Stockwinners Market Radar for November 15, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:23 EDT Teck Resources announces $400M stock buyback - Teck Resources Board has directed management to apply $400 million to the repurchase of Class B subordinate voting shares under Teck's previously announced normal course issuer bid program, including the $73.5 million of purchases made since that program received regulatory approval in October.

20:06 EDT Avita Medical to hire U.S. sales team to support national launch of Recell - AVITA Medical announced that it has completed hiring of the U.S. sales team to support the U.S. market launch of the RECELL System for the treatment of acute thermal burns. The full direct sales team of 20 healthcare professionals has joined AVITA and are in the process of completing a rigorous training program, including on-site training within burn centers, in preparation for the market launch of the RECELL System. The Company also announced that in advance of the market launch a total of 32 U.S. burns centers are in active review of the RECELL System or have commenced ordering and are taking deliveries of the product. The U.S. sales team includes Regenerative Tissue Specialists who are based throughout the U.S. and will lead the qualification, account management, and relationship development within each burn center. Each RTS is highly experienced in the burn care market and well versed in the clinical aspects of patient care. Also incorporated in the sales team are Clinical Training Specialists who will train surgeons and nurses and assist burn centers in their use of the RECELL System. Each CTS is a Registered Nurse and joins AVITA with an accomplished background in burn care and institutional relationships. The efforts of the RTS and CTS teams to train and certify doctors and nurses will be augmented by AVITA's Medical Affairs team, a group that is highly experienced in the burn space and were responsible for training the 24 burn centers who participated in the clinical trials and Compassionate Use program for the RECELL System.

19:52 EDT Corporacion America Airport reports October traffic up 4.5% - Corporacion America Airports reported preliminary year-over-year passenger traffic growth of 4.5% in October 2018, primarily reflecting growth of 5.6% in Argentina, 4.9% in Italy and 14.2% in Armenia. In Italy, passenger traffic increased 4.9%, mainly driven from an 8.0% traffic increase % in Pisa Airport, while Florence Airport passenger traffic was relatively flat YoY, mainly as a result of several flight cancellations due to adverse weather conditions. At Pisa Airport, international passengers increased 9.5% in the month, reflecting the continued good performance of routes to Russia, together with an increase in the load factor. In Brazil, passenger traffic increased 1.3% YoY, driven by a 6.6% growth in domestic traffic reflecting the addition of new frequencies to existing routes in several destinations, partially offset by a decline in international traffic, mainly due to the currency depreciation. In Uruguay, passenger traffic declined 3.5% mainly due to currency depreciation in neighboring countries Brazil and Argentina, which resulted in a decrease in passengers.

19:09 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Sonos (SONO) up 18.7%... Shoe Carnival (SCVL) up 13.5%. ALSO HIGHER: BGC Partners (BGCP) up 2.8% after disclosing 5% passive stake taken by Point72 Asset Management... Scorpio Bulkers (SALT) up 1.1% after being initiated with a Buy at BTIG. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Euroseas (ESEA) down 27.3%... Nvidia (NVDA) down 16.5%...Williams-Sonoma (WSM) down 12.1%... Nordstrom (JWN) down 9.7%... Applied Materials (AMAT) down 7.8%... Huazhu Group (HTHT) down 1.9%... Square (SQ) down 1.5% after announcing that its CFO Sarah Friar is leaving earlier than expected... Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) down 1.0%. ALSO LOWER: Contango Oil & Gas (MCF) down 13.0% after equity offering.

19:01 EDT PotlatchDeltic to pay special dividend of about $3.54 per share - PotlatchDeltic announced payment of the previously announced $222 million special dividend. The dividend consisted of approximately 4.8 million shares of common stock and $44.4 million in cash. The special dividend is payable to shareholders of record as of September 27 in connection with the distribution of the accumulated earnings and profits of Deltic Timber Corporation as of February 20, 2018, the date Deltic merged into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. Based on the shares outstanding on September 27, the dividend value per share is $3.53809258. The shareholders who elected to receive the special dividend in cash will receive $1.04629213 per share in cash and $2.49180045 per share in stock. Those receiving the dividend in stock will receive $3.53809258 per share in stock. After paying the dividend, the company will have approximately 67.6 million common shares outstanding.

18:23 EDT PG&E cut to Baa3 from Baa2 by Moody's, could be cut further - Moody's downgraded the ratings of PG&E Corporation including its senior unsecured rating to Baa3 from Baa2 and its short term rating for commercial paper to Prime-3 from Prime-2. Moody's also downgraded the long-term ratings of PCG's principal utility subsidiary, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, including its senior unsecured rating to Baa2 from Baa1. All of the ratings of PCG and PG&E are on review for downgrade, including PCG's Prime-3 and PG&E's Prime-2 short term rating for commercial paper. The review could result in a multi-notch downgrade of both PCG and PG&E's ratings.

18:08 EDT Nvidia CEO says the ramp of Turing GPU is 'going great' - Says Turing represents the "biggest generational leap".

18:04 EDT Nvidia CEO says 'would like to see channel inventory normalized by Q4 end'

17:52 EDT Tidewater CFO Quinn Fanning steps down, succeeded by Gulfmark CEO Quintin Kneen - Tidewater CFO Quinn Fanning has stepped down following the completion of Tidewater's business combination with GulfMark Offshore. Tidewater's board of directors has appointed Quintin V. Kneen, who served as President and CEO of GulfMark prior to the business combination, as Tidewater's Executive VP and CFO. While these changes are effective immediately, Fanning will continue to serve Tidewater for a period of time in order to ensure an orderly transition.

17:51 EDT IsoRay director Philip Vitale buys 30K shares of company stock - IsoRay director Philip Vitale disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 30,000 shares of company stock at an average price of 43c per share on November 13.

17:49 EDT Nvidia says its outlook assumes that its gaming demand will increase

17:35 EDT Nvidia says its competitive position is as strong as ever - Says the company remains excited by opportunities in gaming, AI, and self-driving cars. Comments from Q3 earnings call.

17:26 EDT AxoGen directorGregory Freitag sells 20K shares of company stock - AxoGen director Gregory Freitag disclosed in a filing that he had sold 20,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $32.25 per share on November 15. The total transaction value of the sale was $645,000.

17:25 EDT Dodge & Cox reports 8% stake in Dell Technologies

17:19 EDT Akebia and Keryx announce chairperson for combined company - Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA), and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (KERX) announced that Adrian Adams will serve as the Chairperson of the Akebia Board of Directors, effective upon completion of the proposed merger of Akebia and Keryx.

17:14 EDT Applied Materials falls further in late trading, now down 9% - Shares of Applied Materials are now down almost 9% in after-hours trading to $31.95 per share.

17:09 EDT Yelp officer Alan Ramsay sells 5,000 shares of company stock - Yelp officer Alan Ramsay disclosed in a filing that he had sold 5,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $33.19 per share on November 13. The total transaction value of the sale was $165,951.

17:06 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $348.92M Naval Air Systems Command contract - Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $348.92M cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide the infrastructure to support developmental laboratory facilities and flight test activities in support of F-35 development, production and sustainment. Work will be performed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Patuxent River, Maryland and Fort Worth, Texas and is expected to be completed in March 2020. FY18 research, development, test and evaluation and non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $177.04M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and non-DOD participants. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:04 EDT Colony Capital partners with HB2 to form 'Colony HB2 Energy' - Colony Capital announced that it has formed a new energy focused investment management platform in partnership with HB2 and its seasoned management team headquartered in Houston, Texas. The new company will be named Colony HB2 Energy and will sponsor and manage third-party capital across a series of investment solutions providing investors more efficient forms of exposure to the upstream and midstream oil and gas industry. Colony HB2 Energy is led by President and CEO Michael Bertuccio, who brings nearly 30 years of industry experience and will lead the day-to-day operations, including acquisitions, development and asset management. Tom Barrack, Executive Chairman and CEO of Colony Capital, said, "Consistent with our corporate strategy to cycle out of mature and efficiently-priced asset classes into other scalable real asset sectors with thematic, balance sheet-lite investment management opportunities, this company will provide financially innovative yield and total-return products to the institutional and retail investor marketplace. Colony HB2 Energy combines a deeply experienced technical and operations team with our established global alternative investment management platform and brand." Craig Perry, Co-Founder of HB2 and the venture's Executive Chairman, added, "The entire HB2 team is excited to join together with Colony. Colony's global distribution capability and decades of investment management experience will greatly enhance our quantitative and technologically-driven approach to investments in this space."

17:02 EDT Sysco announces 'modest' increase in 2019 share repurchases - "The company remains committed to a prioritized capital allocation philosophy, including investing in its business with a Capital Expenditures forecast of approximately 1.2% of sales, consistently growing its dividend, participating in M&A and a balanced approach to share buybacks and paying down debt. Furthermore, the company has recently increased its pace of planned share repurchase activity and is announcing a modest increase from the planned amount of $1 billion in fiscal 2019 repurchases."

