Stockwinners Market Radar for January 23, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:05 EST Heritage Commerce increases quarterly dividend 8% to 13c per share - Heritage Commerce Corp announced that its Board of Directors increased its quarterly cash dividend 8% to $0.13 per share to holders of common stock. The dividend will be payable on February 19, 2020, to shareholders of record at close of business day on February 5, 2020.

18:39 EST GrubHub CEO: We haven't had any offers - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney discussed a Wall Street Journal story from earlier this month which claimed the company was weighing a possible sale. Maloney said, "We haven't had any offers to buy the company," and added that he had "no idea" where the WSJ sourced its information. Maloney said GrubHub was "revolutionizing pick up" with its new Ultimate technology solution for restaurants. He noted that the product has been evolving for five years and the company is working on several stadium deals. Maloney said the company's "large loyalty infrastructure" will assist in the roll-out of the new platform.

18:22 EST Axel Springer plans to delist from Frankfurt Stock Exchange - Axel Springer (AXELF) plans to withdraw from the stock exchange. A respective application will be made at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange prior to the expiration of the acceptance period of the delisting offer. The withdrawal from the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange requires a public delisting offer to the Axel Springer SE shareholders as a precondition so that shareholders can sell their shares prior to the termination of the stock listing. According to an agreement signed today with Axel Springer SE, KKR (KKR) will make such an offer with an offer price amounting to EUR63 in cash per share. This payment is equal to the offer price for the previous public tender offer which was closed in December 2019. In 2019, Axel Springer and KKR entered into an investment agreement for a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the long-term growth strategy. Through a public tender offer as well as additional purchases, KKR has acquired approximately 44.9% of Axel Springer's share capital. In the public tender offer document of 5 July 2019 KKR has already announced its intention to propose a delisting to the other consortium members and to the Executive Board of Axel Springer SE following the successful tender offer.

18:16 EST Noble Midstream raises quarterly dividend to 68.8c from 67.2c per share - The dividend will be payable on February 14, 2020 to unitholders of record as of February 4, 2019.

17:34 EST Wintrust Financial raises quarterly cash dividend to 28c from 25c per share - The dividend is payable on February 20 to shareholders of record as of February 6.

17:25 EST Discover down 4.9% after Q4 results - Shares of Discover are down 4.9% of $4.16 at $81.69 per share after its Q4 results.

17:20 EST Atlassian rises over 9% after Q2 earnings beat, FY20 guidance raise - Shares of Atlassian are up 9.1% or $12.11 at $144.75 per share after its Q2 earnings beat. The company also raised its FY20 guidance to EPS of $1.03-1.09 from $1.00 and revenue of $1.59B-$1.60B from $1.56B-$1.57B.

17:16 EST Broadcom jumps 2% after announcing additional supply pacts with Apple - Shares of Broadcom (AVGO) are up 2% or $6.40 to $326 per share in after-hours trading following the Apple (AAPL) news.

17:10 EST Broadcom sees supply deals with Apple collectively generating $15B in revenue - In a regulatory filing, out after the close on Thursday, Broadcom noted that the company estimates that, based on past experience, and subject to the company's ability to satisfy its applicable contractual obligations, the 2020 SOWs or supply agreements, and the 2019 SOW could, collectively, generate aggregate total future revenue associated with the Covered Products of approximately $15B for the company.

17:06 EST Broadcom in new pacts with Apple for high-performance wireless components - Broadcom (AVGO) announced in a regulatory filing, that certain of its subsidiaries have entered into two separate multi-year statement of work agreements with Apple (AAPL). Both are for the supply of a range of specified high-performance wireless components and modules to Apple for use in its products. The 2020 SOWs or pacts, are in addition to the agreement between the company and Apple entered into on June 9, which remains in effect with respect to the supply of specified RF components and modules to Apple. The 2020 SOWs, and the remaining portion of the 2019 SOW, apply to Apple products launched during the three and a half year period beginning in January 2020. The company estimates that, based on past experience, and subject to the company's ability to satisfy its applicable contractual obligations, the 2020 SOWs and the 2019 SOW could, collectively, generate aggregate total future revenue associated with the Covered Products of approximately $15B for the company.

17:00 EST FTE Networks completes sale of CrossLayer - FTE Networks announced that it has completed the sale of CrossLayer to Wyoming-based special management company CBFA Corporation. The transaction closed on January 16 and marks a reaffirming step forward in FTE's strategic plans to stimulate revenue growth and shareholder value in 2020.

16:51 EST Seacoast Banking to acquire Fourth Street Banking Company - Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, the holding company for Seacoast National Bank, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fourth Street Banking Co., the holding company for Freedom Bank of St. Petersburg. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, Freedom Bank will be merged with and into Seacoast Bank. Organized in 2005, Freedom Bank has deposits of approximately $276M and loans of $249M and the merger will increase Seacoast's deposits in the Tampa-St. Petersburg MSA by 87% to approximately $679M. Seacoast plans to add Freedom Bank's two branches to the four it currently operates in the market. Seacoast entered the Tampa-St. Petersburg MSA with the acquisition of GulfShore Bank and NorthStar Bank in 2017.

16:44 EST Sonoma Pharma to explore strategic alternatives for U.S. Dermatology division - Sonoma Pharmaceuticals announced that it has commenced a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives for its U.S. Dermatology Division and has engaged Maxim Group as its financial advisor to assist in this process. The company does not have a defined timeline for such a transaction and cannot provide any assurance whether or when any transaction will be announced or consummated.

16:36 EST Harsco trades lower after reporting preliminary Q4 revenue - Shares of environmental solutions and services firm Harsco are down 8% to $17.90 per share in after-hours trading.

16:31 EST Colgate-Palmolive to acquire Hello Products, terms not disclosed - Colgate-Palmolive Company announced that it has agreed to acquire Hello Products LLC, one of the fastest-growing, premium oral care brands in the United States, a portfolio company of Tenth Avenue Holdings, a New York City based private, diversified holding company. The transaction will be financed with a combination of cash and debt and is currently expected to close no later than February 2020. Hello will continue to be led by founder Craig Dubitsky and Lauri Kien Kotcher, Chief Executive Officer. Including transaction costs, the acquisition is expected to be flat to a penny dilutive to 2020 diluted earnings per share. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

16:25 EST SAExploration reduces debt by $14.5M after sale of datasets - SAExploration recently sold certain Alaska North Slope seismic library datasets to a third party and has used $14.5M of the net proceeds of the sale to reduce indebtedness under its credit facility.

16:24 EST SAExploration announces $42M of new offshore West Africa projects - SAExploration Holdings announced two new projects in offshore West Africa. The projects are valued at approximately $42M in the aggregate and are scheduled to occur primarily during Q2 of 2020 and last approximately 71 days. Services to be provided will include 3D/4D data acquisition utilizing autonomous ROV-deployed nodal recording technology in water depths up to 1,700 meters.

