Stockwinners Market Radar for February 06, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:08 EDT Rush Enterprises enters into joint venture with Tallman Group - Tallman Group announced that it has signed an agreement to enter into a new joint venture with Rush Enterprises, Inc., which operates the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North America. Tallman Group and Rush Enterprises will each own 50% of the new joint venture entity, which will operate Tallman Group's network of commercial vehicle dealerships in Canada. The formation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, but the parties expect the transaction to close on February 25, 2019. Tallman Group will be rebranded to Rush Truck Centres of Canada Limited and will operate under the same leadership of Kevin G. Tallman, Chief Executive Officer and Roger Poirier, CFA, President.

19:19 EDT SoftBank to repurchase up to 112M shares - SoftBank announced that on February 6, 2019 its board of directors resolved the repurchase of its own shares. The company intends to repurchase up to 112M shares, worth a maximum of JPY600B. The company said that the repurchase period will be from February 7, 2019 to January 31, 2020 and that it will fund the proposed share repurchase with the proceeds from the disposal of a portion of SoftBank Corp. shares at the listing of SoftBank Corp.

19:11 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Lannett (LCI) up 13.7%... Presidio (PSDO) up 13.3%... iRobot (IRBT) up 11.7%... Match Group (MTCH) Up 10.2%... Moelis (MC) up 9.9%... Chipotle (CMG) up 9.7%... ION Geophysical (IO) up 7.6%... Just Energy (JE) up 4.3%... Zynga (ZNGA) up 4.0%... O'Reilly (ORLY) up 3.5%... Flowers Foods (FLOW) up 3.1%... Fortinet (FTNT) up 2.7%... GoPro (GPRO) up 1.9%... FormFactor (FORM) up 1.4%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: FireEye (FEYE) down 7.7%... Echo Global (ECHO) down 4.3%... Sonos (SONO) down 4.3%... Marvell (MRVL) down 3.9% after lowering Q4 guidance... Trimble (TRMB) down 3.1%... Ichor Holdings (ICHR) down 2.3%... Ceridian (CDAY) down 2.3%... Metlife (MET) down 1.6%... Prudential (PRU) down 1.5%. ALSO LOWER: RumbleOn (RBML) down 8.8% after equity offering. Movers as of 18:45ET.

18:45 EDT Centene CEO: 'We are executing superbly' - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Centene CEO Michael Neidorff said, "We are executing superbly... We had good earnings... The stock move was irrational... We need to move towards good policy and away from politics... We can't afford a single payer system."

18:03 EDT Biogen says '514 patent getting appeal board review - In a regulatory filing, Biogen (BIIB) noted that in July of 2018, Mylan (MYL) filed a petition with the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board seeking inter partes review of Biogen's U.S. Patent No. 8,399,514, or the '514 Patent. The '514 Patent includes claims covering the treatment of MS with 480 mg of dimethyl fumarate per day as provided for in Biogen's Tecfidera label. On February 6, 2019, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board instituted inter partes review of the '514 Patent.

17:33 EDT Legion Partners reports 5.45% stake in Papa John's

17:29 EDT Vale says license to operate mining dam revoked by regulator - Vale informed that the State Secretary for Environment and Sustainable Development, or SEMAD, canceled the Provisional Operational Authorization, or APO, of the Laranjeiras dam as a consequence of the public civil action ndegrees 5013909-51.2019.8.13.0024, filed by the Public Prosecution Office of the State of Minas Gerais. Vale also informed that SEMAD also determined the immediate suspension of the Jangada mine due to the understanding the Operational License of this mine is unified with the Operational License of the Corrego de Feijao mine, despite the fact that these mines have distinct authorization acts. The Jangada mine has not been operating since the halting of the Corrego de Feijao mine. Vale had requested the Operational License, or LO, for the Laranjeiras dam on August 11, 2015 and SEMAD granted the Provisional Operational Authorization on April 1, 2016, while it evaluated the issuance of the LO. The Laranjeiras Dam was built using the conventional method and has reports of stability in force. Therefore, Vale reinforces its understanding that there is no technical and/or legal basis, nor risk assessment to justify the cancelling of the Provisional Operational Authorization. The resumption of the Brucutu operation is conditioned to the reversal of the preliminary ruling of the above-mentioned ACP and the granting of the Operational License to the Laranjeiras dam. The cancellation of the APO has an estimated impact of approximately 30M tons of iron ore per year. Vale informed that it will adopt the appropriate administrative and legal measures in relation to this decision. Reference Link

17:20 EDT BAE Systems awarded $225.03M Navy delivery order for APKWS II - BAE Systems has been awarded $225.03M for firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to procure 9,999 additional lot 7, full-rate production units of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS II. The procurement of the additional APKWS II weapons will upgrade the current 2.75-inch rocket system to a semi-active laser guided precision weapon in support of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the governments of Nigeria and the Netherlands. Work will be performed in Hudson, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas, and is expected to be completed in September 2020. FY19 procurement of ammunition and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $225.03M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:14 EDT Lonestar Resources says proved reserves increased 27% at year-end - Lonestar Resources announced that its proved reserves at December 31, 2018 increased 27% to 93.3M barrels of oil equivalent calculated using SEC guidelines. All of the Company's proved reserves are located in the Eagle Ford Shale. Lonestar's proved reserves at December 31,are comprised of 53.4 million barrels of crude oil and condensate, 19.9 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and 120.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas. By energy content, Lonestar's proved reserves are weighted 79% to crude oil, condensate and NGL's. See Table 1 for details. In 2018, Lonestar added a total of 23.8 MMBOE, which consisted of 11.3 MMBOE through acquisitions, 8.3 MMBOE through extensions and discoveries, and 4.3 MMBOE through positive reserve revisions. These reserve additions were equivalent to 586% of Lonestar's 2018 production. Lonestar's Proved Developed reserves increased 47% to 26.8 MMBOE and the PV-10 associated with its Proved Developed reserves increased 81% to $464.9 million using SEC guidelines. Lonestar's capital expenditures totaled $209.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Lonestar's all-sources finding and development costs were $8.80 per BOE. Drillbit-only finding and developing costs averaged $12.58 per BOE. Lonestar's Chief Executive Officer, Frank D. Bracken, III commented, "2018 was another year of tremendous growth for Lonestar, coming from a balanced program of drilling and acquisitions. We extended our track-record of low-cost reserve growth, registering exceptional all-sources finding and development costs of $8.80 per BOE while increasing our Proved reserves by 27%. This reserve growth, which was prudently financed, positions Lonestar to significantly increase shareholder value in 2019 and beyond." Bracken added, "At Lonestar, our objective is to deliver demonstrable growth in the value of our reserves on a per-share basis, while continually improving our balance sheet and financial flexibility. In 2018, we have delivered on that objective again. Our internal value benchmark, which is $55 Flat Price Deck PV-10, net of debt, increased 20% to $8.89 per fully diluted share based on Proved reserves and increased 22% to $12.33 per fully diluted share based on Proved & Probable reserves. I believe our growth in per-share value is even more impactful when we consider the fact that in the same time period, Lonestar reduced its Debt/EBITDAX ratio from 3.6x to 2.6x at year-end 2018."

17:11 EDT CME Group raises quarterly dividend to 75c from 70c per share - The dividend is payable March 25, 2019, to shareholders of record as of March 8, 2019.

17:09 EDT Just Energy backs FY19 base EBITDA view of C$200M-C$220M

17:04 EDT Fair Isaac VP Wayne Elliot Huyard sells over $1.1M in company shares - Fair Isaac VP Wayne Elliot Huyard disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had sold 5,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $229.48 per share of February 4. The total transaction value was 1,147,388.

17:01 EDT Valvoline announces broad-based restructuring program - Valvoline announced a broad-based restructuring program to better meet the needs of an evolving market. The program is expected to reduce costs, simplify processes and ensure that the organization's structure and resource allocation are focused on key growth initiatives. The program is projected to generate annualized pre-tax savings of approximately $40 - $50 million with modest benefits expected this year. The majority of the savings will begin in fiscal 2020 with the full run-rate savings expected to be achieved by the end of that year. The company will record a pre-tax charge of approximately $12 - $17 million associated with this program.

