Stockwinners Market Radar for November 20, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:17 EDT KB Home expands into Seattle housing market - KB Home announced its expansion into the Seattle market, with its national reach now encompassing 36 markets in eight states. The communities and floor plans will be designed to target first-time and first move-up buyers to align with KB Home's core business strategy. In keeping with the Company's distinct approach to home building, KB home buyers will be able to personalize many aspects of their new home to suit their budget, design style and personal needs. KB Home named Washington native, Ryan Kemp, president of the Seattle division, where he is overseeing the Company's home building operations throughout the region, from land acquisition and construction to sales and customer service. He will report to Brian Kunec, regional general manager of KB Home's Las Vegas and Seattle divisions.

18:56 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Foot Locker (FL) up 14.8%... Autodesk (ADSK) up 7.9%... BJ's Wholesale (BJ) up 7.2%... Keysight Technologies (KEYS) up 5.8%... Copart (CPRT) up 4.7%... 21Vianet Group (VNET) up 2.6%... The Gap (GPS) up 0.7%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Bilibili (BILI) down 7.6%. ALSO LOWER: DexCom (DXCM) down 1.5% after mixed shelf offering.

18:26 EDT Emerald Expositions Events announces $20M share repurchase program - The company anticipates funding any share repurchases from its cash on hand and permitted borrowings under the company's credit facilities.

18:01 EDT LATAM Airlines reports Q3 operating income $175M

17:52 EDT British Columbia sets path for 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2040 - In a move aimed at removing a major source of air pollution and climate change, the provincial government has put British Columbia on a path to require the sale of all new light-duty cars and trucks to be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2040. Premier John Horgan has announced the government, in partnership with the B.C. Green caucus, will introduce legislation next spring to phase in targets for the sale of zero-emission vehicles. This legislation will set targets of 10% ZEV sales by 2025, 30% by 2030, and 100% by 2040, while government will take additional steps to make ZEVs more affordable. "There's nothing more important than taking care of the place we call home," said Premier Horgan. "As a province, we need to work together to put B.C. on a path that powers our future with clean, renewable energy and reduces air pollution." Publicly traded companies in the space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).

17:27 EDT MDU Resources sees 2019-2023 CapEx $2.6B - "We have identified and expect to continue to execute on significant growth projects," said David Goodin, president and CEO of MDU Resources. "This five-year plan includes line-of-sight opportunities at all of our businesses, including substantial growth at our regulated operations and higher capital expenditures at our construction businesses." Acquisitions would be incremental to the company's 2019-2023 capital investment plan. MDU Resources will provide updates as opportunities outside the capital investment plan are identified.

17:17 EDT Foot Locker says women's business was the strongest in footwear - Says pleased by Foot Locker Europe. Says new Asia stores is Hong Kong and Singapore had good sales. Says stores have decreased by 10 since the end of Q2. Expects to open 45 stores for the year and close 140. Says holiday sales have already kicked off. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:02 EDT Rowan Companies and Ensco granted early termination of waiting period - Rowan Companies (RDC) and Ensco (ESV) jointly announced that they have received notice from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission granting early termination of the waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Completion of the transaction remains subject to satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions, including approval by the shareholders of both Rowan and Ensco along with other regulatory and court approvals.

16:55 EDT Raymond James reports AUM as of October 31st at $753.2B vs. $703.8B last year

16:46 EDT Univar opens new sales center in Colombia - Univar announced the opening of a new sales center in Colombia, to expand Latin American reach. Univar will continue to expand the Colombian sales center through 2019 as the company looks to further strengthen its presence in the Latin American region.

16:33 EDT Era Group names Crystal Gordon SVP General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer - Era Group announced that Crystal Gordon has been appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer, effective January 1. Ms. Gordon has an extensive background in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and aviation, most recently as Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Air Methods Corporation, one of the largest air medical providers in the world with approximately 450 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

16:27 EDT Autodesk up 8% to $133.23 after Q3 results, FY19 guidance beat estimates

16:22 EDT Kellogg CFO acquires 8,190 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Kellogg CFO Fareed A. Khan disclosed the acquisition of 8,190 common shares of the company at a price of $62.1434 per share.

16:20 EDT USA Technologies provides update on Nasdaq notification of deficiency - USA Technologies announced that, as expected, it received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC notifying the company that, as a result of its failure to timely file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2018, the company is noncompliant with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250c1. The Rule requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company had previously received an original notice from Nasdaq of noncompliance with the Rule due to the failure of the company to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018. Pursuant to the Original Notice, the company had submitted to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance, and on November 13, 2018, Nasdaq notified the company that it had accepted the Plan and had granted the company until March 12, 2019 in order to file the Quarterly Report and the Annual Report with the SEC. The Notice also requires the company to submit to Nasdaq an update to the Plan by no later than December 3, 2018. Neither the Notice nor the Original Notice has any immediate effect on the listing or trading of the company's common stock or preferred stock, and the common stock and preferred stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols "USAT" and "USATP", respectively.

16:17 EDT Thomson Reuters receives court approval for return of capital transaction - Thomson Reuters announced that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued a final order approving a plan of arrangement to implement the company's proposed return of capital transaction. Yesterday, Thomson Reuters received shareholder approval for the return of capital transaction at a special meeting held in Toronto. The return of capital transaction is one of several ways that the company is returning $10B of proceeds from its recently closed Financial & Risk transaction to its shareholders. The return of capital transaction consists of a distribution of $4.45 in cash per common share, or approximately $2.5B in the aggregate, and a consolidation of the company's outstanding common shares (or reverse stock split) on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution.

16:14 EDT Foot Locker up 11% to $51.25 after Q3 results beat estimates

16:13 EDT Foot Locker CFO says 'encouraged' by Q3 SSS growth - "We're encouraged by the second consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth, more full-price selling, and greater than expected gross margin expansion," noted Lauren Peters, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "In addition to the improving performance, our strong balance sheet gives us the flexibility to continue investing in the business for the long term, while returning cash to our shareholders."

16:13 EDT Titan International receives settlement put option notice - Titan International announced that notice was received from an affiliate of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, or RDIF, one of the three shareholders, of Voltyre-Prom, of its exercise, effective November 14, of the settlement put option with respect to its holdings in Voltyre-Prom, pursuant to the Shareholders' Agreement. The Company, together with affiliates of One Equity Partners and RDIF, owns all of the equity interests in Voltyre-Prom. The settlement put option may be satisfied by Titan with cash or Titan common stock, in amounts set by the Shareholders' Agreement. Depending on the final settlement date, the cash amount is estimated to be in the range of approximately $74.3M-$76.2M and the share amount range is estimated to be approximately 10.172M shares to 10.436M shares.

