Stockwinners Market Radar for November 02, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:17 EDT JFL Capital reports 7.1% stake in Merrimack - In a regulatory filing, JFL Capital said that it has engaged, and intends to continue to engage, in communications with the Merrimack's management team and board of directors regarding means to enhance stockholder value.

17:15 EDT Sage Therapeutics trading resumes

17:03 EDT WestRock completes acquisition of KapStone - WestRock Company (WRK) announced that it has completed the acquisition of KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (KS). The company expects to achieve approximately $200M in synergies and performance improvements by the end of FY21 through the integration of the former KapStone operations into WestRock's corrugated business. The acquisition also strengthens WestRock's presence on the West Coast of the United States and broadens WestRock's portfolio of differentiated paper and packaging solutions with the addition of attractive paper grades and distribution capabilities. WestRock financed the transaction through the issuance of debt from a bank term loan facility, existing credit commitments and cash on hand.

16:49 EDT Pfizer announces FDA approval for Lorbrena - Pfizer announced that the FDA has approved Lorbrena, a third-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase, or ALK, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, or TKI, for patients with ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, whose disease has progressed on crizotinib and at least one other ALK inhibitor for metastatic disease; or whose disease has progressed on alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK inhibitor therapy for metastatic disease. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. This represents the third FDA approval Pfizer has received for an oncology treatment, including two lung cancer medicines, within two months. Since Pfizer introduced Xalkori as the first TKI for the treatment of ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC in 2011, the availability of these medicines has created an opportunity to provide patients with treatment options other than chemotherapy. However, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death around the world. While many ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients respond to initial TKI therapy, they typically experience tumor progression. Additionally, options for patients who progress after treatment with second-generation ALK TKIs, alectinib, brigatinib and ceritinib, are limited.3 The approval of Lorbrena represents a new option for patients who have progressed on a second-generation ALK TKI, providing an opportunity to remain on oral therapy. The approval was based on a non-randomized, dose-ranging and activity-estimating, multi-cohort, multicenter Phase 1/2 study, B7461001, evaluating Lorbrena for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC, who were previously treated with one or more ALK TKIs. A total of 215 patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC were enrolled across various subgroups based on prior treatment. Among these patients, overall response rate (ORR) was 48 percent and importantly, 57% had previous treatment with more than one ALK TKI. In the trial, 69% of patients had a history of brain metastases and intracranial response rate was 60%.

16:47 EDT PepsiCo exec Spanos sells 20,074 common shares - In a regulatory filing, PepsiCo AMENA CEO Mike Spanos disclosed the sale of 20,074 common shares of the company at a price of $112.4246 per share.

16:31 EDT Ecolab's Nalco announces price increases in all segments - Nalco Champion, an Ecolab company, announced a price increase for customers in all its segments. Pricing for most Nalco Champion products and programs will increase globally between 8% and 15%, varying by country and product. This price increase will be effective Nov. 15, 2018. This price adjustment is driven by notable increases in key raw material costs, combined with global inflationary factors in labor and freight. Nalco Champion sales personnel will contact customers directly to discuss the impact of these increases.

16:22 EDT Watts Water reports Q3 operating margin 12.9% vs. 12.6% last year - Q3 organic sales growth was up 8%.

16:16 EDT Roper Technologies announces the passing of chairman Brian Jellison - Roper Technologies announced that its Executive Chairman and former, long-time Chief Executive Officer Brian Jellison passed away today. Mr. Jellison joined Roper as Chief Executive Officer in 2001 and became Chairman of the Board in 2003. Roper's Board of Directors has elected its lead independent director, Wilbur Prezzano, to serve as its new Chairman.

16:15 EDT F5 Networks announces additional $1B share repurchase program - On October 31, 2018, F5 Networks' board of directors authorized an additional $1B for the company's common stock share repurchase program. The new authorization is incremental to the $573.6M currently unused in the existing program.

16:05 EDT Grainger appoints Kathleen Carroll CHRO - Grainger (GWW) announced it has appointed Kathleen Carroll as senior VP and CHRO, effective December 3. Carroll will succeed Joseph High who, as previously announced, retired from Grainger earlier this year. Carroll has more than 25 years of experience leading and implementing human resource and organizational effectiveness strategies to drive business results. Her knowledge encompasses end-to-end talent acquisition, learning and development, employment branding, succession planning, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, and related metrics and analytics. Carroll comes to Grainger from First Midwest Bank (FMBI), where she served as executive VP and CHRO.

