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

22:08 EDT Boeing suspends Philadelphia area production operations for two weeks - Boeing said it is temporarily suspending production operations at its facilities in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, in light of the company's continuous assessment of the spread of COVID-19 in the region. "This action is intended to ensure the well-being of employees, their families and local communities, and will include an orderly shutdown consistent with requirements of U.S. and global defense customers," the company said in a statement. Boeing will suspend operations beginning at the end of day on Friday, April 3. The site includes manufacturing and production facilities for military rotorcraft, including the H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey and MH-139A Grey Wolf. Defense and commercial services work and engineering design activities are also performed at the site. The suspension of operations will last two weeks, with return to work on April 20. "During the suspension, Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19 and associated impacts on company operations. The company will conduct additional deep cleaning activities at buildings across the site and establish rigorous criteria for return to work," Boeing added.

19:43 EDT McEwen Mining names Peter Mah as COO effective immediately - McEwen Mining announces the appointment of Peter Mah, P.Eng., as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately. Peter is a professional engineer with 30 years of global mining experience spanning gold, diamonds and base metals. Peter's experience comes from roles including Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Luna Gold, Group Executive at Newmont Mining, General Manager at the De Beers Victor Mine, Mine Manager of Newcrest's Kencana Mine, as well as engineering roles at Goldcorp and Placer Dome.

19:13 EDT Shoe Carnival extends store closures until further notice - Shoe Carnival announced it would be extending its store closures until further notice. The company will be evaluating the length of its store closures in-line with guidance from federal, state, and local governments, as well as the safety of its employees. At this time, the company will continue to pay its associates as scheduled, but will further evaluate as the length of the closures becomes clearer. "Above all else, the well-being of our employees, customers and the communities we serve during this difficult period is our priority. We also know that the economic uncertainty that comes with government-mandated shelter-in-place orders has made many of our team members face financial hardships and our continued support during this period is critical," stated Cliff Sifford, Shoe Carnival's Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Sifford continued, "At the same time, we are taking decisive actions to manage costs across the Company, which includes salary and discretionary expense reductions. While these are tough decisions, we believe they are necessary for the long-term success of Shoe Carnival. We would like to thank our team and customers for the strength and patience they have shown throughout this process, and we are looking forward to the day we are able to safely re-open our stores to the Shoe Carnival community."

18:51 EDT GM training workers at Kokomo plant in CDC-recommended cleaning procedures - General Motors said it is actively training employees at the company's Kokomo plant in the extensive screening, cleaning and other CDC-recommended procedures that will be in place when volume production of Ventec Life Systems' critical care ventilator begins in less than two weeks. The production team, which will grow to more than 1,000 men and women, including people who already work for GM and new hires from the Kokomo area, is also gaining hands-on exposure to Ventec's ventilator. "Every ventilator we build can help save lives, and GM's global supply base and manufacturing teams, the UAW, and the Kokomo community are working with passion and unwavering commitment to get the job done," said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president, Global Manufacturing. "People have moved mountains to help increase production of Ventec's critical care ventilator and we are just weeks away from delivering these lifesaving devices. I have never seen anything like it in my career." To help protect people working at the Kokomo plant, extensive screening, cleaning and other CDC-recommended procedures will be in place, the company said.

18:36 EDT Team announces cost reduction actions - Team announced immediate cost reduction actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the oil and gas industry outlook. Team has implemented the following key initiatives to significantly lower costs and sustain cash flow in all aspects of the business: reduced salaries for the executive leadership team, which includes a 20% reduction in the CEO's base salary vs. 2019, a 15% reduction for the other executive officers, and a 20% reduction in the annual cash retainer paid to non-employee directors; all other leadership members' base salaries will be reduced by 10%, and other affected employees will take an 8% reduction; lowered 2020 annual CapEx plan by more than 30%, with a focus on projects that offer the highest rate of return; rationalization of facilities and elimination of all non-essential costs; furloughed technicians that do not have scheduled work as well as related support staff; implemented rolling furloughs and/or reduced salaries/hourly rates for certain non-executive corporate positions; suspended the employer match in our Executive Deferred Compensation Retirement Plan and the Team 401(k) plan; and reducing other overhead costs. Management will provide an update during Team's Q1 earnings release.

18:17 EDT Asur reports March passenger traffic down 35.9% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste announced that total passenger traffic for March 2020 decreased 35.9% when compared to March 2019. Passenger traffic decreased 35.8% in Mexico, 35.9% in Puerto Rico and 36.2% in Colombia impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

18:05 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 971.97MT from 968.75MT - This is the 3rd consecutive increase and the highest level of holdings since August of 2016.

18:04 EDT Quad/Graphics implements salary reductions for over 300 leaders

17:51 EDT Lifetime Brands 'confident' in liquidity position - The company remains well-capitalized as it manages through the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to the operational and restructuring efforts it has undertaken over the past two years and its disciplined approach to capital allocation. Lifetime has a strong portfolio of assets and products in addition to an efficient and robust infrastructure and ample liquidity. This includes a cash balance in excess of $80M as of March 31, 2020, which has been supplemented by a drawdown on its line of credit prior to March 31, 2020, such action undertaken solely as a precautionary measure. Notably, the company's net debt position was more than $30M lower at the end of the first quarter compared to year-end 2019. Furthermore, the company has adequate borrowing capacity on its existing line of credit and no debt maturities on its term loan until 2025. Combined with the cost control actions that have been implemented, Lifetime remains confident in its liquidity position as it actively manages the impact of the ongoing crisis.

17:48 EDT Resources Connection says experiencing cancellations, delays from COVID-19 - Says average weekly revenue in first three weeks of Q4 was $14M. Says COVID-19 impact is difficult to predict and quantify at the time. Says not providing any forward looking guidance for Q4.

17:46 EDT Lifetime Brands takes steps to reduce non-essential operating costs - To mitigate the effect of current market conditions, the company has taken immediate steps to meaningfully reduce non-essential operating costs. In addition, the company is reducing the compensation on a graduated basis for Lifetime's senior managers, with CEO Robert Kay and Executive Chairman Jeffrey Siegel voluntarily reducing their base salary by 20%, which will also impact other compensation-related provisions in their employment agreements. The members of the company's Board of Directors have each also agreed to reduce the cash portion of their annual compensation by 20%. In addition, Lifetime has furloughed a number of employees in various functions throughout the company as a precautionary measure in the event of a prolonged economic downturn. While the company continues to assess this rapidly changing environment, the cost reduction activities are substantial and are expected to shield against prolonged impact from the current crisis.

17:42 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $512M Air Force contract for F-16 production - Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $512M firm-fixed-price contract for F-16 Block 70 production for the Republic of Bulgaria. This contract value includes $4.19M of pre-priced options. This contract provides for the production of eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft. Work will be completed in Ft. Worth, Texas and Greenville, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2027. This contract award is 100% funded via foreign military sales, or FMS, to the Republic of Bulgaria and is the result of a Bulgarian country-conducted competition. FMS funds in the amount of $507.82M are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:37 EDT Tesla surges after reporting Q1 production, deliveries - Shares of Tesla (TSLA) are on the rise in after-hours trading after the car maker reporting production and deliveries for the first quarter. WHAT'S NEW: Tesla said it produced nearly 103,000 vehicles and delivered roughly 88,400 vehicles in the quarter, which is its "best ever" Q1 performance. Tesla noted that Model Y production started in January and deliveries began in March, "significantly" ahead of schedule. "Our delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct," the company said. "Final numbers could vary by up to 0.5% or more. Tesla vehicle deliveries represent only one measure of the company's financial performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of quarterly financial results, which depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of sales, foreign exchange movements and mix of directly leased vehicles." WHAT'S NOTABLE: Earlier today, Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates said that Tesla remains a "maximum short" position at his firm, adding that the short continues to be one of his "favorite" positions. Chanos said that while Tesla is not an insolvency story, it "has a market cap," and that it likely won't have 1M robotaxis this year as promised. PRICE ACTION: After closing the regular trading session down 5.63%, Tesla shares are up over 20% in after-hours trading.

17:34 EDT Ovintiv to reduce Q2 investments by $200M - Ovintiv restructured its crude oil derivatives positions to provide additional downside protection for the balance of 2020. In addition, the company now plans to further reduce its second quarter investments by an additional $200M, bringing total capital reductions in the second quarter to $500 million. Updated hedge and sensitivity tables are included within this release. Ovintiv is now substantially hedged on benchmark oil risk for the near term. For the second quarter of 2020, 206 Mbbls/d is hedged at an average price of $42.09 per barrel. Of these positions 191 Mbbls/d is in a fixed price swap at $41.47 per barrel and 15 Mbbls/d is covered by costless collars between $50.00 and $68.71 per barrel. With these updated positions, downside oil price risk is further reduced. A balance of year $20.00 NYMEX WTI price would generate oil hedge revenues of more than $1.1 billion.

17:30 EDT Point72 discloses 5.1% passive stake in Syros Pharmaceuticals - Point72 Asset Management disclosed a 5.1% stake in Syros Pharmaceuticals, which represents over 2.3M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

17:21 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure draws down on credit facilities - To increase liquidity, on March 17, MIC drew $599M on its holding company Revolving Credit Facility and $275M on its Atlantic Aviation Revolving Credit Facility. The drawdowns added to the company's approximately $300M of cash on hand. MIC intends to repay and cancel the Atlantic Aviation Revolving Credit Facility. Cancelling the Revolving Credit Facility will mean that the remaining Atlantic Aviation Term Loan, which matures in December 2025, will not be subject to an ongoing leverage-based maintenance covenant. "MIC and its subsidiaries are in compliance with all debt covenants," Frost noted. "There are no cross-collateralizations of liabilities among MIC's operating businesses or any holding company guarantee of the liabilities of any of MIC's operating business." The MIC board of directors' suspension of the company's cash dividend will result in MIC retaining approximately $260M should the suspension remain in place through 2020. As a result of the suspension of the dividend, MIC has no immediate need for additional capital and expects to fund its financial obligations in 2020 from the $300M on hand prior to drawing down on its revolving credit facilities and cash generated by operating activities.

17:19 EDT Macquarie Infrastructure says continuing to pursue strategic alternatives - On October 31, 2019 MIC announced its intention to pursue strategic alternatives for the company and has since been actively engaged in processes that could result in the sale of the company or one or more of its operating businesses. MIC continues to believe that this course of action will ultimately maximize value for shareholders and it intends to move forward with these alternatives, although recent volatility in the capital markets and the limitations of travel bans and other restrictions on interactions imposed by COVID-19 are expected to slow the process. The measures undertaken to date, including the suspension of the quarterly dividend, will provide MIC with additional financial flexibility to proceed with such processes in a manner consistent with maximizing value for shareholders. "We remain confident that there is a significant opportunity to unlock value for our shareholders through a sale of the company or one or more of our businesses and we are continuing to pursue all opportunities that we believe could be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders," said CEO Frost.

17:08 EDT Incyte up 2.5% after announcing phase 3 study of Jakafi for COVID-19

17:07 EDT Incyte to initiate phase 3 trial of Jakafi as potential COVID-19 treatment - Incyte announced the Company is working with the FDA to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib, or Jakafi, plus standard-of-care, compared to SoC therapy alone, in patients with COVID-19 associated cytokine storm. The collaborative study will be sponsored by Incyte in the United States and Novartis outside of the United States. Additionally, given the urgent nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Incyte intends to initiate a separate open-label emergency Expanded Access Program in the United States. The protocol will allow eligible patients with severe COVID-19 associated cytokine storm to receive ruxolitinib while it is being investigated for this indication.

17:05 EDT Etsy CEO says GMS consolidated in fourth week of March was up 27% y/y - Etsy provided an update on business conditions related to COVID-19. " We came out of the gates really strongly this year, in fact our Consolidated GMS growth between the months of January and February was up 41% year-over-year, and then the COVID crisis became a major mindshare event," said Etsy CEO Josh Silverman. "And we've seen that when there are large mindshare events, we see that we experience what we call the 'CNN effect' - that could be a hurricane or flood - and in those moments when people's mindshare is elsewhere, we tend to see a significant drop in traffic to Etsy. We experienced that suddenly and strongly beginning on March 8th. And that hit a low point in the month of March, in the third week of March, when our Consolidated GMS for the week was negative 2%. So to dimensionalize that, we were averaging 41% Consolidated GMS growth in January and February, and it went down to negative 2% in the third week of March. And to remind ourselves, the third week of March was a week when schools were closing all around the United States, when stay at home orders were taking place, and when people's lives were being disrupted in really massive ways in the United States and in many parts of the world. In the fourth week of March, we saw some real recovery. So GMS Consolidated in the fourth week of March was up 27% year-over-year, but even in that fourth week, on the Etsy standalone site, we had one day that was a negative 4% day and another day, just a few days later, that was a positive 23% day. So we're seeing some really strong volatility day-to-day that's not really precedented in any recent past for Etsy. So to sum it up, for the first quarter of 2020, Consolidated GMS for Etsy, Inc. was approximately US$ 1.4 billion or up about 32% year-over-year from 2019."

17:03 EDT Superior Industries reports additional impact mitigation measures - Superior Industries announced actions aimed at further preserving financial flexibility to manage through a possible prolonged lower production environment. Non-employee Board members will forgo all cash compensation from April 1 through May 31. All executives will take a 20% reduction in base salary from April 1 through May 31. All other salaried employees will take a 20% reduction in base salary from April 1 through May 31 in accordance with local laws, regulations, and labor agreements. Most of Superior's manufacturing workforce will be temporarily laid off in line with facility closures. Discretionary spending has been suspended. Superior has targeted reductions in working capital including significantly reducing the purchase of all direct material. All non-essential capital investments have been placed on hold. Additional measures have been implemented to protect the health of employees. Superior has a liquidity position of nearly $300M.

16:56 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond extends closure of its retail stores until at least May 2 - On March 23, the company temporarily closed all its retail banner stores across the US and Canada, other than buybuy BABY and Harmon Face Values stores, until April 3, 2020. Based on the latest guidance from federal, state and local government and health authorities, and in the interest of the health and safety of its customers and associates, Bed Bath & Beyond is extending the temporary closure of its retail stores until at least May 2. T Corporate associates who have been impacted by today's announcement will be provided with pay and benefits through April 18, 2020. During the period in which furloughed associates are not paid, the Company will pay 100% of the cost of healthcare premiums for all these associates who currently participate in the Company's health plan, until further notice. Furloughed associates will also be able to apply for unemployment benefits, if eligible. Mark Tritton, President & CEO, said, "The health and safety of our customers and associates remain our number one priority, as we do what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. To help our communities through this crisis, we continue to provide essential infant, personal and health care items in-store, while we serve the rest of our loyal customers online, in their homes. I

16:51 EDT Fate Therapeutics treats first patient in clinical trial of FT596 - Fate Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been treated in the company's first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating FT596, the first cell therapy product candidate engineered with three active anti-tumor modalities, in patients with B-cell malignancies and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. FT596 is an off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell cancer immunotherapy. The company anticipates delays across studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company remains on-track to submit Investigational New Drug applications to the FDA for FT538, the company's off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived NK cell product candidate for multiple myeloma, and for FT819, the cCompany's first off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidate for B-cell malignancies, in Q2.

16:49 EDT Fate Therapeutics announces global collaboration with Janssen Biotech - Fate Therapeutics (FATE) announced a global collaboration and option agreement with Janssen Biotech, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Under the multi-year collaboration agreement, Janssen will contribute proprietary antigen binding domains for up to four tumor-associated antigen targets. The company will apply its iPSC product platform to research and preclinically develop new iPSC-derived chimeric antigen receptor NK and CAR T-cell product candidates. The company will receive $50M in cash and $50M from the purchase by Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc. of newly issued shares of the company's common stock at a price per share of $31.00. Janssen will also reimburse the company for all activities conducted under the collaboration. The company will advance candidates under the collaboration to the filing of an Investigational New Drug application, after which Janssen will have the right to exercise its option for an exclusive license for the development and commercialization of collaboration candidates targeting the tumor-associated antigens. The company will be primarily responsible for the manufacture of collaboration candidates, the cost of which will be paid for by Janssen. The company is eligible to receive payments of up to $1.8B upon the achievement of development and regulatory milestones and up to $1.2B upon the achievement of commercial milestones, plus double-digit royalties on worldwide commercial sales of products targeting the antigens. In addition, the company has the right to elect to co-commercialize each collaboration candidate in the U.S. and share equally in profits and losses in the U.S., subject to its payment of certain clinical development costs and adjustments in milestone and royalty payments.

16:48 EDT Navistar says Springfield truck plant output to resume April 28 - Navistar International said it is making changes in its manufacturing operations in response to the continued impacts of COVID-19. The company's truck assembly plant in Springfield, Ohio temporarily ceased production on Monday, March 23 due to disruptions in the supply chain resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. With the supply chain still interrupted, this stoppage is being extended. Production will resume Monday, April 27. Additionally, Navistar is broadening its temporary suspension in manufacturing operations to its engine assembly plant in Huntsville, Ala. and truck assembly plant in Escobedo, Mexico. Production will resume at both locations Monday, April 13.

16:40 EDT Fortuna Silver Mines withdraws production, cost guidance for 2020 - Fortuna Silver Mines provided an update on the status of its operations, production and cost guidance for 2020 and its financial position in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, March 15, 2020, the Government of Peru introduced a series of measures to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19 which included: the closing of international borders and a declaration of a fifteen-day period of mandatory national "social isolation". The period of social isolation has been subsequently extended to April 12, 2020. The Company is working under the regulatory framework issued by the Ministerio de Energia y Minas and the Ministerio del Interior, which allows mines to operate during this period with essential personnel. The Caylloma Mine continues to operate with a reduced task force drawing ore from its coarse ore stockpile. The transportation of concentrates and essential supplies continues to be permitted, and the operation has sufficient stock of critical supplies, consumables, and camp provisions to cover the extended isolation period. On March 31, 2020, the Government of Mexico announced extraordinary measures in response to the spread of COVID-19, which includes the suspension of all non-essential activities, including mining, until April 30, 2020. As a result, the Company has initiated the orderly temporary suspension of mining and processing activities. A reduced task force will remain on site to safeguard critical infrastructure and maintain environmental monitoring through the suspension period. On March 19, 2020, the Government of Argentina declared effective at midnight a period of mandatory national "social isolation" in relation to COVID-19, effective until March 31, 2020. The period of isolation has been subsequently extended until April 13, 2020. All construction activities have been temporarily halted at Lindero and a reduced task force remains on site to maintain critical activities including security and environmental monitoring over the extended isolation period. The Company is assessing the impact of the temporary suspension of construction on the project's timeline and budget. As a result of the government-mandated constraints on business in the countries that host our operations and the uncertainties related to these constraints, the Company is currently unable to determine the impact on its production and cost guidance for 2020. Therefore, the Company is withdrawing production and cost guidance for 2020 until further notice.

