Stockwinners Market Radar for February 07, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:15 EDT Ellington Financial reports est. book value per share of $19.06 as of January 31 - Ellington Financial LLC announced that its estimated book value per share as of January 31, 2019 was $19.06. Estimated book value per share is subject to change upon completion of the company's month-end valuation procedures relating to its investment positions, and any such change could be material. There can be no assurance that the company's estimated book value per share as of January 31, 2019 is indicative of what the company's results are likely to be for the three month period ending March 31, 2019 or in future periods, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise its estimated book value per share prior to issuance of financial statements for such periods.

18:59 EDT Vocera says federal, international bookings fell short in Q4 - Vocera Communications said on tonight's earnings call, "Despite a strong bookings performance through the first three quarters of the year, we saw mixed results in our bookings in Q4. We had great success with the large strategic wins and strong software bookings. However, our federal and international bookings fell short of our expectations for Q4. We also saw a decline in device bookings after record device bookings in Q2 and Q3. We attribute this to two factors: First, our bookings in the set are typically badge heavy. And second, we believe that despite our best efforts to keep it a secret, news of the coming Smartbadge may have gotten out negatively impacting Q4 in device bookings."

18:48 EDT Evolus CEO says: 'Product, company was designed to compete with market leader' - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Evolus CEO David Moatazedi said, "Our product and company was designed to compete with the market leader... We've branded the company around Millenials... The synthetic market is being powered by Millenial growth... Jeuveau is manufactured out of a new facility."

18:41 EDT Ziopharm falls, rebounds in after-hours - After the market close, shares of Ziopharm (ZIOP) fell after a regulatory filing from the company was misinterpreted as a new sale of shares. David Connolly, Ziopharm VP of corporate communications and investor relations, noted in a statement that Ziopharm "did not register to sell, the company registered shares as common that were already sold in a private placement." At their lows, shares traded down to $2.15 per share, but have since come back and are trading at $2.29 per share.

18:24 EDT IAC CEO: 'Goal for all our businesses is to eventually spin them off' - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, IAC CEO Joey Levin said, "The goal for all of our businesses is to eventually spin them off so they can stand on their own... We've been fortunate to have each of our businesses individually growing... We've been in love with the subscription model for a long time."

17:47 EDT MNG says continuing to pursue Gannett acquisition at $12 per share - MNG Enterprises, largest active shareholder of Gannett Co., Inc. with a 7.5% ownership stake, announced that it has delivered notice of its nomination of six "highly qualified and experienced individuals" to serve on the Board of Directors of Gannett. The nominations follow Gannett's rejection of MNG's premium, all-cash proposal to acquire Gannett for $12.00 per share and its refusal to extend the deadline for director nominations to facilitate continued discussions towards a negotiated transaction. MNG's proposal represents a 41% cash premium to the Gannett share price on December 31, 2018. MNG stated the following: "It remains MNG's singular preference to pursue a negotiated transaction, which we believe would be in the best interest of all Gannett shareholders. To that end, MNG has expended significant time and resources performing all the necessary analysis, and MNG and its advisors met with Gannett and its advisors earlier today to address Gannett's questions regarding our premium, all-cash proposal. We also expressed our belief that engagement towards a transaction in the best interest of Gannett shareholders would be more productive without the distraction of an unnecessary and costly proxy contest. Gannett categorically refused to extend the deadline for director nominations before meeting with us. Therefore MNG's only option to preserve its rights was to submit its slate of director candidates today. We reviewed with Gannett a clear path to completing an all-cash transaction on the terms that we proposed, including our path to financing the transaction and analysis on antitrust matters and pension liabilities, clearly demonstrating that neither issue would be an impediment to closing. We also shared our perspective on leadership for the combined company and on the importance of valued employees to the long-term sustainability and success of the newspaper business. We hope that Gannett and its advisors review our compelling offer and analysis shared today with the same sincerity that we demonstrated in today's meeting. We look forward to an expeditious response and stand ready to enter into negotiations. The only thing blocking a value maximizing transaction is Gannett's board, which refused to extend the nomination deadline before even hearing what MNG had to say. Our advisors have expressed strong and unequivocal opinions based on public information that there is no impediment to completing a mutually beneficial transaction and potentially improved terms if given access to non-public information."

17:33 EDT Churchill Downs launches BetAmerica sports betting and online casino - Churchill Downs announced that it launched its BetAmerica online real-money sports betting and online casino platform in New Jersey through its partnership with Golden Nugget Casino. "We are excited to introduce our online BetAmerica Sportsbook and online casino platform to New Jersey residents," said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. "We look forward to delivering innovative, state-of-the-art products that we believe will exceed our customers' expectations by leveraging our deep experience as the leader in online horse race wagering through our TwinSpires platform."

17:27 EDT Bank of America increases share repurchase plan by $2.5B - Bank of America announced an increase to its common stock repurchase program by an additional $2.5B in common stock to be repurchased by June 30, 2019. The company previously announced plans on June 28, 2018 to repurchase $20B in common stock from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, plus repurchases to offset shares awarded under equity-based compensation plans during the same period, estimated to be approximately $0.6B. The company's Board of Directors approved the additional repurchases, which in aggregate offset an increase in regulatory capital resulting from the sale of certain non-core assets in 2018. The Federal Reserve Board has approved the additional repurchases.

17:24 EDT Skechers up 17% after Q4 profit, Q1 profit guidance top estimates - In after hours trading, shares are up 17.3% to $32.48.

17:16 EDT Expedia up 7.6% after Q4 results beat estimates, strong FY19 guidance - In after market trading, shares are up 7.6% to $137.60.

17:10 EDT Petrobras to pay Vantage $622.02M as compensation - Petrobras said that, within the scope of its ongoing process of contingency assessment, it will make a provision for the amount provided in the award issued in the arbitration filed by Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling Inc. against the Company and other companies of the Petrobras System. The Vantage arbitration arose out of an agreement for drilling services procured by corruption, as revealed by Operation Car Wash. On 07/03/2018, the arbitration tribunal, formed by three arbitrators, decided by majority vote, with one dissenting vote, that Petrobras and its subsidiaries should pay Vantage the amount of $622.02M, plus compound interest of 15.2% p.a., as compensation for the early termination of said agreement and invoices related to the drilling of a well in the Gulf of Mexico. The dissenting arbitrator refused to sign the final decision and, in writing, issued his dissenting vote and objection to the arbitration award, stating that "the prehearing, hearing, and posthearing processes that led to the issuance of the Final Award have denied the Respondents in this proceeding the fundamental fairness and due process protections meant to be provided to arbitrating parties by Sections 10(a)(1), 10(a)(2), 10(a)(3), 10(a)(4), and Chapters 2 and 3 of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Section1, et seq."

17:07 EDT BAE Systems, Huntington Ingalls, General Dynamics get $406.85M in modifications - BAE Systems (BAESY), Huntington Ingalls (HII) and General Dynamics,have each been awarded firm-fixed-price modifications to exercise Option Period Three under previously-awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple-award contracts for complex, emergent and continuous maintenance and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities on amphibious ships. Each company will have the opportunity to provide offers for individual delivery orders during Option Period Three, with an estimated cumulative combined value of $406.85M. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by March 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of award. Funding will be provided as individual delivery orders are issued. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center is the contracting activity.

17:02 EDT Encompass Health reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $221.8M vs. $208.2M last year - Reports Q4 free cash flow $113.3M vs $91.5M last year.

16:54 EDT Arvinas announces poster presentation of ARV-110 at ASCO GU - Arvinas announced that it will present a poster at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, taking place February 14-16 in San Francisco. The presentation will highlight the company's lead product candidate, ARV-110, an oral androgen receptor-targeted PROTAC protein degrader for the treatment of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. ARV-110 employs Arvinas' proprietary PROTAC protein degradation technology.

16:51 EDT Tractor Supply promotes Kurt Barton to EVP, CFO and Treasurer - Tractor Supply announced the promotion of Kurt Barton to Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. Mr. Barton is being promoted from his current position as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective immediately."Kurt has demonstrated significant leadership and drive in the CFO role. Over the course of nearly two decades at Tractor Supply, Kurt is a proven executive with a deep knowledge of our business and a strong sense of our Mission and Values," said Greg Sandfort, Tractor Supply's Chief Executive Officer. "This promotion is a recognition of the increasingly important role Kurt is playing at Tractor Supply. We are fortunate to have an executive of his caliber in this crucial position."

16:42 EDT United Community Banks raises quarterly dividend 33% to 16c per share - United Community Banks reported that its Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of 16c per common share. The dividend is payable April 5, 2019 to shareholders of record on March 15, 2019. This represents a 33% increase over the quarterly dividend a year ago.

16:38 EDT Monmouth Real Estate reports Q4 NOI $32.32M vs. $27.44M last year

16:36 EDT Primerica raises quarterly dividend by 36% to 34c per share - The dividend is payable on March 15, 2019 to stockholders of record as of February 20, 2019.

