Stockwinners Market Radar for March 09, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:35 EDT California Resources to cut capital investment to 'mechanical integrity' level - California Resources announced it is reducing its capital investment due to recent changes in the commodity market to a level that maintains the mechanical integrity of its facilities to operate them in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. CRC has effectively ceased investment in its internally funded field development and growth projects until the company sees a higher degree of market clarity. The company was already on pace to invest less than $35M of internally funded capital in the first quarter. Additionally, CRC has monetized all of its crude oil hedge positions following the first quarter to enhance the company's flexibility in this volatile time period. These sales along with expected March hedge settlements are raising approximately $76M and monetizing the maximum spread in our put-spread hedge positions. Todd Stevens, CEO, says: "In response to the effects on global demand from the Coronavirus and proposed global supply increases, we are immediately reducing our capital investment to a level that maintains our operations in a safe and responsible manner. We have experienced this type of price drop previously and will implement our low-price playbook, just as we did in 2016. CRC plans to exercise strong financial discipline to aid liquidity."

19:44 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 963.79MT from 955.60MT - This is the 3rd consecutive increase and the highest level of holdings since October of 2016.

19:40 EDT Cypress announces CFIUS approval in Infineon merger - Cypress Semiconductor (CY) announced that the company has been informed today by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, that CFIUS has completed its review of Cypress's previously announced merger transaction with Infineon Technologies AG (IFNNY) and determined that there are no unresolved national security concerns with respect to the proposed merger. The merger remains subject to receipt of regulatory approval from China's State Administration for Market Regulation and other customary closing conditions under the merger agreement.

19:20 EDT HealthStream acquires NurseGrid - HealthStream announced that it has acquired NurseGrid, a Portland, Oregon-based healthcare technology company. Through this acquisition, the Company gains NurseGrid Mobile, the #1 rated and top downloaded app for nurses, and its corollary application for nurse managers, NurseGrid Enterprise. The purchase price paid for the entirety of the outstanding equity of HcT2 Co., a Delaware corporation, including the approximately 10% of equity interest in NurseGrid that HealthStream has held since January 31, 2019, was approximately $25 million in cash, subject to post-closing working capital adjustment. The Company is updating its guidance for the full-year 2020 to reflect the projected financial impact from the acquisition of NurseGrid in light of the anticipated impact of this acquisition on our 2020 operating income. "NurseGrid is an early stage company and has spent the last several years, and approximately $12.5 million of capital, developing its applications and growing its community of over 260,000 monthly active users, and has not yet achieved profitability," the company said. "As we begin to ramp our sales teams to support the recently launched NurseGrid Enterprise, a SaaS-based solution, we expect revenue contributions of less than $0.5 million in 2020. We are revising our consolidated operating income guidance to reflect the impact from the acquisition and now expect operating income to range between $8.5 million and $11.0 million. This guidance range includes approximately $1.0 to $1.5 million of intangible amortization expense associated with the acquisition as well as anticipated operating loss in 2020 associated with the operations of this business following the closing. NurseGrid's operating results will be included in our Workforce Solutions business segment."

19:10 EDT Ameris Bancorp identifies material weakness over financial reporting - Ameris Bancorp management has identified a material weakness in the company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019. The company identified a control deficiency related to certain general ledger account reconciliations that began as of the conversion of Fidelity's core platform on November 3, 2019. Ameris said in its annual filing, "While the reconciliations were completed in a timely manner, various items, which were principally related to the acquired indirect auto loan portfolio, were not researched and resolved in a timely manner. Further review and analysis indicate that clearing of the items did not have any material adverse impact to customer account balances or the Company's results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. However, this control deficiency creates a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements would not have been prevented or detected on a timely basis, and as such, management has concluded that the control deficiency represents a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. Management has been actively engaged during the first quarter of 2020 in developing remediation plans to address the material weakness...If our remediation efforts are insufficient to address the material weakness, or if additional material weaknesses in our internal control are discovered or occur in the future, a material misstatement in our consolidated financial statements could occur that may continue undetected."

19:01 EDT MediciNova announces plans to develope MN-66 for severe pneumonia, ARDS - MediciNova announced that it plans to initiate development of MN-166 for severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. MediciNova's decision to pursue development of this indication was based on positive results of a recent preclinical study in an animal model of ARDS. Results of this preclinical study showed that ibudilast treatment reversed histological changes observed in the ARDS mouse model including inflammation, hemor rhage, alveolar congestion, and alveolar wall edema. In this study, the pulmonary edema score was used to assess the degree of lung water accumulation. Importantly, pulmo nary edema was significantly reduced by ibudilast treatment (pless than0.001). Results of this study also showed that ibudilast significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha (pless than0.001), IL-1beta (pless than0.001), IL-6 (pless than0.001), and MCP-1 (pless than0.001) in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that ibudilast suppressed the inflammatory response. Results of this study also suggest that ibudilast protects against pulmonary in jury by attenuating cell apoptosis in lung tissue.

18:23 EDT Barclays announces delisting of iPath US Treasury 10-year Bear ETNs - Barclays Bank announced that it received a notice from Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. that, before market open on March 10, 2020, CBOE will suspend trading in the iPath US Treasury 10-year Bear ETNs and will commence delisting proceedings in the ETNs. The index underlying the ETNs is the Barclays 10-year US Treasury Futures Targeted Exposure Index, with Bloomberg ticker BXIITETY. The listing rules of CBOE provide that ETNs may be subject to suspension or delisting if certain conditions exist that in the opinion of CBOE makes further dealings on CBOE inadvisable. CBOE's basis for effecting the suspension of trading and the commencement of delisting proceedings is due to recent declines in the aggregate principal amount of the ETNs below the $400,000 minimum required by CBOE, including the decline to $0 on March 9, 2020, and due to significant trading premiums relative to the intraday indicative note value between March 3, 2020 and March 9, 2020, following a suspension of the ETN issuances on March 2, 2020. During suspension and after delisting is effected, the ETNs may trade, if at all, on an over-the-counter basis. The secondary market for the ETNs may experience a significant drop in liquidity, and holders of the ETNs may not be able to trade or sell the ETNs easily.

17:42 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded maximum $173.16M Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a not-to-exceed $173.16M modification to a previously awarded, fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract. This modification procures long lead materials, parts, components and support necessary to maintain on-time production and delivery of Lot 15 F-35 aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps and government of Italy. Work is expected to be complete by December 2023. FY20 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $53.06M and non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $120.1M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:40 EDT Boeing awarded $191.86M Army contract - Boeing Co was awarded a $191.86M cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for post-production support services and warehouse management services for the United Kingdom AH-64E Apache helicopter fleet of 50 aircraft and three Longbow crew trainers. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2024. FY20 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $191.86M were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:32 EDT United Community Banks to acquire Three Shores Bancorp for $180M - United Community Banks and Three Shores Bancorporation announced a definitive agreement for UCBI to acquire Three Shores, including its wholly-owned subsidiary, Seaside National Bank & Trust. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Seaside is a commercial lender with a wealth management platform. As of December 31, 2019, Seaside reported outstanding loans totaling approximately $1.4 billion, comprised of a diversified group of small business borrowers operating in multiple industries in Florida. Additionally, Seaside operates a wealth management platform with more than $900M of client assets under advisement. The transaction value is estimated to total approximately $180M, including approximately $25Mbeing paid to holders of options and follow-on rights to acquire Three Shores common stock. The stock portion of the merger consideration is based upon .3300 shares of UCBI common stock being issued in exchange for each share of Three Shores common stock. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to UCBI's earnings per share by approximately 12c-14c in the first full year of operations and is consistent with UCBI's stated acquisition criteria pertaining to tangible book value and targeted internal rates of return. The transaction is expected to be completed in Q3 of 2020 and is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approval as well as the approval of Three Shores' shareholders.

17:18 EDT TransAtlantic Petroleum updates on reserves and hedging program - TransAtlantic Petroleum issued a presentation on the company's 2019 reserves and provided an update on the company's hedging program, the results of recent core analysis, its recent operations, and its 2020 capital expenditure program. Today, the company unwound its three-way collar contract with DenizBank, A.S., which hedged approximately 1,000 barrels of oil per day of the company's oil production in Turkey. The three-way collar contract had a Brent floor of $55.00, a Brent ceiling of $72.90, and a Brent long call of $80.00, and was in place through April 30, 2020. The company also unwound its swap contract with Denizbank, which hedged approximately 1,000 Bbl/d of the company's oil production in Turkey. The swap contract had a Brent strike price of $60.30 and was in place through December 31, 2020. In connection with these transactions, the company will receive approximately $6.5 million. The company intends to use these proceeds to pay down its term loan with Denizbank, which will leave approximately $10.6 million outstanding under the term loan. Following these transactions, the company does not have any commodity derivative contracts that hedge the company's oil price risk. The company expects its net field capital expenditures for 2020 to range between $7.5 million and $15 million. The company expects net field capital expenditures during 2020 to include between $1.0 million and $9.0 million in drilling and completion expense for between three and seven planned wells, between $1.0 million and $3.0 million for recompletions, between $1.0 and $2.0 million implementing a waterflood in the Bedinan sandstone in the Arpatepe field, and approximately $1.0 million in facilities upgrades to the Company's natural gas power generation infrastructure. The company will continue to monitor oil prices to keep its capital expenditure budget within the capacity of its cash flow, cash balances, and debt retirement schedule. The company's projected 2020 capital expenditure budget is subject to change.

17:14 EDT Wesco revises terms of funding Anixter Merger to debt and cash - WESCO International announced that, based on current market conditions, it has revised its expectations with respect to the financing of the cash portion of the consideration payable pursuant to the previously announced merger agreement with Anixter International Inc. Based on current market conditions, WESCO expects to fund the entirety of the cash portion of the merger consideration with debt and cash-on-hand at WESCO and Anixter. WESCO previously anticipated funding a portion of the cash consideration through the issuance of WESCO common stock or other equity or equity-linked securities, in addition to issuing debt.

17:10 EDT Diamond Hill Investment Group director Laird buys almost $307K in shares - Diamond Hill Investment Group director James Laird disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 2,500 shares of company stock at an average price of $122.75 per share on March 5. The total transaction value of the purchase was $306,875.

17:06 EDT Synovus Chairman Kessel Stelling buys $233K in company shares - Synovus Chairman Kessel Stelling disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 10,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $23.30 per share on March 9. The total transaction value of the purchase was $233,000.

17:02 EDT Franco-Nevada says 2024 outlook assumes Cobre Panama capacity expansion - "Our outlook to 2024 assumes that the Cobre Panama project will have expanded its mill throughput capacity to 100 million tonnes per year starting in 2023," the company said. "Using the same commodity price assumptions as were used for our 2020 guidance and assuming no other acquisitions, Franco-Nevada expects its existing portfolio to produce between 580,000 to 610,000 GEOs by 2024. Energy revenues are expected to range between $115 to $135 million, and assumes the remaining committed capital for the Royalty Acquisition Venture with Continental is funded."

16:49 EDT Federal regulators encourage U.S. banks to provide relief amid COVID-19 spread - U.S. federal financial institution regulators and state regulators have encouraged financial institutions to meet the financial needs of customers and members affected by the coronavirus. The agencies recognize the potential impact of the coronavirus on the customers, members, and operations of many financial institutions and will provide appropriate regulatory assistance to affected institutions subject to their supervision. Regulators note that financial institutions should work constructively with borrowers and other customers in affected communities. Prudent efforts that are consistent with safe and sound lending practices should not be subject to examiner criticism. The agencies understand that many financial institutions may face current staffing and other challenges. In cases in which operational challenges persist, regulators will expedite, as appropriate, any request to provide more convenient availability of services in affected communities. The regulators also will work with affected financial institutions in scheduling examinations or inspections to minimize disruption and burden. The agencies urging for such moves include the FDIC, CFPB, CBSB, Federal Reserve, NCUA, and OCC. Publicly traded companies in the space include Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Reference Link

16:46 EDT Bioanalytical Systems appoints Beth Taylor CFO - Bioanalytical Systems, operating as Inotiv, announced the appointment of Beth Taylor, CPA, as VP - Finance and CFO. Taylor succeeds Jill Blumhoff, who had served as the company's VP - Finance and CFO since May 2016. Taylor joins the company with an extensive background in corporate and operational finance and accounting, including as VP of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer for Endocyte.

16:44 EDT Third Point Reinsurance CEO Daniel Malloy purchased 30K shares of company stock - Third Point Reinsurance CEO Daniel Malloy disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had purchased 30,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $8.38 per share between March 6 and March 9. The total transaction value of the purchase was $251,499.

16:43 EDT Flanigan's raises quarterly dividend to 30c from 28c per share - The dividend is payable on April 3, 2020 to shareholders of record on March 20, 2020.

16:41 EDT Nvidia defers plans to deliver webcast keynote due to spread of the coronavirus - NVIDIA announced that, in light of the spread of the coronavirus, it is deferring plans to deliver a webcast keynote as part of the digital version of its GPU Technology Conference later this month. The company will, instead, issue on Tuesday, March 24, news announcements that had been scheduled to be shared in the keynote. This will be followed by an investor call with NVIDIA founder and Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, which will be accessible to other listeners. The call will begin at 8am Pacific time and will be accessible at investor.nvidia.com. NVIDIA had initially planned to host its 11th annual GTC on March 22-26 at the San Jose Convention Center, with an anticipated audience of 10,000. Amid the worsening coronavirus situation, the company said earlier this month that it was shifting much of the conference to its digital platform. Reference Link

16:35 EDT Stitch Fix says coronavirus, macro themes led to lowered revenue outlook - The company said, "There are also macro themes that lead us to approach the back half of FY20 with more conservatism. First, our U.K. revenue has been lower than anticipated as we adapt our offering to the market and because of the macroeconomic climate tied to Brexit, which has sustained longer than we had expected."

16:32 EDT Investors Title Company raises quarterly dividend to 44c from 40c per share - The dividend is payable March 30, 2020, a 10% increase per share over the $.40 paid in the most recent quarter.

16:31 EDT Blue Capital declares special distribution of $6.00 per common share - Blue Capital Reinsurance Holdings has declared a special distribution of $6.00 per common share, which is payable on March 30 to holders of record as of March 19. The company's fully converted book value per common share was $7.65 at December 31, 2019. Shareholders should note that this is not a final distribution; future distributions will typically occur on a quarterly basis to the extent sufficient funds are available in a given quarter. This partial distribution will be reflected as a reduction in the liquidation value to be reported as of March 31.

16:26 EDT Xylem postpones 2020 investor day amid COVID-19 concerns - Xylem announced it will postpone its 2020 investor day, originally scheduled for March 31. The decision was made in the interest of the health and safety of all attendees, and is aligned to Xylem's and participating firms' precautionary policies restricting travel and large gatherings, consistent with broader efforts to combat COVID-19. The company will announce a new date for the event as soon as it has been scheduled.

16:22 EDT First American EVP sells 30K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, First American disclosed that its EVP Kenneth DeGiorgio sold 30K shares of common stock on March 6th. The total transaction size was $1.98M.

16:21 EDT Vail Resorts sees FY20 Resort Reported EBITDA lower than prior view - The company said, "Based on results through March 1, 2020 and indicators for the remainder of the year as of that date, and excluding any identified impact from coronavirus, the company estimated that Resort Reported EBITDA for fiscal 2020 was expected to be approximately $20M below the midpoint of the guidance range previously issued on January 17, 2020, driven primarily by the continuation of challenging visitation trends at our Pacific Northwest resorts throughout January and February and secondarily from results at our Colorado resorts that were modestly below our expectations in January and February, partially offset by strong performance at our Park City resort."

16:20 EDT Ascena Retail down 10.8% after reporting Q2 earnings, giving Q3 guidance

16:19 EDT MDU Resources postpones analyst seminar due to coronavirus - MDU Resources is postponing its annual investor analyst seminar, which was scheduled for March 11 in New York City. Due to uncertainty about coronavirus and various entities reporting travel restrictions, MDU Resources has decided to reschedule its event. The company will provide details at a later date.

16:17 EDT Ascena Retail says Dressbarn wind down is now complete - The wind down of Dressbarn was completed during Q2.

16:16 EDT SAIC awarded $45.2M tactical warfare training program contract - Science Applications International has been awarded a $45.2 million follow-on contract to support the tactical warfare training of the Navy and Marine Corps. The single-award contract has a three-year period of performance. SAIC will continue providing technical and tactical expertise to support tactical warfare training of the Tactical Training Group Pacific stationed in San Diego, the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific based in Coronado, California, Tactical Training Group Detachment Yokosuka, and Carrier Strike Group 15 in San Diego.

16:16 EDT Hawaiian Holdings revises Q1 guidance - The company has revised certain of its expectations for the quarter ending March 31, 2020 that were previously provided in its fourth quarter and full year 2019 earnings release dated January 30, 2020. Specifically, the company: Withdrew its estimates for operating revenue per available seat mile in light of demand reductions associated with the global spread of COVID-19; the company is unable to provide an updated guidance range due to considerable uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 on demand for the remainder of the quarter; if there are no new net bookings for March as of March 5, 2020, RASM would be down about 12% year-over-year for the first quarter; affirmed its estimates for ASMs; the decrease in capacity caused by the temporary suspension of the company's service to South Korea starting from March 2, 2020 is largely offset by an increase in capacity due to up-gauges on North America routes for operational reasons; affirmed its estimates for operating cost per ASM excluding fuel and non-recurring items; affirmed its estimates for gallons of jet fuel consumed; and lowered its estimates for economic fuel cost per gallon.

16:13 EDT Casey's General Stores reports Q4 Fuel SSS down 2.0% - Reports Q4 Grocery/Merchandise SSS up 3.5% and Prepared foods SSS up 2.8%.

16:12 EDT Casey's General Stores backs FY20 fuel SSS of (1%) to 0.5% - Backs FY20 Grocery/Merchandise SSS view of 2.4%-4.0% and Prepared Foods SSS of 1.5%-4.0%.

16:10 EDT F5 Networks says shareholders can vote electronically at Annual Meeting - F5 Networks announced that F5's shareholders will now be able to vote their shares electronically as part of the virtual meeting format of F5's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held at 11 a.m. Pacific time on March 12, 2020 at F5's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. F5 is taking this step due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak, including in the Seattle, Washington area, and to assist in protecting the health and well-being of its shareholders and employees. This additional means of voting allows F5 shareholders the opportunity to vote their shares on the date of the Annual Meeting even if they do not wish to attend the meeting in person. The meeting's virtual attendance option also provides shareholders the ability to participate and ask questions during the meeting. F5 will host an in-person meeting for shareholders who wish to attend in person but encourages shareholders to carefully consider attending by virtual means in light of COVID-19 and public health concerns.

16:09 EDT Gartner sees Q1 EBITDA impact from canceling, postponing conferences about $36M - Gartner announced that out of an abundance of caution and in consideration of travel restrictions and guidelines implemented by governments and commercial organizations due to the novel coronavirus, it has cancelled or postponed destination conferences scheduled for the remainder of the first quarter of 2020. These conferences include the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit in London and the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit in Texas, as well as some other smaller conferences. "Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, our teams have been closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation," the company said. "Gartner's highest priority is the health and safety of our associates, clients, vendors, partners, and other stakeholders. As such, we determined earlier in the quarter that it was prudent to cancel two smaller conferences that were scheduled to be held in Tokyo and Dubai. Gartner estimates the first quarter 2020 financial impact from cancelling or postponing conferences will be approximately $36 million of Adjusted EBITDA, with the largest impact from the Data & Analytics Summit in Texas. This is Gartner's current estimate as of the date of this announcement, and the ultimate adverse financial impact from these cancellations and postponements may be affected by a number of factors, including, among others, our ability to reschedule these conferences later in the year, our ability to recoup certain costs already expended on these conferences, and our ability to obtain reimbursement under our insurance policies. Additionally, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 remains difficult to project given uncertainty related to its magnitude, duration, geographic reach, impact on the global economy and potential travel restrictions." Gartner noted it will seek to reschedule some conferences later in 2020 where feasible. Conferences scheduled for the second quarter of 2020 and beyond are currently expected to proceed as planned. The Company will continue to monitor the evolving situation and will be making determinations for future conferences on a case-by-case basis, with Gartner's highest priority being the health and safety of all those involved. The Company will provide further information and expects to update its outlook for full year 2020 to reflect the above financial impact on its first quarter 2020 earnings call in early May 2020.

16:08 EDT OrthoPediatrics announces launch of new pediatric surgical system - OrthoPediatrics Corp. announced the limited U.S. launch of its Large Fragment Cannulated Screw System, which would represent the company's 34th surgical system. The system was designed to address trauma procedures, as well as treating children with a condition known as Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis, or SCFE, and includes specific design elements to address the unique needs of the pediatric population.

16:05 EDT Xenon Pharmaceuticals says anticipates data from XEN1101 this year - Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of December 31, 2019 were $141.4M, compared to $119.3M as of December 31, 2018.

16:05 EDT Hawaiian Airlines reports February traffic up 6.4%, capacity up 13.3% - Load factor was down 5.3 pts to 79.3%.

16:03 EDT NGL Energy Partners trading resumes

15:54 EDT Western Gas Partners trading halted, volatility trading pause

15:16 EDT TriCo Bancshares director Thomas Atwood buys over $230K in company shares - TriCo Bancshares director Thomas Atwood disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 7,000 shares of company stock at an average price of $32.98 per share between March 5 and March 6. The total transaction value of the purchase was $230,840.

14:39 EDT ViiV Healthcare says phase III ATLAS-2M study meets primary endpoint - ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK (GSK), with Pfizer (PFE) and Shionogi Limited as shareholders, presented "positive" 48-week data from its global phase III ATLAS-2M study of the investigational, long-acting, injectable, 2-drug regimen of ViiV Healthcare's cabotegravir and Janssen's (JNJ) rilpivirine for the treatment of HIV. The study met its primary endpoint at Week 48, showing that the antiviral activity and safety of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine administered every eight weeks was non-inferior when compared to its administration every four weeks. ATLAS-2M is being conducted in adults living with HIV-1 infection whose viral load is suppressed and whose virus is not resistant to cabotegravir or rilpivirine. Kimberly Smith, M.D., Head of Research & Development at ViiV Healthcare, said: "We now have positive data showing the effectiveness and safety of a long-acting HIV treatment that is administered every-two-months. We also have patient preference data showing that study participants overwhelmingly preferred both the monthly and every-two-month long-acting regimens, over oral treatment. This two-drug regimen may provide an opportunity for people living with HIV who take daily medication to reduce their total treatment dosing days from 365 a year to six."

