Stockwinners Market Radar for February 21, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:39 EST eBay says in 'active discussions with multiple parties' for sale of Classifieds - eBay issued the following statement regarding the previously announced strategic review of eBay's Classifieds Group: "eBay has been exploring potential value-creating alternatives for Classifieds and continues to be in active discussions with multiple parties regarding a potential transaction. As previously noted, eBay expects to provide an update regarding this process by the middle of the year. eBay remains committed to maximizing the value of Classifieds for eBay shareholders. eBay's Board and management are committed to driving significant returns to shareholders by maximizing the value of Classifieds and positioning our Marketplace business for long-term success," said Scott Schenkel, interim CEO of eBay. "The Classifieds review process, together with the StubHub sale and our initiatives to increase volume, revenues, margins, and cash flow while continuing to invest in long-term profitable growth, demonstrate this commitment. We are acting with urgency while focusing on the ultimate objective of maximizing the value of Classifieds."

17:35 EST FleetCor's Johnson sells 15,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, FleetCor Technologies director Mark A. Johnson disclosed the sale of 15,000 common shares of the company at a price of $321.333 per share on February 19.

17:24 EST Jernigan Capital cuts quarterly dividend to 23c from 35c per share - The dividend is payable on April 15, 2020 to stockholders of record on April 1, 2020.

17:20 EST Phillips 66 awarded $795.34M Defense Logistics Agency contract - Phillips 66 has been awarded a $795.34M fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation for various types of fuel. These were competitive acquisitions with 32 offers received. These are one-year contracts with a 30-day carryover. Work has an April 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. Type of appropriation is FY20 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy.

17:04 EST Xilinx recommends rejection of TRC Capital's "mini-tender" offer - Xilinx announced that it has been notified of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital to purchase up to 1.5M shares of its common stock (approximately 0.6% of outstanding shares) at $81.75 per share. The offer price is approximately 4.52% below the $85.62 per share price that Xilinx common stock closed at on February 7, 2020 - the last trading day prior to the date when TRC Capital commenced its mini-tender offer - and is approximately 8.95% below the $89.79 per share at which Xilinx common stock closed on February 20, the day prior to this release. Xilinx does not endorse TRC Capital's unsolicited offer and recommends that Xilinx stockholders reject the offer and not tender their shares in response to it. Not only is the mini-tender offer at a price below the market price for Xilinx shares, as of today's date, it is also subject to numerous conditions, including TRC Capital's ability to obtain financing. Xilinx is not associated in any way with TRC Capital, its mini-tender offer or the offer documentation, nor did Xilinx have advance notice of this mini-tender offer.

16:53 EST NeuBase Therapeutics receives noncompliance letter from Nasdaq - NeuBase Therapeutics announced that it received a standard notification letter from Nasdaq stating that, as a result of not having timely filed its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2019, NeuBase is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250, which requires timely filing of periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This notice has no immediate effect on the listing of NeuBase's common stock. Under Nasdaq's listing rules, NeuBase has 60 calendar days from the date of the notice to submit a plan to regain compliance. If the plan is accepted by Nasdaq, NeuBase can be granted up to 180 calendar days from the Form 10-Q's due date to regain compliance. NeuBase expects to file its Form 10-Q within the timeline prescribed by Nasdaq. In addition, NeuBase announced that it has engaged Marcum as its independent registered public accounting firm, effective February 20. The company is working diligently and expects to file its Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2019 by the end of March.

16:39 EST Esperion announces FDA approval of NEXLETOL tablet - Esperion announced that the U.S. FDA approved NEXLETOL tablet, an oral, once-daily, non-statin LDL-Cholesterol lowering medicine. NEXLETOL is indicated as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-C. The effect of NEXLETOL on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined. NEXLETOL is the first oral, once-daily, non-statin LDL-C lowering medicine approved since 2002 for indicated patients. NEXLETOL is a first-in-class ATP Citrate Lyase inhibitor that lowers LDL-C by inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in the liver.

16:31 EST Lincoln Electric CFO Vincent Petrella retires, Gabriel Bruno to succeed - Lincoln Electric announced that Vincent Petrella, Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, will be succeeded by current Executive Vice President, Finance, Gabriel Bruno, effective April 22. Petrella will continue to serve as Executive Vice President to assist the Executive Team with the transition of the finance and corporate strategy organization until his retirement later this year. Bruno joined Lincoln Electric in 1995 and has held numerous leadership positions in finance, information technology and human resources, including Corporate Controller, Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer and most recently, Executive Vice President, Finance.

16:28 EST Philip Morris CEO sells nearly 54,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Philip Morris CEO Andre Calantzopoulos disclosed the sale of 53,926 common shares of the company in two transactions both dated February 19. The first transaction of 3,926 shares was sold at a price of $87.425 per share, while the other transaction of 50,000 shares was sold at $87.50 per share.

16:21 EST Bunge CFO buys 10K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Bunge disclosed that its CFO John Neppl bought 10K shares of common stock on February 19th-20th. The total transaction size was over $530K.

16:18 EST Sinovac Biotech extends expiration date of shareholder rights plan - Sinovac Biotech announced that its board of directors has amended its shareholder rights plan. The amendment extends the expiration date of the plan from February 22, 2020 to February 22, 2021.

16:15 EST Marsh & McLennan's McDonald sells nearly 6,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, March & McLennan president and CEO of OWG Scott McDonald disclosed the sale of 5,972 common shares of the company on February 19 at a price of $119.3872 per share.

16:01 EST Bank of Commerce Holdings amends share buyback program to 1.5M from 1.0M shares - Bank of Commerce Holdings announced that the board has authorized an amendment to the previously announced stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase program amendment authorizes the company to purchase up to 1,500,000 shares of its common stock, an increase from the 1,000,000 shares originally authorized, and extends the program by one year to March 31, 2021 and is effective immediately.

15:25 EST Bluefin Acquisitions confirms tender offer to acquire BlueLinx for $24.50/share - Bluefin Acquisitions issued a press release to confirm the offer for BlueLinx Holdings announced on February 20. "The tender offer statement on Schedule TO will be filed and available no later than Monday February 24, 2020 and will available to shareholders thereafter through the SEC's website and Morrow Sodali LLC, the information agent for the offer," Bluefin Acquisitions stated in its press release. The Fly notes that BlueLinx Holdings responded yesterday to the original press release "issued by an investment firm that goes by the name of Bluefin Acquisitions, LLC." BlueLinx said: "In its press release, Bluefin Acquisitions claimed that it was making a tender offer to acquire at least 35% of the company's common stock at a price of $24.50 per share. The company was not aware of this purported offer."

15:03 EST Esperion selloff on Nexletol approval attributed to adverse event profile - The selloff in shares of Esperion Therapeutics following news of the FDA approving its cholesterol treatment Nexletol is being attributed to the concerns over the drug's adverse event profile. CNCB's Meg Tirrell tweeted, "$ESPR drug approved, stock drops 7% - Jefferies' @therealJHOLZ cites investor concern about adverse event profile." Shares of Esperion are down 7%, or $4.78, to $63.57 in afternoon trading.

14:54 EST Esperion down 9% after FDA approves Nexletol - The FDA approved Esperion's bempedoic acid, to be marketed as Nexletol, as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-C, according to prescribing information posted to the site of the FDA. Following news of the approval, Esperion shares are down $6.30, or 9.2%, to $62.05.

14:37 EST Mattel partners with Telsa for radio control Cybertruck toys - Mattel (MAT) announced earlier that its Hot Wheels brand will partner with Tesla (TSLA) to launch two small-scale, remote-control versions of the Cybertruck. Hot Wheels will offer a track-compatible 1:64 scale and a limited-edition hobby grade 1:10 scale, which it calls "the only way to drive the Cybertruck in 2020!" Reference Link

14:18 EST Aaron's says FTC agreement not expected to affect go-forward business - Aaron's announced that the Federal Trade Commission has approved for public comment a proposed consent agreement regarding future contingent purchases and sales of customer lease agreements with other rent-to-own companies. As previously disclosed, the company reached agreement with FTC staff on the terms of the proposed settlement in August 2019. With the FTC's announcement today, the proposed consent agreement is now subject to a 30-day public comment period after which the FTC will decide whether to make the proposed agreement final. In connection with the FTC's decision to approve the proposed consent agreement for public comment, Aaron's released the following statement: "The proposed consent agreement allows us to focus on our business. Under the agreement, there are no fines, penalties, admission of wrongdoing, fault or liability on the part of the Company. This agreement is not expected to affect our go-forward business or operations."

