Stockwinners Market Radar for April 16, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:09 EDT NXP Semiconductors to partner with China's Hawkeye Technology in auto radars - NXP Semiconductors announced a new strategic collaboration and investment agreement with Hawkeye Technology Co., Ltd, a company "at the forefront of the Chinese automotive radar sector." Hawkeye will offer its deep 77Ghz expertise, a team of engineers and its lab complex within Southeast University in Nanjing, China.

19:32 EDT Intel to exit 5G smartphone modem business - Intel announced its intention to exit the 5G smartphone modem business and complete an assessment of the opportunities for 4G and 5G modems in PCs, internet of things devices and other data-centric devices. Intel will also continue to invest in its 5G network infrastructure business. The company will continue to meet current customer commitments for its existing 4G smartphone modem product line, but does not expect to launch 5G modem products in the smartphone space, including those originally planned for launches in 2020. Intel expects to provide additional details in its upcoming first-quarter 2019 earnings release. Intel CEO Bob Swan says: ""We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the 'cloudification' of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns."

19:04 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: CSX Corp (CSX) up 4.1%... United Continental (UAL ) up 3.3%. ALSO HIGHER: Qualcomm (QCOM) up 5.5% on Apple litigation settlement momentum, Stifel upgrade... Teladoc (TDOC) up 1.8% after being initiated with Overweight at Stephens. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: IBM (IBM) down 2.7%... Hancock Whitney (HWC) down 1.5%... Netflix (NFLX) down 1.2%... United Financial Bancorp (UBNK) down 0.5%. ALSO LOWER: Sprint (S) down 7.0%, T-Mobile (TMUS) down 4% after WSJ report suggesting their merger is unlikely to be approved by DoJ as currently structured... Natera (NTRA) down 6.7% after equity offering... Arconic (ARNC) down 1.9% after 8.7M share block trade indicated price range below close. Movers as of 18:45ET.

18:38 EDT BHP Group reports Q3 iron ore output 56.1M tons, down 3% from last year - Attributes Iron ore output decline to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Veronica. Lowers FY19 iron ore output forecast to 235MT-239MT. Reports Q3 petroleum production 29 MMBOE, down 5%. Guidance for FY19 remains unchanged at 113MMBOE-118MMBOE. Reports Q3 copper production 420 kt, up 1%. Guidance for FY19 remains unchanged at 1.65kt-1.741kt. Reports Q3 Metallurgical coal production 10 MT, down 4%. Guidance for FY19 remains unchanged at 43Mt-46Mt.

18:33 EDT California American Water to acquire operating assets of Warring Water Service - California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, has entered into agreement to acquire the operating assets of the Warring Water Service, Inc. Following the completion of the sale, California American Water will become the new water provider to approximately 514 customers in Piru, California. "We are pleased to have entered into contract and look forward to serving customers in the Piru area," said California American Water's Vice President of Operations Garry Hoffer. "Our Ventura water system is close to Piru so we know the area well. Warring Water customers will be able to take advantage of our excellent conservation, rate assistance and customer service programs once the integration is complete." Warring Water Service Incorporated and California American Water Company will now seek approval for the sale from the California Public Utilities Commission.

18:25 EDT Netflix says no appetite or need for big M&A - Says investment in originals in India paying off. Says on track for another year of "record" growth. Says no appetite or need for big M&A.

18:13 EDT Netflix CEO says doubts Apple, Disney competition will be material - Netflix (NFLX) says leaning into sharing more data quarter by quarter. Says "thrilled" to have Disney (DIS) and Apple (AAPL) competing in the space. Says doubts competition from Apple and Disney will be material.

18:06 EDT Netflix says weekly net adds 'phenomenal' to start the year - Says weekly net adds "phenomenal" to start the year. Says starting year with 9.6M subscriptions is "phenomenal." Says had "great international breakouts" in the quarter. Says been able to work on global and local basis in terms of new content this year. Says growth in Europe is accelerating. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:58 EDT T-Mobile CEO says premise of WSJ story 'simply untrue' - T-Mobile (TMUS) CEO John Legere said via Twitter that the premise of a Wall Street Journal story saying that the company's proposed merger with Sprint (S) is facing resistance from U.S. Justice Department staffers is "simply untrue." "The premise of this story, as summarized in the first paragraph, is simply untrue," he tweeted. "Out of respect for the process, we have no further comment. This continues to be our policy since we announced our merger last year." Reference Link

17:37 EDT IBM says Red Hat acquisition not included in FY19 expectations - Says growth in EPS should be skewed toward Q4.

17:27 EDT Innovative Industrial Properties acquires California property portfolio for $27M - Innovative Industrial Properties announced that it closed on the acquisition of a five-property portfolio in southern California, which comprises approximately 102,000 square feet of industrial space. This acquisition marks IIP's second investment in California, following on IIP's acquisition in Sacramento earlier this year. The purchase price for the southern California portfolio was approximately $27.1M in the aggregate, excluding transaction costs.

17:19 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $879M Air Force contract for RS/RV subsystem support - Lockheed Martin has been awarded an $879M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for reentry system/reentry vehicles, or RS/RV, subsystem support. This contract provides for sustainment engineering, maintenance engineering, aging surveillance, modification of systems and equipment, software maintenance, developmental engineering, production engineering and procurement of the Minuteman III RS/RV subsystem and related support equipment. Work will be performed primarily in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be complete by June 4, 2030. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. FY19 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7.82M are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is the contracting activity.

17:04 EDT Dril-Quip reports Q1 product bookings $99M, above prior forecast of $80M - Reports Q1 backlog $304M. The company says that included in "Q1 bookings was a previously disclosed order from a customer to supply subsea wellhead systems valued at between $25M-$35M and an order from another major customer to convert its inventory of subsea wellhead systems into Dril-Quip's new BigBore IIe wellhead system. The order to supply subsea wellhead systems valued at between $25M-$35M is for BP (BP) and delivery of these systems is expected to begin in Q4 of 2019 and continue into the first half of 2021."

16:38 EDT aTyr Pharma director Paul Schimmel buys almost 2M shares of company stock - aTyr Pharma director Paul Schimmel disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 1,848,428 shares of company stock for 54c per share on April 12, for a total transaction value of $1,000,000.

16:31 EDT Mack-Cali Realty's Ceo sends letter to co-founder of Bow Street - Mack-Cali Realty announced that CEO Michael J. DeMarco sent a letter on behalf of the Company's Board of Directors to Howard Shainker, co-founder of Bow Street Special Opportunities Fund XV, regarding the previously announced unsolicited proposal from Bow Street and David Werner Real Estate Investments, or DWREI, to acquire Mack-Cali's suburban and waterfront office portfolios. DeMarco's letter was sent on April 15, prior to Bow Street's filing of its preliminary proxy statement nominating four candidates for election to the Company's Board of Directors, and before the Company's Board received the April 16 letter from Bow Street reiterating its desire to acquire Mack-Cali's suburban and waterfront office portfolio. Mr. DeMarco's letter states that the Board continues to have serious concerns regarding Bow Street's proposal, which has been previously rejected by the Board, and describes the Board's rationale for determining that Bow Street's proposal is unworkable, grossly inadequate from a value perspective and not in the best interests of Mack-Cali stockholders, including: the proposed transaction grossly undervalues Mack-Cali's commercial assets; Bow Street has not provided any evidence of its ability to finance the proposed transaction; Bow Street has not demonstrated that it understands the significant leakage that would likely result from the material tax, frictional and other costs associated with the proposed transaction, nor has it stated how it would cover such leakage; Bow Street's proposal is based on unrealistic assumptions regarding the post-transaction trading levels of the new residential REIT.

