Stockwinners Market Radar for January 06, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:23 EST First Interstate names Newmann chief strategy officer, Lee chief banking officer - First Interstate BancSystem is realigning its executive team, adding a Chief Strategy Officer. The new role will be dedicated to addressing the increasing complexity of growing a successful financial institution in a dynamic environment while considering developments, opportunities, and risks with potential to impact the business in the long term. Renee Newman has been tapped to serve as the institution's first-ever Chief Strategy Officer. Newman has been instrumental in leading efforts to adopt greater strategic focus and alignment across business lines. As First Interstate continues to evolve, Newman's new role will enable her to concentrate fully on all growth and innovation strategies of the organization. Russ Lee has been selected to assume the role of Chief Banking Officer. The consolidation of the traditional banking business under a single leader will allow First Interstate to continue its growth as a premier community bank.

18:51 EST Axon CEO: There is a failing safe harbor policy that applies to VieVue - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Axon CEO Rick Smith said, "The VieVue acquisition was made to ensure their customers continued to be served." When asked about the FTC complaint, Smith said, "We believe there is a failing safe harbor policy that applies to VieVue." Smith noted that the company maintains a full time litigation team because it "litigates a lot." Smith said, "We're seeing a massive shift in police work towards body cameras, and we want the Taser to surpass the effectiveness of a handgun."

18:42 EST Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - HIGHER: Xeris (XERS), up 20.6% after reporting "positive" results from its Phase 2 study of RTU glucagon... Town Sports (CLUB), up 18.9% after it agreed to acquire the studio business of Flywheel Sports... Hepion (HEPA), up 16.4% after announced the publication of its candidate drug, CRV431, in a peer-reviewed journal... PC Connection (CNXN), up 9% after being named to join the S&P SmallCap 600... Dorian LPG (LPG), up 8.1% after being named to join the S&P SmallCap 600... Zynga (ZNGA), up 2.6% after SunTrust analyst Matthew Thornton initiated coverage of the stock with a Buy rating. LOWER: Pier 1 Imports (PIR), down 9.2% after it said it will close 450 locations and reduced its headcount.

18:31 EST Planet Fitness CEO: 40% of our members have never belonged to a gym - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau said, "We have a lot of efficiencies in our business model." These efficiencies allow the company to offer discounted rates. Rondeau noted that, "People set themselves up to fail" with their exercise routine. He said, "We want to break down the barriers of getting people to work out by catering to the casual first-timer. We want to get people off the couch." He mentioned that the company drives good traffic in its locations, especially during January-April. Rondeau said he has been with the company for 27 years. He started in 1993 working the front desk and never left.

18:22 EST Toyota to build the Woven City, a 'city of the future' - Toyota revealed plans to build a prototype "city" of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Called the Woven City, it will be a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Envisioned as a "living laboratory," the Woven City will serve as a home to full- time residents and researchers who will be able to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment, the company said. Toyota will extend an open invitation to collaborate with other commercial and academic partners and invite interested scientists and researchers from around the world to come work on their own projects in this incubator.

17:57 EST GAP Airports reports December traffic up 11.4% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico announced preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for the month of December 2019, compared to traffic figures for December 2018. During December 2019, total terminal passengers at GAP's 14 airports increased by 11.4%, compared to the same period of the previous year. Domestic passenger traffic increased by 7.6%, while international passenger traffic increased by 15.9%.

17:52 EST Town Sports to acquire studio business of Flywheel Sports - Town Sports announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire the studio business of Flywheel Sports. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, upon satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Established in 2010, Flywheel revolutionized competitive indoor cycling. Flywheel has expanded to 29 locations across the United States and multiple modalities and content, including its acclaimed results-driven indoor cycling and off-bike precision training workouts, including "FlyBarre" and "FlyFIT".

17:36 EST Range Resources to suspend dividend - The company has decided to suspend its dividend, which was approximately $20M annually, to prioritize debt reduction. Range repurchased and retired approximately $108M in principal amount of its senior notes during the fourth quarter. Total senior note repurchases during 2019 were approximately $202M in principal amount at an average weighted discount to par of 3%. Commenting, Mark Scucchi, CFO said, "Over the last 18 months, Range has executed approximately $1.1 billion in asset sales. Maintaining and further enhancing financial strength is core to Range's strategy and debt reduction remains a priority, guiding the company's capital investment and continuing divestiture initiatives. At the same time, we believe the repurchase program initiated last quarter to buy shares at a substantial discount to intrinsic value with a small portion of asset sale proceeds reflects our responsible commitment to create long-term value."

17:34 EST Range Resources sees 2020 capital budget of $520M - Range Resources announced a 2020 capital budget of $520M, which is expected to maintain daily production at approximately 2.3 Bcfe. Additionally, Range announced that year-end 2019 reserves increased to 18.2 Tcfe. Highlights include: All-in 2020 capital budget of $520M maintains production at ~2.3 Bcfe per day; Similar inventory of drilled uncompleted lateral footage expected at year-end 2020 as year-end 2019, supporting the option of a similar capital program in 2021 and beyond; Well costs expected to average less than $625 per lateral foot in 2020; 2019 capital spending is currently estimated to be $728M, approximately $28M less than the original budget; Fourth quarter 2019 production expected to be near the high end of prior 2.33-2.35 Bcfe per day guidance; Year-end proved reserves increase to 18.2 Tcfe, greater than 95% from Marcellus Shale; Year-end SEC PV10 valuation of $7.6B equates to over $17 per share, net of debt.

17:20 EST Dorian LPG to replace SRC Energy in S&P 600 at open on 1/15 - PDC Energy (PDCE) is acquiring SRC Energy (SRCI) in a deal expected to be completed soon pending final conditions. Post-merger, PDC Energy will remain in the S&P SmallCap 600.

17:18 EST Connection to replace Jagged Peak Energy in S&P 600 at open on 1/10 - Parsley Energy (PE) is acquiring Jagged Peak Energy (JAG) in a transaction expected to be completed soon pending final conditions.

16:53 EST ADT Inc. acquires Defenders for approximately $381M - ADT Inc. announced it has acquired Defenders, its largest independent dealer and only Authorized Premier Provider, for a purchase price of approximately $381M. As part of the transaction, Defenders founder David Lindsey and Jessica Lindsey received approximately 16.3M shares of ADT common stock for 100% of their ownership in Defenders, while the remaining $260M of consideration was paid in cash to retire existing Defenders debt, fund other liabilities, and pay transaction expenses. The cash consideration was partially funded from existing revolving credit facilities.

16:48 EST American Air reaches pact with Boeing over financial damages from 737 MAX - American Airlines (AAL) shared with its team that the company has reached a confidential agreement with Boeing (BA) on compensation for financial damages incurred in 2019 due to the grounding of the airline's Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Given the projected reduction in annual operating income for 2019 as a result of the MAX groundings, American's Board of Directors has authorized a discretionary portion of the settlement to be returned to American Airlines team members through the company's 2019 profit-sharing program. The profit-sharing award is based on the company's estimate of projected full-year 2019 financial damages for the MAX groundings. An additional accrual of more than $30M will be made to the airline's 2019 profit-sharing program, which is expected to be distributed to American's team members in March 2020. Additional information will be shared at that time. The incremental dollar amount is in accordance with the company's profit-sharing plan details. American currently does not expect any material financial impact of the agreement to be realized in its fourth-quarter 2019 earnings. The company anticipates accounting for substantially all of the compensation as a reduction in cost basis of grounded MAX aircraft and certain future MAX aircraft deliveries. American will continue its conversations with Boeing regarding compensation for damages related to the MAX grounding beyond 2019, and any future compensation will be similarly shared with its team members.

16:35 EST Pier 1 Imports trading resumes

16:32 EST Revlon names Sergio Pedreiro as COO, effective immediately - Revlon (REV) announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Sergio Pedreiro to serve as the company's COO, effective immediately. Pedreiro will officially join the company on January 8, 2020 and he will report to Revlon's President and CEO, Debra Perelman. Prior to joining Revlon, Pedreiro served in a number of senior executive positions across a diverse array of industries. From 2009-2014, Sergio was CFO at Coty (COTY).

16:27 EST Pier 1 Imports to close 450 locations, reduce headcount - In order to better align its business with the current operating environment, Pier 1 intends to reduce its store footprint by up to 450 locations. To reflect the revised store footprint, the Company also plans to close certain distribution centers and reduce its corporate expenses. This includes a reduction in corporate headcount. in order to maintain the same high standards customers have come to expect and ensure a seamless experience for customers at these locations, the Company is utilizing the services of a third-party liquidator to help manage the store closings. On January 6, the Company received consent from its lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility to permit the reduction to the store footprint and related actions. Mr. Riesbeck added, "Although decisions that impact our associates are never easy, reducing the number of our brick-and-mortar locations is a necessary business decision. We thank our team of hard-working associates for their commitment to Pier 1 and to serving our customers."

16:21 EST Noble Midstream names Robin Fielder COO - Noble Midstream Partners (NBLX) announced that Robin H. Fielder was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Noble Midstream and Senior Vice President, Midstream, of Noble Energy, Inc. (NBL), effective January 13, 2020. She will report to Brent Smolik, the Partnership's CEO, who is also President and Chief Operating Officer of Noble Energy. Fielder has nearly 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry across a wide range of disciplines, including reservoir engineering, upstream and midstream planning, as well as investor relations. She held a variety of positions within Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Western Midstream Partners LP (WES) since beginning her career with Anadarko in 2002, including most recently as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of WES and Senior Vice President, Midstream and Marketing at Anadarko from 2018 to 2019. In addition, Fielder served as Vice President of Investor Relations at Anadarko from 2016 to 2018, and previously as Midstream Planning Manager, Business General Manager of East Texas and North Louisiana, Worldwide Operations Business Advisor and in various other exploration and operations engineering positions in both the U.S. onshore and the Gulf of Mexico.