14:27 EDT McKesson trading resumes

14:21 EDT McKesson trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:39 EDT Inovio says 'third-party report...demonstrated lack of understanding' - Following a cautious report issued this morning by Citron Research about Inovio, the company stated via a post to its official Twitter account: "A third-party report today demonstrated a lack of understanding of the science behind DNA medicines. Inovio designed a vaccine construct for its coronavirus vaccine within three hours after the viral sequence was publicly available; produced the vaccine at small scale and was in preclinical trials in January - preclinical results were available online in Nature Communications. Inovio expects to move into human trials next month. Based on extensive prior work creating DNA vaccines using our proprietary DNA medicines platform, we are confident that we have a viable approach to address the COVID-19 outbreak. We remain committed to sharing our progress as we advance into the clinic in the coming weeks." Reference Link

13:27 EDT Tallgrass Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:09 EDT Noble Midstream trading resumes

12:59 EDT Noble Midstream trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:35 EDT Coca-Cola enters beverage partnership with O'Charley's - O'Charley's Restaurant + Bar and Coca-Cola announced Coca-Cola's brand portfolio is now available in O'Charley's locations. A variety of Coca-Cola products, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Hi-C, Minute Maid Lemonade and Mello Yello fountain options will be available at more than 160 O'Charley's restaurants across the Southeast and Midwest.

12:01 EDT Ovintiv falls -47.3% - Ovintiv is down -47.3%, or -$3.75 to $4.18.

12:00 EDT ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF rises 29.7% - ProShares Trust Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF is up 29.7%, or $9.93 to $43.38.

12:00 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 57.2% - Britannia Bulk is up 57.2%, or $5.46 to $15.00.

11:14 EDT Co-Diagnostics trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:49 EDT Lamar Advertising trading resumes

10:46 EDT Majesco trading resumes

10:41 EDT Majesco trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:32 EDT Cullen Frost Bankers trading resumes

10:30 EDT Pioneer Natural trading resumes

10:26 EDT Darling Ingredients trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:24 EDT Occidental Petroleum trading resumes

10:19 EDT Axis Capital trading resumes

10:18 EDT Insurance Acquisition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading resumes

10:16 EDT Companhia Sanea trading resumes

10:14 EDT iRadimed trading resumes

10:14 EDT PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund trading resumes

10:13 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure trading resumes

10:12 EDT Parsley Energy trading resumes

10:12 EDT EQT Midstream Partners trading resumes

10:11 EDT Points International trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:11 EDT Delek US trading resumes

10:10 EDT Cosan trading resumes

10:10 EDT Equitrans Midstream trading resumes

10:09 EDT Companhia Sanea trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:08 EDT Mercer trading resumes

10:08 EDT PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:08 EDT Hill Rom Holdings trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:07 EDT Atlas Corp trading resumes

10:07 EDT Western Union trading resumes

10:07 EDT NuStar Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:06 EDT ONEOK trading resumes

10:06 EDT Noble Energy trading resumes

10:06 EDT EQT Midstream Partners trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:06 EDT Mesabi Trust trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:06 EDT Lannett trading resumes

10:05 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:05 EDT Delek US trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:05 EDT Cosan trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:05 EDT Teck Resources trading resumes

10:04 EDT STMicroelectronics trading resumes

10:04 EDT California Resources trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:04 EDT Fortive trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:03 EDT iHeartMedia announces strategic partnership with Anthem Sports & Entertainment - Anthem Sports & Entertainment, an integrated multi-platform media company, and iHeartMedia announced that they have entered into a multi-year agreement to establish a strategic partnership under which the parties will collaborate on the co-production of original programming and on the marketing of Anthem's properties across iHeartMedia's multi-platform audio network.

10:03 EDT ChannelAdvisor trading resumes

10:03 EDT Toll Brothers trading resumes

10:02 EDT Atlas Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:02 EDT PBF Energy trading resumes

10:02 EDT Marathon Oil trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:02 EDT Cenovus Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:01 EDT ONEOK trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:01 EDT Crestwood Equity trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:01 EDT Norfolk Southern won't appear at JPMorgan conference amid coronavirus - Norfolk Southern Corporation said in a statement that it will not appear as previously scheduled on March 10, 2020, at J.P. Morgan's Industrials Conference due to the conference-wide cancellation of in-person events as a COVID-19 precautionary measure.

10:01 EDT Allegion trading resumes

10:01 EDT Inovio trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT Cenovus Energy falls -47.4% - Cenovus Energy is down -47.4%, or -$2.79 to $3.10.

10:00 EDT Parsley Energy falls -52.9% - Parsley Energy is down -52.9%, or -$5.56 to $4.96.

10:00 EDT ICU Medical trading resumes

10:00 EDT Thor Industries trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT DRDGold trading resumes

09:59 EDT XP Inc trading resumes

09:59 EDT LyondellBasell trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:59 EDT FS KKR Capital trading resumes

09:59 EDT AC Immune trading resumes

09:58 EDT WPX Energy trading resumes

09:58 EDT Cabot trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:58 EDT ChannelAdvisor trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:57 EDT PBF Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:57 EDT Amphenol trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:57 EDT Syneos Health trading resumes

09:56 EDT Lannett trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:56 EDT Enterprise Products trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:56 EDT Ubiquiti trading resumes

09:56 EDT Plains GP Holdings trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:55 EDT Keurig Dr Pepper trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:55 EDT First Horizon trading resumes

09:54 EDT Match Group trading resumes

09:54 EDT ViacomCBS Class A trading resumes

09:54 EDT Extended Stay America trading resumes

09:54 EDT 21st Century Fox trading resumes

09:54 EDT Brixmor trading resumes

09:53 EDT Vertex says coronavirus has not impacted supply chain or 2020 outlook - Vertex confirmed that the global coronavirus outbreak has not had any impact on the company's supply chain or its 2020 business outlook. "The challenges facing the world with the spread of COVID-19 are significant, but it is important for the medical and patient community to know that we remain highly confident in our ability to continue to supply all of our medicines-TRIKAFTA, SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI, ORKAMBI, and KALYDECO-uninterrupted to patients around the world who rely on them," said Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO of Vertex. "We have not seen any impact from COVID-19 on the TRIKAFTA launch or other elements of our business. We are well-prepared from a business continuity perspective, with ample supply to meet commercial needs well into the future." Vertex has constructed supply chains for its marketed medicines to ensure readiness for a wide variety of contingencies. Vertex has built significant safety stock into its supply chain to manage potential disruptions, and also has secured second source suppliers that are geographically diverse.

09:52 EDT Marathon Petroleum trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:52 EDT Syneos Health trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:51 EDT Schlumberger trading resumes

09:51 EDT Mercer trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:51 EDT Citizens Financial trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT ICU Medical trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT XP Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT Match Group trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT Lamar Advertising trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT ViacomCBS Class A trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT Axalta Coating trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT iRadimed trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:50 EDT 21st Century Fox trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:49 EDT Brighthouse Financial trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:49 EDT Viper Energy trading resumes

09:49 EDT Texas Capital trading resumes

09:49 EDT Rattler Midstream trading resumes

09:49 EDT Green Plains Partners trading resumes

09:47 EDT Scor ADR rises 45.5% - Scor ADR is up 45.5%, or $10.96 to $35.03.

09:47 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 70.0% - Britannia Bulk is up 70.0%, or $6.68 to $16.22.

09:46 EDT Knoll says Italian factories operating at normal hours - Knoll reports that it operates two factories in Italy, which produce office and studio product to be sold primarily into the European market. One factory is located within the quarantine zone outside of Milan and accounts for approximately $15M in annual sales. Both factories currently remain open and operating during normal hours, the company announced. Knoll said it has approximately $200M of annual sales on a consolidated basis in the European market, which includes multiple brands and production sources outside of Italy.

09:45 EDT Parsley Energy revises baseline cpaital budget to $30-$35 WTI oil price for 2020 - Parsley Energy provided an update on its 2020 development program. Parsley is revising its baseline capital budget assumption from a $50 WTI oil price to a $30-35 WTI oil price for the remainder of 2020. Consistent with the company's commitment to free cash flow generation and in response to recent commodity price trends, Parsley has begun to reduce development activity in 2020. During January and February, Parsley operated 15 development rigs and five frac spreads on average. On March 6, Parsley dropped to three frac spreads and has approved plans to drop to 12 rigs as soon as practicable. Parsley plans to further reduce its activity pace in the near-term. Parsley had previously indicated it would expect to generate free cash flow of at least $200M during 2020 at a $50 WTI oil price. In the context of $30-$35 WTI oil prices for the remainder of the year, the Company would target at least $85 million of free cash flow, accomplished through incremental activity reductions, likely in combination with lower service and equipment costs. In a lower oil price environment, Parsley will adjust as needed to preserve its balance sheet. Parsley plans to provide additional detail on its formal 2020 guidance ranges when it releases its first quarter 2020 financial results or as needed. The combination of a strong balance sheet and corporate agility is critical in these challenging and volatile times," commented Matt Gallagher, Parsley's President and CEO. "We must act swiftly with an aim to preserve a stable free cash flow profile and remain committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect our balance sheet in the weeks and months ahead. Parsley is focused on maintaining value for the long term, this requires short term responses when posed with external attacks and shocks. We will focus on our rigorous project returns process and will not destroy capital if the commodities tape does not support sufficient returns. This approach worked in the 2015 - 2016 timeframe and will best position us again to emerge from this volatile time on our front foot ready to fight."

09:37 EDT Citi announces changes to foreign exchange vendor platform requirements - Citi announced a new set of requirements for its FX vendor platforms. Citi's foreign exchange business is requiring foreign exchange platform vendors it connects through to commit to the principles of best practice in the FX Global Code. As the first major bank to sign the FX Global Code, Citi is committed to its global principles of good practice in the foreign exchange market, and its aim to provide a common set of guidelines to promote the integrity and effective functioning of the wholesale foreign exchange market. Citi has produced a scorecard that assesses each FX vendor platform against a number of criteria with the intention of providing market participants with greater transparency and clients with an objective framework for vendor platform comparisons. The scorecards are objective and are based on a collaborative approach. All measures outside customer service are quantitative; each vendor invited to review scorecard template and provide feedback ahead of formal review and each vendor was invited to submit corrections following the review. The initial review of 53 vendors has resulted in 12 vendors being off boarded by Citi and their connections are being terminated to simplify connectivity and reduce maintenance costs. Alaa Saeed, global head of Citi's FX electronic platforms and distribution, commented: "Citi's scorecard considers a number of key principles within the FX Global Code. We found notable findings in relation to a number of key principles, including but not limited to, interaction with our liquidity, order management; market impact; liquidity aggregation, order routing logic; platform stability; testing of new products and coordinated releases."

