Stockwinners Market Radar for March 08, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:46 EDT WD-40 CEO: We want to create positive lasting memories - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge said: We are in the memory business... We want to create positive lasting memories... We are going to launch a new product next year... We love diversity in our organization... We have an amazing return on invested capital... We get $850,000 of revenue per employee.

18:11 EDT RVL 1 concludes it is not the right time to pursue Revolution Lighting deal - Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. announced that on March 7, 2019, the Transaction Committee of the board of directors of the company received a notification from from RVL 1 LLC, an affiliate of the company's Chairman and CEO, Robert V. LaPenta, that it has concluded that it is not the right time to pursue a transaction to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of the company. "We write in connection with our October 16, 2018 and November 14, 2018 letters regarding an offer to acquire all of the common stock of Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. on behalf of RVL 1, LLC, " the letter reads. "While we continue to believe in the desirability of the Company ceasing to continue as a publicly traded enterprise, given the publicly disclosed developments since our Offer Letters, we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that now is not the right time for us to pursue such a going private transaction. We remain fully committed to the Company's success and seeking ways to ultimately maximize value for the Company and all of its stockholders. We are available at your convenience, and look forward to constructively working with you to determine the best path for the Company to realize value for all of its stockholders."

17:46 EDT PG&E submits final report on gas pipeline safety enhancement plan to CPUC - Pacific Gas and Electric Company has submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission its final report on the company's extensive multi-year Pipeline Safety Enhancement Plan. This report details the hundreds of projects undertaken by PG&E to implement safety, operational reliability and environmentally-focused upgrades and enhancements to its natural gas transmission pipeline system. The PSEP was formally submitted to the CPUC on August 26, 2011, with the goal of enhancing safety and improving operations of the gas transmission pipeline system, which now totals approximately 6,600 miles. PG&E completed 585 projects that include installing automated valves, strength testing, replacing, upgrading, and in-line inspecting its system. The last PSEP project became operational in November 2018.

17:28 EDT Take-Two CEO says 'Fortnite' is a 'great thing' for the industry - In an interview on CNBC's "Fast Money," Take-Two (TTWO) CEO Strauss Zelnick said that Epic Games' "Fortnite" is a "great thing" for the video game industry, since it has brought in younger consumers. The CEO noted that while "Fortnite" continued to grow, 2018 was a "record year" for "Grand Theft Auto Online," and that the company brought in "record engagement" with "GTA Online" and "Red Dead Online." Zelnick noted that the biggest new revenue stream for the game publisher is recurring in-game spending, as the company is always trying to monetize user engagment. Investors in Epic Games include Tencent (TCEHY), Disney (DIS), and KKR (KKR).

17:19 EDT Big Lots to replace Quorum Health in S&P 600 at open on 3/18

17:18 EDT Diamond Offshore to replace Maiden Holdings in S&P 600 at open on 3/18

17:17 EDT XPO Logistics to replace Diamond Offshore in S&P 400 at open on 3/18

17:03 EDT Canadian Pacific to appeal Transport Canada Ministerial Order - Canadian Pacific announced that it is appealing the Ministerial Order issued by Transport Canada on February 8, addressing the securement of trains on mountain grades after a train is stopped by an emergency brake application. "CP remains steadfast in our commitment to safety, across our entire operation," said CP's President and CEO Keith Creel. "Safety is one of our foundational principles and we remain laser-focused on continued improvement in this area. The application of handbrakes in accordance with the Ministerial Order introduces additional risks and will have unintended consequences. We are seeking a review of the Ministerial Order because we firmly believe safer options are available and we must get this right." CP remains committed to continuing to have further dialogue with Transport Canada and other stakeholders to explore safer alternatives. CP has and will comply with the Ministerial Order throughout the process. The review of the Ministerial Order will be heard by the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada. CP continues to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the derailment by the Transportation Safety Board, and Employment and Social Development Canada. The Railway Association of Canada and CN are also appealing the Ministerial Order.

16:32 EDT Medtronic board authorizes $6B stock buyback - Medtronic board authorized the expenditure of funds for share repurchases. Given the remaining amount under the board's June 2017 $5.0 billion authorization had been reduced to $1.3 billion by the end of the last fiscal quarter, the board today authorized an incremental $6.0 billion for share repurchases. The company noted that there is no specific time period associated with today's repurchase authorization.

16:21 EDT Entravision to delay filing Annual Report on Form 10-K - The company announced that it expects to file a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 with the SEC, which provides an automatic 15-day extension of the filing deadline for its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 to April 2, 2019. As a result of the company's expanding business operations and geographical scope, including related to the acquisition of Headway and other digital businesses, the company has experienced unexpected delays in its completion of the audit of its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018. The company currently anticipates the Form 10-K will be filed within the 15-day extension period and the company expects, as soon as practicable, to announce the timing of a conference call to discuss its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

16:16 EDT Noble Midstream closes option to acquire 30% stake in EPIC Crude Pipeline - Noble Midstream Partners LP announced it has closed its option with EPIC Midstream Holdings, LP to acquire a 30% equity interest in the EPIC Crude Pipeline. A $104M catch-up payment for the project was contributed at close.

16:11 EDT Citrix says investigating unauthorized access to internal network - On March 6, 2019, the FBI contacted Citrix to advise they had reason to believe that international cyber criminals gained access to the internal Citrix network. Citrix said in a blog post that it has taken action to contain this incident. "We commenced a forensic investigation; engaged a leading cyber security firm to assist; took actions to secure our internal network; and continue to cooperate with the FBI," the company said. "Citrix is moving as quickly as possible, with the understanding that these investigations are complex, dynamic and require time to conduct properly. In investigations of cyber incidents, the details matter, and we are committed to communicating appropriately when we have what we believe is credible and actionable information. While our investigation is ongoing, based on what we know to date, it appears that the hackers may have accessed and downloaded business documents. The specific documents that may have been accessed, however, are currently unknown. At this time, there is no indication that the security of any Citrix product or service was compromised. While not confirmed, the FBI has advised that the hackers likely used a tactic known as password spraying, a technique that exploits weak passwords. Once they gained a foothold with limited access, they worked to circumvent additional layers of security. Citrix deeply regrets the impact this incident may have on affected customers. Citrix is committed to updating customers with more information as the investigation proceeds, and to continuing to work with the relevant law enforcement authorities."

16:08 EDT Sonic Foundry promotes Michael Norregaard to COO - Sonic Foundry announced the appointment of COO, Michael Norregaard, who will support the company's efforts to drive revenue, market share and customer satisfaction. Norregaard will continue to report directly to Gary Weis, CEO. Norregaard joined the company in 2013, most recently holding the role of SVP of customer experience and mediasite events. As COO, he will oversee the company's IT department, hosting operations, customer care, system engineering, business development efforts, the mediasite events team as well as the launching of a new customer success initiative. During his tenure with the company, Norregaard has held the SVP of sales operations and VP of business development titles.

16:01 EDT Tel Instrument Electronics trading halted, news pending

15:30 EDT Tronox shareholders approve re-domicilation transaction to the U.K. - Tronox announced that the shareholders of the company overwhelmingly approved the transaction to re-domicile to the United Kingdom from Australia. Re-domiciling will be effected by "top-hatting" Tronox Limited with a new holding company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales called Tronox Holdings plc. Each Tronox shareholder will receive one share in the newly incorporated English company in exchange for each share held in the Australian-incorporated Tronox Limited, which shares are proposed to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The final Australian court hearing is scheduled for Friday, March 22, 2019, and assuming Court approval and other customary conditions are satisfied, the company expects to complete such transaction on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

15:23 EDT AquaBounty says FDA lifts import alert on AquAdvantage Salmon - AquaBounty Technologies (AQB), a majority-owned subsidiary of Intrexon (XON), announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifting of the import alert, allowing the company to start farming AquAdvantage Salmon in Indiana. Sylvia Wulf, CEO of AquaBounty, stated: "We are delighted that FDA has lifted the import alert, which will allow AquaBounty to begin producing and marketing AquAdvantage Salmon in the United States...We will immediately start the process to import AquAdvantage eggs from our hatchery in Canada to begin grow out at our Indiana facility."

