Stockwinners Market Radar for December 16, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:26 EST USW rejects proposed agreement at Hecla Mining's Lucky Friday mine - The United Steelworkers said that the members of Local 5114 in Mullan, Idaho, have rejected a proposed agreement that would have resolved a strike at Hecla Mining Company's Lucky Friday mine. In a secret ballot election, the USW members who began their strike against the company's unfair labor practices on March 13, 2017, voted to continue the labor dispute rather than return to work under the proposed terms of a tentative agreement reached last month between the union and Hecla management.

18:57 EST GSK says DREAMM-2 study demonstrated clinically meaningful ORR - GlaxoSmithKline announced treatment with the investigational single-agent belantamab mafodotin resulted in a clinically meaningful 31% overall response rate with the 2.5 mg/kg regimen in patients with heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma. Patients in the trial received a median of seven prior lines of treatment, were refractory to an immunomodulatory drug and a proteasome inhibitor and were refractory and/or intolerant to an anti-CD38 antibody. The median duration of response has not been reached at six months of follow-up. Full results from the DREAMM-2 study of belantamab mafodotin were published today in The Lancet Oncology. GSK also confirmed submission of a Biologics License Application to the US Food and Drug Administration seeking approval of belantamab mafodotin for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma whose prior therapy included an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody. Belantamab mafodotin is not currently approved for use anywhere in the world. Dr Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK said: "Patients with multiple myeloma whose disease has progressed despite currently available therapy have limited options and poor outcomes. Data from the DREAMM-2 study show that, if approved, belantamab mafodotin could offer an important new treatment option for these patients."

18:43 EST GlaxoSmithKline reports improved MM response rate with belantamab mafodotin - GlaxoSmithKline announced treatment with the investigational single-agent belantamab mafodotin resulted in a clinically meaningful 31% overall response rate with the 2.5 mg/kg regimen in patients with heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma. Patients in the trial received a median of seven prior lines of treatment, were refractory to an immunomodulatory drug and a proteasome inhibitor and were refractory and/or intolerant to an anti-CD38 antibody. The median duration of response has not been reached at six months of follow-up. Full results from the DREAMM-2 study of belantamab mafodotin were published today in The Lancet Oncology. GSK also confirmed submission of a Biologics License Application to the FDA seeking approval of belantamab mafodotin for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma whose prior therapy included an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody. Belantamab mafodotin is not currently approved for use anywhere in the world.

18:31 EST Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Champions Oncology (CSBR) up 5.1%... Heico Corp (HEI) up 2.2%. ALSO HIGHER: Acer (ACER) up 15.8% after announcing full enrollment of Part B in ACER-001 study for UCD treatment... Beyond Air (XAIR) up 4.6% after disclosing CEO purchase of stock... Agios Pharma (AGIO) up 4.5% after announcing breakthrough therapy for Tibsovo... Mallinckrodt (MNK) up 0.8% after enrolling 1st patient in ph. 4 Acthar Gel study for severe keratis... Eli Lilly (LLY) up 0.5% after dividend increase... Waste Management (WM) up 0.5% after raising dividend... Uber (UBER) up 0.4% after CA judge ruled that its drivers do not have to be reclassified as employees. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Steel Dynamics (STLD) down 1.4% after Q4 guidance. ALSO LOWER: MEI Pharma (MEIP) down 23.6% after equity offering... Clovis (CLVS) down 11.2% after equity offering... Roku (ROKU) down 3.1% after announcing resignation of CFO... Boeing (BA) down 0.7% after temporarily halting 737 Max production. Movers as of 18:15ET.

18:03 EST General Dynamics awarded $299.89M Navy contract - General Dynamics was awarded a $299.89M cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for FY20 through FY23 U.S. and United Kingdom Trident II Fleet ballistic missile submarines fire control system, guided missile submarines attack weapon control system and support equipment rework facility support. Work is expected to be completed December 30, 2024. Fiscal FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9.06M, FY20 other procurement funds in the amount of $14.91M, FY19 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1.01M and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $8.89M are being obligated on this award. Of this amount, $10.07M will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis in accordance to 10 U.S. Code 2304 and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Strategic Systems Programs is the contracting activity.

18:01 EST Pfizer says XTANDI approved by FDA for treament of mCSPC - Pfizer (PFE) and Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental New Drug Application for XTANDI for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. In 2019, it is estimated that just over 40,000 men in the United States are living with mCSPC, a form of prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and still responds to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone. With this approval, XTANDI is now the first and only oral treatment approved by the FDA in three distinct types of advanced prostate cancer - non-metastatic and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and mCSPC. The approval is based on results from ARCHES, a randomized Phase 3 study which evaluated 1,150 men with mCSPC and met its primary endpoint of radiographic progression-free survival. "Men with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer face complex treatment decisions and it is critical for physicians and patients to have as much information as possible when deciding on all of the options available," said Andrew Armstrong, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Surgery, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Director of Research in the Duke Cancer Institute's Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers and lead investigator of ARCHES. "The research supporting the FDA approval and updated treatment guidelines provide physicians and patients with compelling evidence to consider enzalutamide as a treatment option for men with this disease."

17:51 EST Johnson Controls awarded $400M Army contract - Johnson Controls was awarded a $400M firm-fixed-price contract for utility monitoring and control systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of December 19, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the contracting activity.

17:45 EST Newmont Goldcorp to sell its 50% stake in KCGM for $800M - Newmont has agreed to sell its 50% stake in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, or KCGM, to Australia's Northern Star Resources Limited. Under terms of the agreement, Newmont will receive $800M in cash for its interests in KCGM, inclusive of a $25M payment that gives Northern Star specified exploration tenements, transitional services support and an option to negotiate exclusively for 120 days the purchase of Newmont's Kalgoorlie power business for fair market value. The $25M payment will be credited against the purchase price for the power business or returned to Northern Star if the power business is sold to a third party. The transaction is expected to close in early January following receipt of ministerial consent required under KCGM's crown leases.

17:33 EST Roche wins U.S. antitrust approval for Spark Therapeutics deal - The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation into Roche Holding's (RHHBY) proposed acquisition of Spark Therapeutics (ONCE). According to a Commission Statement, after an exhaustive, 10-month investigation into whether the merger would lessen potential competition in the U.S. market for hemophilia A therapies, the evidence "did not indicate that Roche would have the incentive to delay or terminate Spark's developmental effort for its hemophilia A gene therapy, or that the acquisition would affect Roche's incentives regarding Hemlibra." The Commission vote to close the investigation was 5-0. Reference Link

17:17 EST Eiger BioPharmaceuticals initiates rolling NDA for Lonafarnib - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated submission of a New Drug Application, or NDA, for Lonafarnib for the treatment of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and Progeroid Laminopathies to the FDA under the Rolling Review Process. Lonafarnib, an oral farnesyltransferase inhibitor, has demonstrated extended survival in children and young adults with Progeria, an ultra-rare and fatal disease that causes premature aging in children. Without treatment, children with Progeria die of heart disease at an average age of 14.5 years. Lonafarnib has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies by the FDA and EMA and Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation by the FDA. The FDA agreed that the Lonafarnib submission could be a rolling NDA, allowing completed portions of an NDA to be submitted and reviewed by the FDA on an ongoing basis. Eiger plans to complete the NDA rolling submission in first quarter of 2020.

17:11 EST Boeing says roughly 400 737 MAX planes in storage

17:08 EST Boeing says 737 decision driven by 'a number of factors'

17:06 EST Boeing says decision 'least disruptive' to maintaining long-term output system

17:04 EST Copa Holdings reports November capacity down 2.9%, traffic down 1.5% - For the month of November 2019, Copa Holdings' capacity, or ASMs, decreased 2.9%, while system-wide passenger traffic, or RPMs, decreased only 1.5% year over year. As a result, system load factor for the month was 85.5%, 1.2 percentage points higher than November 2018.

17:01 EST Neenah Paper announces realignment, names Julie Schertell COO - Neenah announced that Julie A. Schertell has been named Chief Operating Officer, reporting to John O'Donnell, Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1. Schertell joined Neenah in 2008 and is currently Senior Vice President and President of Technical Products. Previous positions Schertell has held in Neenah have included President - Fine Paper & Packaging, and Vice-President- Fine Paper Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain. Prior to joining Neenah, Schertell worked at Georgia-Pacific Corporation, starting her career at a manufacturing facility, and holding subsequent business leadership positions in Finance, Supply Chain, and Sales and Marketing. In her new role Schertell will have direct overall responsibility for both Neenah's Technical Products and Fine Paper and Packaging businesses. With this change, the company will implement a functionally-driven organization across all businesses. In this new structure, Byron Racki, currently Senior Vice President and President- Fine Paper & Packaging, has been named Senior VP - Sales & Marketing, with responsibility for revenue generating strategies and commercial activities across the company. Ron Lane, Senior VP- Operations, will continue to be responsible for company-wide global manufacturing cost performance and efficiency efforts. Both Mr. Racki and Mr. Lane, as well as the Human Resource and Information Technology functions, will report directly to Ms. Schertell.

16:47 EST Mallinckrodt enrolls first patient in severe keratis Phase 4 Acthar Gel study - Mallinckrodt confirmed enrollment of the first patient in the company's Phase 4, multi-center, multiple-dose, open-label study to assess the effects of Acthar Gel as a therapy option in patients with severe keratitis. Acthar Gel is approved by the FDA for the treatment of severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa - such as keratitis, iritis, iridocyclitis, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, optic neuritis, chorioretinitis, anterior segment inflammation - one of the product's 19 indications.

16:36 EST AMC Entertainment, Cinemark gain after Cineworld deal for Canada's Cineplex - Shares of movie theater operators AMC Entertainment (AMC) and Cinemark (CNK) rallied on Monday after the UK's Cineworld proposed $2.1B acquisition of Cineplex. Earlier on Monday, Cineworld announced its acquisition of Cineplex movie theaters in Canada with 75% market share, in a "synergistic transaction, with approximately $130M of run-rate combination benefits. Shares of AMC Entertainment closed up 1.6% to $8.35 per share while Cinemark Holdings was up 1.2% to $34.41 per share on the news.

16:32 EST Gladstone acquires $9M industrial building in Tennessee - Gladstone announced that it completed the acquisition of a 241,000 square foot industrial building in Jackson, Tennessee. A build-to-suit for Berry Global, the building was completed in August and is 100% leased to Berry. Berry utilizes the warehouse primarily for the storage and distribution of products manufactured at its adjacent production facility.

