Stockwinners Market Radar for July 09, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:31 EDT Bionano Genomics launches new DNA kit for tumor analysis - Bionano Genomics announced that it has launched the new Bionano Prep SP Tissue and Tumor Kit, a DNA isolation kit developed expressly for analysis of tumors and tissue with Bionano's Saphyr system. The kit has been designed to simplify isolation of Ultra High Molecular Weight DNA from a variety of solid tumors and tissue types. The new kit and protocol for the Saphyr system make the analysis of genomic rearrangements in cancer and model genomes that are of interest in pharmaceutical development simpler and more feasible than currently available methods.

18:43 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall to 1,200.82MT from 1202.57MT - This is the first decline in holdings since June 4th.

18:00 EDT Caesars to reopen Bally's Las Vegas on July 23rd - Caesars announced plans to resume operations at Bally's Las Vegas on Thursday, July 23 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, following successful reopenings of Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. As previously announced, the company has also reopened the gaming floor and other amenities at The LINQ Hotel + Experience, as well as The LINQ Promenade, High Roller Observation Wheel, FLY LINQ and Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck.

17:46 EDT Global PC market grew 11.2% y/y in Q2, says IDC - The second quarter of 2020 ended well for the Traditional PC market, comprised of desktops, notebooks, and workstations, with global shipments growing 11.2% year over year reaching a total of 72.3 million units, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. As restrictions around the world tightened in the first few weeks of the quarter, demand for notebooks continued to grow to maintain continuity of business and schooling for many communities. Despite logistics issues early in the quarter, the cost and frequency of both air and sea freight inched closer to normal. This, combined with PC production ramping up, and in some cases surpassing previous levels, meant that retailers and other distributors around the world had ample supply and were ready to fulfill the surge in demand. "The strong demand driven by work-from-home as well as e-learning needs has surpassed previous expectations and has once again put the PC at the center of consumers' tech portfolio," said Jitesh Ubrani research manager for IDC's Mobile Device Trackers. "What remains to be seen is if this demand and high level of usage continues during a recession and into the post-COVID world since budgets are shrinking while schools and workplaces reopen." "Early indicators suggest strong PC shipments for education, enterprise, and consumer, muted somewhat by frozen SMBs," said Linn Huang, research vice president, Devices and Displays at IDC. "With inventory still back ordered, this goodwill will continue into July. However, as we head deeper into a global recession, the goodwill sentiment will increasingly sour." IDC noted that HP Inc. (HPQ) was the top PC company in terms of market shares at 25%, while Lenovo (LNVGY) was in second place at 24.1%, Dell (DELL) was in third at 16.6%, and Apple (AAPL) was fourth at 7.7%. Other companies in the PC space include Micron (MU), Western Digital (WDC), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOG), Seagate (STX), Qualcomm (QCOM), Intel (INTC), IBM (IBM), and NetApp (NTAP).

17:43 EDT Ipsen receives FDA approval for expanded use of Dysport in pediatric patients - Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, an affiliate of Ipsen, announced that the FDA has approved the expanded use of Dysport in pediatric patients. When Dysport was first FDA-approved in 2016 for pediatric lower limb spasticity, Ipsen was granted orphan drug exclusivity for pediatric patients whose lower limb spasticity was caused by cerebral palsy, or CP.1 Similarly, in 2019, Dysport received FDA approval for the treatment of upper limb spasticity in children two years of age and older, excluding upper limb spasticity caused by CP, due to orphan drug exclusivity granted to another manufacturer. Ipsen has worked with the FDA and this manufacturer to selectively waive their respective exclusivities to better support patient care. As a result, Dysport is now FDA-approved to treat both upper and lower limb spasticity in pediatric patients two years of age and older, including spasticity caused by cerebral palsy.

17:08 EDT ldorado Gold reports preliminary Q2 gold production up 50% to 137,782 ounces - Eldorado Gold reported Q2 preliminary production of 137,782 ounces of gold, a 50% increase over Q2 2019. Gold production at Kisladag increased by 130% over Q2 2019, and 19% over Q1 2020. Increased production in Q2 2020 was due to higher grade and tons of stacked ore and increased solution grades due to drier weather in June. Production at Olympias increased by 159% over Q2 2019 and 18% over Q1 2020. Production at Efemcukuru for Q2 2020 was slightly higher than Q1 2020 due to higher grades processed during the quarter. Operations at Lamaque resumed on April 15, 2020 following a three-week mandated shutdown. Production was higher in Q2 2020 compared to Q1 2020 due to higher grades and an increase in tons mined per day enabled by the Quebec Ministry of Environment.

16:47 EDT Health Catalyst to acquire healthfinch, terms not disclosed - Health Catalyst announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire healthfinch, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that provides a workflow integration engine delivering insights and analytics into EMR workflows to automate physicians' ability to close patient care gaps in real-time. Health Catalyst expects to fund the transaction using a mix of stock and cash. The parties expect the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, to close in the third quarter.

16:33 EDT Superior Industries announces departure of CFO Matti Masanovich - Superior Industries (SUP) announced that Matti Masanovich has resigned from his role as Executive Vice President and CFO, effective August 6, to accept a new position at Tenneco (TEN). The company has initiated a comprehensive search to identify a permanent replacement.

16:31 EDT Orion Engineered commissions new air emissions controls at U.S. facility - Orion Engineered Carbons announced that it has successfully completed a significant upgrade of its emissions controls at its plant in Orange, Texas. As a result of these actions, the site complies with strengthened environmental standards which reduce the site's emission permits for NOx and SO2 by 2,300 metric tons of air pollutant emissions per year. "I congratulate our project and plant teams and our contractors for completing this project on time despite the pandemic. Their dedication, this investment, and other proactive measures taken at our Orange facility demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and to be a good community citizen. It falls squarely within our broader corporate sustainability initiatives that are built around four themes; sustainable growth, being compliant in our day to day operations, living our values and driving sustainability along our value chain," said Corning Painter, Chief Executive Officer of Orion Engineered Carbons.

16:30 EDT Tenneco names Matti Masanovich CFO - Tenneco announced that its board of directors has appointed Matti Masanovich as chief financial officer, effective August 10, 2020. He will succeed interim CFO Ken Trammell. "I am pleased to welcome Matti to Tenneco and look forward to his business partnership and strong leadership of our global finance function in his role as CFO," stated Brian Kesseler, Tenneco CEO. "Matti's addition further strengthens the deep experience of our executive leadership team. His expertise in leading business and financial strategy, operations execution and capital allocation planning enhances our capabilities in delivering on our performance focus of margin expansion, cash generation and value creation for our shareholders."

16:16 EDT Ziopharm initiates Phase 1 trial evaluating CD19-specific CAR-T - Ziopharm Oncology announced the initiation of a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate CD19-specific CAR-T, using its Rapid Personalized Manufacturing technology, as an investigational treatment for patients with relapsed CD19+ leukemias and lymphomas. The trial is now open for enrollment at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In this trial, the company utilizes its non-viral Sleeping Beauty genetic engineering technology to infuse CAR-T the day after electroporation. Ziopharm's RPM CD19-specific CAR-T therapy results from the stable, non-viral insertion of DNA into the genome of resting T cells to co-express the chimeric antigen receptor, membrane-bound IL-15 and a safety switch.