13:20 EST Cleveland-Cliffs, AK Steel secure final regulatory approvals for acquisition - Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) and AK Steel Holding Corporation (AKS) announced that they have now received all of the necessary regulatory approvals in connection with their proposed merger transaction. Under the pending transaction, Cliffs would acquire all of AK Steel's outstanding shares pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger entered into by Cliffs and AK Steel providing for the merger of a subsidiary of Cliffs with and into AK Steel, with AK Steel surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cliffs. Cliffs and AK Steel received confirmation of clearance from the Mexican Competition Commission. The companies previously received the necessary regulatory clearance pursuant to the Competition Act and early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Together, these matters satisfy certain conditions for the closing of the proposed Merger related to obtaining regulatory approvals and clearances. The transaction is currently scheduled to close on March 13, 2020 and remains subject to adoption by AK Steel's stockholders of the Merger Agreement and approval by Cliffs' shareholders of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the issuance of new Cliffs' shares in connection with the proposed Merger.

12:00 EST Arcus Biosciences rises 11.8% - Arcus Biosciences is up 11.8%, or $1.88 to $17.83.

12:00 EST Eldorado Gold rises 24.5% - Eldorado Gold is up 24.5%, or $1.84 to $9.36.

11:42 EST USA Technologies affirms belief Hudson Executive seeking control of board - USA Technologies issued a statement saying, "We reaffirm our strong belief that an 18-month disgorgement period was triggered by Hudson Executive Capital's November 2019 public announcement of its intention to take control of the USAT board. The words and intent of the Pennsylvania statute - Subchapter H of Chapter 25 of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law - are in our view carefully crafted to protect Pennsylvania corporations and their stakeholders from attempts to take control of the Board of Directors of a Pennsylvania corporation. We informed HEC of the Pennsylvania statute in November 2019. Today, for the first time and after more than three months of publicly soliciting USAT shareholders, HEC acknowledged the potential significant implications of the Pennsylvania disgorgement statute on its effort to take control of the USA Technologies Board. Shareholders should be aware that under the Pennsylvania statute, actions to recover realized profits from an offending shareholder may be commenced by the corporation, or by any shareholder in the name and on behalf of the corporation, if the corporation fails or refuses to take action within 60 days after written request by a shareholder. Based on HEC's public disclosures, we believe that, as of today, HEC stands on an unrealized profit of over $35 million in their USAT investment. USA Technologies, on behalf of itself and its shareholders other than HEC, reserves all of its rights under Pennsylvania law to compel the disgorgement of any profits that may be realized by HEC during the 18-month period beginning November 2019."

11:09 EST Reddit moderators ban user for 'pumping' Lumber Liquidators, Virgin Galactic - The Reddit moderators of "r/wallstreetbets," a board used to discuss stocks and "allow users to discuss higher risk plays," have banned the user "closethefuckinglight," explaining in a post to the chat board: "The influx of media attention over the past week on SPCE and LL has made it clear that some users are attempting to use this forum to pump their positions (against Rule 8 of the sub). In addition, the sub has seen a rise in users resulting from media attention and r/all over the past few months. Recently, some pumpers have attempted to leverage the size of this community to pump stocks." The post explains that the user took a position on a highly shorted, small cap company, pointing to Lumber Liquidators (LL) and Michaels (MIK) as examples, and then posted with the intention to "pump," or drive up, the price of the shares. The Fly notes that shares of Lumber Liquidators are up 7% to $10.39 this morning and rose by nearly 19% yesterday. Reference Link

10:38 EST Deere says facing unusual seasonal impacts in Q2, including lower cotton sales - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:18 EST Deere says closely monitoring any coronavirus impacts on suppliers - Comment taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:13 EST Deere sees Canada dragging down North American sales this year - Comment taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:00 EST Eldorado Gold rises 17.8% - Eldorado Gold is up 17.8%, or $1.34 to $8.86.

