Stockwinners Market Radar for November 05, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:12 EDT LGI Homes reports 468 home closings in October - LGI Homes announced 468 homes closed in October 2018, compared to 531 home closings in October 2017. The company ended the first ten months of 2018 with 5,128 home closings, a 13.2% increase over 4,532 home closings during the first ten months of 2017. As of the end of October 2018, the company had 83 active selling communities.

19:02 EDT PG&E proposes to establish new commercial EV rate class - Pacific Gas and Electric Company submitted a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission to establish new commercial electric vehicle charging rates to help drive more rapid customer adoption. PG&E's proposal will make EV charging simpler and more affordable for fleet vehicles and charging stations at apartment buildings, workplaces and other public locations in Central and Northern California. Combining the new rate with PG&E's efforts to accelerate EV adoption will drive progress toward California's shared climate goals and result in cleaner air for all. As EV charging stations become more common in places such as multi-family residences, businesses, transit stations and other commercial spaces, PG&E has recognized that the existing rate structure does not best meet the needs of commercial EV charging. Currently, public or fleet EV chargers on PG&E's commercial electric rates can see higher costs than the typical business customer, on average. These costs pose challenges to the expansion of EVs and needed charging stations. Under the existing rate structure, high-power public EV chargers that are on business electric rates can incur demand charges, a cost included on commercial customer bills that are calculated based on the peak electricity usage of a customer during a billing period. Planning around and managing these demand charges pose unique and significant challenges to EV charging projects.

18:08 EDT Nutrien increase dividend 7.5% to 43c - Nutrien announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 43c per share payable January 17, 2019 to shareholders of record on December 31. This represents a 7.5% increase in the dividend and is representative of improving market fundamentals and confidence in our operational cash flow moving forward.

17:53 EDT Profire Energy announces $2M repurchase program - Profire Energy announced repurchase of up to $2M worth of the Company's common stock during the upcoming 12-month period. Repurchases will be made at Management's discretion at prices Management considers to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its shareholders, subject to the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company's financial performance. Open market purchases will be conducted in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

17:36 EDT Armistice Capital reports 9.8% stake in Clovis - As of the date hereof, each of the Armistice Capital may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of 5,150,000 Shares, constituting 9.8% of the Shares, based upon 52,711,827 Shares outstanding as of the date hereof.

17:22 EDT Marriott sees 2018 investment spending approximately $750M-$850M - Including approximately $200M for maintenance capital and $255M for the purchase of the Sheraton Grand Phoenix.

17:21 EDT Fabrinet up 11.5% after Q3 earnings beat, above-consensus Q4 outlook

17:12 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $350M contract increase from Air Force - Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $350M increase to an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for joint air-to-surface standoff missile, or JASSM, production support. Contractor will provide lifecycle support for all efforts related to JASSM, long range anti-ship missile, JASSM-extended range, and any JASSM variant in the areas of system upgrades, integration, production, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by April 17, 2022. This award is the result of sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:08 EDT DiamondRock increases share repurchase authorization to $250M from $150M

17:05 EDT Valero board approves Diamond Green Diesel plant expansion - Valero Energy (VLO) announced that its board of directors approved a project to expand the Diamond Green Diesel plant in Norco, LA, to 675M gallons per year renewable diesel production capacity. With low carbon mandates in North America and Europe projected to continue driving strong demand and premium pricing for renewable diesel, this expansion adds a second, independent parallel plant adjacent to the existing facility and a renewable naphtha finishing facility, which provides incremental low carbon fuel standard credit generation capability. Valero expects its 50% share, or approximately $550M, to be funded from cash generated by DGD's operations and for the project to be completed in late 2021. DGD is a joint venture formed between a subsidiary of Valero and Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR). Darling Ingredients separately announced that its board of directors also approved this project.

16:59 EDT Howard Hughes reports Q3 FFO $1.67 vs. $1.39 last year - Reports Q3 NOI $38.7M, up 3.6% from last year

16:56 EDT Farmland Partners reaffirms FY18 adjusted FFO view 30c-34c, consensus 33c - The Company expects the majority of the annual AFFO to be recognized in the Q4 due to the timing of revenue recognition in connection with certain leases.

16:50 EDT AVEO Oncology trading resumes

16:47 EDT Iberiabank announces new 2.765M share repurchase program - Iberiabank announced the completion of its previously announced share repurchase plan of approximately 2% of common shares outstanding. The company also announced today that the Board of Directors of the company authorized a new repurchase plan of up to 2.765M shares of the company's outstanding common stock. The repurchase authorization equates to approximately 5% of the total shares outstanding.

16:44 EDT Van Berkom & Associates reports 6.27% passive stake in Tivity Health

16:44 EDT Marriott CEO says 'in the home stretch' on Starwood integration - Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said, "It's been just over two years since the completion of the Starwood acquisition. We are in the home stretch on integrating the companies and are pleased with the results. On August 18, we integrated our loyalty programs creating one powerful, unified program, allowing our 120 million members to earn, book, and redeem across more than 6,700 hotels. At the time of the acquisition, we stated our goal to recycle assets totaling more than $1.5 billion by the end of 2018. We have already exceeded that goal, recycling more than $1.8 billion since the deal closed. In the third quarter, we were pleased to post gross fee revenues growth of 13 percent and adjusted EBITDA growth of 12 percent, as worldwide comparable systemwide hotel RevPAR increased roughly 2 percent. Our results in the third quarter highlight the resiliency of our asset light model and our ability to generate cash. Year-to-date through November 5, we have already returned more than $3.1 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and now believe we could return roughly $3.7 billion in 2018. It has been gratifying to see broad associate participation in Marriott's retirement savings plans. Approximately 80 percent of eligible associates participated in and will receive a supplemental, one-time company match of up to $1,000. Our associates are our most important assets, serving our guests every day. We recognize their extraordinary efforts and, with this incentive, encourage them to save for the future."

16:43 EDT Akoustis CFO John Kurtzweil departing - Akoustis announced that November 5 will be the last day of employment for John Kurtzweil, its CFO. Kurtzweil's departure was not due to any disagreement concerning the company's financial statements, policies or practices. Akoustis has appointed Kenneth Boller to serve as the interim CFO.

16:42 EDT QVT Financial reports 5.85% passive stake in Grindrod Shipping

16:41 EDT Senvest Management reports 5.11% passive stake in U.S. Silica

16:40 EDT General Mills elects Diane Neal to Board of Directors - General Mills announced the election of Diane Neal to its board of directors effective November 5, 2018. Neal was most recently Chief Executive Officer of Sur La Table, Inc., a premium-quality kitchen-goods retail company with more than 100 stores, until her retirement in 2017. Before her time with Sur La Table, Neal served with L Brands, Inc. where she was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Bath & Body Works, and has previously held leadership roles at Gap Inc. and Target Corporation.

16:38 EDT American Financial Group announces $1.50 special dividend - American Financial Group announced that it has declared a special, one-time cash dividend of $1.50 per share of American Financial Group Common Stock. The dividend is payable on November 26, 2018 to holders of record on November 16, 2018. The aggregate amount of the payment to be made in connection with this special dividend will be approximately $134 million. This special dividend is in addition to the Company's regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 per share that was last paid on October 25, 2018.

16:37 EDT Masonite acquires Bridgewater Wholesalers for $23M - Masonite International announced that it has completed the acquisition of the operating assets of Bridgewater Wholesalers Inc, headquartered in Branchburg, New Jersey. BWI is a leading fabricator and distributor of door systems and related components supporting customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. Their product offerings include both residential interior and exterior doors as well as value added pre-finishing services. BWI employs approximately 350 people across five facilities located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. Masonite has been BWI's primary supplier of door system components. As such, BWI would have added approximately $55 million of incremental net sales to Masonite's North America Residential segment for the twelve months ended September 2018, after adjusting for intercompany transactions. The purchase price was $23 million, net of cash acquired, and is subject to customary post-closing adjustments.

16:36 EDT Boston Private Financial names Anthony DeChellis new CEO - Boston Private Financial Holdings announced that it has appointed Anthony DeChellis as Chief Executive Officer, effective November 26, 2018. Mr. DeChellis will also serve as CEO of Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, a wholly owned banking subsidiary of the company.

16:34 EDT Marriott sees Q4 comparable systemwide RevPAR up 2% - Management said, "We expect Marriott's fourth quarter 2018 comparable systemwide RevPAR on a constant dollar basis will increase roughly 2 percent worldwide, roughly 1 percent in North America, and 5 to 6 percent outside North America. Our forecast for RevPAR in North America reflects an estimated 110-basis-point headwind due to the 2017 hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida and it also reflects the slightly weaker than expected transient demand the industry experienced during September. Trends in most international markets are expected to remain strong. For full year 2019, based on our early budgeting analysis, we expect comparable systemwide RevPAR on a constant dollar basis will increase 2 to 3 percent worldwide, 1 to 3 percent in North America, and 3 to 5 percent outside North America. For the full year 2018, we anticipate our number of rooms will increase nearly 7 percent gross while room deletions should total nearly 2 percent, resulting in net rooms growth of roughly 5 percent for the year. For the full year 2019, we anticipate gross room additions will increase at a rate similar to 2018, but deletions should moderate to 1 to 1.5 percent for the year, resulting in net rooms growth acceleration to roughly 5.5 percent."

16:31 EDT Brighthouse Financial reports book value $108.45 vs. $114.93 last year - The company ended Q3 with stockholders' equity of $108.45 on a per share basis, and book value, excluding accumulated other comprehensive income, of $103.80 on a per share basis.

16:30 EDT Insys down 3.3% after saying it will review alternatives for opioid portfolio

16:28 EDT Maximus Federal awarded GSA's contact center SIN - MAXIMUS announced that MAXIMUS Federal has been named the first awardee of the General Services Administration IT 70 Automated Contact Center Solutions IM 132-20 contract vehicle. Known as the "Contact Center SIN", this contract will serve as a future acquisition vehicle to enable federal agencies to procure citizen engagement center technology and operational requirements.