16:23 EDT Enstar Group to reinsure approximately $500M of Zurich A&E business - Enstar Group announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group to reinsure a number of U.S. asbestos and environmental liability insurance portfolios. Enstar's subsidiary will assume gross insurance reserves of approximately $500M, relating to 1986 and prior year business. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

16:18 EDT Weight Watchers announces stock ticker symbol change to 'WW' - Weight Watchers International (WTW) announced that it will begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under its new ticker symbol, "WW," effective Monday, April 22. The ticker symbol change was made to more accurately align with the company's corporate identity.

16:17 EDT United Continental CEO: 'We delivered another strong financial quarter' - "We delivered another strong financial quarter in which we made important progress on our customer investments while making strategic decisions to manage our costs and producing pre-tax margin growth that we expect will lead our peers," said Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines. "That's why we are more confident than ever that we'll reach our long-term adjusted EPS targets we unveiled last year. I want to thank all 93,000 of our employees for their incredible work as we overcame some unique challenges and refocused our efforts in 2019 toward elevating the United experience for our customers."

16:13 EDT Netflix down 2% after earnings report, membership forecast - In after hours trading, Netflix shares are down $6.74, or 1.88%, to $352.72.

16:10 EDT IBM reports Q1 gross margin up 100bps at 44.2% - Reports Q1 cognitive solutions revenue $5.0B, down 2% from last year. Reports Q1 Global Business Services revenues $4.1B, flat from last year. Reports Q1 Technology Services & Cloud Platforms revenues $6.9B, down 7% from last year. Reports Q1 Systems revenues $1.3B, down 11% from last year.

16:10 EDT Selecta Biosciences to present AAV-based gene therapy vectors data at ASGCT - Selecta Biosciences announced that five presentations of new preclinical data demonstrating the potential for the re-dosing of adeno-associated virus, or AAV-based, gene therapy vectors when administered in combination with its ImmTOR platform will be presented by Selecta scientists and collaborators from the National Institutes of Health and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, or ICGEB, at the upcoming American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, or ASGCT. In naive mice models, co-administration of ImmTOR and AAV-based vectors enhanced transgene expression after the first dose of AAV vector, with rapid and enhanced transgene expression, which may enable therapeutic benefit at lower doses, potentially avoiding toxicities associated with larger doses. In a mouse model of Ornithine TransCarbamylase deficiency, a monogenic urea cycle disease that results in the accumulation of ammonia in the blood, ssAAV8-OTC in combination with ImmTOR was shown to effectively restore the physiological levels of urinary orotic acid and serum ammonia, correcting disease. These data demonstrate a new opportunity to treat pediatric patients with the possibility to re-dose to maintain therapeutic levels. Using a murine passive antibody transfer mouse model, the addition ImmTOR to Anc80-Mut enabled transgene expression even in the presence of moderately neutralizing antibodies against the Anc80 AAV vector. In a mouse model of the severe childhood form of isolated MMA, ImmTOR treatment was well tolerated and enabled repeat dosing of Anc80-Mut vector. A survey of sera from Mut-deficient MMA patients showed only 2/27 patients were seropositive for neutralizing antibodies, or NAb, against the Anc80 vector. The low seroprevalence of pre-existing Anc80 NAbs in the MMA patient population, and the ability to mitigate formation of new NAbs with ImmTOR, has the potential to make this combination therapy versatile and amenable for repeat dosing.

16:07 EDT Funko announces CFO Russell Nickel to step down by year end - Funko announced that Russell Nickel, the company's CFO since 2013, intends to leave the company at the end of 2019. Nickel has agreed to continue to serve as CFO of Funko while the company conducts a search for his successor, and will remain with Funko through the end of the year to ensure an orderly transition.

16:05 EDT Netflix sees Q2 streaming paid net additons of 5.0M - Netflix said: "For Q2'19, we project total paid net adds of 5.0M, down 8% year over year, with 0.3M in the U.S. and 4.7M for the international segment. This would put us at 14.6m paid net adds for the first half of 2019, up 7% year over year."

16:01 EDT Vaxart begins dosing subjects in Phase 1b norovirus vaccine trial - Vaxart announced it has started dosing subjects in the randomized cohort of the Phase 1b bivalent norovirus vaccine clinical trial. "We are delighted to start the randomized portion of the bivalent norovirus phase 1b trial," said David Taylor, M.D., chief medical officer of Vaxart. "The monovalent GII.4 vaccine tablets performed as expected in the lead-in cohort we just completed, and we look forward to building on the excellent results we observed previously with our monovalent GI.1 vaccine. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States and causes significant morbidity and mortality in older adults and the very young. Our oral norovirus vaccine could provide a significant public health benefit for these vulnerable populations in the United States and beyond."

15:41 EDT Exxon Mobil wins three blocks in Argentina offshore bid round - ExxonMobil announced it has increased holdings in Argentina after its subsidiary ExxonMobil Argentina Offshore Investments B.V. and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum won three exploration blocks during Argentina's first offshore bid round. The award adds approximately 2.6M net acres to its existing holdings in Argentina, which includes the onshore Vaca Muerta unconventional oil play and a business support center in Buenos Aires. The blocks are located in the Malvinas basin, approximately 200 miles offshore Tierra del Fuego and include MLO-113, MLO-117 and MLO-118.

15:08 EDT Qualcomm continues higher, up 16% after settlement agreement with Apple

15:05 EDT Qualcomm, Apple announce agreement to end all ongoing litigation

15:01 EDT Qualcomm jumps after report of settlement agreement with Apple - Shares of Qualcomm (QCOM) have jumped after CNBC's David Faber reported on air that the company has reached a settlement agreement with Apple (AAPL) over the companies' long-running royalty fight. The deal will see both parties drop all litigation and involves the signing of a new agreement along with "some payment" from Apple to Qualcomm, according to Faber, citing sources. Following the report, Qualcomm shares are up over 10% to $63.15 while Apple shares have moved off their earlier highs and are up fractionally to $199.91.

14:22 EDT MasterCard wading into buy-now, pay-later trend with Vyze deal - MasterCard (MA) announced on Tuesday that it has acquired privately-held Vyze, which allows merchants to offer financing from various lenders both online and at the point of sale. Commenting on the deal, Stephens analyst Vincent Caintic told investors he views the Vyze acquisition as a potential positive for Curo Group (CURO) and Rent-A-Center (RCII), whose services are part of the Vyze network. MASTERCARD ACQUIRES VYZE: MasterCard announced earlier that it acquired Vyze, which connects consumers with lenders to finance purchases in installments. Vyze allows merchants to offer their customers a wide range of credit options online and in-store, providing shoppers with additional payment flexibility at the exact moment of purchase, the company said. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. DEAL MAY BE POSITIVE FOR CURO, RENT-A-CENTER: Following the news, Stephens' Caintic said he believes MasterCard's acquisition of Vyze is a potential positive for Curo Group and Rent-A-Center, whose "Zibby" and AcceptanceNow are part of the Vyze network. Further, he argued that the tie-in with MasterCard may provide more loan and lease application flow to both Zibby and AcceptanceNow. For Alliance Data (ADS), his views are mixed. While the analyst expects MasterCard's relationship to result in more application flow to Vyze partners, this may take away from flow to Alliance Data's cards and lessens the importance of the private label platform. Further, Caintic noted that he is "somewhat disappointed" to find that Adorama and Build.com, both Alliance Data's private label partners, are also on Vyze. This takes away from the growth potential to Alliance Data from these two retailers, he added. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of MasterCard are fractionally up to $240.18.

