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

20:02 EDT Daiichi Sankyo, Ultragenyx enter gene therapy manufacturing partnership - Ultragenyx (RARE) announced a strategic partnership and non-exclusive license and technology access agreement with Daiichi Sankyo (DSNKY) for Ultragenyx's proprietary AAV-based gene therapy manufacturing technologies. Ultragenyx's HeLa producer cell line platform enables large commercial-scale AAV-based gene therapy product manufacturing that is intended to be highly reproducible, more consistent, and less expensive than other gene therapy manufacturing platforms. In addition, Ultragenyx has developed a proprietary HEK293 transient transfection system for AAV manufacture which is also a subject of the collaboration. Under the license and technology access agreement, Ultragenyx granted Daiichi Sankyo a non-exclusive license to intellectual property, including know-how and patent applications, with respect to its HeLa PCL and HEK293 transient transfection manufacturing technology platforms for AAV-based gene therapy products. The parties will collaborate closely as part of a technology transfer plan to enable Daiichi Sankyo to use the technologies for its internal gene therapy programs. Ultragenyx retains the exclusive right to use its manufacturing technology for its current target indications and additional indications identified now and in the future. Under the terms of the agreements, Daiichi Sankyo will make an upfront payment of $125M and will purchase $75M of Ultragenyx common stock at a price of approximately $60 per share. Daiichi Sankyo will pay an additional $25M upon completion of the technology transfer of the HeLa PCL and HEK293 platforms as well as single-digit royalties on net sales of products manufactured in either system. Daiichi Sankyo will reimburse Ultragenyx for all costs associated with the transfer of the manufacturing technology.

18:40 EDT Conagra Brands CEO: We're selling everything we can make - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Conagra Brands CEO Sean Connolly said the company was "running flat out" to keep its food coming. "We've had no disruptions at our plants. Consumers are eating everything at home so we're selling everything," Connolly added. He said the company's frozen and snacks businesses are both growing rapidly. He noted, "We have so much confidence in the frozen business. That's one of the reasons we bought Pinnacle." Connolly said the company's online business "is exploding" and gaining market share.

18:29 EDT CVB Financial suspends stock repurchase plan under 10b5-1 program - CVB Financial announced that it will suspend its 10b5-1 stock repurchase program. The company's Board of Directors previously authorized the company to repurchase up to 9.6M shares of the company's common stock.

17:56 EDT Johnson & Johnson to hold 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in virtual format - Johnson & Johnson announced that the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will now be conducted exclusively online by remote communication. This decision was made in light of the coronavirus outbreak, public health concerns, the current state of emergency in New Jersey and government-recommended and required limits on public gatherings and to assist in protecting the health and safety of the company's shareholders and employees. The meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 23, and will be conducted in a virtual format only. Shareholders will not be able to attend the 2020 annual meeting in person, however shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 25 will be able vote and ask questions during the meeting through the online platform.

17:49 EDT HP Inc. says remains 'firmly committed' to driving value for shareholders - HP Inc. (HPQ) issued the following statement following Xerox Holding Corporation's (XRX) withdrawal of its unsolicited exchange offer and director nominations: "We remain firmly committed to driving value for HP shareholders. HP is a strong company with market leading positions across Personal Systems, Print, and 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing. We have a healthy cash position and balance sheet that enable us to navigate unanticipated challenges such as the global pandemic now before us, while preserving strategic optionality for the future. Our focus remains on addressing the needs of our ecosystem of stakeholders around the world, ensuring that we build on our strength and resiliency throughout this crisis and position the business for the opportunities ahead. HP would like to thank our shareholders, partners, customers and employees for their input and continued support through this process."

17:41 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P 100, 500, 600 indices - United Technologies (UTX) is spinning off Otis Worldwide and Carrier Global and then merging with Raytheon in transactions expected to be completed on April 3. Post spin-off and merger transactions, United Technologies will remain in the S&P 500 & 100 indices. It will change its name to Raytheon Technologies and its ticker symbol to "RTX." Otis Worldwide (OTIS) and Carrier Global (CARR) will be added to the S&P 500 prior to the open of trading on Friday, April 3. Otis Worldwide will replace Raytheon (RTN), and Carrier Global will replace Macy's (M) both of which will be removed from the S&P 500 effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, April 6. Also effective on April 6, American Tower (AMT) will replace Raytheon in the S&P 100, and Macy's will replace KLX Energy Services Holdings (KLXE) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Macy's has a market capitalization more representative of the small-cap market space. KLX Energy is no longer representative of the small-cap market space.

17:32 EDT Newmont completes sale of Red Lake complex - Newmont Corporation announced it successfully completed the sale of its Red Lake complex in Ontario, Canada to Evolution Mining Limited and received cash proceeds of $375M with future contingent payments of up to an additional $100M tied to new resource discoveries.

17:32 EDT Nine Energy Service CFO Clinton Roeder departs, Guy Sirkes to succeed - Nine Energy Service announced that Clinton Roeder, Senior Vice President and CFO has departed the company by mutual consent effective March 31. Guy Sirkes, Vice President, Strategic Development, has assumed the role of Senior Vice President and CFO. Prior to joining the company in March 2019, he was an Executive Director with J.P. Morgan's Energy Investment Banking Group. There are no issues involving the company's financial results, internal controls or financial reporting procedures that led to Roeder's departure.

17:26 EDT Macy's to replace KLX Energy in S&P 600 at open on 4/6

17:25 EDT American Tower to replace Raytheon in S&P 100 at open on 4/6

17:24 EDT Carrier Global to replace Macy's in S&P 500 at open on 4/3 - Otis Worldwide (OTIS) and Carrier Global (CARR) will be added to the S&P 500 prior to the open of trading on Friday, April 3. Otis Worldwide will replace Raytheon (RTN), and Carrier Global will replace Macy's (M), both of which will be removed from the S&P 500 effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, April 6.

17:22 EDT Otis Worldwide to replace Raytheon in S&P 500 at open on 4/3 - United Technologies (UTX) is spinning off Otis Worldwide (OTIS) and Carrier Global (CARR) and then merging with Raytheon (RTN) in transactions expected to be completed on April 3. Post spin-off and merger transactions, United Technologies will remain in the S&P 500 & 100 indices. It will change its name to Raytheon Technologies Corp. and its ticker symbol to "RTX."

17:19 EDT Otis Worldwide, Carrier Global set to join S&P 500 at open on 4/3

17:12 EDT U.K.'s OFSI fines Standard Chartered GBP20.47M over Russia sanction violations - The U.K. Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said that Standard Chartered must pay a fine of GBP20.47M for violating the European Union's sanctions imposed on Russia following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. OFSI imposed monetary penalties because it was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that Standard Chartered Bank breached a prohibition imposed by financial sanctions legislation and had reasonable cause to suspect that it was in breach of that prohibition. Standard Chartered Bank made a voluntary disclosure in this case. The penalties include a 30% reduction in line with the process set out in OFSI's published guidance on case assessment. Reference Link

17:08 EDT Bank of America minimum wage reaches $20 per hour as previously planned - One year ago, Bank of America announced it would raise its U.S. minimum hourly wage to $20 over a two-year period. The first increment to $17 was made in May 2019; six months later, the company announced it would accelerate the move to $20 by a year; and in March this year, Bank of America made this change.

17:03 EDT Berry Global invests in meltblown capacity to serve face mask demand in EMEIA - Berry Global said it has advanced its investment in an additional specialty meltblown asset to produce high-efficiency filtration media serving the EMEIA markets. Current projections are for commercial production to start in the June quarter of 2020. This investment is targeted to meet increased demand and customer growth and will be focused on premium applications, such as FFP2 (N95) and FFP3 (N99) for industrial face mask and cabin air filtration markets. The new line will be equipped with Berry's proprietary charging technology to deliver optimal filtration efficiency and pressure drop at lower basis weights. Berry has a unique offering, providing products across technologies and markets. In this instance, the company is using its resources to provide the highest level of supply across Europe and more. "As a market leader in that space, we had been planning to add more capacity shortly after our latest investment in Asia came on line. The opportunity to support the fight against COVID-19 accelerated our decision," said Cedric Ballay EVP & GM for Europe in Health, Hygiene, and Specialties for Berry. "Our ability to be agile will benefit our customers and our communities."

17:02 EDT Helmerich & Payne cuts quarterly dividend to 25c from 71c per share - Helmerich & Payne provided an update on its capital allocation policy as well as its capital expenditure and SG&A cost outlook for the remainder of fiscal 2020. The company also announced the timing of its upcoming second fiscal 2020 quarterly conference call and webcast. As part of the company's commitment to long-term shareholder returns and at the same time maintaining its strong financial position, consistent with its previous announcement on March 23, 2020 that it was reviewing its capital allocation policy, the company announced it intends to reduce the future quarterly dividends to $0.25 per share. The declaration and amount of any future dividends, and any future increase or decrease, is at the discretion of the board and subject to the company's financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and other factors the board deems relevant. H&P also reaffirms its commitment to pay the previously announced $0.71 per share dividend on June 1, 2020, to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2020.

17:01 EDT Williams-Sonoma extends temporary store closures for additional two weeks - Williams-Sonoma announced that in response to the continued efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, it will extend the temporary closure of all U.S. and Canada stores for an additional two weeks. "As the coronavirus outbreak continues, we are highly focused on all of our stakeholders. We have made the decision to keep our stores in North America closed for an additional two weeks and we will continue to pay our store associates for their scheduled time and provide benefits through these two weeks of extended closures, just as we have since March 18 when the store closures first came into effect. Our people are our most important asset and we are proud of the agility, creativity and commitment they have shown to keep us connected to our customers during this challenging time," said Laura Alber, President and CEO. All of Williams-Sonoma's corporate offices remain closed with associates working from home. The company will continue to pay its corporate employees and has reassigned individuals whose previous jobs were related to retail or who could not work from home. Associates in the company's distribution centers are continuing operations to support our e-commerce business so customers can continue to shop online. The company is paying these associates bonuses for their work during this critical time, and closely following CDC guidelines for health and safety, including social distancing and increased levels of sanitation. Alber continued, "We are following the COVID-19 situation closely, taking into account available guidance provided by government and public health officials, and adjusting our response strategies, with our associates, customers and community at the center of everything we do. With our committed team, our resilient balance sheet and strong e-commerce business at over 56% of total revenues, we are in a strong position to address the near-term challenges and we look forward to welcoming our customers back to our stores."

16:58 EDT Paysign postpones yearend earnings call - Paysign announced it will be postponing its yearend 2019 earnings results call to allow additional time to complete its year-end closing procedures. Paysign will issue a press release announcing a new date and time of the postponed earnings call upon completion of these procedures.

16:56 EDT ProPetro CEO says seeing 'severe' disruptions to business from COVID-19 - CEO Gobe concluded, "In recent weeks we have seen severe disruptions not only to our business but also to our global economy. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic paired with an unprecedented oil price environment has caused significant changes to the activity of customers and therefore our own activity. These same dynamics are also having a severe negative impact on pricing for our services. As announced last week, we have implemented a number of strategic actions to align our cost structure to better reflect currently expected lower activity levels. In this volatile and unpredictable environment, our team will remain focused on serving our employees and customers in order to maintain or produce value for all of our stakeholders."

16:48 EDT Cousins Properties completes sale of Gateway Village - Cousins Properties announced that it has completed the sale of its interest in Gateway Village, a one million square foot office property in Uptown Charlotte, to its joint venture partner for $52.2M. The proceeds represent a 17% internal rate of return for Cousins on its invested capital, as stipulated in the partnership agreement. The terms of this transaction did not change from those originally announced on February 5, 2020.

16:42 EDT Lloyds to undertake no interim dividend payments or buybacks until end of 2020 - According to a statement posted on Twitter by The Times business editor Richard Fletcher, Lloyds Banking said its board has decided that until the end of 2020 it will undertake no quarterly or interim dividend payments, accrual of dividends, or share buybacks on ordinary shares amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, in response to a request from the PRA and to preserve additional capital for use in serving its clients, the board has agreed to cancel payment of the final 2019 dividend in relaion to ordinary shares. Reference Link

16:39 EDT HSBC cancels fourth interim dividend of 21c per ordinary share - According to a statement posted on Twitter by The Times business editor Richard Fletcher, the board of HSBC said it received from the Bank of England through the PRA a written request not to pay the fourth interim dividend in respect of 2019. The board said it met to discuss the written request form the PRA and, in response, has cancelled the fourth interim dividend of 21c per ordinary share, which was scheduled to be paid on April 14, 2020. The board also decided that until the end of 2020 it will make no quarterly or interim dividend payments or accruals in respect of ordinary shares, or undertake any share buybacks in respect of ordinary shares. Reference Link

16:36 EDT Xerox discontinues pursuit of HP Inc. - Xerox (XRX) issued the following statement: The current global health crisis and resulting macroeconomic and market turmoil caused by COVID-19 have created an environment that is not conducive to Xerox continuing to pursue an acquisition of HP Inc. (HPQ). Accordingly, we are withdrawing our tender offer to acquire HP and will no longer seek to nominate our slate of highly qualified candidates to HP's Board of Directors. While it is disappointing to take this step, we are prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders, and our broader response to the pandemic, over and above all other considerations. There remain compelling long-term financial and strategic benefits from combining Xerox and HP. The refusal of HP's Board to meaningfully engage over many months and its continued delay tactics have proven to be a great disservice to HP stockholders, who have shown tremendous support for the transaction.

16:34 EDT Baxter to hold Annual Meeting of Stockholders in virtual format - Baxter announced that, due to the public health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus pandemic and recommendations and orders from Federal and Illinois authorities, its Annual Meeting of Stockholders will now be held by means of a virtual format only. The 2020 Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 9 a.m., Central Time, as disclosed in Baxter's proxy statement for the meeting. Online access to the meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m., Central Time. Shareholders will not be able to attend the meeting in person.

16:33 EDT Office Depot board approves holding company reorganization - Office Depot announced that following the completion of its previously announced feasibility review, its Board of Directors approved proceeding with the implementation of a holding company reorganization. When implemented, Office Depot will become a wholly owned subsidiary of a new holding company, The ODP Corporation, which will replace Office Depot as the public company trading on Nasdaq under Office Depot's current ticker symbol "ODP". Existing shares of Office Depot will be automatically converted into shares of common stock of The ODP Corporation.

16:31 EDT Polaris implements hiring freeze, furloughs most workers for two weeks in Q2 - Polaris announced several additional actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions will help the company navigate the current environment by reducing expenses and improving its cash position and financial flexibility, it said. In response to continued uncertainty in market demand and the escalating near-term impact of COVID-19, Polaris made the necessary decision to enact several temporary changes related to employee compensation and hiring practices for exempt and nonexempt employees, including: Delaying merit increases for exempt and nonexempt employees through the end of the year; Implementing a hiring freeze on exempt and nonexempt positions; Furloughing most exempt and non-exempt Polaris employees for two weeks in the second quarter. Employees will not be paid but will maintain their health care benefits and may be eligible for unemployment benefits, subject to federal, state, and local regulations; Exempt and non-exempt employees, including Polaris' Executive Leadership Team, who are not furloughed will have their pay reduced by approximately 20 percent beginning April 13 through the end of the second quarter. In addition, Polaris Chairman and CEO, Scott Wine, will forgo his salary for the remainder of 2020. Following the temporary production halt instituted on March 23, Polaris continues to carefully calibrate its manufacturing operations with anticipated product demand. Production will restart this week on select manufacturing lines for products with adequate demand and supply chain coverage. Polaris continues to ship finished vehicles to dealers, and to produce products that are consistent with governing federal, state and local directives.

16:28 EDT 3M partners with Ford to bolster production of PAPRs - "This is not just a 3M (MMM) challenge; it's an industry-wide challenge," said 3M chairman and CEO Mike Roman. "Even with 3M's accelerated production combined with capacity from other manufacturers, the reality is that demand for N95 respirators is much higher than the industries' ability to deliver. That is why we continue to explore innovative partnerships and solutions to help protect our healthcare workers in this extraordinary time. Given the high use rate of N95 respirators, 3M engineers are right now collaborating with several sterilization companies to find a way for hospitals to safely clean, reuse and extend the life of these respirators. Additionally, we are partnering with Ford (F) to bolster production of 3M's powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs), which are highly specialized pieces of equipment used in the most demanding healthcare environments. We're moving forward quickly with the goal of increasing PAPR production by six-fold within the next 60 to 90 days."

16:25 EDT PEDEVCO Corp. initiates cost reduction measures, cuts employee salaries by 20% - PEDEVCO Corp. has initiated significant G&A cost-reduction measures, including a reduction to all employee salaries by 20% until market conditions significantly improve, cutting all discretionary spending and undertaking additional actions resulting in a nearly 30% aggregate G&A reduction in 2020. Additionally, the company is taking cost-reduction measures anticipated to reduce LOE by over 30% in 2020. Unless market conditions significantly improve through the year, the company plans to pause its planned 2020 development plan, with the only anticipated significant capital expenditures in 2020 being those related to 2019 carryover capital commitments.

16:19 EDT Citi Trends extends temporary closure of all retail stores, furloughs staff - Citi Trends provided a further update on the actions it is taking in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus. In light of federal, state and local regulations and the guidance of health authorities to close nonessential businesses, the company has extended its previously announced temporary closure of all of its retail stores, distribution centers and New York office until further notice. The Savannah corporate office will also be temporarily closed for all but minimum basic operations. The company will continue to monitor the guidance provided by government and health authorities to determine the appropriate time to reopen its stores, distribution centers and offices. As a result of a significant interruption in business operations, the company announced that it has placed on furlough substantially all of its store and distribution center personnel, as well as about 40% of its corporate staff. The company will pay for the first 30 days of medical benefits for covered associates during the furlough, and assist all associates with information about available resources. Additionally, the company has temporarily reduced the cash compensation of its CEO and Board members by 25% and temporarily reduced the cash compensation of its senior executives by 15% to 20%. These steps, together with the company's previously announced reductions in operating expenses, capital expenditures and inventories, as well as the company's utilization of its credit facility, are a continuation of the aggressive and prudent actions the company is taking to preserve cash and remain resilient during this unprecedented period.

