Stockwinners Market Radar for April 09, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:20 EDT CDC renews No Sail Order for cruise ships by up to 100 days - The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Center for Disease Control announces an order that "renews the No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations signed by the CDC Director on March 14, 2020-subject to the modifications and additional stipulated conditions as set forth in this Order. This Order shall continue in operation until the earliest of (1) the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency; (2) the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations; or (3) 100 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. The findings and other evidence relied upon in issuing the March 14, 2020 Order are incorporated herein by reference. Any ambiguity between the March 14, 2020 Order, as modified by the current Order, shall be resolved in favor of the current Order." Full statement available here: Reference Link

20:05 EDT Advance Auto Parts sees quarter-do-date SSS down 3.2% - Advance Auto Parts' Q1 comprises the sixteen weeks ending April 18, 2020. Quarter to date comparable store sales for the twelve weeks ended March 21, 2020 were down 3.2% compared to prior year, which was negatively impacted from COVID-19 by approximately 180 basis points during the last two weeks of that time frame. With shelter in place orders in effect across most of North America, the company's comparable store sales were down approximately 28% during both weeks-ended March 28, 20201 and April 4, 20201 compared to the same weeks in the prior year. COVID-19 has had a greater impact on the company's professional business than DIY omnichannel and has been particularly acute in major urban markets such as New York, Detroit and the San Francisco Bay Area.

20:03 EDT Astellas Pharma announces acceptance of XOSPATA for review in China - Astellas Pharma announced a new drug application for the oral once-daily therapy XOSPATA, for the treatment of adult patients who have relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a FLT3 mutation, has been accepted by the National Medical Products Administration for regulatory review in China.

19:42 EDT Epam Systems withdraws FY20 guidance - Due to heightened uncertainty related to the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the company's Q2 and full year business results, EPAM is withdrawing its FY20 financial outlook.

19:01 EDT Yext, State Department partner on COVID-19 information hub - Yext announced its collaboration with the United States Department of State on an official COVID-19 travel alert and advisory information hub, covid19.state.gov. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of uncertainty. But one thing is clear: people around the globe need answers about the virus to keep themselves and their families safe," said Howard Lerman, CEO of Yext. "The technology that powers Yext Answers enables our public institutions to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the coronavirus whenever people seek it out."

18:33 EDT Starboard raises Commvault stake to 9.9% from 9.3%, nominates 6 directors - In a regulatory filing, Starboard Value increased its active stake in Commvault to 9.9% from 9.3%. Additionally, Starboard said that, on April 9, it delivered a letter to Commvault nominating a slate of six highly qualified director candidates, including Philip Black, R. Todd Bradley, Gavin T. Molinelli, Jeffrey C. Smith, Robert Soderbery and Katherine Wagner, for election to the Board at the company's 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. Starboard expects that four of Commvault's eleven current Board members will be standing for election at the Annual Meeting, and if that remains the case, Starboard has indicated that it would withdraw two of its Nominees.

18:24 EDT Box CEO: New work trends are here to stay - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Aaron Levie said Box has been ready for companies to move towards a work from home format for some time. He noted that companies will move towards the cloud faster as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that COVID-19 will "fundamentally change people's work." When asked about recent shareholder activism, Levie said, "We took a collaborative stance with Starboard."

18:10 EDT Facebook rolls out Quiet Mode, which mutes most push notifications - Facebook said in a blog post that it has added Quiet Mode, which mutes most push notifications. If you try to open Facebook while in Quiet Mode, you'll be reminded that you set this time aside to limit your time in the app, the company said. Facebook said it also added shortcuts to Notification Settings and News Feed Preferences, so you can make the most of your time on Facebook by controlling the type of posts you see in your News Feed as well as the updates you receive. Reference Link

17:42 EDT Global Net Lease adopts short-term stockholder rights plan - Global Net Lease has approved a short-term stockholder rights plan due to the substantial volatility in the trading of the company's common stock resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. GNL's Plan is designed to reduce the likelihood that any person or group would gain control of GNL through open market accumulation of stock by imposing significant penalties upon any person or group that acquires 4.9% or more of the outstanding shares of the Common Stock without the approval of the Board. The rights will initially trade with Common Stock and will generally only become exercisable on the 10th business day after the Board becomes aware that a person or entity has become the owner of 4.9% or more of the shares of Common Stock or the commencement of a tender or exchange offer which would result in the offeror becoming an owner of 4.9% or more of the Common Stock. The Plan expires on April 8, 2021 unless the Plan is amended or the Rights are earlier exercised, exchanged or redeemed.

17:24 EDT Alliance Resource Partners extends idling of Illinois Basin mines - Alliance Resource Partners announced several actions in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including temporarily ceasing coal production at all of its Illinois Basin mines. Although the temporary idling was scheduled to last through April 15, ARLP has determined that anticipated coal supply requirements can be met currently from remaining inventory at its Illinois Basin mines, and has temporarily extended the cessation of coal production at those operations through April 26. In addition, ARLP ceased coal production at its MC Mining operation in east Kentucky in early April, and will supply coal to its customers from existing inventory until coal production is transitioned to the new Excel Mine No. 5, expected to occur in early May. Coal production is continuing at ARLP's Northern Appalachian mines. To protect employees, these operations have implemented numerous safeguards.

17:17 EDT Flowers Foods announces $5.6M in appreciation bonuses to eligible workers - Flowers Foods announced that it has paid approximately $5.6M in appreciation bonuses to 11,757 eligible hourly and nonexempt employees, leased labor, and contract workers. The bonus is a recognition of the extraordinary efforts of these workers during the COVID-19 pandemic as the company's 46 bakeries operate non-stop to produce bakery foods. The appreciation bonuses, $500 for full-time workers and $250 for part-time, are in addition to the company's annual bonus program, participated in by all Flowers employees. The company also has implemented emergency COVID-19 leave and short-term disability policies for its 9,700 employees.

17:14 EDT Berkshire Hathaway sells 869,103 common shares of BNY Mellon - In a regulatory filing, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) disclosed the sale of 869,103 common shares of BNY Mellon (BK) in three transactions. The first transaction of 197,379 shares was sold on April 7 at a price of $35.3069 per share, the second transaction of 634,419 shares was sold on April 8 at a price of $35.569 per share, and the third transaction of 37,305 shares was sold on April 8 at a price of $35.8293 per share.

17:11 EDT Hartford Financial provides customers 15% refund on April-May auto premiums - Recognizing the difficult time many customers are facing during the pandemic, The Hartford announced its COVID-19 Personal Auto Payback Plan, which will provide customers with a 15 percent refund on their April and May personal auto insurance premiums. Over the next two months, the company will distribute approximately $50 million to its customers. The Hartford is working with state insurance departments to make these refunds as quickly as possible. The company intends to issue refunds over the next two months to all personal auto insurance customers with policies in force as of April 1, 2020. The refunds will be made by check or direct deposit into the account the customer used to pay their bill. In addition to providing the premium relief, The Hartford has waived late payments and cancellation for non-payment for all its personal auto and home customers until May 31, 2020.

17:04 EDT Intelsat withdraws FY20 and subsequent years guidance due to COVID-19 - On April 9, 2020, Intelsat S.A. announced that it was withdrawing its previously announced financial guidance related to the Company's projections for revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, capital expenditures and cash taxes for FY20 and subsequent years as set forth in its February 20, 2020 press release due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the company's operating and general economic environment.

17:01 EDT WWE to adjourn annual meeting due to COVID-19 - World Wrestling Entertainment announced that it intends to convene and then immediately adjourn, its Annual Meeting of Stockholders due to the rapidly evolving public health concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental actions related thereto, including the State of Connecticut's Executive Order No. 7H dated March 20, 2020. The Annual Meeting is scheduled to occur at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday April 16, 2020. The Annual Meeting will be convened and then immediately adjourned to a time and place that will be announced at the meeting and by press release. The record date will remain February 20, 2020.

16:56 EDT Point72 reports 5.9% passive stake in Chiasma - Point72 disclosed a 5.9% stake in Chiasma, which represents over 2.5M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:51 EDT BioCryst up 39% after announcing enrollment in galidesivir COVID-19 study

16:48 EDT BioCryst opens enrollment for galidesivir trial in patients with COVID-19 - BioCryst announced that the company has opened enrollment into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the safety, clinical impact and antiviral effects of galidesivir in patients with COVID-19. The trial is being funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health. Galidesivir is an investigational broad-spectrum antiviral drug that was safe and well tolerated in previously reported Phase 1 trials in healthy subjects. Galidesivir has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity in vitro against more than 20 RNA viruses in nine different families, including the coronaviruses that cause MERS and SARS. In the COVID-19 trial, efficacy measures include time to clinical improvement, time to hospital discharge, time to undetectable levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and all-cause mortality. The trial will be conducted in Brazil under a U.S. investigational new drug application, and the protocol also has been approved by the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria, or ANVISA, and the Brazilian National Ethics Committee, or CONEP. Part 1 of the trial will enroll 24 hospitalized adults diagnosed with moderate to severe COVID-19 confirmed by PCR. Three cohorts of eight patients will be randomized to receive intravenous galidesivir or placebo every 12 hours for 7 days. Upon completion of part 1 of the trial, an optimized dosing regimen of galidesivir will be selected for part 2 of the trial, based on part 1 results including safety, viral load reduction in respiratory tract secretions, improvement in COVID-19 signs and symptoms and clinical manifestations, and mortality. In part 2 of the trial, up to 42 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 will be randomized 2:1 to receive IV galidesivir or placebo. After treatment, the patients will remain hospitalized until resolution of COVID-19 symptoms allows release. All patients will be followed for mortality through Day 56.

16:35 EDT Manning & Napier reports preliminary AUM of $17.1B as of March 31 - The company announced that preliminary March 31 assets under management, or AUM, were $17.1B, which included approximately $12.2B in separately managed accounts and approximately $4.9B in mutual funds and collective investment trusts.

16:34 EDT Owens & Minor to sell Movianto unit to Walden Group for $133M - Owens & Minor entered into a pact to sell its Movianto unit to Waldend Group for $133M as per regulatory disclosure. The Company continues to believe that the Divestiture will close in the first half of 2020. However, due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is a possibility that the closing will be delayed.

16:33 EDT REV Group to suspend dividend starting in Q2 - REV Group is providing an additional financial update and further actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is temporarily lowering its Executive team and Vice President base salaries between 10% to 40%. During this time, the Board of Directors is also reducing their cash compensation by 30%. The company has also furloughed most salaried employees within its Recreation segment which, as previously disclosed, suspended normal production activities during the week of March 23rd, 2020. Additional efforts to increase liquidity include the suspension of the company's quarterly dividend beginning in Q2, sale of non-operating assets and taking advantage of all additional cash flow opportunities available from the recently enacted CARES Act. These efforts are expected to generate additional cash proceeds in the range of $30 to $35 million in fiscal year 2020. REV Group, Inc. currently maintains strong liquidity with approximately $200 million of availability under its existing ABL credit facility including cash on hand. Focus on cash and expense management has resulted in cash receipts exceeding cash payments in recent weeks and the company will seek to create additional positive cash flow from continuing to reduce expenses and manage working capital for cash.

16:31 EDT VirTra awarded $1.6M contract - VirTra has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from the Department of State for the Republic of Mexico with a value of $1.6M. Under this new contract, the company will deliver VirTra Driver Training Systems and use-of-force simulators with drop-in weapon recoil kits to numerous state police academies and correctional facilities in Mexico. This order, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, follows the successful delivery and installation of 11 driving simulators previously purchased for the Republic of Mexico in March 2019.

16:24 EDT Artisan Partners reports March AUM of $95.2B - Artisan Partners reported that its assets under management, or AUM, as of March 31 totaled $95.2B. Separate accounts accounted for $50.8B of total firm AUM, while Artisan Funds and Artisan Global Funds accounted for $44.4B.

16:21 EDT Boot Barn withdraws Q4, FY20 guidance - As a result of lower store traffic and temporary closures of certain stores due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the company has reduced its hours of operations and the hours of its store associates. Additionally, the company has furloughed approximately 40% of the employees at its central office location, distribution centers, and stores. The company is withdrawing its guidance for the fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 28, 2020 issued on February 4, 2020, as management expects the COVID-19 outbreak to have a material adverse impact on the company's financial results.