16:19 EST Sterling Construction joint venture awarded $348M design-build contract by UDOT - Sterling Construction announced that Oak Hills Constructors, a joint venture between Sterling's wholly owned subsidiary, Ralph L. Wadsworth, and Granite Construction, has been awarded a $348M progressive design-build contract by the Utah Department of Transportation, or UDOT, for the US-89 Farmington to I-84 project in Davis and Weber Counties, Utah. The project will entail the widening of nine miles of US-89 from two lanes in each direction to three, the addition of four new interchanges, and two grade separated intersections. This includes extending the existing frontage road system to help local traffic access new interchanges and crossings more efficiently. In addition, crews will excavate 2M cubic yards of material and relocate 150 miles of utilities. Approximately 300,000 tons of hot-mix asphalt and 100,000 tons of base rock will be provided by Granite facilities. Oak Hills Constructors is a 60/40 Granite and Ralph L. Wadsworth joint venture. Oak Hill Constructors estimates the project will employ an average of 150 people with construction scheduled to begin in early 2020. The estimated completion for the project is in 2023. Sterling anticipates booking its 40% portion of the total contract value award or approximately $140M in Q4 backlog.

16:16 EST Rhythm Pharmaceuticals CEO Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. to step down - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced that Keith Gottesdiener, M.D., intends to step down as CEO, President and a member of the company's Board of Directors. The Board has formed a search committee and retained an executive search firm to assist in identifying Dr. Gottesdiener's successor. Dr. Gottesdiener plans to serve in his current role until the completion of the company's submission of its New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA. Rhythm remains on track to complete the submission of a rolling NDA to the FDA that will cover both POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities in the first quarter of 2020. Rhythm also reiterates its previous guidance on other major milestones and continues to expect topline data from its Phase 3 trial evaluating setmelanotide in Bardet-Biedl and Alstrom syndromes in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in the first quarter of 2021. Additionally, Rhythm is well capitalized, and believes it has sufficient resources to fund its operations through at least the end of 2021.

16:11 EST Sensus Healthcare announces promotions for CTO, CFO and COO positions - Sensus Healthcare announced management promotions to support the company's financial goals for profitability in 2020 and beyond. Key changes, which are effective immediately, include: the promotion of Russ Price to chief technology officer, or CTO, the promotion of Javier Rampolla to CFO and the promotion of Nicolas Soro to the newly created position of COO. All will report directly to Joe Sardano, Sensus Healthcare's chairman and CEO. Price joined Sensus in 2016 as a product manager. He has more than 20 years of experience in the PET and molecular imaging field in varying roles, including the engineering for cyclotrons and scanners, national service manager, applications manager and product manager. Prior to Sensus, from 2010 to 2015, he was a product manager for RbM Services. Rampolla has been director of accounting and reporting/controller at Sensus since 2015 and has more than 20 years of financial experience, holding positions of increasing responsibility at a number of public and private companies. He played a role in managing the company's initial public offering in June 2016 and worked to apply new U.S. GAAP guidelines for revenue recognition and leases. His experience includes three years as the assistant controller for Latin America at Stanley Black & Decker. Soro has been director of regulatory affairs and quality assurance at Sensus from 2016. His work included the development of new devices, including obtaining multiple 510 clearances from the FDA. Prior to Sensus, Soro was director of regulatory affairs and quality assurance at DemeTECH Corporation.

16:11 EST First Financial Northwest board authorizes repurchase of up to 513,000 shares - First Financial Northwest announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 5.0% of the Company's outstanding common stock, or approximately 513,000 shares. Under the plan, shares may be purchased by the Company on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company intends to commence repurchases beginning no earlier than January 27, 2020 and ending no later than July 27, 2020. The extent to which the Company repurchases its shares and the timing of such repurchase will depend upon market conditions and other corporate considerations. As a result, there can be no assurance as to the exact number of shares, if any, that will be repurchased under the plan.

16:07 EST Xeris reports 'positive' results from Phase 2 study of RTU glucagon - Xeris Pharmaceuticals announced positive topline results from the in-clinic stage of a Phase 2 study of its developmental ready-to-use glucagon for the prevention of hypoglycemia during and after moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise in adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Results from the in-clinic stage of the Phase 2 Exercise-Induced Hypoglycemia study show that a mini dose of RTU glucagon was adequate to maintain normal blood glucose levels during prolonged, moderate-to-intense aerobic exercise. Episodes of hypoglycemia were observed both during and after the prescribed exercise session. Overall, there were more EIH episodes among subjects who received standard of care than subjects who received RTU glucagon plus 50% insulin pump reduction. The use of glucose tablets to treat hypoglycemia during and after exercise was less with RTU glucagon when compared to standard of care. Treatment-emergent adverse events with a mini dose of RTU glucagon were comparable to placebo, including negligible injection site reactions. In this phase of the study, mini doses of RTU glucagon were safe and well tolerated, and no serious adverse events occurred.

16:04 EST Arena Pharma CEO says pipeline includes two new indicaitions for etrasimod - Arena Pharmaceuticals will provide a corporate update highlighting its strategic portfolio expansion on a conference call tomorrow, January 7, at 9:00 AM ET, and provide additional detail at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference taking place January 13-16, 2020. "Arena had a stellar year in 2019, starting with the closing of the landmark ralinepag deal with United Therapeutics, and successfully initiating multiple important Phase 2 and 3 trials across our portfolio," stated Amit Munshi, President and CEO of Arena. "Building upon our success in 2019, we are preparing for future growth with an expanded pipeline including two new indications for etrasimod, an expanded collaboration with Beacon Discovery - Project Cabrillo - focused on new immunology and inflammation targets, and a new wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Neuroscience, Inc., that will focus on programs and platform to address microglial neuroinflammation. Arena is poised to build a bold, vibrant, catalyst-rich company over the next decade as we focus on the delivery of multiple important medicines."

15:21 EST Pier 1 Imports trading halted, news pending

15:04 EST Pier 1 down 16.5% after report says company considering bankruptcy - Shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR) fell 16.5% to $5.20 before being halted for volatility, following a Bloomberg report that the company is considering cutting 40% of its HQ staff and weighing bankruptcy. Bloomberg added that Pier 1 is said to have already drafted a bankruptcy plan that calls for emerging as smaller post-reorganizing the company.

14:46 EST Qualcomm to continue working with GM to power advanced driver-assistance systems - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) its continued collaboration with General Motors (GM) to deliver state-of-the-art driving experiences to current and upcoming vehicles. The companies aim to the deliver safe, intelligent next generation vehicles. As a part of the long-standing relationship, GM plans to continue working with Qualcomm Technologies to power digital cockpit, telematics and advanced driver-assistance systems. "Qualcomm Technologies' commitment to the automotive industry has resulted in several of our foundational technologies being introduced into products for connectivity and cockpit applications, and as introduced at CES 2020 today, we are now expanding into the ADAS domain," said Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated. "As we enter a new era of innovation built on high performance low power compute and AI, we are very pleased to be expanding our decade long partnership with GM to the digital cockpit and ADAS systems. We are extremely proud that our longstanding relationship and work with GM can serve as an example of how Qualcomm Technologies works with leaders in the automotive industry to define the future of smart and connected vehicles."

14:43 EST Qualcomm, ZTE achieve 5G-enabled Voice over New Radio call - Qualcomm (QCOM) said that it and ZTE Corp. (ZTCOY) last month together achieved 5G-enabled Voice over New Radio call. The call was performed in compliance with 3GPP Release 15 specifications over the 2.5 GHz spectrum band by utilizing a ZTE's 5G NR base station and a 5G smartphone form factor test device powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF System. Voice services are a fundamental offering for mobile operators, and when performed using a 5G network, it is called Voice over New Radio. The ability to complete VoNR calls will be an important step in the global mobile industry's evolution from non-standalone to standalone, as it will allow operators to deliver high-quality voice service without having to rely on VoLTE (voice over LTE) or an LTE anchor, Qualcomm said. The 5G VoNR call is the latest in a line of milestones completed by Qualcomm Technologies and ZTE in their ongoing collaboration to support the evolution of 5G. Previously, collaboration between the two companies produced the world's first end-to-end 5G NR Interoperability Data Testing system demonstrating a data connection based on 3GPP R15 standard in November 2017 in China. Additionally, the companies completed a live demonstration of 5G network services based on an end-to-end sub-6GHz commercial system in February 2019 in China. More recently, Qualcomm Technologies and ZTE completed the first 5G mobile phone millimeter-wave interoperability test in the country. "This achievement with ZTE allows us to further support our goal of unlocking 5G's ability to power worldwide connectivity capabilities," said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "At Qualcomm Technologies, we are committed to continuing the progression of 5G so we can in turn help drive innovation and economies worldwide."

14:11 EST Leap Therapeutics jumps after partnering with BeiGene of DKN-01 - Shares of Leap Therapeutics (LPTX) continue to rise after the company reported on Friday that it and BeiGene (BGNE), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company announced an exclusive option and license agreement for the clinical development and commercialization of DKN-01, Leap's anti-Dickkopf-1, DKK1, antibody, in Asia, excluding Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Leap will retain exclusive rights for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of DKN-01 for the rest of the world. In addition, Leap announced entering into an agreement for a $27M equity financing with BeiGene and two institutional investors. Under the terms of the agreement, Leap will receive an upfront cash payment of $3M from BeiGene in exchange for granting BeiGene an option to an exclusive license to develop and commercialize DKN-01 in Asia Australia, and New Zealand, and will be eligible to receive an additional payment from BeiGene upon BeiGene's exercise of the option following initial proof-of-concept studies. Additionally, Leap is eligible to receive payments from BeiGene based upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory, and sales milestones for a total deal value of up to $132M, together with tiered royalties on any product sales of DKN-01 in the licensed territory. BeiGene will also make a $5M equity investment in Leap as part of the contemporaneous $27M equity financing. Shares of Leap jumped over 60% on Friday and are currently up over 8% to $1.75 per share in afternoon trading.

14:07 EST Nielsen, Nexstar enter into multiyear measurement services agreement - Nielsen (NLSN) and Nexstar Media Group (NXST) announced a multi-year agreement whereby Nielsen will provide a comprehensive suite of measurement services for all broadcast and cable entities across Nexstar Media Group including 197 local television stations and digital subchannels in 115 markets, and national ratings for cable entertainment network WGN America and digital network, Antenna TV. Under the terms of the agreement, Nielsen will also provide Nexstar with its Scarborough Qualitative Service, as well as several cross-platform solutions and digital measurement services including Digital TV Ratings, Digital Content Ratings and Digital Ad Ratings. In addition, Nielsen will be providing supplementary support services such as Rhiza, Grabix, Prime Lingo and County Coverage to all of Nexstar's local markets, as well as measurement of the Nexstar unwired universe. "Nexstar Media Group is a true leader in the broadcast industry with a long, proven record of driving revenue and profits for advertisers," said Peter Bradbury, EVP, Media, at Nielsen. "Our alliance with Nexstar will leverage Nielsen's unique suite of measurement services to establish a cross-platform currency that will provide audience insights across local linear TV, cable, mobile, desktop and over-the-top. We are committed to working actively with Nexstar to ensure that every station has the tools it needs to achieve its business objectives and deliver value and results to advertisers."

