Stockwinners Market Radar for October 28, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:03 EDT PG&E to cut power for 605K customers in California on Tuesday - As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the next severe and widespread wind event in the forecast for Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Wednesday, Oct. 30, PG&E confirmed Monday that it will implement a PSPS in portions of 29 counties, affecting electric service for up to 605,000 customers.

19:17 EDT J&J discloses subpoenas from NYDFS related to opioid medication policies - In August 2019, Johnson & Johnson received a grand jury subpoena from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York for documents related to the company's anti-diversion policies and procedures and distribution of its opioid medications, in what the company understands to be part of a broader investigation into manufacturers' and distributors' monitoring programs and reporting under the Controlled Substances Act, the company said in a regulatory filing. In September 2019, Johnson & Johnson received subpoenas from the New York State Department of Financial Services as part of an industry-wide inquiry into the effect of opioid prescriptions on New York health insurance premiums. The company is cooperating with NYDFS's inquiry and producing documents in response to the various subpoenas and requests for information.

18:56 EDT Editas Medicine names Judith Abrams, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer - Editas Medicine announced that it named Judith Abrams, M.D., as the company's Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Abrams is a leading drug development clinician who has brought multiple medicines from clinical stage development to regulatory approval. Dr. Abrams joins Editas Medicine from EMD Serono Research and Development Institute where she served as the Franchise Lead, Immunology and Neurology, Global Drug Safety Innovation.

18:49 EDT Archrock reaffirms FY19 adjusted EBITDA view $400M-$410M - The company said, "Our strong performance for the Q3 keeps us on pace to achieve our full-year 2019 adjusted EBITDA guidance of between $400M-$410N. On August 1st, we closed the previously announced Elite Compression acquisition, and our team has done a great job integrating Elite's highly-complementary asset base into Archrock. We remain on track to realize $5M or more of annualized cost synergies within the first year," continues Childers.

18:20 EDT National Oilwell CEO says Q3 margins improved on international sales growth - CEO Clay Williams says: "In the third quarter, adjusted EBITDA improved significantly relative to second quarter results due to accelerating cost reductions, a favorable revenue shift towards higher-margin offshore and aftermarket businesses, and positive project close-out variances. While third quarter revenue was essentially flat with the prior quarter, margins improved as sales growth in international and offshore markets helped offset sequential declines from North American operations where our customers are reducing their spending. We were also pleased to see NOV post its strongest cash flow quarter in more than three years, as our concerted efforts to more efficiently manage working capital are making an impact. Overall, NOV's unique strategic position within oil and gas, including its broad geographic and product diversity, its market leadership, and its large installed base, contributed to its improving results in the third quarter. As our industry battles deep cyclicality and divergent market conditions, the company remains committed to improving its financial returns while also helping our customers improve the efficiency, environmental performance and safety of their operations."

17:58 EDT TTEC Holdings acquires FCR - TTEC Holdings acquired FCR, a U.S.-based digitally enabled customer experience provider focused on the direct to consumer, e-commerce and hypergrowth markets. The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive and is aligned to TTEC's continued focus on driving organic growth through the omnichannel enablement of the most innovative and disruptive brands in the digital economy. Headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, FCR is a leading expert in providing innovative customer care, social media community management, content moderation, technical support and business process solutions for emerging and digitally native hypergrowth clients. FCR will retain its name and become a stand-alone entity inside TTEC's Engage business. Matthew Achak, FCR's president and founder and Katheryn Carnahan, FCR's chief operating officer, will continue to lead FCR's operations while John Stadter, chairman, will transition into an advisory role and continue in his role as an FCR board member.

17:38 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $148.42M Navy order - Lockheed Martin awarded a $148.42M cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order procures durability testing support for the certification of the F-35B aircraft variant to a minimum of 8,000 flight hours/30 year service life in support of the Marine Corps and non-Department of Defense participants. The effort includes the test article configuration, the test article build, the test plan, the testing itself, and teardown and analysis. Work will be performed is expected to be completed in July 2032. FY20 research, development, test and evaluation, and non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $6.08M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:29 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $7.03B Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $7.03B modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, cost-reimbursable contract. This modification provides for the procurement of 114 F-35 aircraft for Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy; non-Department of Defense, or DoD, participants, and foreign military sales, or FMS, customers. Specifically the modification procures 48 F-35A aircraft for the Air Force, 20 F-35B aircraft for the Marine Corps, nine F-35C aircraft for the Navy, 12 F-35A aircraft for the government of Norway, 15 F-35A aircraft for the government of Australia, and eight F-35A and two F-35B aircraft for the government of Italy. The above U.S. aircraft quantities are inclusive of FY19 plus up aircraft. In addition, this modification adds scope for the air system diminishing manufacturing sources integration, software data loads, critical safety items, red gear, non-recurring engineering, recurring engineering and the Joint Strike Fighter Airborne Data Emulator. Work is expected to be completed in March 2023. FY19 aircraft procurement; non-DoD participants and FMS funds in the amount of $7.03B will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force; Marine Corps; Navy; non-DoD participants and FMS customers. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:24 EDT Crane down 8.6% to $77.00 after Q3 results miss estimates, FY19 guidance cut

17:20 EDT Talos Energy to replace C&J Energy Services in S&P 600 at open on 11/1 - Keane Group (FRAC) is acquiring C&J Energy Services (CJ) in a transaction expected to be completed soon pending final conditions.

17:18 EDT Alphabet CFO says Q3 saw continued strength in Mobile Search and Cloud - Says Data Center cost was the biggest of the quarter, followed by content acquisition. Says headcount was the biggest driver of increased costs. Says headcount in Q3 was up 6K from Q2, with majority being engineers and product managers. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:05 EDT Crane CEO says Crane Currency U.S. Government sales 'well below' expectations - Max Mitchell, Crane Co. President and CEO commented: "Operationally, we delivered another solid quarter of results. However, at Crane Currency, U.S. Government sales and orders were well below our expectations. During our 3rd quarter, the Federal Reserve issued its annual Currency Print Order to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; that order for finished banknotes to be delivered during the Federal Reserve's next fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, was 18% lower than for fiscal 2019, attributed primarily to 'the intentional use of accumulated unissued inventory.' We have worked closely with our customer over the last several weeks to gain a deeper understanding of the situation. While U.S. currency in circulation continues to grow, modest overproduction in recent years has resulted in excess inventory, and our shipments will remain at reduced levels during a period of destocking. These inventory adjustments have happened in the past, and we do expect our shipments to revert back to normal levels in the following fiscal year. Consequently, we are reducing our 2019 EPS guidance, excluding Special Items, to a range of $5.90-$6.10, from our prior range of $6.25-$6.45. We remain very excited about the medium- and long-term demand profile for Crane Currency - both with the U.S. Government, as well as with our international customers - and we see many opportunities for growth and profit improvement at this business."

16:53 EDT Equity Residential director Charles Atwood sells over $922K in company shares - Equity Residential director Charles Atwood disclosed in a filing that he had sold 10,500 shares of company stock at an average price of $87.85 per share on 10.24. The total transaction value of the sale was $922,425.

16:48 EDT Waste Connections says 'firmly on track' to meet, exceed FY adj. free cash flow - "Strong organic growth in solid waste and a sequential increase in E&P waste activity enabled us to deliver better than expected results in the period. Continued price-led solid waste growth and a slight pull-forward of special waste activity drove underlying margin expansion in solid waste collection, transfer and disposal of an estimated 60 basis points in the quarter. More importantly, adjusted free cash flow of $763 million year-to-date, or 18.9% of revenue and up almost 13% year-over-year, puts us firmly on track to meet or exceed the adjusted free cash flow outlook for the full year that we communicated in July," said Worthing F. Jackman, President and CEO. Jackman added, "Our strong operating performance, free cash flow growth and balance sheet strength positioned us for another double-digit percentage increase in our quarterly cash dividend, while maintaining tremendous financial flexibility. We remain well-positioned to fund expected above average acquisition activity in the near term and increased return of capital to shareholders over the long term. Relatively consistent solid waste organic growth plus the contribution from acquisitions closed year-to-date already sets us up for overall revenue growth in the mid to high single digits and underlying margin expansion in solid waste collection, transfer and disposal in the upcoming year, with additional acquisitions and any potential improvement in commodity-related activities providing further growth."

16:46 EDT Sanmina down 11.6% to $28.10 after Q1 guidance trails estimates

16:42 EDT General Motors declares Q4 dividend of 38c per share - The dividend is payable Thursday, Dec. 19 to all common shareholders of record at the close of business on Friday, Dec. 6.

16:41 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires a Buffalo Wild Wings property for $2.4M - Four Corners Property Trust announced the acquisition of a corporate-operated Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant property for $2.4M. The property is located in Texas and is occupied under a double-net lease with approximately 3 years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a 6.5% cash cap rate, inclusive of percentage rent paid and exclusive of transaction costs.

16:27 EDT Mirati Therapeutics presents first clinical data of Phase 1/2 trial of MRTX849 - Mirati Therapeutics announced the first clinical results from its Phase 1/2 trial evaluating MRTX849, an investigational KRAS G12C inhibitor, in patients with solid tumors expressing KRAS G12C mutations. MRTX849 demonstrated clinical activity, including objective responses, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. While the maximum tolerated dose has not yet been established, dose expansion is underway, and the trial continues to enroll patients. These data were presented in an oral presentation at the 2019 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston.

16:22 EDT NI Holdings to acquire Westminster American Insurance Company - NI Holdings announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the issued and outstanding stock of Westminster American Insurance Company from private shareholders. Closing the transaction is expected early next year subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, NI Holdings has agreed to pay Westminster American shareholders $20M at the closing date, and approximately $6.7M annually over the three-year period from the date of closing. In addition, in connection with his continued employment after closing, NI Holdings has agreed to pay the president of Westminster American a retention bonus in the aggregate amount of $5M, payable over the five-year period from the date of closing.

