Stockwinners Market Radar for January 12, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:05 EST Summit Midstream says Double E receives NTP with construction from FERC - Summit Midstream Partners announced that Double E Pipeline, LLC, a joint venture in which SMLP owns a 70% equity interest and serves as the pipeline's operator and construction manager, received its Notice to Proceed with construction, as well as approval of its Implementation Plan, from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Double E has also been granted the necessary rights-of-way on federal lands from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management and has entered into Memorandums of Agreement regarding treatment and mitigation measures at certain cultural resource sites with the FERC and the State Historic Preservation Officers of New Mexico and Texas. Heath Deneke, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, commented, "We are pleased to report the actions of the FERC and the BLM and also re-affirm our expected Q4 2021 in-service date. Summit has also made good progress on its financing plans related to its 70% share of Double E and intends to announce additional details prior to construction activities beginning later this quarter."

18:46 EST KAR Auction CEO: We've moved to a 100% digital business model - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Hallett said going to a 100% digital business model has exceeded the company's expectations. "It's a much more efficient and safe business model," he added. KAR has no plans to revert to the previous model, Hallett noted. He expects to bring more talent back to support the digital platform.

18:23 EST Carrefour approached by Couche-Tard with combination project - France's Carrefour (CRRFY) said that it has been approached "in a friendly manner" by Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard (ANCUF) with a combination project. Discussions are "very preliminary," Carrefour said.

18:16 EST DermTech says genomic patch testing for melanoma recommended by NCCN - DermTech announced that non-invasive genomic patch testing for melanoma, like DermTech's Pigmented Lesion Assay, has received a recommendation from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The recommendation indicates that there is uniform NCCN consensus that the intervention is appropriate. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for cutaneous melanoma recognize the use of noninvasive genomic patch testing to help guide biopsy decisions for cutaneous melanoma.

18:02 EST Walgreens Boots Alliance makes majority investment in iA - Walgreens Boots Alliance and iA announced that WBA has made a majority investment in iA, a leading-edge provider of software enabled automation solutions for retail, hospital, federal healthcare and mail-order pharmacy markets. WBA's investment will support iA's expansion and further development of pharmacy automation solutions to benefit the entire pharmacy industry.

18:01 EST CME Group to suspend all political contributions through its PAC - CME Group announced the company will suspend all political contributions through CME Group's Political Action Committee for the foreseeable future. This decision was made in response to the violent attack at the U.S. Capitol last week. In light of this appalling event, the company believes it is critical to reexamine its contribution policies to ensure anyone who receives PAC support shares the values of CME Group.

17:46 EST Regeneron says HHS, DOD to purchase more COVID-19 antibody cocktail doses - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense will purchase additional supply of the casirivimab and imdevimab antibody cocktail for use in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients to meet the federal government's Operation Warp Speed goals. The government has said it will provide these doses at no cost to patients, though healthcare facilities may charge fees related to administration. Under the new agreement, the government will purchase all finished doses of the casirivimab and imdevimab antibody cocktail delivered by June 30, 2021, up to 1.25M doses. Under a previous agreement, Regeneron is already supplying doses to treat approximately 300,000 people, bringing the total potential purchase to over 1.5M doses. "COVID-19 continues to sicken hundreds of thousands of Americans every day and the people of Regeneron are committed to help," said Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Regeneron. "Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic will require a combination of public health measures, vaccines and therapeutics. We are pleased to work with the U.S. government to supply our antibody cocktail as an important weapon in this fight."

17:37 EST NII Holdings reaches settlement pact with AT&T - On January 12, 2021, NII Holdings, Inc. announced that it has reached agreement with AT&T Mobility Holdings B.V., New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., AT&T Holdings Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., and AT&T Comunicaciones Digitales, S. de R.L. de C.V. related to the amount of security needed to secure AT&T's contingent contractual claims in NII's dissolution proceedings. The Settlement resolves the amount of security to be reserved for AT&T pursuant to the dissolution proceedings in the Delaware Court, as well as the open matter regarding the release of the funds from the Mexico Escrow before the Bankruptcy Court. The Settlement provides AT&T with $75M of security for its claims in the dissolution proceedings to be held in an escrow account. The New Escrow Account will be funded by $70M from the Mexico Escrow and $5M that AT&T will pay to NII in full settlement of the interest awarded by the Decision. Funds will be released from the New Escrow Account and the amount of security reserved in the dissolution proceedings will be reduced as seven Mexican tax audits are resolved. In addition, the first $3M released from the New Escrow Account will be held by NII as additional security that may be available to AT&T in the event that the New Escrow Account is exhausted. The balance of the Mexico Escrow, approximately $17.1M, will be immediately released to NII. As a result of the Settlement, NII will file a motion in the Delaware Court requesting approval of an initial distribution of $161M. Any distributions to NII's stockholders are subject to the direction of NII's Board of Directors and approval by the Delaware Court, and will not be made until after the Delaware Court enters an order permitting the distribution. There can be no assurance regarding the timing and provisions of the Delaware Court's order and the Delaware Court may require NII to withhold an aggregate amount of security in excess of the amount that NII currently believes is reasonably likely to satisfy NII's potential claims and liabilities. In addition, NII cannot predict the impact, if any, of the Covid-19 pandemic on the timing of proceedings in the Delaware Court, and it is possible that delays could result. There also can be no assurance as to the timing or amount of any additional distributions that NII may make as part of the dissolution process.

17:29 EST KB Home sees Q1 housing revenue $1.14B-$1.22B - Sees Q1 average selling price $390.000. Sees Q1 operating income margin 9%-9.3%. Sees active community count down low double digit percentage range.

17:02 EST Immunovant appoints Rita Jain as Chief medical Officer - Immunovant (IMVT) announced the appointment of Rita Jain, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Jain brings over 20 years of drug development and biopharmaceutical leadership experience to Immunovant, including industry-leading experience in both early and late phase development. Jain is a board-certified rheumatologist who previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Akebia Therapeutics. She has led all aspects of clinical development across a diverse set of therapeutic areas including immunology, inflammation, and nephrology, among others. Prior to joining Akebia, Jain was Vice President of Men's and Women's Health and Metabolic Development at AbbVie (ABBV) and served as a Vice President in Pharmaceutical Development at Abbott Laboratories.

16:36 EST Axcelis jumps 7% to $34.00 after raising Q4 guidance, $100M share repurchase

16:35 EST Merus in pacts with medical organizations in Netherlands and Japan for screening - Merus announced collaborations with nationwide medical organizations in the Netherlands and Japan to raise awareness of the eNRGy trial and to provide molecular screening opportunities for patients with cancers that may have neuregulin 1 fusions. In the collaborations, Merus has agreed to support access to next generation sequencing for eligible patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the Netherlands, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, in Japan, aimed to identify the presence of NRG1 fusions and raise awareness of potential paths to enrollment in Merus' Phase 1/2 eNRGy trial of bispecific antibody zenocutuzumab. The collaborating organizations in the two countries are:Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands has agreed to perform a nationwide campaign, in affiliation with the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group to raise awareness of next generation genome screening offered by Merus for eligible patients with a diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma at all 17 pancreatic cancer centers in the Netherlands, and availability of the eNRGy trial for eligible patients. Erasmus MC, based in Rotterdam, is the largest University Medical Center in the Netherlands and is devoted to providing outstanding care, facilitating world-class education and conducting pioneering research. National Cancer Center, NCC,Japan has agreed to provide RNA sequencing, funded in part by Merus, for eligible patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and patients with NSCLC to identify NRG1 fusions. Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma will be directed to the SCRUM-Japan GI-SCREEN program. Patients with NSCLC will be directed to the LC-SCRUM-Asia program.

16:33 EST Franklin Resources reports preliminary AUM $1.497T as of December 31 - Compared to $1.466T at November 30.

16:31 EST Shutterstock raises quarterly dividend 24% to 21c from 17c per share - Payable on March 18 to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 4.

16:26 EST EverQuote announces promotion of David Brainard to CTO - EverQuote is pleased to announce that David Brainard has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer. In announcing the promotion, EverQuote co-founder and current CTO Tomas Revesz said: "Since joining, David has been a transformative impact to our engineering organization and accelerated our efforts to drive sustainable growth. He is a tenacious leader with an unparalleled commitment to building a world-class engineering team, through both recruiting and developing internal talent." As CTO, Mr. Brainard assumes responsibility for all of Engineering, encompassing marketplace-wide engineering teams and platforms as well as Security Operations and IT. Mr. Revesz is transitioning into a newly-created role of Chief Architect in which he will continue to guide our technical strategy and vision as well as lead our technical evaluation of corporate development and other new business opportunities. Mr. Brainard joined EverQuote in 2019 and has over 25 years of software development, architecture and management experience at leading organizations

16:22 EST Invesco reports preliminary AUM $1.349T as of December 31 - An increase of 4.3% versus previous month-end. Total net inflows were $11.9B.

16:21 EST AllianceBernstein reports preliminary AUM $686B as of December 31 - Up from $668B at the end of November. The 2.7% increase was due to market appreciation, partially offset by modest firmwide net outflows.

16:19 EST Palomar appoints Mark Brose as CTO - Palomar announced that Mark Brose has been appointed CTO. Brose will report directly to his predecessor, the company's COO, Britt Morries, who assumed the role of COO on September 1, 2020. Brose most recently served as VP of engineering at Agosto Inc., a cloud services and development company.

16:18 EST Nikola secures innovative electric rate schedule with Arizona Public Service Co. - Nikola has secured an innovative electric rate schedule with Arizona Public Service Company that makes possible the accelerated development of hydrogen-based fueling solutions for the transportation industry. Nikola is a company dedicated to the advancement of innovative zero-emissions truck solutions and the energy infrastructure required to make this feasible. By facilitating low-cost production of hydrogen, the Arizona Corporation Commission's approval of this rate schedule paves the way for the curtailment of greenhouse gases in the transportation sector, while also providing benefits to key constituents via novel grid-balancing solutions. The unanimous approval of this agreement by the ACC provides Nikola with a competitive electric rate specifically designed for the production, processing, and dispensing of hydrogen. This will support, among other things, enabling a zero-emission heavy-duty freight corridor along the I-10 freeway between Los Angeles and Phoenix. APS's competitive electric rate will help lead the creation of the hydrogen economy in Arizona. Nikola estimates that under the rate structure it will be able to deliver hydrogen at market leading prices and within the ranges required for Nikola to offer competitive lease rates for its trucks customers. The agreement reflects value that results from the curtailment flexibility that Nikola's hydrogen production facilities are expected to provide to the electrical grid. These facilities will be configured to respond to the needs of the grid, for example by reducing Nikola's energy consumption from the electric grid during heatwaves. This agreement will encourage Nikola to deploy capital within the state, increase electric load relating to hydrogen production, and further develop and employ a highly skilled and well-educated workforce.

