Stockwinners Market Radar for September 24, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:04 EDT Avnet launches store on Alibaba's B2B marketplace 1688.com - Avnet (AVT) has launched an Avnet Super Store on Alibaba Group's (BABA) China-focused B2B purchasing and wholesale marketplace, 1688.com, through an alliance with Alibaba Group. The companies announced the alliance, which brings together two sources of technology innovation, on stage today during Alibaba's Apsara Conference in Hangzhou's Cloud Town. One of the first products offered through the new Chinese Super Store will be the Alibaba Cloud-enabled Raspberry Pi 3 Model B/B+ computer.

19:34 EDT Paringa Resources begins coal sales to Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corporation - Paringa Resources (PNRL) has commenced coal sales to Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ohio Valley Electric Corporation. Coal is procured by American Electric Power (AEP) on behalf of OVEC-IKEC. The company continues to ramp up sales to its cornerstone customer Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, with August shipping rates to LG&E and KU of approximately 700 Ktpa on an annualized basis. Paringa is making progress with a wide range of customers for additional coal sales contracts for deliveries from 2020 onwards. Additionally, Paringa has received regulatory approval to alter the underground cable bolting pattern required for roof control activities, reducing the amount of supplemental support required when mining in the Mains. This is anticipated to have a positive impact on both tons mined and cost by reducing roof bolting times and cable bolt spend.

19:01 EDT Johnson Outdoors granted exclusions from China Section 301 tariffs - Johnson Outdoors announced that the company has been granted exclusions for some of its products' components subject to Section 301 tariffs. These granted exclusions concern components currently sourced from China for products manufactured in the company's North American production facilities and sold worldwide. As a result of the exclusions announced today, the company is reducing the estimated impact of Section 301 tariffs on fiscal 2019 profits from $5-7 million to approximately $3 million. The exclusions are effective for one year from the date they were approved and allow the company to be reimbursed for tariffs assessed and paid on components covered by the exclusions before they were approved. The exclusion requests were reviewed and approved by both the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

18:45 EDT Microsoft says Project xCloud preview coming to U.S., U.K., Korea in October - Microsoft (MSFT) announced that a public preview of Project xCloud, its video game streaming service, is coming October to the United States, United Kingdom and Korea. "Public preview is a critical phase in our multi-year ambition to deliver game streaming globally at the scale and quality of experience that the gaming community deserves and expects," Kareem Choudhry, corporate VP of Project xCloud at Microsoft, said in a blog post. "It's time to put Project xCloud to the test in a broader capacity, with a range of gamers, devices, network environments and real-world use-case scenarios, and this is where you come in. At Xbox, we've made it a priority to engage with all of you to help in the creation process. We now want you to play with us and share your feedback on Project xCloud so we can iterate and improve, week after week. Join us, have fun playing, share your stories and feedback, and be part of the journey." Choudhry said that the company will start sending invites to people who register in the coming weeks, adding that the preview will begin with "Halo 5: Guardians," "Gears 5," "Killer Instinct," and "Sea of Thieves." There are a few requirements to participate in the Project xCloud preview. Users will need a phone or tablet running Android 6.0 or higher with Bluetooth 4.0; a Microsoft account; a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One Wireless Controller; and while not required, we recommend a phone mount for your controller. Project xCloud runs on Wi-Fi and mobile networks in the user's area. "We're also working with T-Mobile (TMUS) in the US and Vodafone (VOD) in the UK during the preview to learn more about the way gamers play on mobile networks; these are technical partnerships that will help us optimize the experience, but gamers across all carriers are eligible to participate in the preview." Reference Link

18:39 EDT Disney CEO: People want Disney to be a good citizen of the world - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger said: Treating people with respect in business goes a long way... My title has changed, but I haven't changed much as a person... You can be fair and decent, but still be tough at the same time... Steve Jobs preferred our relationship not be tied to stock ownership... Steve Jobs wasn't just a friend, he was also a mentor... Steve Jobs and I never discussed merging Disney and Apple (AAPL)... I don't think Apple has lost a step at all... It was hard for me to leave the Apple board... I felt our paths as companies were conflicting rather than converging... A potential Twitter (TWTR) acquisition was too complex... It didn't feel Disney to me... We've managed to create a great relationship with the government of China.

18:06 EDT Baytex Energy announces top management changes - Baytex has an ongoing board renewal process led by its Nominating and Governance Committee. As part of the renewal process, Jennifer Maki has been appointed to the Audit and Human Resources and Compensation committees while Kevin Olson has stepped down from the board of directors to concentrate on his other business ventures. Following a review of the organizational capabilities, the company is streamlining its management team. Jason Jaskela, Executive Vice President and COO, and Jonathan Grimwood, Vice President, Exploration, are no longer with the corporation. The operating business units will now report directly to Ed LaFehr, President and CEO.

18:02 EDT Triumph Group awarded maintenance contract from Starlux Airlines - Triumph Group announced that its Product Support business unit was awarded a two-year wheel and brake maintenance, repair and overhaul contract from STARLUX Airlines for their A321neo fleet. This work will be accomplished at Triumph Aviation Services Asia, located in Chonburi, Thailand. This is the first award for Triumph with STARLUX Airlines.

17:30 EDT Nike says Celect acquisition was an accelerator of transformation - Says will be launching at home in-app experience later this year for Nike app. Says acquired new predictive analytics platform through acquisition of Celect. Says consumer sentiment remains incredibly strong and consistent around the world. Says facing increasingly dynamic geopolitical factors. Says foreign exchange had $3B negative impact.

17:17 EDT Nike says international business grew 16% in Q1 - Says digital grew 42%, with mobile leading the way. Says has effectively navigated through excessive duties. Says grew revenue 27% on currency-neutral basis in China. Says excited about long-term outlook of Giannis Antetokounmpo line. Says much more to come from Nike innovation in FY20. Says investing in personal experiences, back-end capabilities and scale. Says SNKRS app is now in 22 countries. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:08 EDT Avantor COO Bjorn Hofman to step down - On September 18, 2019, Avantor announced that Bjorn Hofman would be stepping down as Executive Vice President and COO. It is anticipated that Mr. Hofman will complete the transition of his responsibilities to Frederic Vanderhaegen, the company's Executive Vice President, Europe, and Tanya Foxe, who joins the company on September 30, 2019 as Executive Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain, before the end of 2019.

17:03 EDT Aileron Therapeutics to present Phase 2a data for ALRN-6924 with Pfizer IBRANCE - Aileron Therapeutics (ALRN) cell-permeating peptides to treat cancer patients, announced that an abstract on interim Phase 2a data for the company's lead product candidate, ALRN-6924, in combination with Pfizer's (PFE) IBRANCE, or palbociclib, in patients with MDM2-amplified cancers has been accepted for a poster presentation at the 2019 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology, which is scheduled to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from September 27 - October 1, 2019.

17:02 EDT 2K says 'Civilization VI' coming to Xbox One, PS4 on November 22 - Take-Two's (TTWO) 2K announced that "Sid Meier's Civilization VI" is coming to Xbox One (MSFT) and PlayStation 4 (SNE) on November 22, 2019. The upcoming launch marks the first time since 2008 that a "Civilization" game has been available on Xbox or PlayStation consoles. The base game will be available for $59.99, and all expansion content will be made available as part of a separate "Civilization VI Expansion Bundle" for $49.99. The "Civilization VI Expansion Bundle" will also be available on Nintendo Switch (NTDOY), which the base game is already currently available for purchase.

17:00 EDT Borqs Technologies trading halted - Nasdaq announced that trading was halted today in Borqs Technologies at 16:24 p.m. Eastern Time for "additional information requested" from the company at a last sale price of $1.80. Trading will remain halted until Borqs Technologies Inc. has fully satisfied Nasdaq's request for additional information.

16:49 EDT JFL Capital ends activist campaign at Merrimack - JFL Capital, the largest stockholder of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals with ownership of approximately 9.4% of the company's outstanding shares, announced that it has withdrawn its solicitation in connection with the company's 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. In response to JFL Capital initiating its campaign for change at Merrimack, the company has undergone significant changes, including multiple cash distributions and most recently appointing two stockholder representative to its board.

16:33 EDT ShotSpotter announces patent granted by USPTO - ShotSpotter announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has granted ShotSpotter U.S. Patent No. 10,424,048 entitled "Systems and Methods Involving Creation and/or Utilization of Image Mosaics in Classification of Acoustic Events". ShotSpotter's real-time gunshot detection solution uses a two-step process that employs both machine classification and human review. The system is able to distinguish with high accuracy whether a loud, impulsive sound detected by its acoustic sensors is a gunshot or a non-gunshot incident, such as fireworks, in less than 60 seconds. The innovation behind this 33rd patent granted to ShotSpotter covers the conversion of multiple features of the audio event into a set of visual displays that are combined into a single image mosaic. This enables the system to leverage "deep learning" neural networks that typically identify and classify images, not sounds.

16:33 EDT Levi Strauss increases Q4 dividend - Levi Strauss & Co. announced that its board has approved an increase to its previously declared Q4 dividend to 15c per share, an increase of approximately $4M, or 7%, to the previously announced dividend payment of $55M. The dividend was previously declared on January 30, and is payable on October 17, to both Class A and Class B common stock shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 5.

16:30 EDT Dean Foods CFO Jody Macedonio steps down - In a regulatory filing, Dean Foods announced that Jody Macedonio has stepped down as CFO of Dean Foods Company , effective September 24, 2019. The company has appointed Gary Rahlfs to serve as the company's interim CFO effective immediately. Mr. Rahlfs has served as the company's Senior Vice President, Finance & Strategy since May 2019.