13:07 EDT ICSID tribunal orders Venezuela to pay ConocoPhillips $8.7B - ConocoPhillips announced that an international arbitration tribunal constituted under the auspices of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes has unanimously ordered the government of Venezuela to pay the company the amount of $8.7B in compensation for the government's unlawful expropriation of ConocoPhillips' investments in Venezuela in 2007, plus interest. The ICSID tribunal ruled in 2013 that the expropriation of ConocoPhillips' substantial investments in the Hamaca and Petrozuata heavy crude oil projects and the offshore Corocoro development project violated international law. The current ruling addresses compensation, and the timing and manner of collection remain to be determined. "We welcome the ICSID tribunal's decision, which upholds the principle that governments cannot unlawfully expropriate private investments without paying compensation," said Kelly B. Rose, senior vice president, Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of ConocoPhillips.

13:02 EDT AngioDynamics 'pleased' court agreed to dismiss Bard case - AngioDynamics, Inc. announced that the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, on day four of a jury trial at the close of C.R. Bard's case, granted judgement as a matter of law under rule 50a in favor of AngioDynamics, dismissing Bard's suit alleging that certain of AngioDynamics' implantable port products infringed three Bard patents. "We are pleased that the Court agreed to dismiss Bard's case," said Jim Clemmer, President and Chief Executive Officer of AngioDynamics. "As expected, the merits of our case won out. We are maintaining our focus on bringing innovative products across our portfolio to our customers, allowing them to more effectively enhance patient care."

12:08 EDT Genentech's Tecentriq combination with Abraxane granted FDA approval - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to Tecentriq plus chemotherapy for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in people whose tumors express PD-L1, as determined by an FDA-approved test. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on progression-free survival. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial(s). The FDA's Accelerated Approval Program allows conditional approval of a medicine that fills an unmet medical need for a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. This accelerated approval is based on data from the Phase III IMpassion130 study, which demonstrated that Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel significantly reduced the risk of disease worsening or death by 40% compared with nab-paclitaxel alone in PD-L1-positive patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who had not received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Overall survival results were immature with 43 percent of events in all randomized patients, and further data will be shared with the FDA and presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

11:28 EDT NBH Bank to 'meaningfully' increase base pay for nearly 200 associates - NBH Bank announced monetary actions they are taking to invest their 2018 success back into their associates. The bank is delivering two financial rewards to several associates: A new bonus opportunity the Bank introduced in January 2018 will carry forward, rewarding over 400 associates in good standing who earn less than $50,000 annually with a bonus of up to $1,500. The Bank will meaningfully increase the base pay for nearly 200 associates, in addition to any typically earned annual salary increase and bonus opportunity.

10:37 EDT Tivity Health completes acquisition of Nutrisystem - Tivity Health (TVTY) announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Nutrisystem (NTRI) for approximately $1.3B in cash and stock. "With this acquisition, Tivity Health will be unique in offering, at scale, an integrated portfolio of fitness, nutrition and social engagement solutions to support overall health and wellness," the company stated.

10:26 EDT Borqs Technologies Inc trading resumes

10:00 EDT HCI Group falls -10.4% - HCI Group is down -10.4%, or -$4.52 to $38.85.

10:00 EDT Eventbrite falls -28.3% - Eventbrite is down -28.3%, or -$9.17 to $23.25.

10:00 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 8.6% - Britannia Bulk is up 8.6%, or 69c to $8.71.

09:47 EDT Fortuna Silver Mines rises 5.4% - Fortuna Silver Mines is up 5.4%, or 18c to $3.53.

09:47 EDT Big Lots rises 10.7% - Big Lots is up 10.7%, or $3.41 to $35.24.

09:18 EDT Alexion announces publication of REGAIN Phase 3 interim data in Muscle & Nerve - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced the publication of data from an interim analysis of the Phase 3 open-label extension study of REGAIN evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of SOLIRIS for the treatment of adult patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalized myasthenia gravis. Published in Muscle & Nerve, the results indicate that the improvements demonstrated during the initial six-month duration of the double-blinded Phase 3 REGAIN trial, were sustained over a treatment period of three years. Additionally, patients who had previously been treated with placebo in REGAIN showed rapid and significant improvement upon starting treatment with SOLIRIS in the open-label extension.

09:09 EDT Diana Shipping enters time charter contract for m/v Salt Lake City with Cargill - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Cargill International for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v Salt Lake City. The gross charter rate is $9,750 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twenty 20 months to maximum 23 months. The charter is expected to commence on March 14.

