Stockwinners Market Radar for September 05, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:11 EDT TeleNav announces partnership with Microsoft on connected car services - Telenav (TNAV) announced that it is working with Microsoft (MSFT) to integrate Telenav's intelligent connected-car solutions suite with the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, running on Microsoft Azure. Telenav is building connected cloud and in-vehicle services for automotive infotainment, in-car commerce and navigation. The Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform allows Telenav to "leverage vehicle data to deliver unique in-car and cloud-based services that enhance customers' driving and mobility experiences."

19:14 EDT European Patent Office decides not to grant Alexion patent applications - In a regulatory 8-k filing, Alexion disclosed that on September 5, 2019, the European Patent Office determined, following examination proceedings, not to grant Alexion Pharmaceuticals European patent applications 3124029 and 3167888 which relate to the pharmaceutical compositions of SOLIRIS, or eculizumab, and composition of matter of SOLIRIS. The company will evaluate its option to appeal the European Patent Office's decision with respect to these patent applications following receipt and review of the written decision.

18:59 EDT GrubHub, McDonalds announce NYC deliver partnership - McDonald's (MCD) USA and Grubhub (GRUB) announced a new partnership to begin expanding McDelivery to approximately 500 restaurants in the NYC and Tri-State Area. McDelivery will be available on the Grubhub marketplace and the company's New York brand, Seamless.

18:34 EDT Caleres authorizes stock repurchase program of up to 5M shares - Caleres has authorized a stock repurchase program of up to 5.0 million shares. This program is in addition to the existing stock repurchase program, which was approved on December 14. There are approximately 5.7M shares available for repurchase, including those remaining under the existing authorization.

18:30 EDT Ceridian to acquire Australian workforce management solutions provider RITEQ - Ceridian has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire RITEQ, a provider of enterprise workforce management solutions. Founded in 2001, RITEQ has operations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, New Zealand, and the UK and serves more than 325 customers.

18:03 EDT Apollo Medical buys all outstanding stock of Accountable Health Care for $7.25M - Apollo Medical announced that its affiliates, Allied Physicians of California and APC-LSMA Designated Shareholder Medical Corporation have acquired all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Accountable Health Care IPA, a Professional Medical Corporation. In connection with the settlement of a dispute with Dr. Jayatilaka and Accountable Health Care, APC-LSMA acquired all shares of Accountable Health Care's capital stock held by Dr. Jayatilaka in exchange for $7.25 million. APC owns the remaining 25% of the outstanding shares of Accountable Health Care capital stock.

17:34 EDT Stamps.com launches GlobalPost international shipping services - In response to the growing concern over the United States leaving the Universal Postal Union, UPU, Stamps.com has unveiled new GlobalPost international shipping services. These services are not reliant on U.S. relationships with the UPU and will ensure that businesses can continue to ship internationally without disruption, while still receiving similar transit times, customs clearances and competitive rates. The GlobalPost delivery network leverages partnerships with international postal operators as well as commercial carriers to offer worldwide delivery. GlobalPost services reach over 200 countries and territories and includes features not found in traditional international postal services, including: Global Address Verification: Improve deliverability with real-time address verification; No Customs Forms: Send Customs electronically - no forms to print. "We know customers simply can't afford disruptions to their shipping services," said Ken McBride, Chairman and CEO of Stamps.com. "That's why we're proud to be able to offer these GlobalPost services to our many international shipping customers who have been concerned about the potential USPS disruption caused by the breakdown of the UPU/U.S. relationship. As always, we're trying to keep our customers a few steps ahead, especially when it comes to the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce shipping."

17:24 EDT Southside Bancshares announces stock buyback for up to 1M shares - Southside Bancshares announced that its board has authorized a Stock Repurchase Plan, under which the company may repurchase, from time to time, up to 1M shares of its outstanding common stock.

17:18 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical issues U.S. recall of Natpara injection - Takeda Pharmaceutical is issuing a US recall for all doses of Natpara for Injection, 25 mcg, 50 mcg, 75 mcg, and 100 mcg. This recall is being conducted after discussions with the FDA and is effective immediately due to a potential issue related to rubber particulates originating from the rubber septum of the Natpara cartridge. During the 14-day Natpara treatment period, the septum is punctured by a needle each day to obtain the daily dosage of Natpara solution. When the septum is repeatedly punctured, it is possible that small rubber fragments may detach into the cartridge. Takeda is alerting Natpara patients and prescribers that discontinuing Natpara abruptly can cause a sharp decrease in blood calcium levels which can result in serious health consequences. The safety profile of NATPARA remains consistent with the product label. Takeda is working closely with regulatory agencies in relevant markets outside of the US where Natpara is available. Natpara continues to be available in these markets. Takeda is working with the FDA to resolve the issue and resume supply as soon as possible. The financial impact of the recall is currently being assessed in conjunction with the remediation plan.

17:08 EDT EMC Insurance announces Glass Lewis recommendation for EMCC acquisition - EMC Insurance announced that independent proxy advisory firm, Glass Lewis, joined Institutional Shareholder Services in recommending that EMCI shareholders vote for Employers Mutual Casualty's, or EMCC, proposed acquisition of all of the shares of EMCI that EMCC does not already own. The EMCI board, based on the unanimous recommendation of its special committee, recommends that EMCI minority shareholders vote for the proposal to approve the transaction, as described in more detail in the definitive proxy statement that was filed with the SEC.

17:03 EDT CNA Financial appoints Jane Possell as Chief Information Officer - CNA appointed Jane Possell as Chief Information Officer. Possell most recently served as Vice President, U.S. Digital and Business Insurance Technology, at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Prior to Liberty Mutual, she served as a Managing Director at Accenture, working with many of the top Property & Casualty carriers in the U.S.

17:01 EDT Microbot Medical jumps over 5% after announcing presentation plans for SCS - At the upcoming Rodman & Renshaw Global Investment Conference, Harel Gadot, CEO, President and Chairman of Microbot Medica, will demonstrate a working prototype of the company's Self-Cleaning Shunt, SCS. Gadot is scheduled to present on Tuesday, September 10 at the Lotte New York Palace in New York City. Shares of Microbot Medical are up 5.10% to $5.15 per share in after-hours trading.

16:50 EDT New Jersey Resources acquires Leaf River Energy Center - New Jersey Resources business NJR Midstream has entered into an agreement to acquire Leaf River Energy Center from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, which operates within the Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets division of the Macquarie Group. The agreement purchase price for Leaf River is $367.5M subject to certain contractual conditions. The transaction is expected to close in 2019 and supports NJR's long-term net financial earnings growth rate of 6%-8%. Leaf River is located in southeastern Mississippi with connections to six interstate pipelines.

