Stockwinners Market Radar for August 08, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:08 EDT Bioceres' Verdeca JV gets USDA approval of HB4 trait soybeans - Bioceres (BIOX), announced that Verdeca, a joint venture between BCS Holding Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bioceres Crop Solutions and Arcadia Biosciences (RKDA), has successfully completed the regulatory review process and received approval from the USDA for its HB4 drought tolerant soybeans, which will allow for commercialization in the U.S. market. The approval comes two years after the FDA's approval of Verdeca's HB4 trait in 2017. More than 30 million of the world's soybean hectares are grown in the United States. With USDA approval, the HB4 trait now has regulatory approval in more than 80% of the global soybean market.

18:45 EDT Five9 CEO: You can't afford to have customer service as an afterthought - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Five9 (FIVN) CEO Rowan Trollope said: Bad customer service is the problem that we are fixing... Current systems are old, too complex and hard to maintain - we are disrupting that... The call center has moved from the basement to the front door of every business... We work and partner with Zendesk (ZEN).

18:14 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 839.85MT from 845.42MT - This is the first decline in holdings since July 31st.

17:50 EDT Wheaton Precious Metals sees FY19 gold production 385K ounces - Wheaton's estimated attributable production in 2019 is on track to meet its forecast of approximately 690,000 gold equivalent ounces; however, the mix of precious metals production has been updated based on developments in the first half of the year. Specifically, Wheaton now expects to produce approximately 385,000 ounces of gold, 22.5 million ounces of silver and 22,000 ounces of palladium. For the five-year period ending in 2023, the Company continues to estimate that average annual gold equivalent production2 will amount to 750,000 ounces. As a reminder, Wheaton does not include any production from Rosemont in this five-year guidance.

17:38 EDT Uber says in dialogue with multiple transit operators - Says dialogue will likely turn into constructive results. Says dialogue not constructive with certain cities, including New York. Says wants to be a good partner for cities. Says plans to increase marketing spend throughout the year.

17:28 EDT Lexicon's Zynquista shows potential favorable kidney effects in diabetes - Lexicon Pharmaceuticals announced positive 52-week cardiorenal results from a pooled analysis from the inTandem1 and inTandem2 studies of Zynquista in adults with type 1 diabetes. Zynquista demonstrated changes in clinical biomarkers such as estimated glomerular filtration rate or eGFR, hematocrit, serum albumin, uric acid, systolic blood pressure and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio that suggest Zynquista may reduce cardiovascular risk and progression of chronic kidney disease. Zynquista was associated with short- and long-term renal hemodynamic changes. After cessation of 52 weeks of therapy, eGFR was comparable to baseline and significantly higher than placebo in Zynquista-treated patients. These results were recently published in Diabetes Care, the ADA's peer-reviewed research journal dedicated to diabetes treatment and prevention.

17:17 EDT Dropbox CFO sees continued ARPU growth through 2019 - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:15 EDT Houston Wire & Cable reactivates stock repurchase program - Houston Wire & Cable announced that its Board of Directors approved the reactivation of its stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase program was originally adopted in March 2014 and authorized the purchase of up to $25M of the company's outstanding shares of common stock. The program was suspended in November 2016 with $9.2M in remaining availability.

17:03 EDT Sun Life Financial approved for normal course issuer bid - Sun Life Financial announced that the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the Toronto Stock Exchange have approved its previously announced normal course issuer bid to purchase for cancellation up to 15M of its common shares. The NCIB will commence on August 14, and continue until August 13, 2020, or such earlier date as the company may determine or as the company completes its purchases pursuant to the NCIB.

16:57 EDT Integrated Core Strategies reports 5.3% passive stake in Oxford Immunotec - In a regulatory filing, Integrated Core Strategies disclosed a 5.3% stake in Oxford Immunotec, which represents roughly 1.4M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:52 EDT Activision Blizzard says 'feels great' about how year is shaping up

16:52 EDT Activision Blizzard: Retail dynamics a 'risk factor,' FX headwinds increasing

16:49 EDT Amarin does not plan to update investors further regarding FDA communications - Amarin expects topics to be reviewed at the advisory committee meeting for the supplemental new drug application regarding Vascepa "to be consistent with those discussed at similar meetings held by the FDA such as, but not limited to, topics covered as part of the publication of REDUCE-IT primary results in The New England Journal of Medicine and additional results published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, including review of the study conduct, populations studied, efficacy and safety." It added, "Because regulatory reviews are typically fluid and not definitive interactions between the sponsor and agency on individual elements of an application and related information, Amarin does not plan to update investors further on ongoing communications with regulatory authorities except with respect to potential updates regarding any change to the expected timing of the AdCom or the PDUFA date." CEO John Thero said, "We look forward to the planned advisory committee meeting as an opportunity to highlight the landmark REDUCE-IT data and the important role we expect Vascepa should play in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in appropriate patients. We plan to continue to work collaboratively with the FDA on the pending REDUCE-IT sNDA while we prepare for a robust launch of REDUCE-IT data assuming approval of Vascepa before the end of 2019 for a cardiovascular risk reduction indication based on REDUCE-IT."

16:48 EDT SemGroup backs initial financial guidance provided earlier this year

16:47 EDT Iqvia to buy back of 1M shares under prior authorization; Holders sell 5M shares - IQVIA announced that it has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 1M shares of its common stock in a private transaction from certain of its existing stockholders. In addition to the Repurchase, affiliates of TPG Global, LLC, investment funds associated with Bain Capital Investors, LLC and CPP Investment Board Private Holdings Inc. informed IQVIA that they have sold 4,000,000 shares of IQVIA's common stock pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for a total of 5,000,000 shares. IQVIA expects to fund the Repurchase with cash on hand and borrowings from its revolving credit facility. The Repurchase is being conducted under IQVIA's existing stock repurchase authorization.

16:45 EDT Axon: Atlanta, Baltimore City, Orange County to deploy new TASER 7 weapons - Axon announced that the Atlanta and Baltimore City Police Departments will deploy Axon's new TASER 7 weapons and Axon Body 3 cameras as part of Axon's new Officer Safety Plan 7+. Orange County Sheriff's Office will also deploy TASER 7 weapons on OSP 7+. The plan includes several products on the Axon network including unlimited Axon Evidence, the new advanced AI-powered tool, Redaction Assistant, and the public evidence submission tool, Axon Citizen for Communities. These orders were received in the first and second quarters of 2019 and will ship in multiple phases.

16:45 EDT Symantec trading resumes

16:43 EDT Activision Blizzard: Candy Crush MAUs grew y/y in Q2, King had 258M MAUs

16:42 EDT Amarin sinks 22.5% to $13.80 after FDA schedules panel meeting

16:41 EDT Amarin says FDA plans advisory committee meeting on November 14

16:38 EDT J.C. Penney receives NYSE non-compliance notification - J. C. Penney Company announced that it received notification from the NYSE on August 6 that the company is no longer in compliance with NYSE continued listing criteria, which require listed companies to maintain an average closing share price of at least $1.00 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. In accordance with NYSE rules, the company has a period of six months from receipt of the notice to regain compliance with the NYSE's minimum share price requirement, or until the company's next annual meeting of stockholders if stockholder approval is required to cure the share price non-compliance, as would be the case to effectuate a reverse stock split. Under NYSE rules, the company's common stock will continue to be listed and trade on the NYSE during this period, subject to the company's compliance with other NYSE continued listing requirements. The company plans to notify the NYSE within 10 business days of receipt of the notification of its intent to cure the deficiency. The company is in compliance with all other NYSE continued listing standard rules. The company intends to pursue measures to cure the share price non-compliance, including through a reverse stock split of the company's common stock, subject to stockholder approval, no later than at its next annual meeting of stockholders, if such action is necessary to cure the share price non-compliance. The NYSE notification does not affect the company's business operations or its SEC reporting requirements, and it does not conflict with or cause an event of default under any of the company's material debt or other agreements.

