Stockwinners Market Radar for June 10, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:44 EDT Westwater Resources discloses $10M purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital - Westwater Resources announced it has entered into a purchase agreement and registration rights agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, a current investor in Westwater. Under the purchase agreement, Westwater, from time to time over a 24 month period, will have the right to sell up to $10M of its stock to Lincoln Park. Westwater will control the timing and amount of any sales to Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park has also agreed not to cause or engage in any direct or indirect short selling or hedging of the company's common stock.

19:32 EDT Intel to acquire Barefoot Networks, terms not stated - Intel has signed an agreement to acquire Barefoot Networks, "an emerging leader in Ethernet switch silicon and software for use in the data center, specializing in the programmability and flexibility necessary to meet the performance and ever-changing needs of the hyperscale cloud." Intel states: "Barefoot Networks will add deep expertise in cloud network architectures, P4-programmable high-speed data paths, switch silicon development, P4 compilers, driver software, network telemetry and computational networking. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Barratt and his team to the Intel family once the transaction closes, which is expected to be in the third quarter of 2019."

18:51 EDT YouTube CEO says regulations can have unintended consequences - YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki told Recode's Peter Kafka on stage at CodeCon that she knows the decision about YouTube's policy changes was "hurtful" to the LGBTQ community, which was "not our intention." "When we look at harassment there are a number of things we look at," Wojcicki said. "First we look at the context. ...We looked at the context and that's really important. We also looked to see if it's a public figure and if it's malicious with the intent of harassment." When asked about YouTube users who are asking for more transparency, the YouTube head said that the platform tries to be really transparent and is working to be more transparent about why something violates its policies or not. She added that the company can definitely continue to improve how it manages the platform, and noted that if YouTube wasn't open, it would "lost a lot of voices." In response to a question about regulations, Wojcicki told Kafka that regulation "can have unintended consequences" and that it is important for YouTube to work closely with different governments and to help think about unintended consequences that might make things worse. Reference Link

18:23 EDT AWS announces general availability of Amazon Personalize - Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com company, announced the general availability of Amazon Personalize, bringing the same machine learning technology used by Amazon.com to AWS customers for use in their applications - with no machine learning experience required. Amazon Personalize makes it easy to develop applications with a wide array of personalization use cases, including specific product recommendations, individualized search results, and customized direct marketing. Amazon Personalize is a fully managed service that trains, tunes, and deploys custom, private machine learning models. Amazon Personalize provisions the necessary infrastructure and manages the entire machine learning pipeline, including processing the data, identifying features, selecting algorithms, and training, optimizing, and hosting the results. Customers receive results via an Application Programming Interface and only pay for what they use, with no minimum fees or upfront commitments.

18:09 EDT Turtle Beach CEO buys 10.5K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Turtle Beach disclosed that its CEO Juergen Stark bought 10.5K share of common stock on June 10th. The total transaction size was $103K.

17:38 EDT Freeport McMoRan CFO Quirk acquires 50,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Freeport-McMoRan CFO Kathleen L. Quirk disclosed the acquisition of 50,000 common shares of the company at a price of $10.4868 per share.

17:28 EDT Intrexon Chairman Randal Kirk buys over 483K shares of company stock - Intrexon Chairman Randal Kirk disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had purchased 483,268 shares of company stock at $5.24 per share between June 6 and June 7. The total transaction value of the purchase was $2,534,161.

17:20 EDT UQM Technologies says CFIUS to extend period of investigation - UQM Technologies, Inc. announced that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has notified the Company by letter dated June 7, 2019 that it will extend its period of investigation regarding the previously announced merger with Danfoss Power Solutions Company. The extended period will be completed no later than July 25, 2019. Management has been given no reason to believe that the results will differ from earlier expectations about the successful closing of the merger with Danfoss. Given the extended review period, management now believes that the closing with Danfoss should occur in the early part of the third quarter of 2019 following CFIUS approval.

17:11 EDT PPG to take pretax $190M restructuring charge - On June 5, PPG Industries approved a cost savings program that includes actions to reduce its global cost structure. The program is the result of a comprehensive internal operational assessment to identify further opportunities to improve the profitability of the overall business portfolio. This program includes further manufacturing optimization; targeted pruning of low-profit business in certain regions; exiting certain smaller product lines that are not meeting profitability objectives; reorganization of certain business unit cost structures based on the current economic climate; and certain redundancy actions related to recent acquisitions. A pretax restructuring charge of approximately $190M, based on current exchange rates, will be recorded in PPG's second quarter 2019 financial results. This charge represents employee severance and other cash costs. As a result of this program, the Company expects to incur over the life of the program approximately $60 million of incremental non-cash accelerated depreciation expense for certain assets due to their reduced expected asset life. In addition, other cash costs of up to $25M to $30M will be incurred over the duration of this program, consisting of incremental restructuring-related cash costs for certain items that are required to be expensed on an as-incurred basis. The majority of restructuring actions are expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter 2020 with the remainder of the actions expected to be completed in 2022. The Company expects the cash payback of the restructuring program to be less than three years and full year run rate savings of about $125M upon completion of the program.

17:07 EDT Ubisoft says UPLAY+ to be available on Google Stadia in 2020 - At its E3 presentation, Ubisoft (UBSFY) said that its upcoming PC subscription service will be available on Google Stadia (GOOGL) in 2020.

17:03 EDT Ubisoft's 'The Division' movie to be made with Netflix - A movie based on Ubisoft's (UBSFY) video game "Tom Clancy's The Division" will be made with Netflix (NFLX), the company said at its E3 presentation.

16:56 EDT Shutterfly to resume trading at 17:00ET

16:50 EDT Ecolab's Biller sells 9,975 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Ecolab director Leslie S. Biller disclosed the sale of 9,975 common shares of the company at a price of $195.012 per share.

16:48 EDT Franklin Resources reports AUM $695.0B as of May 31 vs. $720.5B last month - The decrease in assets under management was attributable to market declines and modest net outflows. Preliminary average assets under management for the quarter, through May 31, 2019, were $709.2B.

16:46 EDT Gartner exec Beck sells 4,032 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Gartner executive VP of Global Technology Sales Joseph P. Beck disclosed the sale of 4,032 common shares of the company at a price of $157.29 per share.

16:37 EDT Pegasystems director Richard Jones sells over $355K in company shares - Pega systems director Richard Jones disclosed in a filing that he had sold 5,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $71.01 per share between June 6 anfd June 7. The total transaction value of the sale was $355,046.

16:36 EDT Orion Engineered to join Russell 3000 Index - Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. announced the company is set to join the broad-market Russell 3000 Index at the conclusion of the 2019 Russell indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the U.S. market opens on July 1, according to a preliminary list of additions posted June 7.

16:33 EDT SAIC achieves Amazon Web Services premier consulting partner status - Science Applications International (SAIC) announced that it has achieved Amazon (AMZN) Web Services Premier Consulting Partner status, the top tier of the global AWS Partner Network. The Premier Consulting Partner status recognizes the company's investment, expertise, and extensive experience deploying solutions on AWS to achieve successful customer outcomes. SAIC designs, plans, and delivers successful AWS cloud solutions to defense, public sector, and commercial customers. The Premier Consulting Partner status is the latest recognition achieved from AWS, adding to the recent AWS Government competency and DevOps competency. SAIC is an AWS Public Sector Partner and authorized commercial and government reseller. "We are excited to achieve AWS Premier Consulting Partner status, which recognizes our commitment to helping our customers with their adoption of cloud technology," said Coby Holloway, SAIC vice president for IT Modernization. "The achievement underscores our ability to combine industry knowledge with technical expertise to deliver the best technology solutions using AWS services."