16:15 EDT ACM Research starts construction of facility in Shanghai's Lingang area - ACM Research announced that its operating subsidiary ACM Research has begun construction of its new development and production facility in the Lingang Special Area of China, Shanghai, Pilot Free Trade Zone. ACM Shanghai held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 7, to mark the commencement of construction. The facility site is located in the Lingang region of Shanghai, which is approximately 30 miles from ACM Shanghai's headquarters in Zhangjiang. Local government officials attended the ceremony, together with customers, suppliers, and ACM Shanghai's board members and employees. ACM President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. David Wang commented, "We are very excited to celebrate this milestone with our community, as this expansion will represent another significant achievement in our mission to become a major supplier of capital equipment to the global semiconductor industry. The Lingang facility reflects our long-term commitment to the fast-growing China market, and is intended to support potential growth of our operations in Korea, the Taiwan region and the United States and to further scale production for our expanding product line of semiconductor capital equipment." The new 100,000 square meter factory and development facilities will incorporate state-of-the-art modern manufacturing systems and significant automation technologies. It will provide the floorspace to support significantly more production capacity and related R&D activities when fully-staffed and supplied.

16:13 EDT PriceSmart jumps 9% to $65.91 after Q3 results beat estimates

16:10 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM $66.3B as of June 30 - An increase of $2.5B from assets under management at May 31.

16:09 EDT Silk Road Medical promotes Andrew Davis to chief commercial officer - Silk Road Medical announced that Andrew Davis has been promoted to chief commercial officer. In this newly created role, Davis will oversee Silk Road Medical's global commercialization efforts. Davis joined Silk Road Medical as the company's first commercial leader in 2015 and has successfully built the sales team to over 100 customer facing field members, achieving over $125M in cumulative revenue. As chief commercial officer, Davis is an member of the executive team responsible for establishing near term priorities and setting the long-term strategic direction for the company. Davis has over 20 years of experience with managing and building sales and marketing teams. Prior to joining Silk Road Medical, he served as the VP of advanced wound therapy sales and marketing, U.S. and Canada, at Acelity where he was responsible for $1B in revenue and over 800 field team members.

16:06 EDT Waitr Holdings names Mark D'Ambrosio as Chief Sales Officer - Waitr Holdings announced three management appointments. Mark D'Ambrosio has been appointed Chief Sales Officer; David Cronin has been appointed Chief Engagement Officer; and Thomas Pritchard has been appointed General Counsel.

16:02 EDT Amazon Web Services announces general availability of AWS IoT SiteWise - Amazon Web Services announced the general availability of AWS IoT SiteWise, a managed service that collects data from the plant floor, structures and labels the data, and generates real-time key performance indicators and metrics to help industrial customers make better, data-driven decisions. Customers can use SiteWise to monitor operations across facilities, quickly compute industrial performance metrics, create applications that analyze industrial equipment data to prevent costly equipment issues, and reduce gaps in production. This allows customers to collect data consistently across devices, identify issues with remote monitoring more quickly, and improve multi-site processes with centralized data.

15:44 EDT DTE Electric says MPSC approves plans to keep stable electric rates until 2022 - DTE Electric received approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission for an innovative plan to keep electric rates unchanged from today until 2022. The company's Renewable Energy Plan was also approved by the Commission. Following a 12-week moratorium on service interruptions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and $30-40 million bill reduction for electric customers in June and July, the regulatory plan maintains current electric rates to help customers as they recover from the pandemic. The plan also allows continued investments in infrastructure and tree trimming programs plus the accelerated retirement of the River Rouge power plant, now only 10-months away. The plant was previously scheduled to retire in 2022. "Today's decision will allow DTE to continue to prioritize affordability for our customers as the communities we serve recover from the public health impacts and economic fallouts related to the pandemic," said Trevor Lauer, president of the electric company at DTE Energy. "These approved plans will enable DTE to meet our commitment to clean, affordable renewable energy while, at the same time, keeping rates stable for our customers. By bringing new renewable energy projects online, our clean energy efforts will benefit the environment and aid in Michigan's economic recovery."

15:21 EDT Sermonix to collaborate with Eli Lilly to study lasofoxifene/abemaciclib combo - Sermonix Pharmaceuticals has announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly (LLY) to study Sermonix's lead investigational drug, lasofoxifene, in combination with Lilly's FDA-approved CDK 4 and 6 inhibitor, abemaciclib. The open-label, multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial, which is projected to begin enrollment in the third quarter of 2020, will evaluate the safety of lasofoxifene in combination with abemaciclib for the treatment of pre- and postmenopausal women with locally advanced metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2- breast cancer and an ESR1 mutation. It marks Sermonix's second Evaluation of Lasofoxifene in ESR1 Mutations study and will be known as ELAINE 2. Preclinical models of invasive breast cancer at the University of Chicago have identified synergy between lasofoxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, and a CDK 4 and 6 inhibitor, palbocicilib, in the presence of ESR1 mutations. ELAINE 1, which is currently enrolling patients, is a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the efficacy of oral lasofoxifene versus intramuscular fulvestrant for the treatment of postmenopausal women with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation as identified by a liquid biopsy and progression-free survival as the primary endpoint. The open-label, randomized, multi-center study is being conducted at multiple sites in the U.S., Canada and Israel. Lasofoxifene is an investigational, nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator, which Sermonix licensed globally from Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) and has been studied in previous comprehensive Phase 1-3 non-oncology clinical trials in more than 15,000 postmenopausal women worldwide. Reference Link

14:14 EDT Sony announces $250M strategic investment in Epic Games - Sony (SNE) and Epic Games announce that Sony has agreed to make a strategic investment of $250M to acquire a minority interest in Epic through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony. "The investment cements an already close relationship between the two companies and reinforces the shared mission to advance the state of the art in technology, entertainment, and socially-connected online services," Sony said. "Epic's powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations. There's no better example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, Fortnite. Through our investment, we will explore opportunities for further collaboration with Epic to delight and bring value to consumers and the industry at large, not only in games, but also across the rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape," added Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation. Other investors in Epic include Tencent (TCEHY), Disney (DIS), and KKR (KKR).