16:46 EDT Zumiez spikes10% after quarterly results surpass estimates, guidance - Shares of teen retailer Zumiez are up 9.89% or $2.85 to $30.45 per share in after-hours trading after reporting quarterly results that beat analyst estimates.

16:39 EDT Bank7 initiates 10c quarterly dividend payment - The dividend is payable on October 16, 2019 to shareholders of record on October 1, 2019.

16:38 EDT Bank7 announces stock buyback for up to 500K shares of common stock - The board authorized the company to repurchase up to 500,000 shares, or approximately 5% of current outstanding shares, of the company's common stock.

16:33 EDT Iron Mountain acquires business process outsourcing unit from Suppla - Iron Mountain announced the acquisition of Suppla's business process outsourcing, or BPO, unit in Colombia, focused on information management, expanding Iron Mountain's presence to eight facilities in the markets of Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla. With this acquisition, Iron Mountain will manage an additional 90 customers with an inventory of 1.7M cubic feet. BPO solutions in Suppla include records management and data governance offerings for regulated industries including healthcare and social services, financial services, government, education, communications and information technology sectors.

16:26 EDT Mosaic Fertilizantes unit returns to full production at Araxa and Tapira mines - Mosaic Fertilizantes, the Brazil-based business unit of The Mosaic Company, announced that it has resumed mining at full capacity at its Araxa and Tapira mines in the state of Minas Gerais, marking the end of the regulatory required idling of the company's tailings dams. The company's Catalao mine, also idled due to the regulatory changes, resumed operations in June.

16:20 EDT Guidewire down 11% after FY20 guidance misses consensus

16:18 EDT Costco reports August comparable sales up 5.5%, ex-gas up 5.9% - Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $11.79B for the retail month of August, the four weeks ended September 1, an increase of 6.9% from $11.03B last year. For the 16-week fourth quarter ended September 1, the company reported net sales of $46.45B, an increase of 7.0% compared to net sales of $43.41B during the similar period last year.

16:13 EDT Lululemon reports Q2 gross margin 55.0%, up 20bps from last year

16:10 EDT Gladstone Land says no damage to Florida farms from Hurricane Dorian - Gladstone Land Corporation announced no damage to its farms and farm facilities in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

16:05 EDT Immunic announces results of interim dosing analysis for CALDOSE-1 study - Immunic announced the results of a pre-planned interim dosing analysis in the phase 2 CALDOSE-1 study of IMU-838 in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, or UC. Based on the available data, an unblinded and independent data review committee has concluded that the study's lowest, 10 mg dose was found not to be likely ineffective and that the highest, 45 mg dose was not intolerable. As a result, the company intends to continue the trial with all three dosing arms. The phase 2 CALDOSE-1 trial is an international, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study being conducted in the United States and Europe and is designed to evaluate the company's lead compound, IMU-838, in patients with UC. The study's primary endpoint comprises a composite of a patient reported outcome and endoscopy-assessed outcome, both to be evaluated following ten weeks of induction treatment with IMU-838 or placebo. Under an agreement between Immunic and the FDA, reached during the company's pre-IND meeting in 2017, the CALDOSE-1 trial was designed to begin enrollment with three active dosing arms of 10 mg, 30 mg and 45 mg, respectively, in addition to a placebo arm. Based on preclinical target engagement data, Immunic had hypothesized 30 mg to be the lowest effective dose. The 10 mg dose was added to the trial at the suggestion of the FDA to include a lower dose than the expected effective doses. The interim dosing analysis was to be conducted after approximately 60 patients were evaluable following their ten-week induction treatment. At the time, Immunic anticipated that the lowest, 10 mg dose might be found to be likely ineffective in this interim dosing analysis, and therefore discontinued. The interim dosing analysis has now been performed by an unblinded and independent data review committee, which has concluded that the 10 mg dose appeared not to be likely ineffective, the 45 mg dose was not intolerable and no safety signal was identified for any of the trial's three doses of IMU-838. The data review committee has not shared with the company any of the unblinded data underlying these conclusions, and the study remains blinded to the company, the investigators and the enrolled patients. The interim dosing analysis was not designed to be a futility analysis nor was the primary endpoint or any other endpoint of the study tested statistically. As a result of these findings, the trial's steering committee has recommended continuation of all three dosing arms, which recommendation is intended to be implemented by Immunic. Expansion of IMU-838's potentially effective dose range will require inclusion of a third active dosing arm to the study's second enrollment period and will increase the overall number of patients expected to be included in the ongoing trial from a previously anticipated 195 patients, to a total of approximately 240 anticipated patients. Management noted that the positive findings of this interim dosing analysis will impact the timing of completion of patient enrollment, previously expected during the second half of 2020, as well as availability of top-line data, which was anticipated during Q1 of 2021. Management will re-evaluate and report on its adjusted timeline with respect to the CALDOSE-1 study, as well as the expected dose selection and initiation of the CALDOSE-2 phase 2 trial of IMU-838 in Crohn's disease patients, after a thorough review has been completed. Finally and as pre-defined in the study protocol, this interim dosing analysis was based on data from only a relatively small number of patients in the CALDOSE-1 trial, and no formal statistical analysis was performed. This interim dosing analysis and the conclusions made by the independent data review committee may not reflect results of a final analysis of the trial once the full data set is analyzed.

15:37 EDT John B. Sanfilippo & Son CFO Michael Valentine sells almost $510K in stock - John B. Sanfilippo & Son CFO Michael Valentine disclosed in a filing that he had sold 5,362 shares of company stock at an average price of $ $95.03 per share on September 15. The total transaction value of the sale was $509,565.

14:40 EDT Nintendo confirms Activision Blizzard's Overwatch coming to Switch system - Nintendo (NTDOY) announced "during a packed Nintendo Direct video presentation, Nintendo announced many new games coming to the Nintendo Switch system, including Blizzard's (ATVI) mega-hit game Overwatch Legendary Edition, as well as games launching today like Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition. Nintendo also provided new details about previously announced upcoming games, like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield." Reference Link

14:19 EDT Macy's aims to cut promotional activity as part of cost-cutting goals - Earlier on Thursday, in its presentation at the the Goldman Sachs Annual Global Retailing Conference, Macy's said it sees opportunities to reduce "ineffective markdowns and to move towards more personalized, targeted promotions for each customer." Macy's executives spoke of using analytics to target individualized promotions as part of its plans to cut costs by $400M to $550M while also improving working capital by approximately $100M over the next 2 to 4 years. Shares of Macy's are up 3.6% or 53c to $15.44 per share in afternoon trading.