13:53 EST First Solar pays $350M to settle class action suit brought in 2012 - First Solar announced earlier today that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to settle the previously disclosed class action litigation filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona titled Smilovits v. First Solar. This lawsuit was filed in 2012. First Solar has agreed to pay a total of $350M to settle the claims brought on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the company's shares between April 30, 2008 and February 28, 2012. The parties have agreed to negotiate in good faith to execute definitive stipulations of settlement and related documents to be filed with the court, which will not contain any admission of liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the parties and will provide that upon final approval of the settlement, it will be dismissed with prejudice, with mutual releases by all parties, the company added. The settlement is subject to approval by the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. "We are confident that resolving this matter is the right business decision for First Solar and its shareholders," said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. "While we are confident in the facts and the merits of our position, we believe it is prudent to end this protracted and uncertain class action litigation process, and focus on driving the business forward. We remain in a strong financial position, are pleased with our progress with Series 6 and our contracted customer pipeline, and are focused on executing our global strategy and serving our customers."

13:01 EST Alaska Air CFO Pedersen to retire, Tackett to assume CFO role - Alaska Air Group announced that Brandon Pedersen, Chief Financial Officer since 2010, plans to retire on March 2. Shane Tackett, currently Alaska's executive vice president of planning and strategy will succeed Pedersen, focusing on execution of the company's business model for continued long-term growth and value for guests, employees, owners and communities. Pedersen is a life-long Seattle resident. After serving as Alaska's outside auditor for 11 years, he joined Alaska in 2003 as vice president of finance and controller and was promoted to CFO in May 2010.

12:24 EST Uber says DOJ closed FCPA probe, will not pursue action against company - Uber said in a regulatory filing, that the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division recently informed the company that the Fraud Section has closed its inquiry and will not be pursuing enforcement action against the company in relation to a previously disclosed Fraud Section investigation of possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in countries in which the company operates or has operated, including Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and India.

12:12 EST FBI reports 2.94M NICS firearm background checks in December - The FBI reported that there were 2,936,894 firearm background checks initiated through the NICS system in December 2019. This compares to 2,543,385 checks in December of 2018 and 2,574,752 in November 2019. Companies in the gun space include Sturm, Ruger (RGR), American Outdoor Brands (AOBC), and Vista Outdoor (VSTO). Reference Link

12:02 EST NXP Semiconductors announces first i.MX family processor with dedicated NPU - NXP Semiconductors announced at the CES 2020 meeting that it has expanded its "industry-leading" EdgeVerse portfolio with the i.MX 8M Plus application processor, which it called "the first i.MX family to integrate a dedicated Neural Processing Unit - NPU - for advanced machine learning inference at the industrial and IoT edge." NXP is sampling the i.MX 8M Plus applications processors to customers now, the company noted.

11:58 EST Vireo Health launches lower-THC LiteBud brand - Vireo Health International announced the launch of LiteBud, a patent-pending line of formulated, lower-Tetrahydrocannabinol cannabis products that are designed to meet the needs of cannabis consumers seeking a more consistent, controlled and mild experience. The first LiteBud product offering is a pre-roll made from slow-cured dry flower using a proprietary process to ensure lower levels of THC. LiteBud pre-rolls are currently available at dispensaries throughout the State of Maryland. Later this year, Vireo plans to offer LiteBud products in other key markets in which it operates.

11:39 EST Cambrex appoints Robert Green as CFO, COO Shawn Cavanagh joins board - Cambrex (CBM) announced changes to its management team and board "to accelerate growth and further operational excellence, building upon its trusted reputation for the highest quality pharmaceutical development and manufacturing capabilities." The following appointments and new positions are effective immediately: Robert Green has been named Executive Vice President and CFO, succeeding Gregory Sargen, who will depart the company on January 31. Mr. Green joins from General Electric (GE), where he began his career in 1990 and was most recently CFO of GE Power. Shawn Cavanagh has been promoted to President and COO, and will join the company's board. Shawn has served as EVP and COO of Cambrex since 2011. Stephan Haitz has been promoted to President, CDMO Sales & Marketing. Mr. Haitz joined Cambrex in 2014 and has served as Vice President, Sales & Business Development. Stephan previously held various sales and business development roles at Lonza and Solvias AG. The company's board will now be comprised of Chairman Wayne Hewett, CEO Steven Klosk, President Shawn Cavanagh, Claes Glassell, who will be rejoining the board, Permira Partners John Coyle and Henry Minello and Permira Principal Laura O'Donnell.

11:09 EST Gentex says Airbus now offering company's latest generation of dimmable windows - Gentex (GNTX) announced at CES 2020 that Airbus (EADSY) is now offering the company's latest generation of electrochromic windows on its aircraft. More details of the roll-out will be revealed this spring, Gentex stated.

11:02 EST ON Semiconductor partners with Pony.ai over autonomous vehicle technologies - ON Semiconductor (ON) and Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, announced that they will collaborate on "developing next-generation image sensing and processing technologies for machine vision to enhance the reliability and scalability of mass-produced autonomous vehicles." Since late 2018, Pony.ai has pioneered autonomous mobility deployment to benefit people in both the US and China. Pony.ai is the first company to roll out daily robotaxi operation in China, starting in the city of Guangzhou in December 2018. In collaboration with Hyundai and Via, the company is also the first to launch and offer a robotaxi service to the general public in California, which has been operating in Irvine since November 2019.

11:01 EST Pentagon, Lockheed Martin sign $1.9B 2020 F-35 sustainment contract - The F-35 Joint Program Office awarded the Lockheed Martin industry team a $1.9B contract to support operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet, while improving mission readiness and further reducing costs. The annual contract funds critical sustainment activities for aircraft currently in the fleet and builds enterprise capacity to support the future fleet of more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft. This includes industry sustainment experts supporting base and depot maintenance, pilot and maintainer training, and sustaining engineering across the globe. It also covers fleet-wide data analytics and supply chain management for part repair and replenishment to enhance overall supply availability for the fleet. "The F-35 continues to deliver exceptional capabilities to the field, and this contract ensures F-35s are mission ready to meet warfighter needs," said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin VP and general manager of the F-35 program. "The joint government and industry team continues to make significant progress improving readiness rates and reducing sustainment costs. In 2020, we will continue to optimize and advance the sustainment system. We are confident F-35 sustainment costs will be equal to or less than legacy jets."

10:51 EST NetScout wins patent assertion claim - NETSCOUT SYSTEMS announced that on December 13, 2019, a jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas returned a verdict of non-infringement in favor of NetScout against patent assertion entity Implicit. The jury's unanimous verdict vindicated NetScout's determination to fight an unwarranted accusation. Equally important, the jury's decision reinforced the hard work and original designs of NetScout leaders and engineers who have worked for years to build the company's award-winning service assurance and cybersecurity products.

10:17 EST Virtusa agrees to provide savings to Citi to maintain preferred vendor status - In a regulatory filing earlier, Virtusa (VRTU) disclosed that it was one of the vendors selected to continue preferred vendor status at Citi (C) and was given the opportunity to compete for additional, vendor consolidation work. The company and Citi entered into an amendment to their Master Professional Services Agreement, pursuant to which Citi agreed to maintain the company as a preferred vendor under the Resource Management Organization for the provision of IT services to Citi on an enterprise wide basis and Virtusa agreed to provide certain savings to Citi for the period from April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, which savings can be achieved through productivity and efficiency measures and associated reduced spend. Virtusa also provided that if these productivity and efficiency measures do not achieve the projected savings amounts, the company is required to provide certain discounts to Citi for the savings period to achieve the savings commitments, the filing noted. To the extent that Citi awards the company additional or new work in addition to the services covered by the request for proposal, the company agreed to provide Citi with a certain percentage of savings, whether achieved through productivity measures, efficiencies, discounts or otherwise, as a condition to performing such services.

10:00 EST Cango falls -5.5% - Cango is down -5.5%, or -51c to $8.75.

10:00 EST Curo Group falls -7.0% - Curo Group is down -7.0%, or -80c to $10.55.

10:00 EST O-I Glass rises 8.1% - O-I Glass is up 8.1%, or 96c to $12.77.

09:55 EST SilverSun Technologies signs $1M contract for cybersecurity services - SilverSun Technologies announced the signing of a 3-year agreement for the provision of cybersecurity services with a leading financial services company. The contract is worth $1M over the three-year period. The services include security operations center, incident response, cybersecurity assessments, and hacking simulations. The service is particularly well-suited for customers in compliance-driven and regulated industries, including financial services, pension administration, insurance, and the land and title sector.

09:47 EST VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -4.5% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -4.5%, or -$8.90 to $189.00.

09:47 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -4.9% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -4.9%, or -49c to $9.53.

09:47 EST Commercial Metals rises 5.0% - Commercial Metals is up 5.0%, or $1.12 to $23.30.