14:05 EDT Sony makes strategic investment of $250M in Epic Games - Sony and Epic Games are pleased to announce that Sony has agreed to make a strategic investment of $250M to acquire a minority interest in Epic through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony. The investment cements an already close relationship between the two companies and reinforces the shared mission to advance the state of the art in technology, entertainment, and socially-connected online services.Sony Corporation and Epic Games announce that Sony has agreed to make a strategic investment of $250 million in Epic. The investment allows Sony and Epic to aim to broaden their collaboration across Sony's leading portfolio of entertainment assets and technology, and Epic's social entertainment platform and digital ecosystem to create unique experiences for consumers and creators. The closing of the investment is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

14:02 EDT Siemens Energy spinoff approved by large majority of Siemens shareholders - Siemens said that a large majority of its shareholders at the company's Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting voted to approve the spinoff of the energy business to Siemens Energy, paving the way for the establishment of an independent company focused on the energy sector. In the future, Siemens AG will concentrate on Digital Industries, Smart Infrastructure and Siemens Mobility. In total, 61.94% of the capital stock of Siemens entitled to vote was represented at the shareholders' meeting, which was held as a virtual event due to the coronavirus crisis. Approval of the spinoff and Transfer Agreement between Siemens and Siemens Energy was the only item on the meeting agenda. The agreement was approved by a majority of 99.36% of the capital stock represented. The highest number of participants following the Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting online was 3,870. The Capital Market Day for Siemens Energy is scheduled for September 1, 2020. The securities prospectus is to be published around two weeks prior to the listing, which is planned for September 28, 2020.Reference Link

13:54 EDT NFL and Pluto TV announce extended partnership - The National Football League and Pluto TV, a ViacomCBS Company, announced the extension of their partnership. Pluto TV's channel celebrating the NFL will continue to stream "the most iconic and classic moments spanning over a decade of past seasons" in "a specially curated feed of iconic library content devoted to providing NFL fans the best that NFL Films and NFL Media productions have to offer," the league announced. Reference Link

13:12 EDT JetBlue to make Los Angeles International Airport its primary base in greater LA - JetBlue announced it will make Los Angeles International Airport its primary base of operations in greater Los Angeles, advancing its focus city strategy and building relevance for the airline in one of the busiest markets in the world. To enable the shift, the airline will move service currently operated at Long Beach Airport to LAX, along with its Long Beach crew and maintenance bases, beginning in October. The move consolidates JetBlue's popular transcon and West Coast service into LAX, initially operating more than 30 daily flights with service between LAX and 13 destinations including four Mint routes - New York-JFK, Boston, Fort Lauderdale and new Mint service to Newark launching July 23. JetBlue flights at LAX will continue to operate from Terminal 5. New LAX markets will be available for purchase tomorrow, July 10. "LAX is one of JetBlue's most successful markets and offers the valuable opportunity to grow significantly both domestically and internationally while introducing our low fares on more routes," said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning, JetBlue. "The transition to LAX, serving as the anchor of our focus city strategy on the West Coast, sets JetBlue up for success in Southern California. We continue to seize on opportunities to emerge from this pandemic a stronger competitive force in the industry." With support from Los Angeles World Airports, JetBlue plans to embark on a strategic expansion over the next five years with plans to reach roughly 70 flights per day by 2025.

12:43 EDT AMC Networks jumps after CTFN says adviser hired to explore sale - Shares of AMC Networks (AMCX) are rising in afternoon trading after CTFN's Diane Alter published a report that the operator of a flagship cable network as well as other smaller television channels has retained Morgan Stanley (MS) as an adviser to explore M&A options, including a possible sale. The Fly notes that shares of AMC Networks previously had jumped on May 12 after CTFN's Alter reported that she was told by a banker and lawyer claiming to be familiar with the matter that the company was running a process to sell itself. Following the publication of today's report, shares of AMC Networks are up $2.26, or 10.3%, to $24.18. Reference Link

12:36 EDT Spotify introduces Soundtrack Your Workout - "Ready to give that workout playlist a revamp? Spotify's (SPOT) new Soundtrack Your Workout quiz is here to help with that. Head to the interactive website, available in English, Spanish , Portuguese, and Japanese, for a series of questions about your upcoming workout. How long will it be? What's the intensity level? What's your workout mood? Your quiz answers will help generate the perfect playlist for your fitness session. Plus, if you're looking to mix in motivational, news, or true crime podcasts while you sweat, you can incorporate those, too! In the last two months, Spotify listeners have created more than 1 million playlists with "workout" in the title, so it's clear users are on the hunt for new tunes to add to their fitness mixes. If you're running out of song inspiration as you, well, run, then give Soundtrack Your Workout a try," Spotify said in an earlier blog posting. The Fly notes that Peloton Interactive (PTON) was sued by a group of 10 music publishers belonging to the National Music Publishers Association, NMPA, for violating music copyright law in March or 2019. Reference Link

12:06 EDT Abbott sees FreeStyle Libre 3 CGM study starting in July, completed this year - A post to the ClinicalTrials.gov website, updated on July 9, indicates that Abbott's (ABT) FreeStyle Libre 3 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System Accuracy Study is estimated to start this month and has an estimated primary completion date of December 2020. "The purpose of this study is to characterize the Freestyle Libre 3 Glucose Monitoring System in pediatric and adult subjects with respect to YSI reference venous plasma sample measurements," the post notes. Abbott's Freestyle Libre system competes with offerings from DexCom (DXCM). Reference Link

12:00 EDT Puxin Limited falls -20.1% - Puxin Limited is down -20.1%, or -$1.64 to $6.51.

12:00 EDT Graf Industrial rises 10.6% - Graf Industrial is up 10.6%, or $1.81 to $18.88.

12:00 EDT Mogu rises 15.8% - Mogu is up 15.8%, or 78c to $5.73.

11:20 EDT Activision Blizzard announces new 'Crash Bandicoot' game for mobile - Activision Blizzard's King announced "Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!," a new mobile runner game featuring Crash Bandicoot. The free-to-play game is now available for pre-registration on the Google Play store or on the website www.CrashOnTheRun.com. "We're really excited to bring this well-known and much-loved franchise back to mobile," said Stephen Jarrett, VP of Game Design at King, and Creative Lead on Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!. "Our ambition is to transform the runner experience with classic Crash gameplay, while adding depth and progression through a variety of exciting features including meaningful social, crafting and base building. Drawing inspiration from Crash's vibrant history we plan to bring back classic characters, bosses, enemies and lands and wrap them in a brand-new adventure for gamers to play on the go." The game is now available for pre-registration on Android and soon on iOS.

11:02 EDT Neptune Wellness says hand sanitizer now shipping to 'new retail partner Costco' - Neptune Wellness (NEPT) said via Twitter that, "Excited that our hand sanitizer is now shipping to our new retail partner @costco. We developed natural and effective hand sanitizer in collaboration with @IFF. We will continue to innovate to help improve health and wellness. @nasdaq $NEPT" Reference Link

11:01 EDT Medtronic, Tandem enter non-exclusive patent cross-license agreement - Medtronic (MDT) and Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM) announced earlier that they have entered into a non-exclusive patent cross-license agreement for certain technologies in the field of diabetes. "Cross-licensing each other's patent portfolios enables both companies to focus on helping people with diabetes through innovation of future products and services, while avoiding the distraction of potential legal disagreements," they said in a statement. The companies added, "With certain exclusions, this agreement applies to the companies' existing products, as well as new products for at least the next five years, and also includes a provision not to clone one another's products. No payments will be exchanged as part of this agreement and further terms were not disclosed."

10:48 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond CEO says review of non-core assets a 'work in progress' - Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Mark Tritton said the company's previously announced review of its non-core assets is a "work in progress," but he sees Buy Buy Baby as a part of the company's core plans moving forward. Tritton is being interviewed on CNBC following last night's earnings report and store closure announcement.

