Stockwinners Market Radar for March 23, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:09 EDT Paccar to suspend truck and engine production until April 6th - PACCAR is providing a business update in response to recent changes in customer demand and a weaker outlook for the global economy, as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. The company will suspend truck and engine production at its factories worldwide from March 24 until April 6, 2020. The company will review future actions on a regular basis. PACCAR will continue to provide aftermarket support to its customers. PACCAR's financial results for the first quarter and the remainder of 2020 will be impacted by lower production schedules due to changes in customer demand and the impact of government regulations or mandates. The company will provide an update on its 2020 outlook and first quarter results during the earnings call scheduled for April 21, 2020.

20:03 EDT Big Lots issues COVID-19 update - Big Lots issued an update on business operations related to the impact of COVID-19. As a provider of everyday essentials, Big Lots stores remain open with special emphasis on grocery, cleaning, pet, and health and wellness assortments. The company is closely monitoring the rapidly changing environment caused by the pandemic and has a task force in place to evolve its health and safety protocols in light of new regulations, the advice of experts, insights from its helpline, and developing industry best practices. CEO Bruce Thorn says: "We are postponing our Friends & Family event in April, which typically produces large crowds in our stores, and focusing on getting through this crisis... We're expanding our workforce across the country to support our 1400+ store network and we have made it easier to join the Big Lots family. In addition, we've enhanced the compensation program for our associates, including a special discretionary payout for bonus eligible leaders in our stores, a temporary $2.00 per hour increase for all other associates working in our stores and distribution centers, and temporarily expanding the associate discount to 30%."

19:38 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 923.99MT from 908.19MT - This is the first increase in holdings since March 9th.

19:23 EDT Cars.com offers dealer relief, suspends FY20 guidance - Cars.com announced its response in support of dealers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is announcing customer actions that include Immediate Financial Relief to Dealers - dealer customers will receive 50% off April and 30% off May and June bills automatically applied across Cars.com and DealerRater. The company actions also include "substantial reduction of expenses" and a draw-down on the revolving credit facility to provide additional liquidity of $165M. CEO Alex Vetter states: "To date, first quarter 2020 results have been tracking in line with internal expectations, with 7 business days remaining. However, the significant uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19 to our customers, business closures across the country and the resulting impact on the broader economy demand that we aggressively respond to support our customers going forward. It is therefore prudent to suspend our 2020 guidance at this time. Our response to help support our dealer partners in the current environment will have a near-term impact on our revenue, and accordingly, we have taken immediate actions to mitigate the impact on our financial performance."

18:48 EDT Teladoc CEO: We're seeing a significant increase in volume - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic said, "The whole system is under strain right now. These are not normal times and we have people working around the clock." Gorevic noted the company's net promoter scores are increasing and it's also seeing an increase in demand for remote counseling. He said the team in Shanghai is returning to work, and "glimmers of hope" are emerging.

17:54 EDT Circor receives noncompliance notice from NYSE - Circor announced that it has received an expected notice from he NYSE that Circor is not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing requirements under the timely filing criteria established in Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. As reported by Circor in its Form 12b-25 filed with the SEC, Circor was unable to file its 2019 Form 10-K within the prescribed time period without unreasonable effort or expense. The extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 expired on March 17. Circor continues to work diligently to complete the preparation of its consolidated financial statements in order to be in a position to file its 2019 Form 10-K with the SEC as expediently as possible. In accordance with NYSE rules, Circor has contacted the NYSE to discuss the status of the late filing. The NYSE informed Circor that, under NYSE rules, Circor will have six months from the Form 10-K due date of March 17 to file the 2019 Form 10-K with the SEC. Circor can regain compliance with the NYSE listing standards at any time prior to that date by filing its 2019 Form 10-K.

17:46 EDT U.S. Silica CEO buys 100K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, U.S. Silica disclosed that its CEO Bryan Shinn bought 100K shares of common stock in a total transaction size of $103K.

17:38 EDT United Technologies subsidiary awarded $193.78M Navy procurement contract - Pratt and Whitney, a United Technologies company, was awarded a $193.78M cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm contract for the procurement of long lead materials for the production of low rate initial production of propulsion systems for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense, or DoD, participants and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be complete by December 2023. FY20 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $66.45M; FY20 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $61.4M; non-DoD participants funds in the amount of $52.15M and FMS funds in the amount of $13.78M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force; Navy; Marine Corps; non-DoD participants and FMS customers. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to U.S. Code 2304. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:34 EDT Titan to keep U.S. plants operating to support nation's food supply - Titan International is announcing its commitment to keeping its U.S. manufacturing facilities operating as normal in order to support the food and agriculture industry, which the federal government has deemed critical to the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to remain in operation comes with great responsibility to protect the company's employees. In addition to practicing social distancing and preventative measures to reduce the spread of germs within its facilities, the company remains dedicated to upholding its own internal safety and cleanliness protocols. Titan is taking additional precautions as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and local governments. On March 19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines on workers who should keep normal schedules because they are in a "critical infrastructure industry" affecting public health and safety, the economy and national security.

17:32 EDT BAE Systems awarded $339.13M Army contract modification - BAE Systems was awarded a $339.13M modification to a contract for 48 vehicle sets of self-propelled howitzer and carrier, ammunition, tracked vehicles and associated support. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of January 31, 2023. FY18, FY19 and FY20 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $339.13M were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:25 EDT Churchill Downs announces suspension of operations at certain locations - Churchill Downs announced the temporary suspension of live racing at Miami Valley Raceway at Miami Valley Gaming in Lebanon, Ohio effective at 11:59 ET on March 20, 2020 and Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana effective 11:59 CT on March 21, 2020 in cooperation with state and local authorities as a precautionary measure to COVID-19. There have been no known cases of COVID-19 at any of these properties.

17:24 EDT FedEx Express discloses special operation to transport COVID-19 tests - FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, announced it stood up a special operation over the weekend to help the U.S. government quickly move COVID-19 test specimens from more than 50 remote drive-thru testing centers at major retailers across 12 states. This critical mission, led by the White House, Department of Health & Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency , was a collaborative effort among retailers and healthcare companies to enable quick processing of COVID-19 test specimens to help prevent spread of the virus. FedEx Express dedicated 28 flight legs, as well as specialized pick-up and delivery operations.

17:19 EDT Haverty Furniture announces $43.8M credit facility drawdown - In a regulatory filing, Haverty Furniture said the company "has an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of September 27, 2019, among the company, the borrowing subsidiary party, the lenders party thereto and Trust Bank, as administrative agent and issuing bank. The Credit Agreement provides for a revolving credit facility of $60.0M and is secured by inventory, accounts receivable, cash and certain other personal property. Availability fluctuates under a borrowing base calculation and is reduced by outstanding letters of credit. The company provided notice to the administrative agent on March 17, 2020 to borrow $25.0M and on March 20, 2020 to borrow $18.8M under the Revolving Credit Facility."

17:14 EDT The China Fund to continue temporary suspension of DMP - The board of directors of the China Fund announced that it will continue the temporary suspension of the Fund's Discount Management Program, which was initiated on Monday, March 16, 2020. At a meeting of the board of directors on Friday March 20, 2020 the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were considered impactful to both global economies and stock markets and hence responsible for creating the present excessive volatility in stock prices. Under such conditions, the board determined that the Discount Management Program is currently unable to provide cost-effective value to stockholders and thus, its continuation currently is not in the best interests of the Fund or its stockholders. The Board will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and look to reinstate the Discount Management Program as soon as it is in the best interests of the Fund and its stockholders to do so.

17:11 EDT Vapotherm increasing manufacturing capacity to support demand - Vapotherm announced an update on their business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vapotherm's High Velocity Nasal Insufflation, HVNI, Technology, an advanced form of High Flow Oxygen therapy, is a first-line therapy for COVID-19 patients who are struggling to breathe. The Journal of American Medical Association published research showing that 19% of COVID-19 patients are in respiratory distress and need some form of support to get the oxygen they need to stay alive. The company's hospital customers are using its technology to support COVID-19 patients in mild to moderate respiratory distress, so that they can triage their sickest patients to a limited number of ventilators. The company has seen significant increase in demand for Vapotherm Precision Flow systems and single-use disposables as a result of COVID-19. The company has been working to materially increase production capacity in its facility in New Hampshire, while ensuring the safety of employees at all times. Vapotherm has increased the number of production shifts and has identified additional opportunities to further increase manufacturing capacity in an effort to keep up with growing demand. This increased production is putting pressure on our supply chain and the company is working with policy makers and suppliers to increase availability of critical parts to support production at these higher levels.

17:04 EDT Cumberland to expand availability of VIBATIV to treat pneumonia from COVID-19 - Cumberland Pharmaceuticals announced a national initiative to support the treatment of patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia associated with the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Pneumonia caused by secondary bacterial infections - such as a Gram-positive bacterial infection - is common among patients with viral respiratory infections. Furthermore, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in patients suffering from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which was prior to the use of antibiotics, according to a manuscript co-authored by Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the current director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Cumberland's initiative includes the availability of special financial arrangements for hospitals and clinics to help ensure supply during this unprecedented healthcare crisis. In addition, Cumberland is sponsoring a national program with infectious disease experts to provide information on the management of complicated respiratory infections resulting from the novel coronavirus. Cumberland manufactures the potent antibiotic VIBATIV injection, designed to treat serious infections due to Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram-positive bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus.

17:03 EDT BJ's Restaurants to defer dividend payment, draws down $250M credit line - BJ's Restaurants announced a range of actions that management and the board are implementing to enhance the company's liquidity given the business disruptions resulting from the efforts to contain the rapid nationwide spread of COVID-19 including the vast mandated self-quarantines and closures of non-essential business throughout the United States. These actions include the decision to defer the company's previously declared quarterly dividend payment of 13c per share of common stock payable March 24, 2020, for shareholders of record as of March 10, 2020. Payment of such dividend is being deferred until such time that the board determines such payment is prudent in light of the company's capital needs. In addition, the Board of Directors has suspended future quarterly dividends until the significant uncertainty of the current situation has passed and it is determined that resumption of dividend payments is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders. Greg Trojan, CEO of BJ's Restaurants, said "All of our restaurants currently remain open and continue serving the communities where they operate through take-out and delivery. In these early days with mandated dining room closures, our off premise sales through takeout and delivery channels have increased as our guests are shifting how they enjoy our food. In the current environment, our focus is on continuing to drive growth in our off premise business while prudently managing costs. The number of restaurants remaining open may change due to the fluidity of the situation and changing ordinances. In these unprecedented times, management is taking all necessary and appropriate steps to maximize our liquidity as we manage our business through the current environment. These actions include stopping all capital spending, including delaying or cancelling our new restaurant openings for 2020, and significantly reducing our operating expenses to reflect reduced sales volumes as well as the elimination of all non-essential spending. In an abundance of caution, we have drawn down all remaining amounts under our $250 million line of credit and currently have over $95 million of cash on our balance sheet. While we believe we have sufficient liquidity with our current capital position, we will continue to monitor and evaluate all financing alternatives as these unprecedented events evolve."

17:02 EDT Goodyear Tire says Just Tires to remain open nationwide - In response to the rapid spread of COVID-19, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced changes it is making to meet current customer demand and to help protect the health and wellbeing of its Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires store teams and guests. These changes will also help to ensure stores can remain open to provide tires and auto care to guests who need them, including law enforcement, first responders and others in essential roles, such as doctors, nurses and grocers.

17:01 EDT Fiat Chrysler to produce face masks to help fight coronavirus pandemic - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is stepping in to help those at the front line of the coronavirus pandemic by manufacturing and donating more than 1M protective face masks per month. Production capacity is being installed this week and the company will start manufacturing face masks in the coming weeks with initial distribution across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The face masks are to be donated by FCA to police, EMTs and firefighters, as well as to workers in hospitals and health care clinics. This action is the first of a multifaceted global program being developed by the company through applying manufacturing, supply chain and engineering expertise to support the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

16:47 EDT McKesson chief strategy, business development officer Nagji to step down - McKesson Corporation announced that Bansi Nagji, executive vice president and chief strategy and business development officer, will step down from his role effective March 31, 2020. Mr. Nagji has agreed to continue employment with the company for several weeks to assist with transition activities. McKesson is currently conducting a comprehensive search and expects to name Nagji's successor within the next few months. Prior to joining McKesson in 2015, Nagji served as a principal of Deloitte Consulting

16:46 EDT PacWest Bancorp to temporarily suspend stock repurchase program - PacWest Bancorp announced that it will temporarily suspend its stock repurchase program for the remainder of the first quarter and second quarter of 2020. PacWest has not repurchased any stock under its current stock repurchase program which became effective on March 1. PacWest has the ability to reinstate the stock repurchase program as circumstances warrant. PacWest maintains regulatory capital levels far above what is needed to be designated "well-capitalized" and has the ability to continue to lend and support its customers and employees during this challenging time.

16:45 EDT Raymond James reports February financial AUM $144.5B, up 5.7% from last year - Raymond James January financial AUM was $151.6B.

16:43 EDT Nu Skin CEO buys 10K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Nu Skin disclosed that its CEO Ritch Wood bought 10K shares of common stock on March 20th in a total transaction size of $202.5K.

16:38 EDT FutureFuel declares special cash dividend of $3.00 per share - FutureFuel announced that it had declared a special cash dividend of $3.00 per share on its common stock, with a record date of April 3 and a payment date of April 17.

16:34 EDT Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut expanding team to serve delivery, carryout, curbside - Pizza Hut is hiring and putting new procedures in place to meet the changing demands of customers during this critical time. With an increased focus on the safety of both customers and employees, Pizza Hut is now offering Contactless Delivery nationwide. Pizza Hut and its franchisees are hiring, with more than 30,000 open positions currently available nationwide. These are permanent positions. Available jobs include cooks, shift leaders, restaurant managers, and virtual call center agents. Pizza Hut is also hiring more drivers to meet an increased delivery demand as more customers order to eat at home. Pizza Hut is also expediting its hiring and onboarding process to accommodate people who are looking for jobs now, and to get delivery drivers on the road more rapidly, and ultimately to get customers their pizza quicker. The new process aims to have delivery drivers trained and on the road safely in five hours, which is nearly 3x quicker than the previous training procedure.

16:33 EDT Pieris Pharmaceuticals provides update on Servier collaboration - Pieris Pharmaceuticals announced an update on its strategic immuno-oncology collaboration with Servier, originally established in 2017. After conducting an extensive portfolio review, Servier has decided to focus on continued and accelerated development of the two most advanced programs, including PRS-344/S095012, and to discontinue development of the two earlier-stage programs in the collaboration. Pieris and Servier will continue the development of PRS-344/S095012, a 4-1BB/PD-L1 bispecific and the lead program in the collaboration. Pieris holds exclusive commercialization rights for PRS-344/S095012 in the United States and will receive royalties on ex-U.S. sales for this program. The companies will also prioritize the development of PRS-352, a preclinical-stage program addressing undisclosed targets, and for which Servier has worldwide rights. Pieris is working to complete the non-GLP preclinical work for that program and expects to hand it over to Servier this year for IND-enabling activities. Pieris will retain all rights to the discontinued programs and will consider development and strategic options with regard to those programs upon reviewing the data generated as part of the collaboration. "We are very pleased with the collaboration with Pieris. Over the past three years, significant progress has been made in the research programs of two drug candidates," said Patrick Therasse, Head of Servier Research and Development Oncology. "We believe that focusing our joint efforts on the later-stage bispecific programs will drive the greatest value in the collaboration, and we are enthusiastic about the prospect of bringing PRS-344/S095012, the most advanced of these two programs, into the clinic soon. Immuno-oncology is one of the two major axes of Servier's oncology research in order to develop promising innovative and effective treatments for cancer patients."

16:32 EDT Boeing to hold virtual 2020 annual meeting of shareholders - Boeing will host its 2020 annual meeting of shareholders virtually due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to prioritize the health and well-being of meeting participants. The 2020 annual meeting of shareholders will be held in a virtual format only at 9 a.m. Central time on April 27. Shareholders will not be able to attend the 2020 annual meeting in person.

16:32 EDT Milestone Pharmaceuticals plunges over 73% after clinical trial results - Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. shares were recently down 73.30% or $3.74 per share to $10.26 per share after hours as a clinical trial missed its primary endpoint. The NODE-301 trial, which enrolled a total of 431 patients across 65 sites in the U.S. and Canada, is an event-driven Phase 3 efficacy trial of etripamil for terminating supraventricular tachycardia episodes in the at-home setting. Etripamil did not achieve its primary endpoint of time to conversion of SVT to sinus rhythm compared to placebo over the five hour period following study drug administration for etripamil vs. 50 minutes.

16:31 EDT Aptiv withdraws guidance, suspends dividend, draws down on credit facility - Aptiv's financial position is very strong. However, given the increasing levels of uncertainty, the company believes it is prudent to further enhance its financial flexibility and liquidity by drawing down all remaining amounts, approximately $1.4B, on its Revolving Credit Facility. With the additional funds, the company will have cash on hand of approximately $1.7B and $2B outstanding under the existing revolver facility. To further increase capital preservation during the pandemic, Aptiv's Board of Directors also voted to suspend the company's dividend of approximately $225M annually. The company has taken decisive actions to manage costs, capital spending, and working capital to further strengthen liquidity, including the ramping down of certain production facilities in response to customer plant closures and changes in vehicle production schedules. "The long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families, our customers, and the broader communities where we operate is our primary concern, and we have implemented robust measures in each of our facilities to keep our employees safe," said Kevin Clark, President and CEO, Aptiv. "We are also taking meaningful actions in partnership with our key stakeholders in every region to preserve our financial strength and successfully navigate the uncertainty ahead." "We entered these unprecedented times with an incredibly strong balance sheet, robust business model, and strategically positioned product portfolio. We have the right strategy, the right portfolio, and most importantly, the right people to enable a safer, greener, and more connected future of mobility. I remain very confident in Aptiv's long-term success," added Clark. As the company previously commented, the current environment is highly uncertain. The impacts of COVID-19 are increasingly reducing visibility into when customers' plants will be fully operational, as well as creating the potential for lower consumer demand and additional supply chain interruptions, which could adversely impact vehicle production. As a result, the company has determined to withdraw guidance at this time. Aptiv will provide a business update on its first quarter earnings call next month.

16:23 EDT Salarius says minimal impact to operations from COVID-19 outbreak - "In closing, we must acknowledge that the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak is impacting every corner of society and business. We are thankful to report that thus far Salarius' operations continue with minimal interruption, however the ever-changing nature of the situation makes it challenging to forecast what may occur. This includes the Seclidemstat clinical trials where the health and safety of the patients and their families is paramount. Should developments occur, we will communicate such information."

16:21 EDT Weingarten Realty draws down $482M credit facility, withdraws FY20 guidance - Weingarten Realty issued the following statement regarding the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The company's transformed portfolio is very strong and diversified with 170 shopping centers located in 16 states with 80% containing a grocery component. Additionally, approximately 75% of the average base rent of the portfolio comes from national and regional tenants. Through February 2020, operating results and rental payments are in-line with the company's expectations. However, as we interface with our tenants it is clear that there is much uncertainty as to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to businesses. Although it is too early to know the extent of the impact, the company is withdrawing its previously provided 2020 guidance. The company's balance sheet is among the strongest in the sector, with Net Debt to EBITDAre an exceptional 5.17 times as of year-end 2019. However, given these perilous and difficult times, WRI has drawn down the remaining $482 million available under its $500 million Revolving Credit Facility to increase liquidity and preserve financial flexibility.

