Year: 2014

Keurig Green Mountain Inc .’s ( GMCR ) new brewer Keurig 2.0 has been a bone of contention among coffee makers for quite some time for its anti-competitive issues, as the new Keurig 2.0 brewer comes with an interactive readability technology (‘lock-out technology’) that works only with licensed pods. That means Keurig’s new brewing system does not accept coffee pods made by other companies, thus ruling out competition. Other coffee makers like Treehouse Foods Inc. […]

New York-based Hess Corporation ’s ( HES ) Australian subsidiary, Hess Exploration Australia Pty Ltd, has inked a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with the North West Shelf (NWS). Hess aims to develop its natural gas discoveries in its deepwater permits offshore north-western Australia. Subject to execution of binding agreements the company intends to toll the production through existing NWS processing and liquefaction facilities in Karratha, Australia […]

Actelion Ltd. ( ALIOF ) announced the submission of a new drug application to the FDA for its pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) candidate, Uptravi (selexipag). According to the American Lung Association, PAH is a relatively rare disease that affects 1 person in 100,000 to 1 person in 1 million with approximately 50% of the patients dying within five years of diagnosis […]

Sands China Ltd. – the majority owned subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands Corp. […]

Lockheed Martin Corp. ( LMT ), the prime defense contractor to the Pentagon, received multiple contracts worth $276.5 million on Dec 22. The largest order by value is a $244 million modification contract to ensure that labor and material costs of 61 units of C-130J aircraft is reduced through the procurement of raw materials by the company […]

The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) recently announced the sale of its Camay and Zest soap brands to U.K.-based consumer goods giant Unilever, plc ( UL ) for an undisclosed amount to focus better on fewer core strategic brands. Along with the brands, the consumer giant will sell its Talisman manufacturing facility in Mexico. Once the transaction is over, 170 employees associated with the unit will be transferred to Unilever […]

Newark, NJ based Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. ’s ( PEG ) subsidiary PSEG Solar Source announced that it will acquire a solar energy facility from juwi solar Inc. near Waldorf, MD […]

Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts ( ESRX ) announced an update to its National Preferred Formulary, which will now include AbbVie's ( ABBV ) recently approved all-oral, interferon-free medication for hepatitis C, Viekira Pak. We note that Viekira Pak was approved by the FDA on Dec 19 for the treatment of patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection, including those with cirrhosis, a type of advanced liver disease. Thereafter, Express Scripts' independent Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee determined Viekira Pak to be at least clinically equivalent to lead player Gilead Sciences’ ( GILD ) expensive HCV treatments, Sovaldi and Harvoni. […]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ( WMT ) has remained under media scrutiny due to food scandals, labor disputes, regulatory violations and bribery allegations. The world’s largest retailer has reportedly spent more than $400 million in the past two years in government investigations related to bribery charges, making it one of the most expensive probes in U.S. […]

Shares of Ocwen Financial Corp. ( OCN ) hit a 52-week low of $15.04 after the company announced the resignation of its executive chairman as well as a $150 million fine as part of the settlement with the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS). […]

Medivation, Inc. ( MDVN ) exercised its option to gain exclusive worldwide rights to pidilizumab (CT-011) from CureTech, Ltd. […]

On Dec 19, 2014, we issued an updated research report on Standard Motor Products Inc. ( SMP ). […]

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc . ( KERX ) announced it has begun to ship Auryxia (ferric citrate) tablets to wholesalers in the U.S. […]

Manulife Financial Corp. ( MFC ) announced that its asset management unit has performed impressively so far in 2014, reflected by an increase in global sales and asset growth. The company reported year-to-date direct institutional gross sales of $ 5.4 billion (C$5.9 billion) as of Sep 30, 2014. […]

MacroGenics, Inc. ’s ( MGNX ) shares jumped 11.73% following the company’s announcement that it has entered into a global collaboration and license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ), for the development and commercialization of pipeline candidate, MGD011. […]

Global medical technology company Stryker Corporation ( SYK ) and cellular regenerative medicine company Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. ( OSIR ) recently entered into an exclusive, worldwide partnership for the commercialization and development of the latter’s viable bone matrix tissue form. Under the agreement, Stryker will attain exclusive, worldwide rights to Osiris’ viable bone matrix under the name BIO4. […]