17:01 EDT Sysco raises quarterly dividend 8% to 39c from 36c per share - The new dividend is payable on Jan. 25, 2019, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 4, 2019.

16:57 EDT Square CFO Sarah Friar leaving earlier than expected - Square (SQ) disclosed in a regulatory filing that the last day of its current CFO and Treasurer, Sarah Friar, will be November 16. "Friar is leaving earlier than previously announced in order to spend time with her family before she starts her new position as Chief Executive Officer of Nextdoor," the company said. On November 9, Square appointed Timothy Murphy and Mohit Daswani as Interim Co-Chief Financial Officers and Treasurers effective as of November 16. Murphy has led the company's Treasury group since June 2015. From July 2008 to May 2015, he served in various positions at Getty Images. Daswani has served as Sqaure's Finance & Strategy Lead since June 2017. From June 2013 to May 2017, he served in various positions at PayPal Holdings (PYPL).

16:53 EDT Brown-Forman announces incoming CEO Lawson Whiting named to board - The company announced that Lawson Whiting, the company's incoming CEO, as of January 1, 2019, has been elected to the company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. As part of the CEO transition process, Paul Varga will remain on the board until the next annual meeting of shareholders on July 25, 2019, and that will mark the conclusion of the board's multi-year succession plan and his almost 16 years of service on the board.

16:52 EDT Brown-Forman raises quarterly dividend 5.1% to 16.6c from 15.8c per share - Stockholders of record on December 6, 2018, will receive the cash dividend on January 2, 2019.

16:47 EDT Preferred Apartment acquires 200-unit multifamily community in North Carolina - Preferred Apartment announced the acquisition of CityPark View South, a 200-unit multifamily community in Charlotte, North Carolina constructed in 2017. CityPark View South features a clubhouse and amenity package, highlighted by a resort-style saltwater pool, 24-hour package locker system and Energy Star stainless steel appliances. PAC acquired this community through a wholly-owned subsidiary and financed the acquisition utilizing a non-recourse first mortgage loan from Prudential Affordable Mortgage. The first mortgage loan is approximately $24.1M, bears interest at a fixed rate of 4.51% per annum, matures in June 2029 and amortizes based on a 30-year schedule. There are no loan guaranties provided by PAC or operating partnership.

16:41 EDT Icahn will withdraw lawsuit against Dell, terminate proxy contest - Carl Icahn issued a statement in response to press inquiries regarding an amended Dell deal: "Over the last six months, a number of large DVMT (DVMT) stockholders contacted us to try to enlist our support in fighting Dell's unfair and undervalued proposed buyout. After analyzing the situation, it was obvious to us that Michael Dell and Silver Lake were trying to capture an unprecedented $11 billion in value from DVMT stockholders. The situation was a "no-brainer" and we decided to get involved. In fact, with 18.5 million shares, we became Dell's largest public stockholder. Largely due to our opposition, today Dell enhanced the deal by reducing the value being diverted from DVMT stockholders from over $11 billion to $8 billion. Although we believe a far better deal could have been obtained, unfortunately, and as you might imagine, we were not invited to the negotiations by either Dell or Goldman. In connection with the revised deal, it appears that stockholders representing 17% of the stock have decided to switch over and support Dell. As a result of this, as well as the support Dell already had, we have determined that a proxy fight would be unwinnable and have decided to withdraw our Delaware litigation and terminate our proxy contest. We want to thank all DVMT stockholders who supported us and would also like to thank the Delaware courts for acting so promptly. We believe we have greatly enhanced value for all DVMT stockholders, which includes my favorite DVMT stockholder, Icahn Enterprises (IEP)." Reference Link

16:40 EDT Rise Education to purchase 51% equity interests in five learning centers - Rise Education entered into an agreement with one of its existing franchised partners in Shijiazhuang, China. Pursuant to this agreement, the company will purchase, subject to certain conditions, 51% of equity interests in the five learning centers operated by the franchisee in Shijiazhuang with a total of approximately 3,500 students.

16:35 EDT PepsiCo maintains 92.75c per share dividend - This dividend is payable on January 7, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 7, 2018.

16:33 EDT Bristol-Myers receives positive CHMP opinion recommending Opdivo plus Yervoy - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of the Opdivo plus low-dose Yervoy combination to include first-line treatment for patients with intermediate- and poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma. This recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union.

16:31 EDT Intel board approves $15B increase in authorized stock repurchase program - Intel Corporation announced that its board of directors has approved a $15B increase in its authorized stock repurchase program. The company had $4.7B remaining under its existing repurchase authorization as of Sept. 29, 2018. Under this authorization, Intel is not required to purchase shares, but may choose to do so in the open market or through private transactions at times and amounts determined by the company based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors.

16:30 EDT Nvidia raises quarterly dividend 7% to 16c per share - Nvidia announced a 7% increase in its quarterly cash dividend to 16c per share from 15c per share, to be paid with its next quarterly cash dividend on December 21, 2018, to all shareholders of record on November 30, 2018. NVIDIA intends to return an additional $3B to shareholders by the end of fiscal 2020, which may begin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019.

16:25 EDT Western Gas Partners announces management changes, promotions - Western Gas Partners (WES) has named Robin Fielder President of the Partnerships. She will succeed Benjamin Fink, who has been appointed Chairman of the Board of the Partnerships, replacing Robert Gwin who will continue to serve on the Partnerships' boards of directors. Fielder will also succeed Fink as CEO of the Partnerships effective Jan. 1, 2019. Fielder will also join the Partnerships' boards of directors, along with Mitch Ingram, Anadarko's (APC) Executive Vice President, International, Deepwater and Exploration. Ingram will replace Bobby Reeves, who has resigned his position as a director of both entities, consistent with his intent to retire from Anadarko at the end of 2018

16:25 EDT Anadarko raises dividend 20% to 30c per share - On Nov. 15, 2018, Anadarko's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock of 30c per share, payable Dec. 26, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 12, 2018.

16:22 EDT Deciphera completes enrollment in INVICTUS pivotal Phase 3 study - Deciphera Pharmaceuticals announced completion of enrollment in the INVICTUS pivotal Phase 3 clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of DCC-2618, a broad-spectrum KIT and PDGFRalpha inhibitor, in fourth-line and fourth-line-plus gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients. "We are very pleased to have completed enrollment in the INVICTUS pivotal Phase 3 study, initiated in January 2018. We expect to report top-line data from this randomized, double-blind study in mid-2019 and, if successful, we believe the results would support a New Drug Application for full approval in fourth-line and fourth-line-plus GIST patients," said Michael D. Taylor, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Deciphera. "Currently there are no treatments approved for fourth-line and fourth-line-plus GIST and we are grateful to those patients who participated in our study and to the GIST community for its support. In addition, we look forward to initiating later this year a second pivotal Phase 3 study, the INTRIGUE study, in second-line GIST patients who have progressed or are intolerant to front-line therapy with imatinib, including those with any KIT or PDGFRalpha mutation."

16:21 EDT Matthews raises quarterly dividend 5.3% to 20c per share - Matthews International announced that its board of directors declared, at its regularly scheduled meeting today, a dividend of 20c per share on the company's common stock, representing an increase of 5.3% to the company's annualized dividend rate. The dividend is payable December 10, 2018 to stockholders of record November 26, 2018.

16:19 EDT Anadarko says Benjamin Fink to succeed Bob Gwin as CFO - Anadarko announced Bob Gwin, formerly Executive Vice President, Finance and CFO, has been named President. In his new role, Gwin will be responsible for leading Anadarko's worldwide operations, project management, exploration, midstream and marketing, as well as the company's expanding next-generation technology development and systems solutions. Benjamin Fink, formerly Sr. Vice President, and President and CEO of the general partners of Western Gas Partners, LP and Western Gas Equity Partners, LP, will succeed Gwin in the role of EVP, Finance & CFO.

16:17 EDT PCSB Financial authorizes stock repurchase program - PCSB Financial Corporation announced that it has authorized a program to repurchase up to 908,256 shares, or approximately 5%, of its outstanding shares of common stock. The timing and amount of any repurchases will depend on various factors, including but not limited to, market conditions, stock price, and alternative uses of capital.

16:16 EDT Anadarko sees 2019 total MMBOE 260 - 270 - Sees 2019 Oil (MBOPD) 410 - 435.