14:11 EDT Vuzix up after saying it can offer 'near immediate delivery' on smart glasses - Vuzix (VUZI) announced several developments for its Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses. The company noted that "most importantly, production yields and rates have been increasing and the company can now offer near immediate delivery on new orders on its website. Production yields for optical waveguides, an internally manufactured product... and a key component in the Vuzix Blade, have continued to improve. As a result, the company's manufacturing floor has been able to accelerate and expand production of Blade Smart Glasses, as evidenced by the recent decrease in shipping time from 3-4 weeks to 'in stock' as indicated of the company's website. Further plans remain in place to realize additional production increases and cost reductions over the balance of 2019." Shares of Vuzix are up almost 6%, or 16c, to $2.91 per share in afternoon trading.

14:02 EDT Professional Diversity Network reports LOI to buy 51% of Xili Valley Tourism - Professional Diversity Network announced that its variable interest entity, Jiangxi PDN Culture Media Co., or "JXPDN," has signed a letter of intent to acquire 51% of the equity interests of Zhejiang Xili Valley Tourism Development Co., an affiliate of the company's China-Germany Nursing Program partner in Guangzhou. According to the LOI, JXPDN will proceed with formal due diligence process. IPDN intends to work with Xili Valley Tourism on its Xili Valley project with approximately 333 acres land-use planning to develop a local health and wellness community and enter into the health and wellness industry in China, the company said.

13:17 EDT Alphabet's Waymo launches app on Google Play for Metro Phoenix riders - The team at Alphabet's (GOOGL) Waymo announced in a blog post that its ride-hailing app is now available on Google Play. "To make it even easier for more people in Metro Phoenix to ride with us, we're launching our Waymo app on Google Play. Interested riders with Android devices can download the app and join the waitlist to ride. Once accepted from our waitlist, you'll be able to request rides in the app and take your first trip," the post stated. Other companies involved in the ride-hailing space that are publicly traded or coming public include Lyft (LYFT) and Uber (UBER). Reference Link

13:03 EDT PG&E reports spring property taxes, franchise fees of over $388M, up $21M y/y - Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced that it is paying property taxes and franchise fees of more than $388M this spring to the 50 counties and 247 cities where the energy company owns and operates gas and electric infrastructure, an increase of $21M over payments made a year ago. On April 10, PG&E paid property taxes of over $260M to the 50 counties in which it owns property. The payment covers the period from January 1 to June 30, 2019. PG&E pays franchise fees to cities and counties for the use of public streets for its gas and electric facilities. The energy company submitted the fees by April 15. PG&E's franchise fee payments totaled nearly $129M, almost $36M for natural gas and $93M for electric service, the company noted.

12:48 EDT Nymox reports pre-NDA CMC meeting with FDA - Nymox Pharmaceutical announced that it has held its pre-New Drug Application, or NDA, Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls, or CMC, meeting with the FDA regarding its lead product candidate Fexapotide Triflutate, a novel prostate injectable developed for the treatment of enlarged prostate, or BPH. The purpose of the April 15 meeting was to discuss the CMC data package for Fexapotide, an important regulatory requirement prior to the NDA submission. Nymox reports that it considers the meeting was "constructive and positive." The authorities did not raise any serious or unexpected issues with regard to Nymox's CMC data package, which was submitted prior to the meeting.

12:36 EDT TORM PLC (Class A Stock) trading resumes

12:26 EDT TORM PLC (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:10 EDT Citron calls on SEC to investigate Village Farms, puts $1 target on shares - Shares of Village Farms International moved lower after Andrew Left's Citron Research announced a short position in the name with a $1 price target. The firm known for its short selling called on the SEC to investigate the company. "It is the opinion of Citron that Village Farms is nothing more than a stock promotion. This company has used investors' enthusiasm for cannabis to create shady joint ventures with unrealistic projections to boost their stock price while hoping that a few hidden disclosures in their filings will shield them from all SEC enforcement," Citron said in a report posted on its website. "This is the exact type of promotion that the SEC has consistently warned investors about. We expect that when investors look past the paid stock promotions... the stock will quickly trade back to $1 if it doesn't get halted before that."

12:03 EDT Equitrans Midstream appoints Stephen Moore as SVP, general counsel - Equitrans Midstream Corporation (ETRN) announced the appointment of Stephen Moore as SVP and general counsel of Equitrans Midstream, effective April 15, 2019. His most recent position was special project counsel for UGI Corporation (UGI).

12:00 EDT WestRock falls -8.0% - WestRock is down -8.0%, or -$3.12 to $35.61.

12:00 EDT McDermott rises 11.1% - McDermott is up 11.1%, or $1.02 to $10.16.

12:00 EDT Jumia Technologies rises 16.1% - Jumia Technologies is up 16.1%, or $5.15 to $37.06.

11:53 EDT Boston Scientific, Coloplast ordered to remove transvaginal mesh from market

11:26 EDT ING Group dips following report of interest in Commerzbank takeover - Shares of ING Group (ING) have moved off their earlier session highs after Bloomberg said that Manager Magazin is reporting that the company has asked Commerzbank (CRZBY) and the German government to start talks about a takeover of the German bank. According to Manager, Commerzbank's CEO rejected formal talks, but did not completely break off contact. Following Bloomberg's account of the German report, ING Group shares trading in New York remain up about 1% at $13.62.

10:42 EDT Weingarten Realty urges shareholders to vote to approve executive compensation - Weingarten Realty Investors issued the following statement in response to Institution Shareholder Services' recommendation against Proposal Three: Advisory Proposal to Approve Executive Compensation to be voted on at the 2019 Annual Meeting. "ISS has raised two issues. First, they indicate that existing Change In Control greements provide for automatic accelerated vesting upon a change-in-control event. This is an error as the agreements have always been dual trigger'," said CEO Drew Alexander. "Furthermore, the excise tax gross up' provision in question has been a part of the Change In Control agreements for Steve Richter and Johnny Hendrix for over 20 years. This provision is no longer supported by ISS; however, existing agreements were grandfathered. The agreements were recently amended to extend the defined service period beyond the age of 65. No other part of the agreement was modified. We encourage shareholders to vote FOR Proposal Three: Advisory Proposal to Approve Executive Compensation."

10:35 EDT Starboard's Smith says KAR Auction private letter ruling 'misunderstood' - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:33 EDT Starboard's Smith says reached 'very constructive' agreement with Cerner - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:00 EDT WestRock falls -7.5% - WestRock is down -7.5%, or -$2.89 to $35.84.

10:00 EDT Aerohive falls -14.1% - Aerohive is down -14.1%, or -59c to $3.62.

10:00 EDT Puxin Limited rises 8.0% - Puxin Limited is up 8.0%, or 81c to $10.94.