16:35 EDT Franco-Nevada reaffirms FY18 production guidance - Franco-Nevada expects to achieve gold and gold equivalent production for 2018 within its previously provided guidance range with GEOs expected to total between 445,000-450,000. Q4 results reflected the temporary processing of lower grade materials at Candelaria as well as a delay in year-end deliveries. For Guadalupe, deliveries were lower than expected reflecting less mining on Franco-Nevada stream lands. Oil and Gas revenue is expected to be between $85M-$88M for 2018 surpassing the previously increased revenue guidance range of $75M-$85M. In addition, the Company has been informed by KGHM that the Levack Morrison mine in Sudbury will be placed on care and maintenance effective March 31, 2019. However, the McCreedy mine, which contains the high grade PM Zone has resumed operations after being placed on care and maintenance in 2013. For 2019, the restart of McCreedy is expected to replace the stream ounces originally expected from Levack Morrison. Franco-Nevada is currently reviewing the recoverability of the estimated combined carrying value of US$90 million for its Sudbury assets, and while the amount of an impairment has not yet been determined at this time, a significant reduction of the carrying value is likely in the fourth quarter. Franco-Nevada will provide details of its impairment analysis with the release of its 2018 audited annual financial results on March 19.

16:33 EDT Select Interior Concepts names J. David Smith chairman - Select Interior Concepts, Inc. announced the appointment of J. David Smith as Chairman of its Board of Directors, replacing Christopher Zugaro, who is resigning his roles as Chairman and as Director to focus on his other business interests. Select Interior Concepts also announced today that it is relocating its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia from Anaheim, California in February, 2019. The company's new headquarters location will be within the Galleria office complex. The new location will serve as the primary location for the executive team and corporate staff. Commenting on the move, Johnson said "Atlanta's relatively low cost of living, direct flight options, and highly skilled workforce, makes it an ideal headquarters location as we continue to grow the business."

16:32 EDT BrightView acquires Benchmark Landscape, terms not disclosed - BrightView Holdings announced the acquisition of Benchmark Landscapes, LLC, a commercial landscaping company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:31 EDT Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. announces share repurchase plan - Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has authorized the implementation of a share repurchase plan to purchase for cancellation up to 250,000 common shares. This amount represents approximately 5.9% of the 4,218,988 common shares outstanding.

16:29 EDT Mattel reports Q4 Barbie gross sales up 12% as reported y/y - Up 15% in constant currency. Hot Wheels gross sales for the quarter increased 9% as reported and 12% in constant currency, versus prior year and reached the brand's highest full year gross sales in its history.

16:27 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts sells Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort for $51.4M - Park Hotels & Resorts announced that it has closed on the sale of the 563-room Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort located in Phoenix, AZ, for gross proceeds of $51.4 million, or $91,200 per key before customary closing costs. When adjusted for Park's anticipated capital expenditures of $28 million for the Hotel, the sale price represents a 5.2% capitalization rate on the Hotel's projected 2018 net operating income, or 13.9x the Hotel's projected 2018 EBITDA. Proceeds from the sale will be used for general business purposes, which may include funding future capital projects.

16:24 EDT Mercury Systems receives $6.5M order - Mercury Systems announced it received a $6.5M order from a leading defense prime contractor for switch routing subsystems to be used in a large sensor fusion application. The order was booked in Q2 and is expected to be shipped over the next several quarters.

16:23 EDT RenaissanceRe raises quarterly dividend to 34c per share from 33c - The board of directors of RenaissanceRe voted to increase the company's quarterly dividend to 34c per common share, from 33c per common share.

16:22 EDT Natural Grocers reports Q1 daily average comparable store sales increased 5.5% - EBITDA increased 17.8% to $11.3M. Opened four new stores, relocated one store and closed one store in the first quarter, resulting in a 6.3% unit growth rate for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018.

16:20 EDT Benchmark Electronics announces planned CEO retirement - Benchmark Electronics announced that Paul Tufano, President and CEO, will retire after transitioning his responsibilities to a successor to be identified by the Board of Directors. He will also resign from the Board once his successor assumes the role of CEO. The Board of Directors has engaged a leading national executive search firm and is well underway to identify Tufano's successor. Tufano will remain with the company as an advisor through December 31, 2019.

16:18 EDT Carbonite to acquire Webroot for roughly $618.5M in cash - Carbonite, Inc. and Webroot Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Carbonite will acquire Webroot for approximately $618.5 million in cash. Carbonite will fund the transaction with existing cash on hand and funds secured under a new credit facility. The combined business will address a top vulnerability of businesses - the endpoint - with a comprehensive approach to protection through cloud-based cybersecurity, paired with cloud-based backup and recovery. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive on an earnings and cash flow basis, following the close of the transaction. Carbonite will finance the acquisition with fully committed financing and existing cash on hand. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019, subject to the receipt of regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions.

16:18 EDT Vocera drops 15%, or $6.13, to $33.56 after outlook misses estimates

16:15 EDT Elbit Imaging announces suspension of trading of ordinary shares on Nasdaq - Elbit Imaging Ltd. announced that it received a letter, dated February 7, from the Nasdaq Hearings Panel of The Nasdaq Stock Market informing the company that the Panel has determined to delist the company's ordinary shares from the Nasdaq and will suspend trading in the shares effective at the open of business on February 11.

16:14 EDT Expedia reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $471M vs. $402M a year ago

16:13 EDT ForeScout reports Q4 EPS (1c), consensus (25c) - Reports Q4 revenue $84.7M, consensus $77.67M. "We had an outstanding fourth quarter, finishing out our first full year as a publicly traded company on a high note with strong revenue growth and positive cash flow for the year," said Michael DeCesare, CEO and President of Forescout Technologies. "The quarter was marked by a record number of new customer additions, some marquee customer wins across a diverse mix of industry verticals, strong international growth, and large expansion deals with notable existing customers. The fourth quarter capped off what was a very successful year for Forescout, and we are excited to further capitalize on the growing market opportunity for device visibility and control in the years ahead."

16:12 EDT Lear raises share repurchase authorization to $1.5B, raises dividend 7% to 75c - Lear announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an increase in the company's share repurchase authorization to $1.5B and extended the authorization period until December 31, 2021. In addition, the Board raised the quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock by 7% from 70c per share to 75c per share. The next dividend is payable on March 20 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 1.

16:09 EDT Portola Pharmaceuticals announces results from ANNEXA-4 trial - Portola Pharmaceuticals announced full results from ANNEXA-4, the company's Phase 3b/4 trial of its Factor Xa inhibitor antidote Andexxa, in patients experiencing acute major bleeding while taking a Factor Xa inhibitor. Data are being presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the International Stroke Conference and published simultaneously online by The New England Journal of Medicine. Full data from 352 patients showed that Andexxa rapidly and significantly reversed anti-Factor Xa activity when administered as a bolus and sustained this reversal when followed by a 120-minute infusion. Anti-Factor Xa activity is a measure of the anticoagulant activity of apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban and enoxaparin, the anticoagulants studied in ANNEXA-4. Among all 352 patients, 64% were treated for intracranial hemorrhage, or ICH, and 26% were treated for a gastrointestinal bleed. Of those evaluated for efficacy 82% achieved excellent or good hemostasis over the 12-hour period following treatment with Andexxa, as determined by an independent adjudication committee. Within 30 days of enrollment, thrombotic events occurred in 34 patients and death occurred in 49 patients, consistent with previous ANNEXA-4 trial results and with the high background thrombotic risk of the enrolled patient population. The majority of thrombotic events occurred in patients who delayed or did not re-start anticoagulation therapy with a Factor Xa inhibitor during the follow-up period. Among the 100 patients who re-started oral anticoagulation therapy, no thrombotic events were observed. Two patients experienced an infusion reaction and none developed antibodies to Factor Xa or Factor X or neutralizing antibodies to Andexxa.

16:08 EDT Expedia reports Q4 gross bookings up 11% y/y to $21.96B

16:07 EDT TeleNav reports 'material weakness' in internal control over financial reporting - During the three months ended December 31, 2018, Telenav management identified certain errors related to its implementation ASC 606 due to the company's internal control over financial reporting relating to supervision and review of the financial models supporting Telenav's revenue recognition accounting and disclosures not operating effectively. Telenav management concluded that, because this deficiency created a more than remote likelihood of a material misstatement not being prevented or detected on a timely basis, this deficiency constituted a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting.

16:03 EDT TeleNav says has $85.9M in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments - Ending cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding restricted cash, were $85.9M as of Dec. 31, 2018 an increase of $4.6M compared to the September 30, 2018 cash balance of $81.3M.