16:16 EST El Pollo Loco says Q4 system-wide comparable restaurant sales down 0.2% - System-wide comparable restaurant sales for Q4 decreased 0.2%. The decrease consisted of a 3.0% decline in company-operated comparable restaurant sales, partially offset by a 1.8% increase in franchise restaurants. These compare to system-wide, company-operated and franchise restaurant growth of 3.9%, 4.3% and 3.6%, respectively, during Q4 of 2019. System-wide comparable restaurant sales declined approximately 2.0% in Los Angeles and surrounding areas while increasing approximately 3.0% in other markets.

16:14 EST Portman Ridge Finance CFO Edward Gilpin to retire, Jason Roos to succeed - Portman Ridge Finance (PTMN) announced that its CFO and treasurer, Edward Gilpin, has communicated his plans to retire and that Jason Roos will succeed him as the company's CFO, effective March 1. Gilpin will remain with the company through March 1 to ensure a smooth transition. Roos joined BC Partners LLP in May 2020 and brings nearly 20 years of experience in financial roles, most recently as credit product CFO, where he is responsible for the integrity and accuracy of financial reporting and the overall control environment of the credit business. Prior to joining BC Partners, Roos served in various roles with Wells Fargo (WFC).

16:12 EST Virtus Investment reports preliminary total AUM $132.2B as of December 31 - The increase in long-term AUM from September 30, 2020 reflected market appreciation and positive net flows, including net inflows in retail separate accounts, open-end funds, institutional accounts, and exchange traded funds.

16:08 EST Chubb names Jeremiah Konz as Chief Reinsurance Officer - Chubb announced that Jeremiah Konz has been appointed Chief Reinsurance Officer. Currently, Konz is Executive Vice President, Reinsurance Officer for Chubb Overseas General, the company's international general insurance business. In his new role, Konz will have management responsibility for the design and purchase of reinsurance programs for Chubb and its business units globally, managing the company's reinsurance recoverable asset and overseeing relationships with its reinsurers and reinsurance brokers. Konz will also serve as Chairman of Chubb's Reinsurance Security Committee and as a member of its Global Credit Committee. Konz succeeds Michael Kessler, who was appointed Division President of the company's global cyber risk insurance business. Konz will report to John Keogh, President and COO of Chubb. The appointment is effective immediately.

16:03 EST Axcelis announces new $100M share repurchase program effective for 2021 - Kevin Brewer, executive vice president and CFO said, "The Axcelis Board of Directors has authorized a new $100 million share repurchase program effective for 2021. This new program emphasizes the confidence that management and the board of directors have in Axcelis' operational strength and prospects for the future."

15:36 EST Assurant announces new $600M share repurchase plan - Assurant announced that the company's Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program for up to $600M of the company's outstanding common stock. The new share repurchase program will take effect upon completion of the company's current program, which has approximately $186M of authorization remaining as of December 31, 2020.

15:03 EST Nielsen begins tracking premium theatrical films distributed via streaming - Nielsen announced that it is launching its Theatrical Video On-Demand, or TVOD, measurement service "as a way to capture viewing to movie releases that are directly available to consumers to rent or purchase on demand through streaming/MVPD platforms." Scott Brown, GM Audience Measurement at Nielsen, said: "As this unprecedented pandemic continues to influence consumer behavior, perhaps even through a prolonged state of recovery waves, being able to measure and help clients appropriately monetize new revenue streams has never been more crucial. A bigger question might be what will audiences do following any recovery, how the behavior adopted during stay-at-home orders might influence habits when consumers have the ability to go back to theaters to enjoy that experience and how content creators will leverage data to make the best decisions regarding distribution platforms in the future."

14:23 EST DEA to negotiate on sole source basis with Axon for body worn cameras - A post to the SAM.gov website indicates that the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, a division of the Department of Justice, intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Axon Enterprise for the acquisition of body worn cameras, charger/docking stations and cloud storage; with direct streaming access to Evidence.com. Reference Link

14:06 EST Pioneer Natural completes acquisition of Parsley Energy - Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) announced that Pioneer has completed its previously announced acquisition of Parsley Energy (PE) following the approval by Pioneer and Parsley stockholders of all proposals necessary for completing the all-stock transaction. In connection with the closing of the transaction, Matthew Gallagher and A.R. Alameddine have joined the Pioneer board of directors. Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Alameddine each served on Parsley's board of directors until the closing of the transaction. As previously announced, Parsley stockholders will receive 0.1252 shares of Pioneer common stock for each share of Parsley common stock owned. After the close of trading today, Parsley Class A common stock will no longer be listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

13:00 EST Jason Klarman named president of FOX Nation - Jason Klarman has been named President of FOX Nation, announced Suzanne Scott, CEO of FOX News Media, to whom he will continue to report. Klarman will also retain his role as Executive Vice President of Marketing for FOX News Media, overseeing all brand strategy. In making the announcement, Scott said, "Jason is a terrific, creative and collaborative executive who was instrumental to the launch of FOX Nation in 2018. He has been integral to the platform's success from its exceptionally high conversion rate to its low churn. We look forward to him elevating FOX Nation to new heights."

12:02 EST Arcimoto joins Zero Emission Transportation Association - Arcimoto announced that it has joined the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a national coalition of more than forty businesses advocating for 100 percent electric vehicle sales by 2030. "We stand at a pivotal point in history, and if we are to create a better world for ourselves and future generations, we need to start right now with a rational, cohesive, and visionary strategy," said Mark Frohnmayer, Arcimoto Founder and CEO. "We are stoked to join ZETA and work with our industry peers that are dedicated to building a cleaner, more sustainable world while at the same time creating thousands of new jobs and dramatically improving the country's infrastructure."

12:00 EST Sunnova Energy falls -6.7% - Sunnova Energy is down -6.7%, or -$3.48 to $48.33.

12:00 EST 3D Systems falls -11.1% - 3D Systems is down -11.1%, or -$3.06 to $24.54.

12:00 EST Range Resources rises 15.9% - Range Resources is up 15.9%, or $1.27 to $9.24.

11:54 EST New Relic announces integration with Snowflake - New Relic (NEWR) announced in a blog post its integration with Snowflake (SNOW). The company said: "Like any piece of critical infrastructure, once Snowflake starts to play a key role in delivering value to a company or set of users, it's critically important to make sure it's secure, performant, and delivers the data you need in a timely fashion. That sounds like a job for New Relic... Snowflake is becoming ever more popular, but to ensure that its adoption goes smoothly within your organization, you must have a level of observability across different aspects such as performance, costs, and security. With the New Relic Snowflake integration, this is easily achievable." Reference Link

11:41 EST AMD shares slightly higher after CEO's keynote at CES - Shares of AMD are fractionally higher in morning trading following President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su's keynote address at the CES conference. AMD is on track to launch the first notebooks with RDNA 2 in the first half of 2021, and consumer will see "mainstream RDNA 2 desktop graphics card designs in the first half of the year as well," the company's Radeon unit tweeted during the event. Su, in her keynote address, said the chip maker was rolling out the Ryzen 5000 Zen 3 series of laptop chip that is expected to debut in about 150 models of laptops this year, with the first models coming out in February. In morning trading, AMD shares are up 30c to $97.55. Reference Link

11:27 EST Yelp to display user feedback on health, safety practices of businesses - In a company blog post, Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, head of consumer product, said, " Last summer, we revamped our COVID-19 section on Yelp pages to allow businesses to easily add information about their updated service offerings and specific health and safety precautions. To give people further confidence to support businesses in their local community, we enabled Yelp users to provide feedback on the health and safety practices they observed at businesses they patronized. Starting today, Yelp will display if users observed, or did not observe, the enforcement of social distancing and staff wearing masks. We know many businesses are prioritizing the health and safety of their customers. This new update further highlights how businesses have adapted to keep their customers safe, and aims to instill confidence in consumers to continue supporting local businesses. We've also added new service offerings and health and safety practices, including "heated outdoor seating," "1:1 sessions available," and "disposable or contactless menu" to help businesses communicate how they're continuing to adapt amidst changing health orders and consumer expectations." Reference Link

11:03 EST Boeing reports 59 commercial airplane deliveries in Q4 - The Boeing Company announced major program deliveries across its commercial and defense operations for the fourth quarter of 2020. "Through the global pandemic, we took meaningful steps to adapt to our new market, transform our business and deliver for our commercial, defense, space and services customers in 2020," said Greg Smith, Boeing executive vice president of Enterprise Operations and CFO. "The resumption of 737 MAX deliveries in December was a key milestone as we strengthen safety and quality across our enterprise. We also continued comprehensive inspections of our 787 airplanes to ensure they meet our highest quality standards prior to delivery. While limiting our 787 deliveries for the quarter, these comprehensive inspections represent our focus on safety, quality and transparency, and we're confident that we're taking the right steps for our customers and for the long term health of the 787 program. As we continue navigating through the pandemic, we're working closely with our global customers and monitoring the slow international traffic recovery to align supply with market demand across our widebody programs. In 2021, we'll continue taking the right actions to enhance our safety culture, preserve liquidity and transform our business for the future."

10:31 EST Pfizer drops 1.8% to $37.10 after giving guidance at JPMorgan conference

10:24 EST Ehang to provide UAM services in Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai, China - EHang Holdings announced strategic partnerships with Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Pan-Tourism Development Co., Ltd., Zhuhai Huafa Sports Operations Management Co., Ltd. and Flying World Technology Co., Ltd. to jointly initiate Urban Air Mobility operations for aerial sightseeing and other air mobility services in the Hengqin New Area, the largest island and a Free Trade Zone in southeast Zhuhai in Guangdong Province of China. By establishing AAV experience centers and a suite of supporting service systems, EHang AAVs will be integrated into the daily life of the local population.

10:08 EST Mimecast informed by Microsoft that Mimecast-issued certificate compromised - Mimecast (MIME) said in a post to its corporate blog: "Microsoft recently informed us that a Mimecast-issued certificate provided to certain customers to authenticate Mimecast Sync and Recover, Continuity Monitor, and IEP products to Microsoft 365 Exchange Web Services has been compromised by a sophisticated threat actor. Approximately 10% of our customers use this connection. Of those that do, there are indications that a low single digit number of our customers' M365 tenants were targeted. We have already contacted these customers to remediate the issue. As a precaution, we are asking the subset of Mimecast customers using this certificate-based connection to immediately delete the existing connection within their M365 tenant and re-establish a new certificate-based connection using the new certificate we've made available. Taking this action does not impact inbound or outbound mail flow or associated security scanning. The security of our customers is always our top priority. We have engaged a third-party forensics expert to assist in our investigation, and we will work closely with Microsoft and law enforcement as appropriate." Reference Link

10:04 EST Landis+Gyr, PayGo announce billing, payments partner agreement - Landis+Gyr and PayGo have signed a partner agreement that authorizes Landis+Gyr to provide PayGo's prepay, digital billing and payment services to its advanced metering customers. Landis+Gyr is now able to offer PayGo to existing and future AMI customers as a premium prepay, digital billing and payment service. Prepayment systems for utility services have proven to deliver benefits for both the customer and utility, giving the customer greater control over their energy usage leading to improved energy efficiency. These programs also reduce the need for security deposits and fees, while lowering debt and improving customer satisfaction.

