Stockwinners Market Radar for March 26, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:51 EDT Valaris continues recovery work on VALARIS DS-8 - Valaris announced that the company continues actively working to recover or replace the blowout preventer stack on VALARIS DS-8 following a non-drilling incident earlier this month. On March 19, 2020, the company received a termination notice for the drilling contract for VALARIS DS-8. The company is in discussions with the customer regarding the notice. The drilling contract represents approximately $150M of the company's contracted revenue backlog of $2.5B as of December 31, 2019. The operating day rate for VALARIS DS-8 is approximately $620,000 per day. The company has loss of hire insurance for $602,500 per day after the expiration of a 45-day deductible waiting period through the end of the contract in November 2020. If the contract is terminated, the company will seek to recover losses incurred in accordance with the terms of this insurance policy, which would largely offset the lost backlog noted above.

20:03 EDT Reading International closes all company's cinemas in U.S., Australia, NZ - Reading International announced business updates in response to the continued impact of COVID-19, or coronavirus. As of March 23, 2020, all of the company's cinemas in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand are temporarily closed in accordance with the directions and recommendations of the relevant federal, state and local authorities. With respect to the company's real estate operations in Australia and New Zealand, the majority of the tenants operating at each of these centers prior to the COVID-19 crisis, have temporarily suspended operations at the direction and recommendation of the local governmental authorities. In light of the temporary closures of most of its cinema and real estate operations, and due to the continued uncertainty in the market due to COVID-19, the company took swift action to increase the company's financial flexibility, including renewing and amending credit facilities and drawing funds under certain of the credit facilities, thereby increasing cash on hand. In addition, the company has implemented actions to further improve liquidity by reducing non-essential capital expenditures and operating expenses, as well as other actions.

18:40 EDT Veeva CEO: We're helping pharmaceutical reps connect remotely - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Veeva CEO Peter Gassner said, "The scale of Veeva has changed. We're aiming for a $3B company by 2025. Great companies can use this time to innovate."

18:14 EDT DOJ requires divestitures in United Tech, Raytheon merger - The Department of Justice announced that it is requiring United Technologies Corporation (UTX) and Raytheon Company (RTN) to divest Raytheon's military airborne radios business and UTC's military global positioning systems and large space-based optical systems businesses in order to proceed with their proposed merger. Without these divestitures, the merger would eliminate competition between two of the primary suppliers of military airborne radios and military GPS systems to the Department of Defense, and enable the merged firm to lessen competition for multiple components used in reconnaissance satellites sold to DoD and the wider U.S. intelligence community. The department's Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed merger. At the same time, the Antitrust Division filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the competitive harm alleged in the lawsuit. "Today's settlement protects the American taxpayer by preserving competition that leads to lower costs and higher innovation in critical military and defense products," said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Antitrust Division. "The merger, as originally proposed, would have eliminated competition in the supply of military airborne radios and military GPS systems, and would have positioned the merged firm to harm rivals capable of making key components for reconnaissance satellites. These horizontal and vertical concerns are resolved by the Division's structural remedy, which includes the divestiture of three separate business units."

17:48 EDT Rent-A-Center says majority of stores remain open - Rent-A-Center provided a business update in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Mitch Fadel said, "We are committed to remaining a lifeline for products in need by our customers and the communities we serve. While following the guidelines of local, state and federal authorities, the majority of Rent-A-Center stores remain open as an essential business providing household necessities such as refrigerators, ranges, computers and smartphones."

17:29 EDT GameStop shares up 13.4% after Q4 results

17:26 EDT GameStop says Switch continued to perform well in back half of 2019 - GameStop (GME) says continues to see Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) resonating with customers. Says Switch continued to perform well in back half of 2019.

17:20 EDT REV Group suspends RV production at Indiana and California facilities - REV Group provided a business and financial update to address uncertainty related to the coronavirus pandemic. The company has suspended normal production activities at all four RV production facilities in Indiana and California. The impacted businesses suspended production during the week of March 23 and will continue to monitor local health and safety mandates, the supply chain and dealer demand to determine when to restart normal operations. The company's service centers will continue to perform essential support to meet dealers' and end customers' technical, warranty and parts requests. "While we have suspended normal RV production, most of the vehicles we produce are considered by the Department of Homeland Security as essential to the nation's health and safety as well as critical to transportation infrastructure. In order to deliver against existing backlogs and inbound orders and support our nation's first responders during this challenging time, we are currently maintaining a regular work schedule at our non-RV production facilities," stated Rod Rushing, REV Group, Inc. CEO. With over $170M of funding capacity available under its existing ABL credit facility, a current focus on cash management through discretionary spending and capital expenditure reductions, and continued deliveries of emergency vehicles, the company believes it has adequate resources to meet its cash requirements over the foreseeable future. The company plans to provide an update on the credit facilities, as well as its current business and market conditions, no later than its normal Q2 earnings announcement.

17:13 EDT KB Home says net orders are down 5% quarter-to-date - Says Q1 results show strong momentum across segments. Says temporarily closed sale centers and model homes due to COVID-19. Says leveraging online resources. Says engaging with customers with online tools. Says there are restrictions on activity in most markets, but most exempt residential construction. Says curtailed land acquisitions and land development. Says demand remained resilient in the first week of Q2. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:10 EDT GameStop says still focused on inventory reduction - Says still focused on inventory reduction. Says 2019 was a "challenging" year. Says made "significant" progress against key initiatives in 2019.

17:05 EDT Hertz adjusting fleet levels, talking with suppliers to defer fleet deliveries - Hertz Global Holdings provided the following business update related to the significant, adverse impact on travel demand from the coronavirus. "Like the rest of the global travel sector, COVID-19's impact on Hertz arrived swiftly, and the reversal in customer demand has been significant," said Kathryn V. Marinello. "We are aggressively taking actions to sustain operations and preserve liquidity, while confronting the issues raised by some of the most difficult economic conditions we have experienced."Hertz experienced strong revenue and productivity in January and February, which followed 10 consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue growth and nine quarters of year-over-year Adjusted Corporate EBITDA improvement. For the first two months of 2020, global revenue increased 6% on 8% higher U.S. car rental revenue. In March, cities around the world rapidly began shutting down and airline travel decreased dramatically, causing increased rental cancellations and declining forward bookings. Hertz immediately began adjusting fleet levels in response to the reduced travel demand. The Company has been leveraging its multiple used-car channels and negotiating with suppliers to defer new fleet deliveries or modify previously placed orders. In addition, Hertz is aggressively managing costs and substantially reducing capital expenditures. It is prioritizing sales and marketing strategies to be more in line with the current economic environment, while providing flexibility to support its customers. The Company also has been consolidating local rental locations in the U.S. and Europe, offering customers nearby alternative pick up points, as necessary.

17:04 EDT Hertz adjusting fleet levels, talking with suppliers to defer fleet deliveries - Hertz Global Holdings provided the following business update related to the significant, adverse impact on travel demand from the coronavirus. "Like the rest of the global travel sector, COVID-19's impact on Hertz arrived swiftly, and the reversal in customer demand has been significant," said Kathryn V. Marinello. "We are aggressively taking actions to sustain operations and preserve liquidity, while confronting the issues raised by some of the most difficult economic conditions we have experienced."Hertz experienced strong revenue and productivity in January and February, which followed 10 consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue growth and nine quarters of year-over-year Adjusted Corporate EBITDA improvement. For the first two months of 2020, global revenue increased 6% on 8% higher U.S. car rental revenue. In March, cities around the world rapidly began shutting down and airline travel decreased dramatically, causing increased rental cancellations and declining forward bookings. Hertz immediately began adjusting fleet levels in response to the reduced travel demand. The Company has been leveraging its multiple used-car channels and negotiating with suppliers to defer new fleet deliveries or modify previously placed orders. In addition, Hertz is aggressively managing costs and substantially reducing capital expenditures. It is prioritizing sales and marketing strategies to be more in line with the current economic environment, while providing flexibility to support its customers. The Company also has been consolidating local rental locations in the U.S. and Europe, offering customers nearby alternative pick up points, as necessary.

16:53 EDT Regional Management sees liquidity profile as 'strong' - The company states: "We remain confident in our business given our strong balance sheet and liquidity, the time-tested fundamentals of our income statement, the solid infrastructure that we have built and our underwriting through custom risk models. We have consistently operated with a conservative leverage ratio. As of December 31, 2019, we had a funded debt-to-equity ratio of 2.7x, with $302.8M of shareholder equity. With our December 31, 2019 allowance for credit losses of $62.2M, we have $365.0M of capacity to absorb losses while still maintaining positive shareholder equity. Our liquidity profile is strong because we proactively diversified our funding over the past few years in anticipation of a shift in the credit cycle."

16:37 EDT Translate Bio's MRT5005 granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation by FDA - Translate Bio announced two updates related to its MRT5005 clinical development program in cystic fibrosis or CF. First, the FDA has granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation for MRT5005 for the treatment of CF. MRT5005, the first inhaled mRNA therapeutic, is designed to deliver mRNA encoding fully functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein to cells in the lung through nebulization. Also, as the worldwide healthcare system remains focused on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company anticipates related interruptions in enrollment, dosing and follow-up in the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with CF. The company plans to provide updated timing on the expected interim data readout of the additional single-ascending dose group and the multiple-ascending dose portion of the clinical trial at a later date.MRT5005 is being developed to treat all patients with CF, regardless of the underlying genetic mutation, including those with limited or no CFTR protein. The FDA has granted MRT5005 Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designation.

16:35 EDT Amneal donates hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to Texas State Pharmacy - Amneal Pharmaceuticals and the State of Texas announced that they are responding to the national COVID-19 health emergency. Amneal has donated 1,000,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to the Texas State Pharmacy, which will be directly distributed to hospitals for potential use in treating COVID-19 patients. "On behalf of the people of Texas, I thank Amneal for this generous donation," said Senator Hughes, who chairs the Senate's Committee on State Affairs. "In trying times like these, Americans come together and put others ahead of themselves. Amneal's donation is a shining example, and it reminds us of how blessed we are to be Americans." Amneal noted that it has donated 2,000,000 tablets of 200mg hydroxychloroquine sulfate to New York, and will provide more as needed. The Company is also donating and providing products directly to hospitals across the country.

16:33 EDT Rollins unit rolls out new disinfectant for businesses - Rollins announced that its subsidiary, Orkin, LLC, has a new service that will help businesses quickly and thoroughly suppress a wide variety of serious pathogens. In dense places where people congregate, if high-touch surfaces such as countertops, fixtures and public seating are not disinfected, harmful viruses such as the novel coronavirus can spread rapidly. Just like frequent, careful handwashing is a basic measure for humans to stave off virus transmission, large-scale sanitization is imperative to keeping establishments where people shop, eat and work as sterile as possible. Orkin VitalClean is an effective option for reducing risk and helping restore a safer and healthier business environment, the company said. Currently, no service or product has received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for killing the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 because it's too new. However, Orkin's VitalClean service uses an EPA-registered disinfectant labeled for use against a wide variety of pathogens, including other known coronaviruses and the influenza strains that caused two other global outbreaks - swine flu and avian flu, Rollins said. When applied at full strength in accordance with the product label by trained Orkin technicians, this powerful disinfectant will kill 100 percent of bacteria and viruses on hard, non-porous surfaces, according to Rollins. "The disinfectant product we use is incredibly effective against other coronaviruses, has almost no toxicity and has been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for fast-track review by the EPA for specific use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus," said Judy Black, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Technical Services, Rollins, Inc.

16:32 EDT Jernigan Capital increases credit facility to $375M from $235M - Jernigan Capita announced that on March 26, 2020, it entered into an amended and restated senior secured revolving credit facility of up to $375M with a syndicate of banks led by KeyBank National Association and BMO Harris Bank N.A. The $375M credit facility, which has an accordion feature permitting expansion up to $750M, subject to certain conditions including obtaining additional commitments from lenders, has a three-year term that expires March 24, 2023 and two one-year extension options.

16:31 EDT Arbutus Biopharma says COVID-19 may impact timelines on AB-729 trials - Arbutus Biopharma announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial (AB-729-001) in healthy subjects and two cohorts of chronic hepatitis B subjects on nucleos(t)ide antiviral therapy, all of whom received a single subcutaneous injection of AB-729. AB-729-001 is an ongoing Phase 1a/1b clinical trial designed to determine the most effective dose and dosing interval for use in future Phase 2 combination clinical trials. William Collier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arbutus, stated, "These encouraging preliminary results demonstrate that AB-729 is a potent RNAi agent capable of reducing HBsAg plasma levels and support its further development as a treatment for people living with chronic hepatitis B. Our plan is to move forward into the multiple dose portion of the clinical trial with the 60 mg dose and, in parallel, to explore additional single dose cohorts beginning with the 90 mg dose. We intend to initiate these cohorts as soon as possible; however, at this point, it is not possible to predict if the COVID-19 pandemic will negatively impact our plans and timelines. Provided we can execute our clinical trials as planned, we continue to expect these data sets in the second half of the year."

16:29 EDT Gap defers Q1 dividend payment, suspends dividends for remainder of FY20 - Gap announced a number of precautionary actions to strengthen financial flexibility in response to the rapidly evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We entered 2020 in a strong financial position. However, in this time of unprecedented disruption to the retail sector, we are proactively taking the prudent actions to further strengthen our financial liquidity and flexibility," said Gap CEO Sonia Syngal. To strengthen the balance sheet the company is taking the following actions: Drawing down the entire $500M on its revolving credit facility; deferring the record and payment dates for the company's previously announced Q1 dividend, and suspending the company's regular quarterly cash dividend for the remainder of FY20; reducing capital expenditures by approximately $300M in FY20; and reviewing all operating expenses for opportunities to reduce spending along with realigning inventory to expected sales trends. The company's previously declared Q1 dividend will now be payable on or after April 28, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 7, 2021, subject to the right of the company to further defer the record and payment dates, depending upon, among other factors, the progression of the COVID-19 outbreak, business performance and the macroeconomic environment. The company determined that taking these actions was in the best interests of the company in order to preserve liquidity in the context of the impact of COVID-19 on its operations. The company intends to review its quarterly cash dividend policy as developments warrant.

16:22 EDT General Mills CEO doesn't anticipate being unable to meet demand in U.S. - General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening says he does not anticipate that COVID-19 will stop the company from meeting increased demand for its products. 95% of employees are showing up to work every day, but the company has policies in place to make sure employees who are sick or have sick family members are not showing up and are taken care of, Harmening said. He added that he is "highly confident" that the company's food is safe and not spreading the virus to consumers. Harmening made the comments in an interview on CNBC.