16:18 EDT FTS International takes actions in response to oil market downturn - FTS International announced that it is taking several actions in response to unprecedented conditions in the oil market. "Just over two weeks ago, our business was growing and we had a full frac calendar," said Michael Doss, CEO. "However, in response to current conditions, many of our customers have already dropped fleets or will be dropping fleets over the next couple of months. Pressure pumping companies, like FTSI, are also giving price concessions that are expected to significantly reduce margins across the industry. Accordingly, we have initiated aggressive measures to reduce costs and position us for future success." "Low oil prices combined with limited, if any, access to capital has ensured that our customers are reacting quicker than ever before," Doss continued. "In return, our response must also be quick and decisive to ensure we adapt to the changing environment. The steps we have taken this week are difficult, but necessary." Actions that the company has taken to date include: Furloughing crews that no longer have scheduled work and related support staff. Reducing executive salaries by 25%, on top of a 15% reduction already in place for 2020. Rolling furloughs and/or reducing salaries/hourly rates for non-executive SG&A and manufacturing staff. Reducing stage bonuses and travel time pay for crews. Suspending bonuses to eligible SG&A staff under the company's short-term incentive plan, except for the safety component. "The top priority of FTSI remains the health and safety of our employees, customers and communities in which we perform our services," Doss said. "We will continue to take every necessary precaution related to COVID-19 as we work with our customers to persevere through this challenging time."

16:17 EDT ResMed CEO says working with governments to assess needs amid pandemic - ResMed released a statement from CEO Mick Farrell regarding the evolving coronavirus disease outbreak: "As a global leader in respiratory medicine, ResMed stands with the world in the face of the latest coronavirus disease COVID-19 and is ready to help mitigate its effects, helping people breathe while their immune system fights this virus. More than 7,500 ResMedians are working in over 140 countries for this purpose. We are working with governments, health authorities, hospitals, physicians, and patients worldwide to assess their needs, and to deliver the ventilation therapy that is essential to treat the respiratory complications of COVID-19. Our primary focus is to maximize the availability of ResMed ventilators and other respiratory support devices for the patients that need them most. As global leaders in digital health, we're proud that many of our ventilators and bilevel respiratory devices are cloud-connected, enabling physicians and respiratory specialists to remotely monitor their patients. There could not be a clearer case for the use of digital health and remote monitoring of patients than this current crisis with a virus that is so contagious stemming from direct human contact."

16:13 EDT Green Plains donates industrial ethanol for hand sanitizer production - Green Plains announced it has donated industrial ethanol to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, or NDCS, for the use in the production of hand sanitizer. "It has never been more imperative for Green Plains employees to help support local communities and do our part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19," said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer of Green Plains "With a severe shortage of hand sanitizer, donating our industrial ethanol to the state of Nebraska is the least we could do in this challenging environment." The donated product is made at Green Plains' York facility, which currently produces 50M gallons of 200-proof industrial ethanol for use in global markets each year. With the increased need for hand sanitizer, the company is now focusing its efforts to help communities in Nebraska and across the country where there are shortages of this product. Once the hand sanitizer is produced at NDCS, it will be given to high priority facilities impacted by the coronavirus.

16:12 EDT Acura provides update on development of LTX-03 - Acura Pharmaceuticals announced that Abuse Deterrent Pharma, its licensee of LTX-03, has engaged Catalent Pharma Solutions to perform tablet manufacturing for clinical testing supplies of the product. Acura previously engaged Catalent to perform micro-particle process development for LTX-03 using hot-melt extrusion technology at Catalent's Somerset, New Jersey facility before transferring to scaled production in Winchester, Kentucky, and which work is pending receipt of auxiliary manufacturing equipment expected in the next 30 days. LIMITx Technology is designed to retard the release of active drug ingredients when too many tablets are accidentally or purposefully ingested by neutralizing stomach acid with buffer ingredients, but to also deliver efficacious amounts of drug when taken as a single tablet with a nominal buffer dose. Acura's clinical testing to date indicates a reduction in opioid peak drug concentration of up to 65% may be achieved in overdose situations and a study in an animal model demonstrated Cmax is associated with acute respiratory depression which increases the probability of death due to overdose.

16:08 EDT Ares Capital says too early to quantify impacts of COVID-19 on business - Ares Capital announced that it issued an open letter to its stakeholders regarding a business update amid the coronavirus pandemic. "With the global outbreak of COVID-19, we are making sure to provide for the needs of our teams, our business partners, our portfolio companies and our stakeholders," the letter reads. "We understand that these are challenging times for everyone and want to assure our stakeholders that our investment adviser's highly experienced management team and dedicated employees are fully operational and working hard during the current disruptions in our lives and our business. Since the outbreak occurred and escalated, we have been in constant dialogue with our portfolio companies and their owners to evaluate each situation independently and to identify how we can be supportive. Due to our direct sourcing approach and our investment adviser's tenure in the market, we have strong, trusted relationships with the management teams and the private equity sponsors that own the companies in our portfolio. Our initial conversations with these constituents have been constructive. While it is too early to quantify the impacts of COVID-19 on Ares Capital, we want to highlight our positioning, provide an update on our liquidity and financing structure and emphasize many of the competitive advantages that have set us apart and which are more important than ever." "In conclusion, we are all facing uncertainty and challenges stemming from the developing COVID-19 pandemic," the letter continued. "Rest assured that we are intensely focused on managing our portfolio and being disciplined stewards of our stakeholders' capital. We have successfully navigated market cycles and disruptions in the past and believe that we are well positioned to weather the current market and emerge as a strong company in a more favorable investing environment after the disruption. As always, we appreciate your support and we look forward to discussing our company with you in the weeks ahead."

16:07 EDT Gaming and Leisure Properties withdraws prior guidance due to COVID-19 - Gaming and Leisure Properties provided an update on its business given the evolving situation surrounding the nationwide spread of COVID-19 and the related efforts to contain the virus. The Company's properties reported strong Gross Gaming Revenue in January and February that exceeded its internal projections. However, management is currently monitoring ongoing events to better understand the timeline and geographic footprint of interruptions to the operations of properties since state and regulatory authorities began mandating the closure of its tenants' gaming facilities on March 13, 2020. In addition, the company's wholly-owned and operated TRS operating properties - Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge and Hollywood Casino Perryville - are following government directives for closure and will continue to follow precautionary guidelines once they re-open. Given the current operating environment and the need to have a clearer understanding of the timeline and impact related to the interruption to property operations, the Company today is withdrawing the 2020 guidance it provided on February 20, 2020. The Company's focus remains on maintaining a strong balance sheet, liquidity, and financial flexibility through an indefinite period of property closures and it recently drew just over $530 million on its revolving credit facility to provide additional near-term liquidity. Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our management team has a long track record of managing through challenging market conditions, as do the management teams at our portfolio of 42 gaming and related facilities where we own the underlying real estate. In addition, our assets remain a strong and integral component of state budgets across the country given their relevance and significance to tax revenue generation. As the properties in our portfolio begin to open and start the process of returning to normalized operations, our geographically diversified portfolio stands to play an important role in the recovery process, providing a significant source of employment and an equally significant source of state tax revenue generation."

16:06 EDT Rocky Brands says will continue to ship product from Ohio distribution center - Rocky Brands announced it will continue operations and shipments from its distribution center in Logan, Ohio following Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health issuing a "Stay at Home" order for all nonessential businesses from March 24 through April 6, 2020. The company's 200,000-square-foot distribution center, based on review of the order, has been deemed as an essential infrastructure business operation. The distribution center currently has approximately 1.3 million pairs of footwear in inventory and stands ready to ship the company's work, duty and outdoor footwear to customers throughout the country. Rocky Brands' manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are under government orders to not operate for the next 14 days. These plants produce approximately half of the Company's products, with the remainder being produced by contract manufacturers in other countries - primarily China - where manufacturing resumed at the end of February. As a result of the current unprecedented period of uncertainty, including the unknown duration and overall impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, Rocky Brands has acted to preserve financial liquidity and flexibility in order to successfully manage its operations during the crisis. Rocky Brands began having its corporate staff work remotely last week. The company will continue operations at the distribution center, while also taking steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its employees there. To that end, Rocky Brands has implemented several policies in accordance with CDC and Ohio Department of Health guidelines. This includes limiting contact among staff members, conducting daily health screenings, ongoing cleaning and sanitization of the entire facility and dividing employees into work teams who will work one week on and one week off.

16:06 EDT Citizens Community suspends stock repurchase plan in response to coronavirus - Citizens Community Bancorp announced its board voted to immediately suspend its stock repurchase plan in response to the coronavirus on March 20. This action is effective until further notice.

16:04 EDT Superior Industries to halt production, draws $160M and EUR48M credit line - Superior Industries provided a business update regarding COVID-19, and its impact on the automotive industry and Superior's operations. The impact from the COVID-19 pandemic has driven unprecedented market volatility over the last several weeks and is having a widespread adverse effect on the automotive industry on both consumer demand and OEM automotive production. While the extent of the impact is unknown and the situation is evolving rapidly, key customers have announced temporary closure of nearly all production facilities in Europe and North America. The announced timing and duration of these closures varies by customer and facility, but the outcome is highly uncertain. In light of this uncertainty, Superior is taking further action to both ensure the health and safety of its employees globally and respond to the current industry production environment by reducing costs and managing liquidity. The company anticipates that production at all its facilities will be halted in the coming days; however, the duration of these closures will be dependent on how the situation evolves. Other actions to minimize the impact of the lower production levels on profit and cash flow include significantly reducing capital expenditures, balancing the company's labor force with the production outlook, and reducing discretionary spending. In addition, out of an abundance of caution in this uncertain time, the company has fully drawn its $160M U.S. revolving credit line and has drawn EUR 48Mon its EUR 60M European revolving credit line. Both revolving credit facilities mature in May 2022. Superior does not anticipate any issues meeting the financial covenants under these facilities. These funds, along with existing cash already on hand, afford Superior significant available cash liquidity. The company has no other significant funded debt obligations until May 2024. Superior has maintained liquidity levels in line with year-end 2019, well in excess of $250 million.

16:03 EDT Iveric bio names Pravin U. Dugel chief strategy and business officer - Iveric bio announced the appointment of Pravin U. Dugel, MD, as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Business Officer, effective April 1, 2020. In this role, Dr. Dugel will help shape IVERIC bio's business development strategy going forward. "We are excited to add Pravin to our management team," stated Glenn P. Sblendorio, Chief Executive Officer and President of IVERIC bio. "In addition to being a globally recognized retinal specialist, Pravin brings an extensive network and long-standing relationships with the biotech/pharma ophthalmic industry. With IVERIC bio's portfolio of multiple ongoing retinal disease therapeutic and gene therapy R&D programs, Pravin's experience will be instrumental in helping us build alliances with potential future collaborators and other stakeholders. We look forward to Pravin's input and perspective as we move the Company forward." Dugel was previously Managing Partner, Retinal Consultants of Arizona and the Retinal Research Institute; Clinical Professor, USC Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; and Founding Member, Spectra Eye Institute in Sun City, Arizona.

16:02 EDT Amgen, Amgen Foundation commit up to $12.5M to support COVID-19 relief efforts - Amgen and the Amgen Foundation announced an initial commitment of up to $12.5M to support U.S. and global relief efforts to address critical needs in communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will be used to support emergency response efforts in Amgen's U.S. and international communities, patient-focused organizations that are mounting their own response efforts, and international relief efforts by Direct Relief and International Medical Corps. The Amgen Foundation will also match donations made by Amgen staff around the globe who wish to contribute their own funds to the relief efforts.

15:57 EDT Icahn Enterprises confirms intent to maintain $2.00 per unit dividend - In response to investor inquiries and market speculation, Icahn Enterprises confirmed that it is the intention of the Board of Directors of the general partner of Icahn Enterprises to maintain the regular quarterly distribution, in the amount of $2.00 per depositary unit, for the foreseeable future. Depositary unitholders will continue to have the right to make an election each quarter to receive either cash or additional depositary units; if a unitholder does not make an election, it will automatically be deemed to have elected to receive the distribution in cash. "Icahn Enterprises and its subsidiaries maintain ample liquidity to take advantage of attractive opportunities for their respective businesses. Icahn Enterprises' liquid assets - comprised of cash and cash equivalents and investments in the investment funds comprising Icahn Enterprises' Investment segment - totaled over $6 billion as of March 20, 2020. This does not include the indicative net asset value of Icahn Enterprises' operating subsidiaries, which totaled approximately $5.5 billion as of December 31," the master limited partnership said.

15:22 EDT First Interstate says has enhanced oversight and monitoring of credit portfolio - In a regulatory filing earlier, First Interstate said: "Although we have not seen any material impacts to our clients at this time, we have enhanced our oversight and monitoring of our credit portfolio." In presentation slides, First Insterstate said it has "no hotel loan with a balance greater than $20M" and that "approximately $162M of Hotel Portfolio Commitments are Construction loans to be completed later in 2020."

14:58 EDT Mondelez plans to hire additional 1,000 U.S. employees amid COVID-19 spread - Mondelez International announced a series of actions that will enhance its ability, as a large U.S. food manufacturer, to keep its food supply going, protect its employees and support communities impacted by COVID-19. This includes enhanced benefits and support for its U.S. workforce, the hiring of additional U.S. colleagues and a global Mondelez International commitment to donate $15M to community partners advancing COVID-19 relief efforts in the U.S. and around the world. The company has already implemented enhanced protocols and protections to provide a safe and sanitary work environment for its colleagues, including significant steps to support employees in manufacturing facilities, distribution and logistics operations and sales organizations. In the U.S., the company is announcing additional support for its employees who are doing such important work during this challenging time, including: A $2 per-hour increase, based on number of hours worked (paid as a lump sum), from today through May 2nd, for our Manufacturing, Distribution and Sales hourly workforce; A $125 per-week bonus for our Sales Representatives. To meet additional marketplace demand and reinforce our current workforce, the company is also announcing that it expects to hire 1,000 frontline U.S. employees to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of our U.S. distribution and sales network in the coming months. The company encourages individuals who may been displaced by the closing of other businesses to apply for these positions.

14:33 EDT Greene County Bancorp trading resumes

14:28 EDT Greene County Bancorp trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:12 EDT PolyMet Mining 'disappointed in the court's decision' on Minnesota air permit - Poly Met Mining, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PolyMet Mining, issued the following statement regarding today's Minnesota Court of Appeals decision remanding the air permit to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to provide more information: "We are disappointed in the court's decision and are evaluating all legal options. We believe the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in its permit appropriately accounted for the potential effects of the NorthMet Project. We stand ready to provide the additional information the agency might need to update its decision on the air permit. We demonstrated through the extensive environmental review and permitting process that we can meet or exceed Minnesota's strict standards for nonferrous mines. This mine will provide much needed jobs to a region of the state known for its expertise in safe mining. We are continuing to move forward."

14:05 EDT Google Cloud announces beta launch of Game Servers - Google Cloud has announced the beta launch of Game Servers, which provides "simplified dedicated game server management." Game Servers fully manages Agones, an open source project that runs on Kubernetes. Game Servers takes the pain out of managing your game server infrastructure, so you can focus on creating great games faster, without increasing complexity or compromising on performance, Google said. Automatically scale your fleet for daily peaks, game events, or content drops, and easily manage multiple versions of your game server code, the company added. Reference Link

13:50 EDT Sanderson confirms positive coronavirus test at Mississippi plant - Sanderson Farms confirmed that an employee at the company's McComb, Mississippi, processing plant has tested positive for novel coronavirus. "This individual's work area was contained to one small processing table," Sanderson said in a statement. "Upon learning of this case, we took a number of immediate steps to protect the health and safety of our employees," said Joe F. Sanderson, CEO of Sanderson Farms. "Following CDC and local health department guidelines, and procedures developed in consultation with an infectious disease physician, we identified six individuals in the work area who could be at risk, and those employees, along with the infected employee, have been sent home to self-quarantine with pay. We also conducted a thorough cleaning of the affected work area as well as all of our other facilities over the weekend. We notified all other personnel at the McComb plant of the confirmed case and will continue to work in close partnership with the local health department in McComb and the Mississippi State Department of Health for guidance. We will follow these same procedures if other employees at any of our facilities test positive for the virus. All of our locations, including McComb, continue normal operations." Sanderson has also implemented a site infection control plan at all its locations. 'Recognizing that very few of Sanderson Farms' employees can do their jobs remotely, the Company's processing and production sites are continuously evaluating staffing needs, as well as on-site health and safety measures to manage through this pandemic," it added.

13:38 EDT BJ's Wholesale announces dedicated hours for members age 60 and over - In addition to the programs for team members, BJ's is supporting its members and communities. Dedicated Shopping Hours: All locations have a designated shopping hour from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily for its members age 60 and over. Member Safety: BJ's continues to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure clubs exceed the company's already high standards for general hygiene and health practices. Getting Members What They Need: The company is focused on getting high-demand products to its clubs as quickly as possible and offering members alternative shopping methods like Buy Online, Pick Up in-Club and Same-Day Delivery. The BJ's Charitable Foundation also announced $500,000 in donations to support local and national organizations providing essential services and support to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

13:28 EDT Ackman bought more shares of Berkshire, Hilton, Lowe's - Pershing Square's Bill Ackman is speaking on Bloomberg TV.

13:25 EDT Ackman says thinks Starbucks is a 'great' company

13:23 EDT Ackman says 'the good news here is capitalism works'

13:22 EDT Pershing Square's Bill Ackman says bought stock in Starbucks - Ackman is speaking on Bloomberg TV.

13:20 EDT Ackman says buying more shares of Hilton - Pershing Square's Bill Ackman is speaking on CNBC.

13:20 EDT Polaris Industries trading resumes

13:10 EDT INTL FCStone trading resumes

13:05 EDT Polaris drawing down additional cash under credit facilities, halts buybacks - Polaris said it entered this pandemic crisis "in a solid capital position and has decided to take additional steps as a precautionary measure to further increase financial flexibility and liquidity during this period." The company is: Drawing down additional cash under its revolving credit facility; Reviewing all operating expenses and postponing capital expenditures that do not impact near-term programs; Suspending its share repurchase program; Optimizing working capital needs; Exploring access to additional capital with its lending partners. Mike Speetzen, Polaris' CFO, commented, "We are managing through unprecedented times, and as a result, we are taking proactive, prudent steps to enable the flexibility and liquidity of the Company for the long-term. As of March 20, 2020, we have approximately $150 million in cash on hand, and another approximately $280 million available under our current revolver. We believe the actions we are taking today will enhance our ability to withstand this heightened global economic turmoil."

13:04 EDT ChannelAdvisor CEO says profitability and liquidity 'have remained strong' - ChannelAdvisor CEO David Spitz said in a letter to shareholders disclosed earlier today in a regulatory filing, "Let me begin by sharing that we have continued to see solid e-commerce transaction volumes thus far this quarter, including month-to-date in March as of the time of this writing...Many of you have asked about our view of the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on our industry and how it might affect our business. While the immediate situation remains fluid and difficult to predict, it is possible that worldwide efforts to implement social distancing (work from home, cancellation of events and large gatherings, etc.) can actually boost e-commerce -- people still need to buy things and buying online is an effective way to avoid crowds...I would also like to highlight the financial strength of our business. About 80% of our revenues in recent years have been recurring revenues, so we believe we are less vulnerable than many businesses to sudden, dramatic impacts to the top line, highlighting one of the benefits of a SaaS model like ours. Our profitability and liquidity have remained strong, too...Our financial position has continued to be strong, and we intend to keep it that way and to adapt as necessary to changes in our environment...We have also frozen all business travel world-wide. Importantly, our platform has been cloud-based since our founding in 2001 and nothing about our technology, services, or ability to sell requires any dependence on our physical office locations or travel."

