Stockwinners Market Radar for August 29, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT DHX Media names Eric Ellenbogen as new CEO - DHX Media announced that Eric Ellenbogen has been appointed CEO and Vice Chair of the board, effective today. Ellenbogen succeeds Michael Donovan, who has stepped down as CEO. Donovan has also stepped down as Executive Chair and will continue to serve on the board as Founding Chair. Donald Wright has been appointed non-executive Chair.

18:06 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 880.36MT to 882.41MT - This is the first decline in holdings since August 16th.

17:30 EDT Parsons awarded $139M Army renovation contract in Marshall Islands - Parsons has been awarded a $139M contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair Bucholz Army Airfield, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The firm fixed price project delivery contract is a new, competitive win for the company. The total contract value including base and options is approximately $229M.

17:26 EDT Dell Technologies sees 'soft' enterprise spending for remainder of year - Says: Enterprise product demand in China weak... Recurring revenue now 20%-25% of total quarterly revenue. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:13 EDT Argan's Gemma Power receives noticed to proceed on 1.8 Gigawatt power project - Argan (AGX) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gemma Power Systems, received Notice to Proceed with engineering, procurement and construction activities under a contract for a 1,875 MW natural gas-fired power plant in Guernsey County, Ohio. Construction of this state-of-the-art combined cycle facility is scheduled to begin immediately with completion scheduled in 2022. The three single-shaft power trains for the facility will be provided by General Electric (GE) utilizing 7HA.02 gas-fired turbines. The Guernsey Power Station is being jointly developed by Caithness Energy, L.L.C. and Apex Power Group, LLC.

17:04 EDT Canadian National to acquire Massena rail line from CSX - Canadian National (CNI) announced the signing of an agreement that will see Canadian National acquire the Massena rail line from CSX (CSX), which represents more than 220 miles of track between Valleyfield in Canada and Woodard, New York. The Massena rail line also serves many cities in the province of Quebec, including Beauharnois and Huntingdon, and in the state of New York, including Massena, Norwood, Potsdam and Gouverneur. Previously, CN and CSX announced a new intermodal service offering between CN's greater Montreal & Southern Ontario network, and the CSX-served ports of Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area. This agreement will come into effect on October 7 and will help move freight from trucks to rail, reducing congestion in New York in a sustainable manner. The terms of the deal were not disclosed and the acquisition is subject to regulatory review.

17:03 EDT Pacific Mercantile Bancorp appoints Brad Dinsmore as CEO - Pacific Mercantile Bancorp, the holding company of Pacific Mercantile Bank , a wholly owned banking subsidiary, announced the appointment of Brad R. Dinsmore as the President and CEO of Pacific Mercantile Bancorp and Pacific Mercantile Bank, effective September 3. Dinsmore succeeds Thomas M. Vertin, who has resigned from the Company and the Bank, effective September 3, 2019, due to his desire to relocate to Northern California. Mr. Dinsmore has 32 years of banking experience and most recently served as Corporate Executive Vice President for SunTrust Banks in Atlanta, Georgia. During his tenure at SunTrust, Mr. Dinsmore had responsibility for Consumer Banking, Small Business Banking, Private Wealth Management and Digital Banking.

17:01 EDT Capital City Bank raises quarterly dividend 18% to 13c per share - The board of directors of Capital City Bank Group declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 13c per share. It represents an 18% increase over the prior quarter of 11c. The dividend produces an annualized rate of 52c per common share and is payable on September 23, 2019 to shareowners of record as of September 9, 2019. The annualized dividend yield is 2.14% based on a closing stock price of $24.31 on August 28, 2019. "Today's dividend increase reflects our strong capital position, solid financial performance and confidence in the future," said William G. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capital City Bank Group.

16:56 EDT CAE to form joint venture with Volo Sicuro, acquire 50% stake in Simcom for $85M - CAE announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Directional Aviation Capital, or DAC. As part of this transaction, CAE will form a joint venture with DAC's affiliate, Volo Sicuro and acquire for approximately $85M a 50% stake in Simcom Holdings. In addition, DAC's affiliated business aircraft operators, which include Flexjet, Flight Options, Flairjet, Sirio, Nextant Aerospace and Corporate Wings will enter into a 15-year exclusive training services agreement with Simcom and with CAE. Together, these aircraft operators have a fleet of approximately 175 business aircraft. In addition, to enhance its training offering, Simcom will purchase equipment from CAE's latest product offering, including five full flight simulators. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

16:52 EDT Invitation Homes EVP Solls sells 30K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Invitation Homes disclosed that its EVP Mark Solls sold 30K shares of common stock on August 28th-29th. The total transaction size was $870.3K.

16:45 EDT MSG Networks announces $300M buyback increase and modified Dutch auction - MSG Networks announced that its board has authorized a $300M increase to its existing stock repurchase program, bringing the company's total available authorization to approximately $436M. The company also announced that on August 30, 2019 it plans to commence a "modified Dutch auction" tender offer to purchase up to $250M in value of its outstanding Class A common stock at a price per Class A Share of not less than $15.00 and not greater than $17.50.

16:33 EDT GameStop relaunches website to ease use, including, 'discoverability' upgrade - GameStop said in part:"Today we are unveiling the new GameStop.com, designed to provide our customers with a modern digital shopping experience that is engaging, easier and faster to use, and tightly integrated with the stores. Based on customer feedback, we understand that over time, GameStop.com had become increasingly difficult to use - and it was this customer feedback that was the driving force behind the redesigned website."Our customers are at the core of everything we do and we've heard them loud and clear about making significant improvements to GameStop.com," said Chris Homeister, chief merchandising officer for GameStop...Some of the upgraded website features include: Buy Online Pickup at Store/Reserve Online Pickup at Store streamlined experience that will now be available for multiple items versus just one item. Apple Pay from the Webmaking transactions easier and seamless.PowerUp Rewards is integrated with the web allowing customers to enroll online and receive some of the gaming industry's top discounts and highly-coveted member benefits. Discoverability is easy with beautiful and large imagery that helps customers find their favorite videogames, accessories, apparel and toy collectibles - with less clicks." Reference Link

16:31 EDT NXP Semiconductors raises quarterly dividend 50% to 37.5c per share - The interim dividend will be paid on October 4 to shareholders of record on September 16.

16:25 EDT Morgan Stanley reports 5% passive stake in Aclaris Therapeutics - In a regulatory filing, Morgan Stanley (MS) disclosed a 5% stake in Aclaris (ACRS), which represents about 2M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:22 EDT Sinclair Broadcast takes 20% interest in YES Network - As part of a consortium, led by Yankee Global Enterprises, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that an indirect subsidiary of Diamond Sports Group has acquired a 20% equity interest in the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network, valued at approximately $346M on a total enterprise value of $3.47B. In addition, under the YES Network management team, Sinclair will direct the YES Network's traditional and virtual distribution relationships.

16:21 EDT Host Hotels urges holders to reject Mackenzie's mini-tender offer - Host Hotels & Resorts has learned that MacKenzie Capital Management, LP made an unsolicited "mini tender" offer for up to 100,000 operating partnership units of Host Hotels & Resorts, L.P. at a price of $13.10 per OP Unit less cash distributions made by Host L.P. after July 31, 2019. This follows several earlier "mini tender" offers by the Purchaser launched in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Neither the company nor Host L.P. are in any way associated with the MacKenzie Offer, and holders of OP Units are under no obligation to take any action with respect to the MacKenzie Offer. After careful evaluation of the MacKenzie Offer, the company and Host L.P. recommend that the holders of OP Units reject this unsolicited offer. In making this recommendation, the company primarily considered that the offer price in the MacKenzie Offer is below the $15.78 per share closing stock price of the company's common stock on August 28, 2019. Although there is no trading market for the OP Units themselves, at any time holders of OP Units may request that the company redeem their OP Units and the Company, in its discretion, may either redeem the OP Units for cash or, in the alternative, issue 1.021494 shares of the company's common stock in exchange for each OP Unit, which shares may then be sold. Based on the closing price of the company's common stock on August 28, 2019 of $15.78, an OP Unitholder would receive shares with a market value of approximately $16.12 compared to the cash MacKenzie Offer of $13.10.

16:16 EDT Mercury Systems awarded $22M order - Mercury Systems announced it won a $22M order from a major defense prime contractor for high-performance airborne radar processing subsystems, another demonstration of the company's leading capability in providing the most secure, innovative technology solutions for defense applications.

16:14 EDT Morgan Stanley reports 5.4% passive stake in GSX Techedu - In a regulatory filing, Morgan Stanley disclosed a 5.4% stake in GSX Techedu, which represents about 4.5M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:13 EDT Marvell reports Q2 adjusted gross margin 63.3%

16:12 EDT Commercial Vehicle Group awarded component design contract by Autocar - Commercial Vehicle Group was awarded the design and production of the cabin structure and other components of Autocar's severe-duty vocational truck. At full volume, annual revenues from the program are expected to approximate $5M. Production is expected to begin in the second half of 2019 with full production expected by mid-2020.

16:11 EDT Dell Technologies reports Q2 cash flow from operations of $3.3B

16:09 EDT Inspire Medical announces two LCDs published proposing coverage - Inspire Medical announced that two additional draft local coverage determinations, or LCDs, were published proposing coverage of Inspire therapy. The Medicare Administrative Contractors, or MACs, issuing these two policies are Novitas Solutions and First Coast Service Options, which collectively represent 12 states and the District of Columbia. Concurrently, First Coast has cancelled its existing negative policy on Inspire therapy. The proposed policies are currently in the public comment period, which is expected to be 60 days, and Novitas and First Coast may host formal review meetings during this process. The final LCDs are expected to be published in early 2020. Two other MACs, Noridian and Palmetto, previously published their draft coverage policies. In total, these four MACs represent Medicare patients in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The draft LCDs from Novitas and First Coast are consistent with the previous publication of LCDs from Noridian and Palmetto, which state that for individuals with obstructive sleep apnea who are treated with hypoglossal nerve stimulation, the evidence is sufficient to determine that the technology results in a meaningful improvement in the net health outcomes when utilized as outlined in the LCDs. The criteria for potential patients identified in the draft policy are closely aligned with the approved FDA indication statement for Inspire therapy.