16:20 EDT Anixter shareholders appove merger with Wesco - Wesco (WCC) provided an update regarding its merger with Anixter (AXE). Anixter held a special meeting of stockholders to consider and vote on certain proposals relating to the merger agreement with Wesco. The merger was approved by approximately 99.42%, approximately 82.26% of the total outstanding shares of Anixter. The merger remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approval in Canada and Mexico. Wesco has obtained debt financing commitments from Barclays Bank PLC in an amount sufficient to refinance certain existing debt of Anixter and to pay the cash portion of the merger consideration to consummate the merger. Wesco continues to expect to complete the transaction in Q2 or Q3.

16:19 EDT Chembio Diagnostics DPP COVID-19 test to be used in Stony Brook Medicine study - Chembio Diagnostics announced its DPP COVID-19 serological point-of-care test for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies has been selected for use in a Stony Brook Medicine effort to recruit patients who have recovered from COVID-19 infection. The study is intended to determine if convalescent blood plasma, the plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19, can help treat hospitalized patients with active COVID-19 infection. In early April, Stony Brook University Hospital received FDA approval to offer convalescent blood plasma treatment to its patients through a randomized, controlled study and is expected to enroll up to 500 patients from the Long Island area. The Chembio DPP COVID-19 test is being used to confirm that patients were infected with COVID-19 and now have adequate levels of IgG antibodies to make them eligible to donate convalescent plasma.

16:16 EDT U.S. Army extends Fluor LOGCAP IV contract - Fluor Corporation announced that the Army Contracting Command - Rock Island has extended Fluor's current Logistics Civil Augmentation Program IV contract, as the Army continues to implement the transition to LOGCAP V. Fluor will continue to provide forward operating support for Afghanistan through December 2020, for U.S. Africa Command through June 2020 or as extended until Fluor begins work on LOGCAP V, and for U.S. Southern Command through March 2021, or until it transitions to LOGCAP V. "Fluor has supported the Army's LOGCAP operations for many years and we are honored that our contract has been extended," said Tom D'Agostino, president of Fluor's Government Group. "The U.S. Army is one of Fluor's most important customers, and we are ready with the resources and capabilities to deploy anywhere and at any time to support the Army's operational objectives and to serve U.S. and coalition forces as they complete their missions in some of the most difficult and remote locations around the world."

16:16 EDT Invesco reports preliminary AUM $1.0534T as of March 31 - A decrease of 9.1% versus previous month-end.

16:11 EDT WD-40 CEO says Q2 sales decline due to Asia-Pacific segment - "Our total sales declined in the second quarter primarily due to a 31 percent decline in sales within the Asia-Pacific segment," said Garry Ridge, WD-40 Company's chairman and CEO. "This decline was mainly driven by a significant decrease in maintenance product sales in China due to disruptions related to the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting health crisis. Though the impact in the second quarter was significant, we are pleased that things appear to be slowly returning to normal for our tribe members in China. However, we currently find ourselves at the peak of uncertainty as it relates to this global health crisis and its effects on both our company and the global economy. To navigate these unprecedented times, we have three primary areas of focus for the company. First, the safety and wellbeing of our tribe members and their families is our top priority. Second, we need to stay connected with our customers and vendor partners to ensure we continue to meet market needs. Third, we need to maintain the infrastructure of our business operations. In support of this third area of focus, we have recently taken steps to strengthen our balance sheet. We know we will probably face some challenges in the coming weeks and months as we continue to operate a global business through these volatile and uncertain times. But we are a strong tribe and an enduring company. We are confident that we are well positioned to navigate this storm as it unfolds from both a financial and operational perspective and emerge on the other side a stronger company," concluded Ridge.

16:07 EDT Hawaiian Holdings reports Q1 traffic down 16.3%, load factor down 10.5% - Hawaiian Airlines saw sharp declines in its system-wide traffic statistics in March as government mandated restrictions on travel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic became more numerous. Demand declines that began with U.S. government restrictions on Chinese arrivals in late January accelerated in mid-March, when governments in Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, American Samoa and Hawai'i instituted requirements of self-isolation or quarantine for incoming arrivals. Hawaiian Airlines has responded to the diminishing demand by reducing its scheduled service systemwide by 95% through April 2020. March traffic was 542,456 passengers, down 45.4% vs. March 2019. March RPMs, ASMs and load factor were down 40.9%, 11.9% and 28.4% respectively year-over-year. Q1 passengers transported were 2,362,196, down 16.3% year-over-year. Q1 RPMS, ASMs and LF were down 10.0%, up 2.6% and down 10.5% respectively vs. 1Q19.

16:02 EDT Aerie Pharmaceuticals withdraws FY20 guidance - Aerie Pharmaceuticals provided a business update associated with the impact of the global Coronavirus disease pandemic on Company operations. While Aerie volumes increased inQ1 compared to the fourth-quarter of 2019 for both Rhopressa 0.02% and Rocklatan 0.02%/0.005%, the pace of volumes, as seen with the entire pharmaceutical market according to IQVIA data, has declined as the COVID-19 impact became elevated in late March and into April 2020 to date. There has been a positive partial offset from increasing 90-days' supply activity, but with many eye care professionals' offices closed or in the process of closing, new prescription growth has slowed. The company is using various virtual tools to remain in contact with eye care professionals, and Aerie's territory managers are experiencing successful engagement largely working from their homes. Considering the rapidly evolving status of the COVID-19 situation and the uncertainty around its ultimate impact, Aerie is withdrawing its 2020 guidance for net revenues and net cash used in operations, which includes the net revenue guidance as a component. As would be expected, the company is currently experiencing travel and meeting expenses below original internal expectations. Guidance will be updated when there is clarity going forward.

15:35 EDT Mersana Therapeutics' Mott acquires 538,599 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Mersana Therapeutics director David M. Mott disclosed the acquisition of 538,599 common shares of the company on April 7 at a price of $5.59 per share.

14:52 EDT Google renames Hangouts Meet to Google Meet, highlights security - Google (GOOG) has seemed to renamed the Hangouts name from Hangouts Meet to Google Meet: In an earlier posting to , the search giant said: "All over the world, businesses, schools and users depend on G Suite to help them stay connected and get work done. Google designs, builds, and operates our products on a secure foundation, aimed at thwarting attacks and providing the protections needed to keep you safe. G Suite and Google Meet are no exception. Google Meet's security controls are turned on by default, so that in most cases, organizations and users won't have to do a thing to ensure the right protections are in place. Here, we'll summarize the key capabilities of Google Meet that help protect you...Google Meet employs an array of counter-abuse protections to keep your meetings safe. These include anti-hijacking measures for both web meetings and dial-ins.Google Meet makes it difficult to programatically brute force meeting IDs (this is when a malicious individual attempts to guess the ID of a meeting and make an unauthorized attempt to join it) by using codes that are 10 characters long, with 25 characters in the set." The Fly notes that Google has banned videoconferencing software Zoom (ZM), which competes with Google's Meet app, on the devices of its employees, according to BuzzFeed News story from April 8. Reference Link

14:39 EDT Uber distributes millions of face masks to drivers, delivery people globally - Uber VP of Safety and Insurance Gus Fuldner said in a blog post that, starting this week, the company is distributing millions of ear-loop face masks to active drivers and delivery people around the world. "On Tuesday, we shipped our first order of masks to drivers in New York City, and we are receiving a shipment of nearly half a million more which we will immediately send to drivers in the hardest hit US cities," Fuldner said. "We will also be urging riders to wear face coverings, in line with the Centers for Disease Control's latest guidance. We've ordered tens of millions more masks and expect them to arrive in other cities and regions around the world in the coming weeks. Supplies are limited and healthcare needs will always take priority, so global shipments will take time. We are sourcing these masks from outside of the traditional healthcare supply chains. For example, one of our first major orders is with a company that typically makes electronics and is now producing ear-loop face masks to help meet global demand. Uber is also donating all of the N95 masks, which are in short supply for health care workers, stored in our offices to local hospitals." Reference Link

14:31 EDT EA, FIFA announces EA SPORTS FIFA 2020 Stay and Play Cup - Elecronic Arts and FIFA announced the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Stay and Play Cup, as part of EA's "Stay Home, Play Together." initiative, that brings together and encourages the sharing of creative content, livestreams and other ways to bring the gaming community together while staying safe by staying home. The EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Stay and Play Cup will consist of a knockout tournament that brings together 20 of the most famous and historic clubs in Europe as they go head-to-head playing FIFA 20 from April 15-19. The tournament will feature professional footballers nominated by each club from Ajax, AS Roma, Chelsea, FC Copenhagen, Liverpool, Porto, Real Madrid, and more. "We want to bring the global football community together with the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Stay and Play Cup, so millions of fans can experience the thrill of their favorite clubs and professional footballers playing -- even when we have to be apart," said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. "As part of 'Stay Home, Play Together,' we're working to help people around the world find more ways to connect through play. Combined with relief contributions we are making, we hope to make a positive impact in people's lives during this challenging time."

14:12 EDT Airbnb launches virtual Online Experiences hosted on Zoom - Airbnb said in an earlier blog posting, "Airbnb (AIRB) announces the launch of Online Experiences, a new way for people to connect, travel virtually and earn income during the COVID-19 crisis... Now, Online Experiences will change that by allowing hosts to earn an income in these uncertain times, and bring their transformative virtual Experience to millions of guests...Online Experiences unlocks unprecedented access to inspiring hosts from more than 30 different countries, including Olympic medalists Alistair Brownlee and Lauren Gibbs. Whether a HIIT workout, learning about nutrition with a Bobsledder or a virtual bike tour, guests can now connect with some of the most celebrated athletes in the world from the comforts of their own living room...With Airbnb's 'in-person' Experiences suspended through the end of April to protect the safety and wellbeing of hosts and guests, Airbnb is leveraging its technology platform to help its hosts continue to earn, while also allowing our guests to learn a new skill, safely connect with others, or pursue an interest...Booking opens immediately with more than 50 virtual Airbnb Experiences available at airbnb.com/online-experiences, with thousands more coming online in the coming months. Online Experiences will be hosted on Zoom (ZM), and Airbnb is providing Hosts access to Zoom free of charge along with personalized support services for curating, capturing and sharing their Online Experience. Reference Link

14:01 EDT Vuzix joins Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program - Vuzix Corporation (VUZI) announced that it has joined the Qualcomm (QCOM) Smart Cities Accelerator Program from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. As part of the Qualcomm Advantage Network, the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program is designed to connect cities, municipalities, government agencies, and enterprises with an ecosystem of providers to help deliver greater efficiencies, cost savings, safety, and sustainability. With proven expertise in commercially deployed solutions, program members include hardware and software providers, cloud solution providers, system integrators, design and manufacturing companies, as well as those offering end-to-end smart city solutions. "The Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program is a central hub for Smart Cities solution providers, and we are excited to work with Vuzix to enable the use of smart glasses across various industries and verticals," said Sanjeet Pandit, senior director, business development and head of Smart Cities, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

13:36 EDT Yum! Brands to offer meals via Uber Eats,The Information's Efrati says - In a tweet, The Information's Amir Efrati said that, "News in the food delivery wars: @tacobell & @kfc owner Yum Brands has broken out from its official delivery partner @Grubhub (in which Yum is an investor), plans to also offer meals via @UberEats soon. $uber" Reference Link

13:24 EDT Azul says cargo business unit revenue grew 36% in Q1 - Azul announced that its cargo business unit recorded a 36% growth in terms of revenue during the first quarter of 2020 and a 13% growth in March compared to the same period in 2019. This follows Azul Cargo Express's strong track record of revenue growth of 41% and 61% year-over-year during the first quarter of 2018 and 2019, respectively. Azul Cargo makes a vast array of options available to its customers during this critical time. Two Boeing 737 freighter aircraft are serving the high density cargo markets in the country. The A320neo and Embraer aircraft are carrying critical belly space cargo complemented by our ATR 72-600 and ATR 72-600 "quick change" cargo dedicated aircraft. In addition, the Company has partnered with TwoFlex aviation to provide Cessna Grand Caravan cargo services to the most remote parts of Brazil. The widebody A330 passenger aircraft are already fulfilling cargo flights between the US and Brazil, and next week the Company plans to begin A320neo and Embraer passenger aircraft dedicated cargo services where cargo is carried in the passenger cabin. "We are proud to service Brazil in these critical missions. Our cargo services have been performing an important role in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March, we have seen an increase in demand for air transportation of health care materials, including medicine, masks, and hospital equipment. Express deliveries from our e-commerce partners have also surged over the past few weeks, as most of the Brazilian population remains under quarantine. In March our cargo business grew compared to last year even though we had a significant capacity reduction in our passenger network" said John Rodgerson, Azul's CEO.