09:47 EDT Constellation acquires minority stake in Mezcal El Silencio parent - Constellation Brands announced it acquired a minority stake in the parent company of Mezcal El Silencio, a Los Angeles-based mezcal label. The investment was made through Constellation's venture capital group. "The collaboration allows El Silencio to invest in infrastructure and growth, while continuing to produce, market and sell its handcrafted artisanal mezcal products Ensamble and Espadin, as well as grow and maintain its own unique brand, creative and operations teams," Constellation said in a statement posted on its website. It added, "The mezcal market in the U.S. has grown exponentially in the last few years and is expected to continue to grow in demand year over year. According to the IWSR, a source of data and insights on total beverage alcohol trends, from 2017 to 2018 the mezcal category grew by 32.4%, representing the largest percentage gain across all spirits categories." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

09:47 EDT Endava falls -5.2% - Endava is down -5.2%, or -$1.45 to $26.50.

09:47 EDT Omnicom rises 5.2% - Omnicom is up 5.2%, or $3.97 to $80.87.

09:47 EDT Jumia Technologies rises 11.4% - Jumia Technologies is up 11.4%, or $3.63 to $35.54.

09:39 EDT Johnson & Johnson says Spravato launch off to 'very, very strong start' - Says expects Spravato to be a growth driver for the company.

09:29 EDT Johnson & Johnson says 'more confident' in business now than in January

09:15 EDT UnitedHealth sees 'sustained growth' this year, in FY20, 'and beyond' - Comments provided during Q1 earnings conference call.

09:10 EDT LRAD Corporation announces $1.2M in naval orders - LRAD Corporation announced domestic and international naval orders totaling $1.2M were received in the company's Q2. The French Navy, after a competitive bidding process, is equipping certain fleet ships with LRAD 950RXL systems as part of its shipboard protection and communications protocol. The United States Navy ordered additional LRAD 1000Xi systems to replace first generation systems previously deployed in the fleet. A navy in the Asia-Pacific region purchased additional LRAD 1000Xi systems and an international navy ordered LRAD 100X acoustic hailing devices for its new fleet of security vessels.

09:07 EDT BlackRock says will opportunistically look for tactical M&A opportunities - Says has a "pretty good" growth platform right now.

09:05 EDT Bank of America expects NII to be down sequentially in Q2 - Expects FY NII to be up roughly 3% year-over-year.

09:04 EDT Johnson & Johnson says 'very pleased' with strong start to 2019 - Says: Q1 results reinforce confidence in our business... Delivered above market performance globally in Pharmaceutical segment... We continue to invest in R&D at competitive levels... Our dividend will continue to be a key priority going forward... Sees currency headwinds in Q2, but not as severe as Q1. Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:03 EDT Bank of America says NII to benefit from growth in loans, deposits in 2H - Bank of America CFO Paul Donofrio says liquidity remained strong. Says sees seasonal headwinds in Q2. Says expects growth in NII to be consistent with general economy. Says expects NII to benefit from growth in loan and deposits in 2H. Says continues to improve efficiencies. Says reduced management and management layers. Says quarterly progression of expenses in 2019 may look a little different than previous years. Says expects net charge-offs to approximate $1B level for remaining quarters of the year. Says saw continued strong momentum in Consumer Banking. Says saw more customers sign up for Preferred Rewards. Says sees strong client engagement for Global Wealth & Investment Management. Says felt the impact of the government shutdown in Global Banking. Says revenue decline in Global Markets reflects lower sales and trading revenue and lower investment banking fees. Says investors remained cautious through the quarter given geopolitical uncertainty. Says remains more oriented towards credit products than macro products.

09:00 EDT Marrone Bio appoints TerraLink Horticulture distributor of Regalia Maxx - Marrone Bio announced that it has appointed TerraLink Horticulture as a distributor of the Regalia Maxx Biofungicide in Western Canada. TerraLink has been a supplier of crop input products to Western Canada since 1973. Based out of Abbotsford, BC, TerraLink primarily focuses on providing farmers, production managers and professional growers with a suite of fertilizers, seeds, growing media, hard goods and crop protection products.

08:55 EDT Colony Bankcorp subsidiary Colony Bank to acquire PFB Mortgage - Colony Bank, the banking subsidiary of Colony Bankcorp, announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire PFB Mortgage, the secondary market mortgage business of Planters First Bank. The company expects all staff, including seven originators in Albany, Athens, Macon and Warner Robins, to remain with Colony, along with eight support personnel. Jesse Kight, currently president of PFB Mortgage, will become senior VP of Colony and president of its mortgage division, and Teresa Gainey will become group VP and director of mortgage operations for colony. The transaction, which does not require regulatory approval, is expected to close on or about May 1. It includes all pipeline loans and customers will not be affected as loans will close and be processed as normal. Planters First Bank will retain closed loans not yet sold. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:41 EDT Acer Therapeutics announces publication of long-term vEDS patient registry data - Acer Therapeutics announced the publication of long-term data from a cohort of COL3A1-positive Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or vEDS, patients in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, or JACC. This published study describes outcomes in 144 COL3A1-positive vEDS patients clinically monitored and treated at the French National Referral Center for Rare Vascular Diseases between the years 2000 and 2017. Patients were followed for a median of 5.3 years, and up to 20 years. At the initial work up, 50% of patients were not treated regularly and only 33.3% were taking celiprolol; by the end of the study period, the majority were treated with celiprolol alone or in combination with other medications. Once the maximum tolerated dose of celiprolol was reached, 90 patients remained at this dose throughout their follow-up. Only 5 patients required dose reduction due to fatigue, and no serious drug-related adverse event was recorded. Patients had a lower mortality rate than that expected from the natural history of the disease as described in previous U.S. reports. Survival curve analysis showed that those not treated with celiprolol had a significantly worse outcome than celiprolol-treated patients: survival was 80.7% in those treated with celiprolol versus 48.5% in those not treated after 11.1 years of follow-up. Survival was significantly higher in patients treated with a median dose of celiprolol of 400mg/day vs. patients treated with a lower median dose of 217mg/d, suggesting a dose effect and that 400mg/day should be considered the optimal dose. The authors also observed a relative decrease in hospitalization rates for acute arterial events during the time period in which the majority of patients were on celiprolol, suggesting a positive effect of celiprolol on the incidence and/or severity of new arterial events. The authors concluded that in this large, long-term cohort study, vEDS patients had a higher survival rate than expected relative to the known natural history of the disease and a lower annual occurrence of arterial complications, and that celiprolol use was potentially associated with these significant improvements in clinical outcomes.

08:40 EDT BlackRock sees tax rate for remainder of 2019 approximately 24%

08:38 EDT BlackRock says has 'deep conviction' in stability of business model - Comments from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:36 EDT Middlefield Banc announces share repurchase program - Middlefield Banc announced that its board authorized a share repurchase program for up to 150,000 common shares of its outstanding common shares.

08:32 EDT Tech Data and HYCU sign distribution agreement - HYCU and Tech Data announced a new agreement through which Tech Data will distribute HYCU Data Protection for Nutanix backup and recovery software to their network of partners across Australia and New Zealand. Through the new agreement, Tech Data will make HYCU for Nutanix's purpose-built data protection software available to its partners across the region. With HYCU for Nutanix, ANZ-based organizations will be able to protect and recover application specific workloads faster and with the same simplicity they experience from their Nutanix infrastructure investments. The relationship extends to all HYCU products across IT monitoring and data protection.

