Stockwinners Market Radar for January 08, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:43 EST HP says Xerox letter does not address issue of undervaluation - HP Inc. (HPQ) announced that HP has sent a letter to Xerox Holdings Corporation (XRX) in response to Xerox's January 6, 2020, letter. "We reiterate that the HP Board of Directors' focus is on driving sustainable long-term value for HP shareholders," the letter reads. "Your letter dated January 6, 2020 regarding financing does not address the key issue - that Xerox's proposal significantly undervalues HP - and is not a basis for discussion. The HP Board of Directors remains committed to advancing the best interests of all HP shareholders and to pursuing the most value-creating opportunities."

17:37 EST Walmex reports December SSS up 2.6% y/y - Walmart de Mexico announced that during December 2019, total sales were 73.65B pesos, an increase of 3.1% over sales reported in the same month of 2018. Total sales for Mexico increased 4.1% over sales reported in December 2018. Comp store sales increased 2.6% compared to the same month last year. Walmex added that as of December 2019, it operated 3,407 stores, including 2,571 in Mexico and 836 in Central America. Reference Link

17:32 EST Bed Bath & Beyond says results are unsatisfactory - Says company is experiencing short-term pain, some of which has been self-inflicted. Says remains focused on accelerating transformation efforts and driving against near-term priorities to generate savings and reinvest for future growth. Says sale-leaseback transaction was first step in unlocking value. Says pursuing potential portfolio additions. Says closed 14 stores and opened 4 stores in Q3. Say expects to close 40 stores in FY19 compared to 60 previously. Says expects to open 10 more stores in FY19. Says has some heavy lifting to do. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:22 EST Flowserve appoints Amy Schwetz CFO - Flowserve Corporation (FLS) announced that Amy Schwetz has been appointed senior VP and CFO, effective February 24. Schwetz joins Flowserve having been the executive VP and CFO at Peabody (BTU).

17:21 EST Medtronic acquires Stimgenics, terms not disclosed - Medtronic announced it has acquired Stimgenics, a privately-held company based in Bloomington, Illinois, that has pioneered a novel spinal cord stimulation waveform known as Differential Target Multiplexed Spinal Cord Stimulation. This transaction is expected to be neutral to fiscal year 2020 earnings per share and meet Medtronic's long-term financial metrics for acquisitions. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

17:02 EST Sierra Metals announces plan to return $30M to shareholders in 2020 - Sierra Metals announced that, as a result of the company entering into a new phase as a generator of free cash flow, it is now in a position to start returning capital to its shareholders. In this regard, the company's board has approved a plan to return up to $30M to shareholders in the coming year. In furtherance of this plan, Sierra Metals intends to launch a substantial issuer bid pursuant to which the company will offer to repurchase for cancellation up to $15M of its common shares from shareholders for cash. The offer will proceed by way of a modified Dutch auction. The company intends to fund the offer with available cash on hand and expects to announce the terms of the offer in Q2 of 2020. The board is continuing its ongoing review of and consideration with respect to the method by which the remaining $15M will be distributed to its shareholders including potential further substantial issuers bids. Going forward, the company expects to be in a position to return a significant portion of its excess free cash flow to shareholders annually.

16:55 EST Bed Bath & Beyond now expects FY19 capital expenditures of $275M-$300M - Previous FY19 capital expenditure view was $350M-$375M. Comments taken from Q3 investor presentation slides.

16:47 EST Bed Bath & Beyond down 18% to $13.65 after Q3 results miss, FY guidance pulled

16:33 EST Merck announces FDA approval of Keytruda for certain bladder cancer patients - Merck announced that the FDA has approved Keytruda, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-unresponsive, high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have elected not to undergo cystectomy. "Today's approval of Keytruda reinforces our company's commitment to expanding existing treatment options for certain patients with high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer," said Dr. Scot Ebbinghaus, VP, clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories. "As the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved in this setting, Keytruda will be a new clinical option for a patient population that previously had limited FDA-approved therapies available."

16:32 EST Elastic appoints Sally Jenkins as Chief Marketing Officer - Elastic has appointed Sally Jenkins Chief Marketing Officer. Jenkins was most recently Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer of Informatica, and has experience running global marketing for technology companies, including VMware, Symantec, Autodesk, Sun Microsystems, and Apple.

16:31 EST DBV Technologies reports 'positive' topline results from Phase III trial - DBV Technologies announced positive topline results of the three-year, open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial, PEOPLE, evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of investigational Viaskin Peanut in peanut-allergic children ages 4 to 11 years. The results demonstrate long-term clinical benefit as shown by an increase in eliciting dose, or ED, which may decrease the chance of reacting to an accidental peanut exposure. After three years, 75.9% of patients had increased their ED from baseline, and 51.8% of patients reached an ED of at least 1,000 mg peanut protein by year three.

16:31 EST Kimberly-Clark names Achal Agarwal chief transformation officer - Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced executive leadership changes to accelerate the company's progress toward achieving its K-C Strategy 2022 goals. Aaron Powell, President of Kimberly-Clark Professional, has been named President of Kimberly-Clark's Asia-Pacific consumer business. In this role, Powell will be responsible for the company's largest international region with operations in more than 30 countries, including the ASEAN member states, Australia, China, India and South Korea. Achal Agarwal, President of Kimberly-Clark's Asia-Pacific consumer business, has been named to the newly created role of Chief Transformation Officer. In his new role, Agarwal will lead the strategy and roadmap for further building K-C's global organizational capabilities and evolving its work practices to consistently deliver results. Both Agarwal and Powell will continue to report to Mike Hsu, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Kimberly-Clark. The moves are effective March 1. A successor to lead the Kimberly-Clark Professional business will be named in the near future.

16:22 EST Acuity Brands appoints Neil Ashe CEO - Acuity Brands announced that Neil Ashe will become its next president and CEO, effective January 31. Additionally, the board appointed Ashe as a member of the board effective January 31. Ashe will take over the CEO position from Vernon Nagel, who will remain with the company in the newly created role of executive chairman. The appointment of Ashe as president and CEO of Acuity Brands culminates an orderly succession plan for certain senior leadership positions which began almost a year ago.

16:21 EST Bed Bath & Beyond reports Q3 SSS down 3.6% adjusting for calendar shift

16:20 EST Bed Bath & Beyond: Q3 'significantly impacted' by calendar shift of Thanksgiving - The company's fiscal 2019 third quarter was significantly impacted by the calendar shift of the Thanksgiving holiday this year resulting in one less week of holiday sales compared to the prior year period. Adjusting for this calendar shift to include Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday weeks in both periods, comparable sales for the fiscal 2019 third quarter declined 3.6%. During the key five-day shopping period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday for both this year and last year, comparable sales on a shifted basis increased 7.1%.

16:18 EST GP Strategies divests alternative fuels division - GP Strategies Corporation has divested its Alternative Fuels Division to Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries' Clean Energy and Industrial Gases Group, a subsidiary of Nikkiso Co., Ltd. The sale was effective January 1.

16:17 EST Clearwater Paper announces ratification of labor contracts - Clearwater Paper Corporation announces the ratification of its labor contracts with the United Steelworkers and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at its Lewiston, Idaho facility.

16:16 EST Bed Bath & Beyond reports Q3 SSS down 8.3%

16:10 EST Kura Sushi sees FY20 comparable restaurant sales growth of 2%-4%

16:09 EST Lululemon names Nikki Neuberger chief brand officer - Lululemon Athletica (LULU) announced that it has appointed Nikki Neuburger as Chief Brand Officer, effective January 20. In this role, Neuburger will be responsible for elevating the lululemon brand and leading the marketing, creative, communications and sustainability functions to drive the company's global brand and storytelling initiatives. She joins the company's Senior Leadership Team, and will report to Chief Executive Officer, Calvin McDonald. Neuburger joins lululemon from Uber (UBER), where she served as Global Head of Marketing for Uber Eats for the past two years and led the introduction and expansion of the brand across five regions in 36 countries.

16:08 EST Kindred Biosciences files patent application for canine antibody extension - Kindred Biosciences has developed a technology to extend canine antibody half-life by up to three-fold. A patent application for this technology has been filed. The study comprised 12 dogs, including four groups with various modifications incorporating KindredBio technology and one wild type canine antibody as control. Half-life extension was observed in all dogs across all groups other than the wild type, with the magnitude of extension over native antibody ranging from two to three-fold. Additional studies to further differentiate between lead molecules and expand sample size are planned for 2020. KindredBio's canine biologics pipeline includes treatments in development for atopic dermatitis, inflammatory bowel diseases and parvovirus.

16:05 EST Aeterna Zentaris receives Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement notification - Aeterna Zentaris announced that it has received a notification letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that, because the closing bid price of the company's common stock for 30 consecutive business days was below $1.00 per share, the company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement. The company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common shares between now and July 1, 2020, and is considering its options in order to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market minimum bid price requirement. The company intends to cure the deficiency within the prescribed grace period.

16:03 EST Hawaiian Airlines reports FY19 traffic up 3.6%, capacity up 2.1% - Load factor increased 1.3 pts to 86.6%.

16:02 EST Hawaiian Airlines reports Q4 traffic up 5.6%, capacity up 3.7% - Load factor increased 1.5 points to 86.1%.

15:35 EST Astellas says FDA approves sNDA for expanded Mycamine indication - Astellas Pharma announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, for Mycamine in support of the treatment of Candidemia, Acute Disseminated Candidiasis, Candida Peritonitis and Abscesses without meningoencephalitis and/or ocular dissemination in pediatric patients younger than 4 months of age. "With the approval, Mycamine is the first antifungal drug approved in the United States specifically for the treatment of invasive candidiasis for this patient population," the company said.