16:37 EDT HC2 Holdings CEO Phil Falcone sends letter to stockholders - The letter said in part: "The future for HC2 is an evolving process. From the outset, over 5 years ago, the objective has been, first and foremost, to create stockholder value. When you look beyond the debt and drill down on the underlying assets, there is absolutely no denying that there is real shareholder value..Realizing and clarifying that value is the ensuing strategy that we, as a company, from the Board on down, have embraced. The first logical step, and one we've discussed often, has been to reduce and/or eliminate holding company indebtedness..I've spent my life building, creating, and competing. It's what I love to do and I believe I do well. Moreover, it's paramount for me to finish our effort to maximize stockholder value for all and not get distracted by false accusations from certain short-term stockholders that are inexperienced, misinformed, favor personal attacks over constructive dialogue and believe in their own illusory capabilities while offering no track record of success and no vision.However, the fact that these short-term stockholders recognize that there is real value in our assets, as that is clearly why they are trying to step into the position of control and to capitalize on what we've worked very hard to create, is its own validation. Needless to say, I look forward to continuing to successfully navigating alongside my team to unlock and explore opportunities to enhance our existing entities and investments as we position HC2 for a prosperous future."

16:36 EDT Dave & Buster's pursuing talks with landlords, vendors to reduce expenses - Dave & Buster's said it is pursuing discussions with landlords and vendors to reduce expenses, extend payment terms, and obtain other payment concessions. The Company is also in discussions with its lenders and outside debt & equity providers to amend necessary terms of its credit facility and further supplement its liquidity. Jenkins concluded, "We continue to closely monitor this fluid situation while complying with all federal, state and local health and safety guidelines, as well as government mandates. The primary objectives of our comprehensive response to this unprecedented challenge are to position us to emerge on the other side even stronger than before, and to welcome our valued team members and guests back as soon as circumstances enable us to safely reopen."

16:35 EDT Denali provides clinical trial update in response to COVID-19 pandemic - Denali Therapeutics provided an update on the expected pipeline and business impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryan Watts, CEO, said, "We are very pleased with our productivity under the circumstances and we continue to generate and analyze new data across our pipeline. We are, however, experiencing enrollment delays in some of our clinical stage programs, and consequently we are actively working to maintain clinical operations to minimize any disruption." The DNL201 Phase 1b trial is completed and positive results were recently presented. For the ongoing DNL151 Phase 1 and Phase 1b trials, enrollment of additional healthy volunteers and patients at higher doses has been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Denali is analyzing available data from these trials and is on track to select either DNL201 or DNL151 by mid-2020 to progress into Phase 2/3 trials. Denali continues to collect data from patients enrolled in the ongoing observational biomarker study. However, recruitment of additional patients has been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DNL310 Phase 1/2 trial is on track to commence in Q2 2020. The DNL747 Phase 1b trials are fully enrolled and have completed dosing for the primary analysis. In addition, Denali continues to collect data from the ongoing Phase 1b open-label extension study in ALS. Analysis of data from these trials is underway and Denali is on track to decide on next steps with DNL747 by mid-2020 together with its partner Sanofi. The DNL343 Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers is ongoing and dosing is completed for a portion of the study. Enrollment of additional subjects has been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this could lead to a delay in the completion of the study.

16:34 EDT Riot Blockchain provides March production update - Riot Blockchain provided a production update for March. During March, the company produced 102 newly mined bitcoins with the new Bitmain S17's fully deployed for the entire month of March. Prior to the Oklahoma City mining facility upgrade, Riot produced 45 BTC in December 2019 with approximately 7,500 S9's, but no S17's yet deployed. Post upgrade, the March production resulted in a 126% increase of BTC vs. December 2019. Riot's bitcoin inventory has increased by 14% since February 29 to 819 BTC as of March 31. The company is currently operating approximately 4,000 S17s and a nominal amount of S9s with an aggregate hashing power capacity of 248 Petahash per second. As of the March 25 network-wide difficulty adjustment, the bitcoin network experienced a reduction of 16% in difficulty. Future changes in the network-wide hash rate and difficulty will impact Riot's production of BTC. Riot began operating under COVID-19 contingency plans several weeks ago and impacts on employees and operations have been minimal.

16:33 EDT CarGurus announces extended billing discount for dealerships in U.S., Canada - CarGurus announced its continued support for dealers in the U.S. and Canada as the COVID-19 situation continues to impact automotive retail. The company will extend its existing 50% discount on all marketplace subscriptions for U.S. and Canadian dealers through the month of May. The move is a continuation of the rate reduction that CarGurus announced on March 18, and is intended to help ease the burden for dealers at this difficult time. CarGurus led the category in being the first of the major online automotive marketplaces in the U.S., U.K. and Canada to announce rate discounts for dealers in response to COVID-19.

16:32 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond to furlough majority of store associates until at least May 2 - On March 23, 2020, the company temporarily closed all its retail banner stores across the US and Canada, other than buybuy BABY and Harmon Face Values stores, until April 3, 2020. Based on the latest guidance from federal, state and local government and health authorities, and in the interest of the health and safety of its customers and associates, Bed Bath & Beyond is extending the temporary closure of its retail stores until at least May 2, 2020. The temporary closure relates to all retail banners across the US and Canada, other than its buybuy BABY and Harmon stores, which will continue to provide essential infant, health and personal care items in-store, subject to state and local regulations. In conjunction with the decision to extend the temporary store closures, Bed Bath & Beyond announced it would implement additional cost reductions, including a furlough of the majority of store associates and a portion of corporate associates until at least May 2, 2020. As previously announced, the Company is providing impacted store associates with applicable pay and benefits until April 3, 2020. During the period in which furloughed associates are not paid, the company will pay 100% of the cost of healthcare premiums for all these associates who currently participate in the company's health plan, until further notice. Furloughed associates will also be able to apply for unemployment benefits, if eligible. In recognition of the sacrifices being made by associates during this time, the Company will also temporarily reduce salaries by 30% across the executive team, including President and CEO, Mark Tritton. At the same time, the Chairman of the Board and all other independent directors will forgo 30% of their quarterly cash compensation.

16:22 EDT Lumos Pharma promotes John McKew to COO - Lumos Pharma announced the promotion of John McKew to the position of COO, effective immediately, in addition to his current role as CSO. In his new role, McKew will spearhead the advancement of Lumos Pharma's clinical development plan and will continue to be a key part of the business development team as the company looks for additional assets to add to its pipeline. McKew has twenty-seven years of experience developing novel therapeutics where he advanced therapies through preclinical and into clinical development.

16:19 EDT California Water Service subsidiaries to acquire local water companies - California Water Service announced that its Washington subsidiary closed an acquisition and that its New Mexico subsidiary has entered into a purchase agreement. Washington Water Service closed its purchase of the Greenwood Estates water system on March 31, with approval by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Sister utility New Mexico Water Service has entered into a purchase agreement with Valencia Mesa Water, pending approval by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, and subject to the completion of diligence and remaining conditions in the purchase agreement. Effective this week, Washington Water Service has taken ownership of the 25-connection Greenwood Estates system, which is adjacent to Washington Water's Gig Harbor service area in Pierce County. Washington Water, which has been operating the system since March 1, also provides regulated water utility service to about 46,500 people in nearly 200 systems in Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, King, San Juan, and Thurston counties, along with wastewater service on Orcas Island. Upon completion of its acquisition, New Mexico Water will own and operate the Valencia Mesa water system, located in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Valencia Mesa currently serves 80 residential customers in the unincorporated area of Valencia County and is less than one mile from New Mexico Water's Meadow Lake service area. New Mexico Water currently serves about 16,000 people through 8,200 water and wastewater service connections in its Rio Communities, Rio Del Oro, Meadow Lake, Indian Hills, Squaw Valley, Elephant Butte, Sandia Knolls, Juan Tomas, and Cypress Gardens systems in New Mexico.

16:16 EDT Barnes Group withdraws FY20 guidance - Barnes Group announced that given the unprecedented end market environment and the significant macroeconomic disruption brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company is withdrawing its full year 2020 sales, earnings, and other outlook provided on February 24, 2020. Barnes Group is in a solid financial position with sufficient liquidity to navigate through today's challenging business. environment. The company has liquidity of approximately $400M consisting of cash of approximately $120M and undrawn revolving credit facility of approximately $280M. The company is in full compliance with all covenants under the revolving credit facility which matures in February 2022. Management continues to monitor developments on a continuing basis and has taken proactive measures to reduce costs and manage working capital. The company will provide an update of its business operations and environment on its first quarter 2020 earnings call scheduled for April 24, 2020.

16:15 EDT Emergent BioSolutions Partners with U.S. to expedite COVID-19 therapy - Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has entered into a formal partnership with the U.S. government to expedite development of a plasma-derived therapy for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 . Emergent has received $14.5 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, in support of its COVID-HIG program, one of two hyperimmune development programs announced by Emergent in March. COVID-HIG is a candidate human hyperimmune product being developed as a potential treatment for COVID-19 in severe hospitalized patients and high-risk, acute symptomatic patients to prevent progression to severe symptoms. COVID-HIG will be manufactured using plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.Emergent and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , part of the National Institutes of Health, have agreed to incorporate the company's COVID-HIG product candidate into one of NIAID's clinical studies for assessment of treatments for COVID-19 once clinical material is available, and the study begins. Emergent has already initiated plasma screening and collection of human plasma with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 that will be further purified and concentrated through manufacturing of COVID-HIG.

16:13 EDT Savara obtains global rights to develop and commercialize Apulmiq - Savara announced the company has entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Grifols for Apulmiq. Also known as Linhaliq in Europe, Apulmiq is a late-stage investigational inhaled antibiotic in Phase 3 development for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Under the terms of the agreement, Savara has obtained the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Apulmiq. Savara provided an upfront payment and, if regulatory approval is obtained, Grifols will be eligible for regulatory milestone payments as well as royalties and potential tiered sales milestones upon commercialization. The company expects to work with regulatory agencies to plan a confirmatory Phase 3 study.

16:11 EDT Truist Financial 2020 Annual Shareholders' Meeting to be virtual - Truist Financial announced that its Annual Shareholders' Meeting on April 28 will be held virtually to protect the health and well-being of attendees, and accommodate travel and stay-at-home restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As previously announced, the meeting will commence at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) on April 28.

16:10 EDT Cimarex Energy to hold 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders as virtual event - Cimarex Energy announced that, due to the current situation regarding the public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and limitations within the State of Oklahoma on all non-essential gatherings of individuals, the company has changed the format of its annual meeting of shareholders from a physical in-person meeting to a virtual webcast, and invites shareholders to participate remotely. The company expects future annual meetings to be held in person or potentially as hybrid in-person and virtual meetings. The special shareholders meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m. Mountain/9:00 a.m. Central time on May 6 via webcast.

16:10 EDT Franklin Covey withdraws FY20 guidance - Despite the Company's strong results for the second quarter, and first half of fiscal 2020, given the meaningful COVID-19 impact experienced to date and the uncertainty and fluidity of the ongoing business and educational institution disruptions resulting from the current situation, investors should no longer rely on the Company's previously released guidance and assumptions for fiscal 2020. The Company remains confident, however, that once the global economy begins to return to normalcy, the same factors that have driven its growth trajectory this year-to-date, and in recent years, will help the company to begin to resume accelerated growth.

16:08 EDT Molina Healthcare waives all COVID-19-related out-of-pocket expenses - Molina Healthcare announced that it is waiving all COVID-19-related out-of-pocket expenses for its Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace members nationwide, following up on its previous announcement last month about waiving all member costs associated with testing for the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. "The coronavirus health crisis is having a devastating effect across the U.S. and Molina is committed to supporting the swift testing and immediate treatment for all members who require it at no cost to them," said Dr. Jason Dees, EVP and chief medical officer, Molina Healthcare. "If a member develops suspected symptoms associated with COVID-19, they are encouraged to contact or visit their primary care physician for immediate testing and care. We want to entirely remove any concerns related to treatment expenses for all Molina members."

16:07 EDT electroCore submits EUA application to FDA for gammaCore Sapphire - electroCore announced that the company has submitted an Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, application to the FDA to facilitate the study and clinical use of its gammaCore Sapphire non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy, or nVNS, for respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19. The EUA includes data from early clinical and non-clinical work that examined the use of the company's VNS, including non-invasive therapy, in several pilot studies that involved patients with a variety of respiratory disorders. These studies suggest a possible benefit for patients with respiratory distress associated with COVID-19. Additionally, gammaCore's safety and tolerability profile suggest that it would be safe to study or use in patients with COVID-19. Although the company believes that clinical data from the referenced pilot studies may suggest a possible benefit for patients with respiratory distress associated with COVID-19, it should be noted that preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and that such data may not be adequate for the FDA to issue an EUA. It should also be noted that to date no randomized clinical trials have been performed utilizing gammaCore in patients with COVID-19.

16:06 EDT Neenah Paper says Vectorply acquisition not completed - Neenah announced that it had not closed on its agreement to acquire Vectorply on April 1 as originally contemplated. Neenah had agreed to acquire Vectorply from MSouth Equity Partners for $155M in cash. "Regarding our ongoing business during this challenging time, the health and safety of our employees are paramount and we've taken actions across our company to protect them, while also carefully managing costs, capital expenditures and working capital," said John O'Donnell, CEO. "We exited 2019 with a conservative leverage position and our liquidity today is strong. Our primary near-term focus is the health and welfare of our employees and business, and we feel confident in our ability to weather the current crisis."

16:03 EDT NuCana pauses enrollment of patients in ongoing trials due to COVID-19 pandemic - NuCana has been closely monitoring the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and announced an update on the status of its ongoing clinical studies. In order to help to protect the health of patients and investigators at its clinical study sites, the enrollment of new patients in its ongoing clinical studies has been temporarily paused. Patients who are currently enrolled in NuCana's ongoing studies are continuing to receive treatment. While NuCana continues to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on its operations, the company believes that this pandemic will inevitably cause some delays to the timing of initiation and completion of its clinical studies. However, the precise timing of delays and overall impact is currently unknown and NuCana is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic as it rapidly evolves.

15:31 EDT Google announces closure of Neighbourly Beta on May 12, 2020 - Google said that, starting May 12, 2020, Neighbourly Beta will stop working, and users will no longer be able to access the app. Users who want to download a copy of their data can do so before October 12, 2020. "We launched Neighbourly as a Beta app to connect you with your neighbours and make sharing local information more human and helpful," the company said. "As a community, you've come together to celebrate local festivals, shared crucial information during floods, and answered over a million questions. But the app hasn't grown like we had hoped. In these difficult times, we believe that we can help more people by focusing on other Google apps that are already serving millions of people everyday. We plan to take the lessons learned from Neighbourly and use them to improve our other products." Reference Link

15:17 EDT Neonode jumps over 11% after releasing Arduino-compatible prototyping board - Neonode (NEON) announced the release of an Arduino-compatible prototyping board for "fast prototyping with Neonode touch sensor modules." The company touted the product as "easy to use, affordable and ideal for embedded developers" and noted that it features a "Cortex M0+ microprocessor and versatile I/O interfaces." In late afternoon trading, shares of the company are higher by 11.4% to $1.89 per share.

15:03 EDT The AAR reports U.S railroads originated 899,673 carloads in March, down 6% - The Association of American Railroads reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 28, as well as volumes for March 2020. U.S. railroads originated 899,673 carloads in March 2020, down 6 percent, or 57,148 carloads, from March 2019. U.S. railroads also originated 935,380 containers and trailers in March 2020, down 12.2 percent, or 130,461 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in March 2020 were 1,835,053, down 9.3 percent, or 187,609 carloads and intermodal units from March 2019. "Rail traffic numbers confirm that the coronavirus is taking a toll on the economy," said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. "For example, U.S. carloads of autos and auto parts last week were down 70% from the same week last year as auto production declined to zero and consumer spending has begun to shrink demand. While intermodal volume last week was down year-over-year 14% overall, total movements for the five railroads serving the West Coast ports remained steady for a fifth consecutive week, reinforcing the expectation that we may have seen the bottoming of the Asia-North America trade. However, this week also reminded us that the recent collapse in oil prices is hurting rail shipments of petroleum products, frac sand, and steel products.Total U.S. carload traffic for the first three months of 2020 was 2,993,051 carloads, down 6.3 percent, or 202,755 carloads, from the same period last year; and 3,178,285 intermodal units, down 8.6 percent, or 298,297 containers and trailers, from last year. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP).

14:21 EDT GoDaddy sees over $3.5B available capital to deploy in 2020-22 without more debt - In investor day slides, GoDaddy said it sees greater than $3.5B in available capital to deploy in 2020 through 2022 with no incremental debt. Plus incremental debt at four times leverage, GoDaddy sees greater than $5.5B total anticipated capital capacity, the slides state.

14:07 EDT Pfizer announces European approval of MabThera biosimilar - Pfizer announced that the European Commission has approved Ruxience, a monoclonal antibody and biosimilar to MabThera, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis , granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis, and pemphigus vulgaris.

14:02 EDT Lowe's temporarily increases hourly wages, reports new safety measures - Lowe's announces additional actions being made across all U.S. stores to "further protect and provide for both our associates and customers during this unprecedented time." The announcement includes a temporary $2 an hour wage increase for all full-time, part-time and seasonal hourly associates for the hours they work at Lowe's stores, contact centers and supply chain facilities in the U.S. and Canada for the month of April. Lowe's also said: "We will be closing all stores at 7 p.m. daily to ensure additional time to replenish essential products and thoroughly clean and sanitize our stores daily; We are making masks and gloves available to all associates in the workplace who want them. As previously shared, all N95 medical masks were placed on a stop sale and are being donated to hospitals to protect frontline healthcare workers, along with other personal protective equipment for first responders in our communities; We developed an app to implement a new customer limit protocol, available now on associates' handheld devices. Each store manager can now monitor foot traffic and limit entrance based on CDC and local guidelines; We are enhancing our social distancing protocols by adding dedicated social distancing ambassadors who will be responsible for monitoring customer flow in our garden centers and front-end areas and enforce customer limits to allow proper social distancing; We have installed customized Plexiglass shields at all points of sale to protect our cashiers and customer service associates working the return desk, one of the first retailers to do so; We increased third-party cleaning shifts to provide incremental cleaning in our stores, beyond already enhanced daily cleaning efforts; We shipped an additional 10,000 truckloads of essential products during this period to replenish our stores."

