Stockwinners Market Radar for December 14, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:11 EDT Pretium Resources: Brucejack approved for production hike to 3,800 tonnes/day - Pretium Resources is pleased to report that it has received the amended permits to increase the Brucejack Mine production rate to 3,800 tonnes per day from the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. The amended permits allow for a production increase to an annual rate of 1.387 million tonnes from 0.99 million tonnes (daily average of 3,800 tonnes from 2,700 tonnes). Minor mill upgrades to support the production rate increase are required and will be completed during regularly scheduled mill shutdowns. A specific timeline for ramp-up to the 3,800 tonnes per day production rate along with an updated mine plan is expected in the first quarter of next year.

17:35 EDT Ecology & Environment receives Nasdaq noncompliance notice - On December 13, 2018, Ecology and Environment Inc. received, as expected, a formal notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market stating that the company is not in compliance with the requirements for continued listing under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250c1 because it did not file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended October 27, 2018, and because the Company remains delinquent in filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018. As described in the company's Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 12, 2018 and Form 12b-25 dated December 12, 2018, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the filing of the 2019 First Quarter Report is delayed pending the completion and filing of the 2018 Annual Report, including the completion of the restatement of the company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2017 and 2016.

17:25 EDT POTUS names Mick Mulvaney acting WH chief of staff - U.S. President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly. "Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration...," the president tweeted. "I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year."

17:14 EDT First National Community Bancorp names R. Gregory Collins as new EVP - FNCB Bancorp announced that R. Gregory Collins will be joining FNCB Bank, its wholly-owned subsidiary, as Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer. As Chief Banking Officer, Mr. Collins will be responsible for the oversight of the Bank's commercial lending, retail lending and retail banking units. Mr. Collins joins FNCB Bank with more than 25 years of managerial experience in banking. Most recently he served as the Area President of Wells Fargo Bank's Northeastern, Pennsylvania region where he was responsible for the overall sales, service, financials and operations for 38 Retail Stores in nine counties.

17:14 EDT Levin Capital lowers stake in Fluidigm to 26.1% from 28.7%

17:03 EDT Equifax Canada acquires JLR Inc. - Equifax Canada announced that it has acquired JLR Inc., a leader in property knowledge and innovative technology based on integration and distribution of property data in Quebec.

17:00 EDT Daniel M. Negari reports 7.1% stake in AutoWeb - In a regulatory filing, Dnaiel M. Negari disclosed a 7.1% stake in AutoWeb, noting that he purchsaed the shares based on the belief that the shares, when purchased, were undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity.

16:44 EDT TE Connectivity raises quarterly dividend to 46c from 44c per share - TE Connectivity board approved a recommendation to increase the company's quarterly dividend from 44c to 46c per share for the four fiscal quarters starting in April 2019, the beginning of the third fiscal quarter. The recommendation would raise the company's dividend from the annual rate of $1.76 per share to $1.84 per share, and will be presented for shareholder approval at the company's annual general meeting of shareholders on March 13, 2019. The recommendation represents the ninth consecutive year of increases to the company's annual dividend rate.

16:36 EDT Borqs Technologies files $100M mixed securities shelf

16:30 EDT Life Storage COO sells over $400K in company stock - In a regulatory filing, Life Storage Chief Operating Officer Edward Killeen disclosed the sale of 4K shares of common stock in total on December 12th and December 14th. The total transaction value was $405K.

16:16 EDT Granite Point Mortgage names Stephen Kasnet chairman - Granite Point Mortgage Trust announced that Stephen G. Kasnet, Lead Independent Director of the Board of Directors, has been appointed as Chairman. In connection with Kasnet's appointment, Brian Taylor announced that he is stepping down from his position as Chairman and member of the Board in order to more fully focus on the business and operations of Pine River Capital Management L.P., for which he serves as the Chief Executive Officer.

16:16 EDT Caleres authorizes stock repurchase program for up to 2.5M shares - The Caleres board has authorized a stock repurchase program of up to 2.5M shares, displaying the confidence the company has in its business and long-term prospects, as well as honoring its commitment to return value to shareholders. This program is in addition to the existing stock repurchase program, which was approved on August, 25, 2011. As of November 3, 2018, the plan had 1,123,500 shares remaining and, since that time, the company has purchased substantially all of the shares that were authorized.

16:07 EDT iClick Interactive Asia CFO Jill Jiao to leave, Terence Li to succeed - iClick Interactive Asia named Terence Li as CFO of the company, effective January 1, 2019. Li is currently Senior Vice President of Finance at iClick, where he leads the company's finance, investor relations and internal control teams. He brings 15 years' experience in financial management, investment, and business operations to his new position. Li succeeds Jill Jiao, who is leaving the company for personal health reasons. Jiao has been with the company since 2014.