16:25 EDT Syndax sees Q4 research and development expenses $13M-$15M - Sees Q4 operating expenses $17M-$19M. Total operating expenses for the Q4 are expected to include approximately $1.5M of non-cash stock compensation expense. The year-end 2018 cash balance is expected to be approximately $80M.

16:24 EDT Pier 1 Imports names Donna Colaco as Chief Customer Officer - Pier 1 Imports (PIR) announced that Donna Noce Colaco has been appointed as Chief Customer Officer, effective December 3, 2018. In this newly created position, Ms. Colaco will lead the merchandising organization and oversee product development, planning and allocations, stores, marketing and e-Commerce. She will report to Alasdair James, President and CEO. Most recently, Ms. Colaco served as Brand President of White House Black Market, a Chico's FAS, Inc. brand (CHS), from August 2007 to January 2018. During her tenure, she led a brand repositioning and business turnaround, and was responsible for retail and e-commerce operations, including 500 stores, as well as brand development, product design, marketing, merchandising and financial planning.

16:20 EDT Tenet sees 2019 adjusted EBITDA in-line with sell-side expectations - The company said, "Adjusted EBITDA in 2019 expected to be in line with current sell-side consensus expectations; 3 percent to 5 percent Adjusted EBITDA growth anticipated in 2019."

16:19 EDT EyePoint signs Durasert license agreement with Ocumension - EyePoint Pharmaceuticals and Ocumension Therapeutics announced an exclusive license agreement for the development and commercialization of EyePoint's three-year micro insert using the Durasert technology for chronic, non-infectious posterior segment uveitis in the greater China territory, which is comprised of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. EyePoint received approval for this product by the FDA on October 12, and will be marketing it in the U.S. under the brand name Yutiq. Under the terms of the agreement, EyePoint will receive a one-time upfront payment of $1.75M from Ocumension. EyePoint is eligible to receive up to an additional $10.0M if certain future prespecified development, regulatory and commercial sales and milestones are achieved by Ocumension. In exchange, Ocumension will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the product in the agreed to territories, at its own cost and expense with EyePoint supplying product for clinical trials.

16:17 EDT Outfront Media CEO says 'looking forward to a robust fourth quarter' - "Financial performance was strong during the third quarter, with total revenues up 5.6%, Adjusted OIBDA up 7.0%, and AFFO up 10.5%," said Jeremy Male, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OUTFRONT Media. "We again saw an impressive increase in local advertising revenues and a return to growth in national, while our digital transformation continues with revenues up double-digits. We feel increasingly positive about our strategic position and we are looking forward to a robust fourth quarter."

16:14 EDT Concert Pharmaceuticals says preclinical results support CTP-692 potential - Concert Pharmaceuticals presented preclinical results that support the potential of CTP-692, the company's novel drug candidate for schizophrenia, to improve the safety profile of D-serine. CTP-692 is a deuterated form of D-serine, an endogenous co-agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. In preclinical evaluation, Concert demonstrated that selective deuterium modification resulted in increased exposure of CTP-692 compared to a similar dose of D-serine. Unlike D-serine, CTP-692 did not cause undesirable changes in important markers of kidney function. These findings will be presented as a poster at the American College of Toxicology 2018 Annual Meeting being held November 4-7, 2018 in West Palm Beach, FL. "Despite its therapeutic potential as an adjunctive medication for schizophrenia, D-serine's therapeutic potential has likely been limited by renal safety concerns. As a result of the preclinical profile we have observed with CTP-692 showing a potentially lower risk of renal toxicity compared to non-deuterated D-serine, we believe it's possible for us to explore a wider exposure range to achieve optimal therapeutic dosing levels of CTP-692," said Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Concert Pharmaceuticals. "These results support the further advancement of CTP-692, which we are preparing to move into Phase 1 clinical evaluation."

16:11 EDT Aveo says Phase 3 TIVO-3 trial met primary endpoint - AVEO Oncology announced positive topline results from the primary analysis of the TIVO-3 trial, the company's Phase 3 randomized, controlled, multi-center, open-label study to compare tivozanib to sorafenib in 351 subjects with highly refractory advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The trial met its primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant benefit in progression-free survival. Tivozanib demonstrated a 44% improvement in median PFS and 26% reduction in risk of progression or death. Median PFS was 5.6 months for tivozanib compared to 3.9 months for sorafenib. The TIVO-3 trial enrolled patients with RCC who have failed at least two prior regimens. Among these, approximately 26% of patients received checkpoint inhibitor therapy in earlier lines of treatment. Tivozanib PFS was longer than sorafenib both in patients who received prior checkpoint inhibitor therapy and those who did not. The analysis of the secondary endpoint of overall survival was not mature at the time of the final PFS analysis, with only 46% of potential OS events having been reported. At the time of the preliminary OS analysis, no statistically significant difference in OS was observed. The final survival analysis per protocol is planned for August 2019, two years following the last patient enrolled. Detailed results of the trial will also be submitted for presentation at an upcoming major medical meeting. The secondary endpoint of overall response rate for patients receiving tivozanib was 18% compared to 8% for patients receiving sorafenib. Tivozanib was generally well-tolerated, with grade 3 or higher adverse events consistent with those observed in previous tivozanib trials. Infrequent but severe adverse events reported in greater number in the tivozanib arm were thrombotic events similar to those observed in previous tivozanib studies. The most common adverse event in patients receiving tivozanib was hypertension, an adverse event known to reflect effective VEGF pathway inhibition. Based on results from the TIVO-3 trial, together with the previously completed Phase 3 TIVO-1 trial of tivozanib in the first line treatment of RCC, the company's goal is to submit a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in approximately six months.

16:09 EDT Ciner Resources cuts FY18 CapEx view to $40M-$50M from $55M-$65M

16:08 EDT Dicerna sees cash funding current clinical, operating plan beyond 2020 - The company said, "Dicerna had cash, cash equivalents, and held-to-maturity investments of approximately $180.4 million as of September 30, 2018. The Company has received proceeds from the Alexion collaborative research and license agreement, and, combined with the expected proceeds from the upfront cash payment and equity investment from the Lilly collaborative research and license agreement (subject to the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Lilly agreement), expects to receive approximately $224.0 million in net proceeds. Dicerna believes that its current cash, cash-equivalents and held-to-maturity investments, in addition to the upfront cash and equity investments from the Lilly and Alexion collaborative research and license agreements, will be sufficient to fund the execution of its current clinical and operating plan beyond 2020, which includes advancing DCR-PHXC through late-stage clinical development and regulatory filing, initiating proof-of-concept studies of DCR-HBVS in participants with HBV, and advancing the Company's undisclosed rare disease program into clinical development. This estimate assumes no new funding from additional collaboration agreements or from external financing events and no significant unanticipated changes in costs and expenses."

16:06 EDT Xencor expects to have cash to fund programs and operations into 2023 - Based on current operating plans, Xencor expects to have cash to fund research and development programs and operations into 2023. Xencor expects to end 2018 with approximately $525M in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

16:04 EDT Mylan CFO says 'confident' in full year adjusted free cash flow outlook - Mylan CFO Ken Parks said: "Mylan continues to generate strong cash flow with more than $2.0B of adjusted free cash flow for the first nine months of 2018, up 6% from the prior year and a healthy 119% of adjusted net earnings of $1.7B. We remain confident in our full year adjusted free cash flow outlook. As anticipated, our capital deployment priority is focused on deleveraging in the second half of 2018, and we expect this to continue into 2019. We intend to repay at least $1.2B of debt maturing through year end 2019 and remain fully committed to maintaining our investment grade credit rating."

16:00 EDT AVEO Oncology trading halted, news pending

15:57 EDT KapStone trading resumes

15:55 EDT Sessa Capital reports 6.3% passive stake in Garrett Motion

15:14 EDT OncoSec CEO sees safety profile, approach as differentiators - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, OncoSec (ONCS) CEO Daniel O'Connor clarified potential misconceptions regarding the company and highlighted the importance of its technology's safety profile: "We are targeting an extremely difficult patient population that failed treatment available for them, such as anti-PD1 checkpoint therapy. Given the way that we are defining that failure, very precisely, we will be able to go to the FDA and request conditional approval. That's where the focus should be when people look at us, look at our technology. Another thing, it's the fact we use a device in a drug combination. We actually think that's a strength of the technology. I think sometimes people will say 'that's different, it may be disruptive.' We don't mind being disruptive in that way because we think how we get plasmids inside of cells and how we get the cells expressing what we put on the plasmid is the most efficient, if not ingenious, way to get it done. We're not going into the entire bloodstream with our drug. Like almost everything that's out there, we're going right to the tumor but we're avoiding that systemic approach. That's again a key strength and kind of our hidden gem. Avoiding that systemic, potential toxicity that could occur by going to the bloodstream is a big difference, a big differentiator for our technology. Also, the safety profile. The side effects, the patient experience that we're seeing with our technology is nowhere near as difficult as other technologies that are being pursued to date. We see transient discomfort or pain in most of our patients, which is graded as a grade 1. That's mostly it. We see a very consistent safety profile with grade 1 transient discomfort or pain. You can't make drug comparisons, but if you look at the other technologies being pursued, there's no comparison. Most technologies have a great percentage of serious adverse events, which obviously impacts patient experience. Others take cells out of the patient's body, manipulate the cells and put them back in, and that's obviously a very labor-intensive process. It's been working really well in the heart space, but I think in the solid tumor space there's still an open question if whether or not that's going to be an efficient approach or the best approach. We like our approach a lot and we think that's a strong differentiator for us. It's using a system that's been known and been used on the bench in research for a long time, applying that into the clinic and in doing so is avoiding the systemic toxicity potential issue." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company.

