Stockwinners Market Radar for November 01, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:12 EDT Synchrony responds to Walmart lawsuit that alleged breach of contract - Synchrony (SYF) issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit recently filed by Walmart (WMT) in United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas: "This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt by Walmart to exert leverage and avoid the contractually defined process for valuing the loan portfolio that Synchrony has serviced on behalf of millions of Walmart customers for the last 20 years. It is unfortunate that, despite our good faith efforts to resolve this commercial dispute amicably and in accordance with the contract, Walmart walked away from discussions and rushed to file suit. Ultimately, Walmart is trying to avoid paying the fair market value for the portfolio as required by our contract. We believe Walmart's complaint is completely baseless and without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend our position. Synchrony applied the same underwriting and decision-making processes to the Walmart portfolio as it does to all portfolios. The credit performance of the portfolio was simply driven by the credit distribution of the applicants, the relative performance of Walmart cardholders and Walmart's failure to promote the program. While we would have preferred to resolve this matter commercially, Synchrony intends to file substantial claims that will demonstrate Walmart failed in the most basic elements of our contract, including its promotion of the card program both in stores and online. While this is clearly an attempt by Walmart to avoid paying the fair market value for the portfolio, we are committed to enforcing the terms of our contract."

19:11 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Exelixis (EXEL) up 13.0%... Caesars (CZR) up 12.0%... Energy Recovery (ERII) up 9.4%... Symantec (SYMC) up 8.4%... Arista Networks (ANET) up 8.4%... Cardtronics (CATM) up 8.2%... Starbucks (SBUX) up 8.1%... Gran Tierra (GTE) up 7.8%... MasTec (MTZ) up 7.5%... SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) up 7.3%... NIC Inc (EGOV) up 7.1%... Tesaro (TSRO) up 6.7%... Acacia Communications (ACIA) up 5.8%... California Resources (CRC) up 5.0%... Host Hotels (HST) up 3.0%... Fluidigm Corp (FLDM) up 2.5%... Live Nation (LYV) up 2.5%... Inphi Corp (IPHI) up 2.0%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Universal Display (OLED) down 27.5%... Weight Watchers (WTW) down 14.6%... GoPro (GPRO) down 14.1%... Carbonite (CARB) down 10.7%... Chemours Co (CC) down 8.1%... Terex (TEX) down 7.9%... Kraft Heinz (KHC) down 7.5%... Shake Shack (SHAK) down 7.2%... Fortinet (FTNT) down 6.2%... Axcelis Tech (ACLS) down 6.1%... Apple (AAPL) down 6.1%... Teladoc (TDOC) down 4.3%... Pixelworks (PXLW) down 4.2%... Cerus (CERS) down 4.0%... Fluor Corp (FLR) down 3.0%... SM Energy (SM) down 2.9%... Rogers Corp (ROG) down 2.7%... Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) down 1.9%... RealPage (RP) down 1.6%... Allscripts (MDRX) down 1.2%... Tanger Factory Outlet Center (SKT) down 0.9%. ALSO LOWER: Alkermes (ALKS) down 8.9% after FDA panel voted not to support approval of NDA for ALKS 5461... Microvision (MVIS) down 4.6% after equity offering.

18:58 EDT Tortoise Energy reports unaudited total assets approximately $2.2B at Oct. 31 - Reports unaudited net asset value was $1.3B, or $24.71 per share.

18:46 EDT Tortoise Pipeline reports unaudited total assets approximately $242.3M - Tortoise Pipeline reported that as of Oct. 31, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $242.3M and its unaudited net asset value was $170.7M, or $17.04 per share.

18:32 EDT Alkermes says FDA panel does not support approval of NDA for ALKS 5461 - Alkermes announced that the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, appointed by the U.S. FDA, met to review the company's New Drug Application for ALKS 5461. The committee jointly voted that the benefit-risk profile was not adequate to support approval (Vote: 2 Yes/ 21 No). ALKS 5461 is a once-daily, oral investigational medicine with a novel mechanism of action for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder in patients with an inadequate response to standard antidepressant therapies. "We were disappointed and surprised by the FDA's characterization of the safety and efficacy data for ALKS 5461 and the resulting outcome of the Advisory Committee vote, particularly for the patients, their families and treatment providers who need and deserve access to novel therapies that work differently than currently available antidepressants," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people suffering with serious mental health conditions, and will continue to work with the FDA as it completes its review of the ALKS 5461 regulatory submission." Advisory committees provide the FDA with independent expert advice and recommendations on the safety and efficacy of potential new medicines. The advisory committee's recommendation, while not binding, will be considered by the FDA in its review of the NDA that Alkermes has submitted for ALKS 5461. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date for the ALKS 5461 NDA of Jan. 31, 2019. The NDA submission for ALKS 5461 is based on results from a clinical efficacy and safety package with data from more than 30 clinical trials and more than 1,500 patients with MDD. Throughout the clinical development program, ALKS 5461 demonstrated a consistent profile of antidepressant activity, safety and tolerability in the adjunctive treatment of MDD.

18:25 EDT Tortoise Power & Energy reports unaudited total assets $141.6M as of October 31 - Tortoise Power & Energy reported that as of Oct. 31, its unaudited total assets were approximately $196.4M and its unaudited net asset value was $141.6M, or $20.37 per share.

18:11 EDT Caesars says searching both internally and externally for new CEO - Says CEO transition does not change M&A plans.

17:59 EDT Caesars says continues to expect 'healthy cash flows'

17:54 EDT Starbucks expects Nestle deal to become accretive in 2020 ahead of guidance - Starbucks (SBUX) says partnership with Alibaba (BABA) creates new digital offerings for customers. Says transitioned over 500 partners to Nestle (NSRGY) as part of Global Coffee Alliance. Says expects Nestle deal to become accretive in 2020 ahead of prior guidance. Sees $2B in capital expenditures in FY19. Says pleased with growth in China.

17:51 EDT Caesars lowers FY18 hold adjusted EBITDAR outlook to $2.32B-$2.37B - Prior view was $2.37B-$2.42B. Cites weaker than expected performance in 3Q, primarily in Las Vegas. Says in Las Vegas, 4Q in-house Group revenues and citywide Group business remains solid, implying increased hotel revenues YoY. Currently ~100,000 additional 4Q room nights on the books in Las Vegas versus the same time last year, an increase of 7% at this time.

17:43 EDT Freeport McMoRan director Courtney Mather sells 75K shares of company stock - Freeport McMoRan director Courtney Mather disclosed in a filing that he had sold 75,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $11.15 per share on October 30. The total transaction value of the sale was $836,250.

17:40 EDT Manulife Financial to issue Normal Course Issuer Bid - Manulife intends to launch a Normal Course Issuer Bid permitting the purchase for cancellation of up to 40 million of its common shares, representing approximately 2% of Manulife's issued and outstanding common shares. As at October 31, Manulife had 1,984,717,426 common shares issued and outstanding. Manulife believes that the purchase of Manulife common shares at recent market prices is an appropriate investment by Manulife since, in its view, recent market prices do not reflect the underlying value of Manulife's business.

17:36 EDT D.E. Shaw reports 5.0% passive stake in Aclaris Therapeutics

17:28 EDT Starbucks says enhancing in-store experience is the number one priority - Says has special focus on reversing negative transaction trend. Says beverage performance es driven by cold brew. Says will unveil holiday collection a week earlier this year. Says new stores in China receive "best in class" returns. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

17:24 EDT Pembina Pipeline enters agreements to backstop development of new pipeline - Pembina Pipeline is pleased to announce that it has entered (directly and through its joint venture affiliates) into long-term, take-or-pay agreements to backstop development of new pipeline and processing infrastructure totaling approximately $1.3B. These agreements include related service for liquids transportation on Peace Pipeline, natural gas transmission service and fractionation services at Pembina's Redwater Facility. The agreements announced today include a significant milestone for Pembina - the first integrated deal utilizing Pembina's full value chain including natural gas gathering, processing and transmission; propane-plus and condensate transportation; and propane-plus fractionation, including assets acquired through the acquisition of Veresen Inc. in October 2017. Collectively, these new projects extend Pembina's current portfolio of secured projects from $1.9 billion to $3.1 billion. In aggregate, the $3.1 billion of secured projects are expected to generate run rate Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $300 to $450 million per year.

17:09 EDT SM Energy reports Q3 production .0 MMBoe, or 130.2 MBoe/d - As previously announced, third quarter production and realized prices were strong. Production was 12.0 MMBoe, or 130.2 MBoe/d, exceeding the company's expectations primarily due to strong well performance and increased processed NGL volumes. Realized pricing (before the effects of hedges) averaged $38.26 per Boe, benefiting from high benchmark oil and NGL prices and despite an increased Midland-WTI differential. For the first nine months of 2018, production was 32.6 MMBoe, or 119.4 MBoe/d and realized pricing (before the effects of hedges) averaged $38.15 per Boe.

17:06 EDT Apple CEO says company had 'best September quarter ever' - Says had "best September quarter ever." Says "record" results from iPhone, services, and wearables drove growth in Q4. Says 2018 was a "big year" for iPhone. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

17:04 EDT Constellation Brands investment in Canopy Growth closes - Constellation Brands and Canopy Growth Corporation announced the closing of Constellation's $4B investment in Canopy Growth, which was previously announced on August 15. The transaction was approved by an overwhelming majority of Canopy Growth shareholders and has been granted all required regulatory approvals, including by the Canadian government under the Investment Canada Act. This investment provides Canopy Growth with significant funding needed to build scale in the more than 30 countries currently pursuing federally permissible medical cannabis programs, while establishing the foundation needed to supply new recreational adult-use markets as cannabis becomes legal in markets around the world. With this investment, Constellation Brands increases its ownership interest in Canopy Growth to approximately 37% of outstanding common shares of Canopy Growth and has appointed two members of its executive team, as well as two independent directors, to the board of Canopy Growth. Constellation estimates the interest expense associated with this transaction to approximate $55M before tax with an approximate 25c impact on FY19 comparable basis EPS results. Constellation also continues to evaluate the potential equity in earnings impact from the Canopy Growth investment and related items.

16:58 EDT RTI Surgical to acquire Paradigm Spine in up to $300M deal - RTI Surgical and Paradigm Spine announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby RTI will acquire all outstanding equity interest of Paradigm Spine in a cash and stock transaction valued at up to $300 million, consisting of $150 million at closing plus potential future milestone payments. RTI believes this transaction underscores its significant progress executing against its strategic transformation to reduce complexity, drive operational excellence and accelerate growth. Under the terms of the agreement, RTI shall pay $100 million in cash and 10,729,614 shares of RTI common stock at closing. The potential milestone payments are payable in a combination of cash and RTI common stock. The shares of RTI stock to be issued at closing were valued based on the volume weighted average closing trading price of RTI common stock on the NASDAQ for the five business trading days prior to the date of execution of the definitive agreement, representing $50 million of value. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of RTI and the Board of Managers of Paradigm Spine, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and applicable regulatory approvals, including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act as well as approval by RTI shareholders and Paradigm Spine equity holders. Certain shareholders of RTI and certain equity holders of Paradigm Spine have each executed support agreements in favor of the transaction. The transaction is expected to be accretive to RTI EBITDA within 12 months of closing. RTI intends to fund the cash portion of the consideration with approximately $100 million in new, fully-committed debt financing, to be provided by Ares Capital Corporation.

