Stockwinners Market Radar for April 11, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:25 EDT Disney CEO: keeping Disney+ to TV/movie service, no plans to include videogames

20:17 EDT Disney CEO Bob Iger says his contract will expire at end of 2021 - Says it will be time to step down. Says have been engaged with the board about succession process to ensure smooth transition.

20:11 EDT Disney CFO sees ESPN+ becoming profitable in FY23

20:07 EDT Disney CFO: A third of Disney+ subscribers to come from U.S., 2/3 international - Sees cash investment in original content of just over $1B in FY20 and mid-$2B by FY24.

19:23 EDT Disney says multiple live action Disney movies on Disney+ at launch - Walt Disney Studios president Sean Bailey said multiple live action Disney titles will be available on Disney+ at launch.

19:16 EDT Allegiant Travel reports March RPMs up 9.8% - Reports March total system RPMs up 9.8%. Reports March total system passengers up 9.8%. Reports March total system available seat miles up 11%.

19:10 EDT Marvel Studios president says unscripted Marvel content coming to Disney+ - Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that "Captain Marvel" and "Avengers: Endgame" to make streaming debut on Disney+. Says unscripted Marvel content coming to Disney+. Comments taken from Disney's Investor Day.

19:00 EDT Disney says 'Monsters, Inc.' series coming exclusively to Disney+

18:59 EDT Disney says full Pixar collection coming to Disney+ - Says multi-episode documentary series on production of "Frozen 2" called "Into the Unknown" coming to Disney+. Says full Pixar collection, including short films, will be available on Disney+ at launch.

18:47 EDT Disney+ to roll out in Europe, Asia starting next year

18:43 EDT Disney says Disney+ mobile customers can stort content to watch offline - Says Disney+ titles available in 4K, HDR. Says includes buttons linking to 5 major brands. Says "confident" consumers will "love" service. Says Disney+ mobile customers can store content for offline viewing.

18:36 EDT Macy's CEO: We are hyper-focused on culture - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette said: Brick and mortar needs to go from a place of transaction to an experience... We are committed to a healthy dividend... We have a healthy balance sheet... Both the high and low end consumer are spending with us... Culture is everything and we're hyper- focused on it... Our turnover is down.

18:07 EDT Disney's Shankar: Hotstar makes up 40% of longform video consumption in India - Uday Shankar, president of Disney Company Asia Pacific, said at Disney's Investor Day that India is expected to have over 1B video screens by 2023. Says India's Hotstar makes up 40% of longform video consumption in India. Says believes India market is ready for subscription push. Says building "strong" SVOD service Hotstar VIP. Says has created "one of the most exciting video platforms in the world."

17:50 EDT Merck's Ketyruda granted expanded monotherapy label by FDA for NSCLC - Merck announced that FDA has approved an expanded label for Keytruda, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation, or metastatic NSCLC, and whose tumors express PD-L1, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. The approval is based on results from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-042 trial, in which Keytruda monotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in Overall Survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1 with a TPS greater than or equal to 50%, with a TPS greater than or equal to20%, and then in the entire study population. Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur with Keytruda, including pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis, severe skin reactions, solid organ transplant rejection, and complications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

17:43 EDT Hulu CEO says there's still 'tremendous' upside for the service - Hulu CEO Randy Freer says service saw "tremendous" growth in 2018. Says customer base gained 8M subscribers last year. Says say 75% total increase in user engagement in 2018. Says there's still "tremendous" upside for Hulu. Says digital video ad market is projected to be over $50B by 2022. Sees doubling ad revenue over next few years. Says grew customers at all levels after price cuts. Hulu is majority owned by Disney (DIS), with AT&T (T) and Comcast (CMCSA) also owning stakes. Comments taken at Disney's Investor Day.

17:38 EDT Conduent board member Nevin resigns, Icahn Enterprises counsel Lynn replaces - In a regulatory filing, Michael Nevin notified Conduent (CNDT) that he was resigning from the board of the company effective immediately. As previously disclosed, Nevin was a director designated by Carl Ichan and certain other parties pursuant to the letter agreement, dated as of January 28, 2016, entered into by Xerox (XRX), its former parent company, with Icahn Group. On December 31, 2016, the company entered into a joinder agreement to the Icahn agreement. Pursuant to the Icahn agreement, on April 11, the Icahn Group designated Jesse Lynn, general counsel of Icahn Enterprises (IEP), as a replacement for Nevin, which designation is subject to the company's approval, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Prior to his resignation, Nevin was a member of the corporate governance committee and the compensation committee. In response to Nevin's resignation letter, the members of the company's board that are not affiliated with Carl Icahn or Darwin Deason issued the following statement: "... We believe Mr. Nevin's resignation letter mischaracterizes many of the events he describes in his letter, and we strongly disagree with its assertions. In discussions between Mr. Parrett and Mr. Icahn from Sunday, April 7, 2019, through Monday, April 8, 2019, Mr. Icahn indicated he could cause Mr. Nevin's resignation letter not to be delivered to the Board and released publicly if Mr. Parrett agreed to immediately resign as Chairman so that a director designated by Mr. Icahn could replace Mr. Parrett as Chairman. Mr. Icahn also expressed his desire that Mr. Parrett resign from the Board and that a new director chosen by Mr. Icahn be added to the Board. We believe Mr. Nevin's "noisy resignation" and these related discussions represent an attempt to take control of the Company's Board."

17:33 EDT Disney says weighing Latin American launch of Disney+

17:28 EDT Amyris trading halted, news pending

17:26 EDT eBay shares decline after YipitData shows deceleration, Bezos comments - Shares of eBay (EBAY) closed down 3.7% after reports that YipitData metrics showed notable marketplace deceleration for the company, as well as negative comments from rival Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon (AMZN), in his annual share letter. YIPITDATA: Bloomberg's Gregory CalderoneandJeran Wittenstein reported that eBay was down in Thursday trading amid reports that data from analytics firm YipitData "showed a notable deceleration in the e-commerce platform's U.S. marketplaces business" in the first quarter. BEZOS COMMENTS: In Jeff Bezos' annual shareholder letter, which was published earlier Thursday, he took a shot at eBay, noting that Amazon's "third-party sales have grown from $0.1B to $160B -- a compound annual growth rate of 52%. To provide an external benchmark, eBay's gross merchandise sales in that period have grown at a compound rate of 20%, from $2.8B to $95B." RESPONSE FROM EBAY CEO: In a tweet, eBay CEO Devin Wenig fired back, "While I appreciate the ink dedicated to @ebay from the ceo of the company not focused on competition, think I"ll dedicate my letter to customers, purpose and strategy. We don't compete with our sellers. We don't bundle endless services to create barriers to competition." PRICE ACTION: Shares of eBay closed down 3.71% to $36.32.