14:49 EST Lyft, Chase partner to offer credit card ride-hailing rewards - Lyft (LYFT) said in a blog post that it has teamed up with Chase (JPM) to reward and deliver value to cardmembers who ride with Lyft. Beginning Jan 12, millions of cardmembers across Chase-branded credit cards can earn additional points or cash back, as well as an enhanced Lyft experience with Lyft Pink when they use eligible Chase cards on their Lyft accounts, through March 2022. Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Student and Ink cardmembers will receive 5x total Ultimate Rewards points or 5% cash back on Lyft rides. In addition to these benefits and exclusively for Chase Sapphire Reserve, cardmembers will earn 10x total points on Lyft rides and each account will get one free year of Lyft Pink, the company's membership program that offers 15% off car rides, priority airport pickups, relaxed cancellations, and more. "At Lyft we are obsessed with creating a best-in-class experience for our riders - whether that's unparalleled service, elevated rides or rewards," said Heather Freeland, Lyft's VP of Product Marketing and Marketing Operations. "With Chase, we have the opportunity to take travel benefits to the next level by rewarding our riders on the credit cards they know and love." Reference Link

14:36 EST Ameresco announces $12.7M energy performance contract - Ameresco and the New Bedford Housing Authority announced the execution of a $12.7M Energy Performance Contract that is expected to provide $19.6M in energy and water cost savings over its sixteen-year term. The project involves 15 of NBHA's public housing developments encompassing close to 1,500 households.

14:28 EST Dana announces collaboration with Peterbilt on electric truck powertrains - In conjunction with CES, Peterbilt Motors and Dana Incorporated have announced their collaboration on electric powertrain development for Peterbilt Model 220EV battery electric vehicles. Peterbilt will integrate Dana's Spicer Electrified e-propulsion system into its 220EV chassis. The truck will also be equipped with two battery packs and an on-board charger. Mark Wallace, president of Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies for Dana, said, "Combining Peterbilt's advanced technologies with our own expertise in delivering end-to-end turnkey electric systems, will result in highly-efficient solutions that will lead to low total cost of ownership."

14:07 EST Regeneron announces preclinical results published on costimulatory bispecifics - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced a publication featured on the cover of Science Translational Medicine describing the potential of a new class of cancer immunotherapy known as "costimulatory bispecific antibodies." The company said "Regeneron and others have previously shown that CD3 bispecifics can result in meaningful clinical responses in previously untreatable cancer settings. The results published today show that adding a novel class of CD28 costimulatory bispecifics to Regeneron's CD3 bispecifics can lead to synergistic anti-tumor activity in multiple cell culture and animal model experiments, without inducing systemic cytokine release." George Yancopoulos, Co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Regeneron, added: "This novel class of CD28 costimulatory bispecifics are key to our strategy of developing a broad oncology portfolio - based on rational combinations to efficiently engage the immune system - to address a broad range of cancers, including those that are not responsive to currently available immunotherapy. We have dosed prostate cancer patients with our first CD28 costimulatory bispecific, REGN5678, in combination with Libtayo, and we plan to advance additional CD28 costimulatory bispecifics into the clinic for other cancers this year, including in combinations with CD3 bispecifics."

14:01 EST Network-1 receives two patents from USPTO expanding Cox portfolio - Network-1 Technologies announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 10,521,470 and U.S. Patent No. 10,521,471. The claims of the newly issued patents are generally directed towards methods of content extraction and identification, including performance of actions following therefrom. The newly issued patents arise from a patent application contained in the patent portfolio acquired by Network-1 from Professor Ingemar Cox in 2013. The Cox Patent Portfolio includes patents relating to enabling technology for identifying media content, such as music and videos, and taking further actions to be performed based on such identification including, among others, the insertion of advertisements and the facilitation of the purchase of goods and services relating to the media content. Since the acquisition of the Cox Patent Portfolio, Network-1 has filed thirty-four (34) additional patent applications, thirty (30) of which have been issued bringing the total Cox Patent Portfolio of granted patents to thirty-five (35). Four (4) applications relating to the original specification are still pending and Network-1 anticipates further issuances of additional claims for its Cox Patent Portfolio.

13:21 EST LKQ Corp. to sell two Czech distributors to Swiss Automotive Group - LKQ Corporation announced the execution of a definitive agreement to sell its equity interests in two Czech wholesale automotive parts distributors to Swiss Automotive Group AG. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In May 2018, the European Commission cleared LKQ's acquisition of STAHLGRUBER GmbH, with the exception of Stahlgruber's two wholesale businesses in the Czech Republic, which were referred for review to the Czech Competition Authority. Earlier this year, the Czech Competition Authority approved LKQ's acquisition of the two Czech distributors, subject to certain divestiture conditions. LKQ subsequently decided to sell the entire equity interests of the two businesses. LKQ Europe will continue to operate its existing Auto Kelly a.s. and ELIT s.r.o. businesses in the Czech Republic. LKQ expects to complete the sale in early 2020, subject to required regulatory approvals.

12:56 EST GrubHub jumps 11.5% to $54.19 after volatility halt following WSJ report

12:54 EST GrubHub trading resumes

12:48 EST GrubHub trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:38 EST Seneca Foods trading resumes

12:29 EST MTBC annouces closing of CareCloud acquisition - MTBC announced the closing of its acquisition of CareCloud Corporation, which provides its proprietary, enterprise cloud platform and business solutions to more than 7,000 healthcare providers nationwide. CareCloud is a healthcare technology company specializing in software and services for independent physician practices. Founded in 2009 as a practice management software company, CareCloud subsequently evolved to serve the full spectrum of practice workflows, including revenue cycle management, practice management, electronic health records, and patient experience management. MTBC acquired CareCloud on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with neutral working capital on January 8, 2020, through the closing of an agreement and plan of merger.

12:24 EST Luckin Coffee jumps after announcing unmanned retail strategy - In an earlier statement, Luckin Coffee (LK), a coffee chain in China that has pursued a technology-driven retail model, said in a strategy press conference that the Company is entering the unmanned retail market with the launch of its "luckin coffee Express" smart unmanned coffee machine and "luckin popMINI" smart vending machine, further increasing the density of its network and bringing Luckin Coffee closer to customers. At the press conference, Luckin Coffee also disclosed that its number of self-operated stores reached 4,507 by the end of 2019, which the Company believes makes it the largest coffee chain by number of stores in China as of December 31, 2019. In addition, the number of cumulative transacting customers reached over 40 million as of December 31, 2019. Shares of Luckin Coffee are up almost 7% or $2.33 per share to $37.44 in early afternoon trading. The Fly notes that Luckin Coffee competes with Starbucks (SBUX) in the coffee space.

12:04 EST UnitedHealth document identifies Amarin's Vascepa as 'non-preferred' - A UnitedHealth (UNH) Prior Authorization List for Ohio with an effective date of January 1, 2020, has been circulated among traders and pointed to as a possible source of today's weakness in shares of Amarin (AMRN), which is down 5% at midday. The list shows that two strengths of the company's Vascepa pill are considered "non-preferred" within the UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Reference Link

12:00 EST Montage Resources falls -11.6% - Montage Resources is down -11.6%, or -87c to $6.65.

12:00 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares rises 12.2% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is up 12.2%, or $1.16 to $10.68.

12:00 EST Mechel rises 12.6% - Mechel is up 12.6%, or 34c to $3.04.

11:35 EST Constellation Brands sees initial drag on margins from Corona Hard Seltzers

11:34 EST SmileDirectClub extends rally to second day after announcing Hong Kong entry - Shares of SmileDirectClub (SDC) are rallying for a second straight session after the company announced overnight that it is expanding into Asia and "bringing doctor-directed remote clear aligner therapy" to Hong Kong. The company has opened two SmileShops in Hong Kong, located in Sheung Wan and Tsim Sha Tsui, SmileDirectClub announced in a press release early this morning. Kay Oswald, President of International at SmileDirectClub, added, "We see great potential in Hong Kong's dental and orthodontic care market, and we are very confident consumers in Hong Kong will embrace the ability to have access to a safe, affordable, and quality experience." SmileDirectClub had jumped yesterday after the company had announced 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. In late morning trading on Wednesday, SmileDirectClub is up $1.17, or 11.5%, to $11.31 per share.

11:33 EST Lennar sees FY20 gross margin consistent with FY19 at 20.5%-21%

11:15 EST Lennar says 2020 seems 'even brighter' than 2019

11:04 EST Constellation Brands sees long term operating margin of 30%

10:59 EST SEC proposes improvements to governance of market data plans - The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed order to modernize the governance of National Market System, or NMS, plans that produce public consolidated equity market data and disseminate trade and quote data from trading venues. The proposed order would direct the equities exchanges and FINRA to file with the Commission a new NMS plan designed to increase transparency and address conflicts of interest and other issues presented by the current governance structure of the existing NMS plans. The proposed order describes the specific proposed governance provisions that the Commission preliminarily believes would address these issues. If the Commission decides to issue an order after considering public input, the NMS plan participants would be required to submit a new plan, which would then be published for public comment before the Commission takes any definitive action on a new plan. Until the Commission takes such action, the current plans will continue to govern. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said: "The Commission has received extensive public input on issues relating to equity market structure and access to market data, as well as suggestions for how that structure should be updated to ensure that our markets continue to best serve the interests of investors. Today's proposed order is designed to address issues regarding the dissemination of market data that affect the efficiency and fairness of our markets. In particular, we welcome public input on the specific proposed governance provisions." Stock and option exchange operators include Nasdaq (NDAQ), IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) and Cboe Global Markets (CBOE). Reference Link

10:44 EST Constellation Brands says actively looking to divest more wine, spirits - Comments provided during Q3 earnings conference call.