16:22 EST Intuitive Surgical down 1.14% after reporting Q4 earnings results

16:20 EST Atlassian adds 5K new customers in Q2 to total 164.8K - Atlassian ended Q2 with a total customer count, on an active subscription or maintenance agreement basis, of 164,790. Atlassian added 5,003 net new customers during the quarter.

16:19 EST Atlassian CEO says generated record profitability and and free cash flow in Q2 - "We had a strong quarter, growing revenue 37% year-over-year and generating record profitability and free cash flow," said Scott Farquhar, Atlassian's co-founder and co-CEO. "Subscription revenue grew 50% year-over-year, underscoring the progress we continue to make in our cloud-first strategy. This is just another small step on our long-term journey to build an enduring company."

16:16 EST Acceleron Chief Business Officer John Quisel to step down - Acceleron Pharma announced that John Quisel, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, is leaving the company to become CEO of a venture-backed startup biotechnology company. Dr. Quisel's departure from Acceleron is effective as of February 24.

16:15 EST Aspen Group closes refinancing of secured $10M term loan - "Aspen Group announced the closing of the refinancing of our secured $10M term loan bearing an interest rate of 12%. The Company has exchanged the secured $10M term loan for $10M of secured convertible notes at an interest rate of 7%." The convertible notes have a three year term and are convertible into Aspen Group common stock at a conversion price of $7.15 per share. The notes also have a mandatory conversion feature if the closing price of the common stock is at least 150% of the conversion price or $10.725 over a 20 consecutive trading day period, beginning July 20, 2022. As a result, the Company's annual interest expense will be reduced by approximately $500,000. The prior term notes were due in September 2020, subject to a one year extension and payment of a fee. For further details, please consult the Company's Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 23, 2020. In addition to the issuance of the convertible notes, the Company yesterday announced the closing of an underwritten public offering of 2,415,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $7.15 per share. Net proceeds from the offering to Aspen are approximately $16 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Aspen. Canaccord Genuity LLC acted as the sole bookrunning manager of the offering. Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC and Roth Capital Partners acted as lead managers of the offering. "These financing initiatives help to strengthen our balance sheet and support the Company's long-term strategic roadmap, and we are very pleased with the market reaction to the offering," commented Frank Cotroneo, Aspen Group Inc. Chief Financial Officer.

16:13 EST Kura Oncology appoints Bridget Martell acting Chief Medical Officer - Kura Oncology announced that Antonio Gualberto, M.D., Ph.D., will step down as Head of Development and Chief Medical Officer to pursue other opportunities. Bridget Martell, M.A., M.D., currently VP of Clinical Development at Kura, has been named acting Chief Medical Officer while the company completes an executive search. Dr. Gualberto plans to serve in an advisory capacity during the transition, which will take effect on February 7.

16:10 EST Parsley Energy sees Q1 net oil production 123-129 MBo/d

16:07 EST Parsley Energy increases quarterly dividend to 5c per share from 3c

16:02 EST Galapagos appoints Michele Manto Chief Commercial Officer - Galapagos NV announced that Michele Manto was appointed Chief Commercial Officer, effective January 1. He served as senior VP Commercial Operations and in his new role will become a member of the executive committee. Since joining Galapagos in September 2017, he has built a strong commercial team from the ground up. His appointment comes at a pivotal time in Galapagos' history, as the company prepares for the launch later this year of filgotinib, its JAK1 inhibitor currently in the registration process for rheumatoid arthritis. Filgotinib is Galapagos' first medicine that is anticipated to reach the market.

15:55 EST Uber to begin data collection in Washington, D.C for self-driving cars - Uber said it will begin collecting data to support the development of its fleet of autonomous vehicles in Washington DC.. Uber's Advanced Technologies Group said in a Medium post. "We're on a mission to deliver safe and reliable self-driving technology to Uber users around the world and create positive impact through self-driving cars that drive more than themselves. Uber's Advanced Technologies Group has already started this journey in Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto. Today, we're adding another city to that list our nation's capital. Uber first launched in Washington, D.C. in late 2011, the sixth city launched globally. Since then, we've been proud partners in our nation's capital, expanding into new modes like shared POOL rides, wheelchair accessible options, JUMP e-bikes and dockless scooters, and linking Uber users with public transit to help them access the transportation modes that best fit their needs. Starting on January 24, we will begin exploring a new mode of transportation in Washington, D.C. when we bring our self-driving cars to District roads for data collection. Importantly, these cars will be in manual driving mode meaning a Mission Specialist (a specially trained vehicle operator) will maintain control of the vehicle at all times." Reference Link

14:54 EST Galaxy Gaming receives licensing approval in California - Galaxy Gaming announced that it has received licensing approval from the California Gambling Control Commission as a Gaming Resource Supplier. California is the largest table games market in North America. Todd Cravens, Galaxy's President and CEO, said, "We have received licenses from the province of Ontario, the states of Maryland, Wisconsin, Arkansas and now California. We will continue to expand our jurisdictional footprint in 2020 and beyond."

14:45 EST Brazos County Health District investigating suspected case of coronavirus - The Brazos County Health District in Texas announced in a Facebook post that it is investigating a suspected case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. The patient traveled from Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus originated. Health care providers were aware of public health guidance on novel coronavirus and quickly recognized that the patient met the criteria for coronavirus testing and is being kept isolated at home, while the precautionary testing is done. If there is a confirmed case, the BCHD will promptly announce it, it said.

13:58 EST Wells Fargo to determine if further action appropriate after OCC actions - In response to actions announced today by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Wells Farg CEO and President Charlie Scharf issued message to all employees, stating in part: "Today the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a series of actions against former employees regarding their behavior around the historical Community Banking sales practices. In addition, the OCC provided a detailed account of business practices and management responses based on its extensive investigation. The OCC's actions are consistent with my belief that we should hold ourselves and individuals accountable. They also are consistent with our belief that significant parts of the operating model of our Community Bank were flawed. At the time of the sales practices issues, the Company did not have in place the appropriate people, structure, processes, controls, or culture to prevent the inappropriate conduct. This was inexcusable. Our customers and you all deserved more from the leadership of this Company. We are reviewing today's filings and will determine what, if any, further action by the Company is appropriate with respect to any of the named individuals. Wells Fargo will not make any remaining compensation payments that may be owed to these individuals while we review the filings...We must all dedicate ourselves to ensuring that such failings never again occur at Wells Fargo."

