Stockwinners Market Radar for March 17, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:33 EDT Quidel gets emergency use authorization for Molecular COVID-19 diagnostic - Quidel announced that Quidel has received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA to market its Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay, a real-time RT-PCR test intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab specimens from patients suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider. The Lyra product line offers PCR reagent kits for use by molecular diagnostic laboratories with existing molecular testing infrastructure such as the Applied Biosystems(R) 7500 Fast DX instruments. These reagents include unique features that provide for simple transport and storage, improved workflow, shorter time to result, and other benefits that favorably affect diagnostic test outcome. The Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay provides these and certain additional advantages over other tests currently on the market for this novel coronavirus, including easier setup and faster time to result. The Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay is currently only available for sale in the United States and can be purchased either through Quidel's salesforce or Cardinal Health.

19:43 EDT Solar Capital CEO buys 40K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Solar Capital disclosed that its CEO Michael Gross bought 40K shares of common stock on March 13th. The total transaction size was over $540K.

19:36 EDT Tilly's temporarily closes all 239 stores in U.S. - Tilly's announced that, in order to protect its people and its communities, it is temporarily closing all 239 of its stores across the United States effective at the end of the day tomorrow, March 18, 2020. The store closures are a proactive measure in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. The company expects that the closures will remain in place until at least March 27, 2020, although this timing remains subject to change and update by the company. All store associates will be compensated during this temporary shutdown. At present, the company plans to continue operating its website, www.tillys.com.

19:19 EDT Canadian banks to provide financial relief for Canadians amid COVID-19 pandemic - Canada's six largest banks announced plans to provide financial relief to Canadians impacted by the economic consequences of COVID-19. Effective immediately, Bank of Montreal (BMO), CIBC (CM), National Bank of Canada (NTIOF), RBC Royal Bank (RY), Scotiabank (BNS) and TD Bank (TD) have made a commitment to work with personal and small business banking customers on a case-by-case basis to provide flexible solutions to help them manage through challenges such as pay disruption due to COVID-19; childcare disruption due to school closures; or those facing illness from COVID-19. This support will include up to a six-month payment deferral for mortgages, and the opportunity for relief on other credit products. Individual Canadians or business owners facing hardship are encouraged to contact their bank directly to discuss options that could be available to them.

19:03 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: FedEx (FDX) up 1.1%. ALSO HIGHER: Cinemark (CNK) up 3.6% after announcing closure of all U.S. theaters. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: MongoDB (MDB) down 9.2%. ALSO LOWER: Cronos (CRON) down 14.3% after announcing plans to restate certain 2019 financial statements... Ascena (ASNA) down 10.1% after pulling Q3 guidance, closing all retail stores... Veeco (VECO) down 2.7% after cutting Q1 guidance... Lyft (LYFT) down 1.7% after pausing shared rides across all markets... Target (TGT) down 1.1% after reducing hours nationwide. Movers as of 18:30ET.

18:54 EDT NexPoint Residential President sells 209K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, NexPoint Residential President James Dondero sold 209K shares of common stock on March 13th-16th. The total transaction size was $7.1M.

18:43 EDT Realty Income raises monthly cash dividend to 23.3c per share from 23.25c - Realty Income Corporation announced its board of directors has declared an increase in the company's common stock monthly cash dividend to 23.3c per share from 23.25c per share. The dividend is payable on April 15, 2020 to shareholders of record as of April 1, 2020. This is the 106th dividend increase since Realty Income's listing on the NYSE in 1994. The ex-dividend date for April's dividend is March 31, 2020. The new monthly dividend represents an annualized dividend amount of $2.796 per share as compared to the current annualized dividend amount of $2.79 per share.

18:34 EDT Sotherly Hotels announces suspension of common stock, including Q1 - Sotherly Hotels announced that it has implemented rigorous cost-savings measures to minimize the impact of revenue declines resulting from cancellations, corporate travel restrictions, and government mandated closures related to concerns surrounding COVID-19. The Company is taking the following actions at the property and corporate level: The company is working with its management partners to implement aggressive cost control measures at the property-level in order to minimize impact to profitability. Included in this policy, the company is deferring all non-vital capital expenditures at its properties. Corporate G&A has been significantly decreased, including immediate reductions in compensation and benefits for all corporate staff. As part of this change, the company's board of directors has agreed to waive all director's fees for the quarter. As approved by its board of directors, the company is announcing the suspension of its regular quarterly cash common stock dividends in order to preserve liquidity and ensure future success. The Company is also deferring payment of the previously declared first quarter dividend that was to be paid April 9, 2020 to stockholders of record on March 13, 2020.

18:25 EDT Regeneron CSO says COVID-19 vaccine 'a year or two away' - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Regeneron Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said, "We still have to be cautious. There is a real chance we can make a difference. We may have a treatment for COVID-19 by this summer."

18:19 EDT Teck Resources implements preventative measures responding to COVID-19 - Teck is implementing extensive preventative measures across its offices and operations in order to safeguard the health of its employees, while continuing to operate safely and responsibly maintain employment and economic activity. All Teck corporate offices have been closed and remote work implemented for all employees able to do so. Other measures have been put into place at Teck's operations.

18:12 EDT FedEx says cash flows strong, cannot determine how long uncertainty to last - Says low fuel price should have "somewhat of a benefit". Says has cut Express capacity by less than 6%-8% planned for Q4. Says demand in China recovered more than expected. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call Q/A.

18:01 EDT Black Hills suspends service disconnections amid COVID-19 pandemic - Black Hills announced that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic it has activated its corporate response team to focus efforts on its highest priority, the health and safety of employees, customers, business partners and the communities it serves. The company also activated its business continuity plan and has taken steps to ensure that Black Hills continues to serve customers the safe, essential energy they need and expect. The continuity plan provides necessary resources to keep operations and facilities safe and secure and support ongoing energy delivery. To date, the company has not experienced any significant impacts on the delivery of energy to its 1.3 million utility customers. "Our highest priority is the safety and health of our employees, customers and communities," said Linn Evans, president and CEO of Black Hills Corp. "We are doing our part to minimize the spread of the virus while also providing help to our customers that face hardship from COVID-19." To support customers that may be impacted from COVID-19, Black Hills is temporarily suspending nonpayment disconnections for its customers. The company is also reminding customers that face financial hardship that there are various assistance options and programs available to help them. The company continues to work closely with local health, public safety and government officials to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact of service to customers.

17:49 EDT FedEx says demand out of Europe is weakening - Will increase or decrease capacity to provide customer service and also provide returns to shareholders.

17:41 EDT The Najafi Companies, Trinity Broadcasting offer to acquire Tegna for $20/share - The Najafi Companies and Trinity Broadcasting Network announced the delivery of an offer to Tegna's board of directors to jointly acquire the company and take it under private ownership. The Najafi Companies and TBN have joined forces and expect to create a wholly owned new entity for the proposed acquisition. The group believes a successful bid would create significant value to Tegna's shareholders, while as a private company under Najafi and TBN, Tegna would have the opportunity and flexibility to execute a long-term value creation strategy, free from the pressures of managing short-term public shareholder objectives. The proposed offer is timely and critical given the unique market dynamics and current industry pressures Tegna operates under. The terms of the proposed transaction are $20 per share cash subject to certain conditions.

17:35 EDT Boeing says as of March 13 'fully drawn on' $13.8B credit agreement - In a regulatory filing the company stated: "As previously disclosed, on February 6, The Boeing Company entered into a two-year delayed draw term loan credit agreement with Citibank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, BofA Securities and Wells Fargo as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers, Bank of America, N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as documentation agents, JPMorgan as syndication agent and Citibank as administrative agent, and a syndicate of lenders as defined in the Credit Agreement. As of March 13, Boeing has fully drawn on the Credit Agreement, consisting of approximately $13.8B, which amount includes additional commitments made subsequent to the initial closing date."

17:28 EDT Penn National temporarily suspends operations at casinos in Missouri - Penn National Gaming announced that pursuant to an order from Missouri Gaming Commission it will temporarily suspend operations at Argosy Casino Riverside, Hollywood Casino St. Louis, and River City Casino & Hotel beginning at midnight tonight through March 30, 2020 as a precautionary measure against the ongoing spread of COVID-19. The MGC will be continuing to work with the state's licensed casinos, as well as local, state and federal health authorities to determine safe protocols for when operations may resume. "The health and well-being of our guests and team members will always be our paramount concern," said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming. "Since the coronavirus threat began, we have implemented stringent CDC-recommended protocols throughout our enterprise, including increased daily cleaning regimens, maximizing air circulation, cancelling or postponing all live events, and we're in the process of reducing the number of chairs at our dining facilities, table games and poker rooms, as well as the number of slot machines in play at any one time, to increase social distancing, among other initiatives.

17:17 EDT Capri Holdings to close all North America stores through April 10 - Capri Holdings announced that to help protect the health and safety of its employees, consumers and the communities where the company operates, Capri Holdings Limited will temporarily close all directly operated Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors stores in North America from March 18 and in Europe from March 19 through April 10, 2020. The company remains committed to paying its store employees during this period. Across all regions, customers can continue to shop on each of the luxury houses' websites, Versace.com, JimmyChoo.com and MichaelKors.com.

17:12 EDT Dollar General increases board size from eight to nine members - Dollar General announced the appointment of Debra Sandler to its board effective April 1, 2020. Sandler's addition to the company's board will increase the total number of directors from eight to nine.

17:07 EDT Eldorado Resorts to temporarily suspend operations at Missouri casinos - Eldorado Resorts announced that, in accordance with an order from the Missouri Gaming Commission, it will temporarily suspend casino operations at Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels St. Louis, Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Boonville, and Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City at 11:59 PM CDT on March 17, 2020. The company is continuing to monitor developments related to COVID-19 and reinforcing our policies as necessary.

17:06 EDT Fox Corp. to acquire Tubi for $440M - Fox Corp announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tubi, a leader in the fast-growing free ad-supported streaming category, for approximately $440M in net cash consideration at closing. The acquisition of Tubi underscores FOX's long-term strategic initiatives to broaden and enhance FOX's direct-to-consumer digital reach and engagement. Tubi, which is currently available on more than 25 digital platforms in the United States, features over 20,000 titles and 56,000 hours of film and episodic television programming from over 250 content partners, including many of the major studios. The Tubi transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, is expected to close before June 30, 2020.

17:05 EDT Prospect Capital Chairman John Barry purchased over $16M in shares - Prospect Capital Chairman John Barry disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 3,252,951 shares of company stock at an average price of $4.92 per share on March 13. The total transaction value of the purchase was $16,008,422.

17:01 EDT Goodyear Tire to temporarily suspend european production - In response to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect its employees and respond to the sudden decline in market demand, Goodyear's Europe, Middle East and Africa business intends to temporarily close its European tire and retread plants in phases by the end of this week, until at least April 3 and until further notice. This includes the company's plants in France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia. It also includes the Dbica plant in Poland. In order to maintain customer service, warehouses will remain operational on a reduced staffing schedule, with strong social distancing practices in place to protect the health and wellbeing of our employees and business partners, which remain Goodyear's highest considerations. These temporary measures will be implemented in full agreement with local social partners and in a way to allow prompt production startup when public health and market conditions improve. Around the world, Goodyear has also implemented smart working and social distancing measures at its facilities to do its part as a global company to help slow the pandemic. Goodyear continues to evaluate its production plans with respect to its North American operations and other operations around the world. The company continues to closely monitor and manage its inventory levels and supply of raw materials.

16:55 EDT Ryman Hospitality to draw $400M from credit line, suspend dividend after Q1 - Ryman Hospitality announced that today it completed a $400M draw from its existing $700M revolving line of credit as a precaution to ensure funds are available to meet its obligations for a sustained period of time. When combined with the approximately $285M of cash on hand referenced in the press release dated March 15, 2020, the Company has approximately $685M of cash and $300 million of remaining availability on its credit facility, the full amount of which is available for borrowing at any time, for total liquidity of $985M. The company's first quarter 2020 dividend, which was specifically authorized by the company's Board on February 25, 2020, in the amount of $0.95 per common share will be paid on April 15, 2020 to stockholders of record on March 31, 2020. The company expects to suspend its dividend through the balance of the year until an appropriate year-end dividend can be determined by its board.

16:50 EDT Ascena Retail temporarily closes all company-operated retail stores - Ascena Retail said that, in response to the escalating global spread of COVID-19, it will temporarily close all company-operated retail stores, effective March 18 through March 28. During this temporary closure period, all store associates will receive compensation for their scheduled shifts. The brands will continue to operate and serve their customers online at AnnTaylor.com, factory.anntaylor.com, LOFT.com, outlet.loft.com, louandgrey.com, lanebryant.com, Catherines.com, and shopjustice.com during the stores closure period. ascena will continue to monitor the global spread of COVID-19 and communicate with its stakeholders to the extent there are any updates to this timeline.

16:46 EDT Cinemark to temporarily close all 345 U.S. theatres, effective March 18 - Cinemark is temporarily closing all 345 of its U.S. theatres effective March 18 as a proactive measure in support of the health and safety of its employees, guests and communities. "Through these absolutely unprecedented and evolving times, one thing will not change, and that is Cinemark's dedication to its team members and moviegoers," said Mark Zoradi, Cinemark CEO. "The decision to close our U.S. theatres was incredibly tough, but we know it is the right thing to do as global Coronavirus concerns continue to escalate. We will closely monitor recommendations of national and local governmental health organizations and look forward to inviting everyone to once again enjoy experiencing the movies with Cinemark." In an effort to give moviegoers more time to redeem the rewards they earned, the company has added additional flexibility to its Cinemark Movie Rewards program and is extending expiration of Cinemark Movie Rewards points to June 30. As guests are not able to utilize the many benefits of Cinemark's subscription service, Movie Club, during this time theatres are closed, Cinemark is temporarily pausing all Movie Club memberships. While paused, members will maintain unused movie credits and will not be billed the monthly membership fee. Movie credits earned through Movie Club roll over and never expire for active members, even while an account is paused.

16:38 EDT Greif says COVID-19 has not yet had 'material adverse effect' on performance - Greif currently plans to participate in upcoming virtual investor meetings. Given anticipated questions related to the impact of COVID-19 on the company's operations, Greif announced a narrow update on recent company performance. The company's consolidated financial performance for second quarter to date (Feb. 1 through March 17, 2020) is in line with to slightly better than internally forecasted results. While the ultimate financial impact of COVID-19 is uncertain, difficult to project and could negatively impact the company's consolidated financial performance during the rest of the fiscal year, to date COVID-19 has not had a material adverse effect on Greif that would cause a modification of its Fiscal 2020 financial guidance ($3.55 to $3.91 Class A earnings per share before adjustments) that was published on February 26, 2020. As noted by management on the investor call on February 27, 2020, the guidance range was deliberately wide given continued macroeconomic uncertainty and the still unquantifiable impact of the coronavirus on our global operations. Greif continues to monitor COVID-19 events closely and is taking appropriate actions at the global, regional and local levels to support our colleagues and customers during this time of uncertainty.