09:29 EST DBV Technologies announces FDA committee meeting to review Viaskin Peanut - DBV Technologies announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced an Allergenic Products Advisory Committee meeting to be held on May 15, 2020 to discuss the Biologics License Application for Viaskin Peanut. Viaskin Peanut, which is based on epicutaneous immunotherapy, is an investigational drug currently under review by the FDA as a treatment for peanut allergy in children. The Company announced on October 4, 2019, that the FDA had accepted the Viaskin Peanut BLA for filing with a target action date of August 5, 2020. Viaskin Peanut received Breakthrough and Fast Track Designation from the FDA in 2015 and 2012, respectively.

09:06 EST Genfit says unblinding of RESOLVE-IT data delayed for FDA feedback - Genfit last night announced that unblinding of the Phase 3 RESOLVE-IT data will be delayed to incorporate the latest FDA insights expected by the end of March. Topline interim results will be announced in the weeks following receipt of FDA insight, the company said. "This decision has been taken to ensure that the latest thinking in the NASH field is properly captured so the Company can optimize elafibranor's NDA dossier at the time of submission," it added. At this stage the trial remains unblinded, meaning this delay is not related to concerns about elafibranor's efficacy, safety or tolerability issues with elafibranor, corporate, legal, strategic or financial matters, Genfit noted. The final visit of the last patient for the interim cohort to support accelerated marketing approval has been completed on time, and the Phase 3 clinical trial RESOLVE-IT database will be locked as planned, before the end of February, according to the company.

09:04 EST TOP Ships agrees to sell 50% owned vessels - TOP Ships that its 50% subsidiaries which own M/T Holmby Hills and M/T Palm Springs entered into agreements to sell both vessels to unaffiliated third parties. The vessel sales are subject to customary closing conditions and are anticipated to be concluded during March 2020. Depending on when the closing of the sales take place and on prevailing USD Swap rates at the time of closing, the Company estimates that it will incur impairment charges ranging from $1.5M to $3.5M due to these sales, or losses per share ranging from 51c to $1.20, that will affect the year ended 2019 financial results and also estimates the cash release to the Company to range from $19M to $21M.

09:03 EST Tradeweb Markets appoints Justin Peterson as Chief Technology Officer - Tradeweb Markets announced Justin Peterson will become its new Chief Technology Officer. Peterson joined the company more than 20 years ago and currently holds the role of Managing Director, Head of Institutional Technology.

09:00 EST Fly Intel: Pre-market Movers - HIGHER: Sprint (S), up 6% after modifying the T-Mobile (TMUS) combination agreement and announcing the deal could close as early as April 1... Chewy (CHWY), up 4% after RBC Capital analyst Mark Mahaney upgraded shares to Outperform from Sector Perform with an unchanged $38 price target. The analyst sees FY20 as a profitability inflection year for the company and believes that the stock offers a "highly favorable" risk-reward. UP AFTER EARNINGS: Deere (DE), up 6%... Dropbox (DBX), up 15%... Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM), up 9%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Cinemark (CNK), down 5%... First Solar (FSLR), down 10%... TrueCar (TRUE), down 28%... Zscaler (ZS), down 13%. ALSO LOWER: T-Mobile, down 1% after Raymond James analyst Ric Prentiss downgraded the stock to Outperform from Strong Buy with a price target of $107, up from $99... Agile Therapeutics (AGRX), down 13% after its 15M share spot secondary offering priced at $3.00 per share... BlueLinx Holdings (BXC), down 28% after the company responded to a press release issued by an investment firm that goes by the name of Bluefin Acquisitions, which claimed that it was making a tender offer to acquire at least 35% of the company's common stock at a price of $24.50 per share. "The company was not aware of this purported offer," BlueLinx stated in its response last night after the market close.

