Stockwinners Market Radar for February 22, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:01 EDT Terex to sell Demag Mobile Cranes business to Tadano for $215M enterprise value - Terex announced that it has agreed to sell its Demag Mobile Cranes business to Tadano Ltd. for an enterprise value of approximately $215M. The Demag Mobile Cranes business manufactures and sells all terrain cranes and large crawler cranes. Included in the transaction are the manufacturing facilities in Zweibrucken, Germany and multiple sales and service locations. The sale, which is subject to government regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is targeted to close in mid-2019.

18:30 EDT Canyon Partners: Caesars shareholders' value best served by open sale process - Canyon Partner issued the following statement regarding Caesars Entertainment: "Canyon has reviewed the recent public statements by certain significant shareholders regarding the strategic direction of the company. In order to ensure the record is clear regarding Canyon's independent opinion on these matters, Canyon's current view is that shareholder value would be best served and enhanced by an open sale process that will be presented to shareholders for a vote thereon."

17:23 EDT Global Eagle to cut workforce by roughly 15% - As previously disclosed, Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. has been implementing an operating expense savings initiative, which includes a global footprint consolidation, simplification of its management structure, IT programs that will increase efficiency and automation, and other operating expense reductions. In connection with this initiative, on February 5, 2019, the company committed to reduce its global workforce by approximately 15% and communicated this determination to its employees on February 20, 2019. The changes to the company's workforce will vary by country, based on legal requirements and required consultations with works councils and other employee representatives, as appropriate. The company estimates that it will incur total expenses relating to the workforce reduction of approximately $4.5M, all of which represents cash expenditures relating to severance and transition-related expenses. Of this total amount, the company expects to record substantially all of it in the first quarter of 2019, with the remainder to follow in the second quarter of 2019 and the balance in the third quarter of 2019.

17:06 EDT Technical Comm Corp to submit plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq by March 4 - Technical Comm Corp announced that the company received notice from the Nasdaq listing qualifications department of Nasdaq that, because the company had not yet filed its Form 10-Q for the period ended December 29, 2018 and because the company remains delinquent in filing its Form 10-K for the period ended September 29, 2018, the company was not in compliance with Nasdaq continued listing Rule 5250, which rule requires companies with securities listed on Nasdaq to timely file all required periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Pursuant to such notice, the company will have until March 4 to submit a plan to Nasdaq to regain compliance; if the plan is accepted, Nasdaq can grant an exception of up to 180 days from the due date of the filing, or until July 15, to regain compliance. The company's failure to timely file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 29, 2018 and annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended September 29, 2018 is primarily due to certain changes to the company's revenue recognition which have impacted the filing of its 2018 Form 10-K, Q1 Form 10-Q and related financial statements, and the reliance on certain other previously issued financial statements. The company will complete the required filings as soon as practical after its current and former independent public accounting firms review and complete the audits of such financial statements. TCC is currently working with its current and former independent registered public accounting firms to complete such audits and restatements, and will provide information to Nasdaq in its plan to regain compliance as to the expected filing date of the annual report, although at this time the company does not have an estimate as to the date such filing will be made.

17:01 EDT Kaiser Aluminum names Neal West as new CFO - Kaiser Aluminum announced the appointment of Neal E. West as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, effective today. Daniel J. Rinkenberger will serve as an advisor to the company through his planned retirement on March 31, 2019. Mr. West joined the company in 2008 and has served as the Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since that time.

16:52 EDT Bristol-Myers files proxy statement in connection with proposed Celgene merger - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY) announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials with the SEC in connection with the company's pending merger with Celgene Corporation (CELG). Bristol-Myers Squibb will commence mailing the joint proxy statement / prospectus to its stockholders on or about February 22. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Special Meeting of Stockholders is scheduled to take place on April 12. All stockholders of record of Bristol-Myers Squibb common stock as of the close of business on March 1 will be entitled to vote their shares either in person or by proxy at the stockholder meeting. The Bristol-Myers Squibb board believes this combination is in the best interests of the company and its stockholders, and recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" the approval of the issuance of shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb common stock in the merger, as well as all other proposals included on the enclosed WHITE proxy card. As previously announced on January 3, the combination of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene will create a leading focused specialty biopharma company that is well positioned to address the needs of patients with cancer, inflammatory and immunologic disease and cardiovascular disease through high-value innovative medicines and leading scientific capabilities.

16:34 EDT Ally Financial CEO sells over 97,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Ally Financial CEO Jeffrey Jonathan Brown disclosed the sale of 97,311 common shares of the company at a price of $27.01 per share.