16:12 EDT Platinum Group announces reverse 10:1 stock split - Platinum Group Metals announced a consolidation of its common shares on the basis of one new share for ten old shares effective at 9:00 a.m. New York time on December 13, 2018. The company's consolidated common shares are expected to begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American when the markets open on December 17, 2018. The purpose of the consolidation is to increase the company's common share price to be in compliance with the NYSE American's low selling price requirement. Shareholder feedback has been that the company should maintain its listing on the NYSE American.

16:10 EDT Foot Locker reports Q3 gross margin 31.6%, up from 31% a year ago

16:08 EDT Star Bulk Carriers reports Q3 fleet utilization 98.4% vs. 99.9% last year - Q3 Daily Time Charter Equivalent Rate $14.5K vs. $9.6K last year.

16:07 EDT Autodesk to acquire PlanGrid for $875M net of cash - Autodesk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PlanGrid, a leading provider of construction productivity software, for $875M net of cash. This acquisition will enable Autodesk to offer a more comprehensive, cloud-based construction platform. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during Autodesk's fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, ending January 31, 2019. Because the exact timing of the close is unknown, Autodesk has not included any impact in its business outlook for the fourth quarter. However, the company expects it to contribute slightly to revenue and be modestly negative for profitability and cashflows for the quarter. For fiscal year 2020, Autodesk expects PlanGrid to contribute approximately $100M in ARR and be slightly dilutive to profitability and cash flow. Inclusive of the transaction, the company is maintaining its free cash flow goal for the year.

16:02 EDT Integra LifeSciences announces one of first surgeries with Integra System - Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced one of the first surgeries with the Integra(R) XT Revision Total Ankle Replacement System. The Integra XT Revision Total Ankle Replacement System is one of the first FDA cleared devices indicated for revision ankle arthroplasty only and can be used to revise any commercially available primary total ankle replacement system. Key implant features include: An augmented posterior sloped talus which addresses subsidence by rebuilding posterior talar height; An anatomic design that mimics the natural kinematics of the ankle, designed to promote a more normal gait and better overall function post-operatively.

15:59 EDT Popular appoints Paul Cardillo as Investor Relations Officer - Popular announced the appointment of Mr. Paul J. Cardillo as Investor Relations Officer of Popular. Mr. Cardillo will report to Popular's Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Carlos J. Vazquez. Prior to joining Popular, Mr. Cardillo served as Director and Financial Services Specialist of Equity Sales for Deutsche Bank and prior to that he was Senior Vice President and Financial Services Specialist of Equity Trading for Jefferies LLC. He has also held positions in the finance field at Plia Systems, Sanford C. Bernstein and Lehman Brothers. "We certainly will benefit from Mr. Cardillo's expertise in the financial arena. We welcome him to the team," said Ignacio Alvarez, Chief Executive Officer of Popular.

15:48 EDT Amazon opens AMA kit to to all wireless headphones other wearable devices - Alfred Woo of Amazon Alexa said in a blog posting: "Alexa has become an increasingly natural part of our daily routines. The voice service makes customers' lives more convenient, more productive, and more entertaining. This is especially true in the home, where Alexa got her start through integrations with speakers, appliances, TVs, and other smart devices. We also want to make Alexa available to customers who are on the move, so we're making it easier for device makers to build Alexa into the devices made for on-the-go experiences. Today, Amazon announced the general availability of the Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit. The AMA protocol is the key technology that powers on-the-go Alexa experiences on headphones, headsets, and other Bluetooth devices. With Alexa integrated into their BT device, customers can enjoy convenient access to their favorite Alexa features and capabilities on the go: music, news and information, smart home controls, and tens of thousands of Alexa Skills." Reference Link

15:16 EDT Xenon granted orphan designation for alternating hemiplegia treatment - Xenon Pharmaceuticals' flunarizine was granted FDA orphan designation as a treatment of alternating hemiplegia, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

15:06 EDT NexPoint Residential VP Matt McGraner buys over $313K in company shares - NexPoint Residential VP Matt McGraner disclosed in a regulatory filing that he purchased 9,486 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $33 per share on November 16. The total transaction value of the purchase was $313,038

14:31 EDT Mylan says has discontinued a number of products from Morgantown site - Mylan commented on a Warning Letter issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 9, 2018, relating to its manufacturing facility in Morgantown, West Virginia. This action resulted from previously disclosed observations of the plant made by FDA in April 2018. "As discussed in our second and third quarter earnings calls, we have implemented a comprehensive restructuring and remediation plan at our Morgantown facility. These activities are already reflected in our 2018 outlook, and the issues raised in the Warning Letter are being addressed within the context of this plan. We have been in regular communication with FDA and will continue to work to ensure that the Agency is satisfied with the steps we have taken to resolve all the points raised in the Warning Letter. The Morgantown facility continues to supply products for the U.S. market while we are executing on our commitments to FDA. We did not expect to have any significant new product launches from the site in 2019. As part of the ongoing restructuring and remediation activities, Mylan has proactively discontinued a number of products from the site while also transferring some products to other sites. These actions have led to a temporary disruption in supply of certain Mylan products for customers. We understand that this current and temporary situation puts a burden on our customers and appreciate their ongoing confidence in Mylan. We will continue to work closely with our customers to mitigate any possible supply disruptions and meet the needs of the patients we serve. Mylan is committed to maintaining the highest quality manufacturing standards at all of its facilities around the world. We have an industry-leading track record in global quality management, and we take very seriously our continued and comprehensive oversight of Mylan's entire manufacturing network. We continuously learn from inspections of our facilities by FDA and other authorities as regulatory expectations continue to evolve. In 2018, global health authorities conducted more than 100 regulatory inspections, including 21 FDA inspections, of our nearly 50 other manufacturing facilities around the world without regulatory action or significant observations. When we have received FDA warning letters in the past we have worked comprehensively and closely with FDA to address the issues raised and each of those prior letters was successfully resolved. The November 9 Morgantown letter is the sole outstanding FDA Warning Letter to Mylan. We will apply the same rigor and focus to our work with FDA regarding its observations of our manufacturing facility in Morgantown, which remains an important part of Mylan's global manufacturing network."