13:51 EDT Helmerich & Payne lowers FY19 CapEX view - Earlier on Thursday, Helmerich & Payne announced its quarterly dividend and provides an operational and capital expenditures update. On September 4, the Board of H&P held a meeting and declared a quarterly cash dividend of 71c per share on its common stock, payable on December 2, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 11. H&P previously stated expectations for its fiscal 2019 capital expenditures to be at the low end of its $500-$530 million guidance range. The company now expects total capital expenditures to be $5-$15M below the low end of that guidance range with the final outcome dependent on the timing of certain procurement activities in late fiscal 2019 and early fiscal 2020. The company is proposing a preliminary capital expenditure budget for fiscal 2020 of approximately $300M, which includes $35M related to adding additional super-spec walking capabilities in U.S. Land and select international super-spec upgrades should demand for such rigs develop in fiscal 2020. Formal approval of the fiscal 2020 capital expenditure budget by the Board of Directors is expected to occur during the Company's first fiscal quarter of 2020.

13:22 EDT Walgreens asks customers to no longer openly carry firearms into stores - Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) said in a statement, "We are joining other retailers in asking our customers to no longer openly carry firearms into our stores other than authorized law enforcement officials." Publicly traded companies in the gun space include American Outdoor Brands (AOBC), Sturm, Ruger (RGR), and Vista Outdoor (VSTO). Reference Link

13:13 EDT Payments startup Stripe expands into business lending - In a posting to its blog site, payments startup Stripe said: "Today, Stripe launched Stripe Capital, an easier way for internet businesses running on Stripe to access capital. Access to capital remains a challenge for most companies, especially online businesses. Banks have cut their lending to small businesses almost in half over the last decade, and 70% of businesses say they don't have access to the level of funding they need. Those who succeed at getting loans report spending more than 25 hours on applications and paperwork, and then waiting weeks or months for approved funds to actually become available to them. Startups and small businesses create a disproportionate number of jobs, yet these are the very companies whose access to capital has been most curtailed. As a result, easier access to capital has been one of the top requests from Stripe users over the past two years."Publicly traded companies in the space include Square(SQ) and On Deck Capital (ONDK). Reference Link

12:00 EDT Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs falls -16.3% - Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs is down -16.3%, or -$15.99 to $82.20.

12:00 EDT Meredith falls -26.4% - Meredith is down -26.4%, or -$11.58 to $32.24.

12:00 EDT Irsa Inversiones y Representaciones SA rises 17.1% - Irsa Inversiones y Representaciones SA is up 17.1%, or 96c to $6.61.

11:56 EDT Endo announces settlement agreement resolving 'Track 1' opioid cases - Endo International announced that its subsidiaries Endo Pharmaceuticals, Endo Health Solutions, Par Pharmaceutical and Par Pharmaceutical Companies have executed a definitive Settlement Agreement and Release with the County of Cuyahoga, Ohio, the County of Summit, Ohio and certain related persons in connection with the following lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio: The County of Cuyahoga, et al. v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al., Case No. 17-OP-45004; and The County of Summit, et al. v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al., Case No. 18-OP-45090. Endo had previously announced a settlement in principle of the Track 1 Cases on August 20, 2019. The company said, "The Settlement Agreement fully resolves all claims that were or could have been asserted by the two plaintiff counties against the Endo Entities in the Track 1 Cases, including claims arising from or otherwise relating to the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, supply, sale, prescribing, use and/or abuse of branded and generic opioid medications. Under the Settlement Agreement, Endo will pay a total sum of $10M and will provide up to $1M of its Vasostrict and Adrenalin products free of charge, to be initially allocated by and between the two plaintiff counties as follows: Cuyahoga County will receive $6.2M in cash and up to $620,000 of Vasostrict and/or Adrenalin; and Summit County will receive $3.8M in cash and up to $380,000 of Vasostrict and/or Adrenalin. The two plaintiff counties may further apportion and use the foregoing amounts in their sole discretion. Further, in the event of a comprehensive resolution of government-related opioid claims, the Company has agreed that the two plaintiff counties will receive the value they would have received under such resolution less the total value of the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement includes no admission of wrongdoing, fault or liability of any kind by the Endo Entities and avoids litigation risk and associated costs. It is important to note that the value of the Settlement Agreement should not be extrapolated to any other opioid-related cases or claims."

11:13 EDT Lear's Xevo partners with Hyundai to offer customers in-vehicle commerce - Lear (LEA) announced that Xevo, its automotive software company, has partnered with Hyundai Motor (HYMTF) to deliver Xevo Market capabilities into Hyundai vehicles in the U.S. and Europe. "The platform will allow customers with compatible Hyundai vehicles to engage and interact with their favorite merchant brands and services through an easy-to-use interface on the in-vehicle touchscreen and Hyundai's mobile app. Offerings will include fuel, parking, and dining, as well as the digital payment feature for a seamless, secure transaction experience with participating merchants," the company stated.

10:49 EDT TeleNav trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:38 EDT BeiGene falls 5% to $133.53 after short report alleges fake sales

10:22 EDT AtriCure drops 5.5% to $24.88 after short report calls for 57% downside

10:00 EDT Slack Technologies falls -14.1% - Slack Technologies is down -14.1%, or -$4.39 to $26.68.

10:00 EDT Meredith falls -27.3% - Meredith is down -27.3%, or -$11.98 to $31.84.

10:00 EDT Cloudera rises 11.4% - Cloudera is up 11.4%, or 82c to $8.03.

09:55 EDT Match Group drops after Facebook announces launch of dating service - Shares of Match Group (MTCH) moved lower after Facebook (FB) announced the launch of Facebook Dating in the U.S. "We're also giving people the ability to integrate their Instagram posts directly into their Facebook Dating profile and giving people the ability to add Instagram followers to their Secret Crush lists, in addition to Facebook friends. By the end of the year, we'll make it possible to add Facebook and Instagram Stories to your Dating profile too," the company said in a blog post. Match Group, which owns Tinder and other dating properties, is down 2%, or $1.91, to $83.73 in early trading.

09:47 EDT Slack Technologies falls -14.9% - Slack Technologies is down -14.9%, or -$4.64 to $26.43.

