Stockwinners Market Radar for September 28, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:34 EDT Apollo Endosurgery discontinues furlough program - On September 23, 2020, the company discontinued the employee furlough program previously announced on its Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 20, 2020. Of the U.S.-based employees originally placed on furlough, 35 employees will not be recalled. The normalized annual compensation costs associated with these positions prior to previously announced compensation reductions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were approximately $5.0M. Total severance costs in the third quarter of 2020 are expected to be approximately $0.2M to $0.3M.

18:35 EDT Boeing awarded $249M Missile Defense Agency contract modification - Boeing was awarded a $249M undefinitized contract modification to a previously awarded on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Development and Sustainment contract, or DSC. The scope of work under the current DSC includes development, fielding, test, systems engineering, integration and configuration management, equipment manufacturing and refurbishment, training and operations and sustainment for the GMD weapon system and associated support facilities. Under this undefinitized modification, the Missile Defense Agency executes the Service Life Extension Program, or SLEP, upgrade of ground based interceptors, or GBI; the upgrade and repair of specialized production equipment necessary to support SLEP activities; systems engineering to support CE-I fleet readiness; cybersecurity activities and the production of a payload to support system testing requirements. The value of this contract, including options, is increased from $11.52B to $11.77B. The period of performance is from September 24 to December 31, 2022. This acquisition was executed on a sole-source basis. FY20 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $45.69M have been obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity.

18:31 EDT Honeywell awarded $258.66M Army contract - Honeywell was awarded a $258.66M firm-fixed-price contract for overhaul/repair of T55-GA-714A engines for the CH-47 Chinook. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2021. The U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

18:27 EDT General Dynamics awarded $215.66M Navy contract modification - General Dynamics was awarded a $215.66M modification to a previously awarded contract for engineering, technical, design agent and planning yard support for operational strategic and attack submarines. This contract combines purchases for the Navy and the country of Great Britain, under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work is expected to be completed by September 2023. Foreign Military Sales Great Britain and FY20 other procurement funding in the amount of $5.04M will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, is the contracting activity.

18:13 EDT Quidel supports Trump administration's plans for school COVID-19 testing - Quidel Corporation (QDEL) issued a supporting Trump administration's plans to provide COVID-19 rapid tests to school children: "Quidel Corporation welcomes President Trump's announcement that the Administration will direct millions of Abbott's (ABT) visually read antigen tests for use in safeguarding K-12 school children as they return to America's classrooms. In this pandemic, the medical diagnostics industry is competing against COVID-19, not among companies. The need for testing seems virtually unlimited at this point in time. So, while Quidel continues our aggressive efforts to ramp production of our own rapid antigen tests, we appreciate the contributions of others and the leadership of the Trump Administration in clarifying how the special needs of school children will be addressed. Today's announcement gives us greater certainty in confirming our commitments to existing customers and greater flexibility to serve additional markets as our production capacity expands. Quidel recently doubled our production of Sofia rapid antigen tests to the current rate of approximately two million tests per week. We are constructing additional production lines that will more than double our current capacity once again. Our goal is to reach a run-rate of over 220 million tests per year by July of 2021. We are proud of the commitment demonstrated by our Quidel team since the first day we started developing our PCR and antigen tests for COVID-19. Our people have been so dedicated and their ability to speed and scale production has been extraordinary. It is noteworthy that all of Quidel's Sofia SARS Antigen test kits are made in America -- at our manufacturing facility near our corporate headquarters in San Diego."

17:31 EDT Ballard Power expanding manufacturing capacity for production of MEAs - Ballard Power announced the company is expanding manufacturing capacity for production of its proprietary membrane electrode assemblies, or MEAs - a critical component of every fuel cell - 6x by early 2021 at its headquarter facility in Vancouver. The upgraded capacity for production of 6M MEAs annually, equivalent to approximately 1.66 Gigawatts of product, will make Ballard's Vancouver facility the largest fuel cell MEA production operation globally for commercial vehicles.

17:08 EDT Fiat Chrysler agrees to pay $9.5M penalty for disclosure violations - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles agreed to settle charges that it made misleading disclosures about an internal audit of its emissions control systems. The SEC's order found that in February 2016, FCA represented in both a press release and an annual report that it conducted an internal audit which confirmed that FCA's vehicles complied with environmental regulations concerning emissions. As found in the order, FCA's statements did not sufficiently disclose the limited scope of its internal audit, which focused only on finding a specific type of defeat device, or that the audit was not a comprehensive review of FCA's compliance with U.S. emissions regulations. In addition, at the time FCA made these statements, engineers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and California Air Resource Board, CARB, had raised concerns to FCA about the emissions systems in certain of its diesel vehicles. "This case demonstrates the importance of public companies providing accurate and complete information to investors," said Joel R. Levin, Regional Director of the SEC's Chicago Regional Office. "At a time of heightened scrutiny of automakers' regulatory compliance, FCA provided misleading assurances to investors by not disclosing the limitations of its internal audit." The SEC's order found that FCA violated the reporting provisions of the federal securities laws. Without admitting or denying the SEC's findings, FCA agreed to cease and desist from committing violations of these provisions and to pay a $9.5M civil penalty. Reference Link

16:56 EDT Altimeter Capital reports 13.3% passive stake in Snowflake - Altimeter Capital disclosed a 13.3% stake in Snowflake. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:48 EDT Berkshire Hathaway reports 15.2% passive stake in Snowflake - Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a 15.2% stake in Snowflake, which represents over 6.12M shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

16:43 EDT United Natural Foods sees FY21 adjusted EBITDA $690M-$730M

16:34 EDT Summit Financial Group to acquire WinFirst Financial for cash - Summit Financial Group and WinFirst Financial announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement between Summit Community Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Summit, and WinFirst, pursuant to which Summit Community Bank will acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of WinFirst in exchange for cash. The transaction has been unanimously approved by each company's board of directors and is estimated to close by year end 2020, pending regulatory approvals and the approval of WinFirst's shareholders. Following the consummation of the merger, Summit Community Bank expects to consolidate WinFirst Bank, WinFirst's wholly-owned subsidiary, with Summit Community Bank.

16:28 EDT ChannelAdvisor COO Segovia sells over $158K in shares - ChannelAdvisor COO Elizabeth Segovia sold 10,541 shares at $15.00 per share on September 28 for a total transaction value of $158,115.

16:22 EDT MDC Partners announces formation of Global Technology Group - MDC Partners announced the formation of a new division within the company, the Global Technology Group, to introduce a bold new vision for technology infrastructure designed to unleash collaboration at global scale. The Group taps a roster of seasoned intra-network technology leaders who, under the direction of John Georgatos, Global Chief Information Officer, will drive global strategy across the network in areas including security, systems design, and cloud architecture. The Global Technology Group is the latest in a series of actions MDC Partners has taken to transform the company into the most modern global marketing partner to clients, equipping the company with the state-of-the-art IT infrastructure needed to deliver custom-built solutions that are global in scale, digital in nature, and reliant on agile, borderless collaboration. In addition to furthering efforts already underway at MDC to centralize and bolster support capabilities, the new group will be tasked with a number of initiatives to prepare MDC talent for the future of work in a post-COVID-19 landscape, including: cloud investments across the global portfolio to support extended remote work and connect creative talent and clients; harnessing AI and machine learning to work more collaboratively and efficiently; new cybersecurity partnerships to mitigate security exposure; expanding and accelerating the move toward entirely wireless real estate infrastructure; and preparing MDC Partners' forthcoming New York corporate campus at One World Trade Center to support over a dozen agency brands in this new work environment.

16:19 EDT MTS Systems announces work force reductions, majority of cost recognized in Q4 - On September 23, MTS Systems announced global workforce reductions in the company's Test & Simulation segment, including a product rationalization of certain product lines in China. These changes are designed to increase organizational effectiveness, gain operational efficiencies, improve profitability, and provide permanent cost savings in response to the COIVD-19 global pandemic. The company estimates that it will incur a total of approximately $4.0 to $5.0M of pre-tax severance and related expenses related to this action, all of which will require a cash outlay. Based on notice period requirements, expenses are expected to be recognized throughout the first half of fiscal year 2021 with the majority of the expense recognized in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020. The company anticipates this action to be completed within the next six months with the majority of cash paid in the first half of fiscal year 2021.

16:12 EDT Hertz names Kenny Cheung as CFO, succeeding Eric Esper - Hertz (HTZ) announced that Kenny Cheung, recently promoted to Executive Vice President of Finance, Chief Operational Finance and Restructuring Officer, assumed the role of CFO, effective September 24. He succeeds Eric Esper, who has resigned to pursue a new opportunity and will remain with Hertz as Chief Accounting Officer until November 1, to assist in the transition of those responsibilities. Previously, Cheung served as Senior Vice President of Global Financial Planning & Analysis and CFO of North America at Hertz. He joined the company in December 2018. Prior to that, he held financial leadership roles with Nielsen Holdings (NLSN).

16:10 EDT Radiant Logistics jumps 11% to $5.78 after Q4 results beat estimates

16:09 EDT ICF International awarded BPA with ceiling of $49M - ICF was recently awarded a new multiple-award blanket purchase agreement to support the National Institutes of Health in providing biomedical, public health, clinical and consumer health information services. The BPA, which was awarded by the National Library of Medicine, has a ceiling of $49M and a term of three years, including a one-year base and two one-year option periods.

16:07 EDT Flux Power sees 'FY21 revenue growth to continue its FY20 momentum' - The company states: "Flux Power anticipates revenue growth to continue its FY'20 momentum in FY'21 reflecting: (i) a growing preference for high performing, cost-efficient, and reliable lithium-ion battery solutions over legacy lead acid based solutions; (ii) the strength of its current order backlog and potential purchasing plans of existing customers; and (iii) the impact of a full product line of lithium-ion battery packs."

