Stockwinners Market Radar for April 16, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:23 EDT AMC Entertainment says cash balance sufficient to withstand closures until July - The company states: "The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is likely to continue to have, a severe and unprecedenteimpact on the world. Measures to prevent its spread, including government-imposed restrictions on social gatherings, have had a significant effect on theatrical exhibition. In compliance with these restrictions, all of the Company's theatres worldwide have temporarily suspended operations through the end of June. During this period, the Company is generating effectively no revenue. The Company will review prior to the end of June 2020, in conjunction with the potential lifting of various government operating restrictions, whether it should extend such suspension with respect to some or all of our theatres. There is no guarantee however, that any such government-imposed restrictions may be lifted, and such restrictions may be further extended beyond June 2020. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had a cash balance of $299.8 million, including borrowings in March 2020 of (i) $215.0 million (the full availability net of letters of credit) under our $225.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility due April 22, 2024 and (ii) GBP 89.2 million (the full availability net of letters of credit) under our GBP 100 million revolving credit facility due February 14, 2022. Due to significant actions taken by the Company, we believe our current cash balance is sufficient to withstand a global suspension of operations until a partial reopening in July". Complete liquidity update available here: Reference Link

20:05 EDT NexPoint Residential offers residents flexible payment plans - The company states: "NXRT has proactively reached out to residents to offer need-based flexible payment plans. Additionally, NXRT has temporarily ceased processing eviction notices and assessing late fees in compliance with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly referred to as the "CARES Act". Although many are experiencing financial hardships during this crisis, we believe our residents are generally well situated to weather this storm. We complete extensive credit underwriting on our residents before offering a lease in order to attract the most creditworthy residents. The average income of our residents based on our underwriting is $4,558 per month, as compared to an average rental rate of $1,112 per month, meaning on average our tenants pay only 24% of their income toward rent. For our residents that have unfortunately lost their jobs, based on our calculations we believe they are eligible to receive $4,204 per month of unemployment on average across our markets, inclusive of the expanded benefits under the CARES Act of $600 per week or approximately $2,400 per month. Therefore, even if a tenant has lost their job during this crisis, the combination of expanded unemployment benefits and our flexible payment plans, should allow them to meet their rental obligations as they will receive on average 92% of their prior income. In regard to the one-time stimulus payment enacted by the CARES Act, we estimate that 92% of our residents are eligible for 100% of the stimulus of $1,200 per person, $2,400 for joint filers and $500 for each child."

19:42 EDT Rio Tinto says China demand continues to recover, rest of world more uncertain - The company states: "Demand in China continues to recover. In the rest of the world, the outlook is more uncertain. Commodity supply is being disrupted as Covid-19 restrictions impact supply chains and people movement globally. Demand for the high-quality iron ores we produce remained strong in the first quarter of 2020, mainly driven by a combination of seaborne supply disruptions and solid demand from China's steel mills despite Covid-19 impacts. The market for primary aluminium contracted further in the first quarter of 2020 primarily due to lower automotive production. China's demand for imported bauxite continued to grow in the first quarter, as domestic reserves continue to decline in quality and quantity, and mine production was disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions. Although copper demand remained reasonable in the quarter, the decline in the price reflects deteriorating industrial growth expectations globally. To some extent, weaker commodity prices also reflect decreasing industry supply costs, which are falling due to a strong US dollar and tailwinds from lower energy and freight costs, partly offset by Covid-19 related expenditure."

19:09 EDT SoCalGas receives state approval of Mobilehome Park safety upgrade program - Southern California Gas announced it has received state approval to provide safety and service upgrades to thousands of additional mobile home parks through a ten-year Mobilehome Park Utility Conversion Program. Since its inception in 2014, the program has upgraded infrastructure and enhanced safety at more than 16,000 mobile homes in more than 244 mobile home communities throughout SoCalGas' territory. Now, due to the program's success, the CPUC voted to establish it as a ten-year, ongoing program, authorizing SoCalGas to upgrade up to half of the approximately 132,000 mobile homes in its service territory to direct utility service through 2030. The MHP Utility Conversion Program is completely voluntary. Participating mobile home communities receive a new, professionally installed gas system that provides enhanced home safety and energy reliability for residents. As direct SoCalGas customers, residents can also sign up for a variety of SoCalGas' energy savings and assistance programs that can help them save money.

19:02 EDT Point72 reports 5.1% passive stake in Immunomedics - Point72 Asset Management disclosed a 5.1% stake in Immunomedics, which represents over 10.95M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

18:28 EDT Frontier Communications' "First Day" motions granted court approval - Frontier Communications has received approvals on an interim basis from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for the "First Day" motions related to the company's voluntary Chapter 11 petitions filed on April 14. Among other things, the Court has authorized the company to continue paying employee wages and providing healthcare and other benefits, as well as continue certain customer programs. As previously announced, the company has obtained commitments for $460M in debtor-in-possession financing. Subject to Court approval, the company's liquidity will total over $1.1B comprising the DIP financing and the company's more than $700M cash on hand. Robert Schriesheim, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors, said, "(...) Our comprehensive restructuring plan will result in a recapitalized balance sheet with a $10B reduction in our debt on an expedited basis, which will substantially enhance our financial flexibility and facilitate our ability to reposition Frontier and accelerate our broad-based strategic transformation (...)" Frontier entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement with bondholders representing more than 75% of Frontier's approximately $11B in outstanding unsecured bonds.

18:22 EDT Illinois American Water acquires Village of Leonore water system - Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner announced the company's acquisition of the Village of Leonore water system. The purchase adds approximately 68 water customers to the Streator District service area. The Village of Leonore voted in favor of the sale November 2018. The Illinois Commerce Commission approved the sale for $100,000. The sale was completed today. Illinois American Water is committed to upgrading the Leonore water system, beginning with the replacement of water meters. Customers received a communication about this work, which is expected to begin in May.

18:13 EDT Masimo and Samsung partner in technology for COVID-19 response efforts - Masimo (MASI) is partnering with Samsung (SSNLF) to make the Masimo SafetyNet Patient App available on select Samsung smartphones, pre-installed and pre-configured. Masimo SafetyNet is an economically scalable cloud-based patient management solution designed to help clinicians care for patients remotely in hospital settings and in non-traditional settings and circumstances. The partnership with Samsung is expected to allow for broader, faster distribution of Masimo SafetyNet to COVID-19 patients, especially older patients who are less likely to own a smartphone or configure the Masimo SafetyNet App on their own. Masimo's telehealth platform uses a tetherless, wearable single-patient-use SET sensor to monitor a patient's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate, as well as respiration rate, perfusion index, and PVi, and is designed to help manage the surge in COVID-19 patients while maintaining distance from other patients and providers, allowing hospitals to expand patient remote monitoring into alternative care spaces.

17:48 EDT Amazon announces long-form Alexa speaking style - Amazon said that, starting today, people with Alexa-enabled devices can use a new long-form Alexa speaking style to create a more natural and engaging experience for content such as news articles or blogs. In addition, Amazon is extending the availability of speaking styles to select Amazon Polly voices. Amazon Polly is the AWS AI service that lets you create life-like speech in 29 languages. You can use the news and conversational speaking styles for Amazon Polly Matthew and Amazon Polly Joanna voices, and the news speaking style in the US Spanish Amazon Polly voice, Lupe, the company said. "The new long-form speaking style (available in the US only) can help customers engage with large amounts of content or information such as articles, podcasts and other longer form content," the company said. "For example, you can use this speaking style for customers who want to have the content on a web page read to them or listen to a storytelling section in a game. Powered by a deep-learning text-to-speech model, the long-form speaking style enables Alexa to speak with more natural pauses while going from one paragraph to the next or even from one dialog to another between different characters." Reference Link

17:31 EDT Qad Inc. CFO Daniel Lender sells over $315K in stock - Qad Inc. CFO Daniel Lender disclosed in a filing that he had sold 7,641 shares of company stock at an average price of $41.27 per share between April 14 and April 15. The total transaction value of the sale was $315,348.

17:28 EDT Gran Tierra reports cost reduction actions - Gran Tierra is taking further steps to reduce its costs in response to the current low and volatile oil price environment. Gran Tierra's Executive Team and Board of Directors have taken a 20% reduction in salary and retainer fees, respectively. In addition, a number of cost optimization and efficiency measures are being implemented that are expected to result in a reduction of 30%-35% in G&A costs vs. the original budget. With the pipeline disruption of the OCP pipeline in Ecuador due to damage from natural landslides, Gran Tierra has made arrangements to ship its Putumayo Basin oil production to the Babillas Station in the city of Neiva in Colombia. All other production is being shipped by pipeline or truck under normal contract arrangements. Other actions include the renegotiation of vendor contracts with discounts and personnel and rental equipment optimization. The recent depreciation of the Canadian dollar and Colombian peso are benefiting the company as the majority of Gran Tierra's operating costs and G&A costs within Colombia are denominated in Colombian pesos. All G&A costs in Canada are denominated in Canadian dollars. Gran Tierra has taken the initiative to release all drilling and workover rigs.

17:24 EDT Gran Tierra withdraws 2020 guidance - Gran Tierra is withdrawing its previously announced FY20 guidance due to the uncertainty of the financial and operational impact of COVID-19 and the large decrease in world oil prices. The company is not providing an updated fiscal outlook at this time.

17:21 EDT Gran Tierra implements mitigation measures for COVID-19 impact - Gran Tierra provided a business update regarding measures taken to in response to the decrease in world oil prices and the impacts of COVID-19. Gran Tierra has adjusted its production volumes, capital investments and operating and general and administrative costs. Gran Tierra has temporarily suspended fields with zero or negative netbacks at current oil prices, resulting in the shut-in of approximately 2,500 bopd. Procedures and precautions were followed to ensure mechanical and reservoir integrity and security of the assets for an extended period, and to minimize the cost and timing of resuming production. Another 4,000 bopd remains shut-in and waterflood operations remain suspended at the Suroriente and PUT-7 Blocks in the southern Putumayo region due to a local farmers' blockade. In addition, approximately 4,800 bopd of production that are awaiting routine mechanical workovers will remain offline during the low-price environment. Gran Tierra remains focused on the ongoing production and waterflooding of the Company's core assets at Acordionero, Costayaco and Moqueta, which represent 81% of Gran Tierra's WI Total Proved Reserves. The Colombian government has issued new regulations to support the oil industry. Gran Tierra plans to make use of these new regulations.

17:17 EDT Uber jumps over 6% after withdrawing guidance, GAAP revenue view cut - Uber is up over 6% in after hours trading to $28.70 per share after withdrawal of Guidance, and preliminary first quarter financial items.

17:16 EDT Shoe Carnival further enhances financial liquidity - Shoe Carnival announced it has exercised the accordion feature of its credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and Fifth Third Bank, National Association to further enhance its financial liquidity position. The exercise, which closed on April 16, resulted in an increase of the company's line of credit from $50M to $100M. The company currently has no cash borrowings under the facility.

17:09 EDT Turquoise Hill provides update amid COVID-19 pandemic - Work on the Oyu Tolgoi underground continues, and the company is achieving productivity in underground advancement. Despite these gains, the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19 have had an impact on the underground development by restricting access for teams from Oyu Tolgoi, Rio Tinto and construction partners, and although the open pit has continued to operate uninterrupted, COVID-19 restrictions have challenged supply logistics. Shafts 3 and 4 have been placed on care and maintenance until expert service providers can return to site to complete technical commissioning of specialised equipment and commence sinking activities. Work has also slowed on some critical underground material handling infrastructure, in particular the construction of primary crusher one, which has been reduced to day shift activity only. Ordinary course elongation of newly commissioned ropes may impact shaft 2 ore hoisting and consequently underground development progress may be impacted by 30% as a result of travel restrictions due to COVID-19 preventing experts from travelling to the Oyu Tolgoi site. Payload and speed have been reduced to prolong the ability to use the hoist until specialized personnel are able to reach the site to perform rectification work. Mine management believes the situation is manageable; however, development progress could be impacted should experts not be able to get to site by the end of Q2. People and materials movement via the service hoist continue to operate normally. Work continues on the mine design and the company still expects this to be completed in the first half of 2020 with the Definitive Estimate of project cost and schedule to be provided in the second half of 2020. Based on current information, the underground project remains within the range announced in July 2019 of a 16 to 30-month delay in schedule, and an increase of $1.2B to $1.9B in development capital, with indications of the preferred technical solution falling in the upper half of the schedule delay range and the development capital overrun trending away from the lower end of the range. Although sales in January and February were impacted by curtailed operations in China during peak COVID-19 restrictions, strong collections occurred in March and sales exceeded expectations at the end of the quarter. Concentrate transportation remains a challenge in the current environment and engagement with both the Mongolian and the Chinese governments continues in an effort to minimize the impact on future sales. Oyu Tolgoi has notified its project lenders that the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a force majeure event under its project finance facilities, which will have the effect of extending the June 30, 2028 project longstop date under those facilities for the duration of the force majeure, and certain suppliers of Oyu Tolgoi have declared force majeure on their contracts, however this has not had a material adverse impact on the business to date. Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the Government of Mongolia commenced a negotiation process under the PSFA to confirm a mutually acceptable pathway to secure long term domestic power supply for Oyu Tolgoi. Under Phase 1 of this process, the parties had until April 14 to agree a way forward for a Tavan Tolgoi-based power plant. As the parties have yet to be able to do this, they are now also considering the alternatives specified in the PSFA, an Oyu Tolgoi mine site-based power plant; a primary renewables solution; and grid supply. Under the PSFA, Oyu Tolgoi and GoM currently have until June 14 to consider these alternatives, failing which Oyu Tolgoi has the right to choose one or a combination of these options to pursue.