16:15 EDT InnerWorkings announces multi-year technology contract, terms not stated - InnerWorkings announced that it has signed a multi-year technology contract with one of the world's largest adult beverage companies to become its software provider for the ordering, tracking, and data warehousing of point-of-sale materials and branded merchandise throughout the United States. The award, secured after a competitive process and robust diligence period, is unique for InnerWorkings in that the scope is exclusively related to its proprietary technology, which will replace multiple existing systems currently being used by the client, while offering significantly more functionality. The technology InnerWorkings will deploy allows for project management of brand programs and an aggregation tool for ordering marketing materials across the client's sales team and hundreds of distributor partners. The system will enhance creativity through collaboration, drive down purchasing costs, improve brand consistency, and provide transparency into ordering behaviors and inventory levels by market while automating the processing of co-op investments. The software to be deployed for this client is a new expansion of VALO with a focus on best in class UI and UX upgrades to provide a B2C experience in a B2B environment, including full client branding, color palette, and fully customized order flow. The launch is scheduled for January 2019. VALO was developed inhouse over several years by more than 100 talented, full-time technology employees at InnerWorkings committed to delivering leading global marketing execution software. To date, VALO has been deployed in 38 countries, supports 13 languages, and transacts in 28 currencies. VALO has multiple patents and a patent pending for aggregated ordering. VALO(R) can also plug in to client systems like SAP Ariba and Coupa, determined by customer workflow and as part of the InnerWorkings' solution design process.

16:12 EDT Anadarko raises share repurchase authorization by $1B, hikes dividend 20% - Anadarko announced its board of directors has authorized a $1B increase to its share-repurchase program and a 20% increase to the company's quarterly dividend. The company also increased its debt-reduction program by an additional $500M. To date, more than 10% of shares outstanding have been retired since the inception of the share-repurchase program, with $1.5B remaining authorization to repurchase shares through mid-year 2020.

16:11 EDT Anadarko annunces 2019 capital program of $4.3B-$4.7B

16:07 EDT Chart Industries completes acquisition of VRV - Chart Industries announced that it completed the acquisition of VRV S.r.l. and its subsidiaries. VRV is a diversified multinational corporation with highly automated, purpose-built facilities for the design and manufacture of pressure equipment serving the Cryogenic and Energy & Petrochemical end markets. The acquisition is expected to add annual net sales of $120M, achieve significant cost synergies related to operational efficiencies and sourcing, and be EPS accretive in the first full year of ownership.

16:06 EDT Tocagen appoints Lori Kunkel as acting Chief Medical Officer - Tocagen has named Lori Kunkel acting chief medical officer, effective November 26. Asha Das, senior VP and chief medical officer will be leaving the company effective November 23 to focus on unforeseen and immediate personal matters. The company has initiated a search process to fill the position. Kunkel previously served as acting chief medical officer of Loxo Oncology, chief medical officer of Pharmacyclics, acquired by AbbVie, and chief medical officer of Proteolix, acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

16:04 EDT Applied Materials down 3.5% after reporting Q4 earnings, giving Q1 guidance

16:03 EDT MorphoSys, I-Mab sign strategic partnering agreement for MOR210 - MorphoSys AG and I-Mab Biopharma jointly announced today that they have entered into an exclusive strategic collaboration and regional licensing agreement for MOR210. MOR210 is MorphoSys's proprietary, preclinical-stage antibody directed against C5aR, which has potential to be developed as an immuno-oncology agent. I-Mab will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize MOR210 in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea, while MorphoSys will retain rights in the rest of the world. The agreement deepens the existing partnership between two companies, building upon the ongoing collaboration on MorphoSys's anti-CD38 antibody MOR202. Under the terms of the agreement, I-Mab will exercise its exclusive license rights for development and commercialization of MOR210 in its territories. With support from MorphoSys, I-Mab will perform and fund all global development activities for MOR210, including clinical trials in China and the U.S., towards clinical proof-of-concept in oncology. MorphoSys will receive an upfront payment of $3.5M from I-Mab and will be eligible for development and commercial milestone payments of up to $101.5M, as well as tiered, mid-single-digit royalties on net sales of MOR210 in I-Mab's territories. In return for the execution of a successful clinical proof-of-concept study, I-Mab is eligible to receive low-single-digit royalties on net sales generated with MOR210 outside its territories and a tiered percentage of sub-licensing revenue.

16:02 EDT Great Point Partners reports 5.81% passive stake in Cytokinetics

15:41 EDT British American says menthol cigarettes should not be treated 'differently' - In a statement regarding the recent announcement from FDA Commissioner Gottlieb, British American Tobacco said that, "We share the FDA's concerns around youth access to vapor products and we welcome the priority that he has given to this matter. However, in relation to his proposals on menthol cigarettes, the science today does not support treating them differently from other cigarettes. Regarding youth access to vapor products: We have robust measures in place that demonstrate our commitment to marketing which does not target youth and have also communicated to the FDA that we will be applying additional measures. We fully support third party age verification of e-commerce and we already have this in place. We are also instituting an enhanced program with all of our contracted retailers to drive compliance with underage sales laws. We would welcome similar measures being adopted industry-wide. differently to non-menthol cigarettes will increase the illegal market, fueling more criminal activity, adding further challenges to criminal and social justice issues. Further, as an illegal market in menthol cigarettes will increase, youth smoking access will increase. We will continue to work closely with the FDA on these important issues, including participating in a thorough science-based review to address the use of menthol in cigarettes. At the same time, we will continue to deploy our best efforts to curb youth access to vaping and tobacco products."Reference Link

15:04 EDT Rimini Street expands investment and operations in Asia-Pacific - Rimini Street announced that it has expanded its operations in the Asia-Pacific region with the launch of its new subsidiary, Rimini Street New Zealand Limited, and the opening of its new office in Auckland to address the growing demand for Rimini Street's premium, ultra-responsive support services in New Zealand. Rimini Street's expansion was announced at a gala event held at The Northern Club in Auckland, where clients, local IT leaders and the special guest of honor, Ambassador Scott P. Brown, the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, were hosted by Rimini Street's general manager for Asia-Pacific, Andrew Powell, and Rimini Street corporate senior executives. Rimini Street launched its new subsidiary in response to the region's increasing desire for software support solutions that can help optimize their IT spend and enable them to liberate significant funding for their business transformation initiatives. Rimini Street already supports nearly 50 clients with operations in New Zealand, including local brands James Pascoe, Spark, 2Degrees Mobile, Refining New Zealand and The University of Auckland.

14:40 EDT Papa John's up 5% as takeover rumors resurface - Shares of Papa John's (PZZA) are rising in late session trading after traders circulated chatter once again that the company could be a target to be acquired. At a minimum, volatility in the stock has been attributed to takeover chatter on two other occasions in the last six months, with The Fly having indicated that takeover rumors were swirling on June 20 and August 21 as well. In late afternoon trading, Papa John's shares are up 5.1%, or $2.89, to $59.12.

14:08 EDT Citi reports October credit loss 2.63% vs. 2.42% last month - Reports October 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.58% vs. 1.48% last month.

13:58 EDT Facebook board admits to pushing CEO, COO to 'move faster' on interference - The board of Facebook said in a statement to media outlets, "As Mark and Sheryl made clear to Congress, the company was too slow to spot Russian interference, and too slow to take action. As a board we did indeed push them to move faster. But to suggest that they knew about Russian interference and either tried to ignore it or prevent investigations into what had happened is grossly unfair. In the last eighteen months Facebook, with the full support of this board, has invested heavily in more people and better technology to prevent misuse of its services, including during elections. As the US mid-term showed they have made considerable progress and we support their continued to efforts to fight abuse and improve security." Mark refers to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl refers to COO Sheryl Sandberg.

13:50 EDT Rock Holdings acquires Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com from IAC - Dan Gilbert's Rock Holdings, parent company of several FinTech businesses, including Quicken Loans, announced earlier the acquisition of Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com from IAC. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

13:20 EDT MSG Networks announces sponsorship deal for Devils broadcasts with William Hill - MSG Networks and William Hill announced a new comprehensive sponsorship arrangement for New Jersey Devils broadcasts on MSG Networks. "The groundbreaking sponsorship includes a mix of in-game integration, branded content and commercial spots that will air during MSG Networks' Devils game broadcasts, as well as in the in Devils pre- and post-game shows," the companies said. With this new MSG Networks partnership, William Hill has now officially secured both team and media sponsorship rights for the Devils, it noted. Last week, William Hill, the Devils and Prudential Center announced a sponsorship deal highlighted by the "William Hill Sports Lounge," and will also feature other in-arena advertising and branding across Devils' digital and social channels.