16:36 EDT ManTech completes acquisition of H2M Group - ManTech International Corporation completed the acquisition of H2M Group. ManTech funded the acquisition from cash on hand and its existing line of credit. The acquisition was structured such that ManTech will receive a step-up in the tax basis of the intangible assets acquired. The company said, "This acquisition strengthens ManTech's ability to help key government agencies implement new automation techniques that enable intelligence analysts to more effectively navigate large amounts of data, and to distill the critical information that informs actionable intelligence necessary to make mission-critical decisions."

16:32 EDT JBG Smith Properties sells 1600 K Street for $43M - JBG SMITH announced the sale of 1600 K Street for $43 million. 1600 K Street is an eight-story office building, totaling approximately 82,000 square feet, located in the CBD submarket of Washington, DC. As of June 30, 2019, the building was approximately 92% leased to several tenants.

16:31 EDT Conduent says 'undertaking both a strategic and operational review' of company - Brian Webb-Walsh, CFO of Conduent, stated, "Given continued pressure on the top-line and a more balanced approach on expense management initiatives, we've lowered our outlook for the year. We are focused on executing on our strategy to improving the trajectory of our business. As part of that effort, we are undertaking both a strategic and operational review of our company and each of our lines of business with our Board to look for opportunities to maximize shareholder value and we will provide additional information as that review progresses."

16:29 EDT Halo Labs announces California distribution agreement with Nabis - Halo Labs announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Nabis to supply California dispensaries with Halo's branded products. Thw agreement provides Halo with distribution coverage across the entire state of California. Nabis currently distributes over 60 brands to more than 650 dispensaries throughout California. David Orr, Chief Revenue Officer of Halo Labs, stated: "Partnering with Nabis is an excellent step in expanding Halo's retail distribution reach in California. Nabis' existing footprint and industry leading logistical expertise will help support our efforts to rapidly expand our in-dispensary presence in Northern California and build on our current footprint in Southern California." He added, "Now California consumers will have increased access to our innovative and wide-ranging branded product set including GILT Dab Tabs(TM) and sauce pens."

16:27 EDT Callaway Golf boosts share repurchase program to $100M - Callaway Golf announced that its board has authorized the company to repurchase up to $100M of the company's common stock in open market or in private transactions. This new repurchase authorization replaces the prior $50M repurchase program, which has been terminated by the board, cancelling the remaining $22M of authorization under that program.

16:25 EDT Aravive CEO Jay Shepard to step down for family medical reasons - Aravive announced that Jay Shepard intends to step down as president, CEO and member of the board for family medical reasons. The board is commencing a search for his successor. Shepard plans to serve in his current role until a successor is appointed.

16:24 EDT Endologix announces agreement with Boston Scientific for Chinese market - Endologix (ELGX) announced an agreement naming Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) the exclusive distributor for Endologix products in China. The long-term agreement includes distribution rights to Endologix's current EndoVascular Aneurysm Repair and Endovascular Aneurysm Sealing products, as well as the right of first negotiation for future product offerings by Endologix. As part of the agreement, Boston Scientific plans to invest in building a dedicated sales team to commercialize the Endologix products and drive adoption. Additionally, Endologix will provide commercial and clinical support and training to the Boston Scientific team, with the goal of ensuring that the best possible clinical outcomes are realized. Boston Scientific expects to begin selling these products upon local regulatory approval and subsequent commercial launch of the first product, anticipated in 2021.

16:23 EDT Symantec to sell Enterprise Security assets to Broadcom for $10.7B in cash - Symantec (SYMC) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Enterprise Security assets, which include the Symantec name, to Broadcom Inc. (AVGO), for $10.7 billion in cash. The transaction, which was approved by Symantec's Board of Directors, is expected to close before the end of the calendar year pending regulatory approvals. Upon closing of the transaction, Symantec expects to receive $10.7 billion, which is estimated to yield approximately $8.2 billion of after tax proceeds. Symantec expects to return approximately 100% of its after-tax cash proceeds in the form of a $12.00 per share special dividend to shareholders after the close of the transaction. "We expect to pay the special dividend in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020 and will update the expected dividend timing on our next quarterly earnings call," the company said. "In addition, we expect to increase our regular dividend by 67% to $0.125 per share in the quarter following the close. The Board of Directors has approved an increase to our existing share repurchase authorization up to $1.6 billion. After the transition, we believe our Norton LifeLock business can generate $1.50 annual non-GAAP earnings per share and achieve mid-single digit revenue growth year over year. Prior to closing we will continue to manage the Enterprise Security business to best serve our customers, while partnering with Broadcom to plan for a smooth transition. At close, Broadcom will assume the Enterprise Security assets, including the Symantec name as part of their broad infrastructure software portfolio. In addition, at the close, we will continue to operate our industry leading and worldwide recognized Consumer Cyber Safety business which provides Device Security, Identity Threat Protection and Privacy software that protects consumers and small businesses from the ever increasing threats posed by cyber criminals around the globe." The Board of Directors is conducting a search for a permanent CEO for the consumer business. The Board has engaged with a leading executive search firm and is considering both internal and external candidates. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

16:20 EDT Symantec announces restructuring plan, to reduce headcount by 7% - Symantec announced a fiscal year 2020 restructuring plan to improve productivity and reduce complexity in the way it manages the business. The Company expects to reduce net global headcount by approximately 7%. The Company also plans to downsize, vacate or close certain facilities and data centers in connection with the restructuring plan. The Company estimates that it will incur total costs in connection with the restructuring of approximately $100 million, with approximately $75 million for severance and termination benefits and $25 million for site closures. These actions are expected to be completed in fiscal 2020.

16:19 EDT TeleNav enters into strategic deal with Grab - Telenav announced it has entered into a strategic partnership and transaction with Grab, Southeast Asia's leading super app, to boost the latter's development of geo-based products and services using Telenav's OpenTerra platform. Grab plans to use Telenav's OpenTerra platform to process data from its fleet of vehicles to enhance its location-based services. As part of the agreement, Grab will purchase the technology underlying the OpenTerra platform with plans for certain members of the OpenTerra team to join Grab. Telenav will be able to continue developing the platform going forward through a license back to the OpenTerra platform, with the ability to provide and sub license the platform to current and future customers. Closing of this transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur before end of Telenav's FY20.

16:16 EDT Broadcom to acquire Symantec enterprise security business for $10.7B in cash

16:13 EDT Avadel Pharmaceuticals receives new PDUFA date for AV001 - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, Action Date relating to the New Drug Application, or NDA, for AV001, a sterile injectable product designed for use in the hospital setting, by three months to December 15. The NDA for AV001 was originally accepted in May under the FDA's Priority Review program with a statutory six-month review. This three-month extension relates to recent submissions Avadel made in response to FDA requests for additional analytical information. The FDA determined that these submissions constitute a major amendment and will require additional time to review.

16:12 EDT Endologix receives IDE approval for Nellix ChEVAS system from U.S. FDA - Endologix announced that it has received Investigational Device Exemption approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration to commence a new pivotal study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Nellix Chimney EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System for the endovascular treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms The ChEVAS system is an endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm therapy designed to combine the Nellix 3.5 endograft with parallel visceral stents to enable treatment of patients with juxta-renal, para-renal, and suprarenal AAA. John Onopchenko, CEO for Endologix, commented, "We are pleased to receive IDE approval from the FDA to begin this study, which will recruit 120 patients with complex AAA in up to 50 centers, both in the USA and internationally. This approval marks another step forward on our path to re-establishing durable, predictable growth through a continued focus on execution and evidence-driven differentiation."

