Stockwinners Market Radar for March 22, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:01 EDT Fly Intel: Top five weekend stock stories - Catch up on the weekend's top five stories with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. President Trump said via Twitter that, "Ford [F], General Motors [GM] and Tesla [TSLA] are being given the go ahead to make ventilators and other metal products, FAST! @fema Go for it auto execs, lets see how good you are? @RepMarkMeadows @GOPLeader @senatemajldr" In a separate tweet, Trump added that, "Thank you to Fred Smith and @FedEx [FDX] for the rapid emergency deliveries you are making all over our Nation. Keep it going!" 2. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) is nearing an agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn to halt a proxy battle in return for board seats, according to Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter. The agreement could put an end to a bitter fight over Occidental's ill-timed purchase of rival Anadarko Petroleum last year, a bet on the continued growth of U.S. shale, the author noted. If the settlement talks conclude successfully, Icahn associates Andrew Langham and Nicholas Graziano would get board seats, and Icahn would have a say in the naming of a third independent director, the source said. 3. Effective Sunday March 22, 2020, for all locations not already closed in accordance with state and local orders, GameStop (GME) will temporarily stop customer access to storefronts, processing orders on a digital only basis, moving to curbside pick-up at stores and e-commerce delivery only. Meanwhile, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) also announced a further update to its COVID-19 response. By Monday morning, March 23, 2020, the company will temporarily close all its retail banner stores across the U.S. and Canada, other than its buybuy BABY and Harmon Face Values stores, subject to state and local regulations. The move is part of ongoing efforts to help reduce the spread of novel coronavirus and means all but approximately 175 of the company's approximately 1,500 stores will be closed to the public until April 3, 2020. 4. Gilead Sciences (GILD) said on Sunday it was temporarily putting new emergency access to its experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir on hold due to overwhelming demand and that it wanted most people receiving the drug to participate in a clinical trial to prove if it is safe and effective, according to Reuters. The drugmaker said there had been an exponential increase in so-called compassionate-use requests for the drug. 5. For investors looking to jump back into the market, this is a rare opportunity to buy tech's Big Five- Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Facebook (FB)-on the cheap, Eric Savitz wrote in this week's edition of Barron's. The coronavirus issue affects them all, but each company is likely to come through the downturn with its business intact, the author noted. Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), and Wells Fargo (WFC) also saw positive mentions in this week's edition of Barron's.

18:33 EDT Honeywell expands face mask production with new manufacturing operations - Honeywell announced that it will immediately expand its manufacturing operations in Smithfield, Rhode Island, to produce N95 face masks in support of the U.S. government's response to the novel coronavirus. Honeywell is ramping up operations to produce millions of N95 disposable respirators to help support the need for critical safety equipment. Honeywell anticipates that the addition of the new mask production line in Smithfield will create at least 500 new jobs. The company will begin recruiting, hiring and training manufacturing workers immediately. The N95 face masks will be delivered to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to contribute to the American stockpile for use to support health, safety and emergency response workers. Honeywell's production expansion will support additional American businesses that are part of the supply chain, including industrial equipment providers and raw materials suppliers. The company is also actively collaborating with state and local officials to ramp up production efforts and support recruiting and training for workers.

18:29 EDT MGM Resorts appoints Bill Hornbuckle as acting CEO, Paul Salem as chairman - MGM Resorts International announced that Chief Operating Officer and President Bill Hornbuckle, has been named acting Chief Executive Officer and President, replacing outgoing Chairman and CEO Jim Murren. Murren informed the company's Board of Directors in early February of his plans to step down prior to the expiration of his contract, and in light of the public health crisis gripping the nation and the travel industry, has vacated the position as of today so as to provide continuity of leadership for the company. Replacing Murren as the Chair of the Board of Directors will be Paul Salem, who currently is a member of the MGM Resorts Board of Directors and Chair of the real estate committee of MGM Resorts, which is in the process of executing the asset light strategy.

17:51 EDT President Trump thanks FedEx for 'rapid emergency deliveries' - President Trump said via Twitter that, "Thank you to Fred Smith and @FedEx for the rapid emergency deliveries you are making all over our Nation. Keep it going!" Reference Link

17:45 EDT Stratasys ramping up production of 3D-printed personal protection equipment - Stratasys (SSYS) has announced a global mobilization of the company's 3D printing resources and expertise to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, spanning its Stratasys, GrabCAD, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and partner network with donated printing capacity across all regions. The initial focus is on providing thousands of disposable face shields for use by medical personnel. Stratasys said Medtronic (MDT) and Minneapolis-based Dunwoody College of Technology will provide support for the plastic shield material.