16:08 EDT Severn Bancorp, Inc. names Vance Adkins as CFO - The Board of Directors of Severn Bancorp appointed Vance Adkins, Executive Vice President and CFO of the company and the Bank effective September 16.

16:07 EDT Lam Research increases quarterly dividend by 5c per share - Lam Research Corporation announced that its board has approved a 5c increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.15 per share from $1.10 per share of common stock. The dividend payment will be made October 16 to holders of record on October 1.

15:20 EDT Mylan receives tentative approval from FDA for Pemetrexed - Reference Link

13:16 EDT MoneyGram announces home delivery partnership with HD Bank - MoneyGram announced a new partnership with HD Bank in Vietnam to provide convenient home delivery service. With the addition of HD Bank to the existing MoneyGram home delivery network in Vietnam, customers can continue to trust that money will arrive safely and securely at recipient doorsteps. Currently providing customers with convenient remittance and payment services, the addition of a home delivery option through HD Bank spotlights the omni-channel strategy MoneyGram has for the region.

13:04 EDT Celgene granted orphan status for multiple myeloma treatment - The FDA granted Celgene orphan status for its treatment of multiple myeloma, or asymmetric immunoglobulin G1-based, B-cell maturation antigen x CD3 T-cell bispecific monoclonal antibody. Reference Link

13:03 EDT Akari granted orphan status for hematopoietic stem cell treatment - The FDA granted Akari Therapeutics orphan status for its treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy. Reference Link

12:50 EDT Facebook Business launches lead generation in Messenger - In an earlier blog post, Facebook Business said in part:"Messenger helps you simplify customer acquisition by providing a direct, conversational way for people to take action where they already spend their time. Today, August 29, we are announcing the global roll out of lead generation in Messenger, which enables businesses to set up an automated question experience. Ads that click-to-Messenger, created in the messages objective, opens a Messenger conversation between a person and business and kicks off a set of questions that can be answered through pre-filled or free form text. Businesses can then integrate with their CRM provider and continue the conversation with qualified leads through Pages Inbox, Pages Manager App or a third-party live chat provider. A timely reminder is automatically sent to people who have not yet completed questions, prompting them to respond.Businesses engaging with potential leads in their preferred channel are seeing results, and finding it easy to continue the conversation and seamlessly nurture leads in Messenger. RIFT Tax, a UK-based financial services company, used lead generation in Messenger to increase its customer base of Armed Forces members-increasing qualified leads by 42%." Reference Link

12:34 EDT Hydrogenics shareholders approve transaction with Cummins - Hydrogenics Corporation (HYGS) announced that at the special meeting of its shareholders held today, shareholders voted in favour of a special resolution approving the previously announced plan of arrangement pursuant to which Atlantis AcquisitionCo Canada Corporation, a subsidiary of Cummins (CMI), will, among other things, acquire all of the outstanding common shares of the company, other than the Shares owned by The Hydrogen Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of L'Air Liquide S.A., for $15.00 in cash per Share. The Hydrogen Company has agreed to contribute its Shares for common shares of the Purchaser, on a one for one basis, pursuant to the Transaction in lieu of receiving the cash consideration from the Purchaser for its Shares.

12:22 EDT RH sees no impact to FY19, FY20 results from China tariffs - RH announced that it expects no impact to Fiscal 2019 or Fiscal 2020 financial results from the tariffs imposed on current and new product categories imported from China effective September 1, 2019, October 1, 2019 and December 15, 2019. The company expects the impact from the increased tariffs will be offset by vendor price reductions and minor price increases. Revenue growth and margin expansion remain strong, and the company looks forward to providing further color on its second quarter financial results and outlook on September 10, 2019 after the close of market.

12:16 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond 6% spike attributed to TheDeal report on auction process

12:00 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch falls -15.4% - Abercrombie & Fitch is down -15.4%, or -$2.62 to $14.40.

12:00 EDT Micro Focus falls -32.3% - Micro Focus is down -32.3%, or -$6.10 to $12.79.

12:00 EDT Burlington Stores rises 17.8% - Burlington Stores is up 17.8%, or $30.90 to $204.17.

