Stockwinners Market Radar for September 15, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:22 EDT Union Pacific CEO: Our new operating plan is much more efficient - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Lance Fritz said the company has taken a third of work out of its network. It has opened markets as the cost structure is much better, he noted. "Our network is built to be reliable and consistent," he said. Union Pacific intends to double female employment by 2030. "Our environmental footprint is front and center. We're more carbon efficient than our competitors" Fritz said.

18:07 EDT Fox Corp.'s Dinh sells 70,000 class A shares - In a regulatory filing, Fox Corp. chief legal and policy officer Viet D. Dinh disclosed the sale of 70,000 class A common shares of the company on September 14 at a price of $28.71 per share.

17:59 EDT FedEx says had $65M reduction in excise taxes under CARES act - Sees improved yield in fiscal 2021. Sees higher revenue and operating profit in FY21.

17:54 EDT AMC Networks jumps nearly 18% after exec chairman departure

17:44 EDT FedEx says Europe demand continues to be driven by ecommerce - Says Ground Sunday service now reaches 95% of population.

17:32 EDT NorthStar Anesthesia completes acquisition of Surgery Partners businesses - NorthStar Anesthesia announced that Anesthesia Consulting & Management, has completed an acquisition of select anesthesia services businesses of Surgery Partners (SGRY), a short-stay surgical facility owner and operator.

17:20 EDT Adobe says it expects strong Q4 - Says ongoing pandemic continues to result in a challenging environment everywhere around the world. Says this reality has created new tailwinds for the company. Says had outstanding Q3. Says quarter was highlighted by strong net new digital media annual recurring revenue, digital experience subscription revenue growth and record operating cash flows. Sees Q4 non-GAAP tax rate 10%. Says expects a strong Q4 to conclude another year of record revenues and earnings for Adobe. Comments taken from investor presentation slides and Q3 earnings conference call.

17:09 EDT Spotify debuts virtual event listings on artist profiles, and in Concert hub - In an earlier blog posting on Spotify for Artists, the music streaming service said: "We're making it easy for your fans to tune in wherever you are and wherever they are. Over the past six months, in the wake of COVID-19, we've seen artists adapt and innovate in incredible ways. In lieu of live shows, staging virtual performances across a variety of platforms has become a vital way to connect with your fans, and share who you are with new listeners. With many tours postponed until 2021, the necessity for these virtual events is set to continue, and we want to make it easy for Spotify listeners to learn about virtual events for the artists they love, as well as artists they're discovering for the very first time. In light of this we've leveraged our partnership with Songkick-the live stream concert discovery app-and Ticketmaster to make it happen. Starting today, all Spotify listeners will be able to find virtual event listings on artist profiles and in the Concerts hub. So, this means if you have an upcoming event you want Spotify to share with listeners, you should work through Songkick to get these events listed (there is no way to list the event directly through Spotify for Artists). A select number of Ticketmaster events will also be automatically listed on Spotify." Reference Link

16:56 EDT Kohl's reduces corporate positions by approximately 15% - On September 15, Kohl's took various actions to further align its cost base in response to the business impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of these actions, the company reduced corporate positions by approximately 15%. The company expects these actions will generate expense savings of approximately $65M on an annualized basis. The company expects pre-tax costs of approximately $23M for these actions, the majority of which will be recorded in the third quarter of 2020. Together with the company's February 2020 restructuring actions, the company expects expense savings generated from these actions of more than $100M on an annualized basis.

16:34 EDT 8i Enterprises Acquisition shareholders approve transaction with Diginex - 8i Enterprises Acquisition announced that its shareholders voted to approve the proposed business combination transaction with Diginex at a Special Meeting of Shareholders held for this purpose on September 15. Shareholders of 5,862,104 shares of JFK's ordinary shares, or approximately 81.27% of the issued and outstanding shares, voted in favor of the Transaction. JFK also announced that shareholders of 3,423,625 shares have elected to redeem their shares in connection with the closing of the Transaction. The parties expect the closing of the Transaction to occur later this month, pending, among others, final documentation and filings being submitted to applicable regulatory authorities. Following the closing, Diginex's shares will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "EQOS" and its warrants will trade under the ticker "EQOSW."

16:32 EDT Host Hotels sees ending 2020 with $2.2B of total available liquidity - The company said it expects to end 2020 with approximately $2.2 billion of total available liquidity, assuming a continuation of second quarter operational performance for the second half of the year. James F. Risoleo, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We remain focused on using the current environment as an opportunity to redefine our operating model in a way that strengthens our business and positions Host for the long term. We are working with our operators to drive occupancy and increase revenues, reduce costs without impacting the guest experience, and generate higher levels of profitability at lower levels of occupancy. We are confident the steps we are taking will drive value for Host and our stakeholders through the recovery and beyond."

16:32 EDT AMC Networks announces plans for modified Dutch offer, chairman transition - AMC Networks announced that on September 16 it plans to commence a "modified Dutch auction" tender offer to purchase up to $250M in value of its outstanding Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at a price per Class A Share of not less than $22.50 and not greater than $26.50. The company also announced that its executive chairman, Charles Dolan, is stepping down from that position to become chairman emeritus and that James Dolan has been elected as the non-executive chairman of the company's board. "AMC Networks has a strong financial position and the proposed tender offer is a significant expression of strength and the board's confidence in our company's future," said CEO Josh Sapan. "The Dolans have led this company from its inception, and both Charles and Jim have provided vision, guidance and support through its long history of growth and evolution. We look forward to their continued leadership as AMC Networks continues to stand out in a crowded environment through the strength and quality of our content and ability to forge strong and lasting relationships with viewers and fans."

16:31 EDT JP Morgan names Stephen Burke as lead independent director - The board of directors of JP Morgan announced that the independent directors of the board have appointed Stephen Burke as Lead Independent Director, effective January 1, 2021, succeeding Lee Raymond in that role.

16:18 EDT Monmouth Real Estate announces new acquisition in Oklahoma City - September 15, 2020 Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation announced the acquisition of a new 120,780 square foot industrial building located at 6101 SW 44th Street, Oklahoma City, OK at a purchase price of $15.2M. The property is net-leased for 10 years to Amazon.com Services a Delaware limited liability company. The building is situated on approximately 22 acres. Michael P. Landy, President and CEO, commented, "This 22-acre site has ample expansion capacity and is ideally located immediately to the north of The Will Rogers International Airport. Ecommerce sales in the US grew by almost a third in Q2 and are up 44.5% year over year. With 99.4% occupancy and a robust acquisition pipeline, Monmouth's portfolio is strongly linked to the digital economy. We are very pleased to announce this new acquisition as it will enhance our favorable position."

16:17 EDT IEC Electronics announces purchase of Rochester facility, increases capacity - IEC Electronics announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase an 86,000 square foot facility in Rochester, New York. The new facility is expected to provide additional capacity and more importantly, access to a larger pool of qualified resources to support future organic growth. Jeffrey T. Schlarbaum, President and CEO of IEC Electronics commented, "We're really excited to announce the acquisition of an additional Rochester area facility at 50 Jetview Dr., Rochester, NY. This new facility represents a key building block for our company, establishing a Rochester area campus enabling us to tap into both the eastside and now the westside of the greater Rochester market. The goal is to consolidate our specialty metals operation from its current Rochester location on Emerson Street and combine it with an expanded electronic assembly operation. We believe this new facility provides an ideal footprint and location to support our growing customer demand and more importantly, provides us the ability to recruit skilled resources across the entire Rochester region, addressing a critical need to support ongoing double-digit organic growth. Our focus remains on strengthening our capabilities to meet the high complexity manufacturing needs of our customers, who rely on IEC as an electronic manufacturing services provider for life-saving and mission critical products. We continue to see increased interest from the marketplace and believe that this expansion of our manufacturing footprint into Rochester positions us well to achieve continued organic growth as we look ahead into fiscal 2021 and beyond."

16:13 EDT Myomo authorized by HHS to be a Medicare Provider - Myomo announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has authorized the company to be a Medicare Provider. Myomo is now included in the Medicare Supplier Directory at Medicare.gov, and this designation enables Myomo to bill Medicare directly when it delivers its MyoPro powered orthosis in 39 states plus D.C. The company is working to complete the requirements in the remaining states. Micah Mitchell, Myomo's Chief Commercial Officer, said "This certification is very important to Myomo. Not only does it allow us to bill Medicare directly in the future, it also opens the door to applying for in-network contracted coverage from many private commercial insurance companies as well as state Medicaid plans."

16:07 EDT Commvault achieves AWS Outposts Ready designation - Commvault (CVLT) announced that it has achieved the AWS Outposts Ready designation, part of the Amazon (AMZN) Web Services, or AWS, Service Ready Program. This designation recognizes that Commvault Complete Data Protection has demonstrated successful integration with AWS Outposts deployments. AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, AWS services, APIs, and tools to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility for a truly consistent hybrid experience.

16:07 EDT Microsoft raises quarterly dividend 10% to 56c from 51c per share - The dividend is payable Dec. 10 to shareholders of record on Nov. 19. The ex-dividend date will be Nov. 18.

16:04 EDT FedEx not providing earnings forecast for FY21 - FedEx is not providing an earnings forecast for fiscal 2021. The capital spending forecast for the year is up $200M to $5.1B, driven by additional capacity initiatives to support increased volume levels. "While business demand improved in the first quarter, continued uncertainties cloud our ability to forecast full-year earnings," said Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx Corp. executive vice president and chief financial officer. "However, we expect to continue to benefit from our strong position in the U.S. and international package and freight markets, yield improvement opportunities and cost management initiatives."

16:00 EDT National Security Group sees pre-tax loss from Hurricane Laura of $2.25M - The National Security Group releases preliminary estimates of insured catastrophe losses from Hurricane Laura incurred by property and casualty subsidiary National Security Fire & Casualty: "On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall along the western Louisiana coast near Cameron. At landfall, Laura was a Category 4 hurricane with winds of approximately 150 mph with minimum pressure on the morning of landfall at 937 millibars. Based on data collected from the National Weather Service, Hurricane Laura was the strongest land-falling hurricane to hit Louisiana since the 1856 Last Island Hurricane and was the fifth strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the continental United States. In a very active 2020 storm season, Hurricane Laura was the seventh named storm to make landfall in the U.S. setting a record as the earliest seventh named storm to make a U.S. landfall. Our pre-tax loss, net of reinsurance, due to Hurricane Laura is expected to be $2,250,000. Net of tax, Hurricane Laura will reduce our 2020 earnings by $1,778,000 and will reduce earnings per share by $0.70. The impact of Hurricane Laura will be reflected in our third quarter results. To date, we have over 700 claims reported from this event with approximately 90% of these claims reported by our Louisiana policyholders. Based on our analysis of historical reporting patterns, preliminary post event model output and assessment of early reports of claims to date, we estimate our ultimate gross losses from Hurricane Laura to be in the range of $5,500,000 to $6,500,000. Based on our estimate of gross losses, we expect losses from Hurricane Laura to remain well below the upper limits of our catastrophe reinsurance coverage. The Company maintains catastrophe reinsurance coverage to mitigate loss exposure from catastrophic events. With our 2020 catastrophe contract placement, our single event catastrophe retention remained unchanged from the prior year at $4,000,000. In our 2020 contract, we placed an underlying second event layer of $2,000,000 in excess of $2,000,000. This additional coverage effectively lowers our second event retention to $2,000,000. Also unchanged from last year, we maintain catastrophe reinsurance covering incurred claims of a single catastrophe event up to $72,500,000. Our catastrophe reinsurance has a reinstatement provision for one event and covers the cost of a second event up to the same $72,500,000 upper limit. Because we were impacted by one catastrophe event, in the second quarter of 2020, that exceeded $2,000,000, Hurricane Laura losses fall within the underlying layer second event coverage and our retention will be $2,000,000. We will also pay a $250,000 reinstatement on this underlying layer."

