Stockwinners Market Radar for May 08, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:49 EDT United Airlines decides not to proceed with $2.25B notes offering - According to a regulatory filing, United Airlines announced that it has decided not to proceed with its previously announced proposed offering of $2.25B in aggregate principal amount of two series of notes. Shares of United Airlines fell 5.2% after the news.

17:33 EDT JetBlue sees demand depressed for remainder of 2020 - In a regulatory 10-Q filing, JetBlue states: "The company began experiencing a significant decline in international and domestic demand related to COVID-19 during the first quarter of 2020, and this reduction in demand has continued through the date of this report. The decline in demand caused a material deterioration in our revenues in the first quarter of 2020, resulting in a first quarter net loss of $268 million. The company currently expects our results of operations for full-year 2020 to be materially impacted. For planning purposes, the company has assumed that it is likely demand will remain depressed for the remainder of 2020. The company continues to focus on reducing expenses and managing its liquidity. The company currently expects to lower its cash burn from an average of $18 million per day during the second half of March to approximately $10 million per day by May."

17:14 EDT QTS Realty Trust CEO sells 241.8K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, QTS Realty Trust disclosed that its CEO Chad Williams sold 241.8K shares of common stock on May 6th in a total transaction size of $15.8M.

17:02 EDT WWE to adjourn annual meeting for second time due to COVID-19 concerns - WWE announced that for a second time it intends to convene and then immediately adjourn its scheduled May 14, 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders until June 11, 2020 due to Governor Lamont's stay-at-home/stay-safe executive order for the State of Connecticut. Such date was chosen in order to conform with the Delaware General Corporation law relating to adjournments, however, the June meeting may again be adjourned to a later date. To ensure the health and safety of its employees, stockholders, and others who attend the Annual Meeting, the Company will continue to carefully monitor the situation as such date approaches. The record date will remain February 20, 2020. Stockholders should comply with applicable restrictions and not attend the Annual Meeting on May 14. The Company will keep its stockholders apprised of all updates relating to the annual meeting as they become available.

16:36 EDT Eidos Therapeutics provides operational, clinical update amid COVID-19 pandemic - Due to the impact of COVID-19, the company has made several operational changes to ensure patient safety, comply with global health authorities' guidance, and maintain the integrity of its planned and ongoing clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AG10 as a therapy for ATTR patients. These changes include: arranging alternatives to clinic visits for trial participants and study staff to minimize in-person interactions, facilitating home delivery of investigational medicine to enrolled participants where possible, identifying, and implementing, solutions to track and reduce missing data and protocol deviations. As COVID-19's long-term impact on study enrollment remains uncertain, the pandemic has unavoidably led to a slowdown in site activation and participant enrollment. The company cannot predict with certainty the timing of the completion of enrollment in ATTRibute-CM. The company currently expects enrollment of ATTRibute-CM to be completed in the first half of 2021 and plan to initiate our Phase 3 study of AG10 in ATTR-PN in the second half of 2020. The company has raised a total of $48.1M since December 2019, including $24.1M during the three months ended March 31, through "at-the-market" offerings under the 2019 registration statement on Form S-3. Eidos believes the company is well positioned with sufficient capital to fund through the receipt of Part A data from the Phase 3 ATTR-CM trial.

16:35 EDT Regis to begin re-opening company-owned salons in late May - The company states: "The substantial majority of the Company's salons are currently closed, but franchise re-openings have begun as government restrictions have eased. The Company expects to begin re-opening its company-owned salons as permitted by state and local mandates in late May. As salons re-open the Company is taking additional measures across its portfolio of franchise and company-owned salons to facilitate customer and employee safety. Due to the ongoing salon closures, the Company extended the furlough program it announced on March 31, 2020, which impacts a significant majority of its workforce across its corporate office, field support and distribution centers, through at least June 1, 2020."

16:31 EDT First Horizon says helped 13K businesses secure $2.1B in PPP loans - First Horizon National Corp. announced that First Horizon Bank has helped more than 13,000 small businesses secure loans totaling approximately $2.1B through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program. These PPP loans will help sustain nearly 300,000 jobs at businesses in communities across its network. In addition, approximately 22% of the loans secured went to women-owned, minority-owned and low- to moderate-income tract designated businesses. "Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy," said Bryan Jordan, Chairman and CEO of First Horizon. "I am proud of the way our bankers served our customers during these challenging times and of the plans we have underway to restore our communities."

16:22 EDT Stewart povides business, capital update - This week, Stewart executed several targeted cost savings measures as a result of the current operating environment. These actions included reduced staffing across multiple business lines and the corporate operations as well as lower discretionary spending levels related to temporary labor, professional services, business promotion, and travel. The company expects the run-rate annual impact of these actions to be approximately $60M. On May 7, Stewart increased and extended the terms of its current line of credit. The maximum amount of the line of credit was increased to $200M from $150M, while maintaining the $50M accordion feature. The length of the agreement was extended five years to May 2025 and expanded the number of banks in the syndicate. By opportunistically taking advantage of favorable terms, Stewart now has in excess of $500M in available liquidity after factoring in $400M in total cash and investments above regulatory requirements and the $100M available on the updated line of credit.

16:17 EDT CNO Financial raises quarterly dividend to 12c from 11c per share - The dividend will be payable June 24 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 10.

16:16 EDT U.S. Silica suspends quarterly dividend - U.S. Silica Holdings announced that its board has elected to suspend the company's quarterly cash dividend of 2c per common share until further notice. U.S. Silica took this action as part of the company's strategy to preserve capital and tightly manage its liquidity in a challenging commodity price environment.

16:07 EDT Tilly's to reopen 26 stores on or about May 15th - Tilly's announced certain store reopening plans and provided other business updates. In accordance with the latest guidelines from local, state and federal governments and health organizations, and with new health and safety protocols in place, the company currently expects to reopen 26 of its stores to the public on or about May 15, 2020, including certain stores in Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah. The company will continue to monitor the guidance from local, state and federal governments and health organizations, as well as announcements made by mall landlords to determine the pace of any future store reopenings, including the anticipated reopenings noted above. The company intends to reopen stores only after the appropriate health and safety protocols applicable to each reopening have been implemented.

16:04 EDT Jennie-O Turkey Store reopens Melrose, Minnesota facility - Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc., announced that it has reopened its Melrose facility, in Melrose, Minn., following a voluntary pause due to impact of COVID-19 in the area. The company restarted phased operations today with a core group of team members and plans to ramp up production over the next few days. Jennie-O Turkey Store is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation.

15:46 EDT Honda to gradually resume production in U.S. and Canada starting May 11 - Starting May 11, Honda will gradually resume production of automobile, engine and transmission production at its plants in the U.S. and Canada, the company announced. The suspension of automobile production began on March 23, Honda noted. "In resuming production, Honda will stagger the start-up at each plant, with most plants using the first day to ensure that front-line leaders are trained on new procedures and activities related to COVID-19 prevention. Prior to resuming production, associates will learn about the new safety measures and re-train on work processes after the period of suspended production. All salaried and support associates who have been on furlough from Honda operations in the U.S. will return to work on May 8 or 11, depending on location. Honda will continue to maximize opportunities for associates to work remotely, while practicing social distancing for associates performing essential roles that require them to work at Honda facilities," the company stated. Reference Link

15:07 EDT Delta to temporarily consolidate flying in select U.S. metros - Starting May 13, Delta will suspend service at 10 stations in markets with more than one Delta-served airport to allow more frontline employees to minimize COVID-19 exposure risk while customer traffic is low, the company announced. Delta will continue providing essential service to impacted communities via neighboring airports, the company added in a post to its news hub website. Reference Link

14:23 EDT Eli Lilly reports publication of results from AWARD-11 trial of Trulicity - New 36-week data showed higher investigational doses of Trulicity were well-tolerated and led to A1C reductions up to 1.9% and weight reductions up to 10.4 pounds in people with type 2 diabetes, announced Eli Lilly. The results of the AWARD-11 trial - which evaluated the safety and efficacy of higher investigational doses of Trulicity compared to Trulicity 1.5 mg - were published late today in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. "AWARD-11 confirmed our expectations that a higher investigational dose of Trulicity would lead to superior blood glucose and weight reductions in people with type 2 diabetes compared to Trulicity 1.5 mg. These promising data show higher doses of dulaglutide could be an option for clinicians treating people with type 2 diabetes who may need additional glycemic control due to the progressive nature of the condition," said Juan Pablo Frias, M.D., Medical Director and Principal Investigator, National Research Institute.

13:02 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 34 to 374 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 34 rigs from last week to 374, with oil rigs down 33 to 292, gas rigs down 1 to 80, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. The U.S. Rig Count is down 614 rigs from last year's count of 988, with oil rigs down 513, gas rigs down 103, and miscellaneous rigs up 2 to 2. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is down 1 rig from last week to 15 and down 5 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 1 rig from last week to 26, with oil rigs unchanged at 7 and gas rigs down 1 to 19. The Canada Rig Count is down 37 rigs from last year's count of 63, with oil rigs down 15 and gas rigs down 22.

12:24 EDT Sunrun higher are teaming with Tesla to offer home energy - Shares of Sunrun (RUN) are higher after the company said it now offers the Tesla (TSLA) Powerwall to power homes. "With Sunrun and Tesla Powerwall, a brighter future starts today. Regain control of your energy and get your free quote to receive a fully virtual consultation. You'll be connected with one of our expert Solar Advisors who can help you create a custom solar storage solution to meet your energy needs...Now, you have the option to power your entire home through a blackout," the company said on its website. Shares of Sunrun are up 5.5% to $14.57 in midday trading.

12:15 EDT Tokyo Game Show 2020 cancelled, to be held online - The Tokyo Game Show 2020, scheduled to be held from September 24 to 27, 2020, is now planned to take place online. TGS2020, which is usually held at Makuhari Messe, is cancelled. TGS2020 is organized by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and co-organized by Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. and Dentsu Inc. Due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on a global scale and the situation remains unpredictable in Japan as well, the organizer and the co-organizers have reached this decision after a long consideration to place the utmost priority on the health and safety of visitors, exhibitors and stakeholders. GameInformer notes that games for both the PlayStation 5 (SNE) and Xbox Series X (MSFT) were expected to be showcased at TGS2020. Other publicly companies in the videogame space include Nintendo (NTDOY), Electronic Arts (EA), Take-Two (TTWO), Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Ubisoft (UBSFY), Tencent (TCEHY), and Capcom (CCOEY).

12:04 EDT Facebook launches 'faster, easier' new Facebook.com website - Facebook today introduced the new Facebook.com. "Announced at F8 last year, it will now be the web experience for Facebook globally. It's faster, easier to use and gives your eyes a break with Dark Mode. We've grown since Facebook.com launched 16 years ago. We've built new features, optimized for new devices and operating systems, and expanded to hundreds of languages. Recently we'd focused on the mobile Facebook experience, and realized our desktop site had fallen behind. People need it to keep up. So we did on-the-ground research, spending months talking to people about how we could make the web experience better for them. Now we're excited to deliver the new site, a great new foundation for the next decades of Facebook.com," the company said in a blog post. Reference Link

12:00 EDT GTT Communications falls -16.2% - GTT Communications is down -16.2%, or -$1.73 to $8.92.

12:00 EDT Bill.com rises 25.7% - Bill.com is up 25.7%, or $18.84 to $92.06.

12:00 EDT American Axle rises 36.4% - American Axle is up 36.4%, or $1.55 to $5.81.

11:17 EDT New Mexico AG files lawsuit against Juul Labs over marketing to youth - New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that his office has sued JUUL Labs Inc. for "creating a youth vaping epidemic by intentionally marketing and selling its e-cigarettes to young people." The lawsuit, filed in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, alleges that the company illegally advertised and sold nicotine products to underage youth and created an epidemic of nicotine addiction among young people. The lawsuit demands that JUUL pay for the costs associated with combating this public health crisis affecting young people across New Mexico. Altria holds an equity stake in Juul. Reference Link

11:06 EDT Microsoft to invest $1.5B to 'accelerate digital transformation' in Italy - Microsoft announced a $1.5B, five-year investment plan in Italy, marking a "significant" commitment to support local innovation and growth, including the intent to bring Microsoft's first datacenter region to the country. The plan "Ambizione Italia #DigitalRestart" builds on the strategic initiative "Ambizione Italia" launched in 2018 and will create new opportunities by empowering people and organizations and supporting economic growth. Microsoft will deliver access to local cloud services, expand its partnership with Poste Italiane, launch digital skilling and smart-working programs, accelerate business' restart by providing access to AI Hubs and programs for SMBs, as well as support the country by launching a Sustainability Alliance. Microsoft's investments in Italy span a 35-plus-year history with more than 10,000 partners and 350,000 professionals. Reference Link

10:00 EDT Switch falls -8.3% - Switch is down -8.3%, or -$1.51 to $16.71.

10:00 EDT GTT Communications falls -16.7% - GTT Communications is down -16.7%, or -$1.77 to $8.88.

10:00 EDT American Axle rises 20.2% - American Axle is up 20.2%, or 86c to $5.12.

09:48 EDT China XD Plastics announces receipt of non-binding going private proposal - China XD Plastics announced that its board of directors has received a preliminary and non-binding proposal letter, dated May 7, 2020, from (i) Mr. Jie Han, the Company's Chairman and CEO, and (ii) XD. Engineering Plastics Company Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and wholly owned by Mr. Han, proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock (the "Shares") of the Company not currently owned by the Buyer Group in a "going-private" transaction for US$1.1 per Share in cash, subject to certain conditions. The US$1.1 per Share price represents a premium of approximately 19.6% to the closing price of the Company's Shares on May 6, 2020, a premium of approximately 19.5% to the average closing price of the Company's Shares during the last 30 trading days, and a premium of approximately 4.9% to the average closing price of the Company's Shares during the last 60 trading days. The Buyer Group currently beneficially owns the Shares representing approximately 70% of the voting power and approximately 50.1% of the share capital of the Company. The Buyer Group has engaged O'Melveny & Myers LLP as its U.S. legal advisor for the proposed transaction. According to the proposal letter, the Buyer Group plans to finance the acquisition with a combination of debt and equity capital. The proposal letter states that the equity portion of the financing would be provided by the Buyer Group in the form of cash and rollover equity in the Company and through available cash at the Company, and that the debt portion of the financing would be provided by loans from third party financial institutions, if required. A copy of the proposal letter is attached hereto as Annex A. The Company has retained Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation as its U.S. legal counsel in connection with the potential "going-private" transaction contemplated by the proposal letter. Additionally, the Board intends to form a special committee of independent directors to consider this proposal. The Board expects that the Special Committee will retain independent advisors, including an independent legal and financial advisor, to assist it in its review of the proposed transaction.

09:47 EDT Redwood Trust falls -6.8% - Redwood Trust is down -6.8%, or -29c to $3.98.

09:47 EDT GTT Communications falls -16.2% - GTT Communications is down -16.2%, or -$1.73 to $8.92.

09:47 EDT Camping World rises 24.2% - Camping World is up 24.2%, or $2.62 to $13.43.

09:41 EDT Protagonist Therapeutics trading resumes

09:36 EDT Protagonist Therapeutics trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:30 EDT ShotSpotter trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:27 EDT VirnetX declares special dividend of $1.00 per share - Payable on or about May 26 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 18.

09:24 EDT Aphria repurchases senior notes for C$127.5M - Aphria entered into privately negotiated agreements with a limited number of holders outside of Canada of its convertible senior notes to repurchase an aggregate of approximately C$127.5M - $90.8M - principal amount of Notes for approximately 18.7 million of common shares and approximately C$2.9M - or $2.1M - in cash for accrued and unpaid interest. Effectively, the company agreed to repurchase a portion of its Notes at a 25% discount to their face value, using shares issued at a 31% premium to Aphria's most recent closing market price, equivalent to a conversion price of $4.84 per share. The purpose of the transaction was to reduce the company's debt and eliminate C$6.7M - $4.8M - in annual cash interest costs. This transaction increases its net cash position from C$36.3 M at its February 29, 2020 quarter-end to C$163.8M, on a pro-forma basis as at that date.

09:23 EDT Sorrento Therapeutics, Mount Sinai partner to develop antibody cocktail - Sorrento Therapeutics and Mount Sinai Health System have agreed to join forces in the investigation and development of an antibody cocktail to potentially treat COVID-19. Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Irene Heinz Given and John LaPorte Given Professor and Chair of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and his team screened approximately fifteen thousand individuals who may have had and recovered from COVID-19 for the presence of anti-COVID-19 antibodies. The screening used a diagnostic test developed by Florian Krammer, PhD, Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and authorized for use in Mount Sinai's laboratory under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization. Sorrento will have access to plasma containing antibodies against COVID-19 for the purpose of identification and production of monoclonal antibodies with potential neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2. The collaboration between Mount Sinai and Sorrento aims to generate antibody products that would act as a "protective shield" against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, potentially blocking and neutralizing the activity of the virus in naive at-risk populations as well as recently infected individuals. It is expected that each dose of COVI-SHIELD, if approved, will deliver a cocktail of three antibodies which together would recognize three unique regions of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

09:14 EDT AAR Integrated Technologies awarded $5.1M contract from U.S. Air Force - AAR announced that its AAR Integrated Technologies division has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract from the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, to provide contractor logistical support for a fleet of 18 AN/MSN-7 Communication Central Systems. The support requirements include program management, supply of all the AN/MSN-7 parts, support equipment components, all system materials and consumables as well as replenishment of spare parts. The effort also requires AAR to provide depot-level maintenance and system level down to Line Replaceable Unit level repair as needed, procurement, and installation services on an as required basis. The firm-fixed-price contract with AAR Integrated Technologies is for five years for an estimated value of $5.1M.

09:10 EDT Sutter Rock Capital reports net asset value of $10.22 as of Mar. 31 - "Despite the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we believe our portfolio is well-positioned to weather the uncertainty and ultimately capitalize on several drivers of economic recovery," said Mark Klein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sutter Rock. "While overall market conditions contributed to a decline in NAV during the quarter, our strategic focus on identifying and investing in dynamic, high-growth, institutionally-backed private companies remains unchanged. To that end, we continue to evaluate and have committed to several exciting investment opportunities we expect to announce by the end of the second quarter."

09:07 EDT Avalon GloboCare advances cellular immunotherapy with FLASH-CAR tech - Avalon GloboCare announced that it has achieved significant milestones, advancing its next generation immune cell therapy using FLASH-CAR technology co-developed with the Company's strategic partner Arbele Limited. The adaptable FLASH-CAR platform can be used to create personalized cell therapy from a patient's own cells, as well as off-the-shelf cell therapy from a universal donor. Currently available Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cellular immunotherapy involves a patient's own T-cells-a type of white blood cell that protects against infections and other diseases including cancer-that are turned into personalized cancer fighting cells. The T-cells are removed from the patient, reprogrammed in the lab using a viral vector to target cancer cells, and infused back into the patient as a cancer immunotherapy. In contrast to these existing therapies, Avalon's FLASH-CAR uses next generation CAR technology to modify patients' T-cells and natural killer cells using a ribonucleic acid-based platform rather than a viral vector. Similar to T-cells, NK cells are a type of white blood cell, also able to attack cancer cells, but utilize different mechanisms. By using RNA molecules rather than a viral vector, Avalon's RNA-based CAR technology is designed to rapidly create personalized CAR therapies in 1 to 2 days compared to the 10- to 14-day bio-manufacturing time necessary to generate currently available CAR-T cellular immunotherapy. Avalon's FLASH-CAR technology is also designed to reprogram the immune cells to hone in on multiple crucial cancer cell targets, called tumor antigens, to potentially achieve superior therapeutic effect. Avoiding the use of viral vectors and complicated bio-processing procedures significantly reduces manufacturing costs, resulting in a more affordable and potentially breakthrough therapy for cancer patients. The FLASH-CAR technology can also be used to generate "off-the-shelf", universal cell therapy that has the potential to reach even more patients. Avalon's first FLASH-CAR platform candidate, AVA-011, targets both CD19 and CD22 tumor antigens on cancer cells. Pre-clinical research on AVA-011, including tumor cytotoxicity studies, has been successfully completed and Avalon is immediately entering the process development stage to generate clinical-grade CAR-T and CAR-NK cells for use in human clinical trials. Avalon and Arbele have jointly filed for USPTO provisional and PCT patents for this RNA-based CAR platform cellular therapy and for other applications. Avalon expects to begin a first-in-human clinical trial with AVA-011 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the first quarter of 2021. The goal is to use AVA-011 as a bridge to bone marrow stem cell transplant therapy, currently the only curative approach for patients with these blood cancers.

09:05 EDT Boston Scientific' Watchman device meets safety and efficacy endpoints - Boston Scientific announced positive 12-month results from the Pinnacle FLX clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of the next-generation Watchman FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at HRS 2020 SCIENCE, the study evaluated performance of the Watchman FLX device as an alternative to oral anticoagulation therapy, including non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, for stroke risk reduction in patients with NVAF. The Pinnacle FLX trial included 400 patients in the U.S. with NVAF who were eligible for anti-coagulation therapy to reduce the risk of stroke but had an appropriate rationale to seek a non-pharmaceutical alternative. The trial met its primary safety endpoint with a low adverse event rate of 0.5%. The study also met its primary effectiveness endpoint, with data demonstrating a 100% rate of effective LAA closure at 12 months post-procedure with peri-device flow less than 5mm. Data from the trial also demonstrated an implant success rate of 98.8% and that no patients experienced peri-procedural death, device embolization or pericardial effusion requiring cardiac surgery. 96.2% of patients were able to discontinue oral anticoagulation following their 45-day follow up.

09:05 EDT Disney says Disney Springs will being phased reopening on May 20 - Disney last night announced that a phased reopening of Disney Springs will begin on May 20. "Following the guidance of government and health officials, a limited number of shopping and dining experiences that are owned by third-party operating participants will begin to open during this initial phase. The rest of Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed, including theme parks and resort hotels," the company said in a blog post. It added, "During the initial opening phase, Disney Springs will have limitations on capacity, parking and operating hours. Given this unprecedented situation, we appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we navigate through this process as responsibly as we can. Additional protocols and procedures may be announced closer to the opening date. Please check DisneySprings.com as we get closer to May 20 for the most current information on operating hours, locations and safety procedures."

09:01 EDT Aeterna Zentaris to hold Annual Meeting virtually - Aeterna Zentaris announced its Annual General Meeting will be held on May 15, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be held virtually.

08:49 EDT TripAdvisor sees Q2 pre-tax restructuring costs ~$30M-$35M - In its Q1 shareholder letter, the company said, "We incurred pre-tax restructuring and reorganization costs of $9 million during Q1 2020 related to workforce reductions enacted early in the first quarter of 2020 and communicated on our earnings call in February. In Q2, we estimate we will incur approximately $30 million to $35 million of pre-tax restructuring and related reorganization costs."

08:46 EDT Amplify Energy changes location of Annual Meeting of Stockholders - Amplify Energy announced that the location of its annual meeting of stockholders to be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 9:00 am Houston time, has been moved to Two Allen Center, Level 12 - The Forum Conference Room, 1200 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002. In lieu of in-person attendance, stockholders are encouraged to vote in accordance with the instructions set forth in the proxy statement and submit proxies in advance of the Annual Meeting.

08:40 EDT Millendo expects cash on hand will support operational plans into 2022

08:37 EDT FuelCell achieves 10M megawatt hours milestone - FuelCell Energy announced achievement of a significant energy output milestone by delivering more than 10 million megawatt hours from its SureSource fuel cell power platforms globally since its first commercial installation. SureSource plants are currently installed and operating on three continents, with many owned by leading utility companies and global commercial and industrial enterprises from around the world that recognize the benefit of clean, resilient, continuous power. FuelCell Energy is committed to environmentally responsible power solutions that address major energy opportunities around the world.

08:34 EDT TripAdvisor sees 'significantly negative EBITDA' in Q2 - In its Q1 shareholder letter, the company said, "Given April performance, we expect Q2 year-over-year performance will be materially worse than Q1's due to a full quarter's worth of COVID-19 impacts on consumer travel demand. Also, we expect: Little to no revenue and significantly negative EBITDA in Q2; and some revenue improvement starting in Q3, though negative adjusted EBITDA performance is likely to persist at least through Q3, assuming a slow recovery."

08:33 EDT Amgen,Cytokinetics: FDA grants Fast Track designation for omecamtiv mecarbil - Amgen (AMGN) and Cytokinetics (CYTK) announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track designation for omecamtiv mecarbil, a novel selective cardiac myosin activator, also known as a cardiac myotrope, being developed for the potential treatment of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

08:32 EDT Cooper-Standard to divest certain operations in Europe and India - Cooper-Standard has signed an agreement to divest its European rubber fluid transfer and specialty sealing businesses, as well as its Indian operations, to Mutares SE & Co. The agreement includes approximately 2,500 employees and two manufacturing facilities in Poland, one manufacturing facility in both Spain and Italy, and all of the company's operations in India, excluding the company's corporate IT development office located in Chennai. Completion of the divestiture is subject to the approval of the respective antitrust authorities and is expected to be finalized by the end of Q2.

08:30 EDT Royal Caribbean estimates cash burn $250M-$275M per month - Royal Caribbean estimates its cash burn to be, on average, in the range of approximately $250M-$275M per month during a suspension of operations. This range includes ongoing ship operating expenses, administrative expenses, and debt service expense, hedging costs, expected necessary capital expenditures (net of committed financings in the case of newbuilds) and excludes cash refunds of customer deposits as well as cash inflows from new and existing bookings. The Company is considering ways to further reduce the average monthly requirement under a prolonged out-of-service scenario and during start-up of operations. The company continues to identify and evaluate further actions to improve its liquidity. These include and are not limited to: further reductions in capital expenditures, operating expenses and administrative costs and additional financings.

08:28 EDT Royal Caribbean identified $3B in FY20 CapEx reductions, deferrals - Since the last earnings call, Royal Caribbean has identified approximately $3B and $1.4B of CapEx reductions or deferrals in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The 2020 reductions and deferrals are comprised of: $1.2B, of non-newbuild, discretionary capital expenditures and $1.8B in reduced spend or deferred installment payments for newbuild related payments which the company is currently finalizing. The company believes COVID-19 has impacted shipyard operations and will result in delivery delays of ships previously planned for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

08:24 EDT Dorel Industries remains 'optimistic' for Q2

08:21 EDT Royal Caribbean reports $2.4B in customer deposits as of March 31

08:20 EDT Royal Caribbean provides business update, response to COVID-19 pandemic - Royal Caribbean Cruises provided a business update and the company's response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "These are unprecedented times for all of us. Travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders are important to slowing the spread of the virus, but they have severely impacted our operations," said Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO. "We are taking decisive actions to prioritize the safety of our guests and crew while protecting our fleet and bolstering liquidity." The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in an unprecedented global response to contain the spread of the disease. These global efforts have resulted in travel restrictions and created significant uncertainty regarding worldwide port closures and availability. As part of the global containment effort, the company previously announced a voluntary suspension of its global cruise operations from March 13 through at least June 11. Continued disruptions to travel and port operations in various regions may result in further suspensions. "Our top priority is to ensure the safety of our guests and crew during the suspension period and when we resume operations," said Mr. Fain. "The company's fleet is now either in port or at anchor and we have developed strict protocols to protect our crew that is still onboard our ships." The company has been developing a comprehensive and multi-faceted program to address the unique public health challenges posed by COVID-19. This includes, among other things, enhanced screening, upgraded cleaning and disinfection protocols and plans for social distancing. The company will continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, global public health authorities and national and local governments to enhance measures to protect the health, safety and security of guests, crew and the communities visited when we are out of service and once operations resume.

08:17 EDT Verisk Analytics to hold Annual Meeting virtually - Verisk announced that its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held as a live audio webcast rather than as an in-person event. Verisk is shifting to a virtual format as a precautionary measure for the health and well-being of employees, shareholders and the community in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. E.T., instead of the previously announced time of 8:00 a.m. E.T. Shareholders and guests will not be able to attend in-person.

08:14 EDT Wellington Management Group reports 10.85% passive stake in PTC Therapeutics

08:13 EDT Spero Therapeutics expects to report topline data from ADAPT-PO trial in 3Q20 - Spero's lead product candidate, tebipenem HBr, has the potential to be the first oral carbapenem antibiotic approved to treat MDR Gram-negative infections. The pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of tebipenem HBr for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection, ADAPT-PO, completed enrollment of approximately 1,370 patients and Spero continues to expect to report top-line data in the third quarter of 2020. The ADAPT-PO trial is comparing an all oral regimen of tebipenem HBr with an existing standard of care intravenous antibiotic treatment, ertapenem, in patients with cUTI or acute pyelonephritis, randomized 1:1 in each arm. In October 2019, pharmacokinetic data from the first 33 patients dosed with tebipenem HBr in the Phase 3 trial were analyzed by an independent review committee which recommended that the trial continue without modifications to the protocol-defined dose. To support continued clinical development of tebipenem HBr, in February 2020 Spero announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority exercised a $15.9 million option under its existing contract with the Company. BARDA's decision to exercise the option brought the total committed funding under the award to $44.0 million in non-dilutive funding, inclusive of $10.0 million in funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

08:12 EDT Spero Therapeutics expects to initiate Phase 2a SPR720 trial in 2H20 - SPR720 is an orally administered antimicrobial agent being developed by Spero for the treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease, a rare orphan disease, as well as other infections, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In December 2019, results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of SPR720 in healthy volunteers indicated that SPR720 was generally well-tolerated at doses up to 1000 mg over the maximum studied duration of 14 days, with a PK profile that Spero believes supports the further development of SPR720 as an oral agent for the treatment of NTM pulmonary disease. The Phase 1 clinical trial was designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of SPR720 at single and multiple ascending doses in healthy volunteers. In March 2020, Spero announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Orphan Drug Designation for SPR720 for the treatment of NTM infection. This designation is given to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States and provides certain benefits and incentives to develop the drug candidate. Spero met with the FDA in early March 2020 and plans to submit an investigational new drug application to the FDA in the second half of 2020. Subject to FDA acceptance of the IND, Spero expects to initiate a dose-ranging Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating SPR720 in patients with NTM disease due to Mycobacterium avium complex n the second half of 2020.

08:10 EDT Spero Therapeutics expects cash to fund operations into 1Q21 - As of March 31, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $88.8 million. On March 5, 2020, Spero announced the closing of its rights offering, which generated net proceeds of approximately $29.5 million. Consistent with previous guidance, Spero believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, together with committed funding from the BARDA contract and other non-dilutive funding commitments, will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2021, including through the filing of an NDA for tebipenem HBr.

08:07 EDT ADT Inc., Cellbounce announce arrival of Plug-and-Play solution to 3G network - ADT is developing a solution for the home security industry's need to adapt to the 3G sunset, which is scheduled for February 2022. Through a strategic partnership with technology startup CellBounce, ADT anticipates a user-installed, plug-and-play solution for the 3G-to-4G conversion will be ready by late summer 2020. The technology and product could apply to most of the 6 million 3G-powered home security systems in the United States.

08:06 EDT Switch CFO says 'liquidity position has remained healthy' during COVID-19 - "We are pleased with our solid first quarter performance, particularly our strong top-line growth in the face of broader economic headwinds," said Gabe Nacht, CFO of Switch. "Importantly, our balance sheet, cash flow, and liquidity position has remained healthy during the COVID-19 crisis, with sufficient access to non-dilutive capital in order to fund our operations and growth initiatives for the foreseeable future."

08:03 EDT Sysco announces Marie Robinson joins company as chief supply chain officer - Sysco announced that Marie Robinson has joined the company as executive vice president and chief supply chain officer. She is Sysco's senior supply chain leader with responsibility for leading the company's supply chain transformation aimed at accelerating profitable growth through more tailored supply chain solutions. "I am thrilled to have a leader of Marie's caliber join our team," said Kevin Hourican, Sysco's president and chief executive officer. "She brings substantial experience leading international supply chain organizations, network transformation initiatives, distribution centers, and private transporation fleets at a global scale. Her previous success in driving change through partnerships gives me great confidence that she will help us successfully drive transformative efforts at Sysco."

07:53 EDT Sterling CEO Thomas Lopp resigns due to health, CFO Steve Huber named acting CEO - Sterling Bancorp announced that Thomas Lopp, chairman, president, and CEO of the company, informed the company that he has resigned from all of his positions with the company and the bank due to health reasons, effective immediately. The board of the company has appointed Steve Huber, current CFO and treasurer of the company, as acting president and CEO. The company is evaluating its alternatives in connection with the selection of its next president and CEO.

07:49 EDT Sabre has 'significant liquidity to withstand a prolonged travel downturn' - The company said, "Approximately 15% of our revenue is not tied to travel volumes, which partially mitigates the exposure we have to COVID-19's impact on travel. However, new bookings made in March declined 70% year-over-year, and net bookings were negative due to a significant amount of cancellations. This trend continued in April, with the drop-off of new bookings exacerbated by cancellations. As of quarter end, we have recognized $105 million in revenue from bookings that have not yet departed and have a cancellation reserve of $44 million on our balance sheet. Approximately two-thirds of our cost structure is variable or adjustable, which provides protection in a downside scenario. These costs include Travel Network incentives, which are variable and tied to bookings volume, semi-variable technology hosting costs, and labor and headcount-related costs. In response to COVID-19's impact on our business, we announced a $200 million cost savings initiative in March. We increased the scope of our initiatives and are now targeting total cost savings of approximately $325 million in 2020. Only one-third of our cost structure, or approximately $1 billion based on 2019 results, is fixed in nature. Our high proportion of variable costs affords us the ability to take further cost reduction actions, if needed. Sabre has significant liquidity to withstand a prolonged travel downturn and has no expected significant near-term liquidity needs. We have suspended our dividend, effective after the March 30, 2020 payment, and share repurchases. Effective May 1, 2020, Sabre and Farelogix agreed to terminate the Farelogix acquisition, and we have paid Farelogix aggregate termination fees of $21 million in the second quarter of 2020 pursuant to the acquisition agreement. Although we were in compliance with our leverage ratio requirement as of March 31, 2020, we believe that a Material Travel Event Disruption has occurred and therefore expect our leverage ratio covenant under our Amended and Restated Credit Agreement will be suspended. We drew down on our revolver in the amount of $375 million in March and raised $1.1 billion from the issuance of senior secured notes and exchangeable notes in April to further strengthen our liquidity. Our March 31, 2020 ending cash balance totaled $684 million. Pro forma for our recent notes offerings, as well as refunds owed to airlines for first quarter cancellations, incentive payments delayed from the first quarter, cancellation reserve and termination fees paid to Farelogix in the second quarter, our cash balance is $1.7 billion. Based on our estimated cash burn rate of approximately $80 million per month, we believe we have more than a year and a half of liquidity even in a zero bookings environment. At this time, we do not expect to participate in the CARES Act loan program for the aviation industry. Given the magnitude and the uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects, on March 20, 2020, Sabre withdrew its February 26, 2020 guidance and has not given further guidance at this time."

07:40 EDT Herbalife Nutrition says 'nearing resolution' with SEC, DOJ on FCPA matters - In a regulatory filing, Herbalife Nutrition stated: "As previously disclosed, the SEC and the Department of Justice, or DOJ, have been conducting investigations into the company's compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, in China, which are mainly focused on the company's China external affairs expenditures, its China business activities, adequacy of and compliance with the company's internal controls in China, and accuracy of the company's books and records relating to its China operations. The company conducted its own review and implemented remedial and improvement measures based upon this review, including but not limited to replacement of certain employees and enhancements of company policies and procedures in China. The company is continuing to cooperate with the SEC and DOJ and is continuing to discuss with them possible resolution, including settlement, of these matters. As a result of these discussions, the company has reached an understanding in principle with respect to the material terms of settlement with each of the SEC staff and DOJ relating to alleged activities that took place in 2006 through 2016. Based on these understandings, the company would enter into an administrative resolution with the SEC with respect to alleged violations of the books and records and internal controls provisions of the FCPA. The company would separately enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with DOJ, under which DOJ would defer criminal prosecution of the company for a period of three years related to a conspiracy to violate the books and records provisions of the FCPA. Among other things, the company would also undertake compliance self-reporting obligations for the three-year term of the respective agreements with the SEC and DOJ. If the company remains in compliance with the DPA during its three-year term, the deferred charge against the company would be dismissed with prejudice. In addition, the company would agree to pay the SEC and DOJ aggregate penalties, disgorgement and prejudgment interest of approximately $123M. Based on these understandings and as required by U.S. GAAP, in addition to the $40M previously accrued, the company has recognized an additional estimated aggregate accrued liability for these matters of approximately $83M within its condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 for a total accrual of approximately $123M relating to these matters. Final resolution of these matters is subject to negotiation of documentation satisfactory to all the parties. It is also subject to final approvals by the company's board of directors, the SEC, and DOJ, and may require court approval of the DPA. While the company believes that, based on the foregoing terms, it is nearing resolution of these matters, there can be no assurance as to the timing or the ultimate terms of any final settlements, including the principle terms discussed above, or that final resolutions will be reached at all."

07:34 EDT Oncogenuity in pact with Columbia to develop novel oligonucleotide platform - Fortress Biotech announced that Oncogenuity , a new Fortress partner company, has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Columbia University to develop novel oligonucleotides for the treatment of genetically driven cancers. The proprietary platform produces oligomers, now known as "ONCOlogues," that are capable of binding gene sequences 1,000 times more effectively than complementary native DNA. The technology comes from the labs of Gary Schwartz, M.D., Division Chief, Hematology/Oncology, and Jeffrey Rothman, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine.ONCOlogues are sensitive to a single base pair mismatch, resistant to degradation and use a proprietary delivery sequence to enter cells. ONCOlogues' selectivity enables Oncogenuity to target genetically driven cancers caused by mutations without impacting wild-type DNA sequences, potentially limiting off-target toxicity. In addition, this allows ONCOlogues to target mutations that have historically been considered "un-druggable." Oncogenuity has established proof-of-concept in a pre-clinical setting for various cancer types. The company's most advanced program is targeting the KRAS mutation G12D, which was previously considered un-druggable and plays a significant role in various cancer types with substantial unmet need, including pancreatic and colorectal. Given the platform's ability to target any mutation, Oncogenuity will continue to evaluate other mutations simultaneously. The company anticipates additional data publications in the coming 12 months.

07:30 EDT Noble Midstream suspends FY20, Q2 volume guidance amid COVID-19 pandemic - Noble Midstream has updated 2020 organic capital expenditures to a range of $60M-$80M to reflect sustainable costs savings and lower expected customer activity. Noble Midstream has tightened the range of equity investment capital to $240M-$260M. Noble Midstream now anticipates a 2020 net adjusted EBITDA range of $370M-$410M and a distributable cash flow range of $280M-$310M.

07:22 EDT Akoustis ships 5G network infrastructure filter product samples to customer - Akoustis Technologies announced its thirteenth RF filter product and shipped design locked samples of a new, wideband 5G small cell network infrastructure XBAW filter to an existing tier-1 small cell customer. The new filter operates within the emerging 5G Band n77 and is the third 5G filter Akoustis has designed and delivered to its tier-1 small cell infrastructure customer. Akoustis' XBAW filter samples will be used for characterization and final customer acceptance for inclusion in a 5G small cell base station product that is expected to go into production in the second half of calendar 2020. Separately, Akoustis previously completed and shipped a Band n79 XBAW filter to this tier-1 customer. Furthermore, the Company expects to triple the number of customers sampling this new product by the end of the September quarter. In early April, Akoustis announced its first commercial 5G small cell network infrastructure design win with its tier-1 OEM customer and has started volume shipments. Upon expected contract award, this tier-1 OEM plans to ramp volume production in the September quarter.

07:20 EDT Clearside Biomedical expects cash to fund planned operations into 2Q21 - As of March 31, 2020, Clearside's cash and cash equivalents totaled $20.9 million. Based on Clearside's current research and development plans and expected near-term partnership milestone payments, Clearside believes it will have sufficient resources to fund its planned operations into the second quarter of 2021.

07:14 EDT Tecnoglass sees working capital as net benefit to cash flow for FY20 - The company said, "Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, Tecnoglass has adhered to mandates and other guidance from local governments and global health authorities. The Company's main priority is the health of its employees and others in the communities where it does business. The Company continues to safely serve customers in all countries, states and regions where construction is considered an essential business and permitted. The Company temporarily suspended production at its facilities in Colombia from March 23, 2020 to April 13, 2020 during the initial phase of a nationwide shelter-in-place order by the Colombian government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While the shelter-in-place order was subsequently extended to May 25, 2020, Tecnoglass resumed full operations at its facilities on April 14, 2020 given its exempted designation as a supplier of critical products to essential business sectors such as infrastructure and construction. The Company is committed to its talented workforce and at this time has retained all of its labor force, of which approximately 60% are contracted through staffing agencies that provide significant contractual flexibility. During the period that production was suspended, vacation days were used to retain eligible employees and the Company used the time to implement broad safety measures before returning to normal operations. Tecnoglass entered the pandemic with a strong financial position along with the flexibility required to support its global operations during this volatile period. As of March 31, 2020, Tecnoglass had cash of $36.8 million plus an additional $58 million of availability under its existing lines of credit, providing sufficient access to capital. In addition, the Company has implemented strict cost controls, reduced operating expenses and limited all non-critical capital expenditures beyond the completion of initiatives started in 2019. The Company anticipates that working capital will be a net benefit to cash flow for the full year 2020. The commencement of the Company's previously announced construction of a second float glass plant through its joint venture with Saint Gobain, which had been scheduled to begin in 2020, has been put on hold at this time, pending better market visibility. The Company will continue to assess additional actions to strengthen its operational and financial position as business visibility improves."

07:11 EDT International Tower Hill Mines launches Livengood gold project - International Tower Hill Mines has approved a work plan to prepare a Pre-Feasibility Study on the Livengood project. The company believes that the recent strength in the price of gold arising from the unprecedented accommodative fiscal and monetary stimulus from central banks and governments globally provides the necessary macroeconomic backdrop to support the advancement of the large, highly-levered, and long-life gold asset at Livengood. CEO Karl Hanneman stated, "We intend to use new tools that have emerged in recent years, such as Whittle Enterprise Optimization, to incorporate this new information with our previous solid technical work to design the best possible Livengood Gold project and to update our NI 43-101 to further de-risk the project and demonstrate its value in a higher gold price environment."

07:09 EDT Axsome Therapeutics announces anticipated milestones - Anticipated Milestones: NDA Submissions: AXS-05 in the treatment of MDD 4Q 2020; AXS-07 in the acute treatment of migraine 4Q 2020. FDA Meetings: AXS-14 for fibromyalgia 2H 2020; AXS-05 for smoking cessation 2H 2020. Clinical Trial Initiations: Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in TRD 3Q 2020; Phase 3 trials of AXS-12 in narcolepsy 2H 2020; Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in Alzheimer's disease agitation 2H 2020.

07:08 EDT Spire raises FY20 CapEx view to $640M - The company said, "We have updated our expected fiscal 2020 capital investment, increasing it by $30 million to $640 million, with $560 million earmarked for our gas utilities and $80 million for our gas-related businesses. We have also updated our 5-year capital expenditure plan to now include 2024, with total investment expected to be $2.8 billion and supporting utility rate base growth of 7-8 percent over that time period."

07:07 EDT TG Therapeutics announces Owen O'Connor MD as Chief Scientific Officer - TG Therapeutics announced that Owen A. O'Connor, MD, PhD, has joined the Company as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. O'Connor brings extensive scientific experience in developing drug candidates in oncology and hematology, and most recently served as a Professor of Medicine and Experimental Therapeutics, the Director of the Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, and Co-Program Director of the Lymphoid Development and Malignancy Program in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center. Michael S. Weiss, the Company's Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are extremely pleased to welcome Owen to the TG team. He has worked closely with us since our inception, including chairing our very first advisory board over 9 years ago and leading our first US-based Phase 1 clinical trial for ublituximab, as well as a participating in the first umbralisib Phase 1 and the ongoing UNITY-NHL study. Owen has also been a driving force in exploring the underlying science around umbralisib's clinical profile, pioneering the research detailing the differentiation of umbralisib and its unique inhibition of CK1 epsilon. Owen's scientific expertise, clinical perspective and drug development experience will make him a pivotal team member, as we strive toward the next generations of our combinatorial approach to attacking B-cell diseases, with the goal of developing better treatment options for those patients in need."

07:04 EDT RedHill Biopharma gets FDA OK for COVID-19 clinical study with opaganib - RedHill Biopharma announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its Investigational New Drug , IND, application for a Phase 2a clinical study evaluating its investigational drug, opaganib Yeliva,, in patients with confirmed moderate-to-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, the cause of COVID-19. Kevin Winthrop, MD, M.P.H., Professor of Infectious Diseases and Public Health at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and Principal Investigator of the study, said: "We are pleased to offer opaganib to hospitalized patients as part of a clinical study and are hopeful to meet the strong unmet need for treatments to decrease the severity and duration of respiratory symptoms due to COVID-19." Mark L. Levitt, MD, Ph.D., Medical Director at RedHill, added: "We are grateful to the FDA for the timely review of our IND and look forward to initiating the study. There is a strong scientific rationale for the potential efficacy of opaganib in the treatment of COVID-19, including pre-clinical data demonstrating that opaganib may inhibit viral replication and reduce levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, important mediators of inflammation that are elevated in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients. This is coupled with encouraging preliminary data from the compassionate use program in Israel, which demonstrated objective measurable clinical improvement in all six patients analyzed, including a decrease in required supplemental oxygenation, higher lymphocyte counts, and decreased CRP levels."A total of 139 subjects have been dosed with opaganib to date in ongoing and completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies in oncology indications, in pharmacokinetic studies in healthy volunteers in the U.S., under the existing FDA-approved expanded access requests from physicians for individual oncology patients and under expanded access for COVID-19 patients in Israel, establishing safety and tolerability in humans both in the U.S. and ex-U.S.

06:58 EDT Bright Scholar CEO Derek Feng steps down, company splits role into two - Bright Scholar announced changes to the company's management structure and senior leadership team to better support Bright Scholar's multi-facet growth strategy and global business. The changes are effective immediately. Having led Bright Scholar as the CEO since January 2019, Derek Feng has decided to step down for personal reasons. The board has decided to split the role of the CEO into two, each heading up one of the company's core China-based business units: domestic K-12 education and complementary education service. Wanmei Li will be promoted to CEO for domestic K-12 education business and Zi Chen promoted to CEO for complementary education service business. In addition, Jerry He, current executive vice chairman of the board, will take the lead managing the company's overseas school business and the development of education technology business. He will also work closely with Wanmei Li and Zi Chen to ensure synergy across all business units and execution of Bright Scholar's strategy.

06:53 EDT Summit continues to 'actively evaluate' potential asset divestitures, JVs - Heath Deneke, President and CEO, commented, "We are operating in unprecedented times given the prevailing commodity price backdrop and COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the current environment, many of our customers have updated their forecasts to reflect the steps they are taking to reduce capital budgets, delay and defer drilling and completion activities, and on a limited scale, temporarily curtail existing production. On May 3, we released updated 2020 adjusted EBITDA and capital expenditures guidance that was based on revised customer information. As previously reported, we expect our 2020 adjusted EBITDA to trend towards the low-end of our original $260 million to $285 million guidance range and for our 2020 capital expenditures range to be down by 33% at the midpoint. We will continue to monitor our customers' month to month decisions regarding to what extent, if any, curtailments of production will continue beyond May 2020 and we will continue to work aggressively to find ways to further reduce operating expenses and capital expenditures. I'm proud of how quickly our employees have adapted to the current environment, while maintaining their commitment to operate safely, effectively and focus on initiatives that are within our control. Many of our customers, particularly in our liquids-focused areas such as the Williston and DJ basins, have responded to the current market conditions by reducing rig activity and deferring well completions. Our customers currently have nearly 60 DUCs behind our liquids-oriented assets, which represent an identifiable catalyst once crude oil prices improve. Natural gas prices have strengthened in recent weeks and while that is encouraging over the longer term, at this time, we do not expect near term volumes in our natural gas-focused areas to change materially relative to our original financial guidance for 2020. Challenging markets like the one we are currently in highlight the strength of Summit's diversified business model. For the first quarter of 2020, approximately 69% of our segment adjusted EBITDA originated from our natural gas-focused segments, which provide relative stability for SMLP while preserving significant upside relative to future improvements to crude oil and liquids prices. In an effort to continue to reposition the business and transform our governance structure to be fully aligned with SMLP unitholders, on May 3, 2020, we entered into a definitive agreement with Energy Capital Partners II, to acquire Summit Midstream Partners, LLC, the private entity that owns SMP Holdings, as well as 5.9 million common units owned directly by ECP, for $35 million in cash plus warrants covering 10 million SMLP common units. As a result of this acquisition, SMP Holdings will become an indirect, unrestricted subsidiary of SMLP, which will give us ownership of SMLP's general partner, the $180.75 million DPPO receivable, and 45.3 million SMLP units. SMP Holdings will remain liable for a $158.2 million term loan which is due in May 2022 and is secured by 34.6 million SMLP common units and the GP interest. As an unrestricted subsidiary, SMP Holdings' term loan will continue to be non-recourse indebtedness to SMLP and its operating subsidiaries. This simplification transaction is transformational for SMLP and upon closing, the Board will consist of a majority of independent directors. Concurrent with the closing of the transaction, we will also amend our partnership agreement to provide for the public election of directors beginning in 2022, which further aligns the interests of the Board and our public unitholders. We are very excited about this transaction and believe it is in the best long-term interest of all of SMLP's stakeholders. Liquidity and balance sheet strength is paramount for SMLP, particularly during this volatile time in the crude oil and natural gas market, and we believe the GP Buy-in Transaction prioritizes this focus. Concurrent with the GP Buy-in Transaction, we announced the suspension of approximately $76 million of annualized common and preferred distributions which otherwise would have been distributed out of the business. In connection with the GP Buy-in Transaction, the $35 million of acquisition proceeds will be loaned back from ECP to Summit Midstream Holdings, LLC, thereby enhancing our liquidity and financial flexibility. As a result of the decision to suspend our common and preferred distributions, SMLP expects to generate sufficient cash in 2020, after capital expenditures, to reduce outstanding indebtedness by more than $100 million. We also continue to actively evaluate potential asset divestitures and joint ventures of certain of our Legacy and Core Focus Areas and will continue to do so in a patient and disciplined manner. Our expectation is that any divestiture will serve to further accelerate de-leveraging of SMLP's balance sheet."

06:48 EDT Noble Energy outlines response to COVID-19 - Lowered full-year expected 2020 capital expenditures more than 50% from original plan to a range of $750M- $850M. Identified $225M in cash cost savings versus original expectations. Lowered executive leadership salaries and decreased cash retainer to directors through year-end 2020. Voluntarily curtailing net oil production of 5-10 MBbl/d in May and 30-40 MBbl/d in June from the company's U.S. onshore assets. Cash-settled certain 2020 crude oil hedges that had reached maximum value, generating an additional $160M in realized gains in the first quarter, and added new downside oil hedge protection through the remainder of 2020. Reduced the company's annualized dividend to 8c per share, prioritizing financial liquidity and the balance sheet.

06:39 EDT SeaWorld believes it can sustain current level of monthly cash outflows to 4Q21 - As of April 30, SeaWorld has just over $400M of cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet and estimates its average monthly net cash outflows will be between $20M and $25M per month while its parks remain closed. Based on this, the company believes it can sustain its current level of monthly cash outflows into Q4 of 2021.

06:28 EDT ICL signs contracts for the sale of 91K metric tonnes of potash in China - ICL announced that it has signed several contracts with its customers in China to supply an aggregate 910,000 metric tons of potash, with mutual options for additional 490,000 metric tons, by the end of 2020. The selling prices stipulated in the contracts are $70 per ton below the previous contracts and are in line with the recent contract prices in China. The contracts are part of the three-year framework agreements signed in 2018 between ICL and its Chinese customers.

06:14 EDT 111, Inc. to launch online diabetes patient management platform with Lilly China - 111, Inc. (YI) announced that it is launching a new diabetes patient management platform in cooperation with Lilly China (LLY). The two companies will work together to build a comprehensive diabetes patient management platform that includes services such as disease management, disease education and patient support programs to enrich patients' knowledge of chronic disease management and to better help diabetic patients to self-manage from home. The platform will seek to harness the power of internet hospital technologies, big data and artificial intelligence technologies to provide diabetic patients with a comprehensive digital health management solution.

06:10 EDT Microsoft exec: Amazon files another protest against JEDI deal with DoD - Microsoft (MSFT) communications VP, Frank Shaw, says Amazon (AMZN) has filed another protest against Microsoft's JEDI deal, this time out of public view, directly with DoD. Shaw said: "Amazon's complaint is confidential, so we don't know what it says. However, if their latest complaint mirrors the arguments Amazon made in court , it's likely yet another attempt to force a re-do because they bid high and lost the first time. The only thing that's certain about Amazon's new complaint is that it will force American warfighters to wait even longer for the 21st-century technology they need - perpetuating Amazon's record of putting its own interests ahead of theirs. This latest roadblock is disappointing but not surprising... Amazon may make a lot of noise about bias and interference, but the DoD's independent Inspector General made it clear that the department established and followed a proper procurement process. And no one forced Amazon to bid high in the procurement. Amazon alone made the choice to bid high, but now wants to find a way to avoid the consequences of its own bad business decisions." Reference Link

05:36 EDT Fortuna backs FY20 CapEx view of $315M-$320M for Lindero Project construction - Fortuna Silver Mines reiterates a capex forecast of between $314M to $320M for the Lindero Project construction. This represents an increase of 28 percent from the September 2017 feasibility estimate. The company estimates that as of March 31, the remaining funds required to complete the Project, inclusive of pre-production expenditures, working capital and VAT, to be in the range of $75M to $80M up to the commencement of commercial production in the first quarter of 2021. As at March 31, the company had $88.5M of available liquidity.

05:27 EDT Molecular Data forms strategy advisory committee - Molecular Data (MKD) announced that it has formed a strategy advisory committee and has appointed Junling Li, former vice president of Alibaba Group (BABA), as the president of such advisory committee. "Now that we have entered the new strategic development phase following our initial public offering in December 2019, and now face the 'new norm' shaped by COVID-19, we established the strategy advisory committee to provide advice, guidance and input on the future development strategies of Molecular Data," said Dr. Zheng Wang, CEO and director of the company. "As a leader in China's chemical e-commerce industry, we are striving to leverage our technological advantages in big data and artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance operating efficiency throughout the chemical industry. We look forward to working with the internal and external experts in our strategy advisory committee to grow Molecular Data to the next level."

05:14 EDT Cincinnati Bell holders approve acquisition by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners - Cincinnati Bell announced its shareholders approved all proposals related to its agreement to be acquired by a controlled subsidiary of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners. At a virtual special meeting, the proposal to adopt the merger agreement was approved by more than two-thirds, or 75.35%, of shares outstanding, and more than 99% of the votes cast. The nonbinding, advisory proposal to approve the compensation that may be paid or become payable to Cincinnati Bell's named executive officers in connection with, or following, the consummation of the merger was approved by more than 97% of votes cast. Upon the closing of the transaction, each issued and outstanding share of Cincinnati Bell common stock will be converted into the right to receive $15.50 in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $2.9B, including debt. The transaction is subject to certain customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2021.