13:56 EST HP says Xerox board nominations 'self-serving tactic'

13:48 EST FDA highlights cybersecurity vulnerabilities in certain GE telemetry servers - The Food and Drug Administration is "raising awareness among health care providers and facility staff that cybersecurity vulnerabilities in certain GE Healthcare Clinical Information Central Stations and Telemetry Servers may introduce risks to patients while being monitored." These devices are used mostly in health care facilities for displaying information, such as the physiologic parameters of a patient and monitoring patient status from a central location in a facility. To date, the FDA is not aware of any adverse events related to these vulnerabilities. On November 12, GE Healthcare issued an "Urgent Medical Device Correction" letter informing consumers of security vulnerabilities for certain GE Healthcare Clinical Information Central Stations and Telemetry Servers, the FDA said. Reference Link

13:22 EST Rep. Tim Ryan 'urges' Energy Department to approve Lordstown Motors loan - In a tweet, Congressman Tim Ryan said that, "Yesterday, my colleagues and I urged the Department of @ENERGY to approve @LordstownMotors ' application for a loan so they can start manufacturing electric vehicles in Northeast Ohio." The Lordstown Complex was a General Motors automobile factory in Lordstown, Ohio.Reference Link

13:08 EST Southwest sees Q2 capacity up no more than 2%

12:55 EST Southwest says 'in no way walking away' from long-haul flying

12:43 EST Southwest says 'surprised' by Boeing's June-July predictions about ungrounding -

12:37 EST TransAct Technologies ends dividend to accelerate BOHA! investments - TransAct Technologies earlier today announced today that its board has ceased, effective immediately, the quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock. The decision will make available approximately $2.7M annually to "accelerate the company's investments in the sales and marketing and continued product development of the BOHA! ecosystem," TransAct said in a statement. Bart Shuldman, CEO of TransAct, commented, "We are really excited about the growing BOHA! opportunities and the dividend savings will allow us to invest in additional salespeople and marketing initiatives to accelerate revenue growth. Given the growing sales opportunities in the Convenience Store, Casino, University and Colleges and Food Service Management markets, we have also decided to change the name of Restaurant Solutions to Food Safety Technologies to better reflect the larger opportunity for BOHA!." Shares of TransAct are down 45c to $10.70 in midday trading.

12:36 EST Southwest says timing of MAX ungrounding 'uncertain' - Comments taken from the Q4 earnings conference call.

12:06 EST Tonix Pharmaceuticals jumps after announcing TNX-801 presentation at ASM - Earlier today, Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced that it will be presenting preclinical results of TNX-801 in a poster at the 2020 ASM Biothreats Conference. The meeting is being held January 28-30 in Arlington, Va. Shares of clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Tonix Pharmaceuticals are up over 8% or 10c per share to $1.42 per share in midday trading on Thursday.

12:00 EST Briggs & Stratton falls -9.5% - Briggs & Stratton is down -9.5%, or -56c to $5.31.

12:00 EST GasLog Partners falls -11.2% - GasLog Partners is down -11.2%, or -$1.60 to $12.68.

12:00 EST Rafael Holdings rises 8.0% - Rafael Holdings is up 8.0%, or $1.66 to $22.37.

11:54 EST Network-1 confirms favorable appeals court ruling in Facebook patent suit - Network-1 Technologies (NTIP) announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its decision finding in favor of the company in the appeal by the company's wholly-owned subsidiary Mirror Worlds Technologies of a summary judgment decision in favor of Facebook (FB) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In its Opinion, the Federal Circuit reversed the summary judgment finding that Mirror Worlds presented sufficient evidence in response to Facebook's motion for summary judgment, that the "sole basis for the grant of summary judgment" was erroneous and remanded the litigation to the Southern District of New York for further proceedings. The Opinion also rejected Facebook's "alternative grounds" for supporting the District Court's erroneously entered judgment, the company said. On May 9, 2017, Mirror Worlds Technologies initiated litigation against Facebook in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,006,227, U.S. Patent No. 7,865,538 and U.S. Patent No. 8,255,439. The lawsuit alleged that the asserted patents are infringed by Facebook's core technologies that enable Facebook's Newsfeed and Timeline features. The lawsuit further alleged that Facebook's unauthorized use of the stream-based solutions of the company's asserted patents has helped Facebook become the most popular social networking site in the world. The company is seeking, among other things, monetary damages based upon reasonable royalties.

11:44 EST European Commission approves ZF's acquisition of Wabco - The European Commission announced that it has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Wabco by Friedrichshafen AG. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area. The Commission's investigation found that the transaction is unlikely to hinder effective competition in the markets for transmission systems, clutches for air compressors, control levelling valves for cabin air suspension systems and automated driver assistance solutions. Reference Link

11:38 EST Paradox CSO says 'Europa Universalis' subscription testing 'still an experiment' - In response to a query on Paradox Interactive's reported testing of a strategy game subscription service for "Europa Universalis IV," Paradox chief strategy officer Kim Nordstrom provided the following statement to The Fly: "Paradox's games enjoy a much longer period of updates and ongoing development than many others on the market, and we've traditionally supported this with premium content and expansions, sold separately at retail. While this method has served our players well, after a game has been around for this long (six years in the case of EU4), the amount of premium content adds up and presents a barrier to entry for new players. This subscription experiment is just one method we are considering as a solution to this issue; we're always looking at emerging services and platforms that our players may prefer. We have, for example, announced that Crusader Kings III will appear on Xbox Game Pass for PC at launch, in addition to our usual retail options. At present, this is still merely an experiment, and we will not define any specific service plans until we have taken the time to evaluate them properly."

11:27 EST Janssen announces EC approval for expanded use of Stelara in young children - Earlier, the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced that the European Commission has approved the expanded use of Stelara for the treatment of pediatric patients ages 6-11 with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. "Ustekinumab was previously approved for use in adolescent and adult patients with plaque psoriasis, aged 12 years and older, and is now the first available biologic treatment in this patient population to selectively address the IL-23/IL-12 pathway, an important therapeutic target for the condition," the company stated.

11:11 EST Freeport McMoRan considering selling non-core assets

11:02 EST Appeals court reverses district court judgment in Network-1 fight with Facebook - The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that it agrees with Mirror Worlds that a district court's summary judgment of non-infringement must be reversed. "The district court relied for its decision on an erroneous conclusion that there is no genuine dispute about certain facts. Facebook defends the summary judgment on alternative grounds. We will not affirm on those alternative grounds," the appeals court wrote in a ruling posted to its website. The appeals court reversed the district court's judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings. Mirror Worlds Technologies, a unit of Network-1 Technologies (NTIP), owns U.S. Patent Nos. 6,006,227, 7,865,538, and 8,255,439, which describe and claim systems and methods for presenting and storing data in time-ordered streams on a computer system. Mirror Worlds alleges that Facebook's (FB) making, selling, using, and other actions involving various Facebook systems infringed the '227, '538, and '439 patents.

10:47 EST JetBlue says difficult to forecast length of Puerto Rico revenue impact

10:39 EST Freeport McMoRan CFO sees adding over 1B lbs. of copper to market by FY22

10:36 EST Freeport McMoRan sees FY21 sales of 4.3B lbs copper, 1.4M gold oz

10:34 EST Freeport McMoRan sees FY20 sales of 3.5B lbs copper, 800,000 gold oz - Sees Q1 sales of 725M lbs copper, 105,000 gold oz. Sees Q2 sales of 850M lbs copper, 180,000 gold oz. Sees Q3 sales of 915M lbs copper, 205,000 gold oz. Sees Q4 sales of 990M lbs copper, 285,000 gold oz. Guidance provided in Q4 earnings presentation slides.