13:12 EDT Facebook comments on progress enforcing community standards - Facebook comments on progress the company has made enforcing community standards. The company, in a blog posting, said in part: "People will only be comfortable sharing on Facebook if they feel safe. So over the last two years, we've invested heavily in technology and people to more effectively remove bad content from our services...Today, we're publishing our second Community Standards Enforcement Report. This second report shows our enforcement efforts on our policies against adult nudity and sexual activity, fake accounts, hate speech, spam, terrorist propaganda, and violence and graphic content, for the six months from April 2018 to September 2018. The report also includes two new categories of data - bullying and harassment, and child nudity and sexual exploitation of children...We are getting better at proactively identifying violating content before anyone reports it, specifically for hate speech and violence and graphic content. But there are still areas where we have more work to do...We're not only getting better at finding bad content, we're also taking more of it down. In Q3 2018, we took action on 15.4 million pieces of violent and graphic content. This included removing content, putting a warning screen over it, disabling the offending account and/or escalating content to law enforcement. This is more than 10 times the amount we took action on in Q4 2017. This increase was due to continued improvements in our technology that allows us to automatically apply the same action on extremely similar or identical content...or the two new categories we've added to this report - bullying and harassment and child nudity and sexual exploitation of children - the data will serve as a starting point so we can measure our progress on these violations over time as well." Reference Link

13:01 EDT SPI Energy announces 10-for-1 share consolidation - SPI Energy announced a 10-for-1 share consolidation, effective as of the close of business on November 15, 2018. Beginning on November 16, 2018, the company's ordinary shares will trade on the NASDAQ on post-consolidation basis. At the company's extraordinary general meeting, the shareholders of the company considered and passed an ordinary resolution authorizing that each ten ordinary shares, par value of 0.001c, be consolidated into one ordinary share, par value of 0.01c. As a result of the share consolidation, each 10 pre-consolidation ordinary shares outstanding will automatically combine into one ordinary share of the company without any action on the part of the respective holders holding shares in a brokerage account. No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the share consolidation, and in lieu of any fractional shares to which any shareholder would otherwise be entitled as a result of the share consolidation will be rounded down. When the share consolidation becomes effective, the number of authorized shares of the company's ordinary shares will decrease to 500,000,000, while the number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares will be reduced from 72,606,716 to approximately 7,260,665. The company's post-consolidation ordinary shares will continue to trade on the NASDAQ under the symbol "SPI" but under a new CUSIP number of G8651P 110.

12:55 EDT NeuroMetrix executes distribution agreement with Fukuda Denshi - NeuroMetrix announced that it had executed a distribution agreement with Fukuda Denshi for DPNCheck, the company's rapid, point-of-care test for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The agreement provides Fukuda Denshi with exclusive distribution rights in Japan through March 31, 2021, subject to certain performance requirements. Fukuda Denshi Co. Ltd., recently hosted a roundtable discussion in Tokyo on the clinical importance of early diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, quantitative measurement, guidelines for staging of diabetic peripheral neuropathy for practical intervention, as well as appropriate tools for use in a clinical setting. Roundtable participants included leading Japanese academic clinicians and researchers, and Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., NeuroMetrix, President and CEO. "Fukuda Denshi has a significant presence in the healthcare professional market in Japan," said Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., NeuroMetrix President and CEO. "Their operating scale and commitment to expanding the use of DPNCheck are impressive. We look forward to growing the business together."

12:14 EDT Pep Boys expands tire installation for Amazon customers nationally - Pep Boys announced that it will take its Amazon.com (AMZN) Ship-to-Store tire installation national. Customers can now choose their neighborhood Pep Boys for the fast, convenient and professional installation of any brand of tires they purchase on Amazon.com. At nearly 1,000 locations, Pep Boys is one of the largest service networks to collaborate with Amazon. "Pep Boys will now offer customers across the country the convenience of having tires purchased on Amazon shipped directly to our locations and installed by our expert pros," said Dan Ninivaggi, CEO of Pep Boys parent company Icahn Automotive Group. "We know shoppers sometimes prefer to buy auto parts and accessories from their favorite online retailers, and we're pleased Pep Boys can still service their vehicles through our national service network." Earlier this year, Pep Boys tested the offering in Tampa, Fla., and has since expanded to other major markets. The program will be available at all Pep Boys locations nationwide by the end of 2018. As the largest national service chain without an affiliation to an original equipment manufacturer, Pep Boys offers customers a wide selection of tire brands, and working with Amazon broadens drivers' choices even further. When customers shop for tires on Amazon.com, they are prompted to select a local service provider and a preferred installation date and time. Pep Boys is part of Icahn Automotive Group (IEP).

12:05 EDT Encana VP David Glen Hill buys 10K shares of company stock - Encana VP David Glen Hill disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 10,000 shares of Encana at an average price of $7.72 per share on November 15. The total transaction value of the purchase was $77,200.

12:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN falls -47.8% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is down -47.8%, or -$121.10 to $132.00.

12:00 EDT Switch rises 12.9% - Switch is up 12.9%, or 91c to $7.98.

12:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN rises 47.6% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is up 47.6%, or $1.36 to $4.22.

11:55 EDT Tidewater announces completion of business combination with GulfMark - Tidewater (TDW) announced the successful completion of its business combination with GulfMark Offshore (GLF). Tidewater and GulfMark stockholders overwhelmingly supported the business combination, with relevant proposals being approved by over 99% of the votes cast by Tidewater stockholders and GulfMark stockholders, respectively, in person or represented by proxy, not including abstentions, at the companies' respective stockholder meetings earlier today. All necessary conditions to the closing have been satisfied and the business combination has been consummated. In connection with the completion of the transaction, GulfMark common stock will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange as of the market close on November 15, 2018.

11:49 EDT Chubb board authorizes $1.5B share repurchase program - Chubb's board announced authorization of a share repurchase program of up to $1.5B from December 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019. The company's current share repurchase authorization will remain effective through December 31, 2018 and while effective would be used in advance of the share repurchase authorized today.

11:31 EDT Teledyne awarded $7.51M Navy contract - Teledyne Microwave Solutions, a business unit of the Teledyne Defense Electronics Group and its parent company, Teledyne Technologies, has been awarded a $7.51M sole source contract from the Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA. The contract is for the repair of Traveling Wave Tubes used on the ALQ-99 system in support of the EA-18G "Growler" aircraft.

11:22 EDT CVS 'applauds' FDA announcement to restrict flavored tobacco products - CVS Health (CVS) announced its support for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's plans to restrict access to flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products in the retail setting and impose stricter age-verification requirements for online sales. "In addition to eliminating the sale of tobacco products in 2014, CVS Health has never sold e-cigarettes or vaping devices in any of its CVS Pharmacy locations," the company noted. Troyen Brennan, Chief Medical Officer for CVS Health, stated: "We applaud the FDA's decision to restrict access to flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products, which have been expertly marketed and targeted at teens and young adults and has contributed to a dramatic rise in e-cigarette use among high school students... Through these new regulations, the FDA can help curb the e-cigarette epidemic and make a positive impact on public health for generations to come." Publicly traded companies in the tobacco products space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI) and Philip Morris (PM).

10:46 EDT Green Plains announces permanent closure of Hopewell, VA ethanol facility - Green Plains (GPRE) announced that it is permanently closing its Hopewell, VA ethanol facility. A significant portion of the 60 million gallon a year capacity plant will be dismantled during the decommissioning process, with most of the equipment being transferred to other Green Plains facilities. The company is also currently determining the best uses for any remaining equipment and the land. The closure results in a workforce reduction of approximately 31 employees who will be provided severance and healthcare support. A handful of staff will remain to oversee the decommissioning of the plant, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months. For Green Plains Partners LP (GPP), the closure of the Hopewell plant does not change the quarterly minimum volume commitment associated with the ethanol storage and throughput agreement between Green Plains Inc. and Green Plains Partners.

10:00 EDT Vipshop rises 12.1% - Vipshop is up 12.1%, or 65c to $6.00.

10:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN rises 30.9% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is up 30.9%, or 89c to $3.75.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN falls -32.0% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is down -32.0%, or -$81.11 to $171.99.

09:47 EDT Vipshop rises 6.0% - Vipshop is up 6.0%, or 32c to $5.67.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN rises 32.1% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is up 32.1%, or 92c to $3.78.

