Stockwinners Market Radar for January 31, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT United Therapeutics' FREEDOM-EV data in Orenitram study met primary endpoints - United Therapeutics announced that key data from the FREEDOM-EV study of Orenitram extended-release tablets were shared during an oral presentation at the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Annual World Congress on Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Barcelona, Spain. The presentation was given by R. James White, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology & Physiology in the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and steering committee member for the FREEDOM-EV study. The primary endpoint of this pivotal, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven trial in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension was met. Orenitram decreased the risk of adjudicated clinical worsening events by 26% compared to placebo. These results were largely driven by delay in disease progression; Orenitram decreased the risk of disease progression by 61% compared with placebo. Mortality was similar between Orenitram and placebo groups at the end of randomized treatment. However, in participants for which data are available, Orenitram was associated with a 37% decreased risk of mortality compared with placebo. United Therapeutics has submitted the FREEDOM-EV study results to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in support of a potential label amendment for Orenitram and is evaluating whether the results could support marketing applications outside the United States.

18:50 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Symantec (SYMC) up 6.5%... Digi International (DGII) up 5.5%... Open Text (OTEX) up 5.4%... Cypress Semi (CY) up 4.2%... Yum China (YUMC) up 4.1%... FMC Corp (FMC) up 4.0% after guiding FY19... Deckers Outdoor (DECK) up 3.5%... SkyWest (SKYW) up 2.1%... Proofpoint (PFPT) up 1.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Brixmor (BRX) up 4.2% after being included in S&P 400 index. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Celestica (CLS) down 9.1%... Kulicke and Soffa (KLIC) down 7.2%... Bottomline Technologies (EPAY) down 6.6%... Amazon (AMZN) down 5.3%... Corcept Therapeutics (CORT) down 4.3% after below consensus FY19 view... Fortune Brands (FBHS) down 4.0%... Eastman Chemical (EMN) down 2.3%... McKesson (MCK) down 2.1%... Edwards Lifesciences (EW) down 1.3%.

18:38 EDT Titan Pharmaceuticals reports 'positive' initial results of Probuphine relaunch - Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. provided an update on the U.S. commercial relaunch of Probuphine implant, its unique six-month treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. Titan has successfully completed the program's planned transition from Braeburn Pharmaceuticals. Important commercialization accomplishments include the recruitment and onboarding of highly qualified commercial and medical affairs personnel for all targeted geographies; the engagement of a leading public relations agency for the re-branding of Probuphine; and the retention of a well-known government relations firm to plan and execute a new lobbying strategy for the product. Titan also reengaged with health care providers who had previously treated patients with Probuphine, providing retraining and medical liaison assistance where needed and creating an integrated sales strategy to support them and their office staff. These accomplishments and other activities have contributed to a double-digit increase in total product shipments in the period following Titan's assumption of responsibility for Probuphine sales in mid-June 2018. Based on preliminary information, total shipments of Probuphine during the rest of the year increased sequentially by over 20%. Titan expects to provide more details in its fourth quarter and full-year 2018 financial results, which it expects to release in late March 2019.

18:07 EDT Amazon.com down 4.5% or $78 at $1,641 after completion of earnings call

18:01 EDT Amazon.com says will continue to build out DSP and Flex shipping initiatives - Says working on improving usability of tools in advertising and sees good growth for advertising to continued to come. Says physical stores revenue decrease of 3% was mainly driven by Whole Food because of lapped last year's acquisition, when the company updated its reporting calendar to match that of Amazon. On "apple-to-apples basis", Whole Foods revenue was up 6%. Says working through next-round of issues in terms of building HQ2 in New York and Virginia.

17:55 EDT Medical Properties Trust to purchase and lease back 11 Australian hospitals - Medical Properties Trust (MPU) has entered into definitive agreements to acquire 11 Australian hospitals from affiliates of Healthscope for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $859M, and lease the acquired real estate back to Healthscope. In a related transaction, Brookfield Business Partners (BBU) has agreed to acquire up to 100% of Healthscope's outstanding shares. The MPT acquisitions are conditioned upon the successful completion of the Brookfield transactions. The 11 separate hospitals are concentrated in large metropolitan areas in Australia, and will be leased pursuant to master leases that have an average initial term of 20 years with annual fixed escalations and multiple extension options. The master lease agreements also include provisions for MPT to invest up to an additional $350M for expansion and redevelopment projects in 2019 and future years. MPT expects to fund the transactions with a combination of existing cash balances, including approximately $200M in net proceeds from recent issuance of common shares, and an undrawn $1.3B revolver under the company's credit facility. The transactions are expected to close in Q2.

17:44 EDT Flagstar Bancorp commences $50M accelerated share repurchase - Flagstar Bancorp announced that as part of its previously announced intention to return capital to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, the company has entered into an accelerated share repurchase, or ASR, agreement with Wells Fargo Bank to repurchase up to $50M of the company's common stock. The ASR program is expected to commence on February 1. Under the terms of the ASR, the company will receive an initial delivery of approximately 1.3M shares which represents 82% of the total number of shares expected to be repurchased pursuant to the ASR program, based on the closing price of $30.85 on January 31. The total number of shares to be repurchased will be based on the average of the company's daily volume-weighted average stock price, less a discount, during the term of the ASR program, which is expected to be completed by the end of Q2.

17:40 EDT Brookfield Business Partners to acquire Healthscope for approximately $4.1B

17:37 EDT General Dynamics awarded $402.16M Army contract - General Dynamics has been awarded a $402.16M cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Stryker system technical support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of January 31, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:35 EDT Kulicke & Soffa increases repurchase authorization by $100M - Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced its board has increased its three-year share repurchase program, initiated on August 1, 2017, by an additional $100M. Under the program, Kulicke & Soffa may purchase shares of its common stock through open market and privately negotiated transactions at prices deemed appropriate by management. The timing and amount of repurchase transactions under this program will depend on market conditions, availability of US cash as well as other corporate and regulatory considerations. The new authorization is effective immediately and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

17:18 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded $14.92B Navy contract modification - Huntington Ingalls has been awarded the detail design and construction, or DD&C, efforts for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers Enterprise and unnamed CVN 81 under a $14.92B fixed-price-incentive-firm target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2116 for DD&C efforts for the future USS Enterprise and unnamed CVN 81. The current contract for advance procurement funded efforts has been in place since 2016. The contract includes a $263.1M cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2116 for associated research and development efforts. There is also a a $31.1M cost-plus-fixed-fee modification for additional level-of-effort in support of maintenance of the CVN 78 class specification, design efforts, feasibility and tradeoff studies, and scoping and estimating. Work under this contract is expected to be completed by February 2032. FY18 and FY19 shipbuilding and conversion funding and FY19 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $889.83M will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:17 EDT Brixmor to replace Vectren in S&P 400 at open on 2/6 - CenterPoint Energy (CNP) is acquiring Vectren (VVC) in a deal expected to be completed on or about February 1 pending final conditions.

17:08 EDT Embraer, SkyWest sign contract for nine E175 jets - Embraer and SkyWest have signed a firm order for nine E175 jets, with deliveries expected to begin in 2019. The order has a value of $422M, based on current list prices, and was already included in Embraer's 2018 fourth-quarter backlog. SkyWest Airlines will operate all nine E175s, featuring a 76-seat configuration. Including this new contract, Embraer has sold more than 565 E175s to airlines in North America, since January 2013, earning more than 80% of all orders in this 70-76-seat jet segment.