10:16 EST Tumbleweed Midstream acquires plant from DCP Midstream - Tumbleweed Midstream announced it has acquired the Ladder Creek Helium Plant and Gathering System from DCP Midstream (DCP). The plant is located just west of Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, near the Colorado-Kansas border. The Ladder Creek system is supported by long-term acreage dedications across a 1,000-square-mile area that spans Cheyenne, Kit Carson and Kiowa counties in Colorado and Hamilton, Greeley, Wichita, Kearney, Wallace and Finney counties in Kansas. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

10:05 EST Stericycle, Yext announce integration of InQuicker into Yext platform - Stericycle Communication (SRCL) and Yext (YEXT) announced the integration of its InQuicker online scheduling solution directly into the Yext platform. The integration enables healthcare organizations to attract and convert new patients by making their providers more discoverable in search, while also providing the ability to schedule an appointment at the right time, with the right physician, in the right venue of care, on search-ready landing pages created with Yext Pages.

10:01 EST Wabtec acquires RELCO Locomotives for $29M - Wabtec announced it has acquired RELCO Locomotives, a long-established player in the locomotive overhaul and maintenance industry. The acquisition expands Wabtec's freight services capabilities and capacity to support growth in the remanufacturing and repair business. The purchase price for the transaction was $29M, on a cash-free and debt-free basis. All conditions for the acquisition are complete and the transaction will be accretive in year one. RELCO's projected sales for 2019 are roughly $50M.

09:47 EST PQ Group falls -6.2% - PQ Group is down -6.2%, or -$1.02 to $15.50.

09:47 EST AAR Corp. rises 3.8% - AAR Corp. is up 3.8%, or $1.74 to $47.28.

09:47 EST Mechel rises 18.5% - Mechel is up 18.5%, or 50c to $3.20.

09:26 EST Eros International entertainment platform announces partnership with Eurostar - Eros Now, the South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International, announced its partnership with UAE-based digital retail giant, Eurostar Group. The association enables the large diaspora from the Indian sub-continent and locals across GCC countries to access Eros Now's content library of 12,000 plus movies, music videos, original shows, short format content Quickie and more. The fan base of Indian entertainment content in the GCC markets can now take advantage of monthly and annual subscription packs of Eros Now from their nearest Eurostar-serviced retail outlet.

09:24 EST Diana Shipping announces time charter contract for m/v Oceanis - Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with Phaethon International Company AG, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Oceanis. The gross charter rate is $9,200 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twelve months to about fourteen months. The charter is expected to commence on January 9, 2020. The "Oceanis" is a 75,211 dwt Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2001. This employment is anticipated to generate approximately $3.31M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

09:22 EST Adamas announces departure of General Counsel, CBO, CCO Jennifer Rhodes

09:20 EST Adamas Pharmaceuticals aims to advance GOCOVRI performance in 2020 - In 2020, Adamas plans to advance GOCOVRI performance through: Effective differentiation of GOCOVRI by communicating its unique clinical profile to drive health care provider adoption under experienced commercial leadership; Increased demand for GOCOVRI by elevating the urgency to treat dyskinesia and OFF in Parkinson's disease through education about their disruptive impact on patients, both directly and through partnerships with advocacy organizations; and Reducing barriers to access and improving fulfillment to provide an enhanced customer experience, while maintaining strong persistence on GOCOVRI.

09:13 EST VERB Technology CEO says 2019 was a 'transformational' year - VERB Technology Company provided the following business update from its CEO Rory Cutaia. "Transformational is how I would best describe 2019 for VERB. Our team embraced Jim Collins' BHAG and ran with it. Here's what we accomplished in 2019: Listed on NASDAQ and rang the Opening Bell. Raised more than $20M in our April common stock public offering, and an additional $5M in our August preferred offering. Retired all debt, with the exception of approximately $1M of long-term insider non-convertible debt. Identified, negotiated and closed an accretive $25M acquisition. Integrated combined teams of more than 110 people, in numerous departments, across two states. Expanded our application development and design teams. Expanded our sales and customer success teams. Combined our technology with that of the company we acquired, redesigned and re-architected our newly combined CRM and next-gen sales enablement platform with our interactive video technology, and launched it in the market. Launched a new marketing campaign for the new platform, using our own technology, resulting in a rapid increase in sales and new client contracts executed - up 396% in Q3 over Q2. Our app is now in use in over 60 countries and in more than 40 languages. Clients reported up to 1100% increases in conversion rates and up to 3300% increases in retention rates. In just the first 7 months from launch, we garnered more than 12,000 ratings on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for our new VERB app, white-labelled for clients - 10,500 of which are 5-Star ratings - and 4.9 Stars overall. Broke a record for total users on the platform - which to date, we increased to over 937,000 on our way to 1M - up over 100% since last year. Developed and introduced the world's first live broadcast interactive video webinar platform, launching early 2020. Launched our LEARN product - part of our new LMS platform and have several enterprise clients that have already signed on. Launched our in-app sampling feature which has been a great revenue driver. And we're about to launch in-app purchase capabilities which will create an entirely new revenue stream from both new and existing customers. Had patents issued and filed new patent applications for some of the innovations we've developed, including our new interactive video webinar product - to make sure we properly protect our intellectual property. Moved our California office from L A and opened our new headquarters in Newport Beach CA. Launched a new redesigned website. Added 2 new board members, 2 extraordinarily accomplished women, Judith Hammerschmidt and Nancy Heinen. Judith started her career in The United States Department of Justice, where on behalf of the US govt she negotiated treaties and agreements with foreign governments. In private practice in Washington, DC, she represented global companies as they expanded into highly regulated environments. Her client base included: Guess?, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., and Herbalife International, Inc., whom she ultimately joined as International Vice President and General Counsel of Europe and then Executive Vice President and International Chief Counsel in 1996, where she was responsible for managing all legal matters across 60 countries. Nancy Heinen comes to us with more than 25 years' experience as a senior executive in Silicon Valley, including Senior Vice President, and General Counsel of APPLE. Nancy was recruited by STEVE JOBS personally and spent 16 years as a key member of his core executive team while they turned around Apple's computer business and launched the iPod, then iTunes, then iPhone, then iPad, then the Apple retail stores."

09:13 EST Enzo Biochem holder Harbert Discovery urges holders to vote in favor of nominees - Harbert Discovery Fund and Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I, LP, the beneficial owner of more than 11.8% of the outstanding shares of Enzo Biochem, released a detailed investor presentation on Enzo. The presentation outlines the company's history of value destruction, persistent underperformance, and corporate governance issues and details HDF's Nominees' strategic plan to realize value at Enzo. In the presentation, HDF explains why change is needed at the company, including: "Enzo's history of value destruction which has been enhanced by a pattern of overpromising and underdelivering, resulting in total shareholder returns of -49% over a 10-year period. Enzo's worst-in-class corporate governance and executive compensation which have continued to disillusion shareholders. Enzo has reported operating losses every year since 2004, yet the board has approved paying Chairman / CEO Elazar Rabbani and his brother-in-law Barry Weiner over $34 million cumulatively since 2004, including a significant cash bonus every year. The opportunity to unlock potential value at Enzo through a series of strategic decisions, including adding two new independent directors to the Board and executing HDF's initiatives to create shareholder value. Highlights of the comprehensive plan by HDF's Nominees include: Address Excess Compensation and Cost Structures: Reassess management compensation, bloated cost structures and planning and budgeting processes to ensure capital is being used in the most efficient manner. Deliver on Potential Partnership Opportunities: Apply a growth mindset to Enzo's product portfolio to determine where partnerships can help return the company to growth. Revitalize Corporate Strategy: Refocus on Enzo's inherent strengths of its lab's location in a high-density population market and strong customer relationships to position the company for success. Deliver Profitable Growth and Excess Cash to Shareholders: Realize that through systematically targeting the cost structure, incentive plan, and growth opportunities Enzo can achieve profitable growth, driving substantial long-term value for all shareholders." HDF urges shareholders to vote on the BLUE proxy card.

09:10 EST Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Beyond Meat (BYND), up 4% after McDonald's (MCD) said it is expanding its pilot of plant-based meat burgers using the company's patties in 52 restaurants in Canada... Verastem (VSTM), up 14% after announcing a global licensing agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical whereby the company is obtaining worldwide development and commercialization rights to the RAF/MEK inhibitor CH5126766 currently under development for the treatment of KRAS mutant solid tumors... Macy's (M), up 4% after the company reported on its November/December same-store sales growth and said its "performance during the holiday season reflected a strong trend improvement from the third quarter"... Ciena (CIEN), up 2% after Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall upgraded shares to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $50, up from $47. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Lennar (LEN), up 3%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), down 5%... Livent (LTHM), down 10%. LOWER: Boeing (BA), down 1% after reports that a Ukraine International Airlines 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board... New York Mortgage (NYMT), down 2% after its 30M share spot secondary priced at $6.09... Tenneco (TEN), down 6% after reinforcing its commitment to the planned spin-off of its aftermarket and ride performance business from the remaining powertrain technology business. The company also announced that Brian Kesseler, Tenneco's co-CEO and a member of the board, will assume the newly consolidated role of CEO of Tenneco... Luckin Coffee (LK) down 3% after filing to sell $400M of convertible senior notes due 2025.