09:33 EDT Oasis Midstream Partners trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EDT Viper Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:32 EDT Morphic Holding Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:31 EDT Cabot Oil & Gas trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:31 EDT Vislink announces $180,000 order for satellite communications equipment - Vislink Technologies announces that is has received a $180,000 order for satellite communications equipment for deployment in Asia.

09:30 EDT Green Plains Partners trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:23 EDT AT&T to deploy Synchronoss personal cloud solution - Synchronoss Technologies (SNCR) announced that it is powering AT&T(T) Personal Cloud, a new service for AT&T Mobility wireless customers. The Synchronoss solution will integrate into a suite of selected AT&T services, using the cloud to vastly improve the subscriber's overall experience. It will also give AT&T the ability to provide a new value-added services to its wireless customers.

09:21 EDT NexTier Oilfield sells WSS segment to Basic Energy Services for $93.7M - NexTier Oilfield announced the sale of its Well Support Services segment to Basic Energy Services for total consideration of $93.7M. The sale includes the company's rig services, special services and fluids management businesses. The transaction was simultaneously signed and closed on March 9. NexTier expects the transaction to result in incremental annual savings of an estimated $6M in selling, general and administrative expenses, and the elimination of approximately $20M of annual capital expenditures. NexTier headcount will be reduced by approximately 1,800 employees with Basic's acquisition and absorption of WSS operations. Pro forma for the sale, NexTier will operate two business segments, which include the Completions Services segment, comprised of hydraulic fracturing, wireline and pumpdown services, and the Well Construction and Intervention Services segment, comprised of coiled tubing and cementing services.

09:19 EDT ClearOne wins against Shure regarding validity of BMA patent - ClearOne announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a judgment last Friday affirming a January 2019 decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office confirming the patentability of all claims of U.S. Patent No. 9,264,553. The '553 Patent covers aspects of ClearOne's revolutionary innovations in beamforming microphone arrays. Shure challenged the validity of the '553 Patent through the inter partes review process in the PTO after ClearOne accused Shure of infringing multiple ClearOne patents covering fundamental BMA technology. ClearOne's BMA technology is protected by at least a dozen patents and pending patent applications. The '553 Patent is directed at ClearOne's innovative combination of BMA and acoustic echo cancellation signal processing. ClearOne has asserted that Shure infringes the '553 Patent as well as U.S. Patent No. 9,635,186, which is a direct descendant of the '553 Patent, and U.S. Patent No. 9,813,806, directed at a BMA integrated into a ceiling tile. The '806 Patent is the basis for the preliminary injunction against Shure.

09:17 EDT Appian announces expanded partnership with Google Cloud - Appian (APPN) announced an expanded technology partnership with Google Cloud (GOOG, GOOGL) focused on intelligent document processing. The partnership enhances the Appian AI offering, and gives customers out-of-the-box AI capabilities pre-configured for Intelligent Document Processing use cases. By packaging powerful Document AI services from Google Cloud, Appian drives rapid business value through the smart processing of unstructured documents and data.

09:14 EDT Kandi enters real estate repurchase agreement with Jinhua Development Zone - Kandi Technologies announced that the company signed a real estate repurchase agreement between Zhejiang Kandi Vehicles Co., its wholly-owned subsidiary in China, and the Jinhua Economic and Technological Development Zone that will enable Kandi Vehicles to optimize its production efficiency, lower operating costs, and generate a substantial cash inflow of over RMB1B by monetizing one of its largest assets. Under the terms of the agreement signed on March 6, 2020, Kandi Vehicles will move its current production to a new facility in the New Energy Automotive Zone. The new EV Zone is located five kilometers from Kandi Vehicles' current facility. Kandi Vehicles will relocate to the new EV Zone when it is ready to accept new occupants, currently expected toward the end of 2020. Kandi Vehicles intends to occupy approximately 16.5 acres of land in the new EV Zone, and will construct a compact, multi-story and highly efficient 100,000 square meter new factory. The new factory will enable the Company to significantly lower operating costs due to more efficient manufacturing and logistics. Kandi Vehicles will continue to produce in its current facility until the new factory is completed and operating. Kandi will purchase the land use rights for approximately 16.5 acres for RMB25M. It expects to spend an additional RMB100M to construct and outfit the new facility. As part of the transaction, the local government will repurchase Kandi Vehicle's existing land, factory buildings, and real estate for RMB525M. Payments totaling RMB525M to Kandi Vehicles will be made as follows: The first payment of RMB 244M is due within 20 days of signing the Agreement. The second payment of RMB119M is due within 10 days of "restoration" of the land. "Restoration" is defined as full legal cancellation of the land use rights, and the ownership rights over the factory buildings and other affixtures on the land, and return the undeveloped part of the land. The final payment of RMB162M will be paid within 10 days of "return" of the land. "Return" is defined as completely vacating the land, factory buildings, and real estate and returning the factory and other real property to the Jinhua local government. Kandi intends to use the proceeds from the land repurchase to fund the land use acquisition and factory construction in the new EV Zone, as well as to fund growth initiatives and general corporate purposes. The transaction includes additional financial incentives. Within the next eight years, the Jinhua local government will offer subsidies of no less than RMB500M based on Kandi Vehicle's financial contribution to the local department of finance.

09:09 EDT Verizon installs 5G Ultra Wideband service at PNNL's Washington location - Verizon Business is teaming with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to support its mission to tackle some of the world's greatest science and technology challenges in areas like national security, energy efficiency and scientific discovery, including the installation of Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network at PNNL's Richland, Washington location. PNNL, a leader in advanced mobile communications research and development, will collaborate with Verizon Business to develop 5G applications that can benefit everything from chemistry and earth sciences research to the needs of first responders. With Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network on site, PNNL will advise federal sponsors on how 5G could impact their operations and infrastructures when deploying 5G. Further, PNNL researchers and corporate partners will be able to test how Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband's super-fast speeds, increased bandwidth and sub-millisecond lag can enhance machine learning, artificial intelligence and AR/VR applications used in fields ranging from public safety to computing and analytics.

09:08 EDT Zoom Video introduces referral partner program for Master Agents - Zoom Video Communications announced it is expanding its Global Channel Partner Program with the launch of a new Referral Partner Program and partnerships with Master Agents AVANT Communications, Intelisys, Pax8, and Telarus. The new partnerships with Master Agents expand Zoom's Global Channel Partner Program, and the Referral Program marks the first time Zoom's Channel Partners have an opportunity to take Zoom Phone to market. The Program offers Master Agents a number of rich Partner benefits and operational efficiencies including: Access to represent Zoom's entire industry-leading product suite, Ongoing commission on Zoom's products for the life of the customer, Simplified and streamlined sales engagement, and No-cost tools and resources to ensure Partner success. The new Partner Referral Program will be a cornerstone of Zoom's video-first unified communications platform's go-to-market initiative, which is designed to cultivate successful partnerships by educating, enabling, and empowering Partners to develop, promote, and market their Zoom-based services and solutions.

09:05 EDT 1-800 Contacts selects Pluralsight for employee development program - Pluralsight announced that 1-800 Contacts is partnering with Pluralsight to power its in-house technology development program to deepen its bench of technology professionals who can lead its vision care innovations for customers. As the original disruptor of the vision industry, 1-800 Contacts has spent 25 years working to make vision care simple and affordable, and rapidly adopting new technology has always been a hallmark of the company. Like most companies, however, recruiting high quality technology professionals to support its innovation strategies is challenging. To address this and create a steady pipeline of skilled talent, 1-800 Contacts launched its CTAC University program so that hourly associates can develop new technology skills using Pluralsight that will empower them to move into full-time technology roles. CTAC University is a one-year program for hourly associates to learn either backend or front end developer skills. Participants attend a two hour class once or twice a week where an instructor introduces them to a new concept, helps them see it in action and then provides students with two to four hours of homework, much of which is through the Pluralsight platform's content and skills assessments.

09:04 EDT DLH Holdings achieves FedRAMP Ready Status - DLH Holdings announced that its new DLH Infinibyte Cloud solution has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program "Ready" status. This achievement - approved by the General Services Administration - indicates to federal customers that DLH has undergone a security capabilities assessment and has a high likelihood of achieving FedRAMP Authorization. DLH's Infinibyte is on the FedRAMP Marketplace, the central portal for cloud offerings for federal agencies, significantly expanding opportunities for the Company by enabling it to meet the enhanced data security requirements of civilian agencies as well as the U.S. Department of Defense.

09:03 EDT Taronis Technologies to construct three new sterilization units - Taronis Technologies announced that based on recent business development efforts, the Company has elected to proceed with the construction of three new Venturi plasma arc sterilization units. All three units would be dedicated to serving the hog industry in North Carolina. The configuration and end use of each unit will differ, as follows: The first unit will be a mobile 300KW water sterilization unit. The primary purpose of this unit will be to periodically treat hog farm lagoons. The unit will be used to kill pathogens, eliminate ammonia, and otherwise improve the water quality. This unit will be specifically designed to rotate across a number of lagoons in a designated area. The second unit will be designed as a stationary 300 KW water sterilization unit. The primary purpose of this unit will be to operate continuously in tandem with an anaerobic digester at a large-scale hog farm. The objective for this unit will be to sterilize all waste water as it exits the anaerobic digester prior to entering the lagoon. The expected outcome is that if the mobile unit first treats the same lagoon, and the stationary unit is permanently treating all recycled water thereafter, the combined result will be a lagoon that is now permanently cleaner. This is also expected to have a dramatic impact on the water and air quality in close proximity to the lagoon thereafter. Lastly, the third unit would be an entirely new design for Taronis. This would be a 300 KW mobile metal reclamation plasma arc unit. The Company recently secured a patent for the recovery of dissolved metals. During the USDA funded validation project recently completed, Taronis was able to confirm that the plasma arc ionizes metals, enabling for enhanced metal recovery. This new unit will be used to test the ability to efficiently recover copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus and potassium from the sediment trapped at the bottom of lagoons. The Company may also look to experiment with an entirely new design for a 500 KW Venturi plasma arc unit for this application.

09:02 EDT Facebook sued by Australia's privacy regulator - The Australian Information Commissioner has lodged proceedings against Facebook in the Federal Court, alleging the social media platform has committed serious and/or repeated interferences with privacy in contravention of Australian privacy law. The Commissioner alleges that the personal information of Australian Facebook users was disclosed to the This is Your Digital Life app for a purpose other than the purpose for which the information was collected, in breach of the Privacy Act 1988. The information was exposed to the risk of being disclosed to Cambridge Analytica and used for political profiling purposes, and to other third parties. "All entities operating in Australia must be transparent and accountable in the way they handle personal information, in accordance with their obligations under Australian privacy law," Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said. "We consider the design of the Facebook platform meant that users were unable to exercise reasonable choice and control about how their personal information was disclosed. Reference Link

09:00 EDT Twitter forms independent five-person committee - The Board has formed an independent five-person committee that will build on the Board's regular evaluation of Twitter's leadership structure. Pichette will be the Committee's chair. Two additional independent current board members, along with Durban and Cohn, will comprise this committee. The Committee will also evaluate the CEO succession plan with the CEO and make recommendations consistent with corporate governance best practices with respect to the elimination of the Company's staggered board. The Committee will report on its evaluation to the Board any considerations or recommended changes and will conclude its work and share the results publicly before the end of the year.

