Stockwinners Market Radar for April 24, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:26 EDT Nordic American Tankers CEO: This is the strongest market I've ever seen - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Herbjorn Hansson said the company is making "tons of money" and improving its balance sheet. According to Hansson, NAT does not have much debt and plans to be debt-free in the near future. He said he places a "high priority" on the the dividend.

17:58 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings rise to 1,048.31MT from 1,042.46MT - This is the highest level of holdings since May of 2013.

17:30 EDT Raytheon Technologies awarded $117.54M Air Force contract modification - Raytheon has been awarded a $117.54M modification to a contract to exercise the production option contract line item numbers 0005, 0006, 0009, 0050AC and 0050AF for a global aircrew strategic network terminal. This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract from $542.64M to $660.18M. Work will be performed in Largo, Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 24, 2022. FY20 other procurement funds in the amount of $117.54M are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Material Command is the contracting activity.

17:23 EDT Sysco awarded a maximum $120.93M Defense Logistics Agency contract - Sysco has been awarded a maximum $120.93M fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a two-year base contract with two 18-month option periods. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an April 19, 2022, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is FY20 through FY22 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support.

17:19 EDT John Legere resigns from T-Mobile board of directors - According to a regulatory filing, on April 24, 2020, John Legere notified T-Mobile US, Inc. that he was resigning from the Board of Directors of the company, effective immediately, to pursue other options. Legere noted that he was not resigning because of any disagreement with management or the Board on any matter. Previously, on April 1, 2020, upon his departure as CEO of the company, Legere had stated that intended to continue as a member of the Board for the remainder of his current term, which ends on June 4, 2020. In his notice to the company, Legere stated "It has been a privilege and honor to have led T-Mobile as CEO for the past seven and a half years and served on the Board of Directors. And although I will be leaving the Board just a few weeks earlier than planned, be assured that I remain T-Mobile's #1 fan!"

16:48 EDT Cal-Maine Foods 'strongly denies' price-gouging allegations - Cal-Maine Foods issued the following response to a state of Texas lawsuit alleging that the company has engaged in price-gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic: "Cal-Maine Foods strongly denies these allegations and will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit. Cal-Maine has not exploited this tragic national pandemic for gain. Cal-Maine Foods is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions. The company's 3,490+ employees have worked hard during this crisis to meet increased consumer demand. In doing so, Cal-Maine Foods has not changed its longstanding approach to pricing. Any allegation to the contrary is simply not true. There has always been great volatility in the egg pricing market. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive disruption in every sector of the economy, including the egg industry. Retail demand for eggs reached historically high levels and egg prices increased significantly in line with those demand trends. However, egg prices have since declined quickly to pre-COVID-19 levels. The domestic egg market is intensely competitive and highly volatile even under normal market circumstances. For decades, like other egg producers, Cal-Maine Foods has priced egg sales based on a model utilizing independent, third-party market quotes published by Urner Barry, the leading provider of protein market news and information for the food industry. This market pricing methodology can be viewed at https://www.urnerbarry.com/Methodology/UB_Methodology_EGG_20191003.pdf. Since the mid-1800s, Urner Barry has been the standard medium through which buyers and sellers gauge fair market value across the supply chain. Importantly, the Urner Barry-based pricing model is mutually agreed to by our customers. Cal-Maine Foods has always been consistent in our pricing practices, whether we sell at a profit or a loss. Cal-Maine Foods has hewed to those practices and its longstanding customer agreements throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Egg prices can fluctuate on a weekly and even daily basis and are also subject to seasonal changes in demand. This is why egg buyers and sellers often refer to an industry benchmark service, such as Urner Barry, when negotiating pricing formulas. Much like other basic agricultural, oil and energy industries, the egg industry is subject to the balance of supply and demand and other natural market forces. The recent increase in the price of eggs is directly related to unprecedented retail demand, which also occurred during the peak Easter season when demand for eggs is typically high, not the result of price-gouging nor any other improper conduct by Cal-Maine Foods. The company does not sell eggs directly to consumers or set retail egg prices. Cal-Maine Foods is proud to have a large market presence in the State of Texas, with 12 production facilities and over 1,300 employees. We have enjoyed strong relationships in the Texas communities where we operate. We have made significant local investments in these communities and have created job opportunities for Texas citizens. We also have many loyal customers in Texas who look to Cal-Maine Foods as a trusted supplier of eggs. We are extremely grateful for these customers, and the favorable reputation we have earned in our Texas markets. Since 1958, Cal-Maine Foods has operated with honesty and integrity, and we will continue to follow these same guiding principles wherever we operate and deliver value to our customers and shareholders. We intend to defend our good name and prove that these allegations are without merit."

16:35 EDT Iberiabank receives shareholder approval for First Horizon merger - Iberiabank (IBKC) received shareholder approval for the merger of equals between Iberiabank and First Horizon (FHN). At a special meeting of shareholders, 95.67% of the shares voted were cast in favor of the all-stock merger of equals with First Horizon. The merger is expected to be completed in the Q2, pending receipt of the remaining regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

16:31 EDT Oceaneering to delay filing 10-Q - The company states: "Oceaneering International will be relying on the SEC Order to delay the filing of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, COVID-19 and related precautionary responses have caused limited access to our facilities and disrupted our normal interactions among our accounting personnel and other staff involved in the completion of our quarterly review and preparation of the Quarterly Report. These restrictions have slowed the completion of our internal quarterly review, including evaluating the various impacts of COVID-19 on our financial statements, and to prepare and complete in a timely manner the Quarterly Report. Although we can provide no assurance, Oceaneering plans to file the Quarterly Report on May 15, 2020, but, in any event, no later than June 25, 2020, which is 45 days from the Quarterly Report's original filing deadline of May 11, 2020. If the Quarterly Report is filed by June 25, 2020, it will be deemed timely filed by the SEC."

16:24 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded LCS Planning Yard contract worth up to $107.9M - Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a contract modification to exercise the first option year of the existing Littoral Combat Ships Planning Yard contract. This option has a potential total value of up to $107.9M for planning yard services in support of in-service LCS class ships. "Our outstanding and experienced Shipyard Planning Yard team is poised to continue the excellent and efficient execution of this important work for our Navy customer," Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said.