09:08 EST CohBar discovers novel peptide inhibitors of CXCR4 - CohBar announced the discovery of a series of novel mitochondrial peptide analogs with potent in vitro activity as selective inhibitors of C-X-C Chemokine Receptor Type 4 and with preliminary in vivo efficacy in a mouse model of melanoma, including substantial reduction in tumor growth as compared to control animals. CXCR4 is a key regulatory receptor involved in tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Novel peptide analogs of a mitochondrially encoded peptide demonstrated potent and selective inhibition of human CXCR4 receptor in cell-based assays, with IC50 values in the low nanomolar concentration range. In a difficult-to-treat in vivo mouse model of melanoma, the B16F10 syngeneic tumor model, the combination of an analog of MBT5 administered subcutaneously with the chemotherapeutic temozolomide showed enhanced antitumor activity, reducing tumor growth after 11 days by 61% compared to control animals. The reduction in tumor growth produced by the combination exceeded the effect of either temozolomide used as a single agent, which reduced tumor growth by 38% compared to control, or the murine checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1 antibody, which had no effect on tumor growth in this model. CohBar plans to further explore the efficacy of this new family of peptides in additional animal models with the goal of identifying a new clinical development MBT candidate. CXCR4 is overexpressed in more than 75% of cancers and high levels of the receptor are associated with poor survival prognosis. Inhibition of the CXCR4 receptor has been shown to mobilize immune cells, enhance the effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy in various cancers, and reduce the development of metastatic tumors by blocking the ability of tumor cells to evade immune surveillance. CXCR4 also regulates the homing and retention of hematopoietic stem cells and malignant cells in the bone marrow.

09:06 EST Teck Resources, Ridley Terminals announce expanded commercial agreement - Teck Resources announced an expanded commercial agreement with Ridley Terminals for shipments of steelmaking coal from Teck's British Columbia operations. The agreement runs from January 2021 to December 2027, and increases contracted capacity from 3 million tonnes per annum to 6 Mtpa with an option for Teck to extend up to 9 Mtpa. This will enable Teck to increase its shipment volumes through the Ridley terminal to provide greater flexibility and improved performance within its overall steelmaking coal supply chain. The terms of the agreement are confidential.

09:04 EST Walgreens Boots Alliance says the year has opened with a number of challenges - Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) says the pharmacy market in the U.S. is competitive. Says maintaining full year guidance. Says Kroger (KR) relationship is strong. Says comparable sales is showing improving trend. Says removing excess inventory. Says on track to deliver in excess of $1.8B in annual cost savings by FY22. Says Walgreens app has been downloaded 60M times. Says saw strong momentum in December. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:02 EST Biocept awarded U.S. patent for antibody combination for target cell detection - Biocept has been awarded a U.S. patent from the USPTO. The newly issued patent covers devices for the detection of cells of interest, including circulating tumor cells, that are shed into the bloodstream by solid tumors where an antibody, or mixture of antibodies, and any solid surface are used for cell capture, detection, and analysis. This patent includes any biological sample type of interest and includes the use of single antibodies or cocktails of antibodies. The device claims covered by this issued patent broadly cover the use of antibodies for the capture and detection of target cells of interest on any solid surface. This includes CTCs, as well as any other cell of interest. Combined with the company's patented microchannel and cell staining platform technologies, Biocept now has patented the capability to enable the capture of any cell of interest, including very rare cells, that may be present in blood and any other biological sample type.

09:02 EST Molecular Templates expects collaborations to advance in 2020 - On November 18, 2019, MTEM (MTEM) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) announced a strategic research collaboration to discover and develop novel targeted conditioning regimens that may enhance the hematopoietic stem cell transplant process, including transplants conducted as part of treatment with ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing therapies such as CTX001. Under the collaboration, MTEM will conduct research activities for the use of ETBs for up to two targets selected by Vertex. The initial research will be focused on discovering a novel conditioning regimen using MTEM's ETB technology platform. In addition, Vertex has an option to select a second target as part of the collaboration. Vertex made an up-front payment of $38M to MTEM, including an equity investment. MTEM is also eligible to receive future development, regulatory and sales milestones and option payments of up to $522M and tiered royalty payments on future sales. On November 21, 2019, MTEM announced the pricing of an underwritten equity offering, the net proceeds of which were approximately $53.3M, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by MTEM. MTEM has three ongoing collaborations: the co-development collaboration with Takeda (TAK) for TAK-169, the multi-target collaboration with Takeda for the discovery and development of new ETBs against two undisclosed oncology targets, and the multi-target collaboration with Vertex for the discovery and development of new conditioning regimens. All three of these collaborations are expected to advance in 2020.

09:00 EST Molecular Templates says continuing to work on discovery of new ETBs - MTEM continues to work on discovery of new ETBs against targets including CTLA-4, SLAMF-7, and CD45. In 2020, MTEM expects to present preclinical data on new targets and new ETBs at conferences.

08:58 EST Molecular Templates says sites open for enrollment for Phase 1 TAK-169 study - TAK-169 is a 2nd generation ETB that utilizes a genetically engineered de-immunized Shiga-like toxin A-subunit to reduce the potential for innate and adaptive immunogenicity. TAK-169 targets CD38, a poorly internalizing receptor expressed on myeloma cells, and directly kills CD38-expressing tumor cells via ribosomal inactivation. Data in non-human primates suggest that TAK-169 can be dosed at higher doses than MT-3724 with a markedly reduced propensity of innate immune response compared with MT-3724. Preclinical data suggest that TAK-169 retains activity in the presence of daratumumab, an approved CD38 antibody. In 2019, MTEM and partner Takeda presented preclinical data on TAK-169 at the American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting, the IND for TAK-169 was accepted by the FDA, and Takeda initiated a Phase 1 study in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in 4Q19. In December 2019, TAK-169 received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA. Multiple sites are open for enrollment.

08:57 EST Molecular Templates expects interim results from Phase 1 MT-5111 study in Q2 - MT-5111 is a 2nd generation ETB technology that utilizes a genetically engineered de-immunized Shiga-like toxin A-subunit to reduce the potential for innate and adaptive immunogenicity. MT-5111 directly kills HER2-positive cells via ribosomal inactivation, a mechanism wholly distinct from approved HER2 targeted agents. MT-5111 binds HER2 in the presence of trastuzumab and pertuzumab, creating the possibility of combining MT-5111 with other HER2 antibody-based agents. MT-5111 is 55 kDa, almost a third smaller than traditional antibody and antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapies, and, because of its smaller size, may have superior tumor penetration. In 2019, the IND for MT-5111 was accepted by the FDA and MTEM initiated a Phase 1 study, for which dosing began in 4Q19. MTEM also presented preclinical data on MT-5111 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The Phase 1 study is ongoing with multiple sites open for enrollment. MTEM expects to announce interim clinical results from this study in 2Q20 and additional data from the dose escalation portion of the study in 4Q20.

08:53 EST Molecular Templates CEO expects IND filing for MT-6402 in 2H20 - Molecular Templates provided a corporate update and outlined expected 2020 milestones. "2019 was a year of growth for MTEM as we advanced our pipeline programs, established a new collaboration outside of oncology with a premier partner, and strengthened our balance sheet with a successful equity financing," said Eric Poma, Ph.D., Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer of Molecular Templates. "As we start 2020, we look forward to generating clinical data from three ongoing Phase 2 studies with MT-3724, an ongoing Phase 1 study for MT-5111, and a Phase 1 study with TAK-169. We expect to file an IND in 2H20 for MT-6402, our PD-L1-targeted ETB with antigen seeding capabilities, and we will continue to advance our earlier stage pipeline while making progress with our existing collaborations."

08:50 EST Chicken Soup for the Soul announces Going From Broke exceeds 11M views - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced that Going From Broke, the Crackle original from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Matador Content, has driven over 11 million views since its October 17th launch. The original series launched on Crackle, the free, ad-supported service, and spotlights a financial epidemic of huge proportions. As a nation, over 44 million Americans collectively owe a whopping $1.5 trillion in federal student loan debt, a number that grows each year and is second only to mortgage debt in America. Upon graduation, those entering the professional world face mounds of bills, a shrinking pool of employment opportunities, a lack of financial skills and the constant, crippling weight of debt.

08:47 EST Jaguar Health study indicates crofelemer could treat abdominal pain from IBS-D - Jaguar Health announced that a study appearing in the December 2019 issue of Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American College of Gastroenterology, indicates that crofelemer could be a treatment option for abdominal pain associated with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS-D. This multicenter, phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effect of crofelemer on abdominal pain in women with IBS-D. A total of 240 women were enrolled, and participants were randomized to crofelemer or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. Following an analysis by the FDA-issued revised recommendations for outcome measures in IBS clinical trials in 2010, the proportion of monthly abdominal pain responders was significantly higher in the crofelemer group during months one through two as well as during the entire three months when compared with placebo. No significant differences were observed in the proportion of stool consistency monthly responders based on the revised FDA guidelines. These observed trends of improvement in monthly abdominal pain responders suggest that crofelemer may have a use for treatment in abdominal pain in IBS-D patients without having significant changes to bowel habits. Currently there are very few treatment options to address the visceral pain associated with IBS-D. Crofelemer has a distinct and novel antisecretory mechanism of action of modulation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and/or calcium-activated chloride channels that may provide a new non-opiate or antibiotic-based option to treat the visceral abdominal pain and discomfort for IBS-D patients.

08:45 EST Quotient announces equity awards related to CFO appointment - Quotient Limited announced the planned appointment of Peter Buhler as CFO, effective as of February 5, 2020. In connection with the planned appointment, on February 5, 2020, Quotient will grant Mr. Buhler 50,000 restricted share units and 25,000 options to purchase Quotient's ordinary shares. The grants, which will be issued outside of Quotient's 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, were approved by Quotient's Board of Directors and the Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors pursuant to the inducement grant exception under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), as an inducement that is material to Mr. Buhler's entering into employment with Quotient. The share options will have a per share exercise price equal to the closing sales price of Quotient's ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Global Market on the grant date. The restricted share units and the share options will vest in three equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date, subject to Mr. Buhler's continued service with Quotient through each vesting date.

