Stockwinners Market Radar for February 27, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:12 EST Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: comScore (SCOR) up 20.5%... Farfetch (FTCH) up 15.7%... Zynex (ZYXI) up 11.6%... Southwestern Energy (SWN) up 10.0%... iCAD (ICAD) up 10.0%... NeoPhotonics (NPTN) up 10.0%... AMC Entertainment (AMC) up 8.1%... Trade Desk (TTD) up 6.2%... Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) up 5.9%...Fortress Transportation (FTAI) up 4.0%... Workday (WDAY) up 2.5%... Live Nation (LYV) up 2.2%... OptimizeRX (OPRX) up 2.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Sangamo (SGMO) up 39.5% after entering gene regulation therapy partnership with Biogen... Forty Seven (FTSV) up 29.1% after Bloomberg speculation about approach from Gilead... Biohaven (BHVN) up 6.0% after getting FDA approval for acute treatment of migraine... Garden Denver (GDI) up 2.1% after entering S&P500 index... DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Big Lots (BIG) down 28.3%... Gulfport Energy (GPOR) down 11.1%... Beyond Meat (BYND) down 10.0%... Sunrun (RUN) down 10.0%... Coherus BioSciences (CHRS) down 8.8%... Glaukos (GKOS) down 7.5%... Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) down 6.8%... VMWare (VMW) down 6.0%... Eventbrite (EB) down 5.4%... Axon Enterprise (AAXN) down 4.2%... Mylan (MYL) down 3.6%... iQIYI (IQ) down 3.4%... Spectrum Pharma (SPPI) down 3.3%... Dell Technologies (DELL) down 3.3%... Cara Therapeutics (CARA) down 3.2%... Autodesk (ADSK) down 2.6%... Rigel Pharma (RIGL) down 2.5%... Pure Storage (PSTG) down 2.1%. ALSO LOWER: Bed Bath Beyond (BBBY) down 2.0% after announcing strategic restructuring and job cuts. Movers as of 18:30ET.

18:19 EST SEC fines Wells Fargo $35M over investment recommendation practices - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled charges against Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network for failing reasonably to supervise investment advisers and registered representatives who recommended single-inverse ETF investments to retail investors, and for lacking adequate compliance policies and procedures with respect to the suitability of those recommendations. The SEC ordered Wells Fargo to pay a $35M penalty, which will be distributed to harmed investors. As noted in the SEC's order and reflected in Wells Fargo's internal guidance, when single-inverse ETFs are held for longer than a day, particularly in volatile markets, investors may experience large and unexpected losses. The SEC's order finds that from April 2012 through September 2019, Wells Fargo's policies and procedures were not reasonably designed to prevent and detect unsuitable recommendations of single-inverse ETFs. Further, Wells Fargo failed adequately to supervise its employees' recommendations regarding single-inverse ETFs, and did not adequately train them concerning those products. The order finds that some Wells Fargo brokers and advisers did not fully understand the risk of losses these complex products posed when held long term. As a result, certain Wells Fargo investment advisers and registered representatives made unsuitable recommendations to certain clients to buy and hold single-inverse ETFs for months or years. According to the order, a number of these clients were senior citizens and retirees who had limited incomes and net worth, and conservative or moderate risk tolerances. Reference Link

18:11 EST Gardner Denver to join S&P 500, Cimarex to join S&P MidCap 400 - Gardner Denver Holdings Inc. (GDI) will replace Cimarex Energy Co. (XEC) in the S&P 500, and Cimarex Energy will replace Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) in the S&P MidCap 400 effective prior to the open of trading on Tuesday, March 3. S&P 500 constituent Ingersoll-Rand plc (IR) is spinning off its industrial segment business which will be merged with Gardner Denver Holdings. Post-spin-off, the "old" Ingersoll-Rand will change its name and ticker to Trane Technologies plc (TT), and Trane will remain in the S&P 500 with a Global Industry Classification Standard change to Building Products Sub-Industry classification. Immediately following its merger with the industrial segment business, Gardner Denver will have a name and ticker change to "new" Ingersoll Rand Inc. (IR). Cimarex Energy has a market capitalization more representative of the mid-cap market space. Chesapeake Energy is ranked near the bottom of the S&P MidCap 400 and is no longer representative of the mid-cap market space.

18:02 EST HP Inc. urges shareholders to vote for all of board's 12 director nominees - HP Inc. (HPQ) said in a regulatory filing that its board recommends that shareholders use the WHITE proxy card to vote for the election of all the board's 12 director nominees. "Xerox (XRX) has notified us of its intent to nominate a slate of 11 nominees for election as Directors at the annual meeting in opposition to the nominees proposed by our Board," HP Inc. said. "Our Board does not endorse any Xerox nominee and unanimously recommends that you disregard any [Color] proxy card that may be sent to you by Xerox. Voting to "withhold" with respect to any of Xerox's nominees on its proxy card is not the same as voting FOR our Board's nominees, because a vote to "withhold" with respect to any of Xerox's nominees on its proxy card will revoke any previous proxy submitted by you, including any vote you may have made for our Board's nominees. If you have previously voted using a [Color] proxy card sent to you by Xerox, you may change your vote by voting via the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions provided on the enclosed WHITE proxy card, or by signing, dating and returning the enclosed WHITE proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. Only the latest validly executed proxy that you submit will be counted."

17:47 EST Solar Capital CEO buys 41K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Solar Capital disclosed that its CEO Michael Gross bought 41K shares of common stock on February 25th-27th. The total transaction size was over $790K.

17:42 EST Summit Financial Group raises quarterly dividend to 17c from 15c per share - The dividend is payable on March 31, 2020 to common shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 16, 2020.

17:38 EST TreeHouse CEO Steven Oakland buys 7K shares of company stock - TreeHouse CEO Steven Oakland disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 7,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $40.46 per share between February 26 and February 27. The total transaction value of the purchase was $283,210.

17:37 EST Forty Seven jumps 23% after Bloomberg report of Gilead approach - Forty Seven (FTSV), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, is higher by over 23% in after-hours trading following a report by Bloomberg's Ed Hammond and Nabila Ahmed that Gilead Sciences (GILD) has approached the company with a takeover offer, and that the companies have also discussed other options, including a partnership. The report also added that Forty Seven has "received interest from other potential suitors as well," citing their source. In after-hours trading, Forty Seven is up 23.4% to $60.20, while Gilead is higher by 1.5% to $73.76.

17:31 EST Cimarex Energy to replace Chesapeake in the S&P 400 at open on 3/3 - Cimarex Energy (XEC) will replace Chesapeake Energy (CHK) in the S&P MidCap 400, effective prior to the open of trading on Tuesday, March 3. Cimarex Energy has a market capitalization more representative of the mid-cap market space. Chesapeake Energy is ranked near the bottom of the S&P MidCap 400 and is no longer representative of the mid-cap market space.

17:28 EST Lamar Advertising CEO Sean Reilly will also be president of Lamar - On February 27, 2020, the Board of Directors of Lamar Advertising Company approved certain changes relating to the positions of two of its executive officers. Kevin P. Reilly, Jr., President and Chairman of the Board of the Company, resigned from the position of President. Following his resignation, he was appointed as Executive Chairman of the Board. He will remain an executive officer of the Company in this capacity. Sean E. Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, was appointed to the office of President. He will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

17:23 EST Forty Seven jumps 23% to $60.10 after Bloomberg report of Gilead approach

17:03 EST Silgan Holdings increases quarterly cash dividend to 12c per share - Silgan Holdings announced that its board declared a 12c per share quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock, payable on March 31 to the holders of record of the common stock of the company on March 17. This represents a 9% increase from last year in the company's quarterly cash dividend, which the company has increased every year since it began paying cash dividends in 2004.

17:01 EST WesBanco raises quarterly dividend to 32c from 31c per share - The higher dividend rate will be payable on April 1, 2020 to shareholders of record on March 13, 2020.

16:57 EST Capital City Bank increases quarterly dividend 7.7% - The board of Capital City Bank Group declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 14c per share. It represents a 7.7% increase over the prior quarter of 13c. The dividend produces an annualized rate of 56c per common share and is payable on March 23 to shareowners of record as of March 9.

16:55 EST EOG Resources raises quarterly dividend 30% to 37.5c per share - The dividend will be payable April 30, 2020, to stockholders of record as of April 16, 2020.

16:47 EST Bed Bath & Beyond announces strategic restructuring, cuts 500 jobs - Bed Bath & Beyond announced a strategic restructuring program as part of the next phase of its work to rebuild the foundation of the business and create a sustainable, durable business model. The restructuring program includes a reorganization and simplification of its field operations, significant reduction in management positions across the business, and outsourcing of several functions. As part of the program, Bed Bath & Beyond commenced a workforce reduction impacting approximately 500 positions. This is a major pivot in the company's plan to realize several hundred million dollars of cost saving opportunities over the long-term. The overall restructuring program is expected to reduce annual SG&A expense by approximately $85 million, as part of a strategic realignment to create greater focus on the company's core business and initiatives designed to enhance the customer experience, drive sales, and position the company for long-term success.

