Stockwinners Market Radar for May 04, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:29 EDT Bio-Rad gets EUA from FDA for droplet digital PCR SARS-CoV-2 test kit - Bio-Rad announced that its SARS-CoV-2 Droplet Digital PCR, or ddPCR, test kit has been granted Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The SARS-CoV-2 Droplet Digital PCR, ddPCR, test runs on Bio-Rad's QX200 and QXDx ddPCR systems. The high sensitivity of the test makes it well suited to screening upper respiratory samples in patients with a low viral load, including individuals in the early stages of infection as compared to classical quantitative PCR tests. The test can also play an important role in surveillance by detecting minimal residual disease in people recovering from COVID-19 informing them if they are negative for the virus. Bio-Rad's single-well SARS-CoV-2 ddPCR test provides clinicians with a high degree of sensitivity that can significantly improve the accuracy of reported results. According to the World Health Organization, regular, accurate testing of COVID-19 is a key component in the fight against the global pandemic.

18:44 EDT Emergent BioSolutions CEO: We're here to support vaccine candidates - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Robert Kramer said Emergent BioSolutions has a history of focusing on public health threats. "We've built a model around helping the public respond to threats," he said. Kramer noted EBS could potentially make hundreds of millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine available to the public. He added that EBS is doing everything it can to make sure a vaccine is available and shorten the development process.

18:08 EDT Annaly Capital CEO buys 100K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Annaly Capital disclosed that its CEO David Finkelstein bought 100K shares of common stock on May 4th. The total transaction size was $603K.

18:00 EDT Don Miguel Foods to reopen as scheduled on May 4 - Don Miguel Foods, LLC announced that it will reopen as scheduled Monday, May 4, following a 14-day voluntary pause. The operations are opening with a new awareness initiative for team members for their workplace and homeplace called KEEP COVID OUT! During the pause in operations, enhanced safety procedures were implemented including deep cleaning of the entire facility, restrictions on carpooling and additional social distancing measures. Don Miguel Foods will be moving forward with a reopening plan that exceeds CDC and OSHA guidelines, ensures team member safety and continues to reflect best practices in the food industry. Don Miguel Foods is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MegaMex Foods Corporation and produces tacos, burritos, chimichangas and other Mexican prepared foods products for retail and foodservice outlets. MegaMex Foods is a joint venture between Herdez Del Fuerte and Hormel Foods Corporation.

17:50 EDT Duluth Holdings cuts FY20 capex plan in half to about $15M - The company negotiated an incremental delayed draw term loan of $20.5M that will be available to be drawn before April 29, 2021 and also amended its loan covenants to allow for greater flexibility during its peak borrowing periods this year. Measures to manage cash flows and other expenses that were previously disclosed in our April 10th press release have been implemented and are expected to lead to cost savings and a sizable reduction in our cash burn due to the temporary store closures. The company's liquidity position as of May 4, 2020 has improved since April 10 with $85M outstanding on its line of credit, $7M of cash on its balance sheet and an additional $20.5M of borrowings now available on its $150M credit facility. The company's capital expenditure plans for 2020 have been cut in half and are expected to be close to $15M.

17:47 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance is up 2% after Reuters report of interest in unit - Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is up 2% after Reuters report of AmerisourceBergen (ABC) interest in its drug distribution unit.

17:33 EDT Avis Budget reports Q1 adj. EBITDA ($87M) vs. ($1M) last year - Reports Q1: Rental Days 34.5M, down 7% from last year; Revenue per day $51.36, down 1% from last year; Vehicle utilization rate 62.2%, down 7.2% from last year.

17:31 EDT Avis Budget sees 'adequate liquidity' into 2021 - The company states: "As of March 31, 2020, we had available liquidity of $1.6 billion, comprised of $0.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents, approximately $0.7 billion of accessible cash from our vehicle programs, which is not consolidated on our balance sheet, and $0.2 billion in availability under our revolving credit facility after taking into account estimated needs for letters of credit. We estimate our cash burn for the second quarter 2020 will be approximately $800 million, excluding $100 million of debt retirements associated with our senior notes due 2023 which were redeemed in February. We have no meaningful corporate debt maturities until 2023 and have no material fleet financing maturities in 2020. Based on current operational assumptions, we believe we have adequate liquidity for the balance of 2020 and into 2021."

17:26 EDT American Water implements 2nd step of 2-step rate increase plan - Indiana American Water announced it has implemented the second step of a two-step rate increase approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in June 2019 for the company's water customers across the state. The new rates are effective for all water service provided to Indiana American Water customers after May 1, 2020. Indiana American Water's ongoing infrastructure investments are the primary driver behind the increase. The company included more than $542 million of water infrastructure investments in a request filed in September 2018 to increase its water rates. Of that amount, approximately $79 million was invested at three Indiana American Water treatment facilities to, among other things, add ultraviolet disinfection to the existing treatment process, adding an extra layer of protection against chlorine-resistant microbes, viruses and pathogens that may be present in surface water sources.

17:22 EDT Restaurant Brands jumps 6% after Ackman's Pershing square raises stake - Shares of Restaurant Brands are up over 5% in after-hours trading after Bill Ackman's Pershing Square says it believe that the Restaurant Brands is undervalued and is an attractive investment.

17:16 EDT CapStar Financial appoints Michael Fowler as CFO - CapStar Financial Holdings announced the hiring of Michael Fowler as CFO. Fowler will succeed Robert Anderson who will remain with CapStar through June 30 to ensure a smooth transition. Fowler will join CapStar subject to the legal close of the pending First Horizon and IBERIABANK merger, where he has served as IBERIABANK's executive VP Financial Risk since 2013.

17:12 EDT Activist investor Pershing Square sees Restaurant Brands as undervalued - Pershing Square owns 29,061,569 shares of Common Stock in Restaurant Brands. The Subject Shares represent approximately 9.6% activist stake in the company. The Reporting Persons believe that Restaurant Brands' Stock is undervalued and is an attractive investment. Pershing Square intends to engage in discussions with the Issuer and Issuer's management and board of directors, other stockholders of the Issuer and other interested parties that may relate to the business, management, operations, including cost structure, assets, capitalization, financial condition, strategic plans, governance and board composition and the future of Restaurant Brands.

17:01 EDT Ritchie Bros. names Jim Kessler as COO - Ritchie Bros. announced the appointment of Jim Kessler as COO. In his new role, Kessler will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company as well as work in close collaboration with the leadership team and leverage the expertise and capabilities across the enterprise to deliver operational excellence together with an exceptional customer experience. He will serve as a member of Ritchie Bros. Executive Committee and report to Ann Fandozzi, CEO.

16:58 EDT L Brands falls over 14% to $10.34/shr after ending deal with Sycamore Partners

16:55 EDT Mosaic sees FY20 CapEx ~$1.2B

16:50 EDT Wyndham Hotels & Resorts still unable to provide FY20 outlook - The company's ability to assess the impact of COVID-19 on its full-year financial results continues to be limited due to the rapidly evolving circumstances and uncertainty in travel demand. As a result, the company remains unable, at this time, to accurately predict and provide 2020 outlook.

16:49 EDT Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has eliminated approximately 440 positions - In response to the effects on travel demand as a result of COVID-19, the company identified approximately $255 million of cash savings. In connection with these initiatives, the company has eliminated approximately 440 positions, reduced capital spend to focus only on the highest priority projects, eliminated all non-essential spend, consolidated certain facilities and indefinitely suspended Ballotti's salary and the company's Board of Directors' cash compensation. As a result, the company recorded a restructuring charge of $13 million during the first quarter of 2020 and expects to incur an additional charge of $18 million during the second quarter of 2020. The first quarter charge primarily represents future cash expenditures for the payment of severance and related benefits costs resulting from the elimination of approximately 260 positions. The company expects this initiative to be substantially complete in the second quarter of 2020 and that annual savings realized will be approximately $30 million. The second quarter charge will represent future cash expenditures of approximately $13 million for the payment of severance and related benefit costs resulting from the elimination of approximately 180 positions and approximately $5 million of lease-related costs. The company expects this initiative to be substantially complete in the second quarter of 2020 and that annual savings realized will be approximately $21 million to $25 million.

16:47 EDT Wyndham Hotels & Resorts suspended repurchase activities in March

16:40 EDT GenMark appoints Scott Mendel as CEO - GenMark Diagnostics announced that Scott Mendel has been appointed president and CEO effective immediately. Mendel, who will also join the board, has served as interim CEO since February. Prior to being named interim CEO, Mendel served as GenMark's COO since February.

16:38 EDT Foundation Building Materials names Onur Demirkaya as Chief Accounting Officer - Foundation Building Materials announced that its Board of Directors appointed Mr. Onur Demirkaya as Chief Accounting Officer, effective May 12, 2020. Mr. Demirkaya joined the Company as Vice President of Finance and Accounting in December 2014.

16:36 EDT Palomar announces Bill Bold, as Chief Strategy Officer - Palomar Holdings announced Jon Christianson will assume the role of Chief Underwriting Officer, while continuing to serve as Chief Operating Officer, succeeding Andy Robinson, who has announced his intention to retire, effective August 1, 2020. The Company also announced the appointment of Bill Bold, as Chief Strategy Officer. "Andy Robinson and Jon Christianson are part of the founding team at Palomar, joining the Company prior to inception, and are both widely respected within our organization. A talented underwriter, Andy has been instrumental in our success from our formative years through our initial public offering to where we are today. I want to thank Andy for his time and dedication to Palomar. He will be missed," commented the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Mac Armstrong. "I am excited to see Jon ascend into this seat as Palomar further executes its strategic plan. He will continue to play a pivotal role in our long-term success." "I am thrilled to welcome Bill Bold to the team at Palomar," commented Mr. Armstrong. "Bill brings us a wealth of knowledge across a range of industries and I look forward to working closely with him. His extensive experience in policy, strategy and government affairs will prove a terrific and distinctive asset to Palomar." Mr. Bold will report to the Company's Chief Executive Officer, and will be responsible for strategy, external communications, policy, legal and regulatory affairs. Mr. Bold teaches corporate strategy and public policy to graduate students at the University California San Diego and most recently, served as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, at Qualcomm (, where he spent the majority of his 30 year career focusing on public policy and its relationships with government entities and related organizations at the international, federal, state, and local levels.

16:35 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs applauds U.S.'s self-initiation of Section 232 investigation - Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) praised the U.S. Department of Commerce's self-initiation of an urgent Section 232 investigation covering laminations for stacked transformer cores, stacked and wound transformer cores, electrical transformers, and transformer regulators. The outcome of this investigation will be critical to addressing circumvention of existing national security tariffs covering Grain Oriented Electrical Steel using laminations and cores cut in Mexico and in Canada as means for tariff evasion, the company said. Cleveland-Cliffs' wholly-owned subsidiary AK Steel (AKS) is the last remaining producer of GOES in North America. This blatant circumvention activity has degraded the domestic electrical steel market and now threatens the viability of Cleveland-Cliffs continuing to produce GOES, a critical element to the security of America's electric grid, according to Cleveland-Cliffs. Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer said, "We are confident that this self-initiated investigation will reinforce the critical nature of ensuring a reliable domestic supply of GOES to support electric power distribution, and will address the circumvention of national security tariffs involving transformer laminations and cores of GOES. Cleveland-Cliffs greatly appreciates the bipartisan leadership of Senator Rob Portman (OH), Senator Bob Casey (PA), Senator Sherrod Brown (OH), Congressman Mike Kelly (PA), Congressman Troy Balderson (OH), Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH) and other Congressional leaders who helped facilitate this path forward, as well as the great support from our Union partners with the United Auto Workers. The integrity of America's electric grid and over 1,400 family-sustaining jobs at AK Steel's Butler Works in Pennsylvania and Zanesville Works in Ohio depend on speedy resolution of this investigation."

