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

19:33 EDT OMA Airports reports 3.3% increase in February passenger traffic - OMA Airports reports that terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports increased 3.3% in February 2019, as compared to February 2018. Domestic traffic increased 3.8%, and international traffic increased 0.8%.

18:34 EDT Bristol-Myers CEO: I'm very excited about the Celgene deal - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Bristol-Myers CEO Giovanni Caforio said: The Celgene deal generates value for shareholders from day one... It creates the number one company in oncology... We disagree with Starboard... This is not a defensive deal... The deal is accretive from day one from an EPS perspective... We will be launching new medicines from the beginning... The pipeline is what excites me... This combination is all about science.

18:17 EDT Gol Linhas reports preliminary February traffic up 11.5% - GOL's total supply increased 4.5% due to a 3.5% increase in seats and a 0.9% decrease in departures. GOL's total demand increased by 8.4% in comparison to February 2018 and consolidated load factor was 81.1% vs. 78.2% last year.

17:56 EDT Pennsylvania American Water acquires wastewater assets of Sadsbury for $8.6M - Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, announced that it has acquired the wastewater system assets of Sadsbury Township in Chester County for a purchase price of approximately $8.6M. The transaction marks Pennsylvania American Water's second acquisition to close under recent legislation that allows municipalities to sell water and wastewater systems for a price based on the fair market value of the system. The newly acquired system provides wastewater service to approximately 1,000 customers. Pennsylvania American Water already provides water service for the majority of the township's residents and businesses. As approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the company has adopted Sadsbury Township's existing wastewater rates. Beginning in April, customers will receive a monthly bill with combined water and wastewater charges.

17:51 EDT Platinum Eagle Acquisition Corp. shareholders approve merger - Platinum Eagle Acquisition Corp., Target Logistics Management, and RL Signor Holdings, announced that Platinum Eagle's shareholders have voted to approve the merger agreements for a business combination transaction at the general meeting of shareholders on March 6. Approximately 93.1% of the shares voted were voted in favor. The respective boards of directors or managers, as applicable, of Platinum Eagle, Target Lodging and Signor Lodging had previously approved the proposed business combination transaction and recommended that its shareholders vote in favor. The merger is expected to close no later than March 15. Target Lodging and Signor Lodging will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of Platinum Eagle and Platinum Eagle will change its name to Target Hospitality. The combined company's common stock and warrants will continue be listed on Nasdaq's Capital Market under the new ticker symbols "TH" and "THWWW," respectively.

17:33 EDT Gilead presents new data on Biktarvy in HIV-1 treatment - Gilead Sciences announced 48-week results from a Phase 2/3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Biktarvy , a once-daily single tablet regimen, in virologically suppressed adolescents and children at least 6 years of age who are living with HIV. Through Week 48, Biktarvy maintained high rates of virologic suppression with a low incidence of study drug-related adverse events and no treatment-emergent resistance. The data were presented at the 2019 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. Biktarvy is indicated in the U.S. as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults who have no antiretroviral treatment history. Biktarvy is also indicated to replace the current antiretroviral regimen in those adults who are virologically suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least three months. Virologically suppressed adults must have no history of treatment failure and no known substitutions associated with resistance to the individual components of Biktarvy. Biktarvy carries a Boxed Warning in its U.S. product label regarding the risk of post-treatment acute exacerbation of hepatitis B.

17:26 EDT Huntington Ingalls CFO sells 3.9K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Huntington Ingalls CFO Christopher Kastner disclosed a sale of 3.9K shares of common stock on March 5th. The total transaction size was $809K.

17:22 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded $118.45M Navy contract for USS Rushmore maitenance - Huntington Ingalls has been awarded a $118.45M firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of USS Rushmore FY19 drydock selected restricted availability. This is a "long-term" availability and was competed on a coast-wide basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel's homeport. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization and repair of USS Rushmore. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $154.24M. Work will be performed in San Diego, California and is expected to be complete by May 2020. FY19 operations and maintenance, and 2019 other procurement funding in the amount of $118.45M will be obligated at time of award, and $108.97M will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website with three offers were received. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:14 EDT CenturyLink CEO buys 83K shares, CFO buys 50K shares of common stock - In regulatory filings, CenturyLink disclosed that its CEO Jeffrey Storey purchased 83K shares of common stock and CFO Indraneel Dev purchased 50K shares of common stock on March 6th. The transaction size for CEO purchase was $991K and CFO purchase was $588K.

17:02 EDT Cushman & Wakefield acquires Smith Brothers Group, terms not disclosed - Cushman & Wakefield announced the acquisition of one of South Australia's largest trade services businesses, Smith Brothers Group, comprising 200 people, enhancing the company's facilities services across Australia and New Zealand. The team will join Cushman & Wakefield's Australian occupier services platform and be part of the company's Global Occupier Services network that manages 3.5B SF across the world.

16:49 EDT Nielsen, Headset form U.S.-specific strategic alliance - Nielsen and Headset announced the formation of a U.S.-specific strategic alliance to deliver a read into the U.S. legal cannabis market for consumer packaged goods companies. This move comes as Nielsen steadily develops a full suite of cannabis measurement capabilities, inclusive of strategic partnerships and beyond, to help CPG companies monitor the evolution of the legal cannabis space, and the potential impact of legal cannabis sales to better mitigate threats and identify future opportunities. The Nielsen and Headset alliance leverages the combined power of Nielsen's consumer research capabilities with Headset's real-time retail point of sale data for legal cannabis products in key legal/recreational use states, along with Headset's proprietary product catalog, dictionary, demographic and purchase dynamics. This relationship will bring unprecedented visibility into market-leading trends, highlighting segments, brands and products that are resonating with consumers in the legal cannabis market. This alliance will also give sight into consumer attitudes, product preferences, use occasions and future intent tied to consumer interaction points within CPG categories. Collectively, this powerful suite of information will enable U.S. CPG manufacturers to more easily measure and predict the impact of cannabis on the CPG industry, and strategize accordingly. The formation of this alliance dovetails Nielsen's recent acquisition of Cannabiz Consumer Group, a leading consumer insight group that specializes in studying the impact of marijuana legalization on CPG consumer spending and shopping behavior trends.

16:41 EDT Sonic Foundry secures $5M in funding - Sonic Foundry announced it has completed a $5 million round of funding. Sonic Foundry's Special Committee of Disinterested and Independent Directors approved and authorized execution of a note purchase agreement with its Board Chairman, Mark Burish, providing $5 million of funding. The company will use this funding to replace the prior revolving line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank, which matured on January 31. As a result, the company intends to finalize filing its annual report for fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, for which an extension was previously filed to provide sufficient time to complete a long-term financing facility. "We are pleased to announce that we closed $5 million of funding, which will help fuel our investment in developing best-in-class video capture and management solutions. Mr. Burish has been a stalwart supporter of our vision, and his support will enable us to pursue our strategic focus for fiscal 2019 as we continue developing innovative products that resonate with our users and drive the business," said Gary Weis, CEO, Sonic Foundry. "As we move forward, the executive team and board of directors are confident that we've set the business up to grow revenue, drive technology development and continue to innovate world class, next-generation products and solutions for our customers."

16:35 EDT MSCI appoints Andrew Wiechmann interim CFO - MSCI announced that Andrew Wiechmann, who has been serving as the company's Head of Strategy, Corporate Development and Investor Relations, has been appointed interim CFO and Treasurer, effective March 5. In connection with this appointment, Wiechmann is also now a member of the company's executive committee. Kathleen Winters has resigned from her roles as CFO and Treasurer of MSCI to become the CFO of a large global company. Her last day at the company will be March 15.

16:34 EDT GeoPark reports Q4 consolidated production up 26% at 38.7K BOE/D

16:33 EDT MSCI appoints Andrew Wiechmann interim CFO - MSCI announced that Andrew Wiechmann, who has been serving as the company's Head of Strategy, Corporate Development and Investor Relations, has been appointed interim CFO and Treasurer, effective March 5. In connection with this appointment, Wiechmann is also now a member of the company's executive committee. Kathleen Winters has resigned from her roles as CFO and Treasurer of MSCI to become the CFO of a large global company. Her last day at the company will be March 15.

16:29 EDT St. Joe, HomeCorp announces JV to bring apartment living to Watersound, FL - The St. Joe Company and HomeCorp announced today the formation of a joint venture to develop, manage and lease apartments in Watersound, Florida. This is the second joint venture between the two companies. The first was established to develop and construct Pier Park Crossings, an apartment community in Panama City Beach, Florida which is currently under construction and expected to start leasing in the spring of 2019. The parties are working together to design, develop and construct Origins Crossings, a proposed 217 unit multi-family apartment home community to be located on land owned by St. Joe near the entrance to the Watersound Origins community. HomeCorp will serve as the construction and leasing manager for the project. Site development and construction are expected to begin later in 2019 with apartment homes being available for lease in 2020.

16:22 EDT Allergan says 'deeply disappointed' with Phase 3 results for rapastinel - "We are deeply disappointed with these results, and they are a vivid reminder that drug development is extremely challenging, especially in mental health. We are grateful to the patients, their caregivers, and the investigators who supported these clinical studies. We remain committed to the development of new life changing medications to combat the rising global toll of mental illness," said David Nicholson, Chief Research & Development Officer at Allergan. "We will evaluate the impact of these data on the ongoing monotherapy MDD program and suicidality in MDD study. We expect to make a decision on these programs during the course of 2019."

16:19 EDT Allergan's rapastinel fails to meet primary endpoint in three studies - Allergan announced topline results from three pivotal studies of rapastinel as an adjunctive treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. In three acute studies, the rapastinel treatment arms did not differentiate from placebo on the primary and key secondary endpoints. In all three acute studies rapastinel was well tolerated without any signal of psychotomimetic side effects. In addition, an interim analysis of the rapastinel relapse prevention study suggests the primary and key secondary endpoints will not be met. Thecompany expects to make a decision on these programs during the course of 2019. These Phase 3 adjunctive MDD trials evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of rapastinel, compared to placebo, both in combination with antidepressant therapy in patients with MDD who had a partial response to ADT.

16:16 EDT Horace Mann raises quarterly dividend by 1% to 28.75c per share - The dividend is payable on March 29, 2019 to shareholders of record as of March 18, 2019.

16:15 EDT Spirit MTA REIT announces special dividend of 33c per share - Stockholders of record as of March 29, 2019 will receive the cash dividend on April 15, 2019.

16:11 EDT Kezar Life Sciences initiates Phase 1 trial of KZR-616 - Kezar Life Sciences announced the initiation of a Phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, single and multiple ascending dose trial to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and target inhibition of a simplified lyophilized formulation of KZR-616. The trial is being conducted in Australia and will enroll up to 72 healthy female subjects. A simplified lyophilized formulation of KZR-616 has the potential to improve the ease of drug administration, transportation and storage, which we believe may result in increased patient adoption in a commercial setting. Additionally, data from this trial may be used to support development and potential regulatory approval.

16:10 EDT TTEC Holdings sees FY19 CapEx 3.8%-4% of revenue - Of which approximately 70% is growth oriented.

16:08 EDT Ensign Group subsidiary acquires All County Home Care and Hospice - The Ensign Group announced that a subsidiary of Cornerstone Healthcare, Ensign's home health and hospice portfolio subsidiary, had acquired the assets of All County Home Care and Hospice in Boerne, Texas effective March 1. Cornerstone CEO Daniel Walker reaffirmed that Cornerstone is actively seeking additional opportunities to acquire both well-performing and struggling home health, hospice, and home care operations across the United States.