16:32 EDT Shutterfly names Ryan O'Hara president, CEO - Shutterfly, Inc. announced the appointment of Ryan O'Hara as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 24, 2019. When Ryan joins the company, he will simultaneously be appointed to serve as a director on the Shutterfly board of directors. Ryan joins Shutterfly from Move Inc./Realtor.com. Prior to Move Inc., Ryan served as President of Content, Distribution and Sales for The Madison Square Garden Company. During his tenure, he helped maximize growth and position a restructuring of the business. In addition, he led the national cable TV business and partner marketing and advertising sales, while developing and implementing an overall strategic vision to maximize the company's technological capabilities.

16:31 EDT Shutterfly to be acquired by Apollo Global managed affiliates for $2.7B

16:29 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM of $62.9B as of May 31 - Cohen & Steers, Inc. reported preliminary assets under management of $62.9B as of May 31, 2019, a decrease of $171M from April 30, 2019. The decrease was due to net outflows of $228M and distributions of $207M, partially offset by market appreciation of $264M.

16:24 EDT Campbell Soup appoints Chris Foley President Meals & Beverages - Campbell Soup appointed Chris Foley as President , Campbell Meals & Beverages and Senior Vice President, Campbell Soup Company. Foley will lead the $4.3B division that includes the company's U.S. soup, simple meals and shelf-stable beverages portfolio, as well as Pacific Foods, North America Food Service, Plum and its Canadian and Latin America businesses. Foley will report to Mark Clouse, Campbell's President and CEO, and become a Corporate Officer and a member of the Campbell Leadership Team, effective immediately.

16:17 EDT Casey's General Stores sees FY20 fuel SSS growth (0.5%)-1% - Sees 25 store acquisitions and 60 new store constructions in FY20.

16:09 EDT Phillips 66, Bridger Pipeline to construct Liberty Pipeline - Phillips 66 and Bridger Pipeline announced that they have formed a 50/50 joint venture, Liberty Pipeline, and are proceeding with construction of the Liberty Pipeline. The 24-inch pipeline will provide crude oil transportation service from the Rockies and Bakken production areas to Cushing, Oklahoma. From Cushing, shippers can access multiple Gulf Coast destinations, including Corpus Christi, Ingleside and Houston, Texas. Liberty is underpinned with long-term shipper volume commitments. Initial service on the pipeline is targeted to commence as early as Q1 of 2021, subject to receipt of applicable permits and regulatory approvals. Phillips 66 will lead project construction on behalf of the joint venture and will operate the pipeline. Where feasible, Liberty will utilize existing pipeline and utility corridors and advanced construction techniques to limit environmental and community impact. The project is expected to cost approximately $1.6B. The joint venture plans to hold a supplemental binding open season to be announced at a later date that will enable additional shippers to enter into long-term transportation services agreements.

16:06 EDT Tilray, Valens GroWorks expand extraction services agreement - Valens GroWorks announces that it has expanded the volume of extraction services and has added an option to provide contract manufacturing services to the arm's length, binding multi-year agreement previously announced February 26, 2019 with Tilray. Under the initial two-year term of the expanded Agreement, Valens will extract on a fee for service basis a minimum annual quantity of 60,000kg of dried cannabis and hemp biomass, up 300% from the 15,000kg annual commitment outlined in the original agreement. In addition, the Company may provide contract manufacturing services for tincture bottles and gel caps, with the option to offer contract manufacturing services for other product formats such as vaporizer cartridges and topicals as Health Canada regulations allow.

16:03 EDT American Assets Trust to acquire La Jolla Commons - American Assets Trust has entered into an agreement to acquire La Jolla Commons, consisting of two trophy office towers, an entitled development parcel and two parking structures, located in the preeminent University Town Center submarket of San Diego, California. The purchase price of $525M, less a seller credit of approximately $11.5M, is expected to be paid with a combination of cash on hand and funds drawn against the company's existing credit facility. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.

16:02 EDT Armada Hoffler acquires Thames Street Wharf office building - Armada Hoffler Properties announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Thames Street Wharf office building, located in the Harbor Point development of Baltimore, MD, for $101M. Subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, the company expects to complete the transaction in Q2.

15:39 EDT Deckers Brands director Lauri Shanahan sells almost $282K in shares - Deckers Brands director Lauri Shanahan disclosed in a filing that she had sold 1,813 shares of company stock at $155.53 per share on June 6 for a total transaction value of $281,970.

15:07 EDT Virginia compensation program buys 414,526 shares of Medalist Diversified REIT - Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program buys 414,526 shares of Medalist Diversified REIT for an average price of $4.83 per share between May 23 and May 31 for a for a total transaction value purchase of $2,003,529.

14:37 EDT TherapeuticsMD down 6.5% after giving Q2, Q3, Q4, FY19 revenue guidance

14:20 EDT Freddie Mac to go to market imminently to meet 'green bond' demand - Freddie Mac announced it will soon go to market with a new deal designed to meet the needs of investors seeking "green" bonds. The KG-Deals are the environmental and social impact series of Freddie Mac's flagship K-Deal program. They will exclusively securitize workforce housing loans made through the company's Green Advantage program. The program requires borrowers to make energy and water efficiency improvements to their properties. Freddie Mac has purchased more than $44.7B in green loans since the inception of the program in 2016. "In a way, every K-Deal since 2016 has had some element of green because we have integrated Green Advantage loans throughout our platform since the creation of the program," said Robert Koontz, the head of Capital Markets. "KG-Deal goes a step further, offering environmentally and socially conscious investors the opportunity to invest in bonds that support that mission. Ultimately, these investors are helping to reduce carbon emissions and water usage in thousands of older multifamily units across the country." Freddie Mac's Green Advantage program currently requires that borrowers reduce energy or water consumption by a total of 30% with a minimum of 15% of those efficiencies found through energy improvements. Borrowers have two years to make the improvements, which are tracked in an ENERGY STAR(R) database. The improvements initiated thus far to the more than 1,600 properties financed through the Green Advantage program are projected to save 4.7B gallons of water per year and nearly 1.8 billion kBtu per year in energy per year.

14:06 EDT NovaBay surges after launching sales of bacterial dry eye treatment on Amazon - Shares of small-cap NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NBY) have jumped and been halted for volatility several times during today's session after the company announced this morning that Avenova Direct is available "at affordable pricing and without a prescription" on Amazon.com (AMZN) through the company's new direct-to-consumer online channel. "Avenova, the leading lid and lash spray, is designed for the removal of bacteria and debris on and around the eyelid margin that contribute to bacterial eye infections, which represent approximately 85% of the dry eye market," NovaBay stated in its press release prior to the open. Avenova Direct is available from Amazon in the U.S. in a 20ml size for $29.99. "While prescription Avenova continues to be available through retail pharmacies and direct in-office sales by certain eye care specialists, patients and physicians have asked for greater accessibility to the product. In response, we are launching our new U.S. direct-to-consumer channel, which is a significant step in ensuring easy access at an affordable price. This direct channel further provides NovaBay with set pricing that is not impacted by the current health plan reimbursement environment," said Justin Hall, Interim President and CEO of NovaBay. In afternoon trading, NovaBay shares are up $1.64, or 516%, to $1.96. Reference Link

13:31 EDT Unilever announces agreement to acquire prestige skincare brand Tatcha - Unilever announced it has signed an agreement to acquire prestige skincare brand, Tatcha, which it said "has become a cult favorite introducing Japanese skincare to other parts of the world." The brand is distributed through prestige retailers predominantly in the U.S. and "has an outstanding social media and digital presence," Unilever said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in Q3.