16:25 EDT Amazon launches health app Amazon Care for eligible employees - The company said in part: "Amazon Care is a benefit being piloted for Amazon employees and their families in the Seattle area. Our in-app text chat connects you with a nurse in minutes for advice and answers on any health topic...Launch an in-app video visit with a doctor or nurse practitioner for advice, answers, diagnoses, treatment, or referrals...A Mobile Care nurse can be dispatched to your home or office to conduct in-person exams, testing, or treatment...Your Care Courier can deliver prescribed medications to you at your home or office." Reference Link

16:19 EDT Nike up 4.7% or $4.11 at $91.35 per share after Q1 earnings beat

16:19 EDT Fitbit, FibriCheck partner to deliver CE-marked heart health detection app - Fitbit and FibriCheck, a health screening and monitoring app, announced a partnership enabling users in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK to monitor their heart rhythm for irregularities, such as Atrial Fibrillation directly from their Fitbit smartwatch. The FibriCheck software, which is CE marked, meets the performance standards for medical devices in the European Union. The FibriCheck app runs on Fitbit OS and uses Fitbit's commercial-grade PPG sensors - light-based technology that measures the rate of blood flow - to capture heart rhythm measurements from a user's wrist. The measurement assessment can be viewed directly on the smartwatch screen and easily shared with medical professionals via a FibriCheck web interface to help diagnose conditions such as Afib.

16:17 EDT Artesian Resources announces 1.5% increase in dividend - Artesian Resources announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 1.5% increase in the company's Class A and Class B Common Stock dividend, raising the annual dividend to 99.84 per share. The quarterly dividend of 24.96 is payable November 22, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 8."We are pleased once again to provide our shareholders with a consistent return for their investment as we continue to successfully achieve our strategic initiatives. With the leadership of our management team and our dedicated employees, we are privileged to be able to continue to share these successes with you as a stakeholder in our company," said Dian C. Taylor, Chair, President and CEO.

16:15 EDT Kinder Morgan says GCX project in service ahead of schedule - Kinder Morgan (KMI) announced that the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline Project will begin full commercial in-service on September 25, 2019, delivering natural gas from the Waha area in West Texas to Agua Dulce near the Texas Gulf Coast. Fully subscribed under long-term contracts, GCX provides approximately 2.0 billion cubic feet per day of incremental natural gas capacity to the Texas Gulf Coast markets, which will help relieve existing Permian Basin gas takeaway constraints and help reduce natural gas flaring. "We are pleased to place GCX in service safely and ahead of schedule for our customers, helping to unlock tremendous value for the State of Texas. I am very proud of our team's ability to execute. We had over 3,000 contractors deployed at times and more than six million contractor hours worked - all without a major safety incident during the construction phases of the project," said Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Midstream President Sital Mody. "With natural gas supplies projected to rise over the next 20 years from supply basins such as the Permian, our strong network of pipelines provides the ability to connect this supply to the growing markets along the Gulf Coast. We look forward to delivering on additional infrastructure projects in the months to come." Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, a subsidiary of KMI, owns a 34 percent interest in GCX and is the operator of the pipeline. Other equity holders include Altus Midstream (ALTM), DCP Midstream (DCP) and an affiliate of Targa Resources (TRGP).

16:12 EDT Mimecast Chief Operating Officer Ed Jennings to depart company - Mimecast Limited announced the departure of Chief Operating Officer Ed Jennings, who will transition his departure at the end of 2019 to pursue his career goal of leading a technology company. Additionally, Dino DiMarino is promoted to the position of Chief Revenue Officer. Jennings will take an active role in supporting both Mimecast and DiMarino during this transition period.

16:10 EDT Menlo completes enrollment of Phase 2 trial of serlopitant for 'itch' treatment - Menlo Therapeutics announced that it has completed patient enrollment in its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of once daily oral serlopitant for the treatment of Chronic Pruritus,itch,of Unknown Origin,CPUO. The Phase 2 trial is designed to evaluate reduction in pruritus with serlopitant compared to placebo over a ten-week treatment period based upon a 4-point responder analysis on the worst-itch numeric rating scale,WI-NRS, which is a standard measure of itch. CPUO is a condition in which patients suffer from itch, often for years, without any identified medical condition as a cause for the itch. This condition may affect approximately two million patients in the U.S., with no therapy approved or indicated to treat these patients. "The rapid enrollment in this trial reflects the high unmet need in the CPUO patient population," said Steve Basta, chief executive officer of Menlo Therapeutics. "We had targeted enrolling 200 patients in approximately one year. We were able to enroll 233 patients in approximately nine months, reflecting the significant motivation of these patients to seek treatment for this condition. CPUO is one of three pruritus indications we are currently pursuing with our novel, highly selective small molecule NK1 receptor antagonist, including our ongoing Phase 3 Prurigo Nodularis (PN) and Phase 3-ready Psoriasis pruritus programs."Menlo Therapeutics expects to report the results of the CPUO trial in the first quarter of 2020, and results from two PN Phase 3 trials in the first half of 2020. If the PN trials are successful, Menlo is preparing to submit an NDA for pruritus associated with PN late 2020.

16:07 EDT SeaSpine announces exclusive development, licensing agreement with restor3d - SeaSpine announced that it has entered into an exclusive development and licensing agreement with restor3d, a privately-held medical device company, that specializes in developing 3D-printed implants with anatomical fit and integrative properties. Financial terms were not disclosed. This partnership provides SeaSpine entry into, and an opportunity to differentiate within, the 3D-printed interbody space. The parties plan to develop 3D-printed interbody devices that are designed specifically for a wide range of surgical approaches. SeaSpine expects to commercialize its first 3D-printed interbody devices to be developed under this agreement in the second half of 2020.

16:06 EDT Itron signs global reseller pact with TerraGo over smart streetlight projects - Itron signed a global reseller agreement with TerraGo Technologies, which provides customizable field applications for smart cities and utilities. Together, Itron and TerraGo will offer Streetlight.Vision:GO, an Itron-branded version of TerraGo's full-lifecycle streetlight management solution, which includes a suite of mobile and cloud-based applications for iOS, Android and web. Designed specifically for smart streetlight projects, SLV:GO provides planning, installation and maintenance tools to help communities deploy and manage Itron's intelligent street lighting solution. SLV:GO is fully integrated with Itron's Streetlight.Vision solution, Itron's world-leading smart city central management software application. Delivering advanced asset management, analytics and control capabilities, SLV has been chosen by more than 500 communities to control more than 3 million intelligent devices worldwide.

16:05 EDT HD Supply intends to separate into two independent publicly traded companies - HD Supply Holdings announced its intention to separate its Facilities Maintenance and Construction & Industrial businesses into two independent publicly traded companies through a distribution, which is expected to be tax-free to HD Supply shareholders for U.S. tax purposes. The separation is expected to be completed by the middle of fiscal 2020. "After years of growth, Facilities Maintenance and Construction & Industrial have achieved sufficient scale to operate as independent companies," said Joe DeAngelo, Chairman and CEO, HD Supply. "Each business is now positioned as a leader in its respective market and has the ability to enhance its competitive advantage by further differentiating its best-in-class customer service through additional focus."Upon completion of the separation, each company will have its own management team and an independent board of directors that will include members of the current HD Supply Board of Directors. Additions to the management teams and members of the boards of directors for both companies will be named in the months leading up to the formal separation. Upon completion of the separation, each company is expected to be publicly listed and traded on a nationally recognized stock exchange. Both companies are expected to remain headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The transaction is subject to certain customary conditions, including, among others, final approval by HD Supply's Board of Directors and the effectiveness of a Form 10 registration statement to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The separation is not subject to shareholder approval.

16:04 EDT PhaseBio completes Phase 2a PB2452 trial - PhaseBio announced the completion of its Phase 2a clinical trial of PB2452. Full data from the trial are planned to be presented at an upcoming medical congress.In the trial, PB2452 achieved immediate and sustained reversal of ticagrelor in older and elderly subjects on dual antiplatelet therapy of ticagrelor and low-dose aspirin. PB2452 was generally well tolerated, with only minor adverse events reported. These results are consistent with the results observed in healthy younger subjects treated with ticagrelor in the previously published Phase 1 trial. The older and elderly subjects in the Phase 2a trial resemble the patient population most likely to be treated with ticagrelor and to potentially benefit from PB2452, if approved. Based on guidance provided by the FDA during the PB2452 End-of-Phase 1 meeting in July of this year, the Phase 2a trial also investigated a PB2452 regimen for the reversal of supratherapeutic doses of ticagrelor in healthy younger subjects. In the supratherapeutic-dose cohort, PB2452 demonstrated immediate and sustained reversal of ticagrelor and was well tolerated, consistent with the earlier cohorts in the Phase 2a and Phase 1 trials. Statistically significant reversal of the antiplatelet activity of supratherapeutic blood levels of ticagrelor was achieved within five minutes of initiation of PB2452 infusion and sustained for 24 hours. Platelet function was normalized by 30 minutes following initiation of PB2452 infusion and remained normal for 24 hours. Based on the preliminary results from this cohort, PhaseBio believes that it has identified an appropriate PB2452 regimen for use in patients who may have supratherapeutic blood levels of ticagrelor as a result of ticagrelor drug-drug interactions or overdosage.

16:00 EDT HD Supply trading halted, news pending

15:51 EDT Micron Solutions trading higher by over 15% after announcing contract award

15:17 EDT Google contract workers in Pittsburgh vote to join United Steelworkers union - The United Steelworkers union announced that it is "proud to welcome" as new members approximately 80 tech workers employed by the Google contractor HCL Technologies. The workers, who are staffed at the tech giant's Bakery Square office in Pittsburgh alongside Google employees, voted today for union representation. They are seeking a voice on the job and the opportunity to bargain over wages and working conditions, the union said. HCL workers voted in favor of unionization despite a company-led anti-union campaign, which included mandatory meetings and the use of a management consultant, the union added.

15:07 EDT Activision says 'Modern Warfare' beta biggest ever in 'Call of Duty' history - Activision (ATVI) said that the recent "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" Beta has become the largest in "Call of Duty" history, delivering the most users, the most hours played and highest peak concurrent number of players across PlayStation 4 (SNE), Xbox One (MSFT), and PC combined. Millions of gamers downloaded and played the Beta, which ran across two consecutive weekends, beginning Thursday, Sept. 12, and ending Monday, Sept. 23. The Beta included crossplay, enabling gamers to play together across PS4, Xbox One, and PC for the first time in franchise history, the company noted. "The response from fans for Modern Warfare's release next month has been incredible," said Byron Beede, executive vice president and general manager of Call of Duty, Activision. "From the beginning of development there has been extraordinary excitement for this game. We thank Call of Duty players and the development teams led by Infinity Ward for making this a record-setting Beta. We look forward to October 25 when players everywhere will experience the full amount of depth and gameplay Modern Warfare has to offer." The game is scheduled for release globally October 25, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The title features a fully-optimized PC version, developed in partnership with Beenox, which will be available exclusively on Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment's online gaming platform.