16:31 EST Hibbett Sports names Michael E. Longo president, CEO - Hibbett Sports announced that Michael E. Longo has been named President and Chief Executive Officer. Effective December 16, 2019, Longo will succeed Jeff Rosenthal, who announced his planned retirement in March of 2019. In addition, effective with his appointment as CEO, Longo will replace Rosenthal on the company's Board of Directors. Commenting on the announcement, Anthony F. Crudele, Chairman of the Board, stated, "We are very pleased to name Mike Longo as President and Chief Executive Officer after a thorough search and selection process by the Board of Directors. We have had the opportunity to work with Mike over the last year as President of City Gear. Given Mike's extensive retail industry and leadership experience, we believe he is uniquely qualified to help strengthen Hibbett's leadership position in both the customer experience and the active footwear and apparel industry. Mike has a demonstrated track record for assessing evolving consumer and customer trends and needs and managing with an eye toward not only the short-term, but the long-term as well. His leadership skills, strategic acumen, dedication and integrity will be invaluable as we apply a laser focus to the rapidly changing retail marketplace. We look forward to working with Mike as he leads Hibbett forward and to his contributions to the Company's Board of Directors." Longo served as Chief Executive Officer for Memphis-based City Gear, LLC., where he oversaw the successful acquisition of the company in 2018 by Hibbett Sports.

16:29 EST Uber up 1.6% at $30.60 afterhours following CA ruling on driver classification

16:22 EST RCI Hospitality sees FY19 free cash flow approximately $32.5M-$34M - This compares to FCF of $23.2M in FY18. The company is on track with finalizing its previously announced acquisition of a well-established nightclub in the Northeast Corridor. Closing is expected in the company's 2Q20. In addition, RCI is in active negotiations on a number of other club acquisition opportunities. "While we are disappointed at having to delay the filing of our 10-K, it was not totally unexpected given our recent change in auditors," said Eric Langan, President & CEO. "All other aspects of the business are doing well. We are working as hard as we can for our investors."

16:22 EST Univar names Nicholas Alexos as new CFO effective January 6th - Univar (UNVR) announced the appointment of Nicholas Alexos as executive vice president and CFO effective January 6, 2020. Nick will succeed Carl Lukach who will transition into the role of executive vice president of corporate development. Nick joins Univar Solutions after serving as executive vice president, CFO and chief administrative officer at Dentsply Sirona (XRAY).

16:19 EST Beyond Air CEO buys 190.4K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Beyond Air disclosed that its CEO Steven Lisi bought 190.4K shares of common stock on December 12th. The total transaction size was $697K.

16:16 EST Omega Flex declares special dividend of $3.50 per share - Payable on December 30 to shareholders of record on December 26. According to a company statement, "The Board of Directors has reviewed the anticipated cash needs of the Corporation, and determined that the Corporation has cash and cash equivalents on-hand in excess of the amount necessary to meet the obligations incurred in its operations, fund capital expenditures, and fulfill its corporate objectives, as well as access to an existing revolving line of credit. The Board of Directors takes seriously its responsibility to the Corporation's shareholders, and given that the Corporation maintains excess cash and cash equivalent assets, the Corporation will return those assets to the shareholders through a special dividend of $3.50 per share."

16:16 EST Noble Energy to transfer listing to Nasdaq from NYSE - Noble Energy announced that it will voluntarily transfer its stock exchange listing to the Nasdaq Global Select Market from the New York Stock Exchange, effective December 27, 2019 after market close. Noble Energy common stock is expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq-listed security on December 30, 2019. The company will retain its current ticker symbol "NBL".

16:14 EST Heico raises semi-annual cash dividend 14% to 8c per share - HEICO Corporation announced that its board of directors approved a 14% increase in the semi-annual cash dividend to 8c per share from 7c per share, payable on both classes of common stock. The dividend is payable on January 23, 2020 to shareholders of record as of January 9, 2020. This announcement marks HEICO's 83rd consecutive semi-annual cash dividend since 1979.

16:13 EST Grinrod Shipping gives update on fleet transactions, share repurchases - Grindrod Shipping Holdings announced a number of transactions relating to its fleet and further share repurchases. The prevailing charter agreement for our long-term bareboat chartered-out 2016-built Medium Range eco tanker, Matuku, includes a fixed period ending May 2020, with extension options in favor of the charterer. The Company and the existing charterer of the Matuku have mutually agreed to extend the period of the existing bareboat charter for a further two years until May 2022 at an increased charter rate.The prevailing charter in agreement for our long-term chartered-in 2015-built Japanese eco supramax vessel, IVS Augusta, includes a fixed period ending March 2020, with extension options covering a further two years at pre-determined charter rates and a purchase option on either the IVS Augusta or its sistership the IVS Pinehurst, which is also on charter to the Company. We have elected to not exercise our right to extend the charter or exercise the purchase option on IVS Augusta. As a result, we expect the vessel to redeliver to her owners during the 1Q 2020. We retain the purchase option on the IVS Pinehurst. Pursuant to the Company's previously approved share repurchase authority granted by shareholders at the last Annual General Meeting on May 29, 2019, the Company has acquired ordinary shares in the open market in addition to those detailed in our previous announcement on December 2, 2019. Over the period from and including November 30, 2019 through and including December 11, 2019 a combined total of 66,398 ordinary shares has been acquired on NASDAQ and the JSE. The repurchased shares were acquired at an average price per share over such period of $6.79, or ZAR 99.61 based on an indicative ZAR/USD exchange rate of 14.68, before costs. As a result a combined total of 299,641 ordinary shares has been acquired on NASDAQ and the JSE over the period from the end of the second fiscal quarter through and including December 11, 2019 at an average price per share over such period of $6.62, or ZAR 97.13 based on an indicative ZAR/USD exchange rate of 14.68, before costs. The timing and amount of any repurchases are in the sole discretion of the Company, and depend on legal requirements, market conditions, stock price, alternative uses of capital and other factors. Repurchases of ordinary shares may take place in privately negotiated transactions and/or open market transactions. The repurchase authority expires at the next Annual General Meeting, unless renewed, and may be suspended or terminated by the Company at any time without prior notice.

16:12 EST TRI Pointe increases existing stock repurchase program by $50M - TRI Pointe announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $50M of company common stock under its existing stock repurchase program, increasing the aggregate authorization under the repurchase program from $100M to $150M. The company had repurchased an aggregate of 5,079,422 shares of common stock for $72.8M under the repurchase program. Including the $50M increase in the aggregate authorization, approximately $77.2M remains available to purchase common stock under the repurchase program.

16:10 EST RCI Hospitality: Nightclubs, Bombshells total, SSS up in first months of 1Q20 - Through the first two months of 1Q20, which ends December 31, both Nightclubs and Bombshells total and same-store sales are up over the same period last year. RCI will report 1Q20 sales on January 9, 2020.

16:08 EST Akero Therapeutics completes enrollment in Phase 2a study in NASH - Akero Therapeutics announced that it has completed enrollment in the Phase 2a BALANCED study of AKR-001, a novel FGF21 analog, for the treatment of NASH. Topline results from the BALANCED study are expected in the first quarter of 2020, with full data readout anticipated in the second quarter of 2020.

16:05 EST Immersion names Aaron Akerman as new CFO - Immersion announced the appointment of Aaron Akerman as the company's CFO. He will begin his employment on January 13, 2020. Akerman joins Immersion from Hypertec Group, where he was its CFO.

16:03 EST Agios Pharmaceuticals announces breakthrough therapy for Tibsovo - Agios Pharmaceuticals announced that FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation for Tibsovo for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, with a susceptible IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test. MDS is a group of bone marrow disorders that can cause severe complications, such as infections and uncontrolled bleeding, and can lead to the development of acute myelogenous leukemia.

16:01 EST Covetrus names Stuart Gleichenhaus interim CFO - Covetrus announced that Stuart Gleichenhaus has been named interim CFO, effective December 16, 2019. The company also announced that Dustin Finer has been promoted to chief administrative officer. Effective December 16, 2019, Christine T. Komola will depart as the company's executive vice president and CFO. Komola will shift into an advisory role for a period of one month to ensure a smooth transition during the company's year-end closing process.

15:13 EST FedEx slides 2% after Amazon opens new front in fight - FedEx (FDX) shares are down down about 2% to $162.29 after The Wall Street Journal said Amazon (AMZN) is preventing its third-party sellers from using the shipper's ground delivery network for its Prime shipping. In his report on the new development, The Wall Street Journal's Paul Ziobro noted that the e-commerce giant has previously stopped using FedEx for its own deliveries in the U.S., but third-party sellers had still been able to use the company's service for their deliveries.

14:49 EST Amarin CEO says 'tremendous amount of science' supports Vascepa - Thero said "any time you have a major drug, you always have patent challenges" and that the company is confident in its patent protections for Vascepa. Amarin CEO John Thero made the comments while being interviewed on CNBC.

14:40 EST Pembina Pipeline trading resumes

14:25 EST Pembina closes acquisition of Kinder Morgan Canada Limited - Kinder Morgan Canada announced that the Pembina Pipeline (PPL) has acquired all of the outstanding common equity of KML, including the 70 percent majority voting interest held by Kinder Morgan (KMI)). Under the Arrangement, KML shareholders are now entitled to receive .3068 shares of Pembina for each KML share held at the effective time of the Arrangement. Pursuant to the Arrangement, KML has been amalgamated with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pembina and the outstanding KML preferred shares have been exchanged for Pembina preferred shares with substantially the same terms and conditions. Dividends on the newly issued Pembina preferred shares will continue to be paid on the 15th day of February, May, August and November in each year, if, as and when declared by Pembina's board of directors.

14:12 EST Regeneron to reduce development share in Intellia agreement to 25% from 25% - In July 2018, Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) entered into a co-development and co-promotion agreement for transthyretin amyloidosis, which Regeneron had selected as the first of its 10 targets pursuant to the license and collaboration agreement between the companies, dated April 11, 2016. On December 13, 2019, Regeneron informed Intellia that it would exercise its right under the agreement to modify its share of worldwide development costs and profits from 50% to 25%, effective six months after its notice. Under the terms of the agreement, Regeneron will continue to co-fund development costs and will be entitled to 25% of worldwide profits of any resulting transthyretin amyloidosis products. Intellia continues to lead the development and commercialization of any resulting ATTR products. Intellia and Regeneron continue to collaborate under the Regeneron agreement under which, subject to certain conditions, Regeneron may obtain exclusive rights for up to 10 targets, which, at this time, includes ATTR, as well as opt to co-develop and co-commercialize up to five liver targets selected by Intellia, during the collaboration term.