16:30 EDT Resolute Energy stockholders approve merger with Cimarex Energy - Resolute Energy Corporation announced that at a special meeting of stockholders held earlier today, Resolute's stockholders voted to approve the adoption of the merger agreement between Resolute and Cimarex Energy Co. 15,950,431 shares voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. This represents approximately 85% of the total shares of Resolute's common stock represented and entitled to vote at the special meeting, and more than 99% of the votes cast, excluding those stockholders who abstained from voting on the merger proposal. Resolute will file the final vote results with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K. As previously announced, on November 18, 2018, Resolute and Cimarex entered into the merger agreement by which Cimarex will acquire Resolute in a cash and stock transaction. With the receipt of the required stockholder approval, Resolute and Cimarex expect to close the transaction on March 1, 2019, subject to satisfaction of the remaining customary closing conditions.

16:16 EDT Ellington Financial to convert to a Delaware corporation - Ellington Financial announced that it intends to convert from a Delaware limited liability company to a Delaware corporation. The conversion is expected to be completed on or about March 1, 2019. Because the company has already elected to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes effective January 1, 2019, no material tax or financial changes are expected as a result of the state law conversion. As announced on February 13, 2019, the company intends to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust commencing with its taxable year ending December 31, 2019.

16:10 EDT Diamond Hill Investment chairman Ric Dillon to retire - The board of directors of Diamond Hill Investment Group said that Ric Dillon will retire as Chairman of the Board for Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. at the conclusion of his current term which ends in conjunction with the company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 1, 2019. James F. Laird, current lead independent director will succeed Mr. Dillon as Chairman of the Board.

16:07 EDT Diodes names Brett Whitmire as CFO, effective March 1 - Diodes (DIOD) announced the appointment of Brett Whitmire, Diodes' Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer, as CFO effective March 1. Whitmire will succeed current CFO, Richard White, who has been in the role for 10 years. White plans to remain with the company part-time as Corporate Secretary and Special Assistant to the CEO. Whitmire has 30 years of industry experience and has been with Diodes for over eight years. Whitmire worked at Freescale Semiconductor as CFO for the Analog and Sensors Division and previously worked at Texas Instruments (TXN) for 20 years.

16:00 EDT Tahoe Resources trading resumes

14:52 EDT Alexion says FDA grants priority review and accepts sBLA of Soliris - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review a supplemental Biologics License Application for the use of SOLIRIS, the company's first C5 complement inhibitor, as a treatment for patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder who have anti-aquaporin-4 auto antibodies. The FDA granted priority review and set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date of June 28, 2019. The application is supported by comprehensive data from the successful PREVENT study in patients with anti-AQP4 auto antibody-positive NMOSD. "Given the debilitating impact NMOSD relapses can have on patients and the fact that there is currently no approved therapy, we are committed to getting SOLIRIS to these patients as quickly as possible," said John Orloff, M.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Alexion. "Based on our strong clinical data, we believe that SOLIRIS can provide significant therapeutic benefits, and we look forward to working with the FDA to facilitate a rapid review."

14:15 EDT OCC issues cease and desist order against MUFG Bank over BSA violation - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a cease and desist order against the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles federal branches of MUFG Bank, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, for violating the Bank Secrecy Act and its underlying regulations. After a thorough full-scope examination of the branches' BSA/Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control compliance programs, the OCC found the branches' BSA compliance program had deficiencies, dating back to June 2016. The examination identified deficiencies in the branches' internal controls, suspicious activity monitoring, foreign correspondent due diligence program, trade finance monitoring, independent audit, and BSA officer staffing functions. These findings cited violation of the statutory and regulatory requirements to maintain an adequate BSA compliance program, file suspicious activity reports, and conduct appropriate due diligence on foreign correspondent accounts. The order requires the branches to take comprehensive corrective actions to improve their BSA/AML compliance program. The branches continue to operate under an OCC consent order, issued in November 2017, requiring corrective actions to improve OFAC compliance program. The branches have begun corrective actions and are committed to remedying the deficiencies identified by the OCC and enhancing the branches' BSA/AML compliance program.

13:43 EDT Borqs Technologies Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:17 EDT DexCom receives Health Canada approval for G6 CGM System - Dexcom announced that the company has received Health Canada approval for its next generation Dexcom G6 CGM System for people with diabetes ages two years and up. "This approval now clears the way for the Dexcom G6 to be made available to Canadians with diabetes," the company said in a statement. It was previously introduced into the U.S, U.K., Ireland, and several other European countries and has seen "strong sales," DexCom added. The G6 commercial launch in Canada is planned for late 2019.

13:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 4 to 1,047 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 4 rigs from last week to 1,047 rigs, with oil rigs down 4 to 853 and gas rigs unchanged at 194. The U.S. Rig Count is up 69 rigs from last year's count of 978, with oil rigs up 54 and gas rigs up 15. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is down 2 rigs to 19 and up 2 rigs year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 12 rigs from last week to 212, with oil rigs down 8 to 144 and gas rigs down 4 to 68. The Canada Rig Count is down 94 rigs from last year's count of 306, with oil rigs down 65 and gas rigs down 29.