10:47 EDT Harley-Davidson CFO John Ollin leaves role; Darrell Thomas becomes interim CFO

10:08 EDT McGraw Hill, TutorMe partner on free on-demand tutoring for college students - McGraw Hill (APO) and TutorMe, a subsidiary of Zovio (ZVO), will expand their work together in 2020 to offer college students using the McGraw Hill Connect digital learning platform a free 60-minute tutoring session with TutorMe. As online and blended learning continues to be the new normal for many students, the collaboration between McGraw Hill and TutorMe seeks to ensure that students receive the support they need and remain engaged as their learning environment shifts throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through the partnership, students will receive a one hour, one-on-one tutoring session free of charge. TutorMe live tutors are available 24/7 and highly trained in the relevant subject matter to help foster deep student understanding and fluency. "We believe in providing all students with the tools and support they need to succeed, no matter where they start," said Michael Ryan, President of Higher Education at McGraw Hill. "And this is especially important with online learning programs continuing to expand due to COVID-19. By making TutorMe tutoring available to all students who use Connect, more students will have access to help when they need it."

10:00 EDT AZZ Inc. falls -8.7% - AZZ Inc. is down -8.7%, or -$2.88 to $30.20.

10:00 EDT Virgin Galactic rises 8.5% - Virgin Galactic is up 8.5%, or $1.42 to $18.21.

10:00 EDT Mogu rises 12.7% - Mogu is up 12.7%, or 63c to $5.58.

09:48 EDT 3M says 'fraudulent N95 scheme' stopped with resolution of case in Indiana - 3M announced that it has resolved a case in federal court in Indiana against ZeroAqua, "halting a fraudulent N95 scheme involving the promise of billions of nonexistent N95 respirators." The claims against defendants have been resolved through the entry of a consent judgment, a court-entered permanent injunction, and a payment to 3M for donation to a COVID-19 related charity, the company announced. "The resolution of this case has permanently stopped a scam that used 3M's name and the promise of nonexistent N95 respirators to target emergency officials and profiteer during the pandemic. We will continue our global fight against fraud and work with law enforcement to help punish bad actors," said William Childs, 3M Senior Counsel. The company added: "3M has not, and will not, increase the prices of its respirators as a result of the pandemic. 3M has filed 17 lawsuits in the U.S. and Canada to combat fraud. The damages 3M seeks in these enforcement efforts are for the harm these bad actors cause and to punish wrongdoers, and any damages recovered are donated to COVID-19 relief efforts at nonprofit organizations, including Direct Relief."

09:46 EDT Lululemon trades lower after 'surprise' 5-day sale starts online - Shares of Lululemon Athletica moved lower after Barclays analyst Adrienne Yih called the company's online sale that started today a "surprise." Lululemon stated on its homepage, "It's only here for five days-with new markdowns every day. So, you better get moving (and remember to stay hydrated)." Shares of the apparel maker are down 1.6%, or $4.89, to $304.99 in morning trading. Reference Link

09:28 EDT VolitionRx holder Cotterford sends letter to company regarding vote results - Cotterford, the beneficial owner of approximately 26% of the outstanding shares of VolitionRX, sent a letter to the board of the Company regarding the voting results of Volition's 2020 Annual Meeting and the Company's path forward. "We believe in the significant long-term potential of the Company and the value of its scientific assets. Unfortunately, Volition has consistently failed to deliver on its promises, not least because of its refusal to articulate a clear path to commercialization, with tangible interim milestones, which has led to a culture of unaccountability. Adding insult to injury, when the Company has conveyed targets, it has repeatedly missed the mark. The voting results from Volition's recent 2020 Annual Meeting paint a stark picture of a shareholder base that is fed up with the Company's "jam tomorrow" mentality. Four of the six incumbent members of the Board received support from less than 50% of the outstanding shares, and one of them failed to obtain even a majority of the votes cast. This poor showing is even more striking given that these directors ran unopposed. Further, if we exclude the shares held by Volition's directors and management, these four incumbents were supported by fewer than 17.5% of the Company's outstanding shares. Shareholders also rejected both compensation related proposals - a non-binding advisory vote on compensation practices and the amendment of the Company's stock incentive plan... Lastly, we were delighted to see that the shareholders also rejected all the Board's outrageous proposals to dismantle shareholder rights... In our prior letter, we noted that we have lost confidence in the Company's current leadership. These voting results show that we are not alone. At this point, Volition faces a pressing call to action. The Board and management must heed these results and recognize that they represent a strong mandate for change. As noted above, we believe that shareholders' lack of confidence is driven by Volition's consistent failure to deliver on even the vaguest promises that management has outlined time and time again. We first purchased shares of the Company in 2012 and have been the largest shareholder of Volition for nearly two years... We believe it is critical that the Company has clear goals with associated targets and metrics for achieving these goals. We must see a shift towards accountability - which thus far has been lacking in an organization seemingly run by individuals who put themselves first, rather than shareholders. Case in point: while the Company has failed to produce any material revenue, payouts to President and CEO Cameron Reynolds and Executive Chairman Martin Faulkes have represented fully 7% of Volition's expenses over the last three years... We believe that shareholders will only be comforted by transparent, concrete and measurable timelines associated with Volition's pipeline of opportunities - and meaningful progress towards achieving those objectives. First and foremost, this should include specific timelines and paths to commercialization, as well as material revenue by the end of 2020. We fully expect that Volition will make announcements about any and all potentially positive news in the coming weeks and months - in an attempt to signal progress to the market. Ultimately, however, shareholders' confidence will only be restored if Volition achieves milestones that are truly meaningful and impactful on a reasonable timeline - and that create real value. We intend to closely monitor the Company's progress on these fronts and will take appropriate action to protect the best interests of shareholders if the Board and management continue on their existing path."

09:25 EDT Square lower after Cowen downgrades on over 200% rally - Square (SQ) is trading lower after Cowen downgraded the shares to Market Perform from Outperform despite increasing its price target to $119 from $79. The stock in premarket trading is down 1% to $131.85. The greater than 200% rally in shares since mid-March has "more than priced in all the good news" from the Cash App business and does not discount enough the "multi-year recovery" the Seller business will need, analyst George Mihalos told investors in a research note. The analyst says a "generous sum-of-the-parts analysis" yields the $119 price target. Unlike digitally native financial technology companies like PayPal (PYPL) that are clear intermediate and long-term beneficiaries of COVID-19, the situation is "more mixed" for Square, contends the analyst. The company's Cash App customer acquisition and monetization are benefiting from the pandemic but its Seller business will likely require a multi-year recovery given "outsized" exposure to small- to mid-sized businesses, contends Mihalos. As such, the analyst see more compelling opportunities in other payments names, like PayPal.

09:19 EDT Ingredion chief investment officer Tony DeLio to retire, Jeremy Xu to succeed - Ingredion announced that Jeremy Xu has been named senior VP and chief innovation officer, effective October 1. In this capacity, Xu will be responsible for advancing the company's focus on specialty growth platforms, identifying new growth opportunities and overseeing the Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers. Xu will report to Jim Zallie, president and CEO. Xu will succeed Tony DeLio who will be retiring in February 2021 after 14 years of service. Xu joins the company from Royal DSM, where he spent four years leading a global business unit in the nutritional ingredients space.