16:18 EDT General Cannabis agrees to suspend LOI regarding Halsa Holdings acquisition - General Cannabis announced that it has mutually agreed with Halsa Holdings to suspend their LOI regarding the acquisition of Halsa Holdings by General Cannabis. General Cannabis is focusing on its Colorado-based strategy, centered on completing previously announced acquisitions of SevenFive Farm and Cannasseur, two Colorado-based operations. General Cannabis continues to work with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division on the regulatory approval process required to complete the SevenFive and Cannasseur acquisitions.

16:11 EDT Pyxis Tankers discloses Nasdaq listing deficiency notice - Pyxis Tankers announced that it received a deficiency notice from The NASDAQ Stock Market on April 21, 2020 stating that, for a period of 30 consecutive business days, the company's common shares closed below the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share as required for continued listing on Nasdaq. The notice explained that due to the extraordinary market conditions caused by COVID-19, Nasdaq is providing temporary relief and tolling the compliance period until June 30, 2020. The company has until December 28, 2020 to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. The company is currently reviewing options to meet the requirements for continued listing on Nasdaq.

16:06 EDT Bioanalytical Systems announces borrowing under PPP - Bioanalytical Systems announced the closing and receipt of funds from the SBA Paycheck Protection Program. During the COVID-19 crisis, the company is continuing operations. As a company within the "essential critical infrastructure" industry, the company believes it has a special responsibility to maintain business continuity and a normal work schedule to the greatest extent practicable. The PPP loan amount totaled $5,051,281. The funds will be used strictly for payroll for the next 8 weeks, in addition to utility, rent and interest expenses, as allowed under the PPP. In conjunction with this loan, First Internet Bank approved the borrowing in accordance with the company's loan documents.

16:03 EDT Kimco Realty closes on incremental $215M under accordion feature of prior loan - Kimco Realty announced that it has closed on an incremental $215 million under the accordion feature of its previously announced $375 million unsecured term loan facility, bringing total borrowings under the facility to $590 million. In addition, the company has the ability to increase this amount by an additional $535 million, to more than $1.1 billion under the accordion feature, subject to further syndication. The term loan is scheduled to mature April 2021, extendable at Kimco's option for one year until April 2022.

15:26 EDT Icahn says can't 'really discuss' Occidental Petroleum because of 3 on board - "We are now on the board, we're working together...and I think eventually shareholders will be rewarded there," Icahn said when asked about Occidental Petroleum. Hertz (HTZ) is "different than Occidental. I own a lot of Hertz, I own a lot of Occidental," Icahn said. Asked if Hertz can survive without a restructuring, Icahn answered "because we're on the board I really can't get into that."

15:20 EDT Trump calls Postal Service 'a joke' over rates given to Amazon - President Trump said today from the oval office, "The Postal Service is a joke. Because they're handing out packages for Amazon and other internet companies and every time they send a package, they lose money on it. The Post Office should raise the price of a package by approximately four times."

15:13 EDT CVI Investments reports 8.6% passive stake in MoSys - CVI Investments disclosed an 8.6% stake in MoSys, which represents 304,500 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

15:01 EDT Facebook discloses more about Messenger Rooms, including privacy details - As reported previously, Facebook (FB) announced new video-calling features including Messenger Rooms, which allows users to host video calls of up to 50 people for free. In a post regarding the new offering, Erin Egan, the company's Chief Privacy Officer, stated: "We built Rooms with privacy in mind and designed controls to let you manage your experience. You can start a room from Messenger or Facebook, and soon you'll be able to create and join rooms from Instagram Direct, WhatsApp and Portal too...Regardless of whether you use Rooms through your Facebook account or join as a guest, we don't watch or listen to your audio or video calls...Across our services, we work with outside vendors that help us do things like reviewing and addressing issues reported by users and we may share information with these partners, like the name of a room and who's in it, in order to do this work. We require these partners to adhere to strict data confidentiality and security obligations. We also worked with our security team to make Rooms links difficult for hackers to guess...Rooms is built on Messenger, so it uses the same technology to encrypt a video and audio conversation between people as it travels from their devices to our servers that we have placed in only a handful of countries that have strong rule of law. Rooms is not end-to-end encrypted. While there are significant challenges to providing end-to-end encryption for video calling with large groups of people, we're actively working toward this for Messenger and Rooms." Zoom Video (ZM), which has seen an explosion in growth during the COVID crisis and has been criticized for some of its security issues, has seen its shares drop 4% in late day trading to $162.41. Reference Link

14:43 EDT CONSOL Coal Resources LP trading resumes

14:26 EDT Consol Coal announces temporary distribution suspension - The board of directors of Consol Coal Resources GP, the general partner of Consol Coal Resources LP, announced a temporary suspension of quarterly cash distributions to all unitholders due to the ongoing uncertainty in the commodity markets driven by COVID-19 pandemic-related demand decline. "We are living in very uncertain times and the depth and breadth of demand decline is very unpredictable at this moment. Accordingly, we feel it is prudent to conserve cash, boost liquidity and reduce our outstanding debt. The management team has undertaken several actions at operational and corporate levels over the last few months as we seek to manage our balance sheet and liquidity. As we gain better visibility on customer demand during the next quarter, the Board of Directors will determine an appropriate level for cash distributions," said Jimmy Brock, CEO of Consol Coal Resources GP.

14:16 EDT U.S. Oil Fund may invest 40% of portfolio in July crude oil futures contracts - As previously reported, United States Oil Fund announced that USO intended to invest in other permitted investments, beyond the benchmark futures contract, as disclosed in Forms 8-K filed on April 17, April 21, 2020 and April 22. "As of April 24, 2020, and for the reasons discussed below, USO may invest approximately 20% of its portfolio in crude oil futures contracts on the NYMEX and ICE Futures in the June futures contract, approximately 40% of its portfolio in crude oil futures contracts on the NYMEX and ICE Futures in the July contract, approximately 20% of its portfolio in crude oil futures contracts on the NYMEX and ICE Futures in the August contract, and approximately 20% of its portfolio in crude oil futures contracts on the NYMEX and ICE Futures in the September contract," USO stated in a newly issued update shares in a regulatory filing. USO's portfolio holdings as of the end of the prior business day are posted each day on its website, the fund noted. Reference Link

14:08 EDT Hormel's Jennie-O announces precautionary facilities closures - Jennie-O Turkey Store announced, "out of an abundance of caution," that it will temporarily pause operations at its Willmar Avenue and its Benson Avenue facilities, both located in Willmar, Minn. "Based on information about the community spread of COVID-19 in the area, the company decided it was the right decision to pause operations to undergo a facility-wide cleaning that will enhance already robust safety and sanitization protocols. Under its pay program, all Jennie-O Turkey Store employees will continue to receive 100 percent of their base pay and benefits during the pause in production," the company said. Operations will wind down throughout the weekend. As of Thursday, 14 employees out of more than 1,200 had tested positive for COVID-19. The company has encouraged its staff to get tested, now that additional tests are available. Health experts have told the company that as testing increases so will positive results. The company has strategic operation protocols and plans to ensure business continuity, including the use of its other facilities to continue to serve its customers during this time. Jennie-O Turkey Store is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation.