16:57 EDT U.S. Steel sees FY18 adjusted EBITDA approximately $1.8B

16:56 EDT Walker & Dunlop acquires iCap Realty Advisors in Atlanta - Walker & Dunlop announced that it has acquired iCap Realty Advisors, a mortgage banking firm based in Atlanta, Georgia that provides debt placement solutions for all commercial real estate asset classes. iCap services approximately $2B of life insurance company loans, substantially all of which will be added to Walker & Dunlop's servicing portfolio before year end. iCap's five bankers and brokers and their support staff have joined Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets group, including Managing Directors Alfie Means and David Collie, who will oversee the team's origination activities. The team has historically originated between $700M-$1B of annual brokered volume through a broad range of capital providers.

16:55 EDT U.S. Steel announces $300M share repurchase authorization - United States Steel Corporation announced enhancements to its capital allocation strategy, which include a $300M share repurchase authorization and redemption of all of its outstanding 2020 Senior Notes.

16:53 EDT Adverum Biotechnologies to discontinue ADVM-043 development - Adverum Biotechnologies provided a program update for its gene therapy product candidates. The company announced its decision to discontinue the development of ADVM-043, an investigational AAVrh.10-based gene therapy for the treatment of A1AT deficiency. Based on the review of the ADVANCE Phase 1/2 study, the data did not demonstrate the potential to reach M-protein threshold levels of 11microM.

16:51 EDT Bridgepoint Education: University of the Rockies, Ashford merger finalized - Bridgepoint Education announced that following the approval by the WASC Senior College and University Commission on June 29, 2018, to merge Ashford University and University of the Rockies, the United States Department of Education approved all the programs that were offered at University of the Rockies to be eligible for Title IV of the Higher Education Act at Ashford University effective October 5, 2018. The Department closed University of the Rockies on October 29, 2018. Along with the required corporate filings, this completes the merger of Ashford University and University of the Rockies. Merging the two universities into one brings together Ashford's associate and baccalaureate programs, both universities' master's programs, and University of the Rockies' doctoral programs under the Ashford University name.

16:50 EDT Weight Watchers down 12.2% after reporting Q3 earnings, giving FY18 guidance

16:49 EDT Ryerson sees 'continued good demand conditions in the U.S.' in Q4 - Ryerson management anticipates continued good demand conditions in the U.S. for the fourth quarter of 2018, as economic indicators on balance remain favorable in the manufacturing economy. The U.S. industrial production index, as measured by the Federal Reserve, has remained elevated through September registering year-over-year monthly growth of 5.1%, the highest growth attained since December 2010. Overall, Ryerson expects tons shipped in the fourth quarter of 2018 to decline less than the 7% average decline from the third quarter to the fourth quarter experienced during the past 5 years, as measured by the MSCI.

16:47 EDT Cirrus Logic CEO saw strong Q3 demand for portable audio components - CEO Jason Rhode says: "Cirrus Logic delivered Q2 revenue significantly above guidance as we experienced solid demand for our portable audio components ahead of customer product launches. While we are pleased with our results, we remain focused on executing on our product roadmap and expanding share with new and existing customers. As we move into FY20, we believe the company is well positioned to capitalize on the increasing demand for compelling audio, voice and haptic products which we expect to contribute to our return to year-over-year revenue growth."

16:45 EDT Pacific Biosciences trading resumes

16:42 EDT Arista Networks up over 11% afterhours following Q3 earnings beat

16:41 EDT Arista Networks reports Q3 gross margin 64.6% vs. 64.4% last year

16:38 EDT Aimco sees Q4 AFFO 50c-54c

16:36 EDT Apple says Q4 Services revenue up 27% when excluding favorable adjustment - Apple said in tonight's earnings release, "Services revenue reached an all-time high of $10 billion. Excluding a one-time favorable adjustment of $640 million recognized in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, Services revenue grew from $7.9 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 to $10 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, an increase of 27 percent."

16:35 EDT Apple CEO highlights 'record-breaking quarter' in earnings comments - Apple CEO Tim Cook said in tonight's earnings release, "We're thrilled to report another record-breaking quarter that caps a tremendous fiscal 2018, the year in which we shipped our 2 billionth iOS device, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the App Store and achieved the strongest revenue and earnings in Apple's history. Over the past two months, we've delivered huge advancements for our customers through new versions of iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac as well as our four operating systems, and we enter the holiday season with our strongest lineup of products and services ever." CFO Luca Maestri added, ""We concluded a record year with our best September quarter ever, growing double digits in every geographic segment. We set September quarter revenue records for iPhone and Wearables and all-time quarterly records for Services and Mac. We generated $19.5 billion in operating cash flow and returned over $23 billion to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases in the September quarter, bringing total capital returned in fiscal 2018 to almost $90 billion."

16:33 EDT EOG Resources to sell all of its U.K. operations - EOG reached an agreement to divest all of its U.K. operations. Closing is anticipated in the fourth quarter 2018.

16:33 EDT Ampco-Pittsburgh commences restructuring of manufacturing footprint - Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation announced that it has completed a sale of the Vertical Seal division of Akers National Roll Company, an indirect subsidiary of Ampco-Pittsburgh, to Roser Technologies Inc. Vertical Seal manufactures custom-designed parts and provides specialty services to rolling mill customers located throughout North America. Ampco-Pittsburgh acquired Vertical Seal as part of its acquisition of Akers AB and certain of its affiliated companies in March 2016. Vertical Seal is located in Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, and has 65 employees. The disposition of this business is in line with the execution of Ampco-Pittsburgh's strategy to concentrate on its core businesses.

16:32 EDT Apple reports Q4 iPad units 9.7M vs. 10.33M units last year - Reports Q4 Mac units 5.3M vs. 5.39M last year.

16:31 EDT BioDelivery Sciences announces expanded preferred coverage for Belbuca - BioDelivery Sciences International announced that a leading U.S. pharmacy benefit manager has added Belbuca buccal film to their national preferred formulary list effective November 1. Belbuca is currently indicated in the U.S. for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.

16:29 EDT OvaScience provides merger update - OvaScienceSM and Millendo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for orphan endocrine diseases, announced that the companies have updated the terms of their merger agreement and increased the size of the associated financing, strengthening the position of the combined company. Great Point Partners has joined the previously-disclosed investor syndicate, which includes New Enterprise Associates, Frazier Healthcare Partners, and Roche Venture Fund, among others, bringing the total expected proceeds of the financing to approximately $50 million in the combined company, at the same valuation as the merger. Together with the approximately $37 million in net cash expected from OvaScience at closing, the total proceeds of the merger and financing are expected to be approximately $87 million. The proceeds will fund the further development of Millendo's lead assets, livoletide and nevanimibe. The financing and merger are expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018. In conjunction with the additional investment by Great Point Partners, the estimated exchange ratio in the merger agreement has been revised, giving OvaScience securityholders greater ownership of the combined company - now with a post-money valuation of approximately $246 million - than pursuant to the former exchange ratio. On a pro forma basis, current OvaScience securityholders will own approximately 17% of the combined company, current Millendo securityholders (assuming the Millendo option pool is fully allocated) will own approximately 63% of the combined company (exclusive of participation in the associated financing), and investors participating in the financing will acquire approximately 20% of the combined company, in each case excluding the available OvaScience option pool and certain out-of-the-money options and subject to adjustment based on OvaScience's anticipated net cash balance at the time of closing. The proposed transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to the approval of OvaScience shareholders at a special shareholder meeting on December 4, 2018, as well as other customary conditions. The financing with Great Point Partners depends on a separate registration statement being declared effective unless such condition is waived.

16:28 EDT LaSalle Hotel sees Q4 RevPAR Growth for full portfolio of 4.5%-6.0% - Sees Q4 RevPAR Growth ex. Key West of 3.0% to 4.5%.

16:25 EDT Aileron Therapeutics announces clinical trial collaboration - Aileron Therapeutics announced an agreement with Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for an open-label, multi-center, pediatric phase 1 clinical trial of ALRN-6924, Aileron's lead clinical candidate. In this investigator-initiated trial, pediatric patients with solid tumors will receive ALRN-6924 as a single agent, while pediatric patients with acute leukemia will be treated with a combination of ALRN-6924 and cytarabine. In addition to these two dose-escalation cohorts, a third cohort of this trial will be biomarker-enriched with the intent of improving response rates with this precision medicine approach.

16:24 EDT Kaman lowers FY18 outlook - CEO Neal Keating said, "Based on our third quarter results and the expected shift of additional sales into 2019, we are revising our outlook for the remainder of the year. The most significant change is the delay of a Joint Programmable Fuze DCS order. We expected to ship this order late in the fourth quarter; however, due to increasing uncertainty around the timely receipt of U.S. government approvals and the limited shipment windows due to the nature of the product, we have elected to move this transaction out of our 2018 Outlook. We are moving forward with production and if the receipt of approvals allows us to meet our transportation schedule we will ship these fuzes in the fourth quarter. While we are disappointed by this potential delay, the JPF program, with record backlog and high levels of demand, remains a key growth platform as we move into 2019...In Distribution, based on our performance through the first nine months of the year, we are modestly revising our sales outlook to $1.135 billion to $1.155 billion, while revising our expectations for operating margin to 4.8% to 4.9%, or 4.9%* when adjusted for the restructuring and severance costs. At Aerospace we now expect sales in the range of $705.0 million to $725.0 million, with operating margins of 12.4% to 12.7%, or 14.9% to 15.1% adjusted*. A significant portion of the downward revision in our sales and margin expectations is the result of a shift of product sales out of 2018 into 2019, including the JPF DCS order referenced by Neal, the completion of our SH-2 program with Peru, and delayed shipments of our bearing products. We are increasing our expectation for Corporate expense to $62.0 million, or $60.0 million when adjusted for $2.2 million of costs associated with corporate development activities incurred in the third quarter, which included costs associated with due diligence on a significant specialty bearings acquisition we elected not to pursue. The adjusted corporate expense number is consistent with our prior corporate expense outlook for the year."

16:23 EDT AquaVenture acquires interests of AUC Acquisitions for roughly $130M - AquaVenture Holdings Limited announced that it completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of AUC Acquisitions Holdings, LLC for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $130M, including approximately $128M cash and 121,956 AquaVenture ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided in the purchase agreement.