16:59 EDT Zimmer Partners takes 8.5% passive stake in U.S. Xpress Enterprises - Zimmer Partners disclosed a 8.5% passive stake in U.S. Xpress Enterprises. The stake represents over 2.75M shares. The filing with the SEC does not allow for activism.

16:52 EDT Zimmer Biomet director Hagemann purchases 2K shares of customer stock - Zimmer Biomet director Robert Hagemann disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had purchased 2,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $119.83 per share on February 5. The total transaction value was $239,651.

16:49 EDT Chipotle up 9.5% to $576 after Q4 results beat estimates

16:48 EDT United Natural Foods to optimize Pacific Northwest distribution center network - UNFI announced plans to optimize its distribution center network in the Pacific Northwest. This plan includes building a new facility and expanding another. The company has entered into a long-term lease agreement with a developer in Centralia to construct a 1.2 million square-foot distribution center exclusively for UNFI on approximately 77 acres at 4002 Galvin Road in Centralia, Washington. UNFI will also expand its Ridgefield, Wash. facility by 541,000 square feet to a total of nearly 800,000 square feet. UNFI operates five distribution centers in the Pacific Northwest. Once construction of the new Centralia DC is complete and the expansion of the Ridgefield DC is finished, UNFI plans to close its Tacoma, Portland and Auburn warehouses, as well as reduce its dependency on outside storage and third-party logistics services. Both the Centralia and Ridgefield facilities are expected to be fully operational in 2H19 with customer transition completed in early 2020.

16:38 EDT O'Reilly down 2.6% after reporting Q4 earnings, giving Q1, FY19 guidance

16:38 EDT O'Reilly sees FY19 comparable store sales increase of 3%-5%

16:36 EDT CMC Industries adds three-building portfolio to its assets under management - Comstock Industries announced that one of its managed companies, Comstock Development Services, or CDS, and its affiliates has acquired JBG Smith's Commerce Metro Center Portfolio, or CMC Portfolio. The acquisition, facilitated by CHCI, increases the Reston Station neighborhood to 4.5M square feet at full build out, covering nearly 40 acres spanning the Dulles Toll Road and surrounding the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. The CMC Portfolio acquisition also increases the total assets under management by CHCI under its long-term asset management agreement covering Reston Station and other assets of CDS. The CMC Portfolio includes three stabilized Class-A office buildings totaling 408,000 square feet and has entitlements in place for an additional 1.1M square feet of mixed-use development including office, residential, retail and hotel uses. Improvements are being planned that will enhance the pedestrian experience and connection to the Metro Station while incorporating the CMC Portfolio into the Reston Station neighborhood and positioning the expanding CMC Portfolio to attract additional retail, dining and service establishments.

16:35 EDT O'Reilly sees Q1 comparable store sales increase of 3%-5%

16:34 EDT O'Reilly reports Q4 comparable store sales increase of 3.3% - Comparable store sales increased 3.3% for Q4, on top of 1.3% for the same period one year ago. Comparable store sales increased 3.8% for FY18, on top of 1.4% for the same period one year ago.

16:32 EDT Carrizo Oil & Gas announces FY19 DC&I capital spending plan of $525M-$575M - Guides FY19 production 66.8K-67.8K BOE/D. The company states: "For 2019, Carrizo is providing initial drilling, completion, and infrastructure (DC&I) capital expenditure guidance of $525-$575 million. Carrizo currently plans to reduce its rig count in the Eagle Ford Shale from four to one by the end of the first quarter. The company currently expects to maintain two rigs in the Delaware Basin during the first half of the year, and add a third rig to the play in the second half of the year. Based on this level of activity, the company expects to drill 75-85 gross operated wells and complete 95-105 gross operated wells during the year. Carrizo also expects to participate in several net non-operated wells during the year. Based on this program, Carrizo is providing initial 2019 production guidance of 66,800-67,800 Boe/d. Crude oil production is expected to account for approximately 63% of the Company's production for the year, while total liquids are expected to account for approximately 80%. This 2019 production guidance range equates to annual growth of approximately 11% at the midpoint."

16:28 EDT Fortinet higher by 6.9% after reporting Q4 earnings, Q1 guidance

16:24 EDT ePlus cites demand capture from from mid-market and enterprise customers - "Third quarter results represented a strong showing across our organization, underscoring our ability to capture demand from mid-market and enterprise customers for complex solutions and services. By investing in top-notch technical talent, we have become a provider of choice for cloud implementation, digital transformation and managing cybersecurity risk amongst a diversified and growing customer base.""The SLAIT acquisition fulfilled several of our strategic acquisition goals, including geographic expansion, the addition of potential cross-sell and up-sell opportunities between our customer sets, and a focus on services and security. With annual revenues of approximately $100 million, SLAIT brings a complementary customer base, additional service offerings and a group of highly-skilled leadership, sales, and engineering professionals," Mr. Marron concluded.

16:20 EDT Moelis raises quarterly dividend by 6% to 50c, declares $1.25 special dividend - The dividends will be paid on March 29, 2019 to common stockholders of record on February 19, 2019.

16:19 EDT Rayonier sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA of $270M-$290M - "In 2019, we expect to achieve net income attributable to Rayonier of $60M-$69M and Adjusted EBITDA of $270M-$290M. The projected year-over-year decline in consolidated financial results is driven primarily by a much lower expected contribution from the Real Estate segment following an extraordinarily strong level of Real Estate activity in 2018, which was bolstered by two significant transactions in Louisiana and New Zealand. In our timber segments, we expect total Adjusted EBITDA to be slightly lower, with gains in Southern Timber offset by lower Adjusted EBITDA in Pacific Northwest Timber and New Zealand Timber. In our Southern Timber segment, we expect to achieve full-year harvest volumes of 6.2 to 6.3 million tons, while we expect modest pricing improvements in certain regions driven by stronger overall demand. In our Pacific Northwest Timber segment, we expect to achieve harvest volumes of 1.3 to 1.4 million tons, while we expect meaningfully lower average sawtimber prices driven by reduced export demand and market uncertainty regarding China tariffs. In our New Zealand Timber segment, we expect to achieve harvest volumes of 2.7 to 2.8 million tons, while we expect continued strong demand and pricing as Chinese customers seek supply from non-tariff countries, which we expect will be offset by increased shipping and logging costs. In our Real Estate segment, we remain focused on opportunistically unlocking the long-term value of our HBU development and rural property portfolio, and thus continue to expect that period-to-period results will be lumpy. Following outsized Real Estate results in 2018, we currently anticipate more normalized transaction activity in 2019," the company said.

16:18 EDT Presidio sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA margin approximately 8%

16:17 EDT Wells Fargo names Julie Scammahorn new chief auditor - Wells Fargo announced it has named Julie Scammahorn as its chief auditor. Scammahorn has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry and most recently served at Citigroup Inc. as chief auditor of Citibank, N.A. and had direct audit responsibility for anti-money laundering and compliance. Scammahorn will join the company in April and will be based in San Francisco. She will report to CEO and President Tim Sloan and to the Audit and Examination Committee of the company's Board of Directors. She will also serve as a member of the company's Operating Committee.

16:14 EDT Chipotle board approves $100M increase to share repurchase program - "Our Board of Directors has also approved the investment of up to an additional $100 million, exclusive of commissions, to repurchase shares of our common stock, subject to market conditions. This repurchase authorization, in addition to up to approximately $57.6 million available as of December 31, 2018, for repurchases under a previously announced repurchase authorization, may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time."

16:13 EDT Werner says minimal truck growth planned for second half of 2019 - Werner sees growth expected to be in Dedicated and occur in first half of 2019 with minimal truck growth planned for second half of 2019. Year-over-year percentage increases are expected to be above guidance range in first quarter 2019 and gradually moderate due to significant RPTM increases in subsequent quarters of 2018

16:12 EDT CSG boosts quarterly dividend by 6% to 22.25c - CSG announced that its board approved an approximately 6% increase in the company's cash dividend, effective with the first quarterly payment in 2019 of 22.25c per share of common stock to be paid on March 29, for shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 14.