08:30 EDT Liberty Expedia Holdings (Series A) trading resumes

08:24 EDT Goldman Sachs to lay off 98 employees in New York, filing shows - Goldman Sachs will lay off 98 employees in New York, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification that the bank filed with the New York State Department of Labor. The filing said the workers are being dismissed for economic reasons, but did not specify where the layoffs would occur within the bank. Reference Link

08:16 EDT Sinovac Biotech announces results from Phase III trial of Sabin sIPV - Sinovac Biotech announced that results from the company's Phase III clinical study of a Sabin strain-based inactivated polio vaccine developed by Sinovac were published in the Journal of Infectious Disease. With Sinovac's sIPV, efficacy is maintained while common risks associated with legacy vaccines can be mitigated. In comparison to oral polio vaccine, inactivated polio vaccine contains no live virus and thus carries no risk of vaccine-derived poliovirus emergence or vaccine-associated paralytic polio. The study found that the immune responses against the three types of poliovirus in the studied sIPV were not inferior to those achieved with the control IPV and demonstrated a good safety profile. This research implies that the studied sIPV is as effective as IPV in preventing poliovirus infection in infants aged 60-90 days, can be a reliable alternative to conventional IPV and can be a good supplement to OPV in potentially preventing or minimizing VDPV emergence or VAPP. Participants in the sIPV arm of the trial developed neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 with seroconversion rates of 98.0% against type 1 poliovirus, 94.8% against type 2, and 98.9% against type 3. Seroconversion rates were higher in the sIPV arm than in the IPV arm against all three types, significantly so against types 1 and 2. Participants in the IPV arm developed neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 with seroconversion rates of 94.1% against type 1, 84.0% against type 2, and 97.7% against type 3. This study was a randomized controlled, double-blinded, noninferiority trial investigating the immunogenicity and safety of Sinovac's sIPV. The study enrolled 1200 healthy infants ages 60-90 days that were randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to receive 3 doses of either sIPV or IPV at days 0, 30, and 60. The safety of the vaccine was assessed for 30 days after each injection. The study was conducted in Pizhou City and Guanyun County in Jiangsu Province, China, from August 2017 to January 2018.

08:13 EDT Amber Road directors urge shareholders to vote for director nominees - Amber Road published a letter from two of its independent directors Barry Williams and Ralph Faison each of whom is a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The letter read in part, "At our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, you have important choices to make that will greatly impact the direction the Company takes in the future. Activist investor Altai Capital Osprey has hand-picked and nominated two candidates to the Board - Marshall Heinberg and Jim Watson. After careful consideration, the Board determined that Altai's nominees lack the requisite industry knowledge and skillset to serve as meaningful members of the Board. The Board strongly recommends that you vote for the Company's nominees - incumbent director Rudy Howard, and two new director nominees - Andre Toet and Kenneth Traub...We value engagement with all stockholders. At the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, in response to feedback received from some of our stockholders, we began leveraging our robust stockholder engagement program to solicit critical input from these stockholders on a number of issues, including corporate governance and executive compensation. This iterative dialogue remains ongoing. As a result of the valuable feedback we received, we've continued to make a number of enhancements, which has resulted in our Board nominating new independent directors with specific sets of skills and experience to accelerate the governance and compensation improvements already under way. As Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members of your Board, we are excited to nominate two new independent director cadndidates this year - Andre Toet and Ken Traub...We are also asking that you re-elect one incumbent director, Rudy Howard....Unfortunately to this day, Altai has chosen the path that in our opinion threatens Amber Road's ability to further create value for you by nominating candidates to perpetuate its conflicted agenda. Marshall Heinberg, an Altai nominee, has held a series of consulting and advisory roles with financial/transactional experience. Another nominee, James Watson, also touts transactional experience gained from various venture capital and private equity positions he'd held throughout his career. Neither Altai nominee, in our view, has any complementary expertise in global supply chain, logistics, trade or technology that would bring relevant insights into boardroom strategy discussions. What we frankly believe they share in common is the same transactional skill set which could aid Altai's conflicted and self-seeking aims. All of our existing directors and those new independent directors on the Company's slate have considerable transactional experience and skills. The existing Board is adept at running a sale process should the need arise and evaluating proposals that alter the Company's strategic plan without being burdened by the Altai conflict...We believe that healthy debate from a diversity of perspectives is a positive attribute in any boardroom, which is the primary reason why your Board mindfully refreshed itself to bring in new perspectives. Yet, disruptive voices for disruption's sake often become a negative distraction. Simply put, your Board's strategic plan always permits consideration of strategic opportunities that are in the best interests of all stockholders. But, in our opinion, Altai's single-minded, self-serving path will not generate optimal value creation for other stockholders. Altai's prior behavior, including its push to sell the Company to a firm in which it owned an economic stake, and more recent refusal to let the Company speak to its candidates or negotiate a settlement in good faith, should, in our view, give every stockholder a healthy skepticism about Altai's claimed motivations. As your fiduciaries, Amber Road's Board is on a different path - one where creating value for our stockholders drives all of our collective efforts. We strongly urge you to support management and the newly refreshed Board as they work to create value for all stockholders."

08:10 EDT Aurora Cannabis to acquire remaining interest in Hempco Food and Fiber - Aurora Cannabis and Hempco Food and Fiber announced that the companies have entered into a binding letter agreement in regard to the basic terms and conditions upon which Aurora will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Hempco not already owned by Aurora. In consideration of the transaction, Aurora has agreed to pay $1.04 per Hempco Share, payable in common shares of Aurora, reflecting a valuation of approximately C$63.4M on a fully diluted basis. Hempco's Board of Directors have determined that the proposed Transaction is in the best interest of shareholders, having taken into account advice from its financial advisor and the recommendation of the special committee of the Board of Directors, and have approved the Transaction. Under the terms of the Letter Agreement, the proposed Transaction is expected to be effected by way of a court approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act or by way of an alternate structure as determined by Aurora and Hempco based upon tax, securities and corporate law and other relevant considerations. Aurora has agreed to pay $1.04 per Hempco Share, payable in Aurora Shares at a deemed value of $12.01 per Aurora Share, being the volume-weighted average trading price of Aurora Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange in the five trading days immediately prior to the date of the Letter Agreement. Hempco's outstanding options and warrants will be adjusted in accordance with their terms such that the number of Aurora Shares received upon exercise and the exercise price will reflect the Exchange Ratio. As Aurora owns approximately 52% of the issued and outstanding Hempco Shares, it is expected that the Transaction would constitute a "business combination" for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Shareholders in Special Transaction and that Hempco will obtain a formal valuation and a fairness opinion from an independent valuator. Upon completion of the Transaction, Hempco will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurora and Hempco's shares will be de-listed from the TSX Venture Exchange and it is expected that Aurora will apply to cause Hempco to cease being a reporting issuer under applicable Canadian securities laws. It is currently expected that, subject to receipt of all regulatory, court, shareholder and other approvals, and the satisfaction or waiver of all conditions, the Transaction will be completed in the second quarter or such other date as the parties may agree. The parties expect to execute a Definitive Agreement on or before May 15.

08:10 EDT Chanticleer Holdings partners with Food Service Industry Consultants - Chanticleer Holdings announced that it has partnered with Food Service Industry Consultants to leverage their supply chain transparency, analytic support services and compliance analytics platform, IntelliSpend, to enhance profitability. Since 2001, FSIC has supported more than 170 restaurant brands with its experienced supply chain and data professionals.