14:20 EDT SuperCom CEO acquires 365,000 ordinary shares - SuperCom announced that its CEO, Arie Trabelsi, has notified the company that he has purchased 365,000 of SuperCom ordinary shares in the open market under his personal purchase program and plans to continue to purchase through this program. "As disclosed in second and third quarter earnings releases, SuperCom is executing effectively against its business plan and has optimized much of its operations to support strong earnings growth," commented Mr. Arie Trabelsi, President and CEO of SuperCom. "I believe the SPCB current stock price levels do not reflect the high intrinsic value of the company and purchasing shares at these prices can provide high ROI. This program provides me the ability to opportunistically acquire more of SuperCom shares and underscores my ongoing belief in the Company," Arie concluded.

14:06 EDT NY AG says Walmart, Best Buy, Target have made changes to combat gift card fraud - New York Attorney General Barbra Underwood announced an ongoing initiative to protect consumers from gift card fraud. Prompted by a sharp increase in reports of scam artists demanding payment from consumers in the form of gift cards, the Attorney General's office has been working with three major retailers-Best Buy (BBY), Walmart (WMT), and Target (TGT)-on reforms to their nationwide policies and practices to help protect consumers from being victimized. All three retailers have already made significant changes as part of this initiative, which is a joint effort of Attorney General Underwood and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Gift card scams have rapidly increased in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission recently found that 26% of scam victims paid with a gift card between January and September 2018, compared to only 7% in 2015 - marking a 270% increase. Some of the changes that Walmart, Best Buy, and Target have recently implemented in partnership with the Attorney General's initiative include: Reducing the total amount that a consumer can purchase in one transaction in store-branded gift cards; Reducing the dollar limit that can be loaded on a store-branded gift card; Placing restrictions on the redemption of store-branded gift cards, including prohibiting the redemption of store-branded gift cards for other gift cards; Enhancing employee training to help employees identify the warning signs of gift card scams and warn potential victims when appropriate.

13:37 EDT FDA warns about severe worsening of MS after stopping use of Novartis' Gilenya - The Food and Drug Administration is warning that when the multiple sclerosis, or MS, medicine Gilenya is stopped, the disease can become much worse than before the medicine was started or while it was being taken. "This MS worsening is rare but can result in permanent disability," the FDA stated. As a result, the FDA has added a new warning about this risk to the prescribing information of the Gilenya drug label and patient Medication Guide. Gilenya is marketed by Novartis. Reference Link

13:17 EDT Moody's downgrades Coca-Cola to A1 after Costa acquisition - Moody's downgraded the senior unsecured long term rating of Coca-Cola to A1 from Aa3 and affirmed the company's Prime-1 short term ratings. These actions conclude the review for downgrade that was initiated on August 31 following the company's announcement that it had agreed to purchase Costa Limited for $5.1B in cash. "The downgrade reflects Moody's view that Coca-Cola has adopted a more aggressive financial policy, and that the system financial leverage will be more consistent with an A1 rating," the agency agency says in a statement. The acquisition "provides diversification into a growing beverage space, but introduces new risks since it operates differently than Coke's core, ready to drink packaged beverage businesses," adds Moody's. "The acquisition follows its August 2018 investment in BodyArmor sports drinks. The two transactions demonstrate the likelihood that cash resources will be used for investment opportunities in addition to debt repayment. Finally Coca-Cola's dividend has grown faster than earnings and remains high, leaving retained cash flow somewhat weak relative to debt."

12:02 EDT Facebook experiencing service issues - Visiting Facebook.com showa a blank page and accessing the Facebook app currently returns the following message: "Can't Connect." Additionally, crowd-sourced service monitoring site "downrightnow" indicated reports of likely Facebook service disruptions. Facebook and Instagram both experienced short disruptions earlier this morning.

12:00 EDT Eros International falls -12.4% - Eros International is down -12.4%, or -$1.17 to $8.20.

12:00 EDT Scor ADR rises 10.9% - Scor ADR is up 10.9%, or $2.31 to $23.48.

12:00 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 16.1% - Britannia Bulk is up 16.1%, or $1.65 to $11.90.

11:03 EDT Okta continues expansion of API gateway partner ecosystem - Okta announced its continued expansion in the API gateway ecosystem, adding NGINX to the Okta Integration Network along with other industry leaders Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Kong, MuleSoft, Software AG and Tyk. With these partnerships, Okta can provide API Access Management for many of the API industry's leading gateways, helping organizations secure enterprise data while also enabling developers to focus on building incredible user experiences. "APIs open new business opportunities and revenue streams as organizations transform their infrastructure and connect services, but we've also seen the dangers of poorly managed access controls play out in headlines," said Chuck Fontana, Vice President, Okta Integrations and Strategic Partnerships, Okta. "While APIs offer even more opportunities to get important work done faster, it's not just employees who have access to sensitive company and customer information via these new services: it's also partners and customers. By integrating to and working closely with industry-leading API gateways, we can bolster security for organizations through access controls, ultimately enabling them to tackle the new business and development challenges and opportunities brought on by opening these APIs."

10:53 EDT NeuroMetrix issued new U.S. patent for Quell wearable technology - NeuroMetrix announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,130,810 titled "Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation with user gesture detector and electrode-skin contact detector, with transient motion detector for increasing the accuracy of the same." This patent covers our novel technology that enhances Quell device performance for users with an active lifestyle.

10:23 EDT Nvidia turns positive as Citron sees opportunity to buy - Shares of Nvidia, which were trading in negative ground to start the session, have reversed and moved into the green after a tweet from short-selling focused research firm Citron Research. In the tweet, Andrew Left's Citron said: "Citron buys $NVDA. This is the first time in 2 years stock offers an appealing risk-reward to investors. $NVDA still a player in AI and Data..will eat through inventory issue. We see $165 before we see 120." Following the tweet, Nvidia shares are up $3.62, or 2.5%, to $148.32.

10:00 EDT Jianpu Technology falls -10.0% - Jianpu Technology is down -10.0%, or -55c to $4.90.

10:00 EDT L Brands falls -14.4% - L Brands is down -14.4%, or -$4.97 to $29.58.

10:00 EDT ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF rises 7.0% - ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF is up 7.0%, or $4.13 to $63.06.

09:50 EDT FRONTEO Inc (ADS) trading resumes

09:47 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 8.4% - Britannia Bulk is up 8.4%, or 86c to $11.11.