14:08 EST Pembina Pipeline trading halted, news pending

13:59 EST Former Goldman Sachs executive charged by SEC with FCPA violations - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against former Goldman Sachs Group executive Tim Leissner for engaging in a corruption scheme, by which he obtained millions of dollars by paying unlawful bribes to various government officials to secure lucrative contracts for Goldman Sachs. Leissner has agreed to a settlement of the alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that includes a permanent bar from the securities industry. Leissner consented to the SEC's order finding that he violated the antibribery, internal accounting controls, and books and records provisions of the federal securities laws and agreed to be permanently barred from the securities industry. The SEC's order requires Leissner to pay disgorgement of $43.7M, which will be offset by amounts paid pursuant to a forfeiture order as part of a resolution in a previously instituted parallel criminal action by the U.S. Department of Justice. Reference Link

12:39 EST Taiwan Liposome Company Ltd (ADS) trading resumes

12:17 EST Daimler, BMW say 90M use JV's mobility services - Daimler (DDAIF) and BMW Group (BMWYY) said that they are "maintaining their dynamic growth course," as nearly 90M people currently use the joint ventures' mobility services for car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal platforms, which are offered in over 1,300 cities worldwide. The shareholders are now setting course for the joint ventures' next phase of expansion, which will be focused on profitable growth. The services offered by the joint ventures will continue to be tailored to customer needs and clustered into three pillars: 1. FREE NOW. 2. SHARE NOW. 3. PARK NOW & CHARGE NOW. The introduction of a new umbrella organisation, effective 1 January 2020, will support efficient management of these three pillars. Rainer Feurer, Senior Vice President Investment of BMW Group: "As a shareholder, we firmly believe that combining the services into three pillars will strengthen the joint ventures' impact and focus in a highly competitive, fast-growing environment. Both shareholders are backing the YOUR NOW business model and are determined to develop the joint ventures into a leading player in the mobility market." Franz Reiner, CEO of Daimler Mobility AG: "We are setting the course for the YOUR NOW joint ventures to achieve sustainable profitability. At the same time, partnerships are increasingly important to success in the marketplace and, in this respect, we are open to further stepping up growth."

12:05 EST Fortinet announces extended integration of partnership with Google Cloud - Fortinet (FTNT) announced extended integration of its cloud security portfolio with Google Cloud (GOOG, GOOGL) to offer customers migrating to Google Cloud Platform, or GCP, advanced security for their workloads and applications. The tightened integration is comprised of a new reference architecture helping customers connect distributed branches to GCP with Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN solution and the availability of Fortinet's FortiWeb Cloud WAF-as-a-Service in the Google Cloud Marketplace. Fortinet is collaborating with Google Cloud to alleviate these challenges for end users by integrating its cloud security solutions with GCP. Fortinet's cloud security portfolio is managed by a single management system as part of its Fortinet Security Fabric, providing IT teams with comprehensive visibility and consolidated management across the growing attack surface. John Maddison, EVP of product and CMO at Fortinet said, "Distributed cloud and on-premises infrastructures introduce new risks to the expanding digital attack surface. This is why it's especially crucial for organizations to implement consistent security and centralized management across the entire infrastructure. Fortinet provides this through the Fortinet Security Fabric and today we're announcing extending our Security Fabric's cloud security offerings to Google Cloud. Through our extended collaboration, we're providing customers advanced cloud security across regions, office locations and environments."

12:03 EST Palo Alto Networks, Google Cloud expand strategic partnership - Google Cloud (GOOGL) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) announced new solutions to help customers stay secure. Together, the companies will collaborate to bring new offerings to market and to run several Palo Alto Networks services on Google Cloud, combining the expertise of each company in cloud computing and cybersecurity. As a part of the partnership, Palo Alto Networks continues to leverage Google Cloud Platform to deliver secure access to cloud applications and to provide enterprise-scale security operations. By making these services available on Google Cloud Platform, customers can benefit from increased visibility, continuous compliance, and enhanced security analytics.

12:00 EST IFF falls -8.3% - IFF is down -8.3%, or -$11.07 to $122.91.

12:00 EST Tutor Perini falls -17.2% - Tutor Perini is down -17.2%, or -$2.70 to $13.03.

12:00 EST Titan International rises 10.8% - Titan International is up 10.8%, or 34c to $3.48.

11:50 EST MeetMe trading resumes

11:24 EST Instagram to warn users before posting 'potentially offensive' captions - Instagram announced the following in its blog: "Starting today, we are rolling out a new feature that notifies people when their captions on a photo or video may be considered offensive, and gives them a chance to pause and reconsider their words before posting. As part of our long-term commitment to lead the fight against online bullying, we've developed and tested AI that can recognize different forms of bullying on Instagram. Earlier this year, we launched a feature that notifies people when their comments may be considered offensive before they're posted. Results have been promising, and we've found that these types of nudges can encourage people to reconsider their words when given a chance. Today, when someone writes a caption for a feed post and our AI detects the caption as potentially offensive, they will receive a prompt informing them that their caption is similar to those reported for bullying. They will have the opportunity to edit their caption before it's posted. In addition to limiting the reach of bullying, this warning helps educate people on what we don't allow on Instagram, and when an account may be at risk of breaking our rules. To start, this feature will be rolling out in select countries, and we'll begin expanding globally in the coming months." Instagram is a member of the Facebook Family of Apps. Reference Link

10:15 EST Wells Fargo, City of Philadelphia agree to resolve litigation - The City of Philadelphia and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. have agreed to a resolution of the lawsuit brought in 2017 by the City of Philadelphia against the bank. The City and Wells Fargo have reached a collaboration agreement under which the company will contribute $10M for sustainable housing-related programs to promote and preserve homeownership for low- and moderate-income residents. In the lawsuit, the City alleged that Wells Fargo originated residential mortgage loans to minority borrowers in Philadelphia in violation of the Fair Housing Act, causing economic and non-economic damages to the City. "Wells Fargo does not admit liability and vigorously denied the allegations," the bank stated in its announcement of the agreement.

10:03 EST Citi, PayPal extend partnership to institutional payments - Citi (C) and PayPal (PYPL) have expanded their partnership to enable Citi's institutional clients to make payments into customers' PayPal digital wallets. The extended partnership brings together Citi's large global network and client base of multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations and PayPal's vast two-sided network of consumers and businesses, delivering more choice and flexibility to Citi and PayPal customers. Citi clients will now have the added option of being able to pay directly into PayPal digital wallets via Citi's WorldLink cross-border payments platform. As a result, clients will gain greater payment choice, flexibility, and speed when making global payments. PayPal customers will benefit by receiving associated funds fast, directly into their PayPal digital wallets. Starting in the first quarter of 2020, Citi clients will be able to make payments into PayPal wallets globally in more than 200 markets.

10:00 EST REV Group falls -14.7% - REV Group is down -14.7%, or -$1.90 to $11.02.

10:00 EST Borr Drilling rises 8.6% - Borr Drilling is up 8.6%, or 69c to $8.76.

10:00 EST Amneal Pharmaceuticals rises 11.3% - Amneal Pharmaceuticals is up 11.3%, or 54c to $5.30.

09:56 EST Cisco announces intent to acquire Exablaze; terms not disclosed - Cisco is announcing its intent to acquire Exablaze, a privately held, Australia-based designer and manufacturer of advanced network devices. Cisco said in statement that Exablaze's design and manufacturing innovation offer customers the latest Field Programmable Gate Array technology with the required flexibility and programmability for environments where ultra-low-latency and high performance is critical. These next-generation products include advanced ultra-low latency FPGA-based switches and network interface cards, as well as picosecond resolution timing technology, it said. The addition of Exablaze to Cisco's Nexus switching portfolio will complement Cisco's current switching technology with the FPGA-based layer-1 capable switchs and ultra-low latency NICs. Reference Link

09:47 EST VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN rises 6.1% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is up 6.1%, or 52c to $9.09.

09:47 EST Borr Drilling rises 7.0% - Borr Drilling is up 7.0%, or 56c to $8.63.

09:34 EST Shineco reaches consensus on cooperation with Wuchang Municipal Government - Shineco announced that chairman and CEO Yuying Zhang has reached a consensus on cooperation with Vice Mayor Zhang Jianchun of Wuchang municipal government of Heilongjiang Province regarding Shineco's industry hemp development plan in Heilongjiang Province. Wuchang City has been included in the core development plan of the Harbin-Daqi Industrial Corridor. Wuchang City has fertile soil with a total arable land area of approximately 3.8 million mu. The company said, "The Government attaches great importance to the Plan and agrees to cooperate with the Company. The Plan is highly consistent with Heilongjiang's industry development plan. The Company has been invited to Wuchang to conduct field inspections to complete the project of Industry hemp comprehensive utilization industrial park as soon as possible, and build an industry hemp industrial chain system. The Government believes that this move will increase the income of local farmers and promote the adjustment of the agricultural industrial structure. At the same time, it is also of long-term significance to the development and expansion of the Plan, and both parties are excited for the forthcoming cooperation."

09:32 EST HealthStream company VerityStream acquires CredentialMyDoc for $9M in cash - VerityStream, f/k/a Verity, a wholly owned subsidiary of HealthStream, announced the acquisition of CredentialMyDoc, for approximately $9M in cash. VerityStream adds more than 300 clients through the transaction, boosting its client base of multi-specialty medical groups, ambulatory surgery centers, clinics, and federally qualified health centers, among others.

09:27 EST Capri Holdings to acquire Alberto Gozzi - Capri Holdings announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Italian atelier and shoe manufacturer Alberto Gozzi S.r.L. in Pistoia, Tuscany. The transaction is expected to close in the Company's fourth fiscal quarter, subject to specified closing conditions. The factory, owned and operated by the Gozzi family since its founding in 1974, has produced high-end shoes for many of the world's top luxury brands over the years. In the immediate future, the factory will develop and produce shoes for Jimmy Choo and Versace. The production of Michael Kors Collection shoes will be added at a later date.