09:34 EDT Syros says data from Phase 1 trial of SY-1365 demonstrates proof-of-mechanism - Syros Pharmaceuticals announced that data from the dose escalation portion of its Phase 1 trial of SY-1365, its first-in-class selective cyclin-dependent kinase 7 inhibitor, demonstrated proof-of-mechanism at tolerable doses in patients with advanced solid tumors. These data, the first clinical data reported on a selective CDK7 inhibitor, were highlighted in an oral plenary session at the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Symposium in Dublin. The dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 trial characterized the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SY-1365 in patients with advanced solid tumors to establish a dose and regimen for the expansion portion of the trial. PD assays used to establish proof-of-mechanism included a CDK7 occupancy assay to evaluate SY-1365 binding and a custom gene expression assay to evaluate downstream transcriptional changes in patients. Preliminary anti-tumor activity was also assessed. Enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the trial was completed in September. In total, 32 patients were treated with SY-1365 as a single agent at doses ranging from 2 mg/m2 to 112 mg/m2 using either a weekly or twice weekly dosing regimen. Patients were treated for three weeks out of each four-week cycle. Patients had a range of solid tumors, the most prevalent being ovarian cancer, breast cancer and endometrial cancer. Patients' median age was 63, with a median of five prior therapies. As of an October 15th data snapshot, the median treatment duration was 46.5 days and four patients remained on treatment. Adverse events were predominantly low-grade, reversible and generally manageable. The most commonly reported AEs were headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. No neutropenia was reported. Dose-limiting toxicities were headache, coronary vasospasm and fatigue. A maximum tolerated dose was not defined. Plasma PK exposures were linear over the doses tested. No drug accumulation was observed with repeat dosing. SY-1365 demonstrated dose-dependent effects on CDK7 occupancy and downstream gene expression changes in blood cells. At doses of 32 mg/m2 and higher, CDK7 occupancy was greater than 50 percent when measured three days following dose administration, exceeding target occupancy levels in preclinical models that correlated with anti-tumor activity. CDK7 occupancy in blood cells was similar to target occupancy in tumor tissue biopsies available from two patients in the clinical trial. As of the October 15th data snapshot, clinical activity per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 criteria was observed in seven of the 19 patients who were evaluable for clinical responses, including: One patient with ovarian cancer in her fourth relapse who had a confirmed partial response after two cycles of treatment at the 80 mg/m2 twice-weekly dose. The patient remained in PR at her CT assessment after six cycles and recently entered her seventh month on study treatment. Six additional patients who had stable disease, lasting between 50 and 127 days. Most of these patients received doses equal to or greater than 32 mg/m2. Based on these data, Syros selected a twice-weekly dose of 80 mg/m2 of SY-1365 when administered as a single agent, and a once-weekly target dose of 80 mg/m2 of SY-1365 when administered in combination with other agents, for further evaluation in the ongoing Phase 1 expansion cohorts in multiple ovarian and breast cancer patient populations.

09:33 EDT RYB Education trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:29 EDT Campbell Soup 'largely agrees' with views outlined by Glass Lewis - Campbell Soup Company issued the following statement in response to a report by Glass Lewis regarding the election of directors to Campbell's Board at the company's upcoming annual meeting of shareholders on Nov. 29, 2018: "Campbell largely agrees with the thoughtful views outlined by Glass Lewis in its report and appreciates its recognition of the current Board's recent actions to improve performance - including significant management change and conducting a comprehensive Board-led strategy and portfolio review. As we have stated before, we are prepared to further refresh our Board and add Mr. Schmidt and Ms. Hofstetter. This proposal was rejected by Third Point. Further, as part of the proxy process, we carefully reviewed the backgrounds and qualifications of all of Third Point's nominees. With regard to Mr. Toler, we are very familiar with him due to his period of employment with the Company and concluded that he would not be an appropriate director. Finally, Campbell was pleased that Glass Lewis agreed with our view that adding a Third Point employee would not be in shareholders' best interest. In making its recommendation against Mr. Islam, Glass Lewis wrote: 'Given that Third Point is a relatively new holder of Campbell stock, was in fact short the stock last year and failed to exhibit an effort to establish any meaningful engagement with the board prior to pushing for a sale of the Company and launching a proxy contest that initially targeted replacement of the entire board, considering the backwards progression of the Dissident's campaign to becoming more constructive in the latter stages by now supporting an agenda largely aligned with the board's plan, we do not believe the appointment of a Third Point representative to the Campbell board would be warranted or particularly additive at this time.' The current Campbell Board is highly confident that its new strategic plan announced on August 30th is the best path forward at this time to maximize shareholder value. The Campbell Board remains committed to evaluating all strategic options if any of those options can demonstrably enhance value for all shareholders. Campbell urges its shareholders to protect the value of their investments and vote the GOLD card. Campbell's Board and management team are aligned and working with urgency to execute our plan to improve performance and revitalize the Company to be focused on our franchise businesses to drive sustainable, profitable growth."

09:23 EDT J.C. Penney sees 'some early pressure' on gross margins in 2019

09:20 EDT KMG Chemicals trading halted, news dissemination

09:18 EDT Synacor says over 80 new customers deployed Zimbra in Q3 - Synacor announced its Zimbra open source-based collaboration platform for email, calendaring, messaging and more continues to see expanded global adoption. Following the release of Zimbra 8.8, business and government customers are ramping up on Zimbra to take advantage of critical data privacy and security, open source flexibility, and low total cost of ownership. More than 80 new customers deployed Zimbra around the world in Q3, across sectors including education, retail and government, bringing the 2018 Zimbra new customer tally to 310.

09:16 EDT Diana Shipping announces time charter contract with Hudson Shipping Lines - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Hudson Shipping Lines for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Thetis. The gross charter rate is $10,650 per day, minus a 3.75% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 14 months to maximum 17 months. The charter is expected to commence tomorrow. The m/v Thetis was chartered, as previously announced, to Ausca Shipping Limited, Hong Kong, at a gross charter rate of $8,350 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The Thetis is a 73,583 dwt Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2004. This employment is anticipated to generate approximately $4.47M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

09:14 EDT AMD unveils Radeon RX 590 graphics card - AMD unveiled the Radeon RX 590 graphics card, an advanced 12nm GPU designed to deliver amazing gaming experiences and outstanding performance for the latest AAA, eSports and Virtual Reality titles.Powered by AMD Polaris architecture, the AMD Radeon RX 590 graphics card provides faster clock speeds for higher gaming performance than the AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card and delivers up to 20% or higher performance-per-dollar than the competition. Paired with the advanced AMD Radeon FreeSync gaming display technology and loaded with the latest AMD Radeon Software features, the AMD Radeon RX 590 graphics card delivers an "exceptional" gaming experience.

09:12 EDT Amazon previews Black Friday Deals Week - Amazon revealed a preview of its Black Friday Deals Week, which offers shoppers deeper discounts and more selection this year with deals in every department starting tomorrow, November 16, through November 23. Whether customers are readying their house for the holidays or searching for gift-giving inspiration, they will find incredible savings and fast, free shipping options on the hottest items across toys, electronics, fashion, beauty, kitchen, home and more, in addition to Amazon Devices and thousands of deals from small and medium-sized businesses. All of Amazon's Black Friday deals can be found by visiting amazon.com/blackfriday as well as on the Amazon App - in addition, customers can also shop Black Friday deals in Spanish by visiting the Black Friday Deals Store via amazon.com/espanol and through the Amazon App. Customers can come to Amazon and hunt for thousands of great deals and more than 50 Deals of the Day throughout Black Friday deals week starting tomorrow, and today, they can get a sneak peek by visiting the Sneak Peek page on the Amazon App. Customers can then use the Watch a Deal feature to ensure they never miss a deal simply by clicking Watch this Deal on any item - they will then get a notification when that deal is about to go live. Additionally, customers can receive $5 off select Black Friday deals just by trying camera search features such as product search or the barcode scanner or by using Amazon's augmented reality feature - AR View - to see what hundreds of thousands of products look like in their home before buying.

09:10 EDT Frontier Communications responds to California wildfires - With wildfires impacting customers and communities in its California service territory, Frontier Communications operations crews, trained technicians, and emergency response personnel are actively working to secure and prepare facilities, infrastructure, network sites and backup power to maximize the company's ability to provide service during and after fires. "Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the fires and safety remains our first priority," said Joe Gamble, Senior Vice President, West Region for Frontier Communications. "Frontier has installed communications lines to provide phone and Internet service for the fire Incident Command Center in Camarillo, Calif. and we are honored to serve the first responders and emergency personnel working to keep us safe." Additionally, Frontier's Emergency Response Center is activated and serving as the nerve center for the company response. Frontier's response includes coordinating with other emergency managers, officials and utilities to determine infrastructure damage; and conducting preliminary damage assessments needed to determine resource needs, repair process steps and restoration priorities.

09:09 EDT 3PEA International names Robert Strobo general counsel, chief legal officer - On November 9th, 3PEA International appointed Robert Strobo general counsel, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary. Strobo will lead the company's legal affairs, contracts and negotiations, corporate secretarial function, consumer affairs, and global trade compliance. He succeeds Anthony DePrima, who is retiring after 9 years with the company. Strobo previously served as deputy general counsel and VP at Republic Bank & Trust Company.

09:08 EDT NewLink Genetics announces Merck has begun BLA submission for Ebola vaccine - NewLink Genetics (NLNK) reported that Merck (MRK) has begun the submission of a rolling biologics license application, or BLA to the FDA for V920. This rolling submission is made pursuant to the FDA's breakthrough therapy designation for V920, which was announced by Merck in July 2016 and is anticipated to be completed in 2019. The FDA's approval of this Ebola vaccine would trigger the issuance of a priority review voucher owned by Merck and in which NewLink Genetics has a substantial economic interest. Thereafter, NewLink would have the right to monetize its share of interest in the voucher. This Ebola vaccine candidate was originally developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and thereafter licensed to NewLink Genetics.