08:43 EST Osisko Gold announces total of eight transactions valued over $245M in 2019 - Osisko Gold Royalties highlighted some of the Company's recent achievements that will add significant value for its shareholders. In 2019, Osisko announced a total of eight royalty and streaming transactions valued at over $245M - ranking the Company among the most active participants in the royalty and streaming sector. On February 27, Osisko completed a silver stream with Falco Resourcesfor up to 100% of the silver produced from the Horne 5 project located in Quebec, Canada. Deposits to be made by Osisko under the stream agreement are based on milestones related to project advancement. Once in production, the Horne 5 silver stream has the potential to deliver approximately 30,000 gold-equivalent ounce to Osisko annually, ranking it second only to the Canadian Malartic royalty in Osisko's royalties and streams portfolio. The creation of the Horne 5 silver stream in 2019 represented a rare opportunity to gain access to meaningful life-of-mine stream in a premier mining jurisdiction without any encumbrances such as buy-backs, production thresholds or production caps. Throughout 2020, Falco is expected to continue advancing its project through the permitting process while maintaining its positive dialogue with certain key stakeholders, including the government of Quebec. On June 25, Osisko announced a repurchase of 12,385,717 common Osisko shares from a jointly owned subsidiary of certain investment funds managed by Orion Resource Partners representing a total value of $174.6less than. Payment from Osisko to Orion consisted of a combination of cash and the direct transfer of other equities held by Osisko. In a concurrent transaction, Osisko also agreed to sell to separate entities managed by Orion certain other equity securities held by Osisko for cash. On August 29, Osisko and Sable Resources entered into a strategic investment agreement whereby Osisko agreed to support Sable's exploration activities over a four-year period in exchange for a net smelter return royalty of up to 2% covering all of Sable's properties over the period. In backing Sable's excellent team of geoscientists, the strategic investment in Sable provided Osisko with royalty exposure to over 440,000 hectares in northern Mexico and over 58,000 hectares in the San Juan Province of Argentina. Osisko's investment in Sable also included a right of first refusal on all future royalty and streaming transactions by Sable. In in the first quarter of 2020, Sable is expected to drill its 100%-owned Vinata project in Mexico. Sable also received permits for six targets at its Don Julio cluster in Argentina as well as environmental and community permits for its Scorpius Project near Ayacucho Peru, which will allow it to systematically test all priority targets throughout the year. On September 3, Osisko Bermuda Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, announced an agreement with Mantos Copper S.A. to enhance its existing silver stream on the Mantos Blancos copper mine in Chile. The stream amendment transaction was part of a comprehensive financing which will enable Mantos Copper to expand the Mantos Blancos sulphide concentrator plant. Benefits to Osisko include additional exposure to a long-life asset with further production upside and mine life extension potential; immediately increases cash margin per ounce and annual cash flow from the stream; and increases the value of OBL's existing silver stream on Mantos Blancos. During 2020, Mantos Copper is expected to continue advancing the Mantos Blancos expansion with expected completion in mid-2021. On November 21, Osisko agreed to acquire 100% of Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd., owner of the Cariboo gold project in central British Columbia, Canada. The addition of the Cariboo project to Osisko's portfolio adds a potentially world-class brownfield asset in Canada with a high-quality mineral resource, significant exploration upside, and substantial tailings and mining infrastructure in place. In 2020, one of Osisko's primary objectives will be to obtain third-party funding for the Cariboo project while concurrently using the Company's expertise in exploration, permitting, mine development, and mine finance to keep progressing the project and adding value. On November 21, Osisko entered into an investment agreement whereby it purchased a 1.2% NSR royalty from Talisker Resourceson the historic Bralorne gold project located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Osisko's investment in Talisker also included a ROFR on royalty buybacks, and on royalty and stream financings relating to Talisker's land package of over 226,000 hectares in British Columbia. In 2020 Talisker is expected to pursue confirmatory drilling and exploration work at Bralorne while developing new targets at the Spences Bridge property. On December 3, Osisko and Osisko Metals Incorporated announced an agreement pursuant to which Osisko agreed to purchase a 1.5% NSR royalty on Osisko Metals' Pine Point project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. Pine Point is a brownfields open-pittable, zinc-lead development asset containing an Inferred Mineral Resource of 52.4 million tonnes grading 4.64% zinc and 1.83% lead, making it the largest pit-constrained zinc camp in Canada. In 2020, Osisko Metals is expected to continue project studies, exploration, and community engagement work at Pine Point. On December 6, Osisko and Minera Alamos announced a royalty transaction that fully-funded the permitted Santana project to production. Santana, located in Sonora State, Mexico, is a simple heap leach gold project with very low capital requirement that could potentially be put into production in a short timeframe of approximately 8 months. Once in production, Santana could provide Osisko with 1,000 to 2,000 GEOs per year with the potential to increase with further exploration upside. Minera Alamos is expected to begin construction of the Santana project the first half of 2020.

08:39 EST CHF Solutions announces presentation of data with Aquadex FlexFlow - CHF Solutions announced results from an investigator-initiated retrospective analysis of utilization of the Aquadex FlexFlow aquapheresis system at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The study was presented at the American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week in Washington, D.C. in November 2019. The analysis looked at 23 patients who received aquapheresis treatment following cardiogenic shock, including post cardiothoracic procedure, anasarca, acute tubular necrosis with volume overload, bridge ultrafiltration in end-stage renal disease between hemodialysis, and post-operative volume overload. The average duration of treatment with Aquadex FlexFlow per patient was 4.26 days. Researchers noted that, despite the significant volume removed per day and per encounter, there was no significant change in creatinine. Investigators also noted the ease of using the Aquadex FlexFlow system compared to the more complicated operation of hemodialysis equipment.

08:38 EST Global Blood Therapeutics announces new employment inducement grants - Global Blood Therapeutics announced that on January 1, 2020, the compensation committee of GBT's board of directors granted 7 new employees options to purchase an aggregate of 11,200 shares of the company's common stock with a per share exercise price of $79.49 and restricted stock units for an aggregate of 24,900 shares of the company's common stock. All of the above-described awards were made under the GBT's Amended and Restated 2017 Inducement Equity Plan. Pursuant to the Plan, the exercise price for the 11,200 shares of the Company's common stock was the closing trading price on December 31, 2019, because there was no closing trading price on January 1, 2020. The above-described awards were each granted as an inducement material to the employees entering into employment with the company in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), and were granted pursuant to the terms of the Plan. The Plan was adopted by GBT's board of directors in January 2017.

08:36 EST Riot Blockchain begins deploying Bitmain S17 Pro Antminers in Oklahoma - Riot Blockchain has received approximately 3,000 S17 Pro Antminers from BitmainTech PTE, arriving at Riot's Oklahoma City mining facility in late December 2019. The Riot team has commenced deploying the new S17 Pro generation miners. This purchase was announced on December 4. The deployment of the new miners is advancing rapidly, and Riot has secured additional temporary labor to accelerate the upgrade process. Riot anticipates receipt of the second order of 1,000 S17 Pro Antminers from Bitmain during January 2020. The full upgrade of its Oklahoma City mining facility to the new S17 Pro generation of miners could be completed over approximately the next four weeks. Riot estimates the aggregate operating hashrate at the Oklahoma City mining facility, assuming full utilization of the facility's current total 12 MW available electric supply and full deployment of the total 4,000 next generation miners, to be approximately 248 petahash per second. This would represent an estimated 240% increase over Riot's present average mining hashrate.

08:34 EST Zimmer Biomet names Keri Mattox as Chief Communications Officer - Zimmer Biomet announced that Keri Mattox has been appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Chief Communications Officer. Mattox joins Zimmer Biomet from W2O Group.

08:33 EST Agenus doses first patient with AGEN1223 - Agenus announced the dosing of the first patient with AGEN1223. AGEN1223 is a novel bi-specific antibody discovered by Agenus and designed to deplete regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment. The first patient was infused in December 2019 and the trial is underway with a plan to initiate combinations with balstilimab, Agenus' investigational PD-1 inhibitor, in 2020.

08:32 EST Equifax expands partnerships with rent reporting service providers - Equifax announced new direct-to-consumer partnerships with Esusu, MoCaFi and Zingo to help develop a more complete picture of a consumer's financial profileThe rent-reporting platforms enable consumers to opt-in to include rental payment data as part of their respective credit report to allow a more complete picture of financial history. All three companies, as part of their credit education initiatives, will also present their users with a free weekly or monthly VantageScore credit score so they can track score changes over time.

08:31 EST MJardin's Atlantic Canada cultivation, extraction facility gets sales licenses - MJardin Group announced its AtlantiCann Medical facility has been awarded a sales licence from Health Canada. AMI is a joint venture corporation consisting of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq First Nations, MJardin Group and the Halef Group. The licence comes just weeks before phase 2 construction is set to be complete adding 20,000 square feet to the original footprint making the expanded facility 68,000 square feet with a total of 6,300 kg/year of production capacity. On September 9, 2019, MJardin announced that the AMI facility has secured a supply contract with Franchise Cannabis Corp. subsidiary, ACA Muller for 2,250 kg of high THC medical cannabis to serve the German market. AMI expects to receive EU GMP certification in Q4 2020.

08:28 EST Bio-Path expects to initiate Phase 1 trial of BP1002 in 1H20 - In November 2019 the FDA cleared the IND for BP1002, the Company's second drug candidate, to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate BP1002 as a treatment for refractory/relapsed lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. This study is expected to commence in the first half of 2020 and is expected to be conducted at several premier oncology centers, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and is planned to evaluate the safety of BP1002 in several dose escalating cohorts to determine a maximum tolerated dose.