16:22 EDT Kaman reports non-cash impairment charge of $10.0M at Aerospace

16:22 EDT FDA panel votes 20-3 against effectiveness of Alkermes depression drug - An FDA advisory committee this afternoon voted 20 to 3 that Alkermes' ALKS 5461 didn't show substantial evidence of effectiveness as a proposed adjunctive treatment for major depression. Shares of Alkermes remain halted. The panel also voted 13 to 10 that Alkermes adequately characterized safety of the drug, according to CNBC's Meg Tirrell.

16:19 EDT FDA panels votes 20-3 against effectiveness of Alkermes depression drug - An FDA advisory committee this afternoon voted 20 to 3 that Alkermes' ALKS 5461 didn't show substantial evidence of effectiveness as a proposed adjunctive treatment for major depression. Shares of Alkermes remain halted.

16:15 EDT MetLife announces new $2B buyback - MetLife announced that its board of directors has approved a new $2 billion authorization for the company to repurchase its common stock. In May 2018, MetLife announced a $1.5 billion repurchase authorization and the company has bought back approximately $1 billion of its common stock under that board authorization.

16:13 EDT Sol-Gel announces additional collaborative agreement with Perrigo - Sol-Gel Technologies (SLGL) announced it has entered into a collaborative agreement with Perrigo Israel, an affiliate of Perrigo Company (PRGO), for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of a generic product candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, Perrigo will seek regulatory approval with the FDA for this generic product candidate. If approved by the FDA, Perrigo has agreed to commercialize the generic product candidate in the United States. Sol-Gel and Perrigo will share the development costs and the gross profits generated from the sales of the generic product candidate, if approved.

16:11 EDT Histogenics, FDA continue to discuss NeoCart Phase 3 data, regulatory pathway - Histogenics Corporation provided an update on the NeoCart regulatory pathway based on preliminary feedback from the Type C meeting held with the FDA on October 30. At the meeting, the top-line results from the NeoCart Phase 3 clinical trial and the potential for the submission of a Biologics License Application, or BLA, were discussed. Following the meeting, the FDA and Histogenics continue to discuss the clinical data generated to date, the potential need for any additional supplemental clinical data and potential alternative regulatory pathways for the BLA to be accepted. The FDA has not made a final decision regarding a potential BLA submission and based on expected feedback from the FDA, Histogenics intends to provide a further update on these negotiations by the end of November.

16:09 EDT Starbucks CEO says 'virtually every critical operating metric' improved in Q4 - "Starbucks record Q4 performance reflected meaningful improvement in virtually every critical operating metric compared to Q3. As we enter fiscal 2019, we are executing against a clear growth agenda, with a focus on our long-term growth markets of the U.S. and China. We are also excited about the long-term growth potential of our new Global Coffee Alliance with Nestle. I'm incredibly proud of our 350,000 Starbucks partners around the world and pleased with the continued progress in our growth agenda," said CEO Kevin Johnson.

16:08 EDT Canada Goose buys Baffin for CAD32.5M - Canada Goose Holdings announced that it has acquired Baffin, a Canadian designer and manufacturer of performance outdoor and industrial footwear, for a purchase price of $32.5 million Canadian dollars subject to customary closing adjustments. The transaction is being funded with available cash on hand and the issuance of $1.5 million Canadian dollars of restricted subordinate voting shares to the seller.

16:07 EDT Gladstone Land acquires fig, pistachio orchard in California - Gladstone Land Corporation announced that it has acquired a 951-acre farm in Madera County, California, for $23.0M. The farm includes approximately 715 acres of fig trees and 224 acres of pistachio trees, all of which are in mature production. In connection with the acquisition, the company also entered into an 8-year, triple-net lease with The Specialty Crop Company, Inc., reported to be the largest grower of fresh and dried figs in the world.

16:06 EDT CBS CEO says company 'continues to deliver for our shareholders' - "CBS continues to deliver for our shareholders and execute our long-term growth strategy," said Joe Ianniello, President and Acting Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. "We turned in our best third quarter ever in revenue and EPS, and we remain on track to achieve our 2018 outlook, with revenue growth in the high-single digits and EPS growth in the high teens. At CBS and Showtime, our must-have programming is driving subscriber increases across all platforms, especially on our own direct-to-consumer streaming services, leading to a new record in total subscribers. We are also significantly expanding our suite of over-the-top services through the recent launch of ET Live and the pending launches of 10 All Access in Australia and CBSN New York, with more international and local outlets on the way. Meanwhile, we've just taken another key step in refilling our content pipeline with a new, strong primetime schedule on the CBS Television Network, where we have ownership in five of our six new shows. And at Showtime, we continue to enhance our year-round content slate by adding key programming in entertainment, documentaries, and sports, where we have become the clear industry leader in boxing. Up ahead, 2019 looks to be another outstanding year, with the Super Bowl and Final Four back on CBS, strong gains in retrans and reverse comp, and continued growth in our direct-to-consumer streaming services, which are on track to reach a combined eight million subs, a year ahead of our original projections. Overall, we are confident that our strategy of growing CBS' leadership position as a global multi-platform premium content company will lead to even greater creative and financial heights in the years to come."

16:05 EDT Allscripts down 2% after reporting Q3 earnings, giving FY18 guidance

16:04 EDT Caesars CEO Mark Frissora to leave company - Caesars Entertainment announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Frissora is leaving the company, having led a successful operational and financial transformation and established a platform for future growth. To support a seamless transition, Frissora will remain in his current role until February 8, 2019.

16:01 EDT eXp World Holdings appoints Jeff Whiteside CFO - eXp World Holdings announced that Jeff Whiteside is joining the company in a dual role as CFO and Chief Collaboration Officer. eXp World Holdings is the holding company for eXp Realty. Jeff brings more than 30 years of finance and operations experience, including running divisions of General Electric and successfully integrating acquisitions at Pitney Bowes.

15:32 EDT Barclays names Nigel Higgins to succeed John McFarlane as Chairman - Barclays announces that John McFarlane will retire as Chairman of Barclays in May 2019, and that Nigel Higgins has been appointed to succeed him, subject to regulatory approval by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority. McFarlane will step down as a Non-Executive Director and as Chairman of Barclays with effect from the conclusion of the Barclays AGM on May 2, 2019, at which point Higgins will assume the role of Chairman, having joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director on March 1, 2019. Higgins is currently Deputy Chairman of Rothschild & Co., having been Managing Partner and co-chairman of the Group's Executive Committee until September 1 of this year.

14:57 EDT Eaton Vance authorizes repurchase of up to 8M shares - The board of Eaton Vance Corp. authorized the repurchase of up to 8.0M shares of the company's non-voting common stock. The authorization replaces the January 11, 2017 authorization under which the company repurchased approximately 6.9M shares.

14:33 EDT Tandem Diabetes rises after Medtronic FLAIR study said to be delayed - According to a post to ClinicalTrials.gov that was last updated on November 1, 2018, the Fuzzy Logic Automated Insulin Regulation, or FLAIR, study, which will investigate Medtronic's (MDT) 670G hybrid closed loop system and advanced hybrid closed loop system in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes, is estimated to start on March 30, 2019. According to an email from Craig-Hallum analyst Alexander Nowak, the trial was previously expected to start on September 1, 2018. Nowak has previously stated his belief that Tandem Diabetes (TNDM) is leading in terms of having the best automation and most discreet pump with Basal IQ, Control IQ launching within the next year and a 75% smaller pump than market leader Medtronic in the final stages of development. In afternoon trading, Tandem Diabetes shares are up $3.07, or 8.2%, to $40.68, while shares of another challenger in the space, Insulet (PODD), are up $2.47, or 2.8%, to $90.68. Reference Link

13:20 EDT Polymet Mining trading resumes

13:07 EDT PolyMet Mining reports receipt of permit to mine from State of Minnesota - Poly Met Mining, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PolyMet Mining Corp., reports it has received its Permit to Mine from the State of Minnesota, which it calls "a crucial permit for construction and operation of the NorthMet Project in northeastern Minnesota." The company stated: "PolyMet's Permit to Mine is the first non-ferrous mining permit to be issued in the State of Minnesota. The Department of Natural Resources also issued all other permits for which the company has applied including dam safety, water appropriations, takings, and public waters work permits, along with Wetlands Conservation Act approval. These permits were issued after the company demonstrated that its designs meet strict state environmental standards and at the conclusion of an extensive public input process." The Minnesota Pollution Control agency says it will make final air and water permit decisions before the end of the year; the federal Record of Decision and wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are expected to follow thereafter. Site preparation and rehabilitation of the former LTV Steel Mining Company processing facilities, which the company acquired in 2005-06, will occur through the winter and early spring as the company prepares to modernize those facilities to process ore for the NorthMet project. The bulk of work will start with the 2019 construction season and is expected to be approximately 24-30 months and require about two million construction hours.

12:50 EDT Travelport falls after reporting quarterly results, guidance - Shares of travel commerce platform Travelport (TVPT) are trading lower after the company reported mixed third quarter results. REVENUE MISS: The company delivered Q3 earnings per share of 31c, ahead of analyst estimates of 28c. The company missed on revenue, reporting $623M against analyst expectations of $633.53M. The revenue shortfall was partly attributable to a decrease in Air revenue of $13M, or 3%. The decrease in Travel Commerce Platform revenue in Asia Pacific of $5M, or 3%, includes the loss of revenue resulting from the loss of a large Pacific-based travel agency. GUIDES TO LOWER END OF RANGES: Travelport's guidance ranges for 2018 are unchanged from those ranges initially communicated on February 20, but the company did specify that management sees net revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow to be at the lower end of their respective ranges. CEO COMMENTARY: "Our business momentum is being tempered by some specific customer headwinds. We remain well positioned for longer-term profitable growth given our commercial wins and the ongoing investments we're making in the key areas that differentiate us, including our industry-leading travel content; our search, merchandising and shopping capabilities; and our leading mobile, data and payments solutions," said CEO Gordon Wilson. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Travelport are down over 8% to $13.74 in afternoon trading.

12:34 EDT Interactive Brokers reports October DARTs up 41% y/y - Interactive Brokers Group reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for October. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 986,000 Daily Average Revenue Trades, 41% higher than prior year and 22% higher than prior month. Ending client equity of $133.9B, 11% higher than prior year and 6% lower than prior month. Ending client margin loan balances of $28.8B, 14% higher than prior year and 6% lower than prior month. Ending client credit balances of $50.9B, including $1.7B in insured bank deposit sweeps1, 7% higher than prior year and 0.2% higher than prior month. 585,000 client accounts, 26% higher than prior year and 2% higher than prior month. 383 annualized average cleared DARTs per client account. Average commission per cleared client order of $3.79 including exchange, clearing and regulatory fees.

