Stockwinners Market Radar for May 28, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:03 EDT 58.com sees Q2 revenue up 17%-20% at RMB4.0B-RMB4.1B

18:46 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Heico Corp (HEI) up 8.0%... YY Inc (YY) up 4.0%... NextGen Healthcare (NXGN) up 3.8%. ALSO HIGHER: Bloomin Brands (BLMN) up 6.5% after entering S&P Small Cap 600 index... Realogy Holdings (RLGY) up 2.6% after entering S&P Small Cap 600 index... Plug Power (PLUG) up 2.3% after entering agreement to power StreetScooter. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Workday (WDAY) down 0.4%. Movers as of 18:30ET.

18:45 EDT Workday CEO: We continue to be excited about Europe - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Workday CEO Aneel Bhusri said: We saw 50% y/y growth in our core accounting products... We've had a good run in Europe and see it as a relatively untapped market... We are at 98% customer satisfaction levels... Happy employees make for happy customers.

18:03 EDT Trans World comments on Higgin's preliminary proxy statement - Trans World Entertainment Corporation issued the following statement regarding Mark R. Higgins' preliminary proxy statement: "The Company's Board of Directors and management are deeply committed to enhancing value for all shareholders and overseeing the Company's strategy. Our Board is comprised of six highly qualified directors who bring expansive experience concerning retail operations, accounting and finance, management and leadership, risk assessment and corporate governance. Specifically, the Board has extensive knowledge of the challenges faced by the Company in the turbulent physical retail and physical media industries, and has been instrumental in identifying opportunities to improve results. The Board recognizes the importance of having the right mix of skills, expertise and experience to effectively oversee the Company and regularly reviews the Board's composition and its refreshment to ensure alignment with the interests of shareholders. In the fye segment, over the past four years, the Company has changed its merchandise point of view based on unique, relevant, collaborative and exclusive merchandise. These efforts have been well received by our customers and will drive the continued reinvention of the fye brand throughout 2019. These changes have resulted in an increase in contribution from our lifestyle categories to 55% of revenue in 2018 as compared to 25% in 2014. In the etailz segment, during fiscal 2018, the Company implemented strategic initiatives, operational efficiencies and other considerations directed towards improving the segment's performance, operations, and cash flow. In the first quarter ended May 4, 2019, we saw the benefits of the strategic initiatives, highlighted by improved gross margins, lower SG&A expenses and improved supply chain efficiency. As a result of these initiatives in etailz and disciplined inventory management in the fye segment, we were able to reduce cash used in operations by over $10 million for the first quarter as compared to the first quarter of 2018. The Company is committed to taking steps to improve operating results as management diligently executes its strategy to deliver value for shareholders. The Company's shareholders are not required to take any action at this time. The Board will present its formal recommendation regarding director nominations in the Company's proxy materials that will be filed with the SEC and mailed-including a WHITE proxy card-to shareholders eligible to vote at the 2019 Annual Meeting."

17:49 EDT Realty Income director Merriman sells 6K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Realty Income disclosed that its director Ronald Merriman sold 6.0K share of common stock on May 24th. The total transaction size was $424K.

17:43 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 737.34MT from 738.81MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since May 20th.

17:27 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P 100, 400, 500, 600 indices - S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P 100, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600: Corteva (CTVA) will be added to the S&P 500 prior to the open of trading on Monday, June 3. Corteva will replace Fluor (FLR), which will be removed from the S&P 500 effective prior to the open of trading on Tuesday, June 4. Also effective prior to the open of trading on June 4, Fluor will replace Realogy Holdings (RLGY) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Realogy will replace Pioneer Energy Services (PES) in the S&P SmallCap 600. DowDuPont (DWDP) is spinning off Corteva in a transaction expected to be completed on June 3. Post spin-off, DowDuPont will remain in the S&P 500 & 100 indices. It will change its name to DuPont de Nemours and its ticker symbol to "DD." Fluor has a market capitalization more representative of the mid-cap market space, and Realogy has a market capitalization more representative of the small-cap market space. Pioneer Energy Services is ranked near the bottom of the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small-cap market space. Bloomin' Brands (BLMN) will replace Travelport Worldwide (TVPT) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, June 3. Siris Capital Group is acquiring Travelport Worldwide in a transaction expected to be completed on or about May 30 pending final approvals.

17:21 EDT Realogy to replace Pioneer Energy in S&P 600 at open on 6/4

17:20 EDT Fluor to replace Realogy in S&P 400 at open on 6/4

17:17 EDT Technical Comm Corp awarded foreign military orders for $2.7M - Technical Communications received orders valued at $2.7M from ADS. for the company's DSP9000 and HSE6000 encryption systems, training and support. These orders are in support of a foreign military sales contract between the U.S. government and a Middle Eastern government. Delivery of the equipment and training services is expected to occur over the next six months.

17:06 EDT Workday says seeing opportunities move into back part of the year - Says continues to see "healthy pace" of cloud migration across HR and finance. Says seeing more opportunities move into back part of the year, specifically shifting into Q4. Says no change to operating cash flow guidance in FY20 of roughly $790M. Says Q2 traditionally generates limited operating cash flows. Says still sees FY202 capital outlay for owned real estate projects to be roughly $130M, of which $94M relates specifically to the development center. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:02 EDT Atara Biotherapeutics names Pascal Touchon as CEO - Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA) announced the appointment of Pascal Touchon as President, CEO and member of the board. of Directors. Dr. Touchon has over 30 years of global biopharmaceutical leadership experience, most recently at Novartis (NVS) Oncology serving as Global Head, Cell & Gene and member of the Oncology Executive Committee.

17:01 EDT TrueCar names Noel B. Watson CFO - TrueCar (TRUE) announced that Noel B. Watson has been appointed EVP and Chief Financial Officer. Based in Santa Monica, he will report directly to Chip Perry, President & Chief Executive Officer. Watson joins TrueCar after spending the last thirteen years with TripAdvisor (TRIP).

16:41 EDT Broadvision regains compliance with Nasdaq listing standards - BroadVision received written notice from Nasdaq confirming that the chas regained compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity requirement. Nasdaq considers the matter closed.

16:33 EDT Thermon Group to delay Q4 results, sees revenue above prior guidance - Thermon Group Holdings announced that it will reschedule its Q4 and FY19 earnings conference call in order to allow additional time to complete its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. Thermon expects revenue will exceed the upper end of previously issued guidance and adjusted EBITDA for FY19 will be at or near an annual record. Thermon believes that the delayed filing will have no impact on Thermon's customers or the operations of the business. Thermon expects to disclose in the Form 10-K that it identified a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting primarily related to the accounting for revenues and costs within Thermon's fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 with respect to a limited number of legacy project contracts with customers in its Europe, Middle East and Africa segment. While this analysis could affect the timing of revenue recognition, this analysis is principally limited to the FY19 and Thermon does not believe it will affect the underlying profitability of these contracts.

16:31 EDT Frank's International names Melissa Cougle CFO - Frank's International N.V. announced that Melissa Cougle has been named Chief Financial Officer, effective tomorrow. She succeeds Kyle McClure, who has decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities. Frank's commented that McClure's departure was not related to any disagreement with the company or any matters relating to its operations, policies or practices. He will be available to assist the company in the transition through July 1, 2019.

