Stockwinners Market Radar for February 18, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:46 EST SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 929.84MT from 923.99MT - This is the second consecutive increase and the highest level of holdings since November of 2016.

19:22 EST Merck gets CRL to BLA seeking Keytruda dosing frequency update from FDA - Merck announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a Complete Response Letter regarding Merck's supplemental Biologics License Applications seeking to update the dosing frequency for KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, to include a 400 mg dose infused over 30 minutes every-six-weeks option in multiple indications. The submitted applications are based on pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation data presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. These data supported the European Commission approval of 400 mg Q6W dosing for KEYTRUDA monotherapy indications on March 28, 2019. Merck is reviewing the letter and will discuss next steps with the FDA.

18:28 EST LivePerson CEO: We're leading the pack, we have to innovate - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, LivePerson CEO Rob Locascio discussed the company's recent quarterly results. He said, "We are a growth company. We're going to invest more. We'll do about $16M in innovations this year." Locascio noted that he's always taken a long-term perspective on the company, and that he's trying to grow it organically as opposed to doing it through acquisitions. He mentioned the CFO change was a result of him wanting someone who was a leader in the AI space. He finished by noting that he thinks the conversational space is going to be as big as search and social.

17:51 EST Twitter acquires Chroma Stories app maker Chroma Labs, terms undisclosed - Chroma Labs confirmed: "When we founded Chroma Labs in 2018, we set out to build a company to inspire creativity and help people tell their visual stories. During the past year, we've enabled creators and businesses around the world to create millions of stories with the Chroma Stories app. We're proud of this work, and look forward to continuing our mission at a larger scale - with one of the most important services in the world. As part of this we're shutting down our business, effective immediately. You'll still be able to use the Chroma Stories app to craft amazing stories as long as the app remains installed on your phone, and until there is some breaking change in a future iOS update." Reference Link

17:43 EST Waste Management raises quarterly dividend to 54.5c from 51.25c per share - The dividend is payable March 20, 2020 to stockholders of record on March 6, 2020.

17:16 EST Churchill Downs to invest $5.6M to replace existing track at Turfway Park - Churchill Downs announced plans to invest $5.6M to replace the existing track at Turfway Park with a new Tapeta synthetic track, one of the world's leading surfaces for racing and training, through an agreement with Tapeta Footings, Inc. The removal of Turfway's existing Polytrack and installation of the new Tapeta synthetic track will take place immediately following the close of Turfway's Winter/Spring Meet on March 28 and is expected to be ready for the 2020 Holiday Meet beginning on Dec. 2.

17:00 EST Lone Pine Capital takes 8.2% passive stake in Match Group - Lone Pine Capital disclosed a 8.2% stake in Match Group, which represents over 5.79M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:59 EST Lone Pine Capital takes 5.3% passive stake in L Brands - Lone Pine Capital disclosed a 5.3% stake in L Brands, which represents over 14.6M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:51 EST Vaalco Energy CEO says increased Etame 9H and Etame 11H development wells output - CEO Cary Bounds says: "We believe that the 2019/2020 drilling campaign has been transformational for VAALCO and set us on the path to achieve our ambitious organic growth plans. The campaign overall has been hugely successful and in aggregate towards the upper end of our internal pre-drill expectations. We have significantly increased overall production with the Etame 9H and Etame 11H development wells that were recently drilled from the Etame platform. Both appraisal wellbores we drilled verified the existence of additional hydrocarbon resources that can be converted to proved reserves over time. In addition, we added production from two recent wells at the Etame platform that were brought back online following a subsea repair on the Etame 4H well and a workover on the Etame 10H well. We remain optimistic about our outlook for 2020 and believe that we are well positioned to face the headwinds caused by the recent downward pressure on oil prices. We continue to focus on the matters we can control and remain committed to executing on our strategic plan which includes delivering positive operational results while simultaneously considering complementary M&A opportunities, all with a view to generating long-term value for our shareholders."

16:47 EST Cinedigm closes first tranche of agreement to buy 29% stake in Starrise Media - Cinedigm announced the company has closed on a portion of the transactions contemplated by the stock purchase agreement signed on December 27, 2019 to acquire approximately 29% of the outstanding equity of Chinese entertainment company Starrise Media from two existing holders in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $68M. On February 14, the company closed on the purchase of 162,162,162 Starrise shares and issued 21,646,604 shares of common stock as consideration on February 14 and expects to close on the remainder of the Starrise shares as soon as practicable. Starrise's ordinary shares are listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. In calendar year 2018, Starrise reported approximately $139M in total revenues and gross profits of $31M, a 97% increase from 2017 revenues and 196% increase in gross profits. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of calendar year 2018 were approximately $41M. In the first half of calendar year 2019, the company reported revenues of approximately $67M and gross profits of $19M, a 11% increase in revenues and 104% increase in gross profits. Cash & cash equivalents at the end of the first half of calendar year 2019 were approximately $35M.

16:40 EST National Bank chief administrative officer, general counsel to depart - National Bank (NBHC) announced that Zsolt Bessko, the company's executive VP, chief administrative officer and general counsel, will be leaving the company as of July 1. The company also announced that Angela Petrucci, the company's senior VP and associate general counsel, will become the company's executive VP, chief administrative officer and general counsel, effective July 1. Petrucci has reported directly to Bessko over the past five years, and prior to joining the company, Petrucci was senior corporate matters counsel at Accenture (ACN).

16:33 EST Amedisys reports Q4 adj. EPS 94c, consensus 93c - Reports Q4 revenue $500.68M, consensus $511.55M. Paul Kusserow, chairman, president and CEO stated, "I am very proud of our fourth quarter and year end results as we continued our trend of outperformance this year. We have stayed true to our mission of providing clinically excellent care to our patients no matter where they call home, and it has once again translated into stellar financial results. None of this would be possible without the unwavering dedication of our over 21,000 employees, and I thank each and every one of you for your continued commitment to our patients. We are set up for a great 2020 as we navigate the waters of PDGM, and I look forward to another year of outperformance."

16:32 EST Coeur Mining reports FY20 proven/provable gold reserves of 2.6M oz - Coeur Mining reported its 2019 mineral reserves and resources. Year-end 2019 proven and probable reserves totaled 2.6 million ounces of gold, 182.9 million ounces of silver, 295.4 million pounds of zinc and 196.5 million pounds of lead. Coeur increased its gold price assumption for year-end 2019 reserves from $1,250 per ounce to $1,350 per ounce, while its silver reserve price assumption remained unchanged at $17.00 per ounce. Zinc and lead reserve price assumptions were lowered from $1.25 per pound and $1.00 per pound to $1.15 per pound and $0.95 per pound, respectively.

16:30 EST Blue Apron reports Q4 Orders 1.6M vs. 2.4M last year - Reports Q4 customers 351K vs. 557K last year, Avg order value $58.14 vs. $58.12 last year.

16:29 EST Blue Apron reports Q4 adj. EBITDA down 7% from last year at ($8.3M)

16:27 EST RCI Hospitality not in compliance with NASDAQ listing rule - RCI Hospitality Holdings received on February 13 as anticipated, a letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the company of its continued noncompliance with Listing Rule 5250 requiring the timely filing of reports with the SEC. Nasdaq sent the letter in connection with RCI not filing its Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended December 31, 2019 and its Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019. Nasdaq's letter has no immediate effect on the company's stock listing.

16:24 EST TRI Pointe sees Q1 homes delivered 875-950 - For Q1, the company expects to open 15 new communities and close out of seven communities, which would result in 145 active selling communities as of March 31. In addition, the company anticipates delivering between 875 and 950 homes at an average sales price of approximately $600,000. The company expects its homebuilding gross margin percentage to be in the range of 19.5% to 20.5% for Q1 and anticipates its SG&A expense as a percentage of homes sales revenue will be approximately 15% during such period. Lastly, the company expects its effective tax rate for Q1 to be approximately 25%.

16:23 EST Encore Wire says expansion plans to proceed in two phases - Daniel Jones, Chairman, President and CEO of Encore Wire Corporation, said, "This is an exciting time for Encore's employees, customers and stakeholders. We've been under construction since inception and we continue to grow today. Our two-phase expansion plans will extend our reach and increase manufacturing capacity to meet the growing needs of our customers. We anticipate total capital expenditures to range from $85 - $95 million in 2020, $70 - $90 million in 2021, and $60 - $80 million in 2022. Our strong balance sheet and ability to consistently generate high levels of operating cash flow should provide ample allowance to fund planned capital expenditures." Phase one will begin late in the first quarter of 2020 with the construction of a new 720,000 square foot facility located at the north end of our existing campus. This facility will act as a service center, modernizing logistics to allow for increased throughput and provide the bandwidth necessary to capture incremental sales volumes. "Phase one will allow us to compete at a higher level in the marketplace while further strengthening our industry-leading customer service and order fill rates. We expect to complete construction in the second quarter of 2021. Phase two of our expansion plans will commence following phase one and will focus on repurposing our existing distribution center to expand manufacturing capacity significantly and extend our market reach. Phase two completion is anticipated in 2022," the company added.

16:20 EST Groupon says interim CFO Thomas to assume role on permanent basis - Groupon (GRPN) announced that Valerie Mosley, Chairwoman and CEO of Valmo Ventures, LLC, and Helen Vaid, Global Chief Customer Officer for Pizza Hut (YUM), have been appointed to the Board of Directors, effective April 6. Groupon announced that interim Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomas will assume the role on a permanent basis, effective immediately. The company also announced that interim Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomas will assume the role on a permanent basis, effective immediately.