13:19 EDT Kansas City Southern falls after analyst sees risk to Mexico rail transport - Shares of railroad operator Kansas City Southern (KSU) are lower on Thursday after JPMorgan analyst Brian Ossenbeck downgraded the stock, citing the risk of COVID-19 in Mexico. ANALYST SEES PROBLEM WITH MEXICO AND COVID-19: According to Ossenbeck's research note, the virus has been rapidly spreading in Mexico, which is a risk factor that has been largely overlooked for positive inflections in countries better prepared and equipped to fight the pandemic. The country's presumed 2021 recovery appears at risk given the central government is increasingly at odds with the private sector after canceling plans for a private brewery in March through public consultation, the analyst said. Further, Ossenbeck noted that Kansas City Southern has outperformed despite these rising risks to a material portion of its revenues. He expects the stock will lag peers as the economic impact accelerates in Mexico. RAIL VOLUMES FALLING: North American rail volume for the week ending last Saturday slipped 16.1% to 596,710 carloads and intermodal units, versus with the same period in 2019, the Association of American Railroads reported on Wednesday. On a year-to-date basis, rail volumes were down 6.7% to nearly 9.1 million carloads and intermodal units. Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 301,234 carloads, down 16.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 295,476 intermodal units, down 15.5% compared with last year. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Kansas City Southern are down about 2% to $137.07 in afternoon trading. OTHERS TO WATCH: Other publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP).

12:45 EDT Nevro says court upholds patent claims validity in Boston Scientific case - Nevro (NVRO) announced that in its patent litigation against Boston Scientific (BSX) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a ruling in its favor. The Federal Circuit reversed the district court's indefiniteness rulings, reinstating Nevro's asserted patent claims covering methods and systems for delivering SCS therapy at high frequencies, the company reported. "We are confident that the claims upheld by the appellate court will protect our exclusivity in high frequency, paresthesia-free SCS therapy," said Kashif Rashid, General Counsel for Nevro. "Our patent strategy has ensured our ability to maintain exclusivity of high frequency, paresthesia-free SCS, with method and system claims that have withstood numerous challenges from multiple competitors, including inter partes review at the U.S. Patent Office, invalidity challenges in the Northern District of California and Delaware district courts, and now invalidity challenges at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit."

12:13 EDT Nasdaq changes Luckin Coffee halt status to 'additional information requested' - Nasdaq Stock Market announced that the trading halt status in Luckin Coffee Iwas changed to "additional information requested" from the company. Trading in the company's stock had been halted on April 7, 2020 at 9:15:25 Eastern Time for "news pending" at a last sale price of $4.39. "Trading will remain halted until Luckin Coffee Inc. has fully satisfied Nasdaq's request for additional information," the exchange announced.

12:00 EDT Hersha Hospitality rises 36.2% - Hersha Hospitality is up 36.2%, or $1.41 to $5.31.

12:00 EDT Seritage Growth Properties rises 47.1% - Seritage Growth Properties is up 47.1%, or $4.46 to $13.93.

11:51 EDT Yelp to lay off 1,000 employees, furlough 1,100 more amid COVID-19 outbreak - Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman sent an email to employees saying that due to the impact of COVID-19 on its business, the company is taking the "painful but necessary" step to reduce the size of its workforce through a combination of layoffs, furloughs, and reduction of hours. "The physical distancing measures and shelter-in-place orders, while critical to flatten the curve, have dealt a devastating blow to the local businesses that are core to our mission," Stoppelman said. "The impact we've seen on consumer behavior is staggering: interest in restaurants, our most popular category, has dropped 64% since March 10, and the nightlife category is down 81%. Gyms and similar businesses are down 73%, and salons and other beauty businesses are down 83%. All told, the millions of local businesses hit hardest by the effects of COVID-19 face the prospect of closing and laying off their employees, without knowing when, or if, they'll be able to reopen. Yelp connects people with these great local businesses, and as their worlds have been turned upside down, these businesses are understandably forced to pause or reduce spending on the products and services that Yelp provides. The duration and impact of this is unknown, but it will have a direct impact on our own revenues. As local businesses urgently figure out how to manage this crisis, we must do the same. To help Yelp get through this period of great uncertainty, we have had to make some incredibly hard decisions to reduce our operating costs. Today we will let 1,000 of our colleagues go and furlough approximately 1,100 more, while reducing hours for others. Your department leaders will be in touch this morning to discuss how this affects you individually, and letters with more details and FAQs will follow this afternoon. We came to this decision as a last resort only after cutting non-employee expenses where possible. We have reduced server costs, deprioritized dozens of projects, and redone our budget based on ensuring company survival (instead of growth). We have implemented cost savings at the top, including 20-30% pay cuts for all execs. Beyond not taking a salary, I also will not vest any of my 2020 stock awards for the remainder of the year." Reference Link

11:40 EDT Ingredion to acquire controlling 75% stake in PureCircle - Ingredion and PureCircle Limited have announced that they have reached agreement on the terms for Ingredion to acquire a controlling 75% stake in PureCircle, a "leading producer and innovator of stevia sweeteners for the global food and beverage industries." The proposed acquisition has been approved by the boards of both companies. The companies expect the transaction to close during the second half of 2020 subject to approval by PureCircle's shareholders and receipt of the required regulatory approvals. Until then, Ingredion and PureCircle will remain separate, independent companies with separate product portfolios and go-to-market teams.

11:32 EDT Sonic Foundry Special Committee receives stock purchase offer - Sonic Foundry announced that its Special Committee of Independent and Disinterested Directors has received an offer from Mark Burish to purchase all outstanding shares of the Company's common stock not presently held by Burish at $5.00 per share. As previously announced, the Company formed the Special Committee to consider strategic alternatives. Burish has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonic Foundry since October 2011. The offer is not dependent upon a financing contingency, however, it is subject to customary terms and conditions, agreement on final definitive documents, and approval of the Special Committee, as well as the holders of a majority of shares not held by Burish or his affiliates. Sonic Foundry previously announced its Special Committee retained Silverwood Partners LLC, a Boston-based investment banking firm specializing in digital media technology, to evaluate strategic alternatives for Sonic Foundry and its Mediasite video streaming and video management solutions business.

11:04 EDT Deere begins production of protective face shields for health-care workers - John Deere, in collaboration with the UAW, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, announced it is producing protective face shields at John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Illinois. Deere employees will initially produce 25,000 face shields to meet the immediate needs of healthcare workers in several of its U.S. manufacturing communities. Materials and supplies are on order to produce an additional 200,000 face shields. The company is using an open-source design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the project and leveraging expertise, skills, and innovation of its employee base, Deere stated.

10:47 EDT Grizzly Research says Innovative Industrial Properties 'worse than WeWork' - In a short report on Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR) after visiting "in person dozens of properties, interviewed neighbors, the county clerks, and reviewed related leases," Grizzly Research told investors that it believes "IIPR has accumulated a highly toxic portfolio of low-quality assets." "In our opinion IIPR either fails to do basic due diligence on its counterparts or is defrauding investors," the short seller said in a report titled "Is Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE:IIPR) the WeWork of Cannabis? We think it's Worse!" "We suspect IIPR of arranging sham transactions to keep its biggest tenant solvent in the short term. We think this scheme has reached its breaking point since IIPR is drowning in unfunded commitments and its tenant ran out of properties to transact with IIPR. We have identified a pattern of massive overpayment to inflate the book value of the portfolio, bordering in our opinion on fraud. Our on the ground due diligence corroborates that property improvements can't possibly justify the incredible markups IIPR paid. We estimate that about 38% to 49% of the company's 2020 rental income is in direct jeopardy or already lost. Our cash flow analysis shows that IIPR has many characteristics of a pyramid scheme. We believe the ever-increasing dividend would have to be financed from capital raises or reduced substantially. IIPR shares many similarities with WeWork [WE] which too recently fell off." Grizzly Research added that its analysis suggests that the IIPR's value per share is "even under optimistic assumptions" no more than $22.29. In morning trading, shares of Innovative Industrial Properties have dropped about 4% to $66.37. Reference Link

10:31 EDT Heartland Financial announces 20% premium pay program for certain employees - Heartland Financial USA announced additional support for employees who are on the front lines serving customers during this challenging time. Hourly customer-facing bank branch employees and customer service representatives in our call centers will receive premium pay of 20%, effective April 1, 2020. The company said, "Heartland is financially strong and uniquely situated due to the everyday efforts of our employees. In addition to premium pay, we have taken significant steps to support our employees and protect their health and safety as they continue to deliver excellent service to our customers and communities: Directed all employees who can work from home to do so. Committed to pay all employees at 100% through May 31, 2020. Employees who need time off because of illness, to care for a sick family member or to provide child care due to school or day care closings will be paid at their full rate. Committed to cover all COVID-19 related testing and treatment costs for primary healthcare plan participants. Members will have no out of pocket cost, including copays, deductibles or coinsurance. Closed most bank lobbies and implemented drive thru only. Deep cleanings at all locations on nights and weekends to reduce the spread of germs. Restricted business travel, are monitoring personal travel, and cancelled all in-person events and meetings. Annual merit cycle continued as planned in 2020."

10:06 EDT DaVita urges hospitals not to limit care to end stage kidney disease patients - DaVita Kidney Care stands with the National Kidney Foundation and its open letter urging hospitals and health systems not to limit care to end stage kidney disease patients with COVID-19 who need life-saving interventions. This advocacy effort is in response to news reports that some state governments and hospital systems are examining crisis-management policies that would restrict access to critical COVID-19 treatments, such as ventilators, for certain patient groups, one of which is patients with ESKD. Jeff Giullian, CMO for DaVita Kidney Care said, "We appreciate the incredible strain many hospitals and their care teams are under because of COVID-19, and we deeply appreciate their heroic work. We're working hard to help keep dialysis patients treating safely in our centers and out of the hospital to reduce the burden on the system. That said, when our patients need acute care due to COVID-19, they deserve the same access to life-saving treatment as everyone else. For that reason, DaVita stands with the National Kidney Foundation in encouraging hospitals and health systems to refrain from instituting policies that restrict care for ESKD patients with COVID-19 who need critical care interventions to survive."

10:04 EDT Zebra Technologies appoints Holly Tyson as CHRO - Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) announced the appointment of Holly Tyson as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective April 20. In this role, Tyson will lead Zebra's Human Resources organization, which includes responsibilities for Zebra's global organizational development, talent acquisition, rewards and benefits as well as culture strategies, among other talent-centric responsibilities. She succeeds Mike Terzich who is leaving the organization after a successful 28-year tenure at Zebra, holding a multitude of leadership roles across the business, most recently serving as CAO. Most recently, Ms. Tyson served as CHRO for DICK'S Sporting Goods (DKS) where she led the overall talent strategy for the company while ensuring that the culture, practices, policies and operations aligned with the strategic organizational priorities and values of the broader organization.

10:00 EDT Seneca Foods trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:51 EDT MutualFirst Financial trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -7.6% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -7.6%, or -$2.14 to $26.00.

09:47 EDT Granite Point Mortgage rises 35.6% - Granite Point Mortgage is up 35.6%, or $1.60 to $6.09.

09:47 EDT Exantas Capital rises 37.6% - Exantas Capital is up 37.6%, or $1.12 to $4.11.

09:40 EDT New Residential trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:27 EDT Royal Gold announces update amid COVID-19 pandemic - Several of Royal Gold's operating counterparties have recently announced temporary operational curtailments due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Centerra Gold Inc. announced on April 1 that reductions of manpower and throughput to 50,000 tonnes per day at the Mount Milligan mine would occur for 14 days starting on April 6. Royal Gold holds the right to purchase 35% of the payable gold and 18.75% of the payable copper produced from Mount Milligan in return for a cash purchase price for gold equal to the lesser of $435 per ounce or the spot price for gold, and for a cash purchase price for copper equal to 15% of the spot price for copper, in each case at the time of delivery. Mount Milligan contributed approximately $30.6M, or 24.8% of total revenue, to Royal Gold during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 when it operated at an average throughput of 51,624 tonnes per operating day. The financial impact of this reduction is not expected to be realized immediately as metal deliveries from Mount Milligan are generally received within six months of concentrate shipment. Newmont announced on April 1 that operations at the Penasquito mine would ramp down due to a Mexican federal government decree to temporarily suspend all non-essential activities in Mexico until April 30. Royal Gold owns a 2% net smelter return royalty on production from the Penasquito mine, which contributed approximately $7.6M, or 6.1% of total revenue, to Royal Gold during the quarter ended December 31, 2019. New Gold announced on April 3 that a systematic ramp-up of operations had begun at the Rainy River mine following the completion of a voluntary 14 day suspension. Royal Gold owns the right to receive 6.5% of the gold produced from Rainy River until 230,000 ounces have been delivered, and 3.25% of the gold thereafter, and ( 60% of the silver produced from Rainy River until 3,100,000 ounces have been delivered, and 30% thereafter, in return for payment of 25% of the spot price per ounce of gold and silver at the time of delivery. Rainy River contributed approximately $7.6M, or 6.1% of total revenue, to Royal Gold during the quarter ended December 31, 2019. There may be additional curtailments relating to COVID-19 at Royal Gold's principal or other producing properties, and any curtailment could be extended. Operational curtailments at Royal Gold's principal or other properties could have a material impact on Royal Gold revenues or financial condition in future periods.