16:20 EDT Determine to file certificate of dissolution on June 14 - Determine announced that it plans to file a Form 15 suspending its reporting requirements under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in early June and plans to withdraw the company's common stock from trading on OTCQB and file the company's certificate of dissolution on June 14, such that no further transfers of shares will be effective after such date. The company previously announced its plan for winding up, liquidating and dissolving on April 18. On May 2, the company filed and mailed to stockholders a definitive information statement describing an action by written stockholder consent in which the company's stockholders approved the winding up, liquidation and dissolution of the company. The company currently estimates that there will be between $0.10 to $0.14 per share of common stock of the Company initially available for distribution to its stockholders. The Company anticipates that a subsequent distribution of between $0.01 to $0.11 per share may be available following the one year anniversary of the closing of the asset sale and release of any escrow proceeds thereafter in April 2020. Although the Board has not established a definitive timetable for liquidating distributions, the company expects to make an initial distribution as promptly as reasonably possible following the effective date of the plan of liquidation and a subsequent distribution to occur as promptly as reasonably possible following the one year anniversary of the closing of the asset sale and release of any escrow proceeds thereafter in April 2020.

16:18 EDT Darsana Capital Partners reports 11.12% passive stake in Luckin Coffee - In a regulatory filing, Darsana Capital Partners disclosed an 11.125 stake in Luckin Coffee, which represents over 34M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:16 EDT Ziopharm forms exclusive license with NIH on T-cell therapy development - Ziopharm Oncology announced an exclusive licensing agreement with the National Cancer Institute, or NCI. for intellectual property for the development and commercialization of cell therapies for cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Ziopharm is granted rights to two groups of technologies for use with the Company's Sleeping Beauty platform. The first group of technologies covers intellectual property related to T-cell receptors reactive to mutations, or neoantigens, within KRAS, p53 and EGFR gene families. Alterations within these genes are referred to as "hotspots" as the genetic changes can be driver mutations found in multiple types of solid tumors and between individuals with the same cancer type. The second group includes manufacturing methods and processes to generate large numbers of Sleeping Beauty-modified T cells expressing high levels of the introduced neoantigen-specific TCRs. Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement, NIH will receive from Ziopharm an upfront payment and certain clinical, regulatory, and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties on net sales of products covered by the license.

16:12 EDT Rexahn to transfer listing to Nasdaq - Rexahn Pharmaceuticals announced that it will voluntarily transfer its stock exchange listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market from its current listing on NYSE American. The company expects to begin trading on Nasdaq under the symbol "REXN" on or about June 10, 2019. The company's common stock will continue trading on NYSE American under the symbol "RNN" until the move is completed.

16:07 EDT Hub Group announces $100M share repurchase program - Hub Group announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $100M in Class A common stock. "We continue to invest in diversifying our offerings and enhancing our technology to better serve our customers. This stock repurchase program reflects our strong financial position and confidence in the future of Hub Group, as well as our commitment to long-term shareholder value," said David Yeager, Chairman and CEO, Hub Group.

16:03 EDT FireEye acquires Verodin for approximately $250M in cash, stock - FireEye announced the acquisition of Verodin. The transaction closed and is valued at approximately $250M in cash and stock, net of acquired net cash and excluding assumed unvested options, based on the closing price of FireEye's common stock on May 24. The combination is expected to be accretive to revenue, cash flow from operations and non-GAAP operating income in 2020, and add approximately $20M to billings in 2019 and more than $70M to billings in 2020. The Verodin security instrumentation platform adds new capabilities to the FireEye portfolio by identifying gaps in security effectiveness due to equipment misconfiguration, changes in the IT environment, evolving attacker tactics and more. Equipped with FireEye frontline intelligence, the Verodin platform will measure and test security environments against both known and newly discovered threats, enabling organizations to identify risks in their security controls before a breach occurs and adapt their defenses to the evolving threat landscape. Based on the company's preliminary evaluation of the Verodin business and the anticipated impact of purchase accounting on Verodin deferred revenue balances, guidance ranges for the second quarter and full year 2019 have been updated to reflect the acquisition. Additionally, FireEye currently expects the acquisition of Verodin to contribute over $70M to 2020 billings and be accretive to 2020 revenue, cash flow and non-GAAP operating income.

15:36 EDT Bunge director Paul Fribourg buys over $1M in company shares - Bunge director Paul Fribourg disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 19,750 shares of company stock at an average price of $50.94 per share. The total transaction value of the purchase was $1,006,132.

15:29 EDT Facebook removes accounts involved in 'inauthentic behavior' from Iran - Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Policy at Facebook, said today in a post on the company's website, "Today we removed 51 Facebook accounts, 36 Pages, seven Groups and three Instagram accounts involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran. The individuals behind this activity - which also took place on other internet platforms and websites - misled people about who they were and what they were doing. They purported to be located in the US and Europe, used fake accounts to run Pages and Groups, and impersonated legitimate news organizations in the Middle East. The individuals behind this activity also represented themselves as journalists or other personas and tried to contact policymakers, reporters, academics, Iranian dissidents and other public figures. A number of these account owners also attempted to contact authentic Instagram accounts, some of which later posted content associated with this activity." Reference Link

15:09 EDT Nu Skin names Vince Perfetti chief transformation officer - Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS) announced Vince Perfetti has joined the company as chief transformation officer and senior vice president of technology. He will lead the company's technology transformation to develop an industry-leading customer experience and further empower the company's sales force to build a socially enabled business to attract more customers. Perfetti comes to Nu Skin from Amazon Web Services (AMZN) where he was a principal consultant on the cloud advisory team, advising enterprise executives on program development to maximize cloud adoption and transformation.

14:58 EDT Wynn Resorts says will not file appeal regarding Mass Gaming Commission findings - The board of directors of Wynn Resorts issued the following statement regarding the decision of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission: "The Board of Directors of Wynn Resorts appreciates the findings by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that it, and its qualifiers, remain suitable by clear and convincing evidence. The Company will not file an appeal. However, we do not agree with the finding that Matt Maddox violated Company policy, and are pleased that neither the Commission's Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, nor the Special Committee of the Board, found that he, or any other current Company executives, violated any Company policies in managing the allegations against the Company's founder. The Nevada Gaming Control Board, under whose jurisdiction the alleged activities of our founder occurred, conducted its own year-long investigation and recently reaffirmed Matt Maddox's good standing in Nevada, and praised him for creating a "paradigm shift" and for taking "corrective actions that [have] been impressive." We believe Matt's leadership has been, and will continue to be, essential in our transformation from a founder-led company to an innovative global corporation. Matt has created a more diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace culture - all while maintaining focus on executing the Company's business plan. The Board of Directors disagrees with a number of the Commission's comments and conclusions regarding Matt, and believes they are not supported by the evidence. Therefore, we would support his decision to exercise his rights and appeal the fine imposed upon him, and believe he would rightly prevail in his appeal. However, that appeal would delay the final conclusion of this matter, and therefore we appreciate Matt's decision to forego an appeal in order to allow closure for the Company. The Company will pay the fine imposed on him and has today delivered payment of that, and the Company's fine, to the Commission. The Board and executives of the Company look forward to working with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission staff on an implementation plan of the imposed conditions that meets the Commission's and Company's mutual goals. Wynn Resorts looks forward to opening Encore Boston Harbor on June 23, which will be the first Five-Star gaming resort in New England."