13:01 EDT Ansys, BMW partner to create simulation tool chain for autonomous driving - Ansys (ANSS) and BMW Group (BMWYY) are creating the industry's first holistic simulation tool chain for developing autonomous vehicle technologies. The simulation tool chain will enable highly automated and autonomous driving with the first vehicle launch expected in just two years. BMW Group is leveraging ANSYS' broad pervasive engineering simulation solutions and experience to speed up the development of a safety-focused solution for the validation of AD systems. The multi-year agreement drives the development of BMW Group's Level 3 offering and Level 4-5 technology, delivering high/full automation for the highly anticipated BMW iNEXT, expected to launch in 2021. The new automated simulation tool chain will make efficient use of BMW's large amount of sensor data through intelligent data analytics and the creation of scenarios according to statistical relevance and AD system sensitivity. The scenarios will include usual driving situations and corner cases to ensure maximum test coverage. Based on these scenarios, the tool chain will perform rigorous safety assessments of the AD systems in a high-performance virtual environment. ANSYS and BMW will support its adaptability and openness regarding relevant interfaces and validation approaches to accommodate and foster safety initiatives. ANSYS will assume exclusive rights to the simulation tool chain technology for commercialization to a wider market.

12:53 EDT Clear Channel Airports wins 5-year contract with PBI over advertising network - Clear Channel Airports, the Americas-based airports business of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, announced Palm Beach International Airport selected the U.S. airport media leader for a new five-year airport advertising contract. CCA was selected over two other out-of-home advertising companies via a competitive process and marks CCA's third major contract announced in 2019, following Philadelphia International Airport and Omaha Airport Authority's Eppley Airfield. The new PBI contract and media upgrades begin October 2019.

12:06 EDT Land's End names Sarah Rasmusen chief customer officer - Lands' End announced that it has appointed Sarah Rasmusen, the company's current senior vice president of e-commerce, to the newly-created position of chief customer officer, as part of its continued focus to drive a consistent customer experience across the business. In this new role, Rasmusen will lead customer experience activities for the company across all selling channels. She will also be responsible for developing all strategies and plans related to leveraging and deploying customer-facing capabilities across these channels.

12:00 EDT Cincinnati Bell falls -4.3% - Cincinnati Bell is down -4.3%, or -27c to $5.97.

12:00 EDT Greenhill & Co. falls -5.4% - Greenhill & Co. is down -5.4%, or -85c to $14.86.

12:00 EDT Alteryx rises 9.5% - Alteryx is up 9.5%, or $9.02 to $104.17.

11:42 EDT Parker Aerospace awarded contract to support Boeing's MQ-25 unmanned tanker - Parker Aerospace (PH) has been awarded a contract by The Boeing Company (BA) to supply flight control tail actuation for the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling program. The tail flight control actuator supplied by Parker Aerospace uses the company's proven electrohydraulic servo actuation technology that is flying today on many military, commercial, and business aviation platforms. Parker's flight control actuator is supporting Boeing's MQ-25 test asset. The MQ-25 is the U.S. Navy's first operational, carrier-based, unmanned aircraft and is designed to provide a much-needed refueling capability. The contract supports Boeing's engineering and manufacturing development program to provide four MQ-25 aircraft to the U.S. Navy for Initial Operational Capability by 2024.

11:07 EDT Golden State Warriors, Ticketmaster extend partnership to Chase Center - The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors and Ticketmaster announced a multi-year renewal of their longstanding partnership with Ticketmaster continuing to serve as the Official Ticketing Partner and a Founding Partner of Chase Center, the Warriors' new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex being built in San Francisco's Mission bay neighborhood, set to open this September. With this renewed partnership, Ticketmaster will power venue and ticketing technology of Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors, the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Warriors' G League team, and will be Proud Partners of the Warriors Esports affiliates the Golden Guardians and Warriors Gaming Squad.

10:28 EDT MiMedx Shareholder Group urges invesotrs to vote white proxy card - Mimedx Shareholder Group issued the following statement to fellow shareholders of Mimedx Group: "We TRUST YOU to understand that we have consistently fought for shareholders to have this RIGHT as soon as possible and promoted this by our work with the Florida court and our proxy materials and WHITE CARD. We TRUST YOU to know the Company DID NOT WANT YOU TO HAVE THIS RIGHT TO CHANGE CONTROL NOW. Whether by their actions in the Courts in Florida, or by delaying for at least six months a request of the SEC to grant an exemption to hold the 2018 meeting, the Company has done and continues to do everything in its power to DELAY AND DENY YOU THIS RIGHT. Their blue card tells you not to vote for OUR PROPOSAL requiring the Company to hold the 2019 Annual Meeting on August 19, 2019... We TRUST YOU to make the RIGHT CHOICE for the future of YOUR Company. The voting has started. PLEASE VOTE THE WHITE CARD. The Petit Slate-composed of Parker H. "Pete" Petit, David J. Furstenberg and Shawn P. George-are all long-term shareholders. The Petit Slate is excited about the opportunity ahead and gratified by the expressions of support we continue to receive from many, large long-term shareholders."

10:12 EDT LendingClub appoints Alexandra Shapiro as CMO - LendingClub Corporation announced that it has selected marketer Alexandra Shapiro to serve as the company's chief marketing officer. Shapiro is responsible for executing LendingClub's marketing strategy that supports the company's growth objectives, builds a strong consumer brand, and cultivates a community for members motivated to improve their financial health. Prior to joining LendingClub, Shapiro served as CMO at Intercom and BigCommerce.

10:00 EDT Eros International rises 10.3% - Eros International is up 10.3%, or 34c to $3.64.

09:55 EDT Revolve Group jumps after Citron explains why shares heading to $50 - Echoing a tweet from Friday, Citron Research this morning published a report explaining why it believes new initial public offering Revolve Group (RVLV) is heading to $50 per share. The online retailer is up 21% to $41.05 in early trading. Citron, best known for making bearish calls on stocks, believes Revolve is a "much better business than Farfetch (FTCH) on all facets." Despite Revolve generating an 8% to 9% operating margin while Farfetch is "highly unprofitable," applying Farfetch's 2018 current multiple to Revolve would value the stock between $63 and $64, Citron said in a report posted on its website. "Being conservative, there is nothing that should stop Revolve from seeing $50 and 'beyond,'" concluded the firm run by Andrew Left. Reference Link

09:47 EDT CooTek falls -3.5% - CooTek is down -3.5%, or -29c to $7.96.

09:47 EDT GameStop rises 7.8% - GameStop is up 7.8%, or 39c to $5.41.

09:47 EDT Tableau rises 36.9% - Tableau is up 36.9%, or $46.19 to $171.40.

09:31 EDT Laureate Education COO Ricardo Berckemeyer to step down - Laureate Education announced that president and COO Ricardo Berckemeyer has decided to leave the company after 17 successful years. Separately, Laureate also announced that Jose Roberto Loureiro, CEO of Brazil, has announced his retirement from Laureate. Loureiro joined Laureate in 2010 as Brazil COO and assumed the role of Brazil CEO in 2012. Marcelo Cardoso, currently Laureate's chief transformation officer, will succeed Loureiro. Prior to leading transformation, Mr. Cardoso held a number of executive positions in Laureate Brazil, including the role of COO.

09:28 EDT Genius Brands CEO says increasing IP assets with "impactful programs" - Genius Brands International released a letter to shareholders from Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. The letter read in part, "Last month, Stan Lee's Avengers: Endgame broke Hollywood box office records with a $1.2B opening weekend. Last Wednesday, Genius Brands broke records as well, when we announced Stan Lee's last project, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, starring the voice and likeness of his friend and creative partner, iconic action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The global press exploded with hundreds of stories worldwide, heralding the excitement around this new series, which will join Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama as the third leg of Genius Brands current hits with hundreds of products coming into the marketplace....Simply put, the reaction to Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, has been greater than any property I have seen in my three-decade career producing thousands of animated programs, many of which themselves, have become billion-dollar brands and household names, including Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Real Ghostbusters, Hello Kitty, Where's Waldo, G.I. Joe, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Super Mario Brothers, and Sonic the Hedgehog, among others. The timing of the excitement over Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten couldn't be better for Genius, the very first of over 450 product SKUs being released in the coming months from Llama Lama and Rainbow Rangers, appears this week. Here is the important takeaway message from 30,000 feet: With each passing day, Genius Brands increases its Intellectual Property assets with impactful programs joining the catalog. No less importantly, with each passing day, we come closer to the consumer products licensed from our characters, and which earn royalty income, arriving in the retail marketplace."