16:01 EDT Amgen says FDA approves Nplate for use in pediatric patients with ITP - Amgen announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the supplemental Biologics License Application for Nplate for the treatment of pediatric patients one year of age and older with immune thrombocytopenia for at least six months who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy. The approval was based on two placebo-controlled studies - Phase 3 and Phase 1/2 - evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nplate in pediatric patients. In the Phase 3 study, published in The Lancet, rates of overall platelet response were increased with the Nplate group compared with placebo, pless than0.05. Additionally, durable platelet response occurred more frequently with Nplate compared with placebo, pless than0.05. In the two placebo-controlled trials, adverse reactions with an incidence of greater than 25 percent in the Nplate arm were contusion, upper respiratory tract infection and oropharyngeal pain.

15:47 EDT Iroquois Capital reports 9.99% passive stake in Tenax Therapeutics

15:31 EDT Eli Lilly to acquire pre-clinical pain program from Hydra, terms not disclosed - Eli Lilly and Company announced an agreement with Hydra Biosciences to acquire all assets related to Hydra's pre-clinical program of TRPA1 antagonists, part of the Transient Receptor Potential family of ion channels, that is currently being studied for the potential treatment of chronic pain syndromes. Financial terms for this agreement were not disclosed. This transaction will be reflected in Lilly's reported results and financial guidance according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. There will be no change to Lilly's 2018 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance as a result of this transaction.

15:15 EDT Sunrun down 10% to $12.76 after cautious Seeking Alpha blog post

14:29 EDT YRC Worldwide says U.S. claims 'totally without merit' - YRC Freight issued the following statement on U.S. government litigation: "After more than 9 years of diligently cooperating with the federal government's inquiries, YRC Freight was informed that the government filed a Complaint in Intervention related to the company's charges for shipments tendered to it for transport during a period prior to 2013. Business with the U.S. Department of Defense currently represents less than one percent of YRC Freight's annual revenue." Jim Fry, YRCW General Counsel, added: "These claims are totally without merit. We have made every effort over nearly a decade to address the government's questions. We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate YRC Freight acted consistently with our contract and all applicable guidelines. We look forward to continuing to provide essential and valuable logistics services to the U.S. government and all our customers." In afternoon trading, YRC Worldwide shares are down 82c, or 18.5%, to $3.61.

14:23 EDT Vivendi proposes five new members for Telecom Italia board - As announced on December 11, 2018, Vivendi (VIVHY) wrote to the Telecom Italia (TI) Board of Directors to urge it to convene a Shareholders' Meeting as soon as possible to vote for the appointment of new financial Auditors. Vivendi also asked that the agenda of the Shareholders' Meeting includes a vote on the revocation of five Board members from the Elliott list who "showed a substantial lack of independence and disrespect for the most basic and fundamental corporate governance rules, negatively affecting the organization and image of Telecom Italia," Vivendi stated. The Board members concerned by this revocation are: Fulvio Conti, Alfredo Altavilla, Massimo Ferrari, Dante Roscini and Paola Giannotti de Ponti. To replace them, Vivendi asked that five new Board members be proposed to the Shareholders' Meeting, all independent candidates that it said have "strong expertise and proven track records." The candidates proposed include four Italians and are: Flavia Mazzarella, Franco Bernabe, Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Rob van der Valk and Francesco Vatalaro.

13:55 EDT J&J calls Reuters article 'one-sided, false, and inflammatory' - Johnson & Johnson issued the following statement regarding speculation about the safety of its products. "The Reuters article is one-sided, false, and inflammatory. Johnson & Johnson's baby powder is safe and asbestos-free. Studies of more than 100,000 men and women show that talc does not cause cancer or asbestos-related disease. Thousands of independent tests by regulators and the world's leading labs prove our baby powder has never contained asbestos. Johnson & Johnson will continue to defend the safety of our product... The Reuters article is wrong in three key areas: 1. The article ignores that thousands of tests by J&J, regulators, leading independent labs, and academic institutions have repeatedly shown that our talc does not contain asbestos. 2. The article ignores that J&J has cooperated fully and openly with the U.S. FDA and other global regulators, providing them with all the information they requested over decades. We have also made our cosmetic talc mines and processed talc available to regulators for testing. Regulators have tested both, and they have always found our talc to be asbestos-free. 3. The article ignores that J&J has always used the most advanced testing methods available to confirm that our cosmetic talc does not contain asbestos. Every method available to test J&J's talc for asbestos has been used by J&J, regulators, or independent experts, and all of these methods have all found that our cosmetic talc is asbestos-free."