16:11 EDT Chipotle reports Q4 comparable restaurant sales increased 6.1% - Which included 2.0% of comparable restaurant transactions growth. Digital sales grew 65.6% and accounted for 12.9% of sales. Restaurant level operating margin was 17.0%, an increase from 14.9%.

16:07 EDT Zynga reports Q4 DAUs 22M vs. 22M last year - Reports Q4 mobile DAUs 21M vs. 20M last year. Reports Q4 MAUs 85M vs. 86M last year.

16:06 EDT CSX increases quarterly dividend - CSX Corporation announced that the company's board has authorized a 9% increase in its quarterly dividend, to 24c per share from 22c per share. The new quarterly dividend is payable on March 15 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 28.

16:04 EDT Zumiez reports January SSS up 3.5% - Zumiez announced that total net sales for the four-week period ended February 2 decreased 18.3% to $53.9M compared to $66M for the five-week period ended February 3. The company's comparable sales increased 3.5% for the four-week period ended February 2 compared to the four-week period ended February 3, 2018.

16:02 EDT Hawaiian Airlines reports January traffic up 4.8%, capacity up 4.6% - Load factor was up 0.2 pts.

14:43 EDT Overstock.com jumps as Monday's press release seen as 'news' on Twitter - The intraday move higher in shares of Overstock.com is being attributed the company's press release resurfacing on Twitter as "news." On Monday afternoon, Overstock.com announced its "blockchain-meets-property rights subsidiary," Medici Land Governance, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the municipality of Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico to develop a digital land records platform. When the Twitter feed of "KAF Investing" posted a screen shot of the press release this afternoon as "news," shares of Overstock.com started moving higher. The stock is currently up 7%, or $1.29, to $19.70. Reference Link

14:23 EDT Fossil sinks after Michael Kors parent highlights 'challenged' watch market - Shares of Fossil Group (FOSL) are down after Capri Holdings (CPRI), the parent of Michael Kors, highlighted weakness in watches during today's fiscal Q3 earnings call. Fossil is a licensee of Michael Kors watches. The "overall watch category was more challenged than we anticipated in the quarter," Capri said on its call. The company added that the constant currency comparable sales decline it expects in Q4 includes the expectation that "watches and jewelries will continue to negatively impact comparable sales closer to the higher rates seen in the third quarter." Shares of Fossil are down 10%, or $1.62, to $15.25 in afternoon trading while Movado Group (MOV), another watch maker, is down 3% to $31.31. Capri shares are up 12%, or $5.08, to $48.64.

13:44 EDT Vail Resorts says Sun Valley Resort, Snowbasin Resort join Epic Pass - Vail Resorts, Sun Valley Resort and Snowbasin Resort jointly announced earlier that both resorts will join the Epic Pass in a multi-year alliance beginning with 2019-20 winter season, "adding two new destinations to the world-class access found on the Epic Pass. Epic Pass holders will receive seven days of skiing or snowboarding with no restrictions at both resorts. Epic Local Pass holders will receive two days at each resort with minimal restrictions. Epic 7-Day pass holders can use any or all seven of their total days, with no blackouts, while Epic 4-Day pass holders can use any or all four of their total days of skiing and snowboarding with no restrictions at both resorts. Sun Valley is consistently ranked one of the top ski resorts in North America and Snowbasin is known as a great family-friendly destination, conveniently located near Salt Lake City."

13:05 EDT CTG completes acquisition of Tech-IT, sees as 'immediately accretive' - CTG announced the successful completion of CTG's previously announced transaction to acquire Luxembourg-based Tech-IT PSF. Initially announced on January 3,, the acquisition closed and became effective today, with the Tech-IT business now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CTG Luxembourg PSF. As previously indicated, CTG anticipates the acquired business to be immediately accretive to its operating results, excluding customary acquisition-related expenses.

13:03 EDT Airbus, Dassault Aviation sign concept study contract for combat air system - France and Germany have awarded the first-ever contract - a Joint Concept Study - to Dassault Aviation and Airbus for the Future Combat Air System program. Starting date for the two-year study is 20 February 2019. Its aim is to conceptualize the different FCAS capabilities and to pave the way for future design, industrialization, as well as an estimated full operational capability by 2040. This planned Next Generation Weapons System will consist of a highly capable manned "New Generation Fighter" teaming with a set of new and upgraded weapons as well as a set of unmanned systems linked by a Combat Cloud and its Ecosystem embedded in a System-of-Systems FCAS architecture. The study will prepare and initiate demonstrator programs for launch at the Paris Air Show in June 2019.

12:16 EDT Publicis sees 'bumpy ride' in Q1, 'relatively high attrition' in 2019 - Publicis (PUBGY) said in its earnings release, "We have begun 2019 with optimism even though we expect a bumpy ride in the first quarter due to the prolonged effects in the first months of the year of the FMCG client attrition of Q4 2018. However, the ramp-up of the significant accounts won towards the end of 2018 should lead to improved organic growth as of the second quarter. After very good performance in 2018, Net revenue from the strategic game changers should continue to grow fast in 2019. At the same time, we expect relatively high attrition in 2019 which should cause higher volatility of our quarterly organic growth. We expect 2019 organic growth to accelerate compared with 2018 and we confirm our objective of +4.0% organic growth for the full year 2020. We are counting on a 30 to 50-basis point increase of our operating margin rate in 2019 and 2020. Growth of our headline diluted EPS should be between 5 and 10% at constant exchange rates in 2019 and in 2020." Shares of Publicis are down 17c to $15.65 following its Q4 results while Omnicom (OMC) and Interpublic Group (IPG) are down 4% and WPP (WPP) is down 2%.

12:11 EDT Publicis promotes Steve King to Chief Operating Officer - Publicis announced that Steve King, CEO of Publicis Media, has been promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer of the company. He will be responsible for developing the marketing transformation industry practices in Commerce, Data, Dynamic Creativity Optimization, Production and Investment. Nigel Vaz has also been promoted to CEO of Publicis.Sapient.

12:06 EDT Omnicom, Interpublic, WPP fall after Publicis reports Q4 results

12:00 EDT Calix falls -25.6% - Calix is down -25.6%, or -$2.78 to $8.10.

12:00 EDT Aspen Aerogels rises 14.3% - Aspen Aerogels is up 14.3%, or 40c to $3.19.

12:00 EDT Snap rises 26.6% - Snap is up 26.6%, or $1.88 to $8.91.

11:44 EDT SEI Investments VP Paul Klauder purchased over 3K company shares - SEI Investments VP Paul Klauder disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had purchased 3,110 shares of company stock at an average price of $49.81 on February 5. The total transaction value was $154,909.

11:15 EDT Teva announces U.S. launch of generic version of Sabril - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced the launch of a generic version of Sabril tablets, 500 mg in the US, the first generic version of Sabril tablets to enter the U.S. market. Vigabatrin oral tablets are indicated as adjunctive therapy for adults and children with refractory complex partial seizures who have inadequately responded to several alternative treatments and for whom the potential benefits outweigh the risk of vision loss. Vigabatrin tablets are not indicated as a first line treatment for CPS. Sabril tablets had annual sales of $180M in the U.S., according to IQVIA data as of November 2018.

10:45 EDT Strauss Zelnick says 'thrilled' at how CBS is operating - Strauss Zelnick is speaking on CNBC.

10:41 EDT Take-Two CEO 'skeptical' subscription model will be wining gaming strategy - Strauss Zelnick is speaking on CNBC.

10:37 EDT Take-Two CEO says 'we are not seeing any competitive headwinds at all' - Strauss Zelnick is speaking on CNBC.

10:33 EDT Kroger, Home Chef expand nationwide retail rollout - The Kroger Co. and Home Chef announced the introduction of retail meal kits to new cities, bringing the weekly rotating meal solution to 500 additional Kroger Family of Stores across the country. Additionally, homechef.com has launched a customizable meal kit feature for online orders, allowing customers to have more flexibility in deciding what's for dinner by providing the choice to change and upgrade recipe ingredients. The feature-the first among leading meal kit brands-offers unprecedented variety for customers. "Kroger continues to redefine the customer experience and provide new ways to shop for, prep and cook meals through exciting brick-and-mortar and digital experiences," said Robert Clark, Kroger's senior vice president of merchandising. "Last October, Kroger introduced Home Chef retail meal kits, and we're now expanding to add the easy-to-prepare recipes to hundreds of new locations, providing convenient access to the meal solution at more than 700 stores. We look forward to the continued growth of Home Chef in 2019 through expansion and new products."

