Stockwinners Market Radar for October 29, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:01 EDT Assured Guaranty CIO Feldstein buys 22.9K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Assured Guaranty disclosed that its Chief Investment Officer Andrew Feldstein bought 22.9K shares of common stock on October 25th-28th. The total transaction size was $1.07M.

19:18 EDT Allstate reports Q3 underlying combined ratio 86.3% vs. 86.2% last year - Reports Q3 Property-Liability premiums written $9.3B vs. $8.8B last year.

18:46 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: OneSpan (OSPN) up 19.8%... Mattel (MAT) up 19.1%... Unisys (UIS) up 13.7%... Inphi (IPHI) Up 10.6%... Antero Resources (AR) up 9.2%... Silicon Motion (SIMO) up 7.7%... McGrath RentCorp (MGRC) up 7.0%... Maxim (MXIM) up 6.6%... Zendesk (ZEN) up 5.3%... Herbalife (HLF) up 4.6%... National Instruments (NATI) up 3.4%... Boston Beer (SAM) up 3.1%... Matador Resources (MTDR) up 2.8%... RR Donnelley (RRD) up 2.7%... EPR Properties (EPR) up 2.3%... Arch Capital (ACGL) up 1.9%... Nabors (NBR) up 1.7%... Ashford Hospitality (AHT) up 1.5%... MDU Resources (MDU) up 1.4%. ALSO HIGHER: Green Dot (GDOT) up 14.6% after extending partnership with Walmart... MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) up 7.6% after merging with Northwest Bancshares. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Enphase (ENPH) down 15.1%... Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD) down 10.3%... Exact Sciences (EXAS) down 8.6%... Accuray (ARAY) down 8.3%... Lydall (LDL) down 7.0%... CH Robinson (CHRW) down 6.1%... Yum China (YUMC) down 5.0%... Cardiovascular Systems (CSII) down 4.2%... Community Health Systems (CYH) down 4.2%... FireEye (FEYE) down 4.1%... UDR (UDR) down 4.0%... Electronic Arts (EA) down 3.2%... Paycom (PAYC) down 2.0%... Mondelez (MDLZ) down 1.9%... Unum Group (UNM) down 1.9%. Movers as of 18:15ET.

18:39 EDT Zebra Technologies CEO: We executed very well in Q3 - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Zebra Technologies CEO Anders Gustafsson said: We've moved some of our supply chain out of China... Our supply chain has been very focused on China... China was down double digits in Q3... We had great growth in Asia... We're proud of the trust the U.S Postal Service has placed in us.

18:12 EDT Webster Financial raises share repurchase authorization to $200M - Webster Financial announced that its board of directors has increased its repurchase authority to $200M in shares of Webster common stock. The board of directors had previously approved a $100M share repurchase program in October 2017, of which approximately $78.7M of repurchase authority remained at September 30, 2019.

18:03 EDT Silicon Motion CEO says controller sales to strengthen in Q4 - CEO Wallace Kou said: ""We are expecting a strong finish to this year, with revenue growing further in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, we expect sales of both our SSD controllers and eMMC+UFS controllers to strengthen, and our SSD solutions sales to continue recovering. Sales visibility has improved considerably since earlier this year, and based on what we are seeing from our customers' procurement plans, our SSD controllers, eMMC+UFS controllers and SSD solutions are all expected to deliver solid growth next year."

17:55 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 917.319MT from 918.48MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since September 24th.

17:43 EDT Nabors Industries reports Q3 adjusted EBITDA $207.0M vs. $201.0M last year

17:33 EDT Tinder founders' lawsuit against IAC /Match Group to proceed to trial - A New York appeals court unanimously ruled that the multibillion-dollar lawsuit filed by Tinder founders and early employees against Defendants IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) and Match Group (MTCH) will continue to proceed to trial. The lawsuit details how IAC and Match Group unlawfully cheated the Tinder Plaintiffs of billions of dollars by improperly undervaluing and converting their stock options in Tinder, which is today worth more than $20B. The appeals court unanimously upheld the trial court's decision denying Defendants' motion to dismiss on statute-of-limitations and other grounds. A jury trial is scheduled for 2020. Orin Snyder, attorney for the Tinder plaintiffs said, "IAC and Match cheated our clients and engaged in a brazen cover-up. We are pleased that the appellate court unanimously upheld the trial court's decision and rejected IAC's latest maneuver to avoid a trial. The evidence of IAC's lawless behavior is mounting. We look forward to presenting it to the jury."

17:27 EDT Exela Technologies terminates discussion with private equity firm - Exela Technologies announced that discussions between an internationally recognized private equity firm and the Company's Special Committee of Independent Directors, which was formed to evaluate a preliminary non-binding indication of interest received from such firm and HandsOn Global Management, have terminated.

17:18 EDT Liberty Oilfield Services expects slowing pace of frac activity in second half - The company said "Total industry frac stages in North America are projected to be up only marginally year over year. However efficiency gains across the industry have raised the number of frac stages completed by each fleet by 10%-20%, which implies a 10% or so decrease in the required active frac fleets. The slowing pace of frac activity in the second half of 2019 is leading to a further reduction of demand for frac fleets, resulting in pricing pressure on services. The expected slowdown of completions in the Q4 may be more intense than the one experienced during the same period in 2018, as operators face capital constraints and manage completions to fixed capital expenditure budgets." And added "We are seeing reductions in the supply of staffed frac fleets in the market and announcements of permanent retirement of older equipment. This is helpful, but there continues to be an oversupply of frac fleets in the market which is holding down pricing. We would not expect pricing to improve until supply of actively staffed frac equipment better balances with demand."

17:07 EDT Cheesecake Factory targets long-term revenue growth of 8% - Targets 13%-14% total returns to shareholders. Comments taken from investor presentation slides.Reference Link

17:01 EDT Nike sells Hurley brand to Bluestar Alliance, terms not disclosed - Nike announced it has reached a definitive agreement to sell the Hurley brand to Bluestar Alliance. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed and it is expected to be complete in December.

16:53 EDT Antero Resources raises FY19 production guidance 2% to 3,250 MMcfe/d - The company raised FY19 production guidance to the top end of the range, or approximately 3,250 MMcfe/d, a 2% increase from the midpoint of the prior range of 3,150MMcfe/d-3,250 MMcfe/d. Lowers FY19 drilling and completion capital view to a range of $1.275B-$1.3B, a 4% decrease from the prior range of $1.3B-$1.375B. Projecting a $4 to $5 per barrel improvement in realized C3+ prices in the Q4 based on current strip prices.

16:51 EDT Yum China reports Q3 restaurant margin 17.7% vs. 17.6% in prior year period - Opened 231 new restaurants during the quarter, bringing total store count to 8,917 across more than 1,300 cities.

16:48 EDT Boston Beer narrows FY19 non-GAAP EPS view to $8.70-$9.30 from $8.30-$9.30 - Sees FY19 capital spending $100M-$110M, a decrease from the previously communicated estimate of $120M-$140M.

16:45 EDT SAIC wins $68M contract with National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has awarded the $68M Zeus contract to Science Applications International Corp. The Zeus acquisition is the follow-on contract for the Innovative GEOINT Application Provider Program that SAIC has supported since 2014. SAIC serves as the unbiased trusted broker for NGA, partnering with startups and innovative sources to acquire apps and data content that support geospatial intelligence missions. "IGAPP drives the swift delivery of innovations to the defense and intelligence communities," said Michael LaRouche, executive vice president and general manager of SAIC's National Security Customer Group. "Not only does the program bring advanced commercial applications to the NGA GEOINT AppStore for use by Department of Defense and intelligence community users, it also models an effective and streamlined acquisition process. The NGA is really at the forefront of agile acquisition in government, and we are proud to partner with them."

16:44 EDT Amgen reports Q3 free cash flow of $3.2B versus $3.1B last year

16:37 EDT American Assets Trust increases quarterly dividend 7% to 30c per share - The company has declared a dividend on its common stock of 30c per share for Q4, which is a 7% increase over the prior quarterly dividend per share. The dividend will be paid on December 26 to stockholders of record on December 12.

16:35 EDT Columbia Property completes over 170,000 sq feet of leasing deals YTD - Columbia Property Trust announced that it has completed more than 170,000 square feet of leasing transactions year-to-date within its four-building office portfolio in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Buoyed by a mixture of tenant renewals and new leases, this activity represents a substantial increase in leasing velocity compared to the same period in 2018, and was accompanied by average rent rollups of 51 percent. The company's 2-million-square-foot Bay Area portfolio, which accounts for close to a third of Columbia's real estate assets nationally, is 97 percent leased.

16:35 EDT Fluor awarded 5-year offshore services contract by EnQuest - Fluor announced that Stork, part of Fluor's Diversified Services segment, was awarded a five-year contract by EnQuest PLC to provide multi-skilled deck crew services for its offshore oil and gas assets located in the northern and central North Sea. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the third quarter of 2019. The five-year contract began in September and includes two one-year extension options.

16:33 EDT Lydall expects strong cash generation in Q4 - The company concluded, "The market weakness we have seen in both the Technical Nonwovens and Performance Materials segments is not expected to improve in the fourth quarter and may further deteriorate. As a result, the Company is aggressively adjusting its cost structure, and will record one-time severance-related expenses of $2.0 million to $2.5 million in the fourth quarter, with savings of $4.0 million to $5.0 million anticipated in 2020. Further, while the General Motors strike just ended, we will be negatively impacted by the strike in the fourth quarter and are sharpening our focus on reducing manufacturing costs in our Thermal Acoustical Solutions segment. As we close out 2019, we expect strong cash generation in the fourth quarter that will allow the Company to continue to reduce its outstanding debt."