16:21 EDT NI Holdings to acquire Westminster American Insurance Company - NI Holdings announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the issued and outstanding stock of Westminster American Insurance Company from private shareholders. Closing the transaction is expected early next year subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, NI Holdings has agreed to pay Westminster American shareholders $20M at the closing date, and approximately $6.7M annually over the three-year period from the date of closing. In addition, in connection with his continued employment after closing, NI Holdings has agreed to pay the president of Westminster American a retention bonus in the aggregate amount of $5M, payable over the five-year period from the date of closing.

16:21 EDT NI Holdings to acquire Westminster American Insurance Company - NI Holdings announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the issued and outstanding stock of Westminster American Insurance Company from private shareholders. Closing the transaction is expected early next year subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, NI Holdings has agreed to pay Westminster American shareholders $20M at the closing date, and approximately $6.7M annually over the three-year period from the date of closing. In addition, in connection with his continued employment after closing, NI Holdings has agreed to pay the president of Westminster American a retention bonus in the aggregate amount of $5M, payable over the five-year period from the date of closing.

16:20 EDT Paragon Group buys R.R. Donnelley's European Global Document Solutions - Paragon Group and R.R. Donnelley announced that Paragon has acquired RRD's European Global Document Solutions business, headquartered in the UK, for an undisclosed amount. GDS provides document management services and solutions. The transaction closed on October 25, 2019. GDS has locations in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Italy and employs approximately 1,500 people. GDS' net sales were approximately $270M in 2018.

16:19 EDT TrueBlue announces additional $100M of share repurchases - TrueBlue announce that its board authorized an additional $100M of share repurchases. "Our balance sheet is in great shape and the business is producing strong cash flow," said Derrek Gafford, CFO of TrueBlue. "This authorization reflects our confidence in the long-term outlook for our business and our desire to continue to return capital to shareholders."

16:18 EDT Community Health to sell three Virginia hospitals - Community Health Systems announced that affiliates of the Company have signed a definitive agreement to sell three Virginia hospitals - 300-bed Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, 105-bed Southampton Memorial Hospital in Franklin and 80-bed Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Emporia, and their associated assets to subsidiaries of Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2019, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

16:15 EDT Intevac launches VERTEX Marathon system - Intevac announced the launch of its VERTEX Marathon system. Marathon is a high-productivity thin-film platform targeted initially for the display cover glass market. Concurrent with this launch, Intevac also announced the availability of its DiamondClad protective coating, the industry's newest scratch-protection solution. DiamondClad is the evolution of Intevac's first-generation optical diamond-like carbon film, and delivers enhanced scratch protection and durability, while maintaining the same high optical clarity. The new coating process produces a multi-layer, diamond-like carbon film with performance similar to sapphire under Mohs 8 scratch testing, and which is far superior to standard anti-fingerprint coated display cover glass, which scratches at Mohs 5. Additionally, DiamondClad exhibits four times better performance on Taber wear testing as compared to AF-coated glass. In use-case AF durability testing, where samples were exposed to perspiration, denim, and abrasive sand, DiamondClad outperformed standard display cover glass by up to six times.

16:13 EDT TCF Financial board authorizes repurchase of up to $150M of common stock

16:13 EDT Cognex boosts quarterly dividend to 5.5c from 5.0c - Cognex announced that its board declared a quarterly cash dividend of 5.5c per share, payable on November 29, to all shareholders of record at the close of business on November 15. The dividend represents an increase of 0.5c per share, or 10%, over the 5c per share dividend paid in the prior quarter.

16:12 EDT Mirum Pharmaceuticals names Ed Tucker as new chief medical officer - Mirum Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Ed Tucker, M.D. as its chief medical officer. Dr. Tucker most recently served as chief operating officer at Acerta Pharma LLC where he was responsible for business and operational activities across the heme-oncology pipeline.

16:11 EDT Alphabet Class A shares down 3.6% in afterhours following earnings miss

16:09 EDT Sanmina announces additional $200M share repurchase plan - The new stock repurchase program has no expiration date.

16:08 EDT Sanmina adopts company-wide right-sizing plan - On October 28, the company adopted a company-wide right-sizing plan. Under this plan, the company expects to incur restructuring charges of approximately $10M-$20M, consisting primarily of cash severance costs.

16:07 EDT Texas Roadhouse sees FY19 positive comparable restaurant sales growth

16:02 EDT Orthofix names Jon Serbousek as new CEO effective November 1st

15:41 EDT Unifor says Ford to cut roughly 450 jobs at Oakville assembly plant - Canada's Unifor union said it is renewing its call for new product allocation at the Oakville Assembly Plant following today's restructuring announcement by Ford Motor Company. Ford has advised the union that restructuring at Oakville Assembly will result in the loss of 450 jobs in February 2020, following the elimination of approximately 200 jobs in September 2019. In 2013, the federal and provincial governments made an investment of approximately $140 million in the Oakville plant and Unifor negotiated a further $100 million in upgrades in 2016. Negotiations between Unifor and Ford for a new collective agreement are scheduled to take place in 2020.

14:06 EDT Progenics says ISS may be causing harm to shareholders - Progenics Pharmaceuticals (PGNX) issued a statement in response to a report issued by Institutional Shareholder Services regarding the consent solicitation from Velan Capital L.P. that seeks to obtain five board seats and control of the company. The company said, "We are pleased that ISS has recognized that Velan is overreaching in its attempts to take majority control of Progenics and its Board of Directors without paying shareholders a premium, particularly before all shareholders have complete information regarding the transaction with Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (LNTH). However, by recommending that Velan receive minority representation on the Progenics Board of Directors, including immediate removal of CEO Mark Baker, ISS may be causing more harm to shareholders than it anticipates...ISS fails to acknowledge that the transaction with Lantheus was the culmination of a several-year-long relationship between the two companies, in which discussions regarding a potential strategic transaction began in early 2019 - well before Velan notified Progenics of its intention to nominate director candidates at Progenics' 2019 Annual Meeting, and before Velan later commenced its "vote no" campaign and its current consent solicitation...The Progenics Board has repeatedly attempted to work constructively with Velan to reach a mutually agreeable settlement, while Velan has proven to be both unwilling and unreasonable, refusing to work collaboratively and in the best interests of all shareholders...Velan is attempting to take majority control of the Progenics Board and management team without paying shareholders a premium and while forcing them to make an important decision related to the value-maximizing transaction with Lantheus before they have the information to properly evaluate it."

14:02 EDT Dine Brands announces deal to bring 15 new IHOP restaurants to Canada - Dine Brands International announced an agreement with Saeed Minhas, of Minhas Holdings, to bring the IHOP brand to exclusive locations in the Greater Toronto Area. The agreement calls for 15 new IHOP locations over seven years. The first location is expected to open mid-year 2020. The new locations are expected to create approximately 900 jobs and contribute up to $15M to the construction industry in the Greater Toronto Area, Dine Brands said in a statement. "IHOP is a strong brand with a huge fan base around the world, and we are excited to expand its presence in Canada," said Saeed Minhas, CEO of Minhas Holdings.

13:39 EDT Intel Core i9-9900KS special edition CPU for gamers launches October 30 - Intel announced full details and availability for the new 9th Gen Intel Corei9-9900KS Special Edition processor. Delivering up to 5.0 GHz all-core turbo frequency out of the box for the ultimate gaming experience, the 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS will be available beginning Oct. 30, with recommended customer price starting at $513. This special edition processor will be available for a limited time only and can be found at retailers worldwide. "Intel has raised the bar for desktop gaming with the new 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS Special Edition processor. Based on the 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K architecture, it's the world's best gaming desktop processor made even better and created specifically for extreme gamers who want the most performance possible. This processor demonstrates another innovation milestone for Intel, following last year's limited edition 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8086K., said"Frank Soqui, Intel vice president and general manager of the Desktop, Workstation and Channel Group. Reference Link

12:36 EDT Exxon Mobil awarded strategic petroleum reserve lease by U.S. DOE - The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy announced on October 16, that ExxonMobil Pipeline Company has been awarded the new lease of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's Saint James Marine Terminal and Bayou Choctaw 36-Inch Pipeline. DOE awarded the St. James Facility lease on a competitive basis to a qualified entity presenting the best value to the Department. The new lease will be effective January 1, 2020, under a twenty-year term. EMPCo will make monthly lease payments; be responsible for operations and maintenance of the facility; and provide use of the facility in support of Government emergency oil drawdowns. "This lease helps ensure the free flow of crude oil in the Gulf region so we may continue to strive for energy independence and embrace America's energy renaissance," said Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. "It's a win-win for producers, refiners, consumers, and taxpayers." Reference Link

12:23 EDT U-Haul to present jobs, 700 storage rooms to store near Pensacola, FL - U-Haul said it will soon present a retail and self-storage facility in Milton thanks to the recent acquisition of a former Kmart property at 6050 Hwy. 90 near Pensacola, Florida. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Milton, located about 20 miles northeast of Pensacola, is currently operating out of a temporary showroom and offering truck and trailer sharing, towing equipment, hitch sales and moving supplies. U-Haul acquired the 101,354-square-foot building on June 4. Adaptive reuse of the property will render about 700 indoor self-storage units, giving customers access to climate-controlled rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points. Renovations are scheduled to be finished by summer 2020. Rome expects to employ a staff of 15 or more Team Members once the store is fully operational. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth within Milton.

12:02 EDT AstraZeneca trading resumes

12:00 EDT AVX falls -10.5% - AVX is down -10.5%, or -$1.71 to $14.57.

12:00 EDT Spotify rises 15.1% - Spotify is up 15.1%, or $18.22 to $138.91.

12:00 EDT Tiffany rises 31.9% - Tiffany is up 31.9%, or $31.43 to $129.98.