09:45 EDT FRONTEO Inc (ADS) trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:36 EDT Takeda receives European Commission clearance for acquisition of Shire - Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TKPYY) announces that it has received clearance from the European Commission for the proposed acquisition of Shire (SHPG) announced on May 8, 2018. The EC's approval is conditional on Takeda and Shire fulfilling commitments given to the EC in connection with the clearance. Specifically, in relation to the future potential overlap in the area of inflammatory bowel diseases between Takeda's marketed product Entyvio (vedolizumab) and Shire's pipeline compound SHP647, Takeda and Shire have committed to divest the pipeline compound SHP647 and certain associated rights. The divestment of SHP647 and certain associated rights is not a condition to the completion of the Acquisition. SHP647 is an exciting pipeline compound and Takeda expects the asset to attract interest from a number of potential buyers. Takeda remains committed to Entyvio, which has been granted marketing authorization in more than 60 countries and is the cornerstone of Takeda's diverse specialty gastrointestinal portfolio. The Acquisition has now received clearances from the European Commission, the United States Federal Trade Commission, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation in China and the Brazilian Administrative Council for Economic Defense, among other regulatory authorities.

09:30 EDT European Commission approves Takeda acquisition of Shire on divestment condition - The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Shire (SHPG) by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (TKPPY). The decision is conditional on the divestment of a biologic treatment product under development by Shire to treat inflammatory bowel disease. The Commission said, "The Commission was concerned that the takeover, as originally notified, would lead to a loss of innovation and a reduction in potential future competition. In particular, the Commission's market investigation found that Takeda would be unlikely to continue developing Shire's new anti-integrin treatment. This would have meant a serious loss of innovation on a market where patients currently have few treatment options available to them. It would have also prevented a product from reaching the market that could compete with Entyvio and reduce prices for this type of biologic treatment. To address the Commission's competition concerns, Takeda offered to divest Shire's pipeline product that is expected to compete with Entyvio, including the rights to its development, manufacturing and marketing, to a purchaser that would have an incentive to develop the drug. The commitments thus fully remove the overlap between Takeda's and Shire's activities on the market where the Commission had identified competition concerns. Therefore, the Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns. The decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments." Reference Link

09:24 EDT Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward issues letter to shareholders - Genius Brands released a letter to shareholders from chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. The letter said, "Yesterday morning we held a conference call to discuss the early ratings performance of Rainbow Rangers on Nickelodeon and the transformational impact we foresee it having on the revenues and earnings of Genius Brands International. There is nothing more important on our immediate agenda. Before doing so, we took a moment to share some highlights from our recently released 10Q statement, which went out last Wednesday November 14 for the Q3 period ending September 30, 2018. Revenues for the three-month period increased 103% to $523,175, versus the same period in 2017. Licensing revenues increased by $116,245 due to advances for both Llama Llama and Rainbow Rangers during this period. Kid Genius Network broadcasting revenues increased by $108,619 due largely to increased revenues from Twitch and Amazon Prime subscribers beginning to grow. Home Entertainment revenues went up by $41,516 due to the Llama Llama delivery to our home entertainment partner NCircle. Total expense during the period increased by $353,951 largely due to ramped up production, and that ramp up of production will continue as we have already been contracted with Netflix to do a second season of Llama Llama and additionally, our expectation to shortly begin a second season of Rainbow Rangers. More details across all areas are in the 10Q, but there is a now a trend emerging of a company with growing revenues across all of its key sectors. Having said the above, without further ado, I want to get to Rainbow Rangers. Last week on Monday, November 5, Genius Brands' new animated series Rainbow Rangers began broadcasting on Nickelodeon's preschool channel Nick Jr. It has been the culmination of four years of work, which began with key retailers telling us they foresaw both a vacuum and an opportunity in girl's preschool products in 2019. As many of our investors know, we went about recruiting a unique team of the strongest creators in the kid's entertainment industry. They included the director of Disney's Lion King, the co-writer of Disney's Frozen, and the character designer of virtually every Disney character from The Little Mermaid through Frozen. Alongside them, we built the best animation team I have been a part of in my three decades in this business, having produced over 5,000 half hours of Emmy and award-winning animation, which has included numerous billion-dollar brands such as Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hello Kitty, Inspector Gadget, Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ghostbusters, and others. The Rainbow Rangers' team includes the most accomplished writers, musicians, voice artists and animators. We presented the series to Nickelodeon and were fortunate that they licensed it, and subsequently, upon seeing scripts and first episodes, they placed it in their coveted 3pm Monday through Friday timeslot on Nick Jr. Through the efforts of our licensing team, led by SVP of Global Licensing Lloyd Mintz, who was the former head of consumer products licensing for Hasbro Toys, and prior to that part of the licensing unit of the Walt Disney Company, we secured an exceptional lineup of consumer product manufacturers, recognized as the tiffany licensees in the industry, almost all of whom are 1st tier Disney licensees and the leaders in their respective category. Beginning in July and August in 2019, we will launch the U.S. retail program for Rainbow Rangers with over 300 branded products debuting across all categories of kid's consumer products. Master Toy partner Mattel will premiere a range of toys, including collectible dolls, 3-inch dolls, 6-inch dolls, traditional fashion dolls, role play items, and a playset. Other product categories from the roster of blue-chip partners include apparel, publishing, sleepwear, bedding and bath, footwear, bags and backpacks, Halloween costumes and accessories, youth consumer electronics, health and beauty aids, cosmetics, bicycles and ride-ons, and a Rainbow Rangers live touring show from the Gershwin Company, producers of the Charlie Brown touring show and the Sesame Street touring show. I am ecstatic to report that we have now received ratings from the first week of broadcast. They are the earliest indicators of Rainbow Rangers' success, and they have been very, very strong. We have verified these with Shelly Hirsch, CEO of Beacon Media, the largest advertising buyer in the kid's business, and based on them for the first week, Rainbow Rangers showed a number of very strong metrics. The first and most important metric looked for is whether a show is able to retain the audience of its lead-in show. In our case, the lead-in show is Shimmer and Shine, an established Nickelodeon franchise playing in the 2:30-3pm time slot. Based on Nielsen ratings for the week of Monday, November 5 - Monday, November 11, Rainbow Rangers retained and grew its audience from its lead in show, against all demos, all genders, and on all days of its first week of broadcast. Separately, the margin by which Rainbow Rangers grew its audience from its lead in, increased daily. By Friday, Rainbow Rangers had showed 153% growth coming out of its lead-in show, against its key target demo of Girls 2-5. In what has been a declining market, Rainbow Rangers increased Nick Jr's season average by 15%, and additionally, it outperformed Nick Jr's prior premiere week programming by 21%. This was all the more impressive, in light of the fact that Tuesday was an election day and kid's viewing was down overall that day because an inordinate amount of adult viewing occurred watching election coverage. Wednesday kid's numbers bounced back and continued to grow the rest of the week. After reviewing data from the first two days of broadcast on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon informed us they had added encore plays of Rainbow Rangers on Sat 11/10 at 6:30p (lead-in Bubble Guppies) and Sun 11/11 at 7:30p (lead-in Shimmer and Shine) to build further awareness for the show, and sample it in new timeslots, alongside various shows. Paw Patrol is the juggernaut on the Nick schedule, and while we did not beat Paw Patrol for the weekly average, I should point out that it is a boy's property, not a girl's one, and has an audience curated over a five-year history, and had 41 broadcasts on Nick Jr. over the week versus the seven for Rainbow Rangers. Paw Patrol is a 'mission based' show with a number of creative similarities to Rainbow Rangers, and in fact, Rainbow Rangers is now frequently referred to by the licensing community, as the "Paw Patrol for girls". The comparison is flattering indeed. Paw Patrol is a franchise whose toys and consumer products did over $1 billion-dollars of sales this last year and have propelled its owners, SpinMaster toys to a $5 billion-dollar market cap. As Paw Patrol becomes a 'mature property and is now peaking, we believe that Rainbow Rangers is positioned to become the next big hit. The Rainbow Rangers trend line is strong. Especially so for a show in its 1st week. The momentum of growth through the week is a very positive sign. The kids are sampling--they like the show--and they are coming back greater each day. And, just as Paw Patrol indexed inordinately high with girls, Rainbow Rangers is indexing inordinately high for boys, both 2-5 and 6-11. What does all this mean??? We are starting to get a picture of an emerging hit. What is the importance of this to Genius Brands, our revenues, our earnings, and ultimately our stock price? It is the basic connection between viewership and consumer products. A kid's show, which draws viewers, also sells licensed consumer products to kids. Years of industry experience indicates that a hit show typically sells a lot of consumer products. As I said, Paw Patrol sells over a billion dollars a year of product now and has turned SpinMaster from a small toy company into a $5 billion-dollar market cap enterprise, in a relatively short time. At Genius Brands, we have meticulously curated the very best licensees in the industry place. Starting as I said, with Mattel Toys to every possible category of kid's product. Over 300 SKUs are poised and standing ready to be introduced into the marketplace in Q3, 2019. We continue to sign new licensees and expand the various product offerings. The average royalty across all our product licenses is 10%, which means, that the company is paid a 10% royalty on all wholesale sales. I underscore this is without inventory risk, without manufacturing or marketing costs, or costs of any kind associated with the products. I should add on a personal note that, those of us inside Genius Brands who have worked on Rainbow Rangers now for the better part of four years from conception to marketplace, take pride that we also have a property ,which is not only showing the signs of a looming commercial success, but one grounded in positive values and positive story telling for kids. Rainbow Rangers follows the adventures of seven strong, diverse, girls with different powers, who use those powers to save the planet and its animals. The messaging is as positive as the nascent ratings success. Both of these will inure to the commercial success and the impact on our company's revenues and earnings. It would be harder to deliver better news at this point. As weekly ratings continue to come in, we will continue to share them with our shareholders. Lastly, we also spoke a little about the untimely passing last week, of the great Stan Lee, creator (and/or co-creator) of Spider Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, X Men, Fantastic 4, the Avengers, Captain America, and so many more. People have reached out to ask how this will affect us at Genius Brands, knowing we have a joint venture with Stan called Stan Lee Comics, and together, with Stan's company POW! Entertainment, we created half a dozen original Stan Lee properties. These properties are managed by Genius Brands now, which together with his company, and we own them jointly, 50/50. Each property has Stan Lee's unique fingerprint, as the creator. They already exist now and are in our Genius Brands' 'vault'. In one property particular, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, he plays himself in animation, and it is the only Stan Lee property in which he actually plays a role as himself. Fortunately, Stan had already recorded the voices of his character, prior to his passing. So, with the sadness of Stan Lee's passing, I can proudly state that his legacy will live on with his latest creations, which now Genius Brands will bring in to the marketplace. We are blessed to have worked so closely with him, and now having these properties, is like having suddenly discovered 6 songs written by John Lennon that had never been brought to the marketplace. They are valuable assets, and at Genius Brands, we are fortunate to now be the steward of this precious original Stan Lee Intellectual Property. Genius Brands will diligently roll these into the marketplace, and we believe they will bring continuing value to the company as they are broadcast and exploited across all media and consumer licensing. A number of broadcasters and filmmakers have already contacted us, and we look forward to bringing them to life. As far as the launch of Rainbow Rangers, we could not possible be more excited. Standby, and we will continue to report on viewership and ratings as we come closer to product launching into the marketplace."