10:01 EST Izea awarded seven-figure marketing contract from Fortune 100 Retailer - IZEA Worldwide announced that the company was awarded a seven-figure contract from a Fortune 100 Retailer this week. The retailer is a repeat customer who has expanded its influencer marketing spend with IZEA through 2021. The contract includes both managed services and licensing of IZEA's BrandGraph software. The award of the new contract follows an announcement of new contracts from two Fortune 10 companies, and comes just one week after IZEA reported that its Managed Services bookings increased 48% in Q4 of 2020, as compared to Q4 2019. These expanded agreements with existing customers, combined with a spike in new customer counts over the course of December, have driven strong managed services bookings growth in recent months. Managed services bookings in the first two weeks of January 2021 have now exceeded the total of January and February 2019 combined.

10:00 EST 3D Systems falls -5.2% - 3D Systems is down -5.2%, or -$1.44 to $26.15.

10:00 EST ReneSola rises 12.4% - ReneSola is up 12.4%, or $2.50 to $22.64.

10:00 EST Star Peak Energy Transition rises 13.5% - Star Peak Energy Transition is up 13.5%, or $4.19 to $35.14.

09:53 EST Biocept CEO says well positioned to grow liquid biopsy oncology business - Biocept announced that its President and CEO Michael Nall has issued a letter to stockholders. The letter states in part: "Biocept entered 2021 well-positioned to grow our core liquid biopsy oncology business while continuing to offer RT-PCR testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus...Among key initiatives for the coming year is to advance our Target Selector CSF assays toward standard of care for diagnosing and monitoring central nervous system metastases. This unique offering afforded by our proprietary rare cell capture technology platform presents an opportunity to serve a sizable market with more than 100,000 patients per year diagnosed with metastatic tumors to the brain in the U.S., as well as a competitive advantage for Biocept within our industry...Our new assays fill a significant market need as the current standard of care, CSF cytology, has very limited sensitivity to detect metastases and provides no information about molecular targets for therapy choice...While CSF assays currently represent a small percentage of our business, we expect volumes to continue to increase each quarter as we progress through 2021...Like other molecular biology companies, our oncology testing business has been impacted by the pandemic. We fully expect test volumes will return to historical levels as the pandemic subsides. In the meantime, our strategy is to take actions that position us for a strong future. Among these is entering into new provider agreements with integrated health systems and other capitated plans that provide quality healthcare delivered cost-effectively. By using a liquid biopsy with blood or CSF, our oncology assays are a cost-efficient means to profile for biomarkers that impact therapy and to monitor disease progression over time...We are now in the process of completing the final validation and testing phase of the COVID-19 assay development project with Aegea Biotechnologies and we expect the assay to be ready for deployment in clinical testing laboratories in the first quarter of 2021."

09:47 EST Studio City falls -3.8% - Studio City is down -3.8%, or -49c to $12.51.

09:47 EST Lemonade falls -6.0% - Lemonade is down -6.0%, or -$11.03 to $172.23.

09:47 EST Star Peak Energy Transition rises 15.4% - Star Peak Energy Transition is up 15.4%, or $4.76 to $35.71.

09:45 EST Thryv Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:35 EST BioSig conducts first patient cases with PURE EP System at Memorial Hospital - BioSig Technologies announced that the Company installed its PURE EP System and conducted first patient cases at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, part of Beacon Health System, in South Bend, Indiana. PURE EP System evaluation is being conducted under the leadership of Vinod Chauhan, M.D. and Deepak Gaba, M.D.

09:33 EST Royal Gold provides Q2 update - Royal Gold announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, RGLD Gold AG, sold approximately 57,500 gold equivalent ounces comprised of approximately 44,500 gold ounces, 461,000 silver ounces and 1,800 tonnes of copper related to its streaming agreements during its fiscal 2021 second quarter ended December 31, 2020. Second quarter stream sales were slightly higher than the previous guidance range of 52,000 to 57,000 GEOs. The Company had approximately 29,500 GEOs in inventory at the end of the second quarter consisting of 21,500 gold ounces, 485,000 silver ounces and 400 tonnes of copper. Inventory at the end of the second quarter was higher than the previous guidance range of 23,000 to 28,000 GEOs primarily due to timing of deliveries

09:30 EST Berkeley Lights launches Opto Plasma B Discovery 4.0 workflow - Berkeley Lights announced the Opto Plasma B Discovery 4.0 workflow. Opto Plasma B Discovery 4.0 is the industry's premier antibody discovery workflow by advancing from B cells to lead molecules in just 1 week.

09:29 EST TOMI SteraMist receives purchase order from Vigilant Hose Company - TOMI Environmental Solutions has received a purchase order from Vigilant Hose Company. Located in the same town that is home to the National Emergency Training Center where emergency professionals from all over the world come to further their training, VHC has the distinction of being the most visited Firehouse in the world. Vigilant Hose Company selected SteraMist technology to ensure the thorough cleaning and sterilization of its training facilities, equipment and vehicles, with the goal of protecting public health while continuing to provide first responder services to the community.

09:27 EST Crawford & Company announces new business line organizational structure - Crawford & Company announced a new business line organizational structure, effective January 1, 2021, in support of its purpose, growth strategy and envisioned future. The new structure aligns the company to three macro businesses - Loss Adjusting, Third Party Administration and Platform Solutions - and positions Crawford to continue leading the industry in innovation, service quality and expertise. Andrew Bart assumes the new role of president, Loss Adjusting, International and Pat Van Bakel assumes the role of president, Loss Adjusting, North America, in addition to his current position as president of Crawford Canada. Mike Jones now leads the international TPA: Broadspire business as president, and Mike Hoberman assumes the role of president TPA: Broadspire, North America upon the retirement of Neil Lentine on February 5, 2021. Larry Thomas, now leads the newly created Platform Solutions as its global president. Crawford's Platform Solutions global service line is comprised of unique offerings with considerable growth potential. These businesses provide digitally enabled solutions that enhance quality and efficiency, in addition to creating compelling claims outcomes for our clients and their policyholders. It will leverage the company's expertise, superior customer service and digital capabilities, making Crawford the embedded partner of choice for our clients. Additional company leadership appointments under the new business structure include Ken Tolson, who assumes the role of global president of the networks business unit within the Platform Solutions global service line, and Charlotte von Krogh, who assumes the role of president, Crawford Europe. Each of these internal promotions showcase the exceptional depth of talent at Crawford and support the goal of making most of our hires from within the company.

09:22 EST Five Below reports net sales of $722.3M for the Holiday Period - Five Below announced net sales results for the quarter-to-date period from November 1, 2020 through January 2, 2021. The Company announced that net sales for the Holiday Period increased by 21.1% to $722.3 million from $596.6 million in the comparable nine-week period from November 3, 2019 through January 4, 2020. Comparable sales for the Holiday Period increased by 10.1%. Joel Anderson, President and CEO, said, "We are very pleased with our holiday sales performance, which surpassed our expectations. These strong results illustrate the broad appeal of our Wow offering at amazing values as well as the inherent flexibility of our model and merchandise offering. We featured extreme value products, as well as Wow gifts in our expanded Five Beyond offering, all of which resonated with customers. These sales results were accompanied by gross margins that were in line with our expectations and SG&A leverage that was stronger than planned. As we close out a very strong quarter and unprecedented year, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to our teams across the organization who executed with excellence while maintaining a focus on safety throughout our peak holiday season. We look forward to continuing our growth and to discussing our 2020 results and plans for 2021 on our year-end call in March."

09:19 EST Surgalign announces commercial launch of ViBone Moldable - Surgalign Holdings announced the commercial launch and the completion of the first surgery of ViBone Moldable in the US. The first implantation was completed by Dr. Adam Crowl, at OrthoVirgina in Midlothian, VA. ViBone Moldable is the newest orthobiologics solution of Surgalign's bone graft portfolio to support spinal fusion, which currently include ViBone and other advanced bone graft solutions.

09:18 EST Northrop Grumman announces contract award from Lockheed Martin for F-35 - Northrop Grumman (NOC) announced it has received a contract award from Lockheed Martin (LMT) to enable new functionality to protect the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter. "As part of a collaborative arrangement between Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, the three companies will integrate Northrop Grumman's AN/ASQ-242 Integrated Communications, Navigation and Identification and BAE Systems' AN/ASQ-239 Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures system for optimal operational utility," the company stated. "As Lockheed Martin's electronic warfare integrator for all F-35 aircraft, we're committed to equipping our customers with advanced capabilities that help them conduct their missions. "Under this collaborative agreement, we will work closely with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to enhance the capability of our fully integrated EW system - heightening pilots' situational awareness and helping them evade, engage and defeat modern threats," said Deborah Norton, vice president of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems (BAESY).

09:18 EST Muscle Maker opens second ghost kitchen location in Philadelphia - Muscle Maker announced the opening of its second ghost kitchen location in the Girard neighborhood located in the city of Philadelphia.

09:15 EST Draganfly selected by Knightscope to integrate vital sign screening technology - Draganfly announced that Knightscope has selected to implement Draganfly's Vital Intelligence technology into its autonomous security robots and embedded applications.

09:14 EST Teradyne, Syntiant collaborate to shorten time to market for processors - Teradyne announced that the company's UltraFLEX test platform has enabled AI chip company Syntiant Corp. to successfully ship millions of its microwatt-power, deep learning Neural Decision Processors to customers worldwide.

09:13 EST RCI Hospitality reports Q1 club and restaurant sales $37.8M, down 20.9% YoY - RCI Hospitality Holdings reported sales for its Nightclubs and Bombshells restaurants for the Q1. Results reflect a continued rebound from April 2020 when all locations were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Q1 of FY21 vs. Q1 of FY20: total club and restaurant sales were $37.8M compared to $47.8M, or down 20.9%, consolidated same-store sales were $30.4M compared to $30.9M, or down 1.5%; nightclubs total sales were $24.8M compared to $37.4M, or down 33.7%; nightclubs same-store sales were $20.7M compared to $22.2M, or down 6.8%, bombshells total sales were $13.0M compared to $10.3M, or up 25.4%; and bombshells same-store sales were $9.8M compared to $8.7M, or up 12.0%. During Q1, 24 clubs were open during the full quarter and 26 by period end, and all 10 Bombshells were open, 38 clubs were open, and the ninth Bombshells opened October 2019. As of yesterday, 39 of 48 locations were open. All locations continue to limit occupancy in accordance with coronavirus safety plans, and not all clubs are operating at full schedules, in line with local government restrictions

09:13 EST Sabra Health Care appoints Michael Costa as chief accounting officer - Sabra Health Care announced that Michael Costa has been appointed chief accounting officer and, in such capacity, has been designated by the company's board as the company's principal accounting officer. Costa currently serves as Sabra's executive VP- finance, a position he has held since August 2017. Previously, Costa held various leadership positions overseeing Sabra's accounting and finance functions since Sabra's inception in November 2010.

09:10 EST Comtech announces $1.6M contract renewal agreement - Comtech announced that it has finalized a one-year renewal agreement with a tier-one U.S. mobile network operator for hosted location-based services platforms. The renewal agreement is worth $1.6M..