16:02 EDT NY PSC approves T-Mobile, Sprint deal with conditions - The New York Public Service Commission stated: "In this Order, the Commission determines that the proposed transaction is expected to produce an incremental net benefit after mitigating certain risks and considering certain benefits. Accordingly, Commission approval is granted, subject to the conditions discussed below. Absent acceptance of these conditions, however, the public interest standard cannot be satisfied and the Joint Petition is otherwise denied." Reference Link

16:01 EDT TAL Education acquires Ready4, terms not disclosed - TAL Education Group has acquired Boston-Tel Aviv mobile-first and AI-powered online test preparation and admissions services startup company Ready4. The acquisition of Ready4 adds on-demand and live online courses, cutting-edge technology products and adaptive assessment science to TAL's portfolio of products.

15:14 EDT Netflix launches Smart Downloads for iOS - In an earlier blog posting, Netflix said: "Today, we are excited to introduce Smart Downloads. Now, when you finish watching a downloaded episode, Smart Downloads will delete it, and then automatically download the next episode. You watch, we do the work.We know how annoying it can be to go through all your apps and delete files you no longer need; we also understand that when it comes to Netflix, the faster you can get to the next episode you want to watch, the better. Whether it is smart downloading or viewing a mobile preview, we realize the best part of Netflix is connecting with the stories you will love in an easier and more fun way. Reference Link

14:18 EDT Goldman Sachs reports 5.6% passive stake in Orbotech - In a regulatory filing, Goldman Sachs disclosed a 5.6% stake in Orbotech, which represents about 2.7M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

13:48 EDT Avadel Pharmaceuticals clarifies announcement of corporate restructuring - Avadel Pharmaceuticals provided clarification regarding the restructuring actions announced earlier. As part of the restructuring plan, Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a special purpose entity and wholly-owned subsidiary responsible solely for NOCTIVA-related activities, made a voluntary filing on February 6, 2019 under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc and other corporate entities remain solvent and substantially unaffected. The restructuring actions do not trigger a default or violate covenants related to the 4.50% Exchangeable Senior Notes due in 2023.

13:28 EDT Union Pacific raises quarterly dividend 10%, authorizes 150M share repurchase - Union Pacific announced that its board of directors voted to increase the quarterly dividend on the company's common shares by 10% to 88c per share. The dividend is payable March 29, 2019, to shareholders of record February 28, 2019. This marks Union Pacific's fourth dividend increase in the past six quarters. Union Pacific has paid dividends on its common stock for 120 consecutive years. The board also approved a new share repurchase authorization, enabling the company to buy up to 150M of its common shares by March 31, 2022. The new authorization is effective April 1, 2019, and replaces the current authorization, which will now expire on March 31, 2019. The new authorization allows for the repurchase of 21% of current outstanding shares.

13:08 EDT Wells Fargo says working to fix system issues due to power shutdown at facility - Wells Fargo issued the following statement: "We're experiencing system issues due to a power shutdown at one of our facilities, initiated after smoke was detected following routine maintenance. We're working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience."

13:06 EDT Ruffer LLP reports 6.6% passive stake in Cleveland-Cliffs - In a regulatory filing, Ruffer LLP disclosed a 6.6% stake in Cleveland-Cliffs, which represents roughly 19.7M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

12:34 EDT Grifols gets FDA approval for Procleix Babesia assay - Grifols announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, approved the Procleix Babesia assay, a qualitative assay for the detection of the ribosomal RNA from 4 Babesia species in individual samples or up to 16 pooled lysed specimens from human donors, including donors of whole blood and blood components for transfusion.

12:20 EDT Fanhua drops after GeoInvesting alleges company caught in 'outright lie' - GeoInvesting stated in a newly published report that the firm believes hey have "caught Fanhua Inc. in an outright lie," explain that the company stated on its recent conference call that they have no related party relationship with Liu Tingting and Yang Lin, but the firm said it has "concrete evidence that they do." GeoInvesting stated: "Others have pointed out that FANH transacts with related parties, something FANH management has denied. We now offer concrete proof through ID documents that they do. This leaves no ambiguity of the individuals in question, which helps avoid any possible confusion based on matching names...We contend that FANH stock is completely uninvestable and that the company needs to be placed under deep scrutiny by auditors, analysts, investors and U.S. regulators." In early afternoon trading, shares of Fanhua trading in New York are down $1.23, or 4.6%, to $25.32. Reference Link

11:48 EDT Secureworks gains 1.3% after Reuters says Dell exploring sale of company

11:17 EDT Sangamo, CRISPR stocks slide after report of data from early stage trial - Shares of Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) are plunging after the company presented interim data from the Phase 1/2 EMPOWERS Study evaluating the SB-318 zinc finger nuclease in vivo genome editing product candidate in patients with MPS II, also known as Hunter syndrome. Concurrent with the press release regarding the data, STAT's Adam Feuerstein quoted Sandy Macrae, Sangamo's CEO, as having said: "First and foremost, we must think about the patients we're treating, which is why it's fair to conclude that the results we're showing from our low and middle doses are not good enough." Following the presentation of the data, shares of Sangamo are down $3.24, or 27%, to $8.78. Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP), Editas Medicine (EDIT) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA), which are all publicly-traded companies investigating using CRISPR technology for disease treatments, are also sliding. Crispr shares are down 7%, Editas shares are down 6% and Intellia shares are down 4% following the release of Sangamo's data.

11:02 EDT Sangamo: SB-318 results show dose-dependent increase in leukocyte IDUA activity - Sangamo Therapeutics presented interim data from the Phase 1/2 EMPOWERS Study evaluating the SB-318 zinc finger nuclease in vivo genome editing product candidate in patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I. These data, along with interim results of the CHAMPIONS Study evaluating SB-913 for MPS II, were presented today at the WORLDSymposium 2019 being held in Orlando, Florida. Sangamo believes data from these two studies provide complementary evidence supportive of a favorable safety profile and of the activity of the ZFN in vivo genome editing technology used in both SB-318 and SB-913. "The results so far suggest a dose-dependent increase in leukocyte IDUA enzyme activity," said Dr. Paul Harmatz, a professor at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland and a lead investigator on the study. "Leukocytes are an easily accessible target tissue for IDUA and therefore provide an estimate of tissue enzyme activity for patients with MPS I. Whether these observed increases will translate into clinical benefit from SB-318 is yet to be determined." The primary objective of the EMPOWERS Study is to determine the safety and tolerability of SB-318, and secondary objectives include evaluation of change from baseline in IDUA activity and urine GAG levels. Biochemical measurements of urinary GAGs, as well as plasma and leukocyte IDUA activity, are assessed at screening and baseline visits, and every two to four weeks during the initial phase of the trial. Patients with mild MPS I receiving weekly ERT were enrolled in the study. The results suggest a dose-dependent increase in leukocyte IDUA activity, with activity levels rising above baseline and in the normal range. Plasma IDUA activity was unchanged from baseline in all three patients. Baseline urine GAG measurements for the three patients in the EMPOWERS Study were in a range considered to be at or slightly above normal. In the limited duration data set available at the time of the WORLDSymposium presentation, urine GAG measurements show no meaningful change.

10:57 EDT Danske Bank placed under formal investigation in France - Danske Bank announced that it was placed under formal investigation by an investigating judge at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris in connection with an investigation into suspicion of money laundering related to certain transactions in the terminated portfolio of non-resident customers of Danske Bank's branch in Estonia in the period from 2007 to 2014. The investigation covers transactions amounting to around EUR 21.6M. Danske Bank has been ordered to post bail in the amount of EUR 10.8M. The "investigation into the terminated portfolio of non-resident customers has made no findings which enable it to conclude whether money laundering, tax evasion or other criminal activity has actually taken place," the bank said in statement. Danske Bank said it will continue to cooperate with the French authorities.

10:29 EDT FDA head to request meeting with Walgreens over youth tobacco sales - FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement, "I will be writing the corporate management of Walgreens and requesting a meeting with them to discuss whether there is a corporate-wide issue related to their stores' non-compliance and put them on notice that the FDA is considering additional enforcement avenues to address their record of violative tobacco sales to youth. We all share the important responsibility of keeping harmful and addictive tobacco products out of the hands of kids. Retailers in particular - especially those who position themselves as health-and-wellness-minded businesses - are on the frontlines of these efforts and must take that legal obligation seriously. I'm also deeply disturbed that a single pharmacy chain racked up almost 1,800 violations for selling tobacco products to minors across the country. I have particular concerns about whether the pharmacy setting is influencing consumer and retailer perceptions around tobacco products in a way that's contributing to these troubling findings. The FDA will continue to hold retailers accountable by vigorously enforcing the law. We are also evaluating our data on other large, national retail chains to identify other entities that also have high rates of repeat violations and are considering what additional measures we should pursue. While many of our recent enforcement actions focused on the illegal sales and marketing of e-cigarettes, today's announcement is a reminder that youth access to all tobacco products remains a public health problem. No child should be using any tobacco or nicotine-containing product. And no retailer should be illegally selling these products to minors. As part of our Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan, we'll continue to employ all the tools at our disposal to monitor, penalize and prevent sales of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to minors at brick-and-mortar stores and Internet storefronts as we work to ensure these products are sold in ways that make them less accessible and appealing to kids."