16:44 EST Biogen, Sangamo announce global collaboration on gene regulation therapies - Biogen (BIIB) and Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) announced that they have executed a global licensing collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease, a third undisclosed neuromuscular disease target, and up to nine additional undisclosed neurological disease targets. The companies will leverage Sangamo's proprietary zinc finger protein technology delivered via adeno-associated virus to modulate the expression of key genes involved in neurological diseases. Under the terms of the collaboration, Biogen has exclusive global rights to ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease, and a third undisclosed neuromuscular disease target. In addition, Biogen has exclusive rights to nominate up to nine additional undisclosed targets over a target selection period of five years. Sangamo will perform early research activities, costs for which will be shared by the companies, aimed at the development of the combination of proprietary CNS delivery vectors and ZFP-TFs targeting therapeutically relevant genes. Biogen will then assume responsibility and costs for the investigational new drug-enabling studies, clinical development, related regulatory interactions, and global commercialization. Sangamo will be responsible for GMP manufacturing activities for the initial clinical trials for the first three products of the collaboration and plans to leverage its in-house manufacturing capacity. Biogen will assume responsibility for GMP manufacturing activities beyond the first clinical trial for each of the first three products. Upon closing of this transaction, Sangamo will receive $350M comprised of $125M in a license fee payment and $225M from the sale of new Sangamo stock, or approximately 24M shares at $9.21 per share. In addition, Sangamo may receive up to $2.37B in other development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, including up to $925M in pre-approval milestone payments and up to $1,445M in first commercial sale and other sales-based milestone payments. Sangamo will also be eligible to receive from Biogen tiered high single digit to sub-teen double-digit royalties on potential net commercial sales of products arising from the collaboration.

16:40 EST Tiberius announces special meeting to approve extension for business combination - Tiberius Acquisition Corporation announced that it will hold a special meeting of stockholders at which its stockholders will be asked to consider and vote upon a proposal to amend the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of Tiberius to extend the date by which Tiberius is required to consummate its initial business combination from March 20 until April 20. The extension is being sought to provide additional time for the closing of the proposed business combination between Tiberius and International General Insurance Holdings Limited, IGI, but will only be implemented if additional time is required to complete the business combination. IGI has previously reported receipt of regulatory approval from the UK Prudential Regulation Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, Bermuda Monetary Authority and Dubai Financial Services Authority in connection with the combination. Tiberius expects to close the business combination on March 17. The extension provides additional time in the unlikely event that it is needed to execute the closing.

16:36 EST Monitronics CEO Jeff Gardner steps down, William Niles named interim CEO - Jeff Gardner, President and CEO, has stepped down from his position and from the company's board effective immediately. Also effective immediately, the company's board has named William Niles, the company's Chief Transformation Officer and General Counsel, as interim CEO. The appointment of Niles is coupled with a comprehensive search to name a permanent CEO for Brinks Home Security, which is expected to commence shortly. Niles will remain in his role as interim CEO until the transition to a permanent CEO has been completed.

16:32 EST Galera Therapeutics announces results from GC4419 two-year follow-up - Galera Therapeutics announced full tumor outcomes results from the two-year follow-up of patients with head and neck cancer treated with avasopasem manganese, GC4419, Galera's lead product candidate for severe oral mucositis, or SOM, in a Phase 2b clinical trial. The results will be presented February 28 during a late-breaking oral presentation at the 2020 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona. "There is currently no drug to prevent or treat SOM, one of the most common and disruptive side effects of radiation therapy that severely impacts both a patient's quality of life and treatment experience," said Mel Sorensen, CEO of Galera Therapeutics. "Avasopasem manganese's efficacy and tumor outcomes in SOM underscore its potential to complement a standard radiation therapy regimen and change the standard of care for the reduction of SOM in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy. We look forward to the continued evaluation of avasopasem manganese for the treatment of SOM in our ongoing Phase 3 ROMAN trial, as well as for other radiation-induced toxicities, such as esophagitis in lung cancer in our ongoing Phase 2a trial."

16:28 EST Brigham Minerals sees FY20 production 10,000 Boe/d to 11,000 Boe/d

16:26 EST PRA Group announces transition of Steve Fredrickson from Executive Chairman - PRA Group announced the transition of co-founder Steve Fredrickson from Executive Chairman to Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. This move, effective April 1, 2020, is the culmination of a planned leadership transition that began several years ago.

16:25 EST NCR names Equifax CEO to board of directors - NCR Corporation (NCR) announced that it has named Equifax Chief Executive Officer Mark W. Begor to its Board of Directors. Begor has been CEO of Equifax (EFX), a global data, analytics, and technology company, since 2018. "Mark brings a strong background of successful leadership and a diverse range of financial services, technology, manufacturing, and services experience to our Board," said NCR Executive Chairman Frank R. Martire. "I am very pleased to welcome him to the NCR Board of Directors."

16:24 EST Landec exploring strategic alternatives for legacy vegetable bag, tray business - Landec Corporation announced that management and the board have launched a process to explore strategic alternatives for its legacy vegetable bag and tray business, which includes the potential divestiture of that business. The company believes that these changes will improve the company's operating cost structure, simplify its supply chain, enhance profitability and strengthen its balance sheet with an overall aim to deliver long-term value to shareholders. Curation Foods' legacy vegetable bag and tray business, which includes Eat Smart and private label brands, generated net sales of $160M for FY19.

16:22 EST Colony Credit forms special committee to review strategic alternatives - Colony Credit Real Estate said its board has formed a special committee consisting exclusively of independent and disinterested directors to explore the internalization proposal as well as other strategic alternatives. It said, "On February 27, 2020, Colony Capital publicly reported that it plans to take action to enter into an agreement with the Company and/or one or more third parties with respect to a disposition of Colony Capital's management agreement with the Company, subject to the Company's consent, whether in the form of an internalization of the Company's management (including, but not limited to, the possible internalization set forth in the November 6, 2019 letter), a sale of Colony Capital's management agreement with the Company, or similar transaction the effect of which is to dispose of, in whole or in part, Colony Capital's management agreement with the Company. The scope of any such transaction is focused on Colony Capital's management agreement with the Company, and not on Colony Capital's private credit investment management platform and associated private credit assets."

16:22 EST Financial Institutions increases quarterly dividend 4% - Financial Institutions announced that its board has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 26c per outstanding common share an increase of 4% from the most recent quarterly cash dividend and the equivalent of $1.04 annually. The company also announced dividends of 75c per share on its Series A 3% preferred stock and $2.12 per share on its Series B-1 8.48% preferred stock. All dividends are payable April 2 to shareholders of record on March 19.

16:19 EST Pfizer names Coca-Cola CEO to board of directors - Pfizer (PFE) Compensation Committee and the Science and Technology Committee of Pfizer's Board. Mr. Quincey is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company (KO). He has held the position of Chairman of the Board of The Coca-Cola Company since 2019 and CEO since 2017. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer from August 2015 to 2017. Since Mr. Quincey joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1996, he has held a number of leadership roles around the world, including President of the Europe Group, President of the Mexico division and President of the South Latin division. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, he was a partner in strategy consulting at The Kalchas Group, a spinoff of Bain & Company and McKinsey. Mr. Quincey serves as vice co-chair of The Consumer Goods Forum and is a founding member of the New York Stock Exchange Board Advisory Council.

16:16 EST Colony Credit Real Estate CEO Traenkle stepping down, Andrew Witt to succeed - Colony Credit Real Estate announced that Andrew Witt, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Global Credit at Colony Capital, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer and President, effective February 29, 2020. Witt will succeed Kevin Traenkle, who is stepping down from his position as Chief Executive Officer and President.

16:16 EST Columbia Sportswear sees FY20 results 'significantly affected' by COVID-19 - Columbia Sportswear provided an update on the business impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. "Our first priority has been to take appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of our employees and partners," commented Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Boyle. "Thankfully, we have no reported incidents of our employees contracting the virus to date, and many of them are working remotely from home to help maintain business operations. While this outbreak will have a material impact on our near-term financial performance in China, we continue to believe China represents one of our largest long-term geographic opportunities. We believe our fortress balance sheet, including no long-term debt, and diversified global business model will enable us to overcome this present adversity and unlock the full potential of our brand portfolio in this market over time." In 2019, China represented approximately 5 percent of total net sales and the Asia-direct business, which includes Japan, China and Korea, represented approximately 15 percent of total net sales. While stores have begun to reopen in China, approximately half of our owned and partner stores there remain temporarily closed. Stores that are open in China have experienced a material decline in traffic and corresponding sales. There has also been an impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan and Korea. Until normality returns, we expect a continued unfavorable impact on sales in our Asia-direct business. The company ntoed that the outbreak is also impacting its supply chain. "While only a low-double-digit percent of our finished goods are manufactured in China, our contract manufacturers source a large portion of raw materials from China. Temporary factory closures and the pace of workers returning to work have impacted our contract manufacturers' ability to source certain raw materials and to produce and fulfill finished goods in a timely manner," the company said. "The outbreak is also impacting distribution and logistics providers' ability to operate in the normal course of business. These supply chain impacts will likely affect our ability to timely fulfill orders and meet consumer demand. Given we have already received substantially all of our Spring 2020 product, potential order fulfillment delays would impact future seasons. As stated on February 6, 2020, our full year 2020 financial outlook provided at that time did not include the potential financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The COVID-19 outbreak is ongoing, and its dynamic nature, including uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, and actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the outbreak or to treat its impact, makes it difficult to forecast any effects on our 2020 results. However, as of the date of this release we expect our 2020 results to be significantly affected. We will provide an update as to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on our first quarter earnings conference call scheduled for April 30, 2020."