09:08 EST Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives secures $100M wind construction contract - Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives announced that the Company has been awarded a wind construction contract valued at approximately $100M. Apex Clean Energy, who develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America, awarded the Lincoln Land project to White Construction, a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects. The award is for the construction of a 300 megawatt utility-scale wind farm in Morgan County, Illinois. Construction on the Lincoln Land Wind farm is expected to begin in January 2021, with an anticipated completion date in late 2021. Apex will manage construction of the project, while IEA will self-perform all of the engineering, procurement and construction needs, including the construction of project roads, the improvement of nearby public roads, the installation of collection systems, foundations, and substations for the farm and the erection of 107 GE wind turbine generators on site.

09:06 EST Liminal subsidiary receives FDA approval for plasma collection center - Liminal BioSciences announced that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Prometic Plasma Resources, has received FDA approval for its plasma collection center located in Amherst, NY. The center commenced operations and initiated source plasma collection in early 2020, and is now FDA licensed to collect and introduce into interstate commerce human source plasma for further manufacturing in the U.S. The approval follows the FDA's pre-licensure inspection in September 2020.

09:05 EST American International Holdings secures financing from investors - American International Holdings announced that it has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement for the purchase of up to $1,450,000 of Secured Promissory Notes with two institutional investors. Pursuant to the SPA, the Investors purchased $850,000 of the Notes upon closing and have agreed to purchase the remaining $600,000 in Notes upon the Company's timely filing and effectiveness of a registration statement and upon the Company's meeting certain equity conditions and requirements as further defined and described in the SPA. Please see the Company's report on Form 8-K for complete details on this financing. The sale of the Notes included warrants which were granted to each of the Investors and other requirements, as described in greater detail in the Form 8-K. The investment is expected to enable the Company to further invest into marketing, customer acquisition, and additional technologies, products and services associated with its online telemedicine platform, www.ZipDoctor.co. The Company plans to utilize a portion of the proceeds to pay off and eliminate all prior convertible notes outstanding.

09:04 EST Shenandoah achieves MEF 3.0 certification - Shenandoah Telecommunications Company announced that they have achieved MEF 3.0 certification, an internationally recognized certification for Ethernet network services. Shentel is now one of just 31 service providers in the world with this certification. MEF is a non-profit industry forum of network, cloud, and technology providers that develops standards and certifications to empower growth in enterprise digital infrastructure and technology. "The MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet Certified Service Provider certification is a validation of network performance. It sets Shentel apart from its competitors by providing higher-valued services that are capable of meeting a customer's unique service demands," said Harris Duncan, Vice President of Engineering and Construction at Shentel.

09:03 EST Abbott fulfills government's order of 150M BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag tests - Abbott is announcing the fulfillment of the federal government's order of 150 million BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag tests. These rapid tests were distributed through the Department of Health and Human Services to states, territories and targeted entities, such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice agencies, historically black colleges and universities, and the Indian Health Service. Abbott is also in the final stages of completing its self-funded investment in U.S. manufacturing capacity and is now ready to make tens of millions of BinaxNOW tests available per month for direct purchase to organizations including schools, workplaces and pharmacies. The University of Wisconsin System will be the first customer in the U.S. to secure BinaxNOW at scale, procuring 480,000 tests over six months for use at its universities and branch campuses. Abbott will continue supplying HHS with a total of 30M tests between now and March.

09:01 EST Grainger names Deidra Merriwether as CFO - Grainger named Deidra Merriwether, currently Senior Vice President and President, North American Sales and Services, as Chief Financial Officer. She replaces interim CFO Rob O'Keef, who will resume his role as Vice President and Treasurer. The Grainger Business Unit will merge all commercial functions for the Grainger brand in North America into a single organization. "This new structure will help drive profitable share gain and exceptional customer solutions across geographies," the company said in a statement. It added that Paige Robbins, currently SVP, Chief Technology, Merchandising, Marketing and Strategy Officer, has been named SVP and President of the Grainger Business Unit, comprised of Grainger businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Merriwether and Robbins will assume their new roles effective immediately.

08:53 EST Nam Tai Property shareholder IsZo issues letter regarding lawsuit - IsZo Capital Management, a long-term shareholder of Nam Tai Property with beneficial ownership of approximately 11% of the Company's outstanding shares, issued the below letter to shareholders regarding its lawsuit in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court against Nam Tai, Kaisa Group Holdings Limited's wholly-owned subsidiary Greater Sail Limited and West Ridge Investment Company Limited. In an effort to continue providing shareholders with transparency into our efforts at Nam Tai and address the many questions we have received since commencing litigation in response to the dilutive private placement. IsZo has made public its statement of claim and other helpful materials at www.FixNTP.com/resources. "You are likely aware that IsZo Capital filed a lawsuit against Nam Tai Property in October 2020 after the Company announced a $170M private placement that distributed more than 16M common shares to Kaisa Group Holdings Limited's wholly-owned subsidiary Greater Sail Limited ("and more than 2.6 million common shares to West Ridge Investment Company Limited. Our lawsuit contends that the Kaisa allies currently in control of Nam Tai initiated this dilutive and unjustifiable transaction in response to IsZo obtaining requisite support to convene a meeting of shareholders, whereat investors could vote to reconstitute the Company's Board of Directors. Today's communication intends to deliver an update on the legal process and reinforce our unwavering commitment to facilitating necessary change atop Nam Tai.

08:47 EST Stratus Properties announces sale of The Saint Mary for $60M - Stratus Properties announced that on January 11, its subsidiary The Saint Mary completed the sale of The Saint Mary, a 240-unit luxury, garden-style apartment project in the Circle C community in Austin, Texas, for $60M, or $250,000 per unit. William H. Armstrong III, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stratus, stated, "The sale of The Saint Mary is another example of the substantial value we create for our shareholders with our proven approach to developing and owning well-located properties in strong Texas markets. In fact, we believe that the per unit sales price for The Saint Mary is the highest ever recorded in the Austin MSA for traditional garden-style surface-parked apartment product." After closing costs and payment of the outstanding construction loan, the sale generated net proceeds of approximately $34 million. Stratus anticipates receiving approximately $21.3 million from the subsidiary in connection with the sale. Stratus expects to recognize a pre-tax gain on the sale, net of gain allocated to noncontrolling interests, of approximately $14 million. The sale generated an IRR to Stratus of approximately 62% calculated based on the company's carrying value of the property contributed to the project, resulting in an equity multiple of 3.55x. The sale price reflects a 28% premium to the gross value for The Saint Mary used in the calculation of Stratus' estimated net asset value as of December 31, 2019

08:46 EST Rideshare Rental receives loan of $500,000 in return for convertible note - Rideshare Rental announced that John Gray, the principal of one of the Company's largest shareholders, the Gray Mars Venus Trust, Arizona 2015, has agreed to extend a loan to the Company in the amount of $500,000, in return for which he will receive a convertible note issued by RSR. The Note will mature after twelve months and the loan will bear interest at a fixed rate of six percent. If the debt represented by the Note is converted by Mr. Gray, either in whole or in part, into shares of YAYO common stock, those shares will have registration rights. The Company will apply the loan extended by Mr. Gray toward its growth strategy and working capital. In addition, John O'Neill, a member of the Company's board of directors, has acquired 100,000 shares of Company common stock, which, in addition to his purchase of 135,000 common shares in June 2020 after becoming a Company director, and his prior open market purchases, brings his total shareholdings to 252,100.

08:43 EST Hancock Jaffe Laboratories concludes VenoValve pre-IDE meeting with the FDA - Hancock Jaffe Laboratories announced that it has concluded its VenoValve pre-IDE meeting with the FDA. Topics presented at the meeting included the background and clinical need for the VenoValve, proposed study design, patient monitoring for safety and efficacy, bench testing protocols, and the VenoValve first-in-human results. The proposed protocol for the U.S. pivotal trial is expected to be very similar to the protocol that was used for the VenoValve first-in-human study, which was completed at the end of 2020, and which included endpoints for reflux time, VCSS scores, VAS scores, and VIENES quality of life scores. Patients enrolled in the first-in-human study experienced significant improvements in all study endpoints with no device related adverse events. HJLI expects to propose a single-arm, multi-center study of an estimated 75 patients. Depending on the results of the proposed pivotal study, HJLI could be eligible to apply for pre-market approval to market the VenoValve as early as six months after the last patient in the pivotal trial receives their VenoValve implant. The proposed study will also include a multi-year follow-up observation period. Premarket approval is the FDA process of scientific and regulatory review to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a Class III medical device before the device can be marketed to the public. Due in part to HJLI's positive first-in-human results, provided that HJLI experiences similar results in the U.S. pivotal trial, feedback from the FDA indicated that a six (6) month study period prior to filing for PMA approval could be sufficient.

08:41 EST Ageagle Aerial Systems says State of Iowa chooses HempOverview platform - AgEagle Aerial Systems announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has licensed the Company's proprietary HempOverview platform to manage the state's online registration, payment processing, comprehensive data collection and compliance oversight of hemp cultivation for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 planting seasons.

08:40 EST Lantheus announces submission of DMF for NM-01 in the U.S. - Lantheus Holdings, the parent company of Lantheus Medical Imaging and Progenics Pharmaceuticals and a global leader in the development, manufacture and commercialization of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic agents and products, announced that it has filed a Drug Master File, DMF, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, for NM-01, a PD-L1 imaging biomarker, and will begin making the biomarker available to academic centers and pharmaceutical companies for use in immuno-oncology (I/O) clinical trials in 2021. NM-01 is a proprietary radiopharmaceutical biomarker using a camelid single-domain antibody and a technetium-99 radioisotope that has demonstrated a high affinity for PD-L1 protein. NM-01 could provide a specific, non-invasive approach to patient assessment, including use in whole-body imaging, or virtual biopsy. NM-01 potentially allows detection of PD-L1 expression in tumors and could be used to evaluate patients before, during, or after treatment with I/O agents, including checkpoint inhibitors, in clinical trials. The market for checkpoint inhibitors is expected to grow from $25B in 2019 to $68B in 2026.1 Lantheus licensed NM-01 from NanoMab Technology Limited in 2019 and plans to provide NM-01 as a clinical research tool, together with support and analytics, to pharmaceutical companies and the largest academic centers conducting clinical study on NM-01 in NSCLC patients.