15:38 EDT PG&E says no info indicating Glass, Zogg fires attributable to its facilities - Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced it has begun patrols to inspect lines de-energized by the Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, that started Sunday morning, Sept. 27, which affected about 65,000 customers in 16 counties. This follows the end of a severe weather pattern that included strong, dry winds coupled with elevated temperatures in portions of the Northern and Central Sierra region. This morning, PG&E meteorologists in its Emergency Operations Center issued a weather all-clear for most - but not all - areas impacted by the PSPS, the company stated. About 37,000 customers are out of power due to wildfires that started overnight, including the Glass, Zogg and others. PG&E stated "Power was turned off in partnership with CAL FIRE and for the safety of firefighters in active fire areas or due to damage caused from wildfire related impacts to equipment... The start of several wildfires yesterday and overnight has introduced new challenges for this PSPS event, and they are directly affecting many of our customers. Here's a quick update on what we know: The Glass Fire along with the Shady and Boyson Fires in Napa County have burned over 11,000 acres as of this morning. These three fires are now referred to collectively as the Glass Fire; PG&E has not filed an Electric Incident Report and have no information indicating the Glass Fire ignition is attributable to our facilities; Additionally, as of this morning, the developing Zogg Fire in Shasta County has burned over 7,000 acres, burning rapidly southwest of Redding. We continue to closely monitor this fire and work closely with first responders. We have not filed an Electric Incident Report and have no information indicating the Zogg Fire ignition is attributable to our facilities; In total, approximately 37,000 customers are experiencing outages related to fires and not the PSPS event."

15:02 EDT Tennessee Titans announce BetMGM as official sports betting partner - The Tennessee Titans announced that BetMGM, the joint venture between MGM Resorts (MGM) and GVC Holdings (GMVHF), is the team's first Official Sports Betting Partner. "The announcement marks a historic moment in Tennessee as it represents the state's first official partnership between a professional sports team and sports betting platform," the team stated. As an official sports betting partner, BetMGM will receive brand visibility across multiple Titans digital assets and key in-game moments, the team noted.

14:55 EDT SEC charges Amazon finance manager and family with insider trading - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged a former finance manager at Amazon and two family members with insider trading in advance of Amazon earnings announcements between January 2016 and July 2018. According to the SEC's complaint, Laksha Bohra worked as a senior manager in Amazon's tax department, where she prepared and reviewed calculations used to finalize numbers included in Amazon's quarterly and annual earnings that were filed with the SEC. Beginning in January 2016 and continuing through July 2018, Laksha Bohra allegedly acquired, and tipped her husband Viky Bohra with, highly confidential information about Amazon's financial performance. The complaint alleges that Viky Bohra and his father, Gotham Bohra, traded on this confidential information in 11 separate accounts maintained by different members of the Bohra family. The complaint further alleges that Laksha Bohra disregarded quarterly reminders prohibiting her from passing material nonpublic information or recommending the purchase or sale of Amazon securities. As alleged, the family reaped illicit profits of approximately $1.4M from their unlawful trading in Amazon securities."We allege that the Bohras repeatedly and systematically used Amazon's confidential information for their own gain," said Erin Schneider, Director of the SEC's San Francisco Regional Office. "Employees with access to confidential, potentially market-moving corporate information may not use that information to enrich themselves, their friends, or their families." The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Seattle, charges all three Bohras with violating antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. All three Bohras have consented to the entry of final judgments permanently enjoining them from further violations of the charged provisions, and ordering them to pay total disgorgement of $1,428,094, total prejudgment interest of $118,406, and total penalties of $1,106,399. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington today filed criminal charges against Viky Bohra. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Sallie Kim, with assistance from Marc Katz and Andrew Hefty, under the supervision of Monique C. Winkler of the San Francisco Regional Office. Darren Boerner of the Market Abuse Unit also assisted the investigation. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reference Linkawarded

14:22 EDT New Enterprise reports 11.8% stake in Metracrine - New Enterprise Associates 16 disclosed an 11.8% stake in Metracrine, which represents over 3M shares. The filing allows for activism.

14:10 EDT Tortoise Acquisition stockholders approve combination with Hyliion - Tortoise Acquisition Corp. announced that its stockholders voted to approve the proposed business combination between TortoiseCorp and Hyliion and certain related proposals and that it has adjourned its virtual Special Meeting of Stockholders to September 30 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time to provide its shareholders additional time to vote on one of the ancillary proposals described in TortoiseCorp's definitive proxy statement, dated September 8. "A sufficient number of votes to approve the business combination were received and TortoiseCorp expects to close the transaction on Thursday, October 1, 2020. However, TortoiseCorp values the input of all stockholders and has adjourned the Special Meeting to provide stockholders who have not voted with additional time to vote their shares on one of the ancillary proposals," the special purpose acquisition company stated.

13:49 EDT Diamond Hill Capital Management appoints Carlotta King as general counsel - Diamond Hill Capital Management, an independent active asset manager and a subsidiary of Diamond Hill Investment Group, announced the appointment of Carlotta King as general counsel, effective today. King reports to Heather Brilliant, CFA, Diamond Hill's president and CEO. Before joining Diamond Hill, King was associate general counsel for the Managed Funds Association, an advocacy, education, and communications organization for the alternative investment industry in Washington, D.C., where she worked for 10 years.

13:46 EDT General Motors investing $71M in two Ohio manufacturing plants - General Motors announced today plans to invest $71M into two Ohio manufacturing facilities, including $39M at its Toledo transmission plant and $32M at its Defiance casting plant. Work will begin immediately at the two locations. These investments will enable GM to retain 240 U.S. manufacturing jobs. The Toledo investment will be used to upgrade and enhance the production of GM's eight-speed rear-wheel-drive transmission and the Defiance investment will be used to prepare the facility for future engine casting components work.

13:03 EDT Taro Pharmaceutical announces U.S. launch of specialty generic deferiprone - Taro Pharmaceutical announced the launch of a new specialty generic, deferiprone, an iron chelator indicated for the treatment of patients with transfusional iron overload due to thalassemia syndromes when current chelation therapy is inadequate. Deferiprone is the generic version of Ferriprox. "This product expands Taro's capabilities to include specialty products. Thalassemia syndromes are relatively rare in the United States, but are one of the most common autosomal recessive disorders in the world. The incidence of symptomatic cases is estimated to be approximately 1 in 100,000 individuals in the general population. At launch, Taro's deferiprone tablets will be exclusively dispensed by BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy," Taro stated.

12:21 EDT Three Citi affiliates ordered to pay $4.5M by CFTC for supervisory failures - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced it has issued an order filing and simultaneously settling charges against Citibank N.A. and Citigroup Energy Inc., both provisionally registered swap dealers, and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., a provisionally registered swap dealer and a registered futures commission merchant, for failing to diligently supervise their audio preservation system. Citibank operated and maintained an audio preservation system on behalf of all three Citi entities. This system was the primary means of ensuring that audio recordings were maintained as required by CFTC regulations. However, due to a known design flaw, the system deleted millions of audio files, including recordings that were responsive to a CFTC subpoena and which Citibank had assured the Division of Enforcement were being preserved. The order requires the Citi entities to pay a $4.5M civil monetary penalty.

12:00 EDT Fly Leasing rises 19.2% - Fly Leasing is up 19.2%, or $1.23 to $7.63.

11:58 EDT Roku says OS 9.4 to start rolling out to Roku devices in the coming weeks - Roku announced Roku OS 9.4 will start rolling out to Roku devices in the coming weeks. Roku OS 9.4 offers customers "new ways to access content quickly and a range of performance enhancements." The Roku Channel is adding more ways to access all-in-one entertainment via a new dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones available in the coming weeks, the company said. "The Roku OS allows consumers to easily get to the content they want to watch so they can sit back and enjoy the show," said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of Roku OS at Roku. "With Roku OS 9.4, we give our customers even more choice and new ways to navigate and control content-rich experiences on and off Roku devices."

11:37 EDT Sky Solar issues statement on unusual trading activity - Sky Solar Holdings issued a statement on recent unusual trading activity in the company's American depositary shares. As previously announced by the company, the tender offer of Square Acquisition Co. to purchase all of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares, including all Ordinary Shares represented by ADSs, expired at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on September 8, 2020. As of immediately prior to the expiration of the tender offer, the number of Ordinary Shares satisfied the tender offer's minimum condition and all other conditions to the tender offer were satisfied or waived. Promptly after the expiration date of the tender offer, Square Acquisition Co. accepted for payment all Ordinary Shares validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer, and Ordinary Share and ADS holders whose Ordinary Shares and ADSs were accepted in the tender offer were paid $0.30 per Ordinary Share or $6.00 per ADS, less certain taxes and fees. Furthermore, the offeror group for the tender offer, which includes Japan NK Investment K.K., IDG-Accel China Capital L.P., IDG-Accel China Capital Investors L.P., Jolmo Solar Capital Ltd., CES Holding Ltd., Jing Kang, Bin Shi, Sino-Century HX Investments Limited, Kai Ding, TCL Transportation Holdings Limited, Esteem Venture Investment Limited, Mamaya Investments Ltd, Xanadu Investment, Abdullateef A. AL-Tammar, Development Holding Company Ltd., Bjoern Ludvig Ulfsson Nilsson, Square Acquisition Co. and Square Limited, stated that following the completion of the tender offer it intends to effect a merger with the Company and that at the effective time of the merger, each outstanding Ordinary Share will be converted into the right to receive US$0.30 in cash per Ordinary Share. The merger has not yet been completed. Despite the developments outlined above, the company's ADSs have recently traded substantially higher than $6.00. On Friday, September 25, 2020, the ADS traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market for prices as high as $12.48 and closed at $9.98; trading volume for the ADSs was substantially higher than recent average trading volume.

