Stockwinners Market Radar for March 18, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

22:42 EDT Western Union to partner with emerging-market moble network Thunes - Western Union has teamed up with Thunes, a cross-border payments network for emerging markets, to enable Western Union customers to send funds directly into mobile wallets around the world. Senders can now utilise Western Union's growing digital network or an agent location to send funds directly into a recipient's mobile wallet. Thunes, previously TransferTo, provides a cross-border network that delivers smarter payment solutions for emerging economies.

20:31 EDT Activision Blizzard unveils Call of Duty: Mobile edition - Activision, in collaboration with Tencent, announced that Call of Duty: Mobile is coming to previously unannounced regions, including North America, South America, Europe, and more. Call of Duty: Mobile is a new free-to-play game that brings together maps, modes, weapons, and characters from across the Call of Duty franchise, including Black Ops and the Modern Warfare series. Developed by Tencent's award-winning Timi studio, exclusively for Android and iOS, the game features multiple game modes pitting players in head-to-head, competitive action as they test their skills against players all around the world.

20:19 EDT Nvidia to partner with Amazon on bringing AI to connected devices - NVIDIA (NVDA) announced a collaboration with Amazon (AMZN) Web Services Internet of Things on NVIDIA Jetson to enable customers to deploy AI and deep learning to millions of connected devices. This joint solution enables models to be easily created, trained and optimized on AWS, then deployed to Jetson-powered edge devices using AWS IoT Greengrass. The NVIDIA Jetson platform offers AI at the edge with high-performance and power-efficient computing. Applications include autonomous machines and smart cameras for industries such as retail, manufacturing, agriculture and more.

19:00 EDT Tronox to present National Titanium Dioxide deal to FTC - Tronox confirmed that its proposed acquisition of the titanium dioxide business of The National Titanium Dioxide Company Limited will be presented to the Federal Trade Commission for its consideration. The FTC staff joined Tronox in moving to withdraw the case from adjudication and asking the commission to consider the transaction with the proposed remedy. In addition to the motion, the submission to the commission consists of the proposed orders necessary to authorize the transaction, including an Agreement Containing Consent Orders, a Decision and Order, and an Order to Maintain Assets, together with a definitive agreement for the sale of Cristal's North American TiO2 business to INEOS Enterprises, a division of INEOS. All the proposed orders have been executed by the parties. The transaction, modified to include the proposed divestiture, has garnered widespread support from Cristal and Tronox's North American pigment customers.

18:54 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Syneos Health (SYNH) up 9.1%... Tilray (TLRY) up 2.4%... Evolus (EOLS) up 1.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Ayris (AMRS) up 10.0% after closing cannabinoid development, licensing and commercialization deal... Ferro (FOE) up 7.0% after announced entry into S&P SmallCap600 index. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Revlon (REV) down 11.4%... Akebia (AKBA) down 10.7%... resTORbio (TORC) down 8.8%... Del Taco Restaurants (TACO) down 6.5%... HealthEquity (HQY) down 4.7%. ALSO LOWER: Covenant Transportation (CVTI) down 8.7% after below-consensus Q1 guidance... Yext (YEXT) down 7.4% after equity offering... WageWorks (WAGE) down 5.3% after FY19 revenue/EBITDA guidance... Two Harbors Investment (TWO) down 2.7% after equity offering... PlayAGS (AGS) down 1.9% after equity offering. Movers as of 18:30ET.

18:23 EDT Tilray reports Q4 average selling price per gram $7.52 vs. $7.13 last year - Reports Q4 total Kg sold 2,053 vs. 694 last year.

17:50 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 779.27MT from 771.04MT - This is the highest level of holdings since March 1st.

17:33 EDT Valmont announces Nebraska site closure - This past week, many eastern Nebraska and western Iowa communities were directly impacted by significant flooding of local rivers and waterways. On Friday morning, March 15, flood waters surrounded the Valmont manufacturing facility in Valley, Nebraska. This prompted a preemptive closure of the site to ensure the safety of employees, and has since resulted in continued closure through Wednesday, March 20. The facility will remain closed until it is determined to be safe for employees to return. The majority of the buildings on site have not been impacted and remain dry. The flooding has, however, resulted in the closure of major roads and highways surrounding the facility, making the campus inaccessible at this time. The company is working diligently to utilize manufacturing facilities in other regions around the U.S. to continue serving customers. The manufacturing facility in Columbus, Nebraska and the coatings facility in West Point, Nebraska were also impacted by the flooding, but have remained operational. Manufacturing operations in McCook and Waverly, Nebraska were unaffected and are operating as normal. Valmont greatly appreciates the support of our business partners during this time. Additional communication will be shared as details become available.

17:22 EDT Cadence Bancorp President Samuel Tortorici buys almost $1M in company shares - Cadence Bancorp President Samuel Tortorici disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 50,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $19.90 per share on March 15, for a total transaction value of $995,000.

17:19 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P MidCap 400, S&P SmallCap 600 indices - First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) will replace MB Financial (MBFI) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Ferro (FOE) will replace First Financial Bankshares in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the open of trading on Friday, March 22. S&P 500 constituent Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) is acquiring MB Financial in a transaction expected to be completed soon pending final conditions.

17:17 EDT First Financial to replace MB Financial in S&P 400 at open on 3/22 - Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) is acquiring MB Financial (MBFI) in a transaction expected to be completed soon pending final conditions.

17:05 EDT AXA Equitable files to sell 40M shares of common stock for holders - In connection with the offering, the company has entered into a share repurchase agreement with AXA pursuant to which the company will acquire from AXA 30M shares of the company's common stock. The share buyback is subject to a number of terms and conditions, including the successful completion of the public offering. The shares are being offered by a group of underwriters led by J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup.

17:02 EDT Revlon down 15% after Q4 results miss estimates - The company also announced it expects to disclose a material weakness in Form 10-K. In after-hours trading, shares are down 15% to $16.53.

16:55 EDT Bio-Rad extends 10-K filing by 15 days to complete year-end procedures - In a regulatory 8-K filing, Bio-Rad requested to extend the filing deadline for its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 by the 15 calendar days allotted under Rule 12b-25. At that time, the company indicated that it expected to file its 2018 Form 10-K on or before the extended deadline of March 18, 2019. As of March 18, 2019, the company requires additional time to complete its year end procedures, including its assessment of the effectiveness of the company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018. Therefore, the company is unable to file its 2018 Form 10-K by the extended filing deadline of March 18, 2019 provided by Rule 12b-25 but intends to complete the filing as promptly as possible thereafter.

16:46 EDT EJF Capital reports 5.3% passive stake in Business First Bancshares - In a regulatory filing, EJF Capital disclosed a 5.3% stake in Business First Bancshares, which represents about 694,000 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:39 EDT Highbridge Capital reports 5.80% passive stake in Green Plains - Highbridge Capital disclosed a 5.80% stake in Green Plains, which represents 2.38M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:35 EDT Unifi CEO Kevin Hall resigns - The board of Unifi (UFI) has elected Albert Carey, currently the company's non-executive chairman, as its executive chairman effective April 1 and has appointed Thomas Caudle as the company's principal executive officer effective immediately. Caudle previously served as the company's principal executive officer from April 2016 to May 2017 and will continue to serve as a director and the president & COO of the company. Carey is presently the CEO of PepsiCo (PEP) North America, a position from which he is expected to retire at the end of March. Unifi also announced that Kevin Hall and the company have mutually agreed that Hall would resign as the company's CEO and as a director of Unifi, both effective immediately.

16:32 EDT Majesco names Shah CPO, Miller CRO - Majesco announced that Manish Shah is promoted to President and Chief Product Officer, and Jim Miller is appointed Chief Revenue Officer. Both will report to Majesco's CEO Adam Elster and be based in Morristown, NJ. Manish joined Majesco in 2015 as part of the merger with Cover-All Technologies, and previously served as Executive Vice President of the product organization. Jim Miller is a global senior software executive joining the Majesco Leadership team after a career at CA Technologies, where he was responsible for sales strategy for products and field teams across multiple business units worldwide.