09:28 EDT United Technologies CEO says sum-of-the-parts yields $160 per share price - nited Technologies CEO Greg Hayes is speaking on CNBC.

09:17 EDT Medici Land Governance signs MOU with Liberia's Ministry of Finance - Overstock announced that Medici Land Governance, its blockchain subsidiary focused on land administration, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Liberia's Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. The MOU will lead to a pro bono pilot project exploring the potential for the digitization of existing government services and the development of e-government platforms in the African country. In opening itself to blockchain government services, Liberia joins MLG's currently active projects in Zambia and Rwanda. The newest collaboration is designed to support the Liberian government's Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development and, more specifically, Pillar II in the PAPD agenda. The pro bono pilot project will explore moving Liberia towards a digital and blockchain-strengthened economy as well as facilitating interoperability among government services. This includes identifying costs and benefits of implementing full scale digitization of the government's existing systems and processes, which is anticipated to strengthen revenue generating capacities and reduce corruption. During this pilot project, MLG will bring training to Liberia's labor pool to facilitate knowledge transfer and create sustainable jobs, both in the initial gathering of the data, and the technological skills necessary to maintain the system once live.

09:13 EDT Evolus proivdes update on MAA in Europe - Evolus provided an update on the marketing authorization application for Nuceiva in Europe that may result in the European Commission extending its final decision on approval beyond the 90 days previously stated by the company. On April 26, the European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a positive opinion on the MAA for Nuceiva. Following a positive opinion from the CHMP, the EC undergoes an administrative decision-making process before issuing a final decision on an MAA. Evolus was informed by the EMA that the EC has requested supplementary information from the EMA/CHMP as part of their review of the Nuceiva MAA. The EC has the ability to delay its standard timeline if additional information is requested of the EMA/CHMP during its decision-making process.

09:09 EDT Adverum doses first patient in second cohort of OPTIC Phase 1 trial - Adverum Biotechnologies announced that the first patient was dosed in the second cohort of the ongoing OPTIC phase 1 clinical trial for ADVM-022 for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. Patients are receiving a single intravitreal injection of gene therapy candidate ADVM-022 at a dose of 2 x 10^11 vg/eye. Eight leading retinal centers across the United States are expected to participate in the OPTIC phase 1 trial for ADVM-022.The multi-center, open-label, phase 1, dose-escalation trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of a single intravitreal administration of ADVM-022 in patients with wet AMD who are responsive to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment. In the first cohort, patients received ADVM-022 at a dose of 6 x 10^11 vg/eye, and in the second cohort, patients will receive a dose of 2 x 10^11 vg/eye due to the robust preliminary anatomical response observed from patients in the first cohort. Patients will be administered a tapering prophylactic corticosteroid regimen. The primary endpoint of the trial is the safety and tolerability of ADVM-022 at 24 weeks after a single IVT administration. Secondary endpoints include changes in best-corrected visual acuity, measurement of central retinal thickness, as well as mean number of rescue anti-VEGF injections and percentage of patients needing rescue anti-VEGF injections. Each patient enrolled will be followed for a total of two years.

09:08 EDT American Financial Group enters agreement with Atlas Financial - American Financial Group (AFG) announced that its commercial transportation specialist, National Interstate, has entered into an agreement with Atlas Financial Holdings (AFH) to become the exclusive underwriter of AFH's paratransit book of business. National Interstate expects to begin issuing policies in Q3. National Interstate estimates that the majority of AFH's $110M paratransit business will be eligible for quotation under this arrangement over the first 12 months following inception of the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, an AFH subsidiary will act as an underwriting manager for National Interstate for at least 12 months following the transaction, after which time National Interstate is entitled to acquire the renewal rights for the business held by AFH and certain of its subsidiaries. In addition, AFG has been granted a five-year warrant to acquire 19.9% of AFH's common stock outstanding at an exercise price of 69c per share, which represents the average closing price per share for AFH's common stock over the preceding five trading days.

09:06 EDT Workhorse Group secures $25M financing - Workhorse Group said it has entered into subscription agreements for a private offering with a group of institutional investors, resulting in gross proceeds to the company of $25M. Under the terms of the agreements, the investors acquired shares of Series B preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock. The Series B preferred stock is not convertible, but the holders are entitled to annual dividends payable in shares of common stock. The closing with respect to approximately $15,000,000 occurred on May 31, 2019, and the balance of approximately $10,000,000 will close today, June 10, 2019. The proceeds will be used for general working capital and research and development, allowing the company to focus on finalizing the R&D associated with the N-GEN followed by production of the existing contracted backlog. "This funding provides Workhorse with sufficient capital to fully deliver on our existing backlog and will enable us to make significant strides in our strategic vision of being a leader in the electric last mile delivery space," said company CEO Duane Hughes. "We now have all necessary pieces in place to bridge Workhorse into full-scale N-GEN production and are looking forward to commencing the manufacturing process, in earnest, during the fourth quarter of this year."

09:05 EDT MiMedx: Petit 'cannot be allowed to return to MiMedx in any capacity' - MiMedx Group issued additional information to shareholders regarding the company's upcoming 2018 annual meeting of shareholders. In a statement, the company said, "In the Company's View, Mr. Petit Cannot Be Allowed to Return to MiMedx In Any Capacity. In its independent investigation conducted with the assistance of King & Spalding LLP, a nationally recognized law firm, and KPMG LLP, which performed forensic accounting work, the Audit Committee of the Board found that the evidence demonstrated that Mr. Petit and certain members of his management team engaged in longstanding material misconduct, which harmed MiMedx and its shareholders. More specifically, the evidence demonstrated that Mr. Petit and certain members of his management team disregarded accounting rules; undertook improper actions to manage and manipulate the timing and recognition of revenue; made misleading and false statements to the Company's outside auditors, the Board and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after questions were raised about the Company's accounting practices; took actions against whistleblowers; and emphasized short-term business goals over compliance and ethics... Petit is seeking to return to the Company as a director on the Board and to have two of his business associates elected to the Board. The Board unanimously opposes Mr. Petit's return, and the Board struggles to understand what his nominees would bring to the boardroom. Neither of his fellow nominees appears to have any knowledge of our products or markets, healthcare experience, executive operating experience or public company board experience. We believe Mr. Petit's return in any capacity to MiMedx would be extremely damaging to the Company and its relationships with employees, customers, business partners, potential capital sources, law enforcement and regulators."

09:03 EDT Inovio receives $8.14M award to support skin delivery device development - Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced that the medical arm of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency will fund the further development of Inovio's new commercial intradermal delivery device. DTRA's Medical CBRN Defense Consortium will provide $8.14M to support Inovio in developing a small, portable, battery-powered intradermal device branded as CELLECTRA 3PSP to be used in the administration of Inovio's vaccines and therapies which include DTRA developed products. In addition to the development of CELLECTRA 3PSP, the new award will fund the investigation of DNA vaccines developed by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases using the new device. In recent Inovio sponsored clinical studies, intradermal delivery of Inovio's HIV, Ebola, and Zika vaccines resulted in consistently high and robust levels of immune responses. In an HIV vaccine study using intradermal delivery of PENNVAX vaccine, Inovio demonstrated nearly 100% of participants displayed anti-HIV antibody and CD4+ T cell responses.

09:02 EDT Harlequin announces launch of Harlequin Studios - Harlequin announced the launch of Harlequin Studios, a move that will dramatically increase the production of Harlequin-branded movie content and is part of the company's content expansion to new platforms and formats in North America and globally. The company said in a statement, "Under the leadership of Brent Lewis, Executive Vice President for Harlequin, Harlequin Studios will draw on the global publisher's extensive bestselling catalogue of more than 30,000 titles, bringing Harlequin's enormously popular novels to new mediums. Harlequin Studios will work with leading producers, creators, distributors, networks and platforms to deliver movies, series and new forms of Harlequin-branded content."

08:53 EDT ISS recommends shareholders vote for J. Alexander's equity incentive plan - J. Alexander's commented on the report of proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, on the company's proposals for its upcoming annual meeting of shareholders scheduled for June 20. The company said, "While the Company was pleased that ISS recommended that shareholders vote FOR the proposed amendments to the Company's equity incentive plan, the Company strongly opposes ISS's "withhold" recommendations on the Company's two director nominees, continuing directors Timothy T. Janszen and Ronald B. Maggard, Sr. The nominees are highly qualified director candidates and bring to the Board of Directors over 60 years' of combined experience as restaurant investors. Mr. Janszen is the Chief Executive Officer of Newport Global Advisors, L.P., which manages the fund that is the Company's largest shareholder, continuously holding over 11 percent of the Company's outstanding common stock since the spin-off of the Company in 2015. Mr. Maggard has extensive experience investing in and managing restaurant companies since 1970, bringing critical industry perspective to our Board. We are disappointed by the ISS report and disagree with the withhold recommendations. Tim is the CEO of our largest shareholder and Ron has been investing in and managing restaurant companies for decades - they have been proven and invaluable members of our board since our spin-off of the Company by Fidelity National Financial (FNF) in 2015. I strongly urge our shareholders to vote for Tim and Ron at the 2019 annual meeting. We are also disappointed by ISS's characterization of certain aspects of our governance structure. Our governance structure, which dates from the 2015 spin-off, is well suited for a company of our size and shareholder composition as it provides important protections that are even more relevant for smaller public companies like ourselves. Since the spin-off from FNF in September 2015, our Board has been dedicated to expanding the successful business which was started in 1991 and to enhancing long-term shareholder value, as evidenced by the Company's strategy of pursuing prudent acquisitions as opportunities arise and pursuing disciplined organic growth in markets that meet our demographic criteria. The fact that our J. Alexander's/Grill restaurants have generated increased same store sales for 35 of the 37 quarters since the beginning of 2010 and our Stoney River restaurants have, since the beginning of 2015, achieved increased same store sales in 16 of the 17 quarters says a lot about the business we have built over the past 28 years. From a profitability standpoint, between 2011-the last full fiscal year prior to FNF's acquisition of J. Alexander's Corporation-and 2018, on a revenue increase of $85.1 million ($157.2 million in 2011 to $242.3 million in 2018) and a net income increase of $ 3.1 million ($0.9 million in 2011 to $4.0 million in 2018), our Adjusted EBITDA has grown from $11.7 million in 2011 to $25.6 million in 2018, an increase of $13.9 million, which represents a compounded annual growth rate of 11.8%. Our highly qualified Board has been an integral part of this equation since joining us in 2015 and remains committed to the goal of providing exceptional value to our long-term shareholders." Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined and reconciled to net income below."

08:40 EDT Medtronic announces partnership with KARL STORZ - To enable upcoming regulatory filings, Medtronic made public its partnership with KARL STORZ SE & Co, a pioneer in the field of endoscopic imaging. For the past four years, the two companies have partnered to seamlessly integrate KARL STORZ'S three-dimensional vision systems and visualization components into Medtronic's forthcoming robotic assisted surgical platform.

08:36 EDT Atlas Financial enters underwriting agreement with American Financial Group - Atlas Financial (AFH) announced that as an initial outcome of its strategic review, Atlas concluded that the utilization of its wholly owned managing general agency, or MGA, operation to work with strategic external insurance and reinsurance partners will enable the company to leverage its focus, experience and infrastructure to create value for stakeholders. A definitive agreement was executed between Atlas and American Financial Group (AFG). Under this agreement Atlas will act as an underwriting manager for AFG's National Interstate, or NATL, subsidiary and transition new and renewal paratransit business to NATL paper for this book of business. This strategic arrangement will combine Atlas'platform including the analytics and technology Atlas has developed in this area of commercial automobile insurance with AFG and NATL's financial position and underwriting focus. Starting in July, Atlas' wholly owned insurance subsidiaries will cease writing new paratransit business and begin writing both new business and transitioning the existing paratransit business to the underwriting management arrangement with NATL. Under the agreement, AFG has certain rights including a warrant to acquire 19.9% of the outstanding AFH common stock for 69c per share and an option to purchase the renewal rights owned by the company in the future. This program will continue to focus on small fleet operations. In 2018, paratransit business represented approximately $110M of the company's gross written premium. The company estimates that the majority of this business will be eligible for quotation over the first twelve month of this arrangement.

08:33 EDT EDAP announces 'positive outcomed' from CPT panel for HIFU reimbursement - EDAP TMS accepted EDAP's application to establish a new Category 1 CPT code that will facilitate reimbursement for the ablation of malignant prostate tissue with HIFU technology. The CPT code description selected by the Panel is "Ablation of malignant prostate tissue, transrectal, with high intensity focused ultrasound including ultrasound guidance." The code will be included in the next CPT Codebook and be effective on January 1, 2021. The American Urology Association and the American Association of Clinical Urologists both supported the application and also participated in the AMA Panel to discuss creation of the code for ablation of malignant prostate tissue by HIFU.

08:28 EDT LGE Community Credit Union selects Internap data centers for cloud services - Internap Corporation and LGE Community Credit Union announced a multi-year agreement for managed cloud services.

08:23 EDT BiondVax announces rights offering in support of Phase 3 M-001 trial - BiondVax Pharmaceuticals announced a rights offering to holders of the company's American Depositary Shares. Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to fund operations including completion of the ongoing pivotal, clinical efficacy Phase 3 trial of BiondVax's M-001 universal flu vaccine candidate, and scale up of the M-001 production process in BiondVax's newly constructed mid-size manufacturing facility. The Company anticipates results of the Phase 3 trial will be announced by the end of 2020. ADS holders shall receive 0.537823255 ADS rights for each ADS owned of record at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 9. One ADS right entitles an ADS holder to subscribe for and purchase one new ADS. The rights offering will begin on June 10 and end on July 12 at 5:00p.m., New York City time.

08:20 EDT AMERI100 establishes strategic partnership with consulting firm - AMERI Holdings announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership that combines its capabilities and expertise in cloud strategy, readiness, migration planning and delivery with the management consulting services of a leading business transformation and outsourcing advisory firm to deliver IT transformation services to enterprises. To date Ameri100 has secured two engagements as a result of its new partnership and has recognized undisclosed revenue from each.

08:17 EDT Super League Gaming acquires Framerate, terms not disclosed - Super League Gaming announced it is has acquired Framerate. Framerate has experienced significant growth since its launch in 2018, boasting more than 100,000 followers and generating millions of video views and engagements per month across Instagram, InstagramTV, Facebook and Facebook Watch. With more than 700 million engagement actions occurring in gaming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in 2018 according to social media data platform Shareablee, social video has become a significant source of content consumption for gamers. Framerate has become the leading independent gaming media channel on Instagram over the last six months.

08:13 EDT Innovate Biopharmaceuticals starts phase 3 clinical trial in celiac disease - Innovate Biopharmaceuticals announced the start of the first phase 3 clinical trial in celiac disease. Innovate expects to provide further updates as screening and enrollment proceed over the next few months.