08:39 EST Overstock.com says Echelon can now trade digital preferred shares - Overstock.com announced that Canadian customers of Echelon Wealth Partners can now trade Overstock's Series A-1 shares on the alternative trading system operated by tZERO ATS, LLC, a FINRA member broker-dealer. This is possible through broker arrangements with an existing subscriber to the ATS. In May 2020, Overstock distributed Series A-1 shares as a dividend to Overstock shareholde

08:38 EST Sanofi says IPO on Euronext Paris for European API company evaluated for 2022 - Sanofi announced it has chosen "EUROAPI" as the name for the future European company dedicated to the development, production and marketing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, or API, which "will represent the 'made in Europe' API state-of-the-art industrial capabilities and technologies, with approximately EUR 1B in expected sales by 2022. It will rank number 1 in small molecules API, and number 2 on the global API market," according to Sanofi. The project announced by Sanofi in February 2020, consists of creating a standalone company which will combine Sanofi's API commercial and development activities with six of its European production sites. Sanofi also announces the appointment of Karl Rotthier, who was most recently the CEO of Centrient Pharmaceuticals, as the EUROAPI future CEO, effective January 18. "Karl will lead the creation of EUROAPI together with the new company Management Team towards its growth ambitions. EUROAPI will employ 3,200 skilled employees and be headquartered in France. A planned IPO on Euronext Paris would be evaluated with a decision expected by 2022, subject to market conditions," Sanofi stated.

08:37 EST AzurRx BioPharma, First Wave Bio announce allowance of patent for niclosamide - AzurRx BioPharma and First Wave Bio jointly announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office has provided a notice of allowance for issuance of a patent that covers use of niclosamide as a treatment for COVID-19-associated GI disease. The allowed claims relate to a method for treating a digestive symptom in a subject diagnosed as having a COVID-19 viral infection comprising orally administering an effective amount of niclosamide to decrease the COVID-19 viral RNA load relative to a baseline. AzurRx and First Wave recently entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with First Wav Bio, for the use of First Wave's patented and proprietary oral and rectal formulations of niclosamide for the treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated colitis and COVID-19 GI disease. AzurRx anticipates initiating a Phase 2 trial of oral niclosamide, also called FW-1022, in patients with COVID-19, in the first half of 2021.

08:35 EST Jones Soda appoints Jamie Colbourne as chairman of the board - Jones Soda appointed Jamie Colbourne as the company's Chairman of the Board. Colbourne served as Jones' interim CEO from April to December 2020, recruited current CEO Mark Murray as a consultant, and worked closely with Murray to plan and implement a growth strategy that has successfully increased the company's revenues and gross margins. He succeeds Michael "Mick" Fleming as board chairman. Colbourne joined the Jones board of directors in December 2020 while still serving as interim CEO. Murray was named President in September and promoted to President and CEO on December 1, 2020.

08:34 EST Super League Gaming says Winter Wonderland received over 8.6M joins - Super League Gaming announced the success of its most recent youth-focused initiative Winter Wonderland, built entirely in Minehut, Super League's Minecraft community. The Winter Wonderland program, which ran from December 18, 2020 until January 6, 2021, offered Minecraft players a fun-filled snow-covered landscape, complete with holiday-themed structures and a Play Your Way Parkour course, which was supported by Logitech G. The in-game event received more than 8.6 million joins. Throughout just 21 days, gamers spent 165,886 hours within the program, which is the equivalent to 6,912 days or almost 19 years. In addition, the event saw a nearly 45% lift in in-game chat messages within the first 24 hours it was live.

08:32 EST Covanta announces new agreement with the Town of North Hempstead - Covanta announced a new agreement with the Town of North Hempstead, NY for sustainable waste disposal. Instead of landfilling approximately 140,000 tons of waste annually, the Town will now utilize the Covanta Hempstead Waste-to-Energy facility located in Westbury, NY. The agreement commenced January 1 for an initial five-year term with options to extend for an additional 10 years. A fixture in the community for over three decades, Covanta Hempstead sustainably manages waste from residents of various local municipalities by combusting it at extremely high temperatures to generate steam for electricity production. This process is widely recognized for reducing greenhouse gases by eliminating methane emissions from landfills.

08:31 EST SOC Telemed appoints new Chief Human Resources and new Chief Customer officers - SOC Telemed announced two key additions to its leadership team with the addition of Stephanie Harris as Chief Human Resources Officer and Ron Egan as Chief Customer Officer. In her role as CHRO, Harris will lead SOC Telemed's people strategy, talent acquisition and development, total rewards, and succession planning. Harris brings nearly 25 years of human resource experience supporting high-growth, private companies, and highly matrixed, $5B + global organizations. Harris joins SOC Telemed from Telular AMETEK, a leader in IoT solutions for the commercial telematics market, where she served as Vice President, Human Resources. As CCO, Egan will lead SOC Telemed's Client Success and Marketing organizations to drive great client experiences as SOC Telemed enters its next phase of growth as a public company. Egan has more than 11 years of healthcare experience in various commercial roles, and joins SOC Telemed from GE Healthcare, where he most recently served as Vice President, Magnetic Resonance Imaging for North America.

08:29 EST Poet Technologies announces special meeting of shareholders - POET Technologies announces its intention to hold a Special Meeting of Shareholders on Friday, February 19, 2021. The Company has set the Record Date for the Special Meeting at January 19, 2021. The purpose of the Special Meeting is to seek authorization from the Company's shareholders to enable the Board of Directors, within its sole discretion, to consolidate the Company's issued and outstanding common shares on the basis of a ratio to be determined from within a range of ratios that will be proposed at the Special Meeting. Additional information, including the time and instructions for virtually accessing and voting at the Special Meeting will be provided at a later date. The decision to seek authorization from the Shareholders for a share consolidation was taken by the Board of Directors after careful consideration of a number of factors, including access to US institutional investors, prospective broadening of US-based investor interest in the Company, and if required, the structuring of potential future financings. In addition, the Board of Directors is of the opinion that the reduced number of Common Shares may better position the Company for a potential future listing on a senior stock exchange.

08:27 EST Bel Fuse announces agreement to purchase EOS Power - Bel Fuse announced that the Company has entered into an agreement with EOS Power Panama Inc. to acquire substantially all of the issued and outstanding shares of EOS Power India Private Ltd.. The Agreement calls for the assumption of certain liabilities and is subject to closing working capital adjustments. Based in Mumbai, India, the EOS business had trailing twelve-month sales of approximately $15 million, and manufactures power products that are well known in the market and the distribution channels. The all-cash transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, and will be funded with available cash on hand, some or all of which may be sourced from our revolving credit facility.

08:23 EST Pliant Therapeutics appoints David Pyott to board of directors - Pliant Therapeutics announced the appointment of Dr. David Pyott, former Chairman and CEO of Allergan, to Pliant's Board of Directors.

08:22 EST Proterra to become publicly listed through transaction with ArcLight Clean - Proterra announced that it will become publicly listed through a transaction with ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. (ACTCU, ACTC and ACTW), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. Upon closing, Proterra's common stock is expected to trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol PTRA. The transaction represents an enterprise value of $1.6B for Proterra. Proterra is a high-growth commercial electric vehicle technology leader with over a decade of production experience. Following the close of the transaction, Jack Allen, Proterra's Chairman and CEO, will continue to lead the company, and Jake Erhard, President, CEO and Director of ArcLight Clean Transition Corp., will join Proterra's board. Proterra, Commercial Electric Vehicle Technology Leader, To Become Publicly Listed Through Transaction with ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. PR Newswire - Jan 12 08:00 EDT Alert hits:All Lis 7-9 And Symbols: NASDAQ-NMS:ACTC, NASDAQ-NMS:ACTCU, NASDAQ-NMS:ACTW Provides Resources to Take Proterra's Proven Portfolio of Next Generation Electric Vehicle Technology to New Levels of Growth Includes $415 Million PIPE Investments Anchored by Daimler Trucks as well as Franklin Templeton, Chamath Palihapitiya, Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, and Funds and Accounts Managed by BlackRock Proterra to Have up to $825 Million in Cash to Fund Growth Transaction Represents Enterprise Value of $1.6 Billion for Proterra The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Proterra and ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. It is expected to close in the first half of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.'s shareholders. The transaction is expected to deliver approximately $648M in cash at closing, including approximately $278M of cash held in ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.'s trust account from its initial public offering in September 2020.1 The transaction is further supported by a $415M PIPE at $10.00 per share from key investors, including strategic partners Daimler Trucks and Constellation, existing investors Franklin Templeton, Broadscale, 40 North and G2VP, as well as new investors such as Chamath Palihapitiya, Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Neuberger Berman Funds and affiliates of ArcLight. Proterra's existing shareholders have agreed to convert 100% of their ownership stakes into the new company, and are expected to own more than 60% of the pro forma company at close.

08:21 EST CHF Solutions announces patent application for catheter - CHF Solutions announced the submission of a patent application for a peripheral vascular access catheter for use with its Aquadex system. The new dual lumen ultrafiltration catheter optimizes blood flow, prevents kinking, and is customizable for each patient, eliminating the need for multiple catheter sizes.

08:19 EST Renault, Plug Power sign MOU to launch joint venture in France - Groupe Renault (RNSDF) and Plug Power (PLUG) announced the signature of a Memorandum Of Understanding to launch a 50-50 joint-venture based in France by the end of the first half of 2021. This strategic JV will position Groupe Renault and Plug Power to become key players in Europe in the research and development, transformation, manufacturing and sale of fuel cell-powered vehicles and hydrogen turn-key solutions in the coming years. This joint-venture platform will serve the fast-growing market of fuel cell light commercial vehicles, taxis, and commercial people transportation. Bringing complementary and competitive strengths together, this joint venture will build on Groupe Renault's pioneering experience in new energies and strong position in electric light commercial vehicles and on Plug Power's 20 years of experience in fuel cell technologies and hydrogen solutions. A global leader in hydrogen ecosystem solutions, Plug Power has deployed over 40,000 fuel cell systems, designed and built 110 refueling stations that dispense more than 40 tons of hydrogen daily, and is a technology leader in green hydrogen solutions via electrolysis. The company intends to offer unique, comprehensive, differentiated products and solutions to the LCV market, designed around 3 key pillars: R&D: Groupe Renault and Plug Power intend to establish an Innovation Center for the development of fuel cell technology and hydrogen fuel cell LCV vehicles based on existing and future Groupe Renault platforms. The initial focus will be on the heavy van segment utilizing the Traffic and Master vehicle platforms. This center will be unique in combining R&D efforts of fuel cell and vehicles with integrated engineering teams. Manufacturing: the joint-venture will combine the vehicle manufacturing capabilities of Groupe Renault with the fuel cell and hydrogen system manufacturing knowledge of Plug Power, establishing a vertically integrated fuel cell stack and system manufacturing center in France for integration into LCV vehicle platforms. In addition, this manufacturing center will provide hydrogen refueling systems, a key part of the hydrogen ecosystem. Sales: this partnership will create a hydrogen vehicle eco-system solution company that offers vehicles, hydrogen fueling stations, hydrogen fuel, and services to customers. This comprehensive solutions approach will accelerate adoption by commercial fleets. The JV will start commercializing fuel cell LCV's in Europe starting in 2021 with pilot fleet deployments. Groupe Renault and Plug Power will provide the stand-alone joint-venture with the required resources to achieve its objectives. Finalization of this joint venture is pending on the conditions normally applicable to this kind of operation, among which the presentation to employee representative bodies in accordance with applicable regulations and the potential clearance from the relevant competition authorities and should be completed by the end of the first half of 2021.