16:31 EDT Yum China reports Q3 SSS up 2% - Same-store sales grew 2% year over year, with a 3% increase at KFC and a 1% increase at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X.

16:28 EDT J&J resumes trading, up 4% after saying no asbestos found in baby powder

16:27 EDT Aerojet Rocketdyne down 4.8% after reporting Q3 earnings results

16:25 EDT Karmin granted court order approving Nexa arrangement - Nexa Resources and Karmin Exploration announced that Karmin has received a final order from the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta approving the previously announced plan of arrangement among the company, Nexa Resources, Votorantim Metals Canada Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nexa Resources, and Kar Gold Inc., described in the press releases issued by each of the Company and Nexa on August 26, 2019. Closing of the Arrangement remains subject to customary closing conditions, including the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. It is anticipated that the Arrangement will be completed on or around October 30, 2019.

16:24 EDT Acco Brands raises quarterly dividend 8.3% to 6.5c per share - The dividend will be paid on December 18 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 29.

16:20 EDT Matador raises FY19 oil and natural gas production and adjusted EBITDA view - Now sees total oil production of 13.625 to 13.675 million Bbl, total oil equivalent production of 23.6 to 23.7 million BOE and adjusted EBITDA of $560M-$575M.

16:17 EDT Northwest Pipe selected to supply pipe for North Carolina project - Northwest Pipe Company was recently selected by Garney Construction to supply pipe for a new raw water main for the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority that will traverse portions of Bladen County, Columbus County, and Brunswick County in North Carolina. Northwest Pipe Company will manufacture approximately 14 miles of 54-inch cement mortar lined and polyurethane coated engineered steel pipe for the transmission of raw water from the Kings Bluff Raw Water Pump Station along the Cape Fear River in Bladen County to the Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority ground reservoir located near the City of Northwest in Brunswick County. The new transmission line will parallel an existing line that is aging and not able to meet the community's growing demand for raw water. The Company will manufacture over 5,000 tons of pipe for this project. Garney Construction plans to begin installation in January 2020 and is expected to reach completion by December 2022.

16:14 EDT Chubb CEO says 'we are executing at a high level' - Evan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Chubb Limited, commented: "Our third quarter results were highlighted by core operating earnings that were up double-digit over prior year and excellent premium revenue growth in many areas of our company. Core operating income of $2.70 per share, up 12%, was driven by strong contributions from underwriting and investment income. Our P&C combined ratio of 90.2% benefited from lower year-on-year catastrophe losses, offset partially by higher losses in crop insurance, another CAT-like risk. P&C net premiums written were up over 7% in constant dollars. Growth was distributed broadly across the globe, with net premiums up 6.5% in our North America insurance operations, up circa 10% in Asia and Latin America, and up 8% and 6%, respectively, in the U.K. and on the European Continent. We benefited from an improved pricing and underwriting environment and a flight to quality from commercial insurance buyers who are more often choosing Chubb. Pricing continued to firm in the quarter - in many cases at double or greater the rate of the first quarter - with rate increases accelerating and spreading to more classes of business. We are also benefiting from our many product, customer and distribution-related growth initiatives in the U.S., Asia and Latin America. Book and tangible book value per share were up 2% and 3.3%, respectively, in the quarter, and are up 9.8% and 15.7% for the year. While benefiting temporarily our company's book value growth, prolonged low interest rates, a result of overreliance on monetary policy, have penalized savers and led to misallocation of capital and overvaluation of assets without substantially supporting business investment and economic growth. Our company is in great shape and we are executing at a high level."

16:13 EDT Herbalife Nutrition names John Agwunobi CEO - The Board of Directors of Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. announced that John Agwunobi, Co-President and Chief Health and Nutrition Officer, will become Chief Executive Officer, effective March 30, 2020. At that time, John DeSimone, Co-President and Chief Strategic Officer, will become President. Michael Johnson, who is serving as CEO on an interim basis, will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors. John Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., joined Herbalife Nutrition as Chief Health and Nutrition Officer in 2016 and was named Co-President in 2018.

16:10 EDT Mattel probe determines company has certain material weaknesses - Mattel announced that the Audit Committee of its Board of Directors has completed an independent investigation into the allegations contained in a whistleblower letter disclosed on August 8, 2019. The Letter, which had been sent to Mattel's outside auditors, questioned whether there were accounting errors in historical periods and whether Mattel's outside auditor was independent. The investigation determined that income tax expense was understated by $109 million in the third quarter of 2017, and overstated by $109 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, with no impact for the full year. The errors were non-cash, did not affect operating income or EBITDA, and had no impact on Mattel's full year financial results for 2017 or subsequent periods. The investigation also determined that Mattel has certain material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee concluded that the objectivity and impartiality of Mattel's outside auditor has not been impaired, and that Mattel's outside auditor can continue as its independent auditor. Mattel's outside auditor agrees with that conclusion. Mattel will undertake a series of remedial actions, including the amendment of the Company's 2018 Form 10-K to restate the last two quarters of 2017, and certain related information, and the strengthening of its internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee's investigation found errors in publicly-filed Mattel financial statements for the last two quarters of 2017, failures to properly consider and disclose such errors to the then-Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Margaret Georgiadis, and the Audit Committee once they became known, and violations of auditor independence rules. Other allegations in the Letter were determined to be unfounded or immaterial.

16:09 EDT CytomX Therapeutics initiates Phase 2 PROCLAIM CX-072-002 program - CytomX Therapeutics announced the initiation of the Phase 2 PROCLAIM CX-072-002 program evaluating the anti-PD-L1 Probody CX-072, in combination with the anti-CTLA-4 antibody, Yervoy, in patients with relapsed or refractory melanoma.

16:06 EDT National Instruments announces CEO Alex Davern to step down - NI announced that Alex Davern will step down as CCEO of NI, effective January 31, 2020. The NI Board of Directors has appointed current President and COO, Eric Starkloff, as NI President and CEO, effective February 1, 2020. Davern will take up a teaching position at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business starting in the Fall of 2020. Davern will remain on staff at NI as strategic advisor to the CEO through May and will continue to serve on the NI Board of Directors.

16:05 EDT Seattle Genetics raises FY19 Adcetris revenue to $625M-$640M from $610M-$640M

16:04 EDT Amgen lowers FY19 CapEx view to about $600M from about $700M

15:54 EDT J&J says new tests found no asbestos in baby powder previously tested by FDA - Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. announced that 15 new tests from the same bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder previously tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found no asbestos. An additional 48 new laboratory tests of samples from the single lot of Johnson's Baby Powder that the company voluntarily recalled on October 18 - Lot #22318RB - also confirm that the product does not contain asbestos. These tests were conducted by two third-party laboratories as part of the company's ongoing testing and investigation. The company stated, "Rigorous and third-party testing confirms there is no asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder. We stand by the safety of our product." Following the voluntary recall, the company contracted two third-party laboratories to expedite a large number of tests of the recalled lot of Johnson's Baby Powder utilizing Transmission Electron Microscopy, Powder X-Ray Diffraction and Polarized Light Microscopy testing. In addition to using their standard preparation rooms, one of the laboratories deviated from their normal protocol by using an auxiliary room. In that auxiliary room, five samples were prepared, and three initially tested positive for asbestos. Upon this finding, the laboratory undertook an investigation and determined that a portable air conditioner in use during sample preparation in the auxiliary room was contaminated with asbestos. No asbestos was detected in any of the samples when prepared in the standard room, according to J&J.

15:47 EDT Digital Realty, Interxion announce agreement to combine

15:24 EDT MorphoSys says Re-MIND study meets primary endpoint - MorphoSys announced topline results from the primary analysis of the retrospective observational matched control cohort, Re-MIND. This study was designed to compare the effectiveness of lenalidomide monotherapy based on real-world patient data with the efficacy outcomes of the tafasitamab/lenalidomide combination, as investigated in MorphoSys's L-MIND trial. Re-MIND collected outcome data from 490 non-transplant eligible patients with relapsed/ refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma who had received lenalidomide monotherapy in the U.S. and the EU in a real-world setting. The primary endpoint of Re-MIND has been met and shows a statistically significant superior best ORR of the tafasitamab/lenalidomide combination compared to lenalidomide monotherapy. "Encouraged by the results we achieved with the real-world data approach, we re-affirm our plans to pursue advancement of tafasitamab to market in combination with lenalidomide as a potential, chemo-free treatment option for patients with r/r DLBCL, subject to FDA approval. The data announced today complement the previously published data of the single-arm L-MIND study and MorphoSys has started the rolling submission of our BLA to the FDA, which we plan to complete by end of this year," said Dr. Malte Peters, Chief Development Officer of MorphoSys.

