Stockwinners Market Radar for September 27, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:27 EDT VMware, Carbon Black announce extension of tender offer - VMware (VMW) and Carbon Black (CBLK) have announced that VMware has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Carbon Black for a price of $26 per share. On September 24, the Austrian Federal Competition Authority provided verbal confirmation that they do not have any objections or further questions on the proposed transaction, however, the four-week waiting period contemplated by the Austrian Cartel Act must first terminate before the transaction is considered to have been cleared by the Bundeswettbewerbsbehorde. The initial four-week waiting period will expire at midnight, Central European Time, on Friday, October 4. In order to comply with the Austrian Cartel Act waiting period, the Tender Offer has been extended to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Monday, October 7. All terms and conditions of the Offer shall remain unchanged during the extended period. Stockholders who have already tendered their Shares of Carbon Black do not have to re-tender their Shares or take any other action as a result of the extension of the expiration date of the Tender Offer. American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the depositary for the Tender Offer, has advised VMware that, as of 5:46 p.m., New York City Time, on September 25, approximately 12,104,717 Shares of Carbon Black had been validly tendered and received, and not validly withdrawn, pursuant to the Offer, representing approximately 16% of Carbon Black's outstanding Shares. The consummation of the Tender Offer remains subject to regulatory approval in Austria and other customary conditions, including the tender of at least a majority of the shares of Carbon Black.

18:22 EDT Match Group receives DOJ subpoena for documents relating to FTC claims - According to a regulatory filing, on September 27, 2019, Match Group announced an update of its prior disclosure regarding a U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigation of certain Match.com business practices. The update reflects developments since Match Group filed its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019. In March 2017, the FTC requested information and documents in a civil investigation regarding certain business practices of Match.com. The FTC raised potential claims relating to Match.com's marketing, chargeback, and online cancellation practices. In November 2018, the FTC proposed to resolve its potential claims via a consent judgment requiring certain changes in those practices, as well as a $60M payment. Ensuing discussions between the company and the FTC ended without resolution. On August 7, 2019, the FTC voted to assert claims against the company and referred the matter to the Department of Justice. DOJ subsequently declined to pursue a civil case against the company and referred the matter back to the FTC. On September 25, 2019, the FTC filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas against Match Group. See FTC v. Match Group, Inc., No. 3:19:cv-02281-K. The complaint alleges that, prior to mid-2018, for marketing purposes Match.com told non-paying users that other users were trying to communicate with them, even though Match.com had identified those subscriber accounts as potentially fraudulent, thereby inducing non-paying users to subscribe and exposing them to the risk of fraud should they subscribe. The complaint also challenges the adequacy of Match.com's disclosure of its six-month guarantee, the efficacy of its cancellation process, and its handling of chargeback disputes. The complaint seeks among other things permanent injunctive relief, civil penalties, restitution, disgorgement, and costs of suit. On September 26, 2019, the company received a grand-jury subpoena from DOJ for documents relating to certain of the marketing-related claims in the FTC's complaint. Match Group believes that the FTC's claims regarding Match.com's practices, policies, and procedures are without merit and will defend vigorously against them. The Company intends to cooperate with DOJ in responding to its subpoena.

18:01 EDT Raytheon awarded $123.97M Navy contract modification - Raytheon was awarded a $123.97M firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract for FY18 and FY19 production of AEGIS weapon system fire control system MK 99 equipment, AEGIS modernization production requirements and associated engineering services. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and the government of Japan under the foreign military sales, or FMS, program. Work is expected to be completed by April 2023. FY19 shipbuilding and conversion; FY19 other procurement, defense-wide procurement and FMS case funding in the amount of $123.97M will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304. This contract also covers the production of multi-mission signal processor, or MMSP, ordnance alteration, or ORDALT, kits, kill assessment system, or KAS, ORDALT kits and spares, radio frequency coherent combiner kits, high voltage power supply sidewall capacitors and solid state switch assembly kits.The AMOD program fields combat system upgrades that will enhance the anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense capabilities of AEGIS equipped DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and CG 47 Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:50 EDT Fluor awarded $1.07B Navy contract modification - Fluor was awarded a $1.07B cost-plus-fixed fee modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise the FY20 option for naval nuclear propulsion work at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory. No funds are being obligated at time of award. The solicitation required a transition of the entire incumbent workforce at their current pay levels and will not result in a reduction in force. Operations will continue at all sites. No completion date or other additional information is provided on Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts. The Naval Sea Systems is the contracting activity.

17:40 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $1.39B Air Force contract for EGI/EGI-M production - Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $1.39B indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for embedded GPS inertial navigation system modernization, or EGI/EGI-M, follow-on production and sustainment. This contract provides for production, sustainment and engineering technical services in support of the EGI/EGI-M system. Work is expected to be completed by September 26, 2032. This contract will allow foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Funding types that can be used at the order level are aircraft procurement, operations and maintenance, research and development and foreign military sales. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $17,645 is being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:37 EDT Boeing awarded $2.63B Air Force contract modification for KC-46 aircraft - Boeing has been awarded a $2.63B modification to a previously awarded contract for Lot 5 production KC-46 aircraft, initial spares and support equipment. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 15 KC-46 aircraft, data, two spare engines, five wing refueling pod kits, initial spares, support equipment, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington and is expected to be completed by March 2023. FY17 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $112.96M FY18 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $363.1M and FY19 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $2.15B are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:04 EDT Hollysys raises annual cash dividend to 21c from 18c per share - The dividend will be payable on or about November 12, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 22, 2019.