10:26 EDT FDA starts enforcement action against Walgreens location over tobacco sales - The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement that it initiated enforcement action against certain retail locations of Walgreen Co. (WBA) and Circle K Stores for "repeated violations of restrictions on the sale and distribution of tobacco products, including sales of cigars and menthol cigarettes to minors." The agency filed complaints seeking No-Tobacco-Sale Orders, which seek to bar the two specific retail locations from selling tobacco products for 30 days. The two retail outlets that are the subject of these NTSO actions are a Walgreens store in Miami, Florida, and a Circle K store in Charleston, South Carolina, the agency said. "Notably, Walgreens is currently the top violator among pharmacies that sell tobacco products, with 22 percent of the stores inspected having illegally sold tobacco products to minors," it added.

10:17 EDT Tapestry remains 'confident' in driving return to EPS growth in FY20 - Says Andrea Resnick will serve as interim CFO. Says capital allocation priorities remain unchanged. Says will invest in our brands and business, acquire new brands on a strategic and opportunistic basis and return capital to shareholders, with a focus on dividends. Says planning higher level of SG&A growth in Q3. Expects revenue growth to accelerate in Q4. Expects operating income and EPS to decline in Q3, while increasing in Q4. Expects modest net decrease in stores for Coach. Expects to expand Kate Spade by 60-70 net new locations in 2019. Expects to open 30 net new locations for Stuart Weitzman. Says will buy back Stuart Weitzman business in Australia.

10:08 EDT Kellogg says Europe is poised for another year of growth - Says will continue to support Pringles sustained momentum in Europe. Says saw share growth in cereal in Europe. Says Europe is poised for another year of growth. Says Latin America will continue executing strategy and sustaining momentum in 2019. Says saw continued cereal growth in Asia and Africa. Says continues to expand wholesome snacks across Asia Pacific. Says should see continued expansion across Africa in 2019. Says expects continued stability or slight growth in Australia. Expects another year of growth for Asia Pacific.

10:03 EDT Kellogg expects growth for North America snacks in 2019 - Says Rx sustained strong momentum in North America snacks. Says will make progress on other natural brands. Says expects growth in 2019 for North America snacks excluding any divestiture. Says North America cereal stabilized key brands. Says plans to focus more on wellness attributes. Says will continue to drive taste and fun for cereal. Says excited about progress made with Kashi cereals. Says improving aisle shoppability. Says won't count on growth for North American cereal in 2019 but does expect decreases to moderate. Says sees momentum for North American Frozen Foods in 2019. Sees another year of growth for frozen foods.

10:01 EDT Q BioMed responds to OTC markets request for clarity - Q BioMed Inc. is providing this response at the request of the OTC markets inquiry into recent expanded investor awareness activities undertaken by the company. "Expecting several corporate developments and news events, the Company's investor relations consulting firm engaged a new sub-contracted service provider on January 1, 2019, to assist in presenting the Company to a broader audience. The third-party service provider, Platinum Vlll Investment and Media LLC, has several outlets that it contracts with to provide visibility to its clients, including the Company, using its various subscriber bases. The Company first became aware of third-party promotional content on January 17, 2019. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors, management and scientific consultants or controlling shareholders had any editorial input into any of the content created by any third-party providers. While the Company has not seen and cannot validate all claims made by all unrelated parties, those that have been brought to our attention by OTC Markets do not appear to have any materially false or misleading statements and rely on historical public information, previously made statements, independent analyst reports and Company issued press releases. We assume that the increased exposure has resulted in some increase in the trading volume of the our stock, however, it is not unusually high and is within our typical trading averages over the last twenty-four months. To our knowledge and after inquiry by management, none of our officers, directors, insiders, control persons or third-party contractors have sold or purchased any shares in the open market in the last 90 days."

10:00 EDT GrubHub falls -19.0% - GrubHub is down -19.0%, or -$15.97 to $67.98.

10:00 EDT Edgewell Personal Care rises 9.5% - Edgewell Personal Care is up 9.5%, or $3.76 to $43.49.

10:00 EDT SunTrust rises 10.5% - SunTrust is up 10.5%, or $6.19 to $64.93.

09:47 EDT Tapestry falls -15.9% - Tapestry is down -15.9%, or -$6.25 to $33.06.

09:47 EDT Proto Labs falls -27.0% - Proto Labs is down -27.0%, or -$35.06 to $95.00.

09:47 EDT SunTrust rises 11.0% - SunTrust is up 11.0%, or $6.46 to $65.20.

09:39 EDT Kellogg to continue increasing investment in 1H19 - Says launched Deploy for Growth and portfolio is more shaped for growth today. Says increased stakes in emerging markets. Expects emerging markets to be a growth driver for "years to come". Says invested in brand-building capabilities. Says seeing progress in terms of better net sales and consumption around the world. Says will continue increasing investment in 1H meaning operating profit will decline in the 1H and accelerate in 2H. Says will continue to reshape portfolio in 2019. Says in process of divesting cookies, fruit snacks, pie shells and ice cream cones businesses. Says will continue to revitalize brands in 2019. Says will continue to enhance capabilities in 2019. Says investing in new pack formats around on-the-go offering. Says e-commerce business is growing. Says expects investment to moderate in 2H19 and profit growth return to sustainable levels. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

09:21 EDT W.R. Grace sees margins expanding in 2019 vs. 2018

09:20 EDT Tyson Foods says sees FY19 CapEx approximately $1.5B - Sees FY20 CapEx ~$1.1B-$1.3B. Sees FY19 tax rate ~ 23.5%.

09:17 EDT Sunrun awarded wholesale capacity contract from ISO New England - Sunrun won a bid to deliver home solar and batteries as a source of energy capacity to ISO New England, the grid operator for one of the largest electricity markets in the United States. Sunrun's participation in New England's capacity market is the first time in the United States that home solar and battery storage has directly participated alongside centralized power plants in a wholesale capacity market. This signals a shift away from the traditional, more polluting centralized electricity model, with big power plants, towards a system powered by local clean energy like home solar and batteries. Sunrun won its bid to provide 20 megawatts of energy capacity from Sunrun's Brightbox home solar and battery systems to ISO New England beginning in 2022, which represents approximately 5,000 New England customers.

09:16 EDT Tyson Foods says FY19 'off to a solid start' - Says: Committed to investing in alternative protein space... Plans to announce new alternative protein products shortly... Plenty of cattle available through 2021... Chicken business well-positioned. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:14 EDT O2Micro granted battery pack protection patent - O2Micro announced the grant of a battery pack protection patent. O2Micro was issued 20 claims under United States patent number 8,922,218 for the invention of a set of protection circuits for lithium ion battery cells. The protection circuits must be operating continuously, from the moment of connection to the cells, thus these circuits must have very low current drain enabling long battery life. This invention enables a very low current drain with continuous safety protection.

09:14 EDT W.R. Grace says 'on track' to deliver synergy commitments

09:12 EDT e.l.f. Beauty appoints Kory Marchisotto As Chief Marketing Officer - e.l.f. Beauty announced the appointment of Kory Marchisotto as Chief Marketing Officer, effective later this month. Marchisotto will report to Tarang Amin, Chairman and CEO of e.l.f. Beauty. She joins e.l.f. from Shiseido Americas, where she served most recently as Senior Vice President, U.S. Marketing, for its bareMinerals brand.

09:10 EDT The Trade Desk appoints Shelley Zajic as chief talent officer - The Trade Desk is pleased to announce the appointment of Shelley Zajic as Chief Talent Officer. Shelley will be based in Ventura, CA, and lead the company's talent acquisition efforts around the world. Previously, she served as Global Head of Human Resources at the Patron Spirits Company. Shelley will report directly to CEO and Founder Jeff Green.

09:08 EDT NexPoints announces concerns about Medley Capital and Sierra Income - NexPoint Advisors announced its significant concerns about the corporate governance of both Medley Capital (MCC), a closed-end investment company that is regulated as a business development company, and Sierra Income, a non-traded BDC, specifically as it relates to the independence of the Board of Directors of MCC and the Board of Directors of Sierra. Both the MCC and Sierra Boards employ independent directors who are responsible for representing the interests of their respective stockholders; yet, both Boards have not only supported the proposed merger involving Medley Management (MDLY), Sierra and MCC, which favors MDLY management over MCC and Sierra stockholders, but they have also decided not to pursue any of the stockholder benefits in NexPoint's superior proposal. The Boards refused to even engage in discussions about the NexPoint Proposal, despite NexPoint's express willingness to negotiate on all proposal terms. The recent announcements from MDLY, Sierra and MCC augment these concerns; these public communications contain deficient explanations for the Boards' inaction and misleading information.