16:17 EST Westlake Chemical names Johnathan Zoeller CAO - Westlake Chemical Corporation announced that its board of directors has appointed Johnathan Zoeller, 44, to serve as the company's vice president and chief accounting officer. His appointment will become effective upon the retirement of his predecessor, George Mangieri, who, as previously disclosed, plans to retire from the company about March 31, 2020.

16:17 EST Nike names Andy Campion COO, Matthew Friend CFO - Nike announced a series of senior leadership changes. Heidi O'Neill, President of Nike Direct, will become President of Consumer and Marketplace on April 1, succeeding Elliott Hill, who is retiring from Nike. Andy Campion, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will become Chief Operating Officer, also effective April 1. He will succeed Eric Sprunk, COO, who is retiring from Nike. Matthew Friend, currently CFO of Operating Segments and Vice President of Investor Relations, will become the new CFO for NIKE, Inc. Both Hill and Sprunk will remain with Nike until later this year. "I am delighted to announce a series of leadership changes today which set up the company for continued growth and demonstrate the strength of the Nike management bench," said John Donahoe, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc. "Heidi and Andy's leadership has been instrumental in both evolving and driving Nike's strategy over the last decade. In their new roles, we will see them have even greater impact on Nike's success in the future. Matthew brings more than 10 years of Nike experience to the CFO role and will be a great addition to our executive leadership team."*

16:16 EST Concho Resources targets FY20 investment of $2.6B-$2.8B - For 2020, Concho is planning to invest $2.6 to $2.8 billion. The Company's activity is expected to result in 300 to 320 gross operated well completions with an average lateral length of 10,000 feet, as compared to 294 gross operated well completions with an average lateral length of approximately 9,000 feet in 2019. This activity reflects efficiency gains that the Company has realized, which enable the Company to complete approximately 10% more lateral feet year over year on approximately 90% of the capital. Oil production volumes are expected to increase 10% to 12% year over year.

16:15 EST Herbalife Nutrition says coronavirus could materially impact Q1 results - Herbalife Nutrition said in today's earnings release, "The extent and duration of business disruption and related financial impact from the Coronavirus cannot be reasonably estimated at this time but could materially impact our consolidated results for the first quarter and full year 2020. The Company will update its guidance for full year 2020 when we can reasonably estimate the impact."

16:15 EST Groupon board approves reverse stock split proposal - Groupon also announced that its Board of Directors has approved, and will submit to Groupon's stockholders at the June 2020 Annual Meeting, a proposal to effect a reverse stock split of Groupon common stock at a ratio of between 1-for-10 and 1-for-12. Subject to stockholder approval, the Board of Directors will determine the final ratio following the annual meeting. The compay expects the reverse stock split to be effective by the end of Q2.

16:14 EST Groupon plans to exit Goods category, to focus on local experiences - "Following a comprehensive review of opportunities and strategic alternatives, we determined that a plan to exit the Goods category and focus on our local experiences marketplace best positions us for long-term and sustained growth," the company said. "We believe this plan will allow us to devote the focused execution necessary to take share in the growing local experiences market. This market, which we estimate to be north of $1 trillion, is highly fragmented, growing, and migrating quickly from offline to online. Currently, we are a market leader, yet we have less than 1% market share. In addition, our 2019 Goods category performance, particularly in the fourth quarter, has made it increasingly clear that we are not well-positioned in a saturated retail market. We believe that focusing on rapidly growing our local experiences marketplace will allow us to bend our growth curve and deliver value for all of our stakeholders. We are most differentiated in local experiences, which include Things to Do, Beauty & Wellness, and Dining, and we believe our strength in these areas position us well against potential competitors. In order to maintain and extend our competitive advantage, we believe we must act with urgency and plan to exit our Goods category in North America by the third quarter and globally by the end of the year. We are realigning our organization to attack the local experiences opportunity and our strategy is focused on four key priorities: inventory, modernization, brand, and cost." The company particularly plans to deliver a modern mobile experience, relaunch the Groupon brand, and reduce costs. Groupon believes that the successful execution of this strategy will lead to revenue growth of mid-single digits and unit growth of high-single digits by 2022.

16:14 EST QTS Realty Trust raises dividend 6.8% to 47c - QTS Realty Trust announced that its Board of Directors has authorized quarterly cash dividends for common and preferred stock for the Q1. The Board of Directors has authorized a cash dividend of 47c per share on its common stock for the Q1 payable on April to common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 20. The 47c per share dividend rate represents an increase of 6.8% over the 2019 quarterly per share dividend rate of 44c per share.

16:13 EST Hackett Group raises annual dividend to 38c from 36c per share - The company authorized a 6% increase of its annual dividend from 36c to 38c per share, to be paid semi-annually.

16:12 EST Hackett Group approves $5M increase in share repurchase program

16:10 EST Devon Energy boosts quarterly dividend 22% - Devon Energy announced that its board of directors has approved a 22 percent increase in its quarterly common stock dividend. The new quarterly dividend rate will be $0.11 per share, compared to the prior quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share. The increased dividend is payable on June 30, 2020, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 15, 2020. "The 22 percent increase in our quarterly dividend is the latest example of Devon's commitment to return cash to shareholders and reflects the confidence we have in our underlying business and financial strength," said Dave Hager, president and CEO.

16:03 EST SciPlay reports Q4 payer conversion rates remained strong at 6.0% - In Q4: Average monthly revenue per paying user increased 15.3% to $88.06. ARPDAU increased 8.7% from the prior year period to 50c. Mobile penetration increased 300 basis points from the prior year to 84%.

15:49 EST Sun Communities raises annual distribution 5.3% to $3.16 per common share - This increase will begin with the first quarter distribution to be paid in April.

14:14 EST Citi reports January credit loss 2.49% vs. 2.77% last month - Reports January 30-plus day delinquencies 1.58% vs. 1.56% last month.

13:38 EST Google Stadia will be available on Samsung, Asus and Razer phones February 20 - The Google Stadia team said: "Beginning February 20, you can play games on Stadia using a broad new selection of mobile devices. In addition to the Pixel family, Stadia will now support phones from Samsung, ASUS, and Razer. You'll also soon be able to play on the brand new Samsung S20 line. More supported phones means you have even more ways to play games when, where, and how you want with Stadia. Combined with compatible Pixel 2, 3, and 4 devices, Stadia will let you play games on more than 20 different Android phones beginning February 20. You can also play on tablets, laptops, and desktops, as well as TVs 2 through Google Chromecast Ultra. 3 Support for these mobile devices begins later this week. Play on a smartphone you already own with Stadia. Whether you're using Stadia Founder's Edition, Stadia Premiere Edition, or a Stadia Buddy Pass, enjoy playing on new phones!" Reference Link

13:02 EST Cooperman says investors not paying attention to Ocwen Financial - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

13:00 EST Cooperman recommends United Airlines as stock pick - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:53 EST Cooperman says Omega not short shares of Tesla - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:26 EST Renault downgraded to Ba1 with stable outlook at Moody's - Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Renault S.A.'s long-term ratings to Ba1 and its short-term ratings to non-prime. The outlook remains stable.The downgrade to Ba1 was triggered by Renault's substantially weakened operating performance reported for the year 2019 to a level no longer commensurate with the Baa3 rating category. Based on the company's 2020 guidance anticipating a further decline in the group's operating margin and the continuing weakness of the market environment, Moody's said it does not expect that Renault will be able to restore healthy operating margin levels in the medium term.

12:19 EST Synchrony reports January net charge off rate 4.26% vs. 4.59% last month - Reports January 30-plus day delinquencies 2.77% vs. 2.70% last month.

12:17 EST Bank of America reports January default rate 2.49% vs. 2.54% last month - Reports January 30-plus day delinquencies 1.61% vs. 1.60% last month.

12:14 EST Capital One reports January charge-offs 4.31% - Reports January 30-plus day performing delinquencies 4.10%.

12:13 EST PSEG raises quarterly dividend 4.3% to 49c per share - The Board of Directors of Public Service Enterprise Group declared a quarterly common stock dividend for the first quarter of 2020 of 49c per share payable on March 31, 2020 to shareholders of record on March 10, 2020. This action represents a 2c per share, or 4.3% increase in the company's quarterly common stock dividend and brings the indicative annual dividend rate to $1.96 per share.

12:06 EST Cooperman says market 'too pessimistic' on energy - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:04 EST Cooperman says shares of Tesla represent 'euphoria' - Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors is speaking on CNBC.

12:00 EST VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -14.9% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -14.9%, or -$41.97 to $239.70.

12:00 EST Legg Mason rises 23.6% - Legg Mason is up 23.6%, or $9.60 to $50.32.

12:00 EST Clarivate Analytics rises 15628.6% - Clarivate Analytics is up 15628.6%, or $21.88 to $22.02.

11:14 EST Vodafone holds onto 3% gain following 'uncooked' rumor alert from Betaville - Ben Harrington's Betaville blog issued an "uncooked alert" earlier regarding Vodafone, whose shares are up 63c, or 3.2%, to $20.09 in New York trading. An "uncooked alert" is "market gossip as Betaville receives it. This scuttlebutt has just come in and hasn't been checked with all of Betaville's well-informed RARE sources let alone formal journalistic channels," the M&A focused blog stated. The Fly, in fulfilling its mission of explaining stock movement, often comes across the many unconfirmed rumors being passed through trading desks and social media platforms. On the occasion that rumors or speculation appear on The Fly's news feed, it should be viewed not as giving credence to the conjecture, rather as simply highlighting its impact on the stock prices of the companies involved. Reference Link

10:43 EST Peoples Bancorp board authorizes $3M stock repurchase plan - Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program, whereby up to $3M will be allocated to repurchase the Company's common stock. At December 31, 2019, the Company had assets of $1.2B and stockholder's equity of $134.1M.