16:19 EDT Argo Group says 2020 annual general meeting to be held virtually - Argo Group announced that, due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the company will not hold its 2020 Annual General Meeting in person and will instead be holding it in a virtual format only.

16:19 EDT General Mills CEO says 90% of shops in China now reopened - General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, while being interviewed on CNBC, discussed the reopening of the company's Hagen Daz shops in China.

16:18 EDT IGM Biosciences sees ending FY20 with over $140M in cash/investments - IGM estimates non-GAAP operating expenses for 2020 of approximately $75 - $85 million, excluding estimated non-cash stock-based compensation expense of approximately $8 million. Including non-cash stock-based compensation expense, IGM estimates GAAP operating expenses for 2020 of $83 - $93 million. IGM also expects to end 2020 with a balance of over $140 million in cash and investments.

16:17 EDT BGC Partners lowers quarterly dividend to 1c per share - BGC expects to reduce its quarterly dividend to 1c per common share. The Board of Directors intends to review the Company's quarterly cash dividend policy as developments warrant at a future time. Additionally, BGC Holdings, L.P. also expects to reduce its distributions of income from the operations of BGC's businesses to its partners. BGC Partners has drawn down an aggregate of $230M from its revolving credit facility since December 31, 2019, for a total of $300M outstanding. The company increased this borrowing in order to preserve financial flexibility given current uncertainty in the global markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. BGC notes that it has no meaningful debt maturities due until 2021. The proceeds from the revolving credit facility may be used for general corporate purposes.

16:14 EDT Chatham Lodging implements plan in response to COVID-19 - Chatham Lodging Trust announced actions it is taking to address the operating and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chatham has taken aggressive actions to mitigate the operating and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the major steps include: Suspended its monthly dividend, preserving approximately $5.3 million per month and approximately $64 million on an annual basis; Reduced its 2020 capital expenditures budget by approximately $10 million or 45 percent; Drew down cash on its unsecured credit facility, increasing its cash liquidity position to approximately $55 million; Chatham also owns twelve unencumbered hotels available as collateral to source additional liquidity; Temporarily reduced compensation for its executive officers. Fisher and Dennis Craven, executive vice president and chief operating officer, have both volunteered to reduce their salaries by 50 percent. Jeremy Wegner, chief financial officer, has volunteered to reduce his salary by 25 percent; Lessened compensation for its Board of Trustees, who voluntarily agreed to temporarily reduce their proposed 2020 base compensation by approximately 25 percent. "The hotel industry is in the midst of unprecedented disruption due to the extreme severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and occupancy across the hotel industry has plummeted to levels never before experienced," commented Jeffrey H. Fisher, Chatham's president and chief executive officer. "Our hotels are no different, but contrary to other hotel companies that are closing the majority of their hotels, our hotels are faring a bit better with occupancy over the last week of 19 percent across our portfolio. Thankfully, we have been able to provide accommodations to our nation's military, infrastructure related workers, first responders and critical medical workers dedicated to ending this pandemic. Unfortunately, our hotels also have had to lay-off, furlough or significantly reduce hours for thousands of team members over the last few weeks. Conditions may change that warrant closing certain locations, but as of today, all hotels are open.

16:10 EDT Ladder says board member Mazzei named CEO of Colony Credit Real Estate - Ladder Capital (LADR) announced that Michael Mazzei, a member of the Company's board of directors, has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Colony Credit Real Estate, Inc. (CLNC). Mr. Mazzei stepped down today from Ladder's board to fully devote his time to this new role.

16:08 EDT GameStop reports Q4 total global comparable store sales decrease of 26.1%

16:08 EDT Revance reiterates 2020 financial guidance - Revance Therapeutics provided a corporate update given the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The health and safety of the Revance team and their families remains the company's top priority. As a result, the company has curtailed employee travel and implemented a corporate shut down and work from home policy. Management continues to monitor the situation and will resume normal operations once it is prudent to do so. In the meantime, the company has adopted remote working tools to ensure minimal disruption and enable achievement of existing goals and objectives. On the regulatory front, the Biologics License Application (BLA) application for DAXI in the treatment of glabellar (frown) lines was accepted in February by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of November 25, 2020. At this time, the FDA has not informed the company of any changes to its PDUFA date and Revance continues to assist the Agency with its review. As Revance is U.S. based and manufactures its drug substance and drug product in Newark, CA, the company does not anticipate any supply chain issues related to the production of DAXI and expects to have drug product on time for commercial launch, subject to product approval. Product supply of RHA dermal fillers has been delayed by distribution partner, Teoxane SA, as they temporarily suspended production in Geneva, Switzerland as a precaution surrounding the COVID-19 situation. Teoxane SA is committed to resuming manufacturing operations as soon as it is prudent to do so and has projected a supply delay of one quarter. As a result, Revance's anticipated product launch of the RHA 2, 3 and 4 dermal fillers has moved from 2Q to 3Q of 2020. Revance reiterates its 2020 GAAP and non-GAAP operating expense financial guidance of $270-$280 million and $220-$230 million respectively, but notes that with the delay in the RHA(R) dermal fillers launch and associated hiring of field representatives, actual operating expense results could be at the lower end of these ranges.

16:06 EDT Enanta provides update on clinical development activities - Enanta reported an update on its clinical trial activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to ensure the safety of clinical trial participants, and also in accordance with the recently issued guidance documents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Enanta is making adjustments to some of its ongoing clinical studies. "The COVID-19 pandemic represents a significant, ongoing public health threat and has created an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems across the globe. With the safety of our clinical trial participants in mind, coupled with a desire to alleviate many of the resource constraints at clinical trial sites, Enanta has proactively decided to make adjustments to some of our clinical programs," said Jay R. Luly, President and CEO of Enanta. "While we were poised to begin dosing the ARGON-2 Phase 2b NASH study this week, we have paused recruitment and dosing in this study, and we are pausing further recruitment in Part 2 of our Phase 1a/1b study of EDP-514 in nuc-suppressed hepatitis B (HBV) patients, which initiated earlier this quarter. As planned, we are continuing to prepare to initiate our two Phase 2 respiratory syncytial virus studies of EDP-938 in pediatric and transplant patients later this year. We also are hopeful we will be able to conduct our Phase 1b study of EDP-514 in viremic HBV patients, as well as our first-in-human study of EDP-297 for NASH, substantially on schedule. Further, we have already completed the RSV season in the U.S. and are continuing with plans to shift our RSVP study to the Southern Hemisphere. We do not anticipate any supply disruption for any of these trials. All of our plans are subject to change, though, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves, but fortunately we have sufficient cash resources to bridge us across the current COVID-19 disruption. Meanwhile, in the coming weeks we plan to announce data from our INTREPID study of EDP-305 in patients with primary biliary cholangitis."

16:02 EDT Covenant Transportation suspends stock repurchase program due to COVID-19 - Covenant Transportation announced that it temporarily suspended its stock repurchase program for added flexibility in response to the uncertain impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the upcoming months. The company has the ability to reinstate the stock repurchase program as circumstances warrant.

16:00 EDT Sierra Oncology says JAKi, including momelotinib, may have activity in COVID-19 - In a tweet, Sierra Oncolgy stated," In this challenging time we all need to do our part to help in the fight against #COVID19. An emerging hypothesis posits that certain JAKi, including momelotinib, may have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity in COVID-19" along with a link where those interested can "learn more." Reference Link

15:56 EDT Hingham Institution trading halted, volatility trading pause

15:51 EDT Photronics terminates share repurchase program - In a regulatory filing, Photronics terminated its previously announced $100M share repurchase program. The company repurchased 2,459,931 shares at a cost of $27.89M under this program up to the date of termination.

15:25 EDT Capcom cancels first half of 2020 Capcom Pro Tour esports event - According to Capcom Fighters, the official Twitter account Capcom Fighters, the Capcom Pro Tour, and Capcom Esports, Capcom has canceled the first half of the 2020 Capcom Pro Tour, which is the company's official "Street Fighter V" esports competition. "Currently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is projected to continue for several more months or longer across the world," Capcom Fighters said in a statement posted to Twitter. "In light of this situation and considering the health and well-being of our players, staff and visitors, all tournaments scheduled to be held in the first half of the 2020 Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) season have been removed from the schedule." The company noted that the second half of the Capcom Pro Tour is scheduled to resume in July, though it will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will "adjust the schedule and rules accordingly." Reference Link

15:05 EDT Delta: COVID-19 restrictions affect additional flying in Canada, Hawaii and more - Delta is making additional changes to its network following the announcements of more government travel restrictions. "These dates remain subject to change due to the evolving nature of COVID-19," the company stated in a post to is Delta New Hub. Reference Link

14:48 EDT Easterly Government Properties acquires Federal Justice Center in El Paso, Texas - Easterly Government Properties, Inc. announced that it has acquired a 203,269-square foot Federal Justice Center, occupied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration in El Paso, Texas. FBI / DEA - El Paso is a three-building compound constructed in stages between the years of 1998 and 2005 and is 100% leased for the beneficial use of the FBI and DEA under three leases that all expire in July 2028. "Easterly continues to execute on its strategy of owning mission critical real estate leased to the U.S. Federal Government," said William C. Trimble, III, Easterly's CEO. "The missions of the FBI and DEA are among the most important of the United States Justice Department. This El Paso joint facility, located right across the border from Ciudad Juarez, provides important federal law enforcement to the region. It is our privilege to house these two leading law enforcement agencies working together to further a common and enduring goal."

14:45 EDT eBay says 'actively removing' price gouging, prohibited items from marketplace - The eBay news team stated in a corporate blog post: "At eBay, we are committed to ensuring consumer and employee safety and protection. We have been closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as it continues to develop and have taken significant measures to block or quickly remove items from our marketplace that make false health claims or offer products at inflated prices in violation of applicable laws. This week, we are doubling down on our efforts by expanding the list of prohibited items...With millions of transactions happening every day on our platform across more than 190 markets, we are constantly evaluating and making improvements to ensure prohibited items remain off eBay. We continue to partner at the federal, state and local level with government officials, including Attorneys General from across the country, as we execute a number of measures to ensure our marketplace remains a safe and trusted space in which our sellers can sustain and grow - and our buyers can find what they want - during this unprecedented time." Reference Link

14:35 EDT Murkowski, colleagues urge Secretary Pompeo to push back on Saudis and Russia - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced that she has led an effort joined by five senators urging U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take an aggressive stance against the efforts of Saudi Arabia and Russia to destabilize America's oil and gas industry - a key part of the domestic economy - amid a global pandemic. Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, also signed the letter. In a letter, the senators wrote that the "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation have embarked upon economic warfare against the United States" and warned that "by taking advantage of a confusing situation and desperate time," Saudi Arabia, in particular, "risks its bilateral relationship with the United States." The senators wrote that Saudi Arabia should instead be encouraged to "partner with the United States on strategic energy infrastructure projects," "leave the antique OPEC cartel immediately," and "join the United States on the global stage as a free market energy powerhouse." Their letter concludes by reminding Secretary Pompeo of his authorities, as well as authorities held by other U.S. officials and the U.S. Congress, should Saudi Arabia and Russia continue their ill-timed oil price war. Publicly traded oil majors include BP (BP), Chevron (CVX), ConocoPhillips (COP), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) and Total (TOT). Reference Link

14:19 EDT Volkswagen extends suspension of production at German plants - Volkswagen announced that its Passenger Cars brand, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Group Components are extending the suspension of production at their German plants for four working days as a result of the "continued fall in demand for vehicles and the challenges faced by the supply chain." An application for an extension of short-time working for a total of 80,000 employees of Volkswagen has been submitted. It is planned to end short-time working with the night shift of April 9 to 10. Andreas Tostmann, Member of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management responsible for Production and Logistics, says: "The health of our employees has the highest priority. We will ensure that they can return to safe workplaces when production and logistics activities are resumed. In our task force, we are working on a comprehensive package of measures. In this context, we are also incorporating our experience in China where almost all our plants have now resumed production and the market seems to be gradually returning to normal. To date, there has not been a single case of corona among our employees in China."

14:06 EDT Dr. Reddy's issues nationwide recall of Phytonadione injectable emulsion - Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced that it is voluntarily recalling four lots of Phytonadione injectable emulsion USP, 10 mg/mL, Single-Dose Ampules to the hospital level. The product is being recalled due to product complaints received due to ampules breaking and shattering, upon opening, during compounding. The company has received reports of cuts in skin and lacerations to health care professionals. There may be a reasonable probability of flying glass injuring skin, eye and/or other parts which could result in either temporary or permanent injury. Phytonadione injectable emulsion, is indicated in the following coagulation disorders which are due to faulty formation of factors II, VII, IX and X when caused by Vitamin K deficiency or interference with Vitamin K activity.

13:47 EDT Simulations Plus announces StrategiesPlus COVID-19 ACT program - Simulations Plus announced the establishment of the StrategiesPlus COVID-19 ACT Program to speed consulting assistance to any organization involved in coronavirus research. As part of this initiative, each division of Simulations Plus will provide specialized expertise which will contribute to developing safe and effective treatments. "As a company, we are adjusting our standard business priorities and schedule to prepare to provide immediate support for pharmaceutical research and development efforts," said Dan O'Connor, Director of Business Development for Simulation Sciences. "Our scientists are eager to help teams expedite solutions to address the COVID-19 virus."

13:00 EDT Toyota to further extend production shutdown in North America to April 17 - Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and significant decline in vehicle demand, Toyota said it will further extend the length of its production suspension at all of its automobile and components plants in North America, including Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The manufacturing facilities will remain closed through April 17, resuming production on April 20. "Our service parts depots and vehicle logistics centers will continue to operate. We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action in a timely manner," Toyota said in a statement.

12:49 EDT McDonald's borrows full $1B committed amount available under new credit pact - In a regulatory filing, McDonald's reported that on March 25, the company entered into a 364-day revolving credit agreement dated as of March 25, with various banks named as lenders and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and with a term expiring on March 24, 2021. On March 25, the company borrowed the full $1B committed amount available under the credit agreement. The proceeds may be used under the credit agreement for general corporate purposes. "The company entered into and borrowed under the credit agreement as a precautionary measure to reinforce its cash position and provide financial flexibility in light of current uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also has available to it the full $3.5B commitment from lenders under its revolving credit agreement that was entered in December 2018 and remains unborrowed. The 2018 Credit Agreement has representations, covenants and events of default that are similar to the credit agreement and does not expire until December 4, 2024," the filing stated.

