to meet our business and regulatory commitments."

12:54 EDT Selecta Biosciences slides after new interim data from Phase 2 trial of SEL-212 - Shares of Selecta Biosciences are sliding after the company presented new interim Phase 2 data from patients receiving SEL-212, a product candidate in development for the treatment of chronic severe gout designed to lower SUA, at the 2018 American College of Rheumatology/Association for Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting in Chicago. The interim data reported today at ACR consist of new cohorts of patients that received five monthly doses of SEL-212, at doses of 0.1 or 0.15 mg/kg of SVP-Rapamycin in combination with 0.2mg/kg of pegadricase. In the new cohorts, projections based on the rate of SUA control for patients who have completed the treatment period suggest that approximately 66% of the evaluable patients may maintain SUA level control below 6 mg/dL throughout five months of therapy with concurrent mitigation of ADAs against the pegadricase enzyme. Final data are still pending for five of these patients. Our projection for these five patients is based on the observation that all other patients in these cohorts that had serum uric acid levels less than6 mg/dL at week 12 successfully maintained control of SUA through the entire five-month period. However, caution should be exercised in drawing any conclusions from projections of clinical data. Furthermore, the observed sustained maintenance of SUA near 0 mg/dL has led to rapid reduction in tissue urate deposits as measured by DECT imaging. DECT scans were performed as an exploratory measure to evaluate reduction of tissue urate burden in a subset of patients of the Phase 2 trial. "Today's reported interim data have met our goal of showing sustained SUA control over the five-month combination period. In addition, SEL-212 provides the added convenience of monthly dosing with a low incidence of flares observed in the Phase 2 clinical trial to date. And importantly, during months four and five of treatment, there have been no new emerging safety findings in the trial," said Werner Cautreels, Ph.D., President and CEO of Selecta. In afternoon trading, Selecta shares are down 26.5% to $9.78.

12:35 EDT Barrick Gold says Glass Lewis urges holders vote for merger resolutions - Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX) announced that Glass Lewis, a leading independent proxy advisory firm, has recommended that shareholders of Barrick and Randgold Resources Limited (GOLD) vote FOR shareholder resolutions in relation to the proposed merger of the two companies. The recommendation from Glass Lewis builds on an earlier report from Institutional Shareholder Services, which has also recommended that shareholders of Barrick and Randgold vote in favor of the proposed merger, Barrick said.

12:32 EDT Barrick Gold says Glass Lewis urges holders to vote for merger resolutions - Barrick Gold Corporation announced that Glass Lewis, a leading independent proxy advisory firm, has recommended that shareholders of Barrick and Randgold Resources Limited vote FOR shareholder resolutions in relation to the proposed merger of the two companies. The recommendation from Glass Lewis builds on an earlier report from Institutional Shareholder Services, which has also recommended that shareholders of Barrick and Randgold vote in favor of the proposed merger, Barrick said.

12:00 EDT New Oriental Education falls -15.3% - New Oriental Education is down -15.3%, or -$9.62 to $53.22.

12:00 EDT Asbury Automotive rises 10.3% - Asbury Automotive is up 10.3%, or $6.13 to $65.68.

12:00 EDT ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF rises 13.9% - ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF is up 13.9%, or $7.42 to $60.80.

11:46 EDT Lyft is acquiring London-based augmented reality startup Blue Vision Labs - In a blog post earlier, by Peter Ondruska, Co-founder and CEO of Blue Vision Labs said: "Today, I am thrilled to announce that Blue Vision Labs is joining forces with Lyft (LYFT) in their mission to revolutionize transportation, via a full technology, team, and product acquisition of Blue Vision Labs. Blue Vision Labs will be the first Lyft office in London, and will become part of Lyft's Level 5 division to build technology for Lyft's self-driving efforts...In March of this year, we made great progress on this goal by releasing the Blue Vision Labs AR Cloud, a technology that allows developers to create shared AR experiences that were not possible before at unprecedented scale. One potential application of our AR cloud allows us to connect ridesharing passengers with their drivers by overlaying the car's position onto the rider's smartphone screen in augmented reality. Joining forces with Lyft means we can develop experiences like this at a much greater scale" Other companies in the on-demand transportation space include (UBER). Reference Link

11:35 EDT Caterpillar will have 'stiff tailwind next year' - Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby said he "feels good" about China for next year.

11:28 EDT Lockheed Martin says business pipeline remains 'robust' - Says each of four business areas contributed to updated financial outlook. Says disappointed in not being selected for three large competitive bids this quarter. Says business pipeline remains "robust". Says backlog climbed to $109B. Sees FY18 cash from operations greater than or equal to $3.4B. Expects 2019 segment operating margin 10.5%-10.8%. Sees 2019 cash from operations greater than or equal to $7B. Sees 2019 share repurchases greater than or equal to $1B. Sees 2019 net FAS/CAS pension adjustment approx. $1.5B. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

11:22 EDT McDonald's: Remodel downtimes longer than expected, seeing expected sales lift

11:18 EDT McDonald's sees 9,000 U.S. restaurants having delivery by end of year

11:15 EDT McDonald's sees 12,000 remodeled restaurants in U.S. by end of 2019 - Sees "ramping up" pace of growth in China. Says expects to have 12,000 U.S. "Experience of the Future" restaurants by the end of 2019. Says will make changes to operating structure in January. Says U.S. guest counts dropped in Q3. Says U.S. environment "very competitive." Says plans to introduce new breakfast items in the U.S. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call. Shares of McDonald's are up 5.6% in morning trading to $175.92.

11:05 EDT Oracle announces enhancements to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - At its OpenWorld conference, Oracle announced what it called "significant enhancements" to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, as well as an updated global data center region roadmap. "With these advancements, Oracle continues to provide the secured, mission-critical infrastructure customers can depend on to run enterprise applications...Oracle extended its commitment to provide cloud customers core-to-edge security by introducing new integrated security solutions to combat sophisticated cyber threats with layers of defense...Continuing to support customer and partner demand, Oracle outlined the roadmap for its cloud regions. By the end of next year, the company will open additional regions in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil, the Middle East, and the United States, including Virginia, Arizona, and Illinois to support public sector and Department of Defense customers. This expansion complements an existing Edge network consisting of more than 30 global locations and 300 plus sensors, providing Oracle customers with a comprehensive Internet performance data set, and deep edge services capabilities," the company stated.

10:47 EDT Hurd, asked about Saudi Arabia, says 'we will have a data center in Middle East' - Oracle CEO Mark Hurd is being interviewed on CNBC.

10:29 EDT Tesla races as short-seller Citron reverses course, goes long - Citron Research, best known as a short-seller, has reversed its opinion on Tesla, saying in a new report posted on its website that the "story has become too compelling to ignore." Andrew Left's Citron is now long Tesla "as the Model 3 is a proven hit and many of the [Tesla] warning signs have proven not to be significant." TOO COMPELLING TO IGNORE: In a new research report published on its website, short-seller Citron Research said it has reversed course on Tesla as the "story has become too compelling to ignore." For the first time Citron is long Tesla, noting that the Model 3 is a "proven hit" and many of the Tesla warning signs have proven "not to be significant." Further, the report added that while the media has been focused on CEO Elon Musk's "eccentric, outlandish and at times offensive behavior," it has failed to notice the "legitimate disruption" of the auto industry. Citron believes Tesla is "destroying" the competition, with the Model 3 "completely dominating its class" among mid-size luxury and the Model S being the "largest seller in the large luxury car market." "Tesla appears to be the only company that can actually produce and sell electric cars," the report reads. Moreover, Left pointed out that "demand is new this year and pulling directly from [Tesla's] competitors." "We believe Musk is focused on a Tesla stock price above $360, which would remove significant amounts of convertible debt (strike price $330-$360) and leave the company with a very manageable debt load comprised of $2B of senior notes," the short-seller contended. If Musk can deliver on supply and the demand stays intact plus the additional demand of international expansion, Andrew Left sees "tremendous" upside in the stock. "Given that Tesla still has significant growth opportunities left in compact, crossover, and pickup, we don't see demand slowing. Take the worst case [...] and we see 500k cars with 20% gross margins at a P/E of 20x and the stock is $599," he added. BEAR SAYS STOCK 'COULD REBOUND' ON Q3 RESULTS: Barclays analyst Brian Johnson, who has an Underweight rating on the shares with a $210 price target, told investors that Tesla's third quarter results could lead to a rebound in the stock. Johnson noted that he thinks Tesla can report stronger than expected free cash flow in the third quarter, driven by increased payables. The strong, "albeit temporary," cash flow, along with a non-GAAP profit and likely typical bullish management commentary could drive Tesla shares higher, he contended. Earlier this month, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas told investors that he forecasts a 20% sequential improvement in Model 3 deliveries and sees them being heavily weighted to top-of-the-line mix. Further, he added that he would not be surprised to see average transaction prices for the Model 3 approach $60,000 per unit or more. Given his view on the Model 3, and his thinking that the company's working capital terms could drive a cash flow surprise, Jonas said he sees conditions supporting Tesla offering "extremely strong" guidance for fourth quarter profit and cash flow. The analyst told investors that he also believes Tesla will use the momentum to potentially tap the equity market and continues to forecast a $2.5B equity capital raise in the fourth quarter. Jonas reiterated an Equal Weight rating and a $291 price target on Tesla shares. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Tesla have jumped over 7% to $279.05.

10:20 EDT JetBlue says expects to end 2018 with 253 aircraft

10:08 EDT Walmart, SunPower announce 23-megawatt solar agreement - Walmart (WMT) announced that it has reached an agreement with SunPower (SPWR) to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois. As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019. This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50% renewable energy. Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Walmart will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

10:03 EDT MGM Resorts names Adam Greenblatt as CEO of MGM GVC Interactive JV - MGM GVC Interactive LLC, the U.S. sports betting and online gaming joint venture owned by MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings, announced the appointment of Adam Greenblatt as the venture's CEO, effective upon receipt of all applicable licensing and regulatory approvals. The joint venture was established in July 2018 to create a world-class sports betting and online gaming platform in the United States, in order to take advantage of the new opportunities created by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the U.S. federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

10:00 EDT ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF rises 11.7% - ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF is up 11.7%, or $6.22 to $59.60.

09:55 EDT Fortinet acquires cloud-based threat analytics company ZoneFox - Fortinet announced that it has completed the acquisition of ZoneFox Limited, a privately-held cloud-based insider threat detection and response company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. The acquisition further enhances the Fortinet Security Fabric and strengthens Fortinet's existing endpoint and SIEM security business, the company stated. "Enterprise organizations are experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of endpoints and users accessing data and cloud resources, which is also increasing the need to defend against insider threats. In fact, 30% of breaches involved insiders acting negligently or maliciously according to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. By combining ZoneFox's cloud-based threat-hunting technology with Fortinet's existing endpoint and SIEM security offerings, we are well positioned to provide our customers with an integrated approach to defend against insider threats, eliminate network blind spots and protect today's expanding attack surface with automation and machine learning," said Fortinet CEO Ken Xie.

09:47 EDT Allegheny Technologies falls -13.7% - Allegheny Technologies is down -13.7%, or -$3.68 to $23.14.

09:47 EDT Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares rises 6.8% - Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares is up 6.8%, or $2.38 to $37.53.

09:47 EDT ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF rises 13.9% - ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF is up 13.9%, or $7.43 to $60.81.

09:39 EDT eXp Realty to acquire ShowMeNow, terms not disclosed - eXp Realty, a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, announced at its annual EXPCON conference the definitive agreement to acquire ShowMeNow. The transaction, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. ShowMeNow is an on-demand, home tour app that enables home shoppers to request immediate access to properties they are interested in. With more than 90 percent of consumers using a mobile device when searching for homes for sale, the ShowMeNow mobile app gives buyers flexible, real-time access to properties from wherever and when they are ready. It also allows agents to potentially expose it to more home buyers in order to increase visibility of the home for sale and drive highly interested parties. The new ShowMeNow mobile app will be able available for beta testing in the first quarter of 2019 in select markets, exclusively for eXp Realty agents.

09:31 EDT eXp Realty to acquire ShowMeNow, terms not disclosed - eXp Realty, a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, announced at its annual EXPCON conference the definitive agreement to acquire ShowMeNow. The transaction, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. The new ShowMeNow mobile app will be able available for beta testing in the first quarter of 2019 in select markets, exclusively for eXp Realty agents.

09:27 EDT Huntington Bancshares to make targeted investments in people, technology - Says local economies across footprint continue to perform well. Says encouraged by new USMCA trade agreement. Says remains bullish on local economies.Says expects to incur approx $40M of expenses in Q4 due to consolidations of 70 branches. Says will make targeted investments in both people and technology. Expects to communicate updated long-term financial goals later this year. Says remains focused on core funding the balance sheet. Says first capital priority is to fund organic growth, the second is to support the dividend and the final capital priority is other uses including share repurchases and selective M&A. Says continues to view whole bank M&A as "unattractive". Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:26 EDT Adventist Health engages Premier in strategic supply chain initiative - Adventist Health is leveraging Premier technology and services to undertake a major strategic supply chain optimization initiative aligned with its value-based care delivery goals. A member of Premier for nearly 25 years, Adventist has engaged Premier's team of industry-leading consultants to foster more effective management of its supply portfolio and reduce non-labor expenses, as well as accelerate the development of an innovative, world-class supply chain model. As part of the effort, Adventist will also be implementing service line analytics capabilities via the PremierConnect performance improvement platform to pinpoint and prioritize opportunity areas. These new services build on and complement Adventist's ongoing relationship with Premier in the areas of group purchasing; performance improvement collaboratives; and financial, operational and quality analytics in PremierConnect.

09:24 EDT Griffon subsidiary awarded $23.5M contract by NAVAIR - Telephonics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon, announced that it has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract from Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, valued at $23.5M to supply their AN/ZPY-4 maritime and overland surveillance radar system for use on the U.S. Navy's MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV. Under the terms of the contract, the AN/ZPY-4 will transition from a Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) to a Program of Record for the Fire Scout platform.