16:04 EDT EVINE Line trading halted, news pending

16:02 EDT American Eagle reports Q4 SSS up 6% - By brand, American Eagle comparable sales increased 3%, building on a 5% increase last year. Aerie's comparable sales increased 23%, following a 34% increase last year, marking the 17th consecutive quarter of double-digit comp growth. Reports Q4 effective tax rate 26.5% vs. 21.7% last year.

14:59 EDT Chinese Tesla rival NIO plunges after noting weak demand, ending factory plans - Shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO (NIO) are crashing after the company released its quarterly report Tuesday night. "The Tesla (TSLA) of China," NIO, which had its IPO this past September, said in its quarterly report that deliveries of the ES8 in January and February 2019 were 1,805 and 811 vehicles respectively, which reflect a greater than anticipated slowdown in monthly deliveries compared to December 2018. The sequential slowdown in vehicle deliveries in January and February was mainly caused by accelerated deliveries made at the end of last year in anticipation of EV subsidy reductions in China in 2019, the seasonal slowdowns surrounding the January 1 and Chinese New Year holidays, as well as the current slowdown of macro-economic conditions in China, particularly in the automotive sector. SEASONAL CHINA SLOWDOWN: "We expect a greater than anticipated sequential decrease in deliveries in the first quarter 2019, partially due to accelerated deliveries made at the end of last year in anticipation of EV subsidy reductions in China in 2019, as well as the seasonal slowdowns surrounding the January 1st and Chinese New Year holidays. We also expect deliveries in the second quarter 2019 to reflect continued weakness as we await the results of the 2019 EV subsidy policy in China and improvement in the macro-economic conditions," said NIO CFO Louis Hsieh. TERMINATES FACTORY PLANS: In 2017, NIO signed framework agreements and memorandums with the government and related entities in Jia Ding, Shanghai, to build a manufacturing plant for NIO. Recently, the company has agreed in principle with these contractual counterparties to terminate the plan for this manufacturing plant, pending signing of definitive termination agreement. PRICE ACTION: Shares of NIO are down over 20% to $8.08 per share in afternoon trading, while Tesla shares are fractionally higher.

14:19 EDT Sotheby's says spring sale series of Contemporary Art sold $144M - Sotheby's said its spring sale series of Contemporary Art achieved a total of $144M, "well above the low estimate" of $117M. The two-day series was led by the Evening Sale, which achieved a total of $122M.

14:09 EDT Facebook CEO shares 'privacy-focused vision for social networking' - In a post to his personal Facebook page, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlines his "vision and principles around building a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform." In the post, Zuckerberg states in part: "Today we already see that private messaging, ephemeral stories, and small groups are by far the fastest growing areas of online communication...I understand that many people don't think Facebook can or would even want to build this kind of privacy-focused platform -- because frankly we don't currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services, and we've historically focused on tools for more open sharing. But we've repeatedly shown that we can evolve to build the services that people really want, including in private messaging and stories. I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won't stick around forever. This is the future I hope we will help bring about." Reference Link

14:03 EDT Amazon HQ2 decision had little effect on area housing, Fed says - The Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book reads, "Residential rents across the District have picked up somewhat since the last report but remain roughly on par with a year earlier. In New York City, the prevalence of landlord concessions appears to have receded somewhat and rents have risen modestly, as rental vacancy rates have remained low. The recent withdrawal of Amazon's planned expansion in northwestern Queens has reportedly had little effect on the area's housing market."

13:22 EDT SmileDirectClub says ruling finds Align in violation of restrictive covenants - SmileDirectClub announced the decision in the arbitration brought by SmileDirectClub against Align Technology Inc. for violations of restrictive covenants among other claims. After reviewing an overwhelming amount of evidence, Align was found to have breached the non-compete and other restrictive provisions applicable to the members of SmileDirectClub, including that Align misused SmileDirectClub's confidential information and violated fiduciary duties to SmileDirectClub, SmileDirect said. The ruling requires Align to close down all of its 12 Invisalign stores by April 3, 2019 and enjoins Align from opening any new stores or providing certain services in connection with the marketing and sale of clear aligners. Moreover, the expiration date of the non-compete provision has been extended to August 18, 2022. Align is also permanently enjoined from using SmileDirectClub's confidential information. As part of the ruling, Align has been ordered to return its ownership stake back to SmileDirectClub for the price of its stated capital account balance as of October 31, 2017 - a price which is significantly below the fair market value of its investment given the valuation of $3.2B that SmileDirectClub obtained last summer. With this order Align will no longer be an investor in SmileDirectClub. This decision has no impact on Align's existing supply agreement with SmileDirectClub through 2019.

12:00 EDT Vivint Solar falls -9.4% - Vivint Solar is down -9.4%, or -49c to $4.78.

12:00 EDT NIO Inc. falls -20.6% - NIO Inc. is down -20.6%, or -$2.09 to $8.07.

12:00 EDT J.Jill rises 12.9% - J.Jill is up 12.9%, or 76c to $6.64.

11:03 EDT Boeing buys mobile and web-based aviation applications maker ForeFlight - Boeing announced it has completed the acquisition of ForeFlight, a provider of mobile and web-based aviation applications. ForeFlight has partnered with Boeing for the past two years to bring aviators Jeppesen's aeronautical data and charts through ForeFlight's mobile platforms. Now, the teams will integrate talent and offerings to bring expanded digital solutions to all segments of the aviation industry, the company stated. Terms of the approved deal are not being disclosed and do not affect Boeing's financial guidance or the company's commitment to returning approximately 100% of free cash flow to shareholders, the company said.