16:12 EST Biogen, Sangamo announce global collaboration over gene regulation therapies - Biogen Inc. (BIIB) and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (SGMO), a genomic medicine company, announced that they have executed a global licensing collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease, a third undisclosed neuromuscular disease target, and up to nine additional undisclosed neurological disease targets. The companies will leverage Sangamo's proprietary zinc finger protein technology delivered via adeno-associated virus to modulate the expression of key genes involved in neurological diseases. "As a pioneer in neuroscience, Biogen will collaborate with Sangamo on a new gene regulation therapy approach, working at the DNA level, with the potential to treat challenging neurological diseases of global significance. We aim to develop and advance these programs forward to investigational new drug applications," said Alfred Sandrock Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development at Biogen.

15:51 EST Flushing Financial receives Empire shareholder approval for pending acquisition - Flushing Financial Corporation, parent company of Flushing Bank, announced that at the special shareholders meeting of Empire Bancorp, held today, the merger of Empire with and into Flushing pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 24, 2019, as amended was approved by the shareholders of Empire. As previously announced, the required regulatory approvals for the merger have been obtained. Flushing and Empire expect the merger to close effective on or about April 4, 2020. John R. Buran, President and CEO of Flushing, stated, "We are pleased that the Empire shareholders have provided approval to continue to move forward on our acquisition of Empire. We are excited about the projected benefits of this acquisition, including an increase in core deposits, lower cost of funds, improvement in loan to deposit ratios, and enhancement of our core earnings power. This approval brings us another step closer to the execution of our plan to merge our two organizations to achieve significant cost synergies and create one of Long Island's largest banks by deposit share among regional and community banks. This acquisition will expand Flushing Bank's reach into Suffolk County, creating a stronger community bank with a network of 24 branches in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and on Long Island. Flushing announced that 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 1, 2020 is the deadline by which Empire shareholders may elect to receive cash, shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Flushing, or both as "merger consideration" in connection with the merger pursuant to a formula, and subject to the election, allocation and proration procedures, set forth in the merger agreement. The Election Deadline is based on Flushing's and Empire's current expectation that the merger will be completed on or about April 4, 2020. However, the completion of the merger remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain customary conditions contained in the merger agreement.

15:32 EST Sorrento Therapeutics presents 'positive' interim results of Phase 1b RTX trial - Sorrento Therapeutics announced that an interim analysis of an ongoing Phase 1b study of resiniferatoxin administered via epidural route in patients with intractable cancer pain has generated positive data. The study is completing enrollment of an additional 25 ug expansion dose cohort. Based on full study results a dose will be selected for RTX to proceed to Phase 3 pivotal trials in patients with advanced cancer pain. Safety in the higher dose cohort is expected to be supportive for testing RTX epidural administration in other advanced non-cancer disease related unmet clinical needs. No dose limiting toxicities or notable adverse events unrelated to progression of underlying disease were encountered for any of the subjects. The most common treatment-related adverse event was transient post-procedural pain: 7 of 14 subjects reported moderate severity. Two additional treatment-related adverse events of moderate severity were back pain and increase in blood pressure in a patient. All events resolved in less than two days following drug administration.The ongoing trial will follow subjects for at least 84 days. The lower doses of 0.4, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 ug did not demonstrate notable pain relief, but permitted dose escalation to the next designated dose level based on how well the drug was tolerated. Three patients had marked pain relief starting shortly after initial administration that were still observed weeks after treatment: 1 of 3 subjects who received 8 ug, and 2 of 3 subjects who received 15 ug. Improvement in pain and mobility within 24 hours of dosing in the three responders at the higher dose levels of RTX suggests the clinical potential of the drug for intractable cancer pain. Sorrento intends to present the detailed results of the completed study upon completion of the additional expansion cohort later this year. A pivotal Phase 3 trial is being planned using epidural RTX for severe pain states associated with advanced disease. "We are encouraged by the benefits of using RTX to treat intractable pain in patients with metastatic cancer," said Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, M.D. from the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School. "Even in patients with high levels of pain, RTX given via an epidural injection has been found to reduce pain intensity without having any long-term adverse safety consequences. The addition of RTX to existing cancer pain therapies represents a positive step forward in improving the care of patients with intractable cancer pain and offers the hope of enhancing the overall quality of life experienced by this population."

14:29 EST LivaNova jumps after Reorg says Medtronic buyout talks in early stage - Shares of LivaNova (LIVN) rallied after Reorg, according to Bloomberg, reported that Medtronic is in early stage buyout talks with the company. Medtronic was pitched recently on acquiring LivaNova and the proposal has gained traction, Reorg said, Bloomberg reported. Shares of LivaNova are up 8%, or $5.02, to $67.72 following the report.

14:14 EST Telecom Italia board views KKR's fiber-optic network bid positively - Telecom Italia (TIAOF) said its board of directors met chaired by Salvatore Rossi for an update on the project aimed at evaluating possible forms of integration between TIM's and Open Fiber's optical fibre networks, a project appreciated and supported by national institutions - as evidenced by the significant statement made yesterday by the Minister of Economy Roberto Gualtieri - as it would accelerate the development of the fibre network and consequently end the digital divide still existing in many areas of the country, avoiding duplication of investments that are already very expensive in themselves. On the matter, the Board of Directors appreciated the work done in these months and positively took note of the non-binding offer presented by the fund KKR (KKR) to be the exclusive partner of TIM in the development of the fibre network. The Board of Directors also acknowledged that the Chief Executive Officer will inform the institutional bodies about the progress of discussions with the various actors involved, in line with the Golden Power legislation, and will at the same time continue the talks necessary to this end. Reference Link

13:58 EST BNY Mellon jumps in afternoon trading, up 1.7% to $42.07

13:35 EST Blackwells Capital calls on Colony Credit to respond to letter - Blackwells Capital, an alternative investment management firm and a significant owner of shares of Colony Credit Real Estate, directly and indirectly through its ownership of Colony Capital, disclosed a letter it sent to the company's Board of Directors on February 7, 2020. "Colony Credit has not yet provided us with a substantive response to the issues and concerns we have raised," said Jason Aintabi, Chief Investment Officer of Blackwells. "As a large shareholder who believes the Board, management and investment team has materially underperformed at Colony Credit, we expect the Company to respond to our concerns and suggestions on the upcoming earnings call." The letter said in part: "The Company's underperformance is the result of not only poor investment decisions and leadership, but also the Board's complacency and failure to appropriately exercise its fiduciary obligations on behalf of the Company and its shareholders. To make matters worse, at a time when the Board should be refraining from saddling the Company with additional long-term obligations, the Board is instead actively considering rewarding those responsible for steering Colony Credit's portfolio into ruin and shattering investors' confidence by directly hiring the same Colony Capital personnel to officially run the Company. We believe that any such action constitutes an egregious breach of the Board's obligations for which we intend to hold it fully accountable... While inexcusable, the Board's plain unwillingness to seriously consider breaking ties with Colony Capital and replacing Mr. Traenkle and the rest of the Company's senior management team with competent personnel is perhaps understandable given their close relationships-of the seven members of the Board, at least five are or were previously employed by Colony Capital or its predecessors. Given current leadership's value destructive track record and consistent pattern of over-promising and under-delivering, we believe the Company has lost the right to allocate and invest additional shareholder capital. Additionally, given Colony Credit's continued abysmal performance, the Board's clear conflicts of interest, and its demonstrated reticence to consider sensible avenues for replacing ineffective leadership and portfolio managers with competent personnel, the Board should immediately put a moratorium on allocating capital to new loans and investments, and cease any consideration or negotiation of Colony Capital's proposal to "internalize" the Company's management by hiring Colony Capital personnel."

13:20 EST Pershing Square lowers stake in Chipotle to 4.2% - In a regulatory filings last night, Bill Ackman's Pershing Square reported the sale of 347,700 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, lowering the firm's stake in the restaurant company to 4.2%. Today, Ackman is quoted by Bloomberg as stating that he sold the shares "only" for portfolio reasons and that he continues to be "a delighted long-term shareholder" of Chipotle.

13:14 EST Facebook cancels F8 developer conference due to coronavirus - Facebook said in a blog post, "Every year, we look forward to connecting with our global developer community at F8 and sharing our vision for the future that we're building together. But given the growing concerns around COVID-19, we've made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person component of F8 2020... We explored other ways to keep the in-person part of F8, but it's important to us to host an inclusive event and it didn't feel right to have F8 without our international developers in attendance...In place of the in-person F8 event, we're planning other ways for our community to get together through a combo of locally hosted events, videos and live streamed content. We'll share additional details on our plans for F8 in the coming weeks. Sign up here to have updates emailed to you directly. In the meantime, thanks for your patience and understanding -- and we look forward to seeing our global community of developers at F8 2021!" Reference Link

12:56 EST Microsoft withdraws from Game Developers Conference over coronavirus - Microsoft said in a blog post, "After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we've made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco. The health and safety of players, developers, employees, and our partners around the world is our top priority. Especially as the world is experiencing growing public health risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19). In light of this, we plan to move our presence to a digital-only event March 16-18th held on www.microsoft.com/gamestack. This event will feature the majority of our planned game developer sessions and experiences, which will be streamed live and available on demand." Reference Link

12:06 EST Citron Research issues update on Schrodinger long idea - In an update note posted to its website, Citron Research issued more detail on its long thesis on Schrodinger, which the firm initially disclosed a week ago. Citron maintains an $80 price target on Schrodinger shares.Reference Link

12:00 EST Teladoc rises 20.6% - Teladoc is up 20.6%, or $24.05 to $140.91.