10:29 EST Enochian Biosciences Inc trading resumes

10:24 EST Enochian Biosciences Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:19 EST Kimberly-Clark to start up approximately 20 new assets globally in 2020 - Kimberly-Clark CFO Maria Henry said on the company's Q4 earnings call that the company has announced seven of the approximately 10 facilities that it expects to close or sell and taken action on six of those. "In 2020, we will start up approximately 20 new assets globally, which is roughly twice the level of activity that we would have in a typical year," stated Henry. The company is "about 70% to 75% of the way through" pretax charges and workforce reductions, while cash payments related to restructuring are about 65% complete, Henry added. So far, the company has generated $300M of savings compared to its total program target of $500M-$550M by the end of 2021, the CFO said.

10:18 EST JetBlue sees strong sequential RASM improvement in domestic, LatAm markets in Q1

10:09 EST JetBlue sees double digit growth in ancillary revenue per customer

10:06 EST Webster Financial sees 1Q20 NIM up 1-3bps vs. 4Q19 - Sees Q1 net interest income up $2M-$4M vs. 4Q19. Sees Q1 noninterest income up $1M-$3M vs. Q4. Sees Q1 efficiency ratio about 58%. Sees Q1 average loans up 1%-2%, tax rate 22%-23%. Comments from slides being presented on the Q4 earnings conference call.

10:02 EST Medtronic reports FDA approval for trial of PulseSelect PFA system - Medtronic announced that it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with an investigational device exemption, or IDE, trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the PulseSelect Pulsed Field Ablation System, a new technology that uses pulsed electric fields to treat atrial fibrillation. First procedures in the trial were performed in December 2019 by Bradley Wilsmore, M.D., at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia and in January by Atul Verma, M.D., the principal investigator for the study, at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Canada. PULSED AF is a prospective, multi-center, non-randomized, unblinded and worldwide study that will enroll patients who will be treated with the Medtronic PulseSelect PFA System.

10:01 EST BAE Systems awarded prime position on $34.9M contract from U.S. Navy - The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a prime position on a five-year, $34.9M indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide life cycle sustainment and technical support for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. The contract was awarded through the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Contracting Office.

09:47 EST VF Corp. falls -7.0% - VF Corp. is down -7.0%, or -$6.62 to $87.94.

09:47 EST Freeport McMoRan falls -8.3% - Freeport McMoRan is down -8.3%, or -$1.02 to $11.30.

09:47 EST Britannia Bulk rises 7.3% - Britannia Bulk is up 7.3%, or 31c to $4.61.

09:34 EST JetBlue sees FY20 CapEx $1.35B-$1.55B, Q1 CapEx $325M-$425M

09:32 EST JetBlue says 'managing' A3210neo delays - JetBlue (JBLU) says in slides being presented on its Q4 earnings conference call that it is "managing" A321neo (EADSY) delays. The company expects a maximum of 11 deliveries and one A220 deliver in 2020. JetBlue says Fare Options 2.0 performing "as expected." Says commercial initiatives expected to add ~3 points to underlying RASM trends during 2020.

09:22 EST Verso's proposed Pixelle transaction recommended by Glass Lewis, ISS - Verso announced that independent proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis joins ISS in recommending that Verso stockholders vote for the company's pending sale of its Androscoggin and Stevens Point mills to Pixelle Specialty Solutions at the company's stockholder meeting on January 31. Glass Lewis stated: "We find that the proposed sale of Verso's Specialty Mills to Pixelle is a generally reasonable transaction that appears to be in the best interests of Verso shareholders (...) we believe the board has taken generally reasonable steps to evaluate potential alternatives prior to entering into the sale agreement with Pixelle (...)" While Glass Lewis recommended that stockholders vote for the election of Atlas/Blue Wolf's nominee, Sean T. Erwin, whose appointment to the Board was included in multiple settlement constructs proposed by the Verso Board, Glass Lewis did not recommend the remaining two dissident nominees:"We do not believe the election of the remaining Dissident Nominees [Jeffrey E. Kirt and Timothy Lowe] is warranted given their potential conflicts of interest and relationship with ABW. Moreover, we are hesitant to afford ABW outsize board representation at this time in light of its demonstrated interest in a potential transaction involving Verso and its recent attempts to take control of the company."

09:18 EST Karuna drops 18% to $94.50 after PureTech sells 2.1M shares

09:15 EST Inuvo issue IntentKey updates amid changes to browser functionality - Inuvo issued IntentKey updates in light of recently announced changes to browser functionality that could impact the future of online marketing over the next 24 months. "Browser developers are struggling to balance how to provide enhanced consumer privacy without damaging the content providers and advertisers that fund and/or contribute to the online experience," commented Richard Howe, Inuvo CEO. "At Inuvo, we advocate for responsible marketing and the anonymization of consumer information. These are principles our technologies have always been designed to meet. The browser changes announced last week do not appear to require any significant adaptation of our core technologies nor corporate strategy."

09:12 EST Usio announces continued expansion, adoption of payment platforms - Usio announced continued expansion and adoption of its payment platforms. Bright Trip, a web-based software solution that offers online video courses and downloadable content for global travelers, has adopted the Company's PayFac-in-a-Box to facilitate transactions across its robust content platform. The Hula Bowl, airs on CBS this Sunday, January 26th, and one of college football's most prestigious Bowl Games, has chosen Usio to provide branded Mastercards to manage the disbursement of funds to participants, players and coaches. These agreements represent Usio's continued strategic expansion and penetration of SaaS-based applications and prepaid card issuance.

09:11 EST Turning Point Therapeutics appoints Garry Nicholson to board of directors - Turning Point Therapeutics announced the appointment of Garry Nicholson to its board of directors. Mr. Nicholson currently serves as chairman of the board for G1 Therapeutics. Mr. Nicholson will serve on the compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees.

09:11 EST Xerox to nominate full slate of directors for election at HP Inc. annual meeting

09:10 EST Comtech awarded $14.2M multi-year contract extension - Comtech announced it was awarded a multi-year contract extension totaling an estimated $14.2M to provide enhanced 9-1-1 services to a U.S. wireless telecommunications carrier. As part of this contract extension, Comtech's VoWiFi E9-1-1 emergency call routing service, which includes emergency services gateway service and the emergency response center, will support the continued growth of this carrier's national subscriber base.

09:08 EST Trans World announces agreement to sell FYE segment for $10M - Trans World Entertainment announced today that it has entered into a definitive Asset Purchase Agreement with a subsidiary of Sunrise Records and Entertainment, the parent of Sunrise Records in Canada and HMV Records in the United Kingdom, to sell substantially all of the assets of the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Record Town, for $10M in cash, subject to a net inventory and other adjustments, plus the assumption of certain liabilities. The Transaction follows a process in which the Company's board of directors explored strategic alternatives available to the Company. The Transaction was unanimously approved by the Company's board of directors. The Transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions set forth in the purchase agreement, including the receipt of certain third party consents and the approval by at least two-thirds of the Company's stockholders. The Company will call and hold a stockholders' meeting seeking to obtain this approval. The Company will continue to operate its business in the ordinary course until the Transaction closes, and thereafter Sunrise anticipates keeping substantially all of the current FYE employees. Following the closing, the Company plans to focus on the operation of its wholly owned subsidiary, etailz, Inc.