16:02 EDT Blizzard unveils 'Warcraft III' remake - Blizzard Entertainment unveiled "Warcraft III: Reforged," a reimagining of the real-time strategy game that "laid the foundation for Azeroth's most epic stories." A remake "in the truest sense," "Warcraft III: Reforged" sees the original "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos" and its expnasion "The Frozen Throne" rebuilt from the ground up, with a thorough visual overhaul, a suite of contemporary social and matchmaking features via Blizzard Battle.net, and a pledge of support for its thriving community of creators-starting with an upgraded World Editor. "Warcraft III: Reforged" will be released in 2019. Those "eager to relive the history of Azeroth" can pre-purchase the game today for $29.99 for the standard edition, and $39.99 for the Spoils of War Edition, which includes unique skins for four of the game's hero units, as well as a host of in-game bonuses for a number of other Blizzard games, such as a gruesome Meat Wagon mount for "World of Warcraft," the Third War cardback for "Hearthstone," and more.

15:02 EDT Northrop Grumman to pay $27.45M to settle False Claims Act allegations - The Justice Department announced that Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation has agreed to settle civil allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overstating the number of hours its employees worked on two battlefield communications contracts with the United States Air Force. Under the settlement, NGSC, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, will make a payment of $25.8M, which, combined with earlier repayments, will result in a civil recovery of approximately $27.45M.

14:24 EDT Marcus acquires Movie Tavern for $126M in cash and stock - Marcus Theatres, a division of Marcus Corporation, announced earlier today that it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Movie Tavern from VSS-Southern Theatres, a portfolio company of Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a private equity firm. Based upon yesterday's closing share price of Marcus' common stock, the purchase price is currently valued at approximately $126M, comprised of $30M in cash and 2.45M shares of common stock, subject to certain lock-up restrictions. New Orleans-based Movie Tavern has 22 locations and 208 screens in nine states. The transaction is expected to be completed early in Q1 of 2019, subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino Act clearance and other customary closing conditions, consents and approvals. "The acquisition of Movie Tavern is another significant milestone in the growth trajectory of Marcus Theatres," said Gregory Marcus, CEO of The Marcus Corporation. "Selective, disciplined acquisitions such as this create a compelling opportunity to expand into new growth markets and leverage our proven success. We anticipate this acquisition will be accretive to earnings, earnings per share and cash flow in the first twelve months following the closing of the transaction, and expect a smooth integration of Movie Tavern into our circuit. In addition, by using common stock as a component of the consideration, we will continue to maintain an extremely strong balance sheet and be in a position to consider additional growth opportunities in the future."

14:18 EDT AcelRx up 3% after approval of Dsuvia - AcelRx shares are up 11c, or 2.7%, to $4.26 after resuming trading.

14:15 EDT Pacira announces product-specific C-code, D-code to be assigned for Exparel

14:14 EDT Trevena drops nearly 40% after CRL received for oliceridine - After resuming trading, Trevena is down 40c, or 38.5%, to 65c per share.

14:04 EDT FDA Commissioner notes 'very tight restrictions' on distribution, use of Dsuvia - FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement on the agency's approval of Dsuvia, stating in part: "In this particular case, Dsuvia is a sublingual (under the tongue) formulation of sufentanil that's delivered through a disposable, pre-filled, single-dose applicator. The medicine is restricted to use in certified medically-supervised health care settings - such as hospitals, surgical centers and emergency departments - for administration by a health care professional. Dsuvia, which was previously approved by the European Medicines Agency in July under the brand name Dzuveo, has some unique features in that the drug is delivered in a stable form that makes it ideally suited for certain special circumstances where patients may not be able to swallow oral medication, and where access to intravenous pain relief is not possible. This includes potential uses on the battlefield. For this reason, the Department of Defense (DoD) worked closely with the sponsor on the development of this new medicine. This opioid formulation, along with Dsuvia's unique delivery device, was a priority medical product for the Pentagon because it fills a specific and important, but limited, unmet medical need in treating our nation's soldiers on the battlefield. The involvement and needs of the DoD in treating soldiers on the battlefield were discussed by the advisory committee. There are very tight restrictions being placed on the distribution and use of this product. We've learned much from the harmful impact that other oral opioid products can have in the context of the opioid crisis. We've applied those hard lessons as part of the steps we're taking to address safety concerns for Dsuvia, including requiring a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to accompany this drug. The REMS reflects the potential risks associated with this product and will tightly control its distribution and use. Importantly, the distribution system will restrict Dsuvia's use to certified medically-supervised health care settings, an important step to help prevent misuse and abuse of Dsuvia. The FDA will continue to carefully monitor the implementation of the REMS associated with Dsuvia and compliance with its requirements, and we'll work to quickly make regulatory adjustments if problems arise. But underlying the debate surrounding this approval is a broader issue that must be addressed head on: why do we need an oral formulation of sufentanil - a more potent form of fentanyl that's been approved for intravenous and epidural use in the U.S. since 1984 - on the market? [...] Currently, in applying our statute and regulations, we generally consider each new drug approval - and each new opioid drug approval - largely on its own merits. As part of our review, we ask whether the individual drug meets the standard for safety and effectiveness, and whether additional controls are needed to ensure safe use of that specific drug. But opioids are a unique class of medicines... I recognize that the debate goes beyond the characteristics of this particular product or the actions that we're taking to mitigate this drug's risks and preserve its differentiated benefits. We won't sidestep what I believe is the real underlying source of discontent among the critics of this approval - the question of whether or not America needs another powerful opioid while in the throes of a massive crisis of addiction...As a physician and regulator, I won't bypass legitimate questions and concerns related to our role in addressing the opioid crisis."