12:49 EDT FJ Capital reports 6.47% passive stake in United Financial - In a regulatory filing, FJ Capital disclosed a 6.47% stake in United Financial, which represents 3.3M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

12:47 EDT Fir Tree comments on Halcon CEO departure, renews call for sale of company - Fir Tree Capital Management, manager of certain funds that together have economic exposure to approximately 7.2% of the common stock of Halcon Resources, issued the following statement regarding the company's February 21st announcement of management and board changes, including the departure of CEO, President, and Director Floyd C. Wilson, and commitment to reduce G&A costs: "We are encouraged that Halcon is following our recommendations by enacting changes at the senior management and board level and significantly reducing G&A - with a particular focus on cutting excessive executive compensation costs. In our view, these are important first steps towards realizing increased value for the Company's shareholders and we commend the Board for these actions. However, we continue to believe that there is more work to do to maximize shareholder value, which is highlighted by Halcon's stock trading down since this announcement. These steps include the addition of new independent directors to help oversee a strategic process to sell the Company for cash and/or stock, as outlined in our February 4th letter to the Halcon Board of Directors and accompanying presentation. The market's negative reaction to Halcon's announcement, in our view, only underscores the fact that these additional steps are needed, and reflects worries among investors that the Company may now be recruiting a new management team focused on operations instead of pursuing a sale of the Company for cash or stock. We believe Halcon has an ideal opportunity at this point to initiate a sale process and we look forward to engaging with the Company in the near-term to continue to discuss our perspective and concerns."

12:42 EDT Karyopharm trading resumes

12:35 EDT Karyopharm quickly drops 16.5% - Shares of Karyopharm have quickly fallen in afternoon trading. At time of writing, the stock is down $1.48, or 16.5%, to $7.49.

12:23 EDT GM says over 1,500 employees volunteered to transfer to other U.S. locations - General Motors said that over 1,500 hourly employees impacted by the company's November 26th announcements have volunteered to transfer to other U.S. locations. To date, nearly 950 employees have accepted transfer opportunities at truck, SUV and crossover related operations. U.S. hourly employees that have already been placed into new assignments include 538 employees from Detroit/Hamtramck and 93 employees from Lordstown transferring to Flint Assembly to support the upcoming heavy-duty pickup launch and 132 Lordstown employees being placed at GM's Spring Hill, Tennessee complex. Impacted employees from Baltimore and Warren Transmission will have transfer opportunities closer to their end of production dates. GM's process for transferring impacted employees to other job openings will continue throughout 2019. As previously communicated, GM will have additional job opportunities at manufacturing operations in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana.

12:00 EDT Telephone and Data falls -12.5% - Telephone and Data is down -12.5%, or -$4.58 to $32.15.

12:00 EDT Diplomat Pharmacy falls -42.9% - Diplomat Pharmacy is down -42.9%, or -$5.78 to $7.68.

12:00 EDT Schweitzer-Mauduit rises 19.0% - Schweitzer-Mauduit is up 19.0%, or $6.57 to $41.24.

11:37 EDT Ocular Therapeutix higher after pricing $37.5M in convertible notes - Shares of Ocular Therapeutix are higher in morning trading after the company announced last night that it has entered into a note purchase agreement with "an accredited investor" to issue $37.5M aggregate principal amount of 6.00% subordinated convertible notes due 2026. The offering is expected to close on or about March 1, subject to customary closing conditions, Ocular stated. The notes will be senior unsecured subordinated obligations of the company and will mature on March 1, 2026, unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. The notes will be convertible at any time, provided that no conversion results in a holder owning more than 19.99% of the company's issued and outstanding common stock. The initial conversion rate of the notes will be 153.8462 shares of Ocular Therapeutix common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of $6.50 per share of Ocular Therapeutix' common stock. The initial conversion price represents a premium of approximately 80% over the last reported sale price of Ocular's common stock on February 21, 2019 of $3.61, Ocular noted. In Friday morning trading, shares of Ocular Therapeutix are up 61c, or 17%, to $4.22.

11:22 EDT German court finds Comlab's repeaters infringe CommScope patents - In two decisions, a German patent court has found that Comlab has infringed mobile radio transmission patents owned by Andrew Wireless Systems, an affiliate of CommScope. The February 14 rulings by the District Court of Dusseldorf, Germany found that Comlab has infringed CommScope's European Patents EP2180605B1 and EP1022849B1. The patents relate to mobile radio transmission repeaters and an apparatus for setting the gain of a repeater. The decisions, issued in Action Nos. 4c O 75/17 and 4c O 76/17, allow CommScope to preliminarily enforce -- which provides CommScope the option to recall and destroy the infringing products as well as, under one of the decisions, get a preliminary injunction against further infringement. Two additional utility model enforcement actions are pending against Comlab's repeater systems RUD19-5 in the District Court of Dusseldorf. CommScope has enforcement actions currently pending against numerous wireless infrastructure manufacturers, including multiple enforcement proceedings pending in the District Court of Berlin, Germany, enforcing both patents and utility model rights against Cobham's idDAS system. In addition, CommScope's patent infringement action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas against Dali Wireless, enforcing multiple patents relating to digital distributed antenna systems, is scheduled to go to trial later in 2019.