09:23 EDT Brunswick announces donations to support fight against COVID-19 - Brunswick Corporation and many of its brands around the world are doing their part to help those on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. The Brunswick Private Foundation recently made a $50,000 donation to the Red Cross and have asked Brunswick employees from around the world to consider contributing to the cause. All donations made by Brunswick employees will be matched by the company. In addition, the Private Foundation donated $10,000 to the Salvation Army Metropolitan Division. Some of the many donations from Brunswick brands: The Brunswick Boat Group: Donated 15,000 masks to first responders near its boatbuilding facilities around the country. Mercury Marine: Donated more than 11,000 masks to local hospitals and emergency responders near its headquarters in Fond Du Lac, Wisc. Marinco, a Power Products Brand part of the Advanced Systems Group: Is producing electrical equipment used in mobile hospitals and temporary emergency treatment centers such as those recently established in New York. Whale: Brunswick's parts and accessories company in Northern Ireland has rapidly accelerated production of pumps that power hand sanitizer stations and will ship over 120,000 of these critical systems around the world over the next few months.

09:17 EDT Barfresh rolls out 'Twist & Go' product to Florida schools - Barfresh Food Group announced it will be rolling out its new, ready-to-drink smoothie line, "Twist & Go", to the Pasco County School District in Florida. The initial order is for over 240,000 bottles in the first month alone and Barfresh anticipates a high, ongoing monthly usage. "Twist & Go" will be available next week to students of Pasco County who continue to receive breakfast and lunch assistance during the temporary closure of their schools due to COVID-19. Once these schools reopen, the smoothies will be available on each school's breakfast menu and offered on an a la carte basis throughout the rest of the day.

09:13 EDT ION Geophysical settles patent litigation case with WesternGeco - ION Geophysical settled the decade-long patent litigation with WesternGeco regarding lateral streamer positioning. The parties signed an agreement where WesternGeco will permanently dismiss the pending lawsuit, grant ION a license to the patents and lift the injunction preventing ION from manufacturing DigiFIN in the U.S. In exchange, ION agreed to pay a settlement value to WesternGeco out of future revenues from the company's multi-client data library, comprising 1) a small percent of 2D multi-client late sales for a 10-year period and 2) transferring a majority of ION's revenue share to WesternGeco on the parties' existing joint multi-client reimaging product offshore Mexico. The parties also agreed to expand the existing multi-client collaboration opportunities through new arrangements within specific geographies and product offerings.

09:11 EDT Evolving Systems helps deliver Government SMS messages in Mexico - Evolving Systems announced the deployment of its technology to deliver a new Use Case related to fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic. Evolving Systems was recently approached by one of its customers in Mexico who wanted to leverage its existing Evolving Systems assets to assist with the broadcasting of Government SMS messages regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The customer needed to quickly get these vital messages out to its entire subscriber base.

09:09 EDT Glaukos sees COVID-19 impact 'significant' in near term - As previously announced in a press release issued on March 24, due to the rapidly evolving environment and continued uncertainties from the impact of COVID-19, Glaukos has withdrawn its previously announced first quarter and annual guidance for 2020, which was originally issued on February 27. At this date, although Glaukos cannot predict the specific extent, or duration, of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on its future financial and operating results, the company expects the impact of COVID-19 will be significant in the near-term. Glaukos plans to provide additional information, to the extent practicable, during its first quarter earnings call in early May.

09:09 EDT Fatburger Food Truck to provide over 10,000 free meals for healthcare workers - Fatburger is cooking over 10,000 meals onsite at more than a dozen hospitals in the Southern California region during the month of April. Fatburger is also partnering with Planet Hope to feed local families in need at the Dream Center in Los Angeles. Fatburger has already begun to make stops with its food truck to local hospitals to cook fresh, tasty meals for healthcare workers. Hospitals already visited by Fatburger include: Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center; Children's Hospital, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center; and St. Francis Medical Center.

09:06 EDT Intrado providing remote classroom tech, waiving mass notifications setup fees - Intrado Corporation announced a series of initiatives the Company has implemented to support the global community during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many schools moving to remote learning due to COVID-19, Intrado is providing remote classroom technologies to ensure students remain safe, engaged, and productive. The Company is offering free collaboration tools to help with distance learning. Over 500 free licenses have been provided to date with many more schools in the evaluation stage. Intrado's Health Advocate is providing access to COVID-19 resources and materials to the public via a dedicated page on its website. Health Advocate is providing resources to help employers and their employees during this uniquely challenging and stressful time. Personal Health Advocates, including doctors, nurses, behavioral health and other experts, are also assisting members and their families in navigating the healthcare system, improving their health, and managing the stress associated with concerns around COVID-19. With Intrado's Notification Solutions, employers, healthcare organizations, and schools can send time-sensitive updates to employees, patients, or students in any language on multiple devices through voice, SMS text, or email. The Company is waiving all setup fees through June 30, 2020. In partnership with Cisco, current Intrado Webex clients can temporarily expand their Webex usage for a 90-day period, while new and non-Webex Intrado clients may request a free 90-day license, including unlimited full-featured meetings for up to 200 participants, toll dial-in and VoIP audio, and unlimited messaging through Webex Teams to keep remote workers connected. For on-demand audio meetings, Intrado's Unified Meeting 5 is available for a 90-day free trial providing a toll dial-in number or VoIP for up to 150 people at a time.

09:04 EDT Barfresh launches ready-to-drink bottled smoothie to school system channel - Barfresh Food Group announced the introduction of a ready-to-drink bottled smoothie, "Twist & Go", to its school system channel. This sweet fruit and creamy yogurt smoothie contains four ounces of yogurt and a half-cup of fruit/fruit juice and comes in two different flavors: strawberry banana and peach. "Twist & Go" contains no added sugars, no preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. At only 125 calories and with 5 grams of protein, they make the perfect start to any day or on-the-go snack. Barfresh worked with school administrators to come up with this new offering and ensure the serving size and product characteristics meet their needs and most importantly meet the tastes of their students. Additionally, Barfresh worked directly with the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure that this product is compliant with USDA reimbursable meal programs and Smart Snack compliant. This new on-the-go offering will be available commencing next week to students that continue to receive breakfast and lunch assistance during the current temporary school closures due to the novel coronavirus. Once schools reopen, Barfresh's new offering will be available to be part of each school's daily breakfast, lunch and after school meal programs as well as the summer feeding programs.

09:04 EDT RCI Hospitality reports Q2 sales, implements cost-saving measures - RCI Hospitality reported Q2 sales for its Nightclubs and Bombshells restaurants and provided an update regarding its response to the coronavirus situation. Total and same-store sales were up 11.8% and 5.3%, respectively, through the first 10 weeks of Q2 until mid-March. Subsidiaries closed all locations in the third week of March. As a result, the company is no longer operating at its earlier FY20 $30M free cash flow run rate and will provide an update later this year. The company believes to have ended March with sufficient working capital on hand to fund operations into July without additional borrowings. Starting mid-March, RCI and its subsidiaries have focused on implementing significant cost-savings and other measures such as: (i) furloughing more than 1,900 employees; (ii) reducing pay of the approximately 100 remaining employees to 75% of previous levels with plans to drop to 50% should closings last through the end of May; (iii) obtaining three-month payment deferrals from both of its major lenders and deferral agreements with others and some landlords in the small number of locations where subsidiaries pay rent; (iv) reducing or eliminating nearly all areas of discretionary spending; and (v) filing for business interruption insurance claims.

09:01 EDT Abbott announces TriClip receives CE Mark - Abbott announced that its TriClip Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair System has received CE Mark and is now approved for use in Europe and other countries that recognize CE Mark as a non-surgical treatment for people with a leaky tricuspid valve, a condition known as tricuspid regurgitation. With the CE Mark designation, Abbott's TriClip device is the first minimally invasive, clip-based tricuspid valve repair device to be commercially available in the world.

08:56 EDT Sony acquires 5% share of Bilibili for $400M - Sony's (SNE) wholly-owned subsidiary Sony Corporation of America has entered into a definitive agreement, pursuant to which SCA will subscribe for 4.98% of the total outstanding shares of Bilibili (BILI) through the purchase of newly issued Class Z ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $400M. Additionally, Sony and Bilibili have entered into a Business Collaboration Agreement, pursuant to which the parties agreed to pursue collaboration opportunities in the entertainment field in China, including animation and mobile game apps. This investment in Bilibili is not anticipated to have a material impact on Sony's consolidated financial results for FY21.

08:54 EDT PG&E discloses statements of support for settlement with wildfire victims - PG&E shared the following statements of continued support for its settlement agreement with wildfire victims and the company's Plan of Reorganization. PG&E's Plan "treats all victims fairly, protects customers, and will enable PG&E to emerge from Chapter 11 as a financially sound utility positioned to pay victims as soon as possible and support California for the long term." In December 2019, PG&E reached the settlement that provides for approximately $13.5 billion to be transferred to a trust to pay the victims from wildfires in 2015, 2017, and 2018 pursuant to the terms of PG&E's Plan. That settlement was supported by the Official Committee of Tort Claimants and firms representing wildfire victims holding approximately 70 % of more than 70,000 wildfire claims filed. PG&E previously reached settlements with two other major groups of wildfire claim holders that are provided for in the Plan -- a $1 billion settlement with certain cities, counties, and other public entities, with over $500 million of that amount to go to Butte County agencies, and an $11 billion settlement with insurance companies and other entities that have already paid insurance coverage for claims relating to the 2017 and 2018 wildfires. The demonstrations of support for the settlement with wildfire victims and PG&E's Plan of Reorganization include: advocate. "The settlement we reached with PG&E remains the best option for getting victims paid as soon as possible. This compensation is long deserved. Withholding support for the plan of reorganization would only delay payments even further, and I urge victims to support the settlement and the plan," said Joseph Earley, fire victim and attorney representing 11,000 other victims. "PG&E's restructuring plan has cleared many hurdles, most recently from the Governor's office. Derailing the process now will not serve victims who have been waiting for compensation to help them rebuild their lives. We urge all claimants to support confirmation of PG&E's plan," said Roy Miller, victims' attorney.

08:47 EDT Bio-Rad acquires Celsee, terms not disclosed - Bio-Rad Laboratories announced that it has acquired Celsee, Inc., a company that offers instruments and consumables for the isolation, detection, and analysis of single cells. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Bio-Rad will discuss the acquisition in more detail during its first-quarter 2020 financial results conference call.

08:42 EDT iFresh announces store closures in some locations, reduced hours at open stores - iFresh announced that as communities continue to battle the rapidly evolving pandemic, iFresh is committed to provide the essential grocery shopping services while doing its best to protect the Company's valued customers and employees. This has resulted in several temporary changes to store closures in some locations and reduced hours in remaining opening stores. To continue fulfilling our customers' daily needs, iFresh's online grocery delivery service is now available and has become one of the most popular options during this challenging period. The orders from the Company's "fresh quick delivery" online grocery platform have been increasing significantly; close to 1,000 orders have been received for the past ten days and an average of $200 dollars per order. The Company is expecting to see steady growth in online grocery delivery sales as the residents continue to stay at home. The Company is enthusiastic towards the face-mask import business in response to the surging global demand of protective products. Xiamen DL Medical Technology, a 70% owned subsidiary of the Company, has begun to ramp up the production of N95 medical face masks, with an approved CE certificate for exporting; Xiamen DL will be distributing high quality medical face masks in addition to non-medical face masks.