15:01 EDT OncoSec CEO following drug pricing dialogue - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, OncoSec (ONCS) CEO Daniel O'Connor said the company is following the drug pricing dialogue but focusing on its clinical trials: "We're following the [drug pricing] dialogue but it's really not changing how we're approaching the market because our focus is on our clinical trials and demonstrating the potential of our Tavo and our platform. That's where our attention lies. But obviously we're following the dialogue." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

14:45 EDT OncoSec CEO hopes for another product candidate going to clinic next year - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, OncoSec (ONCS) CEO Daniel O'Connor discussed the company's pipeline and the two KEYNOTE studies currently ongoing: "[Looking out over the remainder of the year and into next year] We're going to focus on completing both of our KEYNOTE studies. One being the KEYNOTE-695, which is the Phase 2b in late stage melanoma for patients that have a very poor prognosis and really have no options and again unequivocally failed prior PD-1 checkpoint treatment. So, [the goal is to] stay very focused on enrolling that study fully, gathering the data and then analyzing the data, publishing it and going to the regulators looking for a conditional approval should the data support doing so. Secondly, and equally important for our company, is the KEYNOTE-890 study. This is our second keynote study with Merck [MRK]. It's again taking Tavo, Keytruda combination in patients in late stage triple negative breast cancer. We just announced that we started that study with the first site opening. We're now opening more sites, enrolling patients and looking to have data with respect to that study next year. That's a very important focus for our company, and it was predicated upon clinical observations that occurred in a study that the company sponsored at Stanford maybe two years ago. Another important aspect of the company is the versatility of our technology. We have another IND that we're planning in addition to Tavo. This time next year, we hope to have another product candidate moving into clinic, again using an intratumoral approach." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

14:19 EDT Taro Pharmaceutical trading halted, news pending

14:01 EDT Everi, Penn National extend cash access services agreement - Everi Holdings (EVRI) announced a four-year extension of its cash advance, ATM, check warranty, and redemption device services agreement with Penn National Gaming (PENN). Everi will also serve as the exclusive supplier of any new kiosk hardware deployed at Penn National sites during the extended agreement term, the company stated.

13:34 EDT Accenture acquires Intrigo Systems, terms not disclosed - Accenture has acquired U.S.-based Intrigo Systems, a provider of advisory and systems integration services for SAP enterprise and cloud solutions in e-commerce, supply chain and procurement. The acquisition strengthens Accenture's capabilities in delivering end-to-end supply chain transformations that can result in better visibility and buying decisions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2009, Intrigo Systems brings to Accenture new resources in key SAP supply chain areas such as SAP Integrated Business Planning and SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration. This enhances Accenture's capabilities to help clients build digital supply chains that better address cross-functional business decisions, collaborate with suppliers in real-time and simplify compliance.

13:30 EDT O'Connor says OncoSec plans another IND in addition to Tavo

13:30 EDT OncoSec hopes to have another candidate moving into clinic next year

13:30 EDT OncoSec CEO sees FDA conditional approval on KEYNOTE-695 results as goal

13:05 EDT AMC says Stubs program surpassed 17M member households - AMC Theatres announces that AMC Stubs A-List will cross more than 500,000 enrolled members between this weekend and next weekend. This eclipses its membership expectations for the end of the first full year in just 4 1/2 months, AMC said in a statement. The overall AMC Stubs program has surpassed 17M member households, up from about 2.5M member households 2 1/2 years ago. It added, "With the surging popularity of A-List which is also propelling more and more people to book their tickets online, AMC is taking further steps to make the movie-going experience more convenient than ever before. Beginning immediately, households can use a common credit card as the payment method for separate, individual A-List accounts; Also effective immediately, AMC has extended the minimum age for AMC Stubs A-List from 18 years old currently to 16 years old with a valid photo ID." AMC is holding the line on A-List pricing for 2019, still unchanged at $19.95 plus tax per month in 35 states. Further, "AMC is making modest pricing adjustments in states where the program is most popular. Beginning January 9, 2019, the monthly price of AMC Stubs A-List will move to $21.95 plus tax for guests in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state and The District of Columbia. The program moves to $23.95 plus tax for guests in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York."

13:04 EDT Kronos, IBM Watson announce collaboration to leverage AI for hourly workforce - Kronos Incorporated and IBM announced a collaboration that brings together the next-generation capabilities of Workforce Dimensions by Kronos and IBM Watson Talent. Together, this collaboration will help improve the engagement, performance, career development, and retention of hourly workers and simplify the complex task of managing this important segment of the global workforce. The collaboration will include the Watson Career Coach technology leveraging Workforce Dimensions data to deliver communications and workforce management, including shift scheduling, personalized training recommendations and career path coaching powered by Watson AI - all accessible over mobile devices. Employees will be able to interact with the Watson Career Coach technology, via chat, for guidance on career pathing and open opportunities for advancement, as well as training courses and milestones required to receive a raise or promotion.

12:37 EDT Facebook opens its first small business pop-up concept in nine Macy's locations - In a blog posting for Facebook (FB) Business, the social media company said: "Every day, millions of people discover brands and products they love on Facebook and Instagram. This holiday season, we're excited to bring the magic of this discovery into Macy's (M) retail stores. Today, we're opening our first small business pop-up concept in nine Macy's locations across the United States to bring 100 of the most-loved small businesses and digital-native brands on Facebook and Instagram into retail stores for the holiday shopping season. The pop-up will take place in The Market @ Macy's in New York City, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle today through early February. The Market @ Macy's helps both emerging and established brands reach new audiences by showcasing them in a physical space inside Macy's. We know the power of connecting businesses with the people who love them most, which is why we're proud to play a role in expanding the communities of these businesses to in-store shoppers at one of the most beloved retail stores in the world." Reference Link

12:09 EDT Super Micro boosts Entry Up server line 'enabling a rich set of new workloads' - Super Micro Computer (SMCI) is releasing a broad portfolio of new UP servers optimized for the new Intel (INTC) Xeon E-2100 processors launching for servers today. The new systems empower customers to do more with their entry-class servers. These new Supermicro servers boost performance up to 30-50% compared to the previous generation as they deliver value to software-defined storage, small business server, and Internet of Things applications in the public sector, medical, industrial production and cloud environments. Enhancements compared to the previous generation include improved energy efficiency, faster I/O bandwidth, increased security and reliability, 50% more processor cores and increased performance-per-watt."These new solutions further extend our industry-leading portfolio of UP servers and provide more enterprise-class features compared to the previous generation, which enables customers to do more without paying more," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "In addition to the immediate performance boost, these new entry-class Supermicro server solutions deliver increased I/O throughput and increased density per watt with up to six Xeon processor cores in 95 watts. For those seeking increased density per rack unit, our MicroBlade supports up to 28 server nodes in 6U."

12:01 EDT LSC Communications falls -11.9% - LSC Communications is down -11.9%, or -$1.30 to $9.62.

12:01 EDT SunPower jumps 9% after announcing JV with Hannon Armstrong - On November 5, SunPower and certain affiliates of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, entered into a joint venture to acquire, own, manage, operate, finance, and maintain a portfolio of solar photovoltaic electric generating systems currently or expected to be installed on residential rooftops or ground-mounted on the property of host customers, in each case through various direct and indirect subsidiaries or through interests in entities jointly owned with tax equity investors. Pursuant to the PSA, the Company sold to HA SunStrong Parent, in exchange for consideration of $10M, membership units representing a 49.0% membership interest in SunStrong Capital Holdings, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. SunStrong will directly or indirectly acquire, own, manage, operate, finance, and maintain the Solar Assets. Following the closing of the PSA, the Company retained membership units representing a 51% membership interest in SunStrong. The PSA contains customary representations, warranties and covenants for transactions of this type. The PSA also contains indemnification obligations with respect to breaches of representations and warranties, covenants, or obligations by each party, subject to certain limitations more fully described in the PSA. The Company paid all of the fees and expenses, including financial advisors and accountants, incurred by the parties in connection with the transaction, except for the fees and expenses relating to HA SunStrong Parent's legal counsel, which were paid by HA SunStrong Parent. Shares of SunPower are up 8.7% or 53c to $6.62 in midday trading.

12:00 EDT Ryerson rises 13.4% - Ryerson is up 13.4%, or $1.15 to $9.74.

12:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN rises 23.6% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is up 23.6%, or $20.47 to $107.26.

11:35 EDT U.S. midterm elections seen as potential positive for cannabis sector - Shares of cannabis stocks are in focus ahead of the United States' midterm elections on Tuesday. 'POSITIVE DRIVER': In a research note on Thursday, Canaccord analyst Bobby Burleson said he views the elections as a positive near-term catalyst for the U.S. cannabis sector as the midterms are likely to benefit Democrats and see the approval of several state legalization measures. The analyst said Michigan and North Dakota are considering legalization of recreational use, while Missouri and Utah are considering legalization of medical use and recent polling points to the likely passage of the Michigan, Missouri and Utah measures. Burleson also said he expects gains for Democratic governerships during the midterms as well as the federal advance toward legalization to progress. The analyst contended that qualitatively, a Democratically controlled House shifts political capital toward federal legalization, while indirectly, the potential of a coming Democratic-led House could rouse efforts toward compromise on the stalled House version of the Farm Bill. In addition, Burleson noted that is widely expected that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will step down after the elections, which would be significant given his rescission of the Cole memo and his general hostility toward legalization. The departure may also create the opportunity for rescheduling of marijuana on the Controlled Substances Act, the analyst said. Burleson said he believes the midterms will be positive for the entire U.S. cannabis sector, but expects a lift for specific names including 1933 Industries, Charlotte's Web, Ianthus/MPX Bioceutical, Liberty Health Sciences, MedMen Enterprises, Planet 13 and Trulieve Cannabis Corp. CANNABIS STOCKS: Publicly traded companies in the space include Aurora Cannabis (ACB), CV Sciences (CVSI), CannTrust Holdings (CNTTF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Cronos Group (CRON), General Cannabis (CANN), India Globalization Capital (IGC) and Tilray (TLRY). PRICE ACTION: CV Sciences rose 7.2% to $6.23, CannTrust Holdings fell 1.2% to $6.85, Cronos Group was down 1.4% to $7.95 and Tilray dropped 4% to $95.52 in late morning trading.