09:06 EST Synchrony, Verizon partner to offer credit card - Synchrony (SYF) and Verizon (VZ) announced a partnership in which Synchrony will become the exclusive provider of Verizon's co-branded consumer credit card. Together, the companies will launch the first credit card designed specifically for Verizon customers. The new Verizon credit card from Synchrony is expected to launch during the first half of 2020.

09:06 EST Lowe's to offer Honda power equipment products - Lowe's (LOW) and Honda Power Equipment, a business unit of American Honda Motor Co. (HMC) are pleased to announce that Lowe's will be a new destination for Honda's high-quality line of outdoor power equipment. Honda products are now available on Lowes.com and rolling out to stores nationwide over the next few weeks, broadening customers' access to top-rated outdoor power equipment. Lowe's will offer a range of Honda outdoor power products, including walk-behind lawn mowers, generators, snow blowers, tillers, pumps and string trimmers for residential and commercial applications.

09:02 EST Columbia Banking announces special cash dividend of 22c per share - Columbia will pay a regular cash dividend of 28c per common share and a special cash dividend of 22c per common share on February 19 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 5.

08:54 EST American Airlines: 2020 capacity growth to be lower than 4%-5% until MAX returns

08:53 EST MoneyGram launches account deposit service in Egypt - MoneyGram has entered into a strategic partnership with Suez Canal Bank, a financial institution that will enable MoneyGram customers from around the world to send money directly to bank accounts in Egypt. MoneyGram now has access to the bank's wide network of correspondent banks throughout the world.

08:53 EST American Airlines sees CASM ex-fuel up 2%-4% in Q1 - Sees Q1 y/y TRASM flat to up 2%.

08:50 EST Comcast says sees 'higher' video subscriber losses in 2020 - Comments taken from the Q4 earnings conference call.

08:48 EST Medtronic launches Efficio cloud-based data management software - Medtronic announced the launch of Efficio, a cloud-based data management software for use with the SynchroMed II intrathecal drug delivery system, that will allow clinicians to more efficiently manage their targeted drug delivery pump practices to treat patients with chronic pain, cancer pain and severe spasticity. Efficio management software allows clinicians to manage patients' pumps with greater efficiency and ease by consolidating, organizing and providing visual summaries of patient data from the clinician programmer in a secure cloud environment accessible at anytime, anywhere. Efficio connects individual patient measures and dosing trends, which can help clinicians unlock powerful therapy management insights. Additional benefits include the ability to proactively schedule patient appointments, facilitate prescription drug order tracking for pump refills, and printing reports on-demand. With Efficio, clinicians can manage patient data without the use of spreadsheets and easily export data into their electronic medical records systems as appropriate.

08:46 EST Farmer Bros. appoints Christopher Mottern as chairman of the board - Farmer Bros. announced that its Board of Directors has named Christopher Mottern as Board Chairman, effective January 22, 2020. Mr. Mottern, who has served as a director on the Farmer Brothers Board since 2013, succeeds Randy Clark, who will continue to serve as a director of the Company. Mottern was appointed to Farmer Brothers' Board in 2013 and recently served as Interim CEO of Farmer Brothers from May 7, 2019 until October 31, 2019. In addition, Hamideh Assadi has resigned from the Board for personal reasons, effective immediately. Following these changes, the Board comprises seven people, six of whom are independent. The Board committee chairs are as follows: Allison Boersma, Chair of the Audit Committee; David Ritterbush, Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee; Chuck Marcy, Chair of the Compensation Committee.

08:43 EST Performant Financial regains continued listing standard compliance with Nasdaq - Performant Financial announced that it received a letter dated January 22, 2020 from the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the Company that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Rule 5450(a)(1) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and that Nasdaq considers the matter closed.

08:42 EST ToughBuilt Industries Inc trading halted, news pending

08:41 EST American Airlines says to reassess timeline for MAX return to flying

08:41 EST Macy's and Zola launch wedding registry partnership - Macy's and Zola, a one-stop-site for couples getting married, launched a wedding registry partnership. Engaged couples can now register for over 2,000 of Macy's private brand and gifts directly on Zola. The technology developed as part of this partnership allows Macy's to fulfill the orders placed directly on Zola.

08:40 EST Onconova regains rigosertib rights in Greater China - Onconova Therapeutics announced that it has regained the rights to rigosertib in Greater China. Onconova regained the rights from HanX Biopharmaceuticals as a result of the termination of the Onconova-HanX License Agreement pursuant to its terms due to HanX failing to make required payments under the agreement. In exchange for transition assistance and upon further regulatory, development and commercial progress in Greater China, HanX may be eligible to receive from Onconova incentive milestones and royalty payments. The Greater China territory, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, represents one of the key world pharmaceutical markets.

08:38 EST National Energy Services enters MOU with Gradiant Energy Services - Gradiant Energy Services, or GES, announced today that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, with National Energy Services. The MOU sets forth the terms and understanding between both companies to deploy GES' technologies and equipment in the MENA region where NESR operates. Both companies are set to join efforts to bring GES unique water technical solution capabilities leveraging NESR's strong operational reputation, footprint and resources in the Middle East and Asia.

08:36 EST American Airlines: Shareholders to be 'adequately compensated' in Boeing deal - American Airlines (AAL) CEO Doug Parker says Boeing (BA) settlement reflects priority to ensure American shareholders are adequately compensated.

08:21 EST Agraflora Organics receives controlled drug license in UK - AgraFlora Organics International announced that Farmako GmbH, through its wholly owned subsidiary Farmako Limited has received its Home Office Controlled Drug License. Farmako Limited was awarded the License less than one month following the successful completion of its inspection by the UK Home Office in December 2019. Having obtained the License, Farmako Limited intends to commence wholesaling medical cannabis in the UK by mid-year 2020, including the importation of Bedrocan products from the Netherlands to the UK for patient distribution.

08:14 EST Meridian Bioscience launches high-fidelity polymerase - Meridian Bioscience announced the launch of a High-Specificity Pfu HS Mix that not only provides high-fidelity amplification, but also offers market-leading amplification for companion diagnostic and clinical testing. High-fidelity amplification is essential for applications whose outcome depends upon the correct DNA sequence, such as next generation sequencing, cloning, and genotyping. However, results from such amplifications can be compromised by a DNA polymerase incapable of evenly amplifying diverse types of sequences or if samples contain inhibitors. The Life Science Division of Meridian Bioscience has addressed these challenges by developing High-Specificity Pfu HS Mix as a high-fidelity amplification solution, with market leading properties in terms of inhibitor resistance, multiplexing and low GC bias.