09:07 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: BB&T (BBT) and SunTrust (STI), up 5% and 11%, respectively, after announcing that both companies' boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals valued at approximately $66B. Following the bank merger deal, shares of PNC Financial (PNC) are up 1%, Comerica (CMA) is up 3% and Regions Financial (RF) is up 3%. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Masco (MAS), up 5%... Hanesbrands (HBI), up 6%... Cardinal Health (CAH), up 6%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: GrubHub (GRUB), down 14%... Twitter (TWTR), down 7.5%... Yum! Brands (YUM), down 1%... Kellogg's (K), down 5%... Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), down 4%... Tapestry (TPR), down 11%. ALSO LOWER: Solid Biosciences (SLDB), down 72% after announcing preliminary findings from its IGNITE DMD trial.

09:04 EDT GrubHub down 13% to $73.00 after Q4 results miss estimates

09:04 EDT Tapestry sees 'significant opportunity' to grow Stuart Weitzman handbag offering - Says continues to strengthen supply chain for Stuart Weitzman. Says expanding footwear offering while maintaining boot and sandal authority. Says expanding globally, with focus on China. Says driving growth beyond footwear. Says driving consumer desire and elevating relationship with the customer. Says expects improvement in 2H, with Q3 still pressured by investments. Says confident in long-term vision.

09:01 EDT Tapestry says Kate Spade sales fell short of expectations in Q2 - Says online sales outperformed brick-and-mortar. Says shifted marketing dollars into current quarter to support the launch of Nicola Glass' new collection. Says confident in achieving inflection with a return in positive comps. Says expanding globally. Says will launch lifestyle-focused branding. Says introducing exceptional and inspiring products while maintaining price. Says creating immersive channel experiences. Says leveraging Tapestry platform in capturing synergies for Kate Spade. Says continues to expect a year of solid revenue growth for Kate Spade and a return to positive comps in 2H. Says continues to believe Kate Spade can approach $2B in sales.

08:55 EDT Tapestry remains on track to achieve run-rate synergies of $100M-$150M in FY19 - Says teams remain focused on four strategic priorities. Says looking to maximize the opportunity with the Chinese consumer globally and across brands. Says remains on track to achieve run-rate synergies of $100M-$150M in FY19. Reaffirms confidence in double-digit operating income and EPS growth outlook for FY20. Says remains committed to providing seamless online, offline experience. Says continued momentum in Coach Women's ready-to-wear. Says Signature products continue to drive sales. Says Men's continued to comp across categories and geographies. Says pleased with Men's and Women's footwear performance in Q2. Says Coach fragrances gained momentum. Says will release mobile device accessories in Fall 2019. Says Coach Create continued to drive sales in Q2. Says service will be expanded to 150 stores by year-end. Says continued to drive digital engagement with Selena Gomez holiday videos. Says launched partnership with Michael B. Jordan. Says saw continued strength in e-commerce business globally. Says saw headwinds from tourist spending in North America. Says saw accelerated activity of resellers ahead of new rules in China's mainland. Says remains focused on delivering heightened leverage of newness, driving growth beyond bags, driving digital innovation,. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:49 EDT T-Mobile CEO says 'I feel good going into 2019' - Says: Wireless customers coming and staying longer than before... Continuing to focus on 5G... Remains very confident in outlook for 2019... Continues to have productive talks with regulators regarding Sprint merger... Pleased with merger process... Expects regulatory approval in first half of 2019. Comments from Q4 earnings conference call.

08:43 EDT Biocept enters into agreement with Agiomix - Biocept announces that it has entered into an agreement with Agiomix FZ-LLC, a provider of genomics sample and bioinformatics services to customers around the world for both research and clinical applications. Under the agreement, Agiomix plans to validate Biocept's patented and proprietary liquid biopsy technology in order to perform testing for the detection of tumor biomarkers. The testing will be performed in Agiomix's UAE-based diagnostics laboratory and will be validated to ensure comparability of results achieved in Biocept's San Diego-based CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory. Subject to validation, Agiomix will purchase Biocept's liquid biopsy kits for use in its laboratory to test samples received from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

08:37 EDT WWE reports Q4 WWE Network average paid subscribers up 7% - WWE Network average paid subscribers increased 7% to approximately 1.59M paid subscribers, "consistent with company guidance," WWE said.

08:36 EDT Atossa Genetics reports results from expanded access program for endoxifen - Atossa Genetics updated the status of the pre-menopausal, estrogen-receptor positive, or ER+, breast cancer patient who received preoperative oral Endoxifen therapy under an FDA-approved "expanded access" program. The purpose of this therapeutic approach was to reduce activity of the cancer cells prior to surgery. The patient received daily doses of Atossa's oral Endoxifen for approximately three weeks prior to surgery. There were no safety or tolerability issues and her surgery was completed successfully. To determine if the oral Endoxifen reduced the biological activity of the cancer cells, the test results obtained from the initial biopsy were compared with those from the specimen obtained during surgery. A reduction of the cancer cell biological activity was observed by a significant reduction in estrogen receptor content of the tumor. Endoxifen interacts with the estrogen receptor preventing it from functioning. Recent research by others suggests that endoxifen also destroys the receptor. Following her diagnosis, the patient sought options to the current standard of care following surgery, which typically consist of ovarian suppression and aromatase inhibitors. Because she was not a candidate for tamoxifen therapy due to low liver enzyme activity and she did not want to go into early menopause, her physician explored other treatment options. This search led to Atossa's oral Endoxifen and the request to the FDA for expanded access in the "window of opportunity" setting in the U.S. Under the FDA expanded access IND program, the use of Atossa's proprietary oral Endoxifen is restricted solely to this patient.

08:34 EDT Target Hospitality expects FY18 adjusted EBITDA to be in line with prior outlook - Platinum Eagle Acquisition and Target Logistics Management announced that full year 2018 Adjusted EBITDA for Target Hospitality Corp. is expected to be consistent with the previously announced outlook and raised the full year 2019 outlook for Target Hospitality. Target Hospitality is the entity expected to be created by the previously announced business combination of Platinum Eagle, Target Lodging and RL Signor Holdings. Target Lodging recently announced its renewal of multi-year contracts with four major customers, providing for an estimated aggregate contract value of over $200M, including estimated incremental revenue of over $45 million. The renewals extended the duration of the existing contracts by a minimum of two years, while expanding the scope of services to include Target Lodging's full suite of accommodations along with additional room commitments across its Permian Basin lodging network. With the expected incremental revenue, in combination with Target Hospitality's planned integration of Signor and other anticipated operational enhancements, Target Lodging has increased its outlook for Target Hospitality's anticipated 2019 results.

08:30 EDT I.D. Systems announces multi-year fleet management system agreement - I.D. Systems announced a multi-year fleet management system agreement covering several thousand units with Jungheinrich, a solution provider in intralogistics. Jungheinrich will leverage I.D. Systems' PowerFleet technologies to track and manage forklift fleets for their customers. Through this partnership, Jungheinrich will combine its expertise with the telemetry capabilities of I.D. Systems to offer a choice of digital products on their material handling equipment. This technology partnership will provide Jungheinrich customers with an ability to reduce overhead costs, improve safety and compliance.

08:26 EDT Avadel Pharmaceuticals exits Noctiva, reduces workforce by over 50% - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced a corporate restructuring to assure the financial health required to maximize the value of FT218, currently in Phase III development for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, and Cataplexy in patients suffering from Narcolepsy. Avadel expects to realize $70M-$75M in cost reductions in 2019 as compared to 2018 as a result of the restructuring plan, driven primarily by exiting Noctiva. Noctiva's performance since launch has been highly disappointing despite a substantial investment of resources. Once fully implemented, the plan will lower the company's cost structure by $80M-$90M in 2020 and beyond when compared to 2018. Avadel estimates it will incur approximately $10M-$15M of one-time pre-tax charges for severance and other costs related to the restructuring, primarily during the first half of 2019. The company's cash and marketable securities balance as of December 31, 2018 was approximately $100M. The company's workforce will be downsized by more than 50% as part of the restructuring. The focus of the remaining company and corresponding resources include FT218 and hospital products related capabilities and functions. Separately, Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary, responsible solely for the sales, marketing and distribution of Noctiva, has made a voluntary filing under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. This action is not expected to materially impact any other aspect of the company's business, including the ability to operate its sterile injectables hospital business and complete the FT218 Phase III clinical trial. As part of this action, Avadel expects to record in Q4 a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of approximately $66M related to Noctiva intangible assets.

08:17 EDT VBI Vaccines announces DSMB recommendation to continue VBI-1901 study - VBI Vaccines announced that the independent data and safety monitoring board, or DSMB, completed its third and final safety assessment of Part A of the ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical study of VBI-1901 in recurrent glioblastoma, or GBM, patients. After reviewing the complete safety data from the fully enrolled, high-dose patient cohort, the DSMB unanimously recommended the continuation of the Phase 1/2a study without modification. Part B of the study, which is expected to enroll a cohort of up to 10 additional patients, will be an extension of the optimal therapeutic dose level from Part A of the study. The company will define the optimal dose following availability of expanded immunologic data and survival data from all three dose cohorts in Part A, which are expected later in the first half of 2019.