13:01 EDT Uber says Uber Freight still committed to supporting carriers, shipper partners - Uber said that Uber Freight remains committed to supporting carriers and shipper partners by providing 24/7 service and support, and keeping operations "running strong." Since March 13, the FMCSA has suspended federal hours-of-service regulations for operations engaged in emergency relief related to COVID-19. In this time, Uber Freight has helped move nearly 4,000 relief loads including food, water and medical supplies and worked with nearly 2,000 facilities to update their site-specific operational requirements, the company said, adding that it is rolling out a series of initiatives to support carriers and shippers as well as help keep essential goods moving throughout these uncertain times. Over the coming weeks as the current FMCSA hours-of-service suspension is in place, all relief loads booked via the Uber Freight shipper platform will be hauled with zero profit pricing for Uber Freight. In addition, Uber said it will be sending drivers hauling loads through the Uber Freight app a weekly $20 credit towards any meal ordered on Uber Eats. As part of a broader effort to help keep carriers safe on the road during this time, Uber added that it is committing to provide thousands of sanitation kits to small carriers using Uber Freight. Supplies will be distributed directly to carriers as early as possible and will be shared with the company's most active small carriers that have under twelve trucks. "As we navigate this challenging time together as an industry, we will continue to look for ways to support the many businesses that keep supply chains running smoothly and our community stores stocked," Uber said. Reference Link

12:59 EDT Toyota to suspend production at 5 Japan plants in April as demand slows - Toyota announced that it will suspend assembly lines at five domestic group plants next month to offset the slump in offshore demand due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The automaker will halt seven lines starting April 3. The shutdowns are due to last until April 15 at the longest, though the company may extend the suspension depending on foreign demand trends. The plants/production lines other than the five will remain its operation as usual, Toyota said. Reference Link

12:48 EDT Boeing to temporarily suspend Puget Sound production operations for 14 days - Boeing announced a temporary suspension of production operations at its Puget Sound area facilities in light of the state of emergency in Washington state and the company's continuous assessment of the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in the region. "These actions are being taken to ensure the well-being of employees, their families and the local community, and will include an orderly shutdown consistent with the requirements of its customers," the company said. Boeing plans to begin reducing production activity today and projects the suspension of such operations to begin on Wednesday, March 25, at sites across the Puget Sound area. The suspension of production operations will last 14 days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19 and its associated impacts on all company operations. During this time, the company will be conducting additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and establishing rigorous criteria for return to work. Production employees should continue to report for their assigned shifts today and will receive guidance on their role in the suspension shutdown process. Puget Sound area-based employees who can work from home will continue to do so. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for the initial 10 working days of the suspension - double the company policy - which will provide coverage for the 14 calendar day suspension period. When the suspension is lifted, Boeing will take an orderly approach to restarting production with a focus on safety, quality and meeting customer commitments. This will be a key step to enabling the aerospace sector to bridge to recovery. "This necessary step protects our employees and the communities where they work and live. We continue to work closely with public health officials, and we're in contact with our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders who are affected by this temporary suspension. We regret the difficulty this will cause them, as well as our employees, but it's vital to maintain health and safety for all those who support our products and services, and to assist in the national effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. We will keep our employees, customers and supply chain top of mind as we continue to assess the evolving situation. This is an unprecedented time for organizations and communities across the globe," said Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun. "Boeing is working to minimize this suspension's impact on the company's ability to deliver and support its defense and space programs, and ensure the readiness of our defense customers to perform their vital missions. Boeing will work closely with those customers in the coming days to develop plans that ensure customers are supported throughout this period. Critical distribution operations in support of airline, government, and maintenance, repair and overhaul customers will continue," the company added.

12:39 EDT Verizon announces customer support measures, new internet options for low-income - Verizon announced that it continues to support customers "who may find themselves needing additional data in order to learn, work or keep connected during this challenging time." For those residential and small business wireless customers whose economic circumstances have been impacted due to the coronavirus, Verizon is waiving overage charges in addition to its "Keep Americans Connected" pledge to not terminate service and waive late fees, the company said. "We're also offering new internet options for low-income households and adding 15GB of 4G LTE data to consumer and small business plans automatically," Verizon announced.

12:31 EDT David Tepper 'nibbling' on stocks, wants states to come together - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management, while speaking on CNBC, said he has begun "nibbling" on stocks in the technology, healthcare and hospital sectors following the recent selloff. However, the market could drop another 10% to 15% from current levels, Tepper warned. The billionaire wants states to come together to formulate a plan to get out of lockdown mode and back into distancing. This will give the market confidence, according to Tepper, who noted he has money on the sidelines waiting for a plan from the states and hospitals having the necessary equipment to treat COVID-19 patients. Tepper believes getting out of lockdown could take 20 to 30 days, not months.

12:24 EDT Microsoft prioritizing cloud access for first responders, government agencies - In a blog post, Microsoft's Azure cloud services business said that it is working closely with first responder organizations and critical government agencies to ensure it is prioritizing their unique needs and providing them with its fullest support amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is also partnering with governments around the globe to ensure local datacenters have on-site staffing and all functions are running properly. "As demand continues to grow, if we are faced with any capacity constraints in any region during this time, we have established clear criteria for the priority of new cloud capacity," the company said. "Top priority will be going to first responders, health and emergency management services, critical government infrastructure organizational use, and ensuring remote workers stay up and running with the core functionality of Teams. We will also consider adjusting free offers, as necessary, to ensure support of existing customers." Reference Link

12:21 EDT Tepper says President needs to use powers to get equipment to hospitals - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:19 EDT Tepper says has money on sidelines for when states come together with plan - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:15 EDT Tepper says New York cases may peak in 2-3 weeks - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:12 EDT Tepper says market may be near bottom with stimulus package - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:11 EDT Tepper says 'nibbling' on stocks right now, but they can go lower - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:10 EDT Royal Caribbean trading resumes

12:06 EDT Tepper says distancing will last months, lockdown should not - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:04 EDT Tepper says hospitals need equipment so we can get out of lockdown mode - David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is speaking on CNBC.

12:03 EDT Santander US announces COVID-19 relief efforts - Santander US announced that it is taking important steps across its businesses to assist and support its customers, employees and communities impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition, Santander has taken numerous precautionary measures to help mitigate the risk of contagion. "We are assisting current customers who reach out to our Customer Assistance Team, including: Expanded payment deferrals; Waiving late charges; Lease extensions for lessees unable to return their vehicles. Temporary payment suspension, and refunding late payment and overdraft fees; Stopping collections calls, and suspending mortgage and home equity line of credit foreclosures; Waiving CD early withdrawal penalties, and waiving outgoing wire fees for consumers. Established a Temporary Emergency Paid Leave Program that provides employees with up to 80 hours of additional paid time off to use - either continuously or intermittently, and before exhausting other paid time off - to assist with dependent care needs related to the Coronavirus; Providing $250 a week in pay premiums for branch and other frontline customer support workers to help defray additional costs incurred while coming to work during the pandemic." The company added that "Starting March 23, 2020, some of our branches will temporarily become Limited Service locations, which will continue to perform teller transactions such as depositing and cashing checks, handling requests for cash withdrawals, money orders and cashier's checks either in the lobby or at the drive-thru; investment, mortgage, and business specialists will be available by appointment or over the phone."

12:02 EDT Westwater Resources says business 'largely unaffected' amid COVID-19 spread - Westwater Resources sent the following letter to "friends and shareholders": In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and turbulent financial markets, I want to provide an update on our activities at Westwater Resources. Our sympathies are with anyone directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19, whether they are a family member, friend, first responder, or medical professional. We believe that the steps we are taking as a country to contain this outbreak have consequences, and we hope the best for you and your families. Our business is largely unaffected at this time. Even though we have closed our offices, our team is able to work remotely where possible. Our continued focus on the health and safety of our employees, the safety of our operations, and the safety of the communities in which we live and work remains paramount. To that end, we have eliminated unnecessary travel, instituted health protocols for working together, and ensured that our employees are permitted to take time off due to illness or the illness of those around them without penalty. Where we can do so, we have instituted remote working arrangements for our employees using systems that we already had in place. As a result, our business will continue on as before, without interruption. Our graphite business plan continues without pause. We visited our technical consulting partner, Dorfner Anzaplan, as well as equipment manufacturers in January. They continue to produce results that inform our pilot plant operations, which are presently scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. The Company expects to issue press releases outlining the project's progress. We remain excited about the battery materials markets, the end markets for those products, and the part we plan to play in supplying critical materials to serve them. These are turbulent times. We wish you and your families good health and safety. Know that our employees are safe and we continue working towards advancing our business to prepare for a time when business, industry, and financial markets return to normalcy."

12:00 EDT Vapotherm rises 19.1% - Vapotherm is up 19.1%, or $2.16 to $13.44.

12:00 EDT Britannia Bulk rises 29.8% - Britannia Bulk is up 29.8%, or $3.55 to $15.46.

11:51 EDT Utah Medical Products trading resumes

11:46 EDT Royal Caribbean trading halted, news pending

11:41 EDT Golar LNG announces COD at 1.5GW Sergipe power plant - Golar LNG Limited announces that Golar Power Limited, a joint venture with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, has reached COD on the 1.5GW Porto de Sergipe I Power Project. On March 21, Golar Power received its commercial operations certificate from ANEEL, the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency. This allows commercial operations to commence at the 1.5GW Sergipe power station. "Commencement of power plant operations also triggered the start of bareboat charter payments for the 100% Golar Power owned FSRU Golar Nanook. Annual revenues less forecasted operating costs, of $43.9M, adjusted annually for inflation based on US CPI, are expected. Revenues less forecasted operating costs over the life of the Nanook contract without further inflation adjustment are estimated at $1.1B, of which Golar LNG's 50% share is expected to be $549M. Further upside can be expected from the downstream LNG distribution business that will be developed using the significant spare capacity on board the FSRU," the company said.

11:31 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: 'Today, we can get masks and gowns to who needs them' - Governor Cuomo added "there's no guarantee for next week which is why the federal government needs to implement the Federal Defense Production Act."

11:23 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: Normal operations will continue, there is no chaos - Governor Cuomo said, "The net effect of this: many will get the virus but few are endangered."

11:17 EDT NYS Governor: 'We must start to plan NY FORWARD' - Governor Cuomo said his team is working on a plan to restart the economy with a mind on the public health. "Something we have to focus on."

11:06 EDT NYS Governor: Federal government should enact Federal Defense Production Act

11:03 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: Issuing emergency order to hospitals to increase capacity - NYS Governor Cuomo is issuing an emergency order to hospitals to increase capacity by 50%. Governor is asking hospitals try to reach a 100% increase but the minimum is a 50% increase. The state is going to entire retired healthcare professionals and asking they voluntarily enlist to help hospitals with staffing.

10:59 EDT El Pollo Loco partners with GrubHub for delivery - El Pollo Loco (LOCO) teams up with Grubhub (GRUB) to provide the communities it serves with more at-home access to food. El Pollo Loco is offering customers free delivery on Grubhub orders at participating locations from March 25 to April 7 to make it easier to enjoy a meal at home. The deliveries continue to be packaged in tamper-free bags that are sealed prior to leaving the restaurant to assure the company is doing everything possible to safeguard the health of its customers. Customers can also order through El Pollo Loco's Drive-Thrus or place orders for take-out, as well as place orders for pick-up on elpolloloco.com or the Company's mobile app.

10:57 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo says increase in cases continue - New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is delivering an update. Reference Link

10:46 EDT Financial Institutions trading resumes

10:43 EDT Planet Fitness trading resumes

10:38 EDT Planet Fitness trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:33 EDT AGNC Investment Corp. trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:20 EDT Eros enters strategic multi-year content deal with NBCUniversal - Eros International announced that Eros Now has entered into a strategic multi-year content deal with NBCUniversal and will launch Eros Now Prime, a new stand-alone English content offering with over 2,000 hours of programming. "Our strategic partnership and multi-year deal with NBCUniversal is only the first step in our Eros Now Prime journey and provides critical mass for our offering today and into the future. NBCUniversal brings a vast array of programming ranging from television series, children's entertainment, scripted and unscripted television series that will significantly enrich our digital offering on Eros Now as we have seen shifts to original and episodic viewing. Alongside current and future Eros Now originals, our Eros Now Prime subscriber base will have access to comedies such as the reboot of the critically acclaimed, 'Will and Grace', compelling dramas such as 'New Amsterdam','Belgravia', 'Suits' including the spin-off 'Pearson' to name a few. Our strategic partnership and multi-year deal with NBCUniversal represents our important first step in English language content offering through the upcoming launch of Eros Now Prime. We are planning to enter into more content agreements with additional partners to augment and build our English language content offering over the coming quarters. All content from our Hollywood content partners will be packaged and served to South Asian audiences under Eros Now Prime, and the brand will to continue to invest in content and marketing."

10:12 EDT Targa Resources trading resumes

10:06 EDT Raytheon, Uptake partner to bring predictive maintenance to M88 fleet - Raytheon Company and Uptake, a company engaged in the development of industrial-use artificial intelligence software, have teamed to bring predictive maintenance capabilities to deployed U.S. Marine Corps teams using M88 armored recovery vehicles. With this partnership, Raytheon brings the technical ability for onboard recording, processing and transfer of large quantities of sensitive data over secure Wi-Fi, while Uptake brings a suite of advanced artificial intelligence software that offers actionable insights at the component level. "Commanders should have data-driven confidence that the vehicles chosen for a critical operation are not trending toward an issue right when it matters the most," said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "These kinds of decisions don't just save dollars and ensure mission success-- they save lives."

10:00 EDT One Liberty Properties falls -24.7% - One Liberty Properties is down -24.7%, or -$3.65 to $11.10.

10:00 EDT Western Midstream falls -24.3% - Western Midstream is down -24.3%, or -$1.28 to $4.00.

10:00 EDT Blue Apron rises 20.2% - Blue Apron is up 20.2%, or $2.05 to $12.20.

09:59 EDT Apollo Medical Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:54 EDT Apollo Medical Holdings Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:52 EDT Carvana trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:52 EDT Bryn Mawr Bank trading resumes

09:51 EDT National Energy Services Reunited Corporation trading resumes

09:50 EDT Bluebird Bio trading resumes

09:50 EDT Flushing Financial announces delay in closing of Empire Bancorp merger - Flushing Financial (FFIC) and Empire Bancorp (EMPK) announced that the closing of the previously announced merger of Empire with and into Flushing will be delayed "due to the severe instability and volatility in the U.S. financial and stock markets." In addition to the volatile markets, the delay is predicated upon the "unprecedented operational challenges" facing both Flushing and Empire due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The companies said, "Flushing and Empire believe that attempting to close the transaction during this time of severe economic uncertainty and wild volatility in stock prices could adversely impact the shareholders of both institutions and would severely strain the ability of both banks to focus on the needs of their customers. The COVID-19 outbreak, and the necessary government and social reaction intended to minimize its impact, have created significant disruption of business, commerce, travel, and normal daily activities in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the United States, adversely affecting the respective customers, employees and shareholders of both Flushing and Empire. Although the long- and short-term consequences of this outbreak continue to rapidly evolve, Flushing and Empire now anticipate that closing of the merger will be more likely to occur at the end of the 2nd quarter or early in the 3rd quarter of 2020, though closing may occur earlier should financial markets and business conditions stabilize sooner."

09:48 EDT Discovery Communications trading resumes

09:48 EDT Mattel trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT MidWestOne trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT Saratoga Investment falls -17.5% - Saratoga Investment is down -17.5%, or -$2.07 to $9.79.

09:47 EDT Bryn Mawr Bank trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT PG&E rises 18.8% - PG&E is up 18.8%, or $1.36 to $8.58.

09:46 EDT CorVel trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:46 EDT LPL Financial trading resumes

09:46 EDT Sunnova Energy International Inc trading resumes

09:45 EDT Fluor trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:45 EDT Lamar Advertising trading resumes

09:44 EDT Acadia trading resumes

09:44 EDT Chimera trading resumes

09:43 EDT Thor Industries trading resumes

09:43 EDT Navient trading resumes

09:43 EDT Goodyear Tire trading resumes

09:41 EDT LPL Financial trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT Bluebird Bio trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT New Residential trading resumes

09:40 EDT Macerich trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT Lamar Advertising trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT Zillow trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:39 EDT Zillow trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT Thor Industries trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT SITE Centers trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT Goodyear Tire trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:37 EDT HCA Holdings trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:37 EDT JBG SMITH Properties trading resumes

09:36 EDT Service Properties Trust trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT New Residential trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT Siebert Financial trading resumes

09:33 EDT HanesBrands trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:31 EDT Seneca Foods trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:30 EDT Q&K International appoints Chengcai Qu to board of directors - Q&K International Group announced that Mr. Chengcai Qu has been appointed as a director of the Company, effective March 23, 2020. Mr. Chengcai Qu has served as Qingke's vice president since 2014. Qingke also announced that Mr. Youyang Li has resigned as a director of the Company and a member of the compensation committee of the Company's board of directors, effective March 23, 2020. Mr. Li resigned for personal reasons and has no disagreement with the Company.

09:29 EDT Fortress Biotech announces $5M preferred stock repurchase program - Fortress Biotech announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $5 million of its 9.375% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock. Fortress appointed ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, Inc. to purchase the stock on behalf of the Company in conformity with the provisions of Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. ThinkEquity may commence purchasing the shares of the Preferred Stock beginning on March 23, 2020 until the earlier of the close of trading on May 31, 2020 or the date that the aggregate purchases reach a total of $5 million. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to acquire any specific number of shares and may be suspended or terminated at any time.

09:24 EDT Freddie Mac to cease issuing LIBOR-indexed floating rate unsecured debt - Freddie Mac announced that, effective immediately, it will cease issuing LIBOR-indexed floating rate unsecured debt securities that mature beyond the end of 2021. The company has no outstanding LIBOR-indexed unsecured debt securities, and it has not issued LIBOR-indexed unsecured debt securities that mature beyond the end of 2021. Freddie Mac's decision to cease issuing LIBOR-indexed floating rate unsecured debt securities is a result of the announcement by the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel member panel banks to make LIBOR submissions after 2021. As a result, market participants should expect LIBOR to be discontinued as a benchmark interest rate, or at least be deemed no longer representative of market interest rates, after 2021.

09:23 EDT BeyondSpring says plinabulin may prevent tissue iron overload - BeyondSpring announced that the Company will present new clinical data on BeyondSpring's first-in-class, late-stage asset, Plinabulin, showing its potential ability to prevent tissue iron overload, a common cause of vital organ damages, in cancer patients who are receiving chronic blood transfusions as a result of their chemotherapy. Dr. Ramon Mohanlal, BeyondSpring's Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Research and Development, will present the data as a poster at this year's National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference. Chemotherapy typically causes myelosuppression, which leads to reduced white and red blood cell counts in cancer patients. During the resulting blood transfusions, a high level of free iron / hemoglobin complex is released in the blood and binds haptoglobin. As a result, the haptoglobin concentration is depleted quickly, leaving the patient unprotected from an increase in toxic iron levels. Increased free iron levels are deposited in the patient's tissue, damaging vital organs such as the heart, liver, endocrine system and bone marrow, which leads to increased morbidity and mortality. The body's natural defense mechanism to neutralize the free iron / hemoglobin complex is haptoglobin which, upon binding, safely removes iron. The data that will be presented at NCCN shows that Plinabulin is a potent inducer of haptoglobin, which could restore the rapid depletion in haptoglobin levels during blood transfusions. A single dose of Plinabulin increased haptoglobin levels in a dose-dependent manner to maximum levels doubling the normal haptoglobin levels for more than three weeks in patients receiving severe myelosuppressive chemotherapies.