09:17 EDT Churchill Downs to resume operations at Oxford Casino Hotel in Maine - Churchill Downs announced plans to resume operations at Oxford Casino Hotel in Oxford, Maine. Guests will be able to use Oxford's slot machines upon reopening. Table games and food and beverage offerings as well as the hotel and event center will be available at a later date. Oxford will operate under specific capacity restrictions in compliance with state and local requirements and will implement the "CDI 360 Degree Approach to Safety," which includes initiatives to facilitate social distancing, personal protection and enhanced cleaning.

09:14 EDT Castor Maritime announces new charter agreement with Oldendorff Carriers - Castor Maritime announced that it entered into a new time charter agreement with Oldendorff Carriers in connection with its previously announced acquisition of a Panamax dry bulk carrier at a daily gross hire rate of $10,300. The charter agreement has an expected term of a minimum of three months and up to a maximum of five months and is expected to commence after the vessel's delivery to the company, sometime between the 5th and the 25th of August. As a result of this charter agreement, the company's gross revenue is expected to increase by $900,000 based on the minimum scheduled period of the time charter and could reach approximately $1.6 million should employment be extended to its maximum period.

09:11 EDT Allegiant Travel reports Q2 traffic down 69.4% y-o-y - Reports Q2 RPMs down 69.3%, ASMs down 49.6%, load factor down 32.7% vs, 2Q19. Numbers reflet scheduled services.

09:06 EDT Information Services acquires Neuralify, terms undisclosed - Information Services has acquired Neuralify. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisition of Neuralify expands the capabilities of ISG's automation business, which offers a range of automation consulting, implementation and software services. Neuralify's client base includes blue-chip companies, 40 of which are not currently served by ISG Automation. Neuralify, founded in 2016 and based in Concord, Massachusetts, offers an digital enablement platform to facilitate RPA adoption across the enterprise. The Neuralify solution expands the client training capabilities of ISG Automation for client adoption and scaling of RPA technology, especially in the current work-from-home environment.

09:03 EDT STMicroelectronics partners with Fingerprint Cards on BSoC solution - STMicroelectronics has teamed with biometric company Fingerprint Cards to develop an advanced Biometric System-on-Card, or BSoC, solution based on fingerprint-recognition technology, addressing the market demand to enhance contactless payment-card security and convenience.The BSoC integration combines ST's latest-generation secure-payment technology based on the ST31/STPay chipset and STM32 general-purpose microcontrollers with Fingerprints' T-shape sensor module to provide a battery-less secure solution for the banking market.

09:01 EDT TransUnion partners with Narrative on consumer attributes, audiences - Narrative announced they are partnering with TransUnion to enable access to TransUnion's consumer attributes and audiences via Narrative's data streaming platform. TransUnion's validated attributes and audiences serve up a view of consumers over time with data spanning categories such as automotive, business, consumer finance, demographic, homeownership and property and more.

08:49 EDT Sky Solar special committee recommends shareholders listen to tender offer - The special committee of the board of directors of Sky Solar recommended that the company's shareholders "stop, look and listen at this time" in response to the announcement by Square Acquisition and the rest of the offeror group, that the purchaser has made an unsolicited conditional tender offer acquire all of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, including all ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares, or ADSs, of the company and not owned by the offeror group. As required by the U.S. regulations, the special committee will review and consider the offer, and within 10 business days from the date of the offer, will advise the company's shareholders whether it recommends shareholders accept or reject the offer; whether it is expresses no opinions and remains neutral reading the offer, or if it is unable to take a position regarding the offer, as well as its reasons for the position that it takes at that time.

08:42 EDT ChemoCentryx submits avacopan NDA to FDA - ChemoCentryx confirmed that the company has submitted a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA for avacopan for the treatment of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. The company's NDA submission is supported by the results of its pivotal Phase III ADVOCATE trial, which demonstrated statistical superiority in sustaining remission at 52 weeks in the avacopan group compared to the prednisone group. In the trial, the avacopan group also showed lower glucocorticoid toxicity, greater improvement in kidney function and greater improvement in health-related quality of life measures compared to the prednisone group. Finally, avacopan demonstrated safety results in this serious and life-threatening disease, with fewer subjects having serious adverse events in the avacopan group than in the prednisone group.

08:37 EDT Hill International to provide consuktancy services for Elite Reverie - Hill International announced that it was selected to provide construction consultancy services for Elite Reverie, a multi-million dollar, luxury-living development in Islamabad, Pakistan. Elite Reverie, also known as Eighteen, is a mixed-use development project that includes residential complexes with over 2,000 units of villas and apartments, a retail and business park, a 20,152 SM, five-star hotel, a mall, medical and sports facilities, education villages, recreational facilities and 7,200 yards with an eighteen-hole golf course. The project is located to the southwest of the city. It is well connected to the major road networks in the area and just ten minutes away from the new Islamabad International Airport. Hill will offer construction consultancy services to help ensure that the project is delivered on-time and within budget. The scope of work will include overall site supervision; schedule and progress control; health, safety, and environment management; quality management; inspection of contractors' works; coordination between all project stakeholders and project commissioning.

08:35 EDT AgEagle Aerial Systems to expand operations in Wichita - AgEagle Aerial Systems and the Kansas Department of Commerce in association with the Greater Wichita Partnership, jointly announced that AgEagle will locate and expand its manufacturing operations in Wichita, Kansas. The company worked with the Kansas Department of Commerce to secure incentives as it evaluated locations in two different states.

08:31 EDT Pareteum receives listing extension from Nasdaq - Pareteum that on July 6, the company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market informing the company that Nasdaq's Hearings Panel has granted the company's request to remain listed on Nasdaq. This determination is subject to the company making certain overdue filings current with the SEC on or before October 30, and to certain other conditions.

08:21 EDT Rigel Pharmaceuticals' Tavlesse launched in Germany, UK - Rigel Pharmaceuticals' collaborative partner in Europe, Grifols, has launched Tavlesse in Germany and the United Kingdom. It was approved by the European Commission in January for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia in adult patients who are refractory to other treatments. Tavlesse, which is marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Tavalisse, is an oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the underlying autoimmune cause of ITP by impeding platelet destruction.

08:13 EDT Medallia enters partnership with Adobe - Medallia (MDLA) announced an integration between Medallia Experience Cloud and Adobe Experience Platform, or AEP, (ADBE) that gives brands comprehensive insights into the complete customer journey to deliver highly personalized real-time experiences that increase purchase frequency. Medallia said in a release, "Customer feedback from Medallia Experience Cloud seamlessly integrates with behavioral data in Adobe Experience Cloud to deliver a single view of each customer's complete journey including what digital ads were served to them online, what they purchased, their in-store and call center engagements and verbatim feedback from their experience."

08:11 EDT Fate Therapeutics announces FDA clearance for FT819 IND - Fate Therapeutics announced that the FDA has cleared the company's investigational new drug, or IND, application for FT819, an off-the-shelf allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR T-cell therapy targeting CD19+ malignancies. FT819 is the first-ever CAR T-cell therapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell line, and is engineered with several features designed to improve the safety and efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy. The company plans to initiate clinical investigation of FT819 for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

08:08 EDT Alimera Sciences initiates NEW DAY trial of Iluvien in DME patients - Alimera Sciences announced the initiation of the company's NEW DAY clinical trial, a randomized, controlled, multi-center study designed to generate prospective data for Iluvien 0.19 mg as a baseline therapy in patients diagnosed with diabetic macular edema, or DME. The company will host a conference call on July 15 to discuss the trial in detail.