16:33 EDT GlaxoSmithKline reports 6.03% passive stake in Vir Biotechnology - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) reports a holding of 6,626,027 shares of Vir Biotechnology (VIR), representing a stake of 6.03%. Its filing does not allow for activism.

16:30 EDT Realty Income provides update of impact of COVID-19 - On April 9 we withdrew our 2020 guidance that was provided on February 19 to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to limit its spread. We are continuing to evaluate these impacts on our business as the situation continues to evolve and feel it is not prudent to provide revised guidance at this time. As of May 1: We have collected 82.9% of contractual rent due for the month of April across our total portfolio; we are in rent deferral discussions with tenants that account for a majority of the unpaid contractual rent for the month of April, as well as certain tenants that did pay April contractual rent; we have collected 82.9% of contractual rent due for the month of April from our top 20 tenants; and we have collected 99.9% of contractual rent due for the month of April from 2020 our investment grade tenants.

16:27 EDT Axis Capital reports Q1 book value down $6.01 in quarter to $49.78 - The company said, "Book value per diluted common share, calculated on a treasury stock basis, decreased by $6.01 in the current quarter, and by $3.06 over the past twelve months, to $49.78. The decrease in the quarter was driven by net loss generated, net unrealized losses reported in other comprehensive income, and common share dividends declared, while the decrease in the past twelve months was driven by net unrealized losses reported in other comprehensive income and common share dividends declared."

16:24 EDT CatchMark Timber sees FY20 GAAP net loss ($10.2M)-($12.2M) - Recognizing considerable ongoing economic uncertainty associated with the global pandemic, CatchMark also reported on its potential near-term effects on operations, financial results, and liquidity. The company's delivered wood sales model and fiber supply agreements enable meeting pulpwood volume targets with customers in its high-demand mill markets in the U.S. South. The demand for pulpwood, which normally comprises 50% to 60% of our harvest volumes, has remained strong and fits with CatchMark's plan to execute on seasonal thinning priorities. After a significant decline in sawlog demand early in April, mill customers in CatchMark markets have begun to recover, filling new orders based on supply chain demand. The company has closed $1.0M in timberlands sales to date during the second quarter and anticipates completing additional transactions during the quarter as its land sales pipeline remains active for the remainder of the year. Recent agreements to amend company debt covenants increased working capital liquidity under its revolving credit facility by $25M and the company does not have near-term exposure to refinancing or maturity risk. As a result of the pandemic-driven economic downturn and assuming a moderate economic rebound over the remainder of the year, CatchMark projects updated guidance for FY20. The company now sees FY20 GAAP net loss $10.2M-$12.2M; Adjusted EBITDA $43M-$50M; harvest volumes 2.2M-2.4M tons, a reduction of less than 10% due to lower expected sawtimber volumes; and timberland sales of $13M-$15M. Original FY20 guidance has not changed for: pulpwood volumes; harvest volumes derived from the U.S. South region, which remain at approximately 95%; sawtimber mix, which remains at approximately 40% in the U.S. South and approximately 80% in the Pacific Northwest; and asset management fee revenue, which remains between $11M-$12M.

16:20 EDT XPO Logistics withdrew its full-year 2020 guidance - The company withdrew its full-year 2020 guidance on April 23, 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

16:18 EDT Unum Group suspends share repurchase plan - Unum Group will not repurchase shares in 2020. The company intends to continue to pay its common stock dividend at the current rate.

16:17 EDT Varian Medical pauses share buybacks to preserve liquidity

16:16 EDT Starbucks sees more than 85% of company-operated U.S. stores reopened by May 9 - Starbucks said in a post to its corporate blog: "As Starbucks partners return to their stores this week and begin the process of re-opening responsibly, Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson shared a letter detailing the various experiences customers can expect under modified operations, including heightened safety protocols. Johnson also shared specifics around how the company will continue to provide a 'third place' for customers, needed now more than ever...By May 9, Starbucks partners will have responsibly reopened more than 85 percent of company-operated stores across the U.S. The company expects more than 90 percent of stores to be open by early June, under modified operations and hours." Reference Link

16:14 EDT AZZ Inc. names Philip Schlom as Interim CFO - AZZ announced that Paul Fehlman, Senior Vice President and CFO, will be leaving the company on May 31 to pursue other business opportunities. The company has appointed Philip Schlom, the company's Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, to assume the role of Interim CFO. The company plans to conduct a comprehensive search to find a permanent CFO.

16:13 EDT Leggett & Platt cuts FY20 CapEx over 60% to approximately $60M - Says acquisitions halted. Dividend decision to be made at May Board meeting based upon impact from evolving economic conditions.

16:09 EDT MTS Systems withdraws financial guidance for FY20 - The company said, "Consistent with our announcement on April 16 given the continued uncertainties in the business environment, we remain unable to accurately predict the specific extent, or duration, of the impact of COVID-19 on our financial results. As a result, financial guidance has been withdrawn for FY20."

16:08 EDT Del Taco deferring half of franchisees' royalty payments - Del Taco said in its earnings release, "There are currently four temporary closures, including one company-operated restaurant, representing less than 1% of the Del Taco system. During the fiscal first quarter 2020, third party delivery was available in substantially all company-operated restaurants and represented more than 3% of company-operated restaurant sales. Through the first five weeks of the fiscal second quarter 2020 third party delivery has increased to approximately 8% of company-operated restaurant sales. Third party delivery through one or more providers is also now available in more than 90% of franchised restaurants. Del Taco successfully transitioned its restaurant support center into a virtual office on March 16, 2020 and has maintained business continuity through a combination of existing and new technologies. The Company has maintained proactive communications with its distributor and key suppliers and has not experienced any meaningful disruptions to its supply chain. Del Taco will be recognizing its general managers and restaurant teams for their efforts to serve their communities through several programs, including guaranteed fiscal first and second quarter 2020 bonuses for all general managers, maintaining planned annual merit increases, and providing free meals for team members. These initiatives have been funded through a series of cost-cutting measures including implementing voluntary salary reductions for all Vice Presidents and above, reducing board member compensation, eliminating all non-essential general and administrative expense, deferring or eliminating all open support center positions and conducting a small reduction in force at the restaurant support center. The Company has actively partnered with its franchisees to help ensure their success including sharing best practices, holding regular owner conference calls with the executive team and ongoing discussions with franchise support teams. To enhance franchisee liquidity, Del Taco is deferring half of franchisees' royalty payments for the first seven weeks of the crisis, waiving 1.5% of the typical 4% system-wide marketing fee payment for eight weeks, and deferring franchise sublease rent payments for six weeks."

16:06 EDT Associated Banc-Corp to sell ABRC to USI Insurance Services for $265M - Associated Banc-Corp announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Associated Benefits & Risk Consulting, or ABRC, to USI Insurance Services. ABRC is a multi-line insurance agency and Midwest-based consulting firm with 400 employees. It is the 36th largest broker of U.S. business providing employee benefits, retirement plans, compliance, business insurance, risk management and individual insurance solutions. USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects over 7,500 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients' local, national and international needs. Under the terms of the Agreement, the purchase price is $265.755M in cash subject to adjustment for, among other things, transaction expenses, and working capital changes. ABRC's last twelve months pro forma revenues were approximately $89M. Goldman Sachs & Co. served as financial advisor and Husch Blackwell served as legal advisor to Associated in this transaction.

16:05 EDT Associated Banc-Corp to sell ABRC to USI Insurance Services - Associated Banc-Corp announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Associated Benefits & Risk Consulting, or ABRC, to USI Insurance Services. ABRC is a multi-line insurance agency and Midwest-based consulting firm with 400 employees. It is the 36th largest broker of U.S. business providing employee benefits, retirement plans, compliance, business insurance, risk management and individual insurance solutions. USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects over 7,500 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients' local, national and international needs.

16:03 EDT Kennametal CEO sees COVID-19 as 'significant operational headwind' - "Despite the many headwinds we faced in the third quarter, we delivered solid results that were strengthened by our early cost-control actions and the continued benefits of our simplification/modernization investments," said President and CEO Christopher Rossi. "Kennametal is considered an essential business by governments around the world, so we have kept almost all of our production facilities open and serving customers throughout this crisis. We ended the quarter with a strong liquidity position that will allow us to manage the uncertain times created by COVID-19 and continue to execute on our simplification/modernization strategy." Rossi continued, "As we look ahead, we expect COVID-19 will be a significant operational and market headwind. Early in this crisis we deployed global safety protocols and processes to keep our employees safe while continuing to serve critical industries. At the same time, however, COVID-19 is creating extensive uncertainty and limited visibility into our end markets, prompting us to withdraw our outlook for fiscal year 2020. We are approaching this challenging time determined to stay focused on the things we can control: keeping our employees safe, serving our customers, delivering savings from simplification/modernization and continuing to execute our strategy so that we are well-positioned for the eventual market recovery."

15:56 EDT Phunware launches Multiscreen-as-a-Service for NY system to address COVID-19 - Phunware announced the deployment of Phunware's Multiscreen-as-a-Service,MaaS, platform to provide an integrated health system in New York with its mobile healthcare solution to not only enhance the patient experience, but also to address critical challenges clinicians now face in responding to the ongoing coronavirus,COVID-19, crisis. This is the Company's first deployment of its pandemic response solution for healthcare to an existing Phunware customer since its original announcement on April 7th. As one of the largest teaching hospitals in the United States, digital transformation and innovation is a cornerstone of this Customer's strategy to ensure patient safety, provide access to lifesaving care and optimize the utilization of all available resources. With Phunware's Location Based Services, healthcare workers benefit from access to facility-wide navigation capabilities, on-site mobile directories and push notifications to better coordinate patients, as well as clinicians, who are sometimes working at unfamiliar facilities due to capacity and resource demands brought on by COVID-19. "We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women working tirelessly in response to the COVID-19 crisis," said Randall Crowder, COO of Phunware. "We are honored to support their efforts with our mobile platform to help patients and clinicians not only better understand and utilize what resources are available, but also how to locate and navigate to them."

15:15 EDT FBI reports 2.91M NICS firearm background checks in April - The FBI reported that there were 2,911,128 firearm background checks initiated through the NICS system in April 2020. This compares to 2,334,249 checks in April of 2019 and 3,740,688 checks in March 2020. Companies in the gun space include Sturm, Ruger (RGR), American Outdoor Brands (AOBC), and Vista Outdoor (VSTO).

15:01 EDT Eli Lilly declares 74c per share second-quarter dividend - Eli Lilly and Company has declared a dividend for the second quarter of 2020 of 74c per share on outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable June 10 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 15.

14:12 EDT News Corp. names Almar Latour as CEO of Dow Jones - News Corp announced the appointment of Almar Latour as the new CEO of Dow Jones and Publisher of The Wall Street Journal. Latour, who is currently Publisher for Barron's Group and Executive Vice President at Dow Jones, will assume the post with the departure of William Lewis, effective May 15. "Almar Latour is patently well-equipped to helm the world's pre-eminent journalism, business analysis and professional content company," said Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp. "Over nearly a quarter century at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, Almar has ascended from roles as a news assistant and staff reporter, becoming a bureau chief and managing editor, and more recently serving as an editor-in-chief, executive editor and publisher. He has shown distinguished leadership, editorially and commercially, and brings a deep understanding of digital challenges and opportunities. Almar is a worthy successor to Will Lewis, from whom he will inherit a wonderfully talented team and a business that is exceeding records for digital subscriptions quarter-after-quarter. The Professional Information Business has also been revivified and is now a formidable engine for robust growth."