14:37 EDT U.S. drops tariffs on Canadian aluminum - In a statement, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said that, "After consultations with the Canadian government, the United States has determined that trade in non-alloyed, unwrought aluminum is likely to normalize in the last four months of 2020, with imports declining sharply from the surges experienced earlier in the year. Average monthly imports are expected to decline 50 percent from the monthly average in the period of January through July. Accordingly, the United States will modify the terms of the 10 percent tariff imposed in August on imports of Canadian non-alloyed unwrought aluminum... Based on these expectations, the United States will resume duty-free treatment of non-allowed, unwrought aluminum retrospective to September 1, 2020. Six weeks after the end of any month during this period, the United States will determine whether actual shipments met expectations. If actual shipments exceeded 105 percent of the expected volume for any month during the four-month period, then the United States will impose the 10 percent tariff retroactively on all shipments made in that month. If shipments in any month exceed the expected volume, the United States expects that shipments in the next month will decline by a corresponding amount. In addition to the forgoing, if imports exceed 105 percent of the expected volume in any month the United States may re-impose the 10 percent tariff going forward." Publicly traded companies in the aluminum space include Alcoa (AA), Century Aluminum (CENX), Kaiser Aluminum (KALU), and Arconic (ARNC). Reference Link

14:04 EDT Apple unveils new iPad Air with A14 Bionic chip - Apple introduced an all-new iPad Air, "the most powerful, versatile, and colorful iPad Air ever. Now available in five gorgeous finishes, iPad Air features an all-screen design with a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, camera and audio upgrades, a new integrated Touch ID sensor in the top button, and the powerful A14 Bionic for a massive boost in performance, making this by far the most powerful and capable iPad Air ever made," Apple said in a statement. The new iPad Air will be available starting next month. The new iPad Air will be available starting next month on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the US. Wi-Fi models of iPad Air will be available with a starting price of $599 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $72. The new iPad Air, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, will be available in five beautiful finishes including silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue.

14:02 EDT Apple introduces eighth-generation iPad - Apple introduced the eighth-generation iPad, "featuring the powerful A12 Bionic chip that brings the Neural Engine to the entry iPad for the first time. Starting at just $329, the upgrade packs even more value into the most popular and affordable iPad, featuring a stunning 10.2-inch Retina display, advanced cameras, and great all-day battery life. Customers can order iPad today, with availability beginning Friday, September 18," Apple said in a statement. The new iPadis available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in more than 25 countries and regions, including the US. iPad will be available beginning Friday, September 18, with a starting price of $329 for the Wi-Fi model and $459 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and comes in silver, space gray, and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations.

13:59 EDT Apple to add USB-C connector to new iPad Air - Says has redesigned speaker system for new iPad Air. Says new Air works with new Apple Pencil and magic keyboard.

13:51 EDT Apple unveils new, 'completely redesigned' iPad Air - Says new iPad Air comes in five colors, including gold and skyblue finish. Says new iPad Air includes liquid retina display. Says iPad Air includes touch ID with new sensitivity features. Says debuting "powerful" new chip for iPad Air, the A14 bionic.

13:47 EDT Apple says iPad 8th generation starts at $329 - Says priced at $299 for education customers. Says customers can pre-order new iPad today. Says new iPad broadly available this Friday.

13:45 EDT Apple says neural engine coming to new iPad - Apple (AAPL) says neural engine coming to iPad for the first time. Says A12 bionic takes performance to "next level," makes iPad "more powerful than ever." Says iPad 8th gen works with Apple smart keyboard, as well as keyboards from Logitech (LOGI). Says new iPad works with Apple Pencil. Says iPad OS14 adds new capabilities to Apple Pencil.

13:43 EDT Apple, Singapore partner on national health initiative using Apple Watch - The government of Singapore and Apple announced their partnership on the health initiative LumiHealth, a personalized program to encourage healthy activity and behaviors using Apple Watch. The first-of-its-kind program was designed by Singapore's Health Promotion Board in conjunction with Apple as part of the country's Smart Nation initiative, a national effort to leverage technology to deliver benefits to its citizens and businesses. Created in collaboration with a team of physicians and public health experts, LumiHealth uses technology and behavioral insights to encourage Singaporeans to keep healthy and complete wellness challenges through their Apple Watch and iPhone. The LumiHealth app, designed with user privacy and security at its core, is available in the App Store for pre-order now, and the two-year program will be offered from late October 2020. "Even as all of us around the world are dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, we must keep investing in our future. And there is no better investment than in our own personal health," said Heng Swee Keat, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister. "This partnership between Singapore and Apple will enable Singaporeans to lead healthier lives, but equally important, it will contribute valuable insights to improving the health of people all over the world."

13:42 EDT Apple announces Apple One to get subscription services in one plan - Apple(R) today announced Apple One, "the easiest way to get all of Apple's subscription services in one simple plan, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and iCloud. With a single subscription, customers in over 100 countries and regions can enjoy their favorite Apple services across their favorite devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac." "Apple One makes enjoying Apple subscription services easier than ever, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and more," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "With Apple One, you can access the best of Apple entertainment across all your favorite devices with one simple subscription." Starting this fall, customers with Apple subscriptions will be recommended the right Apple One plan for them so they can sign up with a tap from any Apple device and get even more for less. Individual includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $14.95 per month. Family includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage for $19.95 per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.

13:39 EDT Apple announces Apple Watch Series 6, with Blood Oxygen feature - Apple announced Apple Watch Series 6, "introducing a revolutionary Blood Oxygen feature that offers users even more insight into their overall wellness. Apple Watch Series 6 delivers many notable hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package and next-generation always-on altimeter, along with its most colorful lineup yet, featuring a beautiful palette of new case finishes and bands. watchOS 7 brings Family Setup, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types, and the ability to curate and share watch faces, encouraging customers to be more active, stay connected, and better manage their health in new ways." Apple is joining forces with researchers to conduct three health studies that include using Apple Watch to explore how blood oxygen levels can be used in future health applications. This year, Apple will collaborate with the University of California, Irvine, and Anthem to examine how longitudinal measurements of blood oxygen and other physiological signals can help manage and control asthma. Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS) starts at $399 and Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular) starts at $499.

13:37 EDT Apple says Fitness+ priced at $9.99 per month, $79.99 per month - Says new Apple Watch purchasers get three months free of Fitness+.

13:34 EDT Apple unveils workout service Apple Watch Fitness+ - Says Fitness+ lets users choose workouts from a catalogue of videos from Apple devices. Says starting a video gives you access to data on your Apple Watch and Apple device you're watching the video on. Says activity rings also on Fitness+ screen.

13:27 EDT Apple says removing USB power adapter from Apple Watch

13:25 EDT Apple says Watch Series 6 priced at $399 - Says Watch Series 3 continues at $199 price.

13:22 EDT Apple unveils Family Setup for Apple Watches - Says Family Setup now available for Apple Watches, a feature that allows multiple watches to sync with one iPhone. Says Family Setup includes parental controls, automatic location notifications, and the ability for Watch users, namely kids, can customize their own watch experience.

13:15 EDT Apple says Series 6 adds new S6 processor based on iPhone 11 - Says launching three new medical studies to explore changes in blood oxygen and how they affect respiratory conditions. Says Series 6 adds new S6 processor based on iPhone 11. Says Series 6 includes new processor that is up to 20% faster than previous generation Watch.

13:11 EDT CBAK Battery wins bidding for Haier smart home project - CBAK Energy Technology announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Dalian CBAK Power Battery CO., LTD., has successfully entered into the supplier base of Haier Group and won the bidding for Haier project in the smart home market. CBAK Battery is going to help Haier build the Intelligent manufacturing information system, produce more favorable home appliance by consumers and the products fit their life style better. "CBAK has many years of experience in Lithium ion battery, and we are exploring the home appliance sector. At the beginning of the design, we have already begun our full contact with our customer. We applied our experience in lithium ion battery from electrical design to structure design and outer look, giving them the best user experience. In the future we are going to conduct more point to point project development, devote ourselves fully into the smart home appliance field, which is a blue sea market," commented Yunfei Li, the CEO of CBAK Energy.

13:04 EDT Apple CEO to announce new Apple Watch, iPad - Comments taken from Apple's online product event stream.

12:47 EDT Dick's Sporting, Under Armour launch $109.99 women's basketball shoe - Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) said it has partnered with Under Armour (UA, UAA) to release the UA HOVR Breakthru, a women's basketball shoe. The UA HOVR Breakthru will be available exclusively through Dick's and Under Armour, "is the result of a year-long study of the physiological components unique to a woman's foot: greater flexibility, a narrower heel and the higher percentage of sensory receptors," the companies said in a statement. The UA HOVR Breakthru will be available starting Sept. 17 in seven colorways for $109.99.

12:00 EDT Ormat Technologies falls -6.3% - Ormat Technologies is down -6.3%, or -$3.71 to $54.87.

12:00 EDT Carnival falls -7.1% - Carnival is down -7.1%, or -$1.27 to $16.59.

12:00 EDT Exterran rises 19.4% - Exterran is up 19.4%, or 78c to $4.81.

11:56 EDT Kiniksa treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis granted FDA orphan designation - Kiniksa's mavrilimumab was granted orphan designation from the FDA as a treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:45 EDT Associated Capital forms special committee to evaluate options - Associated Capital Group announced that in response to Gabelli Value Plus+ Trust Board's proposal to liquidate the Trust, AC has established a subcommittee of disinterested board members to evaluate the proposal. Associated Capital owns approximately 27% of the Trust on behalf of its shareholders. "The Trust was created in 2015 with an intent to invest in U.S. Equity Securities. The subcommittee of Associated Capital's board has determined that this is not the appropriate time to liquidate the Trust. The overall total return to Trust shareholders is likely to be below what it believes can be obtained through other means. As a result, the subcommittee has determined to vote Associated Capital's ownership of the Trust against the proposal for liquidation. As such proposal requires a 75% affirmative vote, this means that the proposal is certain to fail. At the same time, the subcommittee welcomes the opportunity to open a conversation with the GVP board and its shareholders on other measures that can be taken to enhance value for Trust shareholders. This may, for example, include share buybacks, establishment of annual distribution targets, the reduction of the management fee and management alternatives, possibility of leverage to enhance returns, and any other strategies that may enhance and improve shareholder returns. The subcommittee noted that Associated Capital has a consistent investment strategy and goal of achieving superior long-term investment results for its clients and shareholders. We embrace the "value investing" strategies that have been utilized successfully for several decades by its Chairman, Mario Gabelli, but at the same time, are willing to examine alternatives that may, for example, result in better long term value creation," said the company in a statement.

11:39 EDT Bank of America CEO sees Q3 trading revenue up 5%-10%

11:34 EDT Bank of America CEO: Economy will take several quarters to improve

11:30 EDT Kraft Heinz to sell natural cheese business to Groupe Lactalis for $3.2B - The Kraft Heinz Company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Natural, Grated, Cultured and Specialty cheese businesses to a U.S. affiliate of Groupe Lactalis for a purchase price of $3.2B. The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021, subject to regulatory review and approval. The transaction includes Kraft Heinz's Natural, Grated, Cultured and Specialty cheese businesses in the U.S., Grated cheese business in Canada, and the entire International Cheese business outside these two countries, including the following brands: Breakstone's, Knudsen, Polly-O, Athenos, Hoffman's, Cracker Barrel in the U.S. only, and outside the U.S. and Canada only, Cheez Whiz. In addition, Kraft Heinz will partner with Groupe Lactalis on a perpetual license for Kraft in Natural, Grated and International cheeses and Velveeta in Shredded and International cheeses. Kraft Heinz will retain the Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kraft Singles, Velveeta Processed Cheese and Cheez Whiz Processed Cheese businesses in the U.S. and Canada, the Kraft, Velveeta and Cracker Barrel Mac & Cheese businesses worldwide, and the Kraft Sauces business worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Kraft Heinz will sell production facilities located in Tulare, Calif.; Walton, N.Y.; and Wausau, Wis., and a distribution center in Weyauwega, Wis. These facilities and their employees will continue to operate in ordinary course. Approximately 750 employees will be transferred from Kraft Heinz to Groupe Lactalis. The cheese businesses being sold contributed approximately $1.8B to Kraft Heinz's net sales for the twelve months ended June 27, 2020. The transaction valuation represents an approximate 12x multiple of LTM Adjusted EBITDA for the standalone business. Kraft Heinz expects to use post-tax transaction proceeds primarily to pay down debt.

11:24 EDT Lennar sees historically strong numbers in 2021

11:13 EDT Lennar: Q3 was clear point of pivot for housing market in general

11:10 EDT Starbucks reports company-operated U.S. comp sales down 11% in August - In slides for a presentation by CFO Patrick Grismer at the JPMorgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant and Leisure forum, Starbucks noted that comparable store sales in U.S. company-operated stores open 13 months or longer were down 19% in June, down 14% in July and down 11% in August. In the same slides, Starbucks stated that China is "approaching full sales recovery," noting that comparable company-operated store sales in China were down 8% in June, down 10% in July and flat in August. The company plans to issue its Q4 earnings report and give FY21 guidance on October 29 and hold its biennial investor day on December 9, the slides added. Reference Link

11:02 EDT Tecogen announces sale of InVerde e+ cogeneration system - Tecogen announces the sale of an InVerde e+ cogeneration system to a residential and commercial building located in Sarnia, Ontario. The 125 kW system will be serviced from Tecogen's service center in Toronto, Canada once installation is completed in 2021, the company said.

10:22 EDT Bank of America reports August default rate 2.08% vs. 2.09% last month - Reports 30-plus day delinquency rate 1.08% vs. 1.16% last month.

10:06 EDT Correction: Bausch Health no longer owns Sprout Pharmaceuticals - The FDA sent a warning letter to Sprout Pharmaceuticals over an advertisement for Addyi. Bausch Health divested Sprout Pharmaceuticals in 2017.

10:00 EDT Carnival plc falls -6.6% - Carnival plc is down -6.6%, or -96c to $13.64.

10:00 EDT Lithium Americas rises 9.9% - Lithium Americas is up 9.9%, or 81c to $8.96.

10:00 EDT Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II rises 17.6% - Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II is up 17.6%, or $2.30 to $15.35.

09:47 EDT Lennar falls -4.4% - Lennar is down -4.4%, or -$3.45 to $75.55.

09:47 EDT Carnival falls -6.3% - Carnival is down -6.3%, or -$1.13 to $16.72.

09:47 EDT Fiat Chrysler rises 10.1% - Fiat Chrysler is up 10.1%, or $1.21 to $13.14.

09:41 EDT FDA sends warning letter to Bausch's Sprout over Addyi ad - The Office of Prescription Drug Promotion of the Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Bausch Health's Sprout Pharmaceuticals over an advertisement for Addyi. A radio ad "makes false or misleading claims about the risks associated with Addyi and omits other material facts. Thus, the radio ad misbrands Addyi within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and makes its distribution violative...These violations are concerning from a public health perspective because they create a misleading impression about the safety and effectiveness of Addyi, a drug that bears a Boxed Warning due to the risk of severe hypotension and syncope in certain settings," the FDA said in the warning letter. Reference Link

09:39 EDT Nano-X shares heading to $0, Citron claims in new short report - Andrew Left's Citron Research claimed in a new short report that shares of Nano-X Imaging are heading to zero. The stock in premarket trading is down 1% to $48.57. "We see right through it as a stock promotion that is actually insulting to anyone who spends 10 minutes to read the prospectus. This stock is heading to $0 as the company's recent fair value opinion on their technology is $0.14 a share." Nano-X "has never published any data showing their machine's images compared to images from a standard CT scanner," the firm, who takes short positions in the names it writes about, said in a report posted on its website. "There is not one scientific paper or that would back up any of these claims. As a matter of fact, we have not even seen proof of the product and have only seen a mockup drawing of what this machine is supposed to look like," Citron wrote. Reference Link

09:35 EDT Citron calls Nano-X Imaging 'most blatant stock promotion' ever seen

09:29 EDT IMAC announces update to service locations - IMAC Holdings announced an update of IMAC's service locations. IMAC expanded its services in Richmond, Kentucky by entering into a sublease with an established chiropractic office there to provide IMAC's medical services from its facility starting later this month. The shared space arrangement allows IMAC full access to the space twice weekly. The sublease also allows for IMAC to enter into collaboration opportunities in the future. IMAC is scheduled to close its Monett, Missouri, location on September 25, 2020. The Monett facility, which is a satellite facility for IMAC's Springfield, MO market, was inherited as part of an acquisition in September 2018. The clinic solely offers physical therapy and averaged 122 visits per month in 2019. Closing this facility will result in the reduction of two employees and an increase in profitability for the Springfield, MO market. IMAC's Bonita Springs, Florida location continues to service physical therapy and chiropractic patients as the facility undergoes minor enhancements to bring the facility to code for the delivery of medical services. Medical staff has been hired for Bonita Springs, and the full suite of IMAC treatments and services will be available there starting October 12, 2020.

09:18 EDT Sprott announces inclusion in the S&P/TSX Composite Index - Sprott announced that its common shares will be added by Dow Jones Canadian Index Services to the S&P/TSX Composite Index effective September 21, 2020, prior to the open of trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The TSX also ranked Sprott among the 30 top-performing TSX stocks over a three-year period based on dividend adjusted share price appreciation, through inclusion in the TSX30 program.

09:15 EDT JAKKS Pacific enters multi-yeartoy licensing deal with HARIBO Group - JAKKS Pacific said in a release, "JAKKS Pacific announced it has entered into a multi-year, global toy licensing deal with HARIBO Group to create a toy line based on its world-renowned gummi candy products. JAKKS has secured rights in the North America and EMEA territories to manufacture, market and distribute collectibles and activities, set to launch in August 2021. The global launch of the first release of JAKKS Pacific, Inc's HARIBO product will be available at retail in time for Holiday 2021, consisting of collectibles and activities. Additional product extensions are planned for release in 2022."

09:14 EDT Exelixis, Iconic announce preclinical data from ICON-2 ADC - Exelixis and Iconic Therapeutics announced new preclinical data that support the continued development of ICON-2, an ADC comprised of an anti-Tissue Factor, or TF, antibody and Zymeworks' proprietary linker-payload, for the treatment of diverse solid tumors. Exelixis has an exclusive option and license agreement for ICON-2 in oncology indications under its May 2019 agreement with Iconic Therapeutics, which discovered and is developing this novel ADC. The new data, which demonstrate the superior tolerability and exposure of ICON-2 compared with an MMAE anti-TF ADC, are being presented this week in a poster at the World ADC Digital Conference, which is being held online September 15-18. TF plays a role in the coagulation cascade and its expression is generally restricted in normal tissue. However, solid tumors, including gastrointestinal, head and neck, cervical, ovarian and bladder tumors, frequently express TF at high levels, which is associated with poor prognosis. Although TF is an attractive target for ADC therapy, previous approaches have demonstrated the potential to interfere with the coagulation cascade and may have additional toxicities that could negatively impact their risk-benefit profile. The data presented include results from several preclinical studies of ICON-2. Key findings from these studies are: ICON-2 binds to TF on human and non-human primate, or NHP, cells with high affinity but does not affect coagulation as measured by FXa conversion and thrombin generation assays. ICON-2 does not induce neutropenia in NHPs. ICON-2 is more potent than an ADC containing MMAE conjugated to the same anti-TF antibody in mouse xenograft model of human pancreatic tumor cells. ICON-2 is highly active in patient-derived xenograft models derived from multiple tumor types. ICON-2 exhibits superior tolerability and exposure when compared directly with an MMAE ADC using the same anti-TF antibody in a NHP study. Under the terms of the May 2019 agreement, Exelixis has an exclusive option to license ICON-2 in exchange for an upfront option payment to Iconic of $7.5M and a commitment of preclinical development funding. Exelixis can exercise its option at any time up to a potential IND application, and upon doing so would make an option exercise payment to Iconic and assume responsibilities for all subsequent clinical development and commercialization activities. Should Exelixis elect to exercise its option, Iconic will become eligible for future development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments, as well as royalties on potential sales.

09:11 EDT Caterpillar reports retail machines sales down 20% in three months end August - Caterpillar reported in a regulatory filing that its total retail machines sales were down 20% on a three month rolling basis in August. For reference, retail sales of machines were down 20% in the period ending in July and down 23% in the period ending in June. The company reported world Resources Industries sales were down 27% in the August-end period, compared to a July-end period decrease of 19%. Construction Industries world sales were down 17% in the August-end period, versus down 20% in the prior three-month period ending in July. Total Energy & Transportation Retail Sales were down 17% in the August-end period, and were down 16% in the July-end period.

09:10 EDT Eagle Bulk Shipping announces effectiveness of 1-for-7 reverse stock split - Eagle Bulk Shipping announced the effectiveness, as of 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, of the previously announced 1-for-7 reverse stock split of the Company's issued common stock.

09:08 EDT TFF Pharmaceuticals announces safety data from Voriconazole trial - TFF Pharmaceuticals announced topline safety data from its Phase 1 clinical trial of Voriconazole Inhalation Powder, a direct-to-lung, inhaled dry powder version of voriconazole. Voriconazole is generally considered to be the most effective antifungal drug for treating Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis, or IPA. The recently completed Phase 1 trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with an inhalation route of administration to 64 healthy adult volunteers that was designed with single ascending dose, or SAD, and multiple ascending dose, or MAD, phases. In the SAD portion, single doses of 10, 20, 40 or 80 mg were delivered to healthy normal volunteers. During the MAD portion of the trial, healthy normal volunteers received doses of 10, 20, 40 or 80 mg that were delivered twice daily for a total of 13 doses over seven days. Thirty-two healthy subjects were enrolled in each part to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of Voriconazole Inhalation Powder. An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, reviewed all of the clinical safety data and reported that there were, "no clinically significant adverse events, laboratory test results, electrocardiograms, or ECGs, or vital signs. Further, DSMB reported that there were no clinically meaningful relationships or trends observed for differences between vital signs, liver function tests, spirometry, visual examinations, pulse oximetry and ECGs as a function of dose or treatment." TFF Pharmaceuticals is also exploring the use of the product for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis, or CAPA, and other pulmonary fungal infections. These pulmonary fungal infections are increasing due to the use of corticosteroids for treatment of COVID-19. Treatment with corticosteroids predispose patients to Aspergillus infections and reports are emerging demonstrating that severe COVID-19 patients are increasingly being affected by these fungal co-infections.

09:05 EDT SecurityScorecard partners with IHS Markit - SecurityScorecard announced that it has partnered with IHS Markit (INFO). The partnership will ensure that a combination of each company's offerings can be delivered via integrated solutions, aimed at providing customers with a 360-degree view of cyber risk. SecurityScorecard will integrate its cybersecurity ratings and other relevant cyber insights, into IHS Markit's KY3P platform.

09:05 EDT BAE Systems receives contract from Aerion to supply control system for its AS2 - BAE Systems has received a contract from Aerion Supersonic to supply the flight control system for its new AS2 supersonic business jet. BAE Systems will design, develop, and integrate a fly-by-wire flight control system, including active inceptors, for the new aircraft. The new flight control system adds to BAE Systems' more than 40 years of experience developing and integrating fly-by-wire systems. The system builds on the company's core technology, but uses smaller and lighter components to allow for integration on the AS2 aircraft. The system will comprise active inceptors, primary flight control computers, actuator control units, and remote electronics units.

09:04 EDT Dunkin' Delivery with DoorDash now available at 3,500 restaurants nationwide - Dunkin' and DoorDash announced they are teaming up to make delivery through DoorDash available at approximately 3,500 Dunkin' restaurants across the country, with further expansion planned over the coming months. To help make the exciting announcement, the brands turned to actress and Boston native Mindy Kaling, who delivered the sweet news with a special Instagram post this morning.

09:03 EDT Jushi Holdings appoints Trent Woloveck as chief commercial director - Jushi Holdings announced the promotion of Trent Woloveck from Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Business Development to Chief Commercial Director. In his new role, Woloveck will drive the development and growth of commercial business strategies at the Company, reporting directly to Jushi's Co-President and Board Member, Erich Mauff. In his most recent role as EVP and Co-Head of Business Development, Woloveck leveraged his deep industry relationships to source strategic business targets for Jushi.

09:00 EDT Adicet announces completion of merger with resTORbio - Adicet Bio announced the completion of its previously announced merger with resTORbio. The new combined company will operate under the name Adicet Bio, Inc. and will commence trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol "ACET" on September 16, 2020. Adicet will focus on advancing its pipeline of "off-the-shelf" gamma delta T cells, engineered with chimeric antigen receptors and T cell receptor-like antibodies to enhance selective tumor targeting, facilitate innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune response, and improve persistence for durable activity in patients. Adicet anticipates the following near-term milestones: File IND for ADI-001 CD20 gamma delta CAR-T; Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; ADI-001 expansion in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and/or mantle cell lymphoma; File IND for ADI-002 GPC3 gamma-delta CAR-T; Initiate Phase 1 clinical study in hepatocellular carcinoma and other solid tumors. In connection with the closing of the merger, resTORbio effected a 7:1 reverse split of its common stock. Post-merger and post-reverse split, Adicet has approximately 19,589,828 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding with prior Adicet equityholders collectively owning approximately 75% of the combined company on a fully-diluted basis, and prior resTORbio equityholders collectively owning approximately 25% of the combined company on a fully-diluted basis. In addition, each holder of resTORbio common stock as of immediately prior to the effective time of the merger received a contingent value right, entitling such holders to receive substantially all of the net proceeds from the commercialization, if any, received from a third party commercial partner of RTB101, a small molecule product candidate, previously developed by resTORbio, that is a potent inhibitor of target of rapamycin complex 1, for a COVID-19 related indication.