14:43 EDT MakeMyTrip 'confident of demonstrating compliance' with India competition law - In connection with the information filed by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India, the Competition Commission of India has, through its recent order passed on October 28, 2019, held that Go-MMT, MakeMyTrip and Goibibo, "prima facie appears to be dominant" in the "market for online intermediation services for booking of hotels in India", and has ordered an investigation, including to determine whether Go-MMT has abused such dominance, MakeMyTrip announced. The CCI has clarified that this order shall not be "tantamount to an expression of final opinion on the merits of the case," the company noted. Commenting on the development, a MakeMyTrip spokesperson said, "We are confident of demonstrating compliance with the principles of competition law while providing our partners and consumers the best in class services. We shall extend full cooperation to the Competition Commission of India in the matter."

14:04 EDT Sony to shut down PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020 - Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it will shut down the PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020. "Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected," said SIE deputy president John Kodera. "Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business." PlayStation users can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via the company's partnerships with top entertainment apps, Sony said. Reference Link

13:50 EDT Meredith announces acquisition of 'Stop, Breathe & Think' app - Meredith announced that it has acquired Stop, Breathe & Think, a mobile mindfulness app with more than 17M "emotional check-ins" to date. "Stop, Breathe & Think is an ideal strategic fit for Meredith and our increasing focus on consumer products, services and experiences. We are excited to enter the fast-growing mindfulness space and view this as an important addition to our well-established health and wellness expertise. SBT has natural synergies with Meredith brands and platforms and will provide Synapse, our affinity marketing business, with an attractive new product for its unique retail and online distribution channels," said Meredith Consumer Products President Tom Witschi. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

13:41 EDT Encompass Health to pay $4M to resolve allegations of improper Medicare billing - Encompass Health has agreed to pay the United States $4M to settle allegations that an inpatient rehabilitation facility the company owned and operated in Nevada was improperly billing Medicare, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich for the District of Nevada announced. Reference Link

12:37 EDT Deciphera presents updated data from Phase 1 study of DCC-3014 - Deciphera Pharmaceuticals announced the presentation of updated results from its ongoing Phase 1 study of ripretinib, a broad-spectrum KIT and PDGFRalpha inhibitor, in patients with second-line through fourth-line plus GIST, as well as its Phase 1 study of DCC-3014, an oral inhibitor of CSF1R, in patients with advanced solid tumors. The data are being presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston. The Company's Phase 1 study of DCC-3014 was designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of multiple doses of DCC-3014 in patients with advanced solid tumors. The Company expects to present preliminary data from initial tenosynovial giant cell tumor patients at the 2019 Connective Tissue Oncology Society Annual Meeting being held November 13-16 in Tokyo, Japan. As of the data cut-off date of September 10, 2019, increasing doses of DCC-3014 were assessed in seven dose cohorts across 36 patients with advanced solid tumor tumors. This included one dose cohort that received 10 mg once daily and six dose cohorts that received a three to five day loading dose regimen at doses of up to 50 mg followed by a schedule of daily, once-weekly or twice-weekly maintenance dosing with DCC-3014. Data demonstrated dose-proportional exposure for DCC-3014 and exposure to DCC-3014 was associated with an increase in plasma CSF1 and IL-34, rapid and sustained reduction of CD16+ monocytes in peripheral blood, and substantial decreases in CD163+ macrophages in tumor. DCC-3014 was generally well-tolerated, with most treatment-emergent adverse events Grade 1 or 2. Most common related TEAEs greater than or equal to10% were fatigue, diarrhea, and nausea. Grade 3 or 4 related TEAEs occurred in 4 patients, which were grade 3 aspartate aminotransferase increase, grade 4 lipase increase, grade 3 amylase increase, and grade 3 colitis. Serious adverse events were reported in 17 patients; none of which were related to DCC-3014. The dose escalation evaluation is ongoing to determine a recommended phase 2 dose for advanced solid tumors and diffuse-type TGCT.

12:34 EDT Harpoon presents preclinical data for HPN328 targeting DLL3 T cell engager - Harpoon Therapeutics presented a poster showing preclinical data supporting HPN328 as a treatment for small cell lung cancer, SCLC, at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics meeting in Boston. The poster titled "HPN328: An anti-DLL3 T cell engager for treatment of small cell lung cancer" presents a wide range of preclinical data that shows HPN328, a Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct, TriTAC, binds to human and non-human primate DLL3, CD3, and albumin with similar affinities. When administered to mice bearing human SCLC xenografts and human T cells, HPN328 eradicated tumors supporting its evaluation in human cancer patients. "These encouraging data demonstrate that HPN328 can simultaneously engage DLL3, on a small cell lung cancer cell, and CD3, on a T cell, resulting in T cell activation and eventual lysis of the tumor," said Holger Wesche, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Harpoon Therapeutics. "It is important to note that while many patients with SCLC respond to the standard of care, relapse is common, with a 5 year overall survival rate of less than 5%. HPN328 mobilizes the patient's own immune system to destroy the cancer and may become an important therapeutic option."

12:01 EDT Medtronic receives Breakthrough Device Designation from FDA for LVAD - Medtronic announced it has received Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Medtronic Fully Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Device for patients with advanced heart failure, currently in development. Currently, LVAD systems include an implanted heart pump to increase the amount of blood that circulates through the body. The pump is connected to a driveline cable that extends outside the body to a controller, which is connected to power sources. The future system is designed to be fully implanted inside the body.

12:01 EDT U.S. Silica falls -36.9% - U.S. Silica is down -36.9%, or -$2.88 to $4.93.

12:00 EDT Tata Motors rises 14.1% - Tata Motors is up 14.1%, or $1.50 to $12.11.

12:00 EDT PG&E rises 20.1% - PG&E is up 20.1%, or 77c to $4.56.

11:52 EDT Kura Oncology reports updated data from Phase 2 clinical trial of tipifarnib - Kura Oncology reported updated data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead drug candidate, tipifarnib, that show durable anti-tumor activity as a single agent in heavily pretreated patients with HRAS mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, or HNSCC. The results are being presented today at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston. As of the October 17, 2019 data cutoff date, a total of 21 HNSCC patients with high HRAS mutant variant allele frequency were enrolled in this Phase 2 trial, of whom 18 were evaluable for efficacy. Ten of the 18 evaluable patients achieved a confirmed partial response, or PR, as defined by standard RECIST criteria, for an objective response rate, or ORR, of 56%. In addition, eight patients experienced disease stabilization, including two who achieved an unconfirmed PR, one of whom is awaiting a confirmatory response assessment. Of the three non-evaluable patients, two discontinued prior to an initial response assessment and one was awaiting an initial response assessment as of the data cutoff date.The median progression-free survival, or PFS, of the 18 evaluable patients treated with tipifarnib was 6.1 months, compared to 2.8 months on their last prior therapy, including 8.3 months among patients who achieved a PR on tipifarnib and 4.5 months for those with stable disease. Patients had a median of two prior lines of therapy, with no responses observed on their last prior therapy.

11:32 EDT Pinterest drops 4%, or $1.04, to $25.21

11:05 EDT Supreme Cannabis announces departure of chief advocacy officer John Fowler - The Supreme Cannabis Company announced that it has parted ways with its chief advocacy officer, John Fowler. The company said, "Supreme Cannabis remains committed to cementing its footprint in the Canadian cannabis industry as the leading producer of high-quality cannabis at scale with world-class facilities."

10:43 EDT Lyft unveils Pink membership program for $19.99 per month - Lyft (LYFT) revealed a new membership program called Lyft Pink, which it says is for riders who take at least two-to-three rides per week. "For $19.99 per month, Lyft Pink riders will lock in 15% savings on all car rides, priority airport pickups, surprise offers, relaxed cancellations, and more," the company said in a blog post. Lyft said the service is "coming soon." Shares of Lyft are down $1.09 to $43.33 in morning trading while Uber Technologies (UBER) is down $1.17 to $32.05. Reference Link

10:19 EDT GM says environment 'more challenging than just a few months ago'

10:18 EDT HCA Healthcare sees 2020 core ops. organic growth at mid to high end of LT model - Sees overall growth rate slightly above top of long-term growth expectations. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:13 EDT Berkshire Hills Bancorp not providing guidance on Q3 earnings call - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:07 EDT GM CEO says business environment in China remains 'challenging,' 'volatile' - Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

10:04 EDT Parker-Hannifin announces completion of $3.675B LORD acquisition - Parker Hannifin announced that it has completed its acquisition of LORD Corporation - a manufacturer of advanced adhesives and coatings, as well as vibration and motion control technologies - for approximately $3.675B in cash. "The strategic transaction creates a combined organization with strong materials science capabilities, electrification and aerospace product offerings that are highly complementary. The transaction is expected to drive significant value for shareholders through increased organic growth, higher EBITDA margins, stronger cash flow and add to Parker's earnings per share, excluding one-time costs and deal related amortization," the company said. Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Parker, added: "Acquiring LORD is expected to improve operating margins and its organic growth rate will help improve the resiliency of the Parker portfolio, strengthening our ability to achieve top quartile financial performance."

10:01 EDT CBA announces joint FCC filing detailing C-band auction proposals - The C-Band Alliance, or CBA, announced that it joined a number of national, regional, and rural wireless operators in an FCC filing detailing a set of principles to guide a process for auctioning off terrestrial rights to C-band spectrum. The CBA has proposed to clear a first tranche of 120 MHz of spectrum, inclusive of the 20-MHz guard band, in 46 top metropolitan zones within 18 months of an FCC order. The second tranche of the remaining spectrum would be made available within 36 months of the C-band auction, providing cleared spectrum throughout the entire continental U.S. "The auction design outlined in the principles agreed to by the CBA and the wireless operators addresses the shared goals of fairness and transparency and assures that the auction is open to all qualified bidders, consistent with FCC practice...As the CBA has previously committed, the joint principles call for a portion of the auction proceeds, beyond what is needed to cover the costs of the auction and the transition of the spectrum, to be contributed to the U.S. Treasury.," the Alliance stated in its press release. The C-Band Alliance, or CBA, was established by Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat to implement the safe and efficient clearing and repurposing of C-band spectrum.

10:00 EDT Tata Motors rises 12.9% - Tata Motors is up 12.9%, or $1.37 to $11.98.

09:56 EDT MasterCard says drivers of revenue growth 'remain strong'

09:53 EDT GM Financial reports Q3 net income $516M vs. $441M last year - Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $1.2 billion, compared to $1.3 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. Retail loan originations were $5.4 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, compared to $6.7 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. Retail loan originations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 were $19.7 billion, compared to $17.8 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The outstanding balance of retail finance receivables, net of fees was $42.0 billion at September 30, 2019, compared to $40.7 billion at December 31, 2018 and $37.9 billion at September 30, 2018. Operating lease originations were $5.8 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, compared to $5.4 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. Operating lease originations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 were $17.0 billion, compared to $17.3 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. Leased vehicles, net was $42.5 billion at September 30, 2019, compared to $43.6 billion at December 31, 2018 and $44.1 billion at September 30, 2018. The outstanding balance of commercial finance receivables, net of fees was $13.3 billion at September 30, 2019, compared to $12.7 billion at December 31, 2018 and $11.1 billion at September 30, 2018. Retail finance receivables 31-60 days delinquent were 3.0% of the portfolio at September 30, 2019 and 3.4% at September 30, 2018. Accounts more than 60 days delinquent were 1.2% of the portfolio at September 30, 2019 and 1.3% at September 30, 2018. Annualized net charge-offs were 1.6% of average retail finance receivables for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 and 1.7% for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, annualized net charge-offs were 1.5%, compared to 1.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The Company had total available liquidity of $27.2 billion at September 30, 2019, consisting of $3.2 billion of cash and cash equivalents, $20.7 billion of borrowing capacity on unpledged eligible assets, $0.3 billion of borrowing capacity on committed unsecured lines of credit, $1.0 billion of borrowing capacity on the Junior Subordinated Revolving Credit Facility from GM, and $2.0 billion of borrowing capacity on the GM Revolving 364-Day Credit Facility.

09:47 EDT U.S. Silica falls -20.6% - U.S. Silica is down -20.6%, or -$1.61 to $6.20.

09:47 EDT GrubHub falls -34.4% - GrubHub is down -34.4%, or -$20.09 to $38.30.

09:47 EDT FGL Holdings rises 13.2% - FGL Holdings is up 13.2%, or $1.14 to $9.80.

09:45 EDT Kellogg sees sequential improvement in gross profit margin in Q4 - Comments taken from the Q3 earnings conference call.

09:25 EDT Instructure announces strategic review of Bridge business - Instructure CEO Dan Goldsmith said last night in his prepared earnings remarks, "Turning to Bridge, we are engaged in a strategic review of the business. We have begun to take steps to reorganize our teams such that Bridge operates independently from our education business. Bridge will be able to operate with a streamlined cost structure appropriate to the stage of the business, and the management team can increase its focus more on Canvas and our growth opportunities in education." He added, "And, while Bridge bookings continue to grow, especially with our Employee Development solutions introduced over the summer, it is still not delivering at the level I want it to be at."

09:17 EDT Landec amends credit agreement - Landec Corporation amended its credit facility with its current syndicate of lenders, JPMorgan Chase, BMO Harris Bank and City National Bank. The amendment increased the credit facility from $205M to $220M, consisting of a $120M term loan and a $100 million revolving credit facility. The $120 million term loan has a three-year term through October 25, 2022 with a 10-year amortization period. The Company intends to hedge virtually all of its outstanding debt resulting in a fixed average interest rate of approximately 1.70% plus a spread based on the Company's leverage ratio which can range from a low of 1.25% to a high of 3.50%. The remaining unhedged portion of the revolving line of credit bears interest at LIBOR plus the spread based on the Company's leverage ratio. The Company's current weighted average interest rate on its debt is approximately 4.95%. In addition, the amendment increases the Company's maximum leverage ratio from 4.5 to 5.0 for the remainder of fiscal year 2020. The leverage ratio decreases by 25 basis points each subsequent quarter thereafter, beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, until it reaches 3.5 for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022. There is no change to the Company's fixed coverage ratio of 1.2 or more.

09:13 EDT Griffin closes building acquisition in Orlando, Florida - Griffin Industrial Realty announced that it closed on the acquisition of an approximately 100,000 square foot fully leased industrial/warehouse building in Orlando, Florida, Griffin's first property in the Orlando area. Griffin financed the Acquisition using its new line of credit for acquisitions and cash on hand and expects to obtain a long-term mortgage loan on the Orlando Building. The Acquisition, along with two recently completed industrial/warehouse buildings in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, increases Griffin's total real estate portfolio to 40 buildings aggregating approximately 4,462,000 square feet, with 90% of the square footage being industrial/warehouse space.

09:10 EDT Nvidia introduces new GeForce GTX Super series - In the latest addition to its GeForce GTX family of gaming GPUs, NVIDIA unveiled the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER -- the successor to its most successful GPU ever -- as well as the GeForce 1650 SUPER. Designed to deliver even more horsepower for popular games, including Fortnite, PUBG and Apex Legends, the pair deliver up to 2X the performance of the prior generation GTX 10-series GPUs and up to 50 percent more performance over the original GTX 16-series. The new GPUs are powered by the Turing architecture and ship with superfast GDDR6 memory. Along with the new GPUs, NVIDIA is releasing its latest Game Ready Driver, which delivers Day 0 support for hundreds of AAA titles and four new gaming features -- ReShade, NVIDIA Ultra Low Latency, Enhanced Customizable Image Sharpening, and Turing Encoder. GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER custom boards are now available worldwide, starting at $229, from leading add-in card providers including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac. GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER custom boards will be available worldwide on Nov. 22.. Pricing will vary based on partner designs, features and region.

09:09 EDT Granite Construction awarded $25M airport taxiway project in SoCal - Granite announced it has been awarded a $25M airport taxiway contract by Los Angeles World Airports for the Van Nuys Airport Taxiway A Rehabilitation - Phase 2 project. "Granite's scope of work includes the replacement of taxiway pavement, shoulder pavement and taxiway lighting system. In addition, the team will complete airfield signage modifications and various grading and drainage improvements. Approximately 30,000 tons of base materials will be supplied by Granite's Littlerock and Big Rock Facilities. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2019 and conclude in spring 2021. The Van Nuys Airport is in Southern California's San Fernando Valley and is one of the world's busiest general aviation airports. Dedicated to noncommercial air travel, it averages over 217,000 takeoffs and landings annually."

09:07 EDT Fastly appoints Mike Johnson as Chief Information Security Officer - Fastly (FSLY) announced Mike Johnson as its newly appointed Chief Information Security Officer, or CISO. Johnson most recently led Lyft's (LYFT) cybersecurity efforts during a period of fast growth and innovation for the company.

09:06 EDT Synopsys shipped over 3,000 HAPS-80 prototyping systems - Synopsys announced that it has shipped more than 3,000 HAPS-80 prototyping systems since its introduction. HAPS-80 is deployed at more than 100 companies worldwide, including nine of the top 10 semiconductor companies, to accelerate software development and system validation across a wide range of consumer, wired and wireless communications, industrial, AI, and computing/storage applications. These companies selected HAPS-80 due to its high performance and cost effectiveness. HAPS-80 offers proven scalability, including deployment in data centers, a rich catalog of real-world I/O interfaces, and a tool set leveraging 20+ years of FPGA synthesis technology leadership.

09:04 EDT IBM and Lufthansa Group establish the Lufthansa AI Studio - IBM and the Lufthansa Group have joined forces to establish the Lufthansa AI Studio, a collaboration that will use artificial intelligence, or AI, to help address the airline's business challenges, such as improving customer service. Leveraging the IBM Garage method, the Lufthansa AI Studio's interdisciplinary team consists of IBM Services professionals with diverse expertise working side by side with Lufthansa employees to quickly test new AI-based business ideas and services suitability, implement them in pilot projects, and roll them out within the company.

09:02 EDT Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast acquires Tuque Games, terms not disclosed - Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, announced that it has acquired Tuque Games, a digital game development studio based in Montreal. Tuque is led by veterans of the game industry with experience working for leading publishers. Tuque will continue the development of games for Wizards of the Coast's best-known brands, beginning with Dungeons & Dragons.

09:00 EDT CV Sciences appoints Beth Altman to board of directors - CV Sciences announced the appointment of Beth Altman to its Board of Directors effective October 24, 2019. Altman has worked at KPMG since 1993, most recently as an office Managing Partner where she successfully led a team of over 260 professionals and 23 partners.

08:53 EDT Artelo selects Aptus Clinical as CRO for Phase 1b/2a study of ART27.13 - Artelo Biosciences announced that it has selected Aptus Clinical, a specialist Clinical Contract Research Organization based in the United Kingdom with particular expertise in oncology, rare diseases and advanced therapies, as its contract research organization for the Company's planned Phase 1b/2a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of ART27.13, its synthetic cannabinoid for the treatment of anorexia and weight loss associated with cancer. This latest agreement builds on earlier collaborations between Artelo and Aptus, which included feasibility studies, protocol design, and clinical site identification and selection. The ART27.13 program will continue to be under the operational stewardship of Artelo's UK subsidiary at the Alderley Park BioHub in Cheshire. ART27.13 is a highly potent peripherally selective synthetic dual cannabinoid agonist believed to target peripheral cannabinoid receptors sending a feeding message to the brain. The combined Phase 1b/2a trial is expected to enroll up to 49 subjects at clinical sites within the UK. The study is designed to determine the most effective and well tolerated dose in cancer patients and evaluate activity using criteria such as weight gain, lean body mass, and improvement of anorexia.

08:52 EDT Generex announces extension to pay date for 1:1 stock dividend - Generex Biotechnology announced that the company will file for an extension to file its 10K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 with the SEC, and therefore the pay date for the 1:1 dividend has been extended 30 days to Friday November 29, 2019, with the Ex-Date of Monday December 2, 2019. Joseph Moscato, Generex President & CEO stated, "The audit process for review and verification of the 23-year history of Generex by our new audit team has taken longer than originally projected due to the complexity of integrating the financials of the numerous acquisitions that we have made in the last two years. The 10K is further complicated as a result of our corporate restructuring, which includes not just acquisitions, but also the retirement of significant debt and the elimination of various notes and other financial obligations that Generex has carried on the books for a number of years. Also, as this is the first GNBT 10K filing for our new audit firm, and we need to work with 5 additional audit firms that represent the subsidiaries that we acquired, extra time is needed for our finance team and all of our auditors to ensure that our annual report is precise and provides the accurate financial record of Generex as we prepare for the next stage in the company's development. Though the extension for the 10K filing allows for 15 days, we are confident the 10K will be filed in the next few days. We are sorry for the delay, but timing on items for 10K review and audit approval are crucial to completion of the third phase of our overall plans to comply with all requirements for the Nasdaq up-list."

08:45 EDT General Motors says 'GM China underperformed relative to the industry' in Q3 - Regarding China performance in Q3, the company said, "Year-over-year industry vehicle sales declined nearly 11 percent in the quarter and GM China underperformed relative to the industry, due to segment shifts and lower demand for outgoing models. Despite continued softening of the overall vehicle market, Cadillac third quarter sales increased 11 percent, driven by the XT4 and XT5. With XT6 joining the lineup, Cadillac will strengthen its foothold in the steadily growing luxury SUV segment."

08:41 EDT Sanofi says European Commission approves new indication for Dupixent - The European Commission approved a new indication for Dupixent in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. Dupixent is indicated as an add-on therapy with intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of adults with severe CRSwNP for whom therapy with systemic corticosteroids and/or surgery do not provide adequate disease control. The EC approval is based on two pivotal Phase 3 trials that evaluated Dupixent 300 mg every two weeks plus standard-of-care intranasal corticosteroids compared to placebo plus intranasal corticosteroids. In these trials, Dupixent significantly improved key disease measures and met all primary and secondary endpoints. At 24 weeks, patients treated with Dupixent achieved statistically significant improvements in all primary and secondary endpoints, including: Co-primary endpoints: 57% and 51% improvement in their nasal congestion/obstruction severity compared to a 19% and 15% improvement with placebo in SINUS-24 and SINUS-52, respectively. 33% and 27% reduction in their nasal polyps score compared to a 7% and 4% increase with placebo in SINUS-24 and SINUS-52, respectively. Secondary endpoints: 42% and 27% improvement in sinus opacification compared to 4% and 0% with placebo in SINUS-24 and SINUS-52, respectively. 52% and 45% improvement in loss of smell compared to a 12% and 10% improvement for placebo in SINUS-24 and SINUS-52, respectively. In a pre-specified pooled analysis of the two trials up to 52 weeks, Dupixent treatment resulted in a significant reduction of systemic corticosteroid use and the need for sino-nasal surgery compared to placebo. The proportion of patients who required systemic corticosteroids was reduced by 74% with Dupixent compared to placebo. The proportion of patients who required surgery was reduced by 83% with Dupixent compared to placebo. In a prespecified analysis of the 59% of patients who also had asthma, treatment with Dupixent: Improved lung function by 0.21 L compared with placebo as measured by forced expiratory volume over one second. Improved asthma control as measured by the 6-item Asthma Control Questionnaire. Treatment effects on nasal congestion and loss of smell were observed with the first assessment at 4 weeks and showed continued improvement for the duration of the trials. In the CRSwNP clinical trials, the common adverse events in the Dupixent group were inflammation of the eye and eyelids, high count of certain white blood cells, injection site reactions and injection site swelling.

08:39 EDT BioHiTech Global signs contract with national waste management services company - BioHiTech Global announced that it has entered into a contract with a national waste management services company to help a leading international automobile manufacturer achieve sustainability goals at one of its North American vehicle production plants. Under the terms of the contract, all non-recyclable waste generated at the Production Plant will be transported to BioHiTech's Martinsburg HEBioT Facility for processing. The Martinsburg HEBioT Facility diverts as much as 80% of waste from landfills by utilizing a patented high efficiency mechanical and biological treatment process.

08:36 EDT UPS plans to hire 50,000 seasonal employees Friday - UPS expects to sign-up nearly 50,000 seasonal employees this Friday, in a one-day hiring blitz it's calling 'UPS Brown Friday'. The company launched last month plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers to support its annual holiday shipping rush, and UPS Brown Friday is part of that continuing effort. UPS is holding more than 185 hiring fairs across the country on Friday, and will be hiring thousands of candidates on the spot. The full- and part-time seasonal positions - primarily package handlers, drivers and driver-helpers - have long been an entry point for permanent employment at UPS.

08:33 EDT ANI Pharmaceuticals launches its ANi Global Source new brand - ANI Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of its new CDMO brand, ANI Global Source. This action follows the integration of WellSpring Pharma Services, acquired one year ago, and demonstrates the progress the company has made since the acquisition. ANI Global Source is a specialty CDMO supporting late stage development and commercial manufacture of pharmaceutical products including tablets & capsules, liquid solutions, suspensions, topical liquids, creams and gels with unique expertise in hormones, potent compounds, and controlled substances. ANI Global Source will continue to leverage its robust infrastructure including over 300 employees and 270,000 square feet of manufacturing and packaging facilities across multiple sites.

08:32 EDT Krystal Biotech announces final update from Phase 1/2 clinical trial of KB103 - Krystal Biotech announced the final update from the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of bercolagene telserpavec, formerly KB103. In Phase 1, two adult patients with severe generalized RDEB were enrolled in May 2018. In each patient, two wounds with an approximate surface area of 10 cm2 were randomized to receive either topical B-VEC or placebo. In Phase 2, four patients with severe generalized RDEB were enrolled in December 2018. Prior to dosing, three wounds up to 20cm2 were selected from each patient and subsequently randomized to receive either B-VEC or placebo in a 2:1 ratio. One of patients voluntarily discontinued from the study after 30 days due to an inability to travel to the clinical site. With respect to the six B-VEC-administered wounds from the patients that remained on-study, two were categorized as chronic and four as recurring based on patient reporting. Chronic wounds were defined as having remained open for greater than 12 weeks, while recurring wounds are less than 12 weeks old, and open and close spontaneously. As part of the Phase 2 study, a chronic wound that had not healed completely at the Day 90 timepoint was re-administered B-VEC. This wound was subsequently observed for approximately four additional months. In addition, two new patients with severe generalized RDEB were enrolled in June 2019. Prior to dosing, two wounds were selected in each patient and were randomized to receive either B-VEC or placebo in a 1:1 ratio. Patients were administered B-VEC every other day for two weeks, or until the wound closed completely. Patients returned to the clinic for monthly follow-ups including imaging, biopsies for molecular correction analyses, and safety assessments. Safety data from all of the patients in the combined Phase 1/2 study demonstrate that B-VEC was well tolerated following initial and repeat dosing. No inflammation or irritation was observed in B-VEC-administered wounds. Of the ten wounds that were administered B-VEC, seven were categorized as recurring and three were categorized as chronic. Percent of Wound Closure: 90% of the wounds closed completely following initial administrations of B-VEC. Time to Wound Closure: The average time to 100% wound closure on the nine B-VEC-administered wounds was 17.4 days. Duration of Wound Closure: The average duration of wound closure on the nine B-VEC-administered wounds at the last measured timepoint was 113 days. One chronic wound, reported to be open for over four years, did not close completely following the initial administration of B-VEC in the Phase 2 study. The wound was 42% closed on Day 90 following the initial administration of B-VEC. The wound was re-administered B-VEC, and the time to complete wound closure following re-administration was seven days. The wound has remained closed for over 100 days following the second administration. Clinical update on two additional patients enrolled: Both of the B-VEC-administered wounds closed 100%. The time to complete wound closure for both wounds was eight days. The average duration of wound closure at the four month timepoint was 114.5 days. Consistent with prior wound data, the data on these additional patients show a strong correlation between molecular correction and wound healing. Immunofluorescence analyses of biopsies from B-VEC-administered wounds demonstrate functional collagen VII expression. Functional COL7 was determined by staining the tissue samples with antibodies that bind to NC1 and NC2 domains of the COL7 protein respectively. The tissues from the skin biopsies show the presence of both NC1 and NC2 domains demonstrating production of functional COL7 that is linearly deposited along the Basement Membrane Zone. NC1- and NC2-reactive anchoring fibrils were observed by immunoelectron microscopy in the biopsy samples.