09:04 EDT Akari Therapeutics to present Coversin data at Drug Development Summit - Akari Therapeutics announced that PASylated Coversin data will be presented at the Complement-Based Drug Development Summit. These data point to an increasing potential set of clinical targets available to treatment with Coversin's combined C5 and LTB4 functionality. Akari currently has two clinical programs open in bullous pemphigoid and atopic keratoconjunctivitis where both C5 and LTB4 are believed to be implicated. The company expects initial data readouts from both trials in Q1 of 2019.

09:03 EDT Energizer agrees to acquire Spectrum Brands' auto care business for $1.25B

08:59 EDT J.C. Penney says continuing to review store fleet

08:57 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Oracle (ORCL), up 3% after Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) discloses new stake in the company taken during third quarter... Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA), up 15% after the company and United Therapeutics (UTHR) announced a global license agreement for ralinepag... uniQure (QURE), up 26% after announcing data from dose-confirmation study of AMT-061. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Cisco (CSCO), up 4%... NetEase (NTES), up 5%... Walmart (WMT), up 1%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: J.C. Penney (JCP), down 15%... NetApp (NTAP), down 7%... Copa Holdings (CPA), down 8.5%. ALSO LOWER: KB Home (KBH), down 11% after lowering its Q4, FY19 outlook.

08:44 EDT J.C. Penney sees online margins 'pressured' in Q4, but less than Q3

08:42 EDT J.C. Penney says had positive comps on shifted basis in August - Says quarter started off well in August, with positive comps on a shifted basis. Says saw softer sales during September, October, which came in below sales plan.

08:38 EDT Hengrui Pharma adopts Medidata Cloud to acclerate global drug research - Medidata announced that Hengrui Pharma recently adopted Medidata Cloud to accelerate global drug research. Hengrui selected the Medidata cloud platform in Q3 of this year to unify data management and navigate international complexities. With Medidata's unrivaled global expertise, the company will: Unify clinical trials and reduce risk with a single source for data entry; Streamline study operations, planning and execution; Automate reporting of adverse events; Standardize data on the Medidata Cloud in support of global regulatory compliance requirements.

08:35 EDT Superior Drilling announces joint market development agreement with Odfjell - Superior Drilling Products announced that it has executed an agreement with a subsidiary of Odfjell Drilling to launch a Middle East short-term joint market development program around its patented Drill-N-Ream well bore conditioning tool. Under the development agreement, Odfjell and SDP will demonstrate the DnR's capabilities with a large Middle East operator in Kuwait. The DnR is a unique drilling tool technology that conditions the well bore simultaneously while drilling the well bore, driving efficiencies by reducing days on well, increasing penetration rates and extending the life of the bottom hole assembly. Domestically, the DnR is gaining broad market acceptance with many lead operators standardizing on the tool.

08:33 EDT NuVasive launches Brigade Lateral implant for spine surgery in the U.S. - NuVasive announced the U.S. commercial launch of Brigade Lateral, the industry's first interbody implant and instrumentation optimized for lateral anterior lumbar interbody fusion spine surgery. NuVasive's Lateral ALIF is a proprietary spine procedure enabling access to L5-S1 from a lateral position, while retaining the characteristics of a traditional ALIF. The instrumentation is designed to offer surgeons a low-profile and reproducible insertion method.

08:25 EDT Allstate announces October catastrophe loss estimate - Allstate announced estimated catastrophe losses for the month of October 2018 of $202M, pre-tax, $160 million, after-tax. Catastrophe losses occurring in October comprised 8 events at an estimated cost of $174M, pre-tax, plus unfavorable reserve reestimates of prior reported catastrophe losses. Hurricane Michael, which made landfall on October 10, 2018, accounted for $136M, pre-tax, or 78% of October event catastrophe losses.

08:17 EDT Umpqua Holdings appoints Frank Namdar CCO - Umpqua Holdings announced that Frank Namdar has been promoted to chief credit officer, or CCO, and will join the executive leadership team. In his new role, Namdar will assume responsibility for credit risk, special assets, appraisal services and credit approval-related functions for Umpqua Bank and its subsidiary Financial Pacific Leasing. Namdar will also manage Umpqua's credit policy and assume leadership of the bank's credit policy committee. Namdar brings more than 30 years of credit and risk experience to his position, including the last four years as an executive and senior credit officer at Umpqua.

08:12 EDT Cooper Tire appoints Christopher Eperjesy as CFO - Cooper Tire announced that Christopher Eperjesy will join the company as Senior Vice President & CFO effective Dec. 10. Eperjesy will succeed Ginger Jones, who as previously announced, is retiring. He joins Cooper from The IMAGINE Group, where he served as CFO.

08:11 EDT BIO-key secures over $10M in orders for authentication platform - BIO-key announced that it has secured in excess of $10M in orders for its biometric authentication platform from two Hong Kong based companies focused on the technology and financial services industries in Asia. The solution based on BIO-key's WEB-key biometric security platform will allow users to consummate secure transactions on mobile devices and employees to securely access company information. The orders take advantage of mobile security technology previously licensed. BIO-key expects to record approximately $5M in license revenue in the current quarter ending December 31 and the balance in the next 12 months.

08:09 EDT Armstrong Flooring announces cost optimization plan to simplify operations - The Company previously provided its Adjusted EBITDA outlook for FY18 in the range of $72M to $78M. The segment level contribution to the full year Adjusted EBITDA outlook is unchanged. On the current basis of presentation, Adjusted EBITDA for the Resilient Flooring segment is expected to be $59M to $63M for the FY18. Starting in Q4, the Wood Flooring segment is expected to be classified as a Discontinued Operation. In connection with the divestiture of its Wood Flooring segment, some shared costs currently allocated to the Wood Flooring segment are expected to be assigned to the Resilient Flooring segment. As a result, the company announced a cost optimization plan to improve its existing cost structure by eliminating essentially all shared costs that will not be covered by transition service agreements with AIP. The new structure is expected to better reflect the simplification of the Company's operations as a purely resilient flooring Company. The Company expects these efforts to generate annualized savings of approximately $5M to $6M and to be substantially completed by the end of Q4, concurrent with the closing of the divestiture transaction. In connection with these actions, the Company expects to incur one-time charges of $1M to $2M in Q4. These charges relate primarily to severance expenses. By the end of 2018, the Company expects to offset the impact of essentially all shared costs reassigned to the Resilient Flooring segment through the benefit of its cost optimization plan, along with transition service agreements with AIP.

08:08 EDT Restoration Robotics announces first ARTAS iX installation in Japan - Restoration Robotics announced that the first ARTAS iX Robotic Hair Restoration System outside the United States, which was sold in Q3, has been installed at Luce Clinic Ginza in Tokyo, Japan.

08:07 EDT Armstrong Flooring announces agreement to sell Wood Flooring segment for $100M - Armstrong Flooring has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Wood Flooring segment to an affiliate of American Industrial Partners for a purchase price of $100M, subject to customary adjustments for working capital, debt, and other matters. The transaction is valued at approximately 7.2 times the Wood Flooring segment's trailing twelve month Adjusted EBITDA. As of October 31, 2018 Armstrong Flooring's Wood Flooring segment comprised six U.S. manufacturing facilities primarily serving the North American region and approximately 1,700 employees. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed at the end of Q4.The net proceeds to the Company from the transaction after purchase price adjustments are non-taxable and expected to be $85M to $90M, which should increase the Company's flexibility to further invest in its growth strategies and other value-enhancing opportunities. Upon closing of the sale, Armstrong Flooring will intensify its focus on the fastest-growing parts of the flooring industry, including Luxury Vinyl Tile and rigid core, as well as its wide range of resilient products including Vinyl Composition Tile and resilient sheet. AIP will gain Armstrong Flooring's high-quality wood flooring product portfolio and existing network of wood floor manufacturing facilities, staffed by an experienced wood flooring team. AIP will own the Bruce brand and all other Wood Flooring segment brands. To ensure a seamless transition for our customers, AIP will have full access to the Armstrong Flooring brand for the sale of wood products for two years after closing.

08:04 EDT CVS Health announces new collaboration with Philadelphia Job Corps - CVS Health has announced a new collaboration with Philadelphia Job Corps, Philadelphia Works and Philadelphia Youth Network to deliver a pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program for pharmacy technicians in the greater Philadelphia area. Through the new initiative, Philadelphia Job Corps will recruit and screen students interested in the pharmacy technician pre-apprenticeship program. The mock pharmacy, which includes valuable classroom, hands-on and field-based clinical instruction, will give trainees an opportunity to gain life and career skills over a 12-week period.