08:39 EST James E Wagner expects revenue growth to drive positive cash flow in Q3 - By Q3 2020, it expects revenue growth to drive strong gross margins, positive cash flow, and net and comprehensive income.

08:37 EST James E Wagner says can sustain 'highly favorable margins' over long term - The company said,"During our first fiscal quarter of 2020 we made tremendous strides in many areas of our business designed to better position JWC for success in the new year. We focused our efforts on deriving the maximum value from all available resources and avenues, including our biological assets, branded products, key partnerships, proprietary technologies and newly established sales channels. Our financial results for the quarter demonstrated that despite our strengthening platform, we were not immune to the challenges of an industry that is still evolving and striving for balance. While revenue declined substantially, this was largely purposeful, reflecting what we see as temporary conditions that are now set to pivot and launch in the opposite direction in the current quarter. During fiscal Q1, we implemented a strategic response to the market. A combination of number of factors, primarily oversupply and the lack of legal sales outlets continued to drive the illicit market. As a result, our wholesale partners were unable to buy our products at historical prices, driving gross margins into the negative territory. So, we made the strategic decision to hold back on sales and preserve our biological assets until the oversupply subsided and the recreational market opened. Our ability to attract various sources of capital even in this challenging environment demonstrated our strong value proposition and gave us the flexibility to pursue our strategy. We dedicated our resources to the development of our Cannabis 2.0 products, positioning ourselves to capture the anticipated growth in the recreational market in the current quarter. This has also included the formation of a variety of new partnerships and obtaining key regulatory approvals. Experts are now predicting a three times growth in industry-wide sales in 2020, as the number of retail stores steadily increase as a result of eased regulations and the oversupply subsides. We expect this to support the sale of significant volumes of our products in Q2 and beyond. Our primary focus will remain on becoming a highly successful cultivator and seller of clean, consistent cannabis. Our financial outlook is unchanged for fiscal Q2 and Q3, as we reiterate below. Combined with our industry-leading yields and lower cost of production due to our unique GrowthSTORM system, we believe we can achieve and sustain highly favorable margins and strong growth over the long term."

08:33 EST Laredo Petroleum appoints William Albrecht to board of directors - Laredo Petroleum announced the appointment of William Albrecht to the Company's Board of Directors. His appointment as an independent director and as a member of the Board's Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees was effective February 20, 2020. He most recently served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of California Resources Corporation.

08:32 EST Inpixon, Mist Systems expand collaboration, product integration activities - Inpixon (INPX) announced that it is expanding its collaboration and product integration activities with Mist Systems, a Juniper Networks (JNPR) company. Inpixon and Mist have worked together on a number of indoor mapping and mobile applications development projects. The companies are now also working to integrate Inpixon's new Ultra-Wideband technology into Mist's enterprise wireless infrastructure solutions.

08:19 EST KORR Acquisitions says GoPro would be worth in excess of $9.49 per share - KORR Acquisitions sent a letter to the board of GoPro, which said, "Based upon comps, GoPro would be worth in excess of $1.315B or $9.49, base case, per share and $14.97, realistic case, per share to strategic buyer". Reference Link

08:16 EST KORR Acquisitions says GoPro is 'deeply undervalued' - KORR Acquisitions sent a letter to the board of GoPro. Reference Link

08:05 EST HC2 Broadcasting announces carriage of lifestyle network Dabl - HC2 Broadcasting announced that it is now carrying Dabl, CBS Television Distribution's new ad-supported multi-platform lifestyle network, on its free over-the-air stations in seven U.S. markets, including San Diego, Hartford-New Haven, and Memphis. Dabl is a multicast digital network that features informative, project-based, feel-good lifestyle programming, including notable world-renowned names such as Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay, Emeril Lagasse, Bob Vila and Jamie Oliver. Programs that currently air or are slated to air on Dabl later this year include Martha, Kitchen Nightmares USA, Emeril Live, The F Word, 60 Minute Makeover, Nanny 911 and The Instant Gardener. HC2 Broadcasting's Chairman & CEO Philip Falcone announced that they will launch Dabl on their free over-the-air distribution platform in seven markets.