13:41 EDT Trump says government can help airlines by buying years' worth of tickets - President Trump said from the oval office, "One of the ways we can help the airlines is buying tickets at a very large discount, maybe 50% off or maybe more, and you buy into four or five years' worth of tickets, and you infuse them with some cash. And in the meantime, we're flying the people of our country for a fraction of the cost it would be when the airlines get back." Publicly traded companies in the airline space include Alaska Air (ALK), American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV), Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and United Airlines (UAL).

13:19 EDT AWS announces general availability of Amazon Augmented Artificial Intelligence - Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com company, announced the general availability of Amazon Augmented Artificial Intelligence, or A2I, which it calls "a fully managed service that makes it easy to add human review to machine learning predictions to improve model and application accuracy by continuously identifying and improving low confidence predictions." Amazon added that A2I "helps developers add human review for model predictions to new or existing applications using reviewers from Mechanical Turk, third party vendors, or their own employees." Amazon A2I is available today in US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), Canada (Central), EU West (London), EU West (Ireland), EU (Frankfurt), Asia Pacific (Singapore), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), Asia Pacific (Sydney), Asia Pacific (Seoul), and Asia Pacific (Mumbai).

13:05 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 64 to 465 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 64 rigs from last week to 465, with oil rigs down 60 to 378, gas rigs down 4 to 85, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. The U.S. Rig Count is down 526 rigs from last year's count of 991, with oil rigs down 427, gas rigs down 101, and miscellaneous rigs up 2 to 2. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 17 and down 4 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 4 rigs from last week to 26, with oil rigs up 1 to 8 and gas rigs down 5 to 18. The Canada Rig Count is down 37 rigs from last year's count of 63, with oil rigs down 11 and gas rigs down 26.

12:59 EDT Revolution Lighting announces proposed settlement and settlement hearing - Revolution Lighting Technologies announced that a settlement hearing will be held on August 11, 2020 at 11:30 a.m., before the Honorable J. Paul Oetken, at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City in the matter of In Re Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. Derivative Action, Case No. 1:19-cv-03913. The parties have reached an agreement in principle to settle this matter. On April 10, 2020, Judge Oetken granted preliminary approval for the Proposed Settlement and scheduled the Settlement Hearing for August 11, 2020, which is being held to determine: (i) whether the terms of the Proposed Settlement are fair, reasonable, and adequate, and in the best interests of the company; (ii) whether the Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Stockholder Derivative Actions fully satisfies the requirements of Rule 23.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and due process; (iii) whether the Final Order and Judgement should be entered dismissing the derivative actions with prejudice, releasing the company and individual defendants from certain claims as set forth in the Proposed Settlement; (iv) whether the amount of attorneys' fees and expenses to be awarded to the Plaintiffs' counsel is fair and reasonable; and (v) any other matters that come before the court.

11:56 EDT Bassett Furniture to resume production at manufacturing locations next week - Bassett Furniture Industries announced that it will resume production at its manufacturing locations next week following the temporary closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company is resuming production at a limited capacity to work through its existing backlog and to be in a position to service expected demand as the economy begins to reopen for business. The Company also announced the reopening of 20 of the 66 company-owned Bassett Home Furnishings stores this weekend. Retail distribution centers have been reopened and are making home deliveries. Additional stores are expected to reopen in the coming weeks when permitted based on applicable state and local guidelines.

11:38 EDT NY Governor Cuomo reports 422 virus deaths vs. 438 deaths the day before - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reports 422 virus deaths yesterday vs. 438 deaths the day before. Governor Cuomo added that 398 deaths occurred in hospitals and 24 in nursing homes. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is delivering his daily COVID-19 briefing. Reference Link

10:53 EDT Trump calls Randall Stephenson leaving AT&T 'Great News!' - President Trump just tweeted, "Great News! Randall Stephenson, the CEO of heavily indebted AT&T, which owns and presides over Fake News @CNN, is leaving, or was forced out. Anyone who lets a garbage "network" do and say the things that CNN does, should leave ASAP. Hopefully replacement will be much better!"

10:30 EDT Freeport McMoRan expects to double EBITDA by 2021 - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:26 EDT Stephenson to retire as AT&T CEO, Stankey elected as replacement - AT&T announced that after serving 13 years as AT&T's Chairman and CEO, Randall Stephenson will retire as CEO but will serve as Executive Chairman of the board of directors until January 2021 to ensure a smooth leadership transition. The AT&T board has elected AT&T President and Chief Operating Officer John Stankey as CEO, effective July 1, and a member of the board, effective June 1. "Stankey's selection as AT&T's next CEO completes the final phase of a succession planning process that AT&T's Board began in 2017, which included a thorough evaluation of internal and external candidates. Most recently, the HR Committee -- led by AT&T Director Beth Mooney, comprised entirely of independent directors and supported by outside consultants -- engaged in an extensive five-month search process to ensure that the company's next CEO possessed the vision, experience, talent and leadership qualities necessary to deliver on AT&T's strategic plans. Those qualities in our new CEO are important for our future and essential during these challenging economic times," the company said.

10:13 EDT Peloton shares up 7% in early trading as Bloomberg reports on member growth

10:00 EDT Forestar Group falls -10.3% - Forestar Group is down -10.3%, or -$1.26 to $11.02.

10:00 EDT Oceaneering rises 16.9% - Oceaneering is up 16.9%, or 71c to $4.91.

10:00 EDT Chesapeake rises 27.9% - Chesapeake is up 27.9%, or $7.68 to $35.17.