11:03 EDT Zillow adds to gain as Citron sets $70 target, turns positive after CEO change - Shares of Zillow Group (ZG), which were already higher following the company's earnings report and announcement last night that co-founder Rich Barton who served as the company's CEO until 2010 has returned to the CEO role, are adding to those gains after Citron Research reversed course on the stock and said it is now positive on the shares. In a tweet, Andrew Left's research firm stated: "Citron turns positive on $Z. Longtime foe now a shareholder. Barton is a STUD as he says 'I have been fortunate enough to be on the board of Netflix since it was private. And I see lots of parallels here as we take Zillow Group into the next phase.' TGT $70 NARRATIVE CHANGED". In morning trading following Citron's tweet, Zillow Group shares are up $6.55, or 18.7%, to $41.61.

10:18 EDT Volkswagen sees 2019 operating return on sales 6.5%-7.5% - Volkswagen expects that deliveries to customers of the Volkswagen Group in 2019 will slightly exceed the prior-year figure "amid continuously challenging market conditions. Challenges will arise particularly from the economic situation, the increasing intensity of competition, exchange rate volatility and stricter WLTP requirements." Volkswagen expects the sales revenues of the Volkswagen Group to grow by as much as 5% year-on-year. In terms of the operating profit for the Group and the Passenger Cars Business Area, Volkswagen forecasts an operating return on sales in the range of 6.5%-7.5% in 2019. For the Commercial Vehicles Business Area, an operating return on sales of between 6.0%-7.0% is anticipated. In the Power Engineering Business Area, a loss around the previous year's level amid a slight rise in sales revenue is expected. For the Financial Services Division, Volkswagen is forecasting a moderate increase in sales revenues and an operating profit at the prior-year level.

10:16 EDT Volkswagen proposes dividend increase to EUR 4.80 - Volkswagen said its board proposes an increase in dividend to EUR 4.80 per ordinary share and EUR 4.86 per preferred share.

10:07 EDT PG&E trading resumes

10:01 EDT PG&E trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT Union Acquisition Corp falls -13.5% - Union Acquisition Corp is down -13.5%, or -96c to $6.15.

10:00 EDT Boyd Gaming rises 9.6% - Boyd Gaming is up 9.6%, or $2.72 to $31.00.

10:00 EDT Wayfair rises 27.1% - Wayfair is up 27.1%, or $31.73 to $149.01.

09:50 EDT Trillium Therapeutics trading resumes

09:47 EDT Aspen Aerogels falls -12.8% - Aspen Aerogels is down -12.8%, or -46c to $3.14.

09:47 EDT PagSeguro Digital rises 11.1% - PagSeguro Digital is up 11.1%, or $2.53 to $25.38.

09:47 EDT Wayfair rises 24.5% - Wayfair is up 24.5%, or $28.68 to $145.96.

09:36 EDT Magellan Health says will consider Starboard Value director nominees - Magellan Health acknowledged that Starboard Value has provided notice of its intent to nominate six candidates to stand for election to the board of directors at the company's 2019 annual meeting and said it would withdraw one of its six director candidates if five of the company's nine current board members stand for election. Magellan Health issued the following statement in remark on the nominations: "We value the views of our shareholders, and following Starboard's recent investment, members of Magellan Health's Board and management team began a dialogue with Starboard to understand their perspectives. In these conversations, we have made clear our commitment to serving the best interests of the Company and our stakeholders. We take the composition of our Board seriously. As we have evolved and diversified Magellan's business to create a company with two platforms in healthcare and pharmacy management, we have added new directors with relevant skills and experience to support the changes in our strategic direction. Five new independent directors have been added to the Board in the past five years, representing more than half of the Board's nine members. Two of these directors joined just last year and are among the directors up for election. As expressed to Starboard, we continue to be open to new directors who bring experience that is additive to the business and to reaching an agreement that serves the best interests of all Magellan Health shareholders. The Magellan Board and management team have been, and remain committed to, acting in the best interest of the Company and all Magellan shareholders, and the Board and its Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will review and consider Starboard's proposed director candidates."

09:21 EDT QTS Realty Trust raises quarterly dividend to 44c from 41c per share - Payable on April 4 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 20.