16:20 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires Outback Steakhouse for $2M - Four Corners Property Trust closed on the acquisition of an Outback Steakhouse restaurant from Washington Prime Group for $2M. The property is located in Ohio and is leased to the corporate operator under a triple-net lease with approximately 9 years of term remaining. The respective Washington Prime portfolio was priced at a capitalization rate consistent with our investment thresholds and past transactions.

16:11 EDT Castor Maritime changes end of fiscal year to December 31 from September 30 - Castor Maritime announced that its board has approved a change in the company's fiscal year end from September 30 to December 31. This change is being made to better align Castor's reporting calendar with other NASDAQ listed companies and its industry peers. Castor's next fiscal year will end on December 31, 2019, resulting in a three-month transition period from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.

16:06 EDT Intercept submits NDA to FDA for obeticholic acid - Intercept Pharmaceuticals announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration for obeticholic acid for the treatment of patients with fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. OCA is the only investigational therapy to meet the primary endpoint of a Phase 3 study in patients with NASH and is the only such therapy that the FDA has designated a Breakthrough Therapy for NASH with fibrosis. As such, Intercept has requested a Priority Review for the NDA, which, if granted, would result in an anticipated six-month review period. The submission is based on positive interim analysis results from the pivotal Phase 3 REGENERATE study in patients with liver fibrosis due to NASH. In the study, OCA 25 mg achieved its primary endpoint by demonstrating robust improvement in liver fibrosis without worsening of NASH at 18 months. Intercept also intends to file a marketing authorization application with the European Medicines Agency in the fourth quarter of this year.

15:09 EDT Genfit appooints Hum as President of Genfit Corp. - Genfit announced earlier Dr. Dean Hum's appointment as President of Genfit Corp. and Dr. Suneil Hosmane as Head of Global Diagnostics. Hum, who joined Genfit in 2000 as Chief Scientific Officer will be relocating to the United States and will be based at the Cambridge, M.A. office. He will continue to serve as Chief Operating Officer. Hosmane, who is currently based at the Cambridge, M.A. office, is promoted to Head of Global Diagnostics, and becomes a member of the Executive Committee. Suneil, who joined GENFIT Corp. in 2018 as Executive Vice President of Strategic Development, will manage the development and marketing activities related to NIS4, Genfit's proprietary blood test designed to identify NASH patients eligible for treatment.

14:33 EDT Emerson up 2% after Reuters says activist DE Shaw pushing for break-up

13:51 EDT FDA approves Genentech's Rituxan - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Rituxan, in combination with glucocorticoids, for the treatment of granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis in pediatric patients 2 years of age and older. GPA and MPA are rare, potentially life-threatening diseases affecting small- and medium-sized blood vessels. The approval is based on data from the PePRS study, a Phase IIa, global, open-label, multi-center, single-arm study investigating the safety, pharmacokinetics, exploratory efficacy and pharmacodynamic outcomes of intravenous Rituxan in 25 patients with active GPA or MPA between 6 and 17 years of age. Treatment with four weekly infusions of Rituxan or non-U.S.-licensed rituximab in combination with a tapering course of oral glucocorticoids was assessed in newly diagnosed or relapsing active GPA or MPA pediatric patients. Of the 25 patients in the study, 19 had GPA and 6 had MPA at baseline. Efficacy was an exploratory endpoint and primarily assessed using the Pediatric Vasculitis Activity Score (PVAS). Efficacy assessment showed that 56% of patients achieved PVAS remission by month 6, 92% by month 12, and 100% of patients achieved remission by month 18. The safety profile of Rituxan in patients with pediatric GPA and MPA was consistent in type, nature and severity with the known safety profile of Rituxan in adult patients with GPA, MPA, rheumatoid arthritis and pemphigus vulgaris.

13:37 EDT Concert plunges after Avanir's phase 3 study of AVP-786 does not meet endpoints - Earlier, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Otsuka America, a holding company that is wholly owned by Otsuka Pharmaceutical (OTSKY), announced that the second study of the company's phase 3 clinical development program investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of AVP-786 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe agitation in patients with Alzheimer's dementia did not meet its primary and key secondary endpoints. Patients treated with AVP-786 did not experience a statistically significant improvement in agitation compared to patients treated with placebo, as measured by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, the company noted. Wa'el Hashad, President and CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals, said, "We will continue to analyze the full set of data from the first two studies of the company's phase 3 clinical development program, and explore the best path forward." Concert Pharmaceuticals (CNCE), which is partnered with Avanir for AVP-786, is down 37%, or $3.66, to $6.21.