11:11 EDT Loews CEO says CNA Financial 'adequately reserved' - Loews (L) CEO Jim Tisch says CNA (CNA) "adequately reserved," managing business "appropriately." Says share buybacks "one of the most effective ways" to invest in the business while also rewarding long-term holders of the stock. Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

10:49 EDT Analyst sees potential downside to $5 for GE as new CEO buys $2M in stock - Shares of General Electric (GE) are on the rise after the recently appointed CEO Larry Culp disclosed the purchase of 225,000 shares at a price of $9.73 for a total value of $2.189M. Bearish on General Electric, Gordon Haskett analyst John Inch argued that GE could trade down to about $5 per share, assuming that GE Capital does not ultimately face insolvency, if the market were to value the stock increasingly on a free cash basis. Meanwhile, the company responded to recent tax liabilities speculation, saying that it does not see change in regulation that would cause increase in tax accrual. POTENTIAL DOWNSIDE TO $5: In a research note to investors, Gordon Haskett's Inch argued that General Electric could trade for about $5 per share if the market were to value GE increasingly on a free cash basis, assuming that GE Capital does not ultimately face insolvency. It would seem that most of the bullish analysts and investors are basing their upside views on sum-of-the-parts to value GE that invariably ascribe large valuations for the Aviation and Healthcare businesses, he contended. The analyst believes that the central problem with this approach is that it is "academic" as GE cannot completely dismantle to realize its true SOTP as the company is required to maintain a sufficient revenue and asset base to support all of GE Capital's tens of billions of dollars of debt securities. Moreover, Inch pointed out that it seems doubtful, given GE's excessive financial leverage, that its "crown jewel segments" would trade at peer EV/EBITDA multiples after apportioning GE's high debt across its business parts. Additionally, the analyst believes that "no one, including the company, has an accurate handle on the magnitude of GE's total and embedded on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet liabilities," which could ultimately exceed $100B. He reiterated an Underperform rating and $10 price target on the shares. TAX LIABILITIES: On Friday, Gordon Haskett's Inch argued in a separate research note that GE's near-term tax liabilities could be about to significantly increase, possibly amounting to billions of dollars more in incremental cash taxes over the coming months. The primary sources of the tax pressure would appear to be a result of the U.S. Treasury/IRS finalizing the impacts from U.S. tax reform, he contended. Based on GE's previous large unrepatriated foreign earnings balance, Inch said it could have been surmised that GE might have owed up to $9B in taxes per the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but instead "the company took a much lesser $3.3B charge while indicating it expected to pay little in incremental cash taxes due to a variety of offsets." If even some of these "offsets" are disallowed, Inch believes the company could wind up owing a large tax bill near-term, coming at a "difficult time" for GE given its deteriorating cash flow, declining Power fundamentals and rising GE Capital funding costs as the company is forced out of the commercial paper market. While the company took an equity capital raise off the table, the analyst believes ongoing cash and liability pressures, including the prospects of rising taxes, "may result in a future change to this decision." Meanwhile, General Electric said it does not see change in regulation that would cause increase in tax accrual. "There has been some speculation regarding GE's potential tax liabilities and in light of this, we want to clarify the facts for investors. Based on current law and guidance, we believe our current accrual is a reasonable estimate for the enactment of tax reform. We have filed our 2017 Federal income tax return and have paid the associated liability. We expect additional guidance from the Federal government, possibly in the fourth quarter of 2018, and we will finalize our accrual and reflect any increase or decrease in liability, as flagged by our CFO during the company's Q3 earnings call. GE does not expect any change in proposed or potential regulatory guidance that would cause our tax accrual to increase by billions of dollars," the company explained. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of General Electric have gained almost 1% to $9.34.

10:37 EDT Mazor Robotics granted 510(k) approval for Mazor X Stealth Edition - The Mazor X Stealth Edition was granted 510(k) premarket approval as "substantially equivalent" by the FDA on November 2, according to a post to the agency's website. Medtronic (MDT) announced an agreement to acquire Mazor Robotics (MZOR) on September 20. The acquisition is expected to close during Medtronic's third fiscal quarter ending January 25, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including receipt of regulatory clearances and approval by Mazor's shareholders. Reference Link

10:27 EDT NuStar Energy says PDVSA has reduced caribbean storage by about half - Says Wichita Falls expansion would add 50K-60K BPD near April.

10:19 EDT Apple falls below $200, shares down $8.07 to $199.42

10:00 EDT Sysco falls -10.2% - Sysco is down -10.2%, or -$7.27 to $64.02.

10:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -20.2% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -20.2%, or -$2.83 to $11.17.

10:00 EDT JinkoSolar rises 15.2% - JinkoSolar is up 15.2%, or $1.36 to $10.33.

09:57 EDT ORIX acquires 30% stake in Avolon with an enterprise value of $23.7B - Avolon (AVOL) announces that ORIX Corporation (IX), through its wholly owned subsidiary ORIX Aviation Systems, has completed the acquisition of a 30% stake in Avolon from Bohai Capital for $2.2B, based on a 31 March 2018 NAV. Avolon says the addition of ORIX, an investment grade institution, diversifies and strengthens the financial profile of Avolon's shareholder base and facilitates positive credit rating momentum. Additionally, the new governance structure enhances protections for minority shareholder and debt investors.

09:47 EDT Sysco falls -9.3% - Sysco is down -9.3%, or -$6.63 to $64.66.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -21.5% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -21.5%, or -$3.01 to $10.99.

09:47 EDT NuStar Energy rises 10.3% - NuStar Energy is up 10.3%, or $2.40 to $25.71.

09:42 EDT Gladstone Investment exits investment in LogoSportswear - Gladstone Investment announced the sale of its equity interest and the prepayment of its debt investment in LogoSportswear to a sponsor-backed strategic investor. As a result of this transaction, Gladstone Investment realized a significant gain on its equity investment. Gladstone Investment acquired LogoSportswear in partnership with Digital Fuel Capital, a private-equity firm focused on e-commerce businesses, in 2015.

09:32 EDT AT&T announces strategic relationship with Learfield for university communities - AT&T announced it is entering a strategic relationship with Learfield, a collegiate marketer, to help deepen its reach within higher education institutions. "Building technology-intensive campuses helps improve how students learn and find new ways to connect with each other. Teaming with Learfield will help us bring the latest technology, education and career opportunities to university communities," said Chris Roy, vice president, Global Public Sector, AT&T.

09:18 EDT GE doesn't see change in regulation that would cause increase in tax accrual - GE says: "There has been some speculation regarding GE's potential tax liabilities and in light of this, we want to clarify the facts for investors. Based on current law and guidance, we believe our current accrual is a reasonable estimate for the enactment of tax reform. We have filed our 2017 Federal income tax return and have paid the associated liability. We expect additional guidance from the Federal government, possibly in the fourth quarter of 2018, and we will finalize our accrual and reflect any increase or decrease in liability, as flagged by our CFO during the company's Q3 earnings call. GE does not expect any change in proposed or potential regulatory guidance that would cause our tax accrual to increase by billions of dollars."

09:15 EDT China XD Plastics to sign deleveraging investment framework agreement - China XD Plastics Company announced signing of deleveraging investment framework agreement by and among its subsidiary, Heilongjiang Xinda Enterprise Group Company, CCB Financial Asset Investment, and China Construction Bank Heilongjiang Branch, both of which are wholy owned subsidiaries of China Construction Bank. On, October 31, management from both the Company and CCB signed the Agreement at the conference center of the Company's Northeast Production Base. CCB Financial and CCB HLJ are planning to provide estimated 2 billion RMB, or approximately $289M, capital to Xinda Group and or its affiliated entities in debt, equity or other forms, mainly to repay Xinda Group's interest bearing loans, to facilitate the Company to diversify and develop its business and to improve corporate management, subject to the parties entering into one or more definitive agreements.

09:14 EDT Citizens Financial to acquire Clarfeld Financial Advisors, terms not disclosed - Citizens Financial Group announced that Citizens Bank has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Clarfeld Financial Advisors, a leading wealth management firm and multi-family office headquartered in Tarrytown, New York. Driven by a commitment to a client-focused service culture and its deep expertise in navigating complex financial needs, Clarfeld has been recognized as one of the industry's most distinguished independent wealth advisors. The Clarfeld team includes CFAs, CPAs, attorneys and CFPs and utilizes a highly efficient and scalable technology platform. Clarfeld delivers a fully integrated, multi-disciplined approach to managing the financial affairs of high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, their families and related entities. As of September 30, 2018, Clarfeld held approximately $6.6B of assets under management and approximately $900M of assets under administration. As of September 30, 2018, Citizens Bank Wealth Management had approximately $7.9B in AUM and total AUM/AUA of $26.5B, including $3.5B in AUM and $3.7B in AUA within the Citizens Bank Private Wealth Management platform. On a combined basis, Citizens Bank Wealth Management and Clarfeld would oversee approximately $14.4B of AUM and $34.1B of AUM/AUA. Upon closing, Clarfeld will continue to operate under its current brand name and become a division of Citizens Bank Wealth Management. Citizens Bank Private Wealth Management will be integrated into Clarfeld. The addition of Clarfeld will enhance Citizens' ability to provide a full suite of family office, investment, financial planning and tax and estate planning services for existing and new clients. The transaction is expected to close late this year or early next year, subject to customary closing terms and conditions and regulatory approval.