13:58 EDT AcelRx announces FDA approval of DSUVIA - AcelRx Pharmaceuticals announced the approval of DSUVIA by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. DSUVIA is indicated for the management of acute pain in adults that is severe enough to require an opioid analgesic in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, such as hospitals, surgical centers, and emergency departments. DSUVIA will not be available in retail pharmacies or for outpatient use. DSUVIA will only be distributed to health care settings certified in the DSUVIA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program following attestation by an authorized representative that the healthcare setting will comply with appropriate dispensing and use restrictions of DSUVIA. As part of the REMS program, AcelRx will monitor distribution and audit wholesalers' data, evaluate proper usage within the healthcare settings and monitor for any diversion and abuse. Additionally, AcelRx will de-certify healthcare settings that are non-compliant with the REMS program. The DSUVIA commercial launch is expected in the first quarter of 2019.

13:44 EDT Trevena reports Complete Response Letter for oliceridine from FDA - Trevena announced the company has received a Complete Response Letter, or CRL, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the New Drug Application for oliceridine. Consistent with the discussion at the recent Advisory Committee meeting, FDA has requested additional clinical data on QT prolongation and indicated that the submitted safety database is not of adequate size for the proposed dosing. FDA also requested certain additional nonclinical data and validation reports. "While we are disappointed with FDA's decision, we continue to believe in the strength of the data and the ultimate approvability of oliceridine. We plan to schedule a follow-up meeting with FDA as soon as possible with the goal of bringing this important medicine to clinicians and hospital patients," said CEO Carrie Bourdow. "Developing a novel chemical entity is complex, and we believe the data we have to support oliceridine advances the pharmacology of acute pain therapeutics. We were encouraged by the discussion at the Advisory Committee meeting and look forward to continuing a productive dialogue with FDA," said Mark A. Demitrack, M.D., SVP and Chief Medical Officer.

13:14 EDT Deutsche Bank CEO welcomes Hudson Executive's investment - Following the news that Hudson Executive Capital, a New York-based investment firm, disclosed a 3.1% stake in Deutsche Bank, Christian Sewing, Deutsche Bank's Chief Executive Officer, stated yesterday: "We welcome Hudson Executive's investment in Deutsche Bank. Doug Braunstein and Hudson Executive come with deep backgrounds investing in financial services companies. We appreciate Hudson Executive's confidence in our ability to execute on our strategic objectives."

13:07 EDT Barclays posts lowest capital ratio among UK banks in latest EU stress test - The Bank of England issued a statement on the European Banking Authority's stress test publication, stating in part: "The results of the EBA stress test published today confirm the results of earlier Bank of England stress tests that the four participating UK banks would be resilient to a severe economic and market stress. The severity of the downturn in the UK economy assumed in the EBA stress scenario was, for the first time, similar to that assumed since 2014 in the Bank of England's own annual stress test of major UK banks...As the Bank has stated previously and is shown by the EBA test results, the new accounting standard will result in bigger drawdowns of capital in stress tests as more provisions are made earlier." Four UK banks - Barclays (BCS), HSBC (HSBC), Lloyds Banking (LYG) and The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - participated in the test. In the EBA stress test, Barclays had a CET1 ratio low-point of 7.3%, HSBC had a low-point of 9.4%, Lloyds had a low-point of 8.5%, RBS had a low-point of 9.9% and the UK weighted average was 8.9%, according to the BOE. Reference Link

12:55 EDT AcelRx trading halted, news pending

12:00 EDT Cooper-Standard falls -24.3% - Cooper-Standard is down -24.3%, or -$23.24 to $72.22.

12:00 EDT U.S. Xpress Enterprises falls -31.8% - U.S. Xpress Enterprises is down -31.8%, or -$3.22 to $6.92.

12:00 EDT Select Medical rises 17.6% - Select Medical is up 17.6%, or $2.88 to $19.22.