12:04 EDT Polymet Mining trading halted, news pending

12:01 EDT NY Times rises on subscriber growth as JPMorgan sees momentum continuing - Shares of New York Times (NYT) have jumped after the company reported better than expected third quarter results and strong subscriber growth. Notably, the Times' 203,000 total net new digital-only subscriptions represents the highest gain in digital subscribers in a quarter since the "Trump bump" in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017 after the presidential election. Commenting on the announcement, JPMorgan analyst Alexia Quadrani told investors that she is "extremely encouraged" by the results and sees momentum continuing on digital subscriber additions. QUARTERLY RESULTS: New York Times reported third quarter adjusted earnings per share of 15c and revenue $417.35M, both above consensus of 11c and $408.54M, respectively. The number of digital subscribers showed a net increase of roughly 203,000, with 143,000 of those signing on for digital new products and the remainder paying for the company's cooking and crossword features. Operating profits rose 30% to $41.4M in the period. Mark Thompson, president and CEO, said, "This was a strong third quarter for the company. [...] We passed two significant milestones, and now have more than 3M digital-only subscriptions and more than 4M total subscriptions. We're executing on our subscription-first strategy; this quarter, subscription revenues accounted for nearly two-thirds of the company's revenues. We're investing aggressively in our journalism, product and marketing and are seeing tangible results in our digital growth. Turning to advertising, as expected, we are seeing a much stronger second half of the year. We had an exceptional third quarter with digital advertising up 17% and growth of 7% in total advertising." Responding to a question during its earnings conference call from JPMorgan's Quadrani regarding potential subscription drivers, including stories that may have caused a spike in adds, the company highlighted the "important role" played by the $1 per week promotion. NY Times also acknowledged that "there were some spikes" during the quarter related to specific stories, namely "the anonymous editorial, the story about family separation at the border and the one on the Trump family." MOMENTUM TO CONTINUE: In a post-earnings note, JPMorgan's Quadrani pointed out that NY Times reported third quarter earnings with revenue, adjusted operating profit, and EPS all ahead of consensus and her estimates. Most notably, the analyst noted that digital subscriber net adds in the quarter were 203,000 compared to her 130,000 estimate, with the core news product adding 143,000 and digital other adding 60,000. The 143,000 net adds for news compares to 68,000 in the second quarter, and is the best quarter for the company since the "Trump bump" driven first quarter of 2017, Quadrani contended. Overall, the analyst said she is "extremely encouraged" by these results and sees momentum continuing on digital subscriber additions helped by the current elevated news cycle and the midterm elections. Quadrani has an Outperform rating on the shares. 'FAILING' NEW YORK TIMES: Last month, Trump criticized a NY Times investigation into his and his family's use of "dubious tax schemes" over the years and the origins of his own wealth, calling the article an "old, boring and often told hit piece." In a tweet, the President said "The Failing New York Times did something I have never seen done before. They used the concept of "time value of money" in doing a very old, boring and often told hit piece on me. Added up, this means that 97% of their stories on me are bad. Never recovered from bad election call!" This is not the first time Trump called the publication the "failing New York Times." Denouncing what he referred to as a "gutless editorial" posted by the New York Times in September, in which an unnamed administration official alleged that advisers to the President were intentionally attempting to thwart his misguided impulses from the inside, Trump tweeted: "Does the so-called "Senior Administration Official" really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!" PRICE ACTION: In late morning trading, shares of New York Times gained 7.5% to $28.39.

12:00 EDT Encana falls -16.0% - Encana is down -16.0%, or -$1.64 to $8.61.

12:00 EDT Installed Building Products rises 19.6% - Installed Building Products is up 19.6%, or $5.98 to $36.44.

12:00 EDT Fitbit rises 26.3% - Fitbit is up 26.3%, or $1.24 to $5.97.

11:31 EDT Volkswagen reports October U.S. sales up 4.6% to 29,000 units - Volkswagen of America reported sales of 29,000 units in October, an increase of 4.6% over October 2017. Led by Atlas and Tiguan, SUVs made up 43% of VWoA's sales. The total of 12,419 SUVs sold last month marks a 38% increase over October 2017, when SUV sales made up just 33 percent of sales, the company noted.

11:04 EDT Heico unit acquires Specialty Silicon Products; terms not disclosed - HEICO Corporation announced that its Electronic Technologies Group acquired Specialty Silicone Products in an all cash transaction. HEICO stated that it expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings in the year following the purchase. Further financial terms and details were not disclosed.

10:51 EDT abercrombie kids announces partnership with Giuliana Rancic - abercrombie kids, a division of Abercrombie & Fitch, is excited to announce a partnership with television personality, entrepreneur and mother, Giuliana Rancic. Rancic and her son, Duke, have teamed up with the retailer to design exclusive items to be featured in the Everybody Collection, a gender-neutral line that first launched in January 2018. In addition to the collection, Giuliana will be supporting key moments in the brands marketing calendar, such as Black Friday and the upcoming holiday season. This includes her visiting stores and making special appearances. In addition to the collection, Giuliana will be supporting key moments in the brands marketing calendar, such as Black Friday and the upcoming holiday season. This includes her visiting stores and making special appearances.

10:20 EDT Karyopharm to present results of clinical studies investigating selinexor - Karyopharm Therapeutics announced that ten abstracts have been selected for presentation, including three oral presentations, at the upcoming American Society of Hematology 2018 Annual Meeting being held December 1-4, 2018 in San Diego. Four key abstracts to be presented at the meeting will feature clinical data for selinexor, the Company's first in class, oral SINE compound, from Karyopharm-sponsored trials. The presentations will include: top-line results from the Phase 2b SADAL study in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, additional data from the pivotal Phase 2b STORM study in patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma, and updated data from the Darzalex and Pomalyst arms of the Phase 1b/2 STOMP study of selinexor in combination with backbone therapies for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In addition to top-line data from the SADAL study, this year's ASH meeting will also feature updated data from the STORM study in an oral presentation. As part of this presentation, data from an independent database of patients with heavily pretreated myeloma will also be presented, further underscoring how poor the prognosis is for patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma. In October 2018, the U.S. FDA accepted Karyopharm's New Drug Application for selinexor seeking accelerated approval as a new treatment for patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma. The FDA has assigned a Priority Review and given an action date of April 6, 2019 under the Prescription Drug User-Fee Act. Other key abstracts at the meeting include data from two arms of the Phase 1b/2 STOMP study. There will be an oral presentation with updated data from the arm evaluating selinexor in combination with Darzalex and low-dose dexamethasone. In previously reported data, the once weekly SDd combination without a proteasome inhibitor or immunomodulatory drug demonstrated high response rates in the patient population as a doublet regimen. Finally, a poster presentation will highlight updated data from the arm evaluating selinexor in combination with Pomalyst and low-dose dexamethasone. In data reported previously from these arms, selinexor demonstrated evidence of synergistic anti-myeloma activity when combined with these standard approved therapies.

10:08 EDT Honda reports October U.S. sales down 4.1% to 122,182 units - Honda noted that electrified vehicles had best month on record, exceeding 6,000 retail sales for the second month in a row, and Honda Pilot sales climbed 31% for its best October sales.

10:03 EDT Crocs announces partnership with multi-platinum recording artist Post Malone - Crocs announced a product collaboration with multi-platinum-recording artist Post Malone. The Post Malone x Crocs Dimitri Clog features a take on the iconic Classic Clog and includes six custom-designed Jibbitz charms. The limited-edition style will be available starting today for $59.99 at crocs.com.

10:00 EDT John Bean Technologies falls -15.7% - John Bean Technologies is down -15.7%, or -$16.37 to $87.60.

10:00 EDT ION Geophysical falls -20.4% - ION Geophysical is down -20.4%, or -$2.41 to $9.40.

10:00 EDT Fitbit rises 22.1% - Fitbit is up 22.1%, or $1.05 to $5.78.

09:47 EDT Ford reports October U.S. sales down 3.9% to 192,616 units - Ford Motor reported October U.S. sales totaled 192,616 vehicles, representing a 3.9% decline. Ford said its overall average transaction prices reached "record levels" of $36,800 in October, up $1,400 from last year. "Ford F-Series surpassed 70,000 trucks sold for the eighth consecutive month in October, on sales of 70,438 pickups," the company noted. "Our strategy to prioritize our trucks, SUVs and vans is paying off with October running at record level transaction pricing. Our sales mix continues to heavily favor these products, which last month represented 81% of sales," stated Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

09:47 EDT Floor & Decor rises 17.3% - Floor & Decor is up 17.3%, or $4.42 to $30.00.

09:45 EDT Ford reports October U.S. sales down 3.9% to 192,616 units

09:38 EDT Toyota reports October U.S. sales up 1.4% to 191,102 units - Toyota Motor North America reported October sales of 191,102 units. With one more selling day in October 2018 compared to October 2017, sales were up 1.4% on a volume basis and down 2.5% on a daily selling rate basis. Toyota division posted October sales of 168,386 units, up 1.7% on a volume basis and down 2.2% on a DSR basis. Lexus posted October sales of 22,716 units, down 0.8% on a volume basis and down 4.6% on a DSR basis.

09:32 EDT MasterCard, Accion partner to transform underserved microbusinesses - Mastercard and global non-profit Accion announced a first-of-its-kind partnership to bring their worldwide networks and resources together to transform millions of underserved micro and small businesses around the world. Through insights, innovations and investments, the organizations will power microbusinesses to successfully operate in, and benefit from, the digital economy, leading to greater financial inclusion, economic growth and job creation. Micro-merchants, such as grocers and 'mom and pop' stores, operate largely in cash rather than safe and secure digitally-enabled transactions. And often, these businesses and the financial services providers that serve them are constrained by onerous, manual processes that are slow and expensive. Without automated tools to accurately record business interactions store owners struggle to build valuable credit history. This potentially leads to higher default rates, restricted lending, and presents obstacles for the individuals hoping to one day expand their businesses. By introducing digital technology, services and training, Mastercard and Accion will help high potential microbusinesses increase revenues and achieve greater financial security for the individuals and families who depend on them, catalyzing greater economic opportunities for the communities they serve.

09:24 EDT Pyxis Tankers regains compliance with Nasdaq - Pyxis Tankers announced that it has regained compliance with the Nasdaq's continued listing requirements regarding the minimum closing bid price.

09:23 EDT Overstock.com subsidiary signs second MOU with government of Rwanda - Overstock.com announced that its blockchain-meets-property rights subsidiary, Medici Land Governance, has signed its second memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with an African nation to develop a blockchain-based platform to manage land governance and property rights. This latest MOU has been signed with the Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority, or RLMUA, and the Rwanda Information Society Authority, or RISA, to implement Medici Land Governance's technology to move Rwanda to a paperless, secure, corruption-proof, blockchain-based system of land governance. Medici Land Governance, or MLG, will help Rwanda's government incorporate blockchain and other technologies into its existing systems, developing a paperless system that relies on electronic signatures and digital lodging of surveys for the administrative processes that affect land rights and transfers. This system will facilitate increased direct interaction among government entities and private landowners, utilizing the decentralized and distributed blockchain to ensure secure transfer of assets and records. MLG will also help Rwandan officials refine existing land governance processes, including streamlining the links among the relevant courts, government registries, and public institutions. In addition, MLG will create interfaces with the country's tax authorities and the country's existing land administration information system to ensure smooth workflows and to reduce and eliminate delays in processing.