09:47 EDT REV Group falls -25.9% - REV Group is down -25.9%, or -$3.15 to $8.98.

09:47 EDT Cloudera rises 11.9% - Cloudera is up 11.9%, or 86c to $8.07.

09:43 EDT Church & Dwight drops 4% to $76.98 after short report from Spruce Point

09:37 EDT Mallinckrodt says preparing for the worst is not same as expecting worst - Given uncertainty, the company wants to have the broadest range of options available, executives said while presenting at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference. Mallinckrodt CEO Mark Trudeau and other executives continue speaking at the Wells Fargo conference.

09:26 EDT Amneal Pharmaceuticals announces FDA approval of generic Amicar - Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received approval from the FDA for its generic version of Amicar (aminocaproic acid oral solution) 0.25g/mL. Amneal was previously granted a Competitive Generic Therapy designation for its generic version of Amicar by the FDA. As the first approved application, Amneal has been granted 180 days of CGT exclusivity.

09:23 EDT BridgeBio announces new subsidiary ML Bio Solutions to develop BBP-418 - BridgeBio Pharma announced ML Bio Solutions as a new subsidiary dedicated to developing BBP-418, a substrate supplementation therapy for the treatment of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2i. BridgeBio is committing R&D expertise to advance this small molecule oral therapy towards patients and intends to begin a natural history study in the second half of 2019, with interventional trials to initiate as soon as possible thereafter, subject to IND approval. The McColl Lockwood Laboratory for Muscular Dystrophy Research at Atrium Health will continue to support the program alongside BridgeBio. LGMD2i is an autosomal recessive disease wherein loss-of-function mutations in the FKRP gene lead to decreased glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan. Properly-glycosylated alpha-DG anchors muscle cells to proteins outside of the cell in the extracellular matrix as well as shock absorber proteins inside of the muscle cells, such as dystrophin. In LGMD2i, alpha-DG has a defective sugar backbone, and thus cannot effectively bind these proteins to stabilize the muscle cell, leading to muscle cell fragility and damage under stress. Damaged and degenerating muscle cells can result in global loss of muscle strength. LGMD2i is a progressive and debilitating disease that affects an estimated 7,000 patients across the US and EU, with more affected globally. It is associated with loss of mobility and ultimately respiratory and cardiac failure, and there is presently no approved treatment.

09:22 EDT Merrimack announces no impairment for NOL carryforwards as of July 24 - Merrimack engaged a leading global tax advisor to complete an evaluation of ownership changes through July 24, 2019 to refresh a recent study and assess whether utilization of the company's net operating loss carryforwards, or NOLs, would be subject to an annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result of this analysis, the company believes it can utilize all of its existing tax net operating loss carryforwards. Any future impairment of the NOLs caused by a transaction that triggers an ownership change or use of the NOLs for other purposes could reduce these returns to shareholders.

09:20 EDT Merrimack announces per share amount for special cash dividend - Merrimack announced that the dividend amount for the previously authorized and declared $20M special cash dividend announced on July 25 is $1.496675 per outstanding share of Merrimack common stock. The dividend will be paid September 5 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 28. Merrimack currently estimates that, for U.S. federal tax purposes, 100% of the Special Dividend, or approximately $1.50 per share, will likely be first treated as a return on capital to stockholders to the extent of their basis in Merrimack common stock, and then as capital gain.

09:18 EDT Athenahealth appoints Paul Brient as chief product officer - athenahealth announced that Paul Brient will join the company as Chief Product Officer. Brient comes to athenahealth from PatientKeeper, Inc. where he served as CEO for 17 years. As CPO, Brient will serve a crucial role in helping shape the company's product roadmap to optimize the athenahealth network and drive clinical density.

09:17 EDT Ciena saw 'slowness in India', diversification mitigates many macro issues - Ciena CEO Gary Smith said there are "normal ebbs and flows on the macro side" and there are some slowness in places like India but the company's global diversification allows them to "drive through" many of these issues.

09:14 EDT Ciena CEO sees return to 'more normalized growth'

09:13 EDT Bridgeline Digital selected by global 100 manufacturer for content management - Bridgeline announced that it was selected by a global-100 manufacturer to manage content for their Salesforce Lightning Community with Bridgeline's OrchestraCMS platform. The manufacturer intends to use the Bridgeline OrchestraCMS software to create a platform for its employees and partners to author and share content within their Salesforce Lightning Community.

09:11 EDT Interface announces two new board members, expands to 11 directors - Interface announced the election of Dwight Gibson and Joseph Keough to its board. Gibson has deep roots in manufacturing and sustainability, while Keough has spent the greater part of his career in commercial real estate. Gibson serves as president, food & beverage and industrial segments for SPX FLOW. Keough serves as chairman and CEO of Wood Partners

09:09 EDT LRAD Corporation announces $1.1M homeland security order from Southeast Asia - LRAD Corporation announced it received a new $1.1M order for LRAD 1000X and LRAD 500X acoustic hailing devices and accessories. The LRAD systems and accessories are scheduled for deployment to homeland security and law enforcement agencies in a Southeast Asian country.

09:07 EDT Red Robin Board rejects unsolicited proposal from Vintage Capital - Red Robin's Board of Directors has unanimously rejected an unsolicited, conditional proposal made on July 18 by Vintage Capital Management to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Red Robin for $40.00 per share. The Board unanimously determined that the proposal undervalues Red Robin and is not in the best interests of all shareholders, as the strategic plan currently being implemented by Red Robin positions the company to deliver greater long-term value to its shareholders than Vintage's proposal.

09:05 EDT Red Robin appoints Pat Murphy as CEO - Red Robin has appointed Paul J.B. Murphy III as President, CEO, and a member of the Company's Board of Directors, effective October 3. He succeeds Pattye Moore, who has served as interim CEO since April. This leadership transition is the result of a comprehensive search process and follows the company's recently announced board changes, which included the addition of three new independent Board directors with industry experience and the announcement of the pending retirements of three existing board members. Aylwin Lewis and Moore, who is also Board Chair, will retire from the Board following an appropriate transition period, and Stuart Oran will not stand for re-election in 2020. Murphy served as Executive Chairman of Noodles & Company from 2017 to 2019 and as CEO of Del Taco Restaurants from 2009 to 2017.