17:05 EDT Green Plains Partners cuts quarterly distribution 75% to 12c per unit - Green Plains Partners LP announced that the board of directors of its general partner reduced the quarterly cash distribution by 75% to 12c per unit on all of its outstanding common units, or 48c per unit on an annualized basis, for the first quarter of 2020. This reduction will free up approximately $33.8M annually, which the company intends to use to reduce debt. The distribution is payable on May 8, 2020, to unitholders of record at the close of business on May 1, 2020. "We believe this decision by our board of directors will strengthen our balance sheet for the benefit of all stakeholders and create long term value for our unit holders," said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer of Green Plains Partners. "We are currently working with our existing lender group to extend our credit line which will likely include a change to overall commitment levels and pricing, as well as require principal amortization as part of the transaction. Our goal is to pay off the debt within the next 18 months through this distribution reduction and other actions."

17:03 EDT Boeing to resume commercial airplanes production at Puget Sound-region facility - Boeing will resume all commercial airplanes production in a phased approach at its Puget Sound-region facilities next week, after suspending operations last month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 27,000 people in the Puget Sound area will return to production of the 747, 767, 777 and 787 programs. The 737 program will resume working toward restarting production of the 737 MAX. Boeing South Carolina remains in a suspension of operations at this time. Earlier this week Boeing restarted mostly defense production operations in the region with approximately 2,500 people. Employees in the Puget Sound for the 737, 747, 767 and 777 will return as early as third shift on April 20 with most returning to work by April 21. Employees for the 787 program will return as early as third shift April 23, with most returning to work by April 24.

17:00 EDT Capital Senior Living addresses NYSE continued listing criteria - Capital Senior Living Corporation announced that on April 10, 2020, it received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the company is no longer in compliance with NYSE continued listing standards set forth in Section 802.01B and Section 802.01C of the NYSE's Listed Company Manual due to the fact that the company's average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period was less than $50 million and, at the same time, its stockholders' equity was less than $50 million, and the average closing price of the company's common stock was less than $1.00 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. The Notice has no immediate impact on the listing of the company's common stock, which will continue to be listed and traded on the NYSE during the cure period, subject to the company's continued compliance with the plan referenced below and other listing requirements of the NYSE. The Notice also does not affect the company's business operations or its reporting obligations with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and it does not conflict with or cause an event of default under any of the company's material debt or other agreements.

16:59 EDT Planet Fitness up over 5.5% at $53/shr after entering streaming deal with iFit

16:56 EDT SCWorx up over 25% after announcing supply agreement for COVID-19 tests

16:55 EDT Evolus announces staff cuts, sees enough cash funding for over 12 months - Evolus announced a pre-emptive plan to support the U.S. aesthetic neurotoxin market in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards greater digital reliance results in a reset of the Evolus expense base and will impact employees. As a result of these changes, Evolus will be a leaner organization, designed to service our broad customer base through an efficient business model expected to drive continued share penetration and capitalize on the long-term potential of the U.S. aesthetic neurotoxin market with a focus on the millennial consumer. Evolus' financial position remains strong. Preliminary, unaudited cash, cash equivalents and short-term investment were approximately $100M as of March 31, 2020. We anticipate our cash will continue to fund the company for more than twelve months.

16:45 EDT Foresight Autonomous discloses Nasdaq continued listing notice - Foresight Autonomous announced that on April 9, 2020, the company received a written notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that the company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), as the company's closing bid price for its American Depositary Shares was below $1.00 per share for the last 30 consecutive business days. The company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its American Depositary Shares between now and October 6, 2020, and will consider available options to resolve the company's noncompliance with the minimum bid price requirement as may be necessary.

16:42 EDT Globus Medical withdraws FY20 guidance - The company states: "Due to the rapidly evolving environment and continued uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Globus Medical is withdrawing its previously announced full year 2020 guidance. At this time, Globus Medical cannot predict the specific extent, or duration, of the impact of COVID-19 on its financial and operating results."

16:41 EDT Leaf Group discloses NYSE continued listing notice - Leaf Group announced that, on April 10, 2020, it received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it is no longer in compliance with the NYSE continued listing standards set forth in Section 802.01B of the NYSE's Listed Company Manual due to the fact that the Company's average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period was less than $50 million and, at the same time, its stockholders' equity was less than $50 million. As set forth in the Notice, as of April 9, 2020, the 30 trading-day average global market capitalization of the Company was approximately $46.8 million and the Company's last reported stockholder's equity as of December 31, 2019 was $47.8 million. The market capitalization of the Company was above $50 million prior to the precipitous stock market decline that was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Notice also states that the Company needs to respond within 45 days, which is no later than May 25, 2020, with a business plan that demonstrates how the Company expects to return to compliance within a maximum period of 18 months from receipt of the Notice. The Notice has no impact on listing or trading, as the Company's common stock will continue to be listed and traded on the NYSE, but will have an added designation of ".BC" to indicate that the status of the common stock is "below compliance" with the NYSE continued listing standards. The ".BC" indicator will be removed at such time as the Company is deemed in compliance. The Company intends to timely acknowledge the Notice and is working diligently to prepare the Plan. The Company remains confident in its business prospects and believes that the deficiency will be cured and that it will return to compliance with the NYSE's continued listing standards.

16:38 EDT Kodak announces executive compensation cuts - On April 13, 2020, in connection with broader proactive temporary pay reductions implemented by Eastman Kodak Company in response to the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, the Executive Compensation Committee of the Company approved temporary reductions of 25% to the base salary of each of the Company's named executive officers: James V. Continenza, Executive Chairman; David E. Bullwinkle, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President; and Roger W. Byrd, General Counsel, Secretary and Senior Vice President. The temporary pay reductions are expected to apply until year-end but may be terminated earlier based on market conditions as determined by the Executive Chairman.

16:36 EDT Nordstrom amends $800M line of credit, closes secured debt offering of $600M - Nordstrom continues to take precautionary measures to strengthen its financial position for the long term. The company announced today the amendment of its $800 million revolving line of credit and the closing of its 8.75% secured debt offering of $600 million. These actions provide additional liquidity and flexibility in response to uncertainty related to the novel coronavirus. Under the terms of the amendment, the revolving line of credit will be secured primarily by the Company's inventory during periods when its leverage ratio exceeds 4.0 times or its credit ratings drop below investment grade. During this period, minimum liquidity thresholds will be applied. Nordstrom is well-positioned and has taken the following actions to date to increase its cash position and preserve financial flexibility: Exited fiscal 2019 with $850 million in cash, drew down $800 million on its revolving line of credit, and issued $600 million in secured debt financing; Suspended quarterly cash dividends and share repurchases; Executing further reductions of more than $500 million in operating expenses, capital expenditures and working capital, including ongoing efforts to realign inventory to sales trends.

16:34 EDT Clear Channel Outdoor discloses NYSE continued listing notice - Clear Channel Outdoor announced that on April 10, 2020, the company received formal notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it was not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing standards as a result of the average closing price of the company's common stock being less than $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. In accordance with the NYSE rules, the company has a period of six months following the receipt of the NYSE notice to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement. The company intends to notify the NYSE of its intent to cure the deficiency and return to compliance with the NYSE continued listing requirements within the six-month cure period.

16:32 EDT WWE adjourns annual meeting due to COVID-19 concerns - WWE announced the adjournment of its annual meeting until May 14, 2020. Such date was chosen in order to conform with the Delaware General Corporation law relating to adjournments, however, as that date remains within the effective period of Governor Lamont's stay at home/stay safe executive order for the State of Connecticut, it is extremely likely that the May meeting will again be adjourned to a later date. The company will keep its stockholders apprised of all updates relating to the annual meeting as they become available.

16:32 EDT Dana reduces operating costs, temporarily suspends quarterly dividend - Dana announced that it continues to achieve significant operation cost reductions and working capital improvements. In response to ongoing lower customer demand, the company has taken additional cost actions such as the aggressive elimination of discretionary spending and intense flexing of conversion costs across its global manufacturing facilities, including its dedicated aftermarket locations. These cost actions are in addition to compensation reductions that were enacted in April for all salaried associates and its board of directors from 20% up to a 50% reduction in the chief executive officer's compensation. The company also announced that it will temporarily suspend its common stock dividend.

16:30 EDT Jack in the Box names Darin Harris CEO - Jack in the Box announced that Darin Harris has been appointed by its Board of Directors as Chief Executive Officer and will join the Jack in the Box Board of Directors, both effective on the start of his employment no later than June 15, 2020. The Board of Directors has elected David Goebel to serve as non-executive Chairman of the Board, effective when Harris begins employment with the company. Most recently, Harris has served as Chief Executive Officer of North America for IWG PLC, the holding group for several leading providers of over 1,000 flexible workspaces. Brands in the IWG portfolio include Regus, Spaces, HQ, No18 and Signature by Regus. Harris takes over from Lenny Comma, who announced his intent to retire in December 2019 and has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since 2014. Comma's last day with Jack in the Box will be effective upon Harris' start date, at which time Comma will also leave the Board of Directors.

16:26 EDT Werner senior executives to voluntarily take temporary pay cuts - The Executive Officers and Senior Vice Presidents of Werner Enterprises have elected to voluntarily reduce their base salaries to support the company's initiatives to reduce costs in the second quarter of 2020, in light of the expected impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's business and industry. Executive Chairman, Clarence Werner, will reduce his annual base salary for the remainder of 2020 by $250,000. President and CEO, Derek Leathers, will reduce his base salary by 25%. The remaining Executive Officers have elected reductions of 15% each, including the following Named Executive Officers: COO, Marty Nordlund; CFO, John Steele; and Chief Administrative Officer, Jim Schelble. The Senior Vice Presidents have elected reductions of 10% each. The temporary percentage reductions in base salary will be effective from April 10 through July 2, and will not affect any other items of compensation.

16:23 EDT Prudential reports PGIM assets under management $1.296T as of March 31 - Prudential Financial is furnishing this report on a quarterly basis to disclose the assets under management of its PGIM segment prior to the availability of the Company's quarterly earnings release and quarterly financial supplement for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 scheduled for release on May 5. As of March 31, assets under management of the PGIM segment were $1.296 trillion.

16:19 EDT Brink's VP and Controller Thomas Colan to retire - On April 10, Thomas R. Colan, Vice President and Controller, The Brink's Company notified the Company that he plans to retire from the Company in October. Colan's retirement has been part of the Company's succession planning process and he will assist the Company in a smooth transition of his responsibilities and continue to serve as the Company's Chief Accounting Officer and Controller until the effective date of his retirement.

16:18 EDT Callon Petroleum sees Q1 production 100-102 MBoepd - Callon's expectations for Q1 operational results include: operational capital spending of approximately $275M; production of 100-102 MBoepd with an oil cut of 63%; lease operating expense of $54M-$56M, or $5.95-$6.15 per Boe; gathering, processing, & transport expense of $14M-$15M, or $1.55 and $1.65 per Boe; unhedged realized oil, natural gas, and NGL prices are expected to be between $45 and $46 per Bbl, $0.55 and $0.65 per Mcf, and $10 and $11 per Bbl respectively. Net cash from derivative settlements is estimated to be approximately $25M. Callon has taken additional steps to further reduce planned spending for the year in line with Callon's commitment to free cash flow generation. Q1 actions include an immediate reduction to one completion crew and a reduction to three drilling rigs by next month. Callon is targeting an additional $15M-$20M of cash G&A cost reductions for a total decrease of 40% from combined 2019 levels. Board members have agreed to reduce their compensation by 35%, and the CEO has agreed to reduce his salary by 20% and his total target cash compensation by 35%. All other officers have agreed to reduce their total target cash compensation by at least 25%, including salary reductions of 15% and 10% by senior vice presidents and vice presidents, respectively. The company has approximately 60,000 barrels per day of term sales agreements and is negotiating another contract for 25,000 Bbl/d. The oil hedge portfolio now covers more than 16.5 million barrels of oil production for the remaining three quarters of 2020, nearly 85% of the expected production for the year. Callon has also increased natural gas price protection.

16:17 EDT Mercury Systems receives $30M video display contract from defense contractor - Mercury Systems announced it received a $30M multi-year award from a leading defense prime contractor to provide video display technology for integration into mobile ground vehicles. The award has a 36-month planned performance and shipment period.

16:16 EDT Stein Mart, Kingswood agree to terminate merger agreement - Stein Mart and Kingswood Capital Management announced that the parties have mutually agreed to terminate their merger agreement, previously announced on January 31, 2020, under which an affiliate of Kingswood was to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Stein Mart not already beneficially owned by affiliates of Jay Stein, Stein Mart's former CEO and current Chairman of the Board of Directors, and related investors. The termination was approved by the Stein Mart Board of Directors acting on the recommendation of the Special Committee of independent directors that oversaw negotiation of the merger agreement, and is in response to the unpredictable economic conditions resulting from the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, uncertainty regarding Stein Mart's ability to satisfy the conditions to closing, and the substantial expense to Stein Mart of soliciting shareholder approval for a transaction which is unlikely to close. Neither party will be required to pay the other a termination fee as a result of the mutual decision to terminate the agreement.

16:13 EDT Callon Petroleum receives continued listing standard notice from NYSE - Callon Petroleum received notice from the NYSE that the average closing price of Callon's shares of common stock had fallen below $1.00 per share over a period of 30 consecutive trading days, which is the minimum average share price for continued listing on the NYSE. Callon has responded to the NYSE regarding its intent to cure the deficiency to return to compliance with the NYSE continued listing requirements within the six-month cure period. Callon intends to put forth a proposal for a reverse stock split in connection with its annual meeting of shareholders.