09:18 EDT PDC Energy issues statement on Kimmeridge 13D filing - PDC Energy issued the following statement in response to the public filing of a Schedule 13D by Kimmeridge Energy Management: "PDC is open to the views and opinions of all shareholders. We take constructive suggestions seriously, and regularly review the Company's portfolio, strategy and structure to drive value creation. While we typically do not comment on interactions with individual shareholders, it is important to note that members of our Board and management team have held numerous discussions and meetings with Kimmeridge to better understand their views. PDC is well positioned with a strong portfolio in the core Wattenberg Field in Colorado and the Delaware Basin in Texas. The Company is capitalizing on its unique assets through capital efficiency, financial discipline and technological innovation, while prioritizing employee safety and responsible and sustainable development."

09:09 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Newmont Mining (NEM), up 2% after Bloomberg reports Barrick Gold (GOLD) has studied a bid for the company as it looks for ways to boost production... Achieve Life Sciences (ACHV), up 62% after announcing final data from their Phase I/II multi-dose, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics clinical study of cytisinicline in smokers... Intel (INTC), up 3% after Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore upgraded shares to Overweight from Equal Weight, citing his belief that shares "can rerate higher" given that the company has put "a more financially oriented CEO" in charge with the appointment of Robert Swan. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Wayfair (W), up 16%... Trade Desk (TTD), up 18%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Kraft Heinz (KHC), down 25%... Stamps.com (STMP), down 52%... AutoNation (AN), down 4%. ALSO LOWER: Fitbit (FIT), down 1% after Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter downgraded the stock to Neutral from Outperform, as shares have reached his $6.50 price target with no new available information on the MedTech opportunity... Lam Research (LRCX), down 2% after Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore downgraded shares to Equal Weight from Overweight, stating that if he is right in his view that memory margins will continue to fade through the second half of this year than wafer fab equipment spending may continue to weaken into 2020.

09:05 EDT Exxon Mobil partners with Microsoft to increase Permian profitability - ExxonMobil (XOM) said a new partnership with Microsoft (MSFT) will make its Permian Basin operations the largest-ever oil and gas acreage to use cloud technology and is expected to generate billions in net cash flow over the next decade through improvements in analyses and enhancements to operational efficiencies. The application of Microsoft technologies by ExxonMobil's XTO Energy subsidiary - including Dynamics 365, Azure, Machine Learning and Internet of Things - is anticipated to improve capital efficiency and support Permian production growth by as much as 50,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2025. ExxonMobil's partnership with Microsoft includes an integrated cloud environment that securely and reliably collects real-time data from oil field assets spanning hundreds of miles. The data will enable ExxonMobil to make faster and better decisions on drilling optimization, well completions and prioritization of personnel deployment. Importantly, leak detection and repair response times could be further reduced with enhanced access to emissions data, strengthening XTO's voluntary actions to manage methane emissions.

09:04 EDT Orchard Therapeutics presents follow-up data from OTL-101 trial - Orchard Therapeutics announced it will present two-year follow-up data in 20 patients from the registrational trial evaluating OTL-101, an autologous, ex vivo, hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for the treatment of severe combined immune deficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiency, or ADA-SCID, at the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASBMT and CIBMTR. The reported data are the complete 24 month results from a trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of OTL-101. OTL-101 was administered post-busulfan conditioning in 20 pediatric patients, who lacked a medically eligible donor for bone marrow transplantation. Patients were followed for 24 months post treatment and compared with a historical control cohort of 26 patients with ADA-SCID who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or HSCT, 12 from matched related donors, or MRD, and 14 without a MRD. The median age at treatment for patients receiving OTL-101 was 9 months and 7.3 months for patients treated with HSCT. Treatment with OTL-101 resulted in 100% overall survival and 100% event free survival at 24 months. Genetically modified cells, as indicated by increasing and then sustained vector copy number in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells and granulocytes, were detectable in all patients treated with OTL-101 and were maintained through 24 months post-treatment. A similar pattern was observed in ADA enzyme activity. Evidence of immune reconstitution was observed in patients treated with OTL-101. Treatment with OTL-101 was well-tolerated and had a positive benefit-risk profile. There were no deaths or reports of graft-versus-host disease in the patients treated with OTL-101. Nine out of the 20 patients who received OTL-101 experienced a total of 27 serious adverse events.

08:55 EDT Trillium Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

08:38 EDT Barrick Gold says has reviewed opportunity to merge with Newmont Mining - Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) confirmed that the company has reviewed the opportunity to merge with Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) in an all-share nil premium transaction. No decision has been taken at this time, Barrick added.