09:05 EDT Energy Recovery elects Robert Yu Lang Mao as new Chairman of the Board - Energy Recovery announced the election of Robert Yu Lang Mao as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective upon the company's 2019 Annual Stockholder's Meeting in June. Mao has served as a Director of the company since 2010 and will succeed Hans Peter Michelet, who first joined the company's Board of Directors in 1995 and has served as the Chairman of the Board since 2004. Michelet will retire from the Board at the end of the current Board term.

09:01 EDT AAR Corp. earns JCAB approval to expand services to Japanese Airlines - AAR Corp. has received approval from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau to serve Japanese airlines that require repair stations to provide JCAB-authorized release certificates. This new certification will expand AAR's Japanese customer base and further strengthen the company's position in Asia. AAR Aircraft Component Services has this certification now in addition to FAA, EASA and CAAC. The work will be performed in AAR's ACS facility in Amsterdam.

08:41 EDT Versum, Entegris expects to achieve over $125M in cost synergies from merger - Versum Materials (VSM) and Entegris (ENTG) issued the a letter to Versum and Entegris shareholders, which read in part: "We are writing to you on behalf of the Versum Materials and Entegris management teams and Boards of Directors regarding the merger of equals between our two companies we announced on January 28, 2019. We believe it is important to set the record straight about the compelling strategic benefits the combined company will have as a premier specialty materials company and reiterate our confidence in the significant shareholder value we will deliver as one company. Key points are as follows: The Entegris-Versum transaction is a true, all-stock, remain-invested, merger of equals that has tremendous upside value-creation potential...There is significant cost, revenue and tax synergy potential within the proposed combination of Entegris and Versum. The integration teams of both companies have worked closely over the past month, and as a result of those detailed efforts, the combined company now expects to achieve more than $125M in cost synergies from SG&A, such as facilities optimization, administrative functions and rationalization of public company costs, as well as efficiencies in commercial operations, manufacturing, logistics and procurement. Given the strength of the two companies, the enhanced offerings and the positive receptivity from customers, over the next three years we also expect revenue synergies to contribute at least $50M of additional EBITDA annually. Revenue synergies will result initially from cross-selling across major customers and geographies and eventually through the opportunity to develop co-optimized products and solutions. In addition, the combination is expected to generate tax synergies reflecting the combined company's ability to benefit from Entegris' more efficient tax structure. The combined company will have a strong balance sheet and will generate significant excess free cash flow that will provide the flexibility necessary to allow for significant return of capital to shareholders, among other initiatives. We expect the combined company to have significant debt capacity with gross leverage at closing of only approximately 1.7x. Importantly, both companies have experienced management teams with strong track records of successfully integrating mergers, achieving synergies and creating shareholder value...The combined company will deliver unique opportunity for all stakeholders...We remain committed to our strategic merger. As we have outlined above, we are confident that it is a highly complementary and strategically compelling transaction that will offer substantial value to shareholders of both companies through the attractive growth profile, potential for capital deployment, a diversified portfolio and enhanced scale."

08:34 EDT Altria Group to account for Cronos Group investment under equity method - Altria (MO) expects to account for its investment in Cronos Group (CRON) under the equity method of accounting. Altria will report its share of Cronos Group's results using a one-quarter lag because Cronos Group's results will not be available in time for Altria to record them in the concurrent period. For example, Altria's share of Cronos Group's results for the relevant, post-closing portion of the first quarter of 2019 will be recorded in Altria's 2019 second-quarter statement of earnings. Altria will record changes in the fair value of the warrant as gains or losses in Altria's consolidated statements of earnings in the periods in which the changes occur and exclude these amounts from Altria's adjusted results.

08:32 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals presents new Phase 2 data for etrasimod and olorinab - Arena Pharmaceuticals presented new Phase 2 data from its investigative drug candidates etrasimod and olorinab at the 14th Congress of European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. "The new data presented from the Phase 2 trial of etrasimod demonstrate that both mucosal healing and histological remission were seen in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis following just 12 weeks of treatment," said Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, MD PhD, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit, Inserm, University Hospital of Nancy, France. "These results continue to support etrasimod's potential as an important future therapy and we look forward to further validating these data in the soon to be initiated ELEVATE Phase 3 clinical program for etrasimod in UC."