11:04 EDT Just Energy appoints Michael Carter as CFO, Scott Fordham as COO - Just Energy Group announced changes to its senior management team to provide enhanced strategic direction and oversight, including the hiring of a new CFO and the appointment of existing executives to new roles within the Company. The Company has named Michael Carter as CFO. He brings more than 20 years of industry expertise, including over 10 years with predecessors of Vistra Corporation and its subsidiaries including TXU Energy, where he served as CFO for more than three years. Mr. Carter will assume the role of CFO rom Jim Brown, who will become the Company's new CCO with the overall responsibility for delivering the Company's gross margin. Scott Fordham will become the Company's new COO with responsibility for all retail operations and customer satisfaction. Jim Brown has been with Just Energy for over seven years and has been Just Energy's CFO for the past two years. Scott Fordham joined Just Energy in early-2020 and assumed the role of Senior Vice President-Finance and Chief Accounting Officer.

10:20 EDT Kroger, Ocado announces Customer Fulfillment Center in Romulus, MI - The Kroger Co. (KR) and Ocado (OCDGF) announced Romulus, MI, as the latest location for a Customer Fulfillment Center. The location confirms a previous announcement stating Kroger and Ocado would construct a CFC in the Great Lakes Region. Kroger has partnered with Ocado to accelerate its ability to provide customers with anything, anytime, anywhere. The CFC model - an automated warehouse facility with digital and robotic capabilities - will be used to serve customers across the region. Kroger is designing a flexible distribution network, combining disaggregated demand and the proximity of its stores and facilities that vary in design and size. This new 135,000-square-foot CFC will accelerate Kroger's ability to expand its products to a larger footprint. This facility will create 250 new jobs, benefitting the City of Romulus/Aerotropolis region. The facility will be located at 15675 Wahrman in Romulus. The CFC is expected to become operational 18 months after the site breaks ground and will support customers in several markets, including Michigan, Northern Ohio, and Indiana.

10:03 EDT Match Group appoints Tracey Breeden as Head of Safety and Social Advocacy - Match Group (MTCH) announced that Tracey Breeden, former Head of Women's Safety and Gender-Based Violence Operations at Uber (UBER), will join the company as its new Head of Safety and Social Advocacy. "In the new role, Breeden will oversee Match Group's trust and safety policies and initiatives across its global portfolio of dating products, including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Match, and Plenty of Fish... Breeden comes to Match Group from Uber where she led global safety initiatives across six continents, advising teams on product development, training, policies, and initiatives that addressed safety and social issues, with a special emphasis on women and marginalized communities," Match stated.

10:00 EDT UMC rises 13.5% - UMC is up 13.5%, or 57c to $4.80.

10:00 EDT Lithium Americas rises 14.9% - Lithium Americas is up 14.9%, or $1.28 to $9.82.

09:47 EDT Azure Power falls -5.5% - Azure Power is down -5.5%, or -$1.71 to $29.17.

09:47 EDT Graf Industrial rises 14.0% - Graf Industrial is up 14.0%, or $2.85 to $23.27.

09:47 EDT Lithium Americas rises 16.9% - Lithium Americas is up 16.9%, or $1.44 to $9.98.

09:32 EDT Sanofi completes Principia Biopharma acquisition - Sanofi announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Principia Biopharma for $100 per share in cash.The tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Principia common stock expired as scheduled at one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Friday, September 25, 2020. The minimum tender condition and all of the other conditions to the offer have been satisfied and on September 28, 2020, Sanofi and its wholly owned subsidiary Kortex Acquisition Corp., accepted for payment and will promptly pay for all shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn. Following its acceptance of the tendered shares, Sanofi completed its acquisition of Principia through the merger of Purchaser with and into Principia, pursuant to Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, with Principia continuing as the surviving corporation and becoming an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Sanofi. In connection with the merger, all Principia shares not validly tendered in the tender offer have been converted into the right to receive the same $100 per share in cash, without interest thereon and net of any applicable withholding taxes, that would have been paid had such shares been validly tendered in the tender offer. Principia common stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market.

09:29 EDT Abeona Therapeutics CEO, CMO Joao Siffert resigns - Abeona Therapeutics announced changes in its executive leadership and Board of Directors. Joao Siffert, M.D. resigned from his positions as CEO, Head of Research and Development, and CMO as well as member of the Board of Directors, on September 23, 2020. On September 27, 2020, Brian Pereira, M.D., Stefano Buono, Stephen B. Howell, M.D., George Migausky and Shawn Tomasello each announced that they had stepped down from the Board, effective immediately. No director gave any reason for their resignation and no director indicated any disagreements with the Company.

09:20 EDT Alpine Income Property sells income property for approx. $5.1M - Alpine Income Property Trust announced the disposition of a single-tenant net-leased casual dining retail income property located in Charlottesville, Virginia and leased to Outback Steakhouse. The Property was sold for approximately $5.1M, representing an in-place cap rate of 5.75% and generating a gain of approximately $291,000 or 3c per diluted share. The Company anticipates utilizing the proceeds from the sale of the Property as part of a like-kind 1031 exchange. Adjusting for the sale of the Property, the Company's portfolio now consists of 44 properties located in 31 markets and 17 states across 16 industries, with a weighted average remaining lease term of 8.6 years.

09:15 EDT Loop Industries names Sheila Morin Chief Marketing Officer - Loop Industries announces that Sheila Morin has joined the company's executive leadership team in the newly created role of Chief Marketing Officer, effective September 21. In this role, Morin reports to Daniel Solomita, Loop's Founder and CEO and oversees the Sales and Marketing team.

09:11 EDT Ameresco partners with Texas city to replace 3,600 water meters - Ameresco announced that it is partnering with the City of Gatesville, Texas, to replace over 3,600 city water meters as part of an automatic metering infrastructure, or AMI, project. Upon completion, Gatesville residents will benefit from greater transparency into their water usage and billing, helping the community conserve more and spend less on operating its water infrastructure. Designated by the 77th Texas Legislature, the City of Gatesville contracted with Ameresco in December 2019 to evaluate the potential benefits of implementing an AMI project in the city. Its focus was to achieve operational efficiencies and infrastructure improvements associated with the City's water system, while providing tangible and intangible benefits to its residents.

09:08 EDT Scientific Games announces long-term agreement renewal with Flutter - Scientific Games Corporation secured a five-year contract renewal with long-term customer Flutter Entertainment plc to continue providing its OpenSports technology to the operators' portfolio of global brands. The five-year renewal comes on the back of FanDuel selecting Scientific Games to power their sportsbook offering across all current and future regulated markets in the U.S.

09:07 EDT Ballard Power to collaborate with MAHLE on fuel cell propulsion systems - Ballard Power Systems announced an agreement to collaborate with MAHLE, an international development partner and Tier 1 supplier to the commercial vehicle and automotive industry, on the development and commercialization of zero-emission fuel cell systems to provide primary propulsion power in various classes of commercial trucks.

09:06 EDT Abbott's FreeStyle Libre 3 system receives CE Mark - Abbott announced it has secured CE Mark for its next-generation FreeStyle Libre 3 system, which is now approved for use by people living with diabetes in Europe. Abbott says the FreeStyle Libre 3 technology provides "continuous, real-time glucose readings automatically delivered to smartphones every minute, offering unsurpassed 14-day accuracy in the smallest and thinnest sensor design at the same affordable price as previous versions of the device."

09:05 EDT Sonos, Disney+ to launch strategic marketing campaign - Sonos (SON) is joining forces with Disney+ (DIS) to kick-off a multifaceted strategic marketing campaign this fall. From October 1-31, customers' purchase of Arc, Beam, or qualifying speaker sets will receive six months of Disney+ included. The offer is open for only new Disney+ subscribers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Sweden.

09:04 EDT Venator Materials announces update on Lousiana Pigment Company, SK Capital - Venator Materials announced that Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P., its joint venture titanium dioxide production facility located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has resumed production in increasing phases following the end of supplier outages caused by Hurricane Laura, which had led the facility to temporarily cease production. Physical damage to the site was minor, and the site is expected to be fully operational on or about October 1. Venator expects the EBITDA impact of the outage to be up to $10M in the third quarter. Simon Turner, President and CEO of Venator, stated, "I am pleased with the rapid response by the management team and associates at the LPC facility to safely resume production as soon as energy and raw material supply were restored." In a further update, he also commented, "We are continuing to cooperate in the preparation of regulatory filings required for SK Capital to acquire Huntsman's equity stake in Venator. The transaction by which SK Capital will acquire Huntsman's stake in Venator received prior approval by the nonconflicted independent members of our board, and we look forward to the expected closing of that transaction near year end."