16:11 EDT Marrone Bio acquires Pro Farm Technologies - Marrone Bio Innovations announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Pro Farm Technologies OY, which will increase Marrone Bio's market share and global platform in the $4.6B seed- and soil-treatment market. With the acquisition of Pro Farm, Marrone Bio will add proprietary nutrient and biostimulant technology and products for seed and foliar treatments to its portfolio. Marrone Bio expects to benefit from partial-year sales in 2019 as a result of the transaction. With historical gross margins significantly higher than Marrone Bio's current product portfolio average, the Pro Farm acquisition is expected to be accretive to net income and cash flow from operations in 2020. The transaction is expected to close in Q3, subject to satisfaction of customary conditions. Pro Farm is being acquired for an agreed enterprise value of $31.8M, including a combination of $6.2M cash and 12.7M shares of Marrone Bio stock to be paid to Pro Farm's equity holders, debt holders and advisors upon the closing of the transaction, as well as the opportunity for potential payment of a total of up to $7.5M of additional shares of stock deliverable from 2021 through 2024 based on the achievement of agreed commercial milestones.

16:10 EDT Symantec trading halted, news pending

16:09 EDT Yelp reports Q2 cumulative reviews up 18% at 192M - Reports Q2 app unique devices up 15% at 37M.

16:08 EDT Uber CFO says investing aggressively in growth, wants 'healthy growth' - "While we will continue to invest aggressively in growth, we also want it to be healthy growth, and this quarter we made good progress in that direction. In Q2, Adjusted Net Revenue grew 26% year-over-year in constant currency and excluding our Driver Appreciation Award, which is an acceleration from Q1. Adjusted EBITDA also improved meaningfully from Q1, driven by a $337M sequential improvement in Core Platform Contribution," said CFO Nelson Chai.

16:07 EDT Waitr promotes COO Adam Price to CEO, Meaux to remain Chairman - Waitr Holdings announced that Adam Price, Chief Operations Officer, has been promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Chris Meaux, the company's founder and CEO will remain as the company's Chairman of the Board. "It's been a privilege and honor to lead this business since its founding over five years ago and I am very proud of the incredible growth we have achieved over that time," said Chris Meaux. "Over the past few months Adam has demonstrated that he has the experience, vision and leadership skills to successfully lead Waitr into its next phase of growth. I look forward to being involved as Chairman, focusing on the long-term strategy of the business."

16:06 EDT CBS Acting CEO: CBS delivered another outstanding quarter - "CBS delivered another outstanding quarter as we continue to execute on our long-term growth strategy, which is to invest in our premium content and direct-to-consumer streaming services," said Joe Ianniello, President and Acting CEO, CBS Corporation. "We achieved double-digit revenue growth in the second quarter, with increases in each of our three key revenue sources. Our direct-to-consumer services, CBS All Access and Showtime, continue to perform strongly, helping fuel a 13% increase in affiliate and subscription fee revenue for the quarter. And we remain on track to reach our goal of 25 million subscribers combined by 2022. Meanwhile, advertising grew 7%, and we have continued momentum as we head into the back half of the year, thanks to another robust upfront, with solid gains in pricing. Content licensing also had a very strong quarter, up 12%, as we continue to build a lucrative portfolio by creating must-have programming for our own content brands in addition to highly successful content for third-party platforms. So with our strong quarterly results we're reporting today and the prospects we have before us, we feel even better about our future as a global multiplatform premium content company."

16:05 EDT FDA calls for more data from Kala Pharmaceuticals' KPI-121 Stride3 trial - Kala Pharmaceutical announced that it received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the Company's new drug application for KPI-121 0.25% for the temporary relief of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. The FDA indicated that efficacy data from an additional clinical trial will be needed to support a resubmission. Kala continues to enroll patients in its ongoing STRIDE 3 Phase 3 clinical trial, and expects this trial will serve as the basis of its response to the CRL. Kala is targeting topline data from STRIDE 3 by the end of 2019 and resubmission of the NDA during the first half of 2020. The Company believes this resubmission would be subject to a six-month review under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. Kala initiated STRIDE 3 in July 2018 at the recommendation of the FDA. The STRIDE 3 trial design reflects specific modifications to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of Kala's previous trials of KPI-121 0.25%, which were implemented to improve the probability of success. The NDA for KPI-121 0.25% included data from one Phase 2 and two Phase 3 efficacy and safety trials, STRIDE 1 and STRIDE 2, studying approximately 2,000 patients with dry eye disease.

16:03 EDT Allegiant Travel reports July total system traffic up 14%, capacity up 14% - Load factor was down 0.1 pts to 86.7%.

15:45 EDT Sarepta trading resumes

15:33 EDT Sarepta says adverse event report 'erroneously submitted' to FDA - Sarepta Therapeutics announced that it was informed earlier today that an adverse event report was erroneously submitted to the FDA's adverse event reporting system, or FAERs, a post-marketing surveillance database for approved therapies. "Our investigation to date indicates that this report was not submitted to the FAERs database by a Sarepta employee or the study's principal investigator. The submission reported a case of rhabdomyolysis in a participant in Sarepta's Study SRP-9001-102, a blinded, placebo-controlled trial investigating the use of Sarepta's micro-dystrophin gene therapy candidate in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Two weeks post-infusion, the patient presented with dark colored urine and elevated creatine phosphokinase levels but was otherwise asymptomatic. He was hospitalized for observation, discharged the following day and test results returned to baseline. Study 102 is a one-to-one blinded study and thus a subject presenting an adverse event could be either on active therapy or in the placebo arm of the trial. While Sarepta and its principal investigator remain blinded to the study, the study drug safety monitoring board is unblinded to the event and has reviewed the issue and recommended the study continue uninterrupted. No stopping rule in Study 102 was triggered. Rhabdomyolysis is a commonly understood risk associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy," the company stated.

14:11 EDT Kaleido Biosciences Inc trading resumes

13:53 EDT AeroVironment jumps 6% after solar-powered HAPSMobile drone wins FAA approval - HAPSMobile, a subsidiary of SoftBank (SFTBY), announced last night that it received a Certificate of Authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to fly "HAWK30," a solar-powered unmanned aircraft assembled in April 2019 to provide a stratospheric telecommunications platform system, in the Hawaiian island of Lanai's stratosphere. "With this COA2, HAPSMobile, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Hawaii will prepare for test flights at Lanai in fiscal 2019 by conducting safety verifications while coordinating with the island authorities and respecting business-related legislation and regulations," the company said in a statement. HAPSMobile is 95% funded and owned by SoftBank and 5% funded and owned by AeroVironment (AVAV). AeroVironment is committed to contribute $5M in capital for its 5% ownership of the joint venture, and has an option to increase its ownership stake in HAPSMobile up to 19% at the same cost basis as its initial 5% purchase. Shares of AeroVironment are up 6% in afternoon trading, or $2.76, to $53.70 in afternoon trading.

13:09 EDT CME Group officer Sunil Cutinho sells ove $400K in company shares - CME Group officer Sunil Cutinho disclosed in a filing that he had sold 1,990 shares of company stock at an average price of $202.38 per share on August 6. The total transaction value of the sale was $402,736.

12:52 EDT General Dynamics announces first Gulfstream G600 delivery - General Dynamics announced the first customer delivery of the all-new Gulfstream G600 aircraft. The milestone follows the aircraft receiving U.S. Federal Aviation Administration type and production certificates on June 28. A U.S. customer took delivery of the aircraft at Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. The G600 received both FAA type and production certificates on June 28, 2019. The aircraft entered service after a design and test program that included flying nearly 100,000 hours in the company's labs and more than 3,200 hours of flying in the air.

