Stockwinners Market Radar for February 25, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:33 EDT Immunomedics CEO Michael Pehl steps down for personal reasons - As part of its Q4 earnings announcement earlier, Immunomedics disclosed that Michael Pehl has stepped down from the role of President, CEO and member of the Board, due to personal reasons, and interim Chief Financial Officer, Usama Malik, has been appointed CFO.

18:59 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Hertz Global (HTZ) up 14.1%... Tenet Healthcare (THC) up 14.0%... Dillards (DDS) up 12.8%... Ferroglobe (GSM) up 11.9%... 2U (TWOU) up 7.5%... Helios Technologies (SNHY) up 7.4%... Veracyte (VCYT) up 6.7%... EverQuote (EVER) up 6.6%... Rent-a-Center (RCII) up 5.7%... Etsy (ETSY) up 4.7%... Mosaic Company (MOS) up 4.1%... Range Resources (RRC) up 2.6%... BWX Technologies (BWXT) up 2.2%... Corcept Therapeutics (CORT) up 1.4%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Medpace Holdings (MEDP) down 12.2%... RealPage (RP) down 7.3%... Keane Group (FRAC) down 5.0%... Shake Shak (SHAK) down 1.7%. ALSO LOWER: Immunomedics (IMMU) down 7.8%... Sage Therapeutics (SAGE) down 5.3% after equity offering... Tesla (TSLA) down 4.8% after SEC request that judge holds CEO Musk in contempt in violation of his deal to make material statements on social media. Movers as of 18:45ET.

18:35 EDT Denny's CEO sells 126K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Denny's CEO John Miller disclosed the sale of 125.8K shares of common stock on February 21st and 22nd. The size of the transaction was over $2.2M.

17:39 EDT Etsy says had 'soft' start to Q1 GMS growth - On its Q4 conference call, Etsy said that, in terms of cadence of GMS growth for the year, it had a "soft" start to Q1 as it pullsed back on some marketing investments and launched new product development initiatives for the year following the December splash period. The company added that it has pulled back on spend somewhat in Q1 while it digests what it has learned from heightened spend levels in Q4. Etsy also said it expects marketing expense in Q1 to decrease as a percent of revenue compared to Q4, which could positively impact Q1 adjusted EBITDA.

17:19 EDT Towerstream announces separation from COO Arthur Giftakis - Towerstream Corporation announced the separation from COO Arthur Giftakis, effective February 21. The company expects to commence a search for a new COO immediately.

17:17 EDT Sanofi, Regeneron 'strongly disagree' with Amgen verdict - Sanofi (SNY) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) announced they strongly disagree with certain aspects of the jury verdict from the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The jury upheld the validity of three of the five asserted claims of two Amgen (AMGN) U.S. patents covering antibodies targeting PCSK9. The jury agreed with Sanofi and Regeneron for two of the five asserted claims, finding they were invalid based on lack of written description. The verdict does not impact U.S. physicians' and patients' access to Praluent. "We are disappointed in today's verdict," said Karen Linehan, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Sanofi. "It is our longstanding belief that all of Amgen's asserted U.S. patent claims are invalid and we believe the law and the facts support our positions." Sanofi and Regeneron intend to file post-trial motions with the District Court over the next few months, seeking to overturn the jury verdict and also requesting a new trial. In addition, if necessary, the companies plan to appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On February 8, 2019, the District Court dismissed Amgen's claim for willful infringement.

17:15 EDT Range Resources sees 2019 capital budget approximately $756M - At strip pricing, cash flow is projected to exceed spending for the year. Excess cash flow is expected to be used to reduce debt. In addition, asset sales are being pursued to further strengthen the balance sheet. The company expects production to average between 2,325-2,345 Mmcfe per day in 2019, with 30% attributed to liquids production. Approximately 90% of the capital budget is expected to be allocated to the Appalachia division and the remainder to the North Louisiana division. In Appalachia, over 60% of activity is planned to be directed towards liquids-rich drilling, where Range's acreage has an extensive inventory of existing pads that reduce capital costs and gathering expenses. The liquids-rich acreage is also in close proximity to recently built infrastructure for both natural gas takeaway and natural gas liquids processing.

17:01 EDT Sysco announces multi-site solar gardens in Texas are operational - Sysco (SYY) announced that the company's solar garden sites in the Houston and Dallas areas are fully-constructed and operational. The three sites, named collectively "Sysco Power Patch" through an employee naming competition, are part of a 25 megawatt, ten-year renewable energy agreement with a subsidiary of NRG Energy (NRG). The project will support the majority of Sysco's electricity load in Texas, including its Corporate Headquarters.

17:00 EDT Federated National trading resumes

16:57 EDT Delaware jury upholds Amgen's patents on Repatha - Amgen (AMGN) announced that a Delaware jury delivered a verdict in Amgen's favor upholding the validity of two Amgen patents related to PCSK9 antibodies. These patents describe and claim antibodies, like Amgen's innovative Repatha product, that bind to a specific region on PCSK9 and reduce LDL-C levels in the body. This verdict follows a previous trial in March 2016 where Sanofi (SNY) and Regeneron (REGN) admitted infringement of Amgen's patents and where a prior jury also upheld the validity of Amgen's patents. The prior jury decision was partially reversed on appeal and the case was remanded to the district court for a new trial on two validity issues. In today's verdict, the jury found that the Amgen patents meet the legal requirements of written description and enablement. "Today's decision protects intellectual property which is essential to innovators who are bringing forward new medicines for patients with serious diseases. Amgen scientists discovered and developed Repatha, which can play a key role in the fight against cardiovascular disease," said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen. "We are thankful that the jury weighed the evidence carefully and recognized the validity of Amgen's patents."

16:52 EDT Mosaic sees FY19 CapEx ~ $1.2B - Sees FY19 effective tax rate low to mid 20's percentage.

16:46 EDT Leidos awarded task order to provide DevOps to Citizenship, Immigration Services - Leidos has been awarded a task order by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to provide Agile DevOps services for critical immigration systems. The multiple award, firm-fixed-price, time & materials, task order has a six-month base followed by three six month options and a one-year option. If all options are exercised, the total value is approximately $93.5M. Work will be done in the national capital region.

16:40 EDT Amazon names former PepsiCo CEO Nooyi to board - On February 25, 2019, the board of directors of Amazon.com (AMZN) elected Indra K. Nooyi as a director of the company, and also appointed her to the Audit Committee of the board, according to a regulatory filing. Nooyi was the Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo (PEP), Inc. from October 2006 to October 2018, where she also served as the Chairman of its board of directors from May 2007 to February 2019.

16:38 EDT Albany International names A. William Higgins chairman of the board - Albany International Corp. announced that Director A. William Higgins has been appointed as Chairman of its Board of Directors, succeeding Director Erkie Kailbourne, who had served as Chairman since 2008. Kailbourne will remain on the Board. Higgins joined the Albany Board in 2016, and currently serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. He also serves as a director of Kaman Corporation, a diversified aerospace and industrial distribution company, and Bristow Group Inc., a leading global industrial aviation services provider.

16:35 EDT Asure Software reports Q4 traffic increased 7.5% in Mexico - In Q4: Passenger traffic in Mexico rose 7.5% YoY, reflecting increases of 12.3% and 3.0% in domestic and international traffic, respectively. Cancun Airport was the main traffic driver. Traffic in Puerto Rico rose 30.4% YoY, driven by increases of 29.9% in domestic traffic and 34.9% in international traffic. The recovery in total passenger traffic reflects the impact of Hurricane Maria, which hit the island on September 21, 2017. Traffic in Colombia increased 27.8% YoY, reflecting growth of 30.7% in domestic traffic and 12.6% in international traffic. Consolidated commercial revenues per passenger reached Ps.95.6. Consolidated EBITDA rose 26.9% YoY, reaching Ps.2,459.8M.

16:35 EDT Black Stone Minerals sees FY19 production 45-48 MBOE/D vs. 46.3 MBOE/D in FY18

16:34 EDT Black Stone Minerals reports Q4 production 49.7 MMBOE/D, up 30% from last year - Reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $110.0M vs. $79.5M last year.

16:33 EDT Chefs' Warehouse acquires Bassian Farms - The Chefs' Warehouse announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Bassian Farms, based in San Jose, CA. Founded in 1995, Bassian Farms is a specialty protein manufacturer and distributor in the metro San Francisco area. Bassian Farms is expected to generate approximately $50.0M in annualized net sales. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:31 EDT Diebold adds Arthur Anton, Matthew Goldfarb to slate of director nominees - Diebold Nixdorf announced that it will add Arthur Anton and Matthew Goldfarb to the company's slate of director nominees for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

16:28 EDT 2U announces partnership with Case Western Reserve University - 2U announced a new partnership with the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University to deliver an online Master of Science in Social Administration for aspiring social workers across the country. The existing online MSSA, which is currently operated by a third-party provider, will transition to and relaunch as a 2U-powered program in January 2020. The online MSSA represents a new Graduate Program for 2U.

16:27 EDT Xencor expects to end 2019 with approximately $575M-$600M in cash, equivalents

16:26 EDT Oneok sees 11% increase in NGL raw feed throughput volume in FY19 - 11% increase in natural gas liquids raw feed throughput volumes expected to be driven by the completion of the southern leg of Elk Creek Pipeline in the third quarter 2019, a full year of operations of the Sterling III Pipeline expansion and the West Texas LPG pipeline extension completed in 2018, and continued volume growth from new third-party plant connections and expansions completed in 2018. Expects four to six new third-party natural gas processing plant connections, the expansion of five existing third-party plants, and connection with ONEOK's Demicks Lake I plant. 5% increase in natural gas volumes processed expected to be driven primarily by ONEOK's Williston Basin natural gas processing plants operating at full capacity, and an additional 200 MMcf/d of processing capacity when Demicks Lake I is completed in the fourth quarter. Average fee rate expected to range from 90 to 95 cents per Million British thermal units, compared with 90 cents per MMBtu in 2018. Natural Gas Pipelines earnings growth expected to be driven by recently completed capital-growth projects including the OGT and WesTex Transmission expansions, and the Roadrunner bidirectional project.