08:04 EDT Opko Health subsidiary selected by Major League Soccer for COVID-19 testing - OPKO Health company BioReference Laboratories will conduct COVID-19 testing for all Major League Soccer players as well as match officials, and Club and League staff participating in the MLS is Back Tournament. MLS has chosen BioReference as its laboratory to assist in informing its return-to-play policies for the Tournament kicking off in Orlando in early July.

08:03 EDT Sterling Construction awarded $25.3M project by UDOT - Sterling Construction announced that its subsidiary, Ralph L Wadsworth Construction, or RLW, was selected by the Utah Department of Transportation, or UDOT, to construct a bridge in Salt Lake County. Sterling said in a release, "The $25.3 million project entails the design and construction of a new bridge that will extend Porter Rockwell Boulevard across the Jordan River, three canals, and over the Union Pacific Railroad and Utah Transit Agency rail lines. This bridge will provide a new connection between I-15 and State Route 68/Redwood Road, two of the most travelled North-South corridors in Utah. Upon completion, it will be the tallest bridge in the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2022."

08:02 EDT Oracle selected for cloud services by Canadian government - Oracle has been awarded a Framework Agreement for the provision of secure cloud services to the Government of Canada. This agreement gives Oracle's Canadian federal government customers the ability to store, manage and process sensitive data and applications in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

07:44 EDT Muscle Maker to open a location at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Muscle Maker announced that it has signed a lease to open a Muscle Maker Grill in the Medical Sciences Building II at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso this fall, its fifth company-owned university location. The new Muscle Maker Grill will be located in the food court of the Medical Sciences Building and will offer its traditional "healthier for you" menu featuring grass-fed steak, all-natural chicken, lean turkey, plant-based entrees, superfoods, smoothies and shakes, meal plans and catering services. The brand will also offer individually packaged boxed lunches that include a wrap or salad, a side and a beverage that can be distributed in a group setting with minimal contact to accommodate social distancing practices. Muscle Maker is also exploring grab-n-go options to service the Texas Tech community. This announcement comes after the recent news that the brand will open four locations at Northern Virginia Community College for the fall semester.

07:39 EDT Kitov Pharma initiates NT219 clinical trial - Kitov Pharma announced the initiation of the first study site in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NT219, a dual inhibitor, novel small molecule targeting IRS1/2 and STAT3, important oncogenic drivers and major drug resistance pathways in many hard-to-treat cancers. The Phase 1/2 trial is evaluating NT-219 as monotherapy treatment of advanced solid tumors, as well as in combination with cetuximab, an epithelial growth factor receptor blocking monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic solid tumors and head and neck cancer or colorectal adenocarcinoma. The primary objectives of the open-label Phase 1/2 trial are to evaluate safety, assess pharmacokinetics, identify the recommended dose to be studied in the Phase 2 portion, and establish preliminary efficacy of NT219. The Phase 1 portion of the study will encompass a dose escalation evaluation of NT219 monotherapy administered weekly in patients with refractory advanced solid tumors. Upon reaching the third dose level of NT219, a second cohort of patients, with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or colorectal adenocarcinoma, will be administered weekly with NT219, dose escalated, in combination with cetuximab. Upon completion of the monotherapy and combination therapy Phase 1 portions of the trial and establishment of the recommended Phase 2 dose for NT219, Kitov plans to commence an expansion Phase 2 component of the study at that dose of NT219 in combination with cetuximab in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The trial will also include exploratory evaluations of different potential biomarkers in patient tumors and serum.

07:35 EDT Great Panther Silver sees 2020 consolidared production 146,000-158,000 Au eq oz - Great Panther expects to produce 146,000-158,000 Au eq oz in 2020. This reflects the addition of 2020 production guidance for Topia. Total gold production for 2020 is expected to be 120,000-130,000 ounces.

07:31 EDT Broadridge CFO Jim Young to step down, Matt Connor named interim CFO - Broadridge Financial Solutions announced that Jim Young, CFO, will be stepping down from his role to pursue an opportunity with Indigo Ag, a private company operating at the intersection of technology, markets and sustainability. Young will continue as CFO through the release of the company's fourth quarter fiscal year 2020 earnings and will leave Broadridge on August 31. Matt Connor, CFO of Broadridge's Global Technology and Operations business, will serve as Interim CFO until a permanent successor is named. Broadridge has initiated a search process for a permanent successor that will include both internal and external candidates and has engaged a leading executive recruitment firm to lead this process.

07:19 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance boosts annual cost savings to in excess of $2B by FY22 - The company increased its annual cost savings target from the Transformational Cost Management Program to in excess of $2B by fiscal 2022, from the previous target, which was annual cost savings in excess of $1.8B by fiscal 2022.

07:17 EDT Enanta announces clinical trial progress for ED-514 - Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced advancements in its hepatitis B virus, or HBV, program evaluating EDP-514 across different patient populations. Enanta said in a release, "Enanta initiated, as planned, a Phase 1b clinical trial in viremic HBV patients, and resumed its ongoing Phase 1b study in HBV patients treated with a nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NUC-suppressed patients), which was previously paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EDP-514 is a novel class II HBV core inhibitor that has Fast Track Designation from the FDA. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b study in viremic chronic HBV subjects not currently on therapy is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of orally administered EDP-514 over a 28-day period. The study is planned to enroll 24 subjects who will be randomized to receive one of three multiple ascending doses of EDP-514 or placebo. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b study in NUC-suppressed subjects with chronic HBV infection is Part 2 of a Phase 1a/1b study. Part 2 of the study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of orally administered EDP-514 over a 28-day period. The study is planned to enroll 24 subjects who will be randomized to receive one of three multiple ascending doses of EDP-514 or placebo."

07:14 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance reports estimated COVID-19 impact - Walgreens Boots Alliance said in its Q3 earnings release, "The adverse impact of COVID-19 on sales in the quarter was approximately $700 million to $750 million, with the majority of the impact related to the Retail Pharmacy International division. This reflected a dramatic reduction in footfall in Boots UK stores - down 85 percent in April - as consumers were advised to leave home only for food and medicine. While most Boots stores remained open throughout the UK lockdown to provide communities with pharmacy and essential healthcare, our largest premium beauty and fragrance counters were effectively closed. More than 100 stores, mainly in high street, station and airport locations, were temporarily closed as were nearly all of the 600 Boots Opticians stores. Globally, pharmacy volume was impacted by a drop in doctor visits and hospital patient admissions. Additionally, gross margin was adversely impacted by sales mix, with a shift from higher margin discretionary categories to lower margin categories, and by higher supply chain costs. The company took measures to keep stores open during COVID-19, incurring incremental selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A), including higher employee costs and store expenses related to social distancing and incremental cleaning. As a result of these impacts, operating and adjusted operating income included an adverse impact of $700 million to $750 million, or $0.61 to $0.65 per share, excluding impairment charges. Furthermore, considering the third quarter operating loss in Boots UK and ongoing uncertainty due to COVID-19, the company reevaluated goodwill and intangibles in Boots UK, resulting in non-cash impairment charges of $2 billion."