12:50 EDT Icahn calls Cloudera 'very undervalued company' - Carl Icahn is speaking on CNBC.

12:50 EDT Icahn says he has no opinion on market, 'too many variables' - Carl Icahn is speaking on CNBC.

12:49 EDT Icahn says cutting interest rates 'not final answer to the problem' - Carl Icahn is speaking on CNBC.

12:34 EDT Icahn wants Occidental board seats to stop another 'blatantly stupid' deal - Carl Icahn is speaking on CNBC.

12:29 EDT Sarepta trading halted, news pending

12:20 EDT Sarepta trading resumes, shares down 17% to $118.01

12:16 EDT Sarepta halted for volatility after dropping 15% to $120.41

12:11 EDT Amyris jumps 20% after CBD partner LAVVAN hires former MedReleaf exec as CEO - Shares bio-science firm Amyris are soaring in early trading after its cannabinoid partner LAVVAN announced announced that Neil Closner, formerly of MedReleaf, has been appointed its new CEO. Joining Closner are several key members of MedReleaf's former leadership team who were responsible for its groundbreaking achievements and success. Former LAVVAN CEO, Etan Bendheim, will become President of the company. LAVVAN, in its collaboration with Amyris, will produce cannabidiol ,CBD,and other cannabinoids through fermentation-based technology in food-grade manufacturing facilities. LAVVAN's processes will ensure product purity and consistency for commercial-grade, cannabinoid-based products, while minimizing production costs. Shares of Amyris are up 21% or 61c to $3.48 in midday trading.

12:00 EDT Triple-S rises 20.3% - Triple-S is up 20.3%, or $4.54 to $26.86.

12:00 EDT Vitamin Shoppe rises 41.2% - Vitamin Shoppe is up 41.2%, or $1.87 to $6.41.

11:35 EDT Occidental Petroleum completes $55B acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum - Occidental Petroleum (OXY) announced the completion of its acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum (APC) in a transaction valued at $55B, including the assumption of Anadarko's debt. "With Anadarko's world-class asset portfolio now officially part of Occidental, we begin our work to integrate our two companies and unlock the significant value of this combination for shareholders," said Vicki Hollub, CEO. "We expect to deliver at least $3.5 billion annually in cost and capital spending synergies and the focus of our Board and management team is on execution to achieve the promise of this exciting combination. We look forward to updating the market on our continued progress in the months ahead." The closing of the transaction follows approval of the transaction by Anadarko's shareholders at a special meeting held earlier today. More than 99% of the shares voted at the meeting were in favor of the Occidental merger agreement, the company noted. Anadarko shareholders are receiving $59.00 in cash and 0.2934 shares of Occidental common stock per share of Anadarko common stock in the transaction. Effective after the end of trading today, Anadarko's common stock will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

11:09 EDT Archer Daniels directors vote to extend share repurchase program - Archer Daniels Midland Company's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of 35c per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on Sept 12, 2019, to shareholders of record on Aug. 22, 2019. This is ADM's 351st consecutive quarterly payment, a record of 87 years of uninterrupted dividends. As of June 30, 2019, there were 557,839,025 shares of ADM common stock outstanding. In addition, the Board authorized an extension of ADM's share repurchase program. The original 5-year program authorized the purchase of 100,000,000 shares of ADM stock in between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2019. The program has now been extended an additional five years. The Board also authorized repurchases of up to an additional 100,000,000 shares under the extended program.

10:33 EDT UnitedHealth announces selection for Louisiana Medicaid program contract - The Louisiana Department of Health selected UnitedHealthcare Community Plan to continue administering its Louisiana Medicaid program, effective Jan. 1, 2020, the company announced. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana is one of four managed care organizations awarded contracts to serve people enrolled in the Louisiana Medicaid program. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana currently provides health care coverage to 420,000 Louisianans enrolled in Medicaid. Additionally, more than 510,000 Louisianans are enrolled in UnitedHealthcare employer, individual and Medicare plans. "We are honored to have provided Medicaid coverage to Louisianans for the past seven years and look forward to our continued partnership with the state to continue to serve people," said Scott Waulters, interim CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana.

10:00 EDT Triple-S rises 20.4% - Triple-S is up 20.4%, or $4.56 to $26.88.

10:00 EDT Vitamin Shoppe rises 40.5% - Vitamin Shoppe is up 40.5%, or $1.84 to $6.38.

09:54 EDT Griffon unit awarded AN/UPX-44 IFF contract from Huneed valued at $22.8M - Telephonics Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation, announced that it has been awarded a $22.8M contract from Huneed Technologies for its AN/UPX-44 Identification Friend or Foe system. Through a Direct Commercial Sales contract, Telephonics will supply its AN/UPX-44 to Huneed Technologies to support Republic of Korea naval modernization programs. "The AN/UPX-44 is part of a family of IFF systems that is ready to meet the demands of the Republic of Korea Mode 5 naval modernization program," said Kevin McSweeney, Telephonics President. "As we continue to grow our global presence, we are proud to be partnered with Huneed Technologies and look forward to supporting future pursuits together."

09:47 EDT GTT Communications falls -37.1% - GTT Communications is down -37.1%, or -$4.21 to $7.14.

09:47 EDT Green Dot falls -43.9% - Green Dot is down -43.9%, or -$20.76 to $26.50.

09:47 EDT Carvana rises 22.6% - Carvana is up 22.6%, or $13.09 to $71.00.

09:46 EDT Providence Service trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:16 EDT Bank of Nova Scotia reducing its investment in Thailand - Scotiabank has signed agreements with ING Groep N.V., Thanachart Bank and TMB Bank that largely follow the memorandum of understanding announced in February. Scotiabank will reduce its 49% interest in TBank and pursuant to the agreements, will sell its interests in TBank in exchange for cash and shares in TMB, and ultimately the bank resulting from the subsequent merger of TMB and TBank. Based on current values, this would result in Scotiabank owning approximately 6% of the Merged Bank. Scotiabank will retain a 49% interest in two TBank subsidiaries that are expected to be subsequently sold in 2020. The transaction will be subject to a shareholder vote by Thanachart Capital and TMB shareholders and is subject to successful completion of related financing. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2020.

09:14 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Corindus (CVRS), up 76% after announcing that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Siemens Healthineers for $4.28 per share in cash, representing an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.1B. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Viacom (VIAB), up 3%... Roku (ROKU), up 16%... Cardinal Health (CAH), up 3%... Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP), up 1%... Lumentum (LITE), up 9%... Perrigo (PRGO), up 1%... AMC Entertainment (AMC), up 8%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Kraft Heinz (KHC), down 13%... CommScope (COMM), down 1%... Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), down 3%... Party City (PRTY), down 14%.

09:11 EDT Viacom says Pluto TV in 'hyper-growth mode'

09:09 EDT Amtech Systems receives new order for 300mm HTR furnace - Amtech Systems' subsidiary Bruce Technologies has received a significant new order for its 300mm high-temp diffusion furnace from a top-tier power semiconductor customer. This order establishes a second 300mm power chip customer relationship, in addition to an existing, large 300mm installed base in the power semiconductor market. The furnace is expected to ship in fiscal Q1 2020.

09:08 EDT BAE Systems awarded prime contractor position on Navy contract - The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a prime contractor position on a new indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to enhance maritime operations and flight safety systems aboard new construction aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships, to include refueling and complex overhaul ships. BAE Systems was one of three contractors awarded the opportunity to bid on future integration, engineering, assembly, testing and installation focused task orders awarded throughout an eight-year ordering period. The work will be performed to enhance a variety of distributed systems that provide network capabilities, communications, command and control, intelligence and non-tactical data management. A majority of the work awarded will take place near the U.S. Navy's Test and Integration Facility Complex, alternatively known as the C4I-System Innovation Facility, located at Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina.