10:21 EDT J.C. Penney says to discontinue selling major appliances - JCPenney said in a blog post that it has made the decision to discontinue selling major appliances effective February 28 in order to better meet customer expectations, improve financial performance and drive profitable growth. Additionally, furniture will only be available at jcp.com and select Puerto Rico stores. "While configurations vary by store, we are finalizing new layout options, including the reduction of store space previously dedicated to appliance and furniture showrooms to maximize efficiencies, reduce inventory and create an enhanced shopping experience that inspires repeat shopping trips. Optimizing the allocation of store space will enable us to prioritize and focus on the company's legacy strengths in apparel and soft home furnishings, which represent higher margin opportunities. Customers can purchase major appliances in stores and online through Feb. 28 and receive free basic delivery and installation on new model purchases over $299. All protection plans and manufacturer's warranty agreements will remain in effect for the applicable warranty period."

10:14 EDT General Motors sees Q1 as the weakest quarter of 2019 - Sees commodity, tariff headwinds in 2019 "to the tune of $1B." Sees China equity income down "moderately" y/y.

10:14 EDT General Motors says expects to spend $1B in GM Cruise segment in 2019

10:09 EDT General Motors CEO says sees continued macro uncertainties - CEO Mary Barra says she sees continued macro uncertainties, but sees managing through uncertainties based on current market conditions. Says China was challenging for the entire industry in Q4 and that it is "increasingly challenging." Says South America business "remains a concern." In morning trading, GM shares are up nearly 2% to $40.05.

10:01 EDT John Wiley names Jesse Wiley as non-executive chairman - John Wiley & Sons announced that Jesse Wiley, a member of the seventh generation of the Wiley family, has been appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Wiley has served on the Board since 2012. He will succeed Matthew Kissner, who has served as Chairman since 2015. Kissner will step down from the Board to take on the role of EVP and Group Executive reporting into President and CEO, Brian Napack. Napack has asked Kissner to take on the role of EVP and Group Executive, with operational oversight of Wiley's business units.

10:00 EDT Paycom rises 13.8% - Paycom is up 13.8%, or $21.69 to $178.65.

10:00 EDT Snap rises 26.9% - Snap is up 26.9%, or $1.90 to $8.94.

09:47 EDT Calix falls -14.1% - Calix is down -14.1%, or -$1.53 to $9.35.

09:47 EDT Arlo Technologies falls -35.9% - Arlo Technologies is down -35.9%, or -$2.72 to $4.85.

09:47 EDT Zendesk rises 13.6% - Zendesk is up 13.6%, or $9.35 to $77.95.

09:46 EDT Camping World mentioned positively at Off Wall Street

09:40 EDT Spotify CEO says 'staying steady' on long-term margin goal - Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is speaking on CNBC.

09:37 EDT Intelsat rises after Kerrisdale says 'bull thesis unchanged' - In a newly published report, Kerrisdale Capital Management said it believes an "investment in Intelsat (I) represents exceptional value ahead of important catalysts as the regulatory process enters its final stages." Recent international spectrum auctions suggest the company's C band holdings are worth substantially more than what is implied in the current stock price and "the C-Band Alliance holds the keys to unlocking it," Kerrisdale writes in its report. In early trading, Intelsat shares rose $1.41, or 6%, to $25.35. Reference Link

09:08 EDT Lightbridge awarded patent in China for metallic fuel design - Lightbridge announced that it has received a notice of allowance in the People's Republic of China for another patent, which, once issued, is expected to be valid until 2035, relating to its innovative metallic fuel design. This new patent allowance expands Lightbridge's growing patent portfolio in China as it prepares for full-scale deployment of its innovative fuel designs in Asia and around the world. This latest patent provides protection in China for a fuel assembly design incorporating multi-lobe fuel rods for use in CANDU heavy water reactors. According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 49 CANDU-type pressurized heavy water reactors currently in use around the world.

09:06 EDT Avrobio announces updated clinical data from ongoing studies for AVR-RD-01 - AVROBIO announced clinical trial updates from the ongoing investigator-sponsored Phase 1 clinical study and the AVROBIO-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial of AVR-RD-01. AVR-RD-01 is an investigational gene therapy candidate designed to treat Fabry disease by inserting the GLA gene that encodes functional alpha-galactosidase A with the goal of enabling continuous endogenous AGA production and distribution to tissues and organs. The investigator-sponsored Phase 1 study is designed to assess the safety of AVR-RD-01 in up to six patients with Fabry disease who have been treated with standard of care enzyme replacement therapy for at least six months prior to receiving AVR-RD-01. The AVROBIO-sponsored Phase 2 trial of AVR-RD-01 is an open-label, single-arm clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of AVR-RD-01 in eight to twelve treatment-naive patients who have not received ERT. To date, six patients have been dosed in the AVR-RD-01 studies - four patients in the Phase 1 study and two patients in the Phase 2 study. Across both studies, four patients have reached the point of three-month data analysis or longer after receiving AVR-RD-01 - three patients in the Phase 1 study and one patient in the Phase 2 study. All patients with reported data after dosing with AVR-RD-01 exhibited AGA plasma enzyme activity above the diagnostic range for males with classic Fabry disease, at all timepoints measured in the two studies. For the four patients assessed at three months or longer after dosing, AGA activity at the latest measure was as follows: In the Phase 1 study: Patient 1 had AGA of 1.6 nmol/hr/ml at 22 months; Patient 2 had AGA of 3.4 nmol/hr/ml at 12 months; and Patient 3 had AGA of 5.4 nmol/hr/ml at six months. In the Phase 2 study, Patient FAB-201-1 had AGA of 2.9 nmol/hr/ml at six months. Two patients in the Phase 1 study have now discontinued ERT. Patient 1 discontinued the prescribed bi-weekly treatment with ERT at the investigator's discretion and patient consent after the 18-month follow-up visit, and he remains off of ERT. Patient 3 chose not to resume the prescribed bi-weekly treatment with ERT after receiving the AVR-RD-01 dose. Substrate and metabolite levels reduced in patients in Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies. Of the three patients not on ERT treatment who were assessed for substrate and metabolite levels at three months or longer after dosing, one patient is in the Phase 2 study that evaluates ERT-naive patients and two patients are in the Phase 1 study and have discontinued ERT treatment. AVROBIO believes that meaningful changes in substrate levels could be measured in evaluating the effect of AVR-RD-01 alone in these patients, in the absence of potential confounding effects from concurrent ERT. All three of these patients showed decreases in plasma lyso-Gb3. In the Phase 2 study, Patient FAB-201-1, who was ERT-naive, had a lyso-Gb3 measurement of 31 nmol/hr/ml at six months, as compared to a lyso-Gb3 measurement of 202 nmol/hr/ml at the start of the study, representing an 85% reduction in lyso-Gb3. An additional measurement of substrate for Patient FAB-201-1 was evaluated via skin biopsy analysis, which showed a reduction in substrate inclusions in endothelial cells of the skin between baseline and at six months after treatment with AVR-RD-01. The skin biopsies were evaluated using a standard scoring system for Gb3 accumulation and clearance. The scoring system has a range of zero to 3, with a score of zero representing none or trace accumulation, and a score of 3 representing severe accumulation. This patient scored a 3 at baseline and scored a 2 at six months after treatment with AVR-RD-01, as assessed by two independent blinded readers. This tissue-related data point is consistent with, and AVROBIO believes supports, the metabolite reduction observed with plasma lyso-Gb3. For Patient 1 in the Phase 1 study, plasma lyso-Gb3 level was reduced below pre-gene therapy levels by 3 months and sustained up to 22 months with AVR-RD-01 gene therapy alone, after discontinuation of enzyme replacement therapy at month 18. For Patient 3, who chose not to resume ERT following treatment with AVR-RD-01, his initial lyso-Gb3 was 52 nmol/hr/ml, which decreased to 33 nmol/hr/ml at three months.Preliminary safety data for all patients dosed in the Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies indicate that AVR-RD-01 has been generally well tolerated; no serious adverse events assessed related to AVR-RD-01 were reported as of the safety data cut-off dates of January 1, 2019 for the Phase 2 study and November 26, 2018 for the Phase 1 study. Adverse events were as expected for patients undergoing melphalan conditioning.