12:00 EST Gain Capital rises 66.7% - Gain Capital is up 66.7%, or $2.35 to $5.88.

11:05 EST Starbucks CEO says 85% of stores in China now open - In a letter to employees posted on its corporate blog, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson stated in part: "With the number of new cases in China slowing, we are seeing the early signs of a recovery in the region. As a result, the situation is improving throughout major parts of China. We now have 85% of stores open across China and continue to assess the ongoing impact. Over time, we will see additional communities recover, more customer occasions in our stores, and we will continue our focus on the well-being of our partners and customers...With a global footprint, we are working in lockstep with Starbucks regional leaders to share preparedness guidelines and our learnings from China should they be needed. We are staying close to the situation in every single market through connections with local health officials and are prepared to take whatever actions necessary, market by market, to ensure the health and well-being of our partners and customers." Reference Link

10:32 EST Tellurian, Petronet extend MOU timing for 5M tonnes of LNG - Tellurian announced it has extended its Memorandum of Understanding with Petronet LNG pursuant to which Petronet and its affiliates intend to negotiate the purchase of up to five million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas from the Driftwood project, concurrent with an equity investment in Driftwood Holdings. The MOU signed in September 2019 previously contemplated that transaction agreements would be finalized by March 31, 2020. The timing has been extended to May 31, 2020 to support Petronet's consultative review process.

10:27 EST Marriott: Coronavirus to 'run its course,' impacts won't be long-lasting

10:12 EST Marriott: Guidance doesn't reflect any impact from coronavvirus

10:03 EST Moderna trading resumes

10:00 EST Anaplan falls -22.0% - Anaplan is down -22.0%, or -$12.76 to $45.33.

10:00 EST Britannia Bulk rises 13.0% - Britannia Bulk is up 13.0%, or 85c to $7.38.

10:00 EST Gain Capital rises 66.0% - Gain Capital is up 66.0%, or $2.33 to $5.86.

09:53 EST AB InBev says impact of COVID-19 reflected in current guidance - Says will be "even stronger" in China once the COVID-19 crisis is over.

09:47 EST Virgin Galactic falls -16.1% - Virgin Galactic is down -16.1%, or -$4.62 to $24.13.

09:47 EST China Online Education trading resumes

09:47 EST Resideo rises 17.2% - Resideo is up 17.2%, or $1.46 to $9.97.

09:47 EST Gain Capital rises 66.6% - Gain Capital is up 66.6%, or $2.35 to $5.88.

09:46 EST Resideo Technologies trading resumes

09:42 EST China Online Education trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EST Digimarc trading resumes

09:39 EST CRA International trading resumes

09:37 EST LHC Group trading resumes

09:34 EST CRA International trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EST LHC Group trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:30 EST Vir Biotechnology Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:28 EST Sage Therapeutics to announce zuranolone steps after feedback from FDA - Sage Therapeutics previously announced that a meeting with the FDA to discuss zuranolone would occur in the first quarter of 2020. The company said today that it continues to evaluate data from the MOUNTAIN Study and will announce next steps in the Landscape Program upon completion of relevant correspondence with the FDA, including receipt of meeting minutes, and determination of the development and regulatory path forward.

09:26 EST Wheeler REIT designates Stefani Carter as chairman-elect - Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust announced that its Board of Directors has designated Stefani Carter as Chairman-Elect and appointed Daniel Khoshaba to the Executive Committee. Carter has been elected by the Board to serve as Chairman as of the conclusion of the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders. Khoshaba has been appointed to the Board and the Executive Committee, effective immediately. Mr. Khoshaba and Joe Stilwell will constitute the Executive Committee.

09:24 EST Kratos Defense awarded $11.5M contract to build space radio monitoring system - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that it was awarded an $11.5 million contract to build an advanced space radio monitoring system for a government customer. The system will incorporate Kratos technologies and integrated products to help the country regulate and protect the satellite spectrum. As part of the multi-million dollar project, Kratos is responsible for the turnkey design, installation and integration of the advanced space radio monitoring system including the core satellite technology and associated hardware and software. The system includes a fixed site and mobile unit to monitor satellite downlinks. The scope of work includes Kratos antennas, a satellite monitoring and geolocation solution and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle spectrum analysis solution.

09:19 EST GeoVax Labs to present at World Immunotherapy Congress 2020 - GeoVax Labs announced that its Chief Scientific Officer, Farshad Guirakhoo, PhD, will be a featured speaker at the World Immunotherapy Congress, being held March 2-4, 2020 in San Diego, California. Dr. Guirakhoo will deliver two presentations during the conference. The first, on March 2, is entitled Utilizing a Live Modified Vaccinia Ankara Virus to Deliver Tumor Associated Antigen MUC1 on the Surface of Virus Like Particles and will focus on GeoVax's efforts toward development of cancer immunotherapies. uring his second presentation on March 4, entitled Development of Single Dose Vaccines for Emerging Infectious Diseases Using a Novel MVA Platform, Dr. Guirakhoo will discuss the Company's design of MVA-VLP and non-VLP vaccines for Zika, Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever vaccines, as well as results from efficacy studies in animal challenge models. During this presentation, Dr. Guirakhoo also expects to give a current update on the Company's collaboration with BravoVax, based in Wuhan, China, on use of GeoVax's vaccine technology platform and expertise to develop a vaccine for prevention/control of the novel coronavirus disease. GeoVax's Modified Vaccinia Ankara Virus Like Particles platform technology is built on a proprietary MVA vector system that is optimized for high expression and stable transgenes during manufacture. Similar to its parent MVA, it has the advantages of being a live replication-competent vector in avian cells for manufacturing, yet replication-deficient in mammalian cells for vaccination, thus inherently safe. Importantly, GV-MVA-VLP vaccines elicit protective T cell as well as antibody responses in animals and humans. In non-clinical studies, GV-MVA-VLP vaccine candidates against various virus families induced strong antibody and T cell responses and conferred full protection after single dose vaccinations against lethal challenges. Single dose protection is a favourable characteristic of preventive vaccines for emerging infectious disease outbreak response, given the speed of spread of pathogens and the impracticality of multi-dose regimens in the under-resourced settings where outbreaks often occur. Built upon the GV-MVA-VLP platform, GeoVax's preventive HIV vaccine has demonstrated robust and durable immune responses in clinical trials involving more than 500 subjects and the therapeutic version of the vaccine is currently planned to be evaluated as a component in two independent phase 1 studies aimed at developing a "functional cure" for HIV infected individuals. Similar to the HIV therapeutic approach where a combination of drugs and vaccine platforms will be required to potentially cure chronically infected individuals, GeoVax expects its cancer vaccines will also be used in combination with peptide vaccines and checkpoint inhibitors which have already shown some positive effects in clinical studies.

09:15 EST Riverview Bancorp announces stock repurchase program up to 500k shares - Riverview Bancorp announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a stock repurchase program. Under this repurchase program, the Company may repurchase up to 500,000 shares of the Company's outstanding shares, in the open market, based on prevailing market prices, or in privately negotiated transactions, over a period beginning on March 12, 2020 continuing until the earlier of the completion of the repurchase or the next six months, depending upon market conditions.

09:13 EST Advaxis announces clinical data of ongoing Phase 1/2 ADXS-503 trial - Advaxis announced updated results from the combination arms of the Company's ongoing Phase 1/2 study investigating ADXS-503 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer at the Immuno-oncology 360 degrees Conference in New York, New York. The trial is evaluating ADXS-503, part of the Company's ADXS-HOT cancer-type specific immunotherapy program which leverages Advaxis' proprietary Lm technology platform to target hotspot mutations that commonly occur in specific cancer types as well as other proprietary, tumor-associated antigens, alone and in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy. Key findings presented by Dr. Andres Gutierrez, Chief Medical Officer of Advaxis, include: Demonstrated substantial tumor shrinkage in the first two evaluable patients in the combination arm, Part B; with one patient who achieved a partial response and the other patient who achieved stable disease with 25% reduction in a target lesion. These new data build upon previous results presented at the IASLC 2020 Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer Meeting from seven evaluable patients demonstrating: 50% of evaluable patients from the monotherapy arm, from Part A, showed stable disease. ADXS-503 monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab appeared safe and tolerable in this heavily pretreated population of patients with no dose limiting toxicities observed. The Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ADXS-503 will seek to establish the recommended dose, safety, tolerability and clinical activity of ADXS-503 administered alone and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in approximately 50 patients with NSCLC, in at least five sites across the U.S. The two dose levels with monotherapy in Part A, have been completed and Part B in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor is currently open to enrollment.

09:12 EST Gevo secures funding from Queensland W2B fund - Gevo has been awarded part of The Queensland Waste to Biofutures Fund to support the development of waste to biofutures projects in Queensland, Australia. The W2B fund provides targeted funding for pilot, demonstration or commercially scalable biorefinery projects in Queensland that use conventional waste streams or biomass to produce bioenergy, biofuels and high-value bioproducts. Gevo supplied the renewable fuel used in Virgin Australia's trial of sustainable aviation fuel at Brisbane Airport which was completed in June last year. For this project, Gevo is evaluating the most likely 2G biomass to carbohydrate conversion process to use in conjunction with its proven carbohydrate to low carbon biofuel process.