11:49 EDT Zayo Group delays 10K filing for year ended June 30 - Zayo Group is filing this Notification of late filing on form 12b-25 with respect to its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30.The company has determined it is unable to file its Form 10-K within the prescribed time period provided by the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission without unreasonable effort and expense. The principal reason for the delay is the company has not been able to complete its assessment of the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting as of June 30. The company utilizes a cloud-based professional service automation system provided by a third-party service organization, in its execution of certain key business processes. This system is used to enter, route and create customer billing, track and process business and operational expenses, track and record certain fixed asset transactions and issue customer credits. Zayo Group uses these reports to, among other things, assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

10:48 EDT Atlas Air 'commends' U.S.-EU wet-lease services agreement - Atlas Air Worldwide congratulates and thanks the United States government for its long-standing efforts to persuade the European Union to enter into a stand-alone agreement allowing U.S. air carriers to provide wet-lease, or ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance), services to European carriers. The U.S.-EU agreement eliminates one-sided, short-term time constraints that severely limited the ability of U.S. carriers to provide ACMI service in Europe, while European carriers were under no such restrictions in the United States. "We are extremely gratified that the United States continues to pursue policies that promote open access to the skies and broaden the marketplace for U.S. carriers," said Chairman and CEO William Flynn. "We applaud this new arrangement between the U.S. and EU, and we look forward to the new opportunities that it will bring."

10:46 EDT Sunworks to effect one-for-seven reverse stock split - Sunworks announced that it will effect a one-for-seven reverse stock split of its outstanding common stock. The purpose of the reverse stock split is to bring the company into compliance with the minimum $1.00 price per share bid requirement of Nasdaq's Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2). The company's common stock will continue trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "SUNW" on a reverse stock split adjusted basis when the market opens Friday, August 30.

10:29 EDT Quidel jumps 7% to $62.44 after winning appeal in Beckman Coulter case

10:00 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch falls -11.2% - Abercrombie & Fitch is down -11.2%, or -$1.90 to $15.12.

10:00 EDT Micro Focus falls -28.0% - Micro Focus is down -28.0%, or -$5.28 to $13.61.

10:00 EDT Burlington Stores rises 15.1% - Burlington Stores is up 15.1%, or $26.24 to $199.51.

09:57 EDT Deere names John May as CEO, effective November 4 - The Deere & Company Board of Directors has elected John May as a member of the board, effective immediately, and to the position of CEO, effective November 4. May has served as Deere's President and COO since April. Allen will continue as chairman of the board of directors after he steps down from the CEO position. May becomes the 10th chief executive in the company's 182-year history. May joined Deere in 1997 and became part of the senior management team in 2012 as President, Agricultural Solutions and Chief Information Officer. Last year, he was named President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, with responsibility for the Americas and Australia, the global harvesting, turf and utility, and crop care platforms, and intelligent-solutions group. Earlier in his career, May headed the company's China operations, served as factory.

09:26 EDT Opko Health completes Phase 3 study of somatrogon for growth hormone deficiency - OPKO Health announced that the last patient has completed the final visit in the Company's pivotal Phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the once weekly somatrogon for treatment of growth hormone deficiency in children. The study enrolled a total of 224 treatment naive patients from 21 countries who were randomized 1:1 into two arms: once-weekly somatrogon vs. once-daily Genotropin. The primary endpoint of the trial is height velocity at 52 weeks. Secondary endpoints are safety and pharmacodynamic endpoints. The clinical safety and efficacy data are currently in the process of being compiled and validated prior to data base lock. Top line results are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2019. Patients who completed the Phase 3 study had the option to enter an open label extension study to evaluate the long-term safety of somatrogon. Approximately 95% of the patients switched into the open label extension study and receive somatrogon treatment.

09:11 EDT Volt Information Sciences changes ticker symbol - Volt Information Sciences (VISI) announced that the company's ticker symbol on the NYSE will change to (VOLT). Trading under the new ticker symbol will begin on September 9.

09:10 EDT CBS, Viacom announce Julia Phelps as chief communications officer of ViacomCBS - CBS (CBS) and Viacom (VIA) jointly announced that Julia Phelps has been named executive VP, chief communications and corporate marketing officer of ViacomCBS, effective upon closing of the deal to combine CBS and Viacom. Phelps will report to Bob Bakish, president and CEO, Viacom, who will serve as president and CEO of ViacomCBS upon close. As executive VP, chief communications and corporate marketing officer, Phelps will lead the combined company's corporate communications, corporate marketing, corporate responsibility, special events and internal creative teams. Phelps has served as executive VP, communications, culture and marketing, Viacom since April 2017.

