Stockwinners Market Radar for July 15, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:21 EDT Vonage Verify API used by South Korea's online game developer PUBG - Vonage announced that it is helping Korea-based online game developer PUBG Corporation to safeguard its worldwide gamers with its Verify API. PUBG Corporation is using Vonage's Verify API to implement two-factor authentication to improve the security of its platform. Vonage Verify will authenticate new users, safeguarding the site against fraud and fake users. It will also establish the legitimacy of player game items exchange, preventing the transfer and sale of illegal items.

19:43 EDT Teledyne to supply image sensors for new copernicus earth observation missions - Teledyne e2v, a business unit of Teledyne Technologies and part of the Teledyne Imaging Group, has been selected through the grouped proposal of the European Space Agency's industrial policy committee to place six Copernicus Sentinel satellite missions to provide the image sensor technology. The two missions, CHIME and CO2M, funded by ESA, incorporate image sensors at the heart of the instruments and will utilize Teledyne Imaging's technology.

18:48 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical CEO: Nurtec ODT is a game-changer - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Dr. Vlad Coric said 85% of migraine sufferers are women, and he is therefore very excited to have Khloe Kardashian as a spokesperson. Nurtec ODT works fast and lasts for several days, Coric noted. The company's goal is to get one drug to treat acute migraine symptoms and simultaneously act as a preventative medicine. Corin said Biohaven is "within striking distance" of becoming a leading brand. It has developed a "robust drug pipeline," and is looking at treatments for other neurological disorders.

18:14 EDT Mallinckrodt says FDA AdCom voted to recommend Terlipressin in HRS-1 patients - Mallinckrodt announced that the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA voted to recommend approval for its investigational agent terlipressin to treat adults with hepatorenal syndrome type 1, or HRS-1, in a vote of 8 yes vs. 7 no. Terlipressin is an investigational agent being evaluated for the treatment of HRS-1 in the U.S., and its safety and effectiveness have not yet been established by the FDA. While recommendations of the advisory committee are not binding, the FDA will consider the advice provided by the committee as part of the New Drug Application review. The FDA assigned terlipressin a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target date of September 12, 2020. The company announced the FDA accepted for review its NDA for terlipressin in April 2020, which was based, in part, on results from the Phase 3 CONFIRM trial.

18:00 EDT Twitter investigating, taking steps to fix security incident - "We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter," Twitter said. "We are investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly."

17:49 EDT Twitter slips after Biden, Bezos, Musk, others' accounts hacked in bitcoin scam - Shares of Twitter (TWTR) were sliding in after-hours trading following reports that many prominent accounts on its platform were hacked to tweet out messages relating to an apparent bitcoin-related scam. The Verge initially reported that the accounts of Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates were compromised this afternoon, with Musk tweeting, "I'm feeling generous because of Covid-19. I'll double any BTC payment sent to my BTC address for the next hour. Good luck, and stay safe out there!" while Gates' account said, "I am doubling all payments sent to my BTC address for the next 30 minutes. You send $1,000, I send you back $2,000." Both accounts included an identical bitcoin wallet address. The Verge added that Square's (SQ) Cash App account also appeared to have been hacked. Later, CNBC reported that hackers appear to have targeted the accounts of Apple (AAPL), Uber (UBER), and Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos, as well as several crypto-currency related companies in an apparent bitcoin-related scam. CNBC added later that the accounts of Kanye West, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former VP and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden all posted messages about the scam. According to CNBC, Twitter said it is looking into the matter. The Fly notes that the Twitter account of Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) Warren Buffett was also compromised, with the account issuing the same bitcoin message. In after-hours trading, shares of Twitter are down roughly 4%.

17:46 EDT Tilly's provides update on California store closures, Q2 comparable sales - Tilly's provided updated information regarding its Q2 store operating status, net sales results, cash position and certain other business updates following the recent required closures of indoor shopping malls in certain counties of California as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as directed by the State of California, first announced by the state on July 13. The company began Q2 with all 239 of its stores closed to the public as a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning on May 15, in accordance with guidelines from local, state and federal governments and health organizations, including new health and safety protocols and restrictions on customer occupancy in stores, the company began reopening its stores in a phased approach. The company reopened 144 of its stores during the second half of May, 88 more stores throughout the month of June, and three additional stores during July, totaling 235, or 98%, of its total 239 stores prior to the July California closures. Of the company's 239 total stores, 98 stores, or 41%, are located in California. The company's 98 California stores collectively accounted for approximately 50% of the company's total net sales from physical stores during the company's FY20. As of July 15, as a result of the July California closures, the company was required to close 28 of its California-based indoor mall store locations, leaving 203 stores, or 85%, of its total 239 stores open to the public. The company may be required to close additional stores at any point in time, within or outside of California. According to the State of California website, affected indoor mall locations are expected to remain closed for at least three weeks from the closure date. Since their respective reopening dates and through July 14, compared to the respective comparable prior year periods, collectively, customer traffic in the reopened stores has decreased by 27% and comparable store net sales in the reopened stores have decreased by 5.1% with a wide disparity in comparable store net sales results on a per store basis, and with negative comparable store net sales in both off-mall and mall-based stores, each on an aggregated basis. Total comparable net sales for Q2 through July 14, including e-commerce and periods for which physical stores were temporarily closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, were $101.8M, a decrease of $10.6M or 9.4%, compared to $112.4M for the comparable period last year. Comparable store net sales from physical stores were $60.7M, a decrease of $36.2M or 37.4%, compared to $96.9M for the comparable period last year. Net sales from e-commerce were $41.2M, an increase of $25.7M or 165.9%, compared to $15.5M for the comparable period last year. As of July 15, the company had $151.6M of total cash and marketable securities, including $23.7M borrowed under its credit facility and an aggregate of $13.6M of withheld store lease payments. Excluding the cash borrowed under its credit facility and withheld store lease payments, the company's remaining cash and marketable securities totaled $114.4M as of July 15, compared to $119.3M with no borrowings under its credit facility and no withheld lease payments as of the comparable date of FY19. As of July 15, the company's total inventory was approximately 24% below comparable prior year levels. As a result of the reopening of nearly all of its stores prior to the July California closures, the company had returned substantially all employees back to work who had been previously furloughed and reinstated full salaries for all company management who had previously taken temporary reductions in pay.

17:33 EDT Twitter down 3.5% after CNBC report of a security hack on Joe Biden's account

17:24 EDT Sleep Number says Q2 performance was better than expected - Says there was a step up in digital traffic from Q1. Says introducing two new 360 smart beds with reopening of stores. Says plans on releasing Climate 360 bed in 2021. Says more than 95% of stores are open. Says Q4 sales will benefit from $25M from extra fiscal week. Says uncertainties remain for back half of the year from COVID-19 and the upcoming presidential election. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:17 EDT American Air warns about 25,000 workers about potential furloughs - In a memo to employees published in a regulatory filing, American Airlines management said the company will begin issuing Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letters to unions and represented team members in some states. These are notices the company is required by law to provide in advance of potential layoffs or furloughs. In the company's case, the WARN notices are tied to the overages we may see starting Oct. 1 when its Payroll Support Program funding expires, the company said. "We hate taking this step, as we know the impact it has on our hardworking team members," American said. "From the time the CARES Act was signed in March, we had a stated goal of avoiding furloughs because we believed demand for air travel would steadily rebound by Oct. 1 as the impact of COVID-19 dissipated. That unfortunately has not been the case. Our passenger revenues in June, while we believe are better than others in the industry, were more than 80% lower than June 2019. And with infection rates increasing and several states reestablishing quarantine restrictions, demand for air travel is slowing again. As a result, we currently anticipate having over 20,000 more team members on payroll than we will need to operate our smaller schedule this fall. For our Airports and Tech Ops teams, we are also accounting for displacements that could occur as team members shift to other locations, so those potentially impacted individuals are also included in the WARN process. Using those guidelines, we will issue WARN notices to approximately 25,000 team members. You can find workgroup details and a Q&A on Jetnet. Please know that while we are issuing 25,000 WARN notices, we hope to reduce the actual number of furloughs significantly through enhanced leave and early-out programs for represented workgroups, which we are announcing today. These programs were created with input from our union partners and are open to frontline represented team members, excluding pilots. Pilots are in a different situation given their mandatory retirement age and required training cycles as they move across aircraft, so they have separate leave and early-out programs tailored to their circumstances."

17:11 EDT Arcutis Bio: NEJM publishes positive results from Phase 2b ARQ-151 trial - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced that The New England Journal of Medicine has published positive results from a Phase 2b trial of its investigational drug topical roflumilast cream for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. The article has been published in the July 16 issue of the journal. These results demonstrate that ARQ-151 (roflumilast cream) administered once daily was superior to a matching vehicle in treating psoriasis, as measured by a rating of clear or almost clear at week six on the Investigator Global Assessment scale.

17:07 EDT Tricida notified by FDA of deficiencies in the NDA for veverimer - Tricida received a notification from the FDA stating that, as part of its ongoing review of the company's New Drug Application for veverimer, a non-absorbed, orally-administered polymer designed to treat metabolic acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease, the FDA has identified deficiencies that preclude discussion of labeling and postmarketing requirements/commitments at this time. The FDA stated that the notification does not reflect a final decision on the information under review. The notification does not specify the deficiencies identified by the FDA. The company plans to work with the FDA to identify and seek to resolve the deficiencies. The company has no current plans to modify or suspend its ongoing confirmatory postmarketing trial. However, at this time the company is unable to evaluate whether it will be able to address the FDA's concerns. The Tricida NDA for veverimer has been accepted for review by the FDA through the Accelerated Approval Program. The FDA has assigned a PDUFA goal date of August 22.

16:57 EDT Dell Technologies up 5.5% after confirming considering VMWare spinoff - Shares of Dell Technologies are up 5.5% after-hours at $55.50 per share after the company confirmed that it is considering spinning off its 81% stake in VMWare. The Wall Street Journal initially reported that the company is considering its options for the business on June 23rd.