13:30 EDT Cinedigm acquires rights for "Stay Human" documentary - Cinedigm announced that it has acquired select North American and worldwide rights to the documentary "Stay Human," directed by and featuring singer/songwriter Michael Franti. An on demand and digital release is slated for January 25, 2019, to coincide with the release of Franti's tenth studio album, Stay Human Vol. II. DVD and Blu-ray are targeted for spring.

12:46 EDT Dominion board increases 2019 dividend 10% to $3.67 per share - The board of directors of Dominion Energy established a 2019 dividend of $3.67 per share of common stock, up from $3.34 per share in 2018, or a 10% increase. Subject to board declaration in January, the first quarterly dividend of 91.75c per share will be payable in March 2019. The expected 2019 dividend increase would mark the 16th consecutive year in which the annual dividend rate rose from the previous year's rate.

12:13 EDT Pfizer raises quarterly dividend 6% to 36c per share - The board of directors of Pfizer declared a 36c 1Q19 dividend on the company's common stock, payable March 1, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 1, 2019. Pfizer increased the dividend by approximately 6%, to 36c from 34c per share. The 1Q19 cash dividend will be the 321st consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Pfizer.

12:08 EDT CVI Investments reports 9.9% passive stake in Tonix Pharmaceuticals - In a regulatory filing, CVI Investments disclosed a 9.9% stake in Tonix Pharmaceuticals, which represents over 243,000 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

12:00 EDT Johnson & Johnson falls -10.3% - Johnson & Johnson is down -10.3%, or -$15.16 to $132.68.

12:00 EDT Civitas Solutions rises 14.6% - Civitas Solutions is up 14.6%, or $1.84 to $14.46.

12:00 EDT Belmond rises 39.8% - Belmond is up 39.8%, or $7.03 to $24.68.

11:48 EDT Lincoln Financial appoints Leon Roday as General Counsel - Lincoln Financial announced that Leon Roday has been named executive vice president and general counsel, effective today. In his new role, Roday will oversee all activities for the legal, compliance, government relations and corporate secretary functions of the company, as well as provide strategic counsel to the CEO, senior management team and board of directors. He will report directly to Dennis Glass, president and CEO, and will sit on the company's Senior Management Committee, which drives the company's long-term strategy.

11:22 EDT Porsche, BMW unveil EV charging station with output of up to 450 kW - Porsche (POAHY) said yesterday that a consortium including it and BMW (BMWYY) presented a prototype for a charging station with an output of up to 450 kW yesterday in Jettingen-Scheppach, located near the A8 motorway between Ulm and Augsburg. The new charging station is suitable for electric models of all brands with the European standard Type 2 variant of the widely used Combined Charging System, and is now available for use free of charge, the car maker said. A Porsche research vehicle with a net battery capacity of approximately 90 kWh achieved a charging capacity of over 400 kW on the new charging station, allowing for charging times of less than 3 minutes for the first 100 km range. Initiated in July 2016, the "Fast Charge" research project has received EUR7.8M in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The implementation of the funding guidelines is being coordinated by the German National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. The industrial consortium includes automotive manufacturers the BMW Group and Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, as well as operators Allego GmbH, Phoenix Contact E-Mobility GmbH and Siemens AG (SIEGY).

10:52 EDT General Motors says 2,400 jobs to be open in Durham Region in 2019, 2020 - General Motors Canada committed to provide financial support to help its employees with retraining and other assistance that will help them be prepared for more than 2,400 "good, available new jobs" estimated to be open in the Durham Region area in 2019 and 2020. GM Canada has been contacted by a variety of individual employers with job opportunities for the highly skilled employees at Oshawa Assembly. Job fairs and targeted training programs are being prepared by a coalition of local partners to help auto workers transition to their next careers. More details of specific support from GM Canada and others will be confirmed as the company works with Unifor and its partners.

10:11 EDT Sotheby's to buy back $70M of shares under Accelerated Share Repurchase program - Sotheby's announced that it will repurchase shares pursuant to an Accelerated Share Repurchase Program for an aggregate purchase price of $70M. Under the ASR agreement Sotheby's will receive an initial delivery of approximately 1,605,938 shares. The repurchase is part of the company's previously announced share repurchase authorization. Under the ASR agreement, the company may receive additional shares of its common stock, or may need to make additional payments in respect of the shares it received, based on the average of the daily volume-weighted average price of the shares during the term of the agreement.