09:03 EDT Former CEO files statement to replace majority of Tessco directors - Robert B. Barnhill, Jr., founder, former Chairman and CEO, current director and the largest shareholder of TESSCO Technologies Incorporated has determined, in light of the significant loss of value that shareholders have experienced in recent years, that it is time to take significant actions to turn TESSCO around. The key steps to turning TESSCO around are: (1) reconstituting the Board with new directors possessing significant experience pertinent to TESSCO's future success and diversity; (2) increasing shareholder representation by adding two new directors proposed by unaffiliated shareholders owning 5% or more of TESSCO's outstanding shares and (3) restoring TESSCO's strategic direction of being a value-added supplier while focusing on execution excellence in an effort to drive shareholder value. "As a first step to turn TESSCO around, Mr. Barnhill intends to launch a solicitation of consents from the shareholders of TESSCO to (1) remove the Underperforming Directors, (2) elect Emily Kellum (Kelly) Boss, J. Timothy Bryan, John W. Diercksen and Kathleen McLean to replace the Underperforming Directors, (3) amend TESSCO's bylaws to repeal any provision of the Bylaws, adopted after August 7, 2020 without the approval of shareholders in order to prevent the Board from adopting bylaw amendments that seek to entrench the current Board and (4) amend the Bylaws to reduce the percentage of shareholders that may cause TESSCO to call a special meeting of shareholders to holders of 25% of the aggregate number of votes possessed by the shares of stock of all classes then outstanding and entitled to vote at a special meeting (which was the standard prior to the Board recently amending the Bylaws without shareholder approval to increase the threshold to 50%). The replacement of the Underperforming Directors with the four Nominees will ensure that the Company is led by a reconstituted Board with improved relevant industry expertise, increased diversity, and greater shareholder representation. If the consent solicitation is successful, Mr. Barnhill intends to request that the Board temporarily reduce the Board size to seven members, and, as soon as practicable, consider individuals proposed by any unaffiliated shareholders of TESSCO owning more than 5% of the outstanding Shares (exclusive of Mr. Barnhill) and increase the size of the Board to elect up to two such individuals."

09:01 EDT Sarepta announces two-year follow up results from four DMD trial participants - Sarepta Therapeutics announced two-year follow up results from four Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinical trial participants who received SRP-9001. SRP-9001 is an investigational gene transfer therapy intended to deliver its micro-dystrophin-encoding gene to muscle tissue for the targeted production of micro-dystrophin protein. Results presented at the 25th International Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society demonstrated that two years after a one-time infusion of SRP-9001, trial participants exhibited a mean 7.0 point improvement on the North Star Ambulatory Assessment compared to baseline. In the open-label trial, known as Study 101, four ambulatory participants between the ages of 4 and 7 were treated with an infusion of SRP-9001 at a dose of 2x1014 vg/kg. The therapy was well-tolerated in all participants over the two-year time period. All adverse events were considered mild or moderate, and occurred within 90 days of treatment. There were no serious adverse events or evidence of complement activation. At day 90, all participants had confirmed vector transduction and showed functional improvement on the NSAA scale and reduced creatine kinase levels. Participants demonstrated a mean increase of 5.5 points from baseline one year after treatment and 7.0 points from baseline two years after treatment. The NSAA is a validated scale developed to measure functional motor abilities in ambulant children with Duchenne, with scores ranging from 0-34. As previously disclosed, micro-dystrophin protein levels for participants in Study 101 were as follows: 12-weeks post-infusion, a mean of 81.2% muscle fibers expressing micro-dystrophin with a mean intensity at the sarcolemma by immunohistochemistry of 96% compared to normal biopsies. Adjusted for fat and fibrotic tissue, western blot showed a mean expression of 95.8%.

08:56 EDT Genfit, Labcorp enter deal to commercialize liver disease diagnostic NIS4 - GENFIT (GNFT) and LabCorp (LH) have agreed to a five-year exclusive licensing agreement for GENFIT's NIS4 technology to help identify patients with at-risk non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. As part of the agreement, LabCorp will develop and commercialize a blood-based molecular diagnostic test powered by NIS4 technology throughout the U.S. and Canada enabling widespread access to healthcare providers.

08:52 EDT Cygnus notes 'reservations' made by ISS in Ashford Hospitality report - Cygnus Capital, one of the largest stockholders of Ashford Hospitality Trust, beneficially owning approximately 7.8% of the company's outstanding common stock, highlighted significant reservations made by ISS in its report dated September 25, 2020 concerning AHT's upcoming special meeting of stockholders scheduled to be held on October 6, 2020. In ISS's recommendation for stockholders to proceed "with caution," ISS noted the following: "Over the years, unaffiliated shareholders have been subjected to egregious governance-related practices and transactions that seemed to benefit one company in the Ashford group at the expense of another, all of which one could argue were in part to perpetuate the influence and control of the Bennett family over these entities." "The fact that the Ashford-related companies received administrative subpoenas in June 2020 relating to an SEC investigation into related party transactions and accounting policies should also give shareholders pause when considering the merit of any company action and whether it is truly in their interests." Cygnus Capital urges AHT common stockholders to vote AGAINST all proposals at AHT's special meeting of stockholder to prevent the consummation of AHT's exchange offers which will dilute common stockholders by ~94% dilution.

08:49 EDT Idera Pharmaceuticals announces patent coverage for tilsotolimod - Idera Pharmaceuticals nnounced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,772,907 and allowed U.S. Patent Application No. 16/557,597 both entitled "Immune Modulation with TLR9 Agonists for Cancer Treatment" and each of which includes the Company's investigational therapy tilsotolimod. The new patent and allowed application each include 26 claims directed to methods of treating colorectal cancer and head and neck squamos cell carcinoma with intratumoral administration of tilsotolimod in combination with certain immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies, including CTLA-4, PD-1 or PD-L1 proteins. This new coverage expands protection of the first tilsotolimod method-of-use patent, which was directed to methods of treating metastatic melanoma and was issued in November 2019. The patents and the allowed application provide exclusivity for certain uses of tilsotolimod through September 2037.

08:43 EDT CNX Resources, CNX Midstream Partners announce completion of merger - CNX Resources Corporation (CNX) and CNX Midstream Partners LP (CNXM) announced that CNX has completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding common units of CNX Midstream that it did not already own. As a result of the transaction, CNX Midstream common units have been suspended from trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

08:38 EDT Staffing 360 Solutions sells firstPRO recruitment business unit for $3.3M - Staffing 360 Solutions gannounced that through its subsidiary Staffing 360 Georgia, the Company had completed the sale of substantially all the assets of the Company's firstPRO 360 business for $3.3M in cash. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the sale of firstPRO to redeem shares of preferred stock held by Jackson Investment Group.

08:37 EDT Ebang establishes subsidiary in Canada in preparation for digital asset platform - Ebang International announced that it has established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Canada to improve its industrial chain layout and upgrade its digital asset financial service platform. The Company's new subsidiary in Canada received a Money Service Business License from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada on September 16, 2020, which will allow the Company to engage in foreign exchange trading, digital currency transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada.

08:33 EDT Orion Group announces $16M contract award from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Orion Group announced a contract award of approximately $16M. The company's marine segment has been awarded a competitively bid contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide dredging services in Galveston, Texas. The project calls for the dredging and removal of approximately 5M cubic yards of maintenance material from the inner Galveston Harbor out to the Galveston Channel. The work will begin in Q1 of 2021 and be completed by mid-year.

08:33 EDT Ameren establishes net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 - Ameren Corporation stablished a net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 across all its operations in Missouri and Illinois. The company also announced its largest-ever expansion of clean solar and wind generation, which is included in the Integrated Resource Plan of Ameren Missouri. "Our transformative plan accelerates Ameren's transition toward cleaner energy and targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while meeting our customers' expectations for safe, reliable and affordable energy," said Warner Baxter, chairman, president and CEO of Ameren Corporation.

08:32 EDT Aptinyx recommences patient recruitment in NYX-2925 study - Aptinyx announced that it has re-activated study sites and recommenced patient recruitment in a Phase 2 study of NYX-2925 in patients with fibromyalgia. Enrollment in the study had been suspended in March due to the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

08:30 EDT General Electric's GE9X engine gets U.S. FAA certification - GE(GE) Aviation announced its GE9X engine has been certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, authorities, a key milestone in its journey to power the new twin-engine Boeing 777X family. The FAR, Federal Aviation Regulation, Part 33 certification involved eight test engines. This certification achievement culminates GE Aviation's renewal of its commercial jet engine portfolio, including the GEnx for the Boeing (BA) 787 Dreamliner and the CFM LEAP engine. "It takes the world's best talent in jet propulsion to create a game-changing product like the GE9X engine," said John Slattery, president and CEO of GE Aviation. "There is no substitute that can achieve the combination of size, power and fuel efficiency of the GE9X. This engine will deliver unsurpassed value and reliability to our airline customers. I want to congratulate the entire GE9X team and thank Boeing, our partners and suppliers for the collaboration on this incredible achievement." The GE9X test engines completed just under 5,000 hours and 8,000 cycles for certification. The GE9X engine is designed to achieve 10 percent lower specific fuel consumption, SFC, compared to the GE90-115B and five percent better SFC than any other engine in its class. The engine will also operate with less smog-causing emissions than any other engine in its class. GE's focus remains working with Boeing to complete the 777X flight test program and entry into service. Eight GE9X test engines and two test spares have been produced and delivered to Seattle for Boeing's four 777X test airplanes. Several GE9X production engines have been assembled, and GE Aviation is in the process of completing factory acceptance tests.

08:17 EDT Document Security appoints Chan Tung Moe to board of directors - Document Security Systems announced its Board of Directors approved an increase of the Board size from seven to eight members and appointed Mr. Chan Tung Moe to fill the vacancy created by the increase in the Board size. Chan Tung Moe currently serves as Group Chief Development Officer of Singapore Exchange-listed Alset International Limited, overseeing the company's global property business, and as Vice President and Director of Corporate Development of American Medical REIT Inc.