09:06 EDT La Jolla announces European Commission approval for GIAPREZA - La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company announced that the European Commission has approved GIAPREZA for the treatment of refractory hypotension in adults with septic or other distributive shock who remain hypotensive despite adequate volume restitution and application of catecholamines and other available vasopressor therapies. The EC's approval is based on data from the ATHOS-3 Phase 3 study, which established the safety and efficacy of GIAPREZA in adults with septic or other distributive shock. The EC's decision is applicable to the 28 European Union member countries. Approval will also be recognized in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

09:04 EDT Global Water Resources signs agreements with City of Coolidge, Saint Holdings - Global Water Resources has signed agreements with the City of Coolidge and Saint Holdings that will result in the company providing water, wastewater, and recycled water service to a large portion of Coolidge's 30 square mile southern planning area located southeast of Phoenix, Arizona. While still subject to Arizona Corporation Commission regulatory approvals, with these agreements Global Water anticipates providing integrated utility service to this area where large-scale economic development projects are underway. This includes the rail-served Inland Port Arizona, a 2,700-acre mega-site under development by Saint Holdings that has been designed to support the manufacturing and distribution needs of incoming businesses. Earlier this year, Saint Holdings sold a 400-acre portion of Inland Port Arizona to Nikola Motor Company, where Nikola plans to construct a 1 million square-foot, world-class manufacturing facility. Global Water plans to provide updates on this major water resource project as it develops and expands over the coming months.

08:51 EDT Blackstone announces retirement of GSO Capital co-founder Bennett Goodman - Blackstone announced that Bennett Goodman, co-founder of GSO Capital Partners, intends to step down from his full time role with the firm, and the board, at the end of the year. He will remain Chairman of GSO's business development company and will serve as a senior advisor to the firm. Dwight Scott, who was appointed President of GSO in 2017, will continue to oversee the management of the business.

08:47 EDT AbbVie discontinues Rova-T research and development program - AbbVie announced that MERU, a Phase 3 trial evaluating Rova-T as a first-line maintenance therapy for advanced small-cell lung cancer, demonstrated no survival benefit at a pre-planned interim analysis for patients receiving Rova-T as compared with placebo. The overall safety profile was generally consistent with that observed in previous studies. The MERU trial is being closed, and the Rova-T research and development program has been terminated. AbbVie will move forward prioritizing other development programs within its oncology pipeline. An Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended terminating MERU due to lack of survival benefit for patients receiving Rova-T compared with the placebo control arm based on results at a pre-planned interim analysis. Results from the MERU trial will be presented at a future medical meeting and/or published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. "Small-cell lung cancer continues to be one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers where there is a significant need for transformative therapies. We are disappointed with this outcome for the patients who suffer from this disease," said Margaret Foley, M.D., vice president, global head of solid tumor development, AbbVie. "We remain committed to researching and developing other therapies with the potential to transform care for patients with small-cell lung cancer and other malignancies."

08:41 EDT Marimed receives special permit for adult use for Panacea Wellness dispensary - MariMed has received a special permit to allow its Panacea Wellness dispensary in Middleborough to merchandise cannabis products under the Massachusetts adult use program. It will now proceed at the Cannabis Control Commission for adult use final approval. The dispensary has already received town approval for medical use. The state's Cannabis Control Commission is anticipated to give the go-ahead to open Panacea Wellness under the medical use program following the inspection of the dispensary earlier this week. Panacea Wellness has worked with the Town of Middleborough to secure all necessary approvals, and has received the approval of the town's planning board, board of selectman, and fire and police departments. The town is allowing up to only four cannabis dispensary permits, with Panacea Wellness expected to be the first. MariMed has permits for two additional Panacea Wellness dispensaries in Massachusetts that are also under development.

08:33 EDT Inpixon signs Master Technology Group as authorized reseller - Inpixon announced it has signed Master Technology Group as an authorized reseller. MTG employs more than one hundred full-time employees and specializes in the planning and installation of video surveillance systems, video management systems, video analytics, access control, life safety systems, and other building systems. MTG is based near Minneapolis, MN, and services customers across the U.S. and Canada.

08:19 EDT Akari Therapeutics expects to complete Part B of AKC Phase I/II trial by Q4 - The company said, "Successfully completed Part A of TRACKER, a Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of topical nomacopan in patients with moderate-to-severe AKC. Results showed a rapid response and an overall improvement of 55% in the composite clinical score, which was composed of an improvement in symptoms of 62% and signs of 52% by Day 56. Three patients were treated with twice daily nomacopan eye drops in addition to standard of care for up to 56 days, with one patient completing 14 days and then withdrawing for reasons unrelated to the study. All patients had been on maximal topical cyclosporine, the standard of care, for at least three months prior to entry. The nomacopan eye drops were found to be comfortable and well tolerated with no serious adverse events. Enrollment in the Part B placebo-controlled efficacy arm in 16 patients continues to progress, with data read out planned for the fourth quarter of 2019."

08:17 EDT Akari Therapeutics to present mild-to-moderate BP trial data at EADV Congress

08:13 EDT MJardin Group expects business to be EBITDA positive beginning in 1Q20 - The company said, "The Company continues to execute on its 2019 business plan with key deliverables for the balance of 2019 and first half of 2020 as follows:Full build out completed in 2019 of WILL, GRO and AMI, with substantial completion of the Cheyenne and Warman facilities anticipated by the first half of 2020; Construction will also begin on Rama in 2019 with substantial completion expected to occur in 2020; 2019 production target of ~2,700 kgs of dried flower, with an exit 2019 run rate of ~6,500 kgs; 2020 production target of ~12,300 kgs of dried flower; The business will be EBITDA positive in fiscal year 2020 beginning in the first quarter; Successful transfer of licenses at both Cheyenne and Cannabella, and full integration of the businesses to enhance margins and market share; Continued pursuit of long term supply agreements to hedge price exposure of Canadian production."