08:12 EST CytoDyn appoints Maura Fleming as VP, general counsel, corporate secretary - CytoDyn announced the appointment of Maura Fleming as the Company's vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Before joining CytoDyn, Ms. Fleming served as counsel for Holland & Hart LLP, where she was responsible for providing legal expertise and contract management services across technology, natural foods and beverages, manufacturing, natural resources and various other industries.

08:10 EST Envision Solar says City of Madison approves soul source purchase of EV ARC - Envision Solar International announced that on January 21st the City Council of Madison, Wisconsin voted to pass a resolution authorizing the City to execute a noncompetitive purchase for a one year term with four one year renewal options to Envision. The true soul source tender was approved because Envision Solar is the only manufacturer of a product meeting the EV ARC units' capabilities and specifications. With assistance from a grant award from the Wisconsin State Office of Energy Innovation and MG&E, the City of Madison is purchasing 20 electric vehicles and intends to have 27 total EVs in 2020. In March of 2019, the Madison City Council adopted recommendations that will move the city toward 100 percent renewable energy and zero net carbon emissions by 2030.

08:09 EST Merchants Bancorp announces executive team promotions - Merchants Bancorp announces changes to its executive team. Michael Dunlap has been promoted to CEO of Merchants Bank and Chairman of Merchants Capital, assuming such positions from Merchants Bancorp CEO Michael Petrie. Dunlap will also continue to serve as President of Merchants Bank, a position he has held since 2014, and President and COO of Merchants Bancorp, a position he has held since 2017. Dunlap joined Merchants Bank as Senior VP of Mortgage Banking in 2009. Michael Dury has been promoted to CEO of Merchants Capital, assuming such position from Petrie. Dury will also continue to serve as President of Merchants Capital, a position he has held since 2017. Dury has been with Merchants Capital since July 2007 in various capacities. Mathew Wambua has been promoted to Vice Chairman of Merchants Capital. Wambua has served as Executive VP and Head of Agency Lending since joining Merchants Capital in 2017. Prior to joining Merchants Capital, Wambua served as the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development .

08:09 EST Jounce Therapeutics appoints Robert Iannone to board of directors - Jounce Therapeutics (JNCE) announced the appointment of Robert Iannone, M.D., M.S.C.E., to its board of directors. Dr. Iannone serves as the executive vice president, research and development of Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ), which he joined in May 2019.

08:07 EST comScore names Carol Hinnant as Chief Revenue Officer - Comscore announced Carol Hinnant, a 15-year Comscore executive, has been promoted to Chief Revenue Officer. Hinnant will guide Comscore's revenue-generating operations across the global digital, television, and cross-platform business, and will serve as a member of the company's executive leadership team reporting to Chris Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer.

08:05 EST Union Pacific CEO calls volume environment 'challenging' - "Given the challenging volume environment, we leveraged strong productivity to deliver solid financial results including the third consecutive quarter with an operating ratio below 60 percent," said Lance Fritz, Union Pacific chairman, president and CEO. "The work our employees are doing as part of Unified Plan 2020 has been transformational and key to providing a safe, reliable and consistent service product for our customers. While we are pleased with our progress in providing a highly consistent, reliable and efficient service product for our customers, we must improve our safety results. As always, we remain focused on growing the business and improving margins while driving shareholder returns."

08:02 EST Union Pacific reports Q4 operating ratio 59.7%, up 1.9 points y/y

07:51 EST Match Group invests, partners with Noonlight - Match Group announced that it has invested in and partnered with Noonlight, "a first-of-its-kind safety company that provides emergency response services and personal safety products." Match Group plans to roll out Noonlight's advanced technology to U.S. users across its various brands, beginning with Tinder on January 28. This partnership is part of Match Group's ongoing commitment to invest in the latest technology to empower users to keep themselves safer on and offline. Match Group brands will leverage Noonlight's proprietary technology and APIs to power new safety features, enabling users to access emergency services and transmit highly accurate location data within the Noonlight app, without requiring a 911 phone call or the ability to talk or text. This service makes personal emergency services easily available for a mobile-first audience. Match Group will become the first dating company to invest in an emergency response service, allowing Tinder users in the U.S. to have help sent directly to them via Noonlight. Other Match Group U.S. brands will be integrating Noonlight onto their platforms in the coming months.

07:42 EST Webster Financial reports Q4 net interest margin 3.27%

07:38 EST Kimberly-Clark CEO says 'we remain very optimistic about our opportunities' - Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu said, "Our fourth quarter results capped off a year of excellent progress at Kimberly-Clark. For the full year of 2019, we delivered 4 percent growth in organic sales and in adjusted earnings per share, both ahead of our original outlook for the year. We also achieved strong margin improvements, generated $425 million of cost savings and returned $2.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. At the same time, we launched innovations, pursued our growth priorities and increased our investments behind our brands and in capabilities to position us for longer-term success. Overall, I'm encouraged by our progress in the first year of executing K-C Strategy 2022." Hsu continued, "Looking ahead, our plan for 2020 is to deliver top- and bottom-line growth consistent with our medium-term financial objectives while continuing to increase our growth investments and allocate capital in shareholder-friendly ways. We remain very optimistic about our opportunities to deliver balanced and sustainable growth and create long-term shareholder value."

07:36 EST Primoris announces heavy civil award valued over $54M - Primoris Services announced a new award valued over $54M. The contract was secured by Primoris Heavy Civil, part of the Civil segment. The project was awarded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and is located in southern Louisiana. The project involves site clearing, removal of bridge components, grading, drainage, pavement, precast concrete piles, bridges, concrete roadway barrier, signs, lighting and intelligent transportation systems. Work is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2020 and to be completed in the third quarter of 2022.

07:34 EST Enterprise Products begins operations at new Bulldog cryogenic plant in Texas - Enterprise Products announced that it recently began operations at its new Bulldog cryogenic natural gas processing plant in Panola County, Texas. The facility has the capability to process 200M cubic feet per day, or MMcf/d, of natural gas, and extract up to 12,000 barrels per day, or BPD, of natural gas liquids, or NGL. Combined with Enterprise's existing Panola cryogenic facility, this new plant gives the company the capacity to process a total of 320 MMcf/d and produce in excess of 18,000 BPD of NGLs within the region. The Bulldog plant is currently running near 100% of its capacity and is integral to helping facilitate continued growth of natural gas production from the Cotton Valley and Haynesville formations in East Texas and Louisiana. The Bulldog plant is a complement to the Enterprise value chain as NGLs produced at the plant will be transported on the Panola Pipeline to Mont Belvieu, Texas for fractionation services. Residue gas from the tailgate of the Bulldog plant will have connectivity with Enterprise's North Texas Intrastate pipeline system, along with other major pipelines and markets in the East Texas - Carthage area. The Bulldog plant fully integrates Enterprise's existing Fairplay gathering system with the BTA gathering system, which was acquired in 2017.