16:26 EDT Citi Trends confirms Macellum provided notice of director nominations - Citi Trends, Inc. confirmed that Macellum SPV III, LP has provided notice of its nomination of four individuals to stand for election to the Citi Trends Board of Directors at the company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board's recommendation regarding director nominees will be made in the Company's definitive proxy materials, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and mailed to all stockholders eligible to vote at the 2019 Annual Meeting. The date of the company's 2019 Annual Meeting has not yet been announced. Stockholders are not required to take any action at this time. "The Citi Trends Board - other than Jonathan Duskin, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Macellum and a current member of the Citi Trends Board - comprises six highly qualified directors, five of whom are independent, and all of whom are actively engaged in the execution of the Company's plan," the company said in a statement. "These directors have a wide range of relevant and critical experiences, including in the areas of finance, merchandising, retail operations, distribution, marketing and advertising. Importantly, the Board has been committed to regular refreshment and has reduced the average tenure of its independent board members to approximately six and a half years. To that end, as part of its regular refreshment process, the Board is undergoing a comprehensive search for the best director candidates to further enhance the skills and expertise of the current Board and did not want to limit itself to one director's suggestions. The Board has evaluated Macellum's nominees as part of that process and will soon communicate its recommendations to stockholders. The Board has held numerous discussions over the last few weeks with Mr. Duskin regarding board composition and the Board's ongoing director search process. These conversations were aimed at preventing Mr. Duskin from waging yet another costly proxy fight. Despite Macellum's misleading claims, the Board has held these conversations with the goal of working collaboratively and coming to a conclusion that benefits all stockholders. On the other hand, Mr. Duskin has requested being compensated for the fees his firm incurred as a result of his proxy contest of two years ago, which is inconsistent with his statements regarding the Company wasting stockholder resources. The Company is disappointed that Mr. Duskin has, once again, threatened a prolonged and expensive fight, rather than resolving this matter constructively. The Board and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of all Company stockholders and as always, remain open to constructive views from its stockholders towards the common goal of maximizing long-term stockholder value. The Board and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of all Company stockholders and as always, remain open to constructive views from its stockholders towards the common goal of maximizing long-term stockholder value."

16:21 EDT Amarin presents data on high TG levels associated with cardiovascular events - Amarin announced that data reported by the U.S. Veteran's Administration supports that patients with elevated triglyceride, or TG, levels, despite statin therapy, had a significant 19% relative risk increase in a composite of cardiovascular events during a follow-up period of up to five years. These findings are consistent with previous observational, epidemiological and genetic data that have consistently found an association between elevated TG levels and major adverse cardiovascular events. These findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology's, or ACC, scientific session. This research examined over 400,000 veterans, 30% of whom had elevated triglyceride levels. The data reported that those with elevated TG levels showed a statistically significant 19% relative increase in cardiovascular events comprised of nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke, unstable angina and coronary revascularization despite well-controlled LDL-C on statin therapy with adjustment for other CV risk factors when compared with veterans whose baseline TG was less than 150 mg/dL. Cardiovascular death was not included as an endpoint for this analysis as the data was not readily available in this database. In a separate presentation, additional data was reported from the Amarin cardiovascular outcomes study of Vascepa, the REDUCE-IT study, which demonstrated that Vascepa lowers both primary major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE, and recurrent MACE in patients with elevated TG levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. While lowering TG levels alone have not been demonstrated to lower cardiovascular risk, the REDUCE-IT study demonstrated that in patients with high levels of cardiovascular risk despite statin therapy, as identified by having elevated triglyceride levels and other risk factors, Vascepa lowered the first occurrence of primary MACE by 25% and primary plus recurrent MACE by 30%, each compared to placebo. This benefit appears to derive from the multifactorial effects of Vascepa, a portion of which appear to be related to lowering TG levels with the balance of the effects likely explained by other effects of Vascepa as separately evaluated. As summarized below, in REDUCE-IT, Vascepa was well tolerated with a safety profile generally consistent with clinical experience associated with omega-3 fatty acids and current FDA-approved labeling of such products.

16:19 EDT Williams, CPPIB to form $3.8B strategic JV partnership - Williams announced a series of transactions that will establish a new platform for the optimization of its midstream operations in the western Marcellus and Utica basins through a long-term partnership with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Williams and CPPIB have entered into a definitive agreement to establish a $3.8B joint venture that will include Williams' 100% owned Ohio Valley Midstream system and 100% of Utica East Ohio Midstream system. CPPIB will invest approximately $1.34B for a 35% ownership stake in the joint venture. Williams will retain 65% ownership, will operate the combined business, and will consolidate the financial results of the joint venture in Williams' financial statements. Concurrent with signing the agreement with CPPIB to purchase a 35% interest in the joint venture, Williams purchased the remaining 38% stake in UEO from Momentum Midstream and will take over operatorship. The UEO acquisition was signed and closed today. UEO is involved primarily in the processing and fractionation of natural gas and natural gas liquids in the Utica Shale play in eastern Ohio. Williams expects synergies through common ownership by combining UEO and OVM to create a more efficient platform for capital spending in the region, resulting in reduced operating and maintenance expenses and creating enhanced capabilities and benefits for producers in the area. Closing of CPPIB's investment in the joint venture, which is expected to occur in the second or third quarter of 2019, is subject only to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Williams plans to provide updated 2019 financial guidance with its first-quarter 2019 earnings release. The joint venture excludes Williams' ownership interests in Flint Gathering, Cardinal Gathering, Marcellus South Gathering, Laurel Mountain Midstream and Blue Racer Midstream.

16:18 EDT Univest CFO Roger Deacon to retire - Univest Financial Corporation, parent company of Univest Bank and Trust Co. and its insurance, investments and equipment financing subsidiaries, announced the retirement of Roger Deacon, effective June 30. Deacon has served as senior executive VP and CFO since July 1, 2016, when the corporation acquired Fox Chase Bancorp, Inc. where he served as CFO for nine years. Brian Richardson, executive VP and director of finance of the corporation, will assume the position of CFO, effective July 1. In order to ensure a seamless transition, Deacon will remain an employee of the corporation through March 31, 2020, in a non-executive, part-time role.

16:17 EDT Welbilt names Martin D. Agard CFO - Welbilt, Inc. (WBT) announced that it has appointed Martin D. Agard to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective April 8, 2019. Agard will assume the leadership of Welbilt's finance organization from Haresh Shah, who is leaving Welbilt to pursue external opportunities. Agard has been the Chief Financial Officer of Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL). Welbilt also announced that it has promoted Jamie E. Palm to Vice President Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Palm joined Welbilt in 2017 as Vice President Corporate Controller.

16:16 EDT Global Ship Lease announces new long-term charter agreement - Global Ship Lease has agreed a three-year charter with Hapag-Lloyd for the 2015-built, 9,115 TEU containership UASC Al Khor. The new charter is in direct continuation of the current charter and is expected to commence in June, with re-delivery in Q2 of 2022. The charter is expected to generate approximately $28M of adjusted EBITDA.

16:12 EDT HealthEquity reports Q4 EPS 27c, consensus 22c - Reports Q4 revenue $75.78M, consensus $74.09M.

16:11 EDT Forward Air to acquire FSA Logistix - Forward Air Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of FSA Logistix, a privately held final mile provider for cash consideration of $27M plus additional contingent consideration based upon future revenue generation. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including but not limited to, compliance with the covenants and agreements in the definitive agreement. It is anticipated that the transaction will be funded from cash on hand and will close in April 2019. FSA specializes in last mile logistics for a wide range of American companies, including national retailers, manufacturers, eTailers, and third party logistics companies. FSA currently has management offices in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Southlake, TX and has operations in the East, Midwest, Southwest and West regions. With respect to this acquisition's anticipated impact on Forward Air's operating results, Michael J. Morris, Senior Vice President and CFO, said, "FSA is expected to contribute $75M of revenue and $4.5M of EBITDA on an annualized basis. FSA will be assigned to the final mile division of the Expedited LTL segment."

16:10 EDT Celyad provides update on CYAD-01 at R&D Day - Celyad presented at R&D Day in New York the continued progress of its pipeline of proprietary CAR-T therapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, based on its short hairpin RNA, or shRNA, platform. Lead asset CYAD-01 continues to advance in clinical trials for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory, or r/r, acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. The company reported that additional dosing and schedule optimization are under evaluation in the THINK Phase 1 trial. In addition, the company reported that interim data from the DEPLETHINK Phase 1 trial evaluating CYAD-01 following preconditioning chemotherapy shows the CAR-T cell therapy is well-tolerated at the initial dose levels following preconditioning chemotherapy. Future clinical updates from the Phase 1 THINK and DEPLETHINK trials are anticipated by mid-2019. CYAD-02 incorporates shRNA technology to target NKG2D ligands MICA/MICB. In preclinical AML models, CYAD-02 shows an increase in in vitro proliferation and in vivo persistence and anti-tumor activity. The company plans to generate additional preclinical proof-of-concept data for the program throughout 2019 and plans to submit an investigational new drug application for CYAD-02 in first half 2020. "We are very pleased with the recent progress of our preclinical CAR-T pipeline," noted Christian Homsy, CEO of Celyad. "Together with CYAD-101, our next generation allogenic shRNA platform should allow us to leapfrog the competition in the allogeneic CAR-T landscape. In addition, CYAD-02 has shown encouraging preclinical data of increased CAR-T cell expansion, persistence and anti-tumor efficacy. We continue to tap into our deep expertise and knowledge in cell therapy manufacturing and our all-in-one vector approach provides tremendous flexibility, versatility and efficiency in the design of novel, CAR-T therapies."