09:09 EST Blackstone announces strategic investment in Dealpath - Dealpath announced a strategic investment from Blackstone. The partnership will provide Dealpath with industry experience and expertise from Blackstone's real estate and innovations teams. Blackstone intends to continue building upon the Dealpath platform as a core of its data strategy and architecture empowering value creation from pipeline to portfolio management. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Dealpath is a cloud-based deal management platform and has surpassed $5T in transactions supported on the platform with institutions across the world.

09:07 EST Lexia Learning awarded research-based design product certification - Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone Inc. company, has earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise for its personalized literacy solution, Lexia Core5 Reading. This new product certification is intended to serve as rigorous, reliable testimony for administrators, educators, and families searching for vetted, research-based educational technology products.

09:06 EST Meredith names Jason Frierott CFO - Meredith announced that Jason Frierott has been named VP and CFO, effective March 9. He succeeds Joe Ceryanec, who is retiring effective March 31. Frierott joins Meredith following 21 years at GE, including more than 10 years as a CFO for several of GE's large business units.

09:05 EST BAE Systems receives $126M task order from U.S. Marshals Service - The U.S. Marshals Service, or USMS, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, has selected BAE Systems for a $126M task order to provide mission critical sustainment and engineering services to the USMS' Information Technology Division. Through this task order, BAE Systems will provide IT infrastructure engineering, deliver full lifecycle operations, and execute comprehensive portfolio management. The company will also provide service desk support and modernize IT tools and capabilities through cloud service innovations and process improvement.

09:04 EST Tarena CFO Dennis Yuduo Yang resigns, Kelvin Wing Kee Lau to succeed - Tarena announced that it has appointed Kelvin Wing Kee Lau as the company's CFO, effective on March 1. Lau succeeds Dennis Yuduo Yang, who has resigned from the company and will assist with the transition for a short period of time. Prior to joining Tarena, Lau was the CFO of Square Panda, a U.S.-based AI education start-up company, between July 2018 and August 2019.

09:04 EST Femsa CEO says Q4 was 'eventful' - Eduardo Padilla, FEMSA's CEO, commented: "The fourth quarter was an eventful one. OXXO continued to grow at a steady pace in Mexico, and the international operations again performed well. The Health division had a complex quarter driven by disruptions in Chile, but we saw solid progress in every other market, while the Fuel division again delivered profitability gains in a challenging environment. For its part, Coca-Cola FEMSA continued to see good volume trends in Brazil and Central America, and healthy pricing across most of its markets, including Mexico. As we look at 2020, we see a consumer in Mexico that remains resilient, particularly in the northern part of the country. We are optimistic about Brazil, where we are seeing good performance in our existing operations and have high expectations for our new ventures. And on the strategic front, we are pleased with the opportunities we are being able to invest in, focused always on our operational capabilities and exercising discipline with a view to create long-term value for all our stakeholders."

09:02 EST Peloton and NMPA settle litigation, enter into collaboration agreement - Peloton and the National Music Publishers' Association, NMPA, the trade association representing all American music publishers and their songwriting partners, have fully settled the litigation brought last year by 14 NMPA members. In addition, Peloton and the trade association have entered into a joint collaboration agreement and will work together to further optimize Peloton's music licensing systems and processes.

09:00 EST Muscle Maker signs agreement with delivery-only kitchen provider - Muscle Maker announced it has signed a 10 location agreement with a delivery-only kitchen provider. The delivery-only kitchen concept has already opened facilities in several key markets. Muscle Maker plans to open its first five delivery-only kitchens in the Chicago market this April and has sights on other major metropolitan markets for future growth. The rapid expansion into new markets provides a great opportunity to not only grow overall brand recognition, but to also generate significant revenue for the company at a low capital cost.

08:57 EST NRG Energy sees FY20 adjusted EBITDA $1.9B-$2.1B - Sees FY20 adjusted cash from operations $1.45B-$1.65B.

08:57 EST NRG Energy reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $384M - NRG Energy reported full year 2019 income from continuing operations of $4.1B, or $16.81 per diluted common share. This increase in income from continuing operations is driven by the release of a $3.5B tax valuation allowance due to continuing evidence of historical and forecasted positive earnings. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2019 was $2B, cash from continuing operations was $1.4B and FCFbG was $1.2 billion. Cash from continuing operations and FCFbG were impacted by certain cash receipts previously expected in 2019, which are now expected to be received in 2020. "Our integrated platform delivered another year of stable financial and operational results," said Mauricio Gutierrez, NRG President and CEO. "The strength of our business model provides the financial flexibility to continue perfecting our platform while consistently returning significant capital to our shareholders."

08:55 EST Wells Fargo CFO sees short-term costs in line with current run rate

08:54 EST Wells Fargo sees NII down mid-single digits in 2020 vs. 2019 - Comments taken from the Credit Suisse US Financial Services Conference.

08:53 EST Anaplan says Q4 billings growth not reflective of opportunity - Anaplan is speaking on its earnings call.

08:51 EST PDS Biotechnology commences work under Farmacore collaboration - PDS Biotechnology announced commencement of work under an Amended and Restated Material Transfer Agreement with Farmacore Biotechnology, experts in infectious diseases, to develop a novel tuberculosis immunotherapy based on Farmacore's proprietary TB antigens and PDS Bio's Versamune platform technology. The prior Material Transfer Agreement under which preliminary work commenced was Amended and Restated in December 2019 due to promising early pre-clinical results and to progress this next phase of development. In preliminary evaluations, Versamune based product demonstrated highly promising in-vivo TB-specific T-cell induction. The collaboration will focus on evaluation and optimization of efficacy in in-vivo pre-clinical models. Under terms of the agreement, PDS Biotech will undertake product development and Farmacore will conduct studies to evaluate efficacy of the formulated product.

08:47 EST Electrify America invests $2M in Envision Solar infrastructure - Electrify America is investing $2M in solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations in rural California that are not tied to the electrical grid. The investment will expand access to sustainable EV charging to drivers in rural areas, including the Central, Coachella, and Imperial Valleys. Electrify America is sourcing the chargers from Envision Solar, a San Diego-based sustainable technology company. The EV ARC 2020 is a transportable, solar-powered electric vehicle-charging infrastructure product. Each standalone station is equipped with a 4.28-kilowatt sun-tracking solar array, 32kWh of on-board battery storage, and two Electrify America Level 2 EV chargers capable of charging speeds up to 6kW. This combination allows for two customers to charge their vehicles at the same time using 100 percent renewable electricity - regardless of weather or time of day.

08:47 EST Whiting Petroleum sees FY20 production 40.9-43.3 MMBOE - The company said, "Whiting projects all-in 2020 capital spending of $585-$620 million. Of the total, approximately 90% is planned to be allocated to drilling and completion activity based on the mid-point of guidance. Average well cost in the Williston Basin for 2020 is estimated at $6.6 million. The Company's estimated average well cost includes an increase of $300,000 per well for additional proppant, which the Company's analysis indicates could further enhance well productivity. This change represents a 10% decrease pre-optimization and a 6% decrease post-optimization, primarily due to enhanced operational efficiency and service cost reductions. Whiting projects a rate of return greater than 30% on its 2020 drilling plan. The plan is partially protected from commodity price decreases as the Company proactively entered into hedge agreements on upward price spikes. Currently, 45% of Whiting's 2020 oil production is hedged at an average weighted floor price of approximately $55 NYMEX. This compares to approximately 11% hedged at the end of the third quarter. The Company's capital spend is projected to deliver full-year total production of 111,700 to 118,400 BOE per day and full-year oil production of 68,100 to 72,000 barrels of oil (BO) per day. Total production is forecasted to increase slightly from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company plans to run three rigs and two to three completion crews throughout the year. With these resources, Whiting expects to put on production 122 gross wells during 2020."

08:46 EST Discovery says continuing to prepare for 2020 Olympics

08:42 EST Tetra Bio Pharma enters into co-development agreement with MAKScientific - Tetra Bio-Pharma announced that it has signed a co-development definite agreement with MAKScientific. This agreement provides Tetra with access to novel patented new molecules with CB1 and CB2 agonist or antagonist properties. In the long term, this agreement secures patented new drug candidates for Tetra to develop after Caumz and QIXLEEF receive marketing approval. MAKScientific has developed a pipeline of small molecule drugs that target the cannabinoid receptors as well as other targets implicated in the endocannabinoid system. Under this agreement, MAKScientific will develop new molecules that will be screened by Tetra for potential efficacy in various indications including cancer, pain and inflammation as well as other potential targets of interest to Tetra.

08:40 EST Blucora appoints Mark Ernst, Jana Schreuder to board of directors - Blucora announced the appointment of Mark Ernst and Jana Schreuder to the Company's Board of Directors. Both appointments are effective March 1, 2020 and increase the number of independent directors from five to seven as part of the Company's commitment to strong governance. Ernst is currently the Managing Partner of Bellevue Capital LLC, a role he assumed in 2018 after previously serving as the investment firm's Chief Executive Officer. Schreuder is an accomplished executive who recently retired in 2018 from her role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Northern Trust Corporation.

08:37 EST ADDvantage appoints Jimmy Taylor as interim president of Wireless Services - ADDvantage Technologies Group named Jimmy Taylor the Interim President of the ADDvantage Wireless Services segment, replacing Colby Empey. Colby had been leading Fulton Technologies prior to the Company's asset acquisition in January 2019 and for more than a year under the Company's ownership.