09:05 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: MacroGenics (MGNX), up 122% after announcing positive results from SOPHIA, the company's Phase 3 clinical study of margetuximab in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. UP AFTER EARNINGS: General Motors (GM), up 3%... Snap (SNAP), up 22%... Zendesk (ZEN), up 12%... Boston Scientific (BSX), up 1%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Eli Lilly (LLY), down 1%... Take-Two (TTWO), down 9%... Carlyle Group (CG), down 3%... Cummins (CMI), down 2%... Electronic Arts (EA), down 15%... Spotify (SPOT), down 4%. LOWER: Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA), down 12% after filing complaint against FDA seeking to lift clinical hold on tradipitant study.

09:01 EDT 2U announces strategic partnership with Keypath Education - 2U announced a strategic partnership with Keypath Education that will allow 2U to expand the scope of services it offers to university partners by supporting smaller or lower-tuition degree programs than those it typically supports. Keypath is a preferred partner to universities in North America and the UK, and is a leader in Australia's fast-growing online higher education market. The agreement with Keypath reinforces 2U's industry-leading position and will strengthen its ability to meet expanding market opportunities. According to the 2019 Survey of College and University Chief Academic Officers, published by Inside Higher Ed in conjunction with Gallup, 83 percent of provosts say they will increase their emphasis on expanding online programs and offerings.

08:55 EDT Perspecta awarded new contract option of up to $2.7M for DARPA cyber program - Perspecta's research arm Perspecta Labs will continue its work researching and developing cyber defenses against distributed denial of service attacks for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, under a new contract modification worth up to $2.7M, dependent on successful completion of milestones. The modification represents on-contract growth as part of DARPA's Extreme DDoS Defense program.

08:47 EDT Perrigo receives FDA approval for generic version of Zovirax cream - Perrigo (PRGO) has received final approval from the FDA for its AB rated Abbreviated New Drug Application referencing Zovirax Cream, 5% developed in collaboration with Sol-Gel (SLGL). The company anticipates launching the product this month. Annual market sales for 2018 were approximately $92M.

08:42 EDT Corvus Pharmaceuticals announces presentation of CPI-444, CPI-006 data - Corvus Pharmaceuticals announced the presentation of updated biomarker and clinical results from its two lead programs that target the adenosine pathway, CPI-444, an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, and CPI-006, an anti-CD73 antibody. The data were presented at the Immuno-Oncology 360 degrees Conference. The presentation reviewed gene expression data of an adenosine gene signature recently announced by Corvus, in patients with renal cell carcinoma, or RCC, who are participating in Corvus' ongoing Phase 1/1b study of CPI-444, a selective and potent inhibitor of the adenosine A2A receptor. In particular, the data from the study showed a relationship of this novel biomarker to angiogenesis gene expression data. Such findings indicate that expression of AdenoSig was inversely related to the angiogenesis signature, which has been well studied by others and correlates with response to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, or VEGFR, inhibitors such as Sutent and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Low expression of angiogenesis genes predicts a lack of response to VEGFR inhibition. These data suggest that patients with a high AdenoSig are potentially more likely to respond to treatment with CPI-444 and less likely to respond to VEGFR inhibitors. The company also presented updated clinical results from the ongoing Phase 1/1b dose-escalation study of CPI-006 in patients with a variety of advanced cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, RCC and other cancers who have failed standard therapies. The first arm of the study is evaluating CPI-006 as a monotherapy, a second arm is evaluating CPI-006 in combination with CPI-444, and a third arm is planned to evaluate CPI-006 in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody. CPI-006 given as a monotherapy activated B cells and led to a redistribution of these cells along with changes in other immune cells. These data are consistent with immune stimulation induced by CPI-006. CPI-006 reacted with an epitope on CD73 that led to blockade of adenosine production and expression of lymphocyte activation antigens that are independent of adenosine.

08:39 EDT New York Times sees Q1 subscription revenues up low to mid-single digits - Total subscription revenues in the first quarter of 2019 are expected to increase in the low to mid-single digits compared with the first quarter of 2018, with digital-only subscription revenue expected to increase in the mid-teens. Total advertising revenues in the first quarter of 2019 are expected to decrease in the low to mid-single digits compared with the first quarter of 2018, with digital advertising revenue expected to increase in the mid-teens. Other revenues in the first quarter of 2019 are expected to increase approximately 50% compared with the first quarter of 2018. Operating costs and adjusted operating costs are expected to increase approximately 10% in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the first quarter of 2018 as a result of continued investment into the drivers of digital subscription growth: marketing, product and journalism; as well as in commercial printing operations. The Company expects the following on a pre-tax basis in 2019: Depreciation and amortization: $60M to $65M, Interest expense and other, net: $10M to $12M and Capital expenditures: $45M to $55M.

08:36 EDT General Motors up 4% to $40.85 after Q4 results beat estimates

08:35 EDT Spotify says guidance assumes costs of all deals planned for 2019

08:33 EDT Alphabet's Verily building high-tech rehab campus to combat opioid addiction - Alphabet's Verily is building a high-tech rehab campus in Dayton, Ohio, to combat opioid addiction, the company said in a blog post. Verily will join Kettering Health Network and Premier Health, two health networks, to create a not-for-profit named OneFifteen. "OneFifteen is a not-for-profit ecosystem based in Dayton and led by Marti Taylor, former CEO of University Hospital and the Ross Heart Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. OneFifteen, and its team of community partners, will strive to provide treatments that offer sustained recovery and a path forward to the many who are fighting to manage their addiction. Verily will offer tools and resources in support of the OneFifteen mission to continually evolve addiction treatment toward better and better outcomes. This is not a short-term undertaking and it will require deep commitment from all of the partners and the broader community to have an impact on this complex issue. We hope that the work of OneFifteen will be a cornerstone in advancing the field of addiction medicine, demonstrating the value of investing in behavioral health and improving the health of communities. We look forward to working with the OneFifteen team on this ambitious endeavor." Reference Link

08:30 EDT Spotify says negotiating additional acquisitions - Spotify said on its quarterly earnings conference call that it is negotiating additional acquisitions. It also said it is paying cash for Gimlet Media and Anchor, and that it will disclose the deal prices in future SEC filings.

08:21 EDT Aspen Group announces 1,363 new student enrollments in Q3 - Aspen Group announced 1,363 new student enrollments for Q3, a 40% increase year-over-year. Aspen University accounted for 1,112 new student enrollments, while United States University accounted for 251 new student enrollments.

08:14 EDT Izea appoints Troy Vanke as CFO - IZEA Worldwide announced the appointment of Troy Vanke as CFO, effective February 18, 2019. Vanke will serve on the IZEA Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to Ted Murphy, CEO of IZEA Worldwide. Vanke previously served as the Chief Accounting Officer of Diamond Resorts International.

08:12 EDT Dollar Tree to invest $130M in new Texas distribution center - Dollar Tree announced tentative plans for a new distribution center project in Rosenberg, Fort Bend County, Texas. The Company plans to invest approximately $130M, while creating more than 300 new jobs for the Rosenberg and surrounding communities. The Company's final decision to establish a new distribution facility in Rosenberg is predicated on the formal approvals of the mutually agreed upon packages with the City Council, the Rosenberg Development Corporation, and the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court. Also required are the annexation of the 140-acre site and the creation of the Reinvestment Zones, by the City and County, as well as the successful closing on the purchase of the site. Dollar Tree will invest in the construction of the new 1.2 million-square-feet distribution facility that will provide service directly to Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. Construction is planned to commence in the April to May 2019 period, with the facility expected to be operational by summer 2020.