17:10 EDT Cerner and naviHealth plan to launch offering for BPCI Advanced - Cerner and naviHealth plan to create a care offering to support affordable and accessible health care centered on the patient.Cerner and naviHealth anticipate launching an offering to support BPCI Advanced, with initial focus on the next CMS launch of the program in January 2020. Working together, Cerner and naviHealth plan to give health systems and providers the ability to effectively participate in bundled payment arrangements while driving improved clinical outcomes and financial results. The new value-based, electronic health record-agnostic offering is expected to support affordable and accessible health care centered on the patient."We've had tremendous success in the BPCI Advanced program, which is a major first step in the industry's shift toward value-based care. It's a huge opportunity for providers to achieve better outcomes while reducing costs. Through our relationship with Cerner, there are even greater avenues for success," said Clay Richards, CEO, naviHealth. "Cerner is known for its clinical quality improvement and workflow integration, and our work with them in post-acute management has been instrumental in providing better patient care. Combining our operational, technological, and clinical expertise and solutions with Cerner's big data platform, will make this joint offering truly unique in the industry."

17:02 EDT Verso CEO B. Christopher DiSantis steps down, Leslie Lederer named interim CEO - Verso announced that B. Christopher DiSantis has stepped down as President and CEO and member of the Verso board of directors effective as of April 5. Leslie Lederer, former chairman, interim president and CEO of Catalyst Paper Company, has been named as interim CEO as of April 5 in order to ensure a smooth transition until such time as a permanent CEO has been identified and retained. Verso's board of directors intends to undertake a robust succession process to find a successor for DiSantis, including a search process that will include internal and external candidates.

16:54 EDT SolarWinds to acquire IT service desk company Samanage for $350M in cash - SolarWinds announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Samanage, an IT service desk solution company based in Cary, NC. Samanage has built a product "guided by a customer-centricity that aligns well with SolarWinds' mission and commitment to the technology professional community," said the company. SolarWinds plans to add the Samanage products to its IT Operations Management portfolio beginning in Q2 2019. The SaaS-based offering will complement the on-premise products the company offers today to serve the needs of IT organizations at businesses of all sizes - from the SMB to the large enterprise. SolarWinds plans to acquire Samanage for a purchase price of $350M in cash or approximately $329M net of cash acquired. SolarWinds plans to fund the transaction primarily with its existing cash balance. The transaction is expected to close before the end of Q2 2019. SolarWinds will provide additional details about the acquisition and its expected impact to 2019 financial results on the company's Q1 2019 Earnings Call scheduled for April 24.

16:52 EDT Lyft edges lower after Uber files for IPO - Shares of Lyft (LYFT) were fractionally lower in after hours trading following Uber's filing for its initial public offering. WHAT'S NEW: After the market close, Uber filed for its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange under symbol "UBER." The ride-hailing giant also reported financial metrics for fiscal 2018 in the filing, reporting 2018 total revenue of $11.27B, revenue from Ridesharing products of $9.2B, and 26B gross miles traveled on the platform. WHAT'S NOTABLE: The New York Times reported earlier today that Uber may be seeking an IPO valuation of up to $100B. The report follows Reuters' Lucy Nicholson saying earlier this week that the company was seeking to sell about $10B in common stock at a valuation of $90B-$100B. LYFT: The Uber filing comes not long after rival Lyft listed its shares on the Nasdaq. Since going public on March 29, the company has been in focus for a multitude of news developments, including a Wall Street Journal report last week that said billionaire investor Carl Icahn had sold his roughly 2.7% stake in Lyft ahead of its IPO. Meanwhile, Lyft shares saw a bump late last week after Andrew Left's Citron Research advised against shorting the stock, saying the same short thesis that is being passed around on Lyft by the "amateur shorts" would have seen investors short Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX), Square (SQ) and others. Additionally, CNBC reported last Saturday that Lyft is threatening to sue Morgan Stanley (MS), accusing the firm of supporting short-selling for investors subject to lock-up agreements. PRICE ACTION: In after-hours trading, shares of Lyft are down 0.6%.

16:36 EDT MiMedx board approves long-range strategic plan - MiMedx Group reinforced its priorities for 2019 as part of its long-range strategic plan to enhance value for all MiMedx stakeholders. These priorities include sharpening our focus on the advanced wound care segment, developing and expanding our portfolio pipeline, and driving continued operational excellence to support future growth and sustained productivity. David Coles, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said, "Our long-range strategic plan positions MiMedx to capitalize on market expansion opportunities, and broaden the access customers and patients have to our leading technology portfolio throughout the continuum of care. We believe that the strategic priorities outlined will enable us to achieve the full potential of our product portfolio and further distinguish MiMedx as a leader in advanced wound care."

16:34 EDT Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announces appointment of Peter Greenleaf as CEO - Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) announced the appointment of Peter Greenleaf as CEO and as a director on the Aurinia board. The company also announced the elevation of George Milne to chairman of the board. Richard Glickman, who previously announced his plans to retire on November 6, 2018, will step down from his role as chairman and CEO concurrent with Greenleaf's appointment on April 29 and will remain an advisor to the company for a period of 12 months. With more than twenty years of experience leading pharmaceutical and biotech firms, Greenleaf most recently served as the CEO of Cerecor (CERC).

16:32 EDT Coeur Mining reports Q1 gold production 78,336 ounces - Coeur Mining announced Q1 production of 78,336 ounces of gold, 2.5M ounces of silver, 3.7M pounds of zinc and 3.1M pounds of lead. Metal sales for the quarter were 85,326 ounces of gold, 2.6M ounces of silver, 4.7M pounds of zinc and 2.7M pounds of lead. As disclosed on February 20, 2019, the company expects to produce 334,000-372,000 ounces of gold, 12.2M-14.7M ounces of silver, 25M-40M pounds of zinc and 20M-35M pounds of lead in 2019.

16:29 EDT PVH Corp.'s Duane sells over 6,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, PVH Corp.'s Francis K. Duane, CEO of Heritage Brands, disclosed the sale of 6,171 common shares of the company at a price of $127.2712 per share.

16:20 EDT KemPharm completes pre-NDA meeting with FDA for KP415 - KemPharm announced that the company concluded a pre-new drug application, or NDA, meeting with the FDA, for KP415, KemPharm's investigational attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, product candidate that contains serdexmethylphenidate and d-methylphenidate. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the company's NDA for KP415 and to confirm the clinical and non-clinical requirements for its submission. At the pre-NDA meeting, representatives from the FDA reviewed KemPharm's summary of the data package being prepared for the KP415 NDA submission, including clinical, non-clinical and human abuse potential studies, as well as regulatory elements. Based on the feedback from the FDA, the company believes its regulatory data package will be sufficient for submission, with acceptance of the filing subject to the FDA's review of the complete package.

