Stockwinners Market Radar for October 07, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:32 EDT Ellington Financial estimates book value per share of $18.81 as of Sept 30 - Ellington Financial estimates its book value per share at $18.81 as of September 30, 2019. This estimate includes the effect of the previously announced monthly dividend of $0.14 per share, payable on October 25, 2019 to holders of record on September 30, 2019, with an ex-dividend date of September 27, 2019.

19:00 EDT MediciNova receives notice of allowance for new patent covering MN-001, MN-002 - MediciNova announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Japan Patent Office for a pending patent application which covers MN-001 and MN-002 for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Once issued, the patent maturing from this allowed patent application is expected to expire no earlier than May 2035. The allowed claims cover a composition for treating a patient diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using MN-001 or MN-002. The allowed claims also cover the inhibition of pulmonary scarring, the reduction or inhibition of elevated lung hydroxyproline levels, the reduction of elevated lung density, and the reduction of elevated total cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using MN-001 or MN-002. The allowed claims cover oral administration, including tablets and capsules, as well as liquid dosage forms.

18:31 EDT Titan International sells 10.4% stake in Wheels of India for about $19M - Titan International announced that on October 3, 2019, through one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, the company completed the sale of shares of Wheels India Limited in on-market trades on the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. The sale reduces the company's indirect ownership interest in Wheels India from approximately 34.2% of the outstanding shares of Wheels India to approximately 23.8%. The company received net proceeds from the on-market trades of approximately $19M, net of charges, discounts and commissions, which Titan expects to use to pay down outstanding indebtedness. Wheels India is one of the largest global steel wheel manufacturers.

18:21 EDT OMA reports September terminal passenger traffic up 6.2% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro, known as OMA, reports that terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports increased 6.2% in September 2019, as compared to September 2018. Domestic traffic increased 5.9%, and international traffic increased 8.8%.

18:01 EDT Southwest pilots sue Boeing over alleged lost wages from 737 MAX grounding - The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, a union of Southwest Airlines (LUV) pilots, announced that it has filed a lawsuit against The Boeing Company (BA) for "deliberately misleading the organization and its pilots about the 737 MAX aircraft." The lawsuit, filed in the District Court of Dallas County, Texas, alleges that SWAPA pilots agreed to fly the 737 MAX aircraft based on Boeing's representations that it was airworthy and essentially the same as the timetested 737 aircraft that its pilots have flown for years. These representations were false, according to SWAPA, which also said that Boeing's errors "cost the lives of 346 people, damaged the critical bond between pilots and passengers, and reduced opportunities for air travel across the United States and around the world." "As pilots, there is nothing more important to us than the safety of our passengers," said Captain Jonathan L. Weaks, President of SWAPA. "We have to be able to trust Boeing to truthfully disclose the information we need to safely operate our aircraft. In the case of the 737 MAX, that absolutely did not happen."

17:16 EDT SmileDirectClub says analyst initiations 'reinforce' business model value - In response to today's analyst initiations, SmileDirectClub made the following statement: "Today's market reports reinforce the value of our business model, unit economics and mission to transform smiles through safe, affordable and consumer-first technology to an addressable market of approximately 500 million people worldwide. We remain focused on long term shareholder value - the next 12, 24, 36 months and beyond. Our entrance into the public market allows us to reinvest in innovation, process improvements, international growth and customer experience. Our commitment to our 5,500 team members, our customers and our mission is stronger than ever."

17:04 EDT Summit Hotel Properties to acquire four west coast hotels for $249M - Summit Hotel Properties announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire four hotels located on the west coast for $249M through its recently formed joint venture with GIC. The high-quality portfolio is located in three high-growth markets and includes the 258-guestroom Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown/RiverPlace, the 169-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn San Francisco Airport North, the 161-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn San Jose/Milpitas, and the 122-guestroom Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Hillsboro. The total purchase price of $249M, or approximately $351,000 per key, represents an average capitalization rate of 8.4% based on management's current estimate of the hotels' net operating income for the full-year 2019. With an average RevPAR of $162 and average hotel EBITDA margin of over 50 percent, the pending acquisitions will further enhance the company's diverse portfolio of well-located hotels with efficient operating models. The joint venture expects to invest approximately $23M of capital on the four hotels during the first three years of ownership. The pending transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. The company has separately entered into agreements to sell the 130-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn SE/Liberty Park and the 95-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham Lakeshore Drive for an aggregate sales price of $21.8M, or $97,000 per key, which will result in an estimated combined gain on sale of $4.8M. The sales price represents a capitalization rate of 7.1 percent based on the hotel's net operating income for the twelve months ended August 31, 2019 and 5.7% including estimated foregone capital improvements. The combined RevPAR and hotel EBITDA margin for the hotels was $84 and 24.5%, respectively, for the twelve months ending August 31, 2019. The pending transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter 2019.

17:00 EDT DASAN Zhone trading resumes

16:40 EDT Macy's partners with wedding planning site, Zola, relaunches same-day delivery - Macy's brought together nearly 800 brand partners in New York, NY, to discuss general industry trends, business highlights, strategic initiatives and brand innovations that will continue to make Macy's an amazing place to shop, work and invest every day. "Macy's is committed to being America's store for life," said Hal Lawton, Macy's president. "Working together with our most important brand partners, we are focused on building lifetime relationships with our shared customers and creating long-term value for our shareholders." The company also provided an update on some of its most important initiatives and new innovations: In 2018, 50 Macy's stores across the country received additional capital to enhance the customer experience and create a more vibrant and productive shopping destination as part of the Growth50 initiative. In line with Macy's strategy to test, iterate and scale new ideas, these improvements were expanded to 100 additional stores in 2019. As part of ongoing initiatives to offer customers programs and services that will ease their shopping experience, earlier this month Macy's re-launched its Same-Day Delivery service available to shoppers in 30 markets nationwide. To find eligible products, customers can enter their zip code and filter search results by Same-Day Delivery. Macy's will partner with Zola, the one-stop site for wedding planning, to launch a wedding registry pilot partnership in November. More than 1,500 of Macy's private brand and exclusive SKUs across textiles, top of table and housewares will be added into Zola's merchandise assortment. The technology Macy's developed as part of this partnership will add functionality to the company's systems to allow customers' orders on Zola to be fulfilled by Macy's.

16:31 EDT Arch Capital sees Q3 losses of $65M-$75M related to catastrophic events - Arch Capital Group Ltd. announced it expects to report third quarter 2019 pre-tax catastrophe losses of approximately $65M-$75M, net of reinsurance recoveries and reinstatement premiums. These losses are primarily from Hurricane Dorian and Typhoon Faxai. At this time, there are significant uncertainties surrounding the scope of damage for these events, as well as the other global events. The company's estimate for these events is based on currently available information derived from modeling techniques, industry assessment of exposure, preliminary claims information obtained from the company's clients and brokers to date and a review of in-force contracts. Actual losses from these events may vary materially from the estimates due to the inherent uncertainties in making such determinations. The loss estimates exclude the operations of Watford Holdings Ltd. Pursuant to GAAP, the company consolidates the results of Watford in its financial statements, although it only owns approximately 11% of Watford's outstanding common equity.

16:25 EDT DASAN Zhone trading halted, news pending

16:16 EDT ICU Medical issues voluntary recall of certain plum, sapphire infusion set lots - ICU Medical announced a voluntary recall on July 29, 2019 of certain lots of Plum and Sapphire Microbore Infusion Sets with inline filters due to the potential for small amounts of fluid leaking out of the air vents on the inline filters. To date, ICU Medical is not aware of adverse events related to this matter and is issuing this notification out of an abundance of caution. ICU Medical is asking customers to quarantine all affected product at your facility and return the affected product to Stericycle for credit.

16:11 EDT Sterling National Bank to acquire $843M of loans, leases from Santander - Sterling Bancorp (STL) announced that its principal subsidiary, Sterling National Bank, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a portfolio of middle market commercial equipment finance loans and leases from Santander Bank (SAN). As of September 30, 2019, the balance of loans and leases outstanding to be acquired was $843M. The portfolio has a weighted average tax-equivalent yield of approximately 4.3% and consists mainly of fixed rate loans and leases. The portfolio will be integrated into Sterling's established national Equipment Finance platform, resulting in a pro forma combined portfolio of approximately $2B in total loans and leases outstanding. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2019.