08:10 EDT Zogenix submits Fintepla NDA to FDA, Fintepla MAA to EMA - Zogenix announced it has completed its rolling submission of a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA and submitted a marketing authorization application, or MAA, to the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for Fintepla for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome. Dravet syndrome is an intractable and difficult-to-treat epilepsy that begins in infancy and is associated with frequent, severe, and potentially life-threatening seizures, developmental delay, and cognitive impairment. Both applications are based on data from two pivotal Phase 3 trials in Dravet syndrome and an interim analysis from an ongoing open-label extension study, which included 232 patients treated for up to 21 months.

08:09 EDT Splunk, NewYork-Presbyterian partner to prevent controlled substance misuse - Splunk and NewYork-Presbyterian are working together to develop new data analytics tools that prevent the potential diversion of controlled substances, including opioids. NewYork-Presbyterian approached Splunk to develop the controlled substance monitoring platform, while also enhancing patient privacy, because of its products' unique ability to synthesize big data analytics with a massive volume and a variety of data from hundreds of clinical applications, systems and data sources. NewYork-Presbyterian, which currently uses Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Enterprise Security to monitor IT security operations, recognized that the same principles could be used to build a platform to more closely safeguard controlled substances and other medications. The enhanced Splunk controlled substance monitoring platform, which will be implemented in Q2, will enable NewYork-Presbyterian to track data from electronic health records, Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances platforms, pharmacy dispensing systems and other sources, delivering insights to guard against the diversion of these medications. With the enhanced system, NewYork-Presbyterian will be able to see if drugs are being diverted for potentially illegitimate purposes.

08:08 EDT Catalyst study results show four-fold reduction in bleeding time for CB 2679d-GT - Catalyst Biosciences presented preclinical proof-of-concept data of CB 2679d-GT Factor IX gene therapy in hemophilia B mice. The adeno-associated virus-based CB 2679d Factor IX gene therapy candidate demonstrated superior results when compared with an AAV-encoded Padua vector in both reduction in bleeding times and clotting activity. The data were presented in a poster at the 12th Annual Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders held Feb. 6-8, 2019 in Prague. The 20-week preclinical study compared the activity of CB 2679d-GT with that of an AAV-encoding FIX-R338L Padua in hemophilia B mice. Treatment with both CB 2679d-GT and FIX-Padua showed a reduced clotting time within the first week that remained stable up to the 20-week study endpoint. CB 2679d-GT demonstrated a statistically significant, three-fold improvement in clotting activity (p less than0.04), compared with FIX-Padua. Furthermore, when evaluated at 20 weeks, there was a four-fold reduction in bleeding time after treatment with CB 2679d-GT compared to FIX-Padua at both the 5x109 vg/mouse and the 1x1010 vg/mouse (p less than 0.01) dose levels. These results suggest that CB 2679d-GT exhibits a superior hemostatic potency when compared with FIX-Padua.

08:07 EDT IBM, Smart Energy Water sign multi-year agreement - Smart Energy Water has signed a multi-million dollar agreement with IBM to leverage the IBM Cloud for SEW platform global deployment over the next five years. Through the new agreement, SEW will access the flexibility and scalability of the IBM Cloud to provide a common global infrastructure for their enterprise web and mobile applications.

08:06 EDT Chimerix announces resignation of president and CEO M. Michelle Berrey - Chimerix announced that M. Michelle Berrey, M.D., M.P.H., has resigned from her role as Chimerix President and CEO. W. Garrett Nichols, Timothy W. Trost and Michael A. Alrutz have been appointed as members of a newly created position, the Office of the CEO, on an interim basis until a replacement is found. In addition to their new roles within the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nichols will continue to serve as Chimerix's Chief Medical Officer; Mr. Trost will continue to serve as Chimerix's Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary; and Mr. Alrutz will continue to serve as Chimerix's Senior Vice President, General Counsel.

08:05 EDT Lowe's to host National Hiring Day to hire more than 50,000 associates - Lowe's will host its second annual National Hiring Day to hire more than 50,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal associates across its more than 1,700 U.S. stores. Candidates can apply in-person at Lowe's stores nationwide from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 13. They will have the opportunity to meet hiring managers, speak with associates and some may receive on-the-spot offers.

08:04 EDT 21st Century Fox reports filmed entertainment revenue down 4% to $2.16B - Cable Network Programming reported quarterly segment OIBDA of $1.45 billion, a 7% increase over the prior year quarter as 4% revenue growth led by higher affiliate revenues was partially offset by a 2% increase in expenses. Domestic cable revenue increased 7% led by growth in both affiliate and advertising revenues. Television reported a quarterly segment OIBDA loss of $22 million, a decrease of $78 million from the amount reported in the prior year quarter, as 19% segment revenue growth from increases in advertising, affiliate and content revenues were more than offset by a 24% increase in expenses. Filmed Entertainment generated quarterly segment OIBDA of $193 million, a 47% increase over the $131 million reported in the prior year quarter. Quarterly segment revenues decreased 4% to $2.16 billion, primarily reflecting lower home entertainment revenue at the film studio and lower syndication revenue at the television production studio.

08:03 EDT Arconic appoints John Plant as CEO - Arconic announced that its Board of Directors has appointed John Plant, current Chairman of the Board, to serve as Chairman and CEO. The Board has also appointed Elmer Doty, a current Director, to serve as COO, and Arthur Collins, Jr., a current Director, to serve as Lead Director. These appointments are effective immediately. Plant succeeds Chip Blankenship as CEO, and together with Doty, Plant will oversee the company's operations as well as the ongoing strategy and portfolio review. It is expected that Plant will serve in the role of CEO for a period of one year. Arconic also announced that it expects to provide an update regarding the strategy and portfolio review when it announces fourth quarter 2018 and full year 2018 financial results on February 8, 2019. Plant previously served as CEO of TRW Automotive from 2003 to 2015. Doty has extensive knowledge of Arconic's aerospace and defense markets, having served from December 2012 to February 2016 as President and CEO of Accudyne Industries.

07:47 EDT Bombardier sells nine CRJ900 aircraft to Chorus Aviation for approximately $437M - Bombardier announced that a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation has finalized a firm purchase agreement for nine CRJ900 aircraft. These aircraft will be operated by Jazz Aviation, a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation, under the Air Canada Express banner, making them the first Canadian operator of the new Atmosphere cabin for CRJ Series regional jets. Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the order is valued at approximately $437M. Jazz, under the Air Canada Express brand, will operate the CRJ900 in a dual-class cabin configuration with 76 seats. The airline intends to take delivery of their first aircraft with the latest enhancement to the CRJ Series regional jets, the atmosphere cabin in the first half of 2020.

07:40 EDT SAIC appoints Nathan Rogers as Chief Information Officer - Science Applications International Corp. announced that Nathan Rogers will assume the role of Chief Information Officer effective Feb. 2, reporting to SAIC CEO Tony Moraco. Rogers succeeds Bob Fecteau who retires from the company in April. Prior to joining SAIC, Rogers was the CIO for Engility, which was acquired by SAIC earlier this year.

07:39 EDT Eldorado Resorts appoints Stephanie Lepori as Chief Administrative Officer - Eldorado Resorts announced that the company's current Principal Accounting Officer, Stephanie Lepori, has been appointed to the additional role of Chief Administrative Officer. As Chief Administrative Officer, Lepori will oversee human resources and benefits in addition to information technology, insurance placement and the Company's internal collaboration between the internal audit, compliance and risk departments. She will also continue to assist the Company's Chief Financial Officer with oversight of all accounting, treasury and financial reporting functions as Principal Accounting Officer.

07:34 EDT Humana raises cash dividend 10% to 55c from 50c per share - This dividend will be payable on April 26 to stockholders of record on March 29.

