Stockwinners Market Radar for March 02, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:14 EST SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall from 934.23MT to 931.01MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since February 18th.

19:09 EST Novartis unit to pay $195M DOJ penalty over antitrust crimes - Novartis' Sandoz was charged for conspiring to allocate customers, rig bids, and fix prices for generic drugs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. A four-count felony charge was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, charging Sandoz with participating in four criminal antitrust conspiracies, each with a competing manufacturer of generic drugs and various individuals. This represents the third pharmaceutical company to admit to criminal antitrust charges in the Antitrust Division's ongoing investigation. The charged conspiracies took place between 2013 and 2015. The Antitrust Division also announced a deferred prosecution agreement resolving the charges against Sandoz, under which the company agreed to pay a $195M criminal penalty and admitted that its sales affected by the charged conspiracies exceeded $500M. Under the deferred prosecution agreement, Sandoz has agreed to cooperate fully with the Antitrust Division's ongoing criminal investigation. As part of the agreement, the parties will file a joint motion, which is subject to approval by the Court, to defer for the term of the DPA any prosecution and trial of the charges filed against the defendant. "Today's resolution, with one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs, is a significant step toward ensuring that prices for generic drugs are set by competition, not collusion, and rooting out antitrust crimes that cheated American purchasers of vital medicines," said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. "Sandoz conspired for years with other manufacturers and their executives to raise prices for critical medications, and the Antitrust Division will continue its ongoing investigation to hold both individuals and corporations accountable for these crimes." Reference Link

18:37 EST Trillium Asset calls for separation of CEO, chair roles at Johnson & Johnson - According to a regulatory filing, Trillium Asset Management has issued a shareholder proposal to the board of Johnson & Johnson requestinig that the borad adopt as policy, and amend the bylaws as necessary, to require that the chair of the board of directors, whenever possible, be an independent member of the board. This independence policy shall apply prospectively so as not to violate any contractual obligations. If the board determines that a chair who was independent when selected is no longer independent, the board shall select a new chair who satisfies the requirements of the policy within a reasonable amount of time. Compliance with this policy is waived if no independent director is available and willing to serve as chair. "In our view, shareholders are best served by an independent Board Chair who can provide a balance of power between the CEO and the Board," Trillium said in the filing. "We believe that Johnson & Johnson's Board should adopt best practice governance policies, including having an independent board chair. Taking this step is in the long-term interests of shareholders and will promote effective oversight of management."

18:24 EST Beyond Meat CEO: We are an innovation engine - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said, "We are constantly trying to close the gap between animal protein equivalents." Brown noted that the company's sustainability efforts resonate with consumers. He added, "Sustainability is a driving force for us. Consumers want to reduce their animal consumption and we enable that." Brown finished by emphasizing that this is a time of "hyper growth" for the company and that they are doing everything "to grab market share."

18:01 EST Bausch Health says will no longer pursue proposed refinancing transaction - Bausch Health Companies announced that, due to market conditions, it has determined to not pursue the previously announced opportunistic amendment and refinancing of its existing credit agreement at this time. Additionally, the company does not currently intend to have Bausch Health Americas, Inc., a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the company, issue $3.25 billion of secured debt securities. The company will continue to monitor market conditions and consider opportunistic refinancing transactions from time to time. The company also announced that it will rescind its previously delivered conditional notice of redemption to redeem the full $3.25 billion aggregate principal amount of the company's outstanding 6.500% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 and 7.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2024.

17:34 EST Talend delays filing 10-K to revise FY18 financials, sees immaterial adjustment - The company states: "Talend S.A. is unable, without unreasonable effort or expense, to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for FY19 within the prescribed time period because it is resolving comments that it received from the SEC on its Form 10-K for FY18 regarding the method of allocating the transaction price for its on-premise subscription agreements between its software license performance obligation and its support and maintenance performance obligation for purposes of recognizing revenue under the ASC 606 accounting standard that was adopted on January 1, 2018. The company anticipates, based on conversations with the Staff, that it will revise an assumption in its method of allocating the transaction prices for on-premise term licenses. This adjustment will result in a higher allocation of the transaction price to the initial performance obligation to provide the license. The company anticipates that it will revise its financial statements for FY18 filed in the 2018 10-K and its financial results disclosed for FY19 in the company's earnings release dated February 13, 2020 to correct errors related to the revised assumptions. The company anticipates that the adjustments will be immaterial and therefore will not warrant a restatement of the previously filed financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 or a material change to the financial results disclosed for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 in the 2019 Earnings Release. The company expects to resolve the SEC's comments and file the 2019 Form 10-K within the fifteen-day extension period."

17:21 EST Booz Allen, others awarded on up to $990M Defense Intelligence Agency contract - Booz Allen (BAH), CACI (CACI), General Dynamics (GD), Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Radiant (RLGT) were awarded a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, or IDIQ, multiple-award contract called DORE2 with a combined ceiling value of $990M. Through this award, the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, will procure data science, operations, requirements, exploitation and engineering, or DORE2, services to support DIA directorate for science and technology missions. Work will be performed at contractor facilities and at government facilities in the National Capital Region with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2025. The contract was awarded through a full and open solicitation and eight offers were received. Each company will receive a $10,000 minimum guarantee. Task Orders will be issued competitively under this IDIQ which will allow for the following TO contract types: firm-fixed-price; fixed price, level of effort term; fixed-price incentive. The Virginia Contracting Activity is the contracting activity.

17:15 EST Laredo Petroleum CEO buys $100K in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Laredo Petroleum disclosed that its CEO Jason Pigott bought 100K shares of common stock for $1 per share on February 28th.

17:06 EST Director of JBG Smith Properties Charles Haldeman buys over $361K in shares - Director of JBG Smith Properties Charles Haldeman disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 10,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $36.11 per share on February 28. the total transaction value of the purchase was $361,100.

17:02 EST Aspen Insurance enters adverse development cover agreement with Enstar Group - Aspen Insurance (AHL) announced that it has entered into an adverse development cover reinsurance agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Enstar Group (ESGR). In the transaction, Enstar's subsidiary will reinsure losses incurred on or prior to December 31, 2019 on a diversified mix of property, liability and specialty lines across the U.S., U.K and Europe for a premium of $770M. Enstar will provide $770M of cover in excess of a $3.805B retention, and an additional $250M of cover in excess above $4.815B. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of various other closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

16:59 EST TerraForm Power to delay filing annual report on Form 10-K - TerraForm Power is unable to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 without unreasonable effort and expense. The company's delay in filing the Form 10-K is due principally to the need for additional time for the company to finalize, and for its independent public accounting firm to complete its audit of, the company's annual financial statements. The company intends to file its Form 10-K within the 15-calendar day period set forth in Rule 12b-25(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

16:45 EST Quaker Houghton to delay filing annual report on Form 10-K - The company will be filing a Notification of Late Filing on Form 12b-25 with respect to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The company has determined that it is unable to file its Annual Report within the prescribed time period without unreasonable effort or expense. As mentioned above, the company completed its combination with Houghton on August 1, 2019. As a result of the combination, in which the company acquired a complex global organization and the significant effort required to account for the Combination, the company requires additional time to finalize its financial statements, assess its disclosure controls and procedures and evaluate the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting for the year ended December 31, 2019. The company's Annual Report will be filed no later than March 17 in compliance with the extension period. Given the delay in filing the company's Annual Report, all fourth quarter and full year 2019 figures presented in this press release are preliminary, unaudited and subject to change pending the finalization of the company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and filing of its Annual Report. However, the company believes the numbers presented in this press release will not change materially, if at all, as a result of the additional time needed to finalize its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and complete its Annual Report.

16:43 EST Quaker Houghton sees FY20 adjusted EBITDA up '~$30M or more' over FY19 - Michael Barry, Chairman, CEO and President, commented, "As we entered into 2020, we expected most of our business segments to show low to moderate growth during the year. Then two negative events happened; the coronavirus and Boeing's decision to temporarily stop production of the 737 Max. These events have put more uncertainty than usual in our ability to forecast our year. Our current estimate is that the coronavirus and lower 737 Max production may impact adjusted EBITDA by approximately $10 million and $6 million, respectively, for the year. However, I continue to be confident in our ability to deliver strong adjusted EBITDA growth in 2020 despite the market uncertainties we are facing. In 2020, I expect that we will deliver approximately $30 million or more of adjusted EBITDA growth over our 2019 pro forma adjusted EBITDA of $234 million, primarily driven by synergy benefits, a full year of Norman Hay and additional market share gains more than offsetting the expected negative impacts of the coronavirus and lower production of the 737 Max."

16:34 EST Siga Technologies to partner with Turnstone Biologics on tecovirimat - SIGA Technologies announced that it entered into a collaboration with Turnstone Biologics to provide TPOX tecovirimat in connection with Turnstone's proprietary SKV vaccinia oncolytic immunotherapy platform. The platform utilizes vaccinia viruses engineered for increased selectivity and safety, as well as high-potency immune stimulation, and allows delivery of multiple therapeutic agents directly to tumors. The collaboration will provide Turnstone with access to SIGA's TPOXX oral antiviral capsules for use if required in future clinical programs. In preclinical studies, TPOXX has been shown to be active against most orthopoxviruses, including vaccinia. The unique mechanism of action of TPOXX coupled with published efficacy in animal studies, make it an important addition to development programs focused on vaccinia-based cancer therapies. On July 13, 2018, the FDA approved oral TPOXX for the treatment of smallpox to mitigate the impact of a potential outbreak or bioterror attack. TPOXX is the only FDA-approved treatment of smallpox.

16:34 EST CVS Kidney Care, Satellite Healthcare enter into strategic relationship - CVS Kidney Care, a CVS Health company, and Satellite Healthcare announced a strategic relationship to advance the care of patients with kidney disease. CVS Kidney Care and Satellite Healthcare will collaborate to provide comprehensive kidney care, and to expand awareness of and access to transplantation and in-home dialysis initially in two locations, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. CVS Health launched CVS Kidney Care to address the needs of patients at all points in their journey with a chronic kidney disease management program, home dialysis services that the company is announcing today, and eventually pending successful completion of a clinical trial and the receipt of regulatory approval a new home hemodialysis device.

16:33 EST Virtu Financial completes previously announced term loan repricing - Virtu Financial announced the completion of a repricing transaction of its $1.925 billion senior secured first lien term loan maturing in March 2026. As previously announced, the repricing amendment reduces the interest rate on the Term Loan by 50 basis points to LIBOR + 300 basis points.

16:32 EST Univar Solutions acquires certain assets of Mosaic's HFS business - Univar Solutions Inc. (UNVR) announced that in late 2019 it purchased certain assets of The Mosaic Company's (MOS) hydrofluorosilicic acid business. Under the terms of the arrangement, Univar Solutions has assumed certain of Mosaic's customer contracts, rail, and supply chain agreements expanding and strengthening its capabilities to serve municipal drinking water plants. Univar Solutions is working with other producers of HFS to ensure high quality and reliable HFS supply. "We're excited to build onto our already robust HFS business and market-leading water treatment capabilities. With the addition of these new capabilities, we are well-positioned to help customers and suppliers solve their complex water treatment issues," said Brian Jurcak, vice president of product management in the USA for Univar Solutions. "By investing in our water treatment business and relying on the expertise of our experienced team, we can help drive sustainable, next-generation solutions for our customers across the U.S."

16:27 EST Gold Resource updates annual reserve estimates - Gold Resource updated its annual reserve estimates as of December 31, 2019, increasing its consolidated proven and probable gold reserve grade by 20.1% and consolidated proven and probable gold reserve ounces by 1.1%. Gold Resource is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. As of December 31, 2019, proven and probable reserves at the Nevada Mining Unit's Isabella Pearl Mine totaled 2,247,400 tonnes grading 3.05 grams per tonne, or g/t, gold. Proven and probable reserve gold ounces included in the reserve report increased year-over-year by 2.5% to 220,100 ounces, an increase of 5,300 gold ounces, while gold grade increased 33.8% to 3.05 g/t. This addition maintains a more than four-year mine life estimate at the project. Company management is optimistic it can continue to expand mine life at the Isabella Pearl Project by discovering additional neighboring deposits at exploration targets such as Scarlet along the project's 10-kilometer property trend. As of December 31, 2019, proven and probable reserves at the Oaxaca Mining Unit totaled 2,831,600 tonnes grading 1.97 g/t gold and 122 g/t silver, equating to 179,300 gold ounces and 11,096,400 silver ounces. The reserve report also includes significant base metals from the Arista Mine consisting of 11,600 tonnes of copper grading 0.4%, 45,500 tonnes of lead grading 1.7% and 133,100 tonnes of zinc grading 4.8%. Mine life at the company's Oaxaca Mining Unit is estimated at four years based on a mill throughput capacity of 2,000 tonnes of ore per day.