08:27 EST Bio-Path plans to enroll patients in Phase 2a study of prexigebersen in 2020 - Bio-Path plans to enroll patients in a Phase 2a clinical study of prexigebersen in combination with the frontline therapy, dasatinib, for the treatment of CML in tyrosine kinase inhibitor failures and accelerated and blast phase patients in 2020. The trial is expected to be conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a potential salvage therapy for accelerated and blast phase CML patients and will expand to other sites if feasible. Recent advances in the treatment of chronic phase CML patients with tyrosine inhibitors has limited the availability of these patients for the Bio-Path Phase 2a. As a result, the continuation of this study is being evaluated based on the potential for patient availability and clinical trial site expansion. If this Phase 2a study is advanced, it will evaluate two cohorts of three evaluable patients at two doses of prexigebersen in combination with dasatinib.

08:24 EST Bio-Path Holdings CEO says entering 2020 'with robust development plans' - Bio-Path Holdings provides an update from several clinical development programs and a 2020 business overview. "We enter 2020 with robust development plans to commence several key clinical trials that are expected to advance our DNAbilize antisense RNAi nanoparticle technology in a number of important oncology indications for which there are limited treatment options," said Peter H. Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Path. "We are excited to initiate a number of important studies across our development pipeline and anticipate reporting key clinical datapoints from those studies later in the year."

08:22 EST Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives announces wind construction project award - Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives announced a wind energy project award in Illinois. The award is for construction of the Blooming Grove Wind Energy Center in McLean County. The project's planned 94 turbines will generate an estimated 250 megawatts of power that will be delivered into the Illinois electrical grid. It is estimated that the project will generate enough energy to power 69,000 homes annually. Work began in September 2019 and the project is expected to be fully operational in late 2020. The scope of IEA's work includes construction of project roads, turbine foundations, and erection of turbines.

08:18 EST LiveXLive Media reports 18% growth in suscribers in FY20 to date - LiveXLive Media announced select operational metrics for the first nine months of its fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The company achieved 820,000 paid subscribers, up 140,000 YTD; with average Monthly Active Users of 1.2 million as of December 31, 2019, versus 1.1 million as of December 31, 2018; livestreamed 28 music festivals and events as of December 31, 2019, versus 24 events livestreamed during the entire fiscal year of 2019; livestreams generated over 275 hours of programming and over 230 artists across the entire LiveXLive music platform as of December 31, 2019, with an average view time of over 10 minutes per session. There were over 63 million Livestream Views as of December 31, 2019, versus 51 million during the entire fiscal year of 2019.

08:14 EST Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance completes $4.2B in transactions in 2019 - Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance announced the Company committed to $4.2B of new investments in 2019, nearly a 42% increase over 2018 loan commitments. New Investments - During the fourth quarter of 2019, ARI committed capital of $2.2B of first mortgage loans. Funding of Previously Closed Loans - During the fourth quarter of 2019, ARI funded $143.3M for loans closed prior to the quarter. Loan Repayments - During the fourth quarter of 2019, ARI received $1.2B from loan repayments, including $875.3M from first mortgage loans and $318.6M from subordinate loans.

08:12 EST PellePharm initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of Patidegib Topical Gel, 2% - PellePharm, a BridgeBio Pharma, company, announced it has dosed the first two participants in a Phase 2 clinical trial of Patidegib Topical Gel, 2%, vs. vehicle gel for people with non-Gorlin High Frequency Basal Cell Carcinoma, or HF-BCC. HF-BCC is a rare disease that causes a higher than average number of BCCs to develop, specifically in the facial area. PellePharm is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to targeting rare forms of basal cell carcinoma.

08:11 EST Kitov Pharmaceuticals announces closing of FameWave acquisition - Kitov Pharma announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of privately-held, FameWave Ltd. The acquisition adds CM-24, a first-in-class inhibitor with a unique and differentiated mechanism of action of a multi-role immune checkpoint inhibition, to Kitov's oncology pipeline. CM-24 has demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile and an initial signal of monotherapy efficacy in a phase 1 clinical study. As previously announced, Kitov, in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, intends to initiate a phase 1b/2a clinical trial of CM-24 in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb's nivolumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the second half of 2020. Kitov has acquired 100% of FameWave from its shareholders in exchange for $10 million worth of Kitov's newly issued ADSs with a long-term lock-up period, priced at $1.23 per ADS, plus 50% warrant coverage based on an exercise price of $1.98 per ADS with a 4-year term. Under the terms of the agreement, OrbiMed, Pontifax and Arkin Holdings, leading life-science focused investment funds, are exchanging their shares in FameWave for Kitov ADSs and warrants, and investing $3.5 million in Kitov in exchange for additional newly issued ADSs of Kitov. OrbiMed, Pontifax and Arkin Holdings will now each hold approximately 11% of Kitov's shares on a non-diluted basis.

08:09 EST Avid Bioservices appoints Timothy Compton as CCO - Avid Bioservices (CDMO) announced the appointment of Timothy Compton as chief commercial officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving the continued growth of Avid's CDMO business, including the ongoing expansion of the company's commercial and clinical client base. Compton is replacing Tracy Kinjerski, who has left the company to pursue other opportunities. Compton most recently served as senior director of sales and business development for Cambrex Corporation (CBM).

08:07 EST Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announces new results from fifth cohort of AKB-9778 trial - Aerpio Pharmaceuticals announced new results from the fifth cohort of subjects from a Phase 1b trial of a topical ocular formulation of AKB-9778 providing evidence of tolerability and IOP reduction from patients in that cohort with ocular hypertension, or OHT, or primary open angle glaucoma, or POAG. The Phase 1b trial is a randomized, double-masked study designed to assess increasing concentrations of AKB-9778 dosed topically as eye drops. The primary outcome of the study is ocular safety and tolerability with change in intraocular pressure, or IOP, at Day 7 as a pharmacodynamic outcome. Conjunctival hyperemia and IOP were assessed at 0, 2, 4 and 8 hours post-dose on Day -1, Day 1 and Day 7. Results from the first 3 cohorts, each comprising 12 subjects with normotensive eyes, were reported on October 10, 2019. Subsequently, results from cohort 4, also containing 12 subjects with normotensive eyes, were observed to be consistent with those from cohorts 1 through 3. Based on favorable tolerability and pharmacodynamic findings in these ocular normotensive subjects, Aerpio elected to recruit a fifth cohort of subjects with OHT/POAG on standard of care prostaglandin therapy to assess the safety, tolerability and pilot efficacy of once-daily AKB-9778 as an adjunctive therapy. In the fifth cohort 43 patients were recruited with OHT/POAG and baseline IOP measurements between 17 and 27 mmHg while treated with once-daily prostaglandin therapy. Patients were randomized 3:1 to receive either AKB-9778 or placebo administered in the morning for seven days, while continuing their evening prostaglandin therapy. Conjunctival hyperemia and IOP were assessed in the same manner as described for cohorts 1-4. Subjects in cohort 5 randomized to the active arm exhibited statistically significant decreases in IOP at all post-AKB-9778 administration time points on both Days 1 and 7 compared with Day -1 baseline values when they were being treated with prostaglandin alone. When the change is placebo-corrected, AKB-9778 plus prostaglandin versus prostaglandin alone produced a statistically significant decrease in IOP on Day 7 at 0, 4 and 8 hours post dose as compared to placebo. We believe these results suggest a persistent IOP-lowering activity from adding AKB-9778 to standard-of-care prostaglandin therapy. Topical ocular administration of AKB-9778 was well tolerated over seven days in cohort 5. In the active arm treated with AKB-9778 plus prostaglandin, 18.8% of subjects experienced hyperemia compared with 9.1% of subjects in the prostaglandin-alone arm. In all cases, this hyperemia was minimal-to-mild in severity, transient in duration and generally considered non-adverse. There were no reports of conjunctival hemorrhage or pain on instillation during the seven days of dosing. Based on these results, Aerpio plans to further advance its glaucoma program through strategic alternatives such as a partnership or collaboration.

08:06 EST Blueprint Medicines initiates rolling NDA submission for pralsetinib in NSCLC - Blueprint Medicines announced independent centrally reviewed top-line data for pralsetinib in patients with RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. The data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 ARROW clinical trial of pralsetinib showed a 61% objective response rate and prolonged durability, with a median duration of response not reached, in patients with RET fusion-positive NSCLC previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Designed by Blueprint Medicines, pralsetinib is a once-daily oral inhibitor of RET fusions and mutations. Blueprint Medicines has initiated the submission of a rolling New Drug Application to the FDA for pralsetinib for the treatment of patients with RET fusion-positive NSCLC. The company expects to complete the NDA submission in Q1. Blueprint Medicines also plans to submit an NDA to the FDA for pralsetinib for the treatment of patients with medullary thyroid cancer previously treated with an approved multi-kinase inhibitor in Q2.

08:06 EST Encompass Health, Shannon Health to form joint venture - Encompass Health and San Angelo, Texas-based Shannon Health announced plans to form a joint venture for a new, 40-bed, freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital in San Angelo, Texas. The hospital is being constructed by the Shannon West Texas Memorial Hospital Trust, the foundation arm of Shannon Health, and will be leased to the joint venture between Encompass Health and Shannon Health. This hospital will replace Shannon Medical Center's 14-bed rehabilitation unit, which has been providing rehabilitative care to patients since 1988.

08:05 EST Kroger announces launch of Simple Truth Emerge: Plant Based Fresh Meats - The Kroger Co. announced the launch of Simple Truth Emerge: Plant Based Fresh Meats. An expansion of Simple Truth - Simple Truth Emerge is a line that offers fresh burger patties and grinds at more affordable prices. Available exclusively at Kroger Family of Stores, Simple Truth Emerge joins the Simple Truth Plant Based collection introduced last year, offering vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, oat milk, sour cream, deli slices, sausage and other products.