11:54 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance, Fred's get FTC early termination notice for agreement - An Early Termination Notice posted to the Federal Trade Commission website indicates that Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) and Fred's (FRED) were granted early approval for an agreement. In September, Walgreens and Fred's announced they had entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement, pursuant to which Walgreens will acquire pharmacy patient prescription files and related pharmacy inventory of 185 Fred's stores located across 10 Southeastern states. Reference Link

11:22 EDT Third Point mails summary of proposed operational plan for Campbell Soup - Third Point, a holder of approximately 7% of the outstanding common shares of Campbell Soup Company, mailed a summarized version of its 100-day operating plan to shareholders. Third Point added: "We are dismayed that Campbell's inept Board thinks it is appropriate to mislead shareholders by misrepresenting our plan in an obvious attempt to divert attention from its own track record, which can be simply summarized as zero value created for shareholders in twenty years. The Entrenched Board continues to make the same, debunked claim that the Independent Slate's only plan is to sell the Company when we have stated clearly that our call for a sale was specific to the strategic review period with this dysfunctional leadership team in place. When the Entrenched Board did not reach this same conclusion during the strategic review and instead decided to muddle along and drive shares down further, we decided to challenge its leadership to benefit all shareholders. Since announcing our proxy plans, we have advanced thoughtful and thorough plans about how the Independent Slate will improve Campbell that are far more substantive than the Company's plan, which is simply flaccid language about selling a few assets and hiring a CEO, which the Entrenched Board has proved unable to do for nearly six months. Campbell further insults shareholders today by suggesting that it is a "waste of time" for non-insider, non-heir shareholders to express their views about how this company - which stock is down more than 20% in this year alone - can improve. The changes the Entrenched Board claims to have made are too little, too late and a simple stock chart shows the current directors are already failing to create value, just like this Entrenched Board's previous "strategic plans". Our 100-day operating plan positions the Independent Slate to expeditiously implement operational, strategic, and financial initiatives that we believe the current Board does not have the expertise, vision, or will to execute. It's long past time that a qualified, independent Board has an opportunity to execute a thoughtful strategy that can yield better management, improvements across the corporate culture, a modernization of core products, and an enhanced focus on the Company's legendary Soup brands.""

11:12 EDT Energy Transfer LP announces FERC approval for two laterals on Rover pipeline - Energy Transfer LP announced that Rover Pipeline, LLC received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to commence natural gas service on the final laterals needed to complete the Rover Pipeline project. The Sherwood Lateral, the CGT Lateral and the associated compression and metering facilities located in West Virginia are now in service. The 713-mile pipeline transports up to 3.25 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale production areas. Rover has been operational since August 31, 2017; however, this final approval allows the pipeline to add an additional receipt point and delivery point for natural gas production in West Virginia. Rover transports natural gas from processing plants in West Virginia, Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania to the Midwest Hub near Defiance, Ohio, for delivery to markets across the U.S., as well as to the Union Gas Dawn Storage Hub in Ontario, Canada.

11:01 EDT IZEAx selected as influencer marketing platform for national fitness brand - IZEA Worldwide announced that IZEAx has been selected as the influencer marketing platform for a national fitness brand. This is a new brand-direct relationship for IZEA. The company has licensed access to the IZEAx platform to discover influencers, engage them to create content, and measure their impact. Opportunities to work with the fitness brand will be made available to qualified influencers who are members of IZEA's creator marketplace.

10:50 EDT Navidea trading resumes

10:28 EDT Navidea trading halted, news pending

10:14 EDT Tesla confirms subpoena by regulators for Model 3 production data - In a regulatory filing, Tesla says the SEC has issued subpoenas to Tesla in connection with "(a) [CEO Elon] Musk's prior statement that he was considering taking Tesla private and (b) certain projections that we made for Model 3 production rates during 2017 and other public statements relating to Model 3 production. The DOJ has also asked us to voluntarily provide it with information about each of these matters and is investigating. Aside from the settlement with the SEC relating to Mr. Musk's statement that he was considering taking Tesla private, there have not been any developments in these matters that we deem to be material, and to our knowledge no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred. As is our normal practice, we have been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with government authorities. We cannot predict the outcome or impact of any ongoing matters. Should the government decide to pursue an enforcement action, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, prospects, cash flows, and financial position."

10:00 EDT Realogy falls -12.8% - Realogy is down -12.8%, or -$2.56 to $17.51.

10:00 EDT U.S. Xpress Enterprises falls -19.8% - U.S. Xpress Enterprises is down -19.8%, or -$2.01 to $8.13.

10:00 EDT Select Medical rises 13.8% - Select Medical is up 13.8%, or $2.26 to $18.60.

09:54 EDT Delta Air Lines reports October traffic up 2.7%, capacity up 3.2% - Delta Air Lines reported operating performance for October 2018. The company carried 16.5M customers across its global network, a record for the month of October. Traffic, as measured by RPMs, was up 2.7% from the prior year. Capacity, as measured by ASMs, was up 3.2% year-over-year. Load factor of 85.5% compares to 86.0% in October 2017.

09:47 EDT Cooper-Standard falls -9.2% - Cooper-Standard is down -9.2%, or -$8.77 to $86.69.

09:47 EDT Terex falls -20.1% - Terex is down -20.1%, or -$7.23 to $28.77.