16:07 EDT CUI Global agrees to terms for approximate 20% interset in Virtual Power Systems - The company agreed to terms with Virtual Power Systems for an approximately 20% equity interest in VPS. In exchange for the equity interest, CUI Global will invest another $345,000 into VPS, convert its $655,000 of convertible notes receivable to equity, and contribute ICE-related inventory, lab equipment, certifications, intellectual property and other related assets into VPS. In conjunction with the new equity position, CUI Global will receive a board seat and also place an observational non-voting advisor to the VPS board.

16:06 EDT Atlassian to acquire AgileCraft for $166M - Atlassian Corp announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AgileCraft, a leading provider of enterprise agile planning software. AgileCraft helps enterprise organizations build and manage a 'master plan' of their most strategic projects and workstreams. Business leaders use AgileCraft to map strategic projects to the distributed work required to deliver them, providing better visibility into bottlenecks, risks and dependencies, and more accuracy around capacity planning and measuring return on investment. e acquisition is valued at approximately $166M, comprising approximately $154M in cash, and the remainder in Atlassian restricted shares, subject to continued vesting provisions. The purchase price under the definitive agreement is subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in April, subject to certain closing conditions. For fiscal 2019, the acquisition is expected to add approximately $1M-2M to Atlassian's revenue. Additionally, for fiscal 2019, the acquisition is expected to reduce Atlassian's IFRS operating margin by approximately one point and reduce non-IFRS operating margin by approximately half a point. The acquisition is also expected to be dilutive to the company's IFRS and non-IFRS operating margin in fiscal 2020.

16:05 EDT CN investing more than $245M to strengthen Saskatchewan rail infrastructure - CN it plans to invest more than $245M in Saskatchewan in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company's rail network across the province."Following a record capital program in 2018, CN brought on 25% more qualified train conductors in Western Canada and added over 10% more active high horse power locomotives to its network. This year, CN is investing $35M more than last year to bring greater capacity to CN's mainline to benefit all commodities," said Doug Ryhorchuk, vice-president of CN's Western Region. The Saskatchewan investments are part of CN's 2019 record $3.9 billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments, including consumer goods, grain, agricultural, forest, and energy products from all of our customers, safely and efficiently. Over two years, CN will have made a $7.4B capital investment. "Whenever one company invests a quarter billion dollars into Saskatchewan, that's great news. And the fact that this investment by CN will help get our key export products to market faster makes the benefit even greater. This investment continues to demonstrate CN's commitment to our province and their customers who do business here," said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

16:00 EDT Covenant Transportation trading halted, news pending

15:50 EDT Puma Biotechnology presents interim results from Phase 2 SUMMIT trial - Puma Biotechnology announced that updated results from the cervical cancer cohort of SUMMIT, an ongoing Phase 2 basket trial examining the efficacy of neratinib in HER2-mutated cancers, were reported at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology 2019 Annual Meeting. The cervical cancer cohort was comprised of 11 patients with advanced and/or metastatic disease treated with neratinib monotherapy. Patients received a median of 2 prior regimens in the recurrent or metastatic setting before entering this trial. Six patients, or 54.5%, had been previously treated with bevacizumab prior to entering the study; 7 patients, or 63.6%, had received prior surgery; and 9 patients, or 81.8%, received prior radiation therapy. The objective response rate was 27.3%. The clinical benefit rate was 54.5% and included 3 patients with confirmed partial responses and 3 patients with stable disease that lasted greater than 16 weeks. The median progression free survival was 7.0 months. The safety profile observed in neratinib-treated cervical cancer patients in SUMMIT was consistent with that reported for HER2-amplified metastatic breast cancer. The most frequently observed adverse event was diarrhea, any grade including 1 grade 3 diarrhea event. The duration of grade 3 diarrhea was 1 day. None of the diarrhea events resulted in dose reduction, dose discontinuation or hospitalization, the company said. Alan Auerbach, CEO and President of Puma Biotechnology, said, "We are very pleased with the activity seen with neratinib in this cohort of patients with HER2-mutated cervical cancer. We look forward to the further development of neratinib in this patient population."

14:37 EDT Cray selected as subcontractor to Intel on DOE exascale supercomputer project - Cray (CRAY) announced that a Cray "Shasta" system will be the first U.S. exascale supercomputer. Cray was selected to deliver the system, as a subcontractor to Intel (INTC), to the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in 2021. The program contract is valued at more than $100M for Cray, which the company said is "one of the largest contracts in the company's history."

14:32 EDT Intel, DoE to deliver first exascale supercomputer - Intel Corporation (INTC) said that it and the U.S. Department of Energy will deliver the first supercomputer with a performance of one exaFLOP in the United States. The system being developed at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, named "Aurora," will be used to dramatically advance scientific research and discovery. The contract is valued at more than $500M and will be delivered to Argonne National Laboratory by Intel and sub-contractor Cray Inc. (CRAY) in 2021. The Aurora system's exaFLOP of performance - equal to a "quintillion" floating point computations per second - combined with an ability to handle both traditional high-performance computing and artificial intelligence will give researchers a set of tools to address scientific problems at exascale, Intel said. "Achieving exascale is imperative, not only to better the scientific community, but also to better the lives of everyday Americans," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. "Aurora and the next generation of exascale supercomputers will apply HPC and AI technologies to areas such as cancer research, climate modeling and veterans' health treatments. The innovative advancements that will be made with exascale will have an incredibly significant impact on our society."

14:03 EDT Sony Playstation, EA announce first season of Apex Legends starts March 19 - Sony (SNE) Playstation announced the first season of Apex Legends-Wild Frontier on the Sony Playstation blog, Electronic Arts (EA) writer Ashley Reed said: "The first season of Apex Legends starts tomorrow, with new Legends, loot, and mysterious surprises dropping into the arena. The hunt is on - welcome to the Wild Frontier. The first season of Apex Legends is here, and tons of great stuff is dropping into the arena. Check out what's in store if you play for free, and learn what you get when you grab the Season 1 Battle Pass." Reference Link

13:39 EDT ON Semiconductor has introduced two new silicon carbide, SiC Mosfet devices - ON Semiconductor has introduced two new silicon carbide, SiC, MOSFET devices. The industrial grade NTHL080N120SC1 and AEC-Q101 automotive grade NVHL080N120SC1 bring the enabling, wide-ranging performance benefits of wide band gap technology to important high growth end application areas such as Automotive DCDC and onboard charger applications for electric vehicles as well as solar, and uninterruptible and server power supplies. The announcement sees the strengthening of ON Semiconductor's comprehensive and growing SiC ecosystem that features complementary devices including SiC diodes and SiC drivers, plus vital resources such as device simulation tools, SPICE models and application information to help design and systems engineers meet their high frequency circuit development challenges.

13:01 EDT AAR awarded $10.8M order from USAF to produce cargo pallets - AAR has been awarded a $10.8M order from the U.S. Air Force for the production of 463L cargo pallets. The cargo pallets will be manufactured at AAR's Mobility Systems business unit in Cadillac, Michigan. "AAR continues to provide this crucial, strategic asset to the U.S. Air Force to ensure it meets its worldwide operational requirements," said Lee Krantz, Senior Vice President, AAR Mobility Systems. "As a trusted source, AAR is proud to provide the 463L pallet to the U.S. Armed Forces, its allies and other U.S. Government agencies."

12:43 EDT GSAM acquires S&P's Investment Advsisory Services; terms not disclosed - Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GS) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services LLC from S&P Global Market Intelligence, a division of S&P Global (SPGI). The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2019. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

12:25 EDT Borqs Technologies Inc trading resumes

12:18 EDT ExpressJet Airlines, IAM reach tentative agreement covering flight attendants - ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express carrier, announced that it has reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for a four-year contract covering the company's more than 650 flight attendants. The agreement, upon ratification, will unite employees currently covered by two separate agreements into a single workgroup, providing flight attendants the flexibility to work any aircraft across the ExpressJet network.