08:14 EDT American Financial Group to sell GAI Holding Bermuda to RiverStone - American Financial Group announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell GAI Holding Bermuda and its subsidiaries, comprising the legal entities that own its Lloyd's of London insurer, Neon, to RiverStone. Upon closing of the sale, AFG expects release of all of its funds at Lloyd's, or FAL, including release of the letters of credit and collateral pledge facility that AFG guarantees in support of Neon's FAL. This transaction will complete AFG's exit from the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The transaction is expected to close in Q4, subject to customary conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals. In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, it is expected that AFG will record the sale in Q3; the sale is not expected to have a material impact on AFG's ongoing results of operations. TigerRisk Capital Markets & Advisory acted as exclusive financial advisor to AFG.

08:11 EDT Catabasis Pharmaceuticals shares information on edasalonexent program - Catabasis Pharmaceuticals shared information on the edasalonexent program in Phase 3 development for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, in poster presentations at the virtual International Congress of the World Muscle Society. The posters include new preclinical research findings supporting potential positive effects on cardiac function and preservation of bone health with edasalonexent in mouse models of DMD. Information from clinical trials with edasalonexent was also presented with baseline assessments from the Phase 3 PolarisDMD trial and long-term safety results from the Phase 2 MoveDMD trial and open-label extension. Persistent activation of NF-kB in DMD can drive cardiac dysfunction, which is the leading cause of mortality in DMD. Edasalonexent prevented the development of DMD-associated cardiomyopathy in the mdx:Utrn+/- mouse model of DMD. Edasalonexent reduced the cardiac hypertrophy apparent in these mice, reduced myocardial fibrosis and prevented the development of DMD-associated cardiomyopathy. In DMD, NF-kB activation also drives inflammation and fibrosis, leading to loss of skeletal muscle function and disease progression. Reduced skeletal muscle function results in reduced bone strength. Steroids, which activate the glucocorticoid receptor, or GR, can further negatively impact bone health. In a preclinical study, edasalonexent was seen to maintain bone density and bone strength in mdx mice. Consistent with these results, edasalonexent treatment in cells inhibited NF-kB and as expected did not impact the GR, while the steroid prednisolone strongly activated the GR. Information from the edasalonexent clinical program was also presented at the Congress of the World Muscle Society. The primary endpoint of the Phase 3 PolarisDMD trial for edasalonexent is the North Star Ambulatory Assessment, or NSAA, a validated measure of physical function designed for use in ambulatory boys affected by DMD. In an analysis of baseline characteristics of the patients enrolled in the Phase 3 trial, Catabasis saw reliable and consistent NSAA scores between the two pre-treatment measures at screening and baseline, which indicate no significant learning effect between visits. An additional evaluation of data from patients at baseline in the Phase 3 PolarisDMD trial was shared. This analysis showed that lean body mass index was reduced in young boys affected by DMD and correlated with reduced muscle function.

08:09 EDT Utility Partners win operation, maintenance contract in Florida - H2O Innovation announced that Utility Partners has recently been awarded a new O&M contract and renewed an existing project. These contracts, with a total value of $5.1 M, bring the O&M backlog to $84.9 M. The first contract won is for the operation and maintenance services of a municipality in Florida, for a period of three years. A total of 20 employees will be added to operate this infrastructure. This contract will start on October 1st, 2020 and consist of water distribution, sewers and storm water collection, and natural gas operation. Over the years, the Corporation has delivered more than 15 membrane filtration projects to this State, but this is the very first O&M contract. Finally, Utility Partners also renewed an existing O&M contract in New York State for an additional year. This wastewater treatment project was designed and commissioned in 2018 by H2O Innovation.

08:07 EDT Chaffey College selects BIO-key PortalGuard SaaS IAM solution - BIO-key International announced that Southern California-based Chaffey College selected BIO-key's PortalGuard cloud hosted IAM solution to enhance the online user experience across the institution. The college required a proven and secure IT solution to provide enterprise-grade online access to key education portals and applications for all of its 29,000+ students and faculty.

08:07 EDT Rubius Therapeutics appoints Joe Carmona as CFO - Rubius Therapeutics (RUBY) announced the appointment of Jose "Pepe" Carmona as CFO. Pepe most recently served as CFO at Radius Health (RDUS), where he was responsible for all financial aspects of the business as well as investor relations, business development and other operational functions.

08:05 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond names Anu Gupta Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer - Bed Bath & Beyond has named Anu Gupta as Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, effective October 5, 2020. Gupta will be responsible for the company's comprehensive strategy and transformation program, including continuing to develop and implement strategic growth initiatives across the company. Gupta will help to modernize the company's operating model, enhance the digital-first, omni-always shopping experience for customers, and increase profitability across the business. Gupta will also leverage and expand the use of data and analytics to deliver a customer-inspired approach to drive growth and performance. She will report to John Hartmann, COO and President, buybuy BABY. Gupta joins Bed Bath & Beyond from JYVE Corporation, where she was COO and led the implementation of its Future of Work platform.

08:04 EDT Landmark Infrastructure completes $52.5M digital infrastructure acquisition - Landmark Infrastructure Partners announced that it has completed the acquisition of a data center portfolio in the Midwest from a market leader in web hosting and managed cloud services. The portfolio includes three data center sites totaling approximately 138,000 square feet and a 5.2 megawatt critical capacity that are fully occupied by the tenant under a 15 year net lease. The acquisition was funded by borrowings from the Partnership's existing revolving credit facility and is expected to be immediately accretive to Landmark's adjusted funds from operations. CBRE's Jordan Thompson and David Saad represented the seller in the transaction.

08:03 EDT AbbVie gets FDA orphan drug, fast tract designations for elezanumab - AbbVie announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations for elezanumab, an investigational treatment for patients following spinal cord injury. Elezanumab is a monoclonal antibody of the human immunoglobulin G1 isotype that binds selectively to repulsive guidance molecule A. RGMa is an inhibitor of axonal outgrowth and recognized as an important factor in inhibiting neuronal regeneration and functional recovery following central nervous system damage. Elezanumab is being investigated to treat spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and acute ischemic stroke. It is currently in a phase 2 study for the treatment of spinal cord injury. "AbbVie is committed to delivering therapies that make a meaningful difference in patients' lives," said Michael Gold, MD, Vice President, Neuroscience Development. "Spinal cord injuries result in devastating lifelong physical, emotional and economic consequences. The FDA's Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designation for spinal cord injury patients signals an important step forward in AbbVie's ongoing commitment to investigating innovative scientific approaches with the hope of bringing new treatment options to patients."

08:02 EDT Pangaea Logistics acquires majority stake in Nordic Bulk Holding Company - Pangaea Logistics Solutions announced that it has acquired an additional one-third equity interest in its partially-owned consolidated subsidiary Nordic Bulk Holding Company Ltd. from one of NBHC's current shareholders. The acquisition increases Pangaea's equity interest in NBHC to 66.7%. NBHC owns six modern 1-A ice-class panamax bulk vessels which are time chartered to and operated by Pangaea's wholly-owned subsidiary, Nordic Bulk Carriers, in its contractual ice and Arctic businesses and in spot markets. The purchase price of the equity interest was $22.5M, with a $15M cash payment upon closing and three annual payments of $2.5M over the next three years. "We are extremely pleased to be able to acquire an additional interest in these modern, high quality ships built at Oshima Shipyard in Japan," said Ed Coll, Pangaea's CEO. "Our ice and Arctic businesses were developed for these ships, which we know very well, having operated them from newbuilding delivery. Our additional ownership position in the six ships will provide additional premium earnings to our bottom line, and helps to cement our position as the leading worldwide operator of large ice class ships. We also look forward to our four newbuilding 1-A ice class post-panamax ships expected to be delivered in 2021. This will give us twelve modern and efficient ice-class ships ready to serve our customers' transport and logistics needs in difficult locations, with an average fleet age of four years and a total cargo capacity of almost one million metric tons. All of our ships meet or exceed strict regulatory and environmental requirements, but our newest ships will transport more cargo with an even smaller footprint, and are built with Tier III engines to comply with the strictest air standards."

07:50 EDT Oragenics trading resumes

07:38 EDT CloudMD acquires majority interest in Benchmark Systems for $4.375M - CloudMD Software & Services announced that it has entered into a Binding Term Sheet to purchase a majority interest in Benchmark Systems. CloudMD will purchase 87.5% of Benchmark from Benchmark's parent company and global healthcare and AI leader, AntWorks. AntWorks will retain a 12.5% equity stake and remain a strategic partner for CloudMD both in the U.S. and globally. Leveraged by 42 years of experience, Benchmark develops and delivers innovative cloud-based technology, integrated medical practice solutions including patient portals, personal health records, scheduling solutions, billing, messaging, eFax, computerized physician order entry and prescription scripting. Benchmark has a national U.S. network of 200 clients, 800 physicians, with 5.5 million patient charts across 35 states. On average, Benchmark processes approximately $2.5 million in charges each month. The COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially accelerated transformational changes in how healthcare is accessed and delivered to patients while addressing the challenges of providing quality, cost effective and personalized patient centric care. Benchmark's integrated solutions and its suite of medical software has been built alongside healthcare providers to create a more seamless, patient centric approach to healthcare, while solving profitability, productivity and quality issues, translating into improved health outcomes and financial performance. As CloudMD continues to embark on its U.S. expansion, the acquisition of Benchmark positions CloudMD with a strong footprint across North America. The acquisition brings synergies through Benchmark's 200 clinic ecosystem across over 35 states in the U.S. Benchmark's suite of software solutions provides CloudMD with significant distribution channels into the U.S. and integration opportunities for its other virtual care solutions such as those offered through Cloud Practice, Snapclarity and iMD Health. With Benchmark's experienced leadership team, and seamless workflow process, CloudMD will not only benefit from its extensive geographic reach and client commitment, but also the expertise of developing SAAS systems that support medical practitioners while complying with specific state requirements. As a minority holder of Benchmark, AntWorks will continue to work with CloudMD providing expertise in global hyper automation and AI and provide access to cutting edge AI technologies. The purchase of Benchmark will be immediately accretive to CloudMD and provides a number of opportunities for optimization to drive further revenue. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, Benchmark generated approximately $4.9 million in revenues with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margins of 13%. Approximately 80% of revenue was SAAS based, recurring revenue. In consideration for the purchase of 87.5% of the outstanding securities of Benchmark, CloudMD has agreed to pay shareholders aggregate consideration of $4,375,000 payable in cash. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the execution of a definitive acquisition agreement. The company anticipates a definitive agreement on or before October 15, 2020.

07:35 EDT AirBoss of America announces Husky long-term contract extension - AirBoss of America announced that AirBoss Defense Group has been awarded a two-year extension to the Husky Long-Term Contract previously awarded by Army Contracting Command Warren to Critical Solutions Internationa in March 2017. The original award was for the Husky 2G Protected Payload Delivery Vehicle and its associated route clearance payloads. The transaction merging AirBoss' defense business with CSI to form ADG closed on January 1, 2020. This contract extension provides Foreign Military Sales customers an enduring mechanism to procure protected payloads, spare parts and training in support of the Husky 2G vehicle system. Fiscal year 2020 and 2021 Pseudo-Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $35.6 million were obligated at the time of the award and account for anticipated volumes of Husky 2G support equipment to be procured over the extended period of performance. Work for this contract will be performed out of the company's Charleston, South Carolina location with a period of performance ending September 2022. Under the base contract, awarded in 2017 and valued at US$132 million, CSI successfully delivered 41 Husky vehicle systems with associated protected payloads including Interrogation Arms, Ground Penetrating Radar, 360-degree cameras, Self-Defense Remote Weapon Stations and RPG Nets. Husky 2G vehicles have been delivered to multiple FMS customers under this contract supporting route clearance capability development in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In addition, U.S. sponsored Building Partner Capacity programs have been leveraged on this contract to provide Husky 2G's with protected payloads to Ukraine and Iraq as a part of the Global Train and Equip and Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund programs.

07:33 EDT Palatin: Phase 2 PL9643 study data expected in calendar Q4

07:30 EDT W.P. Carey announces $44M industrial property investment - W.P. Carey Inc. announced a $44M sale-leaseback of two state-of-the-art food manufacturing facilities located in the Midwest totaling in excess of 350,000 square feet. The facilities are master leased on a triple-net basis for a period of 25 years to a leading food manufacturer, the company said in a statement.

07:12 EDT Silver Bull appoints Christopher Richards as CFO - Silver Bull Resources announced the appointment of Christopher Richards as CFO effective September 28, 2020, replacing Sean Fallis in that role. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Richards most recently served as the Vice President of Finance for Great Panther Mining Limited, a U.S. and Canadian dual-listed gold and silver producer.

07:10 EDT Medipharm enters Buyout Agreement for 100% ownership of Australia subsidiary - MediPharm Labs announced it has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement with its local Australian partner to acquire its 20% ownership interest in the Company's 80%-owned subsidiary MediPharm Labs Australia. Upon closing of the Transaction, MediPharm Labs Australia will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Under the Buyout Agreement, MediPharm Labs will pay consideration of approximately $3.2M comprising a mix of 37.5% cash to be paid in three instalments over an 18 month period and 62.5% MediPharm Labs common shares priced based on the 5-day VWAP on the TSX. The common share portion of the consideration will be subject to a twelve-month lock-up.

07:07 EDT Avrobio gets orphan drug designation from the EC for AVR-RD-02 - Avrobio announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted orphan drug designation for AVR-RD-02, the company's investigational gene therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease. AVR-RD-02 consists of the patient's own hematopoietic stem cells, genetically modified to express glucocerebrosidase, GCase, the enzyme that is deficient in Gaucher disease. AVROBIO recently dosed the first patient in the GuardOne Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AVR-RD-02. "Like many lysosomal disorders, Gaucher disease can lead to debilitating complications throughout the body and brain. The standard of care does not address all these symptoms and may not be able to halt progression of the disease," said Geoff MacKay, AVROBIO's president and CEO. "Our investigational gene therapy is designed to address the head-to-toe manifestations of Gaucher disease with a single dose. We're pleased to receive orphan drug designation, which recognizes the potential of our approach to transform the standard of care - and, we hope, the quality of life - for people living with this rare genetic disorder." The EC grants orphan drug designation to drugs and biologics intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or conditions that impact fewer than 5 in 10,000 patients in the European Union. Orphan drug designation gives companies certain benefits, including reduced regulatory fees, clinical protocol assistance, research grants and 10 years of market exclusivity following regulatory approval. AVR-RD-02 has also received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

07:06 EDT Devon Energy and WPX Energy to combine in all-stock merger, sees accretion - Devon Energy (DVN) and WPX Energy (WPX) announced they have entered into an agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction. The strategic combination will create an unconventional oil producer in the U.S., with an asset base underpinned by acreage position in the economic core of the Delaware Basin. The combined company will be named Devon Energy. Under the terms of the agreement, WPX shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.5165 shares of Devon common stock for each share of WPX common stock owned. The exchange ratio, together with closing prices for Devon and WPX on September 25, results in an enterprise value for the combined entity of approximately $12B. Upon completion of the transaction, Devon shareholders will own approximately 57% of the combined company and WPX shareholders will own approximately 43% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The transaction, which is expected to close in Q1 of 2021, has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Funds managed by EnCap Investments L.P. own approximately 27% of the outstanding shares of WPX and have entered into a support agreement to vote in favor of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals by Devon and WPX shareholders. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to all relevant per-share metrics in the first year, including: earnings, cash flow, free cash flow, and net asset value, as well as accretive to return on invested capital. The combination is also expected to enhance the company's credit profile and decrease its overall cost of capital. The all-stock transaction ensures the combined company will retain a balance sheet with a pro forma net debt-to-EBITDAX ratio of 1.6x on a trailing 12-month basis and is targeting a leverage ratio of approximately 1.0x over the longer term. The combined company will also have liquidity with approximately $1.7B of cash on hand and $3B of undrawn capacity on its credit facility expected at closing. The transaction creates one of the largest unconventional oil producers in the U.S. with production of 277,000 barrels per day. Following the merger, the board of directors will consist of 12 members, 7 directors from Devon and 5 from WPX including the lead independent director. Dave Hager will be appointed executive chairman of the board, and Rick Muncrief will be named president and CEO. The combined company's executive team will include Jeff Ritenour as executive vice president and chief financial officer, Clay Gaspar as executive vice president and chief operating officer, David Harris as executive vice president and chief corporate development officer, Dennis Cameron as executive vice president and general counsel, and Tana Cashion as senior vice president of human resources. The combined company will be headquartered in Oklahoma City.

07:05 EDT Clarus' Sierra Bullets to acquire assets of Barnes Bullets for $30.5M - Clarus Corporation's subsidiary Sierra Bullets was selected to acquire certain assets relating to the Barnes Bullets brand of specialty hunting bullets in a chapter 11 bankruptcy auction process conducted by Remington Outdoor Company, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries. Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Mona, Utah, Barnes is an industry-leader in manufacturing environmentally sound, lead-free bullets. Barnes is known for its superior quality and accuracy, offering a full line of premium component bullets and ammunition sold through nationally recognized retailers and e-commerce channels. Sierra is expected to acquire Barnes for $30.5 million in cash, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement. For the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2020, Barnes Bullets reported $21.8 million in sales. The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive to Clarus' earnings. The acquisition of Barnes presents multiple strategic and financial benefits to the Company's bullet and ammunition platform, most notably the addition of a comprehensive lead-free, all copper offering. The transaction is subject to the approval of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama at a hearing currently scheduled for September 29, 2020, and other customary closing conditions. Once approved, the negotiated asset purchase agreement will be entered into and the transaction is expected to close in October.

07:04 EDT Orchard Therapeutics receives EMA PRIME designation for OTL-203 - Orchard Therapeutics announced that the European Medicines Agency has granted Priority Medicines designation to OTL-203, an investigational ex vivo autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy in development for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type I at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy. Additional interim data was recently presented from the ongoing proof-of-concept clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of OTL-203 in the severe Hurler subtype of MPS-I. Eight patients have been treated in the study, which completed enrollment in December 2019. As of July 2020, all patients had been followed for a minimum of six months, with the longest follow-up extending out to 24 months. Orchard expects to release full proof-of-concept results at one year and initiate a registrational study for OTL-203 in 2021.

07:02 EDT Inovio reports partial clinical hold for planned Covid vaccine candidate trial - INOVIO announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified the company it has additional questions about the company's planned Phase 2/3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate INO-4800, including its CELLECTRA 2000 delivery device to be used in the trial. Until the FDA's questions have been satisfactorily addressed, INOVIO's Investigational New Drug Application for the Phase 2/3 trial is on partial clinical hold. The company is actively working to address the FDA's questions and plans to respond in October, after which the FDA will have up to 30 days to notify INOVIO of its decision as to whether the trial may proceed. This partial clinical hold is not due to the occurrence of any adverse events related to INOVIO's ongoing expanded Phase 1 study of INO-4800, the conduct of which may continue and is not impacted by the FDA's notification. In addition, this partial clinical hold does not impact the advancement of INOVIO's other product candidates in development. INOVIO and its partners are continuing to prepare for a planned Phase 2/3 trial of INO-4800, following resolution of the FDA's partial clinical hold and subject to the receipt of external funding to conduct the trial.