16:25 EDT CalAmp announces two strategic acquisitions - CalAmp announced two strategic acquisitions that will significantly expand the company's connected vehicle and asset tracking services and market reach into Mexico, the United Kingdom and other geographies. CalAmp agreed to acquire Car Track, S.A. DE C.V., the exclusive licensee of LoJack technology for the Mexican market. Car Track will leverage CalAmp's full stack of telematics and software-as-a-service solutions to expand product offerings to its substantial subscriber base as well as serve auto dealers and OEMs, insurance providers and leasing companies throughout Mexico. The agreement is to purchase the 87.5% of the Car Track shares not currently owned by CalAmp for a purchase price, net of cash on hand, of approximately $13M. CalAmp has also acquired TRACKER, a LoJack licensee and market leader in SVR and telematics services across the United Kingdom. Post integration, TRACKER will be strategically aligned with LoJack Italia and help drive CalAmp's European expansion by leveraging the company's complete, vertically integrated portfolio of telematics devices, cloud and software services to develop advanced connected car solutions targeting auto dealers, OEMs, insurance providers and other enterprise customers. The purchase price is approximately$13 million .

16:25 EDT Federated National trading halted, news pending

16:23 EDT Alta Mesa Resources reports preliminary Q4 production approximately 37,600 Boepd - Reports year end reserves 158 MMBOE. FY19 upstream capital program of $190M-$210M is expected to deliver FY19 average production of 29,500 to 31,500 Boepd.

16:20 EDT Sempra Energy to commence formal process to sell businesses in Peru, Chile - Sempra Energy announced that, in support of the company's North American strategy, it will launch a formal process in March for the previously announced sale of its equity interests in its South American businesses, including its 83.6% stake in Luz del Sur S.A.A. in Peru and 100% stake in Chilquinta Energia S.A. in Chile. The planned sale also includes Sempra Energy's interests in two energy-services companies, Tecnored and Tecsur, which provide electric construction and infrastructure services to Chilquinta Energia and Luz del Sur, respectively. Sempra Energy expects the sale process to be completed by the end of 2019.

16:18 EDT Dillard's says inventory increased 4% at February 2 compared to last year - The company added, "Gross margin from retail operations declined 69 basis points of sales to 30.3% for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2019 compared to 31.0% for the 14 weeks ended February 3, 2018 primarily due to increased markdowns. Consolidated gross margin for the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2019 declined 90 basis points of sales to 29.6% compared to the prior year fourth quarter of 30.5%."

16:15 EDT Potbelly sees FY19 comparable store sales up 0.5%-1.5% - Sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $30M-$33M.

16:12 EDT Recro Pharma publishes clinical data from Phase III study - Recro Pharma announced the publication of clinical data from its Phase III study evaluating the safety of intravenous meloxicam in patients following major elective surgery. The article, titled "A Phase 3, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Evaluation of the Safety of Intravenous Meloxicam Following Major Surgery," was published online in the medical journal Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development. A New Drug Application, or NDA, for IV meloxicam is currently under review by the FDA and the company is currently awaiting its assigned PDUFA goal date of March 24. "The results from this study demonstrate that IV meloxicam 30mg was generally well tolerated and had an opioid-reducing effect when administered to subjects with moderate to severe pain following a variety of elective surgical procedures," said Stewart McCallum, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Recro Pharma. "We believe IV meloxicam can be a valuable component of multi-modal pain management in the postsurgical setting and we continue to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals about the potential benefits of IV meloxicam as we await the upcoming PDUFA goal date of March 24, 2019."

16:10 EDT Shake Shack targets $700M in total revenue in 2020 - Targets at least 200 domestic company-operated Shacks and at least 120 global licensed Shacks in 2020.

16:09 EDT Nautilus says not providing specific guidance for 2019 - Nautilus CEO Bruce Cazenave said: "As we enter 2019, we have implemented a number of initiatives to further strengthen our business. We have a solid cash flow business model and strong balance sheet that enables us to better educate the consumer on the many benefits of our offerings through robust marketing and with significant multi-media support. We have a healthy new product introduction schedule for 2019 across all channels and have recently acquired additional development assets, including the RunSocial platform, as well as secured strategic relationships with key partners, such as Samsung Electronics America, Feed.fm and Vi Technologies. We expect that these investments and partnerships will deliver significant enhancements to our digital platform across all facets of its individualized customer coaching experience including visuals, music, and voice, and should further expand our product reach and potential subscription base. We are focused on improving earnings and operating margins for the future and have taken several steps in 2019 to help achieve this goal, including a workforce reduction, broad cost containment controls, and value engineering initiatives. There is also added focus on simplification to improve process efficiency and rescale our operations to be more profitable while we drive to restore growth to our Direct sales base. As for the near-term outlook, our sales in the Direct segment and the mass retail channel will be challenged in the first half of the year. Until we complete the revamping of the marketing plan in Direct, we anticipate that the recent sales weakness experienced in the segment will continue through most of the first half of 2019. Additionally, despite the strength of our mass retail channel sell-through in Q4 2018, there are significantly higher than anticipated inventories in the channel that need to be drawn down in the first quarter of 2019. At this time we are not providing specific guidance but will provide ongoing updates on the progress of our major initiatives as the year progresses. We have navigated through setbacks like this before and have come out stronger afterwards. Our goal in 2019 is to do it again, and we intend to utilize our many strengths including strong brands, technologies, talent, and ability to adapt and execute well."

16:08 EDT Etsy jumps 8% to $63.70 after results, outlook top estimates

16:06 EDT Orthofix CEO Brad Mason to retire - Brad Mason has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire from Orthofix. He has agreed to remain with the company until a successor is hired and serve as a consultant subsequently to ensure an orderly transition. The board has commenced a search for Mr. Mason's successor.

15:42 EDT FDA to probe finding of higher risk in RA patients taking tofacitinib in trial - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that it is alerting the public that a safety clinical trial found an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs and death when a 10 mg twice daily dose of tofacitinib - Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR - was used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. FDA has not approved this 10 mg twice daily dose for RA; this dose is only approved in the dosing regimen for patients with ulcerative colitis. In this ongoing safety trial required by FDA when it approved tofacitinib for RA, the drug manufacturer, Pfizer, is transitioning patients who were on the high 10 mg twice daily dose to the lower, currently approved dose of 5 mg twice daily. This trial will continue and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. "We are working with the manufacturer to evaluate other currently available safety information for tofacitinib and will update the public with any new information based on our ongoing review. Health care professionals should follow the recommendations in the tofacitinib prescribing information for the specific condition they are treating. Monitor patients for the signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism, and advise them to seek medical attention immediately if they experience them. Patients should not stop or change your dose of tofacitinib without first talking to your health care professional, as doing so may worsen your condition. Patients taking tofacitinib should seek medical attention immediately if you experience symptoms of a blood clot in your lungs or other unusual symptoms," the FDA safety announcement stated. Reference Link

14:38 EDT Argo Group confirms receipt of Voce's director nomination notice - The board of directors of Argo Group Internationla Holdings issued the following statement in response to the shareholder letter from Voce Capital Management LLC and confirmed the receipt of Voce's director nomination notice: "Argo's board of directors and management welcome input from all our shareholders and take into account their views. In that spirit, we were looking forward to continuing our dialogue with Voce, but are disappointed that Voce has decided not to engage us constructively. Instead, Voce has sent a letter to shareholders that contains a number of misleading and inaccurate statements and personally attacks the company's CEO, ignoring Argo's track record of strong value creation for all shareholders. This is demonstrated by its leading 1, 3 and 5-year period total shareholder returns of 39%, 69% and 136%, respectively. The company also returned in excess of $645 million of capital to shareholders from 2010 to 2018. The company's success is the result of a business that is growing at a very favorable pace with a strong underwriting business and improving underwriting margins. The board and management team are actively focused on improving margins, and these efforts are showing results. In 2018, the company lowered its expense ratio by 260 basis points to 37.8%. The improving expense ratio, along with strong execution of the company's strategy, is contributing to the achievement of the company-stated long-term ROE target of 700 basis points above the risk-free rate. Moreover, a critical metric used in determining long-term value creation is the compound annual growth rate of book value per share, which averaged approximately 9% including dividends from 2002 to 2018. Importantly, the interests of the company's CEO and board are aligned with all shareholders. The CEO is the largest individual shareholder, and the board and executive officers as a group own beneficially approximately 4.9% of the company's shares outstanding. In addition, the company has a strong and diverse group of independent directors, including five new directors who have been added to the board over the past two years. The board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will review Voce's nomination notice and proposed nominees in accordance with its fiduciary duties under applicable law and the company's corporate governance guidelines. The board will present its formal recommendation regarding director nominees in the company's definitive proxy statement and other materials, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and mailed to all shareholders eligible to vote at the 2019 Annual General Meeting. The company has not yet scheduled its 2019 Annual General Meeting. Argo shareholders are not required to take any action at this time."

14:05 EDT Windstream trading resumes

13:52 EDT Uniti Group halted again for volatility after jumping 13.5% to $10.48

13:38 EDT Windstream files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy - Windstream Holdings announced that the company and all of its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The company intends to use the court-supervised process to address debt maturities that have been accelerated as a result of the recent decision by Judge Jesse Furman in the Southern District of New York against Windstream Services, LLC, a subsidiary of the company. Windstream has received a commitment from Citigroup Global Markets Inc. for $1B in debtor-in-possession financing. Following approval by the court, this financing, combined with access to the cash generated by the company's ongoing operations, will be available to meet Windstream's operational needs and continue operating its business as usual. In conjunction with the filing, the company has filed a number of customary first day motions. These motions will allow the company to continue to operate in the normal course of business without interruption or disruption to its relationships with its customers, vendors, channel partners and employees. The company expects to receive court approval for these requests and intends to pay vendors in full for all goods received and services provided to Windstream after the filing date.