13:07 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 8 to 860 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 8 rigs from last week to 860, with oil rigs down 6 to 713, gas rigs down 2 to 146, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1. The U.S. Rig Count is down 194 rigs from last year's count of 1,054, with oil rigs down 150, gas rigs down 43, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 rig to 1. The The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is down 1 rig to 24 and up 4 rigs year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is up 8 rigs from last week to 127, with oil rigs up 6 to 88 and gas rigs up 2 to 39. The Canada Rig Count is down 51 rigs from last year's count of 178, with oil rigs down 34 and gas rigs down 17.

13:04 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 8 to 860 rigs

12:44 EDT First Long Island raises Q3 dividend 5.9% to 18c per share - The First of Long Island announced the declaration of a third quarter cash dividend in the amount of 18c per share. This represents a 5.9% increase over the dividend of 17c per share declared in the same quarter last year. The dividend will be paid on October 18 to shareholders of record on October 9.

12:19 EDT Fiat Chrysler pays $40M to settle SEC charges over false vehicle reporting - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged FCA US LLC, and its parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., for "misleading investors about the number of new vehicles sold each month to customers in the United States." FCA US and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have agreed to pay $40M to settle the charges. According to the SEC's order, between 2012 and 2016, FCA US issued monthly press releases falsely reporting new vehicle sales and falsely touting a "streak" of uninterrupted monthly year-over-year sales growth, "when in fact, the growth streak had been broken in September 2013." Reference Link

12:15 EDT Relmada Therapeutics announcess 1-for-4 reverse stock split - Relmada Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 1-for-4 reverse stock split of the company's authorized, issued, and outstanding common stock in preparation for its proposed listing of its common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market. The reverse stock split will become effective with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and in the marketplace on September 30, whereupon the shares of common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis. "This reverse stock split is an important step in Relmada's corporate development as the maintenance of a minimum closing bid price of $4.00 would fulfill the share price requirement for an uplisting to NASDAQ," stated Sergio Traversa, CEO of Relmada Therapeutics. "Moving to a national exchange would represent a significant step toward creating long-term shareholder value and attracting a broader, more diverse shareholder base, especially in light of the Phase 2 clinical study results expected in the coming quarter." Before any listing of the common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market could occur, NASDAQ will need to approve the company's application for listing after the reverse stock split is completed.

12:00 EDT Huya falls -6.1% - Huya is down -6.1%, or -$1.61 to $24.77.

12:00 EDT Rite Aid falls -8.2% - Rite Aid is down -8.2%, or -64c to $7.19.

12:00 EDT Dillard's rises 9.2% - Dillard's is up 9.2%, or $5.50 to $65.08.

11:33 EDT Columbia Property Trust sells Lindbergh Center in Atlanta for $187M - Columbia Property Trust (CXP) announced that it has completed the sale of Lindbergh Center, a 1.1-million-square-foot, mixed-use property in Atlanta, for a gross sales price of $187M. Columbia acquired the twin 14-story office buildings that constitute the majority of the Lindbergh Center complex in 2008. These two buildings are fully leased to AT&T (T) until December 31, 2020.

11:12 EDT McKesson down 3% following short report from Citron Research - Shares of McKesson (MCK) are moving lower in Friday morning trade after Andrew Left's Citron Research published a cautious report about the company on its website. Citron pointed to "new legal statutes in the National Opioid Litigation that have not been considered by Wall Street Analysts and will directly impact the share price of McKesson," including the fact that Judge Dan Polster in the Northern District of Ohio, who is presiding in the McKesson case, had to determine if in fact this was a public nuisance. Citron goes on to state: "Wall St. consensus currently assumes that a settlement/fine will be manageable and spread over 15 years for McKesson. Under Public Nuisance with the focus on immediate remediation their penalties will be much greater and probably assigned even if shareholders consider this unfair to the remaining companies who can afford to pay. You cannot remedy a problem by fining a bankrupt company." Following the posting of the report, McKesson shares are down $4.45, or about 3%, to $134.74.

10:29 EDT Vivint Solar drops after short-seller Aurelius Value issues cautious report - Shares of Vivint Solar (VSLAR) plunged following a report from short-seller Aurelius Value. NEW REPORT: In a new report published on its website, Aurelius Value says Vivint "appears to have largely concealed a growing pattern of undisclosed lawsuits" claiming the company has engaged in a nationwide fraud involving forged customer contracts. According to the short-seller, the 28 undisclosed lawsuits allege that the company has forged the signatures of homeowners, complete strangers, relatives, neighbors, and even a dead person onto fake solar contracts and that court documents suggest Vivint's corp[orate offices has spreadsheets keeping track via an internal system of the fraud allegations. The lawsuits claim that "as a pattern and practice, [Vivint] regularly forges signatures" on customer contracts in states including California, which accounts for about 34% of its business. Additionally, the suits allege that "It is a corporate policy and culture at Vivint Solar to look the other way and dismiss these numerous complaints and to overtly or tacitly encourage their sales agents to hide important sales details from consumers, forge and falsify authorization documents... Vivint promotes its employees for this conduct." According to a lawsuit filed by Southern California Edison, Vivint has gone "so far as to use counterfeit Edison logos and trademarks on their clothing" to dupe homeowners by impersonating Edison employees. VIVANT'S BUSINESS MODEL 'VULNERABLE' TO COLLAPSE: Aurelius contends that Vivint's business model appears "particularly vulnerable" to collapse and that in order to sustain itself, must constantly generate large amounts of new solar contracts each quarter. The firm sees a district risk that the pattern of undisclosed lawsuits and alleged misdeeds misdeeds have been deployed to mask weakness in the underlying business, especially considering that Vivint has missed revenue estimates in four of the last five quarters. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of Vivint Solar are down 6.7% to $6.25.