14:35 EDT comScore to pay $5M penalty to settle SEC charges - Comscore announced that it has finalized a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, resolving a previously disclosed investigation into financial accounting and disclosure practices between February 2014 and February 2016. The conduct occurred under prior management, including Serge Matta, the Company's former CEO. In agreeing to the terms of the settlement, including paying a civil monetary penalty of $5M, Comscore neither admits nor denies the Commission's allegations. A separate proceeding against Mr. Matta was announced by the SEC today. As part of Matta's settlement with the SEC, Mr. Matta has agreed to pay a clawback to Comscore of $2.1M. "We are pleased to have settled this legacy issue with the SEC," said Brent Rosenthal, Chairman of the Board of Comscore. "In addition to our commitment to compliance and with this matter behind us, the Board and I remain fully focused on the business and are committed to further developing our unique data assets, differentiated data analytics, and strong brand equity." Dale Fuller, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Comscore, added, "With this matter now resolved, Comscore remains focused on its next phase of growth in order to drive profits and maximize shareholder value through the continued alignment of strategic priorities and development and delivery of products to drive future profitability."

14:28 EDT Micron trading halted, news pending

14:12 EDT Apple says new seventh-generation iPad starts shipping September 25 - Apple said that the new seventh-generation iPad starts shipping on Wednesday, September 25 and will arrive in stores beginning later this week. Starting at just $329, the new iPad brings more screen area and support for the full-sized Smart Keyboard, as well as a new iPad experience with iPadOS, the company said. Reference Link

13:42 EDT USA Technologies to be delisted by Nasdaq - In a regulatory filing, USA Technologies reported that on September 24, the company received a letter from the Nasdaq Hearings Panel notifying the company that as a result of the company's failure to regain compliance with its periodic reporting obligations by September 23, the Panel has determined to delist the company's securities from trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market and will suspend trading in these securities effective at the open of trading on September 26. Following a suspension of trading in its securities on Nasdaq, the company's securities will be quoted on the OTC Markets. In the same filing, USA Technologies stated that on September 18, the company entered into an eighth consent letter relating to the company's existing Credit Agreement dated November 9, 2017 by and among the company, as the borrower, its subsidiaries, as guarantors, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the lender and administrative agent for the lender.

13:23 EDT Chinese electric car maker NIO plunges after Q2 earnings miss, Tesla follows - Shares of Chinese electric automobile manufacturer NIO (NIO) are plunging in afternoon trading after reporting quarterly results earlier that missed analyst estimates. NIO further complicated the earnings release by canceling its quarterly conference call with management. SECOND-QUARTER SHORT-FALL: Amid a 21% decline in deliveries for its high-performance electric flagship SUV, the NIO ES8, from last year's second quarter, the company reported a Q2 loss of (45c), compared to analyst expectations for a loss of (18c). Total revenues were $219.7M in the second quarter, representing a decrease of 7.5% from the first quarter of 2019. Gross margins slid to a negative (33.4%), compared with negative (13.4%) in the first quarter of 2019. Excluding accrued recall costs, gross margin in the second quarter was negative. EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY: "During the second quarter of 2019, we delivered a total of 3,553 ES8 and ES6 vehicles. This was followed by 837 units in July and 1,943 units in August, bringing our total aggregate deliveries to 21,670 as of August 31, 2019," said William Bin Li, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of NIO. He said that "In an environment of softer macro-economic and auto market conditions, we continue to work hard to expand our market penetration." The CEO added, "We target to reduce our global headcount to be around 7,800 by the end of the third quarter from over 9,900 in January 2019, and aim to further pursue a leaner operation through additional restructuring and spinning off some non-core businesses by year-end." PRICE ACTION: Shares of NIO are down 23% to $2.10, while rival Tesla (TSLA) declined almost 7% to $224.98.

13:06 EDT Microsoft's Mehdi says Windows 10 currently on over 900M devices - Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Modern Life, Search & Devices Group, said via Twitter that Windows 10 is currently on more than 900M devices. "Thanks to our customers, we added more new Windows 10 devices in the last 12 months than ever before," Mehdi tweeted. "From PCs to HoloLens to Xbox to Surface Hub, Windows continues to power innovation-with more to come next week!" Reference Link

12:53 EDT Cellcom Israel announces labor dispute and employees strike - Cellcom Israel announced that following its recently announced comprehensive restructuring plan for the company, the Histadrut, the union representing the company's employees sent the company a labor dispute announcement. Under the announcement, the company's employees would be entitled to take organizational steps, including a strike, as of October 10, 2019. "Notwithstanding the aforesaid, the employees' representatives commenced a sudden and unlawful strike encompassing the vast majority of the company's operations. The company intends to take all necessary measures in order to minimize adverse effects to the company's operations but cannot assure their success. At this preliminary stage, the company is unable to assess the effects of the strike or other organizational steps," Cellcom stated.

12:05 EDT PNC Financial, M Financial Group announce insurance marketing, service agreement - The PNC Financial Services Group and M Financial Group announced the signing of an insurance marketing and service agreement to offer insurance solutions, advice and service to PNC's Wealth Management and Hawthorn, PNC Family Wealth, clients. Through this strategic relationship, M Financial will offer differentiated insurance products and support to PNC's clients through a team that is dedicated to PNC. As M Financial's only firm-wide relationship, PNC will leverage this distribution network by working exclusively with a group of M Member Firms that solely focus on insurance. In support of this agreement, PNC will implement a new service model in which insurance strategists will serve as the main point of contact for conversations with individuals, executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations on all aspects of their insurance plans and policies. Similarly, M Financial will create a dedicated team who will assist Member Firms and PNC insurance strategists in placing business, leveraging M Financial's automated processes for traditional cases and local Member Firm experience for more complicated transactions. PNC and M Financial plan to formally launch their working relationship Monday, Oct. 7, at which point PNC will begin referring qualified clients and prospects to M Financial.

12:00 EDT Pier 1 Imports rises 12.2% - Pier 1 Imports is up 12.2%, or $1.39 to $12.75.

11:59 EDT Microsoft announces X019 in London tickets go on sale October 1 - The company said in an earlier blog posting: "Join us for X019 in London, the annual global celebration of all things Xbox (MSFT). The event will be filled with news, first looks and surprises, and Xbox FanFest, all lives streamed and starting on Inside Xbox. Thousands of fans will join in person, and millions of Xbox fans will join the celebration online. Coverage streams on Mixer from November 14-16, 2019, and tickets go on sale October 1. Whether you've been with us for years, months, weeks, or you're still considering joining our global community, this is a moment where all of us come together." The Fly notes that Sony's (SNE) State of Play broadcast, for PlayStation on September 24, was also announced on Sony's PlayStation blog. Reference Link

11:37 EDT Brady director Elizabeth Bruno sells over $684K in company shares - Brady director Elizabeth Bruno disclosed in a filing that she had sold 12,730 shares of company stock at an average price of $53.77 per share on September 20. The total transaction value of the sale was $684,492.

11:13 EDT Vail Resorts closes on acquisition of Peak Resorts for $11 per share - Vail Resorts (MTN) announced that the company has closed on its acquisition of Peak Resorts, Inc. (SKIS) for a purchase price of $11.00 per share. With this acquisition, Vail Resorts has added 17 U.S. ski areas to its network of resorts, bringing its total number of owned and operated resorts to 37 worldwide. "We are thrilled that with this acquisition, skiers and riders living in and around some of the biggest cities in the country will now have access to both ski close to home and at renowned mountain resorts around the world - with just one pass," said Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts. "We are excited to welcome each of these ski areas into the Vail Resorts family and to continue to invest in what makes them unique." Following today's closing, Vail Resorts plans to invest approximately $15M over the next two years in one-time capital spending to elevate the guest experience at these resorts. Additionally, the company's annual ongoing capital expenditures are expected to increase by approximately $10M to support the addition of the new ski areas. Peak's common stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Global Select Market effective as of the close of trading on September 24, 2019.

10:38 EDT Square changes rates to 'better align' with 'industry-wide' transaction costs - Square announced on its website, "Beginning November 1, 2019, we are changing the U.S. rate for tapped, dipped, and swiped transactions from 2.75% to 2.6% + 10c. We are making this change to better align our rates with industry-wide transaction costs. Like all payment service providers, for every payment Square processes, Square has to pay a set of fees that are both a percentage of the transaction and a flat fee. Our card-not-present (keyed-in) transaction pricing has always reflected this structure, and now our tapped, dipped, and swiped rate will as well...For current sellers, this change will go into effect on November 1, 2019, and if you are new to Square, this change will go into effect on September 24, 2019. We are more committed than ever to delivering accessible, easy-to-use tools that help businesses of all sizes start, run, and grow." Reference Link

10:36 EDT Aethlon reports collaboration for exosomes involved in cancer progression - Exosome Sciences, a subsidiary of Aethlon Medical, announced a research collaboration to identify and characterize exosomes derived from patients with solid tumors such as pancreas cancer, as well as from families with genetically high risk of developing cancer. These cancer-derived exosomes may serve as early markers for cancer diagnostics, cancer progression and treatment resistance.

10:16 EDT Stealth BioTherapeutics Corporation (ADS) trading resumes

10:00 EDT Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs falls -5.3% - Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs is down -5.3%, or -$4.16 to $74.42.

10:00 EDT BlackBerry falls -16.5% - BlackBerry is down -16.5%, or -$1.24 to $6.27.

10:00 EDT GameStop rises 8.8% - GameStop is up 8.8%, or 44c to $5.46.

09:57 EDT Acorda Therapeutics announces EU marketing authorization for Inbrija - In a regulatory filing, Acorda Therapeutics announced that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorization for Inbrija 33 mg inhalation powder, hard capsules. Inbrija is indicated for the intermittent treatment of episodic motor fluctuations in adult patients with Parkinson's disease treated with a levodopa/dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor. The Marketing Authorization approves Inbrija for use in the 28 countries of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The company had previously received a positive opinion recommending Inbrija's approval by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on July 26, 2019. Inbrija was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 21, 2018 for the intermittent treatment of OFF episodes in people with Parkinson's disease treated with carbidopa/levodopa.

09:47 EDT Triple-S rises 6.2% - Triple-S is up 6.2%, or 93c to $16.01.

09:47 EDT Fresh Del Monte rises 15.3% - Fresh Del Monte is up 15.3%, or $4.69 to $35.28.

09:27 EDT Harley-Davidson targets a 50% growth in international revenue through 2027 - Harley-Davidson is strengthening its efforts to build the next generation of riders. The company plans to focus investment and build new capabilities to invigorate the Harley-Davidson brand and experience to spark passion that deepens rider commitment. Amplify Brand has been added as a growth catalyst in the "More Roads to Harley-Davidson" plan and will bolster the existing growth catalysts of New Products, Broader Access and Stronger Dealers. As a result, Harley-Davidson has sharpened its objectives through 2027. In the U.S., the company plans to expand to 4M total Harley-Davidson riders in the U.S. through 2027. There were about 3M total Harley-Davidson riders in the U.S. in 2017. Outside the U.S., the company has sharpened its objective through 2027 and plans to grow international business to 50% of annual revenue. Previously the growth target was motorcycle unit volume, which was not inclusive of all of the company's efforts to grow internationally, including IRONe electric-powered two-wheelers for kids, eBicycles and a refreshed apparel approach.

09:24 EDT Intersect Power selects First Solar for 1.7GW multiyear module contract - First Solar announced that it will supply more than 1.7 gigawatts DC of its high-performance Series 6 photovoltaic modules to utility-scale renewable energy developer Intersect Power as part of a multiyear supply agreement. Deliveries will commence in the fourth quarter of 2020 and will continue until the end of 2021. Modules supplied as part of the agreement, the single largest order for Series 6 modules to date, will be deployed at five projects developed by Intersect Power and built by Signal Energy in Texas and California. In addition to this 1.7GW portfolio, Intersect Power has a multi-gigawatt pipeline of projects in early- and mid-stage development. First Solar is expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet the demand for Series 6 modules, with its second facility in the United States - representing nearly $1B in cumulative investment - expected to start production in early-2020. Once operational, the new facility in Perrysburg, Ohio, will take First Solar's aggregate Series 6 manufacturing capacity to 5.4GW per year.

09:21 EDT Tecogen sells 200 ton Tecochill unit to Connecticut university - Tecogen announced the sale of a 200 ton Tecochill unit to Central Connecticut State University. The system replaces a Tecochill unit that had been running at the University for over 23 years and includes a renewed maintenance contract that will be serviced out of Tecogen's Connecticut service center.

09:19 EDT Amazon Publishing acquires Guillermo del Toro's first short story collection - Amazon Original Stories, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, announced it has signed with Guillermo del Toro for a new short story collection to publish in 2021. From the imagination behind films such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and The Devil's Backbone, the collection will introduce a world of strange happenings, otherworldly horror and dark fantasy. Readers and listeners can download the collection as a Kindle eBook or as an Audible audiobook.

09:15 EDT Cerner, GetWellNetwork collaborate for accessibility to health care - Cerner Corporation and GetWellNetwork are collaborating to bridge gaps between providers and patients from inpatient to outpatient settings and the home. Care teams will be able to engage patients before and after admission through automated check-ins, identify who needs assistance in near-real time and proactively intervene before complications and additional costs arise. Consumer engagement and convenient access to high-quality services is an increasingly important macro trend in health care. Cerner and GetWellNetwork will address these expectations by helping patients become more aware of the details of their treatment and active in the decision-making process, while also supporting lower costs for providers.

09:12 EDT Enzo Biochem subsidiary receives New York State approval for AmpiProbe assay - Enzo Biochem announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Enzo Clinical Labs has received New York State approval for its AmpiProbe HBV viral load monitoring assay for Hepatitis B virus, or HBV, based on the Enzo assay's performance versus an FDA-approved comparator product. This is a significant step forward for the company as the approval of this HBV assay further extends Enzo's portfolio in the viral load monitoring market where the company has already received New York State approval for a viral load monitoring assay for Hepatitis C virus, or HCV, and is currently developing a viral load monitoring assay for human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. This expands Enzo's menu.growing segment. This newly approved HBV test will be added to Enzo's existing STI proprietary tests being run at Enzo Clinical Labs, which have replaced those provided by other manufacturers.

09:10 EDT Urovant Sciences announces data from Phase 3 vibegron trial - Urovant Sciences announced data from the ongoing double-blind extension of the Phase 3 trial of its investigational drug candidate vibegron, a once-daily oral beta-three adrenergic agonist in development for the treatment of overactive bladder. As previously reported, once-daily vibegron met both co-primary endpoints in the 12-week Phase 3 EMPOWUR study, achieving statistical significance over placebo on both reduction in daily urge urinary incontinence, or UUI, episodes and reduction in daily micturitions. Vibegron further improved treatment benefit on key OAB symptoms over the 40-week extension period. In the study, 61% of patients on vibegron achieved at least a 75% reduction in their daily urge urinary incontinence episodes from baseline at week 52 and 41% of patients on vibegron became "dry," defined as having no urge urinary incontinence episodes at week 52. Vibegron demonstrated a favorable long-term safety and tolerability profile consistent with previous clinical experience. Urovant intends to file a new drug application, or NDA, with the FDA by early 2020.

09:05 EDT IndiGo deploys Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solution across branch offices - Fortinet announced that IndiGo has deployed Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solution across its branch offices to secure its WAN edge. IndiGo is the largest passenger airline in India with a market share of 46.9% as of March, 2019. The airline connects to 58 domestic and 19 international destinations and operates more than 1300 flights every day. It is also the largest individual Asian low-cost carrier in terms of jet fleet size and passengers carried, and the seventh largest carrier in Asia. With a fleet size of 222 aircrafts, IndiGo has served over 300 million customers globally.

09:05 EDT Choice Hotels awarded franchise agreements for to new Cambria hotels - Choice Hotels International has awarded franchise agreements to Lloyd Hospitality and MWA to develop new Cambria hotels in Kansas City, Missouri, and Indianapolis, respectively. Slated to be the first Cambria in Missouri and the third in Indiana, these hotels will continue to drive the upscale brand's rapid U.S. expansion when they open in 2021. The five-story, 148-room Cambria Indianapolis Downtown is planned for construction at 850 South Meridian St., with easy access to Interstate 70 and Indianapolis International Airport. Located at 205 W. 9th St., the six-story, 149-room Cambria Kansas City - Downtown will be just a few blocks from the city's Power and Light District.

09:04 EDT Minerva, Catalent enter commercial supply agreement for Roluperidone - Minerva Neurosciences (NERV) and Catalent (CTLT) announced that they have entered into a long-term commercial supply agreement for Roluperidone, an investigational compound under development by Minerva for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Under the terms of the agreement, Catalent will manufacture and package the finished dose form of the drug at its facility in Schorndorf, Germany. Negative symptoms can persist chronically throughout the lifetime of patients with schizophrenia and contribute to poor quality of life and functional outcomes. No treatment is approved to treat these symptoms in the United States. Minerva is currently conducting a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial with roluperidone at sites in Europe and the U.S. and could potentially be the first to market.

09:00 EDT CV Sciences launches seven new body care hemp CBD products - CV Sciences has announced the expansion of its brand, PlusCBD Oil, with the launch of seven new body care products at Natural Products Expo East. Each body care product is US Hemp Authority Certified and is free from gluten, artificial dyes and fragrances, phthalates, sulfates, parabens or PEGs. All products are also non-GMO and are not tested on animals. Products will be available starting in November at all retailers where PlusCBD Oil is available.

08:55 EDT Marimed announces support of GenCanna's engagement of Goldman Sachs - MariMed announced its support of GenCanna Global USA's engagement of Goldman Sachs & Co. to serve as its financial advisor to assist in evaluating an initial public offering and other strategic financing alternatives. less thanariMed became GenCanna's largest shareholder in February 2019 after making a significant investment to help fund GenCanna's expansion of its Kentucky operations, and currently owns approximately one-third of the company. GenCanna's Kentucky farmer's network is proceeding with the harvest of over 7,000 acres of quality hemp plants which will be processed at GenCanna's Winchester Kentucky processing center. GenCanna is one of the largest producers of GMP quality CBD oils and isolates in the United States supporting some of the largest and most recognized CBD brands in the United States market.

08:49 EDT RenovaCare appoints Frank Gerberick to board of advisors - RenovaCare (RCAR) announced the appointment of Dr. Frank Gerberick to its Board of Advisors to help advance the Company's SkinGun cell spray technology for the regeneration of human skin. Following the completion of his postdoctoral fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Gerberick commenced a long-spanning career at Procter & Gamble (PG).

08:47 EDT Stein Mart forms SMart Council of businesswomen to provide shopping insights - Stein Mart announced its SMart Council, a panel of 13 businesswomen from key markets throughout the U.S. where the company operates. The panel will provide insight into their shopping patterns, what issues frustrate them, offer solutions and share objective views of their Stein Mart shopping experiences to generate ideas to improve the customer experience. The women were hand-selected from various backgrounds, ethnicities, age and geographic areas, to include a well-rounded mix of Stein Mart's core customers - business professionals, mothers, fitness fanatics, travel gurus, foodies and more.

08:43 EDT Ideal Power sells Power Conversion business unit to CE+T Energy Solutions - Ideal Power has sold its Power Conversion Systems business and Power Packet Switching Architecture technology to CE+T Energy Solutions, Inc. for a combination of cash and shares of common stock of CE+T Energy Solutions. CE+T Energy Solutions is a subsidiary of CE+T Group. The transaction closed on September 19, 2019.

08:39 EDT Overstock.com files S-3 statement for Series A-1 Digital Preferred stock - Overstock.com filed a Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 for registration of its Series A-1 Digital Preferred stock as part of the execution of the company's previously announced dividend. This filing represents an initial step in the company's registration of the OSTKO dividend, and the company is engaged in active discussions with regulatory authorities to obtain approval of the registration. The company expects that, through registration of OSTKO, non-affiliated shareholders will immediately be able to freely trade the digital shares without any holding period requirement. The company will provide further updates regarding the OSTKO dividend as they become available

08:37 EDT Checkers & Rally's selects Mobivity for mobile customer engagement programs - Mobivity Holdings announced that Checkers & Rally's has selected Mobivity to power its mobile customer engagement programs in over 875 of its U.S. locations. The programs will utilize Mobivity's Reach to send timely, personalized mobile offers to Checkers & Rally's customers via SMS text messaging. This will enable the brands to connect with their customers at their moment of choice and ultimately drive guest frequency and spend across all of its locations nationwide.

08:36 EDT Perma-fix Environmental announces $15M in new contract awards - Perma-Fix Environmental Services announced it has been awarded new contracts in nuclear services projects valued at approximately $15M over the next 18 months with opportunities for expansion.Mark Duff, CEO, stated, "We have recently been awarded several new projects that will further increase our funded backlog and bolster our Services Segment revenues, reaffirming our confidence we should see significant improvement in our operating results in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. The new contracts include additional scope in Canada as well as new opportunities in the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy focusing on demolition and remediation in radiological environments with direct potential for additional expansion as the projects evolve. Some of these projects also come with the potential to send additional waste to our Treatment segment. We believe these additional wins are a direct result of the improvements established last year within our business development organization and the innovations applied to our radiological remediation activities. These new contracts will assist in supporting our goals for sustained growth in the Services Segment while also strengthening our Treatment Segment through client expansion."

08:35 EDT Iteris awarded $800,000 traffic signal coordination project from IDOT - Iteris announced that it has been awarded an $800,000 traffic signal synchronization project by the Illinois Department of Transportation, or IDOT. The five-year project includes signal coordination and timing improvements at various locations in IDOT's District One. Under the project agreement, Iteris will develop traffic signal coordination and timing plans at heavily traveled corridors and respond in the field to traffic signal and system operational issues, complaints and other District One needs. Other tasks include preparation or review of traffic signal design and networking plans, traffic studies and other tasks as assigned by the district's traffic programs engineer. The primary goal is to improve traffic flow and safety for all road users, including vehicles, buses, bicycles and pedestrians, by providing updated signal timing and signal synchronization along the corridors being analyzed.

08:34 EDT BlackBerry says seeing increased competition from Microsoft

08:33 EDT Gulf announces damage, rectification plan from Typhoon Lekima - Gulf Resources announced the Damages and Rectification Plan from Typhoon Lekima. On August 11, 2019, Typhoon Lekima struck Shandong Province. Lekima was the fifth largest storm to hit the Chinese mainland since 1949. It was also the second major storm in two years to make a direct hit on Shandong Province. The company said, "Unfortunately, of all of our factories, the ones that sustained the greatest damage were No.1 and No.7, our factories that were already in operation. The cost of repairing these two factories themselves is relatively small, approximately $0.15M. Management and employees have conducted all the repair work and are almost finished. The damage to the wells, salt fields and aqueducts is more severe, largely because the land area on which they are situated was completely flooded. Management has hired an outside vendor to repair and rectify the wells, salt fields and aqueducts for these two factories. This work is expected to take two more months. The approximate cost will be $5.7-$7.2M. During this period of time, these factories will not be in operation. However, as soon as the repairs are completed, we will resume production and will not have to go through an additional approval process. Our other factories and fields sustained less damage compared to factories No.1 and No.7. We are continuing to work with the government on getting approvals for the remaining factories and do not at the present time foresee any significant problems. However, the issues caused by the typhoon and the floods may slow these approvals. The land where our chemical factory will be located did not incur any significant damage. While we have not yet received approval for construction, we believe we will receive this approval in the near future. The typhoon did not impact our facilities in Sichuan Province. We have received city and county approval for our drilling project. One of our senior managers has moved to the provincial capital to assist in obtaining the approval."

08:30 EDT Soleno Therapeutics announces publication of results from Phase II trial of DCCR - Soleno Therapeutics announced that the results of the previously completed Phase II trial of diazoxide chloride controlled release for the treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome have been published for the first time in a peer-reviewed journal. The data are available in the current online edition of PLOS One, a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science. "We are pleased that data from our Phase II trial of DCCR in PWS has been published in a prestigious peer-reviewed journal, PLOS One," said CEO Anish Bhatnagar. "Based on the results from this Phase II trial, we designed and initiated a Phase III clinical development program that includes DESTINY PWS. Importantly, enrollment remains on track for the availability of top-line data from DESTINY PWS in the first half of 2020."

08:26 EDT iVexSol announces $2M in funding led by Casdin Capital, BioLife Solutions - iVexSol, a newly formed viral vector manufacturing company, announced $2M in new convertible debt funding led by Casdin Capital and BioLife Solutions. The company is founded on a next generation manufacturing technology that revolutionizes the production of lentiviral vectors; gene delivery vehicles that are a critical component in the manufacturing of life-changing cell and gene therapies. These treatments have been successfully employed to treat late stage cancers and a variety of rare and inherited genetic disorders in both children and adults.

08:24 EDT CHF Solutions announces publication of study on ultrafiltration therapy - CHF Solutions announced the publication of a multi-center, retrospective study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology evaluating the use of hemofiltration and ultrafiltration therapy with the company's Aquadex FlexFlow system in pediatric patients. The Aquadex FlexFlow system is not yet cleared by FDA for use in pediatric patients. The study, titled "Kidney Support in Children Using an Ultrafiltration Device," included 117 patients in three weight categories: less than10 kgs; 10-20 kgs; and greater than20 kgs, suffering from volume overload, acute kidney injury or end-stage kidney disease. All patients across the three weight categories were treated with the Aquadex FlexFlow system, using one of the following three modalities: slow continuous ultrafiltration; continuous veno-venous hemofiltration; or prolonged intermittent kidney replacement therapy, based on patient condition. The primary outcome was survival to the end of therapy. In patients weighing over 20 kgs, 97% survived to the end of therapy. In patients weighing between 10-20 kgs, 100% survived to the end of therapy. In patients weighing under 10 kgs, 60% survived to the end of therapy.

08:23 EDT ALDO Group deploys cloud data lake using Talend Data Fabric - Talend announced that the ALDO Group has deployed a cloud data lake using Talend Data Fabric to create a personalized marketing experience for its growing millennial customer base. Talend enables the ALDO Group to integrate a broad range of data sources into an Amazon Web Services data lake, generating immediate insight to help its customer relationship management and marketing teams to deliver a compelling customer journey experience.

08:21 EDT BlackBerry sees softness in ESS to be offset by growth in licensing

08:18 EDT PJT Partners, Nasdaq Private Market partner for enhanced execution capabilities - PJT Partners LP, a subsidiary of PJT Partners (PJT), and Nasdaq Private Market, a business of Nasdaq (NDAQ), announced an agreement to provide enhanced execution capabilities for general partner-sponsored secondary transactions built on world-class advisory services and industry-leading technology. This agreement combines the capabilities of two trusted brands: PJT Park Hill's best-in-class Secondary Advisory business and NPM's market-leading technology platform. PJT Partners will utilize NPM's technology platform to offer clients and their investors a differentiated experience when executing secondary transactions. As interest in secondary transactions continues to grow and evolve at a rapid pace, the PJT Partners-NPM offering will bring greater standardization and efficiency to the secondary market and appeal to an even broader universe of general partners, limited partners and secondary investors.

08:15 EDT Adaptive Biotechnologies, Illumina to develop distributable IVD test kits - Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT) announced a partnership with Illumina (ILMN) to develop in-vitro diagnostic test kits for Adaptive's current and future portfolio of next-generation sequencing-based immunodiagnostics. The test kits under development would expand the availability of Adaptive's clonoSEQ Assay for assessing and monitoring minimal residual disease for the management of patients with certain blood cancers and immunoSEQ Dx Assay for pipeline applications. Clinicians currently order clonoSEQ to monitor MRD as a test performed at Adaptive's lab in Seattle. The planned IVD test kits will make it possible for hospitals and health systems to run Adaptive's clonoSEQ and immunoSEQ Dx assays in their local laboratories across the United States. Adaptive's immune medicine platform is uniquely suited for the development of standardized IVD test kits. Under the non-exclusive agreement, Adaptive will develop the clonoSEQ and immunoSEQ Dx IVD test kits to run on Illumina's NextSeq 550Dx system. Adaptive will be responsible for obtaining necessary regulatory approvals for each IVD test kit and for their subsequent commercialization.

08:12 EDT CareDx announces strategic partnership with NanoString to develop HistoMap - CareDx (CDNA) announced a strategic partnership with NanoString (NSTG) to develop HistoMap, a gene expression profiling solution to identify allograft rejection in transplant biopsy tissue. Seattle-based NanoString is a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products. The partnership will combine CareDx's clinical expertise and extensive transplant registries with NanoString's technological capabilities and development expertise to provide the transplant community with solutions that bring precision medicine to histopathology. Under the terms of the agreement CareDx will utilize NanoString's nCounter technology in conjunction with the newly introduced Human Organ Transplant panel, a 770-gene panel designed to evaluate the human immune response following organ transplantation.

08:10 EDT Pfizer presents new Ibrance analysis at ESMO - Pfizer announced the presentation of four Ibrance real-world analyses. The studies support the effectiveness of Ibrance combination therapy in everyday clinical practice and provide additional insights on its use in certain patients with hormone receptor-positive, or HR+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, or HER2-, metastatic breast cancer, or MBC. The posters will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology, or ESMO. Among the data, Pfizer will share the first real-world comparative analysis of a CDK 4/6 inhibitor in combination with an aromatase inhibitor compared to an aromatase inhibitor alone. In this retrospective analysis, treatment with Ibrance plus letrozole demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in real-world progression-free survival, or rwPFS, compared to letrozole alone. The analysis compared 906 matched patients with HR+, HER2- MBC who started Ibrance plus letrozole as initial endocrine-based therapy in the metastatic setting or letrozole alone from February 2015 to August 2018. Real-world progression-free survival,was measured by the treating physician's clinical assessment of source evidence, such as radiographic scans or pathology from the Flatiron Health longitudinal database. The most recent update for this database includes de-identified electronic health records from more than 280 cancer clinics representing more than 2.2M cancer patients in the U.S.