08:07 EDT Heska appoints Nancy Wisnewski as COO - Heska announced the realignment of its executive officers and the promotion in connection therewith of Nancy Wisnewski from Executive VP, Diagnostic Operations and Product Development to Executive VP, COO. Wisnewski will also be responsible for the alignment and prioritization of company resources to ensure operational excellence and scalability across the company. Wisnewski was previously Executive VP, Diagnostic Operations & Product Development - September 2016 to present -, Executive VP, Product Development and Customer Service - April 2011 to September 2016. Current Chief Strategist and COO Jason Napolitano will continue to serve as Heska's Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to the company's CEO, to further increase focus on Heska's business development acceleration of the company's strategic initiatives to simultaneously expand Heska's product and geographic opportunities throughout the global animal healthcare market.

08:06 EDT VirTra receives $1.1M expansion order from U.S. Secret Service - VirTra has received a $1.1M order for equipment and services from the United States Secret Service.

08:05 EDT Dow, Fuenix enter into a partnership for production of 100% circular plastic - Dow announced an agreement with the Fuenix Ecogy Group, based in Weert, The Netherlands, for the supply of pyrolysis oil feedstock, which is made from recycled plastic waste. The feedstock will be used to produce new polymers at Dow's production facilities at Terneuzen, The Netherlands. "This agreement marks an important step forward to increase feedstock recycling - the process of breaking down mixed waste plastics into their original form to manufacture new virgin polymers. The polymers produced from this pyrolysis oil will be identical to products produced from traditional feedstocks, and as such, they can be used in the same applications, including food packaging."

08:03 EDT Quaker Houghton to acquire operating division of Norman Hay for about $98M - Quaker Houghton announced that it has agreed to acquire the operating divisions of Norman Hay plc, a private UK company that provides specialty chemicals, operating equipment, and services to industrial end markets, for a purchase price of about $98M, subject to post-closing adjustments. The divisions to be acquired are expected to have 2019 revenues of (~$77.8M and adjusted EBITDA of ~$13.8M. The purchase price represents a multiple of ~7.1x of the divisions' projected 2019 adjusted EBITDA and slightly increases Quaker Houghton's leverage ratio by 0.2x. Quaker Houghton continues to estimate its leverage ratio will be below 2.5x within two years. The company is required to file for German regulatory approval and expects to receive this approval and close the transaction in October. Quaker Houghton intends to operate the acquired divisions as a stand-alone business within its Global Specialty Businesses platform while it completes the integration of Quaker Chemical and Houghton International.

08:02 EDT Immucell receives FDA response to first CMC submission for Re-Tain - ImmuCell Corporation announced that it has received a response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to its first phased Nisin Drug Substance submission of the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls Technical Section for Re-Tain, the Company's novel treatment in development for subclinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows. Under the FDA's phased submission process, Phase 1 concerns the Nisin Drug Substance, and Phase 2 concerns the Re-Tain Drug Product. As part of the phased submission process, the FDA issued a Technical Section Incomplete Letter with various requests and queries in addition to referring to the fact that the second phased submission has yet to be submitted. This process allows a sponsor to respond to identified deficiencies from the first phased submission at the time of the second phased submission. The second phased Drug Substance and Drug Product CMC Technical Section submission is expected to be made around the third quarter of 2020. In addition to responding to comments raised by the FDA regarding the first phased submission, one of the key components of the second phased submission is demonstrating stability of the product over time using the commercial process and the commercial syringe. "Having reviewed the comments from the FDA, we see no road blocks on our path to FDA approval for Re-Tain," commented Michael Brigham, President and CEO. "We believe we can respond effectively to the FDA's comments without significant additional cost or time delays."

07:54 EDT Golar LNG says Sergipe commercial operations 'remain on track' for January - The company said, "Commercial operations at Sergipe remain on track to begin in January 2020. Part of the contracted cash flows will be used to accelerate development of the downstream LNG distribution business in Brazil. Golar Power is on schedule to deliver its first small-scale LNG shipment from the spare capacity of the FSRU Nanook in 2Q 2020. Low LNG prices are improving the economics of these low-capex, fast payback opportunities, where a key merit is switching demand for expensive diesel, heavy fuel oil and coal into demand for low-cost, clean LNG."

07:52 EDT Golar LNG expects earnings to improve in LNG Shipping - The company said, "Earnings are expected to improve; supported by new term contracts, a tighter supply demand balance, seasonally stronger rates and additional trading days for the fleet. All TFDE carrier drydockings are expected to have been concluded by year-end. Subject to market conditions, we intend to complete the previously announced spin-off of our TFDE fleet by the end of 2019. The market faces an impending structural shortage of shipping: in 2019, vessel demand growth of 15% is expected against supply growth of 8%. Further vessel demand growth of 14% is expected in 2020, with supply growth lagging at 9%. This is partly offset by current low LNG prices that eliminate arbitrage opportunities and reduce transportation to the Far East."