07:27 EDT Vanda files complaint against FDA seeking to lift clinical hold on study - Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced last night that it has filed a complaint against the FDA requesting that the court lift a partial clinical hold the agency "illegally imposed prohibiting Vanda from studying a new drug in humans for more than 12 weeks without conducting unnecessary and unethical animal studies." The company explained, "Vanda has taken this legal action as it works through the FDA development process for tradipitant, a potential treatment for several human conditions including gastroparesis. During the course of drug development, animal studies are routinely conducted to identify potential toxicities in humans. FDA guidance documents outline the types of animal studies, including the appropriate species and duration, that are recommended to provide sufficient evidence of safety before a drug is studied in humans. However, the recommendations in FDA guidance documents are not legally binding on either the FDA or drug developers. If a company submits information to the FDA to show that further study in humans would be safe based on different information, the FDA is supposed to evaluate the company's proposal and make a case-specific, science-based determination as to whether it agrees. In Vanda's case, the FDA did not do so. It has instead treated a non-binding recommendation that nine-month non-rodent toxicity studies should be conducted before a drug is studied in humans for longer than three months as a non-negotiable requirement. Solely because Vanda has refused to conduct this study, which usually involves young beagles as the test subjects, each of which must be "sacrificed" to permit evaluation of the animal's tissues, the FDA has placed a partial clinical hold on Vanda's studies of tradipitant. Tradipitant studies can proceed up to 12 weeks duration. The FDA has imposed this partial hold without providing any specific scientific justification. As a matter of law, the FDA is not permitted to do that. As a result, Vanda has sued in federal court for judicial relief. "

07:21 EDT Limoneira, Lewis Group JV closes on initial 55 residential lots with KB Home - Limoneira Company (LMNR) announced that its 50%/50% real estate development joint venture with The Lewis Group of Companies has closed the initial 55 lots with KB Home (KBH). KB Home is one of the primary builders for the first 180 homes in the initial 632 residential units of the Company's Harvest at Limoneira project. KB Home purchased fifty-five single-family lots within Harvest at Limoneira and they intend to build two different floor plans utilizing four distinct architectural elevations. The first phase of the project broke ground in November 2017. Project plans include approximately 632 residential units in the initial phase and 1,500 residential units for the entire project. Limoneira Lewis Community Builders, is a 50%/50% real estate development joint venture between Limoneira and Lewis that will engage in the residential development of Harvest at Limoneira.

07:19 EDT Caesarstone sees FY19 revenue $580M-$600M, consensus $574.16M - Sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $72M-$80M.

07:17 EDT Universal Electronics COO Lou Hughes steps down - Effective February 1, 2019, COO Lou Hughes stepped down to explore other opportunities. Hughes will continue to serve in a part-time capacity as Strategic Advisor to the CEO to ensure a smooth transition of his COO duties.

07:16 EDT F5 Networks announces partnership with Equinix - F5 Networks announced the availability of a joint solution with Equinix, the global interconnection and data center company, that provides automated HSM capabilities as-a-service. Previously introduced at F5's 2018 global Agility conference, this integration combines F5 BIG-IP and Equinix SmartKey technologies to simplify encryption key lifecycle management and provide superior security for organizations hesitant to store their ever-increasing number of keys in the public cloud. The joint Equinix and F5 solution brings together HSM and KMS capabilities into a cloud-agnostic HSM as a Service offering to deliver the security and simplicity required for both hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

07:15 EDT Universal Electronics upgrading manufacturing footprint outside China - UEI is actively upgrading its manufacturing footprint outside China. To offset the impact of higher US tariffs for products that are made in China, UEI is actively moving production to UEM, its expanded facility in Monterrey, Mexico, and to a newly-assigned contract manufacturing partner in the Philippines. While transferring production and supply chain for the US market to strategically selected new territories, UEI is also optimizing its manufacturing footprint in China to continue to meet the needs of customers in other international markets. As part of its newly-expanded UEM facility, UEI is also relocating its US-based customer service organization to further optimize operational logistics. UEI anticipates completing these transitions in the first half of 2019. As a key part of the expansion of its global manufacturing operations and the streamlining of its Asian operations, UEI is pleased to announce that Mr. Joseph Miketo has re-joined the company as SVP, Manufacturing and Operations. He will report to Paul Arling, Chairman and CEO, and will be based in Hong Kong, where he will lead UEI's global manufacturing operations.

07:15 EDT Universal Electronics ro relocate corporate headquarters to Arizona - Universal Electronics announced operational transformation plans to support investment in innovation and to maximize shareh older value. To better and more efficiently serve its customers, UEI is relocating two of its regional offices. First, to better support China engineering and manufacturing centers, UEI is moving its regional engineering leadership, supply chain and customer support functions out of its current Hong Kong offices and relocating to existing UEI facilities in Panyu and Shuzou. This process began in late 2018 and is expected to be completed over the next three to six months. Second, to stem the rising cost of finance and administration services in Southern California and to help ensure the flow of skilled talent into the organization, UEI is relocating its corporate headquarters from Santa Ana, California to Scottsdale, Arizona. This move will affect back-office functions and related positions, comprising mostly of Finance, Accounting, Legal, HR and IT, which are expected to transition to the new corporate headquarters over the next three to nine months. UEI will retain the technical, creative, and innovations teams located at the existing Santa Ana facility. Customer Service will be moved to the facility in Monterrey, Mexico.

07:08 EDT Codexis announces enzyme supply agreement with Kyorin Pharmaceutical - Codexis announced a multi-year, exclusive supply agreement with Kyorin Pharmaceutical for the supply of a proprietary enzyme to be used in the manufacture of vibegron, an active ingredient in Beova tablets, a novel, once-daily treatment for overactive bladder. The product was commercially launched in Japan in November 2018.

07:06 EDT Capricor: FDA, DSMB grant permission to resume enrollment in HOPE-2 study

07:06 EDT Cognizant appoints Brian Humphries as CEO, president Rajeev Mehta stepping down - Cognizant (CTSH) has appointed Brian Humphries, currently the CEO of Vodafone (VOD) Business, as its CEO and a member of the board of directors, effective April 1. Following Humphries' appointment, Francisco D'Souza, who has served as CEO since 2007, will serve as full-time Executive Vice Chairman to facilitate the transition through June 30. Thereafter, he will remain on the board as Vice Chairman. Rajeev Mehta will step down as the Company's President, effective April 1.

07:06 EDT Hyster-Yale Group selects Dana as supplier of drive and motion products - Dana (DAN) announced a strategic, multi-year supply agreement that positions the company as a preferred global supplier of drive and motion products for Hyster-Yale Group, the wholly owned operating subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (HY). Under the terms of the agreement, Dana will leverage its broad design and engineering capabilities, expansive line of field-proven drive and motion technologies, global manufacturing and aftermarket footprint, customer-centric perspective, and expertise as a trusted top-tier supplier to support Hyster-Yale's long-term strategic initiatives. The agreement encompasses a wide range of lift-truck vehicles sold under the Hyster and Yale brand names, including Class 1 through Class 5 forklift trucks, reach stackers, and container handlers.

07:04 EDT Asbury Automotive reports Q4 same store revenue up 4% - Q4 same store: Revenue increased 4%; gross profit increased 2%; New vehicle revenue increased 3%; gross profit decreased 7%; Used vehicle retail revenue increased 7%; gross profit increased 7%; Finance and insurance revenue and gross profit increased 3%; Parts and service revenue increased 5%; gross profit increased 5%.

06:56 EDT TakeTwo Interactive Software trading halted, news pending

06:51 EDT Brown & Brown acquires Lambert, Riddle, Schimmel & Company - J. Scott Penny, Chief Acquisitions Officer of Brown & Brown, and Jim Riddle and Tom Schimmel, the shareholders of Lambert, Riddle, Schimmel & Company, announced that Brown & Brown Insurance Agency of Virginia, a subsidiary of Brown & Brown, has acquired substantially all of the assets of LRS&C. LRS&C traces its roots back to July 1917 in Virginia and Washington, DC. The firm provides a wide variety of personal and business insurance products and services to clients in the Mid-Atlantic Region. LRS&C's annualized revenue is approximately $1.6M. Following the acquisition, the LRS&C team will join Brown & Brown's existing Manassas, Virginia office and will operate under the leadership of Bill Strachan.

06:43 EDT AstraZeneca reports FDA grants orphan designation to Fasenra - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Fasenra for the treatment of hypereosinophilic syndrome, a group of rare, potentially fatal disorders characterised by high numbers of eosinophils in blood and tissues, AstraZeneca announced. In November 2018, the FDA granted ODD for Fasenra for the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, the company noted.