09:21 EDT BioLargo formalizes company-wide COVID-19 Employee Guides - The company said, "We wanted to discuss how we as a company are promoting responsible organizational behavior to protect our employees, subcontractors, partners, and customers from spread of the virus: We have formalized company-wide COVID-19 Employee Guides for both our US- and Canada-based business units that provide specific guidelines on hygiene, respiratory etiquette, social distancing, self-isolation, travel restrictions, and more; We are requiring that any employee who develops cold- or flu-like symptoms stays at home and quarantine for the CDC-recommended period of 14 days, and managers are adopting highly flexible sick leave policies to accommodate such practices; Any employee able to carry out normal work functions from home is currently doing so; All company meetings are now virtual using online conferencing tools; All company travel to conferences, trade shows, and non-essential business development trips are postponed or canceled; Our sales and Business Development teams continue to keep an open dialogue with our clients to ensure the safety of all employees; Safety equipment is checked daily to ensure all employees are amply protected as they are working; Office and warehouse areas are sanitized several times daily for those who must work at a main location."

09:19 EDT General Electric says financial position of company 'is sound'

09:18 EDT General Electric says 'each GE business and Corporate will need to adjust'

09:17 EDT BioLargo continuing operations through COVID-19 crisis - BioLargo released a statement from its President & CEO, Dennis P. Calvert, about how it and its subsidiaries are handling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The letter read, in part, "We believe that BioLargo is uniquely positioned to weather the storm of the COVID-19 crisis. Many of our major clients constitute "essential services" - such as municipalities, landfills, air force bases, and so forth. As we are supporting these essential services, our commercial units are continuing to operate and are still solving clients' challenges every day...Our Odor-No-More air quality control division provides an essential service to the waste handling industry, and will continue to do so every day. It continues installations of misting systems at waste facilities, continues to make sales calls, and continues to manufacture, sell and ship product to its customers. Odor-No-More's joint venture in South Korea is proceeding as planned and expects to begin operations in the next 30 days. Our environmental engineering division in Tennessee has a backlog of commercial opportunities. Its engineers are working every day - at home where possible, in an effort to promote social distancing. Existing clients include the seven United States Air Force bases, its waste to energy conversion plant project on the East coast, and its magnesium extraction project in Northern California. New business opportunities continue to present themselves and they are busy making proposals and bids that are moving forward. We also have multiple bids out to serve additional U.S. Air Force bases as part of an expanded effort to serve this key client. Although COVID-19 dominates the news, PFAS water contamination is still a priority concern for municipalities all over the country. We are cautiously optimistic about our EPA Phase II grant application to accelerate the PFAS development work to go commercial and expect to hear from the EPA soon...Our Canadian team at BioLargo Water has a number of assets at its disposal to answer the call to produce needed hand sanitizers in this emergency situation. Our team is formulating a proprietary product using our core technology, in response to a Canadian government request for these high-demand products. Relaxed interim regulations from Health Canada designed to expedite product review and approval encourage company management to believe there is strong potential for rapid production and sales. Our team is uniquely qualified to serve this need with offices located at a government facility that has a fully equipped, qualified and licensed manufacturing facility. With a team of science professionals that have already received over 70 research grants, their technical skills are well known in government circles. They have access to the chemical ingredients and formulations necessary to produce the product. Finally, BioLargo has entered into contract negotiations with a Canadian distributor to manage the selling process. Additional partners and assets are being evaluated to ensure the process can move swiftly. BioLargo Water also continues to work on the commercial pilot project at Sunworks Farm, the last step before full commercialization of the AOS, as well as wrapping up its storm water demonstration pilot. The team has also expanded its grant application activity to support its growing list of opportunities for commercial pilots. It also has a new Regulation Crowdfunding program available at www.waterworksfund.com and we encourage you to see that site for more details about BioLargo Water. We believe it will help us get the word out about our breakthrough science as well as create awareness of the investment opportunity...As we all know, the COVID-19 crisis is creating dramatic changes around the world, in every facet of society. The overall drop of the stock market has contributed to extreme pressure on BioLargo's stock. You know that we have successfully weathered a number of storms in the past, and with your continued support, we believe that we can weather this one too. Despite the current market challenges presented by the COVID-19 outbreak, BioLargo continues to forge ahead. Assuming adequate financing and continued investor support to complement the company's existing financing facility through Lincoln Park Capital, BioLargo stands poised to not only survive the crisis, but emerge strong and ready for growth as its technologies find adoption through partnerships around the world and as growth capital becomes accessible. It is more important than ever for the company's allies to continue their support for the company. Together, we can be successful in building BioLargo into a world-class, leading innovator in cleantech products and services, as we know it is destined to be."

09:15 EDT Heat Biologics collaborates with University of Miami to develop COVID-19 test - Heat Biologics reported that it is collaborating with the University of Miami to develop a proprietary COVID-19 point-of-care diagnostic test. The new test will require a simple pharyngeal throat swab to deliver on-the-spot results on a paper strip in under 30 minutes. In contrast, current tests for COVID-19 usually rely on the use of expensive thermal-cyclers, with results in five to six hours or require blood draws to detect antibodies, indicative of previous exposure. Preliminary research suggests the new test is specific to the novel coronavirus, with no cross-reaction to previous coronavirus subtypes. The test is designed to enable cost-effective manufacturing amenable for mass production and deployment around the world.

09:12 EDT Harvard Bioscience introduces next generation inhalation system - Harvard Bioscience has launched a technology known as Accumulated Inhaled Aerosol for academic researchers, contract research organizations and pharmaceutical companies involved in pre-clinical inhalation and exposure studies. With our new Buxco AIA system, researchers are presented with real-time aerosol amounts inhaled and deposited in subjects' lungs, a breakthrough improvement over the current delivered dose measurement. By reporting those measures against real-time respiratory endpoints using FinePointe software, researchers can now observe a direct correlation between dose and lung function over time. "Researchers worldwide are focused on finding a treatment to COVID-19, and we are proud to provide advanced instrumentation to contribute to this effort," said Jim Green, President and CEO of Harvard Bioscience. "This is a transformational technology that gives our customers the ability to know the delivered dose and the resulting lung function, all on an easy-to-use software platform." Integrating exposure and respiratory capabilities, this system delivers precise amounts of various aerosols to multiple subjects in a uniform, and reproducible manner, then measures pulmonary effects from the same platform. This technology and other new advancements in the Harvard Bioscience inhalation platform provide researchers with novel tools to study COVID-19 and advance development in both the discovery of new therapies and the pre-clinical regulatory phases, as solutions progress toward general clinical use.

09:11 EDT US Foods withdraws FY20 guidance, provides update related to COVID-19 - US Foods announced updates on the impact of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the foodservice industry and its business. "As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, our priority is the health and safety of our associates, customers and communities," said Pietro Satriano, Chairman and CEO. "While the full business impact of COVID-19 is not yet known, we are taking immediate action to reduce our costs to match the slowdown we're seeing in restaurant, hospitality and education case volume. We are also leveraging our supply chain resources to support the retail industry as they experience unprecedented increases in consumer demand. Finally, I would like to thank our associates for their outstanding efforts in continuing to serve our customers during this difficult time." The company believes its strong balance sheet will enable it to weather the economic impact of COVID-19 and has proactively drawn $1 billion under its existing revolving credit facilities to retain as cash on hand. The company has no debt maturing until fiscal 2022 and is actively working to explore additional financing opportunities if needed. US Foods has also secured new opportunities to support and sell to retail outlets like grocery stores and to contract some of its distribution workforce to companies experiencing increased demand. These actions are expected to partially mitigate the declines currently seen in sales to restaurants, hospitality and education customers. Furthermore, the company is taking aggressive steps to reduce operating costs and strengthen its liquidity position by preserving cash, including: Actively managing all areas of working capital; Eliminating all non-critical capital spend Temporary furloughs to match changes in demand; Freezing hiring, deferring corporate wage increases and reducing executive and board compensation; The company is a long-time supplier to the healthcare industry and armed forces and continues to support these customers as they work to serve our communities in this difficult time. US Foods is also supportive of efforts to provide relief for the restaurant industry and is helping its restaurant and hospitality customers adapt to the current situation with tools and resources to build and manage carryout and delivery capabilities. In light of the rapidly evolving impact of COVID-19 on the economy and foodservice and restaurant industries, US Foods is withdrawing its fiscal 2020 guidance.

09:09 EDT MTBC announces completion of CareCloud audit - MTBC announced the successful completion of its CareCloud Corporation audit, and released an update on its integration. "We expect CareCloud to be accretive to earnings during Q3 2020 as a result of the integration steps and expense reductions we have taken in the ten weeks since the acquisition, similar to what we've done with prior acquisitions," said Bill Korn, MTBC CFO. "We completed our audit of CareCloud's financial results for 2018 and 2019, yielding results consistent with our expectations, and filed this on Form 8-K/A with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2020. CareCloud invested heavily in research & development and sales & marketing during these years, and we look forward to capitalizing on these investments through 2020 and beyond."

09:08 EDT Winnebago temporarily suspends production due to coronavirus - Winnebago Industries announced it will be temporarily suspending most production activities at the Company's Winnebago, Grand Design RV, Newmar, and Chris-Craft facilities. This action is in response to the national spread of the coronavirus, the national emergency associated with the virus, and unforeseeable change in business circumstances that have accompanied it. These steps are designed to lower the probability of coronavirus exposure to employees and adjust future production output relative to a fast-changing demand landscape for the Company's products. Winnebago Industries and its businesses will remain open and perform essential activities for its dealers and end customers, including remote retail support for dealers, along with technical care, warranty administration, and parts fulfillment. Each of the Company's businesses will suspend production during the week of March 23rd and based on present conditions, the manufacturing suspension is currently anticipated to last through April 12th. To support employees and their families affected by this temporary production suspension, the Company is providing base pay and benefits for the first two weeks. Winnebago Industries will continue to monitor this situation very closely and is committed to executing contingency plans that ensure a safe work environment for employees and disciplined production strategies that benefit the Company and its channel partners before resuming full operations.

09:06 EDT Sorrento Therapeutics, SmartPharm collaborate to develop vaccine for COVID-19 - In response to the government call for rapidly deployable countermeasures, Sorrento Therapeutics and SmartPharm Therapeutics announced a research and development collaboration to develop a next-generation, gene-encoded antibody vaccine for COVID-19. The collaboration will utilize monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered and/or generated by Sorrento that will be encoded into a gene for delivery utilizing SmartPharm's non-viral nanoparticle platform. Unlike classical antigen-based vaccines, which rely on a patient's immune system to establish efficacy, SmartPharm's gene-encoded antibody platform is designed to directly neutralize the coronavirus by producing the protective antibody directly in the muscle of the individual. This gene-encoded monoclonal antibody delivery platform or Gene MAb bypasses the in vitro antigen production process and potential for vaccine-induced side-effects in immunized individuals. This is especially important in susceptible populations like the elderly, where antigen-based vaccines are significantly less effective for the prevention of respiratory infections such as influenza or coronavirus. The companies expect that this novel approach will enable faster progression to clinic, pending agreement with the FDA. As part of the collaboration, Sorrento and SmartPharm expect to develop a gene-encoded antibody or antibodies that can be administered as a prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Plans for the collaboration may include candidate development as well as filing of an IND application in the next few months.

09:04 EDT Eaton Vance names Jessica Kung as Chief Human Resources Officer - Eaton Vance (EV) announced that Jessica Kung has joined the firm as Chief Human Resources Officer. Based in Boston, Kung will lead Eaton Vance's global human resources efforts, reporting to Daniel Cataldo, Chief Administrative Officer. Kung replaces Mark Burkhard, who will retire in April after 23 years as Eaton Vance's Chief Human Resources Officer. Kung joins Eaton Vance after a 15-year career with Goldman Sachs (GS). Most recently, she was Senior HR Talent Advisor for Goldman Sachs' 10,000-person Consumer & Investment Management Division.

09:03 EDT Best Buy withdrawing all financial guidance for Q1, FY21 - Best Buy said on Saturday that while the company's quarter-to-date sales are ahead of plan, because of the increased uncertainty related to the potential impacts of COVID-19 and resulting temporary changes in its operations, the company is withdrawing all fiscal 2021 financial guidance previously issued on February 27, 2020 for both the first quarter and full year. Further, to bolster its cash position and maximize flexibility in this fluid environment, on March 19, 2020, the company drew the full amount of its $1.25B revolving credit facility, which was undrawn as of February 1, 2020. This is in addition to the approximately $2B in cash and cash equivalents the company held as of March 19, 2020. Also, the company has suspended all share repurchases. Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said, "The situation we're facing as a company and as individuals is unprecedented and changing at a pace all of us are working to keep up with. We are making the best decisions we can with two goals in mind: protecting employees, customers and their respective families, while trying our best to serve the millions of Americans who rely on us for increasingly vital technology." Except where otherwise directed by state and local authorities, starting Sunday, March 22, the company is shifting to enhanced curbside service only for all of its stores on an interim basis. This will allow the company to continue to serve customers who have purchased on BestBuy.com or the Best Buy app and have requested pickup at their local store. In addition, if a customer was unable to place an online order and the product is in stock in the store, employees can go into the store to claim the item for the customer and sell it to them curbside. Customers can also still order online or on the app and have their products shipped directly to their homes. Large products such as appliances will be delivered where permitted and under strict safety guidelines with everything being left by the customer's door. All in-home installation and repair has been temporarily suspended and will be rescheduled with our customers, and all in-home consultations are being conducted virtually. All Best Buy employees have been told they do not have to work if they do not feel comfortable. They have also been told to stay home if they are feeling sick, knowing they will be paid. All field employees whose hours have been eliminated will be paid for two weeks at their normal wage rate based on their average hours worked over the last 10 weeks.

09:01 EDT TOP Ships announces completion of sale of M/T Eco Palm Desert - TOP Ships announced that its previously announced sale of the M/T Eco Palm Desert was concluded. The vessel was delivered to its new owner, an unaffiliated third party, and the respective loans for which the vessel was a collateral for were fully prepaid.

09:00 EDT Newmont says has no confirmed COVID-19 cases among workforce - In order to protect nearby communities and align with travel restrictions or health considerations in Argentina, Canada and Peru, four Newmont operations are being temporarily put into care and maintenance. "We currently have no confirmed COVID-19 cases among our workforce and are taking significant, proactive measures including social distancing at all our sites; removing substantial numbers of non-critical workers from our operations; closing offices with employees working remotely; and stopping all non-essential business travel to ensure we don't become a pathway for transmission to others," the company said. "These are unprecedented times for all industries and while this pandemic brings a lot of uncertainty, Newmont is well positioned to safely and responsibly generate long-term value for all of our stakeholders."

08:59 EDT Newmont expects to produce approx. 1.4M attributable gold ounces in Q1 - For the first quarter of 2020, Newmont now expects to produce approximately 1.4 million attributable gold ounces and approximately 325,000 co-product gold equivalent ounces. "Year to date through February 29, 2020, the Company produced approximately 981,000 attributable gold ounces and approximately 227,000 co-product gold equivalent ounces. Newmont continues to work pro-actively with logistics partners and refiners to transport and refine product in a challenging environment. We are not currently experiencing significant delays in the shipping of concentrate or transportation and refining of dore, but they may occur in the coming days and weeks if certain government-required shutdowns and border restrictions occur."

08:58 EDT Sunworks implements temporary cost reduction measures - Sunworks provided an update on the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company provided the following update related to the impact resulting from the Virus: No Sunworks employees have been infected by the Virus. Sunworks continues to serve customers based on its qualification as an "Essential Business" as defined by county agencies "shelter-in-place" directives. As an essential business, Sunworks employees are allowed to leave their residence to continue working. Sunworks operates in the energy industry, which is federally identified as a critical infrastructure sector. Therefore, Sunworks is able to continue conducting business despite the California Department of Public Health mandate that all individuals living in the State of California must stay at their place of residence. Sunworks has implemented temporary cost reduction measures resulting in expected savings of $400,000 per month, or 30% of total operating expenses. The company expects first and second quarter revenue to be impacted by the current business environment and near-term uncertainty. The company noted a number of proactive steps taken to protect the business, including: Established an internal leadership committee to manage overall response to the ongoing issues resulting from the Virus. terminated or temporarily laid off 59 employees, representing a 33% reduction from the beginning of the year headcount. Reduced an additional 23 employees to part time, with commensurate reduction in pay. The CEO and all other board members have suspended receiving any compensation. Nine other leaders of Sunworks agreed to temporarily reduce their salaries by at least 50%.

08:53 EDT HC2 Holdings says continuing to operate 'mostly uninterrupted' - HC2 Holdings provided an update on the operations of its holding company and operating subsidiaries in response to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, including steps being taken to ensure employee safety during the continuing COVID-19 outbreak. HC2's holding company and its subsidiaries continue to operate, mostly uninterrupted, and the management teams have been implementing their business continuity plans to ensure that their businesses are able to operate and to protect the health and safety of their employees, clients and other business partners as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.

08:51 EDT Arcutis Biotherapeutics appoints Kimberly Lathroum as VP of marketing - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced that Kimberly Lathroum has joined the company as Vice President of Marketing. In this new role, Ms. Lathroum will be responsible for all of Arcutis' marketing efforts as the Company prepares for the potential future commercialization of its product candidates. Previously, Ms. Lathroum was Executive Director, Marketing for Kite Pharma.

08:50 EDT Chefs' Warehouse adopts limited duration stockholder rights agreement - The Chefs' Warehouse announced that it has adopted a 364-day duration stockholder rights agreement, effective March 22, 2020. The Rights Agreement is similar to stockholder rights plans adopted by other public companies, and is intended to promote the fair and equal treatment of all Company stockholders and ensure that no person or group can gain control of the Company through open market accumulation or other tactics potentially disadvantaging the interests of all stockholders without paying an appropriate control premium to deliver sufficient value for all Company stockholders. The Company's Board of Directors has taken note in particular that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent market events, the closing price of the Company's common stock on March 20, 2020 was more than 80% below the price just over a month ago. The Rights Agreement will also position the Board to fulfill its fiduciary duties on behalf of all stockholders by ensuring that the Board has sufficient time to make informed judgments that are in the best long-term interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Rights Agreement is not intended to deter offers that are fair and otherwise in the best interest of the Company's stockholders. Under the Rights Agreement, the Rights will become exercisable if a person or group becomes the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company's outstanding Common Stock. In the event that the Rights become exercisable due to the triggering ownership threshold being crossed, each Right will entitle its holder to purchase, at the Right's exercise price, a number of units of Series A Preferred Stock or equivalent securities having a market value at that time of twice the Right's exercise price. Rights held by the triggering entity will become void and will not be exercisable to purchase units at the reduced purchase price. The Board may, rather than permitting the exercise of the Rights, exchange each Right for one or more units of Series A Preferred Stock per Right, subject to adjustment and as further described in the Rights Agreement. The Board will, prior to the Rights becoming exercisable, generally be entitled to amend the Rights Agreement or to redeem the Rights for $0.01 per Right.

08:48 EDT Alector appoints Paula Hammond to board of directors - Alector announced the addition of Paula Hammond, Ph.D., to the Company's Board of Directors. Dr. Hammond is the David H. Koch Chair Professor of Engineering and Department Head, Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and a founding member of the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology.