17:01 EDT Kulicke & Soffa reports Q1 operating margin 10.5%, down 930bps from last year

16:54 EDT Deckers Brands up nearly 8% to $138.50 after raising FY19 guidance

16:47 EDT SemGroup, DCP extend open season for light crude transprtation solution - SemGroup (SEMG) and DCP Midstream (DCP) announced that, due to ongoing shipper interest, they have extended by one month the open season to solicit binding commitments for the development of a new pipeline system to transport segregated, light batches of crude oil originating in Cushing, Okla. and terminating in Houston, Texas. All potential shippers must submit binding commitments by 5 p.m. Central Time on February 28. The proposed Gladiator Pipeline would originate at SemGroup's Cushing terminal and provide crude oil service to Gulf Coast markets. The Cushing origin would provide potential shippers the connectivity to source barrels from key pipelines that converge in Cushing, including the White Cliffs Pipeline, which serves Colorado's DJ Basin. At the pipeline's destination, potential shippers would have many options for connecting barrels to a variety of demand centers, including refineries in the Houston area or to crude oil storage and export facilities, such as SemGroup's HFOTCO Terminal. If sufficient commitments are obtained, subject to the receipt of all of the necessary approvals, permits and force majeure, the proposed Gladiator Pipeline is anticipated to be operational by the third quarter of 2020, following the potential construction of new NGL capacity by DCP.

16:41 EDT Yum China up 6% to $38.65 after Q4 results

16:38 EDT Brinker adds Cindy Davis and John Chidsey to Board - Brinker appointed Cindy Davis and John Chidsey to its Board of Directors. Davis previously served as VP of Nike, and President, Nike Golf. Prior to that, Davis was Senior VP at Golf Channel, a division of Comcast. In addition to Brinker, Davis serves on the Board of Directors for Deckers Brands and Kennametal and previously served on the board of Buffalo Wild Wings. Chidsey most recently served as Chairman and CEO of Burger King Holdings. Prior to serving as CEO, he held several executive leadership positions including president and CFO.

16:36 EDT Yum China says opened 819 new restaurants during the year - Opened 819 new restaurants during the year, bringing total store count to 8,484 across more than 1,200 cities.

16:35 EDT Hormel Foods promotes CFO James Sheehan to Executive VP - Hormel Foods has advanced James Sheehan to Executive VP and CFO. The advancement was effective January 29. Sheehan previously held the role of Senior VP and CFOfor the company. Sheehan's career with Hormel Foods began in 1978 in accounting.

16:32 EDT Yum China reports Q4 restaurant margin 11.55 vs. 11.6% a year ago - Operating Profit increased 77% year over year to $84M from $47M (84% year over year increase excluding F/X).

16:31 EDT OceanFirst Financial completes acquisition of Capital Bank of New Jersey - OceanFirst Financial Corp. announced the closing of its acquisition of Capital Bank of New Jersey. OceanFirst is the holding company for OceanFirst Bank. As a result of the acquisition, Capital Bank will operate as a division of OceanFirst Bank until the integration of the operating systems is completed, which is expected to occur in Q2 of 2019. In conjunction with the full integration of the operating systems, Capital Bank will be rebranded as OceanFirst Bank. The total transaction value was approximately $76.96M.

16:31 EDT Yum China reports Q4 total system sales up 6% y/y - Total system sales grew 6% year over year, with 9% growth at KFC partially offset by a 2% decline at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X.

16:30 EDT FIS raises quarterly dividend 9% to 35c per share - FIS announced that its board of directors has approved a 9% increase in the quarterly dividend of 35c per share from 32c per share. The dividend is payable March 29, 2019, to FIS shareholders of record as of close of business on March 15, 2019.

16:28 EDT Symantec up 7% to $22.40 after raising FY19 earnings, revenue outlook

16:25 EDT Geron appoints Dr. Aleksandra Rizo as Chief Medical Officer - Geron Corporation announced an expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of a new Chief Medical Officer to support the company's clinical drug development efforts in hematology-oncology. The company appointed Dr. Aleksandra Rizo as Chief Medical Officer. Rizo has more than ten years of experience in hematology-oncology clinical development, leading teams through the entire drug development process from Phase 1 through Phase 3 clinical trials and regulatory submissions. Most recently, she was Executive Director, Strategy and Clinical Lead at Celgene Corporation (CELG).

16:24 EDT Selective Insurance sees 2019 catastrophe losses of 3.5 points - Selective Insurance sees a GAAP combined ratio, excluding catastrophe losses, of 92.0%. This assumes no prior year casualty reserve development; catastrophe losses of 3.5 points. Sees after-tax net investment income of $175M, which includes $8M of after-tax net investment income from our alternative investments. Sees an overall effective tax rate of approximately 19%, which also includes an effective tax rate of 18% for net investment income, reflecting a tax rate of 5.25% for tax-advantaged municipal bonds, and a tax rate of 21% for all other items.

16:22 EDT Consolidated Tomoka announces termination of contract - Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. announced that Minto Communities has terminated its contract with the company for Minto's purchase of approximately 1,614 acres of land for $26.5M. The land covered by the Minto II contract was slated to be the second phase of Minto's active adult community in Daytona Beach. Pursuant to the terms of the Minto II contract, the 1,614-acre parcel was recently rezoned and entitled for residential development, which the company expects is the highest and best use of this large tract of undeveloped land.

16:21 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher says 'we have excellent momentum coming into 2019' - "We have excellent momentum coming into 2019. The insurance rate environment and exposure growth continue to be a slight revenue tailwind for Gallagher in most geographies. This is an excellent environment for our professionals to demonstrate their expertise, their market knowledge and our capabilities. Additionally, we have a very strong pipeline of tuck-in acquisitions globally. Thus far in January we have already announced seven acquisitions for approximately $130 million of annualized revenue. Most importantly, our unique client sales and service culture is stronger than ever across the world."

16:21 EDT Symantec CFO Noviello to step down - Symantec announced that Nicholas Noviello will be stepping down from his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in the coming months to pursue other opportunities. Noviello will continue as CFO until a successor is appointed and will assist in a smooth transition. The company is initiating a comprehensive search to identify a new CFO. Noviello was CFO of Blue Coat, and joined Symantec as Chief Integration Officer upon the closing of the Blue Coat acquisition in August 2016.

16:20 EDT Polaris Industries raises quarterly dividend 2% to 61c per share - Polaris Industries Inc. announced that its board of directors approved a 2% increase in the regular quarterly cash dividend, raising the payout to 61c per share. This increase represents the 24th consecutive year of Polaris increasing its dividend effective with the 2019 first quarter dividend. The first quarter dividend will be payable on March 15, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 1, 2019.

16:19 EDT Aflac raises Q1 dividend 3.8% to 27c per share - Payable on March 1 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 20.

16:17 EDT Gladstone Capital sells commercial property for $6.9M - Gladstone Commercial Corporation announced that it sold its 50,000 square foot office property located in Orlando, Florida for gross proceeds of $6.9M. The single-story class B facility was purchased by a local business. Gladstone Commercial purchased the property in 2017 for $5.1M as part of the 306,435 square foot Maitland Preserve portfolio. Upon its exit Gladstone Commercial recognized a levered internal rate of return of approximately 24% on the investment.

16:14 EDT Deckers Brands increases share repurchase authorization by $261M - Deckers Brands approved an increase of $261M to the company's stock repurchase authorization. Combined with the previous outstanding amount of $89M, this brings the company's total stock repurchase authorization up to $350M. During Q3, the company repurchased approximately 249K shares of its common stock for a total of $27M.

16:13 EDT Alcoa names John Slaven chief strategy officer - Alcoa announced that John Slaven will join the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, effective February 4. Slaven will be a member of Alcoa's executive team and an officer of the Company, reporting to President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey. Slaven will be responsible for supporting Alcoa's overall strategy and will oversee the corporate and business development functions, global supply chain, and energy development. Before joining Alcoa, Slaven served for 13 years as Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group.

16:07 EDT Exponent adds $75M to stock repurchase authorization - Exponent's board has approved an additional $75M in share repurchases, adding to the company's existing $17.5M available under the current authorization for repurchase. In total, the company now has approximately $92.5M available to repurchase shares.