10:23 EST STG enters agreement with Dell to acquire RSA for $2.075B in cash - A consortium led by Symphony Technology Group, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board and AlpInvest Partners has entered into a definitive agreement with Dell Technologies to acquire RSA in an all-cash transaction for $2.075B, subject to certain adjustments. The transaction, which includes the purchase of RSA Archer, RSA NetWitness Platform, RSA SecurID, RSA Fraud and Risk Intelligence and RSA Conference, is expected to close in the next six to nine months. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. RSA provides risk, security and fraud teams with the ability to holistically manage digital risk, including threat detection and response, identity and access management, integrated risk management and omnichannel fraud prevention. More than 12,500 customers rely on RSA to enable their digital transformation, address increasingly advanced cyber threats and adapt to more complex digital regulations. RSA Conference is the world's largest security conference where leading experts gather to discuss the most important cybersecurity trends, challenges, solutions and innovations. The transaction is subject to customary conditions.

10:18 EST Intelsat jumps after Tepper's Appaloosa takes stake, sends letter to board - David Tepper's Appaloosa disclosed a 7.4% stake in Intelsat, which represents 10.45M shares. The shares, before halting for volatility, jumped 18% to $3.66 following the filing. On February 18, Appaloosa delivered a letter to Intelsat's board to express its "dissatisfaction" with the recently announced proposed order issued by the Federal Communication Commission with respect to an auction of C-band spectrum currently licensed to the company and other satellite operators. Appaloosa advised that, as currently constructed, the FCC's proposal would impose an "undue negative impact" on Intelsat. The hedge fund urged the company to withhold acceptance pending negotiation of an agreement with the FCC on "fair commercial terms."

10:13 EST Intelsat jumps 18% to $3.66 after Appaloosa reports 7.4% stake

10:13 EST David Tepper's Appaloosa reports 7.4% stake in Intelsat

10:02 EST Xerox names Mary McHugh as chief delivery and supply chain officer - Xerox Holdings Corporation announced the appointment of Mary McHugh as executive vice president and chief delivery and supply chain officer. In her new role, she will report to Steve Bandrowczak, president and chief operations officer of Xerox. "Last year, we began working to implement a frictionless, high-velocity supply chain to increase flexibility and responsiveness and improve customer service," said Bandrowczak. "By bringing supply chain together with delivery and manufacturing under Mary's leadership, we will drive additional cost and productivity synergies while ensuring end-to-end systems that provide better customer service." McHugh joined Xerox in June 2018 as chief delivery officer, leading both the company's global service delivery mission and the operations for the equipment and toner manufacturing sites.

10:02 EST TriMas awarded fastener contracts by Airbus - TriMas (TRS) announced that TriMas Aerospace has been awarded multi-year contracts with Airbus (EADSY) of Toulouse, France. TriMas Aerospace's Monogram Aerospace Fasteners and Allfast Fastening Systems operations were both awarded new supply contracts by Airbus, expanding the company's engineered fastener sales activity in Europe. TriMas Aerospace designs, engineers and manufactures engineered fasteners, solid rivets, temporary fasteners and standard fasteners for the global commercial and military aerospace industry under the Monogram Aerospace Fasteners, Allfast Fastening Systems and Mac Fasteners brands. TriMas also recently announced it has signed an agreement to acquire RSA Engineered Products, which will enhance the breadth of TriMas Aerospace's product portfolio to include air ducting products, connectors, flexible joints, ozone converters and machined assemblies, predominantly used in aerospace and defense engine bleed air, anti-icing and environmental control system applications.

10:00 EST VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -14.4% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -14.4%, or -$40.67 to $241.00.

10:00 EST VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN rises 14.5% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is up 14.5%, or $6.13 to $48.54.

10:00 EST Clarivate Analytics rises 15510.7% - Clarivate Analytics is up 15510.7%, or $21.71 to $21.86.

09:57 EST Florida Board of Dentistry closes investigation into Smile Direct Club - Following the Florida Board of Dentistry's decision on January 10 to close its investigation into SmileDirectClub's business model, SmileDirectClub issues the following statement from Susan Greenspon Rammelt, SmileDirectClub Chief Legal Officer and EVP of Business Affairs: "We are pleased that the Florida Board of Dentistry has rejected and closed the American Association of Orthodontists' complaint against SmileDirectClub, verifying that SmileDirectClub is operating in full compliance with Florida law and is not engaged in the corporate practice of dentistry through its operation of SmileShops or marketing activities. Our company seeks to cooperate with and provide information to state dental boards to educate their members as to how our teledentistry platform works and demonstrate that it is the state-licensed dentists who are responsible for all aspects of clinical care. It is great to have the support of dental boards like the State of Florida Dental Board, who welcome the access to care that today's technology and our platform creates."

09:47 EST Borr Drilling falls -6.6% - Borr Drilling is down -6.6%, or -28c to $3.92.

09:47 EST VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -15.2% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -15.2%, or -$42.77 to $238.90.

09:47 EST Legg Mason rises 23.6% - Legg Mason is up 23.6%, or $9.62 to $50.34.

09:32 EST Johnson & Johnson to expand COVID-19 partnership with U.S. HHS - Johnson & Johnson announced that its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies will expand its existing partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, to seek treatment solutions for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, also known as 2019-nCoV. "This latest collaboration will enhance Janssen's ongoing work with global partners to screen a library of existing antiviral molecules, with the aim of identifying compounds with promising antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. The expanded partnership with BARDA builds on Johnson & Johnson's multipronged response to the COVID-19 outbreak. These efforts, in addition to the ongoing development of a potential vaccine candidate, bring hope of finding a solution against COVID-19 for communities in greatest need in China and around the world," the company stated.

09:29 EST CVS Health says DOJ serves company with DEA administrative subpoena - In a regulatory filing, CVS disclosed that in January 2020, the DOJ served the company with a DEA administrative subpoena. The subpoena seeks documents relating to practices with respect to opioids and other controlled substances at CVS Pharmacy locations in connection with an investigation concerning potential violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act and the federal False Claims Act. The company has been cooperating with the government with respect to this subpoena.

09:26 EST Natera files false advertising counterclaim against CareDx - Natera (NTRA) announced it has filed suit against CareDx (CDNA) for false advertising in the U.S. District Court for Delaware, alleging CareDx used false and misleading claims to deceive physicians about the performance capabilities of its AlloSure test, in violation of the Lanham Act and various Delaware laws prohibiting unfair competition and deceptive trade practices. "The DART trial and Medicare's approval of AlloSure relied on exceeding a 1% donor-derived cell-free DNA test-positive threshold to classify patients with active rejection. CareDx's advertising materials inappropriately manipulate dd-cfDNA thresholds to mislead physicians about AlloSure's negative predictive value and positive predictive value. CareDx conceals the interplay between PPV and NPV, routinely showing one performance value without the other corresponding value to mislead physicians about the performance of AlloSure. In addition to manipulating dd-cfDNA thresholds to bolster performance metrics, CareDx attempts to mislead physicians about the performance of AlloSure 3.0 in detecting T cell-mediated rejection, which accounts for 30% of all rejections. An independent peer-reviewed manuscript published in 2019 confirms AlloSure's inability to detect TCMR stating, we found that dd-cfDNA was not able to discriminate CMR from no rejection."

09:21 EST Sinclair Broadcast announces management changes - Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the following corporate executive promotions. Lucy Rutishauser promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer from Senior Vice President & CFO. Del Parks promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer from Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer. Don Thompson promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer from Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Scott Shapiro promoted to Senior Vice President/Chief Development Officer from Senior Vice President/Corporate Development.

09:17 EST Golar LNG forms partnership with BR Distribuidora - Golar Power and Petrobras Distribuidora announce the formation of a Partnership for the development of an LNG distribution businesses in Brazil. The intention is to introduce liquefied natural gas as an alternative to the fuels currently available to Brazil's cargo and people transportation, industrial, thermoelectric generation, commercial and residential sectors. Both Golar Power and BR Distribuidora believe that LNG is an innovative and potentially disruptive solution for the transportation sector in Brazil that delivers environmental benefits as well as important economic gains for customers, society and for Brazil as a whole. Formation of this Partnership coincides with the opening up of Brazil's natural gas sector and a thirst from society for cheaper, cleaner and more efficient alternatives to the fuels currently on offer. Partnering BR Distribuidora's infrastructure and experience in the fuel distribution sector with Golar Power's LNG industry experience is expected to facilitate the rapid development and penetration of small-scale LNG solutions across the country.

09:14 EST BOQI International Medical appoints Xiaoping Wang as COO - BOQI International Medical announced the appointment of Mr. Xiaoping Wang as COO. As COO, Mr. Wang has responsibility for the company's supply chain and sourcing operations, demand planning, distribution, information technology, business process management, corporate real estate, asset protection and sustainability. Prior to joining BOQI International Medical, Mr. Xiaoping Wang has 15 years of executive experience in pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Wang is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Chongqing Guanzan Technology. As a result of an internal restructuring, Chongqing Shude is now a subsidiary of Chongqing Guanzan. BOQI International Medical has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Chongqing Guanzan. The acquisition is progressing smoothly and is expected to close on or before April 20, 2020. After the acquisition close, Mr. Wang will continue serving as Chairman and CEO of Chongqing Guanzan, in addition to his role as COO of BOQI International Medical.

