On Tuesday, Shares of Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (NYSE:ATW), gained 2.52% to $10.59.
Atwood Oceanics declared that auxiliaries of the Company have agreed with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) to delay the Company`s requirement to take delivery of two newbuild ultra-deepwater drillships, the Atwood Admiral and the Atwood Archer, to September 30, 2017 and June 30, 2018, respectively.
In consideration of the agreement, the Company will make payments of $50 million for each drillship on December 31, 2015, and DSME will extend all remaining milestone payments, $93.9 million for the Admiral and $305 million for the Archer, until their respective delivery dates. The Company retains the option to take earlier delivery of each vessel, subject to a forty-five (45) day notice period to DSME.
Atwood Oceanics, Inc. is a leading offshore drilling contractor engaged in the drilling and completion of exploratory and developmental wells for the global oil and gas industry. The Company presently owns 11 mobile offshore drilling units and is constructing two ultra-deepwater drillships. The Company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Atwood Oceanics, Inc. common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ATW.”
Atwood Oceanics, an offshore drilling contractor, engages in the drilling and completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells worldwide. As of November 10, 2015, it owned a fleet of 11 mobile offshore drilling units, in addition to 2 ultra-deepwater drill ships under construction. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Shares of Opko Health, Inc. (NYSE:OPK), declined -2.55% to $9.94, during its last trading session.
Opko Health through its partner GeneDx, declared results from the largest published study to date of patients who received hereditary genetic testing with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) cancer panels. The study, “Pathogenic and Likely Pathogenic Variant Prevalence among the First 10,000 Patients Referred for Next Generation Cancer Panel Testing,” was published in the December 2015 issue of Genetics in Medicine. GeneDx’s analysis of the data generated from the first 10,030 patients highlights the clinical utility of testing for multiple cancer genes to identify variants that would not have been identified through formerly used testing methods. The patients, who were referred for testing between August, 2013 and October, 2014, underwent genetic testing for panels of genes associated with hereditary cancer.
While many patients were found to carry pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in well-established, high-risk cancer genes, about half of the pathogenic variants identified were in genes with moderate risk and in recently identified cancer genes. Notably, among women with breast cancer, 50% of positive findings were in genes other than BRCA1 or BRCA2. Additionally, several individuals had pathogenic variants in high-risk genes that were somewhat unpredictable, so clinical presentation alone might not have prompted testing for these genes.
“We believe that molecular diagnostic testing for panels containing multiple genes are significantly more accurate in determine the heritable factors which improvement the risk of cancer, and may permit more tailored treatment for cancer patients and screening for their family members,” said Sherri Bale, PhD, FACMG, Co-Founder and Managing Director of GeneDx. “Our experience, based on a large database of patients, demonstrates that multi-gene panels have the potential to identify pathogenic variants in genes that would not typically have been tested and most likely would have been missed. This study provides important empirical data for clinical decision-making when choosing between single genes and NGS cancer panel testing for a variety of cancers.”
OPKO Health, Inc., a biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel and proprietary technologies in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. The company develops various solutions to diagnose, treat, and prevent various conditions, counting point-of-care tests, molecular diagnostics tests, laboratory developed tests, and proprietary pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Its products comprise 4Kscore test that measures the blood plasma levels of four different prostate-derived kallikrein proteins.
Finally, Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA), ended its last trade with 0.95% gain, and closed at $7.46.
BBVA Compass, the Official Bank of the NBA, declared recently it is adding two San Antonio Spurs superstars to its growing roster of brand ambassadors — Becky Hammon, the first full-time female coach in the NBA, and three-time NBA Champion Bruce Bowen — and extending its sponsorship agreement with the team.
The bank now has a powerhouse trio from San Antonio on its team of ambassadors, with Hammon and Bowen joining decorated Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who was named a BBVA Compass local brand ambassador last year. Leonard has been recognized as one of the most talented young players in the league, clinching the 2014 Finals MVP title and also the 2014-15 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
As brand ambassadors, Hammon and Bowen will join Leonard to boost the bank’s brand in multiple ways — from advertising campaigns to community involvement activities.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, engages in the retail banking, wholesale banking, asset administration, and private banking businesses primarily in Spain, Eurasia, Mexico, South America, and the United States. It offers deposit products, counting personal accounts, housing accounts, savings accounts, deposit accounts, etc.; and loan products, such as personal loans, mortgages, etc.; credit cards; investment products comprising mutual funds, warrants, and pension plans; and telephone and on-line banking services, in addition to ATMs for individual customers.