08:47 EDT Ideanomics' MEG announces strategic agreement with BeiBen Heavy Truck - Ideanomics is pleased to announce a strategic framework agreement with leading EV heavy truck and bus manufacturer, BeiBen Heavy Truck Co. The framework agreement is designed to establish a long-term strategic partnership that will create a strategic platform to increase the speed and efficiency of commercial vehicle adoption. The framework agreement is preliminary in nature and its implementation will be subject to legally binding definitive transaction documents to be negotiated and entered into between Ideanomics and BeiBen. Under the agreement, BeiBen will provide electric heavy truck manufacturing, research and development, sales, operations, and other resources. MEG will provide its existing new energy vehicle platform including its financial services network, marketing capabilities, government relationships, and partners upstream and downstream including in Southeast Asia. Ideanomics' MEG has also commenced EV truck customer testing and is currently completing full operation trials with select mines.

08:45 EDT AMG announces strategic partnership with iCapital Network - Affiliated Managers Group announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with iCapital Network, a financial technology platform providing innovative solutions for advisors and their clients, asset managers, and banks to access and offer strategies in the alternative investing marketplace. As part of the strategic partnership, AMG made a modest investment in iCapital. The investment is part of a broader strategic partnership in which AMG and its Affiliates, leading independent boutique asset management and wealth management firms, will utilize iCapital's proprietary technology in the administration of private market vehicles and enhance high net worth clients' access to alternative investment strategies. iCapital's alternative investment platform offers financial advisors and their clients an end-to-end technology solution that fully automates the unique subscription, administration, and reporting processes of alternative investments. In addition, the company enables asset managers to leverage iCapital's technology-enabled services to streamline and scale the operational infrastructure of their alternative investments and access the multi-trillion-dollar retail marketplace. AMG remains committed to allocating resources to growth opportunities for its Affiliates, and expects a number of its alternative and wealth management Affiliates to leverage iCapital's platform over time, joining Pantheon, an existing iCapital client.

08:42 EDT Novan intends to screen NVN1000 against viruses including SARS-CoV-2 - In light of the developing COVID-19 pandemic and as of March 23, 2020, Novan has not received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding a delay or cancellation of the Type C meeting scheduled on April 1, 2020. The meeting was originally scheduled and is set to be conducted as a teleconference. The purpose of the teleconference is to seek FDA feedback on the proposal to conduct one additional, well-controlled confirmatory study of SB206 to support a future New Drug Application. As a further update, Novan intends to explore the use of its proprietary Nitricil technology to progress a potential topical oral or nasal treatment option for COVID-19, targeting the reduction of viral shedding and transmission. Nitric oxide has demonstrated the ability to inhibit viral replication of viruses within the Coronaviridae family2 and Novan has an extensive body of in vitro and in vivo anti-viral data demonstrating the efficacy of our proprietary technology. Novan has initiated a work order to complete in vitro assessment of our Nitricil technology, berdazimer sodium, against species within the Coronaviridae family, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Company is also exploring the potential for federal grants to support these efforts. Novan's operations have continued amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of employees working remotely, and the Company continues to monitor recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, state and local public health and administration officials for further actions and adjustments.

08:41 EDT Omega Healthcare announces up to $200M share repurchase plan - Omega Healthcare announced a number of precautionary actions in response to the market dislocation caused by the continued spread of COVID-19, including authorization of a stock repurchase program, suspension of the company's dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plan, and a partial draw on the company's credit facility. Omega announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $200M of Omega's outstanding common stock, from time to time, over the next 12 months. Omega also announced that in view of current market conditions, it is suspending its dividend reinvestment and common stock purchase plan. Until further notice, dividends will not be reinvested in common stock and optional cash investments in common stock will not be accepted under the plan. Omega is suspending the plan in order to reduce dilution of stockholder value given prevailing market prices. This decision reflects Omega's view that it is not attractive to issue equity at current market prices. Any checks or other funds received by Computershare from plan participants for optional cash investments under the Pan will be returned without interest. No action by participants is required. The company, as a precautionary measure in order to increase liquidity and preserve financial flexibility in light of the current uncertainty around economic and industry conditions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, is drawing approximately $300M under its $1.25B revolving credit facility. After giving effect to this borrowing, the company would have approximately $315M in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and approximately $512 million in outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

08:39 EDT Northview REIT announces end of "go-shop" period - Northview Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust announced the expiration of the 30-day go-shop period provided for in the arrangement agreement dated February 19, 2020 among the REIT, affiliates of Starlight Group Property Holdings Inc. and KingSett Capital Inc. pursuant to which the Purchasers will acquire Northview, and the holders of Northview's outstanding trust units will receive $36.25 per Unit in cash. During the Go-Shop Period, Northview was permitted to actively solicit, evaluate and enter into negotiations with third parties that expressed an interest in acquiring Northview. Scotiabank, Northview's financial advisor, contacted 54 potential buyers. Two of the potential buyers entered into confidentiality agreements with Northview and were granted access to non-public information about Northview. Northview did not receive a superior proposal during the Go-Shop Period and the Board of Trustees of the REIT did not determine that either of the two potential buyers that entered into confidentiality agreements with Northview had a reasonable prospect of making an acquisition proposal within the next 15 days. In addition, Northview has waived existing standstill arrangements which bind Starlight and KingSett, effective immediately, so that Starlight, KingSett and their affiliates will be permitted to purchase Units of the REIT in the market prior to closing of the Transaction, provided that the number of Units, together with the existing Units owned by Starlight, does not exceed 19.9% of the outstanding Units of the REIT. Currently, Starlight and its affiliates beneficially own approximately 9,042,000 Units, representing approximately 13% of the outstanding Units. The Transaction is structured as a statutory plan of arrangement under the Alberta Business Corporations Act. Completion of the Transaction requires approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by unitholders and holders of special voting units, as well as the approval by a simple majority of votes cast by disinterested unitholders and holders of special voting units, excluding Starlight, its affiliates and any other unitholders required to be excluded under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions at a special meeting of Northview. The place and time of the special meeting will be announced at a later date and Northview will issue a proxy circular, including voting instructions in due course. The Transaction is also subject to the approval of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, regulatory approvals, consents and approvals from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and certain of Northview's lenders and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

08:37 EDT iCAD announces launch of new initiatives amid COVID-19 pandemic - iCAD announced the launch of new initiatives to address emerging challenges hospitals are facing due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19. The Company and its portfolio of technologies supporting cancer detection and therapy continue to offer a strong value proposition and multiple benefits to clinicians and patients, which may be particularly relevant in light of the coronavirus outbreak: ProFound AI, the first artificial intelligence software for digital breast tomosynthesis to be FDA-cleared, provides crucial data, such as Case Scores, which can help radiologists prioritize which patients should not delay screening and presents a solution to the growing mammography backlog that will need to be cleared once COVID-19 passes. It is also clinically proven to decrease the rate of false positives and unnecessary recalls,1 which reduces resources needed and minimizes patient risk of COVID-19 exposure. The Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System offers a single-fraction therapy option that allows patients who are candidates to replace weeks of daily radiation with one treatment, delivered at the time of surgery. This could also significantly reduce the healthcare system resources needed and reduce patients' risk of COVID-19 exposure. Trained with one of the largest available DBT datasets, ProFound AI rapidly and accurately analyzes each DBT image, or slice, and provides radiologists with key information, such as Certainty of Finding lesion and Case Scores, which assists radiologists in clinical decision-making and improving reading efficiency. Featuring the latest in deep-learning artificial intelligence, the algorithm also allows for continuously improved performance via ongoing updates. The American Society for Radiation Oncology recently recommended shorter courses of radiation therapy, such as intraoperative radiation therapy and hypofractionated radiation therapy, for appropriate patients in its recent recommendations on COVID-19.6 Recognizing the potential for staff reductions, ASTRO advised radiation oncologists to follow evidence-based guidelines while striving for the shortest possible course of radiotherapy, where appropriate. The overall goal is to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and to allow cancer care to continue for those most likely to benefit. For the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, IORT with the Xoft System offers a single-fraction therapy option that allows patients who are candidates to be treated for breast cancer in just one day. This targeted treatment option enables some women to potentially replace four to six weeks of daily fractions of post-operative external beam radiation therapy with a single-fraction of radiation that can last as little as eight minutes, thereby reducing the amount of time women need to be in the hospital and allowing doctors to treat more women in less time. In addition to early-stage breast cancer, Xoft IORT technology is also being explored in the treatment of other types of tumors. iCAD recently announced the first metastatic brain tumor was treated in the U.S. with IORT using the Xoft System at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The Xoft System is also currently being studied for the treatment of other types of brain tumors in leading institutions worldwide, including the European Medical Center, one of the largest private medical clinics in Russia and an international leader in comprehensive care and oncology. The Company continues to work with key neurosurgeons to enroll patients in a multi-institutional study on Xoft IORT for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.

08:36 EDT Recon Technology reports operational results of DT Refuel mobile applicaiton - Recon Technology announced the operation result of DT Refuel mobile application, which is developed by the company's subsidiary Future Gas StationTechnology, Ltd. The single-day Gross Merchandise Value of DT Refuel has hit a new high of $2.19M on March 18. DT Refuel acts as an e-commerce platform aiming at improving the refueling experience of car owners. It allows users to buy oil products and groceries and pay the fuel through their phones. It also provides navigation and enables users to query traffic violation through the application to make their daily lives easier. As of March 19, DT Refuel has a total of 3.76M registered users. Among them, 3M users have paid refueling through the application at least once, and 1.46M users have paid refueling through the application more than once.

08:33 EDT TransDigm postpones 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders - TransDigm announced the postponement of the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. On February 10, the company filed with the SEC and made available to its stockholders of record a proxy statement for the company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Tuesday, March 24. Because of restrictions on the conduct of non-essential business implemented yesterday by the Governor of Ohio in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the company is postponing the Annual Meeting to a later date to be determined. Once determined by the Board of Directors, the company will announce the record date and the new date, time and location of the Annual Meeting and the applicable time periods for stockholder proposals and director nominations. The company is assessing its options including the possibility of holding a virtual or hybrid meeting with a view to protect the health and safety of its employees, shareholders and others who usually attend the annual meeting.

08:32 EDT Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund reports $135M on balance sheet - Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund announced an update on its balance sheet and leverage levels. The Fund has continued to take steps to increase its cash position. As of March 20, 2020, the Fund had $135 million of cash on its balance sheet, including cash it will receive Tuesday for securities it has recently sold. The Fund plans to prudently use its cash balance to reduce leverage levels over the next month in a way that minimizes prepayment penalties and maximizes shareholder value. Currently, the Fund has $157 million of unsecured senior notes and $75 million of mandatory redeemable preferred shares outstanding. It is the Fund's intention to comply with all applicable 1940 Act leverage tests as well as the covenants on its debt agreements and the terms of its preferred stock. As of March 20th, the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 256% and the Fund's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to total leverage was 173%. The Fund is still in the process of determining what portion of its cash balance will be used to redeem debt and what portion will be used to redeem preferred stock. For illustrative purposes, assuming the Fund uses all of its cash to repay outstanding indebtedness, the pro forma coverage ratios are estimated to be 1041% for the '40 Act Debt Test and 266% for the '40 Act Leverage Test.

08:32 EDT Senseonics exploring strategic options

08:29 EDT Anavex to webcast annual meeting of shareholders - Anavex Life Sciences will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The meeting, which will be held in a virtual format only, will be webcast, and can be accessed at: http://viewproxy.com/Anavex/2020/vm/.

08:27 EDT Tetra Bio Pharma says in 'good position' to maintain drug development programs - Tetra Bio-Pharma announced that it has ensured that all of its employees work under conditions that comply with federal and provincial public health recommendations. Additionally, following the completion of its $17.8M financing in February and early March, the Company is in a good position to maintain its drug development programs. Regulatory activities have not slowed down despite the COVID-19 crisis. These activities are now performed by Tetra's employees from their home offices. Tetra confirms that it will continue all planned Clinical Trial Applications, DIN, veterinary drug clinical trial applications and Pre-Submission meetings in Canada and Investigational New Drug Applications, veterinary IND applications, Pre-IND meetings, Orphan Drug Designation applications in the United States. European regulatory activities will also continue. Tetra's clinical research team is working to increase the number of clinical sites in Canada and the USA so that it can accelerate the enrolment of patients when the crisis is over. To date the ophthalmic clinical trial has been moving along as per expected timelines. Half of the patient dogs have completed the treatment phase of the study. There was no treatment related adverse events. Tetra expects to complete this trial in this fiscal quarter or early in fiscal Q3 and will then report the key outcomes of the study. The corporation has already begun planning the second trial for the treatment of canine indolent corneal ulcers. This second trial will involve regulatory filings in both Canada and the USA. The IND-enabling toxicology studies with HU308 for the human ocular trials are continuing as planned. During this crisis period, Tetra will be submitting both an IND and CTA to initiate a clinical trial in Canada and the USA for its Orphan Drug HCC011. The corporation will continue forward with its PIND meeting request to discuss with the FDA the marketing requirements for this Orphan Drug that would benefit from FDA's expedited programs as well as the 505(b)(2) NDA regulatory pathway. Serenity and Reborn activities will be slowed by the crisis. However, the extent of any delays in the clinical activities will be a result of the ultimate effect that this crisis has on factors such as availability of physicians, clinics and enrolment. This is fully understandable as hospital-based physicians have been mobilized to treat individuals infected by the COVID-19 virus, which we all consider to be urgent. That is why Company immediately began procedures to increase the number of clinical sites. Tetra has prioritized obtaining critical clinical research data during this period that had previously been planned for late 2020. The clinical outcomes from these studies will provide important scientific and medical information on CAUMZTD and HCC011. This information is required for the marketing application for any new drug. Tetra has communicated with all of its drug suppliers, including those that produce THC, CBD, HU308 and PPP001. Current assessment by these firms is that the COVID-19 crisis will not significantly affect supply of the clinical research medications. Tetra's main QIXLEEF clinical site should be minimally affected by the crisis as it is a private clinic and not a hospital. Panag Pharma and TALLC research and development activities will be moving along as planned. CB2 Therapeutics pre-commercialization activities will also continue as planned.

08:24 EDT VERB Technology announces video webinar to introduce VERB LIVE - VERB Technology Company will present a special virtual online event on Thursday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. PT hosted by former Apple general counsel and current VERB board member Nancy Heinen. The interactive video webinar will be a live broadcast demonstration, showcase, and information session for the Company's new remote working and selling technology tool: VERB LIVE. Building on current popular video-based sales platforms such as Facebook Live, Zoom, Go2Meeting and others, VERB LIVE takes broadcasting and live stream selling to a new level with its proprietary on-screen interactive ecommerce capabilities. VERB LIVE is a next-generation webinar platform that allows event hosts to utilize a variety of sales-driving features, including posting interactive icons on-screen that all viewers can click in real-time to purchase products or services, driving friction-free selling. VERB LIVE is also entirely browser-based, allowing it to work easily and effectively on all devices, without requiring resource-hungry, performance-killing downloads. In light of the global COVID-19 corona virus pandemic, social distancing and remote work have become the new norm. In this disrupted environment, maintaining business continuity is essential and all the more difficult for smaller businesses without the necessary resources to effectively communicate with employees, customers and partners. With VERB LIVE, companies of any size and in any industry can leverage the benefits of interactive video sales technology to ensure that their businesses stay running and their sales teams can keep selling. VERB LIVE will be offered as a standalone product for new users, an add-on feature to all of VERB's 1,000,000+ app users, as well as to its existing base of enterprise customers through a competitively priced, subscription-based pricing model. VERB LIVE is currently on an expedited release schedule to accommodate the demand it has garnered from pre-marketing initiatives. Prior to formal release in the coming weeks, the Company plans to disclose additional details about VERB LIVE, including comprehensive features, account set up, and integration capabilities, as well as a reservation system to allow customers to reserve a place in the roll-out cue.

08:23 EDT Genprex names Catherine Vaczy Chief Strategy Officer, Michael Redman as COO - Genprex announced the appointment of Catherine Vaczy as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer and Michael Redman as Executive Vice President and COO. Ms. Vaczy has more than 20 years of experience as a founder and senior executive of life science companies, serving as a strategic partner and business and legal advisor to senior leadership teams and boards. Most recently, Ms. Vaczy has provided strategic advisory services to early stage biotechnology companies. Mr. Redman brings more than 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry to Genprex. He has held a variety of key executive roles at clinical-stage companies, where he focused on strategic business development and U.S. and worldwide manufacturing and clinical operations. He has been instrumental in the consummation of multiple strategic transactions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. From 2007-2019, Mr. Redman served as President, CEO and Director of Oncolix.

08:20 EDT Hoth Therapeutics, Voltron to form JV to develop COVID-19 vaccines - Hoth Therapeutics announced it has reached an agreement with Voltron Therapeutics to form a joint venture entity (to be named HaloVax) to commence preclinical studies for the development of vaccine prospects to prevent, intercept or treat COVID-19 based upon VaxCelerate, a self-assembling vaccine platform exclusively licensed by Voltron from the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Hoth and Voltron, with the support of MGH, will work jointly on exploring and developing this SAV technology as a means to aid patients at risk of being infected with COVID-19. The VaxCelerate vaccine platform was developed as a means of rapidly generating and pre-clinically testing a new vaccine against specific pathogen targets. The technology which received Department of Defense funding has demonstrated proof of concept in Lassa Fever, an emerging infectious disease. HaloVax intends to use these same SAV principles to assist in the development of a potential vaccine against the COVID-19 pandemic.

08:19 EDT Signet Jewelers provides COVID-19 business update - Signet Jewelers provided an update on its global operations in response to the continued spread and impact of COVID-19. Virginia Drosos, CEO, stated: "Our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been impacted by this global pandemic. We greatly appreciate the many workers and family members who are caring for those in need. I also want to thank our dedicated Signet team members who have found many new and innovative ways to safely help our customers continue to celebrate love during this difficult time. The health and safety of our team members and customers continues to be our top priority. Out of the highest respect for governmental orders and the advice of leading health officials, we have temporarily closed our physical locations in North America. Store team members will receive pay and benefits through April 4 in a combination of base pay and available paid time off provisions, at which time we will further assess the situation. We will continue to follow the guidelines of government and health officials in determining when we will reopen our stores. Most importantly, we will continue to make all decisions guided by our core value of People First." Drosos continued, "The exceptional team, capabilities, and agility we have built through our Path to Brilliance transformation over the past two years strongly position us to navigate this time of uncertainty. Retailers are already experiencing the severe impact of the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, and we are anticipating continued reduction in consumer spend. We are moving quickly and aggressively to strengthen Signet's financial flexibility, prioritize investments, and reduce capital expenditures and operating expenses. This will include implementing reduced work hours, furloughs and reduced compensation across store and support center teams as we navigate this unprecedented environment." The company has temporarily closed all of its stores in North America effective March 23. This includes the company's Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, James Allen, Peoples and Piercing Pagoda banners and the company's support centers. Following these temporary closures, the company will reopen stores as pandemic conditions allow. As a prudent measure to increase Signet's financial flexibility and bolster its cash position, the Company elected to access an additional $900 million from its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility. At the time of drawdown on March 19, the company had more than $1.2 billion in cash and an additional $292 million available on this asset-based revolving credit facility. The asset-based revolving credit facility is subject to a fixed charge coverage ratio if availability under the facility falls below 10% of the borrowing base or $100 million whichever is higher. The company's most recently reported borrowing base under the asset-based revolving credit facility is approximately $1.4 billion. The company's senior unsecured notes due in 2024 are not subject to financial covenants. The company is aggressively reducing capital expenditures, prioritizing investments in flexible fulfillment and digital initiatives, and reducing operating expenses, as well as focusing on inventory discipline. This will include implementing reduced work hours, furloughs, and reduced compensation across store and Support Center teams including executives and board.