09:13 EST Comtech receives $8.8M contract for Ka-band solid-state amplifiers - Comtech announced that during Q2, its Santa Clara, California-based subsidiary received a contract valued at more than $8.8M for Ka-band solid-state amplifiers to be used in an in-flight connectivity satcom application.

09:10 EST Liquid Media forms advisory board led by Wilson Tang - Liquid Media Group announced the formation of an advisory board, led by Wilson Tang. Tang has been involved in massively successful products and companies at the convergence of film and interactive video games for over 20 years. He was a founding member of Kabam Vancouver where his team developed games including Marvel Contest of Champions, the studio's best-performing title, which has become one of the top mobile games in its category, achieved more than 200-million downloads and earned Editor's Choice honors in 100+ countries.

09:08 EST Monopar Therapeutics receives Orphan Drug designation for camsirubicin - Monopar Therapeutics announced it has been granted Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission for its drug candidate camsirubicin in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma, and the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has issued its public summary of opinion for the designation.

09:07 EST NJ Spine and Wellness selects MTBC's CareCloud solution - MTBC announced that NJ Spine and Wellness selected and has now gone live with CareCloud's practice management solution CareCloud Central, electronic health record CareCloud Charts, and patient experience management platform Breeze technology, at all of its four locations across New Jersey. NJ Spine and Wellness provides comprehensive care for sports injuries, spine and orthopedic related conditions.

09:05 EST Cerner, Intermountain Healthcare extend health technology, innovation agreement - Cerner and Intermountain Healthcare announced a multiyear expansion of the two organizations' longstanding commitment to improve the safety, quality and experience of health care for patients and caregivers. For years, Intermountain has been one of Cerner's most closely aligned health system clients, both committed to finding new ways to advance the science and practice of medicine and improve patient care. Cerner will continue to support Intermountain's mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible, delivering on a shared vision of a seamless and connected world where everyone thrives. Across its 24 hospitals, 2,400 physicians and 210 clinics, Intermountain has adopted a wide breadth of Cerner solutions, from clinical to financials, to support improved patient safety, quality of care and controlled costs. Through this expansion, Cerner will continue to increase the speed of innovation and help effectively address business and patient needs today and in the future. Intermountain will continue to provide expert guidance that helps direct developments to improve experiences for caregivers, system operators and patients around the globe.

09:04 EST Instructure CEO Dan Goldsmith to step down effective March 6 - Instructure announced that Dan Goldsmith has informed the Board of Directors of his intent to step down as CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors. Goldsmith will remain with the company until March 6 to help with the transition. The company will form an Office of the CEO comprised of a group of the most senior executives to lead the business in the interim until a successor can be named. The Board will hire an executive search firm to assist in its process to evaluate candidates to succeed Goldsmith.

09:02 EST Taronis Technologies hosts Turkish delegation at Florida production facilities - Taronis Fuels announced the successful completion of a multi-day series of meetings with senior government officials from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Trade. The purpose of these meetings was to provide an in-depth account of the production capabilities of the Venturi flow plasma arc gasification technology, and to demonstrate the superiority of MagneGas as a renewable and safer alternative to acetylene. Executives from Taronis also provided a detailed update on the status of the manufacturing of the five 300 KW Venturi plasma arc gasification units for delivery under an initial $18.75 million purchase order scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2020. The Turkish delegation was led by Mr. Ergun Akalan, the General Directorate of Energy Affairs and Head of Department of Energy Investments within the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in Ankara. Mr. Akalan has been commissioned by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to prepare an independent assessment of the product quality of MagneGas as well as the environmental impact of MagneGas. Mr. Akalan's report will also detail his assessment of Taronis' expanded gasification unit manufacturing capabilities. The Turkish government is in the process of evaluating the full and permanent ban of acetylene. In order to accomplish this, the Turkish government will require Taronis to deliver one hundred 300 KW Venturi plasma arc gasification units to Turkey by the end of 2021. Lastly, Mr. Akalan inspected the mobile gasification unit being prepared for immediate deployment to Ankara at the end of February. Taronis previously sold this unit for $5 million under a 50 unit, 13 country marketing contract with the family that successfully enabled the current joint venture project in Ankara. This unit is expected to be part of a formal ribbon cutting ceremony and operational launch of the joint venture operations in late March 2020.

09:00 EST Performance Shipping announces agreement to acquire Aframax tanker - Performance Shipping announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to purchase a 2007 built Aframax tanker vessel, the M/T FSL Shanghai, from an unaffiliated third party seller for a total purchase price of $26M. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the Company by the end of March 2020.

08:56 EST Walmart says could see 'couple cents' of negative impact in Q1 from coronavirus

08:53 EST Revive Therapeutics preparing IND application for CBD for treatment of AIH - Revive Therapeutics provided an update on the Company's clinical development plan for Cannabidiol in the treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Revive is currently in the process of preparing its Investigational New Drug application for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for CBD in the treatment of AIH. The Company plans to submit the IND within ninety days with the objective to proceed with a proposed Phase 1/2a clinical study to determine the recommended dose of CBD for future clinical studies of AIH, to assess its safety, efficacy and clinical benefit, as well as to support a New Drug Application for FDA approval. The Company aims to initiate a clinical study by the end of Q2 or early Q3-2020. Revive has an exclusive license from South Carolina Research Foundation for its intellectual property for the use of CBD, either in synthetic or natural form, in the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis. Also, the FDA has granted to Revive orphan drug designation for CBD in the treatment of AIH, which provides valuable incentives that could accelerate the approval process, including seven-year market exclusivity, tax credits on U.S. clinical trials, fast-tracking of regulatory proceedings, and exemption from certain fees, such as waiver of filing fees under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, and orphan drug grants.

08:49 EST Long Blockchain Corp. announces termination of LOI for Stran merger - Long Blockchain announced the termination of its previously announced letter-of-intent to merge with Stran & Company, a privately-held leading provider of comprehensive branding and incentive solutions. Stran informed Long Blockchain of its decision to not move forward with the proposed transaction after it became apparent that both sides would be unable to satisfy all necessary closing conditions in a reasonable amount of time. Long Blockchain will continue to operate Stran Loyalty Group, an ongoing collaboration between Stran and LBCC focused on loyalty programs. In addition, Long Blockchain continues to operate its beverage subsidiary Long Island Brand Beverages until the completion of the previously announced sale of the business to ECC Ventures 2 Corp. The closing of a sale of the beverage subsidiary is subject to a number of conditions and there can be no assurance that the closing of the sale of the business will occur.

08:47 EST IntercontinentalExchange to launch new version of ICE Connect - Intercontinental Exchange announced plans to launch a new version of its market data platform, ICE Connect, which will be designed specifically for participants in the global oil markets. The new service, which is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2020, will include access to leading oil market analytics from S&P Global Platts and other third parties. ICE Connect offers market participants charting, analytics, news and messaging capabilities and provides access to global real-time exchange and fundamental data. Through the integration of select Platts oil analytics content, ICE Data Services will provide customers with access to a global refinery database, showing a forward-looking view of refinery capacity, as well as oil storage and vessel tracking amongst other services. These content sets will be integrated into the ICE Connect platform, which already includes ICE's messaging, proprietary data, execution capabilities and third party content, offering global oil market participants a more efficient way to spot opportunities and manage risk.

08:43 EST Bellerophon reports top-line data from hemodynamic study of INOpulse - Bellerophon Therapeutics announced top-line data from a recently completed acute, intra-patient, dose escalation, hemodynamics study of INOpulse for the treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension associated with Pulmonary Fibrosis. The top-line results from PHPF-002 demonstrated that acute treatment with INOpulse provided statistically and clinically significant improvements in hemodynamic parameters, including: Pulmonary vascular resistance reduced by 21%, with increased benefit on dose escalation from iNO30 to iNO45; Mean pulmonary arterial pressure reduced by 12%. iNO was well-tolerated with no safety concerns across the doses. The acute hemodynamic improvements observed on iNO, along with the increased benefit demonstrated on iNO45 versus iNO30, correlate with the chronic benefit of iNO recently reported in Phase 2 of the Company's ongoing Phase 2/3 iNO-PF study. In Phase 2 of iNO-PF, subjects on iNO30 and iNO45 maintained their level of moderate to vigorous physical activity, defined as walking, climbing stairs, yard work, and similar activities, while subjects on placebo deteriorated. The improvements in MVPA were supported by benefits in other key parameters, with subjects on iNO45 demonstrating placebo corrected improvements in: MVPA: Improved by 14 minutes per day, representing 20%; St. George Respiratory Questionnaire: Clinically meaningful benefit of 5 points, 6 points, and 3 points. University of California, San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire: Clinically meaningful benefit of 5 points.

08:40 EST QCR Holdings announces stock repurchase program up to 800,000 shares - QCR Holdings announced that its Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program, permitting the repurchase of up to 800,000 shares of its outstanding common stock, or approximately 5% of the outstanding shares as of December 31, 2019. The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions, through block trades, and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rules 10b5-1 and 10b-18 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases will be determined by the Company in its discretion and will be subject to economic and market conditions, stock price, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares.

08:38 EST Energy Focus awarded $3.4M LED lighting contract for U.S. Navy - Energy Focus announced that the Company has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $3.4 million to supply tubular LED lighting products to the U.S. Navy by Defense Logistics Agency, a combat support agency in the U.S. Department of Defense with more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world. The Company expects to deliver on the contract beginning in the second quarter of 2020 with completion expected by year-end.

08:36 EST Ares Management raises quarterly dividend to 40c from 32c per share - As part of its earnings announcement last week, Ares Management raised its dividend to 40c per share payable on March 31, 2020 to its Class A common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 17, 2020.