10:56 EDT Best Buy founder Schulze sells over 517K shares - In a regulatory filing last night, Richard Schulze, the founder of Best Buy, disclosed that a foundation and trust that he controls sold a total of 517,443 Best Buy shares from March 1 through March 4 at average prices ranging from about $68.18 to $69.55. Schulze, who now owns 1.73M Best Buy shares directly and roughly another 36M shares indirectly through entities he controls, continues to be Best Buy's largest shareholder with an estimated stake of about 13%, according to reports.

10:02 EDT MoviePass refocuses to no longer depend on revenues from studios

10:00 EDT Dean Foods falls -10.0% - Dean Foods is down -10.0%, or -34c to $3.06.

10:00 EDT NIO Inc. falls -16.3% - NIO Inc. is down -16.3%, or -$1.66 to $8.50.

10:00 EDT PlayAGS rises 10.9% - PlayAGS is up 10.9%, or $2.65 to $26.90.

09:48 EDT Fitbit partnering with Blue Apron, Adidas for activity rewards program - Fitbit (FIT) said earlier that it is launching a Rewards beta program to test new ways to motivate and engage users to reach their health and fitness goals. The company says: "Designed to encourage users to achieve and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle and incentivize them with meaningful rewards, the beta will allow users to earn points for everyday activities like steps, sleep and active minutes that upon reaching their goals, can be redeemed for discounts on Fitbit products and rewards from partners, including adidas (ADDYY), Blue Apron (APRN) and Deezer. Fitbit will continue to test and iterate on Rewards and other software experiences in advance of launching a paid premium service offering later in the year."

09:32 EDT Synergy Pharmaceuticals completes sale of certain assets to Bausch Health - Synergy Pharmaceuticals (SGYP) confirmed that the previously announced sale of certain assets to Bausch Health Companies (BHC) is now complete. All rights to TRULANCE, dolcanatide and the related intellectual property have been transferred to Bausch Health. Synergy on December 12, 2018, initiated voluntary proceedings under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to facilitate a sale and address its debt obligations.

09:24 EDT Mattel appoints Dena Cook Head of Global Comminications and Public Relations - Mattel has appointed Dena Cook Head of Global Comminications and Public Relations. Cook is the former CEO of Brew.

09:19 EDT Tandem Diabetes plans to use remote software update tool in ongoing trial - Tandem Diabetes announced that it intends to use its remote software update tool, the Tandem Device Updater, to resolve a Control-IQ technology software anomaly identified during the ongoing DCLP3 phase of the International Diabetes Closed Loop, or IDCL, clinical trial. The company anticipates that the software update will be available to study sites before the end of March.

09:13 EDT Firefly Value Partners sends letter to Gulfport Energy board - Firefly Value Partners, LP, which manages funds that, together with affiliates, collectively beneficially own 8.1% of the outstanding common stock of Gulfport Energy, issued a public letter to the Gulfport Board of Directors, saying "As a long-term Gulfport investor, we are encouraged by the Company's 2019 capital plan, which effectively adopted the share repurchase plan that we recommended in our extensive private communications with the Company and our January 17th public letter to the Board of Directors. We expect the successful execution of the plan to create value for all stockholders, and we look forward to the Company acting decisively to exploit the market's current misunderstanding of Gulfport's intrinsic value. Despite this first step, Gulfport still has a lot of work to do to regain investor trust and set the Company on a path to maximizing value for stockholders. As we outlined in our January 17th letter to the Board, Gulfport has made several capital allocation missteps, including issuing large amounts of equity five times since 2013-each time at successively lower prices. Long-term investors have endured the massive underperformance of Gulfport's shares-relative to both Gulfport's peer group and the broader market-over the last one, three, and five-year periods. This is particularly frustrating given the Board's low combined stock ownership: less than 0.2% of the Company. We continue to believe that the addition of meaningful stockholder representation to the Board is the best way to ensure alignment between the Board and stockholders. However, we do not believe that a distracting proxy fight to accomplish that end is the best course of action at this time. Rather, we think it is in stockholders' best interest to allow Gulfport's new CEO the time and focus to address the issues that contributed to Gulfport's underperformance. We believe that in order to address the concerns of long-term stockholders, Gulfport and its Board must take the following actions in 2019: Implement the capital and operational plan announced on January 17th, 2019, including executing the $400M share buyback plan with urgency. Set short-term and long-term executive compensation incentives that are more closely aligned with the best interests of all stockholders. Abstain from equity issuances."

09:10 EDT SenesTech and Pestmaster deploy ContraPest in Southern California - SenesTech and Pestmaster Services, a pest control solutions provider, deployed ContraPest in a major transit agency in Southern California. Pestmaster will move immediately for an initial deployment, and continue to deploy as needed within the guidelines of their IPM program.

09:03 EDT O2Micro granted battery pack protection patent - O2Micro announced the grant of a key battery pack protection patent. O2Micro was issued 20 claims under United States patent number 9,368,981 for the invention of protection circuits for lithium Ion battery packs. High voltage batteries are usually composed of stacked battery modules. This invention ensures battery pack modules are equally balanced by measuring and controlling current between modules. Unequal modules may not deliver full energy and may result in shorter battery life.

08:51 EDT Haymaker Acquisition stockholders approve business combination with OneSpaWorld - Haymaker Acquisition and OneSpaWorld announced that the business combination was approved by Haymaker's stockholders. The transaction is expected to close on or prior to March 31, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. At the special meeting, more than 96% of the issued and outstanding shares which voted were voted in favor of the business combination. Of the 33M shares of Haymaker Class A common stock outstanding, only 3.9% of stockholders validly elected to redeem their shares.

