>>> After Hours Summary: BGI +10.4%, LPSN +3.8%, EHTH -46.0%, GEF -

After Hours Summary: BGI +10.4%, LPSN +3.8%, EHTH -46.0%, GEF -4.3%, ARTX -1.2% following earnings/guidance

After Hours Gainers:

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to earnings: BGI +10.4%, LPSN +3.8%

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to news: NVEE +8.1% (selected by the City of Colorado Springs to provide professional engineering services for sixth consecutive year), SSRI +6.3% (reported production of 2.2 mln ounces of silver in Q4; sees FY15 gold production of 160-175k oz at the Marigold mine), ADBE +2.2% (announced program to repurchase $2 bln of stock by the end of FY17), OKE +1.1% (increased quarterly cash dividend by 3%, to $0.605/share from $0.59/share)

After Hours Losers:

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to earnings: EHTH -46.0%, GEF -4.3%, ARTX -1.2%

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to news: BBRY -15.0% (announced it has not engaged in discussions with Samsung (SSNLF) with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry), GALE -6.5% (disclosed that that it and its partner, Orexo AB, have received a 'Paragraph IV' patent certification notice from Actavis (ACT) Laboratories), TERP -2.5% (announced public offering of $350 mln of common stock)

(BN) BlackBerry, Samsung Deny Report They’re in Talks About Deal (1)


BlackBerry, Samsung Deny Report They’re in Talks About Deal (1)
2015-01-15 00:54:32.126 GMT


(Updates with investors wanting higher offer in sixth
paragraph.)

By Gerrit De Vynck and Jungah Lee
(Bloomberg) -- BlackBerry Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co.
denied reports that they are in talks about Samsung potentially
acquiring the Canadian smartphone maker.
BlackBerry retreated after an earlier surge, falling as
much as 17 percent to $10.50 in late trading in New York.
Reuters, citing an unnamed person and documents, reported that
Samsung had recently approached BlackBerry with an initial offer
price of $13.35 to $15.49 a share, valuing the company at as
much as $7.5 billion. Reuters also said executives from the two
companies met last week to discuss a transaction.
The report is “groundless,” Samsung said in an e-mail.
BlackBerry said it’s “aware of certain press reports
published today with respect to a possible offer by Samsung to
purchase BlackBerry,” according to a statement. “BlackBerry
has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any
possible offer to purchase BlackBerry.”
The statement from Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry
didn’t specify whether it had received a proposal from South
Korea-based Samsung.
BlackBerry gets offers all the time, according to a person
close to the company, who asked not to be identified discussing
private information. Investors would want a much higher takeover
price than what Reuters reported, the person said.
The reported purchase price would be at least a 37 percent
premium to BlackBerry’s closing price on Tuesday. BlackBerry
rose 30 percent to $12.60 at the close in New York Wednesday,
the biggest gain in more than a decade.
Just two months ago, BlackBerry announced it was teaming up
with Samsung, one of its biggest rivals in the growing mobile
device management market, for a management-services partnership.
It marked the first time the competitors have worked together on
a major product.

Turnaround Strategy

That partnership was one piece of Chief Executive Officer
John Chen’s efforts to focus BlackBerry on business users and
security as he aims to reach sustainable profit and revenue
growth in the fiscal year that ends in 2016. He already reached
a milestone of generating cash again in the most recently
reported quarter.
Samsung has “shown some interest in partnering with
BlackBerry recently,” said Desmond Lau, an analyst at Toronto-
based Veritas Investment Research Corp. Plus, “it’s much less
risky to buy a company that is not burning cash than having to
take over a company purely for its assets and technology and
then find a way to not lose money.”
BlackBerry shares rose 48 percent in 2014 as Chen’s
turnaround strategy started to take hold. They are still well
below the company’s heyday when the stock closed above $147 in
2008 before BlackBerry’s share of the smartphone market
dwindled.

Knox Partnership

Samsung’s Knox system, which offers a suite of secure work
applications, can now run on BlackBerry’s new server, known as
BES12. The partnership competes with an alliance of
International Business Machines Corp. and Apple Inc.
One question is whether the Canadian government would
approve the sale of BlackBerry to a foreign company. Canada
reviews foreign takeovers valued at more than C$354 million
($296 million) to determine if the deal represents a “net
benefit” to the country. The government can also review deals
based on national security considerations.
Jake Enwright, a spokesman for Canadian Industry Minister
James Moore in Ottawa, said he can’t comment on “speculation
and rumors.”
Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver declined to comment on
whether the government had received advance notice of an offer
for BlackBerry or whether it would allow a South Korean company
to acquire BlackBerry.
“I can’t comment on that specific situation,” Oliver said
Wednesday at a press conference in Vancouver. “Whatever
decisions that would be made under Investment Canada would be
reviewed by Minister Moore and the Cabinet.”
Chen took over in late 2013 after a plan collapsed to take
the smartphone maker private. Since then, Chen has focused on
providing software and security for governments and
corporations, while also introducing new phones that cater to
business users, like the Passport and the Classic.