08:40 EDT Viveve announces VIVEVE II trial did not meet primary endpoint - Viveve announced topline results from the VIVEVE II clinical trial. VIVEVE II is a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the company's proprietary, cryogen-cooled monopolar radiofrequenc, or CMRF, technology for the improvement of sexual function in women following vaginal childbirth. The VIVEVE II study did not meet its primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in the mean change from baseline in total Female Sexual Function Index score at 12 months. The study included 220 subjects that successfully completed 12-month follow-up. Subjects were randomized in a 1:1 ratio for the active and the sham treatments at 17 clinical sites in the United States. Adjusted mean change for the active group was 9.8 and the adjusted mean change for the sham group was 9, a difference of 0.8. There were no serious device-related adverse events reported. The treatment groups were well balanced, and the number of subjects lost to follow-up was as expected. In light of the VIVEVE II trial outcome and the current COVID-19 pandemic, the company is currently evaluating strategic alternatives, as well as actively assessing its current organization and cost structure.

08:39 EDT Tenax Therapeutics: last patient completes final visit in Phase 2 HELP study - Tenax Therapeutics announced that the last patient has completed their final visit in the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial of levosimendan in patients with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF). The study is also known as the HELP Study (Hemodynamic Evaluation of Levosimendan in Patients with PH-HFpEF). The 36-subject clinical trial began enrollment in late March 2019 and patients were randomized in 10 hospitals across the U.S. Trial finalization leading to data lock and top-line data readout has now begun. Top-line data readout remains on track for late June 2020. PH-HFpEF represents an area of very high unmet medical need. PH-HFpEF patients suffer from increased mortality as well as a reduced quality of life. No approved or effective therapies currently exist to treat the many patients who suffer with PH-HFpEF.

08:37 EDT GATX to hold Annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually - Due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to support the health and well-being of its employees, shareholders and community, GATX Corporation announced that its Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be held on Friday, April 24, 2020 at 9 a.m. Central Time, has been changed from an in-person meeting in Chicago, Illinois to a virtual meeting format only.

08:34 EDT StorageVault adding three stores in Manitoba for $11.5M - STORAGEVAULT CANADA announced the acquisition of one store and an agreement to purchase two other stores in Manitoba for $11,545,000 in two separate transactions. StorageVault has completed a $3,700,000 acquisition of a store in Brandon, Manitoba and has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Access Self Storage to purchase two stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba for an aggregate purchase price of $7,845,000, subject to customary adjustments. StorageVault has completed the acquisition of all of the storage assets, property and business used in one store located in Brandon, Manitoba for an aggregate purchase price of $3,700,000. The purchase price for the Brandon store acquisition was paid with mortgage financing and funds on hand, and the acquisition is an arm's length transaction. The purchase price for the Winnipeg Stores Transaction is $7,845,000, subject to adjustments, and is payable by the issuance of $3,845,000 of common shares of StorageVault at a price equal to the greater of $3.10 per common share and the volume weighted average common share price during the 30 business day period ending two days prior to closing, with the remainder of the purchase price being paid with mortgage financing and funds on hand. The Winnipeg Stores Transaction is subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange and is conditional on customary closing conditions. Assuming all conditions in the purchase agreement are met or waived, it is anticipated that the closing of the Winnipeg Stores Transaction will occur on or around April 15, 2020. The independent Acquisition Committee of StorageVault has approved the Winnipeg Stores Transaction. As Access is a non-arm's length party to StorageVault, the Winnipeg Stores Transaction is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and TSXV Policy 5.9. StorageVault is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 and TSXV Policy 5.9, in respect of the Winnipeg Stores Transaction, pursuant to Section 5.5(b) and Section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101, respectively.

08:34 EDT Investor Group responds to sale/leaseback transaction announced by Big Lots - Macellum Advisors and Ancora Advisors, together with Macellum, who own in the aggregate approximately 11.5% of the outstanding shares of Big Lots, issued the following statement in response to the announcement made yesterday by the company that it had entered into sale and leaseback agreements with affiliates of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, relating to the company's distribution centers in Columbus, OH, Durant, OK, Montgomery, AL, and Tremont, PA. "While we are pleased to see the Company signed agreements with Oak Street to complete a sale leaseback transaction for four of its owned distribution centers for an aggregate purchase price of $725 million, the Investor Group is highly skeptical that the Company's Board of Directors would have been in a position to consider such a transaction at this time had it not been for the Investor Group's vocal insistence and meaningful efforts to ensure such a buyer was still available. Shareholders should not look at this transaction as evidence that the Board is now functioning well. The Investor Group believes that the Board must be evaluated on their full history of capital and value destruction up until this point. The Investor Group is aware that the Board rejected a similar sale leaseback transaction last year with a credible buyer. Had it not been for the threat of a proxy contest, the Investor Group believes the Board would have rejected entering into the sale leaseback transaction altogether. The Investor Group further believes that there remains roughly $427 million (approx. $11 per share) more in real estate value that can also be monetized, which the company has not disclosed to shareholders. Not including any further non-core asset monetization, and pro forma for this transaction, Big Lots is currently trading less than 1.2x EBITDA (assuming $52 million of incremental rent expense for the sale leaseback transaction), with a completely unlevered balance sheet and a significant net cash position. Big Lots also competes in one of the highest multiple components of retail (discount/closeout) and is one of the few retailers to have kept their doors open for business during the crisis. Despite these facts, the Investor Group views the absurdly low valuation of the shares as an indictment of the current Board, and the lack of faith the investment community has in the Board's ability to effectively allocate capital. Once the sale leaseback transaction is completed, the Investor Group does not believe that the current Board should be in charge of allocating the proceeds given its poor track record of capital allocation. The Investor Group believes that the Board must be immediately refreshed with highly qualified, stockholder-aligned directors who possess more relevant retail, operational and turnaround experience and who will be focused on developing a more disciplined capital-allocation approach, improved governance, and a renewed strategy for growth that can improve the company's valuation. The Investor Group has nominated nine highly qualified candidates for election to the Board and have consistently pushed the Board, both publicly and privately, to undertake a sale leaseback transaction for its real estate. The Investor Group encourages the Board to meaningfully engage with it to refresh the Board ahead of the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders."

08:32 EDT Commvault names Martha Delehanty Chief People Officer - Commvault has named Martha Delehanty as its new Chief People Officer.Delehanty was most recently senior vice president, Human Resources at Verizon.

08:24 EDT BioSig Technologies announces publication on Vicromax in COVID-19 - BioSig Technologies announced that an article titled "The IMPDH inhibitor merimepodib suppresses SARS-COV-2 replications" to bioRxiv, an online archive and distribution service for reprints in the life sciences. This manuscript is authored by Natalya Bukeryeva, Emily Mantlo, Rachel Sattler, Chen Huang, Slododan Paessler of the UTMB Galveston National Laboratory and Dr. Jerome Zeldis of ViralClear. The article is the first public disclosure of pre-clinical data generated under contract with Galveston National Laboratory at The University of Texas Medical Branch. The work was started with Trek Therapeutics and after Vicromax was acquired by ViralClear, the work continues under contract with ViralClear. Vicromax, a broad-spectrum anti-viral candidate, demonstrated strong activity against COVID-19 in cell cultures in laboratory testing. The pharmaceutical is currently undergoing extensive pre-clinical testing. The Company intends to pursue development of this agent for the treatment of COVID-19 through FDA-approved clinical trials in Q2 2020.

08:21 EDT Guardant: Guardant360 identifies predictors of response to PIK3CA inhibitors - Many women with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer have experienced improved clinical outcomes with the recent introduction of alpelisib, a PIK3CA inhibitor. A new study led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and published in Nature Cancer1 demonstrates that the Guardant360 liquid biopsy test effectively identified patients with PIK3CA mutations along with other mutations that correlate with treatment resistance. The phase I/II study, a longitudinal analysis of tumor and blood-based circulating tumor DNA in metastatic patients treated with alpelisib plus fulvestrant showed 89 percent concordance between tissue and blood for PIK3CA mutations. In the study, the Guardant360 liquid biopsy test also detected significantly more potential resistance alterations compared to tissue biopsy testing. These findings build upon the plasmaMATCH study results2 showing the importance of using a liquid biopsy test to conduct comprehensive genomic testing in metastatic breast cancer and to overcome the limitations of tissue to evaluate tumor heterogeneity. The Guardant360 test is increasingly being used to guide treatment in metastatic breast cancer as the number of treatment-relevant genomic alterations continues to grow. Using next-generation sequencing, Guardant360 analyzes 74 genes using cell-free tumor DNA from blood samples. The Guardant360 test is broadly covered by Medicare for use across the vast majority of advanced solid tumors, including patients with metastatic breast cancer.

08:20 EDT Great Panther Silver reports Q1 production of 34,725 gold equivalent ounces - Great Panther Silver reported Q1 production results for its Tucano Gold Mine in Brazil, and two Mexican mining operations: the Topia Mine and the Guanajuato Mine Complex, which includes the San Ignacio and Guanajuato mines. In Q1, the company more than doubled consolidated gold equivalent production to 34,725 gold equivalent ounces in Q1, including 28,940 ounces of gold and 374,917 ounces of silver, a 134% increase compared to 1Q19, driven by a full 2020 quarter of Tucano mine production and operational improvements; increased production in a seasonally lower quarter at Tucano: produced 26,000 ounces of gold, a 12% increase relative to Tucano's 1Q19 benefitting from higher plant throughput as well as improved gold recoveries and in line with guidance contemplating increasing production through 2020; achieved a 47% increase in material mined at Tucano vs. 1Q19. Geotechnical drilling and studies will be initiated at Tucano by May with targeted recovery of nearly 90,000 ounces from UCS in 2021. At the GMC, production of 393,000 silver equivalent ounces resulted in an 11% increase vs. 1Q1. A temporary four-week suspension of operations, until April 30, 2020, was implemented in Mexico in compliance with the federal government's directive in response to COVID-19. Production for the affected Mexican operations during the four-week period is estimated at about 2% of annual consolidated gold equivalent production. The company raised $14M of additional non-dilutive capital from Samsung and Banco Bradesco in Brazil in Q1, for a cash position of $37M at December 31, 2019. There are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 across the company's global mining operations, projects, and corporate offices. The company continues to evaluate the timeline and conditions for a potential re-start of the Coricancha Mine, which is not material to the company's operations.

08:18 EDT John Wiley & Sons provides liquidity update, suspends share repurchases - The company has a strong balance sheet and ample liquidity, with a $1.5B credit agreement not maturing until May 2024. As of January 31, Wiley had $118M of cash on hand and undrawn revolving credit totaling $700M. The company's net debt-to-EBITDA ratio was 1.8. Wiley's board recently declared a quarterly cash dividend of 34c per share on its Class A and Class B common stock and approved a $200M share repurchase authorization. Given the COVID-19 uncertainty, the company has decided to suspend share repurchases. "For over 200 years, Wiley has successfully navigated periods of uncertainty and crisis through operational discipline, fiscal prudence, and strategic foresight," said Brian Napack, president and CEO. "Looking beyond the current disruption, we remain confident in our team, our strategy and our ability to deliver strong performance in the long term by taking advantage of inexorable growth trends in research, online education, and digital courseware."

08:16 EDT Verizon says Verizon Response Team deployed in over 30 states - The Verizon Response Team has been engaged since the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic and to date, has deployed emergency services and solutions to hundreds of COVID-19-related response sites in more than 30 states. In addition to day-to-day support of federal, state and local government agencies on the frontlines of the pandemic, the VRT delivers on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7/365 basis. Its solutions include portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance. Since January 28, the VRT has led hundreds of engagements. Nearly 1,300 pieces of equipment have been deployed to emergency operation centers, COVID-19 testing facilities, healthcare facilities and other operations support for the crisis.