08:09 EDT Ocular Therapeutix doses first patient in Phase 3 clinical trial of DEXTENZA - Ocular Therapeutix announced that it has dosed the first patients in its Phase 3 clinical trial of DEXTENZA for the treatment of symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis, or AC. AC refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye caused by an allergic reaction - generally from airborne allergens - that affects approximately 70M people in the United States and results in itching and burning of the eyes. This trial represents the third Phase 3 clinical trial in AC conducted by Ocular Therapeutix and, if successful, the company plans to submit a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for ocular itching associated with AC. Topline data from this trial are anticipated in the first half of 2020.

08:07 EDT BlackBerry says softness in ESS in Q2 due to retooling of salesforce - Expects the impact of the retooling to last another two quarters. Comments taken from the Q2 earnings conference call.

08:07 EDT Choice Hotels appoints Vikas Bhalla as Chief Transformation Officer - Choice Hotels International has appointed Vikas Bhalla to the newly created role of Chief Transformation Officer. As a member of Choice Hotels' senior executive leadership team reporting directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pacious, Bhalla will advance the company's data-driven culture and lead the corporate strategy, business transformation, and data analytics teams. In addition to identifying new business opportunities, Bhalla will work closely with Pacious to develop strategies that fuel the company's long-range growth. Bhalla has more than 20 years of experience shaping business strategies for large corporations. He joins Choice Hotels from CVS Health, one of the nation's premier health innovation companies, where he served as vice president, strategy and business development, pricing and analytics. In this capacity, Bhalla was CVS's core retail strategist, driving both identification & execution of the company's multi-year growth initiatives across 8,000 locations and e-commerce.

08:07 EDT Cellectar Biosciences receives orphan drug designation for CLR 131 - Cellectar Biosciences announced that the European Commission has awarded CLR 131 orphan designation for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

08:06 EDT Alibaba announces metrics on digital economy, unveils five-year goals - Alibaba announced the company aims to serve over 1B annual active consumers and achieve over RMB10T in annual gross merchandise volume, or GMV, through its China consumer business by the end of FY24. The company's China consumer business covers primarily its China retail marketplaces, digital media and entertainment, as well as local consumer services. CEO Daniel Zhang offered some updates and new metrics on Alibaba's digital economy for the 12 months ended June 30, both inside China and globally. The company had 730M annual active consumers from its China consumer business during the period. Together with approximately 130M annual active consumers in its cross border and global retail commerce business, Alibaba has approximately 860M annual active consumers globally. Alipay, meanwhile, had approximately 900M annual active users in China. Together, Alibaba Group and Ant Financial have around 960M users in China. While 85% of Chinese in developed areas have tapped into Alibaba's China retail marketplaces, the penetration rate is only 40% in less-developed areas, offering an opportunity to reach underserved consumers there. Alibaba's five-year goals for its China consumer business put it on the path of meeting its longer-term global ambitions to serve 2B customers, support 10M profitable SMEs and help create 100M jobs by 2036.

08:03 EDT R1 RCM appoints Richard Evans as interim CFO - R1 RCM announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Richard Evans, Jr., Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, as interim CFO, effective immediately. Evans' appointment follows the resignation of Christopher Ricaurte, CFO and Treasurer, effective immediately. Ricaurte's resignation is for personal reasons and is in no way related to R1's business performance, financial reporting, or controls, where the Company has built a best-in-class finance function. The Company will conduct a search process to identify a permanent CFO. Evans joined R1 as Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer in January 2015.

08:02 EDT Walmart to offer workers college degrees in health and wellness - To prepare its associates for the next generation of healthcare jobs, Walmart said in a statement that it is adding education benefit programs that provide a clear path to higher pay jobs in a growing area of the company and in the economy. The company says, "Beginning today, Walmart's 1.5 million associates in the U.S. can apply for one of seven bachelor's degrees and two career diplomas in health-related fields for $1 a day through Live Better U, Walmart's education benefit program." "Walmart aims to be the market leader in providing retail workers a path to careers in growing fields like healthcare," said Drew Holler, Senior Vice President of Associate Experience for Walmart U.S. "We don't know of any other retailer in America that has a program that allows its associates the opportunity to achieve a degree in healthcare that can translate into a higher-paying job within the company or in the broader field." The new offerings will arm associates with training to fill health care roles across Walmart and Sam's Club, which includes more than 5,000 retail pharmacies, 3,000 vision centers and 400 hearing centers, as well as the new Walmart Health center in Georgia. Reference Link

07:58 EDT BIO-key launches Channel Alliance Partner program for MFA security solutions - BIO-key International announced that the company has launched a Channel Alliance Partner program. The program is designed for Managed Service Providers, Security Integrators, and VAR's who specialize in providing security solutions to their customers. The CAP program will enable partners to represent BIO-key's complete line of biometric authentication solutions, including BIO-key's ID Director for Windows which operates with Microsoft Active Directory to deliver biometric Single Sign-on or Multi-factor authentication across the organization. The suite of partner solutions also includes ID Director for SAML and BIO-key's complete line of compact fingerprint scanners that have been tested and qualified by Microsoft to support Windows Hello and Windows 10.

07:47 EDT Scorpio Tankers intends to establish $100M at the market share issuance program - Scorpio Tankers announced that it intends to establish an "at the market" offering program pursuant to which the Company may sell up to $100M of its common shares, par value $0.01 per share. The Company expects to enter into an equity distribution agreement with a sales agent that has been identified by the Company, pursuant to which sales of the Company's common shares may be made from time to time in transactions by means of ordinary broker transactions through the New York Stock Exchange or in negotiated transactions at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or as otherwise negotiated prices, or as otherwise agreed with the sales agent. Sales of the Company's common shares under the Program, if any, will be made pursuant to the Company's effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3 by means of a prospectus supplement to be filed by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from any sales under the Program for general corporate and working capital purposes.

07:41 EDT Auxly Cannabis says JV partner Sunens Farms closes $84M credit facilities - Auxly Cannabis Group announced that its joint venture partner, Sunens Farms, has closed the previously announced $84M syndicated credit facilities, with the Bank of Montreal as Lead Underwriter. The syndicated senior debt facility will be for $71.5M for a three-year term together with a BMO $12.5M leasing facility. Sunens is a fully automated, purpose-built greenhouse for cannabis cultivation currently under construction in Leamington, Ontario. The proceeds of the Credit Facility will be used to fund phase one of the Sunens facility, which is expected to be substantially completed by December 2019. The Leasing Facility will finance processing equipment. The Credit Facility and the Leasing Facility are secured by the Sunens facility, partially guaranteed by the Company and contain customary financial and restrictive covenants. The Company also announces that is has granted 3,659,837 restricted common shares of the Company at a price per share of $0.89 to certain non-executive employees pursuant to the terms of the Company's equity incentive plan, which was approved by shareholders at the Company's recent annual general meeting. All of the Restricted Shares vest immediately upon grant and are otherwise subject to the terms of the Plan.

07:35 EDT Avadel Pharmaceuticals announces PK data for once-nightly FT218 - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced pharmacokinetic data for FT218 from four Phase 1 studies comparing 4.5g and 6g of once-nightly FT218 to 4.5g and 6g of twice-nightly sodium oxybate, evaluating the food effect of FT218, as well as determining the dose proportionality of FT218. The data will be included in an oral presentation by leading sleep expert, Dr. Michael Thorpy, Director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at the Montefiore Medical Center, which is titled, "The Pharmacokinetics of once-nightly controlled-release sodium oxybate: Overview of results from four Phase 1 Studies," at the World Sleep 2019 Congress. The key PK data points from these four studies demonstrated: Once-nightly FT218 at 4.5g and 6g demonstrated lower overall maximum plasma concentrations and equivalent exposure to twice-nightly sodium oxybate, as well as similar morning plasma levels and variability to twice-nightly sodium oxybate. The Cmax of FT218 was dose proportional and AUC was slightly higher than dose proportional, which demonstrates the predictability of FT218 as dosing increases. Consistent with the expectations of a sodium oxybate product, FT218 has lower exposure and lower maximum plasma concentration in the Fed versus the Fasted State. FT218 up to the 9g dose level was generally well-tolerated. Further, observed Adverse Events for the 4.5 and 6g doses of FT218 were consistent with those known for sodium oxybate and appeared comparable to the Adverse Effects for corresponding strengths of twice-nightly sodium oxybate in the study. A comparative, open-label, randomized, 2-period, 2-sequence, crossover study to assess the bioavailability of FT218 6g compared to twice-nightly sodium oxybate 6g in 28 healthy volunteers. Subjects were randomized to receive either FT218 6g followed by twice-nightly sodium oxybate 6g or twice-nightly sodium oxybate followed by FT218 6g with a minimum of a 3-day washout between doses. An open-label, randomized, single-dose, two treatment, two-period, two-sequence crossover study to assess the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of FT218 in 16 healthy volunteers. Subjects were randomized to receive either FT218 6g in the Fed followed by FT218 in the Fasted or FT218 6g in the Fasted state followed by FT218 6g in the Fed state with a minimum of a 3-day washout between doses.A pharmacokinetics and formulation selection pilot study that was designed as a four-way crossover study in 16 healthy volunteers, evaluating three proprietary once-nightly formulations of Micropump controlled-release sodium oxybate versus twice-nightly immediate-release sodium oxybate at a nightly dose of 4.5g. Each subject consumed a standard meal two hours prior to dosing. Subjects receiving the twice-nightly sodium oxybate were administered the second dose 4 hours after the first dose. A dose proportionality study that was an open-label, single ascending dose, three-sequential-period study in 20 healthy volunteers. Subjects received three separate single-dose administrations of FT218 at bedtime, two hours post-evening meal, in a sequential order of 4.5g, 7.5g and 9g with a minimum 7-day washout between doses.