12:22 EDT Cuomo: 'looking into' complaints about construction workers being essential - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he is looking into complaints and re-assessing construction workers being labeled as "essential employees." Cuomo added that he does think "some construction is essential" but they're "looking into that."

12:07 EDT Castlight Health spikes 30% after launching directory for COVID-19 testing - Castlight Health spiked 30% after announcing the launch of the first nationwide directory Of COVID-19 testing sites. Shares are trading at approximately $1.00 per share at midday on Thursday.

12:03 EDT Castlight Health launches '1st nationwide' directory Of COVID-19 testing sites - Castlight Health announced the most comprehensive directory of COVID-19 testing sites--the first to cover all fifty states--which the company has made available on its corporate website free of charge for the public. With so much confusion about the availability of COVID-19 testing, this directory provides a clear, reliable source of testing site locations including information about the criteria for testing. Castlight created the directory with data from public health departments across the country, provider systems, and third party sources. Given the rapidly evolving status of COVID-19 testing, the directory of testing sites will be continually updated as information changes. Additionally, the directory is open source, in that the general public is invited to update test site information (which Castlight will then verify) to keep the directory up-to-date. "Castlight was founded to help people navigate the healthcare system and make better, more informed health decisions. Given requests from our customers and enormous interest from our users in coronavirus testing information, we felt an obligation to fill this gap in information and guidance," said Castlight CEO Maeve O'Meara. "We saw a clear need for a trusted, national database of testing locations and criteria for testing. We set out to create a comprehensive COVID-19 testing site directory because we are deeply committed to sharing healthcare knowledge in a way that results in better care for everyone."

12:00 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -15.6% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -15.6%, or -$6.59 to $35.59.

12:00 EDT Ladder Capital rises 94.7% - Ladder Capital is up 94.7%, or $3.52 to $7.22.

12:00 EDT Granite Point Mortgage rises 225.6% - Granite Point Mortgage is up 225.6%, or $5.08 to $7.33.

11:58 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: Total number of cases in NY at 37,258, 6,447 new cases - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said of the total cases in NY, 5,327 of cases are currently hospitalized and 1,290 of the hospitalized cases are ICU patients. Cuomo added 1,517 patients have been discharged.

11:53 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo says number of deaths increasing - Some patients now on ventilators 20-30 days. Cuomo adds, "the longer you are on the ventilator, the less of a chance you will come off the ventilator." Cuomo said, longer stays on ventilator usually have a worse outcome. "What we're seeing now is that is happening."

11:50 EDT Cuomo: 'going to adjust State budget through the year reflecting actual revenue'

11:45 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: estimate loss of revenue in NY between $10B-$15B

11:41 EDT Gladstone Land says expects distribution intact amid coronavirus - Gladstone Land announced that it has provided the following update to its shareholders: Farming Operations: The company does not believe the current Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on its operations or that of its tenant-farmers at this point in time. Farmland values are expected to remain stable, as they generally have throughout history during times of economic volatility, and rental payments from tenants leasing the company's farms are expected to continue on time. ..Distributions: At this time, the company believes it is in a good position and intends to ask the company's board of directors to declare cash distributions for the second quarter that are at least equal to the current distribution rate. In short, the company's farmers seem to be having a good year, and more and more people are trending towards healthier diets. The board of directors will meet on April 14, to decide on the monthly cash distribution for each of April, May, and June. While it is possible that an event will occur that negatively impacts operations, the company does not currently see such an event on the horizon.

11:38 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo: 'looking for reduction in rate of increase of cases' - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said "We're looking for a reduction in the rate of increase of cases, not the number of cases." New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is delivering an update. Reference Link

11:17 EDT ServiceNow CEO says going into 'a totally new normal'

11:05 EDT Microsoft announces agreement to acquire Affirmed Networks - In a post to the official Microsoft blog, Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President, Azure Networking, stated: "At Microsoft, we intend to empower the telecommunications industry as it continues its move to 5G and support both network equipment manufacturers and operators in their efforts to find solutions that are faster, easier and cost effective. Today, I am pleased to announce that we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Affirmed Networks. Affirmed Networks' fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network solutions enable operators to simplify network operations, reduce costs and rapidly create and launch new revenue-generating services. This acquisition will allow us to evolve our work with the telecommunications industry, building on our secure and trusted cloud platform for operators. With Affirmed Networks, we will be able to offer new and innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of operators, including managing their network workloads in the cloud...As we continue to extend cloud-based software defined networking into the world of 5G connectivity, we recognize the importance of deep and strong partnerships and interoperability. To ensure the success of our customers, we will work closely with existing suppliers, emerging innovators and other stakeholders around the world including in Europe, Asia, the U.S. and other markets to help make this vision a reality." Reference Link

11:02 EDT Apollo Investment says Merx represented 12% of portfolio at December 31, 2019

11:01 EDT Raytheon, Aerojet Rocketdyne strike $1B strategic sourcing deal for SM products - Raytheon Company's (RTN) Missile Systems business has reached a $1B, five-year strategic agreement to purchase propulsion systems from Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD) for Standard Missile products. The deal represents a supply chain centerpiece of multi-year Standard Missiles contracts that Raytheon recently received. "Moving to multi-year, rather than annual-year contracting enables Raytheon and its supply chain to deliver even more value to our Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy customers, and the taxpayer," said Eugene Jaramillo, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of Global Supply Chain Management. "These multi-year agreements also allow our suppliers to transform the way they do business with Raytheon." Work on the programs will be spread across Aerojet Rocketdyne sites in Orange County, Virginia, the Solid Rocket Motor Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas, and at its Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Raytheon produces SM-2 in Tucson, and SM-3 and SM-6 in Huntsville.

10:54 EDT J.M. Smucker CEO says state, local governments 'very cooperative' overall - Smucker says the company's five pet food plants are all working at full capacity. He is seeing an uptick in the shift online for both pet foods and coffee, in particular, and he sees those behaviors being "sticky" after the outbreak eases. The company is also focusing its efforts on mainly those items seeing highest demand, such as creamy Jif over crunchy Jif, the CEO added. J.M. Smucker CEO Mark Smucker is speaking on CNBC.

10:49 EDT J.M. Smucker CEO says supply chain 'working very well' for the 'most part' - J.M. Smucker CEO Mark Smucker said "we have had no issues from a health standpoint." About "two thirds" of the company's employees "have to come to work" to do their jobs, Smucker added. Smucker is speaking on CNBC.

10:43 EDT Schmitt Industries says intends to 'fully retain' employees during pandemic - Schmitt Industries, in response to the current economic and market conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, made the following announcements: First, Schmitt has implemented COVID-19 response and business continuity plans to protect its employees and their families, to safeguard continuity of Schmitt operations, and to ensure full support to its customers and partners. For the time being, we have implemented new safety guidelines that maximize interpersonal space to protect employees working on location, while all other employees who can telecommute work remotely. Second, Schmitt intends to fully retain its employees during these extraordinary times. Although Schmitt anticipates revenue pressure on their business lines, Schmitt believes that its strong backlog and steady revenue from Xact's internet of things monitoring will support revenue and operations over the coming months. However, if revenues decline significantly, Schmitt expects that its CEO and CFO will decrease their compensation levels to help reduce costs and support employee retention. Third, Schmitt's cash position and long-term view position the company to continue investing in the business and be positioned for value-enhancing opportunities during the current economic challenges, while still returning value to its shareholders through its announced share repurchase program. Michael Zapata, Schmitt's CEO and Chairman, commented, "In response to current market conditions and an unprecedented environment, we are focused on protecting our people, their families and the business, while investing and building momentum in our operations to position the company for long-term success. I'm confident we will be stronger in the coming months as we address and move past the COVID-19 pandemic together."

10:22 EDT Humana takes step to increase capacity for coronavirus treatment - Humana announced that to prepare for the influx of patients who will need to be treated for coronavirus, it is taking steps to make it easier for members and health systems. "Specifically, the national health company is lifting administrative requirements for the care of all members infected with coronavirus and for all patients in settings where capacity is stretched by the needs of those infected by coronavirus allowing for unencumbered movement from inpatient hospitals to safe, medically appropriate post-acute care settings, including home health, long-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, etc.," Humana said in a statement. It added, "Care transitions are being facilitated for both patients being treated for COVID-19 and for all patients hospitalized in settings of COVID-related limits on health system capacity. By moving patients from hospitals to other care facilities, Humana hopes to support hospital capacity for COVID-19 treatment, especially in the locations where health care services are already strained."

10:17 EDT Luther Burbank Corporation trading resumes

10:12 EDT CSX: 2020 outlook does not include potential impacts of COVID-19

10:11 EDT CSX: COVID-19, related initiatives may result in supply chain disruption

10:07 EDT Luther Burbank Corporation trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT Retail Properties Of America trading resumes

10:00 EDT Micro Focus falls -10.2% - Micro Focus is down -10.2%, or -49c to $4.33.

10:00 EDT TPG RE Finance rises 67.3% - TPG RE Finance is up 67.3%, or $2.00 to $4.99.

10:00 EDT Granite Point Mortgage rises 128.3% - Granite Point Mortgage is up 128.3%, or $2.89 to $5.14.

09:55 EDT Capri Holdings trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:53 EDT Insperity announces formation of Business Continuity Support Team - Insperity announced the formation of the Insperity Business Continuity Support Team, a task force designed to help small and medium-sized businesses maintain operations and business continuity through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Insperity Business Continuity Support Team, comprised of professionals from human resources, finance, regulatory and other disciplines, has been established to help clients quickly and effectively make operational changes and obtain critical resources to help navigate through the current health and economic crises. This initiative helps remove obstacles to enable leaders to act quickly, explore ways to modify operations and/or obtain government funding to improve their staying power during this period. This support also demonstrates Insperity's ongoing commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with businesses, especially during difficult times. Insperity remains fully operational as a result of its well-documented business continuity plan and the company's advanced remote capabilities. Both strategies allow Insperity to continue to serve its clients without interruption. In addition, Insperity is equipped to monitor and assist with the safety of team members so that they too may continue to serve clients and their employees without interruption. The plan was most recently successfully implemented during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, one of the worst natural disasters in the U.S., and Insperity employees are equipped to respond accordingly should the impacts of COVID-19 worsen. Insperity's emergency planning team continues to closely monitor both the spread of COVID-19 and the Centers for Disease Control guidance regarding the situation.

09:51 EDT Norwegian Cruise Line trading resumes

09:49 EDT Wolverine World Wide cutting costs, suspends buybacks in response to COVID-19 - Wolverine World Wide provided a business update "highlighting the company's strong liquidity, supply chain stability, and agile business model, while detailing the proactive and precautionary measures it is taking to navigate the current environment." The company said it "is acting quickly and taking a series of proactive measures to conserve capital during this period of disruption. Most importantly, it is leveraging its nimble supply chain to significantly reduce inventory receipts to adjust for lower demand during periods of store closures and restrictions in certain countries. In addition, the company has taken steps to reduce capital outflows until business conditions stabilize, by delaying most capital projects and suspending share repurchases. Operating expenses are being significantly reduced to respond to a conservative outlook for the rest of the year. These working capital and operating expense actions are expected to result in up to $500 million of cash savings for the remainder of 2020, with much of the benefit expected in the next two quarters where the business outlook is most challenging. These actions are expected to allow the company to generate over $150M of positive operating cash flows in 2020. The company maintains a credit facility with total capacity of $1.75B that expires in December 2023, which includes an $800M revolving line of credit. In an abundance of caution and as a precautionary measure the company has drawn down the remainder of its revolving credit line. This draw down strengthens the company's cash position resulting in approximately $450M of cash on hand. In addition, the company has uncommitted incremental borrowing capacity of approximately $760M under the credit facility, subject to certain specified conditions."

09:47 EDT iRadimed trading resumes

09:47 EDT Cornerstone Building Brands falls -1.9% - Cornerstone Building Brands is down -1.9%, or -09c to $4.54.

09:47 EDT Redwood Trust rises 36.1% - Redwood Trust is up 36.1%, or $1.39 to $5.24.

09:47 EDT Granite Point Mortgage rises 112.4% - Granite Point Mortgage is up 112.4%, or $2.53 to $4.78.

09:43 EDT Harley Davidson trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:42 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts trading resumes

09:40 EDT National Amusements announces amended credit agreement - National Amusements and its wholly-owned subsidiary NAI Entertainment Holdings LLC announced that it has reached an agreement with its lenders to amend its credit facility. Following this amendment, NAI will have a revolving facility of $125M and ample liquidity, in addition to its substantial cash reserves, to fund operations of NAIEH, which includes its theater business. NAI will not sell stock in ViacomCBS and does not intend to pledge additional stock of ViacomCBS, which remains at existing levels.

09:36 EDT MGIC Investment trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:34 EDT CVS says 'cannot reasonably estimate' adverse impact of COVID-19 at this time - In a regulatory filing, CVS Health said: "As a novel strain of coronavirus - COVID-19 - continues to spread and severely impact the economy of the United States and other countries around the world, the company has put preparedness plans in place at our facilities to maintain continuity of our operations, while also taking steps to keep our colleagues healthy and safe. In line with recommendations to reduce large gatherings and increase social distancing, the company has transitioned many office-based colleagues to a remote work environment. Federal, state and local governmental policies and initiatives designed to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 have resulted in, among other things, the cancelation of elective medical procedures in certain jurisdictions, our customers being ordered to close or severely curtail their operations and the adoption of work-from-home policies, all of which have an impact on our businesses. The legislative and regulatory environment governing our businesses is dynamic and changing frequently, including increases to the medical costs we must cover without a corresponding increase in the premiums we receive in our insured Health Care Benefits products. Among other impacts of these initiatives, we expect an adverse impact on our medical membership due to customer reductions in force and an adverse impact on the timing and collectability of payments to us from customers, clients, government payers and members as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on them. The various initiatives we have implemented to slow and/or reduce the impact of COVID-19, such as colleagues working remotely, and the COVID-19-related support programs we have put in place for our members, customers and colleagues have increased our operating expenses and reduced the efficiency of our operations. In addition, the significant deterioration of the U.S. and global economies is having a significant adverse impact on our net investment income and the value of our investment portfolio. The COVID-19 pandemic is developing rapidly. We believe COVID-19's adverse impact on our businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition primarily will be driven by the severity and duration of the pandemic, the pandemic's impact on the U.S. and global economies and the timing, scope and effectiveness of federal, state and local governmental responses to the pandemic. Those primary drivers are beyond our knowledge and control, and as a result, at this time we cannot reasonably estimate the adverse impact COVID-19 will have on our businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition, but the adverse impact could be material."