09:26 EST Revive Therapeutics to focus on clinical development of CBD for AIH treatment - Revive Therapeuticst provides an update on the Company's clinical development plan for Autoimmune liver diseases, which includes Cannabidiol in the treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Revive aims to build a portfolio of cannabinoid-based drugs for the treatment of rare inflammatory diseases with its initial focus on Autoimmune liver diseases. AILD are relatively rare diseases that are comprised of namely four indications including Autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and immunoglobulin G4 related cholangitis. These are chronic diseases that result in significant morbidity and mortality. Revive will focus on the clinical development of Cannabidiol in the treatment of AIH with plans to submit an Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1H 2020 for a proposed Phase 1/2a clinical study to determine the recommended dose of CBD for future clinical studies, to assess its safety, efficacy and clinical benefit, as well as to support a New Drug Application. The Company aims to have a pre-IND meeting with the FDA to obtain feedback of Revive's intended clinical development plan, including a proposed Phase 1/2a study design. Revive's program is to meet a clear unmet medical need in patients with AIH. AIH is a rare inflammatory condition of the liver that can affect all ages and gender across the world. If not treated properly, may cause liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, liver failure requiring a liver transplant, and even death. The prevalence of AIH is estimated at 75,000 patients in the U.S. The current standard of care for AIH is the use of steroids alone or steroids combined with azathioprine. It has been noted in medical literature that the current standard of care when used in a certain period of time has caused severe treatment-related side effects in 13%, treatment failure in 9%, incomplete response in 13%, and relapse after drug withdrawal up to 86% of patients with AIH. Therefore, given the unwanted outcomes associated with a steroid-based therapy, an alternative steroid-free treatment option such as CBD, with its known safety profile, may provide a potential solution for an improved treatment strategy for those patients unresponsive to, intolerant of, or non-adherent with a steroid-based therapy for AIH. Revive has an exclusive license from South Carolina Research Foundation for its intellectual property for the use of CBD, either in synthetic or natural form, in the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis. Also, the FDA has granted to Revive orphan drug designation for CBD in the treatment of AIH, which provides valuable incentives that could accelerate the approval process, including seven-year market exclusivity, tax credits on U.S. clinical trials, fast-tracking of regulatory proceedings, and exemption from certain fees, such as waiver of filing fees under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, and orphan drug grants. Additionally, the Company will now not be proceeding with the subscription receipt private placement offering announced on November 12, 2019.

09:21 EST Fiserv, Exxon Mobil announce new way for consumers to pay for gas through Alexa - Ahead of CES 2020, ExxonMobil (XOM) and Fiserv (FISV) announced that they are transforming the way people pay for gasoline using Amazon (AMZN) Alexa. Coming later this year, consumers with Alexa-enabled vehicles, Echo Auto, and other Alexa-enabled mobility devices will be able to say, "Alexa, pay for gas" when they pull up to the pump. This new experience will initially be available at over 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations in the U.S., and is being demonstrated for the first time at CES 2020. Transactions will be processed using Amazon Pay, allowing consumers to securely use the payment information stored in their Amazon account, and powered by digital commerce technology from Fiserv.

09:17 EST BNP Paribas closes sustainability-linked RCF with Brookfield Renewable - BNP Paribas (BNPQY) announced that it has closed a bi-lateral, incentive-linked corporate revolving credit facility with Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP), structured as a sustainability-linked loan. This is one of the first SLLs offered in Canada and the first for BNP Paribas in Canada. SLLs typically incorporate a pricing mechanism linked to a client's environmental, social or governance performance. The key feature of this RCF structure is a pricing incentive whereby Brookfield Renewable Partners' cost of debt declines as it continues to expand its renewable and clean electricity generating capacity and meets pre-determined CO2 emissions avoidance levels. This alignment ultimately reflects the vision of placing sustainability at the core of its business strategy. Brookfield Renewable Partners operates one of the world's largest publicly-traded renewable power platforms. In 2018, its portfolio helped to avoid 25 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. The portfolio consists of hydroelectric, wind, solar and storage facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, and totals over 18,000 megawatts of installed capacity and an 8,000 megawatt development pipeline. Brookfield Renewable Partners has an established track record of creating value by prudently acquiring, building and financing assets, and actively managing its operations.

09:14 EST Biofrontera announces reorganization of U.S. business - Biofrontera announced a new organizational structure of its American subsidiary Biofrontera Inc. to strengthen its commercial activities in the USA. The operating business in the USA will be managed by Christopher Pearson as CCO USA and Erica Monaco as CFO USA. Pearson will be responsible for Sales, Marketing and Market Access. Erica Monaco is responsible for Finance & Operations, Human Resources, Legal and Compliance. Organizationally, Biofrontera Inc. is now managed by a 4-member Board of Directors, consisting of Prof. Hermann Lubbert and Thomas Schaffer as non-executive board members, Chris Pearson and Erica Monaco as executive board members.

09:13 EST M.D.C. Holdings reports selected preliminary results for Q4 - M.D.C. Holdings reported selected preliminary results for the 2019 fourth quarter. These results are preliminary and unaudited. All figures are on a year-over year basis. New home deliveries increased 31% to 2,389 from 1,827. Average sales price of approximately $450,000.Net new home orders increased 49% to 1,574 from 1,059. Monthly sales absorption pace increased 28% to 2.8.Homes in backlog increased 29% to 3,801 from 2,936. Dollar value of backlog increased 23% to $1.75B.

09:12 EST Yum! Brands to acquire Habit Restaurants for $14 per share in cash

09:11 EST ToughBuilt reports FY19 UK sales of $1.75M - ToughBuilt Industries announced that its sales in the United Kingdom were $1.75M for 2019, as compared to $726,000 in 2018. Thus, year over year sales grew by $1.024M or 141%.

09:10 EST GlycoMimetics, Apollomics announces exclusive commercialization collaboration - GlycoMimetics and Apollomics announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of uproleselan and GMI-1687 in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, also known as Greater China. Under the terms of the agreement, Apollomics will be responsible for clinical development and commercialization in Greater China. The companies will also collaborate to advance the preclinical and clinical development of GMI-1687, a potent, subcutaneous E-selectin antagonist with broad clinical potential. Subject to the terms of the agreement, GlycoMimetics will receive an upfront cash payment of $9M and will be eligible to receive potential milestone payments totaling approximately $180M, as well as tiered royalties on net sales. Apollomics will be responsible for all costs related to development, regulatory approvals, and commercialization activities for uproleselan and GMI-1687 in Greater China. GlycoMimetics will supply uproleselan and GMI-1687 to Apollomics via a clinical and commercial supply agreement. GlycoMimetics retains all rights for both compounds in the rest of the world.

09:09 EST Taronis Fuels executes letter of intent for $5M purchase order - Taronis Technologies has executed a binding agreement with MC Consulting Teknoloji Enerji Danismanlik Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited irketi, an energy technology marketing firm based in Ankara, Turkey. The agreement calls for the immediate sale of one 300KW Venturi plasma arc gasification unit for $5M to MC Consulting from Taronis Fuels. Taronis has an existing inventory of gasification units, and it will facilitate the immediate sale of an existing unit to be refurbished to a like new condition. The unit has a target delivery date in Ankara of February 29, 2020. MC Consulting and Taronis Fuels also entered into a multi-year regional marketing agreement. Taronis Fuels has granted MC Consulting an exclusive territory for the marketing and sale of Venturi gasification units for the production of MagneGas, a renewable metal cutting fuel that replaces acetylene, propane and other traditional industrial gases. The initial marketing territory includes Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. MC Consulting shall initially market fifty 300KW Venturi plasma arc gasification units at a sales price of $5M, as well as industry standard royalty payments to be paid periodically, in perpetuity, based on MagneGas production within the territory of each buyer. MC Consulting shall earn an industry standard commission as a marketing consultant on applicable unit sales. The immediate sale of one gasification unit to MC Consulting will serve as a fully functional technical sales demonstration unit to be based in Ankara. Multiple countries within the marketing territory have already expressed a high level of interest in replicating the joint venture model constructed between MC Consulting and Taronis Fuels. This joint venture has been highly successful in gaining the support of the Turkish government across multiple government ministries, including the conditional ban of acetylene to accelerate the countrywide adoption of MagneGas as the sole metal cutting fuel in Turkey within 24 months.

09:06 EST L3Harris Technologies awarded $100M contract by USSOCOM - U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM, has awarded L3Harris Technologies a five-year with options, $100M contract to upgrade and extend the service life of its existing fleet of approximately 550 L3Harris Very Small Aperture Terminals, or VSAT. The contract was received in December. L3Harris will provide software, hardware and warranty upgrades that will extend the life of existing Hawkeye III Lite VSAT terminals and deliver significant cost savings. The VSATs originally were secured through the Satellite Deployable Node - Family of Terminals or Satellite Deployable Node - Medium contracts for the program.

09:05 EST BlackBerry teams with AWS on connected vehicle software platform - BlackBerry (BB) announced it has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AMZN) to demonstrate a connected vehicle software platform for in-vehicle applications that combines the safety and security of BlackBerry's QNX real-time operating system with AWS' Internet of Things (IoT) Services in the cloud and in the car. The platform enables automotive manufacturers to securely access data from vehicle sensors, and create software applications and machine-learning models for connected, electric, and autonomous vehicles.

09:04 EST Trex Company partners with Danver for outdoor kitchens collection - Trex Company has teamed with the manufacturers of Danver Stainless Outdoor Kitchens to offer a new selection of luxurious cabinetry and components in its revamped Trex Outdoor Kitchens collection, which will officially debut January 21 at the 2020 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas in the Trex Booth.

09:02 EST Fortinet says Yedpay deploys Fortinet Security Fabric - Fortinet announced that merchant payment solutions company Yedpay has deployed an end-to-end Fortinet Security Fabric to help bolster security as it moves its infrastructure to the cloud. Fortinet's dynamic cloud security solutions enable Yedpay to protect its current operations, stay ahead of cyber attacks and confidently expand service offerings to grow the business. Like other organizations in the financial services sector, Yedpay is now leveraging virtualization and cloud computing to help it deliver applications and services with greater speed and flexibility. Fortinet is able to power Yedpay's speed of digital innovation with an equally agile security strategy achieved through the Fortinet Security Fabric. All Fortinet solutions seamlessly work together, are easily managed and also integrate smoothly with Yedpay's existing security solutions to ensure consistent and secure connectivity across complex multi-vendor networks and different hardware, virtual environments and cloud environments.

09:00 EST Pulmatrix announces research collaboration with Nocion Therapeutics - Pulmatrix announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with Nocion Therapeutics to explore new technologies to enable and improve inhaled drug delivery. The collaboration will leverage Pulmatrix's iSPERSE platform and expertise in seeking to transform promising assets to improve drug delivery and safety profiles.

08:58 EST Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: SmileDirectClub (SDC), up 8% after announcing the launch of an end-to-end solution and a suite of oral care products available exclusively at Walmart (WMT) U.S. stores and Walmart.com... NIO Inc. (NIO), up 10% after reporting it delivered 3,170 vehicles in December 2019, representing 25.4% month-over-month growth... Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY), up 2% after completing a sale-leaseback transaction with an affiliate of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, generating over $250M in net proceeds... Plug Power (PLUG), up 9% after announcing an order for hydrogen fuel cell deployments valued at more than $172M. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Commercial Metals (CMC), up 7%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Cal-Maine Foods (CALM), down 7%. ALSO LOWER: Boeing (BA), down 1% after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is considering plans to raise more debt to bolster its finances after the grounding of its 737 MAX jet... Virtu Financial (VIRT), down 3% after Goldman Sachs analyst Alexander Blostein downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $15.50, down from $17.75. Current revenue conditions for Virtu "remain weak," pressuring the company's earnings and cash flows, Blostein tells investors.