09:04 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Comcast (CMCSA), up 2% after Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan upgraded the stock to Outperform from Perform with a $54 price target. The company's fundamentals are "healthy" in the near-term, and 2020 is setting up to be a "strong year," Horan tells investors... VMware (VMW), up 2% after Goldman Sachs analyst Heather Bellini upgraded shares to Neutral from Sell with an unchanged price target of $152. The recent pullback in the share price has reset investor expectations around the company's growth trajectory, Bellini tells investors. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Signet Jewelers (SIG), up 16%... Palo Alto Networks (PANW), up 10%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Ciena (CIEN), down 5%... Kirkland's (KIRK), down 25%... At Home Group (HOME), down 18%... Slack Technologies (WORK), down 13%. ALSO LOWER: Mallinkrodt (MNK), down 49% after Bloomberg reported that the company has hired restructuring advisers to help limit its potential legal liabilities from the opioid epidemic. Reportedly, Mallinckrodt is exploring options that could include a bankruptcy filing if its legal costs become unmanageable... GMS Inc. (GMS), down 5% after its 6.825M share spot secondary priced at $27.20.

09:00 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics trading resumes

08:57 EDT Ciena on track to deliver FY19 automation software revenue target of $50M-$60M

08:49 EDT MGM Resorts announces sports betting partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings - Buffalo Wild Wings is joining forces with MGM Resorts and its sports betting venture, Roar Digital, for a multi-year partnership. In accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, the partnership will deliver sports gaming experiences at a national scale inside Buffalo Wild Wings through MGM's digital gaming platform, BetMGM. In addition, the deal is expected to spawn collaborations inside MGM properties and sports books, including a new Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar slated to open at Mandalay Bay in 2020. Roar Digital is the 50/50 venture established in July 2018 between MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings. While the strategic alignment is focused on capitalizing on future opportunities as states continue to pass sports betting legislation, consumers will begin to experience BetMGM at Buffalo Wild Wings as early as this week. The partnership kicks off with a free-to-play football game available nationwide. Plans also include a sports betting test program in New Jersey later this year with the goal of expanding to additional states as legislation is passed. The first consumer-facing product to come from this partnership is Picks and Props, a free-to-play, mobile-only football game available nationwide starting immediately when the pro football season kicks off. The game offers a sports betting-like experience with no stakes attached. Players have the opportunity to win prizes like trips to Las Vegas to place a parlay bet for the Big Game that could pay out at $1M or to Borgata in New Jersey to compete in the first BetMGM sports betting competition.

08:43 EDT Reebonz Holding receives Nasdaq deficiency notice - Reebonz Holding announced that it has received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market dated August 29, 2019 indicating that the Company did not meet the continued listing requirement of maintaining a minimum Market Value of Publicly Held Shares for the Nasdaq Global Market, as set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(3)(C) because the market value of the Company's publicly held ordinary shares for the last 30 consecutive business days was below the minimum MVPHS requirement of $15,000,000. Pursuant to Rule 5810(c)(3)(D) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the Company has a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until February 25, 2020 to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum MVPHS requirement. If at any time during the Compliance Period, the Company's MVPHS closes at $15,000,000 or more for a minimum of ten consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide the Company a written confirmation of compliance and the matter will be closed. In the event the Company does not regain compliance with Rule 5450(b)(3)(C) prior to the expiry of the Compliance Period, the Company will receive written notification that its securities are subject to delisting from the Nasdaq Global Market. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a Hearing's Panel of Nasdaq.

08:40 EDT Orbcomm announces contract extension with Global Fishing Watch - ORBCOMM announced that Global Fishing Watch has extended their contract for another three years for ORBCOMM's satellite Automatic Identification System data. Global Fishing Watch is an independent, international non-profit organization originally set up through collaboration by Oceana, Google and SkyTruth to advance ocean sustainability through greater transparency in global fishing activity.

08:38 EDT Edesa Biotech approved to initiate clinical study in hemorrhoids - Edesa Biotech has received approval from Health Canada to begin a clinical study of its investigational drug, EB02, which the company is developing as a potential treatment for patients with grade I-III internal hemorrhoids. The exploratory study is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of EB02 among hemorrhoid patients at leading clinical research sites in Canada. Should the initial results be encouraging, the company plans to transition from a proof of concept study to a Phase 2 study. EB02 employs a novel mechanism of action against a common inflammation pathway. The molecule has demonstrated highly selective, antagonistic activity against the secretory enzyme family involved in inflammation, pruritus and fibrosis.

08:36 EDT Toro Company, Tractor Supply announce strategic partnership - The Toro Company (TTC) and Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) announced a new long-term strategic partnership. Under the terms of the partnership, Tractor Supply will be The Toro Company's exclusive partner in the farm and ranch channel for select models of Toro zero-turn mowers, walk mowers and portable power equipment in stores nationwide and online beginning in spring of 2020. This partnership helps to expand Toro's reach into the rural lifestyle retail market and further strengthens Tractor Supply's product offering with a leading outdoor power equipment brand. The product line will be available in Tractor Supply stores and online at www.TractorSupply.com beginning next spring.

08:35 EDT FleetCor partners with Nissan on contactless payments in Brazil - Fleetcor Technologies (FLT) company Sem Parar announced a new partnership in Brazil with Nissan (NSANY) for the outfitting of all new Nissan vehicles with Sem Parar RFID tags, bringing contactless payments capabilities to drivers and expanding Sem Parar's customer base in the region. Under the agreement, Sem Parar electronic payment stickers will be factory-installed into all new Nissan vehicles manufactured in Brazil as well as used vehicles available at Nissan dealerships. With approximately 50,000 new Nissan vehicles manufactured in Brazil annually and an estimated production increase of 50,000-100,000 by 2022, the deal is expected to provide incremental upside to the electronic payment stickers Sem Parar already has in market. Nissan vehicles equipped with the Sem Parar tag will become available to consumers beginning in late 2019.

08:34 EDT Brinker acquires 116 Chili's restaurants, sees accretion - Brinker completed the acquisition of 116 Chili's restaurants from its 14-year franchisee, ERJ Dining. This follows the announcement of the letter of intent made on July 10. The restaurants, primarily located in the Midwest, generate approximately $300M of annualized revenue. The transaction was funded with availability under Brinker's existing credit facility and is expected to be EPS and cash flow accretive in FY20.

08:32 EDT Perrigo acquires branded OTC rights to Prevacid from GlaxoSmithKline - Perrigo (PRGO) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the branded OTC rights to Prevacid from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Under the terms of the agreement, Perrigo will have the exclusive rights to market, sell and distribute Prevacid 24HR in the United States OTC market. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Prevacid 24HR treats frequent heartburn and is not intended for immediate relief of heartburn.