08:18 EST International Tower Hill Mines announces 2021 budget of $5.6M - International Tower Hill Mines announced that the Board of Directors has approved a 2021 budget of $5.6M and endorsed the associated 2021 work program to advance the Livengood Gold Project. The key element in the 2021 work program is the completion of the Pre-Feasibility Study on the Livengood Gold Project that is planned for release in October 2021. The comprehensive study was begun in July of 2020 and will further de-risk and identify the optimal project configuration. The company has engaged BBA, Inc. as its lead consultant and has retained Whittle Consulting, Resource Modeling, Inc., Resource Development Associates, Easton Process Consulting, and NewFields Companies, LLC to provide specialized technical support.

08:17 EST Gentex announces nanofiber sensing technology - Gentex Corporation announced the acquisition of a new nanofiber sensing technology capable of detecting a wide variety of chemicals, from explosives to volatile organic compounds, with widespread application in a multitude of industries. Gentex's new nanofiber technology can detect a wide variety of chemicals, including explosives, drugs, VOCs, toxic industrial chemicals, amines, and more. The technology and patents were included in Gentex's 2020 acquisition of the Utah-based startup, Vaporsens, which was founded by University of Utah professor Dr. Ling Zang. Zang invented the technology and launched Vaporsens with assistance from the Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology Center at the University of Utah. The core of Vaporsens' chemical sensor technology is a net of nanofibers approximately one thousand times smaller in size than human hair. Their porous structure allows them to absorb targeted molecules from sampled gas and identify them via changes in their electrical resistance. The technology allows for the rapid detection of target chemicals with high sensitivity in the parts per billion and parts per trillion ranges.

08:14 EST TypTap receives approval to write homeowners insurance in Nevada - TypTap Insurance Company has received regulatory approval to write homeowners insurance in Nevada. The approval is part of TypTap's planned nationwide expansion announced in August of 2020. TypTap has received approvals in seven states outside of Florida.

08:12 EST Zebra Technologies appoints Nathan Winters as CFO - Zebra Technologies announced that Nathan Winters has been named CFO. Joining Zebra in 2018, Winters was previously the company's VP of corporate financial planning and analysis and business operations. Prior to Zebra, Winters served in financial roles for GE (GE) for more than 16 years where he held multiple CFO positions, most recently serving as CFO of GE Healthcare Global Supply Chain.

08:11 EST Gilead, Vir Biotechnology establish collaboration for chronic HBV - Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Vir Biotechnology (VIR) announced that the companies have entered into a clinical collaboration to evaluate novel therapeutic combination strategies aimed at developing a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B virus. The companies plan to initiate a Phase 2 trial evaluating combination therapy for both treatment-experienced and treatment-naive people living with HBV. The multi-arm trial will evaluate different combinations of selgantolimod, Gilead's investigational TLR-8 agonist; VIR-2218, Vir's investigational small interfering ribonucleic acid; and a commercially-sourced, marketed PD-1 antagonist. People in the trial with HBV treatment experience may also receive Gilead's Vemlidy. The primary outcome of the study will be the proportion of patients achieving a functional cure, defined as an off-therapy loss of hepatitis B surface antigen and HBV DNA from the serum. Both companies retain full rights to their individual product candidates and will discuss the potential path forward for any future combination studies based on the outcome of the Phase 2 trial.

08:10 EST Celanese announces intention to build LCP polymerization plant in China - Celanese announced its intent to build a multi-phase liquid crystal polymer, or LCP, polymerization plant in China to support the growth in its Vectra and Zenite LCP product lines. Site selection is underway, and Celanese is considering both existing and greenfield locations to place its new LCP facility. The total scope of the investment is intended to support approximately 20 kilotons of LCP production per year with the first phase of the project expected to come on-line in 2024. The addition of LCP polymerization capacity in China will make Celanese the only LCP producer with assets in both Asia and the Western Hemisphere, giving the company the ability to work closely with customers in multiple regions. Celanese currently has LCP polymerization capability in Shelby, North Carolina, and LCP compounding in North America, Europe and China.

08:07 EST Service Properties receives termination notice from Hyatt for 22 hotels - Service Properties (SVC) announced that it has received a notice of termination from a subsidiary of Hyatt (H) with respect to the management agreement for 22 Hyatt Place hotels owned by subsidiaries of SVC. Hyatt's obligations under the management agreement, which requires minimum returns of $22M annually, is supported by a $50M limited guaranty. While Hyatt is current on its payments to SVC at this time, it recently exhausted this $50M guaranty and under the terms of the management agreement, Hyatt may terminate the agreement upon 90 days' notice once the guaranty has been fully utilized. The effective date of the termination pursuant to Hyatt's notice is April 8. SVC and Hyatt are currently in discussions regarding possible changes to the management agreement which may enable some or all of the hotels to remain Hyatt Place hotels managed by Hyatt. However, if such discussions do not result in a mutually acceptable agreement, SVC expects to transition management of the 22 hotels to Sonesta on April 8 under the Sonesta Select brand. SVC also owns 34% of Sonesta.

08:06 EST Hill International selected as FM Managing consultancy for Tatweer - Hill International announced it was awarded the contract to provide Facilities Management consultancy services to act as the Managing Agent for the Tatweer Building Company, which represents the Saudi Ministry of Education. This award consists of three main projects: two prestigious headquarters buildings in Riyadh, Riyadh Schools and associated administrative buildings, which consist of more than 2,000 facilities, and Eastern Province schools plus administrative buildings totaling another 2,000 facilities.

08:05 EST Moderna appoints Jose Vega as chief safety officer - Moderna (MRNA) announced that Jose Vega joined Moderna as chief safety officer effective immediately. Vega will report to CMO Tal Zaks. Vega joins Moderna from Merck (MRK) where he led the global clinical safety and pharmacovigilance organization and served as the chief safety officer for Merck Research Laboratories since 2013. In this role, he led a global team of nearly 600 safety and pharmacovigilance professionals.

08:04 EST Uber, Moderna to collaborate on 'uptake of COVID-19 vaccines' - Moderna (MRNA), and Uber Technologies (UBER) announced a collaboration to explore ways to help support the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna and Uber will work together initially to provide accessible, credible information on vaccine safety through Uber's in-app messaging. The two companies will also work with public health and other organizations to identify additional opportunities to support ongoing efforts to broaden access to COVID-19 vaccines. Additional options being evaluated include incorporating ride scheduling directly into the immunization appointment process, and possibly integrating with vaccine providers' systems to text reminders and enable patients to book rides in advance of their first or second immunization appointments. "Used by millions of people every day, the Uber platform can both help educate the public about vaccine safety and help eliminate transportation barriers to vaccination. Together with Moderna, we hope to do our part to help increase vaccination awareness and adoption, and we look forward to exploring ways we can help ensure everyone, especially in the hardest-hit communities of color, has access to a vaccine," said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. "As part of our commitment to help address COVID-19, Moderna will be working with a coalition of partners to educate, build trust around and increase awareness of the importance of vaccination in those communities significantly impacted by the pandemic. We look forward to combining our expertise with Uber's capabilities and platform to support this important effort," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel. In December, Uber committed 10 million free or discounted rides to help ensure transportation is not a barrier to getting a vaccine. Targeting communities hardest hit by the pandemic, Uber partnered with the National Urban League, National Action Network and the Morehouse School of Medicine. Uber will continue to build a broad coalition of organizations committed to breaking down transportation barriers in these communities.

08:03 EST Las Vegas Sands announces passing of CEO Sheldon Adelson - Las Vegas Sands issued the following statement announcing the death of company Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson: "Our founder and visionary leader, Sheldon G. Adelson, passed away last night at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Born to immigrant parents and raised in a poor section of Boston, Mr. Adelson went from a teenager selling newspapers on a street corner to becoming one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs.His achievements in the integrated resort and hospitality industry are well-documented. In Las Vegas, Macao and Singapore, Mr. Adelson's vision for integrated resorts transformed the industry, changed the trajectory of the company he founded, and reimagined tourism in each of those markets. His impact on the industry will be everlasting. Mr. Adelson was the first employee of Las Vegas Sands - 'Team Member Number One' he liked to say. Today, more than 50,000 Sands team members have Dr. Adelson and the entire Adelson family in their thoughts and prayers and are grateful to have had their lives touched by a true force of nature. When the pandemic disrupted daily routines and dramatically impacted his business, Mr. Adelson was adamant that our Team Members across the globe continue to receive full pay and health care benefits even while the buildings in which they worked were closed. There are countless additional untold stories of his warmth and generosity - efforts for which he never sought recognition or publicity and would only reply with a smile if asked about them. While his business credentials - having started or been involved in more than 50 different enterprises - are unquestioned, his dedication to philanthropy and commitment to his family will truly be his legacy. He will be missed by people from all parts of the world who were touched by his generosity, kindness, intellect and wonderful sense of humor. The Adelson family asks for privacy as they mourn Mr. Adelson's passing. A funeral will be held in Israel, the birthplace of Dr. Miriam Adelson, with plans for a memorial service held in Las Vegas to be announced at a later date."

08:02 EST Las Vegas Sands announces passing of CEO Sheldon Adelson

07:56 EST Ocugen announces cancellation of stockholder meeting - Ocugen announced it has determined to withdraw from stockholder consideration Item 2 set forth in its Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2020, with respect to an increase in the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the Company's Sixth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. As a result, the Company has determined to cancel the reconvening of its annual meeting of stockholders, which was previously adjourned solely with respect to Item 2 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on January 13, 2021. All other items set forth in the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement were submitted to stockholder vote at the Company's annual meeting of stockholders on December 23, 2020. The Company plans to re-evaluate the details of Item 2 in light of the recent potential addition of COVAXIN to its pipeline as well as its compliance with Nasdaq's Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).

07:55 EST ArcLight Clean Transition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading halted, news pending

07:44 EST Hyliion Holdings announces Sherri Baker as CFO, succeeding Greg Van de Vere - Hyliion Holdings announced Sherri Baker will join the company as Chief Financial Officer, effective February 8, 2021. Baker will succeed Greg Van de Vere, who will retire after serving nearly four years with Hyliion.

07:37 EST Good Times Restaurants reports Q1 SSS for Good Times brands up 22.1% - Good Times Restaurants announced that year-over-year same store sales for its Good Times brand increased 22.1% for its first fiscal quarter ended December 29. Year-over-year same store sales at its Bad Daddy's brand decreased 11.8% during the quarter compared to its fiscal 2020 first quarter, driven by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government restrictions related to restaurant dining rooms, including the closure of dining rooms in its twelve Colorado Bad Daddy's for part of November and all of December.