08:55 EST Catalyst developing formal process for evaluating rare disease opportunities - The company said, "Board of Directors' direction to develop a formal process for evaluating additional rare disease opportunities; Ideally acquisitions or in licensing opportunities in neuromuscular or neurology therapeutic areas. Currently interviewing candidates for the executive level business development position who will oversee this program and bring further focus and formality to these efforts. Strong balance sheet and expected availability of conventional loans would support a range of various opportunities."

08:53 EST Catalyst to study Kennedy's disease, HNPP in 2020

08:50 EST Catalyst Pharmaceuticals expects to report top line data for SMA-001 in 1H20 - The company said, "Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 3: SMA-001 study is ongoing, with five subjects having already completed the study. Additional site has been opened for the study and on-target to report top-line data in the first half of 2020."

08:47 EST Catalyst Pharmaceuticals expects to report top line results for MuSK-MG in 1H20 - The company said, "Anti-MuSK antibody positive myasthenia gravis: 750 Myasthenia Gravis patients were screened to identify the 60 plus MuSK-MG patients who are participating in the trial. Note that only about 5-8% of the estimated 60,000 myasthenia gravis patients are MuSK antibody positive. Enrolled more than 60 MuSK antibody positive patients in 2019, and anticipate enrolling a few more patients in the next few weeks. Enrollment beyond 60 patients is for ethical reasons due to qualified MuSK-MG diagnosed patients already in the queue for enrollment that have a strong desire to participate in the trial. Remain on track to report top line results in the first half of 2020. Assuming positive data we would expect to file a supplemental new drug application with the FDA about year end."

08:45 EST BioDelivery Sciences appoints Kevin Ostrander as SVP, business development - BioDelivery Sciences International announced the appointment of Kevin Ostrander as SVP of Business Development and member of the Company Executive Leadership Team. Kevin joins BDSI from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals where he was Head of North America Business Development.

08:44 EST Marimed says Illinois dispensaries saw 'significant uptick in sales' - MariMed announced that their Illinois dispensaries in Anna and Harrisburg saw a significant uptick in sales on the first day under new laws to legalize recreational use of cannabis throughout the state. In May 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed the HB 1438 law legalizing recreational cannabis use and sale in the state for adults which became effective January 1, 2020. Illinois is the 11th state in the nation to allow the sale of recreational marijuana. Thirty-three states allow the sale of marijuana for medical use, which Illinois legalized in 2013. Industry analysts estimate the new legal market for recreational, or adult-use cannabis, could exceed $2 B annually. This new market is in addition to a surging medical marijuana market, which, according to Illinois government sources nearly doubled in size and number of patients during 2019, exceeding $200 million and nearly 90,000, respectively. According to Marijuana Business Daily, the maximum number of adult-use dispensaries allowed in Illinois in 2020 is 185, or 1.5 retail stores per 100,000 residents. By comparison, Oregon currently has 15.7 recreational marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents. MariMed Inc. plans to open two additional Illinois dispensaries in the coming year. MariMed's dispensaries in Anna and Harrisburg, which operate under the Thrive brand, saw customers waiting outside for hours before opening. MariMed worked hard prior to January 1st to prepare for expected demand by recreational users while ensuring valued medical customers would still receive the attention, service and access to products that they have come to expect. It was positive to see demand appearing to be as high in rural areas as in the more concentrated and competitive urban areas of the state. During 2019, under MariMed management, revenue from sales to medical patients grew significantly. With the addition of recreational clientele, MariMed is expected to realize significant revenue growth in 2020 which will be reflected in MariMed's reported financial results.

08:41 EST OrthoPediatrics announces divestiture of Vilex Adult Business - OrthoPediatrics announced that it has completed the sale of substantially all of the assets related to the adult product offering of Vilex in Tennesseeto Vilex LLC, an affiliate of Squadron Capital. In addition, Buyer was granted a license to manufacture and sell products utilizing the external fixation technology developed by Orthex, LLC, an affiliate of OrthoPediatrics, subject to certain restrictions in favor of OrthoPediatrics on sales to certain pediatric accounts. The divestiture was completed on December 31, 2019. OrthoPediatrics had previously reported its plan to divest the Vilex Adult Business when it acquired Vilex in Tennessee, Inc. and Orthex, LLC in June 2019. As consideration for the Vilex Adult Business, the amount owed by OrthoPediatrics under its Term Note B payable to Squadron Capital was reduced by $25M. OrthoPediatrics also received the right to use and sell certain intellectual property that Buyer acquired as part of the Vilex Adult Business. The remaining $5M of principal outstanding under the Term Note B, plus all accrued interest, was repaid by OrthoPediatrics in full, on December 31, 2019, with funds received from its revolving credit facility with Squadron Capital. Stifel served as the exclusive financial advisor and Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP served as the exclusive legal advisor to OrthoPediatrics.

08:39 EST Phathom Pharmaceuticals appoints Martin Gilligan as Chief Commercial Officer - Phathom Pharmaceuticals (PHAT) announced the appointment of Martin Gilligan as Chief Commercial Officer. Gilligan most recently was Corporate Vice President at Celgene (CELG), where he led marketing, market access and business development for Celgene's Inflammation and Immunology Franchise.

08:37 EST Soleno completes target enrollment in DESTINY PWS Phase III trial of DCCR - Soleno Therapeutics announced that it has completed its target enrollment of approximately 100 subjects in the ongoing Phase III trial, DESTINY PWS, evaluating once-daily Diazoxide Choline Controlled-Release tablets for patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Additional patients who are currently scheduled to be screened for DESTINY PWS will be enrolled over the next few weeks. As of January 3, 2020, more than 95% of the patients randomized into DESTINY PWS have either completed or continue to be treated on study. More than 95% of patients enrolled in the C602 open-label extension study remain on treatment. Enrollment of patients was from 27 sites in the U.S. and the UK. No serious, unexpected adverse events related to DCCR have occurred in DESTINY PWS to date. Based on the interest of the clinical investigators and families, Soleno will continue to make DCCR available to patients enrolled in the current program. The Company has, therefore, extended the C602 open-label extension study, allowing interested patients and families to continue in the study for up to two additional years. DESTINY PWS is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of once-daily oral administration of DCCR versus placebo in approximately 100 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PWS. Patients who complete DESTINY PWS have the option to enroll into the C602 open-label extension study. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated the investigation of DCCR for the treatment of PWS to be a Fast Track development program. DCCR has also received orphan designation for the treatment of PWS in the U.S. and in the EU.

08:34 EST Alector initiates first-in-human dosing in Phase 1 study of AL101 - Alector announced that in December 2019, it initiated dosing in healthy volunteers in its Phase 1 study of AL101, an investigational product candidate designed to increase progranulin levels. The Phase 1 study is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of AL101 in healthy volunteers, as well as the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and bioavailability of intravenously and subcutaneously administered doses of AL101. AL101 is Alector's second product candidate targeting the progranulin pathway to enter the clinic in the last two years. The Phase 1 study of AL101 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial expected to enroll up to 42 healthy volunteers at a clinical study site in the United States.

08:33 EST RigNet appoints appoints Errol Olivier as COO - RigNet announced organizational changes designed to accelerate RigNet's transformation strategy as the company continues to move 'up the stack' and to further improve the company's industry-leading customer service and responsiveness. Effective immediately, Errol Olivier joins RigNet as SVP and COO. Reporting directly to President and CEO Steven Pickett, Olivier will be responsible for all customer-facing functions, including Sales, Sales Engineering, Service Delivery, Bids and Proposals, and the company's Global Network Operations Centers. His previous roles include President and CEO of MTN Satellite Communications. RigNet also announced the departure of SVP, Sales Jay Hilbert, effective January 6, 2016. Hilbert will provide consulting services on several discrete initiatives between now and March 31, 2020. Hilbert joined RigNet in 2016.

08:29 EST Atossa Genetics announces corporate name change to Atossa Therapeutics - Atossa Therapeutics announced that its corporate name change from "Atossa Genetics Inc." to "Atossa Therapeutics, Inc." became effective at 12:01 a.m. ET today, January 6, 2020. The Company's common stock will continue to trade on the NasdaqCM exchange under the ticker symbol "ATOS."

08:27 EST Emmaus Life Sciences announces adherence program for SCD patients - Emmaus Life Sciences (EMMA) announced a new adherence program available to sickle cell disease patients in collaboration with US Bioservices, an AmerisourceBergen (ABC) specialty pharmacy company. Commencing January 6, 2020, US Bioservices and Emmaus Life Sciences will implement a patient opt-in enhanced nursing program. This innovative program is designed to further empower SCD patients through real-time product assistance and information from a team of clinicians. As part of the program, patients will be able to receive calls relating to their specific SCD therapy and work with a team of clinicians thereby further assisting patients with symptom and adherence management.

08:25 EST Newmont to increase annualized dividend to $1 per share - Newmont announced a plan to significantly increase its quarterly dividend by 79% to 25c per share, or an expected $1.00 per share annually, which will become effective upon approval and declaration of the first quarter dividend in April.

08:23 EST InvisibleShield partners with Kastus to launch antimicrobial technology - InvisibleShield, a ZAGG Brands company, announced a new strategic partnership with Kastus that will enable InvisibleShield to infuse innovative surface antimicrobial technology, proven to eliminate up to 99.99 percent of harmful bacteria, into its line-up of screen protectors for tablets and smartphones.

08:19 EST Minerva completes patient screening in Phase 3 trial of roluperidone - Minerva Neurosciences announced the completion of patient screening in its ongoing Phase 3 trial with roluperidone to treat negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A total of 857 patients have been screened, and the enrollment of at least 501 patients is expected to be completed before the end of January 2020. Top-line results from the 12-week, double-blind portion of the trial are expected in the second quarter of 2020. This trial is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled, 12-week study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 32 milligram and 64 mg doses of roluperidone as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale Marder negative symptoms factor score, the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include the Personal and Social Performance Scale and Clinical Global Impression of Severity. Patients are being randomized 1:1:1 to the 32 mg and 64 mg doses of roluperidone and to placebo. The core 12-week phase of the trial is followed by a 40-week, open-label extension period during which patients on the drug continue receiving their original dose and patients on placebo receive one of the two doses of roluperidone.