08:10 EDT Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Phase 2 study of ELX-02 receives authorization of CTA - Eloxx Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received authorization of its CTA from Health Canada for a Phase 2 clinical trial of ELX-02 in cystinosis. Dr. Paul Goodyer, Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University, a recognized leader in the care of cystinosis patients will be the principal investigator of the Phase 2 trial and Genome Quebec and Genome Canada will provide non-dilutive funding of $1.1M CAD. The Cystinosis Research Foundation provided financial support for the preclinical phase of the program. Goodyer previously reported data at the WORLDSymposium which showed that ELX-02 decreases the cystine content in cellular and animal models. Dr. Goodyer extended his research to show ELX-02 cystine decreases when used in combination with cystamine. These data were presented in March at the Cystinosis Research Foundation "Day of Hope" meeting in Irvine, California. In support of the cystinosis program, where preserving renal function is a major concern, Eloxx has initiated a renal study with successful results already demonstrated in the mild and moderate renal impairment cohorts. To date, the pharmacokinetic results were as expected with no adverse events reported.

08:06 EDT Applied DNA Sciences partner secures collaboration agreement with House of Hemp - Applied DNA Sciences announced that its strategic partner to the global cannabis industry, TheraCann, has secured a collaboration agreement with House of Hemp, or HoH, a licensed pioneer in South African fiber, seed, oil and Cannabidiol medicinal production. The collaboration includes the implementation of TheraCann's molecular-tagging ETCH biotrace technology that uses a physical molecular tag exclusively supplied by Applied DNA. TheraCann was selected by HoH to be their technical expert and project management team to achieve medical GMP standard for international cannabis export and to provide the necessary technologies to track every gram and to ensure crop quality and reliability.

08:06 EDT ShockWave Medical appoints Hajime Tada as general counsel - Shockwave Medical announced that the company has appointed Hajime Tada as General Counsel. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Tada was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at LakePharma.

08:05 EDT PolarityTE announces final clinical data from SkinTE pilot study in DFUs - PolarityTE announced the final results from a pilot study on the use of its SkinTE product for hard-to-treat diabetic foot ulcers. The data was presented at the American Diabetes Association's 79th Scientific Sessions conference. The poster, Results of a Pilot Evaluation of a Novel Autologous Homologous Skin Construct Treatment of Diabetic Foot Wounds Refractory to Conventional Treatments, which was authored and presented by David G. Armstrong, MD, PhD, DPM, Professor of Clinical Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and co-Director of the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance on June 9, highlighted data from a study evaluating the efficacy, safety and durability of a single application of SkinTE to close DFUs that had not healed with conventional treatment strategies. The pilot study, which included 11 patients with type 2 diabetes and Wagner 1 and 2 DFUs, also served as a feasibility study for a larger randomized controlled trial comparing treatment of DFUs with SkinTE to the standard of care that began enrolling earlier this year. The results of the study included the healing of all harvest sites and complete SkinTE graft take one week after SkinTE application. Ten of the 11 patients had healed DFUs within eight weeks of SkinTE application and the mean time to heal was 29.7 days. One patient was removed from the study at week three due to adverse events not related to the study or SkinTE procedure. The pilot study results suggest that a single application of SkinTE is capable of closing difficult to treat Wagner 1 and 2 DFUs and that the product can be successfully employed in the clinic setting using normal work flows.

08:04 EDT Blue Lion asks HomeStreet investors to elect Ronald Tanemura to board - Blue Lion Capital, which beneficially owns approximately 6.5% of common stock of HomeStreet, announced that it has amended its proxy statement and BLUE proxy card. Blue Lion is now asking HomeStreet shareholders to vote on the BLUE proxy card to elect Ronald K. Tanemura to replace incumbent director Donald R. Voss. Charles W. Griege, Jr, Managing Partner of Blue Lion, said "During the past thirteen months, Blue Lion has spoken with all of HomeStreet's top shareholders. It is clear from these conversations that change is not only warranted but necessary for the Company to become a top-performing bank. Following recent discussions with several large shareholders who expressed their support for ongoing change, but also indicated a desire to minimize the potential disruption of removing HomeStreet's CEO from the Board, Blue Lion has decided to remove Mr. Griege from its proxy card." Griege continued, "By making this change, Blue Lion has narrowed its campaign to elect one independent director, Ron Tanemura, to replace Donald Voss on the HomeStreet Board of Directors. This change would promote the desired stability shareholders want on the Board as well as ensure the necessary accountability that only a true independent director can affect." Blue Lion's decision to remove Griege from consideration will effectively enable shareholders to elect Ronald Tanemura, Sandra Cavanaugh, and Mark Mason. With this change, Blue Lion is "confident that it will obtain the support needed from shareholders to elect Tanemura to the Board and to continue its campaign of making HomeStreet a great bank for customers, employees and investors."

08:03 EDT Box appoints Mark Wayland as CRO - Box (BOX) announced the appointment of Mark Wayland as chief revenue officer, or CRO. Wayland will lead the company's global sales organization, reporting to Box COO Stephanie Carullo. Wayland is a 10-year veteran of Salesforce (CRM) where he held a variety of sales leadership roles, including senior VP of marketing cloud, senior VP of global sales for Salesforce Pardot and senior VP of commercial sales.

08:01 EDT Amyris, Berkeley Lights announce microbial strain collaboration - Berkeley Lights and Amyris announced that they have entered into a collaboration focused on improving the production of high-value, small molecule, natural products from Amyris' microbial strains. This is the first application of BLI's Beacon platform for microbial strains within synthetic biology. The goal of the collaboration is to implement the Beacon platform to identify and isolate microbial strains that produce the highest quantities of non-therapeutic product.

07:36 EDT Liberty Tax CEO Nicole Ossenfort resigns - Liberty Tax announced that Nicole Ossenfort, President and CEO of the company, has resigned from the company effective as of today in order to return to operating her Liberty Tax franchises in South Dakota. Brent Turner, who has served as a consultant to the company since September 2018, has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as interim CEO effective immediately to facilitate an orderly transition. The board expects that Turner will serve in an interim capacity through the conclusion of the company's Board of Directors' review of strategic alternatives, including the previously announced unsolicited and non-binding proposal from Vintage Capital Management to explore a recapitalization transaction.

07:31 EDT T2 Biosystems issues inducement awards to two new employees - T2 Biosystems announced that on June 4, 2019 it issued inducement awards to two new employees. These awards were made under T2 Biosystems' Inducement Award Plan, which was adopted by the company's Board of Directors on March 1, 2018 and amended and restated on February 21, 2019 and provides for the granting of equity awards to new employees of T2 Biosystems. The inducement awards consist of options to purchase 103,000 shares of T2 Biosystems common stock and have a ten-year term. The exercise price of the options is $1.80, which was the per-share closing price of T2 Biosystems common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 4, 2019. The options vest over a four-year period, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the employee's date of hire and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the three years thereafter. The award was approved by the independent compensation committee of T2 Biosystems' board of directors and was granted as an inducement material to the new employee entering into employment with T2 Biosystems in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(c)(4).

07:22 EDT Achillion to present final data set for ACH-4471 proof of concept Phase 2 trial - Achillion Pharmaceuticals announced that the final data set for ACH-4471 proof of concept Phase 2 trial in untreated patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria was accepted for oral presentation at the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association. Topline data from this trial was previously reported by Achillion in December 2018. Additionally, the Company has received acceptance for the use of the name danicopan for its oral, small molecule factor D inhibitor, ACH-4471, from the United States Adopted Names Council and the World Health Organization's International Nonproprietary Names Expert Committee. The presentation titled "A Phase 2 Open-label Proof-of-concept Study of the Oral, Small Molecule Factor D Inhibitor, ACH-4471, in Untreated Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria" presents data showing: Reduction in lactate dehydrogenase at Day 28 compared to baseline; Improvement in additional markers of PNH, including hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, bilirubin, clone size, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue scores compared to baseline at Days 28 and 84; As previously described in December, one patient discontinued therapy for an SAE however the drug was generally well tolerated with 8 of 10 patients electing to continue into a long-term extension study with durability of effect and long-term tolerability up to 2 years.