09:22 EST Terreno Realty acquires industrial property in New Jersey for $12M - Terreno Realty acquired an industrial property located in East Rutherford, New Jersey for a purchase price of approximately $12M. The property consists of one industrial distribution building containing approximately 50,000 square feet on 3.5 acres less than two miles west of the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Exit 16W of the New Jersey Turnpike. The property provides seven dock-high and one grade-level loading positions, parking for 38 cars, 30-foot clear height and is 100% leased to one tenant on a short-term basis. The estimated stabilized cap rate of the property is 5%.

09:16 EST Consolidated Communications makes CCiTV availabe throughout Northern New England - Consolidated Communications announced CCiTV is now available throughout Northern New England. The Company is introducing its next-generation TV service to consumers in Vermont, as well as making the service available to additional locations in Maine and New Hampshire. CCiTV was already available in southern Maine and in the Lakes Region, central and southern New Hampshire.

09:15 EST Homology Medicines announces publication of five-year retrospective study - Homology Medicines announced a peer-reviewed publication of findings from a five-year retrospective chart review that demonstrated phenylalanine concentrations remain elevated in adult patients with classical phenylketonuria even when closely monitored and on the standard of care highly restricted protein diet. Elevated Phe can cause neurocognitive deficits and, as diet alone is often insufficient for achieving target Phe levels, these data support the need for new therapies to control Phe levels in patients with PKU. The publication describes a retrospective review of electronic health records of patients 10-40 years old with hyperphenylalaninemia, or mild, moderate or classical PKU, to capture historical data associated with managing PKU under the standard of care for the study's time period of November 2012 through November 2017, characterize a representative population, and understand the unmet medical need. The data were collected and analyzed at two specialized clinics - Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - in collaboration with Homology. The data were consistent between the two centers. Additional key observations in the publication include: Of the 152 patients in the study, 65.8% had classical PKU, which is the most common and most severe form of the disease. Although over 95% of patients were prescribed a Phe-restricted diet, blood Phe concentrations in the classical PKU patients remained substantially elevated above 360 micromol/L, a level considered well-controlled based on current U.S. treatment guidelines, particularly in patients with classical PKU. As Phe threshold was lowered, the number of patients with consecutive lab values below the threshold decreased, suggesting many patients' Phe levels were inadequately controlled. 62.5% of patients were reported as having a history of at least one neuropsychiatric comorbidity, and adults were more likely than adolescents. The publication, "5-Year Retrospective Analysis of Patients with Phenylketonuria and Hyperphenylalaninemia Treated at Two Specialized Clinics," was peer-reviewed and published in the journal Molecular Genetics & Metabolism.

09:12 EST Kilroy Realty acquires 1.37-acre mixed-use site in Seattle - Kilroy Realty announced it has completed the acquisition of a 1.37-acre five parcel land site in Seattle's central business district for a purchase price of $133M. The company plans to seek entitlements to develop a state-of-the-art mixed-use project consisting of approximately 900,000 square feet of office, including the full restoration of the Lloyd Building, and approximately 25,000 square feet of street-level food and beverage retail as well as underground parking.

09:10 EST TCF Financial CFO Dennis Klaeser to step down, Brian Maass to succeed - TCF Financial announced that Dennis Klaeser will step down from his role as CFO on October 1, 2020. At that time, Brian Maass, deputy CFO and treasurer, will assume the role of CFO and will report directly to Craig Dahl, president and CEO. After Klaeser steps down from his role as CFO, the company intends to enter into an exclusive consulting agreement with Klaeser to provide strategic advice and assistance to TCF's senior executive leadership. Maass assumed the role of executive VP, deputy CFO and treasurer at TCF following the closing of the merger of equals on August 1. Prior to the merger, he served TCF as its CFO for nearly four years, and treasurer and chief investment officer for three years.

09:10 EST EVI Industries to acquire Laundry Systems of Tennessee and affiliates - EVI Industries announced that it executed a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Sevierville, Tennessee based Laundry Systems of Tennessee and affiliates, "a distributor of commercial, industrial, and vended laundry products and a provider of related installation and maintenance services to the new and replacement markets of the commercial laundry industry." The company also leases commercial laundry equipment and sells chemicals and other laundry consumables to its customers. For over twenty-years, Laundry Systems of Tennessee has sustained a reputation and tradition of providing exceptional service while representing quality products to a diverse customer base. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Consideration of the purchase included a combination of cash and EVI common stock.

09:08 EST Aegion Board of Directors authorizes program to repurchase up to 2M shares - Aegion Corporation's Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to two million shares of the Company's common stock in open market transactions. The Board of Directors' authorization does not have a fixed expiration date. The Company is currently executing a repurchase program that will expire upon the Company's repurchase of two million shares of Company common stock under that program. Through November 30, 2019, the Company had repurchased nearly 1.5 million shares through the existing program.

09:07 EST Stereotaxis announces first patients treated in robotic arrhythmia care program - Stereotaxis announced that HCA Midwest Health has launched a new robotic arrhythmia care program based at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Installation of the Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation System was recently completed, and the first patients have been successfully treated using the technology at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Stereotaxis' partnership with HCA Midwest Health brings new, leading-edge treatment options for patients who have a cardiac arrhythmia. The addition of RMN is a key component of the cardiology program at OPRMC and HCA Midwest Health, allowing for patient-focused clinical and technological leadership as well as enabling the providers and clinical team to better address a range of complex arrhythmias that otherwise might not have been treatable.

09:06 EST Avis Budget surpasses 200,000 connected vehicle mark - Avis Budget Group announced that it has surpassed the 200,000 connected car threshold globally, a significant marker on its journey to fully connecting its fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles. To date, the company has seen numerous benefits, including reduced costs thanks to new operational efficiencies; increased revenue from better recovery of costs; happier customers thanks to more responsive and personalized technology; and new business models enabled by both the connected platform and vehicle data.

09:06 EST Chesapeake Utilities unit to acquire assets of Boulden Brothers Propane - Chesapeake Utilities announced that its propane subsidiary, Sharp Energy, executed an agreement to acquire the propane operating assets of Boulden Brothers Propane in Newark, Delaware. The parties closed on this transaction on December 13. Terms of the transaction were not publicly disclosed.

09:05 EST Intel acquires Habana Labs for $2B

09:04 EST Accenture, UCB collaborate on safety solution to accelerate case report process - Accenture and UCB, a biopharmaceutical company, have collaborated to build a safety solution based on Accenture's Intient Pharmacovigilance to accelerate processing of individual patient safety case reports. This will help UCB uncover patient safety impacts from existing treatments and manage the risks of new drugs and services. Accenture's Intient Pharmacovigilance leverages artificial intelligence to collect, manage and learn from UCB's structured and unstructured source data within pharmacovigilance, which monitors the effects of drugs during clinical trials and after they have been cleared by regulators for use. Intient Pharmacovigilance improves the flow of data, making pharmacovigilance case processing faster, less costly and more consistent. An Accenture life sciences operations team is managing case processing augmented by the platform for UCB, allowing UCB's case processing team to focus on activities such as medical assessment and targeted follow up.

09:03 EST Dish releases Amazon Prime Video app on Hopper 3 - DISH (DISH) released the Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video app on Hopper 3, expanding its streaming content options on the award-winning DVR. Amazon Prime complements the existing DISH experience by allowing customers to instantly stream their favorite Amazon Originals, including "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" and Emmy Award-winning "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," from the same platform as their DISH TV programming.

09:02 EST Ritchie Bros. says Ann Fandozzi to become CEO, effective January 6, 2020 - Ritchie Bros. announced that Ann Fandozzi will become CEO and join the company's Board of Directors, effective January 6, 2020. Most recently, Fandozzi was CEO of ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading national damaged vehicle repair company, where she engineered a step-change in profitability and laid the foundation for an all-new customer experience through technology.

09:01 EST Calyxt enters collaboration with CVA Cooperative - Calyxt has entered into a collaboration with Central Valley, or CVA, Cooperative, a provider of products and services in grain, agronomy, feed and energy, to expand Calyxt's Identity Preserved grower network for Calyxt crop varieties. CVA will contract acres to launch new Calyxt soybean varieties and offer seed distribution, seed treatment and agronomy services to Calyxt Identity Preserved growers. In addition, Calyxt will gain access to CVA's grain elevators and rail logistics for the shipping of Calyxt's high oleic soybean grain. The new relationship with CVA, and existing relationships with Landus and Agtegra, expands Calyxt's access to geographies where 45% of the 89M acres of U.S. soybean are grown.

08:53 EST comScore partners with Draper Media in Salisbury, MD - Comscore announced an agreement to provide Draper Media with measurement services for its CBS, NBC & FOX television stations in Salisbury, MD.

08:49 EST Marrone Bio announces results of U.S. field trials for nematicide/insecticide - Marrone Bio announced the results of new U.S. field trials of its next-generation nematicide/insecticide, which showed superior control of yield-robbing insects and nematodes in corn. Research trials conducted at six Midwest locations confirmed higher yields and cost-effective control of insects and nematodes equivalent to or better than current industry chemical standards. This next-generation product is derived from Burkholderia rinojensis - a new species of soil bacterium discovered by MBI - and provides increased performance and greater ease of use at lower rates. The 2019 trials showed outstanding control against corn rootworm larvae, seed corn maggot and lesion nematode in field corn. Marrone Bio currently markets soil treatment products in the United States through its distribution partners under the brand name Majestene for a variety of specialty crops including potatoes, strawberries, tobacco, cucurbits and fruiting vegetables. The next-generation nematicide/insecticide has the potential to expand the company's offering to corn growers as part of their integrated pest management systems. U.S. farmers planted more than 90 million acres of corn in 2019, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.The current Majestene product provides effective insect and nematode control while reducing damage to crops, resulting in higher yields. When in contact with Majestene, nematodes in the soil stop moving after 24 hours and die within 48-to-72 hours. Research studies also have shown that Majestene remains in the roots and has a positive effect on fine-hair root development. Six studies in the United States compared the next-generation solution for nematode and insect control with Majestene and current chemical treatments. This improved nematicide/insecticide version was extremely effective in soil treatments and demonstrated a positive yield improvement when rates were increased, particularly when compared with commercial standards. The current Majestene product also showed improved control and yields, equivalent to or better than the untreated control and current industry chemical standards. The next-generation product is in the final phases of the R&D process and will be submitted for regulatory approval within the next year.