09:47 EDT California Resources rises 9.4% - California Resources is up 9.4%, or $2.94 to $34.38.

09:45 EDT Starbucks CEO says company a buyer of shares - Johnson said the company has responded to feedback from customers about last year's holiday season and made changes for this year, including the introduction of a red holiday-themed reusable cup. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson is being interviewed on CNBC.

09:41 EDT Buckeye Partners to sell assets, reduce cash distribution to 75c per unit - Buckeye Partners announced earlier today that as a result of its strategic review it is taking several actions designed to maintain Buckeye's investment grade credit rating by reducing leverage; provide increased financial flexibility, eliminating the need for Buckeye to access the public equity markets to fund annual growth capital; and reallocate capital to the higher return growth opportunities across our remaining assets. The actions consist of: The execution of a definitive agreement to sell its entire equity interest in VTTI B.V. for cash proceeds of $975M; The execution of a definitive agreement to sell a package of non-integrated domestic pipeline and terminal assets for cash proceeds of $450M; The reduction of Buckeye's quarterly cash distribution to 75c per unit or $3.00 per unit on an annual basis. The sale of both Buckeye's VTTI equity interest and the Asset Package are expected to close by year end, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. The Asset Package includes: a jet fuel pipeline from Port Everglades, Florida to the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Florida airports; pipelines and terminal facilities serving the Reno, Nevada; San Diego, California and Memphis, Tennessee airports; and refined petroleum products terminals in Sacramento and Stockton, California. "I am confident that the actions taken as a result of our strategic review will not only strengthen our balance sheet and solidify our investment grade rating but also meaningfully improve distribution coverage. We are now well positioned to fund our annual growth capital spend without accessing the public equity markets. In addition, the sales of our interest in VTTI and the domestic Asset Package allow us to reallocate available growth capital to higher return initiatives across our domestic assets, particularly the opportunities we are actively pursuing along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Our improved financial flexibility along with our remaining portfolio of pipeline and terminal assets and attractive growth opportunities are expected to provide solid long-term returns for our unitholders through all business cycles," stated Chairman, President and CEO Clark Smith.

09:31 EDT Seagate says it executed well against strong market demand - Says seeing enterprise spending caution in China. Says FY19 will be a year of focused execution. Says bullish on growing revenue in market recognition. Says revenue could be impacted by digestion phase until March. Says continues to ship more heads per drive despite lower demand.

09:18 EDT Alibaba's Tsai 'very, very excited' about delivery partnership with Starbucks - Tsai noted that Starbucks (SBUX) will be participating in promotions around Alibaba's (BABA) Single's Day shopping event. Alibaba Vice Chairman Joe Tsai is being interviewed on CNBC.

09:13 EDT Textainer expects to see 'restrained demand' until year-end ramp-up - "Following the very strong lease out activity of the third quarter, we now expect to see restrained demand until the traditional year-end ramp-up leading into Lunar New Year. Given strong competition by manufacturers and a depreciating renminbi, new container prices have recently decreased to about $1,900 per CEU. Other indicators remain positive, including low depot inventory, low turn-in bookings, and stable resale prices supported by the limited supply of containers available for sale," CEO Olivier Ghesquiere. "Looking ahead at 2019, the IMF recently revised their 2019 global growth forecast slightly from 3.9% to 3.7% on concerns of unresolved trade disputes. We continue to monitor these developments closely but have not yet seen any material negative impact on container demand. We are concentrating on optimizing the profitability of the Company with a particular focus on our yields and transaction terms. In this respect, we intend to continue to strengthen our business operations and financing capacity to meet our customer needs and position ourselves to seize profitable market opportunities as they may arise."

09:05 EDT RCI Hospitality acquires VIP's Gentlemen'S Club of Chicago - RCI Hospitality subsidiaries have completed the acquisition of VIP's Gentlemen's Club and its real estate in Chicago on the same terms as previously announced. Plans include renaming the club Rick's Cabaret; positioning it as a premier establishment similar to Rick's location in New York City; opening three hours earlier, at 4 PM, in the coming weeks; and opening for lunch in early 2019. The 10,000-square-foot club is the only one with a full liquor license. Consideration for the club was $2.0M in cash and $4.5M in 7.00%, 6-year, fully amortizing seller financing. Consideration for the real estate, which consists of the building and land, was $4.0M in cash. The cash portion of the transactions was funded through available cash, which includes cash from operations, proceeds from a $5.0M unsecured bank term loan, and third-party debt financing. .

08:55 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Starbucks (SBUX), up 8%... Arista Networks (ANET), up 12%... Newell Brands (NWL), up 8%... Cardtronics (CATM), up 9%... Exxon Mobile (XOM), up 2%. ALSO HIGHER: Pacific Biosciences (PACB), up 69% after the company agreed to be acquired by Illumina (ILMN) for $8.00 per share. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Apple (AAPL), down 6%... Weight Watchers (WTW), down 16%... Universal Display (OLED), down 27%... Kraft Heinz (KHC), down 6%... Puma Biotechnology (PBYI), down 40%. ALSO LOWER: Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM), down 34% after announcing the discontinuation of lead candidate ADVM-043.

08:40 EDT Praxair signs long-term agreement with Huayi - Praxair, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde (LIN), announced it will supply oxygen and other industrial gases to Shanghai Huayi, one of the largest chemical companies in China, at its new complex in Qinzhou, China. The complex will manufacture methanol, acetic acid and other chemicals. Praxair will build, own and operate three air separation units that will supply up to 7,500 tons per day of oxygen and 5,000 TPD of nitrogen to the site. The new plants will start up in the second half of 2020 and the complex is expected to be Praxair's largest investment in China to-date.

08:37 EDT Chevron says 'on track' to meet asset sales targets - "Third quarter earnings more than doubled from a year ago," said Chairman and CEO Michael Wirth. "Our strong financial results reflect higher production and crude oil prices coupled with a continued focus on efficiency and productivity. Quarterly cash flow from operations of $9.6 billion was the highest it has been in nearly five years. This allowed us to pay the dividend, fund our capital program, strengthen the balance sheet, and repurchase $750 million of the company's common stock. Net oil-equivalent production of 2.96 million barrels per day represents our highest quarter ever. Ramp-up of Wheatstone in Australia and the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico drove a production increase of 9 percent over the prior year quarter. We also completed the sale of our southern Africa refining, marketing and lubricant assets, keeping us on track to meet our asset sales targets."

08:35 EDT Alibaba says plans to continue to make new investments

08:34 EDT AirMedia applies for transfer to Nasdaq Capital due to minimum price defficiency - AirMedia provided an update on the notification letter from Nasdaq dated May 8 notifying the company that the minimum bid price per ADS was below $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and that the Company did not meet the minimum bid price requirement. The company has submitted the online application to transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market where, subject to the determination by the staff of Nasdaq, it may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance period if it meets the initial listing requirements, with the exception of bid price, of the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company has also provided a written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the Bid-Price Deficiency and regain compliance during the Second Compliance Period. Presently, the written notice applying for the Second Compliance Period is under the Staff's review.

08:12 EDT Arbor Realty increases quarterly dividend 8% to 27c per share - Arbor Realty announced that its board has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 27c per share of common stock for the quarter ended September 30, representing an increase of 42% from a year ago and 8% over the prior quarter dividend of 25c per share. The dividend is payable on November 30 to common stockholders of record on November 15. The ex-dividend date is November 14.

08:09 EDT Exxon Mobil reports Q3 upstream production 3,786 koebd vs. 3,878 koebd last year - Reports Q3 downstream production 5,616 kbd vs. 5,542 kbd last year.

08:07 EDT Exxon Mobil reports Q3 upstream earnings $4.23B vs. $1.57B last year - Reports Q3 downstream earnings $1.64B vs. $1.53B last year. In upstream business, Exxon Mobil reports: Crude and natural gas prices strengthened in the third quarter; Permian unconventional production experienced strong growth in the third quarter, with a ramp-up to 38 rigs currently in the Midland and Delaware basins. Q3 production strengthened with improved reliability and lower scheduled maintenance. Syncrude operations in Canada were impacted by a power supply disruption that began in late June with recovery by the middle of September. Also in Canada, Kearl net production reached a quarterly record of 230,000 barrels per day. In the downstream business, the company reports: Industry fuels margins strengthened during the quarter in North America and Europe supported by widening crude differentials in North America and tightening supply in Europe. The company leveraged its midstream logistics capacity to connect advantaged crudes from the Permian and Western Canada to its refineries and customers; Overall lower planned maintenance and improved reliability contributed to strong earnings in the quarter. In the chemical business, the company reports: Significant turnaround activities commenced at the Singapore chemical plant in the third quarter and are progressing as scheduled.

08:02 EDT Aquestive Therapeutics announces FDA approval of SYMPAZAN oral film - Aquestive Therapeutics announced that the U.S. FDA approved SYMPAZAN oral film for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in patients 2 years of age or older. SYMPAZAN is the first and only oral film FDA-approved to treat seizures associated with LGS. Previously, clobazam was marketed as ONFI and offered in two formulations - either tablet or oral suspension.

07:52 EDT Alibaba says new retail initiatives 'well on track' - Says cloud computing business seeing strong growth. Says making progress in digital entertainment business.

07:49 EDT AbbVie announces 2019 dividend increase of 11.5% - AbbVie is announcing that its board of directors declared an increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend to $1.07 per share from 96c per share beginning with the dividend payable on February 15, 2019 to shareholders of record as of January 15, 2019. This reflects an increase of approximately 11.5%.

07:41 EDT Alibaba says home appliance, auto purchases weakening

07:35 EDT Extreme Networks announces $60M share repurchase program - Extreme Networks announced that its Board of Directors authorized the company to repurchase up to $60M of its common stock over the next two years.

07:32 EDT Cboe Global Markets backs FY18 CapEx view $35M-$40M - Effective tax rate on adjusted earnings for FY18 is expected to be 26.5%-28.5%.

07:11 EDT Myriad Genetics presents two new studies at American Urological Association - Myriad Genetics announced new data from two studies presented at the Western Section of the American Urological Association annual meeting. The key results are that the Prolaris test is superior to adverse pathology at predicting the risk of prostate cancer biochemical recurrence after surgery, and the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test found one in ten men with prostate cancer carry an inherited genetic mutation in a cancer-causing gene. The first study compared the Prolaris test to radical prostatectomy, or RP, derived adverse pathology in predicting biochemical recurrence after surgery. The analysis included 557 men with low-risk prostate cancer treated by RP. The Prolaris test score was also combined with prostate risk assessment score to generate a clinical cell-cycle risk score. The findings show that the Prolaris test with CAPRA was 2.5 times more predictive than adverse pathology in predicting biochemical recurrence after surgery. After accounting for CAPRA, the Prolaris test score was 2 times more predictive than adverse pathology, confirming that Prolaris provided more prognostic information than AP for predicting surgical failure. The second study is one of the largest-ever studies to assess hereditary cancer genetic testing for men with prostate cancer. It included 2,609 men who met guidelines for testing and were tested with the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test from 2013 to 2018. Approximately 75% of men had prostate cancer only and 25% had prostate cancer plus one other type of cancer. The results demonstrate that 10% of men with prostate cancer were found to carry a pathogenic mutation, and the most common mutations were found in the BRCA1/2, ATM, CHEK2 and the MMR genes. In men who had prostate cancer plus another cancer, the likelihood of having a deleterious mutation increased by 60%. Importantly, many of the mutations identified in this study were in genes associated with Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome and Lynch Syndrome.

07:08 EDT Alibaba reports Q2 Cloud computing revenue grew 90% year-over-year - Cloud computing revenue grew 90% year-over-year to $825M, driven by improving revenue mix of higher value added services and robust paying customer growth. During the quarter, Alibaba Cloud launched over 600 products and features, including those related to big data analytics and AI application innovation, security, and IoT service enhancements, the company said. In September, Alibaba Cloud launched Apsara 2.0, which the company called "a comprehensive upgrade of our cloud computing operating system based on our proprietary distributed computing architecture." The system enables enterprises with enhanced computation performance, flexible hybrid cloud implementation and more efficient network connection.

07:04 EDT Duke Energy says 'on track to exceed our 2018 financial objectives' - "This quarter was marked by strong execution across our businesses. I am proud of the remarkable response from our employees to Hurricanes Florence and Michael," said Lynn Good, Duke Energy chairman, president and CEO. "Our commitment to our customers was unwavering as we responded to three million outages. We also reached significant regulatory approvals for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, continuing to advance this important gas infrastructure project for our customers and communities. We delivered solid financial performance in the quarter and are on track to exceed our 2018 financial objectives. As a result, we have narrowed our full-year guidance, raising the midpoint into the upper half of our original guidance range for the year."

06:59 EDT Enbridge suspends dividend reinvestment and share repurchase plan - Enbridge announced that the company has determined to suspend, effective immediately, its dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan, or DRIP, until further notice. As a result, shareholders only receive dividends in cash effective with the dividend currently scheduled to be paid on December 1 to shareholders of record on November 15. If Enbridge elects to reinstate the DRIP in the future, the shareholders that were enrolled in the DRIP at suspension and remained enrolled at reinstatement will automatically resume participation in the DRIP. The company has elected to suspend the DRIP at this time given substantial progress on its funding and asset sales plan, which will allow it to meet any remaining equity requirement for the balance of its currently secured growth program.

06:54 EDT Sage Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

06:49 EDT Elanco announces R&D collaboration agreement with Novozymes - Elanco announced a new global R&D collaboration with Novozymes A/S to develop nutritional health products for beef cattle and dairy cows globally. The effort will leverage Novozymes' leading discovery and development programs, and together the companies will collaborate to develop a R&D pipeline and commercialize products in the next decade.

06:44 EDT AdvanSix sees FY18 CapEx $110M - Current favorable nylon industry conditions expected to continue. Ammonium sulfate fertilizer prices expected to increase seasonally; Expecting improved nitrogen fertilizer environment to continue through 2018/2019 planting season. Expects challenging acetone industry conditions to continue. Expects continued acceleration of high-return growth and cost savings project pipeline in 2019. FY19 pre-tax income impact of planned plant turnarounds expected to be $35M-$40M.