08:20 EDT BlueRush announces sale of software assets to Broadridge for C$2.3M - BlueRush announced that it has sold the technology and source code for its DigitalReach platform and Broadridge's Smart Advisor application to Broadridge Financial Solutions for C$2.3M in cash. The disposition has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange. Broadridge and BlueRush have also agreed to an arrangement that enables the continued support of the existing DigitalReach clients.

08:13 EDT Appliance Recycling announces strategic shift, name change to JanOne - Appliance Recycling announced that it is changing its name and broadening its business perspectives to include developing new solutions for ending the opioid epidemic. From digital technologies to educational advocacy to painkilling drugs that address a multibillion dollar a year market, the company intends to champion new initiatives to combat the opioid crisis, which claims tens of thousands of lives each year. The company's new name will be JanOne, a name chosen to express the start of a "new day" in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Along with the new focus and name will come a new Nasdaq ticker symbol (JAN), a new CUSIP number and a new web address. The company expects that the name, symbol, CUSIP and web changes will become effective within the next 10 days. The company will continue to operate its legacy businesses-ARCA and GeoTraq-under their current brand names. The new JanOne is guided by the principle that the right combination of technology, education, and innovative pharmaceuticals can produce a breakthrough in the fight against the overuse and misuse of opioids. The company intends to capitalize on the business potential to of applying private-sector resources toward solutions to the crisis. Under the JanOne umbrella of companies, ARCA will continue to operate its historical appliance recycling business, and GeoTraq will continue to develop and expand its asset tracking and remote monitoring business that employs Mobile IoT modules with global connectivity.

08:09 EDT Aspen Group announces 10,000 student milestone - Aspen Group announced its total active student body at Aspen University and United States University now exceeds the 10,000 student milestone. Aspen University's active student body now exceeds 8,500, while United States University exceeds 1,500.

08:05 EDT Global Blood Therapeutics announces FDA acceptance of NDA for voxelotor - Global Blood Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the company's New Drug Application seeking accelerated approval for voxelotor, an oral, once-daily therapy in development for the treatment of sickle cell disease. If approved, voxelotor would be the first therapy available to patients that targets hemoglobin polymerization, the root cause of SCD damage. The FDA granted Priority Review for the NDA for voxelotor, which provides for a six-month review, and assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date of February 26, 2020. The Agency also indicated in the NDA filing acceptance notification letter that it is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the application for voxelotor. The NDA for voxelotor is supported by data from the multi-national Phase 3 HOPE Study of voxelotor in patients ages 12 and older with SCD who enrolled in the study from 60 institutions across 12 countries. The HOPE Study results were recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Voxelotor has been granted FDA Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track, Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations for the treatment of patients with SCD.

07:54 EDT BioSig's NeuroClear Technologies raises $3.7M - BioSig Technologies announced that its subsidiary, NeuroClear Technologies raised $3.7M in an initial seed round. Founded in November 2018, NeuroClear Technologies aims to address some of the biggest challenges in bioelectronic medicine, including, but not limited to, targeted nerve stimulation and a closed feedback loop system to provide appropriate stimulation. NeuroClear intends to build up on the core competencies in recording and analysis of intracardiac, surface ECG and neuronal signals, which have been already validated by BioSig, and develop a dedicated product line to address and/or advance current therapies within a number of markets, such as cognitive disorders and nephrology. The proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to fund the development of the product candidates, initial pre-clinical studies, development of intellectual property portfolio and for general corporate purposes.

07:42 EDT Solid Biosciences announces publication highlighting role of nNoS domain - Solid Biosciences announced the publication of a review article in the journal Neuromuscular Disorders that summarizes the evidence supporting the function of microdystrophin-associated neuronal nitric oxide synthase and its potential utility in Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy. The publication reviews the available preclinical data, as well as human data from individuals with Becker muscular dystrophy, summarizing the evidence linking nNOS activity and proper cell localization to its role in counteracting muscle ischemia and in maintaining muscle health. Clinical evidence based on individuals with BMD, a less severe form of muscular dystrophy than DMD, indicates that deficiency in nNOS activity is associated with more severe disease progression. "Dystrophin is a large and complex protein with multiple biological activities," said CSO Carl Morris. "Evidence indicates that the nNOS domain is a critical component of dystrophin and may be required for normal protein function. Our AAV9-based microdystrophin gene therapy development candidate, SGT-001, is unique in that it includes the functional nNOS domain, and our development program will assess potential nNOS-related clinical benefits, including diminished muscle fatigue and protection against ischemic muscle damage, which can lead to loss of functional muscle. We look forward to continuing to evaluate the clinical profile of SGT-001 in the ongoing Phase 1/2 IGNITE DMD trial in patients with DMD."

07:35 EDT Auxly announces KGK Science receives cannabis research license - Auxly Cannabis Group announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, KGK Science has been issued a Cannabis Research Licence by Health Canada under the Cannabis Regulations allowing KGK to possess and administer cannabis for purposes of a clinical trial. This licence is one of the first of its kind to be issued to a contract research organization in Canada. In its first cannabis-based clinical trial, KGK will be testing the pharmacokinetics of THC and CBD in healthy adults. Based on a protocol developed by KGK researchers, the trial will commence in October 2019 at KGK's in-house clinic in London, Ontario, with results being later delivered to the third-party sponsor who has privately contracted KGK to conduct this trial on their behalf. With many more cannabis trials in its pipeline, KGK is well on its way to demonstrating its leadership in research and regulatory services to support cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

07:31 EDT Esperion completes enrollment in global CLEAR Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial - Esperion announced the completion of patient enrollment in the CLEAR Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial. The trial is designed to evaluate whether treatment with bempedoic acid reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with statin intolerance who have cardiovascular disease or are at high risk for cardiovascular disease. CLEAR Outcomes is an event-driven trial and will conclude once the predetermined number of major adverse cardiac events endpoints occur. Based on estimated cardiovascular event rates, we expect to meet the target number of events in the second half of 2022.

07:23 EDT KKR acquires majority stake in Indian education service EuroKids International - KKR has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Indian education services provider EuroKids International EuroKids franchise from the existing investor consortium led by Gaja Capital. EuroKids will continue to be managed by its team of educators, administrators and management team led by co-founder & Group CEO Prajodh Rajan, who will also remain a shareholder in the company. KKR will work with EuroKids and its portfolio of brands to identify both organic and inorganic growth opportunities and ways to enhance offerings and practices. EuroKids' portfolio of brands serves more than 120,000 students from 1,115 Pre-Schools and 35 K-12 schools across five countries.