12:01 EDT International Bancshares reports 19% increase in cash dividend to 50c per share - International Bancshares Corporation announced hat on March 15, IBC's Board of Directors approved the declaration of a 50c per share cash dividend, increasing the dividend by 8c or 19% from the previous cash dividend of 42c paid on October 16, 2018. This increase follows a 27% increase in the cash dividend paid in October 2018 from the 33c per share paid in April 2018. This cash dividend will be paid to shareholders of record of common stock, $1.00 par value, as of the close of business on April 1, payable on April 15. "This increase in the cash dividend was made possible because of our company's record earnings performance augmented by the benefits of the recent tax cut, and our company's very strong capital position," said Dennis E. Nixon, president and CEO of IBC Bank.

12:00 EDT Key Energy falls -14.3% - Key Energy is down -14.3%, or -88c to $5.27.

12:00 EDT X Financial rises 7.9% - X Financial is up 7.9%, or 43c to $5.88.

12:00 EDT American Midstream Partners rises 27.9% - American Midstream Partners is up 27.9%, or $1.11 to $5.12.

10:28 EDT President Trump says Google helping China rather than U.S. - In a tweet over the weekend, President Donald Trump said that, "Google is helping China and their military, but not the U.S. Terrible! The good news is that they helped Crooked Hillary Clinton, and not Trump....and how did that turn out?"Reference Link

10:00 EDT FutureFuel falls -5.8% - FutureFuel is down -5.8%, or -$1.03 to $16.82.

10:00 EDT Lumber Liquidators falls -10.1% - Lumber Liquidators is down -10.1%, or -$1.03 to $9.14.

10:00 EDT Worldpay rises 11.1% - Worldpay is up 11.1%, or $10.98 to $109.66.

09:47 EDT Jianpu Technology falls -5.3% - Jianpu Technology is down -5.3%, or -29c to $5.20.

09:47 EDT Lumber Liquidators falls -11.5% - Lumber Liquidators is down -11.5%, or -$1.17 to $9.00.

09:47 EDT Worldpay rises 12.3% - Worldpay is up 12.3%, or $12.10 to $110.78.

09:43 EDT S&P places Kraft Heinz on CreditWatch with negative implications - S&P Global Ratings earlier today placed all of its ratings on Kraft Heinz, including its 'BBB' long-term issuer credit rating and 'A-2' short-term issuer credit rating, on CreditWatch with negative implications. The CreditWatch placement follows Kraft Heinz's failure to file its 2018 annual report by the due date, the rating agency said in a statement. "This disclosure follows a series of negative developments over the last several quarters, including operational shortfalls that accelerated in the second half of 2018, the large fourth-quarter $15.4 billion goodwill and intangible charge-off, and disclosure of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the company's accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls related to its procurement function," the S&P added. The agency expects Kraft Heinz will seek waivers from its revolving credit facility lenders to maintain access to its $4B revolving credit facility. The stock in early trading is down 15c to $31.94.

09:34 EDT Coherus reports CMS approves Udenyca for transitional pass-through status - Coherus BioSciences announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, approved Udenyca biosimilar for transitional pass-through payment status in the hospital outpatient setting. Effective April 1, Udenyca is granted 36 months of transitional pass-through status. "We launched Udenyca with a significantly lower list price, 33% below that of Neulasta. We applaud the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for establishing transitional pass-through status and expanding access to therapies such as Udenyca for the nation's Medicare patients," said Denny Lanfear, President and CEO of Coherus.

09:26 EDT Esperion presents Phase 3 results from Study 2 of bempedoic acid at ACC - Esperion announced the Phase 3 results from Study 2 of bempedoic acid were presented at the American College of Cardiology, or ACC. Bempedoic acid is being developed as a complementary, once-daily, oral therapy for the treatment of patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C. Bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablet new drug applications have been submitted to the FDA, as well as are under regulatory review for marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency. Bempedoic acid significantly lowered LDL-cholesterol by 17% on background maximally tolerated statin therapy and maintained significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol for 52 weeks. Also, it significantly lowered high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or hsCRP, an important marker of the underlying inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease, by 19%. Bempedoic acid had an adverse event profile that was similar to that of placebo and serious adverse event profile that was generally similar to that of placebo. Bempedoic acid showed fewer adjudicated major adverse cardiac events compared with placebo, showed no worsening of glycemic measurements in patients with a history of diabetes including a 12-week reduction in hemoglobin A1c of 0.21% and was observed to be safe and well-tolerated.

09:17 EDT Disney reports expiration, final results of exchange offers for 21st Century Fox - Walt Disney announces the expiration and final results of the offers to exchange any and all outstanding notes issued by 21st Century Fox America, or 21CFA, for up to $18.13B aggregate principal amount of new notes to be issued by TWDC Holdco 613 and cash and the related consent solicitations made by New Disney on behalf of 21CFA to adopt certain proposed amendments to the indentures governing the 21CFA Notes. The Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 15, 2019.

09:13 EDT VSE Corp. CEO, president Maurice Gauthier to step down - VSE Corporation (VSEC) announced CEO, president and member of the Board of Directors Maurice "Mo" Gauthier will step down next month as a company officer and director. The Board has elected John Cuomo to the position of CEO and president and to the Board of Directors effective April 15, 2019. John Cuomo was previously VP and general manager of Boeing Distribution Services (BA).

09:12 EDT Vodafone, Nokia sign LTE rollout deal - Vodafone (VOD), through its subsidiary Vodafone Idea, has partnered with Nokia (NOK) to roll out its next generation LTE network across multiple service areas. As part of the agreement, Nokia will deploy telecom equipment, including single RAN advanced, massive multiple input multiple output, or MIMO, and small cells. These deployments will enable Vodafone Idea subscribers to experience higher-bandwidth applications and services. Nokia's single RAN solution will enable Vodafone to simplify its network installation and management. The deployment of massive MIMO technology will enhance capacity and speed. Further, the installation of Nokia's small cells will supplement operator's macro network and ensure improved coverage and capacity, both indoors and outdoors, in line with the HetNet architecture to enable their next generation networks.

09:08 EDT Kraton approves construction of a semi works latex unit in Brazil - Kraton has approved the construction of a semi works latex unit in Paulinia, Brazil. Construction is scheduled to complete by the first quarter of 2020 and ready for commissioning during the second quarter of 2020.

09:08 EDT Franklin Resources CFO Ken Lewis to retire, Matthew Nicholls to succeed - Franklin Resources announced the appointment of Matthew Nicholls as executive VP and CFO, effective May 6. The company's board approved the appointment unanimously. Nicholls will report to Greg Johnson, chairman and CEO of Franklin Resources and join Franklin Templeton's executive committee, a small group of the company's top leaders responsible for shaping overall strategy. He will be based at global headquarters in San Mateo, California, and manage a global team of finance professionals. Nicholls will succeed Ken Lewis, who will retire from the company as CFO on May 6. After serving as CFO since 2006 and a 30-year tenure with the company, Lewis has decided to leave the company to spend time on other interests. He plans to serve in an advisory capacity through a period of transition.

09:06 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Worldpay (WP) and FIS (FIS), up 13% and 3%, respectively, after announcing Worldpay will be acquired by FIS (FIS) in a $43B stock deal... Caesars (CZR), up 5% after Reuters reports Eldorado Resorts (ERI) and the company are in the early stages of exploring a merger... ResTORbio (TORC), up 14% after announcing plans to initiate its Phase 3 program of RTB101 following its end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA... American Midstream Partners (AMID), up 30% after announcing an affiliate of ArcLight will acquire, for cash, in a merger transaction, all outstanding common units of the partnership not already held for $5.25 per common unit. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Viomi Technology (VIOT), up 4%. LOWER: Boeing (BA), down 2.5% after The Wall Street Journal reports federal prosecutors and Transportation Department officials are scrutinizing the development of Boeing's 737 MAX jetliners. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Overstock.com (OSTK), down 4%... Lumber Liquidators (LL), down 10%... Teligent (TLGT), down 7%.

09:05 EDT Bridgepoint Education names Umang Jain Named as Chief Technology Officer - Bridgepoint Education announced that it has appointed Umang Jain to the position of Chief Technology Officer. Jain will provide technology vision and leadership in the development and implementation of the company's IT program as it pivots toward education technology services. He reports to CEO Andrew Clark. Prior to joining Bridgepoint, Jain served as Chief Information Officer for Hill Physicians Medical Group.