07:35 EST Healthcare Trust reports acquisition of $129M of medical office investments - Healthcare Trust of America provided a business update for 4Q which included the acquisition of over $129M of medical office investments and the collection of more than 99% of contractual rent due. During Q4, HTA closed on approximately $129M of medical office investments primarily consisting of on-campus MOBs in the quarter at anticipated, in-place year one yields of over 5.8%, prior to any synergies from the Company's full service operating platform. Including operating synergies, HTA anticipates year one yields of over 5.9%. These MOBs have 386,000 square feet of GLA, are 95% leased as of the time of acquisition, and are located in the Company's existing key markets. During 2020, HTA has now closed on over $181M of acquisitions totaling 600,000 square feet of GLA, with expected year one contractual MOB yields at approximately 6.0%, before any operating synergies. With operating synergies, HTA expects year one contractual yield on these acquisitions of 6.2%. These properties are approximately 94% leased as of closing, and are well located within dynamic submarkets in HTA's key markets. In Q4, total cash collections totaled 103% of our Q4 charges. For Q4 charges only, we collected approximately 99% of our total monthly rents that are contractually due and owed, with negligible new amounts deferred. In total, company approved deferral plans that total approximately $11.1M, of which approximately $7.3M have been repaid as of year-end. The remainder are expected to be repaid within the next 6 to 9 months.

07:32 EST Synchrony names Brian Doubles as CEO, succeeding Margaret Keane - Synchrony announced Margaret Keane, CEO, will transition to the role of Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Synchrony. Synchrony's Board of Directors unanimously elected Brian Doubles, President, to become President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. Both appointments are effective April 1. Doubles is an 11-year veteran of Synchrony, serving as CFO prior to and through its IPO in 2014 and as President since 2019. As part of this transition, Synchrony's current Chairman, Richard Hartnack, will retire from the Board after six years of exceptional service. The company also announced Jeffrey Naylor will become Lead Independent Director. Naylor has served on Synchrony's Board since 2014 and brings considerable expertise in the retail industry and executive management. All changes announced today will take effect on April 1.

07:28 EST American Equity says Tolga Uzuner now CIO Asset Management American Equity - American Equity Investment Life Holding Company announced that Tolga Uzuner will become Chief Investment Officer, CIO, Asset Management, of American Equity. Uzuner will be responsible for executing the company's alpha asset strategy and building its subsidiary asset management firm. Uzuner will have a significant role in American Equity's 2.0 investment management strategy pillar. He will partner with Jim Hamalainen, Chief Investment Officer of Insurance and Jeff Lorenzen, Chief Risk Officer of AEL. Uzuner and Hamalainen will function as co-CIOs, leading one integrated investment function and partnering to broaden the company's investment management capabilities and revenue generation sources including through partnerships. "We look forward to having Tolga join our asset management team with his extensive background and leadership," Bhalla said. "Tolga comes to us with wide-ranging investment expertise and a distinguished track record of success including in strategies similar to the AEL 2.0 investment management pillar."

07:27 EST Calibre Mining sees 2021 production, sales of 170,000-180,000 ounces of gold - Sees total cash costs of between $950 and $1,050 per ounce; and AISC of between $1,040 and $1,140 per ounce. Russell Ball, CEO of Calibre, stated: "The team delivered a safe and strong fourth quarter to finish the year ahead of guidance and I am grateful for their dedication and focus during an exceedingly difficult year. Looking to the future, I am excited about the 30% production growth we expect to deliver in 2021 as we commence first ore deliveries from our Pavon Norte open-pit mine this month. With strong cash flow generation, we will be reinvesting in the business through an increased exploration budget and development of our Panteon and Atravesada underground mines, which are expected to commence ore deliveries before the end of the third quarter of 2021 and 2022, respectively. In addition, we have started the technical work and expect to commence drilling later this quarter at our now 100%-owned Eastern Borosi Project. While not included as part of our August 2020 multi-year outlook, I believe the Guapinol deposit represents the next opportunity for us to deploy our 'hub-and-spoke' operating philosophy to generate significant value for all stakeholders."

07:25 EST Calibre Mining reports Q4 production of 42,573 ounces of gold - Reports sales of 42,334 ounces of gold.

07:23 EST Skylight Health announces 75% voluntary share lock-up - kylight Health Group announced today that 75% of investors who participated in the $0.15 financing, which closed September 25, 2020, have agreed to a voluntary lock-up, extending the hold period to March 31, 2021. 100% of insiders, including Merida Capital Partners, that participated in this round of financing have agreed to the same lock-up terms. These shares were previously subject to a free-trade date of January 25, 2021. This lock-up covers approximately 26,250,000 of the 35,000,000 shares issued, representing 75% of the shares issued.

07:21 EST TechXtend, Resiliency Technologies announce national partnership - TechXtend announced their partnership with Resiliency Technologies. Under this agreement, TechXtend has been named the exclusive North American Distributor for their Sharpen Up Schools Solution.

07:19 EST Clearside Biomedical enrolls first patients in Phase 1/2a trial of CLS-AX - Clearside Biomedical announced that the first patients have been enrolled in its Phase 1/2a clinical trial of CLS-AX in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Clinical sites, all based in the United States, are activated and currently screening wet AMD patients for this Phase 1/2a trial, known as OASIS, involving CLS-AX, a proprietary suspension of axitinib for suprachoroidal injection. OASIS is a Phase 1/2a open-label, dose-escalation study in wet AMD patients to assess the safety and tolerability of a single dose of CLS-AX administered by suprachoroidal injection. Eligible patients are those who demonstrate stable visual acuity following two or more previous injections with an intravitreal anti-VEGF agent. Enrolled patients initially receive aflibercept at the first visit followed by a single dose of CLS-AX at the second visit one month later. The primary endpoint for the trial will assess the safety and tolerability of CLS-AX for the three months following the administration of CLS-AX, and secondary endpoints will evaluate the pharmacokinetics, visual function, ocular anatomy, and the need for additional treatment with intravitreal aflibercept during the three month period.

07:17 EST Del Taco initiates 4c per share quarterly dividend - The board has authorized the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend program. The company's first quarterly dividend of 4c per share of common stock is payable on February 23 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 2. While the company intends to pay quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, all subsequent dividend payments will be reviewed quarterly and declared by the board at its discretion.

07:14 EST La Jolla in licensing pact for GIAPREZA and XERAVA, potential milestone $109.5M - La Jolla Pharmaceutical announced that it and certain of its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, La Jolla) have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with PAION AG and its wholly owned subsidiary PAION for GIAPREZA and XERAVA in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (the Territories). Under the terms of the exclusive licensing agreement, La Jolla will be entitled to receive: (i) an upfront cash payment of $22.5 million; (ii) potential commercial milestone payments of up to $109.5 million; and (iii) double-digit tiered royalty payments based on net sales of GIAPREZA and XERAVA. In exchange, La Jolla granted PAION an exclusive license to commercialize GIAPREZA and XERAVA in the Territories. GIAPREZA is approved by the European Commission as a vasoconstrictor indicated for the treatment of refractory hypotension in adults with septic or other distributive shock who remain hypotensive despite adequate volume restitution and application of catecholamines and other available vasopressor therapies. XERAVA is approved by the European Commission for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults. "Our agreement with PAION marks an important step in our global strategic plans to bring innovative therapies that improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases to Europe," said Larry Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer of La Jolla. "We are excited to have PAION as a partner and expect its commercialization expertise will be invaluable in maximizing the value of GIAPREZA and XERAVA in Europe." We are excited to add these attractive hospital products to our portfolio, giving us a strong basis to launch our European commercial organization and to build out our sales and marketing activities," said Dr. Jim Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of PAION AG. "We will be using single, hospital focused sales teams in each country to commercialize these products in Europe. The licensing agreement announced today puts us on strong footing to become a leading specialty pharmaceutical company in the fields of anaesthesia and critical care."

07:11 EST Tilt Holdings' Jupiter Research receives medical device certification - TILT Holdings announced that its subsidiary, Jupiter Research has obtained ISO 13485:2016 certification of its Quality Management System for medical devices. ISO 13485:2016 certification is the latest development in the Company's strategic expansion of its inhalation business beyond adult-use products, allowing Jupiter to supply the U.S. and European medical cannabis markets with medical-grade inhalation devices. The Company previously announced the expansion of its partnership with Kanabo Research to include registering its first medical device for sale in Europe via an audit under the Medical Devices Directive. The MDD is a European Union directive outlining standards manufacturers and importers must meet to legally market or sell their devices in the EU.

07:08 EST Annexon announces 2021 anticipated upcoming milestones - ANX005, a clinical-stage investigational monoclonal antibody intended to treat patients with complement-mediated disorders: Data from the DDI trial assessing safety and potential pharmacokinetic effect of ANX005 and IVIg in GBS is anticipated in early 202; Initial data from the Phase 2 trial in HD is anticipated in 2H 2021; Phase 2 trial in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is planned to initiate in early 2021, with initial data anticipated in 2H 2021; Phase 2 trial in patients with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia is planned to initiate in early 2021. ANX007, a clinical-stage investigational monoclonal antibody Fab for the treatment of patients with complement-mediated neurodegenerative ophthalmic diseases: Phase 2 trial in patients with geographic atrophy is planned to initiate in early 2021. ANX009, a clinical-stage investigational, subcutaneous formulation of a Fab intended to treat systemic antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases: Data from the Phase 1 first-in-human trial is anticipated in 1H 2021.

07:07 EST Kratos Defense awarded $12.7M task order to complete turbojet engine - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that Kratos' Turbine Technologies Division as been awarded a $12.7M task order under its Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission ID/IQ contract. The program will be managed by the Turbine Engine Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory. The award follows the successful ground testing of an affordable turbojet designed for use in future low-cost cruise missiles and attritable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The design and test of the 200lb thrust-class turbojet engine was completed in under 18 months, demonstrating Kratos' ability to meet the needs of today's warfighter. Testing included characterization of the engine from ignition to overspeed conditions, characterization of engine performance including thrust, fuel efficiency and electrical power output, and engine durability. Testing was performed at the recently commissioned Kratos engine-test facility in Indiantown, Florida.