07:16 EDT Zafgen presents full results of Phase 2 clinical trial for ZGN-1061 - Zafgen announced that the Company presented the full results of its Phase 2 clinical trial for ZGN-1061 in an oral presentation at the American Diabetes Association's 79th Scientific Sessions. Zafgen also presented a poster on data demonstrating that treatment with ZGN-1061 improved measures of glycemic control, including insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. Zafgen previously announced positive results from its Phase 2 clinical trial conducted outside the U.S., including data for the second cohort that included doses up to 1.8 mg, in January 2019. The clinical trial met all of its primary objectives at the 1.8 mg dose, which included glycemic control, or change in A1C, and safety and tolerability. The 12-week data demonstrated that treatment with the 1.8 mg dose of ZGN-1061 produced substantially more improvement in A1C versus placebo than the 0.9 mg dose versus placebo. Progressive and notable reduction in body weight also occurred in patients treated with the 1.8 mg dose. The data showed a favorable safety and tolerability profile for ZGN-1061, with no treatment-related serious adverse events and no cardiovascular safety signals observed in the trial. The Phase 2 clinical trial also examined the effects of ZGN-1061 on other markers of glycemic control. In data presented during the poster session, patients who participated in a mixed-meal tolerance test demonstrated significant improvements in postprandial glucose excursion with ZGN-106 and a trend for improvement in insulin levels from baseline to Week 12. ZGN-1061 also demonstrated improvement in beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity in an exploratory combined analysis of 0.9+1.8 mg ZGN-1061 using a modeling approach. These data suggest improved glycemic control with ZGN-1061 may be driven by changes in insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in this population of patients with advanced diabetes.

07:12 EDT Valeritas presents additional data on V-Go insulin device from VERDICT study - Valeritas Holdings announced additional positive data from the VERDICT study was presented at the American Diabetes Association's 79th Scientific Sessions held in San Francisco, California. This data demonstrated that patients with type 2 diabetes who switched insulin therapy to V-Go from a basal insulin regimen significantly lowered their average blood sugar levels without increasing their total daily dose of insulin. This retrospective analysis of 73 patients with type 2 diabetes evaluated the effect V-Go had on patients' A1c, TDD, concomitant non-insulin diabetes medications, and patient-reported hypoglycemia. Patients using V-Go had an average reduction in A1c levels of -1.3 with 16% fewer prescribed concomitant medications. Reported hypoglycemia decreased from 23% to 19% of patients, and patients reporting severe hypoglycemia reduced from 10% to 3%.

07:09 EDT Sesen Bio completes Type B pre-BLA meeting with FDA for Vicinium - Sesen Bio announced that it has completed a Type B pre-biologics license application, or BLA, meeting regarding the approval path for Vicinium for the treatment of patients with high-risk, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, unresponsive, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, or NMIBC. The company has reached alignment with the FDA on an accelerated approval pathway for Vicinium along with rolling review, and the company expects to initiate submission of the BLA in Q4. The FDA also indicated that the nonclinical data, the clinical pharmacology data, and the safety database are sufficient to support a BLA submission, and that no additional clinical trials are necessary for a BLA submission. Rolling review of the BLA enables individual modules to be submitted and reviewed on an ongoing basis, rather than waiting for all sections to be completed before submission. The final module submission for the BLA will be CMC, and Sesen Bio plans to meet with the FDA in the second half of 2019 to discuss the content and timing of that module. Sesen Bio plans to schedule two additional meetings with the FDA in the second half of 2019, a Type C meeting to discuss the details of a post-marketing confirmatory trial in support of the accelerated approval pathway for Vicinium, and a Type B CMC meeting to discuss the submission strategy of the CMC module.

07:07 EDT LyondellBasell commences modified Dutch auction tender offer - LyondellBasell announced that it commenced a "modified Dutch Auction" tender offer to purchase up to 37,000,000 of its issued and outstanding ordinary shares, par value EURO$0.04 per share, or such lesser number of Shares as are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, at a price that is the lesser of (i) a price not greater than $88.00 nor less than $77.00 per Share, and (ii) a price that equals 110% of the Daily VWAP on the expiration date of the tender offer, to the seller in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest. If the Final Price Cap is determined to be less than $77.00 per Share, which is the low end of the price range in the tender offer, the company will not purchase any Shares tendered, unless it decides, in its sole discretion, to amend or extend the offer in accordance with applicable law. The tender offer is made in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions described in the offer to purchase, the related letter of transmittal and other related materials, as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time. The company believes that the repurchase of Shares pursuant to the tender offer is consistent with its long-term goal of allocating capital to maximize value for its shareholders and other stakeholders.

07:06 EDT Salesforce to buy Tableau in deal with enterprise value of $15.7B - Salesforce (CRM) and Tableau Software (DATA) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Salesforce will acquire Tableau in an all-stock transaction, pursuant to which each share of Tableau Class A and Class B common stock will be exchanged for 1.103 shares of Salesforce common stock, representing an enterprise value of $15.7B, based on the trailing 3-day volume weighted average price of Salesforce's shares as of June 7, 2019. "We are bringing together the world's #1 CRM with the #1 analytics platform. Tableau helps people see and understand data, and Salesforce helps people engage and understand customers. It's truly the best of both worlds for our customers--bringing together two critical platforms that every customer needs to understand their world," said Marc Benioff, Chairman and co-CEO, Salesforce. "I'm thrilled to welcome Adam and his team to Salesforce." The transaction is intended to be tax free for Tableau stockholders. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Under the terms of the transaction, Salesforce will commence an exchange offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Tableau. The acquisition of Tableau is expected to be completed during Salesforce's fiscal third quarter ending October 31, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions, including the tender by Tableau stockholders of shares representing a majority of the Tableau common stock voting power, assuming all shares tendered or converted will be counted on a one-vote-per-share basis, and the receipt of regulatory approvals. Christian Chabot, Patrick Hanrahan and Christopher Stolte, the founders of Tableau, have all entered into an agreement with Salesforce in connection with the transaction, and have indicated that they intend to tender all of their shares in the exchange offer. The transaction is expected to increase Salesforce's FY20 total revenue by approximately $350 million to $400 million. This estimate reflects a fair value adjustment to reduce unearned revenue and unbilled unearned revenue by approximately 30%, adjustments related to the combined customer base, and inter-company revenue elimination, as required by U.S. GAAP. FY20 Revenue is now expected to be $16.45 billion to $16.65 billion, an increase of 24% to 25% year-over-year. The transaction is expected to decrease Salesforce's FY20 non-GAAP operating margin by approximately (75) basis points year-over-year. guidance updates for GAAP EPS for all periods discussed are not currently available and Salesforce expects to provide the applicable updates when the transaction has closed and the purchase accounting has been completed. The acquisition is expected to decrease FY20 non-GAAP diluted EPS by approximately ($0.37) to ($0.39). FY20 Non-GAAP EPS is now expected to be $2.51 to $2.53. This estimate assumes fully diluted share count of approximately 900 million, and a non-GAAP tax rate of 22.5%.

07:04 EDT Ferrellgas Partners suspends conference calls in connection with results - The company said, "As previously announced, the Company indefinitely suspended its quarterly cash distribution as a result of not meeting the required fixed charge coverage ratio contained in the senior unsecured notes due 2020. Additionally, as the Company continues to evaluate options to address leverage, the Company does not intend to comment further on its progress in this regard or on potential options until further disclosure is appropriate or required by law. For that reason, and in view of the information the Company otherwise makes available in earnings releases and quarterly and annual reports, the Company is suspending the practice of holding conference calls with investors, analysts and other interested parties in connection with periodic reporting of financial results for completed periods."

07:03 EDT Western Digital Chief Accounting Officer resigns - In a regulatory filing after the close on Friday, Western Digital disclosed that on June 3 Donald Robertson, Jr., Vice President, Finance, and Chief Accounting Officer of the company provided notice that he is resigning from the company, effective as of June 14, to pursue other opportunities. "Robertson's decision to resign was not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practices," the filing stated. Robert Eulau, Executive Vice President and CFO of the company, will be appointed to the role of principal accounting officer.