16:53 EDT MetroCity Bankshares lowers quarterly dividend to 9c from prior 11c - MetroCity Bankshares lowers quarterly dividend to 9c from prior dividend of 11c per share. The cash dividend is payable on August 7 to shareholders of record as of July 31.

16:51 EDT Dell Technologies confirms exploring VMware spin-off

16:31 EDT ISS urges TerraForm Power holders to vote for Brookfield Renewable merger - TerraForm Power (TERP) announced that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., a proxy advisory firm, issued a report on July 14, 2020 recommending that TerraForm Power stockholders vote FOR the merger of the company with Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (BEP) at the company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. If the merger is approved, each share of Class A common stock of TerraForm Power will be converted into the right to receive, at the stockholder's election, either 0.381 of a unit of Brookfield Renewable or 0.381 of a share of Brookfield Renewable Corporation, in each case, subject to adjustment for the special distribution of class A exchangeable shares of BEPC to holders of units of Brookfield Renewable. This recommendation by ISS follows a report by Glass, Lewis & Co., another proxy advisory firm, issued on July 13, 2020 also recommending that TerraForm Power stockholders vote in favor of the merger with Brookfield Renewable.

16:28 EDT Kohl's to require all customers to wear masks in stores starting July 20 - Kohl's said it has made the decision to take a consistent approach across its entire store fleet when it comes to face coverings. Beginning Monday, July 20, the company will require all customers to wear a face covering while shopping in its stores. Reference Link

16:26 EDT O-I Glass to divest Australia and New Zealand business unit for A$947M - O-I Glass announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Australia and New Zealand business unit to Visy Industries. Gross proceeds on the sale and related sale-leaseback agreement with Charter Hall, a leading property management company, will approximate A$947M.

16:22 EDT RTI Surgical stockholders approve OEM business sale, name to change to Surgalign - RTI Surgical Holdings announced that following the company's annual stockholder meeting, the company has received all of the necessary approvals for the sale of the OEM business. The company expects the transaction to close on Monday, July 20. "We are pleased to announce the stockholder approval of the sale of the OEM business and excited about our future as a pure-play spine company," said Camille Farhat, President and CEO, RTI Surgical. "This transaction is the culmination of years of work that have resulted in the completion of the first phase of our strategic transformation to reduce complexity, drive operational excellence and accelerate the growth of the Company." Upon the closing of the transaction, the Company's name will change to Surgalign Holdings, Inc., and the Company's ticker symbol on the NASDAQ will change to "SRGA." Trading under the new ticker symbol is expected to begin on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Upon the closing of the transaction, Camille Farhat, President and CEO, will be retiring from his role and vacating his seat on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has appointed Terry M. Rich as the Company's new President and CEO, effective upon the closing of the transaction. Mr. Rich is also expected to join the Company's Board of Directors at that time. Mr. Rich currently serves as RTI's President of Global Spine. "Despite the challenging environment we have faced over the last few months, the Company has persevered and we believe has set itself up to be highly successful going forward," said Curtis Selquist, the current Chairman of the Board of Directors. "We thank Camille for the dedication and leadership he has shown over the last three years. Leveraging the success we have had during Camille's tenure, bolstered by a renewed focus on Spine and a supportive balance sheet, we are very excited for what Surgalign can become with Terry leading the charge."

16:18 EDT Alcoa up over 5% at $13.33 per share after Q2 earnings beat

16:16 EDT I-MAB announces $20M stock repurchase program - I-Mab announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $20M of its ordinary shares in the form of American depositary shares.

16:14 EDT Alcoa reports Q2 shipments up 9% sequentially - The company states: "Sequentially, the Company's overall third-party aluminum shipment volume increased approximately 9%, primarily due to the continued progress of the Aluminerie de Becancour Inc. smelter in Quebec, Canada restart. Third-party alumina shipments in the second quarter 2020 increased approximately 2%, compared with first quarter 2020 shipment volume."

16:12 EDT ARC Document provides business update amid COVID-19 - ARC Document said it has re-engineered the company to create opportunities for growth and strong margins in a post-COVID-19 era. "While the impact of COVID-19 has been devastating to our industry and the markets we serve, we saw this as an opportunity to transform our business into a smaller but stronger company with potential for new growth and similar, if not better margins," said Suri Suriyakumar, chairman, president and CEO of ARC. "We have reimagined our business for a post-COVID era that includes offerings that range well beyond the construction vertical and our historical print segments, and we have aggressively removed costs related to segments of businesses that are no longer relevant to our existing customers." "We have also reconfigured our operating structure and costs to serve new customer needs today and in the future," said Mr. Suriyakumar. "This will allow us to improve our EBITDA margins, continue to strengthen our cash position, and address a level of sales that is smaller, but has greater potential than our legacy business." Specifically, management reported that after reconfiguring its operations and cost structure, it expects Q2 adjusted EBITDA of approximately $10M and cash flow from operations is expected to be more than $20M. Management anticipates pandemic-reduced sales of approximately $63M.

16:09 EDT Ameresco, Bethel School District partner over $3.6M energy efficiency project - Ameresco announced that it has partnered with the Bethel School District in Eugene, Oregon, on a comprehensive energy efficiency project. Financed with a 2.37% loan, this $3.6 million energy savings performance contract project will improve lighting, HVAC controls, plumbing, and irrigation systems in multiple facilities as part of the District's effort to reduce its utility and operational spending. The Bethel School District joins South Lane and Junction City School District to become the third school district in Lane County to partner with Ameresco. Bethel School District serves more than 5,400 students in grades K-12 and is the third largest in Lane County, Oregon. The improvements Ameresco will implement under this ESPC come at no upfront cost to the district, and will be paid for over a 16-year contract term with the guaranteed cost savings they generate. "We are excited to be reducing our utility spending by almost 19% and make upgrades that improve the teaching and learning environment. This program is a win-win because it also creates jobs in the State of Oregon and Lane County," said Chris Parra, Superintendent of Bethel School District. "Their team has worked seamlessly with our facilities staff to develop an incredible project that meets our current goals, and also helped us identify other improvements for the future."

16:07 EDT Commercial Vehicle Group consolidating Piedmont, Alabama plant - Commercial Vehicle Group announced the permanent consolidation of its manufacturing and distribution facility in Piedmont, Alabama in connection with the company's cost reduction plan. The Piedmont facility primarily serves the commercial vehicle aftermarket, is more than 150,000 square feet in size, and employs approximately 49 employees. The work performed at the Piedmont facility will be transferred to the company's manufacturing and distribution facility in Vonore, Tennessee following the closure, which is expected to be substantially completed in Q4. Vonore will become the new headquarters for CVG's Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket business. The company will provide assistance to affected employees including retention benefits and opportunities to transfer to other CVG facilities.

16:07 EDT Sleep Number down over 3% at $52.00 per share after Q2 results

16:06 EDT Diamondback Energy says TRC Capital's offer below market - Diamondback Energy announced that it received notice, dated July 13, of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer made by TRC Capital Investment, a private Canadian investment company to purchase up to 2,500,000 shares of Diamondback common stock at a price of $37.00 per share in cash. The TRS Capital Offer is approximately 4.96% below the closing price per share of Diamondback common stock of $38.93 on July 10, the last trading day before the TRC Capital Offer was commenced, and approximately 5.80% below the closing price per share of Diamondback common stock of $39.28 on July 14, the last trading day before the date of this press release. The TRS Capital Offer is for approximately for 1.58% of the outstanding shares of Diamondback common stock. Diamondback recommends that stockholders reject this unsolicited offer and not tender their shares of Diamondback common stock in response to the TRC Capital Offer.

16:05 EDT Nabriva Therapeutics enters distribution pact with Merck subsidiary for Sivextro - Nabriva Therapeutics (NBRV) announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with subsidiaries of Merck (MRK) to market, sell and distribute Sivextro in the United States and certain of its territories. Sivextro is an oxazolidinone-class antibacterial indicated in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by certain susceptible Gram-positive microorganisms. Under the terms of the agreement, Nabriva will procure Sivextro from Merck & Co. and be responsible for marketing, sales and distribution in the U.S. through December 31, 2023, with renewable three-year extensions. Additionally, Nabriva has engaged Amplity Health to provide community-based commercial and sales services for Sivextro and Xenleta n the U.S.

16:03 EDT Sleep Number says will meet its liquidity needs from operating cash flows - The company states: "On March 23, 2020, the company withdrew its fiscal 2020 financial guidance due to COVID-19. Given the continued uncertainty related to COVID-19, the company is not providing any further financial guidance at this time. The company expects to meet its liquidity needs from operating cash flows and its existing credit facility, while funding growth initiatives and other longer-term opportunities."

16:00 EDT RealPage CFO Tom Ernst to resign effective August 15 - RealPage announced that Tom Ernst, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of RealPage, plans to resign from his position effective as of August 15, 2020 to pursue new opportunities. The company has initiated a search for a new Chief Financial Officer, and Tom will continue working as a consultant through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. "Tom was instrumental in our efforts to enhance RealPage's systems, processes and culture to support accelerated organic revenue growth," said Steve Winn, Chairman and CEO of RealPage. "He also helped orchestrate the largest acquisition in our history, opening the SMB market for accelerated growth. He was key in our financing for this acquisition with a $690 million concurrent public common equity and convertible debt offering completed in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will miss Tom and wish him well in future endeavors."

14:40 EDT CMS Energy names Angela Thompkins chief diversity officer - CMS Energy, and its principle subsidiary Consumers Energy, announced Angela Thompkins, currently executive director of Inclusion and Strategic Talent Sourcing, will be named vice president & Chief Diversity Officer, effective August 1, 2020. Thompkins will be responsible for setting and monitoring the company's diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, as well as partnering with leaders across the organization to improve results related to DEI. "Angela has a true passion for her work and is a champion for her co-workers and our company," said Cathy Hendrian, senior vice president of People and Culture at CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. "Angela's extensive background and wealth of experience helps her understand the unique perspectives we need to build a stronger, more inclusive organization, while ensuring every voice within the company is heard."