16:18 EDT STAG Industrial reports total estimated liquidity is $755.4M as of March 31 - STAG Industrial announced that, in light of the market volatility related to the global COVID-19 outbreak, the Company published a brief presentation with updated information on the state of its acquisitions, dispositions, operations, balance sheet and liquidity. The investor presentation can be accessed the Company's website. Highlights of the presentation include: Company paused acquisition process going forward as market volatility remains elevated; Q1 2020 disposition volume of approximately $101M; Continue to see normal level of leasing activity but expect longer transaction timeframes; elevated tenant demand from logistics, retailer, food products, and pharmaceuticals industries; 19 prospects in the market looking at approximately 2.5M SF of our current vacancy. At March 31 reports cash on balance sheet $330.5M; forward equity proceeds$136.4M; unused 1031 proceeds$13.5M. Total estimated liquidity is $755.4M.

16:17 EDT ExOne says 3D printing facilities remain open amid COVID-19 pandemic - The ExOne Company announced that its five global facilities remain open to support manufacturing for essential critical infrastructure and emergency needs to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, ExOne's headquarters and production facility was granted a waiver to Pennsylvania's executive order to close all non-life-sustaining businesses. "We are grateful to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for granting ExOne a waiver, so we can continue to support manufacturing operations that are now more critical than ever," said John Hartner, ExOne CEO. "While the COVID-19 pandemic remains fluid, we continue to work diligently to ensure continuity of services to our customers and partners who deliver critical services, while protecting our employees and communities." ExOne's facilities are now operating with essential staff only, with most others working remotely, and have enacted a number of safety precautions, including social distancing and other actions recommended by the CDC, to protect employees and customers.

16:16 EDT Allegheny Technologies' A&T Stainless JV to idle Midland, PA operations - Allegheny Technologies announced that its 50% owned A&T Stainless joint venture plans to idle its Direct Roll Anneal and Pickle operations in Midland, Pennsylvania by the end of June 2020 due to Section 232 tariffs that make the business unsustainable. A&T Stainless has alerted the nearly 70 Midland-based employees-the majority of whom are represented by the United Steelworkers-that the DRAP will be idled by the end of the second quarter 2020.

16:15 EDT Orchard Therapeutics says timeline on MAA for OTL-200 may be extended - Orchard Therapeutics provided an update on its business and operations, outlining how the COVID-19 pandemic has and may continue to impact the company's development programs and timelines, product supply, commercial operations and financial position. Orchard has taken important steps to help ensure the safety of employees and their families and reduce spread of the virus in the communities where the company operates."We are operating in an unprecedented time for our business and the industry as a whole, given the rapid and global spread of COVID-19," said Bobby Gaspar, chief executive officer of Orchard. "During this challenging period, I have seen our employees develop creative solutions to issues posed by the current situation. We are in a strong financial position with a geographically dispersed workforce, and I am confident in our ability to swiftly and nimbly adapt and be proactive with the goal of minimizing further disruptions to our business during this time." While the company continues to progress its development, regulatory and commercialization plans, it also acknowledges the following impacts of COVID-19 on clinical activities, regulatory timelines and commercial readiness efforts that are underway. Orchard continues to engage with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the company's marketing authorization application (MAA) for OTL-200 for the treatment of MLD under an accelerated assessment. While the company is still preparing for a potential approval in 2020, the timeline could be extended as a result of the coordination needed among EMA, the company, its clinical site, its manufacturing partners and other key stakeholders involved in the review process during this time.

16:13 EDT Children's Place suspends share repurchases, dividends - The Children's Place is taking the following actions to provide additional financial flexibility: Executing a substantial reduction and/or deferral of expenses and capital expenditures, including an ongoing reduction in forward inventory receipts; Collaborated with vendor partners to extend payment terms; Finalizing the execution of the accordion feature on its revolving credit facility, which will provide an additional $50 million of liquidity; Evaluating its options on approximately 600 store lease events occurring over the next twelve months; Temporarily suspended the company's capital return program, inclusive of share repurchases and dividends. The company is committed to its capital return program over the longer term and will re-evaluate when appropriate.

16:11 EDT Children's Place extends store closures until further notice - The Children's Place provided a business update related to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jane Elfers, President and CEO, said, "The Children's Place continues to address the challenges associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this period of ongoing uncertainty, as we continue to focus on the safety and well-being of our associates and customers, we are announcing the continued closure of all of our U.S. and Canadian stores until further notice."

16:10 EDT Barclays announces suspension of dividend payments on ordinary shares - Barclays announced that in order to "help serve the needs of businesses and households through the extraordinary challenges presented by COVID-19," the board has decided that for 2020 the company will not undertake any interim ordinary share dividend payments, accrual of ordinary share dividends, or share buybacks. In addition, in response to a request from the UK Prudential Regulation Authority and to preserve additional capital for use in serving Barclays' customers and clients, the board has agreed to cancel the 6.0p per ordinary share full year 2019 dividend that was due for payment on 3 April 2020. The board will decide on any future dividend policy and amounts at year-end 2020. The company still intends to publish its Q1 2020 Results Announcement on or about April 29. Reference Link

16:08 EDT Regenxbio nd Ultragenyx announces new exclusive license agreement - REGENXBIO (RGNX) and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) announced a new exclusive, worldwide license agreement, extending the companies' existing gene therapy partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, REGENXBIO has granted Ultragenyx an exclusive, worldwide license, with rights to sublicense, to REGENXBIO's NAV AAV8 and AAV9 Vectors for the development and commercialization of gene therapy treatments for a rare metabolic disorder. In return for these rights, REGENXBIO will receive an upfront payment of $7M, ongoing fees, milestone payments, and royalties on net sales of products incorporating the licensed intellectual property.

16:07 EDT Verint says Q4 cloud adoption at large enterprises accelerating - Reports Q4 cloud contracts with TCV greater than $1 million up 93% and cloud revenue overall up 45% from last year.

16:07 EDT BlackBerry reports Q4 adjusted gross margin 77%, GAAP gross margin 75%

16:05 EDT Marriott notifies guests of property system incident - Marriott announced that it is notifying some of its guests of an incident involving a property system. Hotels operated and franchised under Marriott's brands use an application to help provide services to guests at hotels. At the end of February 2020, the company identified that an unexpected amount of guest information may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. The company believes that this activity started in mid-January 2020. Upon discovery, the company confirmed that the login credentials were disabled, immediately began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring, and arranged resources to inform and assist guests. Marriott also notified relevant authorities and is supporting their investigations. Although Marriott's investigation is ongoing, the company currently has no reason to believe that the information involved included Marriott Bonvoy account passwords or PINs, payment card information, passport information, national IDs, or driver's license numbers.At this point, the company believes that the following information may have been involved for up to approximately 5.2M guests, although not all of this information was present for every guest involved:contact details, loyalty account information, additional personal details, partnerships and affiliations, preferences. Marriott is sending emails to guests involved. Marriott has also set up a dedicated website and call center resources with additional information for guests. The call center resources can be reached by calling the numbers listed on the dedicated website. Marriott carries insurance, including cyber insurance, commensurate with its size and the nature of its operations, and the company is working with its insurers to assess coverage. The company does not currently believe that its total costs related to this incident will be significant.Reference Link

16:03 EDT Becton Dickinson, BioMedomics launch test to detect exposure to COVID-19 - Becton Dickinson (BDX) and BioMedomics, a privately held, North Carolina-based clinical diagnostics company, announced the release of a new point-of-care test that can detect antibodies in blood to confirm current or past exposure to COVID-19 in as little as 15 minutes. The new test, developed and manufactured by BioMedomics, will be available through BD and distributed exclusively by Henry Schein, Inc. to health care providers throughout the United States. The test does not require special equipment and may be used in a laboratory or at the point of care. The test detects antibodies in the blood that are produced by the body in response to coronavirus infection. These antibodies are typically present in the middle to later stages of COVID-19 infection, but may remain present after exposure, which helps clinicians determine who has been exposed to the coronavirus, even if a person didn't exhibit any symptoms of the COVID-19 disease. Data on past exposure is important for researchers to more accurately understand the likely true occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection across a population. This information will be helpful in informing future strategies for combatting COVID-19. The test is completed in four, simple steps. First, blood is collected through normal blood collection devices such as the BD Microtainer Contact-Activated Lancet. A few drops of blood are then transferred to the test cartridge, followed by two to three drops of a buffer. The results can be read in 15 minutes, similar to how over-the-counter pregnancy tests show multiple lines for positive results and a single line for negative results. The test has not been reviewed by the FDA but is permitted for distribution and use under the public health emergency guidance issued by FDA on March 16, 2020, and BD expects to begin shipping tests in April. BD will have capacity to supply more than one million tests over the coming months, with the ability to scale up based on market demand and is working with medical products distribution company Henry Schein (HSIC) to make these tests available to medical care facilities throughout the United States. Health care providers can order the test and all collection devices needed to perform the test by contacting their BD or Henry Schein representatives.

16:02 EDT Facebook debuts global edition of Community Help feature in response to COVID-19 - "In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Facebook is supporting the global public health community's work to keep people safe and informed. Since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a public health emergency in January, we've taken steps to make sure everyone has access to accurate information, stop misinformation and harmful content, and support global health experts, local governments, businesses and communities.Here's an overview of our work and shortcuts to more information. We'll continue to add to this post as we announce updates.Today we're announcing Community Help, a place for people to request or offer help to neighbors, such as volunteering to deliver groceries or donating to a local food pantry or fundraiser. You can access Community Help in the COVID-19 Information Center on Facebook or by visiting facebook.com/covidsupport. We're starting to roll it out in the US, the UK, France, Australia and Canada in the next few days, and we're working to bring it to more countries in the coming weeks," said Facebook in a blog posting. Reference Link

16:00 EDT Summit Financial Group trading resumes

15:55 EDT Trump says new emissions rule will lower average car prices for consumers - President Donald Trump tweeted: "My proposal to the politically correct Automobile Companies would lower the average price of a car to consumers by more than $3500, while at the same time making the cars substantially safer. Engines would run smoother. Positive impact on the environment! Foolish executives!" Publicly traded automakers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Tesla (TSLA), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VWAGY). Reference Link

15:38 EDT Tyson Foods enacts changes to protect, support workers - The company is restricting visitor access to its facilities and relaxed its attendance policy to reinforce the importance of staying home when sick or to meet childcare needs. It has implemented the use of temporal thermometers to check the temperature of team members before they enter company facilities and expects delivery of infrared temperature scanners following a successful trial. In addition, the company is offering protective face coverings for production workers who request them and is working with the CDC on additional guidance on the use of personal protective equipment. Tyson Foods, which has mandatory health care coverage, is waiving the 5 consecutive day waiting period for short term disability benefits, so workers can receive pay while they're sick with the flu or COVID-19. In addition, it is: Waiving the co-pay, co-insurance and deductible for doctor visits for COVID-19 testing as well as eliminating pre-approval or preauthorization steps. Waiving co-pays for the use of telemedicine. Relaxing refill limits for 30-day prescriptions of maintenance medication. The company recently announced it has committed $13M to support critical needs in local communities where the company operates in response to the pandemic. This includes $2M in grants that will be allocated to non-profit organizations to help support Tyson team members and the local community. Investments will be focused on non-profit partners providing emergency response efforts such as rent and utility assistance, food distribution, health care, childcare, small business support and other economic recovery services. In an effort to help cattle feeders weather the impact of the pandemic, Tyson Fresh Meats also provided a one-time premium for cattle harvested the week of March 23rd.

15:30 EDT 3M reports further actions to address price gouging and fraud amid pandemic - 3M announced that it is committed to combating price gouging, fraud and counterfeit activity in connection with its products and the COVID-19 outbreak. 3M has received reports of people fraudulently representing themselves as being affiliated with 3M, selling 3M products at grossly inflated prices, selling counterfeit products falsely claimed to be from 3M and falsely claiming to manufacture 3M products. 3M noted that respirators are in high demand around the globe as healthcare workers continue to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. "Since the outbreak began, 3M has doubled its global output of N95 respirators to an annual rate of over 1.1 billion, or nearly 100 million per month. 3M has not changed the prices we charge for 3M respirators as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been and will continue to work actively to eliminate price gouging by resellers of 3M respirators," the company stated. "3M is working to protect the public from counterfeiting and price-gouging on critical healthcare supplies, including the respirators and masks that are essential to our country's healthcare personnel. 3M will take decisive action against those seeking to take illegal and unethical advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are working with law enforcement authorities around the world on this matter, including federal, state, and local authorities in the U.S," added Mike Roman, 3M chairman of the board and CEO.

15:14 EDT Google Cloud CEO says Meet's daily usage up more than 25 times from January - In a post to the Google Cloud Blog, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, stated in part: "We're all in the midst of an extraordinary moment-not only for our teams, colleagues, and customers, but for the world at large. The impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has created many new challenges, and for many of us, has required that we adopt new ways of working...As more and more businesses rely on connecting an at-home workforce to maintain productivity, we've seen surges in the use of Google Meet, our video conferencing product, at a rate we've never witnessed before. Over the last few weeks, Meet's day-over-day growth surpassed 60%, and as a result, its daily usage is more than 25 times what it was in January. Despite this growth, the demand has been well within the bounds of our network's ability. Because we know how critical keeping colleagues connected and engaged is for business continuity, we've made the advanced features in Google Meet free to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally. We've also made Meet Hardware available in additional markets, including South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and South Africa, to ensure customers have the right hardware to complement their Meet solution." Reference Link

15:01 EDT CNA Financial appoints Mahmood Khan Chief Information Security Officer - CNA announced the appointment of Mahmood Khan as senior VP and Chief Information Security Officer. In this role, Khan will drive information and cybersecurity strategy and operations to protect CNA's assets, data and reputation. Most recently, Khan served as Managing Director, Cyber Security Operations for United Airlines.

14:14 EDT Triller and Snapchat to integrate using Snap Kit - Triller, an AI-powered music sharing social media app, announced a step to integrate Triller into the Snap feed and story, for Triller users. Snap Users with Triller can "harness Triller's state-of-the-art technology, engage its rapidly growing user community, and provide Triller, Snapchat users with the seamless ability to create professional looking music videos via this integration," Triller stated in its announcement of the integration. "Snapchat is our ideal partner. The depth and breadth of their user, along with their understanding of today's culture is unparalleled. We are fortunate and excited to be part of this step with Snap," said Bobby Sarnavesht from Triller.

14:02 EDT Parsons exercises two Bucholz Army Airfield options for value of $30.5M - Parsons Corporation announced that it exercised two options for a combined value of $30.5M on the Bucholz Army Airfield effort in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The firm fixed price project delivery contract was awarded to Parsons in August 2019 and was a new, competitive win for the company with a total value of $229M.

14:02 EDT Activision confirms 'COD: Modern Warfare 2' remaster, out now on PS4 - Activision's (ATVI) official Call of Duty Twitter account confirmed the release of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered." "Download Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered and play now on PS4 (SNE)," reads a tweet from the account. "Pre-purchase for other platforms today to play on April 30." Reference Link

13:46 EDT AWS announces general availability of Amazon Detective security service - Amazon Web Services, or AWS, an Amazon.com company, announced the general availability of Amazon Detective, a new security service that "makes it easy for customers to conduct faster and more efficient investigations into security issues across their AWS workloads." Amazon Detective automatically collects log data from a customer's resources and uses machine learning, statistical analysis, and graph theory to build interactive visualizations that help customers analyze, investigate, and quickly identify the root cause of potential security issues or suspicious activities, the company said. There are no additional charges or upfront commitments required to use Amazon Detective, and customers pay only for data ingested from AWS CloudTrail, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud Flow Logs, and Amazon GuardDuty findings, AWS added.

13:45 EDT Stein Mart trading resumes

13:33 EDT Oil patch stocks get a lift after news of potential Trump-Putin dialogue - Shares of companies with direct exposure to oil prices are moving higher on Tuesday following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to talks aimed at stabilizing energy markets, amid a historic free-fall in oil prices. Both brent and U .S. crude prices rose, with U.S crude up 79c, or 4%, to trade at $20.84 per barrel after settling at $20.09 on Monday. TWO STORMS FOR OIL: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic paired with a dispute between former allies Russia and Saudi Arabia sent oil prices below $20 a barrel on Monday, close to their lowest level in 18 years. FOCUS ON EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION: Stifel analyst Michael Scialla upgraded Noble Energy (NBL) to Buy from Hold on Tuesday with a price target of $18, up from $9. Investors should focus on Exploration and Production companies that can endure an "unparalleled oil market imbalance" amid the COVID-19 driven oil demand destruction and the dissolution of the OPEC agreement, Scialla told investors in a research note. PRICE ACTION: Shares of Noble Energy, Cimarex Energy (XEC) and Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG) are up over10% in afternoon trading. OTHERS TRADING HIGHER: Other energy names trading higher include Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Devon Energy (DVN) BP (BP), ConocoPhillips (COP) and Marathon Oil (MRO).

13:22 EDT FERC conditionally approves proposed acquisition of El Paso Electric by IIF - El Paso Electric Company and The Infrastructure Investments Fund announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order authorizing IIF's proposed acquisition of EPE, subject to the FERC's approval of mitigation to address certain discrete competitive effects of the transaction that could arise. FERC concluded that the acquisition, as conditioned, satisfies governing federal standards and authorized the acquisition as consistent with the public interest. EPE and IIF issued the following statement: "We are pleased by the FERC's order authorizing IIF's proposed acquisition of EPE. We are working diligently to file proposed mitigation that is consistent with the order. We look forward to the expected closing in the first half of 2020, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions." As previously announced, the FERC's approval is the last regulatory approval needed to close the proposed acquisition. "We anticipate closing the proposed acquisition in the first half of 2020, upon FERC's approval of the required mitigation and satisfaction or waiver of the other closing conditions."

13:10 EDT Stein Mart trading halted, news pending

12:40 EDT Caesars trading resumes

12:30 EDT Tesla CEO says company has extra FDA-approved ventilators - Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk said via Twitter, "We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please me or @Tesla know." Musk did not specify how many ventilators the car maker has to offer. Reference Link

12:25 EDT Dean Foods sells substantial portion of assets to Dairy Farmers for $433M - Dean Foods announced that, following a sale process and a competitive auction as part of its Chapter 11 process, Dairy Farmers of America has been named the winning bidder to acquire a substantial portion of Dean Foods' business operations. Pursuant to the agreement, which is subject to final approval by the bankruptcy court, Dairy Farmers of America will acquire the assets, rights, interests, and properties relating to 44 of the Company's fluid and frozen facilities for $433M. In addition, as part of the court-supervised sale process, Dean Foods has designated Prairie Farms Dairy as the winner of the assets, rights, interests, and properties relating to eight additional facilities, two distribution branches and certain other assets for $75M in cash. Dean Foods has designated Mana Saves McArthur and Producers Dairy Foods as winning bidders for the sale of the facilities located in Miami, Florida and Reno, Nevada, respectively. Harmoni has been designated as the winning bidder for the Uncle Matt's business.

12:16 EDT J.C. Penney extends store closures, furloughs majority of store associates - J. C. Penney Company announced it will extend the temporary closure of its stores and business offices due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company will continue to follow guidance from local, state, and federal officials as it anticipates gradually reopening stores and offices in markets when it is safe to do so. As a result of its store closures, JCPenney has made the difficult decision to temporarily furlough the majority of store hourly associates, beginning April 2. During this time, the company will also require a smaller corporate workforce. Beginning April 5, a significant portion of associates in the company's Home Office, Salt Lake City, and Soho design offices will be furloughed, along with its store salaried associates. Many of the company's associates in supply chain and logistics centers were previously furloughed on March 20, and those furloughs will continue. All furloughed associates who are currently enrolled in the JCPenney benefits program will continue to receive full health benefits and the company plans to cover 100% of employee-paid premiums for the duration of the furlough.

12:13 EDT Novo Nordisk says Saxenda showed BMI, weight improvements in adolescents - Novo Nordisk announced that a peer-reviewed journal published the results of a phase 3 trial evaluating the investigational use of Saxenda in adolescents with obesity. The study was accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, US, and will be published in a supplemental issue of the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Saxenda in this population and achieved its primary endpoint demonstrating that Saxenda, compared with placebo, was superior in reducing Body Mass Index, or BMI, standard deviation score at 56 weeks with a -0.22 estimated treatment difference. Saxenda is currently indicated for chronic weight management in certain adults with one or more weight-related comorbidities, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

12:06 EDT Horizon Therapeutics says Tepezza reduced proptosis regardless of age - Horizon Therapeutics announced new pooled efficacy data from the Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of Tepezza showing that the recently approved medicine effectively reduces proptosis in patients with thyroid eye disease regardless of age, gender and smoking status. The analysis was accepted for presentation during an oral session at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. Prior analyses of combined data from two 24-week, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group clinical trials for Tepezza have demonstrated a proptosis response rate of 77.4% in Tepezza patients compared to 14.9% in placebo patients at week 24. At Week 24 of treatment, across all subgroups, more patients receiving Tepezza experienced an improvement of at least two millimeters in proptosis compared to those receiving placebo, the company said. "This analysis provides further evidence for physicians to consider when determining what type of patient to treat with TEPEZZA. For instance, smoking is a risk factor for TED and can make it more difficult to manage. It's exciting to see in this analysis that 70 percent of smokers were proptosis responders, with a mean reduction of almost 3 millimeters - which is comparable to results seen in non-smokers," said George Kahaly of the Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center in Mainz, Germany, and lead study author.

12:00 EDT RH falls -11.1% - RH is down -11.1%, or -$13.07 to $104.93.

12:00 EDT Verizon implements enhanced compensation plan for essential on-site employees - Verizon announced that it's immediately implementing an enhanced compensation plan for the company's dedicated employees who must deploy outside their homes to meet critical customer needs. These mission-critical employees are unable to work remotely as they fulfill and repair broadband orders and connection issues, maintain networks and offer products to customers immediately and in person when deemed essential. As part of the company's "Essential On-Site Services Pay" program, eligible retail employees will receive an increase in their base hourly rate when working in a corporate-owned retail location. The company's eligible network, logistics and real estate employees, including field technicians, will receive an enhancement on top of their regular base wages. In addition to the wage enhancements for the company's workforce, the company has made additional proactive changes in order to protect the health of its employees. Currently, more than a third of Verizon's installation and maintenance technicians are keeping their work vehicles at their homes to support social distancing. More than 100,000 company employees are now positioned to work remotely. More than 70 percent of Verizon's corporate-owned retail locations are now closed. As part of a massive employee transition plan, the company is preparing to re-train and re-deploy thousands of its retail employees to work-from-home functions. The company has also increased resources and capabilities for handling customer inquiries, sales and troubleshooting using online tools found at www.vzw.com and the MyVerizon app. With these virtual tools, virtually any business transaction can now be handled remotely. Verizon has also implemented a comprehensive coronavirus leave of absence policy. Those who contract the virus are eligible for up to 26 weeks paid leave. For employees caring for someone who's been infected, for employees directed to stay home due to an underlying medical condition and for employees who have trouble finding childcare at this time, Verizon provides eight weeks of pay at full pay and, if needed, additional weeks with 60% of their base wage.

12:00 EDT Seritage Growth Properties rises 27.7% - Seritage Growth Properties is up 27.7%, or $1.96 to $9.04.

11:56 EDT Microsoft launches Edge Zones for Azure - Microsoft launched Azure Edge Zones, enabling Azure users "to easily deploy applications and virtualized network functions." The company said in a blog post: "Virtually eliminate latency concerns-the main performance barrier for apps, connected devices, and mobile consumer services-by transforming how cloud and edge work together with Azure Edge ZonesPREVIEW. With the low edge latency and high bandwidth of Azure Edge Zones and 5G networks, you're able to easily deploy applications and virtualized network functions, VNF, and provide your customers with seamless compute, storage, IoT, and container services.Azure Edge Zones are local extensions of Azure that are ideal for solving compute, storage, and service availability issues by allowing you to provide experience-driven resources closer to your customers-using the technology that you already have. Azure Edge Zones are available through Azure, with select carriers and operators, or as private customer zones...Enable faster access to local Azure services to get granular control of data-and better performance-from apps deployed at the edge with Azure Edge ZonesPREVIEW. Common applications include distributed apps and public cloud-based business and consumer platforms in industries like retail, media, financial services." Reference Link

11:22 EDT Take-Two's 'Outer Worlds' coming to Switch on June 5, 2020 after COVID-19 delay - Private Division, which is owned by Take-Two (TTWO), plans on launching role-playing game "The Outer Worlds" for the Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) on June 5, 2020. "As we prepare for another arrival of new colonists, we have some very important information for those making this journey, specifically for you colonists who prefer your goods in physical form: The retail version The Outer Worlds comes on a physical cartridge, and it will be accompanied by a day one patch that could be up to 6 GB," developer Obsidian said. "This patch will optimize gameplay, provide additional hi-res textures, and include other fixes to provide the employees of Halcyon with the best gameplay experience. Please ensure you have planned accordingly and have available space necessary for the patch." The game for Switch will retail for $59.99 digitally and physically. "The Outer Worlds" originally rolled out on PC, Xbox One (MSFT), and PlayStation 4 (SNE) in October 2019. The Fly notes that the Switch version of the game was delayed due to the coronavirus impacting the Virtuos team working on the port. Reference Link

10:55 EDT CannTrust says has been unable to generate 'meaningful' revenue since June - The company said, "Despite the efforts by CannTrust's management and Board of Directors to preserve the Company's cash liquidity while seeking to restore the Company to operations and resolve the multiple litigations and other contingent claims facing the Company, the Company's future remains uncertain. Without its cannabis licenses, the Company has been unable to generate any meaningful revenue since June 2019. The Company has not filed any financial statements subsequent to its interim unaudited comparative financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which, together with its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, are subject to restatement. Furthermore, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated what were already difficult circumstances, introducing potential delays in Health Canada's ability to review the Company's applications for reinstatement of its Niagara and Vaughan licenses and making it even more challenging for CannTrust to attract new financing or a strategic partner. CannTrust is expending significant time and money pursuing the completion of its remediation plan and defending the putative class actions against the Company in multiple jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that Health Canada will reinstate CannTrust's licenses or that the Company's litigation will be resolved in the near term or on a basis that will leave the Company with sufficient financial resources to resume operations. At present, and in light of seeking CCAA protection, its reduced liquidity position and the contingent claims it is facing, the Company does not intend to devote additional time or money towards curing its public disclosure defaults by completing and resuming the filing of required reports under Canadian and United States securities laws. As of March 20, 2020, CannTrust had a cash balance of approximately $145M. If Health Canada elects to reinstate CannTrust's cannabis licenses, it would take several months for the Company to begin earning revenue and the Company would require significant working capital to restore its operations and return to profitability. Similarly, there can be no assurance that the Strategic Process will result in any transaction, and there can be no assurance that the Strategic Process or the outcome of the CCAA proceeding will provide any residual value for the benefit of holders of the Company's Common Shares. Trading in CannTrust's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange has been halted and the Company expects that, as a result of having filed for protection under the CCAA, the Common Shares will soon be delisted from trading on the TSX and NYSE. In addition, CannTrust anticipates that, as a result of the Company's filing for protection under the CCAA, its pending delisting by the TSX and NYSE, and its continuing default of its disclosure obligations under applicable securities laws, provincial securities regulators in Canada will issue a cease trade order to prevent any trading in the Common Shares in Canada."

10:38 EDT Southwest to cut flight activity by more than 40% for May 3-June 5 period - In a post to its corporate website, Southwest stated: "We began publishing a new flight schedule today for travel May 3-June 5 that reduces flight activity almost uniformly across the airline by more than 40%, to approximately 2,000 flights a day. The cuts proactively address significantly lower passenger demand, operational disruptions, and the ongoing suspension of our international service. The overall demand for travel remains fluid during this ongoing pandemic and we continue to evaluate further reductions. By making a published change to our planned flight activity, we're giving our Customers more time with any changes that affect them. During this time, we are maintaining passenger service to every city we serve, moving cargo around the country, and facilitating our Customers' essential travel between nearly every city-pair we previously offered. Some journeys that had been nonstop might now require a same-plane stop or a connection. This scheduling change merely takes forward in time work that is removing roughly 1,500 flights a day from our current operation. We don't have city-specific or market-specific information to share. Customers who already have booked travel that will be affected by changes will receive updates and will be offered additional flexibility within our existing policies for flight changes in the COVID-19 environment." Reference Link

10:22 EDT Crown Castle says impact of COVID-19 'could be material' - In a regulatory filing earlier, Crown Castle International stated: "As the novel coronavirus - COVID-19 - continues to spread and significantly impact the United States, public and private sector policies and initiatives intended to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, such as the imposition of travel restrictions, mandates from federal, state and local authorities to avoid large gatherings of people, quarantine or "shelter-in-place," the promotion of social distancing and the adoption of work-from-home and online learning by companies and institutions, could impact our operations. Among other things, COVID-19 and the initiatives could adversely affect the ability of our suppliers and vendors to provide products and services to us, result in decreased demand for our communications infrastructure, and make it more difficult for us to serve our customers, including as a result of delays or suspensions in the issuance of permits or other authorizations needed to conduct our business. In addition, in recent weeks, the continued spread of COVID-19 and the initiatives have led to disruption and volatility in the global capital markets, which could increase our cost of capital and adversely impact our access to capital. We are taking a variety of measures to ensure the availability of our critical infrastructure, promote the safety and security of our employees and support the communities in which we operate. These measures include providing support for our customers as reflected in the FCC's "Keep Americans Connected" pledge, requiring work-from-home arrangements and travel restrictions for our employees where practicable, canceling physical participation in meetings, events and conferences, and other modifications to our business practices. We may take further actions as may be required by governmental authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners. Due to the speed with which the situation is developing and factors beyond our knowledge or control, including the duration and severity of COVID-19 and the initiatives as well as third-party actions taken to contain its spread and mitigate its public health effects, at this time we cannot estimate or predict the impact of COVID-19 or the Initiatives on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows, particularly over the near to medium term, but the impact could be material."

10:13 EDT Walgreens, Postmates expand on-delivery service to 7,000 stores - To address the rising need for home delivery, Walgreens and Postmates have expanded on-demand delivery to now service consumers nationwide*. With this expansion, consumers in cities across the country can get health and wellness items, including select over-the-counter medications, and other household essentials and convenience products they need delivered to them from more than 7,000 Walgreens stores. "During these challenging times, our customers need alternate options to get the essential products they need," said Walgreens President, Richard Ashworth. "By expanding our delivery service collaboration with Postmates, more customers can get what they need, delivered on-demand, at their doorstep. Because of Postmates' non-contact delivery options for certain items, Postmates drivers will leave deliveries on doorsteps, keeping these transactions completely contact-less, with no personal interaction required."

10:05 EDT New Residential drops 7% to $5.53 after cutting dividend to preserve liquidity

10:03 EDT Papa John's says about 350 of international franchised stores temporarily closed - Papa John's said that of the company's approximately 2,100 international franchised stores, approximately 350 are temporarily closed, principally in Ireland, Peru and the Philippines, where all stores have closed due to government policies. In China and Korea, which were impacted early by COVID-19 and where new infections have significantly declined, 15 of the company's franchise locations in China and one of the locations in Korea remain closed.

10:02 EDT Papa John's says cash position supporting current operations - Rob Lynch, Papa John's President and CEO, said, "First in Asia, then in Europe, and now in North and South America, we have seen the COVID-19 pandemic impact our business differently, depending on the restrictions enacted by governments. In some international markets this has resulted in temporary closures, but in most markets, including North America, we are nearly fully operational. Although March sales in North America were negatively impacted by the cancellation of large gatherings, including major sporting events, our international and domestic businesses have performed well, as customers and communities rely on us and others in the food delivery industry. Our cash position is supporting our current operations, and we have access to approximately $350 million in our credit facility, should we need it. We are continuously monitoring the situation and will provide further updates on our upcoming first quarter earnings call."

10:01 EDT New Residential cuts quarterly dividend to 5c from 50c - New Residential Investment this morning announced that its board declared a quarterly dividend of 5c per common share for the first quarter 2020. The dividend in the prior quarter was 50c per share.

10:00 EDT Papa John's sees Q1 North American SSS growth of 5.3% - Papa John's International provided an update on the business impact of the global coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic, including preliminary Q1 comparable sales information. The company currently anticipates announcing its first quarter earnings in early May. Preliminary, estimated comparable sales information for the three months ended March 29 are for system-wide North America restaurants growth of 5.3% and system-wide international restaurants growth of 2.3%. The company believes North America and international comparable sales growth information is useful in analyzing results since franchisees pay royalties and marketing fund contributions that are based on a percentage of franchise sales. Franchise sales also generate commissary revenue in the United States and in certain international markets. Franchise restaurant sales are not included in the company's revenues, Papa John's noted.

09:47 EDT Zealand Pharma submits NDA to FDA for Dasiglucagon HypoPal Rescue Pen - Zealand Pharma announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA for approval of the Dasiglucagon HypoPal Rescue Pen for the treatment of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes. Zealand's ready-to-use Dasiglucagon HypoPal Rescue Pen is designed to offer diabetes patients fast and effective treatment for severe hypoglycemia. In three Phase 3 trials in adults and pediatrics, the primary and all key secondary endpoints were successfully achieved with a median time to blood glucose recovery of only 10 minutes following injection of 0.6mg dasiglucagon.

09:43 EDT BRP Group Inc (Class A Stock) trading resumes

09:40 EDT Carnival trading resumes

09:38 EDT International General Insurance provides update on COVID-19 pandemic - International General Insurance Holdings provided an update on the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting uncertainties. "As the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve at a rapid pace, IGI's first priority remains the health, safety and well-being of all its people and their families, and maintaining its ability to effectively serve clients, policyholders, business partners, vendors, and other stakeholders. The company enacted business continuity plans in each of the jurisdictions where it operates - Amman, London, Dubai, Casablanca, Labuan, and Kuala Lumpur - and all IGI employees worldwide are working from home for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including as a result of government-ordered restrictions. The company is fully operational with teams utilizing virtual meeting and collaboration tools to stay connected and responsive both internally and externally. Due to the scope and speed at which this situation continues to change, the significant uncertainty and volatility in the financial and capital markets, and the constantly evolving actions by governments and companies to the developing situation, it is premature at this time for the company to reasonably evaluate the potential effects and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business."

09:36 EDT New Residential trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:34 EDT Royal Caribbean trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:28 EDT AXT Inc. announces milestone customer site qualification - AXT, Inc. announced that one of its largest gallium arsenide wafer substrate customers has formally qualified the company's new gallium arsenide wafer processing facilities. During the fourth quarter of 2019, AXT transferred its gallium arsenide crystal growth ingot production to its new manufacturing facility in Kazuo, a city approximately 250 miles from Beijing. Wafer processing for gallium arsenide was relocated to its new manufacturing facility in Dingxing, a city approximately 75 miles from Beijing. AXT began offering wafers from Dingxing for customer qualification in 2019, and began customer site qualifications later that year. AXT began manufacturing its gallium arsenide substrate wafers in the Tongzhou district of Beijing, China in 2000. In 2015, the Beijing city government selected Tongzhou for its new municipal headquarters. Along with many other businesses asked to relocate their manufacturing lines in order to create room and upgrade the district, AXT was instructed to relocate its gallium arsenide manufacturing line.

09:27 EDT Trans World to focus exclusively on growth, success of etailz - Trans World Entertainment announced it has secured additional financing for its wholly owned subsidiary etailz from investors led by Alimco Financial Corporation. Together with the previously announced credit facility, etailz now has over $30 million in committed new financing. In connection with the financing, Tom Simpson and Jonathan Marcus will join a reconstituted board of directors. Mr. Simpson was co-founder and Executive Chairman of etailz up until TWEC's acquisition of etailz in 2016, and currently serves as Managing Member of the Kick-Start funds. Mr. Marcus is the CEO of Alimco and has over 30 years of experience as an investor, including numerous board roles. The Company will now focus exclusively on the growth and success of etailz. The financing will help etailz achieve its growth goals, which includes further developing its software and services offerings, supporting inventory expansion, and expanding into new marketplaces and geographies.

09:24 EDT Qumu cloud up 30 times from normal levels due to COVID-19 restrictions - Qumu revealed the use of its cloud-based enterprise video solution is up over 30 times from normal levels during peak business hours. This increased usage is a result of the company's Global 2000 customer base mobilizing to support concurrent video users, as they operate under travel restrictions and mandatory work-at-home policies. "What we're seeing at Qumu is global organizations hardening their video infrastructures on an unprecedented scale, as they massively increase their use of video conferencing technology," said Vern Hanzlik, president and CEO of Qumu. "Enterprises from literally every industry are now requiring a combined solution that includes video conferencing, video streaming and content management. And we are seeing companies in health care, finance and pharmaceuticals specifically use video to make sweeping changes in the way they do business." As part of these changes, enterprises of all sizes are implementing technology plans to virtualize customer meetings, employee communications and major events-as well as record and store video assets for on demand viewing-while maintaining network health and delivering an engaging user experience to all device types. One customer, among the largest not-for-profit health plan providers in the United States, is using the Qumu platform to deliver on demand educational courses on COVID-19. As of the date of this release, those courses have hosted nearly 3M worldwide viewers.

09:22 EDT Trinity Biotech decides to close Calsbad facility - The company said, "The last number of years have seen a steady migration of customers away from using Western Blot for diagnosing Lyme in favour of alternative testing platforms. Thus, we have seen production volumes at our Carlsbad, California facility decline steadily to the extent that it no longer makes economic sense to continue. Consequently, we have taken the decision to close this facility from June 30, 2020. During the period until June 30, we will produce the final batches of Lyme Western Blot for our remaining customers, whilst simultaneously transferring non-Lyme product manufacturing to other group facilities."

09:18 EDT Urban Outfitters suspends stock buybacks for forseeable future

09:17 EDT Urban Outfitters suspends hiring, eliminates bonuses for FY21 - The company is taking many additional measures to protect our financial position and increase financial flexibility during this challenging time period. Those include: Suspend hiring, eliminate bonuses for FY'21 and delay all merit raises, Borrow $220 million to further protect our cash reserves, Reduce our capital budget by over $100 million by delaying or cancelling projects, Adjust inventory levels by cancelling or delaying many orders and ask for price concessions on those remaining, Suspend the payment of rent temporarily and delay or cancel some planned new store openings, Reduce all non-payroll expenses, including creative, marketing, and travel to name a few, Extend payment terms for both merchandise and non-merchandise vendor invoices, Reduce investments in our growth initiatives such as Nuuly and expansion into China, And finally, reduce senior leadership compensation for the duration of the furlough time period, eliminate Directors' cash compensation for the remainder of FY'21 and suspend stock buybacks for the foreseeable future.

09:16 EDT Urban Outfitters says stores will remain closed, furloughs number of employees - Urban Outfitters announced global retail stores will remain temporarily closed until further notice due to the continued spread of COVID-19. Since March 14 when we closed our stores to the public, URBN has provided ongoing pay and benefits to all store and home office employees impacted by the temporary closures. Even though our digital business continues to operate, the store closures and lower overall demand require a smaller workforce to support the business. As a result, we are furloughing a substantial number of store, wholesale and home office employees for 60 days beginning tomorrow, April 1. Impacted employees will continue to receive enrolled benefits during the furlough period.

09:13 EDT Broadcom says Stingray adapter powers Baidu Cloud - Broadcom (AVGO) announced that its Stingray(TM) adapter, an 100G SmartNIC, is powering Baidu Cloud (BIDU) with "unprecedented" levels of performance, security and feature velocity while reducing service delivery costs. The Baidu Cloud team worked closely with Broadcom to deliver advanced cloud native applications, network function virtualization, and distributed security, leveraging the Stingray SmartNIC's programmability and extensive offload features for networking, storage and security.

09:12 EDT Marlin Business expects Q1, FY20 to be 'adversely impacted' by COVID-19 - The company said, "Marlin primarily funds its origination volume and portfolio through the issuance of FDIC-insured deposits issued by Marlin Business Bank, which is a Utah state-chartered Federal Reserve member bank. Over time, Marlin Business Bank has proven its ability to provide the Company with reliable access to funding through various market cycles. The brokered deposit market remains highly liquid and, through MBB, the Company is maintaining a strong liquidity position. Due to the significant negative effects of COVID-19 on the global economy, Marlin anticipates that the Company's financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 will also be adversely impacted. Marlin will provide an update on its business and financial outlook for 2020 during its first quarter earnings release and earnings conference call in early-May."

09:10 EDT Marlin Business implements business continuity plan - Throughout the week of March 16th, 2020, Marlin implemented its business continuity plan designed to allow the Company to continue operating as normal under extraordinary circumstances. Included in the plan is the ability for Marlin's workforce to access systems remotely. Since Friday, March 20, 2020, Marlin's entire workforce has been working remotely and all business-related employee travel has been suspended. Through the successful execution of the plan, Marlin has not experienced any interruption of its normal business operations.

09:08 EDT OrthoPediatrics receives FDA 510(k) clearance, expanded indications for RESPONSE - OrthoPediatrics announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the indications for its RESPONSE Scoliosis System to include neuromuscular implants. This 510(k) clearance represents a significant milestone in the Company's development toward its next generation RESPONSE Scoliosis System, RESPONSE NeuroMuscular.This new system will be entirely dedicated to the treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis in pediatrics and builds on existing product offerings focused on treating this unique class of patients. The system is being developed in conjunction with pediatric orthopedic surgeons to address the distinct challenges in treating the neuromuscular scoliosis population. Building on the base of the Company's RESPONSE(TM) Spine System, RESPONSE - NM will feature a complete set of implants and instruments with unique attributes that simplify insertion and specific options to address extreme hyperlordosis.

09:07 EDT Smart Global shareholders approve amendment authorizing approval of repurchases - SMART Global Holdings announced that at an Extraordinary General Meeting of its shareholders held on March 30, 2020, the holders of the company's ordinary shares voted in favor of a proposal to amend and restate its memorandum and articles of association to permit the board of directors to authorize the company to purchase its ordinary shares in such amounts and at such prices and at such time as the company's board of directors may approve in the future. This will also enable the company to utilize shares or cash, or any combination thereof, in order to settle the capped call transactions entered into by the company on February 6, 2020 and February 7, 2020 in connection with the company's issuance of its 2.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026.

09:05 EDT Rosetta Stone announces free unlimited language tutoring - Rosetta Stone announced it will offer free unlimited language tutoring for all consumer subscribers through June 30, 2020. Rosetta Stone live tutoring features native speakers who help language learners practice their new language by listening and speaking in an immersive, interactive environment. Rosetta Stone's web-based, virtual tutoring classes feature a group of learners paired with an expert native-language instructor. The small group environment encourages ample speaking practice and enables direct feedback for each participant. Tutoring sessions are designed to enhance learning from the lessons within the Rosetta Stone language app and are 25 minutes long. Users need to have completed at least two lessons in the first unit of their Rosetta Stone app to participate in tutoring.

09:03 EDT Nutanix announces partnership with Udacity on Hybrid Cloud Nanodegree program - Nutanix announced a partnership with Udacity, a global online learning platform, resulting in a new Hybrid Cloud Nanodegree program. This program will enhance learning opportunities in the emerging cloud technologies market. As part of the collaboration, Nutanix will also sponsor 5,000 scholarships to help IT professionals advance their knowledge with this initiative. Although hybrid cloud technology continues to grow and evolve, educational opportunities in this field remain at a standstill. In Nutanix's recent Enterprise Cloud Index survey, 85% of respondents said that hybrid cloud is the ideal operating model. However, 32% of respondents reported a lack of in-house hybrid cloud skills. To fill this gap, Udacity and Nutanix have collaborated closely to develop a Nanodegree program. To strengthen professional development in this space, the Nanodegree program will cover modern private cloud infrastructure and the design of hybrid application deployment.

09:03 EDT Enthusiast Gaming sees increase in overall media platform engagement - The company said, "Although it's too early to assess the overall impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has seen an increase in overall media platform engagement, since the pandemic began. While advertising rates have declined in recent weeks, the net increase in advertisements served is currently outweighing the decrease in advertising rates price. Further, mitigating the exposure to declining advertising rates, Enthusiast Gaming has seen a marked increase in paid subscriptions on The Sims Resource, a further indication of the value proposition The Sims Resource represents to its fans. The Company continues to monitor its platform during this time of social distancing and isolation. Enthusiast Gaming's largest events are the EGLX Expo, the largest gaming event in Canada, and Pocket Gamer Connects in London. EGLX occurred in October 2019, and PG Connects London was recently held in January 2020. It is too early to tell if these events scheduled for the same times in 2020 and 2021 will be affected by COVID-19. The Company has tentatively rescheduled a PG Connects event slated for Seattle in May to later in the 2020."

08:59 EDT Izea announces launch of BrandGraph social intelligence platform - IZEA Worldwide announced the official launch and general availability of BrandGraph, a new social intelligence software platform for social media marketers. BrandGraph is designed to provide brands with in-depth analysis and performance benchmarking of social media content. It allows marketers to understand who is talking about their brand, what they are saying, and how brands measure up against their competitive set through a myriad of unique performance standards. BrandGraph offers marketers a first of-its-kind analysis of share-of-voice, engagement benchmarking, category spending estimates, influencer identification, and sentiment analysis.

08:55 EDT Xenon Pharmaceuticals expects cash to fund operations into 2022 - The company said, "As reported on March 9, 2020, cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of December 31, 2019 were $141.4 million, compared to $119.3 million as of December 31, 2018. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, Xenon raised additional net proceeds of approximately $102.8 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions, but before offering expenses, under its November 2019 ATM equity offering and an underwritten public offering. Based on current assumptions, which include fully supporting the planned clinical development of XEN1101, XEN496 and XEN007, Xenon anticipates having sufficient cash to fund operations into 2022, excluding any revenue generated from existing partnerships or potential new partnering arrangements. Xenon's estimated balance as of February 29, 2020 of approximately $235 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities is a preliminary estimate based on management's analysis, is subject to further internal review, and has not been reviewed or audited by Xenon's external auditors."

08:54 EDT Xenon Pharmaceuticals says no change to previous guidance on NBI-921352 - The company said, "Xenon has an ongoing collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. to develop treatments for epilepsy. Neurocrine Biosciences has an exclusive license to XEN901, now known as NBI-921352, a clinical stage selective Nav1.6 sodium channel inhibitor for epilepsy. There is currently no change to previous guidance. Neurocrine Biosciences anticipates filing an IND application with the FDA in mid-2020 in order to start a Phase 2 clinical trial in SCN8A developmental and epileptic encephalopathy patients in the second half of 2020. Xenon is eligible to receive up to $25 million upon the FDA acceptance of an IND for NBI-921352, with 55% of the amount in the form of an equity investment in Xenon at a 15% premium to Xenon's 30-day trailing volume weighted average price at that time."

08:52 EDT Xenon expects FDA feedback on Phase 3 trial design for XEN496 in 2Q20 - The company said, "XEN496 is a Kv7 potassium channel modulator being developed by Xenon. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted Fast Track designation for the investigation of XEN496 for the treatment of seizures related to KCNQ2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy . The FDA has also indicated that it is acceptable to study XEN496 in infants and children up to four years old, and that a single, small pivotal trial may be considered adequate in order to demonstrate XEN496's efficacy in KCNQ2-DEE, provided the study shows evidence of a clinically meaningful benefit in patients with the intended indication. Xenon recently completed a pharmacokinetic study testing its proprietary pediatric formulation of ezogabine in 24 healthy adult volunteers. Subjects were given a single 400 mg dose of XEN496 in either fed or fasted states. While the study was not designed to determine bioequivalence given ezogabine is not available to use as a comparator, the PK profile observed for XEN496 appears to be comparable to historical PK data for immediate-release ezogabine tablets, with XEN496 showing similar absorption and elimination curves, which supports Xenon's planned Phase 3 clinical trial of XEN496 in patients with KCNQ2-DEE. The full PK data will be submitted to the FDA once the final study report is available. Feedback from the FDA regarding the Phase 3 clinical trial design is expected in the second quarter of 2020, and the Phase 3 clinical trial in KCNQ2-DEE is anticipated to start in 2020, dependent upon the ability to initiate clinical sites and patient enrollment given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

08:49 EDT Xenon seeing significant reduction in enrollment for XEN1101 Phase 2b trial - The company said, "Within our XEN1101 'X-TOLE' Phase 2b clinical trial, as with other trials ongoing in our industry, we are seeing a significant reduction in new patient enrollment for numerous reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, we have adjusted guidance with topline data now anticipated in the first half of 2021, which is, of course, dependent upon the rate of patient enrollment throughout the remainder of this year. Despite this shift in guidance, we are pleased with our progress in the X-TOLE study to date. We are particularly encouraged by our review of safety data on a blinded basis, which suggests that XEN1101 is currently being well tolerated. The rate of discontinuations to date in the study is lower than modeled. Of note, to date, more than 90% of subjects from the double-blind portion of the trial have entered the open-label extension phase. Based on this review of blinded safety data to date, we believe tolerability is well within the modeled parameters, and, therefore, we do not believe an interim analysis is required. Our goal is to complete the study, as planned, in the shortest possible time frame. We are also pleased to report that we recently completed a pharmacokinetic, or PK, study testing XEN496, our proprietary pediatric formulation of ezogabine, in healthy adult volunteers. The PK profile observed for XEN496 appears to be comparable to historical PK data for immediate-release ezogabine tablets, with XEN496 showing similar absorption and elimination curves, and we are excited that these data support Xenon's planned Phase 3 clinical trial of XEN496 in patients with KCNQ2-DEE. We recently received Fast Track designation for XEN496 from the FDA, and we look forward to receiving FDA feedback on our Phase 3 protocol, which we anticipate receiving in the second quarter. In addition, our partnered programs remain on track with no changes to our previous guidance."

08:47 EDT Neogen acquires assets of Magiar Chilenam for undisclosed amount - Neogen announced that it has acquired the assets of Chile-based Magiar Chilenam, a distributor of food, animal, and plant diagnostics, including Neogen products. Neogen will incorporate the Magiar assets into its wholly owned subsidiary, Neogen Chile SpA, for continued operations in Chile. Combined with Neogen's January acquisition of similar businesses in Argentina and Uruguay, this acquisition in Chile completes Neogen's physical presence in the important agricultural Southern Cone region of South America. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

08:46 EDT Genasys launches personal safety service unified emergency notification system - Genasys announced the launch of the Company's Personal Safety Service, a unified emergency notification system that enables governments and businesses to send alerts and notifications through multiple channels to personnel or the public in real-time. With a single tap, PSS administrators can reach anyone - from several employees to millions of residents - through texts, voice messages, social media, emails, public warning systems and mass notification speaker arrays. With Genasys PSS: Initiate phone calls, push SMS messages, send emails, post to social media, activate FEMA IPAWS to override regular programming on local FM radio and TV stations, and alert all cellphones in affected areas with the push of a button. Broadcast audible voice alerts via LRAD speaker arrays. Featuring the industry's best vocal clarity and largest area coverage, LRAD systems have battery backup, solar power and satellite connectivity to ensure continuous operation when existing power and communication infrastructure fails. Delegate PSS capabilities to sub-organizations, including local first responders and area emergency managers, to initiate messages and provide critical information to affected populations.

08:41 EDT iFresh enters into agreement of $2.5M private placement offering - iFresh announced that it has entered into an agreement with two individual investors, pursuant to which the Company will sell an aggregate of 1,783,167 shares of common stock of the Company to the investors. Upon closing, the transactions as contemplated by the agreement are expected to bring gross proceeds of $2.5 million from the sale of the New Shares at a per share price of $1.402. The private placement will be funded in two separate tranches; 1,069,900 shares of the New Shares will be issued to the Investors upon the Company's receipt of the first tranche fund of $1.5 million and 713,267 shares of the New Shares will be issued to the Investors upon the Company's receipt of the remaining $1.0 million. The net proceeds from the private placement will be used for working capital purposes.

08:40 EDT Kodak supplies IPA to New York State to aid in hand sanitizer production - In an effort to provide assistance during the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, Kodak has entered into an agreement with New York State to supply isopropyl alcohol, or IPA, to aid in the production of "NYS Clean" hand sanitizer for use in New York. To support the state's production of hand sanitizer, available to residents for free and distributed to impacted communities as well as state agencies like schools and the MTA, Kodak has begun delivering tanker loads of IPA from its Eastman Business Park facility in Rochester, New York.

08:39 EDT Health Catalyst announces developments in its COVID-19 solutions - Health Catalyst announced meaningful developments in its initial COVID-19 solutions and is launching the following: a COVID-19 Registry, Dashboard, and Capacity Planning Tool, with a new set of Financial Impact Planning Resources in development. The technology associated with all of these solutions is offered to Health Catalyst clients at no cost, with the Capacity Planning Tool also available to any healthcare organization, free of charge. Also, in response to requests from health systems who are not Health Catalyst clients, the company is making available a modular bundle consisting of a light version of Health Catalyst's Data Operating System bundled with the Patient Safety Application Suite, inclusive of the COVID-19-Specific Public Health Surveillance Module. This can be installed in as little as a few weeks, and the technology is being made available to any U.S. health system, at no cost in 2020, with associated 2020 cloud hosting and other implementation costs priced at the company's direct cost.

08:38 EDT Guess to furlough all U.S., Canada store associates in response to COVID-19 - Guess provided additional updates to actions it is taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guess stores throughout the U.S. and Canada will remain closed until further notice to help ensure the health, safety and well-being of Guess customers, associates and the communities the company serves. In conjunction with the decision to extend the temporary store closures, the company is implementing a number of other measures to help mitigate the operating and financial impact of the pandemic. The company is furloughing all of its U.S. and Canada store associates starting April 2. Store associates will receive pay for time scheduled from the beginning of the store closures through April 1 and the company will fund health insurance premiums during the furlough for all eligible associates impacted by these measures. Also, Guess is furloughing approximately 50% of its U.S. and Canada corporate associates, and most of the associates at its distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada, starting April 2. The company will also fund health insurance premiums for all furloughed corporate and distribution center associates. The company announced salary reductions for all management level corporate employees in the U.S., ranging from 15% at lower levels to 70% for CEO Carlos Alberini and chief creative officer Paul Marciano. The company is deferring annual merit increases while executing substantial reductions in expenses, store occupancy costs, capital expenditures and overall costs, including through reduced inventory purchases. In addition to these measures, as previously announced, the company has drawn down approximately $212M under certain of its credit facilities and has decided to postpone its decision related to the potential declaration of its quarterly cash dividend for Q1 of FY21, both as precautionary measures to help ensure financial flexibility and to maximize liquidity. Carlos Alberini, CEO, commented, "These are some of the most difficult decisions our Company has had to make in our entire four-decade history. And while many of these decisions have proven very challenging, by far the hardest one is the decision to furlough our associates. We will make every effort to bring our team members back to their jobs as soon as we possibly can. In these unprecedented times, I can assure you that we are working relentlessly to protect the well-being of our Guess family, our associates, customers and the communities we serve, while preserving the long-term health of the Company for all of our stakeholders. We are confident that with these aggressive and immediate actions we are putting the Company in the best position for future success."

08:34 EDT iCAD announces new credit facility with Bridge Bank - iCAD announced that it has entered into a credit facility with Bridge Bank, a division of Western Alliance Bank, effective March 30, 2020. The new credit facility consists of a $7M term loan and a $5M revolving line of credit. The four-year term loan will be interest-only for the first 18 months, which could be extended by an additional six months, if certain conditions are met. The line of credit has a two-year term and may be repaid and reborrowed at any time until its maturity date. "We are pleased to obtain this new financing from Bridge Bank during this period of unprecedented economic impact from the global coronavirus pandemic," said Michael Klein, Chairman and CEO of iCAD. "This new credit facility, and support from Bridge Bank, strengthens our balance sheet and provides us with additional operating flexibility. The novel coronavirus is impacting the healthcare system as a whole. Although we do not provide guidance to investors relating to results of operations, we expect that our results will be impacted as shipping, logistics, installation and training have been delayed and ordering patterns disrupted. We began to see this emerge in March and anticipate that it will continue through Q2."

08:32 EDT ThermoGenesis notifies FDA of intent to distribute COVID-19 test kit - ThermoGenesis announced that it has notified the U.S. FDA of its intent to distribute the company's SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG Antibody Fast Detection Kit intended for professional use, which delivers results in less than 10 minutes at the point-of-care. The company is currently completing validations in accordance with the "Policy for Diagnostic Test for Coronavirus Disease - 2019 during the Public Health Emergency: Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories, Commercial Manufacturer, and Food and Drug Administration Staff issued on March 16, 2020 for Serological Diagnostics." ThermoGenesis will notify the FDA upon completion of validation prior to product launch.

08:32 EDT SG Blocks, Transcend Onsite Care execute MOU to provide joint products - SG Blocks and Transcend Onsite Care, a provider of on-site point of contact medical care, have executed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, to provide joint products and services. SG Blocks is a provider of code compliant container based construction and can create solutions for the delivery of Transcend's array of medical technologies and professionals. Products that are expected to be implemented include modular primary care medical units, Covid-19 diagnostic testing units, quarantine living units, as well as drive through testing units at employer onsite clinics and community hospitals. The first project planned is two Transcend medical and testing units to be built by SG Blocks and operated by Transcend. The unit will be delivered to a major southern California employer for the initial purposes of providing onsite Covid-19 screening through diagnostic testing and medical care for staff who are required to work during the pandemic.

08:30 EDT Carnival sinks 13% to $11.10 after stock offering, suspension of dividend

08:28 EDT Akari Therapeutics stops enrollment in Part B of Phase I/II trial in severe AKC - The company said, "In 2019, the Company successfully completed Part A of the Phase I/II clinical trial in severe AKC patients who showed a rapid overall improvement of a mean 55% in the composite clinical score. The nomacopan eye drops were found to be comfortable and well tolerated with no reported drug related serious adverse events. Enrollment in the Part B placebo-controlled efficacy arm of the study has now stopped due to the COVID outbreak, but recruited patients continue to be treated. We anticipate that when the trial closes, we will have data on around two thirds of the target 19 patient study. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company announced new preclinical data indicating that PAS-nomacopan, the long acting form of the drug, significantly reduced both retinal inflammation and intraocular VEGF. PAS-nomacopan was found to reduce intraocular VEGF levels by as much as the anti-VEGF antibody with 74% and 68% reductions respectively, compared to saline control. Furthermore, while clinically assessed inflammation increased in both the control and anti-VEGF groups by 49% and 33%, respectively, PAS-nomacopan treatment resulted in a 9% reduction in inflammation which represents a 58% difference compared to control assessed by retinal fundoscopy This therapeutic activity across multiple pathogenic pathways supports the potential for nomacopan as a new mode of action for the treatment of back of the eye diseases."

08:25 EDT Akari Therapeutics expects data from Phase II trial in BP in 2Q20 - In the fourth quarter of 2019, interim Phase II trial results with nomacopan were presented at the 28th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress. The data showed that four of the six patients were classified as at the upper limit of moderate BP. The four patients saw a rapid and significant improvement in symptoms, with a mean 63% decline in BPDAI score and mean 68% decline in blister score by Day 42, with either no or minimal early steroid treatment with one moderate patient having a flare up post Day-28. The data showed nomacopan's potential as a possible treatment for BP with the additional and important benefit of reducing steroid use which has multiple adverse effects including a threefold increased risk of mortality. The Phase II trial has completed recruitment, with full data expected in the second quarter of 2020. During the third quarter of 2019, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for nomacopan for the treatment of BP. The Company is now evaluating pivotal trial designs.

08:24 EDT Mohawk sees Q1 results 'lower than previously expected' - In a regulatory 8-K filing released yesterday, Mohawk states: "Mohawk is providing the follow update on business conditions, actions being taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strength of its balance sheet. The spread of COVID-19 is having an increasing impact on the economies where the company operates around the world. The broad measures being taken by governments, businesses and others across the globe to limit its spread are adversely affecting the company and its customers. The ultimate magnitude the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the company's operating results will be determined by the length of time it continues to spread, as well as governmental regulations and other measures taken in response. Due to these factors impacting the company's manufacturing, employees and demand, parts of the Company's operations have curtailed or suspended production, with Europe being the most impacted in the first quarter. Presently, most of the facilities which have suspended operations are satisfying customer demand by delivering products from existing inventories. In the United States, a small plant in Pennsylvania has been closed due to local state restrictions. Given these disruptions, Mohawk's financial results for the first quarter of 2020 will be lower than previously expected. The company cannot forecast if or when any further disruptions will occur due to the rapidly changing environment as the COVID-19 pandemic and related events continue to develop. As such, the company will continue to adjust to changes in local circumstances, governmental regulations and evolving customer demand. In view of these extraordinary events and changing governmental actions, the company is unable to reliably predict the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will affect its future performance. The company's businesses around the world are balancing production with short-term demand, and non-critical expenses are being reduced or postponed, including capital spending. Due to the Company's global footprint, it is experiencing varying degrees of disruptions across different businesses and geographies. Despite these challenges, the company is taking many actions to mitigate and has the leadership and balance sheet to manage through this pandemic. Mohawk's balance sheet remains very strong today with availability of cash and borrowing of $1.1B under its revolving credit facility, which matures in October 2024. The Company has a EUR300M loan due in May, which will be paid using its revolver, if conditions do not support reissuing."

08:18 EDT PayPal to waive certain fees, defer payments on loans for some customers - PayPal announced a set of relief measures to help its more than 24M merchants around the world impacted by the coronavirus. The company is waiving certain fees and will be deferring repayments on business loans for some of its most affected small business customers. PayPal's efforts to assist its business customers impacted by the coronavirus include: Business loans and cash advances: Customers can request to defer repayment, with no additional cost. Chargeback fees: PayPal is waiving chargeback fees for merchants if their customer files a dispute with a credit card issuer through at least April 30, 2020. Instant funds transfer: PayPal is waiving fees to instantly withdraw money from a PayPal business account to a bank account, Mastercard Debit or Visa Debit card through at least April 30, 2020. Customer disputes: PayPal is extending the window in which merchants must respond to a customer dispute from 10 to 20 days through at least April 30, 2020. PayPal Business Debit Mastercard: In partnership with Mastercard, PayPal is doubling the instant cash back reward on eligible purchases beginning April 1 through at least April 30, 2020.

08:17 EDT MJardin Group actions amendments to Managed Services Agreements - MJardin Group announced that as part of its ongoing review, evaluation and turnaround process, it has actioned amendments to the Managed Services Agreements which were negotiated and put in place by previous management. The amended MSAs will provide a streamlined royalty fee structure which will allow for the monetization of the Company's intellectual property and proprietary cultivation methodologies. In addition, the amendments will reduce ongoing management obligations, thus reducing costs and placing less cash flow demands on the Company. The Company has agreed to amend, terminate and extend its MSAs with Potco, LLC & Potco South, LLC, Next1 Labs, LLC, Next1 Labs South, LLC, and Gravitas Henderson, LLC dba F&L Warm Springs, LLC to December 31, 2020. In addition, the Company and Lightshade Labs, LLC, are in final stage discussions to extend their MSA for a period of 14-months. The Company is also finalizing its renegotiation of its MSA with AtlantiCann Medical Inc., pursuant to which the Company will earn a royalty for the balance of the existing 10-year agreement, but will no longer provide labour support to the operation.

08:16 EDT Carnival suspends dividend payments, stock repurchases amid coronavirus pandemic - Carnival announced in a regulatory filing that it is suspending dividend payments and stock repurchases, as voyage suspensions continue amid the coronavirus pandemic. Carnival said it could not estimate the impact of COVID-19 on its business, but "we expect a net loss on both a U.S. GAAP and adjusted basis for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2020."

08:16 EDT Kiniksa announces evidence of treatment response with mavrilimumab - Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals announced early evidence of treatment response with mavrilimumab, an investigational fully-human monoclonal antibody that targets granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha, in a treatment protocol in patients with severe coronavirus 2019 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. The treatment protocol was conducted by Professor Lorenzo Dagna, MD, FACP, Head, Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy within a COVID-19 Program directed by Professor Alberto Zangrillo, Head of Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care of the Scientific Institute San Raffaele Hospital and Professor in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele. The treatment protocol with the investigational drug mavrilimumab was a prospective, interventional, single-active-arm, single-center pilot experience. Patients suffering from severe pulmonary involvement of COVID-19, acute respiratory distress, fever, and clinical and biological markers of systemic hyperinflammation status were treated with a single intravenous dose of mavrilimumab. The objective was to reduce incidence of progression of acute respiratory failure, the need of mechanical ventilation, and the transfer to the intensive care unit. To date, 6 patients have been treated with mavrilimumab in the treatment protocol. All patients showed an early resolution of fever and improvement in oxygenation within 1-3 days. None of these patients have progressed to require mechanical ventilation. Mavrilimumab has been well-tolerated. Recent data published in a paper titled, "Aberrant pathogenic GM-CSF+ T cells and inflammatory CD14+CD16+ monocyte in severe pulmonary syndrome patients of a new coronavirus,"1 provide scientific rationale implicating granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor in the mechanism of excessive and aberrant immune cell infiltration and activation in the lungs thought to contribute significantly to mortality in the disease. The emerging data indicate that patients with COVID-19 have elevated serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including GM-CSF, and interferon-gamma which are thought to be drivers of a cytokine storm that plays a significant role in clinical complications and acute lung injury. Infiltration of immune cells in the lungs of COVID-19 patients, as part of an exaggerated immune response despite falling viral loads, results in severe lung complications. These data suggest that it may be the excessive, non-effective host immune response by pathogenic T cells and inflammatory monocytes that causes the severe lung pathology most often associated with mortality. Kiniksa and its collaborators are planning the following in the near-term: Professor Dagna plans to initiate a prospective, single-center investigator-initiated study based on the initial results from the treatment protocol. The primary objective will be prevention of respiratory failure. A consortium of U.S. academic sites plans to initiate parallel prospective, interventional studies with mavrilimumab in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. Kiniksa is engaging with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the path forward for potential Phase 2/3 clinical development of mavrilimumab in COVID-19 pneumonia. Mavrilimumab is an investigational agent and is not approved for any indication in any country.

08:12 EDT HC2 Holdings says Percy Rockdale statements are 'false, baseless', 'misleading' - HC2 Holdings issued the following response to Percy Rockdale's March 30, 2020 public letter to HC2's Lead Independent Director: "Percy Rockdale's March 30, 2020 public letter to a member of HC2's Board of Directors is filled with falsehoods and deceptive allegations in a desperate and hostile attempt to remove your entire Board. Rather than accept Percy Rockdale's misstatements, HC2 stockholders should instead focus on the facts: HC2 has a truly independent Board accountable to all stockholders, delivering stockholder value and improving corporate governance and Board diversity. Percy Rockdale has continuously refused to engage with HC2, despite multiple attempts by both our independent directors and management team, unless the Company meets its completely unreasonable prerequisite- firing our CEO. Percy Rockdale, who only recently became a stockholder of the Company, is running a costly and extremely risky consent solicitation to remove your entire Board, the sitting Chairman and CEO during a global pandemic. Percy Rockdale makes numerous misleading and outright false statements in its letter, including a complete mischaracterization of the Company's accounting practices. Mr. Falcone's personal business does not interfere with running HC2's business. HC2's decisive steps to improve its capital structure and optimize costs have produced meaningful results for our stockholders, evidenced by the 88% stock price appreciation that occurred from the end of calendar year 2019 until March 3, 2020, a date just prior to the surge in COVID-19-related market volatility. Percy Rockdale already nominated its director candidates to be voted on at the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders, expected to be held in just a few months. Their consent solicitation is unnecessary, costly and could destroy stockholder value. Many of Percy Rockdale's statements are false, baseless and/or deliberately misleading. HC2 urges all of its stockholders to refrain from taking any action, including returning any consent card sent by Percy Rockdale, at this time. The Company is reviewing all of Percy Rockdale's critiques since launching their consent solicitation and will be providing thorough rebuttals that highlight the truth in the weeks to come."

08:10 EDT Envision Solar delivers four EV ARC stations to City of Charlotte, N.C. - Envision Solar International announced that the City of Charlotte, N.C. purchased four of the Company's EV ARC solar-powered EV charging stations for public and city use. Each off-grid unit includes an emergency power panel and can be relocated for city events or in case of emergency power needs. The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Department of Environmental Quality, developed a ZEV Plan to guide zero emission vehicle adoption and increase the number of ZEVs in the state to at least 80,000 by 2025. The ZEV Plan provides guidelines for establishing state-wide vehicle corridors, installing charging stations and other infrastructure, and incorporating best practices for increasing ZEV adoption. The Charlotte deployment was supported by the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology project-Funded in part by NCDOT-that provides grant funding to reduce transportation-related emissions.

08:08 EDT Ralph Lauren provides details of COVID-19 response initiatives - Ralph Lauren shared details of its COVID-19 response initiatives to date. The company has taken action to mitigate risk and provide its teams with resources and support amid the COVID-19 pandemic, applying insights and learnings from its experience in China, which is now beginning to stabilize. As part of this, Ralph Lauren has directly enlisted a medical expert from WorldClinic to help guide decision-making. Measures implemented include imposing temporary closure of stores and distribution centers; a global freeze on business travel; deep cleanings and sanitization across retail, distribution and corporate offices and the activation of remote working across impacted corporate office locations. Additionally, Ralph Lauren teams are provided access to regularly updated resources, tools and trainings on topics including wellness and remote working. Employees worldwide also have free access to employee assistance programs that provide legal, financial, parenting, elder care, childcare and mental health support. Following temporary closures of our offices, stores and fulfillment centers around the world, Ralph Lauren will continue to assess its operations on a location by location basis. During the temporary closure of its North American and European distribution centers, the company conducted extensive deep cleanings and implemented enhanced health and safety protocols, including social distancing on-site and staggered work shifts and break schedules. Distribution center operations will re-open on April 1 at which time Ralph Lauren will resume normal shipping of digital and select wholesale orders. As this dynamic situation develops, the company will continue to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the pandemic outbreak on its operations, and it may take additional measures as and when it is deemed appropriate. Ralph Lauren has $1.9B in cash and short- and long-term investments at the end of Q3. The Company has also taken additional pre-emptive actions to preserve cash and strengthen its liquidity while navigating the evolving global pandemic, including: managing its expense structure across all key areas of spend, reducing or delaying capital expenditures, aligning inventories to anticipated deman, drawing down $475M from the company's global credit facility, halting any incremental share repurchases and pausing all non-critical capital build-out and reviewing all real estate projects. As the situation continues to unfold, the company plans to provide an update on the operational and financial impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on its Q4 earnings call.

08:06 EDT ViaSat and Visiontec expand partnership to provide internet to residential homes - Viasat and Visiontec, a Brazilian-based satellite products distribution company, announced they have expanded their partnership to internet service to residential homes across Brazil. Upon completion of the launch rollout, Viasat will be able to reach 100% of the Brazilian continental territory, through Visiontec's in-market sales, fulfillment and technical support expertise. By partnering with Visiontec, Viasat has a dedicated, local Brazilian partner to help execute its residential service go-to-market strategy-from assisting in sales engagements to providing quick in-home installations and on-site technical support. Viasat's local field services teams will train Visiontec's vast network of distributors, dealers and installers to rapidly meet the demand for high-speed residential internet service in the country.

08:05 EDT Walmart says to take temperatures of associates as they report to work - John Furner, President & CEO, Walmart U.S. and Kath McLay, President & CEO, Sam's Club, say in a statement: "As our company and country continue to deal with the spread of COVID-19, we remain focused on the health and safety of our associates. We continue to follow and communicate the CDC's recommended guidance on behaviors like washing hands, social distancing and the cleaning of surfaces. And we have made significant operational changes in our stores, clubs, DCs and FCs this month - such as closing overnight for cleaning, starting to install sneeze guards at checkout and pharmacies, using wipes and sprayers for carts, putting in signing for social distancing and implementing a COVID-19 emergency leave policy. As the COVID-19 situation has evolved, we've decided to begin taking the temperatures of our associates as they report to work in stores, clubs and facilities, as well as asking them some basic health screening questions. We are in the process of sending infrared thermometers to all locations, which could take up to three weeks. Any associate with a temperature of 100.0 degrees will be paid for reporting to work and asked to return home and seek medical treatment if necessary. The associate will not be able to return to work until they are fever-free for at least three days... While the CDC and other health officials do not recommend masks or gloves for healthy people who don't ordinarily use them for their jobs, we will make them available - as supplies permit - for associates who want to wear them. The masks will arrive in 1-2 weeks. They will be high-quality masks, but not N95 respirators - which should be reserved for at-risk healthcare workers. This week we are also sharing a new framework with associates regarding healthy behaviors at work. We're asking them to remember three numbers: 6, 20 and 100. 6 feet is the amount of space people should keep from others, when possible, to maintain social distancing. 20 seconds is the amount of time people should take to wash their hands with soap and water. And 100 is the temperature that someone should stay home with."

08:03 EDT MEI Pharma receives FDA Fast Track designation for PI3K - MEI Pharma announced that the FDA Fast Track designation to ME-401, MEI's investigational selective oral inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, or PI3K, delta for the treatment of adult Patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. MEI is currently conducting TIDAL, a Phase 2 trial evaluating ME-401 in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. TIDAL is intended to support an accelerated approval marketing application with the FDA.

08:01 EDT General Motors expects to deliver first 20,000 face masks on April 8

07:58 EDT Vaccinex says trials are nearing completion - The company's ongoing SIGNAL clinical trial is evaluating pepinemab for the treatment of Huntington's disease. As of March 30, 2020, 206 of the planned 265 study subjects in cohort B of the trial have completed the planned 18 months of treatment and a safety follow-up and 16 have withdrawn. Of the remaining 43 subjects, 38 have completed 16 of the 18 monthly visits specified in the trial protocol. The company is working with clinical investigators and sites to safely accelerate completion of remaining visits and assessments, and will provide further updates as warranted. The CLASSICAL-Lung study is evaluating pepinemab in combination with avelumab for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Of the 62 subjects enrolled in this phase 2 trial, four remain on study with continuing objective response or stable disease. Vaccinex has been invited to present its near topline data at the virtual ASCO conference in early June 2020.

07:55 EDT CannTrust Holdings trading halted, news pending

07:53 EDT VIVUS accelerates launch of telemedicine, remote monitoring modules - VIVUS announced the accelerated launch of the telemedicine and remote monitoring modules of the VIVUS Health Platform. Participating physicians will be able to use the VIVUS Health Platform to conduct virtual office visits, regardless of whether or not the patient is prescribed a VIVUS product. The Company expects to enroll 150-200 physicians into the new modules each week. The VIVUS Health Platform is designed to integrate pharmaceutical solutions, technology and clinical stakeholders to improve patient outcomes through increased information capture, resulting in enhanced patient access, increased adoption, and treatment durability. It includes the VIVUS Advantage Programs, which offer Patient Assistance Programs to facilitate access to medication for uninsured or underinsured patients with obesity or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and also allows patients prescribed VIVUS medications to have their prescriptions filled online and sent directly to their homes. There are no upfront or monthly fees, and physicians pay a fee only for each telemedicine visit and/or for remote patient monitoring. The VIVUS Health Platform is also not limited by a patient's health insurance plan.

07:50 EDT Theratechnologies says R&D for tesmorelin, peptide-conjugates 'progressing' - The company said, "At present, research and development activities related to tesamorelin for the potential treatment of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis in people living with HIV and to the peptide-conjugates derived from the company's oncology platform are still progressing. Clinical research organizations working with Theratechnologies on these programs are still active. Furthermore, Theratechnologies received feedback from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and from the European Medicines Agency egarding its proposed clinical development program for tesamorelin for the potential treatment of NASH in people living with HIV. Based on the comments received from the FDA and the EMA, Theratechnologies will enter into discussions with these agencies to harmonize both approaches in order to eventually file a common research protocol. As previously discussed, Theratechnologies intends to use a new formulation of tesamorelin currently under development and described as "F8". A pilot study to assess the bioequivalence of the F8 formulation, compared to the original version of tesamorelin, was recently completed. Based on the pilot study results, a confirmatory bioequivalence study should soon be initiated. Compared to the recently launched EGRIFTA SV, this new formulation of tesamorelin can be reconstituted once a week and remains stable at room temperature after reconstitution. Furthermore, given its much smaller volume of injection, Theratechnologies is assessing a multidose auto-injector for the F8 formulation. The F8 formulation is patent protected until 2033 in the United States and until 2034 in major European countries."

07:48 EDT Theratechnologies says staff have been working from home for at least two weeks - Theratechnologies issued an update on the Company's activities in relation to the current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. "Theratechnologies' focus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has been to ensure that current and future patients have access to our medicines while we also prioritize the health and safety of our employees worldwide," said Luc Tanguay, President and CEO, Theratechnologies. The company said, "Theratechnologies quickly implemented measures to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 situation on patients and staff. Our contingency plan was ready and the technological infrastructure was in place to rapidly deploy appropriate measures. To minimize the risks of contamination to employees in Canada, the United States and Europe, all but a small number of essential head office staff have been working from home for at least two weeks, including the company's contractual sales force and medical science liaison personnel."

07:46 EDT Ero Copper maintains FY production, capital, operating cost guidance

07:44 EDT Civeo receives noncompliance notification from NYSE - Civeo announced that the company was notified by the NYSE of its noncompliance with continued listing standards because the average closing price of its common shares over a consecutive 30-day trading period had fallen below $1.00 per share, which is the minimum average closing price per share required to maintain listing on the NYSE. In response to the letter, Bradley Dodson, Civeo's president and CEO, stated, "The spread of COVID-19 has taken its toll on the global economy in recent weeks and, coupled with the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, has resulted in a collapse of oil prices. The confluence of events has created unprecedented downward pressure on energy industry stocks, particularly for small-cap companies with operations in the U.S. and Canada such as Civeo. Our shares have traded below $1.00 per share for a period of time long enough for the NYSE to issue a non-compliance notice. In response, the Company's Board of Directors is reviewing available alternatives to return to compliance with the NYSE continued listing standards. At the Company's annual meeting of shareholders currently scheduled for May 2020, the Company's Board of Directors intends to seek approval from shareholders that would allow Civeo to effect a reverse share split, if needed, to cure the listing standard deficiency."

07:43 EDT Navidea signs LOI to partner with WorldCare for RA clinical imaging workflow - Navidea announced that it has signed a letter of intent, or LOI, to partner with WorldCare Clinical for the company's rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, diagnostic clinical imaging workflow. Per the agreement, WorldCare would serve as Navidea's central imaging service provider following FDA approval of Navidea's RA diagnostic. WorldCare Clinical is an independent contract research organization dedicated to imaging in clinical trials and brings with it over 25 years of clinical trial imaging, commercial clinical imaging and large-scale data management experience. WorldCare and Navidea will work in conjunction during the completion of Navidea's ongoing and planned RA diagnostic trials. The partnership will work to develop the commercial workflow and infrastructure to support the full-scale commercialization plan for Navidea's RA diagnostic. It is anticipated that WorldCare will be the vendor managing the imaging aspects of the upcoming Phase 2b and Phase 3 clinical trials, and will work in parallel to develop an optimized workflow in preparation for commercial launch in indications in RA. The company's audited financial statements contained a going concern explanatory paragraph in the audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm. This announcement is required pursuant to NYSE American Company Guide Sections 401 and 610, and does not represent any change or amendment to the company's financial statements or to its annual report on Form 10-K for FY19.

07:41 EDT I-MAB to submit IND application for TJ101 around mid-2020 - I-Mab is in the process of preparing to submit an IND application around mid-2020 for a registrational Phase 3 study in China to assess the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of TJ101 in PGHD.

07:40 EDT I-MAB expects to submit INDs for TJ210 as early as 3Q20 - TJ210 is a novel monoclonal antibody directed at C5aR for cancers through a partnership with MorphoSys. TJX7 is an internally discovered monoclonal antibody targeting CXCL13 with first-in-class potential for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. I-Mab expects to submit INDs to the U.S. FDA as early as the third quarter of 2020 and subsequently initiate clinical development in the U.S. I-Mab also plans to initiate development of TJ210 and TJX7 in China.

07:39 EDT Dollar Tree announces QTD SSS up 7.1% for Dollar Tree, 14.4% for Family Dollar - Regarding same-store sales trends through March 29, quarter-to-date, or QTD, same-store sales, or SSS, were up 7.1% for Dollar Tree and up 14.4% for Family Dollar. Sales have materially moderated very recently, however, as the company enters the peak of the Easter selling season with Dollar Tree recording same-store sales down 19.4% in the seven days ending March 29, and Family Dollar up 8.8%. Sales of household consumables and food remain strong in both banners.

07:38 EDT I-MAB expects data from Phase 1 trial of TJD5 in 3Q20 - The company said, "TJD5: Clinical development in the U.S.: TJD5 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1, dose-escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors in the U.S. through I-Mab's partner Tracon Pharmaceuticals. Initial data are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2020. Clinical development in China: I-Mab received NMPA IND approval in 2019 and currently initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK/PD, and potential efficacy primarily in patients with solid tumors, including lung cancer."

07:37 EDT I-MAB expects data from Phase 1 trial of TJC4 in 3Q20 - The company said, "TJC4: Clinical development in the U.S.: TJC4 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1, dose-escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers in the U.S. The complete data of the dose escalation portion are expected in the third quarter of 2020. The on-going U.S. study is expected to expand into a combination trial with PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab in cancer patients with several types of solid tumors through a collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp and Rituximab in patients with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma through a collaboration with Roche. Clinical development in China: I-Mab has obtained IND approval to start clinical development of TJC4 in China in patients with hematologic malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome."

07:35 EDT Youngevity reports all three segments continue operations - Youngevity International provided an update on the impact of the COVID-19 virus on its operations. All three reporting segments of the company have been able to continue operations as each segment falls in the category of an essential business. Although, relative to other businesses effected by COVID-19, the company is able and continues to generate revenue in all segments, the company has experienced difficulty in meeting its filing deadline for its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and is monitoring the effect that the virus could have on its operations. The global outbreak has caused displacement of Youngevity's non-essential personnel in various offices here in the USA and around the world.

07:32 EDT Intellia announces acceptance of IND application for CRISPR/CAS9-based therapy - Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Investigational New Drug application submitted by its collaborator, Novartis (NVS), for a CRISPR/Cas9-based engineered cell therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease. This Phase 1/2 clinical trial will begin investigating OTQ923 in adult patients with severe complications of SCD. OTQ923 is a SCD treatment based on genome editing of hematopoietic stem cells, using CRISPR/Cas9 RNA guides identified through Intellia's cell therapy research collaboration with Novartis. This therapeutic approach results in highly targeted editing of the HSC's DNA to induce fetal hemoglobin expression. The edited cells are returned to the patient, where the expression of HbF is expected to reduce the deleterious effects of sickle hemoglobin. Novartis' IND application triggered a milestone payment to Intellia, and the company is eligible to receive additional downstream success-based milestones and royalties.

07:30 EDT Brookfield Infrastructure completes unit split, creation of BIPC - Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation jointly announced that Brookfield Infrastructure has completed the previously announced creation of BIPC. From an economic and accounting perspective, the transaction was analogous to a unit split as the transaction did not result in any underlying change to aggregate cash flows or net asset value except for the adjustment for the number of units/shares outstanding. Each unitholder of record on March 20, 2020 received one class A exchangeable subordinate voting share of BIPC for every nine BIP units held, or approximately 0.11 Shares for each BIP unit. BIP unitholders now own approximately 32,800,000 Shares, or 70.4% of BIPC's issued and outstanding Shares, with Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and its affiliates holding 29.6% of the remaining Shares. The Shares have commenced regular-way trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BIPC". For beneficial unitholders who hold their BIP units in an account with a broker or other intermediary, their account will be automatically updated to reflect the receipt of the Shares. BIP unitholders will receive a cash payment in lieu of any fractional interests in the Shares. Brookfield Infrastructure will use the volume-weighted average trading price of the Shares for the five trading days immediately following the special distribution to determine the value of the Shares for the purpose of calculating the cash payable in lieu of any fractional interests. As contemplated in BIPC's final prospectuses filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission and dated March 12, 2020, BIPC's board of directors is comprised of the following eight members: Anne Schaumburg, Jeffrey Blidner, William J. Cox, John Fees, Roslyn Kelly, Daniel Muniz Quintanilla, Derek Pannell and Rajeev Vasudeva. In connection with the completion of the special distribution, John Fees stepped down from the board of directors of BIP's general partner so that he could serve on the board of directors of BIPC as its initial non-overlapping director to assist BIPC with, among other things, resolving any conflicts of interest that may arise from BIPC's relationship with Brookfield Infrastructure.

07:25 EDT Brookfield Infrastructure announces automatic purchase plan - Brookfield Infrastructure Partners announced that, in connection with its previously announced normal course issuer bid, it has entered into an automatic purchase plan with its designated broker. The automatic purchase plan, which has been pre-cleared by the Toronto Stock Exchange, will allow for the purchase of Brookfield Infrastructure's outstanding limited partnership units, subject to certain trading parameters, at times when Brookfield Infrastructure ordinarily would not be active in the market due to its own internal trading black-out periods, insider trading rules or otherwise. Outside of these periods, LP Units will be repurchased in accordance with management's discretion and in compliance with applicable law. The actual number of LP Units purchased under the automatic plan, the timing of such purchases and the price at which LP Units are purchased will depend upon future market conditions.

07:24 EDT Matinas BioPharma institues mandatory work-from-home policy - The company said, "Matinas has instituted a mandatory work-from-home policy for its employees at each location to stem the spread of the coronavirus and enable the continued health and safety of its work force. The duration of this remote working arrangement will be guided by the direction of the governor of New Jersey and the actions and guidelines issued by the federal government, including the CDC. As we, along with the rest of the world, navigate these unprecedented circumstances, we are committed to continuing to implement measures intended to minimize any potential business impact from COVID-19 and will continue to closely monitor, assess and respond to the situation as it evolves."

07:22 EDT Matinas says preparations for End-of-Phase 2 meeting have not been impacted - The Company's ongoing preparations for an End-of-Phase 2 meeting for MAT9001 with the FDA to date have not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those studies necessary to support a planned 505(b)(2) registration pathway have been completed and final study reports are in the process of being prepared. The Company continues to expect to request a meeting with FDA to be held in the third quarter of 2020 to discuss these data, as well as the protocol for a Phase 3 registration study of MAT9001 in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia.

07:21 EDT Matinas BioPharma pauses enrollment in ongoing clinical trials - Based on the concerns for the safety and health of patients and their caregivers, and risks of disruption to the integrity of trials from COVID-19, very few of the planned clinical trials in the U.S. and globally are commencing and the vast majority that are in progress are being suspended. After conducting our own analyses, the Company has determined to pause enrollment in each of its ongoing clinical trials as set forth below. In taking these decisions, the Company relied on guidance from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidance document, entitled "Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Pandemic." These decisions will be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis as the COVID-19 situation evolves globally. Following consultation with the study director, Dr. Kevin Maki, as well as feedback from the various clinical trial sites involved, the Company has temporarily paused enrollment in the ENHANCE-IT trial, a head-to-head comparative study of MAT9001 vs. Vascepa. The Company previously announced initiation of this study on March 5, 2020, with expected topline data in the fourth quarter of 2020. Presently, there is not enough available information to determine whether an adjustment to this guidance is required. The Company will work to resume enrollment as soon as clinically appropriate and has taken steps to potentially increase the speed of enrollment, including adding additional strategic clinical sites in the United States. On March 26, 2020, the Uganda National Drug Authority informed all affected sponsors and clinical investigators that recruitment of new clinical trial participants in Uganda was to be immediately suspended as a result of the global COVID-19 Pandemic. As a result, and in consultation with the principal investigator, Dr. David Boulware, enrollment of new patients into the EnACT study has been temporarily paused. Additionally, the two patients who had been enrolled and dosed in the clinical study were discontinued and transitioned onto standard of care therapy consistent with established guidelines. These actions were taken to mitigate any potential risk to the integrity of clinical data. The Company is in discussions with the Uganda NDA and the clinical site and will resume enrollment as soon as clinically appropriate. The Company should be in position to provide an update on enrollment during its first quarter 2020 conference call, but continues to expect potential progression from the first patient cohort to the second patient cohort during 2020 given the significant unmet medical need in the treatment of crypotococcal meningitis in Uganda.

07:19 EDT Matinas says Vascepa patent ruling has no impact on validity of MAT9001 patents - Matinas BioPharma Holdings (MTNB) commented on the recent United States District Court decision to invalidate patents related to Amarin Corporation's (AMRN) Vascepa and also provided an update on the effect of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic on its business operations and clinical development programs. The company said, "Matinas is aware of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada's ruling yesterday in favor of the generic companies in Amarin Corporation's patent litigation against two filers of abbreviated new drug applications, or ANDAs, for Amarin's Vascepa. Amarin issued a statement yesterday indicating that it will appeal and vigorously defend its intellectual property, while seeking an injunction to prevent a potential launch of generic versions of Vascepa. In noting that an ANDA for Vascepa has not been approved, Amarin also commented that this decision has no impact on geographies outside the United States where Vascepa is currently sold and/or under regulatory review. "We understand that there may be concern from our shareholders about the impact this decision against Amarin may have on MAT9001, our proprietary prescription-only omega-3 free fatty acid based combination of primarily eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular and metabolic conditions," stated Jerome D. Jabbour, Chief Executive Officer of Matinas. "Without commenting on the substance of Amarin's legal case, we believe there are certain facts and realities which should be highlighted as set forth below.." The Nevada District Court's ruling on the Vascepa patents has no impact on the validity of the issued or pending patents covering MAT9001, which extend until 2033 or potentially later; Matinas continues to believe that MAT9001, if approved, will be eligible for 5-year New Chemical Entity exclusivity and subject to the protections afforded by the Hatch Waxman Amendments, which could prevent generic alternatives to MAT9001 for no less than 7.5 years from the date of approval; MAT9001 was designed to be the potential best-in-class prescription-only omega-3 drug with a profile superior to every other approved prescription omega-3 product, including Vascepa and any generic alternative to Vascepa; In a previous head to head study with Vascepa, MAT9001 demonstrated superiority versus Vascepa in reducing serum triglycerides, Total- and Non-HDL-Cholesterol, apolipoprotein CIII and PCSK9 levels; The Company's ENHANCE-IT study is designed and positioned to further highlight the differentiating characteristics of MAT9001 to Vascepa, including enhanced blood levels of EPA, which we believe could be important for commercialization of MAT9001, if approved; Our intended Phase 3 registration study of MAT9001 in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia is planned to include both a 2g dose arm and a 4g dose arm for approval, whereas Vascepa and any generic competitor will only have a 4g approval. MAT9001 is further differentiated from Vascepa in that its dosing is intended to be once or twice daily, without regard to meals."

07:15 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals, Greenwich announce acceptance of sNDA for EPIDIOLEX - GW Pharmaceuticals along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing with Priority Review its recently submitted supplemental New Drug Application for the use of EPIDIOLEX CV to treat seizures associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. The PDUFA goal date for completion of the FDA review of the EPIDIOLEX sNDA is July 31, 2020. EPIDIOLEX is already approved for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome, two rare and difficult to treat conditions of childhood-onset epilepsy.

07:13 EDT Green Thumb Industries to open Rise Cranberry in Pennsylvania - Green Thumb Industries announced it will open Rise Cranberry, its 42nd retail location, on March 31. Rise Cranberry will currently offer only online reservations for registered Pennsylvania medical cannabis cardholders. Patients may order online at www.risecannabis.com by creating an account and scheduling a pick-up time. They will receive a text message to confirm all reservations and may pick up during their designated time.

07:12 EDT Amarin highlights VASCEPA-related data presented at ACC.20/WCC - Amarin Corporation hosted a webcast yesterday to discuss important data with study authors who presented at the American College of Cardiology's 69th Annual Scientific Session Together With World Congress of Cardiology, March 28-30. The data presented related to VASCEPA capsules, the landmark clinical outcomes study REDUCE-IT, as well as persistent cardiovascular risk in patients with elevated triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Eicosapentaenoic Acid levels from VASCEPA in REDUCE-IT strongly correlated to cardiovascular outcomes, more so than other biomarkers. Over 70,000 cardiovascular events/year in US adults with known CVD or diabetes mellitus may be preventable from VASCEPA therapy, impacting persistent CV risk despite statin-controlled LDL-C. Analysis supports determination that VASCEPA is highly cost-effective in patients from the REDUCE-IT USA subgroup and, as is rarely found for any therapy, may result in net healthcare cost-savings to patients, payers and society. Mechanism of icosapent ethyl is distinct from docosahexaenoic acid and other omega-3 fatty acids in providing antioxidant effects. Key Data Presented at ACC.20/WCC and Reviewed During Amarin's Webcast: "Eicosapentaenoic Acid Levels in REDUCE-IT and Cardiovascular Outcomes" - presented on behalf of all authors by Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., Brigham and Women's Hospital: Highlights: Following administration of VASCEPA, a pure, stable, prescription EPA therapy, serum EPA levels showed an approximately 400% increase across the study from baseline versus placebo, including to year 1. Docosahexaenoic acid levels were measured and showed a decrease of 2.9%. On-treatment EPA levels in the VASCEPA group were associated strongly with reduced cardiovascular events, including benefits observed in the primary and key secondary endpoints, each component of these endpoints such as cardiovascular death, as well as benefits in heart failure and total mortality with high on-treatment EPA levels. These analyses suggest that achieved EPA levels with 4 g/day of VASCEPA is a marker for the majority of the relative risk reduction observed in REDUCE-IT. The EPA levels achieved in REDUCE-IT were well above levels that can be achieved with diet or with dietary supplements. The clinical results achieved with VASCEPA have not been demonstrated for any other therapy, reflecting the uniqueness of this FDA-approved prescription therapy and its high EPA content, in stable form, without offset or dilution by other omega-3 molecules each of which act differently. Further study is needed to assess whether people with relatively large body mass might be safely and effectively treated with higher than 4 g/day of icosapent ethyl. Biomarker analyses suggest minimal contribution of changes in measured lipid, lipoprotein, and inflammatory biomarkers to the cardiovascular benefit observed in REDUCE-IT. "REDUCE-IT Eligibility and Preventable First and Total Cardiovascular Events in the US Population: An Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)" - Nathan D. Wong, Wenjun Fan, Peter P. Toth, Craig Granowitz, Sephy Philip Highlights: The NHANES database was used to identify approximately 3 million REDUCE-IT eligible adults aged greater than45 years, 63% with prior CVD and 37% with DM + greater than1 risk factor. While this is not the full extent of VASCEPA's label, this is the population reviewed in this presented analysis. Based on such eligibility criteria and event rate applied to the US population, it is estimated that administration of VASCEPA could prevent 71,391 cardiovascular events/year, consisting of 29,798/year fewer first occurrence of a cardiovascular events, such as stroke, heart attack or death, and 41,593/year fewer recurring cardiovascular events. "Cost-effectiveness of Icosapent Ethyl in US REDUCE-IT Patients" - William S. Weintraub, Deepak L. Bhatt, Zugui Zhang, Cheng Zhang, Sarahfaye Dolman, William E. Boden, P. Gabriel Steg, Michael Miller, Eliot A. Brinton, Jordan B. King, Adam P. Bress, Terry A. Jacobson, Jean-Claude Tardif, Christie M. Ballantyne, Paul Kolm Highlights: Based on a variety of cost-effectiveness analyses conducted, icosapent ethyl is shown to provide excellent value. The results show a dominant cost-effectiveness profile overall and in patients with established atherosclerosis. Analyses conducted consistently put icosapent ethyl within US willingness-to-pay thresholds of less than$50,000/QALY gained. Administration of icosapent ethyl may result in net healthcare cost-savings to patients, payers and society. "Eicosapentaenoic Acid Inhibits High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Oxidation in a Synergistic Manner in Combination with Atorvastatin In Vitro" - R. Preston Mason, Samuel C. R. Sherratt Highlights: In vitro studies were conducted to ascertain EPA behavior under 2 scenarios; antioxidant benefits in VLDL vs. DHA and effect on HDL oxidation in the context of use with ATM. It was found that EPA exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant effects. These antioxidant effects require pharmacologic concentrations for sustained activity over time. Furthermore, it was found that the antioxidant benefits with EPA in VLDL were not reproduced with DHA and that the antioxidant benefits for EPA were enhanced with a statin. EPA pretreatment prevented HDL oxidation in a significant fashion with this benefit more than doubling when combined with ATM, suggesting that synergistic antioxidant effects of EPA in combination with a statin may preserve atheroprotective functions for HDL. Such findings appear to be consistent with the multifactorial clinical effects attributed to icosapent ethyl.

07:10 EDT Frontdoor provides update on COVID-19 business response - Frontdoor provided an update on its COVID-19 business response as well as reiterated the company's strong financial position. The company established across-functional business continuity team. This team actively monitors national and local developments and emerging issues, deploys coordinated and strategic real-time responses to address the needs of employees, customers and contractors, and ensures ongoing operational efficiency during this time. The company has fully transitioned all of its contact center agents to work remotely from their homes, ensuring customer service. All other campuses, including its Memphis corporate headquarters, Denver technology center, India technology center and the Streem office in Portland, are also working remotely. The company's contractor network has been designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers" during the COVID-19 response and has consistently been deemed "essential" by state and local governments. The company does not foresee significant disruption to our ability to provide services to our customers. The company has increased customer communication and implemented safety screening protocols during the claim initiation and service delivery process while providing ongoing communication to contractors to enable them to operate within CDC guidelines. While the Company's supply chain has not experienced significant disruptions to date, the company is closely monitoring the transportation and distribution of parts and replacement units.

07:07 EDT Rexford Industrial provides update on recent ATM activity - Rexford Industrial announced that, under its "At the Market" stock offering program, the company issued an aggregate of 2,062,505 shares of common stock during the quarter ending March 31. The shares were issued at a weighted average offering price of $36.00 per share, receiving gross proceeds of approximately $74.2M and net proceeds of approximately $73.1M. The company intends to use the net proceeds of the ATM to fund potential acquisitions, for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

07:06 EDT Azure Power announces resignation of COO Harkanwal Singh Wadhwa - Azure Power announced that Harkanwal Singh Wadhwa, has resigned from his position as member of the Board of Directors of Azure Power and all its subsidiaries effective March 31. Wadhwa also resigned from his position as COO and will be discharged from all his roles and responsibilities in the company effective April 03. Murali Subramanian, President of the company, will take over as the new COO, effective April 04.

07:04 EDT Anavex says clinical sites continue to operate, see patients where possible - Anavex Life Sciences provided an update on the evolving COVID-19 condition and the Company's response to its clinical program development. The company said, "Anavex's paramount obligation is to ensure the safety of all participants in its clinical programs and the integrity of the studies in which they participate. Anavex is responding to regulatory, institutional, and government guidance and policies related to COVID-19. Anavex remains committed to its clinical development plans and is working closely with all stakeholders to try to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the Company's ongoing clinical trials for Rett syndrome, Parkinson's disease dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Clinical sites continue to operate and see patients where possible in accordance with local regulations and site policies, regulatory, institutional, and government guidance related to COVID-19. Clinical sites continue to screen and enroll patients into the active trials and the respective open-label extensions for the two Phase 2 Rett syndrome trials and the Phase 2b/3 Alzheimer's disease trial, while the Parkinson's disease dementia Phase 2 trial has completed enrollment and we expect to announce topline results from this study by mid-2020. Anavex pro-actively continues to bring on sites in new countries across programs depending on the situation in each country of operations. While Rett syndrome protocols ANAVEX2-73-RS-001 and ANAVEX2-73-RS-002 have always by default allowed at-home visits, U.S. FDA and European EMA and Australian TGA recommended contingency plans are actively in place for the Alzheimer's disease Phase 2b/3 study ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 and the Parkinson's disease dementia Phase 2 study ANAVEX2-73-PDD-001 to ensure remote or virtual assessments for active patients and all respective extension studies. Because ANAVEX2-73 is an oral formulation, study participants are able to receive shipments of their study medication in a controlled and compliant fashion, and direct-to-patient delivery is occurring in multiple countries."

07:04 EDT Bausch Health: Phase 2 study of rifaximin met primary endpoint - Bausch Health announced topline results from a Phase 2 study evaluating an investigative soluble solid dispersion formulation of immediate release rifaximin in combination therapy with the current standard of care therapy, lactulose, for the treatment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy. In the double-blinded, placebo-controlled multi-arm, dose-ranging study, the treatment arm evaluating 40 mg BID of rifaximin SSD IR plus standard of care therapy met its primary endpoint of time to resolution of OHE using the Hepatic Encephalopathy Grading Instrument scale. The 40 mg BID rifaximin SSD IR in combination with standard of care therapy treatment arm was statistically significantly superior to the placebo plus standard of care therapy treatment arm with median time to resolution being 21.1 hours versus 62.7 hours, respectively. The rates of adverse events were comparable across all treatment arms of the study. "The topline results of this study will help inform further research on potential new indications for rifaximin using this formulation," said Joseph Papa, chairman and CEO, Bausch Health.

07:03 EDT Pennsylvania REIT announces actions to create $300M in incremental liquidity - PREIT announced a series of actions to strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity position during this unique operating environment, creating nearly $300M in incremental liquidity. In response to the current environment and to enhance financial flexibility, the company and its board have decided to rightsize the company's quarterly dividend on common shares. Beginning with the Q2 dividend, the company expects to pay a quarterly cash dividend of 2c per common share. This 90% reduction will enhance company liquidity by approximately $15M per quarter, or $60M in additional liquidity on a full-year basis. The declaration and payment of dividends remains subject to quarterly action by the board. As part of PREIT's plan, the company has executed amendments to its senior credit facilities. The amendments modify certain covenants through September 30 and under the amendments, PREIT has increased its borrowing capacity by more than $83M. The company is reviewing its capital spending projections and expects to reduce its planned 2020 spending by 11% or $11M. The company is also proactively taking steps to reduce its operating expenses to further enhance liquidity and strengthen its balance sheet. Based on current forecasts, the company expects to realize savings of approximately $2M per month while mall operations are suspended. The company is working with outside advisors and its industry trade group, ICSC, to secure various forms of relief and funding at the federal, state and local levels. In addition to funding, the Company is working with officials to reduce its municipal tax liabilities, which, if successful, could potentially generate savings of over $10M. PREIT also continues to pursue transactions to raise capital. As disclosed in its Q4 earnings release, the company has executed agreements of sale for expected gross proceeds of $312.6M. Upon closing of these transactions, the company expects to net approximately $200M in additional liquidity. These actions, together, have the potential to create nearly $300M of incremental liquidity.

07:02 EDT Bristol-Myers, Bluebird Bio submit BLA to FDA for for idecabtagene vicleucel - Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) and bluebird bio (BLUE) announced the submission of their Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA for idecabtagene vicleucel, the companies' lead investigational B-cell maturation antigen-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior therapies, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody.

06:56 EDT Xenia Hotels provides business update amid COVID-19 pandemic - Xenia Hotels provided an update on pending transactions, as well as an update on the impact of COVID-19 on its operations. On February 24, Xenia announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell the 492-room Renaissance Austin Hotel for $100.5M, with an anticipated closing date during Q1. Subsequent to the announcement, the parties entered into an amendment to the agreement that extended the closing until April 16 and authorized the release of the $2M deposit held in escrow to the company. At this time, the company cannot provide assurances that the transaction will close as agreed upon, or at all. On March 4, Xenia announced it had executed an agreement to sell a seven-hotel portfolio for $483M. There is currently no change to the timing or terms of this transaction. The buyer continues to have a $20M non-refundable deposit at risk should the transaction not proceed. Also in Q1, the company entered into an agreement to sell the 522-room Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center for $155M. The transaction was initially expected to close in March, but the parties subsequently agreed to extend the closing until July 31. The buyer has a $7.75M non-refundable deposit at risk should the transaction not proceed. Based on the current status of the financial markets, and overall economic uncertainty, the company can make no assurances that any of the three aforementioned transactions will close as agreed upon, or at all. If the transactions are not completed as a result of the respective buyer parties' default, the company expects to receive the non-refundable deposits which are currently held in escrow. Since the company last issued an update on operating performance on March 11, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations has increased significantly, with the vast majority of group business for April and May now having been canceled and both business transient and leisure demand declining significantly throughout the portfolio, consistent with trends throughout the U.S. lodging industry. The company's operating partners have lowered hotel operating expenses, primarily by adjusting staffing levels in response to the significant reduction in demand. Specific actions vary by property, with a range that includes closure of restaurants, bars, amenities, floors, wings or the entire property. At present, 24 of the company's hotels and resorts have temporarily suspended operations or are in the process of temporarily suspending operations. The remainder of the company's properties are currently operating at reduced levels; however, the company may temporarily suspend the operations at additional hotels in the future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the expense-reduction efforts undertaken at the properties, the Company expects to reduce its corporate full-year cash general and administrative expense by over 20%, or approximately $5M, primarily resulting from lower executive incentive compensation, as well as a reduction in other costs. The company will evaluate further expense reductions as appropriate. With respect to capital expenditures, Xenia has reviewed its capital program for 2020 and is canceling or deferring approximately $50M of capital expenditures, representing a 40% reduction. The company's current estimate for full-year capital expenditures is approximately $70M. This estimate primarily reflects projects that are currently in-progress or for which materials have been ordered. Most of these expenditures relate to the transformative renovation of Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and the guestroom renovation at Marriott Woodlands Waterway Hotel & Convention Center. Each of these projects has been adjusted, in terms of timing or scope, to reduce 2020 capital outlays. In order to bolster the company's unrestricted cash position and to help meet its ongoing operational and financial obligations, the company drew the remaining $340M on its $500M senior unsecured revolving credit Facility on March 17. The company's previously declared Q1 dividend will be paid on April 15 to shareholders of record as of March 31. Xenia expects to suspend its dividend through the balance of the year until it determines the required dividend amount to cover its taxable income for 2020.

06:52 EDT Brookfield Renewable enters into automatic purchase plan with its broker - Brookfield Renewable Partners announced that, in connection with its previously announced normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, it has entered into an automatic purchase plan with its designated broker. The automatic purchase plan, which has been pre-cleared by the Toronto Stock Exchange, will allow for the purchase of Brookfield Renewable's outstanding limited partnership units, subject to certain trading parameters, at times when Brookfield Renewable ordinarily would not be active in the market due to its own internal trading black-out periods, insider trading rules or otherwise. Outside of these periods, LP Units will be repurchased in accordance with management's discretion and in compliance with applicable law. The actual number of LP Units purchased under the automatic plan, the timing of such purchases and the price at which LP Units are purchased will depend upon future market conditions.

06:50 EDT Target Hospitality reduces FY20 growth capital expenditures by 50% - Target has not experienced a meaningful reduction in utilized beds at our lodges; however, we are cognizant that the COVID-19 pandemic, and continued deterioration in global commodity markets, will create headwinds through much of 2020. In response to these anticipated lower utilization levels, Target has reduced its anticipated 2020 growth capital expenditures by 50% to $5M-$10M. Target's anticipated maintenance capital expenditures will be between $2M-$4M. Target has meaningful variable cost of services and anticipates a reduction of these costs over the remainder of 2020, which will offset a portion of any reduction in utilized beds. Target is taking additional steps to reduce cash corporate expenses across the organization, including voluntary cash salary reductions of 20% for the Board and select Executive Management and 10%-15% for Senior Management. The company has also implemented reductions in workforce, furloughs, reduced discretionary spending and the elimination of all non-essential travel. The company believes these measures will reduce cash expenses by more than 25% over the remainder of 2020. The company's CEO will continue to voluntarily receive 100% of his base salary in the form of restricted stock units.

06:48 EDT BWX Technologies awarded $128M in contract options by U.S. Navy - BWX Technologies announced that the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program exercised contract options in Q1 with BWXT's subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services, of NFS, totaling approximately $128M for fuel manufacturing work in support of the nation's nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. NFS is a subsidiary of BWXT Nuclear Operations Group. Work under this 12-month contract is expected to begin later this year.

06:44 EDT AstraZeneca reports Lokelma label update recommended for approval in EU - The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion on a dosing and administration label update for AstraZeneca's Lokelma to include patients with hyperkalaemia on stable haemodialysis, the company announced. The recommendation was based on data from the Phase IIIb DIALIZE trial, which showed a significant reduction in potassium levels pre-dialysis for patients receiving Lokelma, compared with placebo.

06:41 EDT Walmart takes additional steps for health and safety of associates - John Furner, President & CEO, Walmart U.S. and Kath McLay, President & CEO, Sam's Club released the following information: "As our company and country continue to deal with the spread of COVID-19, we remain focused on the health and safety of our associates. We continue to follow and communicate the CDC's recommended guidance on behaviors like washing hands, social distancing, and the cleaning of surfaces. And we have made significant operational changes in our stores, clubs, DCs, and FCs this month -- such as closing overnight for cleaning, installing sneeze guards at key transaction points, using wipes and sprayers for carts, putting in signing for social distancing, and implementing a COVID-19 emergency leave policy. Today we're sharing additional steps we're taking to promote a safe and healthy workplace. As the COVID-19 situation has evolved, we've decided to begin taking the temperatures of our associates as they report to work in stores, clubs and facilities, as well as asking them some basic health screening questions. We are in the process of sending infrared thermometers to all locations over the next 1-2 weeks. Any associate with a temperature of 100.0 degrees will be sent home, asked to seek medical treatment if necessary, and told to not return to work until they are fever-free for at least 3 days. Many associates have already been taking their own temperatures at home, and we're asking them to continue that practice as we start doing it on-site. And we'll continue to ask associates to look out for other symptoms of the virus (coughing, feeling achy, difficulty breathing) and never come to work when they don't feel well. Our COVID-19 emergency leave policy allows associates to stay home if they are ill or quarantined, knowing that their jobs will be protected. Today we are also sharing more guidance with our associates regarding masks and gloves. While the CDC, Walmart, and other health officials do not recommend masks or gloves for healthy people who don't ordinarily use them for their jobs, we will make them available-as supplies permit-for associates who want to wear them. The masks will begin arriving this week. They will not be N-95 respirators - which should be reserved for at-risk healthcare workers - they will be high-quality masks. We encourage anyone who would like to wear a mask or gloves at work to ask their supervisor for them, while keeping in mind that they are not necessary, and that it is still possible to spread germs while wearing them. This week we are also sharing a new framework with associates regarding maintaining healthy behaviors at work. We are asking them to remember three numbers: 6, 20, and 100. 6 feet is the among of space people should keep from others, when possible, to maintain social distancing. 20 seconds is the among of time people should take to wash their hands with soap and water. And 100 is the temperature that someone should stay home with. We will continue to consult with health officials and experts inside and outside Walmart as this situation evolves. We greatly appreciate the work our associates are doing for customers, members, and their communities, and will continue to prioritize their health and well-being."

06:40 EDT Quarterhill subsidiary enters license agreement with UMC regarding patents - Wi-LAN, a Quarterhill company, announced that Polaris Innovations, a wholly owned subsidiary of WiLAN, has entered into a license agreement with United Microelectronics, or UMC, regarding certain Polaris patents relating to semiconductor manufacturing process technologies. All other terms of the license agreement are confidential.

06:38 EDT Eli Lilly announces global licensing, research collaboration with Sitryx - Eli Lilly announced an exclusive global licensing and research collaboration with Sitryx, a biopharmaceutical company focused on regulating cell metabolism to develop disease-modifying therapeutics in immuno-oncology and immuno-inflammation. The collaboration will study up to four novel preclinical targets identified by Sitryx that could lead to potential new medicines for autoimmune diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Sitryx will receive an upfront payment of $50M and Lilly will make a $10M equity investment in Sitryx. Sitryx will be eligible to receive potential development milestones up to $820M, as well as commercialization milestones and royalty payments on potential sales in the mid- to high-single digit range. In return, Sitryx will grant Lilly an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize up to four novel immunometabolism targeted therapeutics, including Sitryx's two lead projects. Lilly and Sitryx will establish a five-year research collaboration to support the development of the therapeutics, with Sitryx responsible for drug discovery, while Lilly will fund and manage the clinical development and commercial phase of the collaboration. This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction will be reflected in Lilly's reported results and financial guidance according to GAAP. There will be no change to Lilly's 2020 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance as a result of this transaction.

06:36 EDT Starboard Value reports 9.3% stake in Commvault - In a regulatory filing last night, Starboard Value disclosed a 9.3% stake in Commvault Systems, noting in the filing that the shares, when purchased, "were undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity." Depending upon overall market conditions, other investment opportunities available to Starboard, and the availability of shares at prices that would make the purchase or sale of shares desirable, the firm "may endeavor to increase or decrease their position in the [company] through, among other things, the purchase or sale of shares on the open market or in private transactions or otherwise, on such terms and at such times as the [firm] may deem advisable," the filing added.

06:34 EDT Midatech Pharma promotes CFO Stephen Stamp to CEO - Craig Cook is stepping down as CEO and resigning as a Director of the Company with immediate effect. He is succeeded by current CFO Stephen Stamp who will have the combined roles of CEO and CFO while the Company concludes its strategic review. In addition, in line with the Company's streamlined strategy and operations and narrower focus, Huaizheng Peng and Frederic Duchesne have resigned as Directors with immediate effect.

06:33 EDT Midatech Pharma announces scale down measures including workforce reduction - Midatech Pharma announces that, in view of prevailing conditions in the capital markets and the prospects for raising additional funds and partnering of assets, the Board of Midatech is in the process of implementing a strategic review of its operations. The Company believes the remaining costs to complete the Phase III clinical programme of MTD201 and manufacturing scale-up at its Bilbao facility are of the order of $30M. Of this amount, $8.5M has been raised in loans from the Spanish government. The Board has concluded, in the context of its current cash runway, that the Company is unlikely to conclude a license transaction or raise sufficient funds to continue the required remaining investment in MTD201 on a timely basis. The Board has therefore decided to terminate further inhouse development of the MTD201 programme with immediate effect. The Company announced on 5 December 2019 that it has been provisionally awarded a EUR$2.6M grant under the EU EIC Accelerator SME Instrument to part fund the GlioKIDS trial of MTX110 in DIPG, a terminal childhood brain cancer. Because of a technicality, the EU has not yet confirmed Midatech's status as an SME, a prerequisite for grant eligibility. The GlioKIDS Phase II trial of MTX110 may be cancelled if the EU grant is not received. The Company will continue the exploratory Phase I study of MTX110 with Columbia University announced on 2 March. In line with the decision to terminate MTD201, the Board has taken the difficult decision to close the Company's MTD201 dedicated manufacturing facilities in Bilbao and offer redundancy to all 42 employees. Under Spanish law, the Company will now enter into a period of consultation with its Bilbao based employees. In addition, a further five UK-based employees in clinical research and administrative roles are being offered redundancy. Following these changes, Midatech's remaining 20 employees and operations will be concentrated in Cardiff. The Board continues to consider options for extracting value from the Company's technologies including partnering its existing and upcoming proof of concept formulations and/or partnering a technology. On the basis of the cost-cutting measures described above, repayment of Spanish government loans, and release of loan deposits, the Company expects to have a cash runway until early 2021 assuming the GlioKIDS grant is received and the MTX110 Phase II trial proceeds.

06:28 EDT Myovant Sciences, Gedeon Richter enter license agreement for relugolix - Myovant Sciences and Gedeon Richter Plc. announced that they have entered into an exclusive license agreement for Gedeon Richter to commercialize relugolix combination tablet for uterine fibroids and endometriosis in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States including Russia, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. Under the agreement, Myovant will receive an upfront payment of $40M and is eligible to receive up to $40M in regulatory milestones and $107.5M in sales-related milestones, and tiered royalties on net sales following regulatory approval. Myovant retains all rights to relugolix combination tablet in the U.S., as well as rights to relugolix in other therapeutic areas outside of women's health. Myovant submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for relugolix combination tablet for the treatment of women with moderate to severe symptoms associated with uterine fibroids in March 2020. The application has completed validation and is now under evaluation by the EMA. Myovant expects top-line data from the Phase 3 SPIRIT 2 and SPIRIT 1 studies in women with pain associated with endometriosis in April and the second quarter of 2020, respectively.

06:25 EDT Taboola announces collaboration with Moat by Oracle Data Cloud - Taboola announced a collaboration with Moat by Oracle Data Cloud, a real-time attention analytics company, which gives Taboola advertisers the ability to purchase video impressions on an outcome-based method, including viewable or video completion events. As part of the collaboration, Taboola video advertisers have the ability to only pay for impressions that meet their desired outcome. This means that when buying on a vCPM model, advertisers will only pay for viewed impressions, and when buying on a CPCV model, advertisers will only pay when their ad has reached their desired completion point, both as verified by Moat. According to eMarketer, video accounted for almost half of programmatic spend in 2019 and is forecast to total nearly $35B in 2020, in the U.S. alone. With this collaboration, ads on Taboola's network that fail to meet a brands' viewability or completion threshold will run at no cost as well.

06:23 EDT Clear Channel Outdoor to sell investment in Clear Media for $253M - Clear Channel Outdoor announced that it has entered into an agreement to irrevocably tender to sell its 50.91% stake in Clear Media Limited, an indirect, non-wholly owned subsidiary of the company based in China, to Ever Harmonic Global Limited. The company also provided an update regarding its initiatives to increase liquidity and preserve financial flexibility in response to the impact of COVID-19 and is withdrawing its guidance for 2020, previously provided on February 27. Under the terms of the company's agreement with Ever Harmonic, Ever Harmonic will acquire the company's stake in Clear Media for HK$7.12 per share, or approximately $253M in cash, as part of a proposed voluntary conditional cash offer made by and on behalf of Ever Harmonic. Ever Harmonic is a special purpose vehicle wholly owned by a consortium of investors comprising Han Zi Jing, Antfin Holding Limited, JCDecaux Innovate Limited and China Wealth Growth Fund III L.P. This represents a premium of approximately 86.88% over the average of the closing prices of the Clear Media shares as quoted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the 30 consecutive trading days prior to the announced strategic review of our investment in China on November 29, 2019. This announcement is a successful milestone following the process previously disclosed on November 29, 2019 to maximize the value of the company's stake in Clear Media. The company has included revenue of $209M and Adjusted EBITDA of $54M in its results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2019 attributed to Clear Media. The Offer is conditional upon the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions described in the announcement jointly made by Ever Harmonic and Clear Media on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Based on the Hong Kong Takeovers Code, the Offer document is required to be issued within 21 days of the Rule 3.5 Announcement. Clear Channel KNR Neth Antilles N.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the company, has irrevocably undertaken to accept the Offer in respect of its entire shareholding in Clear Media within seven business days following the despatch of the Offer document and payment for the sale will be made within seven business days the date on which the Offer becomes unconditional in all respects.

06:22 EDT WPP withdraws guidance for 2020 - The company said in a statement: "As we enter the second quarter, it is clear that the impact of COVID-19 on the business will increase but it is not possible at this stage to quantify the depth or duration of the impact. As a result, we have decided to withdraw our guidance for the 2020 financial year. We will provide an update when appropriate." It added that "We expect our performance in March in markets experiencing significant COVID-19 outbreaks to be weaker than in January and February, impacted by government restrictions on movement and the consequent reduction in economic activity."

06:18 EDT MagnaChip to sell Foundry Business, Fab 4 to special purpose company for $435M - MagnaChip announced that certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries have entered into a definitive agreement to sell the company's Foundry Services Group and the factory in Cheongju, the larger of the company's two 8" manufacturing facilities, to a special purpose company in South Korea established by Alchemist Capital Partners Korea Co., Ltd. and Credian Partners. Under the terms of the Agreement, the total transaction value is approximately $435M, consisting of the South Korean won equivalent of $344.7M in cash based on the exchange rate on the third business day prior to the closing date of the transaction and the SPC's assumption of statutory severance liabilities attributable to the employees who will be transferred together with the Target Business, which is currently estimated to be approximately $90M. The cash purchase price is subject to a customary working capital adjustment. MagnaChip anticipates it will use net operating loss carryforwards to offset a portion of the tax obligations related to this transaction. Moreover, the company intends to use the net proceeds from the transaction to significantly reduce debt and strengthen its balance sheet. Taken together, the transaction-related tax exposure is estimated to be up to 15% of the net cash proceeds from the transaction. The transaction is expected to close within approximately four to six months, subject to customary closing conditions.

06:11 EDT CytoDyn: FDA clears initiation of Phase 2 trial with leronlimab - CytoDyn announced that the U.S. FDA just provided clearance for initiation of a Phase 2 trial with CytoDyn's leronlimab to treat COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate indications. The company's investigational new drug, leronlimab, has been administered to 10 severely ill patients with COVID-19 at a leading medical center in the New York City area under an emergency IND recently granted by the FDA. The treatment with leronlimab is intended to serve as a therapy for patients who experience mild-to-moderate respiratory complications as a result of contracting SARS-CoV-2 causing the Coronavirus Disease 2019. The Phase 2 clinical trial is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of leronlimab in patients with mild to moderate documented COVID-19 illness and calls for 75 planned patients in up to 10 centers in the United States. Patients enrolled in the trial are expected to have a treatment window of approximately 6 weeks.

06:09 EDT Diamondback Energy revises FY20 production view to 295.0 - 310.0 MBOE/d - Diamondback Energy provided revised full year 2020 guidance. Highlights include: Full year revised 2020 production guidance of 295.0 - 310.0 MBOE/d. Full year revised 2020 oil production guidance of 183.0 - 193.0 MBO/d. Q4 2020 exit rate production guidance of 170.0 - 180.0 MBO/d (275.0 - 290.0 MBOE/d) Full year 2020 CAPEX guidance of $1.5B-$1.9B, including drill, complete and equip spend of $1.31B - $1.63B, $100M-$150M of midstream capital and $90M-$120M of infrastructure capital. The company plans to exit the third quarter of 2020 operating eight drilling rigs, and exit 2020 operating seven drilling rigs, and will cut further should conditions warrant. After returning from a one to three month frac holiday, the company plans to operate between three and five completion crews, and complete between 170 - 200 gross (153 - 180 net) wells with an average lateral length of approximately 10,000 feet in 2020. Diamondback believes it can maintain Q4 2020 exit rate oil production through 2021 with a four to five completion crew cadence, six to eight operated drilling rigs and a capital budget 20% - 30% less than 2020's $1.5B-$1.9B capital budget. "Diamondback's revised 2020 capital budget and operating plan reflects the swift changes we have made in short order as our industry deals with a market that is changing daily due to an unprecedented global demand shock. Size, scale and cost structure are paramount in this market, and Diamondback's cost structure is built to withstand commodity price shocks. Almost all of our anticipated 2020 production is now hedged and we have built downside protection in 2021 to prepare for lower for longer oil prices," stated Travis Stice, CEO of Diamondback. Stice continued "A majority of our oil production will flow through the Epic and Gray Oak pipelines beginning in April, where we have both firm transportation on each respective pipeline and associated long-term firm sales contracts tied to the length of our firm transportation commitments. The majority of our remaining oil production, which is currently exposed to the Midland market, is protected in the form of basis hedges. In addition, less than 10% of our current oil production receives West Texas Light pricing. The combination of firm transportation, long-term firm sales agreements, pipeline equity ownership, and financial protection via hedges provide a solid foundation for Diamondback through these uncertain times."

06:07 EDT BlackRock CEO: Strategy for growth 'designed to withstand difficult periods' - BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said in a letter to shareholders that the company's "work is not done" and that BlackRock's growth would be driven in part by building on its alternative investment management business in the years to come. "The world will get through this crisis. The economy will recover. And for those investors who keep their eyes not on the shaky ground at our feet, but on the horizon ahead, there are tremendous opportunities to be had in today's markets," Fink wrote. "The transformative acquisitions we have made were done from a position of strength, not under the pressures that many of our competitors are facing," he said. "Our strategy for growth is designed to withstand difficult periods such as this, and will carry us through this period." Commenting on the coronavirus, Fink said "In my 44 years in finance, I have never experienced anything like this. The outbreak has impacted financial markets with a swiftness and ferocity normally seen only in a classic financial crisis. In a matter of weeks, global equity benchmarks fell from record highs into a bear market. A market-wide circuit breaker at the New York Stock Exchange, built to give traders a pause and dampen extreme volatility, was triggered for the first time since 1997, then triggered three more times in quick succession. These conditions were exacerbated by record low liquidity levels in US Treasuries, which serve as a benchmark for pricing risk across the market." Fink added that he expects the economy to "recover steadily" and that BlackRock clients were already "looking to increase their equity allocation in this market." Reference Link

06:04 EDT Akero Therapeutics says three dose groups in BALANCED study met primary endpoint - Akero Therapeutics announced that all three AKR-001 dose groups in the BALANCED study met the primary endpoint of absolute change from baseline in liver fat as measured by magnetic resonance imaging - proton density fat fraction, or MRI-PDFF, at week 12. The BALANCED study is an ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in NASH patients. While the study remains blinded, the tolerability profile appears consistent with results from previous clinical trials evaluating AKR-001 in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The adverse events observed most frequently in prior trials were mild/moderate gastrointestinal events and injection site reactions. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients who have achieved at least a 30% relative reduction in liver fat are eligible for an end-of-study biopsy. Across the AKR-001 dose groups, 75-85% of patients are eligible for biopsies. As of March 30, 25 end-of-study biopsies have been collected from a total of 50 eligible patients. The company expects to report the top-line safety/tolerability, laboratory measures and paired biopsy data from the BALANCED study in Q2 of this year. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will interfere with collection of the remaining biopsies and data from other scheduled clinical visits, including the safety follow-up visit at week 20, is unclear. Akero is delaying the planned initiation of the BALANCED study cohort C in NASH patients who have compensated cirrhosis, Child-Pugh Class A.

05:56 EDT NY AG says Amazon's firing of worker who organized walkout 'disgraceful' - In a statement Monday night, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released a statement in response to news that Amazon employee Chris Smalls was terminated after he organized a walkout to protest health conditions at his workplace, amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak: "It is disgraceful that Amazon would terminate an employee who bravely stood up to protect himself and his colleagues. At the height of a global pandemic, Chris Smalls and his colleagues publicly protested the lack of precautions that Amazon was taking to protect them from COVID-19. Today, Chris Smalls was fired. In New York, the right to organize is codified into law, and any retaliatory action by management related thereto is strictly prohibited. At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling and are deeply concerned about their safety, this action was also immoral and inhumane. The Office of the Attorney General is considering all legal options, and I am calling on the National Labor Relations Board to investigate this incident." Reference Link