08:17 EST Bionano Genomics says Saphyr System adopted by GeneDx - Bionano Genomics announced the adoption of Saphyr by GeneDx, Inc., to develop assays that will transition to their clinical laboratory in Gaithersburg, MD. Assays based on the Bionano optical mapping technology will complement GeneDx's current testing methodologies.

08:16 EST Aramark appoints Performance Food Group CFO Thomas Ondrof as CFO - Aramark (ARMK) announced that Thomas Ondrof will join the company as Executive Vice President, CFO, effective January 7, succeeding Steve Bramlage who will remain with the company until April 3 in the role of Executive Advisor to assist in this transition. Ondrof previously served as CFO with Performance Food Group (PFGC).

08:14 EST Camber Energy regains compliance with NYSE - Camber Energy announced that it received a letter from the NYSE advising the company that it had regained compliance with all of the NYSE continued listing standards set forth in Part 10 of the NYSE American Company Guide. Specifically, effective on January 2, the company resolved its previous continued listing deficiency with respect to Section 1003 of the guide, which the company was previously subject to in July, due to the low trading prices of its common stock. As a result of such compliance, the company is now in full compliance with all NYSE continued listing requirements and effective on January 3, the below compliance indicator was removed from the company's common stock and the company was removed from the NYSE list of non-compliance issuers.

08:14 EST Alimera Sciences refinances debt facility with Solar Capital - Alimera Sciences announced that it refinanced its debt facility by entering into a new $45M term loan agreement with its current lenders, investment affiliates managed by Solar Capital Partners, LLC, on December 31, 2019. The amount of the new funding includes an initial tranche of $42.5M used to repay the current facility, including principal, prepayment fees and accrued interest, and another $2.5M tranche that will be available if Alimera achieves $30M in revenue for any trailing six-month period ending on or before November 30, 2020. The new loan agreement has a term of 54 months to July 1, 2024, with monthly interest-only payments to January 1, 2023, when principal amortization begins. The interest-only period may be extended an additional six months if Alimera achieves $34.5M in revenue for any trailing six-month period ending on or before June 30, 2022.

08:12 EST Eiger BioPharmaceuticals sees 2020 cash burn 'in-line' with 2019 - At December 31, 2019, the company had approximately $95M in cash, cash equivalents and investments. The company expects 2020 cash burn for planned operations to be generally in-line with 2019 burn.

08:12 EST John Wiley & Sons acquires mthree from ECI Partners - John Wiley & Sons announced that it has acquired mthree from ECI Partners. Mthree is an education services provider that addresses the IT skills gap by finding, training and placing job-ready technology talent in roles with corporations worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, mthree shareholders received approximately $129M in cash at January 1 closing. The company's revenue for calendar year 2019 is expected to be over $50M, with a projected annual growth rate of over 20%.

08:10 EST Teledyne acquires OakGate Technology, terms not disclosed - Teledyne Technologies announced that its subsidiary, Teledyne LeCroy, Inc., has acquired OakGate Technology. Based in Loomis, California, OakGate provides software and hardware designed to test electronic data storage devices from development through manufacturing and end-use applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:08 EST Seelos Therapeutics schedules Type C meeting with FDA for SLS-002 - Seelos Therapeutics announced the scheduling of a Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2020. Seelos will seek guidance for an adaptive Phase III trial of SLS-002 for Acute Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Seelos recently received Fast Track designation for SLS-002 for the treatment of Acute Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Data from the ongoing Phase I studies of SLS-002 to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug-drug interactions is expected throughout the first quarter of 2020.

08:06 EST Ironwood, Allergan announce settlement resolving Linzess patent litigation - Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD) and Allergan (AGN) announced that the companies have reached an agreement with Sandoz, a Novartis (NVS) division, resolving patent litigation brought in response to Sandoz's abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, seeking approval to market generic versions of Linzess prior to the expiration of the companies' applicable patents. The settlement with Sandoz is the fourth patent infringement settlement the companies have reached with respect to Linzess. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, Ironwood and Allergan will grant Sandoz a license to market its 145 mcg and 290 mcg generic version of Linzess in the United States beginning February 5, 2030 (subject to U.S. FDA approval), unless certain limited circumstances, customary for settlement agreements of this nature, occur. As a result of the settlement, the ongoing Hatch-Waxman litigation between the companies and Sandoz regarding Linzess patents pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware will be dismissed. Additional details regarding the settlement were not disclosed. As required by law, the companies will submit the settlement agreement to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice for review. Patent infringement litigation brought by the companies against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and affiliates, which submitted ANDAs to the U.S. FDA seeking approval to market generic versions of Linzess remain pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. However, the trial that was scheduled to begin on January 7, 2020 has been postponed to enable the parties to continue settlement negotiations.

08:05 EST MarketAxess reports December total trading volume of $466.9M - MarketAxess Holdings announced total monthly trading volume for December 2019 of $466.9B, consisting of $80.2B in U.S. high-grade volume, $70.6B in other credit volume, and $316.2B in rates volume. The Company also reported preliminary variable transaction fees per million for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 of $82, consisting of $170 for U.S. high-grade, $191 for other credit, and $4.50 for rates.

08:04 EST Koppers Holdings names James Sullivan as COO - Koppers Holdings announced the election of James Sullivan as Executive Vice President and COO of Koppers Holdings Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Koppers Inc. In addition, Leslie Hyde has been elected as Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Koppers Inc. Both changes are effective as of January 1, 2020. Prior to joining Koppers, Sullivan served as Senior Vice President, Americas at Calgon Carbon Corporation where he also held various management positions in the areas of operations, marketing, sales, and research and development.

08:03 EST Ironwood, Allergan announce settlement resolving Linzess patent litigation

08:02 EST Altair acquires newFASANT, terms not disclosed - Altair announced the acquisition of newFASANT, offering technology in computational and high-frequency electromagnetics. newFASANT's solutions address a wide range of electromagnetic problems in areas such as antenna design and placement, radar cross section analysis, automotive V2V/ADAS, and infrared/thermal signatures. Originally a spin-off from the University of Alcala, near Madrid, newFASANT is home to world renowned industry pioneers. Its software portfolio containing various full-wave and high frequency asymptotic electromagnetic solvers, when combined with Altair Feko, will allow Altair to leapfrog its competition and offer advanced solutions in relevant technology areas like V2V, Doppler effects, radome analysis, periodic structures, reflectarrays and others.

07:56 EST Perion Network raises FY19 adjusted EBITDA view to $30M from $25M-$27M - Perion Network announced that based on preliminary and unaudited results, management expects Perion's adjusted EBITDA for FY19 to exceed guidance of $25M-$27M and reach at least $30M. This improvement is the result of higher revenues than internally expected.

07:44 EST Strata Skin Sciences completes debt refinancing - STRATA Skin Sciences announced that it has closed a refinancing of its existing debt with a lower interest one-year cash-secured loan facility with Israel Discount Bank of New York, a multi-national commercial bank. The new loan, at a fixed interest rate of 2.79%, significantly lowers the Company's interest expense for 2020. The proceeds of the new loan facility were used to repay the Company's outstanding term note with MidCap Financial.

07:42 EST Enochian Biosciences appoints Gregg Alton, Carol Brosgart to board of directors - Enochian Biosciences (ENOB) announces the appointment of two board members: Gregg Alton, the former interim CEO of Gilead Sciences (GILD), a company he served in many key roles during his more than 20 year tenure, and Carol Brosgart, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and. former senior advisor on hepatitis for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Luc Dubruyne, former President Global Vaccines GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), announced his retirement from the board due to his recent acceptance of a role in his home country of Belgium that created a conflict of interest.

07:39 EST Cytokinetics opens enrollment for Phase 2 clinical trial of CK-3773274 - Cytokinetics announced that REDWOOD-HCM has opened to enrollment. REDWOOD-HCM is a Phase 2 clinical trial of CK-3773274, a next-generation cardiac myosin inhibitor discovered by company scientists, which Cytokinetics is developing for the potential treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. REDWOOD-HCM is a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-finding clinical trial in patients with symptomatic, obstructive HCM. The primary objective of the trial is to determine the safety and tolerability of CK-274. The secondary objectives are to describe the concentration-response and dose-response relationship of CK-274 on the resting and post-Valsalva left ventricular outflow tract gradient as measured by echocardiography during 10 weeks of treatment. Additionally, the trial will evaluate the plasma concentrations of CK-274 in patients with oHCM in relationship to dose. Exploratory objectives include the effect of CK-274 on N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide and New York Heart Association Functional Classification. The trial will enroll two sequential cohorts of patients, with an option for a third cohort. Within each cohort, 18 patients will be randomized 2:1 to active or placebo treatment and receive up to three escalating doses of CK-274 or placebo based on echocardiographic guidance. Patients will receive an echocardiogram after two weeks of treatment at each dose to determine whether they will be up-titrated to the next higher dose. Cohort 1 will employ doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg, once daily. The doses in Cohort 2 will be determined following a review of the data from Cohort 1. Overall, the treatment duration will be 10 weeks with an echocardiogram to confirm reversibility of effect two weeks after the last dose. REDWOOD-HCM is expected to enroll patients in approximately 20 investigative sites in North America and Europe. All patients will be eligible to participate in an open label extension study of CK-274.

07:35 EST Kura Oncology appoints Kirsten Flowers as CCO - Kura Oncology announced the appointment of Kirsten Flowers as CCO. Flowers joins Kura most recently from Array Biopharma, where she served as head of commercial operations.

07:34 EST Supreme Cannabis names Colin Moore as Interim CEO, succeeding Navdeep Dhaliwal - The Supreme Cannabis Company announced its Board of Directors has named Colin Moore, Director of the company and former President of Starbucks Coffee Canada, as Interim President and CEO, effective immediately. Moore succeeds Navdeep Dhaliwal, who has departed the company. The company is in the process of engaging a leading, nationally recognized search firm to identify and evaluate a new CEO to lead Supreme Cannabis in its next phase of profitable, long-term growth.

07:31 EST Arrowhead appoints James Hassard as Chief Commercial Officer - Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of James Hassard to the newly-created position of chief commercial officer. Hassard will be responsible for driving commercial strategy and building the team and sales and marketing infrastructure necessary to support Arrowhead's growing pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics. Hassard served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Market Access at Coherus BioSciences since 2016.