07:32 EDT Capricor granted Type B End-of-Phase 2 meeting with FDA to discuss CAP-1002 - Capricor Therapeutics announced that it has been granted a Type B End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA to discuss prespecified interim analysis of the Company's HOPE 2 clinical trial, which was reported in July of this year. The trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the company's therapy, CAP-1002, in steroid-treated boys and young men in the later stages of DMD, a fatal genetic disease with few treatment options. The pre-specified interim analysis was performed on the six-month follow-up. Per FDA's interpretation of Section 506(g) of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which was added by the 21st Century Cures Act enacted in 2016, therapies with an RMAT designation may be eligible for accelerated approval based on previously agreed-upon intermediate endpoints that are reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit. The interim analysis of the six-month follow-up in HOPE-2 are consistent with the positive results seen in Capricor's HOPE-Duchenne Phase I/II clinical trial which was published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, earlier this year. The FDA has granted Capricor's CAP-1002 RMAT and Orphan Drug Designation, for which the FDA has also granted a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation. The Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, as well as the Orphan Drug Designation previously granted, covers the broad treatment of DMD. If Capricor were to receive market approval for CAP-1002 by the FDA, Capricor would be eligible to receive a Priority Review Voucher. Capricor expects to announce further updates on its clinical development strategy for CAP-1002 in DMD later this year, including an update on guidance it receives from the FDA.

07:30 EDT Medtronic announces launch of several procedural solutions for spine surgery - Medtronic announced the launch of several new procedural solutions for spine surgery, further reinforcing the company's leadership role in the spine industry. These solutions are part of the company's market-leading Surgical Synergy platform, which integrates Medtronic technologies intended to create consistent, predictable, and reproducible spine procedures. Medtronic will unveil the new technologies at the North American Spine Society 2019 Annual Meeting. The launch of these solutions coincides with another milestone as Medtronic also announced that the number of Mazor X Stealth Edition patient cases surpassed 1,000 since its commercial launch earlier this year. The system combines preoperative planning software, Stealth navigation, and robotic-guidance for pedicle screw placement during spinal procedures. Additional details on the Medtronic launches and activities at NASS include: SynergyOLIF360SM Single-Position Workflow is differentiated with Infuse Bone Graft*as well as the combination of O-Arm Imaging and Stealth software, which have been trusted in millions of surgeries to date. Integrated technologies enable the entire OLIF procedure to be performed while the patient is on his or her side, eliminating the time and cost associated with mid-procedure repositioning. Titan Spine Interbody Devices with FiberCel Viable Bone Matrix combines proprietary Titan nanoLOCKSurface Technology, which increases cellular factors related to bone growth and anti-inflammation, with FiberCel VBM. The Titan nanoLOCK surface technology has undergone strenuous research with several peer-reviewed, in vitro studies driving its development. Titan nanoLOCK is offered across seven different interbody platforms to meet a variety of procedural needs. SynergyCorpectomy is a fully-navigated corpectomy system. The workflows feature the new, expandable T2 Stratosphere implant, Grafton DBM DBF, and the newly-launched Midas Rex MR8 System. It is integrated with O-arm and Stealth to enable pre-surgical planning, real-time navigation, and multiple benefits including virtual sizing of the implant, 3-D implant placement visualization, and confirmation of implant placement when using a Surgical Synergy workflow. Mazor X Stealth Edition in robotic-assisted spine surgery intended to deliver predictability and flexibility through real-time image guidance informed by integrated, interactive 3-D planning and information systems. The system was designed to promote Surgical Synergy with implants, navigation, imaging, and robotics via one platform that merges industry-leading technologies - Mazor X robotic surgery platform and Stealth navigation technology. The company recently surpassed 1,000 Mazor X Stealth Edition patient cases, achieving a milestone in the treatment of spinal conditions. Medtronic will be expanding the system's capabilities and further incorporate the system into its procedural workflows. Midas Rex MR8 high speed drill system delivers controlled precision, versatile access, and compatibility with Stealth to seamlessly integrate with our spine technologies.

07:24 EDT Aleafia announces over 10,000 active, registered medical cannabis patients - The company said, "Paris Processing facility Phase II Expansion: The construction of the Phase II expansion is expected to be completed in October 2019. As part of the Licence Amendment application, a site evidence package demonstrating that the facility is operationally-ready will be submitted to Health Canada. The facility is being purpose-built to EU GMP standards, a highly differentiated feature that will allow for export of cannabis products to the EU market. Growth of Registered Patient base: The Company now has over 10,000 active, registered medical cannabis patients, an increase of over 3,000 patients or 42 per cent over July 2019. Leveraging the Company's integrated cannabis health and wellness ecosystem, Aleafia Health is well positioned to capture further market share First Australian Medical Patients: Medical cannabis oils, grown, extracted, packaged and exported by Aleafia Health are now available to patients in Australia through our strategic partnership with Australian Licensed Producer CannaPacific. Additionally, the first prescription from a physician for an Aleafia Health product was written earlier this month. In addition, at a meeting of the board of directors of the Company held on September 23, 2019, the board approved the revocation of the December 6, 2018 special resolution of shareholders that authorized the board to complete a share consolidation on the basis of one post-consolidation share for up to every four common shares currently issued and outstanding. As a result of the revocation of this resolution, the Share Consolidation will no longer proceed."

07:18 EDT Medipharm Labs signs private label sales agreement with ADREXpharma - MediPharm Labs announced that it has signed its first private label sales agreement for export to Europe, with ADREXpharma, a licensed wholesale distributor of controlled drugs and medical cannabis which can serve all of the approximate 20,000 pharmacies across Germany. Through its private label solutions platform, MediPharm Labs will supply ADREXpharma with cannabis concentrate derivative products, including THC and CBD oil, for sale and distribution under the ADREXpharma brand in Germany upon receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

07:14 EDT Constellation Pharmaceuticals doses first patient in Phase 1/2 trial of CP1-0209 - Constellation Pharmaceuticals announced that the Company has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of CPI-0209. CPI-0209 is a second-generation EZH2 inhibitor that has been designed to achieve comprehensive target coverage through extended on-target residence time and enhanced potency compared with first-generation EZH2 inhibitors. These features lead to faster onset of action than first-generation EZH2 inhibitors as well as robust anti-tumor activity in models of multiple cancer types. Constellation has utilized its epigenetics platform to identify novel, targeted patient contexts that may be responsive to inhibition by next-generation EZH2 inhibitors. For instance, in xenografts derived from bladder cell lines harboring ARID1A mutations, once-daily treatment with CPI-0209 achieved regression at well-tolerated doses - activity that was superior to that from the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, a standard of care in bladder cancer. At the American Association for Cancer Research Bladder Cancer meeting on May 19, 2019, Constellation presented a poster with supporting data from these studies. The Phase 1 dose escalation phase of the clinical trial will study CPI-0209 monotherapy in advanced, relapsed solid tumor patients. After determining the recommended Phase 2 dose for the monotherapy, we will pursue expansion arms in selected tumor indications as well as combination therapy development, employing a biomarker strategy that includes assessment of ARID1A.

07:12 EDT BlackBerry down 7% to $6.96 after reporting mixed Q2 results

07:11 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical announces results of Phase 2 TAK-620 study published - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced that the New England Journal of Medicine has published results of a Phase 2, randomised, 12-week, open-label study of TAK-620, an investigational, orally bioavailable antiviral compound being evaluated in patients with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, infection after undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant or solid organ transplant. CMV is a beta herpes virus that, in patients with compromised immunity, including organ or stem cell transplant recipients, causes clinically challenging complications that can be fatal. Maribavir is designed to target a specific CMV protein, which may lead to inhibition of CMV DNA replication and encapsidation and the prevention of the escape of viral capsids from the nucleus of infected cells. By inhibiting the CMV UL97 protein kinase, maribavir may potentially affect several processes in CMV replication including viral DNA synthesis, viral gene expression, encapsidation and egress of mature capsids from the nucleus. The Phase 2 study sought to assess the safety and tolerability of maribavir versus valganciclovir. It was a randomized, 12-week, open-label study of 159 adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant or solid organ transplant with cytomegalovirus reactivation. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of responsive patients with central laboratory-confirmed undetectable plasma CMV DNA. Sixty-two percent of patients treated with any dose of maribavir showed a treatment effect within three weeks of treatment versus 56% with valganciclovir. At six weeks, response rates were 79% and 67% with maribavir and valganciclovir, respectively. The Phase 2 study showed that maribavir has demonstrated antiviral activity as a potential treatment of CMV infection and demonstrated a reduction of actively multiplying CMV in the blood, following hematopoietic cell transplant or solid organ transplant. Safety and tolerability reported in the Phase 2 study found 67% percent of patients treated with any evaluated dose of maribavir experienced at least one treatment emergent adverse event, or TEAE, that was considered by the investigators to be related to treatment versus 22% of those treated with valganciclovir. In the study, most TEAEs with maribavir were considered mild to moderate in severity versus 42.5% for valganciclovir. The most common TEAE with maribavir was dysgeusia, or altered taste. In line with earlier reported results, maribavir was associated with an increased incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events compared with valganciclovir. The most frequently reported treatment emergent serious adverse events, or SAE, for those treated with maribavir were acute graft versus host disease, diarrhea, renal failure and urinary tract infection with each reported by 3% of treated patients, versus bacterial sepsis, which was reported in 8% of patients treated with valganciclovir. Treatment-related SAEs occurred in 10% of patients treated with maribavir versus 2% of those treated with valganciclovir. Treatment emergent neutropenia was identified in 4% of patients administered maribavir versus 15% of valganciclovir patients through week six of treatment and through week 12 neutropenia was seen in 5% of maribavir-treated patients versus 18% of valganciclovir-treated patients. Neutropenia occurs when a patient has too few neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, and is a complication experienced by transplant patients after their procedure, which can increase the risk of serious post-transplant complications, including life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections and, in solid organ transplant patients, is associated with organ rejection. No patients in the maribavir arm discontinued treatment due to myelosuppression or renal impairment.