13:54 EDT Craig A. Drill reports 7% passive stake in Citius Pharmaceuticals - In a regulatory filing, Craig A. Drill disclosed a 7% stake in Citius, which represents about 1.55M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

13:40 EDT NIO rises after quarterly results, investment deal with E-Town Capital - Shares of NIO Inc. (NIO) are on the rise on Tuesday after the electric vehicle maker announced a joint venture with E-Town Capital, which will invest $1.45B in the new entity. NIO also reported a first quarter loss of (36c) and vehicle sales of $226.8M, down 54.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2018. QUARTERLY RESULTS: NIO reported a loss per share for the first quarter of (36c) on total revenues of $243.1M. Vehicle sales were $228.8M, down 54.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, while deliveries of the ES8 reached 3,989 for the quarter, compared with 7,980 vehicles delivered in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the company said vehicle margin was negative (7.5%) and gross margin was negative (13.4%) compared with positive 3.7% and 0.4%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2018. "Looking ahead to the second quarter, we expect an even more challenging sales environment and anticipate overall sequential demand and deliveries to decrease, as competition continues to accelerate and the general automobile market in China remains muted," said NIO Chief Financial Officer Louis Hsieh. "Against this backdrop, NIO is focusing on rolling out our ES6 nationwide, and at the same time, improving overall network utilization and operating efficiencies." JOINT VENTURE: NIO will form a joint venture with Beijing E-Town International Investment and Development, which will invest $1.45B in the new entity, according to Reuters, citing a statement by the electric vehicle maker. E-Town Capital will support a new manufacturing facility for NIO's next-generation platform 2.0 vehicles, it said, adding the parties are continuing to work toward a final binding definitive agreement on the investment. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of NIO have gained almost 5% to $4.04.

13:04 EDT Amgen colorectal cancer treatment granted FDA orphan designation - On May 23, the FDA granted orphan designation to Amgen's treatment of KRAS p.G12C-positive colorectal cancer, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

12:46 EDT Teva announces launch of generic version of Ranexa ER tablets - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) announced the launch of a generic version of Ranexa Extended-Release Tablets, 500 mg and 1000 mg, in the U.S. Ranolazine Extended-Release Tablets are indicated for the treatment of chronic angina. "We're pleased to add to our portfolio of generic medicines that offer another treatment option for people living with chronic conditions like angina," said Brendan O'Grady, EVP and Head of North America Commercial. Ranolazine Extended-Release Tablets has annual sales of nearly $938M in the U.S., according to IQVIA data as of February 2019. Ranexa is a registered trademark of Gilead Sciences (GILD).

12:31 EDT Walmart names Suresh Kumar chief technology officer, chief development officer - Walmart (WMT) announced it has appointed Suresh Kumar to a new elevated Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer role reporting directly to President and CEO Doug McMillon. "The technology of today and tomorrow enables us to serve our customers and associates in ways that weren't previously possible. We want to take full advantage of those opportunities," said McMillon. "Suresh has a unique understanding of the intersection of technology and retail, including supply chain, and has deep experience in advertising, cloud and machine learning. And, he has a track record of working in partnership with business teams to drive results." Kumar was most recently at Google (GOOG, GOOGL), serving as vice president and general manager of display, video, app ads and analytics.

12:00 EDT Bluegreen Vacations falls -13.0% - Bluegreen Vacations is down -13.0%, or -$1.34 to $8.98.

12:00 EDT Anaplan rises 16.0% - Anaplan is up 16.0%, or $5.95 to $43.06.

12:00 EDT SeaWorld rises 18.0% - SeaWorld is up 18.0%, or $4.90 to $32.15.

11:04 EDT MGM Resorts signs 10-year extension with Thunder from Down Under - Australia's Thunder from Down Under "will bring the 'Ultimate Girls Night Outback' to a new level." In a partnership, SPI Entertainment has signed a 10-year extension with MGM Resorts International. "The large-scale partnership will usher in a new chapter for the iconic show - beginning with the opening of 'Thunderland' in July and the massive $6M renovation of its current showroom and show." Thunderland will not only cater to more fans, increasing the venue capacity from 375 to 425, "it will allow the Aussie stars to give fans more of what they want: The new "Thunder Lounge" will offer exclusive pre- and post- show programing. The performance schedule also will be expanded to accompany the new bigger, bolder venue - in addition to the nightly 9 p.m. shows, new 11 p.m. shows will be added on Thursdays and Sundays during peak times." The cast size will also expand - and the chiseled performers will be hotter than ever when they take the stage at Thunderland, returning with smoldering new costumes and dance routines.

10:23 EDT Soliton receives FDA 510(k) clearance for acoustic shockwave RAP device - Soliton announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market its Rapid Acoustic Pulse device for tattoo removal. The device is indicated as an accessory to the 1064 nm Q-Switched laser for black ink tattoo removal on the arms, legs and torso in Fitzpatrick Skin Type I-III individuals. CEO Chris Capelli said, "In the clinical trials submitted to the FDA as part of the 510(k) application that was just cleared, we demonstrated that our RAP device can enable tattoo removal in just 2-3 office visits. In contrast, a separate independent study of 397 tattoo owners, demonstrated that the standard of care laser-only method required 10 or more office visits to achieve acceptable results. Taking into consideration that the tattoo removal industry is estimated to grow to approximately $4.8B annually by 2023, we are eager to further our commercialization plans and move towards our launch and revenue generation as early the first half of 2020."

10:03 EDT Discover Global Network partners with Sage to expand in the UK, Ireland - Discover Global Network, the payments brand of Discover, has signed an agreement with Sage that provides cardholders more options to pay at key hospitality and retail merchants throughout the UK and Ireland. The agreement with Sage Pay gives Discover Global Network cardholders, which includes Discover, Diners Club and affiliate network cardholders, more options to pay for purchases whether it's in-store or online. Merchants will now be able to provide additional payment options and reach a wider base of customers.

10:00 EDT First American falls -9.9% - First American is down -9.9%, or -$5.48 to $49.78.

10:00 EDT Eldorado Gold rises 13.8% - Eldorado Gold is up 13.8%, or 43c to $3.54.

10:00 EDT Anaplan rises 15.8% - Anaplan is up 15.8%, or $5.87 to $42.98.

09:53 EDT Armata jumps after journal publishes treatment of cystic fibrosis patient - Armata Pharmaceuticals announced earlier today the publication of a case study involving a cystic fibrosis patient who was "successfully" treated for a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection with the company's natural phage product, AP-PA01. The paper, entitled "Successful adjunctive use of bacteriophage therapy for treatment of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in a cystic fibrosis patient," appears in the peer-reviewed journal Infection. In addition to its work with AP-PA01, Armata is engineering its Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage to create a new, synthetic phage product, AP-PA02, the company said in a statement. "The publication of this successful treatment case study, with an Armata phage administered through our single-patient expanded access program, adds to the impressive and growing body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of our phage product candidates, and bacteriophage in general. To solidify our position as a leader in the development of phage-based therapeutics, we are currently working with key opinion leaders to map out an efficient clinical strategy for both our Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus phage product candidates, and plan to file an IND later this year for our Staphylococcus phage candidate," said Todd Patrick, CEO of Armata. The stock in early trading is up 23%, or 73c, to $3.90.