07:26 EST Laredo Petroleum reports FY19 total production 80.9K MBOEPD - Laredo Petroleum announced year-end reserve estimates and annual production for 2019. 2019 Highlights: Exceeded both oil and total production guidance for full-year 2019, producing an average of 28.4 thousand barrels of oil per day and 80.9 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in full-year 2019, increases of 2% and 19% versus full-year 2018, respectively; Grew proved oil reserves by 17M barrels, an increase of 27% versus year-end 2018; Grew total proved reserves by 55 million BOE to 293M BOE, an increase of 23% versus year-end 2018. Laredo exceeded both oil and total production guidance for the fourth consecutive quarter, with fourth-quarter 2019 oil production of 27.3 MBOPD beating guidance by 5% and total production of 84.0 MBOEPD beating guidance by 10%. Results throughout the year were driven by consistent operational efficiency gains that positively impacted cycle times and wider-spaced well packages that averaged 16% better than the Company's oil type curve for Upper/Middle Wolfcamp wells on Laredo's established acreage. The Company grew total proved reserves by 23%, an increase of 55M BOE, partially driven by results from wells developed with wider spacing versus wells developed in 2018 with tighter spacing. Additionally, Laredo has increased PUD bookings, primarily related to the Company's recently acquired Howard County acreage. The Company has chosen to increase PUD bookings compared to previous years, reflecting the certainty of the near-term development plan for the Howard County acreage.

07:23 EST LHC Group finalizes transactions expanding JVs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana - LHC Group announced that it has finalized joint venture purchase and expansion agreements with partners in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana - all effective as of January 1, 2020. These transactions represent annualized revenue of approximately $23.8M DFW Home Health - a separate legal entity jointly owned by partners LHC Group, Texas Health Resources, and North Texas Health Facilities Management, Inc., a subsidiary of Methodist Health System - has completed purchase of a home health provider serving patients and families in Arlington, Texas. The partnership has been in operation since 2012. This acquisition expands the partnership's footprint to four locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex - joining sister locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton. LHC Group expects approximately $2.4M in annualized revenue from this transaction. The agency name will change to DFW Home Health Arlington. It will continue to operate from its current location in Arlington. LHC Group and JV partner LifePoint Health finalized a purchase agreement adding two additional locations - a home health provider and a hospice provider - in Bryant, Ark., that are associated with LifePoint's Saline Memorial Hospital.LHC Group expects approximately $5.4M in annualized revenue from this transaction. The Bryant, Ark., home health and hospice providers will operate under the names Saline Memorial Home Health and Saline Memorial Hospice, respectively. LHC Group and Ochsner Health System have purchased five Egan Home Health and Hospice provider locations across South Louisiana as part of their existing JV partnership, operating as Southeast Louisiana HomeCare. LHC Group expects approximately $16M in annualized revenue from this transaction. LHC Group and Ochsner have been home health joint venture partners since 2009.

07:19 EST Plus Therapeutics expects to finalize Phase 2 protocol for DocePLUS in 1H20 - Plus Therapeutics issued the following Letter to Shareholders from CEO Marc Hedrick. The letter read in part, "As we emerge from a successful transitional year for the company, we enter 2020 with a clear mission, expansive vision, and straightforward development model. Plus Therapeutics is on a mission to discover, develop and deliver complex and innovative treatments for patients battling cancer and rare diseases. This mission is designed to fulfill our vision of introducing medicines that drastically enhance clinical and economic outcomes for patients and providers - and dramatically improve human health worldwide. Our development model starts with a proven drug and applies new delivery and formulation innovations to unlock and achieve new clinical applications for or improved safety and efficacy of the proven drug. We are pleased to say that we have positioned ourselves to fulfill that vision beginning this year. We have a sharp focus on drugs that can be developed cost-effectively and efficiently. We are quickening our business pace, in part, by utilizing U.S. FDA regulatory pathways such as the 505(b)(2) New Drug Application, designed to streamline development of pharmaceutical products that incorporate already-approved pharmacological agents. And we are leveraging our core expertise in drug reformulation through nanoparticle encapsulation and delivery of proven workhorse oncology drugs...Our nanotechnology platform is designed to generate enhanced delivery of drugs using novel liposomal encapsulation technology. Our lead product candidate, DocePLUS, is a protein-stabilized PEGylated liposomal formulation of docetaxel, for which the process of preparation is patented. The active pharmaceutical ingredient, docetaxel, was approved by the U.S. FDA in 1999 and commonly used for treating cancers of the breast, head, neck, stomach, prostate, and lung. Further, we are looking to divest another pipeline product candidate, DoxoPLUS, PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin, a generic version of CAELYX, used for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancers. In 2019, we received positive pre-IND feedback from U.S. FDA, and we believe strongly that there is a path forward for our DocePLUS product candidate. We expect to finalize our Phase 2 clinical protocol with U.S. FDA in the 1st half of 2020 and treat the first patients in the 2nd half of 2020."

07:15 EST Pattern Energy begins construction on repowering of Gulf Wind facility in Texas - Pattern Energy announced it has closed financing and started construction on the repowering of its Gulf Wind facility located in Kenedy County, Texas. Repowering the Gulf Wind facility will consist of removing the current wind turbines and replacing them with 118 new Siemens Gamesa SWT-2.3-108 turbines, which will generate 271 MW of capacity, the equivalent to the annual energy usage of approximately 80,000 Texas homes. Construction began on December 3, 2019.

07:14 EST SmileDirectClub launches new line of oral care products at Walmart - SmileDirectClub (SDC) announced the launch of an end-to-end solution to keep teeth fresh, clean, bright, and healthy: a suite of affordable yet premium oral care products available exclusively at Walmart (WMT) U.S. stores and Walmart.com. SmileDirectClub's inaugural retail rollout includes a state-of-the-art electric toothbrush and bright on, a premium teeth whitening system complete with LED light, now available at Walmart stores and Walmart.com. This quarter, the brand will also introduce three additional new smile-enhancing products with Walmart, including toothpaste in whitening and sensitivity varieties, a water flosser, and smile spa, the first ultrasonic UV cleaner on the market that sanitizes toothbrush heads, aligners, retainers, dentures, and more.

07:12 EST Fulcrum Therapeutics appoints Katina Dorton to board of directors - Fulcrum Therapeutics announced the appointment of Katina Dorton to the Company's board of directors and as chair of the audit committee. Dorton most recently served as EVP and CFO at Repare Therapeutics, an oncology company focused on DNA damage repair and synthetic lethality.

07:10 EST Protagonist Therapeutics initiates Phase 2 study of PTG-300 - Protagonist Therapeutics announced that a Phase 2 study of its novel hepcidin mimetic PTG-300 in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis has been initiated. Hereditary hemochromatosis is a blood disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron from the diet, resulting in the accumulation of iron in the body's tissues and organs, particularly in skin, heart, liver, pancreas and joint tissues.

07:09 EST Alliance Resource Partners appoints Kirk Tholen chief strategic officer - Alliance Resource Partners announced that Kirk Tholen has joined the ARLP executive team as senior VP and chief strategic officer, or CSO, reporting to Joseph Craft, chairman, president and CEO and assisting Craft in the development of ARLP's strategic initiatives. He will be located in the partnership's Tulsa, Oklahoma office and also serve as president of ARLP's oil & gas minerals segment. Working with the senior executive team, Tholen's responsibilities will include creating viable business opportunities for ARLP's coal business, building its oil & gas minerals business and executing enterprise-wide business strategies and operating plans for long-term growth. Tholen most recently served as a managing director within the Oil & Gas Group and head of the acquisitions and divestitures Practice for Houlihan Lokey in Houston.

07:08 EST Resonant signs new license agreements with existing customer - Resonant announced an existing customer has signed license agreements for three new RF filter designs. This customer, with its own front end processing and back end packaging for SAW filters, represents the filter expertise of a cost effective vertically integrated supplier serving the domestic mobile devices market in China.

07:07 EST AstraZeneca says Farxiga NDA granted Priority Review by FDA - AstraZeneca announced the FDA has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, and granted Priority Review for Farxiga to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death or the worsening of heart failure in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or HFrEF, with and without type 2 diabetes. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act date, the FDA action date for this supplemental application, is scheduled for the second quarter of 2020.

07:06 EST Sorrento says partner Mabpharm files NDA for Infliximab biosimilar antibody - Sorrento Therapeutics announced that its partner Mabpharm filed recently a New Drug Application for the Infliximab biosimilar antibody in China. Sorrento plans to file a Biologics License Application for the Infliximab biobetter antibody in the United States in 2020. Infliximab is an injectable monoclonal antibody prescription drug that's used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and the red, scaly skin patches of plaque psoriasis. Usually prescribed when other medicines or treatments have failed, infliximab belongs to a class of drugs called tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, which work by suppressing the action of a protein called TNF, which has been tied to inflammation. Sorrento, through a global licensing agreement with Mabpharm, owns the global rights to the Mabpharm Infliximab biobetter antibody outside of China. Mabpharm recently submitted a new drug application with the National Medical Products Administration for a recombinant anti-TNF-alpha chimeric monoclonal antibody based on infliximab. This variant uses CHO expression system, resulting in a potentially better safety profile and lower immunogenicity when compared to the currently marketed competitive drugs. Sorrento is planning to file all the required document for a Biologics License Application by the end of 2020.

07:04 EST Plug Power receives $172M order for hydrogen, fuel cell solutions - Plug Power received an order at the close of 2019 from a Fortune 100 customer for hydrogen fuel cell deployments across their distribution network over the next two years. This contract, valued at more than $172M, is for Plug Power's GenDrive fuel cell power, GenFuel hydrogen fuel, storage and dispensing infrastructure, and GenCare aftermarket service and support.

07:03 EST Tremor International acquires News Corp's Unruly - Tremor International announces that it has reached an agreement with News Corp to acquire Unruly, News Corp's programmatic video marketplace. The transaction is expected to be financially beneficial for both Tremor International and News Corp. News Corp is receiving 6.91% of Tremor International stock, subject to an 18-month lock up period and to certain adjustments, along with a total minimum revenue guarantee for News Corp of GBP 30M for the partnership. The deal marks the start of a three-year partnership with News Corp which will equip Tremor with the exclusive right to sell outstream video on more than 50 News Corp titles in the UK, US and Australia. Tremor International will also benefit from Unruly's 2,000+ direct publisher integrations and unique demand relationships with the world's biggest advertisers. Rebekah Brooks, UK CEO and Norm Johnston, CEO at Unruly, are intended to join the Board of Directors of Tremor International in the near future.