16:11 EDT Bsquare Corp receives $1.6M in funding from Paycheck Protection Program - Bsquare received $1.6M in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program. The PPP funding takes the form of a low-interest loan, up to all of which is forgivable if used for qualifying expenses and if other requirements are met. Qualifying expenses include payroll, benefits, rent and utilities. Bsquare plans to release Q1 results on May 11. The company's Annual Shareholder meeting will be held in a virtual format on June 11.

16:09 EDT Intuitive reports Q1 worldwide da Vinci procedures grew approximately 10% - Worldwide da Vinci procedures grew approximately 10% compared with the first quarter of 2019, driven primarily by growth in U.S. general surgery procedures and worldwide urologic procedures.

16:09 EDT American Woodmark announces cost cutting measures - American Woodmark has taken proactive steps to further enhance our financial flexibility, liquidity and cash flow, including: A 50% reduction in the base salary of the CEO and 25% reduction in the base salary of senior vice-presidents effective April 27, 2020 through July 31, 2020; Deferring any earned fiscal year 2020 short term incentive payments to the CEO and senior vice-presidents for six months; Delaying capital expenditures that do not impact near-term initiatives; Suspending any current activities under its stock repurchase program; Deferring or limiting non-essential operating expenses; Deferring 401-k matches until the end of the calendar year; Freezing hiring and taking other cost actions to protect existing jobs; Adding 4-5 weeks to lead times for impacted customers.

16:07 EDT Columbia Sportswear amends credit agreements with $631M in borrowing capacity - The Company has taken a number of actions over the past few weeks to provide greater financial flexibility and liquidity for the business. These actions include amending and restating its domestic credit agreement to provide a committed $125 million revolving A loan through August 1, 2023 (removing previous seasonality within commitment levels) and a new committed $400 million revolving B loan through April 13, 2021. The amended and restated domestic credit agreement contains customary financial covenants. The Company has drawn $325 million under its domestic credit agreement since March 27, 2020, leaving $200 million in committed capacity remaining under the agreement. The amended and restated domestic credit agreement also provides for an uncommitted $100 million incremental facility, which will be added to the revolving B loan if it is executed on. In addition to actions taken with its domestic facility, the Company has drawn approximately $50 million on international uncommitted credit lines totaling approximately $106 million. Taken altogether, the Company's total available committed and uncommitted credit lines provide $631 million of borrowing capacity of which $375 million is drawn as of April 15, 2020.

16:07 EDT Cedar Fair eliminates nearly all seasonal, part-time labor costs - Cedar Fair Entertainment said that, given the continued uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the company has undertaken proactive cost-reduction measures to provide it with enhanced financial flexibility while its parks remain closed. Since closing its parks in March 2020 in response to COVID-19 health recommendations, the Company has taken the following proactive measures to reduce operating expenses and cash outflows: Eliminated nearly all of its seasonal and part-time labor costs until its parks prepare to reopen; Suspended all advertising and marketing expenses, and reduced general and administrative expenses and other park-level operating expenses to better align with the disruption in operations while still remaining in readiness position to reopen parks; Reduced the CEO's base salary by 40% and the base salaries of all other executives by 25%, effective April 27, 2020; Deferred base salaries for all other salaried employees by 25%, subject to minimum thresholds or other statutory limitations; Reduced scheduled hours for full-time hourly employees by 25% to 30 hours per week, and; suspended cash retainer fees for its Board of Directors until business conditions improve. To provide incremental liquidity and enhanced financial flexibility, the Company has taken proactive steps to reduce its capital spending for calendar year 2020, including the suspension of at least $75-100 million of non-essential capital projects planned for the 2020 and 2021 operating seasons. The Company now anticipates spending $85-100 million on capital improvements in calendar year 2020. In addition, the Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of unitholders for the Company to preserve liquidity by suspending the quarterly distribution until operating visibility improves. The Board is committed to reinstituting a quarterly distribution when it is appropriate to do so. Given the uncertainty around the timing of the parks reopening, and in order to ensure its season pass holders receive a full season of value, the Company also recently announced it has paused collections of guest payments on installment purchase products, and that its parks are working with season pass holders to extend their usage privileges into the 2021 season to compensate for lost access to the parks in the current year.

16:05 EDT Lululemon CFO Guido to leave company - Lululemon announced that Patrick Guido, Chief Financial Officer, will depart the company, effective May 8, 2020, in order to assume a leadership position outside of the apparel industry. Mr. Guido joined lululemon in 2018. While the company begins the search to identify a successor, Meghan Frank, Senior Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis, and Alex Grieve, Vice President and Controller, will lead the finance team and ensure a smooth transition. Both will report to Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer of lululemon, on an interim basis. The company's search for its next Chief Financial Officer will begin immediately and will include both internal and external candidates.

15:16 EDT Nokia jumps following report of takeover defense - Shares of Nokia (NOK) are on the rise on Thursday after TMT Finance reported that the company was working with an investment bank to defend itself from a hostile takeover. HOSTILE TAKEOVER BID: According to a report by online newspaper TMT Finance, Nokia is working to defend itself from a hostile takeover bid for parts or all of its business. The company has hired Citi (C) and a deal could be worth $17.4B, TMT Finance said, according to Bloomberg's account of the report. Possible interested parties include KKR (KKR), Apollo (APO), and Blackstone (BX), Bloomberg said the site reported. Nokia told Bloomberg by phone that the company does not comment on "market speculation." Back in February, Bloomberg reported Nokia was exploring strategic options and was working with advisers to consider potential asset sales and mergers, but a source close to Nokia told Reuters at the time there was "no truth to the report," according to the latter. PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of Nokia have gained over 6% to $3.42.

14:11 EDT SmileDirectClub working with HP, partners on reusable respirator masks - SmileDirectClub (SDC) announced it has delivered its 35,000th face shield to support healthcare professionals and essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to seek opportunities to help. SmileDirectClub announced that it has undertaken numerous initiatives over the last month, including opening the company's teledentistry platform to all licensed dentists and orthodontists for free so that they can consult with patients remotely while most practices are closed, except for emergency procedures; Continued manufacturing of and selling at cost more than 35,000 face shields; Joining partners such as HP (HPQ) to work toward a 3D printed and validated reusable respirator mask with replaceable filter as an alternative to the disposable N95 mask; Donating medical supplies including latex gloves and masks to more than 120 U.S. locations of retail partners CVS (CVS) and Walgreens (WBA), following the mandated closure of SmileDirectClub SmileShops.

14:08 EDT Microsoft announces new multiyear partnership with NBA - The National Basketball Association, or NBA, and Microsoft announced a new multiyear alliance, which they say "will transform the way fans experience the NBA." As part of this collaboration, Microsoft will become the Official Artificial Intelligence Partner and an Official Cloud and Laptop Partner for the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association, NBA G League, and USA Basketball beginning with the 2020-21 NBA season. "Microsoft and NBA Digital - co-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports - will create a new, innovative, direct-to-consumer platform on Microsoft Azure that will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver next-generation, personalized game broadcasts and other content offerings as well as integrate the NBA's various products and services from across its business. The platform will reimagine how fans engage with the NBA from their devices by customizing and localizing experiences for the NBA's global fanbase, which includes the 1.8 billion social media followers across all league, team and player accounts...As part of the partnership, Microsoft will become the entitlement partner of the NBA Draft Combine beginning next season and an associate partner of future marquee events, including NBA All-Star, MGM Resorts NBA Summer League and WNBA All-Star," the company and league stated.

14:03 EDT Starwood Capital reports 8.53% stake in Extended Stay America - SAR Public Holdings, a vehicle of Starwood Capital Group, holds 15,121,847 paired shares of Extended Stay America, purchased in open market transactions between March 4, 2020 and April 15, 2020 for an aggregate cash purchase price of approximately $136,788,930, excluding sales commissions, a regulatory filing stated. The shareholding represents a 8.53% stake.

13:57 EDT Extended Stay America trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:34 EDT NeuroMetrix says Quell technology selected for use in 'large' NIH-funded study - NeuroMetrix announced that Quell technology has been selected for use in a large, NIH-funded, randomized, pragmatic clinical trial of TENS for fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep and mood disturbances. It affects an estimated 2 to 4 percent of the US population, or as many as 6 to 12 million people, and is most often diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50. The cause of fibromyalgia remains unclear, but scientific studies point to abnormalities in the way the brain processes normal sensations and pain. Although several drugs are approved for treating fibromyalgia pain, there is an unmet need for safe, non-pharmacological options.

13:20 EDT Nissan extends production downtime at all U.S. plants until May - Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nissan is further extending production downtime at all of its U.S. manufacturing facilities until mid-May. Some business-essential work that must be done on site will continue with enhanced safety measures. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as needed," the car maker said.

12:58 EDT Keysight, DEKRA team on electric vehicle - Keysight Technologies announced that DEKRA has selected Keysight's Scienlab Charging Discovery System, CDS, solutions to extensively test and certify the charging technology within an electric vehicle, EV,or electric vehicle supply equipment, EVSE. The EV market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of more than 21% between 2019 and 2030. DEKRA, one of the world's leading experts in testing, inspection and certification will use Keysight's Scienlab testing charging technology to efficiently deploy EV charging solutions that conform to a wide range of charging interfaces, power grids and international standards. "Partnering with Keysight enables DEKRA to better serve an automotive industry with solutions in an area where the energy grid meets the automotive world," said Beat Kreuter, vice president of business line product safety testing at DEKRA. "Keysight solutions enable us to improve safety on the road through the use of highly automated testing technology."

12:47 EDT Shell seeks to be net zero on product emissions by 2050 at the latest - Royal Dutch Shell is updating investors on plans to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner. The detailed steps will include: An ambition to be net zero on all the emissions from the manufacture of all our products (scope one and two) by 2050 at the latest; Accelerating Shell's Net Carbon Footprint ambition to be in step with society's aim to limit the average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This means reducing the Net Carbon Footprint of the energy products Shell sells to its customers by around 65% by 2050 (increased from around 50%), and by around 30% by 2035 (increased from around 20%); A pivot towards serving businesses and sectors that by 2050 are also net-zero emissions. "With the COVID-19 pandemic having a serious impact on people's health and our economies, these are extraordinary times. Yet even at this time of immediate challenge, we must also maintain the focus on the long term," said Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell. "Society's expectations have shifted quickly in the debate around climate change. Shell now needs to go further with our own ambitions, which is why we aim to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner. Society, and our customers, expect nothing less."

12:24 EDT Tencent's Riot Games acquires Hypixel Studios, terms not disclosed - Tencent's Riot Games, best known for "League of Legends," completed its acquisition of Hypixel Studios. Founded in 2018 with support from an advisory group of angel investors, including Riot Games, Hypixel Studios is currently developing Hytale, a community-powered block game that combines the scope of a creative sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game. The acquisition follows a launch for Hypixel Studios that began with the announcement of its debut title, Hytale, which has amassed over 2.5 million sign-ups for its beta and millions of views on YouTube for its trailer. In November, Hypixel Studios announced that it is planning for Hytale to be playable by everyone in 2021. "We've known the team behind Hypixel Studios for several years, and from the start they've been the kind of visionaries that we aspire to support; a passionate studio committed to delivering a groundbreaking, genre-defining experience for players," said Dylan Jadeja, President of Riot Games. "Over the last 18 months, we've been fortunate to advise Hypixel Studios as they build toward their vision for evolving a game genre that reaches an incredibly diverse range of players around the globe. Now, as they prepare to enter the next chapter, we're thrilled to take our partnership to the next level through this acquisition. We look forward to supporting Hypixel Studios' journey through the development process, helping them grow, and learning from them as well." Reference Link

12:06 EDT L'Oreal maintaining jobs, salaries for all employees worldwide - In its earnings release, L'Oreal said it will not furlough employees between now and the end of June in France, even though in many fields of activity several categories of employees are at a partial or total standstill.

12:00 EDT Hertz falls -15.5% - Hertz is down -15.5%, or -90c to $4.90.

12:00 EDT Rite Aid falls -21.8% - Rite Aid is down -21.8%, or -$3.16 to $11.32.

12:00 EDT Casper Sleep rises 21.6% - Casper Sleep is up 21.6%, or $1.22 to $6.86.

11:52 EDT LVMH to propose 30% reduction in dividend announced on January 28 - LVMH said: "In a very turbulent context, the Group will maintain a strategy focused on preserving the value of its brands, based on the exceptional quality of its products and the responsiveness of its teams. In the current situation, the Group will further strengthen its policy of controlling costs and being selective in its investments. The closures of the Group's manufacturing sites and stores in most of the world's countries in the first half will have an impact on the annual revenue and results. This impact cannot be precisely evaluated at this stage without knowing the timetable for a return to normal business in the different areas where the Group operates. We can only hope that the recovery happens gradually from May or June after a second quarter which will still be very affected by the crisis, in particular in Europe and the US. LVMH relies on the talent and motivation of its teams, the diversification of its businesses and the geographical diversity of its revenue to reinforce, once again in 2020, its global leadership position in high-quality goods. At a meeting on April 15, 2020, the LVMH Board of Directors assessed the economic situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and, in light of current events and governmental recommendations, decided to propose a 30% reduction in the dividend announced on January 28 for Shareholders' approval at the AGM on June 30, 2020. The dividend for 2019 will therefore be EUR 4.80 per share and, given the interim dividend paid on December 10th, 2019, the balance of EUR 2.60 per share will be paid on July 9, 2020. In addition, the Board was informed of the decision taken by Bernard Arnault, as Chairman and CEO, and by each of the other Executive Board members to give up their remuneration for the months of April and May 2020 as well as all the variable remuneration relating to 2020. Finally, the Board members of the company took the decision to reduce their attendance fees by 30% for 2020."

11:01 EDT Rite Aid opens 2 new COVID-19 on-site testing locations in NY, NJ - Rite Aid continues to expand COVID-19 testing sites with new locations opening Saturday, in Waldwick, NJ and Valley Cottage, NY, through its partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS. In addition to the current self-testing sites in Pennsylvania, Rite Aid has opened two new locations in the tri-state area, at Rite Aid stores located at 60 Franklin Turnpike in Waldwick, and 133 Route 303 in Valley Cottage. The sites will be open for testing 9 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week and expect to be able to conduct approximately 200 tests each day through on-line appointments. In coordination with HHS, the company expects to have additional drive-up COVID-19 testing locations opening soon at Rite Aid stores in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia. All Rite Aid drive-up COVID-19 testing locations will utilize self-swab nasal tests overseen by Rite Aid pharmacists. Testing eligibility is based on guidelines established by the CDC.

11:00 EDT Wells Fargo 'hopeful' Congress will approve additional funds for PPP - Wells Fargo & Company has issued the following statement: "We are doing everything we can to help our small business customers navigate this difficult and uncertain time. Over the past week we have mobilized hundreds of Wells Fargo employees and launched new automation and technology so we can process the extremely high volume of Paycheck Protection Program applications. Today the SBA announced that the $349B in congressional funding for the PPP has been fully allocated to thousands of participating lenders, of which Wells Fargo is one. We will continue to prepare applications in our existing pipeline from small and mid-size businesses and will submit them to the SBA when funds become available. Given the magnitude of the crisis the country is facing, we are hopeful that Congress will approve additional funds for the PPP and we will continue accepting new applications so we will be ready to proceed if and when that happens. We stand ready to help the hundreds of thousands of customers waiting for this much needed assistance during these unprecedented times."

10:32 EDT Chesapeake trading resumes

10:27 EDT Chesapeake trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:10 EDT KeyCorp sees continued strong growth in Q2 average loans - KeyCorp management said for Q2 average loans, they expect continued strong growth reflecting starting point (EOP balance) and PPP. Sees Q2 deposits up linked-quarter, supporting loan growth. Sees higher NII reflecting loan growth and lower NIM due to PPP. Management notes it is too early to predict market-related revenues. Management sees noninterest expense relatively stable. Sees Q2 net charge-offs at lower end of 40-60 bps rang. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call and presentation slides.

10:05 EDT OUTFRONT Media trading resumes

10:01 EDT Taronis Technologies won't pursue reverse split to maintain listing status - Taronis Technologies announced that the company will not take any immediate actions to initiate a reverse split. Management has cleared all material short term liabilities and the company projects to have adequate cash on hand to fund operations for the remainder of 2020 based on the current business objectives and capital requirements. "The Company has taken a very proactive position with regards to capital and liquidity management, given the highly uncertain business climate caused by the coronavirus pandemic," commented Scott Mahoney, CEO of Taronis. "The capital markets have become extremely unpredictable, and the Company elected to secure a significant amount of capital to ensure we can execute our business plans without further reliance on the capital markets for the remainder of 2020. We have cleared all material indebtedness. We plan to retire the entire $3.5M existing convertible preferred equity in the immediate future, and we expect to have little to no vendor and service provider liabilities going forward. We have significant cash on hand at this time, and we intend to make this last for the foreseeable future. However, as a nationally listed Company, our listing status may exceed the value of our current business model. We have been solicited for a variety of potential strategic alternatives, and we will entertain all potential options to maximize shareholder value."

09:52 EDT BioSig Technologies says Mayo Clinic preparing to commence Phase II FDA trial - BioSig Technologies announced that its subsidiary ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. updated its clinical development program for Vicromax as a treatment for COVID-19. Under the terms of a new agreement, the Phase II clinical trial will be conducted at Mayo Clinic under the leadership of Andrew D. Badley, M.D., Professor and Chair of Department of Molecular Medicine and the Enterprise Chair of COVID-19 Task Force. The study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Data from the Phase II trial is expected within three months.

09:50 EDT Canopy Growth expects to record pre-tax charges C$700M-C$800M in Q4 - The Company continues to expect, based upon information currently available to management, to record estimated pre-tax charges of approximately C$700-800MM in the quarter ending March 31, 2020. This relates to this announcement and previous announcements, as well as any additional changes made during the organizational and strategic review

09:49 EDT Canopy Growth to cease operations at cultivation facility in Colombia - Canopy Growth will cease operations at its cultivation facility in Colombia, moving to an asset-light model that leverages local suppliers for raw materials and Procaps for formulation and encapsulation activities as outlined in the previously announced agreement between the two companies. These activities will support the position of Colombia as the Company's LATAM production hub and the ongoing development of its cannabis industry.

09:48 EDT Canopy Growth to exit operations in South Africa, Lesotho - Canopy Growth has entered into an agreement to exit its operations in South Africa and Lesotho, targeting a transfer of ownership of all of its African operations to a local business. The Company expects to close the transaction in the coming weeks.

09:47 EDT Hertz falls -12.3% - Hertz is down -12.3%, or -71c to $5.08.

09:47 EDT Rite Aid falls -17.9% - Rite Aid is down -17.9%, or -$2.59 to $11.89.

09:47 EDT Antero Midstream rises 11.3% - Antero Midstream is up 11.3%, or 31c to $3.05.

09:46 EDT OUTFRONT Media trading halted, news pending

09:43 EDT Hilton sees cash position able to fund operations over next 18-24 months

09:42 EDT Hilton sees March systemwide RevPAR down 56%-58%

09:38 EDT HUMC Molecular Pathology Laboratory COVID-19 test added to EUA authorization - The Food and Drug Administration was asked to add Hackensack University Medical Center's Molecular Pathology Laboratory test as an authorized test to the March 31, 2020 Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, pursuant to Section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, according to a letter posted to the FDA website. "We have reviewed the EUA submission package and determined that your test meets the criteria for issuance under section 564(c) of the Act because your test is eligible for authorization under the March 31, 2020 EUA for Molecular-based Laboratory Developed Tests for Detection of Nucleic Acid from SARS-CoV-2. As such, your test is hereby added to Appendix A1 as an authorized test," the FDA letter stated. The Fly notes that T2 Biosystems announced on March 24 that it had entered into a worldwide licensing agreement for a rapid COVID-19 test developed by the Center of Discovery and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health. Reference Link

09:30 EDT Arcus Biosciences trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:25 EDT Starboard withdraws nomination of director candidates for eBay board - eBay and Starboard Value issued a joint statement. Following the hiring of Jamie Iannone as eBay's new CEO, Starboard has withdrawn its nomination of director candidates for election at eBay's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The company anticipates holding the 2020 Annual Meeting in June. In addition, eBay has announced today that the company expects to name a new independent director to its Board in the next few months and, as part of its evaluation process of potential director candidates, it will consider the individuals Starboard nominated. Tom Tierney, eBay's Chairman of the Board, said, "We appreciate Starboard's thoughtful and constructive dialogue over the past 20 months, including their recent identification of highly-qualified Board candidates, whom we look forward to meeting. This conclusion best positions our Company and our new Chief Executive Officer to move forward and achieve all that we and Starboard hope can be accomplished for our stockholders, employees, and community of buyers and sellers." Peter Feld, Managing Member of Starboard, said, "We appreciate the constructive relationship we have with eBay's Board of Directors and management team. We are pleased with the company's actions taken in connection with its strategic portfolio review, including the completed sale of StubHub and the recent confirmation that eBay has been exploring potential value-creating alternatives for Classifieds with multiple parties, and we are excited about the hiring of an accomplished CEO in Jamie Iannone. We commend the Board on these actions, which are aligned with our recommendations and our shared goal of long-term stockholder value creation. We are excited to build a relationship with Jamie, and we look forward to sharing our views with him on the opportunities we see to drive improvements in the Marketplace business."

09:19 EDT Verizon CEO says talks with Blue Jeans ongoing for about a year before deal - Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, asked if the company's agreement to acquire enterprise-grade video conferencing and event platform BlueJeans Network was a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis, answered that deal talks had begun about a year ago, but noted that the timing of the deal is positive given the current situation. Vestberg is being interviewed on CNBC.

09:17 EDT Abbott says overall financial health 'strong' - Says has healthy leverage ratios and modest debt. Says "prudently planning" for a variety of scenarios.

09:16 EDT ClearOne awarded patent for Power over Ethernet Systems - ClearOne announced that it has been awarded a strategic new patent relating to power transmission for Power over Ethernet systems by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Awarded on April 14, 2020, the patent describes a simple method for providing power to multiple devices in a "daisy-chain" series connection using PoE. Use of the new method can eliminate the 100-meter Ethernet distance constraint for power and data transmission. ClearOne's technology disclosed in this patent brings powerful benefits for at least two important applications. First, it is extremely useful for devices such as audio products including microphones and speakers, security and conferencing cameras, remote sensors, smart home technologies like thermostats and alarm systems, as well as computers and displays, all of which can be freely deployed anywhere within the reach of an Ethernet cable. As an example of this application, ClearOne uses the patented technology in its professional audio products, including its beamforming microphone array ceiling tiles. The patented technology allows CONVERGE Pro 2 DSP mixers to communicate with its beamforming microphone arrays at distances that greatly exceed traditional distance limitations for conferencing equipment, providing additional deployment options when compared with other Ethernet technologies like Audinate Dante. Second, the patented technology is also useful for transmitting power only, without data, where access to electrical power outlets may be inconvenient or power outlet safety is a concern. For example, mobile device chargers, lighting, and other battery powered personal devices, and even toys can utilize this technology throughout the work or home environment because the patented method supplies power whether data is present or not. US patent number 10,620,678 entitled "System for Transmitting Power to a Remote PoE subsystem by forwarding PD Input Voltage" is part of ClearOne's valuable patent portfolio covering multiple new technologies in the fields of audio and video processing, audio and video streaming, and innovative communication technologies.

09:14 EDT Morgan Stanley expects non-comp expenses to be lower through the year

09:12 EDT CHF Solutions says Aquadex therapy utilization increases 300% at NYC hospitals - CHF Solutions announced increased utilization of its Aquadex therapy in patients affected by COVID-19. Product sales of the Aquadex therapy to six hospitals in New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., have increased over 300% in the last thirty days, as compared to the monthly-average for 2019. The company is still evaluating the impact the pandemic may have on its overall business. Two physician-led webinars since the outbreak have highlighted the importance of managing fluids administered to critically ill, COVID-19 patients to avoid potentially life-threatening complications, such as volume overload, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and other conditions related to progressive congestion. Ultrafiltration with the Aquadex SmartFlow system is an option for efficient fluid removal and rapid decongestion, and a way to optimize the volume status of these patients in a predictable way. Aquadex therapy has been used as an alternative therapy in patients who need fluid removal when dialysis machines or trained dialysis personnel are not available and in hemodynamically unstable patients, who may not be able to tolerate dialysis but still need fluid removal.

09:11 EDT MTS Systems suspending dividend - MTS Systems is suspending its quarterly dividend of 30c per share, equating to approximately $23M in annualized cash payments, to prioritize near-term financial flexibility. The Board will consider future dividends as the economic landscape and visibility improves.

09:09 EDT Turning Point announces publication of data from Phase 1 of TRIDENT-1 study - Turning Point Therapeutics announced the publication of preclinical data and patient case studies from the Phase 1 portion of its TRIDENT-1 clinical study for its lead investigational drug, repotrectinib. Among the findings published in the American Association of Cancer Research peer-reviewed journal, Clinical Cancer Research, repotrectinib demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo activity in patient-derived preclinical models compared with proxy chemical compounds for other tyrosine kinase inhibitors against ROS1 and the ROS1 G2032R solvent-front mutation. The central nervous system activity of repotrectinib was studied in an in vivo model and demonstrated significant reduction of metastatic brain lesions with longer survival compared to a proxy chemical compound for entrectinib. In preclinical studies, repotrectinib potently inhibited in vitro and in vivo tumor growth and ROS1-downstream signaling in treatment-naive models compared with proxy chemical compounds for crizotinib, ceritinib, and entrectinib. Compared to a lorlatinib proxy chemical compound in a xenograft model, repotrectinib markedly delayed the onset of tumor recurrence following drug withdrawal. In addition, repotrectinib induced anti-tumor activity in the CNS. Repotrectinib also showed selective and potent in vitro and in vivo activity against the ROS1 G2032R solvent-front mutation. Patient case studies included in the manuscript highlighted the potential for repotrectinib to prevent or delay ROS1 kinase domain resistance mutations. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of crizotinib-resistant mutations are found within the ROS1 kinase, of which the ROS1 G2032R solvent-front mutation is the most common. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 50 percent of patients treated with ROS1-TKIs experience disease progression due to CNS metastases.

09:06 EDT Verizon Business to acquire BlueJeans Network, terms not disclosed - Verizon Business announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BlueJeans Network, a trusted enterprise-grade video conferencing and event platform. The acquisition expands Verizon's immersive unified communications portfolio. BlueJeans' cloud-based video service currently serves a wide variety of business segments from small organizations to some of the world's largest multinational brands, and has played a significant part in continuing those companies' operations during the ongoing work-from-home surge. The transaction will combine BlueJeans' simple, smart and trusted meeting platform with Verizon's unified communications as a service business immediately. Customers will benefit from a BlueJeans enterprise-grade video experience on Verizon's high-performance global networks. In addition, the platform will be deeply integrated into Verizon's 5G product roadmap, providing secure and real-time engagement solutions for high growth areas such as telemedicine, distance learning and field service work. . BlueJeans' founders and key management team will join Verizon to lead the continued growth and innovation of the business. BlueJeans employees will become Verizon employees immediately following the close of the deal. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter.

09:03 EDT Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives finalizes $65M wind construction contract - Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives announced that the Company finalized a $65M wind construction award in the state of Iowa. The contract was secured by White Construction, a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects. IEA recognized approximately $56M of this contract in backlog at December 31, 2019. The award is for the construction of a 150 MW wind farm in Northern Iowa that, upon its anticipated completion in November 2020, will produce roughly 600,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year, or enough energy to power roughly 70,000 homes. White Construction will self-perform all of the engineering, procurement and construction needs of the project, including the building of access roads, the erection of wind generators, the installation of turbine foundations, and the construction of project substations and a medium-voltage collection system.

09:02 EDT Pluralsight committs over $1M to nonprofit partners to support COVID-19 plans - Pluralsight announced that its social enterprise, Pluralsight One, is providing its strategic nonprofit partners with over $1 million in immediate cash grants from the Pluralsight One Fund so they have flexible financial capital to respond to the global COVID-19 crisis. Pluralsight One is also providing additional support through product grants, technology strategy development, implementation as well as structured volunteerism. Pluralsight One's strategic partners that are receiving assistance include the Norwegian Refugee Council, Year Up, Malala Fund and the Computer Science Teachers Association. Pluralsight One is providing an additional $1 million in 2020 emergency grants to strategic partners from the Pluralsight One Fund in the following ways: NRC is receiving an immediate cash grant of $250,000 in addition to the scheduled cash grant of $250,000 in 2020 that is part of Pluralsight One's existing three-year agreement with NRC. Pluralsight One is responding to the extreme urgency and risk that this crisis poses for the 70 million people across the globe that are displaced by conflict. These individuals are living in close proximity with limited health and education resources, facing increasing levels of xenophobia and restrictions to movement as a result of COVID-19. At the same time, COVID-19 is complicating NRC's global operations and ability to preserve the health and safety of staff while reducing the risk of transmission among medically vulnerable people. The combined grant of $500,000 in 2020 as well as Pluralsight One's product grant and staff support will help NRC prevent the spread of COVID-19 to refugee camp settings, enable the NRC teams to create digital solutions that serve those who are most vulnerable, and ultimately focus resources on flattening the curve while maintaining critical, life-saving programs and services. Year Up is receiving an immediate cash grant of $250,000 to support program continuity for Year Up's nationwide network of 4,500 program participants as well as alumni. The grant is designed to provide flexible capital to support the immediate health and education needs of Year Up program participants while adapting opportunities for disadvantaged youth to establish stable career paths. The COVID-19 crisis will continue to disproportionately impact low-income minority communities, and Pluralsight One is working with Year Up to lessen this impact. In addition to the financial support, Pluralsight One has also completed an organization wide implementation of Pluralsight's tech skills platform for Year Up staff and all 4,500 program participants who can now develop relevant technology skills while working from home. Malala Fund is receiving an immediate cash grant of $300,000 to support the work of five Malala Fund Champions across Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan in 2020 and 2021. Threats to girls' education - like poverty, war and gender discrimination - differ between countries and communities. Champions are local educators and activists who understand challenges in their communities and are best placed to identify, innovate and advocate for policy and programmatic solutions. One such Champion is Haroon Yasin in Pakistan who has developed an education app that is enabling digital learning for school-aged children across the country. With Pluralsight One's support, Haroon can scale his work to reach over 1 million school-aged children whose learning has been disrupted as a result of COVID-19. CSTA is receiving an immediate cash grant of $250,000 to support the development and implementation of digital resources for teachers with a focus on equity and inclusion. Pluralsight One's support will develop teacher resources that enable learning continuity during COVID-19, scale the CSTA Equity Fellowship to grow and establish an active Equity Fellow Alumni network, continue to build capacity and sustain CSTA's chapters, and develop rigorous professional development that grows the number of English language learner students enrolled in AP computer science. In addition to the cash grants to its strategic partners, Pluralsight One Fund is deploying grants of $50,000 each to Utah COVID Fund, Boston COVID Fund and Ireland Community Foundation's COVID Fund and UN/WHO COVID Fund to support the communities where Pluralsight team members live and work.

08:51 EDT CDW 'remains confident' in liquidity position - The company said, "The company remains confident in its liquidity position. CDW's primary liquidity sources are operating cash flow, cash and cash equivalents, and borrowings under its revolving credit facilities. As of March 31, 2020, CDW had cash and cash equivalents of $214 million and $3.47 billion of total debt outstanding, plus the capacity to borrow an additional $1.0 billion under its revolving credit facilities. The company has no debt maturities due in 2020 and $57 million of debt maturing in August 2021. The company has taken measures to enhance liquidity, including implementing cost savings initiatives and suspending share repurchases."

08:49 EDT ThermoGenesis' COVID-19 antibody fast detection kit allowed for distribution - ThermoGenesis has received the necessary acknowledgement letter from the FDA confirming that the company's SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG Antibody Fast Detection Kit has been appropriately validated and the required registrations and listings with FDA have been completed, which now allow the diagnostic kit to be distributed. The COVID-19 Kit will be jointly marketed by ThermoGenesis and ImmuneCyte Life Sciences.

08:47 EDT Cardtronics, Rellevate partner for ATM access through Allpoint Network - Rellevate has teamed with Cardtronics to provide surcharge-free cash access through Cardtronics' Allpoint Network. Rellevate customers can withdraw cash at over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs worldwide using their Rellevate Visa Debit Card, avoiding costly ATM surcharge fees.

08:44 EDT Sellas Life Sciences appoints steering committee for ongoing Phase 3 REGAL trial - SELLAS Life Sciences Group announced the formation of the Steering Committee for its Phase 3 REGAL clinical trial of galinpepimut-S in patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have achieved complete remission after second-line anti-leukemic therapy. The Steering Committee will provide scientific oversight and guidance of the practical aspects of the ongoing REGAL study. The Steering Committee will also review the results of the trial as they become available, analyze current clinical practices to identify AML patients most likely to benefit from entry to the study, design and implement the most efficient continued approaches to conducting the study and make recommendations regarding the monitoring of the clinical study in consultation with the independent data monitoring committee. The Steering Committee currently consists of three members: Dr. Hagop Kantarjian, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Principal Investigator at MD Anderson for the multi-center Phase 3 REGAL study and Chair of the REGAL Steering Committee. Dr. Javier Pinilla-Ibarz, MD, PhD, Director of Immunotherapy for Malignant Hematology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and member of the SELLAS Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Moshe Yair Levy, MD, Director of Hematologic Malignancies at the Texas Oncology - Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center. The Company previously reported initial data from the Phase 2a study of galinpepimut-S in AML patients in CR2 at a median follow-up of 19.3 months, showing median overall survival in vaccine-treated patients of 16.3 months vs. 5.4 months in a patient cohort contemporaneously treated with best standard therapy. The final analysis, at a median follow-up of 30.8 months, showed a median OS of 21 months in the GPS-treated patient cohort. A second previous Phase 2 study of galinpepimut-S in AML patients who achieved first complete remission also met its primary endpoint with an OS rate at 3 years from first vaccination of 47%. The REGAL study is an ongoing 1:1 randomized, open-label study comparing GPS monotherapy in the maintenance setting to investigators' choice best available treatment in AML patients who have achieved hematologic complete remission, with or without thrombocytopenia, after second-line antileukemic therapy and who are deemed ineligible for or unable to undergo allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. The primary endpoint is OS from the time of study entry. Secondary endpoints include leukemia-free survival, antigen-specific T-cell immune response dynamics, measurable residual disease by multigene array, and assessments of AML clonal evolution and inflammasome molecular signatures in the tumor microenvironment in bone marrow biopsy samples. The Company anticipates interim analysis for safety and futility in the fourth quarter of 2021.

08:43 EDT Morgan Stanley CEO: Public health crisis 'devastating to many' - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:41 EDT Farfetch provides business update, Q1 figures amid COVID-19 outbreak - Farfetch provided a business update in light of the evolving COVID-19 global health pandemic, and reported preliminary financial results for Q1. The company said, "Today our Marketplace connects customers in over 190 countries with items from more than 50 countries and over 1,200 of the world's best brands, boutiques and department stores, delivering a truly unique shopping experience and access to the most extensive selection of luxury on a single platform. Our logistics platform enables these sellers to transact with our 2.1 million Active Consumers located across 190 countries. As a result of our highly distributed and resilient model, and our continuous coordination with our global logistics partners, we have not seen any material impact to our operations or supply chain since the initial outbreak of COVID-19. This has allowed us to serve customers well. As a result, we expect to deliver strong Digital Platform GMV growth in first quarter 2020, supported by the performance of our China region, which continued to grow faster than the overall marketplace, and from February 1, 2020, accelerated to grow faster year-on-year than this region grew for all of 2019. We expect first quarter 2020 Digital Platform Order Contribution Margin to be in line with fourth quarter 2019, and exceed our targeted minimum of 30%. This reflects our continued focus on engaging with our customers across our broad range of channels, while optimizing our supply chain operations. Additionally, the Brand Platform is also expected to deliver GMV of approximately $105 million, in line with expectations. First quarter 2020 Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be $(21) million to $(25) million, ahead of our guidance, and a year-over-year improvement in absolute amount. This reflects our continued focus on driving efficiencies and operating leverage across the quarter, as well as reductions in discretionary spend in light of the evolving circumstances. While current market data is not sufficient to indicate how consumers, competitors and producers might behave in the short-term, during a prolonged lockdown or as 2020 continues to evolve, we continue to monitor our business closely. Towards the latter part of the quarter, we have observed: A slowdown in growth from our larger markets in Europe and North America. This was not unexpected as various countries continued to implement lockdown policies. An increase in promotional activity from some industry participants. Brands assessing production capacities for winter collections in light of some factory closures. As such, we remain alert and are planning our business with a variety of scenarios including various degrees of reductions in overall demand and supply across the platform, with differing impacts to our near-term profitability. Additionally, while we have not seen any material impact to our diversified supply and logistics platform to date, any prolonged interruptions to, or cessations of the operations of our fulfilment centers and production studios, or our sellers and logistics partners would have a material adverse impact on our business. We believe the secular trends will drive an acceleration of sales to online channels, and a return to normalized levels of consumer activity in 2021. This scenario would support our ability to deliver profitability at the Adjusted EBITDA level for 2021 as planned. In terms of liquidity, we expect to end first quarter 2020 with cash and cash equivalents of approximately $420 million. The cash outflow in first quarter 2020 is primarily a result of the working capital outflow between the larger balance in fourth quarter 2019, as compared to first quarter 2020. As has been the case in previous years, we expect this position to reverse as we trade through the seasonal calendar. In light of the evolving situation, we have also taken actions to further support our liquidity in the short-term."

08:41 EDT ConocoPhillips to reduce operating costs by approximately $600M

08:40 EDT Beyond Air to initiate clinical study evaluating high concentration nitric oxide - Beyond Air announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed with the initiation of a clinical study in the U.S. using its LungFit system to treat COVID-19 patients. Applications for funding are pending with the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority, a division of Health and Human Services. The LungFit will be used in an open-label study, to treat 20 patients between the ages of 22 and 65 years hospitalized with COVID-19. Subjects will be randomized 1:1 and treated with 80 ppm NO administered over 40 minutes, 4 times per day, in addition to standard of care or treated with SOC alone. The primary endpoint is time to clinical deterioration as measured by the need for: non-invasive ventilation: or high flow nasal cannula; or intubation. Other endpoints include reduction in viral load, need for supplemental oxygen, hospital length of stay, mortality, safety and various biomarkers.

08:40 EDT ConocoPhillips: 2020 guidance should not be relied upon

08:40 EDT Jaguar Health enters deal with Atlas Science to develop NP-500 - Jaguar Health announced it has entered into an agreement with Atlas Sciences, LLC to develop NP-500, a non-core Jaguar plant-based type II diabetes drug candidate which has successfully completed Phase 1 clinical trials. The deal involves the receipt of $1.5 million by Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Napo), Jaguar's wholly-owned subsidiary, for sale of NP-500's technology and intellectual property to Atlas Sciences. Concurrently with this sale, Jaguar received an exclusive 10-year license to develop and commercialize NP-500 technology in all territories worldwide except greater China, inclusive of the right to sublicense NP-500 development and commercialization rights. NP-500 is a plant-based drug product candidate for treatment of type II diabetes and insulin-resistance syndrome in humans. Under the terms of the license, Jaguar is obligated to initiate a proof of concept Phase 2 study of NP-500 under an investigational new drug, or IND, application with the FDA or an IND-equivalent dossier under appropriate regulatory authorities within six months of April 15. If Jaguar fails to initiate the study by this date for any reason, including the timely receipt of adequate funding to initiate the study, Jaguar will incur aggregate trial delay fees of $2,265,000 payable monthly over a period of approximately ten months. Atlas Sciences has the right to terminate the license in the event that Jaguar fails to complete the Phase 2 study within five years of April 15, 2020 or has not timely initiated the Phase 2 study and thereafter fails to make monthly trial delay fee payments.

08:38 EDT Spero Therapeutics appoints Scott Jackson to board of directors - Spero Therapeutics announced the appointment of Scott Jackson to its Board of Directors. Jackson has more than thirty years of corporate leadership experience within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, most recently serving as the CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Celator Pharmaceuticals.

08:37 EDT FluroTech partners with Albany Medical College for COVID-19 test - FluroTech announced that it has entered into a strategic Agreement in Principle with Alberta BioPhotonics and Albany Medical College to form FluroTest. The CompleTest adaptation is expected to take approximately three months with trials planned shortly thereafter. We caution that FluroTest is taking the existing technology developed by FluroTech and adapting that technology to be able to test for COVID-19. We are still in the early stages of research and development and are not making any express or implied claims that it can accurately diagnose COVID-19 virus at this time. FluroTech and ABP are majority shareholders in FluroTest. The collaboration will have primary focus on adapting FluroTech's CompleTest platform technology to test for a range of viruses including COVID-19, as well as accurately determining viral load. Additionally, FluroTest believes its technology can also be adapted to allow for the detection of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 human antibodies in blood samples, potentially confirming the development of immunity. Once developed, both tests would be administered at point-of-collection with results expected to be available in less than 15 minutes.

08:35 EDT PDS Biotechnology delays initiation of PDS0101 VERSATILE-002 trial - The Company announced that initiation of its multi-center Phase 2 VERSATILE-002 trial for PDS0101 in advanced/metastatic head and neck cancer has been delayed due to the severe adverse impact on clinical trial operations from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Company's previously reported Phase I clinical study of PDS0101, Versamune was confirmed to be safe and to uniquely facilitate the induction of strong antigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells in vivo, including memory T-cell responses against the HPV viral target, leading to regression of disease.

08:34 EDT CACI awarded position on maximum $249M NAVSEA contract - CACI announced that the Naval Sea Systems Command, or NAVSEA, has awarded the company a prime position on a multiple-award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, with a ceiling value of $249M, to provide analyses and initiatives that improve effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability in ship design, manufacturing and lifecycle support. Mission expertise provided under the four-year contract will focus on delivering maximum cost savings to the Navy as the service seeks to meet emerging threats, increase readiness, and achieve savings across its shipbuilding plan.

08:33 EDT Morgan Stanley CEO: Public health crisis 'devasting to many' - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:23 EDT Provident Bank promotes Walter Sierotko to EVP, chief lending officer - Provident Bank announced that Walter Sierotko has been promoted to EVP, chief lending officer. Mr. Sierotko is based in the Bank's Iselin, N.J. administrative headquarters. Sierotko will now be responsible for the strategic direction of the commercial lending function of the Bank, and overseeing the management and development of the Bank's commercial lending lines of business. In addition, as a member of the Bank's Executive Management Team, he will work closely with senior leaders to focus on the strategic growth of lending and deposit relationships. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Director of Real Estate Lending for Provident.

08:19 EDT BrightSphere CEO Guang Yang to step down, CFO Suren Rana to succeed - BrightSphere announced that it has appointed its CFO, Suren Rana, as its CEO and president effective immediately. Rana will also join the board. Guang Yang will be stepping down as CEO, president and chairman. In addition, the board elected John Paulson to succeed Yang as chairman. Concurrent with Rana's appointment, Christina Wiater will serve as BrightSphere's principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. Wiater is currently the company's controller and chief accounting officer. Wiater joined the company in 2009 and has been a key leader of the finance team since that time.

08:18 EDT Altra Industrial Motion to hold Annual Meeting of Stockholders virtually - Altra Industrial Motion announced a change in the location of its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Due to the ongoing public health impact of the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, outbreak and to support the health and well-being of our directors, officers, employees and stockholders, the Annual Meeting will be held solely by remote communication, in a "virtual only" format. The previously announced date and time of the meeting, Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., EDT, will not change.

08:17 EDT HP Inc. unveils new Z by HP mobile workstation, HP ENVY portfolio - HP Inc. unveiled its newest Z by HP mobile workstation and HP ENVY portfolio. The HP ZBook Studio, HP ZBook Create, and the HP ENVY 15 are the latest additions to the HP Create Ecosystem, which launched at Adobe MAX in 2019. The HP ZBook Studio and HP ZBook Create allows users to create on-the-go unlike ever before. There has been a 47% growth in thin and light form factors over the past three years, but most devices are still not designed for demanding workflows with professional applications, graphics, or color accuracy. The latest additions to the Z by HP portfolio are purpose-built and re-engineered from the ground up to meet the demanding needs of the most creative applications and workflows and provide optimal experiences today and in the future. The HP ZBook Studio and HP ZBook Create is expected to be available in August via HP.com. Pricing will be shared closer to availability. HP ENVY 15 is expected to be available in June via HP.com with a starting price of $1,349.99. The device will also be available for purchase at Amazon, Costco.com, Office Depot, and other US retailers. Pricing will be shared closer to availability. HP ENVY 13 is expected to be available in early May via HP.com with a starting price of $999.99. The device will also be available for purchase at Amazon and other US retailers. HP ENVY 17 is available now at HP.com with a starting price of $1,099.99. The device is also available for purchase at Amazon, Best Buy and other US retailers. HP ENVY x360 13 is expected to be available in early May via HP.com with a starting price of $699.99. The device will also be available for purchase at Costco.com, and other US retailers. HP ENVY x360 15 is expected to be available in early May via HP.com with a starting price of $699.99 for the AMD SKU and $849.99 for the Intel SKU. The device will also be available for purchase at Amazon, Best Buy, and other US retailers.

08:12 EDT Gentherm releases first sustainability report - Gentherm announced the publication of the Company's first Sustainability Report. The 2019 Sustainability Report highlights Gentherm's key areas of focus: People, Planet and Places. The report features stories of Gentherm's efforts toward building a culture of engagement, sustainability and social responsibility, covering a wide range of sustainability-related topics including environmental impact and risks, corporate governance and code of conduct, community involvement and health and safety efforts.

08:12 EDT Magenta Therapeutics provides business operations update amid COVID-19 outbreak - Magenta has taken steps to help ensure the safety of employees and their families and to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the Cambridge community. In early March, Magenta created an internal, cross-functional COVID-19 response team, focused on employee safety and business continuity, to monitor closely the evolving situation and advise on the Company's response. Magenta has established a work-from-home policy for all employees, other than those performing or supporting business-critical experiments, such as certain members of our laboratory and facilities staff. For those employees, Magenta has implemented safety measures designed to comply with applicable federal, state and local guidelines instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Magenta also has maintained efficient communication with its partners and clinical sites in as the COVID-19 situation progresses. As the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly evolving, Magenta will continue to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and will provide a further update in conjunction with its first quarter financial results announcement and quarterly report on Form 10-Q in May. Magenta also has maintained efficient communication with its partners and clinical sites as the COVID-19 situation progresses. As of December 31, 2019, Magenta had $145.7M in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Based on the company's updated operating plan, including the shift in MGTA-456 timelines, the company estimates that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its operations into Q1 of 2022.

08:11 EDT B2Gold reports positive COVID-19 case at Fekola exploration camp - B2Gold announces that an employee at the Fekola exploration camp, located approximately five kilometres from the Fekola mine site, has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The Fekola Mine, owned by the company (80%) and the State of Mali (20%), is located in southwestern Mali on the border between Mali and Senegal, about 210 km south of Kayes and approximately 40 km south of the city of Kenieba. As the positive case occurred in the exploration camp, some distance from the main Fekola mine site, operations have not been impacted to date and the mine continues to operate at full capacity. B2Gold places the safety and wellbeing of its workforce as the highest priority and continues to monitor public and employee sentiment to ensure that stakeholders are in alignment with the continued operations at its mines. The employee tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on April 15, after starting to experience cold-like symptoms on April 12, and was immediately isolated at the Fekola exploration camp. The individual remains in quarantine at the camp and is being monitored by company doctors and the local Kenieba Health Authority. The employee is currently in stable condition with only moderate symptoms. As a first measure of response, the company immediately isolated the entire Exploration Group within the Fekola exploration camp and completed contact-tracing for anyone the individual may have come into contact with on site or within the community. All individuals identified by the contact-tracing residing outside of the Fekola exploration camp were also immediately placed into quarantine. In addition, the Fekola exploration camp is being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, a process which is also being continued at the Fekola mine camp, which to date does not have any positive COVID-19 cases. Since the declaration of COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic, the Fekola Mine has proactively implemented measures to contain the spread of the virus at the mine site. These measures include the restricted movement of people and goods (to include restriction of personnel from outside of Mali and prohibiting travel between the capital city (Bamako) and site); increased hygiene and cleanliness; social distancing and remote working; isolation procedures at site in the event of higher risk personnel arriving to site (mandatory quarantine period); working with the surrounding communities and developing contingency plans for potential disruptions including increases of supplies. As part of these contingency plans, the Fekola Mine had commenced a full isolation of all staff on site (to be completed by April 19, 2020) related to operations. This will further improve social distancing measures and continue to protect all stakeholders in the area of Mali where the Company operates. All these measures were put in place in close consultation with the government, the Fekola mine workers union, the communities near the mine and the employees operating on site. B2Gold will continue to update its plan and response measures based on the safety and wellbeing of its workforce, the severity of the pandemic in areas where it operates, global response measures, government restrictions and extensive community consultation. The company is working closely with national and local authorities and will be monitoring each site's situation closely while ensuring the safe operation of its mines.

08:09 EDT Emmaus Life Sciences says SFDA accepts Endari priority review request - Emmaus Life Sciences announced that the SFDA has accepted its request for priority review of Endari, its prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder. Similar to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, priority review by the SFDA in Saudi Arabia is a program designated to expedite the review process for drugs that are expected to have a particularly significant positive impact on the treatment of a disease. Saudi Arabia has the highest prevalence of sickle cell disease in the MENA region. Emmaus estimates that there are approximately 225,000 sickle cell disease patients that could potentially be treated with Endari in that region.

08:08 EDT Harmonic providing free access to video streaming innovation during lockdown - The current global health crisis has given rise to rapid growth in network traffic, resulting in strain across global broadband networks. In order to address the recent surge and to support its many customers during these unprecedented times, Harmonic announced it will provide its EyeQ content-aware encoding technology free for the next 90 days to help alleviate the current network constraints.

08:08 EDT Capstone Turbine announces biogas project in Japan - Capstone Turbine announced its first 800 kilowatt C800 Signature Series order for a new and innovative biogas project in Japan. The project will utilize organic biomass in the form of agricultural and animal waste to generate clean and efficient energy for the Biokurasix Handa biogas power generation facility. Kanamoto, Capstone's exclusive distributor in Japan, secured the order for the biogas-fueled C800 Signature Series microturbine, which is expected to be commissioned in late 2020. Located in the city of Handa in Aichi Prefecture, plans for the biogas-powered facility began in early 2016 with the goal of creating a sustainable closed-loop system through resource recovery. Completion of the biogas-powered facility is scheduled for 2021 with a focus on powering the local economy with renewable energy resources and technologies. As a project of the Biomass Industrial City Initiative, the facility is pursuing several commercialization projects centered on biogas power generation to support a sustainable community. Some of the initiatives include utilizing clean exhaust heat and gas from the Capstone microturbine to power facility processes and selling surplus power back to the grid. The biogas-fueled 800 kW microturbine will be installed in grid connect mode, which enables the customer to operate with the utility grid in a load sharing capacity. The facility will produce a considerable amount of biogas on a consistent basis by using a digester to process the organic biomass coming from the city of Handa. The microturbine energy system will take this renewable fuel and provide prime power to the facility, ensuring complete management of the waste cycle.

08:07 EDT Workhorse Group receives $1.4M from U.S. SBA through CARES Act PPP - Workhorse Group recently entered into a Paycheck Protection Program Term Note with PNC Bank under the Paycheck Protection Program of the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Under the terms of PNC Note, Workhorse received total proceeds of $1,411,000. In accordance with the requirements of the CARES Act, the company will use proceeds primarily for payroll costs. During the first six months of the PNC Note, neither principal nor interest shall be due and payable during this deferral period and a large portion of the loan could be forgiven should the company meet certain qualifications under the program.

08:06 EDT Hilton Grand Vacations adopts one-year shareholder rights plan - Hilton Grand Vacations announced that its board has approved the adoption of a 364-day duration shareholder rights plan effective April 16, to protect shareholder interests and maximize value for all shareholders. "The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to the global travel industry," said Leonard Potter, Chairman of the board. "As a result, we have seen dislocations in equity market valuations and, in particular, a decline in HGV's share price and elevated trading volume in recent weeks. The adoption of the one-year Rights Plan will protect against parties seeking to take advantage of the current market environment to the detriment of HGV and its shareholders. We remain focused on taking steps to maintain the stability of our business as we position the company for long-term success. Over the past several weeks, we have taken critical steps to mitigate near-term risks by reducing operating costs, deferring capital expenditures and strengthening our liquidity position, thereby enhancing our immediate financial flexibility," Potter continued. "We are confident that over time our core strategy of driving Net Owner Growth along with a robust inventory pipeline will enable us to deliver significant value for shareholders. We will continue to engage with shareholders, including on the topic of the Rights Plan, as we move through this unprecedented period." The Rights Plan is similar to plans adopted by other public companies, and is designed to ensure that no person or group can take advantage of the depressed share price and gain a control or control-like position in the company's stock through open market accumulation or other tactics potentially disadvantaging the interest of all shareholders without negotiating with the board and without paying an appropriate control premium to all the shareholders of the company. In deciding to adopt the Rights Plan, the board noted that, as of the close of trading on April 1, the price of the company's common stock had declined by over 50% since the close of trading on Jan. 31, 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related market volatility. The rights will be issued to shareholders of record on April 27. The Rights Plan will expire on April 15, 2021. The board will consider an earlier termination of the Rights Plan if market and other conditions warrant. The Rights Plan is intended to position the board to fulfill its fiduciary duties on behalf of all shareholders by ensuring that the board has sufficient time to make informed judgments about any attempts by investors to buy control or control-like stakes in the company. The Rights Plan applies to all current and future shareholders and is not intended to deter offers that are fair and otherwise in the best interest of the company's shareholders. The Rights Plan will not prevent, nor is it intended to prevent, a takeover of the company. Because the rights may be redeemed by the company under certain circumstances, they should not interfere with any merger or other business combination approved by the board. The issuance of the rights does not in any way diminish the financial strength of the company or interfere with its business plans. The issuance of the rights has no dilutive effect, will not affect reported earnings per share and will not change the way the company's common stock is currently traded. The plan provides for the issuance of one right for each outstanding share of the company's common stock. In general, the rights will become exercisable only if a person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the company's outstanding common stock or announces a tender or exchange offer that would result in beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the company's common stock. Each right will entitle the holder to buy one one-thousandth of a share of a series of junior preferred stock at an exercise price of $90.00 per right, subject to anti-dilution adjustments. The board may, at its option, redeem all rights for $0.001 per right at any time prior to the Distribution Date, as defined in the Rights Plan. If a person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the company's outstanding common stock, each right will entitle holders, other than the acquiring person or group, to purchase from the company for $90.00, subject to certain potential adjustments, shares of the company's common stock having a market value of twice that amount. The plan also includes an exchange option. If a person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 10% (or 20% for certain passive investors) or more, but less than 50%, of the outstanding common stock, the board may at its option exchange the rights in whole or in part for shares of the company's stock. Under this option, the company would exchange each Right in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of common stock per Right. If the company does not then have a sufficient number of shares of its common stock, the company will take all such action as necessary to authorize additional shares of common stock and, if unable to do so, will substitute preferred stock. This exchange would not apply to shares held by the person or group that acquired beneficial ownership of 10% (or 20% for certain passive investors) or more of the company's common stock. If, after the rights have become exercisable, the company merges or otherwise combines with another entity, or sells assets constituting more than 50% of its assets or producing more than 50% of its earning power or cash flow, each right then outstanding will entitle its holder to purchase for $90.00, subject to anti-dilution adjustments, a number of the acquiring party's common shares having a market value of twice that amount. If a shareholder beneficially owns 10% or more of the company's common stock at the time of the adoption of the plan, such shareholder's ownership will be grandfathered, but the rights would become exercisable if such shareholder subsequently increases its ownership by one share. The Rights Plan also includes a qualifying offer provision, which allows shareholders to require the board to call a special meeting to vote on a pending offer, provided the offer meets certain qualifying criteria.

08:03 EDT Kratos Defense wins place on $982.1M U.S. Navy IDIQ multiple award contract - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that its Kratos Unmanned Systems Division has been selected, and will participate in the Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite Quantity - Multiple Award Contract to support the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command Unmanned Surface Vehicle Family of Systems. The USV FoS includes platforms and systems that comprise the U.S. Navy's future unmanned surface fleet. With a contract ceiling for all orders under this IDIQ-MAC of $982.1M, the government intends to support, maintain and modernize USV systems and subsystems to meet current and future operational requirements for Unmanned Maritime Systems under Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants. Under the contract KUSD is eligible to compete for individual tasks and/or delivery orders. The USV FoS IDIQ-MAC base contracting vehicle has an initial ordering period of 60 months after date of contract award. If options are exercised the base contracting vehicle will extend to an ordering period of 120 months.

07:46 EDT Jacobs selected by SDCRAA to provide design services for airside program - Jacobs was selected to support the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in continuing their $3B expansion program to enhance the airfield and replace the aging Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport with a newly expanded terminal. This selection is the latest in Jacobs' history of serving the SDCRAA at SAN through its work in support of the ongoing Airport Development Plan. Dating back to 2005, Jacobs has provided strategic consulting services, most recently leading the development of the ADP, successfully delivering the State Final Environmental Impact Report, and working to finalize the Federal Environmental Assessment for the ADP. The SDCRAA estimates the contract, with a value not-to-exceed $35M, spans five years with the option for two one-year extensions. The includes construction and maintenance of airside apron, taxiways, runway areas, landside roads, parking lots, storm water system, security blast wall and associated utilities.

07:43 EDT Theratechnologies announces inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Theratechnologies announced that Paul Levesque, the current President and CEO of Theratechnologies, was granted 487,421 stock options, or Options, to purchase an aggregate of 487,421 common shares of Theratechnologies under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The grant was made outside of Theratechnologies' existing share option plan, or Plan, in connection with Mr. Levesque's previously-announced employment by Theratechnologies as its President and CEO. The Options were granted as an inducement material to Mr. Levesque becoming the President and CEO of Theratechnologies on April 6, 2020. The Options have an exercise price per share equal to $2.87, which was the closing price of Theratechnologies' common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on April 14, 2020. The Options have a ten-year term and will vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period beginning on April 15, 2021, subject to Mr. Levesque's continued employment by Theratechnologies on the applicable vesting dates. All of the other terms and conditions of the Options are those set forth in Theratechnologies' Plan.

07:42 EDT Dynavax, Sinovac Biotech collaborate to develop coronavirus vaccine - Dynavax Technologies Corporation (DVAX) and Sinovac Biotech (SVA) announced that they have entered into a collaboration to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The collaboration will evaluate the combination of Sinovac's chemically inactivated coronavirus vaccine candidate, with Dynavax's advanced adjuvant, CpG 1018.CpG 1018 is the adjuvant used in HEPLISAV-B, an adult hepatitis B vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dynavax developed CpG 1018 to provide an increased vaccine immune response, which has been demonstrated in HEPLISAV-B. CpG 1018 provides a well-developed technology and a significant safety database, potentially accelerating the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Additionally, CpG 1018 is manufactured using a highly automated, robust, scalable process capable of producing the large quantities required in a pandemic.

07:41 EDT Biogen, Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Partners HealthCare launch consortium - Biogen, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Partners HealthCare announced a consortium that will build and share a COVID-19 biobank. The biobank will help scientists study a large collection of de-identified biological and medical data to advance knowledge and search for potential vaccines and treatments. Biogen will help employees who wish to volunteer connect with the project. The volunteers are among the first people in Massachusetts to be diagnosed with and recover from COVID-19, as well as close contacts of those individuals, including people who were not tested or who may not have had symptoms. According to researchers, this unique, clustered group of patients with a common exposure will offer a valuable lens into why some people show signs of disease and others are asymptomatic. It may also shed light on why among those with symptoms, some have more severe symptoms than others. Researchers will also examine blood samples from recovered patients to evaluate the levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and other aspects of their immune profile, which may point the way toward short- and long-term therapeutic options. Biogen employees who contracted and have recovered from COVID-19, as well as people identified as close contacts of those individuals -- regardless of whether they were confirmed as having COVID-19 -- are eligible to participate. Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital are coordinating the outreach and sample collection effort. Data from blood samples will be generated at the Broad Institute, and de-identified. The biobank will then provide a unique, anonymous medical and biological data set that has the potential to shed light on the biology of the virus and illuminate pathways for potential vaccines, treatments, and other breakthroughs. The biobank will also store frozen samples, which may inform future research with appropriate patient consent. Biogen will have the same level of access to the biobank as researchers around the world, which means it will not have access to identifiable information, nor will the company know which employees and close contacts volunteered to participate. The collaboration began when several Biogen employees, still recovering from COVID-19, began to consider ways they could contribute their own medical information to research efforts underway at Biogen and beyond. Biogen leaders reached out to several partners in the hospital and biomedical community, including Deborah Hung, a core faculty member of the Broad Institute where she serves as the co-director of the Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, and a professor in the Departments of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School in the Divisions of Infectious Disease and Pulmonary and Critical Care and Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

07:38 EDT PAE expands work for DOJ criminal division with $400M IDIQ - PAE Incorporated has retained its December award for the U.S. Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training Worldwide Support Services indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity single award contract as the U.S. Government Accountability Office dismissed an award protest raised by the incumbent contractor earlier this month. PAE President and CEO John Heller said that with a period of performance of one base year and six one-year option periods, the contract represents significant long-term growth to PAE's revenue and backlog of work. The ICITAP/OPDAT contract, with a ceiling value of $400M, expands PAE's reach in support of the Justice Department within the agency's Criminal Division.

07:35 EDT Future FinTech regains Nasdaq minimum bid price listing requirement - Future FinTech has received a letter from NASDAQ notifying the company that it has regained compliance with NASDAQ's minimum bid price requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market as a result of the closing bid price of the company's common stock having been at $1.00 per share or greater for at least ten consecutive business days.

07:33 EDT Biohaven Pharma partners with Medison Pharma to distribute Nurtec in Israel - Biohaven Pharmaceutical and Medison Pharma entered an agreement to distribute Nurtec ODT in Israel. Nurtec ODT is the first and only calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist available in a orally disintegrating tablet approved for the acute treatment of migraine. The agreement between Biohaven and Medison includes Nurtec ODT, approved in the USA on February 27 for the acute treatment of migraine.

07:32 EDT Abbott reports Q1 Worldwide Medical Devices sales up 1.4% on reported basis - Worldwide Medical Devices sales increased 1.4% on a reported basis in the first quarter and increased 2.9% on an organic basis. Sales growth in both cardiovascular and neuromodulation businesses was negatively impacted by reduced procedure volumes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the critical nature of these products, the company anticipates strong demand when the availability of healthcare resources returns to normal levels.

07:25 EDT Morgan Stanley reports Q1 FICC sales & trading revenue $2.2B

07:23 EDT 8i Enterprises Acquisition Corp. says merger target Diginex launches Helios - 8i Enterprises Acquisition announced that Diginex, a digital asset financial services and advisory company with which JFK entered into a definitive share exchange agreement dated July 9, 2019, announced that Digivault, a secure digital asset custody provider and a Diginex group company, launched Helios, a warm custody solution. Helios delivers logical protection against key duplication and/or theft, hardware protection of networks and operates from multiple military-grade secure locations run by a recognised third-party provider.

07:21 EDT Morgan Stanley reports Q1 book value per share $49.09 - Reports Q1 CET1 capital ratio 15.3%.

07:20 EDT Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities revenue was $4.9B vs. $5.2B last year - Fixed Income sales and trading net revenues increased 29% from a year ago reflecting strong performance across rates, foreign exchange and commodities, on strong client engagement and volatility in the markets. Wealth Management reported net revenues for the current quarter of $4.0 billion compared with $4.4 billion from a year ago. Investment Management reported net revenues of $692 million compared with $804 million a year ago.

07:17 EDT Diamondback Energy announces revised time for Q1 conference call - Diamondback Energy announced that it has revised its first quarter 2020 conference call time. Diamondback will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the first quarter of 2020 on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. CT, one hour later than previously scheduled.

07:16 EDT Barrick Gold reports Q1 production 1.25M ounces of gold, 115M pounds of copper - Barrick Gold Corporation reported preliminary first quarter sales of 1.22 million ounces of gold and 110 million pounds of copper as well as preliminary first quarter production of 1.25 million ounces of gold and 115 million pounds of copper. President and Chief Executive Mark Bristow said these results positioned Barrick well to achieve its guidance for the year despite the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns. Bristow also said comprehensive programs to counter the spread of Covid-19 were in action at all of Barrick's operations and it had taken the necessary steps to manage the impact of the pandemic on its business. As announced earlier, the company has provided financial aid and support to its host countries to strengthen their campaigns against the virus. The average market price for gold in the first quarter was $1,583 per ounce, while the average market price for copper in the first quarter was $2.56 per pound. The company's first quarter realized copper price is expected to be 12-14% below the average first quarter market price for copper, primarily as a result of provisional pricing adjustments that reflect the downward trend in copper prices over the period. First quarter gold costs, including cost of sales per ounce, total cash costs per ounce5 and gold all-in sustaining costs per ounce, are expected to be similar to the fourth quarter of 2019. Preliminary first quarter copper production was in line with the fourth quarter of 2019, while preliminary first quarter copper sales improved from the previous quarter following the completion of a major refurbishment at a third-party smelter that processes a portion of Lumwana's concentrate. First quarter copper cost of sales per pound4 are expected to be 12-14% lower than the prior quarter. C1 cash costs per pound5 and copper all-in sustaining costs per pound5 are expected to be 17-19% and 27-29% lower, respectively, than the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to the increase in copper sales.

07:12 EDT Auris Medical sees 2020 total cash need CHF7.5M-CHF10M - The Company expects its total cash need in 2020 to be in the range of CHF 7.5M to 10.0M for expected total operating expenses of CHF 3.5M to 4.5M and expected capitalized research and development expenses of CHF 4M to 5.5M.

07:11 EDT Auris Medical expects top-line data from Phase 1b trial of AM-201 in May - The company said, "Positive interim results in Phase 1b trial. In October 2019 an interim analysis of the results from the first 50 participants in the trial showed good safety and tolerability of AM-201 up to a dose of 3 x 20 mg daily for four weeks. Further, it revealed relevant reductions in olanzapine-induced weight gain and daytime sleepiness. In female study participants, who overall showed more pronounced changes than male participants, a reduction in weight gain of 1.1 kg against placebo was observed at the highest tested dose.Progressing towards read-out from Phase 1b trial. Following the interim analysis, the trial proceeded to the next higher and final dose level of 30 mg, which was tested in an additional 30 healthy volunteers, bringing the total for the trial to 80 subjects. The Company expects to report top-line data in May 2020. The primary efficacy outcome for the study will be the reduction in weight gain and the secondary outcome will be the reduction in somnolence."

07:07 EDT Soligenix signs licensing agreement for novel Boston Scientific vaccine - Soligenix (SNGX) has executed an agreement for the exclusive worldwide license of CoVaccine HT, a novel vaccine adjuvant, from BTG Specialty Pharmaceuticals, a division of Boston Scientific (BSX), for the fields of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19 and pandemic flu. CoVaccine HT is a novel adjuvant, which has been shown to enhance both cell-mediated and antibody-mediated immunity. Soligenix and its collaborators have demonstrated the utility of CoVaccine HT in the development of its heat stable filovirus vaccine program, with vaccine candidates against Ebola and Marburg virus disease. Given this previous success, CoVaccine HT will potentially be an important component of Soligenix's vaccine technology platform currently being assessed for use against coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

07:05 EDT Lovesac reports Q4 comparable sales up 49.1%

07:04 EDT Provention Bio initiates rolling submission of BLA to FDA for teplizumab - Provention Bio announced the initiation of the rolling submission of the company's Biologic License Application to the U.S. FDA for teplizumab (PRV-031), an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody for the delay or prevention of clinical Type 1 Diabetes in at-risk individuals, as indicated by the presence of two or more T1D-related autoantibodies. Rolling submission allows for completed modules of the BLA to be submitted and reviewed by the FDA on an ongoing basis. Provention submitted the non-clinical module and expects to submit the clinical module in Q3 and the chemistry, manufacturing and controls module in Q4 of 2020. Once the final module of the BLA has been submitted, FDA will make a filing decision and set a PDUFA goal date.

07:02 EDT Regeneron: FDA accepts for priority review new BLA for REGN-EB3 - Regeneron announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted for Priority Review a new Biologics License Application for REGN-EB3, an investigational triple antibody cocktail treatment for Ebola virus infection. The target action date for the FDA decision is October 25.

07:00 EDT Teekay LNG increases quarterly cash distribution 32% to 25c per share - Teekay LNG has declared a cash distribution of 25c per common unit for the quarter ended March 31, representing a 32% increase over the previous quarter's distribution. This corresponds to $1.00 per common unit on an annualized basis. The cash distribution is payable on May 15 to all common unitholders of record on May 1.

06:56 EDT Yuma Energy trading halted, news pending

06:51 EDT Wabash draws down $45M under credit facility - As of March 31, the company's total liquidity was $277M with cash and cash equivalents of $155M and $122M of available borrowings under its existing revolving credit facility. As a result of uncertainty caused by COVID-19, the company drew $45M under its existing revolving credit facility in March. "Wabash National is well-positioned from a liquidity perspective as we have prepared for an eventual downturn in our industry over the last two years. We recently bolstered our cash balance by drawing on our revolving credit facility and we expect existing cash on hand to be more than adequate to cover cash needs over this extraordinary period of time," said CFO, Mike Pettit. "We have modeled numerous scenarios and we believe that even under the most extreme assumptions the company has sufficient liquidity to comfortably meet its cash obligations for at least the next 12 months."

06:48 EDT Sonoco CEO: COVID-19 to have 'significant negative impact' on Q2 results - Commenting on the Company's first-quarter performance, Howard Coker, President and CEO, said, "I could not be more proud of the heroic efforts our associates are making every day to meet the critical needs of our customers during a period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty. By focusing daily on controlling what is vitally important, including the health and safety of our people, the quality of our products, productivity improvements and cost management, Sonoco was able to report strong bottom-line results in the first quarter with GAAP earnings up 9.2 percent from last year and base earnings up 10.6 percent, exceeding the high-end of our base earnings guidance. Although we saw strong results in March across many of our businesses, which we believe was largely attributable to consumers spending more time at home as a result of COVID-19, the pandemic's impact has clearly started to weigh on certain of our served markets. We expect that weaker demand due to COVID-19 in certain parts of our business, along with unprecedented increases in recycled fiber costs, will have a significant negative impact on our second-quarter results. We have been responding aggressively to this global crisis by implementing new workplace controls to protect our people and by taking actions to improve our liquidity and reduce our operating costs."

06:36 EDT Co-Diagnostics COVID-19 test technology validated for use on saliva samples - Co-Diagnostics announced that OralDNA Labs, a CLIA-certified laboratory, has recently validated a COVID-19 PCR test based on the company's patented CoPrimer technology for use with saline oral rinse samples, and has notified the FDA of their intent to use the validated test in their CAP accredited high-complexity laboratory.

06:11 EDT BlackRock raises quarterly dividend 10% to $3.63 per share

06:08 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond sells One Kings Lane home decor unit - On its earnings conference call on Wednesday, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) said it sold its One Kings Lane home decor unit to a third-party for an undisclosed amount. The company also said it entered into an agreement to sell its PersonalizationMall.com business to 1-800-Flowers (FLWS) for $252M, adding that 1-800 was required to close the deal on March 30, but breached its obligation to do so. CEO Mark Tritton said Bed Bath & Beyond has taken action to require 1-800 to close the deal.

06:04 EDT Greenbrier idles railcar manufacturing at Gunderson facility in Oregon - Greenbrier has suspended new railcar production at its Greenbrier Gunderson flagship manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. Greenbrier's adjustments in production and staffing levels respond to current and anticipated levels of new freight railcar demand, along with its earlier announced plans to cut costs and strengthen its balance sheet globally. Greenbrier's Jones Act-compliant marine business will continue operating. Last week, Greenbrier Gunderson ended production on its double stack intermodal line. That manufacturing line has run nearly continuously for 25 years. The current action is required due to a surplus of intermodal units in the North American rail fleet and declining intermodal rail loadings, accelerated by the effects of COVID-19. Greenbrier Gunderson's current food-grade refrigerated and insulated boxcar line will close when current work-in-progress concludes in July. That line may restart after the current crisis subsides. Workforce reductions at Gunderson will affect approximately 200 employees, including production workers and office staff. All impacted employees are entitled to receive severance packages based on years of service, which are coordinated with various state and federal government benefits. Employees are eligible to receive enhanced government benefits, with Greenbrier-paid severance benefits bridging to government programs. Access to some public programs has been delayed due to challenges with registration and delivery of payments. Gunderson's severance policies are designed to provide immediate cash to affected workers until payments are available from the various government programs. Greenbrier is responding to the current economic downturn by increasing its liquidity and cash flow to benefit the entire enterprise, while keeping its workforce safe through rigorous health protocols in its offices and factories. In North America, manufacturing workforce reductions have occurred primarily in Mexico as well as employee reductions at selected international locations. During its current fiscal year, Greenbrier has reduced its global workforce by 3,700 people, more than 20% of its total employment, which exceeded 17,100 people at the beginning of its FY20. Greenbrier Gunderson's marine operations continue at full strength with nearly 500 full-time workers and a backlog that extends through calendar 2020. Greenbrier's worldwide operations constitute "Essential Infrastructure" and "Essential Businesses" as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. and international agencies, and as included in all "stay at home" orders issued in the jurisdictions where the company operates. Furman stated, "It is difficult to part with Greenbrier Gunderson workers who have served us for many years and persevered though this and other national emergencies. Going forward, we intend to identify opportunities to profitably build railcar products at Greenbrier Gunderson. Meanwhile, we plan to keep and deploy some of our most experienced team members to other locations in our network, where different kinds of railcars are built. Current conditions require us to simplify and streamline our organization to increase total liquidity from $620 million at the end of the fiscal second quarter to $1 billion by the end of fiscal 2020." Furman concluded, "The safe and efficient movement of goods is integral to economies around the world. Rail transportation is essential for supply chains in light of the COVID-19 crisis, providing smoother and safer border crossings and reducing the risk of viral transmission by human contact. Rail is more environmentally efficient than other modes of freight transportation. Its limited use of fossil fuels benefit society and the planet by producing about one-third of the hydrocarbons per ton-mile as compared to trucks, and consuming about one-third of the fuel per ton mile. It will play an important part in any economic recovery, both near-term and longer-term, when greater stability and predictability has resumed."

06:03 EDT BlackRock reports Q1 AUM $6.47T, down 1% y/y

05:52 EDT Novavax starts COVID-19 vaccine trial with Nucleus Network - As part of the urgent global race to develop a vaccine to tackle the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, Nucleus is due to commence Phase 1 testing for the Novavax SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein Nanoparticle vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, at its Melbourne and Brisbane clinics within the coming weeks. "Nucleus has a rich history of Phase 1 vaccine trials, and a long-standing track-record with Novavax," says Nucleus CEO Cameron Johnson. "This is the third confirmed global COVID19 vaccine trial and the first in Australia and we are well positioned to implement rapid testing with first-in-human trials over the coming weeks. The Phase 1 trial of NVX-CoV2373 is expected to begin in mid-May with preliminary immunogenicity and safety results in July. The scale and absolute commitment to the highest standards make Nucleus the ideal partner in the rapid development of the vaccine for COVID-19.

05:48 EDT Ballantyne Strong implements targeted furloughs, temporarily curtails service - In response to the rapid spread of the novel COVID-19 virus, Ballantyne Strong has temporarily curtailed its service and distribution activities in the United States and temporarily closed its screen manufacturing facility in Canada. Accordingly, the company is taking a number of actions to preserve liquidity during this period and to remain in a strong competitive position when the current crisis subsides. The company has implemented targeted furloughs and other actions to significantly reduce operating expenses and manage working capital. The company has received $3.2 million under the Payroll Protection Program, which is expected to be partially forgivable with any remaining balance after 6 months structured as an 18-month loan bearing an interest rate of 1.0%. To further strengthen liquidity, we have drawn $2.9 million CAD on our revolving line of credit in Canada, currently at a 2.45% variable interest rate. We expesct these financing activities, combined with aggressive expense reductions and working capital management, to increase company's current cash position to over $10 million. "As we face the challenges presented by COVID-19, we continue to assess the potential financial and operating impact to each of our business units," said Mark Roberson, CEO. "While business and revenue for the first two months of 2020 started off strong, continuing the favorable trends from the last half of 2019, our customers, particularly those in the entertainment and advertising industries, have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. We have taken decisive actions and believe those actions will ensure that Ballantyne Strong is well positioned from a liquidity standpoint for the next few months. We will be ready to react from a position of strength when our customers need our support to reopen their venues and as things return to normal."

05:42 EDT United expects to fly fewer people in May than on a single day in May 2019 - Oscar Munoz, CEO, and J. Scott Kirby, President, issued the following message to nearly 100,000 United Airlines employees: "We hope all is well with you and your family. Two weeks ago, we hosted a virtual townhall and it was a valuable opportunity for us to connect with you all. And we've been really pleased with the response, more than 50,000 of you tuned in live or watched the broadcast on demand. At the townhall, we discussed the impact of your calls and letters to Congress as they debated financial support for the airline industry. Washington heard you loud and clear, passing vital legislation that will provide commercial airlines with a total of $50 billion worth of grants and loans. We are grateful for the bipartisan cooperation displayed by leaders in the Congress and Administration -- and appreciative of the critical role that you played. The thousands of letters and messages you sent, capturing the spirit of our United family and what our service means to our customers and communities, made all the difference in the world. We will need that spirit more than ever as we set our sights on the rest of 2020 and beyond. The challenge that lies ahead for United is bigger than any we have faced in our proud 94-year history. We are committed to being as direct and as transparent as possible with you about the decisions that lay ahead and what impact they will have on our business and on you, the men and women of United Airlines. Let's start with the near-term. We now expect United to receive approximately $5 billion from the federal government through the Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act - to be used to protect the paychecks of our United employees. This government support does not cover our total payroll expense, but we're keeping our promise that there will be no involuntary furloughs or pay rate cuts for U.S. employees before September 30. And, payroll only represents about 30 percent of our total costs. Fixed operating and non-payroll costs like airport rent, supplies and infrastructure are significant and not going away. That's why we've been so aggressive in reducing our schedule, slashing capital expenditures, scaling back our work with vendors and consultants and cutting executive salaries in half. We're planning to go even further to reduce costs. This weekend, we'll load a revamped schedule that will further reduce our capacity to about 10 percent of what had been planned for May at the beginning of this year. We expect to announce similar reductions to the June schedule in the next few weeks. We have now essentially redesigned our network to be down 90 percent while complying with the CARES Act and maintaining connectivity among nearly all our domestic destinations. And these May and June schedule reductions will have direct consequences for our frontline employees in terms of total hours worked. Those work groups can expect to hear more details from their leaders soon. The more flexibility we have from a payroll perspective, the better. So, all work groups can expect to see a continued emphasis on payroll cost cutting options over the next few weeks including new voluntary leave offerings and voluntary separation programs. For those who are eligible, please consider signing up for voluntary COLA and ANP days. We're grateful to the more than 20,000 employees who have already signed up. Your sacrifice is both deeply appreciated and important to our company's future. These schedule changes reflect the stark reality of our situation - and unfortunately, it's something that even legislation as large as the CARES Act can't fix. Travel demand is essentially zero and shows no sign of improving in the near-term. To help you understand how few people are flying in this environment, less than 200,000 people flew with us during the first two weeks of April this year, compared to more than 6 million during the same time in 2019, a 97 percent drop. And we expect to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than we did on a single day in May 2019. The historically severe economic impact of this crisis means even when travel demand starts to inch back, it likely will not bounce back quickly. We believe that the health concerns about COVID-19 are likely to linger which means even when social distancing measures are relaxed, and businesses and schools start to reopen, life won't necessarily return to normal. For example, not all states and cities are expected to re-open at the same time. Some international travel restrictions will remain in place. Meeting planners and tour operators will do their best to accommodate people looking to avoid large crowds. So, while we have not yet finalized changes to our schedule for July and August, we expect demand to remain suppressed for the remainder of 2020 and likely into next year. So, let us end where we began, the government funding we expect to receive soon is helpful in the near-term because we can protect our employees in the U.S. from involuntary furloughs and pay rate cuts through the end of September. But the challenging economic outlook means we have some tough decisions ahead as we plan for our airline, and our overall workforce, to be smaller than it is today, starting as early as October 1. Throughout this crisis, we have been candid and upfront with you. And today is no different. We appreciate the partnership and open dialogue we have with all of you as we confront this extraordinary situation that has had an unprecedented impact on our families and our company. We promise to continue to stay in close touch - and will continue to be as transparent as possible - in the weeks and months ahead."