16:23 EST First Solar announces Longroad Energy as acquirer of four solar projects - First Solar announced that Longroad Energy is the acquirer of four solar projects with a combined capacity of 160-megawatts AC. Longroad Energy is a U.S.-based renewable energy developer, owner, and operator, with a multi-gigawatt portfolio of wind and solar projects across the United States. First Solar had previously disclosed the transaction without identifying the acquirer.

16:21 EST SAIC discloses $1.1B in national security contract awards during Q4 - Science Applications International was awarded approximately $1.1B in national security contracts during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, bringing the annual total in this category to $2.8B. During the quarter, wins included a classified space contract worth approximately $265 million and the U.S. Air Force's Common Computing Environment contract worth more than $727M. For Cloud One, SAIC will migrate approximately 800 Air Force and U.S. Army mission applications into the cloud. Most of the contracts serve customers in the intelligence community and classified space domains that rely on SAIC for highly specialized expertise in technology integration, engineering, IT modernization, and mission operations.

16:19 EST Meta Financial closes sales of community bank division - MetaBank announced that the sale of MetaBanks community bank division to Central Bank closed on February 29. The transaction is expected to result in a pre-tax net gain to the company of approximately $18M, subject to final settlement.

16:18 EST Alpine Immune Sciences cancels Cowen presentation due to COVID-19 - Alpine Immune Sciences announced the cancellation of the company's presentation and webcast at the Cowen 40th Annual Healthcare Conference scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 11:20 am. Eastern Time. The company is taking precautionary measures in response to the evolving coronavirus situation in the Seattle area.

16:15 EST Installed Building Products acquires Royals Commercial Services - Installed Building Products announced the acquisition of Royals Commercial Services, Inc. Founded in 1990, Royals Commercial is headquartered in Millersville, Maryland and provides spray foam insulation and thermal barrier installation services primarily for commercial customers throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey. "With approximately $10 million of annual revenue, Royals Commercial expands our presence in the greater Baltimore and mid-Atlantic markets," stated Jeff Edwards, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The commercial installation market is large and fragmented and is an important focus of our growth strategy. In addition to Royals Commercial, we also completed the acquisition of a Chicago based shower, shelving and mirror installer, with annual revenue of approximately $1.1 million. Commercial end markets represented approximately 18% of our total revenue in 2019 and we believe we are well positioned to increase our exposure within this compelling market through organic and acquisition growth opportunities."

16:14 EST Cerus names Vivek Jayaraman COO - Cerus Corporation announced the promotion of Vivek Jayaraman to the role of chief operating officer. Jayaraman has served as Cerus' chief commercial officer since August 2016. "These promotions from within our senior leadership team are intended to create an organizational structure that is focused on the ownership of key deliverables, both commercially and across our development portfolio, and are expected to provide Cerus with the continued growth opportunities required to achieve its mission of making INTERCEPT Blood System the global standard of care in transfusion medicine," said William 'Obi' Greenman, Cerus' president and chief executive officer. "Nina, Yasmin, and Vivek have led many of the activities that have been integral to Cerus' recent achievements and I am excited to welcome them into new leadership roles so that the organization can benefit from their considerable experience and expertise. We expect this to be a transformative year for the company as we partner with our U.S. blood center customers as they adapt to comply with the recent FDA Guidance on the bacterial safety of platelets."

16:13 EST Xerox launches tender offer to acquire HP Inc. shares for $24 per share - Xerox Holdings Corporation (XRX) launched a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of HP Inc. (HPQ) for $24.00 per share, comprising $18.40 in cash and 0.149 Xerox shares for each HP share. "Our proposal offers progress over entrenchment," said John Visentin, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox. "HP shareholders will receive $27 billion in immediate, upfront cash while retaining significant, long-term upside through equity ownership in a combined company with greater free cash flow to invest in growth and return to shareholders." Xerox has entered into an amended and restated commitment letter to add MUFG, PNC, Credit Agricole, Truist and Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey as commitment parties to provide a portion of the financing along with Citi, Mizuho and Bank of America under its previously confirmed $24 billion in binding financing commitments. The offer and withdrawal rights are scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City Time on April 21, 2020, unless the offer is extended. The full terms, conditions and other details of the tender offer are set forth in the offering documents that Xerox is filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

16:10 EST Rocky Brands announces $7.5M share repurchase program - Rocky Brands, Inc. announced that its board of directors has approved a new share repurchase program of up to $7,500,000 of the Company's outstanding common stock, no par value per share. This repurchase program replaces the previous repurchase program authorized by the board of directors that expired on February 28, 2020.

16:07 EST GenMark announces initial shipments of ePlex test kits - GenMark Diagnostics announced the initial shipments of ePlex Research Use Only test kits designed to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Initial RUO test kits were recently shipped to the companys Hong Kong distributor, as well as several U.S. customers that have access to clinical samples. GenMark plans to use this information to support submission of an Emergency Use Authorization to the U.S. FDA for the ePlex SARS-CoV-2 test to address this developing global public health emergency.

16:04 EST Criteo says CFO Benoit Fouilland plans to depart at end of Q2 - Criteo announced that CFO Benoit Fouilland plans to depart from Criteo at the end of the second quarter. Fouilland has indicated that he will remain fully committed to his role as CFO and member of the senior executive team, and will play an active role in identifying and hiring his successor to ensure an orderly and smooth transition until his anticipated departure date of June 30. Criteo has launched a search for a replacement CFO.

16:02 EST Allscripts names Rick Poulton CFO - Allscripts also announced that Rick Poulton has been named President and Chief Financial Officer of the company, effective March 3, 2020. Mr. Poulton will be replacing Dennis Olis, who will be leaving the company. Mr. Poulton previously served as the company's Chief Financial Officer from October 2012 through March 2016.

15:46 EST Vertex cancels March 3 presentation at Cowen Health Care Conference - Vertex announced the cancellation of its planned March 3 presentation and webcast at the Cowen Health Care Conference. Following implementation of a companywide travel and meetings policy that is designed to reduce potential disruption from coronavirus, the Vertex senior management team will, as a precautionary measure, no longer attend the conference.

15:31 EST Dunkin' expands delivery service with Grubhub to more Metro NY stores - After launching Dunkin' Delivers in New York City in June 2019, Dunkin' (DNKN) announced an expansion of the brand's partnership with Grubhub (GRUB) to bring its Dunkin' Delivers service to even more stores throughout Metro New York. With this launch, which marks the next step in an expanded rollout, more than 800 participating Dunkin' restaurants across Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, New York City and Westchester will now offer delivery through Grubhub as well as the company's New York-specific brand, Seamless. "We are thrilled to expand Dunkin' Delivers with Grubhub to even more people in the Metro New York community, marking another exciting milestone in our commitment to offering unparalleled convenience to our guests," said Stephanie Meltzer-Paul, Vice President of Digital and Loyalty Marketing for Dunkin' U.S. "We've been encouraged by the positive guest response to the Dunkin' Delivers service launch in New York City back in June, and look forward to expanding in the market to keep Metro New York residents running on Dunkin' wherever they are."

15:13 EST Pac-Van acquires storage container, trailer assets of Mar-Rube Trailer Rental - General Finance's subsidiary Pac-Van announced its acquisition on Friday, February 28th of the storage container and storage trailer assets of Mar-Rube Trailer Rental in Baltimore, Maryland. "The acquisition of the assets of Mar-Rube Trailer Rental significantly builds upon Pac-Van's acquisition of Delmarva Trailer Sales and Rentals, the mobile storage business acquired by Pac-Van in 2018 that established Pac-Van's initial location in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. market area. With the acquisition of Mar-Rube's assets, Pac-Van has added nearly 900 additional rental units and six new staff members to our team," said Jody Miller, CEO of General Finance Corporation. "This further expands Pac-Van's reach into the expanding Baltimore/Washington DC area (the sixth largest MSA in the United States) and offers Pac-Van material synergies as the two locations will be combined into Delmarva's location which will continue to provide a great opportunity for Pac-Van to deliver high quality portable storage and office space solutions throughout the market."

14:10 EST Nvidia shifts GTC San Jose to online event amid COVID-19 concerns - Nvidia has decided to shift GTC 2020 on March 22-26 to an online event due to growing concern over the coronavirus. The company said that the decision to move the event online instead of at the San Jose Convention Center reflects its top priority, namely the health and safety of its employees, partners and customers. "We will be working with our conference speakers to begin publishing their talks online beginning in the weeks ahead," Nvidia added. Reference Link

13:00 EST Gulfport Energy responds to Firefly director nominations - Gulfport Energy Corporation issued a statement regarding the nominations by Firefly Value Partners of two director candidates to stand for election at the company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which has yet to be scheduled: "Gulfport values shareholder input, which makes it odd that Firefly would choose to nominate director candidates the week before Ryan Heslop, the co-portfolio manager of Firefly, is scheduled to interview for a director seat, and no deadline for director nominations has even been established. Gulfport has a highly qualified new management team and is in the midst of a comprehensive Board refreshment process, with five of eight directors having joined in the last three years. In addition, the Company's Chairman recently announced he would not seek re-election at the 2020 Annual Meeting, and seven of the Company's eight directors are independent, including two who have joined in just the past two months. Gulfport is taking timely and decisive actions to position the Company for future value creation amidst industry-wide challenges and a multi-year low point for natural gas prices. Gulfport recently announced a 50% reduction in capital expenditures, which allows the Company to operate within cash flow and retain its valuable drilling inventory for better prices in the future." The Gulfport Board and its Nominating and Governance Committee will review and consider Firefly's notice of nomination in accordance with the Company's bylaws and applicable law. Gulfport's Board will present its recommendations for director nominees in its proxy statement that will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

12:36 EST Interactive Brokers reports February DARTs up 63% y/y - Interactive Brokers Group reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for February. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 1,346 thousand Daily Average Revenue Trades, 63% higher than prior year and 32% higher than prior month. Ending client equity of $170.1B, 18% higher than prior year and 3% lower than prior month. Ending client margin loan balances of $28.9B, 12% higher than prior year and 6% higher than prior month. Ending client credit balances of $59.6B, including $2.4B in insured bank deposit sweeps, 14% higher than prior year and 1% higher than prior month. 720 thousand client accounts, 17% higher than prior year and 2% higher than prior month. 423 annualized average cleared DARTs1 per client account. Average commission per cleared Commissionable Order of $3.55 including exchange, clearing and regulatory fees.

12:25 EST Novavax CEO Stan Erck to attend meeting at White House on COVID-19 efforts - Novavax said via Twitter that CEO Stan Erck will attend a meeting at the WhiteHouse today with VP Mike Pence and senior. Administration Officials regarding COVID-19 efforts. "We are pleased and proud to collaborate with the U.S. Government and others to advance potential solutions as quickly as possible," Novavax said. Reference Link

12:08 EST Cigna coverage policy shows Exact Sciences' Cologuard covered every 1-3 years - A Cigna (CI) medical coverage policy update with an effective date of February 15 notes that Exact Sciences' (EXAS) Cologuard, a stool DNA test, is considered medically necessary with testing every one to three years. Traders are passing around this medical policy bulletin, claiming that this represents a change from Cigna's previous policy, according to Fly contacts. Reference Link

12:02 EST Title iO acquires GreenFolders from First American - Title iO announced the acquisition of GreenFolders, a wholly owned entity of First American Financial Corporation (FAF). GreenFolders is a provider of digital office management software that integrates with leading title and escrow production systems to reduce reliance on paper files, accelerate workflows and reduce costs related to closing a real estate transaction.

12:00 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -12.9% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -12.9%, or -$1.72 to $11.61.

12:00 EST GTT Communications falls -16.4% - GTT Communications is down -16.4%, or -$2.48 to $12.65.

12:00 EST Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs rises 12.0% - Direxion Daily Jr Gld Mnrs Bull 3X Shrs is up 12.0%, or $5.62 to $52.36.