17:02 EDT Eli Lilly to provide drive-through COVID-19 testing for healthcare workers - Eli Lilly will offer drive-through testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to Indianapolis area health care workers beginning Monday, March 23, as a service to the community and in an effort to protect health care providers working on the front lines during this epidemic. Lilly announced last week that the company is working with the Indiana State Department of Health to offer testing of COVID-19 samples acquired at local hospitals, using a specialized facility at Lilly Research Laboratories. Now Lilly is expanding the service to the community by offering drive through-testing at Lilly's Indianapolis headquarters. At this time, only active health care workers are eligible, and they must have a physician's order requesting testing for COVID-19. There will be no charge for this service. The group eligible for testing includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health care professionals. COVID-19 drive-through testing at Lilly is not available to the general public.

16:58 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond to temporarily close all retail banner stores in U.S., Canada - Bed Bath & Beyond announced a further update to its COVID-19 response. By Monday morning, March 23, 2020, the company will temporarily close all its retail banner stores across the U.S. and Canada, other than its buybuy BABY and Harmon Face Values stores, subject to state and local regulations. The move is part of ongoing efforts to help reduce the spread of novel coronavirus and means all but approximately 175 of the company's approximately 1,500 stores will be closed to the public until April 3, 2020. The Company will provide all associates impacted by these store closures with applicable pay and benefits for this period. As the situation continues to evolve, the company is monitoring guidance provided by multiple local, state, federal, and global public health entities and stands ready to implement immediate changes, as needed.

16:01 EDT Fifth Third announces special payment to customer service employees - Fifth Third Bank, National Association, announced that it is giving a special payment to employees who are providing essential banking services to customers during the coronavirus pandemic. Fifth Third will provide its customer service and other employees who work on site a special payment of up to $1000, which will be paid in $500 installments in April and May. Fifth Third has added enhanced cleaning measures to its offices to help safeguard employees and customers who visit banking centers. It also is continuing to adhere to guidelines from health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control around social distancing and sanitation. The company also has created additional benefits to help employees through this situation. Fifth Third has moved many of its employees to work from home, but many in essential roles such as customer service representatives, bankers, call-center employees and others need to work on site to meet the needs of customers. On Saturday, March 21, Fifth Third began temporary modifications to onsite banking services to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Banking center lobbies will remain open to serve customers by appointment only and will not be open for general access. Bankers will remain available and ready to help by phone. Customers who would like to meet with a banker in person can schedule an appointment on 53.com, the Bank's mobile app or by calling their local banking center. Each banking center will also prominently display signage with assistance on how to schedule an appointment. Bank Mart locations will remain open, but hours will change to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

15:48 EDT Associated Bank announces financial relief measures to support customers - Associated Bank announced additional steps being taken to assist consumer and business customers impacted by the economic consequences of COVID-19. Associated Bank's COVID-19 Relief Program includes: Fee Suspension - Suspending fees on a range of loan and deposit products up to 90 days; Loan Deferral Programs - Offering payment deferrals for up to 90 days on consumer, mortgage and small business loans; Credit Card Payment Relief - Offering temporary payment relief assistance and fee waivers for consumer and small business credit cards; Suspension of Foreclosure and Repossession Programs - Suspending foreclosure activity on homes and new repossession activities for 60 days. For the health and well-being of its customers, colleagues and communities, Associated Bank suspended lobby access at its branch locations on March 17, 2020. The company's drive thru, ATM and night deposit box services remain available. Associated Bank is continuing to pay colleagues whose work is affected by changes to its services. The company has also expanded its leave policies to accommodate personal or family health circumstances caused by COVID-19.

15:40 EDT Yext announces collaboration with State of NJ to launch COVID-19 information hub - Yext announced its collaboration with the State of New Jersey to deliver residents accurate, up-to-date information about COVID-19 with a new online information hub. The State of NJ's new website, covid19.nj.gov, uses natural language processing to understand the questions people ask about the coronavirus, then delivers answers using data collected from multiple NJ state agencies, federal resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Federation of American Scientists "Ask a Scientist" interactive tool. As part of Yext's commitment to helping government agencies and businesses provide verified information during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is offering its Yext Answers product for free for 90 days. The trial includes Yext's COVID-19 Knowledge Graph plug-in, which adds Frequently Asked Questions about coronavirus sourced directly from the CDC to a website's search experience.