09:11 EDT Eventbrite appoints Deborah Sharkey CCO, Crystal Valentine CDSO - Eventbrite announced the addition of two hires to its leadership team. Deborah Sharkey has been appointed as CCO and Crystal Valentine will join the company as CDSO. As CCO, Deborah will drive the company's global go-to-market strategy and expansion efforts in addition to leading the sales and account management teams, sales enablement and regional marketing strategy worldwide. Deborah brings nearly two decades of leadership in consumer internet companies and a proven track record for scaling marketplace and e-commerce businesses across multiple geographies. Most recently, she was COO at DogVacay, a pet services marketplace, where she led the product, marketing, operations and engineering teams in addition to sitting on the company's board of directors. As CDSO, Crystal will oversee all technical and operational aspects of data within the company. This will include leading a global team of data scientists, architects and analysts to augment the Eventbrite platform with new functionality to empower event creators, while simplifying the consumer experience. She will also partner with key stakeholders across the organization to guide the company's product roadmap through data-driven decision-making. She worked at Ab Initio Software where she consulted with Fortune 500 companies to design and implement enterprise applications, and has also consulted extensively with equity investors focused on technology. Most recently, she served as VP of technology strategy at MapR Technologies.

09:04 EDT Dragos, GE launch collaboration to strengthen industrial control systems - Dragos announced its collaboration with General Electric to strengthen industrial threat detection and response. Together Dragos and GE will leverage their respective expertise to help ICS owners and operators detect and respond to industrial cyber security threats more effectively. The industrial asset owner and operator community has limited visibility into ICS cyber threats and often lacks experience to effectively detect and respond to cyber threats. Utilizing Dragos' industrial threat detection and response technology and GE's extensive experience with industrial operations, ICS owners and operators will gain comprehensive insight into the ICS threat landscape. This includes collaborative ICS threat research for greater visibility of the threat landscape; jointly-developed content for comprehensive guidance for ICS defenders; and the integration of GE's technology with the Dragos ICS threat detection and response platform for broader threat detection.

09:03 EDT LendingClub issued over $1B in CLub certificates sin launch - LendingClub has issued over $1B in CLUB Certificates since their launch less than a year ago. This structure consists of whole loans structured as a pass-through security. The instrument trades in the over-the-counter market with a CUSIP and is cleared through the Depository Trust and Clearing Company.

09:02 EDT Amazon Web Services, Pac-12 Conference extend strategic relationship - Amazon Web Services announced that the Pac-12 Conference has extended its strategic relationship with AWS, going all-in on the world's leading cloud and selecting AWS as its standard for machine learning and media workloads. Pac-12 leverages AWS's industry-leading services for a wide variety of production use cases, including its website, mobile applications, and live television networks, to transform the collegiate sports experience for its millions of fans. As a key part of its all-in migration, Pac-12 will move business-critical databases to Amazon Aurora to gain the speed and availability of a commercial database with the simplicity and cost effectiveness of open source. AWS analytics, machine learning, and digital media services enable Pac-12 to innovate and develop new cloud-based solutions that can anticipate and exceed fans' media and entertainment needs. For instance, Pac-12 runs its advanced media infrastructure on AWS using Amazon Simple Storage Service, AWS Elemental MediaLive, and AWS Elemental MediaPackage to bring personalized, broadcast-grade games to a broader audience on any device. Pac-12 is quickly setting up new production workflows at scale on AWS for live-to-video-on-demand content and over-the-top streaming to provide more personalized viewing experiences for collegiate sports fans. In addition, Pac-12 will use AWS machine learning services such as Amazon SageMaker to automate core content workflows-building, training, and deploying models that capture gameplay and highlight clips, and deliver closed captioning for broadcasters in real time.

09:02 EDT Zurich Technology Solutions announces agreement with Ceragon Networks - Zurich Technology Solutions announced a Premier Value-Added Reseller agreement with Ceragon Networks. The agreement further enriches Zurich's 5G capabilities and product portfolio and cements Zurich's position as a top provider in 5G transformation services in the US and abroad.

08:50 EDT Target says no update on tariff front, continues to watch issue 'carefully'

08:46 EDT Perspecta awarded $89.5M task order by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid - Perspecta announced that it has been awarded a five-year task order on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, or CMS, Strategic Partners Acquisition Readiness Contract, or SPARC, contract vehicle to provide application services for Medicare Part B claims processing. The contract has a one year base plus four one-year renewal options and a maximum ceiling value of $89.5M if all options are exercised.

08:45 EDT Target says Q3 inventory levels impacted by early Thanksgiving date

08:38 EDT Target CEO says 'in very early stages' of supply chain transformation

08:36 EDT 3PEA International appoints Egon Kardum as Chief Information Officer - 3PEA International (TPNL) has named Egon Kardum as Chief Information Officer. Kardum spent the last 18 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) enabling the company's digital transformation for the Commercial, Corporate and R&D organizational units.

08:34 EDT OSI Systems awarded $16M contract to provide service, maintenance support - OSI Systems announced that its Security division was awarded a contract for approximately $16M to provide comprehensive service and maintenance support for Rapiscan checkpoint inspection systems.

08:33 EDT Turtle Beach announces partnership with Redbox - Turtle Beach announced a new partnership with Redbox offering free game rentals with the purchase of any new Turtle Beach gaming headset. Beginning today through January 31, 2019, fans who purchase a headset from turtlebeach.com will receive a code giving them Five Free One-Night Game Rentals from Redbox. Gamers can use the Redbox codes starting Friday, Nov. 23, 2019, giving them the opportunity to experience even more of the latest games on Xbox One and PlayStation4.

08:32 EDT LivaNova says CMS proposes to expand Medicare coverage for VNS Therapy for TRD - LivaNova commented on the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Proposed Decision Memo regarding its National Coverage Determination, or NCD, for the LivaNova Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy System for Treatment-Resistant Depression, or TRD. Within the Proposed Decision Memo, CMS proposes to change the NCD for VNS Therapy for TRD to expand Medicare coverage. CMS could initiate coverage for Medicare beneficiaries through Coverage with Evidence Development when offered in a CMS-approved, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a follow-up duration of at least one year, with the possibility of extending the study to a prospective longitudinal study. The company said: "LivaNova intends to commence a clinical study that meets these requirements, once the NCD decision is finalized by CMS on or before Feb. 17, 2019. LivaNova remains committed to providing additional treatment options for patients with depression and finds the Proposed Decision Memo from CMS to be a positive step toward increased access to important therapies for these patients. Over the last decade, a significant body of new evidence has emerged showing that the addition of VNS Therapy is effective in reducing symptoms in patients with chronic or recurrent depression. With the release of its Proposed Decision Memo, CMS opened a 30-day public comment period...LivaNova looks forward to the final decision from CMS regarding Medicare coverage of VNS Therapy for TRD. This would be a positive outcome for patients and physicians."

08:26 EDT Medtronic says 'highly focused' on improving free cash flow - Says continues to execute well in emerging markets. Says expanding margins and investing more in R&D. Says expects tax rate for remainder of year to be approximately 15%. Says 'comfortable' with achieving higher end of FY19 organic revenue growth guidance. Says expects to deliver FY19 operating margin improvement of 50 bps. Comments from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:17 EDT Target CEO says healthy cash flows, balance sheet allow for needed investments - Target CEO Brian Cornell said on the company's Q3 call that Target is benefiting from "healthy traffic and sales growth" in stores along with digital channel sales that "continue to grow rapidly." Cornell said he believes the impact of all of the strategic initiatives the company is pursuing "together is well beyond the sum of the parts." As other retailers continue to close stores and liquidate, the company's investment position Target to capture sales and market share, Cornell added. The CEO added: "Now we've been clear that all of our efforts to grow and transform Target involve a commitment of resources, which explains why I've already used the word investment five times in these remarks. And it's also why we're fortunate that sound operations, healthy cash flows and a balance sheet provide the necessary flexibility to invest in our future."

08:10 EDT Clovis issued second U.S. patent covering rucaparib - Clovis Oncology announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued United States Patent 10,130,636 with claims directed to methods of treating cancer with high dosage strength rucaparib camsylate formulations. The patent claims cover methods of treating cancer with commercial Rubraca product, including all commercial dosage strengths. The high dosage strength rucaparib formulation patent expires in 2035, and will join multiple patents directed to rucaparib, rucaparib camsylate, and methods of treatment as the 11th Orange Book-listed patent for rucaparib.

08:09 EDT Nemaura Medical signs exclusive license agreement with Al Danah Medical - Nemaura Medical announced that it has signed an exclusive license and distribution agreement with Al-Danah Medical for the commercial launch of sugarBEAT in Qatar in readiness for 2019 launch.

08:07 EDT Hancock Jaffe Laboratories receives update on VenoValve application from INVIMA - Hancock Jaffe Laboratories announced that it has received an update from INVIMA in Bogota on the status of Hancock Jaffe's application for its first-in-human trial for the VenoValve. INVIMA officials confirmed that its members have completed their review of the Hancock Jaffe application and have no substantive issues or questions at this time. The next step is for the Hancock Jaffe application to be presented for approval to INVIMA's Medical Device and Other Technologies Committee at its upcoming December meeting. Patient enrollment will begin immediately after the application for the first-in-human trial is approved by INVIMA. At that time, Hancock Jaffe will make arrangements to export the VenoValves to Colombia. VenoValves for the first-in-human trial have been manufactured and inspected, and are ready for shipment. The dates for the first implantations will be announced after INVIMA approval.

08:03 EDT Nova Lifestyle receives over $1M in orders from Barsala - Nova LifeStyle announced that the company received multiple orders totaling over $1M to supply rental furniture for professional and corporate residential customers from Barsala. Barsala is a North American provider of corporate housing and furnished luxury suites. These latest orders are destined for projects in Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Portland and San Diego.

07:52 EDT Nevsun Resources announces Zijin completed Chinese SAFE registration - Nevsun Resources announced that it has been advised by Zijin Mining Group that Zijin has completed the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, registration and received the Canadian Investment Canada Act, or ICA, approval for Zijin's proposed friendly takeover bid of Nevsun. The SAFE registration is the final Chinese regulatory condition and ICA is the final Canadian regulatory condition to the Offer. Both conditions have now been met. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. The Offer is not subject to any financing conditions. Nevsun will continue to work with Zijin to complete the transaction as scheduled. As previously disclosed, the Offer is all cash consideration of CA$6.00 per Nevsun share.

07:38 EDT Strongbridge Biopharma to present new data on levoketoconazole at ENS@T - Strongbridge Biopharma announced that new in vitro data from a study of levoketoconazole, the active ingredient in Recorlev, an investigational cortisol synthesis inhibitor being evaluated in Phase 3 studies for endogenous Cushing's syndrome, will be presented at the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors, or ENS@T, meeting. The study aimed to compare the direct effects of levoketoconazole on basal and ACTH-stimulated adrenocortical steroid production to those of racemic ketoconazole. Researchers evaluated steroid production by human adrenal cell lines and in primary adrenocortical cultures after treatment with both compounds. The effects of both levoketoconazole and racemic ketoconazole on pituitary tumor cells were also assessed. In one analysis, the effects of two concentrations of levoketoconazole and ketoconazole on the steroid profile were studied in ACTH secretion-associated adrenal hyperplasia, which resulted in an accumulation of progesterone after exposure to levoketoconazole. A greater accumulation of 11-DOC was observed with racemic ketoconazole. Under ACTH stimulation, steroid inhibition dose-response results indicate greater potency of levoketoconazole compared to racemic ketoconazole. A separate analysis showed that when corticotroph pituitary tumor cells were treated with levoketoconazole and racemic ketoconazole, only levoketoconazole demonstrated inhibition of ACTH secretion after just three days of treatment, whereas both levoketoconazole and racemic ketoconazole inhibited ACTH secretion after seven days of treatment. Furthermore, two primary ACTH-secreting corticotroph pituitary adenoma cultures were examined for cell amount and ACTH secretion after seven days of treatment with levoketoconazole and racemic ketoconazole. Levoketoconazole significantly inhibited cell proliferation in one culture, and a significant difference between levoketoconazole and racemic ketoconazole was observed in both cultures, suggesting a stronger effect by levoketoconazole.

07:32 EDT Sage Therapeutics receives notification of PDUFA extension for ZULRESSO - Sage Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act date for its Priority Review of the New Drug Application for ZULRESSO injection for the treatment of postpartum depression. The previously disclosed December 19, 2018 PDUFA goal date has been extended by a period of three months to March 19, 2019. After the recent positive FDA Advisory Committee meeting, Sage submitted a proposed Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies program with Elements to Ensure Safe Use in response to the FDA's request. Under PDUFA VI, FDA can elect to extend the PDUFA goal date by three months for submission of a REMS with ETASU not submitted in the original NDA, and FDA has elected to do so. The FDA has not requested any additional clinical data or any additional information from the Company as part of the extension. If approved, ZULRESSO is expected to be scheduled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, consistent with other approved GABAergic therapies. The DEA is required to issue an interim final rule controlling the drug within 90 days of approval. Preparations continue for a potential U.S. commercial launch of ZULRESSO for the treatment of PPD, which is now planned for June 2019, if the NDA is approved and post-DEA scheduling. ZULRESSO has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and is the first medicine under FDA review specifically for the treatment of PPD, the most common medical complication of childbirth. It is estimated that PPD affects approximately one in nine women who have given birth in the U.S. and 400,000 women annually. Symptoms of PPD may include sadness, anxiety, irritability, withdrawing from friends or family, having trouble bonding with her baby and thinking about harming herself or, more rarely, her baby.

07:30 EDT Medigus trading resumes

07:18 EDT Medigus to form new company for mini video cameras - Medigus announced that the board of the company has resolved on a reorganization of the company, which will include the transfer of all of the company's assets and intellectual property related to the company's miniature video cameras into a fully owned subsidiary of the company. This technology transfer is intended to distinguish the company's miniature video cameras business from the other operations of the company and will enable the company to form a separate business unit with dedicated resources focused on the promotion of this technology. Together with the technology transfer, the board of directors of the company has directed the company to examine additional applications for the company's miniature video cameras outside of the medical device industry, among others, the defense industry, the aviation industry and the automotive industry. In addition, the company will consider the introduction of investors to invest directly in the company's miniature video cameras fully owned subsidiary, while continuing to support its ongoing operations. The board of directors believes that such technology transfer will allow the company to leverage its innovative miniature video camera technology and explore new business opportunities and relations.

07:16 EDT Nielsen names David Kenny as CEO, effective December 3 - The Board of Directors of Nielsen Holdings (NLSN) announced that David Kenny will join the company as CEO, effective December 3, 2018. David will also join Nielsen's Board of Directors. David joins Nielsen from IBM (IBM), where he led IBM's Cognitive Solutions business. Kenny succeeds Mitch Barns who, as previously announced, is retiring from the company on December 31 after 22 years.

07:08 EDT Apellis appoints Adam Townsend as CCO - Apellis (APLS) announced the appointment of Adam Townsend as CCO. Prior to joining Apellis, Townsend worked at Biogen (BIIB), with progressive leadership roles in commercial and corporate development. In his new role, Townsend will be responsible for overseeing the strategy, development, and execution of all aspects of Apellis' commercial policies, objectives, and initiatives as the company expands operations with two clinical programs in Phase 3: DERBY & OAKS for the treatment of GA and PEGASUS for the treatment of PNH.