08:35 EDT Diplomat Pharmacy to postpone release of Q4, FY18 financial results - Diplomat Pharmacy announced that it is postponing the release of its fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 financial results and the related conference call and webcast to March 15, 2019. The company expects to file its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 soon afterwards. The postponement is due primarily to the recent determination by Diplomat and its auditors that the company will need to record a non-cash impairment charge related to its PBM business. This charge is expected to be equal to a significant portion of the PBM's Goodwill and Definite-lived intangible assets, which total approximately $630M as of December 31, 2018, prior to impairment charges. The charge relates to the 2017 acquisitions of NPS and LDI and is driven by reduced financial forecasts for the PBM business. Despite success in improving our customer service performance to industry standard levels, previously disclosed execution challenges experienced in 2018 continue to impact customer perception and have resulted in further customer losses. The company and its auditors require additional time to finalize the level of impairment, the allocation between Goodwill and Definite-lived intangible assets, tax implications and the total impact on Diplomat's 2018 fourth quarter and full year financial results. Full-year 2018 revenues and Total Adjusted EBITDA are not impacted by any impairment charge and the company's previously communicated outlook of 2018 revenues of $5.5B-$5.6B and 2018 EBITDA of $167M-$170M remain unchanged. However, the company has withdrawn its preliminary 2019 full-year outlook provided in January. The withdrawal is based principally on the following factors: January results have come in significantly below expectations; Diplomat has been notified of additional customer losses in its PBM business since early January, which combined with a softer outlook for client wins and other factors has led to a lower-than-previously forecasted outlook for its PBM business in 2019; The company is observing increased competitive pressure in the specialty market, driving a reduced outlook for script volumes in 2019; In its specialty business, Diplomat has observed that increasingly aggressive member channel management techniques are being implemented by its large, integrated competitors, which is reducing the volume of scripts sent to Diplomat, and in early 2019, the company has observed a less favorable drug mix within certain payer specialty contracts, reducing profitability. The company expects to provide an updated 2019 outlook when it reports fourth quarter and full-year 2018 results.

08:32 EDT Heron Therapeutics sees 2019 net sales for the CINV franchise of $115M-$120M - "2018 was a year of significant growth for our CINV franchise, and we look forward to continued strong performance this year," said Barry Quart, Pharm.D., President and CEO of Heron. "In pain management, Heron remains committed to making a significant impact on the opioid epidemic through the development and commercialization of innovative non-opioid pain management products. With a PDUFA goal date of April 30, 2019, we look forward to launching HTX-011 in the U.S. later this year, if approved."

08:29 EDT Obalon Therapeutics announces first commercial shipment of navigation system - Obalon Therapeutics announced that it has begun commercial shipment of the Obalon Navigation System with touch inflation dispenser. Approved by the FDA in December 2018, the company's proprietary and patented Obalon Navigation System utilizes magnetic resonance, rather than x-ray radiation, to image the Obalon Balloon during placement with a dynamic, real-time image of the balloon on a tablet computer screen.

08:10 EDT Chimerix presents results from Phase 3 SUPPRESS trial - Chimerix announced it will present data demonstrating that treatment with the investigational therapy, brincidofovir, or BCV, reduced the incidence and severity of human herpesvirus 6, or HHV-6, viremia in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant, or allo-HCT, recipients. Results from this post-hoc analysis of the Phase 3 SUPPRESS trial will be presented at the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASBMT and CIBMTR. The post-hoc analysis examined data from 92 patients treated with BCV and 61 patients treated with placebo, or PBO, who did not have HHV-6 viremia in the SUPPRESS clinical trial, a randomized, double-blind, PBO-controlled trial of 452 patients evaluating oral BCV for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis following allo-HCT. Subjects for this analysis were included if they received at least six doses of BCV or PBO within the first three weeks of the trial. Plasma samples from the first six weeks post-transplant were tested for HHV-6, and levels were compared between subjects who received BCV and those who received PBO. BCV reduced the incidence and severity of HHV-6 viremia in allo-HCT recipients. The cumulative incidence of HHV-6 viremia was significantly lower in subjects receiving BCV; 15% of BCV subjects versus 31% of PBO subjects had detectable HHV-6 viremia within six weeks after allo-HCT. Two subjects in the BCV group had HHV-6 viremia greater than 1000 copies/mL compared to 7 subjects in the PBO group. Both rash and HHV-6 encephalitis were less common in subjects receiving BCV; both of these events are known to be associated with HHV-6 reactivation.

08:06 EDT Kellogg elects Erica Mann, Roderick Gillum to board - Kellogg announced the election of Erica Mann and Roderick Gillum to its board of directors, effective Februay 22. Important to helping Kellogg deliver on the emerging consumer need for progressive nutrition, Mann brings deep global expertise having previously served as President and General Manager of Pfizer Nutrition, and President and Head of Bayer's Consumer Health Division. A native of South Africa and an Australian citizen, Mann served as Senior Vice President of Nutrition at Wyeth. She also has significant experience at other Fortune 500 companies, including Ely Lily & Company and Johnson & Johnson, and has held leadership positions in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland and the United States.