09:47 EDT First American falls -5.1% - First American is down -5.1%, or -$2.84 to $52.42.

09:47 EDT Seadrill falls -14.9% - Seadrill is down -14.9%, or -82c to $4.68.

09:47 EDT SMIC rises 10.5% - SMIC is up 10.5%, or 55c to $5.79.

09:42 EDT Neonode appoints Maria Ek as CFO - Neonode announced the appointment of Maria Ek as new CFO, effective June 1, 2019. Lars Lindqvist, who has served as CFO of Neonode since August 2014 will remain available to assist with the transition of leadership responsibilities. Maria Ek has been serving as corporate controller for Neonode since December 2018.

09:29 EDT Vystar Corp to acquire FEC for $100,000 in restricted common stock - Vystar Corp announced that its board has ratified a definitive agreement to acquire Fluid Energy Conversion, or FEC. FEC is a global green energy company whose patented and proprietary technologies harness sound energy in unique ways to destroy bacteria and viruses, improve water processing and irrigation and enhance chemical reactions. Under the terms of the agreement, Vystar will acquire 100% of assets of FEC, primarily consisting of its patent on the Hughes Reactor, for $100,000 in restricted common stock of Vystar. All stock will be restricted and subject to a lock-up. The Vystar board of directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which was previously approved by majority shareholder consent.

09:19 EDT Bio-Techne's new Exosome-based liquid biopsies featured in published study - Bio-Techne announced the publication of a recent validation study demonstrating that the proprietary exosome-based liquid biopsy tests from Bio-Techne's Exosome Diagnostics brand may be used to assess the mutational status of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor - or EGFR - gene in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The data from this study will be available to discuss at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago. The study published in Oncotarget describes Bio-Techne's proprietary technique to co-isolate exosomal RNA/DNA and cell-free tumor DNA in a single step, followed by a qPCR-based assay to detect 29 different types of mutations in EGFR. Highlights of the data include: the extended EGFR panel achieved a sensitivity of 92% and 95% both at 100% specificity, and 86% sensitivity for exon 19 indels at 94% specificity in patients with M1b extra-thoracic disease. Including the challenging patients with intrathoracic disease resulted in a sensitivity of 90%, 83% and 73% for exon 19 indels.

09:15 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: TSYS (TSS), up 5% after announcing a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals with Global Payments (GPN)... TransEnterix (TRXC), up 9% after receiving Japanese regulatory approval for the Senhance Surgical System... Jumei (JMEI), up 12% after announcing a $100M share repurchase plan. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Anaplan (PLAN), up 11%... Jianpu Technology (JT), up 3%... Momo (MOMO), up 7%. LOWER: Global Payments (GPN), down 3% after announcing merger of equals deal with TSYS... BioMarin (BMRN), down 4% after an update to its previously reported results of an open-label Phase 1/2 study and also reporting results of a Phase 3 study of valoctocogene roxaparvovec, an investigational gene therapy treatment for adults with severe hemophilia A... Nutanix (NTNX), down 4% after Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight... Booz Allen (BAH), down 1% after earnings.

09:10 EDT Mosaic announces resumption of mining at Catalao - Mosaic Fertilizantes, the Brazil-based business unit of Mosaic, announced that it has resumed mining activities at its Catalao mine in the state of Goias. The mine is operating at full capacity. "We are pleased that Catalao has returned to full production," said Mosaic President and CEO Joc O'Rourke. "We have continued to meet our customers' needs while Catalao and other mines have been idled, and we believe that we will return to full operation across our Brazilian mines by the end of the third quarter." The Catalao mine was idled for two months while the company worked to bring its mine tailings dam into compliance with new Brazilian regulation. In addition, the first of two dams at the company's Tapira mine received a certificate of safety. The second dam at Tapira is expected to receive its safety certificate during the third quarter, when the mine will return to full production.

09:08 EDT Galectin Therapeutics says raises $44.5M in rights offering - Galectin Therapeutics announced its Rights Offering has closed. The Rights Offering resulted in the issuance of approximately 10.4 million shares of the company's common stock at a price of $4.28 per share, for total gross proceeds of $44.5M to the company. Investors in the Rights Offering also received warrants for the purchase of approximately 2.6 million shares of the company's common stock with an exercise price of $7.00 per share, which expire seven years after issuance. After giving effect to the rights offering, the company has approximately 56 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Richard E. Uihlein, Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated, "We are pleased with the results of the Rights Offering and are gratified that so many of our stockholders responded by making further investments in our Company. From the outset, we wanted to turn first to our stockholder base and give them the opportunity to continue supporting our company, its development program, and its clinical trials; we are proud that so many did so, with investments large and small. This capital raise positions us to proceed with plans to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial this fall in patients with NASH cirrhosis." Separately, Uihlein also exercised 500,000 Common Stock Warrants at an exercise price of $5.00 per share for proceeds of $2.5M.

09:07 EDT Vistra Energy made exclusive energy provider for Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field - Vistra Energy subsidiary Dynegy has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Chicago Cubs to become the Official and Exclusive Energy Provider for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. In addition to powering the ballpark, Dynegy will have an in-ballpark sponsorship and marketing presence as part of its multi-year deal.

09:06 EDT Easterly Government Properties acquires FBI Field Office in New Orleans - Easterly Government Properties announced that it has acquired a 137,679-square foot Federal Bureau of Investigation Field Office in New Orleans, Louisiana. FBI - New Orleans is a four-story single tenant facility located on a 6.6-acre site chosen by the government that houses the FBI's New Orleans Division, which oversees federal operations in all of Louisiana, including six satellite offices in Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport. This build-to-suit construction was originally completed in 1999 and renovated in 2006 and is 100% occupied by the FBI until August 2029 under a non-cancelable remaining lease term of 10 years. Additionally, the GSA has an option to renew the lease for an additional 10-year term, expiring in 2039.

09:06 EDT Upland Software acquires Kapost in accretive deal - Upland Software has acquired Kapost, a content operations platform provider for sales and marketing. The acquisition adds approximately $15M in annualized revenues and will be immediately accretive to Upland's Adjusted EBITDA per share. The purchase price paid for Kapost was $45M in cash at closing, and a $5M cash holdback payable in 12 months. Upland expects the acquisition to generate annual revenue of approximately $15M, of which $13.5M is recurring, subject to reductions for a deferred revenue discount as a result of GAAP purchase accounting, estimated as $2.2M for the remainder of 2019. The acquisition is within Upland's target price range of 5-8x pro forma Adjusted EBITDA and will generate at least $7M in Adjusted EBITDA annually once fully integrated. The acquisition will be immediately accretive to Upland's Adjusted EBITDA per share.

09:03 EDT Tetra Tech wins $25M Anacostia River sediment contract - Tetra Tech announced that the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment awarded the company a $25M contract for technical support services for assessment and remediation of contaminated sediments in the tidal portion of the Anacostia River, a heavily urbanized river flowing through the nation's capital. Tetra Tech will support assessment and restoration activities at sites throughout the District as part of large-scale efforts initiated by the DC government to revitalize the river and the surrounding communities to promote a more sustainable urban environment. Under this five-year contract, Tetra Tech will further define areas of sediment contamination in the Anacostia River and begin design of the remedy using predictive modeling, field sampling, and data analytics. Tetra Tech scientists also will conduct investigation, risk assessment, and remedial activities at sites throughout Washington, DC, to support the DOEE with its mission of protecting human health and the environment.

