Stockwinners Market Radar for April 28, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:38 EDT Rollins cuts quarterly dividend to 8c from 12c per share - The dividend is payable June 10, 2020 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2020. The company states: "We believe that there is a need for caution as we execute our plans in response to the impact of COVID-19. This is a proactive move that is consistent with our company's conservative balance sheet approach. We plan to return to our past dividend performance as soon as practical."

20:04 EDT Hormel Foods's Jennie-O Turkey Store to pause operations at Melrose, MN plant - Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc., announced that out of an abundance of caution, it will temporarily pause operations at its Melrose facility, located in Melrose, Minn. Based on the latest 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 its already thorough safety and sanitization protocols. Under its pay program, all Jennie-O Turkey Store team members will continue to receive 100 percent of their base pay and benefits during the pause in production. The Jennie-O Melrose facility is part of the Jennie-O Turkey Store company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation.

20:01 EDT Liberty Oilfield Services to be free cash flow positive in last 3 quarters - CEO Chris Wright says: "In the next few months, we expect very low frac activity in the oil basins. However, we expect that our balance sheet and Liberty culture will allow us the necessary flexibility to navigate this industry disruption. The team is strongly focused on preserving our culture and our competitive advantages while always delivering superior service to our customers. We are working closely with customers to bring innovative engineering to their completion strategies to maximize their return for each precious investment dollar. Our largest customers are top tier players that we chose to align with because they had strong balance sheets, high quality assets and, most importantly, are managed by great people. With the flexible cost structure now in place, Liberty currently projects to be free cash flow positive for the last three quarters of this year, ending the year with a greater cash balance than at the end of the first quarter. While the duration and depth of the oil demand contraction remains uncertain, we are well-positioned to react quickly to a rebound in oil demand, commodity prices, and producer appetite for frac services."

18:36 EDT Commercial Vehicle Group stops making specific projections for the year - The company said, "The full impact of the global COVID-19 outbreak is unclear but we are in businesses where eventual vehicle replacement is needed. A macro-trend in commercial vehicles that is fully underway is in electric vehicles versus combustion vehicles and the company is a participant in these programs. Additionally, the company's business of providing material handling solutions for parcel distribution customers is growing rapidly. Already this year, we have started up two new plant locations for these systems and is making use of the idle time caused by COVID on the company's vehicle business. Our business in China went down first when the COVID pandemic hit and is back on line and above pre-COVID rates. We expect post-COVID vehicle production in mature markets to come back slowly and have adjusted our cost structures accordingly, with more to go. We are happy that we naturally harvest working capital in downturns and that is happening now. We will continue to be disciplined and forge ahead with select capital projects, product development and R&D. Our customers that shut down either due to government mandates or being deemed non-essential have provided us with their estimated restart dates and restart build rates. While these are challenging times, we plan to emerge from this crisis a stronger company." Given the customer uncertainty around build rates, the company stopped making specific projections for the year. The company will provide a further update during the Q1 earnings call in May.

18:23 EDT Nucor CEO: The tariffs are still working - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Leon Topalian said, "At the end of the day, the low cost producer wins, and we've been the low cost producer for some time." Topalian expects the market to bottom in Q2. He thinks the COVID-19 pandemic will force companies to look at the over-reliance on supply chains from China and make changes. He noted that the Trump administration is "committed to steel."

17:49 EDT Triumph Group selected by Thai Summer Airways for Boeing 737 wheels service - Triumph Group announced that Triumph Aviation Services-Asia Ltd. was recently awarded a contract by Thai Summer Airways Co., Ltd to provide maintenance and repair support and services for aircraft wheels on its Boeing 737-800 fleet. Under the new agreement, TASA will provide repair and maintenance support along with asset management under a 'Power-by Cycle' (PBC) program. Thai Summer Airways is a new, Thailand-based international low-cost carrier providing commercial flight services out of U-Tapao International Airport with first scheduled flights officially starting in May 2020.

17:47 EDT Ford expects to begin production in 'phases' during Q2

17:39 EDT Knight-Swift chairman sells 50K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Knight-Swift disclosed that its executive chairman Kevin Knight sold 50K shares of common stock on April 27th in a total transaction size of $1.84M.

17:34 EDT Ford says planning to launch self-driving car business in 2022 - Says on track to complete headcount reductions by year end. Says Bronco SUV revival to take place in 2021. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:33 EDT Starbucks says modifications to delivery, drive-thru at stores already underway - Says modifications to delivery, drive-thru, and payments at stores are already underway. Says focused actions to deliver contactless customer service will help to restore upward momentum to U.S. business that the company was seeing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

17:22 EDT General Electric awarded $707.27M for four Air Force contract actions - General Electric has been awarded $707.27M for four undefinitized contract actions under an existing F110 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, for F110-GE-129 engine production. These actions provide for F110 engine production, including installs and spares and modernized engine management system computers. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2026. These actions involve Foreign Military Sales to Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Qatar. This award is the result of country-directed, sole-source acquisitions. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $353.64M are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:18 EDT Starbucks sees 90% of U.S. locations reopening by early June - Says stores will be reopened in limited and modified ways.

17:12 EDT CoStar Group withdraws FY20 guidance - The company states: "Due to the rapidly changing environment and continued uncertainty resulting from the global impact of the pandemic, we are withdrawing our previously announced guidance for the full year 2020, which was issued on February 25, 2020. The subscription nature of our business model allows for greater visibility to revenue in the near term within a reasonable range."

17:03 EDT Alphabet CFO sees 'modest decrease' in total 2020 capex vs. last year

17:02 EDT Supernus to acquire CNS portfolio from US WorldMeds - Supernus Pharmaceuticals announced that the company entered into a definitive agreement under which Supernus will acquire the CNS portfolio of US WorldMeds, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company. Total consideration of $530M consists of an upfront cash payment of $300M plus regulatory and commercial milestone cash payments up to $230M. All cash consideration will be funded through existing balance sheet cash. The transaction is anticipated to close in Q2, subject to certain conditions, including the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, and other customary conditions.

17:01 EDT Ritchie Bros. appoints Baron Concors as Chief Information Officer - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers announced the appointment of Baron Concors as Chief Information Officer. Concors will lead a strategic, enterprise organization to deliver added value for customers, team members and shareholders through innovative use of digital technology platforms and data. He will serve as a member of Ritchie Bros. executive committee and report to Ann Fandozzi, CEO. Concors held various leadership positions in his career including CIO of Yum Brands.

16:56 EDT Meritage Homes sees 'much weaker' results next couple of quarters - "Though our net earnings for the first quarter more than doubled and every key operating metric showed significant year-over-year growth, we are expecting much weaker results for at least the next couple of quarters due to large parts of the economy being shut down, causing record job losses, fear and uncertainty about the future. Our hearts go out to all those impacted directly and indirectly," said the company in a statement.

16:49 EDT Alphabet CEO says marketers see Google Search as highly cost effective - Says company is much more diversified than it was in 2008. Says in hardware, saw decline in device activations.

16:46 EDT Ternium convenes postponed annual and extraordinary general meetings - Ternium announced that the company's board of directors has convened its postponed annual general meeting of shareholders to be held in Luxembourg on Friday, June 5, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. CET and that the postponed extraordinary general meeting of shareholders will be held immediately after the adjournment of the annual general meeting of shareholders.

16:43 EDT Erytech provides update on TRYbeCA-1 trial of Eryaspase in pancreatic cancer - Erytech Pharma provided an update on the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer ,TRYbeCA-1, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of ERYTECH's lead product candidate eryaspase in combination with chemotherapy as second-line therapy. "We are pleased that the TRYbeCA-1 trial has continued to progress well despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic," said Gil Beyen, CEO of ERYTECH. "The third independent safety review has once again confirmed the favorable safety profile of our lead product candidate eryaspase, and the trial has now surpassed 75% of the planned target enrollment. While prioritizing the safety of patients, health care providers and our employees, we have successfully deployed measures to safeguard the integrity of the trial by ensuring patients' continued access to treatment and appropriate follow-up. The enrollment of new patients is also continuing, but at a slower pace than over the past few weeks. We currently anticipate a limited delay in completing patient enrollment of 3 to 4 months from previous plans. In addition, and unrelated to COVID-19, the average time to events appears longer than originally expected. We now expect the interim superiority analysis around the end of this year and final results in the second half of 2021." The independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) has reviewed the safety data for the first 320 patients enrolled and treated in the TRYbeCA-1 trial. In line with the two earlier safety reviews, no safety issues were identified and the IDMC recommended to continue the trial as planned.

16:41 EDT Boyd Gaming down 6% to $15.85 after Q1 results miss estimates

16:40 EDT Westport to resume production at Italian operations - Westport Fuel Systems announced that production and manufacturing will fully resume at its facilities in Cherasco, Brescia, and Albinea, Italy on May 4, 2020 given the Italian Government's decree of April 24, 2020. The Company's Italian operations have significantly expanded measures to protect its workforce in accordance with government protocols for health and safety including social distancing requirements, personal protective equipment, cleaning protocols, and other measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. "The safe and organized restart of our Italian operations is an important signal for our employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the local economy," said David M. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Westport Fuel Systems. "Our team in Italy is working to implement a detailed, tactical plan to restart and resume full operations. I am proud of how our employees have responded to this unprecedented challenge with resilience, determination, and care for each other."

16:38 EDT Yum China senior executives to voluntarily take pay cuts - "First and foremost, we wholeheartedly thank all the medical staff and frontline workers who put public health and safety above their own in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak," said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. "I am also incredibly proud of how the Yum China team rose to meet the challenges of this outbreak. Our top priority was-and still is-the health and safety of our employees and customers. We did not hesitate to close stores where appropriate, and put in place strict sanitation procedures at all of our stores that remained open. We also proactively expanded our Family Care Program to provide health insurance coverage for all restaurant management team members. In addition, our board members and senior executives have agreed to voluntarily forgo 10% of their base compensation for the balance of 2020 as contributions to fund additional assistance for frontline employees and their families impacted by COVID-19 as well as other emergency relief." Wat continued, "Furthermore, we leveraged our culture of innovation to both protect our stakeholders and support our business. Most importantly, we quickly implemented a safe way to reach our customers through highly sanitary contactless delivery and contactless takeaway. Our digital infrastructure enabled us to stay nimble and communicate quickly with customers and employees online and through mobile technology. We were able to inform our members about compelling offers through our APPs, while efficiently adjusting labor hours based on rapidly changing traffic and sales patterns." Wat concluded, "We were able to sustain operating profitability while extending much needed support to our employees, business partners and franchisees. This achievement under extraordinary circumstances is a testament to our resilient and flexible business model. Weathering this storm of all storms gives us great confidence in our ability to thrive in the years ahead by serving our employees, customers, and shareholders."

16:37 EDT Merck gets FDA approval for Keytruda to be used as additional 400mg dose - Merck announced that the FDA has approved an additional recommended dosage of 400 mg every six weeks for KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, across all adult indications, including monotherapy and combination therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on pharmacokinetic data, the relationship of exposure to efficacy and the relationship of exposure to safety. Continued approval for this dosing may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. This new dosage option will be available in addition to the current dose of 200 mg every three weeks.

16:36 EDT Radius Health CEO Jesper Hoeiland steps down - Radius Health announced that Jesper Hoeiland will step down as president and CEO to return, after many years abroad, to his home country of Denmark. In order to assist with the transition, Jesper has agreed to serve as a senior advisor to the company. Kelly Martin will assume the role of CEO and president of Radius with immediate effect.

16:34 EDT Yum China to temporarily suspend share repurchases, cash dividends - Due to the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic uncertainty, the company announced that it will temporarily suspend its share repurchases and, for the next two quarters, cash dividends on the company's common stock. The company had $1.54B in cash and short-term investments and no material debt at the end of the first quarter.

16:32 EDT Clear Channel Outdoor subsidiary tenders its Clear Media shares - Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings announced that Clear Channel KNR Neth Antilles N.C., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has tendered its shares representing the Company's 50.91% stake in Clear Media, an indirect, non-wholly owned subsidiary of the Company based in China, to Ever Harmonic Global for approximately $253M. Following receipt of the tendered shares, Ever Harmonic declared its voluntary cash general offer unconditional in all respects on April 28. The Company expects to receive the cash proceeds in May. The Company intends to utilize the net proceeds of approximately $220M to improve its liquidity position and increase financial flexibility, subject to any limitations set forth in its debt agreements. As previously announced on March 30 Clear Channel Outdoor entered into an agreement with Ever Harmonic to sell its stake in Clear Media for HK$7.12 per share. This represents a premium of approximately 87% over the average of the closing prices of the Clear Media shares as quoted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the 30 consecutive trading days prior to the announced strategic review of our investment in China on November 29, 2019.

16:31 EDT Yum China reports Q1 SSS down 15% - Q1 same-store sales declined 15% year over year, with an 11% decline at KFC and 31% decline at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X.

16:28 EDT Ford falls 3.9% to $5.17 per share after Q1 loss, Q2 guidance

16:26 EDT U.S. Silica announces workforce reductions and other measures - U.S. Silica Holdings announced additional SG&A cost reductions of approximately $17M response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lower North American oilfield well completion activity. The Company has closely monitored industry proppant demand to align costs with market conditions and is taking necessary actions including workforce reductions, 401k match suspension, elimination of 2020 raises for salaried employees, reduced senior executive salaries and curtailed operating hours at several facilities. "The decline in oil demand resulting from COVID-19 has driven a precipitous decline in crude oil prices resulting in lower expected near-term demand for well completion products and services such as our frac sand and last mile logistics offerings,'' saidBryan Shinn, CEO. ''The strategic actions announced today, along withour balanced business portfolio of industrial customers, will position us well to continue to outperform our competition in the short term and emerge from the economic downturn in an advantaged position."