10:23 EDT Mylan pays $30M to settle SEC charges over EpiPen disclosures - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against Mylan N.V. for "accounting and disclosure failures" relating to a Department of Justice probe into whether Mylan overcharged Medicaid for EpiPen. Mylan agreed to pay $30M to settle the SEC's charges. According to the SEC's complaint, Mylan classified EpiPen as a "generic" drug under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, which resulted in the company paying lower rebates to the government than if EpiPen had been classified as a "branded" drug. The complaint alleges that in October 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed Mylan that EpiPen was misclassified as a generic drug. Starting in November 2014, and continuing for nearly two years, the DOJ conducted a civil investigation into whether Mylan misclassified EpiPen and thereby overcharged the government for EpiPen sales to Medicaid patients. "As alleged in our complaint, investors were kept in the dark about Mylan's EpiPen misclassification and the potential loss Mylan faced as a result of the pending investigations into the misclassification," said Antonia Chion, Associate Director in the SEC's Division of Enforcement. Reference Link

10:20 EDT Aravive reports data from Phase 1b/2 study of AVB-500 in ovarian cancer - Aravive presented "positive" data from the initial 12 patients of the ongoing Phase 1b portion of the company's Phase 1b/2 study of AVB-500 in ovarian cancer patients in a late breaking oral presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, the company reported. The open-label, Phase 1b portion of the study of AVB-500 in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer enrolled patients into two cohorts, one investigating a combination of AVB-500 with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and the other, a combination with paclitaxel. In both study groups, AVB-500 treatment led to early proof of concept with overall best response rate by investigator determined RECIST v1.1 criteria and durable response in responders. AVB-500 was well tolerated with no dose limiting toxicities. The data from the initial 12 patients are summarized as follows: Clinical benefit in 7 out of 12 patients, or 58%; Partial responses in 5 out of 12 patients, or 42%; The mean response rate in patients treated was 50% with AVB-500+PAC, and 33% with AVB-500+PLD; Three responders had at least 60% tumor regression; Two responders had more than 80% tumor regression. The current average treatment duration for responders is 7 months and 4 of 5 patients who responded remain on study. Two patients who responded have completed their chemotherapy regimen and are receiving AVB-500 alone.

10:05 EDT Vivint Solar down 7% after cautious report from short-seller Aurelius Value - Vivint "appears to have largely concealed a growing pattern of undisclosed lawsuits," Aurelius claimed in the short report published earlier on its website. In early trading, Vivint Solar shares are down 7% to $6.23. Reference Link

09:51 EDT U.S. Army awards Lockheed Martin $281M contract to develop Sentinel A4 radar - Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $281M contract by the United States Army to develop the Sentinel A4 radar system. Sentinel A4 is a high-performance modification of the Sentinel A3 air and missile defense radar that will provide updates to improve the existing Sentinel capability against cruise missiles, umanned aerial systems, rotary wing and fixed wing threats. "By leveraging our open scalable radar architecture and production efforts, we believe we provide the lowest risk and best value solution for the U.S. Army that will help protect our warfighters for years to come," said Dr. Rob Smith, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin's Radar and Sensor Systems. "We have fielded numerous tactical Gallium Nitride (GaN) based radars beginning with the delivery of the TPS-77 Multi Role Radar to Latvia in 2018 and we are under contract with the Army to insert GaN into the Q-53 system."

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN falls -8.0% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is down -8.0%, or -$1.36 to $15.69.

09:47 EDT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X ETF rises 6.6% - Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X ETF is up 6.6%, or 47c to $7.59.

09:47 EDT Latam Airlines rises 30.2% - Latam Airlines is up 30.2%, or $2.72 to $11.73.

09:25 EDT Contango Oil & Gas to acquire assets of White Star Petroleum for $132.5M - Contango Oil & Gas Company announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the assets of White Star Petroleum LLC and certain affiliates as a part of the White Star Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 363 sales process. The asset purchase agreement provides that Contango will acquire approximately 15 Mboe/d of production, approximately 20 Mmboe of PDP reserves as of the July 1 effective date, and 315,000 net acres in Oklahoma split into the three operating districts, from White Star for a total purchase price of $132.5M. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, and the effective date of the transaction will be July 1, 2019. After adjustment for normal operations during the period between the effective date and the closing date, and other normal and customary closing adjustments, the total consideration to be paid in cash at closing is estimated to be less than $100M. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, due diligence, confirmation of title, finalization of documentation, and entry of the bankruptcy court order approving the sale; however, closing is not conditioned upon satisfaction of any financing contingency.