16:07 EDT Qiagen CEO Peer Schatz to step down - Qiagen announced that Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer, has notified the Company that, after 27 years at QIAGEN, he has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board. He will remain with QIAGEN as Special Advisor to the Supervisory Board and transition into this role in the coming weeks. The Supervisory Board will now start a search for a permanent CEO. In the meantime, Thierry Bernard, Senior Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Business Area, will now act as interim CEO and work in tandem with Roland Sackers, Chief Financial Officer.

16:06 EDT Red Robin names David Pace as board Chairman - Red Robin announced that its board has named David Pace as board Chairman, effective November 1, 2019. Mr. Pace was appointed to Red Robin's Board on August 6, 2019 as part of a refreshment that resulted in the addition of three new, independent directors. Mr. Pace most recently served as CEO of Jamba Juice, Inc.

16:02 EDT Kimco Realty reports Q3 transaction activity, selling 1M sqf for $166.7M - Kimco Realty announced transaction activity for Q3 2019. During the quarter, the company sold eight properties and two land parcels totaling 1.0M square feet for $166.7M. Kimco's share of the sales was $70.9M. The dispositions included Shoppes at Midway Plantation, a 323,000-square-foot shopping center located in Knightdale, North Carolina for $43.6M, Corona Hills Marketplace, a 149,000-square-foot shopping center located in Corona, California for $31.5 million, Fairmont Shopping Center, a 103,000-square-foot shopping center in Pacifica, California for $39.3M and Tacoma Central, a 112,000-square-foot shopping center in Tacoma, Washington for $29.9M.

14:58 EDT NBCUniversal aligns TV studios under new Content Studios chair Bonnie Hammer - Comcast's NBCUniversal announced t its television studios, Universal Television and Universal Content Productions, will move under a single business unit, with Bonnie Hammer at the helm. Hammer will assume the new title of Chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios. She will report directly to Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal. Matt Strauss will join NBCUniversal from Comcast as Chairman of Peacock, the company's streaming platform which launches in 2020. Strauss will also add the Digital Enterprises group to his purview, and report to Burke. The changes are effective immediately. The company also announced that George Cheeks, Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment, will become Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios, reporting to Hammer. He will also continue to oversee late-night programming for NBC. Pearlena Igbokwe and Dawn Olmstead will continue in their roles as head of Universal Television and Universal Content Productions respectively, jointly reporting to Hammer and Cheeks. Paul Telegdy will become the sole Chairman of NBC Entertainment, reporting to Jeff Shell, Chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment. Telegdy will also continue to oversee syndication and Universal Television Alternative Studio. Mark Lazarus continues as Chairman of NBCUniversal Broadcast, Cable, Sports and News, overseeing the cable entertainment networks, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, the owned-and-operated local stations, and affiliate relations. Prior to joining Peacock, Hammer had executive oversight of the cable entertainment portfolio, including USA Network, SYFY, Bravo, E! Entertainment, Universal Kids, and the cable studios.

12:45 EDT BioElectronics announces sudden death of founder and CEO Andrew Whelan - BioElectronics announced that its founder and CEO, Andrew J. Whelan, died suddenly last night at his home in Frederick, Maryland. The BioElectronics management team will continue to manage day-to-day operations until a permanent replacement can be confirmed, the company said in a statement.

12:00 EDT Britannia Bulk falls -5.2% - Britannia Bulk is down -5.2%, or -31c to $5.66.

12:00 EDT BP Prudhoe Bay falls -7.1% - BP Prudhoe Bay is down -7.1%, or -63c to $8.20.

12:00 EDT Nordic American Tankers rises 10.0% - Nordic American Tankers is up 10.0%, or 28c to $3.07.

11:23 EDT Impala Platinum acquires North American Palladium for $758M - Impala Platinum Holdings (IMPUY) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares in North American Palladium Limited (PALDF) for cash consideration of $758M. The offer is comprised of: an offer price of C$19.74 per share in cash consideration to shareholders other than Brookfield, and an offer price of C$16.00 per share in cash consideration to the majority shareholder of North American Palladium, an affiliate of Brookfield Business Partners LP, whose holding of 47,689,128 shares represents 81.0% of North American Palladium's common shares outstanding.

10:05 EDT Adial Pharmaceuticals names Mark Peikin as chief strategy officer - Adial Pharmaceuticals announced that Mark Howard Peikin, Esq., CEO of Bespoke Growth Partners and a former General Partner of Aelius Healthcare Innovations Fund and partner within the corporate and securities group at the international law firm Brown Rudnick, was appointed as Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President of Corporate Communications. As Adial conducts its European Phase 3 clinical trial of AD04 for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder, which will study subjects for 24-weeks with 290 subjects projected to be enrolled in approximately 30 clinical sites in 7 European countries, Peikin will help oversee Adial's discussions with pharmaceutical companies, as well as strategic and institutional investors. The clinical trial itself will be managed by Crown CRO of Finland in conjunction with company management.

10:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN falls -6.4% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is down -6.4%, or -95c to $14.01.

10:00 EDT Triple-S rises 7.2% - Triple-S is up 7.2%, or 99c to $14.78.

10:00 EDT International Seaways rises 11.2% - International Seaways is up 11.2%, or $2.32 to $23.07.

09:47 EDT HEXO Corp falls -4.4% - HEXO Corp is down -4.4%, or -18c to $3.88.

09:47 EDT Frontline rises 5.0% - Frontline is up 5.0%, or 51c to $10.79.

09:47 EDT International Seaways rises 7.9% - International Seaways is up 7.9%, or $1.63 to $22.38.

09:21 EDT BiondVax receives EUR4M from EIB in support of Universal Flu Vaccine - BiondVax announced the receipt of EUR4M from the European Investment Bank. These funds are the final tranche of the previously announced co-financing agreement signed in June 2017 and extended in April 2019 from EUR20M to EUR24M. The EUR24M financing has been provided by the EIB in support of construction of BiondVax's pilot manufacturing facility in Israel and the ongoing pivotal, clinical efficacy, Phase 3 trial of BiondVax's M-001 Universal Flu Vaccine candidate in Europe. Together with the $20M raised in the July 2019 rights offering to shareholders, BiondVax expects its existing cash resources will enable funding of operational and capital expenditure requirements to the end of the Phase 3 trial.

09:18 EDT AMD announces Radeon RX 5500 series graphics products - AMD announced the Radeon RX 5500 series graphics products, harnessing groundbreaking RDNA gaming architecture to deliver the ultimate in high-performance, high-fidelity 1080p gaming. The AMD Radeon RX 5500 series includes the Radeon RX 5500 graphics card that will be available in desktop PCs from leading manufacturers and graphics cards from board partners, as well as the Radeon RX 5500M GPU for notebook PCs. Top system providers worldwide are embracing the new products, with HP and Lenovo planning to offer Radeon RX 5500 graphics cards in their high-performance desktop gaming PCs beginning this November, and Acer planning to offer systems with the cards beginning this December. In addition, later this month MSI is expected to launch the world's first gaming notebook powered by AMD Ryzen processors and Radeon RX 5500M GPUs.

09:16 EDT KVH Industries announces share repurchase program of up to 1M shares - KVH Industries announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program of up to 1M shares, or approximately 5.5% of the company's outstanding common stock.

09:13 EDT Gevo supplies sustainable aviation fuel to Avfuel Corporation - Gevo announced it has supplied sustainable aviation fuel to further support carbon neutrality goals in the aviation industry. Gevo's customer and global fuel supplier, Avfuel Corporation, has partnered with fixed-base operator, Avflight Salina at Salina Regional Airport and Henderson Executive Airport to provide sustainable aviation fuel for aircraft headed to general aviation's largest tradeshow: Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition.

09:10 EDT Assurance Financial selects Domo platform to support marketing - Domo announced that Assurance Financial has chosen the Domo platform to help its efforts to boost marketing efforts and ultimately, originate more loans.