14:00 EDT InterCure's CEO says Canndoc has 9 ongoing advanced clinical trials

14:00 EDT Cannadoc seeing surge in demand everywhere, InterCure's CEO says

13:42 EDT Vanda Pharmaceuticals announces initiation of ODYSSEY study of tradipitant - Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of clinical study, ODYSSEY VLY-686-3501, in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is associated with a lower respiratory tract inflammation that often progresses to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation. Vanda has received FDA permission to proceed with the study for the treatment and prevention of pneumonia associated with COVID-19. ODYSSEY, which will begin enrolling patients this month, is a Phase III double-blind placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of tradipitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, given orally twice daily to treat inflammatory lung injury associated with severe COVID-19 infection. The study will randomize approximately 300 patients aged 18-90 with severe COVID-19 infection who are suffering from pneumonia. The study will begin at New York area hospitals and will enroll hospitalized patients with COVID-19 ARDS. A recent study in Wuhan, China found that 41.8% of 201 COVID-19 hospitalized patients developed ARDS, and, among these patients, 52.4% died1, underscoring the high rate of mortality in this population. Tradipitant is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of indications, including atopic dermatitis, gastroparesis and motion sickness. In the ODYSSEY study, tradipitant will be administered in addition to the standard of care, at dosing levels previously tested and generally shown to be well tolerated. Tradipitant targets the neurokinin-1 receptor, which is coded by the TACR1 gene and is the main receptor for substance P, an 11 amino acid neuropeptide with a diverse set of functions. It has been shown that the substance P neurokinin-1 receptor system is involved in the neuroinflammatory processes that leads to significant lung injury following a number of insults, including viral challenges. If the ODYSSEY study demonstrates significant tradipitant effectiveness in treating COVID-19 patients with ARDS, Vanda will work with the FDA in an effort to ensure that this therapy is made available to patients in an expedited manner.

12:46 EDT Chanos 'not a big fan' of energy industry - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:44 EDT Intel launches 10th-Gen H-series processors, 'breaking beyond 5 GHz barrier' - Intel said earlier in a press release: "Intel breaks beyond the 5 GHz barrier for laptops with the launch of the 10th Gen Intel Core H-series mobile processors. Headlined by the 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK1 processor, the H-series delivers desktop-caliber performance that gamers and creators can take anywhere. "Today's introduction of the 10th Gen Intel Core H-series mobile platform extends Intel's gaming leadership, delivering desktop-caliber performance in a mobile form factor and breadth of choice with more than 100 laptop designs launching this year, including more than 30 thin-and-light systems. The new platform is optimized for enthusiasts and creators by delivering the fastest frequency in the industry with 5 GHz across the majority of the volume which will deliver amazing game play and rich creation for users."-Fredrik Hamberger, general manager of the premium and gaming laptop segments at Intel.

12:44 EDT PNC Financial declares dividend of $1.15 on common stock - The board of directors of PNC Financial declared a quarterly cash dividend on the common stock of $1.15 per share. The dividend will be payable May 5 to shareholders of record at the close of business April 16.

12:41 EDT Chanos says GrubHub short remains one of his favorite positions - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:40 EDT Chanos says Uber business model 'fundamentally unprofitable' - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:39 EDT Chanos says Uber drivers not making minimum wage after expenses - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:36 EDT Chanos sees cruise lines businesses as 'permanently harmed' - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:30 EDT Chanos says Tesla won't have 1M robotaxis this year as promised - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:28 EDT Chanos says Tesla not insolvency story, but 'has a market cap' - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:26 EDT Chanos says Tesla remains 'maximum short' position - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:23 EDT Nissan says production at Sunderland plant to remain suspended through April - The current status of Nissan's manufacturing operations in Western Europe, in response to the COVID-19 emergency, is as follows: "The company is following all advice from national governments and has implemented a range of measures to ensure the welfare of employees and communities. Additionally, Nissan is ready to support any initiatives where its manufacturing and engineering expertise can be useful. Vehicle Production at Nissan Sunderland Plant has been suspended since 17th March. This suspension will now continue throughout April. During this period the majority of plant employees will be furloughed, under the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Operations in Spain are also suspended in general until further notice, in line with the special measures put in place by the Spanish authorities. In Barcelona, vehicle production has been suspended since March 13th after local restrictions on movement impacted the supply of parts to the plant. On March 19th Nissan announced a Temporary Lay Off (TLO) for 'Force Majeure' for employees impacted by COVID-19 in Barcelona Plant, and the nearby Montcada and Sant Andreu sites in Catalonia. The same measure was announced on March 20th in Nissan Cantabria Plant, which had stopped production on March 19th. On March 16th production stopped in Nissan Avila Plant until further notice." Reference Link

12:22 EDT Restaurant Brands says COVID-19 impacting liquidity of franchisees - Quick service restaurant operator Restaurant Brands International gave a rundown of the risks and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in a regulatory filing earlier. The company operates and franchises quick service restaurants under the Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes brand names. Due to the actions taken the company said "Our operating results substantially depend upon our franchisees' sales volumes, restaurant profitability, and financial viability. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has, and is expected to continue to have, an adverse effect on our franchisees' liquidity. As a result, in many markets around the world, we are advancing cash payments and rebates to restaurant owners. For approximately 3,700 eligible locations where we have property control at Tim Hortons in Canada and Burger King in the United States and Canada, we have temporarily converted our rent structure from a combination of fixed plus variable rent to 100% variable rent, which provides relief in the face of declining sales. In addition, for certain locations where we have property control, we have deferred rent payments from franchisees for up to 45 days. These actions are expected to adversely affect our cash flow and financial results in the upcoming quarters. In addition to these actions, we may decide to take additional steps to assist in the financial stabilization of our franchisees, which could impact our liquidity and our financial results. In addition, we are delaying the capital expenditure obligations of our franchisees relating to new restaurants, remodels and significant equipment deployments, which could adversely affect our growth once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. To the extent that our franchisees experience financial distress, it could negatively affect (i) our operating results as a result of delayed or reduced payments of royalties, advertising fund contributions and rents for properties we lease to them or claims under our lease guarantees, (ii) our future revenue, earnings and cash flow growth and (iii) our financial condition."

12:16 EDT Chanos says D.C. will look into gig economy hiring contractors post virus - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:14 EDT Chanos says Kynikos remains short restaurant industry - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:08 EDT Chanos covered Luckin Coffee short today, lots of energy shorts this week - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:06 EDT Jim Chanos fully covered Luckin Coffee short today - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:05 EDT Jim Chanos says still lots companies mispriced based on 2021 potential - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:00 EDT Redwood Trust falls -29.0% - Redwood Trust is down -29.0%, or -$1.26 to $3.08.

12:00 EDT Parsley Energy rises 20.3% - Parsley Energy is up 20.3%, or $1.12 to $6.67.

12:00 EDT WPX Energy rises 22.9% - WPX Energy is up 22.9%, or 63c to $3.38.

11:56 EDT Remy Cointreau seeing some improvements in Greater China

11:53 EDT Cuomo: 'It is the cruelest irony' U.S. dependant on China for medical supplies - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said to U.S. companies, "If you have the capacity to make these products, we (NY) will purchase them." Cuomo added, "but we need them now."

11:47 EDT Cuomo: temporary hospital construction started at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said a COVID-only temporary hospital in Staten island is expected to open next week.

11:36 EDT Accenture acquires Yesler - Accenture has acquired Yesler, a business-to-business, or B2B, marketing services agency that helps many brands run their global marketing programs and operations at speed and scale. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition continues to strengthen and scale Accenture's B2B marketing services.

11:11 EDT EQT Corporation trading resumes

11:08 EDT OncoSec jumps as traders circulate CORVax12 vaccine fact sheet - Shares of OncoSec have jumped 36c, or 22%, to $2.03 in early trading as traders circulate a fact sheet on the company's CORVax12 vaccine, according to contacts. CORVax12 is described in the fact sheet as "a novel DNA-encodable vaccine delivered by reversible electroporation, is designed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and address the COVID-19 pandemic." Reference Link

10:52 EDT Halliburton trading resumes

10:47 EDT Halliburton trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:47 EDT Scorpio Tankers trading resumes

10:46 EDT DHT Holdings trading resumes

10:44 EDT Cimarex Energy trading resumes

10:42 EDT Hess Midstream Partners trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:42 EDT Targa Resources trading resumes

10:42 EDT Scorpio Tankers trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:41 EDT ONEOK trading resumes

10:41 EDT DHT Holdings trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:41 EDT Continental Resources trading resumes

10:40 EDT Frontline trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:37 EDT Noble Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:37 EDT Gaming and Leisure Properties trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:36 EDT ONEOK trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:36 EDT Continental Resources trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:31 EDT Devon Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:12 EDT Carlsberg suspends guidance for 2020 due to COVID-19 uncertainty - Carlsberg has decided to suspend guidance for the year due to the significantly increased uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic to business performance, following recent additional government interventions in some of its key markets. CEO Cees 't Hart says: "The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented challenge and concern for people, governments and businesses all over the world. To mitigate the earnings impact of the lost volumes, we're further emphasising our Funding the Journey initiatives and have launched several firm cost reduction initiatives. However, the recent rapid increase in lock-downs of key markets and the uncertainty about the further development of the pandemic make us unable to estimate the full impact of COVID-19 on our business. Consequently, we've decided to suspend our 2020 guidance." The company also said: "To protect the continued financial health of our business, and as also stated on 4 February, for 2020 we have taken several actions to further reinforce our Funding the Journey initiatives, accelerating efficiencies and cost reductions. In light of the serious development of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking additional measures to reduce costs, mainly targeting specific cost groups, such as consultants, training, facilities, technology, travel and entertainment. In addition, we have implemented hiring restrictions and are looking to reduce marketing and promotional spend where this can achieve short-term savings without impacting the long-term health of our brands." On guidance, the company said: "We remain confident that the steps we are taking will ensure a continued commercially and financially strong Carlsberg, including after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the situation across markets has become increasingly volatile and unpredictable. In addition, we have very recently seen further government intervention in some key markets, resulting in full or partial lock-downs. Across the Group, cost reductions have been significant as all markets and functions have adapted to the uncertain and rapidly changing environment. Nevertheless, due to the significantly increased uncertainty related to the negative consequences of the pandemic on our business this year, the full impact on our financial and operating performance cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. As a result, we now consider it prudent to suspend our guidance for 2020."

10:08 EDT WD-40 shares sink after being named short idea at Spruce Point - Shares of WD-40 dropped in morning trading after Spruce Point issued a 'Strong Sell' opinion on the stock, saying it faces 55%-60% downside risk to approximately $75-$85 per share. 'HORRIBLE' RISK/REWARD: Spruce Point said in a research note that WD-40 is facing both long and short-term secular pressures. With the company recently increasing and drawing down almost 100% of its credit facility, a size 1,500% larger than the previous recession in 2008-2009, it believes a hole in its balance sheet has been exposed. The firm believes shares are a "horrible" risk/reward and that it will have to drastically reduce its optimistic 3%-7% sales target and re-set investor expectations meaningfully lower. Spruce Point believes the product is also coming under increasing regulatory scrutiny, as the oil-based lubricant is being sold at above market prices, and thinks WD-40 is not well suited to an e-commerce environment. NO VISIBILITY: Spruce Point also contended that WD-40, which missed FY09 sales and EPS estimates by 13% and almost 10% at the mid-points, has no visibility in an economic recession, and that it has few, if any growth avenues left. TAKEOVER TARGET? The firm commented on WD-40 as a potential takeover target, but states that larger companies like DuPont (DD) and Newell Brands (NWL) have competing products in the space and neither has made an offer for WD-40. PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, shares of WD-40 are down 3.5% to $182.03.

10:04 EDT Misonix pauses a number of wound studies, realigns cost structure - CEO Stavros Vizirgianakis added, "The onset of COVID-19 has required hospitals and outpatient centers across the country to dedicate nearly all of their resources toward combating the virus, significantly impacting other procedures. As a result, Misonix has taken immediate action to adapt our business to operate under these circumstances and ensure that we continue to prudently and diligently manage our operations and liquidity position. We are quickly implementing several changes across the company, including cost cutting initiatives such as corporate overhead, reductions in selling, general and administrative costs, pausing a number of wound studies and realigning our company-wide cost structure. At the same time, our manufacturing partners that produce our generators, components and disposables have notified us that they have experienced some disruption, but overall the supply chain remains stable enough to continue to allow us to strategically build additional finished goods inventory to be able to meet future demand. In these challenging times, our top priority is the health and well-being of our employees, our customers and the communities in which we operate. Although New York State has temporarily shut down some businesses, our operations have been designated as 'essential.' Therefore, our headquarters remains open and we continue to manufacture and ship product, while our support staff is effectively working remotely. At the same time, many hospitals across the country are now restricting access to our sales personnel, which is creating additional challenges to our ability to generate new sales orders. We cannot currently predict the precise level of disruption to our operations and facilities that may arise or the extent to which demand will be impacted by COVID-19. Market fluctuations or actions taken by us due to COVID-19 may be longer in duration or have impacts that we cannot currently anticipate. The fundamental prospects of our business remain strong. While our business may be materially impacted over the short-term as hospitals globally postpone elective procedures to generate capacity for treating COVID-19 patients, we have a strong balance sheet that allows us to maintain our operations so we preserve our capability to support our customers and their patients as well as to realize future growth opportunities. We look forward to reporting our full fiscal third quarter results in May and providing a more in-depth update."

10:00 EDT Constellation Brands falls -12.5% - Constellation Brands is down -12.5%, or -$17.04 to $119.84.

10:00 EDT Cinemark rises 13.4% - Cinemark is up 13.4%, or $1.08 to $9.11.

10:00 EDT SEACOR Marine Holdings rises 16.0% - SEACOR Marine Holdings is up 16.0%, or 58c to $4.21.

09:49 EDT Ryder says 'liquidity position remains solid' - Ryder said in a regulatory filing: "We are taking decisive steps to proactively address and attempt to mitigate any potential impact of COVID-19 on our business operations and liquidity. We are working proactively to cancel new vehicle orders that are cancellable, postpone noncancellable new vehicle orders and redeploy idle equipment among our customer base. These actions combined with lower lease fleet growth are expected to significantly reduce capital expenditures for new vehicles. We are also implementing actions which include lowering overhead costs and reducing discretionary spending. These actions are intended to benefit earnings and improve free cash flow. Our liquidity position remains solid. We maintain a $1.4 billion global revolving credit facility with a syndicate of twelve lending institutions, which expires in September 2023. As of March 31, 2020, available borrowings under the credit facility was $417 million. Ryder also held $348 million in available cash in the U.S. and Canada as of March 31, 2020. In addition, on April 1, 2020, Ryder executed a $400 million 364-day unsecured term loan, the proceeds of which have been placed in cash accounts, and ultimately will be used for general corporate purposes. Ryder also has a fully-drawn $300 million trade receivables purchase and sale program that expires on June 11, 2020. We intend to renew this program on or before its expiration date."

09:46 EDT Cinemark trading resumes

09:41 EDT Cinemark trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:41 EDT Discovery Communications trading resumes

09:39 EDT Santander Consumer trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:39 EDT Verrica Parmaceuticals Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:36 EDT Discovery Communications trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT Parsley Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:34 EDT CarMax trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:32 EDT Greenlight Capital Re expands share repurchase program to 5M shares - The Board also expanded the Company's share repurchase program of Class A Ordinary Shares from 2.5 million to 5.0 million Class A Ordinary shares through June 30, 2021. Share repurchases may be made through open market and privately negotiated transactions at times and in such amounts as deemed appropriate. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements and other market conditions. The share repurchase program may be limited or terminated at any time without prior notice. The Board also authorized the repurchase of up to $25.0 million aggregate face amount of the Company's 4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023 through June 30, 2021. Note repurchases may be made from time to time in compliance with regulatory and other legal requirements, and subject to market conditions and other factors, and may be limited or terminated at any time without prior notice.

09:31 EDT Luckin Coffee trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:30 EDT Gevo hires Citigroup to assist with financings - Gevo (GEVO) announced the engagement of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (C) to assist Gevo in exploring financing for its operations, including its projects. Gevo is seeking financing to expand its production capabilities to supply its renewable jet fuel and isooctane pursuant to Gevo's "take or pay" contracts with Delta Air Lines, Inc. and HCS Group GmbH.

09:29 EDT Vericel continues to plan for mid-2020 submission of NexoBrid BLA - The company said, "The Company started the year in a strong position across multiple dimensions and is taking prudent measures to ensure a rapid return to normal operations when conditions allow. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $83 million in cash and investments and carries no debt. Moreover, appropriate expense reduction measures have been implemented. The Company continues to manufacture MACI and Epicel and maintains a significant safety stock of all key raw materials. At this time there is no indication that supply chain interruptions will impact the Company's ongoing manufacturing operations. The Company also continues to plan for a mid-2020 submission of the NexoBrid Biologics License Application to the FDA. To drive current and future demand, the Company's 71 MACI and 10 Epicel sales representatives and clinical support specialists are adapting their practices to support physician education initiatives using virtual tools in regions where executive orders or hospital restrictions preclude their physical presence. "

09:27 EDT Autoliv withdraws 2020 guidance, cancels dividend - Autoliv announces additional actions to manage the auto industry downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Autoliv's March 19 press release, additional actions include: Withdrawing the full year 2020 guidance until the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic can be better assessed; Cancelling the dividend scheduled for June 4, 2020 and suspending future dividends although the Board of Directors will review such suspension on a quarterly basis; and drawing down $600M of cash on existing credit line. Executives are voluntarily reducing their base salaries by 20% for Q2 2020 and non-Employee Board members reducing annual base retainer by 20% for Q2 2020, the company added. "Today we announce a number of additional actions taken by the Company to continue to manage the effects brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," says Mikael Bratt, President and CEO. "The health and safety of our employees continues to be our top priority. We will continue to evaluate the changing environment and are prepared to do what is necessary to get us through this humanitarian and economic crisis to secure an even stronger company when the crisis is over."