09:47 EDT Facebook notifies developer ecosystem about a photo API Bug - Facebook said in a blog post for Developer News: "Our internal team discovered a photo API bug that may have affected people who used Facebook Login and granted permission to third-party apps to access their photos. We have fixed the issue but, because of this bug, some third-party apps may have had access to a broader set of photos than usual for 12 days between September 13 to September 25, 2018.When someone gives permission for an app to access their photos on Facebook, we usually only grant the app access to photos people share on their timeline. In this case, the bug potentially gave developers access to other photos, such as those shared on Marketplace or Facebook Stories. The bug also impacted photos that people uploaded to Facebook but chose not to post. For example, if someone uploads a photo to Facebook but doesn't finish posting it - maybe because they've lost reception or walked into a meeting - we store a copy of that photo so the person has it when they come back to the app to complete their post. Currently, we believe this may have affected up to 6.8 million users and up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers. The only apps affected by this bug were ones that Facebook approved to access the photos API and that individuals had authorized to access their photos." Reference Link

09:34 EDT Borqs Technologies Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:32 EDT J&J drops 3% to $143.82 after Reuters report on asbestos in baby power

09:10 EDT Nucor repurchased approximately 8.35M shares in Q4 - During the fourth quarter of 2018, Nucor repurchased approximately 8.35M shares of its common stock for an average price of $60.19 per share. Nucor returned $1.3B of capital to shareholders in 2018, including share repurchases of approximately $854M and dividends of approximately $485M. Approximately $1.5B remains available under Nucor's share repurchase program. As a result of the Company's share repurchase activity, Nucor will end 2018 with issued and outstanding shares approximately 4% below the amount at the end of 2017. Nucor expects that its cash and cash equivalents balance at December 31, 2018 will be similar to the balance at the end of the third quarter of 2018.

09:04 EDT MGM Growth raises quarterly dividend to 44.75c per share - On an annualized basis, the dividend of $1.79 represents an increase of 11c per share year to date, for a total increase of approximately 6.5%. This is the 6th dividend increase since MGP's initial public offering in April 2016. The dividend will be payable on January 15, 2019 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2018.

08:53 EDT Charles Schwab reports November core net new assets $15.6B - The Charles Schwab Corporation released its Monthly Activity Report. Company highlights for the month of November 2018 include: Core net new assets brought to the company by new and existing clients in November 2018 totaled $15.6B. Net new assets excluding mutual fund clearing totaled $15B. Total client assets were $3.43T as of month-end November, up 3% from November 2017 and up 1% compared to October 2018. Average interest-earning assets on the company's balance sheet were a record $265.6B in November, up 19% from November 2017 and up 1% compared to October 2018.

08:34 EDT Norwood Financial increases quarterly dividend 9.1% to 24c per share - Lewis Critelli, president and CEO of Norwood Financial announced that the board declared a 24c per share quarterly dividend payable February 1, 2019 to shareholders of record as of January 15, 2019. The 24c per share represents an increase of 9.1% over the cash dividend declared in the prior period and the same period of last year.

08:18 EDT Atlantica Yield acquires 50 MW wind plant in Uruguay for $45M - Atlantica Yield announced the closing of the acquisition of Melowind, a 50 megawatt, or MW, on-shore wind plant in Uruguay, from Enel Green Power. This transaction consolidates Atlantica's position in the wind and renewable energy markets. The wind plant is a 50 MW operating, utility-scale onshore plant located in Cerro Largo, approximately 200 miles from Montevideo. The asset has been in operation since 2015 and has a 20-year power purchase agreement in place for 100% of the electricity produced. The off-taker is the state-owned power company UTE, which has an investment grade credit rating. The equity value, which was paid using corporate cash, amounted to approximately $45M. Additionally, the acquisition has been partially financed with the proceeds of a project financing. With this acquisition, Atlantica increases its market share in the wind market in Uruguay, where it now owns 150 MW. In addition, Atlantica has also reached a preliminary agreement with Algonquin Power and Utilities to co-invest in Sugar Creek. Sugar Creek is a 200 MW wind plant in Illinois, with construction expected to begin in the first half of 2019 and end in 2020. This future acquisition will be the first drop-down from Algonquin, the new strategic partner of Atlantica Yield. The two assets combined are expected to generate a five-year average CAFD yield1 higher than 10%.