11:54 EST YouTube agrees to temporary extension with Sinclair over RSNs, YES Network - Alphabet's (GOOG) YouTube said via its Twitter account over the weekend that it has agreed to a temporary extension with Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI) to stream regional sports networks as well as the YES Network. "FOX Regional Sports Networks and YES Network are still available on YouTube TV while we work to reach an agreement," YouTube said. "We'll be sure to share an update as soon as we have more info on a potential timeline. More to come!" Reference Link

11:42 EST HP Inc. confirms unsolicited exchange offer from Xerox - HP Inc. (HPQ) confirmed that Xerox Holdings Corporation (XRX) has commenced an unsolicited exchange offer to acquire all outstanding shares of HP common stock for consideration consisting of cash, Xerox common stock, or a combination thereof. The company said, "The HP Board of Directors will, consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, carefully review and evaluate the Offer to determine the course of action that the Board believes is in the best interests of the Company and all HP shareholders. HP shareholders are advised to take no action at this time pending the Board's review and evaluation of the Offer. HP intends to advise shareholders of the Board's position regarding the Offer within ten business days by making available to shareholders a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9, to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and published on HP's website at www.hp.com."

11:08 EST Ryanair reduces Italian flights by 25% after 'significant drop' in bookings - Ryanair notified passengers that it was reducing its short haul flight program, mainly to and from Italy, by up to 25% for a three week period from March 17 to April 8, in response to the Covid-19 Virus. "Over the past week, Ryanair has seen a significant drop in bookings over that late March/early April period, in response to the Covid-19 Virus. There has also been a significant step up in passenger no-shows on flights, particularly from and within Italy," the company said in a statement. Ryanair does not expect these cancellations to have a material impact on current year guidance, but adds that it is "far too early to speculate what impact the Covid-19 outbreak will have on FY21 earnings." It added, "Ryanair will continue to monitor bookings carefully, and will continue to flex its schedules in response to this developing situation....Ryanair remains one of the strongest airlines in the industry with EUR 4bn in cash on its balance sheet, industry leading unit costs, 90% of the fleet is owned, and is mainly debt free. We expect that this Covid-19 Virus will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks."

10:56 EST Alcon PMA supplement granted FDA approval - A letter posted to the FDA website, dated February 26, shows that the FDA approved the premarket approval application supplement for the AcrySof IQ Vivity Extended Vision, Toric Extended Vision, Extended Vision UV Absorbing, and Toric Extended Vision UV Absorbing IOLs for expanding the indications to include improved intermediate visual acuity and near visual acuity that was submitted by Alcon.

10:21 EST Athenex partner Almirall reports EMA acceptance of Tirbanibulin Ointment filing - Athenex provided an update that its partner, Almirall, announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted the filing of the Marketing Authorization Application for tirbanibulin ointment for the treatment of actinic keratosis. "We are delighted by the EMA's acceptance for filing of the MAA for tirbanibulin ointment, which includes data from our two pivotal Phase III studies and represented the diligent efforts of our clinical, preclinical and regulatory teams together with the support of our partner Almirall," said Dr. Rudolf Kwan, Chief Medical Officer of Athenex. "We have also submitted the tirbanibulin ointment NDA to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so this positive news from the EMA is an important milestone for the development program of tirbanibulin ointment in the U.S. as well as Europe." The EMA filing is based on the analysis of two Phase III studies conducted in the U.S. that evaluated the efficacy and safety of tirbanibulin ointment 1% in adults with actinic keratosis on the face or scalp, as well as clinical, preclinical and CMC data generated by Athenex, included in nine clinical studies. Tirbanibulin ointment met the primary endpoint of complete clearance of actinic keratosis lesions at day 57 within the face or scalp treatment areas, each study achieving statistical significance on this endpoint. Athenex and Almirall, S.A. entered into a license agreement in which Athenex granted Almirall an exclusive license to research, develop and commercialize tirbanibulin ointment in the U.S. and European countries, including Russia. Almirall will employ its expertise to support the development in Europe and commercialize the product in the defined territories.

10:11 EST Energy Transfer up 2.5% after CEO buys 4M units - In a regulatory filing earlier, it was disclosed that Kelcy Warren bought 4M shares of Energy Transfer LP at an average price of $10.64 on February 27. In early trading, Energy Transfer is up 2.5% to $11.36.

09:49 EST Novavax sinks 16% after filing to sell up to $150M of shares - Shares of Novavax are sinking after the company filed with the SEC to sell up to $150M of shares from time to time in at-the-market offerings pursuant to an agreement with B. Riley FBR. Novavax in morning trading is down 16%, or $2.64, to $13.36.

09:47 EST VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -9.8% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -9.8%, or -$34.51 to $317.99.

09:47 EST VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN rises 9.4% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is up 9.4%, or $2.92 to $34.12.

09:47 EST Virgin Galactic rises 11.7% - Virgin Galactic is up 11.7%, or $2.88 to $27.48.

09:41 EST Novavax trading resumes

09:38 EST Calavo Growers trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:37 EST Studio City International Holdings Limited (Class A ADS) trading resumes

09:35 EST Wayfair trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:32 EST Mosaic announces intent to combine potash, phosphates operations teams - Mosaic announced its intent to combine the company's potash and phosphates operations under one management team, effective April 1. This move is expected to create new opportunities to increase efficiencies by leveraging the synergies between the two organizations. Bruce Bodine, currently senior VP, phosphates, will lead the combined business from Tampa, Florida. Bruce has leadership experience in both potash and phosphates businesses and he will continue to drive the company's North America transformation efforts. Karen Swager, currently senior VP, Potash, will step into a new role leading Mosaic's North America supply chain, procurement and corporate environmental, health and safety. The company is exploring new, digital solutions that have the potential to transform each of these areas and deliver significant value to internal and external stakeholders. Karen will be based in Tampa, Florida. Mosaic will continue to report under its current business segments and remains committed to financial transparency.

09:28 EST Uniti Group, Windstream reach agreement in principle on litigation settlement - Uniti Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (UNIT) and Windstream Holdings (WINMQ) jointly announced that the mediation overseen by the Honorable Shelley C. Chapman has culminated in an agreement in principle to resolve any and all claims and causes of action that have been or may be asserted against Uniti by Windstream, including all litigation brought by Windstream and certain of its creditors in the context of Windstream's bankruptcy. The Settlement is additionally supported by lenders that own more than 72% of Windstream's outstanding first lien debt and more than one-third each of its second lien creditors and unsecured note holders, including affiliates of Elliott Management Corporation, Windstream's largest creditor, and other members of the ad hoc first lien Windstream creditors group. The Settlement is subject to negotiation and execution of definitive documentation and certain regulatory approvals and conditions precedent, including bankruptcy court approval and Uniti's U.S. federal income tax compliance. All litigation between Windstream and Uniti will be stayed while the parties negotiate and prepare the definitive documentation implementing the Settlement. A summary of the settlement terms are as follows: Uniti agrees to invest up to $1.75 billion in growth capital improvements, consisting of long-term fiber and related assets in certain Windstream ILEC and CLEC properties over the initial term of the New Leases. On the first anniversary of the initial investment for Growth Capital Improvements, the annual base rent payable by Windstream will increase by an amount equal to 8.0% of such new investment, subject to a 0.5% annual escalator. For Growth Capital Improvements that include fiber deployments in CLEC territories, Uniti will have the option to require that such deployment be engaged in jointly, with Uniti owning and operating any excess new strands deployed beyond Windstream's forecast. In return, Uniti agrees to fund 50% of the total cost to deploy the CLEC fiber. Windstream will transfer to Uniti certain dark fiber indefeasible rights of use contracts and relinquish its rights to use 1.8 million fiber strand miles currently leased by Windstream that are either unutilized or utilized for the dark fiber IRUs being transferred. Uniti will purchase, for $40 million, certain Windstream-owned fiber assets, including certain fiber IRU contracts generating $8 million of annual EBITDA and 0.4 million fiber strand miles covering 4,100 route miles. Windstream and Uniti agree to bifurcate the Master Lease into two structurally similar agreements to govern Windstream's ILEC and CLEC facilities, respectively. Parties to the New Leases include Windstream Holdings, Inc., Windstream Services, LLC, and certain of its subsidiaries, and/or newly formed affiliated entities. The initial aggregate annual rent under the New Leases will be equal to the annual rent under the Master Lease currently in effect. The New Leases will be cross-guaranteed and cross-defaulted unless Windstream ceases to be the tenant under one of the New Leases. The New Leases will require that Windstream comply with certain covenants and permit Uniti to transfer its rights and obligations and otherwise monetize the New Leases so long as it does not transfer interests to a Windstream competitor. Pursuant to the Settlement, Uniti and Windstream agree to mutual releases with respect to any and all liability related to any claims and causes of action between them, including those relating to the Chapter 11 proceedings and the Master Lease. Total consideration from Uniti to Windstream to consist of: $400 million in consideration paid in quarterly cash installments over five years, at an annual interest rate of 9%, which amount may be fully paid after one year, resulting in total payments ranging from $432 - $490 million; $244.5 million of proceeds from, and conditioned upon, the sale of Uniti's stock to certain creditors of Windstream. Uniti will sell to certain first lien creditors of Windstream 38,633,470 shares of Uniti common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a price of $6.33 per share, which represents the closing price of Uniti's shares on the date when an agreement in principle on the basic outlines of the settlement was first reached, with all proceeds from such sale provided to Windstream as described in the preceding paragraph. The issuance and sale of the Settlement Common Stock will be made in reliance upon the exemption from registration requirements pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Certain recipients of the Settlement Common Stock will be subject to a one-year lock up and all recipients will be subject to a customary standstill agreement. No recipient will receive any governance rights in connection with the issuance

09:24 EST BCB Bancorp announces stock repurchase program up to 500k shares - BCB Bancorp announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program. Under the stock repurchase program, management is authorized to repurchase up to 500,000 shares of the Company's common stock. The shares authorized for repurchase under the program equate to approximately 2.85% of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock. As of February 28, 2020, the Company had approximately 17.5 million shares of common stock outstanding. The stock repurchase program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be limited or terminated at any time without prior notice.

09:23 EST Tellurian intends to reduce corporate spending, reorganize term loan financing - Tellurian announced it intends to reduce corporate spending and reorganize financing for its 2019 term loan as it prepares for uncertain market conditions. President and CEO Meg Gentle said, "Given current global financial market conditions and increasing restrictions on travel caused by the onset of coronavirus, we are taking the steps necessary to focus on preserving the value we have created at Tellurian and Driftwood LNG. To this end we will reduce our corporate overhead to approximately $6 million per month and have initiated discussions with our lender to extend the maturity of our 2019 term loan due in May 2020." The fundamental business opportunity of Tellurian continues to rely on low-cost U.S. natural gas and a premier location on the Gulf Coast that can be built by Bechtel for $560/ton, making it possible for Tellurian to load liquefied natural gas on the water for $3-$4/mmBtu. Gentle added, "We have just returned from a visit to India where we continued discussions with Petronet and agreed to extend our MOU to May 31, 2020. We continue to see very strong growth in LNG demand from Asia in general, and India in particular, in spite of world conditions. We are highly confident that when travel restrictions are eased, we will be able to finalize several negotiations to complement the Petronet agreement and allow us to reach final investment decision (FID). With the new corporate overhead structure, we have a long runway to execute on our business model."