08:47 EST Curo Group to acquire Ad Astra Recovery Services for $15.8M - Curo Group Holdings announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Ad Astra Recovery Services. Curo entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement to acquire Ad Astra for a base purchase price of $15.8M, subject to customary adjustments for net-working capital, cash and debt (the "Transaction"). Closing of the Transaction is subject to regulatory approval in the various jurisdictions in which Ad Astra operates and other customary closing conditions. The company expects the acquisition to be accretive to 2020 pre-tax earnings by approximately $5M-$6M, or 8c-10c of net income per fully-diluted share.

08:45 EST Aerion Supersonic selects GE Aviation as Electrical Power Systems provider - Aerion Supersonic announced that GE Aviation has been selected as the Electrical Power Systems provider for its AS2 supersonic business jet. GE Aviation will design and develop the electrical power system for the AS2. The system includes electrical power generation, distribution, conversion and energy storage.

08:42 EST Inpixon receives follow-on order to supply addition GPS products to customer - Inpixon announced it has received a follow-on order to supply additional Global Positioning System products to a customer within the U.S. federal government following a successful pilot. The customer is utilizing Inpixon's GPS products to track personnel, vehicles and assets for ground situational awareness within a highly secure, wide area, private network. Inpixon's comprehensive tracking solution is designed to provide real-time surveillance of personnel and equipment moving within a designated area.

08:40 EST Comcast says NBCUniversal CEO Burke to retire in 2020, Jeff Shell to succeed - Comcast announced that NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke will retire on August 14, 2020, following the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Effective January 1, 2020, Jeff Shell will become CEO of NBCUniversal, reporting to Burke, who will move to the role of Chairman, NBCUniversal. Upon Burke's retirement, Shell will report directly to Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast.

08:39 EST Tabula Rasa HealthCare reports growth in CareVention HealthCare division - Tabula Rasa HealthCare continues its market penetration in PACE. Spurred by TRHC's CareVention HealthCare division, TRHC is providing more than 80% of PACE providers with at least one TRHC PACE solution. TRHC will continue to expand in January 2020, with five new PACE agreements. In addition to these new PACE agreements, several existing PACE clients will begin using multiple CareVention services in 2020.

08:39 EST Uranium Energy announces public listing of Uranium Royalty Corp. on TSX - Uranium Energy is pleased to announce that Uranium Royalty Corp. has successfully completed its initial public offering raising total gross proceeds of C$30M. URC's shares have commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "URC". UEC owns 14M shares of Uranium Royalty Corp., which represents 19.5% of its issued and outstanding shares. As of the close of trading on December 13, UEC's shareholding in URC was valued at C$16.5M.

08:35 EST MicroVision to request hearing with Nasdaq to stay delisting action - MicroVision announced that on December 12, 2019, MicroVision, Inc. received formal notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that the Staff had determined to delist the Company's securities from The Nasdaq Global Market based upon the Company's continued non-compliance with the $1.00 bid price requirement, unless the Company requests a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel. The Company intends to request a hearing before the Panel, which will stay any further action by the Staff pending the Panel's decision. At the hearing the Company intends to present its plan to regain compliance with all applicable criteria for continued listing. There can be no assurance that the Panel will determine to continue the Company's listing, or that the Company will be able to evidence compliance with listing criteria within the period of time that may be granted by the Panel. As previously disclosed in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 14, 2019, on June 13, 2019, the Staff notified the Company that, based upon the closing bid price for the Company's common stock for the 30 prior consecutive business day period, the Company no longer satisfied the $1.00 bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), and that it had been provided a 180-calendar day grace period to regain compliance with that requirement, through December 10, 2019.

08:34 EST Gladstone Capital makes debt investment in Cafe Zupas - Gladstone Capital Corporation announced that it has completed a debt investment in support of Karp Reilly's investment in Cafe Zupas. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Cafe Zupas is a healthy fast casual restaurant brand with 58 company-owned stores across eight states in the Western and Midwestern United States. The business is a next generation kitchen that serves simple house-made soups, salads and sandwiches from over 200 fresh ingredients with the mission to "Nourish the Good Life" of its everyday healthy guests.

08:32 EST PDL BioPharma increases common stock, convertible notes repurchase authorization - PDL BioPharma announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a $75M increase to the $200M common stock and convertible notes repurchase authorization that was previously announced on December 9, for a total of $275M.

08:30 EST Kewaunee Scientific suspends dividend, announces reduction in force - "Overall, the market for laboratory furniture and related technical products remains healthy," said Thomas Hull III, Kewaunee's President and CEO. "We are seeing a consistent volume of bid activity in most of our key markets as investment in infrastructure requiring Kewaunee's expertise and broad product offering continues. While our sales were strong in our second quarter, the sales mix did not translate into the earnings we expected. A competitive marketplace as well as operating inefficiencies with resulting higher costs resulted in the company not generating the earnings typical at these levels of activity. We are not satisfied with this outcome and are focused on taking the steps necessary to improve profitability. Accordingly, we are taking a number of actions to better position the company in the future: The company has initiated a restructuring, which includes a reduction in force to reduce operating expenses on an ongoing basis. As a result the company expects to take a charge in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, ending January 31, 2020. The company will provide more specifics on the restructuring when it releases its third quarter earnings report. As previously discussed, the company elected to revoke its indefinite reinvestment accounting election providing the company more flexibility in its global treasury management as well as cash to invest in projects intended to improve the Company's operating performance. The company's Board of Directors has elected to suspend the company's dividend as the company believes that, at this time, investing in projects intended to improve the company's operating performance will provide a better long-term return to the company's shareholders. These investments include upgrading and replacement of the underlying information technology supporting all aspects of the business as well as capital investments intended to improve the company's manufacturing productivity and cost structure."

08:20 EST Rapt Therapeutics to be added to Russell 2000, Russell Microcap Indices - RAPT Therapeutics announced that the Company will be added to the Russell 2000 and Russell Microcap Indices as a part of the Russell quarterly update, effective December 23, 2019.

08:19 EST MJardin Group awarded cultivation, processing license for 'Warman' facility - MJardin Group announced that it has received its cultivation and processing license from Health Canada for "Warman", a 120,000 sq. ft. retro-fitted cultivation facility located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the largest in the Company's portfolio. Phase 1 construction of the building is complete and cultivation in this area will begin immediately. Design plans for the full Phase 1 and 2 areas of the Warman facility were released this Summer and include a hybrid facility encompassing indoor and greenhouse production capacity, along with full EU GMP certified extraction, processing and packaging capabilities. The completed Phase 2 build-out, expected to be complete in Q4 2020, will see the facility reach production capacity of approximately 4,500 kg of high-quality dried flower and 800 litres of bulk oil for use in refined products. On October 4, 2019, MJardin announced that the Company received a C$11M payment towards the previously announced Letter of Intent joint venture agreement with Peguis First Nation that will see Peguis purchase the existing land and buildings from MJardin and additionally fund the capital expenditures required to complete Phase 2 of the facility for approximately C$20.5M. The joint venture agreement is expected to close in early 2020. This marks MJardin's third cultivation and processing license in its Canadian portfolio covering facilities in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba. The Company expects to receive its fourth cultivation license and a second sales license in the coming weeks.

08:17 EST BioMarin says vosoritide 'generally well tolerated' in Phase 3 study - BioMarin reported positive final results from its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of vosoritide. The placebo-adjusted change from baseline in growth velocity after one year of treatment with vosoritide, the primary endpoint, was 1.6 cm/yr. Vosoritide is an investigational, once daily injection analog of C-type Natriuretic Peptide. The study enrolled 121 children aged 5 to 14 with achondroplasia, the most common form of disproportionate short stature. The results were consistent across the broad patient population studied. Vosoritide was generally well tolerated with no clinically significant blood pressure decreases. Based on these results, the company plans to meet with health authorities in the first half of 2020 to discuss plans for submitting marketing applications.

08:15 EST Ribbon Communications expands collaboration with Amazon Web Services - Ribbon Communications (RBBN) announced that it has expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AMZN) to enable simplified forwarding of Voice over Internet Protocol audio streams to Amazon Chime Voice Connector by using Session Initiation Protocol-based Media Recording. Ribbon's industry-leading Session Border Controllers with SIPREC capabilities now support Amazon Chime Voice Connector with a tested solution for AWS customers by forwarding audio streams to AWS for real-time analytics.

08:12 EST Medtronic, ChristianaCare collaborate to improve patient outcomes in Delaware - Medtronic and ChristianaCare announced a collaboration designed to improve outcomes for ChristianaCare patients in Delaware and the surrounding region. The five-year agreement will focus on developing and deploying value-based healthcare initiatives to help ChristianaCare apply the right medical technologies and therapies to patients who may benefit most, with shared financial accountability between ChristianaCare and Medtronic to improve patient outcomes while reducing the cost of care. One of the first initiatives is expected to address opioid-induced ventilatory impairment, which occurs when opioids used for pain management inhibit the central drive to breathe and may cause the patient to stop breathing completely unless clinicians intervene with life-saving measures. Medtronic and ChristianaCare seek to standardize an enhanced respiratory monitoring initiative to help address OIVI. This initiative will be designed to identify patients receiving opioids for pain management who are at high risk for OIVI and apply continuous monitoring technology to track breathing, and help alert the care team to abnormal trends.

08:11 EST Myomo announces partnership with Hobbs Rehabilitation for UK MyoPro users - Myomo announced that it has formed a partnership with Hobbs Rehabilitation to provide a range of services to support MyoPro users in the UK. Hobbs neurological physiotherapists and occupational therapists will work with patients using the Myomo family of myoelectric orthotics and have already been using Myomo devices to treat patients with upper limb paralysis as part of their intensive rehabilitation packages.

08:09 EST Abiomed enrolls first patient in STEMI DTU Randomized Controlled FDA Trial - Abiomedannounces initiation of the ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Door-to-Unloading, or STEMI DTU, Pivotal Randomized Controlled Trial, or RCT, which will explore whether unloading the heart's left ventricle for 30 minutes with an Impella heart pump prior to opening blocked arteries will reduce infarct size after a heart attack and lead to a reduction in future heart failure rates. The first patient in the multi-center trial was enrolled at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Kevin Wolschleger, MD.