07:13 EDT Helen of Troy jumps 4.5% to $204 after Q1 results beat estimates

07:12 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance suspending share repurchase program activity

07:07 EDT Extreme Networks appoints Nabil Bukhari as Chief Technology Officer - Extreme Networks appointed Nabil Bukhari as Chief Technology Officer, in addition to his current role as Chief Product Officer. Bukhari joined Extreme as part of the Brocade acquisition in 2017. Prior to Extreme, he held leadership roles at various companies including Cisco, Seagate, SonicWall, and Riverstone Networks.

07:05 EDT Indiva expands distribution network to Yukon Territory - Indiva announced it has expanded distribution to Yukon Territory, increasing the company's distribution network to eight provinces and one territory.

07:04 EDT LiveXLive Media enters multi-year partnership with Corona Electric Beach - LiveXLive Media announced that Spring Awakening Music Festival, the Midwest's largest all-electronic music festival, will return to Chicago for its 10 year anniversary in 2021. The event will be presented by Corona Electric Beach as part of a multi-year deal that included SAMF 2020 and its first virtual experience on July 4 and 5. With just over 20 performances, SAMF 2020 drew over 3 million views. Spring Awakening Music Festival is produced by React Presents, a subsidiary of LiveXLive.

07:02 EDT Kymera Therapeutics, Sanofi enter strategic collaboration - Kymera Therapeutics announced the company has entered into a multi-program strategic collaboration with Sanofi to develop and commercialize first-in-class protein degrader therapies targeting IRAK4 in patients with immune-inflammatory diseases. The companies will also partner on a second earlier stage program. Kymera will receive $150M in cash upfront and may receive more than $2B in potential development, regulatory and sales milestones, as well as significant royalty payments. Kymera retains the option to participate in U.S. development and commercialization for both programs. This includes the ability to participate equally in the costs, profits and losses after opt-in, and to co-promote partnered products in the U.S. Under terms of the collaboration, Sanofi will make an upfront payment of $150M in cash to Kymera for global rights to develop its small molecule IRAK4 protein degraders in inflammation and immunology indications, and a second earlier stage undisclosed program. IRAK4 is believed to play a key role in multiple immune-inflammatory diseases, including hidradenitis suppurativa, atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Kymera will advance the IRAK4 program through Phase 1 clinical trials; Sanofi will assume clinical development and commercialization responsibilities thereafter. Sanofi will lead all clinical development activities for the second program. Kymera will have the option to participate in the development of both programs in the US during clinical development. Kymera will retain global rights to its IRAK4 program in oncology indications.

06:53 EDT The Buckle reports June net sales up 28.6% y-o-y - The Buckle reported total net sales for the 5-week fiscal month ended July 4 up 26.8% to $94.8M from net sales of $74.8M for the prior year 5-week fiscal month ended July 6, 2019. Net sales for the 22-week fiscal period ended July 4, 2020 decreased 22.6% to $261.4M from $337.6M for the prior year 22-week fiscal period ended July 6, 2019. The company began the process of reopening certain stores the week of April 26, following state and local reopening guidelines. As of July 4, 438 stores had reopened. The company plans to only report total net sales each month and does not plan to separately report comparable store sales during this time.

06:51 EDT Coty announces additions to Executive Committee - Coty is adding three members to its Executive Committee, including newly appointed CEO Sue Y. Nabi, effective September 1, Princess Anna of Bavaria, who is joining the company as Coty's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, and Kristin Blazewicz, Coty's Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. Kristin Blazewicz joined Coty in March after having advanced through the ranks of the legal affairs team at Keurig Dr Pepper. Effective September 1, 2020, the Executive Committee will comprise five members: CEO Sue Nabi, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Anna von Bayern, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Kristin Blazewicz, COO and CFO Pierre-Andre Terisse and Chief Transformation Officer Gordon von Bretten. Anna von Bayern is a journalist, moderator and bestselling author who hosted the political talk show "Die Richtigen Fragen" on BILD, Germany's largest media brand. Kristin Blazewicz

06:49 EDT AstraZeneca reports Brilinta sNDA accepted, granted FDA Priority Review - AstraZeneca announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, and granted Priority Review for Brilinta for the reduction of subsequent stroke in patients who experienced an acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act date, the FDA action date for this supplemental application, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020. Brilinta is approved in more than 110 countries for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in adult patients with acute coronary syndrome and in more than 70 countries for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events among high-risk patients who have experienced a heart attack. In May 2020, the FDA approved a label update for Brilinta in the U.S. to include the reduction of the risk of a first heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients with coronary artery disease.

06:48 EDT Pentair names Steve Pilla as EVP, Chief Supply Chain Officer - Pentair announced that it has named Steve Pilla to its executive leadership team as Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer effective August 3. Pilla will be responsible for supply chain operations and performance and will report to John Stauch, Pentair President and CEO. Pilla spent the last three years at Red Wing Shoe Company where he served as Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer.

06:40 EDT ChromaDex's Niagen shows anti-viral effect in new Coronavirus study - ChromaDex announced the latest preclinical findings indicating Niagen inhibits replication of a form of Coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, in mouse cells. The preclinical study results were published July 8 on scientific publishing website bioRxiv.org. The research previously demonstrated in a preclinical cell model that levels of the coenzyme NAD+ were depleted up to 80% in Coronavirus-infected cells. The researchers hypothesized that raising NAD+ levels with nicotinamide riboside, or Niagen, may have an anti-viral effect. These latest results confirmed their hypothesis by demonstrating that cell lines infected with a type of Coronavirus had decreased viral replication when supplemented with NR. Additional research is necessary to explore the role NAD may play in maintaining a proportional inflammatory response to infection, and whether a depletion of NAD may worsen the "cytokine storm" that results in the fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome seen in some COVID patients. Dr. Brenner and the team of scientists are continuing their investigations into the antiviral potential of Niagen in order to translate the findings from the lab to the clinic. Ultimately, clinical trials are required to determine whether Niagen impacts COVID-19 infection in humans.

06:36 EDT Helen of Troy reports inventory $276.3M compared to $335.3M a year ago - Trailing twelve-month inventory turnover was 3.2 times for both periods.

06:34 EDT Helen of Troy CEO says 'pleased' with Q1 performance - Julien Mininberg, CEO, stated: "We are pleased to announce excellent first quarter results. Our diversified portfolio performed well and again demonstrated its resiliency. I could not be prouder of how our organization adapted quickly to navigate successfully in what is arguably the most challenging business environment most of us have ever seen. During the quarter we delivered consolidated net sales growth of 11.8% and adjusted diluted EPS growth of 22.8%. Our Health & Home segment led the way with sales growth of 29%. Beauty and Housewares both held up very well in the face of many store closures and the unprecedented level of unemployment and personal disruption due to COVID-19. Beauty sales grew 5% including Drybar. Housewares declined only 3% off of a year ago base that grew 23% year over year. International performance was a standout in the quarter, growing faster than consolidated sales. Sales for our Leadership Brands grew 15.7%. Online sales grew significantly to now represent approximately 28% of consolidated sales as so many of the world's consumers shifted more of their purchases from bricks to clicks." Mininberg concluded: "While we are pleased with our first quarter results, the net impact of the pandemic on our consumers and supply is still very fluid and uncertain and, as a result, we will not be providing fiscal 2021 guidance at this time. Despite the uncertainty, we are generally encouraged by the current trends and prospects for our business and are therefore using the strength from the first quarter to lean back in on many of the key initiatives chosen to further help us deliver on our Phase II Transformation goals. We believe we have struck the right balance between the uncertainties of the external environment and our strong commitment to doing what is bold and right for executing the strategic choices underlying our multi-year trajectory of transformation."