08:12 EDT Kellogg CEO says 'pivoted to growth' in 2018 - "Two Thousand Eighteen was an important year for us, in which we pivoted to growth after successfully reducing our cost structure in recent years" said Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Company's CEO. "We launched Deploy For Growth, a strategy that gives us clarity on priorities, and has us taking decisive actions to return our Company to sustainable top-line growth. We still have a lot of work to do, but we have made great strides toward reshaping our portfolio toward growth, revitalizing key brands, and developing capabilities. Our stabilization of a declining net sales trend and our improved in-market performance around the world are clear signs of this progress. This investment and progress will be evident again in 2019, setting us on a path for sustainable, profitable growth over time."

08:10 EDT CTS, SOLOS Smart Glasses partner to provide coaches, athletes with glasses - Kopin Corporation SOLOS Smart Glasses and CTS are teaming up in 2019 with a new partnership that will provide CTS coaches, athletes, and training camp participants access to innovative, high-performance SOLOS Smart Glasses. This partnership will bring together a company at the leading edge of performance-enabled wearable technology with a leader in the endurance sports coaching space to help athletes better utilize their real-time performance data to improve both effectiveness and safety when training. SOLOS Smart Glasses provide athletes with critical in-workout performance data in its high-resolution heads-up display and integrated stereo speakers, allowing athletes to focus on the road or trail ahead, rather than looking down at their bike computer, GPS watch, or smart phone. Athletes can choose to display metrics such as heart rate, speed, power, pace, cadence, distance, and other ANT+ and Bluetooth compatible data. SOLOS' latest app update also gives athletes the option to import TrainingPeaks structured workouts and be coached through the workout specifics with visual and audio cues, directly through the headset.

08:07 EDT Equinix selected by Google for its Los Angeles area cable landing station - Equinix (EQX) announced that Google, an Alphabet (GOOG) company, has selected Equinix for its Los Angeles area cable landing station, or CLS, supporting the Curie subsea cable system, the first subsea cable to Chile in the last 20 years. In the U.S., the cable will land directly at the Equinix LA4 International Business Exchange data center located in El Segundo, Calif. Google has selected Equinix as its CLS at LA4 due to the company's expertise in delivering and managing cable landing stations. The Curie cable is expected to go live in 2019.

08:03 EDT Tenet, Cerner extend collaboration for information systems - Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) announced an extension of its agreement with Cerner Corporation (CERN). As part of the long-term agreement, Tenet will continue working with Cerner to make information systems more efficient across Tenet's hospitals, helping to connect patient information and provide a unified experience for both patients and clinicians. Tenet and Cerner will focus on intelligence in automation, optimizing clinicians' user experience, interoperability of systems and building a modern cloud infrastructure. In addition, through Tenet's participation in the CommonWell Health Alliance, a national data sharing network, clinicians will have access to an aggregated system to view patient records across different healthcare facilities from clinics, hospitals and health systems.

08:00 EDT Hain Celestial trading resumes

07:48 EDT Alliance Data sees Q1 core EPS up single-digits - Q1 revenue is expected to be down mid single-digits due to the impact on credit card receivables growth.

07:39 EDT IntercontinentalExchange raises quarterly dividend by 15% to 27.5c per share - Intercontinental Exchange announced board authorization of its Q1 dividend of 27.5c per share, up 15% from its previous 24c per share quarterly dividend in 2018. TheQ1 cash dividend is payable on March 29, to stockholders of record as of March 15. The ex-dividend date is March 14. ICE expects the annual total dividend for 2019 to be $1.10 per share, for an aggregate payout of approximately $620M.

07:38 EDT LCI Industries reports January 2019 consolidated net sales approx. $187M - January 2019 consolidated net sales are approximately $187M, down 9% from January 2018. Sales continue to be impacted by reduced production rates by the OEMs in addition to poor weather that impacted multiple shipping days.

07:37 EDT T-Mobile reports Q4 total net customer additions of 2.4M - T-Mobile said: "Total net customer additions were a record 2.4 million in Q4 2018, bringing our total customer count to 79.7 million, and marking the 23rd straight quarter in which T-Mobile generated more than 1 million total net customer additions. For full-year 2018, total customer additions were 7.0 million, marking the fifth year in a row of more than 5 million total net additions. Branded postpaid net customer additions were 1.4 million in Q4 2018, which was the best result in 17 quarters. For full-year 2018, branded postpaid net customer additions were 4.5 million, the best annual result in three years. Branded postpaid phone net customer additions were 1.0 million in Q4 2018 and marked the 20th consecutive quarter in which T-Mobile led the industry in this category...Branded postpaid phone churn was a Q4 record low of 0.99% in Q4 2018, down 19 basis points year-over-year and decreased 17 basis points to 1.01% in full-year 2018. These improvements were primarily due to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty from ongoing improvements to network quality, industry-leading customer service and the overall value of our offerings."

07:35 EDT T-Mobile sees FY19 Adjusted EBITDA new lease standard of $12.7B-$13.2B - Sees FY19 branded postpaid net customer additions of 2.6M-3.6M. Reports adjusted EBITDA target, excluding the impact of the new lease standard, of $12.7B-$13.2B, which includes leasing revenues of $0.6B-$0.7B. Sees cash purchases of property and equipment, excluding capitalized interest of approximately $400M, of $5.4B-$5.7B and cash purchases of property and equipment, including capitalized interest, of $5.8B-$6.1B. Sees three-year compound annual growth rate from FY 2016 to FY 2019 for net cash provided by operating activities is expected to be at 17% - 21%, up from prior guidance of 7% - 12%. Three-year CAGR from FY 2016 to FY 2019 for free cash flow maintained at 46% - 48%.

07:33 EDT Foot Locker announces $100M strategic investment in GOAT Group - Foot Locker announced that it is making a $100M strategic minority investment through its subsidiary in 1661, Inc., d/b/a GOAT, a managed marketplace for authentic sneakers operating the GOAT and Flight Club brands. Scott Martin, Foot Locker's Senior Vice President - Strategy and Store Development, will join GOAT Group's Board of Directors. Foot Locker's investment will bring the total raised by GOAT Group to $197.6M since it was founded in 2015.

07:32 EDT Vistra Energy to acquire Crius Energy for cash consideration of C$7.57 per unit - Vistra Energy and Crius Energy Trust announced they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Vistra will acquire Crius Energy for cash consideration of C$7.57 per trust unit. Following the closing of the transaction, Vistra will be the leading residential electricity provider in the nation with operations in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The purchase price of C$7.57 per unit represents an approximately 38 percent premium to Crius Energy's unit price of C$5.48 as of market close on Feb. 6, 2019. In addition to the purchase price, Crius Energy unitholders will receive Crius Energy's previously-declared distribution for the first quarter of 2019 in the amount of C$0.209 per unit for total consideration in the amount of C$7.779 per unit. Under the definitive agreement, Crius Energy has agreed not to declare any further distributions prior to the closing. The proposed transaction has been structured as a sale of two wholly owned subsidiaries of Crius Energy that indirectly own the Crius Energy business. The definitive agreement includes customary deal protections, including non-solicitation covenants, the right of Vistra to match any competing proposals, and the payment of a termination fee to Vistra under certain circumstances. The proposed transaction is subject to the approval of at least two-thirds of Crius Energy's unitholders. Unitholders of Crius Energy representing approximately 17% of the units, including all of the directors and senior officers of Crius Energy, have entered into voting and support agreements with Vistra in support of the transaction. In addition to satisfying the closing conditions and consents customary for a transaction of this nature, the transaction is also subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the United States Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, and approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Pending the receipt of all necessary approvals and the fulfillment of all other customary closing conditions, the parties expect the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2019.

07:25 EDT L Brands reports January SSS down 1% - L Brands reported net sales of $780.1M for the four weeks ended February 2, compared to net sales of $1.04B for the five weeks ended February 3, 2018. Comparable sales decreased 1% for the four weeks ended February 2, compared to the four weeks ended February 3, 2018. Net sales were $13.24B for the 52-week year ended February 2, compared to $12.63B for the 53 weeks ended February 3, 2018. Comparable sales for the 52 weeks ended February 2, increased 3% compared to the 52 weeks ended February 3, 2018.

07:22 EDT Soligenix announces publication of scientific article on Ebola vaccine - Soligenix, announced publication of a scientific article demonstrating the successful thermostabilization of an Ebola subunit vaccine candidate. The article titled, "Thermostable Ebola virus vaccine formulations lyophilized in the presence of aluminum hydroxide", is published in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics online and is available here. As previously announced, Soligenix has been collaborating with the University of Hawai'i at Mnoa and Hawaii Biotechnology

07:20 EDT Neuralstem announces program to expand pipeline of therapeutic products - Neuralstem announced the initiation of a program to expand its current pipeline of therapeutic products. The strategic move comes on the heels of the appointment of Kenneth C. Carter, Ph.D as Executive Chairman. Carter previously served as the CEO of various biopharmaceutical companies, including Avalon Pharmaceuticals and Neximmune.