08:09 EST Pyxis Tankers to sell Pyxis Delta tanker - Pyxis Tankers announced that it had agreed to sell the Pyxis Delta, a 2006 built 46,616 dwt product tanker. The closing of the sale should occur in January, 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

08:08 EST Points International renews partnership with Southwest Airlines - Points (PCOM) announced a long term renewal of its contract with Southwest Airlines (LUV) beginning January 1, 2020. Through a single integration with Points' Loyalty Commerce Platform, Southwest Airlines will continue to leverage a full suite of loyalty solutions designed to drive both increased revenue and member engagement.

08:06 EST Regulus: FDA lifts Partial Clinical Hold on study of RGLS4326 - Regulus announced the U.S. FDA has lifted the Partial Clinical Hold on the company's Phase 1 multiple ascending dose clinical study of RGLS4326 for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. The company plans to recommence the MAD study in the first quarter of 2020. With the Partial Clinical Hold on the MAD study lifted, the company is also planning to enroll patients with ADPKD in an additional short-term dosing study in the second half of 2020 to evaluate RGLS4326 for safety, pharmacokinetics, and biomarkers of pharmacodynamic activity as part of its comprehensive Phase 1b program.

08:06 EST Avadel Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Nouress - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Nouress, a cysteine hydrochloride injection, a critical drug for treating neonatal patients requiring total parenteral nutrition. In addition, Avadel announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently issued United States Patent No. 10,493,051 covering cysteine solutions, including the approved Nouress product. This patent is listed in the Orange Book for Nouress and is set to expire in March of 2039. Avadel has additional U.S. patent applications pending for Nouress. Avadel is currently evaluating the timing and process for a commercial launch of Nouress in the United States. In this regard, a competitor received FDA approval earlier this year for its cysteine hydrochloride injection and more recently was granted a U.S. patent, which Avadel is assessing along with other market factors.

08:05 EST Alexion exercises option for 2 additional GalXC RNAi programs from Dicerna - Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (DRNA) announced that Alexion has exercised its option for exclusive rights to two additional targets within the complement pathway for the discovery and development of GalXC RNAi molecules. This expands the companies' existing research collaboration and license agreement to now encompass four targets within the complement pathway. In connection with the option exercise, Alexion will pay Dicerna a total of $20M, or $10M in option exercise fees per additional new target.

08:05 EST Kindred Biosciences reports 'positive' results from study of KIND-032 - Kindred Biosciences unveiled positive results from its randomized, placebo-controlled laboratory pilot study of KIND-032, a fully caninized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-4 receptor, for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs. In the study, 14 laboratory dogs with clinical signs consistent with atopic dermatitis were dosed with placebo or with KIND-032 at two different doses. The CADESI scores were assessed by board-certified veterinary dermatologists who were blinded to treatment assignments. The study demonstrated that KindredBio's antibody was well-tolerated. Although the study was a single-dose study designed primarily to assess safety and pharmacokinetics, evidence of positive efficacy and dose response was observed at Week 1, as measured by CADESI-04. A second pilot study to further assess efficacy and dosing is planned for 2020.

08:03 EST INTL FCStone to acquire Tellimer Group's broking business, terms not disclosed - INTL FCStone announced that it has executed a definitive sale and purchase agreement to acquire the brokerage businesses of Tellimer Group. This transaction will involve the purchase of Exotix Partners LLP, Tellimer Capital Ltd (Nigeria) and the broking business of Tellimer Markets Inc. The closing of this transaction is subject to limited conditions including regulatory approval. Tellimer has been a leader for twenty years in providing institutional investors, corporates, and governments access to the most dynamic and complex financial markets in the world. As part of the deal Tellimer's unique research will be distributed to INTL's clients, to complement INTL FCStone's Securities offering globally. The acquisition price is not material to INTL FCStone Inc.

08:02 EST Alaska Air reports combined November traffic down 1.2% - On a combined basis for all operations, Air Group reported a 1.2% decrease in traffic on a 2.3% increase in capacity compared to November 2018. Load factor decreased 2.9 points to 81.2%.

07:55 EST BridgeBio appoints Jennifer Cook to board of directors - BridgeBio Pharma announced it has appointed Jennifer Cook to its Board of Directors and will leverage her considerable expertise as a special advisor to the senior management team. Her counsel will help BridgeBio expand its capacity to develop treatments for genetic diseases as quickly and safely as possible. Cook brings more than 30 years of experience in the global biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

07:52 EST Yamana Gold raises annual dividend 25% to 5c per share - The Company announces an additional 25% dividend increase to 5c per share annually, effective for the first quarter of 2020. This follows the 100% increase in dividends declared in the third quarter of 2019, thereby representing a 125% increase in dividends since the third quarter of 2019.

07:50 EST Ferro to sell tile coatings business to Pigments Spain for $460M in cash - Ferro announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its tile coatings business to Pigments Spain, S.L., a company of the Esmalglass-Itaca-Fritta group, which is a portfolio company of Lone Star Funds, for $460M in cash, with the potential for an additional $32M in cash based on the performance of the business pre-closing, subject to customary adjustments. Consummation of the sale is subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. With annual sales of approximately $510M for the twelve months ended September 30, Ferro's tile coatings business produces coatings for ceramic tiles used in residential and non-residential construction. Historically, it has been part of the company's performance coatings reporting segment, along with Ferro's porcelain enamel business, which will be retained. In accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the company expects the tile coatings business will be classified as "held for sale" and reported as discontinued operations.

07:47 EST Primoris announces electric T&D award valued at $1B - Primoris Services Corporation announced a new Master Service Agreement award with a major utility customer with a cumulative five year anticipated value of $1B. The contract was secured by Primoris T&D, part of the Transmission & Distribution segment, and replaces an existing MSA that expires at the end of 2019. The award is a five year agreement for services throughout Texas. Work performed under the MSA includes construction and maintenance services for the client's electrical transmission, substation, and distribution infrastructure. The newly negotiated terms and conditions of this MSA are more consistent with Primoris' long-term expectations for the T&D market. It is estimated that the MSA will generate approximately $200M of revenue per year over the course of the contract.

07:44 EST Green Thumb Industries to open ninth retail location in Pennsylvania - Green Thumb Industries announced it will open Rise New Castle, its ninth retail location in Pennsylvania and 36th in the nation, on December 17. Rise currently has locations in Carlisle, Erie, Hermitage, King of Prussia, Latrobe, Mechanicsburg, Steelton and York. GTI entered the Pennsylvania market in 2017 and operates a manufacturing facility in Danville where the company produces branded products, including its flagship Rythm brand.

07:42 EST Akcea Therapeutics appoints Lynne Parshall as chair, increases board to ten - Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA), a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS), announced the appointments of Lynne Parshall, J.D., as chair of the Akcea Board of Directors and Barbara Yanni as a new member of the board. Both positions are effective immediately. Parshall has served as a member of Akcea's Board of Directors since January 2015. She replaces Christopher Gabrieli, who will continue to serve as a board member. Parshall is also currently a director and senior strategic advisor to Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Yanni was vice president and chief licensing officer at Merck & Co. (MRK) from November 2001 until her retirement in March 2014. With the addition of Yanni, Akcea has now increased the authorized number of members of the Board to 10 and increased the number of independent board members from six to seven.

07:37 EST Ellomay Capital trading halted, news pending

07:34 EST Hi-Crush Inc. receives notice from NYSE regarding continued listing requirements - Hi-Crush announced that on December 11, 2019, the Company received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange notifying it that, over a period of 30 consecutive trading days, the average closing price of the Company's common stock was below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued listing on the NYSE under Item 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. The NYSE notification does not affect the Company's business operations, financing agreements or instruments, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements or any other of the Company's material agreements. Further, this notice does not have an immediate effect on the listing of the Company's common shares, which will continue to trade on the NYSE, subject to the Company's compliance with other continued listing requirements. Under the NYSE's rules, the Company has six months following receipt of the notification to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement. As required by the NYSE, the Company will notify the NYSE of its intent to cure the deficiency and return to compliance with the NYSE's continued listing requirements. The Company may regain compliance at any time during the six-month cure period if, on the last trading day of any calendar month during the cure period, its common stock has a closing share price of at least $1.00 and an average closing share price of at least $1.00 over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of that month. Under the NYSE's rules, the common stock will continue to be listed on the NYSE during this six-month cure period, subject to the Company's compliance with other continued listing requirements. If the Company fails to regain compliance with Section 802.01C during the cure period, the common stock will be subject to the NYSE's suspension and delisting procedures.

07:32 EST Kura Oncology gets Fast Track designation for tipifarnib in HRAS mutant HNSCC - Kura Oncology announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to the Company's lead drug candidate, tipifarnib, for the treatment of patients with HRAS mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinomas after progression on platinum therapy.

07:30 EST Alliance Data reports November net charge offs 6.3% vs. 6.6% last month - Reports November delinquency ratio 5.9% vs. 5.9% last month.

07:30 EST BeiGene trading resumes

07:27 EST Anavex expects to initiate EXCELLENCE Rett syndrom study in early 2020 - The international EXCELLENCE Rett syndrome study of ANAVEX 2-73 in pediatric patients was approved by the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee and is scheduled to initiate early 2020.

07:25 EST TCL selects DSP Group 's SmartVoice for integration with Google Assistant - DSP Group announced that TCL has integrated DSP Group's SmartVoice technology into the Alcatel 3T 10 Tablet. By using SmartVoice to enable far-field voice control, TCL joins a list of innovative technology providers bringing efficient voice control to consumer devices.

07:23 EST Elbit Systems selected by MCSC to develop NGHTS - The Marine Corps Systems Command selected Elbit Systems of America to develop a prototype of the Next Generation Hand-Held Targeting System. Elbit Systems of America's solution merges multiple capabilities into a single, lightweight device that delivers superior performance for the forward deployed, foot mobile Marine.

07:21 EST RTI announces Cigna positive medical coverage for surgery using SImmetry System - RTI Surgical Holdings (RTIX) announced that Cigna (CI) issued a positive medical coverage policy for minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion under certain medically necessary criteria. This policy covers the use of all FDA-cleared implants placed across the SI joint and intended to promote bone fusion, including the use of RTI's SImmetry Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System. The SImmetry System is a minimally invasive surgical solution that uses proprietary decortication technology, bone grafting and threaded fixation to facilitate bone fusion, providing an opportunity for long-term pain relief.