15:30 EDT Cooper Tire announces temporary shutdown of manufacturing facilities - Cooper Tire announced it will temporarily shut down its tire manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico to protect the health and safety of employees and respond to market demand that has been impacted by coronavirus. The process of phasing down production at the plants will proceed on a rolling schedule over the coming week, with facilities expected to be closed for two to three weeks. Cooper will continue to closely monitor the situation and adjust timelines as necessary. The company is currently assessing plans for its Europe operations. Cooper's plants in China, which reopened several weeks ago, and have continued to ramp up production, remain in operation. Cooper is closely monitoring supply chain and product inventory levels as the company focuses on continuing to serve customers. Cooper believes it currently has sufficient supply of product, and will continue to operate distribution centers until further notice to meet customer needs. As the coronavirus has continued to spread across the globe, Cooper has put in place measures to protect employees and meet the needs of all stakeholders including travel restrictions, remote working, social distancing, additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities, limited visitor access and other necessary steps, which all remain in effect.

15:21 EDT United Steelworkers ratify new labor agreement at Cooper Tire Findlay - Cooper Tire & Rubber confirmed that members of United Steelworkers Local 207L in Findlay, Ohio have ratified a new four-year labor agreement, which covers approximately 800 USW members.

13:33 EDT Fortuna announces temporary suspension of activities at Lindero Project - Fortuna Silver Mines announces that in the evening of March 19, 2020, the Government of Argentina declared effective at midnight a period of mandatory national "social isolation" in relation to COVID-19, effective until March 31, 2020. The company is proceeding to orderly and safely demobilize its workforce at the Lindero gold Project in Salta Province, Argentina, in accordance with the Executive Order and the processes implemented for this purpose by the Provincial Government of Salta. As a result, the company is temporarily suspending construction activities at Lindero for ten days. A task force will remain on site to maintain critical activities and to undertake safety and environmental monitoring of Lindero over the isolation period. The company is assessing the impacts of the temporary suspension at Lindero on the timelines and budget and will provide an update once the assessments have been completed.

13:30 EDT United Airlines continues draw down of international schedule - United said it continues to "aggressively manage" the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its employees, its customers and its business. Due to government mandates or restrictions in place prohibiting travel, the airline is reducing its international schedule by 95% for April. United is drawing down its remaining trans-Atlantic operation. The final westbound departures will take place on March 25, with the exception of its Cape Town-New York/Newark service which will operate as previously scheduled with the last flight departing Cape Town on March 28. United will reduce its remaining trans-Pacific operation starting March 22, with final eastbound departures on March 25, with the exception of service between San Francisco and Tahiti and San Francisco and Sydney which will have final returns to San Francisco on March 28. United will maintain some Guam flights as well as a portion of its Island Hopper service. United will reduce its Mexico operation over the next five days. After March 24, it will only maintain a small number of daytime flights to certain destinations in Mexico. United will draw down its remaining Central and South America operations. The last southbound departures will take place March 24. United will temporarily suspend all flying to Canada effective April 1. In destinations where government actions have barred it from flying, United is actively looking for ways to bring customers who have been impacted by travel restrictions back to the United States. This includes working with the U.S. State Department and the local governments to gain permission to operate service.

13:15 EDT Cigna expands benefits to support workforce in response to COVID-19 - Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cigna announced several actions to support and protect its colleagues in the U.S. so they can continue serving the company's more than 170M customer relationship worldwide. Effective immediately, the company is giving 10 days of emergency paid time off for colleagues for COVID-19 related absences through 2020. This additional time off applies to all full-time benefits-eligible employees and provides added relief for those who are sick or in quarantines, unable to work, or caretaking for sick family members, children or elders. In addition, Cigna is providing premium compensation and additional assistance to reward its employees who must continue to work onsite during this challenging time. Many of these colleagues are front-line health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists who are delivering much-needed medical care directly to COVID-19 impacted patients and others. Effective Monday, March 23, Cigna will expand its prior position encouraging employees to work from home. The company is now mandating all employees with the capability to work from home to do so immediately. Cigna is also providing extensive resources and tools for its colleagues to help effectively manage feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress, an in turn, improve resiliency and increase social connectivity.

12:44 EDT GM, Ventec Life Systems collaborating to increase ventilator production - GM and Ventec Life Systems, in cooperation with StopTheSpread.org, are collaborating to enable Ventec to increase production of its respiratory care products to support the growing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Ventec will leverage GM's logistics, purchasing and manufacturing expertise to build more of their critically important ventilators.