Stockwinners Market Radar for September 14, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:51 EDT Canadian Pacific opens new multi-commodity transload facility in Montreal - The company states: "Canadian Pacific will officially open its new multi-commodity transload facility in Montreal tomorrow. The new facility will offer transloading services and supplementary intermodal transportation and distribution services from CP's Cote Saint-Luc yard, with more space available for future expansions to provide customers with access to new markets. CP will operate the facility with TYT Group, a Quebec-based freight transportation services provider. The new rail-served facility features 118,000 square feet of customizable space designed to receive, unload, carry and deliver rail traffic for various commodities. Surrounded by more than 4,000 feet of existing and adjacent track, the location is ideal for indoor or outdoor transloading operations to keep goods moving efficiently on and off rail and throughout the broader supply chain."

18:03 EDT Tanger Factory says open stores account over 98% of total occupied - The company states: "The company's operations generated positive cash flow again in August. Tanger repaid its unsecured lines of credit in full during August using internally generated cash flow. The company had total liquidity at the end of August of approximately $606.6 million, including $6.6 million of cash on hand and $600.0 million of unused capacity under its lines of credit. For August, rent collections improved to 85% of billed rents, excluding variable rents and lease termination fees. July collections represented 81% of rents billed, up from the 77% previously reported on August 4, 2020. Second quarter collections have improved to 40% of rents billed from 33% as previously reported as of July 31, 2020. Consolidated portfolio occupancy at the end of August was 93.7%, reflecting year-to-date store closures totaling 542,000 square feet related to tenant bankruptcy filings and restructuring announcements. As of September 13, open stores represented over 98% of total occupied stores in the consolidated portfolio and nearly 98% of both leased square footage and annualized base rent. Traffic over the last six weeks has averaged 89% of prior year levels."

17:32 EDT Raytheon Technologies subsidiary awarded $103.58M Army contract - Rockwell Collins was awarded a $103.58M firm-fixed-price contract to acquire avionics support services and incidental materials for the UH-60M Black Hawk multifunction display avionics suite for UH-60M mission design series and variant helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 15, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:21 EDT Marriott Vacations to lay off 3,800 staff, sees pandemic impact 'longer, deeper' - In a regulatory 8K filing, the company states: "As you are aware, across the globe, many travel and leisure companies have been hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are no different. While occupancies have rebounded to some extent in many of our drive-to resort destinations, they remain low by historic standards, and several key markets, such as Orlando and Hawaii, continue to experience very low occupancies. For our exchange business, while we have seen exchange transactions rebound over the summer, business activity and revenue remain substantially lower than prior years. Over the past six months, the Executive Committee and I have made several difficult decisions and taken a number of actions to lessen the impact of the pandemic on our associates while ensuring the financial viability of the company. But the impact of the pandemic has been deeper and longer than initially expected. Given current business levels and our near-term recovery expectations, we have come to the conclusion that the company can no longer sustain its existing cost structure. As a result, we are now in the position where involuntary layoffs impacting approximately 3,300 of our associates are necessary."

17:15 EDT Lennar chairman says Q3 benefited from 'robust market conditions' - Executive Chairman Stuart Miller says: "Our third quarter results benefited from robust market conditions combined with the solid execution of our homebuilding and financial services businesses. Fundamentals in the housing market continued to remain strong supported by record low interest rates and a continued undersupply of new and existing inventory. The housing market continued its strong rebound from the significantly weaker sales environment earlier in the year as a result of COVID-19... During the quarter, we used the strength of the homebuilding market to accelerate starts to catch up on production lost earlier in the year. We carefully matched new orders and starts, with a continued focus on cash management which has led to greater returns. In the third quarter, new orders and starts were up 16% and 17%, respectively, over last year. As expected, our new home deliveries, limited by the production pause in the second quarter, increased only 2% over last year, but our gross margin climbed to 23.1%, a 270 basis point increase over the prior year, and our net margin reached an all-time, third quarter high of 15.1%. Additionally, we paid off approximately $400 million of debt during the quarter, had no borrowings under our $2.4 billion revolving credit facility and ended the quarter with $2.0 billion in cash and homebuilding debt to capital ratio of 29.5%, an all-time low."

17:13 EDT Hexo CFO Stephen Burwash to depart company, Trent MacDonald to succeed - Hexo announced that it has hired Trent MacDonald to join the company in the role of CFO, with a start date expected in the coming months. MacDonald will begin as CFO upon following Health Canada's personnel change and security clearance processes, as required for his position under the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. He will succeed Stephen Burwash, who will remain on as CFO through the transition period. MacDonald brings more than 15 years of financial executive experience to Hexo, working for both publicly listed and private enterprises. Most recently, he served as the CFO for Rx Drug Mart, a private pharmacy operator/consolidator, helping to guide it through significant growth in sales.

17:09 EDT Mosaic announces 741K tons of potash sold in August versus 755K tons last-year - The Mosaic Company announced its August 2020 sales revenue and sales volumes by business unit. The company sold 741K tons of potash in August 2020 compared to 755K tons in August 2019.

17:05 EDT Miragen Therapeutics conducting strategic review of pipeline - The company is conducting a comprehensive review of its research and development pipeline, which includes MRG-229, cobomarsen, MRG-110 and remlarsen. The company plans to prioritize its resources toward advancing the development of its lead compound, MRG-229, for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, IPF. MRG-229 is a conjugated miR-29 mimic that acts to replace miR-29, a microRNA that is found at abnormally low levels in a number of pathologic fibrotic conditions. Later this month, miRagen is scheduled to present new data from its recent non-human primate toxicology study of MRG-229 at the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society's annual meeting. This presentation will include data showing no adverse effects associated with MRG-229 when dosed up to 45mg/kg twice a week for two weeks. Following the announcement of these new data, the company is planning IND enabling activities for MRG-229, which are intended to advance the development of this potential therapy. The company also announced that it will conclude its Phase 2 SOLAR clinical trial of cobomarsen in patients with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, CTCL, and report topline data that has been collected to date in this clinical trial from 37 CTCL patients. The company believes that the controlled data from this set of patients can provide important evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of cobomarsen for the treatment of CTCL. miRagen plans to announce the topline data for its Phase 2 SOLAR clinical trial by the end of 2020. As this will be the first controlled clinical data available from CTCL patients, the company believes it may allow for a better assessment of the clinical potential of cobomarsen in this indication.

17:02 EDT Miragen Therapeutics appoints Lee Rauch as CEO - miRagen Therapeutics announced that its board has appointed Lee Rauch, the company's current COO, as president, CEO and a director, following the resignation of William Marshall. Marshall has also resigned from the company's board of directors and has agreed to act as Senior Technical Advisor to the company. Rauch, who joined miRagen in June 2020 as its COO, has more than 25 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Rauch has held various executive positions at Global Blood Therapeutics, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Nuon Therapeutics and COR Therapeutics.

17:00 EDT Kroger Dallas Division associates ratify new labor agreement - The Kroger Co. announced that associates working at 98 stores across Kroger's Dallas division ratified a new labor agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1000. "Across the Kroger family of companies, we are proud that by the end of 2020 we will have increased our associate wage investments by approximately $800 million-$300 million more than we had originally planned as part of our Restock Kroger initiative," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer. "Kroger in Dallas is one of the numerous markets across the country that is rewarding and recognizing associates for their hard work with wage increases." The Kroger agreement includes: Increased wages for all associates; Ratification bonuses and retroactive pay for department heads, store leads, high-performing associates and other store positions; Improved Kroger health benefits including lower associate contributions and lower deductibles.

16:54 EDT Nikola falls over 6% to $33.62 per share after Bloomberg report of SEC inquiry

16:39 EDT Guess CEO buys 83K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Guess disclosed that its CEO Carlos Alberini bought 83K shares of common stock on September 10th in a transaction with total value of $1.0M.

16:30 EDT Voyager Therapeutics names Michelle Quinn Smith chief HR officer - Voyager Therapeutics announced the appointment of Michelle Quinn Smith as Chief Human Resources Officer. Smith brings over 30 years of experience in human resources to Voyager, including leadership roles at Flagship Pioneering, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, and Sanofi. "We are excited to welcome Michelle to Voyager in this important role. She brings a strong track record of purpose-driven, inclusive leadership, and will be a great addition to our team," said Andre Turenne, President and CEO of Voyager. "We believe Michelle's experience in driving organizational strategy in R&D organizations and growth companies will be instrumental in supporting our continued evolution as a gene therapy leader."

16:27 EDT FCA, PSA to both consider potential distribution of EUR500M

16:26 EDT FedEx units to increase shipping rates effective January 4th, 2021 by 4.9% - The company states: "FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight, subsidiaries of FedEx Corp., will increase shipping rates beginning January 4, 2021. These rate changes enable FedEx to continue investing in service enhancement, fleet maintenance, technology innovations and other areas to serve customers more effectively and efficiently. FedEx Express shipping rates will increase by an average of 4.9% for U.S. domestic, U.S. export and U.S. import services. FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery shipping rates will increase by an average of 4.9%. FedEx SmartPost shipping rates will also increase. FedEx Freight shipping rates will increase by an average of 4.9% for customers who use FXF PZONE and FXF EZONE, and by 5.9% for customers who use FXF 1000 and FXF 501 for shipments within the U.S. and between the contiguous U.S. and Canada. FedEx Freight shipping rates will also increase for shipments within Canada, within Mexico, and between the contiguous U.S. and Mexico."

16:26 EDT FCA, PSA amend certain terms of combination agreement - Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) and Peugeot (PUGOY) have agreed to amend certain terms of their binding 50/50 Combination Agreement to create Stellantis, the world's fourth largest global automotive OEM by volume. The parties have agreed the amendments in order to address the liquidity impact on the automotive industry of the COVID-19 pandemic while preserving the economic value and fundamental balance of the original Combination Agreement. The amendments have been unanimously approved by the Boards of both companies with the strong support of their reference shareholders. The existing commitments to support the transaction from EXOR, the Peugeot family Group, Bpifrance and Dongfeng Motor Group remain in effect. Specifically, the special dividend to be distributed by FCA to its shareholders before closing is set at EUR2.9B, previously EUR5.5B, while Groupe PSA's 46% stake in Faurecia will be distributed to all Stellantis shareholders promptly after closing following approval by the Stellantis Board and shareholders. As a result of these amendments, FCA's and Groupe PSA's respective shareholders will receive equal 23% shareholdings in Faurecia, while their 50/50 ownership of Stellantis - a group that will now have EUR2.6B more cash on its balance sheet - will remain unchanged. Additionally, it has also been agreed that the Boards of both Groupe PSA and FCA will consider a potential distribution of EUR500M to the shareholders of each company before closing or, alternatively, a distribution of EUR1B to be paid following the closing to all Stellantis shareholders. These decisions will be taken in light of the performance and outlook of both companies, market conditions and performance in the intervening period. Any such distributions will be made only if approved by the Boards of both companies. FCA and Groupe PSA confirm that in all other respects the economic terms of their Combination Agreement as signed on 17 December 2019 remain unchanged and that completion of the proposed combination is expected to take place by the end of the first quarter of 2021, subject to the previously agreed conditions to closing in the Combination Agreement. As a result of the significant progress made by the joint workstreams over the past months, the estimated annual run-rate synergies from the creation of Stellantis have been significantly increased to in excess of EUR5B from the EUR3.7B originally estimated. The total estimated one-time implementation cost of achieving these synergies has also increased from EUR2.8B to a figure of up to EUR4B.