08:02 EST PriceSmart reports December merchandise sales up 4.3% y-o-y - PriceSmart reported December net merchandise sales increased 4.3% to $362.1M from $347.1M in December a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by $1.1M or 0.3% versus the same prior year one-month period. There were 45 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of December 2019 and 41 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of December 2018. For the four weeks ended December 29, 2019, comparable net merchandise sales for the 41 warehouse clubs open at least 13 1/2 full months decreased 0.1% when compared to the same four-week period last year. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by $1.0M or 0.3% versus the same prior year period.

08:00 EST Adaptive Biotechnologies receives expanded Medicare coverage of clonoSEQ - Adaptive Biotechnologies announced that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor that assesses diagnostic technologies through its MolDX program, has expanded coverage of the clonoSEQ Assay to include monitoring minimal residual disease in Medicare patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This adds to existing Medicare coverage in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma, which was established in January 2019. Medicare coverage for clonoSEQ is aligned with clinical practice guidelines in covered disease states which support assessing MRD at multiple time points throughout therapy to monitor treatment response and help predict patient outcomes. This expanded coverage policy is effective immediately and continues the positive momentum for clonoSEQ with over 175M lives covered to date.

07:57 EST Wah Fu Education to develop online education platform for Jiuzhou Polytechnic - Wah Fu Education Group announced that, through its majority owned subsidiary, Nanjing Suyun Education Technology Co., Ltd., the Company entered into a 5-year service agreement to develop a customized online educational platform for Jiuzhou Polytechnic Vocational Collegem featuring cloud-based online courses related to vocational training required by the Ministry of Education of China, administration and student management services.

07:51 EST Constellation expects Wine and Spirits FY20 net sales to decline 8%-10% - Sees operating income decline 8%-10%. Largely due to updated assumptions surrounding the close of the Gallo transactions.

07:49 EST Constellation's beer business targets 7%-8% net sales growth for 2020 - Targets 8 - 9% operating income growth for fiscal 2020.

07:47 EST comScore names Amir Yazdani as Strategic Adviser to CEO - Comscore announced that it has appointed Amir Yazdani as Strategic Adviser to the CEO. Yazdani, the chief architect of Comscore's Television and Movies measurement platforms, will join the leadership team, partnering with Chief Product Officer David Algranati and Chief Commercial Officer Chris Wilson. Yazdani served as Rentrak's Chief Strategy Officer, Executive Vice President, and Chief Technology Officer, where he gained distinction as an innovator and inventor.

07:45 EST Constellation Brands CEO says Q3 performance 'powered largely by' beer business - "It's shaping up to be a dynamic year at Constellation," CEO Bill Newlands said, "We delivered strong performance in Q3 powered largely by our beer business and we are increasing our EPS and cash flow guidance for the year. Our Wine & Spirits transformation strategy is gaining traction and our revised agreement with Gallo paves the way for accelerated growth and margin performance for the business going forward."

07:42 EST Constellation Brands expects to close Ballast Point divestiture by year-end - Signed agreement with Kings & Convicts Brewing to divest the Ballast Point brand and certain related facilities.

07:41 EST Constellation Brands expects to close Nobilo divestiture in 1H21 - Company agreed to divest Nobilo Wine brand to Gallo for $130M.

07:40 EST Constellation Brands expects Wine and Spirits transaction to close by year-end - Company agreed to revise original Wine & Spirits agreement with Gallo in connection with Federal Trade Commission review.

07:34 EST Scynexis' ibrexafungerp shows antifungal action in Phase 3 study - Scynexis announced positive results from its second interim efficacy analysis of the ongoing Phase 3 open-label FURI study. The study is evaluating oral ibrexafungerp as a salvage treatment in patients with difficult-to-treat mucocutaneous and invasive fungal infections that are refractory to or intolerant of current standards of care. Ibrexafungerp is the first representative of a novel antifungal family, the 'fungerps', being developed for oral and intravenous usage to treat multiple serious fungal infections, including ones that have shown resistance or have not responded to existing therapies. A Data Review Committee of independent experts assessed the efficacy of oral ibrexafungerp in a second cohort of 21 treated patients from the FURI study. Efficacy was consistent across both interim analyses, as oral ibrexafungerp showed clinical benefits in 83% of patients - 34 out 41 -, with 23 patients achieving a complete or partial response and 11 patients a stable disease response. Of the 41 treated patients, only six did not respond to ibrexafungerp treatment and one patient was considered indeterminate. These positive results support the continued patient enrollment in the FURI study and build toward a future New Drug Application submission and potential approval under the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs. Oral ibrexafungerp was generally safe and well-tolerated, with gastrointestinal issues cited as the most common treatment-related adverse events.

07:31 EST Macy's reports November/December owned SSS down 0.7% - Reports November/December owned plus licensed SSS down 0.6%. "Macy's, Inc.'s performance during the holiday season reflected a strong trend improvement from the third quarter. Our digital business and Growth150 stores performed well. Additionally, customers responded to our gifting assortment and marketing strategy, particularly in the 10 days before Christmas," said Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy's. "The entire organization committed to delivering Holiday 2019, and it showed up in our execution. I want to thank all of our colleagues - full-time, part-time and seasonal - for their hard work and dedication to serving our customers."

07:13 EST Kitov Pharmaceuticals granted additional 180-day extension for Nasdaq compliance - Kitov Pharma announced that, after its delivery of written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the deficiency concerning the minimum $1.00 bid price per share Nasdaq listing requirement during an additional compliance period, on January 7, 2020, it received notification from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department that it has been granted an additional 180-calendar day compliance period, or until July 6, 2020, in order to regain compliance with such listing requirement. According to the Nasdaq notice, if at any time before July 6, 2020, the closing bid price of Kitov's American Depository Shares is at $1.00 per ADS or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, it will regain compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price per share Nasdaq listing requirement.

07:11 EST Walgreens Boots Alliance down 4.7% after reporting Q1 results

07:10 EST Anavex issued U.S. patent for ANAVEX 2-73 treatment - Anavex Life Sciences announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 10,507,196 to support Anavex's leading drug candidate, ANAVEX 2-73 for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders including Rett syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. Anavex's newest patent is expected to remain in force at least until 2037, not including any patent term extensions. It covers methods of treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders including Rett syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, Angelman syndrome, and cerebral palsy, among others, and also treatment for multiple sclerosis, using ANAVEX 2-73. ANAVEX 2-73 is currently in several clinical studies for Rett syndrome, including the U.S. Phase 2 Rett syndrome study and the AVATAR Rett syndrome study, with the international EXCELLENCE Rett syndrome study of ANAVEX 2-73 in pediatric patients scheduled to initiate early 2020. The '196 patent adds important coverage for ANAVEX 2-73 treatments for Rett syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

07:09 EST Target Hospitality renews contracts with four oil field services companies - Target Hospitality announced the extension and renewal of contracts with four oil field services companies. These four oil field services companies represented approximately 20% of Target Hospitality's estimated 2019 revenue attributable to the energy end market. The four contract renewals represent a meaningful portion of the company's total revenue, provide increased visibility on recurring revenues from its customer base, add incremental fixed room night volume and further broaden the commercial terms that include exclusivity. The contract renewals also expand coverage to include all 20 communities within the company's Permian Basin lodge network for these customers. With these contract renewals and expansions, legacy agreements convert into multi-basin network agreements with full suite of Target Hospitality's offerings.

07:07 EST Delta Air Lines joins IBM Quantum Network - Delta Air Lines (DAL) is embarking on a multi-year collaborative effort with IBM (IBM) - including joining the IBM Q Network - to explore the potential capabilities of quantum computing. The IBM Q Network is a 100-plus strong global community of Fortune 500 companies, startups, academic institutions and research labs working to advance quantum computing and explore practical applications. Additionally, through the IBM Q Hub at NC State University, Delta will have access to the IBM Q Network's world's largest fleet of universal hardware quantum computers for commercial use cases and fundamental research to tackle problems like risk analytics and options pricing, advanced battery materials and structures, manufacturing optimization, chemical research, logistics and more.

07:06 EST Verastem announces global licensing agreement with Chugai for CH5126766 - Verastem announced a global licensing agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical whereby Verastem Oncology is obtaining worldwide development and commercialization rights to the RAF/MEK inhibitor CH5126766 from Chugai currently under development for the treatment of KRAS mutant solid tumors. The company will host an investor call to discuss the opportunity and a development update. CH5126766 in combination with Verastem Oncology's focal adhesion kinase inhibitor, defactinib, is currently the subject of a clinical study with the expansion cohorts now ongoing in patients with KRAS mutant advanced solid tumors, including low grade serous ovarian cancer, or LGSOC, non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, and colorectal cancer, or CRC. This clinical study of the defactinib/CH5126766 combination is supported by the single-agent Phase 2 studies of defactinib in KRAS mutant NSCLC and CH5126766 in KRAS mutant NSCLC and LGSOC. Under the terms of the agreement, Verastem Oncology is responsible for the development and worldwide commercialization of CH5126766. The company will make an upfront payment of $3M and pay royalties to Chugai. Given the potential of the opportunity, the company will be evaluating various partnering strategies.