09:20 EST Uniti Group, Windstream reach agreement in principle to settle litigation - Uniti (UNIT) and Windstream (WIN) jointly announced that the mediation overseen by the Honorable Shelley Chapman has culminated in an agreement in principle to resolve any and all claims and causes of action that have been or may be asserted against Uniti by Windstream, including all litigation brought by Windstream and certain of its creditors in the context of Windstream's bankruptcy. The settlement is additionally supported by lenders that own more than 72% of Windstream's outstanding first lien debt and more than one-third each of its second lien creditors and unsecured note holders, including affiliates of Elliott Management, Windstream's largest creditor, and other members of the ad hoc first lien Windstream creditors group. The settlement is subject to negotiation and execution of definitive documentation and certain regulatory approvals and conditions precedent, including bankruptcy court approval and Uniti's U.S. federal income tax compliance. All litigation between Windstream and Uniti will be stayed while the parties negotiate and prepare the definitive documentation implementing the settlement. The companies said, "Uniti agrees to invest up to $1.75 billion in growth capital improvements, consisting of long-term fiber and related assets in certain Windstream ILEC and CLEC properties (the "Growth Capital Improvements"), over the initial term of the New Leases (as defined below). On the first anniversary of the initial investment for Growth Capital Improvements, the annual base rent payable by Windstream will increase by an amount equal to 8.0% of such new investment, subject to a 0.5% annual escalator. For Growth Capital Improvements that include fiber deployments in CLEC territories, Uniti will have the option to require that such deployment be engaged in jointly, with Uniti owning and operating any excess new strands deployed beyond Windstream's forecast. In return, Uniti agrees to fund 50% of the total cost to deploy the CLEC fiber. Windstream will transfer to Uniti certain dark fiber indefeasible rights of use ("IRU") contracts (that currently generate approximately $21 million in annual EBITDA) and relinquish its rights to use 1.8 million fiber strand miles currently leased by Windstream that are either unutilized or utilized for the dark fiber IRUs being transferred. Uniti will purchase, for $40 million, certain Windstream-owned fiber assets, including certain fiber IRU contracts generating $8 million of annual EBITDA and 0.4 million fiber strand miles covering 4,100 route miles. Windstream and Uniti agree to bifurcate the Master Lease into two structurally similar agreements to govern Windstream's ILEC and CLEC facilities, respectively (collectively, the "New Leases"). Parties to the New Leases include Windstream Holdings, Inc., Windstream Services, LLC, and certain of its subsidiaries, and/or newly formed affiliated entities. The initial aggregate annual rent under the New Leases will be equal to the annual rent under the Master Lease currently in effect. The New Leases will be cross-guaranteed and cross-defaulted unless Windstream ceases to be the tenant under one of the New Leases. The New Leases will require that Windstream comply with certain covenants (any default under which will relieve Uniti of its obligations to fund Growth Capital Improvements) and permit Uniti to transfer its rights and obligations and otherwise monetize the New Leases so long as it does not transfer interests to a Windstream competitor. Pursuant to the Settlement, Uniti and Windstream agree to mutual releases with respect to any and all liability related to any claims and causes of action between them, including those relating to the Chapter 11 proceedings and the Master Lease. Total consideration from Uniti to Windstream (exclusive of the $40 million referred to above) to consist of: $400 million in consideration paid in quarterly cash installments over five years, at an annual interest rate of 9%, which amount may be fully paid after one year, resulting in total payments ranging from $432 - $490 million; $244.5 million of proceeds from, and conditioned upon, the sale of Uniti's stock to certain creditors of Windstream as described below. Uniti will sell to certain first lien creditors of Windstream 38,633,470 shares of Uniti common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Settlement Common Stock"), at a price of $6.33 per share, which represents the closing price of Uniti's shares on the date when an agreement in principle on the basic outlines of the settlement was first reached, with all proceeds from such sale provided to Windstream as described in the preceding paragraph. The issuance and sale of the Settlement Common Stock will be made in reliance upon the exemption from registration requirements pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Certain recipients of the Settlement Common Stock will be subject to a one-year lock up and all recipients will be subject to a customary standstill agreement. No recipient will receive any governance rights in connection with the issuance."

09:19 EST XpresSpa announces strategic partnership with Sanctifly - XpresSpa Group announced the Company has secured a partnership with Sanctifly that will launch on March 15, 2020. Sanctifly is a fast growing subscription-based app which provides its frequent flying members with access to a global network of health and wellness facilities in and around airports. Under the terms of the agreement, XpresSpa will be one of the largest corporate partners at which Sanctify subscribers can use $30 vouchers towards spa services at any domestic XpresSpa location.

09:18 EST Nicolet Bankshares to acquire Advantage Community Bancshares, terms undisclosed - Nicolet Bankshares, and Advantage Community Bancshares jointly announce the execution of a definitive merger agreement, pursuant to which Nicolet will acquire Advantage and its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Advantage Community Bank. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. It is subject to Advantage shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter. Upon consummation of the transaction, all branch offices of Advantage Bank are expected to open as Nicolet National Bank branches.

09:16 EST Great Lakes Dredge receives $71.6M in awarded work - Great Lakes Dredge & Dock announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $71.6M. The Caminada Headland Back Barrier Marsh Creation Project entails dredging suitable marsh fill material from designated offshore borrow areas to create an eight mile long stretch of marsh. This project will help reinforce Louisiana's barrier islands and prevent coastal erosion. Work is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2020. The York Spit Project involves maintenance dredging to remove material from the York Spit Channel, an approach channel for the Port of Baltimore in the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Work on this project will begin in the spring of 2020. The West of Shinnecock Inlet Dune Road Project involves emergency shoreline restoration work to replenish sand along the oceanfront that will repair the barrier island breech into Shinnecock Bay which occurred after several storms in the fall of 2019. Work on this project is expected to complete by the end of March 2020. The South Atlantic Region Harbor Dredging Project involves annual maintenance dredging work on Brunswick, Savannah, Wilmington and Morehead City Harbors. Great Lakes was previously awarded $13.9 million for this project in 2019 to complete work in Brunswick, Savannah and Wilmington Harbors. This modification is the award of the Morehead City work. The Mouth of the Colorado Maintenance Project involves maintenance dredging to remove material from the entrance channel with beneficial use onto a designated beach area. This project also includes dredging to remove material from the Intracoastal Waterway channels. Work on this project will commence in the second half of 2020.

09:15 EST Unum Therapeutics concludes ACTR707 trials, plans to reduce workforce by 60% - Unum Therapeutics announced plans to prioritize resources towards advancing its preclinical program, BOXR1030, for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. Unum's BOXR1030 expresses a glypican-3 targeted CAR and incorporates the novel transgene glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2 to improve T cell function in the solid tumor microenvironment by enhancing T cell metabolism. Unum has initiated formal preclinical development activities, including preclinical safety testing and GMP process development, to support filing an IND application for BOXR1030 in late 2020. As part of this effort, and to conserve resources for BOXR1030, Unum is concluding its ACTR707 clinical trials, including the Phase 1 trial in combination with rituximab in relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the Phase 1 trial in combination with trastuzumab to treat advanced HER2+ solid tumor cancers. In addition, the company plans to reduce its current workforce by 43 employees to focus efforts on the BOXR1030 program. Unum also announced today that its Chief Scientific Officer, Seth Ettenberg, Ph.D., has resigned after five years of service to the company. Unum expects to continue to leverage its BOXR discovery platform, potentially in collaboration with partners, to create and develop new BOXR product candidates to address a broad range of solid tumor cancers. Unum will provide severance, continuation of employee benefits and outplacement assistance to employees affected by the restructuring. As of September 30, 2019, Unum had cash and cash equivalents of $45.9 million. After implementation of this restructuring, Unum's expects its current cash and cash equivalents to fund the company into mid-2021. Further details on the financial implications of the restructuring will be included in the company's full-year 2019 results expected later this month and with related filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

09:12 EST AnaptysBio anticipates $10M cash milestone payment on BLA filing acceptance - GSK has recently announced that a first BLA filing for dostarlimab, an AnaptysBio-generated PD-1 antagonist antibody under partnership with TESARO, a GSK company, occurred in the fourth quarter of 2019 for the treatment of endometrial cancer. AnaptysBio anticipates receiving a $10.0 million cash milestone payment upon acceptance of this BLA filing and a $20.0 million cash milestone upon first FDA approval of dostarlimab. Including additional cash milestones due upon future development and commercialization of dostarlimab, TSR-022, an AnaptysBio-generated TIM-3 antibody, and TSR-033, an AnaptysBio-generated LAG-3 antibody, AnaptysBio can potentially receive a total of $1.1 billion in aggregate milestone payments under this GSK partnership. In addition, AnaptysBio is due a 4% to 8% royalty from GSK, tiered upon global sales, for each of the aforementioned programs.

09:11 EST AnaptysBio to initiate Phase 1 trial of ANB030 in 1H20 - ANB030 is a wholly-owned antibody that binds PD-1 in an agonistic manner, leading to reduced T cell activity and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. Genetic mutations in the PD-1 pathway are associated with increased susceptibility to various inflammatory conditions and we believe ANB030 has the potential to suppress inflammatory diseases by restoring insufficient PD-1-mediated negative signaling on activated T cells. The Company plans to focus future clinical development of ANB030 on certain autoimmune diseases where PD-1 checkpoint receptor function may be under-represented, submitted an Investigational New Drug Application in the fourth quarter of 2019 and plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the first half of 2020. Preclinical data from the ANB030 was presented in June at the 2019 FOCIS Annual Meeting.

09:10 EST AnaptysBio decides to postpone initiation of Phase 2b etokimab trial - AnaptysBio is conducting a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial in approximately 100 adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, also referred to as the ECLIPSE trial. Patients are being treated with two multi-dosing frequencies of subcutaneously-administered etokimab or placebo, each in combination with mometasone furoate nasal spray as background therapy. The Company anticipates topline data from an interim analysis of the ECLIPSE trial in the first half of 2020. The Company previously announced data from its ATLAS trial, a Phase 2b randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-dose study in approximately 300 adult patients treated with etokimab in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Each of the etokimab dosing arms failed to meet the primary endpoint of the trial, which was demonstration of statistically greater improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index relative placebo at week 16. AnaptysBio has discontinued development of etokimab in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. The Company has decided to postpone the initiation of its planned Phase 2b etokimab clinical trial in eosinophilic asthma, a multi-dose, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in 300-400 patients, until results are available from the ECLIPSE trial.

09:07 EST Tandem Diabetes announces FDA clearance of Basal-IQ technology as iAGC - Tandem Diabetes announced FDA clearance of its Basal-IQ technology as an interoperable automated glycemic controller, or iAGC. This is the second system to receive iAGC designation by the FDA, following the company's clearance of the t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ technology in December 2019.

09:05 EST BOQI International Medical announces distributorship agreement for seradase - BOQI International Medical announced that the Company has entered into a distributorship agreement with Chongqing Harmony Pharmaceutical Co. BOQI International Medical is authorized as the exclusive distributor of Harmony's Seradase Serrapeptase Enteric-coated Tablets in Southwest China. Seradase was included in the anti-epidemic supply list by Chongqing Economy and Information Technology Commission on February 25, 2020. The Chongqing Economy and Information Technology Commission is responsible for monitoring and analyzing industry trends and publishing relevant information. The anti-epidemic supply list contains the medications considered to be most effective and safe to relieve and treat symptoms of COVID-19. The release of this list is expected to increase demand for Seradase. So far, BOQI International Medical has approximately 170,000 packs of Seradase in stock. Seradase is currently used by Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital to facilitate expectoration by reducing sputum viscosity in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019. To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat COVID-19. However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms.

09:05 EST D3 Family Funds requests governance, other changes at Geospace - D3 Family Funds stated, in part, "D3 Family Funds, owner of 4% of Geospace Technologies, announced today that they support Chris Sansone's February 18, 2020 Form 13D, which advocates board refreshment and other changes at GEOS for two reasons: 1) we know several Sansone investors and consider them shrewd, well-connected, and constructive; and 2) we share Sansone's concerns that GEOS should improve capital allocation, profitability, and credit risk management, and refresh its board composition. In fairness to GEOS, we appreciate that it entered the energy industry's deep downturn with a strong balance sheet and market share and that it had solid wireless seismic products. GEOS deepened its technology moat while most of its competitors faltered or failed. Moreover, GEOS' non-seismic businesses generated profits through the downturn. Combined with non-core asset monetization, this sustained the company as it awaited industry recovery. These attributes and actions benefitted all stakeholders. We own 4% of GEOS. We know other large shareholders, including Sansone, who, along with us, collectively own 16% of the company. Through our relationships in the corporate governance community, we have access to most other large shareholders. We should note that the GEOS shareholders we know are not, and are not acting as, a "group" in the legal sense of that word. Nevertheless, we can state that the concerns Sansone and we have expressed about GEOS are shared by other shareholders we know----asset allocation, continuing losses, dwindling cash, and reservations about GEOS' ability to manage its vendor leasing business prudently and about board oversight. These issues lead us to agree with Sansone that board refreshment could bring fresh perspectives, independence, objectivity, and appropriate directorial skepticism. Our one disagreement with Sansone is our strong belief that a director's age has nothing to do with their ability to exercise sound business judgment."