08:57 EDT JetBlue says has access to additional capital if needed

08:56 EDT JetBlue says COVID-19 adding significant uncertainty to Q1, FY20 outlook - At the JPMorgan Industrials Conference, JetBlue will say that it saw "solid" trends in Q1 through mid- to late-February, but that COVID-19 is having a material impact on Q1 RASM. As of February 25, Q1 was booked at 87% of revenue forecast, Q2 was booked at 22%. Seeing significant deterioration in forward bookings since late February. Expects a negative impact to Q1 RASM of at least 6 points. Adds that trends have worsened through last week and have not yet stabilized.

08:54 EDT JetBlue withdraws all Q1, FY20 guidance amid coronavirus outbreak - In a regulatory filing, JetBlue said that its first quarter and full year 2020 guidance did not reflect the impact of the coronavirus. As a result of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the impact on the travel industry related to the coronavirus, the company is withdrawing all first quarter and full year 2020 guidance initially issued on January 23, 2020.

08:51 EDT Everi Holdings appoints Randy Taylor as COO, Mark Labay as CFO - Everi Holdings announced that Randy Taylor has been promoted to the newly created position of President and COO and Mark Labay has been appointed to succeed Taylor as EVP, CFO and Treasurer. In addition, David Lucchese will assume the role of EVP, Sales, Marketing and Digital, succeeding Edward Peters who informed the Company of his plans to retire following a 37-year professional career. The appointments are effective as of April 1, 2020. The Company also announced that the Company's Board of Directors has extended Michael Rumbolz' employment agreement as CEO for an additional 14 months through March 31, 2022. In conjunction with the announced executive leadership changes, Rumbolz will shift his primary focus towards Everi's long-term strategic growth initiatives, including support for the Company's ongoing growth plans, its organizational development, corporate culture and technological innovation. As President and COO, Taylor will assume primary oversight of the Company's day-to-day execution of ongoing operational performance targets and the Company's efforts to drive continuous improvement across its operations. Taylor will help guide the enterprise-wide execution of Everi's growth-focused strategies and will further foster success-oriented accountability across the Company. He most recently served as the Company's EVP and CFO since March 2014. Labay has been with Everi for more than 17 years, most recently serving under Mr. Taylor as SVP, Finance and Investor Relations since April 2014. As CFO, Labay will be responsible for the Company's financial, accounting, treasury, and investor relations functions, and will implement financial strategies that support Everi's growth initiatives. In his new role, Lucchese will be responsible for Everi's global sales and customer-experience efforts, as well as continuing to guide the growth of the Company's Digital operations. Mr. Lucchese has extensive experience in the gaming industry and has held several executive leadership roles at Everi since joining the Company in April 2010. Most recently, he has served since January 2017 as EVP, Digital and Interactive Business Leader, while retaining oversight for the relationship of strategic corporate accounts in the FinTech business.

08:47 EDT AbbVie partners with select health authorities to address COVID-19 - AbbVie confirmed the company's activities in the fight to address the COVID-19 public health crisis, including supporting the experimental use of the HIV medicine, Kaletra/Aluvia to determine its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19. The company is collaborating with select health authorities and institutions globally to determine antiviral activity as well as efficacy and safety of lopinavir/ritonavir against COVID-19. AbbVie is supporting clinical studies and basic research with lopinavir/ritonavir, working closely with European health authorities and the U.S. FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to coordinate on these efforts. Along with industry partners, the company has joined the Innovative Medicines Initiative to support research and discovery of targeted medicines against COVID-19. "We are committed to helping in any way we can to address the COVID-19 public health crisis, which is why we responded quickly to the Chinese authorities' request for Aluvia in late January," said Richard Gonzalez, chairman and CEO, AbbVie. "We are working with global health authorities to ensure we meet the need of COVID-19 patients, conduct the appropriate clinical trials to evaluate its efficacy and ensure uninterrupted supply of the drug Kaletra/Aluvia for HIV patients around the world."

08:43 EDT Lazydays names Tom Peterson as Chief Marketing Officer - Lazydays (LAZY) announces that Tom Peterson has joined the company as its Chief Marketing Officer. Peterson joins Lazydays from Youfit Health Clubs, where he was CMO. Prior to Youfit Peterson served as CMO of Ovation Brands and The Krystal Company, both are large operators of restaurant chains. He also served as CMO at Aaron's (AAN).

08:42 EDT Freeport McMoRan announces operational update, no disruptions from coronavirus - Freeport-McMoRan announced progress in growing copper and gold volumes by 30%-40%, reducing net unit cash costs of copper by 25% to approximately $1.30 per pound and more than doubling cash flows by 2021 compared with 2019. The company remains focused on increasing volumes from its underground orebodies in Papua, Indonesia. Quarter-to-date through March 5, production from the Grasberg Block Cave and Deep MLZ orebodies averaged approximately 35,000 metric tonnes of ore per day, 35% above the Q4 average and in line with expectations. The Lone Star project in Arizona is nearing completion and is expected to be commissioned during 2020. Innovation and technology initiatives to enhance productivity and unit cost performance are ongoing and achieving durable results. Execution on these three important initiatives is expected to significantly enhance the Company's cash flows in 2021 and beyond. At copper prices ranging from $2.75 - $3.00 per pound, FCX estimates free cash flow generation (net of capital expenditures and distributions to noncontrolling interests) ranging from an average of over $2 billion to nearly $3 billion per annum in 2021 and 2022. Execution on these three important initiatives is expected to significantly enhance the Company's cash flows in 2021 and beyond. At copper prices ranging from $2.75-$3.00 per pound, FCX estimates free cash flow generation ranging from an average of over $2B to nearly $3B per annum in 2021 and 2022. FCX also announced that there have been no significant disruptions to its supply chain or product shipments since the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The company continues to monitor the situation closely and will manage all costs, capital expenditures and production plans during this period of uncertainty.

08:41 EDT Gulf Resources receives approval to resume production at bromine factories - Gulf Resources announced that it has received further notification from Shouguang Yangkou Town People's Government allowing it to resume production at its factories No. 1, No. 4, No, 7 and No. 9. On February 28, 2020, the Company announced that it received an approval from the government to resume bromine production after winter temporary closure. Subsequently, it received another approval from the Shouguang Yangkou People's Government dated on March 5, 2020 to resume production at its bromine factories No.1, No. 4, No.7 and No. 9 in order to meet the needs of bromide products for epidemic prevention and control. With these two approvals, the Company is now allowed to take the steps to resume production at all four bromine factories. The Company plans to focus on one factory at a time so that it can resume bromine production as quickly as possible. While there is no exact timeline for bromine production, the Company has essentially completed most of the necessary work besides some preparation work. The Company expects to begin production at the first factory in about ten days and the rest of the bromine factories in about 4 to 6 weeks.

08:40 EDT Daxor contracted to adapt blood volume analyzer tech for U.S. Air Force - Daxor Corporation announced that the U.S. Air Force has awarded Daxor a contract to define specifications to adapt blood volume analysis technology to meet the needs of USAF. The selection was made under the USAF's Small Business Innovative Research program. The contract award will be to validate the product-market fit between Daxor's blood volume analyzer and USAF stakeholders and define technological enhancements desirable to facilitate adoption of the device by USAF and other defense stakeholders.

08:39 EDT Tricida appoints Robert McKague as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer - Tricida announced the hiring of Robert McKague as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. McKague will join Tricida's Executive Team and lead the legal and compliance organization as the company prepares for the potential launch of veverimer in 2020. Prior to joining Tricida, McKague worked for over ten years at Jazz Pharmaceuticals where he most recently served as Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel.

08:37 EDT FSD Pharma begins Phase 1 safety, tolerability study of PEA - FSD Pharma announced receipt of approval from the Ethics Committee of the Alfred Hospital, part of the Alfred Health group of hospitals serving the state of Victoria in Australia, to initiate a Phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple ascending doses of ultra-micronized-PEA in normal healthy volunteers. The study is now underway at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

08:37 EDT Myovant Sciences submits MAA to EMA for relugolix combination tablet - Myovant Sciences announced the submission of a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for relugolix combination tablet for the treatment of women with moderate to severe symptoms associated with uterine fibroids. The two most common symptoms associated with uterine fibroids are heavy menstrual bleeding and pain. The MAA is supported by efficacy and safety data from the Phase 3 LIBERTY program which consisted of two multinational, replicate pivotal clinical studies, LIBERTY 1 and 2, as well as data from a one-year open-label extension study of relugolix combination therapy. The EMA is expected to perform a technical validation of the MAA in March 2020 to ensure all essential regulatory elements required for scientific assessment are included in the application prior to the start of the procedure.

08:36 EDT J.M. Smucker names John Brase as COO - The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM) announced the appointment of John Brase as COO, effective April 13. Brase, former Vice President and General Manager of The Procter & Gamble Company's (PG) $6B North American Family Care unit, brings nearly three decades of experience in the consumer goods industry to the role, including significant work across brand management, business operations, manufacturing, marketing and sales.

08:34 EDT Otis Gold options Oakley project to Centerra Gold - Otis Gold Corp. announced that a definitive option agreement has been executed by Centerra Gold to earn up to a 70% interest in the Oakley Property in exchange for total exploration expenditures of $7,000,000 and cash payments to Otis of $550,000 over a 6 year period. Centerra can earn a 51% interest in Oakley by incurring $4,500,000 in exploration expenditures and by making cash payments of $250,000 over a three-year period as follows: Cash payment of $75,000 on signing and commitment to spend a minimum of $500,000 on exploration expenditures in Year One; Cash payment of $75,000 and $1,500,000 in exploration expenditures in Year Two; and Cash payment of $100,000 and $2,500,000 in exploration expenditures in Year Three. Centerra will then have an option to acquire a further 19% of the Oakley Project, for a total of 70%, by incurring an additional $3,000,000 in exploration expenditures and making a cash payment of $300,000 over three years. During the term of the Oakley Agreement, Centerra will be the Operator of the project. Otis will act as Project Manager and will be paid 10% of the approved exploration expenditures for technical oversight and project management. Subsequent to either the First Option or the Second Option, at Centerra's option, the parties shall form a joint venture and fund expenditures going forward on a pro rata basis. Should Otis' interest fall below 10% during the joint venture, that interest will automatically convert to a 2% net smelter return royalty that is not subject to a buyback provision. On February 24, 2020, Otis announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Excellon Resources whereby Excellon proposes to acquire all the issued and outstanding shares of Otis pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act.

08:30 EDT OpenText acquires XMedius for $75M in an all-cash transaction

08:29 EDT Enlivex Therapeutics granted new patent covering Allocetra treatment - Enlivex Therapeutics announced that the Israel Patent Office granted a new patent covering ALLOCETRA, the company's immunotherapy candidate. This new patent adds intellectual property protection, including methods, uses and pharmaceutical compositions in Israel. ALLOCETRA is an experimental therapy being investigated for treatment of organ dysfunction and prevention of mortality associated with sepsis, and may potentially be an effective treatment to restore organ function and prevent mortality of coronavirus patients that are admitted to the ICU.

08:23 EDT Voyager announces cancellation of presentation, webcast at Barclays conference - Voyager Therapeutics announced the cancellation of the Company's presentation and webcast at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference, previously scheduled to take place on March 10, 2020 at 4:20 p.m. ET. The change follows the cancellation of the in-person aspects of the conference by the organizer given the current COVID-19 circumstances. The Company will still hold scheduled investor meetings via conference call.