06:35 EDT Eli Lilly says performance in Q4 capped an important year - "Lilly's performance in the fourth quarter of 2018 capped an important year for the company, as we continued to launch new medicines, invest in our pipeline and deliver solid financial results," said David Ricks, Lilly's chairman and CEO. "The portfolio of medicines that we have launched over the past five years is providing a strong foundation on which to grow our business, while the pending acquisition of Loxo Oncology is the latest example of our commitment to develop new medicines that will transform the care of many serious illnesses. We are determined to raise the bar even higher in 2019 so that more people around the world can benefit from Lilly medicines."

06:32 EDT Humana raises cash dividend 10% to 55c from 50c per share

06:22 EDT Azul expects to add 21 next-generation aircraft this year - Azul announces a significant acceleration in its fleet transformation program. The company expects to add 21 next-generation aircraft this year, an increase of eight aircraft from its previous plan. These additions will be offset by the retirement of 15 Embraer E195 E1s, seven more than previously announced. Consistent with our fleet upgauging strategy, total available seat kilometers are expected to increase by 18% while departures should grow by only 5%. For John Rodgerson, CEO of Azul, this acceleration is a further step in achieving Azul's margin expansion plan. "Azul ended 2018 with a fleet of 20 A320neo aircraft, which provide significant revenue uplift to all parts of our business. The extra seats offer passengers improved connectivity throughout our network; our TudoAzul loyalty customers love the additional redemption opportunities; and our Azul Cargo business fills up the extra belly space. All of these benefits come with an impressive 29% lower seat cost than our current generation aircraft. We are equally excited about the entry of our next-generation Embraer E2, which themselves provide a 26% lower seat cost than the current airplanes." By the end of 2019, an industry-leading 40% of Azul's capacity is expected be flown on next-generation aircraft.

06:20 EDT Daimler AG sees 2019 group EBIT 'slightly above' 2018 - On the basis of the anticipated market developments and the planning of the divisions, Daimler assumes that Group EBIT in 2019 will be slightly above the level of 2018. It will also include significant positive effects on assets and earnings at the Daimler Financial Services division from the merger of its mobility services with those of the BMW Group. The expected growth in unit sales and revenue at all divisions will have a positive impact on the development of earnings. Group EBIT will be negatively affected by the continuation of very high expenditure: for the model offensives, for innovative technologies especially for reducing fuel consumption and for electrification, for the digitization of products and processes, and for the expansion and modernization of the worldwide production capacities.

06:19 EDT Fluor unit wins pipeline maintenance contract in Colombia - Fluor announced that Stork, part of Fluor's Diversified Services segment, was awarded a five-year maintenance contract by Ecopetrol's wholly-owned subsidiary, Cenit Transportation and Logistics, in Colombia. Stork will provide maintenance services for Ecopetrol's hydrocarbon transportation network in Colombia. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the fourth quarter of 2018.

06:14 EDT Disney says ESPN+ now has 2M paid subscriptions - Disney said yesterday on its earnings conference call that ESPN+, its standalone subscription streaming service that launched in April, now has 2M paid subscriptions, up from 1M in September.

06:10 EDT Walker & Dunlop authorizes $50M share repurchase program - Walker & Dunlop's board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $50M of the company's outstanding common stock over the coming one-year period. Purchases made pursuant to the program will be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions from time to time as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements.

06:07 EDT MacroGenics reports 'positive' results from Phase 3 SOPHIA study of margetuximab - MacroGenics announced positive results from SOPHIA, the company's Phase 3 clinical study of margetuximab in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Margetuximab is an investigational immune-enhancing monoclonal antibody derived from the company's proprietary Fc Optimization technology platform. The SOPHIA clinical trial met the primary endpoint of prolongation of progression-free survival in patients treated with the combination of margetuximab plus chemotherapy compared to trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. Patients in the margetuximab arm experienced a 24% risk reduction in PFS compared to patients in the trastuzumab arm. Notably, approximately 85% of patients in the study were carriers of the CD16A 158F allele, which has been previously associated with diminished clinical response to HERCEPTIN and other antibodies. In this pre-specified subpopulation, patients in the margetuximab arm experienced a 32% risk reduction in PFS compared to patients in the trastuzumab arm. Results of the SOPHIA study are being prepared for submission for publication and presentation later this year at a major scientific conference. Follow-up for determination of the impact of therapy on the sequential primary endpoint of overall survival is ongoing, as pre-specified in the study protocol and recommended by the trial's independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee. MacroGenics anticipates submitting a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA in the second half of 2019. The SOPHIA study enrolled 536 patients at approximately 200 trial sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Patients were treated with either margetuximab or trastuzumab in combination with one of four chemotherapy agents (capecitabine, eribulin, gemcitabine or vinorelbine). All study patients had previously received trastuzumab and pertuzumab, and approximately 90% had previously received ado-trastuzumab emtansine. The combination of margetuximab and chemotherapy demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability, comparable overall to that of trastuzumab and chemotherapy.

06:03 EDT KBR, Wood secure multi-million dollar contract to deliver FEED for WA platform - Wood and KBR have secured a new multi-million dollar contract to deliver integrated front-end engineering design, or FEED, for Shell Australia's Crux project to build a not normally manned, or NNM, platform and gas export pipeline located approximately 600km north of Broome, offshore Western Australia, or WA. The Crux facilities will be an important source of backfill gas supply to the Shell-operated prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility. The remotely operated, minimum facilities NNM platform concept for Crux will dry the gas and export the gas/condensate to prelude via a new 160km multiphase gas pipeline. The services will be delivered over 18-months by Wood and KBR's engineering and project management teams in Perth, WA, supported by Wood's Kuala Lumpur resource base. The teams will provide a single integrated FEED for the Crux topsides, jacket, export pipeline and subsea pipeline end manifold. Wood and KBR bring together over 80 years of history working in the Australian energy industry combining their collective strengths in subsea engineering and offshore gas processing facilities.

06:00 EDT Embraer, Sierra Nevada awarded contract to deliver A-29s for Nigerian Air Force - Embraer Defense & Security and its partner Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, were awarded a contract to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force. The A-29 is conducting combat missions on a daily basis in theaters around the world. It has more than 46,000 combat hours and more than 360,000 total flight hours. With the Nigeria order, the A-29 is the choice of 14 air forces worldwide. In addition to its combat record, the A-29's robust landing gear and enhanced clearance enable take-off and landing in even the most austere field conditions. The aircraft also offers exceptional dependability and accuracy in weapons delivery, making it highly effective in the light attack role. The contract for the Nigerian Air Force includes ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment, alternate mission equipment, contiguous U.S. interim contractor support, outside of continental U.S., or OCONUS, contractor logistic support and field service representatives for OCONUS support.

05:33 EDT Novelion Therapeutics subsidiary enters into licensing agreement with Recordati - Novelion Therapeutics announced that its subsidiary, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Recordati Rare Diseases for the commercialization of JUXTAPID in Japan. The agreement includes exclusive rights in Japan for Recordati to commercialize JUXTAPID for the current approved indication, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HoFH, and Aegerion grants Recordati an exclusive right of first negotiation for product commercialization in Japan of any potential new indications that may be developed by Aegerion. Under the terms of the agreement, Aegerion will receive a $25 million upfront payment, and an additional $5 million upon transfer of the JUXTAPID marketing authorization in Japan to Recordati. Commercial milestone payments of up to an additional $80 million in the aggregate may become payable to Aegerion in prescribed increments, beginning at the end of the first quarter in which cumulative net sales in Japan reach $70 million, and continuing for each increase in cumulative net sales of $70 million thereafter, until cumulative net sales in Japan reach $700 million. Recordati will also pay Aegerion on a quarterly basis a 22.5% royalty on net sales of JUXTAPID in Japan.

05:13 EDT Associated Banc-Corp announces $100M stock repurchase program - The board of Associated Banc-Corp authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of Associated's common stock. This repurchase authorization is in addition to the previously authorized repurchases. There remains approximately $111M under the previous authorizations, such that there is now approximately $211M authorized in the aggregate.