07:19 EDT Karyopharm announces FDA meeting to review selinexor data - Karyopharm announced that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, or ODAC, of the FDA is scheduled to review data supporting the company's new drug application, or NDA, requesting accelerated approval for selinexor, an oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export, or SINE, compound, at a meeting. The proposed indication to be discussed at this upcoming ODAC meeting is for selinexor in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least one proteasome inhibitor, or PI, one immunomodulatory agent, or IMiD, and one anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and to their most recent treatment regimen. The company has also submitted a marketing authorization application, or MAA, to the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for selinexor requesting conditional approval for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy and whose disease is refractory to at least one PI, one IMiD, and one anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and to their most recent treatment regimen. The selinexor MAA has been granted accelerated assessment by the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.

07:16 EDT BCE and STARZ launch new STARZ channel and streaming service in Canada - Bell Media and STARZ announced the launch of a new STARZ channel and streaming service in Canada beginning Friday, March 1. STARZ, the U.S.' second most-watched pay television service, delivers immersive, premium content, including critical favourites VIDA and COUNTERPART, and the hit drama SWEETBITTER. The announcement comes as Crave confirms its subscriber base has grown to 2.3M

07:12 EDT Old Dominion CEO says 'well-positioned to produce profitable growth' in 2019 - CEO Greg Gantt concluded, "Our strong operating performance for the fourth quarter and throughout 2018 reflects the consistent execution of our long-term strategy and relentless focus on delivering value to our customers and shareholders. As we begin 2019, we remain committed to our proven business model that has produced long-term profitable growth throughout many economic cycles. This includes not only providing shippers with superior service at a fair price, but also consistently investing in our OD Family of employees and service center capacity to sustain the momentum in our business. With a favorable economic outlook and ongoing demand for our services, we believe Old Dominion is well-positioned to produce profitable growth and increase shareholder value in 2019."

07:11 EDT Old Dominion increase quarterly dividend to 17c per share - The Company's Board of Directors has declared a first-quarter dividend of 17c per share, which is a 30.8% increase to the quarterly cash dividend paid in the first quarter of 2018. The dividend is payable on March 20, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 6, 2019.

07:09 EDT Twitter down 2% in pre-market trading after Q4 report - In pre-market trading, Twitter shares are down 71c, or 2.1%, to $33.45.

07:07 EDT Twitter to stop reporting MAU after Q1 in favor of reporting monetizable DAU - Twitter said: "We want to provide something valuable to people on Twitter every day, and we believe that monetizable DAU, or mDAU, and its related growth, are the best ways to measure our success. Monetizable DAU are Twitter users who log in and access Twitter on any given day through Twitter.com or our Twitter applications that are able to show ads. Our mDAU are not comparable to current disclosures from other companies, many of whom share a more expansive metric that includes people who are not seeing ads. We considered changing our disclosure to be comparable to other companies, but our goal was not to disclose just the largest daily active user number we could. We want to align our external stakeholders around one metric that reflects our goal of delivering value to people on Twitter every day and monetizing that usage. As a result, starting this quarter, in addition to sharing the growth in mDAU as we have since 2016, we are disclosing the absolute number of average mDAU, previously referred to as DAU, for both the US and international markets. As mDAU will be the metric we use to show the size of our audience and engagement going forward, we will discontinue disclosing MAU after Q1'19. This change in disclosure does not impact the objectives which bring advertisers to Twitter or the information to which they have access today. Advertisers come to Twitter because we have one of the most valuable audiences when they are most receptive, and we generate a high return on investment against their campaign objectives whether they are launching a new product or connecting with what's happening on Twitter."

07:06 EDT Twitter reports Q4 average monthly active users of 321M vs. 330M last year - Average monthly active users, or MAUs, were 321M for Q4, compared to 330M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 326M in the previous quarter. Average U.S. MAU were 66M for Q4, compared to 68M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 67M in the previous quarter. Average international MAU were 255M for Q4, compared to 262M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 259M in the previous quarter. Average monetizable daily active users, or mDAUs, were 126M for Q4, compared to 115M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 124M in the previous quarter. Average U.S. mDAU were 27M for Q4, compared to 25M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 26M in the previous quarter. Average international mDAU were 99M for Q4, compared to 89M in the same period of the previous year and compared to 98M in the previous quarter.

07:04 EDT Twitter sees FY19 capital expenditures $550M-$600M - Sees FY19 GAAP and cash operating expenses to be up approximately 20% year-over-year in 2019 and stock-based compensation expense to be in the range of $350M-$400M.

07:01 EDT Penske Automotive reports Q4 same-store retail automotive revenue down 1.1% - Fourth quarter 2017 results included a $243 million benefit related to the enactment of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. "Total revenue increased 0.8% to $5.4 billion, while same-store retail automotive revenue decreased 1.1%. Product availability shortages and Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Testing certification delays in our Western European businesses are estimated to have impacted our operations by approximately $5 million, or $0.06 per share. Excluding foreign exchange, total revenue increased 2.2%, while same-store retail revenue increased 0.2%. Foreign exchange rates had no impact on earnings per share for the three months ended December 31, 2018."

06:58 EDT FCA U.S. hourly employees to receive 2018 profit sharing payments - Based on the company's 2018 financial performance, FCA US LLC announced that it will make average profit sharing payments of $6,000 to eligible UAW-represented employees. Approximately 44,000 employees will receive the payment on March 8, 2019. With this payment, U.S. hourly employees have received on average more than $29,000 in profit sharing since 2009. As negotiated in the 2015 FCA US LLC-UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement, the 2018 profit sharing payment is based on the adjusted EBIT margin performance of the North American region reported in the FCA N.V. financial results and on individual compensated hours. In total, FCA has invested more than $10B and created nearly 30,000 new jobs in the U.S. since 2009.

06:57 EDT LabCorp announces new $1.25B share repurchase plan - Board replaced the company's existing share repurchase plan with a new plan authorizing repurchase of up to $1.25B of stock.

06:53 EDT Sarepta up $1.00 to $142.49 after Solid Biosciences reports DMD data

06:51 EDT DPW Holdings signs stock purchase agreement with Ault & Company - DPW Holdings announced it has signed a stock purchase agreement with Ault & Company, a Delaware corporation. The closing of the proposed transaction with Ault & Company is subject to approval by the NYSE American. Under the terms of the agreement, DPW will issue 1,000,000 shares of common stock to Ault & Company, Inc. at a purchase price of 12c per share for total consideration of $120,000. Ault & Company, Inc. is a private holding company controlled by Mr. Milton C. Ault, III, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The stock sale is subject to approval by the NYSE American stock exchange.

06:50 EDT Tapestry CEO says Q2 performance 'fell short of our expectations' - Victor Luis, CEO of Tapestry said, "During the second quarter, our sales and gross profit rose, successfully anniversarying the strong holiday results of the prior year. That said, this performance fell short of our expectations in the face of an increasingly volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical backdrop. Importantly, and as expected, we generated meaningful synergies from the integration of Kate Spade, and made material systems and strategic brand investments across our portfolio. Taken together, adjusted earnings per diluted share were even with the prior year."

06:38 EDT W.R. Grace sees 'moderate' FX headwind in 1H19 - Expects net leverage in target range of 2.0x-3.0x EBITDA by year-end. Sees "moderate" FX headwind in 1H19. Comments taken from slides being presented on the Q4 earnings conference call.

06:36 EDT Integrated Device teams up with Telink Semiconductor for sensor platform - Integrated Device and Telink Semiconductor are announcing a partnership to create connected and integrated sensor platforms for IoT applications. These platforms enable a wide variety of IoT use cases, such as environmental sensing, health and fitness monitoring, connected smart buildings, as well as asset identification, position and location tracking. IDT plans to release the new bluetooth low energy 5 module featuring Telink's 32-bit microcontroller core with better power-balanced performance for battery-operated devices. The bluetooth module has an integrated 2.4GHz RF transceiver supporting the IEEE802.15.4 multi-standard wireless protocol along with audio support.

06:34 EDT Ardelyx announces Kyowa Hakko Kirin initiates tenapanor trial, receives $5M - Ardelyx announced that its collaboration partner in Japan, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, has initiated a Phase 2 clinical study in Japan evaluating tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia patients on dialysis. The achievement of this development milestone triggers a $5M payment to Ardelyx. This phase 2 clinical study is a multi-center, open-label, single-arm study evaluating serum phosphorus in patients who switch from one or more phosphate binders to tenapanor to treat hyperphosphatemia patients on dialysis in Japan. Under the terms of the license agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ardelyx received a $30M upfront payment and is eligible to receive up to $55M in total development milestones and 8.5B yen in commercialization milestones. Ardelyx is also eligible to receive high-teen royalties on sales throughout the term of the agreement. Kyowa Hakko Kirin has been granted the exclusive rights to develop, market and commercialize tenapanor for cardiorenal diseases and conditions associated with them, including hyperphosphatemia, in Japan. Ardelyx also announced that it currently expects to report, in Q4, topline results from its ongoing PHREEDOM trial; its second Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with ESRD on dialysis. Ardelyx plans to commence in early 2019 a new Phase 3 clinical trial, AMPLIFY, designed to evaluate tenapanor in combination with phosphate binders. Results from AMPLIFY are expected in the second half of this year, and if approved, tenapanor would then be the only phosphate lowering therapy indicated both as a monotherapy and as adjunctive therapy for use in combination with binders.