13:56 EDT Court forces Brazil's Vale to set aside R$ 7.9B for Brumadinho dam damages - "Vale informs on the injunction to present guarantees" published on June 11th, 2020, and informs that the TJMG Court judge Leite Praca dismissed the request for suspensive effect on the appeal filed by Vale, and therefore, determined the company to present, until July 23rd, guarantee in the amount of R$ 7.9 billion, in order to ensure the enforcement of any fine or forfeiture of assets, rights and values in the future. Vale will appeal the decision and will take all measures to ensure its right of defence within the legal deadlines. Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak began, our highest priority is the health and safety of our employees. Our IR team adopted work-from home, and as we continue to face these new circumstances, we strongly recommend you prioritize e-mail and online," noted the company in a regulatory filing, out earlier.

13:36 EDT Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot announce name of merged group to be Stellantis - In what the companies called "a major step as they move towards the completion of their 50:50 merger," Peugeot S.A. (PUGOY) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) announce that the corporate name of the new group will be "Stellantis." The name will be used exclusively at the Group level, as a Corporate brand. The next step in the process will be the unveiling of a logo that with the name will become the corporate brand identity. The names and the logos of the Stellantis Group's constituent brands will remain unchanged. As previously stated, completion of the merger project is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by both companies' shareholders at their respective extraordinary general meetings and the satisfaction of antitrust and other regulatory requirements.

13:15 EDT Whirlpool up 2.5% to $142.43 in afternoon trading - The 2.5% move higher in Whirlpool shares may be related to the release of data from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, or AHAM, which typically reports on U.S. industry wholesale unit shipments of appliances at this point in the month, trading contacts tell The Fly.

13:10 EDT Eloxx announces publication of scientific manuscript on ELX-02 - Eloxx Pharmaceuticals announced that a scientific manuscript titled: "ELX-02 Generates Protein via Premature Stop Codon Read-through Without Inducing Native Stop Codon Read-through Protein", has been published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. "We are very pleased that our scientific manuscript on ELX-02 which demonstrates that ELX-02 mediates read-through of premature stop codons while maintaining the fidelity of stop codons found at the end of healthy transcripts has been published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. This is an important finding indicating that translation integrity is preserved with target-therapeutic exposure of ELX-02, consistent with the favorable tolerability profile demonstrated across our preclinical and clinical datasets. ELX-02 is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in cystic fibrosis patients with nonsense mutations, for whom there are few, if any, treatment options available," said Dr. Matthew Goddeeris, PhD, Vice President of Research.

12:51 EDT Seanergy Marine regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement - Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. announced that The Nasdaq Stock Market has confirmed that the company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) concerning the minimum bid price of the company's common stock. The matter is now considered closed.

12:21 EDT J.C. Penney identifies 152 store closures, to cut 1,000 jobs - J. C. Penney Company announced that it is aligning its workforce with its store optimization strategy and reduced store footprint. JCPenney has identified 152 store closures following a comprehensive evaluation of store performance and strategic fit for the company and is having ongoing productive negotiations with landlords. This announcement follows a lengthy, structured, and thoughtful decision-making process. In connection with this organizational realignment, the company will reduce its workforce by approximately 1,000 corporate, field management, and international positions. "Each of these associates has made valuable contributions to the legacy of JCPenney, and we are truly grateful for their service," said Jill Soltau, CEO of JCPenney. "These decisions are always extremely difficult, and I would like to thank these associates for their hard work and dedication. We are committed to supporting them during this period of transition." This organizational restructuring will create a smaller, more financially flexible company, and will help ensure JCPenney emerges from both Chapter 11 and the Coronavirus pandemic as an even stronger retailer. JCPenney is providing a comprehensive benefits package for its departing associates, including severance for eligible associates, healthcare coverage through COBRA for those enrolled in benefits, outplacement support, compensation for unused paid time off, and extended associate discount benefits.

12:20 EDT J.C. Penney identifies 152 store closures

12:15 EDT Marsh & McLennan raises quarterly dividend to 46.5c from 45.5c per share - The board of directors of Marsh & McLennan declared an increase in the quarterly dividend from 45.5c to 46.5c per share on outstanding common stock, payable on August 14 to stockholders of record on July 27.

12:00 EDT NIO Inc. falls -7.4% - NIO Inc. is down -7.4%, or -$1.04 to $13.05.

12:00 EDT DB Gold Double Long falls -10.3% - DB Gold Double Long is down -10.3%, or -$4.96 to $43.04.

12:00 EDT Royal Caribbean rises 17.7% - Royal Caribbean is up 17.7%, or $8.53 to $56.67.

11:57 EDT Heartland Financial appoints Nathan Jones as chief credit officer - Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF) announced that Nathan Jones joined the company as EVP, CCO, reporting directly to Bruce Lee, President and CEO. Jones will lead Heartland's credit administration organization and provide leadership in formulating credit policies, processes and practices. Jones, most recently, worked at Fulton Financial as their CCO.

11:06 EDT Aramark appoints Ashwani Hanson as chief diversity, sustainability officer - Aramark announced that it has formed an Executive Diversity Council, led by CEO John Zillmer and Board Member Calvin Darden. The Company also announced it has named Ashwani Hanson to the new role of Chief Diversity & Sustainability Officer. Hanson is currently SVP, Human Resources for Aramark's U.S. Food & Facilities business. Aramark's Executive Diversity Council will provide strategic focus and direction to advance diversity, equity and inclusion among its employees, client partners, customers, suppliers and communities. In addition to Zillmer and Darden, the Council will also include Hanson; Lynn McKee, Executive Vice President, Human Resources; Chief Operating Officers Marc Bruno, Brad Drummond and Carl Mittleman and the Vice Presidents of Human Resources & Diversity for their respective businesses. As Chief Diversity & Sustainability Officer, Hanson will lead all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and the strategy and governance of Aramark's 2025 sustainability plan, which is focused on positively impacting people and the planet for generations to come. This includes eight priorities, which align with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations: zero hunger; good health & wellbeing; decent work and economic growth; reduced inequality; responsible consumption & production; climate change; protect ocean life; and reduce carbon footprint. Joining Hanson on this newly created team will be Jameel Rush, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, Kathleen Cacciola, Vice President, Enterprise Sustainability; Jami Leveen, Vice President, Community Partnerships; and Natily Santos, Vice President, Specialty Supply Chain.

10:48 EDT Navistar announces investment in autonomous trucking company TuSimple - Navistar International and TuSimple announced earlier that the two entities have entered into a strategic partnership to co-develop SAE Level 4 self-driving trucks targeted for production by 2024. "The strategic partnership is the result of a successful technical relationship between the companies for more than two years. In addition, Navistar has taken a minority stake in TuSimple," the companies said. Persio Lisboa, President and CEO of Navistar, added: "Navistar's strategic partnership with TuSimple positions us to be a leader in developing solutions for our customers by leveraging our organizations' collective expertise to integrate our vehicle design and systems integration capabilities with TuSimple's innovative autonomous technology. This announcement marks a significant milestone in our development journey with TuSimple and we look forward to furthering our relationship in the months to come."

10:16 EDT Goldman Sachs: Trading volume still good vs. 2019 level

10:06 EDT Bank of America reports June card default rate 2.12% vs. 2.46% last month - Reports June 30-plus day delinquencies 1.30% vs. 1.46% last month.

10:03 EDT NewRez, Shelter Mortgage announce formation of JV Home Sense Lending - NewRez LLC announced the formation of a new joint venture mortgage company to be added to its network of partners. NewRez and Shelter Mortgage Company, L.L.C., the NewRez business division focused on Joint Venture lending, have partnered in this venture with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty, which is based in Londonderry, NH and serves areas throughout New England. The new joint venture lender, to be named Home Sense Lending LLC, will be led by Tammy Verani. With this new partnership, NewRez now has 16 JV partners across 12 states in the U.S.

10:01 EDT NAACP, CBS enter multi-year partnership agreement for content - CBS Television Studios and the NAACP have reached an agreement on a multi-year partnership to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear television networks and streaming platforms. The announcement was made today by George Cheeks, President and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group, and Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. As part of the agreement, CBS Television Studios' creative leaders will work with the civil rights organization to establish a dedicated team of executives and infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. The partnership will focus on producing premium content that expands the number of diverse voices contributing to an ever-evolving society, and by telling inclusive stories that increase the visibility and impact of Black artists in a growing media landscape. The CBS/NAACP partnership includes a commitment to develop content for the CBS Television Network as well as the ability to sell programming to third-party platforms across the media landscape.

10:00 EDT Bloom Energy rises 14.8% - Bloom Energy is up 14.8%, or $1.94 to $15.03.

09:52 EDT U.S. Bancorp says planning for future with 'continued low rates' - Says "being conservative" with approach to financial modeling. Expects fewer branches going forward. Expects strong deposit growth through end of year and into 2021.

09:48 EDT PNC Financial to continue to suspend share repurchases though Q3 - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:47 EDT Spartan Energy Acquisition falls -4.6% - Spartan Energy Acquisition is down -4.6%, or -66c to $13.71.

09:47 EDT Small Cap Bear 3x falls -6.9% - Small Cap Bear 3x is down -6.9%, or -$1.48 to $20.03.

09:47 EDT Wipro rises 11.2% - Wipro is up 11.2%, or 39c to $3.88.

09:42 EDT Goldman Sachs: Majority of employees still working remotely

09:40 EDT Goldman Sachs raised more than $6B in new distressed fund - Sees total raise on distressed fund to exceed $10B.

09:37 EDT Goldman Sachs seeing early indications of economic improvement in the U.S.

09:36 EDT Goldman Sachs CEO: Path to reopening in many U.S. states 'unclear' - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:31 EDT Rite Aid expands COVID-19 testing to 258 locations - Rite Aid will continue to expand its COVID-19 testing capacity with the addition of 161 drive-through testing locations opening on July 16 in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Rite Aid's COVID-19 testing sites will now span coast-to-coast, with the addition of locations in California, Oregon and Washington, and an increased number of locations in Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

09:23 EDT Cinedigm channels included in NBCUniversal's Peacock launch - Cinedigm (CIDM) announced that three of the Company's channels, The Bob Ross Channel, Comedy Dynamics and So...Real, are included in the launch of NBCUniversal's (CMCSA) new streaming service Peacock. The service is home to thousands of hours of premium content, including curated channels.

09:16 EDT U.S. Bancorp says consumer sales trends improved throughout Q2, into July - Sees Q3 net interest income "relatively flat" vs. Q2. Says capital, liquidity positions "strong."

09:12 EDT UnitedHealth sees higher than historically normal MCR in 2H - UnitedHealth is running in the range of 100bps above normal MCR in 2H, management says.

09:07 EDT HP Inc. introduces new global partner program - HP unveiled HP Amplify, a global channel partner program optimized to drive dynamic partner growth and deliver consistent end customer experiences. Built on a single, integrated structure, HP Amplify provides the insights, capabilities and collaboration tools needed to drive growth as digital transformation and customer purchasing behaviors continue to evolve. The new program goes into effect November 1, 2020 for commercial partners with retail partners slated to transition in the second half of 2021. By consolidating HP's best partner products, tools and trainings into one intuitive program, HP Amplify removes complexity, making it easier for partners to take advantage of its many benefits and engage customers on a deeper level. Now comprised of just two distinct tracks - Synergy and Power - with clear compensation levels, HP Amplify provides partners with the flexibility to invest in value-added services and capabilities. The more a partner invests in these capabilities, the higher the rewards.

09:06 EDT Microsoft and Land O'Lakes form strategic alliance for agricultural innovation - Microsoft and Land O'Lakes announced a multiyear strategic alliance to pioneer new innovations in agriculture and enhance the supply chain, expand sustainability practices for farmers and the food system, and close the rural broadband gap. Land O'Lakes is a farmer-owned cooperative with 150 million acres of productive cropland in its network. Initially, the companies will focus on developing a connected AgTech platform, built on Microsoft Azure, that will bring together Land O'Lakes' portfolio of AgTech tools under one unified architecture. On top of the AgTech platform, the companies will collaborate to advance an aggregator of data with Data Silo, as well as leverage Microsoft Azure and its AI capabilities and insights from WinField United Answer Plot test fields, to support more predictable decisions for placement of crop inputs. The companies will create a Digital Dairy solution to capture data from farms with poor internet coverage, and the power of AI to provide data-driven insights for dairy producers. The companies are working together to develop a technology suite to help farmers improve their profit potential and generate new revenue in carbon markets. The companies are launching pilots that will lead to long-term programmatic solutions in rural communities combining Microsoft's Airband program and specific locations within the Land O'Lakes owner network, broadband will be deployed to rural communities along with services including telehealth, educational resources and digital skilling. Microsoft becomes Land O'Lakes' strategic cloud provider, and Land O'Lakes will migrate the majority of the company's IT infrastructure onto Microsoft Azure.

09:05 EDT U.S. Bancorp says strong growth in mortgage products in Q2 - Says continues to manage cost structure prudently, well-capitalized. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:05 EDT ViacomCBS, Cox Media enter multi-year deal to renew CBS affiliation agreements - ViacomCBS and Cox Media Group, or CMG, announced a multi-year deal that renews CBS Television Network affiliation agreements for five stations, including two top 50 market affiliates, KIRO-TV in Seattle, Washington and WJAX-TV in Jacksonville, Florida. The agreement for WJAX-TV was approved by the station's licensee, Hoffman Communications, to whom CMG provides certain services for the operation of the station. The five markets combined reach nearly 3% of the U.S. and serve more than 3M households. Earlier this year, in February, ViacomCBS and CMG entered into a multi-year renewal of the affiliation agreements for CMG's WXVT-LD located in Greenville/Greenwood, Mississippi. CMG's CBS affiliates will continue to be locally available to subscribers on CBS All Access, ViacomCBS' subscription video on-demand and live streaming service and widely distributed across vMVPD platforms. The agreements include renewals for these CBS affiliates: KIRO in Seattle-Tacoma, Washington; WJAX in Jacksonville, Florida; WHIO in Dayton, Ohio; KYMA in Yuma-El Centro, Arizona and KVIQ in Eureka, California.

09:04 EDT Genius Brands, Archie Comics partner to launch comic books - Genius Brands has entered into a comic book publishing agreement with Archie Comics to publish comic books/graphic novels based on the IP of Stan Lee Universe. The initial property slated for publication as a comic book in partnership with Archie will be Superhero Kindergarten. Concurrent with the announcement of the Archie Comics publishing deal, Genius Brands is proud to announce that Michael E. Uslan will bring his decades of experience and expertise to advise and help mine the great IP in the Stan Lee Universe to build ongoing global branded franchises. The treasure chest of post-Marvel Stan Lee IP will be guided by Uslan, whose input will cover all film and TV development and production under the banner.

09:00 EDT Sienna Senior says three long-term care residences in outbreak as of July 14 - Sienna Senior Living provided the following operations update. 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 continuing to make strong progress in implementing important measures, first announced by the Company on June 3, 2020 in its Six-Point Action Plan, to address the challenges COVID-19 has presented across the long-term care sector and at certain Sienna residences. "Sienna continues to make progress, both at a corporate and residence level, in responding to and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank our hospital partners and key stakeholders for their important contributions," said Nitin Jain, President and Chief Executive Officer, of the Company. "We are adding healthcare expertise, including in infection control, and making progress when it comes to staffing, quality care and sustained communications. Our residents - a generation of Canadians who have contributed so much to our society - deserve the best care we can provide." As of July 14, 2020, three long-term care residences of our 83 owned or managed residences are in outbreak, with a total of six active resident or team member COVID-19 cases.

08:58 EDT Caledonia announces notification of relevant change to significant shareholder - Caledonia Mining Corporation (CMCL) announces that it received notification yesterday, on July 14, 2020, from BlackRock (BLK) which is a "significant shareholder" of the Company as defined by the AIM Rules for Companies, that it crossed a particular threshold for notification of its holdings in the Company on July 13, 2020. According to the notification, as at that date the shareholder holds indirectly 391,141 voting rights attached to the shares in the Company, which represents 3.39% of the Company's issued share capital; and has an interest in 1.64% of voting rights through financial instruments. Accordingly, the shareholder's total interest in voting rights equates to 5.04% of the Company's issued share capital which, as at this date, comprises 11,520,860 shares of no par value.

08:53 EDT UnitedHealth sees paying $1B in future rebates, CEO says - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:47 EDT Castle Biosciences announces publication of long-term data for DecisionDx-UM - Castle Biosciences announced the publication of a multicenter, prospective study demonstrating that DecisionDx-UM test results significantly impacted treatment plan recommendations for patients with uveal melanoma, or UM. The article titled, "Gene expression profiling in uveal melanoma: five-year prospective outcomes and meta-analysis," was published in the peer-reviewed journal Ocular Oncology and Pathology. Castle said in a release, "DecisionDx-UM is Castle's 15-gene expression profiling, or GEP, test developed to identify patients at low risk (Class 1) or high risk (Class 2) of metastasis, based on the unique biology of their primary tumor, and is the current standard of care for UM patients. It is estimated that nearly 8 in 10 patients diagnosed with UM in the U.S. receive the DecisionDx-UM test as part of their diagnostic workup. UM patients face up to a 50% risk of metastasis, despite successful control of the primary tumor. The multicenter CLEAR Registry Study (Clinical Application of DecisionDx-UM Gene Expression Assay Results) was designed to prospectively evaluate management plans and five-year clinical outcomes for UM patients tested with DecisionDx-UM as part of their clinical care. The median follow-up time for patients who did not develop metastasis was 4.9 years, reflecting the longest follow-up reported to date for any prognostic tool for UM."

08:46 EDT Corning, EnerSys collaborate to help speed 5G deployment - Corning Incorporated (GLW) and EnerSys (ENS) announced a strategic collaboration to speed 5G deployment by simplifying the delivery of fiber and electrical power to small-cell wireless sites. The collaboration will leverage Corning's industry-leading fiber, cable, and connectivity expertise and EnerSys' technology leadership in remote powering solutions. The companies are working to solve infrastructure challenges in the deployment of 5G and small cells in outside plant networks. Corning and EnerSys will focus on two types of challenges facing wireless service providers and network architects in the deployment of outdoor small cells: electrical power and fiber connectivity. Power is often assumed to be available when and where needed, but, in reality, connections to small-cell sites from the electrical grid are not always readily available - increasing deployment costs and delaying network activation. Meanwhile, small cell locations that optimize signal coverage may not align well with the fiber pathways that provide the necessary backhaul. Identifying easily placed fiber access points and the pathway to reach them is key to avoiding costly delays. The Corning and EnerSys collaboration will accelerate the development of solutions to deliver distributed powering and optical connectivity, helping telecommunications operators ultimately move toward routine deployment of 5G.

08:42 EDT Far Point Acquisition provides update on Global Blue transaction - Far Point Acquisition announced in connection with its pending business combination transaction with Global Blue Group, that on July 13, FPAC received a memorandum from SL Globetrotter, Global Blue's largest shareholder and the representative of Global Blue's other shareholders, outlining certain unilateral waivers and commitments made by such shareholders that impact the transaction and the surviving company. Far Point stated that it "welcomes these changes": Global Blue's shareholders have waived the pre-deal dividend to which they are entitled, which will provide the surviving company with approximately $175M of increased liquidity; Global Blue's shareholders have committed to convert to ordinary shares of the surviving company up to approximately $57M of preferred stock to which Global Blue's shareholders would be entitled based on the level of FPAC redemptions; and certain of Global Blue's shareholders have committed to provide the surviving company with a further $75M in a supplemental liquidity facility that can be drawn during the eighteen month period following a closing. If drawn, this facility would provide funding in the form of subordinated debt with two years' maturity from the date of draw. The Board's recommendation that FPAC's stockholders vote "against" the transaction remains unchanged. The Board notes, however, that these waivers will substantially improve the liquidity position of the surviving business, and, in addition, the waiver of the pre-deal dividend will enhance the value of the surviving business by leaving the approximately $175M on the balance sheet. FPAC has set a record date of July 24 for the special meeting of stockholders to approve the Transaction. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the stockholders of FPAC and the Record Date determines the holders of FPAC's common stock entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the special meeting on the transaction. The date of the Special Meeting has not yet been scheduled.

08:41 EDT Dyadic International enters collaboration with global pharmaceutical company - Dyadic International announced that it has entered into a new, fully-funded collaboration with another global pharmaceutical company. "We are very excited to enter into this collaboration with another top five pharmaceutical company to demonstrate the potential of C1 to become a platform of choice for manufacturing certain protein-based biologics. We have been selected for this collaboration because of the attributes of our C1 technology which include, speed of development, high productivity, low cost of goods, among other properties. We expect to express two different types of therapeutic compounds for this collaboration," said Mark Emalfarb, Dyadic's CEO. "Over the past year, we have dedicated our expertise and financial resources to further enhance our core C1 technology and have made significant progress reducing background protease activity and developing a library of differentiated strains, including glycoengineered strains, which we continue to refine. Additionally, we have been able to demonstrate the broad applications of our C1 technology, which in turn has resulted in many new wide-ranging opportunities. Dyadic's pipeline of opportunities with top tier, global animal and human health pharmaceutical companies continues to get larger and more diverse as the C1 technology becomes more widely applicable," concluded Emalfarb.

08:38 EDT Eros International announces agreement with CashKaro to offer OTT platform - Eros Now, the digital over-the-top South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International, announced a strategic partnership with one of India's largest cashback and coupon sites, CashKaro.com. The association allows CashKaro users to benefit from a special discount offer on Eros Now's annual subscription and provide access to Eros Now's content catalogue to a wider audience across the country. The inclusion of Eros Now also builds CashKaro's entertainment catalogue which currently offers services across categories including fashion, beauty, personal care and electronic devices among others.

08:35 EDT Evofem's Phexxi contraceptive Phase 3 results published in health journal - Evofem Biosciences announced that Contraception, an international, peer-reviewed, reproductive health journal, published the primary efficacy and safety results from the Phase 3 AMPOWER study evaluating Phexxi for the prevention of pregnancy. Phexxi is the first non-hormonal, on-demand, vaginal pH regulator contraceptive designed to maintain vaginal pH within normal range, that is inhospitable to sperm. It was approved by the FDA on May 22 for the prevention of pregnancy in females of reproductive potential for use as an on-demand method of contraception based on the results of the Phase 3 AMPOWER study. The final data analysis demonstrated a cumulative pregnancy rate of 13.7% over seven cycles of use. The incidence of serious adverse events was low - 1.1% -, and none of the SAEs were considered definitely related to treatment with Phexxi. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in severity, and fewer than 2% of treated subjects discontinued prematurely due to an AE. At baseline, less than half (46.5%) of the 1,325 respondents were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their existing contraceptive method. This number nearly doubled during the trial, with greater than 80% of women reported being "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the use of Phexxi.

08:32 EDT National Retail Properties raises quarterly dividend to 52c per share - Payable August 14 to common shareholders of record on July 31.

08:27 EDT LMP Automotive reiterates 2020 internal goals - The company said, "The Company is reiterating its 2020 internal goals and its view that there will be many exciting opportunities ahead. The Company's internal goals are as follows: Expand the online vehicle sales segment of our business; Launch LMP's App Technology in the Apple and Google stores during the third quarter for a smoother and faster consumer onboarding and experience; Expand wholesale Subscription Leasing offering to Business customers, Auto Dealers, and Brokers Partners."

08:23 EDT EDAP TMS completes four Focal One sales - EDAP TMS provided an update on recent sales successes that occurred during the second quarter and early third quarter. During the second quarter, the company added Edouard Herriot University Hospital in Lyon, France, and Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, to its roster of highly regarded Focal One hospital customers. Notably, both sales also included the ExactVu micro ultrasound system as bundled deals. Early in the third quarter, the company completed another bundled sale to Mount Sinai Health System in New York, a world-renowned cancer center and influential reference site for the company. Also, in the early days of the third quarter, EDAP sold a Focal One system to Keck Medical Center of University of Southern California. Keck Medicine of USC was the first institution to adopt EDAP's first generation high intensity focused ultrasound system, Ablatherm, when the technology was approved by the FDA in 2015, and has decided to upgrade to the latest generation HIFU by acquiring Focal One. The company will provide a more detailed update on recent sales and pipeline activities during its second quarter update conference call in August.

08:20 EDT iCAD receives CE Mark for ProFound AI Risk in Europe - iCAD announced ProFound AI Risk received a CE Mark in Europe. ProFound AI Risk is the first and only clinical decision support tool that provides an accurate two-year, breast cancer risk estimation that is truly personalized for each woman, based only on a screening mammogram. The Company unveiled the technology at the European Congress of Radiology virtual meeting from July 15-19, 2020. New data supporting ProFound AI will also be presented at the meeting. Information about these products will be available in the virtual iCAD booth throughout the meeting. ProFound AI Risk uniquely combines a range of risk factors, including age, breast density and subtle mammographic features, offering superior performance in assessing short-term risk compared to traditional breast cancer risk models.i It offers an easy-to-implement solution that provides superior insightsii that empower clinicians to tailor a woman's breast screening regimen and potentially identify cancers earlier.

08:17 EDT Tabula Rasa HealthCare launches MedWise SaaS Technology Integration - Tabula Rasa HealthCare announced the launch of MedWise to its PrescribeWellness community pharmacy network. Compared to the current technology of one-to-one drug interaction checking that has existed for decades in electronic health records and pharmacy software, MedWise, for use by pharmacists, is the only technology that cumulatively compares how medications interact together, all at the same time. Available within TRHC's PrescribeWellness patient engagement software, MedWise includes the unique MedWise Risk Score calculation along with a new feature known as MedWise Decision Support. MDS simulates changes to the risk score in real-time, helping pharmacists to assess simultaneous, accumulative, multi-drug interactions amongst complex medication regimens in an efficient manner and avoid ADEs. ADEs are largely considered preventable and are the third leading cause of death. While client-reported data has existed for years, recently published studies found that reduction in the MRS is associated with lower medical costs, fewer adverse drug events, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.

08:15 EDT Henry Schein enters exclusive distribution agreement with Radic8 - Henry Schein announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Radic8, a UK-based manufacturer of air purifier systems, to distribute their devices in the U.S. and Canada. The Radic8 Viruskiller is currently being marketed under the FDA enforcement policy for air purifiers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The product is intended to be effective at killing SARS-CoV-2 based on its demonstrated effectiveness against viruses that are similar to SARS-CoV-2 or are harder to kill. The results show a 99.9999%, 6 log reduction, kill rate in a single air pass. The kill rate is used to describe what percentage of a given germ is killed by a particular process or disinfectant. When dealing with viruses, single air pass kill rates minimize the risk of cross contamination. Two key factors to consider when using technology to reduce airborne and droplet virus exposure are controlling the airflow to take the danger away from the breathing zone and purifying the air as it passes through the unit in a single air pass. Controlled airflow drags contaminated air away from the breathing zone, replacing it with air that has been purified. Then the purified air is released from the top, pushing contaminated air to the floor and the fan drags it back towards the unit that creates laminar airflow.

08:14 EDT Assurant appoints Jay Rosenblum as chief legal officer - Assurant announced the appointment of Jay Rosenblum to the role of chief legal officer for Assurant effective immediately. Rosenblum joined Assurant in 2019 as senior vice president, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, and has been acting as co-interim chief legal officer since February of this year. He will continue to report directly to Alan Colberg, Assurant president and CEO and serve on the company's Management Committee.

08:13 EDT Shift4 Payments named credit card processor of Raiders, Allegiant Stadium - Shift4 Payments announced its designation as the official credit card processing company of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium and a sponsor of the stadium. All payment transactions at Allegiant Stadium will utilize Shift4's suite of secure payment technologies including QR Pay and SkyTab mobile devices. These solutions are adapted to changing consumer preferences, including a new focus on contactless technologies. The partnership agreement provides Shift4 branding and signage throughout Allegiant Stadium including digital advertising and prominent logo placement around the venue, television, print and radio advertising, and promotional events supporting the local business community. In addition, the partnership features an exclusive club space, the "Shift4 Club," within the stadium.

08:12 EDT Capstone Turbine executes 5-year long-term FPP service contract in Mexico - Capstone Turbine announced that DTC Ecoenergia, Capstone's exclusive distributor for the Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Critical Power Supply market verticals in Mexico, signed a new Factory Protection Plan, or FPP, long-term service contract for 1.6 megawatts of Capstone microturbines installed in Mexico at a large automotive parts manufacturing facility. Capstone Turbine said in a release, "Commissioned May 15, 2015, the Capstone microturbines are installed at a body and chassis systems manufacturer for global automakers and are used for peak shaving and power generation. This large end-use automotive customer currently owns and operates 6.6 megawatts of Capstone microturbines installed at 4 of their 32 manufacturing facilities in Mexico. The comprehensive 5-year FPP contract provides complete service coverage, including scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. The decision to put these two C800's under Capstone's industry-leading FPP was made as the Mexican government recently announced that the transportation manufacturing industry is an essential business for the country's economy and can resume operations."

08:11 EDT AllSurplus launches July sales event for heavy equipment assets - AllSurplus is quickly growing its heavy equipment sales channel and is currently featuring over 100 assets up for bid in its monthly heavy equipment sales event in July. Buyers can access used equipment such as excavators, cranes, lift equipment, welders, compressors, extended cab pickup trucks, day cab truck tractors and other assets. Interested buyers can bid on assets now through July 29, 2020.

08:09 EDT Assurant announces organizational changes - Assurant announced organizational changes. Francesca Luthi, executive VP, chief communications and marketing officer, has been named to the newly created role of chief administrative officer. She will assume responsibility for human resources, real estate, facilities and procurement while retaining leadership for Assurant's global marketing and insights, communications, investor relations and corporate social responsibility functions. In addition, Jay Rosenblum, senior VP, government relations and regulatory affairs, has been appointed to the role of chief legal officer, having served in that capacity on an interim basis since February. Both appointments are effective immediately. In parallel, Robyn Price Stonehill, executive VP, chief human resources officer, will be leaving Assurant. She will remain with Assurant through the end of this year to support a transition. As Assurant's newly appointed chief legal officer, Rosenblum will lead Assurant's global legal department, including compliance, government relations, regulatory affairs and other legal matters affecting the company.

08:08 EDT SunPower and Enphase Energy partner to produce AC module - SunPower (SPWR) and Enphase Energy (ENPH) announced a strategic partnership to produce the new Enphase Energized Maxeon AC Module. The AC Module will be commercialized by Maxeon Solar Technologies, the planned spin-off from SunPower, to residential customers in key international markets through authorized installer networks and distributors starting in Q4.

08:06 EDT Gold Resource reports preliminary Q2 gold production of 7,649 ounces - Gold Resource reports preliminary consolidated production results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 of 7,649 ounces of gold, 191,232 ounces of silver and significant base metals. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company has returned $114 million to its shareholders in consecutive monthly dividends since July 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. Preliminary second quarter production from the Company's Nevada Mining Unit totaled 5,208 ounces of gold, a gold production increase of 41% over the prior quarter during the Isabella Pearl Mine's ongoing production ramp up phase. Through the first half of 2020, the Company's Nevada Mining Unit's preliminary production numbers total 8,900 ounces of gold. The first mining levels reached the top of the deposit's high-grade "Pearl" zone mid-way through the second quarter having removed overburden above this area for more than one year. The Pearl zone is estimated to contain 80% of the gold ounces at the Isabella Pearl deposit with an estimated average gold grade of 4 grams per tonne. While there remains significant overburden removal at Pearl before accessing larger tonnages of this high-grade zone, Gold Resource Corporation remains on track for its targeted gold production ramp up into the fourth quarter, positioning the Company for its 40,000 gold ounce production target in 2021. Preliminary second quarter production from the Company's Oaxaca Mining Unit totaled 2,441 ounces of gold, 185,330 ounces of silver, 246 tonnes of copper, 1,140 tonnes of lead and 3,004 tonnes of zinc. Through the first half of 2020, the Company's Oaxaca Mining Unit's preliminary production numbers total 8,891 ounces of gold, 587,872 ounces of silver, 734 tonnes of copper, 3,654 tonnes of lead and 8,848 tonnes of zinc. Second quarter production was impacted by the nearly two-month shutdown mandated by the Mexican government. At the start of the quarter, on April 1, 2020, the Company announced the suspension of its Oaxaca Mining Unit operations following orders from the Mexican Ministry of Health due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All non-essential businesses, including mining, were ordered closed. The Company was granted approval to restart operations on May 27, 2020 after nearly eight weeks of being shut down during the second quarter. Operations were reinstated, along with a stringent employee illness protocol and screening process, and have gradually ramped up during the months of June and July.. The Company withdrew its 2020 production outlook for both its Oaxaca and Nevada Mining Units following the impacts of the global pandemic, temporary suspension of Mexican operations in April 2020, and uncertainty of potential future outbreaks or governmental responses to the pandemic. Due to these ongoing uncertainties, the Company's management has made the decision not to update its 2020 production outlook at this time.

08:03 EDT Live Ventures acquires Precision Marshall for approx. $31.5M in cash - Live Ventures announced the acquisition of Precision Industries, Inc., which does business as Precision Marshall, for approximately $31.5M in cash. The Washington, Pennsylvania-based independent manufacturer of premium tool steels and specialty alloys was founded in 1948 and is a vital link in the nation's manufacturing supply chain. The company uses machine applications to transform raw steel into tool-and-die steels needed in the auto, appliance, aerospace and defense industries. Its reputation for quality products and reliable distribution is exemplified by its motto, "Value as Strong as Steel." The acquisition of Precision Marshall is expected to increase Live Ventures' consolidated revenues by approximately $50M per year. Thomas Sedlak, who joined Precision Marshall in 2008 and has most recently served as Senior Vice President, has been elevated to CEO. All current employees are expected to be retained through the acquisition. Precision Marshall was founded in the family garage in 1948 by Thomas R. Milhollan. Tom's son Jack Milhollan joined the company in 1973, became president and CEO, and guided the company to diversify products, invest in new technologies, and expand its distribution network. The company sells precision steel and alloy products exclusively through independent distributors. Throughout the years Jack, who is retiring, placed emphasis on building and retaining a dedicated, skilled workforce-the backbone of the company and key to its success.

08:03 EDT Olin selects Scott Sutton as CEO, effective September 1 - Olin has selected Scott Sutton to succeed John Fischer as CEO and President, reporting to Olin's Board. Fischer will become Executive Chairman. These appointments are effective September 1. Sutton currently serves on the Olin Board and is expected to be appointed Chairman of the Board immediately following Olin's 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, at which time Fischer is expected to retire in accordance with the corporation's mandatory retirement policy for senior executives. Sutton joined Olin's Board on September 19, 2018 and currently serves as President and CEO of Prince International, a privately-held global producer of specialty minerals materials. Before joining Prince, Mr. Sutton served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Celanese.

07:49 EDT Theratechnologies says liquidity position sufficient for the foreseeable future - The company said, "As at May 31, 2020, cash, bonds and money market funds amounted to $31,643,000. Based on management's estimate and current level of operations, we believe that our current liquidity position is sufficient to finance our operations in the foreseeable future."

07:47 EDT Theratechnologies to initiate Phase 3 study of tesamorelin around year-end - Following its initial discussions with the FDA and EMA, Theratechnologies is now working with its scientific advisors on the late stage development strategy and regulatory pathway for the Phase 3 study of tesamorelin for the treatment of NASH in people living with HIV and is still evaluating the opportunity in non-HIV associated NASH. Theratechnologies plans to use the new F8 formulation of tesamorelin in the Phase 3 trial. The Company plans to provide further information on its Phase 3 plan, including additional details on the protocol and study endpoints, in the coming months. The Company expects to initiate the Phase 3 trial around the end of the year.

07:45 EDT Theratechnologies transitions EGRIFTA patients to EGRIFTA SV formulation - The Company implemented a plan to switch existing EGRIFTA patients to the new EGRIFTA SV formulation while ensuring that new patients were prescribed EGRIFTA SV over the original formulation. The transition phase should be completed by the end of July and only EGRIFTA SV will be actively commercialized going forward in the U.S.

07:43 EDT Theratechnologies says supply chain remains unaffected 'at this time' - At this time, Theratechnologies' supply chain remains unaffected by the global pandemic. In addition, the Company continues to have enough inventory of its therapies to meet market demand in all territories where these therapies are commercially available. The Company continues to make progress toward advancing its research and development pipeline. All third-party service providers working with Theratechnologies on these programs remain active.

07:38 EDT Cytokinetics provides update on cardiovascular pipeline, commercial strategies - Cytokinetics management plans to provide updates on the company's advancing cardiovascular pipeline and strategies to build a commercial franchise at "Activate. Inhibit. Empower: Changing the Course of Cardiovascular Disease," a Virtual Analyst & Investor Event, today at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. As the treatment landscape in heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies is rapidly evolving, the event will also feature commentary and perspectives from leading physician experts and patient advocates. Management will present an overview of the clinical development program for omecamtiv mecarbil featuring a review of GALACTIC-HF, a large, Phase 3, global, event-driven, cardiovascular outcomes trial of omecamtiv mecarbil from which results are expected in Q4 2020 and METEORIC-HF, a second Phase 3 clinical trial of omecamtiv mecarbil, designed to evaluate the effect of treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil compared to placebo on exercise capacity. Omecamtiv mecarbil is being developed for the potential treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction under a collaboration between Amgen and Cytokinetics, with funding and strategic support from Servier. The company will also present results from previous trials including COSMIC-HF, a Phase 2 trial of omecamtiv mecarbil, and discuss cardiovascular biomarkers end endpoints correlative with outcomes. Management will also present a review of recent progress with CK-274 the company's next-in-class cardiac myosin inhibitor, including a review of the Phase 1 data supportive of the design and conduct of REDWOOD-HCM, a Phase 2 clinical trial which began enrollment earlier this year and has resumed following a brief suspension in enrollment due to COVID-19. In addition, the team will discuss additional plans for the development of CK-274 in cardiovascular diseases associated with hypercontractility. In preparation for potential commercialization of omecamtiv mecarbil, the company will highlight strategic plans to leverage its leadership in cardiac muscle biology to develop and commercialize innovative medicines for cardiovascular diseases, with initial focus to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Company management will elaborate on its business strategy to leverage its corporate partnerships and focus to improve the healthspan of patients with cardiovascular disease by enabling them to feel better, function better, and live longer.

07:35 EDT Novocure, Merck enter clinical trial collaboration to develop NSCLC treatment - Novocure (NVCR) announced it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (MRK), through a subsidiary, to develop Tumor Treating Fields together with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. Novocure's Tumor Treating Fields use electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing cancer cells to die. The two companies plan to conduct a phase 2 pilot study of Tumor Treating Fields concomitant with Keytruda for first-line treatment of intrathoracic advanced or metastatic, PD-L1 positive NSCLC. The study is designed to enroll approximately 66 patients in the United States and is expected to begin in the second half of 2020. Objective response rate is the primary endpoint of the study. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, progression free survival, or PFS, PFS at six months, one-year survival rate, duration of response, disease control rate at 18 weeks and safety.

07:29 EDT Goldman Sachs reports Q2 Investment Banking net revenues $2.66B - Net revenues in Investment Banking were $2.66 billion for the second quarter of 2020, 36% higher than the second quarter of 2019 and 22% higher than the first quarter of 2020. Net revenues in Global Markets were $7.18 billion for the second quarter of 2020, 93% higher than the second quarter of 2019 and 39% higher than the first quarter of2020. Net revenues in FICC were $4.24 billion, compared with $1.70 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Net revenues in Asset Management were $2.10 billion for the second quarter of 2020, compared with $2.55 billion for the second quarter of 2019 and $(96) million for the first quarter of 2020. Net revenues in Consumer & Wealth Management were $1.36 billion for the second quarter of 2020, 9% higher than the second quarter of 2019 and 9% lower than the first quarter of 2020.

07:28 EDT Goldman Sachs reports Q2 ROE 11.1%, 1H ROE 8.4% - Annualized return on average common shareholders' equity (ROE)1 was 11.1% for the second quarter of 2020 and 8.4% for the first half of 2020. Annualized return on average tangible common shareholders' equity was 11.8% for the second quarter of 2020 and 9.0% for the first half of 2020.During the second quarter of 2020, the firm recorded net provisions for litigation and regulatory proceedings of $945 million, which increased net provisions to $1.13 billion for the first half of 2020. These amounts reduced diluted EPS by $2.60 and annualized ROE by 4.5 percentage points in the second quarter of 2020 and reduced diluted EPS by $3.15 and annualized ROE by 2.8 percentage points in the first half of 2020.

07:26 EDT Taiwan Liposome announces manuscript on strategy to treat COVID-19 - TLC announced that a pre-print version of a manuscript on TLC's strategy to treat COVID-19 disease with targeted delivery of inhalable liposomal hydroxychloroquine has been made publicly available. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial and anti-inflammatory drug that has been shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and tested in clinical studies. However, recent clinical trials studying orally ingested HCQ have shown inconclusive results due to the extremely high doses required to achieve effective antiviral levels. The manuscript describes a nonclinical pharmacokinetics study in which, comparing equivalent doses of inhalable liposomal HCQ to intravenous unformulated HCQ, inhalable liposomal HCQ achieved increased exposure and half-life in the lungs while also achieving lower blood and heart exposure. Moreover, the study results suggest a sustained release, liposomal formulation of HCQ might provide preferentially higher concentrations in the lung than an aerosolized, non-liposomal HCQ formulation, which is retained in the lung only transiently and distributed rapidly from lung to systemic circulation. An inhalable liposomal formulation of HCQ would require significantly lower doses - a tiny fraction of the oral dose - to achieve sufficient and locally sustained drug exposure in the lungs, reducing the systemic and cardiac toxicities commonly seen with high doses of oral HCQ. The manuscript, entitled "A Strategy to Treat COVID-19 Disease with Targeted Delivery of Inhalable Liposomal Hydroxychloroquine: A Non-clinical Pharmacokinetic Study", has been submitted for publication and is currently under peer review.

07:19 EDT Evercore Partners appoints Ralph Schlosstein, John Weinberg as co-CEOs - Evercore announced that Ralph Schlosstein and John Weinberg have each been appointed as co-chairman of the board and co-CEOs, effective immediately. Previously, Schlosstein, who joined the firm in 2009, served as president and CEO and Weinberg, who joined the firm in 2016, served as chairman of the board and executive chairman. Schlosstein and Weinberg will continue to lead the firm with Roger Altman, founder and senior chairman.

07:16 EDT Cardinal Resources board to consider unsolicited Nord Gold takeover bid - Cardinal Resources refers to the unconditional on-market takeover offer for Cardinal at 66c cash per share from Nord Gold SE. The company said, "Cardinal notes that it has obligations under the Bid Implementation Agreement entered into with Shandong Gold Mining Co., Limited and Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd., on 18 June 2020. Cardinal also notes that as the Nordgold Takeover Bid was unsolicited, it will need to be considered in detail by the board, together with the special purpose committee and its financial and legal advisers. Cardinal will provide an update to shareholders as soon as it is able. Having regard to the unsolicited nature of the Nordgold Takeover Bid and the provisions of the Bid Implementation Agreement Shareholders are advised to TAKE NO ACTION at this time in relation to the Nordgold Takeover Bid."

07:13 EDT Kinross Gold announces results of Lobo-Marte pre-feasibility study - Kinross Gold announced the results of a pre-feasibility study for its Lobo-Marte project in Chile. Lobo-Marte offers the potential of a cornerstone asset with attractive all-in sustaining costs1, 2 to enhance Kinross' long-term production profile. The project adds a significant 6.4 million gold ounces, representing an approximately 25% increase, to the Company's 2019 year-end mineral reserve estimates in a favourable mining jurisdiction. The reserve addition also increases Kinross' reserve life index by approximately 2.5 years. The PFS estimate includes total life of mine production of approximately 4.5 million Au oz., average cost of sales of $545 per Au oz. and average all-in sustaining cost of sales of $745 per Au oz. during a 15-year mine life, which includes 12 years of mining followed by three years of residual processing. The project has attractive grades and a low estimated strip ratio, in part due to historical stripping completed at the Marte pit. The PFS contemplates an open pit, heap leach and SART plant operation using rope conveyors and mining the Marte and Lobo deposits in succession. Kinross has previously used SART technology successfully in the region. Subject to a positive development decision, the PFS estimates Lobo-Marte project construction beginning in 2025, with first production expected in 2027. Production would commence after the conclusion of mining at the Company's La Coipa project, which is located approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Lobo-Marte, and where the Company is continuing to explore opportunities to extend mine life. The Company plans to commence a feasibility study later this year, with scheduled completion in Q4 2021. The feasibility study is expected to provide the detailed engineering and project description required for permitting and submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Lobo-Marte's economics are leveraged to the price of gold, as the PFS mine plan and estimated net present value and internal rate of return at various gold prices are based on pit designs using a $1,200/oz. gold price. Since the project also assumes the same pit designs at higher gold prices, the project is expected to realize upside value and increase margins at higher gold prices without having to increase stripping or cost estimates, thereby reducing risk and providing downside protection. The initial estimated capital cost for the project is $765 million, plus approximately $230 million in contingency. The estimated capital costs includes mine equipment, crushing and storage facilities, conveyors, and site utilities and infrastructure. Sustaining infrastructure costs are expected to average approximately $30 million per year over the life of the operation, while sustaining capitalized stripping costs are expected to average approximately $45 million per year over 12 years of mining. The go-forward decision on the project will depend on a range of factors, including the gold price environment and projections, expected economic returns, permitting, various technical and other considerations, Kinross' capital priorities, and maintaining the Company's balance sheet strength.

07:11 EDT Cornerstone to requisition SolGold general meeting to replace board - Cornerstone Capital Resources announces that, under section 303 of the Companies Act 2006 of the United Kingdom, it intends to requisition a general meeting of shareholders of SolGold to replace the entire SolGold board. At the requisitioned General Meeting, Cornerstone intends to propose that all members of the current board be replaced with five new nominees, each with the requisite skill set and independence to direct SolGold for the benefit of all shareholders. Cornerstone further intends to vote its entire 7.58% equity stake in SolGold in favour of such proposals at the requisitioned General Meeting. Cornerstone expects that any new board would seek to conduct a strategic review to maximize value for all SolGold shareholders. As part of that process, we expect that the new board would carefully review the terms of the Franco-Nevada Royalty Financing and take appropriate action to terminate the deal if, as we expect, the board determines that the financing is not in the best interests of SolGold and its shareholders. In light of the foregoing, Cornerstone expects that the current SolGold board will not proceed to completion of the Franco-Nevada Royalty Financing and, should it nevertheless proceed to do so, Cornerstone reserves all its rights to pursue any derivative claim or other appropriate remedies against SolGold and/or the members of the board.

07:07 EDT First Majestic sees 2020 silver production 11M-11.7M ounces - For the full year of 2020, the Company now estimates silver production will range between 11.0 to 11.7 million ounces compared to the prior guidance of 11.8 to 13.2 million ounces. Additionally, total production in 2020 is estimated to range between 21.4 to 22.9 million silver equivalent ounces compared to the prior guidance of 21.5 to 24.0 million silver equivalent ounces. Annual cash costs are now expected to be within the range of $3.95 to $4.59 per ounce, or approximately 30% below the previous guidance of $5.76 to $6.97 per ounce, primarily due to higher gold by-product credits at San Dimas and Santa Elena and the weaker Mexican Peso. In addition, annual AISC are expected to be within a range of $12.29 to $13.45 per ounce, or approximately 10% below the previous guidance of $13.37 to $15.46 per ounce.

07:07 EDT First Majestic sees 2H20 silver production 6.1M-6.6M ounces - In the second half of 2020, the Company expects silver production to range between 6.1 to 6.6 million ounces, representing an increase of approximately 27% when compared to the first half of 2020. Additionally, total production is now expected to range between 11.9 to 13.1 million silver equivalent ounces in the second half of 2020, representing an increase of approximately 29% when compared to the first half of 2020. The increase in production is primarily due to the operations returning to regular production rates in the second half of 2020, as well as a higher contribution of gold credits due to an increase in the gold to silver ratio. Cash costs in the second half of 2020 are expected to be significantly lower to within the range of $2.93 to $3.99 per ounce, primarily due to higher gold by-product credits at San Dimas and Santa Elena and the weaker Mexican Peso. In addition, AISC are expected to be within a range of $10.57 to $12.49 per ounce in the second half of 2020.

07:04 EDT First Majestic reports Q2 total production of 3.5M silver equivalent ounces - First Majestic Silver Corp. announces total production in the second quarter of 2020 reached 3.5 million silver equivalent ounces consisting of 1.8 million ounces of silver and 15,764 ounces of gold. Quarterly production was impacted following Mexico's Ministry of Health's Federal Decree requiring all non-essential businesses, including mining, to temporarily suspend activities throughout most of April and May in response to the global pandemic. Despite having limited operations in the quarter, total production was better than expected due to a slower ramp down at San Dimas compared to the other mining units. In the first half of 2020, the Company has produced a total of 9.7 million silver equivalent ounces consisting of 5.0 million ounces of silver and 47,967 ounces of gold. SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS: Total production reached 3.5 million silver equivalent ounces, consisting of 1.8 million ounces of silver and 15,764 ounces of gold. As of June 30, 2020, the Company held 970,000 ounces of silver in inventory in anticipation of realizing higher selling prices in the second half of 2020. By quarter end, all operations have returned to near full production rates following the Mexican Government's decision to allow the Company to restart mining activities on May 23, 2020. San Dimas received delivery of a new 3,000 tpd High Intensity Grinding mill with additional mill modernization components during the quarter. Development activities resumed at Santa Elena's Ermitano project in June and successfully intersected the Ermitano vein. Civil construction activities resumed in June on the Liquid Natural Gas plant at Santa Elena. The LNG generators and storage tanks are estimated to be delivered to site in the third quarter. At the end of the second quarter, 14 exploration drill rigs were active across the Company's projects consisting of 11 rigs at San Dimas, two rigs at Santa Elena and one rig at La Encantada. The Company anticipates adding seven additional rigs in the third quarter with a primary focus on the regional potential around Santa Elena. Preventative controls such as the practice of social distancing, the cancellation of any non-essential visits to the mines, comprehensive sanitation measures for the workplace and company transportation, as well as pre-screening for virus symptoms remain in effect.

07:02 EDT Becton Dickinson announces commitment from HHS to purchase COVID-19 solutions - Becton Dickinson, or BD, announced a commitment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to purchase BD diagnostic solutions in expanding access to rapid point-of-care testing for COVID-19 through a broad, decentralized network of testing instrumentation. HHS has committed to purchase 2,000 BD Veritor Plus Systems and 750,000 SARS-CoV-2 antigen test kits for use on the system. Distribution is set to begin next week. BD began shipping limited quantities of its BD Veritor Plus SARS-CoV-2 antigen test kits to distributors last week as it ramps up production capacity. BD is leveraging its global manufacturing network and scale and expects to increase capacity to be able to produce 2M tests per week by the end of September. The company expects to produce up to 10M tests from July through September.

07:02 EDT Orchard Therapeutics, GSK enter license agreements for stable cell line tech - Orchard Therapeutics (ORTX) announced that the company has entered into two worldwide royalty-bearing license agreements with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for use of their proprietary lentiviral stable cell line technology for Orchard's investigational hematopoietic stem cell gene therapies for Wiskott Aldrich syndrome and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. The LV-SCLT permanently and stably enables all the lentiviral vector components to be introduced into a cell line in one step. Selection and expansion of a resulting clonal producer line in either suspension or adherent culture can deliver consistent levels of high titer lentiviral production comparable to those seen using conventional methods. An overview of this technology, co-authored by Orchard and GSK scientists, was presented at the European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy Annual Congress in October 2019 using work done in the OTL-300 program for TDT. Under the licenses, GSK has granted patents and pending patent applications related to its LV-SCLT. Orchard plans to submit a biologics license application and marketing authorization application for OTL-103 for the treatment of WAS in the U.S. and EU, respectively, in 2021. The terms of the license are not expected to have a material impact on Orchard's financial position or near-term cash needs.

06:53 EDT TherapeuticsMD, Nurx partner to expand access to Annovera birth control ring - TherapeuticsMD and Nurx, an online practice for women's health, announced an arrangement to expand access to Annovera, a first of its kind annual birth control ring. Annovera is the first FDA-approved long-lasting birth control method that does not require a medical procedure. This arrangement will expand access to this form of contraception to Nurx's 300,000 patients across the country. Nurx has seen a 50% increase in birth control requests since early March. Nurx has also seen an increase in patients requesting longer-term forms of contraception that can be administered at home.

06:51 EDT U.S. Bancorp reports Q2 average total loans up 6.9% on linked basis, up 10% y/y - Average total deposits grew 11.2% on a linked quarter basis and 16.8% year-over-year. Nonperforming assets increased 24.0% on a linked quarter basis and 23.1% year-over-year.

06:48 EDT U.S. Bancorp reports Q2 provision for credit losses $1.737B

06:48 EDT U.S. Bancorp reports Q2 return on average assets of 0.51% - Reports Q2 return on average common equity of 5.3%.

06:34 EDT BNY Mellon CEO says downside risks remain from economic uncertainty, low rates - "For the second quarter, we delivered solid results, with all of our Investment Services businesses demonstrating resilient fee performance. Our EPS of $1.01 was flat year on year despite the impact of the lower interest rate environment and higher allowance for credit losses. We further bolstered our Common Equity Tier 1 ratio to 12.6 percent, and achieved a strong return on tangible common equity of 19 percent," Todd Gibbons, CEO, said. "We are seeing momentum across most of our businesses as we continue to drive improved performance and capabilities across the company, and as we benefit from higher volumes and volatility versus a year ago," Mr. Gibbons added. "As we look ahead to the remainder of 2020, downside risks remain from the economic uncertainty and the significant pressure from low interest rates. Despite this, our underlying business remains strong, benefiting from the improving quality and efficiency of our operations and the level of the client experience. This should provide opportunities to deepen our relationships with clients. I remain deeply proud of our 48,000+ employees and how they continue to adapt and deliver great client service during this challenging time," Mr. Gibbons further noted. "I would be remiss if I didn't reflect on the first half of 2020-a period when we have been faced with the gravity of a global pandemic and with societal unrest spurred by racial injustice. Both have significant implications for how we operate as a business and as a corporate citizen. Our clients, communities and society at large can continue to rely on BNY Mellon to be a trusted steward. We have a relentless ambition to have a more profound impact on the world around us-helping us deliver sustainable long-term value to our shareholders," Mr. Gibbons concluded.

06:26 EDT JPMorgan reports June net credit losses 2.06% vs. 2.34% last month - Reports June 30-plus day delinquencies 1.07% vs. 1.20% last month.

06:05 EDT China Finance Online announces newswire partnership agreement with Dow Jones - China Finance Online announced it has signed a partnership agreement with global news and data business, Dow Jones. Under the new agreement, Dow Jones will provide China Finance Online with access to a sub-set of its Chinese language newswire service, which will include market commentary and spot news in Chinese. The two parties will work together to better serve the financial information and data market in China. This partnership will combine global economic data alongside financial news and information expertise from Dow Jones with China Finance Online's domestic data and audience engagement to bring capital market information and intelligence to Chinese investment and business audiences. Dow Jones is the parent company of The Wall Street Journal as well as other global brands such as Barron's, MarketWatch and Factiva.

06:03 EDT New York Times to move Hong Kong digital news operation to Seoul - The New York Times will relocate its Hong Kong-based digital news operation to Seoul, South Korea, a significant shift by an American news organization as China has stepped up its efforts to impede the affairs of the Asian metropolis. While Hong Kong has served for decades as an Asian headquarters for English-language news outlets, a sweeping national security law passed by China in June -- aimed at stymieing opposition and pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong -- has unsettled news organizations and created uncertainty about the city's prospects as a hub for journalism in Asia, the NYT said on its website. Reference Link

05:36 EDT SPI Energy regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price rule - SPI Energy said in a release, "SPI Energy received formal notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market that the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which requires the Company's common stock to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share. The Nasdaq staff made this determination of compliance after the closing bid price of the Company's common stock was at $1.00 per share or greater for the prior 15 consecutive business days, from June 22 to July 13. Accordingly, the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter is now closed."

05:35 EDT NortonLifeLock appoints Robert Clarkson as chief commercial officer - NortonLifeLock (NLOK) announced the addition of Robert Clarkson in the newly created role of chief commercial officer. Clarkson was most recently was SVP of Global Business Development & Global Partnerships at PayPal (PYPL).

05:30 EDT Medtronic to acquire Medicrea for EUR 7.00 per share - Medtronic and Medicrea announced that they have entered into a tender offer agreement for the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Medicrea. The companies said in a release, "The friendly voluntary all-cash tender offer will be at a price of EUR 7.00 per Medicrea share. The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. This acquisition would strengthen Medtronic's position as a global innovator in enabling technologies and solutions for spine surgery. The Tender Offer price of EUR 7.00 per share represents a premium of: 22% over the closing price of Medicrea shares on July 14; 33% over the 1-month volume weighted average price of Medicrea shares as of July 14; 56% over the 3-month volume weighted average price of Medicrea shares as of July 14. The Tender Offer will target all the outstanding shares of Medicrea as well as the shares to be issued upon exercise of the warrants subject to their exercise prior to the closing of the Tender Offer. Medicrea's largest shareholders, including founder, president and CEO Denys Sournac as well as certain other key managers, employees and directors of Medicrea, have entered into commitments to tender their shares (including shares to be issued upon exercise of warrants, but excluding, in the case of Denys Sournac and managers, free shares under lock-up period) in the Tender Offer. These commitments remain revocable in case of a higher competing public tender offer in accordance with applicable French financial markets regulations. With the above-mentioned commitments to tender, Medtronic has entered into agreements with Medicrea shareholders totalling approximatively 44.4% of Medicrea's current outstanding share capital (adjusted for new shares to be issued upon exercise of warrants). The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including obtaining regulatory clearance from the French Markets Authority, applicable foreign investment clearance in France, and applicable merger control clearance in the United States."