09:03 EST MeiraGTx announces PRIME, ATMP designations for AAV-RPGR gene therapy - MeiraGTx Holdings announced that the European Medicines Agency has granted Priority Medicines and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product designations to AAV-RPGR, MeiraGTx's investigational gene therapy for the treatment of x-linked retinitis pigmentosa caused by mutations in the RPGR gene. PRIME designation was granted based on clinical data from MeiraGTx and Janssen's ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of AAV-RPGR in patients with XLRP. AAV-RPGR is the only gene therapy in development for the treatment of XLRP to receive PRIME designation.

08:59 EST Predictive Oncology provides Quantitative Medicine acquisition update - Amid mounting concern over the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, governments, universities and companies are racing to develop new diagnostics, vaccines and drug therapies to battle the disease. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are very much a part of this race, from predicting virus spread to identifying potential new treatments. Recent announcements by privately held Insilico Medicine and MIT demonstrate the power of AI to rapidly discover potential anti-virals and antibiotics.These studies use similar AI and ML approaches to the CoRE technology from Carnegie-Mellon University spin-out Quantitative Medicine, which POAI recently announced a letter of intent to acquire With an agreement in principal in place, the all-stock acquisition is expected to close in March 2020. The acquisition will provide POAI with QM's proven machine learning framework, developed at CMU and exclusively licensed to QM. CoRE is a predictive model-building platform for drug screening and optimization campaigns that uses hybrid machine learning approaches to rapidly build predictive models to drive wet lab experimentation. Unlike the approach of many AI companies just working computationally so called "in silico," uniting the CoRE approach with POAI-Helomics division's PDx tumor profiling platform and tumor data database allows for a one-of-a-kind, end-to-end "discovery machine" to rapidly and cost-effectively generate potential therapeutic candidates that demonstrate activity against the disease. Therapeutic candidates developed by this iterative AI and experiment cycle can be fast-tracked, since there is already demonstrated activity in preclinical laboratory tests rather than just a computer model. In projects with pharmaceutical companies, QM demonstrated that the CoRE platform could reduce time to discovery of novel therapeutics by 50%. This "speed-to-patient" is not only important in cancer and other diseases but vital when searching for treatments or vaccines for a novel virus such as 2019-nCoV. While POAI's current focus is on cancers, especially ovarian cancer, the CoRE discovery machine could easily be applied to the rapid discovery of other therapeutics, such as anti-virals. Given sufficient resources and access to relevant data, POAI's CoRE driven Helomics discovery machine could soon be at the forefront of the fight against these new viruses.

08:55 EST Sinclair Broadcast sees FY20 CapEx, including repack, $220M-$240M - Sees FY20 repack CapEx $90M.

08:51 EST Sinclair Broadcast sees Q1 media revenue $1.61B-$1.63B

08:49 EST Host Hotels says coronavirus 'negatively impacted' revenue by $14M - Host Hotels & Resorts announced that, to date, Coronavirus has negatively impacted its total revenues by approximately $14 million, net income by approximately $7 million and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $7 million, which amounts to a decrease of 0.5% at the mid-point of the Company's 2020 adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $1,360 to $1,405 million. This current impact does not materially affect the Company's previously announced 2020 guidance, which remains unchanged as of the date of this release. The current decline in operations has primarily been group business cancellations, particularly in California, and the Company is working closely with the operators of its properties as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. Due to the uncertainty regarding the duration and extent of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Company cannot provide further assurances regarding future cancellations or their effect on the Company's results and the Company does not intend to provide further updates unless deemed appropriate.

08:48 EST Dasan Zhone to move headquarters to Texas, establish engineering center - DASAN Zhone Solutions will be shifting its headquarters, which is currently in Oakland, California, to Plano, Texas. Concurrently, the Company will be creating a new U.S.-based Engineering Center of Excellence in Plano, focused on 5G, software defined access, network functions virtualization, and next generation fiber access. DZS anticipates that this move will provide a variety of near-term benefits to the Company, including access to a unique pool of communications and software engineers, opportunities for reductions in the Company's fixed operating expenses, and facilitated access due to proximity to key customers in the Americas.

08:46 EST Tinley's Beckett's ships to 150 stores, advances Long Beach licensing - The Tinley Beverage Company announced that its Beckett's line of products have shipped to BevMo!. The Company is also pleased to announce that transformer installation in its Long Beach facility is now complete, which enables the Company to progress through the final stages of its licensing process. BevMo! is one of the two major liquor store retailers on the West Coast USA, operating nearly 200 stores throughout California, Arizona and Washington. Tinley's Beckett's products will be carried throughout California and Arizona, with Washington to follow. BevMo! has begun the process of shipping products from its California distribution facility to each store, and the Company expects this process to be completed within the coming weeks. The Company is also proceeding with scheduling and onboarding work related to other chain store launches. These include the previously-announced trials with one of the USA's largest grocery store chains, which operates over 2,000 large format stores across the USA. It also includes monthly product features in high visibility locations at one of the USA's largest national club/warehouse-style retailers. The Company is pleased to announce that the local utilities have completed installation of the transformer and meter at the Company's Long Beach bottling location. This represents the final major tenant improvement required for this facility. This progress is consistent with the timing outlined in the Company's corporate update of November 27, 2019. Accordingly, the Company is now working through items that are typically part of the final phases of local inspection and licensing. The Company has also begun the process of decommissioning its temporary facility in the Coachella Valley in anticipation of transferring production to Long Beach.

08:45 EST Ignite International Brands enters licensing agreement with Namaste's CannMart - Ignite International Brands announced that it has executed a licensing agreement with CannMart, an online provider of high quality cannabis products and accessories, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Namaste Technologies. The Agreement grants CannMart a non-exclusive licence to utilize certain IGNITE brand trademarks on legal cannabis-based products in consideration for certain royalty payments. Pursuant to the Agreement, CannMart will work with IGNITE's quality control and product development teams to source premium inputs, including flower and Cannabis 2.0 offerings, from Canadian craft cannabis producers for the IGNITE Products. Under the Agreement, CannMart assumes all functions associated with procurement, processing, and packaging of the IGNITE Products in its Health Canada-licenced processing facility. In addition, CannMart will oversee the sale and distribution of the IGNITE Products in Canada, leveraging its Canadian trade channels. Pursuant to the Agreement, IGNITE will, on behalf of CannMart, market the IGNITE Products in Canada.

08:42 EST R.R. Donnelley responds to Chatham Asset Management letter - R.R. Donnelley announced that RRD has sent a letter to Chatham Asset Management in response to Chatham's February 28 letter to RRD's board chair and president and CEO. The company said, "As was the case in August 2019 when the Board of Directors of R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company (the "Company") adopted the Company's stockholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan"), to which you make reference in your letter, the Board continues to believe that it is in the best interests of the Company's stockholders that no one person or group acquire undue influence or control through purchases of the Company's stock. The Board will continue to make decisions concerning the need for a Rights Plan and other matters in the best interests of stockholders. Regarding application of the Rights Plan to Chatham Asset Management ("Chatham"), we previously informed you on Feb 10 that Chatham was misreading the Rights Plan. In particular, under the terms of the Rights Plan, Chatham was not an Ordinary Course Institutional Investor, and the recent commencement by Chatham of reporting on Schedule 13D does not give rise to the "untenable dilemma" referenced in your letter. We refer you specifically to Section 1(a) of the Rights Plan, where the terms Acquiring Person and Ordinary Course Institutional Investor are defined. Because Chatham filed its Schedule 13G pursuant to Rule 13d-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, it was not an Ordinary Course Institutional Investor, and Chatham's commencement of reporting on Schedule 13D does not affect Chatham's ability to continue to qualify as an Exempt Person (as defined in Section 1(t) of the Rights Plan). If you have further questions regarding the operation of the Rights Plan, we will set up a call among counsel to again explain it. We continue to be interested in engaging constructively with Chatham, and have sent multiple requests to do so, including two such requests on February 27. We have yet to hear back from you regarding a meeting. Moreover, neither in your letters nor on your previous calls with us have you identified debt opportunities that we have not evaluated... As we have expressed multiple times, we have been and remain open to constructive dialogue, but must tell you that your letters containing erroneous descriptions of the Rights Plan, false statements about the Rights Plan's implications for Chatham, and ignoring critical strategic steps taken by Management and the Board are not constructive."

08:39 EST Inphi withdraws from OFC 2020 amid coronavirus outbreak - Inphi Corporation announced that the company will not be attending the upcoming Optical Fiber Conference, scheduled to take place in San Diego, March 10-13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

08:37 EST Masimo announces FDA clearance of RRp monitoring - Masimo announced that continuous respiration rate from the photoplethysmograph, or RRp, monitoring of adult and pediatric patients with Rad-97, Radical-7 and Radius-7 Pulse CO-Oximeters has received FDA clearance. With this clearance, both continuous and spot-check RRp are now available in the U.S., supported in a variety of pulse oximetry sensors and configurations, including the new non-cabled, tetherless, wearable Radius PPG.

08:35 EST VBI Vaccines doses first patient in second study arm of VBI-1901 - VBI Vaccines (VBIV) announced that the first patient has been dosed in the second study arm in the ongoing Phase 2a clinical study of VBI-1901, VBI's cancer vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate. The Phase 2a study is a two-arm, open-label study, enrolling 20 first-recurrent GBM patients to receive VBI-1901 in combination with either GM-CSF or AS01B, GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) proprietary adjuvant system, as immunomodulatory adjuvants.

08:35 EST ANI Pharmaceuticals: FDA approves ANDA for Memantine Hydrochloride capsules - ANI Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received approval of the company's abbreviated new drug application from the U.S. FDA for Memantine Hydrochloride Extended-Release Capsules 7 mg, 14 mg, 21 mg and 28 mg. The current annual U.S. market for this product is approximately $127M, according to IQVIA.

08:31 EST Daxor announces engagement with hospitals, governments for BVA-100 use - Daxor Corporation announces active engagement with both hospitals and government agencies in the military and civilian sectors regarding the use of its technology to help guide fluid management of critically ill patients with COVID-19. The BVA-100 is the only diagnostic blood test cleared by the FDA to provide safe, accurate, objective quantification of blood volume status and composition compared to patient-specific norms, and has been shown in a prospective randomized control trial to reduce mortality by as much as 66% in patient populations suffering predominantly from respiratory distress and septic shock. There have been 65 BVA devices widely installed throughout the United States since inception, with over 40,000 tests performed, and the device has been extensively studied in peer-reviewed journals. The BVA test informs care teams and helps guide treatment so they can balance the correct amount of fluids and blood to give patients to maintain effective circulation. Patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome have been described as "walking a tightrope" between too little and too much fluids by clinicians.

08:30 EST Wendy's launches nationwide breakfast - The company said, "Wendy's is encouraging consumers to leave their tired old breakfasts behind and try what will be America's Favorite Breakfast, available nationwide today, including a guarantee you will love it. To celebrate the launch, Wendy's is giving consumers a free Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit with purchase via the Wendy's mobile app."

08:28 EST Forty Seven up 62% to $93.89 after agreeing to be acquired by Gilead

08:26 EST Stryker appoints Preston Wells as VP, investor relations - Stryker announced that Preston Wells will be appointed Vice President, Investor Relations and report to Glenn Boehnlein, the company's CFO, effective June 1, 2020. After a very successful thirteen-year period, Katherine Owen, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations has decided to retire to spend more time with her family. In order to assure a smooth transition of her responsibilities, Ms. Owen will transition to Advisor to the CEO through March 30, 2021. Wells has served as Stryker's Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis since 2016 and has successfully transformed the company's financial forecasting and budgeting processes.

08:21 EST Helius Medical submits Canadian Class II license amendment application - On February 27, 2020, the Company submitted a Canadian Class II license amendment application for the treatment of gait deficit in patients with mild and moderate Multiple Sclerosis. This is an important new clinical indication for the PoNS device, given the approximately 100,000 individuals living with MS in Canada. The Company believes this label expansion will significantly expand its addressable market opportunity in Canada to include a patient population that is motivated to pursue treatment options which may resolve or delay the progression of MS symptoms. Based on the quality of the data included in its MS submission package to Health Canada, the Company is prioritizing the MS indication as the pathway to pursue for its first US clearance of the PoNS device. The Company believes the existing published data and clinical experience with use of the PoNS for the treatment of gait disorder in patients with mild and moderate MS are sufficient to demonstrate a favorable risk/benefit profile, as required for de novo clearance. The Company plans to submit to the FDA for this high unmet medical need in the second half of 2020. The Company will continue to pursue its TBI indication with a new trial, called TBI-002, which will be used to support its new request for de novo classification and clearance of the PoNS device for the treatment of chronic balance deficit due to mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. The design of TBI-002 incorporates specific recommendations that the Company received from the FDA in January 2020. The Company expects the trial to cost $6 million and to begin enrollment in April 2020 and the Company is targeting submission to the FDA in the second quarter of 2021.