06:20 EDT Edgewell Personal Care CEO David Hatfield to retire, Rod Little to succeed - Edgewell Personal Care announced that Rod Little, who has served as CFO since March 2018, has been appointed president and CEO, effective March 1. He succeeds David Hatfield, who will retire from the company effective March 1. Little has also been appointed to the company's board effective March 1, which will expand the board by one member. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, Hatfield will continue to serve as a director on the Edgewell Board until May 1. The board has appointed John Hunter, an independent director who serves as chairman of the compensation committee, as non-executive chairman of the board, effective March 1. Edgewell is conducting a search process to identify a new CFO.

06:18 EDT Dunkin' Brands increases quarterly dividend 8% to 37.5c per share - Dunkin' Brands announced that its board has declared a quarterly cash dividend to shareholders. The dividend of 37.5c per share of common stock is payable on March 20, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 11. This represents an 8% increase over the prior quarter's dividend.

06:11 EDT Dunkin' Brands reports Q4 Dunkin' U.S. comparable sales flat - Reports Q4 Baskin Robbins comparable sales down 3.7%. "In 2018 we made substantial progress with our Blueprint for Growth designed to evolve Dunkin' U.S. into a beverage-led, on-the-go brand. Along with making an unprecedented investment into the business, we implemented a deliberate sequencing of strategic initiatives including simplifying our menu nationwide, making our first foray into national value, debuting our NextGen new store design, unveiling our new Dunkin' brand identity, and successfully relaunching our espresso beverages served at the speed of Dunkin'," said David Hoffmann, Dunkin' Brands CEO. "While we did not drive consistent traffic momentum for the full year, we laid the foundation for future growth and, most importantly, along with our franchisees, are unified and well-positioned to capitalize in 2019 on our brand promise of 'great coffee, fast.'"

06:08 EDT Baker Hughes reports January international rig count 1,023, down 2 from Dec. - Baker Hughes announced that the Baker Hughes international rig count for January 2019 was 1,023, down 2 from the 1,025 counted in December 2018, and up 63 from the 960 counted in January 2018. The international offshore rig count for January 2019 was 241, up 7 from the 234 counted in December 2018, and up 45 from the 196 counted in January 2018. The average U.S. rig count for January 2019 was 1,065, down 13 from the 1,078 counted in December 2018, and up 128 from the 937 counted in January 2018. The average Canadian rig count for January 2019 was 176, up 35 from the 141 counted in December 2018, and down 102 from the 278 counted in January 2018. The worldwide rig count for January 2019 was 2,264, up 20 from the 2,244 counted in December 2018, and up 89 from the 2,175 counted in January 2018.

06:06 EDT Mednax sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $550M-$580M - "Our preliminary outlook of 2019 Adjusted EBITDA contemplates a range of scenarios related to revenue and cost assumptions, as well as our ongoing performance improvement initiatives," said the company. "We expect a significant portion of this Adjusted EBITDA to convert to operating cash flow, in a manner substantially similar to our historical experience. We expect to use our significant free cash flow, as well as the potential proceeds from the ongoing sale process for MedData, in a balanced approach across targeted, strategic acquisitions, debt repayment, and routine, persistent share repurchases. Consistent with this outlook, we intend to utilize a portion of our remaining $250 million share repurchase authorization via open market purchases in the Q1."

06:05 EDT SunTrust up 4.7% after announcing merger of equals with BB&T - BB&T is up marginally following the merger announcement.

06:04 EDT W.R. Grace raises quarterly dividend to 27c per share - The dividend, payable on March 21 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 28, reflects approval by the Board of Directors of a 12.5% increase in the company's regular annual cash dividend from 96c to $1.08 per common share.

06:03 EDT W.R. Grace sees FY19 adjusted free cash flow $235M-$250M

05:58 EDT BB&T, SunTrust to combine in merger of equals valued at about $66B - SunTrust Banks (STI) and BB&T (BBT) announced that both companies' boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals valued at approximately $66B. The combined company will be the sixth-largest U.S. bank based on assets and deposits. The pro forma company will have approximately $442B in assets, $301B in loans, and $324B in deposits serving more than 10 million households in the United States, with leading market share in many of the most attractive, high-growth markets in the country. The incremental scale positions the new company to achieve industry-leading financial and operating metrics with the strongest return profile among its peers. In a reflection of the equal contribution both banks bring to the new institution, the combined company will operate under a new name and brand, which will be determined prior to closing. The combined company's board of directors and executive management team will be evenly split between the two institutions. A new corporate headquarters will be established in Charlotte, NC, including an Innovation and Technology Center to drive digital transformation. In the current home markets for both companies, the combined company will maintain the Community Banking Center in Winston-Salem, NC and the Wholesale Banking Center in Atlanta, GA. This continued strong presence is also supported by the combined company's commitment to increase the respective banks' current levels of community investment. GAAP and Cash EPS accretion per BB&T share in 2021 is expected to be approximately 13% and 17%, respectively . GAAP and Cash EPS accretion per SunTrust share in 2021 is expected to be approximately 9% and 16%, respectively. SunTrust shareholders will receive a 5% increase in their dividend upon consummation of the transaction based upon each Company's current dividend per share. Under the terms of the merger agreement, SunTrust shareholders will receive 1.295 shares of BB&T for each SunTrust share they own. BB&T shareholders will own approximately 57% and SunTrust shareholders will own approximately 43% of the combined company. The combined company will leverage its complementary businesses to generate additional revenue opportunities through BB&T's Community Banking and insurance operation and SunTrust's leading middle market corporate & investment banking business and digital consumer lending platform. The combined company is expected to deliver approximately $1.6 billion in annual net cost synergies by 2022. The primary sources of cost savings are expected to be in facilities, information technology/systems, shared services, retail banking and third-party vendors.

05:55 EDT Societe Generale plans to reduce costs by about EUR500M in 2020 - Societe Generale says plans to reduce costs by around EUR 500 million in 2020 in Global Banking & Investor Solutions. Given a geopolitical environment marked by substantial uncertainty, a still low interest rate environment in the eurozone, the relative performance of its businesses and improved visibility on regulatory constraints, the Group has adapted the execution and financial targets of its "Transform to Grow" plan. In particular, the Group expects the revision of interest rate assumptions used in its estimates to have an impact of around EUR 500 million on the Group's revenues in 2020. Within Global Banking & Investor Solutions, the Group has adjusted the operational set-up in Global Markets, which will be more focused on leadership and profitable franchises, in which it has competitive advantages. This refocusing will result in a reduction in risk-weighted assets of around EUR 8 billion between now and 2020. The Group will implement an additional plan to reduce costs by around EUR 500 million in Global Banking & Investor Solutions and is now aiming for a decline of -6.5% in the division's operating expenses in 2020, rather than stability. The Group is aiming for a RONE in 2020 for Global Banking & Investor Solutions ranging from 11.5% to 12.5%.

05:29 EDT Spectrum Brands, Manchester United announce multi-year partnership - Spectrum Brands (SPB) and Manchester United (MANU) jointly announced the signing of a multi-year, global partnership under which Spectrum Brands' iconic Remington personal care brand will become the Manchester United Football Club's first official Electrical Styling Partner. The partnership, featuring both the men's and women's teams, will see Remington and the club working together to deliver high-impact marketing campaigns to Manchester United and Remington fans alike. As part of a major multi-channel activation, Remington and Manchester United will collaborate on a campaign which celebrates individuality and the power of inner confidence. The partnership will underpin and amplify Remington's "The Story of You" campaign, which champions the brand's mission to help customers build confidence to be themselves - recognizing that a person's journeys, experiences, values and aspirations make up who individuals are as people. The partnership will seek to inspire and enable more people to "Get Your You On", motivating them to have the confidence to make their mark in everything they do.

05:12 EDT Tyson Foods to acquire Thai, European operations of BRF S.A. for $340M - Tyson Foods announced a definitive agreement to acquire the Thai and European operations of BRF S.A. The $340M purchase includes four processing facilities in Thailand, one processing facility in the Netherlands and one processing facility in the United Kingdom. This deal builds on the company's growth strategy to expand offerings of value-added protein in global markets. Additional terms of the deal are not being disclosed. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the company's fiscal third quarter. It is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.