08:20 EDT ForeScout announces expiration of 'Go-Shop' period - Forescout Technologies announced the expiration of the 30-day "go-shop" period under the terms of the merger agreement among Forescout and Advent International, which was previously announced on February 6, 2020. For this transaction, Advent has partnered with Crosspoint Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on the cybersecurity and privacy industries, as its co-investor and advisor. The "go-shop" period expired at 12:01 a.m. on March 8, 2020. No alternative acquisition proposals were received by Forescout during the go-shop period. Pursuant to the merger agreement, during the "go-shop" period, Forescout's Board of Directors, with the assistance of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC actively solicited alternative acquisition proposals from third parties that Forescout and Morgan Stanley believed might be interested in a possible alternative transaction. During this process, Forescout and Morgan Stanley engaged with more than 20 parties. Forescout is now subject to customary "no-shop" restrictions that limit its and its representatives' ability to solicit alternative acquisition proposals from third parties subject to customary "fiduciary out" provisions. Although Forescout has concluded the comprehensive "go-shop" process, under the terms of the merger agreement with Advent, any party may still submit a superior acquisition proposal for consideration until the closing of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Forescout shareholders and receipt of regulatory approvals. Upon completion of the transaction, Forescout common stock will no longer be listed on any public market.

08:17 EDT Menlo Therapeutics, Foamix announce completion of merger - Menlo Therapeutics Inc. (MNLO) announced the completion of its merger with Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (FOMX) following the satisfaction of all closing conditions required by the merger agreement. Upon completion of the merger, pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, Foamix became a wholly owned subsidiary of Menlo. Under the terms of the merger, Foamix shareholders received 0.5924 of a share of Menlo common stock for each Foamix share owned, as well as a non-transferrable contingent stock right. These contingent stock rights potentially allow Foamix shareholders to receive additional shares of Menlo common stock based on the results of Menlo's Phase 3 trials of serlopitant for the treatment of pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis, as more fully described in the companies' joint proxy statement/prospectus on Form S-4. Foamix ordinary shares ceased trading as of the close of trading on March 6, 2020. On March 9, 2020, newly issued Menlo shares will commence trading under the ticker "MNLO" on Nasdaq. Since announcing the transaction on November 11, 2019, the Company achieved a major milestone with the launch of its first product, AMZEEQ for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of non-nodular moderate to severe acne vulgaris in adults and pediatric patients 9 years of age and older.. In the coming weeks, the Company anticipates announcing the results of its Phase 3 clinical trials of serlopitant for the treatment of pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis. Additionally, the Company expects to announce the results of its Phase 2 clinical trial for FCD105 for the treatment of acne in the second quarter of 2020. The Company has also taken meaningful steps towards facilitating a successful integration and capitalizing on expected cost synergies. Effective upon the closing of the merger, Foamix's management team will manage the Company, led by David Domzalski as CEO. As part of the transaction, Foamix has designated five of its pre-closing directors, David Domzalski, Sharon Barbari, Rex Bright, Anthony Bruno and Stanley Hirsch to serve as members of the Menlo Board of Directors. Menlo has designated two of its pre-closing directors, Steve Basta, Menlo's Chief Executive Officer prior to the consummation of the merger, and Elisabeth Sandoval, to be directors of the Company following the merger.

08:14 EDT AMC Entertainment appoints Mark Pearson as Chief Strategy Officer - AMC Entertainment announced the hiring of Mark Pearson as the company's Chief Strategy Officer. Pearson comes to AMC from 20th Century Fox Television, where his most recent position was Executive Vice President, Business Development, Operations and Strategy. Based in AMC's Los Angeles office, Pearson has already started in his AMC role and reports to Adam Aron, AMC's CEO and President.

08:12 EDT Union Pacific will no longer present at J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference - As a result of J.P. Morgan changing the format of their conference to virtual only, Jennifer Hamann, CFO, and Jim Vena, COO, of Union Pacific, will no longer be presenting at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference at 8:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, in New York City.

08:12 EDT Immutep receives second IND approval for Efti - Immutep announces the approval of its Investigational New Drug application by the United States Food and Drug Administration for eftilagimod alpha. The FDA approval of the IND allows Immutep to initiate its planned AIPAC-002 Phase I clinical study in metastatic breast cancer patients. Immutep will commence the study, subject to the completion of other preparatory steps and pending positive results from its larger AIPAC Phase IIb study, which are expected to be reported by the end of March 2020.

08:11 EDT Innovation Pharmaceuticals Brilacidin received by U.S. RBL for testing - Innovation Pharmaceuticals announces the Company has been notified by one of the 12 Regional Biocontainment Labs in the United States that it received shipment of Brilacidin, the Company's defensin mimetic drug candidate, for testing against SARS-CoV-2, the specific coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Brilacidin is immediately being placed into queue and the Company anticipates confirmation of the testing schedule as well as procedures for the studies later this week.

08:10 EDT NV5 Global announces $6M LNG upgrade award supporting ENERGY 2021 - NV5 Global announced that it has secured a $6.2M contract to provide engineering, procurement, and construction services for the upgrade of the boil-off gas compression system at a Pennsylvania liquefied natural gas peak-shaving facility. The upgrade will provide for better handling of plant operations and increased BOC system reliability. The new system will incorporate 85,000 standard cubic feet of existing flooded screw technology compressors and associated equipment, as well as integrate the current electrical and control system.

08:08 EDT Newly published data validates Biocept's Target Selector qPCR Assay - Biocept announces the publication of clinical data in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Pathology that further validates the company's Target Selector qPCR Assay using "Switch Blocker" technology to identify cancer-related mutations in liquid biopsy samples. "Results from this study showed a very high concordance rate between our liquid biopsy testing and tissue biopsy, providing further clinical validation of our Target Selector(TM) technology," said Veena Singh, M.D., Biocept's Senior Vice President and Senior Medical Director. "Our clinical testing demonstrates best-in-class detection of alterations down to a single mutant copy, not only in an analytical setting but in a clinical setting as well. Further the ability to inform clinical decision making in a significantly more cost-effective manner potentially affords the healthcare system a highly sensitive and cost-effective option." The study examined 127 clinical assays for mutations commonly associated with cancer found in the EGFR, BRAF and KRAS genes. Each Target Selector assay in the study demonstrated extremely high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity when compared to results obtained from tissue samples, showing a 93%-96% concordance to blinded tissue samples across all assays. "The continued validation of our technology demonstrates its ability to non-invasively identify biomarkers specific to cancer, and to aid physicians in selecting optimal therapeutic treatments for their patients," said Michael Nall, Biocept's President and CEO. "We are pleased to report that our biomarker testing has been performed in more than 25,000 patients to date, and results from this study further illustrate the enhanced performance of our Target Selector technology."

08:07 EDT Gladstone Investment acquires The Maids International, terms not disclosed - Gladstone Investment Corporation announced that on March 4, 2020, it partnered with Dan Kirwan in the acquisition of The Maids International. Gladstone Investment provided the equity and senior secured debt to complete the transaction. Dan Kirwan is a long-time executive of The Maids and will assume the role of President and CEO at closing. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, The Maids is the franchisor of the home service brand "The Maids." The Maids is the quality leader among house cleaning services in the industry, with franchise and company-owned locations in over 40 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

08:06 EDT Dare Bioscience announces data from Sildenafil Cream 3.6% investigational study - Dare Bioscience announced the presentation of positive findings from a previously reported investigational study that used thermography technology to assess the pharmacodynamics of Sildenafil Cream, 3.6% in healthy women. The presentation was made at the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health Annual Meeting 2020. Female Sexual Arousal Disorder, a condition characterized primarily by an inability to attain or maintain sufficient genital arousal during sexual activity, is analogous to erectile dysfunction in men, and sildenafil is the active ingredient in a tablet for oral administration currently marketed under the brand name Viagra for the treatment of ED in men. Dare Bioscience, in collaboration with Strategic Science & Technologies, is developing Sildenafil Cream as a potential treatment for FSAD. Sildenafil Cream is a topically administered formulation of sildenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, designed to increase local blood flow and provide a potential improvement in genital arousal utilizing the same pathway that is active in ED medications for men. Market research suggests that 33% of women in the U.S., ages 21 to 60 years old, experience symptoms of low or no sexual arousal, and 16%, or approximately 10 million women, are distressed and are seeking a solution to improve their condition. To put the market opportunity for an FDA-approved FSAD treatment in context, the prevalence of complete ED is estimated to be about 5% of men at age 40, increasing to about 15% at age 70. During the thermography study, genital temperature, a surrogate for genital blood flow, was captured and recorded utilizing an infrared camera capable of detecting heat patterns from blood flow in body tissues. The study, which was designed to evaluate up to 10 subjects, achieved the study objectives based on a planned interim analysis of the first 6 completed subjects. The assessments consisted of the screening visit, the double-blind dosing of placebo or active Sildenafil Cream and a safety follow-up. The thermography study is part of a comprehensive clinical development and regulatory plan for Sildenafil Cream that Dare Bioscience intends to implement in collaboration with SST. In December 2019, Dare announced alignment with the FDA on the design of an at-home Phase 2b clinical study of Sildenafil Cream that it plans to initiate in 2020, including the patient reported outcome instruments to be used to screen eligible patients with FSAD and to measure achievement of the primary efficacy endpoints. The Phase 2b study is designed to evaluate Sildenafil Cream compared to placebo cream over 12 weeks of dosing following both a non-drug and placebo run-in period.

08:04 EDT Soliton signs agreement with Sanmina - Soliton (SOLY) announced that it has entered into a Manufacturing Services Agreement with Sanmina (SANM) as it transitions to manufacturing for the limited launch of its Rapid Acoustic Pulse device for tattoo removal expected in mid-2020. Under the terms of the agreement, which is effective March 6, Sanmina will manufacture Soliton's RAP device and replaceable cartridges.

08:03 EDT Cellectar Biosciences expects cash to fund operations into 1Q21 - As of December 31, 2019, the company had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $10.6 million compared to $13.3 million at December 31, 2018. Cash provided by financing activities was $9.0 million, offset by cash used in operating activities of $11.7 million. Consistent with prior guidance, the company believes its cash on hand is adequate to fund operations into the first quarter of 2021.

08:02 EDT Mylan, Biocon: FDA accepts BLA for MYL-1402O - Mylan and Biocon announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted Mylan's Biologics License Application for MYL-1402O, a proposed biosimilar to Avastin, for review under the 351(k) pathway. The BLA seeks approval of bevacizumab for first-line and second-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with fluorouracil-based chemotherapy; first-line use for patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer; recurrent glioblastoma; metastatic renal cell carcinoma in combination with interferon alfa; and persistent, recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. The FDA goal date set under the Biosimilar User Fee Act is Dec. 27, 2020.

07:54 EDT Vaccinex expects enrollment in Alzheimer's disease Phase 1 study in mid-2020

07:52 EDT Vaccinex expects interim analysis of Window-of Opportunity studies in May/June - May/June 2020, ASCO - Interim analysis of combination Window-of-Opportunity studies at Emory University expected.