16:16 EDT Tallgrass Energy raises quarterly dividend 1.9% to 53c per share - Tallgrass Energy announced its quarterly dividend for the first quarter of 2019. The dividend will be paid on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The board of directors of TGE's general partner declared a quarterly cash dividend of 53c per Class A share for the first quarter of 2019, or $2.12 on an annualized basis. This represents a 1.9% sequential increase from the fourth quarter 2018 dividend of 52c per Class A share and an increase of 8.7% from the first quarter 2018 dividend of $0.4875 per Class A share. It is TGE's 15th consecutive increase since its May 2015 IPO.

16:14 EDT Recro Pharma to present IV meloxicam safety, efficacy data - Recro Pharma announced a moderated poster presentation highlighting new intravenous, or IV, meloxicam data at the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine meeting, hosted by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. The abstract was a highly scored submission and was selected for a five minute oral presentation. In this study, the researchers conducted a network meta-analysis, or NMA, assessing the safety and efficacy of IV meloxicam relative to other IV non-opioid analgesics for moderate to severe pain. The analysis was conducted by comparing Recro Pharma's IV meloxicam data to 17 randomized controlled clinical trials evaluating several non-opioid analgesics, including acetaminophen, ketorolac, placebo combined with a non-opioid and placebo combined with an opioid, across three procedure categories: abdominal, bunionectomy and orthopedic. A pooled analysis of pain outcomes across all bunionectomy procedure studies and time points demonstrated a probability of 84% that IV meloxicam produced the largest sum of pain intensity difference, or SPID. A pooled analysis of pain outcomes across all abdominal procedure studies and time points demonstrated a probability of 72% that IV meloxicam produced the largest SPID. Both of these outcomes are consistent with the surface under cummulative ranking curve, or SUCRA, rankings. IV meloxicam could not be evaluated against other non-opioid IV analgesics in orthopedic procedures due to a lack of reported pain score data for IV meloxicam in orthopedic procedures. IV meloxicam was associated with a pooled 18% reduction in morphine utilization, compared to a 16% reduction for ketorolac and a 14% reduction for acetaminophen. For safety, IV meloxicam was associated with lower pooled odds of gastrointestinal opioid-related adverse events, or ORADEs, and respiratory ORADEs. IV meloxicam offered no relative benefits with respect to adverse events not related to opioids.

16:11 EDT Alico announces John Kiernan to become CEO - Alico's Hank Slack, the company's Chairman, was pleased to announce several leadership appointments to take effect on July 1. John E. Kiernan, who has served as Alico's CFO for the last four years, will become CEO. Richard Rallo, who has served as Alico's Chief Accounting Officer for the last two years, will succeed Mr. Kiernan as CFO. Benjamin D. Fishman, who has been on the Board of Alico since 2014, and chair of its Audit Committee, will succeed Mr. Slack as Chairman. Mr. Slack will remain on the Board. Mr. Slack commented: "It is the right time for these important leadership transitions, and the Board and I are confident that they are made in the best interests of all of Alico shareholders. We have good reason to be pleased with what Alico has accomplished in recent years. Three significant acquisitions have now been fully integrated into the citrus industry leader which Alico is today. The Company is entering into a new phase wherein it is becoming increasingly well positioned to acquire new strategic businesses, expand its citrus operations, reduce debt or return capital to shareholders. I will be pleased to be succeeded as Chairman by my friend, Ben Fishman, whose agricultural expertise, financial acumen and respect for prudent corporate governance on the Alico board these past years have been a significant factor in our success." Ben Fishman is a Managing Director of Arlon Group, and acts as Managing Member of 734 Investors, LLC, Alico's largest shareholder. Arlon Group is a food and agriculture investment firm with a global network that supports investments across the entire food supply chain. Arlon was established by Continental Grain Company (CGC), a more than 200-year-old, family-owned global agribusiness.

16:09 EDT Anson Funds Management reports 8.5% passive stake in Nxt-ID - In a regulatory filing, Anson Funds Management disclosed an 8.5% stake in Nxt-ID, which represents 2.47M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:07 EDT Meridian Bancorp announces new stock repurchase program - Meridian Bancorp, the holding company for East Boston Savings Bank, announced that it has adopted a new stock repurchase program for up to 500,000 shares, or approximately 0.9% of its outstanding common stock. This new stock repurchase program was adopted following receipt of non-objection from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. This is the company's second stock repurchase program since completing its mutual-to-stock conversion and related stock offering in July 2014. The company's first stock repurchase program for 3,373,621 shares was completed in January 2019.

16:04 EDT Alaska Air reports combined March traffic up 0.5%, capacity up 1.3% - On a combined basis for all operations, Air Group reported a 0.5% increase in traffic on a 1.3% increase in capacity compared to March 2018. Load factor decreased 0.7 points to 84.2%.

16:03 EDT Qiagen says QuantiFERON-TB passes 60M tests administered - Qiagen announced that its modern gold standard QuantiFERON-TB test for detection of latent tuberculosis infections has surpassed 60M tests administered. The comapny said it is continuing to improve and innovate with new automation options for the fourth-generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test which will continue to drive rapid growth in the conversion of latent TB testing from the century-old technology of tuberculin skin tests to QIAGEN's modern, accurate and efficient blood test. "As the global community increasingly embraces latent TB screening and treatment to prevent the active disease from spreading, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus is the gold standard not only for accuracy but also for cost-efficient, automated workflows. We are proud to achieve the milestone of 60 million QuantiFERON-TB tests, but we are still in the early days of converting from antiquated methods to modern diagnostics," said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN. "This is an exciting time of innovation, commitment and progress toward the shared goal of stopping the global epidemic of tuberculosis."

16:01 EDT Qiagen says preliminary data shows effective pathogen detection by QIAstat-Dx - Qiagen announced new data of the QIAstat-Dx Meningitis / Encephalitis panel. The panel is in late stage development and being prepared for CE-IVD commercialization in the second half of 2019 for use on the QIAstat-Dx multiplex syndromic testing system. The preliminary data demonstrates effective detection of the most prevalent central nervous system pathogens with high analytical sensitivity and specificity levels, including the discrimination of clinically relevant strains and subtypes, the company said. This new test will expand the QIAGEN menu of diagnostic panels for syndromic testing, adding to CE-IVD marked DiagCORE tests for respiratory and gastrointestinal infections that were launched in 2018. The U.S. regulatory clearance of QIAstat-Dx is expected in mid-2019, and a deep menu of additional tests covering infectious diseases and other therapeutic areas is in development. "Our new QIAstat-Dx panel meets an urgent need for rapid and reliable diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis infections, and will enable clinicians to select appropriate therapies in a timely manner. The panel delivers valuable insights with high sensitivity and specificity to identify these life-threatening syndromes," said Thierry Bernard, Senior Vice President and Head of QIAGEN's Molecular Diagnostics Business Area. "Laboratories in Europe are embracing the new platform and the power of syndromic testing based on proven PCR technologies to identify syndromic conditions with the simplicity of a true Sample to Insight solution. Demand for syndromic testing is growing rapidly, and we are developing a deep menu of assays to significantly increase the utility of QIAstat-Dx for an increasing range of applications."