06:59 EST Interpace Biosciences, University of North Carolina team to study BarreGEN - Interpace Biosciences announced that the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Interpace Diagnostics, has entered into a collaborative study aimed at exploring the potential use of BarreGEN in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation. RFA is typically known as a cancer preventative therapy that either delays or arrests the progression of Barrett's Esophagus to esophageal cancer. Evidence to date suggests that BarreGEN may identify non-dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus patients in need of ablation, making targeted ablation a potentially cost-effective treatment option. This new collaborative study performed in partnership with the University of North Carolina Division of Gastroenterology under the direction of Nick Shaheen, MD MPH, using the BarreGEN assay developed by Interpace aims to target the potential for molecular changes to predict resistance or relapse following RFA. The study is a prospective, single site study which will be performed using BarreGEN and targeted to evaluate approximately 60 patients with dysplastic Barrett's undergoing RFA. Use of BarreGEN may allow clinicians to adjust ablative protocols providing optimal treatment response and improved patient outcome. The assay may also aid in recognition of patients at risk for recurrence of Barrett's after initially successful ablation. The study is expected to begin enrolling patients early in the first quarter of 2020 with the hope of readout later in the year.

06:56 EST Gannett CFO Alison Engel to depart at end of Q1 - Gannett announced that Alison Engel, CFO, will depart the company at the end of the first quarter to pursue other opportunities. The Board of Directors has begun a process to identify and appoint a successor to Engel. Mark Maring, current Treasurer of Gannett, is expected to lead the finance function after Engel's departure until a new CFOI s appointed. Maring had most recently served as the Treasurer of GateHouse Media for 10 years prior to the merger.

06:54 EST Sempra Energy, Aramco Services sign IPPA for Port Arthur LNG export project - Sempra Energy and Saudi Aramco announced their respective subsidiaries, Sempra LNG and Aramco Services Company, have signed an Interim Project Participation Agreement, or IPPA, for the Port Arthur LNG export project under development in Jefferson County, Texas. The IPPA represents another milestone for both companies after having signed a heads of agreement in May last year for the purchase of 5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas and a 25% equity investment in the Port Arthur LNG project. The initial phase of the Port Arthur LNG project is fully permitted and it is expected to include two liquefaction trains, up to three LNG storage tanks and associated facilities to enable the export of approximately 11 Mtpa of LNG on a long-term basis. Earlier this year, Sempra LNG initiated the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pre-filing review for a subsequent potential expansion of the proposed project that would add two additional liquefaction trains for a total export capacity of approximately 22 Mtpa of LNG.

06:52 EST Commercial Metals sees construction, infrastructure demand to remain resilient - "We expect construction and infrastructure demand to remain resilient," said CEO Barbara Smith. "Customer sentiment and our own fabrication backlog both point to a strong outlook for activity, though our second quarter will be impacted by typical seasonality related to holidays and winter weather conditions affecting construction activity. We anticipate metal margin will remain above the historical cycle average, but will experience a decline from first quarter levels. We expect our progress in optimizing our expanded domestic mill network during the first quarter will yield benefits going forward. We anticipate Fabrication will remain profitable, while Recycling should see some benefit from the recent rebound in ferrous scrap prices. We expect challenges to remain for our Polish operations until the current overhang of imports to the European Union unwinds."

06:44 EST Cal-Maine Foods says will not pay dividend with respect to Q2 - Pursuant to Cal-Maine Foods' variable dividend policy, for each quarter for which the company reports net income, the company pays a cash dividend to shareholders in an amount equal to one-third of such quarterly income. Following a quarter for which the company does not report net income, the company will not pay a dividend with respect to that quarter or for a subsequent profitable quarter until the company is profitable on a cumulative basis computed from the date of the last quarter for which a dividend was paid. Therefore, the company will not pay a dividend with respect to the second quarter of fiscal 2020.

06:39 EST Vericel, MediWound: BARDA initiates procurement of NexoBrid - MediWound (MDWD) and Vericel (VCEL) announced that the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, has begun procuring NexoBrid for emergency stockpile as part of the HHS mission to build national preparedness for public health medical emergencies. BARDA purchased inventory will be managed by MediWound under vendor managed inventory. The initial BARDA procurement is valued at $16.5M, with the first delivery of NexoBrid expected by the end of the first quarter of 2020 and additional deliveries occurring over the subsequent five quarters. In addition, BARDA holds an option to procure additional quantities of NexoBrid through funding of up to $50M. The submission of the Biologics License Application for NexoBrid to the U.S. FDA.

06:34 EST Merck signs collaboration and license agreement with Taiho, Astex - Merck announced an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Taiho Pharmaceutical Co and Astex Pharmaceuticals (UK), a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors against several drug targets, including the KRAS oncogene, which are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck, Taiho and Astex will combine preclinical candidates and their data with knowledge and expertise from their respective research programs. In exchange for providing Merck an exclusive global license to their small molecule inhibitor candidates, Taiho and Astex will receive an aggregate upfront payment of $50M and will be eligible to receive approximately $2.5B contingent upon the achievement of preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales milestones for multiple products arising from the agreement, as well as tiered royalties on sales. Merck will fund research and development and will be responsible for commercialization of products globally. Taiho has retained co-commercialization rights in Japan and an option to promote in specific areas of South East Asia.

06:07 EST Lianluo Smart Limited receives noncompliance notice from Nasdaq - Lianluo Smart Limited announced that it has received a letter from the staff of Nasdaq, providing notification that the company no longer complies with the minimum of $2.5M in stockholders' equity for continued listing on Nasdaq under Nasdaq's Listing Rule 5550 and that the company also does not comply with either of the two alternative standards of Listing Rule 5550, the market value standard and the net income standard. The notification of noncompliance has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the company's common shares on Nasdaq. In accordance with Nasdaq listing rules, the company has 45 calendar days following the date of the notification, or no later than February 17, to submit a plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq's applicable listing standards. If the plan is accepted by Nasdaq, the company will have 180 calendar days from the date of the notification to evidence compliance with an applicable listing standard. If Nasdaq does not accept the plan, the company will have the opportunity to appeal that decision to a Hearings Panel of Nasdaq. The company intends to monitor the market conditions of its listed securities and the other requirements under the Nasdaq listing standards and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance under the Nasdaq listing rules.

06:03 EST Patterson-UTI reports an average of 122 drilling rigs operating in December - Patterson-UTI reported that for the month of December 2019, the company had an average of 122 drilling rigs operating. For the three months ended December 31, 2019, the company had an average of 123 drilling rigs operating.

06:01 EST Molina Healthcare to acquire NextLevel Health Partners for about $50M - Molina Healthcare announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the capital stock of NextLevel Health Partners, a Medicaid managed care organization. As part of the transaction, Molina will assume the right to serve approximately 50,000 Medicaid and Managed Long-Term Services and Supports members in Illinois' Cook County. The purchase price of approximately $50M, net of certain tax benefits, will be funded through Molina's available cash. Subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary conditions, the closing of the transaction is expected to occur in early 2020. NextLevel Health's estimated premium revenue for the full year 2019 is approximately $270M.

05:55 EST KBR awarded contract for K-PRO Propane Dehydrogenation technology - KBR has won the first commercial contract for its K-PRO Propane Dehydrogenation, or PDH, Technology which the company introduced in January 2019. This innovative and environmentally friendly technology will be utilized for a 600 kTA PDH plant by a client in Asia. K-PRO provides lower capital and operating costs and environmental benefits for customers. The technology delivers proven reliability that allows facilities to operate for longer periods of time between shutdowns compared to existing commercially available technologies. The planned PDH unit is expected to start up in 2023.

05:41 EST Mimecast announces acquisition of Segasec - Mimecast announced the acquisition of Segasec, a provider of digital threat protection. With the acquisition of Segasec, Mimecast can provide brand exploit protection using machine learning to identify potential hackers at the earliest stages of an attack. The solution also is engineered to provide a way to actively monitor, manage, block and take down phishing scams or impersonation attempts on the web. The acquisition of Segasec builds on Mimecast's Email Security 3.0 approach, which helps customers protect their organizations across three key zones: Zone 1, to defend against security threats trying to penetrate the organizational perimeter; Zone 2, for vulnerabilities and threats that exist inside the perimeter; and Zone 3, for attacks taking place outside the perimeter in the larger cybersphere. Segasec's integrated solution is designed to enhance Mimecast's Zone 3 protection platform by providing a comprehensive approach to digital risk protection while also enriching its core perimeter defense systems for Zone 1 with intelligence gained from analysis of threats in the wild. Integration of Segasec with Mimecast's email and web security services is engineered to further strengthen Mimecast's customers' cyber resilience by enabling them to block any potentially malicious domains quickly. The integrated solution platform is built to allow organizations to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy capable of dealing with modern-day threats surrounding, inside, and beyond the perimeter.

05:37 EST Signature Bank announces relationship with Prime Trust - Signature Bank announced it forged a relationship with Prime Trust, a technology-driven financial institution providing infrastructure solutions for the digital economy. Prime Trust's Prime Settlement Network, one of the most advanced multi-asset counterparty settlement platforms in the world, will leverage Signature Bank's Signet platform, a revolutionary blockchain-based digital payments platform, to provide real-time payment and settlement services to Signature Bank and Prime Trust's institutional clients. Through this new relationship, Prime Trust and their clients, which include many verticals in the digital asset industry, can utilize Signet to fund and settle their accounts in real-time, 24/7/365.

05:33 EST NIO Inc. reports December deliveries up 25.4% to 3,170 vehicles - NIO Inc. provided its December 2019 delivery results. NIO delivered 3,170 vehicles in December 2019, representing a robust 25.4% month-over-month growth contributed by strong sales of both the ES6, the company's 5-seater high-performance premium electric SUV, and the ES8, the company's 7-seater high-performance premium electric SUV and its 6-seater variant. The deliveries consisted of 2,537 ES6s and 633 ES8s, an increase of 22.7% and 37.3% respectively, compared with November 2019. As of December 31, 2019, aggregate deliveries of the ES6 and the ES8 reached 31,913 vehicles, of which 20,565 were delivered in 2019.