09:24 EDT Diana Shipping to extend time charter contract for Electra with Uniper Global - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has agreed to extend the present time charter contract with Uniper Global Commodities SE, Dusseldorf, for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Electra. The gross charter rate is $13,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum September 15, 2019 and maximum December 15, 2019. The new charter period commenced on October 19. The m/v Electra was chartered, as previously announced, at a gross charter rate of US$8,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The employment extension of Electra is anticipated to generate approximately $4.4M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter extension.

09:23 EDT Amazon, Qualcomm to put Alexa assistant in more headphones - Qualcomm (QCOM) said in a statement: "To invent breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects, computes, and communicates, Qualcomm believes that it's important to enable our customers and partners to compete and innovate. Thus, we're pleased to introduce the Qualcomm Smart Headset Development Kit for Amazon (AMZN) Alexa Voice Service, supporting push-button activation for AVS for an Android phone that has the Amazon Alexa App installed... This first available end-to-end Bluetooth reference design supports push-button activation for AVS for an Android phone that has the Amazon Alexa App installed. Based on Qualcomm Technologies' advanced Bluetooth Audio SoC QCC5124, the solution combines ultra-low-power consumption to help extend playback time and battery life. Qualcomm cVc Noise Cancellation Technology supports active noise cancellation and superior audio quality while in a voice call. Manufacturers can add Qualcomm aptX Audio HD designed for high-resolution wireless audio."

09:20 EDT Medtronic announces FDA approval for Valiant Navion thoracic stent graft system - Medtronic announced it has received FDA approval for the Valiant Navion thoracic stent graft system for the minimally invasive repair of all lesions of the descending thoracic aorta, including thoracic aortic aneurysms, or TAA, blunt thoracic aortic injuries, or BTAI, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers, or PAU, intramural hematomas, and aortic type B dissections. Until now, patients with small iliac arteries were considered ineligible for thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair or required adjunctive procedures to accommodate calcification and tortuosity concerns. Valiant Navion allows for the potential for more patients to receive a percutaneous procedure and overcome these anatomical concerns, enabling a less invasive approach to treatment compared to surgical cut-down procedures. Approval was based on 30-day primary endpoint analysis of 87 subjects consecutively enrolled in the international, multicenter, prospective investigational device exemption study analyzing the safety and efficacy of Valiant Navion in subjects with TAA and PAU. The study included a challenging real-world patient

09:14 EDT Fifth Third says at 'inflection point' in indirect auto loan portfolio

09:13 EDT Northern Trust appoints Pam Lucina as COO - Northern Trust (NTRS) announced that it has appointed Pamela Lucina as Executive Vice President and COO for the Trust & Advisory Practice, reporting to Trust & Advisory Services Practice Executive David Williams. Lucina will be based in Northern Trust's Chicago office where she will continue to build on the firm's fiduciary and advisory expertise, and drive the strategy for future business delivery. Lucina joins Northern Trust from BNY Mellon (BK) where she held the national role of Executive Director for their Wealth Management Advice, Planning and Fiduciary Services practice.

09:11 EDT American Express, Amazon launch Amazon Business American Express Card - American Express (AXP) and Amazon (AMZN) launched the Amazon Business American Express Card. The card, with no annual credit card fee, features rich rewards, greater visibility into each transaction, and provides an enhanced checkout experience on Amazon Business and Amazon.com that empowers small businesses to make the best financing choice purchase by purchase. Card Members can choose to earn rewards or get a payment term to help their cash flow. Card Members can use their rewards to shop at Amazon Business and Amazon.com or apply rewards toward a purchase on their statement. Upon sign-up, eligible Prime members will receive a $125 Amazon.com gift card and all other customers will receive a $100 Amazon.com gift card.

09:10 EDT Fifth Third says economic backdrop remains 'generally strong' - Says hopeful that the preliminary trade agreement with Mexico and Canada will alleviate some geopolitical uncertainty. Expects regulatory feedback on resubmitted CCAR plan by end of 2018. Sees core expense growth of 1% in 2019. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

09:09 EDT Full House Resorts issues response letter to Z Capital regarding acquisition - Full House Resorts issued the following letter in response to the letter received yesterday from Z Capital Partners: "The Board of Directors of Full House Resorts, Inc. ("Full House Resorts" or the "Company") has reviewed your October 22, 2018 letter indicating the interest of Z Capital Partners, L.L.C. and its portfolio company Affinity Gaming (collectively, "you" or "Affinity Gaming") in acquiring Full House Resorts at a price of $1.79 per share in stock or cash. Our Board has unanimously determined that the potential transaction referenced in your letter is not in the best interests of Full House Resorts and its stockholders. Your letter indicates a price without specifying a transaction structure or providing evidence of financing. The price dramatically undervalues the Company's business and does not remotely reflect the Company's strategic value and future prospects. Our Board and management team see significant upside to the Company's current and recent trading prices based on already-completed capital projects across our existing portfolio (with the recently launched and highly successful Rising Sun/Rabbit Hash ferry just one of many examples), as well as established or prospective organic growth opportunities in Colorado, Indiana and New Mexico, among other places. The price indicated in your letter represents a material discount of 35% to the Company's closing price on October 19, 2018, the last trading day prior to when you publicly announced your proposal, and a discount of 40% to the Company's volume weighted average price during the preceding three months. This reflects a stark and fundamental disconnect from our Board's understanding of the Company's value, as well as that of third party investors and analysts. We would also note that any combination of Affinity Gaming and our Company presents significant execution risks in light of the jurisdictional overlaps between Affinity Gaming and Full House Resorts. When we met with Andrei Scrivens at Z Capital's offices in Lake Forest, Illinois on September 21 - our only meeting - our purpose was to express potential interest in acquiring certain of Affinity Gaming's assets. We remain interested in doing that. Our Board and management team collectively own approximately 17% of Full House Resorts' shares, and our highest priority is creating value for the Company's stockholders. Based on our review, we are fully confident that our strategic plan will deliver value for our stockholders far superior to the value your letter indicates. Accordingly, our Board has no interest in pursuing what you propose."

09:07 EDT Pareteum announces three new contracts totaling $11M - Pareteum announced that it has signed three-year mobility as a service agreements totaling $11M and 800,000 in connections with five new brands, including Global Connect, WorldSIM, and Moby.

09:06 EDT H2O Midstream to excute agreement with subsidary of Legacy Reserves - H2O Midstream announced the execution of a long-term water services agreement with a subsidiary of Legacy Reserves. Under this agreement, H2O Midstream will gather, dispose, and redeliver for reuse produced water from several of Legacy's horizontal wells in Howard County, Texas. In addition, H2O Midstream will continue to deliver third-party produced water to Legacy for its hydraulic fracturing operations.

09:05 EDT Scynexis completes End-of-Phase 2 Meeting with FDA for ibrexafungerp - SCYNEXIS announced the successful completion of an End-of-Phase 2 Meeting with the FDA for its lead product candidate, ibrexafungerp, for patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis, or VVC. The FDA has agreed with the Company's proposed overall design of the Phase 3 registration program to support approval of oral ibrexafungerp for the treatment of VVC and prevention of recurrent VVC. SCYNEXIS expects to initiate the program in the Q4.