12:00 EDT Fitbit jumps as much as 36% following report of Alphabet buyout bid - Shares of Fitbit (FIT) were up $1.55, or 36%, to $5.86 following the resumption of trading after Reuters said Google's parent company Alphabet (GOOGL) had made a takeover offer to the fitness tracker maker. Shares of GoPro (GPRO), which is also a maker of tech hardware whose stock is well off its prior highs, are up 21c, or 5%, to $4.17 following the report regarding interest in a takeover of Fitbit.

11:37 EDT AstraZeneca says Phase 3 POSEIDON trial in NSCLC met a primary endpoint - AstraZeneca announced "positive" progression-free survival, or PFS, results for Imfinzi and tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA4 antibody, when added to chemotherapy, from the Phase 3 POSEIDON trial in previously-untreated Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. The trial met a primary endpoint by showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the final PFS analysis in patients treated with the combination of Imfinzi and a broad choice of five standard-of-care platinum-based chemotherapy options vs. chemotherapy alone. The triple combination of Imfinzi plus tremelimumab and chemotherapy also demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful PFS improvement vs. chemotherapy alone as a key secondary endpoint. The safety and tolerability of Imfinzi was consistent with its known safety profile. The triple combination delivered a broadly similar safety profile to the Imfinzi and chemotherapy combination and did not result in increased discontinuation of therapy. The POSEIDON trial will continue to assess the additional primary endpoint of overall survival with data anticipated in 2020. AstraZeneca will submit the results for presentation at a forthcoming medical meeting and plans to share the results with health authorities. Imfinzi is also being tested in Stage IV NSCLC as monotherapy in the Phase 3 PEARL trial, and in earlier stages of disease as part of an extensive Immuno-Oncology programme in lung cancer. Imfinzi is approved in the curative-intent setting of unresectable, Stage 3 NSCLC after chemoradiation therapy in 53 countries, including the US, Japan and across the EU, based on the Phase 3 PACIFIC trial. Jose Baselga, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, said: "The POSEIDON trial provides evidence of the efficacy of Imfinzi in patients with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Clinical benefit was observed in a trial population that included a high proportion of patients with squamous disease and multiple choices of chemotherapy regimens. Additionally, the potential to add tremelimumab to Imfinzi and chemotherapy may present an important treatment approach in this challenging setting, especially taking into consideration the favourable safety profile."

11:21 EDT AstraZeneca trading halted, news pending

10:35 EDT FDA evaluating new information about risks of Endologix AFX endovascular grafts - The FDA issued a new safety communication to state that it is evaluating new information about the risk of blood continuing to leak into the aneurysm when Endologix AFX endovascular grafts - AFX with Strata, AFX with Duraply, or AFX2 - are used for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. "We've previously communicated about the greater risk of Type III endoleaks occurring with the Endologix AFX with Strata device compared to other endovascular graft systems, which can result in serious injury. It is important for patients and health care providers to be aware that data from an integrated healthcare system, published in a recent conference abstract, suggest there also may be a higher than expected risk of Type III endoleaks occurring with the use of AFX with Duraply and AFX2 endovascular grafts. We recommend lifelong follow-up for patients treated with any endovascular graft. However, while we continue our evaluation, we are emphasizing the importance of at least yearly, lifelong follow-up for all patients who have any type of Endologix AFX endovascular graft in order to monitor for Type III endoleaks," the FDA stated in the notice posted to its website. Reference Link

10:17 EDT comScore announces multi-year deal with Cinemex - Comscore announced an agreement with global film exhibitor Cinemex to provide an enterprise data platform and industry leading analytics software solutions. The five-year deal, which took effect earlier this month, provides Cinemex with real-time Operations reporting, deep customer analytics, data driven marketing solutions and data monetization capabilities across their footprint of 380 complexes and 3,374 screens in 120 cities in Mexico and the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, Cinemex will have access to several products from Comscore's portfolio that harnesses the power of Showtime Analytics.

09:47 EDT Clearway Energy falls -5.4% - Clearway Energy is down -5.4%, or -$1.04 to $18.29.

09:47 EDT PG&E falls -24.8% - PG&E is down -24.8%, or -$1.24 to $3.76.

09:47 EDT Liberty Property rises 16.7% - Liberty Property is up 16.7%, or $8.46 to $59.03.

09:36 EDT AT&T says DirecTV unit to be evaluated, no 'sacred cows' - Says: DirecTV sub losses will have peaked in current quarter... Expects to separate Chairman/CEO roles at next CEO transition... HBO Max to have "very unique position" in marketplace - will be "meaningful business" over next few years... HBO Max should be 50M-subscriber business in five years... HBO Max will eventually have live TV... Share buybacks will be consistent with achieving net-debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio between 2.0x and 2.25x... Can get out "big chunks" of cost in two years.

09:27 EDT Globe Specialty Metals forms domestic trade coalition - Ferroglobe announced that its U.S. subsidiary Globe Specialty Metals has formed an ad hoc trade coalition in the United States with Mississippi Silicon LLC. The two U.S. merchant producers of silicon metal have agreed to form a coalition to address international trade regulatory issues related to unfair import competition which affect both companies. Going forward, Globe and Mississippi Silicon have agreed that they will work together in opposing revocation of the current antidumping duty order on silicon metal from Russia in the full sunset review of the order that the U.S. International Trade Commission recently determined to conduct. The two companies are concerned about the serious adverse impact that unfairly traded imports have on the U.S. silicon metal market and the domestic silicon metal industry.

09:21 EDT Raven CFO says goal is to generate annual earnings growth of 10% over long term - "Raven is in the top decile of our peer group for margins and returns, but our growth rates have not met our long-term objective," said Steven Brazones, VP and CFO. "Our primary financial goal is to generate annual earnings growth of 10%, over the long term. We believe this plan will get us there. In order to meet that objective, we believe we can significantly augment growth, with modest reductions in margins and return ratios, through this bolder investment strategy and drive higher value creation over the long-term. This strategy also provides balance. Executing on near-term opportunities for Raven Composites will help offset the investment being made for Raven Autonomy as it ramps over the next few years. Raven Industries' financial performance has been very strong despite persistent end-market demand challenges. As we look to pursue a bolder growth strategy, we expect to make significant strategic investments in R&D, CAPEX, and M&A to build upon our core to drive faster growth in sales, operating profit and EPS over the next five years. Total investment over the next five years is expected to be a threefold increase over the previous five years, a clear step change to drive stronger growth. For the long-term, our financial objectives include 30-32% operating margins for Applied Technology and 18-20% operating margins for Engineered Films. This strategy enables us to carry out our purpose - to solve great challenges - on a larger scale. We have the utmost confidence in our people, purpose, vision, values, business model and strategic plan. We know we can execute on our strategy and in doing so will achieve greater value creation."

09:16 EDT RedHill Biopharma to present Phase 3 data on RHB-105, RHB-104 - RedHill Biopharma announced that two oral presentations and two posters on two of the Company's leading drug candidates, RHB-1051 and RHB-104 will be presented at the American College of Gastroenterology 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, being held October 25-30, in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to the four presentations at ACG, RedHill will be sponsoring an H. pylori Disease State educational presentation in the Exhibitor Theater and will have a booth located in the Exhibit Hall. RedHill investigators will share key findings from the ERADICATE Hp2 randomized, double-blind, active comparator Phase 3 study with RHB-105 for the eradication of H. pylori infection and from the MAP U.S. randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study with RHB-104 in moderately to severely active Crohn's disease.

09:13 EDT LSC shareholders approve Diodes acquisition, associated share swap agreement - Diodes announced that Lite-On Semiconductor, or LSC, held a special meeting of shareholders during which the proposed acquisition by Diodes and the associated share swap agreement were approved. LSC entered into an agreement with Diodes under which Diodes, through an indirect 100% owned subsidiary established in Taiwan, will conduct a share swap transaction. At the effective date of the transaction, each issued and outstanding share of LSC stock will be converted into the right to receive TWD42.50 in cash, or $1.37, as of June 30 without interest. The aggregate consideration of the transaction will be approximately $428M. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. It is expected to close in April 2020. Diodes expects to fund the purchase price of the acquisition primarily with proceeds from a new financing arrangement.

09:11 EDT Neuralstem changes name to Seneca Biopharma - Neuralstem announces that the company has changed its name to Seneca Biopharma. The company anticipates that its shares will begin trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol SNCA on November 1 or shortly thereafter subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions of the exchange.

09:09 EDT Takeda BOS Phase 3 study meets co-primary, key secondary efficacy endpoints - Takeda Pharmaceuticals announced that Budesonide Oral Suspension, or BOS, its investigational therapy for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, achieved co-primary and key secondary efficacy outcomes with statistical significance compared to placebo in the first of two pivotal Phase 3 studies. Positive results on clinical endpoints were presented from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that investigated the safety and efficacy of BOS over 12 weeks of treatment among adolescent and adult patients aged 11 to 55.1 This is the first pivotal Phase 3 study investigating an EoE treatment ever to be reported in the United States and is the largest EoE clinical trial program conducted to date, globally. Results on histologic, symptomatic and endoscopic endpoints were presented during a Presidential Plenary Session of the 2019 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting. BOS is an investigational, novel mucoadherent topical corticosteroid formulation being evaluated in the United States for the treatment of EoE in adolescents and adults.