08:36 EST aTyr Pharma announces publication highlighting histidyl tRNA synthetase - aTyr Pharma announced a publication highlighting the essential role that histidyl tRNA synthetase plays in the modulation of immune cell engagement in a broad range of disease states, including interstitial lung diseases. The paper, titled "Serum-circulating His-tRNA synthetase inhibits organ-targeted immune responses," was published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Immunology. In mouse and rodent models of acute inflammatory disease, researchers found that HARS administration was shown to downregulate immune response. In contrast, HARS neutralization through targeting antibodies was associated with the activation of the immune system and the perpetuation of chronic and acute autoimmune diseases, including interstitial lung diseases. aTyr's lead therapeutic candidate, ATYR1923, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial as a potential treatment for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, an ILD characterized by the formation of granulomas, clumps of inflammatory cells in the lungs. The prognosis for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis ranges from benign and self-limiting to chronic, debilitating disease with mortality. aTyr will provide a corporate update during its upcoming fourth quarter financial and operating results conference call.

08:33 EST CRA International announces CFO Chad Holmes to transition to new role - Charles River Associates announced plans to divide the responsibilities of its CFO and chief corporate development officer into two executive officer positions reporting directly to Paul Maleh, president and CEO. The plan to separate these positions comes as CRA continues to develop its corporate infrastructure in support of its ongoing growth and success. Chad Holmes, who has been CFO since 2014 and has led CRA's corporate development efforts since 2009, will transition to the new role of executive VP and chief corporate development officer. In this position, Holmes will focus full-time on CRA's capital allocation and deployment, including a continued emphasis on corporate development activities. Holmes will be responsible for adding to the breadth, depth and scale of CRA's consulting capabilities through prudent capital allocation and deployment, which may include pursuing individual and group hires, acquisitions or organic growth initiatives. Holmes will continue to serve as CFO until a successor has transitioned into the role. CRA has initiated a search for its next CFO.

08:31 EST Digital Realty raises quarterly dividend 4% to $1.12 per share - Digital Realty's board of directors authorized a cash dividend of $1.12 per share to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 17. The common stock cash dividend will be paid on March 31.

08:30 EST Discovery sees Q3 Olympics-driven OIBDA loss ($200M)-($175M) - Sees loss normalizing "in a few quarters."

08:29 EST Adaptimmune sees cash, cash equivalents funding operations into 2H21 - The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, Total Liquidity, together with the net proceeds received from the underwritten public offering in January 2020, the additional net proceeds generated from the exercise in full of the underwriters' option in February 2020 and the upfront payment received under its agreement with Astellas in January 2020, will fund the Company's current operating plan into the second half of 2021.

08:28 EST Adaptimmune expects to launch ADP-A2M4 for sarcoma in 2022 - Based on compelling response data in synovial sarcoma from the Phase 1 trial announced in May of last year, and updated at ESMO and CTOS, the Phase 2 SPEARHEAD-1 trial was initiated with ADP-A2M4 in synovial sarcoma and myxoid/ round cell liposarcoma. The product was granted Orphan Drug Designation, for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas, and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation, for synovial sarcoma, by the US FDA. The Company aims to launch ADP-A2M4 for sarcoma in 2022. In January of this year, partial responses in liver, melanoma, gastro-esophageal junction, and head and neck cancers were reported. These early data in multiple indications demonstrate the potential of Adaptimmune's SPEAR T-cell platform across multiple targets and a range of solid tumors. Further updated data will be presented at upcoming medical / scientific meetings.

08:27 EST Levi Strauss announces paid family leave benefit - Levi Straus announced its new paid family leave benefit for all U.S. corporate and benefits-eligible retail employees. The new policy provides up to eight weeks of paid time off per year to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition, and extends the company's commitment to building a best-in-class workplace that supports well-being and enables its employees to take care of themselves and their family members in the moments they need it most.

08:25 EST Atara Biotherapeutics to present ATA188 Phase 1a results in 1H20/2H20 - A Phase 1a clinical study of off-the-shelf, allogeneic ATA188 in patients with progressive MS is ongoing across clinical sites in the U.S. and Australia. Atara expects to present six- and 12-month ATA188 Phase 1a clinical results for cohorts 3 and 4 in the first and second halves of 2020, respectively/ Atara retreated the first patients in the open label extension portion of the Phase 1a study; OLE design allows patients who complete one year in the Phase 1a dose-escalation portion of the study to be retreated annually using the cohort 3 dose for up to four yearsAtara plans to initiate enrollment of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b study in patients with progressive MS in the second or third quarter of 2020. Activation of clinical study sites for the Phase 1b is ongoing with an increased number of leading MS centers expected to participate in the U.S. and Australia.

08:24 EST Red Robin to review Vintage's director nominees, to buy back stock in near-term - Red Robin Gourmet Burgers issued a statement in response to the nomination by Vintage Capital Management of four director candidates to stand for election to the company's board, stating in part: "We regularly engage with our shareholders on a range of issues and value their input. Members of the Board and management team have engaged in multiple discussions with Vintage, and we intend to continue the dialogue...Given the significant undervaluation of our stock price as compared to our strategic plan, and the recent unusual trading in our stock, we intend to implement our share repurchase program in the near term pursuant to our authorization. The Red Robin Board and management team remain focused on executing the company's strategic plan while accelerating Red Robin's turnaround and transforming the business to drive value for all shareholders." The company added that the board's Nominating and Governance Committee will carefully review Vintage's proposed director nominees and present its formal recommendation regarding director candidates in the company's proxy materials for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the date of which has not yet been announced.

08:20 EST Mylan, Pfizer announce Sanjeev Narula as CFO of Viatris - Mylan (MYL) and Pfizer (PFE) announced that Sanjeev Narula, current CFO of Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, has been named incoming CFO of Viatris, the new company that will result from the planned combination of Mylan and Upjohn. Narula's 16-year history with Pfizer encompasses several financial leadership positions, where he has worked under the leadership of Pfizer's CFO and executive VP of business operations and global supply, Frank D'Amelio. At Upjohn, he has worked closely with incoming Viatris CEO Michael Goettler and has developed anunderstanding of financial and commercial dynamics across key geographies.

08:18 EST Atara Biotherapeutics expects cash to fund operations in 2Q21 - Atara believes that its cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2019, together with the net proceeds from the "at-the-market" facility in January 2020, are sufficient to fund planned operations into the second quarter of 2021

08:17 EST Radius Health expects cash to fund operations for at least 12 months - As of December 31, 2019, Radius had $161.5 million in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and marketable securities. Based upon our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance as of December 31, 2019 and funds available to us through our credit facilities, we believe that, prior to the consideration of potential proceeds from partnering and/or collaboration activities, we have sufficient capital to fund our development plans, U.S. commercial and other operational activities for at least twelve months from the date of this press release.

08:15 EST Richardson RFPD enters global distribution franchise agreement with Sequans - Richardson RFPD, an Arrow Electronics company, announced that it has entered into a global distribution franchise agreement with Sequans. The global agreement covers Sequans LTE chips and modules, including solutions for IoT/ M2M, broadband/CBRS, and Sequans' associated evaluation and development kits.

08:15 EST Radius Health expects topline data from ATOM Phase 3 study in 2H21 - Radius expects to complete recruitment of the ATOM Phase 3 Study, which is assessing the efficacy and safety of abaloparatide-SC in male osteoporosis, this year and report top-line data in the second half of 2021.

08:11 EST Intellia Therapeutics announces upcoming milestones - The Company has set forth the following for pipeline progression: ATTR: Submit IND application for NTLA-2001 in mid-2020; Dose first patients in 2H 2020. AML: Submit IND application for NTLA-5001 in 1H 2021. HAE: Nominate a development candidate in 1H 2020. R&D Advancements: Present preclinical data at upcoming scientific conferences in 2020.

08:10 EST Intellia expects cash, cash equivalents to fund expenses through end of 2021 - Intellia expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of December 31, 2019 will enable the Company to fund its anticipated operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements at least through the end of 2021. This expectation excludes any strategic use of capital not currently in the Company's base-case planning assumptions.

08:09 EST James E Wagner Cultivation signs MoU with CannNext - James E. Wagner Cultivation announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, pursuant to which JWC will assist CannNext with its tender to the Government of the Netherlands for a licence to produce medical cannabis in the Netherlands. In support of CannNext's Tender, JWC has provided certain necessary commitments and attestations required by the Government of the Netherlands. In addition, in connection with the Tender process and, if the Tender is successful, the resulting anticipated production of medical cannabis in the Netherlands, JWC will provide CannNext with industry knowledge and experience related to the cultivation and production of medical cannabis for a consumer market. The MOU outlines the parties' intention to collaborate in developing cannabis cultivation best-practices. This will involve research and development related to strains, grow methods and lighting practices. JWC and CannNext also intend to negotiate a definitive agreement pursuant to which CannNext will agree to represent JWC in the Netherlands and the European Union for licensing of JWC's GrowthSTORM technology. JWC will also acquire a minority equity position in CannNext. CannNext is focused on the research and development related to improving yields for controlled medical cannabis cultivation both for and with its own clients. CannNext's state-of-the-art government licensed, research facility is also located in the Netherlands, and can be immediately converted to production.