08:27 EDT VirTra receives order for UHD 4K simulators - VirTra has received an order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers for VirTra's newest ultra-high-definition 4K simulators. FLETC will be the first agency to receive VirTra's new UHD simulators. The new simulators utilize 4K resolution projectors and more accurately reproduce objects, visual details, body language and non-verbal threat cues.

08:25 EDT R1 RCM appoints Vijay Kotte as EVP, physician services - R1 RCM (RCM) announced the appointment of Vijay Kotte as Executive Vice President of Physician Services. Kotte will be responsible for R1's physician-focused solutions, including growth, product development and strategic initiatives. Most recently, he was the Chief Value Officer for DaVita Medical Group (DVA) with accountability for strategy, M&A, contracting, performance and operations.

08:23 EDT Genpact and Tradeshift announces strategic partnership - Genpact and Tradeshift announced a strategic partnership to help enterprises transform accounts payable and procurement processes and better leverage data for competitive growth. The partnership combines the power of the Genpact Cora digital business platform and Tradeshift's leading-edge business-to-business network technology. By leveraging Genpact's expertise with artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, dynamic workflow, advanced analytics, and other digital technologies, and Tradeshift's apps ecosystem, organizations can accelerate digital transformation.

08:20 EDT Cool Holdings and Torque sports enter into partnership - Cool Holdings and Torque Esports, formerly Millennial Esports, announced that they have entered into a partnership valued at $3.15M between Simply Mac, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cool, and Ideas & Cars Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torque. The 3-year partnership calls for Simply Mac to be named the sole and exclusive supplier of Apple products to Ideas & Cars, and for Simply Mac to serve as a sponsor for "America's Fastest Gamer" events produced by Ideas & Cars. Highlights of the agreement include: simply Mac becomes a sponsor for the #GamerToRacer finals; daily social media content for the "California Dreamin' Tour" to be shot on the revolutionary iPhone 11 Pro; many of Simply Mac's 42 stores will host qualifying and registration for the competitions. The partnership between Simply Mac and Ideas & Cars starts immediately and extends through December 31, 2022.

08:19 EDT Pluralsight to expand footprint, operations in Australia - Pluralsight announced plans to expand its footprint and operations in Australia to accelerate growth and provide a stepping stone for further expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. To support its investment in Australia and the region, Pluralsight has appointed Mike Featherstone as Managing Director of ANZ/APAC. Pluralsight plans to more than double the existing team in Australia over the next three years, hiring over 50 new team members across a variety of roles, including sales, customer support, marketing, and operations. In addition, the company has signed a lease on new office space in Australia Square in the heart of Sydney's central business district. With these investments, Pluralsight will bring over $30M to Australia's economy over the next three years.

08:18 EDT Regeneron, Sanofi: EC approves new indication for Dupixent - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) and Sanofi (SNY) announced that the European Commission has approved a new indication for Dupixent in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. Dupixent is indicated as an add-on therapy with intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of adults with severe CRSwNP for whom therapy with systemic corticosteroids and/or surgery do not provide adequate disease control.

08:16 EDT General Motors reports Q3 deliveries up 29% - The company said, "Dealerships delivered nearly 739,000 vehicles in the third quarter of 2019, an increase of 6 percent year over year. Results were led by GM's all-new full-size pickups and the company's fresh lineup of crossovers. Deliveries increased for all brands, and crossover sales were the best-ever for any quarter, growing 29 percent. Chevrolet crossover sales increased 35 percent, led by Traverse and Trax, which set quarterly records. Buick crossover sales were up 17 percent, led by Envision and Encore, which were up 39 percent and 18 percent, respectively. GMC sales increased 11 percent, led by the Acadia, which was up 51 percent. Cadillac crossover deliveries rose 67 percent, led by the segment-leading XT4 and the all-new XT6. To build on the momentum of GM's industry leading truck franchise, the company's next-generation full-size SUVs, which dominate the segment, will arrive in dealerships in 2020."

08:14 EDT Origin Agritech's joint venture formation process takes longer than expected - Origin Agritech updates the progress of Biotech Commercialization joint venture with Beijing Changping Technology Innodevelop Group, or BC-TID. On June 5 the Company announced that the Company entered into a Cooperation Framework Agreement with BC-TID to form a new joint venture to focus on the commercialization of genetically modified, or GM, corn seed technologies. Under the agreement, Origin and BC-TID will establish a new entity with approximately equal partnership. The Company will contribute the Origin Life Science Center building in Beijing and two biotech corn traits to the new joint venture, and BC-TID will fund the joint venture with a total of RMB204M. Since the Cooperation Framework Agreement was signed, both parties are actively involved to complete the formation of joint venture. However, the process took longer than we originally expected mainly due to the complicated tax related issues with the Origin Life Science Center building in Beijing. Both parties now agreed to use Beijing Origin Seed as the joint venture entity in order to expediate the process. The original term remains the same and both parties are cooperating to complete the process as soon as possible. Due diligence has been completed and BC-TID has deposited $2.1M in an escrow account.

08:13 EDT General Motors revises year-end cost savings target to $4B-$5B - Prior view was $2B-$2.5B in cost savings through 2019. The company said, "GM has achieved $2.4 billion in transformation cost savings since 2018, and is on track to realize its 2019 target. As a result of the company's decision to invest in its Detroit-Hamtramck plant with plans to build an all electric pickup truck, GM will incur operating costs outside of the scope of its original transformation plan. With this, GM is revising its year-end 2020 cost savings target to $4.0 to $4.5 billion."

08:12 EDT Jerash Holdings announces passing of CFO Richard Shaw - Jerash Holdings announced the death of Richard Shaw on October 27. Shaw had served as CFO since 2017. Shaw's duties will be assumed by the company's executive and finance teams until Jerash can complete a search for his successor.

08:09 EDT IPG Photonics expects to reduce annualized operating expenses by $30M - The company said, "During the fourth quarter IPG began implementing a cost reduction program in response to continued global macroeconomic, competitive and geopolitical headwinds. The Company expects to reduce annualized operating expenses by approximately $30 million, with the full impact being achieved as it exits the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. As part of this program the Company will reduce global headcount by more than 300 positions and decrease other direct labor costs and expenses. IPG has implemented a hiring freeze and expects limited replacement of workforce attrition to result in further headcount reductions. IPG also anticipates consolidating a small number of facilities over time. These actions will result in restructuring charges of approximately $1 million primarily attributable to termination benefits, most of which will be recorded in the fourth quarter. IPG is performing its annual assessment of goodwill impairment, which occurs in the fourth quarter each year. Management is currently in the process of updating forecasts and completing strategic reviews related to its business units that have goodwill and other long-lived assets. While this process is not yet complete, the Company currently expects that impairment charges will be recorded in the fourth quarter, primarily related to the communications business. The goodwill and other long-lived assets within the communications business that are subject to assessment total approximately $60 million. The magnitude of any impairment charges depend on and are sensitive to our long term forecast models and assumptions used in the valuation process, which are being performed in the fourth quarter."

08:08 EDT General Motors lowers FY19 adjusted automotive FCF view to $0B-$1B - Prior view was $4.5B-$6B.

08:06 EDT Kellogg now sees FY19 tax rate about 20% - Comments from slides being presented on its Q3 earnings conference call.

08:02 EDT Kellogg CEO says remains 'squarely' on strategy, on plan - "We remain squarely on strategy and on plan, and this is reflected in our third quarter results," said Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Company's Chairman and CEO. "Our reshaped portfolio is doing what it is intended to do, focusing on our higher growth categories and markets. We have revitalized key brands through improved brand-building and enhanced innovation. And, as we move past our heaviest investments and costs, we are on track for delivering gradual improvement in profitability. While fully recognizing that we still have work to do, I'm very pleased with our progress."

07:53 EDT Vivo Cannabis, CB2 Insights enter technology, research partnership - CB2 Insights has entered into a technology and multi-phase research agreement with VIVO Cannabis to assist in the development of VIVO's global medical product development strategy. Under the terms of the agreement, CB2 will be integrating CB2's Clinical Data Management Software and Electronic Data Capture tools to establish better understanding of VIVO's current medical patient registry. Concurrently, the two companies will collaborate on a comprehensive multi-phase research strategy that will validate the safety and efficacy of current products. The plan is ultimately expected to help inform the design of clinical trials to support the deployment of future cannabis-based medicines.

07:48 EDT James E Wagner receives approval for additional processing capacity at JWC1 - James E. Wagner Cultivation Corporation announced that it has received a licence amendment from Health Canada for the sale of cannabis extracts, edibles and topicals at its pilot facility located at 855 Trillium Drive in Kitchener, Ontario. The approval is an important development for JWC, as it remains on track to introduce its derivative line of cannabis extract products in the first quarter of 2020. The product roster is expected to include kief, rosins, and pre-rolls in various quantity formats. Health Canada as well has approved a facility reconfiguration application for a portion of JWC1. One of the JWC1 growing rooms of approximately 1,200 square feet will be converted from cultivation use to processing use. This will allow JWC to engage in processing and production of the product roster of extracts that it will add to its product line. As a result of the approved facility reconfiguration, cultivation space at JWC1 is expected to decrease its production capacity of cannabis flower by approximately 250 kg per year. This decrease is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's financial performance or previously announced forward guidance. The financial performance of the Corporation will be improved by the increased ability for production of its expanded product lines and the processing of those products into sales.