09:02 EDT Amazon announces new essay collection from Mindy Kaling - Amazon Original Stories, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, announced Mindy Kaling's forthcoming essay collection, coming in summer 2020. Kaling's essays will be available for free to Prime and Kindle Unlimited customers. Readers and listeners can download the collection as a Kindle eBook or as an Audible audiobook, which Kaling will narrate herself. Kaling is represented by Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment.

09:01 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Cairnstone Financial, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Zionsville, Indiana-based Cairnstone Financial. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2010, Cairnstone Financial is a benefits consultant offering group health, life, wellness, retirement, disability and dental coverages and services to middle-market clients across the Midwestern United States.

09:00 EDT Todos Medical to acquire remaining 80.01% of BD JV from Amarantus - Todos Medical announced that it has received and analyzed data from the University of Leipzig on the lymphocyte proliferation test, which demonstrated a strong correlation between LymPro and amyloid PET. Upon review of the LymPro data, Todos Medical exercised its exclusive option to acquire the remaining 80.01% of its joint venture Breakthrough Diagnostics from Amarantus Bioscience Holdings. The transaction is expected to close upon listing of Todos' common stock on a national stock exchange.

08:52 EDT Perspecta awarded $75M for National Background Investigation Service reform - Perspecta has been awarded an Other Transaction Agreement from the Defense Security Service and Defense Information Systems Agency, to support the continued reform and modernization strategy for the National Background Investigation Service. The two-year award represents new work for the company and has a potential ceiling value of nearly $75M. Under the agreement, Perspecta will work to update and rebuild the Department of Defense personnel security vetting and adjudication technology apparatus.

08:46 EDT Clear Channel Outdoor awarded contract extension by Omaha Airport advertising - Clear Channel Outdoor's Clear Channel Airports brand division has been awarded a new three-year extension of its existing airport advertising contract by Omaha Airport Authority's Eppley Airfield. This agreement continues a relationship that began in 2009 when CCA invested nearly a half million dollars in deployment of first-to-market digital media to OMA. OMA is a medium-hub airport that served over 5 million passengers in 2018.

08:44 EDT Inpixon announces intention to acquire GPS assets of U.S. company - Inpixon announced it intends to acquire certain GPS products, software, technologies and intellectual property from a U.S. based company specializing in global positioning system, or GPS, technologies. The transaction is anticipated to expand Inpixon's patent portfolio and will include certain granted or licensed patents and GPS and RF technologies. The company has entered into a non binding letter of intent but has not entered into a definitive agreement for the proposed transaction. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the transaction will occur. The proposed transaction is subject to the satisfaction of due diligence, negotiating the terms of and executing a definitive agreement relating to the proposed transaction and obtaining and satisfying all other necessary closing conditions. Furthermore, the terms of the transaction is expected to include a combination of cash and equity but is still subject to discussion and may be changed as a result of any material positive or adverse change to the business of either party.

08:40 EDT Medical Properties Trust acquires 46% stake in Infracore for $236.5M - Medical Properties Trust announced that it has acquired for $236.5M a 46% stake in Swiss healthcare real estate company Infracore from previous majority shareholder, Aevis Victoria. Infracore's real estate is valued at almost $900M, making MPT's share approximately $410M and MPT the largest shareholder. The Infracore portfolio is comprised of 13 state-of-the-art acute care hospital campuses located throughout Switzerland and operated primarily by Swiss Medical Network, a wholly-owned Aevis subsidiary. Aevis and additional existing shareholder Baloise Group will each retain smaller stakes in Infracore. MPT used cash on hand in Europe to fund the investment. The hospital campuses total approximately 1.5 million square feet of assets, with an average 23 year remaining lease term. MPT's investment reflects an initial return of approximately 5.0% and will be adjusted annually by 100% of Swiss inflation. Infracore presently has debt approximating 50% of its real estate value with a weighted average interest rate of 1.7%.

08:38 EDT MyoKardia presents results from MYK-491 at European Society of Cardiology - MyoKardia presented data at the European Society of Cardiology from its Phase 1a single-ascending dose study of MYK-491 in healthy volunteers. MYK-491 is MyoKardia's most advanced activator molecule, designed to increase contractility of the heart with minimal effects on myocardial relaxation. First-in-human data from the Phase 1a clinical trial of MYK-491 in healthy volunteers showed the drug to be well tolerated. MYK-491 increased cardiac contractility by 5%-20% across multiple echocardiographic parameters at higher drug concentrations, with minimal impact on diastolic function. MYK-491 is currently being studied in a Phase 2a multiple-ascending dose clinical trial for the treatment of patients with systolic heart failure, in which the heart is unable to contract sufficiently to meet the demands of the body. The Phase 1 randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study was designed to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single-ascending oral doses of MYK-491. Sixty-four healthy adult volunteers were enrolled and randomized to receive placebo or single-ascending doses of MYK-491 ranging from 3mg-550mg. MYK-491 was generally well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities observed. Transient and spontaneously resolving arrhythmias were reported. The most common adverse event reported was headache, and there was no trend for increased AE frequency associated with higher dose concentrations. Pharmacokinetic results indicated MYK-491 may be amenable to once- or twice-daily dosing. Dose- and concentration-dependent increases in stroke volume and other indicators of enhanced systolic function were observed, including increases in left ventricular fractional shortening and ejection fraction as well as decreases in end-systolic left ventricular dimensions. At the highest dose cohort, a modest prolongation of systolic ejection time and no discernible impact on relaxation and diastolic function were observed.

08:36 EDT Intelsat appoints David Tolley as CFO - Intelsat announced the appointment of David Tolley as Executive Vice President and CFO, effective June 3. Tolley will serve on Intelsat's Management Committee and be based in the company's U.S. administrative headquarters in McLean, Virginia. He most recently served as the CFO of OneWeb.

08:18 EDT SuperCom wins juvenile day reporting services contract for up to $3.7M - SuperCom's subsidiary, Leaders in Community Alternatives, has won a new project contract with a California county to provide juvenile day reporting services. The contract focuses on services to youth which include case management, substance abuse education, community service projects, and program support services. This new contract, which expands existing services provided by LCA, is valued at up to $3.7M 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 up to $750K, higher than the prior contract, which generated annual recurring revenues of $400K. The initial deployment and generation of recurring revenues are expected to commence in the summer of 2019.

08:13 EDT Saratoga Investment increases quarterly dividend 1c to 55c per share - Saratoga Investment announced that its board has declared an increased quarterly dividend of 55c per share for the fiscal quarter ended May 31 payable on June 27 to all stockholders of record at the close of business on June 13. The company paid a quarterly dividend of 54c per share for the quarter ended February 28.

