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Amazon.com Inc. said Tuesday that it will add more than 1,000 full-time jobs in two new Illinois fulfillment centers in Aurora. One will span nearly one million square feet and handle small items such as books and consumer goods. The other will be about 400,000 square feet and handle larger items like big-screen televisions. The e-commerce giant already has centers in Edwardsville, Joliet and Romeoville with another under construction in Monee. Amazon has announced eight fulfillment centers in Illinois over the past two years. Once the latest facilities open, the company will have more than 7,000 full-time Illinois staffers. Amazon shares are up 0.3% in premarket trading, and up 15.3% for the past 12 months. THe S&P 500 index is up 12.8% for the last year.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of Rite Aid Corp. shot up 6% in active premarket trade Tuesday, after the drug store chain announced a deal with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. to sell 865 Rite Aid stores to Fred’s Inc. for $950 million. With volume of about 2.6 million shares, Rite Aid’s stock was the most actively traded ahead of the open. Rite Aid, which is in the process of being acquired by Walgreens, said the deal is subject to approval by the Federal Trade Commission. In October, Walgreens and Rite Aid pushed out the deadline to close their $9.4 billion merger to next year, citing delays in selling stores the companies were required to divest to get regulators to approve the merger. Walgreens said it is in talks with the FTC regarding the deal, and is working toward closing its Rite Aid acquisition in early 2017. Walgreens’ stock rose 1.4% in premarket trade, while Fred’s shares were still inactive. Rite Aid’s stock has gained 4.2% year to date through Monday, while Walgreens’ shares have tacked on 1.1% and the S&P 500 has gained 11%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of Tesaro Inc. rallied 2.2% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the biopharmaceutical company said its new drug application (NDA) for its niraparib cancer treatment was granted priority review by the Food and Drug Administration. The company said the FDA set a target action date of June 30, 2017. “FDA’s acceptance of the niraparib NDA with a Priority Review designation is an important milestone for TESARO, and represents a significant step in our efforts to bring meaningful therapies to women with ovarian cancer,” said Chief Operating Officer Mary Lynne Hedley. The stock has more than doubled year to date through Monday, while the SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF has tumbled 22% and the S&P 500 has gained 11%.

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From:: Stock Market News

TheStreet Inc. announced Tuesday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on Dec. 14 stating that it is not in compliance with the organization’s closing bid price rules and is at risk of delisting. The rule states that shares must close at at least $1 per share for 30 consecutive days to maintain compliance. TheStreet’s last close above a $1 was October 31. The company has until June 12, 2017 to close at or above $1 for 10 consecutive business days to regain compliance. TheStreet shares closed Monday at 89 cents per share. Its stock is down 45.7% for the past year while the Nasdaq is up nearly 11% for the same period.

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From:: Stock Market News

Darden Restaurants Inc. , the parent of Olive Garden restaurants, reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that rose to $79.5 million, or 64 cents a share, from $43.2 million, or 33 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. The FactSet earnings-per-share consensus was 64 cents. Revenue for the quarter to Nov. 27 rose to $1.64 billion from $1.61 billion, just shy of the FactSet consensus of $1.65 billion, but Olive Garden sales grew 2.5% to $915.0 million to beat expectations of $910.8 million. Same-store sales grew 1.7%, beating the FactSet consensus of 1.5%, as Olive Garden sales growth of 2.6% beat expectations of 1.9%. The company affirmed its full-year adjusted EPS outlook of $3.87 to $3.97. “We had another strong quarter with same-restaurant sales growth significantly outperforming the casual dining industry benchmarks, especially at Olive Garden,” said Chief Executive Gene Lee. The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has soared 19% year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 11%.

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From:: Stock Market News

General Mills Inc.’s stock shed 3.3% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the consumer foods company missed profit and sales expectations. Earnings for the quarter to Nov. 27 fell to $481.8 million, or 80 cents a share, from $529.5 million, or 87 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, adjusted earnings per share was 85 cents, below the FactSet consensus of 86 cents. Revenue fell 7% to $4.11 billion, missing the FactSet consensus of $4.22 billion, with its U.S. retail and convenience stores and foodservice sales falling short of expectations. For fiscal 2017, the company cut its sales guidance to a decline of 3% to 4% from a previous outlook of flat to down 2%, but its adjusted EPS growth outlook of 6% to 8% was above the growth implied by the FactSet consensus of 5.1%. “Our organic sales declines reflect the actions we’ve taken to optimize our spending and prioritize profitable volume, as well as weakening food-industry trends in the U.S.,” said Chief Executive Ken Powell. The stock has climbed 9.4% year to date through Monday, while the S&P 500 has gained 10.7%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of BlackBerry Ltd. rallied 2.9% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the software and mobile security company reported a surprise profit for the fiscal third quarter, but missed sales expectations. The net loss for the quarter to Nov. 30 narrowed to $117 million, or 22 cents a share, from $372 million, or 71 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, the company reported adjusted earnings per share of 2 cents, beating the FactSet consensus of breakeven. Revenue fell to $289 million from $334 million, below the FactSet consensus of $330 million. The company said it now expects to achieve and adjusted EPS profitability for the full year, compared with the FactSet consensus of breakeven. “”We achieved significant milestones in Q3, delivering the highest gross margin in the company’s history for the second consecutive quarter and continuing to transform our infrastructure and operations to support an enterprise software business,” said Chief Executive John Chen. The stock has tumbled 17% year to date through Monday, while the S&P 500 has gained 11%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Tribune Media Co. announced Tuesday a deal to sell its Gracenote video, music and sports business to Nielsen Holdings PLC for $560 million in cash. Tribune said it was selling off nearly all of its digital and data business to focus on its core television and entertainment business. The said it will use the expected $500 million in after-tax proceeds from the deal to repay debt. Separately, Tribune said it plans to pay a special dividend of about $500 million during the first quarter of 2017, and to expects to continue executing its share repurchase program, which currently has $168 million remaining. “From a strategic standpoint, however, we are pleased to be streamlining our company so that we can focus even more intently on seizing future opportunities for our local television and entertainment business,” Tribune Chief Executive Peter Liguori said. The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has gained 1.9% year to date, while Nielsen shares have lost 7.1% and the S&P 500 has climbed 11%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Facebook Inc. is facing a potential fine from the European Union’s competition watchdog after the European Commission accused the social media company of providing “misleading information” about its planned WhatsApp takeover. The commission said on Tuesday it has sent a so-called Statement of Objections to Facebook alleging the company gave incorrect information during the 2014 investigation of its $19 billion takeover of WhatsApp. “In this specific case, the Commission’s preliminary view is that Facebook gave us incorrect or misleading information during the investigation into its acquisition of WhatsApp. Facebook now has the opportunity to respond,” Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in the press release.

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From:: Stock Market News