09:53 EDT FDA cautious against use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 outside of trial - The FDA is cautioning against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems. In a statement, the FDA said it is ware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with azithromycin and other QT prolonging medicines. "We are also aware of increased use of these medicines through outpatient prescriptions. Therefore, we would like to remind health care professionals and patients of the known risks associated with both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. FDA will continue to investigate risks associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for COVID-19 and communicate publicly when we have more information." The Fly notes that Sanofi makes Plaquenil, the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine. Reference Link

09:47 EDT Gol Linhas falls -9.2% - Gol Linhas is down -9.2%, or -40c to $3.95.

09:47 EDT Calix rises 27.1% - Calix is up 27.1%, or $2.07 to $9.72.

09:47 EDT Chesapeake rises 29.4% - Chesapeake is up 29.4%, or $8.08 to $35.57.

09:45 EDT Verizon says most of EPS impact will be in Q2 - Says cost controls "very much on our mindset." Says by mid-April, 800,000 customers sought payment waivers.

09:36 EDT Chesapeake trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:30 EDT BioSig's ViralClear submits IND application for Phase II trials of merimepodib - BioSig Technologies announced that its subsidiary ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. submitted an Investigational New Drug Application to the Food and Drug Administration for its Phase II clinical trial with Merimepodib as a treatment for COVID-19. The study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Merimepodib in patients with COVID-19. The placebo-controlled Phase II clinical trial calls for 20 planned patients from three Mayo Clinic sites: Rochester, MN; Scottsdale, AZ; and Jacksonville, FL. Data from the Phase II trial is expected within three months of the commencement of the trial. Upon approval from the FDA to commence, 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.

09:29 EDT Janssen submits FDA applications for two juvenile indications for Simponi Aria - The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced the submission of two supplemental Biologics License Applications, or sBLAs, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval of Simponi Aria for the treatment of polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or pJIA, and juvenile psoriatic arthritis, or jPsA, in patients two years of age and older in combination with methotrexate. If approved for these indications, Simponi Aria would be the first anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha biologic agent administered by intravenous infusion available for the treatment of these juvenile arthritides, the company said.

09:22 EDT Cerner provides access to de-identified patient data for COVID-19 research - Cerner Corporation is now offering select U.S. health systems and academic research centers complimentary access to critical de-identified COVID-19 patient data to help fight the pandemic. This offering will provide eligible health care researchers free access to Cerner's COVID-19 data set to support epidemiological studies, clinical trials and medical treatments related to COVID-19, in line with applicable laws and guidelines. The de-identified patient data secured and stored on Cerner HealtheDataLab, powered by Amazon Web Services, will include COVID-19-related demographics to help track spread and surge, underlying illnesses and chronic conditions, treatments, lab results and clinical complications and outcomes that could help drive important medical decisions. A committee including Cerner associates and industry advisors will review the applications and identify recipients that will benefit from the complimentary offering. Cerner and AWS' collaboration continues to focus on making health care better for patients and providers. Last year, Cerner worked to reduce re-admissions to hospitals leveraging de-identified data to help make early determinations of the cause of return hospitalizations using AWS services.

09:20 EDT BJ's Restaurants reports $70M cash on balance sheet - The Company currently has $70M of cash on its balance sheet, reflecting its previously announced draw on its revolving credit facility. CEO Greg Trojan added, "Our management team is taking all necessary and appropriate steps to control costs, maximize liquidity, and evaluate additional sources of capital out of an abundance of caution, including filing an S-3ASR to sell additional shares of common stock or other securities as the Company deems appropriate." Despite the current short term challenges we face due to mandated dining room closures, our teams are preparing to begin reopening restaurants once state and local officials allow us," commented Trojan. "We are working intently to develop social distancing and other protocols to ensure that we deliver a safe experience for both our team members and our guests. We believe our large restaurants and flexible seating layout will provide us a strong advantage to take care of our guests' needs and grow sales as we transition back to dine-in and off-premise operations. The entire leadership team at BJ's extends its gratitude to our restaurant and operating teams for their unique ability to deliver BJ's gold standard level of guest service in rapidly changing times and we also thank our loyal guests for their support and their trust in BJ's."

09:14 EDT Tennant says cash position remains 'strong' - Tennant's cash position and balance sheet remain strong. As a precaution, the company drew an additional $125M from its $200M revolver during Q1 and has approximately $30M of remaining undrawn funds. As of March 31, the company had $192M in cash and cash equivalents.

09:12 EDT Voce Capital comments on On Deck Capital proxy presentation - Voce Capital, the beneficial owner of more than 1.3M shares of OnDeck Capital, issued a statement in response to the filing of OnDeck's "Proxy Investor Presentation" on April 22: "Any OnDeck stockholder clinging to hope that some combination of investor pressure and the unmistakable market signals of total failure (such as its penny-stock status and loss of more than 90% of its value) might have humbled the Company's Board or curbed management's strategic appetite now knows otherwise. The publication of OnDeck's Proxy Presentation declares loudly and proudly that it intends to make no changes whatsoever to its discredited diversification strategies nor to reduce its swollen headcount. Rather, OnDeck plans to simply double down on the status quo - and has unapologetically stated so. Stockholders have no reason to place further trust in OnDeck's leadership. For starters, it has presided over an unimaginable destruction of stockholder value, losing 80% since its December 2014 IPO through 12/31/2019. Its continued underperformance relative to peers in 2020, both prior to and inclusive of the virus panic, has brought those stockholder losses to 93% - in just over five years. Despite this, management and the Board have dug in their heels and insisted they're unwilling to make any meaningful changes whatsoever... The question of de-staggering the Board has become largely moot at this point. The original intention was to afford OnDeck's Board - members of which repeatedly assured us our concerns had been heard and that stockholders' best interests were adequately represented in the Boardroom - time to implement changes, which we've now learned were just false promises, as no substantive reform will occur. The governance improvements we sought could have been easily put to a vote this year with little additional cost and no need for delay of the meeting, which was still a month away at the time we proposed them. The Company's chronology also omitted that the Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee rejected our proposal on April 6, citing concern about the "optics" of appearing to have acceded to stockholder pressure to take action, and listing the perceived negative stigma attached to that as one of the reasons not to pursue our proposal. The de-stagger alternative OnDeck has said it may offer stockholders in 2021, unlike the immediate one we had requested, wouldn't take effect until 2022 and would not result in the full Board standing for reelection until 2024. In the meantime, the three Directors up this year - each of whom is a pre-IPO member and bears direct responsibility for OnDeck's strategic, operational and governance failures - would be protected for another three years until their new terms expire in 2023. Why should stockholders wait any longer at all, whether that's another one or three or four years? OnDeck has just announced that it's satisfied with its performance and intends to make no changes to its strategy, headcount or governance. Stockholders who are similarly content, and trust management and the Board to look out for them, need take no action. But dissatisfied stockholders have an alternative: Send an emphatic message that change is urgently required by voting against the three Directors standing for reelection. Remember, Directors who don't receive a majority of the votes cast must tender their resignations... "

09:11 EDT Tennant announces resignation of CFO Keith Woodward - Keith Woodward, the company's senior vice president and CFO, has elected to resign to pursue new opportunities and will work with Tennant to ensure a planful transition through July 31. Andy Cebulla, Tennant's vice president of finance and corporate controller, will continue to act in an interim capacity until a permanent CFO is named.

09:09 EDT Community West Bancshares closely monitoring credit metrics - On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom of California issued a state-wide Shelter-in-Place order for all of its residents, resulting in the closing of non-essential businesses or a substantial reduction in business activity. Essential purpose entities such as food and agriculture businesses, medical professionals, transportation, and banks were exempted from the closures; unemployment rates are increasing in our local markets. The sectors that have been most heavily impacted include hospitality, restaurants, shops, salons and other business that are shut down by state and local order. The Company's management team has evaluated its exposure to loans related to this pandemic and at March 31, 2020, the Bank's exposure as a percent of the total loan portfolio to these industries was approximately 12%. The Company is actively monitoring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our loan and deposit customers. We are focused on assessing the risks in our loan portfolio and working with our customers to minimize losses. We have implemented loan programs to allow our clients who were directly impacted by the pandemic to defer loan payments for up to 180 days. As of March 31, 2020, loan customer requests to defer payments on loans totaling approximately $76 million were received. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act providing economic relief for the country, including the $349 billion Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program to fund short-term loans for small businesses. As a preferred SBA lender, we have been actively taking loan applications under the PPP for our business clients. We will continue to respond with client-focused employees and assist our customers with their financial needs during this difficult time. The Company began taking loan applications from its eligible business clients immediately after the program was up and running. To date, the Company has received client applications of approximately $62 million, and is working diligently with the SBA to qualify clients to receive PPP loans, and as of April 17, 2020 had $44 million in approved SBA PPP loans. Management is closely monitoring credit metrics and performing stress testing on the Bank's loan portfolio. In addition, resources have been reallocated to credit administration to closely analyze higher risk segments within our portfolio, monitor and track loan payment deferrals and customer liquidity, and provide timely reporting to the board of directors and management. The management team continues to analyze economic conditions in the markets we serve. Based on the Company's capital levels, current economic climate, and underwriting policies management expects to be able to manage the economic risks and uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and remain adequately capitalized. In an effort to be conservative, the Company drew down $10 million on its line of credit that can be down streamed to the Bank as additional capital if needed in the future.

09:07 EDT HCA Healthcare joins national COVID-19 convalescent plasma study - HCA Healthcare announced 172 of its affiliated hospitals are participating in a national study to test whether plasma from convalescent, or recovered, COVID-19 patients may help in the treatment of individuals currently sick from the virus. As part of the effort, these hospitals are seeking qualified plasma donors in 20 states. There has been a history of viral infection treatment using convalescent plasma, but additional clinical data, and more plasma donations, are needed to determine efficacy in treating COVID-19. As part of this study, HCA Healthcare is leveraging its clinical research capabilities as well as its national hospital network to expand collection and testing.

09:05 EDT Borqs Technologies to ship kids smartwatch in North America - Borqs Technologies announced that it has won a sizable contract to supply a kids smartwatch to a large North American mobile operator. The kids smartwatch is based on the Qualcomm platform. It supports the latest mobile technology, Wifi, Bluetooth connectivity, and is water resistant. It has a built-in microphone and speaker to support voice and text messaging, and other comprehensive features. Together with the tracking solution, parents can perform real-time location tracking, geofencing and history review of their child's whereabouts on their Android phone or iPhone companion app. The Company forecasts to ship several hundreds of thousands units of the kids smartwatch worldwide over the next 2 to 3 years.

09:03 EDT Summit Wireless regains compliance with Nasdaq - Summit Wireless announced that it has received written notification from Nasdaq that the company has regained compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement of at least $1.00 per share under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550 for continued listing on Nasdaq. Accordingly, the company's common stock will continue to be listed on Nasdaq and Nasdaq considers the matter closed.

09:01 EDT Norwegian Cruise Line extends suspension of voyages - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced an extension of its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages to include voyages embarking between May 11 and June 30, 2020 for its three cruise brands. The voyage suspension contributes to global efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Company will continue to work in tandem with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government and global public health authorities to take all necessary precautions to ensure the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the communities visited. Guests who are currently booked on voyages with embarkation dates between May 11 and June 30, 2020 on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises are asked to contact their travel agent or the cruise line for more information.

08:44 EDT Verizon says roughly 30% of stores open - Says network "keeping up very well" with increased usage. Says 5G build out "on plan." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:40 EDT ThermoGenesis-ImmuneCyte JV's COVID-19 therapies featured in news - ThermoGenesis was featured on multiple new outlets, including a FOX40 news segment, regarding the ThermoGenesis and ImmuneCyte joint venture and its research collaborator's efforts toward developing a systemic antibody approaches against COVID-19, ranging from convalescent plasma therapy and polyclonal antibody, to high-affinity monoclonal antibody drug candidates. Using the IgM/IgG antibody detection technology currently marketed by the company, along with its own proprietary multi-component automated cell separating system, ThermoGenesis is working towards developing strategies to identify and isolate polyclonal antibodies from the blood of individuals who have recovered from the disease using convalescent whole blood or plasma, which could then be used as a potential therapeutic treatment for patients with of COVID-19. The company's joint venture partner, ImmuneCyte, has acquired from its collaborators worldwide intellectual property of four monoclonal antibody drug candidates against COVID-19 virus. These high-affinity neutralizing monoclonal antibodies were also identified from convalescent whole blood from individuals who have recently recovered from COVID-19.

08:35 EDT Twin River Worldwide to acquire three casinos from Eldorado Resorts, Caesars - Twin River Worldwide (TRWH) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Eldorado Resorts (ERI) to acquire Eldorado Shreveport Resort and Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana and the Mont Bleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe, Nevada for an aggregate purchase price of $155M. Separately, the company has entered into an agreement with Caesars Entertainment(CZR) and Vici Properties (VICI) to acquire Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino for $25M in cash. The transactions are expected to be immediately accretive to earnings. The agreed upon purchase prices are subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Together, these acquisitions significantly expand Twin River's footprint into three additional U.S. states. The three properties combined contain 3,318 slots, 2,092 hotel rooms and 176 tables, in addition to 6,000 square feet of convention space at the Eldorado Shreveport Resort and Casino. Following the sale, Caesars will continue to operate Caesars Atlantic City, which will include the Wild Wild West casino area and The Book sports wagering facility, and Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. VICI Properties will continue to own the land and real estate associated with Caesars Atlantic City, including the Wild Wild West casino area. The Bally's Atlantic City transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Bally's Atlantic City will continue to be part of the Caesars Rewards network until closing.

08:34 EDT Ryman Hospitality rebooks approx. 110,000 group room nights through April 22 - Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP) provided the following update on the impact of COVID-19: Colin Reed, Chairman and CEO of the Company, said, "We continue to work closely with our hotel operator, Marriott (MAR), and with local and state health authorities to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, we do not anticipate resuming operations at the five hotels that comprise the Gaylord Hotels convention network prior to May 31, 2020. This decision remains subject to change as the situation evolves, and we will update investors as appropriate if state and local guidelines are modified and conditions for reopening materialize at an earlier date for one or more of our Gaylord Hotels. Our smaller hotels, the Inn at Opryland and the AC National Harbor, as well as the Gaylord Springs golf course, remain operational, and we currently have no plans to temporarily close these businesses. Over the years, the Gaylord Hotels brand has built strong relationships with its group customers. As the COVID-19 crisis began to unfold and government restrictions began to emerge, we made the strategic decision to avoid irreparably harming those relationships by aggressively pursuing the collection of cancellation fees. Instead, we are working cooperatively with our group customers to rebook their cancelled business. To manage the volume of rebooking opportunities created by this crisis, the majority of the Gaylord Hotels sales force was retained. We are encouraged by their success in the first five weeks of the rebooking effort. Through April 22, 2020, we have experienced total attrition and cancellations of approximately 861,000 net room nights, representing approximately $402M of total revenue. Through April 22, 2020, we have successfully rebooked approximately 110,000 group room nights, representing approximately $50M in total revenue. Of these rebooked room nights, approximately 40% are scheduled for arrival in the second half of 2020, and approximately 10% are scheduled for arrival during 2021. In addition to rebookings, meeting planners are continuing to plan and book new meetings for the second half of 2020 and beyond. Although first quarter 2020 gross advance bookings declined year over year by approximately 107,000 room nights to 289,000 total room nights, new gross advance bookings for the month of March were 126,000 room nights, with COVID-19 rebookings accounting for approximately 29,000 room nights in March and first quarter 2020. We are encouraged that meeting planners are contracting new business for future dates during this crisis. Additionally, after excluding approximately 500,000 room nights of COVID-19 rebooking leads, Gaylord Hotels still generated approximately 3.9 million room nights of leads for all future years, during March 2020. Our managed assets, as well as the Wildhorse Saloon and General Jackson, remain closed through at least the end of April. We are monitoring local and state health guidelines for each of the markets in which we operate and look forward to re-opening these venues as soon as is possible, given local market conditions."

08:32 EDT Caesars, VICI Properties sell Bally's Atlantic City to Twin River Worldwide - Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and VICI Properties (VICI) announced they have reached an agreement to sell the Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino to Twin River Worldwide Holdings (TRWH) for approximately $25M in cash. VICI will receive approximately $19M from the sale, while Caesars will receive approximately $6M. The annual base rent payments under the Non-CPLV Master Lease between Caesars and VICI remain unchanged. Following the sale, Caesars will continue to operate Caesars Atlantic City, which will include the Wild Wild West casino area and The Book sports wagering facility, and Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. VICI Properties will continue to own the land and real estate associated with Caesars Atlantic City, including the Wild Wild West casino area. The Bally's Atlantic City transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Bally's Atlantic City will continue to be part of the Caesars Rewards network until closing.

08:17 EDT Kemet announces completion of CFIUS review - KEMET Corporation announced that, in connection with the pending acquisition of KEMET by Yageo Corporation, on April 23, 2020, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States notified the parties that it completed review of the pending acquisition of KEMET by Yageo and determined that there are no unresolved national security concerns with respect to the transaction. KEMET also announced that, on April 15, 2020, the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission announced its approval of the acquisition of KEMET by Yageo. The parties continue to expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2020 with the goal of closing by the end of the third quarter of 2020, subject to additional customary closing conditions and the receipt of the remaining required regulatory approvals, which include approvals under the Anti-Monopoly Law of China and approval from the Investment Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan.

08:12 EDT Duluth Holdings to reconvene Annual Meeting of Shareholders to July 13 - Duluth Holdings announced the Company plans to reconvene its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to July 13, 2020 to reflect public health concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recent government actions, including the 'Safer at Home' order extended until May 26, 2020 in the state of Wisconsin, where the Company is domiciled. In accordance with the Company's bylaws and Wisconsin law, the Chairman of Duluth Trading intends to convene and immediately adjourn the Annual Meeting initially scheduled for May 21, 2020. There will be no further business conducted on May 21, 2020. The Chairman will then formally reconvene the Annual Meeting on July 13, 2020.

08:10 EDT Lumos Pharma appoints Aaron Shuchart as CBO - Lumos Pharma announced that Aaron Schuchart will be joining the company as chief business officer starting on May 6, 2020. In this role, Mr. Schuchart will coordinate with Lumos Pharma management and operational teams to identify and advance business development opportunities for the company as part of its strategy to expand its pipeline. Recently, as CBO of Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Schuchart led the Business Development, Commercial Planning, and Intellectual Property functions to build an integrated, late stage company based on a protein engineering platform with utility in rare disease and cancer.

08:08 EDT First Hawaiian suspends stock repurchase program - On April 22, 2020 the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share. The dividend will be payable on June 5, 2020 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 26, 2020. The Board of Directors also voted to suspend the stock repurchase program.

08:04 EDT EU commercial vehicle registrations down 47.3% in March, down 23.2% in Q1 - In March, demand for new commercial vehicles fell by 47.3% across the EU, as measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus lead to the closure of dealerships, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Each vehicle segment was strongly affected by the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak and all 27 EU markets recorded substantial declines last month. In the first quarter of 2020, the EU commercial vehicle market contracted by 23.2% to 413,327 units as a direct consequence of March's substantial slowdown, the group said. Publicly traded truck makers and suppliers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Paccar (PCAR), CNH Industrial (CNHI), Navistar (NAV), Cummins (CMI) and Allison Transmission (ALSN).

08:00 EDT Mesoblast jumps 146% after remestemcel-L improves survival in COVID-19 patients - In pre-market trading, shares are up 146% to $15.92.

07:46 EDT Aptose Biosciences to hold Annual General Meeting virtually - Aptose Biosciences announced that it has filed its proxy statement for the 2020 annual general meeting of shareholders. The annual general meeting of Aptose shareholders will be held on June 2, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time in an online only format.

07:43 EDT Axovant announces full prepayment of oustanding loan from Hercules Capital - Axovant Gene Therapies announced that it had prepaid in full its $15.7M outstanding loan from Hercules Capital, Inc. together with interest, fees and other amounts due. Following the prepayment, the credit facility and loan agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. was terminated, and all obligations, liens and security interests under the loan agreement were released, discharged and satisfied. "Axovant is debt-free after the loan prepayment announced today. This prepayment has no meaningful impact on our cash runway, removes prior liens by Hercules on our assets, and saves approximately $1M in interest expense. Together with the $74.7M equity financing completed in February 2020, the elimination of our debt significantly improves the Company's balance sheet," said David Nassif, CFO and General Counsel.

07:40 EDT Nordic American Tankers says focus on dividend is 'always a priority' - In a letter to shareholders, the company said, "This is to inform you that the NAT Founder, Chairman and CEO is expected to appear on CNBC this afternoon. NAT has more than 60,000 shareholders in the US and we receive many inquiries for information about NAT. The CNBC appearance was initiated by Jim Cramer. The strong tanker market is continuing and we expect that we shall be seeing sound conditions going forward. Our focus on dividend is always a priority."

07:34 EDT Verizon reports Q1 consumer revenues $21.8B, down 1.7% y-o-y - Total Verizon Consumer revenues were $21.8B, a decrease of 1.7 percent year over year, driven by strong service revenue and other revenue growth, more than offset by a significant decrease in wireless equipment revenue due to low volume activity. As a result of COVID-19, Verizon closed nearly 70 percent of its company-operated retail locations and reduced in-store service hours to promote social distancing. This resulted in a significant drop in customer activity and device volumes for the quarter. Consumer reported 525,000 wireless retail postpaid net losses in first-quarter 2020. This consisted of 307,000 phone net losses and 227,000 tablet net losses, offset by 9,000 other connected device net additions. Postpaid smartphone net losses were 167,000. Consumer wireless service revenues were $13.5B in first-quarter 2020, a 0.9 percent increase year over year. Total retail postpaid churn was 1.01 percent in first-quarter 2020, and retail postpaid phone churn was 0.77 percent. Consumer reported 59,000 Fios Internet net additions as work-from-home, in-home schooling, and other related measures increased the demand for high-quality broadband offerings. Consumer reported 84,000 Fios Video net losses in first-quarter 2020, reflecting the ongoing shift from traditional linear video to over-the-top offerings. In first-quarter 2020, segment operating income was $7.3B, an increase of 0.4 percent year over year, and segment operating income margin was 33.5 percent, an increase from 32.7 percent in first-quarter 2019. Segment EBITDA totaled $10.1B in first-quarter 2020, a decrease of 0.4 percent year over year. Segment EBITDA margin was 46.4 percent in first-quarter 2020, up from 45.8 percent in first-quarter 2019.

07:09 EDT Medigus signs LOI with Polyrizon for joint commercialization of biological gels - Medigus announced the signing of a binding letter of intent with Polyrizon. As part of the principal terms of the letter of intent, Medigus and Polyrizon will enter a commercial arrangement for the joint marketing and commercialization of Polyrizon products based on a revenue share model, focusing on a unique Biogel for the protection from COVID-19 virus. The commercial arrangement grants Medigus an exclusive right to market, resell and distribute Polyrizon's products for a period of four years, commencing upon and subject to receipt of the requisite FDA approvals for the products. Polyrizon developed an innovative Capture & Contain technology, designed to safely prevent allergens and virus intrusion through the upper airways and eye cavities. Polyrizon's technology is comprised of a Biogel that is applied topically, is preventative, safe, easy to use and can be formulated both for wet and dry administration. Polyrizon's goal is to provide protection from the spread and contamination of Coronavirus inhaled or absorbed through the upper airways and eyes. The final product shall take the form of a spray or eyedrops, made of mucoadhesive biological gel aiming to lower the intrusion levels of the virus through the nasal and buccal cavities for several hours. In addition, Medigus will invest in Polyrizon up to $100,000, to be invested in accordance with a budget, as mutually agreed by the parties. In consideration for the investment, Medigus will receive ordinary shares constituting 20% of Polyrizon's currently issued and outstanding share capital on a fully diluted basis excluding deferred shares. The funds will be utilized by Polyrizon to obtain the requisite FDA approvals for the products. Medigus will have the option exercisable at its sole discretion, to invest an additional investment amount of $1,000,000, exercisable until the earlier of three years of the closing of the initial investment or the occurrence of a subsequent investment of at least $500,000 at a valuation of at least $10 million. Upon exercise of the option, Medigus would be entitled to ordinary shares of Polyrizon constituting 30% of Polyrizon's currently issued and outstanding share capital on a fully diluted basis excluding deferred shares.

07:07 EDT American Express commits to no COVID-19-related layoffs in FY20 - American Express CEO Stephen Squeri said, "To support our colleagues, we are committed to no COVID-19-related layoffs for the remainder of 2020 to ensure we have the right team in place to serve our customers and to continue driving our growth over the long term. And we're supporting our colleagues in other ways, including a 100% work from home arrangement in all our locations and continuing to pay the salaries of colleagues who are affected by the virus without having to use their paid leave."

07:06 EDT Preferred Apartment provides April rent collection update - Preferred Apartment Communities provided a business update. The company has collected 95% rent for multifamily, 96% for student housing, 71% for grocery anchored retail and 95% for office properties. In total, the company has collected an aggregate of approximately 90% of its monthly rent and real estate investment loan income for the month of April across all business lines.

06:57 EDT AstraZeneca, Merck: LYNPARZA shows OS benefit in Phase 3 PROfound trial - AstraZeneca (AZN) and Merck (MRK) announced further positive results from the Phase 3 PROfound trial evaluating LYNPARZA in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have a homologous recombination repair gene mutation and whose disease had progressed on prior treatment with new hormonal agent treatments. Results from the trial showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the key secondary endpoint of overall survival with LYNPARZA vs. enzalutamide or abiraterone in men with mCRPC selected for BRCA1/2 or ATM gene mutations, a subpopulation of HRR gene mutations. The Phase 3 PROfound trial had met its primary endpoint in August 2019, showing treatment with LYNPARZA significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival in men with mutations in BRCA1/2 or ATM genes, and had met a key secondary endpoint of rPFS in the overall HRRm population.

06:37 EDT Pearson has liquidity of GBP 0.8bn at the end of March - Pearson has significant financial headroom with immediately available liquidity of c.GBP 0.8bn at the end of March through committed facilities and cash balances and we received $675m (GBP 530m) after quarter end as we completed the sale of our remaining stake in Penguin Random House. In addition, we have recently secured new lines of credit to enhance our existing Revolving Credit Facility. At 31st March 2020, net debt was c.GBP 1.4bn, increased from c.GBP 1.2bn at the same point in 2019 primarily due to higher opening net debt at the beginning of the year and the impact of the recently paused share buyback. The Board proposed a final dividend for 2019 of 13.5p (2018: 13p), an increase of 4%, which results in an overall dividend of 19.5p (2018: 18.5p) subject to shareholder approval at today's AGM. This will be payable on the 7th May 2020. "We are in a strong financial position with a healthy balance sheet, low net debt and good liquidity. This enables us to deploy all our people and resources to support our communities as the world's learning moves online at an unprecedented speed and scale. I'd like to thank my colleagues, and our customers and partners, for the speed and spirit with which we're working together to achieve this goal. In that spirit, we will launch next month UK Learns, a richly curated portfolio of employment enhancing short courses personalised to meet the needs of the furloughed and the unemployed.

06:34 EDT Synovus pauses share repurchase activity - Paused share repurchase activity beyond the $16.2M completed in the first quarter.

06:30 EDT Pearson sees certain trends amid COVID-19, including digital growth - Pearson sees three major trends that are impacting trading as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: Firstly, we are seeing disruption in our businesses which rely on physical locations such as our Global Assessment and International divisions where the closure of testing centers has impacted Professional Certification and the Pearson Test of English. Secondly, school closures have impacted our Clinical Assessment and International courseware businesses, as well as North American Courseware to a lesser extent to date. Thirdly, we have seen a significant uplift in the use of our digital products and services, and rapidly growing interest in our Global Online Learning business. During the pandemic we have made many of our online resources available for free to support learners. In time, we expect this growing interest to accelerate our digital growth.

06:12 EDT Farmmi receives Nasdaq minimum bid requirement extension - Farmmi announced that in response to recent unprecedented turmoil in U.S. and world financial markets, The Nasdaq Stock Market has determined to toll the compliance periods for bid price and market value of publicly held shares, or MVPHS, requirements through June 30. NASDAQ noted it believes that the tolling of the compliance periods will allow companies to focus on running their businesses, rather than satisfying market-based requirements that are largely beyond their control in the current environment. Accordingly, since the company had 107 calendar days remaining in its bid price compliance period at the time of the decision on April 16, 2020, it will, upon reinstatement of the Price-based Requirements, still have 107 calendar days from July 1, or until October 15, to regain compliance. To regain compliance with NASDAQ's minimum bid price requirement the closing bid price per share of the company's ordinary shares need be at least $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days during the suspension or during the compliance period. In the event the company does not regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement by October 15, the company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day grace period.

06:06 EDT SkyWest to receive $438M in CARES Act relief - SkyWest announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary SkyWest Airlines has entered into a Payroll Support Program Agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department to receive a total of approximately $438M under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act. Of the $438M, approximately $337M will be a direct grant and approximately $101M will be in the form of a ten-year, low interest unsecured term loan. SkyWest has elected to receive the funds in four disbursements. In consideration for the funding, SkyWest will issue to the U.S. Treasury Department warrants to purchase approximately 357,000 shares of SkyWest common stock. The funds received under the Payroll Support Program will be used to pay for the wages, salaries and benefits of thousands of SkyWest Airlines employees. The Payroll Support Program includes certain restrictions, including limitations on involuntary terminations and furloughs through September 30, requirements to maintain certain levels of scheduled service, restrictions on the payment of dividends and the repurchase of shares through September 30, 2021 and certain limitations on executive compensation.

05:25 EDT Sanofi announces FDA approval of MenQuadfi - The FDA has approved a Biologics License Application for MenQuadfi Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease in persons 2 years of age and older. "Meningococcal meningitis remains a major global health challenge because it can strike quickly and with devastating effect, taking a life in less than 24 hours. With the ability to help prevent this disease through vaccination, Sanofi believes one case is one too many," said David Loew, Executive Vice President, Sanofi Pasteur. "Approval of this new vaccine in the U.S. represents an important milestone in the ongoing fight to help protect as many people as possible from meningococcal disease. It is our ambition to make this vaccine available to further expand protection to individuals worldwide." The FDA approval is based on clinical data from five double-blind, randomized, multicenter Phase 2 and 3 trials that assessed safety and immune responses following vaccination, with nearly 5,000 persons 2 years of age and older. Based on study objectives, immune responses elicited by MenQuadfi achieved non-inferiority compared to those induced by licensed quadrivalent meningococcal vaccines.