09:19 EDT Honeywell to raise dividend 10%, effective in Q4 - Honeywell announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 10% increase in the company's regular annual cash dividend from $3.28 to $3.60 per share. The increase will be effective starting with the fourth-quarter dividend of 90c per share, which was declared today, and is payable on December 6, out of surplus to holders of record at the close of business on November 15.

09:17 EDT Micron 'remains committed' to ongoing share buybacks, CEO says - Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra is speaking on CNBC.

09:15 EDT Micron CEO says demand growth now greater than supply growth - Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra is speaking on CNBC.

09:14 EDT Micron CEO says long-term demand trends 'absolutely strong' - Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra is speaking on CNBC.

09:07 EDT VERB Technology retains Gateway to lead expanded investor relations program - VERB Technology Company has appointed Gateway Investor Relations to provide an expanded investor relations program as well as additional consulting services to the company. Gateway will work closely with VERB management to develop and deploy a comprehensive capital markets program. Activities are expected to include but are not limited to: refining overall company and investment-oriented messaging and corporate positioning, providing strategic advisory services, and arranging introductions to institutional investors, analysts and other key influencers in the broader financial community.

09:05 EDT Medtronic announces early feasibility trial for Intrepid TMVR System - Medtronic announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin an early feasibility study for its Intrepid transcatheter mitral valve replacement system using a minimally-invasive transfemoral access approach. This announcement builds upon primary endpoint outcomes of the Intrepid TMVR clinical trial using the transapical approach published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the first-ever trial approved by the FDA to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a TMVR system. The prospective, multi-center, non-randomized EFS will evaluate the safety and performance of the Intrepid TMVR System with the transfemoral approach in patients with severe, symptomatic mitral regurgitation who are ineligible for conventional mitral valve surgery. The study will enroll and treat up to 15 patients who require mitral valve intervention at up to six centers. Treated patients will be followed up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and every 6 months thereafter through 5 years. The results from this EFS study will inform the development of next-generation transfemoral TMVR technologies.

09:03 EDT Laredo Petroleum says Jason Pigott to succeed Randy Foutch as CEO on Oct. 1 - Laredo Petroleum announced, as part of the previously discussed comprehensive succession planning process, that Jason Pigott will succeed Randy Foutch as the company's CEO, effective October 1, 2019. Pigott will continue in his role as president. Foutch will remain chairman of Laredo's Board of Directors through the company's 2020 Annual Meeting, but will not stand for re-election to the Board. Additionally, the Board has decided the roles of chairman and CEO will remain separate and the future chairman will be independent.

09:01 EDT Arthur J. Gallagher acquires LSG Insurance Partners, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based LSG Insurance Partners. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Founded in 1968, LSG Insurance Partners has grown to become a leading independent insurance, risk management and consulting services agency in Michigan.

08:53 EDT Cannabis Science, NHS Industries announce termination of JV agreement - NHS Industries and Cannabis Science have mutually agreed to terminate the previously announced Joint Venture Agreement of August 28. During further review of numerous proposed logistics, both parties, NHS and Cannabis Science, agreed that anticipated synergies that would create a mutually beneficial environment to further the joint venture were not present.

08:33 EDT Funko completes credit facility amendment, extension - Funko announced that certain of its subsidiaries entered into a Second Amendment to their existing Credit Agreement that will reduce the interest margin by 75 basis points as a result of the Company's strong performance over the past year. In addition, the Amendment extends the maturity of the credit facility by approximately one year, among other changes.

08:32 EDT Gladstone Commercial acquires two building industrial portfolio in Texas - Gladstone Commercial Corporation announced that it completed the acquisition of a 211,000 square foot, two building industrial portfolio in Temple, Texas on September 26, 2019. The portfolio, acquired in a sale/leaseback transaction, is 100% leased to Texas Hydraulics with a twenty year lease term. Texas Hydraulics currently uses the two properties for the manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution of hydraulic cylinders. Texas Hydraulics has invested more than $35M. in the facilities. The acquisition of the industrial properties is consistent with Gladstone Commercial's growth strategy of acquiring high-quality assets in growth regions with credit-worthy tenants. This portfolio consists of two buildings: one located at 3410 Range Road, a 126,000 square foot facility, and one located at 3120 Range Road, an 85,000 square foot facility. Texas Hydraulics plans to continue operating in these facilities for years to come.