08:15 EDT PPG to acquire Whitford Worldwide, terms not disclosed - PPG announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Whitford Worldwide, a global manufacturer that specializes in low-friction and nonstick coatings for industrial applications and consumer products. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter 2019, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

08:05 EDT AirMedia CFO Richard Wu resigns, Herman Guo named interim CFO - AirMedia Group announced that Richard Wu, the CFO of the company, had tendered his resignation as the CFO. Wu's resignation is effective from December 31, 2018. In his letter of resignation, Wu stated that he wish to retire from his professional capacity in order to spend more time with his family and he had no disagreement with the management and the board of Directors of the company. The Board accepted Wu's resignation and appointed Herman Guo, chairman and CEO of the company, as the Interim CFO until a suitable candidate for CFO is identified. Furthermore, the Board approved a consultancy agreement engaging Wu as a consultant to the company until December 31, 2021.

08:04 EDT Pfizer initiates Phase 3 program for 20-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine - Pfizer announced the initiation of a Phase 3 program for its 20-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate, PF-06482077, for the prevention of invasive disease and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in the vaccine in adults aged 18 years and older. This first Phase 3 trial will enroll an estimated 3,880 adults and is designed to compare immune responses after 20vPnC administration to responses in control subjects greater than or equal to60 years old receiving 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; evaluate the immunogenicity of 20vPnC in adults 18-59 years of age; and describe the 20vPnC safety profile in adults greater than or equal to18 years old. More on the study can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT03760146.

08:03 EDT AirMedia provides update on cooperation with China Eastern Airlines - AirMedia Group announced EASTO APP came online on selected airplanes operated by China Eastern Airlines. As part of the strategic collaborations between the Company and China Eastern Airlines, EASTO APP was created jointly as an Internet empowered in-flight entertainment connectivity platform enabling China Eastern Airlines to provide its travelers with streaming multimedia, e-commerce, and other customized and interactive experiences. While operating and maintaining the platform, AirMedia is devoted to work with China Eastern Airlines to further integrate available resources to enrich travelers' experience. Zhou Peng, Vice President of Marketing Public Relations of AirMedia commented that a seamless integration of an in-flight entertainment system and a high-speed Internet connectivity made EASTO APP a choince travelers will benefit from. While providing travelers with convenience to connect to the Internet in-flight, EASTO APP made it possible for the airlines to embrace not only an upgrade from IFE to IFEC, but also a diversified revenue. With respect to the Company, EASTO APP marked a breakthrough in our efforts to build an ecosystem around in-flight connectivity offering endless business possibilities. Herman Guo, CEO of AirMedia commented that as a milestone, EASTO APP clearly portrayed a futuristic in-flight interactive entertainment empowered by mobile Internet. Devoted to further improve travelers' experience, EASTO APP stepped up from traditional IFE by integrating interactive contents in multimedia formats. While managing the operations and the contents on EASTO APP, we plan to devote our competence in technology, integration of resources and proficiency in operation to integrate EASTO APP into globally recognized entertainment system in-flight.

07:39 EDT Superior Industries CEO Don Stebbins to retire - Superior Industries International announced that Don Stebbins, president and CEO and member of the Board of Directors, will retire effective December 31, 2018. The company's chairman, Timothy McQuay, will assume all duties of the president and CEO immediately. The Board has initiated an external search for a permanent president and CEO. Until a permanent CEO is identified, McQuay will lead the team in the continued execution of Superior's strategy to further position Superior for growth, accelerate the integration of best practices across the organization, and enhance the Company's operations and financial performance. Superior's full year 2018 financial outlook provided on November 9th remains unchanged.

07:15 EDT Bellicum Pharmaceuticals reports data from BPX-601 at ESMO-IO - Bellicum Pharmaceuticals reported safety and activity of BPX-601 in part 1 of a Phase 1/2 dose-escalation study in patients with advanced, metastatic pancreatic cancer expressing prostate stem cell antigen, or PSCA. BPX-601 is a novel GoCAR-T cell candidate incorporating Bellicum's co-activation domain, iMC, designed to boost T cell proliferation and persistence via administration of rimiducid. Data were reviewed during an oral presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology Immuno-Oncology Congress, or ESMO-IO. A total of 12 patients with advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer expressing PSCA were treated with escalating doses of BPX-601 cells in a 3+3 design. Nine of 12 patients received a single dose of rimiducid following BPX-601 treatment to evaluate its effect on cell expansion and persistence. Patients in the study received a reduced conditioning regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide only. The administration of BPX-601 without rimiducid resulted in limited expansion of cells, but the cells did not persist. A single dose of rimiducid seven days following BPX-601 administration resulted in significant expansion of cells in four patients in spite of a reduced conditioning regimen. BPX-601 cells persisted longer than three weeks in three patients after a single dose of rimiducid. Increases in key cytokine levels were observed in patients receiving higher doses of BPX-601 cells and rimiducid. Four of six efficacy-evaluable patients treated with BPX-601 and a single dose of rimiducid had stable disease, with two patients demonstrating tumor shrinkage greater than 20%. No cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity of any grade was reported. The most frequently observed AEs were consistent with those experienced by advanced cancer patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy or other cancer immunotherapies. Patients continue to be evaluated in the study.