15:30 EDT EA rises as Stephens says new 'Star Wars' game has upside potential - Shares of Electronic Arts (EA) are trading higher ahead of the company's upcoming unveiling of their new "Star Wars" action game "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" at Star Wars Celebration this Saturday. Ahead of the official unveiling, Stephens maintained an Overweight rating and $120 price target on EA, saying the game has upside potential. "Jedi: Fallen Order" is scheduled to launch sometime in 2019. WHAT'S NEW: In a research note to investors, Stephens analyst Jeff Cohen said that "Jedi: Fallen Order," which is being made by "Titanfall" and "Apex Legends" developer Respawn Entertainment, is a game that his firm has been pointing to as one that has room for upside to consensus, despite investor conversations on EA being primarily focused on "Apex." The analyst noted that investor sentiment around the game's potential is mixed due to EA's prior missteps with the license, while player sentiment is probably best described as "cautiously optimistic." Still, Cohen believes that the type of story-driven, single-player title that Respawn is making fits "very well" with what fans want, although questions remain around how EA will monetize the product post-launch. The analyst added that he thinks the game has the potential to sell double-digit million units if the studio "can executive on its vision, without falling victim to some of EA's prior missteps." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Electronic Arts has been making games with Disney's (DIS) "Star Wars" license for several years, first releasing "Star Wars Battlefront" in 2015 and then "Star Wars Battlefront II" in 2017. Both games received mixed reviews from critics, with the latter notably subject to widespread criticism due to its initial use of loot boxes, which could give players major gameplay advantages if bought with real money. In response to backlash, The publisher opted to temporarily remove microtransactions from the game until a later date, and re-instituted microtransactions several months later, though such microtransactions were purely cosmetic. The "Star Wars Battlefront" games were developed by EA DICE, making "Jedi: Fallen Order" the first "Star Wars" game made by Respawn since EA has been using the license. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, EA shares are up 0.7% to $100.30.

14:20 EDT Liquid Media announces deal to operate A+E Networks' Ancient Aliens videogame - Liquid Media announces that it is now the official operator of A+E Networks' story-driven "Ancient Aliens: The Game" free-to-play videogame across iOS, Google Play and Facebook platforms. The game's original storywriter, science fiction author and game writer, Steven-Elliot Altman, will continue to pen the game's story, Liquid Media stated.

14:01 EDT Walmart to expand in-house ad technology with purchase of Polymorph assets - Stefanie Jay, Vice President and General Manager, Walmart Media Group, announced in a post to the company's site that Walmart plans to acquire technology and assets of Polymorph Labs, a Silicon Valley-based advertising startup to "help take our advertising business to the next level." According to Jay, "Polymorph's technology, which includes a high-speed ad server, a self-serve interface and server-side header bidding, will make advertising with Walmart easier for thousands of brands while delivering more relevant digital ads to consumers. This technology complements Walmart's current omni-channel ad targeting and measurement solution, and will provide a platform for continued future innovation, such as real-time auctions across multiple ad-pricing models." Reference Link

13:04 EDT Duke Energy Renewables construcsts 200MW Mesteno wind project in Texas - Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, announced it will build, own and operate a 200-megawatt wind project - Mesteno - in Starr County, Texas. The project's output will be sold into the ERCOT market and Duke Energy Renewables will enter into a long-term hedge agreement covering the majority of the expected wind energy production. The Mesteno Wind Project will be Duke Energy Renewables' fourth wind generation facility in Starr County. Construction has begun and will be completed by the end of 2019. Once completed, Mesteno will contain turbines 590.5 feet tall - some of the tallest wind turbines in the United States. The tall tower turbines will harness stronger winds and increase wind energy production. This project increases Duke Energy Renewables' U.S. wind capacity to more than 2,500 MW. During peak construction, the wind project will create approximately 200 jobs, Duke said, adding that it will also deliver more than $16M in tax revenue over the first 10 years of its operation.

12:22 EDT Future FinTech up 175% after announcing new unit to expand Cloud Mall logistics - Earlier today, Future FinTech Group announced the establishment of a new subsidiary, Chain Cloud Mall Logistics Center. Chain Cloud Mall Logistics Center is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chain Cloud Mall Network Technolog. CCM Logistics Center is located in the national kiwifruit Industrial Park of Baoji City, which is the only national-level kiwifruit wholesale marketplace in China. CCM Logistics Center occupies a total lot size of 18.78 acres and has a floorage of 215,278 square feet. "Since the official launch on January 22, to present, Chain Cloud Mall has attracted over 3000 users globally and generated RMB 40M of gross merchandise value,GMV, in total. It has received extensive user support and won a good reputation in the industry," said Mr. Yongke Xue, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Future FinTech, "By applying the shared economy theory to Chain Cloud Mall, we bring the traditional e-commerce platform to a different level. We will continue to optimize the functions, so that users can get maximum return on their investment." Shares of Future FinTech Group are up 175.5% or $1.41 ti $2.22 in midday trading

12:02 EDT B.O.S. Better Online shareholders vote against Pure Capital proposals - B.O.S. Better Online Solutions announced that at the Special General Meeting of shareholders that took place today the company's shareholders voted against the proposals of Pure Capital, as follows: Proposal to remove form office the company's current serving directors was rejected by a majority of 70% of the votes; Proposal to elect nominees of Pure Capital to serve as members of the board of directors was rejected by a majority of 72% of the votes. Yossi Lahad, BOS' Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented, "We are very pleased with the overwhelming vote of confidence we've received from our shareholders. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the management team I thank the shareholders for their support. We remain committed to acting in the shareholders' best interests as we continue to execute BOS' growth strategy."

12:00 EDT Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs falls -5.7% - Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs is down -5.7%, or -57c to $9.45.

12:00 EDT BP Prudhoe Bay falls -9.5% - BP Prudhoe Bay is down -9.5%, or -$2.13 to $20.40.

12:00 EDT Evolent Health rises 7.3% - Evolent Health is up 7.3%, or 93c to $13.62.