08:16 EDT Bionano Genomics says three Europeans sites adopt Bionano Saphyr - Bionano Genomics announced that the following top European institutions have recently incorporated the Saphyr system into their repertoire of solutions for genome analysis and are now operating them across a range of applications: Curie Institute in Paris, France; NHS Lothian in Edinburgh, Scotland; and MVZ Martinsried in Munich, Germany. The Saphyr system is designed to enable comprehensive analysis of genome structure, including genomic structural variations unresolved by current next-generation sequencing technology. With these installations, the total number of Saphyr systems installed at customer sites to date is 84. The Saphyr system was adopted by MVZ Martinsried in Munich, Germany, in connection with an agreement reached in October 2019 to evaluate Saphyr for applications in different areas of cancer research and cytogenetics and to provide access to the system to neighboring research and diagnostic centers. Training and installation has been completed at MVZ, which is part of Medicover, a leading international healthcare and diagnostic service company, operating a large number of ambulatory clinics, hospitals, specialty-care facilities and laboratories in Germany. MVZ has collected data for its first cohort and begun data analysis. The Center for Human Genetics and Laboratory Diagnostics at MVZ is expected to establish Saphyr into its ISO 17501 environment for the analysis of patient samples with genetic disorders and for immunogenetic analysis of the HLA locus after transplant. MVZ is also using Saphyr for the analysis of cancer genomes in solid tumors and in collaboration with Munich Leukemia Laboratory in leukemias. The Institut Curie in Paris purchased a Saphyr system in January 2020 thanks to the support of Region Ile de France. The system has now been installed and the lab fully trained. In Curie's first study using Bionano on aggressive Uveal Melanoma samples, presented at the Festival of Genomics in London on January 29, David Gentien and his team identified several novel fusion genes using a combination of RNAseq, Bionano and short-read sequencing. The NHS Lothian in Edinburgh, the South East Scotland division of the National Health Service of the UK, in January 2020 entered into an agreement to adopt and use the Saphyr system in its Genetic Services Laboratory. The Genetic Services Laboratory of the NHS Lothian has a history of advocating for the technological improvement of the UK Health system, and it spearheaded the implementation of chromosomal microarray in the clinic for the detection of structural aberration of the genome. Its Head of Cytogenetics Services, Eddy Maher, is renowned for helping set European standards in cytogenetics and developing European quality assessment for the harmonization of cytogenetic testing across Europe.

08:14 EDT Signet Jewelers temporarily closing all North America stores

08:13 EDT Arcadia Biosciences announces partnership between between Archipelago, VSI - Arcadia Biosciences announced a new partnership between Archipelago Ventures and Vivion Specialties, a North American specialty ingredient supplier. VSI will serve as Archipelago's North American distributor, managing the stateside marketing and sales of sun-grown Hawaiian hemp ingredients in key markets like food and beverage, human and pet nutrition and personal care. Established in 2019, Archipelago Ventures is Arcadia's joint venture with Legacy Ventures Hawaii to cultivate and extract high quality hemp and hemp derivatives on the islands.

08:11 EDT Freeport McMoRan suspends dividend, reduces capital spending plans - Freeport-McMoRan announced that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting global economic uncertainties, its Board of Directors will suspend the quarterly cash dividend of 5c per share previously planned for May 1. The declaration and payment of future dividends is at the discretion of the Board and will depend on FCX's financial results, cash requirements, global economic conditions and other factors deemed relevant by the board. FCX also announced it has undertaken an aggressive review of operating plans at each of its global copper and molybdenum operations to target reductions in all elements of costs and capital spending to achieve maximum cash flow under current market conditions. Revised operating plans may result in temporary reductions in copper and molybdenum production at operations in the Americas that are challenged by low commodity prices. FCX expects to complete this review promptly and will report its revised operating and financial plans with its first-quarter results in April.

08:10 EDT Fidus Investment to be 'cautious' in approach to originations amid COVID-19 - Fidus Investment Corporation provides a business and COVID-19 update addressing actions taken in response to significant challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, :Since inception, Fidus has taken a partnership approach and a long-term perspective in providing customized, flexible debt and equity solutions for lower middle market companies. Consistent with this active management approach, over the past few weeks we have been in close contact with senior management and sponsors of our portfolio companies to review and evaluate current and potential negative impacts to their business operations arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on any individual business remains unknown. Notwithstanding these uncertainties, based on the discussions noted above, to date we believe our portfolio companies are taking the necessary actions to manage the business disruptions and execute contingency plans to respond to adverse economic consequences. We will continue to diligently monitor evolving conditions and stay in close contact with the senior management teams and sponsors of our portfolio companies as they navigate uncharted waters with a view toward providing support as warranted. Above all, we will remain focused on capital preservation and the long-term prospects of our portfolio companies. FIDUS' investment strategy focuses on high-quality lower middle-market companies with defensive characteristics, strong free cash flow and resilient, positive long-term outlooks. For the past several years we have put greater emphasis on investing in less-cyclical companies with business models that can weather a severe economic downturn. Nevertheless, the combination of compliance with state and federal government mandates, measures taken to protect employee health and safety and anticipated slow-down in economic activity is likely to impact some of our portfolio companies. ach of our 61 portfolio companies is a domestic business with customers located in the United States and minimal exposure to global supply chains. In terms of end markets served, we focus on industries where our investment team has prior experience. Our portfolio is well diversified, consisting of a variety of industries including information technology services, business services, healthcare products and services, industrial manufacturing and specialty distribution, aerospace and defense manufacturing and distribution, energy services, and retail. We have diverse sources of funding providing us with liquidity to support our portfolio companies, including access to a $100 million revolving credit facility and up to $167.5 million of SBA-guaranteed debentures, subject to SBA regulations and approvals. By design, we maintain a conservative capital structure with leverage well below the regulatory level. Our outstanding borrowings as of December 31, 2019 consisted of $182.3 million of bonds maturing in 2023 and 2024, $157.5 million of SBA debentures and $25 million drawn under our credit facility for a regulatory leverage ratio of 0.5x. While we remain active in evaluating deals, given the potential for unprecedented economic stresses we plan to be cautious in our approach to originations, balancing our principle of capital preservation with our goal of growing NAV over time. We continue to monitor ever changing impacts from COVID-19, including recommendations and protocols established by public health organizations and state and local public health departments. For this reason, we are taking appropriate actions to maintain normal business operations and safeguard the health and safety of our staff, including ensuring our staff is fully capable of working remotely. We have not experienced any operational limitations; remain actively engaged with the management teams and sponsors of our portfolio companies and committed to maintaining our long-standing relationships in our origination network."

08:08 EDT CNS Pharmaceuticals signs pact with WPD to develop preclinical drug candidates - CNS Pharmaceuticals announces it has entered into an agreement with WPD Pharmaceuticals for the development of several preclinical drug candidates including WP1122, which is being tested on a range of viruses including the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. WPD Pharmaceuticals previously licensed rights to a portfolio of drug candidates, including WP1122, from Moleculin Biotech for certain territories. WPD Pharmaceuticals was founded by Dr. Waldemar Priebe, the founder of the company. According to WPD Pharmaceuticals, WP1122 is a prodrug of 2-DG that, based on recently developed preclinical data, appears to overcome 2-DG's lack of drug-like properties and is able to significantly increase tissue/organ concentration. Under the terms of the agreement, CNS agreed to fund a portion of the development costs of WP1122 and other drug candidates for antiviral indications in exchange for certain economic rights. CNS made an upfront cash payment of $225,000 and committed to a milestone payment of $775,000 to WPD Pharmaceuticals upon the successful completion of a Phase 2 study. In return, CNS is entitled to receive 50% of the net sales, less WPD's license costs, of resulting commercial products in WPD's licensed territories, other than Poland. Those territories include 29 countries in Europe and Asia, including Russia.

08:07 EDT Papa John's to hire up to 20,000 new restaurant team members - Papa John's announced the company is hiring up to 20,000 new restaurant team members. The pizza company is committed to delivering meals and offering carryout, meeting a need. The company is focused on protecting its team members and customers, implementing additional health and safety precautions, like enhanced restaurant sanitation measures and no contact delivery. No contact delivery provides a limited interaction food drop-off experience and online payment.

08:06 EDT Eiger BioPharmaceuticals completes NDA to FDA for lonafarnib - Eiger BioPharmaceuticals announced that it has completed submission to the U.S. FDA of a New Drug Application for lonafarnib for the treatment of Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies. The FDA previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to lonafarnib, which enables eligibility for Priority Review, if relevant criteria are met. Eiger expects to hear from FDA regarding submission acceptance and Priority Review within 60 days.

08:04 EDT Livent to suspend all capital expansion work globally - Livent announced recent developments affecting its lithium production operations in Argentina as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. On March 19, the government of Argentina enacted an emergency decree ordering a national mandatory quarantine effective from March 20 through March 31. Upon issuance of this government decree, Livent began the process of stopping operations and safely moving employees and contractors off the mountain where the Salar del Hombre Muerto is located. This was a multi-day process, and the company suspended all its production operations in the Argentinian provinces of Catamarca and Salta as of mid-day on Sunday, March 22. On March 20, the Argentinian government issued a second decree allowing for certain exemptions. Livent believes it qualifies for an exemption under this second decree and is working closely with provincial and federal authorities to be given an authorization that would allow operations to resume. There is no certainty at this time that Livent will receive such an authorization. In addition, because of the significant practical constraints resulting from actions being taken by authorities around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has elected to suspend all capital expansion work globally. Livent intends to restart these capital projects as soon as possible and remains committed to its long-term expansion plans.

08:03 EDT Celsion's GEN-1 immunotherapy receives orphan drug designation from EMA - Celsion Corporation announced the European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has recommended that GEN-1 be designated as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of ovarian cancer. GEN-1, designed using Celsion's proprietary TheraPlas platform technology, is an interleukin-12 DNA plasmid vector encased in a non-viral nanoparticle delivery system, which enables cell transfection followed by persistent, local secretion of the IL-12 protein. GEN-1 previously received orphan designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with Stage III and IV ovarian cancer. The OVATION 2 Study combines GEN-1 with the standard of care for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with Stage III and IV ovarian cancer who will undergo standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery. The OVATION 2 Study is a randomized Phase I/II study designed to evaluate the safety of 100 mg/m of GEN-1 in the Phase I portion, followed by a continuation at the safe dose in the Phase II portion in an open-label, 1:1 randomized design.

08:03 EDT Box announces agreement with Starboard; 3 independent directors to join board - Box (BOX) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Starboard Value LP, an investment firm which owns approximately 7.7% of the company's outstanding common stock. Under the terms of the agreement, three new independent directors will join the Box Board of Directors prior to the company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in June 2020, two incumbent directors will not stand for re-election to the board at the 2020 Annual Meeting and one incumbent director will retire from the board effective as of the 2020 Annual Meeting. The board will be set at 9 directors following the 2020 Annual Meeting. Jack Lazar, formerly CFO of GoPro (GPRO) and Atheros Communications, will join the Box Board of Directors immediately. In addition, a second new director will be selected from a list of candidates provided by Starboard or will otherwise be mutually agreed. A third new director will be selected by the board prior to the 2020 Annual Meeting. Rory O'Driscoll will not stand for re-election and Josh Stein will retire from Box's Board of Directors at the time of the 2020 Annual Meeting. Box co-founder Dylan Smith will continue in his role as CFO but will not stand for re-election as a director at the 2020 Annual Meeting. In addition, Box today announced the formation of an Operating Committee of the board. This committee will work with Box's CEO, CFO, and management to identify and recommend opportunities for further improvement in growth and margin performance.

08:02 EDT CVS Health to provide bonuses, add benefits for frontline employees - CVS Health said, in recognition of the role its employees are playing as the country faces the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is awarding bonuses to employees who are required to be at CVS facilities to assist patients and customers in this time of unprecedented need. Bonuses will range from $150 to $500 and will be awarded to pharmacists and certain other health care professionals on the frontlines, store associates and managers, and other site-based hourly employees, the company said.

07:59 EDT Dubai Police Force uses BIO-key's ID Director for Windows, PIV-Pro readers - BIO-key International announced that after a successful initial deployment of BIO-key biometric authentication solutions, the Dubai Police Force has expanded its use of the Company's software and hardware solutions. The expansion includes an annual software subscription renewal and purchase of additional PIV-Pro FIPS 201 compliant fingerprint scanners and additional subscription licenses for use with BIO-key's ID Director for Windows, building on their initial deployment in 2019. The Dubai Police Force is utilizing BIO-key technology to secure access to desktop and mobile devices as well as internal access to Windows applications. BIO-key solutions enable each user's biometric to serve as the strongest form of multi-factor authentication for devices and applications.

07:57 EDT DTE Energy suspends non-critical infrastructure, maintenance work - DTE Energy announced, effective immediately, it is safely winding down and voluntarily suspending for the time being all non-critical infrastructure and maintenance work as an additional measure to prioritize the health of its employees, customers and communities during the coronavirus outbreak. This move to keep employees home - in instances other than emergency response to customers - helps to ensure they do not add to the growing spread of the virus and further stress the health care system, equipment and services across the state. The suspension of work will go unnoticed by most customers. Non-critical work including main renewal, infrastructure construction and home energy consultations will be safely idled and suspended. The company will monitor the developing situation, adjusting daily and weekly, while it continues to staff core operations. Teams will be ready to respond to any emergency event that might occur. DTE employees will continue to provide power outage restoration, gas leak and downed powerline response to ensure public safety and mitigate power interruptions. Overhead line work and tree trimming operations are other critical services, and vendors in these fields will determine how they may safely remain on the job to help ensure vital work continues. Customer service specialists will work remotely from home as DTE will continue to respond to customer calls. Also, the company's 5,000 employees who have been working from home for two weeks will continue to staff their functions remotely. DTE is taking additional health and safety precautions to protect those who continue to serve on the frontlines during this outbreak. Special health screening procedures to prevent virus transmission have been put in place in all control rooms and while FERMI II goes through its planned downtime and maintenance work. DTE is also on high alert to help those customers whose lives are being disrupted. As a result, the company is suspending shutoffs for non-payment for customers who are low income eligible through April 5, 2020. This timing could be extended depending on the impact that the virus has on Michigan communities. Those customers enrolled in the Senior Winter Protection Program have had their end dates automatically extended through May 3, 2020 without additional actions required on their part.

07:54 EDT Conformis withdraws all aspects of 2020 outlook, assumptions - The company said, "Given the current environment to date, the actions we have disclosed today and the continued business uncertainty, we are formally withdrawing our 3-6% product revenue growth target for 2020. Further, Conformis also withdraws any other aspects of its outlook and assumptions for 2020 as provided in its press releases of January 14, 2020 and March 2, 2020, and on its earnings call of March 2, 2020."

07:52 EDT Conformis eliminates, reduces and defers 'significant' non-essential expense - The company said, "In the current environment, a major priority is preserving liquidity. In addition to the furlough that we have implemented, we have eliminated, reduced, or are deferring significant non-essential expense. In addition, we are working with suppliers to help match future revenue and expense. We currently have a $20,000,000 term loan outstanding and an undrawn revolving line of credit with Innovatus Life Sciences Lending Fund I, LP as collateral agent and as lender and other lenders under an existing credit facility. At this time, we do not anticipate drawing on the revolving line of credit under the credit facility. Given the current economic conditions and the closure of elective surgeries across the globe, we may not be able to meet our positive quarterly revenue covenant. In the event we are unable to meet any quarterly revenue covenant, the terms of the credit facility provide a mechanism to adjust the revenue covenants to bring us back into compliance. We are initiating discussions with Innovatus with the goal of adjusting the revenue covenants as provided for under the credit facility."

07:48 EDT Conformis announces furlough of approx. 80 employees - The company said, "Currently we are experiencing a significant drop off in orders as elective cases are deferred. It is too early to estimate the total slope of the decline and the duration. Barring a complete national ban on elective surgery, we do not expect it to come to a compete standstill. We are actively monitoring our incoming orders and plan to continue production. We have also announced a furlough of approximately 80 employees and substantially all of our temporary workforce effective as of today. In preparing to implement this furlough, we reviewed the role of every Conformis employee and identified functions that are essential and non-essential to support the business over the next eight weeks at reduced production and sales levels. As this crisis passes and orders trend up, we expect to recall employees as needed. Conformis continues to work with its customers to navigate through this crisis. While there have been historically high levels of cancelled scheduled surgeries, we do expect these cases to eventually move forward. We are planning for our products to be available when they are rescheduled."

07:44 EDT AllSurplus Marketplace launches free solution - AllSurplus announced it has launched a free program for small businesses to list and sell surplus equipment to raise capital to meet their needs. This program enables small businesses to respond to the changing business climate and quickly generate liquidity by selling surplus and idle assets through a safe, trusted and secure B2B online auction marketplace. AllSurplus.com sells assets in over 100 categories and currently features nearly 5,000 assets for sale. The marketplace is powered by Liquidity Services

07:42 EDT Esperion announces presentations on NEXLETOL program, NEXLIZET study - Esperion announced that two pooled analyses from four Phase 3 clinical trials of NEXLETOL and results from the Phase 2 study of NEXLIZET will be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 69th Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology on March 28th - 30th 2020. Esperion completed its global, pivotal, Phase 3 LDL-C lowering development program and announced positive cumulative results in October 2018. The program evaluated the safety, tolerability and LDL-C lowering efficacy of NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET in patients with hypercholesterolemia who either have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or are at high risk of ASCVD, and who continue to have elevated levels of LDL-C despite the use of maximally-tolerated statins and ezetimibe, leaving them at high risk for cardiovascular events. The program included over 4,000 patients across five studies, four for NEXLETOL and one for NEXLIZET. Esperion also completed a Phase 2 study and announced positive topline results in August 2019. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of NEXLIZET compared to ezetimibe and placebo in 179 patients with both hypercholesterolemia and type 2 diabetes. Patients enrolled were on stable background diabetes medications and washed out of other lipid modifying therapies.

07:39 EDT OpGen announces publication of data predicting antimicrobial susceptibility - OpGen announced that its Acuitas Lighthouse was used in a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic to predict phenotypic resistance and antimicrobial susceptibility among clinical isolates from the Antimicrobial Resistance Leadership Group. The findings were published in Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease, a peer-reviewed scientific journal providing the latest developments in clinical microbiology and the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. The manuscript titled 'Core genome MLST and resistome analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae using a clinically-amenable workflow,' was authored by a team of researchers at Mayo Clinic and others in the ARLG. The manuscript showcases the use of core genome multi locus sequence typing and whole genome sequencing data, analyzed by OpGen's Acuitas Lighthouse Software to predict phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility. The analysis was performed on forty, K. pneumoniae bacterial isolates from the ARLG isolate collection. The overall agreement between phenotypic AST and genotypic prediction was 95.6%.

07:37 EDT Bellus Health announces transaction to acquire remaining IP rights to BLU-5937 - Bellus Health (BLU) announced that it has entered into an asset purchase and sale agreement to acquire all of the remaining BLU-5937 and related P2X3 antagonists intellectual property assets from adMare BioInnovations' NEOMED Institute. As part of the Transaction, the parties have agreed to terminate, effective as of the Closing Date, the 2017 license agreement pursuant to which the Company has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the BLU-5937 Assets. Tiered royalty obligations of 3% to 5%, and a 10% revenue share of any M&A or partnership payments that would have been otherwise owed to adMare under and subject to the License Agreement are to be extinguished. Upon completion of the Transaction, BELLUS Health will own 100% of the BLU-5937 Assets, and will no longer have any obligations to adMare, or any third party, in respect thereof. In consideration of the foregoing, the company will issue to adMare and AstraZeneca (AZN) an aggregate of 4,770,000 common shares from treasury, representing 7.3% of the company's fully diluted equity. AstraZeneca assigned the BLU-5937 Assets to adMare in 2012. The transaction is expected to close on or about March 25.