09:25 EDT VBL Therapeutics to extend VB-111 global study to Japan - VBL Therapeutics announced that following the positive interim analysis in the OVAL study, its Japanese licensee NanoCarrier Co., intends to extend the ongoing global Phase 3 OVAL clinical trial in ovarian cancer to patients in Japan. NanoCarrier will be responsible for all required operations and expenses related to the study in Japan. VBL and NanoCarrier Co. Ltd. signed an exclusive license agreement in 2017 for the development, commercialization, and supply of VB-111 in Japan. There are more than 10,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Japan with more than 5,000 associated deaths annually. Therefore, opening clinical sites in Japan will enable to expedite the OVAL trial globally as well as the potential registration of the VB-111 in Japan upon positive outcome. The Data Safety Monitoring Committee overseeing OVAL recently conducted a preplanned interim analysis and recommended that the study continue. The DSMC made its decision after reviewing un-blinded data and assessing CA-125 response, measured according to the GCIG criteria. The analysis 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 in the first 60 enrolled subjects evaluable for CA-125 analysis. 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. VBLT received an up-front payment of $15 million from NanoCarrier Co. Ltd, at the time the agreement was signed and is entitled to receive more than $100 million in development and commercial milestone payments. If VB-111 is approved, VBL will also receive tiered royalties on net sales in the high-teens. VBL retains rights to VB-111 in the rest of the world.

09:24 EDT Fluent acquires 50% stake in Winopoly, terms not disclosed - Fluent announced that it has acquired a 50% stake in Winopoly, LLC, a marketplace matching consumers to brands through rewarded content and interactive experiences. This strategic investment will bolster Fluent's ability to provide end-to-end customer acquisition solutions to a growing roster of top brands. Specializing in personalized consumer engagement, Winopoly will support Fluent in its continued mission to deliver economically efficient and scalable customer acquisition solutions across growing digital mediums.

09:21 EDT SI-Bone takes pre-emptive steps to curtail spending - SI-BONEprovided an update on the actions it is taking to support patients, customers, and employees while maintaining business continuity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Protecting Employees and Others: To reduce the risk to SI-BONE employees and their families from potential exposure to COVID-19, all employees in the Santa Clara office and in other office locations have been required to work from home, with the exception of those related to manufacturing order fulfillment and select others, based on local restrictions and guidance. SI-BONE has also restricted non-essential business travel, and urged employees to restrict personal travel, to protect the health and safety of its employees, patients and customers. Continuing Operations and Clinical Support: Consistent with applicable exceptions, SI-BONE is maintaining streamlined assembly, distribution and other related processes in order to continue providing products to its customers. Specific protocols have been designed and implemented in order to minimize contact time among employees working on site. Where healthcare operations have been impacted, the sales team is supporting healthcare providers via telephone and online technologies, until conditions permit resumption of healthcare operations. Curtailing Operating Expenses: Until the Company has more clarity on the extent and duration of the impact from COVID-19, SI-BONE has taken pre-emptive steps to curtail spending, including implementing hiring restrictions, eliminating discretionary spending, reducing executive salaries, reducing capital expenditures, reducing non-essential marketing expenses, and delaying clinical research projects. Expanding Product Utility: On March 31, the Company received FDA 510(k) clearance for an expanded indication for the iFuse Implant System to support the Company's trauma program. The new indication applies to acute, non-acute, and non-traumatic fractures involving the sacroiliac joint. The Company will be launching its trauma marketing initiative in the United States in Q2 2020. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had over $145 million in cash and marketable securities.

09:18 EDT Luckin Coffee forms independent special committee to oversee investigation - Luckin Coffee announced that the Company's Board of Directors has formed a special committee to oversee an internal investigation into certain issues raised to the Board's attention during the audit of the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The Special Committee is comprised of three independent directors of the Board, Mr. Sean Shao, Mr. Tianruo Pu and Mr. Wai Yuen Chong, with Mr. Shao serving as its chairman. The Special Committee has retained independent advisors, including independent legal advisors and forensic accountants, in connection with the Internal Investigation. The Special Committee has retained Kirkland & Ellis as its independent outside counsel. Kirkland & Ellis is assisted by FTI Consulting as an independent forensic accounting expert. The Internal Investigation is at a preliminary stage.

09:17 EDT Ford reports Q1 U.S. sales down 12.5% to 516,330 vehicles - Ford's overall Q1 sales declined 12.5% in the U.S. "amid the nation's outbreak of coronavirus and multiple state stay-at-home orders," the company announced. Ford added that "overall inventory levels remain in good shape during a period of production downtime and lower industry sales; overall days' supply at Ford stands at 100 days at the end of March."

09:16 EDT Exxon Mobil, GCMI to redesign and manufacture PPE for health care workers - Exxon Mobil and the Global Center for Medical Innovation, or GCMI, said that they have initiated multi-sector and joint development projects to rapidly redesign and manufacture reusable personal protection equipment, or PPE, for health care workers, such as face shields and masks, which are in short supply as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, ExxonMobil is applying its knowledge and experience with polymer-based technologies in combination with GCMI to facilitate development and expedite third-party production of innovative safety equipment that can be sterilized and worn multiple times. A new industrial-style mask is being fast-tracked for production. The design improves coverage of a health care worker's nose and mouth and will use a replaceable cartridge system that includes a filtration fabric to prevent contact spread of the virus from the saturated filter. In this design, the filters are disposable while the main component of the mask can withstand repeated sterilization, thus prolonging the life-cycle of the product and addressing shortages of N95 masks. Prototypes are currently being tested and reviewed by the FDA. When approved, production will begin immediately, with Exxon Mobil supporting the identification of manufacturers familiar with the materials and process to quickly deliver the masks to doctors, nurses and health care providers. Once approved, manufacturers indicate they will be able to produce as many as 40,000 ready-to-use masks and filter cartridges per hour. Another product developed by GCMI is a face shield made from high-grade polymers that can withstand the harsh conditions of sterilization to enable reuse, while meeting the visibility and safety requirements of current designs. The technology complies with existing safety standards, reducing the time from design to front-line use. More than 50,000 units have already been produced and are being distributed to hospitals in New York and Atlanta. Production facilities are ramping up to manufacture more than 170,000 shields per hour in the coming days. The raw materials will be expedited, if needed, for face mask assembly. The company will also facilitate supply chain interfaces to expedite deployment.

09:15 EDT LogMeln announces updates to GoToMeeting with new integrations - LogMeIn, Inc. (LOGM) announced updates to its GoToMeeting product with new integrations, including one with Microsoft (MSFT) Teams, updates to the desktop and mobile experience, audio enhancements and overall improvements to ensure business continuity during a time when remote work is at an unprecedented all-time high. With governments all over the world making collective efforts to eliminate non-essential travel and commuting, companies and workers are doing their part to help put the health and safety of others first, in the process dramatically accelerating the remote working trend. As a result, popular remote working products have seen an unprecedented increase in usage, with GoToMeeting seeing a 10x increase in average 2020 usage in recent weeks along with mobile downloads up over 600 percent on Android and over 370 percent on iOS in just the past two weeks, alone. These new integrations allow businesses to optimize their organization's productivity, workflow and collaboration by integrating Microsoft Teams with GoTo. Through the integrations with Microsoft Teams, users can now quickly and easily launch GoToMeeting and GoToConnect from within the Teams environment. This integration enhances Microsoft Teams' collaboration platform to ensure fast, high-quality and reliable meetings and calls with external participants. GoTo has also added a new integration with Docebo, a Learning Management Solution for businesses. With Docebo and GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar or GoToTraining businesses can combine the tools to provide enterprise learning and development experiences with the ease and simplicity of GoTo's video conferencing, webinar or training platforms. Admins now have the option to enable GoTo products for running training and learning sessions through their LMS. In addition to the new Microsoft Teams and Docebo integrations, GoToMeeting also now offers plug-ins for Office365 and Google Calendar to ensure a continuous workflow within the platforms our customers are already using. Through these plug-ins, users can easily schedule meetings without leaving their email application.

09:13 EDT Kelso Technologies says pandemic has no impact on ability to continue operations - Kelso Technologies reports that while certain government authorities in North America have ordered the closure or minimization of all non-essential business operations in various regions, the Company falls within the exemptions for businesses that provide essential products and workforces that carry out critical manufacturing. Kelso therefore plans to continue operations at the Company's valve assembly facility in Bonham, Texas while being mindful of the potential impacts of COVID-19 given current conditions. The Company carries out essential services as a producer and reliable supplier of specialized rail tank car service equipment necessary for the safe operation and maintenance of rail tank car transportation systems. As a producer of specialized valves used in the transport of hazardous commodities, the Company's products remain crucial for the safe delivery of hazardous materials by rail transport in North America as they can mitigate the negative impacts of human error and environmental harm. The Company continues to be committed to the health and safety of Kelso's employees, business partners and communities where we operate. The Company is applying comprehensive and rigorous hygiene policies and employee temperature monitoring practices to lower the risk. Travel is restricted and the Company's personnel who can work from home do so. Management is maintaining full adherence to measures put in place by applicable government authorities. The Company's working capital was $7,937,873 at December 31, 2019 and sales in the first quarter 2020 are comparable to the first quarter in 2019. The pandemic has had no negative impact on the Company's working capital and Kelso's ability to continue business operations. The Company has no interest-bearing long-term debt and currently operates without the need for new equity capital, credit facilities or government assistance. The Company will continue to finance operations and research and development from existing capital reserves and product sales.

09:12 EDT Philips: FDA grants waiver for monitor use with IntelliSite Pathology Solution - Royal Philips announced that the FDA has granted a waiver for the use of readily available consumer monitors at home with the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution. Pathologists, who may not be able to work on-site due to the current COVID-19 emergency, can start working from home to review pathological cases and so prevent any delay in critical patient care. The FDA temporarily exempts restrictions for the remote use of the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution from March 28, 2020, onwards under specific conditions and device specifications. Pathologists are allowed to access whole slide images of patient tissue remotely through a secure VPN high-speed internet connection. And using a viewing web-based browser and monitor meeting specified minimum requirements, they can make a definitive diagnosis of histology cases from their home office.

09:11 EDT Brinker suspends quarterly cash dividend and all share repurchase activity - The company and its board of directors have also taken the following proactive measures to provide enhanced financial flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic: Amended the revolving credit facility to obtain financial flexibility and liquidity. Initial borrowing capacity under the new amendment is $800M; Significantly reduced capital expenditures, including suspending the Chili's re-image program and delaying construction of new restaurants; Reduced salaries, led by the executive team including a 50% reduction for CEO; Reduced marketing spend, general and administrative spend and other restaurant expenses to support the off-premise only business model; Suspended the quarterly cash dividend and all share repurchase activity. Given these current sales levels and reductions in expenses, Brinker anticipates a cash burn level of less than $10M per week. Total cash on the balance sheet on March 31, 2020 was $137M and total liquidity was $237M. "We believe we have ample liquidity with our current capital position and will continue to evaluate all financing alternatives, including funds available under the CARES Act, as we navigate through this evolving situation."

09:10 EDT Lamar Advertising evaluating dividend plans - Lamar had previously communicated that it expects to make regular quarterly distributions to stockholders in 2020 in an aggregate amount of $4.00 per share, subject to the approval of its board of directors. On March 31, 2020, Lamar paid a previously announced distribution of $1.00 per share to stockholders of record as of March 16, 2020. Today, Lamar also announced its board of directors is evaluating Lamar's dividend plans for the balance of the year.

09:08 EDT Xunlei appoints Jinbo Li as chairman, CEO - Xunlei Limited announced that the board of directors of the Company had appointed Mr. Jinbo Li, Mr. Hui Duan, Mr. Peng Shi and Mr. Weimin Luo as members of the board of directors of the Company, and Mr. Chuan Wang, Mr. Feng Hong, Mr. Tao Zou and Mr. Qin Liu had resigned from the board, effective today. The Company's board of directors also elected Mr. Jinbo Li as the chairman of the board and appointed Mr. Jinbo Li as the CEO of the Company, replacing Mr. Lei Chen who remains a member of the board. 4. Mr. Li founded Itui International, a company focusing on developing mobile applications for social networking services, in 2014 and acted as its CEO since then. To the Company's knowledge, on April 2, 2020, Itui and its affiliated entities entered into definitive agreements with each of Xiaomi Ventures Limited, King Venture Holdings Limited, Morningside China TMT Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. and Morningside China TMT Fund III Co-Investment, L.P., pursuant to which each Xunlei Shareholder agreed to exchange the common shares of Xunlei that it respectively owned for shares of Itui. Each agreement and the contemplated share exchange pursuant to the agreement is a separate and independent obligation of the relevant Xunlei Shareholder. The share exchange is subject to closing conditions to be fulfilled by the contracting parties. Peng Shi currently serves as the president of product at Beijing Itui Technology Co., Ltd. Raymond Weimin Luo has been an active entrepreneur and investor in China's internet industry since 2012. He was a managing partner at Hongtai Aplus Consumption Fund from 2018 to 2019. Hui Duan currently serves as the chief technology officer of Beijing Itui Technology.

09:07 EDT Camber Energy, Viking Energy reaffirm commitment to proceed with deal - Camber Energy and Viking Energy Group announced that both companies remain committed to completing Camber's planned acquisition of Viking pursuant to the definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger signed by the parties on February 3. The planned merger contemplates Camber issuing newly-issued shares of common stock to the equity holders of Viking in exchange for 100% of the outstanding equity securities of Viking by means of a reverse triangular merger in which a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Camber will merge with and into Viking, with Viking continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Camber after the Merger.

09:06 EDT Acuity Brands says COVID-19 impact cannot be 'reliably quantified' at this time - CEO Neil Ashe commented, "On January 31, I became CEO of Acuity Brands, and I am pleased with the strong foundation that is in place. We have an industry leading lighting and controls business and an emerging technology opportunity. We have a strong company in a period of great change. We are aggressively adapting the business to current market dynamics and to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to demand and other uncertainties, the near-term economic impact of COVID-19 cannot be reliably quantified at this time, and the impacts on our full year fiscal 2020 results and beyond are therefore uncertain."

09:05 EDT Rocket Pharmaceuticals maintains current guidance

09:05 EDT TransDigm to reduce workforce up to 15%, executives to take pay cuts - TransDigm announced cost mitigation efforts as a result of disruption in the aerospace and travel industries as a result of the COVID-19 virus. The company is beginning to see significant decreases in demand across its commercial aerospace business and expects this trend will continue in the coming months. As a result, the company has adjusted its estimated shipping levels accordingly and will reduce its workforce by up to 15%. These actions are in addition to the cost mitigation efforts that were implemented earlier this calendar year. TransDigm also currently anticipates implementing one to two week furloughs at many locations over approximately the next six months in response to business unit specific situations. Impacted domestic employees will receive a substantial lump sum payment upon their departure based on their tenure and will receive an additional $4,000 to defray expenses associated with health care costs, job-search costs or for any other purpose. The company is hopeful that these payments will help to significantly mitigate the impact of these events on its employees. As an additional action to reduce costs, TransDigm's senior management team will substantially reduce their cash compensation for the balance of 2020. TransDigm's President and CEO, Kevin Stein, is reducing his cash compensation by over 50% and other senior executives will also substantially reduce their cash compensation as well. Members of TransDigm's Board of Directors will forgo their annual cash board fees. TransDigm is focused on mitigating the impact to its business while supporting customers and employees. This includes following guidance from the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of the virus. At this time, the duration or magnitude of this disruption is difficult to predict and the company may have to adjust its plans as the situation evolves. However, TransDigm remains confident in its business model over the long term and hopes to return to normal employment levels as soon as practical.

09:04 EDT John Wiley & Sons acquires Bio-Rad's Informatics products - John Wiley and Sons (JWA) announced the acquisition of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.'s (BIO) Informatics products including the company's spectroscopy software and spectral databases. The acquisition adds expertise, content, and powerful software to Wiley's Science Solutions segment. Terms of the agreement are not disclosed. "Laboratory-generated data is at the heart of all research. We welcome these new spectroscopy products and services that will help enhance the Wiley Science Solutions portfolio," said Judy Verses, Executive Vice President, Wiley Research. "These software and spectral libraries are invaluable interpretation tools for researchers who are making an impact in laboratories ranging from environmental to pharmaceutical, and from aerospace to toxicology."

09:03 EDT Atara Biotherapeutics on track to initiate a tab-cel BLA submission - Atara Biotherapeutics provided an update in context of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. "While this is an unprecedented time in history, Atara is working hard to ensure operational continuity to serve patients whose lives are affected by severe diseases," said Pascal Touchon, President and CEO of Atara Biotherapeutics. "The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly, and we are closely monitoring it to both ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, patients and communities as well as assess the potential impacts to our business so we can continue delivering transformative medicines to patients in critical need." Atara believes that it remains on track to initiate a tab-cel biologics license application, or BLA, submission for patients with EBV+ PTLD in the second half of 2020. "While clinical study operations and the opening of additional Phase 3 study sites in U.S., Canada and Europe have been impacted by the spread of COVID-19, at this time most sites remain open to enrollment for patients with this life-threatening condition who have no other approved therapeutic options. Atara continues to deliver product to patients from our inventory of off-the-shelf, allogeneic EBV T cells. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, as part of our routine supply planning and operational risk management strategies, the Company had already manufactured significant inventories of tab-cel and process intermediates and procured the required starting materials needed to maintain long-term product supply across tab-cel, ATA188 and other programs. Operationally, in response to the spread of COVID-19, we have taken steps designed to protect our employees and comply with guidance from federal, state and local authorities including limiting travel and implementing work-from-home policies for non-essential staff and adhering to social distancing and enhanced cleaning procedures in our manufacturing and lab sites. Management continues to monitor the situation and will resume normal operations once it is prudent to do so. In the meantime, Atara has adopted remote working tools and various staff support programs to ensure minimal disruption and enable achievement of existing goals and objectives. We are monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to rapidly evolve and continue to assess the impact and timing of potential changes to our business, operations and other clinical and preclinical studies."

09:02 EDT Amgen, Adaptive Biotechnologies partner to treat COVID-19 - Amgen (AMGN) and Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT) announced a collaboration aimed at helping address the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies will combine expertise to discover and develop fully human neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 to potentially prevent or treat COVID-19. The mutually exclusive collaboration brings together Adaptive's proprietary immune medicine platform for the identification of virus-neutralizing antibodies with Amgen's expertise in immunology and novel antibody therapy development. Given the rapidly rising incidence of COVID-19 around the world, the companies will begin work immediately and finalize financial details and terms in the coming weeks. Adaptive will extend its high throughput platform to rapidly screen the massive genetic diversity of the B cell receptors from individuals that have recovered from COVID-19. This enables the identification of tens of thousands of naturally occurring antibodies from survivors of COVID-19 to select those that neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Amgen will then leverage its world-class antibody engineering and drug development capabilities to select, develop and manufacture antibodies designed to bind and neutralize SARS-CoV-2. deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen located in Iceland, will provide genetic insights from patients who were previously infected with COVID-19. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable the parties to start work immediately and are planning to execute a Collaboration and License Agreement. Terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. Both companies aim to accelerate the development of a potential antibody against COVID-19 as fast as possible for patients in need.