08:35 EST Agraflora's Farmako receives special license for irradiated medical cannabis - AgraFlora Organics announced that the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Farmako has secured a special authorization from the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices for the distribution of medical cannabis flowers that have undergone an ionizing radiation treatment. This is a critical milestone for Farmako, as the German medical cannabis wholesaler will now be able to import for sale in Germany medical cannabis that is EU-GMP certified, but which has been subject to sterilization by irradiation. To date, the German medical cannabis marketplace has been undersupplied due to a number of factors including the general scarcity of EU-GMP certified cannabis flowers available in the international market. The supply shortage is made worse because many EU-GMP exporting jurisdictions, such as Canada, commonly require the use of microbial sterilization prior to sale. Without the AMRadV License, such sterilized cannabis could not be made available for sale in Germany's medical cannabis program. Being one of a limited group of German companies with the AMRadV License and a growing network of 19,800 German pharmacies servicing over 100,000 patients, Farmako is well positioned for success in the German market. Germany's medical cannabis market is estimated to be Europe's largest medical cannabis markets and has the potential to develop into one of the world's largest marketplaces for medical cannabis in the coming years.1 Furthermore, expanded access to medical cannabis supply from a variety of source destinations as permitted by the AMRadV License, will allow Farmako to continue to position itself as a competitive pharmaceutical wholesaler; ensuring sustainable access to medical cannabis products for patients within the German marketplace. Management believes Farmako has achieved a market share of approximately 8 per-cent of the German medical market. But with the patient population growing 12,400 per-cent since 2017 and the restrictions on sterilized cannabis flowers, Farmako has been unable to capture additional growth. With the additional license in hand, Farmako intends on rapidly expanding its international vendor network to increase its revenues and EBIT earned in the German market in 2020.

08:31 EST Marriott appoints Jim Scholefield as Chief Information and Digital Officer - Marriott International announced the appointment of Jim Scholefield as Chief Information and Digital Officer, or CIDO, effective February 24. In this role, Scholefield will be responsible for leading all aspects of the company's information technology and digital strategies. Scholefield will report to Stephanie Linnartz, Group President, Consumer Operations, Technology & Emerging Businesses. Most recently, Scholefield was Chief Information and Digital Officer at Merck & Co., one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. He led Merck's information technology and digital strategy to drive efficiencies, strengthen the security of the infrastructure and support the company's growth. Prior to Merck, Scholefield was Chief Information Officer at Nike, where he led digital transformation and enterprise IT capability improvements for critical infrastructure and state-of-the-art cybersecurity. He also spent five years as Chief Technology Officer at The Coca-Cola Company, leading the company's transformation to cloud technology, and held leadership roles at The Northern Trust Company and Ford Motor Company.

08:29 EST Tropical Shipping selects PowerFleet for U.S., Caribbean chassis fleet - PowerFleet has announced a partnership with Tropical Shipping, a transportation company that services the Bahamas, Caribbean, South and Central America. Under the terms of the deal, PowerFleet will equip Tropical's entire U.S. chassis fleet with over 2,000 5G Compatible LTE LV-300 next generation asset visibility systems on existing chassis, as well as new builds.

08:28 EST Super League Gaming appoints John Boyden as GM of Super League Prime - Super League Gaming announces the appointment of John Boyden as senior vice president and general manager of the company's premium subscription service Super League Prime. Boyden joins the company with the primary focus of overseeing Super League Prime and the company's offerings and programs within gaming centers. With a base of more than one million registered users, Super League has created trusted relationships across a wide spectrum of everyday competitive gamers, and this key executive will work to further the company's focus on delivering a best-in-class subscription experience to its expanding audience. Before joining Super League, Boyden was pivotal in the launch and growth of multiple successful consumer digital services and subscription products for globally-recognized brands. In addition to roles at Smartlabs/Insteon and Defy Media, he served as vice president of digital marketing and retention for Guthy-Renker, one of the all-time leading subscription-commerce companies known for such brands as Proactiv and WEN Haircare. Boyden will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Prime program, ensuring its contribution to the growth of Super League as a whole. Within his area of focus will be articulating the specific value proposition for both players and partner gaming centers, managing subscriber acquisition and retention, defining product features and priorities, designing user experience and player engagement systems, and overseeing Prime brand positioning. Powered by proprietary software, membership with Super League connects gamers to the world's premier amateur gaming community, giving them the opportunity to track and share their achievements, have access to always-on gameplay, participate in competitive and social gaming events, and earn rewards. For those who crave more, Super League Prime is a $7.99/month subscription service that benefits the most passionate players by offering exclusive rewards and prizes, exciting Prime-only events and tournaments, and valuable perks, all designed to make gaming together and with Super League the best possible experience. Super League also announced that the independent compensation committee of its board of directors approved an equity award to Boyden as an inducement to enter into employment, in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The inducement awards consist of an option to purchase 60,000 shares of Super League common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of issuance, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Subject to Boyden's continued employment with Super League, the Inducement Awards will vest over a three-year period at the rate of 1/36 per month in arrears.

08:25 EST Walmart sees EPS growth in low single digits in Q1, Q3 - Sees EPS growth in low single digits in Q1, Q3 and in or near mid single digits in Q2, Q4.

08:24 EST Tabula Rasa HealthCare to provide CareVention services to PACE organization - Tabula Rasa HealthCare announced an agreement with a newly established Program for All-inclusive Care of the Elderly in Jacksonville, Florida. Known as PACE Place, the program is sponsored by Community Hospice &Palliative Care. TRHC's CareVention HealthCare division will provide comprehensive medication management and pharmacy distribution services to PACE. Additionally, CareVention will provide electronic health record and third-party administration services, including regulatory compliance and financial management. CareVention provided technical assistance consulting for the past year as the organization developed its PACE program. PACE Place is expected to begin serving participants in March of 2020. TRHC supports Florida PACE programs in Fort Myers, Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Palm Beach.

08:19 EST Sysco's SYGMA completes renovation of new facility - Sysco Corporation announced that it will host a grand-opening ceremony and open house for customers, associates and other members of the community at its SYGMA Florida facility on Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST at 2200 Consulate Drive in Orlando. Greg Keller, senior vice president, national sales and SYGMA president, will speak at the event. Additionally, District 1 Commissioner Betsy VanderLey and District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore will speak at the event. The event will celebrate the opening of SYGMA's new 227,000-square-foot facility, which includes approximately 60,000 square feet of additional space to help meet the demands of the growing local market as well as new energy efficient features. SYGMA, Sysco's customized distribution subsidiary, distributes a full line of food products and a wide variety of non-food products to chain restaurant customer locations across the United States. The newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility also includes several sustainability features including new freezers and coolers, LED lighting and dock doors with durable seals. These warehouse updates have contributed to a 25 percent reduction in energy use compared to SYGMA's previous, smaller facility.

08:17 EST Water Island issues letter to Pattern Energy shareholders regarding CPPIB merger - Water Island, the manager of investment funds beneficially owning 4,010,772 shares of Pattern Energy common stock, issued an open letter to Pattern Energy shareholders detailing reasons for rejecting the proposed acquisition of Pattern Energy by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, or CPPIB, at the special meeting of Pattern Energy shareholders scheduled to be held on March 10. The letter said, "On November 4, 2019, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPPIB") announced1 an agreement to acquire Pattern Energy Group ("Pattern Energy" or the "Company") for cash consideration valued at $26.75 per share representing a premium of approximately 14.8% to Pattern Energy's closing share price on August 9, 2019, the last trading day prior to market rumors regarding a potential acquisition of the Company. Since then, we have witnessed a seismic shift in the valuation of renewable energy companies due to a surge in environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") related stocks, rendering inadequate the merger consideration and obsolete the fairness opinions provided by Evercore. Water Island Capital, LLC is the beneficial owner of 4,010,772 shares of Pattern Energy or 4.08% of shares outstanding, and our sole interest is to ensure that all shareholders receive full and fair value for their investment in the Company. Pattern Energy's shareholders are being asked to approve a transaction on March 10, 2020 that originally offered at best a negligible premium, and now a significant discount, to Pattern Energy's standalone fair value. It is important to understand that the current merger agreement signed by Pattern Energy and CPPIB contractually requires the Board of Directors of Pattern Energy to maintain its recommendation in favor of the CPPIB Merger and to present the merger to shareholders for approval at the upcoming Special Meeting, forcing Pattern Energy shareholders to take matters into their own hands by voting against the CPPIB Merger. It is equally important to understand that an implicit rejection of the CPPIB Merger on March 10th due to delivery of insufficient proxies in favor of the merger is unlikely to cause the termination of the Merger Agreement, as Pattern Energy would almost certainly continue to adjourn or postpone the Special Meeting, without limitation. Shareholder rejection would unequivocally signal to the boards of both Pattern Energy and CPPIB that Pattern Energy shareholders demand an adequate premium to standalone value in order to approve a merger proposal, and refuse to allow CPPIB to reap the windfall resulting from the recent significant increase in renewable energy company valuations. We hope that it is as clear to you as it is to us that voting against the CPPIB Merger is a low risk method of pursuing the maximum value that we shareholders deserve for our investment in the shares of Pattern Energy... We believe that Pattern Energy's shares have been anchored by the CPPIB Merger while the companies deemed comparable to it by Evercore have appreciated on average over 30% since the August 9, 2019 unaffected date. Had Pattern Energy's shares increased by a similar 30% its share price would be $30.29, and that is before any takeover premium is considered. Financial media and Wall Street analysts have attributed the recent price appreciation of peers not only to better cost of financing and prolonged lower interest rates, but more importantly to the continued growth in ESG investing and the significant fund flows that come with it. One needs not look further than to read Blackrock's recent "Letter to CEOs" on sustainable investing3 to recognize that significant ESG fund flows are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. For the aforesaid reasons, we believe that the CPPIB Merger woefully shortchanges Pattern Energy shareholders. We urge you to preserve your ability to receive full and fair value for your investment in Pattern Energy by voting AGAINST the CPPIB Merger at the upcoming Special Meeting. Send a message to the boards of Pattern Energy and CPPIB that you believe the merger consideration offered by CPPIB to be woefully inadequate."