09:07 EDT 3D Systems and GF Machining Solutions expand partnership in China - 3D Systems and GF Machining Solutions, a division of Georg Fischer, announced an expanded partnership in the Greater China region that will enable customers in the region to enhance their metal parts production and redefine their manufacturing environments. As of August 1, manufacturers in China and Taiwan will be able to order 3D Systems' and GF Machining Solutions' co-branded scalable metal additive manufacturing solutions exclusively through GF Machining Solutions. Customers in the Greater China region will also have access to GF Machining Solutions' Customer Innovation Center in Shanghai.

09:07 EDT PPG announces $15M investment in Singapore application support center - PPG announced a $15M investment in a new 38,750-square-foot application support center, or ASC, at the Seletar Aerospace Park near the Seletar Airport in Singapore. The project is the company's largest investment to date in Southeast Asia. Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2020, the ASC will accommodate increased demand for aerospace sealants and coatings, chemical management services and the packaging of third-party products.

09:04 EDT Viacom CEO says Disney+ price point looks 'very competitive'

09:00 EDT TripAdvisor says it has over 400M unique users per month - Says drove strong consolidated profit growth in Q2. Says 60% of users are on mobile. Says media advertising revenue can at least double in three to five years. Says loyalty members generate greater monetization. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:47 EDT Viacom's Bakish: Pluto TV had 18M monthly active users as of the end of July

08:45 EDT Viacom's Bakish says to launch BET+ JV with Tyler Perry later this fall - Says BET+ to feature over 1,000 hours of premium content, including exclusive new original programming.

08:43 EDT Viacom's Bakish says Nickelodeon continues to execute on turnaround - Says "encouraged" by the performance of new series, which Bakish says are attracting new audiences and helping drive share gains at Nick for the first few weeks in the fourth quarter.

08:41 EDT Marimed engages CMA to lead new investor relations campaign - MariMed has engaged CMA to lead a new strategic investor relations program. CMA will work closely with MariMed management to develop and execute a comprehensive capital markets strategy. The company will gain access to CMA's proprietary network of high-net worth investors, equity analysts, institutional investors, investment bankers, media and other valuable market resources. Activities will include strategic advisory, investor and media communications, and introductions to key market players. CMA will also schedule meetings and investor conferences for management over the next several months.

08:39 EDT Infinity Energy acquires option to purchase production, rights for 11,000 acres - Infinity Energy Resources announced that it has acquired an option from Core Energy to purchase the production and mineral rights/leasehold for oil & gas properties in the Central Kansas Uplift geological formation covering over 11,000 contiguous acres. The purchase option gives the Company the right to acquire the Properties for $2.5 million prior to December 31, 2019, provided it pays a non-refundable deposit by August 31, 2019. The purchase will include the existing production equipment, infrastructure and ownership of 11 square miles of existing 3-D seismic data on the acreage. The Properties include a horizontal producing well, horizontal saltwater injection well, a conventional saltwater disposal well and two conventional vertical producing wells, which currently produce from the Reagan Sand zone with an approximate depth of 3,600 feet. Infinity intends to complete the acquisition prior to the end of calendar year 2019, subject to obtaining adequate financing. The option includes a provision permitting Core to exercise a buy-out clause and sell the Properties to a third-party purchaser prior to the Company's exercise of the option. If such a sale occurs, Infinity would be entitled to 10% of the proceeds of the sale on the closing date. In such event, Core will for a period of six months following the buy-out find a project of like kind and provide the Company a first right of refusal to acquire such asset. Infinity intends to drill at least six conventional production wells within the 12 months following the closing of the acquisition, subject to obtaining sufficient financing. The Company may seek joint venture or working interest partners or seek offers from other industry operators for interests in the acreage in exchange for cash and a carried interest in exploration and development operations or other strategic partnership to obtain financing for the development project.The Company will provide prospective partners, industry operators and investors with a presentation of the most recent geological interpretation and all technical and contractual aspects related to the approximate 11,000-acre project. After the presentations, Infinity will provide interested parties with data room access to the full volume of geological and geophysical information upon execution of standard confidentiality agreements.

08:37 EDT Monitronics International announces confirmation of plan of reorganization - Monitronics International announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has confirmed the joint partial prepackaged plan of reorganization of Monitronics and certain of its domestic subsidiaries. The confirmation clears the path for Monitronics to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in early September, if not earlier, with significantly less debt and access to new sources of capital that will support continued growth and innovation. In accordance with the confirmed Plan, Monitronics will eliminate approximately $885M in debt. Up to approximately $685M of debt will be converted to equity, including up to approximately $585M aggregate principal amount of the Company's 9.125% Senior Notes due 2020 and $100M of the Company's term loans. Approximately $822.50M of the Company's term loans will be converted into a takeback term loan facility. The Company also expects to receive $177M in proceeds through an equity rights offering, and an additional $23M from either Ascent or certain of the Company's noteholders as discussed below. This cash will be used to, among other things, repay term and revolving loan debt. Additionally, upon emergence the Company will gain access to $295M in exit financing to ensure it can continue to execute on its strategic plan. Concurrent with the completion of the reorganization of Monitronics under the Plan, subject to certain conditions, Ascent anticipates that it will consummate the proposed merger with and into Monitronics as disclosed in Ascent's proxy statement/prospectus, dated July 25, 2019 forming a part of the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of the Merger, all assets of Ascent, including up to $23M in net cash, will become assets of Monitronics. If, however, Ascent is expected to hold $20M or more in net cash, but less than the Target Cash Amount upon consummation of the Plan, the stockholders of Ascent will receive a proportionately lower percentage of shares of Monitronics common stock, and certain of the Company's noteholders have agreed to contribute the shortfall pursuant to that certain Put Option Agreement, by and among, the Company, Ascent and certain noteholders, dated May 28, 2019. If Ascent is expected to hold less than $20M in net cash upon consummation of the Plan, the Merger will not occur, certain noteholders, pursuant to the Put Option Agreement, will contribute the Target Cash Amount and Ascent will be obligated to make a cash contribution to Monitronics in the amount of $3.5M. Additional information regarding the potential consequences of Ascent not participating in the Merger is set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus, dated July 25, 2019. If the Merger is not approved or completed on the effective date of the Plan, the restructuring of Monitronics will be completed without the participation of Ascent as contemplated by the Support Agreement.

08:36 EDT GTT Communications hires advisor to explore sale of 'non-strategic' assets - GTT Communications announced in its earnings release that it hired an advisor to explore the sale of certain non-strategic assets that have been acquired over the past several years, with the primary objective of reducing debt.

08:35 EDT Phunware announces partnership with Comport Healthcare Solutions - Phunware announced a partnership with Comport Healthcare Solutions, an award-winning information technology partner experienced in mobile app consolidation for hospitals and their supporting infrastructure and security. Phunware's enterprise cloud platform, called Multiscreen-as-a-Service, or MaaS, paired with Comport's deep patient engagement and Electronic Health Records, or EHR, expertise, provides hospitals with a connected mobile healthcare platform resulting in both increased patient satisfaction and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or HCAHPS, Star Ratings. As a result of the partnership, both Phunware and Comport will help hospitals bridge the gap between patient experience and hospital operations with a single digital front door to facilitate interactions and transactions between patients and providers.