08:16 EDT XBiotech to present clinical findings for bermekimab in treatment of AD - XBiotech announced that Alice Gottlieb will be presenting clinical findings for bermekimab in the treatment of atopic dermatitis at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress being held in Madrid Spain October 9-13th. Dr. Gottlieb will present data from a multicenter, phase 2 study in which bermekimab monotherapy showed rapid and dose dependent improvement in AD. The presentation will be given during the October 12th morning session for late breaking clinical data, Chaired by Professor Brigitte Dreno. A subset of these data were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology conference in Washington, D.C. in March of this year. A highlight of the data to be reported is the observation that after only 8 weeks of bermekimab therapy, three-fourths of patients achieved 75% improvement in their Eczema Area and Severity Index scores, a key measure of disease severity in AD. The current standard of care and the only approved biological therapy for AD involves a 16 week treatment regimen, which clinical trials have shown to result in 44-51% of patients achieving 75% improvement in EASI score. Another key finding to be reported in the bermekimab study was a dramatic reduction in itch, which can be debilitating in eczema patients. An overall reduction of greater than or equal to4 points based on the Numerical Rating Scale for itch is considered clinically significant. Seventy-five percent of patients achieved greater than or equal to4 point reduction in 8 weeks.

08:14 EDT Freshpet appoints Olu Beck to board of directors - Freshpet announced the appointment of Olu Beck as an independent director on its Board of Directors, effective October 1, 2019. Beck will replace Jonathan Marlow as a director in conjunction with his resignation from the Board of Directors, effective September 26, 2019. She will also serve on the company's Audit Committee. Daryl Brewster, a director on Freshpet's Board and member of the Compensation Committee since 2011, will assume Marlow's role of Compensation Committee Chair. Beck most recently served as CEO and a director of Wholesome Sweeteners.

08:13 EDT Wealth Copper closes Escalones copper-gold porphyry project acquisition - Wealth Minerals announces that, further to its news releases dated December 4, 2018, April 4, 2019 and June 3, 2019, Wealth Copper has completed the acquisition of TriMetals Mining's interest in and to the mineral exploitation concessions and the mineral exploration concessions and related assets and liabilities that comprise the Escalones copper-gold porphyry project, located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, in Central Chile. Wealth Copper also announces that it has acquired New Energy Metals' interest in and to the mineral exploitation concessions comprising the Cristal copper project, located in Region XV of Arica and Parinacota, Chile. Wealth Copper also announces the closing of a non-brokered private placement of 8,140,000 common shares in the capital of Wealth Copper at a price of $0.10 per Wealth Copper Share for aggregate proceeds of approximately $814,000. Upon the closing of the Escalones Acquisition and after giving effect to the Wealth Copper Financing, Wealth owns 25,000,000 Wealth Copper Shares, representing 42.6% of the total issued and outstanding Wealth Copper Shares. Wealth Copper is currently working to complete the previously announced going-public transaction with Allante Resources. The Company expects the Going-Public Transaction to be completed in Q4 2019,

08:08 EDT Agraflora Organics bolsters European supply agreement, recieves C$2M - AgraFlora Organics International announced that further to a commercial rights and supply agreement, dated May 22, 2019, the Company has entered into a complementary cooperation agreement. Under the terms of the Co-Op Agreement, a party to the original Agreement has subscribed to a non-brokered private placement at a 28.2 per-cent premium to AgraFlora's five day VWAP of C$0.234; for total proceeds of C$2M. In consideration for the Offering, AgraFlora has agreed to defer payment for the initial C$2M purchase of dried cannabis flower, under the previously announced Agreement. Such Deferred Payments shall be repaid in equal portions of C$250,000 across the subsequent C$8,000,000 in anticipated dried cannabis flower purchases. In connection with the Offering, the Company has issued 6,666,667 transferable special warrants to one purchaser at a price of C$0.30 per Special Warrant. Each Special Warrant is convertible into units with each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company and one transferable common share purchase warrant, with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional Share of the Company at a price of C$0.50 per Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance of the Warrants.

08:05 EDT Super League Gaming to launch monthly subscription service with ggCircuit - Super League Gaming and ggCircuit are announcing a broad expansion of their existing partnership. Super League will now become the primary consumer-facing brand within ggCircuit's software platform, ggLeap, as part of a platform update that will include exciting new features designed to further attract, engage and retain players. The companies first joined forces in April 2019 to bring Super League esports events and leagues to gaming centers throughout the U.S. In the five ensuing months, Super League's user base and number of markets have more than doubled. Based on the growth of the programs and the overwhelming positive response from gaming center operators, the companies are deepening their strategic partnership with a focus on more programming, more player benefits, and an all-new monthly subscription offering called Super League Prime. Through Super League Prime, players will receive exclusive access to select events, special gamer-centric rewards and giveaways, and valuable perks that can be used at their local gaming center -- all designed to make gaming together in-person the best possible experience. The updated version of ggLeap will include a new Events section enabling players to join esports competitions in real-time and register for future participation, with Super League competitions and leagues prominently featured. Within ggLeap and also on Superleague.com, new local, national, and international leaderboards and player rankings will be available for the most-actively played game titles.

08:04 EDT Pfizer executive chairman Ian Read to retire, CEO Albert Bourla to succeed - Pfizer announced that executive chairman of the board Ian Read has chosen to retire on December 31 and that it has unanimously elected Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, to succeed him as chairman of the board effective January 1, 2020. Bourla will also retain the CEO role. Read joined Pfizer in 1978. He was named CEO of Pfizer in 2010 and chairman of the board of directors in 2011.