08:04 EDT Mylan announces U.S. launch of generic Suboxone Sublingual Film - Mylan announced the U.S. launch of Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film, 8 mg/2 mg and 12 mg/3 mg, a generic version of Indivior's Suboxone Sublingual Film. Mylan Pharmaceuticals received final approval from the U.S. FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for this product, which is indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence and should be used as part of a complete treatment plan to include counseling and psychosocial support. U.S. sales for Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film, 8 mg/2 mg and 12 mg/3 mg, were approximately $1.87B for the 12 months ending December 31, 2018, according to IQVIA

08:02 EDT AbbVie, Voyager Therapeutics partner to develop vectorized antibodies - AbbVie (ABBV) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR) announced an exclusive, global strategic collaboration and option agreement to develop and commercialize vectorized antibodies directed at pathological species of alpha-synuclein for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease and other diseases characterized by the abnormal accumulation of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein. Under the terms of the collaboration and option agreement, Voyager will perform research and preclinical development work to vectorize antibodies directed against alpha-synuclein that are designated by AbbVie, after which AbbVie may select one or more vectorized antibodies to advance into IND-enabling studies and clinical development. Voyager will be responsible for the research, IND-enabling and Phase 1 clinical activities and costs. Following completion of Phase 1 clinical development, AbbVie has an option to license the vectorized alpha-synuclein antibody program for further clinical development and global commercialization for indications including Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies. Voyager will receive an upfront cash payment of $65M and has the potential to earn up to $245M in preclinical and Phase 1 option payments. Voyager is also eligible to receive up to an additional $728M in potential development and regulatory milestone payments for each alpha-synuclein vectorized antibody compound. Voyager is eligible to receive tiered royalties on the global commercial net sales of each alpha-synuclein vectorized antibody and may also earn up to a total of $500M in commercial milestones.

07:47 EDT TTEC Holdings raises semi-annual cash dividend to 30c per share - Payable on April 18 to shareholders of record as of March 28.

07:38 EDT Accuray reports results from SBRT trial - Accuray announced that data from an international, randomized, 38-center trial show that treatment with stereotactic body radiation therapy results in a similar safety profile to conventional radiation in men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The study was presented during an oral session at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California. SBRT involves the delivery of very high doses of externally-administered radiation over a small number of treatment sessions, offering convenience for patients, compared to conventional radiation therapy which requires a substantially longer course of treatment. In the PACE trial, SBRT was delivered in five sessions while conventional radiation therapy was delivered in 20 or 39 sessions. The Phase 3 trial found that despite the high dose delivered to the prostate, use of SBRT and conventional radiation therapy result in comparable rates of acute gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity.

07:33 EDT EU says Telefonica breached commitment in E-Plus acquisition - The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Telefonica Deutschland alleging the company breached commitments it offered to secure the Commission's approval under the EU Merger Regulation of its acquisition of E-Plus in 2014. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "Commitments from the parties in merger decisions are crucial to ensure that effective competition is maintained after a merger or takeover, so that there is no harm to consumers. We need full compliance and take very seriously any case where companies may have failed to comply with their commitments, which is why we have sent today's statement of objections." Reference Link

07:20 EDT Navient issues statement regarding Canyon nomination of four directors for board - Navient issued the following statement regarding Canyon Capital Advisors' nomination of four directors to stand for election to the board of Navient at Navient's annual meeting of shareholders: "Navient is committed to maintaining a highly qualified, diverse and independent Board and to following good governance practices that create shareholder value and serve our customers, employees and communities. The Nominations and Governance Committee of our Board will evaluate Canyon's nominees and make a recommendation that is in the best interest of all shareholders."

07:10 EDT United Airlines names Robert Rivkin as SVP and General Counsel - United Airlines named transportation industry veteran Robert Rivkin senior vice president and general counsel. For the last three decades, Rivkin has drawn on his exceptional legal skills while serving in leadership positions in the airline industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation and local government. Rivkin brings this unique background and extraordinary skill set to a top role at one of the world's leading airlines. At United, he will be responsible for all legal matters, as well as ethics, compliance, government contracting and security. Rivkin will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Brett Hart.

07:09 EDT Myriad Genetics announces Vectra study data published - Myriad Genetics announced the publication of a clinical study regarding its Vectra test in Current Medical Research & Opinion. The key finding is that the Vectra test, or MBDA, was nearly three times better at predicting radiographic progression than DAS28-CRP or CRP in people with rheumatoid arthritis, or RA. This study evaluated data from five cohorts in four studies to establish the relationship between the Vectra score and risk for radiographic progression, or RP. The analysis included data from 929 patients with RA who received conventional DMARDs alone or with adalimumab, infliximab or abatacept. In every cohort, RP was most frequent among patients with a high Vectra score compared with patients with a low/moderate Vectra score. In addition, the study showed that patients with high Vectra scores were 4.6 times as likely as patients with low/moderate Vectra scores to develop RP and was three times more predictive than traditional disease activity measures of DAS28-CRP or CRP.