06:36 EDT Epizyme sees cash, cash equivalents and securities sufficient into 1Q20

06:27 EDT Gulfport Energy review found unauthorized credit card use by CEO - Michael Moore stepped down as CEO of Gulfport Energy following a company review that found he had made personal charges to a company credit card and used Gulfport's chartered aircraft without permission, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company said it was informed of the unauthorized use in September and said the board's audit committee hired an independent counsel to review the matter. "These unauthorized charges were repaid periodically during the course of the year in which they were made and no personal charges are currently outstanding. Although these personal charges were recorded and reported correctly and within the requisite time periods in the company's financial statements, such personal charges may have constituted personal loans that are not permissible under Section 402 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The maximum outstanding balances for personal charges at any time during any year in the period 2007 through 2018 ranged from a low of $808 in 2007 to a high of $347,164 in 2017, and the incremental cost to the company for these personal charges prior to their repayment, based on the company's weighted average borrowing rate under its revolving credit facility during the applicable period, ranged from approximately an aggregate of $12 in 2007 to an aggregate of $5,016 in 2017. The total incremental cost to the company during the full 11-year period was approximately $9,493. The company is seeking reimbursement for these costs."

06:05 EDT Chinese company charged with stealing trade secrets from Micron - A federal grand jury indicted a state-owned enterprise of the People's Republic of China, a Taiwan company, and three individuals, charging them with crimes related to a conspiracy to steal, convey, and possess stolen trade secrets of an American semiconductor company for the benefit of a company controlled by the PRC government. All of the defendants are charged with a conspiracy to commit economic espionage, among other crimes. In addition, the United States filed a civil lawsuit seeking to enjoin the further transfer of the stolen trade secrets and to enjoin certain defendants from exporting to the United States any products manufactured by UMC (UMC) or Jinhua that were created using the trade secrets at issue. The indictment was filed on September 27, 2018, and unsealed today. The civil lawsuit was filed on Thursday. According to the indictment, the defendants were engaged in a conspiracy to steal the trade secrets of Micron Technology (MU). According to the indictment, Micron maintains a significant competitive advantage in this field due in large part from its intellectual property, including its trade secrets that include detailed, confidential information pertaining to the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced DRAM products.

05:31 EDT CME Group sees NEX acquisition immediately accretive to adjusted cash EPS - CME Group announced that it has completed its acquisition of NEX Group. CME Group will retire the NEX name and brand but will continue to operate its individual Markets and Optimisation businesses as sub-brands including BrokerTec, EBS, Traiana and TriOptima. Corporate headquarters will remain in Chicago, with London continuing to serve as CME Group's European headquarters. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to adjusted cash earnings per share and creates a company with pro forma 2017 annual revenue of $4.3B. CME Group will begin integrating NEX business operations and anticipates run-rate cost synergies of $200M annually by the end of 2021.

05:20 EDT Booking Holdings appoints Matt Swann as Chief Technology Officer - Booking.com announced that Matt Swann has joined the company's leadership team as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Matt will lead Booking.com's full stack technology strategy to support the company's continued growth as a global technology leader in travel and experiences, working to create an even more seamless end-to-end technology experience for travelers. Matt joins Booking.com from leading Silicon Valley-based event and ticketing marketplace StubHub, where he also served as CTO.

05:12 EDT Kayne Anderson MLP reports net asets of $2.1B as of Oct. 31 - Kayne Anderson MLP/Midstream provided a summary unaudited statement of assets and liabilities and announced its net asset value and asset coverage ratios under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of October 31, 2018. As of October 31, 2018, the company's net assets were $2.1 billion, and its net asset value per share was $16.93. As of October 31, 2018, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 379% and the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 279%.

04:50 EDT VeriSign reaches agreement with Department of Commerce, can pursue price hikes - VeriSign disclosed last night that on October 26, it and the U.S. Department of Commerce entered into an amendment of its cooperative agreement. Amendment 35 provides Verisign the pricing flexibility to change its .com Registry Agreement with ICANN to increase wholesale price for .com domain names. Specifically, the flexibility permits Verisign to pursue with ICANN an up to 7% percent increase in the price for .com domain names, in each of the last four years of each six-year period of the .com Registry Agreement. Amendment 35 clarifies that the vertical integration restrictions on Verisign's ability to own an ICANN-accredited registrar apply only to the .com registry and not to other services offered by Verisign, and the .com Registry Agreement can be amended to reflect that. Amendment 35 also identifies the circumstances that require approval by the DOC for further changes to the .com Registry Agreement, extends the expiration of the cooperative agreement to November 30, 2024, and provides for the automatic renewal of the cooperative agreement for six-year terms unless the DOC provides Verisign with written notice of non-renewal 120 days prior to the end of the then-current term. Finally, Amendment 35 confirms that Verisign will operate the .com registry in a content neutral manner with a commitment to participate in ICANN processes.