08:03 EDT Genocea to present interim results from Phase 1/2a trial for GEN-009 - Genocea Biosciences announced a poster presentation highlighting additional interim clinical results from its ongoing Phase 1/2a trial for GEN-009, the company's neoantigen vaccine candidate driven by the ATLAS platform, at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2019. ATLAS is Genocea's unique platform that profiles each patient's T cell responses to every candidate neoantigen to select those driving pre-existing anti-tumor responses. In the new interim GEN-009 clinical update, immune response data will be presented from a subset of seven patients in the 50-day primary immunogenicity readout, including data from two additional patients from last reported. For the patients with both preliminary ex vivo and IVS data, GEN-009 generated immune responses to 98 percent of all immunized peptides, which is unprecedented for neoantigen vaccination administered without checkpoint inhibition. The study is currently accruing for Part B to evaluate GEN-009 in combination with standard-of care immunotherapy regimens, with preliminary data expected in mid-2020.

08:02 EDT Sito Mobile receives new streaming patent - SITO Mobile recently received allowance by the U.S. Patent Office of another key asset in its streaming media patent portfolio. U.S. Patent Application No. 13/843,412, entitled "System and Method for Streaming Media," covers key features in use by many of today's media streaming services. These features include rule-based techniques for determining streaming characteristics and identifying streaming resources in order to deliver QoS demanded by today's consumers. SITO expects a patent to issue from the allowed application in the coming months. "This latest addition to our much sought after portfolio of streaming IP further emphasizes the value of our patents to today's streaming industry," said Tom Candelaria, EVP Corporate Development. "We are actively monetizing the portfolio, which currently includes 15 patents and several pending applications, through licensing and other strategic business arrangements. The portfolio has broad applicability across the $45B U.S. video-streaming marketplace and is applicable to not only streaming video content, but also to dynamic, targeted advertising - including 'native advertising,' which is a critical revenue model for the video streaming industry."

07:59 EDT Noble Midstream appoints Thomas Christensen as CFO - Noble Midstream announced that Thomas Christensen was appointed CFO of the General Partner, effective September 25. His responsibilities will include leadership of Noble Midstream's Finance, Accounting, Information Technology and Business Development teams. Christensen will continue to serve as Principal Accounting Officer of the General Partner. Christensen was appointed interim CFO in July and has held the position of Chief Accounting Officer of Noble Midstream since August 2016.

07:34 EDT Colliers International announces resolution of dispute with Dylan Taylor - Colliers International Group and the former CEO of its Real Estate Services division, Dylan Taylor, jointly announced that any issues between them arising from the previously announced separation of Taylor from Colliers, including issues concerning Taylor's past stock sales, have been resolved. CEO Jay Hennick stated: "Colliers appreciates Mr. Taylor's service to the organization, and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

07:11 EDT Marathon Petroleum receives letter from shareholders that hold 1.7% of its stock - Paul Foster and Jeff Stevens, who together with their affiliates hold approximately 1.7% of the outstanding common stock of Marathon Petroleum, released a letter sent to Marathon's board regarding their detailed concerns related to the company's performance, business strategy and corporate governance since the acquisition of Andeavor in 2018. Foster and Stevens call for the replacement of Gary Heminger as the company's CEO and chairman of the board. The letter said: "... This is why we are particularly disappointed that you have chosen to dismiss and rebuff our repeated attempts to forge a meaningful private dialogue with you and a separate dialogue with the Board of Directors' (the "Board") lead independent director. We are investors with a demonstrated track record operating refining, mid-stream and retail businesses on a sizeable scale within this industry. This experience, combined with Marathon's stagnation and destruction of value, causes us great concern with your decision to ignore our perspectives and insights. We built Western Refining from a $50 million company in 2000 to a company worth $6.4 billion when it was sold to Andeavor in 2017. As a public company, we embraced accountability to our stockholders and exercised sound corporate governance practices. You do not appear to embrace these same values. In our view, Marathon's record of value destruction since the Andeavor acquisition is staggering on both a standalone basis and relative to peers. Today, we believe Marathon has lost the confidence of its largest stockholders and its credibility with sell-side analysts. We feel the evidence speaks for itself: Marathon's stock continues to trade at a persistent and glaring discount to both a sum-of-the-parts valuation and relative to its peers; Leadership has failed to deliver the type of growth and profitability it suggested could be produced by an integrated business model; Leadership has failed to capture synergies necessary to justify an integrated business model; Marathon has embraced both insular investor relations practices and poor governance, as evidenced by its combined Chairman and Chief Executive Officer role, staggered Board and lack of financial reporting clarity; Marathon has failed to attract and maintain a best-in-class executive team, as evidenced by its decision not to fill its Chief Operating Officer role, and; Marathon failed to successfully integrate Andeavor, leading to a critical loss of talent. While we agree with the majority of Elliott Management's proposals that were made public this week, our view is that Elliott has not gone far enough. Other near-term steps must be taken with respect to management and corporate governance to ensure the best interests of stockholders are pursued. In our opinion, the most important step is replacing you, Mr. Heminger, as Marathon's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our recent experience trying to interact with Marathon's lead independent director and your insistence on being present at any such meeting demonstrates a stunning disregard for sound corporate governance. Engaging with you in a public manner was not our first choice, but unfortunately our hand was forced by your obstruction and obfuscation. We still welcome the opportunity to meet with and commence a substantive dialogue with your independent Board members."