11:54 EDT Airbus establishes new executive committee led by CEO Faury - Airbus announced that it has appointed a new Executive Committee led by Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury, following approval from the Board of Directors. The changes are effective immediately. "We are in a period of exceptional change in our industry and we need to prepare Airbus for the opportunities and challenges ahead," said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. "With our pioneering spirit we can build on our past success to prepare the Airbus of tomorrow in order to better serve our customers, increase our competitiveness and grow in a sustainable way. We will utilise new digital technologies to optimise our industrial system and open up new market opportunities while prioritising customer satisfaction. Our organisation and ways of working will evolve over time and allow all Airbus employees to contribute to the future success of the Company. The new Executive Committee is united in the goal of creating value for all stakeholders while upholding our values and behaving with the right mindset. I'd like to thank the Board of Directors for their endorsement of this new top management team." Besides CEO Guillaume Faury, the following top managers form the Airbus Executive Committee: Dominik Asam, Chief Financial Officer; Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources Officer; Jean-Brice Dumont, Executive Vice-President Engineering; Bruno Even, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Helicopters; John Harrison, General Counsel; Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space; Julie Kitcher, Executive Vice-President Communications & Corporate Affairs; Philippe Mhun, Executive Vice-President Programmes & Services; Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer; Michael Schollhorn, Chief Operations Officer, and; Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer.

11:04 EDT Newmont says shareholders approve share issuance for Goldcorp transaction - Newmont Mining (NEM) announced that the company's shareholders voted to approve the authorization and issuance of Newmont common shares in connection with the proposed transaction with Goldcorp (GG). Newmont shareholders approved the increase in Newmont's authorized common stock with more than 76% of the outstanding shares voting for the proposal and approved the issuance of shares pursuant to the transaction with more than 98% of the votes cast for the proposal, the company reported. The receipt of approval by Newmont's and Goldcorp's shareholders of the resolutions at their shareholder meetings on April 11 and April 4, respectively, has satisfied the conditions to Newmont's previously announced one-time special dividend of 88c per share of common stock. Accordingly, the special dividend will be paid on May 1 to Newmont shareholders of record as of April 17. The dividend will be paid to the holders of Newmont's currently outstanding shares as of the record date, and not in respect of shares to be issued in connection with the proposed Newmont Goldcorp transaction. Transaction close is expected in the second quarter, Newmont said.

10:26 EDT Intercept falls after releasing 'supportive data' from Phase 3 NASH study - Intercept Pharmaceuticals overnight announced additional "supportive data" from its Phase 3 Regenerate study of obeticholic acid in patients with liver fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The new data based on additional analyses show that obeticholic acid "demonstrated robust efficacy across a range of additional histologic and biochemical parameters," Intercept said in a statement. The data are being presented today at the International Liver Congress in Vienna, Austria. The primary efficacy analysis assessed efficacy at 18 months in 931 patients with stage 2 or 3 liver fibrosis due to NASH. Patients with biopsy proven NASH with fibrosis were randomized 1:1:1 to receive placebo, OCA 10 mg or OCA 25 mg once daily. A repeat biopsy was conducted after 18 months for histologic endpoint assessment. Overall, study discontinuations in the primary efficacy analysis population were balanced across treatment groups. As previously reported, in the primary efficacy analysis, once-daily OCA 25 mg met the primary endpoint of fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH in 23.1% of patients compared to 11.9% of placebo patients at the planned 18-month interim analysis, the company said. In the primary efficacy analysis, a numerically greater proportion of patients in both OCA treatment groups compared to placebo achieved the primary endpoint of NASH resolution with no worsening of liver fibrosis; however, this did not reach statistical significance. As agreed with the FDA, in order for the primary objective to be met, the study was required to achieve one of the two primary endpoints, it added. Additional supportive efficacy analyses were conducted using the per protocol population. Approximately three-fold more patients in the OCA 25 mg group achieved an improvement of fibrosis by greater than or equal to 2 stages compared to placebo, Intercept reported. The stock is down 12%, or $14.14, to $106.54 in morning trading.

10:07 EDT Immuron receives U.S. patent on drug composition to treat clostridium difficle - Immuron announced the issuance of a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a method to treat Clostridium difficile infections. The patent entitled "Methods and compositions for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of Clostridium difficile associated disease" describes a targeted drug composition comprising an enriched, hyperimmune polyclonal antibody preparation of bovine colostrum for use in treating C. difficile, a bacterium that causes life threatening diarrhea. The company's drug candidate IMM-529, which is based on this technology, is presently in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial in C. difficile patients.

10:01 EDT Teva announces U.S. launch of generic version of AndroGel 1.62% CIII - Teva announced the launch of a generic version of AndroGel 1.62% CIII in the U.S. Testosterone Gel 1.62% CIII has annual sales of more than $911M in the U.S., according to IQVIA data as of February.

10:00 EDT American Renal Associates rises 6.9% - American Renal Associates is up 6.9%, or 46c to $7.15.

09:47 EDT China Southern Airlines falls -4.3% - China Southern Airlines is down -4.3%, or -$2.07 to $46.67.

09:47 EDT Vince Holding falls -4.9% - Vince Holding is down -4.9%, or -67c to $13.14.

09:47 EDT Trecora Resources rises 5.4% - Trecora Resources is up 5.4%, or 49c to $9.60.

09:34 EDT Hostess Brands names Chad Lusk SVP, CMO - Hostess Brands announced that Chad Lusk has joined the company as SVP and chief marketing officer. Responsible for overall profitable brand growth, Lusk will oversee consumer insights and analytics, brand strategy and innovation and serve on the executive leadership team, reporting to CEO Andy Callahan. In connection with the appointment, the company also announced it will open a new corporate office in Chicago to serve as its new hub for marketing and category management. Corporate headquarters will remain in Kansas City, MO. All employees currently in marketing and category management roles have been offered the opportunity to relocate to Chicago. The company intends to add additional positions in the new office over the next several months. Immediately prior to joining Hostess, Lusk was the EVP and CMO at the Chamberlain Group. Before that, he served as chief strategy officer and SVP of marketing at Ferrara Candy Company.

09:27 EDT Texas Pacific Land Trust shareholders issue open letter on social media campaign - Texas Pacific Land Trust shareholders SoftVest, Horizon Kinetics and ART-FGT Family Partners, which collectively beneficially own over 25% of the outstanding shares of TPL, issued an open letter to the Trustees of TPL: The letter states, among other things: "TPL has proudly commenced a paid social media campaign in connection with the upcoming special meeting of TPL shareholders to elect one trustee (...) Who is paying for all of this? Is management paying out of their own pocket for this media extravaganza, which includes an expensive website, designers, PR advisors and now a social media campaign? (...) We believe buying back shares is a better investment than Google ads. (...) Why do you feel so compelled to use hyperbole and demonize your large long-term shareholders? (...) We urge you Trustees to be an "adult in the room," restore a civil discourse, and immediately stop the reckless waste of our money. (...) We have no reason to doubt that your nominee, General Cook, is a very honorable individual, (....) We believe it would be a more productive use of technology and shareholder money to, for example, host an online town hall meeting where General Cook and Mr. Oliver can share their thoughts about TPL and take live questions from shareholders. (...) We hope you agree with us that such free exchange of ideas and information would be more beneficial to all constituencies than wasting more shareholder money on social media ads like the ones below (...)."