09:12 EDT Capstone Turbine provides initial results from DSS program - Capstone Turbine provided the initial results of its new Capstone distributor support system, or DSS program, that was initiated as of January 1 and outlined publicly this past April. The goal of the new DSS program is to provide improved worldwide distributor training, sales efficiency, website development, company branding and funding for increased strategic marketing and customer acquisition activities. Specifically, the DSS program consolidates funding for additional support that is needed for ongoing distributor business development activities, customer lead generation, brand awareness, and marketing services for each geography and market vertical served. Under the new DSS program, Capstone's distributors no longer pay for regularly scheduled training courses for authorized service providers, or ASPs, product applications or product sales. The DSS program also covers all required software licenses that are needed to be an efficient and successful Capstone distributor. In addition, the DSS program includes the development and hosting of new distributor websites, which are being linked to Capstone's corporate website to provide a seamless customer experience worldwide. The new DSS program is fully sponsored by Capstone's global distribution network through funding derived from a formula based on a distribution partner's prior calendar year of Capstone specific revenue. In calendar year 2018, Capstone received $1.1M, or approximately 80%, of the expected $1.3M of funding and has distributor commitments and payment plans in place to collect the remaining $300,000 of funding due by the end of the calendar year. As a result of the DSS program, Capstone has increased its global marketing and customer acquisition efforts without negatively affecting its lean operating expense profile.

09:10 EDT American Vanguard to acquire Tyratech, terms not disclosed - American Vanguard announced that it will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Tyratech. During a special meeting of shareholders conducted on October 31, 2018, Tyratech's shareholders approved both an agreement and plan of merger and the cancellation of admission of Tyratech's common stock to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Tyratech is a life sciences company focused on nature-derived insect and parasite control products. Prior to the transaction, American Vanguard held approximately 35% of the shares of Tyratech. The transaction, including de-listing of Tyratech shares from the AIM market, is expected to close on November 8, 2018. Further details of the deal were not disclosed.

09:09 EDT Avalon GloboCare approved to list on Nasdaq - Avalon GloboCare announced its common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Trading on Nasdaq is expected to commence immediately under the current trading symbol.

09:07 EDT Symantec acquires Appthority, terms not disclosed - Symantec announced its acquisition of Appthority, a privately held company that offers comprehensive Mobile Application Security Analysis. This technology gives Symantec customers the critical ability to analyze mobile apps for both malicious capabilities and unsafe and unwanted behaviors, such as vulnerabilities, risk of sensitive data loss, and privacy-invasive actions. The acquisition of Appthority demonstrates Symantec's continued commitment to securing modern endpoints and operating systems, as it brings innovation to its portfolio that addresses this vital security need. Last year, Symantec acquired Skycure, a leading Mobile Threat Defense technology, that enabled the launch of Symantec Endpoint Protection Mobile. Appthority's technology will be built into SEP Mobile, further enhancing Symantec's ability to protect the broadest spectrum of modern endpoints and operating systems. Today, Symantec also announced its acquisition of Javelin Networks, furthering its commitment to endpoint innovation. Javelin Networks is a privately held company that offers advanced software to help enterprises defend against Active Directory-based attacks. Starting today, the Appthority team and its technology becomes part of Symantec's endpoint security business. The privately held company was founded in 2011 and has employees based around the world.

09:05 EDT CohBar temporarily suspends CB4211 study to address injection site reactions - CohBar announced the Phase 1 clinical study of CB4211, its lead MBT candidate under development as a potential treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and obesity, has been temporarily suspended in order to address mild injection site reactions that have been unexpectedly persistent.

09:04 EDT Emerson signs $32M contract with Sonatrach to modernize gas processing plant - Emerson, in partnership with Fores Engineering, has signed a $32M contract with Sonatrach, Algeria's state energy company, to modernize its gas processing plant in Alrar. As part of the contract, Emerson will combine its innovative technologies and operational certainty methodology to optimize Sonatrach's production operations and improve the reliability and security of the Alrar plant's processes. Emerson's modernization program at the Alrar gas processing plant, in the southeast part of Algeria, is designed to help Sonatrach achieve Top Quartile performance-defined as operations and capital performance in the top 25 percent of peer companies. The project strengthens Emerson's presence in Algeria, which is a strategic market for the company in Africa. In its role, Emerson will update control and safety systems, fire and gas systems, field instrumentation control and isolation valves, and other equipment to improve production efficiencies, equipment reliability and safety. The project includes the engineering procurement, commissioning and testing of the new integrated control and safety systems, fire and gas systems, boosters and compressor controls, field instrumentation, liquid and gas metering skids, control and isolation valves, and other equipment for improved production efficiencies, equipment reliability and safety.

09:03 EDT CohBar: Phase 1 CB4211 study 'temporarily suspended' to address site reactions - CohBar announced the Phase 1 clinical study of CB4211, its lead MBT candidate under development as a potential treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and obesity, has been temporarily suspended in order to address mild injection site reactions that have been unexpectedly persistent. "Patient safety is very important to us and is also the primary objective of our CB4211 Phase 1 clinical trial," said Simon Allen, CohBar CEO. "While only mild adverse events have occurred in the study to date, we are taking the time to address these injection site reactions in order to reduce the risk of any safety or tolerability issues in the trial going forward. We continue to believe in the potential of this novel compound as a treatment for NASH and obesity, and the timely resolution of this issue is our top priority." "Mild injection site reactions are common in Phase 1 clinical studies of subcutaneously injected peptide drugs, and for most drugs they resolve quickly," said Kenneth C. Cundy, PhD., CohBar CSO. "In general, what we have seen are persistent painless bumps that can be felt under the skin and in most cases would be otherwise undetectable. Information to date suggests that some of the CB4211 dose persists at the injection site. We have a plan to address this issue in the near term and are seeking regulatory feedback with the goal of resuming the clinical dosing of CB4211 as soon as possible."

09:02 EDT Amgen, Provention Bio announce licensing, co-development agreement for AMG 714 - Amgen (AMGN) and Provention Bio (PRVB) announced a licensing and co-development agreement for AMG 714, identified by Provention as PRV-015. AMG 714 is a novel anti-IL-15 monoclonal antibody being developed for the treatment of gluten-free diet non-responsive celiac disease. Development efforts at Provention will be led by researchers with previous experience developing AMG 714. Under the terms of the agreement, Provention will conduct and fund a Phase 2b trial in NRCD and lead the next phase of development and regulatory activities for the program. Amgen will make a $20M investment coincident with Provention's next financing event, subject to certain terms and conditions. Amgen is also responsible for the manufacturing of AMG 714. Upon completion of the Phase 2b trial, Provention will be eligible to receive a $150M milestone payment, as well as additional regulatory milestone payments and royalties if Amgen continues AMG 714 development.

09:01 EDT Citi says John Dugan to succeed Michael O'Neill as chairman

08:59 EDT Clearside Biomedical says Sapphire Phase 3 study did not meet primary endpoint - Clearside Biomedical announced that the primary endpoint was not achieved in its Phase 3 clinical trial investigating the superiority of XIPERE used together with the intravitreal anti-VEGF agent EYLEA, compared to intravitreal Eylea monotherapy, for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion. The primary endpoint of this trial was the proportion of patients in the combination treatment arm, compared to the intravitreal Eylea-alone control arm, with improvements in best corrected visual acuity from baseline of at least 15 letters on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale at eight weeks after initial treatment. "In the SAPPHIRE trial, approximately 50% of patients in both arms showed at least a 15 letter improvement in vision; unfortunately, there was no additional benefit for patients receiving XIPERE together with intravitreal Eylea," said Daniel White, CEO and President of Clearside. "In light of these 8-week topline data, we plan to discontinue clinical development of combination therapy for RVO, which includes SAPPHIRE and its companion Phase 3 clinical trial, TOPAZ."

08:53 EDT Copart to begin auctioning vehicles every other Friday in Furth new facility - Copart will begin auctioning vehicles every other Friday from its new facility located at Furth, near Nurnberg, the second largest city of the German federal state of Bavaria. This is Copart's fourth location in Germany. The new location will begin its biweekly vehicle auctions Friday, Nov. 9.

08:49 EDT PG&E not providing FY18 EPS guidance due to uncertainty related to wildfires - PG&E Corporation is not providing at this time guidance for 2018 GAAP earnings and non-GAAP earnings from operations due to the uncertainty related to the Northern California wildfires. The company is providing 2018 IIC guidance of $1.65B to $1.82B after-tax for costs related to 14 of the Northern California wildfires, net of insurance, costs related to the Butte fire, net of contractor insurance, costs to clear pipeline rights-of-way, a reduction to gas-related capital disallowance estimates, and probable cost recoveries of insurance premiums incurred in 2017 above amounts included in authorized revenue requirements. IIC guidance is based on various assumptions and forecasts related to future expenses and certain other factors.

08:39 EDT Opiant Pharmaceuticals announces LPLV for Phase 2 OPNT001 trial - Opiant Pharmaceuticals announced that the last patient, last visit, or LPLV, occurred on November 2, in its Phase 2 clinical trial of OPNT001, a naloxone nasal spray, for the treatment of Bulimia Nervosa. Opiant expects to report top-line data from this trial in Q1 of 2019. The Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is evaluating the safety and tolerability of OPNT001, as well as its impact on various clinical outcomes, including changes in eating behavior. The primary endpoint of the study is a reduction in binge eating days. The study includes a total of 86 patients across 19 clinical sites in the United Kingdom. Patient enrollment was completed on September 4.