08:07 EST Repligen appoints Rohin Mhatre to board of directors - Repligen Corporation (RGEN) announced the appointment of life sciences industry executive Rohin Mhatre, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Mhatre brings to the director role over 25 years of relevant experience, which includes his current position as Senior Vice President, Product and Technology Development for Biogen (BIIB).

08:06 EST Curis announces $30M common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital - Curis announced that it has entered into a common stock purchase agreement of up to $30M with Aspire Capital Fund. Under the terms of the Agreement, Aspire Capital has made an initial investment of $3M via purchase of 2,693,965 common shares of Curis. In addition, Aspire Capital has committed to purchasing up to $27M of common shares of Curis, at Curis' request from time to time during a 30-month period at prices based on the market price at the time of each sale, subject to certain limits. There are no warrants, derivatives, or other share classes associated with this Agreement. Curis will control the timing and amount of the further sale of its common shares to Aspire Capital.

08:05 EST Mylan, Pfizer finalize appointments to Viatris Board of Directors - Mylan (MYL) and Pfizer (PFE) announced the remaining appointees to the inaugural 13-member Board of Directors for Viatris, the new company that will result from the combination of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, which is expected to occur in mid-2020, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals, Mylan shareholder approval, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. In addition to the previously announced Pfizer-designated appointments of Ian Read and Jim Kilts, Pfizer has appointed current Pfizer board member W. Don Cornwell, who will resign from the Pfizer board to serve as a director of Viatris upon the close of the transaction. Additionally, Mylan has appointed eight of its own directors to serve on the Viatris Board of Directors, including JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Neil Dimick, Melina Higgins, Harry A. Korman, Rajiv Malik, Richard A. Mark, Mark W. Parrish and Pauline van der Meer Mohr. As previously announced, the Board of Directors of Viatris will also include Viatris Executive Chairman Robert J. Coury and Viatris CEO Michael Goettler.

08:03 EST Flir Systems to consolidate three business units into two - In connection with Project Be Ready, Flir will restructure its business units by consolidating from three business units to two. The company has also discontinued certain non-core consumer centric product lines within the OTS business and has entered into a formal process to evaluate divestiture of our Raymarine non-thermal maritime electronics business. The remaining businesses within the commercial business unit will be consolidated with the industrial business unit.

08:00 EST MapKure, SpringsWorks, BeiGene initiate Phase 1 trial of BGB-3245 - MapKure, together with BeiGene, Ltd. (BGNE) and SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. (SWTX), who are joint owners of MapKure, announced that the first patient has been dosed in Australia in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate BGB-3245, an investigational, next-generation B-RAF inhibitor, in patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors. The companies also announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed the Investigational New Drug application submitted for BGB-3245 to proceed, which will enable study expansion to U.S. sites. The Phase 1 clinical trial is a first-in-human, open-label, dose escalation and expansion study to investigate the safety, pharmacokinetics and antitumor activity of BGB-3245 in adult patients with solid tumors, including those harboring specific B-RAF driver mutations and fusions that are likely to respond to a RAF dimer inhibitor, as well as in certain adult patients who have developed resistance to first-generation B-RAF V600 inhibitors. The trial is designed to define the dose and assess the tolerability of BGB-3245 and will capture early antitumor activity signals to allow for potential cohort expansion. In addition, MapKure has completed the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of renowned leaders in MAPK pathway biology and targeted oncology clinical development. The SAB will continue to collaborate with MapKure's joint steering committee, consisting of representatives from BeiGene and SpringWorks, to support the advancement of BGB-3245.

07:55 EST uniQure presents new preclinical data on AMT-130 - uniQure announced the presentation of multiple new preclinical data on AMT-130, its investigational AAV gene therapy for the treatment of Huntington's disease, at the 15th Annual CHDI Huntington's disease Therapeutics Conference in Palm Springs, California. Four scientific abstracts submitted by uniQure researchers were accepted for presentation at the conference, of which one is an oral presentation to be featured. Important findings across several preclinical studies presented at the conference include the following: Translatable Biomarkers in Gene Therapy for Huntington Disease: Learnings from Pre-clinical Studies In identifying translatable biomarkers for gene therapy studies in Huntington's disease, transgenic Huntington's disease minipigs were used to assess the biodistribution and target engagement in a larger brain. The minipig model is the largest diseased animal model available, generally weighing up to 300 pounds. AMT-130 was administered by MRI-guided convention-enhanced delivery at a single dose, bilaterally in the caudate and putamen. Vector DNA distribution and transgene expression in minipig brains demonstrated extensive brain coverage comparable at the two interim sacrifice timepoints of 6- and 12-months post administration, leading to significant lowering of mutant huntingtin protein in the brain. At 12 months, the most pronounced mHTT protein lowering was observed in the putamen, caudate and amygdala, followed by thalamus and cerebral cortex. The ongoing study that now includes up to two years of follow-up, demonstrated stable mHTT protein lowering of up to 30 percent in the cerebrospinal fluid of minipigs after a single administration of AMT-130. Secreted Therapeutics: Monitoring Durability of microRNA-based Gene Therapies in Huntington's disease Neurons derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of Huntington's disease patients were used to study the presence of extracellular therapeutic microRNA targeting human huntingtin after transduction with AMT-130. Extracellular vesicles were identified as carriers of RNA species, including microRNAs, and are therefore potential biomarkers for diagnosis and pharmacokinetics. Results from this new study demonstrated that therapeutic miHTT molecules are secreted in a dose-dependent manner from AMT-130-treated neuronal cells, providing the potential of a promising translational marker to monitor long-term expression of AMT-130 gene therapy in the brain. To support these results, non-human primates received a single administration of AMT-130 resulting in widespread distribution of therapeutic miHTT molecules in both the striatum and cortex, as well as the presence of therapeutic miHTT molecules in the CSF up to 6 months after intrastriatal injection of AMT-130. Lowering the Pathogenic Exon 1 HTT Fragment by AAV5-miHTT Gene Therapy In a study using the Q175FDN mouse model, the target engagement of aberrantly spliced exon 1 HTT transcript was investigated. These new preclinical data demonstrated that the mice treated with AMT-130 experienced a dose-dependent lowering of exon 1 HTT mRNA in both the striatum and cortex, as well as the full-length HTT mRNA. The lowering was shown to be well correlated with the detected levels of vector DNA and mature miHTT molecules in the mice treated with AMT-130. Exploring the Effects of Intrastriatal AAV5-miHTT Lowering Therapy on Neuronal Function, MRS Signal and Mutant Huntingtin Levels in the Q175FDN Mouse Model of Huntington's disease Magnetic resonance spectroscopy data in the Q175FDN mouse model of Huntington's disease demonstrate that levels of N-acetyl aspartate, a neuronal integrity marker, were restored in mice treated with the high dose of AMT-130, supporting the use of imaging biomarkers in gene therapy studies for Huntington's disease. Importantly, effects of mHTT silencing in the Q175FDN model on MRS were complemented by additional data on striatal gene expression profiles, demonstrating a trend towards normalization with AMT-130 treatment. These new data build on earlier MRS and MRI data suggesting improvement in brain cell function, a reversal in Huntington's disease neuropathology and a partial reversal of volume loss in the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory.

07:52 EST Athenex expects cash, cash equivalents to fund operations into 1Q21 - At December 31, 2019, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $160.8 million, which included $7.8 million funded by New York State for the construction of the Dunkirk facility for which the company has recorded a corresponding liability, compared to $107.4 million of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at December 31, 2018. The amount at December 31, 2019 does not include the $30 million license fee payment the Company expects to receive as part of the expanded license agreement with Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical. Based on the current operating plan, the Company expects that its cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2019, will enable it to fund operations into the first quarter of 2021.

07:51 EST Anaplan Chief Growth Officer Mark Anderson stepping down - Anaplan announced that Mark Anderson, Chief Growth Officer, plans to step back and will no longer be an employee as he would like to spend more time with his family. The company has no plans to backfill the position. "My decision to step back from my full-time role was difficult, but at this stage in my life, I want to focus on my philanthropic endeavors and my family. I feel very honored to have worked with Anaplan as one of the fastest growing companies, and I have full confidence in this leadership team. I am grateful for the time I had in my role at Anaplan, and am truly excited for the go-to-market team and the evolution of our approach to customers that we facilitated. The foundation for long-term sustained success has never been stronger. In my new capacity, I'll remain fully committed to ensure a smooth transition." stated Mark Anderson.

07:50 EST Esperion expects potential ROW development in April - European Commission decisions anticipated for both bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination tablets Marketing Authorisation Applications. Potential Rest-of-World development and commercial collaboration agreement in April.

07:48 EST Esperion sees cash sufficient to fund operations through profitability - Esperion expects $175 million in cash proceeds from the Daiichi Sankyo Europe and Oberland Capital agreements, $150 million and $25 million, respectively. This amount does not include U.S. product sales, for which Esperion will not provide revenue guidance in 2020, E.U. royalties or upfront and/or milestone payment from a potential ROW agreement. Research and development expenses for the full year 2020 are expected to be $145 million to $155 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the full year 2020 are expected to be $225 million to $235 million. These amounts do not include $30 million in non-cash stock-based compensation. The increase in expected operating expenses are primarily related to the anticipated commercialization activities for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET. Esperion expects that current cash resources, coupled with expected milestone payments under the Daiichi Sankyo Europe licensing agreement and the Oberland Capital revenue-based funding agreement, and NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET commercial net product sales are sufficient to fund operations through profitability.