08:19 EST Daxor reports 2019 kit sales rose over 7% year-on-year in cardiology segment - Daxor Corporation filed a Form N-CSR disclosing its schedule of portfolio holdings as of December 31, 2019. For the third straight year on a double-digit pace, Daxor reported that kit sales rose over 7% year-on-year in the cardiology segment, driven by increasing awareness of the value of blood volume analysis to improve heart failure outcomes through reduced mortality and readmissions, as well as five new hospital systems under contract. Daxor continued to execute strongly in its diagnostic business while maintaining its strong capital base of over $12.7M dollars and no share dilution during the fiscal year. In addition, Daxor successfully completed its first SBIR with the DOD for the procurement of blood volume analyzers and looks forward to subsequent government contracts. New studies highlighting the merits of Daxor's technology were published in the fields of critical care, surgical blood loss and heart failure. In November 2018, the Company announced a joint research program with CHF Solutions (Nasdaq: CHFS) to explore the potential synergies between the BVA-100 measurement device and their Aquadex fluid removal system. A formal trial was initiated in Q3 of 2019 and enrollment and completion of the study are anticipated in the first half of 2020.

08:16 EST Seattle Genetics cancels presentation at Cowen healthcare conference - Seattle Genetics announced the cancellation of the company's presentation and webcast at the Cowen 40th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, previously scheduled to take place on March 3. Management will no longer be attending the conference as a precautionary measure related to travel amidst the evolving coronavirus situation.

08:15 EST Mateon Therapeutics forms division to develop approach to treating COVID-19 - Mateon Therapeutics provided an update on its rapid antiviral response program initially targeting the COVID-19 virus. The company has been evaluating its therapeutic and AI platforms to aid in the treatment of the current COVID-19 virus outbreak, in response to inquiries about the potential of its technologies. The company has made significant progress in deploying its clinical assets against the COVID-19 virus and realigning them against rare tropical diseases to take advantage of the Food and Drug Administration Tropical Disease Priority Review Vouchers around these diseases. The new division will be dedicated to the development of rapid responses to the current COVID-19 virus outbreak, as well as future virus outbreaks, and will be led by Dr. Cyril Empig, who has been appointed Head of the Rapid Antiviral Response Program. Dr. Empig has over 20 years of experience in infectious diseases, HIV biotherapeutics and vaccines, and viral response programs including herpes simplex virus and smallpox. He helped lead a $44 million Defense Threat Reduction Agency project for the treatment of hemorrhagic fever viruses using human monoclonal antibodies. Dr. Empig managed cross-functional teams and been involved in all stages of pharmaceutical product development from pre-clinical to clinical research at Nantbio, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Pain Therapeutics, and Vaxgen. The new division has already identified initial anti-viral candidates and has entered into collaborations with researchers at leading Institutions to help advance new product candidates, while simultaneously evaluating the most effective way to test candidates from the Company's current therapeutic pipeline and AI capabilities. Taken together, the company plans to develop a rapid response program for therapeutics not just for the current COVID-19 virus, but for other future viruses. The program will encompass multiple approaches including: proprietary small molecules, that modulate cathepsin activity, particularly cathepsin L or cathepsin K, which have shown promise for treating coronaviruses, including SARS and COVID-19 viruses, and Ebola; OT-101, a known TGF-beta inhibitor, as treatment for viral-induced pneumonia, Human respiratory virus infections frequently result in pneumonia, which is partially the result of TGF-beta production by lung tissues; deploying the company's internal antibody discovery/engineering capabilities based on the extensive in-house experience of Dr. Chulho Park, our Chief Technology Officer and Dr. Vuong Trieu, our Chief Executive Officer, to rapidly produce new therapeutic monoclonal antibodies or to identify antibodies derived from patients that have mounted a protective response to the COVID-19 virus infection; and undisclosed proprietary approaches based on the Company's core antisense and AI capabilities. In addition to therapeutic approaches for inhibiting virus replication and treating the consequences of infection, the Company is also evaluating the potential of its AI Vision technology to be deployed to help monitor patients infected with the current COVID-19 virus, or any future viruses, while simultaneously reducing the need for direct contact with hospital personnel, which poses a risk to the caregivers.

08:13 EST Nordic American Tankers does not see 'any implications' from coronavirus - The company said, "We already referred to the Corona Virus in a press release of Friday January 31, 2020, stating that "we do not see any implications for NAT" - from the Virus. In the NAT Q4 2019 report of Tuesday February 18, 2020 we drew the same conclusion. We have learnt over the years that we do not necessarily see negative implications for NAT in times when there is political uncertainty. Political uncertainty may create positive implications for NAT. The last few years, irrespective of the Corona Virus, there are exports of crude oil from the USA. This development creates work for many suezmaxes of our type. It is part of our business to handle risk. We have traded ships in Hormuz for decades - Hormuz in the Persian Gulf is an area between the adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran of about 30 nautical miles. Although the indirect effects from the Virus may have short term negative implications for the oil market, it does not necessarily impact the market for NAT. Reduced world oil trade in itself is negative for NAT. On the plus side there are several positive factors. Observers must not lose their heads - tendencies we see now. Situations like these create irrational behavior by many parties, among investors, financial institutions and others. As a tanker company, we are cautious and do not wish to stimulate such irrational behavior. As an example, we now see increased demand for storage space. Several of our ships are employed in this way. In tough times, you always have cans of reserve food in your basement. Now we have "reserve" oil. The NAT tanker business has a solid future - short term bumps in the road, caused by Virus or other contingencies, do not distort our expectations in this regard. The East/Far East remain the area of growth in the years to come - the economic machine of international business, stimulating the NAT tanker business. A main objective for NAT is to remain a dividend company."

08:10 EST Rhythm Pharmaceuticals expects to submit IND application for RM-853 in 2020 - Rhythm expects to submit an investigational new drug application for RM-853, its ghrelin o-acyltransferase inhibitor for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome, to the FDA in 2020.

08:10 EST Takeda Pharmaceutical announces CHMP opinion recommending Alunbrig approval - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced that the European Medicines Agency's, or EMA, Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, adopted an opinion recommending the approval of Alunbrig as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive, or ALK+, advanced non-small cell lung cancer previously not treated with an ALK inhibitor. Alunbrig is a next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor that was designed to target and inhibit ALK genetic alterations.

08:08 EST Rhythm expects additional data from Phase 2 Basket Study in 2020 - Rhythm expects to announce additional data from its ongoing Phase 2 Basket Study of setmelanotide in high-impact heterozygous obesity and additional data from one or more of its other ongoing Phase 2 Basket Study indications in 2020.

08:08 EST Rhythm to report data from Phase 3 trial of setmelanotide in 4Q20 or 1Q21 - Rhythm expects to report topline data from its combined Phase 3 trial evaluating setmelanotide in BBS and Alstrom syndrome in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in the first quarter of 2021.

08:06 EST Rhythm Pharmaceuticals 'on track' to submit rolling NDA for setmelanotide in Q1 - Rhythm remains on track to complete submission of its rolling NDA to the FDA for setmelanotide in patients with POMC deficiency obesity and LEPR deficiency obesity in the first quarter of 2020.

08:05 EST Theratechnologies names Paul Levesque as CEO, succeeding Luc Tanguay - The board of directors of Theratechnologies (THTX) is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Levesque as the company's President and CEO, effective April 6, replacing Luc Tanguay, who is retiring after a 23-year career. Tanguay will remain available to ensure a smooth transition. Paul Levesque boasts over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field. After beginning his career in 1985 at UpJohn in Montreal, he joined Pfizer (PFE) Canada in 1992, then Pfizer France in 2002, where he held various positions, eventually serving as president of Pfizer Canada from 2007 to 2012. Since then, he has held several marketing and executive positions at Pfizer headquarters in New York, as part of which he had international responsibilities, notably in Asia-Pacific and in the United States. Mr. Levesque is and will remain the Global President of Pfizer Rare Disease until he takes up his position at Theratechnologies.

08:03 EST AudioEye names Heath Thompson as CEO, effective March 23 - The Board of Directors of AudioEye has appointed Heath Thompson as its new CEO, effective March 23. Thompson assumes the role from Executive Chairman Carr Bettis, who had been serving in the chief executive role during the transition period and will continue to serve as Executive Chairman going forward. Thompson will primarily operate out of the company's Atlanta offices, where the AudioEye development, product and engineering teams are stationed. Most recently, Thompson comes to AudioEye from cybersecurity leader SANS, where he was General Manager of the Security Awareness business.

07:58 EST VIVUS completes enrollment in Phase 4 safety, efficacy study of Qsymia - VIVUS announced the completion of patient enrollment in a Phase 4 clinical study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Qsymia capsules CIV in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years who are obese.

07:56 EST Albireo Pharma to start additional program in Alagille syndrome by end of 2020 - The company said, "Plans to commence an additional pivotal program in Alagille syndrome by the end of 2020, following scheduled FDA interactions in the first quarter. The FDA and the European Commission have granted orphan designations for odevixibat in the treatment of Alagille syndrome."

07:54 EST Albireo Pharma continues to enroll patients in PEDFIC 2 study - The company said, "Continued enrolling patients in PEDFIC 2, the long-term, open-label extension study of PEDFIC 1. Cohort 1 of PEDFIC 2 is composed of patients who have rolled over from the PEDFIC 1 study. Albireo now has patients who have been treated with odevixibat for more than 1 year. Cohort 2 is expected to broaden the evidence base for odevixibat by including PFIC patients who were ineligible for PEDFIC 1. This includes patients with all types of PFIC, and patients younger than 6 months or older than 18 years of age."

07:53 EST Albireo Pharma expects topline data from PEDFIC 1 Phase 3 study in mid-2020 - The company said, "Completed full randomization of the PEDFIC 1 Phase 3 study in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. The PEDFIC 1 trial is studying odevixibat in both PFIC type 1 and type 2 patients aged 6 months to 18 years. Patients randomized to odevixibat are being treated with high- or low- dose once-daily oral capsules or sprinkles. The trial uses Albireo's planned commercial formulation of odevixibat, which does not require refrigeration. Albireo expects topline results mid-2020, and anticipates a potential first regulatory approval and launch in the second half of 2021."

07:50 EST SL Green Realty enters 99-year ground lease of 126-132 Nassau Street - SL Green Realty announced that it has entered into a 99-year ground lease of 126-132 Nassau Street, located at the corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets. SL Green intends to develop a new, as-of-right, 215,000-square-foot building on the site and has secured a user for a long term net ground lease condominium of the building. The existing 98,412-square-foot office building will be demolished to make way for the new tower.

07:48 EST Aramark to manage operations at National 4-H Conference Center - After a multi-year analysis, National 4-H Council has selected Aramark to manage all operations of the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland. This new partnership aims to maximize value and ensure a healthy future for the center, which has operated independently since 1959. Designed as a center for youth development, the National 4-H Conference Center hosts 25,000 youth and adults from around the world each year. With more than 40 meeting rooms, overnight accommodations, and dining facilities the center welcomes 800 groups for conferences and events annually on 12 acres of land just outside the nation's capital.

07:45 EST Kaleido expects in vivo findings from immuno-oncology programs in 4Q20 - Findings from cardiometabolic and liver diseases also expected in Q4 2020.

07:44 EST Kaleido expects topline data from KB109 clinical study in 4Q20

07:43 EST Kaleido Biosciences expects clinical study of KB174 in HE in 2H20 - The company "announced positive top-line results from a proof of concept clinical study of KB174 in patients with well-compensated cirrhosis and plans to advance the program into a clinical study in patients with hepatic encephalopathy in the second half of 2020."

07:42 EST Kaleido Biosciences says headcount was reduced by approx. 25% - The company said, "Related to the measures announced in October 2019 to focus resources on pipeline programs and extend cash runway, headcount was reduced by approximately 25 percent and the fourth quarter net loss figure was inclusive of a one-time severance charge of $1.2 million. Additionally, the 2019 fourth quarter net loss includes non-cash stock-based compensation expenses of $2.2 million, as compared to $2.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. The full year 2019 net loss included non-cash stock-based compensation expenses of $10.1 million, as compared to $7.0 million in 2018."