07:02 EDT Inovio reports partial clinical hold for planned Covid vaccine candidate trial

07:01 EDT Devon Energy, WPX Energy to combine in merger of equals - Devon Energy and WPX Energy announced they have entered into an agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction. The strategic combination will create a leading unconventional oil producer in the U.S., with an asset base underpinned by a premium acreage position in the economic core of the Delaware Basin. The combined company, which will be named Devon Energy, will benefit from enhanced scale, improved margins, higher free cash flow and the financial strength to accelerate the return of cash to shareholders through an industry-first "fixed plus variable" dividend strategy. Under the terms of the agreement, WPX shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.5165 shares of Devon common stock for each share of WPX common stock owned. The exchange ratio, together with closing prices for Devon and WPX on Sept. 25, 2020, results in an enterprise value for the combined entity of approximately $12 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, Devon shareholders will own approximately 57 percent of the combined company and WPX shareholders will own approximately 43 percent of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Funds managed by EnCap Investments L.P. own approximately 27 percent of the outstanding shares of WPX and have entered into a support agreement to vote in favor of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals by Devon and WPX shareholders. Accelerates cash-return business model - The merger accelerates Devon's transition to a business model that prioritizes free cash flow generation over production growth. With this highly disciplined strategy, management is committed to limiting reinvestment rates to approximately 70 to 80 percent of operating cash flow and restricting production growth to 5 percent or less annually. Free cash flow will be deployed toward higher dividends, debt reduction and opportunistic share repurchases. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to all relevant per-share metrics in the first year, including: earnings, cash flow, free cash flow, and net asset value, as well as accretive to return on invested capital. The combination is also expected to enhance the company's credit profile and decrease its overall cost of capital. The all-stock transaction ensures the combined company will retain a strong balance sheet with a pro forma net debt-to-EBITDAX ratio of 1.6x on a trailing 12-month basis and is targeting a leverage ratio of approximately 1.0x over the longer term. The combined company will also have excellent liquidity with approximately $1.7 billion of cash on hand and $3 billion of undrawn capacity on its credit facility expected at closing. Cost savings from initiatives underway in the second half of 2020 and synergies resulting from the merger are expected to drive $575 million in annual cash flow improvements by year-end 2021. These cost improvements are expected to be attained through operational efficiencies, general and administrative savings and reduced financing expense. The net present value of these cost synergies over the next 5 years equates to more than $2 billion of value. The all-stock transaction structure allows shareholders of both Devon and WPX to benefit from the cost synergies and significant upside potential of the combined company. With the business scaled to consistently generate free cash flow, Devon is initiating a new dividend strategy that pays a fixed dividend and evaluates a variable distribution on a quarterly basis. The fixed dividend is paid quarterly at a rate of $0.11 per share and the target payout is approximately 10 percent of operating cash flow. In addition to the fixed quarterly dividend, up to 50 percent of the remaining free cash flow on a quarterly basis will be distributed to shareholders through a variable distribution. This enhanced dividend strategy is effective immediately upon close of the transaction. Following the merger, the board of directors will consist of 12 members, 7 directors from Devon and 5 from WPX including the lead independent director. Dave Hager will be appointed executive chairman of the board, and Rick Muncrief will be named president and CEO. The combined company's executive team will include Jeff Ritenour as executive vice president and chief financial officer, Clay Gaspar as executive vice president and chief operating officer, David Harris as executive vice president and chief corporate development officer, Dennis Cameron as executive vice president and general counsel, and Tana Cashion as senior vice president of human resources. The combined company will be headquartered in Oklahoma City. Detailed forward-looking guidance for the full-year 2021 will be provided upon closing of the transaction. Based on current supply and demand dynamics, product inventory levels, and other leading economic indicators, the company expects to design capital activity plans to maintain base production. The maintenance capital requirements to keep oil production flat in 2021 versus 2020 fourth-quarter exit rates of greater than 280,000 barrels per day is estimated at approximately $1.7B. Pro forma for cost synergies, these maintenance capital requirements in 2021 are estimated to be funded at $33 WTI and $2.75 Henry Hub pricing.

06:52 EDT Boston Scientific initiates launch of Acurate neo2 aortic valve system in Europe - Boston Scientific announced it has initiated a controlled launch of the Acurate neo2 aortic valve system in Europe. This next-generation transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI, technology is a new platform designed with a number of features to improve upon the clinical performance of the original Acurate neo platform. Compared to the previous generation device, the ACURATE neo2 valve system also has an expanded indication for patients with aortic stenosis - with no specified age or risk level - who are considered appropriate candidates for the therapy by their heart team, including a cardiac surgeon.

06:50 EDT International Game secures instant ticket extension with Minnesota Lottery - International Game announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions, signed a two-year contract extension with the Minnesota Lottery to continue providing instant ticket games and related services through June 30, 2022. IGT has worked directly with the Minnesota Lottery to launch instant games since 2010. Earlier this year, the lottery launched IGT's Full of $500s at the $5 price point and Power $10 at the $10 price point. These games are currently the lottery's best-selling $5 and $10 games, respectively. Under the terms of the contract, IGT will supply a range of instant ticket services for the Minnesota Lottery including, research and analytics, graphics support and the production and printing of instant tickets. In addition to providing instant tickets and related services, IGT has been the Minnesota Lottery's technology and draw-based lottery systems provider since 2002.

06:46 EDT Stifel Financial expands Capital Solutions Group in Europe - Stifel Financial announced it has materially enhanced the depth and quality of its London-based Capital Solutions Group through the addition of a team of bankers with experience across credit markets. This further develops the firm's ability to offer full-service advisory and debt funding solutions to clients. Based in London, Jan-Erik Back, Duncan Sherriffs, and Alex Boyce have all joined Stifel, bringing with them the advisory business of Galiant Partners. Together, they have more than 50 years of combined experience as investors, advisors, and lenders. Jan-Erik Back joins as the new Head of Stifel's Capital Solutions Group. He has more than two decades of investment banking experience, most recently as CEO and founder of Galiant Partners. Prior to Galiant Partners, Mr. Back was Head of Structured Finance at BTG Pactual Commodities. He was also previously a Managing Director at Hatch Corporate Finance. Duncan Sherriffs joins as Managing Director. He brings more than 20 years of investment banking experience, most recently as a Partner at Galiant Partners. Prior to Galiant Partners, Mr. Sherriffs was Director, Leveraged Finance at M&G Investments. He also previously worked in the Leveraged Finance Group at JP Morgan. Alex Boyce joins as Director. He has over 15 years of investment banking experience, most recently as a Partner at Galiant Partners. Prior to Galiant Partners, Mr. Boyce was a Vice President at Bank of Montreal. He also previously worked at Hatch Corporate Finance and Houlihan Lokey.

06:44 EDT PNM Resources to increase emissions reductions through fleet electrification - PNM Resources said it is building upon its ESG goal for 100% emissions-free energy by 2040 with plans for additional emissions reductions through the electrification of its vehicle fleet. The company said, "Growing the number of electric vehicles within the company's fleet will benefit the environment and lower fuel costs, resulting in greater customer value and furthering the commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles." Under the commitment, existing fleet vehicles will be replaced as they are retired with an increasing percentage of electric vehicles. The new goals call for 25% of all light duty fleet purchases to be electric by 2025 and 50% to be electric by 2030. Light duty fleet vehicles consist of sedans, vans, SUVs and most pickup trucks. The goals are designed to continue utilizing vehicles with remaining value until the appropriate time for replacement and steadily employing a mix of traditional and electric vehicles that meet operational needs. The phased-in approach takes advantage of evolving technologies and provides for a cost-efficient transformation of the fleet.

06:41 EDT Quarterhill subsidiary awarded $3.3M contract in Ukraine - International Road Dynamics, or IRD, a Quarterhill company, announced that its partnership with SEA Electronics, or SEA, has been awarded a $3.3M commercial vehicle enforcement systems contract in Ukraine. Under the terms of the contract, IRD will provide virtual weigh-in-motion, or WIM, systems for six sites in Ukraine. These systems will provide commercial vehicle enforcement, traffic monitoring and reporting capability through a web-based application. This contract expands on IRD's existing partnership with SEA, a Ukraine-based supplier and manufacturer of electrical equipment, including traffic control systems. IRD and SEA recently deployed a WIM pilot project for the Ukrainian road agency, Ukravtodor, at six sites where IRD was chosen to supply the roadside equipment and WIM processing software to collect real-time traffic data and support the enforcement of overweight and over-dimension commercial vehicles, as well as vehicles that are potentially in violation of local operating regulations. The pilot project WIM sites revealed that over 40% of commercial vehicles were overloaded. SEA will be installing six additional virtual WIM sites for the State Enterprise Financing of Infrastructure Projects. These new sites will utilize IRD's WIM systems and virtual weigh station, or VWS, software for vehicle monitoring and enforcement on 16 traffic lanes.

06:38 EDT HSBC up over 10% following increased Ping An stake - Shares of HSBC are up over 10% in early pre-market trade at $19.96 per share following a filing late on Friday that Ping An has acquired 10.8M shares in the bank with an outlay of about $39.4M. As reported by South China Morning Post's Pearl Liu and Enoch Yiu, Ping An Insurance spokesman has also maintained that the bank represents a "long-term investment" for the fund. Today's bounce follows recent pressure in HSBC shares on indication that the bank would be penalized by Chinese authorities for assisting investigations by U.S. regulators into Huawei Technologies. Reference Link

06:37 EDT Immunic announces results from interim analysis of CALVID-1 trial - Immunic announced the results of a pre-planned interim safety analysis and a recruitment update from the ongoing phase 2 CALVID-1 trial of its selective oral DHODH inhibitor, IMU-838, in patients with moderate coronavirus disease, or COVID-19. Based on the available safety data, an Independent Data Monitoring Committee, or IDMC, has concluded that the study should continue without changes. The IDMC will perform a second safety analysis when additional patient data is available. To date, 110 patients have been enrolled in the CALVID-1 trial and enrollment is progressing well. During this interim safety analysis, all available study safety results were unblinded to the members of the IDMC, while the company, investigators and enrolled patients remained blinded and no unblinded data has been shared with Immunic. As pre-defined in the study protocol, the analysis was based on data from only a relatively small number of patients in the CALVID-1 trial, and no formal statistical analysis was performed. It was not designed to be a futility analysis nor was any assessment of efficacy done. This interim safety analysis and the conclusions made by the IDMC may not reflect results of a final analysis of the trial once the full data set is analyzed.

06:35 EDT Roxgold receives environmental permit approval for Seguela gold project - Roxgold announced that the Cote d'Ivoire Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has approved the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Seguela Gold Project. The ESIA marks a key milestone in the permitting process and is the culmination of extensive consultations and stakeholder engagement. The Company's next permitting milestones at the Seguela Gold Project are the receipt of the Exploitation Permit and completion of the Mining Convention negotiation process. The Company is continuing to advance the project towards the completion of a Feasibility Study early next year. Following this approval and in anticipation of a positive development decision, the Company's board recently approved a budget of US$1.8 million to initiate early works. Approved works to commence in Q4 include a Front-End Engineering and Design study, upgrading site access through a road improvement program and some initial site works for the accommodation village. The intention of the early works activities is to enable a rapid ramp up to full construction next year with the aim of production commencing in 2022.

06:18 EDT FSD Pharma receives FDA authorization to initiate FSD201 study to treat COVID-19 - FSD Pharma announced that the FDA has authorized the initiation of a Phase 2 study for the use of FSD201 to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The company is expected to start dosing patients in October. The company said, "We believe FSD201 may have the potential to address the over-exuberant inflammatory response characterized by COVID-19 infection that may lead to a cytokine storm and ultimately death." The FSD201 COVID-19 Trial is a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study, conducted on 352 patients to assess the efficacy and safety of FSD201 dosed at 600mg or 1200mg twice-daily, together with standard of care, or SOC, compared to SOC alone in hospitalized patients with documented COVID-19 disease. Eligible patients will present symptoms consistent with influenza/coronavirus signs and newly documented positive COVID-19 disease. The primary objective of the FSD201 COVID-19 Trial is to determine whether FSD201 plus SOC provides a significant improvement in the clinical status of patients. Secondary objectives of the FSD201 COVID-19 Trial include determining whether FSD201 plus SOC demonstrates additional benefit in terms of safety, objective assessments such as length of time to normalization of fever, length of time to improvement of oxygen saturation and length of time to clinical progression, including time to mechanical ventilation or hospitalization, and length of hospital stay. The exploratory endpoint is cytokine clearance as measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, or ELISA. The treatment period for patients in the FSD201 COVID-19 Trial is 14 days and the primary end point is determined at 28 days. The company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 at this time.

06:04 EDT Deutsche Bank's Manfred Knof named as new Commerzbank CEO - The Supervisory Board of Commerzbank (CRZBY) has unanimously appointed Manfred Knof as successor to Martin Zielke as Chairman of the Commerzbank Board of Managing Directors. This decision is subject to the approval of supervisory authorities. Hans-Jorg Vetter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Commerzbank, said: "I am pleased that we have been able to win Manfred Knof for the role of Commerzbank's CEO. Manfred Knof is an experienced and highly effective top manager who has proven himself in a wide range of tasks in the financial services industry. He brings the necessary expertise and human leadership skills for the tasks that lie ahead of the Bank." Zielke will remain Commerzbank's CEO until December 31. From August 1, 2019 to its merger into Deutsche Bank AG (DB) in Mai this year, Manfred Knof was Chairman of the Board of DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG and now continues to be Head of Deutsche Bank's Private Bank Germany. Reference Link

06:00 EDT Cnooc announces Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield 6/11 area commences production - Cnooc announced that Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield 6/11 area has commenced production. Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield 6/11 area is located in central Liaodong Bay in Bohai with average water depth of 22.5 meters. In addition to utilizing the existing facilities of Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield and Jinzhou 25-1S oilfield, the project has built one eight-legged wellhead platform. A total of 19 production wells and 10 water injection wells are planned. It is expected to reach the peak production of approximately 16,500 barrels of crude oil per day in 2023. Cnooc holds 100% interest of Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield 6/11 area.

05:57 EDT Poshmark confidentially files draft S-1 with SEC for an IPO - Poshmark on Friday announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The initial public offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions. Poshmark's top competitors include thredUP, Mercari, eBay (EBAY), Etsy (ETSY), Tradesy, Amazon (AMZN) and Wish.

05:38 EDT Astellas Pharma announces findings from two RWE studies on VMS - Astellas Pharma announced findings from two real-world evidence , or RWE, studies and a qualitative sleep survey that underscore the prevalence of vasomotor symptoms, or VMS, associated with menopause and the disruptive impact of these symptoms on sleep. These data will be presented during two pre-recorded oral presentations and one poster session at The North American Menopause Society, or NAMS, virtual annual meeting, available online starting September 28. In a retrospective analysis of the racially and culturally diverse midlife women participating in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, or SWAN, database, high VMS frequency was associated with greater odds of sleep problems and worse sleep quality. After controlling for VMS frequency, other comorbidities, and a range of covariates, women with migraines or arthritis were also at higher risk of worse sleep. Three comorbidities were found to amplify or attenuate the association between VMS frequency and of sleep quality: diabetes, hypertension and migraines. Results from a global prospective online survey showed 34% of postmenopausal women in the U.S. experience moderate-to-severe VMS, and 61% of those women experience associated sleep disturbances. Hot flashes and night sweats were shown to be among the top five most bothersome symptoms based on the Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Additionally, 47% of U.S. respondents had contacted their healthcare provider within the last year to discuss hot flashes and night sweats. Results also showed an economic burden of menopause-related symptoms in terms of healthcare resource utilization and out-of-pocket costs and support the need for developing newer treatments for menopause-related symptoms.

05:33 EDT ArcelorMittal announces up to $500M share buyback program - ArcelorMittal announced a share buyback program under the authorization given by the annual general meeting of shareholders held on June 13. The shares acquired under the program are intended to meet ArcelorMittal's obligations under debt obligations exchangeable into equity securities, and/or to reduce its share capital. ArcelorMittal intends to repurchase, between September 28 and March 31 2021, shares for an aggregate maximum amount of $500M in accordance with the AGM authorization and applicable market abuse regulations.

05:21 EDT Genentech announces new two-year data from Part 1 of FIREFISH study - Genentech, a member of Roche, announced new two-year data from Part 1 of the pivotal FIREFISH study of Evrysdi in infants aged two to seven months with symptomatic Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. The company said the two-year results in infants treated with the therapeutic dose of Evrysdi showed that they continued to improve and achieve motor milestones. This exploratory analysis showed that an estimated 88% of infants were alive and required no permanent ventilation at two years. In addition, at two years, 59% of infants were able to sit without support for at least five seconds, assessed by the Gross Motor Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition, or BSID-III. Sixty-five percent had maintained upright head control, 29% could turn themselves over and 30% were able to stand either supporting weight or with support. After two years of treatment with Evrysdi, 71% of infants achieved a CHOP-INTEND score of 40 points or more and all infants increased their score from month 12 to month 24. Of the infants alive at two years, 100% maintained the ability to swallow and 93% were able to feed orally. Safety for Evrysdi in the FIREFISH study was consistent with its previously reported safety profile and no new safety signals were identified. The most common adverse events included fever, upper respiratory tract infection, cough, vomiting, diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. The most serious adverse event that occurred in 24% of infants was pneumonia. At the time of the analysis, the youngest infant was 28.4 months and the oldest was 45.1 months of age. The median age at enrollment was 6.3 months. Of the 17 infants treated with the therapeutic dose, two experienced fatal complications of their disease at eight and 13 months of treatment and one infant was withdrawn from the study and died 3.5 months later. None of these were attributed by the investigator as related to Evrysdi. The data were presented at the virtual 25th International Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society.

05:12 EDT Amazon announces Prime Day event on October 13, 14 - Amazon's annual Prime Day event is back on October 13-14. The two-day shopping event delivers Prime members savings and discounts on over 1M deals across every category. Prime Day kicks off at midnight on Tuesday, October 13 and runs through Wednesday, October 14, for Prime members in the U.S., U.K, U.A.E, Spain, Singapore, Netherlands, Mexico, Luxembourg, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, China, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Australia, Turkey and Brazil. Starting immediately, Prime members can shop early offers and deals everyday leading up to Prime Day on October 13 and 14.

05:01 EDT Caesars says U.S. joint venture with William Hill would end in Apollo buyout - Caesars Entertainment (CZR) provided an update on its U.S. joint venture arrangement with William Hill (WIMHY). Under the terms of its established U.S. joint venture agreement with William Hill, Caesars has the right to add or substitute names to a limited list of potential acquirers of William Hill, whereby inclusion on this list would entitle Caesars to terminate the U.S. joint venture agreement should William Hill be acquired by one of these parties. Caesars said has given notice of its addition of Apollo Global Management (APO) to this list with the effect that if Apollo subsequently acquires William Hill, Caesars would be entitled to terminate the U.S. joint venture's mobile market access rights and rights to operate sports books at Caesars premises that are granted to it by Caesars.