07:08 EDT Ritchie Bros. sells C$639M+ of equipment in Edmonton auction - Ritchie Bros. held its sixth and final auction of the year in Edmonton this week, selling C$82M+ of equipment and trucks over three days, bringing its 2018 total to 41,400+ items sold for C$639M+, up 15% from 2017.

07:06 EDT Rexford Industrial acquires industrial property for $18.2M - Rexford Industrial Realty announced the acquisition of a multi-tenant industrial property for $18.2M. The acquisition was funded using available cash on hand. The company acquired 6100 Sheila Street, located in Commerce within the LA - Central submarket, for $18.2M, or $245 per square foot. The property consists of a 74,527 square foot freezer / cooler building on 4.33 acres of land and is currently 100% leased to seven tenants. The 22' clear building has 40 dock positions with units from 6,000 to 18,000 square feet. The company intends to improve the building's functionality and energy efficiency with the potential to roll in-place leases to higher market rates.

07:03 EDT Leap Therapeutics presents TRX518 data at ESMO - Leap Therapeutics presented clinical data from its ongoing Phase I/II study of TRX518 in combination with gemcitabine, Keytruda, or Opdivo in patients with advanced solid tumors at the European Society for Molecular Oncology Immuno-Oncology Congress 2018. In addition, Leap provided the top-line final data from the Phase I/II study of DKN-01 in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. Key Findings: In monotherapy and combination studies, TRX518 demonstrated safety, tolerability, and clinical benefit in patients with heavily pretreated solid tumors. TRX518 in combination with Keytruda or Opdivo achieved durable complete and partial responses in patients not expected to respond to anti-PD-1 therapy alone, including a confirmed complete response in an esophageal squamous cell cancer patient and a confirmed partial response in an anti-PD-1 refractory urothelial cancer patient. TRX518 in combination with gemcitabine achieved meaningful clinical benefit and objective tumor reduction for heavily pretreated patients suffering from pancreatic, biliary tract, mesothelioma, appendiceal, and ovarian cancer. The biopsies of responding patients demonstrated an increase in CD8+ T-effector cells and granzyme B expression and a reduction in CD4+ T-regulatory cells and FoxP3 expression, hallmarks of immune activation and anti-tumor activity associated with GITR agonism.

06:55 EDT Genesco to sell Lids Sports Group for $100M to FanzzLids Holdings - Genesco announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of the Lids Sports Group for $100M in cash subject to adjustment for a normalized level of working capital to FanzzLids Holdings, a holding company controlled and operated by affiliates of Ames Watson Capital. Ames Watson is the owner of Fanzz, a retailer of officially licensed sports apparel. Fanatics will make a minority investment in FanzzLids Holdings in connection with entering into a commercial arrangement with that holding company. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is currently expected to be completed at the end of Genesco's current fiscal year. Genesco expects that cash proceeds net of taxes and transaction-related costs, including a tax benefit estimated at approximately $29M, will be used to repurchase shares of the company's common stock.

06:51 EDT Eli Lilly expands collaboration with Evidation Health for Andromeda platform - Eli Lilly and Evidation Health announced that they have expanded their collaboration with a multi-year agreement to provide Lilly with global access to Evidation's Andromeda data platform. As a result of this announcement, Lilly scientists and researchers across therapeutic portfolios will have access to Evidation's data platform with the goal of uncovering new ways to measure and understand a patient's health by accessing consented data derived from smartphones, connected sensors, wearables, and even his or her own voice. The terms of the agreement are undisclosed. With Andromeda, Lilly scientists now have access to a private, collaborative and secure analytical environment where they can use, Evidation-built algorithms to process raw data for use in clinical studies or to create their own predictive models.

06:45 EDT Merck to acquire Antelliq Group for approximately EUR2.1B

06:34 EDT Autodesk adds Western Digital CEO Stephen Milligan to board - Autodesk (ADSK) announced the appointment of Stephen Milligan to its board, effective December 13, 2018. Milligan currently serves as chief executive officer of Western Digital Corporation (WDC).