08:08 EDT UP Fintech appoints Katherine Wei Wu as global CCO - UP Fintech announced the appointment of Katherine Wei Wu as its global CCO, a new position in the company. Wu will oversee the group's corporate compliance function. Wu has 20 years' experience in compliance including various compliance management positions in a number of international financial institutions such as Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.

08:07 EDT Investor group urges rejection of Lumber Liquidators proxy proposals - The Lumber Liquidators Value Committee recommends that shareholders vote AGAINST all management proposals to be tabled at the Lumber Liquidators Annual Shareholder Meeting on May 22, 2019. LLVC said, "LLVC believes that the magnitude of value destruction, anemic recovery and management's self-enriching mindset as evidenced by its large pay packages necessitates a change at the company. In 2018, CEO Dennis Knowles received a 7.41% increase to his base salary for "merit." Mr. Knowles also received equity grants valued at $1,250,000. His total compensation for the year was over $2.3M. This hardly seems appropriate considering that Lumber Liquidators' stock collapsed almost 70% in 2018 and the company lost over $54M. For 2019, the company has doubled the Bonus payout rate for the lowest level of performance, thereby further rewarding and incentivizing mediocre performance. Shareholders must vote AGAINST the executive compensation plan in order to stop extravagant salary increases. Furthermore, the Board of Directors wants to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance by 1,750,000 in order to grant still higher equity-based compensation awards. Due to the low stock price, management has been issuing increasingly higher levels of stock-based compensation. Shareholders must vote AGAINST the amended equity compensation plan in order to stop the dilution of their holdings. LLVC intends to release a detailed operational plan designed to rapidly and cost effectively drive growth and increase margins at Lumber Liquidators. Concurrently we will insist that the Board of Directors conduct a strategic review to gauge interest for either a strategic or financial buyer to take over the company, should the premium be substantially beneficial to shareholders. LLVC has communicated with several large shareholders and received strong support for our strategy and anticipated proxy fight."

08:06 EDT Entasis Therapeutics names Elizabeth Keiley as general counsel - Entasis Therapeutics (ETTX) announced the appointment of Elizabeth Keiley as General Counsel. Keiley's primary responsibility will be to manage the company's legal activities and to lead its compliance and corporate governance functions. Prior to joining Entasis, Keiley was Senior Vice President, General Counsel at Oxford Immunotec (OXFD).

08:04 EDT Expedia to acquire Liberty Expedia Holdings in all-stock transaction - Expedia Group (EXPE) and Liberty Expedia Holdings (LEXEA, LEXEB) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Expedia Group has agreed to acquire Liberty Expedia in an all-stock transaction. Liberty Expedia's principal asset is approximately 23.9 million shares of Expedia Group, consisting of 11.1 million shares of Expedia Group common stock and 12.8 million shares of Expedia Group Class B common stock. Under the terms of the agreement, each holder of Liberty Expedia Series A common stock and Series B common stock will receive 0.360 of a share of Expedia Group common stock. As a result of this transaction, Expedia Group expects to retire, on a net basis, approximately 3.1 million shares, and former holders of Liberty Expedia common stock are expected to own, in the aggregate, shares of Expedia Group common stock representing approximately 14% of the total number of outstanding shares of Expedia Group common stock and Class B common stock, based on approximately 140 million shares of Expedia Group common stock and approximately 5.7 million shares of Expedia Group Class B common stock currently expected to be outstanding at the closing of the transaction. In connection with the acquisition, Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive of Expedia Group, is expected to exchange up to 5.7 million shares of Expedia Group common stock for an equal number of shares of Expedia Group Class B common stock and enter into a new governance agreement regarding his ownership interest in Expedia Group. As a result of the transaction, Diller will own approximately 29% of the voting power of the company, and Expedia Group will no longer be a controlled company under applicable Nasdaq rules. The Boards of Directors of both companies approved the transaction. Prior to executing the transaction agreements, the parties terminated the proxy swap arrangements that had been in place since Liberty Expedia's 2016 split-off from then-Liberty Interactive Corporation. As a result, Mr. Diller may again exercise his right to vote Liberty Expedia's shares of Expedia Group stock pursuant to his legacy proxy, and Mr. Diller no longer holds a proxy over shares of Liberty Expedia common stock beneficially owned by Dr. Malone.

07:55 EDT Liberty Expedia Holdings (Series B) trading halted, news pending

07:49 EDT Entergy to sell subsidiaries to a Holtec International subsidiary - Entergy has agreed to sell the subsidiaries that own Indian Point Units 1, 2, and 3, located in Buchanan, N.Y., to a Holtec International subsidiary for decommissioning. The sale, which will be effective after Unit 3 has been shut down and permanently defueled, includes the transfer of the licenses, spent fuel, decommissioning liabilities, and Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts, or NDT, for the three units. With this agreement to sell Indian Point, Entergy has now announced the sale of its entire remaining merchant nuclear fleet for decommissioning. The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including approval from the NRC. Entergy remains committed to the safe and reliable operation of Indian Point Unit 2 and Unit 3 until their permanent shutdowns in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The transaction is expected to result in a non-cash loss based on the difference between Entergy's adjusted net investment in the subsidiaries at closing and the sale price net of any agreed adjustments. As of Dec. 31, 2018, Entergy's adjusted net investment in the companies was $265M. The terms of the transaction include limitations on withdrawals from the NDTs to fund decommissioning activities and controls on how Entergy manages the investment of NDT assets between signing and closing; however, the agreement does not require a minimum level of funding in the NDTs as a condition to closing. Entergy affirmed its expectation for Entergy Wholesale Commodities to provide positive net cash to parent from 2019 to 2022.

07:37 EDT Primoris announces over $81M in pipeline awards - Primoris announced three new pipeline awards with a combined value of over $81M. The contracts were secured by Rockford and Primoris Pipeline, both a part of the pipeline & underground segment. Rockford was awarded two projects. The first award is for the construction of approximately 20 miles of 42" natural gas pipeline in eastern Texas. The second award is for the construction of approximately 16 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, ranging in size from 10"-16", in northeastern Pennsylvania. Primoris Pipeline was awarded one spread of a natural gas liquids, or NGL, line in West Texas. The award is for the construction of over 34 miles of 20" pipeline to transport NGLs from an existing hub to a newly constructed transportation line moving product out of the Permian Basin. Work for the awards is scheduled to commence in the Q2 and to be completed by Q4.

07:35 EDT Biofrontera reports secondary endpoint results from Phase 3 PDT study - Biofrontera reported results for the secondary endpoints of its Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of conventional photodynamic therapy, or PDT, with Ameluz in combination with the BF-RhodoLED lamp for the treatment of actinic keratoses, or AK, on the extremities or trunk/neck. Patients were treated with Ameluz on one side of the body and with a placebo gel on the other side. In line with the result for the primary endpoint of the study, which showed a mean lesion clearance rate per patient's side of 86% for Ameluz compared to 33% for placebo, superiority of Ameluz was demonstrated for all secondary parameters investigated. Even if mild AKs were ignored and only moderate AKs were considered, mean lesion clearance rates per patient's side were 84% with Ameluz compared to 27% with placebo. In patients treated on the extremities, mean lesion clearance rates per patient's side were also 84% with Ameluz compared to 27% with placebo. Mean lesion clearance rates in the area trunk/neck were even higher. Furthermore, the comparison parameter "patient complete clearance" also emphasized the superiority of Ameluz: 67% of the patients' sides were completely cleared 12 weeks after the last PDT compared to 12% of the placebo-treated sides. All of the results were statistically highly significant. Thus, all secondary endpoints also confirm the superiority of Ameluz over the control group. These results support the primary endpoint data for the applications to the European Medicines Agency and FDA, which Biofrontera plans to submit during Q3.

