Stockwinners Market Radar for August 25, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:41 EDT Teva responds to criminal indictment charge by DOJ - The company states: "Teva is responding to news reports detailing that a federal grand jury in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has returned a criminal indictment charging Teva USA with three counts of antitrust violations under the Sherman Act. Teva is deeply disappointed that the government has chosen to proceed with this prosecution. The company has been investigating this matter for over four years and has concluded that Teva did not participate in price fixing. Based on our internal review, Teva firmly rejects the allegations and will vigorously defend the company in court. Teva has fully cooperated throughout the course of the Department of Justice investigation and has attempted to reach a resolution in the best interest of the Company, its stakeholders and the patients the company serves. The DOJ has shown an unwillingness to consider alternatives that would not deeply impact Teva and the stakeholders who depend on the Company, including the patients who benefit from our medicines."

19:28 EDT Camping World CEO buys 15.5K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Camping World disclosed that its CEO Marcus Lemonis bought 15,475 shares of common stock August 25th in a total transaction size of $498.8K.

19:08 EDT YouTube removed more videos in Q2 than in any other quarter - Alphabet's YouTube said in a blog post that in Q2, it removed the most videos it has ever removed in a single quarter from the video sharing platform. "When reckoning with greatly reduced human review capacity due to COVID-19, we were forced to make a choice between potential under-enforcement or potential over-enforcement," the company said. "One option was to dial back our technology and limit our enforcement to only what could be handled with our diminished review capacity. This would maintain a high level of accuracy, but would result in less content being removed from YouTube, including some content that violates our policies. The other option was to use our automated systems to cast a wider net so that the most content that could potentially harm the community would be quickly removed from YouTube, with the knowledge that many videos would not receive a human review, and some of the videos that do not violate our policies would be removed. Because responsibility is our top priority, we chose the latter-using technology to help with some of the work normally done by reviewers. The result was an increase in the number of videos removed from YouTube; more than double the number of videos we removed in the previous quarter. For certain sensitive policy areas, such as violent extremism and child safety, we accepted a lower level of accuracy to make sure that we were removing as many pieces of violative content as possible. This also means that, in these areas specifically, a higher amount of content that does not violate our policies was also removed. The decision to over-enforce in these policy areas - out of an abundance of caution - led to a more than 3x increase in removals of content our systems suspected was tied to violent extremism or was potentially harmful to children. This includes dares, challenges, or other innocently posted content that might endanger minors." YouTube added that it made a decision not to issue strikes on content removed without human review, except in cases where it has very high confidence that the content violates company policies. "Additionally, we've always given creators an easy way to appeal if they believe their video was removed in error," the company added. "Knowing that decisions made by our system are in some cases less accurate than human review, we prepared for more appeals and dedicated extra resources to make sure they were quickly reviewed. Though the number of appeals remains a small fraction of total removals - less than 3% of video removals - we saw both the number of appeals and the reinstatement rate double from the previous quarter. Notably, the number of videos reinstated on appeal increased from 25% of appeals in Q1 to 50% of appeals in Q2." Reference Link

18:35 EDT Hormel Foods CEO: Performance in Q3 was broad-based - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Snee said the intentional balance Hormel has built across brands and channels is paying off. The company has just announced three new innovations for the Skippy brand that keeps it fresh, he said. One of the company's top priorities is to be a brand steward, according to Snee.

18:21 EDT S&P announces changes to S&P MidCap 400, S&P SmallCap 600 indices - S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Tuesday, September 1: Lithia Motors (LAD) will replace LogMeIn (LOGM) in the S&P MidCap 400, and BankUnited (BKU) will replace Lithia Motors in the S&P SmallCap 600. Francisco Partners and Elliott Management are acquiring LogMeIn in a deal expected to be completed soon pending final conditions. Trupanion (TRUP) will replace Ring Energy (REI) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Ring Energy is no longer representative of the small-cap market space.

18:02 EDT Salesforce CEO says 'we're not in a good M&A environment' - Says company could not have afforded Mulesoft, Tableau today.

17:42 EDT LCI Industries raises quarterly dividend 15% to 75c per share - LCI Industries announced that its Board of Directors approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of 75c per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on September 18, 2020, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 4.

17:34 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond cuts 2,800 corporate level roles - Bed Bath & Beyond announced a realignment of its organizational structure, estimated to generate future annual pre-tax cost savings of approximately $150M. This represents a portion of the anticipated savings from the previously disclosed comprehensive restructuring plan, which is expected to deliver annualized improvement in EBITDA of between approximately $250M-$350 million, excluding one-time costs, over the next two-to-three years. In conjunction with the organizational realignment, the company has implemented a workforce reduction of approximately 2,800 roles from across its corporate headquarters and retail banner stores, effective immediately. This action is designed to further reduce layers at the corporate level, significantly reposition field operations to better serve customers in a digital-first shopping environment, as well as realign technology, supply chain and merchandising teams to support strategic growth initiatives. In line with previously disclosed statements, these organizational changes are estimated to generate future annual pre-tax cost savings of approximately $150M, excluding one-time costs and a portion for reinvestment, and is in addition to the expected $85M in SG&A savings associated with the strategic restructuring program announced in February. The Company expects to incur pre-tax cash restructuring charges of approximately $25M in fiscal FY20, primarily for severance and related costs in conjunction with these changes, all of which will be expensed in the fiscal 2020 second quarter.This action represents a portion of the anticipated savings from the previously disclosed comprehensive restructuring plan, which is expected to deliver annualized EBITDA improvement of between approximately $250Mto $350M, excluding one-time costs, over the next two-to-three years through a robust store optimization project and annual savings from product sourcing through renegotiations with existing vendors. In addition to these cost savings, the Company expects to generate deeper assortment, sourcing and supply chain opportunities as it pursues growth in owned brands.

17:27 EDT Super Micro Computer to pay $17.5M to settle SEC accounting probe - Super Micro Computer announced investigation into the Company's financial accounting and disclosures for fiscal years 2014-2017. Supermicro has already corrected for the effects of these matters in financial statements filed with the SEC, including in its Annual Report, filed on May 17, 2019, on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. No further corrections are required. Under the terms of the consent settlement, the Company will pay a $17.5 million civil penalty, which was fully reserved for and previously disclosed in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and the Company agrees to cease and desist from committing future violations. Charles Liang, Supermicro's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will also reimburse the Company for $2,122,000 pursuant to the claw-back provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. In settling this matter, the SEC acknowledged Supermicro's cooperation during the investigation and its remedial efforts, including substantial improvements to its internal controls, and reorganizing and enhancing its management team.

17:24 EDT JBG Smith Properties director Robert Stewart purchased over $1M in shares - JBG Smith Properties director Robert Stewart disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 36,500 shares of company stock between August 20 and August 24 for $27.52 per share, for a total transaction value of $1,004,557.

17:18 EDT BankUnited to replace Lithia Motors in S&P 600 at open on 9/1

17:16 EDT Brown & Brown terminates asset acquisition deal with Hauser - Brown & Brown announced that it has terminated with immediate effect the previously announced agreement to acquire the assets of HAUSER. The transaction was expected to close in September 2020, subject to certain closing conditions.

17:06 EDT Palantir files for NYSE direct listing under symbol 'PLTR' - In a regulatory filing, Palantir Technologies said it is filing for a NYSE direct listing under the ticker "PLTR." The company noted that it will have Class A, Class B, and a Class F for its common stock, and that it won't raise any proceeds from a direct listing.

17:01 EDT Advanced Disposal Services' stockholders voted for merger agreement - Advanced Disposal Services announced that at a virtual special meeting of stockholders held today, the Company's stockholders voted to adopt the amended merger agreement pursuant to which the Company would be acquired by an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Management in an all-cash transaction, which was first announced on April 15, 2019. The Company will file the final vote results with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K. Under the terms of the amended merger agreement, Advanced Disposal stockholders will be entitled to receive $30.30 per share in cash upon completion of the merger, which remains subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the Q3. Upon closing of the transaction, Advanced Disposal common stock will be de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange and de-registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

16:47 EDT Boeing 'honored' NASA assigned astronaut Epps to Sttarliner-1 crew - Boeing Astronaut Chris Ferguson shared the following statement regarding NASA's Starliner-1 crew assignment: "The Boeing team is honored that NASA assigned astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps to the crew of Starliner-1, Boeing's first operational mission to the International Space Station. Jeanette will be a part of an important and history-making flight, and we're excited to welcome her to the Starliner team. Jeanette's crewmates, Suni Williams and Josh Cassada, are regulars at our Florida facilities and are training in Houston. We're looking forward to getting to know her just as well as we progress toward this flight."

16:33 EDT ESSA Bancorp announces 500,000 share repurchase program - ESSA Bancorp announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program for up to 500,000 shares of its common stock. The buyback program announced by the company in July 2019 was fully completed on August 24.

16:32 EDT Urban Outfitters jumps 12% to $23.37 after Q2 results beat estimates

16:30 EDT Intuit jumps 5% to $354.49 after Q4 results beat estimates

16:21 EDT Toll Brothers sees Q4 deliveries 2,400-2,550 - Sees Q4 tax rate of approximately 26%. Sees Q4 adj.home sales gross margin approximately 21.5%.

16:19 EDT AutoNation to offer teachers free vehicle sanitization - AutoNation announced that it will offer teachers coast to coast, free vehicle sanitization, every Tuesday beginning August 25 through September 29.