16:24 EDT Encompass Health suspends share repurchase program - The company continues to take actions to enhance its operational and financial flexibility and ensure its long-term sustainability. Recently, the company's executive team voluntarily reduced their base compensation for six months. In addition, the company has: Secured secondary sources of PPE and other medical supplies; aligned staffing with patient demand; Amended its senior credit facility to provide covenant relief; Developed plans for reducing capital expenditures; and Suspended its authorized share repurchase program. After lengthy consideration, the company has developed plans to manage labor costs in response to lower patient volumes via furloughs, changes to compensation structures and workforce reductions.

16:21 EDT Chemed sees updating 2020 earnings guidance in July

16:20 EDT Mirum Pharmaceuticals names Peter Radovich COO - Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the appointment of Peter Radovich as its chief operating officer with oversight of commercial operations, technical operations, supply chain and corporate development. Mr. Radovich joins Mirum with nearly 20 years leading biopharmaceutical development and commercialization programs, having served most recently as executive vice president, operations for South San Francisco-based Global Blood Therapeutics. "I am thrilled to welcome Peter to Mirum and look forward to working together to deliver new treatments to patients with rare liver diseases," said Chris Peetz, president and chief executive officer, Mirum. "Peter is an effective leader and brings a patient-first mentality fitting with the Mirum strategy. His extensive experience launching life-changing medicines and recent NDA experience make him an impactful addition to our leadership team as we prepare to initiate a rolling submission of a new drug application with the FDA for maralixibat for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus associated with Alagille syndrome in the third quarter of 2020."

16:19 EDT Rapid7 to acquire DivvyCloud for $145M - Rapid7 announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Divvy Cloud Corporation. Under the terms of agreement, Rapid7 will acquire DivvyCloud for a total purchase price of approximately $145 million, subject to adjustments, to be paid in cash and stock. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. As organizations accelerate their migration and adoption of cloud services, they need help bringing Security and DevOps teams together to understand and effectively manage the governance, risk and security of their cloud and container environments. Through DivvyCloud's platform, Rapid7 customers will have the ability to innovate more securely, move out of data centers and into the cloud, and make infrastructure accessible and manageable. DivvyCloud enables deep visibility, combined with automated prevention and real-time remediation of risk to deliver continuous security and compliance for cloud environments, including support for Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Alibaba Cloud and Kubernetes. Using DivvyCloud, customers can protect cloud and container environments from misconfiguration, policy violations, external and internal threats, and identity and access management challenges.

16:19 EDT Fluor selected as preferred bidder by Highways England in 10-yr $5.6B contract - Fluor announced today that Fluor Limited, the company's UK operation, was selected by Highways England as the preferred bidder to provide production management services as part of the Smart Motorways Alliance in the United Kingdom. The Smart Motorways Alliance will develop, design and build multiple road schemes under a single contract for up to 10 years and will add additional capacity to England's Strategic Road Network with an estimated program value of $5.6B.

16:17 EDT Vermilion Energy reports Q1 FFO down 21% from previous quarter - Vermilion Energy reported operating and condensed financial results for the three months ended March 31. Highlights include: Q1 fund flows from operations, or FFO, was $170M, or $1.09/basic share, a decrease of 21% from the prior quarter. The decrease is primarily due to significantly lower commodity prices that began to materialize midway through the quarter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price war that ensued in early March. Lower commodity price impacts were partially offset by hedging gains. Q1 2020 production averaged 97,154 boe/d, representing a 1% decrease from the prior quarter, with minor negative effects from the pandemic. Tie-in activity from the Q1 capital program will contribute meaningfully in the Q2. In Canada, production averaged 59,537 boe/d in Q1, an increase of 2% from the prior quarter, primarily due to production contributions from new well start-ups in the quarter. We observed strong performance from wells drilled in the quarter, with multiple wells in both the Mannville and Southeast Saskatchewan programs performing ahead of expectations. In the Netherlands, production averaged 8,143 boe/d, a slight increase from the prior quarter. We continue to advance the permitting for future planned wells while awaiting the final production permit for our Weststellingwerf well (0.5 net) well, which was successfully drilled and flowed at an initial rate of 14.7 mmcf/d2 in the quarter. In response to COVID-19, we have made adjustments to our operating practices

16:16 EDT MetLife raises quarterly dividend by 4.5% to 46c per share - The dividend will be payable on June 12, 2020, to shareholders of record as of May 8, 2020.

16:14 EDT Ironwood and Allergan get notice of allowance for LINZESS patent applications - Ironwood (IRWD) announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued Notices of Allowance for patent applications covering the formulation of the 72 mcg dose of LINZESS, or linaclotide, and methods of using the formulation. The patent applications are expected to issue in 2020 and expire in 2031. LINZESS is approved and marketed in the United States for the treatment of adult men and women suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation. It was the first guanylate cyclase-C agonist to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

16:12 EDT Faro Technologies CEO: 'On track' to achieve $40M in savings by year end - "The implementation of our restructuring plan, which we announced in February, has progressed well in the first quarter and we remain on track to achieve our targeted $40 million in annualized savings by the end of the year. While these changes were not made anticipating COVID-19, when combined with our strong balance sheet they have positioned us well for the current environment," stated Michael Burger, President and CEO. "Further, while near-term demand visibility remains challenged due to the global pandemic, to date there has been limited disruption to our manufacturing supply chain and our sales team remains enthusiastic about our new go-to-market strategy. I am optimistic that our new strategy will enable FARO to emerge as a stronger, more efficient business with a highly scalable financial model when the business environment returns to normalized levels."

16:12 EDT Starbucks expects business will fully recover over time - Starbucks said in its earnings release, "Based on our substantial experience in China to date, we continue to believe that the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak are temporary and that our business will fully recover over time. Consistent with the business updates to Starbucks stakeholders on March 5 and April 8, we will continue to provide transparent updates as we gain visibility to performance trends, as well as the steps we are taking to position the company for full recovery."

16:10 EDT Paycom says COVID-19 has resulted in headcount reductions across client base - "Beginning in February 2020, we took proactive measures to ensure the safety of our employees and shore up business continuity processes in light of the increasing risks from COVID-19," the company said. "We have transitioned 98% of our workforce to a work-from-home model, while simultaneously ensuring our clients continue to receive the same level of service they have come to expect from our dedicated, one-on-one customer service model. Although we currently have some insight with respect to the shorter-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible at this time to estimate the full impact that the crisis could have on our business. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state or local authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees and clients. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, headcount reductions across our client base. Because we charge our clients on a per-employee basis for certain services we provide, fluctuations in headcount at our clients will impact our results of operations in future periods. Significantly lower average interest rates in 2020, as well as slower growth in the average funds held for clients balance due to lower employee headcount at our clients and clients electing the Social Security tax deferral under the CARES Act, will have a negative effect on recurring revenue growth in future periods. Our solution allows clients to seamlessly manage and communicate with their remote workforces. In this new work-from-home environment, our clients are recognizing the benefits of our focus on employee usage, as well as the strengths and advantages of our single database solution. We have temporarily halted business-related travel. The resulting shift from in-person to video conference and teleconference sales meetings represents a unique opportunity to meet with a greater number of client prospects in a given day than through in-person meetings."

16:09 EDT Alphabet shares up 3% after earnings - In after-hours trading, Alphabet Class A shares are up $42.33, or 3.4%, to $1,276.

16:08 EDT Ford drew over $15B in existing credit lines, suspended dividend during Q1 - To bolster cash and flexibility, Ford drew $15+ billion from existing credit lines, issued $8 billion of unsecured bonds, suspended dividend and antidilutive share repurchase, reducing costs.

16:08 EDT Starbucks sees COVID-19 effects intensifying in Q3, moderating in Q4 - "Since the beginning of this global crisis, Starbucks has made decisions that prioritize the well-being of our partners and customers, support health and government officials, and responsibly serve our communities. This principled approach is showing steady business improvement in China where today, substantially all existing Starbucks(R) stores have reopened with modified operations, new store locations are being added and customer engagement continues to grow with each passing week. We are leveraging our experience in China to inform our actions in other markets, including the U.S., where we are now entering the 'monitor and adapt' phase to reopen many more stores with best-in-class safety protocols. We continue to navigate this dynamic situation - which we believe is temporary - and are confident that Starbucks will emerge from this global crisis even stronger than before," concluded Johnson.

16:07 EDT Alphabet CFO says significant slowdown in ad revenues seen in March - "Our business, led by Search, YouTube, and Cloud, drove Alphabet revenues to $41.2 billion, up 13% versus last year, or 15% on a constant currency basis," said Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google. "Performance was strong during the first two months of the quarter, but then in March we experienced a significant slowdown in ad revenues. We are sharpening our focus on executing more efficiently, while continuing to invest in our long-term opportunities."

16:02 EDT Washington Federal declares 22c per share cash dividend - The board of directors of Washington Federal announced a regular quarterly cash dividend of 22c per share. The dividend will be paid on May 22, 2020 to common stockholders of record as of May 8, 2020. This will be Washington Federal's 149th consecutive quarterly cash dividend.

15:58 EDT Cerner down 2% to $71.86 after reporting results on website

15:48 EDT Southwest sees Q2 economic fuel costs $1.00-$1.10 per gallon - Southwest announced earlier: "Based on the company's existing fuel derivative contracts and market prices as of April 22, 2020, second quarter 2020 economic fuel costs are estimated to be in the range of $1.00 to $1.10 per gallon, including $24M, or 12c per gallon, in premium expense and no cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts, compared with $2.13 per gallon in second quarter 2019, which included $28M, or 5c per gallon, in premium expense and 6c per gallon in favorable cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts. As of April 22, 2020, the fair market value of the company's fuel derivative contracts for the remainder of 2020 was an asset of approximately $3M, and the fair market value of the fuel hedge portfolio settling in 2021 and beyond was an asset of approximately $81M."

15:17 EDT Ford to restart European manufacturing production from May 4 - Ford confirmed today that it intends to restart initial production at most of its main continental European vehicle and engine plants from May 4. Manufacturing will resume on May 4 in a phased approach at Saarlouis Vehicle Assembly Operations and Cologne Assembly Operations and Engine Plant in Germany; Valencia Vehicle Assembly Operations in Spain; and Craiova Vehicle Assembly Operations and Engine Plant in Romania. Production will restart at Valencia Engine Plant in Spain on May 18, while the resumption date for Ford's Dagenham and Bridgend Engine Plants in the United Kingdom will be confirmed at a later date. "Production will start at a low level, prioritizing sold customer vehicle orders from dealers, and will gradually be ramped-up over the next few months before full production is resumed. The production plans take into account supplier readiness, national movement restrictions and, Ford dealer sales sites reopening in key markets, as well as customer demand," Ford stated. A comprehensive list of Ford global standards on social distancing and employee health and safety actions in Ford's manufacturing and other facilities across Europe will be implemented, the company added.

15:10 EDT BioCardia announces award of new U.S. patent - BioCardia announced the issuance of United States Patent No. 10,632,281, entitled "Drug Delivery Catheters that Attach to Tissue and Methods for Their Use." This new patent provides additional, broad protection for the Helix Biotherapeutic Delivery System and covers the use of the helical needle delivery system with a deflectable guide catheter, the company said. The U.S. Patent Office has extended the life of this patent for 2.8 years beyond the usual 20-year term, BioCardia added.

14:56 EDT Google announces ability to manage Windows 10 devices through G Suite - Google (GOOG, GOOGL) has announced the general availability of a function to manage Windows 10 (MSFT) devices through G Suite. The company said in-part in a earlier blog post: "Enhanced security for Windows 10 devices now generally available.You can now manage and secure Windows 10 devices through the Admin console, just as you do for Android, iOS, Chrome, and Jamboard devices. This also means you can enable SSO so users can more easily access G Suite and other SSO-enabled applications on Windows 10 devices. This was previously available in beta. Now, all G Suite admins can now use Google Credential Provider for Windows to: Enable their organization to use existing G Suite account credentials to login to Windows 10 devices, and easily access apps and services with SSO. Protect user accounts with Google's anti-hijacking and suspicious login detection technologies. Additionally, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and Cloud Identity." Reference Link

14:17 EDT MFA Financial jumps 9% after announcing extended forbearance - MFA Financial announced that it has entered into a second Forbearance Agreement with certain counterparties to its various repurchase agreement financing arrangements and provided additional company updates. Extended Forbearance. Under a new Forbearance Agreement that the Company entered into earlier today with certain counterparties holding a significant majority of its outstanding repurchase obligations , such counterparties have agreed to forbear from exercising any rights or remedies under their respective repurchase agreements with the Company, including selling collateral to enforce margin calls, through June 1, 2020...The Company has continued taking steps to manage and de-lever its portfolio and generate liquidity. In particular, since April 10, 2020, the Company has sold residential mortgage assets at improved levels, as prices have partially recovered from the depressed valuations seen from mid-March through early April. These sales resulted in proceeds of $484.4 million and included, $282.9 million of MSR- related assets, $147.7 million of CRT securities and $51.4 million of Agency MBS. Cash and liquidity update. As of April 24, 2020, the Company had total cash balances of $430.9 million, including $143.8 million of cash on deposit with repurchase agreement counterparties to meet margin calls. As described above, cash balances will be reduced by the $150 million payment to repurchase agreement counterparties to reduce outstanding repurchase obligations. Under the Second Forbearance Agreement, the participating counterparties continue to have a secured interest in the Company's previously unencumbered assets, primarily residential whole loans, real estate owned, cash and other assets with an estimated market value of approximately $1.4B as of April 24. Shares of MFA Financial, are up 9% to $1.79 per share in afternoon trading on Tuesday.