08:04 EST Bionano Genomics to present discoveries in solid tumors, leukemias - Bionano Genomics announced that cancer, genetic disease and genomics researchers using the Saphyr system will present their results at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology Conference taking place February 23 - 26 in Marco Island, Florida. The impact of Saphyr for genome-wide detection of structural variation will be highlighted at AGBT with a total of 19 oral and poster presentations and talks hosted by Bionano. Below is a summary of presentations at the 2020 AGBT Conference featuring the use of Bionano genome imaging technology: The Effect of HPV Integration in Head and Neck Cancers: NGS is unable to adequately resolve the genomic changes caused by viral integration in cancers. Dr. Brandon Labarge from Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine will present research demonstrating the use of Saphyr to identify structural rearrangements caused by HPV integration and compare it to tumor samples with episomal viral genomes. The talk, entitled "Optical Genomic Mapping Identifies the Structure of Human Papillomavirus Genomes in Head and Neck Cancers", will be presented on Wednesday, February 26 from 11:10 pm - 11:30 pm in Calusa Ballroom 6-12. Complex Rearrangements in Breast, Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers: Complex rearrangements arise frequently in cancer, but their origin and functional impact remains obscure. Dr. Marcin Imielinski from Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University will show how Bionano genome imaging helped discover novel structural variant processes in breast, ovarian and endometrial tumors. The talk, entitled "Unraveling the Allelic Structure around Recurrent Complex Structural Variant Patterns in Cancer Using Optical Mapping and Linked-Reads", will be presented on Wednesday, February 26 from 11:10 pm - 11:30 pm in Calusa Ballroom 6-12. NGS Misses Structural Changes in Ovarian Tumors: Dr. Tony Magliocco, CEO of Protean BioDiagnostics, will present on Bionano's ability to bring better understanding to the genomic mechanisms involved in ovarian cancers. The talk, entitled "Bionano Genome Imaging Uncovers Novel Genomic Structural Alterations in Ovarian Neoplasia Invisible to NGS Approaches: An Important New Genomics Tool for Evaluating the Molecular Basis of Cancer", will be presented on Tuesday, February 25 from 10:20 am - 11:00 am in Seagrape 3. Bionano can Replace a Combination of Current Cytogenetic Techniques in 48 Leukemia Patients: Currently, a comprehensive clinical analysis of genomic aberrations requires a combination of various assays such as CNV-microarrays, karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Dr. Alexander Hoischen from Radboud University Medical Center will present data directly comparing traditional cytogenetic assays with Bionano data in 48 leukemia patient samples to illustrate that Bionano genome imaging can identify all aberrations found by the three conventional technologies combined, and additional variants as well. The talk, entitled "Next-Generation Cytogenetics: Revolution for the Analysis of Leukemia, Constitutional Chromosomal Abnormalities and Unsolved Rare Diseases", will be presented on Monday, February 24 from 7:30 am - 8:45 am in Seagrape 3.

08:01 EST Amerisafe appoints Sean Traynor to board of directors - AMERISAFE announced that Sean Traynor has been elected to the Company's Board of Directors effective March 1, 2020. Traynor is a General Partner in the Healthcare Group of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. Mr. Traynor joined Welsh Carson in 1999.

07:27 EST Hasbro, Disney extend strategic merchandising relationship for Marvel, Star Wars - Hasbro (HAS) and Disney (DIS) announced a renewal of Hasbro's rights under its strategic merchandising relationship for major Disney entertainment properties Marvel and Star Wars. Under the Marvel license agreement, Hasbro will continue to develop a wide range of toys and games for Marvel's global Universe of more than 8,000 characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Widow and Black Panther. The Star Wars license agreement includes the rights to toys and games based on entertainment like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, incorporating fan favorite characters such as The Child from The Mandalorian, affectionately known as Baby Yoda. The agreements are multi-year agreements. The agreements cover entertainment released during their terms for the respective franchises, including all film and television properties as well as properties from Disney+.