16:16 EDT Cisco announces intent to acquire BabbleLabs - Cisco announced its intent to acquire privately held BabbleLabs headquartered in Campbell, CA. BabbleLabs uses advanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) techniques to distinguish human speech from unwanted noise, enhancing the quality of communications and conferencing applications. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of Cisco's FY21, subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals. Upon completion of the transaction, the BabbleLabs team will join the Cisco Collaboration Group, led by Javed Khan, senior vice president and general manager, which is part of the Cisco Security and Applications Business, led by Jeetu Patel.

16:14 EDT Pure Storage drops 8% to $15.30 after mixed Q2 results

16:12 EDT SI-Bone announces exclusive, positive iFuse coverage decision by Medica - SI-Bone announced that Medica published an exclusive, positive iFuse coverage policy effective August 19. Under the revised coverage policy, minimally invasive SI joint fusion is now covered for the treatment of moderate-to-severe SI joint pain exclusively when the iFuse Implant System is used. Minimally invasive SI joint fusion will remain investigative for all other devices and procedures, and for all other indications. "Medica's decision to extend coverage for its members to minimally invasive SI joint fusion procedures exclusively using iFuse was supported by more than 80 peer-reviewed articles reviewing iFuse patient outcomes, including both prospective randomized trials and many independent studies," said Jeffrey Zigler, Vice President of Market Access and Reimbursement at SI-BONE. "With the addition of Medica, there are now thirty-five U.S. commercial payers that cover SI joint fusion procedures only when iFuse is used."

16:11 EDT Nordstrom reports Q2 total digital sales down 5% - The company states: "Total company digital sales decreased 5%. Excluding the Anniversary Sale event shift impact, digital sales increased approximately 20 percent in the second quarter and in the mid-teens range on a year-to-date basis. The Company's e-commerce business continued to experience significant growth in new Nordstrom customers of more than 50%."

16:10 EDT Baudax Bio awarded group purchasing agreement with Premier, for Anjeso - Baudax Bio announced that it has been awarded a Group Purchasing Agreement with Premier. Effective August 2020, the new agreement allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for ANJESO, meloxicam, injection, for the management of moderate to severe pain, alone or in combination with other non-NSAID analgesics. "Securing this agreement with Premier provides Baudax with access to industry-leading resources and customers that we believe will lead to increased usage of ANJESO," said Gerri Henwood, President and CEO of Baudax Bio. "We look forward to expanding our commercial reach to now include Premier members who will benefit from meaningful contract savings."

16:09 EDT Amgen announces presentation of twelve abstracts on Repatha - Amgen announced the presentation of 12 cardiovascular scientific research abstracts, including clinical trial and real-world evidence studies of Repatha, or evolocumab, that add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy and safety of Repatha and the importance of managing high-risk patients in accordance with global treatment guidelines. The data will be presented at ESC Congress 2020 - The Digital Experience, organized by the European Society of Cardiology, Aug. 29-Sept. 1. Notable abstracts include data from the first randomized controlled Phase 3 study of a PCSK9 inhibitor, Repatha, in pediatric patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which will be presented as a late-breaking abstract in an oral presentation.

16:09 EDT Salesforce reports remaining performance obligation ended Q2 at ~$30.6B - An increase of 21% year-over-year. Current remaining performance obligation ended the second quarter at approximately $15.2B, an increase of 26% year-over-year, 24% in constant currency.

16:07 EDT IAA names Andrew Albrecht chief information security officer - IAA announced the appointment of Andrew Albrecht as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer. Albrecht will report directly to Maju Abraham, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "We are pleased to welcome Andrew to the IAA Team," said Maju Abraham, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer of IAA. "Andrew has extensive experience in advanced information security governance at well-known, multi-billion-dollar retailers. His impressive track record will allow enhanced protection of IAA's intellectual property, while optimally securing IT and business resources."

15:11 EDT Gogo spikes over 20% after installation milestone for AVANCE system - Shares of inflight internet company GOGO jumped over 20% to $4.58 per share this morning, after announcing that it reached an installation milestone. "It's a milestone Gogo reached in less than three years following the first installation, making it the most successful adoption of any high-speed broadband inflight connectivity system in business aviation history. In addition to the 1,000 L5 installations, Gogo is nearing 450 installations for the AVANCE L3 system. Combined, the nearly 1,500 AVANCE system installations highlights Gogo's leadership in inflight connectivity in business aviation. "Our team hit it out of the park with both the AVANCE L5 and L3 systems," said Sergio Aguirre, president of Gogo Business Aviation. "And what's so exciting to me is that we still have so much opportunity ahead of us." The Gogo AVANCE L5 delivers a 4G experience to business aircraft of all types and sizes, from light jets to the largest global business jets, and provides the easiest and most economical upgrade path to Gogo 5G when it launches. From the time AVANCE L5 launched in the fourth quarter of 2017, more than 325,000 flights have taken off with the system onboard, flying more than 420,000 hours and 211 million miles, and users consuming 150 million megabytes of data," noted Gogo in an earlier statement.

14:06 EDT Recreational vehicle retailer Camping World drops over10%, other RV names fall - Shares of RV and camping equipment retailer Camping World Holdings (CWH) are falling over 10% or $3.25 per share to $29.25 in afternoon trading on Tuesday. Other names in the recreational vehicle, RV, space including Winnebago (WGO), Thor Industries (THO) and LCI Industries (LCII) are also falling.

13:23 EDT GoDaddy listed among platform partners 'coming soon' to Checkout on Instagram - On its "Checkout on Instagram" page, the Facebook (FB) unit noted: "We also support integration via several platform partners. If your business already uses one of these partners as your core commerce technology, onboarding onto checkout on Instagram can be accelerated... Partners with gray logos are coming soon." The partners that are currently listed as active on the platform include BigCommerce (BIGC) and Shopify (SHOP). Among the "coming soon" platform partners, Instagram lists GoDaddy (GDDY), Salesforce (CRM), Squarespace, adMixt, CommerceHub and others. Reference Link

12:58 EDT Alphabet's Verily forms new unit, Coefficient Insurance, backed by Swiss Re - Verily, an Alphabet (GOOG,GOOGL) company, is announcing a new subsidiary, Coefficient Insurance Company, that will be backed by Swiss Re (SSREY), the commercial insurance unit of the Swiss Re Group. Coefficient will combine innovative health technology solutions with novel insurance and payment models. Its precision risk solution helps self-funded employers to control cost volatility through a data-driven model that is unique in the traditional employer stop-loss market. Employer stop-loss is a segment of commercial insurance that protects self-funded employers from unexpected and large employee health benefit claims by reimbursing employers for claims above a defined amount. Coefficient will leverage Verily's core strengths integrating hardware, software and data science and will also leverage Swiss Re Corporate Solutions's risk knowledge, distribution capabilities and reputation in the employer stop-loss market. Reference Link

12:14 EDT NY AG announces $85M multistate settlement with Honda over airbag failure - New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $85M multistate settlement with American Honda Motor and Honda of America Mfg, over allegations that Honda concealed safety failures in the airbags of certain Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the United States. The settlement - reached between a coalition of 48 attorneys general and Honda - concludes a multistate investigation into Honda's alleged failure to inform regulators and consumers of issues related to the significant risk of rupture in the frontal airbag systems installed in certain model cars, which could cause metal fragments to fly into the passenger compartments of many Honda and Acura vehicles. The ruptures have resulted in at least 14 deaths and over 200 injuries in the United States alone. "We're holding Honda to account and sending a message that placing profits over safety will never be accepted," said Attorney General James. "Airbags are supposed to keep drivers and passengers safe, but Honda's manufacturing defect and their hiding of the facts led to deaths and injuries. Today's settlement will not only guarantee Honda replaces all remaining defective airbags on the road, but that the company takes specific actions to ensure any future defect is thoroughly made public in the future to avoid this type of danger." Reference Link

12:00 EDT Portland General Electric falls -10.3% - Portland General Electric is down -10.3%, or -$4.34 to $37.62.

12:00 EDT NIO Inc. rises 11.4% - NIO Inc. is up 11.4%, or $1.70 to $16.67.

12:00 EDT Phoenix Tree rises 28.3% - Phoenix Tree is up 28.3%, or $1.80 to $8.15.

11:08 EDT American Airlines to eliminate service to certain markets in early October

11:05 EDT American Airlines: Coming weeks and months to be 'some of the most difficult'

11:05 EDT American Airlines actions to take effect on or after October 1

11:03 EDT Walmart to install Mamava lactation suites in over 100 stores this year - Walmart and Mamava announced plans to install Mamava lactation suites into more than 100 Walmart stores this year, further extending breastfeeding support to associates and customers. Mamava lactation suites, or pods, are freestanding spaces that provide a clean, comfortable, and private option to breastfeed or pump. The pods are accessed through the Mamava app, which guides mom to a pod's location, opens the pod with the touch of a button and allows mom to customize lighting and airflow, leave digital notes of encouragement for other moms and listen to soothing sounds. The pods are free to use. Walmart is the first retailer to install Mamava pods in a store setting, offering moms another breastfeeding option. The launch follows a successful pilot in three Walmart stores last year. The retailer plans to install a Mamava pod in more than 100 stores across the country by the end of this year, with more planned in the years to come.

11:02 EDT Seelos Therapeutics receives Orphan Drug Designation for SLS-005 - Seelos Therapeutics announced it has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for SLS-005 in mucopolysaccharidosis type III, Sanfilippo syndrome, from the European Medicines Agency. To date, SLS-005 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the US and Europe for Sanfilippo syndrome, Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 and Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy as well as Fast Track designation for OPMD.