09:08 EDT Y-mAbs Therapeutics announces clinical update on omburtamab - Y-mAbs Therapeutics announced a clinical update on omburtamab for the treatment of central nervous system leptomeningeal metastases from neuroblastoma and a number of additional cancer indications. Data was presented at the International Society of Pediatric Oncology Annual Congress by Dr. Kim Kramer from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. An updated data readout as of June 30, 2019 from a single-center study at MSK, where patients with CNS/leptomeningeal metastases from neuroblastoma received up to two doses of radiolabeled omburtamab, showed that for the 107 evaluable patients, the median survival had increased to 50.8 months, with the final median not yet being reached. This compared well to a median survival of 47.1 months at the prior data readout based on the first 93 patients in the study. In addition, 68 patients diagnosed with other CNS cancers, including metastatic tumors had received a total of 201 injections of omburtamab. Injections were routinely administered in an outpatient setting. Rare self-limited adverse events included grade 1 or 2 fever, headache, vomiting; 3 injections were associated with grade 3 toxicities requiring discontinuation of therapy including chemical meningitis and increasing communicating hydrocephalus. Although not a dose limiting toxicity, myelosuppression occurred in patients who had received craniospinal radiation and at dose levels exceeding 60mCi. The primary CNS diagnoses included medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes, while metastatic tumors included sarcoma , melanoma, and other tumors. 26 of the 68 patients with these highly lethal diagnoses remain alive. Researchers at MSK developed the therapeutic products referenced in this statement, which are exclusively licensed by MSK to Y-mAbs. As a result of this licensing arrangement, MSK has institutional financial interests in the products and in Y-mAbs.

09:07 EDT Portola Pharma to present data from ANNEXA-4 at ACG - Portola Pharmaceuticals announced the presentation of a new exploratory analysis of data from ANNEXA-4, the Company's Phase 3b/4 trial of its Factor Xa inhibitor antidote Andexxa, in a key subgroup of patients with acute gastrointestinal, or GI, bleeding while taking a Factor Xa inhibitor. The data will be featured at the American College of Gastroenterology, or ACG, 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, during a plenary session on Tuesday, October 29. GI bleeding is a common type of anticoagulant-related bleeding that occurs in the upper or lower GI tract.

09:06 EDT Rafael Pharmaceuticals achieves 25 active sites for Phase 3 trial of CPI-613 - Rafael Pharmaceuticals announced the milestone activation of 25 sites for its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of CPI-613 in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. The multicenter, open-label, randomized pivotal trial is evaluating the efficacy and safety of its lead compound devimistat in combination with high dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone in older patients with relapsed or refractory AML. The global study is now active at sites in the United States, Austria, Spain and South Korea, with more openings to come. The trial will continue to open globally at additional site locations across the United States and other regions. The milestone number of sites takes the trial one step closer to the first interim data analysis and determining the efficacy of devimistat for patients with relapsed or refractory AML.

09:05 EDT 3D Systems awarded contract for corrosion research - 3D Systems announced it has been awarded a contract to conduct research and development of a Corrosion Performance Design Guide for Direct Metal Printing of Nickel Alloys. 3D Systems received the award based on its ability to thoroughly collect corrosion data and apply its expertise on the effects of various production practices associated with parts built via direct metal printing, or DMP. The company's particular technology is ideal for shipbuilding and munition fabrication due to its low oxygen content and superior part quality control. On this project effort, 3D Systems will collaborate with industry leaders - Newport News Shipbuilding and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems - as well as nationally recognized corrosion experts at the University of Akron. According to a 2018 study by Logistics Management Institute, corrosion costs the U.S. Navy more than $8.5B annually, which is more than 20% of total maintenance costs.

09:03 EDT Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Tiffany (TIF), up 32% after confirming it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from LMVH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton to acquire Tiffany for $120 per share in cash. While the parties are not in discussions, Tiffany's board is reviewing the proposal... Microsoft (MSFT), up 2% after The Department of Defense announced the award of its enterprise general-purpose cloud contract to the company, beating out Amazon (AMZN). UP AFTER EARNINGS: AT&T (T), up 2%... Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), up 1%... Spotify (SPOT), up 8%... ON Semiconductors (ON), up 2%... Cooper Tire (CTB), up 5%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: CNA Financial (CNA), down 2%... Check Point (CHKP), down 1%... HSBC (HSBC), down 3%. LOWER: PG&E (PCG), down 32% after implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff affecting approximately 940,000 customers, an increase of about 90,000 from previous estimates, in portions of 36 counties.The power cut was due to weather forecasts indicating potential for a historic wind event.

09:03 EDT Denny's partners with Beyond Meat to launch 'Denny's Beyond Burger' - In response to guests' interest in plant-based dining and flexitarian diets, Denny's (DENN) has partnered with Beyond Meat (BYND) to launch the Denny's Beyond Burger. Available at all Los Angeles area Denny's locations beginning today, the new Denny's Beyond Burger features a 100% plant-based Beyond Burger patty topped with freshly sliced tomatoes and onions, crisp lettuce, pickles, American cheese and All-American sauce on a multigrain bun - offered morning, noon, night and late night. And to prove that this is no "trick," this Halloween night between 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Denny's will celebrate the introduction of this plant-based offering by "treating" guests to a FREE Beyond Burger (with a purchase of any beverage) at any of its Los Angeles area restaurants while supplies last. While available exclusively in the Los Angeles market currently, Denny's will roll out the new Denny's Beyond Burger nationwide in 2020.

09:00 EDT Immutep says working on upscaling efti manufacturing process - The company said, "The company is also working on upscaling the manufacturing process from 200L to 2,000L single-use bioreactors at the WuXi Biologics manufacturing plant in order to be better prepared for potential commercial manufacturing and additional registration trials in multiple indications."

08:58 EDT Altice USA CFO Charles Stewart named CEO of Sotheby's, Michael Grau to succeed - Altice USA (ATUS) announced that Michael Grau has been appointed CFO, effective immediately. In this role, he is responsible for all financial and accounting matters as well as the strategic planning and analysis, internal audit, tax, investor relations and treasury activities. He will serve as an officer of the company and will report to Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei. Grau succeeds Charles Stewart who, in a separate announcement, was named CEO of Sotheby's (BID). Stewart will continue as a member of the Altice USA board of directors and serve as a special adviser to the CEO.

08:56 EDT Immutep to report data updates for TACTI-002 Phase II study on November 8 - The company said, "Immutep presented initial encouraging data of the first cohort of 17 patients for Part A of its TACTI-002 Phase II study, which is being conducted in collaboration with Merck & Co., (MRK), in June. Part A has been expanded by the data monitoring committee in September to include 19 additional patients. Recruitment is ongoing for Part B and Part C, where 6 and 12 patients have been recruited, respectively. There is also potential to expand Parts B and C, subject to the required number of predefined patient responses being observed in these groups. Hence, in total 35 patients have been recruited across all three groups in TACTI-002. Immutep will report data updates from the open label TACTI-002 study at SITC on 8 November, at 7.00am EST, as well as in Q1 2020."

08:54 EDT Immutep says 'on track' to report PFS data of Phase IIb trial in 1Q20 - The company said, "The Company is fully on track to report progression-free survival data and overall response rate data in Q1 of calendar year 2020. AIPAC is potentially a pivotal clinical trial, meaning it could serve as the basis to pursue appropriate regulatory approval pathways for efti, subject to sufficient and clinically meaningful data from the trial and regulatory interactions. Importantly AIPAC would be the first successful randomised trial in solid tumors for an antigen presenting cell activator and would be a very significant step in validating this new class of products."

08:52 EDT Omeros initiates narsoplimab BLA submission - Omeros has submitted the first sections of the rolling submission of its biologics license application, or BLA, to the FDA for narsoplimab for the treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, or HSCT-TMA, a potentially deadly complication of stem-cell transplantation. Narsoplimab is Omeros' lead human monoclonal antibody targeting mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2, or MASP-2. There currently is no approved product for the treatment or prevention of HSCT-TMA and narsoplimab is the only drug in development for the treatment of HSCT-TMA with FDA's breakthrough therapy designation. Narsoplimab also has been granted FDA's orphan drug designation for this indication. Last month, Omeros announced that FDA had agreed with the company's proposed schedule for the rolling review of its BLA for narsoplimab in the treatment of HSCT-TMA. Rolling submission enables Omeros to submit sections of the BLA as they are completed, which can accelerate the time to approval by allowing FDA to review the sections as they are submitted rather than waiting to begin its review until the entire BLA has been submitted. Because narsoplimab has orphan drug designation for HSCT-TMA, FDA has waived the approximately $3M prescription drug user fee that would normally be due when BLA submission is initiated.

08:51 EDT Kandi Technologies announces EV model K23 to ship to American market - Kandi Technologies announced that Kandi brand electric vehicle model K23, manufactured by the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Kandi Electric Vehicles Co., has been completed the necessary changes to adhere and adapt to the U.S. vehicle regulations and market preferences after months of dedicated work. To further verify the results, the inspection team from SC Autosports visited the Company's factory in Hainan to conduct a thorough tests and inspections. From October 23 to 27, the team ran the model K23 through a series of test drives and vehicle inspections; all tests produced results that met expectations and regulations. The Company is happy to announce that once the necessary fine-tuning is complete, the Kandi model K23 product will be ready to be shipped to the American market.

08:48 EDT MyoKardia announces MYK-491 data, plans to initiate Phase 2 trial in 1H20 - MyoKardia announced interim data from the company's Phase 2a clinical trial of MYK-491 and will advance MYK-491 into a Phase 2 study in patients with genetic dilated cardiomyopathy. MYK-491 is MyoKardia's lead activator candidate designed to increase the contractility of the heart with minimal or no effect on myocardial relaxation and compliance by acting directly on the proteins in the heart muscle responsible for contraction. An interim analysis of 26 patients with stable heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial showed that MYK-491 demonstrated improvement in systolic function without impacting diastolic function. These results are consistent with data from MyoKardia's Phase 1 single-ascending dose studies of MYK-491 in both healthy volunteers and DCM patients. Given the favorable safety profile observed to date, the Phase 2a study has been extended to evaluate higher exposures of MYK-491. MyoKardia plans to advance MYK-491 into a Phase 2 clinical trial in DCM patients with certain genetic mutations of the cardiac sarcomere in the first half of 2020 and continues to evaluate additional targeted patient populations for potential development. In addition to the clinical data reported to date, MYK-491 was shown in biochemical studies to activate myosin-actin cross-bridge formation in the setting of multiple pathogenic DCM mutations, as well as in genetically normal background, and in preclinical studies to improve myocardial contractility without impairing the heart's ability to relax and fill. The Phase 2a study was designed to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of multiple-ascending oral doses of MYK-491 in patients with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Patients were randomized to receive either MYK-491 or placebo for one week, during which time they were closely monitored. In 26 patients with stable heart failure, MYK-491 was generally well tolerated. All reported adverse events were mild to moderate. There have been no drug-related serious adverse events, no observations of proarrhythmic effects, and a maximum tolerated dose has not yet been identified. Asymptomatic, mild, transient increases in troponin, a biomarker of cardiac stress known to fluctuate in heart failure patients, were observed. After seven days of treatment with MYK-491, the average increase in stroke volume, a measure of the amount of blood pumped from the left ventricle, was greater than ten percent relative to baseline, on a placebo-adjusted basis. No impact on measures of diastolic function, or the heart's ability to relax and fill, was observed.