07:50 EDT Vaccinex expects topline data from SIGNAL trial of pepinemab in October - The company's SIGNAL trial evaluating pepinemab for the treatment of Huntington's disease is ongoing, with topline data from Cohort B expected in October.

07:43 EDT ImprimisRx announces supply agreement with iOR Partners - ImprimisRx, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harrow Health, announced that it has agreed to a product supply agreement with iOR Partners. Under the agreement, ImprimisRx will provide a variety of formulations needed for in-office surgeries, including the MKO Melt and various injectable and topical products. iOR Partners is an innovator in the field of office-based cataract surgery, which is a surgical or invasive procedure performed by a licensed physician in a location other than a hospital or ambulatory surgery center that utilizes minimal to moderate anesthetics. By keeping their clinic and surgery center in one place, doctors can see more patients, employ the same staff for clinic and surgery, improve productivity, and lower patient anxiety by having procedures performed in a familiar environment. iOR is growing rapidly, expecting to have 75 office-based cataract surgery suites by the end of next year, accounting for more than 45,000 surgical procedures annually.

07:40 EDT Revolution Medicines announces trial exploring RMC-4630 w/ ERK inhibitor - Revolution Medicines announced its intention to support the Netherlands Cancer Institute on a combination clinical study targeting two key nodes in the oncogenic RAS signaling pathway and to supply its investigational SHP2 inhibitor, RMC-4630, for this study. In addition, the American Association for Cancer Research announced that the Pancreatic Cancer Collective, a strategic partnership of Stand Up To Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation, has awarded up to $4M in funding to researchers at the NKI to support the combination trial. The Phase 1/1b trial would explore the combination of RMC-4630 with an investigational ERK inhibitor in solid tumors harboring RAS mutations with a focus on pancreatic cancer. The AACR is the scientific partner of SU2C and has announced its intention to support the administration of the combination clinical study at the NKI. In an oral presentation at the recent RAS-Targeted Drug Discovery Europe Conference in Vienna, Austria, Sara Mainardi, Ph.D. summarized NKI's intent to sponsor and conduct the SHERPA trial. As reported in Dr. Mainardi's presentation entitled "Targeting RAS-Driven Tumour by Exploiting Vulnerabilities in the RAS Network," the NKI seeks to initiate the SHERPA trial in the second half of 2020. RMC-4630, Revolution Medicines' investigational SHP2 inhibitor, is a potent and orally bioavailable small molecule that is designed to selectively inhibit the activity of SHP2, an upstream cellular protein that plays a central role in modulating cell survival and growth by transmitting signals from receptor tyrosine kinases to RAS. NKI's trial would represent a third announced combination study involving RMC-4630 in support of the company's combination drug strategy to treat RAS cancers susceptible to adaptive resistance mechanisms. RMC-4630 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 monotherapy clinical trial for a range of tumor types featuring specific, molecularly-defined oncogenic mutations, as well as a Phase 1b/2 study in combination with cobimetinib in patients with relapsed/refractory solid tumors displaying specific genomic mutations. A planned combination study of RMC-4630 and the KRASG12C inhibitor, AMG 510, to be sponsored by Amgen, has been announced previously.

07:37 EDT Allied Motion acquires Dynamic Controls subsidiary from Invacare - Allied Motion (AMOT) announced that it has acquired Dynamic Controls, a wholly owned subsidiary of Invacare (IVC). The transaction was completed on March 7. With the acquisition of Dynamic Controls, Allied continues to build out its ability to leverage controlled motion system solutions in a wide range of markets. The integration of multiple system elements that are designed and manufactured by Allied, including controls, motors, drives, feedback and gearing. Allied further enhances the value proposition through its expanding global manufacturing footprint and its ability to service customers from within the geographic markets they currently reside. Dynamic has approximately 200 employees.

07:35 EDT Minerva continues to conduct pre-clinical studies of MIN-301 - The company said, "The Company is developing MIN-301, a pre-clinical candidate for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Building upon positive data in non-primate pre-clinical models, the Company is continuing to conduct pre-clinical studies in preparation for regulatory filings leading toward entry into humans."

07:34 EDT Invacare completes sale of Dynamic Controls subsidiary to Allied Motion - Invacare (IVC) announced that the company has completed the sale of its Dynamic Controls subsidiary to Allied Motion (AMOT), of Amherst, New York. As part of the company's strategy to enhance its products, the transaction marks a step forward by opening the door to relationships which can provide access to technological innovations to further differentiate the company's powered mobility products. The transaction was completed on March 7. "As so much of our business is based on electromotive propulsion, we are pleased to be working more closely with a leading innovator of motion technology to pave the way for better integrated propulsion systems in the future. By entering into a strategic relationship with Allied Motion, we can create exciting new opportunities to accelerate technical advances in power wheelchairs through closer integration of the key control and motor technologies and expect other novel innovations as a result. Through this transaction, Dynamic Controls' technology can be combined with Allied Motion's unique capabilities as a leading electromotive technology company to drive the next horizon of innovation. This will also help accelerate the adoption of healthcare informatics technology, such as MyLiNX(TM), and enable our products to continue improving patient care. We are excited about the opportunities this new partnership can bring to both companies," said Matt Monaghan, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Invacare Corporation. As part of this deal, Invacare has entered into a long-term product supply agreement with Dynamic Controls. This agreement includes ongoing supply and support of the LiNX(TM) system, one of the most advanced control solutions for powered wheelchairs that heightens the driving experience for patients, while also making the chairs easier for professionals to program and configure. The agreement includes continued support of the MyLiNX informatics platform as well as the infrastructure and applications that drive the healthcare informatics solution for Invacare's respiratory products. The informatics help to build patient confidence by enabling the patient and provider to easily share data while facilitating efficient troubleshooting. Allied Motion is a global company that designs, manufactures and sells precision and specialty motion-control components and systems used in a broad range of industries. Its products and highly engineered electrical systems help power recreational, emergency and specialty vehicles across the world. Richard S. Warzala, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Allied Motion said, "The acquisition of Dynamic Controls provides us another building block in becoming one of the world's motion solutions leaders. We are eager to begin working with the Dynamic Controls team to inspire the development of new and innovative motion control products. We are also looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the Invacare team, by providing products, service and support for Invacare's powered mobility and respiratory portfolios."

07:30 EDT Willis Towers Watson trading resumes

07:19 EDT Emerald Health Therapeutics signs LOI with Sigma Analytical Services - Emerald Health Therapeutics has signed a letter of intent under which Sigma Analytical Services may acquire Emerald's Avalite cannabis analytical testing operation. The companies also intend to establish a preferred partner relationship. Terms of the deal have been agreed to in principle and will be announced upon completion. Execution of definitive agreements is subject to due diligence and board approval of both companies and is expected to occur on or before April 19, 2020. Completion of the transaction will be subject to a number of conditions including settlement of final documentation and receipt of applicable regulatory and third-party approvals.

07:18 EDT Helius Medical says expanded access for PoNS Treatment to 14 clinics in Canada - Helius Medical Technologies provided details on five additional PoNS Treatment clinics that were recently authorized in the Greater Toronto Area and Southwestern Ontario. Helius has now expanded access for patients seeking PoNS Treatment to fourteen clinics in Canada, with eight in Ontario, the most populous province. The five newly authorized Ontario locations are recognized neurorehabilitation practices that each have an existing commercial focus on treating patients with neurological conditions. The clinics include: Pillars of Wellness in Burlington; NeuroChangers with two locations in Whitby; Novah Healthcare in Mississauga; and Propel Physiotherapy in Etobicoke.

07:13 EDT Green Thumb closes on transaction with Innovative Industrial Properties - Green Thumb Industries Inc. (GTBIF) announced it has closed on a transaction to sell its Oglesby, Illinois cultivation and processing facility to Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR). GTI will lease back the facility via a long-term agreement and continue to operate and manage it. IIP's total investment in the property will be $50M, assuming full reimbursement for significant facility and capacity enhancements of up to $41M as well as the $9M purchase price for the property, excluding transaction costs. This marks GTI's third transaction with IIP, following sale-leasebacks for GTI's cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Danville, Pennsylvania completed in November 2019 and its Toledo, Ohio processing facility in February 2020. In addition to the manufacturing facility in Oglesby, GTI owns a cultivation and processing facility in Rock Island and seven stores throughout Illinois with licenses to open three additional retail locations. Adult-use cannabis sales began in Illinois on January 1st, and have generated nearly $75M in revenue in the first two months and over $10M in tax revenue in the month of January. Medical sales in January were approximately $25M. Experts estimate the Illinois market potential is $2.5B or more after maturation.

07:11 EDT RedHill Biopharma announces U.S. commercial launch of Talicia for H. pylori - RedHill Biopharma announced the U.S. commercial launch of Talicia delayed-release capsules 10 mg2/250 mg/12.5 mg for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. RedHill's expanded U.S. sales force will promote Talicia nationwide to approximately 25,000 gastroenterologists, primary care physicians and other healthcare providers. Talicia is the only rifabutin-based therapy approved for the treatment of H. pylori infection and is designed to address the high and growing resistance of H. pylori bacteria to clarithromycin-based standard-of-care therapies. The high rates of H. pylori resistance to clarithromycin have led to significant rates of treatment failure with clarithromycin-based standard-of-care therapy. No resistance to rifabutin, a key component of Talicia, was detected in RedHill's pivotal Phase 3 study.

07:10 EDT Cubic to compete under $5.1B ceiling GTACS II contract vehicle - Cubic announced its Cubic mission solutions, or CMS, business division was named as one of the awardees to compete under the U.S. Army for Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems, or GTACS II, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract vehicle. The contract has a ceiling of $5.1B, with a five-year base, one five-year option period and a firm fixed price, cost plus fixed fee and cost no fee contract, in support of the Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical and Project Manager Tactical Network. The Army will use this contract to acquire communications systems and services, including satellite communications terminals, mobile satellite services, tactical networking and secure communication solutions. GTACS II serves as a strategic contract vehicle, enabling Cubic to be an integral provider of tactical communications solutions for the Army over the next decade. Cubic was among 22 companies that were selected to compete under the GTACS II contract vehicle. GTACS II covers information technology services and hardware to support the development of a tactical communications network for soldiers.

07:09 EDT Aon plc to combine with Willis Towers Watson in all-stock transaction - Aon plc (AON) and Willis Towers Watson (WLTW) announced a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction with an implied combined equity value of approximately $80B. The combined company, to be named Aon, will be "the premier, technology-enabled global professional services firm focused on the areas of risk, retirement and health," the companies stated. Aon will maintain operating headquarters in London, United Kingdom. John Haley will take on the role of Executive Chairman with a focus on growth and innovation strategy. The combined firm will be led by Greg Case and Aon Chief Financial Officer Christa Davies. Under the terms of the agreement unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, each Willis Towers Watson shareholder will receive 1.08 Aon ordinary shares for each Willis Towers Watson ordinary share, and Aon shareholders will continue to own the same number of ordinary shares in the combined company as they do immediately prior to the closing. Upon completion of the combination, existing Aon shareholders will own approximately 63% and existing Willis Towers Watson shareholders will own approximately 37% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. Aon anticipates that the transaction will provide annual pre-tax synergies and other cost reductions of $800M by the third full year of combination, thereby allowing the firm to continue significant investment in innovation and growth. Potential revenue synergies due to complementary capabilities are expected but not included in the synergy estimates. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Aon adjusted EPS in the first full year of the combination with peak adjusted EPS accretion in the high teens after full realization of $800M of pre-tax synergies. Willis Towers Watson and Aon anticipate savings of $267M in the first full year of the combination, reaching $600M in the second full year, with the full $800M achieved in the third full year. Free cash flow accretion is expected to breakeven in the second full year of the combination with free cash flow accretion of more than 10% after full realization of synergies. The transaction is expected to generate over $10B of shareholder value creation from the capitalized value of the expected pre-tax synergies, based on the blended 2020 price to earnings ratio of Willis Towers Watson and Aon UK on 6 March 2020, net of $2.0B in one-time transaction, retention and integration costs.