09:29 EDT Diana Shipping announces time charter contract for m/v P. S. Palios - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with C Transport Maritime Ltd., Bermuda, for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v P. S. Palios, for a period of about thirteen months to maximum fifteen months. The gross charter rate is $6,000 per day for the first thirty five days of the charter period and $12,050 per day for the balance period of the time charter, in each case minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The charter commenced on March 24, 2020. The "P. S. Palios" is a 179,134 dwt Capesize dry bulk vessel built in 2013. This employment is anticipated to generate approximately $4.31 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

09:21 EDT Ironwood provides update on COVID-19 impacts on business - Ironwood provided an update on certain impacts of COVID-19 on its business and the actions it is taking to mitigate the spread of this virus and help protect the safety and well-being of its employees, healthcare providers, patients and broader communities. Since March 16, Ironwood employees, including customer-facing employees, have been working remotely. Ironwood has suspended all in-person interactions with customers, including visits to physician offices, clinics and hospitals. Customer-facing employees are providing support virtually through telephone and web-based technologies. Additionally, all work-related travel has been discontinued. Ironwood is following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and will continue to assess when it is appropriate for employees to return to normal work practices. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting enrollment of new patients into the Phase III clinical trials with IW-3718 for the treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, due primarily to certain sites suspending enrollment and lower patient participation. As of the date of this press release, nearly 70% of patients have been enrolled into the trials; most of the patients already enrolled are continuing in the trials. Ironwood is no longer guiding for top-line data in the second half of 2020. The company is assessing the situation and plans to provide an update on timing when it has more clarity. Ironwood is currently evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on its 2020 financial guidance and expects to provide more detail, to the extent practicable, in connection with its Q1 earnings update. Ironwood first communicated its 2020 financial guidance on February 13 in connection with its Q4 and FY19 earnings update. The company then reiterated its guidance on March 12 during the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference. As noted during the Barclays conference, Ironwood's guidance did not reflect any potential impact from COVID-19.

09:17 EDT Align Technology Foundation commits $1M donation for COVID-19 relief efforts - Align Technology announced that the Align Foundation, the Company's donor-advised fund through Fidelity Charitable, has pledged to donate $1M to support COVID-19 relief efforts globally. Align will also donate personal protective equipment such as N95 masks and is working with partners to source supplies for any additional PPE to help hospitals and healthcare providers that are treating patients with COVID-19. As the world's largest manufacturer of custom 3D-printed materials, Align is also reaching out to public and private sector organizations to offer its technology expertise and counsel on ways to reduce the scarcity of parts and materials for public health needs. Additionally, Align is exploring options to convert its custom manufacturing and tooling equipment to help meet critical needs.

09:14 EDT Repay Holdings announces partnership with Remitter - Repay Holdings announced its partnership with Remitter, a market leading white-labeled SMS and email communications platform, powered by AI and used by providers in the financial services industry to improve payments recovery performance. The integration between Repay and Remitter will streamline and automate recovery efforts for creditors in the financial services industry by removing the friction and communication gaps associated with the recovery process. Remitter's mobile-first technology has proven to increase collections, shorten time-to-payment and reduce costs in a collection environment.

09:13 EDT Waitr Holdings continues to support restaurant partners - Waitr Holdings announced its latest efforts to help protect and support its restaurant partners, customers and employees during this coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Waitr has secured a large amount of sanitizing solution to send to its drivers. In addition to the gloves that drivers are being sent, they will also receive a bottle of sanitizing solution in the near future. These items will help ensure the cleanliness and in turn the health and safety of all involved in our delivery supply chain. "We're fortunate to secure these items to keep our drivers safe during this time," said Carl Grimstad, CEO of Waitr. "We will continue to supply sanitary items in order to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of our drivers, restaurant partners, diners and staff as we all navigate through this pandemic."

09:11 EDT Nuance announces free COVID-19 documentation templates for Dragon Medical users - Nuance Communications announced immediate availability of the free COVID-19 Content Pack for all Nuance Dragon Medical users, which comprises more than 500,000 physicians worldwide. Developed by and for physicians, the electronic health record-agnostic COVID-19 Content Pack is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Health Information Management Association guidelines for coding and reporting. The company also is offering no-cost software add-on licenses and other services to support growing patient volumes, telehealth visits, and remote-work initiatives in response to the pandemic. The COVID-19 Content Pack includes easy-to-use templates to boost provider efficiency and help ensure the capture of crucial datapoints for COVID-19 patients. Rather than require clinicians to repeatedly enter data for each case, the COVID-19 templates allow them to enter key information to accurately and quickly capture patient acuity, complexity of symptoms, and risk of mortality. Physicians at Nebraska Medicine, a research and educational partner to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which also houses one of the nation's leading biocontainment facilities, requested the specialized content and templates for Dragon Medical to speed entry of patient data into the EHR system, increase their ability to see more patients, and lower stress on overtaxed care teams. The COVID-19 Content Pack for Dragon Medical is one of multiple steps Nuance is taking to help healthcare systems address the increased intensity and operational stress that COVID-19 is placing on care teams. Other offers include free add-on licenses across several critical solutions.

09:09 EDT Citius Pharmaceuticals' Mino-Lok for Candida auris fungus featured in journal - Citius Pharmaceuticals announced the publication of an in vitro study for Mino-Lok, the company's antibiotic lock solution used to treat patients with central line associated blood stream infections, or CLABSIs, and catheter-related bloodstream infections, in the March 2020 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The article highlights the in vitro efficacy of Mino-Lok against various strains of Candida auris from studies conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center Labs. Candida auris is a problematic type of fungus; results from these in vitro studies showed that complete eradication of all strains of C. auris occurred within an hour of exposure to Mino-Lok. Citius anticipates completing its Phase 3 trial with Mino-Lok by the end of 2020. C. auris is a fungus that can cause serious bloodstream infections or death, particularly in hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems.

09:07 EDT Conduent says Maven now available on Amazon Web Services - Conduent Incorporated (CNDT) announced that its disease surveillance and outbreak management platform, Maven, is now available on Amazon Web Services (AMZN). Conduent's Maven solution was recently configured to help public health agencies securely engage patients, and track, manage and report on cases and potential exposures of coronavirus. Given the critical need to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., where Maven is primarily used, Conduent is waiving the software license fee for the Maven COVID-19 module through June 30, 20201 for qualified state- and territorial-level public health agencies as a means to enable the agencies in the fight against COVID-19. The rapid deployment of Maven on the secure and resilient AWS Cloud provides new levels of agility and scalability, helping to speed up the implementation process for health organizations. Hosting Maven on AWS also speeds up the process for health agencies and organizations to perform contact tracing across an entire country, state, county, city or region securely and at scale. Conduent Maven on AWS utilizes technologies such as AWS Application Load Balancer to distribute traffic to the Maven application running on top of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. The Maven COVID-19 module uses Amazon Relational Database Services for MySQL as its datastore, to simplify set up and reduce database management costs.

09:04 EDT Ayr says cultivation, manufacturing, retail have been deemed essential services - Ayr Strategies is providing an update on the company's operations in response to recent COVID-19 developments. "Our cultivation, manufacturing and retail businesses have been deemed essential services in each state where we operate," said Ayr CEO Jonathan Sandelman. "This designation allows us to continue meeting the needs of our customers, which have only increased in response to COVID-19. As the current environment evolves daily, our operational teams are expanding business practices to ensure we are appropriately responding and serving the vital health and wellness needs of our customers. Ayr's Nevada stores remain open for both medical and adult-use customers via delivery, which is a very attractive fulfillment model for us. In Massachusetts, our stores remain open for medical patients, with adult-use sales suspended for the two weeks from March 24th through April 7th. All market data and anecdotal indications we have seen demonstrate that patients and consumers want cannabis more than ever. Our team remains committed to meeting our patients' health and wellness needs as they cope with heightened anxiety, insomnia and other factors resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Nevada, we have delivery licenses in Clark County and Washoe County, and one of only three licenses in Henderson, Nevada's second largest city. This provides us with the ability to deliver to customers anywhere within these regions. We also have the necessary logistics and systems in place to support our transition to delivery. This week, we have secured over 35 vehicles to expedite our delivery program, and we aim to transfer as many of our 250 dispensary employees as possible to new roles supporting this business. On the back-end, we have implemented fulfillment software to convert our online ordering system to a delivery portal. Our e-commerce technology is being enhanced to allow maximum operational flexibility and to be in complete control of our logistics. Additionally, we are maintaining our relationship with Blackbird, Nevada's largest delivery service, which will continue to fulfill a portion of our deliveries. The delivery business model is powerful. Our average ticket size of delivery orders has been more than double the average ticket within our brick and mortar stores. Although it is still early, through our tiered delivery options-which allow customers to access lower fees and minimum purchase sizes for advance orders versus premium same day deliveries-we have the potential to generate significant revenue on an attractive cost base given the strong consumer demand. We also believe we can tailor our product mix to favor internally sourced items and further increase delivery margins. As a result, we may retain delivery as a key component of our Nevada operations even after our dispensaries reopen. In addition to the state designating medical cannabis as an essential service, Massachusetts regulators have accelerated access to medical cards, as many patients stopped renewing their cards after recreational sales began. To expand our patients' access to the products they need, we have extended a program offering discounts of up to 50% off the cost of medical cards. Medical dispensaries across the state, including ours, have seen sales increase throughout March as a result of increased patient demand. Average ticket sizes in our dispensaries have increased 30% relative to the average ticket in January and February. We believe consumer demand will only increase when the pause in recreational sales expires on April 7th, as we anticipate the potential for significant pent-up demand to come back into the market. In the meantime, we have shifted our wholesale focus to medical dispensaries that may not have sufficient supply to meet the rapid increase in medical demand. As an extension of this priority, we are in the process of requesting expedited approval for a delivery license out of our Somerville dispensary, which would help us further ensure that our products can reach our patients. From a product standpoint, our expanded Massachusetts cultivation capacity, 'M2,' had its first harvest in mid-March. Product from M2 is expected to be ready for market a few weeks after the expected resumption of recreational cannabis sales in April. Should recreational sales remain suspended for a longer period, our cannabis flower can be stored for 12 months or more under appropriate conditions, and even longer for extracted products. The response by patients in Massachusetts gives us an even more positive outlook for our business in the state beyond current COVID-19 conditions. We are working to meet the state's robust consumer demand within our current constraints, and we are proud of our team's dedication to expanding the accessibility of our products."

09:02 EDT WeedMD appoints Lincoln Greenidge as CFO succeeding Nichola Thompson - WeedMD announced the appointment of Lincoln Greenidge as CFO. He succeeds Nichola Thompson, who will be resigning from her role as CFO effective April 30, 2020. Most recently the CFO for LSC Lithium Corporation, Greenidge successfully managed LSC's strategic review which culminated in the sale of LSC for $110M.

09:00 EDT OneWater Marine reports cash on hand of $10M, $10M of available borrowings - As of March 24, 2020, OneWater had cash on hand of approximately $10 million and $10 million of available borrowings on its revolver. In addition, at any given time, the Company has additional liquidity of approximately $5 to $10 million in the form of unlevered inventory. In March 2020, OneWater also invoked its option to defer payment of interest on its Senior Term Loan Facility for a period of 12 months, which will reduce annual cash interest payments by approximately $8.5 million. There are no principal payments due on the Senior Term Loan Facility until March 2022.

08:57 EDT MyoKardia expects topline data from Phase 3 EXPLORER-HCM trial in 2Q20 - MyoKardia provided an update to the status of its clinical programs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic given the impact of the pandemic on the global healthcare system's present ability to support the conduct of clinical trials. At this time, the company does not foresee changes to key clinical and regulatory milestones associated with the development of mavacamten for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, including reporting topline data from the Phase 3 EXPLORER-HCM study in the second quarter of 2020. Enrollment in EXPLORER-HCM concluded in August 2019 and as of this month, all patient visits have been conducted through the 30-week treatment period. Similarly, enrollment and patient dosing in the Phase 2a multiple-ascending dose trial of danicamtiv in patients with stable heart failure is complete, and MyoKardia still expects to report results from this study in the second quarter of 2020. MyoKardia has temporarily suspended enrollment in two ongoing studies and new clinical trials planned to commence in the second quarter of 2020 will be delayed. The company, together with its steering committees, patient advocacy and other expert clinical advisors, assessed each of its clinical programs with the goals of protecting the safety of study participants, investigators and staff, and ensuring consistent and appropriate clinical trial conduct. All efforts will be made to allow patients to continue in ongoing mavacamten studies, including the MAVA-LTE long-term extension and the PIONEER open-label extension studies. MyoKardia has temporarily suspended the rollover of patients from EXPLORER into the MAVA-LTE and plans to resume enrollment when conditions permit. The company has also paused the enrollment of healthy volunteers in the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating MYK-224. Studies that were planned to initiate in the second quarter of 2020 will be delayed until conditions change, including the VALOR-HCM Phase 3 clinical study of mavacamten as an alternative to septal reduction therapy procedures, the Phase 2 proof-of-concept study for mavacamten in subgroups of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and the Phase 2 study of danicamtiv in patients with genetic dilated cardiomyopathy. MyoKardia will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and expects to resume patient enrollment and to initiate delayed studies as soon as conditions safely permit.

08:54 EDT Genasys receives $1.2M in defense, mass notification orders - Genasys announced it received $1.2M in defense and mass notification orders. A European Navy placed a follow-on order for LRAD 950RXL acoustic hailing devices. The remotely operated systems are being installed on the fleet's frigates for shipboard protection and communication. Additionally, a Southeast Asia Navy ordered AHDs and the U.S. Army placed a follow-on mass notification order for military-specification LRAD 360XTs. The self-contained, self-powered mass notification systems are scheduled for deployment on a forward operating base.

08:52 EDT Owl Rock CEO says 'well-positioned to weather the current economic uncertainty' - CEO Craig Packer said, "I want to reiterate that while this environment is challenging and we do not know the full extent of the impact that the COVID-19 global pandemic will have on the economy, we feel we are well positioned given our late-cycle investing outlook over the past few years. My partners and I, along with our entire firm, are working hard to protect ORCC's investments and provide attractive returns to our investors even in this environment. We are in a strong position from a liquidity perspective and have capital to put to work in uncertain times. While we do not want to minimize the health risks and broader concerns associated with the current situation, we have worked very hard for the last four years to build our business, and we believe ORCC is well-positioned to weather the current market volatility and economic uncertainty."