10:35 EDT Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited (Class A ADS) trading resumes

10:03 EDT Steelcase achieves carbon neutrality, sets goal to be carbon negative by 2030 - Steelcase announced it has achieved carbon neutrality for its own operations. The company also announced new 2030 goals that have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Building upon this momentum, Steelcase has established a goal to become carbon negative by 2030. In 2020, Steelcase reported the achievement of a greater than 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the previous ten years. The urgency of climate change inspired the company to expand upon its existing renewable energy commitments with the purchase of carbon offsets. While Steelcase was able to reach carbon neutral for its own operations by removing as much carbon as it emits, the company recognizes true climate action means reducing emissions in line with science. Consistent with its legacy of sustainability, Steelcase is now taking its commitment further with a goal to become carbon negative by 2030 by markedly reducing emissions across its own operations with targets in line with climate science. Over the next decade, the company will focus on ambitiously reducing emissions at a rate needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. By 2030, becoming carbon negative, also referred to as climate positive, means Steelcase would remove more carbon than it emits, through a combination of absolute reductions and investing in renewable energy. Additional actions are expected to include financing carbon offset initiatives and support for external emission reductions with social benefits.

10:00 EDT Facebook to launch Facebook News in multiple countries within a year - Facebook said in a statement: "The US launch of Facebook News marked a new chapter in our relationship with the news industry and it's off to a strong start. Built with publisher feedback and insights from people, it is a personalized destination for news within Facebook. Helping publishers reach new audiences has been one of our most important goals, and we've found over 95% of the traffic Facebook News delivers to publishers is incremental to the traffic they already get from News Feed. Based on this progress, we are accelerating our plans to expand internationally. We aim to launch Facebook News in multiple countries within the next six months to a year and are considering the UK, Germany, France, India and Brazil. In each country, we'll pay news publishers to ensure their content is available in the new product." Reference Link

10:00 EDT Portland General Electric falls -12.6% - Portland General Electric is down -12.6%, or -$5.28 to $36.68.

10:00 EDT J.M. Smucker rises 6.4% - J.M. Smucker is up 6.4%, or $7.28 to $120.27.

09:47 EDT J.M. Smucker rises 6.0% - J.M. Smucker is up 6.0%, or $6.76 to $119.75.

09:47 EDT Fang Holdings rises 9.6% - Fang Holdings is up 9.6%, or $1.19 to $13.54.

09:34 EDT Ally Lending partners with Mastercard's Vyze - Ally Lending (ALLY) announced its partnership with Vyze, Mastercard's (MA) alternative financing platform for retailers. Ally's entrance into point-of-sale retail financing builds on its deep experience and rapidly growing footprint in healthcare and home improvement lending. Ally Lending will serve as the first installment loan lender on the Vyze platform, giving thousands of retail merchants access to a financially stable lender for higher-ticket sale options.

09:19 EDT Surna introduces expanded services, technology offerings - Surna announced an expansion of its portfolio of services and products. While Surna has been historically known for its expertise in 2 and 4-pipe chilled water solutions, its new technology offerings include: Direct expansion units with standalone dehumidification options, including split systems, mini-splits and packaged roof top units. Complex DX system options with integrated dehumidification via hot gas reheat and wintertime economization. Desiccant solutions for low humidity applications. Racking solutions for optimal airflow designs in tiered layouts. Many clients have already benefited from Surna's expanded MEP engineering services incorporating the new technologies. Four recent contracts include the following designs: Project in Missouri: Surna will provide engineering design services for cooling, dehumidification and wintertime economization using its new Complex DX RTU systems in a 33,000 square foot facility. Surna is also providing its new racking airflow design and technology in this tiered grow room design. Project in Iowa: Surna is providing its design services and DX split systems with hot gas reheat for a 5,000 square foot indoor drying facility for industrial hemp production. Project in Michigan: Surna provided engineering design services for cooling and dehumidification using its new DX split systems with hot gas reheat in a 1,200 square foot facility. Project in Pennsylvania Surna will provide engineering design services using its new Complex DX RTU systems with integrated dehumidification in a 52,000 square foot facility.

09:16 EDT Capricor announces acceptance of IND application for Phase 2 trial of CAP-1002 - Capricor Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted its investigational new drug application for a Phase 2 clinical trial of CAP-1002 in patients with COVID-19. The study will enroll patients who have a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and require supplemental oxygen. Enrollment is expected to commence shortly. The INSPIRE trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that will enroll up to 60 patients from multiple, geographically diverse trial sites across the United States. Patient participation will be a maximum of 13 weeks from screening.

09:14 EDT EnWave collaborates with UBC to evaluate manufacturing method for inhaler - EnWave Corporation announced it is collaborating with the University of British Columbia to investigate a manufacturing method for a new inhaler with the goal of using it to help provide relief for COVID-19 patients. The Project will be primarily funded by a $50,000 NSERC Alliance government research grant. UBC researchers are searching for a drying method that would allow for the encapsulation of microparticles into an inhalable treatment. EnWave's patented Radiant Energy Vacuum dehydration technology has shown promise as a viable option for this specific manufacturing process. UBC researchers involved are Assistant Professor Anubhav Pratap Singh and Professor David Kitts from UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and Assistant Professor Mattia Bacca and Postdoctoral Fellow Alberto Baldelli from the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Currently, there are no preliminary results. However, the research team hopes to generate the first prototypes of encapsulated ACE2 by the end of the summer. At the same time, project collaborators from the University of Sydney and St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver are going to generate data on the toxicology of ACE2 to lung tissue. Uniformity and process repeatability has previously been demonstrated through the use of REV technology in the pharmaceutical industry. A cGMP REV machine design has previously been built and has demonstrated fast drying cycles for vaccines with equal or superior retention of biological activity compared to traditional lyophilization techniques. Competing lyophilization technologies generally take 24 hours or longer to stabilize pharmaceutical products. Researchers at UBC and EnWave are assessing the feasibility of REV technology for the manufacture of the inhalable ACE2 encapsulated microparticle. The Project will be segmented into two phases, a lab scale feasibility assessment and a proof of concept trial. Recent funding for this research has been approved by the Government of Canada through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The Project is entitled: "Treating the early symptoms of Covid19 by encapsulating recombinant ACE2".

09:10 EDT Amneal Pharmaceuticals receives ANDA approval from FDA for Lidocaine Patch, 5% - Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced that it has received Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, approval from the FDA for a generic version of Lidocaine Patch, 5%. Lidocaine Patch, 5% is the generic version of Lidoderm Patch, 5% for treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia.

09:10 EDT Acadia acquires CerSci Therapeutics for $52.5M primarily in stock - Acadia announced the acquisition of CerSci Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company with worldwide rights to a portfolio of novel compounds for neurological conditions, including non-opioid therapies for acute and chronic pain. The lead development program is a unique Reactive Species Decomposition Accelerant, or RSDAx, a mechanism focused on interrupting pathways that sensitize neurons to pain. The portfolio contains additional preclinical stage molecules, including brain penetrant molecules, with potential for symptomatic and disease modifying treatment utility in neurodegenerative diseases. This acquisition strengthens Acadia's clinical pipeline to include non-opioid pain therapies that have potential non-addictive properties and reduced side effects typically seen with current opioid treatments. The lead molecule, ACP-044, has shown promising efficacy and safety results in animal models evaluating incisional, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain, as well as favorable tolerability and pharmacokinetic properties in Phase 1 trials. The novel RSDAx mechanism of action is thought to interfere with multiple pain pathways treating pain simultaneously. Acadia plans to initiate a Phase 2 clinical study in the first half of 2021. Under the terms of the agreement, Acadia acquired all of the outstanding shares of CerSci for $52.5M, primarily in Acadia stock. The transaction closed on August 24. CerSci shareholders may also receive up to $887M in development, commercialization, and sales milestones in addition to tiered royalties in the mid-single digits based on annual net sales.

09:08 EDT Radius Health completes enrollment for ATOM Phase 3 study - Radius Health announced a business update including the extension of the patent for TYMLOS as well as the completion of enrollment for its Phase 3 study, which is assessing the safety and efficacy of abaloparatide-SC in men with osteoporosis. On July 30, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office extended the term of Radius's FDA Orange book listed US Patent 7,803,770 directed to methods of treating osteoporosis by 1,303 days. As a result, the term of US Patent 7,803,770 has been extended until April 28, 2031. Radius recently requested the extension under 35 U.S.C 156, which compensated for the term loss during the regulatory review process. Patient enrollment in the Phase 3 ATOM study of TYMLOS assessing the efficacy and safety of abaloparatide-SC in men with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, is now complete. The study enrolled a total of 228 patients in four countries.

09:06 EDT National Instruments, Soliton enter pact for semiconductor software offerings - National Instruments (NATI) and Soliton (SOLY) announced a strategic agreement to accelerate new software offerings for semiconductor design and validation. Together, the companies will deliver new productivity tools and standardized frameworks to help engineers design and get products to market, while unlocking the value of test data across the semiconductor workflow. Modern software-connected systems that bridge multiple sources of data from design to validation to production are eliminating silos throughout the semiconductor product development lifecycle. This partnership brings together NI's innovation in high-throughput and high-fidelity measurements with Soliton's expertise in lab standardization. It underscores NI's software strategy to connect test data across the enterprise value chain to help customers get products to market.

09:05 EDT CarGurus announces Global Lending Services as lending partner - CarGurus announced that Global Lending Services has joined its multi-lender financing platform that allows eligible consumers to get pre-qualified for auto loans from the CarGurus website. CarGurus launched its online financing capability last year through a partnership with Capital One, and has since added Westlake Financial Services and now GLS as additional auto loan lenders to its financing program.