08:20 EDT Asterias trading halted, news dissemination

08:13 EDT Gentex increases dividend 5% to 11.5c per share, authorizes 25M share repurchase - Gentex reported that its board recently authorized an increase of 5% to the quarterly cash dividend to 11.5c per share. Also, at its most recent meeting, the board authorized the purchase of an additional 25M shares of its common stock. This new share repurchase authorization is in addition to those shares that were previously authorized for repurchase. The company may vary the level of share repurchases from time to time, depending on macroeconomic issues, market trends and other factors that the Company deems appropriate. The next dividend will be paid at the new quarterly cash dividend rate and will be payable on April 24 to shareholders of record of the common stock at the close of business on April 10.

08:07 EDT American Renal Associates says Audit Committee review is continuing - As previously disclosed, in October 2018, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission requested that the Company voluntarily provide documents and information relating to certain revenue recognition, collections and related matters. Following receipt of the SEC request, the Company responded by producing documents and information to the Staff and expects to continue to cooperate with the SEC by providing additional documents and information to the Staff in the future. In addition, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company began an examination of the Company's revenue recognition methodology and related accounting matters, such as internal control over financial reporting related to revenue recognition and related matters, with the assistance of legal counsel that reports to the Audit Committee, as well as independent accounting advisors retained by the Audit Committee's counsel. The Audit Committee's review is continuing. With the assistance of its advisors, the Audit Committee is examining reserve computations and other accounting practices that could have an impact on accounts receivable and revenue for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, as well as the previously reported fiscal years ended December 31, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, the fiscal quarters within those fiscal years and the first three fiscal quarters of 2018. The Audit Committee is continuing to evaluate whether and how any such adjustments will affect individual quarters and years during the affected period, and the Company does not expect to comment further on the Audit Committee's review until it is completed. However, the Company currently believes that the filing of its 2018 Form 10-K will be delayed and has informed the Company's independent registered public accounting firm and the Staff of the SEC accordingly. The Audit Committee and the Board are continuing to evaluate these matters and are working diligently to complete their review so that the Company can file its 2018 Form 10-K and make any related disclosures as promptly as practicable.

08:05 EDT American Renal Associates reports Q4 total dialysis treatments 600,190 - As of December 31, 2018, the Company provided services at 241 outpatient dialysis clinics serving 16,543 patients, compared to 228 outpatient dialysis clinics serving 15,637 patients as of December 31, 2017. Treatment Volume: Total dialysis treatments for the fourth quarter of 2018 were 600,190, representing an increase of 6.1% over the fourth quarter of 2017. Non-acquired treatment growth was 4.9%, and acquired treatment growth was 1.2% for the fourth quarter of 2018. Fourth quarter 2018 normalized total treatment growth was 5.6%, and normalized non-acquired treatment growth was 4.5% as compared to the prior year period. Total dialysis treatments for the year ended December 31, 2018 were 2,311,037, compared to 2,191,172 for the year ended December 31, 2017, representing an increase of 5.5% over the prior year period. Non-acquired treatment growth was 4.4%, and acquired treatment growth was 1.1% for the year ended December 31, 2018. Full-year 2018 normalized total treatment growth was 6.1% and normalized non-acquired treatment growth was 5.0% as compared to the prior year period. Clinic Activity: During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company opened five de novo clinics and acquired one clinic. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company opened 13 de novo clinics, acquired one clinic and sold one clinic. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had 28 signed clinics scheduled to open in the future.

08:05 EDT Ideanomics enters exclusive sales agreement with Malaysian Government - Ideanomics is pleased to announce it has entered into an exclusive sales agreement with the Malaysian Government for the purchase of Electric Vehicle Buses via its recent acquisition of Tree Motion Sdn. Bhd. Under the terms of the deal, Ideanomics will receive commissions on the sales of all EV Buses purchased by the Malaysian government in addition to fees generated from the asset backed lease financing which will facilitate the municipal financing of the bus electrification program in Malaysia. Commissions on EV purchases are anticipated in the range of 15%-20%, fees from the leases financing are anticipated in the range of 1%-2%. Ideanomics is targeting approximately 60,000 local buses to be replaced with electric vehicles under its program. The securing of the exclusive sales in addition to the lease financing positions Ideanomics and its local subsidiary as a leading EV player in the ASEAN market, and it expects to use Malaysia as a launch pad for other sales in the region.