16:18 EDT NextEra Energy approves 4-for-1 split - NextEra Energy board of directors has approved a four-for-one split of NextEra Energy common stock, which is intended to make stock ownership more accessible to a broader base of investors. Each shareholder of record on Oct. 19, 2020, will receive three additional shares of common stock for each then-held share, to be distributed on Oct. 26, 2020. Trading will begin on a stock split-adjusted basis on Oct. 27, 2020.

16:16 EDT NextEra Energy raises FY21 EPS by 20c to $9.60-$10.15, consensus $9.88

16:15 EDT GenMark's Diagnostics' ePlex respiratory pathogen panel 2 achieves CE mark - GenMark Diagnostic announced that it has achieved CE Mark under the European In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices Directive (98/79 for its ePlex Respiratory Pathogen Panel 2. The molecular test provides results in less than two hours for more than 20 viruses and bacteria that cause common and often serious respiratory infections, including COVID-19, influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus. This panel was previously made commercially available in the U.S. and is awaiting Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. A syndromic diagnostic test, RP2 provides rapid results for infections with similar symptoms such as fever, cough and body aches, which will be critical in preparing for fall and winter as the flu season coincides with the ongoing risk of COVID-19. "Fast and comprehensive molecular testing has become even more essential since the arrival of COVID-19," said Scott Mendel, President and CEO of GenMark. "Cold and flu season is right around the corner and while we can't predict what it will be like, healthcare systems and providers must be prepared. Syndromic testing will be vital in helping health care professionals accurately diagnose seriously ill patients with similar symptoms, speeding up treatment and helping improve resource management."

16:12 EDT Nikola executive chair Milton buys 41,400 shares - In a regulatory filing, Nikola executive chairman Trevor Milton disclosed his purchase of 41,400 shares of Nikola's common stock in transactions with average price per share ranging from $30.10 to $33.60 on September 14.

16:06 EDT RCI Hospitality appoints Bradley Chhay CFO - RCI Hospitality Holdings announced Bradley Chhay will succeed Phillip Marshall as CFO effective today as part of a planned transition. Marshall, who has been CFO since 2007, will continue as part of RCI's Financial Team to assist in ensuring a smooth transition and will continue focusing on income tax matters. In his new position, Chhay will be responsible for managing all financial functions and strategy, as well as corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and integration. After briefly serving as CFO for a smaller, privately-held, multi-unit restaurant chain, Chhay joined RCI in November 2015 as Controller.

16:02 EDT Marinus says ganaxolone met primary endpoint in Phase 3 trial - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced positive top-line results from its registrational Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the use of oral ganaxolone in children and young adults with CDKL5 deficiency disorder, a rare, genetic epilepsy with refractory seizures. In the trial, patients given ganaxolone showed a significant 32.2 percent median reduction in 28-day major motor seizure frequency, compared to a 4.0 percent reduction for those receiving the placebo, achieving the primary endpoint. The trial's primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage change in 28-day frequency of major motor seizures during the double-blind phase relative to the 6-week prospective baseline period. Ganaxolone was generally well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with previous clinical studies. The most frequent adverse event was somnolence. Based on these results, Marinus plans to submit an NDA for ganaxolone in the treatment of CDD to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in mid-2021 and a Marketing Authorization Application for ganaxolone for the treatment of CDD to the European Medicines Agency by the end of Q3 2021.

15:37 EDT Ted Cruz urges DOJ investigation of Netflix film 'Cuties' - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has sent a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr calling on the Department of Justice to investigate whether Netflix, its executives, or the makers of the film "Cuties" violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography, the Senator announced on September 11. Reference Link

14:55 EDT Energy Fuels call U.S. agreement with Russia 'important step' - Energy Fuels announces that the U.S. Department of Commerce has obtained Russia's agreement to extend limits on uranium imports into the U.S. from Russia through 2040 under an extended Russian Suspension Agreement, or "RSA." Energy Fuels said: "This is an important step toward maintaining the long-term health of the U.S. uranium mining industry, especially since the expiration of the RSA at the end of 2020 could have resulted in unlimited Russian uranium imports into the U.S. Commerce won important concessions from Russia, including lower quotas starting in the mid-2020's, allowing only a portion of the quotas to be used for the sale of U3O8 and conversion into the U.S., and strict controls on Russian enrichment service contracts." Commerce is releasing a draft amendment of the RSA for public comment, with comments to be due by 5:00 pm EDT on September 28, and is seeking to finalize an amendment to the RSA no later than October 5, 2020, at which time it will go into effect and become binding on the U.S. and Russia, according to Energy Fuels.

13:49 EDT Citi sees Q3 reserve build meaningfully lower than prior quarters

13:47 EDT Citi CFO sees total FY20 revenue flat to slightly down - CFO Mark Mason is speaking at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference.

13:04 EDT CoreLogic confirms receipt of revised proposal from Cannae, Senator - CoreLogic confirmed that it has received a revised unsolicited proposal from Senator Investment Group LP and Cannae Holdings Inc. to acquire all outstanding common shares of CoreLogic for $66.00 per share in cash. Consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, CoreLogic's Board of Directors will carefully review the revised proposal with the assistance of financial and legal advisors to determine the course of action it believes is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. CoreLogic previously announced on July 7 that its Board of Directors had unanimously rejected the unsolicited proposal from Senator/Cannae it received on June 26 to acquire all outstanding common shares of CoreLogic for $65.00 per share in cash. "After a careful and thorough review, conducted in consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, CoreLogic's Board of Directors unanimously concluded that the unsolicited proposal significantly undervalues the company, raises serious regulatory concerns, and is not in the best interests of all shareholders. Since that time, CoreLogic has reported strong second quarter financial results, significantly increased forward guidance based on the strength of its business, raised its quarterly dividend by 50%, and committed to a $1 billion share repurchase. CoreLogic's Board of Directors will review the revised proposal from Senator/Cannae which reflects a proposed $1 per share increase and a request for due diligence."

12:48 EDT Cardinal Health: Electives a bit better, pharma a bit worse than prior guidance - Comments taken from the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference.

12:33 EDT GM CEO: Questions swirling around Nikola should be referred to Nikola

12:30 EDT General Motors CEO: 'Appropriate diligence' done before Nikola deal - Comments taken from RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference.

12:07 EDT DraftKings announces co-exclusive content integration agreement with ESPN - DraftKings (DKNG) announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Disney's (DIS) ESPN to become a co-exclusive sportsbook link-out provider and exclusive daily fantasy sports provider of the "media giant." Links across ESPN digital platforms will connect fans to DraftKings' products and services. Under the agreement, DraftKings will now be able to integrate its products and offerings across ESPN's digital platforms. DraftKings will also power existing and future ESPN studio shows with dedicated segments for promotion, beginning with daily fantasy sports. "ESPN helped revolutionize the 24/7 sports news cycle and continues to be the go-to source for many fans today on the latest and largest sports stories," said Jason Robins, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, DraftKings. "We look forward to this collaboration to exclusively showcase DraftKings' daily fantasy content and offerings while also advancing further visibility and mainstream adoption of our regulated sports betting products."

12:05 EDT ESPN enters into co-exclusive agreements with Caesars, DraftKings - ESPN (DIS) announced that it has entered into two separate multi-year agreements with Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and DraftKings (DKNG). Both deals include co-exclusive link integrations across ESPN digital platforms connecting fans to sportsbooks from Caesars Entertainment's sports betting partner, William Hill (WIMHY), and DraftKings. As part of the new agreements, ESPN expands its relationships with both Caesars, as the exclusive odds provider and co-exclusive sportsbook link-out provider, and DraftKings, as the exclusive daily fantasy sports provider and co-exclusive sportsbook link-out provider. As part of the new Caesars agreement, Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill will also become a sponsor of ESPN's Fantasy products, deepening its relationship as ESPN's exclusive odds provider. The news follows the recent launch of ESPN's Las Vegas studio at The LINQ Hotel + Experience and its expanded content collaboration. Under the new DraftKings deal, DraftKings will also become ESPN's exclusive daily fantasy sports and co-exclusive sportsbook link-out provider. Additionally, DraftKings will power integrations across all ESPN content, beginning with daily fantasy sports segments on ESPN's premier studio shows.

12:00 EDT Par Pacific falls -8.2% - Par Pacific is down -8.2%, or -66c to $7.36.

12:00 EDT Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares falls -19.7% - Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares is down -19.7%, or -$15.14 to $61.76.

12:00 EDT Zymeworks rises 15.3% - Zymeworks is up 15.3%, or $5.86 to $44.13.

11:48 EDT Microsoft's cloud gaming service to launch with over 150 games - Microsoft unveiled the initial launch line-up of more than 150 games that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play via the cloud in 22 countries starting September 15 at no additional cost. xCloud users will find a curated selection of games available in the Xbox Game Pass library, including Xbox Game Studios titles such as Tell Me Why, Grounded, Forza Horizon 4, and Battletoads, along with third party titles like Spiritfarer, Untitled Goose Game, and Destiny 2. Similar to Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC, users can expect the library to evolve over time based on members' feedback, with new games added all the time. "This is a pivotal step on our journey to put the player at the center of their experience and empower gamers to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want," said Kareem Choudhry, corporate vice president of Cloud Gaming at Microsoft. "What you'll see on day one is just the beginning. Over time we'll continue to innovate and add more games that you want." Reference Link

11:32 EDT Town Sports files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says 'not going out of business' - Town Sports International announced to its members today that it and a number of its affiliates have filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions to restructure under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company said, "Town Sports intends to use the Chapter 11 process to engage in further discussions with their landlords and other creditors to successfully restructure their debts to best position the Company for long-term success in the current fitness industry environment. This includes our New York Sports Clubs, Boston Sports Clubs, Philadelphia Sports Clubs, Washington Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts, Total Woman, and Around the Clock Fitness brands. With Chapter 11, companies generally seek a seamless transition in operations upon a filing, so our members will not recognize a break in service. Town Sports International is not going out of business. Restructuring is the best way to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the long-term goal to emerge as a thriving powerhouse in the fitness industry. The goal is to emerge from Chapter 11 as an even stronger company, better positioned to serve members into the future. Town Sports will continue to operate its facilities as usual throughout this process, and members should not notice any changes to their fitness journeys. To ensure we operate in a safe and calculated manner, we will continue to reopen clubs as well as certain amenities in a 'phased' approach as we evaluate the best time and locations."

11:02 EDT Ball Aerospace selected by NASA for three studies to develop SLI technologies - Ball Aerospace was selected by NASA to move forward with three studies to develop and demonstrate innovative Sustainable Land Imaging technologies for potential use on future missions of the Landsat program, a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that is entering its fifth decade of existence. The studies leverage previous SLI Technologies, including the Ball-built Operational Land Imager 2, which will fly on the Landsat 9 mission launching in 2021.

10:26 EDT President Trump issues executive order on lowering drug prices - On September 13, President Donald Trump issued an "Executive Order on Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First," which stated in part "When the Federal Government purchases a drug covered by Medicare - the cost of which is shared by American seniors who take the drug and American taxpayers - it should insist on, at a minimum, the lowest price at which the manufacturer sells that drug to any other developed nation." The order also stated: "It is the policy of the United States that the Medicare program should not pay more for costly Part B or Part D prescription drugs or biological products than the most-favored-nation price." Publicly traded large-cap drugmakers include AstraZeneca (AZN), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Novartis (NVS), Pfizer (PFE), Roche (RHHBY) and Sanofi (SNY). Reference Link

10:08 EDT Oracle says will serve as 'trusted technology provider' to ByteDance - Oracle confirmed in a press release Secretary Mnuchin's statement that it is part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle "will serve as the trusted technology provider." The company added, "Oracle has a 40-year track record providing secure, highly performant technology solutions."

10:02 EDT Meridian Bioscience launches novel SARS-CoV-2 antibody pair - Meridian Bioscience announced the launch of a novel highly sensitive SARS-CoV-2 antibody pair to the trimeric spike protein to accelerate development of COVID-19 assays from patient saliva. Coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies primarily target the trimeric spike glycoprotein on the viral surface that mediates entry into the host cell. This antibody pair binds to recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein. Intentionally designed and screened for the development of rapid saliva antigen tests, these antibodies recognize a linear epitope of the SARS-CoV-S1 trimeric protein. The antibody pair is the first-of-its-kind, having sensitivity down to picograms per milliliter as measured by ELISA. Further, the antibody pair is highly specific to the SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein and does not cross react with other coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV, HCoV-229F, HCoV-HKUI, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-OC43.

10:00 EDT Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -7.1% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -7.1%, or -76c to $9.91.

10:00 EDT Huami rises 12.5% - Huami is up 12.5%, or $1.53 to $13.74.

10:00 EDT Zymeworks rises 14.7% - Zymeworks is up 14.7%, or $5.64 to $43.91.

09:47 EDT Prudential: Share buybacks to remain on pause

09:47 EDT Titan International falls -6.4% - Titan International is down -6.4%, or -21c to $3.08.

09:47 EDT ADC Therapeutics rises 11.7% - ADC Therapeutics is up 11.7%, or $4.53 to $43.21.

09:47 EDT Zymeworks rises 16.6% - Zymeworks is up 16.6%, or $6.34 to $44.61.

09:34 EDT G4S board 'unanimously' reject new proposal from BC Partners and GardaWorld - Following this morning's announcement by Garda World Security Corporation, the Board of G4S plc (GFSZY) confirms that on September 1, it received an unsolicited proposal from BC Partners and GardaWorld, regarding a possible cash offer of 190 pence per G4S share for the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of G4S, which represents a premium of 31% to the price of 145 pence per share prevailing immediately prior to the announcement of the possible offer. This followed earlier proposals at 145 pence per share on June 15, 2020) and 153 pence per share on June 26, 2020, each of which was unanimously rejected by the Board. "Following careful consideration, together with its financial advisors, the Board of G4S unanimously rejected the new proposal on 12 September 2020, on the basis that it significantly undervalues the company and its prospects. The Board believes that the timing of the proposal is highly opportunistic, coming as it does at a time of severe turbulence in global financial markets. Furthermore the company's financial performance following the outbreak of COVID-19 has been particularly resilient, as outlined in the company's interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2020, issued on 23 July 2020. A further announcement will be made by the company in due course," G4S announced.

09:32 EDT Wells Fargo: A lot of stimulus still sitting in customer accounts

09:31 EDT Inpixon announces approx. $2.6M in new orders for Indoor Intelligence platform - Inpixon announced it has received new and additional follow-on orders and subscription renewals with a value of approximately $2.6M during the third quarter of 2020 to date for the application of its Indoor Intelligence platform across multiple uses cases.

09:26 EDT TransEnterix establishes first Asia-Pacific region Senhance training center - TransEnterix announced that it established the first training center for the Senhance Surgical System in the Asia-Pacific region in Japan at the Saitama Medical University International Medical Center in the Greater Tokyo Area.

09:25 EDT Genesis Energy provides update on offshore operations, Q3 adjusted EBITDA - Genesis Energy provided an update on its offshore operations, following Hurricane Laura, as well as disclosed the receipt of some $41M in cash that will also be accounted for as an increase in reported adjusted EBITDA for Q3. The company said, "Turning first to the offshore, there is no apparent damage to our 100% owned and operated Cameron Highway Oil Pipeline System ("CHOPS") nor any of its appurtenant facilities. As currently configured, the CHOPS pipeline goes up and over a junction platform located in Garden Banks block 72, where it can receive pigs and launch pigs for proper maintenance of two of its 30 inch diameter pipeline segments. That platform, located in 520 feet of water, recorded waves in the 70-80 foot range and sustained winds in excess of 130 mph as the eye of Laura passed some 17 miles to the southwest of its location. The platform experienced damage to its topside facilities which is usual and customary, and not significant nor unexpected, after experiencing those type of weather conditions. Below the waterline, through diving and remotely operated vehicle inspections, several areas of structural stress have been identified that will require further investigation and analysis. As a result, no oil is currently flowing through the CHOPS pipeline. We are aggressively working to collect data and conduct a rigorous structural analysis for review by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to hopefully be able to re-occupy the platform, conduct the cleanup tasks required and return the CHOPS pipeline to normal operations. Based upon continuing data collection, observations and analysis, it would appear that CHOPS is more than likely not going to be in a position to resume operations before October 1 at the earliest. However, we have been successful, to date, in working with shippers to divert all available and affected CHOPS barrels into our 64% owned and operated Poseidon Oil Pipeline for deliveries by it directly to shore or for Poseidon to deliver barrels into the Auger Pipeline for further transportation to shore via this alternative path. Because of the rate structures amongst the various pipelines, we expect minimal revenue impact to Genesis during this period of interrupted operations of CHOPS, other than when the volumes were shut in for the storm, and assuming the continuing conditions that there is enough available capacity on Poseidon and/or Auger to receive and transport all of the affected CHOPS volumes. We would expect to incur total expenses associated with inspections, analyses and topside facility repairs in the range of $3-5 million, most of which will be reflected in the third quarter. Any potential costs associated with structural reinforcement or modification, either to the platform or pipeline facilities, will be treated as capital in future periods. We are working diligently and as hard as possible to determine what it will take to return CHOPS to normal service as soon as we can, while never losing sight of our commitment to safe and responsible operations. Shifting gears a bit, I would like to also take this opportunity to disclose that we have received approximately $41 million in cash that will be recognized as Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter for covenant compliance purposes, all as more fully described in our senior secured credit agreement. The cash received is associated with the exercise of a letter of credit we had issued to us as beneficiary from a customer that defaulted under a twenty year term agreement entered into in 2008. The dollars collected from such contractual right will be credited to dollars owed us under the last years of the contract. Under the mechanics of said agreement, we will continue to be paid the dollars owed to us. Having already received this cash and being able to recognize it as increased Adjusted EBITDA this quarter is a positive development for us under the circumstances. Accordingly, we see no scenarios where we have the risk of not comfortably living within all of our financial covenants as we deal with the aftermath of this hurricane season and the Covid-19 pandemic which has directly and indirectly challenged our businesses, like virtually all others, but which are clearly recovering and looking forward to better things in 2021."

09:22 EDT Comstock Mining completes Lucerne sale, recognizes $18M gain - Comstock Mining announced that it has completed the sale of its Lucerne mine to Tonogold Resources for total value and consideration of approximately $25.9M. The consideration includes $7.1M in cash, $6.1M in convertible preferred stock, or CPS and a $4.475M, 12% notes receivable, due and payable on September 20, 2021, plus the assumption of $6.7M in future lease and reclamation obligations, that together represent a permanent reduction of annual operating expenses of approximately $1M. The CPS had an initial recorded fair value of $7.6M. Comstock retained a 1.5% net smelter return, or NSR, royalty on Lucerne and will recognize a tax-free gain on the sale of approximately $18M, with substantially all of the gain expected in Q3. The company also entered into a long-lived mineral lease with Tonogold for additional mineral properties in Storey County, Nevada, granting Tonogold the mineral rights to these properties. Tonogold also announced that it recently completed a $4.25M equity capital raise, with now over $6M in cash on hand and an additional $3.5M in drilling equity credit, fully funding an estimated $7M drill program. Tonogold's initial drill program will focus on the nearly two-mile mineralized strike where most of the historical production and where more favorable mining conditions were enabled by the dewatering of the Sutro Tunnel. Comstock retains a 3% net smelter return royalty on these additional leased properties, reduced to 1.5%, one year after the commencement of mining operations.

09:21 EDT Rennova Health to deploy rapid COVID-19 test at two hospitals - Rennova Health announced that it has purchased and taken delivery of equipment to provide rapid testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 at three sites, two of its hospitals in East Tennessee and its rural clinic in Kentucky. Rennova entered an agreement with Abbott laboratories to install and provide the ID NOW testing to our facilities. ID NOW provides results in 15 minutes utilizing state of the art molecular techniques. This test is approved under U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization from direct nasal or noso-pharyngeal swabs. Testing is expected to begin in September at all 3 facilities. Patients may come to the facilities at their own wish or with a doctor's order for the testing and leave with a result.

09:20 EDT Wells Fargo CFO: Cost cuts 'will be a little bit of everything'

09:18 EDT SpartanNash appoints Tony Sarsam as CEO - SpartanNash announced that it has hired Tony Sarsam as President and CEO. The company said in a release, "Sarsam will assume that role and join the Board of Directors, effective September 21, 2020. Interim President and CEO Dennis Eidson will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board and will serve as Executive Chairman for a period of thirty days to ensure a smooth transition with Mr. Sarsam. Sarsam most recently served as CEO of Borden Dairy Company."

09:17 EDT Novan targets year end to report findings from in vitro assessments of NITRICIL - Coronaviridae: Currently conducting in vitro assessments to evaluate the ability of NITRICIL to inhibit the replication mechanisms of SARS-COV-2. Program Highlights: Nitric oxide may inhibit viral replication by cytotoxic reactions through intermediates such as peroxynitrite; In vitro assessments targeting the reduction of viral shedding and transmission; Targeting year end to report findings from in vitro assessments.

09:16 EDT Novan expects topline results from B-SIMPLE4 Phase 3 study in 2Q21 - SB206: Topical antiviral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections, with a current focus on the treatment of molluscum contagiosum, a contagious skin infection caused by the molluscipoxvirus, a double-stranded DNA virus. Program Highlights: B-SIMPLE4 pivotal Phase 3 study for treatment of molluscum underway; Target completion of enrollment in Q1 2021; Topline results targeted for Q2 2021, subject to the timing and trial execution plan which have been and may be further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic For more information about the B-SIMPLE4 trial, please visit clinicaltrials.gov and reference identifier: NCT04535531.

09:15 EDT Wells Fargo sees 2020 NII of $40.5B vs. prior $41B-$42B range - Comments made by CFO John Shrewsberry at the Global Financial Services Conference.

09:12 EDT Motus GI Holdings announces patent for method to mount Pure-Vu System - Motus GI Holdings announced that the China National Intellectual Property Administration issued patent 201680002365, titled "Distal Front End for Coordination Positioning of an Endoscope with a Suction Device." The patent covers the method of mounting Motus GI's proprietary sensing technology and enhanced suction systems with the distal end of a colonoscope. This patent further protects the Company's flagship product - the Pure-Vu System - in this key potential market.

09:11 EDT ZipDoctor executes marketing agreement with Captify Condulting - American International announced that it has retained the services of Captify Consulting to spearhead, support and champion the ZipDoctor's digital marketing and social media advertising efforts as it relates to its recently launched subscription based online telemedicine platform, located at www.ZipDoctor.co. Captify specializes in helping B2C companies, eCommerce Brands, and entrepreneurs scale and increase their revenue with highly-targeted, consistently-converting digital advertisement campaigns.

09:09 EDT Urban Tea regains compliance with Nasdaq - Urban Tea announced that it has regained compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement. The company received a written notification from Nasdaq, indicating that the company has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550 based on the company's closing bid price being $1.00 per share or greater for 10 consecutive business days from August 27 to September 10.