07:19 EST BeiGene says Phase 3 ASPEN trial does not meet primary endpoint - BeiGene announced results from the Phase 3 ASPEN trial comparing its BTK inhibitor BRUKINSA to ibrutinib for the treatment of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. While the trial did not achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint of superiority in complete response and very good partial response rates for zanubrutinib compared to ibrutinib, zanubrutinib demonstrated a higher VGPR rate as well as improvements in safety and tolerability in this first randomized comparative trial to read out within the BTK inhibitor class. The ASPEN trial is a randomized Phase 3 trial in 229 patients with WM conducted in 61 centers in Europe, Australia, and the United States. The study includes two cohorts, a randomized cohort consisting of 201 patients with a MYD88 mutation and a non-randomized cohort in which 28 patients with MYD88 wild-type received zanubrutinib because they have historically responded poorly to ibrutinib therapy. The randomized cohort 1 enrolled 102 patients in the zanubrutinib arm and 99 patients in the ibrutinib arm. Patients in the zanubrutinib arm were assigned to receive zanubrutinib 160 mg twice daily and patients in the ibrutinib arm received 420 mg of ibrutinib once daily. Results from cohort 1 in the Phase 3 ASPEN trial, as of the data cutoff date of August 31, 2019 with a median follow-up of 19.4 months, include: In R/R patients, the VGPR rate as assessed by independent review committee was 28.9% in the zanubrutinib arm and 19.8% in the ibrutinib arm. The difference was not statistically significant; In the overall patient population, the VGPR rate as assessed by IRC was 28.4% in the zanubrutinib arm and 19.2% in the ibrutinib arm. The difference was not statistically significant; In the R/R patient population, the major response rate, which is the rate of partial response or better, as assessed by IRC was 78.3% in the zanubrutinib arm and 80.2% in the ibrutinib arm; in the overall patient population, the MRR was 77.5% in the zanubrutinib arm and 77.8% in the ibrutinib arm; While the trial was not powered to detect a statistically significant improvement in progression free survival, and follow-up data for PFS is still short, early PFS and overall survival data for zanubrutinib were directionally consistent with the higher VGPR rates in the zanubrutinib arm: The 12-month PFS rate was 92.4% in R/R patients and 89.7% in all patients in the zanubrutinib arm, compared to 85.9% in R/R patients and 87.2% in all patients in the ibrutinib arm; and The 12-month OS rate was 98.8% for R/R patients and 97.0% for all patients in the zanubrutinib arm, compared to 92.5% in R/R patients and 93.9% in all patients in the ibrutinib arm; Grade greater than3 adverse events were 58.4% in the zanubrutinib arm and 63.3% in the ibrutinib arm. In the zanubrutinib arm, four patients discontinued treatment due to AEs and there was one fatal adverse event; in the ibrutinib arm, nine patients discontinued due to AEs and there were four fatal adverse events; For AEs of special interest for BTK inhibitors, atrial fibrillation/flutter of any grade was 2.0% in the zanubrutinib arm and 15.3% in the ibrutinib arm; minor bleeding was 48.5% for zanubrutinib and 59.2% for ibrutinib; major hemorrhage was 5.9% for zanubrutinib and 9.2% for ibrutinib; and diarrhea was 20.8% for zanubrutinib and 31.6% for ibrutinib; and The rate of neutropenia was higher in the zanubrutinib arm as compared to the ibrutinib arm.

07:17 EST WPX Energy acquires Felix Energy for $2.5B

07:14 EST GasLog announces Newbuild Financing Facility - GasLog announces that it has signed an Export Credit Agency-backed debt financing of $1.05B with twelve international banks for its current newbuilding programme. The Newbuild Facility covers the balance due to the shipyard on delivery and consequently the final instalments of the seven newbuildings are fully funded. Five of these seven newbuildings are scheduled to deliver from the yards into firm multi-year charters in 2020 and the remaining two into firm multi-year charters in 2021. The key highlights of the Newbuild Facility include: Tenor of up to 12 years with an amortisation profile of 18 years from vessel delivery; Attractive weighted-average margin; Financial and non-financial covenants aligned with recent GasLog Warsaw facility; High levels of interest from GasLog's existing bank group and new institutions; and Backed by the Export Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, who are either directly lending or providing cover for over 60% of the facility. GasLog also announces that it has amended the covenants on its existing bank facilities to align them with the terms of the Newbuild Facility and the recently concluded GasLog Warsaw facility, resulting in significant improvements to the financial and non-financial covenants across all bank debt at both GasLog and GasLog Partners LP. In addition, GasLog has called the remaining NOK434M of its 2021 NOK Bond. The bond call will be settled in January 2020 with proceeds from its 2024 NOK900M bond issued November 2019, the covenants of which are aligned with its bank facilities.

07:11 EST Heat Biologics doses first patient in first Phase 1 clinical trial of HS-130 - Heat Biologics announced that the company has dosed the first patient in the first Phase 1 clinical trial of HS-130, in combination with HS-110, for patients with advanced solid tumors refractory to standard of care.

07:11 EST LHC Group expands partnership with Medalogix - LHC Group and Medalogix announced a further expansion of their partnership with the implementation of Medalogix Bridge in multiple markets. It is anticipated the initial wave of implementation will finalize in the first quarter of 2020. LHC Group has been a long-term user of Medalogix Nurture and will expand to additional locations in the first quarter of 2020 as well. Medalogix Bridge is an evidence-based software solution that leverages millions of historical home health episodes and data points to identify patients currently in curative care who have a high risk of mortality.

07:10 EST Equinox Gold, Leagold Mining combine in at-market merger - Equinox Gold and Leagold Mining have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in an at-market merger, creating one of the top gold producing companies operating entirely in the Americas. The combined entity will continue as Equinox Gold and be headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Pursuant to the transaction, Leagold shareholders will receive 0.331 of an Equinox Gold share for each Leagold share held. This implies at-market consideration of C$2.70 per Leagold common share, using closing prices for both Equinox Gold and Leagold common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on December 13. At closing, existing Equinox Gold and Leagold shareholders will own approximately 55% and 45% of the merged company, respectively, on an issued share basis. As part of the transaction, Ross Beaty will subscribe for $40M in a private placement of Equinox Gold common shares at a price of C$8.15 per common share to maintain an approximate 9% stake in the company. In addition, Mubadala will subscribe for a new 5-year $130Mconvertible debenture bearing interest at 4.75% and convertible into Equinox Gold common shares at a fixed price of $7.80 per share, for an approximate 25% premium over Equinox Gold's C$8.15 share price. To refinance existing debt and credit facilities of both Equinox Gold and Leagold, a syndicate of banks comprising The Bank of Nova Scotia, Societe Generale, Bank of Montreal, and ING Capital LLC have provided underwritten commitments for a 5-year term loan of $100M and a four-year revolving credit facility of $400M. These financings are subject to completion of definitive documentation, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Officers, directors and certain shareholders of Equinox Gold, who collectively hold 21% of Equinox Gold's issued common shares, have entered into voting support agreements in favor of the transaction. Officers, directors and certain shareholders of Leagold, who collectively hold 42% of Leagold's issued common shares, have entered into voting support agreements in favor of the transaction. The board of Equinox Gold and the board of Leagold have unanimously approved the transaction and recommend that shareholders vote in favor of the transaction. The special meetings of Equinox Gold shareholders and Leagold securityholders are expected to be held in January 2020. A joint information circular detailing the terms and conditions of the transaction will be filed with regulatory authorities and mailed to the shareholders of Equinox Gold and the securityholders of Leagold later this month in accordance with applicable securities laws. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 of 2020. The arrangement agreement provides for, among other things, customary representations, warranties and covenants including reciprocal non-solicitation and rights to match superior proposals, as well as a reciprocal $20M termination fee payable to either Equinox Gold or Leagold under certain circumstances. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals including the approvals of the Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American Stock Exchange and other customary conditions. Gold production of 700,000 ounces in 2020 is increasing to 1M ounces annualized production during 2021 and beyond, based on analyst consensus estimates. The company will have a board led by Ross Beaty as chairman with eight members, four from each company. The integrated management team led by Neil Woodyer as CEO, Christian Milau as EVP corporate, Attie Roux as COO and Peter Hardie as CFO.

07:09 EST Athenex expands strategic partnership with Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical - Athenex announced that it has expanded its strategic partnership with Chinese drug company, Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical, to exclusively develop and commercialize Athenex's oncology product candidates Oral Paclitaxel, Oral Irinotecan, as well as Tirbanibulin Ointment, including for the treatment of actinic keratosis in the Territory. Under the terms of the license agreement, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, Athenex will receive an upfront payment of $30M. Athenex will also be eligible to receive development, sales and other milestone payments up to $170M, and tiered royalties ranging from the sub-teen to low twenties based on annual net sales of licensed products in the Territory and a percentage of sublicensing revenue. The total deal size is potentially $200M, excluding the royalty payments. The agreement provides for joint decision making through a Joint Steering Committee with respect to the development and commercialization of the licensed products in the Territory. Athenex and Xiangxue will jointly lead the clinical development programs with Athenex to coordinate the global drug development efforts while Xiangxue will oversee commercialization activities in the Territory. The Orascovery platform was initially developed by Hanmi Pharmaceuticals and licensed exclusively to Athenex for all major worldwide territories except Korea, which is retained by Hanmi. Athenex has an exclusive license agreement with Almirall, S.A. to the rights to tirbanibulin ointment in the following territories: USA, European Union, Russia and Turkey. Details of this arrangement were disclosed in December 2017.

07:07 EST Humana to acquire Enclara Healthcare, terms not disclosed - Consonance Capital Partners announced that it signed a definitive agreement to sell Enclara Healthcare, along with management, to Humana. Certain assets are excluded from the transaction and terms have not been disclosed.

07:06 EST Wave Life Sciences discontinues suvodirsen development for patients with DMD - Wave Life Sciences announced its decision to discontinue development of suvodirsen for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who have mutations amenable to exon 51 skipping, based on its interim analysis of the Phase 1 open-label extension study. The results showed no change from baseline in dystrophin expression, as measured by western blot, with either the 3.5 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg doses of suvodirsen. No safety concerns or emerging safety signals were observed. As a result of this decision, the company is immediately discontinuing the two suvodirsen trials, the OLE study and the Phase 2/3 DYSTANCE 51 trial. Patients will have a final follow-up visit, but no further doses will be administered, and patients will no longer undergo muscle biopsies. In addition, Wave is suspending further development of WVE-N531 for patients with mutations amenable to exon 53 skipping. The interim analysis was from a global multicenter OLE study of suvodirsen in patients who previously enrolled in a Phase 1 safety and tolerability study. A total of 36 patients enrolled in the OLE and received the target doses of either 3.5 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg. A biopsy of the deltoid muscle was performed prior to initial dosing in the OLE and, as of data cut-off for this interim analysis, follow-up deltoid muscle biopsies were available for 27 of 36 patients. Within the 5 mg/kg weekly infusion arm, 10 patients received follow-up muscle biopsies at 12 weeks and nine patients received follow-up biopsies at 22 weeks. Within the 3.5 mg/kg weekly infusion arm, eight patients received follow-up muscle biopsies at 22 weeks. Biopsies from both timepoints were analyzed as part of this interim analysis.

07:06 EST Bausch Health resolves 'stock drop' litigation initially filed in October, 2015 - Bausch Health announced that the parties in the putative securities class action Valeant Pharmaceuticals Securities Litigation (Case No. 3:15-cv-07658) filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey have agreed to resolve the Action for $1.21B, subject to court approval. Once approved by the court, the settlement of this Action, which has been referred to as the 'Valeant stock drop' case, will resolve and discharge all claims against the company in the action. "Resolving this Action enables Bausch Health to close the door on one of the more meaningful and unpredictable liabilities associated with the legacy Valeant era," said Joseph Papa, chairman and CEO of Bausch Health. "The settlement of this case removes a cloud of uncertainty and ensures that current and future stakeholders will enjoy the benefits of the ongoing transformation of Bausch Health." As part of the Settlement, the company and the other settling defendants admit no liability and deny all allegations of wrongdoing whatsoever. The agreed Settlement timing includes a payment schedule with the first funding in mid-January 2020. The company intends to use a combination of sources to fund the Settlement, which may include cash on hand, its revolving credit facility and potentially accessing capital markets. Bausch Health believes that the Settlement marks an important step in its transformation and will not diminish its ability to continue to invest in its businesses. The Settlement does not impact the company's current 2019 financial guidance.

07:03 EST EXL appoints Pavan Bagai as interim CFO - The Company announced that Pavan Bagai, who has served as the Company's president and COO since 2012, has been appointed interim CFO, effective as of December 13, 2019. It is expected that Bagai will serve in the interim CFO role until the appointment by the Board of a permanent CFO. Bagai will continue to serve as the Company's president and COO. Bagai assumes the CFO role from Vishal Chhibbar, who announced on September 14, 2019, that he was resigning his position effective December 13, 2019, to pursue other interests.

07:02 EST TravelCenters names Jonathan Pertchik as CEO, succeeding Andrew Rebholz - TravelCenters of America announced that Jonathan Pertchik has been appointed as CEO and Managing Director effective immediately. Pertchik succeeds Andrew Rebholz, who will continue to advise the company through June 30, 2020. Previously, Pertchik served as an executive for companies owned or controlled by private equity groups, including Starwood Capital Group, TPG, Carl Icahn, Richard LeFrak and Perry Capital. In his most recent role, Pertchik served as CEO of Intown Suites.

07:01 EST Westpac Banking trading halted, news pending

06:57 EST Organovo trading halted, news pending

06:57 EST Coca-Cola Chief Growth Officer Francisco Crespo to retire - The Coca-Cola Company announced two retirements in senior leadership. Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer Francisco Crespo will retire in 2020, stepping down after a three-decade career with the company. Bernhard Goepelt will retire, also in 2020, as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Crespo was named to the newly created position of CGO in May 2017. He focused on building a global community across the company's operations, which was instrumental in driving new levels of excellence in how the company goes to market. With his success in implementing that work, Crespo is ready to transition to the next phase of his personal and professional plans. Goepelt, who has been with Coca-Cola since 1992, is retiring after serving as general counsel for eight years. He will be focusing on family obligations in his native Germany. He will remain with the company through February 2020.

06:55 EST Eli Lilly enters agreement to integrate DexCom into diabetes management system - Eli Lilly (LLY) has announced a global commercialization agreement to integrate DexCom (DXCM) products into Lilly's personalized diabetes management system, currently in development to advance the treatment of diabetes. Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, Lilly will use Dexcom's continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM, devices in both the pen- and pump-based platforms of the system being designed to help improve diabetes management. The agreement with Dexcom builds on Lilly's efforts to provide a system that integrates connected insulin delivery devices, software and analysis to equip people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their healthcare providers with personalized information and guidance to help management of their diabetes. The diabetes management system being developed will include both pen- and pump-based platforms. The goal of the pen-based platform is to integrate personalized data from a prefilled, disposable insulin pen with data from glucose-sensing technologies into a compatible software application. Personalized data is transferred from the pen via an optional attachment. The goal of the pump-based platform, which is a hybrid-closed loop system, is to use integrated devices to automate insulin dosing.

06:47 EST Wex to manage Valero's proprietary fleet fuel card program - WEX (WEX) announced that it will begin managing the proprietary fleet fuel card program of Valero Energy (VLO). The agreement, which the parties anticipate will be fully implemented by April 1, 2020, will enhance the technology and service of the fleet fuel card program, including introducing the ability to make mobile payments, and will provide added benefits to Valero's fleet customers. Valero supplies more than 5,000 branded fuel stations across the United States, from California to Florida to Maine. Based in San Antonio, Texas, it is the largest global independent refiner, with 15 petroleum refineries and combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.1M barrels per day. It is also a major producer of ethanol and renewable diesel products. Valero and WEX have been long-term partners and previously had a card acceptance agreement.

06:38 EST Synchrony reports November net charge-off rate 3.92% vs. 3.54% last month - Reports November 30-plus day delinquencies 2.83% vs. 2.75% last month.

06:33 EST Brookfield Infrastructure acquires Indian Telecom Towers - Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is pleased to announce that it has entered into binding agreements to acquire a 100% stake in a telecom tower company in India from Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited. The total equity requirement is $3.7B, of which Brookfield Infrastructure will invest approximately $375M, with the balance being funded by its institutional partners. Brookfield Infrastructure is acquiring a portfolio of approximately 130,000 communication towers that forms the infrastructure backbone of Reliance Jio's ("Jio") telecom business. These are recently constructed assets that are strategically located for pan-India 4G coverage. These towers are well-positioned from a competitive perspective as they are largely connected by fiber backhaul, which provides a unique platform to capitalize on the rollout of 5G and future technologies. Jio is an anchor tenant of the tower portfolio under a 30-year Master Services Agreement, providing a secure source of revenues for the tower company.

06:25 EST Capital One reports November net charge-offs 4.43% vs. 3.95% last month - Reports November 30-plus day delinquencies 3.91% vs. 3.79% last month.

06:17 EST PQ Group CEO Belgacem Chariag named Chairman of board - PQ Group (PQG) announced that Belgacem Chariag has been elected as Chairman of the PQ Board of Directors. As President and CEO, Chariag has been a member of the PQ Board since 2018, when he joined the company. Immediately prior to joining PQ, he served as Chief Global Operations Officer at Baker Hughes (BKR), a GE (GE) company, after Baker Hughes' merger with GE Oil & Gas.

06:03 EST Axsome Therapeutics: AXS-05 achieves primary endpoint in Phase 3 trial - Axsome Therapeutics announced that AXS-05, a novel, oral, investigational NMDA receptor antagonist with multimodal activity, met the primary endpoint and rapidly and significantly improved symptoms of depression in the GEMINI Phase 3 trial in major depressive disorder. The GEMINI study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, U.S. trial, in which 327 adult patients with confirmed moderate to severe MDD were randomized to treatment with either AXS-05 or placebo once daily for the first 3 days and twice daily thereafter for a total of 6 weeks. AXS-05 met the primary endpoint by demonstrating a highly statistically significant reduction in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score compared to placebo at Week 6, with mean reductions from baseline of 16.6 points for AXS-05 and 11.9 points for placebo. AXS-05 rapidly and durably improved depressive symptoms as compared to placebo with statistical significance on the MADRS total score demonstrated at Week 1, the earliest time point assessed, and at all time points thereafter. Rates of remission from depression were statistically significantly greater for AXS-05 compared to placebo at Week 2 and at every time point thereafter, being achieved by 39.5% of AXS-05 patients compared to 17.3% of placebo patients at Week 6. AXS-05 demonstrated rapid onset of action with statistically significant improvement as compared to placebo on numerous endpoints at Week 1, or only 4 days after the start of twice daily dosing. Statistically significant improvements at Week 1 were observed for MADRS total score; Patient Global Impression-Improvement; Clinical Global Impression-Severity; Clinical Global Impression-Improvement; Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Rated; Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form; and other endpoints. On all secondary endpoints including the following, AXS-05 demonstrated statistically significant improvement at Week 6 compared to placebo, reflecting increasing treatment effects over time: clinical response on the MADRS total score; PGI-I; CGI-S; CGI-I; QIDS-SR-16; Sheehan Disability Scale; and Q-LES-Q-SF.

05:10 EST Baozun announces damage estimates relating to fire at third-party warehouse - Baozun announced damage estimates related to inventory held at a third-party warehouse in Shanghai that experienced a fire on October 29. Since the occurrence of the fire, the facility has been cordoned off by local authorities for safety and investigation purposes. As a result, Baozun has not yet been able to physically access the warehouse to fully assess damage to inventory. Based on initial findings of the local authorities issued on December 13, Baozun has concluded that the damage to its inventory at the warehouse is significantly greater than previously estimated. While the company is still unable to access the damaged warehouse, it plans to accrue an amount of approximately RMB53 million, which represents the company's estimated maximum loss associated with the incident and would be accrued in Q4. Actual losses may be less than the accrued amount. These accruals include inventory loss in the company's distribution model, potential compensation to goods owned by brand partners that receive warehousing and fulfillment services from Baozun under the company's consignment model, and legal and other expenses relating to damages incurred. At this time, the company is actively seeking permission from local authorities to access the damaged warehouse. As of October 31, Baozun operated 15 warehouses and used 19 warehouses operated by eight third-party warehouses service providers, to service the brand partners' demand for warehouse services and logistic support. The warehouse damaged in the fire had been primarily dedicated to relatively slow-moving products, and based on order volume in October, it accounted for less than 0.5% of Baozun's total order volume processed through warehouses operated by Baozun and third-party warehouses.