07:43 EDT NuCana presents data from clinical stage ProTides, NUC-3373 and NUC-7738 - NuCana announced results from two of its clinical stage ProTides, NUC-3373 and NUC-7738, at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, Massachusetts. NuCana presented interim data from the Phase Ib NuTide:302 study in patients with advanced colorectal cancer confirming the previously reported favorable pharmacokinetic profile of NUC-3373. The anti-cancer mechanism of action of NUC-3373 has been previously observed in non-clinical studies, which NuCana believes further supports the biological advantages of NUC-3373 over 5-FU. NUC-3373 is a ProTide transformation of 5-fluorouracil, one of the most widely prescribed anti-cancer agents, and is currently being investigated in two clinical studies. NUC-7738, NuCana's third ProTide to enter the clinic, is a transformation of 3'-deoxyadenosine. Six patients have received NUC-7738 to date in the Phase I NuTide:701 study. In non-clinical studies of NUC-7738, NuCana has observed additional anti-cancer mechanisms of action to those previously reported for 3'dA. Significantly higher levels of anti-cancer metabolites are generated inside cancer cells than with 3'-dA, causing increased cell injury. Furthermore, the non-clinical data demonstrated that NUC-7738 activates AMPK, which may inhibit the mTOR pathway, resulting in further cancer cell death.

07:42 EDT Menlo Therapeutics completes enrollment in two Phase 3 trials of serlopitant - Menlo Therapeutics announced that it has completed enrollment of patients in its two Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of once daily oral serlopitant for the treatment of pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis. The U.S. and European Phase 3 trials enrolled 285 and 295 patients, respectively. The Phase 3 trials are designed to evaluate reduction in pruritus in patients treated with serlopitant compared to placebo over a ten-week treatment period. The primary endpoint in these studies will compare the number of treated vs. control patients who experience a 4-point improvement on the worst-itch numeric rating scale, which is a standard measure of itch. Serlopitant has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for the treatment of pruritus associated with PN, a severely itchy skin disease characterized by multiple, firm, itchy nodules on the skin. Currently, there is no therapy approved or indicated to treat the estimated 500,000-1,000,000 PN patients in the U.S. Menlo Therapeutics expects to report the results of the PN trials in March or April of 2020. If the PN trials are successful, Menlo plans to submit an NDA for pruritus associated with PN in the second half of 2020. Both PN Phase 3 trials are multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials evaluating treatment with 5 mg serlopitant daily for ten weeks and its ability to reduce pruritus associated with PN compared with placebo. Menlo has enrolled 285 patients at 46 sites in the US trial and has enrolled 295 patients at 39 sites in in the European trial. The trials enrolled patients with a WI-NRS of at least seven at screening. The primary efficacy analysis for both trials is a 4-point responder rate in the WI-NRS at ten weeks.

07:41 EDT Marinus Pharmaceuticals appoints Joe Hulihan as CMO - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced that Joe Hulihan, MD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Hulihan will succeed outgoing CMO, Lorianne Masuoka, MD, who is retiring from the position. Most recently, he was principal at Paradigm Neuroscience, where he provided consulting services including clinical and strategic support for neurotherapeutics in all phases of development.

07:39 EDT Bicycle Therapeutics CBO Peter Leone to depart, Nigel Crockett to succeed - Bicycle Therapeutics announced the appointment of Nigel Crockett, as the company's chief business officer, or CBO, replacing Peter Leone. Crockett has more than 25 years of experience in global business development for biopharmaceutical companies. Crockett was most recently a founding partner at Tukan Partners, a business consultancy specializing in biotechnology.

07:34 EDT Moleculin Biotech presents data documenting activity of Annamycin against AML - Moleculin Biotech announced the presentation of a poster at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Conference in Boston, MA. The poster, entitled "Dose and Schedule-Dependent Efficacy of Liposomal Annamycin in Pre-clinical Models of Acute Myeloid Leukemia," presents data documenting the high activity of Annamycin against AML, including in vitro studies in a panel of human AML cell lines, as well as in vivo studies in both human and murine AML models developed under the Company's sponsored research agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center. "This study highlights an important new finding," commented Walter Klemp, Moleculin's Chairman and CEO. "We've known for some time that Annamycin is effective in AML animal models and the activity that we believe is coming from our current AML clinical trials seems to correlate with this. But, what's new here is the observation that Annamycin may also be more effective than other drugs due to its high uptake and effectiveness in eliminating AML cells localized in different organs."

07:32 EDT Univar subsidiary to expand distribution of Dow's silicone care product range - Europe, Univar, a subsidiary of Univar Solutions (UNVR), announced that it will expand its distribution of Dow's (DOW) silicone beauty & personal care product range to include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Eastern Europe and Turkey. The beauty & personal care industry is evolving with increased focus on product and ingredient safety, performance and responsibility.

07:30 EDT Validian Corporation engages in testing with aim of licensing, deployment - Validian Corporation announced that it is engaged in comprehensive testing with several different prospects with the objective to license, install and deploy our technology upon successful testing. As well, the Confidential Computing Consortium, comprised of major technology companies, has recently identified the next priority area for cyber security - securing data in use and data in memory. Validian already does both, as well as provides controls, tracking and alerts on the permitted and prohibited uses of data, and all on a software only basis. No appliances or other hardware are required.

07:27 EDT Constellium's Ravenswood facility receives approx. $9.5M grant from DoD - Constellium announced that its facility in Ravenswood, West Virginia has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for a grant of nearly $9.5M to increase throughput, quality and performance of cold rolled aluminum. The funding was awarded by the Department of Defense's Cornerstone OTA and will be managed by the Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Constellium will use the funds to perform electrical, mechanical and hydraulic system upgrades to Ravenswood's 144" cold rolling mill and add state of the art automation and process controls. The mill is critically important for the manufacture of high-performance aluminum plate for ballistic and blast protection of military vehicles. Army and Marine Corps modernization programs will require increased capacity of the U.S. industrial base to produce cold rolled plate over the next decade. In coordination with Cornerstone and ARL, Constellium will also invest in developing manufacturing processes and armor plate that will optimize the additional capacity and process controls of the upgraded mill.

07:26 EDT Valeritas announces presentation of preclinical PK study of apo infusion - Valeritas Holdings announced positive data from its preclinical pharmacokinetic study of apomorphine subcutaneous infusion was presented today at the 24th World Congress of Neurology held in Dubai, UAE. In the poster presentation titled "Delivery of Apomorphine via Subcutaneous Infusion with the h-Patch Wearable Device," the data demonstrated that 400ul of a 25mg/ml Apo solution delivered with the h-Patch technology was rapidly absorbed and was detected in plasma within two hours of the start of infusion. Additionally, Apo was still detectable in plasma 24 hours after completion of h-Patch infusion, or 48 hours in total. Valeritas' proprietary h-Patch device is a simple all-in-one, fully disposable, drug delivery technology that can facilitate the simple and effective subcutaneous delivery of injectable medicines to patients across a broad range of therapeutic areas. The Company's V-Go is the first FDA-approved product that utilizes its h-Patch technology. To date, more than 20 million V-Go insulin delivery devices have been sold in the United States. Treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease remains challenging, with fluctuations in motor status often resulting in patients becoming severely handicapped. The magnitude and pattern of the motor response to a single dose of subcutaneously administered Apo are qualitatively comparable to that of oral levodopa; however, side effects of oral dosing can be problematic. Close to a dozen clinical studies have shown subcutaneous Apo infusions are successful in aborting "off" periods, reducing dyskinesias, and improving PD motor scores with the added benefit of sparing the patient the challenging side effects of oral Levodopa. However, bulky infusion pumps requiring delivery of relatively large volumes of therapeutics remain a barrier to the development of therapeutic products that are patient and caregiver friendly, which may represent an opportunity for Valeritas' comparatively smaller h-Patch technology.

07:22 EDT Vectura Group appoints Will Downie as CEO - Vectura Group (VEGPF) announced the appointment of Will Downie as CEO and Executive Director of the Company with effect from 7th November 2019. Prior to joining Vectura, Will spent ten years as the Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing at Catalent (CTLT).

07:20 EDT Sutro Biopharma presents data from Phase I study of STRO-002 - Sutro Biopharma announced initial safety data in ovarian cancer patients from its ongoing Phase I study of STRO-002, a folate receptor alpha-targeting antibody-drug conjugate and potent anti-tumor activity in preclinical endometrial cancer patient-derived xenograft models. To date, 13 patients have been treated in the Phase I study of STRO-002 and the maximum tolerated dose has not been reached. Dose escalation continues with two patients currently being treated at the 6 mg/kg dose level and having completed the dose limiting toxicity observation period. There have been no DLTs and no infusion reactions to date in these heavily pre-treated patients. Preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity was observed in a patient who achieved a confirmed partial response by RECIST 1.1 criteria. This patient also achieved and confirmed a CA-125 response for at least 28 days. Stable disease by RECIST 1.1 has been confirmed in two ongoing patients at cycles 5 and 10 of study treatment. Three ongoing patients at the 4.3 mg/kg dose level have unconfirmed stable disease per RECIST 1.1 at cycle 3. Patients are not receiving prophylactic corticosteroid eye drops. 95% of adverse events were grade 1 or grade 2. The preliminary pharmacokinetic profile reveals an estimated half-life for the total antibody of 22-76 hours with increasing exposure in an apparent dose dependent manner. Anti-tumor activity of STRO-002 was assessed in preclinical PDX models of endometrial cancer that expressed varying levels of FolRalpha. High FolRalpha-expressing models showed the highest tumor growth inhibition. Some models with low and medium FolRalpha expression also exhibited good tumor growth inhibition.