08:14 EDT Independence Realty Trust announces COVID-19 hardship actions for residents - Independence Realty Trust released a business update regarding initiatives to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). "The health and well-being of our employees and residents is our highest priority during these unprecedented times," said Scott Schaeffer, Chairman and CEO of IRT. "For those residents directly impacted and demonstrating financial hardship, we will provide flexibility in meeting their near-term monthly rental requirements. This includes creating payment plans, waiving late fees and halting evictions." As of April 8, IRT has collected 89% of its April rent receipts. IRT also announced initiatives aimed at strengthening its balance sheet and increasing financial flexibility. IRT has allowed the non-binding letter of intent related to the acquisition of three Class A communities in Atlanta, GA to expire, without realizing any financial penalty. On March 31, IRT settled $50 million of its forward equity agreement by issuing 3.4 million shares. As previously disclosed, in February 2020, IRT agreed to issue 10.35 million shares in a forward equity transaction at an initial forward price of $14.68 per share. After this settlement on March 31, IRT has 6.944 million shares remaining to be issued under the forward equity agreement for current gross proceeds of approximately $102 million. Mr. Schaeffer continued, "The Board and management team have been focused on navigating near-term headwinds and solidifying our balance sheet to ensure the long-term success of our business. We currently have a total liquidity position of approximately $258 million, which includes unrestricted cash, as well as additional capacity through our unsecured line of credit and remaining proceeds from the forward equity raise. We will continue to monitor current business conditions very closely, provide stability and financial flexibility to our residents, and be well positioned to maximize shareholder value."

08:12 EDT Neos Therapeutics issued U.S. methods of use patent for N-desethyloxybutynin - Neos Therapeutics announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,610,507, which is directed to methods of treating sialorrhea by administering N-desethyloxybutynin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in NT0502. NT0502 is currently in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of sialorrhea in patients with neurological conditions. The patent, assigned to Neos Therapeutics, is not expected to expire before November 2032. NT0502 is a new chemical entity being developed as an oral, once- or twice-daily treatment to reduce chronic sialorrhea in patients with neurological and other conditions associated with excess saliva and drooling. Based on preclinical data, the company believes that NT0502 offers the potential for an improved tolerability profile and an easier-to-dose oral formulation, without the need for complex titration, compared to existing treatment options. N-desethyloxybutynin is an active metabolite of oxybutynin, an approved drug to treat a urological condition.

08:10 EDT Akerna signs deal with Rolling in Green - Akerna has completed an agreement with Rolling in Green, a pre-roll cannabis automation company that provides a turn-key processing solution for licensed producers. Akerna will use its strategic agreement with NetSuite to help the company manage inventory, track their financials, and maintain customer relationship management systems. Rolling in Green will be using innovative technology to provide product ordering and tracking for pre-rolls in multiple sizes through a three-step process that requires an effective, integrated ERP solution.

08:09 EDT Lipocine receives favourable ruling in Clarus patent case - Lipocine announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO. Previously the PTAB granted Lipocine's Priority Motion in the interference case between Clarus Therapeutics and Lipocine and entered adverse judgment against Clarus.

08:09 EDT AtriCure announces actions in response to COVID-19 pandemic - AtriCure has taken action to mitigate potential health and safety risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring the continuity of operations. In a continuing effort to protect the health and safety of our workforce and their families and communities and based on applicable orders and recommendations from federal and local government and health agencies, employees have been enabled to work from home. There are certain exceptions to ensure the continuity of customer support services at the request of physician and hospital customers, as well as manufacturing operations noted below. The company has also implemented other measures, such as restricting travel where possible, to protect the health and safety of our customers, their patients and our employees. Consistent with applicable exceptions, AtriCure is maintaining streamlined manufacturing, assembly, fulfillment and other related processes in order to continue providing products to our customers. For company employees involved in such operation-critical processes, we have implemented a number of recommended best practices to protect the health and safety of our workforce. AtriCure has implemented several measures to reduce its operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The company is delaying certain capital investments and hiring, reducing executive management and board compensation, and reducing other non-essential sales, general and administrative expenses where possible, without sacrificing investments in critical strategic initiatives. Many company employees have dedicated their time and expertise to helping hospital customers in response to the pandemic. These efforts include working with local hospitals to produce essential equipment and expanding available volunteer time off for those employees who are nurses and healthcare practitioners to spend time serving where possible.

08:08 EDT Neoleukin Therapeutics plans to present preclinical data on NL-201 in 2020 - The company said, "Neoleukin plans to present preclinical data on NL-201 and its de novo protein technology platform in 2020. Three abstracts were accepted for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, previously scheduled to take place in San Diego in April 2020. These data will now be presented as part of the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II, taking place June 22-24. Full abstracts are scheduled to be posted online at 12:01 a.m. EDT on May 15, 2020 on the AACR website. Neoleukin's de novo protein technology has applications in many potential disease indications, including cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Due to the public health emergency, Neoleukin is utilizing research and computational bandwidth available during this time to investigate the potential application of its de novo protein technology toward COVID-19. The company will provide an update on this research at a future time as appropriate."

08:07 EDT Hoth Therapeutics begins next phase of VNLG-152 study in acne - Hoth Therapeutics initiated the next phase of its study of VNLG-152 novel retinamides for the treatment of dermatological diseases, at Weill Cornell Medicine. Hoth continues to examine the efficacy of RAMBAs in blocking acne pathogenic gene expression and carcinogenesis in mice. Solubility and formulation had been established for the drug for use in both human keratinocytes and mouse studies. As part of the next phase of this study, the assay will be tested to explore whether VNLG-152 is capable of blocking this inflammatory response. After identifying an effective dose of VNLG-152, the researchers will conduct studies on mouse skin to determine if this drug is effective in blocking acne-like inflammation in vivo.

08:06 EDT Biocept granted Brazil Patent No. BR112013028296-7 - Biocept announces that it has been granted Brazil Patent No. BR112013028296-7, titled, "METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE VARIANTS." The patent provides intellectual property protection for the Switch-Blocker technology that is core to Biocept's Target Selector assays for ctDNA analysis using real-time PCR, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing. The recently issued Brazilian patent encompasses Biocept's Switch-Blocker technology, which specifically enriches patient specimens for oncogene mutations of interest, resulting in ultra-high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of cancer-associated alterations. The Switch-Blocker is designed to improve detection rates for rare genetic alterations, including biomarkers in patients diagnosed with cancer, allowing physicians to make informed decisions for therapy selection and to monitor treatment response, progression or recurrence over time.

08:05 EDT Zscaler intends to acquire Cloudneeti, terms not disclosed - Zscaler announced the intent to acquire Cloudneeti, a Cloud Security Posture Management company. With the acquisition, Zscaler will provide its customers industry-leading data protection coverage in the Zscaler Cloud Security Platform. Cloudneeti prevents and remediates application misconfigurations in SaaS, IaaS and PaaS. These misconfigurations are a leading cause of data breaches and compliance violations in cloud applications. Cloudneeti extends data protection to public cloud workloads and will further improve Zscaler's comprehensive data protection offerings by providing customers with: Complete Data Protection and Exposure Prevention: Data protection policies apply across locations, users and application types to ensure consistent and comprehensive data loss prevention in compliance with regulations like GDPR. Unified Compliance Assurance: A single platform that provides compliance visibility and violation mitigation across SaaS applications like Microsoft Office 365 and cloud service providers including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to ensure government laws and industry regulations are followed. Automated Risk Reduction: Automated remediations that ensure cloud applications are not vulnerable to outside threats by following industry and organizationally-defined policies. The transaction is expected to close prior to the completion of Zscaler's fiscal third quarter subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:04 EDT Bloomin' Brands, JANA Partners announce settlement - Bloomin' Brands and JANA Partners announced that the company will be adding two new independent directors to its Bboard, effective July 1. The first new independent director is expected to be John Gainor, subject to the completion of the board's normal vetting process. The second independent board member will be Scott Ostfeld of JANA Partners or a mutually acceptable person to both JANA Partners and the company. With the addition of these two directors, the Board will consist of ten directors. In connection with the settlement, Bloomin' Brands and JANA have entered into an agreement. Under the agreement, Bloomin' has agreed to appoint two directors and JANA has agreed to customary standstill and voting commitments.

08:03 EDT Fulgent Genetics offers end-to-end processing, analysis for COVID-19 tests - Fulgent Genetics announced that it is offering end-to-end processing, analysis and reporting for its recently launched COVID-19 tests. The company is currently accepting samples directly to its BSL-2 certified lab in Temple City, California, versus previously accepting extracted RNA samples through third party laboratories. With the ability to offer end-to-end testing for COVID-19, Fulgent can more efficiently manage the demand it is seeing for both its RT-PCR and NGS tests for the virus. The company's lab has the capacity to accept and process thousands of samples per day for COVID-19 testing alone. In conjunction with the new tests for the COVID-19 virus, Fulgent also launched a new web-based portal for the delivery of COVID-19 test results. This portal has been customized to make it easy for physicians to access their results across multiple platforms, and allows physicians to track samples in progress to quickly determine whether results are positive, negative or indeterminate. Fulgent also announced that it has submitted several COVID-19 tests to the US Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization in the US. The company is currently awaiting responses from the FDA. In addition, the company has received temporary approval from the State of New York to perform COVID-19 testing on specimens from New York. As a reminder, the company previously received its permit and genetic test approval from the New York Department of Health in 2019.

08:03 EDT Tarena names Yongji Sun as CEO, effective April 9 - Tarena announced that its board of directors has appointed Yongji Sun as the company's CEO, effective on April 9. While resigning from the position of CEO, Shaoyun Han, founder of the company, will continue to serve on the Board. Sun has served as an independent director of the company since April 2014. Sun currently serves as the Chairman of Dilato Infotech Ltd. Between 2011 and 2014, Sun served as the CEO of Shangxue Education Technology.

07:57 EDT Pfizer confirms lead compound, analogues are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL - Pfizer announced important advances in the battle against the global COVID-19 pandemic. As outlined in Pfizer's five-point plan, the company has been collaborating across the healthcare innovation ecosystem ranging from large pharmaceutical companies to the smallest of biotech companies, from government agencies to academic institutions to address the COVID-19 global health care crisis. Researchers and scientists have been relentlessly working to develop an investigational antiviral compound to treat SARS-CoV-2, which causes the current pandemic of coronavirus infections (COVID-19), a vaccine to prevent infection as well as evaluating other therapies that have scientific potential to help infected patients fight the virus. "We are committed to making the impossible possible," said Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO. "In the spirit of the Five Point Plan that Pfizer issued, we are facing this public health challenge head on by collaborating with industry partners and academic institutions to develop potential novel approaches to prevent and treat COVID-19. Our researchers and scientists also have been exploring potential new uses of existing medicines in Pfizer's portfolio to help infected patients globally. We are leaving no stone unturned as we explore every option to help provide society with a treatment or cure." Pfizer announced key advances in its commitment to protect humankind from this escalating pandemic and prepare the industry to better respond to future global health crises. Pfizer confirmed a lead compound and analogues are potent inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 3C-like (3CL) protease, based on the results of initial screening assays. In addition, preliminary data suggest the lead protease inhibitor shows antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Consequently, Pfizer will perform pre-clinical confirmatory studies, including further anti-viral profiling and assessment of the suitability of the lead molecule for IV administration clinically. In parallel, the company is also investing in materials that will accelerate the start of a potential clinical study of the lead molecule to third quarter 2020, three or more months in advance of earlier estimates, subject to positive completion of the pre-clinical confirmatory studies.

07:49 EDT CorePoint Lodging unable to forecast impact from COVID-19 - The company said, "Since March 12, 2020, CorePoint has completed the sale of six additional non-core hotels for gross proceeds of approximately $26M, of which approximately $10M of the net proceeds were used to repay CMBS debt. Year to date, CorePoint has completed the sale of 23 hotels for gross proceeds of approximately $100M. Of this amount, approximately $50M of the net proceeds has been used to repay CMBS debt. With the recent asset sale closings, the Company has reduced its debt outstanding on its CMBS loan today to approximately $870M. The interest rate on the CMBS loan is LIBOR + 2.75%. The Company is unable to forecast at this time whether there will be any impact from COVID-19 on the timing of, or gross proceeds from, future anticipated asset sales. The Company intends to provide any further updates on the status and timing of both its phase one and phase two non-core dispositions, including those hotels currently under contract, when it reports operational and financial results for the first quarter of 2020."

07:45 EDT CorePoint Lodging expects to suspend dividend for balance of 2020 - The company said, "The Company's current cash balance is approximately $210M, excluding lender escrows of approximately $19M. Out of an abundance of caution, as previously disclosed and included in the above amount, the Company proactively made a $110M draw from its $150M revolving credit facility, representing substantially all of its current availability under the facility, to further enhance its cash liquidity position. CorePoint's previously declared first quarter dividend of 20c per share of common stock will be paid on April 15, 2020 to stockholders of record as of March 31, 2020. The Company expects to suspend its common stock dividend for the balance of 2020, resulting in the preservation of approximately $11M of cash per quarter, or approximately $45M on an annualized basis. CorePoint's Board of Directors will reassess at the end of the year the common dividend amount, if any, that will be declared and paid for 2020."