08:34 EDT BioCardia issued European patent for diagnostic assey for patient selection - BioCardia announced that the European Patent Office has issued the Company Patent No: 3063172 for "Methods of Measuring Potential for Therapeutic Potency and Defining Dosages for Autologous Cell Therapies." Autologous cardiac cell therapy - where a patient's own cells are used - is challenged by patient variation, which makes outcomes unpredictable, and by the high costs associated with manufacturing single-batch therapy remotely for each patient. BioCardia's new patent addresses a potential solution to these problems - a diagnostic approach for patient selection that identifies a specific biomarker signature in a patient's bone marrow. This test enables a physician to determine if a patient is a good candidate for either of the Company's two lead clinical indications of heart failure or chronic myocardial ischemia prior to treatment, allowing for point-of-care processing of the therapy and eliminating the significant expense of selecting and processing cells remotely. The Company has an issued United States patent covering this technology, as well as additional patents and patents pending for other proprietary technology related to its stem cell therapies in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China and India.

08:32 EDT VolitionRx forms veterinary subsidiary - VolitionRx announced the recent formation of a subsidiary, Volition Veterinary Diagnostics Development LLC, and the appointment of animal health expert Nathan Dewsbury as its CEO.

08:27 EDT TripAdvisor says still on track to deliver FY19 double-digit adj. EBITDA growth - The company said, "We reiterate our expectation of double-digit consolidated adjusted EBITDA growth this year. We expect adjusted EBITDA growth in the second half to step down from the 15% growth we delivered in the first half, and we expect consolidated revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth to accelerate in Q4 versus Q3. We believe that leveraging our strong global platform and executing with enhanced customer focus will enable us to accelerate consolidated revenue growth in 2020 and progress towards three to five year financial objectives outlined in our previous quarter's prepared remarks." Comments taken from prepared remarks ahead of the company's Q2 earnings conference call.

08:26 EDT Kraft Heinz records $1.22B in impairment charges - Kraft Heinz said earlier with its report of preliminary financial results for the first half of 2019: "In connection with the preparation of the first and second quarter financial statements, which occurred concurrently due to the delayed filing of the 2018 Form 10-K, the company concluded that the fair values of certain goodwill and intangible assets were below their carrying amounts. As a result, the company recorded non-cash impairment charges to lower the carrying amount of goodwill in certain reporting units - EMEA East, Brazil, United States Refrigerated, and Latin America Exports - by approximately $744M, primarily based on new five-year operating forecasts for several international businesses that establish revised expectations and priorities for the coming years in response to current market factors. In addition, the company recorded non-cash impairment charges of approximately $474M to lower the carrying amount of certain intangible assets, primarily driven by the application of a higher discount rate to reflect the markets' perceived risk in the company's valuation."

08:23 EDT InvisibleShield launches Ultra VisionGuard, Ultra Clear for Samsung devices - InvisibleShield, a ZAGG Inc (ZAGG) brand, announced Ultra VisionGuard and Ultra Clear for the Samsung (SSNLF) Galaxy Note10 and Note10+. Ultra VisionGuard brings next-level protection to Samsung's latest smartphones by providing protection that goes beyond drops, dings and shattered screens. Engineered with Eyesafe technology, Ultra VisionGuard helps to protect users' vision from harmful high energy visible blue light emitted by their device.

08:19 EDT Dare Bioscience to present clinical finding of DARE-BV1 - Dare Bioscience announced the presentation of a poster at the upcoming annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology taking place August 8-10, 2019 in Big Sky, Montana. The poster presentation will highlight the results of an investigator-initiated, proof of concept study of DARE-BV1, a novel thermosetting bioadhesive vaginal gel technology containing clindamycin phosphate 2% for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. BV is the most common vaginal infection in women ages 15-44.1 BV is characterized by a shift in the vaginal flora from the dominant Lactobacillus to a polymicrobial flora.2 BV has been associated with serious health issues, including preterm births, infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, increased susceptibility to sexual transmitted infections and other chronic health problems. DARE-BV1 features a novel thermosetting hydrogel delivery technology that is easy to apply, highly viscous and may have better bio-adhesion when compared to commonly prescribed creams and gels used to treat BV. It is believed that these unique formulation characteristics result in better antibiotic delivery to the vaginal infection leading to higher clinical cure rates and better clinical outcomes. Dare intends to start a single Phase 3 registrational trial of DARE-BV1 later this year.

08:16 EDT Fairfax Financial appoints Jennifer Allen as CFO - Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited announced that Jennifer Allen has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of Fairfax. John Varnell, who was previously serving as interim Chief Financial Officer of Fairfax, will continue serving as Vice President, Corporate Development of Fairfax. Jennifer has been with Fairfax for over 13 years, most recently serving as Vice President of Fairfax, and Chief Financial Officer of both Fairfax India Holdings Corporation and Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation.

08:12 EDT Super League Gaming forms proprietary audience network of digital properties - Super League Gaming announced the creation of a proprietary audience network composed of its expanding content and creator-centric digital properties. Collectively, Super League has more than 850,000 registered users and followers and generates more than 15 million video views and 40 million impressions per month. Super League's network includes social media, live streaming, video-on-demand and website-based offerings that provide gamers with multiple forms of content designed to celebrate their love of play and to support their boundless creativity. Whether through gameplay highlights, live streamed esports competitions, original lifestyle series or custom designed digital gameplay environments, Super League's audience is constantly creating, watching and engaging, making this otherwise elusive demographic accessible on an always-on basis. Super League's digital properties provide a level of scale that complements the company's live esports events, which bring gamers together in 35 local markets across the U.S. at PC gaming centers, Topgolf restaurants, movie theaters and more. The Company's live experiences include the only national city-vs-city amateur esports tournament, Super League's City Champs.

08:11 EDT Acreage Holdings appoints Steve Hardardt as chief people officer - Acreage Holdings announced the hiring of Steve Hardardt as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer and Administration. Hardardt will be responsible for leading Acreage's Human Resources team to ensure the integration and implementation of HR strategy and programs with Acreage's business objectives. He will report to Kevin Murphy, Chairman and CEO of Acreage. For five years prior to joining Acreage, Mr. Hardardt owned and operated Noble Coaching & Consulting, providing strategic human resources related consulting services and executive leadership coaching assistance.

08:08 EDT SkyWest reports July block hours up 5.8% y-o-y - SkyWest reported 128,953 block hours in July 2019, an increase of 5.8% from July 2018. SkyWest Airlines' higher production was primarily due to the incremental E175 aircraft, CRJ900 aircraft and CRJ700 aircraft added to SkyWest Airlines' fleet since July 2018. Reports July 2019 departures up 5.3% to 74,658, passengers up 7.4% to 4.04M and load factor up 1.4 points to 86.2%.

08:04 EDT Pacira sees FY19 EXPAREL sales $400M-$410M - Pacira updated its guidance for selling, general and administrative expense and reiterated its remaining guidance. For the full year 2019, the company currently expects: EXPAREL net product sales in the range of $400 million to $410 million.; iovera degrees net product sales in the range of $8 million to $10 million; Non-GAAP gross margins in the range of 75% to 76%; Non-GAAP research and development expense in the range of $60 million to $70 million; non-GAAP SG&A expense in the range of $180 million to $190 million versus the company's previously guided range of $165 million to $175 million. Non-GAAP SG&A guidance was increased primarily due to the inclusion of commercial infrastructure costs for iovera degrees ; Stock-based compensation in the range of $30 million to $35 million. Revenue consensus $415.63M.