08:41 EDT Inpixon's Jibestream deploys indoor mapping solution with national retailer - Jibestream, an Inpixon company, and an indoor mapping platform provider, announced it has initiated a pilot program with a national retailer that will allow shoppers to search and locate products within their stores using digital directories. This retailer has hundreds of locations across the United States and Canada and is initially deploying digital directories at test locations that will utilize Jibestream's proprietary Web Software Development Kit. Jibestream's indoor mapping platform allows retailers to better analyze and understand consumer patterns, including what products their customers are querying and sections/departments their customers engage in the most.

08:38 EDT EPO grants second patent for AV-101 to VistaGen Therapeutics - VistaGen Therapeutics announced that the European Patent Office, or EPO, has granted the Company a second patent for therapeutic uses of AV-101, its oral NMDA, or N-methyl-D-aspartate, receptor glycine site antagonist. The new patent expands the set of claims relating to treatment of depression and dyskinesia associated with levodopa therapy for Parkinson's disease. The patent will be in effect until at least 2034. AV-101 belongs to a new generation of investigational medicines in neuropsychiatry and neurology known as NMDA receptor modulators. The NMDA receptor is a pivotal receptor in the brain and its abnormal function is associated with numerous CNS diseases and disorders. The Company remains on track to report top line results of the ELEVATE study before the end of 2019.

08:35 EDT Nvidia launches Nvidia SHIELD TV - NVIDIA unveiled the next generation of SHIELD TV, which delivers unmatched levels of home entertainment, gaming and AI capabilities right into the living room, starting at $149. The two new SHIELD models - SHIELD TV and SHIELD TV Pro - provide exceptional visual and sound experiences. Their new Tegra X1+ processor, delivering up to 25 percent more performance than its predecessor, helps bring to life Dolby Vision for ultra-vivid imagery and Dolby Atmos for extraordinary audio.

08:35 EDT Mirum Pharmaceuticals announces Breakthrough Therapy Designation for maralixibat - Mirum Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for maralixibat for the treatment of pruritus associated with Alagille syndrome, or ALGS, in patients 1 year of age and older. The Breakthrough Therapy Designation of maralixibat was granted based on evidence from the ICONIC Phase 2b clinical trial in children with ALGS. Results from the clinical trial were recently presented at the International Liver Congress.

08:34 EDT Solitario intersects 9.3 meters grading 26.5% zinc equivalent in Peru - Solitario Zinc Corp. (XPL) provided an update on the continuing 2019 drilling program on its Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. The highlight of this round of drilling was drill hole PEBGD000032 that intersected three stacked, nearly horizontal, high-grade zinc mantos, extending them by approximately 200 meters eastward from the San Jorge mineralized replacement body: 9.3 meters grading 26.5% zinc-equivalent; 3.1 meters grading 19.7% ZnEq; 2.7 meters grading 16.0% ZnEq. The Florida Canyon zinc project, located in northern Peru, is joint ventured with, and operated by, the world's fourth largest zinc miner, Nexa Resources S.A (NEXA).

08:34 EDT Compass Minerals appoints Mary Frontczak as Chief Legal Officer - Compass Minerals announced that Mary Frontczak will be joining its senior management team as Chief Legal Officer and corporate secretary, effective November 6. Frontczak most recently served as senior vice president and general counsel at POET.

08:33 EDT Allergan: Forest resolves antitrust class action litigation - Allergan announced that its subsidiaries, Forest Laboratories, LLC, Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Forest Laboratories Holdings have reached a resolution with a plaintiff class of direct purchasers of Namenda, concluding the previously disclosed direct purchaser class action litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The settlement makes no admission of wrongdoing on the part of the company and resolves the litigation that was scheduled to go to trial in October 2019. Under the settlement agreements, Forest will pay a total of $750M to the direct purchaser class, subject to finalization of the settlement agreement and court approval. In June 2014, Forest became a wholly owned subsidiary of Actavis plc which thereafter changed its corporate name to Allergan. The company will take a pre-tax GAAP charge of $750M to its third quarter earnings.

08:30 EDT Vaxart increase board of directors to eight with four new members - Vaxart, announced that four new members have been appointed to the Board of Directors effective immediately. Steven Boyd, Keith Maher, M.D., Todd Davis and Bob Yedid were all unanimously approved as directors. These appointments increase the Vaxart board of directors to eight. Concurrently, Geoffrey F. Cox, Ph.D. and John P. Richard will be stepping down from Vaxart's Board of Directors after serving since February 2018. Steven is the Chief Investment Officer of Armistice Capital, a long-short equity hedge fund focused on the health care and consumer sectors based in New York City. Keith Maher, M.D. is a Managing Director at Armistice Capital. Todd Davis is the Founder and Managing Partner of RoyaltyRx Capital, a special opportunities investment firm. Bob Yedid has over 25 years of healthcare experience as a buy-side analyst, portfolio manager, private equity investor and investment banker and since 2014 has been Managing Director of LifeSci Advisors, the largest healthcare dedicated investor relations/public relations firm globally.

08:27 EDT Lightbridge aims to maintain Nasdaq listing following reverse split - Lightbridge Corporation announced that it anticipates maintaining its listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market following the recent one-for-twelve reverse stock split of its outstanding common stock completed on October 21, 2019. In accordance with the reverse split, each stockholder's percentage ownership interest in Lightbridge remains unchanged. Any fractional shares resulting from the reverse stock split were rounded up to the nearest whole share of common stock. Additionally, the number of authorized shares of common stock were reduced from 100,000,000 to 8,333,333. Seth Grae, CEO of Lightbridge, commented, "Management had wanted to avoid the need for a reverse stock split, but milestones that we had anticipated did not occur soon enough, and we had to decide whether to conduct a reverse split to maintain the NASDAQ listing. Given these anticipated near-term milestones, which we believe have the potential to drive significant shareholder value, we decided to prioritize maintaining our NASDAQ listing. Effecting this reverse split on a one-for-twelve basis should help ensure a share price that we believe will enable us to attract a broader universe of institutional investors, as well as maintain our current institutional investor base. We are encouraged by the outlook for the business and our balance sheet remains strong with approximately $20 million in cash, and no long-term debt. We look forward to providing additional updates on near-term term milestones, including our first commercial relationship with a nuclear plant operator/electric utility."

08:24 EDT Ziopharm, MD Anderson Cancer Center announces R&D agreement for TCR-T program - Ziopharm Oncology and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a new research and development agreement relating to Ziopharm's Sleeping Beauty immunotherapy program to use non-viral gene transfer to stably express and clinically evaluate neoantigen-specific T-cell receptors in T cells. Under the terms of the new agreement, Ziopharm commits to fund an additional $20M for this expanded work in the TCR-T program through 2023, as well as certain milestone payments for clinical development or regulatory approval in the U.S., European Union, Japan and the rest of the world. The funding for this new agreement was included within the budget forecast provided by Ziopharm in its second quarter 2019 financial results news release and webcast commentary. MD Anderson will receive low, single-digit royalties on net sales in the U.S. and international markets, as well as warrants for Ziopharm common stock which vest upon achievement of clinical milestones. According to institutional guidelines, MD Anderson has implemented an Institutional Conflict of Interest Management and Monitoring Plan to manage this research. This new agreement expands the relationship between Ziopharm and MD Anderson, established under a 2015 research agreement related to CD19-specific CAR-T. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration cleared an IND application for a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate CD19-specific CAR-T, manufactured and infused within two days of gene transfer using Ziopharm's rapid personalized manufacture, as an investigational treatment for patients with relapsed CD19+ leukemias and lymphomas. Ziopharm has approximately $20M of pre-funded R&D at MD Anderson under the prior agreement, which may now be used under the new agreement, for both the CAR-T or TCR-T initiatives. In addition to the new research and development agreement, Ziopharm has entered a lease agreement with MD Anderson through which the company accesses additional laboratory and office space within the institution's campus. This new facility will serve as home for Ziopharm's expanded Houston office, under the direction of Eleanor de Groot, Ph.D., EVP, GM Cell Therapy and Drew Deniger, Ph.D., head of Ziopharm's TCR-T cell therapy program.

08:18 EDT Mapi announces first patient enrolled in Phase III study of GA Depot - Mapi Pharma Ltd. announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its Phase III study with GA Depot for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Glatiramer acetate, the active material of Copaxone, or its generic forms, is the most common treatment for RMS in the US. GA Depot is a long-acting depot formulation injection of glatiramer acetate administered once every four weeks, compared with the daily or thrice weekly regimen used with Copaxone(R)or its generic forms. In first year of the ongoing Phase II trial for RRMS, 84.6% of the per protocol patient population treated with GA Depot achieved NEDA-3. The most advanced patients in that trial have started their sixth year of treatment. Three-year Phase II results were recently presented in September 2019 in the late breaking news session of ECTRIMS 2019 conference at Stockholm.