07:05 EST Kymera Therapeutics announces 2021 corporate objectives - Kymera's mission is to discover, develop, and commercialize transformative therapies while leading the evolution of targeted protein degradation. The Company's goal is to become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of novel medicines targeting disease-causing proteins that were previously intractable. In 2021, Kymera plans to continue to grow and strengthen its organizational capabilities in order to deliver on the potential of inventing a new class of protein degrader medicines for patients. Key Objectives: Scale organization with continued growth in key functional areas, including clinical development, manufacturing, drug discovery, preclinical development, and G&A functions to support Kymera's growth; Continue to advance existing collaborations, or execute additional strategic partnerships that can contribute complementary capabilities in disease areas both within and outside of Kymera's core areas of therapeutic focus to further extend the potential impact of protein degrader therapies to even more patients and diseases; Continue to foster company culture of transparency, inclusion, communication, problem solving, and innovation; Plan to host inaugural Investor Day in mid-2021 to mark Kymera's five-year anniversary and outline the Company's vision for the next five years

07:04 EST Kymera Therapeutics announces 2021 pipeline objectives - Kymera is discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics designed to selectively degrade disease-causing proteins by harnessing the body's own natural protein degradation system, with an initial focus on immune-inflammatory diseases and oncology. IRAK4 is a key protein involved in inflammation mediated by the activation of toll-like receptors and IL-1 receptors. Aberrant activation of these pathways is the underlying cause of multiple immune-inflammatory conditions. KT-474, a potential first-in-class, highly active and selective, orally bioavailable IRAK4 degrader, is being developed for the treatment of TLR/IL-1R-driven immune-inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical need, such as hidradenitis suppurativa, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and potentially other indications. In December 2020, Kymera submitted an Investigational New Drug application for KT-474 and was recently informed on a call with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Division of Dermatology and Dentistry that, following receipt of official written communication expected in the next week, the Company may initiate dosing of healthy volunteers in the single ascending dose portion of its first-in-human Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in healthy volunteers and patients with HS or AD. This will be the first time that a heterobifunctional small molecule degrader is administered to healthy volunteers. The FDA also informed the Company that the program is on partial clinical hold regarding the multiple ascending dose portion of the Phase 1 trial, pending FDA review of interim data in healthy volunteers from the SAD portion of the trial. The estimated timing of the Company's expected program milestones remains unchanged: Initiation of SAD portion of Phase 1 trial of KT-474 in healthy volunteers 1Q 2021; Presentation of final Non-Interventional trial results in HS and AD 1H 2021; Initiation of enrollment in MAD portion of Phase 1 trial of KT-474 following FDA clearance, including healthy volunteers and a subsequent cohort of HS and AD patients 2H 2021; Presentation of Phase 1 trial results, including proof-of-biology, of KT-474 in healthy volunteers 4Q 2021. IRAKIMiDs are novel heterobifunctional degraders designed to degrade both IRAK4 and IMiD substrates, including Ikaros and Aiolos, with a single small molecule. IRAKIMiDs synergistically target both the MYD88-NF-kB/MAP kinase and Type 1 interferon pathways with the potential to enhance and broaden anti-tumor activity. KT-413 is being developed initially for the treatment of MYD88-mutant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In preclinical studies, KT-413 has demonstrated what we believe to be a potential first-in-class profile as a targeted therapy for MYD88-mutant DLBCL, including strong single-agent antitumor activity against MYD88-mutant lymphomas in vitro and in mouse xenograft models derived from lymphoma cell lines and patient tumors, which have led to rapid, complete, and sustained tumor regressions. Expected Milestones: Submission of KT-413 IND application and initiation of Phase 1 clinical trial in relapsed/refractory B cell lymphomas, including MYD88-mutant DLBCL 2H 2021; Presentation of additional KT-413 preclinical data in DLBCL as well as other potential indications 2021. Kymera is developing selective STAT3 degraders for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, as well as autoimmune diseases and fibrosis. STAT3 is a transcription factor activated through a variety of different cytokine and growth factor receptors via Janus kinases, as well as through oncogenic fusion proteins and mutations in STAT3 itself. Long considered an undruggable target, STAT3 hyperactivation is prominent in numerous liquid and solid tumors, including clinically aggressive lymphomas. Kymera's potent and selective STAT3 degraders have demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects in mouse xenograft and syngeneic models of liquid and solid tumors. Expected Milestones: Nomination of STAT3 development candidate for liquid and solid tumor indications 1H 2021; Presentation of additional preclinical data in liquid and solid tumors 2021; Submission of IND application and initiation of Phase 1 clinical trial 4Q 2021. Kymera is also actively advancing a broad pipeline of preclinical programs across a wide variety of diseases, both internally and in collaboration with existing partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi. The internal programs continue to be focused on undrugged or inadequately drugged nodes within highly validated pathways in immune-inflammatory and oncology indications. Kymera is also developing a new generation of tissue-selective or -restricted degrader medicines with the goal of drugging an entirely new set of protein targets. Key Objectives: Continue pipeline expansion by advancing early-stage discovery programs toward IND-enabling studies; Further expand the capabilities of Kymera's Pegasus platform to identify the optimal pairing of disease-causing protein targets with E3 ligases to generate novel degrader product candidates; Leverage Kymera's E3 Ligase Whole-Body Atlas of over 600 unique E3 ligases to identify previously unliganded E3 ligases, including tissue-restricted or -selective, to unlock new opportunities across broad therapeutic applications.

07:03 EST Farmmi regains Nasdaq compliance - Farmmi announced that on January 11, it received notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market confirming the company has regained compliance with NASDAQ's minimum bid price requirement under Listing Rule 5550(a). NASDAQ noted this matter is now closed.

07:01 EST Lion Group to acquire 100% of Lion FinTech Group - Lion Group Holding announced it will acquire 100% of Lion FinTech Group Limited for an amount to be agreed upon with a definitive agreement expected to be signed by March 31. Through its subsidiary, Royal Lion Middle East DMCC, Lion FinTech holds a proprietary trading license for crypto assets in Dubai. The company expects the acquisition to close in the first quarter.

06:57 EST Kirkland Lake Gold says Q4 production totalted 369,434 ounces, up 32% y/y - Kirkland Lake Gold announced production results for the fourth quarter and full-year of 2020. Q4 2020 production totaled 369,434 ounces, a 32% increase from the fourth quarter of 2019 and 9% higher than the previous quarter. All three of the company's cornerstone assets achieved their highest quarterly production levels of the year in Q4 2020. For FY 2020, the company produced 1,369,652 ounces, a 41% increase from 2019 and in line with full-year 2020 guidance of 1,350,000 - 1,400,000 ounces.

06:54 EST Pfizer invests $120M in four clinical-stage biotech companies - Pfizer (PFE) announced that, during the second half of 2020, it invested a total of $120M in four clinical-stage biotech companies as part of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative. Through PBGI, Pfizer is investing up to $500M in biotechnology companies, providing funding and access to Pfizer's scientific expertise to help ensure the continuity of promising clinical development programs of potential future strategic interest to Pfizer. Pfizer's initial PBGI investments include: $10 million in Vancouver, BC-based ESSA Pharma (EPIX), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel and proprietary therapies for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer. $25M in Cambridge, Mass.-based Trillium Therapeutics (TRIL), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer. In addition, Jeff Settleman, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer's Oncology Research & Development Group, was named to Trillium's Scientific Advisory Board. $25M in Cambridge, Mass.-based Vedanta Biosciences, a privately held clinical-stage company focused on developing a new category of therapies for immune-mediated diseases based on rationally defined consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria. In addition, Michael Vincent, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer's Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit, will join Vedanta's Scientific Advisory Board. $60M in Bedford, Mass.-based Homology Medicines (FIXX), a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on treatments for rare genetic diseases with significant unmet medical needs. In addition, Seng Cheng, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer's Rare Disease Research Unit, has joined Homology's Scientific Advisory Board for matters related to Homology's gene therapy and gene editing programs for phenylketonuria.

06:49 EST AbbVie licenses first TriNKET drug candidate from Dragonfly - Dragonfly Therapeutics announced that AbbVie has licensed its first TriNKET drug candidate from Dragonfly, part of a multi-target collaboration initiated in November 2019 designed to advance a number of Dragonfly's novel NK cell engager-based immunotherapies for autoimmune and oncology indications. The opt-in grants AbbVie exclusive worldwide intellectual property rights to develop and commercialize products directed to this first specific target, developed using Dragonfly's TriNKET technology platform. Dragonfly will receive an opt-in payment, as well as potential future development milestone payments and royalties from the sales of any commercialized candidates.

06:08 EST Pacific Premier announces new $150M share repurchase program - Pacific Premier announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new stock repurchase program which authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.725M shares of its common stock, representing approximately 5% of the company's issued and outstanding shares or approximately $150M. The Program replaces and supersedes the previous $100M stock repurchase program approved by the Board in December 2019. The company had not repurchased any shares of common stock under the previous stock repurchase program.

06:03 EST Amneal Pharmaceuticals to acquire substantially all assets of Kashiv Specialty - Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Kashiv BioSciences announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, will acquire a 98% interest in Kashiv Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kashiv focused on the development of complex generics, innovative drug delivery platforms and novel 505(b) drugs. Under the terms of the transaction, Amneal will pay an upfront purchase price comprised of (i) a cash payment of $70M at the closing of the Acquisition, which is subject to certain customary purchase price adjustments, and (ii) a cash payment of $30M at the one-year anniversary of the execution of the purchase agreement. Kashiv is also eligible to receive up to an additional $8M in contingent payments upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones. In addition to the foregoing contingent payments, the company has agreed to pay Kashiv certain royalty payments equal to an escalating percentage (from high single-digits to mid double-digits, depending on the net sales amount) of aggregate annual net sales for certain pharmaceutical products. The acquisition is a related party transaction. Accordingly, the Conflicts Committee of the company's Board of Directors evaluated the transaction together with its advisors, and negotiated and approved the terms of the purchase agreement and the limited liability company agreement of Kashiv Specialty, which will become effective as of the closing of the transaction. The transaction will be financed with cash on hand and is expected to be consummated in the second quarter, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

05:27 EST Arthur J. Gallagher to acquire specialist UK insurance broker Bollington - Arthur J. Gallagher announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of specialist UK insurance broker The Bollington Wilson Group. The transaction will close following regulatory approval. Founded in 1973 as a local community broker, Bollington has since grown organically and through strategic acquisitions into a specialist UK insurance broker with more than 400 employees. Headquartered in Sale, Bollington also operates from offices in Liverpool, Bollington, Harrogate, Sutton Coldfield, Stafford and Bolton. It has divisions in SME, micro-SME and personal lines. The business will become part of Gallagher's UK Retail Division, and Paul Moors, Group CEO, will remain with Gallagher as chairman of Bollington.

05:16 EST Aurora Mobile partners with Dada Now on user experience, account security - Aurora Mobile (JG) announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Dada Now, a local on-demand delivery platform in China. Aurora Mobile will provide one-click login services to Dada Now rider's version of its app to help Dada Now improve user experience and enhance account security. Dada Now is the local on-demand delivery platform of Dada Nexus (DADA). After six years of development including continuous technology iteration, Dada Now has built a comprehensive delivery system, consisting of last-mile delivery, chain merchants and order picking and fulfillment solutions, providing professional and efficient local on-demand delivery services to individuals and enterprises. Dada Now caters to the rapidly growing demands across various verticals by leveraging the flexibility and scalability of the crowdsourcing network. To date, Dada Now covers more than 2,600 cities and counties nationwide with over 10M of average delivery orders per day. Through the partnership, Aurora Mobile will leverage JVerification services in an effort to streamline the user login and registration process for Dada Now rider's version. The partnership with Dada Now is another notable example of the vast application potential of Aurora Mobile's powerful AI-driven push technology in various industries.

05:09 EST Autohome CEO Min Lu retires, Quan Long succeeds - Autohome announced that Quan Long has been appointed as the successor to Min Lu to serve as a director and the chairman of the board of directors of the company, the chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee and the compensation committee of the board, and the CEO of the company, effective immediately. Lu retired from his roles in the company. Before joining Autohome, Long has held a series of leadership roles within Ping An Insurance since he first joined as a salesman in 1998, including as the assistant general manager, vice general manager and general manager of several provincial-level branches of Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance. He has been serving as vice general manager of Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance since December 2018.