08:01 EDT Greenlane announces distribution partnership with Canopy Growth - Greenlane Holdings (GNLN) announced a partnership with Canopy Growth (CGC) for exclusive distribution of Storz & Bickel vaporizers throughout the United States. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, Storz & Bickel introduced the iconic Volcano product line in 2000 and through science, research and development, has continued to modernize and enhance the world's leading desktop vaporizer. Storz & Bickel was acquired by Canopy Growth in December 2018 to accelerate the companies' product device development capabilities. Greenlane has been Storz & Bickel's exclusive U.S. distribution partner since January 2018 and this exclusive partnershp iwith Canopy Growth extends Greenlane's U.S. exclusivity of Storz & Bickel's vaporizers to drive continued growth in the U.S. market. Greenlane will continue to distribute Storz & Bickel's products to the Canadian market, as well. Greenlane will leverage its extensive North American distribution network of more than 11,000 retail locations, including smoke and vape shops, and licensed cannabis dispensaries, to expand distribution of Storz & Bickel products and launch the new Volcano Hybrid, a next generation desktop vaporizer and reinvention of the iconic Volcano vaporizer. The Volcano Hybrid offers improved airflow management, swifter heat-up times, touch display, app control with Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a state-of-the-art dual inhalation system via valve balloon or tube, allowing for controlled, hassle-free vaporizing customized to the user's personal taste.

07:59 EDT Roper Technologies to acquire iPipeline in cash transaction valued at $1.625B - Roper Technologies announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire iPipeline in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.625B. iPipeline's cloud-based software delivers award-winning solutions for the life insurance and annuity industries. iPipeline's suite of SaaS-based applications provides workflow automation and seamless integration across a broad network of approximately 150 carriers, 1,350 distributors, and over 500,000 agents. The iPipeline network enables day-to-day connectivity essential to the design, delivery, and fulfillment of life insurance. iPipeline solutions help the network to reduce costs by improving cycle times and digitally enabling paper-based processes, while accelerating customer revenue by bringing new life insurance products and features to market faster. The iPipeline management team, led by newly appointed CEO Larry Berran, will continue to manage the business from its Exton, Pennsylvania headquarters. Larry joined iPipeline in 2002 and has served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer since 2008. iPipeline's name and brands are not expected to change as a result of the transaction. Roper anticipates funding the transaction using its revolving credit facility and cash on hand. iPipeline is expected to contribute approximately $200M of revenue and $70M of after-tax free cash flow in 2020, excluding the impact of fair value accounting for deferred revenue and financing costs. Roper expects the acquisition to be immediately cash accretive and deliver high single digit organic revenue growth. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

07:54 EDT Applied Therapeutics reports AT-007 SAD data from Phase 1/2 study - Applied Therapeutics announced the completion of the Single Ascending Dose healthy volunteer portion of the Phase 1/2 study of AT-007 in Galactosemia. The results show that AT-007 was well tolerated, with no drug-related adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities reported. The SAD study treated 4 cohorts of 8 subjects each and explored doses from 0.5mg/kg to 20mg/kg. In addition to safety, AT-007 demonstrated a linear pharmacokinetic profile, favorable exposure, and half-life consistent with once-daily dosing. AT-007 will advance in parallel to a Phase 1b Multiple Ascending Dose study in healthy volunteers, and a Phase 2 study in adults with Galactosemia. Galactosemia patients will be eligible for treatment up to 28 days total. In addition to safety and PK, the study will determine the ability of AT-007 to suppress toxic accumulation of galactitol in Galactosemia patients. Applied Therapeutics plans to employ recent FDA guidance permitting biomarker-based development in low prevalence, slowly progressing rare metabolic diseases, such as Galactosemia.

07:50 EDT Autolus Therapeutics expects cash to provide runway into 2H21 - Autolus anticipates that cash on hand provides a runway into the second half of 2021.

07:47 EDT Ziopharm wins positive opinion for orphan drug designation for glioma treatment - Ziopharm Oncology announced the European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products adopted a positive opinion recommending Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex for designation as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of glioma.

07:44 EDT CHF Solution announces publication highlighting benefits of decongestion - CHF Solutions announced the publication of a study in Circulation Heart Failure highlighting the benefits of decongestion outweigh concerns from previous studies that showed a rise in creatinine levels or tubular injury markers.The study, titled, "Renal Effects of Intensive Volume Removal in Heart Failure Patients With Preexisting Worsening Renal Function" further analyzed data on renal tubular injury biomarkers from a subset of 105 participants in the CARRESS-HF trial. The study supports that increases in serum creatinine should not be the major factor to dissuade decongestion by ultrafiltration or diuretics in patients where a therapeutic advantage may exist. Even if creatinine worsened and tubular biomarkers increased, renal function usually recovered by 60 days. In fact, participants with an increase in urinary biomarkers had the greatest improvement in kidney function at 60 days. Thus, changes in serum creatinine or kidney injury biomarkers should be discouraged as a surrogate endpoint in heart failure trials. Study authors concluded that modest or transient increases in creatinine levels, or increases in renal tubule injury biomarkers were outweighed by the benefits of decongestion, which aligns with the review conducted by Drs. Costanzo and Kazory published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, which stated, "It follows that the foremost aim of therapy to improve outcomes of fluid overloaded heart failure patients must be to achieve effective decongestion." 2 This study showed no evidence that ultrafiltration is inferior for decongestion or worse post-discharge clinical outcomes.

07:41 EDT Ebix sees closing Yatra acquisition in Q4 - The company said, "We also look forward to the successful closing of the Yatra acquisition in Q4 2019, which we believe can add $120M-$150M in revenues with 30% operating margins to the company once synergies are realized in 6 to 9 months."

07:39 EDT Marinus expects cash, cash equivalents to fund operations to the end of 3Q20 - The company said, "At June 30, 2019, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $51.9 million, compared to $72.7 million at December 31, 2018. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2019 will enable us to fund our current scale of operating expenses and capital expenditure to the end of the third quarter of 2020."

07:37 EDT Agenus milestone triggers $7.5M payment from Gilead - Agenus' (AGEN) IND filing for AGEN2373 has been accepted by the FDA, a milestone in its partnership with Gilead Sciences (GILD). This milestone triggers a cash payment of $7.5M. Agenus is eligible to receive additional milestone payments this year and beyond. Agenus is eligible for approximately $1.7B in future fees and milestones. AGEN2373 is an investigational agent that has not been approved for any uses.

07:32 EDT Arrowhead doses first patient in SEQUOIA Phase 2/3 Study of ARO-AAT - Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced that it has dosed the first patient in SEQUOIA, a potentially pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical study of ARO-AAT, the company's second generation subcutaneously administered RNA interference therapeutic being developed as a treatment for a rare genetic liver disease associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

07:26 EDT Realogy sees FY19 operating EBITDA $590M-$610M

07:21 EDT Axsome Therapeutics expects cash to fund operations into 4Q21 - R&D expenses are anticipated to decrease in subsequent quarters reflecting the completion of initiation of new trials, and the conclusion of ongoing trials.Axsome believes that its cash at June 30, 2019 will be sufficient to fund the company's anticipated operations, based on its current operating plans, into the fourth quarter of 2021. As previously disclosed in June 2019, Axsome currently does not anticipate new equity financings prior to the readout from its Phase 3 trials.

07:16 EDT Houghton Mifflin raises FY19 billings view to $1.53B-$1.61B from $1.49B-$1.59B - Joe Abbott, CFO of HMH added, "Core Solutions billings growth accelerated in the second quarter as our customers began submitting orders for our new core programs. We are encouraged by our selling performance in Texas and nationally and expect the strength to continue with a substantial backlog of orders to be shipped in the second half of 2019. The substantial increase in deferred revenue in the first half is a leading indicator of future net sales and Adjusted EBITDA improvement, and the substantial increase in accounts receivable precedes our expectation of strong second half cash collections and free cash flow growth."

07:11 EDT Cato Corp. reports July SSS up 4% - The Cato Corporation reported sales of $57.5M for the four weeks ended August 3, up 1% to sales of $56.7M for the four weeks ended August 4, 2018. Same-store sales for the four weeks ended August 3 were up 4% compared to the four weeks ended August 4, 2018. Sales for the second quarter ended August 3 were $210.2M, up 2% to sales of $206.9M for the second quarter ended August 4, 2018. Second quarter same-store sales were up 4% compared to the thirteen weeks ended August 4, 2018.