07:03 EDT BioLineRx receives Biological Product Designation for AGI-134 from FDA - BioLineRx announced that the FDA has granted the Biological Product Designation for AGI-134, the Company's novel immunotherapy compound. This designation provides the Company with eligibility to obtain 12 years of market exclusivity upon approval of the product for commercial use by the FDA. This regulatory market exclusivity adds an incremental layer of protection in addition to that afforded by existing patents granted in the U.S. and Europe, and pending in other countries, covering the use of AGI-134 for the treatment of solid cancer tumors. These patents are valid until May 2035, with a possible term extension of up to five additional years.

07:01 EDT Boeing, SparkCognition to launch joint venture SkyGrid - Boeing and SparkCognition announced plans to launch SkyGrid, a new company that will enable the future of urban aerial mobility. Based in Austin, Texas, SkyGrid will develop a software platform to ensure the safe, secure integration of autonomous cargo and passenger air vehicles in the global airspace. Using blockchain technology, AI-enabled dynamic traffic routing, data analytics and cybersecurity features, SkyGrid's platform will go beyond unmanned aircraft systems traffic management. The platform will enable SkyGrid customers to safely perform a broad range of missions and services using UAS, including package delivery, industrial inspections and emergency assistance.

06:57 EDT Medigus trading halted, news pending

06:55 EDT New Senior Investment to internalize the company's management function - New Senior Investment Group announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to internalize the Company's management function, effective as of January 1. As previously announced on February 23, the Company's Board of Directors, together with the Company's management team and legal and financial advisors, have been exploring a full range of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. The Board formed a special committee, composed entirely of independent and disinterested directors, to address certain aspects of the strategic review. In connection with the strategic review, the Company retained J.P. Morgan Securities as its financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as its legal advisor. In addition, the Special Committee retained Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as its independent financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as its independent legal advisor. The strategic review has been a multi-step process, resulting in the following previously announced initiatives: the termination of triple net leases and entry into new management agreements for 51 IL Assets in May, a re-set of the Company's dividend in August, the $720M refinancing completed on October 10 and an agreement in principle reached in August to internalize the Company's management function, subject to the completion of definitive documentation.

06:44 EDT Acorn International announces partnership with Shanghai Media Group - Acorn International announced that its subsidiary, Acorn Media Group, signed a cooperation agreement with influential media powerhouse SMG through one of its key content subsidiaries, DEG, paving the way for Acorn's broad partnership with one of the largest State-owned media conglomerates in China. Following the establishment of this partnership, Acorn and DEG intend to work together to provide cross-border resources to support Acorn's influencer management business, Acorn Entertainment, which represents celebrity talent and brands in China to help grow and monetize their presence here, as well as Acorn's content business, which monetizes through VOD or live streaming ticket sales, as well as e-commerce and other revenue channels.

06:34 EDT Target sees Q4 SSS up about 5%

06:09 EDT Lowe's sees 'positive trends' in FY19 - Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison said, "During the quarter, the favorable macroeconomic environment, combined with great values, drove traffic to our stores and website. However, continued challenges with inventory out of stocks, poor reset execution, and assortment concerns in certain categories pressured our ability to turn those visits into transactions. Rather than chase short-term solutions to these problems, we are redesigning processes and systems to deliver sustainable improvement, and expect to see positive trends as we enter 2019. Our transformation will take time, but we have assembled an experienced team and developed a comprehensive plan to make steady progress."

06:03 EDT Kennedy Wilson signs two lease deals in Europe with WeWork and ASOS - Kennedy Wilson has signed two of the largest European lease deals in the company's history with industry leading enterprises WeWork and ASOS. WeWork, the global provider of flexible, collaborative and shared workspaces, will soon occupy the entire building at Friars Bridge Court in Southbank London, and ASOS, the leading online retail group, will expand its presence at Leavesden Park in Watford to occupy the full building.

05:25 EDT Cowen Group to acquire Quarton for $75M - Cowen and Quarton International AG and affiliated Quarton entities, collectively, Quarton International, announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Cowen will acquire privately-held Quarton International, a leading global financial advisory company serving the middle market. The definitive agreement has been approved by Cowen's board and Quarton International's shareholders and governing bodies. This transaction is expected to close by January 2, 2019. Under the definitive agreement, Cowen will acquire 100% of Quarton International's equity interests for upfront consideration of $75M, subject to net working capital and other customary adjustments as set forth in the definitive agreement, with additional contingent consideration of $40M that would become payable dependent on the achievement of certain performance milestones by Quarton International. In addition, Cowen has agreed with Quarton International to establish a retention bonus pool for Quarton International employees following the completion of the acquisition. All consideration, including pursuant to any employee retention program, is to be comprised of 80% cash and 20% Cowen Class A common stock.

05:20 EDT Boston Scientific announces recommended offer to acquire BTG for $4.2B

05:16 EDT Aegean Marine gets court approval for 'first day' motions to support operations - Aegean Marine announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York granted interim approval of all the company's first day motions related to its voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring. The approvals by the Court immediately improve the company's liquidity position, and ensure that suppliers, vendors, and employees, among other critical partners, continue to be paid in the normal course of business. Through the Court approvals, the company has access to substantial capital during the restructuring process provided by the $532M Debtor-in-Possession credit facility funded by Mercuria Energy Group, including an initial $40M of incremental cash over the next 30 days to support operations. In addition to providing the DIP to fund the Chapter 11 process and the company's working capital needs, Mercuria is also acting as the stalking horse bidder in a sale process designed to maximize the value of the company as a going concern. The Asset Purchase Agreement, including the $681M stalking horse bid proposed by Mercuria, has been filed with the Court.

05:07 EDT Community Health announces agreement to sell four SC hospitals - Community Health Systems announced that subsidiaries of the company have signed a definitive agreement to sell four South Carolina hospitals - 82-bed Chester Regional Medical Center in Chester, 225-bed Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, 396-bed Carolinas Hospital System in Florence, and 124-bed Carolinas Hospital System - Marion in Mullins - along with related businesses, including physician clinic operations and outpatient services, to the Medical University Hospital Authority in Charleston, S.C. As part of the transaction, Medical University Hospital Authority will assume the long-term lease and operations of Chester Regional Medical Center. The transfer of the lease is subject to the consent of the Chester County Hospital Board of Chester County, South Carolina. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 of 2019, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The four hospitals are among the additional planned divestitures discussed on the company's Q3 earnings call.