09:08 EDT Seelos Therapeutics issued patent from Japanese Patent Office covering SLS-002 - Seelos Therapeutics announced that it has received an issued patent from the Japanese Patent Office covering SLS-002. The issued claims cover a formulation and method of using SLS-002 to treat patients experiencing anxiety due to phobic disorders such as: Specific Phobia, Agoraphobia, and Social Phobia. Additionally, Seelos has received a Notice of Allowance from the Japanese Patent Office covering SLS-002. The allowed claims cover a formulation and method of using SLS-002 to prevent anxiety in patients prior to medical or dental procedures.

09:05 EDT Varian appoints Chris Toth as COO - Varian announced Chris Toth, Varian oncology systems president, has been appointed to the newly created role of president and COO. As President and COO, Toth will oversee Varian's business operations, including execution of the company's FY21 goals and strategic initiatives. Toth will continue to report to CEO Dow Wilson.

09:03 EDT Playa Hotels & Resorts announces final phase of post pandemic openings - Playa Hotels & Resorts announced that their entire collection of all-inclusive resorts will be open by December 2020. Since early Summer, Playa has been bringing resort operations back online after temporarily suspending operations earlier in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent guests have been welcomed by Playa's unmatched customer experience of all-inclusive luxury, the trust and assurance of legendary partners such as Hyatt and Hilton and leading safety measures as part of Playa SAFE STAY.

08:52 EDT Nam Tai Property CEO Ying Chi Kwok resigns - Nam Tai Property announced that Ying Chi Kwok has resigned as the director of board and CEO of the company due to personal reasons. Upon the resignation, Kwok ceases to be the chairman of the board. The resignation becomes effective immediately.

08:46 EDT Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Medplus Solutions form partnership for MedWise - Tabula Rasa HealthCare announces that Medplus Solutions, a pharmacy services provider in Puerto Rico, will deploy MedWise medication safety solutions for their long-term care clients. Additionally, Medplus will enhance their clinical pharmacy services by certifying their pharmacists as MedWise Advisors.

08:41 EDT Collectors Universe expands board of directors to eight members - Collectors Universe announced that its Board of Directors has implemented a significant refreshment through the appointment of three new, highly qualified independent directors. The new directors have been appointed effective immediately, expanding the Collectors Universe Board from five to eight members, seven of whom are independent. The new directors are: Kate Duchene, CEO of RGP, Vina Leite, CPO at The Trade Desk and Jon Sullivan, EVP and CFO of Behr Paint Company.

08:39 EDT Open Lending signs Sound Credit Union to Lenders Protection Program - Open Lending Corporation announced that Sound Credit Union, a $2.1 billion institution based in Tacoma, WA, has signed with Open Lending to implement their Lenders Protection program.

08:37 EDT Medigus says ScoutCam upgrades to OTCQB Venture Market - Medigus announced it was informed by ScoutCam, Medigus' subsidiary and a leading developer and manufacturer of customized visual solutions and supplementary technologies, that ScoutCam has been upgraded to the OTCQB Venture Market.

08:36 EDT Ayala Pharmaceuticals to host KOL event on Phase 2 ACCURACY trial data - Ayala Pharmaceuticals announced that it will host a virtual Key Opinion Leader event to review new interim data presented from the ongoing Phase 2 ACCURACY study of AL101 for the treatment of recurrent/metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma harbouring Notch activating mutations at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020. The event will take place on Friday, September 18, 2020 at 8:00 am ET. The event will feature presentations from Ayala management and KOL, Dr. Alan L. Ho, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a lead investigator in the ACCURACY trial.

08:34 EDT PepsiCo appoints Athina Kanioura as chief strategy and transformation officer - PepsiCo (PEP) announced that Athina Kanioura has been appointed executive VP and chief strategy and transformation officer. She will report to chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta. In this new role, Kanioura will lead PepsiCo's end-to-end strategy to win both as a total company and in key markets, including the company's digitalization and data strategy. She will also lead company-wide transformation-ensuring that PepsiCo's scale is leveraged as the company focuses on accelerating growth and identifying areas of cost efficiency and optimization. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Kanioura was the chief analytics officer and global head of applied intelligence at Accenture (ACN), where she specialized in applying AI and analytics to drive business value.

08:30 EDT Partners in Health selects BIO-key PortalGuard Identity, Access Management - BIO-key International announced that Partners in Health selected BIO-key's PortalGuard Identity and Access Management solution to address their ongoing challenges with password resets and to improve authentication options to secure access to critical enterprise applications.

08:29 EDT Bionano Genomics launches Lineagen EpiPanelDx PLUS gene panel test - Bionano Genomics announced the release of EpiPanelDx PLUS by its diagnostics services business, Lineagen. The new laboratory developed test and associated clinical support bolsters Lineagen's diagnostic services for physicians providing care for pediatric patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. EpiPanelDx PLUS is based on a proprietary panel of 223 genes associated with epilepsy-related conditions, more genes than typically found on epilepsy panels available from other service providers and customized for Lineagen's core market of neurodevelopmental disorders. Epilepsy refers to an array of neurological disorders characterized by involuntary seizures and affects approximately 1.2% of the population, or 3.4 million people, in the United States. It is frequently comorbid with other NDDs of childhood development, including intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder and also can co-occur with neuro-behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Collectively, NDDs represent the most common form of developmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 out of 6 children affected in industrialized countries. Lineagen's current menu of FirstStepDx PLUS chromosomal microarray and NextStepDx PLUS whole exome sequencing offers leading molecular diagnostic tests designed to help pediatricians and pediatric neurodevelopmental specialists manage their patients with NDDs. Offering such physicians a test for epilepsy allows Lineagen to more comprehensively serve their needs. EpiPanelDx PLUS is designed for patients who have experienced seizures, infantile spasms, encephalopathy, or febrile seizures, and has an expected 30% diagnostic yield. Lineagen also offers testing to the parents of the patients. By including the analysis of the genomes of one or both biological parents of the patient from the start, it is possible to increase the detection rate of disease-causing variants and inform on recurrence risk for the family. EpiPanelDx PLUS has been curated based on thorough literature review and includes genes with pathogenic variants identified in more than 2,000 epileptic patients tested by Lineagen. The use of a targeted gene panel such as EpiPanelDx PLUS fits the testing strategy that is recommended by the American Academy of Neurology and complements existing genetic tests offered by Lineagen such as FirstStepDx PLUS chromosomal microarray and NextStepDx PLUS whole exome sequencing, which are recommended for patients who show a wider array of neurological symptoms. To help tailor medical management, Lineagen also offers pharmacogenomic testing which includes certain genes that are responsible for the metabolism of important anti-epileptic or anticonvulsant drugs prescribed for epilepsy.

08:26 EDT aTyr Pharma enters $20M common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital - aTyr Pharma announced that it has entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement providing for the sale of up to $20M of common stock to Aspire Capital Fund. Under the terms of the Agreement, Aspire Capital has committed to purchase up to $20 million of aTyr's common stock over a period of up to 30 months at prices based on the market price at the time of each sale, subject to certain terms and conditions. aTyr will control the timing and amount of any shares of common stock sold to Aspire Capital. There are no warrants, options, financing swaps, derivatives or other securities associated with this Agreement. aTyr retains the right to terminate the Agreement at any time, at its discretion, without any additional cost or penalty.

08:24 EDT XP Inc. reduces pricing for online trading by eliminating stock brokerage fees - XP Inc. announced the elimination of brokerage fees for online stock trades at Rico, our online-only solution for self-directed investors, and a reduction of 75% at XP Direct for the same type of trades. In terms of the impact on XP's financials, Bruno Constantino, CFO, estimates a 2% reduction to total gross revenue based on Rico and XP Direct online equity trade revenues in 1H20. "We strongly believe that the long-term benefits to our ecosystem related to the reduction in fees will more than offset short-term financial impacts. As we saw when we successfully eliminated brokerage fees at Clear, we expect ongoing growing in Active Clients, their engagement and satisfaction and, consequently, a lower client acquisition cost. Furthermore, we understand that the initiative has potential to drive higher Net Inflows, AUC and cross selling opportunities across the platform to generate and grow other revenues. The strategic move will accelerate the disruption in the Brazilian financial markets led by XP, and while two million new individuals have joined the B3 over the past two years, we are still in the early stages of this. The Brazilian retail investor, with less than R$3 million, maintains around a 3% allocation to equities, which is very low. We believe that the ongoing equitization process in Brazil will accelerate and that number of individuals in the stock market could surpass 10 million in the next two to three years."

08:22 EDT ATIF Holdings signs strategic cooperation with Dexin Dahua Asset Management - ATIF Holdings announced that through its viable interest entity, Qianhai Asia Times International Finance Services Co. Ltd., it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shenzhen-based Dexin Dahua Asset Management Co. Ltd. on September 11, 2020. ATIF and Dexin Dahua will seek in-depth collaboration via the ATIF's recently launched online financial consulting service platform IPOEX.com. Pursuant to the Agreement, Dexin Dahua will serve as a channel for IPOEX to introduce and bring in different types of enterprises that could register as free and paid members on IPOEX. IPOEX shall provide all-encompassing consulting in corporate financing, initial public offerings and other project incubation services both online and offline. Dexin Dahua will also join as an institutional investor on IPOEX, to provide capital and fundraising-related services for member companies.

08:21 EDT General Cannabis appoints Diane Jones as CFO - General Cannabis announced it has named Diane Jones as CFO. She becomes a member of the Company's senior management team as it expands its operations within Colorado and maintains a continued focus on creating and driving shareholder value across its business. Prior to joining General Cannabis Corp, Ms. Jones served as Corporate Controller for the Americas at Cardino. General Cannabis Corp also announced today a change in the composition of its Board of Directors, as its three independent Directors-Peter Boockvar, Mark Green and Seth Oster-have decided to step down after nearly a decade of collective service on the Board. The Board has elected Carl Williams, Richard Travia and Barker Dalton to replace Boockvar, Green and Oster. Williams, who will become Chairman of the Board and an independent director, has extensive company building experience, having lead private and public companies for over 30 years.

08:18 EDT MiMedx launches EpiCord Expandable Placental Allograft - MiMedx Group announced the launch of EpiCord Expandable, the latest advancement in its portfolio of products. At the core of this technology is EpiCord, which has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The patent-pending design of EpiCord Expandable allows the allograft to cover up to twice the surface area once expanded. This new placental tissue allograft provides healthcare professionals an additional option to support the advanced wound care needs of their patients with larger, chronic, and hard-to-heal wounds.

08:15 EDT JinkoSolar supplies Trung Nam Group with 611MW of Tiger modules - JinkoSolar announced that it has supplied Trung Nam Group with 611MW of Tiger bifacial transparent backsheet modules, which were installed at the Thuan Nam solar power plant project in Vietnam. Located in Thuan Nam, the Thuan Nam solar power plant project is one of the largest solar power projects by capacity that are using bifacial modules in both Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The Tiger series modules utilize half-cell technology and incorporated tiling ribbon technology into the cell design to improve shading tolerance and eliminate any inter-cell gap to ensure high reliability and high efficiency. Tiger bifacial modules with transparent backsheet technology are able to generate higher power compared with conventional modules and reduce the levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE. Apart from these competitive advantages, the Tiger 163mm wafer size modules are able to generate 20W-25W more power than the 166mm modules and save more on Balance of System cost. Tiger modules are also suitable for projects with land scarcity challenges as they are smaller in size compared with 166mm modules. In addition, the Tiger bifacial transparent backsheet modules are about the same weight as mono-facial modules and are much lighter than conventional bifacial modules, which will help to save on logistics and labor costs for installation.

08:12 EDT CenturyLink to change name to Lumen Technologies - CenturyLink has a new brand name. As Lumen Technologies, or Lumen, the company will aim to lead enterprises through the challenges and opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution, a time when smart, connective devices are everywhere. The company said, Lumen brings a new focus to how it views the marketplace and the world with the purpose to further human progress through technology. The company does not intend to change its financial strategy or financial reporting as a result of this announcement. Effective with the opening of the trading day on September 18, the company stock ticker will change from CTL to LUMN. The legal name of CenturyLink is expected to be formally changed to Lumen Technologies upon the satisfaction of all legal and regulatory requirements.

08:10 EDT Strata Skin Sciences announces new direct distribution contract with JMEC Co. - STRATA Skin Sciences announced the signing of a new direct distribution contract with JMEC Co., Ltd. which now provides for a combination of direct recurring revenue from placements and direct capital sales in Japan. Contract Highlights: Strengthens the STRATA XTRAC and VTRAC brand value proposition in Japan to expand the installed base of over 300 devices in-country. Takes advantage of STRATA's strong balance sheet to support the unique recurring revenue business model, now in Japan. Leverages the over 15-year relationship with JMEC, a preeminent medical device distributor active in Japan since 1995, distributing and providing support for STRATA Excimer devices since 2005. The treatment by 308nm Excimer is covered by Japan's national health insurance with reimbursement rates of $33 per procedure. Provides a strategy to target the over 12,000 dermatologists in Japan with an enhanced and unique business proposition never before seen in the Japanese clinical dermatology market. STRATA expects to see the impact of the recurring revenue business model in Japan as early as the end of 2020.

08:09 EDT Fortress Biotech initiates Phase 3 studies of CAEL-101 - Fortress Biotech (FBIO) announced that Caelum Biosciences, in collaboration with Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN), initiated the Cardiac Amyloid Reaching for Extended Survival Phase 3 clinical program to evaluate CAEL-101, a first-in-class amyloid fibril targeted therapy, in combination with standard-of-care therapy in AL amyloidosis. In 2019, Caelum, a company founded by Fortress, entered into a collaboration agreement with Alexion under which Alexion acquired a minority equity interest in Caelum and an exclusive option to acquire the remaining equity in the company based on Phase 3 CAEL-101 data. Fortress maintains a 40 percent ownership in Caelum's issued and outstanding stock and is eligible to receive approximately 43 percent of the proceeds from an Alexion acquisition option exercise. The CARES clinical program includes two parallel Phase 3 studies - one in patients with Mayo stage IIIa disease and one in patients with Mayo stage IIIb disease - and will collectively enroll approximately 370 patients globally. Enrollment is underway in both studies. The primary objective of the clinical program is to assess overall survival. AL amyloidosis, also called primary amyloidosis, is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein called amyloid builds up in organs and interferes with their normal function. It affects many organs, including the heart and kidneys, causes significant damage and impairs organ function. Median survival in patients with AL amyloidosis that has affected the heart is less than a year following diagnosis.

08:07 EDT BAE Systems awarded contract from Lockheed Martin - BAE Systems (BAESY) said in a release, "BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin (LMT) for the production and delivery of additional electronic warfare, or EW, systems for Lot 15, Lot 16 long lead, sustainment spares and retro fit kits for the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II, providing advanced situational awareness and threat response capabilities that support critical missions in contested airspace. The contract follows BAE Systems' production and delivery of more than 500 EW systems for the F-35 as a key system partner, matching Lockheed Martin's airframe production. BAE Systems supports all stages of the product's lifecycle, from development and production to sustainment. The company is actively designing and developing new capabilities to enhance the system's offensive and defensive capabilities, and maintains its readiness for warfighters under a performance-based logistics sustainability contract."

08:05 EDT Verizon enters agreement with American Movil to acquire Tracfone - Verizon announced that it has entered into an agreement with America Movil to acquire Tracfone, the leading pre-paid and value mobile provider in the U.S. The acquisition expands Verizon's portfolio into the value segment, bringing enhanced access to its industry-leading wireless network and comprehensive suite of mobility products and services to a new customer base. Tracfone is the largest reseller of wireless services in the US, serving approximately 21 million subscribers through a network of over 90,000 retail locations nationwide. A longtime partner of Verizon, more than 13 million Tracfone subscribers currently rely on Verizon's wireless network through an existing wholesale agreement. Following the acquisition, Verizon expects to bring its award-winning 4G LTE and 5G networks and other innovative technologies to Tracfone customers, further develop Tracfone's distribution channels, and expand Tracfone's market opportunities.The acquisition of Tracfone aligns with Verizon's growth oriented Network as a Service strategy, and will provide more U.S. consumers seeking value wireless plans with improved experiences and enhanced services, including fixed wireless residential broadband solutions, 5G access and expanded international calling and roaming options. The portfolio of Tracfone brands creates a platform for growth and innovation in Verizon's support of the value and low income segments. Verizon will continue to offer Lifeline service through Tracfone and further develop its core brands, products and distribution channels, including StraightTalk, the vast majority of whose customers operate on the Verizon network. The consideration for the transaction will include $3.125 billion in cash and $3.125 billion in Verizon common stock, subject to customary adjustments, at closing. The agreement also includes up to an additional $650 million in future cash consideration related to the achievement of certain performance measures and other commercial arrangements.Verizon expects to drive significant benefits and network synergies from the transaction. Verizon expects the transaction to be accretive in the first full year following closing, excluding transaction and integration costs, and does not expect the transaction to materially impact capital expenditures. The transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Verizon expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2021.

08:04 EDT Marinus Pharmaceuticals awarded BARDA contract - Marinus Pharmaceuticals said in a release, "Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced it has entered into a five-year development contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to support the development of IV ganaxolone for the treatment of refractory status epilepticus, or RSE, a life-threatening condition in which a significant number of patients do not respond to first- and second-line anticonvulsant drugs. RSE can occur as a result of a variety of serious, acute medical conditions or after exposure to nerve agents. The agreement covers a base period during which BARDA will provide subject matter expertise and $21 million to fund, on a cost share basis, the company's planned Phase 3 clinical trial of ganaxolone for the treatment of RSE (as a result of an underlying medical condition) and will fund preclinical studies of ganaxolone in nerve agent exposure animal models. Contingent on favorable clinical and preclinical outcomes in the base period, the contract includes up to approximately $30 million of additional BARDA funding spanning three options in support of manufacturing, supply chain, clinical, regulatory and toxicology activities. Under the contract, Marinus will be responsible for cost-sharing in the amount of $33 million if all development options are completed. On a successful development, BARDA and Marinus may negotiate a procurement agreement for a supply of ganaxolone for potential response to nerve gas exposure threats. Marinus plans to pursue further discussions with BARDA to evaluate additional routes of administration for ganaxolone that would support field-based rapid response treatment in the event of a nerve gas attack."

08:03 EDT Vaxart announces FDA clearance of IND application for oral COVID-19 vaccine - Vaxart announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has completed its review of the Company's Investigational New Drug application for its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating its oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The Company also provided an update on its COVID-19 program. The Phase 1, open-label, dose-ranging study will be conducted in healthy adults ages 18 to 55 years old. The study's primary objective is to examine the safety and reactogenicity of two-doses of the vaccine. Secondary objectives include immunogenicity, duration of immune response and occurrence of symptomatic COVID-19. Vaxart is conducting a SARS-CoV-2 challenge study in hamsters to provide efficacy data and insights into the optimal dose regimen of our vaccine candidate. Results from this study, which began in early August, are expected mid-October. In addition, and as previously disclosed, Vaxart is awaiting results from a non-human primate challenge study that is testing its vaccine in a harmonized protocol as part of Operation Warp Speed. This preclinical program is being conducted in collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and other entities working with Operation Warp Speed.

07:53 EDT LexinFintech announces management share purchase plan - LexinFintech Holdings announced that members of its senior management, including chairman and CEO Jay Wenjie Xiao, president Jared Yi Wu, and other members of senior management, have informed the Company of their intention to use their personal funds to purchase up to an aggregate of $20M worth of the Company's American depositary shares within the next six months, pursuant and subject to applicable laws and the Company's securities trading policy. Each senior management member will make his or her own independent decision on the share purchase and its terms. The share purchases may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades and/or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. Lexin's senior management team is confident in the Company's prospects and growth potential, and intends to purchase up to an aggregate of $20M worth of the Company's American depositary shares within the next six months as discussed above.

07:41 EDT Almaden Minerals announces exploration plans at Ixtaca property - Almaden Minerals reports on its intention to resume exploration in the area of the Ixtaca project. Since discovery with the first drill hole, exploration work at Ixtaca has been almost entirely focused on the discovery area, and this work has led to the silver and gold reserve which underpins the feasibility study, results of which were announced in December, 2018. The highlights of the FS, using base case prices of $1275/oz gold and $17/oz silver unless noted otherwise, include the following: Average annual production of 7.06 million ounces silver and 108,500 ounces gold over the first 6 years; After-tax IRR of 42% and after-tax payback period of 1.9 years; After-tax NPV of $310 million at a 5% discount rate; After-tax IRR of 57% at the highest upper case price deck of $1425/oz Au and $20/oz Ag; After-tax NPV of $466 million at the highest upper case price deck of $1425/oz Au and $20/oz Ag; Initial Capital of $174 million; Average LOM annual production of 6.14 million ounces silver and 90,800 ounces gold. All-in Sustaining Costs, including operating costs, sustaining capital, expansion capital, private and public royalties, refining and transport of $11.30 per silver equivalent ounce, or $850 per gold equivalent ounce; Elimination of tailings dam by using filtered tailings, which reduces the project footprint and water usage. Construction of a water reservoir providing a permanent and consistent long-term supply of water for residents. While it awaits the outcome of its permitting application and related processes, the Company has taken the decision to resume exploration at this large property with a focus on some previously identified high potential targets which lie outside of the currently defined reserve and feasibility study envelope. This program is starting with a desktop review of exploration data previously gathered, which is expected to lead to further field work in the near-term which may include mapping, surface sampling, geochemical stream silt and soil sampling, and geophysics. These data will be used to design a future drill program.

07:37 EDT Kite Realty Group collects over 89% of Q3 base rent, recoveries - As of September 11, 2020, KRG has collected over 89% of third quarter base rent and recoveries, exclusive of security deposits. An additional 2% of third quarter base rent and recoveries have been contractually deferred. Currently, September rent collections are on a similar pace to July and August.

07:34 EDT Moleculin Biotech to test WP1122 portfolio in COVID-19 animal model. - Moleculin Biotech announced that it has contracted with an independent laboratory to test the antiviral activity of its WP1122 portfolio in a COVID-19 animal model. Moleculin contracted with an independent laboratory for in vivo testing of its drug candidate, WP1122 and another candidate from the same portfolio in development as a possible treatment for COVID-19. The testing will involve that laboratory's hamster model and SARS-CoV-2. Based on the estimated start date of the study, final data may be available in December. Based on feedback from FDA, the company believes it may need to demonstrate activity in a COVID-19 animal model to successfully submit a request for IND status for WP1122. In addition, the company also continues to contract with independent labs to conduct additional in vitro studies, which are currently under way.

07:31 EDT Consolidated Communications to receive up to $425M investment - Consolidated Communications announced that it has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Searchlight, in connection with which affiliates of Searchlight have committed to invest up to an aggregate of $425M in the company. The investment has been unanimously approved by the Consolidated board. In connection with the investment from Searchlight, Consolidated will reduce net debt by $325M and launch a refinancing of substantially all of its remaining $2B of outstanding debt to extend debt maturities and enhance liquidity through an upsize in revolver capacity. As a result, Consolidated expects to have access to additional capital to accelerate fiber deployment and the company expects to reduce its net leverage ratio to 3.5x upon the receipt of the entire $425M investment. The company intends to use the proceeds from this investment to enhance its fiber infrastructure and accelerate investments in high-growth areas of its business. The first stage of the investment is not subject to any regulatory approvals and is expected to occur concurrently with the refinancing, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions. The second stage of the investment is subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The parties expect to close the second stage of the investment in mid-2021, subject to satisfaction of these conditions.

07:29 EDT Delta Air Lines has parked approximately 40% of mainline fleet

07:28 EDT Ascot announces discovery of gold mineralization at Premier Gold Project - Ascot Resources announced the discovery of new high-grade gold mineralization at the "Day Zone" at the Company's Premier Gold Project. The high-grade intercepts are located 300m west from the planned underground development at Big Missouri. Mineralization is open along strike to the north and the south. The Day Zone is located on the Big Missouri Ridge, approximately 5 kilometres north of the Premier Mill. Additionally, an update is provided on Premier West. Highlights from the Day Zone include: 20.62g/t Au over 4.10m in hole P20-2212; 54.60g/t Au over 2.05m in hole P20-2213. As weather conditions improved in August, exploration was shifted to higher elevation targets at the Big Missouri Ridge after initial drilling was completed at Premier West. This news release summarizes the results from three drill holes at the Day Zone at Big Missouri and seven drill holes from Premier West. Exploration drilling at the Day Zone was prompted by anomalous soil geochemistry on the west side of the Big Missouri Ridge and sporadic drilling from the 1980s that indicated the presence of quartz breccia with associated gold mineralization. Drill pad Day-1 was established below the top of the ridge in order to test as much vertical extent as possible. A total of six drill holes were completed from this pad. All three drill holes intercepted gold mineralization at two different elevations with the best intercepts exceeding historical results in this area. These intercepts occur at a depth that appears to be equivalent to the well-established Big Missouri zone on the east side of the ridge. The first two holes intercepted impressive grades with visible gold in hole 2213. The drill core indicates that the area may be affected by structures that offset mineralization and possibly rotated structural blocks which may account for the different orientation compared to what is known from the eastern side of the ridge where mineralization dips gently to the west. Figure 2 shows a 300m gap between the Day Zone and the planned underground development at Big Missouri. Additional drilling will be necessary and is currently being planned to explore this area as well as the northern and southern strike extent of the high-grade zone. The potential for additional resources in this area appears to be very high. The Company reported drill results from drill pad PW-1 at Premier West pictured in news releases on July 29 and August 19. The results reported in those releases indicated the presence of high-grade mineralization to the west of Premier. The fences of drill holes from the one available drill pad followed the mineralization to the west by rotating the orientation of the drill holes. The westernmost drill holes suggest that the mineralized zone has a flatter dip than anticipated. The results summarized in Table 2 are believed to be from peripheral material to the established high-grade zone. Follow-up drilling will have to be conducted from a different drill pad that allows for drill holes perpendicular to the zone. The location of the planned drill pad PW-2 will have to be moved. Ascot is working to establish an alternative location and is hoping to conduct drilling before the end of the year.

07:25 EDT Nevro to establish manufacturing operations in Costa Rica - Nevro announced that it will establish global manufacturing operations in Costa Rica to invest in and support the company's future growth expectations. Nevro has entered into a 10-year lease for a 35,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Costa Rica. Total capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $11M from 2020-2023 with an additional $10M of implementation costs over the same period. The company expects the new manufacturing facility to be validated and approved in 2022, after which the company believes it will realize cost efficiencies and gross margin improvements from this initiative.

07:24 EDT Cassava Sciences announces results of Phase 2b study of sumifilam - Cassava Sciences announced final results of a Phase 2b study with its lead drug candidate, sumifilam, in Alzheimer's disease. In a clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health, sumifilam significantly improved an entire panel of validated biomarkers of disease in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The ability to improve multiple biomarkers from distinct biological pathways with one drug has never been shown before in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Study results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed publication. Sumifilam is the first of a new class of drug compounds that bind to a protein called Filamin A. In addition, Alzheimer's patients treated with sumifilam showed directional improvements in tests of remembering new information, versus patients on placebo. Improvements in cognition correlated most strongly with decreases in P-tau181, a biomarker that, when elevated, leads to tangles in the brain. Sumifilam decreased brain levels of Ptau-181 by 8-11%, versus placebo. In this study, Alzheimer's patients treated with 50 mg or 100 mg of sumifilam twice-daily for 28 days showed statistically significant improvements in biomarkers of disease pathology, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, versus Alzheimer's patients who took placebo. In addition, Alzheimer's patients treated with sumifilam showed directional improvements in validated tests of episodic memory and spatial working memory, versus patients on placebo. Cognitive improvements correlated most strongly with decreases in P-tau181. The study achieved a 98% response rate, defined as the proportion of study participants taking sumifilam who showed improvements in biomarkers. Phase 2b was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-center clinical study of sumifilam. Sixty-four patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, age 50-85, were randomized to 100 mg or 50 mg oral sumifilam or matching placebo. Treatment was administered twice daily for 28 days. Nine U.S. study sites enrolled patients. A clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease was confirmed with the Mini-Mental State Examination greater than or equal to16 to less than or equal to26 and a CSF T-tau/Abeta42 ratio greater than or equal to0.28. Safety was assessed by ECGs, clinical labs, adverse event monitoring and physical examinations. In this study, drug was safe and well-tolerated, with no drug-related patient discontinuations. The study used biomarkers to measure drug effects. Biomarkers are objective biological endpoints used to track the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Molecular aberrations in the brain are reflected in biomarkers found in cerebrospinal fluid, a fluid that surrounds the brain. A key objective of this study was to measure changes in levels of CSF biomarkers in study participants before and after 28 days of treatment. Key biomarker results include the following: Core markers of Alzheimer's pathology are total tau, phosphorylated tau, and amyloid beta42. In Alzheimer's, tau and P-tau levels are elevated and Abeta42 is low. T-tau decreased 15% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. T-tau decreased 18% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. P-tau decreased 8% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. P-tau decreased 11% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. Abeta42 increased 17% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. Abeta42 increased 14% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. Elevated CSF levels of two proteins, Neurogranin and Neurofilament Light Chain indicate neurodegeneration. Ng decreased 36% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. Ng decreased 43% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. NfL decreased 28% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. NfL decreased 34% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. Proinflammatory IL-6 is produced in response to tissue stress and injury. IL-6 decreased 10% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. IL-6 decreased 11% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. Elevated levels of neuroinflammatory marker YKL-40 indicate microglial activation. YKL-40 decreased 10% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. YKL-40 decreased 12% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. sTREM2 is a neuroinflammation biomarker that has commanded substantial recent attention from researchers for its role in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. sTREM2 decreased 43% for patients in the 50 mg drug group. sTREM2 decreased 46% for patients in the 100 mg drug group. A further objective of this study was to measure drug effects on cognition. Patients were tested at baseline and again on Day 28. Changes in episodic memory and spatial working memory were assessed on CANTAB, a validated, computer-based battery of tests. CANTAB is designed to measure cognitive skills regardless of the subject's language skills, speed, gender or education. Only directional trends are observed, due to limitations around study size. Key cognition results include: Alzheimer's patients in both drug groups showed directional improvements on tests of episodic memory and spatial memory after 28 days of treatment, versus patients on placebo. Effect Sizes were 46-17% versus placebo.Episodic memory improved by -5.7 for Alzheimer's patients in the 50 mg drug group, versus -1.5 for patients on placebo.Episodic memory improved by -4.3 for Alzheimer's patients in the 100 mg drug group, versus -1.5 for patients on placebo. Spatial memory improved by -1.6 for Alzheimer's patients in the 50 mg drug group, versus -0.4 for patients on placebo. Spatial memory improved by -3.3 for Alzheimer's patients in the 100 mg drug group, versus -0.4 for patients on placebo. Improvements in cognition correlated most strongly with decreases in CSF P-tau181, a biomarker that, when elevated, leads to tangles in the brain. Sumifilam decreased brain levels of Ptau-181 by 8-11%, versus placebo. CSF was drawn from all study participants by lumbar puncture, an outpatient procedure used to remove a small sample of CSF from the lower spine. Study participants underwent two CSF draws: before treatment started and again after 28 continuous days of treatment. All CSF samples were sent to outside labs for bioanalysis. Bioanalysis refers to a set of laboratory tests that detect and measure very small amounts of biomarkers in CSF. Bioanalyses were conducted under blinded conditions to eliminate any possibility of bias. An academic lab generated final results. The validity of final results is evidenced by robust correlations between biomarker movements over 28 days in the dataset for placebo samples, and only small changes in biomarkers in the placebo group, as expected. As previously disclosed, an initial bioanalysis by a different lab showed highly anomalous data, e.g., huge swings in levels of biomarkers, as well as biomarkers moving in opposite directions in the same patients, all in the group who took placebo for 28 days. With its validity in question, the initial bioanalysis serves no useful purpose. A small, well-controlled study of sumifilam showed promising treatment effects in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. In this study, sumifilam treatment over 28 days improved an entire panel of validated biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, decreased measurements of neuroinflammation, showed a 98% responder rate, appears safe and well-tolerated, and appears to benefit cognition. Importantly, the data are consistent with prior clinical and preclinical results, the drug's mechanism of action and over 10 years of basic research. Cassava Sciences is conducting an ongoing, long-term, open-label, multi-center, extension study of sumifilam 100 mg twice-daily for 12 months. The study's target enrollment is approximately 100 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, including patients from prior studies of sumifilam. The open-label study is currently over 50% enrolled.

07:20 EDT Americas Gold and Silver announces increase to Galena Complex resource - Americas Gold and Silver, a growing North American precious metals producer, provides an update to its Mineral Reserve and Resource statement as at June 30. On a consolidated and attributable basis, estimated contained metal in the proven and probable mineral reserve categories totaled 610,000 ounces of gold, 30.6M ounces of silver, 134M pounds of zinc, 129M pounds of lead and 28M pounds of copper. Since the June 2019 Mineral Reserve and Resource statement, exploration drilling was focused solely at the Galena Complex as the company constructed and commissioned Relief Canyon. Drilling to date at the Galena Complex includes approximately 33% of planned exploration drilling based on the Galena Complex recapitalization plan. Based on this initial drilling at the Galena Complex, measured and indicated silver resources on a 100% basis increased from 27.4M ounces to 37.3M ounces and inferred silver resources increased from 39M ounces to 78.6M ounces. This represents a 36% and 101% increase, respectively, from previous reported estimates.

07:17 EDT CollPlant signs distribution agreement for Vergenix FG in six CIS countries - CollPlant announced that it has signed an agreement for distribution of its Vergenix Flowable Gel, or FG, product in six Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan. The company also reported that it has received the first order in an amount of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. Based on deal terms, CollPlant will deliver a portion of the order immediately and the remainder over the next six months. The distributor is a Swiss-headquartered pharmaceutical group of companies and the agreement is for a five-year period. Vergenix FG is based on the Company's rhCollagen technology and is a wound-care product designed to treat acute and chronic hard-to-heal wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, pressure sores, surgical cuts and trauma wounds. A single application of the product provides an optimized treatment for the healing process until full wound closure.