07:08 EDT LexinFintech names Shirley Yang as Chief Human Resources Officer - LexinFintech announced that it has appointed Shirley Yang as the company's Chief Human Resources Officer, effective February 22. Yang has over 15 years of experience in various senior human resources positions. Prior to joining LexinFintech, she served as an Assistant General Manager at Tencent's Interactive Entertainment Group in charge of human resources for overseas business.

07:06 EDT Sempra Energy raises annual dividend 8.1% to $3.87 per share - Sempra Energy announced that on Feb. 21, its board of directors approved an 8.1% increase in the dividend on shares of the company's common stock to $3.87 per share, on an annualized basis, from $3.58 per share. This is the ninth consecutive year that Sempra Energy has increased its common stock dividend, which has grown more than 47% since 2014. The first quarterly installment of the new common stock dividend, 96.75c per share, is payable April 15 to common stock shareholders of record as of March 22.

07:03 EDT AutoNation announces regional restructuring and cost savings plan - AutoNation previously announced a cost savings plan and a corporate and regional restructuring to improve efficiency and profitability that further positions the company for long-term success. The company's plan to reduce costs by approximately $50M annually includes a reorganization and realignment of its operating structure. A key driver is the consolidation of its regional structure from three regions to two regions. As noted above, AutoNation incurred restructuring-related charges in connection with this plan during the fourth quarter 2018. The company expects to incur additional restructuring-related charges in the first quarter of 2019 that are currently estimated to be lower than the charges incurred during the fourth quarter of 2018.

07:01 EDT AutoNation announces regional restructuring and cost savings plan

06:58 EDT Tahoe Resources trading halted, news dissemination

06:50 EDT ITT announces new $25M share repurchase program - The company is also targeting up to $25M of incremental new share repurchases which, when combined with the $25M of share repurchases previously authorized in November 2018, could result in total repurchases of up to $50M in 2019.

06:46 EDT ITT to acquire Rheinhutte Pumpen Group for approximately $91.5M in cash

06:44 EDT Scorpio Bulkers refinances Kamsarmax vessel - Scorpio Bulkers announced that the company has entered into a financing transaction in respect of one of the Company's Kamsarmax vessels with an unaffiliated third party. As part of the transaction, the company will sell a 2015 Japanese built Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel, SBI Samba, for a consideration of $21.4M and then lease it back from the buyer through a five-year bareboat charter agreement at a rate of $6,850 per day. The transaction also provides the company with the option to repurchase the vessel beginning on the third anniversary of the sale until the end of the bareboat charter agreement. This transaction increases the company's liquidity by approximately $6.9M after repayment of the vessel's existing loan.

06:38 EDT Cabot Oil & Gas sees Q1 production 2,250-2,275 Mmcfe per day

06:36 EDT AdvanSix board authorizes additional $75M share repurchase program

06:20 EDT YouTube terminates over 400 channels on child exploitation concerns - YouTube said it terminated over 400 channels and millions of videos in response to rising concerns about child exploitation. It also said it disabled comments on "tens of millions" of videos, with illegal comments being reported to law enforcement.Reference Link

06:13 EDT Royal Bank of Canada raises quarterly dividend to C$1.02 from C$0.98 per share - Payable on and after May 24 to common shareholders of record at the close of business on April 25.

06:05 EDT HMS Holdings CFO expects 'continuation of solid revenue growth' in 2019 - "We ended 2018 with a stronger balance sheet and enhanced liquidity to support our business growth and future investments, and expect a continuation of solid revenue growth and margin expansion in the year ahead," said Jeff Sherman, CFO. "The full year 2019 guidance we are issuing today reflects our expectation of high single digit to low double digit revenue growth, with net income and adjusted EBITDA increasing at a rate exceeding revenue growth. We believe the tremendous progress we made throughout last year positions HMS well to achieve our performance goals in 2019."

05:28 EDT Canopy Growth enters multi-year agreement with Alimentation Couche-Tard - Alimentation Couche-Tard has entered into a multi-year agreement with Canopy Growth. Subsequent to this newly formed strategic partnership, and pending the results of a public-consultation process, Couche-Tard is excited to announce it has entered into a trademark license agreement with one of the winners of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario's Expression of Interest Application Lottery, who will operate a "Tweed" branded retail store in London, Ontario once the process is complete. The lottery winner will have full ownership and control over the London store. Through this partnership, Alimentation Couche-Tard is aiming to lean on Canopy Growth's cannabis expertise and leverage its experience with other age-restricted products to focus on the safe, responsible and lawful sale of cannabis, consistent with thelegislation enacted by the federal and provincial governments. As two Canadian-made and globally-positioned companies, the London location will serve as an important entry to market that could lead to future international opportunities.