07:36 EDT Constellation Brands says border closures do not impact commercial traffic - Constellation Brands commented on the impact of recent northern and southern border closures in the U.S. and impact of the COVID-19 virus on U.S. market trends. "Our hearts go out to those impacted by this terrible virus," said Bill Newlands, president and chief executive officer at Constellation Brands. "Now, more than ever, it is imperative that the public and private sectors in the U.S. and both countries work together to keep residents safe and healthy, while continuing to support our global economy, supply chain, and the many jobs our respective citizens depend on to make ends meet. Importantly, recent decisions to close the northern and southern borders of the U.S. do not impact commercial traffic, which is essential to enabling supply chain operations and the building of critical inventories needed to meet the needs of our communities. This will prove helpful as we and other companies in the consumer product goods space work to provide a bit of comfort in this otherwise difficult time. In this regard, we've taken steps to bolster support of local off-premise retailers and distributors to meet increased consumer demand as purchasing shifts from on-premise establishments such as bars and restaurants to off-premise businesses such as grocery stores and convenience stores. We've seen IRI volume in off-premise accounts for our beer business increase more than 30 percent in the most recent 4-week period versus their 52-week trends. Our teams remain committed to supporting the needs of local consumers, retailers, distributors, and the economies they help bolster in this critical time. We will announce additional measures to further support our industry and communities in the coming days."

07:34 EDT J & J Snack Foods says coronavirus having 'material impact' on sales, operations - J & J Snack Foods announced that the virtual shutdown of large segments of the US economy resulting from the efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus is having a material impact on its sales and operations and that it expects its results of operations to be materially negatively impacted. The Company said that it is unable to estimate what the impact will be although it said the impact will be material. In a press release dated March 12, 2020, the Company had indicated that approximately 1/3 of its annual revenue was to venues and locations that it said it believed would be primarily impacted. With the expansion of government shutdown orders, the Company now says that 2/3 of its annual revenue of approximately $1.2V is to venues and locations that have shut down or sharply curtailed their foodservice operations over the past 10 days and that, although the balance of its business may improve due to increased sales to grocery stores and other retailers, it expects the overall impact to be decidedly negative.

07:33 EDT Intra-Cellular announces availability of CAPLYTA for adults with schizophrenia - Intra-Cellular Therapies announced that CAPLYTA is now available to pharmacies in the U.S. CAPLYTA is an oral, once daily medicine approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. The efficacy of CAPLYTA 42 mg was demonstrated in two placebo-controlled trials, showing a statistically significant benefit over placebo on the primary endpoint, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score. The most common adverse reactions for the recommended dose of CAPLYTA vs. placebo were somnolence/sedation and dry mouth. In pooled data from short term studies, mean changes from baseline in weight gain, fasting glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol were similar between CAPLYTA and placebo. The incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms was 6.7% for CAPLYTA and 6.3% for placebo. The company said, " We recognize this is an extraordinary and challenging time with COVID-19; we are monitoring developments closely and we will adapt our approach as appropriate. To complement our current launch plan, we have developed remote capabilities for detailing, sampling and peer to peer interactions designed to ensure physicians are properly educated on CAPLYTA. We will also rely more heavily on digital promotion to augment the remote interactions of our sales colleagues. We have substantial product supply in the U.S. with long expiry dating to support expected demand. Each 30-capsule pack of CAPLYTA covers once daily dosing for one month. Sample packs of 10 capsules are available for healthcare professionals."

07:19 EDT Pebblebrook Hotel announces plan to mitigate COVID-19 impact - Pebblebrook Hotel announced that it has taken and is taking additional steps to address the operating and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company and its hotel management companies have or will shortly be temporarily suspending operations at the vast majority of its hotels and resorts and have reduced staffing and expenses at the properties that remain open. "This difficult decision to suspend or dramatically reduce operations was made in response to numerous government mandates and health official recommendations, the effective elimination of hotel demand, and is in the best interest of the communities in which our properties and employees are located. As of yesterday, 28 of the company's hotels and resorts had suspended operations, with most of the company's remaining 26 hotels and resorts anticipated to suspend operations by March 30." In addition, the company's asset managers are working closely with hotel operating partners to reduce operating expenses and conserve cash over the immediate period. The company will conserve $50M by postponing all non-essential capital investments other than completing the 2020 major projects which have been underway for many months, are purchased and are nearing completion in most cases and should be complete in the next month or two, assuming construction work is allowed to continue or restart as ordered by the local public authorities. The company will re-evaluate all deferred 2020 and 2021 capital projects later in 2020 as clarity improves on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel demand, the company's financial condition and the overall economic environment. At the corporate level, Pebblebrook said it reduced its regular quarterly common dividend per share to 1c, conserving $50M of cash per calendar quarter. The company's board will continue to monitor the company's financial performance and economic outlook and intends to either resume a regular quarterly common dividend at a time and level determined to be prudent in 2020 or declare and pay any dividend required to be made for 2020 at the end of the year. Increased liquidity to $740M of cash on hand. Last week the company drew down $643M on its $650M unsecured credit facility out of an abundance of caution to ensure that the company has sufficient liquidity and funds to meet its ongoing operating needs for a sustained period. The company has no scheduled debt maturities until November 2021. Jon Bortz, chairman, president, and CEO, has volunteered to forego his salary for the remainder of the year, effective April 1. Raymond Martz, CFO, and Thomas Fisher, CIO, have both volunteered to reduce their salaries by 30% for the remainder of the year, also effective April 1. The board has also volunteered to reduce their Independent trustee compensation for 2020 by 30%. In addition, all three executive officers have agreed to forfeit any eligible cash bonuses for 2020 in lieu of shares and to forfeit all of the long-term share retention awards that were recently approved by the board in February and granted before the rapidly accelerating events of the last few weeks. In addition, the company has enacted significant cost-saving measures and reductions, including corporate-wide employee salary reductions, forfeiture of cash bonuses in lieu of shares and forfeitures of restricted stock awards. In addition, the company is also implementing a cost reduction plan for corporate operating expenses. The company anticipates these reductions in executive officer, trustee and employee compensation, and other cost-cutting measures will reduce corporate G&A expenses by approximately $7M for 2020.

07:16 EDT Giga-tronics receives $1.5M order for upgrade kits - Giga-tronics announced that it has received a $1.5M order to provide mission critical upgrade kits to existing fielded Radar Threat Generation Systems. The kits are necessary for the operational testing of advanced electronic warfare weapons systems. The Company also announced the closing on March 12, 2020 of a private placement of 146,667 unregistered shares of common stock at $3.75 per share for total proceeds to the Company of $550,000.

07:14 EDT AC Immune receives second milestone in Lilly Morphomer Tau partnership - AC Immune (ACIU) announced that it will receive a second milestone payment of CHF10M from Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) on or before March 31, 2020 related to development progress in the small molecule Morphomer Tau aggregation inhibitor program. The multi-year collaboration agreement between Lilly and AC Immune was originally announced in December 2018 and focuses on the broad development of Morphomer Tau aggregation inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. The second milestone payment of CHF10M marks significant progress between the companies in just 15 months. In that time, ACI-3024, a first-in-class investigational oral small molecule Tau Morphomer for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, has advanced from preclinical into Phase 1 clinical development. Lilly made a first milestone payment of CHF30M in September 2019. Under the updated collaboration terms, AC Immune will now also be eligible for a new CHF60M potential milestone after initiation of Tau Morphomer Phase 2 clinical testing. No additional changes were made to other later-stage milestones or royalty terms. Tau is a high priority therapeutic target in the complex treatment paradigm for AD and ACI-3024 is the most advanced orally available small molecule therapeutic candidate of its kind in development. ACI-3024's proposed unique mechanism of action targets both intracellular and extracellular Tau aggregates, potentially slowing or stopping the accumulation and propagation of pathological Tau aggregates in AD patients. Compared to other Tau-targeting molecules in development, the key potential differentiating factor is that ACI-3024 has been shown to act intracellularly to address specifically Tau pathology at an early stage. ACI-3024 is the lead molecule, discovered by AC Immune and being developed within the license and collaboration agreement between AC Immune and Lilly to research and develop small molecule Tau Morphomer aggregation inhibitors for the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. The collaboration combines AC Immune's proprietary Morphomer discovery platform technology and early development experience with Lilly's established clinical development expertise and commercial capabilities in central nervous system disorders. Under the agreement AC Immune is conducting the initial Phase 1 development of ACI-3024 while Lilly will fund and conduct further clinical development. The Phase 1 trial initiated in July 2019 is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, sequential single and multiple ascending dose study that aims to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of ACI-3024 in healthy volunteers. Data from the study may be communicated as soon as the second half of 2020, at the discretion of Lilly.

07:10 EDT Washington Prime provides COVID-19 update - Washington Prime announced that in its continued recognition of the need to address the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the company will temporarily close its enclosed assets with an indoor common area that have not already temporarily closed. This measure will take effect today and will end on March 29 or at a date in compliance with applicable federal, local or state mandates. Exceptions for enclosed centers include exterior facing restaurants with carryout and/or delivery services, and other tenants with exterior facing entrances which may remain open offering essential goods and services to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the company anticipates a portion of its open air centers, which represent approximately 40% of total net operating income to remain open to continue to offer essential goods and services to the extent permitted by law. Importantly, the company has offered to applicable governmental agencies all of its open air and enclosed assets to serve as potential distribution centers for emergency medical supplies, outdoor designated areas to perform COVID-19 testing, food depository stations and other complementary services that may be required by communities in need. While this list is continually expanding, current examples include: Several of our General Managers and local management teams have partnered with federal, state or local government agencies to provide space for the storage, staging or distribution of emergency medical supplies and/or services. The company has partnered with local public school districts to provide space for the distribution of free breakfast and lunch to children eighteen and under. The company is working in conjunction with restaurant tenants to offer meals to health care workers and first responders in the coming days. Many assets are serving as a location for blood drives to support the need for blood donations from healthy individuals during this critical time. Assets are also serving as drop off locations in conjunction with local nonprofit organizations collecting essential items for their communities. The company is supporting restaurant tenants offering carryout and/or delivery services by providing social media support and community engagement.

07:09 EDT Addus HomeCare to continue service in California, New York and Illinois - Addus HomeCare announced that it will continue providing its services in California, New York and Illinois even after the recently announced "shelter in place" orders from those states. The company also anticipates that it will be exempted from the scope of similar restrictions other states may implement as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has advised that it views home care and hospice staff as members of the country's Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce.

07:07 EDT Myriad Genetics appoints S. Louise Phanstiel as chair of the board - Myriad Genetics announced that S. Louise Phanstiel has been appointed as chair of the Board of Directors. John Henderson, M.D., will remain on the Board of Directors. Phanstiel has served as a director of Myriad Genetics since September 2009, as chair of the Audit Committee since November 2009 and as a member of the Nominating and Governance committee.

07:05 EDT Black Hills says has not experienced 'significant' reductions in sales volumes - Black Hills announced an update regarding the actions it is taking in response to COVID-19 and the related impacts on the company's business. The company said, "The company is executing its business continuity plan and remains focused on prioritizing the health and safety of its customers, employees, business partners and communities. Black Hills continues to monitor its operations and believes the fundamentals of its utility-focused business remain sound. Operations and delivery of energy to its 1.3 million customers have not been materially impacted. To date, Black Hills has not experienced significant reductions in sales volumes across its business and is closely monitoring potential impacts due to the states' and the nation's COVID-19 pandemic responses. The company continues to maintain adequate liquidity to operate its businesses and fund its capital program. The company is shifting its short-term funding from its commercial paper program to its $750M revolving credit facility, which expires July 30, 2023. The credit facility has two one-year renewal options and contains an accordion feature that allows Black Hills to increase total commitments up to $1B under certain conditions. Black Hills is well positioned to execute its financing strategy and recently completed a $100M equity issuance as part of its plan for 2020. The company previously announced plans to issue at least $300M of long-term debt this year to term out short-term debt. The company does not have any material long-term debt maturities until late 2023. The company is monitoring supply chains and large capital projects. Supply chains are so far operating normally with limited impact to availability of supplies and materials. Recent conversations with suppliers and contractors indicate no significant changes to schedules for delivery of parts and components and contractors. The company's pension plan was approximately 85% funded at year-end 2019 and has remained near this funded status throughout the ongoing market volatility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Hills has substantially de-risked its pension plan assets with nearly 70% of the portfolio invested in long-dated bonds. As a result, we do not anticipate additional funding requirements beyond planned contributions for the year. Recognizing the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Hills is continually monitoring its business and will adjust as necessary to safely and effectively serve customers and communities and keep employees safe and well."

07:05 EDT Talos Energy lowers FY20 production sales volumes view to 23.3M-24.6 MMBoe - Talos Energy announced updated FY20 financial guidance, inclusive of $170M of reductions in capital, operating and G&A expenses. The company will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to further reduce 2020 costs.Those reductions would be incremental to the $170M already identified. Talos continues to expect to generate positive free cash flow in 2020 despite the current commodity environment. The company believes that these cost reduction measures, coupled with Talos's low cash cost structure and robust hedge book, allow the company to generate free cash flow in 2020, after capital expenditures and interest expense, in the mid-$20's per barrel average WTI prices for the balance of the year. The company's updated guidance for 2020 reflects investments in infrastructure-led, short-cycle projects that were previously committed to and that are focused on lowering the lifting cost structure of Talos's assets by adding incremental barrels through existing fixed-cost offshore production facilities, resulting in an increased value of the asset base. Given the ability to utilize existing infrastructure, Talos believes these investments are economic even in the current commodity price environment. Also included in the guidance is a limited, but unchanged, portion of Talos's budget dedicated to the front-end engineering and design work related to our Zama project offshore Mexico. Production sales volumes for FY20 are expected to be 23.3M-24.6M barrels of oil equivalent, or MMBoe, which represents an average daily production of 63.7-67.1 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, or MBoe/d, or approximately a 3.1 MBoe/d reduction from the original 2020 full-year guidance due to deferred projects. Talos continues to maintain its robust hedge book. As of March 23, the company had approximately 11.9M barrels of oil hedged for 2020, representing 70% of the mid-point of guided oil volumes, at a weighted average WTI price of $51.53 per barrel.

07:04 EDT Citi Trends draws down $43.7M under credit facility due to COVID-19 - Citi Trends announced today that it has drawn down $43.7M in principal amount under its committed $50M revolving credit facility. The company's borrowing under its revolving credit facility was a proactive measure taken by the company to increase its cash position and preserve financial flexibility in light of current uncertainties resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In accordance with the terms of the revolving credit facility, the proceeds from this borrowing may in the future be used for working capital, general corporate purposes or other purposes permitted by the revolving credit facility. The draw down on the facility is in addition to the actions previously announced that are being taken by the company to strengthen its financial position and balance sheet and preserve liquidity during these uncertain times. These additional actions include reviewing all operating expenses, reducing capital expenditures, reducing inventory as appropriate and for the time being, the company is not intending to repurchase any shares under the previously announced share repurchase program.

07:03 EDT Codexis signs strategic collaboration, license agreement with Takeda - Codexis (CDXS) announces the signing of a strategic collaboration and license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TAK) for the research and development of novel gene therapies for certain disease indications, including the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders and blood factor deficiencies. Under the terms of the agreement, Codexis will generate novel gene sequences encoding protein variants tailored to enhance efficacy as a result of increased activity, stability, and cellular uptake using its CodeEvolver protein engineering platform. Takeda will combine these improved transgenes with its gene therapy capabilities to generate novel candidates for the treatment of rare genetic disorders.

07:02 EDT Schrodinger announces expanded collaboration with AstraZeneca - Schrodinger (SDGR) announced an expanded collaboration with AstraZeneca (AZN) focused on refining a biologics modeling solution with the aim of speeding up the development of antibody and protein-based therapeutic candidates. The multi-year agreement extends an existing collaboration in which AstraZeneca is deploying Schrodinger's computational platform to advance small molecule drug discovery efforts. The new collaboration is aimed at enhancing Schrodinger's Free Energy Perturbation (FEP+) technology for the optimization of key properties of biologics, such as affinity and selectivity, with particular focus on binding affinity. "This expansion of our collaboration with AstraZeneca has the potential to transform biologics research by further extending the power of physics-based computational modeling to the design of antibodies and protein therapeutics. It's an exciting collaboration that underscores our commitment to continue investing in research to extend the reach of our industry-leading platform," said Robert Abel, Ph.D., EVP of Science, Schrodinger. Tristan Vaughan, VP Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, R&D, AstraZeneca said: "Our aim through this collaboration is to discover higher affinity, stable, and more potent biologics much more efficiently than previously possible. This is part of an ambitious program we have to augment traditional protein-based drug design to deliver high quality novel biologics rapidly to the clinic."

06:59 EDT Bristol-Myers postpones April 2 Investor Day - Bristol-Myers announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will reschedule its planned April 2 Investor Day for a later date. The company will continue to assess the situation and follow guidance from local and global health authorities to determine the new date.

06:56 EDT Dollar General to hire up to 50,000 new employees - As the heightened demand for household essentials offered by Dollar General stores continues across the country amid COVID-19 concerns, the company plans to nearly double its normal hiring rate and add up to 50,000 employees by the end of April as it continues to diligently work to support customers' needs. While Dollar General currently anticipates the majority of these roles to be temporary, the company has a strong track record of career growth and anticipates providing long-term career growth opportunities to some of these new employees. In the past five years alone, Dollar General has added approximately 35,000 net new jobs to the American economy, growing its workforce from 105,000 employees in February 2015 to more than 143,000 current employees.

06:52 EDT Hasbro CEO says in 'really good financial position,' does not see any layoffs - Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said the company is in a "really good financial position," he doesn't foresee making any layoffs due to the coronavirus outbreak and that the company plans to keep paying its dividend. Goldner made the comments in an interview on CNBC.

06:47 EDT Ford to suspend production in India, S Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam - Ford is temporarily suspending vehicle and engine production at its International Markets Group, or IMG, manufacturing sites in response to the growing impact of the coronavirus. The IMG production suspensions began Saturday, March 21, and will continue for several weeks depending on the pandemic situation, national restrictions, supplier constraints and dealer stock requirements. While Ford will continue to monitor the situation, the company is adjusting its original IMG production schedule and will temporarily suspend production market-by-market. The last working day per market is as follows: March 21: India -- Chennai Vehicle Assembly Plant, Sanand Vehicle Assembly Plant, Sanand Engine Plant and Chennai Engine Plant. March 26: Vietnam -- Ford Vietnam Limited Haiduong Assembly Plant. March 27: Thailand -- Ford Motor Company Limited. March 27: South Africa - Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria and Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth.

06:45 EDT Altria Group CEO Howard Willard contracts coronavirus, takes medical leave - Altria CEO Howard Willard has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the tobacco giant said in a note to employees dated Thursday. Willard is taking a temporary medical leave to "ensure that the company is fully functioning at this critical time and to focus on his health," Altria said. While Willard has been out of the office for several days, Altria said it notified people who were in close contact with him and asked them to self-quarantine for two weeks. CFO Billy Gifford will fill in as CEO while Willard is away in addition to his regular duties, Altria said. "The Board respects Howard's need to focus on recovery and expressed confidence that Billy will effectively lead the company through this challenging time," Altria general counsel Murray Garnick wrote in the note. Reference Link

06:39 EDT Endeavour Mining to combine with SEMAFO - Endeavour Mining and SEMAFO are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Endeavour will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of SEMAFO by way of a Plan of Arrangement under the Business Corporations Act. The Transaction will create a top 15 global gold producer and the largest in West Africa with six operations and an attractive growth pipeline. Due to the strong strategic rationale for local consolidation, both sets of Board of Directors have unanimously approved the Transaction. Pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement, SEMAFO common shares will be exchanged at a ratio of 0.1422 Endeavour ordinary shares for each one SEMAFO common shares. The Exchange Ratio represents a premium of 27.2% based on the 20-day volume weighted average price of both companies for the period ended March 20, and a premium of 54.7% based on the closing price of Endeavour and SEMAFO's shares on the TSX on March 20. The implied equity value for SEMAFO is equal to C$1B based on Endeavour's closing price on March 20. Existing Endeavour and SEMAFO shareholders will own approximately 70% and 30%, respectively, of the combined company on a fully-diluted in-the-money basis. Full details of the Transaction will be included in the joint management information circular of Endeavour and SEMAFO and are expected to be mailed to each company's respective shareholders at the end of April or early May. It is anticipated that both shareholder meetings and the closing of the Transaction will take place in the second quarter.