13:17 EDT HomeTrust names Paula Labian CHRO - The board of directors of HomeTrust Bancshares announced that Paula Labian assumed the position of CHRO of both the company and the Bank effective January 30, 2019. Labian will lead the HTB team responsible for employee relations, benefits and compensation, talent management, recruiting and training. She will serve as a member of the Strategic Operating Committee and report directly to Dana Stonestreet, chairman, president and CEO. Prior to joining HomeTrust Bank, she served as SVP, director of human resources at CoBiz Financial.

13:01 EDT General Dynamics, Raytheon JV to operate Reagen Ballistic Missile Test Site - RGNext, a joint venture between Raytheon's (RTN) Intelligence, Information and Services business and General Dynamics Information Technology (GD), will operate the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, safely managing space vehicle and ballistic missile launches and missile defense tests conducted from islands in the 750,000-square-mile Pacific Ocean range. Under the $502M, 10-year contract, RGNext will maintain the range's launch and safety systems, including radar, telemetry and optical sensors located on the Kwajalein Atoll. RGNext will also operate the Range Operations Center and Space Operations Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Kwajalein Mission Control Center on Kwajalein, and the Range Safety Control Center, also on Kwajalein. Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services and General Dynamics combined have hired more than 300 engineers, technicians and other launch professionals to support this critical mission.

12:06 EDT Volkswagen names Christian Senger as head of digital car & services - Volkswagen announced that Christian Senger becomes the Member of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Board of Management with responsibility for the new Digital Car & Services function effective March 1, 2019. He has also been appointed Head of the Digital Car & Services function for the Group. Senger thus assumes overall responsibility for the coordination and design of the Volkswagen Group's digital activities, including software. Christian Senger previously headed the Volkswagen brand's e-Mobility Product Line. Senger's successor as Head of the e-Mobility Product Line is to be decided shortly. Dr. Herbert Diess, Volkswagen CEO, commented: "The share of software in vehicles is surging, it accounts for an ever-growing proportion of total value added, and therefore has a significant impact on the performance and characteristics of our vehicles. That is why we are fundamentally strengthening software development at Volkswagen. Christian Senger will vigorously drive this forward in his new function."

12:00 EDT Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares falls -13.3% - Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares is down -13.3%, or -$3.06 to $20.02.

12:00 EDT Union Acquisition Corp rises 15.4% - Union Acquisition Corp is up 15.4%, or 90c to $6.70.

12:00 EDT Phoenix New Media rises 26.1% - Phoenix New Media is up 26.1%, or 94c to $4.54.

11:45 EDT Flexible Solutions trading resumes

11:41 EDT Windstream trading halted, news pending

11:34 EDT Uniti Group trading resumes, shares down 8% to $8.49

11:24 EDT Uniti drops 6% to $8.69 after Bloomberg says Windstream prepping for bankruptcy

11:21 EDT Energous announces collaboration with vivo Global - Before the market open, Energous Corporation (WATT), the developer of WattUp, announced a collaboration with vivo Global, a Chinese technology company, to explore integrating WattUp into smartphone designs that charge wirelessly over-the-air. "We are excited to announce a collaboration with vivo, a top 6 global smartphone manufacturer, to explore the use of our WattUp wireless charging 2.0 technology," said Energous CEO Stephen Rizzone.

10:43 EDT Huntsman receives investment grade ratings from Moody's, Fitch - Huntsman Corporation announced that Moody's Investors Service, Inc. has upgraded its senior unsecured rating from "Ba1" to "Baa3" with a "stable outlook". In addition, Fitch Ratings, Inc. published an initial Long-term Issuer Default Rating for the company of "BBB-" with a "positive outlook". Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President and CEO commented: "We are pleased to receive today the formal recognition of Investment Grade. This has been our objective for many years and reflects the significant transformation of our balance sheet and downstream portfolio of businesses. This action will further strengthen our shareholder base, provide greater flexibility with our balance sheet and allow us to continue to expand our downstream businesses."

10:21 EDT Trump highlights Dow's 43% jump since his election in tweet - President Trump just tweeted, "Since my election as President the Dow Jones is up 43% and the NASDAQ Composite almost 50%. Great news for your 401(k)s as they continue to grow. We are bringing back America faster than anyone thought possible!"

10:14 EDT PPG, Oakland Raiders announce multiyear corporate marketing agreement - PPG announced it has reached a multiyear corporate marketing agreement with the current Oakland Raiders. The agreement will make PPG paint brands the Official Paint of the Raiders. Financial details and terms were not disclosed. In conjunction with the marketing agreement, protective and decorative coatings from PPG's industrial, refinish, protective and marine, and architectural coatings businesses will be featured in the new, state-of-the-art Raiders stadium in Las Vegas, expected to be completed in 2020.

10:00 EDT McDermott falls -8.0% - McDermott is down -8.0%, or -62c to $7.12.

10:00 EDT General Electric rises 13.3% - General Electric is up 13.3%, or $1.35 to $11.52.

10:00 EDT Phoenix New Media rises 33.6% - Phoenix New Media is up 33.6%, or $1.21 to $4.81.

09:53 EDT Ethan Allen reports order trends for QTD period up 5% vs. last year - Ethan Allen Interiors commented, in advance of its investor meeting, on positive written order trends for the quarter-to-date period through President's Day which reflects an increase of 5% compared to the comparable prior year period.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -5.5% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -5.5%, or -$5.69 to $97.33.

09:47 EDT Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares falls -10.2% - Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares is down -10.2%, or -$2.36 to $20.73.

09:47 EDT Jianpu Technology rises 20.2% - Jianpu Technology is up 20.2%, or $1.25 to $7.43.

09:35 EDT New Residential CEO buys $990,000 worth of shares - New Residential Investment CEO and Chairman Michael Nierenberg disclosed this morning the purchase of 60,000 shares at a price of $16.50, for a total value of $990,000. Nierenberg now directly owns 995,352 shares of New Residential.

09:27 EDT Diana Shipping reports charter contracts for m/v Newport News, m/v Los Angeles - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva, for one of its Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Newport News. The gross charter rate is $16,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum sixteen months to maximum nineteen months. The charter is expected to commence later today. The "Newport News" is a 208,021 dwt Newcastlemax dry bulk vessel built in 2017. The company also announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with SwissMarine Services S.A., Geneva, for one of its Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Los Angeles. The gross charter rate is $13,250 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum fifteen months to maximum eighteen months. The charter is expected to commence on March 3, 2019.The "Los Angeles" is a 206,104 dwt Newcastlemax dry bulk vessel built in 2012. The employments of "Newport News" and "Los Angeles" are anticipated to generate approximately $13.88M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charters.

09:14 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: General Electric (GE) and Danaher (DHR), up 15% and 8%, respectively, after Danaher announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with GE to acquire the biopharma business of GE Life Sciences for a cash purchase price of approximately $21.4B... Spark Therapeutics (ONCE), up 121% after entering into a definitive merger agreement for Roche (RHHBY) to fully acquire the company at a price of $114.50 per share in an all-cash transaction... Clementia Pharmaceuticals (CMTA), up 77% after entering into an agreement for Ipsen (IPSEY) to acquire the company for $25.00 per share in cash upfront... Phoenix New Media (FENG), up 42% after entering into a binding letter of intent, or LOI, with a proposed investor for the sale of 32% of the total outstanding shares of Particle... Audentes Therapeutics (BOLD), up 18% after being upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Chardan. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP), up 13%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: McDermott (MDR), down 7%. ALSO LOWER: Cronos (CRON), down 3% after Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett initiated coverage with an Underperform rating and C$17 price target.

09:08 EDT Choice Hotels continues midscale expansion in Western U.S. - Choice Hotels has signed agreements with Equinox Hospitality to develop three dual-brand Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites properties and two stand-alone Sleep Inn hotels. These midscale hotels will be built in the Phoenix metropolitan area and across California, and the first hotel is set to open in 2021.

09:07 EDT AI Foundry announces partnership with Ellie Mae - AI Foundry announced a partnership with Ellie Mae. Under the partnership, the two organizations will integrate their respective technologies and use artificial intelligence and machine learning to help lenders accelerate the mortgage origination process and further drive digital transformation in the mortgage industry.

09:06 EDT Microsoft, Telefonica announce strategic partnership - Telefonica (TEF) and Microsoft (MSFT) announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on projects to accelerate Telefonica innovation and transform the telecommunications industry. Building on Telefonica and Microsoft's previous work together around the use of data and Telefonica's Fourth Platform to power offerings such as Aura, its AI-powered digital assistant, the new agreement will combine the power of Telefonica's state-of-the-art networks, unique customer proposition and global reach with the Microsoft Azure AI platform to design services telcos will offer in the future. Together, Telefonica and Microsoft will expand the use of Azure Cognitive Services for customer engagement and business processes, create new AI-powered, in-home experiences for customers, and explore the use of intelligent technologies to transform the network.

09:05 EDT Ramaco Resources sees FY19 coal production 1.8M-2.2M tons - "Based upon committed sales, development plans and production forecasts, Ramaco expects 2019 coal production in the range of 1.8M-2.2M tons. The company expects the average cash cost per ton to be between $63-$69 per ton at the Elk Creek mine complex and $120-$135 at the Berwind development mine, respectively. The company will continue to do development mining throughout 2019 at our Berwind complex as we move towards the high value, low cost Pocahontas #4 seam, which it anticipates reaching in the spring of 2020."

09:04 EDT SkyHook, Qualcomm partner for location solution on Snapdragon Wear platforms - Skyhook Wireless announced that it is working closely with Qualcomm Technologies to bring Wi-Fi positioning and location-assistance services based on Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear platforms. The first target will be the Snapdragon Wear 2500 platform, which is designed to meet the specific needs of the fast growing 4G Kid watch segment. Skyhook Wi-Fi positioning technology, optimized for the Snapdragon Wear 2500 platform, can be seamlessly integrated to take advantage of Skyhook's proprietary low power Wi-Fi positioning techniques and to meet customers' unique indoor positioning requirements for wearable devices.