09:08 EDT Worthington acquires Heidtman Steel Processing Facility, terms not disclosed - Worthington Industries announced it has acquired Heidtman Steel Products' pickling and slitting facility located in Cleveland. Heidtman's 278,000 square-foot facility, constructed in 2004, includes pickling and slitting of hot rolled carbon flat rolled steel for the automotive, heavy truck, agriculture and heavy equipment markets and is adjacent to the ArcelorMittal steel mill. The facility is non-union and employs approximately 100 people. It will complement Worthington's network of facilities in northeast Ohio, including its cold rolled steel processing facility in Cleveland and Samuel Steel Pickling Company.

09:06 EDT Metso says Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority approves prospectus - The Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority has approved the Finnish language demerger prospectus relating to the combination of Outotec Oyj and Metso Corporation's Minerals business. Outotec and Metso announced on July 4, 2019, that the Boards of Directors of Outotec and Metso had approved a combination agreement and a demerger plan pursuant to which all such assets, rights, debts and liabilities of Metso, which relate to, or primarily serve, the Metso Minerals Business, shall transfer, without liquidation of Metso to Outotec creating a combined company to be named Metso Outotec Corporation. The Boards of Directors of Outotec and Metso have, on September 11, 2019, proposed that the extraordinary general meetings of shareholders of Outotec and Metso, respectively, convened to be held on October 29, 2019, resolve on the Demerger in accordance with the Demerger Plan and approve the Demerger. The registration of the completion of the Demerger with the trade register maintained by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2020, subject to the approval of the Demerger by the extraordinary shareholders' meetings of both Outotec and Metso, the statutory creditor hearing process and receipt of all required regulatory and other approvals, including competition clearances, and the demerger consideration shares are thereafter intended to be listed on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki.

09:05 EDT Axcella provides progress update for liver program candidates AZA1125, AXA1957 - Axcella Health announced liver program progress updates regarding the development of AXA1125 and AXA1957. AXA1125 and AXA1957 are novel compositions of endogenous metabolic modulators, or EMMs, designed to simultaneously support metabolic, inflammatory and fibrotic pathways associated with liver health. Axcella has completed enrollment in a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, Non-IND, IRB-Approved Clinical Study to assess safety, tolerability and physiological impact of AXA1125 and AXA1957 on structures and functions in approximately 105 adult subjects with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, or NAFLD. The company currently anticipates the data readout from this study in the second half of 2020. "NAFLD is one of, if not the most common chronic liver diseases we face today. The more aggressive component of NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, is found in up to 25% of these patients and can progress to cirrhosis, liver decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma," said Stephen Harrison, M.D., Professor of Hepatology at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford University, UK and Principal Investigator on this study. "Due to this growing epidemic and lack of currently available therapies, we are keen to find effective interventions, and I am very pleased with the progress of the ongoing Axcella study." Additionally, in the third quarter of 2019 Axcella initiated a placebo-controlled, randomized, Non-IND, IRB Approved Clinical Study to assess safety, tolerability and physiological impact of AXA1957 on structures and functions in adolescent subjects with NAFLD. The company anticipates the data readout from this study in the second half of 2020.

09:02 EDT WidePoint announces $2.5M stock repurchase program - The Board of Directors of WidePoint Corporation has authorized the repurchase of up to $2.5M of the Company's common stock from time-to-time in the open market, in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or in privately negotiated transactions pursuant to a newly authorized stock repurchase plan. The timing and amount of any shares repurchased under the 2019 Repurchase Plan will be determined by the Company's management and will be based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors. The 2019 Repurchase Plan does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular amount of common stock and may be suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice. The 2019 Repurchase Plan is intended to provide the Company with an effective mechanism for capital management and will be funded using the Company's operating cash flow or available cash. WidePoint had approximately 84.8M shares of common stock outstanding as of September 18, 2019.

09:01 EDT Ritter Pharmaceuticals engages advisor to explore strategic alternatives - Ritter Pharmaceuticals announced that it has engaged A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners as financial advisor to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value. Potential strategic alternatives that may be explored or evaluated by the Company as part of this process include an acquisition, merger, reverse merger, other business combination, sale of assets, licensing or other strategic transactions involving the Company. The Company does not intend to discuss or disclose further developments during this process unless and until its Board of Directors has approved a specific action or otherwise determined that further disclosure is appropriate.

08:47 EDT OptimizeRx forms exclusive three-year partnership with NewCrop - OptimizeRx Corp. has secured a three-year exclusive partnership with NewCrop, a provider of integrated electronic prescribing software, to deliver real-time digital health messages to NewCrop's e-prescribing network of more than 65,000 healthcare professionals. The agreement builds upon a long standing, profitable relationship between the two partners, and solidifies OptimizeRx as the largest digital platform connecting life sciences to the point-of-care. The agreement also calls for the creation of an Innovation Lab where life sciences companies can experiment with new digital communication solutions and test them quickly using a large provider base.

08:44 EDT One Liberty Properties acquires two industrial properties for $14.4M - One Liberty Properties announced that it acquired two industrial properties for an aggregate purchase price of $14.4M and sold two properties for an approximate net gain of $2.5M. On September 13, 2019, One Liberty acquired a 114,000 square foot industrial property on 9.2 acres located in Shakopee, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, for $8.0M. The concrete block building is net leased to Continental Hydraulics, Inc., a leading provider of valves, pumps, power units and related products. The property is leased through 2033 at a current annual base rent of $498,000, with annual increases of 2.25%. On October 3, 2019, One Liberty acquired a 95,000 square foot industrial facility on 15 acres located in Rincon, Georgia, a suburb of Savannah, for $6.4less than. The property is net leased to C&C North America, Inc. d/b/a Cosentino North America, a global importer and distributor of granite, stone and quartz slabs. The property benefits from its proximity to the large and fast-growing Port of Savannah. The property is leased through 2029 at an annual base rent of $437,000, increasing in 2024 by 10%. In August 2019, One Liberty sold two properties - a Wheaton, Illinois land parcel ground leased to a multi-family complex and a retail property in Athens, Georgia. These properties accounted for $894,000 of revenues during the six months ended June 30, 2019. The Company anticipates that it will recognize, during the three months ending September 30, 2019, an approximate $2.5 million gain from these sales, without giving effect to a $161,000 expense from the termination of a related mortgage interest rate swap.

08:41 EDT On Track Innovations receives new order for 5,000 contactless readers - On Track Innovations announced that it has received a new purchase order for 5,000 units of OTI's Uno-8 advanced secure contactless NFC readers. These units will be used for the global Smart ATM market.

08:40 EDT SkyBitz announces fleet, trailer partnership with Omnitracs - SkyBitz announced a strategic technology partnership with Omnitracs. Customers will benefit from improved trailer visibility and scheduling tools, more robust in-cab fleet management solutions, and a consolidation of data across platforms that will expedite the development of analytics and automation processes. The SkyBitz and Omnitracs partnership will allow customers to access both in-cab and trailer telematics devices, compiling the data received from the driver, vehicle, customer assets, and back-office systems for total visibility across the entire value chain.

08:37 EDT Aramark appoints John Zillmer as CEO - Aramark announced that John Zillmer will return to the company as CEO, effective immediately. He will also become a member of the company's board. Zillmer previously spent 18 years at Aramark. Five new independent directors will join the Board. Susan Cameron, former Chairman and CEO of Reynolds American; Karen King, former Executive Vice President and Chief Field Officer of McDonald's; and Art Winkleblack, former Executive Vice President and CFO of H.J. Heinz will join immediately, and Greg Creed, current CEO of Yum! Brand, whom the board will nominate and recommend for election to the company's board at the company's 2020 Annual Meeting. In addition, Paul Hilal, founder and CEO of Mantle Ridge LP, the company's largest shareholder, will become Vice Chairman. Aramark's current non-executive Chairman, Stephen Sadove, will remain as chairman of the board. Four existing Aramark directors, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, Lisa Bisaccia, Patricia Morrison and John Quelch, have retired from the Board effective as of the appointment of the new directors. Aramark's Board will be comprised of 11 directors following the election of Greg Creed at the company's 2020 Annual Meeting. The office of the chairman has been dissolved.