08:16 EST Walmart CFO sees global ecommerce sales approaching $50B this year

08:14 EST AzurRx BioPharma to present Phase II MS1819 data in CF - AzurRx BioPharma announced an oral presentation at the 2020 Digestive Disease Week Conference being held in Chicago from May 2-5, 2020. The presentation, entitled: "Results from a Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter, 2x2 Cross-over Trial to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of MS1819 in Patients with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Due to Cystic Fibrosis," will be delivered by Dr. Michael Konstan, Vice Dean for Translational Research and Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Konstan will discuss the data from the Company's Phase II study of MS1819 in patients with cystic fibrosis, which demonstrated safety, a coefficient of fat absorption which was similar to the value at the same dose in a prior study in chronic pancreatitis, and positive unexpected findings on the coefficient of nitrogen absorption. The Phase 2 OPTION trial was an open-label, crossover study, conducted in 14 sites in the U.S. and Europe. Patients were first randomized to either the MS1819 arm, where they received a 2 gram daily oral dose of MS1819 for three weeks; or to the porcine enzyme replacement therapy arm, where they received their pre-study dose of PERT for three weeks. After three weeks, stools were collected for analysis, and patients were then crossed over to another three weeks of the alternative treatment. After three weeks of cross-over therapy, stools were collected again for analysis. Patients were then followed for an additional two weeks for post study safety observation. A total of 32 patients, ages 18 years or older, completed the study. Topline data compared the CFA of the MS1819 treatment phase, 56%, to the CFA of the PERT treatment phase, 86%. In addition, CNAs were 93% in the MS1819 group, compared to 97% in the PERT group. Of note, MS1819 contains no protease. Safety in the OPTION trial was excellent, with no severe adverse events and few overall adverse events.

08:13 EST Medtronic sees coronavirus negatively impacting Q4 results

08:11 EST Walmart CFO says saw 'significant disruptions' in 75% of Chile stores - Says some stores in Chile were "completely destroyed." Says doesn't think Chile business will fully recover this year.

08:11 EST Newgioco Group establishes South America subsidiary in Bogota, Colombia - Newgioco Group announces the formation of Newgioco Colombia SAS. The office and management team situated in Bogota, Colombia has been established to service the company's expanding operations in Central and South America.

08:09 EST Americas Silver sees FY19 gold equivalent production up 60,000-70,000 ounces - Americas Gold and Silver announced that Relief Canyon poured its first gold over the weekend and provide the Company's production outlook for 2020 and 2021 as well as operating results for 2019. As previously released, the Galena Complex is not included in any projections as the focus is on the recapitalization plan. The Company successfully poured first gold at its Relief Canyon gold mine and has completed initial construction within the estimated budget of $28M-$30M. Relief Canyon ramp up is proceeding well with approximately 200,000 tonnes stacked on the leach pad. The mine is now running 24-hours a day which will enable the operation to reach design capacity of 14,500 tonnes per day. Precious metals production is expected to significantly increase over the next two years as production ramps up at Relief Canyon coupled with an anticipated increase in silver production from the Cosala Operations starting in the second half of 2020. The Company's gold equivalent production is expected to increase from approximately 14,000 ounces in 2019 to a range of 60,000 to 70,000 ounces in 2020 and 90,000 to 110,000 ounces in 2021, greater than a 300% and 500% increase, respectively, in gold equivalent production compared with 2019. The two-year outlook does not include production from the Galena Complex following the announcement of the recapitalization plan for 2020.

08:08 EST Adaptimmune appoints Gavin Wood as CFO - Adaptimmune Therapeutics announces the appointment of Gavin Wood as CFO effective April 1, 2020. Since 2006, Gavin has held CFO and senior management roles in public companies in the life sciences sector. Most recently, he served as the CFO and a director of Abcam plc from September 2016 through February 3, 2020, working as part of the executive team that led the company through a period of significant growth and change. Michael Garone, who is serving as Interim CFO, will step down on March 31, 2020.

08:07 EST Dow Inc. to appoint CEO Jim Fitterling to serve as chairman - Dow announced that its board plans to appoint Dow CEO Jim Fitterling to be chairman following the company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders on April 9. Following the Annual Meeting, directors will select an independent lead director who has served for at least one year on the board.

08:06 EST Barnes Group appoints James Pelletier as General Councel - Barnes Group announced the appointment of James Pelletier to the position of Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Barnes Group Inc. effective April 1. Pelletier will succeed Peter Gutermann, the company's current Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, who will retire from Barnes Group at the end of March. Pelletier joined Barnes Group in 2015.

08:05 EST Walmart CEO says February sales started off well

08:05 EST Walmart CEO says managing issues related to coronavirus 'daily'

08:04 EST Walmart says sales in January, November 'what we expected' - Says Q4 started and ended strong with "solid" sales growth through Cyber Monday and in January. In the few weeks before Christmas, Walmart said it experienced some softness in a few general merchandise categories in its U.S. stores. Comments taken from the 2020 Investment Community Meeting.

07:48 EST Front Yard to be acquired by Amherst Residential for $12.50 per share - Amherst Residential and Front Yard Residential Corporation announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement, whereby Amherst Residential will acquire Front Yard in a transaction valued at approximately $2.3B, including debt to be assumed or refinanced. Under the terms of the agreement, Front Yard shareholders will receive $12.50 in cash per share. The per share purchase price represents a premium of approximately 14.2% over the per share closing price of Front Yard's common stock on May 20, 2019, the day prior to the public announcement of Front Yard's decision to initiate a formal process to explore strategic alternatives. Amherst Residential is a subsidiary of Amherst Holdings, a data-driven real estate investment firm with strategies across the residential and commercial real estate capital markets. The firm delivers a full suite of products and services to both individual and institutional owners of single-family real estate. This transaction will expand Amherst Residential's nationwide SFR portfolio to more than 36,000 homes. At closing, Amherst Residential affiliates and subsidiaries will acquire Front Yard's operating platform and assets, including approximately 15,000 SFR homes, currently managed by Front Yard's operator, HavenBrook Homes. Beginning at closing, HavenBrook Homes' operations will be integrated with Main Street Renewal LLC, Amherst Residential's in-house operating company and the collective organization will retain the Main Street Renewal brand. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020, subject to the approval of the holders of a majority of Front Yard's outstanding shares and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Front Yard Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and intends to recommend that Front Yard shareholders vote in favor of it at a Special Meeting of Stockholders, to be scheduled as soon as practicable. As part of the transaction, shareholders representing approximately 18% of Front Yard's voting stock have agreed to vote in favor of the transaction.

07:41 EST Legg Mason trading resumes

07:39 EST SL Green Realty sells 'The Olivia' to Brookfield for $446.5M - SL Green Realty (SLG)announced that it has entered into contract to sell 315 West 33rd Street and an adjacent undeveloped parcel of land for a gross valuation of $446.5M, or approximately $906 per square foot, to an affiliate of Brookfield (BAM). The transaction is expected to close in Q2, subject to customary closing conditions. SL Green acquired the 36-story, 492,987-square-foot building, also known as "The Olivia", in 2013. The mixed-use property includes 333 residential units with occupancy over 96% and 270,132 square feet of commercial space, which is 100% occupied.

07:37 EST Rollins subsidiary completes purchase of Clark Pest Control - Rollins announced that its subsidiary, Clark Pest Control of Stockton, has completed the purchase of Clark Pest Control, based in Bakersfield, CA. Rollins previously acquired Clark Pest Control of Stockton, in the Q2 of FY19.

07:36 EST Plus Products launches PLUS CBDRelief brand into California adult-use market - Plus Products announced the launch of its new PLUS CBDRelief brand into the California Adult-Use Market. The two new products include a PLUS CBDRelief 9:1 Tropical Mango with 9mg of CBD and 1mg of THC per serving, and a PLUS CBDRelief 18:1 Tart Cherry with 18 mg of CBD and 1 mg of THC per serving. Specifically formulated to help reduce chronic subclinical inflammation, provide full-body relief and promote a calm state of mind, the proprietary blends mix CBD and THC to provide powerful relief. PLUS CBDRelief products are expected to be sold in licensed retailers across California.

07:34 EST Franklin Templeton to acquire Legg Mason for $50.00 per share

07:33 EST Pixelworks, Qualcomm collaborate to integrate live local TV with 5G broadband - Pixelworks (PXLW) announced the Company is working with Qualcomm Technologies (QCOM) on a 5G-based fixed wireless access customer-premises equipment platform that integrates over-the-air local TV streaming technology from Pixelworks. The joint reference solution will combine Pixelworks' OTA streaming XCode processor with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System, allowing broadband network operators, Internet Service Providers and original equipment manufacturers to rapidly develop and deploy a comprehensive home video solution.

07:32 EST Alliance Data reports January net charge offs 7.2% vs. 6.1% last month - Reports January delinquency ratio 6.0% vs. 5.8% last month.

07:22 EST Can-Fite BioPharma granted patent allowance for Namodenoson in South Korea - Can-Fite BioPharma announced it has been granted patent allowance in South Korea for its patent titled, "An A3 adenosine receptor ligand for use in treating ectopic fat accumulation" for its drug candidate Namodenoson. The main claim among others is the ability of Namodenoson to improve non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, accompanied by fibrosis.