09:03 EDT TITUS names Mike Kuehn CRO - TITUS, a Blackstone portfolio company, announced that Mike Kuehn will join the senior leadership team as the Chief Revenue Officer. Mike will be responsible for delivering a partner-centric go-to-market model that significantly accelerates the company's growth objectives. Prior to joining TITUS, Mike served as Vice President - Worldwide Partners and General Manager - MSP Sales for Actifio.

09:01 EDT Doconomy, MasterCard launch DO service for sustainable payments - Doconomy and Mastercard announce their joint effort to combat climate change by enabling DO - a free and easy-to-use mobile banking service that lets users track, understand and reduce their CO2 footprints through carbon offsetting. The launch of DO sets a new standard for purpose-driven payment services and is a major step in Mastercard's commitment to drive innovation for a sustainable future. By implementing DO Mastercard and Doconomy lets users' values guide their everyday consumption towards more sustainable choices. DO also enables carbon offsetting via UN certified projects. As part of the service DO offers a possibility to invest in funds with a positive impact on people and the planet. This way the solution gives the consumer insights into the environmental effects of their consumptions, paired with tools for creating change by making sustainable choices.

08:58 EDT Newmont Mining board intends to 'fully evaluate' Barrick proposal - Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) confirmed today that it has received an acquisition proposal from Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) proposing an all-stock merger with Newmont, at a negative premium based on market prices as of the close of business on February 22, 2019. The transaction proposal is conditional on Newmont not proceeding with its proposed combination with Goldcorp (GG) and other conditions, including confirmatory due diligence by Barrick. The company said, "Newmont has a long history of evaluating potential transactions, and undertakes robust analysis and diligence on a continuous basis of acquisition opportunities in the interests of creating long-term shareholder value. Newmont has previously reviewed and rejected potential combinations with each of Barrick and Randgold Resources, prior to their merger. Newmont's proposed combination with Goldcorp represents the best opportunity to create optimal value for Newmont's shareholders and other stakeholders..Newmont Goldcorp Offers Compelling and Superior Benefits: The Newmont Goldcorp combination provides the greatest potential for additional value creation through asset optimization, project sequencing, and application of Newmont's operating model. The combination will be immediately and highly value-accretive to Newmont's net asset value and cash flow per share; generate an estimated $75 per ounce in Full Potential cost and efficiency improvements, representing anticipated benefits of approximately $165M per year, and along with $100M in pre-tax synergies, generate $265M in combined expected annual pre-tax synergies and Full Potential benefits representing potential value creation of more than $2.5B. Barrick's Proposed Combination Ignores Risks and Overstates Rewards: Newmont has analyzed a potential combination with Barrick, whose asset portfolio has changed significantly since 2014, including as a result of the merger with Randgold seven weeks ago and its ongoing integration process. Newmont has previously determined that Barrick's risk and return profile is inferior on many fronts, including factoring Barrick's comparatively ineffective operating model, poor track record on delivering shareholder returns and unfavorable jurisdictional risk...Newmont's Board of Directors intends to fully evaluate the Barrick proposal and respond in due course, including providing advice to its shareholders. No shareholder action is necessary in response to Barrick's proposal."

08:54 EDT Buffett says thoughts have not changed on Bitcoin - Warren Buffett, while speaking on CNBC, said his thoughts on bitcoin have not changed.

08:50 EDT Black Knight, LERETA form strategic relationship for tax reporting services - Black Knight has entered a strategic relationship with LERETA to enhance tax reporting services to Black Knight's MSP servicing system customers. The relationship aligns LERETA's commitment to innovation with the processing power of the MSP system. The relationship will allow servicers on MSP to enjoy enhanced integration to improve data exchanges, a reduction in payment timeframes, the elimination of manual report entry errors, improved processing with unique functionality, greater accuracy, enhanced tax-specific processing and an improved customer experience.

08:48 EDT Danaher sees divesting dental business via IPO - Says will IPO less than 20% of its dental business for tax reasons.

08:46 EDT Danaher sees GE's biopharma unit growing core revenue 6%-7% annually - Danaher (DHR) sees GE's (GE) biopharma business to grow core revenue 6%-7% annually. Danaher sees annual cost savings of greater than $100M anticipated by year three. Expects high single digit ROIC in year five, steadily compounding thereafter. Sees potential for additional revenue cost synergies. Comments taken from Danaher's conference call discussing its agreement to acquire the Biopharma business of GE Life Sciences.

08:41 EDT Eyenovia announces results from Phase 3 MIST-2 study - Eyenovia announced results from its second MicroStat Phase III study, called MIST-2. The study examined the safety and efficacy of the company's MicroStat fixed-combination formulation, with target markets including the estimated 80M annual pharmacologic mydriasis market in the United States. The MIST-2 study was a U.S.-based, multi-center, randomized, double-masked, superiority trial that enrolled 70 subjects, in whom both eyes were treated on separate days with Eyenovia's proprietary MicroStat fixed combination formulation of phenylephrine 2.5% and tropicamide 1%. MicroStat was compared against a placebo solution, both of which were administered using Eyenovia's Optejet dispenser. For the primary efficacy outcome of mean pupil dilation at 35 minutes post-administration, MicroStat was clinically and statistically superior to placebo in terms of mydriatic effect, with a treatment group difference of 4.6 mm. Additional outcomes demonstrated that, in the MicroStat group, 93% of eyes achieved 6 mm or greater pupil dilation and 68% of eyes achieved 7 mm or more pupil dilation at 35 minutes post-administration. None of the eyes in the placebo group achieved similar results.

08:38 EDT Granite's Water and Mineral Services Group awarded $21M JV contract - Granite announced a $21M joint venture contract by the City of Atlanta for the Sewer Group Three Rehabilitation, Contract D project in Atlanta, Georgia. The contract was awarded to Granite Inliner, a division of Granite's newly formed Water and Mineral Services Group, in joint venture with T&J Industries Development & Contracting. Granite booked its 60% share of the $21M joint venture project into its fourth quarter 2018 backlog. This project is part of the City of Atlanta's consent decree program to upgrade aging infrastructure. The multi-disciplined contract covers a wide variety of renewal technologies and construction management services. Once complete, this project will have replaced or repaired 50,000 linear feet of small diameter sanitary sewer pipes situated in the Sugar Creek Sewer Basin and located in approximately ten sewersheds. Granite Inliner's trenchless process of a cured-in-place pipe will allow the city to repair underground piping with minimal disruption to the public. Construction began in January 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in February 2020.

08:37 EDT Plains All American names Chris Chandler EVP, COO - Plains All American Pipeline (PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (PAGP) announced changes to PAA's senior management team in connection with its long-term succession plans. Jeremy Goebel, currently Sr. Group Vice President, Commercial, has been appointed EVP, Commercial, and Chris Chandler, SVP, Strategic Planning and Acquisitions has been appointed EVP and COO. These appointments are effective March 1, 2019. Additionally, Matt Isom, previously Director, Engineering has been promoted to VP, Engineering and Dan Reinbold, previously VP of Information Services at Plains Midstream Canada has been promoted to VP, Information Services North America. Mark Gorman, previously EVP, has retired. In his new role, Jeremy Goebel will assume additional responsibility for our US Transportation and US Facilities businesses. Chris Chandler, as EVP and COO, will retain his current responsibility for Canadian operations and assume responsibility for our US operations and engineering organizations.

08:34 EDT WellCare announces retirement of Glenn Steele, Paul Weaver from board - WellCare Health Plans announced that Glenn Steele, Jr., M.D. and Paul Weaver have notified the company's board of directors that each intends to retire as a member of the board at the end of their current terms and will not stand for re-election at the company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

08:32 EDT Chemed's Board of Directors authorizes additional $150M for stock repurchase - Chemed Corporation announced that the Board of Directors has formally authorized an additional $150M for stock repurchase under Chemed's existing share repurchase program. These share repurchases will be funded through a combination of cash generated from operations as well as utilization of its revolving credit facility.

08:30 EDT Multi Color trading resumes

08:25 EDT Magenta Therapeutics presents data on MGTA-456 cell therapy - Magenta Therapeutics announced that the Company presented Phase 2 clinical data and preclinical research on its MGTA-456 program at the TCT annual meeting. MGTA-456 is a cell therapy designed to provide a high dose of hematopoietic stem cells that are well-matched to the patient. The Company plans to enroll 12 patients in the ongoing Phase 2 study in inherited metabolic disorders, which include cALD, metachromatic leukodystrophy and globoid cell leukodystrophy. The study previously enrolled patients with Hurler syndrome. The primary endpoint of the study is engraftment after transplantation. Both short- and long-term disease specific outcomes are also being collected. In a separate oral presentation in the Best Pediatric Abstracts Session, Kevin Goncalves, Ph.D., Magenta Therapeutics, highlighted data demonstrating that the high stem cell doses in MGTA-456 accelerate and improve engraftment of human microglia in the brains of transplanted mice. Tony Boitano, Ph.D., Magenta Therapeutics, presented a third data set in the TCT Meeting Best Abstracts session demonstrating that MGTA-456 contains large doses of the stem cells responsible for engraftment, which are also correlated with rapid neutrophil recovery in patients following transplant. Robust Engraftment with MGTA-456, a CD34+ Expanded Cell Therapy Product in Patients with Inherited Metabolic Disorders: Preliminary Phase 2 Trial Results: Transplant success outcomes: Five of five evaluable patients treated with MGTA-456 met the primary endpoint of successful engraftment by day 42 following the transplant procedure. In recent historical cohorts of patients undergoing regular cord blood transplantation with identical pre-transplant conditioning, up to 32% did not engraft at comparable time points. The patients treated with MGTA-456 had minimal neutropenia, lasting for a median of 1 day. In the historical cohort, neutropenia lasted for a median of 8 days. Early evidence of disease benefit: The two patients with cALD showed resolution of gadolinium enhancement on MRI, an indicator of brain inflammation, by day 28 post-transplant, and the resolution persisted at the most recent patient visits. Durable resolution of gadolinium enhancement is correlated with long-term disease benefit in patients with cALD. The Loes score, a method for quantifying the severity of brain abnormalities and atrophy found on MRI, remained stable in both patients as of the most recent patient visits. Patients with Hurler syndrome achieved normal levels of blood leukocyte IDUA enzyme, the enzyme that is deficient in untreated patients with Hurler syndrome. This suggests that transplant with MGTA-456 is beginning to affect the disease in these patients. Normalization of blood leukocyte IDUA enzyme after transplant has been significantly associated with improvement in disease. Patients with Hurler syndrome showed a marked decline in urine total glycosaminoglycan levels as of the Day 100 post-transplant patient visit. This is correlated with improved long-term disease outcomes. Two treatment-related adverse events were observed: one grade 1 vomiting and one grade 3 nausea, both of which were transient. MGTA-456, a First-in-Class Cell Therapy with High Doses of CD34+ CD90+ Cells, Enhances Speed and Level of Human Microglia Engraftment in the Brains of NSG Mice: Stem cell transplant is a standard of care in inherited metabolic disorders, and engraftment of microglial cells, which produce the deficient enzyme in the brain, after transplant is crucial for successful outcomes in patients. NSG mice were transplanted with MGTA-456 or unexpanded cord blood after being conditioned with total body irradiation or either high- or low-dose busulfan, and engraftment of microglial cells in the brain was measured. In sublethally-irradiated animals, MGTA-456 led to an 11-fold increase in hematopoietic engraftment and a 24-fold increase in microglial engraftment in the brain relative to standard of care, with histology consistent with engrafting microglia in the brain. In busulfan-conditioned animals, MGTA-456 led to a 25-fold increase in hematopoietic engraftment and a 60-fold increase in microglial engraftment in the brain relative to controls. MGTA-456 led to faster microglial engraftment: a 28-fold increase in microglial engraftment was demonstrated as early as 2 weeks post-transplant with MGTA-456. The number of engrafting hematopoietic cells in the periphery correlated with number of engrafting microglia in the brain. Subpopulations of MGTA-456 were evaluated to determine the source of microglial engraftment. Only CD34+CD90+ cells, but not CD34+CD90- or CD34- cells, led to brain engraftment, consistent with the subpopulation of cells that result in hematopoietic engraftment following transplant of unexpanded cells. These data demonstrate that in preclinical models microglial engraftment is faster and greater in recipients of MGTA-456 even after lower dose busulfan conditioning, that microglial engraftment correlates with peripheral blood recovery, and that microglia cells are derived from CD34+CD90+ cells. MGTA-456 Contains Large Numbers of CD34+CD90+ Hematopoietic Stem Cells Which Contain the NSG Engraftment Activity and Correlate with Time to Neutrophil Recovery Following Transplant into Patients with Hematologic Malignancy: To date 41 evaluable patients have been treated with MGTA-456, and all have engrafted at a significantly faster rate than historical controls. Magenta scientists sought to fully characterize the expanded CD34+ cell fraction of MGTA-456 phenotypically and functionally and identify the cell population that correlates with time to neutrophil recovery. MGTA-456 was found to contain large doses of CD34+CD90+ hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors, which are responsible for successful engraftment in mouse models. The dose of CD34+CD90+ cells was also found to have the strongest correlation with faster time to neutrophil recovery in patients. Of the 36 patients with blood cancers treated with MGTA-456, 100% of patients engrafted in a median of 14 days, with 67 percent overall survival at 2 years in this high-risk disease setting. A Phase 2 study of MGTA-456 in patients with blood cancers is ongoing at the University of Minnesota.

08:15 EDT NanoVibronix announces Unilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia study results published - NanoVibronix announced the publication of an independent study which was published in the January issue of Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain Research, a peer-reviewed journal in the field of anesthesiology. The double blinded, crossover trial was conducted across the U.S. and included 59 patients with a diagnosis of Unilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia. Among the 59 patients, 30 were in the active treatment group and 29 were in the control group. The values that were assessed include Visual Analog Scale, or VAS, pain score, both baseline prior to trial and VAS pain score at the end of the study. The study also assessed breakthrough medications per week at the start of the trial and breakthrough medications per week at the end of the trial, with a particular focus on the use of opioids. Breakthrough medications are used for chronic pain directly related to the pre-existing Trigeminal Neuralgia condition. There was a significant difference in the outcomes of the two groups relative to pain, quality of life, and breakthrough medications taken, which was directly correlated to pain experienced during treatment. Specifically, the treatment group experienced a 55.2% improvement in baseline pain scores versus 2.3% for the control group. The treatment group experienced a 46.4% reduction in breakthrough pain medication versus 1.5% for the control group. In addition to measurable differences in all aforementioned measurement categories, there was a general improvement in uninterrupted sleep.

08:14 EDT Buffett says Berkshire sold IBM a lot higher than current prices - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:13 EDT Buffett says he doesn't understand Oracle business - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:10 EDT Tyme Technologies receives FDA guidance on SM-88 pathway - Tyme Technologies announced that it received design guidance for a registrational trial from the FDA on a drug development pathway for SM-88 in third-line pancreatic cancer during a recent Type C meeting. The planned trial is intended to be a pivotal trial in the third-line setting to support a submission for FDA approval upon achievement of the trial endpoints and satisfaction of customary regulatory requirements. SM-88 is an investigational oral metabolic-based cancer therapy being studied for the treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Based on the FDA's feedback, as well as ongoing discussions with the Tyme pancreatic medical advisory board, Tyme is in the process of finalizing a randomized pivotal trial protocol with a primary endpoint of overall survival.

08:09 EDT Bank of America CEO was most underestimated bank executive, Buffett says - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:07 EDT Buffett says if Apple were cheaper, he'd be buying it - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:06 EDT Buffett says lower Apple goes, the more he likes it - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:06 EDT Fairbanks Morse to provide EDG sets for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers - Fairbanks Morse, an EnPro Industries company, has been awarded a contract to build and deliver the Emergency Diesel Generator sets for two future US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, CVN-80 and CVN-81. These ships will be the US Navy's third and fourth Gerald R. Ford class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and the USS Enterprise is the ninth US naval vessel to bear that name. Each EDG set provides mission critical, safety-related back-up electrical power in the event that the ship loses power. The EDG sets will be built at the Fairbanks Morse manufacturing facility in Beloit, Wisconsin. Construction will begin in 2019 and they are scheduled to be delivered in 2023 to Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. Fairbanks Morse will then support installation, commissioning, testing, and sea trials for the vessels.

08:05 EDT Buffett says he himself has never sold an Apple share - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:04 EDT ThermoGenesis granted Health Canada approval of PXP System - ThermoGenesis Corp, a private corporation owned by Cesca Therapeutics, announced that it received Health Canada approval of its PXP System for point-of-care harvesting of purified mononuclear cells and platelets from blood or bone marrow. The ThermoGenesis PXP System is a semi-automated, functionally-closed system that harvests a precise volume of cell concentrate from a fixed sample of bone marrow aspirate. PXP can generate a concentration of bone marrow in less than 20 minutes, with consistently high mononuclear cell and CD34+ progenitor cell recovery rates and greater than 98% depletion of contaminating RBCs and 80% depletion of granulocytes. PXP, together with Cesca's CAR-TXpress and related X-Series systems, comprise an advanced and clinically differentiated portfolio of cellular processing solutions.

08:04 EDT CPI Aerostructures receives $8.1M contract from Northrop Grumman - CPI Aerostructures (CVU) announced that it has received a contract with a maximum value of $8.1M from Northrop Grumman (NOC) for outer wing panel kits used in the manufacture of complete wings for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. CPI Aero has produced outer wing panel kits since 2008 for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the U.S. Navy's carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft.

08:03 EDT Shnuck Markets selects Zebra Technologies' retail solutions - Zebra Technologies Corporation announced that Schnuck Markets selected Zebra data capture, mobile computing and printing solutions to increase store teammates' productivity and improve the customer experience.

08:01 EDT Buffett says stocks still attractive, but hard to buy when up everyday - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

08:00 EDT Multi Color trading halted, news dissemination

07:56 EDT Buffett says Howard Schultz running for president would be a mistake - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

07:54 EDT Buffett says not 'card-carrying Democrat,' but votes for more than Republicans - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

07:46 EDT SCWorx secures $1.8M contract with northern New Jersey hospital - SCWorx announced the signing of a $1,800,000 service contract with a northern New Jersey hospital. Initially, under a 5-year fixed-term agreement, SCWorx is licensing the hospital its data governance and analytics suite of application solutions as the foundation of what will become a robust array of services providing full transparency into the major cost drivers across the enterprise.

07:44 EDT Alkermes, Biogen announce FDA acceptance of diroximel fumarate NDA for review - Alkermes (ALKS) and Biogen (BIIB) announced that the FDA has accepted for review the new drug application, or NDA, for diroximel fumarate, a novel oral fumarate in development for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, or MS. The NDA has been assigned a PDUFA target action date in Q4. If approved, Biogen intends to market diroximel fumarate under the brand name Vumerity, which has been conditionally accepted by the FDA and will be confirmed upon approval.

07:42 EDT McDermott CEO says 'we have many reasons for optimism' - CEO Dickson said, "Having closed the book on 2018, we have many reasons for optimism about the company's future. In particular, we are pleased today to introduce robust earnings guidance for 2019, with a sharp improvement in most of our key metrics, including an expectation for 2019 EBITDA of approximately $1 billion, which is broadly consistent with the expectations outlined at the time of the Combination with CB&I. The market outlook is exceptionally robust for McDermott, and elements of our playbook are generating substantial results. Customer confidence in McDermott is as strong as it has ever been, as demonstrated by robust order intake of approximately $5.5 billion early in the first quarter of 2019 - as well as the 16% sequential-quarter increase in our revenue opportunity pipeline in the fourth quarter of 2018, to approximately $93 billion - which is a record level for us. The LNG cycle is here and continuing, our planned sale of the pipe fabrication and storage tank businesses is progressing well, and our liquidity was $1.4 billion at the end of the fourth quarter."

07:41 EDT Orchard Therapeutics presents additional OTL-102 data - Orchard Therapeutics presented additional clinical proof-of-concept data evaluating OTL-102, an ex vivo, autologous, hematopoietic stem cell based gene therapy for the treatment of X-linked chronic granulomatous disease, or X-CGD, during an oral presentation at the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASBMT and CIBMTR. The safety and efficacy of OTL-102, which utilizes a self-inactivating lentiviral vector, was assessed in seven evaluable patients with X-CGD. As previously reported, two additional patients died within three months of treatment from complications deemed by the investigator to be related to pre-existing comorbidities due to advanced disease progression and unrelated to OTL-102. Six of seven eligible patients showed greater than 10% functioning, oxidase-positive neutrophils in circulation at 12 months, which is the minimum threshold of oxidase-positive neutrophils necessary to demonstrate potential clinical benefit. The same six patients demonstrated stable vector copy number in neutrophils over 12 months, which correlates to the engraftment of long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells. As of the last follow-up, those six patients were no longer receiving CGD-related prophylactic antibiotic treatment. There were no gene therapy infusion-related adverse events and typical conditioning-related events included transient neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, mucositis. One serious adverse event of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome fully resolved with steroids.

07:38 EDT Alkermes, Biogen: FDA accepts for review NDA for diroximel fumarate - Alkermes (ALKS) and Biogen (BIIB) announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted for review the New Drug Application for diroximel fumarate, a novel oral fumarate in development for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. The NDA has been assigned a PDUFA target action date in the fourth quarter of 2019. If approved, Biogen intends to market diroximel fumarate under the brand name VUMERITY, which has been conditionally accepted by the FDA and will be confirmed upon approval.

07:33 EDT Piper Jaffray agrees to acquire Weeden & Co. for $42M - Piper Jaffray Companies announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Weeden & Co. Upon closing, Weeden & Co. will convert to and operate as Piper Jaffray & Co. Founded in 1922, Weeden & Co. provides premier global trading solutions, specializing in best execution through the use of high-touch and program trading, proprietary algorithmic strategies and derivatives. Headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., the firm also has offices in New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The acquisition will significantly strengthen Piper Jaffray's position as a top institutional equities trading platform, diversifying and expanding its client base while adding best in class execution capabilities and proprietary technology. The transaction will complement Weeden & Co.'s existing business, through Piper Jaffray's added research and equity capital markets capabilities.The combined trading platform will be led by Weeden & Co.'s current CEO, Lance Lonergan, who will join Piper Jaffray as the firm's head of global equity execution. Piper Jaffray will acquire 100% of Weeden & Co., L.P. Prior to closing, Weeden & Co. will distribute 100% of excess capital to its shareholders. The total upfront consideration is $42M, consisting of $24.5M in cash and $17.5M in restricted cash and retention stock. There is an earn-out opportunity of up to $31.5 million based on combined non-deal equity sales and trading revenue. The retention consideration includes non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. Key Weeden & Co. professionals have entered into employment agreements with Piper Jaffray that become effective concurrent with the transaction's close. In this transaction, Piper Jaffray Companies will acquire Weeden & Co., L.P., an execution broker-dealer for institutional clients. The sale does not include the holding company Weeden Investors, L.P., Weeden Prime or any of its other affiliates. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close in June 2019.

07:32 EDT Wabtec says completes merger with GE Transportation - Wabtec Corporation (WAB) announced that it has completed its merger with GE Transportation, a former business unit of GE (GE). Wabtec says, "This merger establishes Wabtec as a Fortune 500, global transportation and logistics leader by combining Wabtec's broad range of freight, transit and electronics products with GE Transportation's best-in-class equipment, services and digital solutions in the locomotive, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries. Wabtec has also been notified that it will now be included in the S&P 500 Index." With this transaction, GE sold a portion of GE Transportation assets to Wabtec, spun off a portion of GE Transportation to GE shareholders and then GE Transportation merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabtec. Wabtec shareholders own approximately 50.8% of Wabtec on a fully diluted basis and GE shareholders own approximately 24.3% of Wabtec on a fully diluted basis. GE owns common stock and non-voting convertible preferred stock, which together represent approximately a 24.9% economic interest in Wabtec on a fully diluted basis. GE also received approximately $2.9B in cash at closing.

07:23 EDT NanoLock, Micron collaborate to offer flash-to-cloud management solution - NanoLock Security announced that it is collaborating with Micron Technology to provide a Flash-to-Cloud management solution for security of Internet of Things and connected devices. The combined solutions comprised of NanoLock's Management of Things platform and Micron's Authenta-enabled flash memory will provide organizations the ability to manage, securely update and protect IoT devices, regardless of their computation power or operating system requirements. Operators and OEMs can leverage standard silicon trust anchors in flash memory to enhance firmware authentication and integrity of IoT devices to achieve additional revenue opportunities. NanoLock and Micron are currently integrating the Authenta security framework with NanoLock's MoT and FOTALock platforms to enable a fully compatible end-to-end solution. This unified IoT security and management solution will be commercially available in 2019.

07:21 EDT Royal Gold to make $212M in advance payments to Cupric for Silver Stream - First draw under the Silver Stream is expected to occur in or about October 2019, after $100M of net new debt and equity funding has been spent on the Project. The details of the Silver Stream and Option Stream are as follows: Royal Gold will make $212M in advance payments to Cupric for the Silver Stream in exchange for deliveries equal to 80% of the silver production from Khoemacau. The advance payment will be made in quarterly instalments as project development advances according to the following approximate schedule: $60M in the third and fourth calendar quarters of 2019, $125M in 2020, and the balance in 2021. At Cupric's option and subject to various conditions, Royal Gold will make up to an additional $53M advance payment for the Option Stream towards the end of the development of the Project for up to an additional 20% of the silver production from Khoemacau. The stream rate will drop by 50% upon the delivery to Royal Gold of 32 million ounces for the Silver Stream, and 40 million ounces in the case that the Option Stream is fully exercised. Royal Gold will make ongoing cash payments per ounce of silver delivered equal to 20% of the spot silver price at the time of delivery. Depending on the achievement by Cupric of mill expansion throughput levels above 13,000 tonnes per day. Royal Gold will pay higher ongoing cash payments for ounces delivered in excess of specific annual thresholds. Subject to various conditions, Royal Gold will make available up to $25M to Cupric toward the end of the development of Khoemacau in the form of a subordinated debt facility. Any amounts drawn under the facility would carry interest at LIBOR + 11% with a term of seven years. Royal Gold will have the right to force repayment of the facility upon certain events, including change of control and IPO transactions completed by Cupric. The interests of Royal Gold under the Silver Stream and Option Stream will be secured by a lien on all assets of the Project, as well as certain parent and subsidiary guarantees, subordinated only to the $275M senior project debt facility described below and other customary permitted liens. RG AG will fund the transaction through cash on hand and/or cash advances from its parent company, Royal Gold, Inc. Royal Gold, Inc. will fund its obligations to RG AG largely out of cash flow from operations and its currently undrawn $1B revolving credit facility, as required.

07:18 EDT Agios Pharmaceuticals presents updated ivosidenib with azacitidine data - Agios Pharmaceuticals presented updated data from a Phase 1 study evaluating ivosidenib in combination with azacitidine in newly diagnosed isocitrate dehydrogenase-1, or IDH1, mutant acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, patients. The data were featured at the International Symposium on Acute Leukemias. The ongoing Phase 1/2 study is evaluating an investigational use of ivosidenib or enasidenib in combination with azacitidine in patients with newly diagnosed IDH mutant AML unable to receive intensive chemotherapy. Data presented are from the ivosidenib arm of the Phase 1b portion of the study, in which 23 patients received 500 mg of ivosidenib daily plus azacitidine. Enrollment in the ivosidenib arm is complete. The most common all-grade adverse events, or AEs, regardless of cause occurring were nausea, diarrhea, anemia and thrombocytopenia. The most common Grade 3/4 AEs were thrombocytopenia, anemia and febrile neutropenia. Investigator reported IDH differentiation syndrome, or DS, was reported in four patients, of which three were serious AEs. All four cases resolved, including two who achieved a complete response, or CR, one stable disease and one was not evaluable for response. Mean neutrophil and platelet counts were maintained near or above thresholds for CR with partial hematologic recovery while on study treatment with ivosidenib and azacitidine. Overall, 78% of patients had a response. Overall, 65% of patients had a CR+CRh and 57% of patients had a CR. The median duration of CR as well as CR+CRh had not been reached. The median time to response was 1.8 months and the median time to CR was 3.5 months. The 12-month survival rate was 82%.

07:14 EDT Can-Fite BioPharma expands namodenoson distribution agreement with CKD - Can-Fite BioPharma announced the expansion of its distribution agreement with Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals in South Korea, for the indication of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. CKD will receive exclusive rights to distribute Namodenoson for the treatment of NASH in addition to liver cancer in South Korea. CKD has agreed to pay Can-Fite $1,000,000 upfront upon signing, with up to an additional $5,000,000 upon achieving certain regulatory and sales milestones. Can-Fite will also be entitled to a transfer price for delivering finished product to CKD. This agreement with CKD marks Can-Fite's expansion of the original deal for another indication with CKD in South Korea.

07:12 EDT Bausch + Lomb announces FDA approval of LOTEMAX 0.38% gel - Bausch + Lomb, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health, announced that the U.S. FDA has approved LOTEMAX SM 0.38%, a new gel formulation for the treatment of postoperative inflammation and pain following ocular surgery. Compared to LOTEMAX GEL 0.5%, LOTEMAX SM delivers a submicron particle size for faster drug dissolution in tears.3,4 LOTEMAX SM also provides two times greater penetration to the aqueous humor compared to LOTEMAX GEL.