09:04 EDT Helios and Matheson announce preliminary plan to spin off MoviePass

09:02 EDT Lazydays to acquire Tennessee RV Supercenter, terms not disclosed - Lazydays has announced that an agreement has been signed to acquire Tennessee RV Supercenter. Located just outside Knoxville, TN, Tennessee RV is a premier RV dealership and a short drive from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in America with over 11M annual visitors. Tennessee RV is a regular recipient of the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Award. The acquisition of Tennessee RV Supercenter is expected to be finalized in 30 to 60 days. Upon closing, Tennessee RV Supercenter will be rebranded as Lazydays RV of Knoxville and Jason Rees, the current Sales Manager and 13 year veteran of Tennessee RV, will become the General Manager of Lazydays RV of Knoxville. Lazydays will then operate dealerships located in Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota and Tennessee.

09:01 EDT Thomson Reuters to acquire Integration Point for undisclosed amount - Thomson Reuters announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Integration Point, an international leader in global trade management, or GTM, operations. The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:59 EDT Fusion awarded $800,000 communications contract from Midwest school system - Fusion has been awarded a more than $800,000, three year managed communications agreement with a school system serving nearly 40,000 pre-K through 12th grade students in over fifty schools in the Midwest. The school system selected Fusion's advanced managed voice solution over multiple cable and facilities-based service providers through a RFP process.

08:51 EDT Verizon says 'excited' about current position in marketplace

08:46 EDT One Horizon Group to acquire majority interest in Browning Productions - One Horizon Group (OHGI) announced that it has entered into an Exchange Agreement to acquire a majority interest in Browning Productions & Entertainment, which has produced and has ownership rights to dozens of national and international television programs currently airing on a number of the most recognized television networks including A&E, FYI and History Channel. Browning distributes content on a proprietary Internet / Over-The-Top content platform that operates in conjunction with Verizon Digital Media Services (VZ). By the transaction terms, OHGI will make available project-based working capital and will be initially issuing 150,000 shares. The balance of the payment for majority interest will include the issuance of an additional 150,000 shares and will otherwise be stock-based on an earn-out tied to two-and-a half times earnings, which will drive substantial value to OHGI shareholders. OHGI has entered into a multi-year Employment Agreement with William Browning, CEO of Browning.

08:45 EDT Ingredion authorizes additional share repurchase of 8M shares - Ingredion announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to an additional 8M shares of the company's common stock from November 5 through December 31, 2023.

08:40 EDT OSI Systems optoelectronics and manufacturing division receives $10M order - OSI Systems announced that its Optoelectronics and Manufacturing division has received an order for approximately $10M to provide electronic sub-assemblies for use in devices of a leading medical technology original equipment manufacturer, or OEM.

08:36 EDT Sparton, Ultra Electronics USSI JV awarded $21.1M in foreign sales contracts - Sparton Corporation and Ultra Electronics USSI, a subsidiary of Ultra Electronics Holdings, announce the award of subcontracts valued at $21.1M from their ERAPSCO/Sonobuoy TechSystems joint venture. ERAPSCO/Sonobuoy TechSystems will provide manufacturing subcontracts in the amount of $9.5M to Sparton DeLeon Springs, LLC and $11.6M to Ultra Electronics USSI. Production will take place at Sparton's DeLeon Springs, FL facility and Ultra Electronics USSI's Columbia City, IN facility. ERAPSCO/SonobuoyTech Systems was awarded multiple foreign contracts for the manufacture of Passive and Active sonobuoys to support various underwater missions for detection, classification, and localization of adversary submarines during peacetime and combat operations.

08:34 EDT Visa makes strategic minority investment in Conductor - Visa announced a strategic minority investment in Conductor, a leading digital payments processing technology platform in Brazil, to help accelerate innovation in payments and enable Conductor's product expansion. The investment reinforces the existing partnership between Visa and Conductor, as well as the companies' shared vision for driving adoption of digital payments across e-commerce and mobile commerce in Brazil. Backed by Riverwood Capital since 2014, Conductor has become a key technology-processing platform for retailers, banks, and other companies in Brazil looking to issue different type of cards and digitize their payments, resulting in better engagement and increased loyalty amongst consumers. Visa and Conductor's areas of focus and product expansion plans include developing issuer-focused solutions for tokenizing payments via mobile wallets, improving access to Visa APIs, expanding the usage of push payments with Visa Direct, and increasing acceptance of digital payments among small and medium businesses, among other initiatives.

08:32 EDT WellCare and Care1st Health Plan Arizona establish regional hub in Phoenix - WellCare Health Plans and Care1st Health Plan Arizona, a WellCare company, will establish a regional hub in Phoenix to serve Medicaid members in Arizona, augment the company's clinical and operational functions in Tampa, and support the organization's long-term growth. Care1st Health Plan Arizona was awarded a new Medicaid contract from Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, on March 5. Under the contract, the health plan provides physical and behavioral health services to Medicaid members in Maricopa, Gila, Pinal, Mohave, Coconino, Apache, Navajo and Yavapai counties effective Oct. 1.

08:22 EDT Lockheed Martin raises FY18 segment operating profit view to approx. $5.8B - Lockheed Martin said FY18 sales are expected to be approx. $53B, narrowed from previous outlook of $51.6B-$53.1B. Lockheed Martin said segment operating profit is expected to be approx. $5.8B, up from previous view of $5.58B-$5.73B. FY18 sales by segment is expected to be: approx. $21.1B in Aeronautics, approx. $9.6B in Space, approx. $14.2B in RMS and approx. $8.13B in MFC. Expects FY18 segment operating profit by segment: approx. $2.25B in Aeronautics, approx. $1.06B in Space, approx. $1.29B in RMS and approx. $1.2B in MFC. Sees net FAS/CAS pension adjustment approximately $1,010. Raises FY18 EPS view to approx. $17.50 from $16.75-$17.05. Guidance provided in conference call slides to be presented on Q3 earnings conference call.

08:10 EDT VBL Therapeutics receives EPO patent for VB-111 - VBL Therapeutics announced the issuance by the European Patent Office, or EPO, of Patent 2908865, a composition of matter patent which covers VB-111, VBL's lead drug candidate. The patent provides intellectual property protection for VB-111 in Europe until October 2033, before any potential extension. The patent strengthens the VB-111 intellectual property portfolio, which comprises multiple granted patents including composition of matter patents in the US, Japan, China and additional countries.