08:58 EDT Rizobacter, Marrone Bio form strategic alliance to deploy plant health tech - Rizobacter, a subsidiary of Bioceres Crop Solutions (BIOX), and Marrone Bio Innovations (MBII) announced the signing of an exclusive agreement to distribute a foliar fertilizer and plant health technology in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. The alliance between Rizobacter and Marrone Bio marries complimentary portfolios and a strong commitment to research. The result will provide farmers in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia with a new solution that will add value to their farming operations. The product announcement and availability is expected in October 2020.

08:56 EDT Agilysys announces payment acceptance partnership with Adyen - Agilysys (AGYS) and Adyen, the global payments platform of choice for many of the world's companies, announced a new partnership to extend Agilysys customers' access to global payments. Adyen is a unified payments platform that enables merchants to consolidate their payments across stores, markets and channels into one system. Adyen connects directly to Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), and payment methods globally, enabling businesses to accept payments across online, in-app, and in store across regions.

08:53 EDT Sienna Senior Living reports one active resident COVID-19 case - Sienna Senior Living provided the following business update. The health and well-being of residents and team members remain the Company's top priority. Sienna continues to take the critical steps necessary to make solid progress against and minimize the impact of new COVID-19 outbreaks, including preparing for a potential second wave, while providing the best quality care for its residents. As of September 14, 2020, five residences are in outbreak, with only one active resident COVID-19 case. Over the past month, the number of active resident COVID-19 cases across Sienna's 83 owned or managed residences remained at zero to one case at any given time, highlighting the effectiveness of the Company's measures to fight COVID-19. With Sienna's enhanced healthcare expertise with respect to seniors' care and infectious diseases, and the support of our hospital partners, associations and governments, the Company will continue to take the critical steps necessary to ensure preparedness for a potential second wave. Sienna is continuing to secure a robust supply of personal protective equipment, strengthening infection prevention and control practices, putting in place staffing plans, and ensuring the Company's frontline employees have the training and support they need. In addition, Sienna implemented important new strategies to strengthen family and team member communications to keep them apprised of new initiatives and developments. During September 2020, the voluntary hospital management agreements for two of Sienna's long-term care communities have concluded and Sienna is implementing recommendations to strengthen operations. Sienna is grateful for the expertise of our hospital partners in navigating through the pandemic and appreciates their willingness to provide future support, if required. The Company's August 2020 average same property occupancy and rent collection levels in the Retirement portfolio remained at levels similar to the previous month. Since July 2020, the Company continued to record an increased level of deposits from prospective residents compared to Q2 2020 and comparative prior year periods as a result of the reopening of residences for in-person visits and increased marketing efforts. We expect that these deposits will help support occupancy in our retirement segment. We are encouraged by the Government of Ontario's recent announcement for additional funding for COVID-19 prevention and containment and the Government of British Columbia's funding announcement to cover extra staffing costs dedicated to safe social visitations. Sienna expects to continue to incur an increased level of expenses to support the costs of managing COVID-19. While certain temporary expenses are expected to be covered by government funding, other expenses may not be covered. In addition, there may be timing differences between the time of incurring these expenses and the funding of such expenses.

08:47 EDT Energy Focus awarded exclusive contract valued at up to $4.8M from U.S. Navy - Energy Focus has been awarded a new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, worth up to $4.8 million, to supply Energy Focus LED lighting products to the U.S. Navy. This five-year IDIQ contract calls for Energy Focus to exclusively supply its Navy-qualified large LED Globe Lights designed for demanding exterior shipboard use. These lights use approximately 80% less energy than legacy incandescent counterparts, while meeting the required illumination levels for general illumination, combat, and refueling operations on most surface fleet vessels. In addition, Energy Focus has been awarded a General Services Administration Schedule Contract which allows it to provide access to and serve all government agencies in a more timely and efficient manner. GSA Schedules, also known as Federal Supply Schedules, are long-term governmentwide contracts with commercial companies. The contract enables federal as well as state and local agencies to find, review and purchase Energy Focus' Buy American Act and Trade-Agreement Act products through the GSA Advantage! online shopping portal. Customers can now use Energy Focus GSA contract number for online ordering. As a Schedule Contractor, Energy Focus will also gain access to GSA-specific Requests for Proposals and Requests for Quotes.

08:43 EDT Camber Energy, Viking Energy report further progress on planned merger - Camber Energy and Viking Energy Group announce that on September 4, Camber filed with the SEC, an amended Registration Statement on Form S-4, including a preliminary joint proxy statement relating to the planned merger between Viking and Cambe, which addressed SEC comments that Camber had received on the original Form S-4 which was filed on June 4. The companies said in a release, "The companies are now awaiting further comments on the Form S-4 from the SEC, which the parties anticipate being minor, if any are received at all, and/or approval of the SEC to move forward with finalizing the Form S-4 and seeking effectiveness thereof. Once Camber has cleared comments from the SEC on the Form S-4, the parties plan to promptly move forward with setting the record dates for their special meetings to seek stockholder approvals for the merger and other items set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus included in the Form S-4. To date, Camber and Viking have each satisfied nearly all of their respective conditions to closing the merger, provided that such merger remains subject to certain remaining conditions to closing, including, effectiveness of the Form S-4, approval of the stockholders of each of Camber of Viking of the merger and certain of the other proposals set forth in the Joint Proxy, and approval of the NYSE American for the continued listing of Camber's common stock following the merger, which the parties anticipate requiring the combined company to re-meet the initial listing standards of the NYSE American."

08:42 EDT WeedMD announces new Color Cannabis offerings - WeedMD provided a comprehensive update on its adult-use market initiatives to expand the market presence and share of its Color Cannabis and Saturday brands across Canada. With the exclusive launch of renowned strain Black Sugar Rose, the introduction of a vaporization and pre-roll line, as well as new nitrogen-infused packaging, the Company is executing on its commercial growth plans. Color Cannabis - New Product Strain, Expanded Portfolio And Packaging Innovation: Black Sugar Rose. Widely lauded in the Canadian cannabis industry for its genetics bank, WeedMD is pleased to bring to market Black Sugar Rose, a new Indica-dominant hybrid. The Company has successfully grown the renowned strain over two test cycles with favoured results. A cross of the Critical Mass and Black Domina strains, Black Sugar Rose is described as sweet and fruity with floral undertones and a cannabinoid profile expected to be between 18% to 23% THC. Color Cannabis Black Sugar Rose 3.5g flower will be available to consumers in the fall of 2020. Color Cannabis Vapes. The Company is pleased to announce that the Color Cannabis brand product line now includes 510 thread vape products, giving consumers another way to consume our award-winning strains, commencing in the fall of 2020. The Color vape formulations are derived from Ghost Train Haze and our proprietary Pedro's Sweet Sativa, preserving their terpene-rich flavours and cannabinoid profiles. Color Cannabis Pre-Rolls. In response to consumer feedback, the Company is pleased to introduce strain-specific pre-roll products available as two-packs of 0.35g pre-rolls. The size and unit count reflects consumer preference for single-session pre-rolls. These brand-trial inspired pre-rolls are made with finely milled Ghost Train Haze and Pedro's Sweet Sativa whole flower. The Color Cannabis pre-roll products will be available via provincial distributors and retail outlets starting in October 2020. itrogen-Flushed Flower Pouches. With Canadian consumers expressing dissatisfaction with product bag appeal and packaging waste, WeedMD is transitioning its Color Cannabis whole flower products to nitrogen-flushed pouch packaging. Nitrogen reduces the degrading effects of the oxidation process - the primary factor in cannabis dryness. This will help preserve the aromatic terpenes and maintain the integrity of freshly packaged flower products. Additionally, the transition from plastic jars and cartons will reduce the total weight of packaging waste by over 80%. These newly-packaged Color Cannabis flower products are expected to be available starting in late October 2020. Cannabis 2.0 Innovation. WeedMD's adult-use strategy will also leverage the insights derived from its medical patients where access to products involve medical oversight and insurance coverage. Wellness and non-inhalable formats have been key insights leading to our strategic partnerships with innovative cannabis lines such as Mary's Medicinals. The Company is exclusively bringing Mary's premium line-up of award winning and innovative topicals and transdermal gels and patches to Canadian consumers when production starts later this year.

08:40 EDT Cardinal Resources directors accept Shandong Gold takeover offer - Cardinal Resources advises that in accordance with their publicly stated acceptance intention, the Cardinal Directors who collectively hold approximately 6.07% of Cardinal's ordinary shares have each instructed their broker / controlling participant to initiate acceptance of the off-market takeover offer by Shandong Gold Mining in respect of all of the Cardinal Shares they own or control. The Shandong Gold Offer remains subject to a number of standard market conditions for a transaction of this nature as set out in the in the Bidder's Statement. For further information in relation to the Shandong Gold Offer, please refer to Cardinal's Target's Statement and Shandong Gold's Bidder's Statement dated 11 August 2020

08:39 EDT Cardinal Resources accept Shandong Gold takeover offer - Cardinal Resources advises that in accordance with their publicly stated acceptance intention, the Cardinal Directors who collectively hold approximately 6.07% of Cardinal's ordinary shares have each instructed their broker / controlling participant to initiate acceptance of the off-market takeover offer by Shandong Gold Mining in respect of all of the Cardinal Shares they own or control. The Shandong Gold Offer remains subject to a number of standard market conditions for a transaction of this nature as set out in the in the Bidder's Statement. For further information in relation to the Shandong Gold Offer, please refer to Cardinal's Target's Statement and Shandong Gold's Bidder's Statement dated 11 August 2020.

08:37 EDT Agraflora's Farmako enters supply agreement with ZenPharm Limited - AgraFlora Organics International (AGFAF) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Farmako has executed the binding supply agreement with ZenPharm Ltd, a subsidiary of Zenabis Global (ZBISF). Pursuant to the Supply Agreement, ZenPharm will supply EU-GMP quality medical cannabis flower cultivated by Zenabis to Farmako for distribution to medical cannabis patients in Germany. The agreement is intended to facilitate the distribution of 1,500 kilograms of cannabis flower by Farmako in Germany over a 3 year term. Farmako will distribute the products to its established network of German pharmacies. The products will carry Farmako's branding, an important step in building brand awareness and loyalty with physicians, pharmacists and patients. The products initially include high potency THC flower and balanced THC and CBD flower, two product categories that management believes are in highest demand in Germany. Shipments to Farmako are expected to start in November 2020.

08:35 EDT TFI International agrees to acquire DLS Worldwide for $225M - TFI International (TFII) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DLS Worldwide, a business unit of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD). Established in 2006 and based out of Bolingbrook, IL, DLS provides logistics services through a third-party logistics network of internal sales personnel, commissioned sales agents, and approximately 140 agent-stations. DLS' primary transportation modes include less-than-truckload, truckload, freight forwarding, expedited, parcel and intermodal. The $225M acquisition is expected to close within the next 60 days subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory review and approval. Over a recent 12-month period, DLS generated approximately $550M in revenue, including intercompany sales that are expected to continue after closing. TFI expects the acquired operations to generate approximately $22.5M in operating income during the first four full quarters after closing, before potential synergies and non-cash amortization of intangible assets and related purchase accounting adjustments. Led by its president, Thomas Griffin, DLS's dedicated team of employees and agents serves a diverse, longstanding customer base spanning a broad array of end markets including manufacturing, retail/wholesale consumer products, technology and print/mail. The acquired business will operate standalone within TFI International's Logistics segment under its new name, "TForce Worldwide Inc." or "TFWW."

08:33 EDT ShockWave Medical to presents results from DISRUPT CAD III study - Shockwave Medical announced that the pivotal results from the DISRUPT CAD III study have been accepted for presentation in a late-breaking clinical science session at TCT Connect. The Investigational Device Exemption study is the first study powered to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of coronary IVL in the treatment of severely calcified coronary arteries. In addition to the primary endpoint analysis, TCT Connect accepted and will post data from a prospective optical coherence tomography sub-analysis of 100 patients within the CAD III cohort authored by Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, M.D., FACC, Chairman of Cardiology at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center. Shockwave will be hosting an event for analysts and institutional investors at 4:30 p.m. eastern time on Thursday October 15, 2020, after the late-breaking session. The webcast event will include remarks from Dr. Dean Kereiakes as well an interactive question and answer session with a panel of experts. Interested parties may access a live audio webcast of the presentation by visiting the "Investors" section of Shockwave's website at https://ir.shockwavemedical.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation. Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL catheters are commercially available for the treatment of de novo coronary artery disease in Europe and select other geographies; they are limited to investigational use in the United States.

08:32 EDT Molson Coors, Yuengling form joint venture - D.G. Yuengling & Son and Molson Coors Beverage Company have launched a long-term brewing partnership, which will bring Yuengling's beer to millions more people outside of their East Coast footprint. This partnership will allow the distribution of Yuengling beers to expand further west for the first time in history. The joint venture between Yuengling and Molson Coors will oversee any new market expansion beyond the 191 year old brewer's existing 22 state footprint plus any future New England expansion. The partnership is expected to begin by launching in the second half of 2021 and will be governed by a board of directors, consisting evenly of Yuengling and Molson Coors family members and executives. Importantly, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. remains a family-owned business and the existing company will operate separately from the joint venture with Molson Coors. . .

08:31 EDT 10x Genomics shipping Chromium Single Cell Multiome ATAC + Gene Expression - 10x Genomics announced it has begun shipping its Chromium Single Cell Multiome ATAC + Gene Expression solution to customers, marking the first commercial release of a product capable of simultaneously profiling the epigenome and transcriptome from the same single cell. This multi-omic approach provides customers with the ability to link a cell's epigenetic program to its transcriptional output, enabling a better understanding of cell functionality and bypassing the need to infer relationships through computer simulations. The new solution builds on an array of new products launched by the company this year for both its Chromium platform for single cell analysis as well as its Visium platform for spatial genomics. Early customers already working with Chromium Single Cell Multiome ATAC + Gene Expression include Stanford University School of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai and Spain's Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico.

08:28 EDT Axovant, Viralgen sign gene therapy development, manufacturing partnership - Axovant Gene Therapies announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with Viralgen, a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. Leveraging the technology platforms of AskBio, Viralgen is able to support all aspects of manufacturing for Axovant's AAV programs, including large-scale manufacturing, fill-finish, and quality control in a GMP-certified environment custom-designed to bring therapies to market as quickly as possible. Under the terms of the partnership, Axovant will have access to manufacturing resources for Axovant's AAV-based gene therapy programs, AXO-AAV-GM1 for GM1 gangliosidosis and AXO-AAV-GM2 for GM2 gangliosidosis with sufficient capacity to support ongoing development and eventual commercialization.

08:24 EDT LSC Communications announces sale to Atlas Holdings, supporting creditors - LSC Communications said in a release, "LSC Communications announced that the Company has entered into a stock and asset purchase agreement with an affiliate of Atlas Holdings LLC with the support of certain of LSC's secured creditors. Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Atlas Holdings will acquire substantially all of the Company's assets through a combination of cash and a credit bid of obligations under the Company's secured term loan facility and senior secured notes at the direction of the Creditor Group. The Purchaser will also assume certain liabilities of the Company, including, subject to certain prerequisite conditions being satisfied, obligations related to the Company's qualified pension plan. Under the Purchase Agreement, the Purchaser will receive certain deal protections as previously authorized by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The transaction is subject to Court approval and to other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2020."

08:23 EDT Gilead announces breakthrough therapy designation for magrolimab - Gilead announced that the FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation for magrolimab, an investigational anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS. MDS is a type of cancer caused by poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells in the bone marrow. Approximately 15,000 people are diagnosed with MDS in the U.S. each year, and no new treatments have been approved in 14 years. The average survival rate for those with lower-risk MDS is six years and approximately 18 months for those with higher-risk MDS.

08:21 EDT ViacomCBS announces new original series for Paramount+ - ViacomCBS also revealed plans for additional new original series for Paramount+: The Offer, a scripted limited event series from Paramount Television Studios, based on Al Ruddy's experiences of making "The Godfather." Lioness, a spy drama created by Taylor Sheridan with Sheridan, Jill Wagner, David Glasser, David Hutkin, and Bob Yari set to executive produce. A reimagination of the Emmy-nominated series "Behind the Music" entitled MTV's Behind the Music - The Top 40, which will unlock MTV's vault from the past 40 years. The Real Criminal Minds, a true crime docuseries based on the CBS Television series. The service is also developing a revival of The Game as part of BET's programming on Paramount+ from CBS Television Studios and Grammnet Productions. Additional new original content will be announced ahead of launch.

08:20 EDT E-Trade reports August DARTs up 256% y/y - E-Trade released its Monthly Activity Report for August and also provided an update for September to-date trading activity. The company said in a release, "Daily Average Revenue Trades, or DARTs, for August were 1,038,000, and derivative DARTs were a record 287,000. Trading volume has increased in September, with DARTs of 1,205,000 and derivative DARTs of 346,000 through September 11. E-TRADE facilitated its highest derivative volume day of all time in September, achieving a record 433,000 derivative DARTs on September 4."

08:18 EDT Alliance Data reports August net charge offs 6.5% vs. 7.2% last month - Reports August delinquency ratio 4.5% vs. 4.7% last month.

08:17 EDT Unity Biotechnology to reduce workforce by approx. 30% - UNITY will reduce its workforce by approximately 30% to optimize capital allocation and align with key strategic priorities, resulting in an estimated 75 full-time employees by the end of the year. These steps to focus resources are expected to extend the cash runway through mid-2022, with current cash and cash equivalents projected to fund UNITY through key clinical data readouts for UBX1325 and IND-enabling studies for UBX1967.

08:16 EDT ViacomCBS to rebrand CBS All Access to Paramount+ global streaming service - ViacomCBS unveiled Paramount+ as the brand name for the company's upcoming global streaming service. The company's transformed subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, CBS All Access, will be rebranded as Paramount+ in early 2021 as part of the service's expansion to feature content from ViacomCBS' portfolio of broadcast, news, sports and entertainment brands. ViacomCBS will also bring Paramount+ to international markets with an initial debut in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics in 2021. Leading up to the early 2021 rebrand to Paramount+, CBS All Access will expand its content offering to more than 30,000 episodes and movies and continue to develop additional original series across brands including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and more, transforming it into a diversified super service for the ViacomCBS portfolio.

08:15 EDT Alimera Sciences signs distribution agreement with Medis for ILUVIEN - Alimera Sciences has signed a distribution agreement with Medis Pharmaceutical Company for the exclusive sales and distribution of ILUVIEN in the Czech Republic and Austria. ILUVIEN is Alimera's sustained release intravitreal injection approved in these countries for both the treatment of vision impairment associated with chronic diabetic macular edema considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies and prevention of relapse in recurrent non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment. Medis will immediately assume responsibility for promotion, marketing and commercial activities in Austria where ILUVIEN is currently reimbursed. Additionally, Medis will commence negotiations in the Czech Republic with the State Institute for Drug Control regarding the appropriate public price and confidential net price for reimbursement of ILUVIEN in advance of the initiation of promotion, marketing and commercial activities.

08:14 EDT 1847 Goedeker to expand workforce - 1847 Goedeke announced that it is continuing to expand its logistics, sales and customer relations workforce in order to keep up with customer demand. Having seen significant growth in Q2, Goedeker's began the process of onboarding dozens of new team members, including executive management and support staff from all over the country. Strong sales growth trends are continuing in the third quarter, and these staff additions put 1847 Goedeker in its best position to serve the significant increases in orders and customer service needs.

08:12 EDT R.R. Donnelley to sell DLS Worldwide Logistics business to TFI International - R.R. Donnelley (RRD) said in a release, "R.R. Donnelley announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its DLS Worldwide Logistics business to TFI International (TFII) for $225 million in cash, subject to a customary working capital adjustment. The agreement stipulates 10 percent of the purchase price will be held in escrow while the remainder will be paid at closing. The transaction does not include RRD's International Mail and Parcel Logistics business and is expected to close within the next 60 days pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The sale price is equal to approximately nine times DLS Worldwide's EBITDA for the 12 months ended June 30, 2020 including certain incremental stand-alone expenses and excluding certain corporate overhead allocations, restructuring and impairment charges and the results of the International Mail and Parcel Logistics business. RRD intends to use a portion of the proceeds from the transaction to reduce its borrowings under its credit facility and the remainder will be held temporarily as cash on hand until such time as the Company decides to further reduce outstanding borrowings on its credit facility and/or repurchase additional near term debt securities. RRD previously sold its Print Logistics business in July of 2018 and its Courier Logistics business in March of 2020, in addition to its UK-based Global Document Solutions business in October of 2019."

08:11 EDT R.R. Donnelley to sell DLS Worldwide Logistics business to TFI International

08:10 EDT Intersect ENT agrees to acquire Fiagon AG Medical Technologies for EUR 60M - Intersect ENT said in a release, "Intersect ENT announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Fiagon AG Medical Technologies, a leader in electromagnetic surgical navigation solutions, for EUR 60 million in cash. Under the terms of the transaction, Intersect ENT will make an initial EUR 15 million payment at the time of the closing and EUR 15 million annual payments for the subsequent three years. The acquisition is expected to close within 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020 and will be financed using balance sheet cash. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to top-line growth in the first year post close."

08:09 EDT Intersect ENT agrees to acquire Fiagon AG Medical Technologies for EUR 60M

08:08 EDT ViaSat expands residential internet service in Brazil - Viasat announced the expansion of its reliable, high-quality residential internet service to 14 additional states in Brazil. In July, Viasat launched its Brazil residential service in seven states and the Federal District. With its latest expansion, Viasat now offers service to more than 93% of the country's population across 21 states and the Federal District. The company expects to be the only satellite internet service provider capable of making high-speed internet available across 100% of the country, upon completion of the residential launch rollout.

08:07 EDT EDAP TMS hosting KOL call on Focal One, ExactVu - EDAP TMS announced that it will host a key opinion leader call on its two lead commercial products, Focal One and ExactVu, on Tuesday, September 22nd at 8am Eastern Time. The call will feature a presentation by Key Opinion Leaders Brian Miles, MD and Laurence Klotz, MD who will discuss the opportunity for the Focal One High Intensity Focused Ultrasound system and the ExactVu micro-ultrasound. Drs. Miles and Klotz will be available to answer questions at the conclusion of the call. EDAP TMS's management team will also give an update on the sales successes they are seeing for both stand-alone solutions as well as bundled deals, as well as the additional pipeline expansion opportunities that exist for these technologies beyond prostate cancer.

08:06 EDT Thermo Fisher to invest $140M to expand production - Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it is investing more than $140M to further expand its laboratory plastics consumables production to support significant global demand for COVID-19 testing, as well as development and manufacturing of therapies and vaccines. The rapid increase in production related to COVID-19 testing, and development and manufacturing of therapies and vaccines, has created historic demand for laboratory plastics, including pipette and automation tips, storage tubes and plates, transfer pipettes, and packaging vials and bottles. To support these needs, Thermo Fisher is creating more than 1,000 jobs across manufacturing sites globally, increasing automation capabilities and optimizing warehouse and sterilization capacity to improve supply chain agility. Among the Thermo Fisher sites currently being expanded are Rochester, N.Y.; Petaluma, Calif.; Monterrey and Tijuana, Mexico; and Joensuu, Finland.

08:06 EDT Genetic Technologies offers update on COVID-19 disease severity test development - Genetic Technologies is developing a Polygenic Risk Score test for COVID-19 which may enable an assessment of risk of an individual developing a serious disease should they contract the virus. The test is intended to predict 'disease severity' using a combination of genetic and clinical information. The Company is pleased to provide the following update on the test development program: Completed development of a prototype Polygenic Risk Score; Completed development of a clinical risk model; Completed evaluation of the combined comprehensive risk model; Sourced cross validation data; Filed provisional patent; Identified potential partner for pilot scale implementation study and commenced discussions. Completed preliminary analysis of "Workforce Management by Polygenetic Testing". Genetic Technologies utilized existing relationships with international biobanks and health studies to secure the requisite patient data to develop its COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test. The Company is extremely pleased with the early performance characteristics of the prototype test. Crucial to the completion of the test is a cross validation of the model in an independent dataset. Although the State of Victoria in Australia has experienced a significant second wave of COVID-19 cases, the requisite data is not available locally at this time. To complete the test development process, the Company has sourced additional data from Europe that is expected to be available in late September / early October. The Company expects to submit the test validation studies for publication in the mainstream medical literature and make the data publicly available at the same time. Genetic Technologies has designed and ordered its first SNP array panel from US-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, a world leader in genetic testing and GTG manufacturing partner for GeneType products. The first batch of prototype arrays are expected to be delivered to the Company's laboratory during the week of September 21, 2020 and will be used to validate and verify the laboratory process prior to submission of the test for regulatory approval. As reported in the Company's Quarterly Activities Report on July 29, 2020, the Company has held discussions to confirm procedural information with the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services and National Association of testing Authorities, Australia for regulatory Approval for the COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test in the United States and Australia. The submission of the technical file will be made to both organisations. Genetic Technologies has filed a provisional patent application for its COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test with IP Australia. The provisional patent covers the specific SNP algorithm designed by the Company to calculate a PRS and the testing model that combines PRS and the clinical risk factors that together constitute the COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test. The test is intended to provide risk stratification information which may help personal and population management in two ways: Providing risk stratification to guide quarantine measures on a personal, local, and national scale; and Providing risk stratification to prioritise vaccination if and when a vaccine becomes available. In preparation for the requirement to demonstrate supporting clinical utility of our approach, the Company has commenced a collaborative study to model the impacts on workforce protection through the use of the COVID-19 severity risk test. Employers cannot afford to close every time infections arise without significant damage to their businesses. The current modelling studies are designed to provide tailored workforce policies based on individual employee risk profiles provided by Genetic Technologies' COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test. Genetic Technologies prototype COVID-19 test combining demographic factors, health indicators and polygenetic characteristics is able to identify individuals most at risk of hospitalisation if they are infected with COVID-19. Based on the characteristics of the prototype test, individuals in the top decile of polygenetic scores are more than three times as likely to require hospitalisation as those with average polygenetic scores. More accurate identification of individuals at highest risk could enable employers to tailor return to work and work at home policies that provide most protection. Modelling work undertaken by Sam Lovick Consulting using results from the prototype shows that tailored work from home policies based on the test, when combined with precautions against infection for home-based workers, could reduce workforce hospitalisations by between 20% and 65%; a company with 10,000 employees could potentially reduce hospitalisations by 290 resulting in 10 fewer deaths. Preliminary discussions have been held with potential collaborating organizations to test this approach within a real workplace and will be announced in due course. On 11 September 2020 GTG announced that initial sales of its GeneType for Breast Cancer Risk Assessment commenced in the United States via an online health platform, elicity by InTeleLabs, an independent telehealth and personalised medicine company. The Company will now expand this online sales capability by making the COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Test available to US customers, targeted as a Q4 2020 release.

08:05 EDT Social Capital Hedosophia to combine with Opendoor in deal valued at $4.8B - Opendoor Labs and Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II said in a release, "Opendoor Labs has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II, to bring public a digital platform for residential real estate. On September 15, SCH entered into a definitive agreement to combine with Opendoor through a combination of stock and cash financing. The business combination values Opendoor at an enterprise value of $4.8 billion, representing 1.0x 2019 revenue. The transaction is expected to deliver up to $1.0 billion of gross proceeds, including the contribution of up to $414 million of cash held in SCH's trust account from its initial public offering in April 2020. The transaction is further supported by a $600 million PIPE at $10.00 per share, with $200 million from entities affiliated with SCH, including $100 million from Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO of SCH, $58 million from Hedosophia, and the remainder from existing Opendoor shareholders, Access Industries and Lennar, along with Opendoor management. New investors to Opendoor via additional PIPE contributions include funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). Existing Opendoor shareholders have agreed to roll 100 percent of their equity into the new company. Upon completion of the transaction, Opendoor expects to have up to $1.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet to fund operations and support new and existing growth initiatives. All references to cash on the balance sheet, available cash from the trust account and retained transaction proceeds are subject to any redemptions by the public shareholders of SCH and payment of transaction expenses. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Opendoor and SCH, is subject to approval by SCH's shareholders and other customary closing conditions. Opendoor's management team, led by Founder and CEO Eric Wu, will continue to lead Opendoor. SCH's Director, Adam Bain (former COO of Twitter), will join the merged company's board upon completion of the transaction."

08:04 EDT General Mills launches :ratio keto-friendly product line - General Mills is launching :ratio, an entirely new keto-friendly product line that marks the food company's first keto-focused product. As consumers continue to look for ways to cut back on sugar and carbs through better-for-you alternatives to existing preferences, the ketogenic products category is predicted to grow 5.5% through 2027. The newly launched product portfolio features yogurt cultured dairy snacks and crunchy bars. The :ratio dairy snacks and crunchy bars are currently available at select retail locations across the U.S. or online.

08:02 EDT Social Capital Hedosophia to combine with Opendoor in deal valued at $4.8B

08:01 EDT American Electric announces transfer to Nasdaq - American Electric Power announced it will transfer its stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market, effective opening bell on Thursday, Oct. 1. The last day of trading on the NYSE will be Wednesday, Sept. 30. AEP's stock will continue to trade under the ticker symbol "AEP".

07:55 EDT OptimizeRx expands direct-to-patient reach in partnership with Epion Health - OptimizeRx has partnered with Epion Health to give patients direct access to savings programs sponsored by life science companies. Patients at health systems and medical groups across the nation using Epion's recently announced Epion Patient Services - a feature of its digital check-in solution, Epion Check-In - will gain access to the OptimizeRx digital health and communications platform to receive available savings offers. For the first time, patients will be able to opt in to connect with OptimizeRx while checking in for their appointment from their desktop or mobile device, either at the point-of-care or from home. After opt-in, patients will see cost-saving opportunities for their prescribed medications based on their electronic health record. This expansion of the OptimizeRx digital health platform represents another significant new point of engagement with patients for the company's life science customers. Epion Check-In is utilized by leading electronic health systems, supports more than 10 million patient appointments annually, and is ranked number one in its category due to the system's ease of use and high return on investment. Epion and OptimizeRx expect to complete the integration of their platforms and begin offering integrated services to providers and patients next month.

07:51 EDT Kraft Heinz sets long-term growth targets - Kraft Heinz set long-term growth targets, including: organic Net Sales growth of 1%-2%, adjusted EBITDA growth of 2%- 3%, adjusted EPS growth of 4%-6% and greater than or equal to 100% free cash flow conversion. "We are committed to returning Kraft Heinz to consistent growth on both the top and bottom lines," said Paulo Basilio, Global CFO. "Leveraging our new platform structure to drive growth, our new productivity programs to deliver efficiencies, and our capital priorities to support reinvestment and accelerate our strategic plan will enable us to achieve our new long-term financial profile in the years ahead."

07:49 EDT Arbutus Biopharma announces AB-729 90 mg single-dose week 12 data in HBV - Arbutus Biopharma reports continued positive data from an ongoing Phase 1a/1b clinical trial with AB-729, its proprietary GalNAc delivered RNAi compound. These new data demonstrate that in chronic HBV subjects, a single subcutaneous injection of 90 mg of AB-729 resulted in a mean HBsAg reduction of 1.23 log10 IU/mL at week 12. Arbutus expects to present initial results from its ongoing Phase 1a/1b clinical trial for the 60 mg multi-dose cohorts, the 90 mg single-dose cohort in HBV DNA positive subjects, as well as longer-term follow up of the 60 and 90 mg single-dose cohorts, at an upcoming scientific meeting later this year. In addition to the ongoing 60 mg multi-dose cohorts with subjects dosed at 4- and 8-weeks, the Company has also initiated 90 mg multi-dose cohorts with subjects dosed at 8- and 12-week intervals. AB-729-001 is an ongoing first-in-human clinical trial consisting of three parts: In Part 1, three cohorts of healthy subjects were randomized 4:2 to receive single-doses of AB-729 or placebo. In Part 2, non-cirrhotic, HBeAg positive or negative, chronic HBV subjects on a background of nucleoside therapy with HBV DNA below the limit of quantitation received single-doses of AB-729. An additional cohort in Part 2 included 90 mg single-dose of AB-729 in HBV DNA positive chronic HBV subjects. In Part 3, chronic HBV subjects, HBV DNA negative first and HBV DNA positive later, are receiving multi-doses of AB-729 for up to six months.

07:47 EDT Apollo Global announces leadership team for impact investing platform - Apollo Global Management announced the leadership team for Apollo Impact, a new platform dedicated to impact investing. Marc Becker, a Senior Partner and 24-year veteran of the Firm, will serve as Co-lead of Impact alongside Joanna Reiss, who will join Apollo as a Partner and Co-lead of Impact. Lisa Hall, a recognized impact investment leader, has been named Impact Chair, helping to develop and oversee the new platform. The Apollo Impact platform will seek to build on the Firm's 30-year history of investing across industries historically aligned with the United Nations' sustainable development goals and a record of engagement on ESG issues that spans more than a decade. The Firm plans to focus its efforts in the following areas: Economic Opportunity; Education; Health, Safety & Wellness; Industry 4.0; and Resource Sustainability. In addition to the Chair and Co-leads, the Impact platform will have a dedicated team of Apollo veterans as well as new hires guided by a collective interest in establishing Apollo as a leader in private equity impact investing. Justin Stevens, a Senior Partner at Apollo, will serve as COO of the platform, focused on growth and development. Reiss joins Apollo as Co-lead of Impact from Cornell Capital, a private equity firm where she was a founding partner since 2013. Hall was a Fellow and Fair Finance Lead at Georgetown University's Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, where she led a research initiative focused on creating a more inclusive economy.

07:41 EDT IPG, Pacira collaborate to reduce postsurgical opioid prescribing costs - IPG and Pacira BioSciences announced a collaboration to reduce postsurgical opioid prescribing and surgical procedure costs across the IPG national health plan and provider network. Through this partnership, IPG will offer reimbursement for EXPAREL to its health plan provider clients across the country to further support its mission to bring high quality, cost-effective surgical solutions to the U.S. healthcare market. Pacira will work alongside IPG to provide education and training to ensure consistent, positive outcomes are achieved across procedures, clinicians, and provider facilities. Under the terms of the partnership, the organizations will co-develop clinician-facing educational materials and EXPAREL resources that will support best practice pain management for surgical patients.

07:38 EDT Cowen Group to acquire investment banking business of MHT Partners - Cowen announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of MHT Partners. Based primarily in Dallas and San Francisco, MHT Partners' investment banking team is expected to join Cowen under the agreement. Terms of the acquisition, which is not material to Cowen from a financial perspective, were not disclosed. MHT Partners is a premier middle-market investment bank, serving leading companies in Consumer Growth, Business & Information Services, Education and Healthcare Services, among other key sectors. The firm's clients span a diverse variety of businesses and investors, including companies owned by families and serial entrepreneurs, divisions of large corporations and private equity- and venture-backed enterprises. The transaction is subject to receipt of FINRA approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2020. The MHT Partners team, including its four lead partners, will report into Cowen's Strategic Capital Group, led by Mr. Weil.

07:37 EDT Francesca's not providing quarterly, annual financial guidance - In light of the economic and business uncertainties caused by COVID-19, management is not providing quarterly and annual financial guidance in this earnings release. Additionally, management may not provide financial guidance in any future earnings release.

07:36 EDT ServiceMaster to become Terminix Global Holdings, symbol changed to 'TMX' - ServiceMaster said in a release, "ServiceMaster Global Holdings announced that the company will change its name to Terminix Global Holdings, Inc., and change its NYSE ticker symbol to 'TMX', immediately upon the closing of the sale of its ServiceMaster Brands segment, and associated names and trademarks, to Roark Capital, an affiliate of investment funds managed by Roark Capital Management LLC, expected within the next 30 days. The company also announced the official start of its new CEO, Brett Ponton, effective today. Naren Gursahaney will continue his role as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors following his service as interim chief executive officer over the past eight months."