09:00 EDT Alamos suspends operations at Mulatos mine, extends suspension at Island Gold - Alamos Gold announced that it will be suspending operations at its Mulatos mine until April 30, 2020 and extending the suspension of operations at Island Gold for an additional two-week period. The temporary suspension of operations at Mulatos follows a mandate by the Mexican Government to suspend all non-essential businesses until April 30, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Company will be scaling down mining and other activities over the next few days. Essential employees will remain on site to continue processing and other critical site activities. The Company is also extending the temporary suspension of operations at Island Gold that was announced on March 24, 2020. The suspension has been extended by 14 days with the operation to remain on care and maintenance until April 22, 2020.

08:57 EDT Fluidigm says CyTOF technology used to evaluate stem cell therapy - Fluidigm Corporation announced that Fluidigm CyTOF technology was used in a clinical study producing preliminary evidence that mesenchymal stem cell therapy improves outcomes in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, providing key information about potential mechanisms of action of the treatment strategy. Results of the study, conducted by researchers in China, have been published in Aging and Disease. The study, which evaluated clinical outcomes as well as changes in inflammatory and immune function for 14 days in seven patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, indicated that intravenous transplantation of MSCs was a safe and effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, including for those in severe condition. Pulmonary function and symptoms of these seven patients were significantly improved within two days of MSC transplantation. Three of the patients, including one classified as severe, recovered and were discharged 10 days after treatment. CyTOF analysis found that MSC treatment of severe cases led to disappearance in three to six days of overactivated cytokine-secreting immune cells and increases in regulatory T and dendritic cells. Importantly, there was a dramatic increase in a population of CD14+CD11c+CD11b regulatory dendritic cells, which may have helped to tamp down the cytokine storm associated with COVID-19 respiratory disease. Separate analysis of patient serum found significant reduction in levels of TNF-alpha, a potent inflammatory cytokine, while IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, increased in the MSC treatment group compared to the placebo control group.

08:55 EDT Del Taco withdraws FY20 guidance due to COVID-19, provides update - Del Taco provided a business update related to the impact of COVID-19. Del Taco continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic with the health and safety of its employees, franchisees and guests in mind, while focusing on business continuity. The company successfully transitioned its Restaurant Support Center into a virtual office on March 16 and is not currently experiencing any meaningful disruptions to its supply chain. Of Del Taco's 597 system-wide restaurants, there are currently four temporary closures, including one company-operated restaurant. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has closed substantially all system-wide dining rooms and continues to operate through limited contact or contactless channels such as drive-thru, takeout and delivery. Historically, prior to the introduction of delivery, drive-thru and takeout represented more than 85% of Del Taco's company-operated restaurant sales. On the recent fiscal fourth quarter 2019 earnings call the company reported that delivery had grown to approximately 3% of company-operated restaurant sales following the late 2019 launch of its third delivery service provider. Last week, Del Taco entered into an agreement with its fourth delivery service provider, Uber Eats, which is expected to go live during the fiscal second quarter 2020. The company has increased its cash position by drawing down $50 million under its revolving credit facility. With the draw down and existing cash, the company currently has over $56 million in cash on hand. The increased borrowing was taken as a precautionary measure to bolster Del Taco's cash position and enhance its financial flexibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the current unprecedented global market and economic conditions in the United States and around the world, the company is withdrawing financial guidance for the fiscal year ending December 29. The company plans to provide an update on the business during its fiscal first quarter 2020 earnings call, which has not yet been scheduled.

08:53 EDT Galectin says plan to initiate NASH-RX trial may be impacted by COVID-19 - Galectin Therapeutics provided an update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company and its clinical trial activities. The company said, "As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to quickly evolve, we have put measures in place intended to safeguard the health of our employees in line with many other companies. In doing so, we aim to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and protect our employees and their families, all while continuing the critical work necessary to initiate and conduct our NASH-RX clinical trial for patients with NASH cirrhosis. In accordance with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and local authorities, our employees are working remotely from home. We are now leveraging digital communication technologies to continue important interactions with healthcare professionals, patients and other stakeholders. We remain committed to completing and filing the NASH-RX protocol with the US Food and Drug Administration in the near term. To date, we have suffered no significant financial hardships, delays or loss of any employees or contractors related to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially impacted the global healthcare delivery system including the conduct of clinical trials. As appropriate, many healthcare systems and providers have understandably prioritized caring for those suffering from COVID-19 and redirected resources in support of the broader community currently. This burden on the healthcare system has also impaired the ability of many clinical research centers to start new studies, enroll new patients and/or continue ongoing clinical trials. Most importantly, we must consider the risk to the patients of asking them to leave their homes and travel in an environment governmental authorities have deemed unsafe. At this time and as previously communicated, we plan to initiate the NASH-RX trial during the second quarter of 2020; however, this may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Galectin Therapeutics Inc. has developed several overarching principles to guide its conduct of clinical research in light of COVID-19. Number one among these is the safety of patients, site personnel and our own employees. In addition, several health authorities have provided guidance for the conduct of clinical trials during this pandemic and suggestions related to assuring study integrity and the value of the data. Following this guidance, we can report the following actions and developments: Galectin Therapeutics and the team at Covance, our CRO, are focused on those activities that we can directly control. For example, these include the completion of protocol and associated documents for new clinical trials and filing of protocols and associated documents with regulatory agencies, both in the US and internationally. This also includes numerous activities in conjunction with Covance and external vendors to ensure all internal systems such as study databases, adjudication systems, laboratory systems, data monitoring committee charters and the like are fully ready when trial sites are willing to restart their clinical research activities. Clinical supply distribution and related activities with our external vendors are so far only minimally impacted. However, this could change in the coming weeks and months. Fortunately, we currently have an adequate supply of belapectin. External activities directed toward specific site start-up activities such as pre-study visits by Covance employees, site contracting activities, training activities and site-directed ethic committee submissions will continue moving forward in conjunction with the site principal investigators and site coordinators, as well as with managers of the NASH site-specific network we are using. We remain strongly committed to initiating our adaptive Phase 3 trial as soon as reasonably possible considering COVID-19. We are doing everything we can to minimize disruption and delays in site-related activities and patient enrollment and striving to do so in a safe and considerate manner. Further information will be forthcoming as we all navigate this situation."

08:51 EDT Cerus first 2 COVID-19 patients transfused with INTERCEPT treated CCP - Cerus announced that the University Hospital Basel transfused the first two COVID-19 patients with INTERCEPT treated coronavirus convalescent plasma, or CCP. Cerus' field team supported the INTERCEPT system implementation which was completed in one week. The University Hospital Basel and the regional blood transfusion service of the Swiss Red Cross, Basel initiated one of the first CCP programs outside of China and are leveraging the INTERCEPT pathogen-reduction technology to enhance plasma transfusion safety and enable collections from convalesced donors earlier after their infection than might otherwise be possible. The INTERCEPT plasma system has demonstrated effective inactivation of the SARS-CoV and MERS coronaviruses.

08:48 EDT Shake Shack provides business update amid COVID-19 - Shake Shack provided a business update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and steps the company has taken to conserve cash and increase available liquidity to maximize financial flexibility until current market conditions stabilize. Same-Shack-sales were down approximately 2% through the first two months of Q1, in line with previous guidance. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the U.S. in early March, Same-Shack-sales started to decline significantly, with the impact becoming more acute as the month progressed, resulting in March Same-Shack-sales being down 29% compared to the same period last year. With Shake Shack real estate heavily indexed towards high volume, urban and premier shopping locations, the impact to the company will continue to be significant during the period of stay-at-home orders across the country. From mid-March, Shacks that remained open were operating in a limited to-go or delivery model, with all dining rooms closed. Most Shacks do not allow guests inside and have converted to curbside to-go ordering and even modified drive-up configurations to keep Shack teams and guests safely distanced. The company's licensed Shack business has also been deeply impacted during this time. Beginning in China in January and subsequently around the globe, licensed partners around the world have also seen dramatic sales declines. The stadium business is fully closed, and of the airport locations that have remained open, they are currently seeing a small fraction of the travelers they saw just a few weeks ago before travel was curtailed. Throughout the UK and the Middle East, Shake Shacks are mostly closed or running on modified hours with delivery only. Throughout Asia, Shacks are closed in the Philippines, and sales are deeply impacted in Japan, Korea, and Singapore. In one bright spot, business in Shanghai and Hong Kong has begun to see a slow but steady rebound towards the end of March from their low points earlier in the quarter. At this time, just 70 of 120 total licensed Shacks remain open. With immediate effect, the company is expanding its integrated delivery partners to include Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar and Uber Eats, all of which will be available across Shacks over the next one to two weeks and has moved to a non-exclusive agreement with Grubhub. The company's supply chain has not been impacted at this time.

08:50 EDT Lantheus, Progenics reschedule respective special meetings for proposed merger - Lantheus Holdings (LNTH) and Progenics Pharmaceuticals (PGNX) announced that they have decided to reschedule their respective special meetings of stockholders to vote on matters related to the proposed merger of Lantheus and Progenics from April 28, to June 16. The rescheduled Special Meetings will allow both companies the time necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on each company's business and on the combined entity. Further details about the time, location and record date for the Special Meetings will be announced when finalized.

08:50 EDT Shell Midstream withdraws 2020 estimated coverage ratio guidance - Shell Midstream Partners announced that on April 1, 2020 it closed the transactions contemplated by the previously announced Restructuring Agreement with its general partner to eliminate all incentive distribution rights and general partner economic interests in SHLX. SHLX has also closed the transactions contemplated by the previously announced Purchase and Sale Agreement with affiliates of its sponsor, Royal Dutch Shell plc, under which it acquired Shell's 79% interest in Mattox Pipeline Company LLC, which owns the Mattox Pipeline, and certain logistics assets at the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex. As consideration for the assets and the elimination of IDRs and the GP economic interests, the sponsor received 160 million newly issued SHLX common units, plus $1.2B of Series A perpetual convertible preferred units at a price of $23.63 per unit. Further, in response to the current extraordinary and volatile market conditions resulting in lower demand across our assets, the Partnership is providing the following updates related to the 2020 guidance it previously provided in its press release dated February 28, 2020. The Partnership currently intends to maintain its existing distribution policy of $0.46 per common unit per quarter for 2020 and plans to access its credit facilities if needed to make up for any operational cash shortfalls. With the unprecedented impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lack of clarity on crude and finished products supply and demand, the Partnership is withdrawing the guidance that was provided in the prior press release regarding its estimated coverage ratio for 2020. The Partnership's available liquidity as of March 31, 2020 is estimated to be approximately $1.2G, and SHLX does not expect to have any near-term need to access the capital markets for debt or equity. Additionally, SHLX has no scheduled near-term maturities of its senior notes or credit facilities, with the earliest scheduled maturity in 2022."

08:43 EDT Luckin Coffee: Investors should no longer rely upon prior guidance

08:43 EDT Luckin Coffee forms committee to oversee internal investigation - In a regulatory filing, Luckin Coffee said its Board of Directors has formed a special committee to oversee an internal investigation into certain issues raised to the Board's attention during the audit of the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The Special Committee is comprised of three independent directors of the Board, Mr. Sean Shao, Mr. Tianruo Pu and Mr. Wai Yuen Chong, with Mr. Shao serving as its chairman. The Special Committee has retained independent advisors, including independent legal advisors and forensic accountants, in connection with the Internal Investigation. The Special Committee has retained Kirkland & Ellis as its independent outside counsel. Kirkland & Ellis is assisted by FTI Consulting as an independent forensic accounting expert. The Internal Investigation is at a preliminary stage. The Special Committee today brought to the attention of the Board information indicating that, beginning in the second quarter of 2019, Mr. Jian Liu, the chief operating officer and a director of the Company, and several employees reporting to him, had engaged in certain misconduct, including fabricating certain transactions. The Special Committee recommended certain interim remedial measures, including the suspension of Mr. Jian Liu and such employees implicated in the misconduct and the suspension and termination of contracts and dealings with the parties involved in the identified fabricated transactions. The Board accepted the Special Committee's recommendations and implemented them with respect to the currently identified individuals and parties involved in the fabricated transactions. The Company will take all appropriate actions, including legal actions, against the individuals responsible for the misconduct. The information identified at this preliminary stage of the Internal Investigation indicates that the aggregate sales amount associated with the fabricated transactions from the second quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2019 amount to around RMB2.2 billion. The Company is assessing the overall financial impact of the misconduct on its financial statements. As a result, investors should no longer rely upon the Company's previous financial statements and earning releases for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and the two quarters starting April 1, 2019 and ended September 30, 2019, including the prior guidance on net revenues from products for the fourth quarter of 2019, and other communications relating to these consolidated financial statements.

08:41 EDT Spring Bank says safety committee for SB 11285 trial recommends dose escalation - Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals provided an update on the company's business operations in response to and as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, "The company has taken steps to protect the safety of its employees while working to ensure the sustainability of its business operations and development programs as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Beginning in mid-March, Spring Bank transitioned all non-laboratory personnel to work from home. Spring Bank is continuing its business-critical laboratory activities under guidelines designed to reduce the risk of transmission of the novel coronavirus. The Company continues to assess company policies and employee support during this unprecedented time. The Spring Bank team has also embarked on an effort to assist the global healthcare community in combating the novel coronavirus by pursuing programs and collaborations to study Spring Bank's portfolio of RIG-I agonists and compounds from its STING platform as potential treatments for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 11285 is currently being evaluated as an IV-administered monotherapy in a Phase 1a/1b multicenter, dose escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. The Safety Review Committee for the IV SB 11285 Phase 1a/1b clinical trial has recommended dose escalation to the next planned cohort in the trial and principal investigators have initiated dosing of this cohort at the next higher monotherapy dose level. Although a few of the institutions involved in the conduct of this trial have suspended patient enrollment in all clinical trials due to the current pandemic, the Spring Bank Clinical Development team has been able to continue dosing patients in this trial at a key site. The Spring Bank Clinical Development team will continue to closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare institutions currently involved in the IV SB 11285 Phase 1a/1b trial and take appropriate action with the conduct of the trial, if necessary, per the recent FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during the COVID-19 Pandemic. While the company anticipates the Phase 1a/1b trial will remain open and currently enrolled patients will continue on study, clinical sites may determine to stop enrolling and/or dosing patients as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has the potential to impact the availability of data in 2020."

08:39 EDT Agnico Eagle ramping down Mexico operations until April 30 - Agnico Eagle is providing an update following the Government of Mexico's decree relating to the COVID-19 pandemic that all non-essential businesses suspend operations until April 30. Mining operations at the Company's Mexico operations, Pinos Altos, Creston Mascota and La India, are ramping down activities. Each of these operations will be placed on care and maintenance until April 30. Exploration activities in Mexico will also be suspended during this period. The company expects that the actions it is taking should allow for the timely and safe re-start of normal operations once the Decree is lifted. Employees from the Mexico operations will continue to receive their base remuneration through April 30. At the present time there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the company's Mexico, Abitibi and Nunavut operations.

08:38 EDT Gilead subsidiary, Teneobio establish Multiple Myeloma collaboration - Kite, a Gilead company and Teneobio announced the companies have entered into a license and collaboration agreement through which Kite will receive exclusive rights to certain antibodies directed to B-cell maturation antigen, or BCMA. The fully human variable heavy chain of one such antibody is currently undergoing clinical evaluation in a chimeric antigen receptor, pr CAR, format for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma in a Phase 1 clinical trial at the National Cancer Institute. Kite and Teneobio will also collaborate on the discovery of antibodies directed to four additional targets, using Teneobio's proprietary Human Heavy-Chain Antibodies platform, to be used in CAR T cell therapies for multiple myeloma and other cancers. Under the terms of the agreement, Teneobio will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive additional payments based on achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones, as well as royalties on future potential sales.

08:37 EDT Paratek announces initiation of funding from BARDA for NUZYRA studies - Paratek Pharmaceuticals announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has initiated funding to support all of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration post-marketing requirements associated with the approval of NUZYRA including pneumonia and pediatric studies as well as the five-year post-marketing bacterial surveillance study. The reimbursement cost for these post-marketing commitments is projected to total approximately $77 million. In connection with the FDA approval of NUZYRA in October 2018, the FDA required that Paratek complete post-marketing pediatric studies examining the safety and efficacy of NUZYRA in children ages eight to 17 years. This includes a pharmacokinetic study as well as safety studies in children with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. The FDA also required Paratek conduct an additional safety and efficacy study in adults with CABP. Finally, the FDA required a five-year post-marketing bacterial surveillance study, which is mandatory for all newly approved antibiotics. In December 2019, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded Paratek a five-year contract, valued at up to $285 million, to support: the development of NUZYRA for the treatment of pulmonary anthrax; all of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration post-marketing requirements associated with the initial NUZYRA approval; U.S. onshoring and manufacturing security requirements and the procurement of up to 10,000 treatment courses of NUZYRA for the treatment of anthrax. Under the terms of the contract that are now initiated, reimbursement has begun for all of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration post-marketing requirements associated with the initial NUZYRA approval.

08:36 EDT Merrimack divests preclinical nanoliposome programs assets for $2.25M - Merrimack (MACK) announced receipt of $2.25M in connection with the closing of a transaction in which the company sold certain assets related to its preclinical nanoliposome programs to Celator Pharmaceuticals. Merrimack will not receive any further contingent consideration or royalties as a result of this transaction. Under the terms of the agreement for the transaction, Celator, in addition to paying the base purchase price of $2.25M, reimbursed the Merrimack for certain specified expenses and assumed certain liabilities with respect to the acquired assets. Further, under the agreement, the company assigned to Celator the previously disclosed intellectual property license agreement among the company and Ipsen (IPSEY) pursuant to which Ipsen granted the company licenses to certain patents, and Celator also granted the company an exclusive license to certain specified know-how and patents related to specific nano-liposome projects which remain in the Merrimack portfolio. Completion of this transaction is a continuation of Merrimack's strategy of extending its cash runway into 2027 and preserving its ability to capture the potential $450M of remaining Onivyde-related contingent milestone payments resulting from its 2017 asset sale to Ipsen as well as the potential $54.5M of remaining contingent milestone payments resulting from its 2019 sale of certain programs to Elevation Oncology. "This asset sale transaction reflects our ongoing strategic focus on both the monetization of our remaining preclinical assets and the further reduction of our operating expenses," said Gary Crocker, chairman of Merrimack's board. "Ipsen recently publicly announced that ONIVYDE is in Phase 3 clinical trials in two additional indications which we believe could, if successful, support the attainment of certain milestones. The proceeds from the Celator transaction provide an additional operational buffer in the event of any potential unanticipated contingencies, and enhance our ability to focus on our top priority, which is to preserve our ability to collect milestones and to maximize returns to shareholders. As opportunities arise we will continue to look to distribute excess cash not essential to our minimal operations."

08:36 EDT Sunlands Online CFO Steven Yipeng Li resigns, Selena Lu Lu to succeed - Sunlands Technology announced Mr. Steven Yipeng Li, the company's CFO, has tendered his resignation for personal reasons, effective April 30. The board of directors of the company has appointed Selena Lu Lu, Sunlands' Chief Strategy Officer and director, to serve as CFO, effective April 30. Lu will also continue to serve as Chief Strategy Officer of the company. Li and Ms. Lu will work together to ensure a smooth transition. Lu has served as Sunlands' Chief Strategy Officer since joining the company in July 2015 and has been an instrumental part of the senior management team leading three rounds of private financing and the company's IPO. Prior to joining Sunlands, Lu served as a Partner at Taihe Capital and as an Executive Director at Hina Investment Group, two leading boutique investment banks.

08:34 EDT Intra-Cellular initiates promotional activities for CAPLYTA - Intra-Cellular Therapies announced it has successfully initiated its promotional activities associated with the launch of CAPLYTA. CAPLYTA is an oral, once daily medicine approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. A national CAPLYTA launch meeting, which included the Company's full sales force and its entire commercial leadership team, was held during the week of March 23, 2020 using remote meeting technology in recognition of the current COVID-19 environment. The Company's sales organization is now actively engaging healthcare providers with the goal of providing comprehensive education on CAPLYTA. The sales force is fully equipped with remote product presentation and sampling capability. These activities are complemented by expanded digital outreach programs. The LYTAlink program offerings consist of coverage and reimbursement services, out-of-pocket copay support for commercially insured patients, medication compliance communications, and patient assistance relief specifically for those without insurance. LYTAlink is designed to be the link between CAPLYTA and the eligible schizophrenia patients who may benefit from this program.

08:33 EDT China XD Plastics: COVID-19 to have 'material impact' on Q1 results - China XD Plastics provided an update on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its business and operations. The company said, "While the company's business operations and financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019 were not affected by this global pandemic, the company had temporarily closed its manufacturing factories and corporate offices from January 24th to February 9th, 2020, as a result of the Outbreak and widespread public concerns. All company personnel had been required to stay at home until February 9th by the government based on the development of this health epidemic. The preparation of company's financial statements and audit process have been delayed due to government-imposed quarantines, office closings and travel restrictions on company's personnel and service providers, including auditors. In the short term, the company expects the outbreak to have a material impact on its operations in the first quarter of 2020. The overall impact of the Coronavirus on the company's operations and financial results for 2020 remains to be seen. Presently, the pandemic in China has been well contained. As of the date of this press release, approximately 50% of employees of the company's administrative offices return to work. Our factories in Heilongjiang and Sichuan provinces were running at 20% capacity utilization at the end of this March and are expected to reach 70% capacity utilization by the end of this April and normal utilization rate by the end of this May. Our factory in Dubai was not impacted by the coronavirus outbreak during January and February but only 20% employees from private sectors are now allowed to go to work due to the recent rise of coronavirus cases in UAE."

08:32 EDT Inpixon signs distribution deal with Unified Systems - Inpixon has signed Unified Systems as an authorized reseller. Unified Systems is a systems integration company specializing in the design, installation and maintenance of IP-based technologies. Unified Systems deploys services to companies within various marketplaces including gaming facilities, commercial and industrial companies, as well as government and public agencies. The complete system will allow clients to manage visitor flow, obtain improved metrics around visitors, generate accurate employee analytics, and enhance security, including policy enforcement and asset tracking for government and private organizations.

08:30 EDT Enphase Energy expands partnership with ImagineSolar - Enphase Energy unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of training options to ensure that installers are trained and ready for Enphase Ensemble technology. To ultimately serve installers with hands-on training when COVID-19 social distancing measures subside, Enphase is preparing turn-key training centers around the U.S. Enphase is also introducing a full suite of online training resources to ensure installer training continues while social distancing measures are in place. Finally, Enphase has expanded its partnership with ImagineSolar LLC, a solar and smart-grid education and advisory services company, to quickly ramp up additional hands-on training capacity when appropriate. The planned Enphase Ensemble technology training portfolio includes online training and 11 regional training centers and two truck-based mobile training units with rigorous testing to ensure high-quality installations and homeowner experiences

08:28 EDT Geron expects to announce decision regarding MF development plans by mid-year - The company said, "Geron currently has a scheduled meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the second quarter to discuss a potential regulatory approval path for imetelstat in MF. Geron expects to announce its decision regarding any potential late-stage development plans for MF by mid-year 2020."

08:26 EDT Geron implements work from home policy - The company said, "The Company has taken steps to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees. In compliance with local 'stay at home' measures and to limit the risk of exposure to and transmission of COVID-19, Geron has suspended all business travel and implemented a work from home policy for all employees. To enable business to continue virtually, Geron has made technology resources available to all employees."

08:24 EDT Mateon Therapeutics publishes peer-reviewed article on study results for OT-101 - Mateon Therapeutics announced the publication of a peer-reviewed research article co-authored by Fatih Uckun MD PhD, Sanjive Qazi PhD, and Vuong Trieu, PhD in the oncology journal Cancer Reports and Reviews. The company said, "We previously reported the preliminary findings of a Phase II study confirmed its favorable safety profile and showed that OT101 can offer early disease control to R/R high-grade glioma patients at 6 months at a rate comparable to that achieved with the standard alkylating chemotherapy drug temozolomide. We are now reporting our analysis of the long-term follow-up data on the recalcitrant/resistant anaplastic astrocytoma patient subpopulation treated in the NCT00431561 study as proof of concept for the clinical utility of the Convection Enhanced Delivery of OT-101 platform. Notably, OT101 administered intratumorally via the CEDOT platform exhibited clinically meaningful single-agent activity and induced durable complete response, partial response in more than half of the treated R/R AA patients. The median overall survival of patients receiving the CEDOT-delivered experimental therapy 1136 days which was significantly better than the 590 days median OS of the TMZ-treated patient population. " OT-101 has received orphan drug designation for glioblastoma, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, FDA recently granted Rare Pediatric Designation for OT-101 against diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. OT-101 is also effective against coronavirus including COVID-19 and being deployed against the COVID-19 epidemic.

08:20 EDT Align Technology completes acquisition of exocad - Align Technology announced that it has completed the acquisition of privately-held exocad Global Holdings GmbH, a leader in the dental CAD/CAM software market that offers fully integrated workflows to dental labs and dental practices via a broad customer base of partners and resellers in over 150 countries. The acquisition of exocad broadens Align's digital platform reach by adding technology that addresses restorative needs in an end-to-end digital platform workflow to facilitate ortho-restorative and comprehensive dentistry. The acquisition brings exocad's expertise in restorative dentistry, implantology, guided surgery, and smile design to the Align technology portfolio. It extends Align's Invisalign and iTero digital solutions, paving the way for new, seamless cross-disciplinary dentistry in the lab and at chairside. exocad also broadens Align's platform reach in the digital dentistry with close to 200 partners and more than 35,000 licenses installed worldwide. exocad will continue to operate as it exists today, enabling it to support a broad ecosystem of partners and end-users and continue to deliver hardware-independent software solutions. exocad co-founders Tillmann Steinbrecher and Maik Gerth, along with their team, will remain with the Company and report into John Morici, Align Technology, senior vice president and CFO. Align plans to maintain all exocad products and services.

08:19 EDT Ross Stores to furlough majority of associates, stores to remain closed - Ross Stores announced further updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and additional steps management is taking in response to this rapidly-evolving situation. As a reminder, all Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS locations have been closed since March 20. The company had been hoping to reopen stores by April 4. Unfortunately, the increasing spread of the coronavirus prevents it from doing so. Given the unprecedented economic disruption created by this health crisis, management had already implemented measures to reduce expenses, and increase financial liquidity and flexibility. However, with limited visibility on when its stores will be able to reopen, the company is now taking additional actions to further enhance liquidity and strengthen its ability to manage through these challenging times. As stores remain closed, the company will temporarily furlough the majority of its Store and Distribution Center associates, as well as some other associates across the business starting on Sunday, April 5th, and until operations can resume in their areas. All furloughed employees will remain Ross associates with no change to their health benefits. In addition, Ross will pay the employee portion of premiums for those furloughed who currently receive health benefits through the company. Management's goal is to keep associates safe and get them back to work as quickly as possible once stores reopen. In the interim, furloughed associates will be eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Barbara Rentler, CEO, commented, "Our decision to furlough associates was difficult, but necessary as we navigate through this unprecedented situation. As we take this step, Michael Balmuth, chairman of the board, and I will receive no salaries. Our senior executive team has also agreed to take substantial salary cuts during this period, with smaller salary reductions cascading down to all Associates through a certain level. In addition, the company's outside board members have agreed to forgo their cash retainer." Ms. Rentler concluded, "Our objective with these actions today is to strengthen our ability to navigate through the challenges and uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic for communities and businesses across the country. Our stores remain closed to help prevent the further spread of the coronavirus and as we prioritize the health of our associates and our customers. The goal is to safely reopen our stores as soon as we are able and return to our mission of providing great bargains for our customers."

08:18 EDT Fox says national news ratings 'remain strong,' COVID-19 impacts hard to predict - In a regulatory filing on March 31, Fox stated: "The impact of coronavirus disease 2019, or 'COVID-19,' and measures to prevent its spread are affecting the macroeconomic environment, as well as the business of Fox Corporation, in a number of ways. For example, while the company's national news ratings remain strong, sports events for which the company has broadcast rights have been cancelled or postponed and the production of certain entertainment content the company acquires has been suspended. The magnitude of the impacts will depend on the duration and extent of COVID-19 and the effect of governmental actions and consumer behavior in response to the pandemic and such governmental actions. The evolving and uncertain nature of this situation makes it challenging for the company to estimate the future performance of its businesses, particularly over the near to medium term, including the supply and demand for its services, its cash flows and its current and future advertising revenues. However, the impact of COVID-19 could have a material adverse effect on the company's business, financial condition or results of operations over the near to medium term." The company also reported on that that date that it intends to enter into an amendment with respect to the Credit Agreement dated as of March 15, 2019 among the company, the lenders party thereto, and Citibank, N.A., as administrative agent. The purpose will be to deduct a certain amount of cash from indebtedness for purposes of calculating the operating income leverage ratio and provide for changes related to the adoption of the new lease accounting principles. "The company believes that it will enter into the Amendment within a few business days. As of March 31, 2020, the company had not drawn on the revolving credit facility provided by the Credit Agreement," Fox had said.

08:17 EDT Atossa treated 'sufficient' number of patients in WOO Phase 2 trial for report - Atossa Therapeutics announced recent progress with its Phase 2 study administering oral Endoxifen in the "window of opportunity" between diagnosis of breast cancer and surgery, as well as the company's proposed Phase 2 clinical trial to reduce mammographic breast density. Updates on the company's "window of opportunity" Phase 2 trial include: Completed treating a sufficient number of patients to permit an initial report of study results from the pilot portion of the study. Contracted with Avance Clinical to open a second site for the study in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, with the goal of increasing the rate of enrollment. Applied to the Institutional Review Board for approval to open the second site in Geelong, Australia. Manufactured sufficient Endoxifen necessary for all patients expected to enroll in this study.

08:14 EDT Provident Financial to hold 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders virtually - Provident Financial Servicesannounced a change in the location of its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders by filing additional proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Due to concerns over the health and well-being of all stakeholders resulting from the public impact of the coronavirus outbreak and the Executive Order issued by the Governor of New Jersey prohibiting all gatherings, the Company will hold its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in a virtual meeting format only, via live webcast on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 10:00 am, local time. Stockholders may not attend the meeting in person.

08:13 EDT Envision Solar announces launch of next gen EV ARC 2020 charging product - Envision Solar International announced the official launch of the upgraded generation of EV ARC solar-powered EV charging infrastructure products. This evolution of the signature EV ARC series, already used in more than 100 U.S. municipalities, sports a reengineered S-curved column with electronic components and energy storage elevated to the underside of the sun-tracking solar canopy. As a result, the new design is flood-proof to 9.5 feet and provides extra space to park on the cambered ballast pad. An engineering improvement to EnvisionTrak, the Company's patented sun tracking technology, means that the solar array can be deployed through a 360-degree arc and so accommodates any angled parking space. The elevated equipment enclosure provides improved visibility for branding and, combined with the curved column, creates a sleek modern look and added security.

08:12 EDT Tetra Bio Pharma announces launch of study to determine cannabinoid metabolites - Tetra Bio-Pharma announced the launch of a study to determine the levels of cannabinoid metabolites, cannabinoid precursors and minor cannabinoids in the plasma of humans. This study is important to the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to define the levels of these compounds in patients consuming cannabis and Tetra's inhaled drugs QIXLEEF and CAUMZ. Tetra has launched a study to quantify the levels of cannabinoid metabolites and precursors as well as minor cannabinoids in the plasma samples of humans that received QIXLEEF in its clinical trials. The bioanalysis of these human plasma samples will allow Tetra to better understand how THC and CBD are degraded in humans and how long these compounds remain in the blood as well as the differences between the two inhalation routes of consuming QIXLEEF. Since early 2017, Tetra used validated methods to quantify the levels of CBD, THC and 11-OH-THC in the plasma of all human subjects that received QIXLEEF and PPP005. Over the last months, bioanalytical methods were developed and validated to quantify the amount of cannabinoid precursors, such as THCA, CBDA and CBGA, minor cannabinoids, including Cannabinol, Cannabichromene, Cannabigerol, and the metabolites 11-OH-THC and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC in human samples. The methods are developed in collaboration with one of Tetra's partners and in compliance with the FDA and OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practices. Drug development research performed by a pharmaceutical company revealed that the oral administration of CBD can induce liver injury in patients. This discovery has led the FDA to recommend to pharmaceutical companies to study the 7-COOH-CBD metabolite. In 2019, Tetra had already launched studies to develop and validate bioanalytical methods to measure cannabinoid precursors in human plasma. Subsequent to this recommendation from regulators, Tetra initiated the development and validation of a bioanalytical method to identify and quantify two major human CBD metabolites, 7-OH-CBD and 7-COOH-CBD. The analysis of both metabolites is now an FDA pre-requisite for the clinical development of all cannabinoid drugs, including QIXLEEF and CAUMZ. By administration of drugs through inhalation the drug avoids the first pass metabolism and could result in lower levels of these CBD metabolites.

08:10 EDT Galera Therapeutics appoints Linda West to board of directors - Galera Therapeutics announced the appointment of Linda West to its board of directors. Additionally, as part of a planned transition, Jason Fuller, Ph.D., will not stand for re-election at Galera's annual meeting. West brings nearly 40 years of business experience to Galera's board of directors, having served in multiple leadership roles of increasing responsibility for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company until her retirement in 2019.

08:07 EDT Menlo Therapeutics announces settlement to conclude Finacea Foam litigation - Menlo Therapeutics (MNLO) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (FOMX) has entered into a settlement and license agreement to resolve the remaining pending patent litigation involving Finacea Foam. Details of the settlement agreement are confidential, and the settlement agreement is subject to the review of the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. Foamix is the owner of patents that have been licensed to LEO Pharma A/S to market Finacea Foam, a topical prescription medicine used to treat the inflammatory papules and pustules of mild to moderate rosacea. This settlement concludes the litigation relating to Finacea Foam and comes after the settlements in October 2019 with an affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) and in April 2019 with affiliates of Perrigo Company (PRGO).

08:06 EDT Biocept granted Australia patent - Biocept announces that it has been granted Australia Patent number: 2017268486, titled, "METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE VARIANTS." The patent provides intellectual property protection for Biocept's Primer-Switch technology that is useful for ctDNA analysis using real-time PCR and associated analysis methods, including next-generation sequencing.

08:05 EDT Tabula Rasa HealthCare's DoseMeRx powers precision dosing for VigiLanz - Tabula Rasa HealthCare has partnered with VigiLanz, a provider in clinical surveillance, to integrate with DoseMeRx, TRHC's precision dosing solution. The integration of DoseMeRx within VigiLanz's award winning software platform will provide hospital customers with instant access to personalized dosing for vancomycin and other antimicrobials, optimizing pharmacy workflow and improving patient safety.

08:04 EDT Ulta Beauty suspends stock repurchase plan, provides business update - Ulta Beauty provided a business update in advance of the company's participation at the J.P. Morgan Retail Round-Up Virtual Conference. As previously announced, Ulta Beauty has taken several actions as part of its response to the continued spread of COVID-19 to improve its financial flexibility. In addition, the company has taken the following steps to preserve financial liquidity while its stores remain temporarily closed: Reducing expense plans, suspending new hires and deferring merit increases for all corporate and store associates; Moderating the pace of investments to build international capabilities, but the company continues to expect to have an omnichannel presence in Canada in 2021; Aligning inventory receipts with current sales trends and prioritizing expense payment obligations to focus primarily on essential services; Reducing capital expenditure plans, particularly as it relates to new store openings, while the company plans to open new stores this year, it no longer expects to open a total of 75 new stores in fiscal 2020 and is working on an adjusted plan for new store openings, relocations, and remodel projects and suspended its stock repurchase program. "A few weeks ago, we made the difficult decision to close all of our brick and mortar stores to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Since March 20, Ulta Beauty has been a digital-only business. Although we do not expect to fully offset the revenue impact of our store closings, the multi-year, strategic investments we have made to enhance our omnichannel and supply chain capabilities, combined with the ongoing commitment of our distribution associates, have enabled us to support increased e-commerce demand and guest engagement," said Mary Dillon, CEO. "As we continue to support our essential e-commerce operations, we are taking actions in parallel to ensure that we maintain our financial strength and flexibility in the near term and position Ulta Beauty for long-term growth."

08:02 EDT DAT Solutions adds automated booking to load boards - DAT Solutions announced that automated "Book Now" options will be available on select loads in the DAT Load Board network. The Book Now feature streamlines the tendering process, allowing carriers to search for loads and lock in a rate with the click of a button on their mobile or desktop device.

08:02 EDT Cellect Biotechnology receives new patent allowance in China - Cellect Biotechnology received an official communication from the China National Intellectual Property Administration regarding its intention to grant Chinese Patent Application No. 201380021092.5. Including this latest notification, the company has 66 patent applications worldwide, of which 32 are issued/allowed patents. The patent covers a device and a kit adapted for selection of cells that are resistant to receptor-mediated apoptosis and a method for using the device and kit. The device enables simultaneous positive selection for both stem-cells and immune cells which support engraftment and negative selection for immune cells which induce graft versus host disease. The device is designed as a closed compartment cell selection in simplified setting resulting in a safe, efficacious and affordable solution that currently do not exist. The present invention further discloses uses for the device.

07:58 EDT Biomerica signs agreements with Mount Sinai Medical School for serological test - Biomerica announced it has signed two separate definitive license agreements with Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York to license technologies pertaining to a laboratory version serological test for SARS-CoV-2 virus infection which have been developed at Mount Sinai. This test uses the ELISA microplate format that can run on existing open system equipment found in most hospitals and clinical laboratories in the United States. Based on the data received from Mt. Sinai, the Company intends to scale-up commercial manufacturing of the Mt. Sinai licensed technology. Biomerica has the equipment and capacity to manufacture over 1,000,000 tests in the ELISA microplate format per month at its manufacturing facility in Irvine, California. While there are unknowns about the transfer and scale-up process, if successful the Company believes it could have commercial sales within weeks. Biomerica will file for expedited clearance with the FDA under the new EUA process for this new test format. This ELISA microplate format is a serology test that detects antibodies in the blood of patients who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus causing the current pandemic. These antibodies show up in detectable quantities in approximately 8 days following infection, and remain detectable for as long as 3 months or more. Persons who have tested positive for the antibodies and are no longer infectious, can possibly be cleared to return to work as they have a lower likelihood of reinfection and/or spreading the virus.

07:56 EDT Meridian Bioscience says many clinical trial partners have suspended operations - The company said, "Many of our clinical trial partners have suspended operations, which will likely result in delays for our products in the pipeline. This includes new assays for the revogene and Curian platforms, as well as our new PediaStat system and its initial lead assay. While those new assays were not expected to receive FDA approval and contribute to revenue in fiscal 2020, their ultimate approval and contribution will be delayed, the extent to which remains unknown. For fiscal 2020, we expect this to reduce our R&D spending below our previously communicated amounts. Meridian's outlook on future periods and the aforementioned impacts reflect facts, circumstances and the Company's assumptions as of today. The impacts of COVID-19 are evolving daily and the extent to which COVID-19 impacts Meridian's business, operations, and financial results, including the duration and magnitude of such impacts, will depend on numerous risks , uncertainties and other factors the Company may not be able to accurately predict, including those discussed in the Risk Factors set forth in Meridian's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission."

07:55 EDT Meridian Bioscience expects Exalenz merger to be complete before June 30 - Exalenz Bioscience shareholders approved the proposed merger with Meridian on March 31, 2020. While the merger remains subject to the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, the Company continues to expect to complete the acquisition before June 30, 2020.

07:51 EDT Primoris announces pipeline awards valued over $100M - Primoris Services Corporation announced new pipeline awards with a combined value over $100M. The contracts were secured by Primoris Pipeline and Primoris Field Services, both part of the Pipeline and Underground segment. These awards were signed in the first quarter of 2020. The awards are for over 100 miles of pipeline and multiple new compressor stations, all located in Texas. Work is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2020 and to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

07:50 EDT HP Enterprise announces remote workforce initiatives, rollouts - HP Enterprise announced a series of initiatives to help customers and support business continuity in the wake of COVID-19. Recognizing the growing need to deploy or scale remote workforce infrastructure to meet stay-at-home and social distancing policies, HPE is releasing a more powerful virtual desktop infrastructure, or VDI, solution, and offering flexible financing terms and new pre-configured solutions to increase flexibility and accelerate delivery for customers. HPE's range of VDI solutions, advisory services and financing enable customers to design and tailor their VDI rollouts to meet users' needs. HPE Financial Services is offering new financial and asset lifecycle options including short-term rentals and 90-day payment deferrals on VDI solutions. HPE VDI solutions are also available as-a-service through HPE Greenlake to support customers who require financial flexibility in their remote workforce roll out. HPE is also offering new, pre-configured VDI solutions to support small, medium and enterprise customers. Built on either HPE ProLiant or HPE Synergy servers, these solutions can start as small as 80 users and scale to over 2,000 remote workers and are designed for Citrix and VMware environments. HPE also announced a new, higher-performing VDI solution to support power users working remotely. HPE Moonshot now ships with the new HPE ProLiant m750 Server Blade and delivers more than a 70% performance advantage and consumes 25% less power than the previous generation. In virtualized desktops and applications where density and efficiency are paramount, the new HPE ProLiant m750 Server Blade can support nearly 33% percent more remote workers on 25% less power.

07:48 EDT Vir, Alnylam expand collaboration for COVID-19 treatment development - Vir Biotechnology (VIR) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) announced an expansion to their broad multi-target existing collaboration for the development and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics for infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. This expansion includes up to three additional targets focused on host factors for SARS-CoV-2, including ACE2 and TMPRSS2, both of which are considered critical for viral entry, with the potential for an additional host target to emerge from Vir's functional genomics work. Pursuant to an amendment to the collaboration agreement, the companies will utilize Alnylam's recent advances in lung delivery of novel conjugates of siRNA - the molecules that mediate RNAi - together with Vir's infectious disease expertise and established capabilities, to bring forward up to three additional host factor-targeting development candidates (DCs) to treat SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other coronaviruses as well. The two named targets include angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2). ACE2 is known to be the viral entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, while TMPRSS2 is believed to cleave the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to facilitate cellular attachment. The third target is expected to emerge from Vir's ongoing functional genomics efforts to identify novel host factors pertinent to coronaviral infection and targetable by siRNA, mAbs or small molecules. As part of the original collaboration to advance investigational RNAi therapeutics to treat disease caused by coronavirus infection, Alnylam has designed and synthesized over 350 siRNAs targeting highly conserved regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Lead siRNAs have recently been identified by scientists at Alnylam and are now being further evaluated by scientists at Vir for anti-viral activity in support of DC selection. Upon DC selection, Vir will lead development efforts - working closely with Alnylam to generate the data required to enable the potential for rapid commencement of clinical studies. Under the collaboration and license agreement, as amended, in addition to leading development of selected DCs, Vir will lead commercialization of any products emerging from the collaboration that gain regulatory approval. At clinical proof of concept, Alnylam will have an option to share equally in any profits and losses associated with the development and commercialization of each coronavirus program. Alternatively, Alnylam may elect to earn development and commercialization milestones and royalties on net sales of any products resulting from the collaboration in amounts agreed upon for each coronavirus program. These additional targets expand the companies' collaboration and license agreement announced in 2017, and the subsequent amendment to that agreement announced in March 2020, to now develop novel siRNAs for up to nine infectious disease targets in total, including hepatitis B virus in the Vir-2218 (ALN-HBV02) program currently in Phase 1/2 studies.

07:47 EDT Momenta says most sites in Phase 1/2 study of M254 have suspended enrollment - The company said, "M254 is currently being evaluated in Momenta's multi-part Phase 1/2 study in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Momenta continues to enroll lower dose cohorts in Part B of the ongoing trial, however most of the sites have suspended enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result and in anticipation of slower enrollment, the Company may not be able to report interim data as planned for the second quarter of 2020. The ITP study Parts C and D, which are being evaluated in the context of emerging Part B data, will be delayed until Part B is complete and depending on then-prevailing conditions for clinical trials."

07:45 EDT Momenta expects slower pace of enrollment in Unity study - The company said, "Unity, the Company's global multi-center Phase 2 clinical study of nipocalimab in hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, continues to enroll patients at sites where they can be safely accommodated. At this time, based on the life-threatening nature of HDFN, the Company does not intend to pause enrollment of the study but anticipates a slower pace of enrollment due to the overall global impact of COVID-19."

07:43 EDT Momenta suspends enrollment in certain ongoing clinical trials - Momenta Pharmaceuticals provided an update on the Company's clinical trial activities and business operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the global healthcare system. During these challenging times, our utmost priority is the health and safety of patients in our clinical studies and the healthcare professionals who care for them, as well as our team. To that end, we have implemented measures to protect their well-being while ensuring our ability to maintain the continuity of our business," said Craig Wheeler, President and CEO at Momenta Pharmaceuticals. "At this time, we are in active communication with clinical sites to be sure patients enrolled in our studies have uninterrupted access to our investigational drugs. However, in light of COVID-19, its global impact on healthcare systems and patients and healthcare professionals involved in clinical trials, we are suspending enrollment in certain ongoing clinical trials and delaying the launch of planned studies until conditions permit. We are closely monitoring this situation as it continues to evolve and will provide additional updates, as necessary, in our first quarter earnings release."

07:39 EDT Brown & Brown announces asset acquisition of Sterling Group - Brown & Brown, and Kevin Sheets and Chris Carter, the owners of Dealer Financial Services of NC, Inc. d/b/a The Sterling Group announced that Brown & Brown Dealer Services has acquired substantially all of the assets of Sterling Group. The company said, "For over 25 years, the Sterling Group has been a leader in the region in guiding its dealer partners with F&I product and sales training, customer retention strategies and F&I performance management. Kevin and Chris will continue to lead the operation from the Sterling Group's office in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The Sterling Group will become part of Brown & Brown Dealer Services, which operates under the leadership of Mike Neal."

07:38 EDT Kirby closes acquisition of Savage Inland Marine's barge fleet - Kirby Corporation announced that it has completed the acquisition of Savage Inland Marine's inland barge fleet. Savage is an operator of tank barges and towboats participating in the inland tank barge transportation industry in the United States. The total consideration paid was approximately $278M and was financed with additional borrowings.

07:37 EDT Sandstorm Gold renews up to 13M share NCIB - The company's normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, is being renewed after the existing NCIB expires on April 4. The current NCIB provides Sandstorm with the option to purchase up to 13M of the company's common shares from time to time when Sandstorm's management believes that the common shares are undervalued by the market. Under the renewed NCIB, Sandstorm may purchase up to 17,170,237 of its common shares, representing approximately 10% of the company's issued and outstanding common shares of 174,211,583 as of March 31, less those common shares held by the company's directors and senior officers. The Toronto Stock Exchange, or TSX, has accepted the company's notice that it intends to proceed with a NCIB in accordance with TSX rules. Purchases under the renewed NCIB may commence on April 6 and will terminate on the earlier of April 5, 2021, the date that Sandstorm completes its purchases pursuant to the NCIB as filed with the TSX, or the date of notice by Sandstorm of termination of the NCIB.

07:36 EDT STEP Energy implements remote working plans - STEP Energy Services is providing an update on actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and current market conditions. The company said, "STEP is responding to the rapidly deteriorating business conditions brought about by the combined impact of COVID-19 and the oil price war among certain OPEC+ members. These global events have caused a material decline in commodity prices globally and are expected to result in reductions in planned spending by our clients. COVID-19 Response:STEP places the health and safety of our employees and the clients and communities we serve among our highest priorities. As a result, in response to COVID-19, we have implemented our Emergency Response Plan which included: enhancing communication with our employees and our clients; implementing enhanced personal hygiene, increase social distancing and self-quarantine practices; banning non-essential travel; further measures to ensure all employees are fit-for-duty; and implementing remote working plans. STEP will continue to monitor the situation and ensure we are adopting guidance provided by government and health authorities."

07:35 EDT Moleculin Biotech's Annamycin for AML shows positive Phase 1/2 safety results - Moleculin Biotech has completed the latest 210 mg/m2 cohort in its European Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Annamycin for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia or AML. 19 patients have been treated in the US and Europe, and all results continue to show Annamycin to be safe, and free of cardiotoxicity. Of those, 10 have been treated at or above the FDA lifetime maximum anthracycline exposure. While the Primary Endpoint of the Phase 1 portion is safety, a Secondary Endpoint is the assessment of efficacy generally defined as an improvement in bone marrow biopsy results sufficient to qualify patients for a potentially curative bone marrow transplant. The fourth cohort in Poland receiving a single dose of 210 mg/m2 in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the trial was completed with no adverse events and the trial will continue to the next cohort of 240 mg/m2. To date in the European trial, only one adverse event related to Annamycin has been reported. In the recently completed Phase 1 portion of a parallel US Phase 1/2 clinical trial, there were no unexpected serious adverse events and no dose limiting toxicities at any dose tested. If upheld in further studies, this lack of toxicity would be an important differentiator between Annamycin and the currently approved anthracyclines. The U.S. trial met its primary endpoint, demonstrating the safety of Annamycin in AML patients. Based on testing to date, no patients in either the US or European trial have exhibited evidence of cardiotoxicity. In all but one of the 7 relapsed patients treated in the Poland trial, a reduction in blasts in the bone marrow aspirate occurred. Of those 7, 2 qualified as PRs and 1 qualified as a bridge-to-transplant.

07:34 EDT Allergan: China's NMPA approves registration of XEN Gel Stent - Allergan announced China's National Medical Products Administration approved the registration of Allergan's XEN Gel Stent on March 26 for the surgical management of patients with refractory glaucoma. XEN is the first product to be approved in China through the Real World Evidence pathway.

07:33 EDT Equinox Gold 'unable to determine' effects of COVID-19 on FY20 guidance - Equinox Gold will temporarily suspend mining activities at its Los Filos Mine in Guerrero State, Mexico in compliance with a recent order by the Federal Government of Mexico requiring the temporary suspension of all non-essential businesses until April 30, 2020. The company will continue processing solution from the heap leach pads and expects that gold production will continue at a reduced level through the temporary suspension. The company has also temporarily suspended operations at its Pilar Mine in Goias State, Brazil in compliance with State Government restrictions. To maintain appropriate safety, security and environmental systems, the mine will continue to be staffed by a reduced workforce. The company's RDM Mine in Minas Gerais State, Brazil is recommencing full operations after a previously announced short-term suspension of mining activities in compliance with a municipal restriction. The company's other producing mines continue to operate normally with COVID-19 safety and preventive measures in place. The company is currently unable to determine the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on fiscal 2020 guidance and will provide updates as practical. Equinox Gold continues to enforce stringent operational and safety procedures across the company to help protect the safety of its workforce and communities in accordance with guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization and the local, state and federal governments at each of its operations. Equinox Gold has developed contingency plans to support business continuity and help protect the economic wellbeing of its workforce, suppliers and local communities. The company is monitoring the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation and will adjust its response as necessary.

07:31 EDT Future FinTech's trial version of Nonogirl e-Commece platform now online - Future FinTech announced that the trial version of its cross-border e-Commerce platform "Nonogirl" is online and has started its trial operation. "Nonogirl" is a cross-border e-Commerce platform created and managed by the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, QR Hong Kong. The goal is to create an international and brand-new generation of S2B2C crowd sourcing sales platform centered on internet celebrities. "NonogirlL" is a "content + live + social" cross-border e-Commerce platform for the female consumer market. "Nonogirl" uses functions such as live broadcast, short videos and group circles.

07:23 EDT GasLog takes delivery of GasLog Windsor Newbuilding - GasLog Ltd. yesterday took delivery of the GasLog Windsor, a 180,000 cubic meter cargo capacity LNG carrier with X-DF propulsion and Mark III Flex containment system. Despite the industrial disruption in South Korea caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the vessel was delivered on time and on budget. It will immediately commence a seven-year charter with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrica plc.

07:19 EDT Oportun Financial reports Q1 active customers 777,194 - The company said, "The Company ended the first quarter of 2020 with $5 million in auto loans and $2 million of credit card receivables issued through a partner bank, with $2 million open-to-buy. .Until the week of March 15, 2020, when Oportun first began to experience the economic impact of COVID-19, the Company was on track to deliver another strong quarter, including double-digit growth in originations compared to the prior year quarter. As previously described, Oportun proactively took measures to tighten its lending criteria and implement appropriate collections actions. Since that time, the Company has seen a reduction in applications, which it believes is attributable both to customers abiding by shelter-in-place orders as well as a redirection of marketing efforts. These measures impacted Oportun's Aggregate Originations, which were $433 million for the first quarter, up 4% from the prior-year period. The Company ended the quarter with 777,194 Active Customers and $2.2 billion in Managed Principal Balance at End of Period, up 11% and 20%, respectively, over the prior year."

07:17 EDT Boeing CEO says will continue to drive safe return to service of 737 MAX

07:16 EDT Boeing CEO to employees: 'We're in uncharted waters'

07:16 EDT Boeing says to continue to recruit in certain areas

07:15 EDT Boeing initiates voluntary layoff plan

07:14 EDT Humana announces health care provider initiative amid COVID-19 pandemic - Humana announced actions designed to help provide financial and administrative relief for the health care provider community facing strain during the coronavirus pandemic. First, Humana is implementing simplified and expedited claims processing, in order to get reimbursement payments to providers as quickly as possible and help ease their financial concerns. In addition, the company is expanding its policy of suspending prior authorization and referral requirements, instead requesting notification within 24 hours of inpatient and outpatient care. This is applicable for all providers for patient care related to COVID-19 and in-network providers, for patient care not directly related to COVID-19. These policies are applicable for covered plan benefits under individual and group Humana Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial employer-sponsored plans. The company is taking these actions in response to the pandemic and will reassess as circumstances change. Humana also is: Waiving the member responsibility for copays, deductibles or coinsurance associated with COVID-19 testing, including related visit costs in a range of clinical settings such as a physician's office, urgent care center or emergency department; Waiving member responsibility for copays, deductibles or coinsurance related to the covered treatment of COVID-19, including inpatient hospital admissions. Waiving member responsibility for copays, deductibles or coinsurance for all telehealth services delivered by participating/in-network providers and accepting audio-only/telephone and audio-video visits for reimbursement; Allowing early prescription refills, so members can prepare for extended supply needs - an extra 30- or 90-day supply as appropriate;Providing a member-support line with specially trained call center employees to help support members with specific coronavirus questions and concerns, including live assistance with telehealth and lifting administrative requirements for members infected with coronavirus and for all patients in settings where capacity is stretched by the needs of those infected by coronavirus. The change allows for movement from inpatient hospitals to safe, medically appropriate post-acute care settings, including home health, long-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, etc.