07:43 EDT Pfizer, BioNTech plan first trials for COVID-19 vaccine as early as end of April - BioNTech SE (BNTX) and Pfizer (PFE) disclosed additional details of their collaboration to advance candidates from BioNTech's mRNA vaccine program, previously announced on March 17, 2020. The collaboration aims to rapidly advance multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates into human clinical testing based on BioNTech's proprietary mRNA vaccine platforms, with the objective of ensuring rapid worldwide access to the vaccine, if approved. The collaboration will leverage Pfizer's broad expertise in vaccine research and development, regulatory capabilities, and global manufacturing and distribution network. The two companies plan to jointly conduct clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine candidates initially in the United States and Europe across multiple sites. BioNTech and Pfizer intend to initiate the first clinical trials as early as the end of April 2020, assuming regulatory clearance. During the clinical development stage, BioNTech and its partners will provide clinical supply of the vaccine from its GMP-certified mRNA manufacturing facilities in Europe. BioNTech and Pfizer will work together to scale-up manufacturing capacity at risk to provide worldwide supply in response to the pandemic. BioNTech and Pfizer will also work jointly to commercialize the vaccine worldwide upon regulatory approval. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will pay BioNTech $185M in upfront payments, including a cash payment of $72M and an equity investment of $113M. BioNTech is eligible to receive future milestone payments of up to $563M for a potential total consideration of $748M. Pfizer and BioNTech will share development costs equally. Initially, Pfizer will fund 100 percent of the development costs, and BioNTech will repay Pfizer its 50 percent share of these costs during the commercialization of the vaccine.

07:39 EDT Otonomy temporarily pauses new patient enrollment in OTO-413 Phase 1/2 trial - The company said, "This is an ascending single dose safety and exploratory efficacy study being conducted at a limited number of trial sites in the United States. We have successfully completed several dose cohorts but have temporarily paused new patient enrollment because site visits are required for extensive hearing assessments to evaluate both safety and exploratory efficacy. Resumption of enrollment will be determined on a site-by-site basis."

07:38 EDT Otonomy says completed initial safety cohort of OTO-313 Phase 1/2 trial - The company said, "Otonomy has successfully completed the initial safety cohort of this trial, and is conducting the exploratory efficacy study at approximately 15 sites located throughout the United States. Several of the efficacy endpoints are collected by patient-reported daily telephone diary and we switched to completion of the Tinnitus Functional Index questionnaire at the patient's home as well to avoid restrictions on travel or study site visits. The enrollment of new patients is being managed on a site-by-site basis."

07:36 EDT Otonomy adopts work from home policy - The company said, "Otonomy has taken steps to protect the health and safety of its employees and community by generally adopting a work from home policy in line with directives from the State of California and guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On-site activities have been restricted to certain essential facility and laboratory support functions and social distancing policies have been implemented. Other corporate functions including clinical operations were able to quickly and effectively transition to remote working."

07:36 EDT Otonomy says new patient enrollment impacted by COVID-19 pandemic - Otonomy provided a business update related to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our first priority during this international crisis has been to ensure the health and safety of our employees, patients enrolled in our clinical trials, and healthcare professionals at our study sites in the United States and Europe," said David Weber, Ph.D., president and CEO of Otonomy. "We are fortunate that the primary endpoint for our OTIVIDEX Phase 3 trial and key exploratory endpoints in our OTO-313 Phase 2 trial are self-reported by the patient from home thereby preserving the integrity of data collection in these trials even in locations with quarantine restrictions. However, new patient enrollment is being impacted so we are suspending our guidance for the timing of trial results until we better understand the timeline for each study. We continue to carefully manage our spending and believe that our existing capital can fund operations through our multiple clinical trial readouts including the OTIVIDEX Phase 3 trial."

07:34 EDT Matrix Service eliminating all non-critical capex for balance of FY20 - The company said, "The Company's longstanding strategy of maintaining a strong financial position to operate across business cycles has positioned the Company for this current economic environment which presents unprecedented business challenges. The Company entered this environment with a strong net cash position, balance sheet and substantial liquidity. Adding to this strong foundation, is the fact that we work with stable, blue-chip clients on essential projects to our nation's energy infrastructure. Even considering this strong foundation, the Company is taking appropriate steps to preserve our financial position and we expect to achieve our goal of sustainable generation of positive cash flow from operations. In addition, the Company suspended share buybacks in early March, after purchasing an aggregate value of $7.1M early in the third quarter. The Company is continuing its previously announced cost reduction program, which is focused on a couple of under-performing businesses. We are also expanding this effort across the entire organization to balance our expenses to a level more appropriate for future revenue volume expectations. All expenditures are being evaluated, and the Company has also eliminated all non-critical capital expenditures from the balance of the fiscal 2020 financial plan. Based on our current knowledge, we remain confident in our financial positioning, long term resilience, and ability to take advantage of the markets in which we are operating when this pandemic begins to alleviate."

07:32 EDT Matrix Service has some project delays, temporary suspensions of work - The company said, "The services we provide are essential, and work on most of the Company's projects is continuing. There have been some project delays and temporary suspensions of work, including work in our refinery turnaround and maintenance operations and as well as disruptions on a few other projects across the business. Most of these changes are the result of an abundance of COVID-19 precautions being taken by us and our clients, and to a lesser degree, the reduced crude oil demand environment. In most cases, the revenue volumes are moving out in time from a few weeks to quarters, but not going away. We are working with our clients as they consider how they will modify their capital and maintenance spending plans, which is impacting the quantity and timing of near-term new project awards and starts. With that said, we are in advanced stages of proposals and final negotiations for several significant projects principally in our Storage Solutions segment. One of these projects is an EPC LNG peak shaving terminal for which we have recently received a letter of intent as we work through final contracting details. This project is a similar facility to the Piedmont Natural Gas project we announced last year which is currently under construction. This again demonstrates our client's confidence in us as well as our strength and project delivery capability in this essential and critical part of the small to mid-scale LNG energy market. As we move to our fiscal 2021 in July of this year, we are carefully assessing our backlog of projects, and ensuring we remain flexible as we review market opportunities available to us across our segments, adjusting our priorities and capital allocation accordingly."

07:18 EDT Eldorado Gold reports Q1 gold production of 115,949 ounces - Eldorado Gold reported that Q1 preliminary production was 115,949 ounces of gold. Gold leached into solution at Kisladag during the quarter was consistent with expectations and gold production was higher than the comparative period in 2019 as a result of the recommencement of operations on April 1, 2019. Gold production for Q1 was lower than planned as elevated rainfall in the quarter led to increased solution volumes. The gold contained in excess solution will be recovered over the spring and summer months. Production at Olympias continued to show improvement quarter-over-quarter with gold produced in Q1 the highest in six quarters. Production at Efemcukuru for Q1 was consistent with expectations, but lower than Q1 2019 due to lower grades mined during the quarter. Operations at Lamaque were temporarily moved to care and maintenance on March 23rd to comply with the Quebec-mandated restrictions with respect to COVID-19. This had a modest impact on production during Q1.

07:16 EDT NeoGenomics withdraws FY20 guidance due to COVID-19 - NeoGenomics provided a business update regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. NeoGenomics has implemented significant actions to protect its employees while maintaining a continuity of critical oncology testing for cancer patients. Among other actions, the company has de-densified laboratories and facilities, adjusted laboratory shifts, restricted visitors to facilities, restricted employee travel, implemented an Emergency Paid Time Off policy, provided remote work-environment training and support, and managed its supply chains. Importantly, all main lab facilities have remained open and there has been an uninterrupted continuity of high-quality testing services for clients. NeoGenomics' priority remains the health and safety of employees and continued quality and service for all clients with a focus on patient care. NeoGenomics expects First Quarter revenue to be approximately $106 million, an increase of nearly 11% from last year. The company is withdrawing its previously issued full year 2020 financial guidance in light of uncertainty surrounding the ongoing and evolving COVID-19 pandemic. While revenue trends remained strong in the first two months of the quarter, the company did see a material impact to volume growth rates in the last two weeks of March. Clinical test volume grew approximately 7% year-over-year in the First Quarter, but was down approximately 20% year-over-year in the last two weeks of March and in early April. The company had not previously issued First Quarter revenue guidance. Given the relatively sudden decline in volume, the company now expects that adjusted EBITDA will be below its previously issued guidance of $8 million. The company does not plan to reduce its employee levels as a result of temporary reductions in volume and is redeploying employees as necessary. The company continues to maintain a strong balance sheet with cash in excess of $120 million, including approximately $39 million of cash restricted for construction of its previously announced Fort Myers headquarters. The company also has significant available borrowing capacity under its credit facility. "I am extremely proud of our employee response to this unprecedented situation," said Douglas M. VanOort, NeoGenomics' Chairman and CEO. "Throughout this crisis we have continued to provide critical testing services to cancer patients with excellent quality, turn-around time, and customer service. While our business is not immune from the impact of COVID-19, it is certainly resilient. We are well positioned competitively, we have a strong balance sheet and liquidity, and we continue to invest in important growth initiatives. Our long-term growth outlook remains compelling and we expect to emerge from this situation stronger than ever."

07:15 EDT Nabriva Therapeutics says CMS issues product-specific J-Code for XENLETA - Nabriva Therapeutics announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed its preliminary decision to assign a permanent product-specific Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System J-code for XENLETA 150 mg injection. The new billing code, J0691 Injection, will become effective July 1, 2020 and will replace the C Code, C9054. Transitional pass-through status, previously granted in 2019, for outpatient payments ends December 31, 2022. J-codes are used by healthcare providers to list physician-administered drugs on claim forms submitted to CMS to receive proper reimbursement for Medicare-eligible patients. Having a unique J-code for XENLETA will help facilitate more efficient billing for hospitals and will assist in the tracking of XENLETA in claims data.

07:13 EDT NeoImmuneTech announces clinical collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers - NeoImmuneTech announced it has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Bristol Myers to evaluate the combination of NeoImmuneTech's NT-I7, a long-acting IL-7, and Bristol Myers Squibb's Opdivo, a PD-1 blocking antibody. The goal of the Phase 2 study is to establish safety and tolerability, and to evaluate preliminary anti-tumor activity of the combination in subjects with advanced or metastatic gastric, gastro-esophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma. The results of this study will be used to further clinical development of this combination in these tumor types. Under the terms of the agreement, NeoImmuneTech will be the sponsor of the trial and Bristol Myers Squibb will supply nivolumab for use in the study. While the first study will focus on gastric/GEJ/EAC cancers, under the terms of this master clinical trial collaboration agreement, the two companies may conduct additional combination trials in the future.

07:09 EDT Tuniu announces resignation of CFO Maria Yi Xin, effective May 31 - Tuniu announced that Maria Yi Xin has tendered her resignation as the company's CFO due to personal reasons, effective as of May 31. Xin will continue to work closely with the company to facilitate a smooth transition before the effective date. The company has initiated a search for a new CFO.

07:08 EDT Kezar Life Sciences on track for IND application for KZR-261 in 1Q21

07:08 EDT Rexford Industrial acquires industrial property for $15.5M - Rexford Industrial Realty announced the acquisition of an industrial property for $15.5M. The acquisition was funded using cash on hand. The company acquired 720-750 N Vernon Avenue, located in Azusa within the LA - San Gabriel Valley submarket, for $15.5M, or $59 per land square foot. The low coverage property, which was acquired through a sale-lease-back transaction underwritten on a land value basis, comprises 71,692 square feet of buildings on 6.05 acres of land. The property is fully leased on a long-term, triple net basis. The company intends to harvest cash flow from the in-place lease, and, upon lease expiration, to redevelop the site by constructing a new, substantially larger Class A warehouse/distribution facility. According to CBRE, the vacancy rate in the 153M square foot LA - San Gabriel Valley submarket was 1.5% at the end of the fourth quarter 2019.

07:07 EDT Equifax appoints Lindsay Parker as new Chief Marketing Officer - Equifax has named Lindsay Parker to a new global role as its enterprise Chief Marketing Officer and US Information Services Marketing Officer. In this dual position, Parker will lead the corporate marketing strategy as well as the USIS sales and revenue enablement efforts. Parker will also serve as a key member of Equifax's senior leadership team. Parker most recently was the Head of Global Marketing for Sabre Travel Network, provider of airline and hotel technology solutions. Prior to Sabre, Parker held executive roles at BlackBerry, Avaya, and Cisco Systems. Parker will join the Equifax team effective April 13.