07:33 EDT Idera Pharmaceuticals to present tilsotolimod data at ESMO Virtual Congress - Idera Pharmaceuticals announced that final data from the ILLUMINATE-204 trial investigating intratumoral tilsotolimod, Idera's investigational Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, will be presented in a Mini Oral presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020, to be held September 19-21, 2020. In addition, final results from ILLUMINATE-101 will be shared in a poster presentation. ILLUMINATE-204 is a multi-center, two-arm phase 1/2 trial in patients with anti-PD-1 refractory advanced melanoma. The phase 1 portion of the trial tested the safety and efficacy of increasing doses of tilsotolimod in combination with either Yervoy or Keytruda. The phase 2 expansion of the trial enrolled additional patients at the recommended phase 2 dose of 8 mg of tilsotolimod in combination with Yervoy, which is the treatment regimen being evaluated for the same indication in the Company's registrational trial, ILLUMINATE-301. Adi Diab, M.D., of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will be delivering the Mini-Oral presentation as part of the Mini Oral Session on Melanoma and Other Skin Tumors. ILLUMINATE-101 is a phase 1b trial evaluating intratumoral tilsotolimod monotherapy in patients with refractory solid tumors, which was completed in December 2019. Final results for ILLUMINATE-101 will be presented by Hani M. Babiker, M.D., of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. In addition to presentations on these Idera-sponsored trials, AbbVie will be presenting a trial-in-progress poster on their phase 1b study to determine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of combinations of ABBV-368 plus tilsotolimod in subjects with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This trial is being conducted as part of an immuno-oncology clinical research collaboration between Idera and AbbVie. The presentation titles are as follows: 1083MO: Final Results from ILLUMINATE-204, a Phase 1/2 Trial of Intratumoral Tilsotolimod in Combination with Ipilimumab in PD-1 Inhibitor Refractory Advanced Melanoma; 1031P: Tilsotolimod Engages the TLR9 Pathway to Promote Antigen Presentation and Type I IFN Signaling in Solid Tumors; 975TiP: Phase 1b Trial of ABBV-368 + Tilsotolimod in Combination With Nab-Paclitaxel and/or Budigalimab in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. The on-demand poster and oral presentations will be available beginning on Thursday, September 17 and Friday, September 18, respectively.

07:33 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical opens new R&D facility in Boston - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced the expansion of its cell therapy manufacturing capabilities with the opening of a new 24,000 square-foot R&D cell therapy manufacturing facility at its R&D headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The facility provides end-to-end research and development capabilities and will accelerate Takeda's efforts to develop next-generation cell therapies, initially focused on oncology with potential to expand into other therapeutic areas.

07:31 EDT VivoPower announces establishment of Advisory Council - VivoPower Internationa announced the formation of the VivoPower Advisory Council with the objective of helping the Company successfully execute on its strategic pivot to commercial electric vehicles and sustainable energy solutions. In addition, the company welcomed Eric Achtmann as the first member of the Advisory Council. Since 2016, Eric has led a management and advisory firm, Global Capital Group, based in Germany that partners with global clients to "pivot, repurpose, innovate and transform" their businesses.

07:28 EDT Silver Bull announces 1-for-8 reverse stock split - Silver Bull Resources announced that its board of directors has approved a 1-for-8 reverse stock split of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock. The reverse stock split will be effective prior to the stock market opening on Friday, September 18, 2020, subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the final approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Nevada Secretary of State. In the reverse stock split, every eight pre-split shares of issued and outstanding common stock of the Company will be converted into one post-split share of common stock, with all fractional shares being rounded up to the nearest whole share. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. In connection with the reverse stock split, the 300,000,000 pre-split authorized shares of Silver Bull common stock will be proportionately reduced to 37,500,000 post-split authorized shares of Silver Bull common stock. Proportional adjustments will also be made to the Company's outstanding stock options.

07:24 EDT Novavax enters COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing agreement with SIIPL - Novavax announced an amendment to its existing agreement with Serum Institute of India Private Limited under which SIIPL will also manufacture the antigen component of NVX-CoV2373, Novavax' COVID-19 vaccine candidate. With this agreement, Novavax increases its manufacturing capacity of NVX-CoV2373 to over two billion doses annually, when all planned capacity has been brought online by mid-2021. NVX-CoV2373 is a stable, prefusion protein made using Novavax' recombinant protein nanoparticle technology and includes Novavax' proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant. The agreement with SIIPL augments a global supply chain that will deliver over two billion doses of NVX-CoV2373 annually as of 2021. The antigen component of NVX-CoV2373 is being manufactured at Novavax CZ in Bohumil, Czech Republic, as well as at the following partnered manufacturing sites: Biofabri in Spain; FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies in both North Carolina and Texas in the United States; FDB in the United Kingdom; SIIPL in India; SK Bioscience in the Republic of Korea; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in Japa. Novavax' Matrix-M adjuvant is now being manufactured at Novavax AB in Uppsala, Sweden and the following partnered manufacturing sites: AGC Biologics in the United States and Denmark; PolyPeptide Group will manufacture two key intermediaries used in Matrix-M in the United States and Sweden.

07:18 EDT Mylan, Synthon win significant EPO ruling relating to Teva's Copaxone - Mylan (MYL) announced that the Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office has held that Yeda Research and Development Company, Ltd.'s European Patent no. 2 949 335 related to Teva's (TEVA) Copaxone 40 mg/mL three times weekly product is invalid and revoked across Europe. With the EPO's decision, Mylan has once again overcome Teva's attempts to restrict MS patients' access to safe and affordable alternatives. Over the course of the last eleven years, Mylan has successfully defeated Teva's four waves of U.S. patent litigation, eight Citizen Petitions, injunction proceedings in India, and more than 15 regulatory challenges, patent litigations or commercial actions across Europe. The EPO's positive ruling will allow Mylan to immediately return to the market and accelerate commercialization in other markets across Europe. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch commented: "There are many ways in which we demonstrate our commitment to expand access to medicine, including by leveraging our legal expertise to overcome barriers on behalf of the patients we serve. The decision by the EPO marks a significant step forward for Mylan in several ongoing legal actions around Europe related to this important product, and further increases our confidence in our ability to continue to expand access to a lower-cost, high quality, therapeutically equivalent version of Copaxone to the multiple sclerosis community across even more markets in Europe and beyond."

07:14 EDT Opko Health initiates trial of RAYALDEE in COVID-19 patients - OPKO Health announces the initiation of a Phase 2 trial with RAYALDEE as a treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The trial, "A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of RAYALDEE Extended-release Capsules to Treat Symptomatic Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2," is expected to enroll approximately 160 subjects, many with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease who are at higher risk for developing more severe illness. The trial will be conducted at multiple COVID-19 outpatient clinics in the U.S. The initial sites are located primarily in South Florida, the Central Gulf coast, the Midwest and the Southwest. The first subjects are expected to be enrolled within the next few weeks. The REsCue trial will randomize COVID-19 outpatients in a 1:1 ratio to 4 weeks of treatment with RAYALDEE or placebo and 2 weeks of follow-up. Dosing with RAYALDEE will commence with 300 mcg per day on Days 1, 2 and 3 followed by 60 mcg per day on Days 4 through 27. Primary efficacy endpoints are raising and maintaining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D within the range of 50-100 ng/mL and time to resolution of COVID-19 symptoms. Secondary endpoints include incidence of emergency room or urgent care visits, oxygen saturation below 94%, need for and duration of hospitalizations, requirement for mechanical ventilation, mortality rate, and severity and duration of illness evidenced by quality-of-life measures. Numerous independent studies have reported a correlation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 risk and severity. OPKO expects to report topline results from this Phase 2 trial before year-end.

07:12 EDT aTyr Pharma partner Kyorin doses first subjects in Phase 1 trial of ATYR1923 - aTyr Pharma announced that its partner Kyorin Pharmaceutical has dosed the first subjects in a Phase 1 trial of aTyr's lead therapeutic candidate ATYR1923. The Phase 1 trial, which is being conducted by Kyorin, is a placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity of ATYR1923 in 32 healthy Japanese male volunteers. Assuming successful completion of the study, Kyorin would then be able to initiate patient trials in interstitial lung diseases in Japan. Kyorin is aTyr's partner for the development and commercialization of ATYR1923 for ILDs in Japan. As per the agreement, aTyr previously received an $8M upfront payment and is eligible to receive up to $167M in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on the net sales in Japan. Kyorin has the exclusive rights to commercialize ATYR1923 in Japan for ILDs.

07:11 EDT China Xiangtai Food signs agreement with Chengdu Quanmin Doushang Media - China Xiangtai Food announced that it has entered into a service agreement on August 28 with Chengdu Quanmin Doushang Media Co, an online media company specializing in brand promotion on major e-commerce platforms through short video and live streaming by KOLs.Pursuant to the Agreement, CQDM agrees to provide PLIN with short video and live streaming by KOLs in Chinese popular social media platforms including TikTok, Kuaishou, Weibo and Xiaohongshu. CQDM plans to help PLIN organize 66 e-commerce livestreaming events with over 100,000 attendees for PLIN for each event.

07:10 EDT Exterran sees Q3 adjusted EBITDA approx. $35M - Andrew Way, Exterran's President and CEO commented, "The third quarter, thus far, has delivered stronger operational performance than prior guidance, driven by productivity and additional cost focus. With this performance we are increasing our third quarter 2020 adjusted EBITDA guidance to around $35 million and as a result, we are also adjusting the full year guidance range up to $125-140 million of adjusted EBITDA."

07:08 EDT Nova Measuring to expand production capacity in new clean room in Israel - Nova announced that it will expand its production and development capabilities with a new state-of-the-art clean room in Israel. Following a recent move to new offices, Nova is now in the process of constructing a highly advanced clean room facility that will support the company's advanced technologies and continuous growth. The new facility will extend Nova's current production capabilities beyond its current clean rooms in Israel and USA and follows the recent opening of a new site in Fremont, CA. The new clean room will become operational in late 2022. The new clean room facility is planned for manufacturing Nova's most advanced platforms by utilizing state-of-the-art production methods, including industry 4.0 elements and high levels of automation. As part of Nova's corporate social responsibility, the construction will support high sustainability standards.

07:07 EDT Aravive appoints Reshma Rangwala as CMO - Aravive (ARAV) announced the appointment of industry veteran and oncologist, Reshma Rangwala, M.D., Ph.D., as CMO. Previously, she served as Vice President, Medical, at Genmab (GMAB) where she led the clinical development program for a first-in-class antibody drug conjugate and managed clinical strategy, protocol development, data monitoring, data analysis, study report authoring, and biologic licensing application preparations.

07:06 EDT AMC Networks CFO Sean Sullivan to depart - AMC Networks announced its CFO Sean Sullivan is departing to take a senior position at another company. Mr. Sullivan will remain with AMC Networks through mid-October and the company will appoint an interim CFO or a successor prior to his departure.

07:05 EDT Amazon announces new 'Luxury Stores' invitation-only shopping experience - Amazon said in a release, "Amazon announced the launch of Luxury Stores, a new shopping experience offering both established and emerging luxury fashion and beauty brands. Iconic American fashion house, Oscar de la Renta, unveils the first store featuring its Pre-Fall and Fall/Winter 2020 collections, inclusive of ready-to-wear, handbags, jewelry, accessories, and a new perfume, with childrenswear coming soon. More brands will launch within Luxury Stores in the coming weeks and seasons. Available in the Amazon app by invitation only, Luxury Stores combines the convenience customers have come to know and love from Amazon with innovative technology like "View in 360." This interactive feature will begin rolling out with select garments at launch, allowing customers to explore styles in 360-degree detail to better visualize fit, and making shopping for luxury easier and more engaging. With collections sold directly from the participating brands as a 'store within a store' experience, brands independently make decisions regarding their inventory, selection, and pricing - and Amazon offers the merchandising tools for brands to create and personalize content in each of their unique brand voices. By seamlessly tying content and commerce together, both fashion and beauty brands can engage and entertain customers through immersive storytelling, including enhanced, auto-play imagery and in-motion graphics. Eligible U.S. Prime members are the first invited to experience Luxury Stores."

07:04 EDT Sirius XM names Sean Sullivan as CFO, succeeding David Frear - The company also announced that Sean Sullivan has been appointed Executive Vice President and CFO, effective October 26. Sullivan succeeds David Frear who will be pursuing other opportunities, effective immediately.

07:03 EDT Apellis submits pegcetacoplan marketing applications to FDA, EMA - Apellis Pharmaceuticals announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for pegcetacoplan for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria in the United States and European Union, respectively. The NDA and MAA submissions are based on results from the Phase 3 PEGASUS study, which met its primary endpoint, demonstrating the superiority of pegcetacoplan to eculizumab with a statistically significant improvement in hemoglobin levels at 16 weeks, as well as higher normalization rates across key markers of hemolysis and clinically meaningful improvement in FACIT-fatigue score. The safety profile of pegcetacoplan was comparable to eculizumab in the study. The FDA and EMA decisions on acceptance of the NDA and MAA submissions are expected in Q4 2020. In another regulatory milestone, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration granted orphan drug designation to pegcetacoplan in PNH. This designation in Australia is granted to therapies for serious rare diseases that have the potential to provide a significant benefit in comparison to approved treatments. Apellis plans to submit a marketing application in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2020.

07:02 EDT Canadian Pacific and Maersk sign agreement to build distribution facility - Canadian Pacific Railway and Maersk have reached an agreement to build and operate a world-class transload and distribution facility in Vancouver to expand CP's and Maersk Canada's supply chain options for customers.The CP transload facility will be an expansion of CP's existing Vancouver Intermodal Facility and thus will benefit from turnkey rail infrastructure.The transload facility is designed to apply Maersk's global integrator of container logistics strategy.

07:00 EDT Bristol-Myers: EMA validates type II variation application for Opdivo + Yervoy - Bristol Myers Squibb (announced that the European Medicines Agency validated a type II variation application for Opdivo plus Yervoy for the treatment of patients with previously untreated, unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. Validation of the application confirms the submission is complete and begins the EMA's centralized review process.

06:57 EDT SBM Offshore confirms contract negotiation for Petrobras FPSO - As announced by Petrobras, SBM Offshore confirms it has entered into negotiations with Petrobras for a charter contract for the FPSO Almirante Tamandare which will operate in the Buzios field which is part of the Santos basin, offshore Brazil. The anticipated production capacity of the unit is 225,000 barrels of oil and 12 million m3 of gas per day. If and when an agreement is reached, SBM Offshore will inform the market.

06:53 EDT Endeavour Silver awards feasibility study for Terronera project to Wood plc - Endeavour announces it has awarded the feasibility study for the Terronera project to Wood plc. Wood is an international engineering firm with a mining group who provide project-specific services across the entire life cycle of mining and minerals projects from early-stage concepts and evaluations to turn-key projects and asset solutions. Their team of technical experts spans five continents and has delivered projects in over 100 countries across a diverse range of commodities Wood takes advantage of its operations and consulting expertise to assess deposits, evaluate technical and economic feasibility, and develop efficient and cost-effective mine and plant designs. The feasibility study is estimated to take about 9 months at a cost of approximately $1.5M.

06:52 EDT Endeavour Silver names Don Gray as COO, succeeding Godfrey Walton - Endeavour Silver announces the appointment of Donald Gray, B.Sc., MSE, MBA as its new COO, effective September 15. Godfrey Walton, COO since the founding of the company, will retire at year-end and retains the role of President until then to facilitate the COO transition period. Gray brings to Endeavour his 40 years of experience in the mining industry, having worked for senior mining companies such as Exxon, Hecla, Newmont, Coeur throughout much of Latin America, as well as Spain and the United States. Most recently, he was COO of Continental Gold.

06:49 EDT Sonoco ThermoSafe's Pegasus ULD container receives FAA approvals - Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco (SON) announced that its new Pegasus ULD bulk temperature controlled container has received FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration, approval as a unit load device, or ULD. The Pegasus ULD is the world's first passive bulk temperature-controlled container for pharmaceutical use that is an FAA-approved unit load device, which allows it to speed through existing international ground handling and customs processes at the lowest possible cost.

06:47 EDT Aerie Pharmaceuticals: FDA approves Ireland facility for production of Rhopressa - Aerie Pharmaceuticals announced that its sterile fill production facility in Athlone, Ireland has received approval from the U.S. FDA for production of Rhopressa 0.02% for commercial distribution in the United States. This approval comes following the FDA review of the New Drug Application Prior Approval Supplement, which added the Athlone production facility as a drug product manufacturer for Rhopressa.

06:35 EDT Centrus Energy to team up with TerraPower to establish HALEU - TerraPower announced its plans to team with Centrus Energy to establish commercial-scale, domestic production capabilities for high-assay, low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, which will be needed to fuel many next-generation reactor designs including the recently announced Natrium Power Storage System designed by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. The proposed investment is part of the TerraPower-led proposal for the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, or ARDP, which is intended to support the deployment of two first-of-a-kind advanced reactor designs in the next five to seven years. The ARDP requires applicants to "establish a plan by which they would obtain the fuel/special nuclear material needed for their projects." The TerraPower application proposes that, if selected for ARDP, the company would work with Centrus to build commercial-scale capacity to produce HALEU and fabricate it into metal fuel assemblies. HALEU, which is not commercially available, offers improved reactor economics, greater fuel efficiency, enhanced safety and proliferation resistance, lower volumes of waste and other advantages. The first year of scope initiates the facility's design and licensing and involves detailed planning and cost estimating for implementation of the new infrastructure and production. The Natrium reactor technology employs a metal fuel form that is not currently available from any U.S. commercial nuclear fuel supplier. This contract will close the gap in metal-specific fabrication infrastructure and meet growing HALEU needs. Centrus Energy is currently working under a three-year, $115M cost-shared contract with the Department of Energy to deploy 16 of its AC-100M centrifuges at its Piketon, Ohio, facility to demonstrate HALEU production. Once the demonstration is complete in mid-2022, TerraPower would work with Centrus to expand the plant to meet the fuel requirements of the Natrium demonstration reactor.

06:34 EDT Walmart announces availability of 'Walmart+' - Customers across the country can now sign up for Walmart+, the company's new membership option aimed at saving customers time and money like no other retailer can. Walmart+ is meant to make life easier for busy families by pulling together the conveniences of its stores, delivery offering, online offerings, and more. Members will receive unlimited free delivery from stores, fuel discounts and access to tools that make shopping faster for families. Starting today, customers can sign up for Walmart+ at walmart.com/plus. The membership will cost $98 a year or $12.95 a month and includes a 15-day free trial period.

06:32 EDT JPMorgan reports August net credit losses 2.18% vs. 2.03% last month - Reports August 30-plus day delinquencies 0.95% vs. 0.99% last month.

06:31 EDT Synchrony reports August net charge-off rate 3.54% vs. 3.66% last month - Reports August 30-plus day delinquencies 1.68% vs. 1.82% last month.

06:19 EDT KBR awarded eight-year, $974M maximum value Air Force contract - KBR has secured an eight-year contract to perform day-to-day base operations for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, or USAFE-AFAFRICA, a command of the Air Force. This new indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a $974M maximum ceiling value. KBR will help sustain the well-being of U.S. armed forces at Moron Air Base in Spain, as well as Incirlik Air Base, Izmir Air Station, Office of Defense Cooperation -Turkey and the Ankara Support Facility also in Turkey. KBR's work will include program management; civil engineering; morale, welfare and recreation support; postal operations; and safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene and ambulance services. It will also provide logistics support, such as vehicle management, fuel operations and air terminal services. KBR received this contract - which has a five-year base period and three one-year options-from the Air Force Installation Contracting Center.

06:01 EDT Amazon.com to expand 'Amazon Future Engineer' to more than 5,000 schools - Amazon announced it is expanding its computer science education program, Amazon Future Engineer, to more than 5,000 schools, benefitting over 550,000 students in need each year. The expansion more than doubles Amazon Future Engineer's reach, adding more than 3,000 new schools across the U.S. Nearly all Amazon Future Engineer schools serve a student body with a significant percentage of students from groups currently underrepresented in computer science and tech, hundreds of schools are rural, and more than 80% are Title I schools. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon Future Engineer coursework can be done virtually to help ensure students stay on track and continue to prepare for the jobs of the future.

05:47 EDT iQIYI Sports announces partnership with FC Barcelona, to launch official channel - iQIYI Sports, a joint venture between iQIYI and Super Sports Media, announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with FC Barcelona to create the first FC Barcelona official channel in China during the 2020/21 season. At present iQIYI Sports has the rights to La Liga until 2021, the 2020 European Cup and other major sports properties. As the first La Liga club to launch a channel on the platform, FC Barcelona will deliver exclusive and non-exclusive video content to its fans in China, including behind the scenes access, training sessions, player challenges, interviews and keep fans up to date on the latest developments at the club. It will also give behind the scenes access to the FC Barcelona B team training. iQIYI Sports and FC Barcelona will continue to develop a cooperation and expand the offering for Chinese fans in an effort to bring them closer to club. Going forward, iQIYI Sports and FC Barcelona will deepen their partnership by expanding joint offerings in the interest of FC Barcelona fans in China.

05:40 EDT Lonestar Resources announces restructuring support agreement through Chapter 11 - Lonestar Resources announced that it and certain of its direct and indirect wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries have entered into a restructuring support agreement with its largest stakeholders that will eliminate approximately $390M in aggregate debt obligations and preferred equity interests. Under the terms of the support agreement, approximately $250M of the Company's 11.250% Senior Notes due 2023 will be converted to equity and accrued interest thereon will be extinguished. In addition, lenders under the company's revolving credit facility who agree to accept the plan will, among other things, receive their pro rata share of warrants to purchase up to 10% of the new equity interests in the company, revolving loans under the exit revolving credit facility, and term loans under the second-out exit term facility. Holders of preferred equity interests in the company will receive their pro rata share of 3% of the new equity interests in the company and holders of existing Class A common stock in the company will receive their pro rata share of 1% of the new equity interests in the company. Under the terms of the support agreement, the debtors would effectuate the proposed transactions through a prepackaged plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The company has already obtained support for the proposed transactions from lenders holding 100% of the aggregate principal amount outstanding under its revolving credit facility, noteholders holding approximately 67.1% of the aggregate principal amount outstanding under its Notes, and holders of 100% of its preferred equity interests. The company said it is confident, based on the support agreement, that it will be able to meet its financial commitments and otherwise continue to operate its business as usual throughout the restructuring period. The company anticipates funding the cases and continuing to operate the business with cash-on-hand and certain proceeds from the consensual termination of the debtors' existing hedging arrangements with certain lenders under its revolving credit facility. The support agreement contemplates that the company will continue operating its business without disruption to its customers, vendors, partners or employees. In addition, the support agreement contemplates that unsecured trade creditors will be paid in full under the plan.

05:30 EDT Microsoft, BP form partnership for energy innovation and net zero goals - BP (BP) and Microsoft (MSFT) announced that they have agreed to collaborate as strategic partners to further digital transformation in energy systems and advance the net zero carbon goals of both companies. This includes a co-innovation effort focused on digital solutions, the continued use of Microsoft Azure as a cloud-based solution for BP infrastructure and BP supplying renewable energy to help Microsoft meet its 2025 renewable energy goals. Earlier this year, BP announced its ambition to become a net zero emissions company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world reach net zero. By the end of the decade, it aims to have developed around 50 gigawatts of net renewable generating capacity, a 20-fold increase on what it has previously developed, increased annual low carbon investment 10-fold to around $5B and cut oil and gas production by 40%. In January, Microsoft announced its goal to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove more carbon from the environment than it has emitted since its founding by 2050. The announcements build on the potential that both companies see in working together to help deliver a net zero carbon future. A memorandum of understanding, or MOU, signed by BP and Microsoft recognizes the capabilities that each company can provide to accelerate progress towards their sustainability goals and help the world decarbonize. Their co-innovation effort will initially be focused on four areas that combine Microsoft's digital expertise with BP's understanding of energy markets. As part of BP's cloud-first IT approach, the company has extended its agreement to use Microsoft Azure cloud services as a strategic platform. This expands on BP's existing relationship with Microsoft, which helped accelerate the digitization of bp infrastructure and operations, while Microsoft 365 enabled greater collaboration and remote working productivity during the COVID-19 response. Utilizing Microsoft Azure cloud enables BP to access a broad and portfolio of cloud services, including machine learning with Azure Digital Twins, data analytics, security and more, to gain greater insights, drive significant optimization opportunities and transform business processes. Microsoft and BP have signed a framework agreement for renewable energy projects that aims to provide renewable energy to help power Microsoft's datacentres. BP will supply renewable energy to Microsoft across multiple countries and regions including the US, Europe and Latin America. The agreement contributes to Microsoft's 100% renewable energy goal by 2025.

05:15 EDT Takeda Pharmaceutical announces label update approval for Hyqvia by EMA - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced that the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has approved a label update for Hyqvia broadening its use and making it the first and only facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy in adults, adolescents and children with an expanded range of secondary immunodeficiencies, or SID. With the update, Hyqvia is now indicated for use as a replacement therapy in adults, children and adolescents with SID who suffer from severe or recurrent infections, ineffective antimicrobial treatment and either proven scientific antibody failure, or PSAF, or serum IgG level of less than four g/l. The label update was based on the body of evidence from clinical trials that have demonstrated that subcutaneous administration of immunoglobulin has been shown to decrease the rate of infections in patients with SID and follows an update made by the EMA to the Summary of Product Characteristics for human normal immunoglobulin for intravenous administration, or IVIg, which went into effect in 2019. The efficacy and safety of Hyqvia has also been evaluated in a retrospective single-centre study in patients with immunodeficiencies secondary to haematologic malignancies. The safety profile of Hyqvia has remained unchanged with the expanded label.