07:10 EDT Carrols Restaurant announces $425M stock repurchase program - The board of Carrols Restaurant has approved a stock repurchase program under which the company may purchase up to $25M of its outstanding common stock. The authorization is effective immediately and will expire in 24 months, unless terminated earlier by the board.

07:05 EDT Viacom says delivered 'strong' Upfront results - Viacom said in its earnings release that it delivered "strong" Upfront results, with high-single to double-digit price increases - the highest rate of change in over a decade - and doubled agency commitments across its digital, social and advanced advertising portfolio. The strength of Viacom's brands and demand for its AMS portfolio, especially Pluto TV, drove significant shifts to Viacom's premium digital video inventory, it said in a statement.

07:03 EDT Party City to close an additional 10 stores throughout the year - In addition to the previously announced planned closing of approximately 45 Party City locations, the company will close an additional 10 stores throughout the year, for a total of approximately 55 store closures. During the second quarter, the company recorded $9M of charges related to such program.

07:02 EDT NGL Energy Partners still sees FY20 adjusted EBITDA $600M

06:57 EDT Eli Lilly, Apple announce initial results from device study - Initial results from a feasibility study conducted by Eli Lilly (LLY), Evidation Health and Apple (AAPL) showed that an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and the Beddit sleep monitoring device, in combination with digital apps may be able to differentiate people with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, and mild Alzheimer's disease dementia. The exploratory results were presented at the Association for Computing Machinery's KDD conference in Anchorage and are published on the conference website. In ways not previously detected through common clinical screening tools, data obtained through the use of Apple devices suggested an ability to differentiate between individuals with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease dementia and those without symptoms. The 12-week study evaluated 113 participants, ages 60-75, in real-world settings to determine whether Apple devices in combination with mobile applications, were able to help identify cognitive and behavioral differences among the study participants with and without mild cognitive impairment. Evidation established a study platform to obtain study participants' consent to collect and analyze 16 terabytes of data across a number of sources, including: passively derived sensor data from the smart devices, questionnaires about mood and energy, and simple assessment activities on the Digital Assessment App. The app included psychomotor tasks, such as dragging one shape onto another or tapping a circle as fast and as regularly as possible, reading tasks and a typing task. The findings of the exploratory study provide feasibility evidence that wearable devices could enable solutions that may help identify and indicate when people are starting to experience cognitive decline.

06:51 EDT Quarterhill commences odd lot selling program - Quarterhill announced that it is commencing an odd lot selling program for registered and beneficial Quarterhill shareholders who own 99 or fewer Quarterhill common shares. The program will benefit Quarterhill shareholders who hold 99 or fewer common shares and want to sell their common shares without paying brokerage commissions, thereby avoiding fees that could represent a material percentage of their proceeds. Additionally, this should permit any interested shareholder who does not have a brokerage account the ability to sell their common shares without the inconvenience of opening such an account. The program will be open to registered and beneficial common share holders who reside in Canada or the United States and who own 99 or fewer common shares as of the record date of August 7. The program will run until September 16 unless otherwise extended and will operate through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

06:41 EDT NGL Energy Partners sells TransMontaigne Product Services for about $300M - NGL Energy Partners announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell TransMontaigne Product Services and associated assets to a strategic buyer with substantial assets for estimated proceeds of approximately $300M, including equity consideration, inventory, and net working capital, based on June 30 values and subject to actual values at closing. The Partnership also expects to significantly reduce letter of credit commitments following the sale. TPSL makes up a portion of NGL's Refined Products reporting segment. The divested assets include: TPSL Terminaling Services Agreement with TransMontaigne Partners LP, including the exclusive rights to utilize 18 terminals; Line space along Colonial and Plantation Pipelines; 2 wholly-owned refined products terminals in Georgia and multiple third-party throughput agreements; and All associated customer contracts, inventory and other working capital associated with the assets. Proceeds from this transaction will be used to reduce outstanding indebtedness under the Partnership's revolving credit facility. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the second fiscal quarter.

06:37 EDT CommScope eliminates COO position, Bruce McClelland no longer with company - CommScope has eliminated the COO position and will split responsibilities of the role among other members of the executive team. As a result of this decision, Bruce McClelland is no longer with the company.

06:32 EDT Vitamin Shoppe to be acquired by Liberty Tax for $6.50 per share in cash

06:28 EDT BHP Group board approves Ruby petroleum project in Trinidad and Tobago - The BHP Board has approved $283M in funding to develop the Ruby Project in Trinidad and Tobago. Total investment for the oil and gas project is approximately $500M. The Ruby Project is located in the Block 3(a) development area of Trinidad and Tobago and provides an opportunity for BHP to safely deliver value by producing resources in the Ruby and Delaware reservoirs. The project consists of five production wells tied back utilizing the latent capacity of the existing processing facilities, proven technology of the existing operated asset, and newly acquired ocean bottom node seismic imaging. The project has Estimated Recoverable 2C Resources of 13.2 million barrels of oil and 274 billion cubic feet of natural gas. First production is expected in the 2021 calendar year and is estimated to increase production by ~16,000 barrels of oil per day and ~80 million standard cubic feet per day gross at its peak.

06:14 EDT Experian acquires MyHealthDirect, terms not disclosed - Experian announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MyHealthDirect, which offers a digital care coordination platform that optimizes scheduling for providers, payers, and consumers. "This acquisition further solidifies Experian's position as a leading provider of solutions that simplify the financial and administrative aspects of healthcare-making tasks like scheduling, registration and check-in smoother, cost estimates more accurate, and insurance coverage easier to verify."

06:07 EDT Covia sees FY19 CapEx $80M-$100M

06:01 EDT Evoke Pharma to resubmit Gimoti NDA in Q4 - Evoke Pharma announced that following receipt of FDA minutes from a type A meeting held on July 25, the company intends to resubmit its New Drug Application, or NDA, for Gimoti in Q4. The purpose of the type A meeting was to obtain the Agency's feedback and agreement on the company's plan to address deficiencies cited in the April Complete Response Letter, or CRL, in support of a resubmission of the Gimoti NDA. The focus of the discussion was on topics noted in the CRL, including the root cause analysis of low drug exposure in the comparative bioavailability study and additional product quality/device quality control testing. Based on FDA feedback and the meeting minutes, the company will include its root cause analysis and previously collected patient use and experience information in its resubmission package. The company also agreed to provide an analysis of pump performance characteristics of the nasal spray devices used in the comparative bioavailability study and 3-month stability data from commercial scale batches of Gimoti which the company initiated manufacturing in June 2019. FDA did not request additional human clinical trials be completed for resubmission.

05:37 EDT Applied DNA Sciences subsidiary acquires physical assets, IP of Vitatex - LineaRx, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied DNA Sciences, announced that it has acquired the physical assets and Intellectual Property, or IP, of Vitatex, a private biotechnology company focused on advancing personalized medicine with an innovative solution that isolates Invasive Circulating Tumor Cells, or iCTCs, from standard patient blood samples. Vitatex's solution identifies metastatic cells often before primary tumors are visible to other diagnostic technologies, when preventive care for impending cancer is still an option. LineaRx intends to design synthetic genes to redirect immune cells against antigens that are recognized by leukocytes that comigrate with the iCTCs, one of the unique features of the Vitatex platform. The acquisition of Vitatex by LineaRx was structured as an "earn-out," allowing LineaRx to realize value before paying for it. Initial payment comprised $300,000 worth of equity in LineaRx at a valuation of $25 million for LineaRx. Subsequent payments are milestone-based, rising to a maximum of $1 million in value, comprising a total of $800,000 in LineaRx equity and $200,000 in cash.