08:34 EDT iCAD announces Profound AI platform to be featured at JFR Congress - iCAD announced the full ProFound AI platform will be featured in the iCAD exhibition booth at the Journees Francophones de Radiologie Congress in Paris from October 11-14, 2019. The ProFound AI Platform includes both ProFound AI for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, which was CE marked in March 2018 and FDA cleared in December 2018, as well as ProFound AI for 2D Mammography, which was CE marked in July 2019. ProFound AI for 2D Mammography and ProFound AI for DBT are high-performing workflow solutions featuring the latest in deep-learning artificial intelligence capabilities. Trained with one of the largest available datasets, the software is designed to rapidly and accurately analyze each image and provide radiologists with key information, such as Certainty of Finding lesion and Case Scores, which assists in clinical decision-making and prioritizing caseloads. It also features the latest in deep-learning artificial intelligence, which allows for continuously improved performance via ongoing updates. Positive clinical data from a large reader study involving ProFound AI for DBT were recently published in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. According to the study, ProFound AI for DBT improved radiologist sensitivity by 8 percent, reduced unnecessary patient recall rates by 7.2 percent, and slashed reading time for radiologists by 52.7 percent. Additionally, ProFound AI cut reading time by up to 57.4 percent for radiologists reading cases with dense breasts.

08:33 EDT BioMarin names Lon Cardon, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Strategy Officer - BioMarin (BMRN) announced the promotion of Lon Cardon, Ph.D. to Chief Scientific Strategy Officer, a newly created role to enrich BioMarin's pipeline, which drives the future growth of the company. Dr. Cardon's promotion to lead BioMarin's scientific strategy is effective immediately. Previously, Dr. Cardon was Senior Vice President of Alternative Discovery and Development, and Head of Target Sciences at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

08:31 EDT NGM Biopharmaceuticals announces interim results from Phase 2 study of NGM282 - NGM Biopharmaceuticals announced positive preliminary results from a pre-specified interim analysis of the aldafermin 1 mg 24-week Cohort 4, which is the final cohort of an adaptive Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of aldafermin iin patients with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The Cohort 4 interim analysis demonstrated that once-daily treatment with 1 mg of aldafermin for 24 weeks in patients with stage 2 or 3 liver fibrosis resulted in a statistically significant change in the absolute liver fat content of -7.9%, as compared to -2.0% in the placebo arm, and a statistically significant change in relative LFC of -39.6%, as compared to -5.9% in the placebo arm. As per the study protocol, results were calculated using least square mean, which is a statistical approach that adjusts for observed baseline differences. 72% of patients treated with aldafermin achieved a greater than or equal to5% absolute reduction in LFC versus 17% for placebo. Similarly, 72% of patients treated with aldafermin achieved a greater than or equal to30% relative reduction in LFC versus 17% for placebo. Of the patients treated with aldafermin, 28% achieved a normal LFC after 24 weeks, defined as less than or equal to5% absolute LFC, versus none in the placebo arm. In addition, in assessing biomarkers of liver inflammation and injury, treatment with aldafermin resulted in clinically meaningful reductions in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Treatment with aldafermin also resulted in a statistically significant reduction in PRO-C3, an exploratory biomarker of liver fibrogenesis, as compared to placebo. As observed in the prior Phase 2 cohorts, patients treated with aldafermin in the Cohort 4 interim analysis experienced a mean increase of 47.6 mg/dL LDL cholesterol at week 2 of treatment relative to baseline, which is consistent with the drug's mechanism of action and potent FGFR4-mediated CYP7A1 inhibition. As per protocol, when elevation of LDL-C of at least 10 mg/dL was recorded, patients were directed to take an appropriate dose of rosuvastatin daily for the remainder of the study. Concomitant statin use mitigated the drug-induced LDL cholesterol rise, and the mean LDL-C level was below baseline at 24 weeks. In an assessment of other lipid biomarkers, the concurrent use of aldafermin with this statin protocol resulted in a slight increase in HDL-C and a statistically significant decrease in serum triglycerides relative to baseline. There were no study withdrawals and no serious adverse events in the aldafermin arm of the Cohort 4 interim analysis, as compared to one withdrawal due to an adverse event and two serious adverse events in the placebo arm. The most common adverse events in the aldafermin arm, which were generally mild to moderate, were diarrhea, headache, nausea and arthralgia. Topline results of the full Cohort 4, which will include an assessment of 24 weeks of treatment on liver histology, are anticipated in the first quarter of 2020.

08:28 EDT LifeVantage launches Protandim NAD Synergizer at Elite Academy - LifeVantage Corporation announced and launched an addition to its Protandim line of nutrigenomic products during the company's Elite Academy in Long Beach, Calif., over the weekend. The new product, known as Protandim NAD Synergizer, is the company's first such addition to the flagship line since the launch of Protandim Nrf1 Synergizer in 2016. Similar to how its predecessors in the product line activate the Nrf1 and Nrf2 pathways to boost mitochondrial function and antioxidant production respectively, Protandim NAD Synergizer has been specifically formulated to target the Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide molecule and NAD-dependent pathways to activate a class of proteins called sirtuins and, ultimately, increase sirtuin activity.

08:24 EDT Tix Corp announces agreement with HSB Capital Partners, Haren Bhakta - Tix Corporation announced that it reached an agreement with HSB Capital Partners, L.P. and Haren Bhakta, stockholders of the Company, resolving certain disputes regarding the election of directors at the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company. Pursuant to the agreement, four incumbent directors of the Company who were re-elected at the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company, Andrew Pells, Steven Zelinger, Aaron Bregman and Mesfin Eyob, will resign and be replaced by three HSB designees. Namely, Haren Bhakta, Michael Fisk and Jeremy Weiner, who together with the remaining incumbent directors re-elected at the meeting, Mitch Francis, Norman Feirstein, Jordan Fiksenbaum and David Saxe, will comprise the Company's Board of Directors. Also, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the Company's bylaws were amended as described below, Norman Feirstein was appointed as the Chairman of the Board, the Company agreed to include Haren Bhakta, Michael Fisk and Jeremy Weiner as nominees for election to the Board on the slate of nominees in the Company's proxy statement and on its proxy card relating to the 2020 annual meeting of the stockholders of the Company. The Company and HSB have also agreed to mutual releases of claims. The agreement further provides that: HSB is subject to certain standstill restrictions until the day that is thirty calendar days prior to the first day of the notice period specified in the advance notice provision for director nominations set forth in the Company's bylaws, applicable to the 2021 annual meeting of the stockholders of the Company; during the Standstill Period, HSB must vote or consent in favor of each of the directors nominated by the Board and recommended by the Board in the election of directors and against any stockholder proposal to remove any such members of the Board; and that up to a two percent increase in the beneficial ownership of the outstanding Common Stock by the HSB Group is exempted under the Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., dated as of January 2, 2014, amended on August 25, 2017. On October 4, 2019, the Board approved an amendment to the Company's bylaws to: provide as a qualification for service as a director of the Company, a natural person shall, subject to certain exceptions, purchase, of record or beneficially, at least 25,000 shares of our common stock, either at the time such person is first elected or appointed to the Board, or within one year of such election or appointment, and for each subsequent year each non-management director is re-elected to the Board, such director must acquire, within twelve months thereof, an additional 25,000 shares of Common Stock, until such director acquires 100,000 shares of our common stock; fix the number of directors which shall constitute the whole Board at seven; provide that any director may call a meeting of the Board and propose agenda items therefor; provide that the Chairman of the Board must be a non-management director elected by a majority of the whole Board; and provide that until the conclusion of the Standstill Period, the Company's bylaws and the resolutions adopted by the Board on October 4, 2019 may not be amended by the Board without the affirmative vote of at least 66% of the whole Board.

08:19 EDT AMERI Holdings awarded follow-on contract from golf lifestyle apparel brand - AMERI Holdings announced that it has been awarded a support contract for post-'go live' hypercare from a leading golf lifestyle apparel brand following its recent implementation of SAP S/4HANA 1809 Fashion. Hypercare focuses on customer support, data integrity, and system stability for a period following the initial implementation.

08:15 EDT The Wireline Group implements MiX Telematics' solutions across fleet - MiX Telematics announced that The Wireline Group is implementing MiX Telematics' solutions across its fleet of nearly 400 heavy- and light-duty trucks and trailers for ELD compliance, safety and efficiency improvements, and asset management in the USA. The Wireline Group is the provider of cased-hole, electric wireline services in the Rocky Mountain Region, Permian Basin, New Mexico, and both Central and Southern Texas. The Wireline Group is implementing MiX Telematics' premium solution for ELD-compliant fleet management, including vehicle tracking and managing hours of service along with driver behavior modification. MiX Tabs is also being implemented as a cost-effective solution for tracking the location of assets. MiX is displacing another solution previously used at The Wireline Group.