08:17 EDT Silicom selected by leader in the SD-WAN space - Silicom announced that one of its long-term strategic customers, a leader in the SD-WAN space, has decided to standardize on Silicom's newest uCPE solutions for use in its next generation portfolio of SD-WAN devices. The customer will be using a series of off-the-shelf and customized SKUs with varying configurations and processing power options, including optional LTE and Wi-Fi as well as other extension functionalities. According to the customer's projections, orders from this Design Win are expected to begin ramping up in 2020 to a full run rate of more than $15M per year.

08:12 EDT Agile Therapeutics hopes to complete validation of manufacturing process in 2H20 - The company said, "If the Company receives approval of the Twirla NDA, it plans to acclerate its commercial activities. In September 2019, the Company re-started manufacturing development at Corium. The Company is currently working with Corium to complete manufacturing development and process improvements and plans to commence pre-validation work when that work is complete. The Company's goal is to manufacture three validation batches of Twirla and complete the validation of the commercial manufacturing process in the second half of 2020."

08:09 EDT Enphase Energy announces general availability of Enphase IQ 7A microinverter - Enphase Energy announced that the Enphase IQ 7A microinverter for high-power monofacial and bifacial solar modules will begin shipping to customers in North America in November 2019. The IQ 7A microinverter augments the lineup of seventh-generation Enphase microinverters with support for modules up to 450 W, targeting high-power residential and commercial solar applications.

08:08 EDT Gilead, Glympse Bio enter strategic collaboration in NASH clinical development - Gilead and Glympse Bio announced that the companies have entered into a strategic collaboration in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, clinical development. Glympse Bio's proprietary synthetic biomarkers, bioengineered to identify stage and progression of disease as well as early detection of treatment response, will be used to determine clinical trial participants' stage of disease at initial screening and to determine responses to study treatment in Gilead's NASH clinical program. Glympse Bio's proprietary technology, Glympse Inside, combines synthetic biomarkers with machine learning approaches to identify the stage and monitor progression of important, complex diseases such as cancer, fibrosis, inflammation, and infections, in real time. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

08:07 EDT CACI awarded $250M contract by U.S. Navy PEO-EIS - CACI announced that it has been awarded a 5-year, single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, with a ceiling value of $250M for new work, by the U.S. Navy's Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, or PEO-EIS, to provide enterprise technology for post deployment system support for the U.S. Marine Corps' Global Combat Support System. Under the contract, CACI will provide Oracle E-Business Suite operations, sustainment, and enhancement support to improve the Marine Corps' logistics and supply chain management system, ensuring efficiency and productivity for more than 22,000 enterprise users across 75 locations worldwide.

08:05 EDT Assembly Biosciences appoints Thomas Russo as CFO - Assembly Biosciences (ASMB) announced the appointment of Thomas Russo as CFO. Russo joins Assembly from Gilead (GILD), where he spent seven years in finance and commercial operations roles, including Vice President, Head of Commercial Finance.

08:04 EDT cbdMD parners with Hawaiian based ABC Stores - cbdMD announces its partnership with Hawaiian based ABC Stores, a leading travel retail chain serving travelers in over 70 stores throughout the U.S., Guam, and Saipan. Each location will offer products from cbdMD, including CBD oil tinctures, capsules, topicals, gummies, and more. The partnership marks a significant opportunity for cbdMD to continue its expansion efforts outside the continental U.S.

08:03 EDT Agile Therapeutics sees cash, cash equivalents sufficient through end of 1Q20 - The company said, "As of September 30, 2019, Agile had $18.4 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $7.8 million of cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2018. During the quarter ended September 30, 2019, the Company raised net proceeds of approximately $12.7 million from a sale of 14,526,315 shares of common stock through a public offering in August and $0.2 million from the sale of 143,482 shares of common stock from its "at-the-market" equity offerings. The Company believes its cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2019 will be sufficient to meet its projected operating requirements through the end of the first quarter 2020. The Company will require additional capital to fund operating needs for the rest of 2020 and beyond, which will primarily be used for the completion of its commercial plan for Twirla, if approved, including the completion of the validation of the commercial manufacturing process, the commercial launch, and advancing the development of its other potential product candidates."

08:03 EDT Calumet Specialty Products names H. Keith Jennings as CFO - Calumet Specialty Products (CLMT) has named H. Keith Jennings as the Partnership's Executive Vice President & CFO. Jennings will assume EVP and CFO duties on January 1, 2020 following an orderly transition with the current EVP & CFO, West Griffin, who announced he will leave the organization effective January 1, 2020. As CFO, Jennings will help execute Calumet's ongoing transformation strategy to become a premier specialty products company. He will lead all treasury, accounting, tax, IT and capital market activities and be charged with managing the partnership's balance sheet and improving its corporate finance capabilities. Jennings joins Calumet from Eastman Chemical (EMN) where he served most recently as Vice President, Finance responsible for leading all financial planning and analysis activity for the company.

07:54 EDT Unisys awarded $214M contract by DISA - Unisys announced that the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA, the agency that provides enterprise IT supporting the full spectrum of military operations, selected the company for the 4th Estate Global Service Center contract to optimize, modernize and consolidate service desk and field services for U.S. Department of Defense agencies in the U.S. and overseas. Under the contract, Unisys will deliver capabilities of its InteliServe platform of service desk managed services. The contract will serve 19 of the Defense Department's "4th Estate" organizations, a group of agencies and field activities that reside outside of the military branches and provide support functions critical to military services. The contract, worth up to $214M and awarded in the Q3, will run four years upon exercise of all the available options by DISA. The fixed-price contract calls for a single base year, followed by three one-year option periods.

07:47 EDT BrainStorm says DSMB recommends continuation of ALS Phase 3 trial of NurOwn - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics announced that the Phase 3 clinical trial independent Data Safety Monitoring Board has completed the second, pre-specified interim analysis, of safety outcomes for the first 106 patients who received repeat dosing of NurOwn in the Phase 3 trial for ALS patients. The DSMB indicated that the Phase 3 clinical trial should continue as planned. BrainStorm is conducting a repeat dose, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial of NurOwn at 6 major US clinical sites, supported by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The study is now fully enrolled and will generate top line data in Q4 2020.

07:42 EDT VIVUS announces resignation of board members Eric Roberts, Allan Shaw - VIVUS announced that Eric Roberts and Allan Shaw have resigned from its Board of Directors and all of its committees in order to increase their focus on other personal business interests. Mr. Roberts and Mr. Shaw joined the Board of Directors in September 2015. The Company does not intend to replace either of them at this time, resulting in a total of seven directors, including six independent members.

07:38 EDT Axsome Therapeutics announces results of MINDSET physician survey - Axsome Therapeutics announced results of the "Migraine Treatment Needs and Physician Receptivity" survey, which demonstrated a significant unmet need for more efficacious acute migraine treatments and a high willingness of physicians to prescribe AXS-07 should it meet the objectives of the ongoing MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial in patients with difficult-to-treat migraines. MINDSET surveyed 106 neurologists and other migraine-treating physicians, who collectively treat more than 50,000 migraine patients annually, to understand physicians' views of the unmet needs in the acute treatment of migraine and their potential receptivity to AXS-07. AXS-07 is a novel, oral, investigational medicine with distinct dual mechanisms of action, currently being evaluated in two Phase 3 efficacy trials for the acute treatment of migraine. According to the vast majority of physicians, the most significant unmet need in the acute treatment of migraine is efficacy, and the majority of their patients who switch acute migraine treatments do so because of suboptimal efficacy. Physicians would prescribe AXS-07 to 37% of their patients who experience difficult-to-treat migraine if it demonstrates efficacy over placebo in the ongoing MOMENTUM trial in patients with a history of inadequate response. If AXS-07 demonstrates superior efficacy to rizatriptan as assessed in the MOMENTUM trial, approximately 90% of physicians report they are more likely to prescribe AXS-07 over currently available treatments, and over other emerging therapies, including oral CGRPs, that have not demonstrated superiority to current therapies. More than half of physicians report that they are significantly or moderately more likely to prescribe AXS-07 over these other treatments. Results of the survey also indicate that treating physicians are significantly concerned that suboptimal response to acute migraine treatments may lead to progression to chronic migraine. Furthermore, the majority of physicians believe it is very important to administer acute treatments at the earliest sign of migraine pain. The survey respondents consisted of a total of 106 physicians, of whom 76% are neurologists and 24% are primary care physicians. Collectively, the survey respondents personally see and treat 51,504 migraine patients at least once per year. The survey was fielded in October 2019. Improved efficacy is the most significant unmet need in the acute treatment of migraine, according to 85% of physicians, far outpacing other areas. The majority of their patients who switch acute migraine treatments do so because of suboptimal efficacy. A significant number of migraine patients experience suboptimal response to current treatments or experience difficult-to-treat migraines, according to treating physicians. Increased risk of progression from episodic to chronic migraine associated with suboptimal acute treatment is a key concern for treating physicians, with 76% reporting that they are significantly or moderately concerned. Early treatment of migraine is believed to be very important by 90% of treating physicians. Willingness to Prescribe AXS-07 If AXS-07 demonstrates superior efficacy over placebo in patients with a history of inadequate response to prior acute treatments, as assessed in the ongoing MOMENTUM trial, physicians indicate they would prescribe AXS-07 to 37% of their patients with difficult-to-treat migraines. If AXS-07 demonstrates superior efficacy over rizatriptan, as assessed in the ongoing MOMENTUM trial, 91% of physicians report that they are more likely to prescribe AXS-07 over currently available treatments, with 56% reporting that they are significantly or moderately more likely to prescribe AXS-07. If AXS-07 demonstrates superior efficacy over rizatriptan as assessed in the ongoing MOMENTUM trial, 87% of physicians report that they are more likely to prescribe AXS-07 over other drugs in development, including oral CGRPs, that have not demonstrated superior efficacy to current treatments, with 56% reporting that they are significantly or moderately more likely to prescribe AXS-07.