08:49 EDT Fiat Chrysler signs incremental credit facility of EUR3.5B - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced that it has entered into a new credit facility. The Credit Facility, entered into with two banks, will be available for general corporate purposes and for working capital needs of the Group and is structured as a bridge facility to support the Group's access to capital markets. The Credit Facility may be drawn in a single tranche of EUR3.5B, with an initial 12-month term which can be extended at the Company's option for an additional 6-months' term on the first anniversary of the signing. The Credit Facility is additional to the Company's existing credit facilities of EUR7.7B including the Bi-lateral credit lines worth EUR1.5B that the Company has started to draw down.

08:47 EDT Kimball Electronics says financial impact from COVID-19 could be material - The Company cannot predict the duration or scope of the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, the negative financial impact on results cannot be reasonably estimated but could be material. The Company will provide an update during our fiscal year third quarter 2020 earnings release conference call and webcast.

08:45 EDT First Solar says manufacturing facilities in Ohio permitted to operate - First Solar provided a manufacturing operations update in light of recent developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, March 22, 2020, the State of Ohio, where First Solar's Perrysburg and Lake Township manufacturing plants are located, issued a 'Stay at Home' order, exempting, among other things, essential businesses and operations from its scope. At this time, it is First Solar's understanding that its manufacturing facilities in these locations are permitted to operate under the order. Similarly, the government of Malaysia, where the Company's Kulim manufacturing plants are located, has implemented a wide-ranging suspension of public activities. Since the implementation of this suspension and at this time, First Solar's understanding is that these measures do not impact the continuity of its manufacturing operations in the country. First Solar's manufacturing operations at its Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam facilities are not impacted by government-mandated restrictions on movement at this time. The Company is continuing to monitor the situation at all of its facility locations. The safety of First Solar's employees is a top priority, and the Company has already implemented a wide range of measures intended to inhibit the spread of the COVID-19 virus at its global manufacturing, administrative and other sites and facilities, including those in the United States, Malaysia and Vietnam. First Solar cautions that the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, including governmental efforts to contain the spread of the virus, are dynamic and subject to change at any time.

08:43 EDT Cassava expects topline results for Phase 2b study of PTI-125 in mid-year 2020 - In September 2019, Cassava Sciences announced the initiation of a Phase 2b confirmatory clinical study in Alzheimer's patients, with funding provided by NIH. This blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center, multi-dose research study is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of PTI-125, and its effects on biomarkers of disease. Study participants received PTI-125 100 mg, 50 mg or matching placebo, twice-daily, for 28 continuous days. The study was conducted in 9 U.S. clinical sites. The primary endpoint is improvements in levels of biomarkers of disease from baseline to Day 28. In January 2020, Cassava Sciences announced the completion of patient enrollment for this Phase 2b study. In February 2020, study participants received their final dose of treatment. In March 2020, study participants successfully underwent final, routine follow-ups. No issues were noted. Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples from study participants are being shipped to independent, third party labs for biomarker analysis. Biomarker analysis will be conducted under blinded conditions to avoid bias, meaning no one will know whether a test sample came from a subject who was on drug or placebo until the study is unblinded. Biomarker analysis, statistical analysis, data analytics and interpretation of results are expected to be conducted through approximately May 2020. Cassava Sciences expects to announce top-line results for its Phase 2b study approximately mid-year 2020.

08:40 EDT Advance to acquire The IRONMAN Group from Wanda Sports Group - Advance announced that it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement with Wanda Sports Group to acquire The IRONMAN Group in an all-cash transaction. The IRONMAN Group and its portfolio of assets, which includes its flagship IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, and the Epic Series of mountain biking races, among other events, makes up the largest mass participation sports platform in the world. Advance is committed to the future of The IRONMAN Group and believes in the long-term strength of its well-recognized brands and the dedication of its athletes, communities, employees and fans. Advance is a private, family-owned business that invests in a broad range of media and technology companies. Orkila Capital will co-invest in The IRONMAN Group and Jesse Du Bey, Managing Partner of Orkila, will rejoin its Board of Directors alongside Advance and Andrew Messick, President and CEO of The IRONMAN Group. Orkila is a growth equity firm focused on investments in the media, entertainment and consumer sectors. Du Bey, previously a Managing Director at Providence Equity Partners, led that firm's 2008 investment in The IRONMAN Group. As part of the transaction, Wanda Sports Group will continue to operate the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon series, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series and Epic Series of off-road mountain bike races in China under an exclusive license agreement. The transaction has no financing condition and is subject to customary regulatory approvals, with closing anticipated in the second quarter.

08:38 EDT Pluristem continuing operational, manufacturing activities amid COVID-19 - Pluristem Therapeutics issued an update to its shareholders from its Chief Executive Officer and President, Yaky Yanay. "In light of the novel coronavirus pandemic we wanted to provide an update on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our business and on our ongoing Phase III clinical studies of PLX-PAD in the treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia, and muscle regeneration following hip fracture, as well as update you on our actions to provide a PLX cell product as a potential treatment for the respiratory and inflammatory complications associated with COVID-19. In managing our ongoing global clinical trials, as well as our daily operations at our headquarters in Israel, we are taking all necessary precautions for the safety and well-being of patients, healthcare providers involved in our trials, and our employees. Pluristem continues its operational and manufacturing activities, subject to the directives of the Israeli Ministry of Health, with a dedicated team on site. In addition, Pluristem is using remote work technologies that enable other activities to be conducted without the need for a physical presence in our facilities. Today, and into the foreseeable future, we believe that we are well positioned to operate through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our allogenic, off-the-shelf approach and our advanced manufacturing capabilities enabled us to complete the manufacturing of the entire stock needed to complete all of our current clinical studies. We currently hold supplies of PLX cells in inventory in Israel, and in secure storage facilities in Europe and the U.S. With regard to our operational business, while we are preparing for the potential ramp up in production to supply PLX-PAD cells for the potential treatment of COVID-19 complications, we have rapidly implemented a significant cost reduction plan. Our goal is to make sure that we will be able to operate through any unforeseen or foreseen scenario, and I am glad to say that the company's stakeholders, including employees and suppliers, are fully cooperating with our request and have agreed to our significant cost reduction plan. Until we have better clarity on the global impact of COVID-19, we have applied a cost saving plan relating to employee compensation which includes a 50% reduction in compensation for C-level executives and our management team, and a gradual reduction of between 20% to 50% for all employees according to managerial level, with non-management employees having the lowest reduction. I would like to say that the past few days have shown me once again how committed the Pluristem team is to the success of our company. I feel proud and blessed to lead such a talented and committed team and I would like to thank each and every one of them for their loyalty and dedication. While we continue to enroll and treat patients in our two ongoing pivotal Phase III studies of our PLX-PAD product candidate for the treatment of CLI and muscle regeneration following hip fracture, we do so within the new guidelines provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's , "FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Pandemic", issued on March 18, 2020, and the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) "Guidance on the Management of Clinical Trials during the COVID-19 pandemic" issued on March 20, 2020. In Israel, our clinical studies are subject to the directives of the Israeli Ministry of Health. As of today, we have enrolled over 80% of the patients in our pivotal Phase III CLI trial, and close to 60% in our Phase III study of muscle regeneration following hip fracture. While we continue enrollment in both studies, from what we have seen in the last few weeks, we believe it is reasonable to expect a certain slowdown in the enrollment rate, as it is our commitment and obligation to ensure the safety and health of our patients and medical team...In the last few months, we have been holding discussions with the FDA and EMA in order to confirm and agree on the changes in the parameters and final protocol design of the interim analysis of the CLI clinical data, which may lead to conditional marketing approval in Europe. I expect to be able to update you on those understandings in the coming weeks...Pluristem is fully committed to the global drive towards developing and delivering healthcare products to potentially treat severe pneumonia resulting from COVID-19. Towards this end, we are collaborating with the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapy and the Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies at Charite University of Medicine to evaluate the therapeutic effects of our PLX cell product candidates for the treatment of the respiratory and inflammatory complications associated with COVID-19. We also received the Israeli Ministry of Health's clearance to seek approvals to treat COVID-19 patients under a per-patient compassionate use framework in Israel. Currently, our main effort is to initiate treatment of patients as soon as possible. We are now holding discussions with regulators to define our clinical strategy for COVID-19, while we start with compassionate use programs in order to provide the product immediately to patients. We are targeting a potential full development plan in the U.S., Europe and Israel with the goal of supporting global healthcare systems' tremendous effort to fight off COVID-19 and bring life back to normal."

08:37 EDT China Xiangtai Food to acquire controlling interest in Ji Mao Cang Feed - China Xiangtai Food entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to acquire 51% controlling interest in Chongqing Ji Mao Cang Feed, or JMC, a private enterprise specializing in feed raw material sales and providing feed formula solutions, to expand the southwest market in China. JMC has more than 200 customers in farm industry and nearly 100 customers in feed production industry. In 2019, JMC sold more than 200,000 tons of soybean meal, exceeding RMB 500 million (approximately $70M in sales. Given the company's revenue of fiscal year 2019 was $102,545,152, PLIN is expected to increase 70% of revenue through this acquisition.

08:35 EDT Envision Solar delivers EV ARC products across three states - Envision Solar International announced the delivery of new EV ARC 2020 solar-powered EV charging infrastructure products to three states: New York, North Carolina and California. Municipalities are using the units for emergency power infrastructure and to offer 100% renewable EV charging to city-owned fleet vehicles and a "driving on sunshine" amenity for the public. Corporations are using the EV ARC products to offer workplace charging for employees. All government shipments included the optional emergency power panel. As announced earlier this week, the Company continues to deliver vital transportation and emergency energy infrastructure products during California's COVID-19 "shelter at home" order due to an exemption for vital transportation and energy products. The Company will prioritize manufacturing of their emissions-free, rapidly deployed emergency power products for organizations on the frontline of the COVID-19 healthcare disaster response.

08:34 EDT ENGlobal expects to benefit from accelerating dependence on renewable energy - The company said, "Going forward, ENGlobal is expected to benefit from several external trends, especially the nation's accelerating dependence on the production of alternative and renewable energy. The company also sees continuing demand resulting from large process control and analytical equipment installations, as well as the U.S. Military's increasing need to upgrade or replace its fueling systems. The Company does recognize we are in an unprecedented situation in regards to the COVID-19 virus. We are seeing city, county, and state governments issue stay at home mandates across the country, some of which are in cities where we have offices and employees. While most of our employees can telecommute, some cannot. Our challenge as a company is to stay productive and responsive to our clients while not being located at our normal workplace, in some cases. We are working through the logistics surrounding our employees in light of the recently issued Families First Coronavirus Response Act in order to minimize the impact to both the employee and the company.:

08:33 EDT Patrick Industries temporarily suspending certain facilities - Patrick Industries provided a business and operations update regarding the coronavirus pandemic. "(...) we will be temporarily suspending operations at certain of our facilities," said CEO Andy Nemeth. "The suspensions, which are determined on a plant by plant basis, are currently expected to range from one to two weeks depending on government requirements or the demand needs of the specific markets in which we operate. (...) Certain facilities where local conditions allow or that are determined to be supplying products for an essential use will continue to operate, although with an elevated focus on safety. (...) In addition, (...) we have enacted certain measures, and are prepared to enact further measures in the event the situation dictates, related to cost reductions in order to align our cost structure over the foreseeable future in correlation with fluctuations in industry demand. We have detailed tiered plans for various levels of market volatility, and we put a capital structure in place last September for both strategic and defensive purposes, including for unanticipated situations such as this. Our financial position is strong and we believe we have ample liquidity and availability, supported by cash on hand and available borrowings under our existing revolving credit facility, to not only navigate through the business interruption related to this pandemic crisis for the foreseeable future, but to pivot and execute quickly, returning to our strategic growth plan once visibility and stability in the markets improve.(...)"

08:29 EDT Celsion says OVATION 1 study shows strong PFS survival treatment effect - Celsion Corporation jointly announced with Medidata that examining matched patient data provided by Medidata in a synthetic control arm with results from the Company's completed Phase Ib dose-escalating OVATION I Study with GEN-1 in Stage III/IV ovarian cancer patients showed positive results in progression-free survival. The hazard ratio was 0.53 in the intent-to-treat group, showing strong signals of efficacy. 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. Celsion believes these data may warrant consideration of strategies to accelerate the clinical development program for GEN-1 in newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer patients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In its March 2019 discussion with Celsion, the FDA noted that preliminary findings from the Phase Ib OVATION I Study were exciting but lacked a control group to evaluate GEN-1's independent impact on impressive tumor response, surgical results and PFS. The Agency encouraged the Company to continue its GEN-1 development program and consult with FDA with new findings that may have a bearing on designations such as Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy. GEN-1's strong and encouraging treatment effect, evidenced by the synthetic control arm, suggests a potentially remarkable improvement in PFS, an FDA recognized surrogate for Overall Survival, and appears to confirm the science behind IL-12's ability to recruit the innate and adaptive elements of the immune system to fight malignancies. The strong PFS trend is supported with previously published translational data that clearly demonstrates the pro-immune changes in the tumor micro-environment associated with loco-regional GEN-1 therapy. Celsion's current randomized Phase II OVATION 2 Study in advanced ovarian cancer patients will commence in the 2nd half of 2020 and is designed to demonstrate a 33% improvement in PFS over current standard of care. PFS is the primary endpoint for this study. Synthetic Control Arms have the potential to revolutionize clinical trials in certain oncology indications and some other diseases where a randomized control is not ethical or practical. SCAs are formed by carefully selecting control patients from historical clinical trials to match the demographic and disease characteristics of the patients treated with the new investigational product. SCAs have been shown to mimic the results of traditional randomized controls so that the treatment effects of an investigational product can be visible by comparison to the SCA. SCAs can help advance the scientific validity of single arm trials, and in certain indications, reduce time and cost, and expose fewer patients to placebos or existing standard-of-care treatments that might not be effective for them. Medidata is in a unique position to create fit-for-purpose synthetic controls because of access to a pool of more than six million anonymized patients from nearly 20,000 previous clinical trials. The Phase Ib OVATION I Study evaluated escalating doses of GEN-1 administered intraperitoneally in combination with three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to interval debulking surgery, followed by three cycles of NACT in the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with Stage III/IV ovarian cancer. Previously reported data demonstrated median PFS of 21 months in the per-protocol population and 17.1 months in the intent-to-treat population for all dose cohorts, comparing favorably to historically reported median PFS of 12 months. In the OVATION I Study, complete tumor resections were achieved for all patients receiving the highest dose of GEN-1, and approximately 86% of patients in OVATION I had a complete or partial response. All patients experienced a clinically significant decrease in their CA-125 protein levels as of their latest study visit. CA-125 is used to monitor certain cancers during and after treatment. CA-125 is present in greater concentrations in ovarian cancer cells than in other cells. GEN-1 was well tolerated and no dose-limiting toxicities were detected. Intraperitoneal administration of GEN-1 was feasible with broad patient acceptance.