09:04 EDT LivaNova names Trui Hebbelinck CHRO - LivaNova announced Trui Hebbelinck has been appointed chief human resources officer for the company. Hebbelinck will lead global human resources, serve on the Executive Leadership Team and report to CEO Damien McDonald.

09:00 EDT Atossa Genetics receives approximately $10M from exercising outstanding warrants - Atossa Genetics announced that it received approximately $10M from exercises of previously outstanding warrants. The warrants were issued by the company in the rights offering completed May 30, 2018. As result of the warrant exercises, the company retired 2.5M warrants and issued 2.5M shares of common stock.

08:50 EDT Majesco acquires insurance software business in India - Majesco announced the acquisition of the India based insurance software business from its parent company, Majesco Limited. The business will be acquired by Majesco's 100% subsidiary in India, Majesco Software Solutions India Private Limited, is subject to statutory approvals including approval of the shareholders of Majesco Limited and shall be effective from April 1, 2019.

08:46 EDT Under Armour names Kasey Jarvis as new Chief Design Officer - Under Armour announced the appointment of Kasey Jarvis as its new Chief Design Officer. With nearly 20 years of experience in apparel, footwear, equipment, industrial and automotive design, Jarvis brings proven talent and expertise to the company. He will report directly to Chief Product Officer Kevin Eskridge and is expected to start in early April. Jarvis joins Under Armour from Black Diamond Equipment where he served as Vice President of Product and Design. Prior to that, he served at Nike and General Motors in key design roles.

08:40 EDT ARCA Biopharma announces publication of PDE3A gene data - ARCA Biopharma announced that a paper was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, or JACC. The paper describes the discovery and characterization of a polymorphism in the promoter region of the phosphodiesterase 3A, or PDE3A, gene, which encodes the target of Type 3 phosphodiesterase inhibitors, or PDE3Is. Members of this drug class are used intravenously to treat acutely decompensated heart failure, to provide short-term circulatory support in other settings, and in selected patients as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. These agents uniformly have favorable short-term hemodynamic effects, but when oral forms were used long term to treat advanced chronic heart failure there was either a safety concern or a lack of effectiveness. The JACC paper investigators identified a high frequency polymorphism in the PDE3A gene that may explain the heterogeneity of patient response to PDE3Is. The 29 nucleotide insertion/deletion polymorphism is 2214 nts upstream from the PDE3A1 translation start site that regulates transcriptional activity in response to cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cAMP, levels, with the insertion, or INS, allele having a frequency of 0.41. When a cAMP analogue or a PDE3I was administered to cultured cardiac myocytes transfected with promoter-reporter constructs containing one of the alleles, PDE3A transcription increased with the deletion, or DEL, variant. In contrast, the INS form of the polymorphism acted as a repressor, and a pharmacologic increase in cAMP did not result in increased gene transcription. The investigators then measured PDE3 activity and PDE3A1 mRNA abundance in failing explanted left ventricle tissue samples from patients who had or hadn't been treated with milrinone or enoximone prior to cardiac transplantation, and found that enzyme activity and mRNA abundance were higher in DEL compared to INS homozygotes who had been treated with PDE3Is. This indicated that the favorable hemodynamic effects of restoring cAMP levels towards normal were blunted in DEL genotype patients by up-regulation in PDE3A enzyme activity and subsequent increased hydrolysis of cAMP, through a functionally negative feedback loop.

08:38 EDT Gibraltar Industries appoints Pat Burns as COO - Gibraltar Industries (ROCK) announced the appointment of Pat Burns as COO. Burns was most recently SVP, Strategy at Dover Corporation (DOV) from 2016 to 2018. Burns will report to CEO Bill Bosway.

08:35 EDT Apple announces new 10.5" iPad Air, 7.9" iPad mini - Apple introduced the all-new iPad Air in an ultra-thin 10.5-inch design, offering the latest innovations including Apple Pencil support and high-end performance at a breakthrough price. With the A12 Bionic chip with Apple's Neural Engine, the new iPad Air delivers a 70 percent boost in performance and twice the graphics capability, and the advanced Retina display with True Tone technology is nearly 20 percent larger with over half a million more pixels. Apple today also introduced the new 7.9-inch iPad mini, a major upgrade for iPad mini fans who love a compact, ultra-portable design packed with the latest technology. With the A12 Bionic chip, the new iPad mini is a powerful multi-tasking machine, delivering three times the performance and nine times faster graphics. The advanced Retina display with True Tone technology and wide color support is 25 percent brighter and has the highest pixel density of any iPad, delivering an immersive visual experience in any setting. The new iPads are available to order starting today and in stores next week.

08:32 EDT Newell Brands to sell Process Solutions to One Rock Capital Partners - Newell Brands announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Process Solutions Business to One Rock Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on control-stake equity investments in middle-market companies in North America. Process Solutions, inclusive of Plastic Solutions, Lifoam, Consumer Table Top, Zinc Products and Applied Materials, manufactures custom-designed plastic, nylons, monofilament, and zinc products that solve both industrial and consumer challenges. After-tax proceeds for the divestiture are anticipated to be $500 million, subject to customary working capital and transaction adjustments. In 2018, net sales for Process Solutions were approximately $640 million.

08:29 EDT Dare Bioscience announces publication of clinical findings for DARE-VVA1 - Dare Bioscience announced the publication of clinical findings for vaginally-administered tamoxifen in Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, an international journal for publication of research focused on the development of new therapeutic interventions for obstetrics and gynecology. Dare's product candidate, DARE-VVA1, incorporates tamoxifen in a proprietary formulation designed for vaginal delivery. Dare holds the exclusive worldwide rights to patents issued in the U.S. and Japan covering the use and delivery of DARE-VVA1 for vulvar and vaginal atrophy, or VVA, and a U.S. patent covering composition, use and delivery of DARE-VVA1 for VVA. The publication reported that a self-administered vaginal suppository containing tamoxifen, dosed daily for one week followed by twice weekly for three months, administered to four healthy postmenopausal women with VVA showed significant improvements in reducing vaginal pH and vaginal dryness without significant systemic absorption of tamoxifen. This exploratory study demonstrated that tamoxifen was effective when delivered intravaginally for three months in postmenopausal women suffering with VVA. The median vaginal pH at the time of enrollment was 7.1. At the end of month 3, the median vaginal pH was 5.0. The median paired difference between baseline and month 3 was -2.0, with a range of -2.5 to -1.5. The self-assessment of vaginal dryness improved between baseline and month 3. Vaginal dryness was rated using a visual analogue scale, or VAS, that ranged from 0 to 10. At baseline, the median vaginal dryness rating was 8.0, with a range of 7.5 to 9.0. At the end of month 3, the median vaginal dryness rating was 3.0, with a range of 2.0 to 3.0. The median change between baseline and month 3 was -5.5. In addition, systemic exposure was at least an order of magnitude lower following vaginal administration compared with oral tamoxifen. After eight weeks of study treatment, median plasma concentration of tamoxifen was 5.8 ng/ml, with a range of 1.0 to 10.0 ng/ml. In comparison, after three months of oral administration of 20-mg tamoxifen once daily, the average steady state plasma concentration of tamoxifen is 122 ng/ml, with a range of 71 to 183 ng/ml. VVA is an inflammation of the vaginal epithelium due to the reduction in levels of circulating estrogen. Historically, estrogen-based therapies delivered through creams, rings and tablet supplements have been prescribed for the treatment of VVA symptoms. However, estrogen-based products can be worrisome for women undergoing treatment for hormone-receptor positive breast cancer and are often contraindicated in such breast cancer patients and in patients with a genetic predisposition or history of familial disease, because of the concern that estrogen use will promote recurrence of disease.2 Many breast cancer survivors undergo menopausal symptoms as a direct consequence of cancer treatment. Breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors refer to VVA as one of the most unpleasant side effects of treatment. Tamoxifen has been a commonly used treatment for breast cancer and is systemically metabolized to active metabolite 4-hydroxy-N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, otherwise known as endoxifen. In breast tissue, tamoxifen acts as an estrogen antagonist. In other tissue, including vaginal tissue, tamoxifen has been reported to exert an estrogen-like response on vaginal cytology by a mechanism yet to be understood and not expected based upon its an anti-estrogen activity. This exploratory study demonstrated that vaginal administration of tamoxifen for three months in postmenopausal women with VVA is a possible new, non-estrogen-based treatment approach. Dare is currently conducting activities in preparation for future clinical work with DARE-VVA1, its proprietary vaginal formulation of tamoxifen. If successful, DARE-VVA1 could be the first and only vaginally administered tamoxifen product approved by the FDA for the treatment of VVA in hormone-receptor positive breast cancer patients.