07:20 EDT Secureworks sees Q3 EPS (4c)-(3c), consensus (3c) - Sees Q3 revenue $135M-$137M, consensus $135.36M.

07:16 EDT Imax and Xperi's DTS partner to expand Imax Enhanced global ecosystem - IMAX (IMAX) and DTS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xperi (XPER), announced an expansion of the IMAX Enhanced ecosystem spanning new streaming platforms, blockbuster movies, and device partners throughout the U.S., Europe, and China. FandangoNOW is expected to begin streaming IMAX Enhanced content in the U.S. in September, while Rakuten TV will follow with increased content ready for streaming to European markets over the coming months. "Bumblebee" will be Paramount Pictures' first addition to the expanding collection of IMAX Enhanced titles for streaming platforms, followed by "Crawl," "Pet Sematary" and "Rocketman," all of which will include IMAX signature sound. Additionally, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's "Spider-Man: Far From Home", which includes 45 minutes of IMAX's expanded aspect ratio, "The Angry Birds Movie 2," and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" join the list of titles for IMAX Enhanced. Anthem and StormAudio joined IMAX Enhanced's roster of 14 device partners across A/V receivers and televisions.

07:12 EDT Zynerba presents data on use of ABC-CFXS subscales for Fragile X Syndrome - Zynerba Pharmaceuticals is presenting data evaluating the Social Avoidance, Irritability, and Socially Unresponsive/Lethargic subscales of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Community: FXS Specific in relation to the experience of caregivers caring for a child with Fragile X syndrome. The poster describes data collected via web-based journals and in-depth interviews of caregivers of children with Fragile X syndrome. The data indicate that nine of ten caregivers reported their children had behaviors representative of social avoidance, socially unresponsiveness/lethargic, and irritability and the behaviors described had strong concordance with individual items of the ABC-CFXS. The poster, entitled Content Validity of the ABC-CFXS and Subscales in Fragile X Syndrome, is being presented on September 5th and 6th at the 22nd Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes Research Symposium at Aston University in Birmingham, UK. Terri Browning Sebree, Zynerba's President, is presenting data providing qualitative evidence of the appropriateness of Social Avoidance, Irritability, and Socially Unresponsive/Lethargic subscales of the ABC-CFXS in assessing core symptoms of FXS. In addition, the data further validate social avoidance, irritability, and socially unresponsive/lethargic behaviors as core FXS behavioral symptoms from the perspective of caregivers of children with the disorder. The Company is utilizing the ABC-CFXS to assess improvements in core behaviors of FXS in the ongoing 14-week pivotal CONNECT-FX study of Zygel.Ten caregivers of children formally diagnosed with FXS participated in this study with assistance from the National Fragile X Foundation via online invitation through the NFXF website. The study found that 90% of caregivers reported at least one behavior that was representative of social avoidance, socially unresponsive/lethargic, and irritability It was common for their children with FXS to prefer the company of single family members to groups of people, even friends, and to seek isolation from others either via physical setting or blocking out the world. Social avoidance had a negative impact on important activities, such as travel, schooling, or visits to the doctor. The social-avoidant behaviors reported by caregivers, including 'seeks isolation from others', 'prefers to be alone', and 'prefers solitary activities' corresponded to items on the Social Avoidance subscale, including seeks isolation from others and isolates himself/herself from other children or adults. Irritability was associated with a broad spectrum of verbal and physical behaviors at inappropriate times. Frequently reported aspects of misbehavior and irritability mapped onto items of the Irritability subscale, specifically 'aggressive to others', 'irritability', 'temper tantrums/outbursts', 'screaming/yelling inappropriately', 'harming of others', and 'stubbornness'. Caregivers frequently reported of 'lack of interaction' and 'lack of attention' in their children with FXS, which mapped to subscale items such as 'preoccupied', 'stares into space', 'unresponsive to structured activities', and 'shows few social reactions to others'. Items on the subscale pertaining to communication were identified as important by caregivers, particularly with respect to how they may exacerbate other syndrome-related behaviors,

07:08 EDT Summit presents in vivo PoC data for targeted Enterobacteriaceae antibiotics - Summit Therapeutics presented in vivo proof of concept data for its targeted Enterobacteriaceae antibiotics in animal models of sepsis, pneumonia and urinary tract infection. Efficacy data of Summit's DDS-04 series of antibiotics was comparable to marketed antibiotics in all three disease models. The findings build on previously reported in vitro studies that showed this new antibiotic class had high potency and specificity for multiple resistant and non-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains. Increasing resistance has rendered many marketed antibiotics ineffective against Enterobacteriaceae. Two Enterobacteriaceae resistance trends seen in the clinic are on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of urgent and serious bacterial threats. Against the backdrop of increasing resistance to current antibiotics, there is a clear need for the development of a new class of antibiotics that could overcome all known resistance liabilities. The DDS-04 series is undergoing lead optimisation. Details from the poster presentation: Sepsis Model - Non-neutropenic mouse model infected with E. coli. Mice dosed intravenously with DDS-04 series representative three times once every three hours, starting one hour post-infection. Tigecycline used as reference, dosed 40mg/kg, two times, once at each of one and six hours post-infection. After nine hours, bacterial burden was below the limit of detection in the blood, kidneys, liver, lungs and spleen for both the DDS-04 compound and tigecycline. Pneumonia Model - CD-1 mice infected with K. pneumoniae. Mice dosed intravenously with DDS-04 series representative three times, once every eight hours, starting two hours post-infection. Tigecycline used as reference, dosed 40mg/kg, three times daily every eight hours subcutaneously. After 26 hours, a 4.5 log10 reduction in bacterial burden was observed in the lungs for the DDS-04 compound and a similar reduction was observed with tigecycline. UTI Model - C3H/HeN female mice were infected with E. coli. Mice dosed intravenously with DDS-04 series representative three times daily every eight hours over three days. Ciprofloxacin used as reference, dosed 10mg/kg, three times daily every eight hours over three days. On day four, a significant reduction in bacterial burden was observed in the urine, bladder and kidneys for both the DDS-04 compound and ciprofloxacin.

07:05 EDT Michaels to hire 15,000 employees for the holiday season - Michaels will hire approximately 15,000 seasonal positions across its U.S. and Canada stores and distribution centers in preparation for the 2019 holiday season. The company will host a national Seasonal Hiring event in more than 1,250 stores across the country on Saturday, September 7.