14:01 EDT Bombardier announces gradual resumption of manufacturing operations in Canada - Bombardier announced that it has begun the process of recalling most of its Canadian based employees that were placed on furlough following government mandates enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19. Suspended manufacturing and service activities will gradually resume as of May 11. Nearly 11,000 employees are expected to be back to work within the next few weeks across our Aviation and Transportation segments and Bombardier's Corporate Office. Return-to-work schedules will vary by site and be subject to new procedures to ensure employee health and safety. Site and function leaders will be communicating specific plans and dates directly to employees. All recalled employees whose physical presence is not required at Bombardier's production or service sites will be asked to work from home until further notice. "As we resume operations across many of our sites, the health and safety of our employees, our customers and the general population will continue to be our top priority. I deeply believe that by continuing to work in close collaboration with the employee representatives and public health authorities in all the countries where we operate, Bombardier will establish itself as an example of a dynamic and responsible industrial leader in the global recovery," said Eric Martel, President and CEO, Bombardier.

13:17 EDT Facebook's WhatsApp doubles the number of participants for video/voice to 8 - Facebook's (FB) WhatsApp said in an earlier blog posting: "The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many of us are isolated from friends and family. As a result, we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before. Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once. Starting today, we're doubling the number of participants you can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time.Over the last month, people on average are spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic. And just like written messages, all those calls are protected with end-to-end encryption. We have built group calling in a way that makes it available for as many users as possible, including people on lower-end devices and slow network conditions. We know people may want different ways to connect while they're at home, which is why WhatsApp is also available on Portal - which many users have told us has been a great way to share their living room with family during quarantine. To access the new, higher participant limit on WhatsApp calls, all participants in a call need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp available on iPhone or Android today. Ask your friends and family to update WhatsApp to try it out." Companies in the video conferncing space include: Zoom Video (ZM), Cisco (CSCO,) Adobe (ADBE), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) Reference Link

12:49 EDT Southwest: Government should do any passenger airport screenings

12:42 EDT U.S. Senator urges DOJ antitrust probe of Amazon's use of 3rd-party seller data - On Tuesday, April 28, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr requesting the Department of Justice, DOJ, open a criminal antitrust investigation of Amazon. Recent reporting has revealed that Amazon uses its position as an online platform to stifle competition by collecting detailed data on merchandise in order to create rival products under its own brand. "Abusing one's position as a marketplace platform to create copycat products always is bad, but it is especially concerning now. Thousands of small businesses have been forced to suspend in-store retail and instead rely on Amazon because of shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon's reported data practices are an existential threat that may prevent these businesses from ever recovering." Reference Link

12:42 EDT Southwest: Relationship with Boeing 'great'

12:33 EDT First Financial boosts quarterly dividend to 13c from 12c - First Financial Bankshares declared a 13c per share cash dividend for the second quarter, which represents an 8.3% increase and will be paid to shareholders of record on June 16, with payment set for July 1. "We are pleased to announce the increase in our quarterly cash dividend for our shareholders," said F. Scott Dueser, Chairman, President and CEO. "We are also grateful to our shareholders for the re-election of our directors and the passage of the two proposals."

12:29 EDT Xcel Energy general counsel Scott Wilensky retires - Xcel Energy has named Amanda Rome EVP and general counsel, effective June 1, as Scott Wilensky who has held the position since 2011, announces his retirement. Rome has been with the company for five years and currently serves as VP and deputy general counsel for the Regulatory and Commercial groups at Xcel Energy. Wilensky will stay on through June 30, 2020 to help with the transition.

12:22 EDT Facebook to host virtual graduation for Class of 2020 with Oprah Winfrey - Facebook said earlier that it will host a live graduation event on May 15th over Facebook, which will feature a commencement speech from Oprah Winfrey. Marne Levine, VP of Global Partnerships, Business and Corporate Development for Facebook, said in a blog posting earlier: "This is a bittersweet time for the Class of 2020. As students head toward graduation, it's not the day they might have imagined - no processions, no diploma handoffs, no parties. They are commencing at a time of great uncertainty. But graduating is a tremendous achievement, and worth pausing to celebrate even in these circumstances. That's why Facebook has planned a special event on the Facebook app and Instagram. On May 15 at 11AM PT/2PM ET, we'll broadcast #Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020. Your commencement address will be given by Oprah Winfrey. Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles, and more, will share words of wisdom for the class of 2020. Miley Cyrus will do a special performance of her hit song, "The Climb." Reference Link

12:14 EDT IAG sees most of 12,000 British Airways employees impacted by restructuring - IAG said in a statement, "In light of the impact of COVID-19 on current operations and the expectation that the recovery of passenger demand to 2019 levels will take several years, British Airways is formally notifying its trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme. The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them. As previously announced, British Airways has availed itself of the UK's COVID-19 Job Retention Scheme and furloughed 22,626 employees in April."

12:01 EDT Southwest to take delivery of 48 Boeing 737 MAX through year-end 2021

12:00 EDT CNFinance falls -13.4% - CNFinance is down -13.4%, or -62c to $4.00.

12:00 EDT Diebold rises 21.3% - Diebold is up 21.3%, or 90c to $5.15.

12:00 EDT NGL Energy Partners rises 25.1% - NGL Energy Partners is up 25.1%, or 81c to $4.07.

11:59 EDT Campbell Soup says Meals & Beverages segment up 34.4% in four weeks to April 19 - In a regulatory filing, Campbell Soup disclosed ahead of a scheduled television appearance by members of its senior management that the company is extending premium payments to its approximately 11,000 front-line team members who make, sell, and distribute products to retail customers across the country. The premium payments will be extended through May 16/17, 2020, depending on regular payroll workweek cycle, at which point the company will re-evaluate based on COVID-19 situation. The company also may discuss items about its recent business performance in response to the increased demand for its products. For the four weeks ending March 29, 2020, Campbell's condensed soup gained 5.2 million new households, Campbell's Chunky soup gained 4.6 million new households and Prego gained 5.5 million new households per IRI National Consumer Panel data: Total U.S. All Outlets vs. a comparable period one year ago. IRI Pantry Audit findings "support our belief that repeat levels for new buyers are above historical soup season repeat levels," Campbell said. The company also plans to discuss the latest four weeks, ending April 19, 2020, of IRI U.S. dollar consumption data, making the following points: Total Meals & Beverages segment increased 34.4 percent; Total Snacks segment increased 16.1 percent; Campbell's soup (including Pacific Foods) increased 41.7 percent; Prego pasta sauce increased 49.2 percent; Pepperidge Farm cookies increased 27.8 percent; Pepperidge Farm fresh bread & rolls increased 23.6 percent; Snyder's of Hanover pretzels increased 19.1 percent; Kettle Brand chips increased 44.5 percent; and Cape Cod chips increased 39.5 percent. The outlier is Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, which decreased 6.1 percent, driven by sustained levels of high demand resulting in some short-term supply challenges with continued strong demand in unmeasured channels. In addition to the investor meetings, Mr. Clouse is scheduled to appear on the CNBC television program 'Mad Money' on April 29, the company noted.

11:52 EDT Southwest capacity down 50% for first two weeks of April - Southwest capacity is down 70% for the second two weeks of April. June capacity is expected to be down "right around 50%."

11:44 EDT Southwest: Highest priority is to implement procedures to minimize virus spread

11:37 EDT Norges Bank reports 5.02% passive stake in Liberty Broadband - Norges Bank disclosed a 5.02% stake in Liberty Broadband, which represents over 1.15M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

11:34 EDT Southwest had a very strong January and February performance - Earnings were higher in each month y/y, the company said on its Q1 earnings conference call. Southwest says it saw no COVID-19 effects on bookings until the end of February.

10:31 EDT 3M seeing some signs of recovery in China, Chairman and CEO Mike Roman says

10:25 EDT 3M added surge capacity after SARS, Chairman and CEO Mike Roman says

10:21 EDT 3M working 'very well' with partnership with White House, Roman says - Chairman and CEO Mike Roman is speaking in an interview with CNBC's David Faber and Jim Cramer.

10:18 EDT 3M seeing very high demand in respirators, home improvement, Roman says - Seeing a slowdown in healthcare, oral care, elective surgeries. Chairman and CEO Mike Roman is speaking in an interview with CNBC's David Faber.

10:14 EDT Phunware announces notice of allowance for U.S. patent - Phunware announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has issued a Notice of Allowance for the company's patent application entitled "Systems and Methods for Enterprise Branded Application Frameworks for Mobile and Other Environments." The new patent allowances "further strengthen, expand and protect" the company's core patent portfolio underlying its Multiscreen-as-a-Service platform, Phunware stated. These new patent claims and allowances add to Phunware's intellectual property portfolio, currently consisting of 17 issued patents and 5 patents pending, the company added.

10:06 EDT 3M expects Q2 to be weakest quarter in 2020 for economic activity

10:02 EDT NTT Data awarded $95M contract by U.S. DoI to modernize TIMS - NTT DATA Federal Services announced the company won a five-year, $95M contract with the U.S. Department of the Interior to modernize the Technical Information Management System. TIMS is a critical information system that automates business and regulatory functions for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management The contract is designed to modernize the DOI's TIMS technology and architecture to reduce complexity, increase usability and improve effectiveness. Working collaboratively with the DOI, NTT DATA will provide operations support, infrastructure and application maintenance, security, cloud transformation and other IT services. As part of the contract, NTT DATA will assess TIMS' enterprise architecture, ITIL processes, agile practices, DevSecOps capabilities and security posture to build on the BSEE technical environment and increase system maturity. The DOI's long-term vision is to merge TIMS' day-to-day operations with the maintenance cycle and seamlessly integrate new development, optimizing TIMS without negatively impacting the user experience.

10:00 EDT CNFinance falls -9.7% - CNFinance is down -9.7%, or -45c to $4.17.

10:00 EDT Nordic American Tankers rises 13.5% - Nordic American Tankers is up 13.5%, or 97c to $8.18.

10:00 EDT NGL Energy Partners rises 21.5% - NGL Energy Partners is up 21.5%, or 70c to $3.95.

09:49 EDT United States Oil Fund reports March loss of $1.19B - In a regulatory filing, United States Oil Fund noted that it has issued its monthly account statement for the month ended March 31, 2020, which is presented in the form of a statement of income or loss and a statement of changes in net asset value. The fund reports a loss of $1.19B for the month ended March 31, 2020, and a net asset value per share of $4.24 based on 596,600,000 shares as of that date.

09:47 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -9.1% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -9.1%, or -$2.31 to $23.07.

09:47 EDT VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN falls -8.6% - VelocityShares 3x Inv Natural Gas ETN is down -8.6%, or -$18.89 to $200.11.

09:47 EDT Curo Group rises 14.9% - Curo Group is up 14.9%, or $1.16 to $8.91.

09:42 EDT Monster Beverage slides after Pepsi signs distribution agreement for rival drink - As previously reported, PepsiCo (PEP) and Vital Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Bang Energy drinks, announced earlier this morning that they have entered into an exclusive alliance for PepsiCo to distribute the portfolio of Bang Energy beverages in the United States. "This alliance is effective immediately and is set to significantly increase distribution of the Bang beverage lineup," the companies stated. Monster Beverage (MNST), whose drinks compete in the energy segment with those of Bang, is down $1.05, or 1.7%, to $59.47 in early trading following Pepsi's announcement.

09:39 EDT FedEx announces e-commerce support initiatives for SMBs, BigCommerce alliance - FedEx (FDX) announced a new alliance with BigCommerce, an open SaaS e-commerce platform, to help small and medium businesses get up and running online fast and affordably. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many brick-and-mortar businesses have had to close their physical stores and are looking for ways to move their retail operations online. To help with this effort, FedEx and BigCommerce are collaborating on an offer for new BigCommerce customers consisting of four months of free service with BigCommerce and discounted FedEx shipping rates. FedEx and BigCommerce have also aligned to offer all BigCommerce customers access to FedEx shipping discounts. Known as the FedEx Advantage Program, it will give current small and medium businesses on BigCommerce access to FedEx e-commerce solutions, including competitive shipping discounts. FedEx recently joined a coalition of more than 40 companies in Stand for Small powered by American Express (AXP).Reference Link

09:26 EDT NuGenerex announces publication of results of AE37 Phase IIb trial - Generex Biotechnology Corporation announced that the final results of the Phase IIb clinical trial of AE37 +/- GM-CSF vaccine for the prevention of recurrence of breast cancer have been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Breast Cancer Research & Treatment. In the AE37 arm of this trial, the investigators* found that patients with advanced stage, HER2 under-expression, and TNBC may benefit from AE37 vaccination, and those with both advanced stage and HER2 under expression have a significant clinical benefit to AE37 vaccination, demonstrating earlier DFS plateau that was maintained for up to the ten years of follow-up. The study showed that AE37 induces CD4+ T helper cell stimulation which is required for the effective generation of long-term cell-mediated immunity, and postulates that the AE37 vaccine may have more of an immunoadjuvant effect to augment a vaccine-induced CD8+ T-Lymphocyte response. Further, AE37 is able to directly stimulate the HLA-DR alleles with epitopes present in the HER2 protein, increasing interferon gamma and CD4+ T-helper cells which in turn assist in strong in vivo autologous lysing of tumor cells by CD8+ cells. Thus, the addition of the Ii-Key in AE37 specifically enhances immune responses via the MHC class I pathway. Additionally, the study shows that the Ii-Key acts as an immune system adjuvant, activating both the CD4+ response and the CD8+ response against the HER2 antigenic epitope to which it is attached. The authors point out the benefit of such a complete immune response that combines CD8+ and CD4+ activation may not only induce an immediate cell mediated cytolytic response versus tumor cells but may also induce T-Helper cell mediated long-term immunity to protect against tumor recurrence.

09:20 EDT Caterpillar: Dividend is a priority for us

09:18 EDT Blink Charging deploys EV charging stations across Migdal Insurance locations - Blink Charging continues its expansion through its latest agreement with Migdal Insurance and Financial Holdings. This is the latest partnership that will allow Blink to expand its footprint internationally, now reaching into six countries across three continents. The company is seeing significant interest in their EV charging equipment, and network as worldwide demand for electric vehicles grows. Migdal Insurance will deploy Blink EV charging stations at Migdal-owned buildings in Israel. Blink, a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure, including equipment and a charging network, will provide a turnkey solution under this agreement.

09:13 EDT Harley-Davidson says gradually resuming production in a 'measured way' - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:12 EDT UPS plans to continue building capacity, automation this year

09:10 EDT UPS says liquidity good, does not expect impact to dividend

09:08 EDT Euronet acquires ATM outsourcing company Dolphin Debit - Euronet Worldwide announced the completion of the acquisition of Dolphin Debit, a U.S.-based full-service ATM outsourcing company. Dolphin Debit provides comprehensive ATM outsourcing of more than 1,900 ATMs for its approximately 300 bank and credit union customers across the United States. Financial institutions choose Dolphin and Euronet ATM outsourcing solutions to free their staff of the burden of ATM operations in order to focus on the institution's core competencies. Benefits include the reduction of capital and operational expenses, improvement of ATM performance and innovations, management of ATM compliance obligations, achievement of economies of scale, and elimination of arduous vendor management. The market opportunity for ATM outsourcing is large for Dolphin and made more attainable through the addition of Euronet's own experience in outsourcing and pass-through processing as well as the company's advanced payments technologies.

09:07 EDT Caterpillar: Pandemic a 'fluid' situation

09:06 EDT Avalon GloboCare partners with HydroPeptide for ACTEX product development - Avalon GloboCare announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with HydroPeptide to engage in co-development and commercialization of a series of clinical-grade, exosome-based cosmeceutical and orthopedic products. Product characterization, process development and bio-manufacturing standardization will be performed at Weill Cornell Medicine, a cGMP and FACT-accredited facility led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Yen-Michael Hsu. A three-way material transfer agreement has been signed and executed by Avalon, HydroPeptide and Weill Cornell Medicine. Stem cell-derived Avalon Clinical-grade Tissue-specific Exosomes is one of the core technology platforms that has been co-developed by Avalon GloboCare and Weill Cornell Medicine. This strategic partnership aims to synergize the technological expertise in skin care technology and regenerative medicine from both companies, as well as the acceleration of product commercialization pathways.

09:05 EDT Maximus awarded $40M contract from IRS - Maximus announced that Maximus Federal has been awarded a contract from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, for the agency's recent Information Technology Financial Management Application Support, or ITFMAS, task order. The task order was awarded through the General Services Administration's Alliant 2 contract vehicle and is valued at $40M for the total contract period. The five-year award enables Maximus to continue its incumbent support of the IRS' custodial financial systems, which records and reports tax information to allow the agency to conduct private debt collection and passport management, as well as to meet the requirements of the annual GAO audit of the U.S. General Ledger. The award also makes it possible for Maximus to help support the IRS' ability to provide agile support to implement new tax legislation with impacts at the agency level and for tax filers and preparers. The award comes in time for tax filing season, during which complex reporting requirements must be implemented in accordance with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, while meeting the requirements of the IRS integrated modernization business plan.

09:03 EDT Ingredion commits to achieving gender parity by 2030 - Ingredion Incorporated has joined the Paradigm for Parity coalition, pledging its commitment to achieving gender parity in corporate leadership roles by 2030. The action plan includes: Minimizing and eliminating unconscious bias in the workplace; Significantly increasing the number of women in senior operating roles, with the near-term goal of at least 30 percent representation in all leadership groups; Measuring targets and maintaining accountability by providing regular progress reports; Basing career progress on business results and performance, rather than physical presence in the office; and Providing sponsors, not just mentors, to women well positioned for long term success.

09:01 EDT UPS says no U.S. industry verticals, ex-healthcare, grew volumes in March - UPS executives said Asia volume "appears to be stabilizing," while Europe "is in transition." In the U.S., business-to-consumer, or B2C, volume made up 70% of shipping volume as of the end of March and that trend extended into April. No industry verticals in the U.S. had positive shipping volume growth in March, except for healthcare, and that trend has extended into April, UPS executives said on the company's Q1 earnings call.

08:56 EDT PepsiCo sees low single digit commodity inflation for Q2, FY20

08:55 EDT Weyland's AtozGo expands food delivery service to Jakarta residential consumers - Weyland Tech has expanded AtozGo, its food delivery service for office workers in Jakarta, Indonesia, to the city's residential tenants. The extended service area and hours of operation allows the city's urbanites to use the AtozGo mobile app to order food from local grocery and convenience stores, as well as other household services, including dry cleaning, shoe repair, maintenance, cleaning and water bottle delivery. Powered by Weyland's m-Commerce technology and the AtozPay mobile payment platform, AtozGo allows users to easily pay for their deliveries and services using their AtozPay e-Wallet. Many city tenants have already been using the AtozPay fintech solution to pay their phone, utility, rent and other personal bills, with more than $24 million being transacted on the platform annually and growing. AtozGo makes delivery of food or services from local establishments quick and easy, and over the last eight months since its launch, the number of AtozGo registered users has grown to more than 105,000.

08:53 EDT March export volume from Asia up 15% on local day basis, UPS says - UPS executives are reviewing results during the company's Q1 earnings call.

08:49 EDT Sellas Life Sciences CEO says will continue to report data in 2020 into 2021 - SELLAS Life Sciences Group announced that it has released its annual letter to shareholders. In the shareholder letter Angelos Stergiou, MD, ScD h.c., SELLAS' President & CEO, addresses the Company's product development, anticipated clinical milestones, and operational plans for 2020. Excerpted here are two key passages: "As I write this letter, we are in unprecedented times and all of us at SELLAS wish you and your families to remain safe and healthy. Although we are now all living through this COVID-19 pandemic, I hope to convey a theme of growth and transformation at SELLAS as we are further advancing our clinical programs and remain diligent in our business development and licensing efforts. We greatly appreciate your dedication and support of our company over the years and we are confident that 2020 will demonstrate that your loyalty was well-placed. SELLAS remains clear in its mission and vision to develop and deliver complex and innovative treatments for patients battling cancer. Against the backdrop of the current pandemic, we are doing our best to manage those elements of our business that we believe we can control - progressing our assets, generating clinical and immunobiological data, executing on clinical development and progressing with business development opportunities. As of this writing, the three ongoing clinical trials for our lead clinical candidate, galinpepimut-S, have not been materially impacted. And our business development efforts seeking a licensee for our Phase 3 ready nelipepimut-S are also continuing. As such, we plan to continue to report data from our programs as it becomes available throughout the remainder of 2020 and into 2021."

08:45 EDT FluroTech provides update on COVID-19 test development thesis - FluroTech is pleased to provide an update on its business strategy as it relates to the development of a COVID-19 analytical testing device. The scope of FluroTech's contribution along with its equity participation is still being determined; however, its share in FluroTest is currently expected to be in the range of 30% to 40%. The partnership and the development of the testing device is subject to financing. The company said, "As previously disclosed, 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 looking to adapt that technology to be able to test for COVID-19. We are still in the early stages of research and development and accordingly are not currently making any express or implied claims that the technology can, or will be able to, accurately diagnose the COVID-19 virus. FluroTest plans to complete a financing and enter into partnerships with strategic partners, including manufacturers and contact tracking companies. FluroTest is a development stage, Delaware limited liability corporation initially formed with several strategic partners, including Alberta BioPhotonics Ltd., FluroTech and the medical college based in Albany, NY. The Company's goal is to utilize specific fluorescence-labeled antibodies to target a specific virus and/or labeled virus components, which FluroTest believes can result in, among others, the following four potential outcomes: Rapid detection and identification of a specific virus using an easier and safer method to obtain saliva samples; Quantification of the viral load in such sample; Development of an antibody test for the detection and quantification of specific antibodies in the population; in order to determine if immunity has been developed; and Development of a novel methodology that can be applied to rapidly detect, identify, and test new future viruses and associated antibodies with a low-cost, point of care kit. FluroTest believes that these four possible outcomes could be accomplished through the deployment of a test at the point of care in a short period of time, which based on the currently commercialized Platform Technology, may be as fast as 15 minutes after sample collection. FluroTest's technology development efforts require expertise in spectroscopy and fluorescence as well as immunology and virology. This initiative is a collaborative effort between U.S. and Canadian scientists. FluroTest believes that the fluorescence signal of small labeled specific binding molecule such as an antibody can be precisely measured and will only change upon binding to its target, in this case the COVID-19 virus. The magnitude of the change will provide information about the viral load range. Inversely, virus proteins, virus like particles or any other relevant viral macromolecule can be labeled and used as target for antibodies that were developed during the immune response of patients."

08:44 EDT Caterpillar: Will be difficult to achieve previous margin, FCF view - Caterpillar says it will be difficult to achieve margin, FCF view previously communicated during its 2019 investor day.

08:43 EDT Sarepta announces research agreement with U.S. DoD for COVID-19 - Sarepta Therapeutics announced that the Company and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Department of Defense's lead laboratory for medical biological defense research, have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. The purpose of the CRADA is to jointly identify antisense oligonucleotides using Sarepta's proprietary phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer platform with activity against SARS-CoV-2 for the potential treatment of COVID-19. Previously published clinical and preclinical studies of Sarepta's RNA technology have found evidence of antiviral activity of Sarepta's PMO technology in coronaviruses and other viruses. Pursuant to the CRADA, Sarepta will design, synthesize, manufacture and provide to USAMRIID multiple peptide-conjugated PMO constructs based on genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19. USAMRIID will evaluate the constructs on characterized wild-type SARS-CoV-2 viruses for their potential to inhibit viral infection. Based on the results, Sarepta and USAMRIID will consider collaborative funding proposals to advance the development of treatments for COVID-19.

08:41 EDT Caterpillar: Financial position is strong

08:40 EDT Benefitfocus reduces CEOs take home pay to zero, U.S. workforce by 17% - Benefitfocus announces a series of actions to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business and ecosystem. The company has taken significant steps to protect its employees, customers and business partners, reduce its underlying expenses, enhance its financial flexibility and maintain its liquidity profile. Benefitfocus is streamlining expenses and redirecting resources to increase automation, improve efficiencies and continue innovating. The actions announced today are expected to enhance profitability, preserve cash and allow the company to scale to serve a larger number of consumers in need, in addition to the employers, health plans and partners it works with today. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Benefitfocus has taken the following actions to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees and customers, contain costs and further preserve its liquidity profile: Caring for and supporting employees and customers: Implemented a mandatory work-from-home policy, beginning March 19, to ensure the safety and well-being of employees; Established the Benefitfocus Together Fund to financially support the company's own at-risk employees and their families; Introduced the COVID-19 Resource Center and, subsequently, the Community Resource Center, which provide business continuity planning resources and support tools for employer customers; and, Introduced benefitplace.com to offer affordable individual and family health plan alternatives, and other benefits to support the well-being of displaced workers. Strengthening expense management and liquidity profile: The company has taken the following expense-related actions until conditions stabilize: Implemented executive compensation reductions including reducing the take home pay for the CEO to zero and a 20% salary reduction for the executive leadership team; Implemented reduction in take home pay for the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors to zero and a 25% reduction in equity compensation for all other Board members; Eliminated all non-essential expenses including travel and third-party vendors; Suspended merit increases and promotions; Reduced global resources; and, Suspended 401(k) company match. In addition, the company has suspended hiring for all open positions except critical roles and is reducing immediately its U.S. workforce by approximately 17% or 250 employees. The company expects to take a restructuring charge in Q2 which will include a cash charge of approximately $5 million relating to these activities.

08:39 EDT Therapix Biosciences receives noncompliance notification from Nasdaq - Therapix Biosciences announced that on April 8, it received notice that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel granted the Company an extension until May 18 to regain compliance with the minimum $2,500,000 stockholders' equity requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550. Further, effective April 16, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting related market conditions, Nasdaq has elected to provide temporary relief from the continued listing bid price, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550 and market value of publicly held shares listing requirements, by tolling compliance through June 30. As a result, companies presently in compliance periods for any Price-Based Requirements, will remain at that same stage of the process immediately after the Tolling Period, starting July 1.

08:38 EDT Southwest has continued to experience weak passener demand in April - The Company has continued to experience weak passenger demand and bookings in April 2020, and operating revenues are currently estimated to decrease, year-over-year, in the range of 90 to 95 percent; available seat miles are estimated to decrease approximately 60 percent, year-over-year; and load factor is estimated to be approximately 6 percent. For May 2020, operating revenues are also currently estimated to decrease, year-over-year, in the range of 90 to 95 percent; capacity is estimated to decrease in the range of 60 to 70 percent, year-over-year; and load factor is estimated to be in the range of 5 to 10 percent. The revenue environment remains uncertain, and the Company is unable to reasonably estimate trends beyond May 2020.

08:37 EDT PepsiCo says in 'attack mode' to increase e-commerce sales

08:36 EDT Synchronoss reports inducement grants to employees under Nasdaq listing rule - Synchronoss Technologies announced that the Company issued restricted stock and stock option awards to twelve newly hired employees. Each of these grants was an inducement award that was approved by the Compensation Committee of Synchronoss' Board of Directors, and granted as an inducement equity award under the Company's 2017 New Hire Equity Incentive Plan in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). Synchronoss granted the twelve newly hired employees an aggregate of 9,413 time-based restricted stock awards. The shares of restricted stock will vest 25% on the first, second, third and fourth anniversary of the grant date subject to continuous service thereafter. In addition, the employees received an aggregate of 3,137 time-based stock option awards. The Stock Options will vest 25% on the first, second, third, and fourth anniversary of the grant date subject to continuous service thereafter.

08:34 EDT Oxford Square Capital expects to reduce or suspend distributions - The company said, "As previously announced by the Company, our Board of Directors had declared monthly common stock distributions through June 30, 2020. While no decision has yet been made with regard to the Company's common stock distributions for July, August and September, we believe that the Company's Board of Directors will likely elect to reduce or suspend the Company's distributions for those months. In light of current economic and market conditions, specifically as a result of the global crisis caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we believe that no reliance should be placed on the prospect for any particular level of distribution for those months, or for any other periods."

08:32 EDT Ford issues equipment recall for select 2013-2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles - Ford Motor Company is issuing an equipment recall for certain replacement handlamps. The affected replacement headlamps were sold directly to customers or installed on select 2013-16 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. Due to a backorder of replacement headlamp assemblies in North America, some dealers began ordering and installing headlamp assemblies designed for the Korea and China markets, which were similar in design to North America units and appeared to function properly. However, the dealers were unaware that the units did not comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including for headlamp beam patterns, illuminated side markers, horizontal adjustments and U.S. Department of Transportation markings. Ford Motor Company is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition. This action affects 130 replacement headlamps, including those on 37 vehicles identified by Ford in the United States.

08:28 EDT Immutep reports Phase II TACTI-002 data - Immutep Limited announces further positive interim data from its ongoing Phase II TACTI-002 study. The data relates to the data cut-off date of 20 March 2020 and shows improving efficacy results. The results are being presented today as a poster short talk audio presentation as part of the high-impact paper presentation program by TACTI-002 Principle Investigator, Dr Martin Forster of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation at the American Association for Cancer Research Virtual Annual Meeting. TACTI-002 is being conducted in collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA (MRK). It is evaluating the combination of the Company's lead product candidate eftilagimod alpha with MSD's KEYTRUDA in up to 109 patients with second line HNSCC or NSCLC in first and second line. Stage 1 Part A: Increasing ORR of 53%, with 9 out of 17 patients reporting a Partial Response according to iRECIST. 6 now confirmed with at least a 2nd CT scan. 1 out of 9 of these patients has progressed thus far. Remarkably, 2 patients responded after 8 and 11 months. 71% patients with target lesion decrease. Improving PFS with majority of NSCLC patients still under treatment at 8+ months. Median PFS is not yet reached with all patients having passed the 8+ month mark already. PD-L1 distribution as expected a ~30% with greater than or equal to 50% PD-L1, indicating the PD-L1 all comer trial. Tumour responses continue to be reported across all three PD-L1 expression level groups for NSCLC. 4 out of the 9 responders had a PD-L1 expression less than50%. Stage 1 Part C: Maintained interim ORR of 33% with 6 out of 18 patients reporting a Partial Response according to iRECIST. All 6 patients with iPR still under therapy and five of the six responses confirmed. 1 patient with outstanding imaging . 44% patients with target lesion decrease. 1 patient responded after 8 months. 50% of patients still under treatment. Median PFS is not yet reached. PD-L1 distribution across all expression levels, indicating PD-L1 all comer trial. Safety: The combination treatment continues to be safe and well tolerated with no new safety signals reported thus far. TACTI-002 Recruitment Update: Trial recruitment continues to progress well, with 76 patients out of up to 109 already enrolled at 12 clinical sites across Australia, Europe, the UK and US. Recruitment details for each Part are below and are current as at the date of today's announcement.

08:23 EDT Covenant Transportation appoints John Tweed as COO, Paul Bunn as CFO - Covenant Transportation Group announced the following executive team changes: John Tweed has been named Co-President and COO, with responsibility for enterprise-wide operations, sales, and safety functions, as well as the expansion of our contract logistics business and improvements in our operating efficiency. Joey Hogan has been named Co-President and CAO, with responsibility for all enterprise-wide administrative functions, including strategic planning, finance, human resources, and information technology, as well as equipment and maintenance. Messrs. Bunn and Cribbs will continue to report to Mr. Hogan. M. Paul Bunn has been named Executive Vice President and CFO, with responsibility for all enterprise-wide efficiency, financial, and accounting functions. Richard Cribbs has been named Senior Vice President of Strategy & Investor Relations, Treasurer, with responsibility for our capital structure, strategy, risk management, and investor relation functions. Tweed joined the Company in July 2018 following our acquisition of Landair Holdings and previously was the EVP and COO of Landair. Mr. Hogan served as our President and COO from February 2016 to April 2020. Bunn previously served as our Executive Vice President since April 2019, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer since January 2012, and Senior Vice President since 2017. Cribbs served as our Executive Vice President and CFO since February 2016.

08:19 EDT IntelGenx expects to receive micro-processing license in April - In response to investor and media inquiries, IntelGenx Technologies provided an update regarding its micro-processing license application for its Montreal, Quebec facility that is currently being reviewed by Health Canada, in accordance with the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. "Based on recent conversations with Health Canada's Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, which is reviewing our application, we were expecting to receive our micro-processing license sometime in April," said Dr. Horst G. Zerbe, CEO of IntelGenx. "Health Canada has continued to review applications for new cannabis licenses and security-clearance applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, as its staff are operating remotely with a limited ability to perform certain functions, we have to accept the possibility of a delay."

08:17 EDT Pfizer selects EV ARC for sustainable workplace charging - Envision Solar International (EVSI) announced that Pfizer (PFE), Inc. has deployed the Company's EV ARC, off-grid, solar-powered EV charger to provide workplace charging for its employees and guests in its Pearl River, New York office location. Pfizer selected an EV ARC model equipped with three Enel Level II chargers which is capable of charging three electric vehicles simultaneously. Certain EV ARC models are capable of charging as many as six EVs at a time and can reach ten spaces when deployed in dual parking aisles. The EV ARC products' zero-construction deployment enabled Pfizer to save money by avoiding construction and electrical costs. The 100% solar-generated electricity saves money on avoided utility bills and enables Pfizer's employees to Drive on Sunshine, fully emissions free.

08:16 EDT Lightbridge CEO says goal is to stretch cash runway to end of 2021 - Lightbridge issued an update letter to shareholders from Seth Grae, President & CEO: The letter said in part, "I hope you and your family are safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of great economic uncertainty, we have taken steps to significantly reduce our burn rate in order to preserve the cash we have on hand. Our goal is to stretch our runway with current cash in our accounts to the end of 2021 while focusing on key research and development activities. We remain committed to full transparency with our shareholders. I am not satisfied with our stock price, and don't believe it reflects the value of Lightbridge. Aside from our current cash position, we have invested tens of millions of dollars to develop Lightbridge's valuable technology, including Lightbridge Fuel rods, assemblies, and manufacturing methods, that is protected by a significant worldwide patent portfolio and trade secrets. The potential for our technology has been recognized by major companies in the nuclear industry and the Department of Energy and its Idaho National Lab. In fact, the barriers to entry within the DOE and INL are quite significant; to achieve this level of industry recognition is a testament to the potential of Lightbridge's technology, and speaks to the wide disconnect in the market value of our stock. Congress is providing historically high levels of support for nuclear power, with large majorities of votes in favor by members of both political parties. The administration is strongly promoting nuclear power, from the White House setting policies to DOE making its facilities and experts at national labs available to companies developing advanced nuclear technologies. Lightbridge has recently won a voucher from DOE's Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear program, to support development of Lightbridge Fuel in collaboration with INL. We expect a long and fruitful partnership with DOE and INL...We are postponing our annual meeting until later this year, due to issues related to the printing of our proxy materials as a result of the pandemic. However, we will file a Form 10-K/A in the coming days that will include information that we've traditionally included in the proxy statement ahead of our annual shareholders meeting. This will include our management compensation and disclosures for 2019, along with our newly instituted Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which facilitates executive and employee ownership of Lightbridge stock by permitting all Lightbridge employees to purchase shares on the open market through after-tax payroll deductions. The Board expects all our named executive officers to participate in the ESPP. We believe that providing this information in a timely manner is in the best interests of our shareholders...We have commenced arbitration proceedings. We are confident of our position and will provide updates in the future."

08:13 EDT Vaxart announces corporate update for Q1 - Vaxart provided an update on its financials for the first quarter of 2020, and a corporate update ahead of its presentation at the Maxim Infectious Disease Virtual Conference on May 5, 2020. "This has been a busy quarter at Vaxart, as we have focused on developing a vaccine candidate for COVID-19," said Wouter Latour, MD, CEO of Vaxart Inc. "We believe our oral tablet vaccine could be an important tool to help protect the global population from COVID-19." 2020 Q1 Financials Update and Recent Corporate Highlights: Vaxart had cash of $29.9M as of March 31, 2020. Vaxart received a total of $10.3M from warrant exercises during the quarter. Vaxart will receive $2.8M in royalty revenue for Q1 2020. On April 21, 2020, Vaxart announced that its lead vaccine candidates generated anti-SARS CoV-2 antibodies in all tested animals after the first dose. The Company expects to announce additional four-week data within days and the selection of lead development candidate shortly thereafter. axart is continuing with its manufacturing collaboration with Emergent and provided Vaxart elects to proceed, is on schedule to produce bulk cGMP vaccine in time for initiation of a Phase 1 clinical study during the second half of 2020.The Universal Influenza vaccine collaboration with Janssen remains on schedule to provide results in mid-2020. The Company continues to pursue strategic, financial and public-private partnerships to advance its development candidates, including its coronavirus vaccine candidates, norovirus and seasonal influenza vaccine programs.

08:11 EDT Selecta Biosciences appoints Goran Ando to board of directors - Selecta Biosciences announced the appointment of Dr. Goran Ando to its Board of Directors, replacing Amir Nashat, effective April 24, 2020. Amir will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to Selecta. Ando currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Eyepoint Pharma, and holds seats on the Boards of Parexel, Tessa Therapeutics, and EUSA Pharma.

08:09 EDT Alkaline Water receives ordeers for eco-friendly aluminum bottles - The Alkaline Water Company announced that it has delivered approximately 300,000 eco-friendly aluminum bottles to the California and Texas markets. Further to the Company's press release of April 14, 2020, Nasdaq has given the extraordinary market conditions, determined to toll the compliance periods for bid price requirements through June 30, 2020. Accordingly, the Company will now have until December 21, 2020 to regain compliance with the $1 closing bid price requirement under the NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).

08:08 EDT Adaptimmune announces positive COMP opinion for ADP-A2M4 in EU - Adaptimmune Therapeutics announced that the European Medicine Agency's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has adopted a positive opinion for Orphan Drug Designation for ADP-A2M4 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. Adaptimmune's SPEARHEAD-1 trial with ADP-A2M4 for people with synovial sarcoma and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma is actively enrolling at approximately 25 clinical sites in Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US. The SPEARHEAD-1 trial is intended to support the registration of ADP-A2M4 for the treatment of advanced synovial sarcoma and MRCLS. The COMP adopts an opinion on the granting of orphan drug designation, after which the opinion is submitted to the European Commission for endorsement. This designation by the European Commission provides certain regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union, and where the treatment provides a significant benefit to those affected by the condition or no satisfactory treatment is available. Earlier this year, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted Orphan Drug Designation to SPEAR T-cells targeting MAGE-A4 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation for the treatment of synovial sarcoma.

08:06 EDT Arlo Technologies and Kartchner Homes announce strategic partnership - Arlo Technologies and Kartchner Homes announced a strategic partnership to integrate award-winning Arlo's Video Doorbell into homes built over the next 12 months providing homebuyers a premiere solution in smart entry technology. Kartchner Homes has selected the Arlo Video Doorbell for its class-leading performance and features.

08:05 EDT FIS launches FIS Ventures to invest $150M in fintech startups over three years - FIS announced that FIS Ventures, the newly created corporate venture investment division of FIS, has launched an effort to invest a target of $150M in fintech startups over the next three years. FIS Ventures will invest globally in early to growth-stage fintech startups with a focus on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital enablement and automation, data and analytics, security and privacy, distributed ledger technology and financial inclusion. In addition to capital investments, FIS Ventures will actively partner with these companies, providing proprietary access as appropriate to FIS' global reach and scale, operating expertise, diverse customers and channel partners to help fulfill their long-term growth ambition.

08:05 EDT Axcelis announces order for Purion Dragon from leading memory manufacturer - Axcelis Technologies announced that it has received orders for the Purion Dragon high current system from a leading memory manufacturer. The Purion Dragon is a revolutionary new high current implanter architecture, featuring innovative orthogonal beam optics, designed for advanced memory and logic applications. The orders include the successful completion of a tool evaluation with follow on business to the same memory customer. The systems will support high volume production of NAND memory devices. The follow on order shipped in Q1.

08:03 EDT Nucor says 'likely' to report a loss for Q2 - The company said, "The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on market conditions has been varied across our different product groups. While the automotive and energy markets have seen the sharpest decline, nonresidential construction, which is our largest end market, has shown resiliency moving through this pandemic. Where we have seen impact on nonresidential construction activity, the sentiment is projects would be delayed rather than cancelled. It is also worth noting that there has been a fairly significant supply side response to the pandemic, with a number of our competitors having idled capacity in response to these challenging conditions. It is likely that the company will report a loss in the second quarter of 2020. While the economic outlook is highly uncertain at present, with the duration of the COVID-19 induced downturn difficult to predict, we currently believe that market conditions will bottom in the second quarter and Nucor will return to profitability in the second half of this year. We believe our financial strength will be a critical factor enabling Nucor to weather this sudden economic downturn, while reliably serving our customers, performing for our investors and remaining an employer of choice for our teammates."

08:03 EDT Accenture subsidiary awarded $96M IT task order from VA - Accenture Federal Services, a subsidiary of Accenture, has been awarded a task order to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, provide cutting edge, consumer-grade Information Technology, or IT, and mission service experiences, to both our nation's Veterans and the VA employees and stakeholders responsible for providing care to Veterans. The $96M contract between Accenture Federal Services, or AFS, and VA's Service Management Office, or SMO, has a five-year period of performance. Through this contract, VA will fundamentally change the way in which their employees get work done and how Veterans engage with VA for the wide range of services to which they have access. AFS will work with VA to help the agency automate manual workflows and introduce applied intelligence, or AI, and machine learning capabilities to allow VA's workforce to focus on more complex tasks that serve Veterans. AFS will also collaborate with the SMO to increase visibility into the health of the IT infrastructure that supports mission-critical services, so the agency can proactively identify operational or security incidents, respond to them more quickly, and increase service availability for both Veterans and VA employees.

07:57 EDT StorageVault completes purchase of two stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba - STORAGEVAULT CANADA announced that, further to its April 9, 2020 news release, it has completed the acquisition of two stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba from Access Self Storage, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,845,000, subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Acquisition is a non arm's-length transaction. The purchase price for the Acquisition in the amount of $7,845,000, subject to customary adjustments, was paid by the issuance of 1,240,323 common shares of StorageVault at a deemed aggregate price of $3,845,000 or $3.10 per common share, with the remainder being paid with mortgage financing and funds on hand. The Payment Shares are subject to a hold period that expires on August 16, 2020.

07:56 EDT Ritter Pharmaceuticals urges stockholders to vote on Qualigen merger - Ritter Pharmaceuticals is urging its stockholders to vote now on the proposed merger with Qualigen, a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease, as well as the expansion of its flagship FastPack point-of-care diagnostic platform. "We are urging all of our stockholders to take a few minutes to vote by phone, internet or mail on this important transaction," said Ritter CEO Andrew J. Ritter. "It's also important to note that the merger cannot be consummated without the approval of each of the proposals being voted on at the Special Meeting, including approval of the proposed reverse stock split. The reverse stock split is necessary to ensure that the combined company meets Nasdaq's initial listing minimum bid price requirement, so that it may be listed on Nasdaq following the merger and is a condition to the closing of the merger. Ritter stockholders should also be aware that they will not be subject to a lock-up period following the merger." Ritter stockholders as of the close of business on March 26, 2020, the record date for the Special Meeting, are eligible to vote and attend the virtual Special Meeting. The Ritter board of directors has recommended that the Ritter stockholders vote "FOR" each of the proposals.

07:55 EDT Primoris announces utility award valued over $105M - Primoris Services Corporation announced the renewal of a Master Service Agreement with a major utility customer with a three year anticipated value of $105M. The contract was secured by Q3 Contracting, part of the Utilities & Distribution segment. The award is a three-year agreement for the construction and installation of electric cable and natural gas mains and services in the Western region of the U.S. It is estimated that the MSA will generate approximately $35M per year over the course of the contract. While the agreement does not obligate the customer to award Primoris a specific dollar amount, our discussions and history with the customer form the basis for our anticipated value.

07:49 EDT ScoutCam receives $500,000 purchase order for micro cameras - Medigus announced that ScoutCam Ltd., received a purchase order for its micro cameras from a leading fortune 500 multinational healthcare corporation, in the amount of $500,000. ScoutCam Ltd. is the wholly-owned subsidiary of ScoutCam, which is majority owned by Medigus. ScoutCam's camera will be used by the multinational healthcare corporation for various medical procedures which require the use of a micro camera.

07:46 EDT Charah Solutions awarded CBR impoundment project by Southeastern utility - Charah Solutions announced that it recently was awarded a closure by removal, or CBR, impoundment project by a Southeastern utility. Charah Solutions will be responsible for the closure of approximately 100 acres of ash ponds located at a former coal-fired power station that was retired in 2015. The scope of work includes the installation of environmental controls, installation of new rail as well as improvements to existing rail infrastructure, and the construction of a large concrete loadout area. Over the next several years as the closure of the ponds is under way, over 2M tons of ash is expected to be beneficially used in the concrete industry. At the project's conclusion, the former ash ponds will be restored as useable property.

07:44 EDT GNC Holdings receives notice from NYSE on continued listing standards - GNC Holdings announced that it has received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the Company does not presently meet certain NYSE continued listing standards which require the Company to maintain a minimum average closing price of $1.00 per share over a period of 30 consecutive trading days, and an average market capitalization of at least $50 million over a period of 30 consecutive trading days, unless at the same time the Company's total stockholders' equity is equal to or greater than $50 million. As set forth in the notice, as of April 21, 2020, the 30 trading-day average closing share price of the security was $0.56, the 30 trading-day average market capitalization was approximately $47.3 million and its last reported stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2019 was approximately $(207.3) million. The notice has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company's common stock, which will continue to trade on the NYSE subject to the Company's compliance with the other continued listing requirements. In accordance with applicable NYSE procedures, the Company plans to timely notify the NYSE that it intends to pursue actions to meet the minimum average share price requirement. The NYSE provides for a period of six months following receipt of the notice to meet the share price standard and regain compliance for continued listing on the NYSE. In accordance with applicable NYSE procedures, the Company also plans to timely notify the NYSE that it intends to present a plan to meet the minimum market capitalization requirement. The NYSE provides for a period of 45 days from receipt of the notice to submit a plan advising the NYSE of definitive actions the Company has taken, or is taking, that would bring it into conformity with the market capitalization listing standard within 18 months of receipt of the notice. The Company is currently evaluating its available options and developing a plan to return to conformity with the minimum market capitalization requirement.

07:41 EDT Balchem releases 2019 sustainability report - Balchem Corporation released its 2019 Sustainability Report, which captures the Company's commitment to managing our Environmental, Social and Governance performance. This report demonstrates the Company's continuing commitment to provide our employees, customers, shareholders and the communities within which we operate with information on Balchem's sustainability initiatives. The company said, "Highlights of the report include: The number of people around the world touched by our health and nutrition products; Our amount of research and development investment focused on nutritional solutions; Our continuous focus on employee safety and diversity; Increasing use of renewable raw material in our products; Our investment in reducing the use of water and energy in our manufacturing processes; The percentage of our sales coming from products developed and introduced over the last five years."

07:40 EDT Kiniksa continues to expect data from Phase 2 trial of vixarelimab in 1H20 - Kiniksa continues to expect data from cohorts of an exploratory Phase 2 trial of vixarelimab in diseases characterized by chronic pruritus in the first half of 2020.

07:38 EDT Kiniksa prepares for potential registrational development program for COVID-19 - Kiniksa has engaged with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is preparing for a potential registrational development program for mavrilimumab in COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. In parallel, academic investigators in the U.S. and Italy are planning investigator-initiated placebo-controlled studies.

07:36 EDT Kiniksa continues to expect data from RHAPSODY in 2H20 - Kiniksa completed enrollment in RHAPSODY, a pivotal Phase 3 trial of rilonacept in patients with recurrent pericarditis, a painful autoinflammatory cardiovascular disease. The company continues to expect data in the second half of 2020. Kiniksa is preparing for the commercialization of rilonacept in recurrent pericarditis by generating evidence on disease burden, building disease awareness with payers, physicians and advocacy groups, and establishing core capabilities such as distribution, patient services and data management.

07:32 EDT Moleculin Biotech approved to accelerate European clinical trial - Moleculin Biotech announced that it is now authorized by the Polish Department of Registration of Medicinal Products known as URPL to accelerate the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of its clinical trial of Annamycin for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. The URPL has allowed an amendment to the Annamycin clinical trial protocol, which among other things, includes an increase in the dose escalation increment between cohorts from 30 mg/m to 60 mg/m. The clinical trial is currently recruiting for the 240 mg/m cohort, so this amendment allows the next cohort to increase to 300 mg/m, assuming all requirements for safety are met with the 240 mg/m cohort.

07:30 EDT Blueprint Medicines trading resumes

07:28 EDT Apellis reports analysis from Phase 1b geographic atrophy study - Apellis Pharmaceuticals announced early data from the Phase 1b APL2-103 study of pegcetacoplan in patients with advanced geographic atrophy and low vision. The study, which enrolled 12 patients, was initiated to assess the safety of the Phase 3 formulation of pegcetacoplan. Patients were dosed with pegcetacoplan in one eye using the fellow eye as untreated control. The analysis of APL2-103 has shown that the Phase 3 formulation was well tolerated over 12 months of treatment. Of the 12 patients, there were no cases of inflammation and one patient developed new-onset exudation. The formulation used in this Phase 1b study is the same as that being evaluated in the Phase 3 DERBY and OAKS GA studies, which are expected to be fully enrolled in the first half of 2020. In the nine Phase 1b study patients who had bilateral GA, and for whom data were available for at least 12 months, the growth rate of GA lesions in the treated eye was on average 31.1% slower than the opposite untreated eye. This trend is consistent with the reduction seen in the post-hoc analysis of pegcetacoplan compared to the contralateral control eye in the monthly treated group in the completed Phase 2 FILLY study of pegcetacoplan in GA. This observation is noteworthy because lesions in both eyes of patients with bilateral GA are known to grow at similar rates.1 As in FILLY, GA lesions in the APL2-103 study were measured by blinded readers in a third-party reading center. The ongoing pegcetacoplan development program in GA includes the Phase 1b APL2-103 study and the Phase 3 DERBY and OAKS studies. The patient population enrolled in the Phase 1b study is similar to DERBY and OAKS but allowed for more advanced disease with a wider range of lesion size and lower visual acuity. In February 2018, Apellis announced positive 18-month results from the Phase 2 FILLY study that demonstrated pegcetacoplan significantly reduced the growth rate of GA lesions. The DERBY and OAKS studies were initiated in 2019 with the pegcetacoplan formulation tested in this Phase 1b study and are expected to fully enroll in the first half of 2020.

07:27 EDT BioXcel Therapeutics initiates Phase 2 study of BXCL701 - BioXcel Therapeutics announced the initiation of the Phase 2 efficacy portion of the Phase 1b/2 trial of BXCL701 in combination with pembrolizumab for treatment emergent Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer. Initial interim data from this study is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. Results from the Phase 1b safety assessment of BXCL701, an investigational oral innate immunity activator, indicated that a split dose totaling 0.6 mg per day is the recommended dose when used in combination with KEYTRUDA, a PD-1 inhibitor. The 0.6 mg total daily dose has shown on-target side effects consistent with cytokine activation. Splitting the daily dose can be associated with an improved safety profile and will be used in the efficacy portion of the clinical program. The Phase 1b/2 trial is an open-label, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BXCL701 administered orally and daily, combined with pembrolizumab, in men with tNEPC. With the initial assessment of safety and the identification of the recommended Phase 2 BXCL701/PEMBRO dose schedule complete, the Company can now initiate the Phase 2 efficacy portion of the trial. Approximately 30 eligible tNEPC patients will receive 0.3 mg of BXCL701 twice daily on days 1 through 14 of a 21-day cycle plus 200 mg of pembrolizumab administered intravenously on day 1 and every subsequent 21 days. The primary endpoint of the trial is the composite response rate, with a target of achieving a greater than 15% composite response rate. Secondary endpoints include duration of response, overall survival and progression-free survival.

07:24 EDT Ocular Therapeutix announces Dextenza trial meets all primary endpoints - Ocular Therapeutix announced topline results from its Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Dextenza for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis, or AC. The company believes Dextenza for AC has potential as a hands-free therapy administered in the office setting as a bioresorbable, intracanalicular insert, designed to release the corticosteroid dexamethasone to the ocular surface for up to 30 days. In the Phase 3 trial, Dextenza met all pre-specified primary endpoints as demonstrated by a statistically significant mean change in ocular itching from baseline, on a subject-reported 5-point scale, at three time points on Day 8. The Phase 3 randomized, double-masked, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled 96 subjects and was conducted across 6 sites in the U.S. using Ora, Inc.'s modified Conjunctival Allergen Challenge, or Ora-CAC, Model. The primary efficacy measure for this trial was ocular itching on Day 8 at 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 7 minutes post-challenge and included subjects with seasonal and perennial allergens. The trial's primary endpoint was ocular itching measured on a 5-point scale at three pre-specified time points on Day 8, 1 week after insertion of Dextenza. Dextenza-treated subjects demonstrated a statistically significant change in ocular itching from baseline at all three pre-specified time points. An assessment of the secondary endpoint of ocular itching at all other visits Day 8, Day 14 and Day 15 also showed that Dextenza-treated subjects had lower itching scores than vehicle-treated subjects at 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes and 10 minutes post-CAC. Dextenza was observed to have a favorable safety profile and be well-tolerated with no serious adverse events observed. No subjects required rescue medication and no subjects experienced elevated intraocular pressure. There were eight ocular treatment emergent adverse events in this trial. These data are consistent with what has been observed in prior Phase 2 and Phase 3a clinical trials using a similar repeat CAC model. The company believes that the totality of the efficacy and safety data across the Phase 2 trial and the three Phase 3 trials represent a compelling package for discussion with the FDA for the treatment of ocular itching associated with AC. This package is also supported by the safety data associated with the prior approval of Dextenza for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery. The company will continue to assess additional secondary endpoints over the next several weeks. Upon completion of this review, the company intends to request a meeting with the FDA to discuss the potential submission of a supplement to its existing new drug application for Dextenza to include the treatment of ocular itching associated with AC as an additional approved indication.

07:19 EDT Citi Trends suspends quarterly cash dividend amid COVID-19 pandemic - Citi Trends provided an update on additional actions the company is taking in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said, "At Citi Trends, the health, safety and well-being of our employees, customers and the communities we serve remains our highest priority. With this focus in mind and in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) any reopening of Company stores and facilities will include operating with enhanced health, sanitation, safety and social distancing guidelines for the safety and protection of our employees and customers. The Company continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation daily and is evaluating plans and timing for the reopening of its stores and distribution centers, which have been closed for approximately six weeks. The Company intends to reopen stores and its centers as soon as practical and when it is deemed safe to do so based on state and local orders in the respective markets. The Company expects the timing for the reopening of its stores to be phased-in over a period of time and largely dependent on state and local orders. As such, as of this past weekend, the Company's stores in Arkansas have safely reopened with reduced operating hours. The Company will continue to provide updates on its current store operations on the Company's website... The Company is also continuing to proactively manage its business with a goal to increase financial flexibility and preserve cash flow in the current environment. The Company announced today that it is extending for an additional sixty days the furlough of substantially all of its store and distribution center personnel and a portion of its corporate staff, in light of the continued interruption of its business operations. However, the Company expects to bring back many of its furloughed employees in the coming weeks as its stores and distribution centers begin to reopen. The Company will continue to pay for medical benefits for covered furloughed associates through June 30, 2020 and assist all associates with information about available resources. Additionally, the Company is temporarily suspending its quarterly cash dividend beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and is suspending the 401(k) company matching program effective June 1, 2020. The Company believes that its continued focus on expense, inventory and capital expenditure reductions, including the additional actions announced today, will help preserve its financial health as it works to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure readiness to reopen its stores as conditions permit."

07:18 EDT Corning adjusting operating plan to reduce costs, capital spending - "In the first quarter, our businesses held up well, as we effectively executed our strategy despite the growing impact of COVID-19," said Tony Tripeny, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "Importantly, we're operating on a strong financial foundation, keeping ourselves positioned for long-term growth and adjusting to near-term conditions. Anticipating lower sales, we are adjusting our operating plan to reduce costs and capital spending. We have essentially no debt coming due over the next two years, and we expect to maintain a strong cash balance and generate positive free cash flow for the year. We plan to maintain our dividend and have paused share buybacks. We are committed to preserving the financial strength of the company."

07:16 EDT Clearside Biomedical expects cash to fund planned operations into 2Q21 - As of March 31, 2020, Clearside's cash and cash equivalents totaled $20.9 million. Based on Clearside's current research and development plans and expected near-term partnership milestone payments, Clearside believes it will have sufficient resources to fund its planned operations into the second quarter of 2021. Detailed financial results for the quarter will be reported via a press release on May 8, 2020.

07:15 EDT Clearside Biomedical revises NDA resubmission timeline for XIPERE - Clearside Biomedical (CLSD) announced an update to the XIPERE New Drug Application resubmission timeline and to its commercialization and development partnership with Bausch Health Companies Inc. (BHC) and Bausch + Lomb. As previously disclosed, the contract manufacturing organization for XIPERE has been completing certain requalification activities within its facility. While these manufacturing activities are not specifically related to XIPERE, the CMO has advised Clearside that they continue to impact the timing of its production. Although extensive progress has been made, the CMO needs to resolve a final step affecting the proper functioning of its filling line equipment in order to produce the required stability batches to generate the data necessary for the XIPERE NDA resubmission. As a result, and due in part to COVID-19 related challenges that have impacted work schedules, the CMO has informed Clearside that there will be a delay in completing the necessary corrective action. Based on this current information, Clearside now expects to resubmit the XIPERE NDA in the fourth quarter of 2020.

07:12 EDT Amag Pharmaceuticals appoints Scott Myers as president, CEO - AMAG Pharmaceuticals announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Scott Myers as AMAG's President and CEO, and member of the Board, effective immediately. Mr. Myers succeeds William Heiden, who is stepping down from such roles in light of Mr. Myers' appointment. Myers most recently served as Chairman and CEO of Rainier Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on metastatic bladder cancer.

07:09 EDT Shutterstock withdraws FY20 financial guidance - "Given the significant uncertainty that remains regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including the pace of recovery, the severity of the impact on the global economy, our customers' ability to maintain marketing spend, and the resulting difficulty in forecasting, we are withdrawing the 2020 financial guidance we previously announced on February 13. While revenues have been negatively impacted since the onset of the pandemic, at current volumes, we expect to produce significant earnings and free cash flow in 2020, allowing us to continue paying a quarterly dividend and reinvesting in our business. We are well positioned financially with $296M in cash and no debt. Our strong liquidity position combined with the progress we are making against our margin enhancement initiatives make us well positioned to meet our financial objectives when demand returns to historical levels," concluded Jarrod Yahes, CFO.

07:08 EDT Arvinas expects cash to fund planned capital expenditures into 2022 - Based on its current operating plan, Arvinas expects its cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its planned operating expenses and capital expenditures into 2022.

07:07 EDT Arvinas announces anticipated milestones, expectations - For the ARV-110 program, Arvinas expects to share updated data from the dose escalation portion of its Phase 1/2 clinical study in men with mCRPC in a presentation at the virtual ASCO annual meeting in the second quarter of 2020. For the ARV-471 program, which is being studied in patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer, Arvinas expects to share data from the dose escalation portion of its Phase 1/2 clinical trial in the second half of 2020. In the second half of 2020, Arvinas expects to provide information about the advancement of additional programs in its robust preclinical pipeline.

07:06 EDT Sirius XM: Pandora added 51,000 net new self-pay subscribers in Q1 - Pandora added 51,000 net new self-pay subscribers to its Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium service in the first quarter to end the period with over 6.2 million self-pay subscribers. Paid promotional subscribers remained near 51,000, flat quarter-on-quarter but down from 736,000 at the end of the first quarter of 2019, as a result of a reduction in paid promotional subscriptions due to the expiration of an agreement with T-Mobile in the third quarter of 2019. Total Pandora subscribers at the end of the period were 6.3 million.

07:04 EDT Sirius XM temporarily suspends stock repurchases - "SiriusXM returned approximately $300 million of capital to stockholders in the first quarter of 2020. We repurchased approximately $243 million of our common stock and paid approximately $59 million in dividends to stockholders. Last week, we announced our regularly quarterly dividend. We expect to continue this quarterly dividend in 2020 and beyond. In late March, we temporarily suspended our stock repurchases as we evaluated the implications of the COVID-19 crisis. Our existing stock repurchase program has $924 million remaining under the present authorization. At the end of the first quarter, our debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio was 3.1 times, and we had the entire $1.75 billion available on our revolving credit facility. With our very strong liquidity and cash flow, we plan to resume share repurchases in the second quarter and beyond," added CFO David Frear.

07:03 EDT Caterpillar: Q2 to be more significantly impacted by COVID-19 than Q1 - Sees decline in dealer inventories at higher end of prior $1B-$1.5B range for 2020. Expects to continue to return substantially all free cash flow to shareholders. Sees annual tax rate of 31%, excluding discrete items.

07:02 EDT Blueprint Medicines announces results from the Phase 3 VOYAGER clinical trial - Blueprint Medicines announced top-line results from the Phase 3 VOYAGER clinical trial of avapritinib versus regorafenib in patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor, or GIST. The VOYAGER trial did not meet the primary endpoint of an improvement in progression-free survival, or PFS, for avapritinib versus regorafenib. Top-line safety data for avapritinib were consistent with those previously reported. Blueprint Medicines plans to continue to commercialize AYVAKIT in the U.S. for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic GIST harboring a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation, including PDGFRA D842V mutations, and seek marketing approval for avapritinib for the treatment of this patient population in additional geographies. Blueprint Medicines continues to anticipate a decision from the European Commission on its marketing authorization application for the treatment of adults with PDGFRA D842V mutant GIST in the Q3. Based on the top-line VOYAGER data, the company plans to discontinue further development of avapritinib in GIST beyond PDGFRA exon 18 mutant GIST.

07:01 EDT Harley-Davidson outlines path to new strategic plan - Harley-Davidson said, "The company is executing a set of actions, referred to as The Rewire, that will be further developed over the coming months, leading to a new strategic plan. These actions are part of a comprehensive Rewire playbook designed to address top priority opportunities, drive consistent execution and reset the company's operating model in order to reduce complexity, sharpen focus and increase the speed of decision making. The company expects The Rewire actions - those already taken and those that will be implemented over the coming months - to lead to the definition of a new 5-year strategic plan that will incorporate key products and initiatives from the More Roads plan but will focus more on the markets and products that can drive performance in terms of profitability and growth. Key elements of The Rewire: Return focus to the strength of brand and company, starting with dealers, customers, stronghold products and committed employees globally. Re-evaluate strategies to reach new riders and build ridership. Narrow focus and invest in the markets, products and customer segments that offer the most profit and potential. This includes building on Harley-Davidson's strong position in the U.S. Establish a simplified market coverage model and take cost out of the process. Continue to be guided by the voice of customers and dealers to optimize value and profit delivery. Simplify and retime launches to reflect the new reality, align with the start of riding season and better suit the capacity of the company and dealers. Expand profitable iconic motorcycles to excite existing customers. Remain committed to Adventure Touring, Streetfighter and advancing electric motorcycles. Develop a comprehensive strategy across P&A and GM businesses that focuses on assortment and distribution opportunities, maximizes channels, improves ecommerce capabilities and grows revenue and margins for both the company and dealers. Align P&A and GM strategies with motorcycle strategy for a holistic presentation to the market. Each of these key elements of The Rewire playbook includes actions that have been implemented or are currently being developed."

06:59 EDT Roper Technologies CEO says all manufacturing facilities 'remain operational' - "Our primary focus during this unprecedented time is on the safety and well-being of our employees and their families," said Neil Hunn, Roper's President & CEO. "All of our businesses with manufacturing facilities have been deemed essential and remain operational, supplying our customers with vital and necessary products. Additionally, all of our businesses are highly productive and operational in their work-from-home environments." "Clearly, this global health crisis has created tremendous uncertainty in the future economic outlook," said Hunn. "However, for nearly two decades, Roper has transformed our business model to be one that is characterized by high levels of recurring revenue, direct channel access, low fixed costs, low capital expenditure requirements, and high levels of operating cash flow. For these reasons, and many others, we are highly confident in our ability to successfully navigate the situation. We will continue to invest in innovation and talent, enabling Roper to be on the offensive during and after this period." "We expect our cash flow generation capability to remain very strong," continued Hunn. "Our balance sheet is exceptionally well positioned with $1 billion in cash and an undrawn $2.5 billion revolving line of credit. Given these factors, we will continue to pursue our disciplined capital deployment strategy."

06:58 EDT Blueprint Medicines trading halted, news pending

06:58 EDT Harley-Davidson suspends discretionary share repurchases amid COVID-19 outbreak - The company is executing its plan to address the impact of COVID-19 and begin its recovery through a multitude of recent actions. Reduced planned capital spending and also reduced planned spending across every part of the organization including freezing hiring, temporarily reducing salaries and eliminating merit increases for employees in 2020. The company also implemented other aggressive cost management efforts such as retiming the launch of new products. In total, the company expects these efforts to preserve approximately $250M of cash in 2020. Additionally, the company suspended discretionary share repurchases. The company has maintained $2.47B in liquidity including $1.47B cash as of the end of the quarter and remains compliant with all covenants. Recently, the company amended its $1.42B credit facilities, extended its 364-day loan facility and is in discussions with major U.S. banks to secure an additional $1.30 billion in liquidity. Additionally, the company expects to access the capital markets in the near future. Harley-Davidson eased the burden on its dealers by providing support based on the unique needs of each region, including financial support for motorcycle inventory, extending credit payment due dates on parts and accessories, or P&A, and general merchandise, or GM, and adjusting dealer requirements for warranty and training. The company also offered dealer discounts on certain GM products and is engaging with dealership staff via live chat sessions to share unique ways to stay connected during the crisis. For customers, many dealers remain open for service support and the company continues online sales of P&A and GM, and along with dealers, is offering home delivery of new motorcycles in states and countries where it is permitted. For riders who have been impacted by COVID-19, Harley-Davidson Financial Services is helping keep riders on the road. The company acted quickly and in alignment with government efforts to protect the safety and health of employees and the Harley-Davidson community. The company implemented travel restrictions, enhanced sanitation practices, cancelled events and closed facilities including temporarily suspending global manufacturing starting in March. In support of relief efforts, the Harley-Davidson Foundation donated $150,000 to the United Way's COVID-19 relief fund. Through its "United We Will Ride" efforts, the company is connecting riders who want to help provide relief through food drives, blood donations and other ways to make a difference in their communities. As the company focuses on recovery efforts for the business, it has prepared and started implementing rigorous protocols and procedures for worker safety and is working with its supply chain to be ready to resume operations. The company has restarted some manufacturing and will gradually ease work-at-home restrictions at the appropriate time, which will vary by region.

06:54 EDT PepsiCo CFO: Some businesses have performed well to-date

06:53 EDT Merck reports Q1 Keytruda sales up 45% at $3.28B - Reports Q1 JANUVIA / JANUMET sales down 6% at $1.28B and GARDASIL / GARDASIL 9 sales up 31% at $1.10B.

06:52 EDT Merck says to-date, COVID-19 has not had material impact on production - The company states: "Continuity of supply of our medicines and vaccines to our patients and customers is a critical priority for Merck. To date, COVID-19 has not had a material impact on the production and supply of Merck's medicines and vaccines. The company continues to have normal supply levels for most of its products, including KEYTRUDA and GARDASIL [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent / GARDASIL 9, and doubled production capacity for ESMERON (rocuronium bromide), a muscle relaxant used for intubation in certain countries outside the U.S., to address a surge in market demand due to COVID-19. In general, Merck's total supply chains are 6 to 12 months in length. The company currently believes supply of its medicines and vaccines will remain at normal levels through the pandemic.

06:49 EDT Pfizer says no 'significant disruption' to supply chain to date - Pfizer's manufacturing and supply chain professionals have been working continuously in an effort to ensure continued patient access to Pfizer medicines and vaccines. Across its plant network, Pfizer has implemented its preparedness plan to control site operations. To date, Pfizer has not seen a significant disruption in its supply chain, and all of its manufacturing sites around the world have continued to operate at or near normal levels. So far, Pfizer has been able to mitigate distribution issues that have arisen, including by using newly available commercial air capacity to transport inventory. Pfizer continues to monitor for actions by governments that could result in disruptions to supply movements. In addition, Pfizer is taking a number of steps simultaneously to scale up manufacturing operations at risk to accelerate its ability to supply a potential novel treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. Pfizer is also committed to offering any excess manufacturing capacity and to potentially shifting production in order to support others' efforts to manufacture any life-saving breakthroughs that may be developed to combat COVID-19.

06:47 EDT Centrus Energy signs LOI to supply commercial HALEU to ARC - Advanced Reactor Concepts, or ARC, and Centrus Energy have signed a letter of intent, or LOI, to cooperate in supporting deployment of U.S. uranium enrichment capacity to produce high assay, low enriched uranium, or HALEU, an advanced nuclear fuel that could power both existing and next-generation nuclear reactors, including ARC's sodium-cooled fast reactor design, the ARC-100. While the letter is non-binding and non-exclusive, it reflects the parties' long-term commitment to enter into a purchase agreement that would enable Centrus to supply commercial HALEU that ARC needs to deploy its reactor technology in the late 2020s.

06:44 EDT PepsiCo seeing increase in eating breakfast, tendency to snack more under SIP

06:42 EDT PepsiCo sees long runway for growth in many international markets - Comments taken from Q1 earnings pre-recorded management discussion.

06:41 EDT PPG sees Q2 net interest expense $35M-$40M

06:40 EDT 3M cuts FY20 CapEx view to about $1.3B, suspends share repurchases - The company is continuing to adapt quickly to the current environment, with a focus on mitigating the near-term impact while positioning 3M's businesses for success coming out of the crisis. Actions being taken include: Taking aggressive cost reductions while minimizing employee impact-estimated cost savings of $350 to $400 million in the second quarter of 2020; Adjusting capital allocation plans-prioritizing organic investments and the dividend, and suspended share repurchase program; Reduced full-year 2020 cap-ex plan to approximately $1.3 billion versus $1.6 to $1.8 billion, previously; Added $1.75 billion of cash via March 2020 debt issuance; Continue to expect after-tax proceeds of $0.4 billion from closing of drug delivery divestiture in second quarter 202.

06:38 EDT PPG: Units mostly performing at, above financial targets through early March - Through early March, the company's businesses, with the exception of those in China, were mostly performing at or above the financial targets set at the outset of the year, it said in Q1 earnings conference call prepared remarks. In the last two weeks of March, however, many of the larger original equipment manufacturer customers were forced to shut down; a number of architectural paint stores in certain countries were mandated to close; and miles driven and flown throughout the world fell sharply as many countries imposed stay-at-home mandates.

06:38 EDT 3M CEO: 'Financial impact of COVID-19 is varying across 3M' - "In this unprecedented time, I could not be more proud of how our 96,000 people have stepped up to help fight COVID-19, and I thank all 3Mers for their incredible efforts," said Mike Roman, 3M chairman and CEO. "We are attacking the pandemic from all angles, which includes mobilizing all of our resources and rapidly increasing output of critical supplies to healthcare workers and first responders." "Given the breadth and diversity of our businesses, the financial impact of COVID-19 is varying across 3M," Roman continued. "In the first quarter we saw strong growth in personal safety, as well as in other areas of our portfolio experiencing high demand due to the pandemic. At the same time, we experienced weak demand in several end markets that were more severely impacted by actions taken around the world to slow the pandemic. Looking ahead, 3M is taking action that will help us navigate near-term uncertainty, generate strong cash flow, and lead out of the slowdown by delivering for employees, customers and shareholders."

06:35 EDT D.R. Horton says COVID-19 'adversely' affecting business operations - The company said, "The Company's results of operations can be affected by changes in economic conditions that negatively impact the housing, lot development and financial services markets. Economic fundamentals remained solid in the housing market throughout most of the second quarter of fiscal 2020, as interest rates on mortgage loans remained low, demand was strong and there was a limited supply of homes at affordable prices across most of the Company's markets. However, during the latter part of March and into April, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19) and the related widespread reductions in economic activity across the United States began to adversely affect the Company's business operations and the demand for its homes across all of its operating markets. The Company has experienced increases in sales cancellations and decreases in sales orders in late March and to date in April as compared to the same period in the prior year. Month-to-date in April 2020, the Company's net sales orders are approximately 11% lower than the same period a year ago. This month-to-date net sales trend may not be indicative of the net sales results that may be expected for the full month of April 2020, because a significant number of sales contract cancellations typically occur in the final days of each month, which can significantly affect net sales orders for the full month. As of the date of this report, the Company's weekly net sales order volumes in the most recent two weeks have increased as compared to the preceding four weeks. In almost all of the municipalities across the U.S. where the Company operates, residential construction and financial services have been designated as essential businesses as part of critical infrastructure. The health and safety of D.R. Horton's employees, customers and trade partners is the Company's first priority as operations continue. The Company has safely continued its homebuilding and financial services operations in those markets where allowed and has implemented operational protocols to comply with social distancing and other health and safety standards as required by federal, state and local government agencies, taking into consideration guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health authorities. The Company's mortgage subsidiary, DHI Mortgage, has experienced lower pricing and gains on the sales of its mortgage loans and servicing rights in late March and April, due to disruption in the secondary mortgage markets. Many purchasers and servicers of mortgages have limited their purchases and tightened their credit standards due to liquidity and operational challenges caused by COVID-19 and the uncertainty of the impact of the borrower forbearance provisions of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act enacted in late March 2020. There is significant uncertainty regarding the extent to which and how long COVID-19 and related government directives, actions and economic relief efforts will disrupt the U.S. economy and level of employment, capital markets, secondary mortgage markets, consumer confidence, demand for the Company's homes and availability of mortgage loans to homebuyers. The extent to which this impacts the Company's operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of COVID-19 and the impact on D.R. Horton's customers, trade partners and employees, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted."

06:33 EDT D.R. Horton reports Q2 homes closed up 8% - In Q2: Homes closed increased 8% in homes and 10% in value to 14,539 homes and $4.4B. Net sales orders increased 20% to 20,087 homes and 22% in value to $6B.

06:32 EDT Vale's Q1 production suffered 'limited' impact due to COVID-19 pandemic - Looking ahead, Vale said in a statement that the COVID-19 impact on Vale's operations could be more meaningful,mainly from: (i) the potential increase in absenteeism levels in its producing sites, if Vale needs to intensify safety measures to protect its employees in case there is an escalation of contagion in the communities close to operations, (ii) postponement of scheduled plant maintenance stoppages in Base Metals due to safety restrictions, and (iii) potentially deeper restrictions imposed by authorities in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which may ultimately strain Vale's minimum labor contingent.

06:30 EDT Omnicom provides COVID-19 business update - The company said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global economy. Public health efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic include government actions such as travel restrictions, limitations on public gatherings, shelter in place orders and mandatory closures. These actions have negatively impacted many of our clients' businesses and in turn clients have reduced or plan to reduce their demand for our services. As a result, we experienced a reduction in our revenue beginning late in the first quarter of 2020, as compared to the same period in 2019, and is expected to continue for the remainder of the year. Such reductions in revenue could adversely impact our ongoing results of operations and financial position and the effects could be material. While we expect the pandemic to affect substantially all of our clients, certain industry sectors have been affected more immediately and more significantly than others, including travel, lodging and entertainment, energy and oil and gas, non-essential retail and automotive. Clients in these industries have already acted to cut costs, including postponing or reducing marketing communication expenditures. While certain industries such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, technology and telecommunications, financial services and consumer products have fared relatively well to date, conditions are volatile and economic uncertainty cuts across all clients, industries and geographies. Overall, while we have a diversified portfolio of service offerings, clients and geographies, demand for our services can be expected to decline as marketers reduce expenditures in the short-term due to the uncertain impact of the pandemic on the global economy. As a result of the impact on our business, each of our agencies is in the process of aligning their cost structures, including severance actions and furloughs to reduce the workforce, and tailoring their services and capabilities to changes in client demand. We have recently taken numerous proactive steps to strengthen our liquidity and financial position that we expect will help mitigate the potential impacts of COVID-19, including: The amendment and extension of our $2.5 billion credit facility to February 2025, The suspension of our share repurchase program, The issuance in February of $600 million 10-year 2.45% Senior Notes, The early redemption of the remaining $600 million of 4.45% Senior Notes that were due in August 2020, The issuance in early April of an additional $600 million 10-year 4.20% Senior Notes, and The completion in early April, of a $400 million 364-day revolving credit facility, which is in addition to our existing $2.5 billion revolving credit facility that expires in February 2025. We have no long-term debt maturing until May 2022."

06:29 EDT Vale reports Q1 iron ore fines production 59.6 Mt, below guidance - Vale's iron ore fines production totalled 59.6 Mt, below the production guidance of 63-68 Mt for 1Q20. The main causes for that result are: (i) losses of 4.5 Mt in the Northern System from (a) unscheduled maintenance of the long distance conveyor belt at S11D; (b) concentrated, stronger-than-usual weather-related conditions, especially in March; (c) operational restrictions at the Northern Range connected to the postponement of the startup of the new Morro 1 mining section; (ii) losses of 1.8 Mt from lower third-party purchases, due to reduced availability caused by the heavy rains in the southeast of Brazil; and (iii) losses of 2.1 Mt from a number of operational issues in the Southeastern System, mainly in the Itabira Complex. Sales volumes of iron ore fines and pellets reached 59.0 Mt, in line with production in 1Q20.

06:25 EDT HSBC pauses majority of redundancies related to transformation - CEO Noel Quinn said: "The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our customers has been the main driver of the change in our financial performance since the turn of the year. The resultant increase in expected credit losses in the first quarter contributed to a material fall in reported profit before tax compared with the same period last year. We have therefore paused the vast majority of redundancies related to the transformation we announced in February to reduce the uncertainty they are facing at this difficult time. We continue to press forward with the other areas of our transformation with the aim of delivering a stronger and leaner business that is better equipped to help our customers prosper in the recovery still to come."

06:23 EDT PTC Therapeutics announces results from part 2 of pivotal FIREFISH study - PTC Therapeutics announced positive results from part 2 of the pivotal FIREFISH study evaluating risdiplam in infants with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy. The global study met its primary endpoint of infants sitting without support for five seconds by month 12, as assessed by the Gross Motor Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition, or BSID-III. Type 1 SMA babies do not achieve this milestone without therapy. Substantial results were demonstrated across multiple secondary and exploratory endpoints, as infants in the study achieved milestones not seen in natural history. In addition to being able to sit without support, infants were able to maintain upright head control, roll to the side, and stand without support after 12 months of treatment. At 12 months, 95% infants maintained the ability to swallow and 89% were able to feed orally. No new safety signals were identified in part 2 of the study.

06:21 EDT Ballard Power announces orders from Solaris Bus & Coach - Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Solaris Bus & Coach, a leading European bus and trolleybus manufacturer headquartered in Bolechowo, Poland, for 20 of Ballard's new 70 kilowatt heavy-duty FCmove-HD fuel cell modules. These modules will power 20 Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses planned for deployment in South Holland, the most populous province of The Netherlands, under the Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe funding program. The buses will be operated by Connexxion, which provides transport services for South Holland province.

06:12 EDT Pacific Premier reports tangible book value per share of $18.60 at March 31 - Compares with $18.84 at December 31, 2019.

06:10 EDT Boeing sees Q2 economic fuel costs $1.00-$1.10 per gallon - Estimates include $24M, or 12c per gallon, in premium expense and no cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts, compared with $2.13 per gallon in second quarter 2019, which included $28M, or $5c per gallon, in premium expense and 6c per gallon in favorable cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts. As of April 22, the fair market value of the company's fuel derivative contracts for the remainder of 2020 was an asset of approximately $3M, and the fair market value of the fuel hedge portfolio settling in 2021 and beyond was an asset of approximately $81M.

06:07 EDT PepsiCo: Previous FY20 financial outlook 'no longer applicable' - PepsiCo said: "Despite a strong first quarter, there is still a great deal of uncertainty that exists in relation to COVID-19, including how geographies, retail channels and consumer behaviors will evolve overtime. Due to this uncertainty, the Company's previous financial outlook regarding fiscal year 2020 is no longer applicable. However, with a strong balance sheet, highly cash generative business and ample liquidity, we believe we have adequate flexibility to meet the needs of our business and return cash to shareholders."

06:07 EDT PepsiCo closes acquisition of Rockstar Energy Beverages - PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said: "I am pleased to announce that we closed our highly strategic acquisition of Rockstar Energy Beverages and have entered into a national agreement to be the exclusive distributor of Bang Energy drinks in the United States. Together, these brands coupled with Mountain Dew, positionPepsiCo to better participate and capture its fair share within an attractive and highly profitable category."

06:04 EDT Polaris Industries: COVID-19 to be 'substantial challenge' for remainder of year - Scott Wine, Chairman and CEO said, " Polaris opened 2020 on an upswing, with retail demand significantly outpacing our expectations, but the abrupt impact of COVID -19 in mid-March drastically altered our momentum. Since then we have honed our focus to four goals which will guide us through this crisis: the safety of our employees, the viability of Polaris, the strength of our dealer network, and stewardship for our shareholders and other stakeholders. Through fast action and bold decisions, we enhanced workplace safety and re-aligned our operations to match evolving demand trends. We also moved aggressively to optimize our cost structure, preserve liquidity, and augment our financial strength and flexibility, and we are actively supporting our dealers as they find innovative ways to serve customers and reignite demand. We expect the COVID-19 pandemic, and its corresponding shock to the economy, to be a substantial challenge for the global economy and our business through the remainder of the year and possibly longer. Nevertheless, I am confident in our dedicated and hard-working Polaris team's ability to navigate through this unprecedented environment and emerge a better, stronger, and more agile business. Regardless of the headwinds we face, our commitment to being a customer-centric, highly efficient growth company remains unchanged, as we believe this vision will propel our business forward and further solidify our position as the global leader in Powersports."

06:02 EDT Polaris Industries: Q1 No. America retail sales down high-single digits - First quarter North American retail sales decreased high-single digits percent for the quarter compared to last year; Indian motorcycles retail sales were up low-single digits percent.