07:20 EDT Crispr Therapeutics, Vertex announce fast track designation for CTX001 from FDA - Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP) and Vertex (VRTX) announced that the FDA has granted fast track designation for CTX001 for the treatment of transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. CTX001 is an investigational, autologous, gene-edited hematopoietic stem cell therapy for patients suffering from severe hemoglobinopathies.

07:16 EDT Bank of America says technology/digitalization spend to increase 10% in 2019 - In slides being presented on its Q1 earnings conference call, Bank of America said technology/digitalization initiative spend is expected to increase 10% in 2019. Says a +100 bps parallel shift in interest rate yield curve is estimated to benefit NII by $3.7B over the next 12 months, driven primarily by sensitivity to short-end interest rates. Says FY19 expenses expected to approximate prior year.

07:13 EDT Plug Power announces partnership with CHEM - Plug Power announced a partnership with Chung-Hsin Electric and Machinery Manufacturing, or CHEM, a Taiwanese manufacturer of electric solutions including motors, generators, switchgear, hydrogen generation and stationary fuel cell power systems. Plug Power has begun fulfilling orders for its proprietary 5kW ProGen hydrogen engines to CHEM, which are integrated into CHEM's next-gen stationary power products for grid support and backup power applications. The ProGen hydrogen engine provided to CHEM, is an integrated fuel cell system that includes the fuel cell stack, power conversion and controls in a single, pre-engineered OEM module. CHEM's system integrates the ProGen engine with their methanol reformer technology to enable power creation in product. The CHEM reformer technology enables on-site power generation solutions to its core customer base in weak and off grid areas. The CHEM stationary power systems are targeted for use primarily in Asia, Africa and India.

07:08 EDT Wave Life Sciences presents final results from Phase 1 suvodirsen study at MDA - Wave Life Sciences announced the final results from its Phase 1 clinical trial of investigational suvodirsen in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, who are amenable to exon 51 skipping. The company also announced the design of its planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial of suvodirsen in DMD, DYSTANCE 51. The Phase 1 data and DYSTANCE 51 details will be presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, or MDA. Wave's Phase 1 clinical trial was a global, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and plasma concentrations of single ascending doses of suvodirsen administered intravenously. Thirty-six patients received a dose of suvodirsen or placebo in five ascending dose cohorts and were followed for 85 days. No serious adverse events, deaths or discontinuations due to adverse events were reported in any study patients treated with suvodirsen. Suvodirsen was generally safe and well tolerated with 67% of patients who received suvodirsen and 80% of patients who received placebo experienced one or more adverse events. The most common adverse events occurring in two or more patients who received suvodirsen were pyrexia, headache, vomiting and tachycardia, consistent with infusion-associated reactions. Adverse events in patients receiving suvodirsen were mild to moderate in intensity and resolved spontaneously or with symptomatic treatment. No clinically relevant changes were observed in renal or hepatic parameters or platelet levels. In patients receiving 5 mg/kg of suvodirsen, the adverse events that occurred within 24 hours of infusion were associated with transient increases in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and complement factor Bb levels, both of which were resolved within a week and no changes were observed in complement C3 levels. Based on results of the first four ascending dose cohorts, the independent safety monitoring committee of the Phase 1 clinical trial endorsed continued dose exploration by proceeding to the last planned cohort. Doses of 7 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg of suvodirsen were administered to two patients in the fifth cohort and were associated with similar adverse events as those observed at lower doses but were more severe in intensity. The full data from the Phase 1 clinical trial will be presented in an oral presentation and poster at the MDA conference.

07:04 EDT Gilead, insitro announce strategic collaboration to develop therapies for NASH - Gilead Sciences and insitro announced that the companies have entered into a strategic collaboration to discover and develop therapies for patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Under the terms of the three-year collaboration, insitro's proprietary platform will be utilized to create disease models for NASH and discover targets that have an influence on clinical progression and regression of the disease. The insitro Human platform applies machine learning, human genetics and functional genomics to generate and optimize unique in vitro models and drive therapeutic discovery and development. The ISH platform will provide insights into disease progression, suggest candidate targets, and predict patient responses to potential therapeutic interventions. Gilead can advance up to five targets identified through this collaboration and will be responsible for chemistry and development against these targets. Under the terms of the agreement, insitro will receive an upfront payment of $15M, with additional near-term payments up to $35M based on operational milestones. insitro will be eligible to receive up to $200M for the achievement of preclinical, development, regulatory and commercial milestones for each of the five Gilead targets; and up to low double-digit tiered royalties on net sales. For programs where insitro opts in, it will have the right to co-develop and co-detail in the U.S., receive a profit share in China and receive milestone payments and royalties on other ex-U.S. sales.

07:02 EDT Aircastle repossesses ten A320-200 aircraft from Avianca Brazil - Aircastle announced that it has repossessed its ten A320-200 aircraft that were previously on lease to Avianca Brazil. The ten A320-200 aircraft are now transitioning to committed long-term leases with a major international carrier.

06:55 EDT Kamada trading halted, news pending

06:52 EDT Scorpio Bulkers to sell and leaseback six Ultramax vessels to AVIC International - Scorpio Bulkers announced that the Company has agreed to sell and leaseback six Ultramax vessels to AVIC International Leasing. Upon completion, which is estimated to take place in the Q2, the company's liquidity is expected to increase by up to $62.4M in aggregate, comprising up to $52.6M upon closing after the repayment of outstanding debt and an additional tranche of up to $9.8M for installation of exhaust gas cleaning systems on the six vessels. As part of the agreements, the company will bareboat charter-in the vessels for a period of eight years. In addition, the company has purchase options beginning after the end of the second year of each agreement. There is also a purchase obligation for each vessel upon the expiration of each agreement. These lease financing arrangements are subject to customary conditions precedent and the execution of definitive documentation.

06:49 EDT Bank of America reports Q1 net interest yield 2.51%, up 9bps - Reports Q1 provision for credit losses up $179M to $1.0B. Q1 Net charge-off ratio increased 3 bps to 0.43%.

06:49 EDT Genmab reports Q1 worldwide net sales of DARZALEX $629M - Genmab (GMXAY) announced that worldwide net sales of DARZALEX as reported by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) were $629M in the first quarter. Net sales were $352M in the U.S. and $277M in the rest of the world. Genmab will receive royalties on the worldwide net sales of DARZALEX under the exclusive worldwide license to Janssen Biotech, Inc. to develop, manufacture and commercialize DARZALEX.