08:06 EDT Biocept awarded patent in China for its circulating tumor cell platform - Biocept has been awarded a Chinese Patent entitled, Devices and methods of cell capture and analysis. The issued patent covers methods and devices for the capture of rare cells of interest, including CTCs that are shed into the blood stream by solid tumors where an antibody, or mixture of antibodies, and a microchannel are used for cell capture, detection, and analysis. The patent encompasses the use of any biological sample type of interest and is the 33rd patent issued to Biocept that is core to its liquid biopsy technology and commercial testing platforms.

08:03 EDT Avis Budget announces planned departure of president and CEO Larry De Shon - Avis Budget Group announced the planned departure of President and CEO Larry De Shon after a 13-year career with the company. De Shon will remain in his current positions until his successor has been named and will continue to be employed by the company until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. The Board has formed a CEO Search Committee led by Director Lynn Krominga, Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee.Leonard S. Coleman, Chairman of the Board, stated: "On behalf of the Board and the entire team, I'd like to thank Larry for the many contributions he has made to Avis Budget Group since he joined the Company in 2006, and for his exceptional leadership as CEO for the last four years. Larry has played an instrumental role in positioning Avis Budget for the future of mobility, while navigating through unprecedented industry challenges. Together with our outstanding management team, Larry has built a strong foundation for growth and continued success. We are pleased that we will continue to have access to Larry's insights."

07:56 EDT Eli Lilly to acquire worldwide rights for CNTX-0290 from Centrexion Therapeutics - Eli Lilly and Company announced a license agreement to acquire the exclusive worldwide rights for CNTX-0290 from Centrexion Therapeutics, a company focused on developing non-opioid, non-addictive therapeutics for the treatment of chronic pain. CNTX-0290, is a novel, small molecule somatostatin receptor type 4 agonist that is currently being studied in Phase 1 clinical testing as a potential non-opioid treatment for chronic pain conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will pay Centrexion an upfront payment of $47.5M and Centrexion may be eligible for up to $575M in potential development and regulatory milestones. If CNTX-0290 is successfully commercialized, Centrexion would be eligible for up to $375M in potential sales milestones and tiered royalties ranging from the high-single to low-double digits. Lilly and Centrexion may also elect at a later date to co-promote CNTX-0290 in the U.S. There will be no change to Lilly's 2019 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance as a result of this transaction.

07:41 EDT VIVUS announces first patient enrolled in Phase 4 Qsymia trial - VIVUS announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase four clinical study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Qsymia capsules CIV in obese adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years. The Phase four post-marketing study, which the FDA required as part of the approval of Qsymia in 2012, is expected to enroll 200 patients at approximately 20 clinical sites in the United States. The primary endpoint of the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-design study is the mean percentage change in body-mass index, or BMI, in patients randomized 1:1:2 to daily mid- or top-dose Qsymia compared with placebo over 56 weeks of treatment. Participants will also be instructed to follow a reduced-calorie diet and to implement a family-based lifestyle modification program that includes physical activity, behavioral change and family support. Safety and tolerability of Qsymia will also be assessed. The company expects to report top-line results from this Phase four trial in the second half of 2020.

07:40 EDT CGI Group awarded $60M contract by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - CGI has been awarded a five-year contract by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service to enhance and maintain an optimized cloud environment for the Health Plan Management System, CMS's central data repository for Medicare Advantage and Part D health care plans. Worth over $60M, the contract extends CGI's partnership with HPMS, which dates back to the creation of the system in 2004, for an additional five years. CGI is tasked to build a reporting solution to ensure that 26 applications within HPMS operate effectively and efficiently and optimize an Amazon Web Services cloud environment while simultaneously deploying continuous integration and continuous delivery.

07:37 EDT BioMarin drops 6% to $89.07 following valoctocogene data

07:36 EDT Allergan, Gedeon Richter receive FDA approval for expanded use of VRAYLAR - Allergan and Gedeon Richter announced that the U.S. FDA has approved a supplemental New Drug Application for VRAYLAR for expanded use to treat depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults. VRAYLAR is also approved in the U.S. to treat manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults. There are nearly 11M adults in the U.S. living with bipolar disorder, a condition that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels.

07:34 EDT Atlantic Power announces agreement for sale of Manchief plant - Atlantic Power (AT) announced that it has executed an agreement to sell its Manchief power plant to Public Service Co. of Colorado for $45.2M, subject to working capital and other customary adjustments. PSCo, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy (XEL), is the current customer under the Manchief Power Purchase Agreement . Closing of the sale is expected to occur in May 2022, following the expiration of the PPA. Manchief is an approximately 300 megawatt gas-fired peaking facility that entered commercial operation in July 2000. The plant is dispatchable by the customer under the terms of the PPA. In November 2017, the company submitted several proposals in PSCo's 2017 All-Source Solicitation for its longer-term energy supply needs. In June 2018, the company was notified by PSCo that PSCo had selected the proposal under which it would acquire Manchief from the company at the end of the PPA term.

07:32 EDT SAIC enters into strategic partnership with Franklin Venture Partners - Science Applications International announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Franklin Venture Partners to broaden its access and exposure to emerging technologies developed by startup companies across the United States. Through this new alliance, SAIC will have unique investment opportunities and access to commercial technologies that may directly benefit the company or could be delivered to its government customers. As a technology integrator, SAIC's formal relationship with Franklin Venture Partners, a specialized investment team within Franklin Templeton that invests in private investment opportunities, offers additional resources and increased visibility to a network of smaller companies to bring new technologies to government customers.

07:29 EDT Valeritas says devices like V-Go to be included in diabetes standards of care - Valeritas announced the inclusion by the American Diabetes Association, or ADA, of the use of a "disposable patch-like device" for insulin delivery in the new Diabetes Technology chapter of ADA's annual Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes for 2019, published in Diabetes Care. The inclusion in this year's standards of care marks the first time such a device has been incorporated in ADA's current clinical practice recommendations. Clinical studies have demonstrated that patients with type 2 diabetes who have switched from insulin injection therapy to the wearable V-Go lowered blood glucose with less insulin.Studies have also demonstrated that use of V-Go for insulin therapy proved to be a more cost-effective delivery option compared to multiple daily injections using syringes or pens.

07:20 EDT SeaWorld buying back $150M in shares from Pacific Alliance Group - SeaWorld has entered into an agreement to acquire approximately 5.6 million shares for approximately $150.0M from an affiliate of Pacific Alliance Group, or PAG, and long-term SeaWorld investor Hill Path Capital has entered into an agreement for certain of such affiliated investment funds to acquire approximately 13.2 million shares, from an affiliate of PAG, increasing its equity stake in the company to approximately 34.5%. In connection with the closing of Hill Path's purchase of shares, the company agreed to appoint up to three Hill Path director designees to its Board of Directors. Scott Ross currently serves as a director on the Board. In addition, Hill Path has designated James Chambers, a Partner at Hill Path, to be appointed to the Board following the later of the closing of the Hill Path purchase and the company's 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. Hill Path's third director designee is required to be independent of Hill Path and its affiliates and will be appointed after the 2019 annual meeting. The company will increase the size of the Board to allow for the designated Hill Path appointments. Hill Path agreed that shares held in excess of 24.9% generally would be voted consistent with the board's recommendations or consistent with the shares voted by other shareholders.