08:23 EDT Pfenex appoints Martin Brenner CSO - Pfenex announced the appointment of Martin Brenner as its CSO, effective immediately. Most recently, Brenner served as the CSO at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on accelerating drug discovery for rare diseases and diseases with high unmet medical need.

08:21 EDT Overstock.com says Guggenheim engaged to help evaluate strategic initiatives - Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne said in conjunction with the company's Q4 report: "Our blockchain projects are some of the most significant and cutting edge in the world, and we are just reaching the point where our products are being introduced to the public. In particular, tZERO brought live a security token trading platform. Our retail arm lost money last year because I gunned things in an attempt to create a conventional high-growth/money losing e-commerce business, but the losses were nauseating and we reverted back to the philosophy of profitability on which we built Overstock: as a result, in 2019 Retail will return to profitability, generating a positive operating cash flow greater than or equal to $10M." In a regulatory filing, the company reported it has engaged Guggenheim Securities to help it identify and evaluate certain strategic initiatives. "We are considering a range of potential transactions, including a sale of our retail business and additional equity or debt financings. Our Board of Directors continually discusses a variety of potential strategic and financial options and other changes to our business, but has not approved or made any determination to consummate any strategic transaction, and may choose not to do so in the foreseeable future or at all. If we sell our retail business, the sale may not require approval by our stockholders under Delaware law. If we enter into an agreement to sell our retail business and determine that no vote of our stockholders is required, we do not expect to submit it to a vote. If we sell our retail business, we currently expect to retain all or substantially all of the after-tax proceeds of the sale for use in our blockchain initiatives," the filing stated.

08:16 EDT Array BioPharma: NCCN updates guidelines regarding BRAFTOVI/MEKTOVI combo - Array BioPharma announced that the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has updated their Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Colon and Rectal Cancer to include BRAFTOVI in combination with MEKTOVI and an anti-EGFR antibody as a Category 2a treatment for patients with BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer, after failure of one or two prior lines of therapy for metastatic disease. The BRAFV600E mutation is associated with a poor prognosis compared to patients with CRC who do not carry the BRAF mutation, and currently there are no FDA-approved therapies specifically for this high unmet need population.

08:13 EDT Radius Health to present Phase 3 ACTIVE analysis at ENDO - Radius Health announced it will present data on Tymlos injection at ENDO, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. During an oral session, Radius Health will present two abstracts on abaloparatide injection: a post-hoc analysis in a subset of women from the Phase 3 ACTIVE trial who have both postmenopausal osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, and data from preclinical studies that provide mechanistic explanations for the net bone gain observed in ACTIVE in abaloparatide-treated patients. Radius Health will also present a poster on the effect of abaloparatide in a subset of younger PMO women representative of covered commercial insurance enrollees considered to be at high risk for fracture and meeting potential criteria for coverage.

08:10 EDT Paratek Pharmaceuticals CFO Douglas Pagan to resign - Paratek Pharmaceuticals announced that Douglas Pagan, CFO, has resigned, effective April 5, to join an early-stage biopharmaceutical company. Pagan has entered into a consulting agreement with Paratek through December 23 to assist the company in the orderly transition of his CFO responsibilities. Paratek has initiated a search to identify and recruit a new candidate for the role of CFO.

08:09 EDT Motus GI expands IP portfolio with new patent for Pure-Vu System - Motus GI Holdings announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent No. 10,179,202 titled, "Systems and methods for cleaning body cavities and for endoscopic steering," which protects the Company's flagship product, the Pure-Vu System. The Pure-Vu System is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared medical device indicated to help facilitate the cleaning of a poorly prepared colon during the colonoscopy procedure. The device integrates with standard and slim colonoscopes to enable safe and rapid cleansing during the procedure while preserving established procedural workflow and techniques.

08:07 EDT Avaya announces further integration with Google Cloud - Avaya Holdings (AVYA) announced further integration with Google Cloud Contact Center AI (GOOG, GOOGL) to provide better experiences for customers and a more efficient workforce, taking full advantage of the powerful artificial intelligence capabilities of both companies. Together, Avaya and Google Cloud are providing customers with increased flexibility, efficiency and scalability in deploying powerful and simple communication and collaboration solutions that improve the customer journey. Avaya IX Contact Center is an AI-enhanced, omnichannel solution including voice, email, chat and mobile communications to make customer engagement a competitive advantage that drives growth and brand preference.

08:07 EDT CollPlant renews exclusive distribution agreement with Arthrex for Vergenix STR - CollPlant announced that it has renewed its exclusive distribution agreement with Arthrex for Vergenix STR for the treatment of tendinopathy. The original distribution agreement, which commenced in December 2016, is now extended through December 31, 2020, with Arthrex serving as the exclusive distributor of CE Marked Vergenix STR in Europe, the Middle East, India and certain African countries.

08:05 EDT Henry Schein acquires Lighthouse 360 from Web.com, terms not disclosed - Henry Schein, through its Henry Schein One joint venture, announced that it has acquired Lighthouse 360. Founded in 2006, Lighthouse 360 was previously a part of Web.com and had 2018 sales of approximately $50M. Henry Schein, Inc. expects that Lighthouse 360 will be neutral to the company's 2019 earnings per diluted share and accretive thereafter. Financial terms were not disclosed.

07:56 EDT Xerox says exploring potential deal for financing business - In a regulatory filing, Xerox said it is exploring the possibility of a "strategic transaction" involving its customer financing business and/or related assets.

07:39 EDT Arrowhead files IND for Phase 2/3 study of ARO-AAT - Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an adaptive Phase 2/3 trial with the potential to serve as a pivotal registrational study of ARO-AAT, the company's second generation subcutaneously administered RNA interference therapeutic being developed as a treatment for a rare genetic liver disease associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Pending regulatory review, the company intends to initiate the adaptive design, Phase 2/3 study of ARO-AAT in patients with AATD associated liver disease. The proposed primary objectives are to evaluate safety and pharmacodynamic dose response, and to evaluate efficacy, defined as an improvement in a histologic grading scale of AATD associated liver disease, and no worsening of liver fibrosis based on Ishak score on end of study biopsy. Arrowhead intends to initiate the study at various sites in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2019, followed by various international sites in Europe, pending regulatory submission and review. The company plans to provide additional study details following its initiation.

07:35 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals to sell rare pediatric disease PRV for $105M - GW Pharmaceuticals announced that GW Research has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its rare pediatric disease priority review voucher, or PRV, for $105M. GW was awarded the voucher under a FDA program intended to encourage the development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases. GW Research received the PRV when Epidiolex was approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome or Dravet syndrome, two rare, severe childhood-onset epilepsies. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including anti-trust review.

07:34 EDT Enanta completes enrollment in two ongoing Phase 2 studies - Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced it has completed enrollment in two Phase 2 studies. The Phase 2 study of EDP-938 in RSV is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, human challenge study in healthy adult subjects randomized into 1 of 2 dosing arms or a placebo arm. Subjects are dosed for 5 days and receive a once-daily 600 mg dose, a single 500 mg loading dose followed by 300 mg twice daily, or placebo. Primary and secondary outcome measures include changes in viral load measurements and changes in baseline symptoms. Topline data is expected mid-calendar 2019. The ARGON-1 study in NASH is a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of EDP-305 in subjects with NASH. The primary endpoint in the study is ALT reduction and safety. Subjects receive placebo or a 1 mg or 2.5 mg dose once daily for 12-weeks. Topline data is expected by the end of the third quarter of calendar 2019.

07:30 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals Inc trading resumes

07:19 EDT Dermira: All 3 doses of lebrikizumab met primary endpoint - Dermira announced results from a Phase 2b dose-ranging study of lebrikizumab, an investigational therapy, in adult patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. All three doses of lebrikizumab met the primary endpoint, demonstrating greater improvements in the Eczema Area and Severity Index score compared to placebo. The safety profile for lebrikizumab observed in the study was consistent with prior studies evaluating this investigational therapy. Across all of the doses evaluated, lebrikizumab showed a dose-dependent and statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint, the mean percent change in EASI score from baseline to week 16. The improvement in EASI score was 62.3% for patients receiving lebrikizumab, 125 milligrams, every four weeks, 69.2% for patients receiving lebrikizumab, 250 mg, every four weeks and 72.1% for patients receiving lebrikizumab, 250 mg, every two weeks compared to 41.1% for patients receiving placebo. Patients treated with lebrikizumab at the 250 mg dose every two or four weeks achieved statistically significant improvements in other key efficacy measures compared to placebo after 16 weeks of treatment, including: Lebrikizumab 250 mg every four weeks: 33.7% of lebrikizumab-treated patients achieved clearing or near-clearing of skin lesions, as measured by an investigator's global assessment score of 0 or 1, and a reduction of at least 2 points from baseline, compared to 15.3% with placebo. Lebrikizumab 250 mg every two weeks: 44.6% of lebrikizumab-treated patients achieved clearing or near-clearing of skin lesions, as measured by an IGA score of 0 or 1, and a reduction of at least 2 points from baseline, compared to 15.3% with placebo. The secondary endpoints for the 125 mg lebrikizumab dosing arm did not meet statistical significance. Following an end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dermira plans to initiate a Phase 3 clinical development program for lebrikizumab by the end of 2019.