09:26 EDT Taylor Devices names Timothy Sopko as CEO - Taylor Devices is pleased to announce that Timothy Sopko will be joining the company's senior management team as CEO. Sopko is the former Vice President and General Manager of Carleton Technologies in Orchard Park, New York.

09:23 EDT Macom announces departure of CFO Robert McMullan - MACOM announced that Robert McMullan, Senior Vice President and CFO, has submitted his resignation. McMullan is leaving for personal reasons, and his resignation is not the result of any matters related to MACOM's financial statements or disclosures or accounting principles and practices. McMullan will transition to an advisory role and support MACOM during the next two months to ensure an orderly transition of responsibilities. MACOM has engaged an executive search firm to assist with the process of replacing McMullan. The company also announced Conor Hegarty, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis has been appointed to the role of principal financial officer and principal accounting officer effective immediately.

09:10 EDT Blueknight Energy Partners names Andrew Woodward CFO - Blueknight Energy Partners (BKEP) has named Andrew Woodward as the new CFO. He will begin his new role on April 29. Prior to joining Blueknight Energy Partners, Woodward served as VP, finance and treasurer of Andeavor Logistics (ANDX).

09:06 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Papa Murphy's (FRSH), up 31% after announcing an agreement under which MTY Food Group would acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Papa Murphy's for $6.45 per share cash, representing a total transaction value of approximately $190M... Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), up 7% after reporting data demonstrating that all patients who received 5 mg of VK2809 dosed daily were considered responders, as defined by a relative reduction in liver fat of greater than or equal to 30% at Week 12... Tivity Health (TVTY), up 10% after Craig-Hallum analyst Alex Fuhrman started coverage of the stock with a Buy rating and a $30 price target. The analyst believes Tivity's acquisition of Nutrisystem capitalizes on an aging population and could double or triple EPS... UP AFTER EARNINGS: Fastenal (FAST), up 2%. LOWER: Tesla (TSLA), down 3% after Nikkei reports the company and partner Panasonic (PCRFY) have put their plans to expand their Gigafactory on hold... Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), down 2% after Morgan Stanley analyst Dara Mohsenian downgraded shares to Underweight from Equal Weight. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY), down 11%... Apogee Enterprises (APOG), down 8%.

09:02 EDT Pandora selects OpenText's digital platform for streaming advertising - OpenText's (OTEX) Media Management application has been selected by Pandora (P) as the asset storage and management application for its audio and display advertising. OpenText Media Management will support the production and management of over 35,000 advertisements per year.

08:46 EDT SuperCom subsidiary wins project in California for up to $6.0M - SuperCom's subsidiary, Leaders in Community Alternatives, has won a new project contract with a North California county to provide adult day reporting services. The contract focuses on reentry services which include case management, substance abuse education, job preparedness and job placement. This new contract, which expands the scope of reentry services from a single site to multiple sites, is valued at up to $6.0M over a 5-year period, consisting of a 3-year initial term with two optional one-year extensions and is expected to generate annual recurring revenues of $1.2M, higher than the prior contract, which generated annual recurring revenues of up to $700K. The initial deployment and generation of recurring revenues are expected to commence in the summer of 2019.

08:44 EDT TransAlta shareholder Mangrove Partners to withhold votes on Special Committee - TransAlta shareholde Mangrove Partners, who together with Bluescape Energy Partners own 10.1% of the company's outstanding shares, intends to withhold its votes at the upcoming 2019 annual and special meeting of shareholders for the three members of TransAlta's Special Committee of the Board who reviewed, evaluated and unanimously recommended the proposed $750M transaction between the company and Brookfield BRP Holdings. Mangrove remains eligible to put forward its previously submitted nominees for election as directors at the 2019 ASM and may choose to do so prior to the meeting. Nathaniel August, President and Portfolio Manager at Mangrove Partners, said, "Regardless of its ultimate merits, the Brookfield Transaction appears to have been conceived and rushed to the finish line in response to shareholder dissatisfaction and a threat to the Board's control, based on the limited information TransAlta has provided. Under such conditions, TransAlta's ability to get the best terms for its crown jewel hydro assets was deeply compromised. Adding to shareholders' concern, the Board has failed to provide shareholders adequate disclosure regarding what alternative transactions, if any, they explored, why they did not obtain a fairness opinion, or why they rushed to announce an agreement - with key provisions not yet finalized - on the same day as the deadline for director nominations. It's particularly troubling that the Board negotiated a deal that ties the Brookfield Transaction to the reelection of management's nominees at the upcoming annual meeting and includes provisions that protect management and the Board through to the 2022 annual shareholders meeting. Until TransAlta chooses, or is compelled, to disentangle the Brookfield Transaction from the election of directors and provide the information shareholders need to make an informed decision, we intend to withhold our votes for the three members of the Special Committee who unanimously recommended this coercive transaction." Mangrove has applied for a joint hearing with the Alberta Securities Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission in relation to 2019 ASM and the Brookfield Transaction. Mangrove believes that by requiring a separate shareholder vote on the transaction, with appropriate disclosure for shareholders to make a fully informed decision, TransAlta and its shareholders will have a clear opportunity to consider the potential for superior alternatives and to reject the Brookfield Transaction if any should emerge. In addition, a separate vote will eliminate the coercion that TransAlta shareholders currently face at the 2019 ASM.

08:38 EDT TOP Ships commences charter employment with BP for M/T Eco Bel Air - TOP Ships (TOPS) announced that the recently delivered scrubber fitted Suezmax tanker M/T Eco Bel Air, constructed at the Hyundai Samho shipyard in South Korea, commenced its previously announced time charter employment with BP (BP) on April 11. The revenue backlog expected to be generated by this fixture, assuming all options are exercised, is about $47.5M. For 2019, this charter is expected to increase revenue by $6.6M.

