>>> US Gapping up

Gapping up
In reaction to strong earnings/guidance
:
  • ASNA +17.5%, SNX +9.9%, RHT +4.8%
M&A news:
  • ACTA +38.8% (Actua to sell its three majority-owned businesses for an aggregate of $549 million in cash; intends to distribute substantially all net proceeds to Actua stockholders)
Other news:
  • IZEA +32.2% (reports Q3 contract wins including a seven-figure contract renewal with a Fortune 500 financial services company for custom content and influencer marketing services)
  • CDXC +16% (announces that initial results of its second human clinical study of NIAGEN)
  • GHL +12.5% ( plans leveraged recapitalization with major share repurchase; to borrow $300 mln and shortly launch contingent tender offer to repurchase up to 9 mln shares at $17/share )
  • PRQR +10.1% ( announces 'positive' top-line results from Phase 1b safety and tolerability clinical trial of QR-010, a novel investigational RNA therapeutic in subjects with cystic fibrosis )
  • ITUS +6.5% (continued strength)
  • NDRO +5.7% (announced a special cash distribution)
  • CBIO +4.3% (FDA has granted orphan drug designation for CB 2679d/ISU304 for treatment of hemophilia b)
  • SFLY +3.8% (confirmed integration with the Apple Photos app for macOS High Sierra )
  • XLRN +3.1% (10% owner Celgene (CELG) discloses the purchase of 745,592 shares at $37 per share)
  • AMPH +3% (receives FDA approval for Neostigmine Methylsulfate Injection)
  • NVDA +2.9% (reports of deal to supply GPU hardware to Chinese tech giants including BABA, BIDU and TCEHY)
  • BEAT +1.4% (Aeterna Zentaris appointed Jeffrey Whitnell as Interim CFO effective today - served as Vice-President, Finance & Controller of Lifewatch Services - was acquired by BioTelemetry)
  • APRI +1.2% (files for 3,311,752 share common stock offering by holders and separately filed to withdraw Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed August 22, 2017)
  • BABA +1% (to increase stake in Cainiao Network to 51% with $807 mln investment)
  • CLDR +0.8% (Cloudera proposes to sell 3 mln shares of common stock and selling stockholders to sell 9 mln shares)
  • WDC +0.7% (reports that KKR is urging Apple to agree to terms of Toshiba deal that includes WDC in jv role)
Analyst comments:
  • DISCA +2% (upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS)
  • RH +2% (upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank)
  • LB +1.8% (upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Atlantic Equities)
  • TMO +1.7% (resumed on the Conviction Buy List at Goldman)
  • GGP +1.3% (upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan)