Stockwinners Market Radar for April 06, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:31 EDT Organigram to temporarily lay off 45% of workforce - Organigram Holdings announced the temporary layoff of approximately 45% of its workforce primarily to help boost COVID-19 containment efforts representing approximately 400 employees. COVID-19, some administrative, support and other functions were deemed non-essential to the short-term needs of the business. The temporary layoffs were initiated on March 24, 2020 and the Company will continuously monitor the evolving situation. Lump-sum payments will be paid to the affected employees to help bridge the gap to available government programs. In addition, the company will absorb the employee paid portion of health, dental and short-term disability premiums for all employees during this difficult time.

19:03 EDT Iqvia launches COVID-19 trial matching solutions - IQVIA announced its new technology-enabled COVID-19 Trial Matching Tool at c19trials.com, which is "one of the world's first online platforms that matches individuals with specific COVID-19 studies to accelerate clinical research projects." This solution combines publicly available information, IQVIA data and tools, and an algorithmic logic that generates a questionnaire dependant on previous responses to match patients and investigators to accelerate ongoing COVID-19 clinical research projects within the U.S.

19:00 EDT 3M, White House confirm plan to import 166.5M respirators over next 3 months - 3M and the Trump Administration are announcing a plan to import 166.5 million respirators over the next three months to support healthcare workers in the United States. 3M and the Administration worked together to ensure that this plan does not create further humanitarian implications for countries currently fighting the COVID-19 outbreak, and committed to further collaborate to fight price gouging and counterfeiting. "I want to thank President Trump and the Administration for their leadership and collaboration," said 3M chairman and CEO Mike Roman. "We share the same goals of providing much-needed respirators to Americans across our country and combating criminals who seek to take advantage of the current crisis. These imports will supplement the 35 million N95 respirators we currently produce per month in the United States." 3M will import 166.5 million respirators over the next three months primarily from its manufacturing facility in China, starting in April. The Administration is committed to working to address and remove export and regulatory restrictions to enable this plan. The plan will also enable 3M to continue sending U.S. produced respirators to Canada and Latin America, where 3M is the primary source of supply. As a global company, 3M has manufacturing operations around the world to serve local and regional markets. As the pandemic unfolds in different stages around the world, 3M will continue to work with governments to direct respirators and other supplies to serve areas most in need. Beginning in January, 3M ramped up production of N95 respirators and doubled its global output to 1.1 billion per year - including the 35 million a month in the United States. 3M has already put into motion additional investments and actions that will enable it to double its capacity again to 2 billion globally within 12 months, with additional capacity to begin coming online in the next 60 to 90 days. In the United States, for example, 3M expects to be producing N95 respirators at a rate of 50 million per month in June, a 40 percent increase from current levels. Last week 3M announced additional actions to address price gouging and counterfeit activity related to its respirators. 3M has not changed the prices it charges for respirators, and will take decisive action against those seeking to take illegal and unethical advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

18:32 EDT GoDaddy acquires Neustar's Registry business, terms not disclosed - GoDaddy announced it is acquiring Neustar Inc's Registry business. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in Q2. The Neustar Registry business features a high-performance backend registry technology platform and enhanced domain security systems that enable people and brands to seamlessly connect and transact online with speed, security and reliability. The new service will be called GoDaddy Registry and will be led by Nicolai Bezsonoff, currently Senior Vice President and General Manager of Neustar's Registry business. As part of the transaction, GoDaddy will strictly adhere to a governance model that maintains independence between the GoDaddy registry and registrar businesses. GoDaddy has worked closely with both registrars and registries for more than 20 years to help grow a healthy and competitive domains market and it will continue to do so for the benefit of consumers and the industry.

18:06 EDT Pershing boosts stake in Berkshire by 39%, Lowe's by 46% - According to the firm's 2019 annual report, Pershing Square said it has increased its stakes in Agilent (A) by 16%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) by 39%, Hilton (HLT) by 34%, Howard Hughes (HHC) by 158%, Lowe's (LOW) by 46%, and Restaurant Brands (QSR) by 26%. The company said it has also reestablished a 10% of capital position in Starbucks (SBUX). If its portfolio companies grow in value and their stock prices increase over the long term as it expects, the long-term returns for PSH will be substantially greater than before as a result of the reinvestment of the proceeds from the hedging transactions, the company said. Reference Link

17:50 EDT Silver Lake, Sixth Street Partners invest $1B in Airbnb - "Airbnb announced that Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners will invest $1 billion in Airbnb in a combination of debt and equity securities. The new resources will support Airbnb's ongoing work to invest over the long term in its community of hosts who share their homes and experiences, as well as the work to serve all stakeholders in the Airbnb community. The desire to explore, connect, have new experiences, and have a comfortable place to call home are universal and enduring. And our commitment to create a greater sense of belonging-for everyone, everywhere-will never change," said Airbnb in a statement. Publicly traded companies in the hotel or lodging space that "Airbnb operates in include: Choice Hotels (CHH), Hilton (HLT), Hyatt (H), InterContinental (IHG), Marriott (MAR), Starwood (HOT) and Wyndham (WYN). https://news.airbnb.com/silver-lake-sixth-street-partners-invest-1-billion-in-airbnb/

17:43 EDT Cato Corp. to extend closure of all brick and mortar stores until further notice - The Cato Corporation announced it will extend the closure of all brick and mortar stores, until further notice. Company management will continue to assess the situation, market by market as additional guidance is issued from U.S. and local governments, as well as the Centers for Disease Control, as it develops its plan to reopen stores at a future date. As a result of the extended store closure, coupled with the North Carolina's "Stay-at-Home" Executive Order impacting the Home Office, Cato has temporarily furloughed its store associates, a majority of distribution center associates, as well as additional corporate associates, whose work has been significantly reduced by the store closures. At this time, those impacted will continue to receive enrolled benefits. As part of the business response to COVID-19, the company has taken the following actions to protect our financial position during these challenging times: Temporarily discontinued monthly sales releases, until further notice; Temporarily suspended the quarterly dividend; Suspended hiring and eliminated all merit raises for 2020; Drew down $30 million from our $35 million line of credit, in an effort to protect cash reserves; Significantly decreased capital expenditures; Delayed or cancelled some planned new store openings; Continue to review non-payroll expenses across the business; Managing inventory by aggressively cancelling and/or delaying merchandise to better align with anticipated sales; Evaluating extending payment terms for vendor invoices and suspending rent payments; Temporarily reduced CEO salary by 50%; Temporarily reduced Board fees by 50%; Temporarily reducing other associates salaries by 25%, however not below $55,000.

17:36 EDT Pioneer Natural obtains $905M credit revolver - On April 3, Pioneer Natural Resources entered into a 364-Day Credit Agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent, and the other agents and lenders party thereto. The Credit Agreement provides for an unsecured revolving credit facility with commitments in an aggregate amount of $905M as of April 3. The company has the option to increase the commitments under the Credit Agreement by up to an additional $95M for a total of $1B, subject to, among other things, additional lenders providing additional commitments and loans.

17:11 EDT Youngevity receives noncompliance notification from Nasdaq - Youngevity announced that it received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq indicating that, as a result of Youngevity's delay in filing its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Youngevity is not in compliance with the timely filing requirement for continued listing under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250. The notification letter has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of Youngevity's common stock on Nasdaq. Youngevity filed a notification of late filing on form 12b-25 on March 16, indicating that the filing of the Form 10-K would be delayed and the company anticipated filing its 10-K within the 15 day extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. On March 25, subsequent to Youngevity's March 16 notification of late filing, the Securities and Exchange Commission provided extended conditional exemptions from reporting requirements for public companies affected by COVID-19, but this exemption and relief was not made available for companies that already had filed a notification of late filing so Youngevity was not provided the relief provided by the SEC. On March 31, Youngevity issued a press release that advised due the displacement of staff, including substantially all accounting staff, restrictions imposed by various governments, and displacement of auditors' staff among other areas of impact, has slowed down the financial reporting and audit process causing the company to miss the filing date of its 10-K. Nasdaq has informed Youngevity that it must submit a plan of compliance within 60 calendar days of receipt of the letter addressing how it intends to regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing rules and, if Nasdaq accepts the plan, it may grant an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the Form 10-K original filing due date to regain compliance. Youngevity anticipates filing the Form 10-K and regaining compliance prior to the 60-day period described above to submit a plan.

17:04 EDT Emerald Holding provides liquidity update - Emerald Holding provided an update on the company's liquidity position as of March 31, as well as an update on upcoming events. Emerald ended Q1 with $50M in cash and total liquidity of $150M, including $100M in borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility. As previously disclosed, the company has also taken significant pre-emptive actions to preserve cash and strengthen its liquidity position while navigating the evolving pandemic, including, but not limited to: Carefully managing its expense structure across all key areas of discretionary spending; Drawing down $50M from the company's revolving credit facility to bolster cash balances; Temporarily suspending the regular quarterly cash dividend; and Halting any incremental share repurchases.

17:03 EDT Bellus Health completes dosing in RELIEF trial closed early due to COVID-19 - Bellus Health announced that it has completed patient dosing in its Phase 2 RELIEF clinical trial of BLU-5937 for the treatment of refractory chronic cough, with 52 patients completing treatment. The company decided to close the trial early due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the RELIEF clinical trial activities. The company continues to expect topline data from the trial mid-year 2020. A total of 68 patients with refractory chronic cough were enrolled into the trial, with 52 completing treatment. Sixteen patients dropped out in total, including 13 as a result of difficulties with conducting follow-up visits related to the COVID-19 pandemic or early termination of the trial. The RELIEF trial is a 2-arm dose-escalation, placebo-controlled, and crossover design to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BLU-5937, a highly selective P2X3 antagonist, in refractory chronic cough at four doses: 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg, administered orally, twice-daily, or BID. With 52 patients having completed dosing, the RELIEF trial is powered at more than 80% to see a 30% difference between BLU-5937 and placebo in awake cough frequency.

17:02 EDT Global Payments withdraws FY20 guidance, sees Q1 revenue view to 'up slightly' - The company states: "Global Payments is closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of our team members, customers, partners and the communities in which we live and work. We have taken numerous actions to safeguard our team members, including encouraging work from home, implementing precautionary measures in our offices, temporarily closing facilities, restricting business travel and providing mandatory training to educate all employees about COVID-19. Global Payments began implementing business continuity plans in impacted areas in early 2020 and has continued to expand these efforts to all regions globally. The company is operating normally, and we do not currently anticipate any significant operational impacts. The company's first quarter performance in January, February and through the first two weeks of March exceeded our internal expectations, excluding approximately $15 million of adjusted net revenue impact from COVID-19 in our Asia Pacific region. However, starting in mid-March COVID-19 began to impact the company's results significantly in North America and Europe as governments took actions to encourage social distancing and implement shelter in place directives. The deterioration accelerated toward the end of March as the pandemic spread further and the number of countries and localities adopting restrictive measures meaningfully increased. As a result, we now expect adjusted net revenue for the first quarter to be up slightly on a combined basis and adjusted earnings per share to grow approximately mid-teens compared to the prior year on a constant currency basis. These results exclude recent adverse foreign currency exchange rate movements, which we currently estimate had up to a 100 basis point impact on adjusted net revenue and adjusted earnings per share for the period. We expect the year-over-year GAAP revenue and GAAP earnings per share trends for the first quarter to be roughly consistent with the fourth quarter of 2019. As the duration and severity of the outbreak is unknown, we are suspending our financial outlook for the full year 2020. We have already taken and will continue to implement incremental actions to reduce expenses to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19."

16:56 EDT GreenSky says it has sufficient funding capacity for ops through 2021 - GreenSky has approximately $270 million of corporate liquidity, comprised of more than $170 million of unrestricted cash and an undrawn $100 million revolving credit facility. GreenSky has approximately $5 billion in funding capacity to support future transaction volume through 2021, comprised of approximately $1.6 billion of current unused bank partner funding commitments plus approximately $3.4 billion of additional capacity created as existing loans pay down or pay off. Based on current and anticipated funding sources, including the Revolving Facility and the Forward Flow Facility, the Company believes that it will continue to have funding capacity that is sufficient to fund its business through 2021.

16:54 EDT GreenSky says Q1 transaction volume up 10% to $1.37B - Transaction volume in the first quarter was approximately $1.372, up 10% over the quarter ended March 31, 2019. As previously disclosed, in January and February 2020, before COVID-19 began disrupting business activity nationally, GreenSky generated $905 million of transaction volume, up 16% over the comparable 2019 two-month period. In March 2020, as activity was beginning to slow due to COVID-19, transaction volume was nearly $467 million, slightly above March 2019 transaction volume of $461 million. In light of the impact of COVID-19, the Company anticipates second quarter transaction volume to continue to decline. Credit performance is historically strong as the Company enters the second quarter. The 30-day delinquencies were 1.23%, an 8 basis point improvement over the same quarter in 2019, and the weighted-average FICO score for originations in the first quarter of 2020 was greater than 770. The Company believes that its super-prime program borrowers and focus on promotional credit are strongly resilient.

16:52 EDT GreenSky says well positioned strategically for current environment - While the impact of COVID-19 continues to evolve, and the ultimate duration and severity of the pandemic are unknown, GreenSky is well positioned strategically and financially to adapt to the current environment," said David Zalik, GreenSky Chairman & CEO. "We remain highly focused on serving the needs of all members of the GreenSky ecosystem: our merchants, bank partners, and GreenSky program borrowers. Each of our bank partners is working with us to provide temporary relief from payments to GreenSky program borrowers requesting hardship assistance. Moreover, having successfully instituted a Company-wide work-at-home program to ensure the safety of all GreenSky associates and their families, we continue to support the ongoing loan servicing, enrollment, application, transaction processing, and funding needs of our bank partners, merchants and their consumer customers in seamless fashion. Finally, as indicated in the Transaction Volume and Credit Performance section below, we continue to be gratified by the durability of our business, including continued low delinquencies, during this highly unusual time," added Zalik.

16:42 EDT CNH Industrial confirms AGM, removes dividend proposal - CNH Industrial confirms that its Annual General Meeting of shareholders will be held on April 16 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as previously announced. Due to travel bans and local restrictions on meetings issued because of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is anticipated that executive and non-executive directors will attend our AGM via remote connection. Furthermore, for health and safety reasons, the company will take appropriate measures to minimize public health risks relating to the AGM and further measures will be introduced in the event local prescriptions will be amended. CNH Industrial therefore reserves the right to amend the physical arrangements on the day of the AGM, including refusing entry to the meeting to comply with health and safety requirements.

16:39 EDT Bow Street responds to Mack-Cali Realty statements - In a letter, Bow Street managing partner Akiva Katz writes: "With respect to the concerns you expressed to me regarding the presence of current Company directors on the Bow Street slate, we would like to make a proposal that should accommodate everyone's issues: We understand that the Nominating and Governance Committee of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation may be reluctant to include the four Bow Street nominees that were elected as Company directors at the Company's 2019 Annual Meeting - Alan R. Batkin, Frederic Cumenal, MaryAnne Gilmartin and Nori Gerardo Lietz - on the Company's proxy card for the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting, because the 2019 Elected Directors have already agreed to be included on Bow Street's proxy card for the 2020 Annual Meeting. As you know, the Company's bylaws required Bow Street to name its nominees for the 2020 Annual Meeting prior to the time that the Company was required to name its nominees, and accordingly Bow Street requested the 2019 Elected Directors to consent to being named in Bow Street's proxy statement for the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting, and nominated them in accordance with the Company's bylaws, to ensure that they would be able to stand for re-election to the board. The 2019 Elected Directors had the overwhelming support of the Company's stockholders at the 2019 Annual Meeting, and we expect will have overwhelming support at the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting. While we are comfortable with these directors appearing on both slates - that of Mack-Cali and Bow Street - we are also willing to accommodate any concerns in this regard. To be clear, our singular goal is to ensure that the 2019 Elected Directors be permitted to continue the work they have started on behalf of all of the Company's stockholders. From our perspective (and that of shareholders), the proxy card on which they appear is a mere formality. As such, Bow Street accordingly would be willing to remove the 2019 Elected Directors from its proxy statement and proxy card for the 2020 Annual Meeting, provided that the Company irrevocably agrees to include the 2019 Elected Directors as nominees in the Company's proxy statement and proxy card for the 2020 Annual Meeting, and agrees to support the election of the 2019 Elected Directors in substantially the same manner as it supports the election of the Company's other nominees. Please let us know if this sensible approach is agreeable."

16:36 EDT Ralph Lauren to furlough employees beyond April 11th - The company states: "Our store employees in North America have been compensated since store closures went into effect in mid-March and will continue to be paid in full through April 11, 2020. International store employees in regions where retail operations are required to remain closed have received similar compensation to-date, as guided by local government regulations and authorities. Following this period, all of our store employees where retail operations are suspended, as well as employees whose jobs are not conducive to continued remote working, will be placed on unpaid temporary furlough. This includes the majority of our store employees and a portion of our corporate employees in North America, Europe and select other parts of the world. These employees will continue to receive regular employee benefits, including health benefits and any government assistance for those eligible. International store employees in regions where retail operations remain closed will receive compensation as guided by local governments and authorities. Our hope is to bring our employees back to work as soon as it is safe and practical."

16:35 EDT Planet Fitness changes to virtual-only format for Annual Meeting of Shareholders - Planet Fitness announced that, due to the public health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company will change its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to a virtual-only format. As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 30. Shareholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. As described in the proxy materials that were previously distributed, shareholders are entitled to participate in the Annual Meeting if they were a shareholder of the company as of the close of business on March 3, the record date, or hold a legal proxy provided by their bank, broker or other holder of record as of the record date. Shareholders will be able to attend and vote online (for those who intend to vote at the Annual Meeting) at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PLNT2020 by entering the 16-digit control number provided on their proxy card. This website will contain instructions on how to participate in the Annual Meeting in advance of the meeting. The Company has designed the format of the Annual Meeting to ensure that shareholders are afforded the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would at an in-person meeting, using online tools to ensure shareholder access and participation.

16:34 EDT HCA, Google Cloud partner over COVID-19 National Response Portal - HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Google Cloud (GOOG) jointly announced the COVID-19 National Response Portal, an open data platform built and operated by SADA. Running on Google Cloud, the platform is intended to promote data-sharing about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is spreading in an effort to help hospitals and communities prepare and respond. "COVID-19 presents a unique and significant challenge to healthcare providers, and collaboration and coordination is more important than ever to help ensure the best possible response," said Dr. Edmund Jackson, HCA Healthcare's chief data officer. "While COVID-19 has driven us apart physically, we will respond to it by coming together digitally. We are proud to work alongside Google Cloud to create a platform to help address this urgent public health challenge." The COVID-19 National Response Portal is intended to enable healthcare providers across the country to safely share and display anonymous, aggregated metrics from hospital systems into a single platform to show a complete and real-time view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data can be submitted each day from hospital systems across the United States and will be focused on metrics such as ICU bed supply and utilization; ventilator supply and utilization; total numbers of positive, negative, and pending COVID-19 test results; and total numbers of healthy patients who have been discharged. The platform will also have the ability to leverage publicly available datasets, such as data on local shelter-in-place policies, and traffic or mobility patterns, to help shed light on how public behaviors and policies may impact the spread of COVID-19.

16:33 EDT Beazer Homes reports preliminary Q2 net new orders up 3.9% - Beazer Homes reported selected preliminary results for the second quarter of fiscal 2020. These results are preliminary and unaudited and are being provided in light of current volatility and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Despite an increasingly challenging business environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the final weeks of March, we generated strong fiscal second quarter results and ended the quarter with substantially more liquidity than in the same period in the prior year," the company said. "We are actively taking steps to navigate through this extraordinary period by placing our highest priority on ensuring the safety and health of our employees, customers, and trade partners. We are also taking steps to maximize liquidity by limiting cash expenditures, including temporarily reducing or deferring land acquisition and development spending. At the current time, the government is allowing construction and sales of homes in the markets in which we operate. In response to the pandemic, our sales teams have shifted to an appointment-only home sales process and are leveraging virtual sales tools to connect with our customers online. However, customer traffic and sales have slowed significantly, and due to uncertainty surrounding this ongoing public health crisis and its continued impact on the U.S. economy, we cannot predict either the near-term or long-term effects that the pandemic will have on our business."

16:31 EDT Flowserve withdraws FY20 guidance due to COVID-19 impact - Flowserve Corporation provided an update on its business and operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the company's global locations, including manufacturing facilities, Quick Response Centers (QRCs), Global Technology & Engineering Centers (GTEC) and corporate headquarters, have incurred periods of temporary closures. Despite country, state and local authorities issuing various shelter in place orders, Flowserve's products and services are classified as an essential business in most of the locations where the company operates, and serving our customers and restoring operations is of utmost importance. The majority of our facilities continue to make products and provide services for its customers. In these locations, the company has taken steps to enforce social distancing practices, augment the cleaning practices of the facility, and enhance the hygiene protocol in shared spaces. Additionally, Flowserve has implemented a work-from-home policy for all employees in affected locations who are able to do so. Flowserve continues to monitor the situation closely, and will act in accordance with decrees, orders and laws in the countries and geographies where the company operates. On February 17, 2020, Flowserve provided its guidance on certain financial metrics for full-year 2020, prior to the global spread of COVID-19. Due to the rapidly evolving impact of COVID-19, as well as end-market uncertainty, Flowserve is withdrawing its 2020 financial guidance at this time. Flowserve's products and services remain important to existing process industries, and the company's installed base requires ongoing attention. In 2019, over half of Flowserve's revenues were for parts, services and repairs to support our extensive installed base of equipment. Additionally, the majority of original equipment sales in 2019 were also to existing and operating facilities through customer's MRO budgets. These facilities continue to operate, and Flowserve remains committed to helping them run safely and efficiently, it said.

16:27 EDT IAC expects 'new' IAC to have in excess of $2.3B cash and no debt - In a shareholder letter, CEO Joey Levin discussed the state of the company's business. Reference Link

16:23 EDT Two Harbors lowers quarterly dividend to 5c from 40c - The interim dividend is payable on April 29, 2020, for stockholders of record as of April 16, 2020. The board will evaluate the second quarter dividend and other future quarterly dividends based on market conditions and the company's expected ongoing earnings power.

16:22 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch furloughs North America employees in response to COVID-19 - Abercrombie & Fitch announced further updates in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. The company's online stores remain open globally, and the majority of stores in the APAC region are open. In North America and the EMEA region, stores remain closed. The current environment has resulted in significantly reduced demand, requiring fewer resources to support the business. As a result, the company is furloughing its North America and EMEA region store associates beginning April 12, during which time they will continue to receive enrolled benefits. The company will fund 100% of the health premiums for eligible associates impacted by these measures. Additionally, the company will be implementing a temporary reduction in work schedule and corresponding reduction in pay for approximately 15% of its corporate associates globally, who are not able to operate at full capacity in this current business climate. The company will make every effort to bring its stores associates back to work, and its corporate associates back to a full schedule, as soon as possible.The company is also initiating a range of other measures to increase financial flexibility and maintain agility during this challenging period. These measures include temporary reductions in its leadership team's salaries ranging from 10% to 33% from the VP level upwards, including all named executive officers and the CEO. The company's board cash retainer will also temporarily be reduced by 50%, and the company has cancelled all spring merit raises and promotions. Additionally, the company has drawn down $210M under its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility, withdrawn excess funds from its Rabbi Trust thus providing approximately $50M of additional cash and determined it will not undertake any share buybacks for the foreseeable future.

16:20 EDT Univar changes 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to virtual only format - Univar announced that its upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held in a virtual only format in light of public health concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The Annual Meeting will still be held on Thursday, May 7, at 8:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Stockholders of record as of the close of business on the record date of March 10, can participate in the Annual Meeting by registering in advance, using the control number included on the proxy card, voting instruction form or notice previously delivered to stockholders, at www.proxydocs.com/UNVR prior to the deadline of Tuesday, May 5, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Upon completing the registration, stockholders will receive further instructions by email.

16:18 EDT TreeHouse changes 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to virtual webcast - TreeHouse Foods announced that due to emerging public health impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the location of its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders has been changed. The Annual Meeting will be held in virtual meeting format only, via live webcast. Stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting physically. As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. Stockholders of record at the close of business on March 2, 2020, the record date, will be able to access the Annual Meeting webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/THS2020. To be admitted to the webcast on the Annual Meeting Website, stockholders must enter the 16-digit control number found on their proxy card, voting instruction form or notice previously received by stockholders.

16:18 EDT Abraxas Petroleum discloses listing compliance notice from Nasdaq - Abraxas Petroleum announced that on Wednesday, April 1, it received notice from The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC that the Company is not presently in compliance with the NASDAQ continued listing rules since the Company has not yet filed its Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2019. In accordance with applicable NASDAQ procedures, the Company plans to timely notify NASDAQ that it intends to pursue actions to file its Form 10-K as soon as practicable.

16:16 EDT Points International provides business update in response to COVID-19 pandemic - The company said, "Our top priority has been the safety and well-being of our employees across the globe, while ensuring business continuity for our partners. In early March, we proactively mandated all of our teams to work from home, well ahead of broader public policies, and we have seamlessly migrated to this model with minimal impact on operations. We started the year with great momentum from our record fourth quarter last year. In January, February and early March, we experienced strong transaction dynamics and continued to build our new business delivery pipeline.Beginning in mid-March, we began to see a significant decline in transaction volumes and expect that to continue in parallel with COVID-19 travel and hospitality disruption. We are working aggressively to mitigate the transaction volume degradation by actively coordinating as much relevant, targeted promotional activity as possible with our loyalty program partners. Our new business pipeline remains strong and our delivery resources are presently operating at capacity. We believe that our loyalty program partners are actively managing the balance between the near term situation and establishing as much capacity to accelerate growth when the environment improves. Based on our present understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current projections for the pandemic put out by the World Health Organization and relevant governments, we believe that Points is well-capitalized to weather the storm ahead. Total funds available at March 31 was approximately $107 million, including a proactive $40 million draw down on our credit facility. We have temporarily suspended share buybacks under our currently outstanding NCIB. We have taken aggressive expense mitigation steps to date and will continue to limit or cease all discretionary spending as we manage through the impacts of the pandemic. We are aggressively pursuing any and all applicable government assistance programs that may be available to us. On March 4th, 2020, when we issued 2020 guidance, we had not seen any material performance impact to the existing business from the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Accordingly, we indicated at that time that no impact from the outbreak was included in our in-year outlook. Now however, given the COVID-19 pandemic's direct negative impact on the travel and hospitality industries and the presently unknown duration of these headwinds, we believe it is prudent to suspend our previously issued full year 2020 outlook. We are evaluating this new economic environment's impact on our longer-term goals of exiting 2022 with gross profit in the high-$90 million range and adjusted EBITDA in the mid-$40 million range. While they remain our clear goals, the delayed timing of achieving them is dependent not only upon the continued execution of our growth strategies but now also on the broader global recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic."

16:11 EDT Points International sees Q1 adjusted EBITDA $3.2M-$3.9M

16:08 EDT Startek CEO to forgo any cash salary for remainder of 2020 - Startek has implemented a series of measures on Business Continuity Planning enactment, ensuring safety for all its people, improving liquidity and supporting its customers business operations in these unprecedented times. Aparup Sengupta, Executive Chairman and Global CEO at Startek, who has not received compensation in any form since his appointment on January 15, 2020, will forgo any cash salary for the remainder of 2020. The decision comes in order to mitigate financial impacts to the company as global markets are impacted from widespread disruption and mandated steps to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. "Our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our employees and we've implemented key measures to maximize our operations and efficiency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Aparup Sengupta, Chairman & CEO of Startek. "We are continuously enabling employees to work from home after obtaining requisite client approvals. We are aligning our workforce to match with the current revenue levels and also managing our operating costs with an emphasis on minimizing disruption to our global business operations."

16:06 EDT ServiceMaster's Terminix starts disinfection service in response to COVID-19 - As the concern around the spread of COVID-19 has caused significant disruption of many businesses and communities, Terminix Commercial, a leading provider of commercial pest management, and a ServiceMaster company, is launching a new disinfecting service to meet the growing need for disinfection head-on. The new service from Terminix Commercial, Disinfectix Site Disinfecting Service, is a convenient and effective way to give business owners the confidence that their areas will be clean for staff and customers to return. The service is provided by trained professionals using products that meet the criteria of, and are deemed effective by the U.S. EPA, for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The service will help essential businesses maintain clean work areas while staying in compliance with federal, state, and local public health protocols and will help prepare shuttered businesses to reopen when the time comes.

16:04 EDT NanoString sees Q1 product and service revenue $24.5M, up 15% from last year - The company states: "Product and service revenue was approximately $24.5M, representing growth of approximately 15%, as compared to the prior year period. This compares to guidance for first quarter product and service revenue of $25M to $28M. nCounter revenue was approximately $17.4M, including about $3.3M from instrument sales and about $10.9M from consumables sales. This compares to guidance for first quarter nCounter revenue of $19M to $21M. GeoMx DSP revenue was approximately $7.1M, as compared to prior guidance for first quarter GeoMx DSP revenue of $6M-$7M.

16:01 EDT TriNet announces COVID-19 incentive program - TriNet announced a COVID-19 incentive program for nearly 400 companies within its life sciences industry vertical. The incentive program is being offered to TriNet clients who employ furloughed medical personnel that are now redeploying their skills to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the program, TriNet will cover the TriNet professional service fees for these employees for two months, as well as, ensure continuing pre-tax benefits at no cost to the WSE during the same period. TriNet also announced that for the majority of TriNet WSEs in a TriNet sponsored health insurance plan, together with its insurance carriers, they will assume the cost of the member's copays for telemedicine treatments, as well as the cost of the member's copay and cost-sharing fees for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and treatments. Customers enrolled in a TriNet sponsored health plan should check with their insurance carrier for benefit determinations.

15:15 EDT QAD Inc trading resumes

15:08 EDT Facebook launches new tools for health researchers to track, combat COVID-19 - By KX Jin, Head of Health, and Laura McGorman, Data for Good said in part, in a blog posting: "Flattening the global COVID-19 curve is a challenge that takes all of us. As people distance themselves to protect their communities and healthcare workers save lives on the front lines, hospitals are working to get the right resources, and public health systems are looking to put the right guidelines in place. To do that, they need better information on whether preventive measures are working and how the virus may spread. As part of "Facebook's Data for Good program," we offer maps on population movement that researchers and nonprofits are already using to understand the coronavirus crisis, using aggregated data to protect people's privacy. We heard from them how valuable this information can be in responding to COVID-19, and today we're announcing new tools to support their work: Three new types of Disease Prevention Maps to help inform disease forecasting efforts and protective measures, additionally the company said, it is providing new tools for disease prevention as well as launching a survey for health researchers to track COVID-19." Reference Link

15:02 EDT Ameriserve Financial to hold virtual annual shareholder meeting - AmeriServ Financial announced today that, due to the continuing public health concerns relating to the coronavirus pandemic, and to protect the health and well-being of its shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders, the company's 2020 annual meeting of shareholders will now be held virtually. The virtual meeting will be held on the same date and time as previously announced, April 28, 2020 at 1:30 pm ET.

14:40 EDT PGA Tour announces golf tournament delays, cancellations - The U.S. Open, previously scheduled for June 15-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, has been officially rescheduled for September 14-20 and is confirmed to remain at Winged Foot. The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, and the Championship will next be played at Royal St. George's in 2021. The PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship is now scheduled to take place August 3-9 and will remain at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California. The PGA Championship was originally slated for May 11-17 but was postponed on March 17. Augusta National has identified November 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters Tournament, which was previously scheduled for April 6-12 and postponed on March 13. The European Tour is currently working through various scenarios in relation to the rescheduling of our tournaments for the 2020 season. The European Tour will make further announcements on these in due course. Note that ViacomCBS (VIAC) holds the broadcast rights to the PGA Tour. Reference Link

14:19 EDT Kroger to limit customers to 50% of building code capacity - Kroger announced the adoption of customer capacity limits to further encourage physical distancing in stores. Beginning April 7, the retailer will begin to limit the number of customers to 50% of the international building code's calculated capacity to allow for proper physical distancing in every store. As an illustration, the standard building capacity for a grocery store is 1 person per 60 square feet, the company pointed out. Under Kroger's new reduced capacity limits, the number will be 1 person per 120 square feet. Further, Kroger is temporarily waiving fees for prescription delivery via mail or courier.

13:25 EDT Atlas Technical Consultants Inc (Class A Stock) trading resumes

13:20 EDT Atlas Technical Consultants Inc (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:45 EDT A.H. Belo trading resumes

12:34 EDT Tyson Foods says plants experiencing varying levels of production impact - Tyson Foods issued a statement from CEO Noel White about the company's efforts to address the COVID-19 situation in the U.S., as well as the impact of the virus on operations. The company said in part, "We've been taking the temperature of workers at all of our locations before they enter company facilities...In addition, we've stepped up deep cleaning and sanitizing of our facilities, especially in employee breakrooms, locker rooms and other areas, to protect our team members. This additional cleaning sometimes requires suspending at least one day of production...We continue to explore and implement additional ways to promote more social distancing in our plants...Our meat and poultry plants are experiencing varying levels of production impact, due to the planned implementation of additional worker safety precautions and worker absenteeism. For example, out of an abundance of caution, we have suspended operations at our Columbus Junction, Iowa, pork plant this week due to more than two dozen cases of COVID-19 involving team members at the facility. In an effort to minimize the impact on our overall production, we're diverting the livestock supply originally scheduled for delivery to Columbus Junction to some of our other pork plants in the region."

12:32 EDT MiMedx confirms settlement of VA pricing investigation - MiMedx Group announced that it has finalized a settlement with the Department of Justice resolving an investigation concerning the accuracy of commercial pricing disclosures to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for one of the company's products in connection with the company's Federal Supply Schedule contract, and a related qui tam action filed in Minnesota. The company self-disclosed the matter to the VA Office of Inspector General in November 2018, prior to its knowledge of the qui tam suit or any underlying government investigation and, as DOJ acknowledged in the settlement agreement, the company cooperated with the government's investigation into the matter. Without admitting the allegations the company has agreed to pay $6.5M to the DOJ to resolve the matter. The company previously disclosed that it had accrued an amount to cover the settlement and anticipated related expenses in its recently-released results for the year ended December 31, 2018. CEO Timothy Wright commented, "We are happy to have this investigation behind us. Transparency, cooperation and disclosure are enabling us to resolve historical issues and focus our efforts toward the future. This is another important step in that effort."

12:26 EDT NYS Governor Cuomo extends NY PAUSE initiative until April 29 - NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York will continue its NY PAUSE initiative and keep non-essential businesses closed until April 29. Cuomo explained that other countries reached their respective apexes and relaxed initiatives, then experienced a resurgence.

12:20 EDT A.H. Belo reduces FY capex to less than $1M, lowers quarterly dividend to 4c - A. H. Belo Corporation announced that it is taking several actions to maintain operating momentum while preserving cash and financial flexibility. Grant Moise, president and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, said, "We have entered an economic reality where our growth in audience is not enough to offset near-term challenges in advertising revenue. While we are aggressively reducing non-compensation related expenses, that will not be enough. Base compensation for all employees is being reduced between 3 percent and 17 percent. Total compensation for senior executives may be reduced by as much as 27 percent. There will be no immediate layoffs or furloughs." Katy Murray, EVP and CFO, said, "In addition to these operating actions, the Board of Directors is reducing capital expenditures to less than $1M for this year, lowering director compensation by 17 percent going forward, and lowering the quarterly dividend rate to $0.04 per share from the current rate of $0.08 per share effective in the third quarter of this year. Commencing with the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders, non-employee directors will receive an annual retainer of $105,000 with no additional amounts for service as Lead Director or committee chair. The size of the Board will be reduced by two at the annual meeting, as directors Ty Miller and Nicole Small will not stand for reelection. In regards to the Company's 2019 SEC quarterly and annual filings, we are pleased to have the 2019 first and second quarter amended reports on file and we expect to file the third quarter 2019 Form 10-Q by the middle of this month. On March 16, 2020, the Company availed itself of a 45-day extension to file its 2019 Form 10-K based on the Securities and Exchange Commission's March 4, 2020 order permitting certain exemptions and extensions for COVID-19-related delays. The Company's 2019 Form 10-K is now due April 30, 2020, and is eligible for an additional 15-day extension. We expect to file the 2019 Form 10-K by April 30." CEO Robert Decherd said, "We started the year with $48.6M of cash and no debt. Based on the actions we have taken to refocus the Company's 2020 financial plan, we'll invest approximately $8M of cash from our balance sheet this year to maintain operations, continue paying a dividend, and fund progress toward becoming sustainably profitable in a digital world."

12:04 EDT A.H. Belo trading halted, news pending

12:03 EDT Land's End furloughs approx. 70% of corporate employees, 100% of retail staff - Lands' End provided an update on recent actions related to COVID-19. Jerome Griffith, CEO and President of Lands' End stated, "At Lands' End, the safety and health of all our employees is our first priority and we are taking steps to minimize risk through work-at-home policies, as well as practicing social distancing and enhanced sanitation in our facilities. Given the uncertainty related to the severity and duration of COVID-19, we have also taken proactive steps to reduce costs, carefully manage inventory, and preserve liquidity." A furlough of approximately 70% of Lands' End's corporate employees and nearly 100% of its retail employees began on March 28, 2020. While some of these personnel executing critical tasks will return to work on April 14, 2020, for many, the furlough will remain in effect through at least May 1, 2020, in line with the federal government's and with the State of Wisconsin's current timeline for the continuation of social distancing. Lands' End currently plans to fund health insurance premiums for employees while they are furloughed, through May 1, 2020. In addition, the Company's 26 U.S. stores, which closed on March 16, will remain closed until further notice, and in line with local guidance in the markets Lands' End serves. The Company's website, www.landsend.com remains open 24/7 and the customer service team will be available via phone or via email.

12:00 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -17.5% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -17.5%, or -$7.81 to $36.80.

12:00 EDT Cherry Hill Mortgage rises 35.6% - Cherry Hill Mortgage is up 35.6%, or $1.03 to $3.92.

12:00 EDT Velocity Financial rises 41.3% - Velocity Financial is up 41.3%, or $1.02 to $3.49.

11:31 EDT Ally Financial says automotive loans have declined significantly - Ally Financial disclosed earlier in a regulatory filing, "The response of governmental and nongovernmental authorities. Many of their actions have been directed toward curtailing household and business activity to contain COVID-19 while simultaneously deploying fiscal- and monetary-policy measures to partially mitigate the adverse effects on individual households and businesses. These actions are not always coordinated or consistent across jurisdictions but, in general, have been rapidly expanding in scope and intensity. For example, in many jurisdictions, governments have acted to temporarily close or restrict the operations of automotive dealers, and as a result, we have recently experienced a significant decline in our origination of consumer automotive loans and leases."

11:19 EDT Venus Concept 510(k) premarket notification posted by FDA - The FDA issued a "Substantially Equivalent" decision on April 1 for the Venus Viva system based on the application made by Venus Concept USA, according to a 510(k) Premarket Notification posted to the FDA website. Reference Link

10:51 EDT Yellen says Fed not legally allowed to buy stocks - Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is speaking on CNBC.

10:47 EDT Yellen says banking system 'much better capitalized' than in 2008 - Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on CNBC that the banking industry is "much better capitalized" now relative to the crisis in 2018. Publicly traded companies in the space include Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC).

10:27 EDT Bellerophon plans to dose first patient in Phase 3 study of INOpulse 'shortly' - The company said, "Bellerophon Therapeutics successfully completed its End-of-Phase 2 meetings with the FDA and finalized key elements of its planned pivotal Phase 3 study of INOpulse for the treatment of PH-PF. The Company intends to dose the first patient in the Phase 3 study shortly. If approved, INOpulse would become the first therapy to treat a broad PH-PF population that includes patients at low-, intermediate- and high-risk of pulmonary hypertension."

10:20 EDT Broadcom 'experiencing some disruption' to parts of global supply chain - In a regulatory filing, Broadcom said: The global spread of COVID-19 and the efforts to control it have slowed global economic activity and disrupted, and reduced the efficiency of, normal business activities in much of the world. The pandemic has resulted in authorities around the world implementing numerous unprecedented measures such as travel restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place orders, and factory and office shutdowns. These measures have impacted and will continue to impact our workforce and operations, and those of our customers, contract manufacturers , suppliers and logistics providers, particularly if the restrictions on movement intensify or expand to additional countries. In particular, we are experiencing some disruption to parts of our global supply chain, and as a result, there is some uncertainty about how the supply chain will perform if the pandemic worsens significantly or restrictive measures increase. Most of our employees and many of those of our CMs and suppliers around the world are working remotely, or on split or reduced shifts due to facility closures or other restrictions. Our primary warehouse and a number of our outsourced assembly and test service providers are in Malaysia, which has mandated the closure of all non-essential businesses. While our Malaysia warehouse is currently fully operational, pursuant to a critical industry exemption, many of the facilities of our suppliers and service providers are not. An extended closure of these facilities may require us to move assembly and test services to providers in other countries, and may, eventually, lead to a shortage of some components needed for our products. In the event restrictive measures in Malaysia are intensified and our warehouse is shut down or required to operate at a reduced capacity, our ability to deliver product to our customers would be severely limited. In addition, reductions in commercial airline and cargo flights, disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure resulting from the pandemic are resulting in increased transport times to deliver materials and components to our facilities and to transfer our products to our assembly and test service providers, and may also affect our ability to timely ship our products to customers. The substantial majority of our semiconductor wafers are manufactured by TSMC, at their facilities in Taiwan. While the impact of COVID-19 has to date been limited in Taiwan, any increase in the severity of the outbreak or in government measures restricting movement there, may cause a substantial disruption to TSMC's operations. This, in turn, would severely reduce our supply of wafers and adversely affect our ability to manufacture most of our products. While our Fort Collins, Colorado manufacturing facility is currently fully operational, any similar disruption there would severely impact our ability to manufacture our FBAR products and adversely affect our wireless business."

10:16 EDT Rite Aid announces launch of RediClinic@Home telehealth service - RediClinic, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rite Aid Corporation, has launched a new telehealth service, RediClinic@Home, the company announced. "The new virtual health program connects patients to RediClinic clinicians through a video chat using a patient's browser-enabled smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop device. In the comfort and safety of their homes, patients have the ability to check in and register online. A provider then reviews their intake form from their remote location and initiates the virtual care video visit. RediClinic@Home video visits are currently available in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Texas. Most insurance plans are accepted or patients can pay $49 per visit," Rite Aid reported.

10:06 EDT HNI Corporation suspends FY20 EPS and sales forecast - HNI Corporation is providing an update related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis. "First and foremost, our focus during this crisis is on the well-being of our members. To protect our teams, we have implemented workplace measures consistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the situation is dynamic, at this point we continue to operate at our primary manufacturing locations," stated Jeff Lorenger, HNI Corporation, Chairman, President, and CEO. "We entered this crisis in a position of strength. We have low debt levels and possess liquidity equivalent to more than two years of free cash flow. While the ultimate impact of the outbreak is uncertain, we are confident in our ability to effectively weather this crisis." At the end of the first quarter 2020, the Corporation had $233M in total debt, representing a gross leverage ratio of 1.0x as calculated under the Corporation's lending agreements, which is well below the 3.5x gross leverage covenant in the existing agreements with the Corporation's lenders. The Corporation is suspending its fiscal 2020 sales and earnings forecast due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "The economic volatility from this crisis is challenging our sales visibility and ability to provide earnings guidance. That said, we remain confident in our long-term strategic direction," Lorenger concluded.

10:03 EDT Carvana to allow customers 90 days to make first loan payment - Carvana, in an effort to provide customers more flexible financing options, is now giving customers up to 90 days to make their first payment. Customers financing with Carvana are eligible to opt in to the payment extension option, as long as they complete their purchase by April 20, the company said in a statement. "Carvana has always been a company intensely focused on doing the right thing for our customers, and in a time when many are feeling the strain between needing safe transportation to an essential job and personal finances, we want customers to know we're here for them," said Ernie Garcia, Carvana founder and CEO. "Our hope is that those who simply can't put a vehicle purchase on hold are able to get what they need quickly and easily, so they can keep moving."

10:00 EDT BP Prudhoe Bay falls -15.9% - BP Prudhoe Bay is down -15.9%, or -82c to $4.36.

10:00 EDT Small Cap Bear 3x falls -16.6% - Small Cap Bear 3x is down -16.6%, or -$12.47 to $62.75.

10:00 EDT Wayfair rises 32.1% - Wayfair is up 32.1%, or $16.26 to $66.89.

09:54 EDT Goldman selling up to 76.38M shares of Luckin Coffee under margin loan

09:47 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -15.1% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -15.1%, or -$6.71 to $37.90.

09:47 EDT TPG RE Finance rises 28.1% - TPG RE Finance is up 28.1%, or 71c to $3.23.

09:47 EDT Wayfair rises 49.2% - Wayfair is up 49.2%, or $24.90 to $75.53.

09:41 EDT Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia discloses 8.2% stake in Carnival Corp. - In a regulatory filing earlier, the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia disclosed an 8.2% stake in Carnival Corporation. In early training, Carnival shares are up 74c ,or 8.7%, to $9.23.

09:37 EDT Fulcrum Therapeutics Inc trading resumes

09:36 EDT Akers Biosciences, Premas Biotech obtain clones for three coronavirus antigens - Akers Biosciences announced that its collaboration with Premas Biotech has successfully completed the milestone of obtaining clones of all three coronavirus antigens, Spike, Envelope, and Membrane that they have selected for their vaccine candidate. The clone development process has four primary steps including first, the design and synthesis of the genes; second, the selection of the right host; third, the insertion of the gene into the host; and fourth, the verification that the clone has the right gene, and all characteristics are correct.

09:35 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts trading resumes

09:33 EDT U.S. Global Investors announces 'record' inflows into Airlines ETF - U.S. Global Investors announced significant inflows into its U.S. Global Jets ETF, with assets under management jumping more than $250M in the first quarter of 2020, from $52M at the end of 2019 to $302M as of March 31. Total AUM in the Company complex rose approximately 20 percent for the quarter. JETS reached another new milestone recently. Daily trading volume for the airlines ETF crossed above 5 million shares for the first time ever on March 25. This represents a substantial increase from the same time a year earlier, when daily volume was approximately 11,700 shares. As of April 2, the average 30-day trading volume for JETS was 2 million.

09:31 EDT Yamana Gold says no suspected, confirmed cases of COVID-19 at operations - The company said, "Yamana continues to take every precaution to ensure the health and safety of its employees, families, and communities, and it is working closely with its host communities to support their needs through this difficult period. The Company has implemented heightened levels of health screening, precautionary measures, and support services at all of its operations. These actions include: temporarily restricting all employee travel; temporarily shifting to remote work arrangements at our corporate and regional offices; enhanced medical screening of all individuals entering mine sites; enhanced sanitization and disinfecting at our mines and offices; mandatory social distancing at our operations; staggered work schedules and meal times to support social distancing; and increased levels of busing to minimize the number of people on each vehicle in support of social distancing. The Company is in regular contact with medical experts and government authorities in every country where it operates. If at any point the Company determines that continuing operations poses an increased risk to our workforce or local communities, the Company will reduce operational activities up to and including care and maintenance and management of critical environmental systems. There are currently no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any of Yamana's operations."

09:30 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:29 EDT Yamana Gold says Cerro Moro resuming full operations - The company said, "On April 3, 2020, the Argentine Government declared mining an essential service, which will allow Cerro Moro to resume full operations. The Company is encouraged by the declaration of the Argentine government that mining is an essential service, and plans to resume operations in an orderly and gradual manner with attention to health and safety requirements. Recommended standards and measures have been established at national, provincial and municipal levels. The Company's protocols relating to these standards and measures have been discussed with and reviewed by applicable authorities, and are considered to be in compliance. The Company will continue to consult with national and international medical experts along with municipal, provincial and national governments, its workforce and other stakeholders. The temporary restriction order for non-essential services by the Quebec Government, which was initially expected to expire on April 13, 2020, has been extended to May 4, 2020. As the original temporary restriction order designated mining as an essential service, subject to certain limitations on activities, in conjunction with other member mining companies in Quebec, the Company is seeking clarification if the extension applies to mining companies. Once the temporary restriction order expires, the Company expects full operations to resume at Canadian Malartic as soon as possible in an orderly and gradual manner with attention to health and safety requirements. All of Yamana's other mines continue to operate normally with enhanced health and safety precautions and protocols. See below for additional information on these precautionary measures."

09:28 EDT Capri Holdings to furlough all 7,000 North America retail store employees - Capri Holdings provided an update on the coordinated actions the company is taking to protect our employees and maintain the company's financial position in response to the continued global health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 1, the company had total cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet of approximately $900M. The company has fully drawn the remaining $300M of availability under its revolving credit facility. For FY21, the company's board of directors annual total cash compensation will be reduced by 50%. John Idol, chairman and CEO, Michael Kors, chief creative officer of Michael Kors, Donatella Versace, chief creative officer of Versace and Sandra Choi, chief creative officer of Jimmy Choo, have each voluntarily elected to forgo their salary for FY21. In addition, the company will be exploring opportunities to reduce overall salaries at various levels throughout the organization by approximately 20%. In the future the company anticipates reducing its corporate workforce in order to generate additional payroll savings. Since March 18, the company has provided salary continuation and benefits to all retail store employees impacted by its temporary store closures that started on that same date and were expected to end on April 10. The company now anticipates that retail stores in North America and Europe will be closed until approximately June 1 and will only reopen once it is deemed safe to do so. The company has therefore made the decision that effective April 11, it will furlough all of its approximately 7,000 North America retail store employees. During this time, the company will continue to pay the employer portion of benefits to support impacted retail personnel. In the United States and Canada, furloughed employees are also eligible for unemployment insurance as well as other government relief programs where available. The company expects to require a smaller workforce as it resets its business post-COVID-19. The goal of the company is to return as many retail employees as possible to work in the second half of the fiscal year as its business rebuilds. The company is applying for national payroll subsidy programs in various countries throughout Europe to further reduce payroll expense. The company is diligently managing inventory purchases in light of the store closures in North America and EMEA and the anticipated decreased demand in the second half of the fiscal year by reducing or canceling commitments, redeploying inventory and consolidating upcoming seasons. The company is working closely with its partners to extend the terms of its future payables. Additionally, the company is working to secure relief of certain payables in order to maintain its financial flexibility for the long term. The company is eliminating all non-essential operating expenses, including decreasing marketing spend, delaying or canceling select new store openings, reducing external third-party services and halting unnecessary systems implementations in order to reduce costs. The company is suspending the remaining $400M under its current share repurchase program.

09:26 EDT RH to significantly reduce CapEx and expenses by $130M, $150M in FY20

09:26 EDT Generex says 'highly confident' in rapid vaccine development program - Generex Biotechnology President & CEO Joseph Moscato offers an open letter to shareholders to provide an update on the company's response, operationally and scientifically. "The emergence and rapid escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted our lives as we never could have imagined. During these uncertain times the health and well-being of our Generex family, including our employees, shareholders, investors and partners is paramount. For the well-being of all of our stakeholders, we are committed to following the precautions of health advisors and adhering to suggestions, advice, and laws set up by local municipalities, cities, states, and the federal government to stop this pandemic that has disrupted the world. Generex Biotechnology remains dedicated to safeguarding your investment in GNBT as we continue working towards positive outcomes into the future through our strategic initiatives and development programs, including our previously announced efforts to develop a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We want to take this time to update shareholders on the steps we are taking to efficiently manage the businesses of Generex and our subsidiaries through these challenging times. We are virtually fully operational with all our business management teams and their employees through video conference and are committed to following through with our short, mid and long-term goals and plans to add value for our shareholders. As reported Generex has jumped into the vaccine race with its Ii-Key-COVID-19 Complete Vaccine, which is designed to activate both the cellular (CD4 and CD8 T cells) and humoral (antibody) immune responses. As previously reported, we have signed an agreement with a Chinese consortium to develop our Complete Vaccine for China. Since signing the agreement, Generex has developed and refined our vaccine plans and has invoiced the Chinese consortium for the upfront payment and licensing fee. Generex has also partnered with EpiVax, a leader in computational vaccinology, that has developed algorithms to identify specific amino acid peptide sequences or "epitopes" that are predicted to activate the various cellular components of the immune system including CD4 T Cells, CD8 T Cells, and B Cells that produce antibodies. An additional advantage of their vaccinology algorithms is their ability to "dehumanize" peptide sequences to minimize autoimmune reactions. EpiVax has identified a series of epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins that may be used to produce a vaccine. Generex plans to manufacture laboratory scale amounts of the EpiVax peptides linked with our Ii-Key technology to screen against blood samples from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. We are in the process of identifying hospitals and research centers that can provide us with the blood samples for peptide epitope screening. We expect this screening process to yield the best 3 to 5 Ii-Key peptides that we anticipate will make the most safe and effective vaccine for human clinical trials. To advance our vaccine development efforts, the team at Generex has been proactive in reaching out to a number of countries, and we have had productive conversations with several government officials, Ministries of Health, and other key influencers to describe our technology, our clinical strategy, potential manufacturing partners, and our rapid path to vaccination for their populations. Generex has also met and had discussions with U.S. government agencies to provide them with details of our Ii-Key peptide vaccine technology, and we are in discussions with the decision makers for federal funding and partnership. It has been a slow process, but we believe that vaccines are now getting more government attention as local, state, and federal officials recognize the severity of this pandemic and the likelihood that the virus will return next year. Generex has identified a clinical research organization, regulatory consultants, and clinical research sites to conduct our trials, and we are working with our contract manufacturing partners for AE37 to produce our Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 peptide vaccine for human clinical trials and population vaccination initiatives. We are also in discussions with pharmaceutical companies to include their vaccine adjuvants as part of the clinical trial design to evaluate the potential of using adjuvant in our vaccine formulation. Generex is highly confident in our rapid vaccine development program and in our plans to scale the manufacturing of Ii-Key- SARS-CoV-2 peptide vaccines to conduct not only the clinical trials required to meet the approval standards of global regulatory authorities, but to meet government expectations for mass population vaccination. In conclusion, while the COVID-19 pandemic is surely a fast evolving situation with multiple layers of complexity, we believe market conditions should ultimately favor long-term minded, value oriented, and fundamental investors. Generex has many subsidiaries and many assets, from its FDA-cleared wound care product Excellegen, to our development products in inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, infectious disease, and cancer, to our pending operations in Arizona, with the ultimate vision of building a HMO with, in our opinion, unprecedented benefit packages through our own products, devices, and ancillary services. Based on all these efforts and assets, it is my belief that Generex has the staying power to thrive and bring value to our shareholders. Rest assured, Generex is well equipped to navigate the current environment as we remain focused on our core competencies and businesses while positioning our high-value assets for the future. In the immediate days ahead, we will continue working to solidify the development path and government partnerships to complete our Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 Complete Vaccine program so that we can make a difference not only for Generex, our employees, and our shareholders, but for the world. Finally, we thank you all for your continued support as we navigate through this difficult period together, and please everyone, stay safe, be well and take care of your families and friends."

09:24 EDT RH to temporarily furlough approximately 2,300 team members

09:23 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals, Greenwich say EPIDIOLEX oral solution descheduled - GW Pharmaceuticals, along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences announced that it has received notification from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration confirming that EPIDIOLEX is no longer subject to the Controlled Substances Act. This change takes effect immediately. EPIDIOLEX, which was launched in the United States on November 1, 2018 after approval by FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older, is the first prescription pharmaceutical formulation of highly purified, plant-derived cannabidiol, and the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs. Following FDA approval, EPIDIOLEX was initially placed in Schedule V of the CSA. Following receipt of this DEA notification, GW has filed a post-approval supplement with FDA to remove Schedule V designation from EPIDIOLEX. DEA's letter means that all federal controlled-substance restrictions have been removed for EPIDIOLEX. The Company will now begin the process of implementing these changes at the state level and through the EPIDIOLEX distribution network. Once this process is completed in each state, prescriptions for EPIDIOLEX, like other non-controlled medicines, will be valid for one year and can be easily transferred between pharmacies. The descheduling of EPIDIOLEX also enables physicians to prescribe this breakthrough medicine free of the requirements of state prescription drug monitoring programs. The most common adverse reactions that occurred in EPIDIOLEX-treated patients were somnolence, decreased appetite, diarrhea, transaminase elevations, fatigue, malaise, and asthenia, rash, insomnia, sleep disorder and poor-quality sleep, and infections.

09:22 EDT Compass Minerals reports Q1 weather activity, COVID-19 impact updates - Compass Minerals reported that Q1 winter weather activity in both its North American and U.K.-served markets was below average, resulting in lower-than-expected highway deicing salt sales volumes. Eleven representative cities in the company's primary North American highway deicing service area reported 85 snow events during Q1 compared to 122 snow events in Q1 of 2019 and the 10-year average of 111.5 events. While these snow event results represent a decline of 30% from Q1 2019 levels and winter weather was extremely mild in the U.K., the company's highway deicing sales volumes declined only 11% compared to prior-year results. The company sold approximately 3.1M tons of highway deicing salt products in Q1 compared to 3.5M tons in Q1 of 2019. This total includes all highway maintenance products sold in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., as well as rock salt sold to the chemical industry. Sales of all salt products totaled 3.6M tons in Q1, compared to 4.1M tons in the prior-year period. Despite these results and other business challenges related to the spread of and global response to COVID-19, the company expects to deliver Q1 earnings growth across all three segments with Q1 consolidated operating earnings increasing more than 25% from prior-year results. These improvements are driven by strong pricing in the salt business, as well as improved agriculture market conditions in both North and South America. Preliminary plant nutrition sales volume results indicate strong demand compared to Q1 2019 results. Operations at the U.K. salt mine were idled near the end of March due to the very mild winter weather experienced in that market, along with U.K. government guidance on COVID-19 preventative measures. The company expects to fully resume operations in late April in order to serve demand for the 2020-2021 winter season. To date, the company has experienced no material supply chain or logistics issues. Compass continues to evaluate potential supply chain and logistics impacts, proactively increased inventory levels of critical sourced inputs, and identified secondary suppliers where possible. Both operations and logistics partners are deemed "essential" under current governmental guidance. The company ended Q1 with approximately $100M in cash on hand, which included the receipt of a $55M tax refund from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. With only $60M drawn on our $300M revolving credit facility, the company currently has approximately $330M of total liquidity. In addition, the company has limited debt maturities in 2020. The company is evaluating a variety of scenarios related to the cascading impact of the COVID-19 health crisis and will provide updates to full-year guidance when it releases Q1 results, currently scheduled for May 5.

09:20 EDT Gladstone Investment believes it has met expectations for FY20 - Gladstone Investment Corporation announced the following update: "While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our portfolio companies to various degrees, the Company is proactively engaged with their management teams during these difficult times, and is providing management assistance and support, as necessary. At this time, our portfolio companies continue to operate with varying levels of results, depending on their sector and geographic location/ The Company's current financial position remains strong with a low-leveraged balance sheet and adequate liquidity. We do not expect a need to issue new common equity capital in the near-term and are in a good position to support our portfolio companies, should they face liquidity needs relating to potential temporary operating performance challenges. As expected, given the uncertainty of the pandemic there will be some affect on fair values in the near term, though we believe we have a strong portfolio of companies. The Company intends to report earnings results for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 on May 12, 2020. As previously reported, the Company was expecting strong performance for this fiscal year and it continues to believe that it has met its expectations. The Company's board of directors is scheduled to meet on April 14, 2020, during which it will set the monthly cash distributions for each of April, May, and June 2020. As it currently stands, the Company expects to recommend to its board of directors to declare regular monthly cash distributions on our term preferred stock and on our common stock that are equal to the current monthly distribution rate per share, which for our common stock is $0.07 per month or $0.84 annually. The board of directors will also be asked to consider declaring further supplemental distributions and deemed distributions to common stockholders, as it has done in the past from time to time."

09:19 EDT American BriVision conducts site monitoring visit for Phase II Part I trial - American BriVision announced that a site monitoring visit was conducted on March 10 and March 11, 2020 at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center for ABV-1505 Phase II Part I clinical trial, under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical protocol code BLI-1008-001, for Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This trial is an open label, single-center and dose escalation study designed for the enrollment of six adult ADHD patients. Each patient will receive a low-dose treatment of PDC-1421 Capsules three times daily for 28 days followed by a high-dose treatment three times daily for another 28 days. As of the site monitoring visit, four qualified adult ADHD patients had been enrolled and treated with PDC-1421 Capsules. Among them, two will complete their treatment of PDC-1421 according to the study protocol on April 8 and April 11, 2020 respectively. The overall site monitoring visit went well with several minor errors cited and corrected subsequently. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effective doses and treatment period of PDC-1421 Capsules in adult patients with ADHD. The secondary objective is to evaluate the conditions of the patients receiving the drug at various dose levels. A Phase II Part II study is expected to follow at the UCSF Medical Center, along with major medical centers in Taiwan, assuming successful completion of this Phase II Part I study.

09:17 EDT Itamar Medical, BetterNight partner to offer virtual-care sleep solution - Itamar Medical announced that it has entered into an agreement with Sleep Data Diagnostics and its virtual-care platform BetterNight and Sleep Data Holdings. This agreement is designed to radically simplify the process by which both sleep and non-sleep referring physicians, such as cardiologists, can refer their patients for sleep apnea testing with WatchPAT through Itamar Medical and BetterNight's platforms providing a full care pathway that includes testing, medical consultation, continuous positive airway pressure therapy, billing and reimbursement channels. The agreement is expected to increase patient access to WatchPAT testing without the need to leave their homes and provide physicians, with a focus on cardiologists, and their patients, with information and interventions for managing sleep apnea and improving health outcomes. Itamar Medical and BetterNight will collaborate to provide physicians and their patients a fully integrated and streamlined solution. Itamar Medical will provide patients suspected of having sleep apnea with a sleep apnea diagnostic study, facilitate a consultation with a board-certified physician for study interpretation and receipt of a prescription for a recommended therapy, if needed, enabled by its digital health platform. When elected by the managing physician, BetterNight will provide home-based CPAP therapy care using its advanced monitoring algorithm and remote respiratory therapy consultation and manage insurance coverage verification, preauthorization and billing.

09:15 EDT Aeterna Zentaris announces results in pediatric study of macimorelin - Aeterna Zentaris announced positive results for the first pediatric study of macimorelin as a growth hormone stimulation test for the evaluation of child-onset growth hormone deficiency. This study, AEZS-130-P01, was the first of two studies as agreed with the European Medicines Agency in the Company's Pediatric Investigation Plan for macimorelin. The goal of Study P01 was to establish a dose that could both be safely administered to pediatric patients and cause a clear rise in growth hormone concentration in subjects ultimately diagnosed as not having GHD. Study P01 was an international, multicenter study conducted in Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus and Russia. In three cohorts comprising 8 subjects each, macimorelin doses of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg body weight were investigated. In accordance with the study protocol, all enrolled patients completed four study visits after successful completion of the screening period. At Visit 1 and Visit 3, a provocative GH stimulation test was conducted according to the study sites' local practices. At Visit 2, the macimorelin test was performed: following the oral administration of the macimorelin solution, blood samples were taken at predefined times for PK/PD assessment. Visit 4 was a safety follow-up visit at study end. The completed study included 24 subjects aged 4 to 15 years. In the subjects who completed the study in accordance with the protocol, macimorelin demonstrated an excellent safety and tolerability profile. There were 88 adverse events reported in 23 subjects, none of which was assessed by the investigator as related to macimorelin. The majority of AEs were expected side effects related to the hypoglycemia introduced by the Insulin Tolerance Test. No significant changes in ECG parameters and safety laboratory values were noted in any of the three dosing cohorts. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of macimorelin proved to be in the expected range and in general comparable to data in adults.

09:14 EDT Granite Construction awarded $79M segment fo CMGC contract - Granite announced it has been awarded a $79 million contract by the California Department of Transportation to construct the Highway 101: Carpinteria project in Santa Barbara County, California. The $79 million contract award will be booked in Granite's second quarter 2020 backlog. This project is one of five segments that will be constructed as part of an overall effort to reconstruct 10.9 miles of Highway 101. In December 2018, Granite announced that it had been selected as the Construction Manager/General Contractor, or CMGC, for the overall Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project. The estimated construction contract value for the remaining segments is approximately $400 million. Scope of Granite's work for the Highway 101 Carpinteria project includes the full rebuild and addition of three miles of new high occupancy vehicle lanes, on- and off-ramp improvements, construction of new sound walls as well as improvements to local streets and intersections.

09:13 EDT LSB Industries provides business update in connection to COVID-19 pandemic - LSB Industries announced that its facilities have been designated as essential critical infrastructure in the states where the Company operates, based on guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. "Because we produce fertilizers used by the agriculture industry, as well as chemicals required in a variety of industrial manufacturing processes, LSB has been determined to be a critical service, and therefore, our facilities are remaining in operation despite the evolving global health crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic," commented Mark Behrman, LSB's President and CEO. "We have taken significant measures to ensure the health and safety of our employees and thank them for their commitment to our business continuity during this challenging situation. Specific to our plant and retail agricultural center personnel, we have worked hard to develop plans and procedures that allow them to operate in the safest manner possible in order to protect them and their families. Those policies and procedures include personnel isolation protocols, procedures for disinfecting all facilities, plant personnel health monitoring and working from home where appropriate." Mr. Behrman continued, "Due to the unprecedented level of uncertainty prevalent in the economy at this time, management and the Board have taken several decisive actions to control our costs and maintain liquidity until the business environment stabilizes and visibility improves. Specifically, we have identified a combination of plant expenses and SG&A that have been deferred for the next sixty days or potentially longer depending on the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, we currently have deferred between $5 million and $6 million of capital expenditures not related to Environmental, Health and Safety investments until the fourth quarter of 2020. On the liquidity front, as of March 31, 2020, we had approximately $50 million of combined cash and borrowing capacity, which, we believe, provides us with ample liquidity to fund our operations and meet our obligations." "With respect to our 2020 first quarter, our ammonia plants performed in-line with our expectations headed into the period, with our El Dorado facility delivering its best-ever quarter in terms of ammonia on-stream rate and production volume. We view this as an indicator that the extensive maintenance we performed on our facilities in 2019 has positioned us for strong production volume improvement in 2020.The USDA recently increased its forecast for total corn acres to be planted in 2020 from 94 million to 97 million, up from the 89 million acres of corn planted in the U.S. in 2019. This suggests strong growth in demand for fertilizers during the second quarter spring planting season, which we expect to benefit our results. While the current global health crisis remains a major uncertainty for the U.S. economy, which could affect industrial and mining orders in the coming months, to date, we have not seen a material decrease in order volume. In fact, we have continued to expand our customer base in these end markets with the addition of two new contracts in the last several weeks, leading us to believe that for the full year, demand for our products will be strong enough to utilize our recently expanded production capacity and benefit from our enhanced plant reliability." Mr. Behrman concluded, "We expect that our cost reductions, capital preservation actions and improved performance, combined with the resolute efforts of our outstanding group of employees and the cooperation of our customers, suppliers and financing partners, will enable us to weather the storm of this pandemic and come out of it a stronger Company. Our hearts go out to all those that have been sickened by COVID-19 and most especially to those that have lost loved ones and friends to the virus."

09:10 EDT Boise Cascade announces response to COVID-19 impacts - Boise Cascade announced steps it is taking in response to rapidly evolving market conditions and economic uncertainties surrounding the impact of COVID-19. Given the current outlook and with sufficient inventory on hand, Boise Cascade's wood products division has implemented changes to reduce the volume of plywood and engineered wood products, or EWP, it will produce in the coming weeks. The company is planning reductions in plywood production of 25%-35% and in EWP volumes of 20%-40% depending on location, in comparison to first quarter levels. The reductions in production are expected to be implemented through a combination of periodic curtailments and reductions in operating schedules at specific facilities. Boise Cascade's building materials distribution division will likely experience reduced sales and earnings as a result of COVID-19, which will vary by geography and branch location. The company reported cash of $285M at December 31, 2019, and as expected used cash in Q1 for working capital increases, including accounts receivable, inventories, payment of accrued employee incentive compensation, customer sales incentives and similar items. The company expects to report cash in excess of $200M as of March 31. On March 13, the company negotiated an extension of its $350M revolving credit agreement and the related $50M term loan. As of March 31, the company had availability under the revolving credit agreement in excess of $340M and has no debt maturities prior to 2024. Boise Cascade has reduced its planned capital spending for 2020 from its previously expected range of $85M-$95M to $50M-$70M. The company is also closely scrutinizing all discretionary spending in response to the COVID-19 impact.

09:08 EDT Kelly Services connecting families to teachers during COVID-19 - Kelly Education has stepped in to help families by connecting them to a talented pool of teachers serving as virtual tutors. Kelly is making this possible through a unique partnership with Moonlighting, a leading freelance platform focused on helping independent workers. While helping parents find much-needed instructional support, the partnership will also help Kelly Education teachers earn income while schools remain closed. As part of its commitment to helping people find work during challenging times, Moonlighting is waiving all fees for teachers using its services.

09:06 EDT Digital Ally partners with Trust Think Products to combat COVID-19 - Digital Ally announced it has partnered with Trust Think Products, LLC a De Soto, KS-based company that is the exclusive distributor of the Danolyte disinfectant. Danolyte, is a one-step disinfectant cleaner designed for cleaning and disinfecting hard, non-porous environmental surfaces in health-care facilities. Danolyte has demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 on hard porous and/or non-porous surfaces and has been listed on the EPA's List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel COVID-19 disease also known as the coronavirus. Danolyte disinfectant is a powerful antimicrobial fluid for use across a broad spectrum of applications, yet gentle enough for use on baby toys. The Danolyte disinfectant offers disinfection, sanitizing and deodorizing solutions for many industries other than first responders including water treatment, agriculture, oil and gas, healthcare, education, and food service/processing. It has been shown effective over many years of use and is effective over a broad range of viruses and bacteria such as the coronavirus, MRSA, HIV, Listeria, Influenza A, Hepatitis C and Salmonella among many others. In response to the coronavirus pandemic the two companies have partnered to provide first responders with the Danolyte to disinfect workspaces like patrol vehicles, ambulances and other surfaces with no harsh chemicals, harsh fumes, or chemical residuals.

09:05 EDT iFresh completes $2.5M private placement financing - iFresh announced that it has completed a private placement financing with two individual investors, bringing gross proceeds of approximately $2.5 million from the sales of an aggregate of 1,783,167 shares of common stock of the Company at a per share price of $1.402.

09:02 EDT Gulf Resources commencing commercial production at Factories #1, #7 - Gulf Resources announced that Factories #1 and #7 the Company commenced commercial production of bromine and crude salt on April 3, 2020. These two factories started trial production in the middle of March 2020. Based on the results of the trial production, the Company tried its best to get these two factories started commercial production at the same time due to the strong demand from market. The Company anticipates that the production rate will ramp up over the next four to six weeks. Trial production at Factories #4 and #9 of the Company is planned to commence in the middle of April 2020. At the present time, the Company expects these two factories to commerce commercial production by the beginning of May 2020 Gulf Resources believes that there will be strong demand for its products, especially because of the pandemic of COVID-19. Bromine is an important component of disinfectants. According to the official website of the Los Alamos National Laboratory of U.S., bromine is used in making water purification compounds, medicines and sanitizers. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated in its official website that "proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19."

09:01 EDT Emisphere Tech says Novo Nordisk receives marketing authorization for Rybelsus - Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Rybelsus, for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes to improve glycemic control as an adjunct to diet and exercise. The marketing authorization applies to all 27 European Union member states and the United Kingdom. Rybelsus utilizes Emisphere Technologies (EMIS) proprietary Eligen SNAC Carrier Technology.

08:59 EDT La Jolla to provide GIAPREZA for named patient emergency use for septic shock - La Jolla Pharmaceutical announced that it is providing GIAPREZA for named patient emergency use in patients with septic shock due to COVID-19 at Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom. GIAPREZA is being made available for named patient emergency use based on a request from Professor Lui G. Forni, MBBS, Ph.D., at Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. According to English law, authorized medicines can be made available prior to commercial availability in order to fulfill special patient needs. GIAPREZA has been recently approved by the European Commission but is not yet commercially available in Europe. In a report on 44,672 confirmed cases of COVID-19, approximately 14% of patients required hospitalization, and, among those, one-third became critically ill. Patients who became critically ill developed respiratory failure, septic shock and/or multiple organ failure. Approximately one-half of the critically ill patients died.

08:55 EDT Tracon Pharmaceuticals announces May 8 date for Type B Meeting with FDA - TRACON Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted TRACON a Type B Teleconference to take place on May 8, 2020 to discuss the trial design for a potential pivotal study of envafolimab in sarcoma. Expected Envafolimab Milestones Over the Next 6 Months: Type B teleconference meeting with the FDA on May 8 to discuss the potential pivotal trial design of ENVASARC for envafolimab in sarcoma; Apply for orphan drug designation for envafolimab in soft tissue sarcoma; File IND for envafolimab to conduct the planned ENVASARC study; Submission of marketing application for envafolimab in China by our corporate partners, 3D Medicine and Alphamab Oncology; Presentation of envafolimab clinical data at ASCO by our corporate partners 3D Medicine and Alphamab Oncology; Enroll the first patient in ENVASARC, a potential pivotal trial of envafolimab in the U.S.

08:52 EDT ShockWave Medical completes enrollment in study for coronary IVL - Shockwave Medical announced that the company has completed enrollment in the pivotal U.S. Food and Drug Administration Investigational Device Exemption study - DISRUPT CAD III - for the use of IVL in heavily calcified coronary arteries. The investigational Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter, which has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA, is an innovative therapy designed to fracture problematic calcium using sonic pressure waves in order to facilitate stent delivery, deployment and optimal expansion. The co-principal investigators of the study are Dean Kereiakes, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Center and the Christ Hospital Research Institute, Professor of Clinical Medicine, The Ohio State University, and Jonathan Hill, M.D., Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Brompton Hospital in London. DISRUPT CAD III is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, global IDE study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the Shockwave Coronary IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter in de novo, calcified, stenotic, coronary arteries prior to stenting. The study enrolled 384 patients, exceeding the minimum requirement of 372 patients, per the a priori statistical plan agreed by the FDA. Patients were enrolled at 47 global sites in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The DISRUPT CAD III study is assessing freedom from major adverse cardiac events within 30 days of the index procedure as the primary safety endpoint. The primary effectiveness endpoint is procedural success defined as stent delivery with a residual stenosis less than 50 percent and without in-hospital MACE. The study chairman is Gregg W. Stone, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. The angiographic and optical coherence tomography core labs are at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, also based in New York. Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL catheters are commercially available for the treatment of de novo coronary artery disease in Europe and select other geographies; they are limited to investigational use in the United States.

08:50 EDT Tetra Bio Pharma confirms Type B Meeting date with FDA on HCC011 - Tetra Bio-Pharma announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has granted the Company's request for a Type B meeting related to its proposed clinical program and overall premarketing requirements for the Company's product HCC011 with Orphan Drug Designation. This meeting has been scheduled for May 29, 2020. HCC011 is an inhaled delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol formulation to be developed as an adjunct treatment to first-line therapy to improve disease control in inoperable, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients. In addition to its anti-emetic effect and its capacity to enhance patient health-related quality of life, HCC011 should also have anti-tumor effects, improving patient outcome and prognosis in their battle against liver cancer.

08:46 EDT Builders FirstSource freezes hiring, deferring corporate wage increases - The company said, "Builders FirstSource entered the pandemic situation with a solid capital position and balance sheet to continue operations during this volatile period. We have also taken proactive steps to further enhance our financial flexibility, liquidity and cash flow, including: Drawing down an additional $150 million of cash under our revolving credit facility; Delaying capital expenditures that do not impact near-term programs; Optimizing all areas of working capital; Deferring or limiting non-essential operating expenses; Freezing hiring, deferring corporate wage increases and taking other cost actions to protect existing jobs; Reducing executive and senior management cash compensation; Cutting board compensation with the balance of fees to be paid in company stock; Following the draw downs in March, we had approximately $150 million of cash on hand with no debt maturities until 2024. We believe our current cash balance plus access to an estimated $480 million of additional availability under our revolver provides the financial flexibility to manage our business with a safety-first emphasis across our nationwide footprint.."

08:45 EDT Builders FirstSource says locations remain open, operational - Builders FirstSource remains focused on prioritizing the safety and well-being of our team members, customers and communities as we continue to supply our essential products and services amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, "Builders FirstSource locations remain open and operational except in the few states or counties where construction activities have been prohibited. As an essential supplier of diversified products and services to builders and contractors, we have strictly adhered to the recommendations and guidelines promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local community health departments where we operate. In recent months, we have proactively implemented business continuity measures across our network and believe we are well prepared to manage our business through this crisis. That begins with our commitment to supporting customers while protecting the health and welfare of all team members, channel partners and the communities where we operate. General safeguards, amongst many, include enhanced location cleaning processes, remote working accommodations, suspended group activities, air travel restrictions, and promoting social distancing practices. We are also using technology where possible to facilitate customer orders and other interactions to further reduce direct contact between employees. A dedicated team of executives is in place to monitor daily best practices, ensure safety and implement swift action as needed."

08:43 EDT BioMarin to submit marketing applications to FDA, EMA in Q3 for vosoritide - BioMarin announced that based on recent meetings with health authorities in the U.S. and Europe, the company plans to submit marketing applications to the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency in the third quarter for vosoritide. Vosoritide is an investigational, once daily injection analog of C-type Natriuretic Peptide for achondroplasia, the most common form of disproportionate short stature in humans. If approved, vosoritide would be the first medicine for the treatment of Achondroplasia in the U.S. and Europe

08:42 EDT Verizon, New York Times offer high school students free access to journalism - The New York Times Company (NYT) and Verizon (VZ) joined forces to offer all students and teachers in high schools within the U.S. free digital access to NYTimes.com. With students across the country impacted by school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, this partnership will help to keep them educated, informed and connected.

08:40 EDT IntelGenx says BUENA clinical trial on temporary recruitment hold - The company said, "IntelGenx has informed its employees, business partners and key stakeholders about immediate steps it has taken to manage potential health and business risks. These include proactive, precautionary measures, such as working from home when possible, freezing all non-essential travel, and switching to virtual sales and business meetings only, with the goal of keeping everyone safe. To help protect the well-being of its shareholders, Board and Management, the Company is also exploring the possibility of hosting its Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, via a virtual meeting instead of in-person. With respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IntelGenx's product development programs, the most immediate change will be to subject enrolment in the ongoing Montelukast VersaFilm Phase 2a clinical trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease. Because the target study population in the BUENA study is considered to be a higher risk group for severe illness from COVID-19, and out of concern for the health and safety of clinical trial staff, IntelGenx has informed HC that the study is on a temporary recruitment hold"

08:39 EDT IntelGenx in talks to leave commercial production of RIZAPORT in Spain - The company said, "As previously announced, the Company has established a partnership with Exeltis Healthcare for the commercialization of RIZAPORT in Spain and potentially other European countries. While IntelGenx was initially pursuing a manufacturing site change with the intent to supply the product from its Canadian manufacturing facility, it is now, together with Exeltis Healthcare, in advanced discussions with the originally listed contract manufacturing organization, which the Spanish marketing authorization lists as the approved manufacturer of the product, to leave the commercial production at its site."

08:38 EDT IntelGenx plans to request meeting with FDA to discuss RIZAPORT CRL response - The company said, "As previously announced, the March 2020 CRL states that the FDA could not approve the application in its present form. The Agency requested additional information, but no new bioequivalence study. IntelGenx plans to request a meeting with the FDA to discuss the CRL comments, with the goal of obtaining needed clarification and determining next steps."

08:36 EDT Cerus provides update on recent activities related to COVID-19 pandemic - Cerus announced the company's recent activities related to COVID-19 and efforts to ensure that patients have access to pathogen-reduced blood components, including convalescent plasma. The company said, "Our global supply chain for the INTERCEPT platelet disposable kits is currently intact and at this time, we are confident in our ability to supply INTERCEPT disposable kits. In anticipation of greater demand for INTERCEPT, we increased our inventory levels in 2019 and believe we have ample supply to meet our customers' needs. Fresenius Kabi (FK), our primary manufacturing partner, produces INTERCEPT disposable kits at a facility in France and is classified as an essential business by the French Government. To ensure employee safety and comply with local requirements for social distancing, the FK team recently reconfigured production workflow and the facility continues to produce kits. Going forward, employee absenteeism, at the manufacturing site, is a potential risk that could negatively impact monthly production. We and our key suppliers have enacted business continuity measures which are currently in place and have allowed INTERCEPT disposable kit production and business growth to remain unaffected. However, our supply chain is not without vulnerabilities and should the current COVID-19 situation persist beyond the summer or worsen regionally or globally, our business could be adversely impacted."

08:36 EDT Lazydays implements cost cutting actions in response to COVID-19 - Lazydays announced actions it is taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are in response to the unanticipated change in business conditions that have resulted from the rapid spread of coronavirus and the national emergency related to the virus. Lazydays is taking immediate actions to adjust resources and costs to be in line with reduced demand caused by the coronavirus. These actions include: Reduce its workforce by approximately 25%; Senior management will forgo 25% of their salary; Suspend 2020 annual pay increase; Suspend 401k match; Delay non-critical capital projects; Focus resources on core sales and service operations. "Despite the very strong sales activity experienced for most of the first quarter, we have begun to see a decline in store traffic and demand driven by recent events," stated William Murnane, Chairman and CEO of Lazydays. "The overall magnitude and length of the impact from the coronavirus pandemic is uncertain at this time. We are hopeful the duration will be relatively short, but believe it could possibly be months or quarters before business returns to normal. Our hardworking and dedicated employees are the soul of our business and it is very difficult to take these actions. However, we must respond quickly with every action possible to maintain our ability to serve our customers now and as the industry recovers."

08:35 EDT IntelGenx expects cash to fund planned operations into 4Q20 - The company said, "As at December 31, 2019, IntelGenx had cash and short-term investments totalling $1.9 million, which the Company believes, together with the gross proceeds of C$8.2 million received from its February 2020 equity offering, are sufficient to fund planned operations into the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company has also taken immediate measures to reduce its burn rate by initially cutting 10% of its employee headcount, as well as decreasing non-essential expenses in all areas of its business. Additional cost reduction measures are being analysed in order to further extend the cash runway and may be implemented in the near future."

08:32 EDT IntelGenx says CRL for RIZAPORT NDA significantly reduces revenue expectations - IntelGenx Technologie announced various initiatives aimed at helping the Company address, and satisfactorily respond to, the Complete Response Letter that it recently received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding its resubmitted 505(b)(2) New Drug Application for RIZAPORT VersaFilm, as well as maintain IntelGenx's financial stability in light of the current market environment and the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic. "The decision by the FDA to issue a CRL for our RIZAPORT NDA significantly reduces our internal revenue expectations for 2020. Additionally, the current COVID-19 crisis and its potential effect on the capital markets may make it more difficult to secure additional capital and the long-term financial stability of the Company," commented Dr. Horst G. Zerbe, CEO of IntelGenx. "In order to address these issues, the Board and Management of the Company have decided to launch an aggressive performance improvement program that focusses on: generating near-term revenue; reducing staff headcount and implementing other measures to preserve the Company's resources and extend its cash runway; implementing organizational changes to strengthen various parts of IntelGenx's business, including regulatory affairs and manufacturing operations; comprehensively and satisfactorily responding to the CRL; undertaking steps to accelerate the launch of RIZAPORT in Spain and, subsequently, in other European countries; and, to the extent possible, working to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's employees, customers and other stakeholders."

08:30 EDT Immunomedics trading resumes

08:27 EDT Silk Road Medical delays salary increases, reduces non-essential sales - Silk Road Medical provided a corporate update in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, "Silk Road Medical is committed to working closely with its partners as part of the coordinated public and private sector response to this unforeseen event. The Company is proactively taking the following steps: Protecting the health and wellbeing of employees and others: In line with recommendations from federal and local government and healthcare agencies, Silk Road Medical has transitioned employees, except for those deemed essential to key aspects of the business, to a remote work environment. The Company has also made cash and personal protective equipment donations to local and national organizations including Santa Clara county hospitals. Supporting our customers and the patients they serve: Silk Road Medical recognizes the importance of minimizing the spread of the virus while also maintaining essential functions to support the care of patients with carotid artery disease requiring urgent treatment. Our field-based team continues to be available to support TCAR procedures, either in person or virtually. Preserving financial flexibility: Until we have more clarity on the scope and duration of the impact from the COVID-19 outbreak, Silk Road Medical has taken preemptive steps to curtail near-term spending, including delaying previously contemplated executive salary increases and reducing non-essential sales, general, and administrative expenses. Silk Road Medical had approximately $109M in cash, cash equivalents, and short- and long-term investments as of December 31, 2019."

08:24 EDT Quotient announces completion of SARS-CoV-2 antibody test development - Quotient announced the completion of the development phase of a microarray based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test for the fully automated high throughput MosaiQ system in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. One MosaiQ instrument can process up to 3000 antibody tests per day. The ability to quickly test whether people have developed antibodies due to infection is critical in supporting the response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially important as patients exposed to SARS-CoV-2 frequently have mild or no symptoms. The antibody test has a broad range of applications such as the ability to identify individuals who would require vaccination once available, and those who could safely return to work. This is especially important for frontline healthcare professionals and others who face significant potential exposure to the virus.

08:23 EDT Aprea Therapeutics launches new corporate website - Aprea Therapeutics announced that it has launched a new, redesigned website, www.aprea.com. The company said, "With an updated design, the new aprea.com web-site offers easy-to-navigate functionality and a content-rich site experience created to provide fulsome information on Aprea's scientific focus, strategy and progress as the leader in developing important anti-cancer therapies to reactivate the tumor suppressor protein, p53."

08:21 EDT Flir Systems names Paula Cooney CHRO - Flir Systems (FLIR) announced that Paula Cooney has been named senior VP, chief human resources officer, or CHRO. Cooney will report to president and CEO Jim Cannon and will assume a strategic role in the growth and organizational health at FLIR. As the global leader for Flir Systems' HR team, Cooney will be responsible for leading the human resources function and ensuring that the human capital agenda supports the company's business objectives. She will be a strategic business partner to Jim Cannon and the broader executive leadership team and will work with the group to develop and align human resources strategies. She will focus on all elements of organization. Cooney joins Flir from Saint Paul, Minnesota-based H.B. Fuller (FUL).

08:19 EDT Mateon Therapeutics achieves milestone in development of OT-101 - Mateon Therapeutics announced that Mateon has delivered the requisite testing results to Golden Mountain Partners confirming the applicability and potential use of OT-101 for the treatment of COVID-19. OT-101 exhibited potent activity against both COVID-19 and SARS with a robust safety index of greater than500. This is in accordance with the Supplement Research and Services Agreement with GMP executed on March 23, 2020, and GMP has accepted the testing results.

08:16 EDT Unique Fabricating modifies production capabilities to make medical face shields - Unique Fabricating announced it is modifying its production facility in Auburn Hills, MI to produce protection face shield kits and subcomponents. Unique Fabricating currently is in production to fulfill initial orders for more than 1 million face shields. Within the first week, the company produced an average of 30,000 face shields per day in Auburn Hills, MI and has confirmed capacity at existing plants in LaFayette, GA and Louisville, KY to increase production to 100,000 per day to meet increasing demand.

08:16 EDT Titan Machinery enters new amended, restated credit agreement - Titan Machinery announced that it has entered into a new five-year Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, maturing April 2025, arranged by Bank of America, with a syndicate of lenders consisting of Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Regions Bank, BBVA USA, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, and Sterling National Bank. The new Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides for an aggregate $250 million financing commitment by the lenders, consisting of an aggregate floorplan financing commitment of $185 million and an aggregate working capital commitment of $65 million. The floorplan facility may be used to advance up to 85% of the value of eligible new inventory and up to 75% of the value of eligible used inventory, which compares to the previous floorplan facility that allowed for an advance up to 70% of the value of both new and used eligible inventory. The working capital facility may be used to advance up to 85% of eligible accounts, 75% of the value of eligible rental equipment, 75% of the Company's eligible parts inventory, and a percentage of other unencumbered assets such as vehicles and real estate. The working capital advance rates are up to 5% higher than the previous facility and can include assets in the borrowing base that were not allowed under the old facility. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement does not obligate the Company to maintain financial covenants, except in the event that excess availability is less than 15% of the lower of the borrowing base or the size of the full credit line. If excess availability levels are not met, then the Company is required to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.10:1.00. These terms are similar to those in the previous credit facility but favorably impacted by the increased advanced rates, which adds to the Company's excess availability amount. The interest rate for loans under the credit facility will be equal to LIBOR plus an applicable margin based on the Company's excess availability. The initial applicable margin is 1.5%, resulting in an effective initial interest rate of 2.49%.

08:15 EDT Histogen announces IND amendment for HST 001 - Histogen announced that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug amendment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the initiation of a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of its lead program, HST 001 for the treatment of androgenic alopecia in men. HST 001, or Hair Stimulating Complex, is designed to be a minimally invasive, physician-administered therapeutic for hair loss. The submission is intended to expand Histogen's IND to be a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of HSC, as well as determine optimal dosing in male pattern hair loss. The Company is targeting the initiation of the clinical study in the second quarter of this year. All of Histogen's product candidates are derived from a single, proprietary manufacturing process that yields materials that replace tissues in the body or stimulate the body's own cells to regenerate. In addition to clinical development of HST 001, Histogen anticipates IDE and IND filings for its dermal filler and joint cartilage regeneration product candidates in 2020. On January 28, 2020, Histogen announced that it entered into a definitive agreement with Conatus Pharmaceuticals pursuant to which Histogen will merge with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Conatus in an all-stock transaction. The combined company is expected to operate under the name "Histogen Inc.", and after closing, the combined company is expected to change its trading symbol to "HSTO" and trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and to focus on advancement of its patented technology for dermatological and orthopedic indications. Under the terms of the merger agreement, pending stockholder approval of the transaction, Histogen will merge with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Conatus and Histogen stockholders will receive newly issued shares of Conatus common stock. The exchange ratio used to determine the number of shares of Conatus common stock issuable to Histogen stockholders pursuant to the merger will be determined using a pre-transaction valuation of $100 million for Histogen's business, based on its latest priced investment round and clinical pipeline advancement, and $35.135 million for Conatus' business, an approximately 155% premium to the 20-day volume weighted average closing share price of Conatus common stock prior to the announcement date on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As a result, current Conatus stockholders will collectively own approximately 26%, and Histogen stockholders will collectively own approximately 74%, of the combined company on a fully-diluted basis, after taking into account Histogen's and Conatus' outstanding options and warrants at the time of closing, irrespective of the exercise prices of such options and warrants, with such ratio subject to adjustment based on each company's net cash balance at closing. The combined company, led by Histogen's current management team, will be named Histogen Inc. and be headquartered in San Diego, CA. After closing, the combined company is expected to change its trading symbol to "HSTO" and trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market. At closing, the combined company's board of directors is anticipated to consist of eight members, including six members of Histogen's current board and two members of Conatus' current board. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of each company, who have also recommended to their respective company's stockholders that they approve the merger agreement, the merger and, with respect to Conatus' stockholders, a reverse stock split. The merger is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2020, subject to approvals by the stockholders of Histogen and Conatus, a reverse stock split being implemented by Conatus, the continued listing of the combined company on Nasdaq and other customary closing conditions.

08:13 EDT ENGlobal's EGS provides technical support for bottling of hand sanitizer - ENGlobal announced that its ENGlobal Government Services subsidiary has provided an independent beverage bottler with technical expertise enabling the speedy bottling of critically needed hand sanitizer. EGS used its automation expertise to reprogram and reconfigure the beverage bottler's Aveva Wonderware software, enabling the swift conversion of its factory equipment from bottling beverages to bottling hand sanitizer. In addition to its work with private enterprise, Tulsa-based EGS provides solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Defense Logistics Agency, and Naval Warfare Information Command.

08:12 EDT GTT Communications appoints Steven Berns as CFO - GTT Communications announced that Steven Berns has joined the GTT leadership team as CFO. Mr. Berns will lead GTT's global finance group, including financial operations, investor relations and all banking and advisory relationships. Prior to joining GTT, he served as Co-COO and CFO at Shutterstock.

08:12 EDT DAT Solutions says Schneider to pilot DAT truckload rate-prediction tools - DAT Solutions (ROP) announced that Schneider (SNDR) has joined DAT's pilot program to evaluate new technology and data that deliver faster, more accurate forecasts of truckload freight rates and market conditions. Schneider is implementing two new forecasting tools from DAT: Market Conditions Index, a powerful indicator of truckload freight supply and demand; and new rate-prediction technology that uses DAT RateView, the industry's most comprehensive and relevant source of spot and contract rate information.

08:10 EDT Plexus appoints Joel Quadracci to board of directors - Plexus (PLXS) announced that Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President and CEO of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (QUAD), has joined Plexus' Board of Directors.

08:10 EDT MaxLinear to acquire Intel's home gateway platform division assets for $150M - MaxLinear (MXL) announced that the company and its wholly owned subsidiary have entered into a definitive agreement with Intel (INTC) under which MaxLinear would, subject to customary closing conditions, acquire Intel's home gateway platform division assets in an all-cash, asset transaction valued at $150M. The home gateway platform division comprises Wi-Fi access points, ethernet and home gateway SoC products deployed across operator and retail markets. The acquisition will enable MaxLinear to complement its existing portfolio, bringing together a complete and scalable platform of connectivity and access solutions for its customers across target end-markets, as well as creating potential new revenue opportunities in adjacent target end-markets. MaxLinear expects initially to add approximately $60M-$70M in quarterly revenue, and the acquisition is expected to be accretive to MaxLinear's non-GAAP earnings, in the first full quarter post close. The transaction is expected to close in Q3, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction is not subject to financing contingencies.

08:09 EDT Assembly Biosciences announces publication of research in Hepatology - Assembly Biosciences announced that results from a research study evaluating the turnover rate of covalently closed circular DNA, which plays a pivotal role in the establishment and persistence of HBV infection, has been published in Hepatology, the journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The study was led by Qi Huang, PhD, the Company's Vice President of Virology Discovery, and was conducted in collaboration with Professors Jinlin Hou, Jian Sun, and Bin Zhou of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China. The article is entitled Rapid Turnover of HBV cccDNA Indicated by Monitoring Emergence and Reversion of Signature-Mutation in Treated Chronic Hepatitis B Patients and is available online with open access. Understanding the turnover time of the intranuclear preexisting cccDNA pool is important in evaluating and assessing potential curative treatment regimens for chronic HBV infection. This study used a molecular genetic approach to monitor the appearance and disappearance of resistance mutations as a biomarker of cccDNA turnover in longitudinal liver biopsies and serum samples obtained from patients from two clinical trials. HBV virion DNA, cccDNA, and HBV pgRNA were isolated and sequenced from clinical samples. The genetic makeup of cccDNA pools were shown to turnover in as little as three to four months, consistent with frequent cccDNA replacement in chronically-infected patients and suggesting that regimens which fully inhibit cccDNA replenishment may achieve a finite cure through decay of the existing cccDNA pool during treatment. Further, a strong correlation was observed between cccDNA composition and serum pgRNA in paired liver and serum samples, suggesting that serum HBV pgRNA is a primary surrogate marker of cccDNA when liver biopsies are unavailable.

08:08 EDT Cigna to hold its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in virtual format - Cigna announced that, due to the public health impact of COVID-19, the company will hold its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in a virtual meeting format only, via audio webcast. The meeting webcast will be held on Wednesday, April 22 at 8:00 a.m. ET. Shareholders are encouraged to access the meeting prior to the start time and allow ample time to log into the meeting webcast and test their computer systems. To join the virtual meeting, shareholders can either: "Join as a Guest" or "Join as a Shareholder." Those participants that join as a "Shareholder" will be required to have a control number and password. The password for the meeting is CI2020.

08:07 EDT American Woodmark names Teresa May as Chief Marketing Officer - American Woodmark announced that Teresa May will be stepping down from the company's board of directors and joining the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining American Woodmark, Teresa was SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for Asurion and held senior level roles at Owens Corning, Stanley Black & Decker, Danaher and The Procter & Gamble Company.

08:05 EDT Quantum amends term loan agreement - The company said, "Based on our preliminary results for the fourth fiscal quarter combined with the uncertainties in estimating future business levels, management proactively entered into discussions with its lenders to ensure the current credit facilities enabled the flexibility to provide financial support during this challenging period and beyond. As a result of these efforts, the company and the term loan lenders agreed to amend the term loan agreement. Included in this amendment was a reduction in the cash interest payment to 7.5% from 12% for the fourth fiscal quarter, with the remaining portion being paid-in-kind, and a deferral of the loan amortization payment until next quarter resulting in an immediate cash savings of approximately $2.3 million. The company has also finalized an agreement with its revolver lender as well as the term loan lenders to amend the related credit agreements to waive applicable covenants for the fourth fiscal quarter. As outlined in both Amendments, the company and its lenders intend to work to further amend the credit agreements by May 15, 2020 to provide a framework that will be supportive of the company beyond the current period."

08:03 EDT PennantPark says well-positioned to confront COVID-19 downturn - PennantPark Investment announced that it issued an open letter to its stakeholders regarding a business update amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, "We felt it important to provide an update on PennantPark Investment Corporation in light of the massive economic and capital markets disruptions caused by COVID-19. First and foremost, we hope that you are safe and healthy in these difficult times. Fortunately, our entire PennantPark team is safe and healthy and has been successfully working remotely from home for the past three weeks. Our contingency planning has functioned effectively and as intended. As a result, the transition of our entire team to remote work has been smooth, and we are currently fully capable of maintaining our normal functionality to complete our operational requirements. We have also taken several measures to maintain the strong culture that we cherish despite the distance. We have always believed in open and transparent communication with all of our stakeholders and remain committed to those principles today. While it is too early to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on PNNT, we want to take this opportunity to share certain observations as we navigate through these unprecedented circumstances. We have an experienced investment team that has managed through multiple economic cycles, including the Global Financial Crisis. Our principal focus has been on our existing portfolio. Because we believe in proactive communication, we have been in frequent dialogue with our portfolio companies' management teams and their sponsor owners over the last month. In addition, we have strong analytics around the portfolio, so that we can understand and assess the likely impacts of the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19 on our portfolio companies, as well as their ability to withstand those likely impacts. We have built resilience into the PNNT portfolio through a disciplined, diversified investment strategy. The PNNT portfolio includes investments in 78 companies, representing 30 different industries. Our value-oriented investment philosophy focuses on preserving capital and ensuring that our investments have an appropriate return profile in relation to risk. We have positioned our portfolio away from direct exposure to areas of the economy that we believe, based on currently available information, are likely to be most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we have generally avoided direct investments in more cyclical industries that have been hard hit by the spread of COVID-19, including restaurants, retail, apparel, and airlines. Nevertheless, there are some companies in our portfolio that have seen a significant drop in revenues during March given the impact of COVID-19, such as those in the events and gaming industries, and we know that others are likely to suffer declines as economic disruptions continue. As of December 31, 2019, gaming represented approximately 3.5% of the portfolio and its subsidiaries, across four investments. Fortunately, one of these investments was substantially refinanced in the last 10 days, and another portfolio company is undertaking a construction-phase project which provides it with interest reserves into mid-2021. Energy represents approximately 10% of the portfolio, across three names. RAM Energy Holdings LLC's operating performance on its oil and gas wells has been strong, and more than 60% of its production is hedged at over $50 per barrel through October 2022. Further on the positive side, many of our portfolio companies are in businesses such as government services, defense contracting, software/communications, and cybersecurity, which we believe, based on current circumstances, will be less impacted by COVID-19 and its associated economic disruptions. Our portfolio is also made more robust by our reasonable leverage ratios, with leverage through our security of approximately 4.7x as of December 31, 2019. Moreover, we have focused our lending activity on the U.S. middle market, which we believe represents a highly dynamic segment of the economy and benefits from terms, structures and yields that are more attractive to lenders than those of larger companies. PNNT has a strong capital structure with diversified funding sources and no near-term maturities, including a $475 million revolving credit facility maturing in 2024 with a syndicate of 14 banks; a separate $250 million revolving credit facility maturing in 2024; $134 million of SBA debentures maturing in 2026; and $86 million of unsecured notes maturing in 2024. We have been in consistent dialogue with our lenders since the beginning of the COVID-19 disruption and are thankful for their support. Based on all of these factors, we believe PNNT is well positioned to confront the COVID-19 downturn and to prosper when the economy eventually recovers. Our management team has sought to align interests closely with investors. As previously disclosed, since mid-February, officers, directors and employees have purchased over 200,000 additional shares of PNNT common stock."

08:01 EDT PennantPark Floating Rate says well-positioned to confront COVID-19 downturn - PennantPark Floating Rate Capital announced that it issued an open letter to its stakeholders regarding a business update amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said, " We felt it important to provide an update on PennantPark Floating Rate Capital in light of the massive economic and capital markets disruptions caused by COVID-19. First and foremost, we hope that you are safe and healthy in these difficult times. Fortunately, our entire PennantPark team is safe and healthy and has been successfully working remotely from home for the past three weeks. Our contingency planning has functioned effectively and as intended. As a result, the transition of our entire team to remote work has been smooth, and we are currently fully capable of maintaining our normal functionality to complete our operational requirements. We have also taken several measures to maintain the strong culture that we cherish despite the distance. We have always believed in open and transparent communication with all of our stakeholders and remain committed to those principles today. While it is too early to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on PFLT, we want to take this opportunity to share certain observations as we navigate through these unprecedented circumstances. We have an experienced investment team that has managed through multiple economic cycles, including the Global Financial Crisis. Our principal focus has been on our existing portfolio. Because we believe in proactive communication, we have been in frequent dialogue with our portfolio companies' management teams and their sponsor owners over the last month. In addition, we have strong analytics around the portfolio, so that we can understand and assess the likely impacts of the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19 on our portfolio companies, as well as their ability to withstand those likely impacts. We have built resilience into the PFLT portfolio through a disciplined, diversified investment strategy. The PFLT portfolio includes investments in 102 companies, representing 42 different industries. Our value-oriented investment philosophy focuses on preserving capital and ensuring that our investments have an appropriate return profile in relation to risk. We have positioned our portfolio away from direct exposure to areas of the economy that we believe, based on currently available information, are likely to be most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we have generally avoided direct investments in more cyclical industries that have been hard hit by the spread of COVID-19, including restaurants, retail, apparel, and airlines. In addition, we have no direct investments in energy or oil and gas related companies. Nevertheless, there are some companies in our portfolio that have seen a significant drop in revenues during March given the impact of COVID-19, such as those in the events and gaming industries, and we know that others are likely to suffer declines as economic disruptions continue. As of December 31, 2019, gaming represented approximately 8.3% of the portfolio and its subsidiaries, across seven investments. Fortunately, our largest investment in the gaming industry was substantially refinanced in the last 10 days, and two other portfolio companies are undertaking construction-phase projects which provide them with interest reserves into mid-2021. On the positive side, many of our portfolio companies are in businesses such as government services, defense contracting, software/communications, and cybersecurity, which collectively comprise a substantial portion of our portfolio, and which we believe, based on current circumstances, will be less impacted by COVID-19 and its associated economic disruptions. Our portfolio is also made more robust by our investment positioning at the top of our portfolio companies' capital structure -- fully 89% of our investments are first lien, senior secured loans made at reasonable leverage ratios, with leverage through our security of approximately 4.2x as of December 31, 2019. Moreover, we have focused our lending activity on the U.S. middle market, which we believe represents a highly dynamic segment of the economy and benefits from terms, structures and yields that are more attractive to lenders than those of larger companies. PFLT has a strong capital structure with diversified funding sources and no near-term maturities, including a $520 million revolving credit facility maturing in 2023 with a syndicate of 11 banks ($336 million drawn as of December 31, 2019); $139 million unsecured senior notes maturing in 2023; and $228 million of asset-backed debt associated with PennantPark CLO I, Ltd. due 2031. We have been in consistent dialogue with our lenders since the beginning of the COVID-19 disruption and are thankful for their support. Based on all of these factors, we believe PFLT is well positioned to confront the COVID-19 downturn and to prosper when the economy eventually recovers. Our management team has sought to align interests closely with investors. As previously disclosed, since mid-February, officers, directors and employees have purchased over 500,000 additional shares of PFLT common stock."

07:58 EDT Woodward CEO no longer plans to retire following termination of Hexcel merger - As part of the original merger announcement, CEO Thomas Gendron had announced his intention to retire one year following the closing of the merger with Hexcel (HXL). With the termination of the merger agreement, Mr. Gendron no longer plans to retire and will continue to serve in his current capacity.

07:55 EDT Woodward withdraws FY20 guidance - Due to the significant global uncertainty, Woodward is withdrawing its full-year 2020 guidance. The company will provide an updated view of the business and the above actions on its fiscal second quarter earnings release and conference call.

07:53 EDT Woodward CEO says management of cash flow will be key focus - Woodward announced a series of immediate initiatives to address the economic challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, which Woodward believes will result in an extended period of uncertainty. Thomas Gendron, Chairman, CEO and President, said, "With the rapid spread of the coronavirus, we are living in unprecedented times, and I want to recognize the hard work and commitment of our employees as we work together to support one another in this challenging environment. As we navigate through the economic disruption caused by this pandemic, we are highly focused on ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees while protecting our business, maintaining our strong position with our customers and suppliers, and closely monitoring the impact on our business and the broader industry. While we have a strong balance sheet and available liquidity, including under our revolving credit facility, management of cash flow will remain a key focus throughout this downturn. We believe the steps we are taking will position us for longer-term growth while preserving our financial strength through this period of global uncertainty."

07:46 EDT Jacobs awarded $29M cybersecurity support contract by USPTO - Jacobs was selected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to provide agency-wide cybersecurity support services for its 18,000-person workforce. A critical component of the U.S. economy, the USPTO serves as the issuing authority for all U.S. intellectual property rights for patents and trademarks - fostering innovation, competitiveness and job growth across the nation. Additionally, USPTO is a member of the five largest IP offices in the world, which together hold at least 80% of the world's patent applications. The scope of the three-year, $29M contract covers all systems within the agency's enterprise IT environment with a focus on managing and improving the organizational performance of cybersecurity at USPTO.

07:45 EDT Hexcel adopts limited duration shareholder rights plan after ending merger pact - Hexcel Corporation (HXL) announced a number of actions it is taking in response to the global coronavirus pandemic and the related impact on its business. Nick Stanage, Chairman, CEO and President of Hexcel said, "Like many companies, Hexcel is facing unprecedented challenges in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Our top priorities are the health and safety of our employees and successfully navigating the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Our plants are working to meet customer demand, and we believe we have an obligation to the national and economic security of the countries where we do business - and to our customers - to keep those plants open as long as we can safely do so because we are a sole source provider for many programs, including critical defense platforms. We are staying close to our customers as we better understand how the pandemic is affecting their operations." Earlier today in a related matter, Hexcel and Woodward (WWD) announced the two companies have mutually agreed to terminate their merger agreement in response to economic uncertainties in both the aerospace and industrial sectors resulting from the COVID-19 health crisis. Mr. Stanage said, "As events unfolded from the global pandemic, we came to the unfortunate conclusion that we had no choice but to move forward as independent companies. As a global leader in advanced composites technology with close customer connections and a clear value proposition for employees, customers, and shareholders over the long term, Hexcel will continue developing technology-rich innovations that deliver smarter, cleaner, and safer solutions for our customers around the world." Hexcel also announced that its board of directors has adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan. In connection with adoption of the Rights Plan, the board declared a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of Hexcel common stock. The Rights Plan is being adopted in response to the extraordinary business and market dislocations resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic and the actions taken to contain it, as well as the termination of the company's previously announced merger of equals agreement with Woodward. "The Rights Plan has not been adopted in response to any specific takeover bid or other proposal to acquire control of the company," Hexcel said. The Rights Plan is similar to shareholder rights plans recently adopted by other public companies and is intended to enable all Hexcel shareholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in Hexcel. The Rights Plan is designed to assure that all of Hexcel's shareholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of Hexcel and to guard against opportunistic tactics to exert control over Hexcel during this period of economic uncertainty and market volatility. The Rights Plan will not prevent a takeover, but should encourage anyone seeking to acquire Hexcel to negotiate with the board prior to attempting a takeover. The Rights Plan will be exercisable only if a person or group acquires 15% or more of Hexcel's common stock without the approval of the Board. If a person or group acquires 15% or more of Hexcel's outstanding common stock without the prior consent of the Board, each right will entitle its holder, other than the acquiror(s), to purchase for $150, a number of Hexcel's common shares having a market value of $300. Alternatively, in the event the rights become exercisable, the Board may elect to exchange one share of Hexcel's common stock for each outstanding right, other than rights owned by the acquiror(s). The dividend distribution of preferred share purchase rights will be made on April 16, 2020, payable to shareholders of record on that date, and is not taxable to shareholders. The rights will expire on April 15, 2021.

07:44 EDT Immunomedics trading halted, news pending

07:41 EDT Emerald Health releases first harvest of cannabis from Richmond, BC facility - Emerald Health Therapeutics has announced that the first shipment of its own unique version of the cannabis strain, Chemdog, from its 100%-owned Richmond facility is now available through the BC Liquor Distribution Board's online site and will become available in certain licensed cannabis retail stores in British Columbia. Emerald is expecting to receive orders from and ship this product to Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in the next few weeks. Emerald's version of Chemdog, a sativa-dominant hybrid strain with 19-25% THC and 0-1% CBD, is the first of five unique strains that Emerald is growing and harvesting in its new Richmond, BC, operation. Linked to Nepalese and Thai sativa landraces and crossed by US breeders during the 1970s, Chemdog is a cultivar composed of OG Kush and Sour Diesel. The sticky buds and leaves appear silver from a coating of white trichomes that give off an earthy aroma of citrus and lavender with undertones of pepper and pine. The design of Emerald's Richmond growing operation allows access to sunshine in a natural sunbelt, while still being extremely close to key distribution and transportation hubs. The facility consists of two 78,000 square foot purpose-built greenhouses: the first one is fully licensed and now in full production; the second one is about 90% complete and should be completed by year-end. This facility employs the latest in state-of-the-art lighting and growing systems to achieve the greatest possible control and flexibility to optimize yield while also reducing environmental impact. Harvested cannabis is processed using artisanal drying, curing and trimming techniques to produce an authentic cannabis experience for its customers. The operation is certified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems, an accredited Canadian Food Inspection Agency, to the Canada Organic Regime. The facility is naturally growing cannabis in organic soil, which can be used over many years, is using approved organic pest management tools and fertilizers, and is on the path to produce fully organic cannabis. Emerald Richmond is rolling out product launches and is prepared to provide ongoing supply with a focus on Western Canada. Emerald will serve most of its eastern Canadian customers, including those in Quebec, from its second wholly-owned premium indoor grow operation, Verdelite, in St. Eustache, QC.

07:37 EDT Ideanomics: QCCIG enters agreement with Sun Seven Stars Investment Group - Ideanomics is pleased to announce that the Qingdao City Construction Investment Group has entered into framework strategic cooperation agreement with Sun Seven Stars Investment Group to raise up to $7B fund to finance investment projects in Qingdao and Shandong Province. The required funds are provisionally committed by insurance companies, subject to a two- to three-month administrative process, and is part of a fundraising initiative which has been underway since Q4 of 2019. Approximately 20% of the new fund will be earmarked to finance the purchase of electric vehicles to replace existing gas-powered fleets in Shandong province. The fund will sign an agreement with Ideanomics' MEG Group once it is fully formed and the funds are in place to provide MEG financing for EVs. MEG, based on its S2F2C model will be the beneficiary of these funds through EV sales, leasing and financing services, and charging-related energy sales.

07:35 EDT BMC Stock Holdings 'significantly' reduces operations in State of Washington - The company said, "While state, county, and other local municipalities have issued various and differing shelter in place orders, in many locations the Company's products and services are classified as "essential business" and the Company's facilities in those jurisdictions continue operations. However, due to certain COVID-19 related restrictions, the Company has significantly reduced operations in the State of Washington which represented approximately 5% of BMC's 2019 net sales."

07:34 EDT Luminex receives FDA EUA for ARIES SARS-CoV-2 Assay - Luminex announced that the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for its ARIES SARS-CoV-2 Assay for rapid detection of the virus that causes COVID-19. The assay runs on the ARIES System, an FDA-cleared, sample-to-answer, automated, on-demand molecular diagnostic platform. The system is capable of running up to 144 tests per day, requiring no specialty training and minimal human interaction. Luminex also launched the NxTAG CoV Extended Panel last week after receiving an EUA from the U.S. FDA and Medical Device Authorization for importation or sale for Health Canada. The panel is a high-throughput, scalable, cost-effective option for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in as many as 96 samples in approximately four hours. To provide a more complete picture of a patient's respiratory health, the NxTAG CoV Extended Panel can also be run in parallel with the NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel. Luminex is actively supporting laboratories in the U.S., Asia, and Europe with their testing, and the company has expanded its manufacturing capacity to produce up to 200,000 ARIES SARS-CoV-2 tests per month, in addition to 300,000 NxTAG tests per month, with the majority of this capacity focused on SARS-CoV-2.

07:33 EDT Parkland expects two-week process to reach full operations at Burnaby refinery - The company said, "Parkland Fuel announced that we are nearing completion of the required work for the 2020 Burnaby refinery turnaround and have begun the startup sequence for the facility. We expect an approximate two-week process to reach full operational capability when accounting for additional coronavirus preventative safety measures. COVID-19 has required Parkland to change processes and procedures in response to guidance from Provincial health authorities. This has led to a decrease in the number of staff on site and lower productivity."

07:32 EDT Woodward, Hexcel mutually terminate merger agreement due to COVID-19 impact - Woodward (WWD) and Hexcel (HXL) announced that the companies have mutually agreed to terminate their merger agreement, previously announced on January 12, under which the parties had agreed to combine in an all-stock merger of equals. The termination was approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is in response to the increasing impact on both the aerospace and industrial sectors, and global markets broadly, resulting from the health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in a need for each company to focus on its respective businesses and has impacted the companies' ability to realize the benefits of the merger during these unprecedented times. In a joint statement, Tom Gendron, Chairman, CEO and President of Woodward, and Nick Stanage, Chairman, CEO and President of Hexcel, said, "While we both believed from the outset, and continue to believe, in the benefits of a combined Woodward and Hexcel, we mutually concluded after careful consideration that given the significant uncertainty in the market, it would not be prudent to continue to pursue the combination and integration of our companies in a merger of equals. Although we are disappointed with this outcome, we are confident this is the right decision for our customers, our shareholders, and our employees as it allows each of us to dedicate our focus and resources toward ensuring Woodward and Hexcel each remain strong and closely connected with our customers and supply chains during these unparalleled times. We continue to be hopeful that our two companies will find opportunities to collaborate on next-generation platforms in the future for the benefit of our customers." Neither party will be required to pay the other a termination fee as a result of the mutual decision to terminate the agreement.

07:31 EDT XPO Logistics says nearly all sites continue to operate - The company said, "XPO Logistics has adapted quickly to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard its workforce and maintain continuity of vital services. The company is using a combination of rigorous protective measures, technology and virtual communications to help keep employees safe in all 30 countries where it operates. XPO teams are working in unprecedented circumstances to move critically important goods through supply chains, including medical products, personal protective equipment, food and beverages, telecommunication devices, household staples and business supplies. The company provides essential support to industrial, retail and institutional customers, as well as municipalities and government agencies. Nearly all of XPO's sites continue to operate, with short-term shutdowns for deep cleaning or sanitization as needed. Customers have uninterrupted access to the company's full range of transportation services: truckload, less-than-truckload, last mile, expedite, intermodal, drayage, managed transportation and global forwarding. In New York City, the US epicenter of the pandemic, XPO has partnered with the municipal Emergency Management Department for the emergency distribution of life-sustaining supplies. XPO moved quickly to deploy comprehensive operating protocols that prioritize employee safety while meeting the company's responsibilities as a designated provider of essential infrastructure services. XPO employees worldwide are working remotely if able to do so. For employees who need to work on site, the company follows the guidance of the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and its own health and safety protocols. XPO has added Pandemic Paid Sick Leave to its US and Canadian benefits packages, giving affected full-time employees up to two work weeks of additional sick leave in addition to standard annual paid time off. XPO continues to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing and provide access to free tele-medicine through a virtual clinic with a 24/7 nurse hotline for medical concerns. These free services complement the company's other US healthcare benefits. Employees globally are guaranteed up to three days of 100% pay continuation if a facility is closed temporarily for deep cleaning or sanitization. These paid days are in addition to XPO's Pandemic Paid Sick Leave and standard paid time off. Third-party specialists in COVID-19 deep cleaning ensure that each site is disinfected. The company automatically grants workplace accommodations for pregnant employees under the terms of its progressive Pregnancy Care Policy and continues to make alternate work arrangements for employees when medically advisable. XPO has made free counseling sessions available to all US employees and their dependents during the crisis through its Employee Assistance Program. EAP formerly required that an employee be enrolled in an XPO healthcare plan to receive this mental health service. XPO has introduced online programs in seven languages to help employees manage change during the pandemic. These include video sessions on health and safety, stress management and working remotely, as well as information on special policies in effect. Social distancing guidelines are in effect in all XPO workplaces. Where possible, sites have erected barriers between workstations and use demarcations on floors to limit contact between employees. Visitors are restricted from accessing XPO offices and field locations. Employees must affirm their health status before beginning a shift, stay home if they are ill and be tested if they believe they have been exposed to COVID-19. Site management, senior team members and human resources staff participate in meetings prior to the start of each shift to emphasize social distancing and the importance of leaving work immediately if feeling sick. These policies are reinforced by signs posted throughout the facilities. XPO's drivers and transportation contractors perform no-contact deliveries whenever possible, using digital image verification as proof of delivery and managing capacity on the company's digital freight platform. XPO has arranged for additional cleaning measures inside its workplaces and provides personal protective equipment and sanitization supplies to employees, with procurement measures in place to monitor inventory levels. XPO has created a dedicated COVID-19 portal where employees can access safety information, company policies, preventative measures and benefits information online."

07:27 EDT Digital Ally says supply chain has been disrupted by coronavirus pandemic - The company said, "Subsequent to December 31, 2019 economies throughout the world have been severely disrupted by the effects of the quarantines, business closures and the reluctance of individuals to leave their homes as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus. Although we remain open as an "essential business," our supply chain has been disrupted and our customers and in particular our commercial customers have been significantly impacted, which has in turn reduced our operations and activities. In addition the capital markets have been disrupted and our efforts to raise necessary capital will likely be adversely impacted by the outbreak of the virus. We cannot forecast with any certainty when the disruptions caused by the virus will cease to impact our business and the results of our operations."

07:22 EDT Constellation Pharmaceuticals appoints Richard Levy to board of directors - Constellation Pharmaceuticals announced that Richard Levy, M.D., has been appointed to its Board of Directors. From 2016 to 2019 he served as a senior advisor at Baker Brothers Advisors, a health care investment company.

07:19 EDT Myriad Genetics receives reinmbursement for BRACAnalysis system in Japan - Myriad Genetics announced that it has received reimbursement and launched the BRACAnalysis Diagnostic System in Japan to help physicians determine which people affected with breast and ovarian cancer have Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome and qualify for additional diagnostic and medical management. BRACAnalysis previously was approved by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in November 2019 for this indication. Effective immediately, physicians can order the BRACAnalysis test for affected patients who meet the genetic testing criteria defined by JOHBOC including Presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic mutations in family members. Individual has breast cancer and meets any of the following: Breast cancer under 45, Triple-negative breast cancer aged 60 or younger, Two or more primary breast cancers, One or more third-degree relatives with breast or ovarian cancer. Individual has ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers. Male breast cancer. Tumor tissue profiling tests that suggest retention of BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline pathogenic mutation if cancer eligibility criteria for companion diagnosis for PARP inhibitor are met.

07:17 EDT Menlo Therapeutics does not intend to further pursue serlopitant - "Menlo undertook a robust Phase 3 program to investigate serlopitant as a potential treatment for pruritis associated with PN. While the data showed a numerical advantage for serlopitant compared with placebo on the primary endpoint, the difference was not statistically significant," said David Domzalski, CEO of Menlo Therapeutics Inc. "We will thoroughly analyze these data to better understand the outcome but, at this point, we do not intend to further pursue serlopitant. I would like to thank the patients and their families, as well as physicians and other healthcare professionals, who participated in these studies. Despite this news, we remain focused on building a successful franchise in dermatology and leveraging our infrastructure to expand our pipeline. We launched AMZEEQ as a treatment for moderate-to-severe acne at the beginning of the year and are very encouraged by positive reception so far from both physicians and patients. FMX103, which is our 1.5% minocycline foam for the treatment of papulopustular rosacea, is currently under review at the FDA and has been assigned a target PDUFA action date of June 2, 2020. If approved, this product will be our second commercial launch in 2020. Additionally, our Phase 2 study for FCD 105, our combination product containing minocycline plus the retinoid adapalene remains on track for the data readout later this quarter."

07:16 EDT Menlo Therapeutics says Study MTI-105, Study MTI-106 did not meet endpoints - Menlo Therapeutics announced top line results from two Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of once daily oral serlopitant for the treatment of pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis, studies MTI-105 and MTI-106. Study MTI-105 enrolled 285 patients in the US and study MTI-106 enrolled a total of 295 patients from Germany, Poland and Austria. Patients were randomized 1:1 to either serlopitant 5mg or placebo treatment. Study MTI-105 and Study MTI-106 did not meet their respective primary endpoint of demonstrating statistically significant reduction in pruritus in patients treated with serlopitant compared to placebo based upon a 4-point improvement responder analysis. In study MTI-105, 26.45% of patients in the serlopitant group achieved a 4-point or greater improvement on the worst-itch numeric rating scale, or WI-NRS, at week 10 compared to baseline vs. 20.31% of patients treated with placebo In study MTI-106, 25.90% of patients in the serlopitant group achieved a 4-point or greater improvement on the WI-NRS at week 10 compared to baseline vs. 18.95% of patients treated with placebo. Results for all supportive sensitivity analyses for the primary endpoint were comparable to the primary analyses for both studies. On March 9, 2020, Menlo completed its merger transaction with Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. pursuant to which Foamix became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Menlo. In the merger, Foamix shareholders received 0.5924 shares of Menlo common stock for each share of Foamix held at the closing, plus a contingent stock right that would convert into additional shares of Menlo common stock if both results of the Phase 3 trials of serlopitant for pruritus associated with PN were not positive. In the case of mixed results where one trial was positive but the other trial was not, each CSR would convert into an additional 0.6815 shares of Menlo stock, such that the legacy Foamix shareholders would own approximately 76% of Menlo's outstanding stock as of the closing. If both Phase 3 clinical trials were not positive, each CSR would convert into an additional 1.2082 shares of Menlo, such that the legacy Foamix shareholders would own approximately 82% of the outstanding Menlo shares as of the closing. If both results of the Phase 3 trials were positive, each CSR would automatically be terminated, and its holder would not be entitled to any additional shares of Menlo. The CSRs were not transferable and are payable only to the holders of Foamix shares at the closing of the merger.

07:14 EDT VBL Therapeutics reaches milestone in VB-201 collaboration - VBL Therapeutics announced that it has reached a milestone event under its collaborative agreement with a European animal health company, evaluating use of VB-201 for veterinary applications. Upon reaching this milestone, VBL is entitled to receive an undisclosed cash payment. The exclusive strategic agreement was signed in March 2019, and provides the global animal health company with an option to license VB-201, a proprietary anti-inflammatory molecule, for veterinary use. Upon exercising the option to license, VBL is entitled to receive additional milestones and royalties, which may exceed EUR50M. VBL retains worldwide rights for the use of VB-201 for the treatment of humans.

07:13 EDT Patterson Companies withdraws FY20 guidance due to COVID-19 - Patterson Companies provided an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the company's operations and withdrew its fiscal year 2020 financial guidance. "Patterson has implemented various precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our employees and support our communities' efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, while maintaining the continuity of our business operations. These measures have included facilitating work from home, restricting travel and implementing a number of other recommended best practices in our headquarters, branch offices and fulfillment centers. Patterson also took swift action to adjust or postpone non-essential projects to ensure the organization remains focused on meeting the needs of its customers. Patterson's fulfillment centers and the Patterson Technology Center remain open and continue to provide essential products and services to our customers. Through the first two months of Patterson's fiscal fourth quarter, the Company remained on track to achieve its fiscal 2020 financial guidance, which was issued on February 27, 2020. Entering the last month of our fiscal year, COVID-19, and measures taken by various authorities in response to the pandemic, have directly and indirectly impacted demand for dental and companion animal products and services. Given the disruption of North American and international market conditions and the inability to accurately predict the economic effects of COVID-19 and related government actions, Patterson is withdrawing its fiscal 2020 financial guidance." Patterson CEO Mark Walchirk said, "Patterson's top priority is the health and safety of our employees, our communities and our customers. I am proud of the way our team is working together to respond to this crisis while continuing to provide our customers with the essential products and services they depend on. The steps we have taken to enhance our core business, improve our efficiency and strengthen our performance have better positioned Patterson as we navigate this unprecedented disruption. We are actively managing our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to take additional steps to support our business and our customers as the situation evolves. Although we are not providing updated guidance at this time, we remain confident in the fundamentals and long-term strength of our businesses."

07:11 EDT Natural Grocers implements multiple benefits to support the good4u Crew - All Crew are being provided with disposable gloves and face masks. Since there is a shortage of masks, multiple Crew members from all parts of the company have made masks for in-store, distribution center and bulk manufacturing good4u Crew. Natural Grocers has implemented multiple benefits to support the good4u Crew during the pandemic including raises, bonuses, and additional paid time off availability. Now the company will pay for all Coronavirus/COVID-19 fees for Crew who have medical insurance benefits through Natural Grocers, including: COVID-19 diagnostic visits - Natural Grocers will pay for these diagnostic visits, so that Crew will not incur any out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19-related visits with in-network providers, whether at a provider's office, urgent care center, emergency room, or via virtual care, through May 31, 2020. COVID-19 testing - Natural Grocers will pay for this testing, so that Crew will not incur any out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 FDA-approved testing through May 31, 2020. COVID-19 treatment - Natural Grocers will pay for this treatment, so that Crew will not incur any out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19-related treatment provided by in-network providers through May 31, 2020.In addition to the above, Natural Grocers previously announced the implementation of additional critical policies and guidelines related to the Coronavirus pandemic, including: To support Natural Grocers' store and bulk manufacturing Crews and to acknowledge the vital service they are providing to the community, Natural Grocers has provided a $2 per hour pay increase effective March 23. $1 per hour will be permanent and $1 per hour will be temporary through May 3, 2020. The company has also provided two discretionary bonuses to store Crew and one to bulk manufacturing Crew that have been paid out over the last 4 weeks. Natural Grocers is providing up to 2 weeks of paid leave to all good4u Crew (both full-time and part-time) if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or if they are placed under mandatory quarantine by public health authorities. If Crew are ill but cannot get tested for COVID-19, Natural Grocers will provide up to one week of paid leave. Plexiglass sneeze guards are being installed at each register to help mitigate potential exposure. Additionally, customers are asked to bag or box their own purchases. If a customer places a reusable bag or other personal item at the bagging station, Crew will clean the bagging station before assisting the next customer. Home delivery is available at most Natural Grocers through Instacart (www.instacart.com/natural-grocers).

07:11 EDT Berry Global provides business update, maintains $900M of cash at quarter-end - Berry Global Group provided a business update given the unprecedented and evolving effects of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). "Never before in our company's long history has our mission of 'Always Advancing to Protect What's Important' been more critical as we are proud to work alongside our customers to supply products that are truly essential to everyday life. The safety and supply of necessities such as food, medicines, sanitizing products, and protective healthcare apparel, to name just a few, has never been more vital. As we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of the communities we serve as well as our employees and their families, we want to thank our entire team for their dedication and commitment in continuing to work seamlessly with our business partners to ensure these key supply chains remain uninterrupted and operational. Although many don't realize the crucial role plastics play in infection prevention and protecting us from the spread of disease and contamination, we are proud to be a part of this fight and are privileged to support the growing need for many of our products as communities across the globe encounter this pandemic. While some markets we serve will be more advantaged during this period offsetting others that will be more negatively impacted, we believe our underlying long-term demand fundamentals remain intact as we continue our focus on delivering protective solutions that enhance consumer safety. These fundamentals have been demonstrated with preliminary results for our second fiscal quarter ending March 29, being in-line with expectations including modest positive organic volume growth on a year-over-year basis and sequential improvement in the legacy RPC business. The company maintains a strong liquidity position with over $900M of cash at the end of the quarter as well as an undrawn $850M asset-based line of credit at quarter end. In addition, we have no financial maintenance covenants and no near-term debt maturities. We will provide further detail on our specific results in our upcoming earnings conference call."

07:09 EDT Alnylam, Dicerna to collaborate on investigational RNAi therapeutics - Alnylam (ALNY) and Dicerna (DRNA) announced the formation of a development and commercialization collaboration on investigational RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin, or A1AT, deficiency-associated liver disease. In addition, the companies have completed a cross-license of their respective intellectual property for Alnylam's lumasiran and Dicerna's nedosiran investigational programs for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, or PH. These agreements will enhance and accelerate Alnylam's and Dicerna's ability to bring these orphan product candidates to market. Under the development and commercialization agreement, Alnylam's ALN-AAT02 and Dicerna's DCR-A1AT, investigational RNAi therapeutics, each in Phase 1/2 development, will be explored for the treatment of alpha-1 liver disease. Under the agreement, Dicerna assumes responsibility for both ALN-AAT02 and DCR-A1AT at its cost, and may progress one or both of these investigational medicines through clinical development. Dicerna will select which product candidate to advance in development for the treatment of patients with alpha-1 liver disease. At the completion of Phase 3, Alnylam has the no-cost opportunity to opt-in to commercialize the selected candidate in countries outside the U.S., where it already has a commercialization infrastructure in place. If Alnylam exercises its opt-in right, each party shall pay tiered royalties to the other party based on net product sales generated in its territory at rates dependent on which candidate is commercialized. In the event Alnylam waives its commercialization option, Dicerna will retain worldwide rights to commercialize the selected candidate in exchange for milestones and royalties payable to Alnylam, also at a rate dependent on which candidate is ultimately commercialized. In a separate agreement, Alnylam and Dicerna granted each other a non-exclusive cross-license to their respective intellectual property related to their PH treatment investigational programs to ensure that each party has the freedom to develop and commercialize its respective product candidate: Alnylam's lumasiran targeting glycolate oxidase for the treatment of PH type 1 and Dicerna's nedosiran targeting lactate dehydrogenase A for the treatment of PH types 1, 2, and 3. Alnylam's lumasiran has achieved positive Phase 3 results in the ILLUMINATE-A study and is currently the subject of a rolling new drug application with the FDA. Dicerna's nedosiran is currently being evaluated in the PHYOX clinical development program in patients with PH. The cross-license agreement provides for Alnylam to pay mid- to high-single-digit royalties to Dicerna based on global net sales of lumasiran and for Dicerna to pay low-single-digit royalties to Alnylam on global net sales of nedosiran. The transaction related to alpha-1 liver disease is subject to the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary conditions.

07:08 EDT Soligenix receives European patent for use of synthetic hypericin - Soligenix announced that the European patent office has granted the divisional patent application titled "Formulations and Methods of Treatment of Skin Conditions" (No. 2932973). The granted claims are directed to the therapeutic use of synthetic hypericin in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Synthetic hypericin is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in SGX301, the company's photodynamic therapy, for which positive primary endpoint results in a pivotal Phase 3 study for the treatment of CTCL were recently announced. This new patent expands on Soligenix's comprehensive patent estate, which includes protection on the composition of the purified synthetic hypericin, methods of synthesis and therapeutic methods of use in both CTCL and psoriasis, and is being pursued worldwide.

07:05 EDT JPMorgan's Dimon: Paid medical leave being provided to employees who are unwell

07:04 EDT SeaSpine freezes new hires, expects to reduce spending on product development - The company said, "The duration of elective surgery deferrals and the timing and extent of the economic impact of the pandemic, and the pace at which the economy recovers therefrom, cannot be determined at this time. SeaSpine is working closely with its surgeon customers, distributors and suppliers to navigate through this unforeseen event while maintaining flexible operations. To protect the safety, health and well-being of its employees, distributor and surgeon customers, and communities, SeaSpine implemented preventative measures including travel restrictions and requiring all office-based employees to work from home, with the exception of those related to manufacturing, distribution and select others, as permitted under governmental orders. SeaSpine is carefully managing expenses and cash spend to preserve liquidity and initiated actions to generate savings in areas such as travel, events, clinical studies, and consulting. The Company has also implemented a freeze on new hires. SeaSpine evaluated the timing and scope of planned product development and launch initiatives and capital expenditures and inventory growth investments to support those initiatives. Based on that evaluation, the Company expects to delay and/or reduce some of the spending associated with these initiatives."

07:04 EDT Millendo Therapeutics to end livoletide development efforts after ZEPHYR study - Millendo Therapeutics announced that it is discontinuing the development of livoletide as a potential treatment for Prader-Willi syndrome, or PWS. The decision to discontinue the PWS program was based on topline data from the pivotal Phase 2b ZEPHYR study which showed that treatment with livoletide did not result in a statistically significant improvement in hyperphagia and food-related behaviors as measured by the Hyperphagia Questionnaire for Clinical Trials, or HQ-CT, compared to placebo. The ZEPHYR study was a two-part, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal Phase 2b/3 study. The pivotal Phase 2b study included a three-month double-blind, placebo-controlled period in which patients were randomized to either 60 microg/kg or 120 microg/kg of livoletide, or placebo. The Phase 2b data showed improvements from baseline in HQ-CT scores of -4.7 and -3.8 for the livoletide treated groups at 12 weeks compared to -2.8 for placebo. The average HQ-CT baseline score was 20.2. No positive trends were observed for any of the secondary endpoints of fat mass, body weight or waist circumference. Livoletide was well tolerated during the ZEPHYR study, with injection site reaction being the most frequently reported adverse event, as expected with an injectable drug, and mostly mild in severity. A total of two patients dropped out of the study during the 12-week core period. There were four serious adverse events reported during the 12-week period, with none being related to livoletide treatment. Millendo has made the decision to stop all livoletide development efforts in PWS, including the 9-month extension study and initiation of the Phase 3 ZEPHYR study.

07:03 EDT Centene announces new benefits for employees during COVID-19 pandemic - Centene announced that it is establishing a Medical Reserve Leave policy to support clinical staff who want to join a medical reserve force and serve their communities, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy will support clinical staff by providing paid leave and benefits for up to three months of volunteer service. If an employee decides to take advantage of the medical reserve leave benefit, they will: Maintain pay in accordance with the number of hours regularly scheduled to work; Maintain enrolled benefit coverage as an active employee; Continue to accrue paid time off; and Maintain eligibility for holiday pay for any holidays that occur during the time of service.To be eligible for the benefit, an employee's assistance must be requested by state officials. For employees enrolled in the Company's employer sponsored medical plan, the Company will waive COVID-19 related prior authorizations and employee cost sharing for related screening, testing and treatment. As part of this effort, the Company will also cover all telehealth services related to COVID-19 for these employees, as well as all COVID-19 covered healthcare services that can be administered virtually through May 31, 2020. To encourage employees to take care of themselves and their loved ones, the Company is providing up to 10 additional working days of paid leave to support employees, or those employees who have to care for a family or household member, with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, a presumptive diagnosis, or who are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. While most of Centene's workforce is working from home, a few employees perform critical services from Centene offices. These services, amongst others, ensure continuity of care for members, provider claims are paid, and enrollment and mail are processed and secure. While we are following all CDC guidelines to ensure their safety, the company will be providing them with a one-time payment of $750 in appreciation and recognition of their willingness to serve their important in office roles. The company's support services will continue to provide assistance to these employees, and enhanced health and safety protocols such as daily cleaning and disinfecting will remain in place. We will also continue restricting non-essential guests and increased social distancing in these offices until further notice. The company affirms its commitment to hiring during the pandemic and is continuing to work to fill nearly 2,000 open positions across the country. The company has continued to hold job fairs virtually, with six virtual job fairs held last month, and two more planned in the coming weeks

07:03 EDT JPMorgan announces coronavirus relief package for customers - JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders that that the bank will extend benefits to customers who have been hurt by the ongoing coronavirus crisis by introducing measures such as waivers for late fees and a 90-day grace period for mortgage and auto loan payments. Dimon also highlighted several challenges that the largest U.S bank is currently facing, saying that the bank's call centers have struggled in the current environment, with many of them effectively shutting down due to local restrictions. "We are working closely with all levels of government during this crisis -- and while we will participate in government programs to address the severe economic challenges, we will not request any regulatory relief for ourselves," Dimon said. Reference Link

07:00 EDT Millendo Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

06:59 EDT Teledyne considers pretax charge of approximately $40M related to OneWeb - Teledyne is considering a pretax charge of approximately $40M related to certain accounts receivable and inventory as a result of the bankruptcy of OneWeb Global Limited and affiliates. Teledyne's customer, Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture of OneWeb and Airbus Defense and Space, has not declared bankruptcy. However, Teledyne may establish a reserve for accounts receivable and inventory, as well as accrue for other additional AOS-related expenses.

06:58 EDT Teledyne in 'advanced discussions' to acquire Photonis International for $550M - On Friday, April 3, Teledyne issued a statement via Form 8-K that it has been in advanced discussions to acquire Photonis International SAS and affiliates for approximately $550M.

06:57 EDT Teledyne sees 'substantial change in demand' in Q2 - The company said, "However, given likely reductions in customer capital expenditures, we currently expect a substantial change in demand in the second quarter for some of Teledyne's commercial businesses, especially those serving North America and Europe-based customers. While still assessing its outlook for the balance of 2020, Teledyne has begun a number of cost reduction actions and will provide additional commentary at the company's regularly scheduled earnings release on the morning of April 22, 2020. Due to the current environment, Teledyne's full year earnings outlook will decrease from the prior outlook issued January 22, 2020."

06:53 EDT Cemex temporarily halts production in Mexico, withdraws FY20 guidance - Cemex announced that, in accordance with a decree issued by the Health Ministry of Mexico in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has temporarily halted production and certain related activities in Mexico until April 30. Cemes has maintained constant communication with the Mexican Federal Government in case there is an update in the decree to determine if any of Cemex's products or services is needed to ensure the continuity of essential activities as defined in the decree. The company would be ready to resume operations, meeting the strictest requirements of health and safety, if the federal authorities decide that the construction industry should restart earlier. The company had also identified $200M in cost-saving initiatives for this year which are expected to be fully realized in 2020. CEMEX is also evaluating the delay of certain capital expenditures that had been planned for this year, among other measures. Recently, CEMEX has improved its financial position by withdrawing $1.135B under its committed revolving facility and received close to $500M from divestments. Given the uncertain duration, severity and global reach of the COVID-19 situation, CEMEX is withdrawing its prior 2020 guidance. The company is closely monitoring the global COVID-19 pandemic and will provide an update during its first-quarter 2020 results call.

06:49 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical, others collaborate on COVID-19 hyperimmune therapy - Biotest, BPL, LFB, and Octapharma have joined an alliance formed by CSL Behring and Takeda Pharmaceutical to develop a potential plasma-derived therapy for treating COVID-19. The alliance will begin immediately with the investigational development of one, unbranded anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune immunoglobulin medicine with the potential to treat individuals with serious complications from COVID-19. The collaboration will leverage leading-edge expertise and work that the companies already have underway. Experts from the alliance will begin collaborating across key aspects such as plasma collections, clinical trial development and manufacturing. Further companies and institutions may join the alliance as well.

06:47 EDT Lindsay raises quarterly dividend to 32c from 31c per share - Payable May 29 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 15.

06:46 EDT SuperCom ships coronavirus quarantine compliance technology for second pilot - SuperCom reports that it has released a second shipment of its Coronavirus (COVID-19) citizen quarantine and containment tracking technology destined for a second Pilot, this time in Central America. This shipment follows the previous week's shipment of another pilot to a different continent and geography. The solution, which is comprised of a proprietary secure smartphone with an optional lightweight and waterproof ankle-bracelet, is designed to assist government efforts in combating the spread of the virus through people location tracking and stay-at-home compliance rules being implemented around the globe. Reports from countries worldwide demonstrate restriction of citizen movement is a consensus first step in combating the Coronavirus outbreak.

06:44 EDT Carter's extends temporary store closures, implements cost cutting actions - "In recent weeks, Carter's has taken several steps to help address the significant impact of the global pandemic on its customers, employees, and business partners," said Michael Casey, Chairman and CEO. "With the safety of our customers and employees in mind, we have extended the temporary closure of our stores in North America and will reopen them when it is clearly safe to do so. We have strengthened our financial position by reducing inventory receipts, extending payment terms with suppliers and vendors, and implementing thoughtful and necessary cost reductions. With the support of our customers, employees, and business partners, we believe Carter's will be well-positioned to recover from the significant effects of this health crisis on our business." Building on actions previously announced on March 26, 2020, the company has taken the following steps to address the disruption related to COVID-19: With the extended period for temporary store closures, all store employees were furloughed on April 3, 2020. Compensation payments to the company's store employees will resume when its stores reopen and they are able to return to work; employee benefits will continue during the furlough. To support consumer demand for its brands in North America, the company continues to make its brands available 24/7 online at www.carters.com, www.oshkosh.com, www.skiphop.com, www.cartersoshkosh.ca, and www.carters.com.mx. The company's distribution centers continue to operate and fulfill online demand from consumers and its wholesale customers. The company has provided compensation incentives and implemented workplace safety and health monitoring protocols to support the health and well-being of its distribution center employees. In response to lower sales related to the global pandemic and extended payment terms by its wholesale customers, the company has taken the following steps to strengthen its financial position, including: cancellation and significant reduction of inventory commitments; extension of payment terms with suppliers, vendors, and landlords; reduction in planned capital expenditures; temporary salary reductions; furlough and reductions of office-based employees; suspension of merit increases, incentive compensation, and 401(k) matching contributions; and reduction of other variable and discretionary expenses. The company is pursuing additional opportunities to further improve its cost structure and financial flexibility in this challenging environment. As additional actions are taken, the company intends to update stakeholders from time to time as events warrant.

06:42 EDT Safeguard Scientifics CEO steps down, Dr. Rosenthal named executive chairman - Safeguard Scientifics announced several organizational changes to drive total shareholder returns. Brian Sisko is stepping down as CEO of Safeguard after 14 years of service. Dr. Robert Rosenthal, the current chairman of the company's board, will assume the role of executive chairman of the board to provide continuity, expertise and oversight of the execution of the company's strategy. Dr. Rosenthal will not receive additional compensation for assuming this expanded role.

06:35 EDT Magellan Health names Tim Lacy as chief growth officer - Magellan Health announced it has appointed Tim Lacy as chief growth officer of Magellan Health, effective Monday, April 6. Prior to joining Magellan Health, he was a managing partner at FlagshipHealth Group for nearly 10 years providing expert counsel on go-to-market strategies for large health systems and health plans.

06:33 EDT HC2 Holdings issues letter highlighting lack of engagement by Percy Rockdale - HC2 Holdings filed its definitive consent revocation statement and issued a letter to stockholders highlighting the lack of constructive engagement by Percy Rockdale and certain of its affiliates, the company's progress towards improving its capital structure and steps it has taken to enhance the company's Board of Directors. Highlights from the letter include: "HC2 has a truly independent Board accountable to all stockholders, delivering stockholder value and improving corporate governance and Board diversity. HC2's decisive steps to improve its capital structure and optimize costs have produced meaningful results for our stockholders, evidenced by the 88% stock price appreciation that occurred from the end of calendar year 2019 until March 2, 2020, a date just prior to the surge in COVID-19-related market volatility. Percy Rockdale, who only recently became a stockholder of the company, is running a costly and distracting consent solicitation to remove your entire Board while continuously refusing to engage with the company during a global pandemic. Percy Rockdale already nominated its director candidates to be voted on at the company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders, expected to be held in just a few months. Their consent solicitation is unnecessary, costly and could destroy stockholder value. Percy Rockdale has failed to provide its business plan to support its risky attempt to take control of your company without paying you an appropriate control premium."

06:21 EDT TRI Pointe to hold annual meeting of stockholders in virtual format - TRI Pointe Group announced that due to the outbreak and emerging public health impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019, the declared states of national and local emergency and the issuance by authorities of orders limiting the right of persons to gather outside of their homes within the State of California, and to mitigate risks to the health and safety of the company's partners, stockholders and communities, the company will host its annual meeting of stockholders in a virtual meeting format only beginning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 22. While stockholders will not be able to attend the annual meeting physically, the annual meeting has been designed to provide stockholders with the same opportunities to participate in the virtual meeting as they would have had at an in-person meeting. The live audio webcast of the annual meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Online access to the audio webcast will open one hour prior to the start of the annual meeting to allow time for stockholders to log-in and test their device's audio system

06:17 EDT Gilead, Second Genome collaborate on IBD treatments - Gilead Sciences and Second Genome announced that the companies have entered into a four-year strategic collaboration to identify biomarkers associated with clinical response in up to five of Gilead's pipeline compounds in inflammation, fibrosis and other diseases, and to identify potential new targets and drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Second Genome will utilize its proprietary Microbiome Analytics Platform to identify novel biomarkers associated with clinical response to Gilead's investigational medicines. This work will harness the latest insights in microbiome science to help inform patient stratification and optimize potential treatments for patients in the future. The platform, in combination with additional discovery and development tools, will also seek to identify new targets and drug candidates relevant to IBD. This will include the identification of up to five novel IBD targets or drug candidates over the next four years, with an option to extend the collaboration for an additional two years. Second Genome will receive $38M in an upfront payment, and up to approximately $300M in success-based preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones for each of five target discovery programs as well as low double-digit royalties for any approved products. In addition, it will receive success-based milestones for each validated biomarker delivered under the agreement. Gilead will have the option to worldwide rights for up to five programs for all diseases as well as exclusive rights to all biomarkers developed under the collaboration.

06:14 EDT BT Group commits to no job losses due to coronavirus crisis - BT said it is committed to no job losses related to the coronavirus crisis for the foreseeable future. The company said it will increase pay for "team member" workers and freeze pay for managers, CEO Philip Jansen said he would donate his salary for at least the next six months. The company said in a statement: "We are currently supporting thousands of colleagues who are unable to work; have protected the jobs of 400 new engineers who cannot currently be trained; and are reskilling and redeploying many of our 4,200 retail staff to provide services to some of our most vulnerable customers." Jansen said: "BT is stepping up, standing by the country in this time of need and standing by our people who are working tirelessly to keep everyone connected, safe and working. I have been extremely proud of the commitment shown by BT colleagues to support our customers in the last few weeks and want to recognize that. This is an unprecedented situation and I want to give our people some certainty about the months ahead. This period requires sacrifices from us all, and I want our people to know we are all in this together." Reference Link

06:11 EDT Tesla engineers show ventilator prototype on YouTube - Tesla engineers showed a prototype for a ventilator on Sunday in a video published on the company's YouTube channel. The design for the ventilators relies heavily on Tesla car parts, one of the engineers said, enabling the company to redeploy existing stock and produce the devices quickly. Reference Link

06:09 EDT Axonics submits PMA supplement to FDA to expand full-body MRI labeling - Axonics announced the submission of a premarket approval supplement to the U.S. FDA for the purpose of gaining full-body magnetic resonance imaging conditional labeling for 3.0T MRI scans. In September 2019, the FDA approved the Axonics r-SNM System with full-body conditional labeling for 1.5T MR scanners. Axonics has since performed all the required tests to support a PMA supplement for full-body conditional labeling on 3.0T MR scanners for the implantable components of its r-SNM System. The FDA review timeline for labeling expansion PMA supplements is 180 days.

06:04 EDT Welbilt sees restructuring charges of $3.5M-$4.5M in Q1 - The company said, "Welbilt announced several actions we are taking to address the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees as we address the unprecedented economic challenges facing us and the commercial foodservice industry. We are temporarily closing some of our plants, beginning with one- to two-week closures in early April for five of our ten Americas region plants and three of our six EMEA region plants. All four of our APAC region plants are currently operating on normal schedules. We will continue to adjust these schedules based on governmental requirements, health, safety and demand factors on an ongoing basis as we proceed through the COVID-19 pandemic and related market impacts. We are taking other measures to manage our costs in line with changing demand. Accordingly, we have executed a reduction in force in the Americas region and Corporate functions of approximately 200 people. We expect to record restructuring charges related to these and other previous actions of between $3.5 and $4.5 million in our first quarter of 2020 and expect that these costs will mostly be paid out over the next 12 months. Our leadership team is also participating in the cost reduction efforts. Our Board of Directors voluntarily reduced their cash-based fees by 50 percent and our Executive Leadership voluntarily reduced their base salaries by 50 percent for the months of April and May of 2020. Other salaried employees are taking voluntary salary reductions of generally between 10 and 25 percent during this period. In addition, some salaried and hourly office and production employees have been, or will be, temporarily furloughed for various periods. As previously disclosed, we are continuing our discussions with the senior secured revolving credit facility bank group to amend the financial covenants due to the risk of non-compliance with those covenants at the end of our second quarter based on the outlook for the commercial foodservice industry and the related impact to demand for our products. We remain encouraged by the discussions to date. We continue to have full access to our Revolver, without limitation."

06:01 EDT Apple has now sourced 20M+ masks for healthcare workers, Cook says - Tim Cook said in a video posted to Twitter that Apple has now sourced 20M+ masks for healthcare workers from its supply chain, has designed and is shipping face shields at a rate of 1M per week. Reference Link

05:19 EDT ObsEva announces nomination of Fabien de Ladonchamps as interim CFO - ObsEva SA announced the nomination of Fabien de Ladonchamps, Vice President Corporate Affairs & Finance, as interim CFO and member of the Executive Committee, following the resignation of Tim Adams, effective close of business April 10. Tim Adams has served as CFO of ObsEva since January 2017 and is departing the company to pursue a new opportunity.