09:01 EDT Urban Tea announces 1 for 10 reverse split - Urban Tea announced that a 1 for 10 reverse split of its ordinary shares was approved by the Company's board of directors on August 19 and is expected to become effective on or around August 26. Upon the effectiveness of the reverse share split, Urban Tea shareholders will receive one new ordinary share of Urban Tea for every ten shares they hold. Urban Tea's ordinary shares is expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on August 26, 2020.

09:01 EDT Urban One strength attributed to Washington Business Journal article - Shares of Urban One are sharply higher in pre-market trading, which is being attributed to a Washington Business Journal article in which Norah Mulinda wrote that the company "has gotten a lot of interest from corporations since calls for racial justice swept the U.S." The full text of the article is only available to subscribers of the journal. In pre-market trading, Urban One shares are up $2.24, or 54%, to $6.39. Reference Link

09:01 EDT Best Buy seeing 'favorable trends' across all categories heading into Q3 - Says consumer demand "strong" as people spending more time at home. Feels "pretty strongly" that company is in "good" market share position. Says improving digital experience because customer shopping habits have "changed permanently." Says "evaluating" when to resume stock buybacks.

08:46 EDT Sarepta announces FDA acceptance of Casimersen NDA for DMD - Sarepta Therapeutics announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's New Drug Application seeking accelerated approval for casimersen and provided a regulatory action date of February 25, 2021. The FDA has indicated it does not currently plan to hold an advisory committee to discuss the application. In addition, the Company has received conditional approval of AMONDYS 45 as the brand name for casimersen. Casimersen, a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer, is engineered to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who have genetic mutations that are amenable to skipping exon 45 of the dystrophin gene. The Company submitted its NDA filing in June 2020 and requested priority review, which the FDA granted. The NDA included data from the casimersen arm of the ESSENCE study, a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of casimersen in patients amenable to skipping exons 45. An interim analysis from ESSENCE demonstrated a statistically significant increase in dystrophin production as measured by western blot in patients who received casimersen compared to baseline and placebo. The study is ongoing and remains blinded to collect additional efficacy and safety data.

08:42 EDT CNS Pharma provides update for Beubicin clinical trials - CNS Pharmaceuticals provided an update on the Company's plans for its lead product candidate, Berubicin, which is being studied for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM. The company has taken significant strides in designing Phase 2 clinical trials and anticipates submitting an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA this year and initiating clinical trials in early 2021. In preparing for the IND submission, CNS has focused on clinical trial design and implementation, as well as establishing the necessary manufacturing capabilities. On the clinical front, the Company has engaged Worldwide Clinical Trials as the contract research organization that will be conducting the upcoming Berubicin clinical trials.

08:39 EDT Altimmune up 8.7% in pre-market trade after pre-clininical data in AdCOVID study

08:38 EDT Resonant appoints KPMG as independent auditor - Resonant announced it has appointed KPMG, LLP as its independent auditor, after receiving the approval from the Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors. KPMG will replace Crowe LLP, and will immediately commence its work for Resonant upon the execution of an engagement letter. There were no disagreements between the Company and Crowe LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure.

08:36 EDT Sigma Labs awarded contract by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - Sigma Labs said in a release, "Sigma Labs (SGLB) has been awarded a contract by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHVYF) to implement PrintRite3D in-process quality assurance software. The PrintRite3D system will be installed on a laser powder bed fusion system for the development and qualification of MHI additive manufacturing production processes."

08:36 EDT Envision Solar receives follow-on order from NREL - Envision Solar International announced that the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has ordered the EV ARC solar powered EV charging product to charge EVs, hybrids and GEMs used in fleet operations. This deployment will be the first of the patented EV ARC products by NREL and follows previous deployments of Envision's patented Solar Tree products. NREL ordered the EV ARC product equipped with the optional emergency power panel which has been used by Envision's current customers to provide a source of power during blackouts and to power COVID emergency centers. EV ARC products are currently in use in four other DOE National Laboratories including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore and Idaho National Laboratory.

08:34 EDT Illumina appoints Kathryne Reeves as Chief Marketing Officer - Illumina announced that Kathryne Reeves will join the company as Chief Marketing Officer on September 28. Most recently, Reeves was Senior Vice President of Enterprise Marketing and General Manager of the Medical Services Global Business Unit at Cardinal Health.

08:34 EDT Inpixon announces agreement with The CXApp - Inpixon announced an agreement with The CXApp whereby the parties will collaborate and jointly pursue sales and marketing opportunities around the companies' respective and complementary digital contact tracing and social distancing solutions. Businesses face numerous workplace reentry challenges. Inpixon and The CXApp can provide businesses enterprise-specific solutions to address safety within the confines of their private buildings.

08:32 EDT Medtronic says had over 130 approvals in key geographies this calendar year - Says continued strong ventilator demand. Says went from producing 200 ventilators per week to over 1,000 ventilators per week over the course of a few months. Says increased cadence of tuck-in acquisitions. Says financial position is strong with ample liquidity. Says increased M&A cadence. Says COVID-19 impact makes it difficult to provide forward-looking guidance. Says experienced faster than expected recovery. Says expects Q2 organic growth rate similar to rate between Q4 and Q1. Says expects sequential improvement in Q3 and Q4. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call and presentation slides.

08:30 EDT Microchip announces high-density EEPROM - the 25CSM04 - Microchip Technology announced its new, highest-density EEPROM - the 25CSM04. At 4 Mbit, Microchip's new EEPROM becomes the largest EEPROM available to developers, doubling the 2 Mbit density designers previously were limited to. Until now developers have used lower-cost NOR Flash integrated circuits for any 2 Mbit+ nonvolatile data set application. Because EEPROM offers performance advantages over NOR Flash, Microchip has responded to customer requests by introducing a larger 4 Mbit EEPROM. EEPROM advantages include a lower standby current : the ability to perform single-byte, multi-byte, and full-page writes; shorter sector erase/rewrite times; and more erase/rewrite cycles. The 25CSM04 becomes part of Microchip's extensive nonvolatile memory product portfolio that integrates within Microchip's total system solutions built around its 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit microcontrollers and microprocessors. Microchip's extensive memory product family includes serial EEPROMs, NOR Flash, SRAM, and EERAM in all standard serial buses and all standard densities from 128-bit to 64 Mbit.

08:28 EDT Compass signs agreement to acquire certain Exterran's assets - Compass Energy Systems and Exterran announced that Compass signed an agreement to acquire Exterran's U.S., natural gas compression assets, with expected close during the fourth quarter of 2020. The acquisition of Exterran's U.S. compression assets supports Compass' plans for growth and expansion into the U.S. and will help solidify Compass' position as an international leader in providing expert and reliable compression and process equipment solutions. The integration will take place over the next several weeks with an anticipated close during the Q4. During this time, all our clients will continue to receive the same high-quality service and support they have come to expect from Exterran and Compass.

08:26 EDT Tredegar agrees to sell personal care films business to Fitesa - Tredegar said in a release, "Tredegar announced that it has agreed to sell its personal care films business to affiliates of Fitesa S.A. The Personal Care Films business, which is currently reported by Tredegar within the personal care component of its PE Films segment, has approximately 400 employees worldwide and includes manufacturing sites located in Terre Haute, Indiana; Kerkrade, The Netherlands; Retsag, Hungary; Diadema, Brazil; and Pune, India. The proposed transaction excludes the packaging film lines and operations relating to the Pottsville, Pennsylvania manufacturing site currently reported by Tredegar within the personal care component of its PE Films segment. Cash proceeds from the sale net of transaction costs, purchase price adjustments and transition services are estimated at $40 to $45 million. Net cash income tax costs or benefits relating to the transaction are expected to be negligible. For the 12 months ended June 30, 2020, net sales and EBITDA from ongoing operations for the Personal Care Films business to be sold were $133 million and negative $1.7 million, respectively. For the 12 months ended June 30, 2020, net sales and EBITDA from ongoing operations for the Pottsville Packaging business to be retained by Tredegar were $23 million and positive $7.0 million, respectively. Tredegar also estimates that approximately $3 million of certain PE Films segment annual shared services costs previously allocated to Personal Care Films will not be eliminated in the transaction. Closing of the transaction, which is contingent upon the satisfaction of customary conditions, including competition filings in various countries where Tredegar and Fitesa do business, is expected to occur during the fourth quarter of 2020. The Personal Care Films business, with a carrying value of net assets of approximately $70 million, is expected to be reported as a discontinued operation beginning in the third quarter of 2020 and a non-cash accounting loss is expected to be recognized at that time. Tredegar's surface protection component of its PE Films segment, with manufacturing at the Pottsville facility as well as in Guangzhou, China, will add Pottsville Packaging to its responsibilities. Tredegar Corporation is a manufacturer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions. A global company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Tredegar had 2019 sales of $1 billion. With approximately 3,000 employees, the company operates manufacturing facilities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia."