08:14 EDT Magal Security announces $8M in recent orders from East Africa - Magal Security announced that it has received approximately $8M in orders from East Africa over the past several months. A large portion of these are recurring revenues related to the servicing of sensors protecting the perimeter of a key seaport in the region for a customer that Magal has worked with over many years. Delivery of these orders has started and will continue over the coming few quarters.

08:13 EDT Medtronic announces FDA submission for InterStim Micro Neurostimulator - Medtronic announced it has filed a pre-market approval supplement with the United States Food and Drug Administration for approval of its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and also its InterStim SureScan MRI leads. InterStim Micro is a rechargeable, implantable sacral neuromodulation device to treat patients affected by overactive bladder, urinary urge incontinence, unobstructed urinary retention and fecal incontinence. The SureScan leads, which will be used in future implants of the recharge-free InterStim II system and rechargeable InterStim Micro system, are designed to provide full-body 1.5 and 3 Tesla MRI conditional labeling, pending FDA approval. The rechargeable InterStim Micro device works by sending electrical impulses to the sacral nerves, normalizing the connections between the brain, bladder and bowel. It is 80% smaller than the current recharge-free InterStim II neurostimulator and could reduce the need for battery replacement surgeries due to its life of 15 years. Additionally, the SureScan full-body conditional MRI leads will enable patients to undergo imaging procedures that were not previously indicated under the current FDA approval for the InterStim II system. This submission, pending regulatory approval from the FDA, would position the Company to achieve approval for the InterStim Micro system and SureScan MRI leads in the spring of 2020, following a standard 180-day review process. The InterStim Micro system and SureScan MRI leads are not yet available for sale in the United States.

08:11 EDT Mereo BioPharma receives FDA Fast Track designation for navicixizumab - Mereo BioPharma Group announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to navicixizumab for the treatment of high grade ovarian, primary peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer in patients who have received at least 3 prior therapies and/or prior bevacizumab. Navicixizumab is an anti-DLL4/VEGF bispecific antibody and one of two product candidates Mereo acquired through its April 2019 merger with OncoMed Pharmaceuticals. Navicixizumab has completed a Phase 1a monotherapy study in patients with various types of refractory solid tumors and is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1b study in combination with paclitaxel in patients with advanced heavily pretreated ovarian cancer. In line with the Company's strategy, a range of strategic partnering discussions have been initiated to provide additional funding for the navicixizumab program.

08:10 EDT Zogenix presents top-line results from Phase 2 RETRO study - Zogenix and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Modis Therapeutics, presented top-line results from its pivotal Phase 2 RETRO study at the recent World Muscle Society congress in Copenhagen. The data from RETRO form the basis of Zogenix's ongoing investigational MT1621 program and support the safety and efficacy of pyrimidine nucleoside substrate enhancement therapy for the treatment of Thymidine Kinase 2 deficiency, a rare, debilitating, and often fatal genetic disorder that primarily affects infants and children and for which there are currently no approved therapies. RETRO is a global retrospective study of SET, a fixed combination treatment of two pyrimidine nucleosides, in 38 pediatric and adult patients with TK2 deficiency treated at eight clinical sites in three countries. Subjects received SET for a median of 77 weeks. Each subject was scored across motor, respiratory, and feeding domains according to pre-defined response criteria and was compared to pre-treatment status to assess whether responses improved, remained stable, or worsened. Parallel to RETRO, the Company compiled a comprehensive, global TK2d Natural History dataset from published studies and individual case reports to document untreated patients' disease course. From this natural history dataset, 68 patients reflecting the range of disease severity, age, and age of disease onset, were selected as a control group for treated patients in the RETRO study. Key Efficacy Findings: All treated patients remain alive. A survival analysis using a time-dependent Cox regression model showed that the difference in probability of survival between treated patients and untreated natural history control patients was highly statistically significant. In addition to the survival benefit, the vast majority of treated patients had either improved or stabilized responses in major functional domains. Among clinical responders, a subset demonstrated profound responses, in some cases re-acquiring previously lost motor milestones, as described below: Ambulation: Three patients who had lost the ability to walk prior to treatment regained ambulation; one patient who had never walked gained ambulation. Respiratory Function: One patient receiving 24 hours/day of invasive mechanical ventilation prior to treatment discontinued all respiratory support. Feeding Support: Eight patients were on feeding tubes at study start; three of these patients had their feeding tubes removed. Safety & Tolerability Safety data from RETRO indicated that SET is generally safe and well-tolerated. Most reported adverse events were considered not related to study drug, with mild or moderate diarrhea being the most common treatment-related adverse event, occurring in 63% of patients. Serious AEs were reported in 14 subjects. The majority of SAEs were deemed related to TK2d; two patients experienced three events related to study drug alone. Two adult-onset patients stopped treatment due to asymptomatic increases in aminotransferase liver enzymes, which resolved upon discontinuation of treatment.

08:08 EDT US Antimony reports antimony trisulfide project, progress on Los Jaurez plant - United States Antimony announced the Defense Logistics Agency of the Department of Defense has awarded United States Antimony Corporation a grant of $510,528 to establish a North American source other than China of antimony trisulfide meeting the military specifications. At its plant in Montana, USAC will process six 500kg batches of antimony mined in Mexico. It will be ground, sized, packaged, and quality controlled by Perkins Rouge and Paint in Connecticut. PRP is a main supplier of trisulfide to the DOD. A report and the samples will be submitted to the contracting officer for DLA Strategic Materials. The operating period will be for one year starting on September 16, 2019. USAC will be a part of the integrated product team including PRP, DLA Strategic Materials and US ARMY. The award to US Antimony Corp. is being issued to establish a firm fixed price contract for the DLA Strategic Materials, National Defense Stockpile. Antimony trisulfide is a major component in primers for all center-fired ordnance. At the gold, silver, and antimony Puerto Blanco mill for the Los Juarez mine, the fencing of the tailings pond, completion of the water well, and most of the major construction has been completed. Testing will proceed during the completion of the laboratory.

08:06 EDT Durect announces completion of enrollment in Phase 2a trial of DUR-928 - Durect announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2a clinical trial of topical DUR-928 in patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. The company also announced that it has now enrolled 30 of the planned 60 patients in its ongoing Phase 1b trial with oral DUR-928 in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The company expects to announce top line data from the psoriasis trial by the end of this year. The NASH trial is on schedule to be completed in the first half of 2020 and the company plans to announce top line study results following completion of the trial.

08:04 EDT Qorvo acquires Cavendish Kinetics, terms not disclosed - Qorvo announced that it has acquired Cavendish Kinetics, a provider of high-performance RF MEMS technology for antenna tuning applications. The Cavendish Kinetics team will continue to advance RF MEMS technology for applications across Qorvo's product lines and transition the technology into high-volume manufacturing for mobile devices and other markets. RF MEMS devices are used to tune both main and diversity smartphone antennas across low, mid and high bands, resulting in stronger signals and faster data rates. RF MEMS maximize performance through outstanding Q-factor, improved linearity and extremely low insertion losses, offering great potential for improving 4G and 5G system performance. Qorvo has been a lead strategic investor in San Jose-based Cavendish Kinetics since 2015. Qorvo will provide additional details about the Cavendish Kinetics transaction during its fiscal 2020 second quarter earnings conference call.

08:04 EDT PTC Therapeutics announces collaboration with Aldevron - PTC Therapeutics announced a collaboration with Aldevron to secure GMP manufacturing capacity for PTC's gene therapy portfolio, including the Friedreich ataxia and Angelman syndrome programs in PTC's growing gene therapy pipeline.

08:02 EDT PriceSmart reports September net merchandise sales up 1.2% to $246.6M - PriceSmart announced that for the month of September, net merchandise sales increased 1.2% to $246.6M, from $243.7M in September a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by $5.1M or 2.1% versus the same prior year one-month period. There were 43 warehouse clubs in operation at September 30, and 41 warehouse clubs in operation at September 30, 2018. For the four weeks ended September 29, comparable warehouse sales for the 41 warehouse clubs open at least 13 1/2 full months increased 0.9% from the comparable four week period a year ago. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by $4.6M or 2.1% versus the same prior year period.