08:26 EDT ABM says operations have been deemed an 'Essential Service' amid COVID-19 - ABM provided a business update in anticipation of the continued spread of the coronavirus outbreak and its evolving impact on the global operating environment. ABM's operations have been deemed an 'Essential Service' by the applicable governing authorities given the unprecedented focus on safety, infection control and cleaning protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company continues to support its clients with critical operations, and is closely following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the U.K. National Health Service, among others. Scott Salmirs, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABM Industries, commented, "Earlier this month, we announced our first quarter 2020 results. As indicated, we were pleased with those results and the start to our new fiscal year. Much has changed in the past few weeks as our country, and the rest of the world, continues to respond to COVID-19. The safety of our team members, our clients and the public is our top priority. We have deployed an operational task force to address the entire spectrum of our mission-critical services and operations. Our dedicated and reliable employees are on the front lines to advise our clients and help protect their facilities. We have a significantly diversified client base and they are experiencing varying degrees of impact. ABM's 'Purpose' has always been to take care of the people, places, and spaces that are important to our clients, and this is a time when the dedication and resilience of ABM shines. We are leveraging our national scale, supply chain and multiple services wherever possible as clients come to us for support and guidance. We have received incredible praise from our clients as our teams work tirelessly to be a valued partner."

08:24 EDT Titan Medical announces issuance of robotic surgery patents - Titan Medical announces that its global intellectual property portfolio has increased to 49 issued patents and 86 patent applications, including the recent granting and filing of patent applications directed at innovative robotic surgery technologies. Included in the recent patent grants is Japanese Patent No. 6,653,387 titled "Graphical User Interface for a Robotic Surgical System," which is directed at visual ways of interacting with robotic surgery systems, including the company's single-port robotic surgical system. The technology covered by this patent provides instrument spatial position and related information to a surgeon in a unique and user-friendly manner. Corresponding patent applications are pending in the United States, China, Canada, South Korea and Australia. The Australian patent application has been allowed by the Australian Patent Office and the company expects the patent to be granted in the coming months. Titan has also been granted U.S. Patent No. 10,532,466 and U.S. Patent No. 10,568,707, each titled "Robotic Hand Controller," which are directed at aspects of hand controllers for use with robotic surgery systems. These patents demonstrate the company's early focus and success with the design of ergonomically advanced components of robotic surgery systems. Titan has further advanced these early ergonomic designs with the development of its single-port robotic surgical system, including enhancing hand controller design and functionality as described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 10,426,561 titled "Hand Controller Apparatus for Detecting Input Position in a Robotic Surgery System."

08:22 EDT Intercept working to mitigate any potential disruptions to product supplies - The company said, "Ensuring patient access to Ocaliva for patients with PBC is of paramount importance, particularly during these unprecedented times. We are working closely with our third-party manufacturers, distributors and other trusted partners to manage our supply chain activities and mitigate any potential disruptions to our product supplies as a result of COVID-19."

08:21 EDT Intercept says Q1 net sales expected to be generally in line with Q4 - The company said, "Our PBC business has continued to perform well during the first quarter and our preliminary view indicates net sales are expected to be generally in line with those in the fourth quarter of 2019. In addition, we are reconfirming our previously announced non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses guidance for the full year 2020. We are investing to support the launch of OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, our commercial efforts in primary biliary cholangitis our clinical development and pipeline programs and our other operating activities. Our non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses guidance continues to assume the approval of our NDA for liver fibrosis due to NASH by the FDA on or about our PDUFA target action date."

08:19 EDT Intercept announces rescheduling of AdCom meeting related to OCA NDA - Intercept Pharmaceuticals announced the rescheduling of its advisory committee meeting by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, provided an update on expected first quarter 2020 financial performance, and announced new initiatives intended to ensure business continuity and support its employees amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, all while continuing the critical work necessary to bring its approved medicines to the patients who need them. The company said, "Amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA has notified us that it has rescheduled the previously announced AdCom related to our New Drug Application for obeticholic acid in liver fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The AdCom which had previously been tentatively scheduled for April 22, 2020, is now tentatively scheduled for June 9, 2020. We continue to work closely with the FDA on our priority review application and our Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date for the NDA remains June 26, 2020. We also continue to work collaboratively with the European Medicines Agency on its review of our Marketing Authorization Application for liver fibrosis due to NASH submitted in December 2019...We are focused on ensuring patient safety and maintaining the integrity of our ongoing clinical trials. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely and together with our contract research organizations, study sites and other partners, have taken measures intended to minimize any disruption to our ongoing trials. Our pivotal Phase 3 NASH studies, REGENERATE and REVERSE, are fully enrolled and our focus is to provide needed support to participating sites and patients around the world. With respect to our ongoing PBC studies, under the current circumstances we are additionally temporarily pausing screening and randomization of patients in certain of our continuing studies of OCA in PBC."

08:16 EDT ViacomCBS, Meredith announce multi-year deal to renew affiliation agreements - ViacomCBS (VIAC) and Meredith (MDP) announced a multi-year deal to renew affiliation agreements for all seven of its CBS Affiliates, including three top 25 market affiliates, WGCL in Atlanta, GA; KPHO in Phoenix, AZ; and KMOV in St. Louis, MO. The seven markets combined reach 7% of the U.S. audience serving more than 7.6M television households. Meredith's CBS affiliates will continue to be locally available to subscribers of CBS All Access, CBS' digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service. It will also be widely distributed across virtual multichannel video programming distributor platforms and traditional cable and satellite services. The agreement consists of renewals for these Meredith-owned CBS affiliates: WGCL in Atlanta, GA; KPHO in Phoenix, AZ; KMOV in St. Louis, MO; KCTV in Kansas City, MO; WFSB in Hartford & New Haven, CT; WNEM in Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, MI; and WSHM in Springfield-Holyoke, MA.

08:15 EDT Asbury Automotive terminates Park Place dealership transaction - In a regulatory filing yesterday, Asbury Automotive announced that on March 24, Asbury delivered notice to the Park Place Dealership family of entities terminating the transaction agreements pursuant to the terms thereof in exchange for the payment of $10M of liquidated damages. In addition to $1.7M in transaction related expenses recorded in 2019, the company expects to incur approximately $5.7M of fees, accrued interest and other expenses during the first quarter of 2020 in connection with the termination of the transaction agreements. This excludes approximately $19.2M of premium, fees and expenses in connection with the March 4, 2020 redemption of the $600M of 6.0% senior unsubordinated notes due 2024.

08:13 EDT Scynexis to virtually present on the Candida Auris treatment landscape - SCYNEXIS announced that Dr. Nkechi Azie, SCYNEXIS's VP of Clinical Development will deliver a live presentation on the Candida auris treatment landscape at the 22nd Annual Superbugs and Superdrugs Conference 2020, taking place virtually on March 30th and 31st. "Candida auris is unlike any fungal infection we have seen in the past. It is difficult to identify and frequently resistant to at least two of the three available antifungal drug classes. It can persist on surfaces in healthcare settings, spreads easily between hospitalized patients, and is particularly deadly for immunocompromised patients," said Nkechi Azie, M.D. "The exchange of knowledge within the medical and scientific community is an important first step to addressing the urgent threat posed by the Candida auris superbug." Marco Taglietti, M.D., president and chief executive officer of SCYNEXIS added, "Candida auris is more likely to affect patients who have weakened immune systems from serious illnesses such as blood cancers or those recovering from organ transplants. Our goal is to develop a powerful yet tolerable antifungal therapy to overcome Candida auris infections. We are currently enrolling patients with Candida auris infections in our global Phase 3 CARES study of oral ibrexafungerp, a potent, broad-spectrum antifungal with activity against even multidrug-resistant pathogens. Ibrexafungerp belongs to a novel class of antifungals, with the potential to be the first new class approved in 20 years."

08:12 EDT First United Corp concludes settlement negotiations with Driver Management - First United concluded settlement talks with Driver Management Company. The company wants to make clear the terms of the most recent settlement offer turned down by Driver. First United's recent settlement terms included: appointing two independent directors before the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders: the first selected by Driver from among independent director candidates identified by the company who have no prior or current affiliation with First United; and one selected by the company from among the nominees nominated by Driver; appointing a third independent director before the 2021 annual meeting of shareholders; the retirement of three incumbent directors from the Board - two before the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders and one before the 2021 annual meeting of shareholders; committee designations for each of the new directors designated by Driver; adopting more formal policies around the roles and responsibilities of the Lead Independent Director; and expense reimbursement to Driver of $350K. In return, the company requested customary non-disparagement, standstill and voting commitments, lasting this and next proxy season. Driver rejected the Board's settlement proposal and again demanded a sale of First United, reiterating that Driver will run a proxy fight every year for the next three proxy seasons until it has complete control over the Board. First United also requested that Driver confirm that it is not currently under any regulatory investigation or review related to either its proposed solicitation at the company's 2020 annual meeting of shareholders or ownership of stock in the company. Driver took particular exception to the company's request for this confirmation. Driver has refused since November to let the Board meet with any of its director designees. Driver declined to speak with the independent director candidates identified by the Board.

08:10 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch will continue to keep stores outside of APAC region closed - Abercrombie & Fitch announced updates in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. The company said, "With the well-being of its customers, associates and communities in mind, and to help limit the spread of the virus, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will continue to keep stores outside of the APAC region temporarily closed until further notice. The Company will continue to follow the guidance of local governments and health organizations to determine when it can reopen its stores across North America and the EMEA region. The Company's stores in the APAC region across all its brands are currently open. The Company's online stores remain open in all regions. As of February 1, 2020, the Company had $671 million in cash and cash equivalents. As a precautionary measure, on March 25, 2020, the Company initiated the process to borrow $210 million under its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility to improve its cash position. In addition, last week the Company withdrew the majority of excess funds from its Rabbi Trust, providing the Company with approximately $50 million of additional cash."

08:08 EDT A10 Networks provides business update amid COVID-19 pandemic - A10 Networks provided the following business update amidst the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation and reaffirmed its Q1 business outlook. Dhrupad Trivedi, president and CEO of A10 Networks, commented, "As an organization, protecting the health and safety of our employees and our global community is our top priority, and we are committed to take the necessary actions to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Thankfully, to date, we have not experienced any meaningful negative impact to our business or our supply chain, and we anticipate our first quarter financial results to be in line with the guidance provided in our fourth quarter earnings release. Our team is productively working, with the vast majority of employees doing so remotely. Amidst the global quarantine and shelter in place orders, networks across the globe are being stressed with unprecedented usage and increasing demand for bandwidth, underscoring the need for the critical communications infrastructure solutions we provide. We are taking the necessary steps to mitigate any potential disruption given the macro uncertainty and unprecedented nature of the current environment, while remaining focused on the significant opportunity in front of us." "We are reaffirming our first quarter outlook and remaining focused on internal initiatives to improve operational efficiency while executing on our key objectives," Trivedi added. "In the long-term, the need for critical communications infrastructure remains significant, and we believe we are well positioned with service providers, who must invest to keep up with network demand and increasing data usage. With $130 million in cash and no debt as of December 31, 2019, we are well positioned to operate from a position of strength to support our customers in any environment. We continue to focus on major industry trends like IOT, 5G, Cloud and others, and are working collaboratively with our customers to help them deliver business outcomes resulting from their investments in digital transformation."

08:08 EDT Analog Devices withdraws Q2 outlook due to COVID-19 - Analog Devices provided a business update related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The economic and social effects caused by COVID-19 are currently creating supply chain disruption and uncertainty around future demand. While customer demand in the quarter has been resilient, it has become increasingly difficult to quantify and forecast the business impact of COVID-19. As a result, ADI believes it is prudent to withdraw the company's outlook for the fiscal second quarter, ending May 2. "During this rapidly evolving situation, our top priority is the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate. As an organization we are stepping up to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with our customers and world-class healthcare organizations to deploy our innovative healthcare diagnostics solutions," said Vincent Roche, President and CEO of Analog Devices. "We remain steadfastly committed to supporting our customers, suppliers, and partners to the best of our ability in this unprecedented environment." Roche continued, "Throughout ADI's 55-year history, we have encountered several "Black Swan" events. I am confident we will successfully navigate this one as we have done before given the strength of our talent, technology, and customer and supplier relationships, in addition to our sound financial position. While our team is moving with speed and agility to embrace these short-term challenges, we remain focused on investing in ADI for the long-term and we will emerge from this pandemic stronger." The company will provide a further update during its second quarter earnings release and call in May.

08:07 EDT Biocept enters lab services agreement with California-based IPA - Biocept announces that it has entered into an agreement with a second California-based independent physician association to provide its Target Selector liquid biopsy assay services to physicians and patients in their network. Biocept's Target Selector offering includes the choice of individual biomarker tests or a larger liquid biopsy panel, enabling physicians to select the best approach for each patient.

08:07 EDT Twist Bioscience enters partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Twist Bioscience announced a collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, or VUMC, to supply synthetic genes and antibodies for the development of therapies for COVID-19. In addition, Twist Biopharma, a division of Twist Bioscience, will provide custom antibody drug discovery libraries and will screen the libraries for potential antibody therapeutics that would treat patients with COVID-19. VUMC has been working with Twist Bioscience since 2018 when VUMC received a grant from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3). The P3 program focuses on preparing for pandemics and specifically reducing the time required to develop protective antibodies from lab to field. The objective of the program is to go from outbreak to a clinic-ready therapeutic in 60 days, versus the standard timeline of one to two years. VUMC is now leveraging the learning from the P3 program to pursue therapeutic antibodies to treat COVID-19.