08:35 EDT LiveRamp acquires consent management platform Faktor, terms not disclosed - LiveRamp announced the acquisition of Faktor to enable streamlined consent management across the open web. The company said, "This deal represents a big win for the entire ecosystem and reinforces LiveRamp's strategic focus on privacy and data stewardship. Due to evolving consumer privacy regulations like GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act, companies need to navigate more complexity around compliance than ever before. With the acquisition of Faktor, LiveRamp can further help clients and partners ensure compliance as part of its larger privacy-focused suite of offerings in Europe, North America and across the globe." In the coming quarters, any client or partner who needs to manage consent and maintain transparency to ensure compliance with CCPA can utilize LiveRamp's suite of privacy tools. LiveRamp's identity platform will also be fully integrated with Faktor's offerings. With the addition of Faktor, LiveRamp gains team of privacy-focused technologists dedicated to accelerating LiveRamp's data stewardship efforts. Faktor will remain headquartered in Amsterdam, though it will leverage LiveRamp's global foothold and solutions to cross-sell products and services to the combined customer portfolio. Maintaining an independent roadmap, Faktor will have its own dedicated product and engineering resources allowing for collaboration with LiveRamp to unlock synergies both ways. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:08 EDT Alkaline Water announces online sales agreement with Peapod - Alkaline Water announced that it has formed a new agreement with Peapod. Peapod is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold, an international food provider based in the Netherlands. Peapod will initiate online sales of the company's Alkaline88 bottled water in the 1-gallon container. Online is an important vertical for the company's products, as it represents a growing source of industry sales. Peapod is expected to commence online sales of Alkaline88 immediately. Peapod will initially begin selling the company's brand from its main warehouse, which is located in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan region. When customers purchase the 1-gallon Alkaline88 container from Peapod.com, orders will be processed and delivered from this Chicago warehouse, which services customers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. The company expects to extend distribution to other Peapod warehouse locations in the near future.

08:06 EDT Rowan Companies trading halted, news dissemination

08:03 EDT Flir Systems awarded $48.1M from DOD - FLIR Systems announced it has received an award from the U.S. Department of Defense, or DOD, Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, or JPEO-CBRND, in support of the Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle Sensor Suite Upgrade, or NBCRV SSU, program for the U.S. Army. The Other Transaction Authority Agreement is valued at $48.1M, with execution extending through mid-2022.

08:02 EDT ASML disagrees with 'Chinese espionage' implication from financial newspaper - ASML disagrees with any implication that it has been victim of "Chinese espionage", as stated in an article in Dutch financial newspaper Financieele Dagblad. The article discusses the results of a public court case in the United States that ASML had initiated and won last year, in which a company called XTAL was found by a jury to have misappropriated ASML's confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets in 2015. While still employed by ASML, these employees, with various nationalities, stole software for mask optimization, a specific small part of ASML's broad product and services portfolio. The aim was to create a competing product and sell it to an existing ASML customer in South Korea. The funding for this company XTAL originated from South Korea and China. The damage award by the Santa Clara Superior Court was $223M and based on "unjust enrichment" in connection with lost sales opportunities. It is unclear to what extent these damages can be collected from the now bankrupt company XTAL. ASML regrets it has been victim of this corporate theft and acted when it found out what happened. Although theft of corporate property has always existed across industries and will always be a risk, ASML has substantially increased its efforts to protect its assets even further in recent years. "The suggestion that we were somehow victim of a national conspiracy is wrong. The facts of the matter are that we were robbed by a handful of our own employees based in Silicon Valley, who had broken the law to enrich themselves. All of this occurred several years ago. We found this out by ourselves and immediately sought legal action in public court in 2016. This was reported on in several publications after our victory in November 2018," said ASML president and CEO Peter Wennink.

07:44 EDT Apogee Enterprises down 8% after Q4 results, FY20 guidance miss estimates - In pre-market trading, shares are down 8.1% to $35.68.

07:39 EDT Primoris awarded over $24M in civil work - Primoris announced a new civil award valued over $24M. The contract was secured by Primoris I&M. The project is located in southeast Texas and is for a refining customer. The awarded scope involves site work and other earthwork support activities for an expansion at an existing refining facility. Work is scheduled to commence in Q2 and to be completed in Q3 of 2020.

07:35 EDT Tradeweb Markets reports monthly record for ADV of $709.1B for March - Tradeweb Markets reported a new monthly record for average daily volume of $709.1B in aggregate for the month of March 2019. Activity on Tradeweb trading platforms in March included: ADV of $84.9B in U.S. government bonds and $24.8B in European government bonds representing new monthly records, $179.3B ADV in mortgages representing a new monthly record, $187.2B ADV in rates derivatives representing a new monthly record for swaps and swaptions, ADV of $3B in U.S. credit and $1.3B in European credit, $689M in Chinese bonds, $19B ADV in credit derivatives representing a new monthly record for credit default swaps, $177.7B ADV in repurchase agreements and ADV of $3B in U.S. exchange-traded funds and $1.4B in European ETFs. For Q1, Tradeweb reported a new quarterly record for ADV of $646.6B. In addition, Tradeweb disclosed preliminary average variable fees per million dollars of volume traded of $2.62 for Q1.

07:33 EDT Moleculin Biotech partners with Emory University for pediatric brain tumor trial - Moleculin Biotech has entered into an agreement with Emory University to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of WP1066 in children with recurrent or refractory malignant brain tumors. The study will be conducted in Atlanta. Moleculin CEO Walter Klemp stated, "WP1066 was shown to have a significant anti-tumor effect on medulloblastoma cell lines, so there is a lot of encouragement regarding the opportunity to provide new hope for treating this rare condition. This will also give us yet another opportunity to develop human proof of concept data, bringing our total number of clinical trials to five. This clinical trial is expected to begin recruitment in the second half of this year."

07:30 EDT Papa Murphy's trading resumes

07:11 EDT MTY Food Group to acquire Papa Murphy's for $6.45 per share - MTY Food Group and Papa Murphy's announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which MTY would acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Papa Murphy's for cash consideration of $6.45 per share, representing total transaction value of approximately $190M, including Papa Murphy's net debt outstanding. The purchase price per share of Papa Murphy's common stock implies a premium of 31.9% to the Papa Murphy's closing price on April 10 and 46.3% to the unaffected Papa Murphy's closing price on November 7, 2018 prior to the announcement by Papa Murphy's that it was conducting a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value and had engaged a financial advisor to assist with the review. The terms and conditions of the merger agreement were unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. As at February 28, MTY's network had 5,941 locations in operation, mostly all franchised, including over 500 locations operating in 39 countries outside North America. Papa Murphy's had $809M system-wide sales for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018. Papa Murphy's generated $22.3M in adjusted EBITDA for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to MTY's EBITDA and cash flow per share. Under the terms of the merger agreement, a subsidiary of MTY will commence a tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of Papa Murphy's common stock for $6.45 per share in cash. The closing of the tender offer is subject to customary conditions, including antitrust clearance and the tender of a majority of the outstanding shares of Papa Murphy's common stock. Following successful completion of the tender offer, MTY would acquire all remaining shares not tendered in the offer through a merger at the same price as in the tender offer. The transaction is not subject to any financing condition and consideration will be 100% funded in cash. MTY will use its cash on hand and its existing credit facility to fund the cash consideration and to repay Papa Murphy's net debt outstanding as of the close of the transaction, which is approximately $77.4M. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, Papa Murphy's has agreed that it will not solicit or initiate discussions regarding any other business combination or sale of material assets. MTY has the right to match any superior proposals. The transaction provides for a termination fee of approximately $5.7M payable by Papa Murphy's to MTY in certain circumstances if the transaction is not completed. The transaction is expected to close in Q2. There is no assurance the transaction will be completed as described above or at all, or that the anticipated closing date will materialize. Following the close of the transaction, Papa Murphy's will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTY and will continue to be operated as an independent brand. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of MTY and has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of Papa Murphy's. Each director and executive officer of Papa Murphy's, cumulatively having beneficial ownership and control over 2.2% of Papa Murphy's shares outstanding, have signed support agreements to tender all of their shares into the offer. Moreover, certain additional Papa Murphy's shareholders having beneficial ownership and control over 49.8% of Papa Murphy's shares outstanding have also signed such agreement to tender all of their shares into the offer. In total, holders of approximately 52.1% of Papa Murphy's shares have agreed to tender their shares into the offer, subject to potential adjustments in certain circumstances provided in the support agreement. The consummation of the transaction is conditioned upon the tender of a majority of Papa Murphy's issued and outstanding shares of common stock.