For Related News and Information:
BlackBerry May Be Valued As If Still Smartphone King: Real M&A
BlackBerry Climbs on Report Samsung Made Acquisition Offer
BlackBerry’s Patent Portfolio Is Wireless Trove for Acquirer
Top Technology News: TTOP <GO>

--With assistance from Ian King in San Francisco, Greg Quinn in
Ottawa, Christopher Donville in Vancouver and Danielle Burger in
New York.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Gerrit De Vynck in Toronto at +1-416-203-5720 or
gdevynck@bloomberg.net;
Jungah Lee in Seoul at +82-2-3702-1642 or
jlee1361@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Sarah Rabil at +1-212-617-5992 or
srabil@bloomberg.net
Andrew Pollack

(MWR) BlackBerry Responds to Media Report


BlackBerry Responds to Media Report
2015-01-14 22:30:46.190 GMT

BlackBerry Responds to Media Report

WATERLOO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/14/15 -- BlackBerry
Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY)(TSX: BB) ("BlackBerry") is aware of certain
press reports published today with respect to a possible offer by
Samsung to purchase BlackBerry. BlackBerry has not engaged in
discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to
purchase BlackBerry. BlackBerry's policy is not to comment on rumors
or speculation, and accordingly it does not intend to comment
further.

About BlackBerry

A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry(R)
revolutionized the mobile industr y when it was introduced in 1999.
Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of
customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of
mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario,
BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and
Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the
ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the
NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.

Contacts:
Media Contact:
BlackBerry Media Relations
(519) 888-7465 x77273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com

Investor Contact:
BlackBerry Investor Relations
(519) 888-7465
investor_relations@BlackBerry.com

-0- Jan/14/2015 22:30 GMT

>>> BBRY CEO Tweet : 5 mnts ago

"Samsung said they wanted to have drinks. I woke up with a contract in one hand ans a pen in the other"

CES2015

#WhathappensinVegasLEak


--> BBRY Short interest is 118mil share, 26,8% of Free Float

--> stock is up another 3% after hours, to 12,90...+32,9% since yesterday in 71mil shares traded

Reuters - Samsung approaches BlackBerry about buyout

Samsung approaches BlackBerry about buyout - source

(Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) recently approached BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY.O) (BB.TO) about buying the company for as much as $7.5 billion, looking to gain access to its patent portfolio, according to a person familiar with the matter and documents seen by Reuters.

South Korea's Samsung proposed an initial price range of $13.35 to $15.49 per share, which represents a premium of 38 percent to 60 percent over BlackBerry's current trading price, the source said.

Executives from the two companies, which are working with advisers, met last week to discuss a potential transaction, the source said, asking not to be identified because the conversations are private.

Shares of Blackberry jumped as much as 30 percent on heavy volume in afternoon trading in New York.

The offer price would imply an enterprise value of $6 billion to $7.5 billion for BlackBerry, assuming conversion of $1.25 billion of convertible debt, according to the documents.

BlackBerry announced a high-profile security partnership with Samsung in November. The partnership will wed BlackBerry's security platform with the South Korean company's own security software for its Galaxy devices.

Representatives for BlackBerry declined to comment while Samsung could not be immediately reached for comment.

>>> US Close Dow-1,06% S&P-0,58% Nasdaq-0,48% Russell-0,30%

Closing Market Summary: Stocks Retreat Amid Persistent Growth Concerns

The major averages endured their fourth consecutive decline with the S&P 500 (-0.6%) making an intraday appearance below its 100-day moving average (2,007). The tech-heavy Nasdaq outperformed, but still lost 0.5%.

Equities faced selling pressure from the start after the overnight session failed to alleviate the growth concerns that contributed to the recent weakness. Instead, the concerns grew larger, starting with the World Bank's reduced growth outlook for 2015 (to 3.0% from 3.4%) and 2016 (to 3.3% from 3.5%).

The lowered outlook pressured commodities, and especially copper, which remained under pressure throughout the day, ending lower by 4.9% at $2.51/lb after hitting a low near the $2.45/lb level. Crude oil, however, traded in the red during morning action, but rocketed into the pit close, which helped the broader market climb off its intraday low. As for crude, the energy component spiked 5.7% to $48.55/bbl.

The rebound in crude helped the energy sector (+0.1%) finish in the green, but other cyclical groups did not fare as well. Notably, the financial sector (-1.4%) ended at the bottom of the leaderboard, which was largely due to a 3.5% decline in JPMorgan Chase (JPM 56.81, -2.03) after the industry giant reported below-consensus earnings and revenue. For its part, Wells Fargo (WFC 51.25, -0.60) delivered an in-line report, but still lost 1.2%.

Financials inched away from their lows during afternoon action, but could not catch up to the broader market, which was also the case with the consumer discretionary sector (-1.2%). The fourth-largest sector by weight retreated following the disappointing December Retail Sales report (-0.9%; Briefing.com consensus 0.1%) while homebuilders lagged early, but ended just ahead of the broader market with the iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction ETF (ITB 25.90, -0.09) falling 0.4%.

Elsewhere among cyclical sectors, technology (-0.5%) finished just ahead of the broader market while chipmakers kept pace with the S&P 500. Shares of BlackBerry (BBRY 12.60, +2.88) spiked almost 30.0% in afternoon action after Reuters reported the company has been approached by Samsung about a potential takeover.

Unlike cyclical sectors, the four defensively-oriented groups spent the day ahead of the broader market. Health care (-0.1%) settled just below its flat line while the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 315.57, +0.60) added 0.2%. The utilities sector (+0.9%) was the lone advancer on the countercyclical side, extending its January advance to 1.4%.

Treasuries jumped following this morning's data before surrendering a portion of their gains. The 10-yr yield fell six basis points to 1.84%. Also of note, the 30-yr yield ended at 2.45% (-3 bps), which represented the lowest close on record.

Today's participation was ahead of average with more than 900 million shares changing hands at the NYSE floor.

Economic data included Retail Sales, Import/Export Prices, Business Inventories, and the MBA Mortgage Index:
  • Retail sales fell 0.9% in December after increasing a downwardly revised 0.4% (from 0.7%) in November, while the consensus expected an increase of 0.1%. 
    • The sharp pullback in sales was a direct result of poor income growth. The December employment report showed a contraction in the average hourly wage, which resulted in flat aggregate income growth after accounting for payrolls gains 
    • Without income growth, the only way for sales to improve was for consumers to dip into their savings. Households have been very reluctant to do so, which meant retail sales were poised for a pullback in December 
    • Excluding motor vehicles, sales declined 1.0% after increasing a downward revised 0.1% (from 0.5%) in November 
      • The consensus expected these sales to increase 0.1% 
  • Export prices, excluding agriculture, decreased 1.2% in December after decreasing 1.2% in the prior reading 
    • Excluding oil, import prices ticked down 0.1%, which followed last month's 0.3% decline 
  • Business Inventories rose 0.2% in November, while the consensus expected an increase of 0.3% 
    • The prior month's reading was left unrevised at +0.2% 
  • The weekly MBA Mortgage Index saw its biggest spike since November 2008, surging 49.1% to follow the previous 11.1% spike 
Tomorrow, weekly Initial Claims (consensus 290K), December PPI (consensus -0.4%), and January Empire Manufacturing Survey (expected 6.5) will be released at 8:30 ET while the Philadelphia Fed Survey for January (consensus 19.0) will cross at 10:00 ET.
  • Russell 2000 -2.4% YTD 
  • S&P 500 -2.3% YTD 
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average -2.2% YTD 
  • Nasdaq Composite -2.0% YTD

(BUS) The Board of Directors of The Eastern Company Respond to Unsolicited Propo

BN 01/14 21:10 * BOARD OF EASTERN CO. RESPOND TO UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL
The Board of Directors of The Eastern Company Respond to Unsolicited Proposal
2015-01-14 21:10:00.124 GMT

The Board of Directors of The Eastern Company Respond to Unsolicited
Proposal

Business Wire

NAUGATUCK, Conn. -- January 14, 2015

The Eastern Company (NASDAQ-EML) (the “Company”) recently received a letter
from Synalloy Corporation (NASDAQ-SYNL) expressing the interest of Synalloy in
the possible acquisition of the Company for $6.69 per share in cash and
approximately $12.43 in shares of Synalloy common stock.

The Board of Directors of the Company has carefully reviewed and unanimously
determined that the proposal is not in the best interests of the Company and
its shareholders. The Board of Directors further determined that it would be
more beneficial to its shareholders to continue to execute the Company’s
current business strategy rather than pursue the transaction as proposed by
Synalloy.

The Eastern Company is a 156-year old manufacturer of industrial hardware,
security products and metal castings. It operates from eleven locations in the
U.S., Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and China. The diversity of the Company’s
products helps it respond to the changing requirements of a broad array of
markets.

Forward-Looking Statements: Information in this news release contains
statements which reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding its
future operating performance and achievements. Actual results may differ due
to the many economic uncertainties that affect the Company’s business
environment. Further information about the potential factors which could
affect the Company’s financial results is included in the Company’s reports
and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not
obligated to update or revise the aforementioned statements for those new
developments.

Contact:

For The Eastern Company
Leonard F. Leganza or John L. Sullivan III, 203-729-2255

-0- Jan/14/2015 21:10 GMT

(BFW) Blackberry Recently Approached by Samsung on Takeover: Reuters

BFW 01/14 20:43 *BLACKBERRY RECENTLY APPROACHED BY SAMSUNG ON TAKEOVER: REUTERS
Blackberry Recently Approached by Samsung on Takeover: Reuters
2015-01-14 20:46:57.626 GMT


By Joshua Fineman
(Bloomberg) -- Samsung proposed potentially paying $13.35-
$15.49 shr, Reuters said, citing people familiar.
* Execs from cos. met last wk to discuss offer
* BBRY up as much as 19%, most intraday since April 2009

Link to Company News:{005930 KS <Equity> CN <GO>}
Link to Company News:{BB CN <Equity> CN <GO>}

For Related News and Information:
First Word scrolling panel: {FIRST<GO>}
First Word newswire: {NH BFW<GO>}

To contact the reporter on this story:
Joshua Fineman in New York at +1-212-617-8953 or
jfineman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Courtney Dentch at +1-212-617-8732 or
cdentch1@bloomberg.net

WSJ : Former SAC Executive Raises About $1 Billion For New Hedge-Fund Firm

Former SAC Executive Raises About $1 Billion For New Hedge-Fund Firm
Solomon Kumin’s Folger Hill Hires Former U.S. Attorney, Cluster Of Traders

Former SAC Capital Advisors LP chief operating officer Solomon “Sol” Kumin is close to lift off with the launch of a roughly $1 billion hedge fund.

Mr. Kumin’s Folger Hill Asset Management LLC has raised about $1 billion as it looks to start trading in March, a person familiar with the firm said. His new employees include Lisa Baroni, a former U.S. Attorney who helped prosecute the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. Ms. Baroni will head compliance for the new firm.

As The Wall Street Journal first reported last summer, Mr. Kumin’s new stock-focused firm secured a $400 million investment from Leucadia National Corp. in exchange for a near-50% ownership stake in the new firm. Folger Hill is named after a lookout point on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where Mr. Kumin’s family spends vacations.

Having now more than doubled the Leucadia sum with other commitments, Mr. Kumin has opened offices in New York and Boston. He also plans to have between nine and 11 separate portfolio managers trading about $300 million apiece, including the use of borrowed money, or leverage, by the end of the first quarter, the person familiar said.

The structure is similar to his former employer SAC, which doled out parcels of cash to separate trading teams reporting up to founder Steven Cohen. SAC agreed to plead guilty to insider trading in 2013, and refashioned itself as a family office managing only the wealth of Mr. Cohen, his family and select employees.

Mr. Kumin, whose focus at SAC included building investment teams, left the firm early last year.

Mr. Kumin has thus far hired just one former SAC colleague: Brian Younger, an ex-SAC portfolio manager who focuses on technology, media and telecommunications stocks. Other new Folger Hill portfolio managers hail from multibillion-dollar hedge-fund firms like PAR Capital Management Inc., Pennant Capital Management LLC and PointState Capital LP.

>>> Danaher prepared to spend more than USD 8bn on acquisitions - CEO

Danaher prepared to spend more than USD 8bn on acquisitions - CEO
Danaher (NYSE:DHR), an instrument and testing maker, plans to continue an aggressive acquisition program over the next year and has "north of USD 8bn in capacity" to do such deals, CEO Thomas Joyce said.

It was possible that the company could spend the USD 8bn on a large deal, Joyce said on the sidelines of the JPMorgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco, California on Tuesday. He declined to further comment on possible targets but mentioned that life sciences and diagnostics are key areas of interest.

"We are very biased towards continuing to put our balance sheet to work," Joyce told investors at the conference. "We don't view 2015 as a year of digestion. It's not a year we're taking a pause."

Joyce's comments come amid speculation that the aggressive acquirer could have its sights on Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A), a maker of life sciences instruments that has a market value of just over USD 13bn. One industry banker told this news service that a Danaher acquisition of Agilent "makes sense for a variety of reasons."

When asked about the possibility on Tuesday, Agilent President and Chief Operating Officer Michael McMullen declined to comment. "I don't comment on rumor or speculation. I don't write those things," he said.

McMullen said the key goal for Agilent in 2015 is to streamline operations and integrate recent acquisitions which include Dako, which it acquired for USD 2.2bn in 2012. In September, it spun off Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) into a separate company, allowing Agilent to focus on life sciences and diagnostics.

The industry banker said Agilent's Dako and Danaher's Leica division have "strategic similarities" which make them a good fit.

Danaher’s Joyce said in the investor presentation that the company announced or closed about USD 4bn worth of acquisitions in 2014, including Nobel Biocare, which it agreed to acquire for USD 2.17bn in September in a bid to expand in the dental implants market.