08:01 EDT Sequential Brands announces exploration of strategic alternatives - Sequential Brands Group announced that its Board of Directors is conducting a broad review of strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. Such strategic alternatives may include the divestiture of one or more existing brands, the acquisition of one or more new brands, a stock buyback program, and other initiatives. The Board has engaged Stifel to serve as its exclusive financial advisor to assist in this process. "After having received unsolicited interest for several of our brands from multiple parties, Sequential's Board of Directors is engaging in this formal process to ensure that we are evaluating all alternatives to best further the interest of our shareholders," said William Sweedler, Chairman of Sequential. The Company has not set a timetable for the conclusion of its review of strategic alternatives and does not expect to comment further or update the market with any additional information on this matter unless and until the Board of Directors has approved a specific transaction or otherwise deems disclosure necessary or appropriate. There is no certainty that the review of strategic alternatives will result in the Company pursuing a particular transaction or completing any such transaction.

07:54 EDT Gold Resource declares commercial production at Isabella Pearl gold mine - Gold Resource Corporation announced its Isabella Pearl gold mine, located in Mineral County, Nevada, has reached commercial production levels. This commercial production announcement is based on mining rates, ore placement on the heap leach pad, mining and process costs, production ramp-up, and reaching positive operational cash flow during the month of September. The Company produced first gold dore from the project in late April 2019 and expects additional improvements as the project continues through the ramp up phase. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company has returned $112M to its shareholders in consecutive monthly dividends since July 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. Gold production levels at the Isabella Pearl mine have been ramping up since the first dore bar was produced in late April 2019. Preliminary September production of gold loaded to carbon and dore produced totaled in excess of 2,000 ounces. The Company plans to update its 2019 global gold production outlook in the upcoming third quarter preliminary production announcement to include estimated gold ounces targeted from its Isabella Pearl project for the fourth quarter. While it is still early in the project ramp up phase, 2,000 ounces of monthly gold production at Isabella Pearl is expected to continue generating positive cash flow by covering operational costs at the project assuming a gold price of $1,450 per ounce. The Company's 2020 annual production outlook for both Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, U.S.A. will be released in early 2020. Construction of the Isabella Pearl project's ADR process facility is complete with final commissioning occurring over the next several weeks to enable on-site dore production. Off-site processing of the gold infused carbon into dore will continue until the on-site dore facility is fully optimized.

07:48 EDT Enlivex to present data on ALLOCETRA-OTS immunotherapy with CAR-T therapy - Enlivex Therapeutics announced that the European Molecular Biology Organization selected, for a scientific presentation, the poster: "Combination Of Enlivex's Allocetra-OTS Immunotherapy and CAR-T Therapy Designed For Treating Solid Tumors" at EMBO's 2019 Cell Death in Immunity and Inflammation Workshop. Enlivex's data showed significantly increased duration of survival and overall survival for study subjects who were treated with the combination therapy, as compared to stand-alone solid tumor CAR-T therapy. The results of these preclinical studies showed that the mechanism of action significantly increased the anti-tumor macrophage population surrounding the human solid tumor microenvironment in the subjects who were treated with the combination therapy. ALLOCETRA by Enlivex was designed to provide a novel immunotherapy mechanism of action that targets life-threatening clinical indications that are defined as "unmet medical needs", including prevention or treatment of complications associated with bone marrow transplantations and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantations; organ dysfunction and acute multiple organ failure associated with sepsis; and enablement of an effective treatment of solid tumors via immune checkpoint rebalancing.

07:45 EDT Plus Products launches gummies into Nevada market - Plus Products announced the launch of its gummies into the Nevada market. The products are manufactured through the Company's partnership with TapRoot Holdings. Commercialization comes just four months after PLUS and Taproot entered into a definitive agreement. California THC: PLUS cannabis infused edibles are available in over 360 licensed retailers across the state of California. Nevada THC: PLUS cannabis infused gummies are currently available at 3 Medmen Las Vegas locations, and are expected to be rolled out to dispensaries across Nevada in the coming weeks. National Hemp CBD: PLUS recently announced a line of 100% Hemp CBD infused gummies. They are available for purchase at plusproducts.com nationwide.

07:43 EDT Viper Energy closes 25 acquisitions in Q3 for purchase price of $193.6M - During the third quarter of 2019, Viper (VNOM) acquired 1,272 net royalty acres for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $193.6M. Aditionally, the Drop Down, which closed on October 1, 2019, and the acquisition from Santa Elena, which is expected to close later during the fourth quarter, will further increase Viper's mineral footprint by 6,848 net royalty acres. Viper intends to finance the cash portion of the recent acquisitions with cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. Two notable acquisitions which closed during the third quarter include a $100M deal for 682 net royalty acres across the Midland Basin as well as a $68M deal for 363 net royalty acres concentrated in Southeast Lea County. The Midland Basin Acquisition provides broad exposure to the most active operators in the Midland Basin with an average net royalty interest of approximately 0.9%, and the Delaware Basin Acquisition provides concentrated exposure to primarily Concho and Matador operated acreage in the heart of the Northern Delaware Basin. The acquisitions contributed a combined 1,167 boe/d to September volumes and provide clear visibility to future development and production growth to be driven by a sizable DUC inventory. Pro forma for all closed and committed acquisitions, Viper's acreage position now represents 23,990 net royalty acres, approximately 52% of which is operated by Diamondback. Q3 2019 production, assuming Viper owned all closed and committed acquisitions for the entire quarter, would have totaled 27,890 boe/d. There continues to be active development across the pro forma acreage position as represented by 387 gross horizontal wells currently in the process of active development, in which Viper expects to own an average 2.1% net royalty interest.

07:41 EDT Kopin agrees to sell, license certain assets of Solos products, Whisper Audio - Kopin announced that it has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Solos Technology Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Kopin sold and licensed to the Buyer certain assets of its Solos product line and Whisper Audio technology. On August 8 Kopin announced its intention to spin out these assets to a group of employees and investors. As consideration for the transaction, the company received 1,172,000 common shares representing a 20.0% equity stake in the Buyer's parent company, Solos Incorporation. Kopin's 20.0% equity stake will be maintained until Solos Inc. has raised a total of $7.5 million in equity financing. Kopin will also receive a royalty in the single digits on the net sales amount of Solos products for a four-year period, after commencement of commercial production. Kopin's Hong Kong employees have been offered employment with the Buyer and most are expected to transition to the new company. Under the terms of the Purchase agreement, Kopin also has a non-exclusive, limited, fully paid-up, royalty-free worldwide license, including modification of or improvement or enhancement to the Whisper technology, for enterprise and military customers.

07:33 EDT Zovio outlines response from DOE regarding proposed change in Ashford ownership - Zovio announced that the U.S. Department of Education has responded to Zovio's request with an abbreviated preacquisition review letter for the proposed change in ownership of Ashford University. Zovio asked the Department to conduct an abbreviated preacquisition review of its proposed change in ownership of Ashford and its conversion to nonprofit status. The Department's abbreviated preacquisition review letter indicated that within ten days of the change in ownership, it would require Ashford to post an irrevocable letter of credit for approximately 25% of the Title IV funding amount during fiscal year 2018. This letter of credit would expire on March 31, 2021, unless extended or replaced as determined by the Department. Zovio continues to evaluate potential courses of action, which includes the possible sale of Ashford to other institutions. "Zovio's management team and board of directors are evaluating options to best position both Zovio and Ashford University for future success," said Andrew Clark, Founder, President and CEO of Zovio. "In addition to pursuing the previously announced conversion transaction with Ashford University, we have been exploring the sale of the university to other institutions, where we would enter into an education technology services agreement with the acquirer. During this process, our priorities remain the same: ensuring Ashford University has a strong foundation to support its long-term sustainability and position its students for success, and equally important, driving long-term value creation for all of our stakeholders."

07:28 EDT Ocugen announces amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement - Ocugen announced they have entered into a second amendment to the Asset Purchase Agreement with Medavate to amend the terms and closing date under the Amendment to the Asset Purchase Agreement. In this second amendment, the purchase price has been increased to $7M, from $6.5M previously, to be paid on the earlier of October 31, 2019 or when Medavate obtains financing in an amount no less than the purchase price. In addition, Medavate will now pay Ocugen royalties in the low single digits for net sales of the NeoCart asset.

07:25 EDT Aleafia Health completes construction at Paris Processing facility expansion - Aleafia Health has completed the construction of its Paris Processing facility's Phase II expansion and secured full site occupancy on October 4, 2019, following the completion of County of Brant inspections. The Paris Phase II expansion is a 30,000 sq. ft. facility entirely dedicated to the extraction, production, packaging and distribution of high-margin, value-added cannabis health and wellness products. The expansion builds upon the current, licensed and operational Paris facility, which features cultivation rooms and handles all extraction, packaging and order fulfillment for Aleafia Health's medical, adult-use and international sales. Paris will feature an initial 115,000 kg dried flower equivalent extraction capacity, a 2,775 per cent increase over the Company's current 4,000 kg DFE extraction capacity. The Company expects that Paris can through-put all dried flower grown by Aleafia Health, including at its newly expanded, 86-acre Port Perry Outdoor Grow site. To complete the final stage of securing its required Licence Amendment, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Emblem Cannabis Corp., expects to submit its final evidence package to Health Canada this October, demonstrating the facility's operational readiness.

07:19 EDT ADMA Biologics announces presentation of data on use of ASCENIV - ADMA Biologics announces that a poster presentation was given at IDWeek 2019, the combined annual meeting of IDSA, SHEA, HVMA and PIDS in Washington, D.C. The poster detailed data obtained from the compassionate use of ASCENIV in the treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection in two immunocompromised children. The two immunocompromised children admitted to the Mayo Clinic each were diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Both patients were undergoing delayed intensification chemotherapy and each were diagnosed with RSV Lower Respiratory Tract Infection. Both children were treated with ASCENIV under an emergency United States Food and Drug Administration Investigational New Drug protocol. The treatment and results of patient one are as follows - Patient was admitted with fever, neutropenia, nasal congestion and diagnosed with RSV infection on hospital day five. On hospital day 17, the patient was intubated for respiratory failure. Intravenous Immune Globulin and palivizumab, and daily oral ribavirin were administered. On hospital day eighteen, the patient required high frequency oscillator ventilation, nitric oxide and paralysis. The patient was then administered ASCENIV 1.5g/kg on hospital day twenty and 0.75g/kg on hospital day twenty-two. The patient was placed on veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on hospital day twenty-three. On hospital day thirty-three, a third dose of ASCENIV was given at 0 .75 g/kg. The patient's pulmonary compliance and chest CTs improved. On day fifty-two, ECMO support was discontinued and the patient was discharged from the hospital on hospital day eighty-eight, and currently requires no respiratory support. The treatment and results of patient two are as follows - Patient was admitted with fever, neutropenia, nasal congestion, cough and stridor and diagnosed with RSV infection on hospital day one. The patient required nasal cannula oxygen. IVIG and daily oral ribavirin were administered. The patient was administered ASCENIV 1.5g/kg on hospital day three and 0.75g/kg on hospital day five. By hospital day five, the patient was afebrile; oxygen was discontinued and the patient was discharged from the hospital on hospital day six. The data in the poster and abstract concludes that the evaluated product may be useful in the treatment of severe RSV infections and may assist in prevention of progression of RSV lower respiratory tract infection. The data also confirms that further evaluation of ASCENIV in this patient population is warranted.

07:15 EDT Livongo Health awarded diabetes contract through FEHBP - Livongo Health announced it was awarded a contract to provide the Livongo for Diabetes solution to eligible members covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program who are living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes under one health plan covering 5.3 million federal employees, retirees, and their families out of the nearly 8 million people who receive their benefits through the FEHBP. Link to health plan press release here. Livongo signed a two-year agreement which will launch the Livongo for Diabetes program starting on January 1, 2020 and expects a nine to twelve-month deployment period to those eligible members living with diabetes. Livongo expects that this agreement will add approximately 25,000 Livongo for Diabetes Members in 2020, growing to approximately 45,000 Members in 2021. This is larger than the expectation of 20,000 to 30,000 total Members previously disclosed by Livongo. Based on this updated expected enrollment, the company anticipates this agreement will account for $20-25M in revenue in 2020 and $30-35M in revenue for 2021, or a total of $50-60M including both years.

07:10 EDT Intersect ENT says ASCEND study did not meet primary endpoint - Intersect ENT announced results from a study of the company's ASCEND investigational drug-coated sinus balloon. The ASCEND study is the first prospective, randomized, double-blind, multi-center trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Intersect ENT's drug-coated sinus balloon used to dilate the frontal sinus ostium. The investigational ASCEND product was randomized against an uncoated balloon control to evaluate whether it would reduce post-balloon dilation edema through localized steroid delivery directly to the dilated tissue. The primary endpoint was an intra-patient comparison of frontal sinus patency grade at day 30, as judged by an independent reviewer. Secondary endpoints were included to assess post-dilation inflammation, polypoid edema, scarring and the need for interventions such as oral steroids. As the first trial of its kind for this product platform, the company recognized that the outcomes of the ASCEND trial could require further clinical study to support PMA approval with the FDA. The trial did not meet its primary endpoint of frontal sinus patency grade at day 30, as judged by an independent reviewer. However, the ASCEND drug-coated balloon showed statistically significant differences in several important secondary endpoints directly attributable to the drug, mometasone furoate. These endpoints included statistically significant reduction in inflammation and polypoid edema at all timepoints through day 30, as assessed by both the clinical investigators and the independent reviewer. There was also a statistically significant reduction in the need for oral steroid interventions at day 30, as determined by the independent reviewer. There were no adverse events related to the drug component of the ASCEND balloon, and no device-related serious adverse events observed in the study.

07:08 EDT Nuance expands clinical guidance for Dragon Medical Advisor - Nuance Communications announced expanded Clinical Guidance for Dragon Medical Advisor, a workflow-integrated, and AI-powered Computer-Assisted Physician Documentation capability accessible through Dragon Medical One. Clinical Guidance for Dragon Medical Advisor integrates with familiar workflows and with existing electronic health record, coding, quality, and case management solutions. A study in the May 2019 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that time pressure, patient history-taking, and assessment are the most common origins of diagnostic error and physicians' uncertainty surrounding diagnosis and ordering tests. Many errors were not detected until the patient's condition changed.

07:06 EDT Postal Realty Trust to acquire 113-property USPS service portfolio - Postal Realty Trust announced it entered into several definitive agreements with affiliated sellers to acquire a 113-property portfolio of USPS properties for approximately $31M. The portfolio comprises approximately 270,000 square feet and generates a weighted average rent of $9.75 per square foot. The weighted average remaining lease term of the portfolio is 2.1 years. As part of the consideration for the portfolio, the company expects to issue approximately $14M of OP units valued at $17.00 per share. The balance of the purchase price is expected to be funded with proceeds from the company's line of credit.

07:05 EDT j2 Global completed 4 acquisitions in Q3, terms not disclosed - J2 Global announced that the company completed four acquisitions in Q3. Terms of the individual acquisitions were not disclosed, and the financial impact to J2 is not expected to be material with respect to these acquisitions.

07:05 EDT Rexford Industrial acquires three industrial properties for $76M - Rexford Industrial announced the acquisition of three industrial properties for $76M. The acquisitions were funded using cash on hand. The company acquired Slauson Commerce Center, located in City of Commerce within the LA - Central Submarket, for $41.3M, or $123 per square foot. The company acquired 2328 Teller Road, a multi-tenant industrial complex located in Thousand Oaks, within the Ventura County submarket, for $23.3M, or $184 per square foot. The company acquired through an off-market transaction 750 W. Manville Street, located in Compton, within the LA - South Bay submarket, for $11.5M, or $192 per square foot.

07:03 EDT Radcom announces multi-year agreement with Beeline - Radcom announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with PJSC VimpelCommunications, a subsidiary of VEON Ltd. operating under the Beeline brand. Under the agreement, RADCOM will provide its fully virtualized Network Intelligence solutions to assure Beeline's end-to-end customer experience. RADCOM's solutions will help improve the customer experience delivered to Beeline's customers across Russia. RADCOM Network Intelligence will monitor all services in an automated, dynamic way that fully integrates into Beeline's virtualized platform.