06:38 EDT Fuling Global CEO releases open letter to investors - Fuling Global announced that its CEO, Xinfu Hu, released an open letter to investors. The letter said, "Revenue grew at an annual compound rate of 14.35% to $142.20 million in 2018, up from $83.18 million in 2014. For the four years ending 2018, the company realized a total after-tax profit of $31.79 million. We invested most of our $20 million IPO proceeds in our new Wenling factory. The total investment of this new factory reached $58.95 million. This included the purchase of land use rights of 32.45 acres (197 mu) of land, the construction of 25 acres of new factory, dormitories and office space, more than 200 new production machines, and 3,670 KW rooftop photovoltaic power system. In four years, our sales volume doubled from 25 million KG to almost 50 million KG. We have doubled our production capacity, increased total customers from 129 to 151, registered 18 patents, and transitioned our product line to include both plastic and paper products to address and anticipate evolving customer needs. As an enterprise exporting most of our products to the United States, we face serious challenges from the many changes implemented in trade agreements between China and the United States. After the U.S. announced tariffs on some Chinese products exported to the United States, we decided to establish a factory in Monterey, Mexico, a city near the U.S. - Mexico border to mitigate these trade risks. At present, we have chosen the production site and leased a building to be built out for the Mexico factory. Production equipment were transported from China has arrived in Mexico. We are in the process of preparing the relevant management, technology and production personnel. The factory is scheduled to start production in June 2019. This plan will help reduce much of the impact of the China-US trade changes and increase our global market opportunities... Supported with production bases in Wenling, China, Pennsylvania, U.S., and Monterrey, Mexico, a full suite of plastic and paper serviceware products, a diversified global customer base, and highly recognized brand names, we firmly believe that we now have the resources to support strong growth. We will continue to expand the sales and distribution channels, use e-commerce to carry out online and offline synchronous operations, and strengthen our relationships with existing customers while exploring new market opportunities."

06:37 EDT International Road Dynamics awarded $6.4M contract in Ukraine - International Road Dynamics, or IRD, a Quarterhill, announced that a joint venture, or JV, comprised of SEA Electronics LLC from Ukraine, International Road Dynamics Inc. from Canada and Automagistral-Pivden LLC from Ukraine was awarded a project for the Design, Supply and Installation of 20 lanes of Weigh-in-Motion, or WIM, covering six sites on arterial roads around Kyiv. "This turn-key project was awarded by The State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine. The total value of the contract awarded to the JV partners is $6.4M and also includes delivery of a back-office system in addition to related civil works and communication infrastructure. The objective of this project is to implement a modular system comprised of software, hardware and communication infrastructure for Ukravtodor. The WIM back office system will collect real-time traffic data and will support the enforcement of overweight and over-dimension vehicles as well as vehicles that may be in violation of local operating regulations. The data and analytics provided by IRD's high speed enforcement systems will also be used for more substantiated and streamlined planning of maintenance and repair of the road network. IRD will supply and supervise the installation of its state-of-the-art commercial vehicle enforcement solutions integrating WIM systems with complementary technologies such as vehicle dimensioning systems and off-scale detection. This will provide real-time information on a vehicle's length, width, height as well as lane position in addition to axle load and gross vehicle weights."

06:32 EDT TSMC unveils 6-nanometer process - TSMC announced its 6-nanometer process, which it says provides a "significant enhancement of its industry-leading N7 technology and offers customers a highly competitive performance-to-cost advantage as well as fast time-to-market with direct migration from N7-based designs." In a statement, TSMC said: "By leveraging the new capabilities in extreme ultraviolet lithography gained from the N7+ technology currently in risk production, TSMC's N6 process delivers 18% higher logic density over the N7 process. At the same time, its design rules are fully compatible with TSMC's proven N7 technology, allowing its comprehensive design ecosystem to be reused. As a result, it offers a seamless migration path with a fast design cycle time with very limited engineering resources for customers to achieve the product benefits from the new technology offering. Scheduled for risk production in the first quarter of 2020, TSMC's N6 technology provides customers with additional cost-effective benefits while extending the power and performance from the 7nm family for a broad array of applications, ranging from high-to-mid end mobile, consumer applications, AI, networking, 5G infrastructure, GPU, and high-performance computing."

06:29 EDT Americold Realty Trust to acquire Cloverleaf Cold Storage for $1.24B - Americold Realty Trust (COLD) announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Chiller Holdco from Cloverleaf management and an investor group led by private equity funds managed by Blackstone (BX) for a purchase price of $1.24B. The closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in the second quarter.

06:15 EDT BlackRock reports Q1 AUM $6.52T, up 3% y/y

06:04 EDT Mesoblast's BLA for remestemcel-L accepted by FDA - Mesoblast announced that the FDA has agreed that Mesoblast can submit on a rolling basis a Biologics License Application, or BLA, for its allogeneic cellular medicine remestemcel-L in children with steroid-refractory acute Graft Versus Host Disease, or SR-aGVHD. Mesoblast will submit each module of the BLA to the FDA on a rolling basis as it is completed. The rolling process will provide opportunity for ongoing and frequent communication, and during this process the Company expects it will be able to adequately address any substantial matters raised by the FDA. Mesoblast has previously received Fast Track designation from the FDA for remestemcel-L in SR-aGVHD and is eligible for priority review once the BLA filing is completed and accepted by the FDA. Mesoblast expects to submit the first module shortly.

06:01 EDT MasterCard acquires Vyze, terms not disclosed - Mastercard announced it has acquired Vyze. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

05:32 EDT ContraFect presents additional data from exebacase Phase 2 clinical trial - ContraFect announced that new data from its Phase 2 clinical trial of exebacase for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia including endocarditis was presented by Vance Fowler, M.D., Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University at a late-breaker session at the 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, or ECCMID. The oral presentation, titled "Exebacase Improved Clinical Responder Rates In Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, Bacteremia Including Endocarditis Compared To Standard Of Care Antibiotics Alone In A First-in-Patient Phase 2 study," reported new data demonstrating clinically meaningful increases in clinical responder rates in the pre-specified MRSA subgroup treated with exebacase, including a 22.9% higher responder rate at Day 7 and a 16.9% higher responder rate at Test of Cure, compared to MRSA patients treated with standard of care antibiotics, or SOC, alone. Pre-specified analyses of data from the overall population also showed that patients with complicated bacteremia had a 20.3% higher clinical responder rate with exebacase compared to those who received SOC alone.

05:10 EDT Unilever issues allergy alert, voluntary recall of certain Ben & Jerry's flavors - Unilever is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of Ben & Jerry's Coconut Seven Layer Bar bulk and Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey pints, which may inadvertently contain tree nuts including almonds, Brazil nuts, and hazelnuts that are not declared in the ingredient list or allergy information list. Both affected products include a "Contains Walnuts" and a "May contain other tree nuts" label on the back of the pack. Persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to these undeclared tree nuts run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled products. This limited voluntary recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the FDA. The products were manufactured in the United States. The affected Chunky Monkey pints were distributed nationwide and reached consumers through retail stores. The affected Coconut Seven Layer Bar bulk products were distributed nationwide and reached consumers through wholesale and scoop shops. No product was shipped outside of the U.S. No other container sizes or best by dates of Ben & Jerry's products - besides these specific lots of Coconut Seven Layer Bar bulk and Chunky Monkey pints - are affected by this voluntary recall, including other Pint Slices, pints or any other products served in Ben & Jerry's franchised Scoop Shops. The recall was initiated after an undeclared nut was found during the production operation. Unilever has not received any reports of illness associated with this product, but the company is voluntarily recalling this product out of an abundance of caution. Unilever's ongoing investigation shows that the issue stemmed from an error from one of its nut suppliers. The situation has been remediated.