08:25 EDT Trevali Mining announces PFS for Rosh Pinah Mine expansion - Trevali Mining announced results from the NI 43-101 Pre-Feasibility Study at its 90%-owned Rosh Pinah mine in Namibia. The PFS is based on a scenario to expand the current throughput from 0.7 Mtpa to 1.3 Mtpa through the modification of the processing plant, construction of a paste fill plant, and development of a dedicated portal and ramp to the WF3 deposit. Prior to making an investment decision the Company intends to commence a Feasibility Study of the RP2.0 Expansion in the first quarter of 2021. Highlights of the Expansion Pre-Feasibility Study include: Post-Expansion Production and Costs: Average annual zinc payable production of 132 Mlbs; Average annual AISC1 of $0.64/lb; and Average annual lead and silver payable production of 21.8 Mlbs and 286 koz, respectively. Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves: 11.23 Mt of ore, containing 550 Mlbs of zinc; 329 Mlbs of lead; and 6,892 koz's of silver. Project Capital Cost: $93 million, including: Modifications to the existing process plant to include a single stage SAG mill, crushing and ore blending system with a nominal throughput of 1.3 Mtpa; Paste fill plant and reticulation system; Dedicated portal and surface material handling and ventilation systems for the WF3 deposit; and Mine underground infrastructure. Construction Schedule: Expected to commence in Q1 2022; and "Commercial Production" expected in H1 2023. Project Economics, after-tax: Assumed metal prices: $1.11/lb zinc, $0.93/lb lead and $19.81/oz silver; Net Present Value at 8%: $142 million; Free cash flow: $238 million; IRR: 65%; and Payback: less than4 years.

08:22 EDT Sabina Gold & Silver provides update on Back River Gold Project - Sabina Gold & Silver provided an update on activities and undertakings for the Company's 100%-owned 80km Back River Gold District in Nunavut, Canada. The Goose Project, the initial focus for production at Back River, has evolved significantly on its path to production since the feasibility study was completed in 2015. Through this work, there have been significant project advancements in engineering, project development, exploration, and permitting which have improved, optimized, and further de-risked the Goose Project towards a production decision. Key Milestones Include: The Goose Project is now fully permitted for construction and operations. Completion of a Framework Agreement with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association including a 20-year renewable mining lease agreement. Demonstration of project logistics and supply chain from the south to site, including: construction of the Port facility, receipt of sealifts delivering materials, inaugural construction and operation of a 172km winter ice road for delivery of all materials from the Port facility to Goose. Preliminary earthworks and quarrying at the Goose site. Completion of basic engineering and advancement of detailed engineering, procurement, contracting strategy and project execution plans for the process plant, balance of plant and other major structures. Additional metallurgical testing to further de-risk and aid in design of proposed plant flow sheet. Major processing equipment selected, and additional detoxification work completed including project water quality test work. Discovery of a large new mineral zone at Nuvuyak, identification and successful drill targeting of a higher-grade corridor of mineralization within the Umwelt underground resource and extension of the Llama gold structure by over 500m down plunge from the current resource limits. Continued community engagement and maintenance of social license and release of Sabina's first Environmental and Social Governance Report. Positive ruling from Canada Revenue Agency that the exploration underground ramp at Umwelt can be funded with flow-through shares. Continued advancement of a Project Debt structure within a framework of due diligence process including positive independent engineer review. Since the FS, the gold price has continued to increase, both in USD and Canadian Dollar terms providing opportunities to significantly impact project economics. Opening in 2020 of the Goose camp and commencement of all planned activities with full support of the territory and community stakeholders within a detailed Covid-19 operational framework. Initiatives underway during 2020 include: a) a phased extension of the Goose Project airstrip to accommodate larger aircraft to reduce transport costs and support future construction and underground exploration activities; b) activities to develop an underground ramp for exploration drilling from subsurface; c) procurement of underground mining and ancillary equipment and infrastructure to support the exploration decline program, including the airlift campaign to bring this equipment to site; d) commencement of engagement for detailed engineering. All this work will be funded from the existing treasury. In 2019, the Company had been focused on pursuing an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract for the processing plant for a fixed price bid and with performance guarantees. Given the ongoing supply chain uncertainties driven by global impacts of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Sabina is now assessing alternative delivery methods, focusing initially on delivery of detailed engineering which will better define the execution plan as well as provide greater certainty on procurement and construction costs and enable us to solicit for a lump sum bid and performance guarantees on construction. The 2015 FS envisioned a 3,000 tonne per day mine producing approximately 200,000 ounces a year over an 11.8 year mine life from a series of three open pits and one underground. The mineral reserve estimate in the 2015 FS utilized only 2.5 million ounces of the total Goose Project resources in addition, new discoveries and significant resource extensions have been made since the 2015 FS. internal studies were undertaken to determine what impact these areas might have to meaningfully increase the production profile and mine life, with a similar throughput, through a combination of open pit and underground at all deposits. For example, recent drilling at Umwelt underground has demonstrated the opportunity to bring high-grade underground material earlier into the mine life which could dynamically impact Project economics, production profile and payback period. This drilling and the optimization studies will form the basis of an updated resource estimate and feasibility study expected during Q1, 2021. Further infill drilling may be undertaken in 2021 to inform future resource estimate updates. Exploration success of targeting higher-grade zones of mineralization within the Umwelt resource such as Vault and now the upper Umwelt high-grade zone have led to the Company planning an underground ramp at Umwelt for exploration drilling from underground. This ramp will also provide the opportunity for a bulk sample for the purpose of grade reconciliation and definition of commissioning and start-up processing parameters. This work necessitates an extension of the Goose Project airstrip to accommodate larger aircraft to support the ramp development. Additionally, construction of road access to the portal location, box cut of decline at the portal, development of a portal laydown area and construction of other associated support facilities is planned for this year with underground exploration ramp development to commence in the Spring of 2021. The exploration decline is expected to be completed to its targeted depth within three years, however, the objective is to be able to start drilling from early platforms of the decline by early 2022. With advancement of this exploration drilling, additional resources, if defined, could result in expanded production from underground mining at Umwelt earlier than scheduled in the feasibility study. This re-sequencing could result in the earlier release of higher-grade material in the mine life providing opportunities for better economics and a reduced payback period. The Company's 8500m exploration and infill drilling campaign continues to advance, with additional results expected throughout the balance of this year.

08:18 EDT Liquid Media announces nomination of Andrew Kaplan to Waterproof board - Liquid Media Group announced the nomination of mergers and acquisitions strategist Andrew Kaplan to the Board of Waterproof Studios, in which Liquid holds a 49% interest. Kaplan plans to lead a strategic review of the Waterproof asset with the aim to maximize capabilities and long-term value for Liquid shareholders.Pursuant to the shareholders' agreement among Waterproof and its shareholders, Liquid is entitled to determine three out of the six Board members of Waterproof. Andrew Kaplan will replace Charles Brezer, Liquid's President, on the Waterproof Board. Liquid thanks Mr. Brezer for his contributions to Waterproof's strategic leadership and corporate governance, and looks forward to Mr. Brezer's continued leadership and focus on the development of Liquid's business going forward.

08:16 EDT Exterran to sell U.S. compression fabrication business, terms not disclosed - Exterran announced it has signed an agreement to sell its U.S. compression fabrication business. The Company has signed an agreement with Compass Energy Systems to sell them its U.S. compression fabrication business. The price and terms were not disclosed. The Company expects the transaction to close in the fourth quarter and is subject to customary conditions and purchase price adjustments.

08:14 EDT Aditx Therapeutics appoints Namvar Kiaie to board of directors - Aditx Therapeutics announced that it has appointed Namvar Kiaie to the Company's Board of Directors, effective as of July 2, 2020. Aditxt's Board now includes six members, including Mr. Kiaie, who is an independent director in accordance with the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. Mr. Kiaie will serve as chair of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Kiaie has over 30 years of experience in the medical industry and has been associated with Abbott Diabetes Care since December 2005 in positions of increasing responsibility including Director of Engineering from 2005-2007; R&D Director from 2007-2010; and Senior Director of R&D from 2010-present.

08:12 EDT TransAct Technologies announces partnership with ESHA Research - TransAct said in a release, "TransAct Technologies announced a new partnership with ESHA Research, the industry leader in nutritional software, database and consulting services, to integrate ESHA's database with TransAct's innovative BOHA! Ecosystem. For nearly 40 years, ESHA has been recognized as the food service industry's top choice for nutritional analysis, recipe development and regulatory compliance. With this integration, BOHA! customers will now be able to create all their custom recipes within ESHA's Genesis R&D software, to calculate the nutritional analysis, and print FDA-mandated nutritional labels, all from the BOHA! terminal."

08:11 EDT Sientra receives regulatory approval to market Opus implants in Japan - Sientra announced that it has received approval from Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency to market the Company's entire OPUS line of breast implants in Japan. Sientra will market the complete portfolio of OPUS breast implants in Japan through its local partner Medical U&A, a leading provider of surgical and medical devices in the fields of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Medical U&A will sell Sientra's implants through a dedicated sales force to over 2,000 hospitals and clinics across Japan.

08:10 EDT Krystal Biotech initiates Phase 1 study of KB301 in aesthetic indications - Krystal Biotech announced the initiation of the PEARL-1 study, a Phase 1 multi-dose, controlled clinical study of KB301 for the treatment of acne scars and facial wrinkles. The skin is composed of collagen-rich connective tissue composed primarily of types I and III collagen fibrils. Age-related changes in skin are largely due to aberrant collagen homeostasis, caused both by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which leads to progressive loss of dermal collagen. KB301 is designed to restore collagen homeostasis locally via directed expression of full-length human type III collagen gene, thereby reconstructing an optimal physiologic environment in the skin to treat wrinkles and other superficial skin defects. KB301 is manufactured in-house at Krystal's fully functional GMP ANCORIS facility, located near corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh.

08:09 EDT CSG company Forte announces strategic partnership with SeamlessDocs - Forte Payment Systems, a CSG company, and SeamlessDocs announced a strategic partnership that integrates Forte's payment processing solutions with SeamlessDocs' digital forms, cloud-based software as a service, or SaaS. Together, the two organizations will support public sector institutions digital transformation efforts, providing the ability to turn paper documents into electronic forms with secure payments capabilities.

08:08 EDT Cabaletta Bio announces publication of preclinical study results for DSG3-CAART - Cabaletta Bio announced comprehensive preclinical study results evaluating DSG3-CAART, its lead product candidate for patients with mucosal pemphigus vulgaris, were published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The manuscript, titled "Antigen-specific B-cell depletion for precision therapy of mucosal pemphigus vulgaris," includes the preclinical data that enabled the DSG3-CAART IND submission and opening of the DesCAARTes clinical trial. The preclinical studies, conducted at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and led by the laboratory of Aimee Payne, MD, PhD, assessed the potential toxicity and specific target engagement of DSG3-CAART in inducing antigen-specific B cell depletion. In vitro results of DSG3-CAART demonstrated specific killing of anti-DSG3 B cell receptor expressing cell lines, as well as killing of desmoglein 3 specific B cells from patients with pemphigus vulgaris while sparing normal B cells. No off-target cytotoxic interactions were detected, and no DSG3-CAART activity against known binding partners to DSG3 was detected. Together the data demonstrate specific anti-DSG3 BCR killing along with a lack of on-target and off-target toxicity for DSG3-CAART. In vivo studies included use of an active immune PV model, characterized by a PV clinical phenotype, including skin blistering and physiologic anti-DSG3 IgG levels. In these mice, DSG3-CAART reduced serum levels of pathogenic anti-DSG3 antibodies, as well as tissue bound antibodies in the epithelium, a hallmark of PV disease. Clinical and histologic resolution of blisters was observed in DSG3-CAART treated animals. The potential impact of anti-DSG3 antibodies on DSG3-CAART toxicity and target engagement was also evaluated. The researchers studied whether anti-DSG3 antibodies could serve as a "cytotoxic bridge" enabling DSG3-CAART to kill cells which express antibody receptors on their surface, and no such cross reactivity was detected. Building on prior evidence that DSG3-CAART function is not meaningfully inhibited by anti-DSG3 antibodies, and that proliferation of DSG3-CAART in response to polyclonal PV serum IgG is observed, the recently published studies demonstrated functional activation of DSG3 CAAR T cells in response to anti-DSG3 antibodies. This may improve the potential efficacy of DSG3-CAART in targeting rare B cells. The potential risk for CRS or other inflammatory responses resulting from DSG3-CAART interaction with soluble anti-DSG3 autoantibodies post-infusion is being mitigated in the DesCAARTes Phase 1 trial design through a conservative fractionated-dose approach where increasing fractions of the target dose are infused, enabling for safety monitoring between infusions while preserving the opportunity for the patient to receive a full dose. The safety and tolerability of DSG3-CAART in targeting pathogenic B cells in patients with mPV is currently being evaluated in the DesCAARTes clinical trial, which recently started recruiting. The FDA granted Fast Track Designation to DSG3-CAART in May 2020.

08:05 EDT Enlivex Therapeutics granted new patent covering Allocetra immunotherapy - Enlivex Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a notice of allowance for a new patent application covering ALLOCETRA, the company's immunotherapy product candidate. Upon issuance, the new patent will provide added intellectual property protection, including methods, uses and pharmaceutical compositions. The company expects that this new patent will be issued in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2020. ALLOCETRA has been designed to provide a novel immunotherapy mechanism of action that targets life-threatening clinical indications that are defined as "unmet medical needs", including organ dysfunction and acute multiple organ failure associated with Sepsis and COVID-19, as well as treating solid tumors by modulating such tumors' microenvironment.

08:04 EDT Vera Bradley, Crocs create limited-edition footwear collection - Vera Bradley (VRA) and Crocs, Inc. (CROX) announced a new limited-edition footwear collection debuting today. The two brands partnered for the second time to expand the Vera Bradley + Crocs exclusive footwear collection, combining Vera Bradley's signature bright florals and paisley designs with Crocs' world-renowned comfort. The brands' first highly successful collaboration launched in July 2019. The Vera Bradley + Crocs footwear collection is available in Crocs' most popular silhouettes: the iconic Classic Clog and the Classic Slide. This one-of-a-kind collaboration features two colorful patterns - Floating Garden and Sunny Garden - and is designed to make every day feel more bright, fun and cheerful. As part of this launch, new Vera Bradley + Crocs Jibbitz Charms 3-packs will be available to add even more playfulness and cheer to every step. Following the August 25 launch, two additional new collections will be introduced on September 8. Combining fashionable fun with comfort and easy-to-clean functionality, a special edition Vera Bradley + Crocs Neria Pro II and Vera Bradley + Crocs Bistro Clog will be new styles offered for the popular Crocs At Work line of work shoes. Additionally, Vera Bradley + Crocs will launch their first-ever children's collection featuring the Children's Classic Clog in two patterns: Floating Garden and Floating Garden Pink. To complete the look from head to toe, Vera Bradley will also debut matching children's backpacks and lunch bags on the same day.

08:03 EDT Landec to divest Hanover manufacturing operations for $8.7M - Landec Corporation announced the entry into a definitive agreement to sell the Company's Hanover manufacturing facility and related assets for an aggregate purchase price of $8.7M. The Company intends to consolidate its Hanover facility operations into its facilities in Guadalupe, California and Bowling Green, Ohio. The agreement to divest the Hanover manufacturing operations is the latest step of Project SWIFT, as the Company continues to focus on creating shareholder value across the enterprise. Project SWIFT is designed to identify opportunities to transform the Company's business with a focus on maximizing strategic assets, optimizing its operational network and right-sizing the organization. The transaction is expected to close in the first week of September, subject to customary closing conditions. As previously announced on August 7, 2020, Landec completed the asset sale and lease assumption of its pre-operational salad dressing manufacturing facility based in Ontario, California for $4.85M

08:01 EDT EDAP TMS announces approval for Phase 2 study of HIFU for endometriosis - EDAP TMS announced that the company has received approval from French health authorities to initiate a Phase II multicenter clinical trial evaluating its Focal One HIFU to treat deep rectal endometriosis. In this Phase II multicenter study, a single patient group of 38 women with a confirmed diagnosis of deep rectal endometriosis will be treated in a total of five major hospitals in France, and both safety and efficacy will be assessed. This study is planned to commence in September at the Croix-Rousse University Hospital and expand to four additional sites. Pr. Gil Dubernard will serve as lead investigator. Based on the results from this Phase II study, if positive, the company plans to initiate a Phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled study to confirm these outcomes. In a prior Phase I clinical study, also conducted by Pr. Dubernard, 20 women were observed to benefit from Focal One. The detailed outcomes of the study were published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal in December 2019.

07:50 EDT ReneSola to acquire $8M in certain assets from undisclosed U.S.-based developer - ReneSola announced the signing of an agreement to acquire certain assets, including solar projects and accounts receivable, from an undisclosed U.S.-based developer in an all-stock transaction that values the assets at approximately $8M. The acquisition will also add an experienced solar project development team to solidify ReneSola's position as a leading global solar energy developer and operator. The deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. The market focus of the solar project assets being acquired is highly complementary with the Company's existing business. In particular, the new team brings expertise in the development of U.S. distributed generation and small-scale utility projects with battery storage, which is expected to augment Renesola Power's historical strength in U.S. community solar and European DG. Once completed, the transaction should immediately increase Renesola Power's development pipeline by approximately 200 MW. The acquisition provides ReneSola Power with access to utility projects and development activities in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, California, New York, Maine, Illinois and Arizona. In addition, this transaction strengthens the Company's capabilities and scale, and enhances its position for creating value in the quarters ahead.

07:40 EDT Altair joins Avicenna Alliance to support development of medical solutions - Altair has joined the Avicenna Alliance, an international consortium committed to the use of simulation to enable faster and more efficient development of new medicine and healthcare solutions. Traditionally, development of new medicines and medical devices has involved extensive testing on people, and often included major investments in products that ultimately fail. Even when successful, the process is lengthy and expensive. In contrast, computer-based simulation facilitates intelligent use of historical data and early identification of the efficacy of proposed treatments. In addition, as a result of the work done by Altair and other members of the Avicenna Alliance, the ethical and logistical challenges of testing experimental drugs on large numbers of people are minimized or eliminated. Established in 2016, the alliance brings together stakeholders in industry, government, and academia to promote the benefits of 'in silico' medicine to overcome the prohibitive costs and delays often associated with conventional pharmaceutical trials, testing, and medical device development. Altair will bring its expertise and experience in advanced simulation and data analytics to the pioneering work of the Avicenna Alliance. Notably, this includes promoting governments worldwide to recognize and support 'in silico' medicine, and seeking to establish a common, standardized framework for this compelling approach to healthcare delivery.

07:37 EDT Kura Oncology appoints Stephen Dale as CMO - Kura Oncology (KURA) announced the appointment of Stephen Dale, M.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Dale joins Kura most recently from Kyowa Kirin (KYKOF), where he served as SVP and Global Head of Medical Science with a primary focus in oncology. Bridget Martell, M.A., M.D., Kura's acting CMO, will transition to the role of Senior Scientific Advisor, where she will continue to advise Kura on initiatives in research and development and corporate strategy.

07:35 EDT Knight, TherapeuticsMD announces Health Canada approval of IMVEXXY - Knight Therapeutics and TherapeuticsMD announced the approval of IMVEXXY by Health Canada. In Canada, IMVEXXY is for the treatment of postmenopausal moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy. VVA is a prevalent, chronic, and progressive condition associated with menopause. Common symptoms of VVA include dryness, discomfort, and pain in the vaginal and vulvar areas. IMVEXXY is an applicator-free, estradiol softgel vaginal capsule indicated for postmenopausal women who experience pain before, during or after sex. IMVEXXY is marketed by TherapeuticsMD in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of VVA, due to menopause. Knight and TherapeuticsMD signed a licensing agreement in July 2018 pursuant to which TherapeuticsMD granted Knight the exclusive Canadian commercialization rights to IMVEXXY and BIJUVA capsules. Under the terms of the licensing agreement related to IMVEXXY in Canada, Knight will pay TherapeuticsMD a milestone fee for the regulatory approval in Canada of IMVEXXY, sales milestone fees based upon certain aggregate annual sales of IMVEXXY in Canada, and royalties based on aggregate annual sales of IMVEXXY in Canada.

07:33 EDT Immunovant announces topline results from Phase 2a study of IMVT-1401 - Immunovant announced topline results from ASCEND MG, a Phase 2a study of IMVT-1401 in patients with myasthenia gravis. The multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of IMVT-1401 in patients with moderate-to-severe generalized MG. Results from the six-week treatment period included three arms: 340 mg IMVT-1401 weekly, 680 mg IMVT-1401 weekly, and placebo. As evaluated in a pre-specified, pooled analysis of 15 patients who completed Day 42, IMVT-1401-treated patients showed a mean 3.8-point improvement on the MG-ADL scale vs. a mean decline of +0.6 for placebo, a result that was statistically significant. IMVT-1401-treated patients also showed a highly statistically significant improvement on the MGC scale, with an average improvement of 8.0 points vs. a mean decline of +1.4 for placebo. MG-ADL responder rates, defined as the percentage of patients showing a greater than 2-point improvement, were 60% for IMVT-1401-treated patients vs. 20% for placebo. MG-ADL deep responder rates, defined in the study as the percentage of patients showing a greater than 6-point improvement, were 40% for IMVT-1401-treated patients vs. 0% for placebo. MGC deep responder rates, defined in the study as the percentage of patients showing a greater than 10-point improvement, were 40% for IMVT-1401-treated patients vs. 0% for placebo. Consistent with previously reported Phase 1 results, IMVT-1401 was observed to be generally safe and well-tolerated with no serious adverse events, no withdrawals due to adverse events, and no imbalance in headaches. Mean reductions in total serum IgG from baseline for the 340 mg and 680 mg cohorts were 59% and 76%, respectively. After taking into consideration the impact of COVID-19 and the validation of the anti-FcRn mechanism in MG as discussed in its June 29th press release, Immunovant elected to unblind the study after 15 of an anticipated 21 patients had completed the six-week treatment course.

07:31 EDT Axon announces partnership with Fotokite - Axon announced a partnership with Fotokite, a service provider of actively tethered Unmanned Aerial System solutions and public safety software tools, to provide their products and services as part of the Axon Air program. This exclusive partnership will enable Axon's law enforcement customers to view live-streamed footage within Axon's digital evidence management solution, Axon Evidence. The Axon Air program includes the Fotokite Sigma UAS, Fotokite's situational awareness software tools, and the tools needed to view, manage and share video evidence.

07:27 EDT Cyclerion receives translational research award from Alzheimer's Association - Cyclerion Therapeutics announced that it has been awarded a grant from the Alzheimer's Association's Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program. This award will support the Company's upcoming Phase 2 trial of IW-6463 in Alzheimer's Disease with vascular pathology. The award provides Cyclerion with $2M of funding over the next 2 years. IW-6463 has successfully completed a Phase 1 study and is now being studied in a translational pharmacology study in elderly participants. Top line data from this study are expected in September 2020. Cyclerion R&D leaders and independent experts reviewed the company's CNS program in a webcast investor event on July 9, 2020.

07:24 EDT Applied Genetic announces publication of preclinical data on XLRP program - Applied Genetic Technologies announced that preclinical data validating the transgene that is being evaluated in the Company's ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with X-lined retinitis pigmentosa have been published in the July 15, 2020 print issue of Human Gene Therapy. The studies, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of hRPGRco and another XLRP transgene in a canine model of XLRP, demonstrated stronger expression of hRPGRco than the other transgene at all dose levels evaluated. Following subretinal administration in AGTC's proprietary rAAV2tYF vector, each of the XLRP transgenes corrected rod-cone opsin mislocalization, which are early markers of the disease, but the hRPGRco transgene demonstrated a broader therapeutic index. Study results also helped to guide the initial dosing in ongoing Phase 1/2 trial. As previously announced, AGTC expects to begin a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of its XLRP gene therapy candidate in the first quarter of 2021. The publication reports data from studies conducted in the RPGR-mutant canine model, which has been validated as a model for human XLRP due to mutations in the RPGR gene. AAV vectors contained a "stabilized" version of the human RPGR gene, which is shorter than the wildtype DNA sequence, or a full-length version of the RPGR gene that has been codon optimized for improved expression and stability. Both transgenes have previously been evaluated in the XLRPA2 model using an AAV5 vector. The current studies were conducted using AGTC's proprietary AAV2tYF vector, which is optimized for delivery to target cells within the retina. Safety was similar for the two transgenes. A key finding from the studies is that the AAV2tYF-hRPGRco vector resulted in higher RPGR gene expression compared with AAV2tYF-hRPGRstb and with AAV5-GRK1-hRPGRco. Additionally, the studies showed that while the mid-dose led to optimal correction of disease phenotypes, structural and functional rescue of photoreceptors was also achieved when treating at mid-stage disease with rAAV2tYFGRK1-hRPGRco at the lowest dose. This significantly expands therapeutic index and guided a starting dose for the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial.

07:20 EDT Helius Medical chairman, president and CEO Philippe Deschamps departs - Helius Medical Technologies announced that Philippe Deschamps, has stepped down from his positions as President and CEO and resigned his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective August 23, 2020. Current members of the Board of Directors, Dane Andreeff and Blane Walter, have been appointed to the respective positions of Interim President and CEO, effective August 23, 2020, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective August 23, 2020. Mr. Andreeff will continue to serve as a director of the Company and is expected to serve as Interim President and CEO until the Board of Directors completes its search for a permanent successor.

07:15 EDT Papa John's reports preliminary August period comparable sales figures - Papa John's provided preliminary estimated comparable sales information for the August fiscal period, or July 27 through August 23. In light of the uncertainty and volatility related to the pandemic, the company has continued to provide this information on a monthly basis. The company reports domestic company-owned comparable sales growth of 18%, North America franchised comparable sales growth of 26.1%, system-wide North America comparable sales growth of 24.2% and system-wide international comparable sales growth of 23.3%. Of the company's approximately 2,100 international franchised stores, the number temporarily closed has declined to approximately 150, primarily in Latin America and Europe, in accordance with government policies. In North America, almost all traditional restaurants remain open and fully operational. A number of non-traditional restaurants located in universities and stadiums are temporarily closed; these non-traditional locations are not material to the company's revenues and operating results.

07:12 EDT ReliaQuest raises over $300M in growth financing led by KKR - ReliaQuest, an advanced cybersecurity managed service and intelligence platform for global enterprises, announced it has raised over $300M in growth financing in a round led by leading global investment firm KKR, with participation from Ten Eleven Ventures and ReliaQuest founder and CEO Brian Murphy. The investment, which follows $30M in growth equity from FTV Capital - who partnered with the firm in 2016 - will support ReliaQuest in accelerating the company's growth initiatives, including international expansion and platform development.

07:09 EDT J.M. Smucker CEO says Q1 results 'exceeded our expectations' - "I am incredibly proud and thankful for our employees, who have adapted quickly to deliver strong results and serve our constituents in an environment marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest. We continue to ensure employee safety and well-being, support the communities where we do business, and provide a steady, quality supply of food for consumers and their pets," said Mark Smucker, President and CEO. "Our first quarter results exceeded our expectations, particularly for the coffee and consumer foods portfolios. Consumers continued to seek out trusted and iconic brands as we achieved strong growth across nearly all our categories. This exceptional performance highlights the strength of our portfolio, the potential of our consumer-centric growth strategy, and our commitment to operate with financial discipline. We expect continued momentum in the second quarter and are pleased to raise our full-year guidance. We remain confident in our ability to deliver on our fiscal year 2021 goals, advance our long-term strategy, and deliver increased shareholder value."

07:08 EDT Imara receives Orphan Drug Designation for IMR-687 for sickle cell disease - Imara announced that the European Commission granted Orphan Drug designation to IMR-687 for the treatment of patients with sickle cell disease. IMR-687 has previously been granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with SCD.

07:08 EDT Regenxbio announces FDA clearance of IND for Phase II trial of RGX-314 - Regenxbio announced the clearance of the Investigational New Drug application by the U.S. FDA to evaluate the suprachoroidal delivery of RGX-314 in patients with diabetic retinopathy. The IND is active, and Regenxbio plans to begin dosing patients in a Phase II trial, ALTITUDE, in the second half of 2020.

07:07 EDT Best Buy reports Q2 domestic gross profit rate 22.8% vs. 24% last year - Best Buy said in its Q2 earnings release, "Domestic gross profit rate was 22.8% versus 24.0% last year. The gross profit rate decrease of approximately 120 basis points was primarily driven by higher supply chain costs as a result of the increased mix of online revenue and lower profit-sharing revenue from the company's private-label and co-branded credit card arrangement. International gross profit rate of 23.8% was flat to last year."

07:06 EDT Cryoport to acquire MVE Biological Solutions from Chart Industries for $320M - Cryoport (CYRX) announced it has signed an agreement to acquire MVE Biological Solutions, "a global leader in manufactured vacuum insulated products and cryogenic freezer systems for the life sciences industry," from Chart Industries (GTLS). As a Cryoport company, MVE will expand Cryoport's role in the cell and gene therapy supply chain ecosystem, a business that is forecasted to grow 30% to 40% per year, and further enhance Cryoport's position as a leading player in the supply of cryogenic solutions for the life sciences industry. Under the agreement, Cryoport will acquire MVE in an all cash transaction valued at $320M. Closing is expected by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, MVE's revenue for 2019 was approximately $83.7M and it is expected to be immediately accretive. To fund the acquisition, Cryoport is receiving a $275 million investment from funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (BX). Under the terms of its investment, Blackstone will purchase $250M of a newly designated Perpetual 4% Series C Convertible Preferred stock of the Company, with a purchase price of $1,000 per share, and $25M of common stock of the company. The remainder of the purchase price for the MVE acquisition will be paid from the company's cash balance. The preferred stock will be convertible into shares of Cryoport's common stock at a conversion price of $38.6152 per share, representing a premium of 15% to Cryoport's 30 trading day volume-weighted average price as of August 20th, 2020 prior to the announcement of the CRYOPDP acquisition and the $25M of common stock will be sold at a price of $37.0076 per share. Blackstone's investment is subject to the closing of the acquisition of MVE and other customary closing conditions. In conjunction with Blackstone's investment in Cryoport, Cryoport will appoint Ram Jagannath, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare for Blackstone Growth and Tactical Opportunities, to its Board of Directors upon the closing of the transaction.

07:05 EDT Children's Place anticipates 'meaningful negative impact' to Q3 results - CEO Jane Elfers said, "Due to the large majority of schools adopting remote or hybrid learning models for the start of the school year, our back to school sales have been significantly impacted and we anticipate a meaningful negative impact on our Q3 results."

07:03 EDT Hain Celestial expects double digit adjusted EBITDA growth in FY21 - The company commented, "Due to the uncertainty around the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is not providing specific financial guidance for FY21. For FY21, the Company expects continued margin expansion, strong double digit adjusted EBITDA growth and double digit operating free cash flow growth. The Company believes that the first half of fiscal 2021 will yield stronger net sales and adjusted EBITDA growth than the second half of the year due to its strong consumer and customer plans as well as increased at home eating occasions related to COVID-19. For the Q1, based on actual results to date, the Company expects mid-single digit net sales growth after adjusting for divestitures and discontinued brands, and several hundred basis points of margin improvement and adjusted EBITDA growth."

07:02 EDT Bristol-Myers reports IDHENTIFY trial did not meet OS primary endpoint - Bristol Myers Squibb announced that the Phase 3 IDHENTIFY study evaluating IDHIFA plus best supportive care versus conventional care regimens, which include best supportive care only, azacitidine plus BSC, low-dose cytarabine plus BSC or intermediate-dose cytarabine plus BSC, did not meet the primary endpoint of overall survival, or OS, in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, or R/R AML, with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 mutation. The safety profile of IDHIFA was consistent with previously reported findings, the company said. The company will complete a full evaluation of the IDHENTIFY data and work with investigators to present detailed results at a future medical meeting. In August 2017, Bristol Myers Squibb received full approval in the U.S. for IDHIFA for the treatment of adult patients with R/R AML with an IDH2 mutation as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved test. IDHIFA is the first and only FDA-approved therapy for patients with R/R AML and positive for an IDH2 mutation, which represents up to 19% of AML patients. IDHIFA is also approved in Australia and Canada. "While we are disappointed by the outcome of the IDHENTIFY study, we remain confident in IDHIFA's established role as a treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory AML with an IDH2 mutation and are grateful to all those who participated in the study. AML is one of the most difficult-to-treat blood cancers, and we're committed to furthering our research and improving on the standards of care for patients living with this aggressive disease," said Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, Global Clinical Development, Hematology, Bristol Myers Squibb.

06:52 EDT Mednax appoints Marc Richards as CFO - MEDNAX announced that C. Marc Richards has been appointed as Executive Vice President. The Company anticipates that Richards will assume the additional role of CFO in October 2020, succeeding Stephen D. Farber, who has announced his plan to depart the Company to pursue other leadership opportunities. Richards joins MEDNAX with an extensive background in corporate finance and management, and more than 20 years in senior level positions at public companies. Most recently, he served as CFO of Quality Care Properties, or QCP, one of the nation's largest actively managed real estate companies focused on post-acute/skilled nursing and memory care/assisted living properties. In this role he oversaw the spin-off of QCP from Healthcare Property Investors and the eventual merger of QCP with Welltower. Prior to QCP, Richards served first as CFOand then as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Washington Prime Group where he held responsibility for all financial reporting and tax matters and oversaw the integration of Washington Prime and Glimcher Realty Trust.

06:49 EDT Medtronic jumps 5% to $104.90 after Q1 results beat estimates

06:41 EDT Viavi acquires Expandium for network assurance portfolio - Viavi announced that it has acquired Expandium, a provider of core network monitoring and assurance solutions powered by big data, based in Saint-Herblain, France. The company said this acquisition augments Viavi's network assurance portfolio with a cloud-native virtualized solution offering, in alignment with virtualization initiatives at service providers worldwide. As VIAVI continues to virtualize its NITRO Mobile portfolio of core and RAN assurance solutions, the company's acquisition of Expandium adds cloud-native, microservices-based, and 5G-ready mobile core assurance technologies. Expandium uses advanced techniques such as machine learning, stream processing and pattern detection within a platform that is vendor-independent and can connect to heterogeneous data sources, offering analytics and insights for network monitoring, troubleshooting, fraud detection and more.

06:33 EDT Premier is unable to provide FY21 financial guidance - Due to the continued uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Premier is currently unable to accurately estimate the effect of the pandemic on its business in FY21. Therefore, the company is not establishing FY21 annual guidance at this time. As previously announced on August 11, 2020, beginning in fiscal year 2022, Premier expects to target a multi-year, compound annual growth rate in the mid-to-high single digits for consolidated net revenue, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS.

06:21 EDT AstraZeneca initiates Phase 1 trial of monoclonal antibody combination for COVID - The first participants have been dosed in a Phase I trial of AZD7442, a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, in development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, AstraZeneca announced. The trial, called NCT04507256, will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of AZD7442.1 The trial will include up to 48 healthy participants in the UK aged 18 to 55 years and is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the US Department of Defense, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said: "This trial is an important milestone in the development of our monoclonal antibody combination to prevent or treat COVID-19. This combination of antibodies, coupled to our proprietary half-life extension technology, has the potential to improve both the effectiveness and durability of use in addition to reducing the likelihood of viral resistance." Should AZD7442 prove to be tolerated and have a favourable safety profile in the trial, AstraZeneca will progress it into larger late-stage Phase II and Phase III trials to evaluate its efficacy as a potential preventative and treatment approach against COVID-19.

06:03 EDT Armada Hoffler collected 93% of monthly portfolio rents as of August 21 - Armada Hoffler Properties provided an update on rent collections for August. As of August 21st, the Company collected 93% of total portfolio rents due for the month; office tenants paid 100%, multifamily tenants paid 92%, and retail tenants paid 89%. "As anticipated, we collected over 95% of July rents, and we expect to surpass that mark in August," said Louis Haddad, President and CEO. "Three weeks into the month, our retail tenant collections are already nearing 90% and we expect to finish August with essentially all of our multifamily rents collected. With our overall rent collection rates approaching pre-COVID levels and after successfully raising nearly $90M in new capital this month, we look forward to closing on our previously announced acquisitions and resuming development activities."

06:01 EDT Radware adds three new scrubbing centers in India, Brazil and Israel - Radware announced the addition of three new scrubbing centers in India, Brazil and Israel. These new facilities support customer growth in emerging markets where there is a need for data residency. These new facilities complement the existing network of scrubbing centers already serving Radware's Cloud DDoS Protection Service and increase global scrubbing capacity by about 30%.

05:37 EDT RealNetworks announces support for acquisition of Rhapsody by MelodyVR Group - RealNetworks said in a release, "RealNetworks announced its support for the acquisition of Rhapsody International, which does business as Napster, by MelodyVR Group PLC. RealNetworks is the majority owner of Napster, with an approximate 84% stake. MelodyVR Group PLC intends to combine its MelodyVR subsidiary with Napster to create a new differentiated entity. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4. The Napster platform began 2020 with over 3 million users on four continents, delivering more than 90 million licensed tracks to consumers and the many B2B and Platform-as-a-Service partners. It served 10.8 billion streams in 2019 with revenues of $113 million. The price of the acquisition is approximately $70M, comprising $15M in cash, $11M in MelodyVR stock, and assumption by MelodyVR of approximately $44M in payment obligations, primarily to various music industry entities. Consideration payable to RealNetworks is subject to a $3M escrow and certain further indemnity claims, as well as contingent consideration obligations associated with its acquisition of Columbus Nova's 42% stake in Napster in January of 2019. Real intends to provide additional details regarding the expected economic benefits to Real of this transaction at its Q3 earnings call in early November, or sooner if the MelodyVR transaction closes before then."