16:05 EDT Orbotech receives Israel Tax Authority withholding tax ruling - Orbotech has received, in connection with the pending merger transaction between Orbotech and KLA-Tencor, a ruling from the Israel Tax Authority relating to the withholding of Israeli tax applicable to the merger consideration payable to its shareholders and to its employees who are not residents of Israel. Orbotech has also applied for rulings from the ITA with respect to a deferral of the obligation of Orbotech shareholders who are Israeli tax residents, to pay Israeli tax on the exchange of Orbotech shares for KLA-Tencor common stock.

16:04 EDT Skechers trading resumes

16:04 EDT Amazon CEO says research scientists working on Alexa doubled in past year - "Alexa was very busy during her holiday season. Echo Dot was the best-selling item across all products on Amazon globally, and customers purchased millions more devices from the Echo family compared to last year. The number of research scientists working on Alexa has more than doubled in the past year, and the results of the team's hard work are clear. In 2018, we improved Alexa's ability to understand requests and answer questions by more than 20% through advances in machine learning, we added billions of facts making Alexa more knowledgeable than ever, developers doubled the number of Alexa skills to over 80,000, and customers spoke to Alexa tens of billions more times in 2018 compared to 2017. We're energized by and grateful for the response, and you can count on us to keep working hard to bring even more invention to customers," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO.

16:03 EDT Amazon.com reports Q4 AWS net sales $7.43B vs. $5.11B last year - Reports Q4 AWS operating income $2.18B vs. $1.35B a year ago.

15:49 EDT Twitter adds new account sets to archive of potential foreign information ops - Twitter's Head of Site Integrity Yoel Roth wrote in a blog post: "In October last year, we launched the first archive of all potential foreign information operations we have seen on Twitter...So far, this archive of accounts and content has been accessed by thousands of researchers, governments, and people interested in learning more about foreign information operations. We have already seen valuable reporting and research produced on the basis of these datasets, including by major universities and think tanks in the United States and around the world. Today, we are adding to this archive five new account sets we found based on continued contextual and semantic analysis from our investigations teams, one of the core components in our effort to protect the integrity of our service." Reference Link

15:00 EDT Woodward raises quarterly dividend 14% to 16.25c per share - The dividend will be payable on March 5 for stockholders of record as of February 19.

14:45 EDT Facebook removes accounts engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior from Iran - Facebook head of Cybersecurity Policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement published on the company's blog that, "Today we removed multiple Pages, groups and accounts that engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook and Instagram. This activity was directed from Iran, in some cases repurposing Iranian state media content, and engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior targeting people across the world, although more heavily in the Middle East and South Asia. These were interconnected and localized operations, which used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing. We are constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don't want our services to be used to manipulate people. We're taking down these Pages, groups and accounts based on their behavior, not the content they post. This morning we removed 783 Pages, groups and accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior tied to Iran. There were multiple sets of activity, each localized for a specific country or region, including Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US, and Yemen. The Page administrators and account owners typically represented themselves as locals, often using fake accounts, and posted news stories on current events. This included commentary that repurposed Iranian state media's reporting on topics like Israel-Palestine relations and the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, including the role of the US, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Some of the activity dates back to 2010. Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our manual review linked these accounts to Iran."Reference Link

13:39 EDT Chevron reports power outage at El Segundo oil refinery - Reference Link

13:20 EDT Cooper Creek Partners reports 5.58% passive stake in Tilly's - In a regulatory filing, Cooper Creek Partners disclosed a 5.58% stake in Tilly's, which represents 1.2M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

13:07 EDT Airbus confirms talks with Emirates over A380 contract - Airbus SE confirms it is in discussions with Emirates Airline in relation to its A380 contract. "The details of Airbus' commercial discussions with customers remain confidential," the company said in a statement.

12:42 EDT Cinedigm and JungoTV launch Asian culture outlet Hallypop - Cinedigm (CIDM) continues its partnership with Samsung (SSNLF), giving viewers access to two more popular digital-first networks-the Asian Culture outlet HALLYPOP in partnership with JungoTV; and the fact-focused DOCURAMA-available now on Samsung's TV Plus video service. HALLYPOP and DOCURAMA join fellow Cinedigm networks CONtv and DOVE CHANNEL, which both launched on the TV Plus platform in November 2018. TV Plus is Samsung's owned and operated video service, which provides access to a variety of free streaming channels covering sports, lifestyle, and more, straight out of the box on select Samsung TVs. It does not require a subscription fee, account set-up, or credit card info to access.

12:23 EDT Russell Investments reports 6.52% passive stake in USA Truck - In a regulatory filing, Russell Investments disclosed a 6.52% stake in USA Truck, which represents 545,000 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

12:18 EDT Electrolux AB announces manufacturing consolidation, U.S. investment plans - The Electrolux Group said it is reinitiating an investment in Springfield, Tennessee, and consolidating all U.S. cooking manufacturing into that facility. Electrolux also said it will transfer refrigeration manufacturing from its Santiago, Chile facility to other locations. The measures will lead to restructuring charges in the first quarter 2019 of approximately SEK 1B, whereof approximately SEK 300M will have a cash flow impact. "In light of changing market dynamics, increased raw material costs and current trade policy, the Springfield, Tennessee investment, estimated at $250M, is now designed for product development, flexibility and competitiveness. As Electrolux reinitiates the project and consolidates into Springfield, the company will also cease production at its Memphis, Tennessee facility. Production at the facility is expected to continue through 2020. The company will take a restructuring charge related to this of approximately SEK 800M in the first quarter of 2019. This charge is not included in the estimated investment cost," the company said. The Springfield, Tennessee expansion will be complete and production will begin during the fourth quarter 2020. The Anderson, South Carolina expansion will be complete and production will begin during 2019. Electrolux anticipates annual savings of approximately SEK 1B with full effect from 2022 as a result of the measures announced. "We are committed to investing in U.S. manufacturing and launching new Frigidaire kitchen products. By appropriately right sizing our business for a changing market, we can invest in the growth areas and drive profitability," said Alan Shaw, Head of Electrolux Major Appliances North America.

12:12 EDT Uber rolls out its 'first-ever integration with public transit' - Uber's Head of Transit David Reich wrote in a blog post earlier: "Over the last several years, we've built lasting partnerships with public transportation agencies around the world. From partnering with the MBTA to provide paratransit service in Boston; to working with the Town of Innisfil, Ontario, to provide service to areas outside the reach of conventional transit; to working in Nice, France, to provide late-night connecting service to rail lines-we recognize transit and Uber can be a powerful combination. As we move towards our vision of becoming a one-stop shop for transportation in your city, our riders need the right option available at their fingertips for every trip. Many times, it can be faster or cheaper to take public transportation than any other form of travel, and we want to give our riders a seamless way to access that option right from our app. That's why we're excited to announce that we are rolling out our first-ever integration with public transit. In partnership with the Regional Transportation District, RTD, Uber riders in Denver can now plan their transit journey with real-time information and end-to-end directions right in the Uber app." Reference Link

12:04 EDT Exxon Mobil to reorganize upstream organization into three new companies - Exxon Mobil said it will streamline its upstream organization and centralize project delivery across the company to support previously announced plans to double operating cash flow and earnings by 2025. The reorganization will be effective April 1 and involve creation of three new upstream companies -- ExxonMobil Upstream Oil & Gas Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Business Development Company and ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company. The ExxonMobil Upstream Oil & Gas Company will focus on end-to-end value chain management in five distinct global businesses -- unconventional, liquefied natural gas, deepwater, heavy oil and conventional. Liam Mallon, currently president of ExxonMobil Development Company, will become president of ExxonMobil Upstream Oil & Gas Company. ExxonMobil Upstream Business Development Company will oversee strategy development, exploration, acquisitions and divestments and actively manage an upstream portfolio that is considered the most attractive since the 1999 merger of Exxon and Mobil. Consolidation of upstream portfolio management efforts in one organization will further strengthen the company's ability to optimize portfolio value. Steve Greenlee, currently president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company, will become president of ExxonMobil Upstream Business Development Company. ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company will provide technical and specialized commercial skills, such as drilling, research & technology, gas and power market optimization, and the global deployment of resources. Linda DuCharme, currently president of ExxonMobil Global Services Company, will become president of ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company. "Our focus is on increasing overall value by strengthening our upstream business and further integrating it with the downstream and chemical segments to take advantage of our unique capabilities across the value chain. A clear example is what we're doing in the Permian, which includes upstream, midstream and downstream investments, enabling us to maximize value unlike any of our competitors," said Neil Chapman, senior vice president. As part of the company's annual presentation to investment analysts in March 2018, ExxonMobil outlined a growth strategy to increase earnings by more than 100% - to $31B by 2025 at constant 2017 prices - from 2017's adjusted earnings, the company noted.