08:08 EDT Adtran partners with SCTE*ISBE Cable-Tec Expo to explore access networks - ADTRAN announced it has partnered with SCTE*ISBE Cable-Tec Expo to present a closing-day conference panel on Thursday, October 25, focused on "The Evolving Access Networks: Deployment Strategies and Use Cases." SCTE*ISBE Cable-Tec Expo will be held October 22-25, 2018, in Atlanta, Ga. ADTRAN's sponsored post-conference discussion panel will be held on October 25, 2018, from 12:00pm-4:00pm EDT with speakers from Buckeye Broadband, CableLabs, Comcast, Corning Optical Communications, Cox Communications, HBC, SCTE*ISBE and Schurz Communications. These speakers will explore the evolution of the access network, focusing on fiber readiness for next-gen access technologies and how to evolve the network with fiber and data center techniques. While this session is sold out with standing room only, there will be options for those interested in the content to access the materials after the event. Additionally, ADTRAN will showcase its portfolio of Fiber Deep and DAA solutions at its booth #947, with four stations that include Gigabit to the MDU, Fixed Wireless Access, Business Solutions and virtualized 10G EPON. The 10G EPON station will feature a live demonstration of a disaggregated, SDN-enabled, remote OLT that supports the ONF Trellis architecture. The demo will show triple play services over a symmetric 10G EPON for residential and enterprise customers.

08:07 EDT HyreCar announces strategic partnership with Shift Technology - HyreCar announced that it has entered into an agreement with Shift Technology. As a result, HyreCar will deploy SHIFT Technology's Force, an industry proven, AI-driven fraud detection solution to optimize its insurance claims processes and deliver an exceptional customer experience. Based on Shift's 75% accuracy rate in identifying potentially fraudulent claims - more than twice the current industry standard of 30% - HyreCar anticipates that deploying Force will significantly reduce fraudulent claims within six months.

08:05 EDT Celanese implementing sales control measures for POM product deliveries - Celanese Corporation announced it is implementing sales control measures in the European, Americas and Asia regions for its polyoxymethylene engineered materials product, including all grades and specifications. Factors impacting the company's ability to meet POM product demand include: Rhine river levels are at the lowest on record, restricting the supply of key raw materials into the company's Industriepark Hochst facility in Frankfurt, Germany, the largest POM unit in the world. A series of required turnarounds at Celanese-owned and co-supplier POM units. While any existing placed order is acknowledged, future POM orders could be subject to adjustment or denial. Customers should contact their sales representative for more information.

08:05 EDT Staples, Essendant announce extension of tender offer for shares of Essendant - Staples and Essendant announced that, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Egg Merger Sub and Egg Parent, affiliates of Staples, have extended the expiration time of the previously announced tender offer for all outstanding shares of Essendant's common stock to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 5, 2018, unless the tender offer is further extended in accordance with the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 14, 2018, by and among Essendant, Staples, Egg Parent and Egg Merger Sub. The tender offer was previously scheduled to expire one minute after 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on October 22, 2018. The tender offer is being made pursuant to the Merger Agreement. Egg Merger Sub and Egg Parent expect the tender offer will be consummated promptly following the expiration time, subject to the satisfaction of the remaining closing conditions.

08:05 EDT DarioHealth announces Dario LC System compatibility with new phones - DarioHealth announced that its Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System, which enables the use of the Dario App, is compatible with the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, both of which were launched on September 21.

08:03 EDT McDonald's CEO: 'We have made substantial progress modernising restaurants' - "In addition to achieving 13 consecutive quarters of positive global comparable sales, we have made substantial progress modernising restaurants around the world, enhancing hospitality and elevating the experience for the millions of customers we serve every day. We remain confident that our strategy will drive long-term, profitable growth," said McDonald's President and CEO Steve Easterbrook. Steve Easterbrook concluded, "We are intensely focused on providing our customers with great experiences at McDonald's by running great restaurants and executing our delivery, digital, and Experience of the Future initiatives at a high level."

08:00 EDT McDonald's reports Q3 U.S. SSS increased 2.4% - In the U.S., third quarter comparable sales increased 2.4%, driven by growth in average check resulting from both product mix shifts and menu price increases. Operating income for the quarter increased 3%, as higher franchised margin dollars and G&A savings were partly offset by lower Company-operated margin dollars. In the International Lead segment, third quarter comparable sales increased 5.4%, reflecting positive results across all markets, primarily driven by the U.K., Australia and France. The segment's operating income was flat (increased 3% in constant currencies), as sales-driven improvements in franchised margin dollars were mostly offset by the comparison to a prior year gain on the strategic sale of property in Australia. In the High Growth segment, third quarter comparable sales increased 4.6%, led by strong performance in Italy and the Netherlands, and positive results across most of the segment. The segment's prior year operating income included a gain of approximately $850 million related to the sale of the Company's businesses in China and Hong Kong, partly offset by unrelated impairment charges. Excluding these items, the segment's operating income decreased 5% (1% in constant currencies) due to the impact of refranchising. In the Foundational markets, third quarter comparable sales increased 6.0%, reflecting positive sales performance in Japan and across all geographic regions. The segment's operating income increased 6% (12% in constant currencies), fueled by sales-driven improvements in franchised margin dollars.

07:55 EDT Primoris awarded $20M site development contract - Primoris announced that a major refining customer has awarded Primoris I&M, part of the civil segment, a site development contract valued over $20M. The contract is for site development of approximately 50 acres on a site adjacent to the customer's existing facilities in eastern Louisiana. Work involves clearing and grubbing of the existing vegetation, mass grading, storm drainage systems, aggregate surfacing, and erosion control. Construction began in Q3 and is expected to be completed in Q4 of 2020. The early front end engineering and design for the site development project was completed by Primoris Design & Construction, which is also completing the final engineering and design for the project.

07:53 EDT KemPharm, twoXAR announce technology collaboration for pro-drug therapies - KemPharm and twoXAR announced that they have entered into a technology collaboration to develop prodrug-based therapies for multiple therapeutic areas and indications. This collaboration will combine twoXAR's AI-based technology to identify and de-risk drug product candidates with KemPharm's LATTM technology developed to create new prodrugs that are designed to address unmet patient needs, improve the profile of drug product candidates and generate long-lived composition-of-matter patents. In connection with this collaboration, KemPharm has executed a research and license agreement with Novoxar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of twoXAR, under which KemPharm will begin research to develop a prodrug that may form the basis of a target drug product candidate of Novoxar in a therapeutic area which has yet to be disclosed. Under this agreement, KemPharm is eligible to receive specified license fees upon successful delivery of the target prodrug, payments upon achievement of certain product development and commercial milestones, and royalties on commercial sales of any product developed under this agreement.

07:50 EDT BeyondSpring presents Plinabulin data at ESMO - BeyondSpring presented clinical trial data on its lead asset, Plinabulin, during a poster and oral presentation at the 2018 European Society for Medical Oncology, or ESMO, Congress. The data showed that, in contrast to Neulasta, a long-acting G-CSF and the current standard of care for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, or CIN, Plinabulin did not increase the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, or NLR, which is a novel marker for immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. NLR values of greater than five are a potential immunotherapy biomarker, predicting negative outcomes such as overall survival, or OS, and progression-free survival, or PFS, in cancer patients. The data was derived from the Phase 2 portion of BeyondSpring's Study 105 for intermediate-risk CIN, which evaluated Plinabulin's potential to prevent CIN in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following docetaxel chemotherapy. Plinabulin was administered to patients in doses up to 20 mg/m2. BeyondSpring evaluated the NLR in Cycle 1 for patients receiving standard dose of docetaxel at 75 mg/m2 with either Plinabulin at 20 mg/m2 or Neulasta at 6 mg. The absolute neutrophil count, or ANC, was also measured. While treatment with Neulasta resulted in significantly increased NLR values to greater than5, all patients treated with Plinabulin maintained mean post-dose NLR at less than5 in Cycle 1. Baseline mean NLR values were less than in both the Plinabulin and Neulasta arms. However, the mean NLR with Neulasta increased gradually and significantly from day 7 onwards, and to a peak of 12.2 on day 10. At the last timepoint measured, the NLR with Neulasta was still significantly elevated versus Plinabulin. In contrast, with Neulasta, ANC showed an overshoot to levels up to threefold of the upper limit of the normal range. Lymphocyte counts were comparable for both the Plinabulin and Neulasta treatment arms.

07:45 EDT Ebix unit acquires stake in B2B marketplace for trucking logistics in India - Ebix, Inc. announced that one of its India-based EbixCash subsidiaries has acquired a 67% stake in Routier, a Delhi-based B2B Marketplace for Trucking Logistics. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

07:43 EDT Provention Bio completes enrollment in Phase 1b clinical trial of PRV-300 - Provention Bio announced that it has completed enrollment in the Phase 1b clinical trial of PRV-300 in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, or UC. Provention is developing PRV-300, an anti-TLR3 monoclonal antibody, to intercept upstream disease processes in UC patients.

07:41 EDT Verizon reports Q3 adj. EBITDA $12.12B; without ASC 606, EBITDA was $11.82B

07:34 EDT 3M CEO says company positioned to deliver 'solid' 2018 - "In the third quarter, 3M delivered a double-digit increase in cash flow and earnings-per-share, along with strong margins despite slower growth," said Mike Roman, 3M CEO. "We also continued to deploy capital to invest in our future and return cash to our shareholders. "Through nine months of the year, our global team posted organic growth of more than 3 percent, and we are positioned to deliver a solid 2018," Roman continued. "Going forward, we remain focused on innovating for our customers and driving growth, while continuing to transform our enterprise."

07:32 EDT Verizon reporst Q3 retail postpaid net adds of 515,000 - Reports 515,000 retail postpaid net additions in Q3, including 510,000 postpaid smartphone net adds. Reports "strong" customer loyalty, with retail postpaid phone churn at 0.80 percent. Total retail postpaid churn was 1.04 percent in third-quarter 2018, compared with 0.97 percent year over year. Retail postpaid phone churn was 0.80 percent in third-quarter 2018. The company expects retail postpaid phone churn to increase seasonally during fourth-quarter 2018. In Verizon's media business, Oath revenues were $1.8 billion in third-quarter 2018, 6.9 percent below the same quarter last year. The company expects Oath revenues to be relatively flat in the near term and does not expect to meet the previous target of $10 billion in Oath revenues by 2020. In the telematics business, total Verizon Connect revenues, excluding the impact of the revenue recognition standard, were $241 million in third-quarter 2018. IoT revenues, including Verizon Connect, increased approximately 12 percent year over year, excluding the impact of the revenue recognition standard. Total wireline revenues were $7.4 billion. Total Fios revenues were $3.0 billion. In third-quarter 2018, Verizon added a net of 54,000 Fios Internet connections.

07:32 EDT BeyondSpring announces data from Study 106 - BeyondSpring announced positive top line Phase 2 data from its Study 106 evaluating Plinabulin in combination with Neulasta, versus Neulasta monotherapy, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, or CIN, and bone pain in patients receiving high-risk TAC chemotherapy. Data collected to-date suggest a significant improvement in efficacy in treating CIN as well as more than a 90% reduction in patients experiencing bone pain when adding Plinabulin to the standard of care for the treatment of high-risk CIN. Only 50% of patients treated with Plinabulin/Neulasta Combo experienced grade 3/4 CIN, versus 81% of patients treated with Neulasta. Duration of grade 3/4 neutropenia was only 0.94 days for patients treated with Plinabulin/Neulasta Combo, versus 1.38 days for patients treated with Neulasta. Only 6% of patients treated with Plinabulin/Neulasta Combo experienced at least one day of bone pain, versus 95% of patients treated with Neulasta. No patients treated with the Plinabulin/Neulasta Combo experienced at least three days of bone pain, versus 38% of patients treated with Neulasta. Only 31% of patients treated with Plinabulin/Neulasta Combo experienced neutrophil overshoot, versus 52 percent of patients treated with Neulasta.

07:29 EDT Verizon 'on track' to deliver goal to achieve $10B in cumulative savings by 2021 - "Verizon has posted a third quarter of strong operational and financial performance," said CEO Hans Vestberg. "With the beginning of the 5G era in this fourth quarter, we expect that trend to continue. We are investing in networks, creating platforms to add value for customers and maintaining a focused, disciplined strategy. Verizon is best positioned to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the new game-changing generation of technology." Verizon is on track to deliver against a goal to achieve $10 billion in cumulative cash savings by 2021. This initiative includes zero-based budgeting, which has yielded approximately $1.3 billion of cumulative cash savings on a year-to-date basis, and the recently announced Voluntary Separation Program.

07:15 EDT Cara Therapeutics appoints Joana Goncalves as CMO - Cara Therapeutics (CARA) announced the appointment of Joana Goncalves as CMO. Joseph Stauffer, Cara's former CMO, will transition to a consulting role for the company. Goncalves brings more than 17 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry to Cara. Most recently, she served as VP, medical affairs for dermatology and neurology at Celgene (CELG) where she was instrumental in planning and executing medical support activities for a number of programs, including Otezla for psoriatic arthritis.

07:14 EDT AstraZeneca to buy 9.8% stake in France's Innate Pharma - AstraZeneca, and its global biologics research and development arm MedImmune, announced a new multi-term agreement with Innate Pharma, building on an existing collaboration, aimed at accelerating each company's oncology portfolio and bringing new medicines to patients more quickly. The extended collaboration will enrich AstraZeneca's immuno-oncology portfolio with pre-clinical and clinical potential new medicines. AstraZeneca will obtain full oncology rights to the first-in-class humanised anti-NKG2A antibody, monalizumab, expanding its partnership with Innate from the initial collaboration announced in 2015. AstraZeneca also gains option rights to IPH5201, an antibody targeting CD39, as well as four preclinical molecules from Innate's pipeline. Innate is licensing the US and EU commercial rights to recently FDA-approved Lumoxiti for hairy cell leukaemia. Innate will pay AstraZeneca $50 million upfront for Lumoxiti, and $25 million for future commercial and regulatory milestones, in consideration for its intellectual property and clinical and manufacturing development of the medicine. This income will be recorded as Other Operating Income by AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca will pay Innate $100 million in the first quarter of 2019 for the expansion of the monalizumab collaboration. Additional financial arrangements related to monalizumab are detailed and available in the 2015 collaboration announcement. Further, AstraZeneca will pay Innate $50 million upfront for the development collaboration and option for further co-development and co-commercialisation of Innate's CD39 monoclonal antibody, IPH5201, plus an option exercise fee, milestones and royalties. Innate will have the potential for co-promotion and profit sharing in the EU. AstraZeneca will also pay Innate $20 million upfront for an exclusive license option on four to-be-agreed molecules from Innate's preclinical portfolio. These options can be exercised before the molecules reach clinical development, triggering an option exercise fee in addition to milestones and royalties. Innate will have the potential for co-promotion and profit sharing in the EU, dependent on future progress. Given the long-term collaboration between the two companies, AstraZeneca will acquire a 9.8% equity stake in Innate Pharma through the issuance of 6,260,500 new shares to AstraZeneca at EURO$10/share. Issuance of the new shares is expected to take place on or about October 25.