13:20 EDT Nvidia announces plans to acquire Cumulus Networks - Nvidia announced on its website plans to acquire Cumulus Networks. The combination enables the new era of the accelerated, software-defined data center, the company said in a blog post, without disclosing the financial details. With Cumulus, Nvidia can "innovate and optimize across the entire networking stack from chips and systems to software including analytics like Cumulus NetQ, delivering great performance and value to customers." Cumulus supports more than 100 hardware platforms with Cumulus Linux, its operating system for network switches, Nvidia noted. Reference Link

12:45 EDT Ecolab board rescinds 2020 compensation increase - Aligning with Ecolab's decision to defer implementation of merit pay increases for employees in 2020 wherever legally permitted, and in recognition of the significant impact of COVID-19, the Board voted to cancel its compensation increase that was previously approved in October 2019.

12:41 EDT Disney taps Taika Waititi to direct, co-write new 'Star Wars' feature film - Disney said that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, best-known for writing and directing "Jojo Rabbit" and directing "Thor: Ragnorok," will direct and co-write a new "Star Wars" feature film for theatrical release. Waititi will be joined on the screenplay by Academy Award nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns, best-known for her work on "1917." In addition, Emmy-nominated writer Leslye Headland, known for "Russian Doll" and "Bachelorette," is currently developing a new untitled Star Wars series for Disney+. Headland will write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner for the series, which adds to a growing list of "Star Wars" stories for Disney's streaming platform including "The Mandalorian," now in post-production on Season Two, and two other previously announced series: one based on Cassian Andor's life prior to the events of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and another following the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi between "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" and "Star Wars: A New Hope." Release dates for both Waititi's and Headland's projects have not yet been announced.

12:33 EDT Ford COO James Farley buys over $1M in company shares - Ford COO James Farley disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had purchased 194,950 shares of company stock at an average price of $5.13 per share on April 30. The total transaction value of the purchase was $1,000,035.

12:12 EDT Microsoft plans to pivot its focus to single-screen Windows 10X - Panos Panay, chief product officer of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, said in a blog post that the company is aiming to pivot its focus to single-screen Windows 10X that leverages the power of the cloud to help customers work, learn, and play "in new ways." "These single-screen devices will be the first expression of Windows 10X that we deliver to our customers, and we will continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market," Panay said. "The world is a very different place than it was last October when we shared our vision for a new category of dual-screen Windows devices," Panay added. "As we continue to put customers' needs at the forefront, we need to focus on meeting customers where they are now. Our customers are leveraging the power of the cloud more than ever, and we believe the time is right to lean into this acceleration in a different way." Reference Link

12:02 EDT Ceragon Networks signs contract with new U.S. Tier 1 service provider - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

11:07 EDT Aware establishes up to $10M stock repurchase plan - Aware announced that on April 30, 2020, its Board of Directors approved a program authorizing the Company to purchase up to $10M of its common stock. The shares may be purchased from time to time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions at management's discretion, depending upon market conditions and other factors. The authorization to repurchase Company stock expires on December 31, 2021. As of April 30, 2020, the Company had 21,521,886 shares of common stock outstanding. Repurchases will be made under the program using the Company's own cash resources and will be in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and other applicable laws, rules and regulations. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock and the program may be modified or suspended at any time at the Company's discretion. As of April 30, 2020, the Company had over $46M of cash and cash equivalents.

11:06 EDT Loews: Diamond Offshore, Loews Hotels have felt the worst pain of subsidiaries - CEO Jim Tisch says offshore drilling industry has been experiencing protracted downturn since 2014. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:08 EDT Balfour Beatty JV selected for Oak Hill Parkway Infrastructure project in Austin - Balfour Beatty (BAFYY) has been conditionally selected, in joint venture with Fluor Corporation (FLR) to deliver the Oak Hill Parkway infrastructure project on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation. The design-build project will reconstruct and widen US 290 from approximately the east end of Circle Drive to Loop 1 and SH 71 from US 290 to Silvermine Drive in Travis County, west of downtown Austin. Balfour Beatty has been working with TxDOT for 25 years completing $3.8 billion in projects including the delivery of SH 130 in Austin, the Horseshoe project in Dallas, the continued delivery of the Southern Gateway and I-635 East project in Dallas. The Oak Hill Parkway project will reconstruct and widen approximately seven miles of interstate highway and improve long-term mobility and serve as a key route for Austin residents of Oak Hill, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs and other growing communities west of Austin. When complete, the interstate highway will consist of three lanes in total, widening general-purpose lanes from two to three as well as add three frontage-road lanes in each direction. An overpass for the US 290 main lanes over William Cannon Drive will be built, along with direct-connect flyovers between US 290 and SH 71. Additional project components include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations along the entire corridor, cross-street intersection improvements, U-turn lanes, upstream water detention to reduce potential floods, and storm water detention and water quality treatment ponds. The completed scheme will improve safety and reduce traffic for one of the most congested roadways in the state. Full contract award is expected in the third quarter of 2020 with works expected to commence in early 2021, and completion scheduled for 2025.

10:05 EDT Lowe's announces second $80M special payment to hourly associates - Lowe's announced several changes to further support our associates and customers, including a second $80M special payment to hourly associates and the requirement that all Lowe's associates wear a face mask when working in our stores or at customers' homes. The company said, "In recognition of our associates' dedicated efforts and to assist with unplanned expenses and hardships, we are making another $80M special payment to all of our hourly associates in May, matching the payment we made in March. All full-time hourly associates will receive a payment of $300, and all part-time and seasonal associates will receive $150, increasing Lowe's total commitment to our associates and communities to $250M. We will also continue to offer paid time off for qualified associates and telemedicine benefits for all full-time, part-time and seasonal hourly associates and their families even if they are not enrolled in Lowe's medical benefits plan. Also, Lowe's will require all associates to wear a face mask or approved face covering while working in a Lowe's store or at a customer's home. We continue to make masks and gloves available to all associates. We will also continue a number of practices we implemented over the past several weeks. Using a mobile app, Lowe's store managers will continue monitoring store occupancy, and limit customer traffic when necessary to help enforce social distancing. Lowe's stores have also changed layouts to allow for more space in aisles as well as installed plexiglass protective shields at all point of sale to protect cashiers and customers. Additionally, Lowe's offers curbside pick-up and at-home delivery options for online purchases nationwide."

10:00 EDT Warrior Met Coal rises 7.3% - Warrior Met Coal is up 7.3%, or 83c to $12.17.

10:00 EDT VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN rises 14.1% - VelocityShares 3x Long Natural Gas ETN is up 14.1%, or $3.72 to $30.07.

09:47 EDT Delta Air Lines falls -13.6% - Delta Air Lines is down -13.6%, or -$3.28 to $20.84.

09:47 EDT Front Yard Residential falls -18.9% - Front Yard Residential is down -18.9%, or -$2.05 to $8.78.

09:47 EDT Postal Realty Trust rises 8.3% - Postal Realty Trust is up 8.3%, or $1.31 to $17.00.

09:47 EDT Avis Budget trading resumes

09:42 EDT Avis Budget trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT Altisource Residential trading resumes

09:32 EDT Information Services forms automation partnership with NICE - Information Services Group (III) announced it has expanded its automation ecosystem by forming a global partnership with NICE (NICE). The partnership with NICE further extends ISG's capabilities into cognitive automation by leveraging such NICE products as NEVA, NICE Reading Robots and Automation Finder. ISG partners with the world's leading automation software companies to bring the benefits of business process automation to ISG clients. An ISG Insights study, "Enterprise Automation Capability Improves, but RPA Wall Still Looms," found the automation technology landscape continues to expand, with enterprises of all sizes and geographies working to accelerate their automation programs, though only 7 percent have reached ISG's highest level of maturity - "Bot 3.0" - with automation in multiple functions across the enterprise.

09:30 EDT UPS supports Edwards Lifesciences' distribution of medical technologies - UPS (UPS) announced as part of its longstanding relationship with Edwards Lifesciences (EW), it continues to help the med-tech company get necessary equipment to hospitals around the world in the ongoing battle against COVID-19. Edwards' critical care technologies are used by clinicians in the screening and treatment of critically ill patients, including those in intensive care being treated for COVID-19 who are at increased risk of developing serious issues such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute lung injury. A key component of Edwards' critical care portfolio includes hemodynamic monitoring technologies such as the HemoSphere advanced monitoring platform, which measures different vital signs that can help clinicians detect changes or problems in the health of patients battling COVID-19. These units can provide the ability for clinicians to make more informed and immediate treatment decisions. UPS recently expedited 69 pallets of hemodynamic monitoring equipment from Puerto Rico to treatment centers in Europe.

09:29 EDT NSBF obtains SBA loan numbers for $1.1B of PPP loans - Newtek Business Services announced that Newtek Small Business Finance, the Company's nationally licensed lender under the U.S. Small Business Administration Section 7(a) Program, has obtained SBA loan numbers for $1.1 billion of Paycheck Protection Program loans, and will have funded, by close of business today, $603.4 million of the $1.1 billion of PPP loans. NSBF estimates that upwards of 130,000 employees could be retained by NSBF's PPP borrowers if NSBF's total potential funding of $1.1 billion of PPP loans is reached. While NSBF estimates it has $1.1 billion of PPP loans with SBA loan (E-Tran) numbers, there is no assurance that it will ultimately fund all of these loans. The PPP program is still ongoing and NSBF is still accepting PPP loan applications as of the date of this release. As a result, the Company believes the gross amount of PPP loan approvals can increase from the current level. The Company's previously announced funding partners, as well as other existing partners of Newtek, are providing NSBF with referrals and additional financing to originate PPP loans.

09:29 EDT Acorn International announces $2.5M share repurchase plan - Acorn International announced that the company adopted a repurchase plan based upon a form approved by the company's Board of Directors in accordance with guidelines specified by Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as Acorn's insider trading policy. The company may repurchase up to $2.5M worth of its American depositary shares over the next 12 months under the repurchase plan.

09:28 EDT Tyson Foods doesn't expect to repurchase shares in 2H

09:26 EDT Finjan Holdings, Cisco patent infringement trial to start June 22 - Finjan Holdings (FNJN) announced that its trial against Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) previously scheduled for June 1, 2020 is now set to begin on June 22, 2020. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 5:17-cv-00072-BLF, before the Honorable Beth Labson Freeman. On April 30, 2020 Judge Freeman held a pretrial video conference, discussing with the parties, among other things, the Court's anticipated reopening on June 1, 2020, which was the original trial date for this matter. The short delay to June 22 will allow the Court to make certain adjustments to its courtroom setting and procedures, including jury selection, to accommodate social distancing in light of California's COVID-19 restrictions. According to the Court's April 30 Minute Entry, jury selection will begin on June 19 and the trial will end by July 10, 2020. Currently, Finjan expects to proceed to trial asserting five U.S. Patents against Cisco, namely U.S. Patent Nos. 6,154,844; 6,804,780; 7,647,633; 8,141,154; and 8,677,494. Finjan has pending patent infringement lawsuits against Palo Alto Networks, ESET, SonicWall, Check Point, Rapid7, Fortinet, Qualys, and Trustwave/SingTel, relating to, collectively, more than 15 patents in the Finjan portfolio. The court dockets for the cases are publicly available on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records website, www.pacer.gov, which is operated by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

09:23 EDT TrueCar launches 'TrueCar Military' - TrueCar launched 'TrueCar Military,' a dedicated vehicle purchase program that provides exclusive Military Incentives and benefits, on top of TrueCar's existing benefits, to those who have served our country's armed forces and their families. TrueCar Military is an expansion of TrueCar's work helping the military community find and purchase their vehicles at TrueCar network dealers for over thirteen years via leading military affinity partnership organizations. Key benefits of TrueCar Military: Up to $2,000 in automaker Military Incentives on select brands and models from BMW, MINI, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram and Nissan; Up to $4,000 in repair and auto deductible reimbursement benefits; Dedicated Military Customer Service Hotline based in the U.S. to answer and resolve customer service inquiries; Plus all the existing TrueCar benefits which includes over $3,400 average savings off MSRP, helping consumers find all the incentives they qualify for, and getting the actual price for the vehicle they want online.

09:20 EDT DraftKings debuts online casino in Pennsylvania - DraftKings (DKNG) launched its online casino product in partnership with Hollywood Casino, an affiliate of Penn National Gaming (PENN), on Friday in Pennsylvania. The product is accessible via the DraftKings Sportsbook app and features virtual table games including Blackjack, Roulette and Three Card Poker, in addition to popular slot machine games.

09:19 EDT Voce issues statement to On Deck Capital stockholders ahead of annual meeting - Voce Capital issued the following statement in connection with the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders of OnDeck Capital: "... We simply do not believe OnDeck can survive, especially in this environment, without acknowledging its mistakes, arresting its wasteful spending and realigning its corporate governance to better represent the interests of stockholders. The unsatisfactory results of our private efforts to get the Company to act culminated in the release of a letter to our fellow stockholders on April 17, 2020. Sadly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, OnDeck's reaction to the issues we raised was to play the 'COVID-card' early and often, repeatedly invoking the current challenging environment as if that should somehow immunize the Board from accountability. But long-term stockholders know that the debacle at OnDeck is many years in the making, and that flawed choices and poor leadership cost stockholders dearly long before anyone had even heard the word 'coronavirus.' Since its December 2014 IPO, OnDeck had already vaporized 79% of stockholder value prior to the start of the crisis, and shares now hover 95% below its initial offering price. OnDeck plunged 30% in 2019 alone, a year when its peers gained 18% and the Russell 2000 surged 25%. Its underperformance has continued during the pandemic period, too. With such a grim track record, one might have expected at least a modicum of flexibility, if not humility, by OnDeck. Instead, in response to our analysis it stubbornly doubled down on the status quo, offering no lasting changes to its strategy, expenses or corporate governance. Stockholders are being asked to award the long-tenured Directors seeking reelection (all of whom pre-date the IPO, and each of whom has had direct involvement in the Company's most serious errors) three additional years in exchange for nothing more than: A reaffirmation of all of its strategic plans - with no material changes to its controversial Australian and Canadian forays or protean 'ODX' strategy, and only a 'pause' in its quest to obtain a bank charter (including through a potential acquisition); A morsel of discrete, one-time cost reductions (only in 2Q20) of $10-13 million, representing a mere 5% of OnDeck's annual operating expense, with none of the 750 positions in the Company eliminated - compared to $50+ million in permanent annual savings we identified through benchmarking and historical comparative analysis, all of which we provided to management; and No governance changes now, despite significant questions raised about the Board's fulfillment of its core responsibilities, other than a vague statement of intention to consider the commencement of a process to de-stagger its Board in 2021, which would likely not be complete until 2024 - no reform or even response to the myriad misalignments of interest in its compensation schemes, and numerous, material defects in the structure and composition of the Board that we chronicled... The final two hold-out bullish analysts have since downgraded the stock. Through the Board's conscious decision to push the Director nomination deadline from February 16, 2020 all the way back to December 3, 2019, stockholders are left with only two options at the present time: passively do nothing (yet again, with likely similar results to prior years) or vote against the three senior OnDeck Directors standing for reelection this year. Withholding support is the only way at this time to send a strong signal of dissatisfaction with the status quo..."

09:16 EDT Denny's announces financial relief for franchisees - The company said, "Direct financial relief to Denny's franchise partners has included: deferral of all remodels until further notice, deferral of royalty and advertising fees for fiscal Week 11 of the 2020 fiscal year, abatement of such fees for fiscal Weeks 12 and 13 of the fiscal year, and a 12-week lease deferral for franchisees operating in properties owned by the Company. Additionally, the Company has secured rent relief in the form of abatements or deferrals for over 70% of the leases in which the Company is a lessee, including those instances in which the Company subleases to franchisees and will be extending the same relief as a pass through.Furthermore, the Company has worked closely with key vendors and primary third-party franchise lenders to help secure additional relief on behalf of franchisees. Denny's franchisees are pursuing available forms of relief under recent federal stimulus programs, and franchisees representing just over half of total domestic franchise restaurants have received funding under the Paycheck Protection Program with additional approvals and funding pending."

09:15 EDT Denny's reports Q1 domestic system-wide same-store sales down 6.3% - The company said, "The COVID-19 pandemic and various related government mandates restricting dine-in restaurant service have continued to disrupt domestic and international operations for Denny's Corporation and its franchisees. First quarter 2020 domestic system-wide same-store sales declined 6.3% as compared to the first quarter of 2019. Preliminary results for domestic system-wide same-store sales for April 2020 reflect a decline of approximately 76% as compared to April 2019. Average unit volumes of off-premise sales have grown approximately 107% from February 2020 to April 2020, supported by temporarily waived delivery fees, new "Dine-Thru" curbside service programs, and recently launched shareable family meal packs. As of May 1, 2020, approximately 74% of domestic and international Denny's restaurants were operating solely or primarily with take-out and delivery options. Additional training materials have been developed and communicated to the entire system of restaurants in anticipation of dine-in service restrictions starting to ease and additional health and safety measures that will be implemented as they do. These materials remain focused on the safety and wellbeing of guests, restaurant teams, employees and suppliers as Denny's restaurants prepare for social-distancing standards in their dining rooms."

09:13 EDT Arcturus Therapeutics, Catalent announce partnership for COVID-19 vaccine - Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT) and Catalent, Inc. (CTLT) announced a partnership to support the expected manufacture of Arcturus' COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate, intended to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. LUNAR-COV19 utilizes Arcturus' self-transcribing and replicating mRNA technology and the Company's LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery to produce an extraordinarily low dose, potential single shot COVID-19 vaccine. The manufacture of LUNAR-COV19 at Catalent's state-of-the-art drug substance biomanufacturing facility in Madison, Wisconsin will support human clinical studies and, if successful, commercialization of the vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine program will take advantage of the facility's flex-suite, a cGMP manufacturing suite that can produce batches at multiple scales and support Arcturus' proprietary mRNA manufacturing process. The partnership will combine Arcturus' low-dose STARR mRNA vaccine technology with Catalent's scalable cGMP manufacturing capabilities to produce millions of doses of LUNAR-COV19 mRNA in 2020 and potentially 100s of millions of doses annually for worldwide use. Preparations for this program have already begun at the Madison facility, and both organizations are committed to meeting the global demand on unprecedented manufacturing timelines. Technology transfer will be completed this month and manufacture of the first cGMP batches of LUNAR-COV19 mRNA are expected to be completed by June 2020.

09:11 EDT Change Healthcare acquires eRx Network for $212.9M - Change Healthcare announced it has exercised its option to purchase and completed the acquisition of eRx Network. Change Healthcare acquired 100% of the ownership interest in eRx Network for a purchase price of $212.9M plus cash on the balance sheet. eRx generated approximately $67M in annual revenue for the twelve-month period ended February 29. The transaction supports Change Healthcare's commitment to focus on and invest in core aspects of the business to fuel long-term growth and advance innovation. The combined synergies will offer a broader solutions portfolio to pharmacies and life sciences companies and facilitate innovations on health plan solutions driven by a comprehensive view of members' claims, bills, payments, and now, pharmacy interactions. From an innovation standpoint, Change Healthcare will now be able to leverage the valuable combination of medical and pharmacy data, and provide eRx customers the benefits of the Intelligent Medical Network with scalable cloud-based technologies. The acquisition was approved by a special committee of the Board of Directors of Change Healthcare, and the special committee received a fairness opinion from Barclays that the purchase price was fair to Change Healthcare.

09:10 EDT Shoe Carnival commences initial store re-openings - Shoe Carnival announced plans to re-open the majority of its stores across the United States. On May 1, the company re-opened 122 stores in states where state and local officials have relaxed or cancelled their orders. Additionally, the company will add approximately 62 additional stores to its open list.

09:09 EDT Tyson Foods: Only way to operate is by making staff feel safe

09:08 EDT Tyson: COVID-19 'disruptive,' but doesn't change outlook for strong future

09:06 EDT Tyson Foods won't hesitate to idle any plant for deep cleaning - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:06 EDT Generex initiates peptide manufacturing for SARS-CoV-2 peptide vaccine - Generex Biotechnology announced that the company has submitted a contract proposal to BARDA to develop a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus using the patented Ii-Key vaccine technology. Following the BARDA application, and in an effort to rapidly respond to this pandemic emergency, Generex has now initiated the manufacturing of synthetic peptides with Ii-Key linked to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes predicted by computational vaccinology algorithms. These Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 peptide epitopes, which contain target amino acid sequences from the virus, will be screened against blood samples collected from COVID-19 convalescent patients to select those Ii-Key peptides that activate the immune system to fight the coronavirus infection. The blood screening program, which is scheduled to begin to begin shortly, incorporates T Cell Assays, B Cell Assays, Antibody and Virus Neutralization tests, and a novel in-vitro "cytokine storm" cellular assay to identify the Ii-Key-SARS-CoV-2 peptides vaccines most likely to stimulate the T-Cell response, modulate appropriate immune system responses to minimize potential for dysregulated cytokine-related inflammation, stimulate a neutralizing antibody response, and provide a broad-spectrum coverage for the vast majority of people. This strategy leverages Ii-Key technology to develop a "Complete Vaccine" that has the potential to induce the likelihood of protective immunity with long-lasting immunologic memory against SARS-COV-2 in a highly specific manner to ensure safety. The most important aspect of this ex-vivo human trial approach is that we can select the right peptides for Ii-Key vaccine peptides that will limit the risk of off-target immune responses that may lead to a cytokine storm, and we find the answers very early in the development process before we vaccinate any human volunteers.

09:05 EDT Capitala Finance receives 'green light' for fifth SBIC license - Capitala Group announced that the United States Small Business Administration issued a "green light" approval letter inviting Capitala Group to submit a small business investment company application to obtain its fifth SBIC license. If approved, Capitala SBIC Fund VII, L.P. expects to invest primarily in senior secured debt of lower middle market small businesses. The additional SBIC license would provide Capitala Finance Corp., a publicly traded business development company, with an incremental source of attractive long-term capital.

09:03 EDT Insteel appoints Mark Carano as CFO - Insteel appointed Mark Carano as VP, CFO and Treasurer effective May 18. Carano will be succeeding Michael Gazmarian, who will be continuing with the company through July 31 to assist with the leadership transition. Carano joins Insteel from Big River Steel, where he served as CFO. Prior to Big River, he served in senior management roles with Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises.

09:01 EDT Sharps Compliance appoints Jack Holmes to board of directors - Sharps Compliance Corp. (SMED) announced the appointment of Jack Holmes to its Board of Directors. He spent his entire professional career at United Parcel Service (UPS), beginning as a part-time worker unloading trailers while also attending college, then advancing to leadership positions in operations, engineering and human resources, and retiring as President and CEO of UPS Freight in 2016.

08:55 EDT Apergy posts presentation on planned merger with ChampionX - Apergy Corporation posted a presentation regarding its planned merger with ChampionX to its website to coincide with a meeting for equity research analysts on the combined company.

08:52 EDT Seelos Therapeutics receives notice of allowance for patent for SLS-005 - Seelos Therapeutics announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for Seelos' U.S. patent number 10,437,637 titled "COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR TREATING AN AGGREGATION DISEASE OR DISORDER" for trehalose. The allowed claims cover the composition of matter and method of use for trehalose for treating a disease or disorder selected from any one of the following: Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; Dentatombral-pallidoluysian atrophy; Pick's disease; corticobasal degeneration; progressive supranuclear palsy; frontotemporal dementia; or parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17.

08:47 EDT Eve & Co announces Health Canada approval of additional processing area - Eve & Co Incorporated announced that Health Canada has approved an amendment to the licence of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Natural MedCo Ltd., permitting the use of a 7,300 square foot area as eleven additional processing rooms. Processing Area 2 enables the Company to continue its production ramp-up to supply cannabis markets in Canada and abroad under its European Union Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice from the Government of Upper Bavaria, Germany. Processing Area 2 provides immediate licensed capacity to facilitate additional social distancing measures for the Company during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company anticipates production capacity will increase to approximately 50,000 kgs annually, allowing Eve & Co to introduce a number of value-added products to the Canadian market under its female-focused "Eve" brand while continuing to build and execute on its international program.

08:36 EDT Huitao Technology shareholders approve ready-mix concrete business disposal - Huitao Technology is in the process of disposing its legacy ready-mix concrete materials business and transitioning into an innovative education service provider. At its annual meeting of shareholders on April 27, its shareholders have approved the proposal to dispose of its legacy ready mix concrete business. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, will sell 100% of the outstanding capital stock of Xin Ao to Xianfu Han and Weili He in exchange for cash payment of $600K. The company expects to close the disposition upon satisfaction of all closing condition in short term.

08:36 EDT Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro keyboard, storage features - Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the new Magic Keyboard for what the company is saying is the best typing experience ever on a Mac notebook and doubled the storage across all standard configurations. The new lineup also offers 10th-generation processors for up to 80% faster graphics performance and makes 16GB of faster 3733MHz memory standard on select configurations. With quad-core processors, the 13-inch Retina display, Touch Bar and Touch ID, stereo speakers, battery life and the power of macOS, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available to order, starting at $1,299.

08:34 EDT CACI awarded $112M task order by U.S. Army - CACI announced that it was awarded a five-year, single-award task order, with a ceiling value of $112M, by the U.S. Army's Systems Engineering, Architecture, Modeling and Simulations, or SEAMS, Division to provide research and development on modeling and simulation, analysis, engineering, networking, and experimentation support. Under the task order, awarded under the RS3 contract vehicle, CACI will provide mission expertise and technology with timely, efficient, and quality support services to help fulfill the SEAMS Division's technical service requirements. The SEAMS Division reports to the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command's, or CCDC, Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, or C5ISR, Center, within the Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate, or S&TCD. CCDC is a major subordinate command to the Army Futures Command, or AFC. CACI engineers, technicians, and analysts will provide expertise to the SEAMS Division and C5ISR Ground Activity, including by conducting systems engineering and integration, data collection and analysis, and modeling and simulation at those organizations' labs and facilities. For example, CACI will support networked communications systems for the warfighter to determine how communication systems, such as military and commercial satellites and tactical radios, will interoperate across all services and environments. Under the task order, CACI plans to build on its successful track record with SEAMS, S&TCD, CCDC, and AFC. CACI also recently won a five-year, single-award task order, with a ceiling value of more than $465M, supporting the Cyber Security and Information Assurance division of S&TCD. This contract support award will provide research and development on cryptographic modernization, information security, and tactical network protection.

08:33 EDT Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announces upcoming milestones - Rhythm remains on track to submit an MAA to the EMA for setmelanotide in patients with POMC deficiency obesity and LEPR deficiency obesity in the second quarter of 2020. Rhythm expects to report topline data from its combined pivotal Phase 3 trial evaluating setmelanotide in BBS and Alstrom syndrome in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in the first quarter of 2021. Rhythm expects to announce additional data from its ongoing Phase 2 Basket Study of setmelanotide in high-impact heterozygous obesity and additional data from one or more of its other ongoing Phase 2 Basket Study indications in 2020. Rhythm expects to provide a clinical development update for its once-weekly formulation of setmelanotide in 2020. Rhythm expects to submit an investigational new drug application for RM-853, its ghrelin o-acyltransferase inhibitor to the FDA in 2020. Rhythm expects to provide an update on its genetic sequencing efforts in 2020.

08:32 EDT Cerus announces FDA approval for INTERCEPT plasma - Cerus announced FDA regulatory approval for manufacture of INTERCEPT plasma with a new, alternative plastic disposable kit. The planned conversion to these new kits is part of the company's ongoing strategy to enhance its global supply chain integrity that was initiated several years ago.

08:27 EDT Krystal Biotech announces upcoming milestones - The company said, "Upcoming milestones: Commence pivotal Phase 3 study on B-VEC for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and organize commercial plans for potential future global launch of B-VEC. Advance Phase 1/2 study to include pediatric patients on KB105 for the treatment of ARCI, following safety review by the FDA. Initiate Phase 1 clinical safety and efficacy study on KB301 for an aesthetic indication. Issuance of a new U.S. patent covering compositions of matter and methods of cosmetic use related to our product candidate KB301 after positive decision rendered by the US Patent & Trademark Office for U.S. Pat. App. No. 16/395,896, entitled "Recombinant Nucleic Acids Encoding Cosmetic Protein(s) for Aesthetic Applications." Work to file an IND for KB104 for the treatment of Netherton Syndrome. Continue pre-clinical efforts on KB407 for an anticipated IND filing in 2021."

08:20 EDT Immunomedics announces commercial availability of TRODELVY in U.S. - Immunomedics announced that Trodelvy is now available through major specialty distributors in the United States and that the first patient was treated with commercial product on April 29, 2020. Trodelvy is the first anti-Trop-2 ADC recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease.

08:19 EDT Kratos Defense awarded $19M sole-source contract for satcom bandwith monitoring - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that it had been awarded a sole-source contract for satellite bandwidth utilization services. The base year of the contract is valued at $3,061,221; if all four option years are exercised, the total value will be $19 million. Kratos will provide continuous monitoring services of commercial satellites leased by the U.S. Space Force. Specifically, Kratos will provide 24x7 near-real-time performance monitoring data and bandwidth utilization assessment Radio Frequency monitoring services. RF data is the spectrum used by space systems to communicate with their ground systems. Kratos monitors the strength and characteristics of the signal, not the content. Bandwidth monitoring and utilization assessment and reporting services are required across all commercial satellites that are leased globally by the USSF.

08:15 EDT DSS enters share exchange agreement, acquisition of Impact Biomedical - Document Security Systems announces its Board of Directors has approved, and Document Security Systems, has entered into a share exchange agreement with DSS BioHealth Security, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of DSS, Singapore eDevelopment Limited, a Singapore corporation, Global BioMedical Pte Ltd, a Singapore corporation and wholly owned subsididary of SED, and Impact BioMedical Inc., a Nevada corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of GBM, pursuant to which, among other things and subject to the terms and conditions contained therein, the DBHS will consummate the acquisition of all of the outstanding capital stock of Impact BioMedical through a share exchange, with Impact BioMedical becoming a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the DBHS. The aggregate purchase price for the Impact Shares is $50 million, which DBHS will pay by issuing to GBM 14,500,000 newly issued shares of common stock of DSS, par value $0.02, nominally valued at $3,132,000, or $0.216 per share; and 46,868 newly issued shares of a new series of perpetual convertible preferred stock of DSS with a stated value of $46,868,000, or $$1,000 per share, convertible into shares of common stock of DSS, subject to a 19.9% beneficial ownership conversion limitation based on the total issued outstanding shares of common stock of DSS held or to be held by GBM. GBM is a 100% owned subsidiary of SED whose Chief Executive Office and largest shareholder is Heng Fai Ambrose Chan, the Chairman of the Board and largest shareholder of DSS. The completion of the transaction is conditioned upon obtaining approval of the shareholders of both SeD and DSS, completion of an audit of the financial statements of Impact BioMedical and other conditions.

08:12 EDT Rhode Island Department of Health uses SurveyMonkey Enterprise - SurveyMonkey announced that the Rhode Island Department of Health has deployed SurveyMonkey's Enterprise Solution and Salesforce Integration in approximately 11 days to assist in COVID-19 tracking efforts. Through its HIPAA-compliant survey offering, SurveyMonkey enables the RIDOH to monitor all individuals exposed to the coronavirus who opt-in through daily survey links sent via SMS text. The data will help the RIDOH to track and monitor the virus' impact. Integrating directly into Salesforce workflows and processes, SurveyMonkey Enterprise enables the RIDOH to simplify data collection while syncing real-time feedback of those who elect to be traced. This provides the RIDOH with a robust system allowing them to automate survey distribution, follow-up actions and reporting. The RIDOH then has direct access to the aggregate data to better understand the disease and eventually predict if the virus is going to hit a particular area or population. As part of the RIDOH's comprehensive efforts around contract tracing and keeping the state's population safe, the survey also enables the RIDOH to track symptoms and duration, gauge constituents' access to essential services, and automatically direct individuals to the resources that are available through survey logic. The program is voluntary and opt-in for residents.

08:10 EDT Medipharm Labs Australia, Cannasouth sign white-label supply deal - MediPharm Labs announced that its subsidiary, MediPharm Labs Australia, has entered into an agreement to supply pharmaceutical-quality, white-label, cannabis oil products to Cannasouth Plant Research New Zealand Limited, a subsidiary of Cannasouth Limited. This agreement marks MediPharm Labs Australia's second white-label supply agreement for the export of finished products to the medical cannabis market in New Zealand. Under the two-year agreement, MediPharm Labs Australia will supply a range of GMP certified cannabis oil products that meet the high-quality standards set by the New Zealand Ministry of Health's Medicinal Cannabis Scheme which came into effect on April 1, 2020 and requires all medicinal cannabis products be manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices. Also under the agreement, Cannasouth will be the exclusive New Zealand purchaser of certain formulations and dosage forms. The products will be supplied with Cannasouth's branding. The agreement is conditional on confirmation from the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority and Cannasouth that the products meet specified quality and regulatory requirements, along with Cannasouth confirming certain insurance arrangements.

08:08 EDT Correvio postpones Q1 results due to COVID-19 impacts - Correvio has postponed the reporting of its financial statements and management discussion and analysis in respect of the Q1 beyond the previous expected date of May 15. The company now expects to release its 2020 Disclosure on or before June 29, subject to the company ceasing to be a reporting issuer prior to the filing deadline as a result of the Proposed Arrangement. In rescheduling the 2020 Disclosure, the company is relying upon a British Columbia Securities Commission blanket order which, in light of COVID-19 and its impact on market participants, provides a 45-day extension for periodic filings normally required to be made by issuers during the period from March 23 to June 1. Management and insiders are subject to a trading blackout pursuant to the Company's Insider Trading Policy.

08:06 EDT Napco Security President 'encouraged' by Q3 results - Richard Soloway, Chairman and President, commented, "We are encouraged by our Q3 record sales and profit performance, despite our having to navigate through the headwinds created by COVID-19. Importantly, since over 80% of our sales are conducted in the commercial security sector and thousands of our dealers are deemed an "essential service" during the pandemic, this provided our company with some level of insulation to the fallout the economy is experiencing. Also, a large majority of our recurring service, subscription-based income stream is comprised of non-discretionary, commercial fire and intrusion alarm communication, largely mandated by local code and laws. Going forward, NAPCO should be well positioned for growth, as we manage the challenges wrought by COVID-19."

08:04 EDT Aleafia Health secures Health Canada license amendment for Paris production - Aleafia Health's wholly owned subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corp. has secured a Health Canada Licence Amendment for its Paris Facility's 30,000 sq. ft. Phase II expansion, entirely dedicated to the extraction, production, packaging and distribution of finished cannabis products. The Paris Facility licence amendment, granted on May 1, 2020, authorizes cannabis production in the entire expanded building. The Company expects to commence production and packaging operations at the Phase II expansion in the next two weeks. The expansion will allow the Company to process and package all flower cultivated at its Port Perry outdoor cultivation site and its Niagara Facility. The expanded production facility increases the Company's licensed extraction, packaging and processing area from 2,500 sq. ft. to 20,000 sq. ft. It features multiple automated packaging lines and rooms dedicated to the production of new product formats, along with in-house Quality Control analytical testing and R&D. The expansion is purpose-built to meet European Union Good Manufacturing Practices, which represents the highest standard of pharmaceutical-grade production in the world, and as a result provides the greatest possible access to global markets. Members of Aleafia Health's senior management have previously led the build-out, certification and operation of multiple EU-GMP pharmaceutical production facilities.

08:03 EDT SWK Holdings subsidiary appoints Rajiv Khosla as CEO - SWK Holdings' wholly-owned subsidiary Enteris BioPharma, a biotechnology company developing drug products built around its proprietary delivery technologies, hired Rajiv Khosla, Ph.D., as CEO, effective immediately. Khosla replaces Joel Tune, Enteris' CEO since 2016. In 2011, Dr. Khosla founded CEUTEC LLC, a strategy and business development consultancy serving biopharmaceutical companies and venture capital firms. Khosla also worked with IntelGenx.

08:02 EDT Eli Lilly, Junshi Biosciences to co-develop antibody therapies for COVID-19 - Junshi Biosciences and Eli Lilly and Company announced they have entered into an agreement to co-develop therapeutic antibodies for the potential prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Junshi Biosciences-a China-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies-launched one of the industry's first R&D efforts aimed at discovering therapies to combat COVID-19. Multiple neutralizing antibodies have been engineered, with the lead asset poised to enter clinical testing in the second quarter. Lilly will receive an exclusive license to conduct clinical development, manufacturing and distribution of products outside of Greater China. Junshi Biosciences will maintain all rights in Greater China.

07:59 EDT FuelCell says San Bernardino renewable biofuels project construction begins - FuelCell Energy announced the commencement of site construction for its 1.4 megawatt SureSource 1500 biofuels fuel cell project with the City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department in California. The project is expected to become commercially operational in December 2020. The SureSource 1500 power plant will operate on the City's anaerobic digester gas, which will be treated by the proprietary SureSource Treatment system, cleanly producing electricity and thermal energy to support the operation of the SBMWD water reclamation plant. The SureSource Treatment system is a proprietary clean up technology optimized by FuelCell Energy's extensive experience with on-site biogas treatment. This system allows FuelCell Energy to clean up biofuel and use it on site without injection into the common carrier gas pipeline. Gas treatment requirements are reduced compared to pipeline injection because of the ability of SureSource fuel cell systems to utilize low-Btu biogas. Following the commercial operation date, the SBMWD will purchase the clean electricity produced through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement. FuelCell Energy's SureSource power platform will use methane-rich biogas that would otherwise be flared, wasting energy and producing emissions, to produce clean, renewable, carbon neutral power. Servicing a population of approximately 200,000 residents, the SBMWD delivers more than 15.5 billion gallons of water per year, and provides wastewater collection and treatment at the water reclamation plant. Pursuant to FuelCell Energy's existing $200 million credit agreement with Orion Energy Partners, Orion Energy Partners has agreed that up to $3.5 million previously advanced by Orion Energy Partners and currently in a FuelCell Energy restricted account may be applied to reimburse the Company for construction costs for the project incurred to date and for future project construction costs.

07:57 EDT Minerva expects topline results from Phase 3 roluperidone trial in 2Q20 - Following the completion of enrollment in a pivotal Phase 3 trial with roluperidone to treat negative symptoms in schizophrenia in February 2020, top-line results from this trial are expected in the second quarter of 2020, consistent with previous guidance. In parallel with completing this trial, the Company is advancing preparatory work for regulatory filing and commercialization, including clinical pharmacology studies, manufacturing of registration batches of the drug, medical affairs, commercialization strategy and product launch planning.

07:54 EDT Pacira appoints Donald Manning as CMO - Pacira BioSciences announces the appointment of Donald Manning, M.D., Ph.D., as the company's chief medical officer, effective immediately. Dr. Manning, who brings more than 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical executive leadership, was most recently, chief medical officer at Adynxx, a development company focused on advancing disease-modifying products for the treatment of pain management and inflammation. In his new position, Dr. Manning will report directly to David Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira BioSciences.

07:52 EDT Marinus Pharmaceuticals to transition Phase 3 Violet Study to PoC trial - The company said, "After careful consideration, Marinus will transition the ongoing Phase 3 Violet Study to a proof-of-concept trial evaluating allopregnanolone sulfate as a biomarker in the patients currently enrolled with a confirmed PCDH19 mutation. Marinus has decided to limit trial enrollment due to several factors, including the significant requirements needed to enroll a global trial, the episodic nature of seizures in PCDH19 patients, and potential commercial challenges. The Company now expects to complete the double-blind portion of the trial with approximately 15-20 patients and announce results of this POC trial in the first half of 2021. The scale down to a POC trial is part of the Company's strategic plan to focus capital resources on indications with high unmet needs and a meaningful percentage of patients being underserved by available treatment options. Marinus plans to continue to evaluate if the allopregnanolone sulfate biomarker hypothesis could have broader utility in other targeted indications. The POC biomarker trial will stratify patients into one of two biomarker groups based on baseline allopregnanolone sulfate levels and randomized within each stratum. The trial will consist of a 12-week prospective baseline period to collect seizure data, followed by a 17-week double-blind treatment phase. Patients randomized to ganaxolone will titrate over four weeks to a dose of up to 600 mg of ganaxolone three times a day and maintain that dose for the following 13-weeks. Marinus intends to provide access to ganaxolone for PCDH19-RE patients who saw benefits in the Violet Study."

07:50 EDT Marinus expects topline data from Phase 3 Marigold Study in Q3 - The company said, "Enrollment has been completed in the pivotal Phase 3 Marigold Study, which is evaluating the use of oral ganaxolone in children and young adults with CDD. The global, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial has enrolled 101 patients between the ages of 2 and 21 with a confirmed disease-related CDKL5 gene variant. Patients randomized to ganaxolone receive up to 600 mg three times a day. The primary endpoint of the trial is percent change in 28-day seizure frequency. The discontinuation rate in this trial is in-line with expectations, and enrollment in the open label extension part of the trial continues to be high. Marinus remains on-track to report top-line data from the trial in Q3 2020 with no expected material delays due to COVID-19. The Company has begun preparations for a potential NDA filing and the development of its commercial strategy. Phase 1 supportive clinical trials have experienced delays in enrollment due to COVID-19, which, as of today, are not expected to impact timing for a potential NDA filing."

07:49 EDT Marinus expects topline data from Phase 3 trial in SE in 1H22 - The company said, "Marinus is moving forward with plans for its Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial in SE after a constructive end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA. Based upon feedback from the FDA, the Company anticipates the following trial design and timeline: Co-primary endpoints that focus on status cessation within 30-minutes and suppression of status for at least 24 hours. Ganaxolone administered intravenously for 48 hours, the first 12 hours of which is expected to target a 500 ng/ml serum concentration. Enrollment of approximately 125 patients; providing greater than 90 percent power to detect a 30 percent efficacy difference between ganaxolone and placebo. Patients enrolled will have previously failed a benzodiazepine and at least two second-line antiepileptic drugs. Patient enrollment to begin in Q3 2020 and trial sites have already identified and are in process of being readying. Topline data expected in the first half of 2022."

07:45 EDT Ferrari board approves cash dividend of EUR1.13 per share - On April 16, 2020, the Ferrari's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders approved a dividend in cash of Euro 1.13 per outstanding common share, an increase of nearly 10% compared to the prior year, totaling approximately Euro 210 million, to be paid on May 5, 2020.

07:42 EDT Tyson sees results from foreign operations challenged in back half of 2020 - The company said, "International/Other primarily includes our foreign operations in Asia-Pacific, China-Korea and Europe, third-party merger and integration costs and corporate overhead related to Tyson New Ventures, LLC. We expect the improved results from our foreign operations in the first six months of fiscal 2020 to be challenged in the back half of fiscal 2020 due to market conditions associated with COVID-19."

07:41 EDT Tyson Foods expects 2020 cattle supplies up 2%, hog supplies up 5% - The company said, "Beef - We expect industry fed cattle supplies to increase approximately 2% in fiscal 2020 as compared to fiscal 2019. For the remainder of fiscal 2020, we expect ample supplies in regions where we operate our plants and for profitability to remain strong. Pork - We expect industry hog supplies to increase approximately 5% in fiscal 2020 as compared to fiscal 2019. For the remainder of fiscal 2020, we expect decreased livestock costs as compared to the same period in fiscal 2019 and export markets to become more available. Chicken - USDA projects a 3-4% increase in chicken production in fiscal 2020 as compared to fiscal 2019; however, more recent data indicates that chicken production for the remainder of fiscal 2020 will be lower than those projections. For the remainder of fiscal 2020, we do not believe pricing will improve, and we do not expect increased demand in consumer products to completely offset the expected decrease in foodservice. Prepared Foods - We anticipate some COVID-19-related disruptions in the availability of raw materials. Additionally, we expect overall raw material costs to decrease through the remainder of fiscal 2020 as compared to the same period in fiscal 2019. For the remainder of fiscal 2020, we believe increased retail sales will reduce the impact of lower foodservice demand."

07:39 EDT Tyson Foods says USDA indicates 2020 domestic protein production up 3%-4% - The company said, "For fiscal 2020, USDA indicates domestic protein production should increase approximately 3-4% from fiscal 2019 levels, but we expect export markets to absorb much of the increased production."

07:37 EDT PSEG says committed to five-year capital plan 'without the need to issue equity' - CEO Ralph Izzo added, "We are re-affirming non-GAAP Operating Earnings guidance for full-year 2020 of $3.30 - $3.50 per share. This affirmation assumes normal weather and plant operations for the remainder of the year. The extremely mild weather in the quarter and the associated weakness in market demand, as well as impacts of COVID-19, will require maintaining solid operations and strong cost control at both PSE&G and PSEG Power, especially during the important third quarter cooling season. We remain committed to executing our five-year, $12 to $16 billion capital plan without the need to issue equity. We have also improved our net liquidity position, ending March with approximately $4 billion of available liquidity."

07:34 EDT Leidos, Paramount USA and Vertex Aerospace partner for Bronco II contract - Leidos announced a teaming agreement with Paramount Group USA and Vertex Aerospace to pursue a new contract to deliver the Bronco II, a new purpose-built, multi-mission aircraft. The aircraft will support the U.S. Special Operations Command's Armed Overwatch program. This strategic relationship has with Leidos as the prime contractor and Paramount and Vertex as primary teammates. The Bronco II is a multi-mission aircraft that will be manufactured in Crestview, Fla.

07:29 EDT CEL-SCI trial reaches target threshold of 298 events to conduct data evaluation - CEL-SCI announced that it has been notified that it has reached the targeted threshold of 298 events (deaths) required to conduct the data evaluation for its pivotal Phase 3 head and neck cancer study of Multikine immunotherapy. The database is now being prepared for database lock. Once the database has been locked the final analysis of the trial results can be performed. CEL-SCI will continue to remain blinded to the study results throughout this process. CEL-SCI will be advised of the results when the analysis is completed and the study results will be announced to the public and investors at that time. The CROs involved in study management are generating the remaining queries, performing source data verification, completing medical review, and building the final database needed to produce the final tables, listings, and figures.

07:24 EDT Imara appoints Stephen Migausky as general counsel - Imara (IMRA) announced the appointment of Stephen Migausky as SVP, legal and general counsel. In this new role, Migausky will lead the Company's legal organization, including corporate governance and compliance functions. Prior to joining Imara, Migausky served as general counsel at ArQule (ARQL).

07:19 EDT VBL says MOSPD2 antibodies show potential for CNS Inflammation treatment - VBL Therapeutics announced the publication of a new manuscript demonstrating the potential of MOSPD2 antibodies for Multiple Sclerosis. VBL's data offer a differentiated approach to potential treatment of central nervous system inflammatory diseases using MOSPD2 antibodies that inhibit monocyte migration. Currently, there are no approved therapies for MS that target monocyte migration. VBL's data show that knockout of the MOSPD2 gene in mice essentially protected the animals from developing CNS disease in the well-established EAE model for MS. Proprietary anti-MOSPD2 antibodies that block monocyte migration without affecting T-cells, were able to recapitulate this effect and profoundly reduced inflammation and tissue damage. VBL is advancing lead candidate antibody VB-601 towards a first-in-man study, which is expected in 2021.

07:17 EDT Avrobio, Saladax to develop fully automated nanoparticle immunoassay kit - Avrobio announced a new development and commercialization agreement with Saladax Biomedical to develop and validate a fully automated nanoparticle immunoassay kit designed to simplify and streamline therapeutic drug monitoring, or TDM, for patients treated with the conditioning agent busulfan. The technology used to deliver these rapid test results is based on an intellectual property portfolio developed by Saladax in the field of TDM. The new assay kit under development by Saladax, which collects a small blood sample, is able to return results on patient metabolization of busulfan in minutes using hospitals' standard analytical devices, expanding access to personalized conditioning with busulfan.

07:16 EDT Principal Financial sees FY20 CapEx $150M-$180M - Through the beginning of March, PFG was on track to meet the previously disclosed and affirmed expectations for fiscal 2020. However, on March 19, PFG withdrew its guidance for FY20 as the macroeconomic environment deteriorated. However, the company expects the following for FY20: Interest expense in a range of approximately $115M-$120M; an effective tax rate on operations of approximately 30%; Capital expenditures between $150M-$180M, with depreciation in a range of $160M-$170M and amortization in a range of $90M-$100M.

07:15 EDT Gridsum receives Nasdaq non-compliance notice - Gridsum received a letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department indicating that for the last thirty consecutive business days, the company's Market Value of Publicly Held Shares had been below the minimum value of $15M required for continued listing. The Nasdaq Letter has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company's ADS. The company has been granted a 180-calendar day grace period to regain compliance with the MVPHS requirement. The 180-day compliance period will be reinstated on July 1 and expire on December 28. The company intends to monitor its MVPHS and consider available options if its MVPHS is not at a level likely to result in the company regaining compliance by December 28.

07:12 EDT Paragon Insurance acquires Trident Public Risk Solutions from Argo Group - Paragon Insurance announced that it has closed on the purchase of Trident Public Risk Solutions. Acquired from Argo Group, the transaction positions Paragon as one of the largest providers of commercial insurance coverage for public entities in the U.S. As part of the transaction agreement, Trident's business will continue to benefit from Argo policy and claims services.

07:08 EDT Americas Silver provides operational update - Americas Silver provided an operations update. Relief Canyon poured first gold in mid-February and the company remains confident that commercial production can be achieved towards the end of Q2 or beginning of Q3 despite COVID-19. While Relief Canyon has been operating through the COVID-19 pandemic, ramp-up has been slower than anticipated due to an inability to get key management and consultants to site. All operating aspects of Relief Canyon have now started to meet budget parameters. There is an ore stockpile of over 0.2 million tonnes. As of April 30, approximately 3.3 million tonnes of material have been mined, including 2.5 million tonnes of waste and 0.8 million tonnes of ore. Ore gold grade mined and early grade reconciliation are in-line with the mine plan. Ore leaching has been slower than planned. The Galena recapitalization plan is proceeding better than expectations with the company seeing benefits in both production and exploration. The Mexican government issued a national decree to suspend non-essential businesses in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of May. This order affects all mining operations. As of March 31, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $16.3M which includes funds under the Galena Recapitalization Plan.

07:06 EDT CSI Compressco acts 'swiftly' to reduce cost structure - The company said, ""While we cannot control the demand or supply for oil and gas or the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have acted swiftly and with a sense of urgency to reduce our cost structure. The Partnership has already implemented or is in the process of implementing the following cost cutting actions: (1) reduction in capital expenditures from $75.8 million in 2019 to a forecast of between $28 million and $35 million in 2020; (2) U.S. employee pay reductions; (3) headcount reductions at corporate and field levels; (4) 20% reduction in Board of Directors cash retainers; (5) reduction of all discretionary expenditures; (6) suspension of the employer 401(k) matching program; and (7) negotiated reductions in expenditures with many of our suppliers. In addition, we have made the decision to close our fabrication operations in Midland, Texas, which should be completed by the end of the second quarter or early third quarter of this year. We will look towards selling our 38-acre Midland facility and real estate. When the market returns and along with it demand for new service fleet additions, we expect to use an outsourcing relationship for the fabrication of our future requirements. During the quarter we added 22,160 additional horsepower to our service fleet to fulfill prior customer commitments, focused around centralized gas lift, with the vast majority of the new additions being deployed into existing clusters of equipment in the Permian Basin and in South Texas. We continue to have some additional commitments for new service equipment to be delivered in the second quarter of 2020, but beyond that, our commitments are minimal and at this time we do not anticipate any second half growth capital expenditures. Distributable cash flow in the first quarter of 2020 was $8.7 million, down 44% from the fourth quarter of 2019, resulting in a distribution coverage ratio of 18.3x compared to 32.5x in the fourth quarter of 2019. In summary, the compression and related services business remained steady in the early parts of the first quarter of 2020, while the equipment sales and aftermarket services business declined. We realize going forward we are in a very different market environment. The fundamentals of our business to support increasing volumes of gas production and centralized gas lift will be intact for many years to come, but in the immediate and foreseeable future we are focused on navigating the Partnership through this downturn successfully and responsibly."

07:02 EDT Menarini Group to acquire Stemline in transaction valued at up to $677M - Menarini Group and Stemline Therapeutics announced a definitive agreement under which Menarini Group will acquire Stemline in a transaction valued up to $677M. Under the terms of the agreement, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Stemline, whereby Stemline shareholders will be offered a total potential consideration of $12.50 per share, consisting of an upfront payment of $11.50 in cash and one non-tradeable Contingent Value Right that will entitle each holder to an additional $1.00 in cash per share upon completion of the first sale of ELZONRIS in any EU5 country after European Commission approval. Stemline launched ELZONRIS for the treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in adult and pediatric patients, two years or older, following the approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 2018. ELZONRIS is a novel targeted therapy directed to the interleukin-3 receptor-a. With the support of Menarini's infrastructure, Stemline will continue its efforts to develop additional applications of ELZONRIS to serve the unmet needs of patients suffering from difficult to treat diseases and cancers. Following its strong U.S. launch of ELZONRIS, Stemline will benefit from Menarini's experience in bringing products to markets in Europe and emerging markets as it prepares for a successful international launch upon receipt of regulatory approval in ex-U.S. territories. Under the terms of the agreement, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Stemline, whereby Stemline shareholders will be offered a total potential consideration of $12.50 per share, consisting of an upfront payment of $11.50 per share in cash, along with one non-tradeable Contingent Value Right. Under the terms of the non-tradeable CVR, Stemline shareholders will be paid an additional $1.00 per share upon completion of the first sale for use or consumption by the general public of ELZONRIS in BPDCN in any one of the following countries: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, or Italy after receiving approval by the European Commission of a Marketing Authorization Application, through the centralized procedure, on or before December 31, 2021. There can be no assurance such approval or commercialization will occur or that any contingent payment will be made. Menarini will acquire any shares of Stemline not tendered into the tender offer through a second-step merger for the same per share consideration as will be payable in the tender offer. The merger will be effected as soon as practicable after the closing of the tender offer. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. Stemline's Board of Directors recommends to shareholders of Stemline that they tender their shares into the tender offer. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions, including the tender of more than 50% of all shares of Stemline outstanding at the expiration of the offer and receipt of Hart-Scott-Rodino clearance. The terms and conditions of the tender offer will be described in the tender offer documents, which will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Menarini expects to fund the acquisition through existing cash resources.

06:53 EDT Eagle Pharmaceuticals to request FDA meeting on breast cancer candidate EA-114 - Eagle Pharmaceuticals provided an update on its pilot clinical study to assess the characteristics of its fulvestrant product candidate, EA-114, which has the potential to enhance estrogen receptor inhibition and improve patient outcomes. CEO Scott Tarriff stated, "We have continued to refine our EA-114 program, collected additional pilot data, and are pleased with our progress. We have had two meetings with FDA and will request another meeting to discuss these data. With FDA's guidance, we hope to move ahead with our plans. We look forward to providing additional updates on the progress of this potential drug treatment for hormone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer." Fulvestrant, an estrogen receptor antagonist with no agonist properties, is approved by the FDA for the treatment of advanced hormone-related breast cancers.

06:49 EDT Wesco announces Mexico approval for merger with Anixter International - WESCO International announced it received approval from Mexico on April 30 for its planned merger with Anixter International. Notification of the Merger was filed in Mexico on February 10. Receipt of this approval satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the proposed transaction, which remains subject to regulatory clearance from Canada. The parties have also filed notifications seeking approval under the antitrust laws of Chile, but the receipt of approval in Chile is not a condition to the closing of the merger. Approval or clearance has previously been received under the antitrust laws of the United States, Russia and Turkey. The parties expect to complete the merger in the second or third calendar quarter of 2020.

06:36 EDT Epizyme sees funds sufficient into at least 2022 - Epizyme continues to believe that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will fund the company's operations into at least 2022, based on its current operating plans. The company expects its non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses for 2020 $235M-$255M, which excludes any milestone payments paid by the company and non-cash items, such as stock-based compensation and amortization or depreciation of intangibles.

06:33 EDT Alarm.com acquires Doorport - Alarm.com company PointCentral has acquired New York-based Doorport. With the acquisition, PointCentral will add a smart intercom capability to the PointCentral Smart Property Management solution for building access security and multifamily properties for residents, guests, property managers, and delivery personnel.

06:25 EDT NanoViricides announces COVID-19 program CDA with Asian pharmaceutical company - NanoViricides announced that it has signed a confidential disclosure agreement, or CDA, with a pharmaceutical company in the Asian region to explore collaborating on the company's COVID-19 program. NanoViricides previously disclosed that it has already identified certain drug candidates that are active against multiple coronaviruses in cell culture studies. The company intends to perform testing against SARS-CoV-2 and is in advanced discussions with at least two sites that have such capability. This testing is expected to enable the company to declare a clinical drug candidate for COVID-19 based on viral load reduction. The pharmaceutical company with whom the CDA was executed has experience in drug development of novel technology platform-based drug candidates. It has both marketing and R&D presence in multiple countries within the Asian region. In addition, the pharmaceutical company has several collaborative drug development programs, both in-licensed from smaller biopharma companies and out-licensed to global Big Pharma companies, in a range of disease indications. NanoViricides said the company is developing what currently may be one of the very few novel antiviral drug candidates specifically targeting the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, with broad-spectrum activity against other coronaviruses. The company believes the broad-spectrum activity of its drug candidates substantiates that the drugs may continue to work even as the virus mutates in the field. Such viral mutations are already demonstrated with SARS-CoV-2 and it is widely thought that vaccines and antibodies could be rendered ineffective in the next iteration of the virus's outbreak due to such mutations. The CDA allows the two companies to discuss publicly undisclosed information about NanoViricides' drug development against SARS-CoV-2 to treat COVID-19 that is currently a worldwide pandemic. Further discussions may lead to additional collaborative development agreements. As with any such exploratory discussions, there is no guarantee of such additional agreements at this time.

06:14 EDT KBR secures $140M task orders to support U.S. Navy - KBR announced that it has been awarded two recompete task orders totaling $140M to support engineering and rapid prototyping efforts for the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, or AFICA, awarded KBR these cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's, or DoD IAC, multiple-award contract. KBR has supported the mission of the DoD research and development community through various predecessor DoD IAC contracts since 2005. Most recently, KBR was awarded a $76.4 million task order to provide engineering, logistics and reliability analysis to the Naval Air Systems Command's, or NAVAIR, F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office, PMA-265. KBR will work with PMA-265 to increase aircraft platform and systems reliability and availability, as well as reduce total ownership cost. It will also seek to extend the service life of the F/A-18C/D Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler aircraft. This work will be performed primarily at Naval Air Station, or NAS, Patuxent River in Maryland over the next five years. KBR has partnered with PMA-265 for more than 40 years to sustain and develop its aircraft. KBR was also awarded a $63.6 million task order to promote innovation and reduce the time required to deliver new capabilities to fleet users for NAVAIR's Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office. Specifically, KBR will focus on the rapid prototyping of new technologies for unmanned aviation platforms and systems, demonstrating these technologies in representative and realistic environments. The company will work with PMA-266 to integrate new technologies into existing platforms; mature designs into producible and sustainable products; and procure limited quantities sufficient for research and development associated with initial deployment. KBR will also support cybersecurity requirements, initial training, technical publication development, and the testing and troubleshooting of tools, equipment, and processes. KBR will primarily carry out this work at NAS Patuxent River over the next five years.

06:12 EDT DNA Genotek's ORAcollectRNA kit included in EUA granted to Biocerna SARS-CoV-2 - DNA Genotek, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OraSure Technologies (OSUR), announced that its ORAcollectRNA kit was included as the collection device for anterior nares samples under a U.S. FDA Emergency Use Authorization granted to Biocerna for its PCR-based SARS-CoV-2 assay. The Biocerna assay, combined with the ORAcollectRNA collection kit, is designed to allow for self-collection of nasal samples for the purpose of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 genome using the ThermoFisher Scientific (TMO) TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit under the supervision of a healthcare provider. ORAcollectRNA is an all-in-one system for the collection, stabilization and transportation of human, microbial and viral RNA.

06:10 EDT WidePoint reports vendor agreement with Synnex - WidePoint (WYY) announced a strategic vendor agreement with Synnex (SNX). WidePoint will have an opportunity to expand sales of its TM2 solutions, which include Managed Mobility Services and Identity Management.

06:08 EDT Despegar.com provides business update on COVID-19 - Despegar.com provided an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the company's operations. Since mid-March, Despegar has experienced an almost complete stoppage in new travel bookings. As a result, during the second half of March, Despegar's gross bookings declined by over 95% vs. the comparable period of last year. The company expects that these minimum levels of activity are likely to persist throughout Q2. The outsourcing of the fulfillment center and a restructuring in Argentina undertaken in 4Q19, along with measures to protect cash balances implemented in March 2020, contributed to the following results in 1Q20: 12% YoY reduction in Structural Costs to $42.8M, vs. $48.7M in 1Q19, 26% YoY reduction in cost of revenue aligned with lower transactions; and Elimination of direct marketing spend starting as of March 13, 2020. The company undertook 566 layoffs, 397 furloughs and the reduction of working hours of 159 employees, among others. As a result, Despegar estimates that its run-rate for Structural Costs will be further reduced to: approximately $34M during 2Q; and approximately $28M during 3Q. The company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents, will be sufficient to meet its currently-anticipated cash needs for the next twelve months: Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents amounted to $222M as of March 31, 2020 vs. $309.2M as of December 31, 2019. The company is undergoing negotiations with Best Day with respect to the previously announced pending acquisition.

06:05 EDT Itamar Medical receives CE mark approval for WatchPAT ONE - Itamar Medical announced receipt of CE mark approval for the company's WatchPAT ONE. The CE mark allows Itamar to expand commercialization of the latest innovation of its WatchPAT technology and the first fully disposable Home Sleep Apnea Test, throughout Europe and other CE Mark geographies.

06:00 EDT Aridis Pharmaceuticals enrolls first COVID-19 patient in Phase 3 AR-301 trial - Aridis Pharmaceuticals announced the enrollment of its first COVID-19 patient in the company's ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of AR-301, a monoclonal antibody against S. aureus induced pneumonia in patients who were already on mechanical ventilators. COVID-19 patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit are prone to secondary infections (also called 'superinfections') by opportunistic pathogens such as bacteria. Superinfection is a reported complication in COVID-19 patients, which exacerbates morbidity and rate of mortality. The company's ongoing AR-301 Phase 3 study allows for the enrollment of patients with baseline characteristics which are inclusive of certain COVID-19 patients.

05:49 EDT IHS Markit acquires Catena Technologies, terms not disclosed - IHS Markit announced the acquisition of Catena Technologies, a global regulatory trade reporting firm based in Singapore. The financial impact of the transaction will be non-material on IHS Markit earnings or earnings guidance. Terms were not disclosed.

05:45 EDT KLX Energy, Quintana Energy Services to combine in all-stock merger - KLX Energy Services Holdings (KLXE) and Quintana Energy Services (QES) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby the companies will combine in an all-stock merger transaction. The combined company will have an industry-leading, asset-light product and service offering present in all major US onshore oil and gas basins, with more than $1 billion of pro forma fiscal year 2019 revenue and approximately $106 million in fiscal year 2019 adjusted EBITDA, excluding an estimated $40 million of annualized cost synergies and a strong liquidity profile with approximately $118 million of cash and a $100 million revolving credit facility. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, QES shareholders will receive 0.4844 shares of KLXE common stock for each share of QES common stock. Upon closing, KLXE and QES shareholders will, respectively, own approximately 59% and 41% of the equity of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The combined company will retain the KLX Energy Services corporate name, the listing will remain on Nasdaq under the ticker "KLXE" and the corporate headquarters will be moved to Houston, Texas. Tom McCaffrey, President and CEO of KLXE, said, "We expect this transaction will also generate significant annualized cost synergies of at least $40 million within 12 months, which include substantial savings from the closure of KLXE's corporate headquarters in Wellington, Florida and the combination of both companies' Houston headquarters. In addition, KLXE's broad range of intervention services assures the combined company will be on the front end of the recovery." The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of both KLXE and QES. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2020.

05:21 EDT Summit Midstream to immediately suspend distributions on common, preferred units - SMLP also announced its intention to immediately suspend its distributions payable on its common units and on its 9.50% Series A fixed-to-floating rate cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred units. The suspension of the common and preferred distributions will enable SMLP to retain an incremental approximately $76M of cash in the business annually, which it intends to use to de-lever the balance sheet, enhance liquidity and increase financial flexibility. The unpaid distributions on the preferred units will continue to accrue.

05:19 EDT Summit Midstream to acquire Summit Midstream Partners, LLC for $35M in cash - Summit Midstream Partners, LP announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Energy Capital Partners II, LLC, or ECP, to acquire Summit Midstream Partners, LLC, referred to as Summit Investments, the privately held company that indirectly owns SMLP's general partner, Summit Midstream GP, LLC, referred to as the GP, as well as 5.9M SMLP common units owned separately by ECP, for $35M in cash plus warrants covering 10M SMLP common units. Pursuant to terms of the GP Buy-in Transaction, at closing, ECP will loan the full $35M of cash proceeds to SMLP under a first-lien senior secured credit agreement which will bear interest at 8.0% per annum and the principal on which will be paid at maturity on March 31, 2021. SMLP intends to utilize the proceeds of the ECP Loan to enhance its liquidity position and for general corporate purposes. The acquisition will result in a more simplified corporate structure whereby Summit Investments, and all of its subsidiaries, will become wholly owned subsidiaries of SMLP, and SMLP will be governed by a board consisting of a majority of independent directors. Summit Investments owns 100% of Summit Midstream Partners Holdings, LLC which owns 100% of Summit Midstream GP, LLC, the general partner of SMLP, 45.3 million SMLP common units, cash on hand, and the $180.75 million deferred purchase price obligation, or DPPO, receivable, all of which will remain outstanding as of the closing. SMP Holdings will continue as the borrower under a $158.2 million term loan which matures in May 2022 and is secured by approximately 34.6 million of the SMLP common units owned by SMP Holdings and the GP interest. The acquired entities will be unrestricted subsidiaries under SMLP's senior notes indentures, and will not be guarantors or restricted subsidiaries under SMLP's revolving credit facility. As such, SMLP's financial performance covenant calculations will not include borrowings under the term loan. In connection with the GP Buy-in Transaction, SMLP will issue warrants covering 10,000,000 SMLP common units to ECP that will be exercisable for three years following the closing date. The exercise price will be established at 110% of the 3-day volume-weighted average price prior to the closing date of the GP Buy-In Transaction. The holder of the Series A warrants has the right to require SMLP to settle the warrants in additional SMLP units or cash, subject to SMLP meeting certain leverage metrics. Upon exercise of the warrant, the proceeds to the warrant holder, whether in the form of cash or SMLP units, will be capped at $2.00 per common unit above the exercise price. SMLP expects the GP Buy-in Transaction to close in the second quarter of 2020, subject to certain closing conditions including finalization of the terms of the ECP Loan agreement. The GP Buy-in Transaction was unanimously approved by the Conflicts Committee of the board, which consists entirely of independent directors.