12:00 EDT Greenhill & Co. falls -14.7% - Greenhill & Co. is down -14.7%, or -$4.19 to $24.40.

12:00 EDT Kemet falls -17.9% - Kemet is down -17.9%, or -$3.79 to $17.39.

12:00 EDT General Electric rises 15.1% - General Electric is up 15.1%, or $1.37 to $10.47.

11:39 EDT Strategy Analytics: Global tablet market shipments contracted 1% in Q4 - The latest research from Strategy Analytics showed that several major vendors had "very happy holidays" in 2018 and Samsung (SSNLF) posted its first global quarterly shipment growth since 2014. Apple (AAPL), Huawei, and Microsoft (MSFT) also had excellent fourth quarters and all three vendors showed growth for the full year as the tablet market shows signs of recovery. Global Tablet market shipments contracted 1% in Q4 2018 and ended the year 6% lower at 173.8 million units. Eric Smith said, "Apple iOS shipments grew 10% year-on-year to 14.5 million units in Q4 2018, pushing its worldwide market share to 26% of the Tablet market. By growing double digits, Apple added 2 percentage points to its market share year-over-year."

11:27 EDT Cannabics Pharmaceuticals files four provisional patent applications in Israel - Cannabics Pharmaceuticals announced that it has filed an additional four provisional patent applications with the Israel Patent Office, for cannabinoid-based drugs and treatments, designed for conditions associated with non-epileptic seizures and tremors.

11:21 EDT NuStar Energy continues to see FY19 adjusted EBITDA $665M-$715M - Sees FY19 CapEx $500M-$550M. Expects to spend $185M on Permian Crude system in 2019. Sees debt to EBITDA ratio 4.3x at year end. Says focused on high return growth projects. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

11:16 EDT Collins Aerospace to provide ejection seat for Boeing T-X trainer - When the U.S. Air Force flies its new advanced pilot trainer from Boeing (BA) and Saab, it will be equipped with an ACES 5 ejection seat from Collins Aerospace, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), along with a fully integrated landing gear system. In addition to ACES 5, Collins will supply the aircraft's fully integrated landing gear system, including structure, actuation, dressings, hydraulics, and wheels and brakes.

11:03 EDT 3M, Miraenanotech reach patent license agreement for metal mesh technology - 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties Co. and Miraenanotech have reached a patent license agreement for use of 3M's metal mesh technology. As part of the agreement, MNtech, a provider of metal mesh conductor film, will take a royalty-bearing patent license from 3M.

10:45 EDT Amazon shares should double in three years, Bill Miller says - Bill Miller made the comment about Amazon during an interview on CNBC.

10:44 EDT Miller says Amazon attractive at current levels, sees international turn coming - Bill Miller, Chairman of Miller Value Partners, is being interviewed on CNBC.

10:41 EDT Bill Miller says Avon Products is most exciting stock bought recently

10:40 EDT Bill Miller says RH 'still a dominant company,' not as attractive at $130 - Bill Miller is speaking on CNBC.

10:39 EDT Facebook CEO says messaging growing 'most quickly' - Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the Q4 call that messaging is the area of the company that's growing "most quickly" and users will feel these apps becoming the center of their experiences in more ways. The company will add Payments on WhatsApp to more countries. Private sharing in Groups and Stories will become "more central" to the user experience. Zuckerberg added the company will onboard millions of more businesses that users can interact with.

10:24 EDT Sprint doesn't expect impact from government shutdown in T-Mobile merger - Expects deal to close in 1H19.

10:19 EDT National Beverage says independent test prove La Croix is natural - National Beverage Corp. reaffirmed that essences contained in LaCroix are certified by suppliers and an independent laboratory to be 100% natural. In October 2018, a prominent law firm, in response to a lawsuit, had LaCroix essences independently tested by an accredited lab. This law firm managed the process of the test protocols and results, which included retaining the services of a foremost regulatory science expert. Results of the tests, performed under the rigorous standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials, concluded no trace of artificial or synthetic additives were found, further confirming supplier certifications. "We unequivocally stand behind these results and refute contrary claims contained in lawsuits, including the one filed this week in New York," stated National Beverage CEO Nick Caporella. "FIZZ shareholders and consumers alike are well aware of the nature of news in our country today. Political debate and social media have created a divisive polarization. As quoted in Time magazine, 'Online, lies and truth look the same. This has been a boon for professional liars, who take advantage of the fact that two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media . . .' These professional liars used these same platforms to falsely attack our brand integrity."

10:02 EDT Sprint says remains focused on execution of operating plan for 2019 - Says ramping up rollout of intelligence customer experience. Says data-driven culture expected to contribute to evolution of customer experience and next wave of cost reductions. Says continues to have strong liquidity and continued to optimize the capital structure in the quarter. Says will continue to be optimistic in looking at capital markets. Says continues to expect adjusted free cash flow to be negative $500M to negative $1B for the full year.

09:51 EDT Sprint says preparing to launch mobile 5G network in 1H19 - Says remains "full steam ahead" on next-gen deployments. Says has 2.5GHz deployed on approx. 75% of macro sites. Says has 27k outdoor small cells on air. Says recently rolled out LTE Advanced. Says has hundreds of MIMO sites commercially on air. Says focusing on selling value-added services. Says may be difficult to continue postpaid net add year-over-year growth in 2019 if competitor promotional activity continues to be aggressive. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:47 EDT ServiceNow rises 11.7% - ServiceNow is up 11.7%, or $22.61 to $216.61.

09:47 EDT Eldorado Gold rises 17.3% - Eldorado Gold is up 17.3%, or 51c to $3.45.

09:34 EDT Nevada reports December statewide gaming win up 4.11% to $999.66M - Nevada's Gaming Control Board reports Las Vegas Strip gaming win was down 0.93% in December to $566.21M. Publicly traded companies in the casino gaming space include Boyd Gaming (BYD), Caesars (CZR), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Penn National (PENN) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN).

09:22 EDT Benchmark Electronics confirms receipt of Engaged Capital's director nominees - Benchmark Electronics confirmed receipt of Engaged Capital's nomination of a slate of three director candidates to stand for election at the company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Benchmark Electronics' Board will review the director nominees proposed by Engaged Capital. The board will present its recommended slate of director nominees in the company's proxy materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

09:15 EDT General Electric CEO says 'in very early innings' of turning around Power

09:12 EDT Platinum Eagle Acquisition, Target Logistics announce expanded contracts - Platinum Eagle Acquisition and Target Logistics Management announced renewed and expanded contracts with four major oilfield service companies as part of Target Lodging's ongoing operations and integration of RL Signor Holdings. The contract renewals not only extend the duration of the existing contracts but also expand the scope of services included in each of these contracts. All four contracts include Target Lodging's full suite of specialty rental accommodations as well as culinary and managed site services, including conversion of two existing Signor Lodging contracts into Target Lodging's turnkey offering. These extended and expanded contracts require additional room commitments across Target Lodging's Permian Basin lodging network, reflecting the compelling value of Target Lodging's full suite of turnkey services and the customers' continued confidence in this prolific U.S. Shale basin. Each contract adds a minimum of two years to the original terms, which in combination with other factors, provide for an estimated contract value of over $200M, and represent an estimated incremental revenue of over $45M. The contract renewals were signed in November and December 2018.

09:08 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Discovery (DISCA), up 4% after CNBC reported the company would be interested in selling to CBS (CBS). However, the company responded with a statement that the "CNBC story is inaccurate. Discovery is not for sale." UP AFTER EARNINGS: General Electric (GE), up 10%... Facebook (FB), up 10%... UPS (UPS), up 4%... Charter (CHTR), up 9%... Blue Apron (APRN), up 12%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: DowDuPont (DWDP), down 8%... Microsoft (MSFT), down 3%... Raytheon (RTN), down 3%... Tesla (TSLA), down 3%... Tallgrass Energy (TGE), down 2%. LOWER: Deutsche Bank (DB), down 5% after Bloomberg reports Deutsche Bank's executives are preparing for a possible government-brokered merger with competitor Commerzbank (CRZBY) by mid-year.

09:06 EDT Monro says 'well-positioned' to achieve upper end of SSS guidance - Says continued to maintain disciplined capital allocation. Says continues to expect approx. $75M of incremental capex over the next five years to invest in store re-image and technology. Says executing on M&A opportunities remains key pillar of strategy. Says remains focused on returning cash to shareholders. Says remains focused on maintaining a solid balance sheet. Assumes operating margin of approx. 11% at midpoint of FY19 sales guidance. Expects stable tire and oil costs year-over-year. Expects to generate earnings increase on a comparable store sales increase. Expects tax rate to be reduced from ~37% to ~22% in FY19. Expects Interest expense of ~$28M. Expects Depreciation and amortization of ~$56M. Expects EBITDA of ~$187M.

09:05 EDT Intel appoints Robert Swan as CEO - Intel announced that its board named Robert Swan as CEO. Swan, who has been serving as Intel's interim CEO for seven months and as CFO since 2016, is the seventh CEO in Intel's 50-year history. Swan has also been elected to Intel's board of directors. Todd Underwood, vice president of Finance and director of Intel's Corporate Planning and Reporting, will assume the role of interim CFO as the company undertakes an internal and external search for a permanent CFO.

09:01 EDT UPS says FY19 EPS to be muted by 51c due to changes in tax, pension - Sees FY19 operating profit up approximately 10%-13%.

08:58 EDT Aquestive Therapeutics updates progress on licensee's NDA for sublingual film - Aquestive Therapeutics licensee Sunovion Pharmaceuticals received a complete response letter from the FDA in response to the New Drug Application for apomorphine sublingual film. APL-130277 is a medicine to treat OFF episodes, the re-emergence or worsening of Parkinson's symptoms otherwise controlled by medications.

08:55 EDT Francesca's trading halted, news pending

08:54 EDT UPS says Asia to U.S. shipments dropped due to trade concerns - Comments provided during Q4 earnings conference call.

08:52 EDT VistaGen Therapeutics announces AV-101 stimulates formation of new brain cells - VistaGen Therapeutics announced data from nonclinical studies indicating that its orally available CNS drug candidate, AV-101, promotes hippocampal neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are formed in a region of the brain that involves high-level functions such as emotions, memory, and spatial navigation and exploration. The studies showed increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus following oral daily dosing of AV-101 for 14 -16 days. Neurogenesis was demonstrated by detecting an increased number of cells containing Ki67, a marker of dividing cells, scored by scientists blinded to the treatment groups. These results are consistent with recent observations that sustaining the therapeutic activity of other new generation fast-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine, is dependent on a neurogenic effect. The detailed results of these studies will be presented at an upcoming psychiatry conference.

08:46 EDT Manning & Napier names Marc Mayer as CEO, effective immdeidately - Manning & Napier announced that it has appointed Marc Mayer as CEO, effective immediately. He joins the company with 30 years of asset management experience and will report to Manning & Napier's Board of Directors. Mayer was most recently Head of North American Distribution for Schroders in New York, where he was responsible for leading all institutional and intermediary business initiatives.

08:44 EDT GE sees industrial organic revenue growth in 2019 to be up mid-single digits - Says Power will be down in a flat to slightly down market in 2019. Sees industrial operating margins to expand in 2019. Sees operating headwinds, such as the PTC progress cycle, reversing in Renewables and will spend more cash on restructuring at both Corporate and Power. Says 2019 "very much a work in progress." Says nonrecurring investments, commitments will create "drag" in FCF in 2019, but will meaningfully lessen in 2020 and 2021. Sees organic growth, margins in similar range to last year in Healthcare, sees double digit revenue growth in Renewables.

08:40 EDT Recon Technology receives local government subsidy for furnace project - Recon Technology's 75% subsidiary Qing Hai BHD received a $128,798 subsidy from the local government of Qinghai province for the first phase of a project to produce and process environmentally friendly solar-gas hybrid furnaces that reduce energy consumption. The Project is located in Xining, Qinghai province and focuses on producing and processing high-efficiency energy-saving integrated furnaces.

08:36 EDT Tilray appoints Dara Redler as general counsel - Tilray (TLRY) announces the expansion of its global senior leadership team with four strategic hires: Greg Christopher as EVP of Operations, formerly with Nestle (NSRGY); Rita Seguin as EVP of Human Resources, formerly with Diageo (DEO); Dara Redler as General Counsel, formerly with The Coca-Cola Company (KO); and Charlie Cain as VP of Retail, formerly with Starbucks Corporation (SBUX). Their roles will directly drive the development of Tilray's robust operations, which have enabled Tilray to distribute its products in 12 countries, as well as accelerate the company's aggressive global expansion strategy. Greg Christopher, Executive Vice President, Operations, joins Tilray with over 30 years of global experience in operations and supply chain across the many product categories at Nestle most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations for Nestle in Canada. Greg will oversee the strategic development and expansion of the company's global operations and cannabis value chain across Tilray and all its subsidiaries. Rita Seguin, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, served as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Diageo North America and most recently as Vice President of Human Resources for Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits Distributors. Rita's appointment represents Tilray's commitment to the long-term growth and success of the people within the organization. She will oversee the synchronization of the company's growing global team and recruitment of talent all over the world. Dara Redler, General Counsel, most recently served as Vice President and Senior Counsel for Coca-Cola North America and held a number of leadership roles in the legal division during her tenure at The Coca-Cola Company. In her role as Tilray General Counsel, Dara will oversee the strategic global growth of Tilray and all its subsidiaries with the legal team and work cross-functionally with all teams within the organization. Charlie Cain, Vice President, Retail, served as Vice President of Concept Development and Franchising for Starbucks Corporation before joining the cannabis industry as CEO of Dockside Cannabis, one of Washington state's original and most respected cannabis retail chains. Charlie brings more than 15 years of retail strategy, innovation, and operations experience to the development and oversight of Tilray and High Park's North American retail strategy.

08:34 EDT Zosano Pharma announces results from Phase 2/3 ZOTRIP study published - Zosano Pharma announced the peer-reviewed publication of a post-hoc analysis of its pivotal Phase 2/3 ZOTRIP study in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. In this post-hoc analysis, researchers examined the efficacy of Qtrypta in treating subsets of patients whose migraines have traditionally been difficult-to-treat and have been associated with poorer outcomes when treated with oral medications. Migraine characteristics including severe pain, duration of migraine of more than two hours, awakening with migraine, and the presence of nausea are established factors that predict a poorer response to traditional migraine treatment. Results from these post-hoc analyses using the same clinical endpoints of pain freedom and most bothersome symptom at two hours from the ZOTRIP study demonstrated patients with these difficult-to-treat migraine characteristics had uniformly better headache responses compared to patients who received placebo.

