Stockwinners Market Radar for July 31, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:20 EDT Yatra received Nasdaq notification letter - Yatra Online announced that on July 29, 2020, the company received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the company that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the company's ordinary shares had not maintained a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The Nasdaq letter does not result in the immediate delisting of the company's ordinary shares from The Nasdaq Capital Market.

17:58 EDT Spirit Aero to reduce headcount on commercial programs by 1,100 workers - Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) announced it will further reduce employment at its facility in Wichita, Kan., as a result of the most recent rate reduction on the 737 MAX (BA) and the ongoing global pandemic, which continue to impact the demand for new commercial aircraft and the airline industry as a whole. "Our production rates for commercial aircraft have fallen from historic highs to significantly lower volumes in a matter of months," said Tom Gentile, President and CEO, Spirit AeroSystems. "We are taking this action to better calibrate our employment level to the reduced demand we see from our customers. This action, along with previous actions, is intended to reduce costs, increase liquidity and position Spirit to remain financially healthy while we move through a period of recovery in the commercial aviation market." The 737 MAX production rate reduction is the third this year, lowering Spirit's production from 125 units to 72 units for 2020, a reduction of more than 80 percent from its 2019 production rates. To support the alignment of workforce levels with the customer demand for aircraft, Spirit will reduce headcount on commercial programs by 1,100 employees. This announcement represents 450 new layoffs at the Wichita site when taking into account prior layoff notifications and employees transitioning to defense programs, moving to the temporary special project to build ventilators or electing to participate in the voluntary layoff opportunity.

17:23 EDT L3Harris Technologies awarded $104.03M Navy procurement contract - L3 Harris Technologies awarded a $104.03M firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract will procure 35 full rate production Lot 17 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures, or IDECM, AN/ALQ-214A4 onboard jammer, or OBJ, systems; 14 weapons replaceable assemblies, or WRA,1 A4s; 13 WRA2 A4s, and repair of test assets and field support for in service IDECM AN/ALQ-214A4 OBJ systems. Work is expected to be completed August 2023. FY20 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $103.33M and FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $700,000 will be obligated at time of award, $700,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:18 EDT Boeing awarded $265.02M USSOCOM contract modification - Boeing was awarded a $265.02M firm-fixed-price, delivery order contract modification to a contract for the procurement of nine MH-47G Chinook aircraft in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM. This modification raises the contract ceiling to $285M. FY20 procurement funds in the amount of $265.02M are being obligated at the time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Ridley Park and is expected to be completed February 2023. This contract is a non-competitive award and is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. USSOCOM is the contracting activity.

17:01 EDT TFI International acquires Keith Hall & Sons Transport - TFI International announced that it has acquired Keith Hall & Sons Transport, or KHS. Established in 1965 and headquartered in Burford, Ontario, KHS began in the milk hauling business and now hauls liquid, dry foods and general freight across North America. KHS, which generates approximately C$30M in annual revenue, has more than one hundred full-time company drivers and nearly 20 part-time company drivers and owner-operators. The company operates a high-quality fleet including close to 120 company tractors and more than 200 trailers including tanks, vans and reefers. KHS also operates a food-grade tank washing facility at its Burford headquarters.

16:12 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires Olive Garden property, land for $5.5M - Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT) announced the acquisition of a ground-leased Olive Garden property and additional acreage approved for another restaurant site for $5.5M. The company intends to use the site for the future development of a LongHorn Steakhouse to be operated by the company's Kerrow operating business. The Olive Garden property is occupied under a 10-year triple-net ground lease with Darden (DRI), the brand's corporate operator. The acquired property is located in a retail corridor in San Antonio, Texas. The transaction was priced at a capitalization rate consistent with previous transactions.

15:41 EDT Genmab announces Janssen's 'positive' results from Phase 3 APOLLO study - Genmab A/S (GMAB) announced that the European Myeloma Network in collaboration with Janssen Research & Development reported positive results from the Phase 3 APOLLO study of the subcutaneous formulation of daratumumab in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone versus Pd alone as treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have previously been treated with lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. The study met the primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival. Overall, the safety profile of daratumumab SC in combination with Pd was consistent with the safety profile for each therapy separately, Genmab stated. "We are pleased with these positive results for daratumumab, administered as a subcutaneous formulation, in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone. The corresponding intravenous regimen was previously approved by the U.S. FDA based on the Phase1 single-arm EQUULEUS study," said Jan van de Winkel, CEO of Genmab. Janssen Biotech (JNJ), which obtained an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab from Genmab in 2012, intends to discuss the data with health authorities in preparation for regulatory submissions and plans to submit the data for presentation at an upcoming medical conference, Genmab stated.

15:30 EDT Kansas City Southern extends rally, shares up 16% to $182.45

15:23 EDT Kansas City Southern trading resumes

15:20 EDT Justice Department charges three in July 15 hack of Twitter - Three individuals have been accused today for their alleged roles in the Twitter hack that occurred on July 15, the Department of Justice announced. Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, in the United Kingdom, was charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer. Nima Fazeli, of Orlando, Florida, was charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer. The third defendant is a juvenile who will not be further identified. As alleged in the complaints, the Twitter attack consisted of a combination of technical breaches and social engineering. The result of the Twitter hack was the compromise of approximately 130 Twitter accounts pertaining to politicians, celebrities, and musicians. The hackers are alleged to have created a scam bitcoin account, to have hacked into Twitter VIP accounts, to have sent solicitations from the Twitter VIP accounts with a false promise to double any bitcoin deposits made to the scam account, and then to have stolen the bitcoin that victims deposited into the scam account. As alleged in the complaints, the scam bitcoin account received more than 400 transfers worth more than $100,000. The defendants are alleged to have victimized the Twitter VIP users whose accounts were hacked. The defendants are alleged to have victimized the people who sent bitcoin in response to the scam solicitations. Reference Link

15:07 EDT Delta issues waiver, price caps for Florida flights due to hurricane Isaias - "As Hurricane Isaias is forecasted to head towards the east coast of the U.S., Delta has issued a travel waiver for cities in Florida. In addition, Delta has extended its capped fares to include flights between 11 southeastern cities in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina," the company announced on its news hub site. Reference Link

13:20 EDT Atento trading resumes

13:09 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. Rig Count unchanged versus last week at 251 - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. Rig Count is unchanged from last week at 251 with oil rigs down one to 180, gas rigs up one to 69, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at two. U.S. Rig Count is down 691 rigs from last year's count of 942, with oil rigs down 590, gas rigs down 102, and miscellaneous rigs up one to two. he U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 12 and down 10 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is up three rigs from last week to 45, with oil rigs up one to 11, gas rigs up one to 33, and miscellaneous rigs up one one. Canada Rig Count is down 92 rigs from last year's count of 137, with oil rigs down 80 and gas rigs down 13 and miscellaneous rigs up one.

12:30 EDT U.S. submits request for proposal response for Lockheed's F-35 to Canada - On July 30, the U.S government submitted the Request for Proposal response for the Lockheed Martin built F-35 to Canada in support of their Future Fighter Capability Project. Canada has been a valued partner since the inception of the Joint Strike Fighter competition. Canadian industry plays an integral role in the global F-35 supply chain and has gained significant technical expertise over the past 15-plus year involvement in the F-35 production. "We are extremely proud of our longstanding partnership with Canada, which has played a key role in the F-35's development," said Greg Ulmer, F-35 Program executive vice president. "The 5th Generation F-35 would transform the Royal Canadian Air Force fleet and deliver the capabilities necessary to safeguard Canadian skies. The F-35's unique mix of stealth and sensor technology will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to modernize their contribution to NORAD operations, ensure Arctic sovereignty and meet increasingly sophisticated global threats." The program will continue to bring manufacturing and production opportunities to Canada, with an estimated 150,000 jobs supported over the life of the program. The F-35 program connects Canadian industry to a global supply chain supporting a growing fleet that will deliver more than 3,200 aircraft and delivers sustainment well past 2060.

12:14 EDT Flowserve to reschedule Q2 earnings call due to call provider technical issues - Flowserve announced its second quarter earnings call will be rescheduled after technical difficulties with a third-party provider prohibited the call from happening this morning as scheduled. "The company will be rescheduling the call and will provide more detailed information via press release once confirmed," Flowserve said.

12:00 EDT Red River Bank to expand operations to Lafayette, Louisiana market - Red River Bank announced that it intends to expand its operations to the Lafayette market, initially with plans to open a loan production office and later provide full-service banking center options. Ben Smith has joined the Red River Bank team as Market President to lead the effort in developing a presence in the Acadiana region. Smith is a native of Houma, Louisiana, and a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Smith has spent the last 15 years in commercial banking and has been in Lafayette for the last 10 years after previously working in New Orleans and Houma.

12:00 EDT Leju rises 26.2% - Leju is up 26.2%, or 98c to $4.73.

11:54 EDT Coca-Cola With Coffee to hit U.S. stores in January 2021 - Coca-Cola North America said it plans to offer Coca-Cola With Coffee, which "fuses the familiar, authentic taste of Coca-Cola with the rich, luxurious flavor of 100% Brazilian coffee." The new product, which officially hits ready-to-drink coffee aisles nationwide in January 2021, will be offered in 12-oz cans. "This is a truly unique hybrid innovation that will pioneer a new category we're calling refreshment coffee," said Jaideep Kibe, vice president, Coca-Cola Trademark, Coca-Cola North America, who said the beverage is one of the company's most successfully tested innovations in recent years. Reference Link

11:45 EDT Musk says 'not worth trying to massage the stock market' - Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview with Automotive News that it's "not worth trying to massage the stock market." He recommends spending less time on presentations and more time on the product.

11:42 EDT Tesla had good order volume through entire pandemic, Musk says - Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview with Automotive News that the company had good order volume throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic.

11:39 EDT Eagle Bulk Shipping reports resolution of security incident onboard vessel - Eagle Bulk Shipping reported that it has resolved a security incident on board the vessel M/V Jaeger involving an armed security guard. The company said, "On July 21, 2020, M/V Jaeger embarked three security guards in the Indian Ocean before sailing towards the Red Sea, as the Company has done for all transits through the High Risk Area over the past 10+ years, in accordance with industry best practices. Once on board, one of the guards did not surrender his weapon to the vessel's Captain as is normal protocol, and then took control of and deviated the ship from its course as he voiced his grievances and demanded compensation. While the guard discharged his weapon on board the vessel, at no time did he directly threaten or harm any of the crewmembers. The remaining two guards did not participate in this action. Unbeknownst to the Company, there was an employment dispute between the guard and his employer, and he had not been paid for several months. Eagle Bulk, in coordination with maritime security experts, worked to deescalate the situation and after a period of approximately three days, the guard surrendered his weapon and allowed the ship to continue on its original course. Relevant authorities were kept appraised throughout the incident, and the guard was disembarked last night. The Company maintained regular contact with the Captain throughout this event, and V Ships, the vessel's crewing manager, also maintained an active dialogue with the crew's families to keep them updated. Eagle Bulk and V Ships' primary concern was the safety of the crew, and as a point of clarity, neither company was a party to the employment dispute. Eagle Bulk expresses its appreciation for the professionalism shown by the vessel's Captain and crew throughout this ordeal. The Company is very grateful for the efforts of its crew, the V Ships team, and our partners who worked around the clock over the past 10 days to ensure a safe and successful resolution. Due to the sensitive nature of the incident the Company will not be releasing any more information at this time."

11:33 EDT Musk sees 65,000 Tesla employees by end of 2020 - Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview with Automotive News that he expects Tesla to have around 65,000 employees by the end of 2020.

11:24 EDT Noble Corp. announces restructuring through voluntary chapter 11 process

11:13 EDT Penn National drops 6% to $34.68 after third MLB game delayed for COVID

11:13 EDT Fluidigm selected for $37M 'project under NIH RADX initiative - Fluidigm announced execution of a letter contract with the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, for a proposed project under the agency's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics program. The project, with a total proposed budget of up to $37M, contemplates expanding production capacity and throughput capabilities for COVID-19 testing with Fluidigm microfluidics technology. The letter contract provides Fluidigm with access to up to $12M of initial funding based on completion and delivery of certain validation milestones prior to execution of the definitive contract. The RADx program fast-tracks development and commercialization of innovative technologies to significantly increase U.S. testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Fluidigm microfluidics technology is the basis for several COVID-19 test assays designed to be run on the Fluidigm Biomark HD system. A goal of the RADx initiative is to enable approximately 6M daily tests in the United States by December 2020, many times the current daily testing rate. The Fluidigm project targets a production capacity of more than one million COVID-19 tests per day by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Actual production volumes may vary based on market demand and other factors. The letter contract provides access to up to $12M of the total proposed funding for the project prior to contract definitization. Release of funding under the letter contract will be based on achievement of milestones, which include an initial validation assessment followed by deliverables related to development of Fluidigm microfluidics technology and expansion of related manufacturing capacity.

11:12 EDT Catalyst 'very disappointed' with Magistrate Judge's recommendation in FDA suit - Catalyst Pharmaceuticals reported that the Magistrate Judge considering Catalyst's lawsuit against the FDA has filed a Report and Recommendation in which she recommends to the District Judge handling the case that she grant the FDA's and Jacobus' motions for summary judgement and deny Catalyst's motion for summary judgement. Catalyst is currently reviewing the Magistrate Judge's decision, which it believes to be incorrect as a matter of law, and intends to pursue the case further with the District Judge. The decision on whether to grant or deny Catalyst's motion for summary judgement remains with the District Judge handling the case. Patrick McEnany, the company's Chairman and CEO, stated: "We are obviously very disappointed with the Magistrate Judge's recommendation, which we believe is contrary to the plain language of the Orphan Drug Act. If this recommendation is correct on the law, it means that the FDA can effectively eliminate the benefits of exclusivity under the Orphan Drug Act, which we believe will chill the incentive for drug companies like Catalyst to spend the millions of dollars necessary to develop an orphan drug. This recommendation does not alter the fact that Jacobus Pharmaceuticals is not permitted under applicable law to market its amifampridine product to adult LEMS patients in the United States, and Catalyst intends to continue to aggressively take all steps necessary to protect Firdapse's exclusivity under the Orphan Drug Act."

10:19 EDT SHUSA's request approved for certain exceptions to FRB interim policy - Santander Holdings USA and its publicly held subsidiary, Santander Consumer USA Holdings announced that SHUSA's request for certain exceptions to the Federal Reserve Board's interim policy related to the Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test and Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review has been approved. The approval by the FRB of the exceptions to the Policy permits SC's Board of Directors to consider whether to declare a dividend of 22c per share in the third quarter. SC's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 22c per share of common stock payable to shareholders of record as of August 13, 2020. The dividend will be payable to shareholders of record on August 24, 2020. The FRB's approval also permits the Company to authorize SC to continue its share repurchase program of SC's outstanding common stock through the end of the third quarter of 2020. The FRB's approval of the Policy exceptions request is specific to the third quarter of 2020. The FRB previously announced that the Policy, which due to the economic uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus, requires all CCAR banks, including SHUSA, to update and resubmit their capital plans under new scenarios in the fourth quarter of 2020.

10:10 EDT Leju trading resumes

09:50 EDT Fluidigm awarded $12M NIH contract for SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR assay for saliva - Fluidigm has been awarded a $12.15M NIH manufacturing contract for its Advanta DX SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR assay for saliva, according to a NIH post on its website. Reference Link

09:47 EDT Pros Holdings falls -10.8% - Pros Holdings is down -10.8%, or -$4.17 to $34.52.

09:47 EDT Eastman Kodak falls -18.9% - Eastman Kodak is down -18.9%, or -$5.63 to $24.20.

09:47 EDT Mogu rises 30.3% - Mogu is up 30.3%, or $1.06 to $4.56.

09:46 EDT Leju announces E-House acquired 56% stake, to make it subsidiary - Leju Holdings (LEJU) announced it has become aware that E-House Enterprise Holdings has entered into definitive agreements with Xin Zhou, Leju's executive chairman, and certain of his affiliated entities, and Sina (SINA) and its affiliated entity, to acquire an aggregate of 56.19% interest in the issued share capital of Leju. To Leju's knowledge, pursuant to the agreements, E-House has conditionally agreed to purchase 49,686,192 ordinary shares and 2,239,804 ADSs of Leju from the Zhou Parties by issuing to the Zhou Parties 166,918,440 of its ordinary shares, and 24,438,564 ordinary shares and 36,687 ADSs of Leju from Sina by issuing to the Sina parties 78,676,790 E-House Shares. The completion of these transactions is subject to certain closing conditions. Upon completion of these transactions, Leju will become a subsidiary of E-House and its financial results will be consolidated into the accounts of E-House, the company said. In addition, E-House announced the establishment of strategic cooperation with Alibaba Group Holding (BABA). According to a business cooperation agreement entered into between E-House and a subsidiary of Alibaba, the two parties will cooperate in areas including online-offline real estate transaction, digital marketing and after-sale services with the goal of enhancing the digital and intellectual capabilities of the real estate service industry. Alibaba will collaborate with E-House and Leju to build an online real estate marketing platform and digital transaction network, with E-House being the operator of online transaction services on the platform and Leju being the operator of digital marketing services. Alibaba will own a total 13.26% of the issued share capital of E-House, making it the second largest shareholder.

09:24 EDT Leju trading halted, news pending

09:16 EDT Lydall breaks ground on Filtration Center of Excellence - Lydall hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, July 24 to celebrate a major expansion of its production facility in Rochester, New Hampshire. The ceremony marked the beginning of construction on Lydall's Filtration Center of Excellence, where the company will develop new, high-performing and environmentally sustainable media for air and liquid filtration. The new facility will also house two new production lines that will enable Lydall to dramatically increase production of fine fiber meltblown filtration media for N95 respirators, surgical masks and air filtration systems. By May 2021, when both new production lines are fully operational, Lydall will increase its capacity of fine fiber meltblown filtration media to support the domestic production of 1.7 billion N95 respirators or 6.5 billion surgical masks per year. Lydall's specialty meltblown media is also a key component for MERV-, HEPA- and ULPA-grade filters used to improve air quality in hospitals, airplanes, restaurants, office buildings and other public spaces. To serve the European market, Lydall also manufactures meltblown filtration media at its facility in Saint Rivalain, France. :ydall's investment in the expanded facility and new production lines is supported by a $13.5M commitment from the U.S. federal government. This commitment is a product of the ongoing collaboration between the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services, led by the Department's Joint Acquisition Task Force and funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

09:11 EDT Hoth Therapeutics executes licensing agreement for dermatological drug - Hoth Therapeutics has executed a licensing agreement with Isoprene Pharmaceuticals to acquire the rights to VNLG-152, a novel retinamides for the treatment of dermatological diseases. Isoprene is a cancer therapeutic company that is a University of Maryland, Baltimore New Venture Initiative start-up. This agreement, which formalizes the previously announced Letter of Intent between the two companies, will also grant Hoth royalty payments from Isoprene for any use of its VNLG-152 including Oncology. For potential use in treating dermatological conditions, UMB researchers obtained promising early results demonstrating that lead retinamide RAMBAs have equal or superior effects over approved retinoids to inhibit proliferation of normal human adult keratinocytes and sebocytes, and antikeratinizing effects in reconstructed human epidermis.

09:06 EDT Westell Technologies regains compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements - Westell Technologies announced that on July 28, the Company received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The NASDAQ Stock Market indicating that it has regained compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The Company regained compliance with the NASDAQ's requirements when the closing bid price for the Company's common stock was at or above $1.00 for ten consecutive business days. Additionally, the Company announced that it decided to forego the quarterly investor call that would have been scheduled in August 2020 in light of the proposed reverse/forward stock split transaction. Results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 will be reported a separate press release that is expected to be issued on or about August 14, 2020.

09:02 EDT Gencor Industries to acquire Blaw-Knox paver business from Volvo CE - Gencor Industries has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Blaw-Knox paver business and associated assets from Volvo CE. The Blaw-Knox business, name, and associated assets will transfer to Gencor, including the manufacturing production line currently located at Shippensburg Pennsylvania. The deal, which is expected to be finalized in Gencor's first quarter of fiscal 2021, will allow Gencor to manufacture and develop Volvo CE's current North American paver product line under the Blaw-Knox brand. Gencor is expected to continue marketing and servicing the Blaw-Knox paver line through selected Volvo CE dealers. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

09:01 EDT VF Corp.: Occupational Work divestiture process 'active,' on schedule - VF Corp says it is in conversations with a large number of interested buyers.

09:00 EDT VF Corp.: 'Too early' to provide formal outlook for the year

08:59 EDT VF Corp. remains committed to dividend

08:56 EDT Caterpillar: New requests for payment relief 'decreased dramatically' since Apr. - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:55 EDT VF Corp. expects mid-teens growth in China business in Q2

08:47 EDT VF Corp.: Pace of change within retail lanscape 'unlike anything I've ever seen'

08:46 EDT Vislink announces 1-for-6 reverse stock split - Vislink Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of its common stock that will become effective at 5 p.m. ET on July 31, 2020. The Common Stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis upon market opening on Monday, August 3, 2020 under the new CUSIP number 92836Y 300.

08:45 EDT Northfield Capital Corporation acquires securities of Nighthawk Gold - Northfield Capital announces that it has acquired ownership and control of 70,000 common shares of Nighthawk Gold Corp. on July 30, 2020 through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange, representing approximately 0.16% of all issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as of such date immediately following such transaction. Immediately before the transaction described above, the Acquirer held an aggregate of 8,732,400 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 19.46% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Upon completion of the transaction described above, the Acquirer owns and controls an aggregate of 8,802,400 common shares of the Company representing approximately 19.62% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as of July 30, 2020 immediately following the transaction described above. Immediately before the transaction described above, the Acquirer and its joint actor held an aggregate of 8,853,381 common shares of the Company and convertible securities entitling the Acquirer and its joint actor to acquire an additional 150,000 common shares of the Company. Of these totals, 8,732,400 common shares were held by the Acquirer directly, and 120,981 common shares and 150,000 Convertible Securities were held by its joint actor, representing approximately 19.73% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Upon completion of the transaction described above, the Acquirer, together with its joint actor, own and control an aggregate of 8,923,381 common shares of the Company and 150,000 Convertible Securities, representing approximately 19.89% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as of July 30, 2020 immediately following the transaction described above. The Subject Shares were acquired through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange. The holdings of securities of the Company by the Acquirer and its Joint Actor are managed for investment purposes, and the Acquirer and its Joint Actor could increase or decrease their investments in the Company at any time, or continue to maintain their current investment position, depending on market conditions or any other relevant factor. The aggregate consideration payable for the Subject Shares was $119,700.00, calculated as an aggregate of 70,000 Subject Shares acquired at a purchase price of $1.71 per share.

08:45 EDT Bank of America holder Berkshire Hathaway buys over $522M in shares - Bank of America (BAC) holder Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) disclosed in a filing that it had purchased 21,180,716 shares of company stock at an average price of $24.65 per share between July 28 and July 30. The total transaction value of the purchase was $522,043,225.

08:40 EDT VF Corp. sees growth in digital of more than 40% this year

08:39 EDT Caterpillar says 'our financial position is strong'

08:35 EDT VF Corp.: Racism, discrimination 'not welcome' at company - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:34 EDT Bricks 4 Kidz announces partnership with Vistaprint Corporate Solutions - Bricks 4 Kidz (CLCN) announces a partnership with Vistaprint Corporate Solutions (CMPR). Vistaprint Corporate Solutions will provide franchisees with a custom branded ProShop that features ready to customize branded marketing materials. Franchisees will be able to order from a wide range of marketing materials and promotional items as well as have their orders processed in their country's currency and managed by the owner. Creative Learning Corporation, operating under the trade names of Bricks 4 Kidz, Bricks 4 Kidz eLearning LLC and Sew Fun Studios, offers educational and enrichment programs to children ages 3-13+.

08:34 EDT ECA Marcellus unable to regain compliance with NYSE listing, shares to trade OTC - ECA Marcellus said in a release, "it has received notification from the New York Stock Exchange of its determination to suspend trading of the Trust's units of beneficial interest, effective as of the close of trading on July 30, and to initiate proceedings to delist the Trust units. The determination to commence the delisting proceeding results from the Trust's inability to satisfy the continued listing compliance standards set forth under Rule 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual because the average closing price of the Trust units fell below $1.00 over a 30 consecutive trading-day period that ended November 21, 2019, and the Trust was unable to regain compliance with the applicable standards within a cure period that concluded on July 30. As a result of the suspension, the Trust expects that the Trust units will begin trading on July 31 under the symbol "ECTM" on the OTC Pink Market, which is operated by OTC Markets Group. To be quoted on OTC Pink, a market maker must sponsor the security and comply with SEC Rule 15c2-11 before it can initiate a quote in a specific security. OTC Pink is a significantly more limited market than the NYSE, and the quotation of the Trust units on OTC Pink may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential unitholders and could further depress the trading price of the Trust units. There is no assurance that an active market in the Trust units will develop on OTC Pink."

08:32 EDT AnaptysBio appoints Paul Lizzul as CMO - AnaptysBio (ANAB) announced the appointment of Paul F. Lizzul, M.D., Ph.D. as chief medical officer. Lizzul will lead the company's development organization, including clinical medicine, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, pharmacology and toxicology. Prior to AnaptysBio, he has served as Global Development Lead for Inflammation at Amgen (AMGN).

08:31 EDT Alta Equipment Group to acquire Martin Implement Sales, terms not disclosed - Alta Equipment Group announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Martin Implement Sales, a privately held premium equipment distributor with three branches in the Chicago metro area. Alta Equipment Group said in a release, "Martin has an expansive range of new and used equipment available for sale or rent to contractors and municipal customers. Martin sells primarily construction and agricultural equipment in partnership with industry leading manufacturers, and offers comprehensive services, including equipment financing, replacement parts, and factory-authorized service. Known for their award-winning service, Martin was recognized as a 2020 Top Equipment Dealer by SATISFYD. Martin generated approximately $28 million in revenue and had reported EBITDA of approximately $3.1 million in FY19. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in Q3."

08:29 EDT Amazon confirms FCC approval for Project Kuiper satellite constellation - The Day One Staff on the Amazon blog said: "Last spring, we announced Project Kuiper, an initiative to build a low earth orbit, LEO, satellite constellation capable of providing reliable, affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Today marked a key milestone for the project, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granting Amazon approval by a 5-0 vote to deploy and operate our constellation of 3,236 satellites. The authorization allows Project Kuiper to deliver satellite-based broadband services in the United States, helping expand internet access to households and communities across the country. A project of this scale requires significant effort and resources, and, due to the nature of LEO constellations, it is not the kind of initiative that can start small. You have to commit. Amazon will invest more than $10 billion in Project Kuiper. This investment will create jobs and infrastructure around the United States, build and scale our ground network, accelerate satellite testing and manufacturing, and let us deliver an affordable customer terminal that will make fast, reliable broadband accessible to communities around the world. "We have heard so many stories lately about people who are unable to do their job or complete schoolwork because they don't have reliable internet at home," said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President, Amazon. "There are still too many places where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesn't exist at all. Kuiper will change that. Our $10 billion investment will create jobs and infrastructure around the United States that will help us close this gap. We appreciate the FCC's unanimous, bipartisan support on this issue, and I want to thank Chairman Pai and the rest of the Commission for taking this important first step with us. We're off to the races." Reference Link

08:27 EDT Emmaus says patient enrollment resumes in Phase 1 study of L-glutamine powder - Emmaus' Pilot/Phase 1 study of the same prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder active pharmaceutical ingredient found in Endari in treating diverticulosis commenced in April 2019 is ongoing. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the progress of clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry, in general, and patient enrollment at one of the three Emmaus trial sites was suspended temporarily. However, patient enrollment has now resumed, and Emmaus is confident that the study will ultimately evaluate the change in the number and size of colonic diverticula and assess safety in a total of up to 15 patients. Based upon limited clinical results to date suggesting that Endari may be effective in slowing and reversing the progression of diverticulosis, Emmaus announced on July 16, 2020 that it engaged Partner International to lead the out-licensing activity of its prescription grade L-glutamine powder for use in the treatment of diverticulosis. Emmaus is also exploring the possible investigational use of its prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 or assist patients in their recovery.

08:25 EDT Emmaus says prescriptions from main pharmacy partners increased in Q2 - Prescriptions from Emmaus' main specialty pharmacy partners increased in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter of 2020. Emmaus is encouraged that patient compliance and adherence as well as health monitoring appear to have held up well in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which may bode well for improved patient adherence as the pandemic subsides. In addition, Emmaus has recently developed certain patient support programs in conjunction with its main specialty pharmacy partners designed to improve patient access to Endari where appropriate.

08:23 EDT Merck sees return to 'normal operating levels' in Q4 - Merck said, "The full-year updated guidance that Merck is providing includes its current assumption of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to be partially offset by favorability from continued underlying business strength. While the company continues to expect to rely on governmental authorities to determine when operations can return to normal and is cognizant that the duration, spread and severity of the outbreak will be critical determinants, for the purposes of the full-year 2020 guidance estimates, the company has assumed the majority of the negative impact occurred during the second quarter, with a gradual recovery having commenced late in the second quarter and extending through the third quarter, with a return to normal operating levels in the fourth quarter."

08:19 EDT StoneMor Partners annouces receipt of amended 'Going Private' proposal - StoneMor announced that the Special Committee of its board of directors has received an amended proposal, from Axar Capital Management, proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not owned by Axar or its affiliates for 80c per share in cash, subject to certain conditions. The key terms of the Amended Proposal were set forth in a letter dated July 28, 2020, a copy of which is attached hereto as Annex A. As previously reported, Axar originally proposed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not owned by Axar or its affiliates for 67c per share in cash, subject to certain conditions. The Special Committee, which was formed by the Board in response to receipt of that proposal and authorized by the Board to reject the proposed transaction or to recommend that the Board approve the terms of the proposed transaction, informed Axar on June 16, 2020 that, after reviewing the initial proposal, it rejected the price proposed by Axar as inadequate. Axar currently owns approximately 62% of the Company's outstanding common stock. As with the initial proposal, the transaction contemplated by the Amended Proposal would not be contingent on any financing and would be funded with equity from Axar and its affiliates and would be conditioned upon, among other things, the negotiation and execution of mutually satisfactory definitive agreements, which Axar proposed would contain terms customary for a transaction of this type, including a closing condition that the approval of holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares not owned by Axar or its affiliates be obtained. The Special Committee has engaged Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP as its legal counsel and Duff & Phelps, LLC as its financial advisor. The Special Committee is currently reviewing the Amended Proposal with its advisors.

08:11 EDT Shell Midstream plans to maintain quarterly distribution of 46c per common unit - Notwithstanding the continuing impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic and lack of clarity on crude and finished products supply and demand in the near-term, the Partnership currently intends to maintain a distribution of 46c per common unit for the third quarter of 2020. The Partnership's Board of Directors will monitor the business environment and make decisions regarding future distributions on a quarter by quarter basis. The Partnership has approximately $1.2B available in liquidity, which is a combination of $332less than in cash and cash equivalents and the remainder available through its credit lines.

08:09 EDT Unity Biotechnology to initiate Phase 1 safety study for UBX1325 in 2H20 - In July 2020, UNITY announced that it has completed Investigational New Drug application -enabling studies with UBX1325, an investigational senolytic, small molecule inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, Bcl-xL. Assuming clinical sites are able to recruit and retain investigators and study staff and screen and enroll patients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, UNITY expects to initiate a Phase 1 safety study for UBX1325 in the second half of 2020 and obtain initial results from the study in 2021. The overall clinical program is directed at multiple age-related diseases of the eye, such as diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

08:07 EDT Foresight Autonomous subsidiary receives notice of allowance for U.S. patent - Foresight Autonomous announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Eye-Net Mobile, has received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for patent application No. 16/496,826, for "system and method for preventing car accidents and collisions between vehicles and pedestrians." Foresight Autonomous said in a release, "The patented technology involves an accident prevention system that predicts collisions between vehicles and pedestrians. The system is comprised of a dedicated software application installed on a number of mobile devices carried by pedestrians or users riding in a vehicle. Each of the installed mobile devices detects its location and transmits it to a geographic server. The server sends the location of other mobile devices in the same geographic territory, effectively making each device aware of other users around it. The dedicated software uses advanced proprietary algorithms that detect the user's direction of travel, search for potential collisions and issue a collision alert to mobile users who are of high probability of collision. This patent serves as the underlying technology for Eye-Net Mobile's cellular-based V2X accident prevention solution. The Eye-Net Protect V2X (vehicle-to-everything) solution is designed to provide real-time pre-collision alerts to vehicles and vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, scooter drivers) by using smartphones and relying on existing cellular networks. Designed to provide a complementary layer of protection beyond traditional Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Eye-Net Protect extends protection to road users who are not in direct line of sight, and not covered by other alerting systems and sensors."

08:06 EDT Dish chooses VMware for cloud platform to deploy 5G cloud-native O-RAN - Dish (DISH) announced that it has chosen VMware (VMW) for the cloud platform to deploy the nation's first 5G, cloud-native open radio access network, or O-RAN. The platform will help bring to life the first network in the U.S. to combine the efficiency of the distributed telco cloud, public cloud and private cloud environments while delivering consistent, low-latency edge computing. In addition to DISH's selection of the VMware Telco Cloud platform, the company also selected cloud infrastructure services to support the IT needs of the broader DISH enterprise. The VMware Telco Cloud will enable Dish to utilize software from vendors to accelerate its 5G network deployment. The VMware Telco Cloud provides an abstraction layer across multiple network domains and enables Dish to leverage hyper-scale public cloud capacity where needed, while maintaining core control points. The software-defined nature of the VMware Telco Cloud is part of the platform to support the Dish ecosystem of partners to accelerate 5G leadership in the U.S.

08:04 EDT Sogou forms independent committee to review acquisition proposal from Tencent - Sogou has formed a special committee consisting of Bin Gao, Jinmei He, and Janice Lee, each an independent director, to review and evaluate a previously-announced non-binding proposal included in a letter that the Board received on July 27 from Tencent for Tencent to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented ADSs, of Sogou that are not already owned by Tencent or its affiliates for $9.00 in cash per ordinary share or ADS. The Special Committee has retained Goulston & Storrs PC as its U.S. legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the Proposal. Neither the board nor the Special Committee has made any decision with respect to the company's response to the Proposal.

08:03 EDT Lipocine says derivative lawsuit dismissed - Lipocine announced that Wajda v. Patel, et al., Case: 2019-0122-JTL, a putative shareholder derivative action, was dismissed by Vice Chancellor Laster of the Chancery Court of Delaware. The derivative action was filed on February 15, 2019 against the Lipocine Inc.'s board of directors, and Lipocine as a nominal defendant. The Court granted Lipocine's motion to dismiss, holding that the plaintiff had failed to allege demand futility as required under Delaware Chancery Rule 23.1.

07:57 EDT Goodyear Tire jumps 6% to $10.28 after Q2 results beat estimates

07:54 EDT Goodyear Tire reports Q2 tire unit volumes 20.4M, down 45% y/y - Tire unit volumes totaled 20.4M, down 45% from the prior year's period. Industry demand during the second quarter was significantly affected by the actions governments, businesses and consumers took to slow the spread of COVID-19, with the greatest impact occurring in April and May. Replacement tire shipments declined 39%, reflecting the impact of lower consumer demand, temporary store closings and wholesale and retail customers reducing inventory levels. Original equipment unit volume decreased 62%, driven by reduced vehicle production, including the effects of global auto manufacturers temporarily suspending vehicle production.

07:50 EDT AbbVie CEO: Adverse COVID-19 impact on legacy AbbVie 'was less than expected' - "AbbVie delivered another strong quarterly performance, ahead of our guidance. The adverse impact from COVID-19 on legacy AbbVie was less than expected, demonstrating the robustness and resiliency of our key brands, and new patient starts have stabilized and started to recover," said Richard Gonzalez, chairman and CEO, AbbVie. "The integration of Allergan is going well, with a strong recovery in the aesthetics portfolio and accretion ahead of expectations."

07:49 EDT Exxon Mobil says FY20 CapEx reduction ahead of schedule - Exxon Mobil said in its Q2 earnings release, "During the quarter, ExxonMobil made significant progress on its previously announced capital and cash operating spend reductions. Planned reductions to the company's capital investment program for 2020, from $33 billion to $23 billion, are ahead of schedule, reflecting increased efficiencies, lower market prices, and slower project pace. The expected decrease in cash operating expenses of about 15 percent is also ahead of schedule, capturing savings from increased efficiencies, reduced activity, and lower energy costs and volumes."

07:47 EDT AbbVie reports Q2 global Humira net revenues of $4.837B - Down 0.7 percent on a reported basis, or 0.2 percent on an operational basis. U.S. Humira net revenues were $3.974 billion, an increase of 4.8 percent. Internationally, Humira net revenues were $863 million, a decrease of 19.9 percent on a reported basis, or 17.4 percent on an operational basis, due to biosimilar competition. Global Skyrizi net revenues were $330 million. Global Rinvoq net revenues were $149 million.

07:46 EDT Goodyear Tire reports Q2 tire unit volumes 51.7M, down 31% y/y - Replacement tire shipments decreased 28%, reflecting lower industry demand. Original equipment volume declined 41%, driven by lower global vehicle production.

07:39 EDT Pinterest up 24.1% after reporting Q2 results - Shares of Pinterest are up 24.1% in pre-market trading to $31.26 per share.

07:36 EDT Aeterna Zentaris files two patent applications related to macimorelin - Aeterna Zentaris announced the filing of two patent applications on July 22, 2020 related to its substance macimorelin, an orally available ghrelin agonist to be used in the diagnosis of patients with adult growth hormone deficiency and childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency. Based on the positive results from AEZS-130-P01 evaluating macimorelin as a growth hormone stimulation test for the evaluation of CGHD, the Company filed a U.S. provisional application as well as a patent application under PCT. Both patent applications relate to the invention of macimorelin as a method to diagnose growth hormone deficiency in pediatric patients.

07:35 EDT Fortress gets 'positive opinion' on orphan drug designation from EMA - Fortress Biotech announced that the European Medicines Agency, EMA, Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products issued a positive opinion on Cyprium Therapeutics' application for Orphan Drug Designation for Copper Histidinate, also referred to as CUTX-101, a potential treatment for Menkes disease. Menkes disease is an often lethal, if untreated, X-linked recessive disorder of copper metabolism caused by mutations in ATP7A, an evolutionarily conserved copper-transporting ATPase. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") previously granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease Designations to CUTX-101 for the treatment of Menkes disease. Lung S. Yam, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyprium, said, "The positive opinion for Orphan Drug Designation from the EMA is an important milestone in bringing a much-needed potential therapy to patients with Menkes disease, a devastating pediatric disease with limited treatment options. We look forward to working closely with the EMA and continuing to progress CUTX-101 for children in need. To this end, we remain on track to begin a rolling submission of a New Drug Application to the FDA for CUTX-101 in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year."

07:32 EDT Sesen Bio announces exclusive license agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical - Sesen Bio and Qilu Pharmaceutical said in a release, "the companies have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the manufacture, development and commercialization of Vicineum for the treatment of BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, or NMIBC, and other types of cancer in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Under the terms of the agreement, Sesen granted Qilu Pharmaceutical an exclusive license to develop and commercialize Vicineum in Greater China. Sesen will receive an upfront payment of $12 million and is eligible to receive up to an additional $23 million in technology transfer and regulatory milestone payments. Upon commercialization in Greater China, Sesen is also entitled to receive royalties on net sales in Greater China. Sesen retains full development and commercialization rights for Vicineum for the treatment of NMIBC in the US and the rest of the world excluding Greater China. The terms of the agreement also include the transfer of the Vicineum manufacturing technology to Qilu Pharmaceutical, whose world-class manufacturing expertise represents a future opportunity for production expansion to meet the anticipated significant global demand for Vicineum for the treatment of NMIBC."

07:25 EDT Phillips 66 Partners provides strategic update - During the quarter, the Gray Oak Pipeline commenced full operations from West Texas and Eagle Ford to Texas Gulf Coast destinations, marking the completion of the project. Phillips 66 Partners has a 42.25% effective ownership interest in the 900,000 barrels per day, or BPD, pipeline. The Gray Oak Pipeline connects to multiple terminals in Corpus Christi, Texas, including the South Texas Gateway Terminal being constructed by Buckeye Partners. The first dock and 3.4M barrels of storage capacity have been commissioned, and the terminal began crude oil export operations in July after receiving its first crude oil supply from the Gray Oak Pipeline. Marine operations are expected to ramp up through the end of this year as additional phases of construction are completed. Upon expected project completion in the first quarter of 2021, the marine export terminal will have two deepwater docks with up to 800,000 BPD of throughput capacity, along with storage capacity of 8.6M barrels. Phillips 66 Partners owns a 25% interest in the terminal.The Partnership recently completed its expansion of storage capacity at Clemens Caverns, from 9M barrels to 16.5Mbarrels, in connection with the Phillips 66 project to add natural gas liquid fractionation capacity at the Sweeny Hub. The caverns expansion is backed by long-term commitments.Phillips 66 Partners continues construction of the C2G Pipeline, a 16 inch ethane pipeline that will connect Clemens Caverns to petrochemical facilities in Gregory, Texas, near Corpus Christi. The project is backed by long-term commitments and is expected to be completed in mid-2021.The Sweeny to Pasadena Pipeline expansion project will add 80,000 BPD of pipeline capacity, providing additional naphtha offtake from the Sweeny fractionators. In addition, product storage capacity will increase by 300,000 barrels at the Pasadena Terminal. The project is backed by long-term commitments and is expected to be completed in Q3.

07:23 EDT Horizon Therapeutics new topline data underscores efficacy in longer duration - Horizon Therapeutics said in a release, "Horizon Therapeutics announced positive topline data from two clinical trials that add to the growing body of evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of TEPEZZA for the treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease, or TED. TEPEZZA is the first and only medicine approved by the FDA for the treatment of TED - a serious, progressive and vision-threatening rare autoimmune disease. The OPTIC Phase 3 confirmatory clinical trial and the OPTIC-X open-label extension clinical trial are part of Horizon's development program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TEPEZZA in people living with TED. The OPTIC Phase 3 confirmatory clinical trial included a 24-week treatment period and a 48-week off-treatment follow-up period. The OPTIC 24-week treatment period evaluated patients who received TEPEZZA or placebo once every three weeks for a total of eight infusions. The primary endpoint was a 2 mm or more reduction of proptosis (eye bulging) from baseline in the study eye (without deterioration in the fellow eye) at Week 24. At Week 24 of OPTIC, proptosis responders entered into a 48-week off-treatment follow-up period, without receiving additional TED treatment, including TEPEZZA. OPTIC-X evaluated the safety and efficacy of TEPEZZA in TED patients who were enrolled in OPTIC and were either proptosis non-responders at Week 24 of OPTIC, or were proptosis responders at Week 24 but relapsed during the 48-week off-treatment follow-up period. Non-responders were defined as patients who did not achieve at least a 2 mm proptosis improvement from baseline at Week 24 of OPTIC. Relapse was defined as patients who lost at least 2 mm of their Week 24 proptosis improvement during the 48-week off-treatment follow-up period - even if their proptosis was still substantially better than at baseline of OPTIC - or who had a substantial increase in the number of inflammatory signs or symptoms without worsening proptosis. Patients could qualify as relapsing at any point during the 48-week off-treatment follow-up period of OPTIC."

07:19 EDT Oxford Biomedica, Axovant sign three-year supply agreement for AXO-Lenti-PD - Oxford Biomedica (OXBDF) announced that it has signed a three year Clinical Supply Agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axovant Gene Therapies (AXGT). The CSA builds on the worldwide license agreement signed between the two companies in June 2018 for the Parkinson's disease gene therapy program OXB-102, now called AXO-Lenti-PD. Under the terms of the CSA, Oxford Biomedica will manufacture GMP batches for Axovant to support the ongoing and future clinical development of AXO-Lenti-PD, a clinical-stage gene therapy product to treat moderate to severe Parkinson's Disease based on Oxford Biomedica's LentiVector platform. Axovant is currently conducting a Phase 2 SUNRISE-PD trial with AXO-Lenti-PD. Dosing of all patients in the second cohort is completed with 6-month safety and efficacy data expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. OXB expects to manufacture AXO-Lenti-PD in its commercial-scale GMP manufacturing facilities including Oxbox in the UK, and additionally in other OXB GMP facilities as required to ensure security of supply.

07:18 EDT Medicare expands coverage for BRACAnalysis CDx in prostate cancer - Myriad Genetics announced that Medicare has expanded coverage for BRACAnalysis CDx for men with prostate cancer who are eligible or may become eligible for treatment Lynparza. BRACAnalysis CDx is a germline test covered for this indication. In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the BRACAnalysis CDx test for use as a companion diagnostic tool by healthcare professionals to identify men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are eligible for treatment with Lynparza. Lynparza, a non-chemotherapy oral medication, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic homologous recombination repair gene-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have progressed following prior treatment with enzalutamide or abiraterone.

07:16 EDT Capital Product reduces dividend to 10c per common unit - On July 31, 2020, the Board of Directors of the Partnership declared a cash distribution of $0.10 per common unit for the second quarter of 2020 payable on August 14, 2020 to common unit holders of record on August 9, 2020.

07:12 EDT Apellis enrolling additional 60 patients in Phase 1/2 study of APL-9 - In May 2020, Apellis announced that it had initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical study of APL-9 in COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure including acute respiratory distress syndrome. An independent data monitoring committee reviewed safety data from the first six patients who received open-label APL-9 and recommended that the study continue. Apellis is now enrolling an additional 60 patients into the randomized, double-blind, controlled part of the study.

07:11 EDT Apellis expects topline results from Phase 3 DERBY, OAKS trials in 3Q21 - In July 2020, Apellis announced that it completed enrollment in the Phase 3 DERBY and OAKS studies investigating intravitreal pegcetacoplan for the treatment of GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The company expects to announce top-line results from both trials in the third quarter of 2021.

07:10 EDT Apellis expects topline results from PEGASUS trial by year-end - The company also expects to report 48-week top-line results from the PEGASUS trial by the end of the year.

07:09 EDT Fiat Chrysler says ' crisis has further underlined compelling logic' of merger - FCA said: "The COVID-19 crisis has further underlined the compelling logic of the Groupe PSA and FCA merger. Work by both teams towards the completion of the merger has continued apace and we expect to meet the objective of combining as a single company by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Antitrust approvals have already been granted by twelve of twenty-two jurisdictions. The review initiated by the European Commission is not expected to delay the merger timetable. FCA and PSA also took another major step earlier this month with the announcement that the new entity formed by the combined companies will be known as Stellantis."

07:05 EDT Under Armour Class A shares up 9.6% after reporting Q2 results - Under Armour Class A (UAA) shares are up 9.6% in pre-market trading while Under Armour Class C shares (UA) are up 10% after the company reported its Q2 results.

07:03 EDT Sanofi, GSK selected for Operation Warp Speed to supply 100M doses of vaccine - Sanofi (SNY) and GSK (GSK) announce a collaborative effort with the U.S. government to accelerate the development and manufacturing of a COVID-19 recombinant protein-based vaccine. The vaccine candidate, developed by Sanofi in partnership with GSK, is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and GSK's established pandemic adjuvant technology. Collaborating with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense will help fund the development activities and secure scale-up of Sanofi's and GSK's manufacturing capabilities in the United States for the recombinant protein-based, adjuvanted vaccine, resulting in a significant increase in capacity. The U.S. government will provide up to $2.1B, more than half of which is to support further development of the vaccine, including clinical trials, with the remainder used for manufacturing scale-up and delivery of an initial 100 million doses of the vaccine. Sanofi will receive the majority of the U.S. government funding. The U.S. government has a further option for the supply of an additional 500 million doses longer term. This helps the U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed goals of providing millions of doses of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Sanofi is leading the clinical development and registration of the COVID-19 vaccine and expects a Phase 1/2 study to start in September, followed by a Phase 3 study by the end of 2020. If the data are positive, the companies can request U.S. regulatory approval in the first half of 2021. In parallel, Sanofi and GSK are scaling up manufacturing of the antigen and adjuvant to produce up to one billion doses per year globally.

07:00 EDT GAIN Capital trading halted, news dissemination

06:56 EDT Colgate-Palmolive reports Q2 base business gross profit margin 60.8% - Up 120 basis points.

06:53 EDT Chevron reports Q2 U.S. refinery crude oil input down 39% from last year - U.S. downstream operations reported a loss of $988M in second quarter 2020, compared with earnings of $465M a year earlier. The decrease was mainly due to lower margins on refined product sales, lower sales volumes, lower earnings from 50 percent-owned Chevron Phillips Chemical Company and severance accruals, partially offset by lower maintenance and transportation costs. Refinery crude oil input in second quarter 2020 decreased 39% to 581,000 barrels per day from the year-ago period, as the company cut refinery runs in response to the weak refining margin environment. Refined product sales of 827,000 barrels per day were down 35% from second quarter 2019, mainly due to gasoline, jet fuel and diesel demand destruction associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. International downstream operations reported a loss of $22M in second quarter 2020, compared with earnings of $264M a year earlier. Refinery crude oil input of 589,000 barrels per day in second quarter 2020 decreased 2% from the year-ago period. Refined product sales of 1.10 million barrels per day in second quarter 2020 were down 13% from the year-ago period, mainly due to gasoline, jet fuel and diesel demand destruction associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

06:51 EDT Chevron says financial results may 'continue to be depressed' into Q3 - "The past few months have presented unique challenges. The economic impact of the response to COVID-19 significantly reduced demand for our products and lowered commodity prices. Given the uncertainties associated with economic recovery, and ample oil and gas supplies, we made a downward revision to our commodity price outlook which resulted in asset impairments and other charges. While demand and commodity prices have shown signs of recovery, they are not back to pre-pandemic levels, and financial results may continue to be depressed into the third quarter 2020. We reduced our capital budget in response to the current environment and are on track with our commitment to lower operating expense. Second quarter organic capital expenditures were $3.0B, 40% below the quarterly budget, and year to date organic capital expenditures are on track with the company's revised full year guidance of $14B. While second quarter 2020 operating expenses of $7.1B were up 13% from second quarter 2019, second quarter 2020 operating expenses, excluding severance accruals of $1B, were down 3% compared to the year ago period. Chevron remains committed to its people, assets and operations in Venezuela. The current operating environment and overall outlook create significant uncertainties regarding recoverability of the company's investments, leading to a full impairment. Chevron will continue to fulfill its contractual obligations as permitted under the current sanctions and general license, with the intent to return to normal operations in due course," said chairman of the board and CEO Michael Wirth.

06:48 EDT Merck CEO saw 'business momentum improving through the quarter' - "Despite the impact COVID-19 had on patient access to health care providers, Merck continued to execute well with business momentum improving through the quarter. We remain confident that Merck will drive strong long-term growth based on underlying demand for our unique portfolio of innovative medicines, vaccines and animal health products. Our financial strength underpins our capital allocation priorities, including business development and the breakthrough research and development that creates value for society and our shareholders," said Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO, Merck. "In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Merck is moving with urgency on three critical priorities: protecting the health and safety of our employees and their families, sustaining the supply of our medicines and vaccines to our patients and customers, and mobilizing our unique scientific expertise and experience to develop vaccines and antivirals that we believe may help save many lives."

06:48 EDT Idexx Laboratories says primary impacts of COVID-19 seen in CAG business - Idexx Laboratories said in its Q2 earnings release, "The primary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been seen in IDEXX's CAG business. While veterinary care is widely recognized as an "essential" service, stay-at-home policies deployed to combat the spread of COVID-19 constrained visits to veterinary practices significantly in late March through early April, pressuring diagnostic testing volumes. Restrictions on sales professionals' access to veterinary clinics also contributed to deferrals on new CAG instrument placements. As stay-at-home policies were relaxed, there was significant improvement in clinical visit activity which accelerated through the second quarter. Weekly U.S. companion animal practice data show improvement in same store clinical visit trends since mid-April. Same store clinical visit growth was 7% in June, supported by high growth in wellness visits. Solid same store clinical visit gains have continued in July, reflected in 6% same store clinical visit growth for the three-week period ended July 17. Companion animal market improvement trends globally have supported a strong recovery in demand for CAG diagnostic products and services. Global CAG Diagnostics recurring revenues which declined ~16% in April, increased ~8% in May and grew ~30% in June, in part supported by pent-up demand for diagnostic testing. While these trends are encouraging, potential effects related to ongoing COVID-19 case management efforts are challenging to predict and may pressure future revenues should enhanced social distancing policies and higher infection rates impact veterinary clinic operations in certain regions. In addition to impacts on IDEXX's CAG business, the Company has also seen pressure on Water testing volumes. There was some disruption to compliance Water testing early in the second quarter related to business lockdown effects, as well as beach and pool closures. In addition, approximately 20% of our Water revenues are related to non-compliance testing, which has seen declines related to reduced overall business activity and prioritization of laboratory spending. We anticipate that near-to-moderate-term demand for non-compliance testing will continue to be impacted by pandemic and related economic pressures. In managing IDEXX businesses, the Company continues to provide high levels of service delivery and product support for customers during this time and maintains high health and safety standards to protect its employees and ensure business continuity. In an effort to continue to protect the health and safety of our workforce and their families and communities, the majority of IDEXX employees continue to work remotely and travel remains highly restricted. In this context, the Company has introduced new employee benefits to support remote workers. Given improved market and business trends, the Company has discontinued temporary reductions in employee salaries and benefits and Board of Directors compensation."

06:41 EDT Johnson Controls announces launch of OpenBlue - Johnson Controls said in a release, "Johnson Controls is launching OpenBlue - a complete suite of connected solutions and services that combine the Company's 135 years of building expertise with cutting-edge technology. This open digital platform, when integrated with Johnson Controls core building systems and enhanced by Fortune 100 technology partners, will make shared spaces safer, more agile and more sustainable. Johnson Controls OpenBlue is the culmination of years of research and development by the Company's industry-leading engineers and data scientists around the globe, to create the 'blueprint for the future' to guide smart, sustainable buildings. The new suite of connected solutions enables previously unimaginable occupant experiences, respectful safety and security, and impactful sustainability, driven by cutting-edge connected technology. Connectivity is critical to achieve this goal: building systems must work together and communicate to be effective. OpenBlue was designed with agility, flexibility and scalability in mind, to enable buildings to become dynamic spaces. In leveraging the OpenBlue platform, customers will be able to manage operations more systemically, delivering buildings that have memory, intelligence and unique identity. The platform infuses the OpenBlue suite of solutions and services with award-winning artificial intelligence, combining data from both inside and outside of buildings."

06:39 EDT Johnson Controls resumes share repurchase program

06:36 EDT AdvanSix sees improved cash flow from operations in 2H20 - Supported by working capital improvements and cash tax benefits associated with the CARES Act.

06:34 EDT LyondellBasell says product demand improving - LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel said, "Demand for our products is improving with increased economic activity. In June and July, we raised operating rates and prices in response to increased demand for North American polyethylene exports to Asia. With increased mobility and reductions in fuel inventories, we expect improving demand for our Refining and Oxyfuels & Related Products businesses. Similarly, our Advanced Polymer Solutions segment is benefiting from rebounding demand for our plastics used in automotive manufacturing. We remain focused on delivering the strategy we outlined in our Investor Day last September. Our cash generation is strong. We expect the recent startup of our Hyperzone polyethylene capacity, the establishment of new Asian joint ventures and the integration of our A. Schulman acquisition will all add to our profitability. We accelerated our plans to reduce capital expenditures and are aggressively managing our inventories to prioritize liquidity and maximize cash flow. Our focus on funding the dividend while remaining committed to an investment grade balance sheet continues to be the foundation of our capital deployment strategy. Despite the volatile macro-economic environment, we believe LyondellBasell's leading portfolio, advantaged positions and disciplined approach will enable us to continue capturing opportunities and delivering resilient results through business cycles."

06:10 EDT Caterpillar up 2.8% after reporting Q2 results - Shares of Caterpillar are up 2.8% in pre-market trading to $150.50 per share.

06:04 EDT Australian news media to negotiate payment with Google, Facebook - Australian media will be able to bargain with Google (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) to quickly secure fair payment for news content if a draft mandatory code released by the ACCC is adopted. The draft code is aimed at addressing acute bargaining power imbalances between Australian news businesses and Google and Facebook, including through a binding "final offer" arbitration process, Australia's competition regulator said. If the news businesses and the digital platforms cannot strike a deal through a formal three month negotiation and mediation process, then an independent arbitrator would choose which of the two parties' final offer is the most reasonable within 45 business days.This would ensure disagreements about payment for content are resolved quickly. Deals on payment could be reached within six months of the code coming into effect if arbitration is required.The draft code would also allow groups of media businesses to collectively negotiate with the platforms. This could include, for example, regional and community mastheads. "There is a fundamental bargaining power imbalance between news media businesses and the major digital platforms, partly because news businesses have no option but to deal with the platforms, and have had little ability to negotiate over payment for their content or other issues," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said. Reference Link

06:00 EDT Amazon wins FCC authorization to launch Kuiper internet satellites - Amazon has won FCC approval to launch 3,236 Kuiper internet satellites, a $10B project that competes with SpaceX's emerging Starlink network. Amazon has won approval to deploy a NGSO system to provide service using certain FSS and MSS Ka-band frequencies, the FCC said on its website. Reference Link

05:56 EDT Twitter: 'Phone spear phishing attack' used to gain network access - In their July 15 attack on Twitter, hackers, who used the accounts of such high-profile users as Joe Biden and Elon Musk to perpetrate a cryptocurrency scam, talked their way onto the company's network using the telephone, the company said in a blog post. "This attack relied on a significant and concerted attempt to mislead certain employees and exploit human vulnerabilities to gain access to our internal systems. This was a striking reminder of how important each person on our team is in protecting our service. We take that responsibility seriously and everyone at Twitter is committed to keeping your information safe. We've communicated directly with the impacted account owners and worked to restore access to any accounts who may have been temporarily locked out during our remediation efforts. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working with the appropriate authorities to ensure that the people responsible for this attack are identified." Reference Link

05:46 EDT Chevron: Argentine Supreme Court rejects 'fraudulent' Ecuadorian judgement - Chevron said in a release, "Argentina's highest court unanimously rejected the plaintiffs' final bid to enforce a fraudulent $9.5 billion Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron Corporation. This is the latest in a string of legal victories in Chevron's global defense against the Ecuadorian judgment-found by U.S. courts to be the product of fraud, bribery, and corruption, and held unenforceable as a matter of international law by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague. On July 30, in a unanimous 5-0 decision, the Supreme Court of Argentina dismissed the plaintiffs' appeal from the decision by the Court of Appeals in Buenos Aires of July 3, 2018, which affirmed the trial court's opinion and dismissed the Ecuadorian plaintiffs' action for lack of jurisdiction. Argentina's courts have now uniformly and definitively rejected the plaintiffs' attempt to recognize and enforce the Ecuadorian judgment in that nation. With the decision of the Supreme Court of Argentina, the last pending proceeding seeking the recognition of the corrupt Ecuadorian judgment has come to an end. Decisions by courts and tribunals in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Gibraltar, The Hague, and now Argentina, confirm that the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment should be unenforceable in any court that respects the rule of law. Even the Republic of Ecuador, a longstanding supporter of the litigation against Chevron, finally admitted in a public filing earlier this month that the $9.5 billion judgment issued by its courts against Chevron is 'fraudulent.' Chevron has defeated all actions to date seeking the recognition and enforcement of that judgment. In July 2019, after the Canadian Supreme Court declined to review a lower court opinion dismissing the action against Chevron's indirect subsidiary in Canada, the plaintiffs dismissed their Canadian recognition proceeding. In November 2017, Brazil's highest court dismissed a recognition action brought in that country. Prosecutors in both Brazil and Argentina had previously opined that the Ecuadorian judgment was unenforceable because it was the product of fraud and corruption. The key remaining proceeding in connection with the corrupt Ecuadorian judgment is Chevron's arbitration against the Republic of Ecuador before an international tribunal in The Hague. The tribunal ruled for Chevron on liability in 2018 and the arbitration is now in the damages phase, where Chevron is seeking to recover from the Republic of Ecuador costs Chevron has incurred to expose and defend against the fraud perpetrated against it. In a unanimous 2018 decision, the international tribunal in The Hague-including the arbitrator chosen by Ecuador-held that the $9.5 billion judgment rendered against Chevron in Ecuador in 2011 was procured through fraud, including judicial bribery, blackmail, and extortion, culminating in the presiding judge allowing the plaintiffs' team to ghostwrite the judgment itself in exchange for the promise of a bribe. Finding the evidence propounded by Chevron to be 'overwhelming,' the tribunal held that '[s]hort of a signed confession by the miscreants . . . the evidence establishing 'ghostwriting' in this arbitration 'must be the most thorough documentary, video, and testimonial proof of fraud ever put before an arbitral tribunal.' The international tribunal further held that Chevron was released by the Republic of Ecuador from the same environmental claims on which the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment is exclusively based, following completion of a $40-million environmental remediation program approved by the Ecuadorian government. The international tribunal found that the Ecuadorian judgment violated international law and should not be enforced anywhere in the world. The tribunal's findings in The Hague are consistent with findings of U.S. courts. In 2014, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that Steven Donziger and his team procured the Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron through fraud and racketeering, including extortion, money laundering, wire fraud, witness tampering, judicial bribery, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, and obstruction of justice. The court prohibited enforcement of the Ecuadorian judgment in the United States and ordered the Ecuadorian plaintiffs and their lawyers to pay back to Chevron any enforcement proceeds they obtain anywhere in the world. The U.S. court judgment is now final after having been unanimously affirmed by the Court of Appeals and denied review by the Supreme Court. In 2018, Donziger was suspended from the practice of law for his misconduct in the Ecuador litigation. In May 2019, Donziger was held in civil contempt of court for his breach of the RICO judgment, which prevented him from profiting from the fraud, by selling interests in the Ecuadorian judgment to investors and using a large portion of the proceeds on personal expenses. In July 2019, Donziger was charged with criminal contempt due to his ongoing refusal to comply with court orders. Chevron is not a party to the criminal contempt proceedings."

05:38 EDT Weyerhaeuser sees Q3 Wood Products earnings, adj. EBITDA 'significantly higher' - Weyerhaeuser said in its Q2 earnings release, "Weyerhaeuser expects third quarter Real Estate, Energy & Natural Resources earnings and Adjusted EBITDA will be significantly higher than second quarter. To date, third quarter benchmark pricing for lumber and oriented strand board is significantly higher than the second quarter average. The company also anticipates increased sales volumes across most product lines. For Wood Products, Weyerhaeuser expects third quarter earnings and Adjusted EBITDA will be significantly higher than second quarter. To date, third quarter benchmark pricing for lumber and oriented strand board is significantly higher than the second quarter average. The company also anticipates increased sales volumes across most product lines."