07:12 EDT Luminex xMap technology selected by EDP Biotech for colorectal cancer test - Luminex has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with EDP Biotech, an in vitro diagnostics developer focused on early detection of disease. EDP Biotech will have the rights to develop, market and sell its blood-based colorectal cancer diagnostic assay, ColoPlex, using Luminex's xMAP Technology. The agreement supports the upcoming commercialization of ColoPlex, a blood test which detects early stage colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous polyps. ColoPlex has the potential to increase patient compliance to colorectal cancer testing guidelines and drive the correct patients to confirmatory colonoscopy while reducing false positives in population-based screening programs. While EDP Biotech is first applying the Luminex technology to early detection of colorectal cancer, ultimately the technology may be adapted to early detection of other tumors and diseases.

07:06 EDT Spectrum announces ZENITH20 trial HER2 Cohort reaches enrollment target - Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced the full enrollment of cohort 2 for previously treated non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, patients with HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations. Topline results from this cohort are expected by mid 2020. This is the second cohort that has met enrollment target in Spectrum's ZENITH20 trial - an open-label, multi-center, global phase 2 trial evaluating NSCLC patients with EGFR or HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations.

07:04 EDT BioMarin: valoctocogene roxaparvovec met pre-specified criteria for review - BioMarin Pharmaceutical announced that its investigational gene therapy, valoctocogene roxaparvovec, for adults with severe hemophilia A achieved pre-specified clinical criteria for regulatory review in the U.S. and Europe. As of May 28, 2019, eight patients in the 20-patient cohort of the Phase 3 GENEr8-1 study achieved Factor VIII levels of 40 international units per deciliter, or IU/dL, or more, at 23 to 26 weeks, meeting the pre-specified criteria for Factor VIII activity levels. The company will meet with the FDA and EMA to review the phase 3 data and the other elements of a submission and intends to announce the timing for its planned marketing applications in 3Q 2019. As of the April 30, 2019 data cutoff, between weeks 23 to 26, in a cohort of the Phase 3 GENEr8-1 study of valoctocogene roxaparvovec dosed at 6e13 vg/kg, seven of 16 study participants reached or exceeded the pre-specified Factor VIII levels of 40 international units per deciliter using the chromogenic substrate, or CS, assay. Subsequent to the April 30 cutoff, one additional participant met that criteria, bringing the total to eight participants. For the 16 patients who had reached week 26 by the April 30 cutoff since administration of valoctocogene roxaparvovec, the estimated median Annual Bleed Rate, or ABR, was zero and the estimated mean ABR was 1.5, representing a reduction of 85% from baseline levels where all patients were on standard of care prophylaxis. In addition, there was an 84% reduction in median annualized Factor VIII usage and a 94% reduction in mean FVIII usage annualized between week 5 and 26. In the 23 to 26 week time period the mean Factor VIII level using the CS assay was 36 IU/dL and the median was 33 IU/dL. "Reaching this pre-specified clinical endpoint is an important milestone that brings us one step closer to a potential regulatory submission in both the U.S. and Europe for valoctocogene roxaparvovec to treat adults with severe hemophilia A," said Hank Fuchs, M.D., President of Worldwide Research and Development at BioMarin. "Our discussions with the FDA and EMA underscore the high level of unmet need in the hemophilia community, and we look forward to continuing our productive dialogue on the submissions." The FDA granted valoctocogene roxaparvovec Breakthrough Therapy Designation. The FDA's Breakthrough Therapy Designation program is intended to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious condition. To qualify for Breakthrough Therapy Designation, preliminary clinical evidence must show that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies. The European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has granted access to its Priority Medicines, or PRIME, regulatory initiative for valoctocogene roxaparvovec. To be accepted for PRIME, an investigational therapy has to show its potential to benefit patients with unmet medical needs based on early clinical data. PRIME focuses on medicines that may offer a major therapeutic advantage over existing treatments, or benefit patients with no treatment options. These medicines are considered priority medicines within the European Union, or EU. BioMarin's valoctocogene roxaparvovec has also received orphan drug designation from the FDA and EMA for the treatment of severe hemophilia A. The Orphan Drug Designation program is intended to advance the evaluation and development of products that demonstrate promise for the diagnosis and/or treatment of rare diseases or conditions.

07:03 EDT Canopy Growth unit Vert Mirabel now fully licensed by Health Canada - Les Serres Vert Cannabis, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth and a portfolio company of Canopy Rivers, has received its final cultivation licence from Health Canada. All 700,000 sq. ft. of operating space at Vert Mirabel is now licensed for cannabis production. Vert Mirabel was established in December 2017 between Canopy Growth, Canopy Rivers, and Les Serres Stephane Bertrand. The licence for Vert Mirabel increases the facility's growing space by 190,000 sq. ft. It brings Canopy Growth's total Canadian licensed production footprint to approximately 4.6M sq. ft, another step towards its nearly 5.6M sq. ft. national platform. The Vert Mirabel facility leverages Bertrand's multi-generational greenhouse operational expertise to produce high-quality cannabis.

06:59 EDT Global Payments, TSYS agree to combine in all-stock merger of equals - Global Payments (GPN) and TSYS (NYSE:TSS) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals. Combined, Global Payments and TSYS will provide payments and software solutions to approximately 3.5M predominantly small to mid-sized merchant locations and more than 1,300 financial institutions across more than 100 countries. Under the terms of the merger agreement, TSYS shareholders will receive 0.8101 Global Payments shares for each share of TSYS common stock, representing an equity value for TSYS of approximately $21.5B. This reflects a price per share of $119.86 for each share of TSYS common stock, and an approximately 20% premium to TSYS' unaffected common share price as of the close of business on May 23. Upon closing, Global Payments shareholders will own 52% of the combined company, and TSYS shareholders will own 48% on a fully diluted basis. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by each company's Board of Directors. Upon closing, the Board of Directors of the combined company will consist of 12 members, 6 of whom will be from the Board of Directors of Global Payments and 6 of whom will be from the Board of Directors of TSYS. Troy Woods will become Chairman of the Board of Directors and Jeff Sloan will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company and a Board member. Cameron Bready will become President and Chief Operating Officer of the combined company and Paul Todd will become Chief Financial Officer. The combined company will be named Global Payments and will have dual headquarters in Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia. Global Payments will conduct its issuer solutions business under the TSYS name, and NetSpend will continue to be the go-to-market name for the consumer solutions business. The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, is subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and the approval of shareholders of both companies. The transaction is not subject to any financing conditions.