07:14 EST Bristol-Myers: Japan's MHLW approves Opdivo for treatment of esophageal cancer - Bristol-Myers Squibb announced Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved Opdivo for the treatment of patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent esophageal cancer that has progressed following chemotherapy.

07:09 EST Glatfelter appoints Marie Gallagher to board of directors PepsiCo - Glatfelter (GLT) announced Marie Gallagher, SVP and Controller of PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP), has been elected to the Board of Directors. As PepsiCo's Chief Accounting Officer, Ms. Gallagher is responsible for overseeing the company's global financial reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley processes. She also works closely with the Audit Committee of PepsiCo's Board of Directors.

07:08 EST Broadwind Energy appoints Stephanie Kushner to board of directors - Broadwind announced that its Board of Directors has elected Stephanie Kushner, currently the President and CEO of the Company, as the incoming Chairman of the Board. As previously announced, Kushner will retire from her current role as President and CEO, effective March 1, 2020, while continuing to serve on the Board of Directors. Kushner has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2016. She will succeed current Board Chairman David Reiland, who will remain a director with the Company and continue to serve as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Car Wood, who has been serving on the Company's Board of Directors since 2016, will serve as lead independent director. In conjunction with this leadership transition, Eric Blashford, incoming President and CEO of Broadwind, has been appointed to the Board of Directors. The Board appointments of both Kushner and Blashford are effective March 1, 2020.

07:03 EST comScore signs renewal agreement with BuzzFeed - Comscore announced that it has signed a renewal agreement to provide BuzzFeed with digital audience measurement. This one-year deal provides BuzzFeed with continued and expanded access to Comscore's Media Ratings solution, including video and YouTube measurement tracking.

07:02 EST Cheetah Mobile says some of Google accounts disabled - Cheetah Mobile (CMCM) announced that it has been informed by Google (GOOG, GOOGL) that the company's Google Play Store, Google AdMob and Google AdManager accounts have been disabled on February 20, and the associated contracts will be terminated. Pending the restoration of Google collaboration, the company expects its ability to attract new users and generate revenue from Google may be materially adversely affected from February 2020. In the first nine months of 2019, Cheetah Mobile generated 22.6% of its total revenues from Google, including revenues from the mobile advertising business and revenues from the purchase and consumption of virtual items by users via Google as a channel. According to Google, the decision was made because some of the company's apps had not been compliant with Google policies, resulting in certain invalid traffic. The company is in continuous communication with Google to appeal the decision, clarify any misunderstanding, and adopt any requisite remedial measures to restore the disabled accounts. However, the appealing process could be time-consuming, and the company cannot guarantee that its appeals will be successful. Cheetah Mobile remains committed to upholding the high standards in the industry and complying with Google Play developer policies, GDPR, laws, and regulations. The Company's priority has always been to protect the interests of its users and enhance the user experience.

06:56 EST Deere sees FY20 Agriculture & Turf revenue down 5%-10% - Sees FY20 Construction & Forestry revenue down 10%-15%. "Deere's worldwide sales of agriculture and turf equipment are forecast to decline 5 to 10 percent for fiscal-year 2020, including a negative currency-translation effect of about 1 percent. Industry sales of agricultural equipment in the U.S. and Canada are forecast to be down about 5 percent, driven by lower demand for large equipment in Canada. Full-year industry sales in Europe are forecast to be approximately flat as are South American industry sales of tractors and combines. Asian sales are forecast to be about the same as the prior year. Industry sales of turf and utility equipment in the U.S. and Canada are expected to be about flat. Deere's worldwide sales of construction and forestry equipment are anticipated to be down 10 to 15 percent for 2020, with foreign-currency rates having an unfavorable translation effect of about 1 percent. The outlook reflects slowing construction activity as well as efforts to bring down field inventory levels. Industry construction-equipment sales in North America are expected to decline by 5 to 10 percent for the year. In forestry, global industry sales are expected to be down 5 to 10 percent due to weaker demand in North America and Russia. For Deere Financial Services, FY20 results are expected to benefit from lower losses on lease residual values and income earned from a higher average portfolio, partially offset by a higher provision for credit losses and prior-year favorable discrete adjustments to the provision for income taxes."