07:12 EDT Oportun Financial says has over 12 months of liquidity runway - The company said, "Based on stress-test scenarios, Oportun continues to have more than 12 months of liquidity runway, even without accessing the securitization market, due to its well-established and diversified funding program. The Company's balance sheet is characterized by relatively low leverage. Oportun's term securitizations and its warehouse line are non-recourse to Oportun Financial Corporation and its operating subsidiaries. The Company's term securitizations allow it to fund new loan originations for the remainder of each securitization's revolving period; the revolving periods have end dates which range from September 2020 to July 2022. The Company's cash and cash equivalents balance as of March 31, 2020 was $119 million and restricted cash was $75 million; restricted cash is used to pay current liabilities, and excess amounts are released back to Oportun on a monthly basis. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had $120 million of undrawn capacity on its existing $400 million warehouse line, which is committed through October 2021 and provided by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC and Natixis Securities Americas LLC. Oportun also continues to sell a percentage of newly originated loans on a whole loan basis at a fixed price, pursuant to existing flow sale contracts."

07:06 EDT Fulcrum Therapeutics institutes mandatory work-from-home policy - The company said, "Fulcrum has instituted a mandatory work-from-home policy for the majority of its employees. The duration of this remote working arrangement will be guided by the direction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and actions and guidelines issued by the U.S. federal government, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Due to the nature of Fulcrum's work, essential-work exemptions continue to permit critical research and development and laboratory activities for limited personnel. Those exemptions enable some continued discovery research and activities. For these employees, Fulcrum has established a set of safety guidelines to reduce close interactions, including limiting the number of people on-site."

07:05 EDT Oncolytics' pelareorep shows positive safety and efficacy results in publication - Oncolytics, currently developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus, announced clinical data published in a peer-reviewed journal highlighting that the combination of FOLFIRI, bevacizumab and pelareorep was well tolerated, with promising efficacy signals in colorectal cancer patients with KRAS mutated tumors. The article was published on March 10 in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. The study enrolled 36 patients with KRAS mutation in a dose-escalation trial, of which 30 patients were assessable for response. The combination of FOLFIRI, bevacizumab and pelareorep was well tolerated, with promising signals of efficacy. Six patients received the recommended phase 2 dose, at which a 50% overall response rate and a median overall survival of 25.1 months were observed, which compares favorably to the historical OS of 13.5 months, an 86% improvement. Among 30 evaluable patients, 6 had a partial response and 22 patients had stable disease as their best response, for a clinical benefit rate of 93.3%. Enhanced efficacy elicited by the administration of pelareorep was supported by evidence of an adaptive immune response occurring after each cycle of pelareorep treatment. These immune responses were only seen after pelareorep administration and not with the other medications alone, strongly suggesting that pelareorep is influencing these responses.

07:04 EDT Fulcrum Therapeutics says number of sites postponing trial-related activities - Fulcrum Therapeutics provided a business update in the context of the developing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. "During the unprecedented challenges we all face with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we have recently implemented plans to protect the safety, health and well-being of the patients, families and healthcare professionals involved in our clinical development programs, as well as our employees," said Robert Gould, Ph.D., Fulcrum's president and CEO "A number of our clinical trial sites are temporarily postponing trial-related activities in the wake of COVID-19. While we are fully focused on moving our clinical programs forward, Fulcrum supports this temporary reallocation of resources to ensure hospitals and healthcare workers can focus on meeting the needs of patients with COVID-19. I am confident in Fulcrum's ability to face this challenge with tenacity, humility, and spirit. FSHD is an area of tremendous unmet need, we remain as eager as ever to continue to advance a therapy that may impact patients."

07:03 EDT Applied Therapeutics announces IND, investigator-initiated studies of AT-001 - Applied Therapeutics announced that a COVID-19 IND has been opened with the FDA for AT-001, a novel potent Aldose Reductase inhibitor in global Phase 3 development for Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Multiple AT-001 investigator-initiated trials are now underway to address acute lung inflammation and cardiomyopathy in critical COVID-19 patients. Several New York City hospitals have initiated Emergency Investigational Drug applications for AT-001 use in critical COVID-19 patients. AT-001 is currently being accessed in these New York City hospitals via "Named Patient" Emergency INDs or Investigator-Initiated Trials, depending on the patient circumstance and hospital institution. Institutions that have initiated trials include Mount Sinai, NYU, and Columbia. To date, all patients treated under Emergency INDs have demonstrated improvement in cardiopulmonary function. Additional data is being gathered through studies on the effect of AT-001 therapy in critical COVID-19 patients. Both Applied Therapeutics and the FDA understand the urgency to treat critical patients, and the unusual pandemic circumstances surrounding COVID-19. The company has received additional requests from other US hospitals to put protocols in place to study AT-001 in a broader number of patients. Applied Therapeutics has also recently received requests from other countries, and is working with regulators to determine a path forward to making the drug available in these countries. AT-001 is an investigational novel Aldose Reductase Inhibitor in Phase 3 development in the US, Canada and Europe for treatment of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Aldose Reductase is an enzyme that plays a critical role in oxidative damage under a variety of circumstances, including cardiomyopathy and acute lung inflammation. COVID-19 can cause significant cardiac morbidities, including cardiomyopathy. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 has been identified as a functional receptor for coronaviruses, and is highly expressed in the heart and lungs. Binding of the virus to ACE2 is believed to lead to cardiomyocyte damage, in part due to cytokine-mediated oxidative stress. AT-001, a novel and potent aldose reductase inhibitor, has been shown to prevent oxidative damage to cardiomyocytes, and decrease oxidative-induced damage. In severe cases, COVID-19 infection can lead to development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute lung Inflammation/Injury resulting from inflammatory response. In an animal model of sepsis-induced ALI, Aldose Reductase inhibition was shown to have a beneficial effect and attenuate severity of disease by reducing cytokines, neutrophil infiltration into the lungs, and activation of lung inflammatory endothelial cells.

07:01 EDT Armour Residential Chief Investment Officer Mark Gruber postpones retirement - Armour Residential Chief Investment Officer Mark Gruber has agreed to postpone indefinitely his previously announced retirement and continue in his role as Chief Investment Officer in light of the increased volatility in the fixed-income and equity markets. David Sayles will also continue in his current role of Managing Director for Portfolio and Risk Analysis.

07:00 EDT Armour Residential updates dividend policy - Armour Residential confirmed the April cash dividend of 14.583c per share on its 7.00% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock and announced a quarterly common stock dividend policy for Q2. On March 27, the company paid the previously declared cash dividends of 17c per share of its common stock and 14.583c per share of its Series C Preferred Stock. Armour also declared the April dividend on its Series C Preferred Stock at the rate of 14.583c per share to holders of record on April 15, payable on April 27. Armour will move to a quarterly dividend on its common stock for Q2. The company expects to announce its decision regarding the amount of Q2 dividends on common stock in the latter part of June as well as whether the company will return to its prior monthly dividend policy.

06:57 EDT Armour Residential updates financial status - Armour Residential updated the company's financial status related to the continued market volatility due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The intervention by the Federal Reserve helped stabilize the agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and recover a large amount of the spread widening that took place during the month of March. Trading activity in agency credit risk transfer securities has resumed and prices are stabilizing. Armour has acted to mitigate risk, moderate leverage and maximize liquidity. At the close of business on March 31, Book value per common share is estimated to be above $11.00; liquidity, including cash and unpledged agency-guaranteed MBS, exceeds $350M - 45% of stockholders' equity -; Armour's 17 active counterparties continue to provide the company with access to repurchase financing; the company's approximately $4.8B securities portfolio includes approximately $4.1B of agency-guaranteed MBS. Armour reduced its short-term security repurchase facilities borrowings, in aggregate, to approximately $3.46B. As a result, the company's "leverage" was approximately 4.4 to 1. Armour estimates its total stockholders' equity exceeds $780M.

06:54 EDT CarMax pauses store expansion strategy - The company said, "Subsequent to the end of the fiscal year, we halted our stock repurchase program, although the repurchase authorization remains effective. We also paused our store expansion strategy until the Coronavirus situations stabilizes. And, we are actively aligning operating expenses to the current state of the business."

06:52 EDT Haemonetics acquires enicor GmbH - Haemonetics announced that it has acquired enicor GmbH, a privately held manufacturer of a new generation whole blood coagulation testing system, or ClotPro, which is based in Munich, Germany. The ClotPro system is a viscoelastic diagnostic device that offers more assays than any other hemostasis analyzer on the market. Under the terms of the transaction, Haemonetics has acquired all of the outstanding share capital of enicor GmbH. The ClotPro system offers a unique active tip technology that reduces the need for manual pipetting. This design mitigates the potential for error and eliminates reagent handling, which provides more flexibility and increased throughput in lab-based and clinical settings. The ClotPro system received a CE Mark in 2019 and is currently available in select European and Asia Pacific markets. The ClotPro system is not available for use or sale in the United States.

06:51 EDT Movado furloughing 850 employees, updates COVID-19 response - Movado Group announced additional measures as well as plans for dealing with business disruptions, including expense reductions in response to the impact of COVID-19. The company is taking the following actions: furlough approximately 850 employees, or approximately 80% of its North American workforce, effective April 6 through the end of May or such other time as circumstances warrant; the company is taking similar actions around the globe; U.S. employee health and other benefits will be paid by the Company during the furlough; reduce salaries for its salaried employees, including CEO Grinberg, who is foregoing all salary during the furlough period; all remaining salaried employees have agreed to a salary reduction of 15% to 25% during this period; additionally, the Board of Directors will waive the cash portion of their compensation during this period; freeze the company's match on executive deferred compensation plans and the company's 401(k) match; reduce staffing to minimal levels at all company warehouses worldwide; the warehouses are focused on serving e-commerce customers; minimize all non-essential operating expenses and capital expenditures and to conserve cash. The company possesses $190M in cash and only $82M of debt as of March 25. In addition, as previously announced, the company temporarily closed all company-owned stores throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and also discontinued the quarterly dividend and suspended its share repurchase program until further notice.

06:47 EDT Merck: Phase 3 KEYNOTE-177 trial of KEYTRUDA met one of dual endpoints - Merck announced that the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-177 trial evaluating first-line treatment of KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer met one of its dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival. Based on an interim analysis conducted by an independent Data Monitoring Committee, KEYTRUDA monotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared with chemotherapy. Based on the recommendation of the DMC, the study will continue without changes to evaluate overall survival, the other dual primary endpoint. The safety profile of KEYTRUDA in this trial was consistent with previously reported studies, and no new safety signals were identified.

06:37 EDT Affimed N.V. provides development program updates - Affimed (AFMD) has successfully activated 39 clinical study sites for its ongoing Phase 2 registration-directed study of AFM13 as a monotherapy in relapsed or refractory patients with CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma. The University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center was activated as the first clinical research site and has initiated patient screening in Affimed's Phase 1/2a clinical study. The study is aimed at establishing safety and identifying initial signals of efficacy of AFM24, the tetravalent, bispecific epidermal growth factor receptor- and CD16A-binding innate cell engager, in patients with advanced cancers known to express EGFR. Preclinical research for ongoing internal and partnered programs under the company's collaboration with Genentech (RHHBY) remains unimpacted by the COVID-19 pandemic at this time.

06:34 EDT Affimed N.V. says contract manufacturers operating without interruption - At this time, the company's contract manufacturers are operating without interruption, and there is sufficient material for the AFM13 Phase 2 registration-directed study in pTCL, the investigator sponsored trial of cord blood-derived allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells in combination with AFM13, and the AFM24 Phase 1/2a clinical study. Additionally, the company currently does not foresee any interruption in its ability to continue to manufacture additional product to be used beyond the current ongoing clinical studies.

06:30 EDT DaVita Kidney Care to hire 15,000 new employees in 2020 - DaVita Kidney Care recently announced its plans to hire at least 15,000 new employees, known as teammates, throughout 2020. Available positions range from care giving roles in centers across the U.S. to corporate support roles. For many of these open positions, previous experience in health care is not required.

06:18 EDT Novartis scraps sale of assets to Aurobindo after failing to get FTC approval - Novartis announced the mutual agreement with Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc. to terminate the agreement to sell the Sandoz US generic oral solids and dermatology businesses to Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc. This decision was taken as approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for the transaction was not obtained within anticipated timelines, the company said. Sandoz will continue to operate its oral solids and dermatology business as part of the Sandoz US business, it added.

06:13 EDT CytoDyn: Three day results from leronlimab treatment show promise - CytoDyn announced that the three-day effect of leronlimab in eight severely ill COVID-19 patients demonstrated a significant improvement in several important immunologic bio-markers. Patient test data reveals improvement in cytokines, IL-6, and a trend toward the normalization of the CD4/CD8 ratio. The company's investigational new drug, leronlimab, has been administered to 10 severely ill patients with COVID-19 at a leading medical center in the New York City area under an emergency IND recently granted by the FDA. The company recently initiated enrollment in a Phase 2 trial for leronlimab treatment of COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate indications and under the same IND, is now proceeding with its second COVID-19 clinical, a Phase 2b/3 trial for the treatment of critically ill patients.

06:08 EDT Patterson-UTI reduces 2020 capital expenditures by $140M amid COVID-19 pandemic - Patterson-UTI provided an update to address the company's response to current market conditions. Reduced demand for crude oil and refined products related to the necessary global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with production increases from OPEC+, has led to a reduction in crude oil prices and resulted in falling demand for drilling and completion services in North America. In response to current market conditions, Patterson-UTI is reducing direct operating costs in line with activity declines, reducing SG&A expenses and other support costs and closing a number of facilities. The company is reducing planned 2020 capital expenditures to approximately $140M, a 60% reduction from 2019 and a more than 40% reduction from our previously announced plans for 2020 capital expenditures. Patterson-UTI is also reducing executive group compensation for 2020 by more than 50%. Andy Hendricks, Patterson-UTI's CEO, stated, "The safety of our employees remains our top priority. As the virus threat began to grow in North America, Patterson-UTI took steps to protect people and operations by enacting a specific Risk Mitigation and Business Continuity Plan to address the possible COVID-19 effects on our people, operations and facilities. We believe that we have taken significant steps to protect the safety and welfare of our people and maintain our consistent and high-quality operations."

06:07 EDT Nielsen, Sinclair Broadcast announce multi-year agreement - Nielsen (NLSN) and Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) announced a multi-year renewal agreement under which Nielsen will provide a comprehensive suite of measurement services for all of Sinclair's 191 local television stations and one regional cable news channel in 89 markets, 22 regional sports network brands, several Digital Television Networks, as well as its cable network Tennis Channel. This agreement includes Nielsen Scarborough, Ad Intel, Arianna and Grabix, as well as Digital in TV ratings measurement in select markets and platforms.

05:57 EDT Pretium Resources: COVID-19 may have 'significant impact' on production - Pretium Resources remains committed to the safety and health of our workforce and neighbouring communities in northwest British Columbia. The Brucejack Mine continues to operate under the strict guidance and directives of federal, provincial and regional health authorities. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Brucejack. A significant number of steps have been taken to protect the site workforce and limit the risk of COVID-19 exposure for crews, and in turn their families and communities. In order to minimize the number of individuals on site at Brucejack, only personnel necessary to support gold production will continue to work at the mine. Consequently, all capital projects and expansion drilling have been placed on hold and crews have been demobilized. In order to decrease the frequency of crew changes and travel required, crew rotations for most departments have been increased to three weeks on and three weeks off (or potentially three weeks on and one week off, pending Ministry approval) from two weeks on and two weeks off. COVID-19 did not impact first quarter gold production. Looking ahead, COVID-19 may have a significant impact on production if the Company is not able to maintain operations. The Company currently expects a modest impact on costs should operations continue with enhanced safety measures in effect.

05:45 EDT Premier, Resilinc to launch healthcare exchange to eas hospital supply shortages - Resilinc and Premier announced the roll out of The Exchange at Resilinc. The Exchange is a cloud-based platform for the healthcare industry where hospitals interact with vetted peer organizations to identify, locate and exchange critical medical items during the COVID-19 outbreak. The exchange platform, in collaboration with Stanford Medicine, will launch in mid-April and is now accepting applications for providers and industry groups to join at no cost. Through the Exchange - which is agnostic to any group purchasing organization - hospitals and frontline healthcare providers experiencing supply shortages can submit requests for specific items and be matched with peer organizations who can supply those items through a safe, secure and trusted network. Donations of critical supplies are also welcome and will be disbursed through an integrated donation center.

05:26 EDT CenterPoint Energy cuts quarterly dividend to 15c per share due to COVID-19 - CenterPoint Energy announced a series of measures to strengthen its financial position and provide multi-year flexibility as to equity issuances. In a separate news release issued earlier today, Enable Midstream Partners announced a 50% distribution reduction for common units, representing limited partner interests in Enable. Given CenterPoint Energy's 53.7% ownership of the outstanding common units of Enable, this decrease is expected to reduce distributions to CenterPoint Energy by approximately $155 million per year on an annualized basis. To adjust for this reduction in cash flow and strengthen CenterPoint Energy's financial position, the company expects to take the following measures intended to maintain solid investment grade credit quality: A targeted reduction in the company's quarterly common stock dividend from $0.2900 per share to $0.1500 per share, targeting a 50% - 55% utility earnings payout ratio; An approximately $40 million target reduction in 2020 operation and maintenance (O&M) expenses, excluding certain merger costs, utility costs to achieve, severance and amounts with revenue offsets; previous plans indicated the company's intent to hold 2020 O&M flat to 2019 levels; and An approximately $300 million reduction in 2020 capital spending from $2.6 billion to $2.3 billion; the company will continue to target five-year total capital investment of approximately $13 billion as previously disclosed. With the above three steps and the increased earnings contribution from utilities, the company expects that its financial position will be strengthened and its credit quality improved, which will also provide multi-year flexibility as to the timing and total amount of equity issuances. The company will evaluate market and economic conditions, including the potential impacts of COVID-19, and will remain opportunistic as it assesses equity needs. "In light of Enable's recent distribution decrease, this reduction in CenterPoint Energy's common stock dividend strengthens CenterPoint Energy's business risk profile by significantly reducing the company's reliance upon cash distributions from Enable," said John W. Somerhalder II, interim president and CEO. "We anticipate utility earnings contribution will approach 90% for 2020 and increase to nearly 100% over the next few years. The net result of today's actions supports CenterPoint Energy's firm commitment to maintaining investment grade credit quality and our continued strategic focus on growing utility earnings contribution." CenterPoint Energy continues to analyze the impact of recent events related to COVID-19 and may experience some reduction in electric and natural gas demand, as well as increased bad debt expense. While CenterPoint Energy is assessing the business impact of COVID-19 and current market and economic conditions, the company is unaware at this time of any other extraordinary factors currently having a material effect on business performance and continues to be confident in its liquidity position. CenterPoint Energy will release first quarter 2020 results on May 7, and will address pandemic impacts, capital expenditures, O&M reductions and 2020 guidance.