07:33 EST American Air says has removed all MAX from its schedule through June 3 - On March 13, 2019, a directive from the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all U.S.-registered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. American's fleet currently includes 24 MAX aircraft with an additional 76 aircraft on order. As a result of this directive, American canceled approximately 10,000 flights in the fourth quarter of 2019. The company has removed all MAX flying from its flight schedule through June 3, 2020, and will continue to asses this timeline.

07:32 EST Kimberly-Clark raises quarterly dividend 3.9% for 2020

07:14 EST Strata receives 510(k) clearance for XTRAC Momentum 308nm Excimer Laser System - STRATA Skin Sciences announced the new U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for the Company's XTRAC Momentum Excimer Laser System, Model AL10000 platform. The XTRAC excimer laser delivers a highly targeted therapeutic beam of UVB light and is cleared to treat psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema, atopic dermatitis and leukoderma - skin diseases that impact over 35 million patients in the United States alone. The different platforms offer clinical providers functionality and usability to support the thousands of domestic and international devices.

07:11 EST Summit Therapeutics says BARDA expands ridinilazole award by $8.8M - Summit Therapeutics announces that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has expanded its award for the clinical and regulatory development of Summit's precision antibiotic ridinilazole for the treatment of C. difficile infection by $8.8M. The additional funding is being provided to support a new clinical trial in adolescent patients and brings the total value of the award to up to $72.5M. The adolescent clinical trial is expected to support a New Drug Application for ridinilazole and also form part of a package of work with the potential to provide an additional six months market exclusivity for ridinilazole in the US and Europe. The total committed funding from the BARDA award under Contract No. HHS0100201700014C is now $62.4M, with one final option of $10.1M remaining to be exercised at BARDA's sole discretion. The final option provides funding support for potential applications for marketing approvals of ridinilazole. The BARDA contract provides for a cost-sharing arrangement with the committed funding drawn down over a specified development period.

07:10 EST Applied Genetic reports six-month data from Phase 1/2 trials in achromatopsia - Applied Genetic Technologies reported interim six-month data from the dose-escalation cohorts of its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical programs in patients with achromatopsia due to mutation in the ACHM CNGB3 or ACHM CNGA3 genes. The interim results from both studies demonstrate encouraging signs of biologic activity and a favorable safety profile. The company plans to report data from additional dose groups, age groups and time-points in the second half of 2020. The data reported are from 22 patients who have been dosed in the initial groups of the trials, comprising 13 patients in the ACHM CNGB3 trial and 9 patients in the ACHM CNGA3 trial. Data from both trials continue to demonstrate a favorable safety profile with no dose-limiting inflammatory responses observed. These data also demonstrate encouraging signs of biologic activity, as shown by positive changes in light discomfort testing and encouraging patient anecdotes describing real-world improvements in visual function. The company is currently dosing two higher dose groups in adults and three groups of pediatric patients at the three highest dose groups in both trials. The company will use the additional data, which is expected to be available in the second half of 2020, to inform decision-making regarding readiness to move the product candidates to pivotal trials.

07:09 EST Comcast reports Q4 Cable Communications revenue up 2.6% to $14.8B - Revenue for Cable Communications increased 2.6% to $14.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019, driven primarily by increases in high-speed internet, business services and wireless revenue, partially offset by a decrease in advertising revenue. High-speed internet revenue increased 8.8%, driven by an increase in the number of residential high-speed internet customers and rate adjustments. Business services revenue increased 8.8%, due to an increase in the number of customers receiving our services and an increase in average rates. Wireless revenue increased 39.4%, primarily reflecting an increase in the number of customer lines. Advertising revenue decreased 19.1%, reflecting a decrease in political advertising revenue. Excluding political advertising revenue, advertising revenue was consistent with the prior year period.

07:08 EST Procter & Gamble down 3.2% after reporting Q2 results

07:07 EST Comcast increases dividend 10% to 92c per share on an annualized basis - Comcast said that it increased its dividend by 8c to 92c per share on an annualized basis, up 10% year-over-year. In accordance with the increase, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 23c a share on the company's common stock, payable on April 22, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 1, 2020.

07:03 EST Sito Mobile names Scott Kauffman as Interim CEO - Sito Mobile announced the appointment of Scott Kauffman as the company's new Interim CEO. Prior to joining Sito Mobile, Kauffman was the Chairman & CEO of New York based MDC Partners, a publicly-traded global advertising agency holding company.

06:59 EST Travelers reports Q4 consolidated combined ratio of 92.4% - Fourth quarter consolidated combined ratio of 92.4% improved by 5.1 points; underlying combined ratio of 92.1%. Fourth quarter net written premiums of $7.075 B, up 6%; record full year net written premiums of $29.151B, up 5%; both periods reflect growth in all segments.

06:54 EST Pfizer's Greenstone to provide generic Viagra to digital men's health clinic - Pfizer's wholly owned subsidiary Greenstone, Upjohn's U.S.-based generics business and Roman, a digital healthcare clinic for men, announced a supply agreement to offer Roman members access to the only FDA-approved authorized generic version of Viagra. A division of the direct-to-patient telehealth company Ro, Roman provides patients access to a nationwide digital doctor's office and online pharmacy for certain men's health conditions through an integrated platform. Greenstone manufactures sildenafil citrate, a prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction. Under the agreement, Roman's generic sildenafil citrate offering will be sourced exclusively from Greenstone and manufactured in the same European facilities as branded Viagra - at no additional cost to members.

06:50 EST Sierra Metals sees FY20 EBITA $109M-$126M

06:48 EST Southwest ended FY19 with 747 aircraft in fleet - Southwest (LUV) ended 2019 with 747 aircraft in its fleet, including 3 leased 737 MAX 8 aircraft delivered in 2019 prior to the MAX groundings. All 34 of the company's 737 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded as of March 13, 2019, to comply with the FAA emergency order issued for all U.S. airlines to ground all MAX aircraft. The company's 41 MAX aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2019, as of the time of the MAX groundings, have not been delivered, and Boeing (BA) is not currently manufacturing or delivering new MAX aircraft. As the company previously communicated, 7 of its originally planned 18 retirements in 2019 were deferred to future years to cover a portion of the fleet deficit created by the MAX groundings. The company retired 6 Boeing 737-700 aircraft in 2019, compared with its most recent plan to retire 11 total, with 5 retirements shifting to 2020. Upon a rescission of the FAA order to ground the MAX fleet, the company will work closely with Boeing and the FAA to safely reintroduce the 34 MAX 8 aircraft currently in its fleet and take delivery of the 27 MAX 8 aircraft currently produced and being held in storage by Boeing. Based on Boeing's recent guidance, the company is currently including these 61 aircraft in its 2020 fleet planning assumptions. The company also currently expects to retire 16 737-700 aircraft in 2020, including 5 retirements that shifted from 2019. Additional information regarding the company's aircraft delivery schedule is included in the accompanying tables. The company's fourth quarter 2019 available seat miles decreased 0.9 percent, year-over-year. Annual 2019 available seat miles decreased 1.6 percent, year-over-year, which was significantly lower than the company's original plan to grow capacity nearly 5 percent in 2019, due to the impact of the MAX groundings and resulting fleet deficit. Based on the company's MAX-related flight schedule adjustments through June 6, the company currently expects its first quarter 2020 year-over-year capacity to decrease in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 percent. Based on continued uncertainty regarding the MAX return to service that could materially impact current and future flight schedules, the company is unable to provide annual 2020 available seat mile guidance at this time. Regulatory approval of MAX return to service is subject to Boeing's ongoing work with the FAA, whose timetables and directives will determine the timing of MAX return to service. The company offers no assurances that current estimations and timelines are correct. Any changes to current estimations could result in additional flight schedule adjustments and reductions beyond June 6, 2020, further delays in aircraft deliveries, and additional financial damages. The company continues to plan for multiple MAX return to service scenarios.