07:17 EDT Orchard Therapeutics appoints Ran Zheng CTO - Orchard Therapeutics (ORTX) announced the appointment of Ran Zheng to the newly created position of CTO. Upon joining Orchard, Zheng will oversee multiple related functions, including process development, manufacturing, quality, facilities and engineering, supply chain, and CMC program management. Zheng, who brings more than 20 years of experience in technical operations, will report to Mark Rothera, president and CEO of Orchard, and serve as a member of the executive leadership team. Zheng has spent the last 16 years with Amgen (AMGN) in roles of increasing responsibility in operations. Most recently, she served as VP of development supply chain, overseeing end-to-end supply chain, development labs and pilot plants and manufacturing operations across multiple geographic locations to enable Amgen's global clinical development, product launch, commercial supply and technology innovation.

07:14 EDT TerraForm Power raises quarterly dividend 6% to 20c per share - As part of its Q4 earnings release on Friday, TerraForm Power boosted its quarterly dividend by 6% to 20c from 19c per share. The dividend is payable on March 29, 2019, to stockholders of record as of March 24, 2019.

07:11 EDT Star Group names Jeffrey Woosnam CEO, Jeffrey Hammond COO - Star Group announced several management changes related to the prior passing of president and CEO Steve Goldman in December, 2018. Effective immediately, Jeffrey Woosnam is named president and CEO, Jeffrey Hammond is named COO and Joseph McDonald is named CCO. Richard Ambury will continue in his role as executive VP, CFO and treasurer. Effective with these appointments, interim CEO Dan Donovan will step down from active management but remain a member of the board of Kestrel Heat, Star's general partner, also serving as a consultant as necessary through April 30. Woosnam was most recently senior VP, southern operations, a position he held since May, 2014. Prior to this, Woosnam served as VP, southern operations and was previously director of operations for Petroleum Heat and Power, a subsidiary of Star Group. He has been with the company since 1994. Hammond, COO, was most recently senior VP, northern Operations, a position he held since October, 2013. Prior to this, Mr. Hammond served as VP, northern operations and has been with the company since 2003. Joseph McDonald, CCO, was most recently senior VP of sales, marketing & retention, a position he held since May, 2014.and has been with the company since 2003.

07:07 EDT Dine Brands, Gerry's Group announce deal to bring IHOP locations to Pakistan - Dine Brands Global has announced a deal with several principals of Gerry's Group, a Pakistan-based logistics and Food and Beverage group, to bring the IHOP brand to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The deal calls for 19 IHOP locations throughout the country over the next 9 years, 9 of which will be franchised by the principals of Gerry's Group with the other ten sub-franchised. The first location is expected to open in Karachi by the end of 2019 and continues the brand's expansion into the Asia Pacific market. IHOP, which was founded in 1958, has been a global brand since 1969. IHOP already has a presence in India, Thailand and Guam as well as 11 other countries and Puerto Rico. Asia Pacific has been targeted as a key area of growth for Dine Brands, along with Latin America, Canada and the Middle East. The company has already signed deals to bring the IHOP brand to South America in 2019 in Peru and Ecuador, and to expand its presence in Canada to Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Dine Brands is also actively exploring opportunities to bring the IHOP brand to the United Kingdom.

07:05 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals says TIME-2b study did not meet primary endpoint - Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announced top-line results from the company's TIME-2b study, a Phase 2b clinical trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of Aerpio's lead candidate, AKB-9778, for patients with moderate to severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Administration of AKB-9778 twice daily did not meet the study's primary endpoint of the percentage of patients with an improvement of two or more steps in the study eye diabetic retinopathy severity score compared to placebo. The percentage of patients achieving this endpoint for AKB-9779 twice daily and placebo were 9.6% and 3.8%, respectively. In all qualified eyes, the percentage of eyes achieving this endpoint was 8.6% and 2.7%, for AKB-9778 BID and placebo, respectively. The rates of progression to sight-threatening complications, including diabetic macular edema and/or proliferative diabetic retinopathy during the 48-week treatment period were similar between treatment groups. AKB-9778 did show encouraging data in a number of prespecified, key secondary endpoints, consistent with the observations in the prior Phase 2a trial, including changes in Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio, a measure of kidney function, and in intraocular pressure. The company plans to advance a topical drop formulation of AKB-9778 into clinical development and expects to initiate a Phase 1b study in the second quarter of 2019 with results anticipated by the end of 2019. AKB-9778 was found to be safe and well-tolerated in this patient population through 48 weeks of twice-daily dosing. The most common adverse events with higher incidence in the AKB-9778 BID group were dizziness of 10.9% versus 7.0% in the placebo arm, and headache of 10.9% compared to placebo of 3.5%. There was one death in the study, and it was in the placebo group.

07:00 EDT Aerpio Pharmaceuticals Inc trading halted, news pending

06:56 EDT Rockwell Medical reports results from two studies of Triferic - Rockwell Medical announced positive data from two studies evaluating intravenous and peritoneal dialysate formulations of Triferic, the only therapy approved by the U.S. FDA indicated to replace iron and maintain hemoglobin in adult hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease. The data from the studies will be presented at the Annual Dialysis Conference, the largest multi-disciplinary conference on dialysis, held March 16-19 in Dallas, Texas. "We are encouraged by the data from this study, which demonstrates that I.V. Triferic delivers the same quantity of iron to patients as Triferic delivered via hemodialysate," said Raymond D. Pratt, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Rockwell Medical. "We believe Triferic has the potential to transform anemia management for all patients with hemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease. An I.V. formulation would give us the opportunity to integrate the use of Triferic at all dialysis centers- in the U.S. and abroad-regardless of the mode of bicarbonate delivery being used."

06:53 EDT Protalix CEO says '2019 could be a transformational year for us' - "Throughout 2018 and into early 2019, we significantly advanced our clinical development program for PRX-102 and, as of today, have enrolled 127 Fabry disease patients across all of our PRX-102 clinical trials. Most recently, we had a very productive meeting with the U.S. FDA to discuss the potential filing of an application for accelerated approval and, at the FDA's request, we intend to hold a follow up meeting by the end of the second quarter of 2019 to discuss the data and content of the potential filing for accelerated approval. We are very pleased with the collaborative manner our engagement with the FDA has been to date and cautiously optimistic about the prospects of our discussions with the agency," said Moshe Manor, Protalix's President and CEO. "We are very excited as we move forward into 2019 which could be a transformational year for us, including the read outs from our Fabry trials and the potential for establishing the path for accelerated approval for PRX-102 with the FDA." On December 31, 2018, the company had $37.8M of cash and cash equivalents, compared to $51.2M on December 31, 2017, which is currently projected to fund operations into mid-2020.

06:50 EDT Mallinckrodt appoints Bryan Reasons as CFO - Mallinckrodt announced that, following an extensive search, Bryan Reasons has been appointed CFO, effective immediately. Reasons will join Mallinckrodt's Executive Committee, the company's senior leadership group, and report directly to President and CEO, Mark Trudeau. George Kegler, who has served as interim CFO of Mallinckrodt, will stay on for a transitional period to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities prior to retiring from the company.

06:45 EDT Lumber Liquidators enters MOU with plaintiffs in Gold litigation - Lumber Liquidators announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with plaintiffs in the Gold litigation. Under the terms of the MOU, the parties agree to work together to prepare a final settlement agreement that would resolve on a nationwide basis the claims of all purchasers of Morning Star Strand Bamboo from January 1, 2012 through March 15, with no admission of fault or liability by the company. The company will contribute $14M in cash and provide $14M in store-credit vouchers, with a potential additional $2M in store-credit vouchers based on obtaining a claim's percentage of more than 7%, for an aggregate settlement of up to $30M to settle the Gold litigation. The MOU is subject to certain contingencies, including the execution of a definitive settlement agreement, board approval of the definitive settlement agreement, and court approvals.