16:36 EDT Etsy director sells 35K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Etsy disclosed that its director Jonathan Klein sold 35K shares of common stock on March 13th. The total transaction size was $1.64M.

16:34 EDT AbbVie, Allergan sign consent decree agreement with FTC on pending acquisition - AbbVie (ABBV) and Allergan plc (AGN) announced that they have entered into a consent decree agreement with staff of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, regarding AbbVie's pending acquisition of Allergan. Under the terms of the consent decree, the companies have agreed to divest brazikumab, an investigational IL-23 inhibitor in development for autoimmune diseases, to AstraZeneca (AZN) and Zenpep, a treatment for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis and other conditions, to Nestle. Nestle also will be acquiring Viokace, another pancreatic enzyme preparation, as part of the same transaction. The consent decree, including the proposed purchasers, remains subject to further review and approval by the commissioners of the FTC. The parties anticipate closing in May 2020.

16:34 EDT Avery Dennison to hold 2020 annual meeting of stockholders virtually - In response to continued public health concerns about in-person gatherings given the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak, the Board of Directors of Avery Dennison Corporation has determined to change the format of the company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. PT from in-person to virtual-only.

16:31 EDT Air Lease announces lease placement of two Airbus A330-200 jets - Air Lease Corporation (AL) announced long-term lease placements for two used Airbus (EADSY) A330-200 aircraft with Nordwind Airlines. Previously on long-term lease from ALC to Vietnam Airlines, these aircraft will deliver to Moscow-based Nordwind Airlines in the Spring. "ALC is pleased to announce this A330-200 lease placement with our long-time customer, Nordwind Airlines," said Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. "These two A330-200s will complement Nordwind's current fleet operations on the airline's long-haul network to Southeast Asia, Africa, Turkey and the Caribbean." On lease from ALC to Vietnam Airlines since 2011, these two used A330-200s were replaced with two new Boeing (BA) 787-10 aircraft delivered to Vietnam Airlines from ALC's order book with Boeing in the past few weeks.

16:29 EDT Emerson announces 60M share repurchase program - On March 17, Emerson Electric announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase 60M shares of its common stock over the next several years. The authorization is in addition to the 70M share repurchase authorization approved in November 2015, which is nearly completed and has approximately 7M shares remaining available. Consistent with the capital allocation plan previously announced, the company still expects to repurchase approximately $1.5B in shares in fiscal 2020, depending on market conditions and other circumstances.

16:26 EDT The Buckle announces temporary store closures in response to COVID-19 - The Buckle announced that "after thoughtful consideration of the health and welfare of its guests, teammates, and communities," it will temporarily close all brick and mortar stores effective March 18, 2020 through March 31, 2020. During this time, the company's online store will remain open and the company will provide pay and benefits for its teammates during the full period. Company management will continue to monitor as additional guidance is issued from the Center for Disease Control along with U.S. and local governments and may adjust these timelines as necessary.

16:23 EDT Earthstone Energy reduces FY20 adjusted capital budget to $50M-$60M - Earthstone Energy provided an update to its 2020 operating plan and guidance. With the recent drop in oil prices, the Company plans to run one rig into the Q2 and operated completion activity will be limited to three wells currently in progress. This reduction in activity will result in an adjusted capital budget for 2020 of $50M-$60M. Along with non-operated completions, all brought online in the Q1, our adjusted budget would result in bringing 3 gross / 3.0 net operated wells and 3.1 net non-operated wells online in 2020. We would also have 11 gross / 9.7 net operated wells drilled and waiting on completion. With a reduction in projected capital expenditures and fewer new wells coming online, we would expect lease operating expenses on a per Boe basis to increase modestly. A portion of this increase would also result from acceleration of certain remedial well work which, to a limited extent, would offset expected production declines. Based on this adjusted 2020 operating plan, existing service costs and an assumed $30/Bbl WTI oil price, the Company expects to generate free cash flow, beginning in the second quarter of 2020. Free cash flow would be utilized to reduce borrowings currently outstanding under our revolving credit facility.

16:20 EDT Target announces reduced hours, will close all stores nationwide by 9pm - Beginning tomorrow, March 18, all Target stores will close by 9 p.m. local time daily, which will provide the team additional time for cleaning and restocking each day. In addition, the retailer announced that it will introduce a dedicated shopping hour every Wednesday morning for vulnerable guests. CEO Brian Cornell says: "As our team continues to adapt to the country's fast-changing needs, we're announcing plans to reduce our store hours and offer dedicated shopping hours for vulnerable guests. We'll also maintain limits on select products and would ask guests to purchase only what they need so there's enough supply to accommodate this increased demand."

16:17 EDT Granite provides update on Form 10-K filing - Granite Construction Incorporated provided an update regarding its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. As reported by Granite in its Form 12b-25 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2020, the Company was unable to file its Form 10-K within the prescribed time period without unreasonable effort or expense due to Granite's Audit/Compliance Committee investigation, assisted by independent counsel, of prior-period reporting for the Heavy Civil Operating Group. The extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 expired on March 17, 2020. In the Company's Form 12b-25 it disclosed that, while there could be no assurances, the Company was working to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K by March 17, 2020, however, the investigation has not yet concluded and the Company requires additional time to complete its financial statements. Once the investigation has concluded, the Company will work diligently to complete its financial statements in order to be able to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the SEC as soon as possible.

16:16 EDT Dover to acquire Em-tec for undisclosed amount - Dover announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Em-tec, a leading designer and manufacturer of flow measurement devices that serve a wide array of medical and biopharmaceutical applications. Following the close of the transaction, Em-tec will become part of the PSG(R) business unit within Dover's Pumps & Process Solutions segment. Em-tec is headquartered in Finning, Germany, and has a 30-year history of producing innovative flow measurement equipment used in connection with cardiac, vascular and transplant surgery, dialysis and "life support" procedures, automated bioprocess monitoring, and laboratory and industrial processes where flexible tubing is used. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the Q2.

16:16 EDT GAMCO declassification proposal approved at National Fuel Gas meeting - National Fuel Gas (NFG) held its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on March 11, 2020 in Naples, Florida. The company announced that the stockholder proposal presented by GAMCO Asset Management Inc., an affiliate of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (GBL), received support from approximately 73% of the votes cast. The stockholder proposal requested that the Board of Directors of National Fuel undertake the necessary steps to declassify the Board and require that all Directors of the Company stand for election annually. The proposal further stated that the declassification of the Board should be completed in a manner that does not affect the unexpired terms of Directors that have been previously elected by the company's stockholders.

16:13 EDT MongoDB down 9% to $104.22 after FY21 guidance misses estimates

16:11 EDT Arrowhead to restrict all but most essential business travel - Arrowhead announced precautionary measures the company is taking to help protect the health and safety of its employees, partners, and the healthcare workers and patients involved in ongoing clinical studies of Arrowhead's investigational medicines. Arrowhead does not expect these precautionary measures to materially affect the projected timelines for its development programs. Arrowhead is taking the following actions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19: Providing employees with flexibility around work schedules and recommending that they work from home, to the extent feasible and appropriate; Restricting all but the most essential business-related travel; Implementing a temporary easing of paid time off policies for any employee and/or family member illnesses and requiring ill employees to remain home for an extended time after symptoms subside; Restricting non-employee access to Arrowhead facilities.

16:10 EDT Qiagen ramps up global production capacity for RNA extraction kits - Qiagen announced plans to dramatically ramp up global production capacity of RNA extraction kits that are used as part of workflows around the world to detect nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Qiagen has historically allocated global production capacity to manufacture RNA nucleic extraction reagents to supply about 1.5 million patient tests on a monthly basis. Now Qiagen is ramping up production capacity for these reagents to support a level of more than 6.5 million patient tests a month by the end of April 2020 and over 10 million patient tests a month by the end of June 2020. A significant capacity expansion project is underway at sites in Europe and the United States to reach more than 20 million patient tests on a monthly basis by the end of 2020 to support the response to this global public health crisis. "QIAGEN teams are working 24/7 to address the unprecedented demand for reagents that has emerged to enable testing for COVID-19 in terms of RNA extraction, as well as for production of tests for use on the QIAstat-Dx syndromic testing system," said Thierry Bernard, Interim CEO and Senior Vice President, Head of the Molecular Diagnostics Business Area, at QIAGEN. "We continue to work with our customers around the world to assess their flexibility, timing and quantity needs to support shipping of RNA extraction reagents to the most critical areas. We are determined to help public health authorities and medical staff around the world respond quickly to those who are ill and prevent the spread of this disease."

16:08 EDT MongoDB announces CTO Eliot Horowitz to step down - The company said, "Eliot Horowitz, our co-founder and CTO, has decided, after almost 13 years with MongoDB, to step down as CTO and as a director of the company effective as of our Annual Meeting, July 10, 2020. He will become a technical advisor to MongoDB after leaving his full-time role."

16:08 EDT Exela Technologies completes divestment of SourceHOV Tax - Exela Technologies announced that it has completed the divestment of its tax consulting group, SourceHOV Tax, for a purchase price of $40M to Private Equity firm Gainline Capital Partners. This is the first strategic divestment of non-core business units for Exela as part of its previously announced initiative, and follows a $160M accounts receivable securitization facility that closed in January. SourceHOV Tax generated $20.7M of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019.

16:06 EDT KeyCorp temporarily suspends share repurchase program - KeyCorp announced it is joining the largest U.S. banks in temporarily suspending share repurchases through the Q2 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key is well positioned with strong capital and liquidity and is committed to supporting our clients and communities, as well as the broader financial system, at this critical time. Importantly, this announcement does not impact Key's dividend policy, and Key retains the option to reinstate the share repurchase program prior to June 30th as circumstances warrant.

16:06 EDT FedEx CEO: Prepared for increased demand amid reductions in air capacity - "The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact around the world," said Frederick Smith, FedEx CEO. "We continue to deliver for our customers and are ready to support increased demand for our International Express export services due to the significant reductions in intercontinental air capacity. While the global economic impact from recent social-distancing mandates is uncertain, we remain well positioned to assist our customers as they work to manage their supply chains and inventories. We will continue to support efforts to combat the pandemic."

16:01 EDT Tallgrass Energy trading resumes

15:58 EDT Tallgrass Energy trading halted, volatility trading pause

15:57 EDT Merchants Bancorp trading halted, volatility trading pause

15:56 EDT Moody's places ratings of JetBlue on review for downgrade - Moody's Investors Service placed its ratings of JetBlue Airways on review for downgrade, including the Ba1 corporate family rating. Moody's also downgraded the speculative grade liquidity rating to SGL-2 from SGL-1. "The rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the deteriorating global economic outlook, falling oil prices and asset price declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented. The passenger airline sector has been one of the sectors most significantly affected by the shock given its exposure to travel restrictions and sensitivity to consumer demand and sentiment. More specifically, JetBlue is left vulnerable to shifts in market sentiment in these unprecedented operating conditions, and the company remains vulnerable to the outbreak continuing to spread. Moody's regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under its ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. Today's action reflects the impact on JetBlue of the breadth and severity of the shock, and the broad deterioration in credit quality it has triggered," the agency said.

15:52 EDT El Pollo Loco announces changes to encourage social distancing - El Pollo Loco (LOCO) announced changes that the company is putting into effect to encourage social distancing in an effort to help contain the COVID-19 virus. El Pollo Loco has taken immediate action to ensure the safety of its employees and customers as the world continues to experience the impact of Coronavirus. To help assure the company is doing everything possible to safeguard the health of their restaurant employees and customers, the following has been implemented: Increased frequency of sanitizing all surfaces throughout the restaurants; In addition to the kitchen team members, cashiers are now wearing gloves;Temporarily closed the salsa bar. Fresh salsa is now served directly from the front counter; More rigorously sanitize the dine-in service trays; Require even more frequent handwashing for the team members; Complying with all state and local regulations as it pertains to the closure of dining rooms. However, we are ready to receive all customer orders in our restaurants and drive-thrus, and for pickup or delivery at elpolloloco.com and via our mobile app; Delivery bags continue to be sealed and tamper-free for customers' safety; Available for delivery through DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats (UBER) and Grubhub (GRUB). "Families are at the heart of everything we do, so as we continue to experience the unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our communities, we want to share some immediate actions we have taken to protect you," said Bernard Acoca, President & Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco. "Although the USDA and FDA have found no link between transmission of Coronavirus and food and food packaging, safety remains a top priority for El Pollo Loco." El Pollo Loco will also be offering customers free delivery fees on Grubhub orders at participating locations from March 25 to April 7 to make it easier to enjoy a meal at home.

15:47 EDT NextGen says NextGen Patient Experience Platform now available - NextGen Healthcare announced that NextGen Patient Experience Platform is now available. Through the recent acquisition and integration of Medfusion and OTTO Health, NextGen Healthcare can now provide next generation patient access and engagement capabilities as a natural extension of NextGen Enterprise, the company's award-winning Electronic Health Records and Practice Management solution. The platform already processes more than 50M transactions annually for more than 16M patients and 41,000 providers in hundreds of practices across the country.

15:42 EDT ARC says air ticket sales by U.S. travel agencies down 12% in February - Airlines Reporting Corp., or ARC, released data showing that ARC-accredited travel agencies experienced a $1B year-over-year decrease in air ticket sales for the month of February. The consolidated dollar value of tickets sold by agencies last month totaled $7.2B, a 12.4% decrease when compared to February 2019. The total number of passenger trips settled by ARC for its agency customers decreased 3.9% to 24,859,327 compared to 25,868,150 in February 2019. U.S. domestic trips increased by 1.3% YOY, but due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak outside of the U.S., international passenger trips fell 12% YOY. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price last month was $488, a $2 increase over February 2019. Publicly traded airlines include Alaska Air (ALK), American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV), Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and United Airlines (UAL).

15:36 EDT Las Vegas Sands closes Venetian, Palazzo resorts until at least April 1 - Las Vegas Sands announced that, out of an abundance of caution and in line with recent guidance from federal and state governments, it is closing its Venetian and Palazzo resorts in Las Vegas until at least April 1. A decision on whether to extend the closure or re-open will be made at a later date. The process of closing the properties will begin immediately and be completed as soon as possible. The company said it is committed to paying its team members while the buildings are closed. No layoffs or furloughs are being contemplated and the closure will not impact health care eligibility, the company stated. "These are clearly challenging times for our country and our community. We are in the hospitality and entertainment business and our team members work very hard to provide a great experience for the thousands of people who come through our doors daily. However, our most important commitment is the one we have made to the health and safety of our team members and guests. Right now, the best way to fulfill that commitment is by asking people to not come to work. While we hope this closure is a short-term necessity, we are realistic it may be a prolonged event. Our team members and their families will rightly be concerned about their health and safety, but we do not want them worried about their jobs, income or health care. Like we have done in the past, we are fully prepared to support our team members over an extended period should it be needed," said Rob Goldstein, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands.

15:33 EDT CME Group CEO says shorter trading hours 'make no sense' - In response to U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin's comments today regarding the possibility of shortening financial market hours to address high volatility due to the coronavirus outbreak, CME Group (CME) Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy issued the following statement: "We were quite surprised to hear Secretary Mnuchin say he is coordinating with the New York Stock Exchange (ICE) on possible shortened trading hours, even though he has not reached out to all cash equity and futures markets including CME Group and Nasdaq (NDAQ). Shorter hours make no sense. Financial markets are critical to managing risk and ensuring the resilience of the U.S. and global economies. Therefore, they must remain open, especially during this unprecedented crisis when news, information and events are changing at such a rapid pace. Markets are global, so shortening U.S. hours would not decrease volatility. Rather, it could actually increase as investors turn to other venues outside the U.S. when developments occur."

15:28 EDT Laurentian Bank of Canada cuts prime lending rate to 2.95% from 3.45% - Laurentian Bank of Canada decreased its prime lending rate by 50 basis points from 3.45% to 2.95%, effective March 18, 2020.

14:58 EDT Navistar trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:30 EDT Opko's BioReference commits to testing 5,000 New Yorkers each day for COVID-19 - BioReference Laboratories, an Opko Health company, announced a collaboration with the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation to provide coronavirus disease 2019 testing. "In support of the public health system as they provide healthcare to vulnerable and at-risk populations, BioReference is committed to prioritizing hospital patients suspected of COVID-19 infections and aid front-line physicians and healthcare providers to quickly and efficiently diagnose patients. In addition to the drive-through facilities, this collaboration is yet another example of how the private sector can assist with government agencies to help combat this epidemic," said Jon Cohen, Executive Chairman of BioReference Laboratories.

14:02 EDT Macy's to temporarily close all stores by end of business today - Macy's announced that it will temporarily close all stores by end of business today, March 17 through March 31 in response to the widespread COVID-19 outbreak. This includes all Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bluemercury, Macy's Backstage, Bloomingdales the Outlet and Market by Macy's stores. Macy's, Inc. will provide benefits and compensation to its impacted workforce. All three Macy's, Inc. brands - Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury - will continue to serve customers through its e-commerce sites and through its mobile apps. "The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. As a result of the recent COVID-19 developments, we have decided to temporarily close our stores. We will work with government and health officials to assess when we will reopen our stores and safely bring our colleagues back to work," said Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy's.

13:54 EDT Eldorado Resorts temporarily suspends Iowa casino operations - Eldorado Resorts announced that, in accordance with an order from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, it will temporarily suspend casino operations at the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf and Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo at 12pm on March 17. The company is continuing to monitor developments related to COVID-19 and reinforcing its policies as necessary.

13:32 EDT HSBC appoints Noel Quinn as Group CEO - HSBC Holdings plc announces that Noel Quinn is appointed Group Chief Executive Officer. This is effective immediately. Group Chairman Mark Tucker, who led the global search, said: "Noel has proven to be the outstanding candidate to take on a role permanently that he has performed impressively on an interim basis since August 2019. He is a strong and proven leader with extensive global banking expertise, deep client relationships and the energy and skill to drive the business forward at pace. In the last few months Noel has worked closely with the Board to agree the key actions required to build and enhance performance on a sustainable basis. He has shown a great understanding of HSBC, the challenges we face and the significant opportunities for growth that lie ahead. We wish him the very best in taking HSBC forward."

13:25 EDT Waymo pausing robotaxi service in response to COVID-19 outbreak - Waymo said on its website that "In the interest of the health and safety of our riders and the entire Waymo community, we're pausing our Waymo One service with trained drivers in Metro Phoenix for now as we continue to watch COVID-19 developments. We've also paused driving in California in line with local guidance. Our fully driverless operations in Phoenix will continue for now within our early rider program, along with our local delivery efforts and truck testing. We can carry out driverless, delivery, and trucking services for our riders and partners while respecting the important social distancing and hygiene guidelines shared by the CDC and local authorities. Removing the human driver holds great promise for not only for making our roads safer, but for helping our riders stay healthy in these uncertain times. We'll continue to monitor COVID-19 developments carefully, and we'll reach out to our riders if there are any further service changes. Until then, our Rider Support team will be available to answer any questions." Reference Link

13:21 EDT Illinois Casualty Company to suspend insurance premium billing for 30 days - Illinois Casualty Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICC Holdings, will temporarily suspend all insurance premium billing for 30 days beginning Friday, March 20. This is in response to growing COVID-19 concerns and closings that will affect the food and beverage industry. Arron Sutherland, ICC's President and CEO added, "At ICC, we value our customers and the important service that they provide the community. I hope that this measure helps to ease their financial burden in some small way during this difficult and turbulent time." Furthermore, ICC's corporate headquarters remains open to provide customers with continued services with the least amount of disruption possible. ICC places the highest priority on providing a safe work environment for our employees and has taken steps to protect, and offer services to, employees. As ICC continues to monitor this complex and rapidly evolving situation, its plans may change. Arron Sutherland, ICC's President and CEO added, "At ICC, we value our customers and the important service that they provide the community. I hope that this measure helps to ease their financial burden in some small way during this difficult and turbulent time." The company said, "ICC's corporate headquarters remains open to provide customers with continued services with the least amount of disruption possible. ICC places the highest priority on providing a safe work environment for our employees and has taken steps to protect, and offer services to, employees. As ICC continues to monitor this complex and rapidly evolving situation, its plans may change."

13:11 EDT Boeing drops after S&P cuts credit, debt ratings on weak cash flows - S&P Global Ratings last night lowered Boeing's issuer credit and unsecured debt ratings to 'BBB' from 'A-'. The ratings agency affirmed the company's 'A-2' short-term rating and placed Boeing on CreditWatch with negative implications. Boeing's cash flows for the next two years "are going to be much weaker than we had expected, due to the 737 MAX grounding, resulting in worse credit ratios than we had forecast," S&P said in a statement. In addition, the significant reduction in global air travel due to the coronavirus will likely result in an increase in aircraft order deferrals, further pressuring the company's cash flows, the agency added. The CreditWatch outlook reflects that S&P could lower Boeing's ratings further if its cash flow over the next 12-24 months is weaker than expected. Shares of Boeing are off their lows but remain down 9%, or $11.84, to $117.77 in afternoon trading.

13:01 EDT Lincoln Educational to provide remote learning amid COVID-19 pandemic - Lincoln Educational Services Corporation announced that their campuses across the country will temporarily transition from classroom instruction to remote, distance learning in light of the current coronavirus healthcare crisis. "As of this time, there have been no confirmed cases of Covid-19 at any of our campuses," reported Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech's President and CEO. "However, in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus, we have decided to make the transition from classroom instruction to remote online learning." In order to facilitate this transition, classes were cancelled for the day on Monday, March 16. Faculty and staff used that day as an in-service, curriculum development day in order to finalize preparations for delivering their training programs via distance learning. In order to facilitate this transition, classes were cancelled for the day on Monday, March 16. Faculty and staff used that day as an in-service, curriculum development day in order to finalize preparations for delivering their training programs via distance learning. Some campuses will be able to initiate remote instruction as early as today, while others will require an additional day of preparation and to confirm that students are able to effectively log in and access the curriculum remotely. Online and distance learning will begin no later than Thursday, March 19 at all but one of the campuses. Lincoln's Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences campus in Las Vegas, NV is awaiting approval from the state's Board of Cosmetology regarding the ability to provide distance learning for the programs offered there. Distance learning at the campuses will continue until such time as the risk of spreading the virus has subsided. Lincoln expects this operational change to be temporary and will return to their traditional hands-on training programs at that time. Throughout this period of remote instruction, campuses will remain open, unless circumstances warrant otherwise, to allow students to access Wi-Fi, if needed, or to receive additional assistance from various student services departments including Financial Aid and Career Services. Campuses are being cleaned with disinfectants on a daily basis.

12:58 EDT Google Fiber closes Fiber retail spaces 'until crisis abates' - Google Fiber said in a blog posting: "There's a lot going on in the world right now, and many more questions than answers. Things are uncertain, and moving so quickly that it's hard to keep track. At Google Fiber, we don't have the answers to the big questions facing us. But we know that a lot of experts are working to find them, and we're thankful to the scientists, doctors and nurses, public health experts, government officials and nonprofit organizations working day and night to address the global pandemic of COVID-19...We also feel a deep responsibility to do whatever we can to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our Fiber communities. So, we're closing our Fiber retail spaces and discontinuing outbound sales processes until this crisis abates. We'll continue to install service for new customers as long as it's safe and we're able to do so, and we'll do everything we can to repair and maintain our network for customers who are relying on it, and on us.We've never had data caps or late fees, and we've committed to making sure anyone who is financially impacted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak will be able to continue their Google Fiber service during this difficult time." Reference Link

12:49 EDT Cinemark Chairman Lee Roy Mitchell buys almost $1M in company shares - Cinemark Chairman Lee Roy Mitchell disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 106,860 shares of company stock at an avergae price of $9.30 per share on March 16. The total transaction value of the purchase was $993,798.

12:40 EDT Samsung to shut down PlayGalaxy Link service on March 27 - Samsung said that its PlayGalaxy Link service, which allowed users to stream video games from PCs to select Galaxy smartphones, will end service on March 27. "After many difficult discussions, PlayGalaxy Link will be ended on 27 March 2020 due to internal policy changes," the company said. Reference Link

12:32 EDT Penn National to suspend construction of Hollywood Casinos in Morgantown, York - Penn National Gaming announced that in response to Governor Tom Wolf's call for a statewide shutdown of all non-essential business activities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, it will be suspending construction on its planned Hollywood Casino Morgantown and Hollywood Casino York Category 4 facilities in Pennsylvania, effective immediately. "We fully support the Governor's effort to try to stem the tide of this unprecedented public health threat," said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming. "We also believe it's prudent to revisit any and all capital expenditure commitments in order to help preserve liquidity in light of the impact of COVID-19 on our business." The $111 million Hollywood Casino Morgantown was expected to open in November of this year and the $120 million Hollywood Casino York at the York Galleria Mall was anticipated to open by year end. By law, Category 4 "mini casinos" are authorized to operate up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games. "We look forward to continuing to consult with the Governor's office, as well as local, state and federal health authorities to determine when construction might resume," said Mr. Snowden. "In the meantime, we appreciate the patience, understanding and support of our community leaders in Morgantown and York, as well as our local construction teams."

12:16 EDT Sierra Bancorp trading resumes

12:14 EDT MetroCity Bankshares Inc trading resumes

12:10 EDT Jack in the Box trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:09 EDT Daimler suspends most production in Europe, some administrative work - Daimler AG said in a statement, "Due to the worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Daimler Group has decided today to suspend the majority of its production in Europe, as well as work in selected administrative departments, for an initial period of two weeks. By taking this action, the company is following the recommendations of international, national and local authorities. The suspension applies to Daimler's car, van and commercial vehicle plants in Europe and will start this week. Connected to this is an assessment of global supply chains, which currently cannot be maintained to their full extent. An extension of this measure will depend on further developments. Wherever operations need to be continued, the company will take appropriate precautions to prevent the infection of its employees." It added, "With these closures, Daimler is helping to protect its workforce, to interrupt chains of infection and to contain the spread of the pandemic. At the same time, this will help the company to prepare for a period of temporarily lower demand and to protect its financial strength. Given the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the economic effects on Daimler cannot be adequately determined or reliably quantified at this time."

12:06 EDT Asked about potential for drug shortages, Trump says 'don't see that at all' - Publicly traded large drugmakers include AstraZeneca (AZN), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Novartis (NVS), Pfizer (PFE), Roche (RHHBY) and Sanofi (SNY). President Donald Trump continues conducting a coronavirus update press conference from the White House.

12:06 EDT Gaming and Leisure Properties trading resumes

12:01 EDT American Airlines trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:01 EDT Gaming and Leisure Properties trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:00 EDT Tutor Perini falls -36.9% - Tutor Perini is down -36.9%, or -$1.96 to $3.37.

12:00 EDT Peabody Energy rises 43.5% - Peabody Energy is up 43.5%, or $1.50 to $4.95.

12:00 EDT Blue Apron rises 66.8% - Blue Apron is up 66.8%, or $2.55 to $6.37.

12:00 EDT Alaska Air trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:53 EDT Apple says retail stores outside China will be closed until further notice

11:30 EDT FDA requires new health warnings for cigarette packages and ads - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to require new health warnings on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements. The warnings feature textual statements with photo-realistic color images depicting some of the lesser-known, but serious health risks of cigarette smoking, including impact to fetal growth, cardiac disease, diabetes and more. Beginning June 18, 2021, these new cigarette health warnings will be required to appear prominently on cigarette packages and in advertisements, occupying the top 50% of the area of the front and rear panels of cigarette packages and at least 20% of the area at the top of cigarette advertisements. Once implemented, the new warnings must be randomly and equally displayed and distributed on cigarette packages and rotated quarterly in cigarette advertisements. "The 11 finalized cigarette health warnings represent the most significant change to cigarette labels in more than 35 years and will considerably increase public awareness of lesser-known, but serious negative health consequences of cigarette smoking. Research shows that the current warnings on cigarettes, which have not changed since 1984, have become virtually invisible to both smokers and nonsmokers, in part because of their small size, location and lack of an image. Additionally, research shows substantial gaps remain in the public's knowledge of the harms of cigarette smoking, and smokers have misinformation about cigarettes and their negative health effects," said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. Publicly traded companies in the tobacco products space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI), Imperial Brands (IMBBY) and Philip Morris (PM).

11:23 EDT Gap trading resumes

11:22 EDT Penn National temporarily suspends operations at Hollywood Casino in Kansas - Penn National Gaming announced that Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway received notification from the Kansas Lottery to temporarily suspend operations for a period of two weeks beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 as a precautionary measure against the ongoing spread of COVID-19. The Kansas Lottery will be continuing to work with the state's licensed casinos, as well as local, state and federal health authorities to determine safe protocols for when operations may resume. "The health and well-being of our guests and team members will always be our paramount concern," said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming. "Since the coronavirus threat began, we have implemented stringent CDC-recommended protocols throughout our enterprise, including increased daily cleaning regimens, maximizing air circulation, cancelling or postponing all live events, and we're in the process of reducing the number of chairs at our dining facilities, table games and poker rooms, as well as the number of slot machines in play at any one time, to increase social distancing, among other initiatives. As for our nearly 650 team members at Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway who will be impacted by this temporary closure, we plan to continue to pay their wages and benefits through the end of March. In addition, we'll be donating perishable food items to Harvesters Community Food Network. "

11:21 EDT TransMedics Group Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:18 EDT DexCom trading resumes

11:16 EDT Wayfair trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:14 EDT GrubHub trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:13 EDT DexCom trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:10 EDT Tutor Perini trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:56 EDT Cellcom Israel: Coronavirus effects may result in shortage of equipment - Cellcom Israel announced an update on the impact of the Corona virus and the related containment measures by the Israeli government on its operations and results of operations: "There has been substantial decrease in international traveling due to the Corona virus, which has had an adverse effect on the Company's roaming services and if continues for a long duration, would result in a material adverse effect on the Company's roaming revenues and results of operations. In addition, the Israeli government published various regulatory requirements for Corona virus containment in Israel, including the prohibition on public gathering and any unnecessary outing from one's home, including the closure of malls and other non-essential leisure establishments and substantial reduction of manpower presence in the workplace. Following such instructions the Company closed its points of sale and walk in centers and substantially reduced its calling centers customer service personnel and other personnel not essential for the continued proper operation of its networks and provision of the Company's services. During this period of containment, the Company intends to focus its efforts in providing quality dependable service to its existing customers. Such measures, if continue for a long duration, would have a material adverse effect on the Company's sales of services and handsets and results of operations. The effects of the Corona virus, if continue for a long duration, may also result in shortage of equipment and suppliers failing to supply the Company with handsets, set-top boxes, network elements, spare parts or other equipment required for the Company's networks operation and upgrade or sale and repair of handsets, all of which may have an adverse effect on the Company's results of operations. If such effects continue and for the duration they so continue, it would adversely affect the Company's access to additional debt or capital. The Company is taking measures in order to mitigate such adverse effects, by reducing its expenses and investments during the Corona virus pandemic, including by reducing its sales operation and by sending a large quantity of employees on an unpaid leave."

10:34 EDT Freeport McMoRan says Cerro Verde temporarily shifts to care, maintenance status - Freeport-McMoRan announced that the Peruvian Government has issued a Supreme Decree and declaration of a National Emergency in its efforts to contain the outbreak of COVID-19. To comply with the Government's requirements, Cerro Verde has temporarily transitioned to a care and maintenance status for a 15-day period which commenced on March 16, 2020. During this period, onsite personnel will be limited to critical activities necessary to maintain the facilities pending a return to normal operations. Freeport-McMoRan owns 53.56% of Cerro Verde, which operates one of the world's largest concentrating facilities near Arequipa, Peru. In 2019, Cerro Verde produced 1.0 billion pounds of copper and 29 million pounds of molybdenum. Cerro Verde will work closely with Government authorities to be prepared to restart operations as soon as possible.

10:26 EDT AdaptHealth Corporation (Class A Stock) trading resumes

10:20 EDT Amazon temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies fulfillment - In a post to its Amazon Services Seller Forums, the company stated in part: "We are closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on our customers, selling partners, and employees. We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. For products other than these, we have temporarily disabled shipment creation. We are taking a similar approach with retail vendors. This will be in effect today through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations. Shipments created before today will be received at fulfillment centers...We understand this is a change to your business, and we did not take this decision lightly. We are working around the clock to increase capacity and yesterday announced 133 that we are opening 100,000 new full- and part-time positions in our fulfillment centers across the US. We appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the above products for our customers." Reference Link

10:17 EDT EPR Properties trading resumes

10:16 EDT AdaptHealth Corporation (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:04 EDT Vici Properties trading resumes

10:00 EDT Intersect ENT trading resumes

10:00 EDT Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -20.7% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -20.7%, or -$2.90 to $11.11.

10:00 EDT Everi Holdings rises 14.9% - Everi Holdings is up 14.9%, or 43c to $3.35.

10:00 EDT Blue Apron rises 71.5% - Blue Apron is up 71.5%, or $2.73 to $6.55.

09:55 EDT DBV Technologies trading resumes

09:53 EDT Citizens Financial to suspend stock repurchase program through June - Citizens Financial Group announced that it will temporarily suspend its stock repurchase program through June. The company said, "This action is being taken to support the efforts of the Federal Reserve and other banks to moderate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by making additional capital and liquidity available to our customers - corporates, small businesses and individuals. This announcement does not impact our dividend policy. "

09:50 EDT Intersect ENT trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:49 EDT Macerich trading resumes

09:49 EDT Planet Fitness trading resumes

09:47 EDT Bloom Energy falls -17.9% - Bloom Energy is down -17.9%, or -95c to $4.36.

09:47 EDT Everi Holdings rises 26.0% - Everi Holdings is up 26.0%, or 76c to $3.68.

09:47 EDT Blue Apron rises 37.2% - Blue Apron is up 37.2%, or $1.42 to $5.24.

09:45 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts trading resumes

09:44 EDT Magenta Therapeutics trading resumes

09:43 EDT AMTD International Inc trading resumes

09:43 EDT Pure Cycle trading resumes

09:43 EDT Eldorado Resorts to temporarily close Isle of Capri, Lady Luck Black Hawk - Eldorado Resorts announced that, in accordance with Governor Polis's order, it will temporarily suspend casino operations at the Isle of Capri and Lady Luck Black Hawk at 8AM MDT March 17. "The company is continuing to monitor developments related to COVID-19 and reinforcing our policies as necessary."

09:42 EDT Hilton trading resumes

09:41 EDT Six Flags trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT Park Hotels & Resorts trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:40 EDT United Continental trading resumes

09:39 EDT Caesars trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT Floor & Decor trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:38 EDT MTBC 'equipped and ready' to provide support providers need - "We are equipped and ready to provide the support our providers need to enable them to provide them with the tools they need to deliver quality patient care during this pandemic," said Shruti Patel, President, Telehealth Division, MTBC. She continued, "As more individuals reduce their travel and limit their time in public spaces, we're helping to ensure that clinicians can continue to conduct visits with their patients, without disruption as well as ensure the safety and health of patients."

09:37 EDT Hilton trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:37 EDT Cortexyme Inc trading resumes

09:36 EDT Ciner Resources trading resumes

09:35 EDT Guardant Health trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT Healthpeak Properties trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:35 EDT 51Job trading resumes

09:30 EDT Ciner Resources trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:28 EDT Ballantyne Strong shareholder announces program to purchase additional shares - Ballantyne Strong announced that its largest shareholder, Fundamental Global Investors entered into a stock trading plan in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for the purchase of up to one million shares of common stock of the Company. The 10b5-1 Plan becomes effective on April 2, 2020 and will terminate on April 2, 2021 or such earlier date as set forth in the 10b5-1 Plan. Transactions under the 10b5-1 Plan, if any, will be reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with applicable securities laws, rules and regulations. Kyle Cerminara, the CEO, Co-Founder and Partner of Fundamental Global, is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, and Lewis Johnson, the President, Co-Founder and Partner of Fundamental Global, is the Co-Chairman of the Board.

09:26 EDT Blink Charging Network approved by OpenADR Alliance - Blink Charging announced certification by the OpenADR Alliance of the Blink Network under OpenADR 2.0 to facilitate communication utility suppliers and Blink's vast EV charger network. EV chargers represent a growing load to the electric distribution system. Utilities can use demand response programs to reduce peak load when needed, thereby offsetting the energy supply cost for peak periods. Demand response can also offset the cost of investment needed to otherwise upgrade the distribution infrastructure. Through OpenADR 2.0, a widely adopted standard, a utility or load management entity can readily integrate our entire charging network within their territory to enable load management control. This allows Blink charging stations to reduce their power draw in response to a request from the utility when in heavy demand. Blink's solution enables the chargers to be controlled individually or in programmed groups. When a utility operator sends a demand response event signal, the Blink network will identify individual chargers and groups impacted and automatically initiate curtailment.

09:24 EDT Havertyd to temporarily close retail locations - HAVERTYS announced updates to its operating plans in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Havertys will temporarily close its retail locations beginning March 19 until April 2, 2020. The warehouse and distribution operations will also be suspended for two weeks, with teams receiving products from vendors and making home deliveries thru March 21. The company will pay affected team members during these periods of operational pause. Havertys' corporate office personnel are working remotely, and senior leadership is assessing business continuity plans during this national health emergency.

09:23 EDT Silvercorp Metals announces share repurchase program up to 8,670,104 shares - Silvercorp Metals announced a normal course issuer bid to acquire up to 8,670,104 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 5% the 173,402,084 common shares issued and outstanding as of March 16, 2020. The repurchase program will run from March 19, 2020 to March 18, 2021. The Company is taking this action because it believes that prevailing market conditions have resulted in Silvercorp's shares being undervalued relative to the immediate and long term value of Silvercorp's portfolio of producing properties in China and other strategic investments. Pursuant to the Company's normal course issuer bid which commenced on February 25, 2019 and terminated on February 24, 2020, Silvercorp purchased 1,717,100 common shares of the Company at a price of $3.09 per common share through the facilities of the TSX, the NYSE American or alternative trading platforms in Canada and the United States, in compliance with regulatory requirements. The Company was authorized to purchase up to 8,484,682 common shares under the 2019 normal course issuer bid.

09:21 EDT American Express provides update on impact of COVID-19 - American Express hosted an Investor Update Call, where the company's senior executives discussed recent business trends and long-term strategies. The company also provided an update on the impact of COVID-19 (or coronavirus) on its financial performance. American Express has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its broader impact on the global economy. While performance in January and February of this year largely showed strong momentum consistent with 2019, the company observed softness in spending volumes in the last few days of February. This softness has accelerated into March and spread more globally. Accordingly, American Express now expects its first-quarter revenue growth to be in the range of 2 to 4 percent on an FX-adjusted basis, and adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $1.90 to $2.10, excluding reserve builds in the quarter. Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the duration, magnitude and geographic reach of COVID-19, American Express is not able to forecast its future financial results beyond the first quarter at this time. The company plans to provide further updates on the COVID-19 impact on its first-quarter earnings call in April. The company is focused on ensuring the health and safety of its colleagues around the world, serving its Card Members and merchants, and supporting those in need. "American Express has a long runway to deliver strong, long-term performance, driven by our differentiated business model and our focus on our strategic imperatives," said Stephen Squeri, Chairman and CEO. "We have a long track record of navigating through uncertain economic periods by focusing on our disciplined operational and strategic execution, our dedicated colleagues, and the deep relationships we have with our customers and partners. We will continue our strategy of investing in share, scale and relevance, and we are focused on running the company for the long term."

09:20 EDT Churchill Downs says 'safety comes first' before 'logistics of horseracing'

09:19 EDT Trupanion says data continues to show no evidence of COVID-19 in pets - With concerns around community spread of pandemic illnesses, and potential implications for pets, Trupanioncontinues to report no evidence of COVID-19 spread in pets in North America. Over its 20 year history, Trupanion has amassed claims history from over 1.5 million pets that can be used to monitor changes or trends in pet health, including over the past 6+ weeks following the spread of COVID-19 in North America. Trupanion's data is consistent with reports from industry leaders including IDEXX, and the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports there is no evidence to suggest that pets can contract or spread COVID-19. Through Trupanion's veterinary software and partnerships with many of the animal health industry's leading players, Trupanion has access to real time data before pets even leave the hospital as well as qualitative insights from the veterinary profession. This combination of data, coupled with the unique field-force footprint of the Trupanion Territory Partners throughout the United States and Canada, presents a clear view of the nation's pet health. In early March, Trupanion completed the transition of its Seattle workforce to a remote environment, reinforcing its commitment to provide 24/7/365 support for pet owners. The move was initiated proactively to support pet owners, employees and community members amid growing COVID-19 concerns around the world.

09:17 EDT Benefytt Technologies plans to continue operations during COVID-19 outbreak - Benefytt Technologies announced actions being taken to remove barriers to access and provide support to members in an effort to help combat the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The company said, "Benefytt currently plans to continue operations through the dynamic situation that is unfolding as a result of the outbreak while taking precautions to minimize risks to our staff and community. Benefytt's Medicare agents report to several different office locations that are spread across the country, creating redundancies in our ability to continue supporting telephonic enrollment and insurance agent consultation for individuals and families even if any particular localized or regional geographical area becomes disproportionately impacted by the virus. In addition, most of our Medicare sales representatives, agents, administrative and support staff, as well as the majority of other Benefytt employees, have the ability to work remotely from home in the event that it becomes necessary to limit the presence of staff and clients in any of our offices. Benefytt is built on powerful technology and is committed to continue serving the public to ensure that all health insurance educational resources and Medicare-related enrollment options remain available to consumers. During this difficult time, it is important for industry stakeholders to work together in order to deliver solutions to consumers, including removing financial barriers to accessing vital testing and diagnostic services so that new cases of the virus are more quickly identified and treated, which in turn could help slow the spread of the virus and potentially save lives. In response to the spread of COVID-19 and the national health risk it poses, many Medicare Advantage health plans available through Benefytt have agreed to waive out-of-pocket costs for standard, physician-ordered, COVID-19 testing and various related services consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We recommend that individuals seek information from their local, state, and federal government agencies for the latest information regarding COVID-19, and we hope that the removal of out-of-pocket costs associated with COVID-19 testing and related services will provide some peace of mind and ease of access for people during this declared national emergency."

09:16 EDT Central Federal approves stock repurchase program - Central Federal, the parent of CFBank, announced that the Board of Directors of Central Federal, has authorized a stock repurchase program pursuant to which the Company may repurchase up to 3% of the Company's outstanding common stock over the period ending September 30. Under the stock repurchase program, the Company may purchase shares of its common stock from time to time through various means, including open market transactions and privately negotiated transactions. Timothy T. O'Dell, President and CEO, commented "We believe our stock is a good value, and the Board's approval of this stock repurchase program reflects confidence in our Company's intrinsic value. Repurchasing stock underscores our commitment to enhancing shareholder value and demonstrates confidence in our business model."

09:16 EDT ToughBuilt announces distribution agreement with Haspaka Group - ToughBuilt Industries announced an agreement with Haspaka for the distribution of its product offerings by the Israeli-based distributor. Haspaka Group, an 'Industrial Supply - Professional Tools Store' serves both large factories and professionals that require a wide range of tools and equipment. For decades, Haspaka has been supplying a vast variety of products - its catalog currently lists approximately 15,000 items.

09:15 EDT GrowLife up-lists to OTCQB Market - GrowLife announced that its stock has commenced trading on the OTCQB Market after successfully up-listing from the OTC Pink Market.

09:14 EDT Facebook investing $100M to help 30,000 small businesses amid COVID-19 outbreak - Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg announced that the company is investing $100 million to help 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries where its employees live and work. Sandberg said: "As the COVID-19 outbreak escalates, our focus has been on keeping people safe and informed by making sure everyone has accurate information, supporting global health experts and stopping misinformation. Our thoughts, like everyone's, are with our loved ones and our communities and all of those impacted around the world... Whatever happens next, we will be working to help businesses weather this storm." Reference Link

09:12 EDT CleanSpark announces coronavirus data available through P2Klabs app - CleanSpark announced that a mobile application it was engaged to design is helping keep residents nationwide aware of the Coronavirus risks in their neighborhoods. AlertNest engaged p2klabs, a wholly owned subsidiary of CleanSpark, to help design its latest mobile app to keep residents informed on what's happening in their neighborhoods. The AlertNest app was designed as a go-to mobile app to provide individuals with all the information they need to conduct their lives in one place. AlertNest collects and shares police, crime, local current events and weather data and now also includes updates and alerts from the Center for Disease Control, and other vetted sources with respect to Coronavirus. These alerts allow users to see updated Coronavirus statistics on a global, domestic and state by state basis.

09:10 EDT Liberty Latin America announces $100M share repurchase program - Liberty Latin America announces that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $100M of the company's Class A and Class C shares over the next two years.

09:08 EDT Ulta Beauty to close all stores until at least March 31 in response to COVID-19 - Ulta Beauty announced updates to its operations in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. With COVID-19 continuing to spread throughout the U.S., Ulta Beauty believes it is the company's responsibility to help communities and governments contain this pandemic. As a precautionary measure, Ulta Beauty will temporarily close all of its stores effective 6:00 p.m. on March 19, until at least March 31. However, most stores will continue to be outlets for buy online and pick up in store as allowed by local and state regulations, and all guests can continue to shop through the Ulta Beauty app or visit ulta.com. Due to the fast-moving nature of this situation and the uncertainty of impacts on costs and revenue, the company is withdrawing guidance previously issued for fiscal 2020. The company is not providing an updated outlook at this time. "We understand the direct impact this will have on our associates and guests," said Mary Dillon, CEO. "But during these critical times, we believe it is absolutely necessary to prioritize their safety and that of the broader communities we serve. At Ulta Beauty, our associates are at the heart of our company. As such, we will continue to pay our store and salon associates and provide benefits for those who are currently enrolled during this period. As we track this situation closely, I want to make sure that our guests and associates know there is nothing more important than our collective health and safety," continued Dillon. "We look forward to the time when we can re-open our stores, bring our associates back together, and invite guests back into Ulta Beauty."

09:06 EDT Churchill Downs announces rescheduling of 146th Kentucky Derby - Churchill Downs Incorporated announced its decision to reschedule the 146th Longines Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The 146th Kentucky Derby will be rescheduled from May 2, 2020 to September 5, 2020 and the 146th Kentucky Oaks will be rescheduled from May 1, 2020 to September 4, 2020. These dates are contingent upon final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission which we expect to receive on Thursday, March 19.

09:02 EDT Costco Wholesale Corporation completes acquisition of Innovel Solutions - Costco Wholesale Corporation announced that it has completed the acquisition of Innovel Solutions, a provider of third-party end-to-end logistics solutions with nationwide capabilities. Innovel was a subsidiary of Transform Holdco, LLC, which operates Sears and Kmart stores. The purchase price of $1B was funded from the Company's existing cash balances. Innovel has for decades provided Sears and, more recently, third parties with "final mile" delivery, complete installation and white glove capabilities for "big and bulky" products across the United States and Puerto Rico. Innovel's network offers coverage to nearly 90% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Products served through Innovel include major appliances, furniture, mattresses, televisions, grills, patio, fitness equipment and wine cellars. Innovel consistently ranks in the top quartile of customer satisfaction scores. It employs over 1,500 people and operates 11 distribution/fulfillment centers and over 100 final-mile cross-dock centers, with over 15 million square feet of warehouse space. The company also operates dedicated call centers.

09:00 EDT Choptank Transport joins DAT pilot program for rate forecasting tools - DAT Solutions announced that Choptank Transport, a third-party logistics firm based in Preston, Maryland, has joined a pilot program to test a new set of truckload rate data and forecasting models for faster, more accurate online freight quotes and transactions. Available in DAT RateView this spring, the forecasting tools generate rate predictions based on current market conditions, price momentum and five years of transaction histories. Choptank will also incorporate DAT's new Market Conditions Index, a predictive supply and demand indicator based on load and truck posts as well search and transaction behavior on DAT Load Boards. Along with these new data and analytics tools, Choptank is incorporating Book Now, an automated load-tendering feature in DAT Load Boards that eliminates phone calls, lengthy negotiations and manual processes for its brokers and carriers.

08:56 EDT Pluralsight offers free access to recorded technology conferences - Pluralsight announced the free availability of recorded technology conferences on Pluralsight's platform. Conferences, an experience within Pluralsight's Skills product, offers recorded content from some of today's most in-demand technology events - providing technology professionals with an easily accessible way to stream conference content and keep up with the latest technology trends.Pluralsight's free conferences offering includes full access to recorded content from 19 conferences, including events such as THAT Conference, DEVintersection, Big Data LDN, and Snowforce. Pluralsight will continue to add additional conferences to the freely available offerings in the coming weeks. This free conference content includes access to keynotes, breakout sessions, panel sessions and more. A full description and list of the available conferences can be found here. Pluralsight is making a majority of its conferences content free to anyone through July 1.

08:54 EDT Welltower says has two residents with reported positive tests for COVID-19 in US - Welltower issued the following statement from Thomas DeRosa, Chairman and CEO: "There is no perfect playbook to manage through a pandemic. However, flu and infection mitigation are integral parts of the day to day operating model in seniors housing, post-acute care and our medical office buildings. We maintain that the population of frail and/or memory impaired seniors are best served in safe, controlled environments that have time tested protocols in disease mitigation in place. It is imperative that this population's daily needs for nutrition, hydration, medication management and other necessary activities of daily living be met, especially at this time where conventional home settings have neither the infrastructure, protocols nor staff to appropriately care for these seniors. If we cannot maintain these social determinants of health for this at-risk population, they will wind up in acute care hospitals which, given hospitals' increasing need to focus capacity on testing and treating COVID-19, is simply not an option. I strongly believe that Welltower is well positioned to help address this crisis as we provide the necessary support to our operators and health systems to meet the needs of their populations. We are also actively looking for capacity across our portfolio to enable more off-site COVID-19 testing and other assets that can offer effective quarantine for those exposed to this virus. While this can change at any moment, we have seen senior housing occupancy levels remain stable over the last four weeks. Occupancy of our 579 senior housing operating buildings (SHOP) over that time frame remained at an average of 85.7%, with a range of 85.6% to 85.8%. Specifically, in the Seattle MSA, our portfolio remained stable with an average weekly occupancy of 83.9%, with a range from 83.8% to 84.0% over last four weeks. As of March 16, we have two residents with reported positive tests for COVID-19 in the U.S. Elevated protocols were put in place as early as late January which, if we look at our Seattle area assets, tells us they are helping to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect our resident base. While elevated protocols in the communities might mean a slower new resident flow in the short term, we have also seen a commensurate decline in voluntary move outs and higher lead-to-closing ratios. Our highest priority has been and will continue to be the safety of our residents and employees. On behalf of our operators, health system partners, the tens of thousands of care givers and all the employees of Welltower, I want to let you know that we have the strength, courage and resolve to manage through this unprecedented situation."

08:52 EDT CURE Pharmaceutical secures Chinese patent for oral thin films - CURE Pharmaceutical announced the allowance of Chinese Patent No. ZL201480039313.6. The new patent covers the loading of high amounts of active drug on an oral thin film using its proprietary drug delivery systems, including its lead drug product, CUREfilm Blue, a soluble thin film for oral administration of sildenafil citrate to treat erectile dysfunction in China.

08:47 EDT aTyr Pharma appoints Arthur Mercurio as scientific advisor - aTyr Pharma announced the appointment of Arthur M. Mercurio, Ph.D. as a scientific advisor to the company. Mercurio currently serves as Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

08:44 EDT Synchronoss renews contract to provide Proximus with personal cloud - Synchronoss Technologies (SNCR) announced that it has renewed its contract to provide Proximus (BGAOY) with the Synchronoss Personal Cloud platform. As Belgium's largest telecommunications operator, Proximus has offered the Synchronoss platform to its broadband customers since 2015 through a white-label cloud offering. Subscribers are able to securely back up, store and sync content from their laptops, tablets, PCs and smartphones to their own accounts in the cloud. The three-year contract extension means Proximus will continue to deliver the Synchronoss Personal Cloud through its existing freemium model. Broadband subscribers are given 10 gigabytes in free storage as well as the option to pay EURO$2.95 a month for 100 gigabytes of storage or EURO$9.95 for one terabyte. Subscribers decide whether backup happens automatically or manually, and they choose which file types - photos, videos, documents or all three - to include in their backups.

08:41 EDT Sportsman's Warehouse to acquire two Field & Stream stores for $5M - Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings, Inc. (SPWH) announced that it has entered into agreements with DICK'S Sporting Goods (DKS) to acquire two Field & Stream locations. The stores in Crescent Springs, Kentucky and Kalamazoo, Michigan will be rebranded as Sportsman's Warehouse. The total purchase price of $5M for inventory and assets will be funded through borrowings under Sportsman's revolving credit facility. Sportsman's will sublease the two locations from DICK'S. The transactions are expected to close in March, subject to customary closing conditions.

08:37 EDT Brink's sees negative impact on Q1, FY20 results due to COVID-19 - The Brink's Company released the following statement from president and CEO Doug Pertz regarding the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the company. "We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our employees, customers, suppliers and financial results. We have enacted safety protocols to protect our employees and are working with customers so that we may safely interact with their employees and effectively manage their cash management needs. At this point in time, it's difficult to predict the duration of the pandemic and its impact on our business. However, we expect a reduction in overall demand, particularly in the retail segment, to have a negative impact on our first-quarter and full-year results. We also expect results to be affected by negative currency translation, as the U.S. dollar has recently strengthened against many currencies due to COVID-19 uncertainties. We plan to provide an update on business conditions when we release first-quarter 2020 results. Despite the evolving dynamics of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of its impact on our results, we believe Brink's will emerge from this crisis in a strong position in 2021. Throughout our 161-year history, Brink's has overcome many challenges, in part because the services we provide are essential to the economies of so many countries. We have a strong operating model, a solid balance sheet, strong free cash flow, diversified revenue streams that are highly recurring, low debt leverage and new strategic opportunities in the broader cash ecosystem. We believe these attributes position us uniquely to demonstrate resiliency in an economic downturn. We are also focused on completing our acquisition of G4S operations in 17 markets and executing our next 3-year strategic plan, which we believe will give us an even stronger platform for growth in 2021 and beyond."

08:35 EDT B. Riley proposes to buy Spok Holdings for $12.00 per share - B. Riley Financial (RILY) announced it has sent the following letter to the Board of Directors of Spok Holdings (SPOK) on behalf of its subsidiary, B. Riley Capital Management. Bryant Riley stated, "On behalf of B. Riley Capital Management and certain of its affiliates, I am pleased to make this proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of SPOK Holdings for $12.00 per share. Our all cash proposal represents an approximate 39% premium over the current price for SPOK's common stock based on yesterday's close. B. Riley currently owns approximately 500,000 shares of the company, or approximately 2.6% of SPOK's total shares outstanding. Our parent organization, B. Riley Financial, is a publicly traded, diversified financial services company, operating a variety of businesses, including investment banking, brokerage, asset valuation and appraisal, management, disposition and advisory services. We have a long history of successfully closing on strategic acquisitions of public and private companies and returning significant value to their owners in the process. This includes our acquisition of three publicly traded companies - magicJack VocalTec Ltd. in 2018, FBR & Co. in 2017, and United Online, Inc. in 2016. In particular, our magicJack transaction demonstrates our ability to navigate the regulatory process required for acquisitions of companies with Federal Communications Commission licenses. B. Riley currently has a market capitalization of approximately $450 million and cash, net securities and other liquid assets of over $800 million and, accordingly, the proposed transaction would not be subject to a financing condition. After studying SPOK's businesses and strategy for creating equity value over the course of the last several years, we have concluded that its shareholders cannot realize a fair valuation within the confines of its current structure. Ultimately, SPOK is an undersized holding company with the costs and infrastructure of a much larger company servicing two dramatically different business units. In addition, the financial burden of being a public company is disproportionately detrimental to a company with SPOK's relatively small scale. We believe that B. Riley will offer a perfect strategic fit to harness and utilize the cash flow generated by the paging business, and investment and duration needed to maximize the value of software. Our scale and diversification allow us to be an excellent fit for both of these businesses. While this proposal is non-binding, given our knowledge of the company's assets and our work completed to date, we would require only limited due diligence to arrive at a definitive acquisition agreement. We would be willing to allow SPOK a customary go-shop and, as noted above, we have the capability to consummate the transaction without a financing contingency. Given our long history of successful acquisitions and the current environment, we believe that bringing this offer to the company's Board of Directors and its stockholders simultaneously is in the best interests of all constituencies. Nevertheless, we are prepared to immediately enter into negotiations with the company on the terms and conditions of a definitive agreement and we look forward to discussing our proposal with you in more detail."

08:33 EDT Fossil closing all North American stores amid COVID-19 - Fossil Group provided the following business update regarding COVID-19. "We are extremely concerned about the health issues and uncertainty that COVID-19 is causing globally. We must all take great care and exercise caution during this time and Fossil is doing its part to protect our communities, customers and team members. As a result, we are closing all our stores in North America, as well as a substantial number of stores in Europe based on local government guidelines, through March 28th. We will continue to pay our store teams throughout that time period. Our Asia Pacific stores are currently operating. Our online stores will remain open and available at fossil.com. For service and support, please contact us at fossil@fossil.com or (800) 449-3056. To further safeguard our employees and communities outside of our store environment, we have enabled employees to work from home where possible. For roles that require employees to be on-site, we are practicing social spacing, modifying work schedules to reduce density and increasing sanitizing standards. Due to heightened uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we are withdrawing our first quarter and full year 2020 financial guidance issued on February 26, 2020. We expect to provide a further update during our first quarter 2020 earnings conference call."

08:32 EDT B. Riley proposes to buy Spok Holdings for $12.00 per share

08:29 EDT Tabula Rasa named principal distributor of BioIntelliSense BioSticker - Tabula Rasa HealthCare enters into an agreement with BioIntelliSense to distribute its BioSticker, the first FDA-cleared, single-use device enabling 30 days of continuous vital sign monitoring. The BioIntelliSense DaaS platform can be applied to a wide range of clinical use cases, including monitoring for the key symptoms associated with COVID-19. BioSticker device data will populate TRHC's unique medication safety platforms that identifiy accumulative multi-drug interactions and facilitate collaborative management of medications. TRHC's board-certified pharmacists will access BioSticker device data to alert client clinicians to timely medication-related issues, enabling proactive intervention for safer medication use.

08:25 EDT Cerence powers voice for Uconnect 5 infotainment platform at FCA - Cerence Inc. (CRNC) announced that FCA (FCAU) has selected Cerence Drive to power voice recognition in the all-new Uconnect 5 global platform. The latest updates within Uconnect 5 enable FCA to provide a helpful, content-rich and personalized driving experience, making it the most advanced Uconnect system ever.

08:21 EDT VirTra receives $1.1M order through distributor in Europe - VirTra has received an initial $1.1M order through a new distributor in Europe. Through the preliminary order, VirTra will be providing the distributor with multiple simulators, including V-ST PROs, as well as various accessories such as drop-in recoil kits that convert standard firearms into training firearms, and Threat-Fire electric shoot-back devices so that trainees experience real stress during virtual training. In addition to setting up the equipment, VirTra will also be conducting training during each installation. VirTra anticipates recognizing all revenues from this order by the end of 2021.

08:18 EDT Allegheny Technologies realigns - Allegheny Technologies announced a realignment of its business segments to further enhance its position as a leading specialty materials manufacturer and to accelerate sustainable long-term profitable growth. Starting with first quarter 2020 financial results, ATI will report in two business segments: a streamlined High Performance Materials & Components, or HPMC, segment and the new Advanced Alloys & Solutions, or AA&S, segment. As a result of this business realignment, the Company expects total annualized operational and commercial synergies of approximately $7 million by year-end 2021 and $15 million by year-end 2022. Additionally, the company announced the next step in its proactive cost reduction efforts, building on the previously announced restructuring program, with a voluntary retirement incentive program for eligible salaried employees. In addition to the $4.5 million restructuring charge taken in the fourth quarter 2019, ATI expects to record a charge of approximately $8 million in the first quarter 2020 for this voluntary retirement program. Once fully implemented, these combined cost reduction programs will generate annualized benefits of $14 million. High Performance Materials & Components includes the Specialty Materials and Forged Products business units and will continue to be led by Executive Vice President John Sims. The updated HPMC segment intensifies its primary focus on maximizing aero-engine materials and components growth, with more than 80% of its revenue derived from the aerospace and defense markets. These closely connected businesses will work to further optimize material pull-through; reducing total costs and improving inventory efficiency. Advanced Alloys & Solutions combines ATI's Specialty Alloys & Components and Flat Rolled Products businesses, as well as its aerospace-grade titanium plate products, into a single entity focused on delivering high-value flat products primarily to the energy, aerospace, and defense end-markets. AA&S closely aligns superior melting technologies with world-class hot-rolling capabilities to produce products with faster flow times and lower costs, accelerating profitable growth opportunities for customers that demand value-add solutions. The segment is being led by Executive Vice President Kim Fields.

08:17 EDT Hess Midstream Partners reduces FY20 expansion capital by 20% to $260M - Hess Midstream has updated FY20 volume guidance, incorporating Hess's previously announced updated guidance to reduce Bakken rig activity commencing in Q2 as well as lower expected third-party activity. Driven by strong performance in the year to date, full year 2020 guidance for crude gathering, crude terminaling, and water gathering throughput volumes is unchanged while gas gathering and gas processing volumes are expected to be modestly lower than previous guidance. Consistent with Hess's expected reduced activity and focus on preserving balance sheet strength, Hess Midstream is reducing 2020 expansion capital by approximately $75M, or 20%, to $260M from previously announced guidance, primarily due to fewer expected well connects and the deferral or cancelation of certain gas compression activities. FY20 maintenance capital guidance of $15M is unchanged. Hess Midstream also plans to reduce expected 2021 expansion capital expenditures relative to its previous 2021 plan by approximately $125M, or 55%, to approximately $100M. Hess Midstream's planned 150 MMcf/d expansion of the Tioga Gas Plant to a total processing capacity of 400 MMcf/d is progressing ahead of schedule with plant tie-ins expected to be conducted during the previously announced Q3 maintenance turnaround and facility construction now expected to be completed by the end of 2020. Full incremental capacity from the planned expansion is expected to be available in 2021, commensurate with the completion of third-party natural gas liquids and residue gas takeaway lines, and strategically positions Hess Midstream to capture incremental third-party volumes north of the Missouri River. In addition, under Hess Midstream's existing contracts with Hess, Hess Midstream earns a contracted return on capital deployed for the Tioga Gas Plant expansion.

08:16 EDT Essential Utilities issues statement on COVID-19 - Essential Utilities announced that its Aqua water utilities and Peoples natural gas utilities continue to monitor the novel coronavirus "COVID-19" outbreak throughout its combined ten-state footprint, working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities to continuously address the situation and evaluate operational response plans. "As water, wastewater and natural gas utilities, we are a critical part of everyday life," said Essential Chairman and CEO Christopher Franklin. "The health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority." Each Aqua utility is focused on providing critical public services to ensure the continued reliability and safety of water and wastewater systems for customers. "First and foremost, our customers should be assured that drinking water provided by each Aqua water utility meets or exceeds all state and federal water quality standards," said Colleen Arnold, president overseeing Aqua's eight-state water and wastewater businesses. "Our standard business operations include treatment procedures that remove or inactivate viruses, including COVID-19, from our water supplies and sources."

08:14 EDT Ooma will not stop service for non-payment for the next 60 days - Ooma announced that it is taking the Federal Communication Commission's "Keep Americans Connected Pledge" by agreeing not to stop any Ooma customer's business or residential phone service for non-payment for the next 60 days. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai asked telecommunications service providers to take the pledge in a press release on March 13. Companies taking the pledge agree "for the next 60 days to not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic." Ooma has not disconnected any Ooma Office business customers or Ooma Telo residential customers for non-payment since early March and is now pledging not to do so before May 17 at the earliest. The policy is also being extended to all Ooma customers in Canada. Ooma is honoring all applicable provisions of the FCC's Keep Americans Connected Pledge, which also include waiving late fees for the next 60 days.

08:12 EDT Hess cuts FY20 production view to 325,000-330,000 boepd from 330,000-335,000 - Hess Corp. announced a revised $2.2B capital and exploratory budget for 2020, an $800M reduction from the previous budget of $3B. The company also announced a new $1B three year term loan agreement. These actions strengthen the company's cash position and financial liquidity in response to the sharp decline in oil prices. The reductions to the company's 2020 capital budget will be primarily achieved by shifting from a six rig program to one rig in the Bakken, which is expected to be completed by the end of May. Most discretionary exploration and offshore drilling activities, excluding Guyana, will also be deferred. In 2020, approximately 80% of the company's oil production is hedged by put options, with 130,000 barrels a day at $55 per barrel West Texas Intermediate put options and 20,000 barrels a day at $60 per barrel Brent put options. In addition, the company entered 2020 with more than $1.5B in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet and has a $3.5B undrawn revolving credit facility and no material debt maturities until 2027. Net production for 2020 is now forecast to average between 325,000 and 330,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, excluding Libya, versus previous guidance of between 330,000 and 335,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The company's Bakken net production is forecast to average approximately 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020, versus previous guidance of approximately 180,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

08:09 EDT Ralph Lauren temporarily closes all stores in North America until April 1 - Ralph Lauren provided an update to its store operations in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. The company will temporarily close all of its stores across North America from March 18, 2020 through April 1. All of the company's team members impacted by this short-term closure will receive their standard pay for the full two weeks. Consumers can continue to shop from our digital commerce sites and mobile apps. "In the current context, our purpose of inspiring the dream of a better life takes on new meaning," said Patrice Louvet, President and CEO. "Our number one priority is the health and well-being of our employees, our consumers and the communities we serve." During this period, the company will continuously assess the rapidly-evolving situation, taking into account the guidance of global health organizations and local governments to determine the right time to return to business, location by location, as the company is doing in Asia and Europe. The company has already closed a number of stores across Asia and Europe and will continue to follow the guidance of local governments and health organizations across these regions to determine the right next steps for each store location. In addition, Ralph Lauren Corporation has taken steps to protect its teams by freezing all travel, asking employees to work from home when being in the office is not essential, deploying deep cleanings in all work locations, and implementing staggered work schedules in its distribution centers. As the situation continues to unfold, the company plans to provide an update on the operational and financial impact along with its FY21 and first quarter guidance on its fourth quarter FY20 earnings call.

08:09 EDT Health Catalyst to offer three COVID-19 Solutions to its domestic clients - Health Catalyst will initially be offering three COVID-19 Solutions to its domestic clients, with the first of these solutions becoming available to pilot clients by the end of March. The technology associated with these solutions will be offered to all clients at no incremental cost through the end of 2020. The first solution, Patient & Staff Tracker, is a tailored module of Health Catalyst's Patient Flow Analytics Accelerator, that offers health system clients the ability to track where patients who test positive for COVID-19 have been within the health system setting, and which staff members have interacted with these patients, to inform capacity management, testing, quarantine, and decontamination activities. Many health systems are compiling this information manually today. This solution automates the process and produces a straightforward and actionable report. The second solution, Public Health Surveillance, is a tailored module of Health Catalyst's Patient Safety Monitor Application Suite, which identifies unusual patterns of symptoms and clinical tests that could represent illness, with the aim of flagging these events of significance in a timely manner to aid in an effective public health response and management of infectious agents. The third solution, Staff Augmentation Support, is a service Health Catalyst is offering in response to requests from health system clients to utilize Health Catalyst team members as additional trained analytics, data science, and domain-expert staff members to respond to increased demands placed on health system clients due to COVID-19 treatment.

08:06 EDT Infinera announces 800G transmission over 950 kilometers in live network trial - Infinera announced the successful completion of a live network trial of 800 gigabits per second single-wavelength transmission at 96 Gbaud over 950 kilometers across a long-haul link in a major North American network operator's production network. Powered by Infinera's sixth-generation dual-800G Infinite Capacity Engine technology, this achievement signals a major industry milestone in driving down the cost per bit of telecommunications networks. The trial showcased the ability of Infinera's 800G technology designed to enable network operators to rapidly and cost-effectively address the increasing capacity demands of new services such as 5G, enhanced broadband, and cloud-based business services.

08:04 EDT Foot Locker to temporarily close stores March 17-31, withdraws FY20 guidance - Foot Locker provided an update on its global operations in response to the continued spread of COVID-19. The health and safety of its associates, customers, and suppliers is the top priority for the company. In light of the rapidly evolving situation, Foot Locker will temporarily close its stores across all of its brands in North America, EMEA, and Malaysia from March 17 through March 31 - that includes Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction, Champs Sports, Runners Point, and Sidestep. The rest of the Company's locations in the Asia Pacific region, which include Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand - will remain open subject to direction from local and national governments. Customers can continue to shop online through our websites and mobile apps across all of the company's brands and regions. Due to the rapidly evolving market conditions domestically and internationally, the company is withdrawing the full-year 2020 guidance issued on the Fourth Quarter earnings call on February 28. The company will provide an updated outlook on its First Quarter earnings call. "The decision to close our stores was a difficult but necessary one," said Richard Johnson, Foot Locker's Chairman and CEO. "The well-being of our associates and the communities where we live and work, is of the utmost importance to us. When the time comes to re-open our stores as a place to inspire and empower youth culture, our store teams will be prepared to engage and deliver great customer experiences. During this time period, we will continue to pay our highly-valued store associates."

08:03 EDT Chico's closes retail stores across North America for two weeks - Chico's FAS announced the temporary immediate closure of all retail stores across North America for the next two weeks to protect customers, associates and the communities in which they live and work. The Company had already taken steps offering remote working arrangements and enhanced safety protocols at their distribution centers and corporate offices. The Company will continue to monitor the rapidly changing COVID-19 developments and is following the guidelines established by public health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Company is withdrawing its guidance issued in its Q4 Earnings Release filed on Form 8-K on February 27. The Company is not providing updated guidance at this time.

08:01 EDT Penn Virginia reduces 2020 capital budget by 30% - Penn Virginia Corporation announced the Company has reduced its 2020 capital budget and increased its 2020 oil hedge positions. The Company has reduced its 2020 capital budget by approximately 30% from its original budget. Penn Virginia's drilling rig and completion contracts are structured to provide ongoing flexibility, generally requiring approximately 30 days' notice for cancelation. Penn Virginia currently expects to have one active rig beginning in April and through the balance of 2020. The Company plans to provide a detailed update to its 2020 guidance by its first quarter 2020 earnings release. Penn Virginia may further reduce its revised capital budget based on market conditions. Penn Virginia recently restructured its oil hedge positions to move hedge positions from the second half of 2021 into the second and the fourth quarters of 2020. As a result, Penn Virginia is currently hedged for more than 80% of its expected 2020 oil production under its reduced drilling program. In addition to these hedges, the Company has also mitigated additional oil price exposure below $30 per barrel on 250,000 barrels of oil per month for the second and the third quarters of 2020 using put spreads. These hedge positions provide additional downside protection between $20 - $30 per barrel WTI but allow for full upside price exposure. As of March 13, 2020, the mark-to-market value of the Company's commodity hedge position was approximately $109M. Penn Virginia's total proved reserves as of December 31, 2019 were approximately 133.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. The proved reserves were calculated in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines using the pricing of $55.67 per barrel for crude oil and $2.58 per million British Thermal Unit for natural gas. The Company's standardized measure of total proved reserves was $1.5 billion and the standardized measure of total proved developed reserves was $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2019. The value of the Company's total proved reserves, utilizing the SEC price guidelines, discounted at 10% and before tax, was $1.6 billion as of December 31, 2019. The PV-10 value of the Company's PD reserves utilizing the SEC price guidelines was $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2019. Using strip pricing and anticipated differentials as of March 13, 2020, the PV-10 value of the Company's PD reserves at December 31, 2019 was $610 million before giving effect to hedges. As of December 31, 2019, Penn Virginia had cash of $7.8 million and total debt of $562.4 million. The ratio of the PV-10 value of the Company's PD reserves adjusted for March 13, 2020 strip pricing and anticipated differentials, after giving effect to the Company's hedge position, to the Company's net debt at year-end of approximately $555 million, yields a ratio of approximately 1.3x.

07:58 EDT ABILITY Network announces collaboration agreement with PracticeSuite - ABILITY Network, an Inovalon company, announced a collaboration agreement with PracticeSuite, a cloud-based healthcare technology solution and service provider for independent practices, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of payer claims management. The ABILITY EASE All-Payer solution, a cloud-based application available through the ABILITY provider platform modules of the Inovalon ONE Platform, is now accessible to the more than 57,000 medical professionals served by PracticeSuite. The solution offers providers more visibility into their claims for greater operational efficiency using industry-leading data-driven routing and an enhanced analytics engine unseen in the industry today.

07:50 EDT Nordic American Tankers says coronavirus impact is 'limited' - The company said, "We receive questions about the state of the tanker market, which is the strongest we have seen in decades. Increased exports from Saudi Arabia lead to extra demand for tonnage. As an example, it has been indicated that one million barrels a day extra from Saudi Arabia to the Far East create demand for about 45 suezmaxes. It is simple: Increased demand leads to more transportation work for our tankers. The last days we have entered into solid contracts for our suezmax tankers in the region of $65,000 per day to more than $100,000 per day. Our operating costs are about $8,000 per day per vessel. NAT has 23 suezmaxes which can load one mill barrels each. We paid 7c in dividend in the fourth quarter of 2019. We are hopeful to double that for the first quarter of 2020. NAT is now entering into contracts that go into the second quarter of 2020. Please note that the comments made in this message are not predictions. Our description is a glimpse of the tanker market as we see it now. All the commotion associated with the virus is impacting many companies and people. The impact on NAT is limited. As matters stand now, we are in a very strong phase of the tanker market. We believe that this could last for quite a long time including next year. Our description of the future is of course not a promise, but it is an indication how matters stand at this time as we see them. NAT is on a very strong footing. We expect this to benefit our shareholders."

07:48 EDT Harrow Health appoints Teresa Sparks to board of directors - Harrow Health announced the appointment of Teresa Sparks to its Board of Directors.As of March 15, 2020, Stephen G. Austin, who has served as the Harrow Health Audit Committee Chairman since 2012, is resigning and Teresa Sparks will assume the role of Audit Committee Chairwoman. Sparks is the CFO and EVP of Envision Healthcare.

07:45 EDT Empire State Realty: Empire State Building Observatory closed due to COVID-19 - Empire State Realty announced that the Empire State Building Observatory is closed at this time.

07:44 EDT L Brands announces drawdown of secured revolving credit facility - As previously disclosed, the company has access to a Secured Revolving Credit Facility, which has an aggregate size of $1B and expires in May 2024. In an abundance of caution and as a proactive measure, on March 16, 2020, the company elected to draw down $950M from its Revolving Credit Facility. After the drawdown, the company has more than $2B in cash.

07:42 EDT Acreage Holdings announces initial close of credit facility, loan - Acreage Holdings announced the first closing and drawdown of $21M on the previously announced $100M credit facility, with net proceeds of approximately $20.2M to Acreage, and the borrowing of $22M by an Acreage subsidiary from IP Investment Company, LLC in a transaction that represents the initial borrowing under the previously announced loan transaction.

07:39 EDT Affimed N.V. appoints Arndt Schottelius as CSO - Affimed N.V. announced the appointment of Dr. Arndt Schottelius as chief scientific officer, effective April 2020. Schottelius will lead Affimed's discovery, translational innovation and platform engineering teams. In addition, Schottelius will lead the company's preclinical development activities, initiatives to generate additional innate cell engagers based on its proprietary fit-for-purpose ROCK platform and efforts to strengthen Affimed's intellectual property. Schottelius will also take a lead role in furthering Affimed's ongoing Genentech partnership and other key collaborations. Most recently, Dr. Schottelius was EVP and Head of Research & Development at Kymab Group Limited, where he was responsible for expanding the therapeutic antibody portfolio.

07:36 EDT Children's Place cancels conference call due to COVID-19 uncertainty - The Children's Place has cancelled its conference call scheduled for Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:34 EDT CNX Midstream Partners re-evaluates current capital allocation opportunities - CNX Midstream Partners announced that in response to the uncertainty surrounding the global macroeconomic environment, oil and gas markets, debt and equity capital markets, together with the continued impact of the coronavirus, it is re-evaluating its current capital allocation opportunities and will remain flexible based on market conditions and availability of opportunities. CNXM is well prepared for this scenario as the resilience and strength of our assets and business model are projected to generate significant free cash flow in 2020 and 2021. Combined with our strong balance sheet that reflects a conservative leverage profile and significant liquidity, CNXM is in an advantageous position with the optionality to pursue one or more of the following: debt retirement of the Partnership's revolving credit facility or bonds, opportunistic repurchases of its equity securities, accretive investment or divestment opportunities and/or examination of its existing distribution target. During this period of extreme volatility,

07:20 EDT Canopy Growth to temporarily close corporate owned retail locations - Canopy Growth has been monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and paying close attention to the guidance given by public health bodies around the globe. Canopy Growth's leadership team has made the decision to temporarily close all corporate-owned Tokyo Smoke and Tweed retail locations across Canada, effective at 5:00 p.m. local time today, March 17. "We have a responsibility to our employees, their families, and our communities to do our part to "flatten the curve" by limiting social interactions. For us, that means shifting our focus from retail to e-commerce," said David Klein, CEO, Canopy Growth. "This is a big decision but it was also an easy one to make - our retail teams are public-facing and have been serving an above-average volume of transactions in recent days. Given the current situation, it is in the best interest of our teams and our communities to close these busy hubs until we are confident we can operate our stores in the best interest of public health." The decision affects the 23 corporately-owned stores in Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba as well as the Tweed Visitor Centre in Smiths Falls, ON.

07:09 EDT CareDx launces RemoTraC home-based monitoring of transplant patients - CareDx announces the launch of RemoTraC, a solution enabling remote home-based monitoring of transplant patients. Transplant patients require frequent blood tests which normally require in-person visits to draw sites at labs or hospitals. In close coordination with transplant centers, CareDx will now provide RemoTraC, a remote home-based blood draw solution using mobile phlebotomy for AlloSure and AlloMap surveillance tests, as well as for other standard monitoring tests. By reducing visits to busy labs and hospitals, immunosuppressed transplant patients at the highest risk during the COVID-19 pandemic can limit their potential exposure. RemoTraC will be offered to all patients who want their transplant monitoring lab tests to be drawn from the comfort of their home by trained mobile phlebotomists.

07:08 EDT TransAlta acquires contracted cogeneration asset for $27M - TransAlta announced the acquisition of a contracted cogeneration asset from two private companies for a purchase price of approximately $27M, subject to working capital adjustments. The asset is a 29 MW cogeneration facility in Michigan which is contracted under a long-term power purchase agreement and steam sale agreement for approximately six years with high quality counterparties. The cogeneration facility, which comprises a single GE LM2500 gas turbine and an ABB steam turbine, has been operational since 1991. The electricity and steam output of the facility are fully contracted providing consistent, predictable revenues through 2026. The acquisition will be funded with cash on hand. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the Q2.

07:07 EDT Anthem provides update regarding COVID-19 testing, care for members - Anthem's affiliated health plans announced additional updates and resources that can help provide increased access to care, while eliminating costs and helping alleviate the added stress on individuals, families and the nation's healthcare system. These actions are intended to support the protective measures taken across the country to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are central to the commitment of Anthem's affiliated health plans to remove barriers to care for their members and support communities through this unprecedented time.Anthem is working to accelerate the availability of a Coronavirus Assessment on the Sydney Care mobile app, which members can download at no cost. The Coronavirus Assessment is designed based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to help individuals quickly and safely evaluate their symptoms and assess their risk of having COVID-19. Inputs provided by individual users include symptoms, recent travel and potential contact with anyone with the disease. Based on the results, Anthem members will be able to connect directly to a board-certified doctor via text or secure two-way video via the Sydney Care app who can then recommend care options. Sydney Care is available for Anthem members to download now on Android or iOS. This app should accompany their Sydney Health or Engage benefits app. Coronavirus Assessment functionality is in development and expected to be available within the next week. Anthem's affiliated health plans will continue to waive copays, coinsurance and deductibles for the diagnostic test related to COVID-19. In addition, this will be extended to include waiver of copays, coinsurance, and deductibles for visits associated with in-network COVID-19 testing, whether the care is received in a physician's office, an urgent care center or an emergency department. Anthem is relaxing early prescription refill limits for members who wish to receive a 30-day supply of most maintenance medications, where permissible. Additionally, Anthem continues to encourage health plan members who have a pharmacy plan that includes a 90-day benefit, to talk to their doctor about whether changing from a 30-day supply to a 90-day supply, of any prescription medicines they take on a regular basis, is appropriate. Members filling 90-day prescriptions can obtain their medications through our home delivery pharmacy and, in some circumstances, select retail pharmacies. Members can call the pharmacy services number on the back of their health plan ID card to learn more. For 90 days, Anthem's affiliated health plans will waive any member cost share for telehealth visits, including visits for mental health, for our fully insured employer plans, Individual plans, Medicare plans and Medicaid plans, where permissible. Cost sharing will be waived for members using Anthem's telemedicine service, LiveHealth Online, as well as care received from other telehealth providers delivering virtual care. Access to LiveHealth Online as well as virtual care via text is available to members through the Sydney Care app. Self-insured plan sponsors will have the choice to participate in this program. Anthem continues to recommend members use virtual care options when possible, as it can help prevent spread of coronavirus and improve access to care. Virtual care is a safe and effective way for members to see a doctor to receive health guidance related to COVID-19 from their homes via smart phone, tablet or computer. Additionally, associates who work in clinical settings and are providing direct care to our members are receiving appropriate guidelines and implementing protocol measures to help minimize risk of exposure when caring for possible COVID-19 patients.

07:07 EDT AstraZeneca says Imfinzi confirmed sustained overall survival benefit in CASPIAN - High-level results from the final analysis of the Phase 3 CASPIAN trial showed AstraZeneca's Imfinzi in combination with a choice of standard-of-care chemotherapies confirmed a sustained, clinically meaningful overall survival benefit for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer treated in the 1st-line setting, AstraZeneca announced. In June 2019, the CASPIAN trial met one primary endpoint for Imfinzi plus SoC by demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS versus SoC alone at a planned interim analysis. The second experimental arm testing tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibody, added to Imfinzi and SoC did not meet its primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in OS in this analysis.

07:06 EDT Broadwind Energy announces $5M new tower customer order - Broadwind announced an order from a wind turbine customer, representing a total value of approximately $5M. With this new customer addition, Broadwind now supplies three global wind turbine manufacturers, further to the Company's long-term focus on customer diversification. Including this order, Broadwind has approximately 70% of its full-year 2020 production capacity in its backlog. As of Dec. 31, 2019, total backlog was $142.3M, an increase of more than 48% from the prior-year period.

07:05 EDT TransMedics announces postponement of FDA Advisory Panel Committee meeting - TransMedics Group announced that the Company and FDA/CDRH have mutually agreed to postpone the originally scheduled April 16th FDA Advisory Committee meeting to review the OCS Heart System due to the national emergency status relating to the COVID-19 Cornavirus. TransMedics and the Office of Cardiovascular Devices at FDA have agreed to continuously monitor the situation and work to reschedule the panel meeting as soon as possible.

07:03 EDT AAON board elects Gene Stewart as VP, president of AAON Coil Products - AAON announced that its Board of Directors elected Gene Stewart as VP of AAON, Inc., to be effective April 1, 2020. In addition, the Board of Directors of the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, AAON Coil Products, has elected Stewart as president of AAON Coil Products, also to be effective April 1, 2020. From February 2015 to present, Stewart has served as co-owner and President of North Texas Farm & Garden, a small power engine shop specializing in sales, parts and service of commercial and residential lawn and garden equipment located in Lewisville, Texas.

07:01 EDT Spectrum cancelled participation in upcoming medical conference due to COVID-19 - Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced that it had to cancel its planned presentation of Phase 2 data for poziotinib from Cohort 1 during the Keynote Forum at the 11th Annual Congress on Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine in Amsterdam. The data presentation followed by a conference call to discuss the data and the development strategy for poziotinib had been scheduled for March 18. Management plans to reschedule the presentation and conference call with investors at an appropriate time during the second quarter of 2020. Spectrum reached its decision as a result of travel restrictions imposed by academic and government authorities in both the U.S. and the Netherlands. The company is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all of its employees, clinical investigators and other health care professionals associated with its development programs.

06:56 EDT Store Capital's CEO issues letter to stockholders providing a corporate update - STORE Capital announced that CEO Christopher H. Volk has issued a Letter to Stockholders providing a corporate update "In light of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic". Letter included "Contract Quality. STORE provides net lease solutions to nearly 500 middle market and larger companies that are spread across 112 industries. While it's still early and no one can predict the ultimate outcome of this pandemic, as of today we have received just a handful of calls representing well below 0.5% of rents from tenants stating that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a potential impact on their ability to meet their contractual obligations to us. Note that the heading of this paragraph is "Contract Quality" and not "Tenant Health." We have always been careful to draw a distinction between tenant credit quality and investment contract quality. Because we own profit center assets, with 92% of our multi-unit tenant investments bound by master leases, our contracts tend to be senior to other tenant payment obligations. In fact, at an approximate 2:1 rent coverage after overhead, we estimate that our average contract can tolerate an approximate 40% revenue reduction and still meet its rent obligations."

06:51 EDT BWX Technologies awarded $14M contract by Secretary of Defense - BWX Technologies announced that a team led by subsidiary BWXT Advanced Technologies has been awarded a $14M contract from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Strategic Capabilities Office for a mobile nuclear reactor design project. SCO is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop, build and demonstrate a mobile nuclear reactor that can be used to address electrical power needs in rapid response scenarios. Following completion of this first phase of the project, there is an option for an award of up to $30M for the second phase, which would include developing the final design for a mobile reactor prototype. The period of performance for this phase of the project is expected to be approximately 12 months. BWXT's work will be completed primarily at one of its Lynchburg, Virginia locations.

06:50 EDT W&T Offshore reduces FY20 capital expenditure budget to $15M-$25M - W&T Offshore announced that it has reduced its capital expenditure budget for 2020 and that it has added natural gas costless collars to its hedging portfolio. Tracy W. Krohn, W&T's Chairman and CEO commented, "During our recent earnings conference call, we discussed the significant flexibility we have to adjust our capital spending up or down at any time since we have no long-term rig contract commitments or drilling obligations. Due to the sudden decline in oil prices caused by supply and demand pressures since that call, we have decided to move forward with reducing our 2020 capex to the range of $15M-$25M. Because of the low decline profile of our conventional asset portfolio in the Gulf of Mexico, the reduction in our budget has minimal impact on our expected production in 2020 and we are maintaining our prior production guidance." Krohn continued, "In addition, we are reducing our asset retirement expenditures and we are evaluating ways to reduce operating and G&A expenses that will not compromise safety or our operational capabilities. We also recently enhanced our hedge book by adding natural gas costless collars to help us protect more of our cash flow from future downward pressure while providing the potential to capture upside gains. These actions provide us with maximum financial flexibility and allow us to remain cash flow positive in a lower price environment. At the midpoint of our updated 2020 capital budget, we expect to remain cash flow positive at or above $25 per barrel of oil and $1.50 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas. While our 2020 drilling program will now proceed at a slower pace, we remain confident in our strong drilling inventory."

06:47 EDT Merck reports results from Phase 3 trials evaluating gefapixant - Merck announced top-line efficacy results from two ongoing pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of gefapixant, an investigational, orally administered, selective P2X3 receptor antagonist, for the treatment of refractory or unexplained chronic cough. In these studies, the primary efficacy endpoints were met for the gefapixant 45 mg twice daily treatment arms - demonstrating a statistically significant decrease in 24-hour coughs per hour (average hourly cough frequency based on 24-hour sound recordings) versus placebo at 12 (COUGH-1) and 24 weeks (COUGH-2). The gefapixant 15 mg twice daily treatment arms did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint in either Phase 3 study. The safety and tolerability profile of gefapixant during the trials to date is consistent with the previously reported Phase 2 study. The trials will continue for long-term follow-up to collect additional safety data.

06:40 EDT Hexo sees impairment loss of $265M-$280M - At the end of Q2, the carrying amount of the company's total net assets significantly exceeded the company's market capitalization as at January 31. In addition, the industry has experienced slower than expected retail store roll-outs in Canada and delays in government approval for cannabis derivative products which has constrained distribution channels and adversely affected overall market sales and profitability. These factors are indicators of impairment in relation to the company's inventory, property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill. The company is in the process of completing its impairment assessment and has not reach its final conclusions. However, it is expected that the impairment loss will be in the range of $265M-$280M.

06:39 EDT Hexo says will not re-commence operations at Niagara Facility - On March 2, the company completed a strategic review of its cultivation assets. Due to an excess of cultivation capacity in the market and estimated forecast demand for cannabis products, as result of slower than expected market development, the company no longer expects to re-commence operations at the Niagara Facility and has decided to market the facility for sale. The Niagara Facility consists of land and greenhouse facilities, as well as cultivation and production licenses and related equipmen.,

06:36 EDT EnLink Midstream cuts FY20 cap-ex view to $225M-$285M from $315M-$425M - EnLink Midstream announced that, in response to recent commodity price and market volatility, it has reduced its FY20 total capital expenditures, net to EnLink guidance by approximately 30%. EnLink is reducing capital expenditures related to well connection and associated gathering infrastructure and is deferring several growth projects across its platform. This immediate reduction in FY20 capital expenditures, net to EnLink was primarily driven by several of EnLink's key customers decreasing drilling and completions activity in response to the current oil price environment. EnLink's revised FY20 total capital expenditures guidance, net to EnLink, which includes both growth and maintenance capital expenditures, is $225M-$285M, compared to the previously announced range of $315M-$425M. This reflects a reduction of approximately $115M at the midpoint and is approximately 60% lower than actual 2019 total capital expenditures, net to EnLink. EnLink maintains its previously announced plan to fully self-fund all capital expenditures during 2020 with internally generated cash flows, and has no plans to access the capital markets during 2020. The revised capital expenditures guidance allows EnLink to continue its capital investment program to serve customers who it believes will continue to be active in this environment, including XTO Energy and Venture Global LNG. EnLink maintains flexibility to further adjust its capital expenditures as customers adjust their plans and market conditions change. EnLink continues to work closely with customers to evaluate near-term and long-term impacts to EnLink's business and is prepared to make further adjustments to its capital program, as necessary. In parallel, EnLink is undertaking an in-depth review of all aspects of its cost structure and uses of cash flow given the reduced commodity price and producer activity environment, including the effect of these factors on other elements of EnLink's FY20 guidance.

06:35 EDT Sierra Metals to suspend Yauricocha mining operations for 15 days - Sierra Metals announces that the Peruvian government has declared a state of emergency to contain the advancement of COVID-19, which restricts travel within the country and requires citizens to remain at home with the exception of grocery, banks and medical. As a result of this declaration, the company has temporarily ceased mining operations at the Yauricocha Mine in Peru. The state of emergency took effect today and will last for the next 15 days. The company continues to seek further clarity on the declaration and its impact on mining operations in Peru. Sierra Metals intends to resume normal production at the Mine when the government lifts state of emergency or sooner, if further flexibility to operate mining complexes is announced by the government in the coming days. Igor Gonzales, President, and CEO of Sierra Metals, commented, "We take the safety of our employees very seriously and have complied with the Government's requests. We have sent 470 staff home from the Mine, while an emergency staff of 150 remain at the site. Management continues to follow the recommendations provided by the World Health Organization and Peruvian Health Authorities. We continue to monitor and seek clarity on the situation and will update shareholders and the Market further as things progress." The 2020 production guidance remains unchanged at this time, given that Yauricocha has been running ahead of budget since the beginning of the year, and the company is ahead on 2020 production tonnage to date. Additionally, the Mine has approximately 37,000 tonnes of ore stockpiled at its processing mill, which represents more than 2/3 of the ore needed by the mill during the disruption period and it can recommence production very quickly. Furthermore, the company has the operating flexibility to temporarily run the ore processing mill above the 3,150 tonne per day capacity, which should help Yauricocha recover lost ore tonnages from this stoppage.

06:31 EDT Essential Properties appoints Anthony Dobkin as interim CFO - Essential Properties Realty Trust announced the election of Anthony K. Dobkin, a member of the Company's Board of Directors, as Interim CFO, effective March 17. Hillary P. Hai, the Company's former Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, will leave the Company on April 30, 2020 and will facilitate the transition of the Chief Financial Officer's responsibilities to Dobkin. The Company has begun to conduct a search for a permanent CFO, and Dobkin is expected to serve as the Company's Interim CFO until such time as the Company elects a permanent CFO.

06:23 EDT Boeing in talks for short-term U.S. government assistance - Boeing said in a statement on Monday: "America's aerospace industry - which supports over 2.5 million jobs and 17,000 suppliers - is facing an urgent challenge resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The long term outlook for the industry is still strong, but until global passenger traffic resumes to normal levels, we're taking steps to manage the pressure on our business. We're leveraging all our resources to sustain our operations. Meanwhile, ready short term access to public and private liquidity will be one of the most important ways for airlines, airports, suppliers and manufacturers to bridge to recovery, and we appreciate how the Administration and Congress are engaging with all elements of the aviation industry during this difficult time." Reference Link

06:15 EDT General Moly to seek shareholder approval for reverse stock split - General Moly previously announced that it received a deficiency letter from the NYSE indicating that pursuant to Section 1003 of the NYSE American Company Guide, the company's common stock has been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time. The letter stated that the company must demonstrate an improved share price improvement or effect a reverse stock split of its common stock by no later than March 12, in order to maintain the listing of the company's common stock on the NYSE. On March 12, the company was advised by the NYSE that the company did not cure its price deficiency for both the absolute and average stock prices for the company to exceed 20c by the end of the six-month period on March 12. The GMO stock price was trading then at 16c on an absolute and 20c on an average basis. Given the recent downdraft of the financial markets with COVID-19 concerns as well as a weaker GMO stock price, the company will seek shareholder approval at its next annual meeting of stockholders in 2020 to affect a reverse stock split to raise its trading price and remedy the NYSE listing deficiency. The company has notified the NYSE of the company's board of directors' action to set a record date of April 27 and schedule the company's annual meeting of stockholders in Lakewood, Colorado on June 19. The company anticipates mailing its proxy statement, inclusive of a proposal to authorize the board to consider a reverse stock split and annual report to stockholders in early May. The NYSE has granted the company additional time to implement a reverse stock split.

06:10 EDT Universal Technical announces approach to COVID-19 updates - Universal Technical provided an update on its COVID-19 related information. "At UTI, we are proactively addressing the evolving COVID-19 situation with the well-being of our staff, students and our campus communities being our top priority. We continue to follow health protocols prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control and to communicate CDC recommendations to prevent transmission of infectious illnesses. UTI teams are working in real time with local and state health agencies and have implemented their plans to manage the situation. We will continue to make decisions about UTI offices, campuses and events as necessary to support the health and wellbeing of our staff as well as campus and local communities. We will be using the company's website www.uti.edu, and in particular www.uti.edu/covid-19, and also UTI's investor relations website https://investor.uti.edu/ to provide updates as circumstances warrant."

06:03 EDT HD Supply reports preliminary February net sales approximately $460M - Preliminary net sales in February 2020 were approximately $460M, which represents year-over-year average daily sales growth of approximately 8.8%. Preliminary February year-over-year average daily sales by business segment was a 4.1% increase in Facilities Maintenance and a 14.2% increase in Construction & Industrial. There were 20 selling days in both February 2020 and February 2019.

06:02 EDT HD Supply announces new $500M share repurchase program - On March 12, the company's Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program for the repurchase of up to an aggregate $500M of its common stock.

06:01 EDT Dr. Reddy's announces launch of Ziprasidone Mesylate for Injection in U.S. - Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced the launch of Ziprasidone Mesylate for Injection, 20 mg (base)/mL Single-dose Vials, the therapeutic generic equivalent of Geodon(R) (ziprasidone mesylate) Injection, 20 mg/mL, approved by the FDA.

05:38 EDT Pfizer, BioNTech to co-develop potential COVID-19 vaccine - Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech SE (BNTX) announced that the companies have agreed to a letter of intent regarding the co-development and distribution of a potential mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection. The companies have executed a Material Transfer and Collaboration Agreement to enable the parties to immediately start working together. The collaboration aims to accelerate development of BioNTech's potential first-in-class COVID-19 mRNA vaccine program, BNT162, which is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of April. The rapid advancement of this collaboration builds on the research and development collaboration into which Pfizer and BioNTech entered in 2018 to develop mRNA-based vaccines for prevention of influenza. The companies expect to utilize multiple research and development sites from both companies, including in the United States and Germany, to house the activities identified by the collaboration agreement. The companies will begin collaborating immediately. They will finalize details of the agreement regarding financial terms, and all activities related to development, manufacturing and potential commercialization over the next few weeks. On March 13, Pfizer issued a five-point plan calling on the biopharmaceutical industry to join the company in committing to unprecedented collaboration to combat COVID-19.

05:35 EDT AMC Entertainment to close all U.S. locations for 6-12 weeks - AMC Theatres announced that as of Tuesday, March 17, all AMC locations in the United States will close for at least six to 12 weeks, in compliance with local, state and federal directives, and as a precaution to help ensure the health and safety of moviegoers and theatre staff. AMC will continue to monitor the situation closely, and the company will remain flexible on reopening, in accordance with CDC recommendations and governmental directives. The COVID-19 situation has developed rapidly throughout the country over the last week, and during the last 48 hours more than a dozen states and major markets have mandated that movie theatres, bars and restaurants must close. Today, the federal government recommended no public gatherings take place that are larger than 10 people, making movie theatre operations essentially impossible. Throughout the past several weeks, AMC has complied with all CDC guidelines and governmental mandates. As a result of the temporary theatre closures, AMC will automatically pause all A-List memberships for the time that AMC theatres are closed, with no billing or payments occurring. Members will be notified prior to this pause expiring and will have the option to choose to extend the pause for another month if they so desire. Additionally, any A-List member who did not renew their membership any time so far in calendar year 2020 will not have to wait the customary 6 months to rejoin. AMC movie fans are encouraged to utilize AMC Theatres On Demand, which allows them to rent or buy movies from a selection of more than 3,500 titles, including recent and popular titles from every major studio. AMC Theatres On Demand can be accessed online through AMC's website, through AMC's mobile app, and through several smart TV apps.

05:31 EDT Full House Resorts to temporarily suspend operations in MI, CO - Full House Resorts announced that, pursuant to state government orders, it is temporarily closing Silver Slipper Casino & Hotel in Hancock County, Mississippi, until further notice and Bronco Billy's Casino & Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado, for at least 30 days, beginning on March 17. As disclosed yesterday, the company has also temporarily paused construction of its new parking garage at Bronco Billy's, which is still in the early stages of construction. "These are challenging times. Our primary concern has always been the health and well-being of our guests and employees," said Daniel Lee, President and CEO of Full House Resorts. "We know of no instances of COVID-19 at any of our resorts. However, we understand the magnitude of this public health emergency and the necessity to take certain actions. We look forward to welcoming back all of our guests and employees as soon as possible." Continued Mr. Lee, "As of December 31, 2019, the company had $29.9 million in cash and equivalents. Approximately $15 million of this amount was designated for construction of the parking garage and approximately $10 million is used in daily operations. In these uncertain times, the company chose to pause construction of its parking garage out of an abundance of caution."

05:28 EDT JPMorgan issues statement on use of discount window - JPMorgan Chase issued the following statement: Throughout our history, JPMorgan Chase has taken actions to help ensure that our financial system remains strong, resilient and well positioned to support customers, clients and communities around the U.S. and across the world. At our Investor Day in February we explained our willingness to utilize the debit cap and discount window from time to time, and we were public about it to help dispel the stigma that debit cap or discount window usage equates to illiquidity or distress of an institution. As the Financial Services Forum has announced, JPMorgan Chase and other major U.S. financial services are now actively supporting the use of the discount window, by executing public discount window transactions. While measured, this symbolic transaction demonstrates that this liquidity and cash management tool is an important part of the financial system. As we said on Sunday, JPMorgan Chase has the capabilities and balance sheet to support the financial system and all of our constituencies even if circumstances get dramatically worse. We stand ready to support our clients, customers, communities and government in any way we can."

05:13 EDT Brookfield Renewable to acquire TerraForm Power - Brookfield Renewable (BEP) and TerraForm Power (TERP) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement for Brookfield Renewable to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock of TerraForm Power, other than the approximately 62% currently owned by Brookfield Renewable and its affiliates. Each share of Class A common stock of TerraForm Power will be acquired for consideration equivalent to 0.381 of a Brookfield Renewable unit. For each share of TerraForm Power's Class A common stock held, TERP shareholders will be entitled to receive, at their election, either Class A shares of Brookfield Renewable or limited partnership units of Brookfield Renewable. The Special Committee of the board at TerraForm Power, comprised solely of non-executive, independent directors of TerraForm Power, has unanimously recommended that TERP shareholders approve the transaction. The Special Committee believes the transaction is fair to and in the best interests of TERP and its unaffiliated shareholders. The combined company will be one of the largest publicly-traded, globally-diversified, multi-technology, pure-play renewable power platforms, with total assets of approximately $50 billion and expected annual funds from operations of approximately $1 billion. As previously announced, Brookfield Renewable also intends to make a special distribution of BEPC shares to its unitholders. BEPC is a Canadian corporation and will be listed on the TSX and NYSE. The BEPC shares are structured with the intention of being economically equivalent to a BEP unit, including identical distributions, as and when declared, and will be fully exchangeable at any time, at the shareholder's option, for a BEP unit on a one-for-one basis. As such, offering TERP shareholders the right to elect to receive BEP units or BEPC shares provides them the option of investing in Brookfield Renewable through a partnership or corporate structure. The exchange ratio will proportionally reflect the contemplated special distribution of BEPC shares to Brookfield Renewable unitholders, which we expect to close concurrently with the closing of the transaction. The transaction is subject to, among other things, the non-waivable approval of TERP shareholders representing a majority of the outstanding shares of TERP Class A common stock not owned by Brookfield Renewable and its affiliates. The transaction is also subject to other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Q3.

05:08 EDT Canada Goose to close retail stores until March 31 - Canada Goose provided an update on COVID-19. We will close all retail stores in North America and Europe as of March 17 until at least March 31, customers will continue to be able to shop at canadagoose.com. In Greater China, retail stores remain open and happy to welcome customers, as does our e-commerce through Tmall's Luxury Pavilion. Our store in Tokyo, which is partner-operated and accounted for in our wholesale channel, is also open with a reduced schedule. In Canada we will begin closing our in-house production facilities as of March 17 for at least a two-week period. All current retail and manufacturing closures will be reassessed regularly in real-time as this global health crisis evolves. "We are facing unprecedented times. On behalf of our 5,000+ employees around the world, I want to express our deep gratitude to everyone who is working tirelessly on the frontlines, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected," said Dani Reiss, President & CEO of Canada Goose. "This situation is constantly evolving, and we are committed to supporting our employees as best as possible while doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19." In a letter to Canada Goose employees, Dani noted that he will forego his salary for at least the next three months, and the Company will use those funds to establish the Canada Goose Employee Support Fund. For employees who are impacted by the closures but are not eligible for government assistance, this fund will provide critical financial support to employees and their families during this time.