07:11 EDT ArQule announces publication of clinical data with miransertib - ArQule announced the publication of clinical pharmacodynamic, safety and efficacy data in patients with Proteus syndrome. These data, together with data already presented at ASHG last year, support miransertib's further development as a potential first systemic treatment for patients suffering from overgrowth diseases, such as Proteus syndrome. The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, and led by the National Institutes of Health, demonstrated good target engagement, tolerability and reductions in lesion size and pain, especially in children. Highlights from the study include: Generally well-tolerated safety profile; Reductions in pAKT in most patients; Reductions in Cerebriform Connective Tissue Nevus lesions in size but also in firmness, depth of sulci and discomfort;Reduction in pain intensity in all children in the study.

07:10 EDT Titan Pharmaceuticals partners with AllianceRx Walgreens Prime - Titan Pharmaceuticals (TTNP) announced the execution of a specialty pharmacy distribution and services agreement with AllianceRx Walgreens Prime (WBA) that will expand patient access to treatment with Probuphine implant, Titan's unique six-month maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder in eligible patients. Titan expects the majority of Probuphine sales in the United States to be through the specialty pharmacy distribution model, where a specialty pharmacy such as AllianceRx Walgreens Prime carries inventory, directly handles the subsequent patients' insurance billing and payment processes, and ships to the health care provider as prescribed. This system is designed to facilitate patient access to treatment by streamlining the product ordering and fulfillment process for healthcare providers and their staff. Titan's strategic expansion of its network to include AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, one of the nation's largest specialty and home delivery pharmacies, is a key component of its focused commercialization strategy for Probuphine.

07:08 EDT Anixa Biosciences partners with ResearchDx for launch of Cchek PCC test - Anixa Biosciences announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with ResearchDx to launch its Cchek Prostate Cancer Confirmation test as a Laboratory Developed Test. ResearchDx is a CLIA certified, CAP Accredited laboratory located in Southern California. Once launched, Cchek PCC will be available to patients throughout the United States, with the exception of New York state, which requires additional regulatory certification. ResearchDx will begin clinical validation of Cchek PCC with the goal of launching the test in the third quarter of 2019. The steps necessary to launch the test include running samples to train the neural network, followed by analytical and clinical validation. Cchek PCC is designed to confirm the presence of cancer in a preliminarily diagnosed patient prior to biopsy. ResearchDx will perform the test in its CLIA laboratory according to the Anixa developed protocols and Artificial Intelligence analysis.

07:08 EDT Aptose Biosciences submits CG-806 IND application to FDA - Aptose Biosciences announced that it has submitted an investigational new drug, or IND, application for CG-806 to the FDA requesting approval to initiate its Phase 1 clinical trial program. CG-806 is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of all known forms of FLT3 and BTK kinases being developed for the treatment of patients with select hematologic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL/SLL, and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, as well as for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. Pending regulatory allowance, Aptose plans to conduct a Phase 1 trial with orally administered CG-806 in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies, including CLL/SLL and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, or NHL, who failed or are intolerant to standard therapies. Pending the collection of predictive pharmacokinetic data in humans, Aptose would seek allowance from the FDA to move into the AML/MDS patient population in a separate Phase1 trial. The initial goal of both trials is to evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of CG-806 in these patient populations.

07:06 EDT AstraZeneca says Phase III THEMIS trial met primary endpoint - The Phase III THEMIS trial met its primary endpoint which demonstrated that BRILINTA tablets, taken in conjunction with aspirin, showed a statistically-significant reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events compared to aspirin alone. THEMIS was conducted in over 19,000 patients with coronary artery disease and type-2 diabetes with no prior heart attack or stroke. Preliminary safety results were consistent with the known profile of BRILINTA. A full evaluation of the THEMIS data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting. BRILINTA is not approved for use in patients with CAD and T2D who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke. BRILINTA is indicated to reduce the rate of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with acute coronary syndrome or a history of MI. For at least the first 12 months following ACS, it is superior to clopidogrel. BRILINTA also reduces the rate of stent thrombosis in patients who have been stented for treatment of ACS.

07:05 EDT Aurora Cannabis gets Health Canada licensing for Aurora Sky, MedReleaf Bradford - Aurora Cannabis announced that both its Aurora Sky and MedReleaf Bradford facilities are now fully licensed by Health Canada for the production and sale of cannabis and cannabis derivative products.

07:04 EDT Aurinia receives notice of allowance over voclosporin dosing protocol claims - Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. patent application 15/835,219, entitled "PROTOCOL FOR TREATMENT OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS". The allowed claims broadly cover the novel voclosporin dosing protocol adhered to and required in both the previously reported Phase II AURA-LV study and the ongoing Phase III confirmatory AURORA study. Notably, the allowed claims cover a method of modifying the dose of voclosporin in patients with lupus nephritis based on patient specific pharmacodynamic parameters. This Notice of Allowance concludes a substantive examination of the patent application at the USPTO, and after administrative processes are completed and fees are paid, is expected to result in the issuance of a U.S. patent with a term extending to December 2037. Issuance of the patent will expand the scope of intellectual property protection for voclosporin, which already includes robust manufacturing, formulation, synthesis and composition of matter patents. The Company has also filed for protection of this subject matter under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and has the option of applying for similar protection in the member countries thereof. This may lead to the granting of corresponding claims in the treaty countries which include all the major global pharmaceutical markets.

07:02 EDT Pebblebrook Hotel completes sale of Hotel Palomar Washington, DC for $141.5M - Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced that it has closed on the sale of the 335-room, Hotel Palomar Washington, DC for $141.5M. The sale closed on February 22, 2019. The sale price of $141.5M reflects a 14.9x EBITDA multiple and a 5.9% net operating income capitalization rate based on the hotel's operating performance for 2018. When combined with the recently announced sale of The Liaison Capitol Hill, the aggregate sales proceeds of $252.5 million for these two sales reflect a 15.7x EBITDA multiple and a 5.5% net operating income capitalization rate based on the operating performance of the hotels in 2018. Proceeds from the sale of Hotel Palomar Washington, DC will be utilized for general business purposes which may include reducing the Company's outstanding debt. As a result of this completed sale, the Company estimates its total net debt to trailing 12-month corporate EBITDA will be approximately 4.7 times at the end of the first quarter 2019.

07:01 EDT General Electric to sell biopharma business to Danaher for $21.4B

06:56 EDT Buffett says potential large acquisition in Q4 did not pan out - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:52 EDT Sierra Metals sees FY19 CapEx $83M - Management said, "In 2019, the company plans to invest a total of up to $83 million on capital expenditures, including $39 million for sustaining capital requirements and $44 million for expansion, growth projects and exploration expenses. These capital expenditures will allow Sierra Metals to continue to significantly grow our mineral reserves and resources, complete the development work required in operations in order to increase production in the future, as well as complete plant expansion projects to process the increased production. These significant capital expenditure projects are expected to result in increased cash flows, and lower cash costs. These capital expenditure programs will be funded through the generation of operating cash flows, as well as additional liquidity provided from the new credit facility in process if needed."

06:49 EDT Buffett says he liked stocks in Q4, held some cash for potential deal - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:47 EDT Nutrien announces TSX approval for renewed share repurchase program - Nutrien announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted Nutrien's notice to commence a normal course issuer bid to purchase up to 5% of its outstanding common shares. As of February 19, Nutrien had 602,672,627 common shares outstanding and, therefore, is permitted to repurchase up to 30,133,631 of its outstanding common shares pursuant to the NCIB. Common shares purchased under the NCIB will be canceled.

06:41 EDT Sprint to provided 5G wireless services for Google Fi - Sprint (S) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) announced that they will expand their Mobile Virtual Network Operator partnership to include 5G. As part of Google and Sprint's continued collaboration, both parties have committed to delivering innovative technology to Google Fi customers, enabled by 5G services from Sprint. With Sprint's 5G technology that uses the 2.5 GHz spectrum and cutting-edge Massive MIMO radio technology, there will be a dramatic increase in network capacity and density which is designed to deliver the fastest connections with significant improvement in latency. When this rolls out, Google Fi customers with Sprint 5G compatible Designed for Fi phones in a 5G coverage area will be automatically connected to the network, quite similar to today's seamless transitions between cellular networks, depending on the location.

06:40 EDT Sprint working with AWS on Curiosity Internet of Things platform - Sprint (S) announced it is working with Amazon Web Services (AMZN) to further enrich the capabilities of its Curiosity Internet of Things platform. AWS storage and IoT services will now be integrated with Sprint's distributed and virtualized IoT core network to provide enterprise customers with optimized traffic routing, processing, and storage of IoT data. Leveraging the AWS cloud and the Curiosity IoT native LTE core, enterprises can now process IoT data locally, distribute IoT applications, and forward data to the cloud to run analytics and get insights to make better and more accurate decisions for IoT applications and machine learning use cases.

06:38 EDT Nano Dimension receives patent approval for core technology of dielectric ink - Nano Dimension announced that it has received approval from both the U.S. and Korea Patents and Trademark Offices for the company's core technology of its dielectric ink. The approved patent is directed to a novel composition and method of forming a printable thermoset material using suspension polymerization, having excellent physical properties. This makes the composition ideal for thermoset boards, sheets and/or films that may be useful in forming housing elements of various devices where high performance is desirable.

06:36 EDT Buffett says Berkshire has never sold a share of Kraft Heinz - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:35 EDT KBR awarded reimbursable contract by ExxonMobil - KBR (KBR) announced it has been awarded a reimbursable contract by ExxonMobil (XOM) to provide detailed engineering, procurement, and construction services for the offsites and interconnecting units as part of the recently announced crude expansion project in Beaumont, Texas.