07:38 EST Intra-Cellular expects to initiate clinical program for ITI-333 in 2020 - The company said, "We plan to develop ITI-333, our novel, oral modulator of mu opioid and serotonin receptors, for the treatment of opioid and other substance use disorders, pain, and mood disorders. The pharmacological profile has the potential to translate into clinical utility as a therapeutic to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms and drug craving associated with opioid use disorder as well for analgesia with minimal addictive potential. This pharmacological profile was presented at ACNP in December 2019. We expect to initiate our clinical program in 2020."

07:37 EST Intra-Cellular expects results from Phase 1/2 trial of ITI-214 in 1H20 - The company said, "We intend to pursue the development of our phosphodiesterase program for the treatment of several CNS and non-CNS conditions with a focus on diseases where excessive PDE1 activity has been demonstrated and/or increased inflammation is an important contributor to disease pathogenesis. Our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of escalating single doses of ITI-214, our phosphodiesterase 1 inhibitor, evaluating hemodynamic effects and safety in patients with systolic heart failure, is nearing completion. Assessment of vital signs, left ventricular contractility and power using echocardiography, and ectopic arrythmias using continuous ECG monitoring are being made following the administration of ITI-214. The trial evaluates three dose cohorts 10 mg, 30 mg and 90 mg, and no safety concerns have been identified to date. We anticipate reporting topline results from this trial in the first half of 2020."

07:35 EST Intra-Cellular plans to initiate Phase 1 trial of LAI formulation in 2020 - The company said, "Within the lumateperone portfolio, we are also developing a long-acting injectable formulation to provide more treatment options to patients suffering from schizophrenia. We have completed the preclinical development of an LAI formulation and plan to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2020."

07:33 EST Intra-Cellular says preparations for CAPLYTA commercial launch 'on track'

07:30 EST Innovation Pharmaceuticals offers scientific rationale for brilacidin - Innovation Pharmaceuticals provided scientific rationale and clinical development perspectives for Brilacidin, the Company's defensin mimetic drug candidate, as a potential novel coronavirus treatment. Notably, Brilacidin is one of the few drugs targeting COVID-19 that has been tested in humans in Phase 2 clinical trials for other clinical indications, providing an established safety and efficacy profile, thereby potentially enabling it to rapidly help confront the emerging worldwide coronavirus crisis. Brilacidin, a mimetic of defensins, was computationally designed to be smaller, more stable, more potent and more selective than natural defensins, a type of antimicrobial peptide, so as to overcome most shortcomings that have complicated their clinical development. The antiviral properties of natural defensins and their synthetic mimics are actively being studied by virologists the world over, with newer understandings elucidating their direct mechanisms of action against non-enveloped and enveloped viruses alike, along with their role in the regulation of inflammation and chemoattraction. As disclosed, the Company is shipping Brilacidin drug substance this week to a U.S.-based Regional Biocontainment Lab to evaluate its potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties in the context of viral infections, including inhibition of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. It is anticipated that these tests might be completed within several weeks of the RBL's receipt of Brilacidin. Separately, a Material Transfer Agreement, with a leading University Virology Lab overseen by one the world's top coronavirus experts, is anticipated to be executed this week. The Company has also submitted a preliminary summary of Brilacidin's potential as a novel coronavirus treatment to the U.S. Government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, dedicated to rapidly identifying and funding medical countermeasures to COVID-19.

07:26 EST American Medical Association, Nuance announce strategic collaboration - Nuance Communications and the American Medical Association announced a strategic collaboration that will pilot test the combination of each organization's respective technologies in an effort to reduce documentation burden that distracts from patient care and demoralizes highly-trained physicians. The collaboration will leverage Nuance's expertise in ambient clinical intelligence with AMA's expertise in physician burnout prevention and healthcare informatics in a shared exploration of innovations to empower clinical decisions, enhance the quality care, and boost physician well-being. The organizations' mutual goal is to assess their respective innovative solutions that work in tandem with electronic health record systems to prioritize time with patients rather than overload clinicians with data entry tasks. In particular, the collaboration will explore opportunities to optimize Nuance's ACI solution working in tandem with IHMI's clinical knowledge graph.

07:23 EST Prevail Therapeutics announces FDA acceptance of PR006 IND application - Prevail Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's Investigational New Drug application for its experimental gene therapy program, PR006, for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia patients with GRN mutation, and that the Company may proceed with the initiation of its Phase 1/2 clinical trial. PR006 is being developed as a potential one-time gene therapy for FTD-GRN, a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the GRN gene that reduce production of progranulin, a protein critical for lysosomal function, neuronal survival, and normal microglial activities. The progranulin deficiency leads to lysosomal dysfunction, ineffective protein degradation and recycling, neuroinflammation, and ultimately neurodegeneration and death, typically within three to ten years of diagnosis. PR006 is designed to increase progranulin levels in the brains of FTD-GRN patients by delivering a healthy GRN gene using an AAV9 vector. The PROCLAIM Phase 1/2 clinical trial will investigate the safety and tolerability of PR006, and will also measure key biomarkers and exploratory efficacy endpoints in patients with FTD-GRN. The Company plans to begin dosing for PROCLAIM this year. We believe this makes PR006 the first gene therapy for FTD-GRN to enter clinical trials. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation for PR006 for the treatment of patients with FTD.

07:20 EST Moody's acquires RBA International - Moody's announced that it has acquired RBA International, a provider of online retail bank training and certifications. The acquisition deepens the capabilities of Moody's analytics learning solutions, a unit of Moody's Analytics that offers online and classroom-based training services, as well as credentialing and certification. Based in London, RBA offers training programs that cover the skills and knowledge needed to prepare bankers for the retail banking landscape. Moody's acquired RBA from Parabellum Investments, a privately-owned international investment firm. The transaction was funded with cash on hand, and is not expected to have a material effect on Moody's 2020 financial results.

07:17 EST Middleby acquires Deutsche Beverage Technology - Middleby announced the acquisition of Deutsche Beverage Technology, a beverage brewing and processing systems company. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company has $40M in annual revenues. "Deutsche is a technology leader in beverage and liquid processing, offering a wide variety of advanced solutions for beer, cold brew coffee, kombucha and other liquid extraction applications," said Tim FitzGerald, CEO of Middleby. "Being well-positioned in fast growing markets and emerging segments, Deutsche has differentiated technology with highly engineered products. The company is very complementary to Ss Brewtech, which Middleby acquired in June, and we are now in a position to accelerate product development and leverage the sales capabilities of both brands. Our commitment remains to strategically expand the Middleby beverage offerings, as operators continue to have great interest in new products and solutions for their high-margin beverage programs."

07:14 EST Neon Therapeutics sees BioNTech transaction closing in 2Q20 - Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, Neon (NTGN) will, following consummation of the acquisition, merge with Endor Lights, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of BioNTech SE (BNTX) and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of BioNTech. At closing, BioNTech will issue, and Neon shareholders will receive, 0.063 American Depositary Shares in exchange for each of their shares of Neon. The exchange ratio implies a deal value of approximately $67M, or $2.18 per share of Neon, based on the closing price of BioNTech's ADSs of $34.55 on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, the date of the definitive merger agreement. The transaction was unanimously approved by both BioNTech's and Neon's boards of directors. The transaction, which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020, is subject to approval by Neon's shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Certain stockholders of Neon owning approximately 36% of the outstanding Neon shares have entered into voting agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, and subject to the terms and conditions of the agreements, to vote in favor of the Neon acquisition.

07:09 EST Seres Therapeutics reports Q4 net loss of $18.8M - Seres Therapeutics (MCRB) ended Q4 with approximately $94.8M in cash, cash equivalents and investments, an increase sequentially from the $83.8M reported for the end of Q3. The Q4 cash position included the second of three payments from AstraZeneca (AZN) related to the company's ongoing immuno-oncology agreement, as well as the first tranche of $25M received upon the closing of the previously announced debt agreement. Based on the Company's current operating plan, cash resources are expected to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, excluding net cash flows from future business development activities or potential incoming milestone payments, into Q2 of 2021.

07:09 EST Amicus expects to offer EAP for infantile-onset Pompe patients

07:07 EST Tecnoglass declares cash dividend of 2.75c per share - Tecnoglass announced the simplification and realignment of its capital structure with a focus on continued growth. The company has amended its dividend policy to pay a quarterly cash dividend, and to discontinue the option to receive dividends in stock. This simplified dividend methodology allows for the continued return of a portion of capital to shareholders while eliminating the dilutive impact of stock dividends to existing shares. The company's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 2.75c per share, or 11c per share on an annualized basis, for the first quarter of 2020. The quarterly dividend will be paid on April 30 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 31. The annualized dividend approximates the aggregate value of dividends that the company's shareholders chose to receive in cash during the preceding four quarterly dividend payments. The implied cash dividend yield is consistent with the average of the company's dividend-paying peers, based on its trailing six-month average stock price.

07:04 EST Just Energy confirms receipt of shareholder proposals, affirms strategic review - Just Energy Group confirms that it received two shareholder proposals, on February 28, 2020 - the deadline for shareholder proposals to be included in the management information circular for the 2020 annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company, by the Robert L. Snyder Trust - 2005 Stream. Pursuant to the shareholder proposals, Snyder has proposed to increase the number of directors of Just Energy from six to eight, and to nominate six directors as candidates for election to the Just Energy Board of Directors at the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The company said, "Just Energy values constructive input from all of its stakeholders. Accordingly, the Board, along with the Company's financial and legal advisors, will consider and evaluate the shareholder proposals. At this time, there is no action for shareholders to take as a result of the shareholder proposals. The Company will update shareholders in due course." Just Energy's previously announced strategic review remains active and the Company expects to announce the outcome of this review by June 30, 2020.

07:03 EST Equinox Gold, Leagold receive Mexican anti-trust approval - Equinox Gold and Leagold Mining are pleased to announce the receipt of the clearance decision from the Comision Federal de Competencia Economica with respect to the pending merger between Equinox Gold and Leagold. COFECE approval was the final government agency approval required before completing the merger, which is anticipated to occur in the second week of March.

06:56 EST Sempra Energy subsidiary announces second train of Louisiana project - Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced that Cameron LNG's second train of the liquefaction-export infrastructure project in Hackberry, Louisiana, has begun commercial operations under Cameron LNG's tolling agreements. Train 3 remains on track to start initial liquefied natural gas, or LNG, production in Q2 and to commence commercial operations in Q3. The facility's first liquefaction train started commercial operations in August 2019. Phase 1 of the Cameron LNG export project includes the first three liquefaction trains that will enable the export of approximately 12M tonnes per annum, or Mtpa, of LNG, or approximately 1.7B cubic feet per day. Sempra Energy's share of full-year run-rate earnings from the Phase 1 project are anticipated to be between $400M-$450M annually starting in 2021 when all three trains achieve commercial operations under Cameron LNG's tolling agreements. Sempra Energy is also developing four other LNG export projects in North America, including Cameron LNG Phase 2, which could include up to two additional liquefaction trains and up to two additional LNG storage tanks; Port Arthur LNG in Texas and Energia Costa Azul LNG Phase 1 and Phase 2 in Mexico.

06:53 EST Eagle Pharmaceuticals sees FY20 adjusted R&D spend $46M-$50M - Compared to $31.1M in 2019. SG&A spend in 2020, on a non-GAAP basis, is expected to be $61M-$64M, as compared to $56.4M in 2019.

06:52 EST Eagle Pharmaceuticals CEO says 2020 'could be the best year in Eagle's history' - "Based on the current strength of our marketed products, and assuming an on-time approval for RYANODEX for exertional heat stroke and an affirmation of our orphan drug decision by the Appellate Court for BENDEKA, we believe that 2020 could be the best year in Eagle's history in terms of total revenue and gross profit. We believe we are at the start of what could be a period of accelerated growth for Eagle," stated Scott Tarriff, CEO of Eagle Pharmaceuticals. "We have multiple product candidates underway that have the potential to expand treatment options and provide first-in-class therapies to bridge significant care gaps across CNS/critical care and oncology patient populations. With a number of exciting studies under way in our critical care and oncology pipeline, we look forward to multiple data readouts this year, all of which will help us progress these important initiatives. We remain focused on realizing the full potential of our pipeline assets and creating value for our stakeholders," concluded Tarriff.