06:35 EDT DCP Midstream to reduce distribution, CapEx, lower costs - In response to extraordinary and volatile market conditions, DCP Midstream announced the following decisive actions. First, the board of directors of its general partner approved a plan to reduce quarterly distributions to its common unitholders to 39c per unit or $1.56 annually, beginning with the first quarter 2020 distribution, payable in May 2020. This 50% distribution reduction results in $325M of cash that will be fully utilized to reduce leverage and strengthen the balance sheet. Second, DCP will reduce its 2020 growth capital program by 75%, to approximately $150M for the year, down from a guidance midpoint of $600M. This remaining capital spend is required for necessary and strategic projects that are already underway. The $450M growth capital reduction includes the strategic decision to defer a 30% ownership option in Phillips 66's Sweeny Frac 2 and 3 projects, which was projected to be exercised at the end of 2020. Although DCP does not expect to exercise the option in 2020, Phillips 66 and DCP are considering an option in later years that would be mutually beneficial for both companies. Additional growth capital reductions have been made on a basin-specific basis. Looking to 2021, DCP has provided a growth capital range of $50M-$150M and the company anticipates targeting the low end of the range. Third, through targeted cost and sustaining capital reductions, DCP expects to minimize the negative impact of the commodity price environment by approximately $80M-$100M in 2020. To achieve this goal, DCP plans to lower costs by at least $50M enterprise-wide, reduce sustaining capital by $30M, and further drive DCP 2.0 innovation efforts by up to $20M to improve cash flows. DCP remains focused on the health and safety of its people, customers, vendors, and communities as the company's top priority during the COVID-19 outbreak. DCP has implemented pandemic response and business continuity plans to prevent illness and provide reliable and safe operations, while maintaining regular communication with customers. "In response to current unprecedented market conditions, DCP has taken aggressive action to optimize over $850 million in cash flows to improve our leverage and liquidity, and position the company for long-term success." said Wouter van Kempen, chairman, president, and CEO of DCP Midstream. "The decision to reduce our distribution was not taken lightly, but with a focus on long-term value creation, we believe it is in the best interest of our unitholders, employees, and the company. Our business remains strong, with no disruptions in operations, and these decisive actions will enable DCP to maintain and strengthen our balance sheet and continue to serve our customers well." With these actions, DCP anticipates liquidity of $700M-$1B at the end of 2020. DCP currently maintains more than $500M of liquidity, having recently extended and strengthened its credit facility with decreased fees through 2024. The company's next bond maturity is not due until September 2021 and there are no foreseeable needs to access the equity or debt markets. Additionally, for 2020, DCP previously announced that 31% of the 2020 equity length is hedged at attractive pricing, and 24% of the 2021 open position is now protected through DCP's targeted hedging program. DCP's customer base is well-diversified and within the company's top 20 customers, who represent 55% of revenue, approximately 75% of the companies are investment grade, mostly A rated. Additionally, where producers are delivering into DCP's gathering and processing systems, DCP is generally in a net payable position where it holds the commodities or cash thereby limiting counterparty exposure. DCP also maintains contract structures with adequate assurance provisions to minimize credit exposure. DCP expects to provide an update to its 2020 guidance during its first quarter earnings call in May.

06:34 EDT Eli Lilly to delay new study starts, pause enrollment in most ongoing studies

06:33 EDT LVMH says will not buy Tiffany shares on open market - LVMH (LVMUY) said in a statement that rumors circulated recently indicating that LVMH would consider buying Tiffany (TIF) shares on the open market. "These rumors lead LVMH to recall that, in accordance with the agreement concluded with Tiffany in November 2019, LVMH is currently committed not to buy Tiffany shares."

06:27 EDT Airbus withdraws 2020 guidance, 2019 dividend proposal

06:25 EDT Royal Dutch Shell lowers 2020 capex, suspends share buyback - As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the world, Shell said in a statement that it is putting the safety and health of our people and customers first, along with the safe operations of all its businesses. At the same time, it is taking decisive action to reinforce the financial strength and resilience of its business so that it is well-positioned for the eventual economic recovery. "As well as protecting our staff and customers in this difficult time, we are also taking immediate steps to ensure the financial strength and resilience of our business," said Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell. "The combination of steeply falling oil demand and rapidly increasing supply may be unique, but Shell has weathered market volatility many times in the past." Shell announced that it has embarked on a series of operational and financial initiatives that are expected to result in: reduction of underlying operating costs by $3-4 billion per annum over the next 12 months compared to 2019 levels; reduction of cash capital expenditure to $20 billion or below for 2020 from a planned level of around $25 billion; and material reductions in working capital. Together, these initiatives are expected to contribute $8 - 9 billion of free cash flow on a pre-tax basis. Shell is still committed to its divestment program of more than $10 billion of assets in 2019-20 but timing depends on market conditions. The Board of Royal Dutch Shell has decided not to continue with the next tranche of the share buyback program following the completion of the current share buyback tranche.

06:18 EDT U.S., tech companies to improve access to supercomputers - The U.S. government, IBM (IBM) and others are giving researchers worldwide access to at least 16 supercomputers to help speed the discovery of vaccines and drugs to combat COVID-19. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Sunday announced the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, a partnership that includes IBM, the Energy Department national laboratories, Google Cloud (GOOGL), Amazon Web Services (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT) and others. Representatives from the consortium with backgrounds in areas such as high-performance computing, biology and epidemiology will approve the projects based on merit and the path to fastest impact, said Dario Gil, director of IBM Research. The goal is to grant researchers access to powerful computing resources days after they submit their projects. Reference Link

06:15 EDT Everbridge acquires one2many, terms not disclosed - Everbridge announced that the company has acquired the "leading global provider of cell broadcast solutions for safety applications," one2many, in order to provide a mobile-optimized, full-lifecycle solution for meeting and exceeding EU regulatory and other global initiatives for countrywide population alerting. The combination creates the largest and only public warning system combining cell-broadcast and address-, group-, and location-based, multi-channel technologies. The new hybrid platform enables countries to protect against coronavirus; share updates on viral hotspots and pandemic best practices; coordinate first responders and healthcare resources; establish two-way communications with at-risk populations; and manage disruptions to transportation, education and other critical services. In addition, the platform also provides critical event management capabilities across a broad range of threats including natural disasters, terrorism, cyber, and other security events.

06:09 EDT Yum China provides COVID-19 update, stores gradually re-opening - Yum China Holdings updated stakeholders on the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The current COVID-19 situation is one of unprecedented scale and impact, and first and foremost we want to give thanks and appreciation to all the medical personnel, government workers, volunteers and other frontline workers who have put public health and safety above their own in fighting this global pandemic. At Yum China, our commitment has been to safety above all else -- safety for our employees, as they operate in this difficult environment; and safety for our customers, as they place their trust in our products and services. We are seeing early signs of recovery, as business gradually resumed and people returned to work in China. However, restaurant traffic is still heavily impacted as people continue to implement social distancing measures. Yum China is gradually re-opening stores across China when possible and appropriate to do so, on a partial or fully operational basis. Store closures peaked in February with approximately 35% of restaurants closed. For the restaurants that have remained open, some stores provide only delivery and takeaway services and/or have shortened operating hours. Almost all stores that remained open experienced significant declines in traffic. As previously disclosed, same-store sales declined 40% to 50% during the Chinese New Year holiday period, compared to the comparable period in 2019. In recent days, approximately 95% of our stores in China are either partially or fully open. Approximately 10% to 20% of open stores provide only delivery and takeaway services, and some stores continue to have shortened operating hours. Traffic at open stores is recovering slowly and remains well below pre-outbreak levels. The pace of recovery varies by region and is slower during weekends as people avoid going out. In recent days, same-store sales were down approximately 20%. Sales performance fluctuates as the recovery is uneven, and the situation continues to evolve.

06:07 EDT Hercules Capital transitions work force into a work-from-home setting - The company stated, "In an effort to keep our employees operating in a safe environment and meet our obligations to our shareholders, stakeholders and portfolio companies, effective March 12, 2020 we transitioned our work force into a work-from-home setting. Prior to that transition, the Company completed several tests of its networks, infrastructure and our ability to maintain maximum functionality, and as of today, we have not experienced any material interruptions in our ability to continue full business operations. We will continue to take all necessary steps to maintain ongoing operations and do our best to ensure the safety and well being of our employees. Currently, we believe we have ample liquidity to support our near-term capital requirements. As the impact of the Coronavirus continues, we will continue to evaluate our overall liquidity position and take proactive steps to maintain the appropriate liquidity position based upon the then current circumstances. While we are all experiencing difficulties and challenges as we deal with the impact of the Coronavirus, we will continue to focus on the continuity of our operations, portfolio and business risk management, and our responsibilities to our employees, their families and our communities. We have redoubled our efforts in credit monitoring and management to increase our flow of information to gain insight into the economic impact this situation will have on our entire ecosystem. Our success has always been predicated on determined and consistent communications with each and every one of our portfolio companies and helping them navigate through both good and difficult times."

06:04 EDT Senators demand Amazon answer questions about warehouse worker safety - Four U.S. senators, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, as well as Cory Booker, Bob Menendez and Sherrod Brown, have sent a letter to Jeff Bezos questioning how Amazon is keeping its warehouse workers safe amid the ongoing spread of COVID-19. "Any failure of Amazon to keep its workers safe does not just put their employees at risk, it puts the entire country at risk," the group said in the letter. The senators are also asking Amazon to provide paid sick leave and time-and-a-half hazard pay, among other financial and health protections. "The virus that causes COVID-19 can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel," the letter says. "That means that Americans who are taking every precaution, staying home and practicing social distancing, might risk getting infected with COVID-19 because of Amazon's decision to prioritize efficiency and profits over the safety and well-being of its workforce." Reference Link

06:02 EDT Organigram receives Health Canada's approval for Phase 5 expansion - Organigram is pleased to announce that the company has received Health Canada's approval for the licensing of the remainder of its Phase 5 expansion together with the renewal of its licenses for standard cultivation, standard processing and sale for medical purposes under the Cannabis Regulations. The renewed and expanded licenses are effective as of March 20. The terms of the licenses include approval of a two-floor production facility designed to support all processing activity as well as dedicated spaces for packaging of flower, pre-rolls, vape pens and powdered beverages. The Phase 5 expansion also includes a new extraction facility with increased capacity for CO2 extraction, and winterization as well as new capabilities designed for future product development. The amendments also allow for new purpose-built harvest and drying rooms and support areas for quality assurance, maintenance and sanitation. The licenses are valid for a three-year period until March 20, 2023 and are subject to customary terms and conditions.

05:58 EDT KBR awarded $26.8M task order from U.S. Air Force - KBR announced that it has been awarded a $26.8M task order to provide additional cybersecurity engineering support to the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, or AFLCMC, Engineering Directorate Cyber Systems Engineering Division. KBR was awarded this cost-plus-fixed-fee task order under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's, or DoD IAC, multiple-award contract. The task order is part of the DoD IAC's Cyber Security and Information Systems Technical Area Task, or CSTAT. This task order was awarded by the U.S. Air Force, or USAF, Installation Contracting Center. KBR won a seat on the CSTAT contract in December 2015. Under the new task order, KBR experts will develop cybersecurity frameworks for U.S. Air Force command and control, or C2, and rapid cyber acquisition, or RCA, customers. C2 and RCA systems provide integrating communications capabilities that permit almost all other Air Force weapon systems to operate and communicate securely. The cybersecurity of these systems is paramount to the secure operation of key assets including fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft. KBR will provide system and software security, mission assurance, risk management, and resilience in developing, implementing, training, verifying, and executing cybersecurity strategies across the portfolio of C2 and RCA weapon systems for AFLCMC. Through this work, which will be performed at Hanscom AFB in Massachusetts, KBR will increase the cybersecurity and resiliency of USAF systems while helping to ingrain cybersecurity best practices into the engineering processes of systems in acquisition.

05:44 EDT B2Gold provides update on operations, COVID-19 response plan - B2Gold announces that it is continuing with its comprehensive COVID-19 response plan and to date has not experienced any incidents of the COVID-19 virus at its sites or corporate offices. The company continues to operate its mines in Mali (Fekola) and Namibia (Otjikoto), with a temporary suspension of mining but continued milling at its mine in the Philippines (Masbate). In addition, the company is moving its ongoing expansion and development projects forward with certain restrictions and delays experienced by individual project. The company expects to meet or exceed its budgeted consolidated gold production for the first quarter of 2020. The Masbate Mine expects to meet its budgeted gold production estimate for the first quarter of 2020. Based on a temporary shortage of fuel, the Masbate Mine has temporarily suspended mining activities, however the mill is continuing to operate and process material from stockpiles. The temporary fuel shortage is due to new regulations imposed by the Philippine Government related to the COVID-19 virus to ensure that all materials, including fuel, arriving on Masbate island via transport are not contaminated with COVID-19. A key component of the new regulations relate to the screening and certification of the crews transporting the materials, in order to ensure that delivery of fuel and other essential supplies to Masbate Island can be appropriately certified for delivery. The Philippine Federal Government has also issued a Memorandum from the Executive Secretary on March 16, 2020, which states that essential supplies should be allowed to continue to be shipped. The company expects to provide an update on the Masbate Mine operations, including supply deliveries, later in the week. The current plan is for the mill at the Masbate Mine to continue to operate. The company's intention is to recommence mining once fuel supplies have been restored. The Fekola Mine continues to operate without impediments to mining or milling and expects to meet or exceed its budgeted gold production estimate for the first quarter of 2020. All supply lines remain open and the site continues to receive supplies critical to operating at full capacity. In addition, Fekola has also built up a significant reserve of stockpiles that it can comfortably process through the second quarter of 2020 without a significant change to its annual guidance. Barring any unforeseen work stoppages due to COVID-19, including consumable supply disruption, the company expects to meet its 2020 gold production and cost guidance at the Fekola Mine. The expansion of the Fekola mill continues and is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2020. The mining fleet expansion continues to perform well with the first 6040 excavator loading the five 789 trucks that were delivered to site ahead of schedule. The expansion of the tailings storage facility remains on schedule and will provide capacity for tailings disposal into 2023. The solar power plant construction continues but there is a possibility that some components may be delayed, primarily due to shipping delays, prior to startup of the solar plant in the third quarter of 2020. This delay will not impact the 2020 forecasted annual production at the Fekola Mine. The Otjikoto Mine expects to meet its budgeted gold production estimate for the first quarter of 2020. All supply lines remain open and the site continues to receive supplies critical to operating at full capacity. The Otjikoto Mine continues to operate without impediments to mining or milling and has a significant reserve of stockpiles that it can process through the second quarter of 2020 without a significant change to its annual guidance. Barring any unforeseen work stoppages due to COVID-19, including consumable supply disruption, the company expects to meet its 2020 gold production and cost guidance at the Otjikoto Mine. The underground project at Wolfshag is currently in the tender review process for underground mine development and could potentially be delayed if contractors cannot mobilize to site (scheduled for mid to late second quarter of 2020). The company does not expect that a delay to the underground project will have any impact on the 2020 or 2021 forecasted annual production at the Otjikoto Mine. At the Gramalote Project, the company has determined, with extensive consultation with the surrounding communities and the Colombian government, to suspend drilling off the Inferred Mineral Resource but will continue to progress the feasibility study where possible. The suspension of drilling has the potential to delay the completion of the Gramalote project feasibility study into the first quarter of 2021. Further to the company's news release dated March 18, the company has been monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and the potential impact at B2Gold's operations since mid-February and has implemented several measures and introduced additional precautionary steps to manage and respond to the risks associated with the COVID-19 virus to ensure the safety of our employees and surrounding communities where we work while continuing to operate. This plan is continually being updated based on the severity of the pandemic in areas where we operate, the safety of our workforce, global response measures, government restrictions and extensive community consultation. Travel by B2Gold corporate personnel continues to be restricted to absolute minimum requirements, and employees in the corporate offices have been advised to work remotely, including the corporate office in Vancouver. At each of our mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, and our development project in Colombia, we have implemented several control measures for dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19, including a severe restriction of access to site, pre-screening for symptoms and travel history with possible COVID-19 exposure for all employees, and mandatory quarantine periods for any new personnel having access to the site. The company's procedures will continue to evolve according to the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control guidelines as more becomes known about the virus, and the company is regularly monitoring the situation and following local and national health authority requirements and recommendations. A critical care specialist has been consulting the company on the guidelines and global implementation. B2Gold continues to engage with local stakeholders to prevent the virus from entering the communities around our operations. Education programs are being put into place to protect the communities by promoting hygienic practices and limiting social interactions in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

05:35 EDT CNH Industrial CEO Hubertus Muhlhauser resigns, Suzanne Heywood named acting CEO - The board of CNH Industrial announces that it has appointed Suzanne Heywood as Acting CEO, in addition to her role as chair of the board, to lead the business through this current unprecedented period and until a new permanent CEO has been identified by means of a thorough search process. The board reached its unanimous decision and accepted the resignation of Hubertus Muhlhauser as CEO, who has left the Group with immediate effect. Suzanne Heywood, who is also Managing director of Exor, CNH Industrial's largest shareholder, has been Chair of CNH Industrial since July 2018. "The board reiterated that the group's robust finances remain one of its key strengths, as they have been in the past when successfully weathering storms and dislocations. The group will announce its first quarter results as planned on May 6, bearing in mind any regulatory advice with regard to financial reporting best practice during the COVID-19 emergency."

05:17 EDT Kirkland Lake suspends all non-essential work, exploration activities - Kirkland Lake Gold announced a number of initiatives designed to protect employees, their families and local communities from the COVID-19 virus. Included among the initiatives are the introduction of company-wide health and safety protocols, a temporary reduction in operations at the Detour Lake Mine, a remote operation with a large accommodation camp, until April 30, the suspension of non-essential work at all operations, as well as the suspension of all exploration activities across the company. In addition, the company also announced today it will terminate the Automatic Share Purchase Plan, or ASPP, effective March 23. The suspension reflects the company's commitment to maintaining financial strength during the current period of uncertainty related to the COVID-19 virus. The ASPP was launched on February 20 in connection with the company's current normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, to allow for share purchases that would not be subject to black-out periods and other restrictions. The current NCIB remains in effect on the same terms and conditions as previously disclosed. Under the current NCIB, the company can purchase up to 10.5 million additional common shares between now and its expiry on May 28. A total of 10.4 million common shares have been repurchased to date through the current NCIB, including 1.9 million shares through the ASPP. Except as set out in this press release, the company is not aware of any material undisclosed information about its business or its securities. At the present time there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any of the company's operations or offices. In response to the health risks associated with COVID-19, Kirkland Lake Gold has implemented a series of health and safety protocols on a company-wide basis. At the operational level, site-level controls currently in place and/or being introduced include medical screening of all individuals prior to entering site, enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices, social distancing of workers, increased reliance on the use of technology such as hosting of virtual meetings, work from home policies and the suspension of all non-essential work at, and visits to, the company's mine sites.