09:19 EDT Precipio announces agreement with PerkinElmer to provide liquid biopsy solutions - Precipio announced an agreement with PerkinElmer to jointly offer Precipio's ICE COLD-PCR, or ICP, mutation enrichment technology together with PerkinElmer's NextPrep-Mag cell-free DNA isolation kit, Janus G3 liquid handling workstation, and chemagic MSM I, chemagic 360, and chemagic prime platforms. The agreement involves collaborative commercial efforts that include joint development and implementation of promotional material, instructions for use, product-supported development of scientific white papers and posters, reciprocal sales & customer training and exhibits at trade shows and scientific conferences.

09:17 EDT DSP Group divesting Cordless segment could have been 'good idea in the past' - During the Q&A portion of the Q3 earnings conference call, management was asked if they would consider divesting the Cordless segment. Management said they are always looking for creative ideas to improve but divesting Cordless would have been a "very good idea in the past" but management expects Cordless will stop being a major factor that could swing results next year. "We're a growth company, today... Of course, we're very much open if there's any interest," management said. Comments provided during Q3 earnings conference call.

09:11 EDT FuelCell enters into power purchase agreement for 7.4 MW fuel cell project - FuelCell Energy announced the signing of long-term power purchase agreements with the local distribution utilities. The PPAs will cover a 7.4 megawatt fuel cell project in the city of Hartford that was one of the projects awarded in June 2018 by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in a competitive solicitation. The fuel cell project will provide infrastructure investment in the city of Hartford, which is expected to drive local economic development and environmental improvement through state sales tax and the local property taxes generated, as well as create and maintain high-tech manufacturing and construction jobs in Connecticut. The PPA agreements have been forwarded to the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for final authorization.

09:08 EDT Adobe forecasts $124B in U.S. online sales this holiday season - Adobe released its online shopping predictions for the 2018 holiday season powered by Adobe Sensei. Based on Adobe Analytics data, Adobe predicts that U.S. online sales will increase 14.8 percent, totaling $124.1 billion, while offline retail spending is expected to increase a modest 2.7 percent. Cyber Monday will set a new record as the largest- and fastest-growing online shopping day of the year with $7.7 billion in sales, a 17.6 percent increase year over year. Online sales between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Pacific Time on Cyber Monday are expected to drive more revenue than an average full day in 2018, with conversions hitting the highest rate of the year, 7.3 percent, during these golden hours of online retail. Thanksgiving Day sales are expected to increase by 16.5 percent, generating $3.3 billion. Nearly one out of five dollars this holiday season will be spent between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, generating $23.4 billion or 19 percent of total online sales. One extra calendar day between Cyber Monday and Christmas Day will give retailers a $284 million boost in sales. A record number of days will hit new revenue milestones, with 36 days surpassing $2 billion compared to just 22 days in 2017. Most anticipated gifts include 4K TVs, retro video games and consoles, as well as toys like Pomsies, Grumblies and Fortnite Monopoly. Retailers with online and physical footprints are expected to see 28 percent higher conversion online in comparison to retailers lacking a traditional storefront. Adobe Analytics data anticipates shoppers increasingly buying online and picking up items in-store during the holiday season. BOPIS has increased 119 percent since January 2018 across all retailers and over 250 percent for large retailers. A survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers shows nearly half expect to browse in-store for a product they intend to buy online later, jumping to 58 percent among millennials.

09:07 EDT Target reveals Black Friday deals - Target is celebrating the kickoff to the holiday shopping season with the reveal of its highly anticipated Black Friday ad, with select deals available today only. Additionally, team members at Target stores across the country can now use their handheld devices to offer guests speedy, convenient checkout service from anywhere in the store. Guests also can save all season long with the return of Target's popular Weekend Deals beginning Saturday, Nov. 10 through Saturday, Dec. 15, and on hundreds of deals everyday with Cartwheel, including daily deals on popular toys and brands kids love through November. Beginning today, guests will find the lowest prices of the season on select items in Target's Black Friday ad, which can be viewed at Target.com/Black Friday. For guests who want to get a jump-start on holiday shopping, Target is offering select Black Friday deals across toys, electronics, home and more, in stores and on Target.com today only. Deals are available in all stores until they close today, Nov. 1, and on Target.com until 11:59 p.m. PST. There are many ways for guests to take advantage of Target's Black Friday deals. For those who prefer to shop online, the Black Friday deals go live early in the morning of Thanksgiving on Target.com. For the millions of guests who love to make shopping part of their holiday tradition, stores will be open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving until 1 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, and open again on Friday morning at 7 a.m. For guests who want to score Black Friday deals but prefer to pick them up later, Order Pickup will be available for select items on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and for the first time, Drive Up, a free, same-day service enabling guests to order in the Target app and have their items brought to their car, will be available on Black Friday. Guests who shop Black Friday deals at Target will get an added bonus: When they spend $50 in store or online or scan the wallet feature in the Target app in stores on Friday, Nov. 23, guests will receive a coupon for 20 percent off a future holiday shopping trip, redeemable from Nov. 27 through Dec. 8. Also, to help guests prepare for their Black Friday shopping, once again this year, Target will offer localized store maps in the Target app. These maps clearly identify where specific Black Friday deals are located within each Target store, allowing guests to effectively plan their shopping trip. Guests can access a map for their local Target store beginning Sunday, Nov. 18.

09:06 EDT Blackstone's Apria Healthcare to distribute Medela's wound therapy - Blackstone announced that Apria Healthcare, a privately held company owned by a group of investment limited partnerships managed by affiliates of Blackstone, will begin distributing Medela's negative pressure wound therapy product line on a national basis. Under the terms of the agreement, Apria will expand its wound care portfolio to include the full line of Medela's negative pressure wound therapy products. Apria will offer the Medela products through its more than 300 local branch offices and its nearly 1,900 commercial payers and preferred provider arrangements.

09:04 EDT Lowe's extends Black Friday shopping experience starting November 1 - Lowe's announced that customers won't have to wait until Black Friday to score seasonal savings. An incredible selection of competitive deals in multiple must-have categories are available online and in stores beginning November 1, with daily deals to be rolled out throughout the entire month of November. Daily deals on leading smart home technologies, kitchen essentials, home upgrades and more will be revealed throughout the month, in addition to even more savings on tools, appliances and decor. Customers can visit Lowes.com to shop all deals available now and find new savings rolling out throughout November.

09:03 EDT Nucor recommends shareholders reject mini-tender offer from TRC Capital - Nucor announced that it has received notice of an unsolicited mini-tender offer by TRC Capital for the purchase of up to 2M shares of Nucor common stock at a price of $53.75 per share, which is below the current market price. Nucor does not endorse TRC Capital's offer. Furthermore, Nucor recommends that stockholders reject the offer and not tender their shares in response because the offer is at a price below the current market price for Nucor shares and is subject to many conditions. TRC Capital's offer price is approximately 4.2% below the closing share price of Nucor common stock ($56.13) on October 26, 2018, the last trading day prior to the date the offer commenced. The offer is for approximately 0.6% of Nucor's outstanding shares. TRC Capital's offer states that it may terminate or amend the offer if, among other things, the market price of Nucor's common stock declines or if TRC Capital fails to obtain financing necessary. Nucor is not associated with TRC Capital, its offer or the mini-tender offer documentation.

08:57 EDT Gol Linhas raises 2018 EPS view to 5c-15c from 3c-10c - 2018 EPS view may not compare to consensus ($1.21). Backs 2018 revenue view R$11.5B, consensus is USD$803.19M. Backs 2018 average load factor view of 79%80%.

08:56 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Acadia (ACHC), up 5% after NY Post reports KKR (KKR) is close to winning auction bidding for the company. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Teva (TEVA), up 6%... DowDuPont (DWDP), up 5%... Floor & Decor (FND), up 15%... NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), up 6%... Fitbit (FIT), up 12%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Wayfair (W), down 17%... U.S. Concrete (USCR), down 7%... Tempur Sealy (TPX), down 10%... WPX Energy (WPX), down 2%.

08:51 EDT Conduent's Transportation unit selected by Calgary for transportation upgrade - Conduent's business unit Conduent Transportation will upgrade Calgary Transit's operations. Under a new five-year contract, Conduent will make various improvements to the public transit systems in Calgary. Starting in 2019, the company will modernize more than 220 legacy ticket vending machines throughout the city to provide riders an enhanced experience using new touch screen displays and to support a roadmap for future payment options. Calgary Transit's existing software will also be upgraded to Conduent's ticketing system.

08:47 EDT Steel Connect delays 10-K filing for 2018 - Steel Connect has not yet filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31 due to delays in finalizing its Accrued Pricing liability, which has remained unadjusted since the fiscal period ending July 31, 2015. This delay relates to a non-cash liability of $18.9M, which, if reversed, may cause a restatement of prior period earnings as an increase to other income. Questions regarding this matter, as well as certain other items, have delayed the completion of the audit of the company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal period ended July 31. The company is continuing to work with its auditors to resolve these matters and finalize the audit.

08:44 EDT Bioanalytical Systems names John Sagartz as Chief Strategy Officer - Bioanalytical Systems announced the appointment of John E. Sagartz, DVM, PhD, DACVP, as the company's Chief Strategy Officer. Dr. Sagartz founded and led Seventh Wave Laboratories for over fifteen years prior to BASi's acquisition of its operations in July of this year.

08:37 EDT CHF Solutions enters collaboration with Daxor for potential synergies - CHF Solutions (CHFS) announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Daxor (DXR) to explore potential synergies between the company's Aquadex FlexFlow System and Daxor's BVA-100 Blood Volume Analyzer. The company believes that the two technologies can be used together to assess a patient's fluid volume status and assist in informing on the clinical management of a fluid overloaded patient. The collaboration will initiate with a small clinical evaluation of the benefits of blood volume measurement and its potential to inform ultrafiltration therapy management with the company's Aquadex FlexFlow system. Published data has shown that 24% of fluid overloaded patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days and approximately 50% within six months. The companies intend to determine synergies of using the BVA-100 to assist in informing clinicians on fluid volume status including patient selection, when to start ultrafiltration therapy, and how to manage therapy to achieve positive clinical results for patients.

08:34 EDT Surmodics appoints Teri Sides as CMO - Surmodics announced Teri Sides has joined Surmodics as SVP and chief marketing officer, effective November 1, 2018. Prior to joining Surmodics, Teri served as Founder and CEO of Projectory, a consulting firm that provides strategic marketing services to med tech clients, ranging from start-ups to global businesses. As CMO, Sides will be responsible for developing and driving strategic growth initiatives and will be a member of the senior leadership team reporting directly to Gary Maharaj, CEO.

08:32 EDT ADP, Intuit expand relationship - ADP (ADP) announced expanded integration with Intuit (INTU) QuickBooks adding enhanced General Ledger Interface mapping directly through Accountant Connectsm . This new interface, combined with enhanced Compensation Benchmarking, powered by ADP DataCloud, will enable accountants to provide a better service and add value to their clients. Through shared values and a commitment to creating industry-leading innovation, ADP and Intuit are better positioning accountants for the future; allowing them to provide a more comprehensive experience to their clients. Users will be able to access complete self-service GLI mapping for improved integration with Quickbooks. The new feature also enhances the interface with many other popular accounting software platforms, helping to improve the lives of accountants and their clients. By streamlining routine processes, the GLI technology helps increase efficiencies for accountants and their clients. Additional enhancements to general ledger integration are expected in early 2019.

08:19 EDT Gilat Satellite to provide the ground network for China Satcom's ChinaSat-18 - Gilat Satellite's ground network will be provided for China Satcom's ChinaSat-18. The nationwide Ka-band coverage, now to be provided by CS-18 and ChinaSat-16, will be supported by Gilat's single platform supporting multiple applications all over China. China Satcom's CS-18 Ka-band will be launched in mid-2019.

08:18 EDT S&W Seed acquires certain assets and assigned contracts of Chromatin - S&W Seed announced that it has acquired certain assets and assigned contracts of Chromatin, a U.S.-based sorghum operator which entered into receivership earlier this year. The purchase price was $26.5M. CEO Wong concluded, "S&W has a defined plan in place to recognize significant sales and cost synergies that we believe will position the acquired operations to be a significant contributor of profits in fiscal 2020 and beyond."

08:16 EDT Worthington names Joseph Hayek as VP, CFO - Worthington Industries announced that Joseph Hayek has been named VP and CFO. Andy Rose, previously president and CFO will continue as company president. In 2017, Hayek was named general manager of the company's oil & gas equipment business.

08:16 EDT Ladenburg's Highland subsidiary acquires assets of Four Seasons Financial Group - Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services announced that its Highland Capital Brokerage subsidiary has acquired certain assets of Four Seasons Financial Group, an independent insurance and annuity distribution company located in Marlton, New Jersey. The acquisition further demonstrates Ladenburg's ability to leverage its nationwide scale and resources to reinforce its position in the increasingly vital insurance and annuity space. Founded in 1993 by James J. Sorebo, Four Seasons Financial Group is a national distributor of annuities, life insurance, hybrid long-term care insurance products and product design with a focus on the institutional market, and has developed its network by recruiting and training bank and broker/dealer registered representatives nationwide. The acquisition is expected to both expand and deepen the services and solutions Ladenburg's insurance and annuity platform offers, while expanding its presence in the institutional segment through FSFG's existing selling agreements with over 200 banks and independent broker-dealers, as well as with other firms representing more than 5,000 financial advisors. The Ladenburg insurance and annuity platform encompasses Highland, a national brokerage firm providing comprehensive support and product solutions to financial advisors and insurance professionals, as well as Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services, a national distributor of annuity solutions for independent financial advisors. Highland's acquisition of assets of FSFG builds on the acquisition by LTAIS in September this year of key assets of Kestler Financial Group, a leading independent distribution company focused on annuities, life insurance, long-term care insurance and disability insurance. Under the terms of the transaction, the FSFG team will operate from their current headquarters in Marlton, NJ, as part of Highland. James Sorebo will become part of the Highland management team, effective immediately.

08:14 EDT Rockwell Medical names Angus Smith as CFO - Rockwell Medical announced that Angus Smith has been appointed as CFO of the company, effective at the end of November 2018. Smith will be responsible for overseeing all financial operations and investor relations activities for the company. Smith will join Rockwell Medical from Pernix Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of prescription drugs, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Principal Financial Officer.

08:13 EDT Blackstone makes investment in iCapital Network - iCapital Network announced that Blackstone has made an investment in the company's latest financing round.

08:12 EDT Phillips 66, Renewable Energy report plans for renewable diesel facility - Phillips 66 (PSX) and Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REGI) announced that planning is underway for the construction of a large-scale renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast. The plant would utilize REG's proprietary BioSynfining technology for the production of renewable diesel fuel. Planned feedstocks include a mix of waste fats, oils and greases, including regionally-sourced vegetable oils, animal fats and used cooking oil. The new facility would be constructed adjacent to the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery in Washington state. This announcement follows more than a year of collaboration between Phillips 66 and REG related to site selection and preliminary engineering. The companies expect to make a final investment decision in 2019. If approved, production at the new facility is currently premised to start in 2021.

08:11 EDT Novan data from SB206 Phase 2 trial published in Journal of Drugs in Dermatology - Novan announced that data from the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating SB206, a topical nitric oxide-releasing product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts caused by human papillomavirus, have been published in the October 2018 issue of Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, a peer-reviewed journal in dermatology with high readership and exposure to approximately 14,500 dermatology healthcare professionals. Results from the Phase 2 clinical trial conducted in 108 patients with external genital and/or perianal warts were initially announced in November 2016 and presented during a Late-breaking Research forum at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. As detailed in the manuscript, the percentage of patients who experienced complete clearance was higher for SB206 treatment groups than for vehicle groups, with the greatest difference seen between SB206 12% once-daily and vehicle once-daily. The most effective dose, SB206 12% once-daily, was well tolerated. None of these patients had recurrence during the trial period.

08:07 EDT KB Home continues exclusive strategic collaboration with Whirlpool - Whirlpool (WHR) announced the extension of its exclusive appliance collaboration with KB Home (KBH) for the next three years. This agreement builds on more than 25 years of collaboration between the companies. As a result, homes in all newly constructed KB Home communities will continue to be outfitted with Whirlpool and KitchenAid brand appliances.

08:06 EDT Whirlpool announces new global collaboration with Disney - Whirlpool (WHR) and The Walt Disney Company (DIS) announced that Whirlpool brand will be the Official Kitchen and Laundry Appliance of Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. With this new relationship, Whirlpool brand's innovative lines of kitchen and laundry products such as refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, cooktops, microwave ovens, clothes washers and clothes dryers will now have a presence in select Disney Vacation Club Villas at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. One bedroom or larger accommodations at Disney Vacation Club properties include full kitchens as well as clothes washers and dryers that help members feel at home while they experience a Disney vacation. Whirlpool appliances will also be used to outfit the Culinary Stage for cooking demonstrations at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival at Disneyland Resort. In addition, Whirlpool will align with Disney Digital Network to create exciting custom food and cooking based content throughout Disney's family of digital networks.

07:58 EDT Sanofi expands Insulins VALyou Savings Program - Sanofi has expanded its access program for people living with diabetes to include all Sanofi insulins, helping patients get the insulin they need at a significantly reduced price. Sanofi's Insulins VALyou Savings Program debuted earlier this year, offering qualifying patients the opportunity to obtain two of Sanofi's insulins at a set price. Beginning today, the program will now include all Sanofi insulins. Since its April launch, over 6,500 people living with diabetes have enrolled and taken advantage of the benefits of the program. This program is available at U.S. pharmacies and offers all Sanofi insulins at one set price: $99 for a 10 mL vial or $149 for a box of pens. For some people, the program could offer a savings of up to $3,000 per year.

07:53 EDT STAAR Surgical reports first Visian Toric ICL implanted in U.S. - STAAR Surgical announced the first patient implants of the company's Visian Toric Implantable Collamer Lenses, or TICLs, in the U.S. by Brinton Vision in St. Louis, Missouri, and Parkhurst NuVision in San Antonio, Texas. A select group of leading surgeons around the country began implanting TICLs soon thereafter, including Dr. Paul Dougherty in Los Angeles and Dr. Scott Perkins in Phoenix. The TICL was approved in the U.S. by the FDA on September 13, 2018, and the first patient implants occurred on October 22, 2018. The Visian TICL has been approved and available for patients outside of the U.S. since 2002.

07:48 EDT AzurRx BioPharma receives sanction for MS1819-SD study from TDN - AzurRx BioPharma announced that the company's Phase 2 study protocol to investigate MS1819-SD in cystic fibrosis, or CF, patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, has received sanction from the Therapeutics Development Network, or TDN, a collaborative network of CF clinical trial specialists supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Phase 2 multi-center study is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of MS1819-SD in a head-to-head manner against the current standard of care. Planned enrollment is expected to include 30 CF patients with study completion anticipated in 2019.

07:46 EDT Siga Technologies sells Tpoxx PRV for $80M - Siga Technologies announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its medical countermeasures priority review voucher, or PRV, for a lump sum payment of $80M. Siga was awarded the PRV in July upon approval by FDA of oral Tpoxx for the treatment of smallpox. The PRV was awarded by FDA under a provision that encourages development of medical countermeasures enacted as part of the 21st Century Cures Act.

07:44 EDT Ensign Group acquires Idaho skilled nursing facilities - The Ensign Group announced that it acquired the real estate and operations of two skilled nursing facilities in Idaho. The acquisition was effective November 1, 2018, and includes: Creekside Transitional Care and Rehabilitation, a 139-bed skilled nursing and 21-unit assisted living facility located in Meridian, Idaho; and Bennett Hills Rehabilitation and Care Center, a 44-bed skilled nursing facility located in Gooding, Idaho.

07:43 EDT Ensign Group acquires Texas senior housing communities - The Ensign Group announced that Bridgestone Living LLC, Ensign's assisted and independent living portfolio company, acquired the operations of four assisted living and memory care communities in Texas subject to a long-term lease. The acquisition was effective November 1, 2018.

07:41 EDT Wayfair sees long-term gross margin 25%-27%, adjusted EBITDA 8%-10% - In slides being presented on its Q3 earnings conference call, Wayfair provided long-term guidance, including gross margin of 25%-27% and adjusted EBITDA of 8%-10%. The company said strategic priorities include scaling logistics capabilities in warehousing, supply services, transportation and delivery; expanding the business in Canada, the U.K. and Germany; and further penetrating the TAM.

07:37 EDT Dominion increases cost estimates for Atlantic Coast Pipeline project - Dominion Energy provided cost and schedule updates on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Supply Header projects. The FERC stop work order and delays obtaining permits necessary for construction have impacted the cost and schedule for the project. As a result, project cost estimates have increased from a range of $6.0 to $6.5 billion to a range of $6.5 to $7.0 billion, excluding financing costs. Atlantic Coast Pipeline is pursuing a phased in-service approach with its customers, whereby we maintain a late 2019 in-service for key segments of the project to meet peak winter demand in critically constrained regions served by the project. ACP will be pursuing a mid-2020 in-service date for the remaining segments of the project. Abnormal weather and/or work delays (including delays due to judicial or regulatory action) may result in cost or schedule modifications in the future. The Supply Header project target in-service remains late 2019. "We have been constructing ACP in West Virginia and North Carolina and on October 19 we received the final Virginia permit required to petition FERC to be underway with full mainline construction in all three states," Farrell said. "Following approval from FERC of our Notice to Proceed filing, we will begin mainline construction in Virginia. We continue to achieve key milestones toward the successful completion of this critical energy infrastructure project and look forward to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers in time to meet peak demand for the 2019/20 winter season," said CEO Thomas Farrell.

07:36 EDT Dominion agrees to divest interest in Blue Racer Midstream for up to $1.5B - Dominion Energy announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to divest its 50% interest in the Blue Racer Midstream joint venture to First Reserve and affiliated investment funds for total consideration of up to $1.5B, including $1.2B of cash consideration and up to $300M in earn-out payments that would be payable from 2019 through 2021 based on Blue Racer Midstream's performance. The transaction is expected to close by year-end 2018 and initial proceeds will be used to reduce parent-level debt. "Blue Racer Midstream is a high-quality business with an extremely capable management team. However, this investment has become non-core to Dominion Energy as we continue to focus on regulated energy infrastructure. We have consistently indicated that a sale of Blue Racer would be opportunistic based on a compelling valuation and transaction structure. We are very pleased with the attractive valuation achieved through the competitive sale process which represents a multiple range of approximately 14 times to 16 times estimated 2018 EBITDA based on bookends of potential payments to be received under the earn-out structure. In concluding the credit improvement initiatives announced in March, we have sourced funds to reduce our parent-level debt by around $8 billion including equity issuance, non-core asset sales, and the Cove Point debt financing. As a result, we will achieve our target parent company credit objectives two years earlier than originally planned," said CEO Thomas Farrell.

07:34 EDT Aircastle raises quarterly dividend 7.1% to 30c per share - Payable on December 14, 2018 to shareholders of record on November 30, 2018.

07:32 EDT Sorrento Therapeutics announces first patients does in Phase 1 CD38 study - Sorrento Therapeutics announced that the first patients were dosed in a Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CD38 CAR-T therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients at two clinical sites. The CD38 CAR-T cells manufactured at both Sorrento cGMP facilities met all release specifications and were used in the study. This study is the first US-based clinical trial targeting CD38 using an autologous CAR-T cell therapy.

07:29 EDT Aptinyx completes enrollment in Phase 2 NYX-2925 study - Aptinyx announced enrollment completion for the company's Phase 2 study of NYX-2925 for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. NYX-2925 is a novel modulator of NMDA receptors and its development for painful DPN has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company expects to announce top-line data from the study early in the first quarter of 2019. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which subjects receive oral, once-daily dosing of either placebo or NYX-2925 for four weeks. The primary endpoint of the study is the change in subjects' average daily pain scores on the Numerical Rating Scale between the baseline period and the fourth week of treatment. Multiple dose levels of NYX-2925 are under evaluation in the study. Secondary endpoints include the effect of NYX-2925 on pain characteristics, sleep interference, and psychological state, as well as further assessment of safety and tolerability. The company is conducting the study across 35 sites in the U.S. and has achieved the targeted enrollment of 300 subjects.

07:25 EDT NuCana reports first patients enrolled in Phase 1B NUC-3373 study - NuCana announced the first patients have been enrolled in the NuTide:302 Study. This study is evaluating NUC-3373 in combination with other agents typically administered with 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. NUC-3373 is NuCana's ProTide transformation of the active anti-cancer metabolite of 5-FU. The NuTide:302 study was preceded by the first-in-human Phase I study of single-agent NUC-3373 in patients with advanced solid tumors. Initial results from NuTide:301 were presented in October 2018 at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in which NUC-3373 was observed to have had durable single-agent anti-cancer activity in patients who had exhausted all current standards of care. Furthermore, NuCana believes NUC-3373 demonstrated potential safety and dosing administration advantages as compared with 5-FU. In that study, three patients achieved durable Stable Disease with responses lasting more than nine months at the time of data cutoff. Both dosing regimens were observed to be well tolerated with no unexpected adverse events. Of particular note, no patients developed hand-foot syndrome, a common and debilitating side effect of fluoropyrimidine treatment. NuTide:302 is a two-part study of NUC-3373 administered every two weeks as an intravenous infusion. In part 1, NUC-3373 will be combined with leucovorin, with a plan to enroll 12 patients. In part 2, NUC-3373, with or without leucovorin, will be studied in separate combinations with oxaliplatin, oxaliplatin plus bevacizumab, oxaliplatin plus panitumumab and irinotecan, and irinotecan plus cetuximab, with six patients planned per cohort. The primary objective of the study is to identify a recommended dose of NUC-3373 in combination with standard agents used in treating advanced colorectal cancer. The study will also make a preliminary assessment of the anti-tumor activity of the combinations.

07:22 EDT OneMain Holdings still sees FY18 net receivables for C&I up 8%-10% - In slides being presented on its Q3 earnings conference call, OneMain backed its 2018 ending net receivables view for the C&I segment of up 8%-10%. Net charge-offs for C&I are still anticipated to be 6.5%-6.7%. The company sees FY18 operating expense up 5% and tangible leverage about 7.0x.

07:20 EDT AMC Networks completes acquisition of RLJ Entertainment - AMC Networks announced that it completed the acquisition of RLJ Entertainment after RLJ Entertainment's stockholders approved the transaction at a special meeting on October 31, 2018. AMC Networks acquired all of the shares of common stock of RLJE not owned by Robert L. Johnson, AMC Networks or their respective affiliates for approximately $59 million in cash, or $6.25 per share of common stock. RLJ Entertainment is now a privately-owned subsidiary of AMC Networks, with Mr. Johnson and his affiliates owning a stake of 17%. AMC says Acorn TV and UMC combined exceeded 900K paying subscribers at the end of Q3 and are now approaching 1M.

07:20 EDT Macau reports October casino revenue up 2.6% to 27.33B patacas - Macau's gaming bureau reported October gross revenue from games of fortune in the region rose 2.6% year-over-year to 27.33B patacas. Publicly traded companies in the Macau gaming space include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Melco Resorts (MLCO).

07:17 EDT Nova Measuring announces $25M share repurchase program - Nova announced that its Board of Directors has approved a $25M share repurchase program, to commence following the expiration of the current quarterly black-out period. Share repurchases, if any, will be funded with available cash.

07:16 EDT iKang Healthcare announces update on going private transaction - iKang Healthcare Group, made the following announcement regarding the proposed merger pursuant to the agreement and plan of merger dated as of March 26, 2018, as amended pursuant to Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of May 29, 2018 and Amendment No. 2 thereto dated as of September 25, 2018 by and among the Company, IK Healthcare Investment Limited and IK Healthcare Merger Limited. As previously disclosed, under the Merger Agreement, either the Company or Parent have the right to terminate the Merger Agreement if the Merger has not been completed by October 31, 2018. Accordingly, as the Termination Date has passed and the Merger has not been completed, either the Company or Parent may terminate the Merger Agreement at any time going forward. Under Section 7.02(e) of the Merger Agreement, the obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are subject to the condition that the holders of no more than 15% of the total issued and outstanding shares of the Company have validly served notices of objection under Section 238(2) of the Cayman Islands Companies Law to object to the Merger. As previously disclosed, such closing condition under Section 7.02(e) of the Merger Agreement is not satisfied, and thus, Parent and Merger Sub are not obligated to consummate the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.The Company has continued to request that Parent and Merger Sub waive the closing condition under Section 7.02(e). However, Parent and Merger Sub have not agreed to waive the closing condition. The Special Committee of the Board of Directors is continuing to engage in discussions with Parent and Merger Sub, and the Board of Directors of the Company is evaluating the Company's alternatives. The Company cautions its shareholders and others considering trading its securities that there is no indication or assurance that Parent and Merger Sub will waive the closing condition and proceed to consummate the Merger.

07:14 EDT Installed Building Products expands stock repurchase program by $100M - IBP's Board of Directors has approved an expansion of our stock repurchase program, effective as of November 5, 2018, pursuant to which the Company may repurchase up to an additional $100M of its outstanding common stock. The program will remain in effect until February 28, 2020, unless extended by the Board of Directors. The Board previously approved a stock repurchase program, effective as of March 2, 2018, for up to $50M of the Company's outstanding common stock and there is currently $7.2M of remaining availability for additional repurchases.

07:13 EDT Alkermes trading temporarily halted by Nasdaq - Alkermes announced that Nasdaq has temporarily halted trading of the company's ordinary shares. The joint meeting of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, appointed by the U.S. FDA, will meet today to review the company's New Drug Application for ALKS 5461. ALKS 5461 is a once-daily, oral investigational medicine with a novel mechanism of action for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder in patients with an inadequate response to standard antidepressant therapies.

07:11 EDT Syros Pharmaceuticals existing cash sufficient to fund requirements into 2020 - Based on its current plans, Syros believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2020.

07:09 EDT Wayfair reports 13.9M active customers, up 35% year-over-year - Reports number of active customers in Direct Retail business reached 13.9M as of September 30, 2018, an increase of 35.2% year over year. LTM net revenue per active customer was $443 as of September 30, 2018, an increase of 8.6% year over year. Orders per customer, measured as LTM orders divided by active customers, was 1.84 for the third quarter of 2018, compared to 1.75 for the third quarter of 2017.

07:06 EDT Manhattan Bridge Capital announces buy back of up to 100,000 of shares - Manhattan Bridge Capital announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a common stock repurchase plan allowing the buyback of up to 100,000 common shares in market or off-market transactions at prevailing prices over the next twelve months.

06:59 EDT Ultra Clean announces new organizational structure - Ultra Clean announced a new organizational structure. The new structure comes on the heels of the acquisition of Quantum Global Technologies supporting UCT's worldwide growth strategy. As of October 30, UCT will operate under two businesses: Semiconductor Products and Solutions, or SPS, and Semiconductor Services Business, or SSB. The SPS business will continue to focus on growing UCT's core business, ranging from design for manufacturability through to integration and test, for semiconductor equipment customers. The SSB business will aim to grow the cleaning, coating and refurbishment and micro-contamination analytical lab services business to the semiconductor industry more broadly. Joe Williams, formerly senior VP of customer business management for UCT, has been appointed executive VP and president of the Semiconductor Products and Solutions Business reporting to the CEO. Williams started his career as an engineer and transitioned into various management roles gaining deep expertise in operations, engineering, corporate business development and M&A. Scott Nicholas, former CEO and chairman of Quantum Global Technologies, has been appointed executive VP and president of the Semiconductor Services Business and will also be reporting to the CEO. Nicholas began his professional career nearly 40 years ago as a chemical process engineer.

06:54 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals says EPIDIOLEX now available in U.S. - GW Pharmaceuticals announced that EPIDIOLEX oral solution CV is now available in the U.S. for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older. EPIDIOLEX, which was approved by the U.S. FDA on June 25, 2018, is the first prescription pharmaceutical formulation of highly purified, plant-derived cannabidiol, a cannabinoid lacking the high associated with marijuana, and the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs.

06:51 EDT Lannett enters into distribution agreement for Vardenafil Hydrochloride Tablets - Lannett (LCI) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Rivopharm SA to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of Vardenafil Hydrochloride Tablets, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg, which is the AB-rated generic equivalent to Levitra of Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals (BAYRY). Vardenafil Hydrochloride Tablets are indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Under the agreement, Lannett will primarily provide sales, marketing and distribution support for the product, for which it will receive a percentage of net profits. Other financial terms were not disclosed.

06:46 EDT Noble Energy sees Q4 CapEx $625M-$700M - The Company is maintaining its full year total company sales volume guidance and capital expectations.

06:40 EDT Spotify jumps 2%, or $3.31, to $153.00 following Q3 results

06:39 EDT Ingredion intends to enter accelerated share repurchase agreement of 4M shares

06:30 EDT Royal Dutch Shell still intends to purchase $25B of shares by end of 2020 - Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden commented: "Good operational delivery across all Shell businesses produced one of our strongest-ever quarters, with cash flow from operations of $14.7 billion, excluding working capital movements. Our strong financial performance allowed us to cover the cash dividend, interest payments, share buybacks and to further pay down debt. Our strategy remains on track. We have completed the first tranche of share buybacks, in line with our intention to purchase $25 billion of our shares by the end of 2020, and today I'm pleased to announce the second tranche. Meanwhile, the transformation of our portfolio continued, with further divestments of nonstrategic assets and the final investment decision on LNG Canada."

06:21 EDT Fanhua provides update on share buyback program - Fanhua announces that it has repurchased 1,004,680 American Depositary Shares in the period from August 28, 2018 to October 31, 2018. These repurchases were made as part of a share buyback program previously announced to repurchase up to 6.5M ADSs by December 31, 2018. The ADSs were repurchased at an average price of $25.8582 per ADS for a total amount of approximately $26M.

06:15 EDT U.S. Concrete reports Q3 concrete volume growth up 5.8% - Aggregate products volume increased 113.8% to 3.2M tons, an all-time quarterly high. Q3 adjusted Free Cash Flow increased $29.1M to $45.5M. Q3 adjusted EBITDA $53.6M vs. $54.7M last year.

06:12 EDT Emerald Expositions Events CEO David Loechner resigns - Emerald Expositions Events announced that, with the agreement of the Company's Board of Directors, David Loechner has resigned his position as President and CEO and as a member of the Board, effective as of the close of business on November 8, 2018. With the assistance of an executive search firm, the Board has commenced the search for a permanent successor to Loechner. Philip Evans, CFO, has been appointed by the Board of Directors as Interim President and CEO, effective as of the close of business on November 8, 2018 and until a permanent replacement is named. Loechner will stay on with the Company as an employee through December 31, 2018 and will work closely with Evans and the leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.

06:11 EDT Epam Systems acquires TH_NK - Epam System announced its acquisition of TH_NK, headquartered in London, with additional offices in Newcastle and Liverpool. In addition to strengthening Epam's digital and organizational consulting capabilities in the UK and Western European markets, this acquisition will also enhance the company's global product and design offerings. TH_NK, founded in 2004, will become a part of Epam's consulting and digital engagement practices. TH_NK works with customers through its collaboration approach, helping them strategize for the future and develop in-house capabilities that enable organizational change and growth.

06:10 EDT DowDuPont raises cost synergies target to $3.6B - "Our teams generated strong gains in volume, price and operating EBITDA by continuing to execute our growth strategy, capture cost synergies and drive productivity improvements," said Ed Breen, chief executive officer of DowDuPont. "Organic sales rose 10 percent, equally driven by volume and local price as customer demand remained strong. We delivered our year-over-year cost synergies and we are again raising our target, now to $3.6 billion. We are also reaffirming our full year 2018 EPS guidance provided in August with our second quarter earnings announcement. Each division is performing well, and we remain on track to complete the intended separations, beginning with Materials Science on April 1, followed by Agriculture and Specialty Products on June 1."

06:08 EDT Encana to expand share buyback program to $1.5B post Newfield Exploration close

06:05 EDT Gartner sees FY18 operating cash flow $437M-$467M - Sees FY18 free cash flow $440M-460M.

06:03 EDT Elbit Systems awarded $68M framework contract for UAS services - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded a framework contract to provide maritime unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, patrol services to be provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency, or EMSA, to countries in the European Union. The contract that will be executed in cooperation with CEiiA is for a two-year base period and two single year option periods. If fully ordered, the total contract value is approximately $68M. Under the contract and in cooperation with CEiiA, an engineering company in Portugal, Elbit Systems will lease and operate its Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol and its Ground Control Station.

05:57 EDT Vertex receives EU authorization for CF medicine Symkevi - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorization for Symkevi in a combination regimen with ivacaftor for the treatment of people with cystic fibrosis, or CF, aged 12 and older who either have two copies of the F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR, gene, or one copy of the F508del mutation and a copy of one of the following 14 mutations in which the CFTR protein shows residual activity. In addition, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products recently recommended the maintenance of orphan designation for tezacaftor/ivacaftor in combination with ivacaftor.

05:54 EDT Gold Fields receives strike notice at South Deep mine from NUM - Gold Fields received a notice by the National Union of Mineworkers, or NUM, of its intention to embark on a protected strike at its South Deep operation in South Africa to protest retrenchments at the mine. Under South African labour law, the union is required to give 48 hours' notice of its intention to strike. The strike is set to commence tomorrow afternoon. About 80% of the mine's workforce are members of the union and, should the strike proceed, it is expected to impact adversely on production during its duration. Safety of employees is paramount and, if deemed necessary, South Deep would also consider cessation of production for a limited period of time. As part of a wide-ranging restructuring announcement to stem South Deep's significant cash losses and consolidate current operations, Gold Fields commenced a Section 189 process with the mine's two registered trade unions, the NUM and UASA, on 14 August 2018. Under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, mine management has engaged the branch leadership of the two unions since then about various matters related to the section 189 process. Consultations have been extensive with various options explored to improve the sustainability of the mine and limit job losses. This included an offer of voluntary severance packages, which was taken up by 177 employees. Despite these efforts South Deep still has to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,100 staff members and retrenchment letters were sent to these employees on 31 October 2018. In addition, the mine will reduce the number of contractors by approximately 420 people. The selection criteria used to determine which employees would be affected were part of the Section 189 consultations and included length of service, performance and competency criteria and attendance records. Prior to the commencement of the Section 189 process South Deep employed 3,614 full-time employees and 2,214 contractors.

05:52 EDT Barrick Gold, Randgold receive clearance from South African Competition Tribunal - Barrick Gold (ABX) and Randgold Resources (GOLD) are pleased to announce that they have received unconditional clearance from the South African Competition Tribunal for their proposed share-for-share merger. The Merger remains subject to the satisfaction or (where applicable) waiver of the outstanding Conditions set out in Part A of Part 3 of the scheme document dated October 4, 2018, relating to the Merger. The key remaining Conditions to completing the Merger on the expected effective date of January 1, 2019, are: obtaining approval of the shareholders of both companies; and the sanction of the Scheme by the Royal Court of Jersey which is being sought at a hearing scheduled for December 17, 2018.

05:37 EDT Roche announces EC approval of Venclyxto - Roche (RHHBY) announced that the European Commission has approved Venclyxto in combination with MabThera for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who have received at least one prior therapy. Venclyxto is being developed by AbbVie (ABBV) and Roche. It is jointly commercialisedby AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the United States, under the brand name Venclexta, and commercialised by AbbVie outside of the United States.

05:32 EDT Sanofi enters collaboration with Denali Therapeutics - Sanofi plans to collaborate with Denali Therapeutics Inc. on the development of multiple molecules with the potential to treat a range of neurological and systemic inflammatory diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will make an upfront cash payment to Denali of $125 million, with future development and commercial milestone payments that could exceed $1 billion. Sanofi and Denali will share commercial profits and losses from DNL747 in the U.S. and China equally, while Denali will receive a royalty from Sanofi for other territories for DNL747 and worldwide for DNL758.

05:19 EDT Dish says AT&T pulls HBO, other channels, makes 'untenable demands' - DISH (DISH) and Sling TV announced today that AT&T (T) has made the unprecedented move to pull HBO and Cinemax content from DISH and Sling TV subscribers, after making untenable demands designed specifically to harm customers, particularly those in rural areas, as well as damage competing pay-tv providers. Despite an opposing antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, AT&T acquired Time Warner, including HBO and Cinemax, earlier this year. There were no guidelines set in place to ensure that AT&T "played fair" for HBO and Cinemax subscribers, regardless of their pay-TV provider. "Plain and simple, the merger created for AT&T immense power over consumers," said Andy LeCuyer, DISH senior vice president of Programming. "It seems AT&T is implementing a new strategy to shut off its recently acquired content from other distributors. This may be the first of many HBO blackouts for consumers across the country. AT&T no longer has incentive to come to an agreement on behalf of consumer choice; instead, it's been given the power to grab more money or steal away customers." On August 6, the DOJ appealed the Court's decision to allow the merger. AT&T's first HBO blackout ever is exceptionally harmful to rural Americans who don't have the same broadband access as customers living in large cities. Customers with sufficient internet service can substitute HBO Now, the direct-to-consumer streaming offering from HBO. The majority of DISH's HBO subscriber base is located in rural areas with limited broadband access and likely won't be able to watch HBO or Cinemax without a satellite connection. "AT&T's actions are a deliberate slap in the face to rural Americans," said LeCuyer. "And furthermore, they are anticompetitive. AT&T, a company worth more than $200 billion, is intentionally punishing those who don't have big-city broadband access, in an attempt to push customers to the only other satellite provider, its own DirecTV." The market for HBO has changed since DISH last signed a carriage deal in 2015: HBO set the market price at $15 per month with its launch of the direct-to-consumer HBO Now service; and AT&T has announced plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer HBO service next year. "Usually when there is a programming dispute, we don't see eye to eye on rates; but HBO has already set the going rate, so now they're seeking to extract money a different way," said LeCuyer. AT&T is demanding DISH pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many consumers actually want to subscribe to HBO. DISH remains committed to finding a way to serve its customers. DISH would welcome binding, baseball-style arbitration to determine the fair market value of HBO and Cinemax. During the arbitration process, AT&T would be required to restore its channels to DISH customers.