08:03 EDT Landmark Infrastructure board approves $20M unit purchase program - Landmark Infrastructure Partners announced that the Board of Directors of Landmark Dividend LLC has approved an LMRK unit purchase program, to be implemented in accordance with Rule 10b18-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that authorizes the Sponsor to periodically acquire up to $20M of LMRK units in open market purchases.

07:48 EDT Jacobs Engineering selected by Waterbury city for wastewater utility operation - Jacobs Engineering will operate, maintain and optimize wastewater systems under a 10-year contract with the City of Waterbury in Connecticut. Jacobs will assume responsibility for the city's water pollution control plant, collection system and related utilities in November. The city estimates the contract value at $62M.

07:43 EDT Moleculin Biotech files request with FDA for pre-IND meeting for WP1732 - Moleculin Biotech announced it has filed a request with the FDA for a pre-investigational new drug, or IND, meeting to seek FDA's guidance and concurrence that the WP1732 development plan will meet requirements for an Initial IND filing and initiation of a proposed Phase 1 clinical trial.

07:37 EDT Dillard's reports Q3 comparable store sales up 3% - Total merchandise sales for the 13-week period ended November 3, 2018 were $1.34B and $1.31B for the 13-week period ended October 28, 2017. Total merchandise sales increased 2% for the 13-week period ended November 3, 2018. Sales in comparable stores for the period increased 3%. In relation to the total company sales trend, above trend performances were noted in ladies' accessories and lingerie followed by juniors' and children's apparel. Sales were slightly above trend in men's apparel and accessories and home and furniture. Sales were consistent with trend in shoes, slightly below trend in ladies' apparel and below trend in cosmetics. Sales were strongest in the Western region followed by the Eastern and Central regions, respectively.

07:34 EDT J.C. Penney reports Q3 comparable sales down 5.4%

07:31 EDT AutoNation announces partnership with Fair - AutoNation announced a partnership with Fair, the nation's fastest growing car subscription company. Together, the companies are providing a completely new digital experience that enables consumers to get access to certain used and certified pre-owned vehicles at AutoNation dealerships, all on their mobile device. AutoNation will begin rollout in California this month.

07:30 EDT KB Home lowers FY18 housing revenue view to $4.5B from $4.6B - Sees Q4: housing revenue $1.31B-$1.34B, ASP $395K-$400K, Operating margin 9.3%-9.5%, Average community count flat from last year. Sees Q1: Housing revenue $800M-$860M, ASP $375K-$385K, Operating margin 3.6%-4.6%, Average community count up 5%-9%. Sees FY19 housing revenue at $4.7B-$5.2B. Guidance from the company's Analyst Call slides yesterday. Reference Link

07:14 EDT uniQure announces data from dose-confirmation study of AMT-061 - uniQure announced initial clinical data in patients treated in the company's Phase IIb dose-confirmation study of AMT-061, an investigational AAV5-based gene therapy containing a patent-protected FIX-Padua variant, for the treatment of patients with severe and moderately severe hemophilia B. These data show that therapeutic levels of Factor IX, or FIX, activity have been achieved and sustained in all three patients at six weeks after a single administration of AMT-061. AMT-061 has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA and access to the priority medicine, or PRIME, regulatory initiative by the European Medicines Agency. The Phase IIb study of AMT-061 is an open-label, single-dose, single-arm, multi-center trial being conducted in the United States. Three patients with severe hemophilia were enrolled in this study and received a single intravenous infusion of 2x1013 vc/kg. Patients are evaluated for the presence of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies to AAV5 but not excluded from the trial on that basis. The objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of AMT-061 and confirm the dose based on FIX activity at six weeks after administration. Patients in the study will be followed for 52 weeks to assess FIX activity, bleeding rates and usage of FIX replacement therapy, and will be monitored for five years to evaluate the safety of AMT-061. Data from the study show that all three patients experienced increasing and sustained FIX levels after a one-time administration of AMT-061. Six weeks after administration mean FIX activity for the three patients was 31% of normal, exceeding threshold FIX levels generally considered sufficient to significantly reduce the risk of bleeding events. FIX activity was measured using an activated partial thromboplastin time, or aPTT, assay performed at a central laboratory. The first patient achieved FIX activity of 37% of normal at ten weeks after administration. FIX activity in the second patient was 23% of normal at eight weeks following administration and in the third patient was 30% of normal at six weeks after administration. The second and third patients had previously screen-failed another gene therapy study due to pre-existing neutralizing antibodies to a different AAV vector. uniQure expects to submit data from the Phase IIb study to the FDA and EMA by the end of the year. The study's data monitoring committee will meet before the end of the year to evaluate and potentially confirm the dose for the Phase III study. The Company expects to initiate the dosing phase of its Phase III HOPE-B pivotal study in Q1 of f 2019.

07:10 EDT Synchrony reports October net charge-off rate 4.85% vs. 4.50% last month - Reports October 30-plus day delinquencies 2.95% vs. 2.88% last month.

07:08 EDT JPMorgan reports October net credit losses 2.19% vs. 2.22% last month - Reports October 30-plus day delinquencies 1.18% vs. 1.14% last month.

07:07 EDT McDermott awarded engineering services contract by Talos Energy for Zama field - McDermott (MDR) announced a contract award for concept and engineering services for Talos Energy (TALO) for the Zama field development project - the first offshore Mexico block awarded to a private operator. The contract award is for engineering services, including concept selection and follow-on pre-FEED. McDermott will execute this contract award with io oil & gas consulting, a joint venture between McDermott and Baker Hughes (BJGE). McDermott will manage all phases of the engineering services process and will workshare engineers and designers in Mexico City and will receive continuous support from io and input from the customer. Based on the final concept solution identified by io, McDermott will provide the follow-on pre-FEED services for the Zama development. Work on the concept selection has begun with expected completion in the third quarter 2019. The contract award will be reflected in McDermott's fourth quarter 2018 backlog.

07:06 EDT AbbVie partner Alector initiates Phase 1 trial of AL002 - Alector, a privately held biotechnology company pioneering immuno-neurology, a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurodegeneration, today announced the initiation of a first-in-human Phase 1 trial called the INVOKE study, investigating the company's second product candidate, AL002, for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. AL002 targets a triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, which was identified using large scale human genomic studies of Alzheimer's disease patients. In 2017, Alector entered a global strategic partnership with AbbVie that includes the AL002 program.

07:05 EDT Dell Technologies increases 'final' offer for Class V shares to $120 per share - Dell Technologies announced that it has agreed with the Dell Technologies Special Committee to amend the proposed Class V common stock transaction to increase the consideration payable to Class V stockholders, following extensive investor outreach and engagement. Under the final proposal, Class V stockholders can elect to receive for each share of Class V common stock either $120, in cash, subject to an aggregate $14 billion cap, or between 1.5043 and 1.8130 shares of Class C common stock, determined as described below. Given there will be no public market for Dell Technologies Class C shares prior to closing, the variable exchange ratio is specifically designed to provide protection to Class V stockholders on the value of the Class C stock consideration. The exchange ratio will be determined based on the volume weighted average trading price of the Class V shares during the 17-day trading period ending on the election deadline, which is the eighth trading day after announcement that stockholders have approved the transaction, and the total amount of cash consideration that is elected. The revised Class V transaction is a result of significant, detailed input from Class V stockholders and the Dell Technologies Special Committee regarding value, consideration mix and corporate governance. An overwhelming number of shareholders contacted by Dell Technologies supported the revised transaction. Funds affiliated with Dodge & Cox, Elliott Management, Canyon Partners and Mason Capital Management, who collectively owned approximately 17% of the total outstanding Class V common stock on the record date for the December 11, 2018 stockholders meeting, have entered into binding agreements to vote in favor of the revised Class V transaction. The $120 implied value per share implies a total market capitalization of $23.9B for the Class V common stock. The increase in consideration provides Class V stockholders with an additional $2.2B in aggregate implied value. Immediately following completion of the proposed transaction, the Class V stockholders will own approximately 17%-33% of Dell Technologies, depending on the amount of cash and stock elections and the final exchange ratio. The $5B increase in the maximum aggregate cash consideration provides those Class V stockholders who would prefer to receive cash with greater value certainty and increases the ability for stockholders to receive their preferred mix of cash and Class C common stock. Approximately 59% of the consideration, equivalent to approximately $70 per Class V share, will be payable in cash if all Class V stockholders make cash elections. Dell Technologies expects to fund the increase in the maximum aggregate cash consideration with up to $5B of debt financing. The company does not expect a ratings downgrade following the incurrence of such financing. Class V stockholders will continue to have the option to elect Class C common stock, representing a direct economic interest in Dell Technologies, an unmatched technology platform with the most complete portfolio of technology solutions across software, hardware and services. Furthermore, the interests of Class C common stockholders will be aligned with those of Michael Dell and Silver Lake, the two largest holders of Dell Technologies stock who are long-term investors and are focused on driving stockholder value. Dell Technologies has also enhanced the governance rights associated with the Class C common stock by agreeing that Class C stockholders will have the right, as a class, to elect one director starting at the 2020 annual meeting. Dell Technologies will also establish a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which will select or recommend the company's nominee for such Class C director. The Board of Directors of Dell Technologies will also select a fourth independent director to be appointed to the Board by June 30, 2019.