07:03 EDT Bristol-Myers Phase 3 Opdivo CheckMate-548 trial did not meet 1 primary endpoint - Bristol-Myers announced that the Phase 3 CheckMate -548 trial evaluating the addition of Opdivo to the current standard of care versus the standard of care alone did not meet one of its primary endpoints, progression-free survival, in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme that is O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase-methylated. The data monitoring committee recommended that the trial continue as planned to allow the other primary endpoint, overall survival, to mature. The company remains blinded to all study data. "Though CheckMate -548 did not show statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival, we are continuing to evaluate the benefit the addition of Opdivo to the standard of care treatment regimen may bring to patients suffering from GBM, an extremely aggressive and difficult disease to treat. We look forward to seeing the overall survival data when they are available," said Fouad Namouni, M.D., head, Oncology Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

07:02 EDT Zafgen to explore strategic alternatives - Zafgen announced plans to explore strategic options to maximize shareholder value. Potential strategic alternatives that may be evaluated include, but are not limited to, an acquisition, merger, business combination, in-licensing, or other strategic transaction involving the Company or its assets. "Given the alignment and clarity of our recent work with the FDA, and the preliminary results from our ongoing nonclinical study to translate in vitro differentiation results into an in vivo model system, we believe there is low probability of resolving the clinical hold in the near-term. Because of this, Zafgen has determined that it is in the best interest of shareholders to expand our internal corporate development efforts and formally evaluate strategic alternatives," said CEO Jeffrey Hatfield. "A transaction committee has been formed within the Board of Directors, and we will update investors as appropriate." In July 2019, Zafgen announced that it had reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on an in vivo animal study design and protocol to establish relevant safety margins for ZGN-1061, its investigational MetAP2 inhibitor in development. The study is designed to translate the data from Zafgen's newly developed in vitro assays of human endothelial cells and assessment of tissue factor expression with endothelial cells, along with other supportive assays. Based on preliminary results from this study reviewed this week, Zafgen does not presently expect the data to warrant resolution of the clinical hold for ZGN-1061. Based on previously announced and recently implemented plans to reduce operating expenses and prioritize key resources, Zafgen expects its projected cash runway to last greater than two years, given its current operating plan. The Company has retained MTS Health Partners L.P. as its exclusive advisor to assist the Company in exploring alternatives.

06:55 EDT Zafgen trading halted, news pending

06:50 EDT Prudential authorizes $500M increase to share repurchase program - Prudential's board has authorized a $500M increase to its share repurchase authorization for calendar year 2019. As a result, the share repurchase authorization for the full year 2019 is $2.5B. As of June 30, Prudential had repurchased $1B of shares of its common stock under this authorization. Prudential expects to fully utilize this increased share repurchase authorization by the end of 2019.

06:47 EDT Prudential acquires Assurance IQ for $2.35B plus additional earnout up to $1.5B

06:35 EDT Twitter disables Tweet via SMS to protect user accounts - In a tweet, the company said, "We're temporarily turning off the ability to Tweet via SMS, or text message, to protect people's accounts. We're taking this step because of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed by mobile carriers and our reliance on having a linked phone number for two-factor authentication (we're working on improving this). We'll reactivate this in markets that depend on SMS for reliable communication soon while we work on our longer-term strategy for this feature." Reference Link

06:31 EDT American Renal Associates sees 2020 adjusted EBITDA-NCI $90M-$95M - The company's outlook for 2020 Adjusted EBITDA less non-controlling interests, or Adjusted EBITDA-NCI, to be $90M-$95M, and expects its leverage ratio to improve by between 0.3x and 0.6x by year-end 2020 as compared to 5.9x at June 30, 2019 based on several factors, including operating expense initiatives, more limited capital expenditures during 2019 and 2020 and anticipated divestitures of certain assets.

06:07 EDT Cedar Fair reports revenues through labor day weekend up 8% y/y to $1.12B - Cedar Fair announced that year-to-date preliminary net revenues through September 1 increased 8%, or $86M, to a record $1.12B compared with $1.03B for the same period in 2018. The year-over-year growth was driven by a 1.1M visit, or 6%, increase in attendance to 21M guests; a 3%, or $1.24, increase in in-park per capita spending to $48.79; and a $10M, or 9%, increase in out-of-park revenues to $130M. On a same-park basis, year-to-date preliminary net revenues totaled a record $1.08B, up $48M, or 5%, on a 2%, or 465,000-visit, increase in attendance; a 2%, or $1.08, increase in in-park per capita spending and a 5%, or $6M, increase in out-of-park revenues.

06:03 EDT Motorola Solutions announces new $1B investment from Silver Lake - Motorola Solutions and Silver Lake announced they will extend their strategic partnership. In connection with the continuation of this partnership, Silver Lake will make a new $1B investment in Motorola Solutions, and settle its outstanding $800M aggregate principal investment one year ahead of its maturity.

05:37 EDT BlackBerry deepens partnership with Jaguar Land Rover for intelligent vehicles - BlackBerry and Jaguar Land Rover announced that they have deepened their partnership in developing the automotive manufacturer's next generation vehicles. The collaboration between the companies has expanded to include: "BlackBerry Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies for Automotive. Leveraging BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerry Cylance, the companies are working on transforming vehicle safety across a range of capabilities, including predictive software maintenance and cybersecurity threat protection. BlackBerry QNX for Jaguar Land Rover's next-generation vehicle architecture. Integrating BlackBerry software establishes the overall safety of Jaguar Land Rover's next-generation vehicle architecture, for the best-in-class product its customers expect. BlackBerry Cybersecurity Consulting. Consisting of BlackBerry consultants and security testing technology, BlackBerry Cybersecurity Consulting services identify security vulnerabilities in connected and autonomous vehicles, across the full software library used in a vehicle."

05:23 EDT AstraZeneca signs IP agreement with Theragnostics - Theragnostics, which is developing molecular radiotherapy for imaging and treating a broad range of cancers, announces a licence agreement with AstraZeneca for intellectual property, or IP, that enables Theragnostics' freedom to operate globally in the diagnostic field of certain selected radionuclide-labelled Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase inhibitors, or PARPi, with an option to an exclusive licence for freedom to operate globally in the therapeutic field of certain selected radionuclide-labelled PARPi. PARP inhibitors are a novel class of oncology drugs that block an enzyme, Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase, that cancer cells use in response to DNA damage, both endogenous and as caused by treatments such as chemotherapy.