07:07 EDT Rite Aid reports Q4 adj. EPS (1c), consensus (2c) - Reports Q4 revenue $5.38B, consensus $5.56B. Retail Pharmacy Segment revenues were $3.97B and were flat compared to the prior year period. Revenues in the Pharmacy Services Segment were $1.46B, an increase of 1.2% compared to the prior year period, which was due to an increase in Medicare Part D membership. Same store sales from Retail Pharmacy continuing operations for Q4 increased 0.7% over the prior year, consisting of a 2.1% increase in pharmacy sales and a 1.9% decrease in front-end sales. Pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by approximately 100 basis points as a result of new generic introductions. "In Q4, we continued generating critical momentum in key areas of our business while taking important steps to position Rite Aid for future growth" said Rite Aid CEO John Standley. "Despite a mild flu season, we delivered our third consecutive quarter of same-store pharmacy sales and prescription count growth thanks to a record number of immunizations and other script growth initiatives. We also increased Medicare Part D membership within our EnvisionRxOptions PBM, which helped drive revenue growth and a $4.5M increase in Pharmacy Services Segment Adjusted EBITDA. As we begin our new fiscal year, we'll look to build on this momentum as we continue transforming our business to better align with our new operational footprint and deliver greater value in the emerging value-based care marketplace. These efforts will include a strong focus on driving positive patient health outcomes, evolving our front-end business, expanding our omni-channel capabilities and controlling costs to become a more efficient and profitable company."

07:03 EDT Anixa Biosciences expands collaboration with New Jersey Urology - Anixa Biosciences has extended and expanded its collaboration with New Jersey Urology. NJU will continue to provide patient samples for Anixa's ongoing Cchek early cancer detection study. The collaboration has been expanded to include support of clinical validation of Anixa's Cchek Prostate Cancer Confirmation test with Anixa's commercialization partner, ResearchDx. Anixa CEO Amit Kumar stated, "We look forward to NJU's participation as we begin the clinical validation phase of Cchek(TM) in preparation for the commercial launch of our Cchek(TM) Prostate Cancer Confirmation test in Q3."

06:56 EDT Endeavour Silver reports Q1 silver equivalent production of 1.9 million oz - Endeavour Silver reports Q1 production results from its four silver-gold mines in Mexico: the Guanacevi mine in Durango state, the Bolanitos and El Cubo mines in Guanajuato state and the El Compas mine in Zacatecas state. Q1 silver production was 1,071,355 ounces and gold production was 10,055 oz, resulting in silver equivalent production of 1.9 million oz. The 21% lower silver production and 24% lower gold production compared to Q1, 2018 were due to the planned reduction of mine output at El Cubo, lower than planned throughput at Bolanitos and lower silver grades at Guanacevi. Bradford Cooke, Endeavour CEO, commented, "All four mines typically start slowly each year as we commence our annual capital investments, then production improves as the mines work toward achieving their annual mine plans. At Guanacevi, the new Milache orebody is now producing 250 tonnes per day (tpd) of development ore, on its way to 400 tpd by the third quarter, and the new SCS orebody is being developed for production in H2, 2019(...)" Bullion inventory at quarter-end included 114,696 oz silver and 288 oz gold.

06:55 EDT Papa Murphy's trading halted, news pending

06:52 EDT Fastenal backs FY19 CapEx view $195M-$225M - Management said, "We continue to expect our net capital expenditures in 2019 to be within a range of $195.0 to $225.0, growth from 2018 of between $28.2 and $58.2, and 16.9% and 34.9%. This increase is a result of higher spending for property and equipment to expand our hub capacity, vending devices, and hub vehicles, with our investments in hub capacity likely to be the primary determinant of where we fall within our range."

06:48 EDT DPW Holdings reports $9M debt reduction for 2019 - DPW Holdings has reduced its total debt by approximately $9M year to date in 2019. The company continues to work with its creditors to decrease its debt and improve its capital structure. The company's goals for this year include decreasing its liabilities, increasing revenue growth and improving financial performance. DPW's CEO and Chairman, Milton Ault, III said, "We are very pleased we were able to raise capital and work with our lenders to significantly reduce our debt. The company remains dedicated to attaining our stated goals for 2019. During 2018, the cost of our debt resulted in nearly $16M in cash and non-cash expenses. The year-to-date reduction in debt will result in a significant improvement to our operating results. Further, because the majority of our debt is short-term obligations, the reduction in debt service will materially reduce our overall cash requirements for 2019. We are very pleased with our progress as we strive to improve our capital structure."

06:09 EDT T-Mobile announces TVision Home, an upgraded version of Layer3 TV - T-Mobile (TMUS) on Wednesday introduced TVision Home, a rebranded and upgraded version of Layer3 TV. TVision Home is launching in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. metro areas, as well as Longmont, CO, with other markets coming later this year. The Un-carrier said it is also launching Satellite Freedom and "will pay off early contract termination fees for Dish (DISH) and DirecTV (T) customers, up to $500 via prepaid card, when they switch to TVision Home. T-Mobile also announced that Netflix (NFLX) and other streaming apps will be available on TVision Home, and the Un-carrier shared plans for TVision to run on popular third-party TV platforms in the future. Following on its deal with Viacom (VIAB) last week, T-Mobile also announced they will launch nationwide streaming services later in 2019 as the Un-carrier brings its disruptive approach - listening to customers and solving their pain points - to cable & satellite TV."

05:25 EDT Niu Technologies announces retail sales prices increase in China - Niu Technologies announced an increase in the retail price for certain models in its N, M and U series sold in China. The increase will range from RMB 100 to RMB 500, or approximately 1% to 5% per scooter. The price increase will be effective on April 11.

05:18 EDT Elbit Systems awarded $50M contract by Asia-Pacific country - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded an approximately $30M contract to supply STYLET, a precise Guided Mortar Munition, or GMM, to a country in Asia-Pacific. The contract will be performed over a two-year period.