07:19 EST Whirlpool nominates Jennifer LaClair for election to Board of Directors - Whirlpool (WHR) announced that Jennifer LaClair has been nominated for election to its Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting of Stockholders on April 21. LaClair is the Chief Financial Officer of Ally Financial (ALLY) and a member of the firm's executive council.

07:17 EST Matrix Service awarded tank construction projects for Exxon Mobil - Matrix Service Company (MTRX) announced that its subsidiary Matrix Service Inc. has been awarded multiple projects by ExxonMobil (XOM) under a recently signed long-term master service agreement. The projects, which are already in backlog, include the engineering, fabrication and construction of six 500,000-barrel tanks, four of which will be located at ExxonMobil's Webster Station in Webster, TX with the remaining two at its Baytown Complex in Baytown, TX. Matrix Applied Technologies will supply their FlowDomeTM geodesic domes for the tanks at Webster Station as well as floating roof seals for all six tanks.

07:16 EST EyePoint, VCNA sign purchase agreement for DEXYCU - EyePoint Pharmaceuticals and Vision Center Network of America announced that they have entered into an purchase agreement for DEXYCU 9% for its network of nine surgery centers located in New York and New Jersey that perform an estimated 60,000 cataract procedures annually. The agreement will enable VCNA physicians to incorporate DEXYCU into their surgical protocols for treating ocular inflammation associated with cataract surgery.

07:15 EST KKR announces formation of Gamma Biosciences platform, invests $200M - KKR (KKR) announced the formation of a new platform, Gamma Biosciences, which will operate a portfolio of companies focused on next-generation bioprocessing technologies for the production of advanced biologic therapies. KKR and co-investors have committed to invest $200M in Gamma. For KKR, the investment is from its Health Care Strategic Growth Fund, which is focused on high-growth companies for which KKR can be a partner in helping reach scale. Matt Gunnison joins Gamma as a founding member, having most recently served as Global Head of Business Development for GE Healthcare, a $19B division of General Electric (GE). In addition, experienced operators from the industry will join the management team in the coming months as the platform expands. Gamma recently completed the platform's first acquisition with its purchase of Astrea Bioseparations, a U.K.-based affinity chromatography and process purification player. Gamma has also recently entered into an agreement with Univercells, a bioprocessing provider, to take a controlling stake in the Belgium-based company's manufacturing equipment business, including the NevoLine biomanufacturing platform and the scale-X bioreactor portfolio. The investment will enable Univercells' continued expansion into the fast-growing gene therapy segment, including new developments to introduce a range of solutions for manufacturing advanced therapeutics and vaccines.

07:14 EST Alnylam completes enrollment of HELIOS-A Phase 3 vutrisiran study - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced that it has achieved full enrollment in its HELIOS-A Phase 3 study of vutrisiran, an investigational RNAi therapeutic in development for the treatment of ATTR amyloidosis. The study was designed to enroll 160 patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy across 68 sites in 22 countries. Alnylam is on track to report topline results from HELIOS-A in early 2021. HELIOS-A is a Phase 3 global, randomized, open-label study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vutrisiran in patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. The trial randomized patients 3:1 to receive either 25mg of vutrisiran subcutaneously once every 12 weeks or 0.3 mg/kg of patisiran intravenously once every three weeks. For most endpoints, results from the vutrisiran arm will be compared to results from the placebo arm of the landmark APOLLO Phase 3 study, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of patisiran in people with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. The co-primary endpoints of HELIOS-A are the change from baseline in the modified Neurologic Impairment Score +7 and in the Norfolk Quality of Life-Diabetic Neuropathy score, at 9 months. Secondary endpoints include the change from baseline in key clinical evaluations including the timed 10-meter walk test, modified body mass index, and Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale. The percent reduction in serum transthyretin levels in the vutrisiran arm will be compared to the within-study patisiran arm. Additional exploratory endpoints will be assessed to determine the effect of vutrisiran on other aspects of the multisystem nature of this disease, including manifestations of cardiac amyloid involvement. Vutrisiran has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of ATTR amyloidosis.

07:13 EST One Stop Systems appoints David Raun as interim president, CEO - One Stop Systems has appointed company director, David Raun, as interim president and CEO, succeeding Steve Cooper, who will continue as a member of the board of the directors. Raun will serve in the interim capacity until the board selects a new president and CEO. Raun brings to the interim position more than 24 years of senior management and board experience, including serving on the board of OSS since December 2016 and on its audit committee since April 2018. He previously served as president and COO of ASSIA.

07:12 EST Culp, Inc. sees Q4 overall sales slightly better vs. last year - Consensus is $73.29M. The company is also updating its outlook for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, with current expectations for overall sales and profitability for the quarter to be slightly better than the results achieved in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. This projected outlook for the fourth quarter is adjusted from the previously announced outlook for overall performance to be significantly better than the prior year period. The company now projects mattress fabrics sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 to be slightly lower than the prior-year period. However, expectations are still for all three business segments to have improved profitability in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, assuming the coronavirus outbreak in China does not have a greater than anticipated impact on the operations of the company, its suppliers, and the global economy. The updated expectations reflect an uncertain business environment associated with ongoing trade and health issues primarily related to Asia, which may affect each of the company's divisions to varying levels. The potential impact of the coronavirus is difficult to estimate reasonably at this point given the fluidity in circumstances related to the disease and the actions being taken to contain its spread. "Although we are disappointed with the third quarter financial results and revised expectations for the fourth quarter, the company remains well-positioned for the long term with our creative designs, innovative products, efficient global platform, and diversified sales channels, both domestically and in Asia," said Culp. "Additionally, while the updated forecast prompting the partial impairment for our home accessories segment is less favorable than originally projected, we still expect continued improvement for this business and remain encouraged about the opportunity to leverage this sales channel and reach new customers for Culp. Our financial position remains strong, with approximately $35.0 million of cash and investments and outstanding borrowings totaling $925,000 as of the third quarter of fiscal 2020, for a net cash position of approximately $34.1 million. We also repurchased 55,750 shares of Culp common stock during the third quarter, leaving approximately $4.3 million remaining under our share repurchase program approved by the Board in September 2019. We will continue seeking opportunities to repurchase shares when the price reflects a discount to our calculated intrinsic value per share. We remain optimistic about opportunities for our businesses as we respond to changing demand trends for our diverse customer base. We have the financial strength to support and execute our strategies and are confident in our position as market conditions evolve," added Culp.

07:11 EST Fluor to delay filing annual report on Form 10-K - Fluor disclosed preliminary select financial results for its fiscal year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 and announced a delay in the submission of full year financial statements. The company does not expect to file its annual report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2019 prior to the end of February.

07:10 EST RA Pharmaceuticals announces results from Phase 2 zilucoplan trial published - Ra Pharmaceuticals announced that full results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of zilucoplan in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, or gMG, were published online in JAMA Neurology. As reported in the JAMA Neurology article, the study demonstrated that zilucoplan resulted in rapid, clinically meaningful, statistically significant, and sustained improvements in the primary and key secondary endpoints, namely, change from baseline to week 12 in Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis, or QMG, and MG Activities of Daily Living, or MG-ADL, scores, respectively. Further, near-complete complement inhibition was associated with a faster onset and greater magnitude of benefit than submaximal complement inhibition, with a favorable safety and tolerability profile. Ra Pharma is currently evaluating zilucoplan in the RAISE study, a single, global, pivotal, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 clinical trial, for the treatment of gMG. The trial, which incorporates feedback from the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or PMDA, is designed to evaluate the efficacy of a once-daily, subcutaneously self-administered dose of 0.3 mg/kg of zilucoplan versus placebo. Top-line results from the RAISE study are expected in early 2021.

07:08 EST Stealth Biotherapeutics announes results from elamipretide study - Stealth BioTherapeutics announced positive results from its retrospective natural history study, clinical protocol SPIBA-001, evaluating the efficacy of subcutaneous injections of elamipretide relative to a natural history control comprised of 19 propensity score matched subjects with Barth syndrome. Subjects receiving elamipretide for up to one year during the TAZPOWER trial and open-label extension showed a mean improvement of greater than 80 meters on their six-minute walk test, or 6MWT, the primary efficacy endpoint, compared to less than one meter for subjects in the natural history group evaluated over the same time period. Patients also showed statistically significant improvements in several key secondary endpoints, including muscle strength and sit-to-stand evaluations. Additional analysis of these data will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

07:08 EST Group 1 Automotive raises share repurchase authorization to $100M - Group 1 Automotive announced that its board of directors increased the company's common stock share repurchase authorization by $52.4M to $100M.

07:05 EST Wabtec sees FY20 GAAP cash fow from operations about $900M - Wabtec anticipates 2020 first quarter sales, adjusted net income, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per diluted share to be lower when compared to the remainder of 2020, in line with expected first quarter seasonality and project scheduling, with improvement expected through the rest of the year.

07:04 EST Vonage initiates strategic review of consumer segment - The company said, "In light of the significant scale and growth of the Business segment, the Company is initiating a strategic review of its Consumer segment, including the feasibility of its divestiture, to further the Company's goal of becoming a pure-play Business SaaS company. The review will be led by the Board, working with management and with the assistance of financial and legal advisors, and will include an operational review with the assistance of consultants."