06:53 EST Deere reports Q1 Financial Services net income $137M vs. $154M last year - Financial services net income for the quarter decreased from the prior-year period. The decline was due primarily to higher losses on lease residual values, an increased provision for credit losses, prior-year favorable discrete adjustments to the provision for income taxes and greater selling, administrative and general expenses. These factors were partially offset by income earned on a higher average portfolio.

06:52 EST DPW Holdings unit receives $1.4M purchase order - DPW Holdings announced that its global defense business, Gresham Worldwide, has received a $1.4M order from a leading defense and aerospace customer of its wholly owned subsidiary Enertec Systems 2001, Ltd. After receiving a $2.9M order in 2019 to develop a unique and complex testing system, Enertec recently received a follow-up order of an additional $1.4M related to the testing system. Enertec's management believes this customer has the potential to order over $10M of Enertec products per year. DPW's management believes that its recent restructuring of debt and improvement to its capital structure puts the company in a stronger position to execute on expected growth in backlog from this and other customers of the Gresham Worldwide operating units.

06:49 EST ITT raises quarterly dividend 15% to 16.9c per share - Payable on April 6 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 16.

06:37 EST Ampio provides update on Phase 3 AP-013 trial, audit opinion - Ampio announced updates regarding the continued progress of its Phase III AP-013 clinical trial and receipt of its annual audit opinion. The AP-013 clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effect of Ampion on pain and function at 12-weeks in patients with severe osteoarthristis of the knee, or OAK. This design would position Ampion as the first OAK therapy on the market to address pain and function, and have a label and efficacy data for the severely diseased patient population, if approved. Of the 1,034 patients to be enrolled in AP-013, 875 patients have been dosed with enrollment continuing to progress. Exclusions for participation in the trial average approximately 35% in order to ensure enrollment of only patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee who do not have other pain or medical conditions that could interfere with their assessment of the pain and function in the injected knee. More than 600 patients have reached the study's 12-week primary endpoint, making the clinical trial more than 58% complete for the primary endpoint. The company is required under the NYSE guidelines sections 401 and 610 to publish certain disclosures. The company's audited financial statements contained a going concern explanatory paragraph in the audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm. This announcement does not represent any change or amendment to the company's financial statements or to its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

06:36 EST Vale knew about Brumadinho Dam issues as early as 2003 according to report - Vale knew about issues at the Brumadinho tailings dam, which faced a disaster killing 270 people a year ago, but failed to deal with the problem, according to an independent probe requested by the company. The report said Vale had information going as far back as 2003 that noted the fragility of the main B1 dam but moves taken to deal with the structural problem and increase security were limited and ineffective. Reference Link

06:13 EST Royal Bank of Canada raises quarterly dividend 3% to C$1.08 per share - Payable on and after May 22 to common shareholders of record at the close of business on April 23.

06:07 EST Royal Bank of Canada CEO says 'we had a strong start to the year' - Dave McKay, RBC President and CEO said, "We had a strong start to the year with earnings growth of 11% year-over-year. These results reflect the underlying strength of our diversified business mix, our focused strategy, and our colleagues' unwavering commitment to creating more value for clients as we position the bank for the future. In addition to delivering record earnings this quarter, we are pleased to increase our quarterly dividend by three per cent. Against the uncertain macroeconomic backdrop, we remain focused on prudently managing our risks, leveraging our scale and competitive position, and balancing our investments in technology and talent for long-term, sustainable growth."

05:33 EST Magna raises dividend by 10% to 40c per share - The Magna board declared a quarterly dividend of 40c with respect to the company's outstanding Common Shares for the quarter ended December 31, 2019. This represents a 10% increase in the dividend. The dividend is payable on March 20, to shareholders of record on March 6.