08:23 EDT Paringa Resources signs coal sales agreement with BREC for up to 1.4M tons - Paringa Resources announced that it has signed a sales agreement with Big Rivers Electric, or BREC, for coal sales from its Poplar Grove Mine, totaling up to 1.4M tons of coal from 2019 to 2023. The sales agreement with BREC takes Paringa's total 5-year contracted sales position to 6.8M tons, including existing sales agreements with LG&E and KU and OVEC-IKEC. The Poplar Grove Mine's direct barge access to the Green and Ohio River systems provides a significant transportation cost advantage over many other coal operations in the region, with BREC's R.D. Green and D.B. Wilson plants located in very close proximity to Paringa on the Green River. Under the coal sales agreement, Paringa is contracted to deliver a minimum of 1.28M tons and a maximum of 1.4M tons of 11,250 btu/lb product from its Poplar Grove Mine over a 5-year period at annual fixed pricing and on a mutually agreeable delivery schedule. Pricing terms are consistent with Paringa's existing sales contract with LG&E and KU.

08:19 EDT General Electric CEO: Customers 'rooting for us'

08:15 EDT Entera Bio receives feedback from FDA from pre-IND meeting for Oral PTH - Entera Bio announced the outcome of a pre-IND meeting held with the FDA to discuss the company's development plan for Oral PTH for the treatment of osteoporosis. The feedback and guidance were summarized in the formal meeting minutes that Entera subsequently received from the FDA. In addition to discussing various aspects of the nonclinical and clinical development plan, the meeting focused on the 505 b regulatory pathway and the use of bone mineral density, or BMD, rather than fracture incidence as the primary endpoint to support a new drug application, or NDA. Based on the FDA's response, Entera believes that the Phase 3 study may use BMD as the primary efficacy endpoint and that a fracture endpoint study will not be required. Developers of osteoporosis drugs that contain new chemical entities are required to conduct extensive clinical studies that employ an endpoint which measures the reduction in fractures. These trials often require thousands of patients over a multi-year period, and typically cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Once fracture risk reduction has been demonstrated, the FDA and other regulatory agencies have allowed new formulations or treatment regimens of the same active ingredient to be approved using BMD as the primary efficacy endpoint. Post FDA feedback, the company is proceeding with the development of EB-613 for osteoporosis. The next step in this clinical development program will be to conduct a dose-ranging study in approximately 140 osteoporosis patients, in order to study both safety and the optimal dose to advance into a Phase 3 pivotal study. This dose-ranging study will commence in the first half of this year and will include bone marker, bone mineral density and safety endpoints. The company will be conducting several nonclinical safety assessment studies in parallel. Assuming a favorable outcome of these studies, the company is planning a single Phase 3, multicenter study comparing Oral PTH with Forteo over a 12-month treatment period, to begin in 2020. Although still at the early stages of planning, such a study would likely be conducted in the U.S. and Europe, and potentially enroll between 600 and 800 patients in total, depending on statistical powering assumptions.

08:11 EDT GE says more than halfway through $25B captial asset sale program - Sees completing asset sale program this year.

08:09 EDT CalAmp and Swiftmile partner for solar-powered parking and charging station - CalAmp is partnering with Swiftmile, a pioneer in light electric vehicle charging systems, to deliver the first solar-powered parking and charging stations for the burgeoning micro-mobility market. The stations, integrated with CalAmp telematics cloud services, will capture telematics data from most major electric scooters and electric bikes to improve micro-mobility management, reduce traffic congestion and minimize carbon footprint.

08:07 EDT MasterCard reports 2.5B Mastercard, Maestro-branded cards issued as of end 2018 - As of December 31, 2018, the company's customers had issued 2.5 billion Mastercard and Maestro-branded cards, adjusted for the impact of the Venezuela deconsolidation, the company said.

08:06 EDT Audentes Therapeutics updates development of AT132 after FDA meeting - Audentes Therapeutics provided an update following the receipt of minutes from its Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Therapy/Type B meeting with the FDA held in December regarding its lead gene therapy candidate, AT132, for the treatment of X-linked Myotubular Myopathy, or XLMTM. Following the meeting, Audentes is proceeding with its plan to enroll an additional 3-5 patients in Cohort 2 of the Phase 1/2 study of AT132. Optimal dose selection is expected to occur in Q2. Subsequent to the determination of the optimal dose, Audentes plans to provide an updated data package to FDA to facilitate final agreement on the path to BLA submission. Audentes also initiated discussions with the European Medicines Agency in 4Q18 under the recently granted Priority Medicines designation. In Q1, Audentes anticipates receiving scientific advice from the EMA that will begin to define the path toward submission of a European Marketing Authorization Application.

08:06 EDT MasterCard CEO says 'very strong end' of 2018 reflects strong execution - "We had a very strong end to the year, bringing 2018 to a record close, driven by broad-based growth across each of our regions. These results reflect strong execution in growing our core business and driving new capabilities to improve the customer experience and enhance security across all transaction types. When you combine this with the strategic investments we've made for the long term, we are very well positioned for continued growth," said Ajay Banga, Mastercard president and CEO.

08:05 EDT Broadridge acquires certain assets from PivotData, Sol Hedge - Broadridge Financial Solutions announced the acquisition of certain private fund regulatory reporting capabilities from PivotData and its partner Sol Hedge. Broadridge will leverage their capabilities to help private fund asset managers meet their regulatory reporting requirements. These regulatory reporting capabilities will complement Broadridge's existing reporting solutions, helping clients gather appropriate data, calculate what information is needed from a submission perspective and submit data to the appropriate authorities. PivotData and Sol Hedge's proprietary data transformation, normalization and load processes and in-house compliance experience will provide clients with a reliable, cost-effective and timely regulatory reporting solution.

08:03 EDT Sabre extends distribution agreement with German airline Condor - Sabre announced an extended distribution agreement with Condor, Germany's most popular leisure airline. The carrier has selected Sabre as a preferred Global Distribution System, and will leverage this partnership to assist with the development of a new route into Asia, in combination with interline onward flights on Malaysia Airlines.

07:50 EDT Ocean Power, Saab Seaeye announce joint development, marketing agreement - Ocean Power and Saab Seaeye announced a non-exclusive agreement to pursue mutual opportunities through joint system solution development and marketing. The agreement anticipates a preliminary focus on autonomous underwater vehicle and remotely operated underwater vehicle charging and communications systems. "We see a strong potential in this cooperation, where Saab Seaeye's market-leading underwater solutions become even more capable by the addition of OPT charging solutions for resident vehicle systems," said Matt Bates, head of marketing & sales at Saab Seaeye. "Collaborating with OPT, a leader in innovative ocean energy solutions, we are able to combine our individual knowledge to strengthen our position in the market."

07:41 EDT Celgene, Bristol-Myers expect to close deal in Q3 - In January, Celgene (CELG) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Bristol-Myers will acquire Celgene for approximately $74B. Under the terms of the agreement, Celgene shareholders will receive for each Celgene share $50 plus one Bristol-Myers share and one tradeable Contingent Value Right, which will entitle the holder to receive a cash payment of $9.00 upon the achievement of FDA approval of all three products within specified time periods. The transaction is subject to approval by Bristol-Myers and Celgene stockholders and the completion of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Bristol-Myers and Celgene expect to close the transaction in Q3 of 2019.

07:35 EDT Sprint CEO says delivered 'solid' financial results in Q3 - "Sprint's (S) strategy of balancing growth and profitability while we work toward regulatory approval of our T-Mobile (TMUS) merger is reflected in our fiscal third quarter results," said Sprint CEO Michel Combes. "We delivered solid financials, increased network investments as we prepare for our mobile 5G launch, and continued the digital transformation of the company."

07:30 EDT Gilat Satellite awarded multi-year contract for satellite in India - Gilat Satellite was awarded a multi-year contract to provide equipment and services for broadband connectivity over ISRO's GSAT-11 across India. Larsen & Toubro, an Indian multinational company engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services, chose Gilat to supply the ground segment and operate four gateways. The Indian Space Research Organization launched the multi-spot beam satellite GSAT-11 last month, to provide broadband coverage over India's mainland and islands.

07:26 EDT Tallgrass Energy sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $965M-$1.035B - Sees: Cash available for dividends of $760M-$835M and dividend coverage in excess of 1.25x for the year ending Dec. 31, 2019. Additionally, management expects dividend growth of 6%-8% for TGE.