07:03 EST Bed Bath & Beyond to sell PersonalizationMall.com to 1-800-Flowers.com for $252M - Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its PersonalizationMall.com business to 1-800-Flowers.com for $252M, subject to certain working capital and other adjustments. Commenting on the transaction, Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond's President & CEO, said, "This transaction is another important step towards simplifying our portfolio and deepening our focus on our core Home, Baby and Beauty businesses. By unlocking valuable capital from within our business, we can accelerate the company's ongoing business transformation and our efforts to re-establish Bed Bath & Beyond's authority in the Home space." Following the closing of the transaction, PersonalizationMall.com will continue to provide product and personalization services to Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY. The transaction is expected to close during the company's fiscal 2020 first quarter.

07:00 EST DuPont CEO Marc Doyle, CFO Jeanmarie Desmond to depart company - DuPont announced that its board has appointed current executive chairman Edward Breen to the additional role of CEO. Lori Koch, VP of investor relations and corporate financial planning and analysis, is named CFO. Both appointments are effective immediately. The board has made these leadership changes to accelerate operational performance improvement and to more directly tap Ed Breen's management experience. As a result, Marc Doyle and Jeanmarie Desmond, who have served as CEO and CFO respectively, will depart the company. Koch has held finance leadership roles with increasing responsibility spanning business units, the science and technology organization and corporate functions. Over the last four years she has worked closely with Ed Breen and played a principal role in strategy, planning and shareholder engagement across the DowDuPont transaction and subsequent split into three new independent companies. Breen has served as the executive chairman of DuPont since the separation in June 2019 and previously served as CEO of DowDuPont since 2017.

06:58 EST Nordic American Tankers raises dividend to 7c from 2c - The company announced a distribution of the 90th consecutive quarterly dividend. The dividend for the Q4 will be 7c per share, payable on March 16 to shareholders of record March 2, 2020. In the previous quarter the company paid a dividend of 2c per share.

06:57 EST Medtronic CEO says 'we continue to feel very good about the fourth quarter' - "Organic revenue growth was light this quarter, due largely to transient issues," said Omar Ishrak, Medtronic chairman and CEO. "However, we continue to feel very good about the fourth quarter, and in the third quarter, a softer top-line was more than offset by significant margin expansion, resulting in better-than-expected earnings per share and free cash flow."

06:53 EST Fluor sees FY19 backlog at year-end $32.7B - Full year new awards for 2019 were $12.6B, consisting of $3.7B in Energy & Chemicals, $1.9B in Mining & Industrial, $2.6B in Infrastructure & Power, $2.2B in Government, and $2.2B in Diversified Services. Consolidated backlog at year-end is expected to be $32.7B.

06:48 EST HSBC sees RoTE of 10%-12% in FY22 - Sees gross RWA reduction of over $100B by end of 2022. Sees cost savings of $4.5B. Says will consolidate number of businesses from 4 to 3 -- GPB and RBWM to form Wealth and Personal Banking. Comments taken from investor presentation slides.

06:45 EST Medtronic raises FY20 guidance

06:42 EST HSBC announces group-wide 'simplification' - HSBC said in a statement: "We intend to implement a number of changes, with the aim of creating a simpler and more efficient organization, including: consolidating the back and middle office to a single model for CMB and Global Banking; consolidating RBWM and GPB into a new Wealth and Personal Banking division; reducing geographic reports from seven to four at Group Executive level; and reorganising the global functions and head office to match the new structure. To achieve our targets, we expect to incur restructuring costs of around $6bn and asset disposal costs of around $1.2bn during the period to 2022, with the majority of restructuring costs incurred in 2020 and 2021."

06:41 EST HSBC targeting gross RWA reduction of over $100B by end of 2022 - HSBC said in a statement: "We intend to reduce capital and costs in our underperforming businesses to enable continued investment in businesses with stronger returns and growth prospects, including in RBWM and in all our businesses in Asia. We also plan to simplify our complex organizational structure, including a reduction in Group and central costs, while improving the capital efficiency of the Group." The Group will target: a gross RWA reduction of over $100bn by the end of 2022, with these RWAs to be reinvested, resulting in broadly flat RWAs between 2019 and 2022; a reduced adjusted cost base of $31bn or below in 2022, underpinned by a new cost reductionplan of $4.5bn; and a reported RoTE in the range of 10% to 12% in 2022, with the full benefit of our cost reductions and redeployed RWAs flowing into subsequent years.We intend to sustain the dividend and maintain a CET1 ratio in the range of 14% to 15%, and plan to be at the top end of this range by the end of 2021.

06:40 EST HSBC says process to appoint permanent CEO 'ongoing' - HSBC said that the process for appointing a permanent Group CEO is ongoing and it expects to make an appointment within the 6 to 12 months initially outlined.

06:37 EST Innovate Biopharmaceuticals gets shareholder approval for RDD merger proposals - Innovate Biopharmaceuticals announced the results from its February 14 special meeting of shareholders to approve proposals related to its upcoming merger with RDD Pharma. At the meeting, the stockholders approved all three proposals. To authorize, for purposes of complying with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635, the issuance of shares of our common stock, pursuant to the terms of that certain agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, dated October 6, 2019, by and among the company, RDD Pharma and the other parties thereto, as amended by Amendment No. 1, dated December 17, 2019 in an amount in excess of 20% of common stock outstanding before the issuance of such common stock. To approve the potential issuance of 20% or more of the company's issued and outstanding common stock pursuant to a proposed reduction in the exercise price of outstanding warrants. To authorize an amendment to the company's certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding common stock at a specific ratio, within a range of 1-for-5 and 1-for-20, to be determined by the company's board of directors in its sole discretion and effected, if at all, within one year of the date the proposal is approved by stockholders:

06:37 EST Acorn International announces suspension of current Roche take private proposal - Acorn International announced that on February 14, Robert Roche delivered a letter to the special committee of the board of directors of the companyinforming the Special Committee that in light of the uncertainties regarding the impact that the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak will have on the economy, at this time he and the shareholders of the buyer vehicle are not prepared to pursue the acquisition of the company at a purchase price of $0.975 per ordinary share or $19.50 per American Depositary Share as set out in his preliminary non-binding proposal letter dated November 4, 2019. Roche also stated in the February Letter that he and the shareholders of the buyer vehicle remain interested in continuing negotiations with the Special Committee regarding the Acquisition. No additional terms or proposals have been discussed at this time and there can be no assurance that negotiations will continue or that a revised offer will be made, that any agreement related to the Acquisition will be reached, or that the Acquisition or any other similar transaction will be consummated. The Special Committee scheduled a meeting to consider next steps in light of the February Letter. No decisions have been made with respect to the company's response.

06:36 EST Acorn International announces suspension of current Roche take private proposal

06:34 EST Walmart raises annual dividend to $2.16 per share - The Board of Directors of Walmart approved an annual cash dividend for fiscal year 2021 of $2.16 per share, an increase of approximately 2% from the $2.12 per share paid for the last fiscal year. The fiscal year 2021 annual dividend of $2.16 per share will be paid in four quarterly installments of 54c per share. The first payment date will be April 6 for shareholders of record on March 20.

06:09 EST Bruker sees FY20 organic revenue up 4%-5% vs last year - Sees FY20 operating margin expansion of 70 to 90 basis points compared to FY19. Bruker expects to provide FY20 EPS guidance, with final FY19 financial results. Bruker's preliminary FY 2020 outlook does not include a potential negative impact from the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak on full year results, as such impact is not estimable at this time.

06:03 EST Jeld-Wen sees FY20 adjusted EBITDA $450M-$495M - Sees FY20 net revenue growth 1%-4%; and projected capital expenditures $135M-$155M. "I remain confident in our long-term 15% adjusted EBITDA margin target and believe that 2020 will be an inflection point in demonstrating significant progress towards this goal," said the company. "As our free cash flow continues to improve, we will make disciplined investments, strategic acquisitions, and share repurchases, while also ensuring that we achieve sustained reduction in our net debt leverage ratio."

06:02 EST Walmart reports Q4 U.S. comp sales up 6% on two-year stacked basis - Walmart U.S. comp sales increased on a two-year stacked basis by 6.0% with continued strength in food and consumables. Sam's Club comp sales increased 0.8%, and eCommerce sales grew 33%. Reduced tobacco sales negatively affected comp sales by approximately 300 basis points. Net sales at Walmart International were $33B, an increase of 2.3%. Disruption in Chile negatively affected operating income by approximately $110M. President and CEO Doug McMillon said: "We thank our associates for another good year. In Q4, we saw strong performance in the U.S. with eCommerce and Sam's Club plus strength in Mexico, India and China. We started and finished the quarter with momentum, while sales leading up to Christmas in our U.S. stores were a little softer than expected. The new year has started off well, and we look forward to another strong year. We remain focused on providing our customers with the best omnichannel experience from any retailer. "

05:38 EST OneSmart appoints Tuanwei Shi as Chief Technology Officer - OneSmart announced that it has appointed Tuanwei Shi as Chief Technology Officer, effective February 17, as part of its ongoing efforts to upgrade management team to lay the foundation for growth in the next decade. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Shi served in several senior roles across leading internet companies.

05:34 EST Visa enters global partnership with Accor - Accor and Visa announced a global partnership to bring new payment experiences to ALL-Accor Live Limitless loyalty members. "The partnership will bring together Accor's loyalty program and Visa's global payment capabilities to create the new ALL Visa card. Members who apply for the new Visa card will be able to use it for everyday purchases everywhere Visa is accepted. Accor will be collaborating with Visa partner financial institutions and banks in key markets across Europe, North and South America, Middle East and Asia Pacific to issue the new ALL Visa card. It will offer members tailored rewards based on customer preferences and the ability to earn more loyalty points when staying at an Accor property or when making purchases."