07:16 EDT Tyson Foods partners with Proforest on deforestation risk assessment - Tyson Foods is partnering with Proforest, an independent organization focused on sustainability in the forest and agricultural sectors and implementation of responsible sourcing practices, to help the company conduct a deforestation risk assessment across its global agriculture supply chain. The assessment will be conducted to help identify if there is risk in the company's sourcing origins, focusing on commodities such as cattle, palm oil, soy, timber, pulp and paper. Findings will inform the development of a Tyson Foods Forest Protection Policy in 2020. The assessment is also expected to inform, if necessary, the implementation of actions to mitigate or eliminate any identified deforestation risks.

07:12 EDT Incyte raises FY19 Jakafi revenue guidance to $1.65B-$1.68B from $1.61B-$1.65B - Backs FY19 Iclusig net product revenue guidance of $90M-$100M.

07:10 EDT NexPoint Residential raises quarterly dividend 13.6% to 31.25c per share - Payable on December 31 to stockholders of record on December 17.

07:07 EDT Comstock Mining expects to reduce costs $14M-$16M by end of 2020 - The company commented, "Looking ahead, we are confident we will meet our overall cost reduction target of $14M-$16M by the end of 2020, which will help drive our transformation to a leaner, more agile engineered materials company. In our Airlaid Materials' legacy business, shipments were up 13% year to date, and we expect to finish the year at or above the top end of our previously announced target of 8% to 10% volume growth for 2019. At Steinfurt, we have already achieved $6.7M of operating profit through the first three quarters of 2019, putting us well on track to meet the upper end of our $7M-$9M operating profit target for the year. Finally, in Composite Fibers, we are intensifying our efforts to identify opportunities, develop new products and optimize utilization of our Dresden facility to offset the commercial headwinds in wallcover."

07:00 EDT Merck reports Q3 KEYTRUDA sales grew 62% to $3.1B - Excluding the impact of Foreign Exchange, sales grew 64%. Human Health Vaccines sales grew 17% to $2.5B; Excluding the impact of Foreign Exchange, sales grew 18%.

06:58 EDT Lindsay sees near-term outlook for irrigation equipment demand constrained - The company said, "Following a brief commodity price rally in the spring, speculation surrounding production from the U.S. fall harvest has led to fluctuating but generally lower prices. Coupled with uncertainty regarding the outcome of trade negotiations, the near-term outlook for irrigation equipment demand in North America continues to be constrained. We expect to see growth in international irrigation overall, led by improvement in Brazil and developing markets. Based on early successes we are seeing from our Road Zipper growth strategy, we expect growth and performance improvement from our infrastructure business in fiscal 2020. In addition, we expect to achieve meaningful operating margin improvement through the execution of projects identified as part of our Foundation for Growth initiative."

06:53 EDT CNX Resources raises FY19 production view to 530-540 Bcfe from 510-530 Bcfe

06:37 EDT Zebra Technologies sees FY19 cash flow of at least $625M - The company has begun diversifying the sourcing of most of its U.S. volumes out of China. This work, together with other actions the company has taken, is expected to substantially mitigate the recently enacted Section 301 List 4 tariffs by mid-2020. These actions are expected to result in up to $30M of one-time pre-tax charges through mid-2020, plus an estimated $10M-$15M of capital expenditures. The net impact to cost of sales from the recently enacted List 4 tariffs is expected to peak at $15M-$25M in the Q1 of FY20 as we realize a full quarter of impact, which should moderate through mid-2020 as the company completes this initiative.

06:35 EDT Bio-Techne reports Q1 adj. EPS $1.06, consensus $1.05 - Reports Q1 revenue $183.2M, consensus $179.4M. "We opened fiscal 2020 posting an outstanding first quarter," said Chuck Kummeth, President and CEO of Bio-Techne. "The 13% organic growth for the quarter was the result of very good execution from our global team and our strong product portfolio, which remains extremely vital in research workflow for our customers." Kummeth added, "Our end-markets, including BioPharma and Europe, remain healthy, while China continues to outperform at nearly 20% growth. I'm very proud of the team for this excellent start to the year and very optimistic about our future execution and growth due to all the exciting new products and services we offer as a valued partner to researchers worldwide. "

06:32 EDT Superconductor Technologies begins to explore strategic alternatives - Superconductor Technologies announced that its Board of Directors, supported by its management team, has commenced a process to explore strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. STI has not set a timetable for the conclusion of this review, nor has it made any decisions related to any potential strategic alternatives at this time. There can be no assurance that the strategic exploration review will result in a transaction or other strategic change or outcome. The company does not intend to provide updates unless or until it determines that further disclosure is appropriate or necessary.

06:14 EDT U.S. Silica sees FY19 capital expenditures less than $125M - In the Industrial & Specialty Products business, the company has seen delays in purchasing decisions by certain customers as they attempt to convert inventories into cash. The heightened level of uncertainty in global industrial markets, fueled by tariffs, political uncertainty and the rising risk of an economic slowdown make it difficult to forecast the business. However, Q4 is typically characterized by a seasonal profitability decline of roughly 10%. The company anticipates that the expected slowdown in North American completions activity in Q4 will negatively impact results for the Oil & Gas segment. We expect O&G Sand volumes to decline by approximately 10% sequentially in Q4. We expect contribution margin per ton to decline sharply due to lower sand and SandBox volumes, continued pricing pressure, the loss of fixed cost leverage and fewer anticipated customer shortfall penalties and other contractual fees.

05:55 EDT TSMC, GlobalFoundries announce resolution of dispute through cross-license - TSMC and GLOBALFOUNDRIES announced they are dismissing all litigation between them as well as those that involve any of their customers. The companies have agreed to a broad life-of-patents cross-license to each other's worldwide existing semiconductor patents as well as those patents that will be filed during the next ten years as both companies continue to invest significantly in semiconductor research and development. This resolution guarantees TSMC and GF freedom to operate and ensures that their respective customers will continue to have access to each foundry's complete array of technologies and services. "The semiconductor industry has always been highly competitive, driving the players to pursue innovation that enriched the lives of millions of people around the world. TSMC has invested tens of billions of dollars towards innovation to reach our leading position today," said Sylvia Fang, General Counsel for TSMC. "The resolution is a positive development that keeps our focus on advancing the needs of our customers for technologies that will continue to bring innovation to life, enabling the entire semiconductor industry to thrive and prosper.

05:47 EDT PG&E restores 57% of customers impacted on October 26 - Pacific Gas and Electric reported Monday evening that it had restored approximately 57% of the 970,000 customers who had their power turned off for safety as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff that began October 26. As of 10 p.m., about 556,400 customers had been restored. PG&E is closely following another potentially widespread dry, offshore wind event on Tuesday, Oct. 29, through midday Wednesday, Oct. 30. The shutoff is expected to impact approximately 596,000 customers in for Northern and Southern Sierra, North Bay, Bay Area, Santa Cruz mountains, North Coast and Kern County. Given fluctuations in the forecasts, PG&E continues to analyze whether this wind event will prompt more safety shutoffs, and the extent of those shutoffs.

05:32 EDT DaVita appoints John Winstel as Chief Accounting Officer - DaVita (DVA) announced the selection of its next Chief Accounting Officer, John Winstel. Winstel has joined DaVita as group vice president of Accounting, reporting to CFO Joel Ackerman, and will succeed Jim Hilger as Chief Accounting Officer. Hilger intends to hand over the role when he steps down early next year, no later than March 3, 2020. Most recently, Winstel served as vice president and corporate controller for Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB).

05:19 EDT MorphoSys ends clinical development of MOR106 in atopic dermatitis - MorphoSys (MOR) announced last night the end of the clinical development program of MOR106 in atopic dermatitis. The joint decision of all three involved parties, Galapagos NV (GLPG), MorphoSys and Novartis Pharma (NVS), was based on an interim analysis for futility that was performed in the Phase 2 Iguana trial, the company said. The analysis "detected a low probability to meet the primary endpoint of the study, defined as the percentage change in the eczema area and severity index score." The decision was based on a lack of efficacy and not on safety concerns, MorphoSys added. The clinical development program of MOR106 in atopic dermatitis included the two Phase 2 studies Iguana and Gecko, as well as a Phase 1 bridging study for subcutaneous formulation and a Japanese ethno-bridging study. All studies in atopic dermatitis will be ended. The parties will explore the future strategy with MOR106, the company added. MOR106 was jointly discovered by Galapagos and MorphoSys. In July 2018, Galapagos and MorphoSys entered into an exclusive worldwide development and commercialization collaboration with Novartis with respect to MOR106. Shares of MorphoSys are down 3% to $26.01 in premarket trading.