07:34 EDT Biohaven completes enrollment in Phase 3 clinical trial for troriluzole - Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding announced that it has completed enrollment in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of troriluzole in generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. This multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, trial enrolled over 880 patients in less than nine months. GAD is a chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, excessive anxiety and worry and is often associated with significant functional impairment. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, or ADAA, millions of Americans suffer from GAD.

07:33 EDT Wanda Sports appoints Kenneth Jarrett to board of directors - Wanda Sports Group Company announced it has expanded its Board of Directors and appointed Kenneth Jarrett as an independent director, effective immediately. Jarrett will serve on WSG's Audit, Compensation and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.

07:32 EDT Neuronetics partners with Success TMS - Neuronetics announced a partnership with Success TMS, a healthcare provider specializing in transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-drug, non-invasive treatment for adult patients with Major Depressive Disorder. As part of a three-year agreement, Success TMS will offer Neuronetics' NeuroStar Advanced Therapy system as its preferred TMS device at 21 locations across six states. Under the terms of the partnership, Success TMS will offer NeuroStar Advanced Therapy TMS systems at all its locations. This partnership is expected to allow for the treatment of thousands of patients across Success TMS's clinic locations. Success TMS plans on continuing its aggressive growth by launching new clinics in both existing and new regions over the next 18 months, including four in South Florida by 2019 year end - Miami, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, and Boca Raton.

07:30 EDT Axsome Therapeutics announces initiation of Phase 3 INTERCEPT trial with AXS-07 - Axsome Therapeutics announces the initiation of the INTERCEPT trial, a Phase 3 study evaluating the early treatment of migraine with AXS-07, the Company's novel, oral, investigational medicine with distinct dual mechanisms of action for the acute treatment of migraine. The Company separately announced results of the MINDSET survey of physicians who treat in aggregate more than 50,000 migraine patients annually. The vast majority of survey physicians believe it is very important for patients to administer their acute treatment at the earliest sign of migraine pain, supporting the rationale for the INTERCEPT trial which is designed to enhance the market readiness of AXS-07 by generating information on its potential real-world use. The vast majority of respondent also cite efficacy as the most significant unmet need in the acute treatment of migraine, supporting the rationale for the MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial in patients with difficult-to-treat migraine. Enrollment in MOMENTUM is nearly complete and the study is on track for readout of topline results before year end. Based on FDA feedback, the MOMENTUM trial, if positive, will be the only efficacy trial required to support an NDA filing for AXS-07 for the acute treatment of migraine, as previously disclosed. The Company plans to hold an investor R&D call with migraine key opinion leaders on November 25, 2019 to discuss unmet needs in the acute treatment of migraine and the potential for AXS-07. Enrollment in the MOMENTUM trial is nearly complete, and the Company remains on track to report topline results from this study in the fourth quarter of 2019. MOMENTUM is enrolling only patients with a history of inadequate response to prior acute migraine treatments, assessed using the Migraine Treatment Optimization Questionnaire, and incorporates the potent active comparator rizatriptan. The trial is being conducted pursuant to an FDA Special Protocol Assessment. Based on FDA feedback, this trial, if positive, will be the only efficacy trial required to support an NDA filing for AXS-07 for the acute treatment of migraine. The Company launched the INTERCEPT trial, a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the early treatment of migraine with AXS-07. In contrast to the ongoing MOMENTUM trial in which patients with a history of inadequate response treat migraine attacks once they have become of moderate or severe intensity, in the INTERCEPT trial, patients are to administer AXS-07 at the earliest sign of migraine pain. Approximately 300 patients will be randomized in this study in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with AXS-07 or placebo. Topline results from the INTERCEPT trial are anticipated in the first quarter of 2020.

07:24 EDT Crispr Therapeutics expects data from Phase 1/2 study of CTX001 in late 2019 - The company said, "Enrollment is ongoing at six clinical trial sites in the U.S., Canada and Europe for the Phase 1/2 study of CTX001 in patients with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia and at ten clinical trial sites in the U.S., Canada and Europe for the study in patients with severe sickle cell disease. The European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products issued a positive opinion for orphan drug designation of CTX001 for the treatment of TDT. In addition, we are expanding the TDT patient population for CTX001 to include beta zero/beta zero subtypes. The Company expects to release preliminary safety and efficacy data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials in late 2019."

07:22 EDT uniQure expects to enroll first patient in AMT-130 study this year or early 2020 - The company said, "The Company continues to make important progress with its dose-escalating, randomized and controlled Phase I/II clinical study to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a one-time treatment of AMT-130 in patients with Huntington's disease. Several clinical sites are now open for enrollment and patient screening is underway. The Company expects to enroll the first sentinel patient later this year or in early 2020."

07:20 EDT uniQure exprects top-line data for HOPE-B pivotal study before end of 2020 - The company said, "In early September 2019, the Company announced the achievement of patient enrollment in its HOPE-B pivotal study of etranacogene dezaparvovec for the treatment of patients with severe and moderately severe hemophilia B. Due to the high level of interest in the study from both patients and study investigators, the study was over-enrolled with 6 patients, providing a cumulative enrollment of 62 patients across 39 sites in the United States and Europe. With the achieved enrollment of the HOPE-B pivotal study, the Company expects to provide top-line Factor IX activity data on all patients before the end of 2020, and to submit a Biologics License Application for marketing authorization of etranacogene dezaparvovec in 2021."

07:17 EDT Bank of Hawaii declares quarterly cash dividend of 67c per share - The dividend will be payable on December 13 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 29.

07:15 EDT Nuance partners with The Sullivan Group for Dragon Medical Advisor - At the American College of Emergency Physicians conference, Nuance Communications launched a new emergency medicine solution for Nuance's Dragon Medical Advisor with integrated content from The Sullivan Group to help emergency department physicians improve patient safety and lower liability risks. Available through Dragon Medical One (DMO), which is already used in more than 3,900 emergency departments for over 135.9 million visits annually, DMA with ED Guidance, through an exclusive agreement between Nuance and TSG, embeds TSG's risk mitigation and patient safety content within Nuance's Computer-Assisted Physician Documentation solution. It adds AI-powered tools for diagnostic advice, clinical best practices, and improved documentation at the point of care to help reduce the occurrence of adverse safety events and the potential for missing diagnoses, the most common cause of ED-related malpractice litigation.

07:10 EDT uniQure sees cash, cash equivalents sufficient to fund operations into 2022 - The company said, "As of September 30, 2019, the Company held cash and cash equivalents of $403.2 million, compared to $184.1 million as of June 30, 2019. The Company currently expects cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund operations into 2022."

07:08 EDT Rexford Industrial acquires industrial property in San Diego for $8M - Rexford Industrial Realty announced the acquisition of an industrial property for $8M and the disposition of one asset for $11.2M. The acquisition was funded using cash on hand. The Company acquired 8985 Crestmar Point, located in San Diego within the Central San Diego submarket, for $8M, or $143 per square foot. The low-coverage property consists of an industrial building containing 55,816 square feet on 3.42 acres of land that is currently 88% leased to two tenants at below-market rents. Upon lease expiration, the Company intends to either renew or re-tenant at market rates, or to reposition the space into a two-tenant industrial building. The building offers modern 26' clearance and appeals to a broad range of industrial tenants. The Company sold an industrial complex located at 13914-13928 E. Valley Boulevard in La Puente, within the LA - San Gabriel Valley submarket, for $11.2M, or $192 per square foot. The Company had acquired the property for approximately $4.7M in 2013. Proceeds from the disposition will be recycled in a tax deferred 1031 exchange to fund acquisitions.

07:06 EDT AT&T CEO says engagement with Elliott 'constructive and helpful' - "The objectives we have outlined today have been central to our plans for many months, even before we closed our acquisition of Time Warner. But, as you would expect, our thinking has also benefited from our engagement with our owners, including Elliott Management," said CEO Stephenson. "I've found our engagement with Elliott to be constructive and helpful, and I look forward to continuing those conservations. These are smart people who very much appreciate the opportunity we have to create tremendous shareholder value."

07:05 EDT Athene authorizes $600M of incremental share repurchase capacity

07:05 EDT Dorman Products says new Portland, TN distribution facility fully operational - The company said, "Late in the first quarter of 2019, we began the process of transferring operations of our existing distribution facility in Portland, TN to a new, nearby larger facility. Early in the fourth quarter, we executed our plan and the new facility is now fully operational. While the move had some operational challenges, we expect to improve our customer service abilities and productivity as a result of this transition. We anticipate that we will continue to incur higher costs in the fourth quarter of 2019 and expect our distribution costs to be back to more typical levels as we move through 2020. Year to date, we have incurred approximately $17.1 million of costs due to start up inefficiencies and duplication of facility overhead and operating costs related to our consolidation activities, with $3.6 million included in gross profit and $13.5 million in SG&A expenses. "

07:04 EDT DTE Energy raises dividend 7% to $1.0125 - The DTE Energy Board of Directors declared a $1.0125 per share dividend on its common stock payable Jan. 15, 2020, to shareholders of record at the close of business Dec. 16. This is a 7% increase from the previous quarterly dividend of 94.5c per share. The new annualized dividend per share is $4.05, up from $3.78.

07:02 EDT Athene Holding to convert to single-class structure

07:01 EDT AT&T CEO: 3-year plan delivers substantial, consistent financial improvements - "The strategic investments we've made over the last several years have given us the essential elements to meet growing demand for content and connectivity," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. "Our 3-year plan delivers both substantial and consistent financial improvements over the next 3 years. We grow revenues, EBITDA and EPS every single year, and free cash flow is stable next year, but then grows in both of the next two years, as well. And all of this is inclusive of our investment in HBO Max." The 3-year financial guidance calls for 1% to 2% per year consolidated revenue growth and by 2022 an adjusted EBITDA margin of 35%, 200 bps higher than 2019 levels. Adjusted EBITDA margins are expected to be stable in 2020 and grow in 2021 and 2022, driven by our companywide cost-reduction plan, WarnerMedia synergies, continued Mobility growth and AT&T Mexico EBITDA growth. By targeting 35% EBITDA margins with revenue growth of 1% to 2%, the company expects about $6 billion of EBITDA growth in 2022, above 2019 EBITDA levels.