07:51 EDT Dollar Tree announces tariff update - Earlier this year, the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, began a process to impose a tariff on all of the $300B in Chinese goods which were not previously subject to a tariff under Section 301, referred to as List 4 goods. On August 13, the USTR published the final description of products on List 4 and divided the list into two parts. Tariffs at the rate of 10% on List 4A goods will go into effect September 1. Tariffs at the rate of 10% on List 4B goods will go into effect December 15. On August 23, the USTR announced that tariffs on List 1, 2 and 3 products would increase from 25% to 30% on October 1, tariffs on List 4A products would increase from 10% to 15% on September 1 and tariffs on List 4B products would increase from 10% to 15% on December 15. Dollar Tree estimates that without mitigation List 4A and the additional 5% tariff on Lists 1, 2, and 3 would cost the company approximately $26M in additional tariffs between September 1 and December 15. Prior to the recent announcements on List 4 as well as the additional 5% tariff increase on all lists, the company believes it has successfully mitigated most of the adverse effects of the Section 301 tariffs. The company has negotiated price concessions, cancelled orders, modified specifications, evolved product mix, and diversified vendors. The company is now implementing actions that may mitigate the recently announced tariff increases, and will continue to assess the future impact of those tariffs.

07:42 EDT Dollar Tree sees Q3 SSS up low single digits

07:41 EDT Campbell Soup appoints Mick Beekhuizen as CFO - Campbell Soup appointed Mick Beekhuizen as Senior Vice President and CFO, effective September 30. Beekhuizen will lead Campbell's finance function, including tax, treasury, audit, Investor Relations, external development, corporate financial planning and analysis, and financial systems, as well as the company's information technology group. Beekhuizen will report to Mark Clouse, Campbell's President and CEO, and become a Corporate Officer and a member of the Campbell Leadership Team. He succeeds Anthony DiSilvestro, who is leaving Campbell on October 15 to pursue other interests. Beekhuizen was Executive Vice President and CFO at Chobani since 2016.

07:37 EDT Overwatch League announces multi-year deal with Kellogg - The Overwatch League, created by publisher Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard (ATVI), announced an exclusive deal with Kellogg (K), which will include co-marketing initiatives with Cheez-It and Pringles products. "Kicking off during the playoffs in the U.S., Cheez-It Grooves and Pringles Wavy brands will also be the presenting sponsor of the halftime show and highlights segments during the 2019 Grand Finals. The 2019 deal will include a one-day sampling of Cheez-It and Pringles products, and a viewing of the Overwatch League 2019 Grand Finals on Sept. 29 across 1,000 Walmart (WMT) stores." In 2020, as part of the deal, Kellogg will release co-branded packaging for both Cheez-It Grooves and Pringles Wavy products featuring Overwatch League branding. This initiative will also include a U.S. sweepstakes where consumers will have the chance to win tickets to the Overwatch League finals and other prizes related to the Overwatch League. Pringles products will extend globally, while Cheez-It will remain U.S.-only.

07:10 EDT Best Buy down 3.9% after reporting Q2 results

07:07 EDT Burlington Stores up 5% after Q2 results beat estimates, FY19 guidance raised - In pre-market trading, shares are up 5.6% to $190.11.

06:57 EDT Titan Machinery raises FY20 agriculture revenue view to up 2%-7% from flat - Lowers FY20 International revenue view to up 2%-7% from up 10%-15%.

06:52 EDT Apollo and Athene to acquire PK AirFinance From GECAS, terms not disclosed - Apollo Global Management (APO); Athene Holding (ATH); and GE Capital, the financial services arm of GE (GE), announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Apollo and Athene to purchase PK AirFinance, an aviation lending business, from GE Capital's Aviation Services unit. In connection with this transaction, Apollo will acquire the PK AirFinance aircraft lending platform and Athene will acquire PK AirFinance's existing portfolio of loans. PK AirFinance is a leading aircraft lending business that serves airlines, aircraft traders, lessors, investors and financial institutions globally with loans to borrowers in more than 40 countries. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, although the $3.6B of PK AirFinance financing receivables that were held for sale in the second quarter are being sold at a premium to book value in this transaction. The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

06:48 EDT Dollar General names Jeffery Owen as COO - Jeffery Owen has been named chief operating officer with responsibility for store operations, merchandising and supply chain. Owen, a Dollar General veteran with more than 25 years of retail experience, returned to the company in June 2015 to serve as executive vice president of store operations overseeing nearly 16,000 stores throughout the 44 states in which Dollar General currently operates, as well as the real estate and new store development functions. During Owen's time in this role, Dollar General has added more than 3,500 stores and increased sales by more than 35%. Owen first joined Dollar General in 1992 as a store manager and served Dollar General in various roles of increasing responsibility.