07:13 EDT Nikola issues statement regarding Hindenburg Research report - Nikola issued the following statement commenting on report published by Hindenburg Research: "Nikola believes that the Hindenburg report, and the opportunistic timing of its publication shortly after announcement of Nikola's partnership with General Motors Co. and the resulting positive share price reaction, was designed to provide a false impression to investors and to negatively manipulate the market in order to financially benefit short sellers, including Hindenburg itself. Nikola has contacted and briefed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding Nikola's concerns pertaining to the Hindenburg report. Nikola intends to fully cooperate with the SEC regarding its inquiry into these matters... Short Seller Distorts Nikola One 2017 Third Party "Future of Transportation" Promotion Video and Creates a Popular Lie: Hindenburg seeks to portray Nikola as misrepresenting the capabilities of the Nikola One prototype in a 2017 video produced by a third party, as "simply filmed rolling down a big hill." Nikola never stated its truck was driving under its own propulsion in the video, although the truck was designed to do just that (as described in previous point). The truck was showcased and filmed by a third party for a commercial. Nikola described this third-party video on the Company's social media as "In Motion." It was never described as "under its own propulsion" or "powertrain driven." Nikola investors who invested during this period, in which the Company was privately held, knew the technical capability of the Nikola One at the time of their investment. This three-year-old video of a Nikola prototype is irrelevant except for the fact that the short seller is trying to use it for its main thesis. The fact is, Nikola has real working hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi-trucks. Any reports intended to suggest that Nikola's trucks do not drive are erroneous, and recent videos of Nikola vehicles driving can be found here. These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price. Short Seller Intentionally Underestimates Extent of Hydrogen Production Capabilities: Nikola continues to believe that its planned hydrogen station network, and the production and distribution of hydrogen, will provide key competitive advantages that drive sustained profitability and shareholder value over the long term. Nikola representatives occupy leadership positions in industry organizations, including as working group chairs within the worldwide International Standards Organization (Heavy Duty) hydrogen fueling standard development and the Society of Automotive Engineers fuel cell standards committee for the HD vehicles' fuel economy. The Company has also partnered with one of the most well-known hydrogen experts in the world, Nel ASA. Further, Nikola has already installed a 1,000 kg hydrogen storage and dispensing demo station at its headquarters and ordered over $30 million of electrolyzers to support the initial hydrogen station rollout. Read more in the Company's press release. These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price. Short Seller Alleges NZT Program Was Scrapped after Unveiling: The program remains underway. The first NZT enclosed cab display model is sitting in Nikola's showroom at its headquarters. The Company has since spent millions of dollars preparing the NZT enclosed cab version for production using both internal and external resources. More to come at Nikola World 2020. These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price.Short Seller Quotes Spokesman of Fuel-Cell Competitor, Powercell AB, as Saying Nikola Battery and Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Technology is "Hot Air": Third-party competitor views of Nikola and the Company's technology are not relevant. These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price. Short Seller Takes Shots at Nikola Employees: Nikola believes in talent, and each of the employees unfairly described in the short seller report are making important contributions to the success of the Company. Nikola has built a deep bench of experienced leaders, with significant expertise in the automotive and electric-vehicles industry. Kevin Lynk is a talented mechanical engineer who has specialized in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), computer-aided design (CAD) and product data management (PDM). Kevin has also played an instrumental role in the design and development of most Nikola vehicles since the beginning of the Company. Travis Milton previously owned and operated his own construction company preparing him for hydrogen station infrastructure and buildouts. Dale Prows has over 30 years of experience in supply chain and purchasing in the petrochemical and aluminum industries. These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price. Short Seller Misrepresents Value of 2010 Contract between Swift Transportation and dHybrid Systems LLC: This agreement was from 2010, and has no connection with or association to Nikola. In its report, Hindenburg criticizes Mr. Milton's statements about the approximately $250 million value of the contract between Swift Transportation and dHybrid (not Nikola), and cites only selected clauses to misrepresent the value of the contract as being worth "only $16 million." What Hindenburg fails to include are the provisions in the contract whereby Swift was granted an option to acquire up to an additional 11,700 systems at $20,000 per vehicle, bringing the total potential value of the contract to $250 million. The contract can be found here (see paragraph 6(b)). These allegations by the short seller are false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price. There are dozens more inaccurate allegations made by the short seller, which are not relevant to Nikola..."

07:10 EDT Aimco to separate business into two public companies

07:08 EDT Synlogic appoints David Hava as chief scientific officer - Synlogic announced the appointment of David Hava as chief scientific officer. Hava will provide strategic leadership to the research organization and build Synlogic's portfolio of research partners. Hava is an experienced drug developer and CSO known for generating partnerships which build clinical and scientific value. He has previously served as chief scientific officer at Metera Pharmaceuticals.

07:05 EDT Regeneron, Oxford RECOVERY trial to evaluate REGN-COV2 for COVID-19 patients - Regeneron and the University of Oxford announced that RECOVERY, one of the world's largest randomized clinical trials of potential COVID-19 treatments, will evaluate Regeneron's investigational anti-viral antibody cocktail, REGN-COV2. The Phase 3 open-label trial in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will compare the effects of adding REGN-COV2 to the usual standard-of-care versus standard-of-care on its own. REGN-COV2 is the first specifically designed COVID-19 therapy being evaluated by RECOVERY. It was selected in part based on its emerging safety profile in humans, pre-clinical data showing it could protect against viral escape mutations, and prevention and treatment studies in non-human primates showing it reduced the amount of virus and associated damage in the lungs. REGN-COV2 is currently being studied in two Phase 2/3 clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 and in a Phase 3 trial for the prevention of COVID-19 in household contacts of infected individuals. The open-label RECOVERY trial will assess the impact of adding REGN-COV2 to the usual standard-of-care on all-cause mortality 28 days after randomization. Other endpoints include the impact on hospital stay and the need for ventilation. It is anticipated that at least 2,000 patients will be randomly allocated to receive REGN-COV2 plus usual standard-of-care, and results will be compared with at least 2,000 patients who receive standard-of-care on its own. Usual standard-of-care varies by local hospital.

07:03 EDT Enanta initiates Phase 1 clinical study of EDP-297 - Enanta Pharmaceuticals said in a release, "Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced that it has dosed the first subjects in its Phase 1 clinical trial of EDP-297, a highly potent and targeted follow-on farnesoid X receptor, or FXR, agonist, being developed for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. The Phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-in-human study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, including the effect of food intake, of orally administered EDP-297 in approximately 74 healthy adult subjects. Two phases are planned: a single ascending dose phase enrolling six cohorts, including a two-part food effect cohort, and a multiple ascending dose phase enrolling three cohorts."

06:57 EDT Tempur Sealy provides business update - Tempur Sealy announced that quarter-to-date order trends have improved from previous expectations and the company now estimates total Q3 net sales to grow more than 30% compared to prior year. The change in expectation was primarily driven by improving order trends on U.S. Tempur-Pedic products. The company continues to experience capacity constraints for U.S. Sealy products, including supply chain limitations outside the Company's control. The company is working closely with suppliers to find solutions for component shortfalls to support the elevated U.S. Sealy demand. The company's board has approved the early termination of its shareholder rights plan to now expire at the close of business on September 14. The limited duration rights plan was adopted on March 27 with a previous expiration date of March 26, 2021. Shareholders are not required to take any action as a result of this expiration. The company also announced Cliff Buster will be promoted to the CEO of Tempur Sealy North America effective January 1, 2021.

06:55 EDT Merck to acquire $1B equity stake in Seattle Genetics as part of collaborations - Seattle Genetics (SGEN) and Merck (MRK) announced two new strategic oncology collaborations. The companies will globally develop and commercialize Seattle Genetics' ladiratuzumab vedotin, an investigational antibody-drug conjugate, or ADC, targeting LIV-1, which is currently in phase 2 clinical trials for breast cancer and other solid tumors. The collaboration will pursue a broad joint development program evaluating ladiratuzumab vedotin as monotherapy and in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda in triple-negative breast cancer, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and other LIV-1-expressing solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Seattle Genetics will receive a $600M upfront payment and Merck will make a $1B equity investment in 5M shares of Seattle Genetics common stock at a price of $200 per share. In addition, Seattle Genetics is eligible for progress-dependent milestone payments of up to $2.6B. Separately, Seattle Genetics has granted Merck an exclusive license to commercialize Tukysa, a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of HER2-positive cancers, in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America and other regions outside of the U.S., Canada and Europe. Seattle Genetics will receive $125M from Merck as an upfront payment and is eligible for progress-dependent milestones of up to $65M. Under the terms of the agreement, Seattle Genetics and Merck will collaborate and equally share costs on the global development of ladiratuzumab vedotin and other LIV-1-targeting ADCs. The companies have agreed to jointly develop and share future costs and profits for ladiratuzumab vedotin on a 50:50 basis worldwide. Merck will pay Seattle Genetics $600M upfront and make a $1B equity investment in 5M shares of Seattle Genetics common stock at a price of $200 per share. In addition, Seattle Genetics will be eligible to receive up to $2.6B in milestone payments, including $850M in development milestones and $1.75B in sales milestones. The companies will jointly develop and commercialize ladiratuzumab vedotin and equally share profits worldwide. The companies will co-commercialize in the U.S. and Europe. Seattle Genetics will be responsible for marketing applications for approval in the U.S. and Canada, and will record sales in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Merck will be responsible for marketing applications for approval in Europe and in countries outside the U.S. and Canada, and will record sales in countries outside the U.S., Europe and Canada. Including the upfront payment, equity investment proceeds and potential milestone payments, Seattle Genetics is eligible to receive up to $4.2B. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck has been granted exclusive rights to commercialize Tukysa in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America and other regions outside of the U.S., Canada and Europe. Seattle Genetics retains commercial rights and will record sales in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Merck will be responsible for marketing applications for approval in its territory, supported by the positive results from the HER2CLIMB clinical trial. Merck will also co-fund a portion of the Tukysa global development plan, which encompasses several ongoing and planned trials across HER2-positive cancers, including breast, colorectal, gastric and other cancers set forth in a global product development plan. Seattle Genetics will continue to lead ongoing Tukysa global development planning and operational execution. Merck will solely fund and conduct country-specific clinical trials necessary to support anticipated regulatory applications in its territory. Seattle Genetics will receive from Merck $125M as an upfront payment and is eligible to receive progress-dependent milestones of up to $65M. Seattle Genetics will also receive $85M in prepaid research and development payments to be applied to Merck's global development funding obligations. In addition, Seattle Genetics would receive tiered royalties on sales of Tukysa in Merck's territory.

06:37 EDT Eli Lilly, Incyte: baricitinib/remdesivir combo reduce COVID-19 recovery time - Eli Lilly (LLY) and Incyte (INCY) said in a release, "Eli Lilly and Incyte announced initial data emerging from the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-2) sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. ACTT-2 included more than 1,000 patients and began on May 8 to assess the efficacy and safety of a 4-mg dose of baricitinib plus remdesivir versus remdesivir in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Baricitinib in combination with remdesivir met the primary endpoint of reduction of time to recovery in comparison with remdesivir. Study investigators noted an approximately one-day reduction in median recovery time for the overall patient population treated with baricitinib in combination with remdesivir versus those treated with remdesivir. This finding was statistically significant. Recovery was defined as the participant being well enough for hospital discharge, meaning the participant either no longer required supplemental oxygen or ongoing medical care in the hospital, or was no longer hospitalized at Day 29. The study also met a key secondary endpoint comparing patient outcomes at Day 15 using an ordinal 8-point scale ranging from fully recovered to death. An independent data and safety monitoring board overseeing the double-blind, randomized controlled trial met regularly throughout the trial to review safety data. Additional analyses are ongoing to understand other clinical outcome data, including mortality and safety data. NIAID is expected to publish full details of the study in a peer-reviewed journal. Based on the ACTT-2 data, Lilly plans to discuss the potential for emergency use authorization, or EUA, with the FDA and to explore similar measures with other regulatory agencies for baricitinib as a treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. If authorized for use, Lilly will propose that baricitinib be available through commercial channels and will work with hospitals and governments to ensure patient access. Lilly will continue to create adequate supply for rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, patients and ensure baricitinib remains available in countries where it is approved. In the U.S., baricitinib is approved for RA patients at a 2-mg daily dose; an EUA would potentially authorize a 4-mg dose for COVID-19. Lilly will review the ACTT-2 data with NIAID and assess any impact on COV-BARRIER, the Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study it initiated in June to evaluate the efficacy and safety of baricitinib versus background therapy in hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America."

06:34 EDT SpringsWorks Therapeutics enters collaboration, supply agreement with Janssen - SpringWorks Therapeutics (SWTX) announced that the company has entered into a clinical collaboration and supply agreement with Janssen (JNJ) to evaluate SpringWorks Therapeutics' investigational gamma secretase inhibitor, or GSI, nirogacestat, in combination with Janssen's bispecific antibody targeting B-cell maturation antigen, or BCMA and CD3, teclistamab, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Gamma secretase inhibition prevents the cleavage and shedding of BCMA from the surface of myeloma cells. In preclinical models, nirogacestat has been shown to increase the cell surface density of BCMA and reduce levels of soluble BCMA, which may enhance the activity of BCMA-targeted therapies, including CD3 bispecific antibodies. Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen will sponsor and conduct the Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination, and will assume all costs associated with the study, other than expenses related to the manufacturing of nirogacestat. SpringWorks Therapeutics will also form a joint oversight committee with Janssen. Pending discussions with regulators, the study is anticipated to commence by early 2021. In addition to its ongoing clinical collaborations with BCMA-directed therapies, SpringWorks is also currently conducting a global Phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate nirogacestat in adults with progressing desmoid tumors.

06:20 EDT Axsome Therapeutics presents new data from GEMINI Phase 3 trial - Axsome Therapeutics said in a release, "Axsome Therapeutics announced that AXS-05, a novel, oral, investigational NMDA receptor antagonist with multimodal activity, rapidly and significantly improved patient-reported outcomes of depression in patients with major depressive disorder, or MDD, in the GEMINI Phase 3 trial. These findings were presented at the 33rd Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, or ECNP, being held virtually September 12-15. The GEMINI study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, U.S. trial, in which 327 adult patients with confirmed moderate to severe MDD were randomized to treatment with either AXS-05 (dextromethorphan/bupropion modulated delivery tablet) or placebo once daily for the first 3 days and twice daily thereafter for a total of 6 weeks. Two patient-reported outcomes, or PROs, for depression were assessed in this trial: the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (Self-Report) (QIDS-SR-16), and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) for depression. The QIDS-SR-16 is a well-established PRO that was the primary outcome measure in the landmark NIH-funded STAR*D trial of antidepressant treatments3. A PRO is a report of the status of a patient's health condition that comes directly from the patient, without interpretation of the patient's response by a clinician or anyone else. PROs therefore provide a measurement of patients' perception of their own depression status as a result of an intervention. The PROs complement the clinician-rated measures, such as the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, or MADRS, that were also assessed in the GEMINI trial. AXS-05 demonstrated a highly statistically significant reduction in patient-reported depressive symptoms compared to placebo at Week 6, with mean reductions from baseline in the QIDS-SR-16 total score of 7.8 points for AXS-05 and 5.4 points for placebo, representing 48% and 34% reductions from baseline, respectively. AXS-05 rapidly and durably improved patient-reported depressive symptoms as compared to placebo with statistical significance on the QIDS-SR-16 total score demonstrated at Week 1, the earliest time point assessed, at Week 2, and at all time points thereafter. Clinical response on the QIDS-SR-16 (defined as greater than or equal to50% improvement) was statistically significantly greater for AXS-05 compared to placebo at Week 1, at Week 2, and at every time point thereafter, being achieved by 53.4% of AXS-05 patients compared to 32.9% of placebo patients at Week 6. On the patient-reported global measure of depression, the PGI-I, AXS-05 demonstrated highly statistically significant improvements as compared to placebo, with 47.2% of patients treated with AXS-05 reporting that their depression was "very much" or "much" improved compared to 31.3% of placebo patients at Week 6. Improvement on the PGI-I with AXS-05 as compared to placebo was rapid and durable with statistical significance demonstrated at Week 1 and at all time points thereafter. The results on these patient-reported measures are consistent with those observed with the corresponding clinician-rated scales, the MADRS and the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I). As previously reported, AXS-05 met the primary endpoint in the GEMINI trial by demonstrating a highly statistically significant reduction in the MADRS total score compared to placebo at Week 6, with mean reductions from baseline of 16.6 points for AXS-05 and 11.9 points for placebo. AXS-05 also demonstrated statistically significant improvement at Week 6 compared to placebo on the CGI-I. Rapid improvement in depressive symptoms was also demonstrated on these clinician-rated scales, with statistically significant improvements starting at Week 1 and every timepoint thereafter."

06:07 EDT ViacomCBS to sell CNET Media to Red Ventures for $500M - Red Ventures said in a release, "Red Ventures, a portfolio of digital brands, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CNET Media Group from ViacomCBS for $500 million. CNET Media Group is a pioneer in digital media. CNET, a leading global technology news brand, has grown over 25 years to cover all aspects of technology in our lives, including automotive coverage at Roadshow and Spanish-language technology coverage at CNET en Espanol. CNET paved the way for CNET Media Group, an expansive portfolio of digital media brands that advise consumers across leading consumer tech, business tech, gaming, and entertainment media brands including ZDNet, a leader in B2B focused content and Gamespot, a renowned games information brand in the US, according to ComScore. The portfolio also includes revered entertainment and lifestyle brands like TVGuide, Metacritic, and Chowhound. The transaction, which is expected to close in Q4 2020, is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions."

06:04 EDT GCP Applied Technologies CEO Randy Dearth to depart, Simon Bates to succeed - GCP Applied Technologies announced that its board of directors has appointed Simon Bates as its president and CEO effective October 1. Bates will succeed Randy Dearth, who has served as the company's President and CEO since August 2019. Craig Merrill, GCP's CFO will assume the combined role of Interim CEO and Cfo until Bates joins the company on October 1. Bates, joins GCP Applied Technologies following a 24-year career in the specialty construction chemicals and building products industries. Most recently, he served as president, infrastructure products group, a division of CRH, with more than 85 locations globally. During his tenure, the business delivered growth in both revenues and profitability.

05:57 EDT Mogu announces up to $10M share repurchase program - Mogu announced that its board of directors has authorized a new share repurchase program, where the company is authorized to repurchase up to $10M of its shares, effective until September 12, 2021. The company expects to fund the repurchases under this program with its existing cash balance.

05:45 EDT Fitbit receives regulatory clearance in U.S., Europe for ECG app for AFib - Fitbit has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA, as well as Conformite Europeenne, or CE, marking in the European Union, for its electrocardiogram, or ECG, app to assess heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation, or AFib, a condition that affects more than 33.5M people globally. The Fitbit ECG App, unveiled in Fitbit's recent fall product launch, will be available in October to users on Fitbit Sense in the following countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Romania, Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, Hong Kong and India.

05:37 EDT Cellcom Israel appoints Shai Amsalem as CFO, announces two new board members - Cellcom Israel announced the appointment of Shai Amsalem as the company's CFO effective immediately and Eran Shenar and Diana Elsztein-Dan as members of the company's board, effective September 14. Shenar was nominated to the board by the company's employees, as per the February collective employment agreement. Amsalem has served as CFO of Golan Telecom since 2017. Shenar is the founder and co-owner of Best-Medical Center as of 2019 and of the Multidisciplinary Center of Gastroenterology since 2015 and has served as a business and financial consultant since 2010. Diana Ingrid Elsztain-Dan has served as a director of Discount Investment Corporation since December 2019 and as a director of IDB Development Corporation since 2016.

05:33 EDT Nestle commences tender offer for Aimmune - Societe des Produits Nestle (NSRGY) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPN Merger Sub, is commencing today a cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Aimmune Therapeutics (AIMT) for a price of $34.50 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and subject to any withholding taxes. The company said in a release, "The Offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, and related Letter of Transmittal and other related materials that will be filed by Nestle and Purchaser with the United States SEC on September 14 and pursuant to the terms of the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 29, by and among Nestle, Purchaser and Aimmune. In addition, Aimmune will file today a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 and a Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement relating to the Offer with the SEC. The independent members of the board of directors of Aimmune have declared the Offer to be fair to and in the best interests of Aimmune and Aimmune's stockholders and recommend that such stockholders accept the Offer and tender their shares of Aimmune common stock pursuant to the Offer. The Offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, Eastern time, on October 9, unless extended or earlier terminated. Any extension of the Offer will be announced in a press release or other public announcement before 9:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the first business day after the Expiration Date."

05:28 EDT Regeneron, Sanofi granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for Dupixent by FDA - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) and Sanofi (SNY) announced the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Dupixent (dupilumab) for the treatment of patients 12 years and older with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE. The companies said in a release, "The designation for this investigational use is based on positive results from Part A of a Phase 3 trial in patients with EoE. There are currently no FDA-approved medicines for EoE, a chronic and progressive type 2 inflammatory disease that damages the esophagus and prevents it from working properly. Over time, excessive type 2 inflammation causes scarring and narrowing of the esophagus, making it difficult to swallow. If left untreated, EoE can affect a patient's ability to eat and cause food to become stuck after being swallowed (food impaction), which can lead to a medical emergency. In the U.S. alone, there are approximately 160,000 patients with EoE who are currently being treated with various unapproved therapies or diet modification. Of these patients, approximately 50,000 have failed multiple treatments."

05:15 EDT J.Jill obtains consents to implement out of court consensual restructuring deal - J.Jill said in a release, "J.Jill announced it has obtained the necessary consents from its term loan lenders to implement the previously announced financial restructuring transaction on an out of court basis. The Company received consents from lenders holding 97.8% of the Company's term loans on the terms of the Transaction that are intended to result in a waiver of any past non-compliance with the Company's credit facilities and provide the company with additional liquidity. The Company expects the Transaction to close on or about September 30, subject to obtaining consent to the Transaction and a waiver of all existing non-compliance with the terms of the Company's asset-based credit facility from the requisite lenders under the Company's ABL Facility, and finalizing the other terms and documentation related to the Transaction. Under the terms of the Transaction, the maturity of certain participating term loan debt will be extended to May 2024, all existing non-compliance with the terms of the Company's credit facilities will be waived, the Company will be granted a financial covenant holiday under certain participating term loan debt until Q4 2021, and will receive an investment of no less than $15 million in the form of a junior term loan facility. The Transaction provides J.Jill with the financial flexibility to continue to meet its obligations to its vendors in full and continue to execute on its business plan. As previously announced, all vendor claims will be unimpaired and paid in the ordinary course under the Transaction."