07:05 EDT Calumet Specialty Products provides operational update, lowers CapEx outlook - Calumet Specialty Products released information regarding its operations, updates to the Partnership's balance sheet strength and liquidity position and updated guidance on 2020 capital budget expectations. The company's remaining fuels assets are such that gasoline output is only about 20% of systemwide crude runs, while the higher margin distillates are 40% of crude runs during normal market conditions. The company believes it has the capability to continue to step gasoline down further while retaining diesel output. The company has approximately $320M of available liquidity as of March 31 including approximately $100M of cash on hand and over $220M of undrawn capacity on the Partnership's revolving credit facility. Capital budget guidance has been revised to $50M-$60M in 2020, down from original guidance of $80M-$90M. Net working capital is expected to contribute additional cash in the near-term, due to the favorable direction of raw materials prices in relation to accounts receivable and inventories. The company has no debt maturities in 2020 or 2021. The company has identified $20M-$30M of additional plant operating cost reductions, which include: closure of the Farmingdale, NJ manufacturing facility; 60-day furlough of the manufacturing employees at the Louisiana, MO facility.

07:04 EDT Neptune Wellness completes FDA submission for registration of NC facility - Neptune Wellness is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed a submission to the U.S. FDA for registration of its facility in Conover, North Carolina as an over-the-counter drug manufacturer to prepare alcohol-based hand sanitizers under the agency's temporary policy for such products during the public health emergency. Registration of the Conover facility with FDA enables the company to begin manufacturing alcohol-based hand sanitizers to help address the increased demand for these products by consumers and health care professionals. This announcement follows the recent announcement that the company received Health Canada authorization to commercialize natural, plant-based hand sanitizer products. The company anticipates its first shipments of hand sanitizers over the next several weeks with production volume ramping up into summer 2020.

07:03 EDT Just Energy suspends door-to-door selling, in-store retail partnerships - Just Energy Group provided a business update relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business, which it has been closely monitoring and assessing. The Company has taken a number of steps to ensure the health and safety of its employees, customers and communities, including suspending door-to-door selling, in-store retail partnerships and all business travel, as well as requiring employees to work from their homes unless required for business continuity.

07:01 EDT Athenex says on track to submit NDA for oral paclitaxel following FDA meeting - Athenex announced that it recently participated in a constructive meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as scheduled, to discuss the clinical section of the New Drug Application for oral paclitaxel and encequidar for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. The Company is on track to submit the NDA in accordance with the FDA's guidance, and will provide a further update when the FDA's official response to the filing becomes available.

06:58 EDT At Home Group announces temporary furloughs, salary reductions of associates - At Home Group announced an update on the actions the company is taking to manage its business and preserve the company's financial position in response to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee Bird, Chairman and CEO stated, "In the face of ongoing uncertainty related to COVID-19, we have taken a series of escalating measures to reduce our operating costs in the near term and further enhance our financial flexibility. We have also made the heartbreaking decision to furlough a portion of our home office, store and distribution center team members. These temporary leaves of absence are effective Saturday, April 11, and all furloughed team members will be paid through that date. This decision has not been taken lightly and, while difficult, we believe it will best position At Home to weather this disruption and emerge stronger on the other side." At Home has recently taken the following actions to preserve liquidity and efficiently manage the business through the pandemic: Closed the substantial majority of its stores to customer traffic, instead offering curbside pickup and next-day local delivery as permitted by local and state regulations. Significantly reduced scheduled hours for store and distribution center associates to align with demand. Eliminated approximately 10% of home office roles, primarily related to new store development and openings. Implemented temporary furloughs of approximately 30% of home office associates. Furloughed team members will be paid through April 11th. At Home will fund both the employee and employer portions of health insurance premiums for eligible salaried individuals during the furlough period. Temporarily reduced compensation for the remaining home office associates, including the executive team, by 10% to 30% depending on salary grade. Bird has elected to forgo 100% of his salary for the duration of the furlough. Implemented a hiring freeze and deferred promotions and merit compensation adjustments for existing employees. Deferred compensation for the Board of Directors. Pursued the relevant provisions of the CARES Act to help our near-term liquidity profile. Continued to partner with key constituents, including product partners, vendors and landlords, to preserve liquidity.

06:52 EDT The Buckle reports March net sales down 50.2% to $41M - The Buckle announced that total net sales for the 5-week fiscal month ended April 4, decreased 50.2% to $41M from net sales of $82.3M for the prior year 5-week fiscal month ended April 6, 2019. Net sales for the 9-week fiscal period ended April 4, 2020 decreased 26.6% to $104M from net sales of $141.7M for the prior year 9-week fiscal period ended April 6, 2019. As previously announced, Buckle closed all brick and mortar stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic for an indefinite period beginning March 18, 2020. The company's online store remains open. As a result of the store closures, the company plans to only report total net sales each month and does not plan to separately report comparable store sales during this time. Further, the company will not provide additional commentary through its recorded monthly sales narrative during this time. The company will continue to evaluate the appropriate time to resume its regular monthly sales reporting as normal business operations resume.

06:42 EDT Taylor Morrison takes steps in response to COVID-19 pandemic - COVID-19 has catapulted the homebuilder's plans and is requiring the industry to adapt. A range of virtual options for appointments are being offered-from online home tours and design center selections, to hosting scheduled walkthroughs virtually by leveraging FaceTime or Skype. Customers can schedule virtual or in-person tours from their desktop or mobile devices at the company's website. Remote selling environment is available with 360-degree virtual tours on the company website. New home demonstrations are being offered virtually via FaceTime and other face-to-face video options. "Curbside" or "drive thru" closings are being offered nationwide. Customers can park outside the title office and a notary will deliver the documents and witness signatures-all while maintaining six feet of distance. The cyclical nature of homebuilding gives Taylor Morrison an advantage to draw upon the institutional muscle and experience of the team to navigate the challenges COVID-19 presents. The company has taken several measures to assist in weathering the unknown business impacts. While leadership will continue to monitor operations and take actions as required, these measures are intended to reduce the extent of potential impacts to the workforce. Chairman and CEO, Sheryl Palmer, requested that the compensation committee cancel her recent special equity award, which had a grant date value of $3M. Effective immediately, the company's named executive officers have reduced their base salaries by 25% and will defer those payments through the duration of the federally imposed social distancing/economic shut down restrictions. Additionally, substantially all members of senior corporate management and division presidents have voluntarily decided to take the same temporary pay deferral. Non-employee directors have agreed to defer their cash retainer fees payable for the second quarter. All company team member promotions have been put on temporary hold and the annual merit process for determining compensation increases for all team members has been deferred. The company is limiting all non-essential cash expenditures including, but not limited to, temporarily reducing or deferring new land acquisitions, phasing development and implementing a revised cadence on all new inventory homes starts.

06:35 EDT Taylor Morrison reports preliminary Q1 net sales orders 3,466 - Reports preliminary Q1 home closings 2,761. "Our strong quarter closings helped to bolster our already healthy liquidity position," said Dave Cone, executive VP and CFO. "We ended the quarter with about $750 million in available liquidity through a combination of more than $500 million of cash on hand and the remainder in available capacity on our corporate revolving credit facility. Additionally, there are no senior notes maturities until 2023."

06:33 EDT Blucora to acquire HK Financial Services for ammended price of $100M - Blucora has entered into an amended agreement to acquire privately held HK Financial Services. The parties mutually agreed to enter into the amended agreement in response to current economic conditions. The amended agreement adjusts the purchase price to $100M, from $160M, while also adding a financing contingency and setting a new target closing window to October 1. The amended agreement allows for the closing window to be extended upon mutual agreement, as well as the potential for performance-based earn-out payments over time, should the asset targets from the original agreement be achieved. HKFS ended the first quarter with approximately $4.1B in total client assets, and had first quarter net inflows of approximately $214M. The amended transaction terms value HKFS at approximately 6.3x 2020 EBITDA, including fully realized synergies, and the transaction is expected to enhance Blucora's revenue growth rate and margins. The company also expects the transaction to be accretive to EBITDA, EPS and cash flow, net of integration expenses.

06:14 EDT Cognizant announces actions in response to COVID-19 pandemic - Cognizant has taken steps to strengthen its financial flexibility, including drawing down $1.74B on its revolving credit facility on March 23, bringing the company's total cash and investment balance as of March 31 to approximately $4.7B, or net cash of $2.2B. The company has no significant debt maturities until 2023. During Q1, Cognizant completed the acquisitions of Code Zero and Lev and repurchased approximately 8M shares. Since March 31st, Cognizant has not initiated any new share repurchase programs. Cognizant remains committed to supporting its associates as they work to meet clients' quickly evolving needs. Towards that end, and in recognition of the extraordinary continuity-of-service efforts of the company's associates in India and the Philippines, Cognizant will provide those at the associate level and below with an additional payment of 25% of their base pay for the month of April. Additionally, Cognizant has standardized 14 days sick-leave coverage globally for COVID-19 cases or self-quarantine without impacting other sick leave or vacation programs. The company is also committed to contributing to the global effort to deliver immediate relief to victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

06:07 EDT Wrap Technologies receives multiple BolaWrap orders - Wrap Technologies announced new BolaWrap product orders from police agencies in California, Missouri, Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington during March.

06:05 EDT Armada Hoffler suspends asset recycling program - Armada Hoffler has indefinitely suspended further activity under its 2020 asset recycling program. The company had previously announced plans to acquire approximately $135M of assets during 2020 by redeploying and reinvesting proceeds from anticipated dispositions. The company's agreement to sell a portfolio of seven grocery-anchored retail assets for $106.5M to an institutional buyer has been terminated. As a result, the company has indefinitely postponed all asset acquisition activity.

06:03 EDT CytoDyn: COVID-19 patient shows improvement after treatment with leronlimab - CytoDyn announced a patient with severe COVID-19 under the care of a leading medical center in Southern California exhibited clinical improvement after treatment with the company's investigational new drug, leronlimab. The patient was intubated and in critical condition in the ICU, and had received an IL-6 blocking agent four days earlier without apparent benefit. Concomitantly, the patient also received either an antiretroviral agent or placebo as part of an unrelated clinical trial. With no clinical improvement observed over the ensuing four days, the patient then received leronlimab under an emergency IND granted by the U.S. FDA. Within twenty-four hours of receiving an injection of leronlimab, the patient showed significant clinical improvement and was removed from external ventilation three days later. This outcome is consistent with that observed in severely ill COVID-19 patients treated with leronlimab at a leading medical center in New York City. Additionally, two patients at the same Southern California medical center with moderate COVID-19, were treated with leronlimab under an EIND and subsequently revealed clinical improvement. These patients were removed from external oxygen support one day following leronlimab treatment, and subsequently discharged from the hospital. Based on these results, an additional four patients with moderate COVID-19 have been administered leronlimab and results are pending.

05:30 EDT Caledonia Mining reports Q1 production up 19% to 14,233 ounces of gold - Caledonia Mining announces quarterly gold production from the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe for the quarter ended March 31. All production numbers are expressed on a 100% basis and are based on mine production data and are, therefore, subject to adjustment following final assay at the refiners. 14,233 ounces of gold were produced during the Quarter, an increase of 19% on the 11,948 ounces produced in the corresponding quarter of 2019.

05:27 EDT Diageo withdraws fiscal 2020 guidance due to COVID-19 pandemic - The company said in a statement, "Given the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty around the severity and duration of the impact across multiple markets, we are not in a position to accurately assess the impact of this on our future financial performance. We are therefore withdrawing our guidance on group organic net sales growth and organic operating profit growth for fiscal 2020."

05:21 EDT UBS to pay 2019 dividend in 2 installments following FINMA request - Following a request from FINMA, the board has revised the 2019 dividend proposal to be approved by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on April 29. The Board of Directors asks shareholders to approve a dividend distribution of 36.5c per share to be paid on May 7 and a special dividend reserve of 36.5c per share. The board intends to propose the distribution of this additional 36.5c per share at an extraordinary general meeting, to be convened on November 19, after publication of UBS's Q3. UBS currently expects to report a first quarter 2020 net profit of around $1.5B, with strong operating performance in all business divisions, even after accounting for credit loss expenses and own credit valuation adjustments. The firm expects its CET1 capital and CET1 leverage ratios at the end of the first quarter 2020 to be in line with its targets, and well above regulatory requirements, despite market conditions leading to a significant increase in credit and market risk RWAs. UBS will publish its Q1 results on April 28.