06:42 EDT Toronto-Dominion CEO says 'this was a great quarter for TD' - "This was a great quarter for TD, reflecting increased earnings and revenue growth across all of our business segments," said Bharat Masrani, Group President and CEO, TD Bank Group. "Our record earnings are a testament to the strength of our diversified business model which enables us to enrich the lives of our customers as we continue to innovate for the future."

06:38 EDT Dollar General backs FY19 share repurchase view of approximately $1B - Backs FY19 CapEx view $775M-$825M, including those related to investments in the company's strategic initiatives. The company is also reiterating its plans to execute approximately 2,075 real estate projects in fiscal year 2019, including 975 new store openings, 1,000 mature store remodels, and 100 store relocations.

06:36 EDT Roche announces European approval for Tecentriq plus Abraxane for breast cancer - Roche announced that the European Commission has approved Tecentriq plus chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer whose tumours have PD-L1 expression and who have not received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Roche's VENTANA PD-L1 Assay is now CE marked and commercially available in the European Union as an aid for identifying patients with TNBC eligible for treatment with the Tecentriq combination. This approval is based on the results from the Phase III IMpassion130 study. Progression-free survival results demonstrated a statistically significant benefit for Tecentriq in combination with nab-paclitaxel and showed that Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel significantly reduced the risk of disease worsening or death by 38% compared with nab-paclitaxel alone in people who were tested positive for PD-L1 expression on tumour-infiltrating immune cells. At the second interim analysis, Tecentriq and nab-paclitaxel showed a clinically meaningful overall survival improvement of seven months vs placebo and nab-paclitaxel in the PD-L1-positive population OS results in the PD-L1-positive population were not formally tested due to the hierarchical design of the study as statistical significance was not met for OS in the intention-to-treat population. The assessment of PD-L1 on tumour-infiltrating immune cells is essential for identifying the patients with TNBC benefiting from this Tecentriq combination. PD-L1 expression status in the IMpassion130 study was assessed by the VENTANA PD-L1 assay. Safety in the Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel arm appeared consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines, and no new safety signals were identified with the combination. The nature and incidence of severe adverse events and Grade 3-4 adverse events were consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual study drugs or the underlying disease. SAEs were reported in 23% of people receiving Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel compared to 18% of people receiving chemotherapy alone. Grade 3-4 AEs were reported in 49% of people receiving Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel compared to 42% of people receiving chemotherapy alone. Currently, there are seven ongoing Phase III studies investigating Tecentriq in TNBC, including early and advanced stages of the disease.

06:25 EDT UBS announces president of asset management Ulrich Koerner steps down - UBS (UBS) announced that Ulrich Koerner has decided to step down from his current roles as president asset management and president UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will remain with UBS as senior advisor to the Group CEO until at least 31 March 2020 to support the Group with several ongoing key initiatives. Suni Harford will join the Group Executive Board of UBS and succeed Ulrich Koerner as President Asset Management. Harford joined UBS in 2017 in her current role as Head of Investments for UBS Asset Management. Sabine Keller-Busse will succeed Koerner as President UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa in addition to her current role as Group COO. The company also said after managing the UBS franchise in Switzerland and then positioning the new Global Wealth Management business for the future, Martin Blessing has decided to step down from his current role. He will remain with UBS to ensure a smooth transition until 31 December 2019. Blessing has been Co-President Global Wealth Management since February 2018. Iqbal Khan will join UBS and succeed Martin Blessing as Co-President Global Wealth Management, alongside Tom Naratil. Khan was CEO of International Wealth Management and a member of the executive board at Credit Suisse (CS) 2015 to 2019.

06:03 EDT Tech Data CEO calls Q2 performance 'outstanding' - "We are pleased to report that Tech Data delivered an outstanding second quarter performance marked by broad-based improvement across our geographies. A stable demand environment, combined with strong execution by our teams, resulted in a number of key achievements, including: solid sales growth in constant currency, double-digit growth in operating income and earnings per share, positive cash flow, and an industry-leading return on invested capital," said Rich Hume, CEO. "We achieved all of this while continuing to advance our strategy, invest for the future and return cash to our shareholders in the form of share repurchases. The Board's authorization of an additional $200 million share repurchase reflects our continued confidence in our business and commitment to creating value for our shareholders."

05:56 EDT KBR awarded $41M contract by NAWCAD - KBR announced it has been awarded a $41M contract by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, or NAWCAD, to provide engineering, technical, operational, test and logistics services for its Surface/Aviation Interoperability Laboratory, or SAIL. Under this cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, KBR's services will support SAIL efforts related to the Navy and other U.S. military branches' research and development programs; systems integration; simulation and stimulation systems development, test planning and conduct; command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems interoperability; and technology demonstration programs. KBR will primarily perform this work at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract's period of performance begins in August and runs through July 2024.