06:31 EDT Genesee & Wyoming reports November traffic of 259,000 carloads, down 4.4% y/y - Genesee & Wyoming reported traffic volumes for November 2018. G&W's total traffic in November 2018 was 259,900 carloads, a decrease of 12,012 carloads, or 4.4%, compared with November 2017. G&W's same railroad traffic in November 2018 decreased 576 carloads, or 0.2%, compared with G&W's traffic in November 2017, excluding carloads from G&W's former Continental European intermodal business, which was sold in June 2018, and short line lease expirations in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2018. G&W's traffic in the fourth quarter of 2018 through November was 546,080 carloads, a decrease of 1,149 carloads, or 0.2%, compared with the fourth quarter of 2017 through November. G&W's same railroad traffic in the fourth quarter of 2018 through November increased 18,582 carloads, or 3.5%, compared with the fourth quarter of 2017 through November.

06:19 EDT MYOS CEO Joseph Mannello issues letter to shareholders - MYOS issued the following letter to shareholders from CEO Joseph Mannello: "This year has been all about leveraging Fortetropin(R) across our sports nutrition and veterinary nutrition verticals while solidifying our clinical research programs, and we have made great progress positioning the company to accelerate our revenue-generating efforts... With the launch of Yolked, we announced that The Vitamin Shoppe(R) will carry Yolked at its 775 store locations across the U.S. and online at vitaminshoppe.com later this month. This is definitely a major accomplishment for us, one that will help build awareness in the Yolked brand, and with that, bring greater sales. It truly shows both the uniqueness of our Yolked brand as well as the power of Fortetropin. Yolked has been in athletic programs in various universities through our relationship with the sports marketing giant, IMG. We developed Yolked and sought NSF Certified for Sport(R) Certification, specifically to meet the needs of these athletes. NSF certification allows athletes, coaches and trainers to make more educated decisions when choosing sports supplements. The NSF certification program is recognized by the NFL, NFL Players Association, MLB, MLB Players Association, PGA, LPGA as well as the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports. Our goal is to have a major presence in locker rooms and training facilities of collegiate, and eventually, professional sports teams. Yolked is already helping athletes build muscle mass and reach peak performance at universities throughout the country, we expect to significantly increase our market penetration in 2019. In other very recent news, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority agreed last week to transfer almost $1.2 million in available tax benefits to MYOS. This non-dilutive funding will be used for general working capital without reducing investor value or adding debt to our balance sheet; we expect $1.1 million from the sale. One of our key pillars for future growth is in the veterinary segment with our MYOS Canine Muscle Formula(TM) product. We launched this product back in late June. Our initial marketing efforts generated substantial interest among dog owners and veterinarians who purchased the product through direct-to-consumer channels. We announced our first distribution agreement for MYOS Canine Muscle Formula with Miller Veterinary Supply East just about a month ago. This agreement with Miller will give the product exposure to more than 6,000 veterinary hospitals on the east coast. We have received very important feedback and testimonials from our initial customers, many of whom have become repeat customers, enabling us to sharpen our marketing efforts. I urge you to visit our website, MyosPet.com and watch the video testimonials that we have received. When we talk to vets, they tell us that there are no products out there that address muscle health for middle-aged and older dogs. With our veterinary R&D efforts and targeted marketing, we are confident that the MYOS Canine brand will become recognized as a powerful supplement that can benefit dogs at any age. I'm also happy to report that we have seen increased sales of MYOS Canine since the launch in late June and we expect revenues to increase in 2019 as more channels of distribution bear fruit. In addition, our new MYOS Enteral Nutrition Formula(TM) was recently approved for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. The therapeutic potential of Fortetropin is becoming clearer, and we are committed to finding optimal future development pathways. Patients requiring enteral nutrition are typically very sick, and high-quality nutrition products like MYOS Enteral Nutrition Formula can make a big difference in their quality of life. We are currently working with physicians at leading academic medical centers to gain insight into how the enteral formulation of Fortetropin is tolerated among their patients. Our researchers continue to explore the development and commercialization of medical nutrition products. While this is obviously a long-term initiative, we believe this research will enable us to further leverage the versatility of Fortetropin. That is why we are committed to continuing our focus on our clinical research studies. The results of these studies will underpin our commercial strategy for Fortetropin as well as enhance our intellectual property assets. We currently have one clinical study, two pre-clinical studies, and a discovery research program underway. Until recently, this company had only scratched the surface with its R&D. But that has changed, as we realized that scientific research is essential to support our product claims, expand our commercial footprint, and with that, create shareholder value. We also believe that Fortetropin has "beyond-the-label" potential to enhance health benefits in both pets and humans. We intend to explore that potential through additional scientific studies. You never know where the science will lead you, but we believe Fortetropin has tremendous potential. Our clinical study at the University of California, Berkeley's Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology is investigating the effect of Fortetropin on increasing the fractional rate of skeletal muscle protein synthesis in men and women between the ages of 60 and 75. The sample and data analysis should be completed by the second quarter of 2019. The pre-clinical study currently underway at the College of Veterinary Medicine at KSU is evaluating the impact of Fortetropin on reducing muscle atrophy in dogs after TPLO repair surgery, a common surgery that is similar to ACL surgery in humans. This study should be completed and reported by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Our pre-clinical cachexia study with Weill Cornell Medical Center focuses on the impact of Fortetropin on preventing cachexia, a very serious form of muscle wasting, in a mouse model of lung cancer. This study is also expected to be completed and the results announced around the end of the second quarter of 2019. Finally, our discovery research program with Rutgers focuses on discovering and isolating compounds from Fortetropin that will improve muscle health and performance. This is a long-term ongoing program with great potential to lead to valuable new therapeutic products. We are in talks with leading principal investigators to explore clinical indications where Fortetropin may provide a significant benefit with respect to products that are currently on the market. The timing and the scope of these studies depend on the results of our current clinical studies. For example, based on feedback that we have received from leading veterinarian researchers who have used our MYOS Canine muscle formula extensively, we are actively discussing veterinary studies in a number of different areas with exciting potential. 2018 has been a significant year for MYOS. I'm proud of the progress we made throughout the year in building a portfolio of brands and products around Fortetropin. We have hired 5 new people who are helping transform the company. I want to thank them as well as the employees who have been at MYOS for years. I can assure you they are all committed to the success of MYOS. There is a great deal of work left to do in executing our business plan to commercialize Fortetropin, but overall the business is heading in the right direction. We have become an R&D-based company. Our brands are unique and have resonated well with our targeted customer base, enabling us to secure key partnerships with leading distributors such as Vitamin Shoppe and Miller Veterinary Supply East. That said, we must strike the right balance between spending resources on traditional marketing efforts and reaching our internal sales goals..."