08:06 EDT Aprea Therapeutics assessing COVID-19 impact on Phase 1 AML trial enrollment - Based on in vitro data evidencing synergistic activity between APR-246 and a Bcl-2 inhibitor, the Company is conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial in frontline and relapsed/refractory TP53 mutant AML assessing APR-246 with venetoclax with or without azacitidine. The primary endpoint is the composite rate of CR and CR with incomplete hematologic recovery, or CRi. The first patient was enrolled in 1Q 2020 and the Company completed enrollment of the first two safety cohorts of three patients each. Together with its investigators and clinical sites, the Company is assessing the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the enrollment and the ability to maintain patients enrolled in this trial.

08:06 EDT Alamo Group says 'continues to function, albeit at a reduced level' - The company stated, "Alamo Group announced that several of its manufacturing operations are either temporarily closed or reducing their level of production due to repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the company's products have been deemed essential in the various jurisdictions where the company operates, so while many of the company's facilities continue to operate with minimal disruption, several locations are operating at reduced capacity or are temporarily closed due to a combination of health concerns, government directives, supply chain disruptions and customer restrictions. Previously, the company announced the temporary closure of its facilities in France, and while those facilities remain closed, they are working on plans to resume limited production in the second half of April. Additionally, Alamo's two UK facilities will be temporarily closing this week, but like our French operations, expect to be operational by the second half of April or as of such time as the impacts of coronavirus are mitigated. In North America, the company's Super Products Plant near Milwaukee also closed temporarily on Monday, but is expected to reopen in a few days, and several of our other operations are furloughing some of their workforce temporarily due to the factors listed above. Plus, all of the company's plants are experiencing somewhat higher levels of employee absences, as some employees are self-quarantining, others are staying home to care for children out of school and still others are out for normal reasons of absence. It should also be noted that the company has approximately 500 employees working remotely and that number is growing daily as conditions allow. Despite the above challenges, Alamo Group continues to conduct business and meet most customer requirements in a timely fashion. Even the company's operations that are temporarily closed have the capability to meet the most urgent needs of our customers. All in all, Alamo continues to function, albeit at a reduced level. In doing so, we are committed to the safety and wellbeing of our employees and continue to ensure our facilities follow all the recommended standards for safety and hygiene. At the same time, we will continue to support the needs of our customers to the extent we are capable."

08:05 EDT Aprea Therapeutics expects full enrollment in Phase 2 MDS/AML trial in 1H20 - The Company is currently enrolling its single-arm, open-label Phase 2 trial evaluating APR-246 with azacitidine as post-transplant maintenance therapy in TP53 mutant MDS and acute myeloid leukemia patients who have received an allogeneic stem cell transplant. The primary endpoint is relapse-free survival at 12 months. As of March 25, 2020, the Company had enrolled 11 patients in this trial. Target enrollment is 31 patients and the Company had anticipated full enrollment in the first half of 2020. Together with its investigators and clinical sites, the Company is assessing the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the enrollment and the ability to maintain patients enrolled in this trial.

08:04 EDT CUI Global to acquire Reach Construction Group - CUI Global announced that on March 24, it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Reach Construction Group, "an industry-leading solar construction company." The transaction will consist of third-party debt and company equity valued at approximately $37M. The acquisition is expected to close within the next 20 days, subject to customary closing conditions. Headquartered in Apex, NC, Reach Construction Group is an engineering, procurement and construction company with expertise in the renewable energy industry. Reach has contractual backlog for 2020 exceeding $100M. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to CUI Global's consolidated results.

07:58 EDT Bluebird Bio provides updated on impact of COVID-19 - bluebird bio provided an update in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company has taken steps to ensure the safety of its patients and employees, while working to ensure the sustainability of its business operations as this unprecedented situation continues to evolve. "The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for bluebird, the broader biotech community, and society as a whole. During this unprecedented time, we remain focused on caring for the patients who rely on us," said Nick Leschly, chief bluebird. "In addition, we are prioritizing the safety and well-being of our employees, making a positive impact as a member of our local community, and continuing to execute on our business strategy. While we all face tremendous challenges and uncertainty at this time, I am confident in bluebird's ability to face these headwinds with ingenuity, empathy, and a relentless commitment to the people we serve." bluebird bio continues to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system and work with healthcare providers supporting its clinical studies to mitigate risk to patients while taking into account regulatory, institutional, and government guidance and policies. The company remains committed to maintaining its development plans but acknowledges the potential impact on clinical studies given the rapidly evolving global environment. Generally, the company expects the COVID-19 pandemic to shift the timing of enrollment and completion of clinical studies by at least three months and expects timing shifts to vary by clinical trial and by program.

07:56 EDT VBL Therapeutics announces outcome of interim analysis in OVAL Phase 3 study - VBL Therapeutics announced an outcome of the planned interim analysis in the OVAL study, a double-blind controlled potential-registration study in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The OVAL independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee, reviewed un-blinded data and assessed CA-125 response, measured according to the GCIG criteria, in the first 60 enrolled subjects evaluable for CA-125 analysis. The DSMC confirmed that the study met the interim pre-specified efficacy criterion, of an absolute percentage advantage of 10% or higher CA-125 response rate for the VB-111 treatment arm, and recommended the study continuance. The overall CA-125 response rate in the first 60 randomized evaluable patients is 53%. Assuming a balanced randomization, the response rate in the treatment arm is 58% or higher. In patients who had post-dosing fever, which is a marker for VB-111 treatment, the response rate is 69%. In the previously reported Phase 2 study of VB-111 in platinum resistant ovarian cancer, 58% of the patients treated with VB-111 and paclitaxel demonstrated a CA-125 response. Those patients with a CA-125 response demonstrated a median overall survival of 808 days, versus 351 days for those patients without CA-125 response. The DSMC recommendation that the OVAL trial proceed is not assurance that the trial will meet its primary endpoint. The primary endpoint of the OVAL Phase 3 study is overall survival, which currently approved therapies for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer have thus far failed to demonstrate.

07:51 EDT Centerra Gold reports proven, probable gold mineral reserves of 11.1M ounces - Centerra Gold issued its 2019 year-end estimates for mineral reserves and mineral resources and announced the publication of a new NI 43-101 technical report relating to the Mount Milligan Mine. 2019 year-end mineral reserves have been estimated based on a gold price of $1,250 per ounce and a copper price of $3.00 per pound. Highlights: Kumtor's measured and indicated gold resources increased by 3.3 million ounces to 6.3 million contained ounces, exclusive of reserves at an average finding cost of approximately $6 per ounce. Mount Milligan's reserves and resources have been re-estimated in connection with a new NI 43-101 technical report that was published today, with both gold and copper inventories decreasing. Mount Milligan's measured and indicated gold resources, exclusive of reserves, decreased by 1.3 million ounces to 1.4 million contained ounces. The proven and probable gold mineral reserves decreased by 2.3 million ounces to 2.4 million contained ounces. Centerra's measured and indicated copper mineral resources, exclusive of reserves, decreased by 510 million pounds to 5,327 million pounds of contained copper. Centerra's proven and probable copper mineral reserves decreased by 877 million pounds to 1,589 million pounds of contained copper. Centerra's overall measured and indicated gold mineral resources increased by 2.0 million ounces to 13.3 million ounces of contained gold, exclusive of gold mineral reserves. Centerra's overall proven and probable gold mineral reserves total 11.1 million ounces of contained gold, a decrease of 3.1 million ounces of contained gold.

07:46 EDT Centerra Gold sees FY20 gold production 740,000-820,000 ounces - CEO Scott Perry said, "For 2020, we are estimating consolidated gold production to be in the range of 740,000 to 820,000 ounces combined with 80 million to 90 million pounds of payable copper production from Mount Milligan. Centerra's consolidated all-in sustaining cost on a by-product basis per ounce soldNG for 2020 is expected to be in the range of $820 to $870 per ounce. Our projected capital expenditures for 2020, excluding capitalized stripping, is estimated to be $169 million which includes $109 million of sustaining capital and $60 million of growth capital spending. Growth capital spending includes $29 million at the Oksut Project in Turkey as we complete the construction of the site, $13 million at the Kemess Underground Project and $18 million at the Kumtor Mine. Total capitalized stripping for 2020 is estimated to be $236 million, including $215 million at the Kumtor Mine and $21 million at the Oksut Project, with a total cash component of $193 million, including $173 million at the Kumtor Mine and $20 million at the Oksut Project. At Kumtor over the past 18 months we have invested significantly in exploration drilling and at year-end we can see the results as Kumtor's open pit measured and indicated gold mineral resources increased by 3.3 million contained ounces to 6.3 million contained ounces and open pit inferred gold mineral resources increased by 1.2 million contained ounces to 1.4 million contained ounces. We are now in the process of updating Kumtor's life-of-mine plan and an updated technical report which we plan to release in the second half of 2020."

07:39 EDT Clearway Energy announces change to virtual 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders - Clearway Energy announced that, due to the emerging public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the location of the Company's 2020 annual meeting of stockholders has been changed from an in-person meeting to a virtual meeting. As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will still be held at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on Thursday, April 30, 2020, but will be held only in a virtual meeting format. On March 24, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors approved the change to the location and format of the Annual Meeting in support of the health and well-being of the Company's employees, stockholders and other associates, as well as the related protocols that have been or may be imposed by federal, state and local governments.

07:37 EDT iBio says immunization studies for SARS-CoV-2 VLP program are proceeding - iBio announced that immunization studies for its SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particle program are proceeding at Texas A&M University System laboratories. The work is being performed as part of the Master Joint Development Agreement established between iBio and TAMUS in 2016. iBio created its proprietary VLP candidates in just a few weeks using its FastPharming System. iBio's researchers then deployed this plant-based expression platform's rapid production capabilities to deliver VLPs suitable for further development just weeks after the biologics were designed.

07:35 EDT Dynavax, CEPI announce collaboration for effort to develop vaccine for COVID-19 - Dynavax Technologies and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced a collaboration supporting the global effort to develop a vaccine to prevent the coronavirus. Dynavax will make the Company's proprietary toll-like receptor 9 agonist adjuvant, CpG 1018TM, available for the development of effective vaccines against COVID-19. CpG 1018 is the adjuvant used in HEPLISAV-B, an adult hepatitis B vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dynavax developed CpG 1018 to provide an increased vaccine immune response, which has been demonstrated in HEPLISAV-B. CpG 1018 provides a well-developed technology and a significant safety database, potentially accelerating the development and large-scale manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine. As previously announced, the CEPI initiative to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 led to the collaboration between Dynavax and the University of Queensland, Australia. CEPI and Dynavax will work together to identify and coordinate engagements with entities around the world working on COVID-19 vaccines. The focus of this collaboration is to identify programs that could benefit from combination with CPG 1018 to provide a more rapid or robust immune response.

07:33 EDT Unum Therapeutics announces plans to explore strategic alternatives - Following a review of its business, including the status of its development program, resources and capabilities, the Company has initiated a process to explore strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. Potential strategic alternatives that may be evaluated include, but are not limited to, an acquisition, merger, business combination, in-licensing, or other strategic transaction. There can be no assurance that this process will result in any such transaction. Unum Therapeutics has not set a timetable for completion of this review process and does not intend to comment further unless or until the Board of Directors has approved a definitive course of action, the review process is concluded, or it is determined that other disclosure is appropriate. Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. has been engaged to act as Unum Therapeutics' strategic financial advisor during this process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.

07:31 EDT Axon to provide complimentary global access to full feature set of Axon Citizen - Axon announced that, in the interest of public health, it is providing global access to the full feature set of Axon Citizen, at no cost this year, to every agency that is not currently using the digital evidence platform. With this tool, officers can gather digital evidence from the community by sending a personalized link via text message or email from Axon's digital evidence management platform, Axon Evidence, or the Axon Capture mobile app. This eliminates the need for in-person interaction and helps to minimize officer exposure to COVID-19.

07:21 EDT Tetra Bio Pharma says survey validates primary endpoint of SERENITY trial - Tetra Bio-Pharma announced the results of a survey conducted among US and Canadian patients and physicians which validated the primary endpoint of the SERENITY pivotal trial. The results confirm that the primary endpoint in the SERENITY clinical trial is accurate. Fifty to 80% of cancer patients experience cachexia during their disease Cachexia is defined as "multifactorial syndrome characterized by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment". The most intense symptoms reported by the cachectic patients are lack of appetite, fatigue, wellbeing, sleep, and increase in pain. Secondary symptoms impact nutrition, such as nausea, depression, and pain, which can further decrease caloric intake and add a ''starvation'' component to the catabolic processes associated with cachexia. During February and March 2020 Tetra conducted a survey in the United States and Canada in order to gather patient and physician feedback about the most bothersome symptoms in advanced cancer patients with cachexia. Patients and physicians received identical questionnaires, however the instructions to each group were different. Patients were asked to describe their personal experience with cancer cachexia, whereas physician responses were based on their perception of their patients with cancer cachexia. The patient survey was distributed to patients at the SERENITY study clinical sites. A total of 33 American and Canadian patients responded to the survey. According to the surveyed patients, pain, fatigue, and lack of appetite are the three most bothersome symptoms. Nausea/vomiting, worrying, feeling irritable, change in the way food tastes and difficulty sleeping, were also often identified by patients as bothersome. In addition, patients reported that the most bothersome or distressing functional impacts of the disease were that they are "unable to work /or to do chores at home", that they are "unable to enjoy life", and that they have "trouble doing strenuous activities. The physician survey was distributed to the Principal and Co-Principal Investigators at the clinical sites of the SERENITY study. A total of 18 American and Canadian physicians participated in the survey. According to the those surveyed pain, fatigue, lack of appetite, weight loss, nausea/vomiting, and difficulty sleeping are the most bothersome symptoms they perceive to be experienced by their patients with advanced cancer and cachexia. In addition, the physicians reported that the most bothersome or distressing functional impacts of the disease were that the patients were "unable to enjoy life", that "because of their physical condition, they have trouble meeting the needs of their family" and that they were "unable to work /or to do chores at home".

07:17 EDT Medipharm Labs launches new line of branded products across Canada - MediPharm Labs announced the launch of its new family of "MediPharm Labs" branded products to deliver offerings to consumers in the medical and adult-use markets across Canada. MediPharm Labs new line of medical and wellness products are targeted for distribution across multiple patient and adult use channels in Canada. The Company's first product - MediPharm Labs CBD REGULAR FORMULA 25 - is a 25:1 High-CBD, Low-THC regular strength oil containing approximately 25 mg/mL of CBD to 1mg of THC. It's made using full spectrum cannabis concentrate processed at MediPharm Labs' GMP certified facility under strict manufacturing standards producing a product with exceptional quality and purity, having a unique flavour profile. The coconut/palm-based MCT carrier oil has been carefully chosen for its sustainable practices from plantation through manufacturing. Additional MediPharm Labs branded products will follow in coming weeks and months, providing innovation through cannabinoid formulations, varied potencies and product formats.