08:04 EDT American Renal Associates to delay release of Q4 results, filing of 10-K - American Renal Associates Holdings announced that it will delay the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and the issuance of its earnings release for the fourth quarter and full year 2018. The Company also reported certain preliminary operating data for the fourth quarter and full year 2018. The Company will not hold an investor call regarding its financial results at this time.

08:01 EDT Costco says raises minimum wage to $15 from $14 - Costco said on its Q2 earnings conference call that this past Monday, it began its new three-year employee agreement. With the agreement, Costco announced that it's raising its minimum wage from $14 and $14.50 to $15 and $15.50 per hour in both the U.S. and Canada. It is also raising wages for supervisors, it said.

07:37 EDT DropCar announces 1-for-6 reverse stock split - As announced by DropCar on September 25, 2018, the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market granted the company a 180-day period to regain compliance with the requirement of a minimum $1.00 per share closing bid price of its common stock for ten consecutive business days for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company provided a written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the 180-day extension period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. Accordingly, the company today announced that it is effecting a reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a ratio of one share of common stock for every six shares of common stock outstanding after the close of market on Friday, March 8, 2019. The reverse stock split will affect all stockholders uniformly and will not alter any stockholder's percentage interest in the company's equity, except to the extent that the reverse stock split would result in a stockholder owning a fractional share. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Stockholders who would otherwise hold a fractional share of the company's common stock will receive payment in cash in lieu of any such resulting fractional shares of common stock as the post-reverse split amounts of common stock will be rounded down to the nearest full share. The company's common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the stock ticker "DCAR" but will trade under the new CUSIP number 26210U203.

07:34 EDT DropCar intends to explore strategic opportunities - DropCar announced that the company has initiated a process to evaluate strategic opportunities to maximize shareholder value. While management continues to focus on the company's business activities and operations, this process will consider a range of potential strategic opportunities including, but not limited to, business combinations.

07:18 EDT BofE announces supervisory action over 2018 Visa Europe outage - The Bank of England announced: "On 1 June 2018 there was a partial service disruption of Visa Europe's card authorisations system. Immediately following the incident, Visa Europe engaged an external party to conduct an independent review, with the scope agreed with both the Bank and the Payment Systems Regulator. A summary of the review's findings was shared with, and subsequently published by, the Treasury Select Committee in November 2018. The Bank recognises that Visa Europe has accepted all of the recommendations of the independent review, in full, and is committed to implementing them in a timely manner. The Bank has reviewed the incident and whether to use its statutory powers under the Banking Act 2009. The incident resulted in widespread disruption to users of Visa Europe's services and had the potential to affect confidence in the financial system. In light of this, and the importance of ensuring implementation of the remediation actions, the Bank has decided to use its statutory powers to direct Visa Europe to fully implement the recommendations of the independent review. As a further action, it is also using its powers to require Visa Europe to appoint an independent third party, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to assess Visa Europe's progress in implementing these recommendations. The Bank's action is proportionate to the nature and impact of the incident. The action taken by the Bank does not imply the breach of a regulatory requirement and does not constitute enforcement action. PwC will provide a final report to the Bank later this year assessing the progress in the implementation of each recommendation." Reference Link

07:04 EDT Acorda Therapeutics announces chief business officer Andrew Hindman to depart - Acorda Therapeutics announced that Andrew Hindman, chief business officer, will transition out of the company over the coming months. Throughout the transition period, Hindman will continue to work on Acorda's business development, including evaluating ex-US commercial partnerships for INBRIJA. Acorda filed a Marketing Authorization Application with the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, in March 2018, and expects a final decision before the end of 2019. INBRIJA was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, on December 21, 2018 for the intermittent treatment of OFF episodes in adults with Parkinson's disease treated with carbidopa/levodopa. INBRIJA currently is available by prescription in the U.S. Acorda expects to recruit from outside the company to fill Hindman's position. In the interim, Ron Cohen will continue to be the company's lead investor relations spokesperson, and members of Acorda's senior executive team will support its business development, financial planning and alliance management processes

06:56 EDT Vail Resorts up 2% after reporting Q2 results

06:54 EDT Vail Resorts raises quarterly dividend to $1.76 per share from $1.47 per share - Vail Resorts approved a 20% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $1.76 per share from $1.47 per share beginning with the dividend payable on April 11, to shareholders of record as of March 27.