06:34 EDT Buffett says didn't overpay for Heinz, overpaid for Kraft - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:32 EDT Buffett says Costco's Kirkland brand selling more than all Kraft Heinz brands - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:29 EDT Buffett says Kraft Heinz 'still a wonderful business' - Warren Buffett is speaking on CNBC.

06:28 EDT Autolus Therapeutics enters partnership with Vineti to advance, scale pipeline - Vineti announced a new partnership to help advance and scale Autolus Therapeutics' broad clinical stage pipeline of cancer treatments for hematological and solid tumors. Autolus has four clinical programs in five hematological and one solid tumor indication. Vineti provides the software platform to align, streamline and manage the complex personalized cell therapy process to enhance safety and efficiency of product delivery. Vineti provides the digital orchestration platform to track, trace, align, and simplify the complex journey that underlies each personalized cell therapy supply chain. Vineti's platform will support Autolus as it advances and expands its pipeline of therapies and prepares for registration and eventual commercialization. Based in the United States, Vineti is supporting patients and clinicians in hundreds of medical centers world-wide and is expanding to Asia-Pacific and Europe.

06:27 EDT Marathon Oil signs agreement for divestiture of U.K. business - Marathon Oil announced the company has entered into a share purchase agreement through its subsidiaries for the sale of its U.K. businesses Marathon Oil U.K. and Marathon Oil West of Shetland. The transaction represents a complete country exit for Marathon Oil. MOUK holds a 37%-40% operated interest in fields in the Greater Brae Area, and MOWOS holds a 28% interest in the outside-operated Foinaven Field unit and 47% in Foinaven East. The buyer, RockRose Energy PLC, will assume all obligations associated with MOUK and MOWOS operations in the U.K, including decommissioning liability. Subject to customary adjustments, the closing consideration payable to Marathon Oil will be approximately $140M, which reflects the assumption by the buyer of MOUK and MOWOS working capital and cash equivalent balances, which were approximately $350M on Dec 31, 2018. Though there remain certain contractual requirements that must be satisfied, the transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2019, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2019. At year-end 2018, the company carried 21.4M barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves in the U.K., and 2018 production averaged approximately 13,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

06:17 EDT Carter's raises quarterly dividend 11% to 50c per share - Payable on March 22 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 12.

06:13 EDT Ipsen to acquire Clementia Pharmaceuticals for $25.00 per share in cash upfront - Ipsen (IPSEY) and Clementia Pharmaceuticals (CMTA) announced that they have entered into an agreement for Ipsen to acquire Clementia Pharmaceuticals, including its key late-stage clinical asset palovarotene, an investigational retinoic acid receptor gamma selective agonist, for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, multiple osteochondromas and other diseases. The acquisition will proceed by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement pursuant to the Canada Business Corporations Act. Under the terms of the agreement, Ipsen will pay $25.00 per share in cash upfront on completion of the transaction, for an initial aggregate consideration of $1.04B, plus deferred payments on the achievement of a future regulatory milestone in the form of a contingent value right of $6.00 per share upon FDA acceptance of the NDA filing for palovarotene for the treatment of MO, representing an additional potential payment of $263M. The initial cash consideration represents a premium of 77% to Clementia's 30-day volume-weighted average stock price. The transaction will be fully financed by Ipsen's existing cash and lines of credit and significantly increase the level of net debt. It is expected to have a limited dilutive impact on Ipsen's core operating margin for 2019 and 2020 given the costs of the ongoing clinical trials and preparation for the commercial launch of palovarotene. Consequently, Ipsen is updating its 2019 financial objectives and now expects: Sales growth of greater than 13.0% at current exchange rates (unchanged); Core operating margin of around 30.0% of net sales (previous guidance of around 31.0% of net sales), excluding other potential investments in pipeline expansion initiatives. The transaction will also be dilutive at the Consolidated Net Income level. The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the transaction. Completion of the transaction is anticipated to occur in the second quarter of 2019, subject to satisfaction of all closing conditions. The acquisition will proceed by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement pursuant to the Canada Business Corporations Act and will require, at the special meeting of Clementia shareholders expected to be held on or about April 9, the approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by Clementia's shareholders present in person or represented by proxy as well as the approval of a majority of the votes cast by Clementia's disinterested shareholders present in person or represented by proxy.

06:10 EDT Phoenix New Media enters LOI to sell 32% of Particle for $448M - Phoenix New Media announced that it has entered into a binding letter of intent, or LOI, with a proposed investor for the sale of 32% of the total outstanding shares of Particle. Particle owns Yidian Zixun, a news and lifestyle information application in China. The company currently owns approximately 37.63% of the total outstanding shares of Particle on an as-if converted basis and is expected to own approximately 5.63% if the transactions contemplated by the LOI are completed. Under the terms of the LOI, the company will commit to sell and transfer 32% of the total outstanding shares of Particle to the proposed investor and its designated entities for a total consideration of $448M in cash, reflecting a preliminary valuation of Particle at $1.4B. The company, the proposed buyers, Particle and other parties as applicable are expected to execute definitive agreements for the proposed transactions on or before March 22 or other deadline agreed by the company and the proposed buyers. Completion of the proposed transactions will be subject to certain closing conditions, such as approvals by the board and shareholders of the proposed buyers, Particle, the company and the company's parent, Phoenix Media Investment, related approval of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, and the delivery of valuation result of an independent valuation firm. There is no assurance that any definitive agreement will ever be entered into or that the proposed transactions will ever be closed. Pursuant to the LOI, the company has already received a cash deposit of RMB100M from the proposed buyers. According to the LOI, the proposed buyers shall pay the ompany another cash deposit of $100M in two installments with the first installment of not less than $50M due on February 28 and the second installment for the remaining amount due on March 5. The company will refund the RMB deposit to the proposed buyers within one business day after the receipt of the first installment of the USD deposit, but will be entitled to terminate the LOI and keep the RMB Deposit or the first installment of the USD Deposit as applicable if the first or second installment of the USD Deposit is not paid on time. If the company unilaterally decides to terminate the proposed transactions after receipt of the USD Deposit, the company will refund the USD Deposit to the proposed buyers and pay liquidated damages to the proposed buyers. If the definitive agreements are not entered into on or before March 22 or other deadline agreed by the company and the Proposed Buyers due to reasons not attributable to the proposed buyers, or the proposed transactions fail to close because any of the closing conditions is not satisfied before the mutually agreed deadline, the company will refund the USD Deposit to the proposed buyers together with interests. Except as described above, the deposit will not be refundable, and the deposit together with accrued interest will be applied towards the purchase price to be paid by the proposed buyers upon closing of the proposed transactions. The company agrees to delegate all of its rights as a shareholder of Particle to the proposed buyers and cause its representatives on Particle's board of directors to delegate all of their rights to the proposed buyers after the execution of the definitive agreements. Upon the payment of the full purchase price, the proposed buyers will be entitled to appoint two directors of Particle to replace the two directors appointed by the company.

06:06 EDT Barrick proposes all-stock deal with Newmont, sees $7B in synergies - Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) announced that it has made a proposal to the Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) board to merge with Newmont in an all-share transaction, saying a combination of the two would form the world's best gold company with unprecedented potential for value creation. Barrick President and CEO Mark Bristow said the proposed merger is expected to unlock more than $7 billion net present value of real synergies, a major portion of which is generated by combining the two companies' highly complementary assets in Nevada, including Barrick's significant mineral endowments and Newmont's processing plants and infrastructure. Bristow said the Barrick/Newmont deal was a logical and long overdue imperative for shareholders that would be far superior to Newmont's proposed acquisition of Goldcorp Inc., with expected Barrick/Newmont annual synergies 7.5 times larger than the quoted annual synergies for the Newmont/Goldcorp transaction.1 The Barrick/Newmont merger would result in an estimated 14% uplift in Newmont's current NAV per share, offering Newmont shareholders an investment in a company of a much higher quality with a better asset base, significant liquidity, a strong balance sheet and a proven management team. Similarly, the Barrick/Newmont merger is expected to result in a significant uplift in Barrick NAV per share from synergies, plus the opportunity for improvement in Barrick's trading multiple from compelling financial, strategic, scale and liquidity advances. Bristow noted that the proposed merger would secure Nevada's position as the world's most prospective gold region. The efficient rationalization of the two companies' assets would position the Nevada assets to deliver more than 20 years of profitable production for the benefit of shareholders, employees, local communities and the economy of Nevada. The Barrick proposal to Newmont is for a merger in which each Newmont shareholder would receive 2.5694 Barrick shares per Newmont share, representing an at-market transaction based on the volume-weighted average trading prices of the shares of Barrick and Newmont on the New York Stock Exchange over the 20 trading days ended February 20, 2019, being the last trading day before the day on which news of this transaction was broadly leaked through the financial press. Barrick shareholders would own approximately 55.9% of the merged company and Newmont shareholders would own approximately 44.1%. The combined company intends to match Newmont's annual dividend of $0.56 per share which, based on the proposed exchange ratio, will represent a pro forma annual dividend of $0.22 per Barrick share.

06:03 EDT Armstrong World CFO expects 'economic conditions in 2019 to be similar to 2018' - "We expect economic conditions in 2019 to be similar to 2018. Accordingly, our 2019 outlook is consistent with the value creation model we disclosed during our investor day last November. We project high-single digit sales growth fueled by volume gains in Architectural Specialties, AUV expansion in Mineral Fiber and acquisitions. We anticipate adjusted EBITDA growth of greater than 10%, driven by sales growth, ongoing productivity and earnings from WAVE," said Brian MacNeal, CFO of Armstrong. "Once again, we are projecting free cash flow of greater than 20% of sales."

05:56 EDT Investigators in Davie looking into crash involving Tesla vehicle, CBS 4 says - CBS 4 Miami reporter Ty Russell said via Twitter that "Investigators in Davie are looking into a crash involving a Tesla on S Flamingo Road near 10th. Police say officers tried to save the driver but couldn't open the door because there was not a handle. Car burst into flames. Unclear what led to the single-car crash." Reference Link