08:39 EDT ADDvantage appoints Kevin Brown CFO, Scott Francis CAO - ADDvantage announced the appointment of Kevin Brown as its new CFO, effective March 1. Scott Francis, who served as the company's CFO since 2008, has taken on the role of CAO a new position created at the company, reporting to Brown. In his role as CFO, Brown's day-to-day responsibilities will include accounting, financial reporting, treasury management, strategic financial planning, human resources, information technology, risk management, deal analysis and negotiations. This appointment comes at a time when the company is undergoing significant change, including the anticipated divestment of its cable TV segment in Q3 and the implementation of a strategy to strengthen and expand the telco segment. Brown is a seasoned financial executive with experience in the telecommunications industry. Since 2011, he has served as a partner at 4M Investments. In this role he oversaw the performance and financial management of 4M's portfolio companies, including leading its telecom infrastructure investment efforts and evaluating tower, fiber, DAS and small cell opportunities.

08:34 EDT Oracle and Marvell partner in key management security - Marvell (MRVL) announced a strategic collaboration with Oracle (ORCL) to deliver secure key storage using the Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 Level 3 certified hardware security modules for the cryptographic keys that Oracle Cloud Infrastructure customers manage via the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Key Management service. Oracle recently launched its key management service. Marvell's and Oracle's complementary solutions aim to provide regulated industries with a secure, scalable and robust key management capability for the cloud environment.

08:31 EDT Camtek receives $9M order from tier one DRAM manufacturer - Camtek announced that it received an order totaling approximately $9M for multiple systems of its 3D metrology and 2D inspection system from a tier-one DRAM manufacturer. The tools are expected to be installed during the first and second quarter of 2019.

08:28 EDT Thor Industries down 10% to $58.11 after Q2 results miss estimates

08:26 EDT Bio-Path Holdings announces clinical update on Phase 2 prexigebersen trial - Bio-Path Holdings announced a clinical update to the previously reported interim analysis from the Phase 2 trial of prexigebersen for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and provides its plans for the compound's clinical development moving forward toward registration. The open-label Phase 2 study in Stage 1 evaluated the efficacy and safety of prexigebersen in conjunction with low dose cytarabine, or LDAC, a therapeutic regimen well-established in treatment of AML patients who cannot or elect not to be treated with more intensive chemotherapy. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether the combination of prexigebersen and LDAC provides greater efficacy than would be expected with LDAC alone in a de novo patient population. Subsequently, Stage 2 of the study added a second cohort that is evaluating the efficacy and safety of prexigebersen in conjunction with Decitabine in addition to the cohort evaluating prexigebersen in conjunction with LDAC. In April 2018, Bio-Path completed an initial interim analysis of 17 evaluable patients from Stage 1 of the Phase 2 study. These results showed a promising safety and efficacy profile with 47% of patients having a response comprised of four complete response, or CR, patients, including one complete response with incomplete hematologic recovery and four patients with stable disease. Recently, the data from the 17 evaluable patients was updated, and following a meeting with the principal investigators of the study, those results now show that the efficacy profile has improved to where 65% of the 17 evaluable patients had a response, including 29% who achieved CR and one morphologic leukemia free state and six stable disease responses, including two patients who had greater than a 50% reduction in bone marrow blasts. Importantly, through investigation by the principal investigators, it was observed that 68% of these patients were secondary AML patients, an extremely difficult class to treat. The efficacy data from the 17 evaluable patients was favorable in this challenging population compared to the reported CR, complete response with incomplete platelet recovery, and CRi rates with LDAC treatment alone of 7-13% in this patient population. Additionally, a study of newly approved Venetoclax plus LDAC in these newly diagnosed patients reported a 42% CR/CRh response rate; however, this study had only 46% secondary AML compared to 68% in the Bio-Path 17-patient interim analysis.

08:18 EDT Capital Product announces effective date for one-for-seven reverse unit split - Capital Product announced that the board of the partnership has approved a one-for-seven reverse unit split. The partnership previously announced its intention to effect a reverse unit split in connection with the definitive agreement it entered into with DSS Holdings, which contemplates that CPLP will separate its crude and product tanker business into Athena SpinCo and distribute all shares of DSSI to CPLP unitholders. Pursuant to the reverse split, every seven CPLP common units issued and outstanding as of the date of the reverse split will be converted into one CPLP common unit. The Reverse Split will be effective, subject to the prior completion of the spin-off, on March 27 or, if the spin-off becomes effective the following day, on March 28. The CPLP common units are expected to trade on a split-adjusted basis on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the same ticker symbol.

08:10 EDT Immutep announces data from TACTI-mel phase 1 clinical study - Immutep announced more mature data from its ongoing TACTI-mel phase 1 clinical study of the company's lead product candidate, eftilagimod alpha, or efti. The data will be presented at the World Immunotherapy Congress. The TACTI-mel study is evaluating the combination of efti with anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda in 24 patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. It is a multi-center, open-label clinical trial that involves four cohorts of six patients, each cohort testing different dosages of efti, including 1 mg, 6 mg and 30 mg, in combination with pembrolizumab. Part A of the study is starting the combination therapy at cycle 5 of the pembrolizumab treatment in three cohorts with a treatment duration of 6 months. Part B of the study includes a cohort of 6 patients at 30 mg of efti in combination with pembrolizumab, starting at cycle 1, day 1 and with a treatment duration of 12 months. Efti has favorable safety profile in doses up to 30 mg administered every two weeks. Combination with PD-1 antagonists is feasible without dose limiting toxicity or reaching MTD and no DLT or new safety signal have been observed in either part of the study.

08:08 EDT Vertex says 2 Phase 3 studies of VX-445 combo studies met primary endpoint - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that treatment with the triple combination of the next-generation corrector VX-445, tezacaftor and ivacaftor resulted in statistically significant improvements in lung function in two Phase 3 studies in people with cystic fibrosis, or CF. Data from a pre-specified interim analysis of the Phase 3 study in people with one F508del mutation and one minimal function mutation showed a mean absolute improvement in ppFEV1 of 13.8 percentage points from baseline at week 4 of treatment compared to placebo. In the Phase 3 study in people with two F508del mutations, the addition of VX-445 in patients already receiving tezacaftor and ivacaftor resulted in a mean absolute improvement in ppFEV1 of 10.0 percentage points from baseline at week 4 of treatment compared to the control group in whom placebo was added to tezacaftor and ivacaftor. The VX-445 triple combination regimen was generally well tolerated, and the safety and efficacy profile from the results released today supports the potential submission of a New Drug Application for the VX-445 triple combination regimen. The Phase 3 data announced today for the VX-445 triple combination regimen follow Phase 3 data announced in late 2018 for the triple combination of VX-659, tezacaftor and ivacaftor that also showed a safety and efficacy profile supportive of a potential NDA submission. Given the similarity of the data for the 4-week primary efficacy endpoint for the VX-659 and VX-445 regimens and the near-term availability of the final 24-week data for both regimens in the second quarter of 2019, Vertex plans to utilize these final 24-week data to choose the best regimen to submit for regulatory approvals globally. Because these submissions will include the final 24-week data, Vertex will seek approval for patients ages 12 and older with one F508del mutation and one minimal function mutation and for patients with two F508del mutations concurrently. Vertex plans to submit an NDA to the U.S. FDA in the third quarter of 2019 and a Marketing Authorization Application in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2019 for either the VX-659 or VX-445 triple combination regimen. The company also plans to disclose more detailed data from the Phase 3 studies of the selected triple combination regimen, including 24-week data from the study in patients with one F508del mutation and one minimal function mutation, in the second quarter of 2019. "Both the VX-659 and VX-445 triple combination regimens showed highly consistent and significant improvements in lung function across our Phase 3 programs, underscoring the important clinical benefit that a triple combination regimen may provide to patients with two F508del mutations and to those with one F508del and one minimal function mutation," said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Vertex. "We look forward to submitting global regulatory applications for one of these triple combination regimens for both patient populations later this year."

08:04 EDT Senseonics appoints Francine Kaufman, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer - Senseonics Holdings announced the appointment of Francine Kaufman, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Kaufman's career spans almost 40 years in diabetes care. She is a dedicated pediatric endocrinologist and has served as director of the Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center, and head of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

07:48 EDT Jacobs Engineering extends program management for Denver National Western Center - Jacobs received a contract extension to continue as program manager for future phases of the City and County of Denver's National Western Center campus redevelopment program. The National Western Stock Show's expanded facilities aim to establish the campus as a year-round destination for diverse programming in agriculture, water, health, environment and energy. The company will support the City and County of Denver to deliver goals outlined for future phases of work on approximately 60-acres of the site referred to as The Triangle. The City and County of Denver advertised on March 1, for a development partner on The Triangle project, which includes redevelopment of the 1909 historic stadium building, a new 10,000 seat arena, a new expo hall, supported structure parking and development of 42-acres of the site for revenue-generating real estate use.

07:43 EDT Primoris announces $11M parking structure award - Primoris announced a new parking structure award valued over $11M. The contract was secured by ARB Structures, part of the power, industrial and engineering segment. The award is for the construction of a parking structure in Southern California. The new parking structure will be a five level, cast-in-place, concrete structure that will accommodate approximately 615 vehicles. Work is scheduled to commence in Q1 and to be completed in Q4.

07:40 EDT Chico's reports inventories totaled $235.2M at end of FY18 - At the end of fiscal 2018, inventories totaled $235.2M compared to $233.7M at the end of fiscal 2017. This $1.5M, or 0.6% increase, primarily reflects accelerated in-transits due to the timing of the Chinese New Year, partially offset by a 7% decrease in on-hand inventory compared to the end of fiscal 2017.

07:39 EDT Chico's reports Q4 gross margin 30.2% vs. 37.7% a year ago - For the fourth quarter, gross margin was $158.7M, or 30.2% of net sales, compared to $221.6M, or 37.7% of net sales, for last year's fourth quarter. The decline in gross margin primarily reflects a 550-basis point decrease related to the clearing of Chico's brand seasonable merchandise, the continued expansion of the omnichannel programs and deleverage of occupancy costs as well as a 200-basis point charge due to the retail fleet optimization plan.

07:37 EDT Exxon Mobil says 1.3B oil-equivalent barrels added to resource base in 2018 - In conjunction with the company's annual investor day, Exxon Mobil said upstream growth will benefit from ExxonMobil's exploration success and progress in development plans. In 2018, the company added 1.3 billion oil-equivalent barrels to its resource base, which included additions from new discoveries and strategic acquisitions, mainly in Guyana and Brazil. A key liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique is on track for final investment decision this year. The Papua New Guinea LNG project is progressing. In February 2019 the company sanctioned the Golden Pass LNG project to capitalize on the low cost supply of U.S. natural gas and the expected growth in global LNG demand. In the Permian, the size of the company's net resource is 10 billion oil-equivalent barrels and is expected to grow further. ExxonMobil's production in the Permian is expected to exceed 1 million oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2024, an increase of nearly 80% from last year's investor day presentation. The anticipated increase in production will be supported by further evaluation of the Delaware Basin's increased resource size, infrastructure development plans, and secured capacity to transport oil and gas to ExxonMobil's Gulf Coast refineries and petrochemical operations. In the downstream, the company is progressing six major refining investments to meet growing demand for higher-value fuel and lubricant products. Three of those - a Beaumont hydrofiner, a delayed coker at Antwerp and an advanced hydrocracker at Rotterdam - are operating. The remaining three - Fawley hydrofiner in the U.K., light crude refining expansion at Beaumont and a residual upgrader in Singapore - are on schedule. In the chemical business, the company detailed plans for 13 new facilities to supply growing demand for products. Seven of the projects started up through 2018 and the remaining six are on schedule. These investments are expected to deliver 30% sales growth by 2025, largely driven by technology-enabled performance products.

07:35 EDT Exxon Mobil sees annual earnings potential to rise by more than 140% by 2025 - ExxonMobil said it has updated its growth plans and expects annual earnings potential to increase by more than 140% by 2025 from 2017 adjusted earnings, assuming an oil price of $60 per barrel and based on 2017 margins. ExxonMobil's updated earnings projection compares with last year's estimated increase of 135% between 2017 and 2025, based on 2017 adjusted earnings. Cumulative earnings potential from 2019 through 2025 has increased by about $9B, supported by further improvements to the company's investment portfolio and divestment plans. ExxonMobil expects annual cash flow from operations to reach $60B in 2025, assuming oil prices at $60 per barrel and 2017 margins. Cumulative cash flow from operations and asset sales over the period from 2019 to 2025 is $24B higher than what was communicated at last year's analyst meeting, including $15B from anticipated asset sales from 2019 to 2021. The company expects to double return on capital employed by 2025 under the $60 per barrel price scenario described during last year's investor day. "Given the success we experienced last year and the progress we're making on our plans, we have even greater confidence in our ability to grow value for our shareholders. We are exceeding the pace of our expected progress on the aggressive growth strategy we laid out last year. We continue to enhance our industry-leading portfolio, and are leveraging our competitive advantages in integration, scale, technology and execution to deliver long-term value for our shareholders," Darren Woods, chairman and CEO, said at the company's annual investor day.

07:32 EDT Chico's reports Q4 SSS down 3.8%

07:18 EDT Myriad Genetics announces publication of expanded carrier screen study - Myriad Genetics announced that its Myriad women's health business unit has published the first data-driven evaluation of commonly stated recommendations of panel inclusion criteria for expanded carrier screening, or ECS, in the journal Genetics in Medicine. The key finding is that the interpretation of current criteria are ambiguous and should be clarified such that ECS can more broadly identify couples at increased risk of passing on serious inherited genetic conditions to their children. In an analysis of more than 55,000 patients tested with the Foresight 176-condition ECS panel, the study identified how many carriers and at-risk couples would have been missed if the panel were constructed using different interpretations of existing professional organization criteria. For instance, one criterion states that screened conditions should have a carrier rate of at least 1-in-100, yet it is not clear whether this threshold applies to X-linked conditions or whether it must be exceeded in any ethnicity or in all ethnicities. The study showed that these distinctions are clinically consequential because depending on the definition used, a compliant panel identifies between 11% and 89% of at-risk couples relative to the Foresight 176-condition panel. With the most restrictive interpretation, common conditions like cystic fibrosis would be omitted from ECS. Clarifying the current guidelines to include a 1-in-100 carrier rate for any ethnicity results in a 38-condition panel that identifies 89% of at-risk couples.

07:15 EDT Moderna: FDA grants Fast Track designation for methylmalonic acidemia program

07:11 EDT BeiGene, Ambrx announce collaboration to develop biologics - Ambrx and BeiGene announced a global research and development collaboration. Ambrx has developed proprietary expanded genetic code technology platforms designed to allow the efficient incorporation of non-natural amino acids into proteins in both E. Coli and CHO cells. This technology enables site-specific modification of proteins to create potentially first- and/or best-in-class innovative protein drugs. The collaboration leverages Ambrx's clinically validated drug discovery technology platforms with BeiGene's expertise and resources to pursue the development and commercialization of next-generation biologics drugs. Under the terms of the agreement, Ambrx will receive an upfront payment of $10M to fund the initial discovery and research activities and additional upfront payments of up to $19M if BeiGene elects to initiate additional programs. Ambrx is eligible to receive potential development, regulatory, and sales-based milestone payments up to an aggregate of $446M for all programs, in addition to tiered royalties on future global sales. BeiGene will have worldwide rights to develop and commercialize any drug products resulting from the collaboration.

07:05 EDT Synlogic, AbbVie advance Synthetic Biotic medicines to lead optimization stage - Synlogic (SYBX) announced the advancement of Synthetic Biotic medicines to the lead optimization stage in its collaboration with AbbVie (ABBV) to develop an oral treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.

07:03 EDT Village Farms provides update on Nasdaq trading halt - Village Farms is providing a further update regarding the recent halt in trading of its common shares on Nasdaq. Nasdaq recently advised Village Farms that its common shares were not part of the Depository Trust Clearing Company DRS/DWAC system, which is a mandatory requirement for listing on Nasdaq. At the time of the company's application to Nasdaq, the company provided Nasdaq with information generated from a third-party which incorrectly confirmed that Village Farms' common shares would be included in the DRS/DWAC system at the commencement of their trading on Nasdaq. Village Farms has now taken the appropriate steps to correct this situation. An application for DTC Eligibility has been filed on Village Farms' behalf. Upon approval, Village Farms' shares will be DTC Eligible, and included in the DRS/DWAC system. This will remedy the deficiency in listing requirement. It is the company's expectation that its shares will resume trading on Nasdaq upon approval of its DTC Eligibility application. Village Farms' common shares continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "VFF".