07:12 EDT Alkermes say immuno-oncology program is 'gaining momentum' - Alkermes said in today's earnings release, "Against the backdrop of the highly-anticipated upcoming regulatory interactions for ALKS 5461 for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder and the ALKS 3831 ENLIGHTEN-2 pivotal study data in schizophrenia, we continue to make important progress across our other pipeline assets. BIIB098 for multiple sclerosis is on track for NDA submission by year-end and ALKS 4230, our immuno-oncology program, is gaining momentum, highlighted by the recent initiation of combination therapy evaluation. Our results this quarter demonstrate the strong and resilient company we have carefully built over the years, with important medicines driving an expected topline in excess of $1 billion and a diverse development portfolio of late-stage product candidates, each with the potential to impact the practice of medicine and change the growth trajectory of the company. As we head into the fourth quarter, the business is well positioned for growth and the opportunities ahead."

07:10 EDT Alkermes reports Q3 Vivitrol sales $79.9M vs. $69.2M last year - Reports Q3 Aristada sales $36.1M vs. $24.5M last year. The company said, "The third quarter was highlighted by the launch of ARISTADA INITIO, the newest addition to the ARISTADA product family. This new offering is resonating with healthcare providers and the early trends are encouraging. ARISTADA INITIO further differentiates ARISTADA in the market and provides an opportunity to address unmet patient need. We are also making important strides with VIVITROL as the product continues to grow and as policymakers continue to activate in their response to the opioid crisis. We look forward to providing updates on our progress."

07:09 EDT Spectrum receives FDA approval for KHAPZORY for injection - Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved KHAPZORY for injection, a folate analog for three indications: Rescue after high-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with osteosarcoma. Diminishing the toxicity associated with overdosage of folic acid antagonists or impaired methotrexate elimination. The treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with fluorouracil. KHAPZORY is not indicated for the treatment of pernicious anemia and megaloblastic anemia secondary to lack of vitamin B12 because of the risk of progression of neurologic manifestations despite hematologic remission. Spectrum is currently evaluating strategic options on the launch of KHAPZORY. Product supply will be available in January.

07:08 EDT JetBlue sees FY18 CASM ex-fuel up 0.75%-1.75% - For the full year 2018, JetBlue expects year over year CASM ex-fuel to be between 0.75% and 1.75%. The headwind from the pilot contract to CASM ex-fuel for the full year 2018 is expected to be equal to 1.3 points. "We are on track to hit our 2018 plan despite the added pressure from reducing our capacity in the second half. We will continue to find opportunities to mitigate these pressures, in addition to the savings from the Structural Cost Program that build each quarter. We continue to see sequential improvement in our underlying non fuel costs, and reached an inflection point during the second half this year, as we execute our Structural Cost Program. We are confident we can deliver on our 2019 commitments made at Investor Day, and are on track to achieve our 0-1 CASM CAGR through 2020," said CFO Steve Priest.

07:07 EDT Myriad Genetics reports publication of Foresight carrier screen study - Myriad Genetics announced that results from a large clinical utility study using the Foresight Carrier Screen were published in the journal Genetics in Medicine. The key finding is that expanded carrier screening prompted changes in pregnancy management that resulted in fewer births affected with serious genetic diseases. Foresight is the market-leading ECS and tests for more than 175 serious and clinically-actionable conditions. This study assessed the impact of ECS on planned and actual pregnancy management in the largest population of at-risk couples studied to date. 391 ARCs reported their actions and pregnancy management. The results show that among those screened before becoming pregnant, 77 percent planned or pursued actions to avoid having an affected offspring. Among those screened while pregnant, 37 percent elected prenatal diagnostic testing for that pregnancy, similar to the proportion of couples who choose prenatal diagnostic testing after screening positive for Down syndrome. Additionally, 166 subsequent pregnancies were reported by ARCs screened previously. Of these, 35 percent of pregnancies were achieved through in vitro fertilization with preimplantation genetic testing, effectively preventing the risk of an affected pregnancy.

07:06 EDT Casi Pharmaceuticals acquires HBV ANDA from Laurus Labs - CASI Pharmaceuticals announces that it has acquired a U.S. FDA-approved abbreviated new drug application from Laurus Labs Limited. The drug, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, is indicated for the treatment of hepatitis B virus. As part of the transaction, CASI will make certain upfront and milestone payments in different phases. There are more than 90M chronic carriers of hepatitis B in China which accounts for roughly one-third of all HBV chronic carriers in the world, with TDF currently as the first line therapy.

07:05 EDT JetBlue sees Q4 capacity up 7.5%-9.5%, RASM up 1%-4% - Capacity is expected to increase between 7.5% and 9.5% year over year in the fourth quarter 2018. The fourth quarter guidance includes a previously-announced 2.0 point ASM reduction to mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices. RASM growth is expected to range between 1.0% and 4.0% for the fourth quarter 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. CASM ex-fuel is expected to decrease between (3.5)% and (1.5)% for the fourth quarter of 2018. CASM ex-fuel for the fourth quarter includes a 3.0 point headwind related to the pilot contract.

07:04 EDT Imprimis' Melt Pharmaceuticals unit initiates clinical program for MK Melt - Melt Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, announced that following the presentation of clinical data on the MKO Melt from a 611-patient IRB approved prospective, controlled, randomized, three arm comparator study at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting this month, additional studies on Melt's drug candidates will soon begin. Both new studies, along with an upcoming Pre-IND meeting with FDA, which is scheduled for this coming January, will inform the clinical development programs Melt expects to begin during 2019. The objective of the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of the MK Melt study is to establish the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of midazolam and ketamine following administration of the patented MK Melt in up to twenty-five healthy volunteers under an IRB approved protocol with informed consent. These measurements will identify the time course of effects of the MK Melt in relation to the concentrations of its component drugs in the body. The study will define a window of sedation for the MK Melt in the volunteers, which will provide vital information for physicians and anesthesiologists related to the duration and quality of sedation. This study is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2018. The Pharmacodynamics of the MKO Melt During Oral Surgery & Dental Procedures multicenter clinical study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the MKO Melt for conscious sedation during dental surgery. There are eight participating sites with investigators that include leading oral maxillofacial surgeons, internationally acclaimed pioneers in dental procedures, and faculty members in dental medicine education from leading teaching institutions. This study anticipates at least 100 participants to be recruited and that the inclusion criteria will provide for a wide range of population groups at each participating center. The objective of this study is to evaluate the MKO Melt for management of pain/discomfort and anxiety during dental procedures and surgery. We anticipate that the multiple measures of sedation and satisfaction in this protocol provide a robust study design and will allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn. This study is expected to be completed in the second or third quarter of 2019.