06:41 EST Teekay Offshore Partners to rebrand as 'Altera Infrastructure' - Teekay Offshore Partners announced that, effective January 22, Brookfield Business Partners, together with certain of its affiliates and institutional partners, has completed its acquisition by merger of all of the outstanding publicly held and listed common units representing limited partner interests of the Partnership held by parties other than the Brookfield Consortium pursuant to the agreement and plan of merger among the Partnership, Teekay Offshore GP, the general partner of the Partnership, and certain members of the Brookfield Consortium. The Partnership also announced certain changes to the Board of Directors and that following the closing of the Merger and the completion of the Partnership's separation from Teekay Corporation, the Partnership plans to change its name to Altera Infrastructure L.P. and to rebrand its consolidated group of companies under the new umbrella of Altera Infrastructure.

06:39 EST Southwest sees Q1 CASM ex-items 6%-8% - Based on current cost trends, Southwest expects Q1 CASM, excluding fuel and oil expense and profitsharing expense, to increase in the range of 6%-8%, year-over-year. This outlook includes an estimated seven point year-over-year unit cost headwind in first quarter 2020 driven by lower first quarter 2020 capacity as a result of the ongoing MAX groundings, which includes the impact of unabsorbed overhead that will be utilized upon the MAX return to service. It also includes one to two points of inflation primarily due to higher salaries, wages, and benefits; maintenance expense; and operating expenses related to investments in technology and facilities. This inflation was substantially offset by tailwinds in first quarter 2020 due to the non-recurring first quarter 2019 costs associated with the company's ratified labor agreement with its Mechanics and costs associated with unscheduled maintenance disruptions and related flight cancellations.

06:36 EST Applied Industrial Technologies CEO says 'tepid demand industry-wide' - Commenting on the results, Applied's President & CEO Neil Schrimsher said, "We are executing on our earnings commitments midway through fiscal 2020 despite tepid demand industry-wide, and are on track to achieve record free cash flow. In the current slow environment, we remain focused on expense control, leveraging our technical and cross-selling capabilities, and pursuing M&A that enhances our earnings and return potential long term. As we enter the second half of our fiscal year, we expect ongoing benefits from these internal initiatives. That said, end-market demand remains challenging and uncertain, with our recent quarter impacted by an unusually slow December. While likely impacted by typical seasonal variability this time of year, we expect subdued industry demand to persist near-term as customers slowly rebound from an evolving trade and industrial production backdrop. Our track record of cost control and cash generation is once again apparent and key in this type of environment, while our leading technical position across motion control, fluid power, flow control, and automation provides significant and differentiated long-term growth potential."

06:34 EST Applied Industrial Technologies raises quarterly dividend to 32c per share - Payable on February 28 to shareholders of record on February 14. This represents the 11th dividend increase since 2010.

06:26 EST National Vision extends duration of Walmart agreement, adds new centers - In a regulatory 8-K filing released yesterday, National Vision (EYE) and Walmart (WMT) have amended their Management & Services Agreement. The new Agreement continues until February 23, 2021 and will automatically renew for an additional three year term "unless, no later than July 23, 2020, one Party gives the other Party written notice of non-renewal." The new Agreement also adds 5 new centers in Georgia to the partnership.

06:11 EST Armada Hoffler to develop new urban mixed-use project in uptown Charlotte - Armada Hoffler will be the majority partner in a joint venture to develop Ten Tryon, a new 215,000 square foot urban mixed-use project located in Uptown Charlotte's Fourth Ward, known as the North Tryon area. The project will be a part of the larger North Tryon Vision Plan that is geared towards developing and sustaining growth in the North Tryon area. The new 15-story building is expected to be designed to LEED standards. Total development and construction costs for Ten Tryon are expected to approximate $95M. Armada Hoffler Construction Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Armada Hoffler Properties, will serve as the general contractor for the project; the company anticipates breaking ground during Q2 with expected completion in the summer of 2022.

06:07 EST Airbus' Skytra selects Nasdaq to provide technology for derivatives venue - Airbus' (EADSY) wholly owned subsidiary Skytra has selected Nasdaq (NDAQ) to provide the core technology for its derivatives trading venue. Headquartered in London, Skytra was recently established to help the $1T per annum air travel industry hedge its revenue risk through the trading of cash-settled futures and options contracts based on a series of Skytra Price Indices. This is the first time that the industry will have financial risk management instruments available to them specifically to address revenue volatility.

06:01 EST Sensata says Jeffrey Cote to succeed Martha Sullivan as CEO - Sensata Technologies announced that Jeffrey Cote, currently President and COO, will succeed Martha Sullivan as CEO, effective March 1. The company also announced that Cote has been appointed to the Board of Directors, also effective March 1. Cote is a 13-year veteran with Sensata and has served in a number of executive roles with the company.

05:47 EST PTC Therapeutics says pivotal FIREFISH study met primary endpoint - PTC Therapeutics (PTCT) announced positive topline results from part 2 of FIREFISH demonstrating that the study met its primary endpoint of proportion of infants who are sitting without support after 12 months of treatment. The pivotal study assessed the efficacy of risdiplam (RG7916) in infants with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the most severe, infantile onset form of this rare and devastating neuromuscular disease. Risdiplam has been well tolerated and no treatment-related safety findings leading to withdrawal have been observed in any risdiplam trial to date. Data from part 2 of the FIREFISH study will be shared with health authorities globally and will be presented at an upcoming medical congress. The SMA program is a collaboration between PTC, the SMA Foundation, and Roche (RHHBY).

05:32 EST TTEC Holdings announces new contract with Volkswagen Group UK - Holdings announced a new contract win with Volkswagen Group UK, which includes the Audi, SKODA, SEAT, Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands, along with a new contact centre in Leeds to expand UK operations in TTEC's European network. The deal is part of Volkswagen Group UK's five-year digitalisation plan which aims to transform customer experience and drive improved loyalty, retention and advocacy. This also includes increasing the number of channels to deliver a greater customer experience via phone, live chat, messaging, social media and through a virtual showroom/live tour.