08:37 EDT Spero Therapeutics announces results from SPR720 studies - Spero Therapeutics announced results from preclinical IND-enabling studies of SPR720, an oral antimicrobial agent being developed for the treatment of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial, or NTM, infections. The preclinical in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies demonstrate that SPR720 achieved wide therapeutic margins and activity versus multiple clinically important species of non-tuberculous mycobacteria, which Spero believes supports its advancement into human clinical trials. SPR720 was assessed in a series of non-clinical studies, including IND-enabling 28- and 31-day GLP toxicology studies in non-human primates and rats, respectively, and safety pharmacology studies. In vitro MIC studies demonstrated potent activity for SPR720 against prevalent NTM pathogens, including Mycobacterium avium complex and Mycobacterium abscessus. Furthermore, in vivo studies in murine models of pneumonia demonstrated favorable efficacy relative to standard-of-care comparator agents. The data suggest that SPR720 has an acceptable safety profile, encouraging target pathogen efficacy, and a wide therapeutic margin. These results, in conjunction with the recent regulatory interactions Spero has had, support the further development of SPR720. Spero plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of SPR720 in early 2019.

08:35 EDT 2U to deliver new suite of online short courses with Yale SOM - 2U announced that it will deliver a new suite of business-focused online short courses with the Yale School of Management, or SOM. The short courses will be presented in collaboration with GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, and are anticipated to begin launching in spring 2019. The business-focused short courses are anticipated to cover subject areas grounded in Yale's management curriculum.

08:34 EDT Cardtronics named provider of ATM services to RaceTrac's Dallas-Ft. Worth stores - Cardtronics is now the exclusive provider of ATM services to 121 RaceTrac convenience stores in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area that have also been integrated into the Allpoint surcharge-free ATM network.

08:29 EDT Aceto adopts rights plan to preserve NOLs, other tax benefits - Aceto announced that its board has adopted a tax asset protection rights plan. The plan is designed to preserve Aceto's net operating loss carryforwards, or NOLs, and other significant tax benefits which may be available to reduce potential future tax liabilities. Aceto's board determined that the plan was warranted and in the best interests of all stockholders due to the substantial dollar amount of the NOLs and other tax assets and the importance of these potential benefits for future cash flows. The rights plan is similar to the tax asset protection rights agreements adopted by numerous other public companies seeking to protect their NOLs and other tax benefits. The plan and the rights issued under the rights plan will expire on November 5, 2021, or on an earlier date if certain events occur, as described more fully in the rights plan. Aceto's ability to utilize these tax assets during future periods would be substantially limited in the event of an "ownership change". In general, an ownership change would occur if Aceto's stockholders who own, or are deemed to own, 5% or more of Aceto's common stock increase their collective ownership in Aceto by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. The purpose of the plan is to deter an ownership change from occurring under these technical rules, which would protect Aceto's ability to utilize its valuable tax assets and avoid a reduction in stockholder value that would occur from these assets becoming subject to limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. There is no guarantee, however, that the Rights Plan will prevent Aceto from experiencing an ownership change. Under the rights plan, Aceto's stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 15 will receive one preferred stock purchase right for each share of common stock outstanding. Pursuant to the plan, if any person or group acquires 4.99% or more of the outstanding shares of Aceto's common stock, or if a person or group that already owns 4.99% or more of Aceto's common stock acquires additional shares representing 0.5% or more of the outstanding shares of Aceto's common stock, then, subject to certain exceptions, there would be a triggering event under the plan. The rights would then become exercisable and entitle stockholders to purchase additional shares of Aceto at a significant discount and result in significant dilution in the economic interest and voting power of the acquiring person or group. In its discretion, the board may exempt certain transactions from the provisions of the plan, including if it determines that the transaction will not jeopardize the deferred tax assets or the transaction will otherwise serve Aceto's best interests. The company is continuing to explore a range of strategic options, and the plan is not intended to be an antitakeover measure or to deter offers that are fair and otherwise in the best interests of Aceto's stockholders. To this end, the plan will expire if any person or group acquires or becomes the beneficial owner of more than 19.99% of Aceto's outstanding shares. The issuance of the rights will not affect Aceto's reported earnings per share and is not taxable to Aceto or its stockholders. Aceo may pursue other ways to preserve its substantial tax assets in addition to its adoption of the rights plan.

08:21 EDT NinePoint Medical announces FDA clearance of NvisionVLE Imaging System - NinePoint Medical announced that it has received FDA clearance to market its Intelligent Real-time Image Segmentation software upgrade for its flagship product, the NvisionVLE Imaging System. IRIS, an artificial intelligence-based platform for image feature segmentation, is the first tool of its kind approved for use in imaging of esophageal tissue. The clearance of IRIS marks the first product addition to the NvisionVLE Imaging System family since NinePoint Medical began a strategic collaboration with its worldwide distributor, Merit Medical Systems.

08:15 EDT New General Electric CEO just bought over $2M of shares - General Electric CEO Larry Culp disclosed this morning the purchase of 225,000 shares at a price of $9.73 for a total value of $2.189M. The stock closed Friday down 25c to $9.29. Culp now owns 598,392 shares of GE.

08:10 EDT Audentes Therapeutics appoints CEO Matthew Patterson to Board of Directors - Audentes Therapeutics announced that Co-Founder and CEO Matthew R. Patterson has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors also appointed Louis G. Lange as Lead Independent Director. Patterson and Lange have held board member roles since 2012 and 2015, respectively. Patterson has more than 25 years of experience in the research, development, and commercialization of innovative treatments for rare diseases and has held positions of senior management in both private and public biotechnology companies. Previously Patterson worked for Genzyme Corporation, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, and Amicus Therapeutics. Lange was the founder of CV Therapeutics, and as the Chairman, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer, led the company through an IPO, the approval of two first-in-class cardiovascular drugs, RANEXA(R) and LEXISCAN(R), and the sale of the company to Gilead Sciences. Prior to joining industry, Lange spent 22 years in academic medicine at Harvard and Washington University, where he served as Chief of Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at Jewish Hospital and was one of the first academicians in molecular cardiology.

08:08 EDT Materion to purchase group annuity contract for retiree pension benefits - Materion Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a group annuity contract from Mutual of America Life Insurance Company to settle approximately $111M of Materion's $256M in outstanding U.S. pension obligations. Under the agreement, Mutual of America will assume the obligation to pay future pension benefits starting January 1, 2019, for specified U.S. retirees, beneficiaries, and other participants who are currently in payment status and commenced payments on or before June 1, 2018. The purchase will be funded by existing plan assets, requires no cash contribution, and removes approximately 43% of Materion's U.S. pension obligation, while still maintaining funding levels well above minimum requirements for the remaining pension obligations. Materion expects to incur a non-cash, non-operating pension settlement charge of approximately $41M in the fourth quarter related to expensing unamortized actuarial losses. The purchase of this group annuity contract allows Materion to secure pension benefits for approximately 1,150 participants in payment status and reduce volatility in pension costs and funding requirements. Materion has and will continue to be committed to meeting its pension obligations responsibly. The annuity purchase will not impact the monthly pension benefits currently being paid to participants. The group annuity contract includes an irrevocable commitment by Mutual of America to make annuity payments to affected participants covered under the contract.

08:07 EDT Lipocine completes enrollment in LPCN 1144 liver imaging study - Lipocine announced the completion of enrollment in the proof-of-concept clinical study with LPCN 1144 to assess liver fat changes in hypogonadal men at risk of developing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis using magnetic resonance imaging, proton density fat fraction technique. LPCN 1144 is the company's oral product candidate for the treatment of NASH comprising a prodrug of bioidentical testosterone. The study enrolled 36 subjects and results are expected in the first quarter of 2019.

08:05 EDT Provectus says FDA grants orphan drug designation to PV-10 for neuroblastoma - Provectus announced that the company was granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for small molecule oncolytic immunotherapy PV-10 for the treatment of neuroblastoma, a non-central nervous system pediatric solid tumor. Intratumoral injection of PV-10 can yield immunogenic cell death in solid tumor cancers and stimulate tumor-specific reactivity in circulating T cells. Initial non-clinical testing of PV-10 in treatment-refractory neuroblastoma has closely paralleled previous non-clinical and clinical study of PV-10 for murine and human adult solid tumors, at both the tumor and cellular levels.6 Non-clinical investigation by member institutions of the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators' Consortium has confirmed that ICD also occurs in neuroblastoma. ODD status previously was granted to PV-10 for the treatments of metastatic melanoma in 2007 and hepatocellular carcinoma in 2013.

08:03 EDT Aspen Group secures $5M line of credit from major shareholder - Aspen Group announced that it has closed a $5M, three year senior unsecured revolving credit facility from one of its largest shareholders, Leon Cooperman. The purpose of the facility is to provide additional funding cushion for the company, if needed. No funds were initially drawn and no draws are anticipated for the foreseeable future given the company's current and expected cash position as well as the projected company's performance. Michael Mathews, Chairman & CEO of Aspen Group, commented, "The purpose of this facility is to allow the company to continue to execute on its exciting growth plans without having to go back to the equity markets for the forseeable future. Many thanks to Mr. Cooperman for his continued support of Aspen Group and our vision of making college affordable again." Terms of the line of credit include a 12% per annum interest rate on drawn funds and a 2% per annum commitment fee on the remaining undrawn funds. The facility matures in November 2021.

08:01 EDT Datawatch trading resumes

07:43 EDT Spotify announces stock repurchase program up to $1B - Spotify Technology announces that it will commence a stock repurchase program beginning in Q4. Repurchases of up to 10,000,000 of the Company's ordinary shares have been authorized by the company's general meeting of shareholders and the Board of Directors approved such repurchase up to the amount of $1B The repurchase program will expire on April 21, 2021. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. The repurchase program will be executed consistent with the Company's capital allocation strategy of prioritizing investment to grow the business over the long term.

07:38 EDT Altair to acquire Datawatch for $13.10 per share - Altair (ALTR) and Datawatch (DWCH) announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which Altair has agreed to acquire Datawatch. Under the terms of the agreement, Altair will pay $13.10 per share in cash, representing a fully diluted equity value of approximately $176M. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, Altair will commence a tender offer within ten business days to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Datawatch for $13.10 per share in cash. This represents a 35% percent premium to the closing price of Datawatch's common stock on November 2. The tender offer is subject to customary closing conditions, including the tender of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Datawatch common stock and the expiration or early termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Following the closing of the tender offer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altair will merge with and into Datawatch, with each share of Datawatch common stock that has not been tendered being converted into the right to receive the same $13.10 per share in cash offered in the tender offer. The transaction is anticipated to close in Q4.