06:14 EDT Airbus names Philippe Mhun as next programs chief - Airbus SE has appointed Philippe Mhun as Chief Programs and Services Officer for Airbus Commercial Aircraft, effective January 1, 2019. Mhun, currently Head of Customer Services at Airbus, will succeed EVP Head of Programs Didier Evrard, who retires around the turn of the year after 41 years associated with Airbus, 20 of those in top management positions. Philippe Mhun will report to Guillaume Faury, who is due to succeed Tom Enders as Airbus CEO following the Airbus Annual General Meeting on 10 April 2019. Mhun will also become a Member of the Airbus Executive Committee.

06:10 EDT Lucy Peng to step down as CEO of Alibaba's Lazada Group - Longtime Alibaba Group executive Lucy Peng is stepping down as CEO of the e-commerce giant's Lazada Group after nine months on the job. In a statement, Lazada said that its Executive President Pierre Poignant will succeed Lucy Peng as CEO with immediate effect. Peng will remain Lazada Group Executive Chairwoman. Poignant, who was appointed Group Executive President in August 2018, will lead the company's strategic development into new growth pillars, while continuing to manage Lazada's operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, working closely with country CEOs and regional functional team leaders.

06:03 EDT LVMH to acquire Belmond in deal with enterprise value of $3.2B - LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMUY) and Belmond Ltd. (BEL) jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for LVMH to acquire Belmond. LVMH is to acquire Belmond for $25.00 per Class A share in cash. This represents an equity value of $2.6B in a transaction with an enterprise value of $3.2B. In the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, Belmond recorded total revenues of $572M and adjusted EBITDA of $140M. The transaction is expected to complete in the first half of 2019 subject to the approval of Belmond's shareholders and clearance by the relevant competition authorities.

06:00 EDT Ensign Group raises quarterly dividend to 4.75c per share - Payable on or before January 31, 2019, to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2018.

05:36 EDT Aspen Aerogels receives European Technical Assessment for SLENTEX - Aspen Aerogels announced the receipt of a European Technical Assessment for SLENTEX, the non-combustible, high performance aerogel insulation to be commercialized in partnership with BASF. This European Technical Assessment has been issued pursuant to the Construction Products Regulation No 305/2011 and will allow a CE mark to be affixed to SLENTEX products.

05:18 EDT Qualcomm, VinSmart sign ultimode global patent license agreement - Qualcomm and VinSmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vingroup, announced they have entered into a Patent Licensing Agreement which covers multimode complete terminals. Under the terms of the Agreement, Qualcomm has granted VinSmart a royalty-bearing patent license to develop, manufacture and sell branded multimode complete terminals such as 4G/5G smartphones. The royalties payable by VinSmart are consistent with the terms of Qualcomm's branded multimode licensing framework disclosed this past year.