07:24 EDT Tallgrass Energy reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $241.14M - Q4 EPS consensus 42c.

07:19 EDT Cubic's Mission Solutions business selected by U.S. Marine Corps - Cubic's Cubic Mission Solutions business division in partnership with iGov was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to deliver a technology solution to provide a data communications backbone for the organizations that make up Marine Air Ground Task Force. The iGov system, equipped with primarily Cubic DTECH hardware will replace the legacy Combat Data Network Data Distribution System-Modular with a small form-factor solution that increases tactical network performance with reduced physical footprint. Under the five-year contract, Cubic will deliver thousands of its DTECH commercial off-the-shelf components for iGov's small form-factor solution.

07:17 EDT WildHorse Resource reports shareholder vote on acquisition by Chesapeake - Chesapeake (CHK) and WildHorse Resource (WRD) announced the preliminary results of the elections made by holders of shares of WildHorse's common stock regarding the form of merger consideration to be received in connection with Chesapeake's pending acquisition of WildHorse. At the election of each WildHorse common stockholder, the consideration would consist of either 5.989 shares of Chesapeake common stock or a combination of 5.336 shares of Chesapeake common stock and $3.00 in cash, in exchange for each share of WildHorse common stock. The transaction is expected to close on or about February 1. Holders of approximately 5.3% of the outstanding shares of WildHorse common stock elected to receive the share consideration. Holders of approximately 94.7% of the outstanding shares of WildHorse common stock elected to receive mixed consideration. After the final results of the election process are determined, the final merger consideration will be calculated in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement.

07:12 EDT RMR Office Property Fund acquires Virginia office building for approx. $56M - The RMR Office Property Fund announced that it has acquired 9954 Mayland Drive, a 355,449 square foot, multi-tenant class A office building located in Richmond, Virginia. The property was acquired for a purchase price of approximately $56M, excluding acquisition related costs, or a 7.2% cap rate. Renovations totaling $16M were recently made to modernize the property and include a new four-story parking garage, new roof, new fitness center and cafeteria as well as updated lobbies, elevators and building mechanicals. The multi-tenant building is 98% leased and includes two investment grade rated tenants that lease more than 70% of the building square feet for a weighted average lease term of 5.2 years.

07:10 EDT Marsh & McLennan CEO says 2018 'marks another year of double-digit' EPS growth - Dan Glaser, President and CEO, said: "Marsh & McLennan had an outstanding finish to the year. In the fourth quarter, we produced strong underlying revenue growth of 5%, including 6% in Risk & Insurance Services and 3% in Consulting. Excluding the impact of the new revenue standard, we generated adjusted operating income growth of 15% in the quarter and delivered 180 basis points of overall adjusted margin expansion. For the year, Marsh & McLennan generated strong underlying revenue growth of 4%, adjusted operating income growth of 8% and adjusted EPS growth of 11%. This marks another year of double-digit adjusted EPS growth following 15% growth in 2017. In addition to our impressive underlying performance, we had another active year of acquisitions and delivered on our capital return commitments. The highlight of the year was our agreement to acquire Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group. This combination will enhance capabilities for our clients, increase opportunities for our colleagues and create value for our shareholders."

07:07 EDT ConocoPhillips sees Q1 production 1,290-1,330 MBOED - ConocoPhillips 2019 guidance for capital expenditures is $6.1 billion. First-quarter 2019 production is expected to be 1,290 to 1,330 MBOED, reflecting the impacts of a planned turnaround in Qatar of approximately 15 MBOED and government-mandated production curtailment in Canada of approximately 10 MBOED. Production is expected to ramp-up in the second half of the year, with full-year 2019 production guidance unchanged from the previously communicated 1,300 to 1,350 MBOED. Production guidance for 2019 excludes Libya. Guidance for 2019 production and operating expenses is $5.4 billion, which results in adjusted operating cost guidance of $6.1 billion; corporate segment net expense is $0.9 billion or $1.0 billion adjusted corporate segment net expense; depreciation, depletion and amortization is $6.3 billion; and exploration dry hole and leasehold impairment expense is $0.2 billion.

07:00 EDT Raytheon reports Q4 bookings $8.45B vs. $8.54B last year - Q4 operating cash flow $2.43B vs. $1.62B last year.

06:57 EDT CNX Midstream Partners sees FY19 capital expenditures $250M-$280M - Sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $200M-$220M.

06:55 EDT GE jumps nearly 4% in pre-market trading after Q4 revenue beats estimates

06:54 EDT Northrop Grumman sees FY19 CapEx approximately $1.2B - Sees FY19 free cash flow $2.6B-$3B; effective tax rate mid 17% range; operating margin mid to high 10%.

06:51 EDT Eli Lilly says FDA granted approval for new indication for ALIMTA/KEYTRUDA combo - Eli Lilly (LLY) announced that the FDA has granted approval for a new indication for ALIMTA in combination with KEYTRUDA, developed and marketed by Merck (MRK), and platinum chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. This indication is approved based on data from Merck's Phase 3 KEYNOTE-189 trial, which enrolled patients regardless of PD-L1 expression and had dual primary endpoints of overall survival, or OS, and progression-free survival, or PFS. ALIMTA in combination with pembrolizumab and carboplatin was first approved in June 2018 under the FDA's accelerated approval process for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC, based on tumor response rates and PFS data from the Phase 2 study KEYNOTE-021. In accordance with the accelerated approval process, continued approval was contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit, which has now been demonstrated in the KEYNOTE-189 trial and has resulted in the FDA converting the accelerated approval to full approval.

06:49 EDT Blackstone to take controlling interest in Tallgrass Energy for $3.3B - Tallgrass Energy (TGE) and Blackstone (BX) announced that affiliates of Blackstone Infrastructure Partners have entered into a definitive agreement with affiliates of Kelso & Co., The Energy & Minerals Group, and Tallgrass KC, LLC, an entity owned by certain members of TGE's management, to acquire 100% of the membership interests in TGE's general partner, as well as an approximately 44% economic interest in Tallgrass, for total cash consideration of approximately $3.3 billion. Affiliates of GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, will be a minority investor in the transaction. Closing of the transaction is expected within the first quarter of 2019.

06:47 EDT Fortress Biotech partnering with Alexion to develop amyloidosis candidate - Fortress Biotech-founded (FBIO) Caelum Biosciences has signed a strategic agreement with Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) to advance the development of CAEL-101 for light chain amyloidosis. CAEL-101 is a first-in-class amyloid fibril targeted therapy designed to improve organ function by reducing or eliminating amyloid deposits in patients with AL amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis is a rare systemic disorder that causes progressive and widespread organ damage, most commonly the heart and kidneys. Alexion will acquire a minority equity interest in Caelum and an exclusive option to acquire the remaining equity in the company based on Phase 2 data for pre-negotiated economics. Alexion will make payments to Caelum totaling up to $60M, including the purchase price for the equity and milestone-dependent development funding payments. The collaboration also provides for potential additional payments of up to $500M, including the upfront and regulatory and commercial milestone payments, in the event Alexion exercises the acquisition option. Alexion and Caelum will collaborate on the design of the ongoing development program for CAEL-101. Caelum will be responsible for conducting the development program through the end of Phase 2 and for manufacturing CAEL-101.