07:33 EDT DXC Technology extends ServiceNow with acquisitions of TESM, BusinessNow - DXC Technology (DXC) announced that it has significantly extended the reach and capability of its ServiceNow (NOW) practice with the acquisition of two leading ServiceNow partners. DXC has acquired UK-based TESM, a global end-to-end ServiceNow partner, and BusinessNow, the largest independent ServiceNow partner in the Nordics. The additions of TESM and BusinessNow reflect DXC's commitment to its growing ServiceNow practice and build on the scale, reach, industry experience and skills portfolio necessary to lead in the fast-growing enterprise software-as-a-service market. TESM was launched in 2013 by a team of practitioners using deep industry and technology experience to provide a practical and realistic approach to the delivery of service management projects, solutions and services. An early adopter of ServiceNow with deep experience in cloud and service automation, TESM has a growing client base that include four of the top 20 global banks that are supported by more than 200 ServiceNow experts with 88 certifications. BusinessNow, founded in 2014, is the leading expert for ServiceNow advisory, implementation and training, and is the fastest growing dedicated ServiceNow Gold Services Partner in the Nordics. Across its employee base, BusinessNow holds 98 certifications and has successfully delivered more than 500 projects for a 100-plus client base in Europe. With skills in management consulting, product development, agile execution and talent management, BusinessNow will bring additional experience, depth and skill to DXC's ServiceNow practice and client base across Europe.

07:32 EDT KapStone trading halted, news dissemination

07:28 EDT Datawatch trading halted, news pending

07:21 EDT Universal Stainless & Alloy announces Alyssa Snider as CHRO - Universal Stainless & Alloy announced that Alyssa Snider has joined the company as VP and CHRO. In this newly created position, Snider will be responsible for the human resource function for the company. Snider will report directly to Dennis Oates, Universal's CEO. Snider brings experience as a human resources leader built through her 16 years with Shell Oil company.

07:15 EDT Opera invests $30M in StarMaker for 19.35% stake - Opera announced that it has completed a strategic investment in StarMaker. StarMaker enables users to record and share their own music videos, collaborate with other musicians, connect with other users and follow their idols on the social platform. The company has a strong and engaged user base in emerging markets such as India, Indonesia and the Middle East. Opera's strategic investment in StarMaker will lay the foundation for opportunities for the two companies to leverage each other's strong brands and unique products to accelerate growth and to capture shared opportunities. Opera has invested $30M at a $125M pre-money valuation by purchasing preferred shares issued by StarMaker, resulting in an ownership stake of 19.35%. As part of the investment, Opera also obtained an option to increase its ownership to 51% in the second half of the year 2020.

07:12 EDT Hub Group to acquire CaseStack for $255M - Hub Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CaseStack for $255M in cash. Hub Group expects the transaction will close by early December, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and required approvals. CaseStack delivers service to its customers through its approximately 280 employees and proprietary technology systems. The company has two lines of business. CaseStack Logistics Services provides consolidation services to consumer packaged goods companies that are selling into the North American retail market. CaseStack Transportation Services is a technology-enabled truck brokerage with a focus on LTL transportation. The company operates a non-asset based business model, working with transportation carriers and warehousing firms to deliver an integrated solution offering. For the 12 month period ended September 30, the company generated revenue of approximately $242M and EBITDA of approximately $22M. The Transaction consideration will be paid with cash on hand and borrowings from Hub Group's credit facility. There is an estimated $11M of annual intangible amortization related to the transaction, or approximately 25c per share. Hub Group expects the Transaction to be accretive to earnings in 2019.

07:11 EDT Rowan Companies drillship awarded contract by Total - Rowan Companies (RDC) announced that the Rowan Renaissance, an R-Class ultra-deepwater drillship, has been awarded a contract in Mexico by Total (TOT) with a firm term of one well with an estimated duration of 60 days. The agreement includes three one-well options that can be exercised by other Total affiliates. Operations are expected to commence in early 2019. The Rowan Renaissance is currently being reactivated from warm stack offshore Louisiana.

07:10 EDT Cellect receives patent grants from Japan and Australia for ApoGraft - Cellect Biotechnology announced that it has received a formal Notice of Allowance from the Japanese and Australian Offices for Patents & Trademarks covering a key composition of matter and method of use of Cellect's ApoGraft technology in devices for stem cell selection. The current patent significantly enhances Cellect's protection of its core technology and its commercial applications by covering the various devices using the ApoGraft for a positive selection of stem cells.

07:07 EDT Regenxbio, Abeona Therapeutics announce license agreement - REGENXBIO (RGNX) and Abeona Therapeutics (ABEO) announced a license agreement to REGENXBIO's NAV AAV9 vector for the treatment of four diseases: Sanfilippo syndrome type A, Sanfilippo syndrome type B, Infantile Batten Disease, also known as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 1, and Juvenile Batten Disease, also known as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 3. Under the terms of the agreement, REGENXBIO has granted Abeona an exclusive worldwide license with rights to sublicense, to REGENXBIO's NAV AAV9 vector for the development and commercialization of gene therapies for the treatment of MPS IIIA, MPS IIIB, CLN1 Disease and CLN3 Disease. In return for these rights, REGENXBIO will receive a guaranteed $20M upfront payment, $10M of which will be paid upon signing and $10M of which will be paid within 12 months of the effective date. In addition, REGENXBIO will receive a total of $100M in annual fees, payable upon the second through sixth anniversaries of the agreement, $20M of which is guaranteed. REGENXBIO is also eligible to receive potential commercial milestone payments of up to $60M. REGENXBIO will also receive low double-digit royalties on net sales of products incorporating the licensed intellectual property.

07:05 EDT Dova Pharmaceuticals announces FDA acceptance of Doptelet sNDA - Dova Pharmaceuticals announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review the supplemental New Drug Application for DOPTELET for a new indication, the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia in patients who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment. ITP is an autoimmune bleeding disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, i.e., an abnormally low level of platelets. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for an FDA decision on the sNDA is June 30, 2019. DOPTELET, a second generation, orally administered thrombopoietin receptor agonist, was approved by FDA in May 2018 for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adult patients with chronic liver disease who are scheduled to undergo a procedure. The ITP sNDA is supported by safety and efficacy data from one pivotal randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial in the target indication that met its primary and first secondary (proportion of subjects with platelet count efficacy endpoints with high statistical significance. Data from the Phase 3 clinical trial has been recently published online, and will be included in an upcoming volume of the British Journal of Haematology. Additional supportive efficacy data for the ITP sNDA are provided by two Phase 2 ITP clinical trials, as well as the two Phase 3 trials for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with CLD. Data from all 24 studies in the avatrombopag clinical development program support the safety and tolerability of avatrombopag across multiple indications.

07:02 EDT Lowe's to close underperforming stores - Lowe's announced the wind-down of certain underperforming store locations as part of its ongoing strategic reassessment. To focus on its most profitable stores and improve the overall health of its store portfolio, the company will: Close 20 U.S. stores. Most associates at these stores will be extended opportunities to transition to a similar role at a nearby Lowe's store. The majority of impacted stores are located within 10 miles of another Lowe's store. Close 31 Canadian stores and other locations. "While decisions that impact our associates are never easy, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic reassessment as we focus on building a stronger business," said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe's president and CEO. "We believe our people are the foundation of our business and essential to our future growth, and we are making every effort to transition impacted associates to nearby Lowe's stores." Lowe's expects to close the impacted stores by the end of the company's 2018 fiscal year (Feb. 1, 2019). To facilitate an orderly wind-down, the company intends to conduct store closing sales for most of the impacted locations with the exception of select stores in the U.S., which will close immediately. Lowe's has partnered with Hilco Merchant Services to help manage the process in the U.S. and ensure a seamless experience for customers. The expected financial impact of today's announcement of $0.28 to $0.34 per diluted share was not contemplated in the business outlook for fiscal 2018 which the company provided on Aug. 22 when it released its second quarter earnings. Additional details regarding the impact of the store closings will be provided in the next quarterly earnings release on Nov. 20.

07:00 EDT Verizon realigns structure to focus on three customer-facing areas - Verizon Communications announced a new operating structure focused on three customer-facing areas: Consumer, Business and Verizon Media Group / Oath. These groups will be supported by a network and IT organization, and corporate-wide staff functions. The changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2019. Verizon expects to transition to financial reporting under the new structure during second-quarter 2019. "This new structure reflects a clear strategy that starts with Verizon customers," said CEO Hans Vestberg. "We're building on our network transformation efforts and the Intelligent Edge architecture to deliver new customer experiences and optimize the growth opportunities we see as leaders in the 5G era. We're focused on how our technology can benefit customers' lives and society at large." Verizon Consumer Group will include the consumer segment for both the company's wireless and wireline businesses, including wireless wholesale. It will be led by Ronan Dunne, currently executive vice president and president of Verizon Wireless. Verizon Business Group will include the wireless and wireline enterprise, small and medium business, and government businesses, as well as wireline wholesale and Verizon Connect, the company's telematics business. It will be led by Tami Erwin, currently executive vice president - Wireless Operations. Verizon Media Group / Oath sits at the intersection of media, advertising and technology, helping people access and receive media, entertainment, gaming, news, commerce and other services. It will be led by Guru Gowrappan, who was previously announced as Oath CEO. Verizon's Global Network & Technology organization, which will serve all company operations, will be led by Kyle Malady, currently chief network operations officer and chief technology officer. There are no changes in leadership for company-wide staff functions.

06:58 EDT Eli Lilly's Trulicity meets primary efficacy objective in REWIND trial - Trulicity significantly reduced major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE, a composite endpoint of cardiovascular, or CV, death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke, meeting the primary efficacy objective in the REWIND trial. Eli Lilly's once-weekly Trulicity is the first type 2 diabetes medicine to demonstrate superiority in the reduction of MACE events in a clinical trial that included a majority of participants who did not have established CV disease. The study included a majority of patients without established CV disease at baseline, a first for the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. REWIND assessed the risk of MACE in adults with type 2 diabetes with a wide range of CV risk. The study compared the effect of once-weekly Trulicity 1.5 mg to placebo when added to standard of care. REWIND is distinct compared to other CV outcome trials due to the limited number of people with established CV disease who participated in the trial, allowing Trulicity's CV effect to be measured in a broad population of people with type 2 diabetes. Importantly, REWIND had a median follow-up period of more than 5 years, the longest for a CV outcome trial in the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. In comparison, other CV outcome trials had more people with a higher baseline A1C and a greater percentage of patients who had established CV disease. Of the 9,901 REWIND participants, the mean baseline A1C was relatively lower at 7.3%, and only 31% had established CV disease. The safety profile of Trulicity in REWIND was generally consistent with the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. Lilly plans to submit these data to regulatory authorities next year and to share detailed results at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in 2019.

06:50 EDT SandRidge Energy sells CBP assets, buys Oklahoma and Kansas assets for $25.1M - SandRidge Energy announced it has closed two transactions that will collectively generate meaningful incremental asset value, margin improvements and operational efficiencies for the company. On November 1, the company sold substantially all of its oil and gas properties, rights and related assets in the Central Basin Platform, or CBP, region of the Permian Basin, together with 13,125,000 Common Units of the SandRidge Permian Trust, to an unaffiliated party for net proceeds of $14.5M, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. The subject oil and gas properties largely consist of shallow, low net revenue interest wells burdened by a substantial overriding royalty interest conveyed to the trust. Lease restrictions and trust limitations on these properties significantly constrain any additional development beyond existing wellbores. The transaction simplifies the company's operations with the removal of a large population of low-rate and shut-in wells, collectively averaging 1 Boepd per well and with direct lifting costs of $30.50 per bbl. The divestiture of almost 1,500 wells also eliminates approximately 32% of the company's total asset retirement obligations. On November 2, the company acquired certain oil and gas properties, rights and related assets in the Mississippi Lime and NW Stack areas of Oklahoma and Kansas for $25.1M, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. The acquired interests in these assets are additive to existing SandRidge ownership positions. The company operates approximately 80% of the subject wells and holds an existing working interest in most of the remaining wells operated by others. In addition to well and lease rights, the company is acquiring an additional 13.2% interest in its produced water gathering and disposal system. As of September, these oil and gas properties had monthly net production of 3,775 Boepd and monthly net operating income of $1.5M. The transaction is accretive to cash flow and net asset value per share, and the company estimates an associated payback period of less than three years.

06:45 EDT Embraer, American Airlines sign new contract for 15 E175s - Embraer (ERJ) and American Airlines (AAL) signed a firm order for 15 E175 jets in a 76-seat configuration. The contract has a value of $705 million, based on current list prices, and will be included in Embraer's 2018 fourth-quarter backlog. Deliveries will take place in 2020. Combined with the airline's previous orders for the E175, this new contract results in a total of 104 E175 jets for American Airlines since 2013. The most recent order took place in May 2018 for 15 aircraft. American Airlines selected Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, to operate the 15 aircraft, which will be configured with a total of 76 seats, being 12 in First Class and 64 in Main Cabin, including Main

06:44 EDT Spirit Realty sees FY18 pro-forma AFFO 67c-68c

06:43 EDT Azure Power announces early commissioning of 95 MW project in Gujarat - Azure Power announced the early commissioning of a 95 MW solar power plant in Gujarat which was completed in record time for a ground mount project built by the company and has been commissioned approximately 5 months ahead of the scheduled PPA operation date. This section is the first phase of a 260 MW allocation by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd to Azure Power and was developed outside a solar park. Azure Power will provide power for 25 years at a tariff of INR 2.67 (~US 3.9 cents) per kWh to GUVNL which has a strong offtake credit and has been rated AA- by ICRA, a Moody's company.

06:36 EDT Flexion says CMs issues product-specific J code for ZILRETTA - Flexion Therapeutics announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a product-specific J code for ZILRETTA. Under the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, the permanent code for ZILRETTA (J3304) will become effective on January 1, 2019, and it will supersede the current Q code (Q9993), which has been in place since July 1, 2018.

06:35 EDT Applied Industrial Technologies acquires Fluid Power Sales, terms not disclosed - Applied Industrial Technologies announced it has acquired Fluid Power Sales, a manufacturer and distributor of fluid power components, specializing in the engineering and fabrication of manifolds and power units. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Established in 1968, FPS and its team of 50 employees support OEM and industrial customers in the Northeast and Eastern Canada from a single location in Baldwinsville, NY. The company's product portfolio includes accumulators, cylinders, hydraulic motors & pumps, test equipment, valves, and more. FPS also specializes in custom fabrication and complete system integration - from design to finished assembly. The business will continue to operate under the Fluid Power Sales name.

06:09 EDT Quotient sees Q3 product sales $6.0M-$6.5M vs $5.7M last year

06:04 EDT Easterly Government Properties to acquire DEA lab in Upper Marlboro, Maryland - Easterly Government Properties announced that it has agreed to acquire a 50,978-square foot Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. DEA - Upper Marlboro is a modern, Class A laboratory 100% leased to the GSA and occupied by the DEA, which serves as the DEA's Mid-Atlantic regional laboratory. This laboratory is one of the DEA's seven regional and two specialized laboratories located strategically throughout the country. Specifically designed to provide scientific, technical and administrative support to various law enforcement and intelligence communities, this state-of-the-art, mission critical facility was constructed in 2002 and is in its initial 20-year lease term, which expires in 2022.

05:56 EDT KBRwyle awarded $500M contract by USSOCOM - KBR announced that its global government services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded a $500M contract to provide personal services in human performance and behavioral health to the U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM, to support its Preservation of the Force and Family, or POTFF, mission. The POTFF mission is to increase the physical, mental, social, and spiritual capacity of the Special Operations Forces, thereby enhancing the resilience and well-being of soldiers and their families throughout the USSOCOM enterprise. KBRwyle will provide state-of-the-art, professional services including integrated, performance-based strength and conditioning programs and rehabilitation techniques to accelerate the warfighter's return to duty. It will also provide individual, group, and family counseling, intensive case management, and other activities that integrate the physical, spiritual and psychological wellness of SOF warriors and their families. KBRwyle will maintain a highly qualified workforce to help care for the warfighter. Its staff will include clinical psychologists, nurse case managers, physical therapists, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, dieticians, family support coordinators, data scientists and other experts. KBRwyle will help improve the overall readiness and resilience of service members and their families by ensuring they have embedded access to care across a full spectrum of physical and mental health professionals. This support will be carried out at 26 locations in the U.S. and around the world. The single award, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract's period of performance is five base years with three option years.

05:37 EDT BioXcel Therapeutics announces FDA acceptance of IND for BXCL701 - BioXcel Therapeutics announced that the FDA, has accepted its Investigational New Drug application for its lead immuno-oncology candidate, BXCL701. BTI plans to evaluate BXCL701 in combination with pembrolizumab as a potential therapy for treatment-emergent neuroendocrine prostate cancer, with the trial expected to initiate in the fourth quarter of 2018. BTI is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical development company that utilizes novel artificial intelligence approaches to identify the next wave of medicines across neuroscience and immuno-oncology.

05:34 EDT Sempra Energy, Total sign MOU for North American LNG export projects - Sempra Energy (SRE) and Total S.A. (TOT) announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, that provides the framework for cooperation in the development of North American liquefied natural gas, or LNG, export projects. The scope of the MOU covers continuing development of the Cameron LNG liquefaction-export project in Louisiana and Energia Costa Azul liquefaction-export project in Baja California, Mexico. The MOU between Sempra Energy and Total contemplates Total potentially contracting for approximately up to 9 million tonnes per annum of LNG offtake across Sempra Energy's LNG export development projects on the U.S. Gulf Coast and West Coast of North America, specifically Cameron LNG Phase 2 and ECA LNG. Total, which already is a partner in the Cameron LNG joint venture with a 16.6-percent stake, also may acquire an equity interest in ECA LNG. The $10 billion Phase 1 of the Cameron LNG joint-venture liquefaction-export project includes three liquefaction trains with approximately 14 Mtpa of export capacity under construction in Louisiana. Commissioning of the first train is now under way and all three trains are expected to be producing LNG in 2019. Phase 2 of the Cameron LNG project, previously authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and being developed jointly by the Cameron LNG co-owners, encompasses up to two additional liquefaction trains and up to two additional LNG storage tanks with approximately 9 Mtpa of capacity. ECA Phase 1 is a one-train facility with an expected total export capacity of 2.5 Mtpa, utilizing the existing LNG receipt terminal's tanks, loading arms and berth. ECA Phase 2 is expected to have additional export capacity of 12 Mtpa of LNG. Development of LNG export facilities is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including obtaining binding customer commitments, required regulatory approvals and permits, securing financing, completing the required commercial agreements and other factors, as well as reaching a final investment decision. The ultimate participation by Total remains subject to finalization of definitive agreements, among other factors.

05:23 EDT STMicroelectronics announces launch of $750M share buyback program - STMicroelectronics announced the launch of a share buy-back program of up to $750M to be executed within a 3 year period. The company's closing share price on the New York Stock Exchange on November 2, 2018, was $15.81 and, at such price, the maximum number of shares that could be acquired for $750M would be approximately 47M, which represents approximately 5.2% of the company's issued share capital.