07:03 EDT RioCan REIT acquires remaining 50% interest in ePlace for $114.1M - RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust announced that it has acquired the remaining 50% interest of the residential rental component, eCentral, the remaining 50% interest in the retail component and 70 commercial parking stalls of the ePlace mixed-use development at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. The total purchase price of $114.1M is determined based on cost plus $10M for eCentral, and a 7.0% capitalization rate on the stabilized Net Operating Income for the retail component. The development yield for the commercial and retail components is estimated at 5.3% and the total value creation is estimated at approximately $120M including gains from the condominium component of the project. Residential leasing commenced at eCentral in December 2018 and is progressing ahead of expected leasing velocities and rents. As of September 26, 2019, 72% of the units have been leased at an average monthly rent of $3.88 per square foot for market rent units. RioCan has secured $150M of financing to replace the existing construction financing for both the residential and retail components of the development at an attractive, fixed interest rate of 2.58% for an 11-year term, which was advanced upon closing. Upon stabilization which is expected to occur by the end of the first quarter of 2020, it is anticipated that the loan will become CMHC insured at which time the interest rate of such advance will be reduced to 2.33%. In addition, upon stabilization a second tranche of funding estimated to be approximately $40M will be advanced at an interest rate to be determined at such time.

07:02 EDT BNY Mellon CEO Charles Scharf to step down, Thomas Gibbons named interim CEO - The Bank of New York Mellon announced today that Thomas Gibbons, a 30-year veteran of the company, has been appointed by the Board of Directors as interim CEO and a member of the Board, effective immediately. He succeeds Charles Scharf, who informed the Board of his decision to step down from his CEO and Board roles. Joseph Echevarria, a member of BNY Mellon's Board of Directors since February 2015 and Lead Independent Director, has been appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Gibbons served for nine years as BNY Mellon's CFO and most recently as Vice Chairman and CEO of Clearing, Markets and Client Management.

07:01 EDT Wells Fargo appoints Charles Scharf as CEO

06:36 EDT Emergent BioSolutions receives research grant to further develop AP007 - Emergent BioSolutions announced a research grant awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, valued at approximately $6.3M over two years, for the continued development of AP007, the company's sustained-release nalmefene formulation for the treatment of addiction in opioid use disorder. AP007 is an extended-release formulation of nalmefene, an opioid receptor antagonist, intended to continually release an effective dose of nalmefene for up to three months and to be administered through intramuscular injection. The award is being made under the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or the NIH HEAL Initiative, which was launched to improve prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction and enhance pain management.

06:13 EDT Burger King to open restaurants in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - Burger King, owned by Restaurant Brands, announced a new agreement to open restaurants in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three Baltic states are among the few remaining countries in Europe where Burger King currently does not have restaurants. Tallink Grupp, which launched the first floating Burger King restaurant on board a cruise ship in 2016, has now acquired the exclusive development rights for the Baltic countries. Tallink plans to open many restaurants across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with the first restaurant in Estonia set to open this winter. According to the development agreement, the term of each licence for its restaurants opened will be for 20 years. The company plans to open its first Burger King restaurant in Tallinn this winter and the first restaurants in Latvia and Lithuania in the first half of 2020.

06:09 EDT Boeing awarded $280M Air Force contract for SDB 1 work - Boeing has been awarded a not-to-exceed $280M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for small diameter bomb I, or SDB, integration and engineering support for the fielded SDB I weapon system. This contract provides for SDB weapon integration on selected weapon platforms and support of the fielded weapon system. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri and is expected to be completed by September 2024. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. FY19 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $813.921 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Life Cycle is the contracting activity.

05:17 EDT BrainStorm announces support for FDA guidelines on ALS drug developmentBrainStorm - BrainStorm supports the FDA's publication on September 24 of "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Developing Drugs for Treatment Guidance for Industry." This document outlines ALS drug development guidelines and potential opportunities to advance novel ALS therapies through innovative clinical trial design and validated clinical outcome measures. In addition, Brainstorm's President & CEO Chaim Lebovits, COO & CMO Ralph Kern MD MHSc, and Mary Kay Turner, VP Government Affairs and Patient Advocacy, convened a roundtable discussion with ALS advocacy group leaders in Washington, DC, on September 25, 2019. Members of The US Congress and their Staff, including the Staff of the Co-Chairs of the ALS Caucus, attended to listen to the voice of the ALS Community. Members of the ALS Community included: ALS Association, ALS One, Compassionate Care ALS, NoMoreExcuses, ALS Therapy Development Institute, Paralyzed Veterans of America, IamALS, and Project ALS. The Roundtable was convened for the ALS Community to learn more about Brainstorm's NurOwn phase 3 clinical development program in ALS and to ensure the patient voice was an ongoing, integral part of the discussion.