07:00 EDT Harley-Davidson reports Q3 global Motorcycle unit sales down 7.8% y/y - U.S. sales were down 13.3% from last year and International were up 2.6% from last year. Q3 operating margin 5.8% vs. 1.8% last year.

07:00 EDT BeyondSpring trading halted, news dissemination

06:59 EDT Fifth Third sees Q4 NII on an FTE basis up about 2% from Q3 - Sees Q4 NIM on an FTE basis up 2-3bps from Q3. Sees Q4 commercial loans up modestly from Q3, with consumer flat from Q3. Sees Q4 noninterest income up about 2% from adjusted Q3. Sees Q4 noninterest expense up about 1% from Q3 assuming the FDIC surcharge remains. Sees Q4 effective tax rate 16.75%-17.25%. Sees tax rate run rate beyond 2017 15.25%-15.75%. Sees Q4 net charge offs generally stable from Q3. Guidance taken from slides presentation ahead of Q3 earnings conference call. :theflyonthe

06:57 EDT New Relic opens first European Region in Frankfurt - New Relic (NEWR) announced that it has opened its first European Region, located in Frankfurt, Germany. Powered by the IBM (IBM) Cloud, New Relic's European Region expands the company's ability to deliver New Relic products to customers in Germany and across the broader European Union.

06:56 EDT Harley-Davidson reports Q3 global Motorcycle sales 59.2M, down 7.8% y/y - U.S. sales 36.2M, down 13.3% from last year. Internatioanl sales 23.0M, up 2.6% from last year. Q3 operating margin 5.8% vs. 1.8% last year.

06:55 EDT Quest Diagnostics down 4.2% after reporting Q3 results, cutting FY18 guidance

06:50 EDT TransUnion raises FY18 outlook

06:42 EDT Boston Scientific prevails in Edwards Lifesciences German litigation - Boston Scientific (BSX) announced the District Court of Dusseldorf, Germany has determined that Edwards Lifesciences' (EW) Sapien 3 Ultra device infringed a patent - established by Symetis SA, a subsidiary of Boston Scientific - specific to the fabric used on the valve seal, specifically the German part of European Patent, or EP, 2 949 292 B1. The Dusseldorf Court ruled in preliminary injunction proceedings that Boston Scientific has the right to enjoin Edwards and its German subsidiary from offering and selling Sapien 3 Ultra in Germany. The infringement and injunction decision can be appealed by Edwards. In 2017, Edwards' currently-available Sapien 3 device was found to infringe two Boston Scientific patents by the same Court. Those rulings, which have been appealed by Edwards, enable Boston Scientific to enjoin Sapien 3 from the German market. The company has not yet exercised that option. "We are pleased with the steady cadence of European court rulings which uphold and validate our TAVR intellectual property against competitive encroachment," said Desiree Ralls-Morrison, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, Boston Scientific. "Defending our patents is a core necessity which allows us to continue to innovate and offer differentiated technologies to hospitals, physicians and their patients."

06:40 EDT Aerie begins operation at GMP-validated manufacturing facility - Aerie Pharmaceuticals announced that it has built and commenced operation of its GMP, or Good Manufacturing Practices,-validated manufacturing facility for production of ophthalmic implants using the proprietary PRINT, or Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates, Technology platform. As a result of the compact footprint and efficiency of the PRINT manufacturing process, the custom-designed 1,000 sq. ft. laboratory provides adequate capacity to produce all of the clinical product supply necessary for Aerie's two lead development programs focused on retinal diseases. Aerie has also completed its expansion at the headquarters location in Durham, North Carolina, by occupying the entire building at 4301 Emperor Boulevard. The headquarters facility now comprises a total of more than 61,000 sq. ft. and houses nearly 70 employees, making it Aerie's largest office in the United States.

06:32 EDT Xerox raises FY18 operating cash flow view to $1.0B-$1.1B from $900M-$1.1B - Raises FY18 free cash flow view to $900M-$1.0B from $750M-$950M. Along with increasing its free cash flow guidance, Xerox is also increasing its share repurchase expectations for 2018 to $700M from $500M.

06:11 EDT Innovus Pharmaceuticals: GlucoGorx products eligible for Medicare reimbursement - Innovus Pharmaceuticals announced that its GlucoGorx Blood Glucose Monitoring System and GlucoGorx Blood Glucose Test Strip products have become eligible for Medicare reimbursement. Specifically, the two products have been approved as Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System numbers E0607 and A4253 products respectively after review by the Pricing, Data Analysis, and Coding Contractor for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The company will begin working with multiple leading hospitals and other providers on potentially adding these products to their formularies and with certain high physician prescribers to start recommending these products to their patients.

06:05 EDT Walmart expanding shipping perks for shoppers ahead of the holidays - Walmart said in a statement: "When customers shop Walmart.com, they trust us for low prices and free two-day shipping on the items they buy every day. And, regardless if the item is shipped by Walmart or a third-party, marketplace seller, we know they expect the same, seamless shopping experience. With that in mind, we're making two significant changes to our marketplace shopping experience. We're working with our marketplace sellers to make millions of items available for free two-day shipping without a membership fee and simplifying the returns process for items purchased from marketplace sellers, including launching the ability to facilitate returns of these items at any one of our 4,700 stores. The improvements will begin to roll out this November, just in time for the holiday season. Two years ago, we launched free two-day shipping with no membership fee on millions of items that customers buy the most on Walmart.com. Customers love the offer and the ability to get products quickly without having to pay an annual fee. In the coming months, you will see millions of additional items with the two-day free shipping label as we work with hundreds of our high-performing marketplace sellers to extend the offer to their eligible items. A great product return experience is a top contributor to overall customer satisfaction and repeat purchases, so we're simplifying the process for marketplace items - all a customer has to do is log in to his or her Walmart account, print out a return label and ship back to the seller. o make it even more convenient for the 140 million customers who shop our stores weekly, we are launching the ability to return eligible marketplace items in store."

05:32 EDT New Oriental Education reports Q1 student enrollments up 13.2%

05:20 EDT Biogen, UCB announce topline results from Phase 2b study of DZP - UCB and Biogen announced top-line results from a Phase 2b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of dapirolizumab pegol, or DZP, an anti-CD40L pegylated Fab, in adults with moderately-to-severely active systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, despite receiving standard-of-care treatment such as corticosteroids, anti-malarials and non-biological immunosuppressants. The primary endpoint of the study to demonstrate a dose response at 24 weeks on the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group, or BILAG,-based Composite Lupus Assessment, or BICLA, was not met. The study did demonstrate consistent and potentially meaningful improvements for the majority of clinical endpoints in patients treated with DZP compared with placebo. In addition, biomarker data demonstrated evidence of proof of biology. DZP was well tolerated and demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. Biogen and UCB continue to further evaluate these data while assessing potential next steps. The companies expect to present this data at a future scientific forum.