06:35 EDT Aerie Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase 2 Clinical trial of AR-1105 - Aerie Pharmaceuticals announced the commencement of patient dosing in a Phase 2 clinical trial of AR-1105, its investigational dexamethasone intravitreal implant, in patients with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion. Safety and efficacy will be evaluated at six months.

06:34 EDT Horizon Global CEO: 'we are experiencing a slow start' to spring, summer season - Carl Bizon, President and CEO said, "We are optimistic regarding our outlook for the year, although we are experiencing a slow start to the prime spring and summer selling season in the U.S. due to cold and wet weather conditions impacting numerous industries. With our new financing in place, providing the liquidity and capital flexibility we need to execute our business plan, we have a stronger foundation from which to operate in the coming year. Our senior leadership team is now fully transitioned with the addition of a permanent CFO, and we are operating as one team with one goal to complete the operational turnaround at Horizon Global. We remain focused on providing the best products and service to our customers and end-users, ultimately translating to enhanced value for our shareholders."

06:13 EDT Plantronics to transform into Poly - Plantronics announced that the company will transform into Poly, a technology company focused on the human experience of communications and collaboration, aiming to make communication as rich and natural as in-person. "Our new brand represents the many elements of our history that we bring together to enable people to work the way we all work now, which is anywhere and across multiple collaboration tools," said Amy Barzdukas, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Poly.

06:09 EDT Pixelworks enters independent software vendor agreement with Qualcomm - Pixelworks (PXLW) announced that it has entered into an independent software vendor agreement with Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm (QCOM), to optimize select Pixelworks Iris features to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform. This cooperation brings together industry leaders in display processing and mobile platforms to provide superior display color accuracy via Pixelworks' high-efficiency display calibration for the next anticipated surge in consumer video consumption with the launch of 5G. This new offering from Pixelworks complements and extends the company's Iris product portfolio to include both hardware and software solutions. The first commercial launches of devices based on Snapdragon 855 with the Pixelworks Soft Iris calibration solution enabled by OEMS are anticipated in the second half of 2019. The cooperation agreement between Pixelworks and Qualcomm Technologies contemplates potential follow-on optimizations for other premium Snapdragon mobile platforms.

06:07 EDT Deutsche Bank CEO says to review options 'that present themselves' - Deutsche Bank (DB) CEO Christian Sewing commented on the discussions with Commerzbank (CRZBY), saying: "You may recall that last September I said that, first and foremost, we intend to do our homework. In this regard, we have made a lot of progress over the last couple of months. This is something we can be proud of and that we can build on. At the same time, however, we have to assess opportunities as they arise. I have consistently stressed that consolidation in the German and European banking sector is an important topic for us. We have to assess how we want to play a part in shaping it. Our stated aim remains to be a global bank with a strong capital markets business - based on a leading position in our home market in Germany and in Europe, and with a global network. This is what our clients expect from us. What is also important to me is that we will only pursue options that make economic sense, building on the progress we made in 2018. That is why we, the Management Board, will review the options that present themselves to us carefully. It is our responsibility and it is our duty. In doing so, we will keep the interests of the bank and all of our stakeholders in mind. At this point in time, there is no certainty at all that any transaction will materialise. Experience has shown that there may be a lot of potential economic and technical factors that could hinder or prevent such a step."

06:06 EDT Deutsche Bank confirms discussions with Commerzbank - In light of arising opportunities, the management board of Deutsche Bank (DB) has decided to review strategic options. The bank says: "In doing so, the management board of Deutsche Bank is focused on improving the growth profile and profitability of the bank. There is no certainty that any transaction will occur. In this context we confirm that we are engaging in discussions with Commerzbank (CRZBY)."

05:59 EDT Worldpay jumps 11% to $109.14 following $43B merger with FIS - At the closing of its merger with FIS (FIS), Worldpay (WP) shareholders will be entitled to receive 0.9287 FIS (FIS) shares and $11.00 in cash for each share of Worldpay. Upon closing, FIS shareholders will own approximately 53% and Worldpay shareholders will own approximately 47% of the combined company. The combination of stock and cash values Worldpay at an enterprise value of approximately $43B, including the assumption of Worldpay debt, which FIS expects to refinance. "Scale matters in our rapidly changing industry," stated Gary Norcross, CEO FIS. "Upon closing later this year, our two powerhouse organizations will combine forces to offer a customer-driven combination of scale, global presence and the industry's broadest range of global financial solutions. As a combined organization, we will bring the most modern solutions targeted at the highest growth markets. The long-term value we will create for clients and for shareholders will set the bar in our industry and will create a range of new career opportunities for our employees. I have never been more excited about the future of FIS." Worldpay competitors include TSYS (TSS), First Data (FDC), PayPal (PYPL), Square (SQ) and Global Payments (GPN).

05:46 EDT Muddy Waters comments on Boeing after Seattle Times story - Muddy Waters Research tweeted, "Very important reporting by the @seattletimes on $BA, the FAA, and Max jets. Article was largely written BEFORE the Ethiopian crash. 1) FAA has over-delegated (abdicated) certification duties to manufacturers, 2) MCAS was massively misrepresented by BA to FAA...In response to @seattletimes $BA said Max jets "met all certification & regulatory requirements". FAA said it followed its standard certification process on Max. The problem is the "standard" has changed a lot since pre-2005, when the govt began outsourcing cert duties to $BA...What's the result? Two $BA planes have been grounded: 787 and Max. Last FAA grounding of a type of plane was 1979. In the case of the Max, FAA outsourced more than planned bc BA was 9 months behind Airbus 320neo...This is a great example of real short-termism by a corporate. It's clearly in $BA LT interest to have robust cert system, but those chickens come home to roost years later, allowing mgmt to meet ST expectations. BTW, semi-annual reporting would do NOTHING to fix this mentality."

05:30 EDT Viomi Technology announces special dividend of 10c per ADS

05:22 EDT FIS to acquire Worldpay in cash, stock deal valued at $43B - FIS (FIS) and Worldpay (WP) announce that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. This combination greatly expands FIS' capabilities by enhancing its acquiring and payment offerings and significantly increases Worldpay's distribution footprint, accelerating its entry into new geographies. Upon closing, the combined company will be positioned to offer best-in-class enterprise banking, payments, capital markets, and global eCommerce capabilities empowering financial institutions and businesses worldwide. At the closing, under the terms of the agreement, Worldpay shareholders will be entitled to receive 0.9287 FIS shares and $11.00 in cash for each share of Worldpay. Upon closing, FIS shareholders will own approximately 53% and Worldpay shareholders will own approximately 47% of the combined company. The combination of stock and cash values Worldpay at an enterprise value of approximately $43B, including the assumption of Worldpay debt, which FIS expects to refinance. FIS and Worldpay have complementary solutions and services encompassing financial institution issuer services, network and merchant services including global leadership in eCommerce, as well as loyalty and fraud solutions benefiting consumers and businesses. Clients will benefit from the combined omni-channel payment and multi-currency capabilities, robust risk and fraud solutions and advanced data analytics. Organic revenue growth outlook of 6%-9% through 2021, in conjunction with $700M of total EBITDA synergies from the combination of revenue and expense opportunities over the next three years. The combined company will have pro forma 2018 annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $12.3B and $4.9B, respectively. Anticipates $500M of revenue synergies, $400M of run-rate expense synergies and nearly $4.5B of free cash flow in three years. FIS anticipates retaining its investment grade credit ratings of Baa2 / BBB, reducing leverage to approximately 2.7x in 12 to 18 months and continuing to grow its dividend supported by robust free cash flow. Upon closing, the combined company's board will consist of 12 members, seven of which will come from FIS' board and five of which will come from Worldpay's board. Gary Norcross will remain as FIS chairman of the board, President and CEO. Charles Drucker, Worldpay's current executive chairman and CEO, will serve as the executive vice chairman of the board. The combined company will retain the name FIS and will be headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.

05:09 EDT Alcon acquires PowerVision for $285M - Alcon, a division of Novartis, announced that it has acquired PowerVision, Inc., a privately-held, US-based medical device development company focused on creating fluid-based intraocular lens implants. Commercial availability of PowerVision's IOL technology will be determined following significant additional development and clinical trials of the intraocular lens. Under the terms of the agreement, Alcon paid $285M to PowerVision at closing with additional payments based on specified regulatory and commercial milestones starting in 2023. Alcon is maintaining its 2023 financial outlook provided at the Capital Markets Days in the fourth quarter of 2018.