07:00 EDT McDermott announces 'substantial' completion of PEMEX Abkatun-A2 platform - McDermott announced substantial completion of PEMEX Exploracion y Produccion's Abkatun-A2 Platform. The production platform is located in Mexico's Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. This milestone means the platform has now been turned over to the owner to begin commercial operations. "With substantial completion of the Abkatun-A2 Platform project successfully achieved, PEMEX is ready to begin commercial operations," said Mark Coscio, McDermott's Senior Vice President for North, Central and South America. "The project demonstrates our ability to deliver a vertically integrated, turnkey EPCI solution to build and commission platforms and associated structures utilizing our project management, engineering and fabrication teams in Mexico."

06:57 EDT AT&T reports Q3 255,000 phone net adds - Mobility: Service revenues up 0.7% in 3Q; up 1.9% year to date. 255,000 phone net adds (101,000 postpaid, 154,000 prepaid); 780,000 phone net adds year to date.

06:55 EDT AT&T announces three-year capital allocation plan - "The company's capital allocation plan for the next 3 years includes: Dividend Growth & Payout Ratio: Continued modest annual dividend growth; dividends as percent of free cash flow of less than 50% in 2022; Share Retirement: 50-70% of post-dividend free cash flow being used to retire about 70% of the shares issued for the Time Warner deal; Debt Reduction: Retiring 100% of the acquisition debt from the Time Warner deal; a net-debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio between 2.0x and 2.25x by 2022; Portfolio Review: Continued disciplined review of portfolio; no major acquisitions. When combining AT&T's current dividend yield along with planned share repurchases averaging more than 3% per year for the next 3 years, that provides shareholders a yield of about 8.5% per year - and a solid double-digit return when expected EPS growth is included. The company said it will continue to actively review its portfolio, analyze the merits of each business and monetize non-core assets. In 2019, the company expects to close about $14 billion from monetizing non-core assets. In 2020, the company expects to monetize $5 billion to $10 billion of non-strategic assets. In addition, the company said it will continue to refresh its Board as two directors retire over the next 18 months. Subject to Board approval, the company expects to add a new director at its next Board meeting, followed by another director in 2020. In both cases, the Board will continue to select directors with skill sets that align with the objectives laid out today. The company also said that it expects Stephenson to remain CEO through at least 2020. With its 3-year financial outlook and the benefits of its capital allocation plan, AT&T expects adjusted EPS in the $3.60 to $3.70 range in 2020 and by 2022 expects adjusted EPS to be between $4.50 and $4.80. These EPS expectations include HBO Max investment of about 15c to 20c per share in 2020, and then about 10c per share investment in 2021 and 2022."

06:54 EDT AT&T sees FY20 free cash flow stable in $28B range - Sees FY20: Dividend payout ratio: In low 50s% range; Gross capital investment: In $20B range; Monetization of assets: $5B-$10B.

06:34 EDT CGI Group expands IT agreement with LocalTapiola, valued at EUR400M - CGI announced an agreement to expand CGI's responsibility for LocalTapiola's strategic IT services. LocalTapiola is one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in Finland. The new agreement ensures LocalTapiola's insurance services, customer journey and business development. The value of the signed agreement is EUR40M, with the agreement covering the core systems and all support systems of LocalTapiola. Going forward, CGI will be responsible for the maintenance and further development of more than 200 different systems. In addition, the agreement covers services related to service integration and management, regarding which CGI will also be responsible for managing the activities of LocalTapiola's third party IT service providers.

06:31 EDT IVERIC bio says Phase 2 trial of Zimura met primary endpoint - IVERIC bio announced initial topline data confirming that Zimura, the company's complement factor C5 inhibitor, met its prespecified primary endpoint in reducing the rate of geographic atrophy growth in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration in a randomized, controlled Phase 2b clinical trial. The reduction in the mean rate of GA growth over 12 months was 27.38% for the Zimura 2 mg group as compared to the corresponding sham control group and 27.81% for the Zimura 4 mg group as compared to the corresponding sham control group. These data for both dose groups were statistically significant. Although efficacy data from patients receiving Zimura 1 mg was not part of the prespecified statistical analysis, preliminary descriptive analysis indicated that, on average, the percent GA growth from baseline to month 12 for Zimura 1 mg group was less than for the corresponding sham control group. The overall data suggest a dose response relationship across treatment groups. Zimura was generally well tolerated after 12 months of administration. There was no Zimura-related inflammation and there were no Zimura-related discontinuations from the trial. Further, there have been no ocular serious adverse events and no cases of endophthalmitis reported in the study eye in this ongoing clinical trial. During the first 12 months of the trial, the incidence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the untreated fellow eye was 10 patients (3.5%), and in the study eye was 3 patients (2.7%) in the sham control group, 6 patients (9.0%) in the Zimura 2 mg group, and 8 patients (9.6%) in the Zimura 4 mg group. The most frequently reported ocular adverse events were related to the injection procedure.

06:22 EDT HSBC says does not expect to achieve 11% RoTE target by 2020 - HSBC said in a statement: "The revenue environment is more challenging than in the first half of 2019, and the outlook for revenue growth is softer than we anticipated at the half-year. As a result, we no longer expect to reach our RoTE target of more than 11% in 2020. We will act to rebalance our capital away from low-return businesses and adjust the cost base in line with the actions we take. These actions, or any continuing deterioration in the revenue environment, could result in significant charges in 4Q19 and subsequent periods, including the possible impairment of goodwill and additional restructuring charges. Addressing low-return businesses and reducing risk-weighted assets will allow redeployment of capital and resources into higher growth and return opportunities. We intend to sustain the dividend and maintain a CET1 ratio of above 14%."

06:12 EDT Internet Gold sees Searchlight Transaction closing on November 14 - Internet Gold announced, further to the company's report dated October 17 regarding B Communications' announcement of an updated anticipated schedule for closing of the Searchlight Transaction, that BComm announced an additional update to the anticipated schedule for closing of the Searchlight Transaction. According to BComm's announcement, the updated expected date for the closing of the Searchlight Transaction is November 14.

06:07 EDT LVMH confirms preliminary discussions about possible transaction with Tiffany - LVMH (LVMUY) issued the following statement: "In light of recent market rumours, the LVMH Group confirms that it has held preliminary discussions regarding a possible transaction with Tiffany. There can be no assurance that these discussions will result in any agreement."

06:06 EDT NIO Inc. announces CFO Louis Hsieh resigns for personal reasons - NIO Inc. announced that Louis Hsieh has tendered his resignation as CFO of the company for personal reasons, effective October 30. The company has commenced the search for Hsieh's replacement and is committed to moving quickly to fill the role.

06:04 EDT Spotify sees Q4 total revenue EUR1.74B-EUR1.94B - Q4 2019 guidance: Total MAUs: 255-270 million; Total Premium Subscribers: 120-125 million; Total Revenue: EURO$1.74-EURO$1.94 billion; Gross Margin: 23.7-25.7%; Operating Profit/Loss: EURO$(31)-EURO$(131) million.

06:03 EDT Spotify reports Q3 total MAUs up 30% y/y to 248M - Spotify (SPOT) said in a statement: "We finished Q3 with 113 million Premium Subscribers globally, up 31% Y/Y. Net Subscriber growth exceeded our expectations and was led by strong performance in both Family Plan and Student Plan. All other product offerings were mostly in line with expectations... In August, we launched a test of a new 90-day free trial offering to Standard and Student Plans. Family Plan was added in October. The test performed in line with plan and was not the reason Subscribers outperformed guidance in the quarter. We believe the 90-day offering will have positive benefit to growth and retention moving forward. We continue to feel very good about our competitive position in the market. Relative to Apple (AAPL), the publicly available data shows that we are adding roughly twice as many subscribers per month as they are. Additionally, we believe that our monthly engagement is roughly 2x as high and our churn is at half the rate. Elsewhere, our estimates imply that we continue to add more users on an absolute basis than Amazon. Our data also suggests that Amazon's user base skews significantly more to 'Ad-Supported' than 'Premium', and that average engagement on our platform is approximately 3x."

05:24 EDT Nano Dimension signs MoU with CBTP - Nano Dimension announced that it has signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, with Chungbuk Technopark, or CBTP, in South Korea, for research collaboration in the field of additive manufacturing of electronics. The collaboration will focus on joint research to streamline electronics development, based on Nano Dimension's award-winning DragonFly system, the only precision additive manufacturing system of its type. Nano Dimension will provide knowledge, technical expertise and end-to-end support to CBTP researchers, to help integrate electronics into existing structures and improve components in terms of space, weights and assembly. The partnership has already resulted in novel applications for the electronics sector, including a fully functional 3D printed IoT communication device that can shorten development times for IoT devices by up to 90%, compared to traditional devices. Researchers at CBTP's premises in Cheongju have also printed capacitors in PCBs and side mount boards on the DragonFly additive manufacturing system. The extra space afforded through embedding capacitors and side mounting allows design engineers to pack more functionality on the circuit board which is particularly relevant for IoT and Industry 4.0 where customized designs and shapes are a growing demand.

05:21 EDT Jacobs Engineering acquires 50% share in Simetrica - Jacobs has acquired a 50% share in Simetrica, a U.K.-based organization that specializes in social value measurement and wellbeing analysis. Under the new partnership, Simetrica will provide its expertise to increase existing capabilities and offerings in the areas of socio-economics, sustainability and environmental services. "In response to increasing client demand driven by the Public Services Act in the U.K., the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Inclusive Growth Initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Jacobs and Simetrica are developing new best practices and solutions related to social value and wellbeing principles."