07:15 EDT uniQure mandates work-from-home policy for all non-essential employees - The Company is continuing its operations under guidance from national, state and local authorities in the Netherlands and in the United States, including the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this regard, uniQure is informed by the direction and flexibility provided by the FDA in its March 18, 2020 Guidance entitled "FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Pandemic". Ongoing clinical research activities are being closely monitored to minimize any risk, disruption or delay in either patient dosing or follow-up visits. uniQure is focused on ensuring the health and wellbeing of its global workforce. As of March 13, the Company mandated a work-from-home policy for all non-essential employees. As a biopharma research and development company, uniQure is deemed to provide Essential Services under the "stay at home" advisory that was issued by the Governor of Massachusetts on March 23, 2020 and is maintaining its mission-critical activities that include commercial-scale manufacturing operations.

07:14 EDT uniQure postpones procedures in Phase I/II trial of AMT-130 - The first two patients in the Company's Phase I/II clinical trial of AMT-130 in Huntington's disease have been enrolled after successfully meeting all screening and eligibility criteria. These patients were scheduled to have their procedures on March 24 and 25 at the Ohio State University. Due to the expanding impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, these procedures have been temporarily postponed. The decision to postpone treatment in the trial follows the COVID-19-related State of Emergency declarations in the United States, where the trial is taking place. "We are following all federal and local regulations including the FDA guidance on clinical trial conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic and we are working very closely with trial investigators to ensure that patient safety remains our top priority," stated Robert Gut, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer at uniQure. "Despite this unexpected postponement, we are encouraged by the progress that we have made with this trial since the beginning of the year, and the fact that we have patients who are highly motivated to participate. We will continue our work to resume treatment in the Phase I/II trial as soon as it is clinically appropriate."

07:13 EDT Wendy's suspends FY20 guidance and 2021-2024 outlook - Wendy's is withdrawing its outlook for FY20 issued on February 26 and its 2021-2024 long-term outlook provided at its Investor day in October 2019 due to the current unprecedented global market and economic conditions in the U.S. and around the world, the company. The company plans to provide an update on its business and financial results on its Q1 earnings call and intends to provide an updated financial outlook at such time as it can reasonably estimate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and changing market conditions.

07:09 EDT FactSet board approves $220M increase to existing share repurchase program - FactSet repurchased 267,500 shares of its common stock for $74.2M at an average price of $277.28 during the second quarter under the Company's existing share repurchase program. Additionally, on March 24, 2020, the Board of Directors of FactSet approved an increase of $220M to the existing share repurchase program. Including this increase, as of March 26, 2020, $300M is available for share repurchases.

07:06 EDT Prevail plans to initiate PROCLAIM Phase 1/2 trial in mid-2020 - Prevail announced in March 2020 that the FDA accepted the Company's IND application for PR006 for the treatment of FTD-GRN. FTD-GRN is a fatal, rapidly progressive, early-onset form of dementia for which there are no FDA approved treatments. The Company believes that PR006, which is being developed as a potential one-time gene therapy, has the ability to slow or stop progression of FTD-GRN. Prevail plans to initiate the PROCLAIM Phase 1/2 clinical trial for FTD-GRN patients in mid-2020, subject to any delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:05 EDT Signet Jewelers up 9% to $8.00 after Q4 results beat estimates

07:03 EDT Bristol-Myers ph 3 results of Reblozyl show reduction in RBC transfusion burden - Bristol-Myers announced that the New England Journal of Medicine has published results from BELIEVE, the pivotal Phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adults with beta thalassemia who require regular red blood cell, or RBC, transfusions. In the BELIEVE trial, a significantly higher proportion of patients achieved a greater than33% reduction in RBC transfusion burden from baseline (with a reduction of at least two units) during weeks 13-24 when treated with Reblozyl compared to placebo, meeting the study's primary endpoint. The study also met all key secondary endpoints with a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving Reblozyl compared to placebo achieving a greater than33% reduction in RBC transfusion burden during weeks 37-48 and a greater than50% reduction during weeks 13-24 or weeks 37-48. "These results published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrate the clinical benefit of Reblozyl, the first approved treatment for anemia in beta thalassemia in the U.S.," said Diane McDowell, M.D., vice president, Hematology Global Medical Affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb. "Patients with beta thalassemia experience chronic anemia, often requiring life-long treatment with red blood cell transfusions, which are associated with multiple medical complications. The ability of Reblozyl to reduce the frequency and burden of regular red blood cell transfusions is clinically meaningful for these patients."

07:02 EDT Prevail Therapeutics expects cash to fund operating expenses into 1H22 - Cash and cash equivalents were $168.1M as of December 31, 2019, as compared to $63.0 million as of December 31, 2018. Following a strategic review and prioritization of programs, the Company expects its current cash position to be sufficient to fund operating expenses into the first half of 2022, versus mid-2021 as previously guided.

06:56 EDT Signet Jewelers reports Q4 gross margin 41.7% of sales, up 100 bps y/y

06:55 EDT American Outdoor: Outdoor Products to be neg. impacted by COVID-19 crisis

06:55 EDT Signet Jewelers reports Q4 e-commerce sales up 15.1% y/y - eCommerce sales were $299.9M, up 15.1% year over year. eCommerce sales accounted for 13.9% of sales, up from 12.1% of sales in the prior year quarter. Brick and mortar same store sales grew 0.5%.

06:52 EDT Tapestry updates COVID-19 response initiatives - Tapestry announced a set of initiatives intended to support its employees and communities as well as to enhance financial flexibility during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tapestry has extended store closures in North America and Europe for an additional two weeks, through April 10th. The company will reassess store closure decisions on a bi-weekly basis. Employees at closed locations will continue to receive pay and benefits over the next four weeks. Across all three brands, nearly all of the company's stores in China have re-opened and customers are gradually returning to stores. Elsewhere in Asia, the majority of stores are open, but operating on shortened hours. Tapestry's e-commerce platforms and distribution centers remain operational globally, across all major regions. During this crisis, the company's foundations will match gifts made by Tapestry employees in North America to support qualified charitable COVID-19 causes, up to $10K per employee under Tapestry's matching gift program. The Coach Foundation will also make an additional contribution to an organization crowd-sourced by employees in North America. The company will be donating 15,000 masks to hospitals in the U.S., the U.K. and Spain, with additional masks expected to be delivered in April. The company closed calendar 2019 with $1.2B in cash and short-term investments. The company is drawing down $700M from its $900M revolving credit facility to add to cash balances; suspending its quarterly cash dividend beginning in 4Q20; the previously announced quarterly cash dividend of 33.75c per common share payable on March 30 is not affected by this suspension. The company is suspending its share repurchase program whcih has $600M remaining on its current share repurchase authorization.

06:51 EDT Signet Jewelers reports Q4 International SSS down 3.1% - In Q4: International same store sales decreased 3.1%, with eCommerce sales growth of 15.8% offset by brick and mortar same store sales decline of 5.8%. Average transaction value grew 1.6% and the number of transactions decreased 4.6%. Sales declined across categories and continued to reflect a difficult operating environment in the UK.

06:49 EDT Williams to hold virtual Annual Meeting of Stockholders - Williams will host its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders virtually due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to prioritize the health and well-being of meeting participants. The Annual Meeting will be convened in person at the company's headquarters and immediately adjourn to a virtual meeting. The Annual Meeting will then reconvene virtually on April 28, at 2:00 p.m. Central time.

06:48 EDT Tailored Brands extends temporary retail closure to at least May 4 - Tailored Brands will extend the temporary closure of its retail stores until at least May 4, based on the latest guidance from federal, state and local government and health authorities. Tailored Brands will also implement additional cost reductions, including furloughing all U.S. store employees as well as a significant portion of employees in its distribution network and offices. The company will also implement tiered pay cuts for the CEO, executive vice presidents and senior vice presidents, for those who will be working full time during the period. Lathi and the Board of Directors will be taking a 50% pay reduction during the period. While its e-commerce fulfillment operations are currently suspended, the company is reviewing if it can restart these operations in a way that protects employee health and is cash flow positive. In the interim, customers may continue to place orders online to be shipped as soon as the fulfillment centers reopen.

06:37 EDT AstraZeneca reports Lokelma approved in Japan for treatment of hyperkalaemia - AstraZeneca's Lokelma has been approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with hyperkalaemia, the company announced. The approval by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was based on positive results from stand-alone studies in Japan and global clinical trial programs. It was also supported by DIALIZE, a global trial for end-stage renal disease patients on haemodialysis, which demonstrated the positive efficacy and safety of Lokelma in the management of hyperkalaemia. Lokelma is the first innovative non-resin potassium binder to be approved in Japan, the company noted.

06:33 EDT BiomX says all R&D programs currently remain on schedule - In light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, BiomX has implemented all recommended measures to safeguard the health and safety of its employees and the continuity of its business operations. The company's research and development programs currently remain on schedule. In addition BiomX enjoys a strong cash position with over $82M in cash, cash equivalents and short-term deposits as of the end of 2019.

06:06 EDT Airbus to reduce wing production for three weeks - Airbus said in a statement that it is supporting efforts globally to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. "The company has carried out extensive work in coordination with its social partners to ensure the health and safety of its employees by implementing stringent health and safety measures, while securing business continuity. Airbus partially resumed production and assembly work in France and Spain on Monday, 23 March following a four day pause. At the same time, operations in the UK, Germany and the US continued at normal rates. Based on the adapted ways of working which reflect the new health and safety measures, Airbus is continuing to evaluate its production flow. In this context the wing plants in the UK and in Bremen, Germany, have reviewed the additional completed stock levels developed in the recent period and the immediate demand from the Final Assembly Lines as they resume partial operations. As a result of that review, Airbus has decided to adapt the production activity in the wing plants for the next three weeks. This means that the production and corresponding activities for support to production of the wing plants in Bremen, Filton and Broughton will be reduced, with an extended Easter holiday implemented at Broughton and Filton and a reduced working week at Bremen. The sites will remain open during this period and will continue to ensure wing deliveries to the final assembly lines, the receipt and control of materials and components from the supply chain, building and installation maintenance, critical administrative support and preparation for activity restart. Employees will continue to perform activities remotely via home-working where their activities are not directly related to the production activity being adapted." Reference Link

06:04 EDT Walmart to utilize Pactum AI for supplier negotiations - Pactum, an AI-based platform that enables global companies to automate personalized commercial negotiations on a massive scale, announced that Walmart has engaged Pactum to automate negotiations with part of its global supplier network. Pactum's augmented artificial intelligence system enables partners to negotiate more valuable contracts for all parties while reducing costs for customers. Pactum's deal with Walmart is set for a pilot project with some of the company's long tail vendors. Revisiting those partnerships is key for large companies like Walmart, who may have so many contracts with various suppliers that it is hard for individual people to reach out and renegotiate, should circumstances change.

06:02 EDT McEwen Mining temporarily suspends operations at Black Fox and Gold Bar Mines - McEwen Mining reports that in order to protect the health of our workforce, their families, and the nearby communities from the spread of COVID-19, both the Black Fox and Gold Bar mines will scale down operations beginning today for a period of 14 days. Certain production and exploration activities will continue at Gold Bar in areas where social distancing can be observed, including ore crushing, irrigation of the heap leach pad, and operation of the process plant. At Black Fox, the company expects to continue development activities related to the Froome access ramp. Both sites will continue to be minimally staffed to ensure safety, security and environmental compliance. Its projects in Mexico are continuing to operate normally.

05:41 EDT Caledonia Mining announces implications of South African COVID-19 lockdown - Caledonia Mining notes the announcement by the South African authorities of a nationwide lockdown of South Africa effective for 21 days from March 26, until April 16 as part of their efforts to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 infections. The lockdown is expected to have knock on effects for Caledonia as the supply chain for the procurement of a significant portion of mining consumables and capital equipment for the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe comes from South Africa. Caledonia is confident that Blanket can manage the effects of the lockdown without interruption to its gold production. In anticipation of supply chain disruptions arising from COVID-19, Caledonia has increased the levels of consumable stocks at Blanket in recent weeks. Caledonia estimates that Blanket has adequate critical spares and mining consumables in its inventory to sustain uninterrupted gold production well past the expected duration of the supply interruption including allowing for a period of supply chain and inventory restocking after the end of the South African lockdown on 16th April. Accordingly, management does not expect that Blanket will be forced to suspend gold production as a result of the disruption in the South African supply chain. In the event of either a similar lockdown procedure being enacted in Zimbabwe, or an outbreak of COVID-19 infections at Blanket affecting a significant number of employees and necessitating a mine shut down, Caledonia would enter this unprecedented situation with a strong balance sheet with cash on hand at March 25 of approximately $12.5 million. Cash has been boosted by a strong Q1 production performance at the recently elevated gold prices. The current cash on hand and existing term and overdraft facilities already in place at Blanket leave the business in a strong position to withstand an extended period of production interruption if it were to materialise.

05:30 EDT Thermo Fisher receives CE Mark for COVID-19 test - Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that it has received the CE mark in the European Union for its diagnostic test to detect nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

05:25 EDT GAP Airports reports March traffic down 5%

05:20 EDT Avista announces Commission order in general rate cases - Avista's electric and natural gas general rate cases concluded with an order received from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, UTC or Commission, that approved the partial multi-party settlement filed in November 2019 and that will keep rates reasonable for customers during this difficult time. "We appreciate the Commission's efforts to arrive at a result that keeps rates affordable for our customers during this difficult and uncertain time and that is also fair and reasonable for our shareholders," said Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO. "We are pleased with this outcome, which demonstrates support of Avista's efforts to invest in and maintain our infrastructure so we can continue to provide the reliable energy our customers expect." The Commission approved rates designed to increase annual billed electric revenues by $28.5 million, or 5.4%, and annual natural gas billed revenues by $8 million, or 5.2%, effective April 1. The decision reflects a 9.4% return on equity with a common equity ratio of 48.5% and a rate of return on rate base of 7.21%. In addition to approving the elements in the partial multi-party settlement, the Commission's order included outcomes of other proceedings that resulted in the offset of the requested electric rate increase and a partial offset of the requested natural gas rate increase that customers will see on their bills. An electric customer using an average of 918 kilowatt hours per month could expect to see no billed increase this year that would have resulted from this case and a natural gas customer using an average of 66 therms per month could expect to see a billed increase of $1.56 per month, effective April 1.