07:09 EDT Valeritas presents h-Patch CBD study data from preclinical pharmacokinetic study - Valeritas Holdings announced data from its preclinical pharmacokinetic study of cannabidiol subcutaneous infusion was presented at the CannMed Conference in Pasadena, California.The company believes this study represents the first report of CBD delivered via subcutaneous infusion in any preclinical model. In the poster presentation titled "Pharmacokinetic Study of Subcutaneous Infusion of Cannabinoid Isolate in Dogs via the h-Patch Wearable Device," the data demonstrated rapid and robust absorption and distribution of 40mg of CBD delivered over 24 hours with the h-Patch technology. CBD was detected within one hour of the start of infusion, followed by prolonged elimination with near steady-state levels still detectable 24 hours after completion of h-Patch infusion, or 48 hours in total. The study showed that subcutaneous infusion of 40mg of CBD with the h-Patch provided peak plasma levels on par with published human dose-normalized plasma concentrations from a single oral administration of 300mg CBD - an 87% reduction in CBD dosage. Valeritas' h-Patch is a drug delivery technology that can facilitate the simple and effective subcutaneous delivery of injectable medicines to patients across a broad range of therapeutic areas. The Company's V-Go is the first FDA-approved product that utilizes the h-Patch technology. To date, more than 20M V-Go insulin delivery devices have been sold in the United States. Oral CBD solutions have very low bioavailability in humans, in the range of 6-10%, and concerns linger over the long-term effect CBD has on the liver as a result of exposure to toxic metabolites. The h-Patch system provides a continuous basal delivery rate over a period of 24 hours and maximizes the therapeutic result by avoiding the first-pass effect and eliminating peak/trough variations of drug exposure. Subcutaneous infusion of CBD via the h-Patch may offer several distinct advantages over oral dosing including the ability to achieve therapeutic drug concentrations with a fraction of the overall dose, significantly prolonged half-life, minimization of the variation in CBD metabolism in the general population, and a dramatic reduction in the overall amount of drug metabolized by the liver. These features may contribute to a dramatically improved risk-reward profile for a CBD isolate therapeutic and could open the door to reliable, uniform dosing.

07:08 EDT BJ's Wholesale will be closed on Thanksgiving Day - BJ's Wholesale Club announced that its clubs will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and will open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday. "BJ's members can Seize the Savings on BJs.com starting at midnight on Thanksgiving, when the company releases its Black Friday Doorbusters. This season, BJ's members will be able to shop outstanding holiday deals on a huge range of items including TVs, small appliances, tires, exclusive toys, technology, furniture and more." This year marks the thirteenth consecutive year that BJ's clubs will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. "We value our members and hard-working team members, and we believe that Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to enjoy the holiday together," said Jeff Desroches, executive vice president, club operations officer. "We look forward to opening our doors and offering our members incredible deals on Black Friday at 7 a.m. For members eager to Seize the Savings, they can shop on BJs.com, which is always open and will have our Black Friday Doorbusters available at midnight on Thanksgiving."

07:05 EDT BlackBerry promotes Steve Rai to CFO, effective October 1 - BlackBerry announces that Steve Capelli will move into the newly-created role of Chief Revenue Officer to drive revenue-generating and business development activities across the company. BlackBerry promotes Steve Rai from Deputy CFO to CFO. These changes take effect as of October 1.

07:04 EDT Summit Therapeutics to present data from Phase 2 trial of ridinilazole - Summit Therapeutics and collaborators will present new data analyses from the Phase 2 clinical trial of ridinilazole in patients with C. difficile infection at ID Week 2019, taking place 2-6 October 2019 in Washington, DC. These data further strengthen the connection of ridinilazole's microbiome preservation to its superior clinical outcomes over the standard of care, vancomycin, in a Phase 2 clinical trial as well as provide insight into the beneficial effect of ridinilazole treatment on the physical and mental effects of CDI in the trial.

07:03 EDT Sandy Spring Bancorp to acquire Revere Bank in transaction valued at $460.7M - Sandy Spring Bancorp (SASR), the parent company of Sandy Spring Bank, and Revere Bank (REVB), jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Sandy Spring to acquire the Maryland-based Revere. With combined assets of $11.2 B, this acquisition deepens Sandy Spring's presence in its core market and authoritatively pushes the company through an important growth benchmark of $10B. Sandy Spring Bank operates more than 50 locations throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The company offers a range of commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services, as well as a comprehensive menu of insurance and wealth management services through its subsidiaries. Revere, headquartered in Rockville, Md., has 11 banking offices and more than $2.6B in assets. Upon closing, Sandy Spring Bank will merge Revere into Sandy Spring Bank and Revere's Co-Presidents and CEOs, Ken Cook and Drew Flott, will join the company. Cook will join as an Executive Vice President and Flott will join as a Division Executive. In Cook's new role, he will serve as the President of Commercial Banking, managing commercial teams across the company's footprint and working closely with Sandy Spring Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, Jay O'Brien. O'Brien will oversee the Commercial Real Estate, Personal and Business Banking, Institutional, Treasury Management, and Marketing divisions of the combined organization. Cook and O'Brien will both report to Schrider. As a Division Executive within the Corporate Finance group, Flott will help co-lead the integration. He will also work closely with senior leadership to identify and implement growth strategies and operational improvements. Under the terms of the agreement, Revere shareholders will receive 1.05 shares of Sandy Spring common stock for each share of Revere common stock. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, has a value of $460.7M in the aggregate, based on Sandy Spring's closing price of $35.33 on September 23, 2019. Upon closing, Sandy Spring shareholders will own approximately 74% of the combined company and Revere shareholders will own approximately 26% of the combined company. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of each company and is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. Clients of Sandy Spring Bank and Revere Bank will not notice any immediate changes, and both banks will continue to conduct business as usual. At a later date, Revere's branding will change to Sandy Spring Bank, with the full conversion of systems expected to occur in mid-2020.

07:02 EDT BlackBerry sees FY20 non-GAAP revenue 23%-25% - Sees FY20 double-digit percentage increase in billings year-over-year, and non-GAAP profitability.

07:00 EDT Bristol-Myers receives positive CHMP opinion recommending Opdivo - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of Opdivo flat dosing schedule of 240 mg infused over 30 minutes every two weeks or 480 mg infused over 60 minutes every four weeks for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection. The CHMP recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union.

06:59 EDT AutoZone opened 86 new stores in the U.S in Q4 - During the quarter ended August 31, AutoZone opened 86 new stores in the U.S., 28 stores in Mexico and 10 stores in Brazil. As of August 31, the company had 5,772 stores in 50 states in the U.S., the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas, 604 stores in Mexico and 35 stores in Brazil for a total count of 6,411.

06:56 EDT AutoZone reports inventory up 9.5% y/y - The company's inventory increased 9.5% over the same period last year, driven by increased product placement and new stores.

06:52 EDT NovaBay receives approval for distribution of Avenova in Australia - NovaBay Pharmaceuticals announces that it has received approval for the distribution of Avenova from the Australian Government Department of Health and has been provided an Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods Certificate.

06:42 EDT Neptune Wellness announces new customer relationships in the U.S. - Neptune Wellness announced new customer relationships for which the company is expected to provide hemp-derived finished-form products and bulk extracts processed at Neptune's U.S. extraction facility. The company is also in discussion with several other customers for additional opportunities in the U.S. market. Included in these new relationships is a large nutraceutical company for which Neptune will supply hemp-derived finished-form products. Neptune has undergone a vendor vetting process resulting in being selected as a supplier.

06:31 EDT New Age Beverages receives approval for CBD products in Japan - New Age Beverages announced the approval by the Japanese Narcotics Control Division and the Japanese Ministry of Health for New Age's CBD products in Japan and the company's subsequent launch into the market effective immediately. New Age is the first major company to gain approval by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Narcotics Control Division to sell its portfolio of CBD products in the country.

06:16 EDT Kemper appoints Anastasios Omiridis as deputy CFO - Kemper announced that Anastasios "Andy" Omiridis has joined the company as deputy CFO and principal accounting officer reporting to Kemper CFO Officer James McKinney. Previously, Omiridis served as senior vice president and CFO of Chubb Life, a segment of Chubb Limited. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and chief accounting officer for Argo Limited, and has held similar roles at MetLife, American Life Insurance Company, and Scottish Reinsurance. Omiridis has a bachelor's degree in biology from Saint Joseph's University and a master's degree in business administration from Widener University.

06:08 EDT IHS Markit CEO says 'pleased with our year-to-date results' - "We are pleased with our year-to-date results, which have been a continuation of our consistency and strength of financial performance since the merger. As such, I intend to recommend at our October Board meeting that our Board approve an updated capital allocation framework that includes annual capital return to shareholders of approximately 50-75% of our annual capital capacity through share buybacks and the initiation of a quarterly dividend," said Lance Uggla, chairman and CEO at IHS Markit. "We delivered solid Q3 and year-to-date results, putting us on track to deliver another solid year. We also de-levered to our target range, repurchased $200 million of shares in the quarter, and subsequently completed our 2019 share buyback commitment in early Q4," said Todd Hyatt, chief financial officer at IHS Markit.

06:07 EDT CareTrust REIT acquires Vista del Lago memory care facility for $12.6M - CareTrust REIT announced that it acquired Vista del Lago, a memory care facility in Escondido, California. The 52-unit facility with 96 licensed beds has been leased to San Diego-based seniors housing operator Bayshire which has managed the facility for the related-party seller since 2016. The Vista del Lago transaction allowed Bayshire principal Scott Kirby, who was also a partner in the real estate seller, to recapitalize Bayshire and achieve a long-held goal of acquiring sole ownership of the operating company. The total investment for the property was approximately $12.6M, inclusive of transaction costs. Initial annual cash rent under the Bayshire master lease will be approximately $1.03M, and the lease carries annual CPI-based rent escalators. The lease term is 15 years, plus two five-year renewal options. The acquisition was funded using cash on hand.

05:53 EDT KBR awarded $81M contract by NAVAIR - KBR announced it has been awarded an $81M contract by Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, to provide aircrew services to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, or NAWCAD. Under this contract, KBR's certified and qualified aircrew will support the mission essential test and evaluation of all manned and unmanned air vehicles for Naval Test Wing Atlantic and Pacific squadrons. Aircrew will include: test pilots, weapons systems operators, flight engineers, aerial photographers, flight technicians, loadmasters, instructors, unmanned air vehicle operators and other specialists. KBR will primarily perform this work at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, as well as NAS Point Mugu and NAS China Lake in California. This cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is for five years with an option to extend six months. The company won the previous aircrew services contract in 2013 and has supported its predecessor contracts for almost 40 years.