07:01 EDT Bristol-Myers says Celgene deal the 'best path for increased value creation' - Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) filed an investor presentation with the SEC, and the Board of Directors sent an open letter to the company's shareholders regarding the previously announced definitive merger agreement with Celgene (CELG). The investor presentation underscores "how the Celgene transaction is a compelling acceleration of Bristol-Myers Squibb's 'string-of-pearls' approach to M&A and provides the best path for increased value creation." Highlights of the presentation include: The Celgene acquisition has clear strategic rationale and represents a compelling value proposition Enhanced product leadership and pipeline: Combined company will be #1 in oncology, top 5 in immunology and inflammation and #1 in cardiovascular; nine products over $1 billion in annual sales; six near-term launches; robust early-stage pipeline; cutting edge technologies and discovery platforms; Compelling value proposition: Greater than 40% accretion to Bristol-Myers Squibb standalone EPS, approximately 10% accretive on a discounted cash flow per share basis and IRR substantially above cost of capital; Specific, actionable synergies: $2.5 billion of actionable run-rate cost synergies by 2022; Attractive price: Value of approximately $55 billion from marketed products and in excess of $20 billion from synergies implies the Celgene pipeline was acquired for a highly attractive price when compared to the aggregate purchase price of $90 billion; Ideal timing: Natural exchange ratio at two-year lows and Celgene P/E near an all-time low when deal was announced. The Board and management team conducted a robust process and diligence and are committed to a successful integration Comprehensive process: Prioritized more than 20 transformational and 'string-of-pearls' opportunities, and Celgene selected as most attractive opportunity; Thorough Board oversight: Consistent Board involvement throughout process, with eight meetings to discuss Celgene opportunity; Extensive diligence: Six-month deep-dive analysis and weeks of confidential due diligence provided comprehensive view of Celgene's opportunities and risks; Focused and committed to a successful integration: Complementary nature of businesses, strong team in place to manage integration and rigorous planning approach.

06:47 EDT DPW Holdings says has reduced debt by $3M year to date - DPW Holdings announced it has reduced its total debt by $3M year to date in 2019. The company continues to work with its creditors to decrease its debt and improve its capital structure while also moving forward with its growth and profitability objectives for the year. As stated during its Investor Conference on February 25, the company's goals for this year include decreasing its debt, increasing both its revenue and profitability and providing greater shareholder value.

06:46 EDT J.Jill declares special dividend of $1.15 per share - J.Jill has declared a special dividend of $1.15 per share, which will be paid on April 1 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 19. The aggregate payment will be approximately $50.0M and will be funded through available cash on hand.

06:44 EDT Baytex Energy continues board and management renewal process - Baytex has an ongoing board renewal process led by the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board. As part of this renewal process, Ray Chan and Gary Bugeaud have decided to not stand for election as directors at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in May. COO Rick Ramsay has elected to retire on April 5. Ramsay has been with Baytex since January 2010. Jason Jaskela will assume the role of Executive VP and COO on April 5. Jaskela is a professional engineer with 19 years of industry experience. Previously, he was COO of Raging River from March 2014 until August 2018 and the Vice President, Production from March 2012 until March 2014.

06:25 EDT BJ's Wholesale reports Q4 comparable club sales up 2.8%, up 2.9% ex-gasoline - Comparable club sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 increased 2.8% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017. Excluding the impact of gasoline sales, merchandise comparable sales increased 2.9%, representing the sixth consecutive quarter of positive merchandise comparable sales. For fiscal 2018, comparable sales increased 3.7% compared to fiscal 2017. Excluding the impact of gasoline sales, merchandise comparable sales for fiscal 2018 increased 2.2% compared to fiscal 2017.

06:11 EDT BJ's Wholesale CEO says 'we ended the year with all-time high renewal rates' - "We're pleased with our fourth quarter and full year performance, which exceeded our expectations for sales and earnings," said Christopher J. Baldwin, Chairman and CEO, BJ's Wholesale Club. "We ended the year with all-time high renewal rates and membership fee income. We delivered strong fourth quarter merchandise comp sales, supported by a successful holiday season and continued momentum through January. Looking ahead, we intend to continue to invest in our strategic priorities and look forward to driving further improvement in our business in 2019 and beyond."

06:09 EDT BJ's Wholesale sees FY19 adjusted EBITDA $590M-$600M

06:04 EDT Bio Blast Pharma announces effectiveness of eight to one reverse split - Bioblast Pharma announced the effectiveness of an eight to one reverse split of its share capital. As previously reported, the reverse split was approved by Bioblast's shareholders at a General Meeting of Shareholders of Bioblast held on December 27, 2018. Trading of the company's ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market will continue, on a split-adjusted basis, with the opening of the market on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, under the new CUSIP number M20156127. Immediately subsequent to the reverse split, there will be approximately 419,892 of the company's ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

06:01 EDT Cabot Microelectronics raises quarterly dividend 5% to 42c per share - The dividend will be payable on or about April 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 21.

05:30 EDT Genentech sNDA for XOFLUZA accepted by FDA - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the FDA has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application,. or sNDA, for XOFLUZA as a single-dose, oral treatment for people at high risk of complications from the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines people at high risk for serious flu complications to include adults 65 years of age or older, or those who have conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, morbid obesity or heart disease. The FDA is expected to make a decision on approval by November 4, 2019.

05:14 EDT Accenture helps AB InBev better target promotion spend in Europe - Accenture (ACN) has been helping Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) increase the efficiency of its trade promotions in Europe through the implementation of the cloud-based Accenture Trade Promotion, or TPM, solution. The implementation is part of AB InBev's digital front-office transformation program, under which the company seeks to improve the effectiveness of its significant promotional trade spend by replacing a patchwork of processes, systems and tools across Europe with a single consolidated system that will enable the company to more effectively manage its trade-promotion spend. Before the implementation of Accenture TPM, AB InBev lacked a consolidated view of its trade-promotion activities across Europe, with different types of systems for each of its operations--often even within the same country. As a result, aggregating the data necessary to assess the effectiveness of specific promotions often took several weeks. With Accenture TPM, AB InBev can now pull reports in near real-time, enabling the company to react immediately to any identified gaps in its promotion efforts.