07:45 EST INDIVA, Lift & Co. release branded CannSell education module - Indiva and Lift & Co. announced the release of Indiva's CannSell branded education module. The CannSell certification program, created by Lift & Co., in exclusive partnership with MADD Canada, is currently utilized in eight Canadian jurisdictions. CannSell also serves as the provincially-mandated training program for all cannabis retail workers in Ontario. These frontline staff members are responsible for educating consumers on the safe use of cannabis where it is sold. The Indiva education experience on the CannSell platform offers an overview of the Company, its product portfolio, and its commitment to quality, innovation and sustainability.

07:36 EST Curtiss-Wright to acquire Dyna-Flo control valves for $62M in cash - Curtiss-Wright announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the stock of Dyna-Flo Control Valve Services for $62M in cash. Dyna-Flo is a leading designer and manufacturer of linear and rotary control valves, isolation valves, actuators, and level and pressure control systems for the chemical, petrochemical, and oil and gas markets. The acquired business will operate within Curtiss-Wright's Commercial/Industrial segment and is expected to be accretive to Curtiss-Wright's 2020 adjusted diluted earnings per share, excluding first year purchase accounting costs, and produce a free cash flow conversion rate in excess of 100%. Dyna-Flo's financials are not included in the company's initial 2020 guidance.

07:32 EST Nielsen sees FY20 adjusted EBITDA $1.83B-$1.91B - Sees FY20 free cash flow $530M-$580M. Says achieved or beat all key guidance metrics in FY19. Says progress towards completion of separation is well underway. Says grew board to 12 members. Says media performance delivered on growth expectations while connect performance returned to growth. Comments and guidance taken from Q4 investor presentation slides.

07:31 EST J.C. Penney reports Q4 SSS down 7%

07:27 EST Orchard Therapeutics expects cash, investments to fund operations into 2H21 - The company expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and investments will enable funding of its anticipated operating and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2021.

07:22 EST Chico's raises quarterly dividend 3% to 9c per share - This represents the tenth annual increase since the dividend was established in 2010. The dividend is payable on March 30 to the company's shareholders of record at the close of business on March 16.

07:14 EST Cubic signs agreement with U.S. Special Operations Forces - Cubic announced that its Cubic Mission Solutions business division signed a cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, with Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L) to work on research and development for cutting-edge airborne payload technologies for use within the Department of Defense. The effort will primarily be performed by ISR Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cubic Corporation.

07:13 EST Cogent increases dividend 3.1% to 66c per share - Cogent approved a regular quarterly dividend of 66c per common share payable on March 27 to shareholders of record on March 13. This Q1 regular dividend represents a 3.1% increase of 2c per share from the 4Q19 regular dividend of 64c per share and an annual increase of 13.8% from the Q1 2019 dividend of 58c per share.

07:10 EST Gain Capital to be acquired by INTL FCStone for $6.00 per share in cash - GAIN Capital (GCAP) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by INTL FCStone (INTL). Under the terms of the agreement, INTL FCStone will acquire the company in an all-cash transaction. The company's stockholders will receive $6.00 per share, representing approximately $236M in equity value. The transaction represents a 70% premium to the closing share price of the company's shares on February 26, and a 60% premium to the volume-weighted average price of the company's stock in the 30 trading days ending on February 26. The transaction is the result of a comprehensive strategic alternatives review process taken by the Company's Board of Directors. The transaction has been approved by GAIN's Board of Directors. In addition, VantagePoint Capital Partners, Michael Spencer's private investment group IPGL and Glenn Stevens, representing in aggregate approximately 44% of GAIN's stockholders, have entered into agreements to vote in favor of the transaction. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2020, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

07:06 EST Best Buy CFO says majority of coronavirus to have impact in first half of 2020 - Best Buy CFO Matt Bilunas says: "As we enter FY21, we are closely monitoring the developments related to the coronavirus outbreak. This is a very fluid situation, which makes it difficult to determine exact financial impacts from disruptions in supply chain. Based on what we know today, we have assumed the majority of the impacts occur in the first half of the year. Therefore, we view this as a relatively short-term disruption that does not impact our long-term strategy and initiatives. Our guidance ranges for both Q1 and the full year reflect our best estimates of the impacts at this time. For FY21, we expect to deliver full-year comparable sales growth in the range of flat to 2% while continuing to invest in those areas necessary to make strategic progress and deliver enhanced employee and customer experiences, as well as continuing to drive cost savings and efficiencies. We expect our gross profit rate to be approximately flat and our SG&A rate to be up slightly compared to FY20, resulting in a full-year non-GAAP operating income rate of approximately 4.8%. We are confident that our FY21 plan moves us along the path to achieve our FY25 targets, specifically the financial targets of $50 billion in revenue and a 5% non-GAAP operating income rate."

07:04 EST Best Buy reports Q4 enterprise SSS up 3.2%

07:02 EST Gain Capital to be acquired by INTL FCStone for $6.00 per share in cash

06:56 EST AB InBev estimates lost revenue of approx. $285M from coronavirus in Jan-Feb - The company said: "The impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on our business continues to evolve. The outbreak has led to a significant decline in demand in China in both on-premise and in-home channels. Additionally, demand during the Chinese New Year was lower than in previous years as it coincided with the beginning of this outbreak. For the first two months of 2020, we estimate that the outbreak has resulted in lost revenue of approximately 285 million USD and lost EBITDA of approximately 170 million USD in China."

06:52 EST Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestle USA announce long-term partnership for Starbucks K-Cups - Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) announced that it has entered into a long-term, strategic agreement with Nestle USA (NSRGY) to manufacture and distribute Starbucks branded packaged coffee in K-Cup pods in the U.S. and Canada. The new agreement with Nestle, which acquired the rights in August 2018 to market and distribute Starbucks CPG and Foodservice products globally, outside of Starbucks coffee shops, will replace the existing K-Cup pod agreement between KDP and Starbucks (SBUX) following a transition period. Financial terms of the agreement between KDP and Nestle were not disclosed.

06:50 EST Annovis Bio awarded $1.7M NIH grant - Annovis Bio was awarded a $1.7M grant from the National Institutes of Health for the company's long-term toxicology studies in rats and in dogs of its lead therapeutic compound ANVS401. Annovis began the animal toxicology studies in the fourth quarter of 2019 and expects to complete the studies in the third quarter of 2020.

06:47 EST ImmunoTech collaborates with CGA on Ampligen as COVID-19 prophylactic - ImmunoTech announced that the company has joined with ChinaGoAbroad, or CGA, to facilitate the entry of AIM's experimental drug Ampligen into the People's Republic of China, or PRC, for use as a prophylactic/early-onset therapeutic against COVID-19, the new SARS-like coronavirus infection that has reached epidemic proportions. CGA is a member-based online information platform and offline advisory firm serving to facilitate two-way international transactions relating to the PRC in close collaboration with the China Overseas Development Association, which had up until recently reported to the PRC National Development and Reform Commission, which in turn reports to the State Council. CGA is already involved in China's ongoing efforts to halt the growing COVID-19 epidemic and, among other engagements, has been assigned to assist with the international purchase by Sinopharm Group of technology, masks, gowns and gloves.

06:42 EST EQT Corporation backs FY20 total sales volume 1,450-1,500 Bcfe

06:40 EST Herc Holdings sees 2020 Adjusted EBITDA $760M-$790M - ees 2020 CapEx $410M-$450M.

06:35 EST Acushnet Holdings increases quarterly dividend 10.7% to 15.5c per share - Acushnet declared a Q4 cash dividend in an amount of 15.5c per share of common stock, an increase of 10.7% versus the prior quarterly dividend. The dividend will be payable on March 27 to stockholders of record as of March 13.

06:11 EST Can-Fite BioPharma announces CBD anti-liver cancer results, expands agreement - Can-Fite BioPharma announced new pre-clinical findings in connection with its on-going collaboration with Univo Pharmaceuticals, demonstrating CBD's anti-neoplastic effect in pre-clinical studies against liver cancer. The studies were carried out on human liver cancer cells and utilized cannabinoid fractions enriched for CBD, in nano and pico molar concentrations. Marked inhibition of Hep-3b, liver cancer cell proliferation was noted and was mediated via the A3 adenosine receptor, the target of Can-Fite's drug platform. Based on this approach, an expansion of the agreement with Univo Pharmaceuticals has been entered into to allow the testing of minute CBD concentrations/dosages in combination with Namodenoson on liver cancer and additional oncological indications. As part of the expansion, Can-Fite will fund the research and development activities for the two new indications, to be jointly performed, for an amount of $200K per indication. UNIVO Pharmaceuticals is a vertically-integrated medical cannabis company covering all aspects of cultivation, manufacturing and distribution.

06:09 EST Amphastar receives FDA approval of sNDA for Sodium Bicarbonate Injection - Amphastar announced that the U.S. FDA granted approval of its supplemental Abbreviated New Drug Application for Sodium Bicarbonate Injection, USP, 8.4%, 50mEq/50mL Single-Dose Prefilled Syringe. This supplement is for manufacturing the product in the company's new manufacturing line at its International Medication Systems facility.

05:52 EST Molson Coors CEO confirms shooter at Milwaukee campus was employee - Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley last night confirmed tahat the active shooter on the company's Milwaukee Brewery campus was an active employee and is now deceased. Hattersley added that five other Molson Coors employees were also killed. Reference Link