06:23 EDT ICL announces latest agreement to expand Polysulphate distribution network - ICL announced the latest in a series of agreements that will broaden the availability of Polysulphate globally. Polysulphate, brand name for Polyhalite fertilizer, is a multi-nutrient, certified organic fertilizer with unique performance attributes that enable nitrogen nutrient efficiency and deliver a very low carbon footprint. ICL, the world's sole producer of Polyhalite, has conducted over 600 field trials of Polysulphate globally, which have resulted in yield increases and quality improvements in a wide variety of crops and soils. As part of ICL's strategy to enable and expand the adoption of Polysulphate globally, it has signed a five-year agreement with a Ukrainian fertilizer distributor for the distribution of an aggregate of 350,000 tons of Polysulphate fertilizers in the Ukraine. This follows the signing of several long-term distribution agreements that have grown ICL's global customer base for Polysulphate and Polysulphate-based added value fertilizers and increased total contracted volumes by 1.1M tons. These include: A 12-year agreement for the supply of an aggregate of over 500,000 tons of Polysulphate to Polcalc, a customer in Poland which uses technology to produce Polysulphate-based fertilizers, creating a long-term strategic partnership to develop and market Polysulphate-based specialty fertilizers; A renewable annual framework agreement with 16 regional distributors in China to sell 100,000 tons of Polysulphate and Polysulphate-based fertilizers and a three-year agreement, with an optional one-year extension to sell Polysulphate as raw material for added value fertilizer production by Fertiberia, a leading producer and distributor in Spain.

06:06 EDT Ideaya doses first patient in Phase 1 combination study of IDE196/binimetinib - IDEAYA Biosciences (IDYA) announced First-Patient-In, or FPI, in the Phase 1 combination study of IDE196 and binimetinib, a MEK inhibitor, in metastatic uveal melanoma, or MUM. IDEAYA said in a release, "The clinical combination of IDE196 and binimetinib is being evaluated by IDEAYA with binimetinib being supplied by Pfizer pursuant to a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement. In the MUM setting, IDEAYA's clinical development strategy focuses on rational combinations, including MEK, and supporting studies through collaborations, such as the Pfizer (PFE) clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement. IDEAYA's strategic objective is to enhance the clinical activity of IDE196 through potential synergistic combinations. In the non-MUM GNAQ/11 hotspot mutation basket trial, including skin melanoma, IDEAYA will continue to evaluate IDE196 monotherapy and potential combinations, such as with binimetinib. IDEAYA anticipates interim data from the MEK combination study in late 2021 to early 2022, at which time the company will evaluate a potential registrational path for MUM and a potential partnership."

06:02 EDT State Auto Financial extends President and CEO Mike LaRocco's contract - State Auto Financial's and State Automobile Mutual's boards of directors extended President and CEO Mike LaRocco's employment agreement for one year, through Dec. 31, 2022. LaRocco's previous agreement was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2021. LaRocco joined State Auto in 2015.

05:53 EDT Applied DNA Sciences forms clinical testing subsidiary Applied DNA Clinical Labs - Applied DNA Sciences announced the formation of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Applied DNA Clinical Labs, or ADCL, dedicated to the commercial development of its tests in Virology, for the detection of COVID-19, and in Oncology, for the detection and enumeration of invasive Circulating Tumor Cells, or iCTCs. Applied DNA Sciences said in a release, "With the formation of ADCL, the Company is executing on a strategy to expand its market reach through value-added services complementary to a growing portfolio of diagnostic assays attractive to a broader number of qualified labs. ADCL allows Applied DNA to be a direct beneficiary of its own diagnostics development beyond the sales of kits to qualified laboratories, and provides the clinical sampling framework necessary to obtain the data required by State and Federal regulatory authorities to develop and improve diagnostics and vaccines in the face of a pandemic with rapidly shifting genetics and infectious behavior. In mid-May, Applied DNA received Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, for a high sensitivity, high-throughput complex molecular test for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Linea COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Assay Kit is a real-time polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR, test for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory specimens. It provides a high-throughput solution to help laboratories address the urgent need for patient testing during the Coronavirus pandemic. The Company also announced that the amendment of its EUA was approved by FDA to include extraction and concentration of the viral RNA by a magnetic method of nucleic acid extraction that lends itself easily to high throughput scaling with robotics and diversifies the two extraction methods already covered by the existing EUA. A series of EUA amendments are planned to introduce automation for increased throughput and accuracy, gain approval for additional RNA extraction methods and PCR devices to expand the footprint where our EUA assay can be used, develop point-of-care testing and simplify sample acquisition from patients."

05:44 EDT Tela Bio announces interim analysis from BRAVO study of Ventral Hernia Repair - TELA Bio announced the results of an interim analysis from the company's post-market BRAVO study evaluating the clinical performance of OviTex for the treatment of ventral hernias. TELA Bio said in a release, "The data have been submitted to a medical journal for publication, and show low surgical complication and hernia recurrence rates at various time points up to 24-months postoperatively. The interim analysis includes patient cohorts at the 90-day, 12-month and 24-month follow-up periods. At 90 days post-op, there were no recurrences, reoperations, or implant removals among the 85 patients analyzed. At 12 months, 57 patients have been assessed, with only one patient experiencing a recurrence. Notably, this recurrence occurred in a location adjacent to the original repair in an area of abdominal weakness and the initial repair using OviTex remained intact. Of the 20 patients that have reached 24-month follow-up, none experienced a recurrence or long-term complication."

05:15 EDT Phoenix Tree announces partnership with SF.Freight, Huolala - Phoenix Tree has teamed up with leading logistics service provider SF.Freight and on-demand delivery provider Huolala to offer one-click moving service for college graduates in China. Phoenix Tree said in a release, "With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, college graduates face many challenges in moving their belongings out of their on-campus dorms. To help college graduates move out smoothly, Danke is offering coupons valued at up to RMB 100 for shipment of oversized packages using SF.Freight, and for moving services provided by Huolala, respectively. Whether for an intra-city move, or for shipping long distance or across the country, these services are extremely helpful and therefore in high demand among college graduates. The launch of Danke's one-click moving service, in collaboration with SF.Freight and Huolala, guarantees a hassle-free moving experience for recent college graduates, while also providing a measure of financial support. To help college graduates find affordable apartments and settle down in their desired cities after graduation, Danke provides a complete rental solution, including high-quality standardized and furnished apartments, best-in-class services, and online/offline community activities through its Starling Project. More than one million graduates from over 2,000 colleges and universities have benefited from the project over the past four years."