07:04 EST Canopy Rivers company approved to research UV light impact on cannabis plant - Canopy Rivers (CNPOF) portfolio company BioLumic has received approval from the New Zealand Ministry of Health to apply its proprietary ultraviolet light technology to medical cannabis. While BioLumic's approach has been successful in increasing yields in certain crops, such as strawberries, by up to 60%, this approval marks the first time the company's UV light technology will be used on cannabis. BioLumic hopes that its research will show increased yields in the cannabis plant and help producers meet the rising demand for medical cannabis and cannabis-derived products. To bring its cannabis research program to life, BioLumic is partnering with two established cannabis companies. The company will work with Canada-based cannabis cultivator and Canopy Rivers portfolio company James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWCAF), as well as Auckland-based medical cannabis company Helius Therapeutics. With the support of these partnerships, BioLumic plans to begin conducting medical cannabis commercial trials in New Zealand and Canada by June 2020.

07:02 EST Provention Bio appoints Jason Hoitt as Chief Commercial Officer - Provention Bio appoints Jason Hoitt as Chief Commercial Officer. Hoitt most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at Dova Pharmaceuticals - recently acquired by Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, or Sobi. As Chief Commercial Officer and a member of Provention's senior leadership team, Hoitt will be responsible for the development and execution of Provention's global commercial strategy for PRV-031. Hoitt joined Dova Pharmaceuticals in 2018 as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to Dova Pharmacetucials, Hoitt was a member of the commercial leadership team at Insmed Incorporated.

07:02 EST Rockwell Automation to acquire Avnet Data Security - Rockwell Automation announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire privately held Avnet Data Security, LTD, an Israeli-based cybersecurity provider. The transaction is expected to close in early 2020 subject to customary approvals and conditions, and it is not expected to have a material impact on Rockwell Automation's 2020 financial results.

06:58 EST TransEnterix's Senhance Surgical System adopted by Ochsner Health System - TransEnterix announced that the Ochsner Health System has entered into an agreement to lease and utilize a Senhance System, a digital laparoscopic surgical platform, that has been installed at the Ochsner Baptist facility. The Senhance System is the first new abdominal robotic surgery platform to receive FDA clearance since 2000.

06:50 EST RPM CEO says Q2 results 'primarily driven by our 2020 MAP to Growth' - "Our very strong bottom-line growth in the quarter was primarily driven by our 2020 MAP to Growth, which is enabling us to grow earnings at a faster rate than those of our peers. Actions taken included delayering management, consolidating manufacturing, and shedding low-margin product lines to free up capacity for more value-added, EBIT-accretive volume. Pricing and moderating raw material inflation also positively impacted results," stated Frank Sullivan, RPM chairman and CEO. "In spite of a challenging macroeconomic environment, we were pleased with our solid organic sales growth in the quarter of 3.5%, which resulted from market share gains and pricing. Acquisitions contributed 0.6% to the quarter's top-line growth, while foreign currency translation was a 1.3% headwind."

06:47 EST Cott announces evaluation of strategic alternatives for S&D Coffee and Tea - Cott Corporation announced that, as part of the Company's strategic planning process, it is evaluating certain strategic alternatives for S&D Coffee and Tea, including a sale of S&D, to transition Cott into a pure-play water solutions provider. S&D is the U.S. market leader in custom coffee roasting and the largest blender of iced teas for food service and convenience stores in the United States. S&D is also a leader in the high growth category of extracts and ingredients. Cott has engaged a financial advisor as part of its strategic planning process to assist it in evaluating whether there are alternatives available to Cott's Coffee, Tea and Extract Solutions operating segment that would either complement its strategy of organic growth or otherwise enhance shareholder value.

06:43 EST McDonald's expands Beyond Meat patty launch to include 52 restaurants - McDonald's (MCD) said it is expanding the global test of its plant-based burger to include 52 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario, starting January 14, for 12 weeks. The P.LT., which stands for Plant. Lettuce. Tomato., is made with a Beyond Meat (BYND) plant-based patty that has been crafted exclusively by McDonald's, the company said in a statement. The global P.LT. test first launched last September in 28 restaurants in London, Ontario and the surrounding areas. The additional restaurants now participating in the test include selected locations in Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and surrounding areas, while the majority of the restaurants that were part of the initial test in London and nearby towns will continue to offer the P.L.T. without interruption. As of January 14, the P.L.T. will be priced at C$5.99 plus tax. "The initial test of the P.L.T. allowed us to learn more about guest demand and how to integrate this new menu item into restaurant kitchen operations, while delivering the P.L.T. to our guests with the level of quality and craveability they know and love from McDonald's," said Jeff Anderson, Chef, McDonald's Canada. "As a test and learn company, the McDonald's expansion of the P.L.T. into more restaurants in the Southwestern Ontario region will help us learn more about our guests' tastes while continuing to provide variety within our menu." Shares of Beyond Meat closed yesterday up 12% to $83.89. Reference Link

06:33 EST Immunic exercises option for exclusive worldwide license to IMU-856 - Immunic announced that its subsidiary, Immunic AG, under the terms of its existing option and license agreement with Daiichi Sankyo, has exercised its exclusive global option to license a group of compounds, designated by Immunic as IMU-856. The company intends to begin phase 1 clinical studies for this program in the first half of 2020. IMU-856 is an orally available, small molecule modulator that targets a yet undisclosed protein which serves as a transcriptional regulator of the intestinal barrier function. As such, IMU-856 represents a new approach for the treatment of intestinal diseases with the potential to restore the intestinal barrier function while maintaining immunocompetency. IMU-856 was discovered and developed by Daiichi Sankyo. The option and license agreement gives Immunic the exclusive rights to commercialization of IMU-856 in all countries, including the United States, Europe and Japan. The option also includes exclusivity on a patent application filed by Daiichi Sankyo, covering IMU-856's composition of matter. Concurrent with the option exercise, Immunic will pay to Daiichi Sankyo a one-time upfront licensing fee. Going forward, Daiichi Sankyo is eligible to receive certain future development, approval and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties related to IMU-856. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

06:11 EST Greenbrier increases quarterly dividend 8% to 27c per share - Dividend payable on February 18 to shareholders as of January 28.

06:07 EST Lennar sees FY20 deliveries 54,000-55,000 homes - Stuart Miller, Executive Chairman of Lennar, said, "As we head into 2020, we expect our fiscal 2020 deliveries to be in the range of 54,000 - 55,000 homes, homebuilding gross margin percentage to be in the range of 20.5% - 21.0% and our cash flows to continue to accelerate as we continue to refine our overall land program. With only $600 million of senior notes due in 2020, we will opportunistically deploy excess cash flow to repurchase additional debt and return capital to shareholders."

06:05 EST Aflac to purchase minority interest in Varagon Capital Partners - Aflac has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a significant non-controlling minority interest in Varagon Capital Partners, a direct lending asset manager that has made over $14.5B of financing commitments as of December 31, 2019. In addition, Aflac is making a multi-year commitment to build a portfolio of up to $3.0B of middle market loans on behalf of Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S., subject to additional terms and conditions.The transaction does not have a material impact on Aflac's 2020 capital deployment plans or overall capital and liquidity position and is expected to close in Q1, subject to customary regulatory and other closing terms.

06:04 EST Aflac subsidiary to buy minority interest in Varagon, build $3B loan portfolio - Aflac Global Investments, the asset management subsidiary of Aflac, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a significant non-controlling minority interest in Varagon Capital, a direct lending asset manager that has made over $14.5B of financing commitments as of December 31, 2019. In addition, Aflac Global Investments is making a multi-year commitment to build a portfolio of up to $3B of middle market loans on behalf of Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S., subject to additional terms and conditions. The transaction does not have a material impact on Aflac Incorporated's recently articulated 2020 capital deployment plans or overall capital and liquidity position and is expected to close in Q1, subject to customary regulatory and other closing terms.

06:01 EST Baker Hughes announces December international rig count of 1,104, up 8 - Baker Hughes announced that the Baker Hughes international rig count for December 2019 was 1,104, up 8 from the 1,096 counted in November 2019, and up 79 from the 1,025 counted in December 2018. The international offshore rig count for December 2019 was 257, up 10 from the 247 counted in November 2019, and up 23 from the 234 counted in December 2018. The average U.S. rig count for December 2019 was 804, down 6 from the 810 counted in November 2019, and down 274 from the 1,078 counted in December 2018. The average Canadian rig count for December 2019 was 135, down 1 from the 136 counted in November 2019, and down 6 from the 141 counted in December 2018. The worldwide rig count for December 2019 was 2,043, up 1 from the 2,042 counted in November 2019, and down 201 from the 2,244 counted in December 2018.

05:24 EST Cemex announces divestment of certain assets in UK for $235M - Cemex announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed an agreement for the sale of certain assets in the United Kingdom to Breedon Group, for a total consideration of approximately $235M, which includes approximately $31M of debt. The active assets being divested consist of 49 ready-mix plants, 28 aggregate quarries, 4 depots, 1 cement terminal, 14 asphalt plants, and 4 concrete products operations. Part of Cemex's Paving Solutions business in the United Kingdom, together with some inactive sites, are also included in the sale to Breedon. After completion of the divestiture, Cemex will still retain a substantial integrated business in the United Kingdom encompassing, among other things, cement Cemex, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, asphalt, and paving solutions. The proceeds expected to be obtained from this divestment will be used mainly for debt reduction and for general corporate purposes. Prior to completion of the divestiture, Cemex will be running an information and consultation process with employees who are affected by the transaction. Cemex currently expects to finalize this divestment during the second quarter of 2020.

05:07 EST Watford Holdings appoints Liz Cunningham as Chief Risk Officer - Watford Holdings announced that Liz Cunningham has joined the company as Chief Risk Officer on January 2. Cunningham is based in Watford's Bermuda office and will report to Jon Levy, the company's President and former Chief Risk Officer. Cunningham was most recently serving as the Chief Risk Officer for Nautilus Indemnity Holdings.