07:04 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals, United Therapeutics announce global license agreement - Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) and United Therapeutics (UTHR) announced that the companies have entered into a global license agreement for Arena's Phase 3 investigational drug candidate, ralinepag, a next-generation, oral, selective and potent prostacyclin receptor agonist in development for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Under the terms of the agreement, Arena will grant United Therapeutics exclusive, worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize ralinepag. In return, Arena will receive up to $1.2B, including an upfront payment of $800M and potential milestone payments totaling up to $400M based on the achievement of certain regulatory events. Additionally, Arena will receive low double-digit tiered royalties on annual net sales of ralinepag. The effectiveness of the agreement is conditioned on expiration or termination of the required waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and other customary closing conditions.

07:03 EDT Dell Technologies enhances governance rights associated with Class C shares

06:57 EDT BJ's Wholesale announces Cyber Monday, Cyber Week deals - BJ's Wholesale Club announced its Cyber Monday and Cyber Week deals on a wide range of items from TV's to tech to toys and more. This year, BJs.com will be offering a number of Cyber Monday Doorbusters, available starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 26. BJs.com will also be releasing new and exciting Cyber Week deals every morning and afternoon from Monday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Dec. 2. BJ's also announced several special offers: Perks members can enjoy free shipping on BJs.com*, Nov. 4, 2018 - Jan. 5, 2019. Perks members can earn up to 10% cash back21 on TVs from Nov. 27 - Dec. 24 in clubs and on BJs.com. Free shipping to all members on a wide range of items including tech, TVs and vacuums; free shipping on purchases of $50 or more on most toys; free shipping on purchases of $50 or more on small kitchen appliances; and free shipping on a number of additional items.

06:49 EDT Golden Minerals acquires Navegantes silver exploration project - Golden Minerals has acquired the Navegantes project in southern Chihuahua state, Mexico, where recent surface and underground sampling have returned high-grade silver values from a series of epithermal silver-base metal veins outcropping on the property. Navegantes sampling highlights include 1 m assaying 1,585.5 g/t Ag, 1.45m assaying 759.2 g/t Ag, 1.1m assaying 638.9 g/t Ag and 2.1m assaying 472 g/t Ag. The project consists of six concessions totaling 521 hectares and is located approximately 60km northwest of the San Francisco del Oro-Santa Barbara District where the company's Santa Maria project is located. Golden is currently conducting additional mapping and sampling on the property to identify prospective targets for follow-up testing by trenching and/or drilling. Golden Minerals holds an option to purchase six concessions totaling 521 hectares by paying $0.4M over three years.

06:48 EDT Sunoco to acquire refined products terminalling business from American Midstream - Sunoco LP (SUN) announced the execution of a definitive agreement to purchase the refined products terminalling business from American Midstream Partners (AMID) for approximately $125M plus working capital adjustments. The refined products terminalling business consists of terminals located in Caddo Mills, Texas and North Little Rock, Arkansas with a combined 21 tanks, approximately 1.3M barrels of storage capacity and approximately 77,500 barrels per day of total throughput capacity. The acquisition builds on Sunoco's strategy of adding fee-based refined product terminals into the overall portfolio. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Sunoco with respect to distributable cash flow in the first year.

06:41 EDT G. Willi-Food announces $1M share repurchase program - G. Willi-Food announced today that its board has authorized a share repurchase program permitting the company to repurchase the company's ordinary shares over the next six months with an aggregate purchase price of up to $1M. The ordinary shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions or privately negotiated transactions at the company's discretion. The timing and amount of shares repurchased will be determined by the company's management based on its evaluation of market conditions, the trading price of Willi Food shares and other factors, and subject to the restrictions relating to volume, price and timing under applicable law. The repurchase program may be increased, suspended or discontinued at any time. The share repurchase program was approved by the company's board as part of its ongoing consideration of alternative methods to take advantage of the company's strong cash position. The board believes that a share repurchase program at this time is in the best interests of the company and its shareholders, and will not impact the company's ability to execute its growth plans.

06:35 EDT 3M plans to invest $2B in research and development in 2019 - In 2019, 3M plans to invest $2B in research and development - or approximately 6% of sales - along with $1.7B- $2B in capital expenditures. The company also plans gross share repurchases in the range of $2B-$4B for the year.

06:31 EDT 3M announces five-year financial objectives - Speaking at the company's Investor Day in St. Paul, 3M CEO Mike Roman will lay out new five-year financial objectives while introducing his priorities for the future. The four priorities - focused around Portfolio, Innovation, Transformation, and People and Culture - are positioning 3M for long-term growth and value creation. 3M's new five-year financial objectives - covering 2019 through 2023 - are: 3 to 5 percent organic local currency sales growth; 8 to 11 percent growth in earnings per share; 20 percent return on invested capital; 100 percent free cash flow conversion.

06:15 EDT Facebook says 'number of inaccuracies' in NYT story - Yesterday, The New York Times published an article about the past two years at Facebook (FB). Facebook says in a statement that there are "a number of inaccuracies" in the story, including: " The story asserts that we knew about Russian activity as early as the spring of 2016 but were slow to investigate it at every turn. This is not true... We did not name Russia in our April 2017 white paper - but instead cited a US Government report in a footnote about Russian activity - because we felt that the US Director of National Intelligence was best placed to determine the source." Facebook also says: "We did decide that President Trump's comments on the Muslim ban, while abhorrent to many people, did not break our Community Standards for the same reasons The New York Times and many other organizations covered the news: Donald Trump was a candidate running for office. To suggest that the internal debate around this particular case was different from other important free speech issues on Facebook is wrong." The company also says: " Tim Cook has consistently criticized our business model and Mark has been equally clear he disagrees. So there's been no need to employ anyone else to do this for us. And we've long encouraged our employees and executives to use Android (GOOG, GOOGL) because it is the most popular operating system in the world." "Lastly we wanted to address the issue of Definers, who we ended our contract with last night. The New York Times is wrong to suggest that we ever asked Definers to pay for or write articles on Facebook's behalf - or to spread misinformation. Our relationship with Definers was well known by the media - not least because they have on several occasions sent out invitations to hundreds of journalists about important press calls on our behalf. Definers did encourage members of the press to look into the funding of 'Freedom from Facebook,' an anti-Facebook organization. The intention was to demonstrate that it was not simply a spontaneous grassroots campaign, as it claimed, but supported by a well-known critic of our company. To suggest that this was an anti-Semitic attack is reprehensible and untrue." Reference Link

06:02 EDT LogicBio Therapeutics forms partnership with CMRI of Australia - LogicBio Therapeutics announced the launch of a partnership to develop new viral vectors with Children's Medical Research Institute of Australia, a world leader in the areas of gene therapy, childhood cancer, embryology and neurological diseases. The newly formed AAV Development Program will focus on developing next-generation synthetic adeno-associated virus capsids capable of overcoming many of the current limitations of existing viral vectors. LogicBio will hold exclusive worldwide commercial rights to vectors developed under the partnership, with the goal of commercializing the new capsids as widely as possible.

05:39 EDT AC Immune awarded third follow-up grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation - AC Immune announced it has been awarded a follow-up grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, or MJFF. In 2015 AC degrees Immune received a research grant from the MJFF to support the development of a Parkinson's-specific diagnostic agent. Following a grant extension in 2017, the new grant is an acknowledgement of the progress AC Immune has made in this program. This grant aims to facilitate the execution of a first-in-human study for a potential alpha-synuclein PET tracer with the current lead compound. The study will commence in Q1 of 2019. The amount of the grant has not been disclosed.

05:29 EDT AbbVie signs DUBs collaboration with Mission Therapeutics - Mission Therapeutics and AbbVie announced a collaboration in the research and preclinical development of specified deubiquitylating enzymes, or DUB, inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. No financial details have been disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will collaborate during the research stage to identify specific DUBs and discover suitable compounds. AbbVie will then have the option to gain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize DUB inhibitors against up to four selected targets. AbbVie will pay Mission an upfront license fee and Mission is also eligible to receive success-based milestone payments and royalty payments for each commercialized product. The collaboration does not include any of Mission's lead DUB programs including USP30 and USP10.