06:48 EST Mallinckrodt initiates rolling submission of terlipressin NDA - Mallinckrodt announced it initiated the rolling submission of a new drug application, or NDA to the FDA for terlipressin, an investigational agent being investigated for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome type 1, or HRS-1, by submitting its clinical data package. A rolling submission allows the company to submit portions of the regulatory application to the FDA as they are completed. The company expects to complete the submission of the NDA in the coming months.

06:41 EST Novus Therapeutics completes enrollment of Phase 2a trial of OP0201 - Novus Therapeutics announced that it has completed enrollment of the phase 2a trial of OP0201 in pediatric patients with acute otitis media. The company enrolled a total of 103 patients into the clinical trial and expects to report data by early June.

06:39 EST CenterPoint Energy announces goal to reduce operational emissions 70% by 2035 - CenterPoint Energy announced a goal to reduce its operational emissions by 70% by 2035 and emissions attributable to natural gas usage in heating, appliances and equipment within the residential and commercial sectors by 20%-30% percent by 2040. The company's reduction goals are based on its 2005 emissions. With more than 7M electric and natural gas metered customers across eight states, CenterPoint Energy is among the first energy delivery companies to make an emissions-reduction commitment across a multi-state footprint. To achieve its reduction goals, CenterPoint Energy will focus on partnering with customers to offer affordable conservation and energy efficiency programs, continuing to develop alternative fuel programs, collaborating with suppliers to lower their methane emissions and supporting innovation. CenterPoint Energy has invested in infrastructure modernization, as well as research and development projects in recent years to reduce emissions, including carbon capture technology, the piloting of renewable natural gas, and improved methods for identifying and eliminating methane leaks. These technologies span the lifecycle of natural gas and other energy production, from extraction to consumer use and beyond. CenterPoint Energy's commitment will also include providing more consumer choice for alternative transportation fuels and expanding electric vehicle infrastructure in Texas and Indiana. CenterPoint Energy will work with partners, customers, employees and other stakeholders across its service territory to achieve its reduction goals. The company continues to offer customers energy efficiency programs and is investing in renewable forms of energy on both the natural gas and electric sides of the business. Furthermore, CenterPoint Energy will partner with natural gas suppliers to take steps to lower methane emissions across the natural gas value chain. At the same time, CenterPoint Energy will continue to support the communities where it operates with their climate action goals. The company will focus on driving lower emissions across the natural gas value chain to ensure its continued role in supporting the transition of the nation's power generation fleet to meet lower carbon emission goals.

06:35 EST Prestige Brands announces new $25M share repurchase plan - Prestige Consumer Healthcare announced that the company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $25M of the company's issued and outstanding common stock. Separately, the company plans to present at the Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference at 8:40 a.m. ET on March 2nd.

06:33 EST Acorn International suspends quarterly dividend due to COVID-19 impact - Acorn International announced that at its regularly scheduled meeting in February, the company's board of directors voted to indefinitely suspend its quarterly dividend due to current business impact and uncertainties concerning the potential longer-term impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak on the company's e-commerce business. Discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 causes severe respiratory illness in humans. While it has begun to spread throughout the world, the vast majority of coronavirus cases are in mainland China, with over 78,000 diagnosed cases and over 2,700 deaths, based on the latest statistics from the World Health Organization as of the date of this release. Actions by the Chinese government to curtail the spread of the virus include limiting the transportation of people and goods within and outside of China. Many countries around the world have imposed travel bans to China and are quarantining travelers arriving from China. "The outbreak of the coronavirus could have a material impact on our business in 2020. There has been disruption to our production capacity and our ability to deliver to customers in parts of China. There is also uncertainty about whether our ability to import raw material for our Acorn Fresh business will be affected materially. Finally, while we are adapting to work-from-home and flexible working arrangements, we have historically operated within a traditional office environment in Shanghai," said Mr. Jacob Fisch, CEO and President of Acorn International. "Some of our online businesses appear to be experiencing increased demand, as customers prefer to shop from home. But we are concerned that the combination of supply-side disruption, delivery challenges and potential, long-term waning consumer demand caused by COVID-19, potentially exacerbated by other factors, could negatively impact our business. While we continue to monitor the situation, at this point it is difficult to assess the probable significance or duration of any disruption. As a result, we are taking a number of defensive measures to cut costs and conserve our cash resources, including salary reductions and the indefinite suspension of the quarterly dividend until we have more confidence concerning the current situation."

06:24 EST AT&T announces launch of AT&T TV nationwide - AT&T is launching a new live TV service, AT&T TV, nationwide after a successful 13-market pilot. According to the company, "AT&T TV marries what you love about live TV with video streaming and apps. Powered by Android TV, it includes live TV packages with your favorite channels and offers easy access to your live TV and apps with one device without having to switch inputs. You can control the whole TV experience and more by using your voice with the Google Assistant. National advertising launching next week brings this to life using some very famous mouths. AT&T TV works with a compatible high-speed internet connection and is a breeze to set-up. Customers can bundle AT&T TV and 1 gigabit AT&T Internet for just $39.99/month for video and $39.99/month for internet for 12 months with a 24-month TV agreement where available. That's triple the speed at no additional cost when you bundle AT&T TV and AT&T Internet - a move unheard of in the industry." AT&T TV includes: Live TV packages, sports and access to more than 5,000 apps on the Google Play Store, including streaming apps-like HBO Max when it launches in May 2020. Voice remote with the Google Assistant. A cloud DVR with 500 hours of storage.

06:21 EST MorphoSys: FDA accepts BLA, grants priority review for tafasitamab - MorphoSys announced that the U.S. FDA accepted filing of MorphoSys' Biologics License Application and granted priority review for tafasitamab, the company's investigational anti-CD19 antibody, under review in combination with lenalidomide for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma.The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of August 30, 2020. The FDA has informed MorphoSys that they are not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the application.

06:18 EST Ingevity announces $500M share repurchase program - Ingevity announced that its board of directors has approved an authorization for the repurchase of up to $500M of Ingevity's outstanding common stock. In addition, the company stated that it intends to purchase up to $250M in shares over the next 12 to 18 months. The company's 2017 and 2018 stock repurchase plans have been rescinded in favor of this new authorization.

06:14 EST Insulet says plans to pause pivotal study of Omnipod Horizon - Insulet announced that it plans to pause the pivotal study of the Omnipod Horizon Automated Glucose Control System to correct a software anomaly. The identified anomaly could result in the system using an incorrect glucose value which has the potential to impact insulin delivery. The issue is rare, but because of the potential to affect insulin delivery, the company will pause the study until the anomaly is corrected. No adverse events have been reported due to this issue. The company expects the updated software will be available by the end of April. The study pause will modestly impact the timing of bringing Horizon to market, which is now anticipated to happen in early 2021.

06:13 EST WillScot, Mobile Mini enter all-stock merger of equals transaction - WillScot Corporation (WSC) and Mobile Mini, Inc. (MINI) announced the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which WillScot will combine with Mobile Mini. Mobile Mini stockholders will receive 2.4050 shares of WillScot common stock for each share of Mobile Mini common stock in an all-stock merger of equals transaction. The implied total enterprise value of the combined company is approximately $6.6 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, current WillScot and Mobile Mini stockholders will own 54% and 46% of the combined company, respectively. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020. The companies see $50M of anticipated annual cost synergies for this transaction with significant upside for incremental revenue synergies supported by cross-customer pull through, expansion of WillScot's value adding products and services offering across Mobile Mini's steel ground level offices, and expansion of Mobile Mini's managed services offering across WillScot's customer base. Significant capital allocation flexibility underpinned by an expected combined free cash flow of greater than $290M and supported by a $2.9B NBV fleet generating predictable and strong recurring revenue with greater than30 months average lease duration and greater than20 years average useful asset life. Builds on WillScot's track record of successfully integrating the ModSpace, Tyson and Acton acquisitions, while driving over $70M of annual cost synergies. Following the close of the transaction, Brad Soultz, WillScot's CEO, will serve as CEO of the combined company, Kelly Williams, Mobile Mini's President and CEO, will serve as President and COO of the combined company, Tim Boswell, WillScot's CFO, will serve as CFO of the combined company and Chris Miner, Mobile Mini's General Counsel, will serve as General Counsel of the combined company. The combined company's board of directors will consist of 11 directors, 6 of which are members from the WillScot Board of Directors and 5 of which are members from the Mobile Mini Board of Directors. Erik Olsson, the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mobile Mini, will serve as Non-Executive Chairman of, and Gerry Holthaus, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at WillScot, will serve as Lead Independent Director of, the board of directors of the combined company.

06:11 EST Northwest Natural Gas raises annual dividend to $1.91 per share - On Nov. 15, 2019, NW Natural Holdings paid its 64th consecutive annual dividend increase. In 2020, the board of directors of NW Natural Holdings declared a quarterly dividend of 47.75c per share on the company's common stock. The dividend was paid on Feb. 14, 2020 to shareholders of record on Jan. 31, 2020. The company's current indicated annual dividend rate is $1.91 per share.

06:05 EST Takeda Pharmaceutical to divest certain assets to Hypera Pharma for $825M - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced that it has entered into an agreement to divest a portfolio of select non-core products exclusively in Latin America to Hypera, Brazil's largest pharmaceutical company with a leading position in branded prescriptions, consumer health and branded generics, for a total value of $825M. The portfolio includes over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceutical products sold in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru, which are part of Takeda's Growth & Emerging Markets Business Unit. This is Takeda's fifth divestment over the last 12 months, contributing to the company's goal to divest approximately $10B in non-core assets. Takeda intends to use the proceeds from its divestitures to continue to reduce its debt and accelerate rapid deleveraging toward its target of 2x net debt/adjusted EBITDA within March 2022 - March 2024. Takeda has entered into an agreement to divest the rights, title, and interest to the products in a portfolio of approximately 18 select OTC and prescription pharmaceutical assets sold in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru - to Hypera Pharma for a total value of $825M. Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda anticipates that approximately 300 commercial employees supporting the divested assets will be given the opportunity to transition over to Hypera Pharma at the close of this transaction. Takeda and Hypera Pharma have also entered into a manufacturing and supply agreement under which Takeda will continue to manufacture these products and supply them to Hypera Pharma. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Until then, Takeda remains the owner of these products and responsible for ensuring patient access to them.

05:57 EST Philips, Paracelsus Clinics enter eight-year strategic partnership - Royal Philips and Paracelsus Clinics announced they have entered into a strategic partnership for the next eight years. The partnership is focused on continuous modernization of Paracelsus Clinics' medical imaging systems. Based on the evolving needs of the hospital, the partnership will offer solutions that maximize imaging system availability and standardize equipment operation, leveraging digitalization and process optimization to realize efficiency improvements while at the same time increasing quality.

05:55 EST Celyad names Stephen Rubino as Chief Business Officer - Celyad (CYAD) announced that Stephen Rubino, Ph.D., has been appointed Chief Business Officer. Dr. Rubino has more than 25 years of strong commercial and strategic development experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including 17 years at Novartis (NVS). He will serve on the executive leadership team and will lead business and corporate development for Celyad.

05:50 EST Uxin takes active measures in response to Covid-19 - Uxin outlined the active measures it has taken to adapt its business and ensure business continuity in response to the evolving situation associated with the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. The used car sector in China has been severely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 with disruptions impacting industry infrastructure and several key points along the supply chain. Despite the impact, the used car industry is gradually recovering though it will take some time before operations return to normal. In order to contain the outbreak, local governments have required people to work remotely and refrain from going outside, which has created considerable barriers to buying used cars. At the same time, local vehicle registration and management bureaus have yet to resume full operations which has created bottlenecks for used car title transfers. Logistics and delivery of used cars has also been challenging as roads and highways in some regions remain closed to general traffic. This has significantly hindered the fulfillment of used car transactions. Following the outbreak, Uxin has been carefully monitoring the situation and thoroughly analyzing the impact it will have on industry in order to adapt its business and ensure business continuity and long-term growth prospects. The company has implemented a series of measures to ensure the safety and health of its staff and business, including enacting a temporary work-load based staffing program company-wide and allowing staff to work remotely, securing its cashflow and financial position, and upgrading its purely online products and services to gradually begin growing transaction volumes again. The measures are widely understood and supported by staff and have already brought operating expenses under careful control. With all the measures in place, the company is also steadily pushing forward the closing of several ongoing transaction projects. Together with the management team and employees, the company has revealed common persistence and solidarity when facing current challenges.