07:02 EDT Flex Pharma: ISS, Glass Lewis recommend investors vote for all agenda items - Flex Pharma announced that Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis recommend that shareholders vote FOR all agenda items before or at Flex Pharma's June 14 Special Shareholders Meeting. Flex's Board of Directors also unanimously recommends voting "FOR" all agenda items as the best way to preserve future shareholder value. ISS stated: "The proposed transaction with Salarius appears to offer FLKS shareholders a better potential outcome than FLKS' standalone business. The Flex board also ran a reasonably thorough sale process before identifying this transaction as the best available option. The company contacted or was contacted by 184 parties to solicit interest and the company received proposals from 26 parties. The reverse stock split is necessary to avoid delisting of the company's common stock from the Nasdaq Capital Market. As such, support for this proposal is warranted. In light of the upside potential for Salarius' leading drug candidate, the reasonably thorough sale process used to evaluate alternative options, the positive market reaction, and the downside risk of rejecting this proposal and continuing with FLKS' standalone business plan, support for this proposal is warranted." Votes received to date are overwhelmingly "FOR" the agenda items relating to the merger. However, at this time, not enough votes have been cast to allow Flex to complete the merger with Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Flex said, adding that if Flex Pharma does not complete the merger, it likely will wind-up, which could cause shareholders to lose most of the value of their investment.

06:59 EDT MGIC Investment issues May operating statistics - MGIC Investment issued an operational summary of its insurance subsidiaries for the month of May for their primary mortgage insurance. The beginning primary delinquent inventory was 29,962 in May with ending primary delinquent Inventory of 29,737. May insurance in force was $213.3B. The information concerning new delinquency notices and cures is compiled from reports received from loan servicers. The level of new notice and cure activity reported in a particular month can be influenced by, among other things, the date on which a servicer generates its report, the accuracy of the data provided by servicers, the number of business days in a month, transfers of servicing between loan servicers and whether all servicers have provided the reports in a given month.

06:55 EDT Comstock Resources to acquire Covey Park Energy for $2.2B

06:55 EDT Harsco announces early termination of HSR waiting period for Clean Earth deal - Harsco (HSC) announced early termination of the waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 for both Harsco's acquisition of Clean Earth from Compass Group Diversified Holdings LLC and Harsco's divestiture of its Air-X-Changers business to Chart Industries (GTLS). Expiration of the waiting periods under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions to closing for both pending transactions, which were announced on May 9. Subject to customary closing conditions, Harsco's acquisition of Clean Earth is expected to close prior to month-end and Harsco's divestiture of its Air-X-Changers business is expected to close on July 1.

06:36 EDT DLH Holdings acquires Social & Scientific Systems for $70M in cash - DLH Holdings announced that it has acquired privately-held Social & Scientific Systems, or SSS, of Silver Spring, Maryland. The firm, with approximately 400 employees, is a leading public health service organization providing solutions in clinical and biomedical research, epidemiology, health policy, and program evaluation. SSS utilizes advanced research, data analytics, and secure IT platform services to assist mission-critical public health agencies within the Department of Health & Human Services - including the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, - along with other healthcare-related institutions. SSS was purchased for $70M in cash, or $63M net of transaction-related tax benefits worth $7M on a net present value basis. DLH estimates that SSS will contribute approximately $65M, on an annualized basis, to revenue of the Company going forward. The SSS backlog was approximately $346M at closing, reflecting the long-term nature of its research and studies contracts. The funded component of acquired backlog was approximately $40M. SSS will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of DLH Holdings Corp. and will be led by Kevin Beverly, its current President.

06:12 EDT Insys Therapeutics initiates court-supervised process to facilitate asset sales - Insys Therapeutics announced that INSYS has filed voluntary cases under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware to facilitate the sale of substantially all of the company's assets and address the company's legacy legal liabilities. INSYS intends to continue operating its business in the ordinary course while it pursues these transactions through the court-supervised sale process. Throughout the court-supervised Chapter 11 process, INSYS intends to utilize existing cash on hand and operating cash flows to support its continued operations, including payment of all employee wages and benefits without interruption and continuing programs offered to customers. The company intends to pay vendors and suppliers in full under normal terms for goods and services provided after the filing date of June 10, 2019. To these ends, the company has filed a number of customary motions seeking Court authorization to continue to support its business operations. INSYS expects to receive Court approval for all of these requests. Insys Therapeutics intends to conduct the asset sales in accordance with Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Chapter 11 process is intended to facilitate an orderly auction and sale process and maximize value for INSYS' creditors. INSYS aims to complete the asset sales within 90 days and address creditors' claims as efficiently and expeditiously as possible.

06:08 EDT Roche says CMA opens investigation in relation to Spark deal - Roche (RHHBY) said in a statement that the UK Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation in order to obtain further information in relation to Roche's proposed acquisition of Spark (ONCE). The investigation will determine whether the CMA considers it has jurisdiction over the acquisition; and, if so, whether the CMA considers that the acquisition may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the UK such as to warrant a more detailed, Phase 2 review. In the latter case, the CMA may accept remedies offered by the parties to avoid a Phase 2 review. Pending the outcome of its investigation, the CMA has issued an Interim Enforcement Order that would become effective upon closing of the transaction and would require Roche to hold separate the Spark business. The parties are working cooperatively with the CMA and will continue to do so.

06:07 EDT Roche, Spark Therapeutics receive request for additional information from FTC - Roche (RHHBY) and Spark Therapeutics (ONCE) announced that they have each received a request for additional information and documentary material from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in connection with the FTC's review of Roche's pending acquisition of Spark.Issuance of the Second Request is part of the regulatory review process. The effect of the Second Request is to extend the waiting period until 10 days after Roche has substantially complied with the Second Request, unless the waiting period is terminated earlier by the FTC or the parties have entered into a timing agreement with the FTC. The parties remain committed to the transaction and are working cooperatively and expeditiously with the FTC in connection with its review. As a result of the Second Request, Roche has extended the offering period of its previously announced tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Spark for $114.50 per Share, net to the seller thereof in cash, without interest and subject to any withholding taxes required by applicable law and upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated March 7. The Offer, which was previously scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Friday, June 14 has been extended until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 31.

05:52 EDT Uber confirms COO, CMO to step down from the company - In a regulatory filing on Friday, Uber announced a number of leadership and organizational changes. Among other changes, Uber confirmed that Barney Harford, COO, and Rebecca Messina, Chief Marketing Officer, will be leaving the company. In connection with these departures, Andrew Macdonald has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Global Rides, where he will oversee teams that manage the Global Rides business, Community Operations, Safety and Insurance, and Uber for Business. Jason Droege, who leads the Uber Eats business, will continue to lead Uber Eats, but will report directly to the CEO along with Andrew Macdonald as co-managers of our Core Platform business segment. Mr. Harford will stay until July to help with transition. In addition, Jill Hazelbaker, who currently oversees Policy and Communications, will assume responsibility for the company's Marketing function.

05:44 EDT OneSmart appoints Yong Liang as Chief Human Resources Officer - OneSmart International Education Group announced that Yong Liang has been appointed as Chief Human Resources Officer where he will report directly to Xi Zhang, Chairman and CEO. Liang has nearly 20 years of experience in human resource management serving in a number of senior regional and national roles in China for respected global companies.

05:30 EDT TSMC reports May revenue NT$80.44B, down 0.7% y/y - TSMC announced its net revenues for May 2019: On a consolidated basis, revenues for May 2019 were approximately NT$80.44B, an increase of 7.7%t from April 2019 and a decrease of 0.7% from May 2018. Revenues for January through May 2019 totaled NT$373.84B, a decrease of 9% compared to the same period in 2018.