06:57 EDT Mallinckrodt announces updated plans for Specialty Generics business spin-off - Mallinckrodt announced updated plans for its spin-off of a new company consisting of Mallinckrodt's Specialty Generics business to Mallinckrodt shareholders. The separation is intended to create two independent, appropriately capitalized, publicly traded companies, one focused on specialty branded pharmaceuticals, the other concentrated primarily in specialty generic products and APIs manufacturing. The separation is subject to final Mallinckrodt board approval. As previously announced, the planned separation is expected to be executed through a pro-rata distribution of common stock of Mallinckrodt Inc., a newly formed company that, at the time of the separation, will hold the Specialty Generics business, to Mallinckrodt's shareholders, generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The completed spin-off is projected to occur in the second half of 2019. It is anticipated that Mallinckrodt Inc. will be listed on the NYSE and will assume the MNK ticker symbol along with the Mallinckrodt name. At separation, the remaining specialty brands company will continue to be listed on the NYSE, renamed Sonorant Therapeutics and is expected to adopt SRTX as its ticker symbol. James Sulat has been nominated as the independent chairman of the board of the new company upon separation. Most recently, Sulat was the CEO of Maxygen. As progress is made toward separation completion, the new board of directors for Mallinckrodt Inc. will be expanded and announced as appropriate. As previously announced, Matthew Harbaugh, current president of Mallinckrodt's Specialty Generics business and formerly the company's CFO, is projected to become president and CEO of the new company upon completion of the separation. Eric Slusser has joined the company and is expected to serve as CFO of the new company upon separation. Slusser has more than 35 years of experience in corporate finance, audit, business development, information technology, financial planning and analysis, controllership, real estate and investor relations. A full management team is now in place and the two businesses are on track to be operationally ready for separation. With approximately 1,600 employees, the newly separated company will include a acetaminophen business, a portfolio of both APIs and generic finished dose forms of controlled substances and other drugs, a specialty generics development portfolio and a U.S. manufacturing footprint. The Specialty Generics business' outlook for 2019 is largely driven by volume-based market share recapture. Its pipeline is progressing toward long-term advances with nearly 20 products in development, approximately 70% of which are non-controlled substance molecules and the branded versions of those products currently aggregate to more than $10B of net sales. While a final capital structure has yet to be determined, prior to spin-off the new Specialty Generics company anticipates raising a conservative amount of debt of up to $300M. Net proceeds from the debt will be distributed to the parent after deducting for standard transaction costs and operating needs. A revised Mallinckrodt Inc. registration statement on Form 10 which, among other things, will reflect the removal of the Amitiza product from the assets to be held by the new specialty generics company at separation, is expected to be filed in June. Recast historical financials for the consolidated specialty generics segment, moving Amitiza to the specialty brands segment, are estimated to be provided in June as well. Completion of the separation transaction remains subject to certain conditions, including final Mallinckrodt board approval; an opinion from tax counsel regarding the treatment of the spin-off as generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes to Mallinckrodt shareholders and the SEC declaring the registration statement on Form 10 effective. There can be no assurance regarding the final allocation of assets between the two companies, the ultimate timing of the proposed separation, or that the spin-off will be completed.

06:50 EDT Booz Allen reports total backlog $19.3B as of March 31 - Compared to $16B as of March 31, 2018, an increase of 20.6%.

06:40 EDT Landec CEO Molly Hemmeter resigns, board member Albert D. Bolles succeeds - Landec has named board member Albert D. Bolles as CEO effective immediately, following the resignation of Molly Hemmeter for personal reasons. Bolles has served on Landec's board since May 2014. Bolles will retain his seat on the board as he assumes his new role of CEO of Landec. Andrew Powell, a Landec board member since October 2018, was elected to serve as interim chairman of the board, replacing Steven Goldby who has retired after more than ten years of board service. Greg Skinner was promoted to executive VP of finance and will retain his position as Landec's CFO. Bolles most recently served as executive vice president, chief technology and operations officer of ConAgra Foods. Prior to joining ConAgra in 2006, Bolles served as VP, worldwide R&D for PepsiCo Beverages and Foods.

06:35 EDT HEXO Corp establishes HEXO USA, appoints Michael Monahan as CFO - HEXO Corp is formalizing its US presence with the appointment of Michael Monahan as CFO and the establishment of HEXO USA. With the passing of the Farm Bill to allow CBD extraction from hemp, HEXO Corp aims to seize a significant portion of market share in the US. Michael Monahan most recently served as CFO of Nutrisystem prior to its sale in March 2019. Before that, he was CFO of PetroChoice Holdings.

06:32 EDT BrightView acquires two landscaping companies from FirstService - BrightView (BV) acquired Luke's Landscaping and Desert Classic Landscaping, both previously owned and operated by FirstService Residential, a subsidiary of FirstService (FSV). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Both Luke's and Desert Classic are single-source, year-round landscape service providers. Luke's currently operates two branches in South Florida with nearly 250 employees. Desert Classic currently operates two branches with more than 250 employees serving customers across the entire valley area of Phoenix, Ariz.

06:30 EDT Meredith announces sale of Sports Illustrated to ABG for $110M - Authentic Brands Group announced yesterday that it has finalized the purchase of the intellectual property of Sports Illustrated from Meredith Corporation. The acquisition adds a new vertical to ABG's growing platform and portfolio, which currently generates over $9.3B in global retail sales annually, the company said in a statement. Through this acquisition, ABG forges a strategic partnership with Meredith to build a global platform that converges the worlds of sports, culture and entertainment. ABG assumes the marketing, business development and licensing functions for the Sports Illustrated intellectual property and brand, while the print magazine and SI.com will maintain editorial independence and continue to operate under the leadership of Meredith and Editor-in-Chief Chris Stone and Publisher Danny Lee. ABG has acquired the intellectual property of Sports Illustrated from Meredith for $110M. The purchase includes SI's associated brands including Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Kids, Sportsperson of the Year, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, SI and SI TV. The transaction does not include the FanSided digital platform, which Meredith is currently in the process of selling. ABG also acquires the rights to over 2 million images as part of Sports Illustrated's archive of owned photography. Meredith is using the transaction proceeds to pay down debt. With the sale of Sports Illustrated, Meredith will have paid approximately $900M of debt by June 30, 2019. Meredith intends to pay another $100M in debt in the first quarter of its fiscal 2020 after completing the sale of FanSided and Viant to reach its stated goal of $1B of debt pay down.

06:07 EDT Ares Management to invest in Volery Capital Partners - Ares Management and Volery Capital Partners have reached an agreement under which Ares will become a minority shareholder of Volery and provide capital to support the firm's operating and investment activities. Volery is a private equity firm that provides growth equity and strategic support to leading investment managers that generate positive environmental and social impact. The firm also selectively pursues direct, co-investment and other opportunistic transactions. Volery's first portfolio company is a sustainable agriculture asset manager with approximately $1.3B of assets under management.

06:04 EDT Orion Group announces $25M contract award - Orion Group announced a contract award of approximately $25M. The company's Marine segment has been awarded the Fairview Avenue North bridge replacement construction contract from the City of Seattle, Washington. The company's scope includes the demolition of two existing bridges and replacement with a single bridge spanning approximately 540 feet. The work is expected to begin in the third quarter with completion anticipated for early 2021.

06:03 EDT EVO Payments, Bci to establish new card acceptance joint venture in Chile - EVO Payments announced that it is forming a 10-year joint venture with Banco de Credito e Inversiones, the third largest private bank in Chile. As a result of the joint venture, EVO will become the first international merchant acquirer to enter the Chilean market by partnering with a national financial institution. Under the terms of the agreement, EVO will acquire a 50.1% ownership stake in the new joint venture. Bci will provide exclusive referrals from its existing customer base and any new bank relationships. The transaction is expected to close after receiving regulatory approval.

05:07 EDT TuanChe appoints Hui Yuan as COO - TuanChe announced the appointment of Hui Yuan as COO, reporting to Wei Wen, Chairman and CEO of TuanChe. The appointment is effective on May 27. Prior to joining TuanChe, Yuan co-founded XiongmaoCar and served as a Vice President of Bitauto Holdings.