06:42 EDT MeiraGTx partnering with Janssen to develop and market retinal disease therapy - MeiraGTx (MGTX) has entered into a broad strategic collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), to develop and commercialize gene therapies for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases. The two companies will collaborate in the clinical development of MeiraGTx's IRD pipeline, including product candidates for achromatopsia, or ACHM, caused by mutations in either CNGB3 or CNGA3 and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, MeiraGTx and Janssen are entering into a research collaboration covering MeiraGTx's pipeline of pre-clinical programs for IRDs and also entering into a research collaboration to further develop AAV manufacturing technology. MeiraGTx will receive $100M in cash as an upfront payment and is eligible to receive additional payments for achieving development and sales milestones related to its CNGB3, CNGA3 and XLRP programs of up to $340M, and untiered royalties of 20% of annual net sales for the CNGB3, CNGA3 and XLRP programs. Janssen has agreed to fund all clinical development and commercialization costs for these programs. MeiraGTx and Janssen are also entering into a research collaboration to develop a pipeline of IRD gene therapy candidates; a significant portion of the costs of the research collaboration will be paid by Janssen. Janssen has the right to opt-in to programs coming out of this research collaboration at the time of clearance of an IND application by the FDA. MeiraGTx will receive an opt-in payment, development milestones and a high teens untiered royalty on annual net sales of commercialized products coming out of this collaboration. The transaction is expected to close in Q1.

06:39 EDT Alexion, Caelum Biosciences announce collaboration to develop CAEL-101 - Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Caelum Biosciences announced a collaboration to develop CAEL-101 for light chain amyloidosis. CAEL-101 is a first-in-class amyloid fibril targeted therapy designed to improve organ function by reducing or eliminating amyloid deposits in patients with AL amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis is a rare systemic disorder that causes misfolded immunoglobulin light chain protein to build up in and around tissues, resulting in progressive and widespread organ damage, most commonly to the heart and kidneys. Under the terms of the agreement, Alexion will acquire a minority equity interest in Caelum and an exclusive option to acquire the remaining equity in the company based on Phase 2 data for pre-negotiated economics. Alexion will make payments to Caelum totaling up to $60M, including the purchase price for the equity and milestone-dependent development funding payments. The collaboration also provides for potential additional payments of up to $500M, including the upfront and regulatory and commercial milestone payments, in the event Alexion exercises the acquisition option. The collaboration will leverage Alexion's expertise in rare disease antibody development and commercial franchise in hematology. Alexion and Caelum will collaborate on the design of the ongoing development program for CAEL-101. Caelum will be responsible for conducting the development program through the end of Phase 2 and for manufacturing CAEL-101.

06:34 EDT Roche proposes dividend increase to CHR 8.70 per share - The Roche board a dividend increase to CHF 8.70 per share and non-voting equity security. Subject to approval by the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on March 5, 2019.

06:34 EDT AmerisourceBergen CEO says FY19 outlook 'remains strong' - "We are pleased with the strong start in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The overall strength and performance of AmerisourceBergen's portfolio of core Pharmaceutical Distribution businesses delivered outstanding results to help offset the headwind from PharMEDium. We are extremely proud and recognize that this would not have been possible without the execution by our dedicated associates," said Steven Collis, Chairman, President and CEO of AmerisourceBergen. "Our fiscal 2019 outlook remains strong, even as we narrowed fiscal 2019 guidance to reflect the extended delay in the reopening of PharMEDium's Memphis facility. AmerisourceBergen's strategic partnerships, leadership in Specialty distribution and services, and strong balance sheet position the company to continue to deliver growth, while we actively work to resolve the challenges at PharMEDium," Collis continued. "We remain confident in our ability to execute, evolve and transform our business to meet the complex needs of our customers, drive long-term value for our shareholders and ultimately enable access for patients. More than ever, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures."

06:19 EDT Quotient sees Q4 product revenue $6.8M-$7.0M vs. $6.1M a year ago

06:14 EDT Achillion doses first patient in Phase 1 study of ACH-5228 - Achillion dosed the first healthy volunteer in a Phase 1 multiple ascending dose study of ACH-5228, one of the company's next-generation oral, small-molecule factor D inhibitors. In the completed single ascending dose study, ACH-5228 demonstrated enhanced potency as well as improved pharmacokinetic properties compared to the first-generation factor D inhibitor, ACH-4471. These attributes are projected to provide reduced dosing frequency for patients with immune-related diseases associated with the AP of the complement system. Approximately 38 individuals are expected to be enrolled in four separate cohorts. The primary endpoint for the trial is an evaluation of safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints include assessments of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and evaluation of alternative pathway inhibition biomarkers to establish a PK/PD relationship for ACH-5228. Achillion anticipates completing the study in Q3 and submitting an IND to the FDA supporting continued development for ACH-5228 in Q4.

06:07 EDT Ball Corp. backs FY19 goals of $2B of comparable EBITDA - Ball Corp. is reaffirming 2019 goals of $2B of comparable EBITDA, in excess of $1B of free cash flow and returning in excess of $1B to shareholders. "The company's financial position is strong and our debt portfolio is well positioned at low, fixed rates. Given the strength of our cash flow, we have the flexibility to invest when necessary and continue to return every available dollar of free cash flow to shareholders in 2019 and beyond," said Scott Morrison, senior vice president and CFO. "Achieving our 2019 financial goals that we laid out in mid-2016 is within sight. The team remains focused on commercializing our sustainable aluminum packaging solutions across our customers' product categories while also supporting unprecedented growth in our aerospace business. In 2019, we look forward to exceeding our long-term 10%-15% diluted EPS growth goal," Hayes said.

06:03 EDT DowDuPont CEO says 'on track' for separation of the new Dow on April 1 - "In our first full year as a merged company, we delivered consistently strong results. Pro forma sales rose 8 percent with gains in every geography. We delivered a 13 percent increase in operating EBITDA. And we raised our cost synergy expectation by 20 percent to $3.6 billion, while continuing to return significant capital to shareholders," said Ed Breen, CEO of DowDuPont. "We remain on track for the separation of the new Dow on April 1, followed by Corteva from the new DuPont on June 1. We are excited about launching these three global companies, each set to be an industry leader with the right capital structure and now better positioned to serve customers, compete in their end markets and focus on their innovation priorities. We've also put in place strong leadership teams who are singularly focused on capitalizing on their competitive advantages and delivering on their substantial growth and cost synergy opportunities to create value both now and over the long-term."

05:58 EDT Nokia to propose dividend increase to EUR 0.20 per share from EUR 0.19 per share - For 2018, Nokia's board plans to propose that the Annual General Meeting in 2019 authorizes the board to resolve on the maximum annual distribution of EUR 0.20 per share, compared to EUR 0.19 for 2017.

05:50 EDT Royal Dutch Shell reports Q4 adj. EPS 69c vs. 52c last year - Reports Q4 revenue $102.23B, consensus $94.96B. Reports Q4 adjusted earnings $5.69B vs. $5.62B last year. Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said, "Shell delivered a very strong financial performance in 2018, with cash flow from operations of $49.6 billion, excluding working capital movements. We delivered on our promises for the year, including the completion of the $30 billion divestment programme and starting up key growth projects while maintaining discipline on capital investment. We paid our entire dividend in cash, further reduced our debt and launched our share buyback programme, with $4.5 billion in shares repurchased so far. We will continue with a strong delivery focus in 2019, with a disciplined approach to capital investment and growing both our cash flow and returns. Our strategy to deliver a world-class investment case is working."

05:26 EDT Cellcom Israel: Israeli Tax Authority issued best judgment assessment for 2014 - Cellcom Israel announced that the Israeli Tax Authority issued a best judgment assessment for 2014 to the company, generally due to timing differences. According to the assessment, if the company's claims are rejected, the company will be required to pay additional income tax in relation to the year 2014, in an amount of approximately NIS 56 million, including interest and Israeli CPI differences. The company disputes the Israeli Tax Authority's position and believes, including based on consultation with its external advisors, that it has strong arguments, and intends to object the assessment. The company believes that such assessment shall not have a material effect on the company's financial statements.

05:10 EDT PICO Holdings denied groundwater rights for Campbell Ranch in New Mexico - PICO Holdings announced that its subsidiary, Aquifer Science, LLC has received a ruling from the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court denying its De Novo appeal of the New Mexico State Engineer's denial of Application S-2618 for 350 acre-feet of groundwater rights for the Campbell Ranch development project in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The company is reviewing the ruling and its future options and evaluating whether to appeal the Court's decision to deny the company's Application for groundwater rights.