06:50 EDT Twitter strengthens reporting tool to protect personal information - In a tweet from last night, the Twitter Safety said, "We want to move faster in reviewing reported Tweets that share personal information. Starting today, you'll be able to tell us more about the Tweet you are reporting." Reference Link

06:37 EDT Brown & Brown announces asset acquisition of Austin & Austin Insurance Services - J. Scott Penny, Chief Acquisitions Officer of Brown & Brown, and John Austin, the sole shareholder of Austin & Austin Insurance Services, announced that Brown & Brown Insurance Services of California has acquired substantially all of the assets of Austin & Austin Insurance Services. The firm specializes in providing errors and omissions insurance coverage to real estate brokers throughout California and has annual revenues of approximately $2M.

06:11 EDT Big Lots sees FY19 SSS up low single digits

06:07 EDT Big Lots sees Q1 SSS up low single digits

05:57 EDT TSMC reports February revenue NT$60.89B, down 5.8% y/y - TSMC announced its net revenues for February 2019: On a consolidated basis, revenues for February 2019 were approximately NT$60.89B, a decrease of 22% from January 2019 and a decrease of 5.8% from February 2018. Revenues for January through February 2019 totaled NT$138.98B, a decrease of 3.7% compared to the same period in 2018.

05:43 EDT Sangamo announces publication of ZFN data in Nature Communications - Sangamo Therapeutics announced the publication in Nature Communications of improvements to its zinc finger nuclease, or ZFN, platform technology, which yield a 64-fold increase in the diversity of ZFNs available for targeting any DNA segment. As demonstrated in the manuscript, this improved targeting capability enables highly precise editing of chosen genomic loci. ZFN technology is an engineerable gene editing platform that is currently being evaluated in clinical trials for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I, MPS II, hemophilia B, beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The manuscript, "Diversifying the Structure of Zinc Finger Nucleases for High-Precision Genome Editing," describes protein engineering work by Dr. David Paschon and colleagues at Sangamo that has led to the development of new ZFN architectures. The modifications include the reversal of the order of the DNA binding and nuclease domains, as well as the incorporation of new linkers that enable base skipping between otherwise adjacent fingers within each ZFN.

05:31 EDT Roche announces EC approval of Tecentriq - Roche announced that the European Commission has approved and granted marketing authorisation for Tecentriq in combination with Avastin, paclitaxel and carboplatin, for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. In people with EGFR mutant or ALK-positive NSCLC, Tecentriq, in combination with Avastin, paclitaxel andcarboplatin, is indicated only after failure of appropriate targeted therapies.

05:24 EDT Regeneron, Sanofi announce FDA Priority Review of sBLA for Dupixent - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) and Sanofi (SNY) announced that the FDA has accepted for Priority Review the supplemental Biologics License Application, or sBLA, for Dupixent as an add-on maintenance treatment for adults with inadequately controlled severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, or CRSwNP. Patients with severe CRSwNP often experience recurrence despite previous treatment with surgery and/or systemic corticosteroids. The target action date for the FDA decision is June 26, 2019. Currently, there are no FDA-approved biologic medicines to treat CRSwNP, a chronic disease of the upper airway predominantly driven by type 2 inflammation and characterized by polyps that obstruct the sinuses and nasal passages. Patients may experience severe nasal obstruction with breathing difficulties, nasal discharge, reduction or loss of sense of smell and taste, and facial pain or pressure. Persistent symptoms of CRSwNP have a substantial adverse impact on patients' health-related quality of life, which can be measured by a composite that includes reduced productivity and activities of daily living, inability to enjoy food, lack of sleep and fatigue. People with co-morbid asthma and CRSwNP tend to have more severe disease and are often more difficult to treat. The sBLA is supported by data from two pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of Dupixent when combined with standard-of-care corticosteroid nasal spray in patients with recurring severe CRSwNP despite previous treatment with surgery and/or systemic corticosteroids. About 60% of patients in the trials had co-morbid asthma.