07:01 EDT HighPoint Resources sees Q3 production 3.4 MMBoe - HighPoint Resources provided an operations update, including positive results from the Hereford Field and announces third quarter production at the high end of its guidance range. Highlights include: Third quarter production sales volume expected to be 3.4M barrels of oil equivalent, which is a 20% sequential increase over the second quarter and at the high end of guidance despite depressed processing yields; Third quarter oil volumes are expected to be 2.18M barrels or 64% of total equivalent production sales volume, which is a 25% sequential increase over the second quarter of 2019; Strong operating results from Hereford with wells in DSU 11-63-16 exhibiting a 75% current daily production increase over previously completed wells; Early results in DSU 11-63-17 demonstrating 30% higher initial total fluid productivity compared to DSU 11-63-16; Continued strong well performance from Northeast Wattenberg high-fluid intensity completions with wells tracking above MMBoe type-curve ;Semi-annual borrowing base review recently completed with $500M credit facility reaffirmed.

06:55 EDT Intersect ENT trading halted, news pending

06:48 EDT Eli Lilly CYRAMZA data published in The Lancet Oncology - Eli Lilly announced that results from the global Phase 3 RELAY trial of CYRAMZA in previously untreated patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, were published in The Lancet Oncology. In the RELAY study, treatment with CYRAMZA in combination with erlotinib demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival, or PFS, - the time patients lived without their cancer growing or spreading after starting treatment - compared to erlotinib alone. The CYRAMZA-erlotinib combination achieved a median PFS of 19.4 months, corresponding to a seven-month improvement over erlotinib alone. There were no new safety signals and the safety profile observed in the trial was consistent with what has been previously observed for CYRAMZA in other Phase 3 clinical trials and the established safety profile of erlotinib. "The findings from RELAY show the utility of targeting the VEGFR and EGFR pathways together in this setting, and validate previous non-clinical and clinical studies which demonstrated interactions between EGFR and VEGFR2 signaling in the setting of EGFR mutations," said Kazuhiko Nakagawa, M.D., Department of Medical Oncology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, and global lead principal investigator of the RELAY trial. Dr. Nakagawa added, "Although EGFR TKIs have proven effective for the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, most patients will experience disease progression and prognosis remains poor. These results suggest the combination of CYRAMZA plus erlotinib has the potential to be an important first-line treatment option for people with metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer."

06:38 EDT General Electric says expects to reduce pension deficit by about $5B-$8B - GE announced that it is taking three actions related to its U.S. retirement benefits as part of its strategic priority to improve its financial position: 1) Freezing the U.S. GE Pension Plan for approximately 20,000 employees with salaried benefits, and U.S. Supplementary Pension benefits for approximately 700 employees. 2) Pre-funding approximately $4B-5B of estimated minimum ERISA funding requirements for 2021 and 2022. 3) Offering a limited time lump-sum payment option to ~100,000 eligible former employees who have not started their monthly U.S. GE Pension Plan payments. In total, the actions announced are expected to reduce GE's pension deficit by approximately $5B-8B and Industrial net debt by approximately $4B-6B. The company is on track in its deleveraging plan and continues to expect to make significant progress toward its leverage goal of less than 2.5X Net Debt to EBITDA by the end of 2020, inclusive of the impact of the current interest rate environment. GE will continue to evaluate further options to reduce leverage and strengthen its balance sheet. Company funds will not be used to make the lump sum distributions. All distributions will be made from existing pension plan assets in the GE Pension Trust. The company does not expect the plan's funded status to decrease as a result of this offer. At year-end 2018, the plan's funded ratio was 80%. After distribution of the lump sum amounts, the company expects to record a non-cash pension settlement charge in the fourth quarter which will be determined based on the rate of acceptance.

06:35 EDT General Electric freezing U.S. pension plans for about 20,000 employees

06:34 EDT AZZ Inc. extends employment agreement with CEO Tom Ferguson - AZZ Inc. announced that its board has renewed and extended the employment agreement of Tom Ferguson to continue to serve as President and CEO of AZZ and a member of the company's board. Ferguson's renewed and extended employment agreement with AZZ will extend through October 3, 2022.

06:32 EDT Teleflex announces recall of certain lots of GaleMed Babi.Plus 12.5 cm H2O - Teleflex announced a recall June 14th of certain lots of the GaleMed Babi.Plus 12.5 cm H2O Pressure Relief Manifold. Teleflex receives the product from the manufacturer GaleMed and is one of its distributors for this product within the United States. GaleMed Corporation is the legal manufacturer of these products. The recalled products are designed for use with humans with a body mass of less than 10 Kg requiring a pressure limitation system to eliminate excessive pressure should an obstruction occur between gas supply and exhalation port during continuous gas flow therapy up to 12 liters per minute in hospital and transport environments. The most used application of the pressure relief manifold is Bubble CPAP therapy.

06:19 EDT PG&E to pay $60M to fix department that violated safety rules - In a regulatory filing, PG&E stated that on October 3, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, the Safety and Enforcement Division of the California Public Utilities Commission, and the Coalition of California Utility Employees jointly submitted to the CPUC a proposed settlement agreement in connection with the order instituting an investigation and order to show cause into the Utility's locate and mark practices and jointly moved for its approval. "The following parties have participated in the settlement negotiations but have not joined the settlement: the Public Advocates Office of the CPUC, The Utility Reform Network, the CPUC's Office of the Safety Advocate, and the City and County of San Francisco. The proposed settlement will be reviewed by the Administrative Law Judge overseeing the proceeding, and these other parties will have an opportunity to provide comments on the proposed settlement agreement before a final CPUC decision is issued. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the Utility agreed to a total financial remedy of $65M, comprised of (i) a fine of $5M to be paid to the General Fund of the State of California pursuant to, and in accordance with, the time frame and other provisions governing distributions as set forth in a chapter 11 plan of reorganization for the Utility as confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division; and (ii) $60M in shareholder-funded system enhancement initiatives undertaken to enhance, among other things, the Utility's locate and mark compliance and capabilities and the reliability of the Underground Service Alert ticket management information that the Utility maintains in the ordinary course of its business. In accordance with the settlement agreement, shareholder-funded system enhancements will include, among other things, locate and mark ticket compliance audits to verify accurate categorization of timeliness, compliance audits using field reviews of gas and electric locate and mark tickets to assess performance, procedure adherence and compliance, and additional locate and mark staff. The expenditure of any sums not fully expended within three years of the effective date of the settlement agreement will be subject to further agreement among the parties. The Utility expects that the system enhancement spending pursuant to this settlement agreement will occur through 2022."

06:02 EDT Maxar Technologies awarded $14.2M contract to develop Red Wing - Maxar Technologies announced that it has been awarded a $14.2M contract to develop Red Wing, an automated, cloud-based geospatial intelligence analysis architecture for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

06:01 EDT China Automotive passes supplier evaluation by IVECO - China Automotive Systems announced it has successfully passed the supplier evaluation by IVECO. IVECO recently sent a team of technology and quality review officers to CAAS' production center in China. Their weeklong thorough evaluation ranged from technical review, IVECO's Daily van project product procedures, production management, product quality standard, and material quality report to testing workshop quality control, aftermarket management, procurement inspection, and pre-production rectification verification. After CAAS successfully passed the evaluation, IVECO awarded CAAS the development right for the IVECO Daily van project.

05:15 EDT Pfenex receives FDA approval for PF708 for treatment of osteoporosis - Pfenex announced that the FDA has approved the new drug application, or NDA, for PF708 submitted under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway, with Forteo as the reference drug. Like Forteo, the FDA-approved PF708 product is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in certain patients at high risk for fracture.

05:10 EDT PG&E says electric service restored to all Butte, Plumas, Yuba county customers - As of 4:00 p.m., Pacific Gas and Electric has restored power to all customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, initiated on Saturday, Oct. 5. PG&E had proactively shut down power for safety at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather in Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties, affecting some 10,328 customers. Once the weather subsided Sunday morning, PG&E personnel and aerial resources responded for inspections, repairs and restoration. PG&E crews visually inspected approximately 954 miles of power lines to ensure they were free of damage and safe to energize. PG&E crews were able to restore power to all customers this afternoon.