07:08 EDT Canadian Solar signs PPA contract with Techgen S.A de C.V. in Mexico - Canadian Solar (CSIQ) announced that it has signed a PPA contract with Techgen, S.A. de C.V., an affiliate of Ternium (TX) and Tenaris (TS). The PPA contract has a 15-year term and will allow Canadian Solar to finance and build a 103 MWp solar power project located in Ojocaliente Municipality, Zacatecas State, Mexico. The solar plant will use Canadian Solar high efficiency modules and is expected to start operations in 2021.

07:06 EDT Village Farms finalizes settlement agreement with Emerald Health Therapeutics - Village Farms (VFF) announced it has finalized its previously announced settlement agreement with Emerald Health Therapeutics (EMHTF) and closed the related transactions. The settlement agreement settles all outstanding disputes with respect to Pure Sunfarms. The net impact of the settlement and related transactions on the ownership of Pure Sunfarms, as agreed to by both Village Farms and Emerald, is such that as of December 31, 2019, Village Farms owned 53.5% of Pure Sunfarms and Emerald owned 46.5% of Pure Sunfarms, and as of the date of this news release, Village Farms owns 57.4% of Pure Sunfarms and Emerald owns 42.6% of Pure Sunfarms.

07:06 EDT Aon plc to combine with Willis Towers Watson in all-stock transaction

07:05 EDT BioXcel Therapeutics expects BXCL501 Phase 3 trial readouts in mid-2020 - The company said, "BXCL501-Neuroscience Program: BXCL501 is an investigational sublingual thin film of dexmedetomidine, a selective alpha-2A adrenergic receptor agonist, designed for the treatment of acute agitation. The Company believes BXCL501 may directly target a causal agitation mechanism. We initiated pivotal Phase 3 trials for the acute treatment of agitation in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Enrollment of patients is on track and topline data readouts from both trials are expected mid-2020; In January, the first patient was enrolled in the TRANQUILITY study, a Phase 1b/2 trial of BXCL501 for the acute treatment of agitation associated with geriatric dementia, expanding potential therapeutic use of BXCL501 beyond current neuropsychiatric disorders. BTI expects to report data in mid-2020; We received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an Investigational New Drug application for the treatment of opioid withdrawal symptoms, a potential fourth indication for BXCL501; A Phase 2 study designed to measure biomarkers associated with agitation in patients with schizophrenia and their response to treatment with BXCL501 was initiated by researchers at Yale University earlier last month, with data expected in Q2 2020.

07:04 EDT Pebblebrook Hotel withdraws Q1, FY20 outlook due to impact of COVID-19 - Pebblebrook Hotel announced that it has withdrawn its FY20 and Q1 outlook provided on February 20 due to the large number of recent corporate group cancellations and corporate travel policy restrictions related to concerns about COVID-19 which have led to material declines in net bookings year over year. The company's quarterly and full-year guidance issued on February 20 specifically did not account for any impact from the COVID-19 outbreak, other than what was known at the time, but increasing travel restrictions, governmental travel advisories and state of emergency declarations across multiple markets in which the company owns hotels are now expected to significantly adversely impact the company's financial results for Q1 and the full year.

07:03 EDT Six Flags appoints Laura Doerre as General Counsel - Six Flags (SIX) announced that Laura Doerre has joined the company as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. She succeeds Lance Balk, who retired on March 2 after more than 9 years in the role. Doerre will be based in Arlington, Texas, at the Company's future world headquarters at Globe Life Park. Doerre most recently served since 2016 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for JELD-WEN (JELD).

07:01 EDT Mesa Air reports 36,552 block hours in February - Mesa Air Group reported Mesa Airlines' operating performance for February 2020. Mesa Airlines reported 36,552 block hours in February 2020, a 6.2 percent increase from February 2019, and controllable completion factors of 99.98 percent and 99.96 percent for American and United respectively.

06:57 EDT Willis Towers Watson trading halted, news pending

06:37 EDT State Department issues warning, says U.S. citizens should not travel by cruise - "U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking. In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures. While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities. This is a fluid situation. CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships. Passengers with plans to travel by cruise ship should contact their cruise line companies directly for further information and continue to monitor the Travel.state.gov website," the State Department stated in a warning issued on its site. Cruise line operators include Royal Caribbean (RCL), Carnival (CCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH). Reference Link

06:35 EDT Diamondback Energy says expects to reduce capital budget for the year - Diamondback Energy provided an operational update given recent commodity price volatility. Diamondback is reducing activity immediately from nine completion crews to six and expects to drop two drilling rigs in April 2020 and a third later in the second quarter of 2020. The company has already dropped one completion crew as part of its original 2020 plan, but is now releasing two more completion crews as a result of the recent and expected oil price weakness. As a result of this reduction in activity, the company will reduce its capital budget for the year. Drill, complete and equip spend for 2020 is expected to decrease through the combination of a lower completed well count and lower expected well costs, and corresponding infrastructure and midstream capital budgets are expected to decrease as well. "As a result of current and expected oil price weakness, we have immediately reduced development activity and expect lower activity levels to continue until we see clear signs of commodity price recovery. While this decision is expected to result in lower 2020 oil production than originally forecast, we will maintain positive cash flow and protect our balance sheet and dividend. We have made these decisions before and they are driven by the goal of protecting shareholder returns over the long term. Our balance sheet is stronger than ever having recently been upgraded to investment grade. We believe that while this is clearly a challenging time for our industry, these are the conditions that Diamondback is prepared for," stated Travis Stice, CEO of Diamondback. "Diamondback has never been about growth for growth's sake, which we have publicly emphasized consistently since 2015. Because the expected returns of our 2020 program have decreased, we have decided to wait for higher commodity prices to return to growth. We have flexibility on all of our rig and completion crew contracts, and are well-protected with hedges this year for a majority of our production, all of which will allow us to exit this downturn from a position of strength. The ability to develop resources at best in class efficiencies is clearly a differentiator in challenging environments, and since its inception Diamondback has been a leader in this regard. We are well positioned to be a long-term winner in this business due to our inventory depth and quality, best in class cost structure, return of capital program and quality balance sheet."

06:33 EDT Nine Energy Services sees Q1 'relatively flat to Q4' - CEO Ann Fox said, "Throughout 2018 and 2019 we re-shaped the company to align with our strategy of being asset-light and building additional barriers to entry, which we believe will enable us to increase profitability, expand margins and increase free cash flow for the future. We have just begun to see our thesis materialize with strong cash generation in the second half of 2019, which we anticipate continuing into 2020 and beyond. 2020 capex will decrease by over 60%, which will serve as a sustainable run-rate as we transition the derivation of more of our top-line revenue contribution from completion tools. Q1 2020 is off to a slower start versus this time in 2019, and we anticipate Q1 2020 being relatively flat to Q4 2019. Despite market conditions, we are very optimistic about Nine's opportunity to differentiate with our unique positioning in the market to grow within our tools business. Our team has and will remain focused on driving value for our shareholders, customers and employees and will continue to follow our returns-based growth strategy into 2020."

06:27 EDT Sterling Bancorp files to delay annual report - Sterling Bancorp expects to file a Notification of Late Filing on Form 12b-25 disclosing that the company will be unable to file its annual report for the year ended December 31, 2019 within the prescribed time period. The delay in filing is to allow for additional review and procedures, including on the part of the company's independent auditors, relating to the circumstances that led to the previously-reported suspension of the bank's Advantage Loan Program. The company intends to file the annual report "as soon as practicable upon completion of the additional review and procedures."

06:25 EDT Sterling Bancorp under investigation by OCC, received grand jury subpoenas - Sterling Bancorp disclosed late Friday that it is currently under formal investigation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (and continues to be subject to a publicly-available formal agreement with the OCC, dated June 18, 2019, relating to certain aspects of its Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance program as well as the bank's credit administration. Sterling also has received grand jury subpoenas from the United States Department of Justice requesting the production of documents and information in connection with an investigation that appears to be focused on the bank's residential lending practices and related issues. The bank said it is cooperating with these ongoing investigations. Further, the company, certain of its current and former officers and directors, and other parties have been named as defendants in a shareholder class action captioned Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System v. Sterling Bancorp, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. This action alleges violations of the federal securities laws, primarily with respect to disclosures concerning the bank's residential lending practices that were made in the company's registration statement and prospectus for its initial public offering, in subsequent periodic filings with the SEC, and during earnings calls. "While the Company intends to vigorously defend this action, it is too early to determine the potential outcome."

06:09 EDT Trupanion transitions Seattle workforce to remote environment - Trupanion announced the transition of its Seattle workforce to a remote environment, reinforcing its commitment to provide 24/7 365 support for pet owners. The move, initiated proactively to support pet owners, employees and community members amid growing COVID-19 concerns around the world, began last weekend. As of close of business Tuesday, March 3, an estimated 90% of Trupanion's workforce had been successfully transitioned to a remote environment. Trupanion continues to monitor claims data real-time and compare against patterns, including frequency of invoices, developed over its 20 year history. To-date, Trupanion has seen no unusual increase or change in frequency of illnesses to indicate pets are being negatively impacted by COVID-19. This is consistent with the reports from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which state there is no evidence to suggest that dogs or other pets can contract or spread COVID-19.

06:04 EDT Wells Fargo: Elizabeth Duke, James Quigley resign from board of directors - Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) announced that Elizabeth Duke has resigned as Chair and a member of Wells Fargo's Board of Directors. Duke was elected Chair of Wells Fargo's Board, effective January 2018, and previously served as Vice Chair from October 2016 through December 2017. She served on a number of committees in her time on the Board, including the Finance, Governance and Nominating, and Risk Committees. Wells Fargo also announced that James Quigley has resigned as a member of the Board. Both resignations were effective Sunday, March 8th. Charles Noski will serve as Chair of the Wells Fargo Board. Noski joined the Board in June 2019. He is a retired Vice Chairman and former CFO of Bank of America (BAC).

05:50 EDT Trump says New York Times 'an embarrassment to journalism' - President Donald Trump said via Twitter: "The New York Times is an embarrassment to journalism. They were a dead paper before I went into politics, and they will be a dead paper after I leave, which will be in 5 years. Fake News is the Enemy of the people!" Reference Link

05:32 EDT Elbit Systems of America awarded $471M contract from U.S. Air Force - Elbit Systems of America has been awarded a U.S. Air Force firm-fixed-price contract with a ceiling of approximately $471 million over a 10-year period, to equip F-16 aircraft of the U.S. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command, with pylon-based infrared missile warning systems. The contract includes an initial order valued at approximately $17 million. The work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas.