Stockwinners Market Radar for June 25, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:06 EDT Virgin Australia to be acquired by Bain Capital - Virgin Australia states: "The Voluntary Administrators of Virgin Australia Holdings Limited received binding proposals from each of Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners LP on Monday 22 June 2020. They also received several proposals from other interested parties this week, including a proposal from the representatives of an Ad Hoc group of bondholders of the Virgin Australia Group on 24 June 2020. Having considered those bids, the Administrators are pleased to confirm they have now entered into a Sale and Implementation Deed with Bain Capital which will result in the sale and recapitalisation of the businesses of VAH and its subsidiaries.The Sale and Implementation Deed is subject to minimal conditions precedent such as regulatory approvals. Approval by the Australian Treasurer pursuant to Australian Foreign Investment Review laws has already been received by Bain Capital. No return to shareholders is anticipated. At this stage, it is not possible to determine the estimated return to creditors however an update will be provided ahead of the second meeting of creditors."

20:54 EDT Zogenix says Fintepla to be launched by end of July - In a separate press release, Zogenix says "FINTEPLA will be launched through a restricted distribution program, called the FINTEPLA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Program, and is expected to be available through Zogenix's specialty pharmacy partner by the end of July."

19:48 EDT Zogenix trading halted, news pending

18:57 EDT Deutsche Bank says Fed did not object to capital plan - The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System announced the results of the 2020 Dodd-Frank Act Stress Tests and Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) for DB USA Corporation. The Federal Reserve did not object to the DBUSA capital plan on a quantitative or qualitative basis. On a quantitative basis, the Federal Reserve found that even in a severely adverse economic scenario, DBUSA's Common Equity Tier 1 capital would comfortably exceed the regulatory minimum of 4.5% and would not fall below 18.4% at any time over the nine-quarter planning horizon. The Federal Reserve also found that DBUSA's Tier 1 Leverage Ratio would remain well above the regulatory minimum of 4% and would not fall below 7.4%. All other minimum regulatory capital ratios were also exceeded.

18:45 EDT Caesars: Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to reopen July 2 - Caesars announced plans to resume operations at Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 2 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, following the successful reopenings of Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, and Paris Las Vegas. The LINQ Hotel + Experience also successfully reopened its gaming floor and other amenities recently. Nobu Hotel, the boutique hotel within the larger Caesars Palace destination resort, will be offering luxurious guest rooms and suites including the extravagant rooftop Nobu Villa, one of the world's largest Nobu restaurants - which reopened June 5 - and access to its exclusive fitness center.

18:27 EDT Winnebago CEO: Challenging quarter, but some optimism at the end - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Michael Happe said Winnebago saw positive signs in May and he's optimistic on the future. There is lots of pent-up demand to escape the house and get outdoors, Happe noted. According to Happe, the summer season is setting up to be very strong, and the recovery of stock market has been "especially helpful" to affluent customers. The company has seen a "dramatic increase" in the boating/RV lifestyle, with an influx of first-time buyers.

18:19 EDT Volaris expects recovery to 50% of capacity in July - Volaris announced adjustments to its capacity as a result of the health emergency generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. During July, Volaris plans to operate 50% of its capacity as measured by available seat miles versus the originally published schedule, in response to a gradual recovery in demand for its air transportation services. This represents an increase regarding its capacity compared to May and June, where capacity operated represented approximately 12% and 35% of its total operations versus the itinerary originally published for those months.

17:44 EDT Correction: Sight Sciences appoints Sam Park as COO - This corrects 08:03 story with headline, "Endologix appoints Sam Park as COO and Jeremy Hayden as General Counsel."

17:36 EDT Correction: SiteOne Landscape not replacing Mobile Mini in S&P 600 on 7/1 - This corrects 17:20 story.

17:34 EDT Nike CFO says Digital sales have been growing 'triple-digits' in June - Says Greater China saw return of growth at 1% in Q4 and also grew for the 6th straight year. Says 100% of stores in China now open.

17:32 EDT Correction: Site Centers to replace Mobile Mini in S&P 600 at open on 7/1 - This corrects 17:20 story.

17:28 EDT Boeing awarded $439.18M Army contract modification - Boeing was awarded a $439.18M modification to a contract for new-build Apache AH-64E aircraft and Longbow crew trainers. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2025. FY20 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $439.18M were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:25 EDT L3Harris, Textron and others awarded contracts worth a combined $975M - L3Harris Technologies (LHX), Textron (TXT) and others were awarded six indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a maximum combined ceiling of $975M for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems IV intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, services in support of U.S. Special Operations Command enterprise requirements worldwide. This multiple-award acquisition supports competition at the task-order level to ensure the most capable platforms and payloads provide real-time, responsive airborne ISR solutions to Special Operations Forces. FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount $1,500 have been obligated for each contract at the time of award. The contracts were awarded competitively through a full and open competition with 10 proposals received. U.S. Special Operations Command is the contracting activity.

17:19 EDT Google's YouTube challenges TikTok with 15 second video clip experiment - "YouTube product teams are constantly testing out new tools and features to help you find, watch, share and create content more easily. These test features, "sometimes also called 'betas" or "experiments' are usually available for a short period of time and only for a small group of people," said YouTube. On Thursday evening, the company posted the following note: "June 24 2020 Testing out a way to record multi-segment videos: We're testing out a new way for creators to easily record multiple clips directly in the YouTube mobile app and upload as one video. If you're in this experiment, you'll see an option to 'create a video' in the mobile upload flow. Tap or hold the record button to record your first clip, then tap again or release the button to stop recording that clip. Repeat these steps until you're done capturing footage up to a maximum length of 15 seconds. If you'd like to upload a longer video, you'll still be able to do so by uploading from your phone gallery instead of recording through the app. We're starting these experiments on mobile (both Android and iOS) with a small group of people while we gather feedback." Reference Link

17:15 EDT DraftKings CLO Dodge sells 339,416 class A common shares - In a regulatory filing, DraftKings chief legal officer R. Stanton Dodge disclosed the sale of 339,416 class A common shares on June 23 at a price of $38.80 per share.

17:14 EDT DraftKings CFO Park sells over 76,000 class A common shares - In a regulatory filing, DraftKings CFO Jason Park disclosed the sale of 76,128 class A common shares of the company on June 23 at a price of $38.80 per share.

17:11 EDT U.S. Bancorp releases 2020 Dodd-Frank Act stress test results - U.S. Bancorp disclosed the results of its company-run Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test conducted in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The company's DFAST results may differ from those calculated and published by the Federal Reserve Board due to differences in models, methodologies, assumptions and applicable capital and accounting rules, among other things.

17:04 EDT Itron announces agreement with Accell as lead distributor in Latin America - Itron announced the closing of the agreement to partner with Accell as Itron's regional partner and lead distributor for the Latin America region. As part of the agreement, Accell will manufacture devices sold in Latin America and provide services and support for those products. Accell will also be the lead regional distributor for Itron products designed and built outside of Latin America, giving access to Itron's full suite of solutions, including networked solutions, analytics, smart cities and outcomes offerings. By partnering with Accell in Latin America, Itron furthers its strategy to enhance flexibility to capitalize on other opportunities. Focused exclusively on Latin America with an in-region team, Accell will be better situated to serve customers, partners and deliver new levels of success in the region. With the transaction closing, Accell will assume all prior Itron commitments in the region and will provide local support for products and customers. All of Itron's Latin American facilities and employees will become wholly part of Accell, except for several Mexico-based employees who will remain supporting Itron contract manufacturing operations in Mexico. Itron will assist with a transition over a period of months to ensure a smooth handoff of product training, customer relationships, and technical and product support.

17:01 EDT Berry Global to supply Medical in U.K. government mask manufacturing mandate - Berry Global announced its collaboration with The Medicom Group to design the manufacturing solution and guarantee the supply of nonwoven fabric intended for use in producing hundreds of millions of face masks annually as part of Medicom's agreement with the British Government. To do so, Berry is investing in a meltblown nonwovens line, to be outfitted with its proprietary charging technology, at one of its UK based facilities to increase capacity of material necessary in the production of European-standard Type IIR and N99-equivalent FFP3 masks. The masks will be manufactured and sold under Medicom's European Kolmi brand.

17:00 EDT Unilever's Indian unit to rename skin-lightening cream amid controversy - The Indian and Bangladeshi unit of the Anglo-Dutch consumer firm Unilever said in a statement on Thursday "that they will rename their locally marketed "Fair & Lovely" skin-lightening cream in the face of global anti-racism protests. HUL announced the next step in the evolution of its skin care portfolio, with the rebranding of its flagship brand Fair & Lovely. Taking forward the brand's journey towards a more inclusive vision of beauty, the company will stop using the word 'Fair' in the brand name 'Fair & Lovely'. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and we expect to change the name in the next few months. Over the last decade, Fair & Lovely's advertising has evolved to communicate a message of women's empowerment. The brand's vision is to adopt a holistic approach to beauty that cares for people, that must be inclusive and diverse - for everyone, everywhere. The brand is committed to celebrating all skin tones. In early 2019, the brand's communication moved away from the benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening, towards glow, even tone, skin clarity and radiance, which are holistic measures of healthy skin. HUL also removed from Fair & Lovely's packaging, words such as 'fair/fairness', 'white/whitening', and 'light/lightening' that could indicate a fairness-led transformation. The cameo with two faces showing shade transformation, as well as the shade guides were removed from the packs. The Company will continue to evolve its advertising, to feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India" said the company. Reference Link

16:50 EDT Masimo announces FDA clearance of Centroid - Masimo announced that Centroid, a wearable, wireless patient orientation, activity, and respiration rate sensor, has received FDA clearance. Centroid helps clinicians monitor patient position to avoid preventable pressure ulcers, and can alert clinicians to sudden movements such as fall-like events. In addition, Centroid detects chest movements to continuously provide respiration rate, assisting clinicians with additional data that may inform care decisions.

16:40 EDT John Wiley & Sons raises quarterly dividend to 34.25c per share - John Wiley and Sons announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 34.25c per share on its Class A and Class B Common Stock, payable on July 22, 2020 to shareholders of record on July 7, 2020. The quarterly dividend is equivalent to an annual dividend of $1.37 per share, an increase from the $1.36 per share payout in fiscal year 2020.

16:33 EDT Fed caps bank dividends at Q2 level, doesn't allow Q3 share buybacks - The Federal Reserve Board released the results of its stress tests for 2020 and additional sensitivity analyses that the board conducted in light of the coronavirus event. "The banking system has been a source of strength during this crisis," Vice Chair Randal Quarles said, "and the results of our sensitivity analyses show that our banks can remain strong in the face of even the harshest shocks." The board took several actions following its stress tests to ensure large banks remain resilient despite the economic uncertainty from the coronavirus event. For Q3 of this year, the board is requiring large banks to preserve capital by suspending share repurchases, capping dividend payments, and allowing dividends according to a formula based on recent income. The board is also requiring banks to re-evaluate their longer-term capital plans. Publicly traded companies in the space include Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC).

16:21 EDT Mercury Systems awarded $3.9M contract for radar systems solution - Mercury Systems received a $3.9M multi-phase contract award from a leading defense prime contractor for the development of a high-density system-in-package solution for radar systems utilizing its novel 2.5D chip-scale integration technology. The award has an 18-month planned performance and shipment period.

16:21 EDT Synnex jumps 7% to $108.50 after Q2 results beat estimates

16:20 EDT Nike reports Q4-end inventories up 31% from last year at $7.4B

16:18 EDT Nike says 90% of Nike-owned stores are open, retail traffic improving - As part of its "COVID-19 Update on Operations", the company states: "As of today, approximately 90 percent of NIKE-owned stores are open across the globe. Retail traffic continues to improve week-over-week with higher conversion rates as compared to the prior year.** In Greater China, nearly 100 percent of NIKE-owned stores are open. In North America, EMEA and APLA, approximately 90 percent of physical owned stores were closed during the fourth quarter with stores gradually reopening at different paces in each country beginning in mid-May. Today, roughly 85 percent of NIKE-owned stores are open in North America and about 90 percent in EMEA, with approximately 65 percent open in APLA or operating under reduced hours."

16:17 EDT Nike reports Q4 Brand revenue $6.01B, down 38% - NIKE Q4 digital sales increased 75%, or 79% on a currency-neutral basis.

16:15 EDT IntriCon names Scott Longval CEO effective October 1 - IntriCon announced that Scott Longval, who has served as the company's Chief Financial Officer since July 2006 and Chief Operating Officer since 2019, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2020. He will also be appointed to the IntriCon board effective October 1, 2020. Longval will succeed Mark Gorder, who will retire as President and CEO effective September 30, 2020, positions he has held since 2001. Mr. Gorder has agreed to remain in an executive advisory consultant capacity to facilitate a smooth transition through December 31, 2020 and will continue as a director of the company for the balance of his term. Concurrently, IntriCon announced that it has commenced a search for a new CFO to replace Mr. Longval.

16:10 EDT Group 1 Automotive: 'Significantly improving market conditions' in May-June - Group 1 Automotive provided an operational update on its business for the second quarter 2020 and noted significantly improving market conditions and operating trends in May and June-to-date when compared to March and April, 2020. In late March, the company implemented major cost reductions as "shelter-in-place" orders dramatically curtailed operations and overall business levels. All of the company's U.S. automotive retail dealership sales and service operations have been open since early May, with the exception of a small number of temporary facility closures due to instances of specific COVID-19 cases. Since that time, revenues for new vehicle sales and service have increased at a much faster rate than associated costs. As a result, U.S. operating profits are improving much faster than anticipated. In the UK, all vehicle sales operations closed during the second half of March with showrooms only opening again on June 1, 2020. Additionally, dealership service departments were closed in the second quarter until May 18, 2020, with the exception of selected dealerships, which had remained open for emergency service. Although this created a financial loss in the UK in April and May, used vehicle and service activity have dramatically improved in June, and we expect our UK operations to show a profit for the month. The greatest challenge to dealership operations has been in the Brazilian market where Group 1 dealerships were closed most of the quarter with the final dealerships not reopening until mid-June. However, in some of the company's Brazilian markets, the virus has not yet reached its predicted peak. The rebound in vehicle sales and service performance in the U.S. in May and June-to-date should enable the company to offset the financial headwinds in the UK and Brazil in the second quarter to achieve substantial operational profits at the dealership level. However, we would point out that there are potentially several non-recurring charges that will impact the quarter. First, as was previously announced in April 2020, the company incurred approximately $10.4 million of redemption costs associated with calling the company's 5.250% bonds. In addition, the uncertain nature of the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the auto market, especially in the UK and Brazil, will trigger financial testing of certain intangible asset values, which could result in asset impairments also being incurred within second quarter 2020 GAAP financial results. More details will be provided when the company reports second quarter results, which is expected to occur as usually scheduled in late July 2020. "The faster-than-expected recovery of the U.S. auto market combined with our timely and aggressive cost cuts across all three of our operating markets and at our headquarters will enable us to report a better-than-expected financial quarter on an operating basis. Despite large revenue declines for the second quarter, we project new vehicle sales margin improvements and meaningful cost leverage to drive a significant level of corporate profitability. Used vehicle sales are currently strong in both the U.S. and UK. Although we are not yet back to pre-COVID-19 levels in new vehicle sales and service, we have seen continuing improvement in both areas since early May in the U.S. and since the beginning of June in the UK," said Earl J. Hesterberg, Group 1's president and CEO.

16:08 EDT Crowdstrike's Davis sells 25,000 class A common shares - In a regulatory filing, CrowdStrike director Cary Davis disclosed the sale of 25,000 class A common shares of the company on June 23 at a price of $106.22 per share.

16:06 EDT RTW Retailwinds gets continued listing notice from NYSE - RTW Retailwinds announced that on June 19, 2020, the company received notice from the NYSE that the company is non-compliant under Section 802.01B of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, as the result of the company's average market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period was less than $50 million and its stockholders' equity was less than $50M. In order to avoid delisting under Section 802.01B, the company has 45 days from the receipt of the Notice to submit a business plan advising the NYSE of definitive actions the company has taken, or is taking, that would bring the company into compliance with the market capitalization listing standards.

14:57 EDT North American rail traffic dropped 12.7% in week ended June 20 - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 20. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 457,278 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.9 percent compared with the same week last year. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 457,278 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.9%t compared with the same week last year.Total carloads for the week ending June 20 were 201,823 carloads, down 21.8% compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,455 containers and trailers, down 4.4 % compared to 2019. North American rail volume for the week ending June 20, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 294,794 carloads, down 19.3% compared with the same week last year, and 334,884 intermodal units, down 6% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 629,678 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.7%. North American rail volume for the first 25 weeks of 2020 was 15,545,401 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.9% compared with 2019 Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP), Trinity Industries (TRN) and Greenbrier (GBX). Reference Link

14:16 EDT Sonic Automotive CEO says Echo Park stores tracking above pre-COVID levels - Sonic Automotive CEO David Smith is being interviewed on CNBC.

13:53 EDT Banking lobbyists push for 'safe harbor' on cannabis in stimulus bill, FBN says - Fox Business Network's Charles Gasparino tweeted, "Banking lobbyists appear to be pushing lawmakers to create a "safe harbor" in the stimulus bill so banks can lend to cannabis companies. Will discuss now plus additional items being discuss such as stimulus aimed at businesses that hire women." Publicly traded companies in the space include Aphria (APHA), Aurora Cannabis (ACB), CV Sciences (CVSI), CannTrust Holdings (CTST), Canopy Growth (CGC), Cronos Group (CRON), General Cannabis (CANN), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) and Zynerba (ZYNE).

13:18 EDT Churchill Downs says Kentucky Derby will be run with spectators - Churchill Downs Racetrack announced that after consultation with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and state public health officials, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will occur with spectators "under strict guidelines." Kentucky Derby Week will be held Sept. 1-5 with the Oaks on Friday, Sept. 4 and the Derby on Saturday, Sept. 5. Venue capacity reductions will limit overall crowd density, access throughout the facility will be "severely limited," and guests "will be encouraged to socially distance themselves from others when possible." Reference Link

13:16 EDT PolyMet Mining elects Jon Cherry to succeed Ian Forrest as chairman - The board of directors of PolyMet Mining elected a new chairman and appointed two new board members following the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders June 24, 2020, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The board named Jon Cherry as chair to succeed Ian Forrest, who retired from the board after serving as its chairman since 2012. It also appointed retired financial services executive David Fermo and Glencore executive Roberto Huby as new board members, replacing Helen Harper and Michael Sill who have stepped down after four and nine years of service, respectively. The board also appointed Al Hodnik lead independent director.

13:05 EDT Microsoft ,Hitachi form strategic alliance in manufacturing and logistics - Hitachi (HTHIY) and Microsoft (MSFT) on Thursday announced a multiyear strategic alliance to accelerate the digital transformation of the manufacturing and logistics industries across Southeast Asia, North America and Japan. The first solutions will be available in Thailand in July 2020. The two companies will work together to meet the growing demand for predictive maintenance and process automation in remote areas and support enterprises as they tackle the challenges infused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hitachi will integrate its industry-leading solutions, such as Lumada, and its IoT-ready industrial controllers HX Series, with the Microsoft cloud platform, leveraging Azure, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 to help businesses increase their workforce productivity and operational efficiency. Lumada provides advanced digital solutions, services and technologies to turn data into insights to drive digital innovation.

13:02 EDT Lufthansa shareholders accept EUR9B German government rescue package - Lufthansa shareholders have voted in favor of accepting the capital measures and the participation of the Economic Stabilisation Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany in Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The corresponding proposal received the necessary majority at today's Extraordinary General Meeting of the company. The package provides for stabilization measures and loans of up to EUR9B. The WSF will make silent capital contributions of up to EUR5.7B to the assets of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. It will also establish a 20% stake in the share capital of Deutsche Lufthansa AG by way of a capital increase. This capital increase was approved at today's Extraordinary General Meeting. The shareholders also voted in favor of granting two conversion rights for parts of the silent capital contributions. These conversion rights are intended, on the one hand, to safeguard the Federal Government in case of a takeover of Lufthansa and, on the other hand, to secure the interest payments for the silent capital contribution. Both conversion rights can be transformed into a further five percent of the company's share capital should these conditions be met. The package will be supplemented by a loan of up to EUR3B with the participation of KfW and private banks. As a result of the resolution of the Extraordinary General Meeting, the company's liquidity is secured on a sustained basis. The companies of Lufthansa Group are working at full speed to get their operations up and running again. The airlines' flight schedules will therefore be consistently expanded in the coming weeks. The flight schedule for the next few weeks will be published at the beginning of next week. The plan is to include 90% of all originally planned short-haul destinations and 70% of all long-haul destinations in the flight schedule again by September.

12:50 EDT Novartis pays $112M to settle SEC's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act allegations - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Novartis has agreed to pay over $112M to settle charges that it violated the books and records and internal accounting controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The SEC's order finds that local subsidiaries or affiliates of Novartis or its former subsidiary Alcon "engaged in schemes to make improper payments or to provide benefits to public and private healthcare providers in South Korea, Vietnam, and Greece in exchange for prescribing or using Novartis or Alcon products." Novartis consented to the entry of an order requiring the company to cease and desist from committing violations of the books and records and internal accounting controls provisions of the FCPA. Novartis agreed to pay disgorgement of $92.3M and $20.5M in prejudgment interest and to comply with a three-year undertaking to self-report on the status of its remediation and implementation of compliance measures, the agency said in a statement. In addition, subsidiaries of Novartis and Alcon entered into deferred prosecution agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice and have agreed to pay more than $233M in criminal fines.

12:34 EDT Salesforce invests in security software provider Tanium at $9B valuation - Tanium announced in a blog post: "We are excited to announce a strategic partnership with Salesforce, supported by a new round of funding led by a strategic investment from Salesforce Ventures, to reimagine employee service management, bringing the company's valuation to $9B. This investment will be used to accelerate the partnership and strengthen Tanium's market leadership in unified endpoint management and security. Over the past few months, there has been a seismic shift in the way organizations and their employees operate. In this new, digital, work-from-anywhere world, an explosion in unmanaged endpoints, escalating cyber-attacks and overwhelmed VPNs have stretched distributed IT support staff to the limit. Now, more than ever, organizations need effective employee service solutions that empower businesses to improve employee productivity and reduce risk. Our best-in-class data and unified endpoint management and security capabilities, in concert with Salesforce's robust development platform, workflow capabilities, and third-party ecosystem, will support a new way of delivering employee service management in an increasingly remote-working world. Through this partnership, Salesforce will leverage the power of the Tanium platform to help IT teams gain comprehensive visibility and control of their employees' endpoints." Reference Link

12:07 EDT Federal Reserve announces financial regulators modify Volcker rule - Five federal regulatory agencies finalized a rule modifying the Volcker rule's prohibition on banking entities investing in or sponsoring hedge funds or private equity funds, known as covered funds, the Federal Reserve announced. "The final rule is broadly similar to the proposed rule from January. The Volcker rule generally prohibits banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading and from acquiring or retaining ownership interests in, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with a hedge fund or private equity fund. Like the proposal, the final rule modifies three areas of the rule by: Streamlining the covered funds portion of rule; Addressing the extraterritorial treatment of certain foreign funds; and permitting banking entities to offer financial services and engage in other activities that do not raise concerns that the Volcker rule was intended to address. The rule will be effective on October 1," the Federal Reserve stated. Publicly traded large banks include Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC).

12:01 EDT Goodyear, Lordstown Motors announce strategic relationship on tires, service - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT) and Lordstown Motors, whose associated company is Workhorse (WKHS), announced a strategic relationship with the two Ohio-based companies agreeing to collaborate on tires and service in addition to future tire intelligence opportunities. The announcement coincides with Lordstown's debut of its first all-electric pickup truck, the Endurance, featuring Goodyear tires on Thursday. As part of the agreement, Goodyear also intends to acquire new Endurance vehicles to integrate into its own servicing fleet recognizing the sustainable footprint of the all-electric vehicles. "We want to be the tiremaker of choice for electric vehicle manufacturers and working with Lordstown represents an ideal relationship with shared Ohio roots and shared values of innovation, performance and sustainability," said Erin Spring, Goodyear's director, new ventures.

12:00 EDT Rite Aid rises 20.7% - Rite Aid is up 20.7%, or $2.67 to $15.54.

11:56 EDT Google debuts content licensing program to pay publishers amid 'News Initiative' - Google has taken measures to align its news publishing operations with certain demands for payment for content from news publishers global in return for using their content. This morning the company moved to resolve its differences with publishers. Brad Bender VP Product Management, News said in an earlier blog post the following: "Today, we are announcing a licensing program to pay publishers for high-quality content for a new news experience launching later this year. This program will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests. We will start with publishers in a number of countries around the globe, with more to come soon.This endeavor will diversify our support for news businesses today, building on the value we already provide through Search and our ongoing efforts with the Google News Initiative to help journalism thrive in the digital age...We have been actively working with our publisher partners on this new product which will launch first on Google News and Discover. We are currently engaged in discussions with many more partners and plan to sign more in the coming months." Reference Link

11:05 EDT Medtronic announces data from global SYMPLICITY registry - Medtronic reported new data from the Global SYMPLICITY Registry, which showed that renal denervation with the Medtronic Symplicity Renal Denervation System significantly reduced blood pressure in uncontrolled hypertension patients out to three years independent of anti-hypertension medication burden. The data were presented virtually as part of the PCR e-Course 2020. The study showed RDN led to significant and clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure that were sustained out to three years post-procedure, with more patients achieving BP below 140 mmHg, while those at very high BP levels experiencing drops into lower risk BP ranges. The number of patients at the very highest BP level - greater than 180 mmHg systolic at baseline - dropped by two-thirds at three years. Additionally, the number of patients who had reported office systolic BP less than 140 mmHg - a more controlled level of BP - increased from 13 percent at baseline to 39 percent at three years. The BP drops occurred while patients were prescribed an average of four or more anti-hypertensive medications, which remained unchanged over three years. The absence of increase in medications suggest that RDN's effect was independent of anti-hypertensive medication burden. RDN continued to show a strong safety profile at three years with an incidence of renal artery stenosis of 0.3 percent, which is within the expected range for patients with hypertension not undergoing denervation. The Global SYMPLICITY Registry is the largest study documenting the long-term safety and effectiveness of the Medtronic renal denervation systems in a real-world setting in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. To date, the registry has enrolled more than 2,860 patients treated with RDN and includes three-year follow-up for more than 2,500 patients. The data presented at PCR closely mirror a recent manuscript of GSR data published in JACC, which reported that RDN showed lasting results in a variety of high-risk patients, including those with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, isolated systolic hypertension, or resistant hypertension. In addition to the Global SYMPLICITY Registry, the Medtronic SPYRAL HTN Global Clinical Program includes the SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED PIVOTAL and SPYRAL HTN-ON MED Trials, both prospectively powered, randomized, sham-controlled studies evaluating patients with uncontrolled blood pressure in the absence and presence of prescribed anti-hypertensive medications respectively. Approved for commercial use in more than 50 countries around the world, the Symplicity Spyral system is limited to investigational use in the United States.

11:02 EDT Inovio shares will soon drop 50% to $14, Citron Research says - Shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO) are heading back to $14 "in short order," Andrew Left's Citron Research predicted via Twitter. The stock in morning trading is up 16%, or $3.93, to $27.80. The firm know for short selling said via Twitter, "$INO has become a chew toy for RobinHood traders. Expect $INO back to $14 in short order This is the chart of $INO vs the 5 companies chosen by $CDC to lead vaccine. Even most spec $MRNA trades @ 27x vs. INO @ 158x. Trading can be profitable but vaccines are not."

10:12 EDT GE Marine announces contract from Sefine Shipyard - GE Marine announced it has received a contract from Sefine Shipyard to provide two LM2500 marine gas turbines to power the Turkish Naval Forces' new Fleet Replenishment Ship. "Known as the DIMDEG project, this new-generation ship will satisfy the fuel, water transport and supply needs of Turkey's surface combatants in the open seas around the world," GE said. Reference Link

10:07 EDT Khiron Life Sciences signs distribution deal in Germany with Nimbus Health - Khiron Life Sciences announces that it has entered into an agreement with Nimbus Health, a leading German distributor of medical cannabis products. Khiron branded EU GMP medical cannabis will soon be available in Germany for prescription by doctors and dispensation in pharmacies. The supply of EU GMP medical cannabis to Germany will be fully supported by the Company's global medical education team, led by Dr. Maria Fernanda Arboleda, Khiron's International Director for Medical Services. Dr. Arboleda is an Anesthesiologist, Pain and Palliative Care Physician. She completed a Spine-Regional Anesthesia Fellowship at the McGill University Health Center and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Supportive Cancer Care and Medical Cannabis, at the Department of Oncology, McGill University, and at Sante Cannabis, a leading specialized cannabis clinic in Canada.

10:00 EDT AMC Entertainment falls -8.9% - AMC Entertainment is down -8.9%, or -43c to $4.36.

10:00 EDT KB Home falls -12.8% - KB Home is down -12.8%, or -$4.25 to $29.08.

10:00 EDT Rite Aid rises 13.4% - Rite Aid is up 13.4%, or $1.72 to $14.59.

09:59 EDT Verint to partner with startup Viziblezone for COVID-19 contact tracing software - Jerusalem based Artificial Intelligence startup, Viziblezone, has announced a strategic alliance with Verint which will see Verint offer Viziblezone high accuracy contact tracing technology as part of their comprehensive COVID-19 operational solution. Verint provides a range of software and hardware products for customer engagement management, security, surveillance, and business intelligence. The agreement marks the latest move by cutting edge Israeli startups applying their solutions to combat the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

09:47 EDT Ally Financial rises 9.1% - Ally Financial is up 9.1%, or $1.67 to $19.98.

09:47 EDT Farfetch rises 13.9% - Farfetch is up 13.9%, or $2.07 to $16.94.

09:36 EDT Aphria announces settlement of claim with Aleafia Health, Emblem Cannabis - Aphria (APHA), Emblem Cannabis Corporation, and Aleafia Health Inc. (ALEAF) announced the parties entered into a settlement agreement on June 25, 2020 to resolve their outstanding dispute in respect of the termination of the parties' wholesale cannabis supply agreement. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Emblem shall receive total consideration of C$29,100,000 comprised of a C$15,500,000 cash payment, the issuance of common shares of Aphria with an aggregate market value of C$10,000,000 that will be freely tradeable and transferable in Canada and waiver of claimed receivables. The parties have also agreed to a mutual release of all existing and potential claims, and to the dismissal of the arbitration proceedings that had previously been commenced. This settlement ends any and all potential claims and litigation against and between Aphria, Emblem, and Aleafia Health relating to the Supply Agreement.

09:34 EDT Feuerstein says would be 'cautious' about Axios story on Moderna - StatNews' Adam Feuerstein said via Twitter: "I'd be cautious about that Axios story claiming NIH joint ownership of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine. The only outside expert quoted is from Public Citizen." Reference Link

09:27 EDT Aleafia Health, Emblem Cannabis announce settlement of claim - Aleafia Health (ALEAF), its subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corporation and Aphria (APHA) announced the parties entered into a settlement agreement on June 25, 2020 to resolve their outstanding dispute in respect of the termination of the parties' wholesale cannabis supply agreement. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement Emblem shall receive total consideration of C$29,100,000, comprised of C$15,500,000 cash payment, the issuance of common shares of Aphria with an aggregate market value of C$10,000,000 that will be freely tradeable and transferable in Canada and waiver of claimed receivables. The parties have also agreed to a mutual release of all existing and potential claims relating to the Supply Agreement, and to the dismissal of the arbitration proceedings that had previously been commenced. This settlement ends any and all potential claims and litigation against and between Aphria, Emblem, and Aleafia Health relating to the Supply Agreement.

09:25 EDT Delphi Technologies shareholders approve deal with BorgWarner - Delphi Technologies (DLPH) announced that at a special meeting of its shareholders held earlier, Delphi Technologies' shareholders approved the company's previously announced transaction with BorgWarner (BWA). An overwhelming majority of shareholders voted in favor of the transaction. Delphi Technologies and BorgWarner continue to work diligently towards the closing of the transaction, which is subject to the receipt of the remaining required regulatory approvals and satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions, including the sanctioning of the scheme of arrangement by the Royal Court of Jersey.

09:19 EDT Rogers Communications announces Pro On-the-Go expansion - Rogers announced that its personalized mobile retail experience, Rogers Pro On-the-Go, will begin rolling out to Calgary and Edmonton starting tomorrow. As restrictions in the province continue to ease, and businesses pivot to meet the needs of Canadians in the new normal, Rogers has accelerated the expansion of Pro On-the-Go to give customers in Calgary and Edmonton another way to get a new phone as soon as same day and expert support to set it up, at no extra cost. The service, available only at Rogers, will launch in Calgary and Edmonton neighbourhoods tomorrow and will expand throughout both cities in the coming weeks. To keep customers and team members safe, Rogers, and its partner Enjoy, temporarily moved to a contactless delivery and remote set-up support model in March. The contactless Pro On-the-Go service includes personalized one-to-one support and phone delivery as soon as the same day. Whether in Chestermere, Sherwood Park or anywhere else in the Calgary and Edmonton coverage areas, customers choose the time, date and place that is most convenient for them.

09:17 EDT Alpha Pro Tech to join Russell 3000, Russell 2000 Indexes - Alpha Pro Tech announced today that the Company is set to join the broad-market Russell 3000 and Russell 2000 Indexes at the conclusion of the 2020 Russell indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the US equity market opens on June 29, 2020, according to a preliminary list of additions posted on June 5, 2020. The Company is currently included in the Russell Microcap Index.

09:15 EDT Cerence, e.solutions team to build automotive cockpit - Cerence announced that it has partnered with e.solutions GmbH, a joint venture between Audi Electronics Venture GmbH and Elektrobit Automotive GmbH, to develop innovations for the automotive cockpit. Cerence's speech recognition technology is the key communication point for access to e.solutions' digital assistants in the car, and the companies continue to collaborate on further innovations and integrations.

09:11 EDT B.O.S. Better Online supply chain division receives orders totaling $300,000 - BOS Better Online Solutions announced that its Supply Chain Division has received orders totaling $300,000 for electronic components. The orders are from an existing customer and are for delivery this year.

09:10 EDT Voya Financial announces extended contract with CalPERS - Voya Financial announced that CalPERS has extended, for another five years, its contract with Voya's retirement business. This extension lengthens Voya's more than two-decade relationship with CalPERS. Voya serves as the sole recordkeeping service provider for the CalPERS Supplemental Income 457 Plan. Since 1995, CalPERS has provided a deferred compensation plan to public agency and school employers and their employees in California. The CalPERS Supplemental Income 457 Plan was designed to provide a low-cost, convenient way for state employees to save for retirement. More than 800 public agencies and schools across California participate. As of May 31, the CalPERS 457 Plan had over 32,000 eligible participants representing approximately $1.7B in assets under administration. As part of its commitment to advancing the retirement readiness of all Americans, Voya will provide CalPERS 457 Plan participants with localized support and access to industry-leading educational tools and resources. These include Voya's myOrangeMoney retirement-income-estimating capabilities and participant website experience, as well as communication and education programs designed to engage and motivate employees to save and achieve their financial wellness needs.

09:09 EDT PPD, Inc. expands laboratory test portfolio for COVID-19 programs - PPD, Inc. has expanded its laboratory test portfolio by adding five new molecular, serology and functional assays designed expressly for COVID-19 vaccine and therapy development programs. PPD said in a release, "These assays have been developed by PPD Laboratories' bioanalytical, biomarker and vaccines sciences labs to run on multiple assay platforms and are compatible with high-throughput liquid handling so they can support large numbers of specimens, attributes that will be critical to the success of COVID-19 trials. PPD's new molecular assays utilize reverse transcriptase, polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a versatile analysis technique that can aid in the diagnosis of disease and give a measure of gene expression, making it a valuable tool for viral infection studies. Specifically, these assays will detect SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, and quantify the number of infectious particles to determine viral load. These assays target spike proteins that are specific to SARS-CoV-2 and nucleocapsid proteins that are more general to the coronavirus family. The qualitative (RT-PCR) assay targets both spike and nucleocapsid proteins within open read frame 1 (ORF-1). This assay uses MS2 bacteriophage as a monitor for ribonucleic acid, or RNA, purification. The quantitative RT-PCR assay (RT-qPCR) solely targets nucleocapsid proteins and utilizes human ribonuclease P (RNase P) targets as a purification control. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, or ELISA, have been developed specifically for vaccine trials to detect immunoglobulin G to full-length recombinant protein, one for spike and the other for nucleocapsid. These assays can be used to include or exclude subjects from vaccine trials or to monitor antibody production after vaccination. They are supported by proprietary bioinformatics tools that analyze complex data sets from these high-throughput assays. PPD Laboratories also has developed a plate-based functional assay to detect anti-spike antibodies in human serum that can prevent infection by disrupting the binding of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The ACE2 binding inhibition assay can be used in COVID-19 therapy trials to detect antibodies that may be essential to neutralizing the virus and preventing infection. The PPD Laboratories central lab also is validating molecular and serology in vitro diagnostic assays that are released for commercial use by regulatory agencies to support clinical trials. PPD's central lab locations allow the company to perform these tests globally. PPD Laboratories' test portfolio includes more than 1,500 assays, along with a variety of drug characterization methods and bioanalytical analysis tools. PPD has broad experience across viral and bacterial agents, as well as extensive expertise with multiplexed functional assays and more than 25 years of vaccine efficacy and immunogenicity experience. PPD Laboratories has supported 15 vaccine programs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has experience with more than 25 therapeutic agents that are currently being assessed for use against COVID-19."

09:08 EDT RLJ Lodging Trust provides update on hotel reopenings - Concurrent with its Q1 earnings release, the company had announced suspension of operations at 57 hotels in response to state mandated stay-in-place orders and the significant reduction in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As stay-in-place restrictions are lifted, the company has developed a framework to open hotels. The company expects that its primarily transient oriented, select-service and extended stay hotels located in drive-to and leisure markets will re-open sooner than traditional full-service hotels. The company has recently reopened 19 hotels and continues to evaluate reopening additional hotels based on market conditions. All open hotels will continue to operate under aggressive operating cost containment plans, including significantly reduced staffing, elimination of non-essential amenities and services and the closure of several floors and most food and beverage outlets.

09:07 EDT Aptevo Therapeutics to receive 7-year quarterly royalty payment from Pfizer - Aptevo Therapeutics (APVO) announced that it will receive a royalty from Pfizer (PFE) related to sales of a rituximab biosimilar product, RUXIENCE, which was approved by the FDA in July 2019 and launched by Pfizer in the United States and Japan in early 2020. Aptevo said in a release, "The payment from Pfizer relates to an agreement acquired by Aptevo as part of its spin-off from Emergent BioSolutions in 2016, which applies a fixed royalty rate in the low single digits on net sales in the United States, European Union, and Japan. The agreement was originally executed by Trubion Pharmaceuticals (which was subsequently acquired by Emergent BioSolutions Inc.,) and Wyeth (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer). The royalty term runs until the seventh anniversary of the first commercial sale of the CD20 biosimilar. Royalties payments to Aptevo are due within 60 days after the end of each quarter."

09:06 EDT Usio signs partnership agreements with legal software providers - Usio announced that it has signed partnership agreements with a number of large legal software providers, establishing its proprietary PayFac-in-a-Box technology as the preferred payments technology in the legal industry. Amongst the firms adopting the company's proprietary technology are the leading family law mobile application AppClose, as well as the country's largest bankruptcy software application. Both firms intend to leverage Usio's Payment Facilitation platform to provide an integrated payments experience to the hundreds of thousands of individual clients and law practices they support.

09:04 EDT Blue Hat Interactive partners with Chinese multi-channel network for e-commerce - Blue Hat Interactive has partnered with Xiamen Xing Meng Wei Lai, a Chinese multi-channel network and internet content development agency, to build Direct-to-Consumer social content marketing channels via short videos and live streaming. Through the partnership, Blue Hat expects to gradually release its product line on various popular short video and live streaming platforms, including Douyin - TikTok -. A study by iiMedia Research shows that the market size of Chinese live streaming e-commerce is projected to double to $123B in 2020. Xing Meng Wei Lai intends to provide services from conception to execution, including customized planning for live streaming events, design and launch of online stores, and additional content-driven e-commerce promotions.

09:02 EDT Neovasc regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum market value rule - Neovasc announced that it received written notification yesterday from the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the Company that it has regained compliance with the minimum market value requirement set forth in the rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Company received a letter from the Nasdaq in October 2019 notifying the Company that it was not in compliance with the minimum market value requirement set forth in Listing Rule 5550(b)(2). The Nasdaq Notice confirms that the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) pursuant to Listing Rule 5810 as the Company's market value exceeded $35M for 10 consecutive business days between May 29, 2020 through June 11, 2020.

08:57 EDT Sienna hires 600 full-time, 750 part-time workers since beginning of March - The Company's average same property occupancy in the Retirement portfolio continued to be affected by reduced move-in activity during the pandemic, partially offset by lower move-out activity and conversion of short-term stays to permanent. Rent collections from residents for the months of April and May 2020 remained similar to previous collection levels. The governments of British Columbia and Ontario will continue to provide full funding for vacancies caused by the temporary closure of admissions due to the outbreak. The government of Ontario has also announced the suspension of occupancy targets required to receive full funding to the end of the calendar year. Sienna continues to address staffing challenges experienced across the seniors' living sector by recruiting and deploying additional staff and expediting the hiring process, while supporting single worksites. Since the beginning of March 2020, Sienna has hired approximately 600 full-time and 750 part-time staff members, in addition to converting over 1,000 existing part-time positions to full-time for team members seeking full-time work. The Company maintains a strong financial position with significant liquidity and a substantial unencumbered asset pool. Sienna will continue to focus on enhancing its liquidity position and expects to continue to delay new expansion projects and limit capital expenditures to essential maintenance capital. With respect to upcoming debt maturities, in particular the refinancing of the Company's Series B senior secured debentures maturing in Q1 2021, the Company expects it will be able to successfully refinance its maturing debt based on Sienna's current financial position and debt profile. Liquidity was $208M as at June 15, 2020, comprised of cash and cash equivalents and available credit facilities; Fair value of unencumbered asset pool remained high at approximately $540M as at March 31, 2020; Debt-to gross book value improved to 46.9% as at March 31, 2020 from 47.8% as at December 31, 2019.

08:54 EDT Sienna Senior Living appoints Karen Hon as SVP, CFO - Sienna Senior Living provided the following business update. The company said, "The health and well-being of residents and team members remain Sienna's top priority in dealing with the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company is making good progress in implementing important measures, first announced by the Company on June 3, 2020 in its Six-Point Action Plan, to address the challenges that certain of our long-term care residences have been facing. Sienna announced the following appointments to its executive leadership team: Stephen Foster, EVP, Long-Term Care Interim: Stephen recently retired as COO of a major Canadian seniors' housing operator. Reporting to the President and CEO, the EVP, Long-Term Care will be focused on strategic and operational execution for the Company's long-term care segment and developing a high performing team, to help our residents live fully, every day. Karen Hon, CFO and SVP: Karen has been a member of the Sienna team for five years, most recently leading Corporate Finance, Investor Relations and Shared Services and having supported Sienna's last three equity raises. Reporting to the President and CEO, the CFO focuses on the financial management activities of the Company, with overall responsibility for financial management and fiscal integrity of the Company, and for directing the financial, strategic, internal controls, financing, tax, financial operations, debt strategy, capital markets strategy, treasury, audit, and budgeting functions of the business. David Hung, SVP, Corporate Services: David has been a member of the Sienna team for five years, most recently leading Operations Finance and Procurement. Reporting to the President and CEO, the SVP, Corporate Services is a key member of the executive team, providing strategic direction and daily operational oversight for Information Technology, the Project Management Office, Real Estate, Enterprise Privacy & Security, Risk Management and Procurement.

08:51 EDT SYTRAL selects Conduent Transportation to modernize ticketing system - Conduent Transportation announced that it has been selected by the Syndicat mixte des transports pour le Rhone et l'agglomeration Lyonnaise, the public transport authority for the Rhone department of France and Lyon urban area, to install a new ticketing system across the 73 towns of the TCL network. Currently 1.9 million trips are taken across the TCL network daily. Conduent will deploy its ATLAS Ops ticketing system across Lyon's multimodal bus, tram and metro network. The new system enables the use of a range of fare validation media including NFC-enabled smartphones, QR codes and contactless cards. The Conduent system will interface with SYTRAL's EMV solution, which allows travelers to validate their travel using contactless bank cards across the entire network. Scalable, the new system will also enable account-based ticketing, which securely stores and processes transport access and usage data directly in the customer's account in the back office, making travel easier. Implementation of the first phase of the new system is scheduled to begin in June 2021.

08:49 EDT SoFi signs ATM services agreement with Cardtronics - SoFi has joined with Cardtronics to give its members surcharge-free cash access at 55,000 Allpoint ATMs worldwide, including several ATMs at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

08:47 EDT VerifyMe receives first order for VeriPAS in the cannabis industry - VerifyMe announced its first VeriPAS track and trace technology purchase order in the cannabis industry. While this initial order for pre-printed tamper-proof labels containing VeriPAS technology is for one product, if the results from this initial order are positive, VerifyMe anticipates receiving multiple orders for this product over the year. This cannabis company has multiple products that could utilize the VeriPAS technology which could be added in future orders once results from this initial order are analyzed.

08:43 EDT Travelzoo reports 26M members from North America, Europe as of March 31 - As of March 31, 2020, Travelzoo had an unduplicated number of members of 26.0 million from North America and Europe. In Europe, the unduplicated number of members was 9.2 million as of March 31, 2020, up 3% from March 31, 2019. In North America, the unduplicated number of members was 16.9 million as of March 31, 2020, down 3% from March 31, 2019. The number of new members in Q1 2020 was 634,000, compared to 667,000 in Q1 2019. On June 16, Travelzoo disclosed that it has sold its subsidiary in Japan, Travelzoo Japan K.K., to Mr. Hajime Suzuki. In connection with the sale, Travelzoo and Travelzoo Japan K.K. entered into a licensing agreement. Under the licensing agreement, Travelzoo's existing members in Japan will continue to be owned by Travelzoo as the licensor. Jack's Flight Club had 1.7 million subscribers as of March 31, 2020, up 38% from March 31, 2019.

08:42 EDT Travelzoo sees Q2 cash flow from operations $13M-$14M

08:41 EDT Repay Holdings announces partnership with Katabat - Repay Holdings announced its partnership with Katabat, a leading global supplier of debt management software solutions. Repay Holdings said in a release, "The integration between the two platforms brings new efficiencies to the consumer lending and receivables management industries, streamlining communications, optimizing consumer engagement, and reducing delinquencies over the loan lifecycle. Katabat's digital debt collection software offers world-class solutions that enable clients to meet the growing consumer demand for omni-channel access to review payment offers and make payments. REPAY's proprietary platform will serve as one of the payment engines behind Katabat's solutions, enabling lenders and debt collection agencies to seamlessly accept credit and debit cards as well as ACH payments, 24/7, through an online web portal. Katabat clients will also have the ability to take advantage of consumer-facing payment channels, including text pay, Interactive Voice Response/phone pay, and the REPAY mobile app."

08:40 EDT Citrix, HP partner to enable companies to bring employees back to the office - Citrix (CTXS) and HP Enterprise (HPE) are partnering to enable companies to bring employees back to the office. Leveraging capabilities within Citrix Workspace released by Citrix earlier this week, HPE will deliver workflows within its Intelligent Workplace solution that enable employees to complete tasks associated with returning to offices across five areas: complete health agreements stating no symptoms of COVID-19 prior to arriving at office; access maps and occupancy information for different parts of the building, reserve conference rooms and hot desks; confirm that shared spaces in building have been cleaned and locate personal protective equipment and sanitation stations. In addition, Citrix and HPE will work together to customize engagements. Employees can influence IoT connected building systems from their own devices. Through integration with video analytic platforms, employees can manage contactless visitor signup and building entry. HPE also announced five new return-to-work solutions earlier this week, implemented and managed through HPE Pointnext Technology Services.

08:38 EDT Enerpac Tool not providing guidance - Enerpac Tool said in its Q3 release, "Given uncertainty related to the duration and magnitude of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the recovery of its core markets, the Company previously withdrew its full year financial guidance." CEO Randy Baker said, "We are beginning to see increased business activity as economies gradually reopen in Asia, Europe and the U.S., which has translated into an improved sequential order rate. No region has normalized yet but we now see product order rates at approximately 20% below June of the prior year versus the 30-40% decline we experienced in April and May. While we are encouraged by recent commercial activity and improved order rates, it is still unclear whether current order rates will be sustained as well as when demand and market conditions will normalize to pre-pandemic conditions." Mr. Baker continued, "We will continue to navigate these uncertain times by remaining focused on employee safety and managing what we can control to drive long term shareholder value. We are confident in our strategy, which is supported by our strong balance sheet and our dedicated and talented workforce and we believe we are positioned well to succeed as the world recovers from the pandemic."

08:37 EDT Ekso Bionics receives FDA clearance to market EksoNR robotic exoskeleton - Ekso Bionics announced it has received 501(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its EksoNR robotic exoskeleton for use with patients with acquired brain injury. EksoNR is the first exoskeleton device to receive FDA clearance for rehabilitation use with ABI, significantly expanding the device's indication to a broader group of patients. EksoNR is the next generation device of the most clinically used robotic exoskeleton, and was previously cleared by the FDA for stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation in 2016. The device was the first of its kind to receive a stroke indication and is now also the first to receive an ABI indication. EksoNR is cleared by the FDA for stroke, spinal cord injury, and acquired brain injury rehabilitation. The device is also CE-marked and available in Europe.

08:34 EDT CHF Solutions promotes Nestor Jaramillo to president, COO - CHF Solutions announced the promotion of Nestor Jaramillo, Jr. to President and COO, effective July 1, 2020. In his expanded role, Mr. Jaramillo now will have responsibility for Operations, Engineering, Product Development, Regulatory, Quality, Clinical Affairs, Reimbursement and Human Resources, in addition to the Commercial functions. Since joining CHF Solutions in May 2019, Mr. Jaramillo has led the company's commercialization growth, refocusing the company's strategy to continue growth in the chronic care of heart failure patients, to expand opportunities in the acute needs in critical care, and to develop the life-saving opportunities in pediatric care.

08:33 EDT Constellation Brands to divest Nobilo Wine Brands for $130M - Constellation has signed a agreement with E. & J. Gallo Winery to divest its Nobilo Wine brand and certain related assets and liabilities for $130M, subject to purchase price and closing adjustments. The Nobilo transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2021. This agreement was previously announced in December 2019 and is contingent on closing the amended revised deal announced in May 2020 in which Constellation agreed to divest a portion of its wine and spirits portfolio principally priced at $11 retail and below, and certain related facilities to E. & J. Gallo Winery for approximately $1.03B, subject to closing adjustments, of which $250M is an earnout based on divested brand performance over a two-year period after closing. This amended revised deal, which requires FTC review and clearance, and governmental approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

08:32 EDT Anterix appoints President Rob Schwartz as CEO effective July 1 - Anterix announced its executive leadership succession plan, with the Board of Directors unanimously appointing Anterix's President Rob Schwartz to succeed Morgan O'Brien as CEO and O'Brien to succeed Brian McAuley as Executive Chairman. The succession will be effective July 1.

08:28 EDT Enphase Energy, Q CELLS announce AC module partnership - Enphase Energy and Q CELLS announced a strategic partnership to develop Enphase Energized Q CELLS AC Modules based on seventh-generation Enphase IQ microinverters. The first Enphase and Q CELLS-developed ACMs will be available from major distributors in the U.S. starting July 15th. The Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+/AC 340-345 ACM features the Enphase IQ 7+ microinverter and is the first Enphase Energized ACM from Q CELLS to come to market. The Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+/AC produces outstanding yields thanks to power classes of up to 345 Wp and efficiencies of up to 19.5%. These performance values are possible through Q CELLS' unrivalled Q.ANTUM DUO monocrystalline half-cell technology, combined with state-of-the-art circuitry and 6-busbar cell design. The Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+/AC also offers long-term reliability with a 25-year product warranty and one of the lowest degradation rates in the industry, which guarantees 85% initial performance in the 25th year. The Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+/AC Enphase Energized ACM allows installers to be more competitive through improved capital management, reduced labor costs, improved SKU management with accelerated design, and faster installation times. The Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+/AC modules are assembled in the USA at Q CELLS' manufacturing facility in Dalton, GA.

08:26 EDT Lyra Therapeutics to join Russell 2000 Index, Russell 3000 Index - Lyra Therapeutics announced that the company is set to join the small cap Russell 2000 Index and the broad-market Russell 3000 Index at the conclusion of this year's reconstitution of the Russell stock indexes, effective after the U.S. stock market opens on Monday, June 29, 2020, according to a preliminary list of additions posted June 5, 2020.

08:24 EDT Envision Solar added to FTSE Russell Microcap Index - Envision Solar International announced it has been added to the FTSE Russell Microcap Index, which will be reconstituted as of June 26, 2020.

08:23 EDT Genprex announces USAN approval for name of GPX-001, formerly Oncoprex - Genprex announced that the United States Adopted Names, or USAN, Council has approved the non-proprietary name quaratusugene ozeplasmid for GPX-001, formerly called Oncoprex immunogene therapy, the company's lead drug candidate for non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. The USAN Council is responsible for selecting non-proprietary drug names. As a part of Genprex's corporate communication strategy and drug nomenclature branding, the company is also pursuing formal proprietary brand name approval for its lead drug candidate, GPX-001. Obtaining regulatory approval of these adopted drug names is a necessary step in securing marketing approval. In conjunction with the adoption of quaratusugene ozeplasmid as the company's non-proprietary name for GPX-001, Genprex has rebranded the naming of its unique, proprietary, non-viral nanoparticle delivery system, now referred to as its Oncoprex nanoparticle delivery platform, which is the vehicle used to deliver its oncology platform technologies.

08:20 EDT Blackstone appoints Google CFO Ruth Porat to board - Blackstone (BX) announced that Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google (GOOG), has joined its board of directors. Ruth joined Google as senior VP and CFO in May 2015 and has also held the same title at Alphabet since it was created in October 2015.

08:18 EDT CPI Aerostructures receives $5M long-lead funding to supply wing components - CPI Aerostructures (CVU) announced that it received long lead funding of $5M in anticipation of purchase orders that will total more than $20M from Northrop Grumman (NOC) to supply Outer Wing Panel structural components and kits for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne command and control aircraft. CPI Aero has been delivering OWP components and kits for multiple configurations of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye since 2008. The expected future purchase orders are for additional requirements under the multi-year agreement that CPI Aero announced earlier this year, and increase the value of the previously announced multi-year contract to more than $70M.

08:14 EDT OraSure's Diversigen announces collaboration agreement with Alimentiv - Diversigen and Alimentiv announced they have signed a collaboration agreement for a research study on patients with Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis. The study, titled: "Pharmacokinetics of Infliximab and Tumor Necrosis Factor Concentrations in Serum, Stool, and Colonic Mucosa in Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis," is designed to provide new insights into the molecular determinants of response to infliximab in patients with ASUC. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will co-fund the study. ASUC is the most aggressive presentation of ulcerative colitis, and occurs in 15 percent of adults and children with UC. Thirty patients with ASUC who are starting infliximab in an acute setting will be recruited for the study. The results will be jointly owned by Diversigen and Alimentiv, and the data will be co-published upon completion of the study. Together Diversigen and Alimentiv will deliver end-to-end support for this precision medicine study. Alimentiv will leverage Diversigen's expertise in metagenomic sequencing and analysis of the cohort samples. As overall study sponsor, Alimentiv will provide full service clinical study management, imaging and precision medicine services.

08:11 EDT Allied Motion receives award to provide vehicle market solution - Allied Motion announced that it recently won the nomination for another award to provide a customer-specific solution for the company's vehicle market in Europe and Asia. This award is in addition to three previously disclosed vehicle market awards received since 2017, and brings the total awards received for vehicle market solutions to approximately $325M at current currency exchange rates. Revenue for this application is expected to be realized over a seven-year period which will begin ramping in the latter half of 2023. All awards are expected to concurrently be at full rate production midway through 2024 and running at the rate into early 2026.

08:09 EDT Titan Medical promotes Jasminder Brar to General Counsel - Titan Medical announces that its head of intellectual property, Jasminder Brar, has been promoted to Vice President of Legal, IP and Strategic Initiatives, and General Counsel. Titan Medical sad in a release, "Mr. Brar has lead Titan's strategic IP efforts since 2011 and is recognized as a global IP strategy leader, having been named to the IAM Strategy 300: The World's Leading IP Strategists since 2015. In this expanded role, Mr. Brar will also serve as the Company's Corporate Secretary. Mr. Brar joined Titan in 2011 as IP Counsel, its first and only legal counsel, before becoming the Director of Strategic Development and IP, and Legal Counsel in 2014."

08:09 EDT Vaxart signs MOU with Attwill Medical Solutions Sterilflow - Vaxart announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Attwill Medical Solutions Sterilflow affirming the parties' intent to establish AMS as a resource for lyophilization development and large scale manufacturing including tableting and enteric coating for Vaxart's oral COVID-19 vaccine. AMS will be assigning dedicated resources and equipment for the scale up and commercial production of the vaccine upon entering a formal agreement.

08:07 EDT Macy's announces restructuring, will cut 3,900 corporate, management roles - Macy's announced details of a restructuring that will align its cost base with anticipated near-term sales as the business recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the closure of stores from March 18 through May 4 and gradual re-opening. The company will reduce corporate and management headcount by approximately 3,900. Additionally, Macy's, Inc. has reduced staffing across its stores portfolio, supply chain and customer support network, which it will adjust as sales recover. "COVID-19 has significantly impacted our business. While the re-opening of our stores is going well, we do anticipate a gradual recovery of business, and we are taking action to align our cost base with our anticipated lower sales," said Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy's. "These were hard decisions as they impact many of our colleagues. I want to thank all of our colleagues - those who have been active and those on furlough - for helping us get through this difficult time, and I want to express my deep gratitude to the colleagues who are departing for their service and contributions. We look forward to welcoming back many of our furloughed colleagues the first week of July. We know that we will be a smaller company for the foreseeable future, and our cost base will continue to reflect that moving forward. Our lower cost base combined with the approximately $4.5 billion in new financing will also make us a more stable, flexible company," Gennette continued. The company expects the actions announced today to generate expense savings of approximately $365 million in fiscal 2020 and approximately $630 million on an annualized basis. These savings will be additive to the anticipated $1.5 billion in annual expense savings announced in February, which the company expects to fully realize by year-end 2022. For FY20, the company expects pre-tax costs of approximately $180 million for these restructuring activities, the majority of which will be recorded in the second quarter and all of which will be in cash.

08:06 EDT Seelos Therapeutics begins preclinical study of SLS-007 in Parkinson's Disease - eelos Therapeutics initiated a preclinical study of SLS-007 in Parkinson's disease delivered through an adeno associated viral vector targeting the non-amyloid component core of alpha synuclein. Seelos has initiated an in vivo preclinical study of SLS-007 in rodents to assess the ability of two specific novel peptides, S62 and S71, delivered via AAV1/2 viral vector. This preclinical study is designed to establish the in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles and target engagement parameters of SLS-007. Top-line data is currently expected in late 2020/early 2021.

08:06 EDT Lineage Cell Therapeutics provides OPC1 update - Lineage Cell Therapeutics provided an update on OPC1, the company's oligodendrocyte progenitor cell, or OPC, therapy for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury, or SCI. The OPC1 program was obtained through Lineage's acquisition of Asterias Biopharmaceuticals in March 2019, and manufacturing has been completely transferred to the company's current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, facility in Israel, where key process improvements have been developed and implemented. Lineage also has strengthened its patent position in order to protect the OPC1 processes, product and composition, and methods of use. Lineage intends to meet with the FDA to discuss further development of the OPC1 program by the end of 2020. The company plans on having a meeting with the FDA to discuss manufacturing improvements and the design of a late-stage comparative clinical trial; In 2020, the company will Introduce a new "thaw-and-inject" formulation to enable preparation and administration of cells to the spinal cord, avoiding the need for washing and other dose preparation steps one day prior to treatment and improving commercial positioning. Lastly, Lineage expects to Identify a novel delivery system, to make the surgical procedure more compatible with a thaw and inject formulation of OPC1, improving overall end-user experience for the surgeon.

08:05 EDT FIS teams with FICO to build AML solution - FIS announced that it is teaming with FICO to build an advanced anti-money laundering, or AML, solution that will help North American financial institutions keep ahead of increasingly sophisticated money launderers and other financial criminals. FIS said in a release, "Money laundering is a growing problem around the world. In the U.S. alone, domestic financial crime generates an estimated $300 billion of proceeds for laundering activities, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The new solution, FIS AML Compliance Manager, will integrate FICO Falcon X decision management technology to provide financial institutions with a unified platform for AML risk and compliance. The cloud-based solution will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect suspicious activity and provide bank investigators with detailed, transparent intelligence. In addition to providing greater intelligence and transparency to financial institutions in meeting regulatory compliance requirements, the AI-based solution can help organizations reduce costs associated with false positives. False positives - system-generated alerts of potential illicit activity that are later cleared during reviews - cost the financial industry a significant amount of wasted investigation time each year."

08:04 EDT Assembly Biosciences initiates Phase 2 trial evaluating ABI-H2158 - Assembly Biosciences announced the initiation of a Phase 2 trial of its potent, second-generation core inhibitor, ABI-H2158. The international multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial will evaluate 2158 with entecavir versus placebo with entecavir in treatment-naive patients with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B infection without cirrhosis. In the trial, 80 patients will be randomized three-to-one to receive either 300 mg oral 2158 plus entecavir or placebo plus entecavir once daily for up to 72 weeks. Primary endpoints include change in HBV DNA following 24 weeks of treatment, and safety and tolerability throughout the study. Other endpoints include changes in pgRNA and other viral antigens. Currently, initial sites are open for patient screening, with additional sites planned. This proof-of-concept study builds on results from the recently completed Phase 1b dose-ranging study of 2158, where HBeAg-positive patients received doses of 2158 or placebo once daily for 14 days. 2158 was well tolerated and demonstrated potent antiviral activity at the 300 mg dose. Clinical data from this trial have been selected as a late-breaker poster at the European Association for the Study of the Liver's Digital International Liver Congress, August 27-29, 2020

08:03 EDT Novan expects cash to be sufficient to conduct additional SB206 Phase 3 trial - Novan nnounced that the Company anticipates that its current cash position will be sufficient to fund costs associated with conducting an additional Phase 3 pivotal trial for SB206 as a treatment for molluscum, or B-SIMPLE4. Since June 1, 2020, the Company has secured approximately $16.9M in capital from the use of common stock purchase agreements with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC and the exercise of common stock warrants sold in its March 2020 public offering. The Company is targeting enrolling the first patient for B-SIMPLE4 in September 2020 and, if the trial is initiated on this timetable and not further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, top-line efficacy results would be targeted for late in the second quarter of 2021. Currently there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for the treatment of molluscum. Treatment choices for patients, the majority of whom are below the age of 10, include in-office and often painful, physician-administered scraping, freezing, burning and blistering treatments. The only other choices appear to be off-label prescriptions and over-the-counter products with no clinical data that support a molluscum indication and therefore have no proven clinical efficacy and an unknown safety profile. The Company believes that SB206 as a topical, at-home, caregiver-applied therapy with a rapid treatment benefit, if approved, would satisfy an important patient-care need for the treatment of molluscum.

07:59 EDT DIRTT Environmental director John Elliot resigns - DIRTT Environmental Solutions announces that director John Elliott has provided notice of his intention to resign from the Board of Directors, effective June 30, 2020.

07:38 EDT Plus Products launches PLUS CBDRelief 1:1 product - Plus Products announced the expansion of its recently launched wellness and relief brand, PLUS CBDRelief, with the introduction of a new Pomegranate 1:1 CBD to THC ratio product. The new PLUS CBDRelief 1:1 Pomegranate gummy, with 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD per serving, is made with real California pomegranates, which contain ellagitannins, unique antioxidants found in pomegranates that are associated with anti-inflammatory pathways.3 The new product joins the initial PLUS CBDRelief lineup, which includes a 9:1 Tropical Mango gummy with 9mg of CBD and 1mg of THC per serving, and an 18:1 Tart Cherry gummy with 18mg of CBD and 1mg of THC per serving. PLUS CBDRelief 1:1 Pomegranate gummies are expected to be available at licensed retailers across California.

07:35 EDT Muscle Maker pilots MMG Burger Bar concept - Muscle Maker Grill announced that it will pilot a new concept name and expanded burger focused menu in Lynchburg, VA. The new name, MMG Burger Bar, formerly a traditional Muscle Maker Grill, will reopen in early July and feature more decadent burger options; the "cheat day" twist to its current guilt free burger bar menu. Guests can still choose from the nutritionally packed protein options that include: grass-fed beef, all natural chicken breast, turkey or a plant-based Impossible burger, but now have a new option - the hand-crafted sirloin burger. The enhanced "cheat day" burger menu is available in five builds: MMG Fave, Avo Smash Club, Shroom & Swiss, El Diablo and the Hangover Burger. The new lineup of "cheat day" burgers are served on a brioche bun instead of MMG's traditional whole wheat bun and have more topping options such as chipotle mayo, hickory smoked bacon and MMG's in-house hand-crafted avocado smash made with queso fresco. All burgers are served with a side of crinkle-cut sweet potato fries or the newly added regular potato fries. Guests can upgrade to Loaded MMG Fries if they want melted cheese, bacon, jalapenos and dipping sauce.

07:34 EDT Enthusiast Gaming's The Vancouver Titans renew agreement with Circle K - Enthusiast Gaming Holdings announced that the Vancouver Titans renewed an agreement with Circle K that builds on their relationship from the Titans inaugural season. The partnership will feature new fan engagement activations in addition to elements already familiar to Titans fans. Circle K will be prominently displayed on player jerseys, consistent with the official apparel worn at the 2019 Overwatch League Grand Finals. Additionally, Circle K and the Titans will be bringing back the extremely popular, limited edition Titans Froster collector cups that will feature the members of the new Titans roster. Fans can collect six different cups which will be available this summer in Circle K's stores across Western Canada. Jack Links has also partnered with the Titans and will be a part of several in-market fan-focused programs alongside Circle K. This will include content that will help fans get to know the team's new players, and fan engagement activations such as a digital fan scavenger hunt later in the season.

07:32 EDT ChinaNet Online regains compliance with Nasdaq requirement - ChinaNet Online Holdings announced that on June 23, 2020 it received a written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market stating that the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which sets forth minimum bid price continued listing requirement. As previously disclosed, the Company had previously been notified by NASDAQ on April 21, 2020 that it was not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement because its common stock failed to maintain a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days. In order to regain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), the Company was required to meet or exceed a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for at least 10 consecutive business days, which was achieved on June 22, 2020, as from June 9 to June 22, 2020, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock has been at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, ChinaNet has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter is now closed.

07:31 EDT FMC Corporation launches new venture capital arm - FMC Corporation announced that it has launched FMC Ventures. The new venture capital arm of FMC Corporation is targeting strategic investments in start-ups and early-stage companies that are developing and applying emerging technologies in the agricultural industry.

07:18 EDT O3 Mining, VRIFY partner for 3D experience of Val D'Or properties - O3 Mining announced it has partnered with VRIFY Technology to develop an interactive presentation of its properties in Val D'Or, Quebec, including virtual tours and 3D models of the Marban and Orenada deposits. The interactive content enhances simple, readily accessible, and digestible information on its project sites by increasing transparency and allowing investors to see firsthand the potential value of projects, learn about the Val D'Or community, visit exploration sites, enter underground workings and review 3D renderings of deposits from wherever they may find themselves.

07:16 EDT Medipharm Labs expands CBD product portfolio with CBD25:5 Release Formula - MediPharm Labs announced a further expansion of its family of branded products with the retail introduction of CBD25:5 Release Formula. This latest brand - the third launched from MediPharm Labs' GMP-certified Canadian facility since late March - is ideal for medical patients and adult users who covet a full-spectrum cannabis oil in a specially formulated ratio of approximately 25mg/ml of CBD and 5mg/ml of THC, harnessing the properties of both cannabinoids. Initial quantities of CBD25:5 recently shipped to Medical Cannabis by Shoppers, and to cannabis retailers and distributors in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Delivering one of the more differentiated formulations on the market to multiple jurisdictions, MediPharm Labs plans to achieve full national distribution of its branded family of cannabis products, which includes CBD 25 Regular Formula and the more potent CBD 50 Plus Formula already available more broadly.

07:14 EDT Green Thumb Industries to open Rise Duncansville in Pennsylvania - Green Thumb Industries announced it will open Rise Duncansville, its 47th retail location, on June 30. Profits from the first day of sales will be donated to Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives, and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry. Green Thumb also donated the first day of profits to the Last Prisoners Project when Rise Chambersburg opened in Pennsylvania earlier this month.

07:12 EDT Walker & Dunlop acquires Beler Advisory Group, terms not disclosed - Walker & Dunlop announced the acquisition of Beler Advisory Group, an independent real estate advisory firm based in New York City. The firm's key principal, Mo Beler, joins Walker & Dunlop as Senior Managing Director of the New York City Capital Markets Debt and Equity Team led by Aaron Appel, Jonathan Schwartz, Keith Kurland, and Adam Schwartz. Beler will focus on sourcing and structuring equity capital transactions and debt financing for all commercial real estate asset classes nationally, as well as expanding Walker & Dunlop's client base and capital markets.

07:11 EDT Applied Optoelectronics appoints Elizabeth Loboa to board of directors - Applied Optoelectronics announced that Elizabeth Loboa, Ph.D. was elected to the company's Board of Directors at the annual meeting of shareholders on June 4, 2020 and has been appointed to serve on the Audit Committee. Dr. Loboa succeeds Alan Moore, who served on the board since March 2013. Elizabeth Loboa, Ph.D., currently serves the University of Missouri as Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and serves on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Innovation Center.

07:10 EDT Izea raises Q2 Managed Services bookings outlook to 40%+ from 25%+ - IZEA Worldwide provided an operations update to investors. The company has revised and increased its Q2 2020 Managed Services bookings outlook from 25%+ to 40%+ following a series of new customer wins and renewals from existing customers. In addition to previously announced contract wins, the company has seen the return of another Global Fortune 500 customer, an electronics manufacturer, since the last update the company provided. Bookings are a measure of all sales orders, minus any known or expected cancellations or refunds with respect to such sales orders or refunds. Management uses bookings to inform expectations of total sales activity. Subsequent revenue recognition and effective margins vary by revenue stream, and bookings are not always an indicator of revenue for the quarter and could be subject to future adjustment. IZEA previously announced that it temporarily closed all offices and chose not to renew the lease on its headquarters, which expired in April. The company expects to remain 100% remote through at least Q3 2020. IZEA will not be signing any new leases until such time that management feels employees would be safe and comfortable in an office environment. Travel and entertainment expenses have also been virtually eliminated at this time. To date, IZEA has sold $15.15M dollars of common stock at an average price of $2.26 a share. The company paid a 2% commission on the gross proceeds.

07:08 EDT Rite Aid up 10.3% after reporting Q1 results

07:04 EDT Darden sees FY21 CapEx $250M-$300M - For the full year, the company expects to open 35-40 net new restaurants .

07:02 EDT McCormick up 1.6% after reporting Q2 results

06:57 EDT LabCorp launches new neutralizing antibody test - LabCorp announced the launch of a new test that can be used to assess the capacity of antibodies in patient plasma to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This information could be used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and the screening of convalescent plasma for prophylactic and therapeutic use. This neutralizing antibody test will be available to biopharmaceutical companies, hospitals, blood banks and other plasma-screening facilities.

06:47 EDT Accenture reports Q3 new bookings $11B - An increase of 4% in U.S. dollars and 6% in local currency, with consulting bookings of $6.2B and outsourcing bookings of $4.8B.

06:35 EDT Virgin Galactic prepares for second glide flight of SpaceShip Two - Virgin Galactic is preparing for the second glide flight of SpaceShip Two, set to launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The window for this test flight opens Thursday, June 25. Currently, weather appears favorable through the end of the week. Virgin Galactic will provide an update on the results of this glide flight with an additional press release and media broll package post-market close on the day of flight. The company will not provide social media updates during the flight.

06:03 EDT Theravance Biopharma says first COVID patient dosed in TD-0903 Phase 2 study - Theravance Biopharma announced that the first COVID-19 patient has been dosed in a Phase 2 study of TD-0903. TD-0903 is a lung-selective, nebulized Janus kinase inhibitor, or JAKi, in development for the potential treatment of hospitalized patients with Acute Lung Injury, or ALI, caused by COVID-19. Theravance said in a release, "The Company believes TD-0903 has the potential to inhibit the cytokine storm associated with ALI and prevent progression to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or ARDS. The initiation of the Phase 2 study in patients in the United Kingdom follows the successful completion of dosing in the Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers at the same clinical unit in the UK, allowing for a rapid transition to Phase 2. The Phase 2 study consists of two parts. The first part will assess the safety, tolerability and clinical response to treatment in sequential ascending dose cohorts of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with each patient being dosed for 7 days. Patients will be enrolled if they demonstrate hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the blood) as that is believed to be a marker of underlying hyperinflammation in the lung. More information can be found on clinicaltrials.gov, identifier number: NCT04402866. The second part will be a larger, multi-center study conducted at hospital-based clinical sites in the UK, as well as other European countries and in the United States, pending appropriate Ethics Committee and regulatory approvals in those territories."

06:01 EDT Wirecard files for opening of insolvency proceedings - The management board of Wirecard has decided today to file an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings for Wirecard AG with the competent district court of Munich "due to impending insolvency and over-indebtedness." It is currently evaluated whether insolvency applications have to be filed for subsidiaries of Wirecard Group.